“Ah am stuffed!” Applejack said.

It had been about an hour or two since they all arrived and had just gotten done having a large dinner with the Princesses and Shining Armor.

“That was so good!” Pinkie said happily. There was splotch of white icing on her cheek from dessert. “I just can’t wait for whatever we’re having from breakfast.”

Everyone pony merely chuckled at Pinkie Pie’s enthusiasm.

“Twilight darling, can I ask you something?” Rarity asked. “Who was that guard you were talking to earlier?”

“He said his name was Flash Sentry.” Twilight answered. “He’s pretty nice.”

“Just nice?” Spike asked, with a teasing look. “He didn’t just have a nice attitude now did he?”

“I agree with Spike.” Rarity said. “He seemed a lot more than friendly.”

Twilight didn’t understand.

“What are you saying?”

Before either Rarity or Spike could answer, their hyperactive friend chimed in.

“Twilight thinks he’s cuuuute! Twilight thinks he’s cuuuute! Twilight thinks he’s cuuuute!” Pinkie sang. “You think he’s cute don’t you Twilight?”

Twilight was surprised by what her pink friend had said.

“W-what are you talking about?” She asked with surprise. “I’ve only known him for like an hour or so.”

“Knowing somepony for a couple hours has nothing to do with whether or not think that somepony is good looking.” Rainbow Dash said.

“It’s not often I say this, but I agree with Rainbow.” Rarity said. “I’ve known customers for a total of five minutes and I thought of them good looking. So tell us darling, you think Flash is cute isn’t he?”

Twilight finally sighed.

“Okay fine I think he’s good looking.” She said. “But that doesn’t mean anything. Have you ever felt any true feelings for anypony you’ve thought was good looking and for no other reason than that.”

Rarity then produced a look on her face and turned away.

“You know what, don’t answer that.” Twilight said. “Anyway, let’s all get some sleep. It’s a big day tomorrow.”

Everypony then said their good nights and began to head to their respective bed rooms.

Fluttershy made her way towards her bedroom, until she heard what sounded like somepony was trotting some distance away.
This peaked her curiosity.

“Is somepony there?”

She then heard trotting again, this time it coming down a hallway to her left.

Even more curious, Fluttershy made her way down the hallway, which was, for whatever reason, darker than the others.

Suddenly, there was another sound, this time it was something being knocked over.

Fluttershy looked over and saw that it had to have come from a room that had its door was ajar. Her curiosity still strong, she slowly approached the door and gently pushed it open.

“Hello?”

The room was quiet.

“Is somepony in here?”

She slowly entered the room.

The room was really dark. Despite this, and thanks to what little light leaked into the room from the open doorway, Fluttershy spotted something that caught her eye.

“What is this?”

It appeared to be a large mirror. A very large mirror.

“What is this doing in here?”

As she was about to touch it, there was a sudden thud behind her.

She turned and saw a large shape in the shadows. The shape was about the same height as her, and that shape was a pony. A pony with a cloak on.

Fluttershy gasped with fright and ran out of the room.

As she was about to make her way down the hall, there was a flash and the cloaked pony appeared right in front of her.

Before Fluttershy could scream, the cloaked pony grabbed hold of her and slammed her against the wall hand covered her mouth with an amber colored hoof.

“Listen here you pink maned bitch.” The pony said. The pony’s voice revealed her to be female. “You’re going to forget you saw me. You’re going to forget you came down this hall and into that room. You’re going to forget that room even exists. Do you understand me?”

Fluttershy didn’t say anything or move a muscle.

“Do. You. Understand. Me?” The mare asked forcefully.

All Fluttershy could do was nodded, after all, the mare’s hoof was covering her mouth.

“Good. Now dry your tears and get going.” The mare let Fluttershy go. “And if you dare tell anypony, I’ll be the last thing you’ll ever see.”

Without a second thought Fluttershy got away as quickly as she could.

“Hmm.” The cloaked mare said. “A total coward. Just like the other one.”

Twilight lied down in her bed and let out a sigh.

“That was good dinner wasn’t it Spike?”

“Yeah, it was.” Spike said as he closed the door. “I’m surprised that Pinkie could fit it all in her. Then again it is Pinkie we’re talking about.”

As Spike made his way to his bed, he saw Twilight was having trouble with her wings.

“Come on, stupid wings.”

Twilight then managed to tuck each completely between her and the mattress. But just as she closed her eyes, the wings then popped out from under her, tossing her blanket around.

She led out an annoyed groan.

“How about sleeping on your front?” Spike suggested.

“Not a bad idea.” Twilight said.

As she lied down on her front, she got Spike’s attention.

“Spike, can I ask you something?” She asked.

“Sure, what’s up?” The drake asked.

“Did you mean what you said earlier?” The alicorn asked. “About me being a good leader?”

Spike smiled as he approached her.

“Twilight, the biggest problems Equestria has ever faced were solved because of you.” Spike said. “And I mean every word of it. After all, the Crystal Empire is not under King Sombra’s rule right?”

“To be fair I’m not the one who dove off a building after crystal heart.” Twilight said.

“You know what I mean.” Spike said. “Like I said. Every word of it.”

Twilight smiled.

“Thanks Spike.”

Spike then turned the lamp off and made his way toward his bed.

“Good night Twilight.”

The door to Twilight Sparkle and Spike’s room slowly opened.

“Right out in the open.” The cloaked mare said. “What a complete idiot.”

The mare opened the door even more slowly and entered the room. Before she could make another step, she quickly stopped as she almost tripped over the small bed a purple dragon was sleeping in.

Seeing that the drake was still sleeping, the mare approached the nightstand where a golden crown with a purple jewel lay.
“Perfect.”

Mare used her magic to take hold of the crown and pulled it towards her. In her haste, she knocked over the lamp. Before she knew it, the lamp shattered upon hitting the floor with a loud smash.

Twilight and Spike woke up with a startle.

“What the…?”

Before Spike could fulling ask his question, he felt somepony practically stomp on his head as a ark shaped hoped over him.

Twilight looked and saw Spike holding his head.

Just before she could ask if her friend was okay, she realized something almost turned her from purple to white. Her crown was gone.

With shock, she looked and saw a cloaked figure rush out of the room.

“Hey!” She shouted. “Come back here!”

Twilight hoped out of bed and jumped over Spike, taking care not to hit him unlike the pony before.

Twilight slid out of the room and into the hall.

“Somepony help!” She cried. “That pony stole my crown!”

Doors of the other guest rooms opened as Twilight ran passed.

“What in the hay is going on?” Applejack asked as she put on her hat.

Before anypony could answer she saw somepony wearing a black cloak run passed her, then followed by her alicorn friend.

Without a second thought she ran after them. She was then joined by Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, and finally Spike.

The cloaked mare looked behind her and saw her saw the six ponies and one drake that were after her.

“Halt!” Somepony shouted. “Hold it right there!”

She looked ahead of her and saw nothing but a light. She recognized that the light was coming from a flashlight strapped to a helmet.
“I said halt!”

The guard then levitated off of the ground, revealing to be a pegasus, and charged toward her.

“Nice try.”

The mare then shot what seemed to be a beam of magic energy at the guard, hitting him right in the face, causing him to bounce off the ground and tumble towards the mare.

Twilight gasped as the guard hit the ground with a loud thud, right behind the thieving mare.

Thanks to the helmet’s flashlight, Twilight recognized the guard as Flash Sentry who was now completely out cold. There was a black burn right between his eyes.

“Flash?” Twilight asked.

She looked and saw that the cloak the thief wore was now on the floor. Apparently when Flash Sentry tumbled in the air, one of his hooves caught hold of the mare’s cloak.

Twilight looked and saw the suspect now uncloaked.

She was a unicorn with an amber coat, a crimson and yellow mane, and a cutie mark which appeared to be a sun of the same color as her mane. She also wore a pair of saddle bags, both of which bore her cutie mark.

“Sorry for the inconvenience Princess.” She said with a fiendish smirk.

The mare then turned and bolted down the hall.

“Get back here!”

Twilight then did the same with her friends in toe.

After turning around a corner, Twilight finally managed to jump onto the mare just as she entered a room, causing both of them to hit the floor with a loud thud.

Upon both mares hitting the floor, the Twilight’s crown fell out one of the saddle bags and bounced off the floor and into what appeared to be a large mirror. Instead of the mirror shattering, the crown, surprisingly, phased through the glass.

Before Twilight could even asked, the thief disappeared with an amber flash and reappeared in front of the mirror.

“Sorry it had to be this way.”

That was before the mare gave another smirk and darted into the mirror.

It was the next morning when Celestia called everypony together in the throne room.

“Tell us everything that had happened.” The Princess of the Sun said.

“Spike and I were woken up by the lamp shattering.” Twilight explained. “And when I woke up, I saw that the crown was gone and that mare running out of the room.”

“Yeah, we chased after her and then she went and blasted that guard.” Rainbow Dash added.

“How is he doing?” Spike asked. “Is he okay?”

“He’s alright.” Luna answered. “That burst of energy he was hit by was meant to be non-lethal.”

“No offense Princess Luna.” Applejack said as she took her hat off respectively. “But with you here, wouldn’t you have found out about it before it would’ve happened?”

“For whatever reason I didn’t.” Luna answered. “Regretfully I wish I did.”

“It’s my fault!”

Everypony in the room looked over at Fluttershy, the pony who had shouted.

“What do you mean, darling?” Rarity asked with concern.

“Last night all of us went to bed, I thought I heard something so went to look.” Fluttershy explained. “And when I did I found this mare in a cloak. When I ran, she caught up to me and said she’d heard me I told anypony.” Tears started to form in her eyes. “Now Twilight’s crown is gone and Flash is hurt…” He voice began to choke. “…and it’s all because of me!”

Fluttershy then went down on her knees and began to cry.

Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow went to comfort her friend.

“Do not feel shame, Fluttershy.” Luna said. “Thou are not to blame.”

“What happened next, Twilight?” Shining Armor asked.

“I managed to catch up to her when she entered this room.” Twilight continued. “When I jumped onto her the crown fell out of one of her saddle bags and bounced into this mirror.”

Celestia and Luna both produced a look of surprise and shock.

“A… …mirror…?” Fluttershy said as she sniffed. “…there was a mirror in that room.”

“I believe I know the name of the culprit.” Celestia said as she rose from her seat and approached the group of mares. “Her name is Sunset Shimmer.”

Twilight didn’t recognize the name.

“Who is she?”

“Sunset Shimmer was an old student of mine. Way before you, Twilight.” Celestia explained. “She was a great student. But unfortunately, her heart didn’t match her intellect. She wanted power and I wasn’t going to let her. So she disappeared into that mirror.”

“What’s in the mirror?” Twilight asked.

“Please follow me.”

Twilight stared into the mirror in the now fully lit room. Everypony was gathered in the room where the mirror was located.

“This mirror before you is a gateway to another world.” Celestia explained. “You see, many moons ago I always kept feeling this strange surge of energy. One day, I managed to contain this energy into this mirror, and I discovered that it leads to a different world. A very strange world.”

“Why is Sunset Shimmer obsessed with the mirror?” Rainbow Dash asked with her leg around Fluttershy.

“One day I showed the mirror to her. She saw that the reflection was that of herself, but as an alicorn princess.” Celestia continued. “Since then she started to have a hunger for power, something I wasn't going to give to somepony with hatred in their heart. And then one day she disappeared into the mirror. And that was so long.”

“Why did she wait so long to come back?” Rarity asked. “What was she waiting for?”

“That’s the time between when the gateway opens and closes.” Luna answered, standing beside the mirror. “When it does open, does remains open for five days.”

“I don’t know what exactly it is she is planning…” Celestia said. “…but since it involves her stealing you’re crown, it cannot be good.”

“What can we do to stop her?” Twilight asked. “Is there anything we can do?”

“There is.” Celestia said. “You need to go through the mirror and get your crown back.”

Twilight’s eyes went wide.

“But, what can I do?” She asked. “I don’t even know what world is on the other side.”

Celestia put her hoof on her student’s shoulder.

“I know you can.” She said with reassuring eyes. “You’ve saved Equestria multiple times. What is there that can stop you?”

“Yeah, Twilight.” Spike said. “We all know you can.”

Twilight looked around her friends who all gave her a smile, with just as much reassurance as Celestia’s.

“You’re right.” She said. “I’ll do it.”

“But you must go it alone.” Luna added.

Everypony looked at the Princess of the Night.

“Alone?” Rainbow Dash asked with disbelief. “There’s no way we’re letting Twilight go alone!”

“Unfortunately, if all of you go at once, you will upset the balance of each world.” Luna explained. “Either way, Twilight must go alone.”

Twilight had finished packing her saddle bag with several necessities.

“Twilight, are you sure you’ll be fine going on this alone?” Rainbow Dash asked as the alicorn entered the room. “I mean, I don’t think it won’t be so bad if at least one of us came with you.”

“Celestia and Luna’s word is law.” Twilight answered. “I’m not familiar with this world, so I don’t want to mess up the balance of whatever world this is.”

Rainbow Dahs sighed with defeat.

Suddenly, Twilight felt somepony touch her shoulder. She turned and saw that it was Fluttershy.

“Please be careful.” She said with a gentle smile.

“I will.” Twilight said.

Suddenly her poofy haired friend latched onto her.

“I’ll miss you Twilight!”

“Come back safely, darling.”

“We have all the faith in the world in ya, Sugercube.”

Twilight looked around at her friends and smiled.

“I’ll be back you guys.” She said. “I’ll be thinking of you all.”

Twilight then turned to the mirror and took a deep breath.

She then walked toward the mirror and began to phase into the mirror.

“Here goes nothing.”

That was the last thing she said before completely disappearing.

“Forget it!” Spike shouted. “I’m letting her go alone!”

Spike then ran and jumped into the mirror, shocking everypony in the room.

“Spike no!”

Author's Notes:

I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

I think this clip sums what had happened:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvqJ1mTkEuY