The train headed for Appleloosa rocked along, windows opened to draw in fresh air as the swiftly-passing view outside transitioned from sprawling flowery fields and tree-coated hills to sparsely vegetated shrubland, and then onto the miles of dry desert that surrounded the town. When the apple orchards began to take over the sand, the passengers knew they were arriving.

Of course, with such a journey from Equestria's capital city, Canterlot, it took a few hours for the landscape to transform, and the warm spring day it had been became sweltering as they journeyed further south over the day. Ponies would agree that it was worth it to experience the hospitality of the citizens and the famous apple-themed food, specifically the pies, that were on offer there. And there too were the buffalo tribes, which they had fortunately been allied with for a couple of years now and as such were no longer a cause for concern, rather, ponies came to meet them, or were lucky enough to witness the herd charging alongside the train for a short time.

For Acry, none of that was her reason for making such a dreadful trip, it definitely wasn't the train she wanted to experience, or the intense heat that her thick coat couldn't handle too well, that would all be worth it simply to see an old friend. A friend that hadn't visited in a few months now.

She was thankful that after all these years she had finally gotten over her fear just enough to force herself to board the train that morning. Yet, she set her hooves into the seat padding with enough force to break it apart if she wished, and she spoke not a single word the whole trip, simply distracting herself with daydreams and endless complaints. 'Such... Fun...'

There were so many stories she was looking forward to telling her friend about, a lot could happen in a few months. She was certain he would be happy to hear that her art had really started taking off, allowing her to afford the rent simply by painting portraits, though with a little aid from her coltfriend who had recently moved in, and also that she'd been practicing magic again. He'd always insisted how important that last part was, and Acry was excited to show off how much stronger her spells had gotten. Compared to others, it wasn't really that much honestly, she would never be able to use truly powerful or complex magic, but for her it was an incredible improvement, and she was proud of it.

Obviously, she was curious to hear what he had been up to, with such an important title to his name, it wasn't much of a surprise when his contact with her had dropped, she was used to him leaving for long periods of time, even for an entire month. But at this rate, if she didn't go find him, she suspected he might not see her at all.

When her eyes were drawn to the distant, familiar green of the trees, the short, happy moment was ruined by a particularly nauseating rock as they made the turn towards the station. Honestly, if she had been able to look out the window for more than a few seconds without freaking out, she'd probably have enjoyed the journey immensely more. She usually adored travelling, at least by hoof, simply to see the sights, but now she stiffened, muttering 'fudge cakes' under her breath over and over. In an attempt to distract herself, she glanced down into the saddlebags resting in her lap, going over a mental list of the things she had brought along for maybe the tenth time.

Cookies, check. Sketchbook, check. Art supplies, check- an unwelcome, shrill whistle broke through those thoughts. The train had already brought itself to a welcome stop.

Peeling herself from the seat, Acry departed the carriage as fast as her unsettled stomach would take her. The nearest bench she found became her support as she slowly plaited her multi-coloured mane out of the way, it helped to keep her cool. She remained there until the colour returned to her cheeks and she was stable enough to step out into the searing heat of the sun. Finally. She hauled her saddlebags onto her back and secured them in place as she followed the route she'd memorised as a filly.

Appleloosa was almost just like she remembered it. The addition of new homes was no surprise, and the extension of their immense collection of trees was to be expected alongside that. The populace had aged yet remained just as friendly as they were more than years ago, a few smiling and tipping their hats as the tiny unicorn passed by. Well, that hadn't changed, Acry's legs remained too short for her liking. She returned the gesture with a respectful bow of her head and continued on her way.
The groups thinned out toward the edge of town, on one side of the settlement there remained just a single, unfinished building, yet it was occupied just as it had always been. A rush of nostalgia hit when she saw the 'window', that spot in the house had the best view of the sunrise, partly because of the lack of walling. She'd claimed it as her favourite sitting area as a filly, and it had inspired many attempts at painting the sky.

Retrieving the tub of homemade cookies from her bags, she levitated them in front of her, hoping he would appreciate such a gift. His cooking skills definitely weren't great when she was younger, she recalled having to aid him even then, when it surely should have been the opposite. Though she hadn't had a chance to ask him if his skills in that area had improved at all by now. Having been taught self-dependency so early on in her life had been wonderfully useful, however, she could not forget that her friend had taught her his own lessons, inspiring her to focus on more than just sparring and painting.

Acry stepped up onto the decking surrounding the front door and instantly her ears twitched at the sound of the chain lock, eyes faintly glowing as her magic recognized who was unlocking it.

Blitz was immediately bombarded by a shout of "Fluffy!" as he revealed his face in the gap of the door, Acry rushed forward to greet him, "I was worried that maybe you'd be out on important business, so I'm super glad you're home!" She didn't mention it, but having to stay in town with no idea when he'd return was definitely not fun, or healthy for her savings, and there was no way she'd face the train twice in one day.

Calming down, she grinned up at the grey unicorn before letting her concern show, "have you been doing alright? I know sometimes jobs take you a few days, but it's been so long since you last visited, did something serious happen?" He certainly didn't look ill, quite the opposite, and in fact, she sensed that his magic was actually greater now.

Blitz, who apparently had just woken up, yawns loudly. "Oh, hey Acry," he greeted, "I wasn't expecting you here today." He steps back to let her into the old creaky house, holding the door open.

Happy to escape the intense heat of the sun, Acry didn't hesitate to enter, thanking him for letting her into the shade of the hallway. Sleeping in all day was not her idea of fun, she wondered how often he did that when nopony was around.

"Oh, and I noticed that you brought some cookies with you too," Blitz commented as he pushed the door closed again with a hoof, relatching the chain too.

Acry released her magical hold on the box of cookies, setting them on the nearest flat surface for him, "and I noticed ya didn't answer my question! Thought the cookies might help convince you to actually share what's been going on, I mean, I was the one expecting you to show up and visit, so I finally decided to just come here myself… For surviving that train journey, I think I deserve to hear some answers!"

Blitz, a little taken aback by her random burst of anger, averted his gaze. "Sorry, I've been real tired lately," he lied, ears flattening back into his grey mane.

She was more concerned than angry really, and had been trying to poke fun at her cookie obsession and train phobia in her 'accusation', but his odd response didn't go unnoticed. Acry tilted her head at him curiously, he usually wouldn't back down like that.

Blitz glanced over to the broken mirror, the one that Acry had only now taken any notice of, but swiftly turned back to facing Acry, concealing a flinch, "actually… Not tired, but stressed."

That answer change appeased her for now and she tried to lighten the mood, "considering your job and the how many years of bad luck that broken mirror's gonna give ya, that makes sense!"

Blitz chuckled a bit at the mention of bad luck, "that's just a myth you know? Anyways, if bad luck is real then we demons have that following us everywhere."

Relieved that her second attempt at joking had worked far better, Acry relaxed, "I thought it was usually the other demons gifting ponies with bad luck?"

Blitz sighs, "no, demons are just inconsiderate assholes that take pleasure in ruining everypony's day."

"...Well, that's one way to put it! My family does hunt for a reason, but since we kinda teamed up, they've chilled out a little. Actually went back there the other week to see the renovation progress, now that they've actually had time to focus on it, I dunno if you've gone flying recently to see that for yourself though."

"Not lately… Think I might again someday." Blitz, seemingly with something on his mind, shook away the thoughts clouding his head as he passed Acry to enter the living room, the little mare following him a moment after.

While passing the mirror, Blitz paused and flipped the frame so that the reflective shards could now only stare at the wood panels of the wall, and then distracted from that by levitating the cookie box along with him, it left a clear square in the dust on the table.

Such a mysterious action just got Acry all suspicious again.

"You sure this is just work stress getting to ya?..."

Blitz shook his head, approaching his usual armchair, "stress in general, everything is stressing me out..."

"Oh." Acry went quiet for a moment, "can understand why you wouldn't really wanna come visit, doesn't sound like you're dealing with it well. Absolutely not fun..."

"Not really," Blitz sighed, "I have way too much going on up here" he points to his head with a hoof.

Acry had to wonder if that was connected in some way to the mirror, or perhaps to the usual two annoying voices as well. Of course, she couldn't realise how rather close to the truth that idea was.

Blitz sat down and cringed at a voice in his head, '...you won't be able to contain me forever… I'm you after all.' His armchair by the fire used to help him relax. Not any more.

His reaction went unnoticed, as Acry had started searching for a distraction, a way to change the topic. As much as she wanted to keep asking questions, she also did not wish to upset Blitz again. Her curiosity could hold off for now.

While checking in a nearby drawer, she found a few of her childhood drawings, rather curled up at the corners, but she could see exactly what she'd been trying to depict all these years ago.

"Aw, I remember working on these!"

Blitz's attention was drawn away from the voice, "oh, those? How long were they in there…"

"Who knows?" Acry shrugged in response, "I stashed these all over the house back when I used to stay here, they could've been undisturbed for years."

"Looks that way…" Blitz's reply was cut short as he was attacked by the voice in his head again, Acry's continued talk faded into the background.

'...Trying to ignore me won't work… I will never cease to exist, soon you'll be too weak to keep me locked away…'

"Considering how old these are, it's kinda weird your age ain't catching up to ya like I thought it might, you've already got the grey mane to match it though!" Acry giggled to herself as she flicked through the few pages, reminiscing and also mildly judging how badly out of proportion her old pony drawings were, before then turning back towards Blitz, only now noticing his tense expression. Her smile wavered.

'...and then this wretched world will buuurn!'

Acry was suddenly right beside the armchair. "Blitz? You okay?"

Blitz stood abruptly, keeping his eyes clenched shut, "...one moment." He returns to the hallway, passing the door to the kitchen and then disappearing around a corner; a shard of mirror being levitated behind him.

'...The heck is up with him and mirrors?...' Acry's magic seemed to be flaring up a little in response to him, but she did not follow, he seemed to need time to calm down from… Something.

The sooner an explanation came, the better. If she could figure out any solution to this, she would offer it.

Blitz went out through the back, out where there were no neighbours to see him. Finally opening his eyes, he was met with the mirror shard levitating in front of his face. A green, bleeding eye was all that was visible in the reflection.

'What's the matter? Too much for you? You know it would be all over quicker if you just let me out now…'

Blitz growled at the shard, "no… Never. You are not me, you'll never be me."

The voice only taunts him even more, 'still denying it I see… Pathetic… It's all that pony's fault you went weak on me!'

That comment was met with a fierce glare, Blitz began attempting to channel magic into the glass. The voice simply laughed, 'trying to lock me inside a mirror? It'll only make it worse.'
Snarling, Blitz launched the shard as far as he could, "there's only one other way then." He turned to head back inside, the image of an icy plain and a spire lingering in his mind, "but not before I spend time with my friend…"