Damsel in Distress

None would have dared notice the disappearance of the occasional castle staff member, for the fear of meeting a similar fate, and certainly they didn't ask why they'd been promoted to a role that had been filled for years. This meant that the maids, the cooks, even the guards, all kept to themselves. It made for a very lonely castle, and was lonelier still for Blind Faith. She'd once been the general of the queen's personal guard. When she lost her vision to an injury in combat, she was given no airs, no medals, not even a thanks - she was simply stripped of her rank and put to work as a maid. For as humiliating as this was, she wouldn't have dared to complain. She simply did her duty. Queen Jonquil eventually elevated Faith to her own retinue of maids. Faith's duty was to keep Jonquil's own chambers neat and clean, which was how she came across the mirror that had been gifted to the queen at a festival, many years ago. At first she hardly noticed it, for although it was covered in gems, it was a mirror on the wall of a queen's chamber, and that wasn't the least bit odd. Royalty had a habit of staring at their own reflections, and blinded as she was, Faith noticed nothing out of the ordinary. Not until she heard it speak, that was. Hebe had no real memory of herself at this point. She could not remember even that her name was Hebe, for she had grown so used to the queen's rhymes: "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, Who is the fairest one of all?" Every day Jonquil asked, knowing that the mirror could not lie to her, and every day, the answer satisfied her: "You, O Queen, are fairest of all." Jonquil was a haughty and vain mare. She dressed only in the finest of cloth and gems, taking hours of the day to keep herself beautiful, and although none knew it, Jonquil was a lectoblix. More commonly, a vampire. She stole the years from others, from her staff and her enemies, and took them for her own. Were anyone to be prettier than she, it would have made the hatred in her evil heart storm and stew. Never could she have imagined that the mirror would speak to her lowly maid. And yet this is exactly how the story goes, for the mirror and the pony trapped in it had grown restless and lonely, and at last she spoke up. "Who are you?" She asked Faith, and the maid was shocked into dropping the dust rag she was using. Although she could not see, Faith felt certain that the voice had come not from a pony, but from the mirror that had appeared so suddenly. Thus began a friendship that would crumble the foundations of the kingdom and overthrow the wicked queen. Each day, the queen came and went, always asking the same thing: "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, Who is the fairest one of all?" And always she received the same answer: "You, O Queen, are fairest of all." And when she had gone, Faith came to clean, and stayed to speak to the mirror. Never did she ask the mirror for any boon. It confused Mirror, as she had come to be called, very much at first, but when at last she grew used to it, Mirror looked forward to the time when Faith would come each day. Faith came more and more often to speak with her. They talked of the world, of what had changed in it, of simple things and of complicated ideas - anything at all, really, for they loved to be in each others' company. Time got on. Now that they were friends, life seemed less dreary. Faith always brought the latest news to Mirror, and told her stories she herself had heard as a foal. It was three years before at last, Faith asked her where she had come from. Why she was in the mirror. Mirror could not tell her. She did not know the answers herself, for a fog had eaten at her memories, leaving only Jonquil's orders and Faith's friendship. She told Faith this, and said that she was certain she did not belong in the castle, that she had once walked distant streets, and Faith believed her, though it saddened her greatly to hear. Without telling Mirror, Faith began to make a plan of her own, a plan to let them both go somewhere far away and live together in happiness for the rest of their days. It was several months more before she set the plan in motion. When Faith was young, her mother had given her a magical shell, and told her to keep it close at all times. The shell was golden and lovely, but she'd never used it before. She would practice and study magic often and with great interest, even now, blinded as she was, and so it took her only a little research to understand that the shell might provide a key to Mirror's prison. Night fell, and the queen was sleeping soundly. Faith crept into her chamber as quietly as a mouse, to the mirror, and she slid it off of its hook and into her bag. This done, she fled swiftly. Her destination was a magical forest that she was sure would provide cover and safety for them, and was nearly there when Jonquil awoke. Her scream was so great and terrible that Faith felt it in her bones, although she was far away, and it made her very afraid. Although she had meant to wait until they'd reached the woods, she took then the shell and used it to crack the mirror into pieces. With bated breath she waited, unsure if it had worked, and then... Then a hoof touched her shoulder. Faith didn't need her vision to know that this was the same mare she'd befriended, and all at once they were holding each other closely, and Mirror was weeping tears of joy. Oh, how wonderful it was to feel the grass, the wind, to breathe! Mirror would have stayed in that moment forever if she could have, but she knew it wasn't safe as well as Faith did. They continued their journey at each others' sides. This happiness would not last. Before they'd reached the forest, Jonquil, who had awoken to find her prized mirror missing, had discovered that Faith, too, was missing. Although she was vain and cruel, Jonquil was a clever mare. She put it together swiftly, and cast an awful curse upon Faith: --- A thief and a liar brews such strong ire. Feel the thorn you've planted in my side, Wherever you may reside. Let that which you love be your end. Your lungs shall bloom with wounds you cannot mend, Your stomach and liver they shall rend, And you to your grave it shall send. Flowers shall spring and leave you fair, Yet riddle you beyond repair. As long as you care for it, beware, thousands of wounds you shall bear. Slow and steady wins the race, Yet the longer it lasts the faster the pace. Be wracked with suffering til the end of your days, Pain and hurt wrought in still more ways, Until hatred burns you to coal and your mind frays, Then I return your gaze. You will see the horror you have become. To reverse my curse, you must remember where came it from. Kill the source to stay the course. --- Just as they had reached the safety of the Wandering Woods, Jonquil's curse began to take effect. Faith fell dreadfully ill. Neither of them knew what the source was, but it grew only worse as the days passed, until Faith could hardly stand. She collapsed beside a small pond in a clearing, and pushed herself up to her hooves, where she met Mirror's gaze. Mirror's heart felt as though it had been torn, but they had planned for this, and she knew what she had to do. It was time to put Faith into a stone sleep, to let her stay alive until Mirror could find a cure for the horror that was descending upon her. They held eye contact as Mirror stepped forward, inches away from Faith. Faith lifted her hoof to brush Mirror's jaw, and for the briefest of moments, their lips touched. The spell was cast. Faith drew herself up, her head bowed and her hooves planted, and she shuddered. Her skin went cold and stiff. She could feel the spell working its way into her bones. Mirror's face was wet with tears as she watched the one pony she had trusted and loved become still and stony, and though she knew it was better than watching her die, it was no less painful. She stood before the statue for hours, tears rolling silently down her face all the while, unable to think or move. She hardly breathed. Nothing would stop her from saving Faith.