What Can Never Be Undone

It was evening, and a beautiful one at that. Gold cascaded down from the heavens above to find a lone pegasus bent over her desk in a little cottage in the Wandering Woods. She gripped a letter open tightly in her teeth by its dark leather handle. Naturally, this pegasus was Blind Faith herself. She stared intently at her own arm, which was laid across the surface of the desk. Only a moment before, a small incision had knitted itself back together, leaving no hint it had ever existed. That meant that somewhere the same mark had been mirrored onto a certain unicorn. Everything was going exactly according to plan. She had real, tangible control over Mirror Mirror and all the magic that flowed through her veins. She had the power that she had wanted since the first day her mother had disdainfully cast her aside, the power that could lift her up, the power that would let her claim her mother’s throne for herself. So why was her face wet with tears? Why did she feel pressure squeezing on her lungs and leaving her to gasp for each breath? When at last the realization hit her, the letter opener fell to the floor with a clatter. Faith was trembling when she spoke into the empty air. Her voice trembled, too, and came out whisper-quiet. “Mirror… Oh, Mirror, what am I doing? You gave me your love, your trust, and your life, and now- now I’ve-” She had to stop to breathe in again, and she thought her throat might close up. “I’ve ruined everything. Why couldn’t I be satisfied? You were always enough. My Mirror.” Hot and cold fought for the same parts of her skin. Faith wiped furiously at her face until it began at last to dry. With sudden and new determination, she took a scroll from its place on the shelf and laid it out on the desk, beside an ink pot and quill. She lifted it and began to write. An hour passed in near silence, save for the scratching of the quill. It took several attempts, several failed letters that she tossed into the fire, but at last she stood and tied the scroll shut with a violet ribbon. She set it on the table. After a moment, she went to the kitchen with a sigh - Faith knew Mirror. If no one reminded her to eat, she might waste away to nothing. She never did remember to take care of herself. Faith quietly prepared a salad of herbs and lettuce, and added a layer of berry juice for dressing. She set it on the table beside the letter. And… it was time. Time for her to leave. Mirror could return any moment, and if Faith was still there, she might not find the strength to do what had to be done. Still, she lingered in the doorway, looking back at the salad and that scroll. “I’ll save you, Mirror. I’ll… I’ll find some way to undo all the damage I’ve done to you. But the longer I remain by your side, the more danger you are in. You’ve made friends, yeah? Whoever you’re with now… I hope they’re better than me.” With a deep breath, she stepped out into the fading light. From now on, Mirror was on her own.