-Chapter IX- Mirror Images

-Canterlot, Equestria

-12th of May, 1008 A.D.

-6:25 A.M.

-Sapphire

I awaited patiently at the train station, bouncing up and down in excitement. It had been four days since Cornflower, Corn Stalk and I had defeated the three loan sharks and sent back to from whence they came. Now I bore a great smile as I expected to see the train come up from the mountain path it took up to Equestria to bring forth Starswirl, who left the day before the fight with Mako and his gang to fetch the mirror that he had back at his home in the Crystal Empire. I heard a loud whistle in the distance, and excitement shot through me. I heard hoofsteps from behind me and was joined by Flower Bud, Shining, Dusk Shine, and Faith on Dusk Shine's back. Flower Bud, as usual, stayed close to the ground, her long, light-yellow mane brushing the ground beneath her as she delicately flew on green wings while Dusk Shine galloped happily to meet me. She changed her position to prepare herself for something, and I didn't get the chance to ask what before Faith jumped high into the air off of the pink Crystalline Equestrian's back. "Heyy!" she called out joyously over the fierce winds that whipped the train as it made the final stretch of its journey.

As the train slowed its course, I found myself almost hopping in place, feeling like Nilly with the energy that surged through me. "Oh boy, I wonder what this whole 'mirror' business is all about?" I heard Flower Bud ask the others gently from behind.

"Apparently Sapphire and him are working on some top-secret project that only they and Doctor Whooves know about," Faith boasted happily as the train came to a full stop in the train station. "The mirror's purpose, however..." she trailed away, "I have no clue."

"Well, remember I have plenty of mirrors back at the salon, Sapphire. If you need a second or more, I'm always willing to help in any way I can," Shining offered. Her light-purple mane shone brightly in the early-dawn light, and her deep-blue coat was groomed explicitly well without nary a single fur out of place. "I want to look absolutely perfect for when Starswirl returns, darling!" she had told me an hour before back at the salon when she was still brushing it. The others decided to wait for her, although with much objection from her, and I was sent ahead to greet him in case we were late, much to my own objection.

"Yeah, I know," I said over my shoulder without tearing my gaze from the crystalline train that always brought passengers to and from the Crystal Empire, "but Starswirl insisted on using his own mirror. Although I can't say I know why."

"Maybe it has some sort of...magical properties that only Starswirl knows about?" Dusk Shine said whimsically. I shook my head with a light laugh. Dusk Shine was beginning to make the silliest of concepts that always brought amusement to those who heard.

"Or maybe it's actually a portal to another dimension!" My ears perked and I quickly turned around to look at Flower Bud, who was now facing confused stares from everyone except for me. She shied behind her lengthy mane, slowly landing softly onto the cobble ground. "...or something," she added quietly.

"Or maybe it's just a normal mirror," Faith suggested with a shrug and a smile.

I quickly turned back to face the crystal train car as I heard it let out a loud, earsplitting whistle and something heavy slide. I watched as Starswirl exited the shadows of the train car, his horn glowing with his greyed magic. I awaited patiently to help take over the weight of the purple mirror as it followed close behind him, floating in the air, surrounded by the same aura that his horn was. "Now," he said with a kind, yet firm tone, "be very careful with this mirror, Sapphire."

"What's so special about the mirror?" Dusk Shine asked with a raised eyebrow as I passed her by.

I stopped and turned around to Starswirl expectantly, just as curious for the answer as everyone else was. He only smiled at her, a glimmer of amusement in his eye at our curiosity. "For now, nothing in a physical sense, especially not to anyone sans myself, although...it was a family heirloom," he said wistfully. For a moment a sense of sadness seemed to overwhelm his expression, but he quickly turned it away and focused again on the task at hoof. "Come," he said, "let us continue our research, Sapphire."

"Can we come, too?" Faith asked hopefully.

Starswirl stopped in his tracks at her question, and looked over his shoulder at the baby dragon. He seemed indecisive as to allow the dragon and others to follow. "I uh..." he trailed away.

He turned his gaze to me, hoping for assistance, but I looked up at him with a pleading look as well. "Cornflower saw it," I reminded him.

He sighed. "All right," he said reluctantly. "But!" he added abruptly when excitement ran through my friends, "None of you, and I mean none of you can tell another soul what this is, all right? Cornflower may have seen it," he said, turning back to me, "but she had no idea what it was."

"Yaaaaaaaaaayyy!" Nilly screamed out in excitement. We all looked at her in confusion.

"Where did you come from?" Flower Bud asked as Vanilla Cream continued to bounce around us in a circle, her curly chocolate-brown mane bouncing up and down with every hop.

She stopped moving around us and began to jump in place while she turned to look at Flower Bud. "I was coming along to see what you guys were all looking at, and then I saw Starswirl coming out of the train. I've been here since!" she said excitedly, circling us yet again.

"All right, all right," Starswirl said with a hint of humour in his voice as he chuckled and began trotting down the cobble paths and back to where the Doctor's workshop was. "Come along, then. Soon dawn will break, and I want as much hours of light as possible for working. Perhaps you five could be of assistance anyway." Flower Bud and Dusk Shine lit up immediately, while Shining Star and Vanilla Cream simply talked quietly amongst themselves with Faith joining in on the conversation every once in a while.

"Hey, Starswirl," I asked suddenly, the though popping up in my head randomly at the mentioning of his family.

He didn't stop moving along beside me, but looked over to me as he responded, "Yes, Sapphire?"

"Do you have any siblings?" Almost as soon as I asked, I wish I wouldn't have.

First he seemed taken aback by my question, but then a flash of anger flared in his gaze and abhorred from his fierce glare before he stopped himself. "I'm sorry, Sapphire, I didn't...I..." he let out a sigh, "Let's just continue with our work, shall we?"

It didn't take long before we reached the large garage door of the workshop, and Starswirl had already seemed to have forgotten my question completely. "Doctor?" he called through a small gap between the bottom of the massive door and the hard ground beneath, "I'm back with the mirror." I held up the mirror to the long horizontal window that ran along the wide garage door. The mirror's reflection seemed to hold a mystical light in it as my magic surrounded its shining surface.

"Ah! Yes, perfect!" he called from behind. We heard a small click and the large door began to go upwards. We saw the Doctor standing on all four colourless hooves excitedly on the other side, looking us over quickly with a glint of excitement shining brightly in his eyes before turning his attention to the mirror still floating in the air, surrounded by my turquoise aura. "Oh, I simply cannot wait!" he exclaimed as he turned around to gallop back to a small pedestal place in the very centre of the large room, not even noticing the extra guests that followed close behind us.

I heard an inspirational "whoa" from Faith and I craned my neck around to see her beholding the large metal arch that was the original concept for the portal. "That thing is huge!" she exclaimed.

"Yes," Doctor Whooves said as he guided the mirror down onto the pedestal. "However, it's not what we are working on."

"Well, not anymore, anyway," Starswirl added with a smile. "Now this is the main focus!" he said, spreading out his front hooves in the direction of the mirror, sitting idly in its spot.

"And...the concept is...?" Shining Star asked with a curious smile.

"WHOA this place is huge!" We all turned around at once to see Nilly looking up to the ceiling from atop the Doctor's catwalk, examining every detail of the near-empty room with enhanced curiosity. "I don't think I've ever been in here, now that I think about it!"

"Yes, well, usually my work is considerably private, but now I think I can make an exception. After all, you all are friends of Sapphire, yes?" Doctor Whooves asked as he polished the mirror's reflective surface, looking at us through the reflection.

They all nodded their heads, almost in unison.

"Well then good! I must say, Sapphire I never would have thought about such a vague and silly concept, but now that my mind has lingered awhile on the subject, it really is a clever idea. Now I find myself so giddy, despite the heavy presence of magic, which usually I prefer to avoid." He turned to Dusk Shine and the others, even Nilly returned to the group to listen to the Doctor's praise. "So you all are welcome to help along in any way you'd like, if you wish."

"Awesome!" Faith exclaimed. "I've been curious about what it is that you've been doing in here, Sapphire."

"As have I," Dusk Shine added with a awe-filled smile as she looked up at the paperweight of an arch. "What exactly is all of this that you've been doing for?"

I opened my mouth to say that I shouldn't reveal it yet to be stopped short by Starswirl. "Right now, it is nothing but mere research, Dusk Shine. Nothing you should worry yourself about at all." He turned to face the metal arch that he and the Doctor built, his back facing the rest of the mares and Faith. "In due time...in due time..." he muttered quietly.

It wasn't long after the others left again and it was only me, Doctor Whooves, and Starswirl, each of the three pacing in differing directions as we contemplated the approach that would best suit what it was we meant to do. I couldn't help but look over to the purple mirror sitting idly on its own beneath the curve of the first attempt at the portal. I kept my gaze to the floor, watching as the smooth, flat, grey surface glided beneath me as I continued along my path. "What could we possibly do?" I heard Starswirl say. I turned to where he was, standing on four hooves staring up at the large arch, and, in the middle of it, the mirror. He trotted up to the mirror silently, staring hard at his reflection, and placed a hoof on the clean reflective glass. "Could we store magic in there? How can we possibly pierce the fabric of the Omniverse?" he asked, his voice hardening to an angered growl. "If we could, what is to say that we won't disrupt an ancient balance that could destroy the world?"

You can't let him give up, I heard a voice in my head say quietly as I watched him.

But what am I to do? I thought, countering the second set of thoughts.

The answer is magic. Lots and lots of magic.

Like...a group of unicorns' worth? Perhaps Luna would allow the royal magicians to help them?

No. Much, much more! My eyes widened with realization.

"Starswirl!" I exclaimed, excitement rising up in my belly.

He quickly jerked his attention from the mirror and back to me. "Yes, Sapphire?"

"I know how we can do this!" I assured him. "We're going to need a lot of magic."

His gaze turned from curious to one of astonishment as he began to see what I meant. "You mean...?"

I nodded. "We're going to need at least three alicorns' worth."