It was a half-open door, showing how hurried the pony inside had been when leaving. Through the crack in the door, it was pitch black with no light at all, indicating that this was a room not frequently used.
Sunset Shimmer and Aurora had a slight impression of this door, because whenever they came to see Princess Celestia, they passed by it almost every time. However, because it had always been locked, they had always assumed it was just one of the many empty rooms scattered throughout the castle.
Now that it had been unlocked by a careless pony, making it available for a visit, how could they resist the curiosity to go in and take a look?
"Senior Sister, how about we explore the area ahead another time?"
Smelling the dust drifting out of the room, Aurora suddenly felt that she wasn't curious anymore.
"Then you wait outside for me; I'll be out as soon as I'm done looking."
Sunset Shimmer didn't indulge her, pushing the door open and walking straight in. Seeing this, Aurora had no choice but to follow closely behind to take a look.
This room was likely a storage room, piled with all sorts of miscellaneous things, all covered with dust sheets, and it wasn't clear exactly what was being stored.
But the only item that wasn't covered made Aurora realize what this place was.
"I knew I shouldn't have come in."
A floor-length mirror with a very ornate frame was placed in the most conspicuous position in the room. Especially since the things around it were covered in thick dust, while it was spotless, it was hard not to notice.
Aurora looked at this mirror as if facing a formidable enemy. This was the magical item that could travel to another world; in the original work, Senior Sister used it to run away.
If she could, Aurora would really like to smash the mirror, completely cutting off the possibility of Senior Sister becoming a runaway. But this thing was, after all, the Princess's property, and Aurora, who was well-versed in Equestria's laws, didn't dare to take action.
"Whoa, what is this?"
Sunset Shimmer curiously reached out her hoof to touch the mirror surface, but the cold, hard tactile sensation she expected didn't appear. Instead, it was replaced by a kind of elasticity similar to viscous liquid, like the surface of a bubble, as if one could pass through it.
And as she touched it, the surface of the mirror rippled like water. Such a magical phenomenon made the mirror look full of magic.
Watching the scene of Sunset Shimmer playing with the mirror wantonly, Aurora only felt a jolt of panic, fearing that Sunset Shimmer would just dive in and not come back.
"Senior Sister, I don't think we should have come in..."
"You certainly shouldn't have come in here."
Just as Aurora wanted to bite Sunset Shimmer's tail and drag her out, the majestic voice of Celestia sounded behind them. Turning around, they saw The Grand Princess at the doorway, her face backlit, with a pair of eyes full of displeasure, which made them gasp in fear.
"If you didn't see me in the audience chamber, you should have waited in place, rather than running off to a place you aren't allowed to enter."
"Sorry..." x 2
Considering they were still just Foals, Celestia just reprimanded them verbally and let it go. Moreover, the main responsibility for this matter was that she hadn't closed the door properly.
"I originally intended to tell you everything about this place after you grew up a bit more."
"So... what is this mirror? Some kind of magical item?"
Seeing that Celestia was no longer angry, Sunset Shimmer couldn't suppress her curiosity and asked.
Celestia chose not to answer this question immediately, but instead observed the attitudes of the two ponies toward the mirror.
Sunset Shimmer made no secret of her thirst for knowledge and curiosity; this was the normal reaction of a pony facing something she didn't understand.
Aurora, however, seemed completely unconcerned about the mirror. Compared to the unknown, magical mirror, she seemed more focused on Sunset Shimmer. Although she controlled her emotional expression well, from some of her micro-expressions, one could tell she seemed nervous.
What was making her feel this way?
No pony could figure out what Aurora was thinking, not even Celestia.
"Before answering that question, tell me first what each of you sees in the mirror?"
Celestia used her horn to create some light, so that the room wouldn't be pitch black.
This question, which felt like a test of conscience, made Aurora pause for a moment, but since The Grand Princess had spoken, she had to answer, regardless of whether her answer would satisfy The Grand Princess.
Aurora stood in front of the mirror, looking at the image reflected in it.
She saw a light grayish-blue Unicorn with a pair of bright yellow eyes, and a slightly curly dark blue-purple mane, interspersed with golden highlights.
Whose Foal is this? So cute!
Oh, it's me. Never mind then.
Honestly, besides being able to travel to another world, this crystal mirror was no different from an ordinary mirror.
Not wanting to waste time on the crystal mirror, Aurora quickly gave her answer:
"I see a cute blue Unicorn, and an even cuter amber-colored Unicorn, as well as a beautiful and elegant Alicorn."
As soon as these words were spoken, the mood that Sunset Shimmer was about to build was shattered.
"Can you be a bit more serious?"
"I am very serious, and I am also very honest. If you don't believe me, I can let you touch my conscience and repeat it again."
"I don't want to, you're too cheesy!"
Sunset Shimmer blushed slightly and dodged away from Aurora's approach.
She really couldn't understand what was going on in this guy's head; to be able to say such things in this kind of situation. She didn't think she could fool the princess just by flattering her, right?
As a result, she looked up and saw The Grand Princess with a somewhat delighted expression.
This actually works?
"I am just answering truthfully what I see and what I think in my heart. I don't think I'm wrong."
Aurora summed up her answer with confidence.
Whatever the species, if a person isn't lecherous, what are they? "How are you?"
All Aurora sought in this life was just to learn magic and pet ponies. The simplest pursuit, the ultimate enjoyment.
"Oh, darling, your mouth is so sweet; I like your frankness."
Celestia whispered to Aurora's ear.
This question didn't have a standard answer to begin with, and no matter what they answered, Celestia wouldn't be angry. Instead, Aurora's straightforwardness added a touch of humor to the atmosphere.
In any case, people who like My Little Pony, no matter how evil they are, wouldn't do bad things to ponies, right?
"And what about you? Sunset Shimmer, what do you see?"
"I see my own reflection, that's it. It just looks like an ordinary mirror!"
Sunset Shimmer replied curtly.
If it weren't for Aurora suddenly pulling a stunt, Sunset Shimmer might have been able to prepare a profound and meaningful speech, but now she was too speechless to even bother.
"Now can you tell us about this mirror?"
"Hmm... obviously it's just an ordinary mirror, isn't it?"
Celestia, in a good mood, playfully acted shamelessly, clearly not intending to tell them the function of this mirror.
"You still need to learn a lot of knowledge before you can understand it. Before that, you cannot enter here without permission. For the sake of your safety, I have to do this."
Joking aside, Celestia still gave an appropriate warning.
"Alright, my girls, we should go. I heard you've made a new pony friend recently, and I can't wait to chat with you about it."
"Her name is Twilight Sparkle."
Aurora mentioned Twilight Sparkle's name naturally, while observing Celestia's reaction to the name.
"Oh..."
Celestia responded flatly and continued.
"That name sounds a lot like you two; it's all sparkly."
The Grand Princess's calm reaction left Aurora confused, but she didn't continue to probe, instead just chatting normally with The Grand Princess.
However, they didn't notice the somewhat melancholy expression on Sunset Shimmer's face as she followed behind; clearly, her thoughts were still on that mysterious mirror.
Just now when Celestia asked her what she saw in the mirror, there was actually one thing she hadn't said.
When Celestia walked behind Sunset Shimmer and asked her the question, at that very moment, she saw her own reflection in the mirror subtly overlap with Celestia.
The amber-colored Unicorn had a pair of wings and a crown, noble and looking exactly like a princess.
And this was exactly what she longed for deep in her heart.