The Bug in The Mirrorby SkijaramaChaptersDouble DigitsCelestia's SchoolParental GuidanceThe Bug in The MirrorSee? Flying Colors!FangsFunny FacesNot So Funny FacesMy World Is a ReflectionGroup ProjectImaginary FriendAftermathThese Precious MomentsBig Red LettersDestiny TinglesOld SymbolismYour Foalsitter Is a PRINCESS?!Just a Little ResearchStudy ProposalIndestructibleFinally, Some Progress!Where The Hard Work Starts'Subtle' DiscouragementMy Head Hurts...You're Worth It To MeFears and StoriesMinuette's ResolveBack to BasicsClosing The DoorUnseen, UnheardWait, am I Crazy?Picking ProjectsCelestia's VerdictDouble DigitsThe home of Sunspot and Pearly White was a modest affair by Canterlot standards. From the outside, it was little more than yet another white and blue Canterlot home, coming in at two stories tall. It was, on most days, quiet, and pleasant. The ponies who passed it by never had much reason to give it any attention, beyond a cursory glance at the owners if they happened to be out in front at the time. Inside the house, however, it was a very different story. While things typically appeared to be no different than any other Canterlot home, the owners knew better. Times of ‘peace’ and ‘quiet’ were rare and far between, and the couple who called this house their home had long ago learned to cherish and savor those all-too-fleeting times with all their hearts. Right now was one such time. Nopony moved within those halls, and Sunspot listened to it all from his chair in the living room. He took in a long, deep breath, savoring the familiar smell of home. He swept his eyes across the room, taking note of the spread that had been put out before the entrance. A set of two boxes had been placed atop a table against the far wall, while a much taller third box was leaned against the wall beside the table. Each one was wrapped up in bright, colorful paper and bound with even-more-colorful ribbons. Pearly looked on at them from her place in the chair across from Sunspot’s, a tender smile on her face. “Well… is there anything else?” she asked quietly. Sunspot shook his head. “I don’t think so. It’s all in place…” he said, idly tapping the tip of his hoof against the arm of his chair. Pearly hummed at that before rising to her hooves. “So… shall I summon the beast?” she asked, a coy smirk spreading on her lips. Sunspot snorted. “The beast? I thought she was our little angel.” “She is,” Pearly replied without hesitation. “Until she has too much sugar. Then she becomes a little beast. And you and I both know that we can’t stop her from chowing down on the cake!” Sunspot rolled his eyes and rose to his hooves. “Heh. You got a point there,” he conceded, trotting over to stand by his wife. He glanced over at the gifts, his lips curling up. “...Wow. Ten years old already. Feels like just yesterday we were learning you were pregnant with her…” “Or conceiving,” Pearly added with a very deliberate purr. “Hon,” Sunspot was quick to say, placing a hoof against her lips. “C’mon. She might be listening.” Pearly giggled merrily at that before leaning into his side. She gazed towards the presents as well, a dreamy look coming into her eyes. “But yes… ten years. It really doesn’t feel like it’s been all that long, does it?” she asked in a far quieter voice. Sunspot nodded, draping a foreleg over Pearly’s shoulders. “It doesn’t… I guess it’s true what they say. Time flies when you’re having fun.” “Fun indeed,” Sunspot murmured. She turned and quickly snatched a kiss away from her husband. When she leaned back, she stared up into his eyes with a big grin. She was clearly excited and eager to get this show on the road. “So…” Sunspot nodded and released his hold on her. “It’s time. Summon the beast.” The smirk that appeared on Pearly’s face then could only be described as ‘devilish.’ She barely stifled an ecstatic giggle before spinning on her hooves, raising her head, and bellowing out at the house. “Minuette! We’re ready, come on down!” And just like that, the tentative peace that the small home had known was reduced to paste. Not that it was ever really an option to the creature they had just called forth. A door slamming open was heard upstairs, and barely a moment later, a blue ball of excitable energy and high pitched squealing noises came barreling into the room like a gerbil on a sugar rush. A messy head of hair sat atop her head, evenly divided between dark blue, and pale, silvery-blue. A short horn rose out of her forehead, nestled comfortably over ocean eyes that shined with excitement and anticipation. “Is it time to open presents?!” she squealed, hopping up and down in place after sliding to an abrupt halt in the room. “Is it?! Please, please, pleeeeaaase?!” Pearly and Sunspot shared a glance and burst into giggles. Minuette puffed up her cheeks, practically vibrating on the spot. “Hey! What’s so funny?! Stop laughing! It’s my birthday, you’re not supposed to laugh at me!” she protested, skipping forward to prod her father’s hoof. That only made the parents laugh louder. With one swift movement, Sunspot hefted his daughter up onto his back with his magic, making sure to spin her once or twice on the way up, eliciting a few giggles from her as she went. “Heh. What can I say, kiddo? You’re just too adorable,” he told her. Minuette sat upright, seemingly aghast. “What?! Adorable?! But I’m ten! I’m supposed to be something other than adorable now, aren’t I?” she asked, looking down at herself as if for evidence to that frankly absurd claim. Pearly reached over to ruffle her child’s mane. “You’re our daughter. You will never stop being adorable to us!” she declared with finality. Minuette blew a raspberry at her, then jumped down from Sunspot’s back to scamper towards the presents that had been arranged against the wall. “Presents! It is time for them, right?!” she asked eagerly. Her eyes found the tall one, flying so wide Sunspot was afraid they might pop out of her little skull. “Woah! This one’s big!” Sunspot rolled his eyes, following after her to make sure she didn’t accidentally break anything. “Heh, yes, it’s present time. And be careful with that one, it’s breakable,” he warned her gently. Minuette didn’t seem to register the warning. She immediately lit up her horn with a gentle yellow glow and plucked the smallest of the three boxes off of the table. Pearly intervened, quickly snatching up the box before Minuette could tear into it. “Oh, come now, have some patience!” she playfully scolded, lightly poking Minuette on the nose. “You’ll get your presents in just a moment, but let us hoof them to you first, okay?” Minuette whined impatiently before plonking dutifully down onto her haunches. “Okay,” she grumbled, puffed up her cheeks in childish indignation. Pearly rolled her eyes before sitting down on her haunches. Sunspot sat down next to her, taking the package in his own magic. “This first one is from your mother,” he said, hovering it down to Minuette. She quickly snatched it up and tore into it like a rabid rabbit into a bowl of freshly diced carrots. The little squeaking snarls were evidence enough of that. Scraps of paper went flying in all directions before Minuette rose to sit upright, clutching a thick book in her hooves. Her eyes widened, shimmering with fascination. “Woooaaah…” she mumbled, turning it over and affording Sunspot a view of the front cover. “Fangs and Teeth of all shapes and sizes: The Foal’s Encyclopedia to Dentistry!” Pearly giggled at Minuette’s fascination. “I remembered how you kept asking me all about my job a few weeks ago, and I figured, what the heck? You could probably get a lot out of that thing. It talks about the teeth of ponies and all sorts of creatures.” Minuette flipped it open, her eyes skimming the pages. She gave a nod and a short ‘mhmm!’ before setting the book down. “Thanks, mom! I’ll read it tonight before I go to bed!” she declared. “What’s next?!” Sunspot plucked the next package from the table and brought it down, his smile growing. “This one here is from me,” he said. Minuette pounced on it with gusto, and much like with the book, tore away the paper wrappings. When she was done, her weres were met with a package containing pale blue sheets with a darker blue comforter decorated with fluffy white clouds. She gave off a little coo as she looked it over, no doubt imagining what it would feel like on her fur. “Aw, cool! I’ve been needing some new sheets!” “Yeah, I know,” Sunspot said, leaning down to ruffle her mane. “Promise me you won’t jump on these ones, okay? You’re too big to be doing that, now, and your hooves aren’t soft anymore.” “Hmmmm… nuh-uh,” Minuette denied without missing a beat, casually setting the package on her other side. Sunspot gave off a resigned sigh, leaning back. “Of course not.” Minuette giggled at his resignation before focusing on the tall package leaning against the wall. “So, what’s the big one?” she asked, her tail wagging behind her with enthusiasm. Pearly and Sunspot turned to face it. They shared a glance, their expressions becoming a touch more serious. It was Pearly who spoke. “Well, Minuette, since you’ve started going to Celestia’s School a few weeks ago, your father and I have been thinking that something like this would be good for you to have.” “You’re going to have to give presentations to your classmates, and sometimes you’re going to have to look your best,” Sunspot added, scooting off to the side to allow Minuette to approach unobstructed. “And, between all of that, you can probably have some fun by making weird faces at it.” Minuette scrunched up her muzzle, her horn lighting up with yellow light. “...So… what is it?” she asked even as she began to peel away the paper. Her eyes slowly widened as, bit by bit, the mirror came into view. She stood up, her eyes tracing over the ornate frame before locking onto herself in the glass. There were a few moments of uncharacteristic silence. Sunspot swallowed heavily, a sudden feeling of unease coming over him. Did Minuette not like it? She was generally easy to please, but she wasn’t squealing with complete and total unrestrained joy yet. In his experience, that was a bad thing. Minuette stepped up to the mirror, looking at her reflection with wide eyes. “Woah…” she mumbled, lifting a hoof to the frame. She stared at her reflection for a few seconds, her face completely unreadable. Pearly and Sunspot stared anxiously at each other. And then Minuette stuck out her tongue at the mirror. And just like that, all was well with the world again. Pearly and Sunspot shared a sigh of relief as, much like they had predicted, Minuette began to make funny face after funny face at herself in the mirror. “Do you like it?” Pearly asked after a moment. Minuette nodded emphatically, turning to face her parents with an enormous grin. “I love it! ALL of it! And you! You guys are the best!” she declared before throwing herself against first Pearly, and then Sunspot, giving each of them a quick but bone-crushing hug. “Thank you guys! Thank you, thank you!” “Oof!’ you’re welcome, you excitable little thing you,” Sunspot laughed, patting her on the head while he had the chance. After a moment, she let go and squirreled back a few paces before spinning around to look at them. “So, cake and song next?” she asked in such a manner that suggested she knew the answer already. Pearly and Sunspot rose to their hooves. “Of course, Minuette. But only one slice of cake today!” Pearly said, adding a layer of warning to her voice. Minuette pouted up at her. “Aaaaw, why?” she demanded. Pearly swiftly scooped her daughter up in her magic. “Because you have school in the morning, young lady, and you need your sleep!” she replied with a grin. “And if you have more than one slice, you’ll get a tummy ache, and you’ll get a sugar rush, which is not a happy combo for you or for us. So one slice.” “But I’m ten!” Minuette protested as if that was somehow a perfect defense. “And I’m thirty-seven,” Sunspot shot back with a coy smirk, following his wife and daughter to the dining room. “And she never lets me have more than one slice, either.” “That’s because you’re old! Your old pony stomach can’t handle it!” Sunspot winced, his ears drooping while Pearly’s hoof flew up to her mouth to cover up her astonished laughter. “Ooooooh, dang! Your daughter really is a little beast!” Pearly declared, struggling to contain herself. Sunspot sighed, running a hoof down his face. “Yeah, well, if I’m old, then you’re the tomb I’m buried in.” “Darn straight!” Minuette laughed at them, her delighted giggles being the only sound to be heard as the family of three vanished into the dining room to commence with the cake. The next few hours were something of a blur for Minuette. She had devoured her cake with great enthusiasm and had sung along as her parents went through the traditional pony birthday song. Once that had been done, she had spent some time running around playing tag with her father while her mother brought her presents up to her room to get things put away and arranged. As it so happened, her father was really, really good at tag. She had chased him around the house for what must have been an ice age or three before she finally wore herself out and had to stop to rest. Apparently, this had been done to help her shoot down the inevitable ‘sugar rush’ that was on its way. After that, it became a haze of spending time with her parents, reminiscing about past birthdays, and then eventually having dinner. Minuette tried to steal another slice of cake somewhere in the mix, but her parents were onto her tricks. The mission ended in failure when Pearly simply levitated the cake away and dragged Minuette out of the kitchen, no matter how loud she complained that ‘one more bite’ wouldn’t be the end of the world. It would probably only be the end of her stomach, but hey, it would be worth it! Now, Minuette found herself resting on her belly in her room, the book her mother had gotten for her open at her hooves, and the big mirror set up against the wall to her right. Every time she used her magic to turn the page, she could see herself reflected in the glass surface, and she took the opportunity to make funny faces at herself every so often. Several photos and illustrations of tiger teeth stared back at her from the pages, along with blocks of text talking about the creatures themselves. Minuette read them over, taking it all into her mind with great interest. “So tiger cubs are born without teeth, huh?” she mumbled to herself, turning to the next page. A small, adoring coo slipped past her lips at the sight of a baby tiger yawning at the camera while sprawled on its back. Sure enough, its big mouth was devoid of the sharp-looking chompers of its grown-up counterparts. Not nearly as threatening. Now she was thinking about how it would feel to have a baby tiger trying to gum her to death. She giggled at the thought before shaking her head. “Aw, that’s so cute…” A gentle knock came to her door, drawing her from her thoughts. She looked up as it swung open to see her mother poking her head in. The mare gave her a small smile. “Hey, sweetie. Enjoying the book?” she asked quietly. Minuette nodded. “Mhmm! It’s real interesting!” she said, tapping the page for emphasis. “Did you know baby tigers don’t have teeth when they’re born?” Pearly stepped in, closing the door behind her. “I absolutely did. And did you know that those big gaps in their teeth are to help them hold onto prey when they squirm to get away?” she asked, a knowing glint in her eye. Now Minuette was imagining being held in the clutching jaws of an adult tiger. Her smile disappeared for a moment before returning all over again. “Oh. Wow, that’s interesting!” she said, looking back and turning the page back to get a better look at an adult’s mouth. Sure enough, there were several large gaps between their teeth, and thinking about it, she could see now how those would be helpful in holding something still. She winced. “...And kinda scary.” “And that is why we don’t make the big predator cats angry,” Pearly commented as she sat down beside Minuette. “They’ll come and gobble you right up!” “But that’s mean!” Minuette protested. “They’re mean!” “No, they’re just hungry. I mean, are we mean because we eat plants?” “No, because plants are food!” “To us,” Pearly corrected with a nod. “Because we are herbivores, remember? But Tigers are carnivores. They only eat meat.” “That’s dumb. They should be vegetarians like us!” Pearly laughed. She reached out to ruffle Minuette’s mane with an affectionate smile. “You know that isn’t how it works,” she said before looking up at the mirror. “What about the mirror? So you like it?” Minuette nodded. “Uh-huh! It’s super tall!” “It is,” Pearly acknowledged, standing up to get a brief look at herself in its surface. “And pretty. It’s the right size for adults, you know, so if you take good care of it, it should last you for a very long time.” Minuette looked into it as well, her smile growing. A long time, huh? She could get behind that idea, no problem. She looked at herself in the mirror, then her mother, and then herself again. The reflection was remarkably clear, she was beginning to realize. Despite the signs of age on the frame, the glass was completely devoid of imperfections or damage. It was almost like the room just extended beyond the glass, perfectly reflected on the other side. Minuette blinked. Something didn’t seem right. She squinted in confusion, idly scouring the image. A few seconds later, her eyes landed on a shadow in the back of the reflection that didn’t seem right. Confused, she glanced back over her shoulder, only to find that no such shadow existed in her room. “...huh?” she wondered. Pearly looked down at her. “Hm? What is it?” she asked. Minuette turned back to the mirror, but the shadow was gone. She blinked, leaning forward and squinting to try and get a better look. But there was nothing. Whatever she had seen, it was gone. But how could it be gone? And what was it? Was she just seeing things? ...Yeah, she was probably just seeing things, she decided. “Nothin’,” she dismissed with a chirpy tone. Pearly smiled and ruffled Minuette’s mane one more time. “Alright. Well, you should probably be heading to bed. You have school in the morning, and you need to be awake for that. You have a big test in the morning, don’t you?” Minuette gave off a long, dejected groan. “Ugh, yes. First big test of the year. Hmph,” she protested before looking up at Pearly with pleading eyes. “Do I have to? Can I just stay up a little longer?” Pearly looked down at her for a few seconds, and Minuette capitalized on the opening. She opened her eyes as wide as she could and made her lip tremble, focusing on looking as pitiful and pathetic as possible. Pearly’s resolve lasted about as long as a slice of butter in the desert against such a look. She sighed in defeat before smiling. “Oh, alright. You can stay up long enough to finish reading about tigers, but then you’re going to bed, and I won’t hear you complaining about it, you hear me?” Minuette clopped her hooves together before darting in to give her mother a big hug. “Awesome! Thanks, mom!” Pearly laughed and returned the hug. “Heh. You’re lucky you’re so cute,” she said, nuzzling her little girl. “Other mothers might not be so lenient.” Minuette smirked triumphantly before plopping back down to look into the pages of her book. Pearly sat down beside her to read with her, though Minuette knew that she was mostly doing this to make sure the little filly did as she had been instructed. Not that she minded, really. Spending time with her mother like this was something she could never complain about. And so it was that the mother and her child sat together in that little bedroom, reading from the present one got for the other, smiling and giggling every so often as one or the other made some humorous remark or comedic observation. Unbeknownst to either of them, however, they were being watched. The silent observer, hidden from view within the mirror, stared at them, his glowing blue eyes warming with appreciation, and a small smile spreading on his lips. “Yeah… I think I like it here better.” Author's Note And so our lead protagonist enters the stage by barreling down the stairs! Musical accompaniment for Minuette's arrival: Celestia's SchoolCelestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns was without question the most prestigious in all of Equestria. It would have to be, seeing as the headmare and most prominent teacher within those old halls was none other than Princess Celestia herself. The campus stood tall and proud just outside of Canterlot Castle’s walls, larger than all of its contemporaries in the city. When Minuette had first started attending this school a few weeks ago, she had been more than a little intimidated. There had been so many ponies, and the buildings were just so large. She was a chirpy and friendly pony by nature, but so many of her new peers carried themselves with an air of superiority that made her feel lowly by comparison. Add onto that the near-labyrinthian layout of the school, and she had been lost for much of her first day, only ever barely blundering into the right classroom on time by pure luck. But that had been then, and now was now. Minuette slipped through the crowd, easily threading between groups as her hooves carried her for her first class. Magic Fundamentals 1. It wasn’t long before she was inside and hunting down the room in question. She hummed a merry tune as she went, her eyes bouncing from number to number on the walls by each of the doors. “Aha!” she quietly cheered as she came to hers and pushed it open with her magic. Most everypony was already at their seats, talking amongst themselves energetically while they awaited the arrival of the princess. Celestia herself taught this class, and that automatically made it the best class in the whole school, according to some of the students. “Minuette!” a filly called out from the right, drawing Minuette’s eye. The filly was maybe a year older than her, at the very most. She had an almost-white pink coat with a vivid red mane and tail that she kept bound behind her head in a neat ponytail. On her flank was a cutie mark of a first aid kit. Fitting, seeing as her name was- “First Aid!” Minuette greeted, cantering over, and enveloping the other unicorn in a bone-crushing hug. “You missed my birthday, you big silly!” First Aid’s eyes widened. She pulled back to gape at Minuette like a deer in the headlights. “What?! You’re birthday was yesterday!?” she asked, alarmed. Minuette giggled and nodded, taking her place in the desk next to First Aid’s. “Mhmm!” “You never told me!” First Aid pouted, lightly shoving Minuette once she was seated. “I would have come to celebrate, and I woulda bought you a gift, too!” Minuette shrugged, a sheepish grin on her face. “Eheh. I guess I forgot. Too excited…” “Heh. That’s kind of a contradiction,” a Colt’s voice answered from behind her. Minuette jumped with a high-pitched squeak and spun in her seat to face the new arrival. He was around First Aid’s age, with a light blue coat and a dark gray mane and tail, the former styled into a bowl-cut. He smiled down at her before ruffling her mane with a hoof. “So excited by your birthday that you forgot to mention it? The logic train’s not really working there.” Minuette lightly swatted his hoof away with a smirk. “Oh, hardy har!” she laughed sarcastically. “You know what I mean, Split End!” Split shrugged and sat back down in his desk. The unicorn beside him, a more elegantly built colt with a pale yellow coat with a light brown mane and tail rolled his eyes. “Hah. I see why First hangs out with you so much. You’re a fun one to watch.” First Aid rolled her eyes in response. “That, and she’s my friend, Bristle,” she reminded him. Minuette clopped her hooves together a few times in response to that. “Mhmm! Yup!” Bristle hummed with a nod. “So she is.” Minuette blinked and tilted her head to one side. She opened her mouth to speak, but a subtle nudge from First drew her attention. The filly smiled at her. “So, did you practice for the test?” she asked. Minuette tilted her head the other way. “You mean study, right?” she asked, shifting in her seat. “Well, yes, that,” First Aid replied with a slow nod. “But also practice.” “This isn’t just a written test, you know,” Split End piped up, leaning forward in his seat to look at Minuette more directly. “It’s a practical one. Gotta show the teacher that we actually know how to use magic, not just talk about magic theory on some paper.” Minuette blinked, her cheerful smile persisting. However, her ears slowly fell to rest flat against the sides of her head. “...Oh.” First Aid’s eyes widened. “Wait, you didn’t know?! How did you not know?! You were here when Celestia told us about it!” she asked, stunned. Bristle raised an eyebrow. “You weren’t slacking, were you?” Minuette gulped, unable to stifle a nervous chuckle. “Eheh, uh, well… I may have been a little distracted… by my, um… birthday coming up…” she admitted, rubbing the back of her head. Somehow, she had just known that something hadn’t been right when she left class that day... Split End frowned with a regretting grimace. “...And now I feel bad for making fun of that,” he admitted slowly. First Aid shot him a sideways glance before giving Minuette a reassuring smile. “Well, uh… I’m sure you’ll do great! If you grasp the theory, I’m sure you can figure it out in no time! I’ll be cheering for you!” That cheered Minuette up,. She perked up with a smile, her ears lifting to stand straight. “Right! Cheer extra loud, okay?” “But we’re in school,” Bristle pointed out. “We’re not supposed to be disruptive.” “Shushen!” Minuette snapped at him with a playful swat, eliciting a chuckle from the other unicorn. First Aid rolled her eyes. “You know what I meant,” she said. “I’ll be cheering for you as loud as I can inside. I don’t wanna be too loud for real, though, because then I’ll distract you, and it’ll go bad. You have to focus to do good magic!” Minuette beamed and gave a sharp nod. Unfortunately, any more chatter was summarily ground to a halt by the school bell ringing out through the classroom. The assembled students immediately quieted down as the door in the back swung open, admitting the tall, graceful form of Princess Celestia. For a moment, Minuette’s jaw dropped in awe, any small anxiety over the test forgotten in an instant. She had seen the Princess up close several times now, yes, but it never ceased to amaze her just how majestic the ancient alicorn was. How her feathers never appeared even a tiny bit out of line, how her pastel rainbow mane flowed in an invisible breeze, how her face never once became tarnished with anger or impatience. The worst emotion Minuette had ever seen on her face, in fact, was little more than mild annoyance or disappointment. But even those were enough to fill her with boundless shame when she beheld it, even when she was not the one who had incurred the princess’s quiet wrath. Her eyes carried a thousand years of practice behind them, and it showed in every single precise movement she made. All of those things amazed Minuette and filled her with wonder. Well, all of those things, and the fact that Celestia was just really flippin’ tall. “Seriously, how did she get that big? Does she have a stretcher or something? Or is it something magical, like her mane?” Minuette wondered. Alas, she would never know. Celestia took her place at the front desk and lifted her head to speak to the whole room, a practiced, motherly smile on her face. “Good morning, my little ponies.” “Good morning, Princess Celestia!” came the unanimously respectful answer. Celestia’s smile grew, her eyes shimmering just slightly as she looked between all of her assembled students. “I hope you all slept well last night. This morning you will be taking your first magic test in this class.” When a collection of affirmations answered her, she continued, pulling a stack of papers from her desk with her magic. “As this is your first test, and as many of you are still quite young, it will be very easy, and won’t count for much in your overall grade. That does not, however, give you license to ‘half-hoof’ it.” “Blast,” Split End mumbled loud enough for the class to hear, eliciting a series of amused chortles from around the room. Celestia shot him a small smile as she drew near. She delivered the test sheets to each student swiftly and efficiently, working her way through the crowd with effortless ease. Minuette watched her go with a small, thoughtful frown. Why did she do it like this? All of the other teachers in this school gave out sheets like this with their magic without leaving their desks. Eventually, Celestia came to Minuette’s desk and deposited her sheet. Minuette smiled up at her, and for a moment, the two made eye contact. Minuette paused as she stared into Celestia’s deep violet eyes, suddenly feeling like she was being scrutinized from top to bottom. And then Celestia smiled. Her eyes shined with surprising warmth, and Minuette couldn’t help but feel soothed by that look. It was a gentle, easy smile, one that promised that everything would be fine. “If you have any questions or concerns,” Celestia went on to the whole class, despite keeping her gaze on Minuette for a second longer. “Now is the time to ask.” Minuette’s mouth dropped open as the Princess passed her by. “Was… was that directed to me?” she thought to herself. The Princess had been speaking loud enough that she could only have been talking to the whole class, yet her eyes had never once left Minuette’s until she was done and had moved on. Before Minuette had a chance to ponder it, the teacher had already moved on. Minuette watched her go before shrugging and looking back down to her test sheet, giving the listed questions a preliminary read through. It didn’t seem so bad, actually. The only part she was worried about was actually having to put her knowledge into practice in front of the whole class. If she screwed it up... As if sensing the small pearl of unease Minuette felt at that idea, First Aid leaned over to whisper an encouragement. “You got this!” Minuette’s anxiety died down a bit from her friend’s support. She gave her a chirpy nod and grin. “Yeah, I do!” Mercifully, the paper part of the test was short and, as Celestia said, easy. It was a single sheet, and there were only questions on one side, many of which were multiple choice. It didn’t take long at all for all of the sheets to be turned it, many of them at the same time. Minuette and First Aid were last, right behind Bristlestroke and Split Ends. Celestia smiled and nodded as the last sheets were deposited, before rising to her hooves and speaking up. “Alright, I do believe that is everypony. It’s time for the second part of the test,” she announced to the class. “Everypony, please clear a space in the middle of the room. Try not to scratch the floor tiles with your desks if you can help it, the janitor will have a conniption.” A few amused giggles went through the class, along with a few quietly uttered instances of “what’s a conniption?” Everypony went into motion, the room filling with a loud cacophony of desk legs scraping on tiled floors as foals moved everything aside, clearing a sizable space in the middle of the room. Celestia looked it over for a moment before nodding in satisfaction. “Good. Now, everypony please clear out from the center. I will call on you by name one at a time, and test you individually,” she instructed, and the foals did as they were told, shuffling around to where there was space. Minuette was quick to work her way over and stand beside First Aid off to the side. First smiled at her. “So? How did you think you did?” Minuette shrugged. “Paper? I think I did good,” she said before nodding forward as Celestia called forth the first student. “This part, though…” First Aid patted her on the back. “You’ll be great! I know it!” “Hey, shh,” a colt whispered to them. “Don’t be noisy.” Minuette pouted at him but did not speak again. “Twilight Sparkle, you’re first.” Minuette blinked. “Twilight Sparkle?” she thought. She looked back to the cleared space to see a lavender unicorn stepping forth, her head held high. Her dark blue mane and tail were neatly combed, giving the impression that she was always in control of the situation. On her flank was a depiction of a starburst, surrounded by five smaller white sparkles. This was Princess Celestia’s personal student, although what that really meant, Minuette didn’t know. The filly shared this class with the rest of them, and yet was claimed to be especially close to the monarch in the room. Maybe she just had some fancy extracurricular activities or something? It didn’t matter just then. Celestia smiled down at Twilight before speaking loud enough for the rest of the class to hear. “For this test, I will ask you to create a simple orb of light in the air in front of you,” Celestia said with a soothing smile. “It does not need to be large or bright, merely present. Take your time, and do not overexert yourself. Ready?” Twilight gave a sharp nod. “Ready, Princess!” “Then begin,” Celestia said, taking a step back. She added with a sly wink. “Brighten up our day!” Twilight grinned before lighting her horn with a pale purple light. A few seconds passed as her brow furrowed in concentration. The light on her horn grew brighter and brighter until the light leaped from her horn to hover in the air in front of her face. Minuette’s eyes widened as it flickered once and then solidified, just like that. Twilight opened her eyes and smirked triumphantly at her creation. Celestia nodded with a flicker of pride in her eyes. “Very good, Twilight,” she said before nodding to one side. “Return to the others, please.” Twilight nodded before turning and making her way back into the sea of foals. Minuette watched her go, her eyes wide and her jaw hanging open. “She made it look so easy! Well, okay, it’s super easy to adults and stuff, but she’s barely older than I am!” Well, at least the ‘Celestia’s personal student’ title made sense, now. That filly was clearly loaded with potential. “Next, Lemon Hearts, please step forward.” Minuette turned her thoughts away from Twilight and watched as Celestia called foals forward to demonstrate their understanding of the spell. Not a single one of them nailed it so quickly like Twilight — who was now reading a book, Minuette noted. All of them faltered for a moment or took longer to create the light, and one or two outright failed to produce anything meaningful or substantial in spite of their best efforts. Finally, at long last, the moment came. “Minuette, it’s your turn.” Minuette locked up for a second. She glanced over at First Aid, the other filly giving her a reassuring smile and nod. Minuette took comfort from that, followed by a deep breath. She stepped forward until she was in front of the Princess, a cheerful and optimistic smile on her face. Celestia nodded at her, her eyes soft and soothing. “Go on.” Minuette nodded and closed her eyes, focusing on the spell. She called back to all of her studies and reading as her horn lit up with yellow light. A small needle of pain began to stab into the side of her skull from the strain, and she knew then and there that she really should have practiced more. “Gently now, don’t hurt yourself,” Celestia said softly, her voice a soothing song that reached through the darkness to guide Minuette’s way. “Concentrate, but don’t obsess. Direct, but don’t dictate. Magic flows like water. It must be guided with intent and intelligence, not force or recklessness.” Minuette did her best to follow that advice, she really did. For a moment, it began to pay off, as a tiny, flickering ball of light began to form in front of her. She cracked open an eye, hope soaring in her chest, and spurring her on. Unfortunately, it could not last. Try as she might, she could not maintain a hold of the light with her magic as untrained as it was. For a moment, the pearl of light grew exponentially brighter. And then, with an almost deafening pop that reminded her of a light bulb, the light shattered. A sudden forced jerked her back from inside of her skull, starting at the base of her horn, that sent her sprawling to the ground with a cry of pain. Celestia was at her side in a heartbeat, crouching down and looking her over for any signs of serious injury. “Minuette! Are you alright?!” she asked urgently. Minuette nodded and cracked open an eye. Her head was thumping, and her horn was tingling something fierce. The closest way to describe it was if she shook up a bottle of really fizzy pop and then dunked her horn into it and was feeling the bubbles do their thing. She found her voice after a second, mumbling out an affirmative “Uh-huh.” “Somepony wanna remind me why the daughter of a dentist is in this school?” a colt’s voice rang out from the crowd, lined with an edge of combined amusement and disdain. Minuette’s eyes widened, her heart withering in her chest. Celestia glared past her, and any laughs that echoed out from the colt’s remark died in an instant. “Watch your tongue,” she warned before gently helping Minuette to her hooves. “Do you think you can try again?” Minuette grimaced. Once she was on her hooves, she lit her horn just to feel it out. The tingle of bubbles became pins and needles, making her shudder and drop the magic instinctively. She sighed and shook her head. “No. My horn’s all tingly. It kinda hurts, too...” Celestia nodded and gave her a reassuring smile. “Good. Given how violently that spell discharged, it could have hurt a lot worse,” she said before lightly nudging Minuette back for the others. “Go ahead and rejoin your classmates. Rest your horn.” Minuette nodded, sluggishly pulling herself back toward First Aid. She did her best to smile and find comfort in her friend’s returned gaze, but her efforts were hindered by the feeling of an entire classroom staring at her. Her face slowly began to heat up with embarrassment, and she couldn’t get back into the crowd fast enough. Parental GuidanceThe rest of the day passed in an embarrassing blur for Minuette. Try as she might, she just could not force her humiliating and flashy failure during the first major test in her magic class out of her mind. It didn’t help that she didn’t share many of her classes with her friends, at least not until the end of the day, meaning she was forced to fend for herself for most of the day. But, for a mercy, the school day eventually drew to a close. The moment the final bell rang, Minuette gathered her things into her saddlebags and practically bolted from the classroom, in spite of the teacher’s insistence that ‘the bell does not excuse you, I do!’ “That’s not how it works,” Minuette thought as she fled through the door. “If you excuse us and not the bell, then why do we have a bell at all? That’s a dumb thing to say. That teacher is dumb.” Thankfully, the teacher did not deem it fit to go after Minuette, allowing her to make her way for the exit without incident. She ducked and weaved through the densely packed crowd until she was back outside in front of the school. She glanced up at the sky, feeling the warmth of the afternoon sun on her coat. She closed her eyes and took a long, deep breath, savoring the fresh mountain air, letting it chase the embarrassment out of her system. “Minuette!” She was drawn from her momentary reprieve by the voice of First Aid. She turned around to see First Aid, Bristle and Split approaching her at a steady canter. First smiled as she came up, reaching out to nudge Minuette’s shoulder. “How did your day go?” Minuette returned the smile, albeit weakly. “It was… uh… it was okay? I guess? Meh,” she shrugged and looked ahead. Bristle Stroke frowned. “Still bothered by the test, huh?” he asked carefully. Minuette sighed and nodded as they set off down the street. “Mhmm. It looked so easy when all of you did it… Then I had to go and blow up like a lightbulb! Everypony could see it, too! Ugh… it was so embarrassing.” First Aid placed her hoof on Minuette’s back. “I’m sorry. But hey! You’ll figure it out next time! Just gotta study up and practice a little before the next test comes up!” she encouraged with a cheerful smile. Minuette perked up slightly, her chest warming up from the assurance. “You think so?” she asked hopefully. First Aid nodded, her grin growing. “Definitely! You’re smart as all heck, even if your brain is all over the place!” “But my brain isn’t all over the place. It’s in my head, where it belongs,” Minuette said, frowning. Split End chuckled and shook his head. “And behold, for she has proven First’s point!” he declared, deliberately exaggerating his native Canterlot accent. Minuette pouted back at him. “Hey, I am not! My brain’s in my skull, where it belongs! It’s not all over the place, and no, you can’t have it to spread around!” “A shame,” Split shot back with an only slightly evil smirk. “I was looking forward to getting a new type of jam to put on my sandwich…” “That is disgusting,” First Aid deadpanned, glancing back at Split with a flat look. “It is also a joke,” Split End rebuked without missing a beat, completely unrepentant. “Brain jelly?” Minuette asked, tilting her head. She then stuck out her tongue in revulsion. “Blegh! Gross! You’re a gross pony, Split!” He rolled his eyes. “Maybe. But hey, at least I’m not a light bulb.” It was like someone had flicked a switch. Just like that, whatever good mood Minuette had managed to accumulate from their friendly banter was shattered and scattered to the wind. Her expression immediately withered, her ears drooping to rest flat against her head. “R-right… eheh…” she stammered out, trying and failing to laugh. First Aid stopped and faced Split End directly, jabbing a hoof into his chest. “Hey! That wasn’t nice, Split! Apologize, right now!” she demanded, her eyes narrowing with severe displeasure. Split leaned back, cringing guiltily under the smaller filly’s ire. He glanced back up at Minuette and briefly made eye contact with her before looking away. “I, uh… sorry, Minuette,” he apologized weakly, scuffing his hoof along the ground. “I wasn’t really thinking…” “Yeah… I’d have at least waited a few weeks to make that kind of joke,” Bristle pointed out carefully. “Ya know, so it’s not so fresh, and so we can actually laugh at it without upsetting you.” Minuette hummed, her ears perking up just slightly from the apology. She nodded and gave Split a small smile. “It’s okay, Split… I know you can be kind of a big dumb head sometimes,” she said slowly and quietly. “Yeah, yeah,” Split agreed, seemingly having missed the cheeky insult Minuette had snuck in. “My mouth opens before I- Wait, hold on one bloody second!” Ah, there it was. Minuette giggled as Split’s cheeks puffed up in indignation. She pointed a hoof at him in the process. “Ha! Ya see, that’s called a joke! Even if it’s true!” she forced out between her amused giggles. “No, we call that a burn,” Bristle pointed out while nudging Split in the side with an elbow and a teasing smirk. “Kid’s got a mouth on her.” Split mouthed uselessly like a fish for several seconds before throwing his head up to just his pointy nose at the sky. “Hmph! Okay, fine! You win this time! But next time will be different, you’ll see!” he decided with a huff. A few amused giggles passed through the group, and First Aid visibly relaxed on seeing the tension so swiftly defused. She gave off an audible sigh before turning back to Minuette and grinning at her. “Whew. Nice recovery.” Minuette beamed. “Mom and Dad call me a little beast!” “With good reason,” First replied before nodding back at her friends. “Anyways, these guys invited me over to their house for a little while to play some games. If your parents give you permission, would you like to come with?” Minuette paused at that, her smile faltering. She looked between them all for a few seconds, the cogs in her brain slowly spinning into life. It was tempting, that was for sure. These three were really the only friends she had in this school so far, and most of her other friends lived a little too far away for her to go and see them without her parents taking her. But at the same time, going with them would mean she wouldn’t have time to focus on her homework or work on figuring out what she had done wrong with her spell. She shuddered at the thought of standing before the class again, primed and ready to perform the simplest of magic spells, only for her horn to pop all over again. She had no desire to get some stupid nickname like ‘Minnie the lightbulb’ or ‘blown fuse’ or ‘Botched cantrip the wonderfultastic!’ Not that anypony would come up with that third one, but still! Minuette stared at her friends for a moment longer before offering them an apologetic smile and shake of her head. “Sorry, guys, but no… I gotta practice that spell and get some homework done. Kinda slacked on some of it thanks to my birthday yesterday.” There was visible disappointment in the trio before her, but they were quick to recover. First Aid nodded in understanding. “Right. That’s okay, Minniuette. We’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay?” she said with a big smile. “Good luck, Minniuette,” Bristle added with a nod of his head. “We’re rooting for you.” Split grumbled out something to that same effect, but it was lost under his still lingering annoyance from being so magnificently ‘burned’ as Bristle had called it. Minuette nodded at all of them one more time before turning and sweeping her eyes across the sea of faces coming and going from the school. Foals, both younger and older than her, were scattered about. Those on the older end of the spectrum were seeing themselves home, while those nearer her age kept busy by their own little spaces to await the arrival of their parents to escort them home. A few staff members from the school were parked in strategic locations to oversee the proceedings, occasionally taking a moment to strike up a conversation with some students. Minuette had a hard time picking out any distinguishing features or faces In all of the chaotic hustle and bustle of the crowd. That was, of course, until the tell-tale face of her father came wandering into view, his own eyes scanning through the crowd for any sign of his little girl. Minuette perked up and waved at him. “Dad! Over here!” she called out, drawing the stallion’s attention. Sunspot turned to face her, his face lighting up with a smile. He cantered over, his gaze briefly flicking to her friends gathered behind her. “Hey, kiddo. How was your day?” he asked once he was in speaking range. Minuette paused before glancing back at the school, an uncomfortable grimace on her face. “It was okay. First period kinda sucked, though.” Sunspot frowned, coming to a stop right in front of her. “That so?” he asked curiously, crouching down to be her at eye level. “Do you wanna tell me about it?” Minuette nodded. “Uh-huh. On the way home?” she asked before moving forward and casually lumping herself onto Sunspot’s exposed back, eliciting a grunt of surprise from the stallion. Sunspot grimaced before rising to his full height. “Oof. Sure, but do you have to make me carry you? You’re ten, for pony’s sake. And bigger than you used to be.” Minuette smirked down at him with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Uh-huh! If I can’t have more than one slice of cake on my own birthday, then you get to make it up to me by carrying me home!” she declared, patting her hoof on his head like a judge’s gavel, finalizing the sentence. Sunspot groaned in defeat before smiling down at her friends. “Heh. I hope she didn’t cause any of you too much grief,” he said, though his tone implied he suspected she had. Split scuffed a hoof along the floor. “...She roasted me a minute ago.” “And it was magnificent,” Bristle added, grinning up at Minuette with an odd form of respect shining in his eyes. “Your daughters clever, there, mister.” Sunspot chuckled. “Heh. Yeah, that she is…” he acknowledged before turning sideways so Minuette could see her friends. “Anyway, we gotta go.” “Oh, okay,” Minuette said before smiling down at her friends and waving at them. “Bye, guys! See ya tomorrow!” First Aid waved happily in response, her lips peeling back into a big grin. “See you, Minuette! Study hard!” she called as Sunspot carried her away. Minuette nodded. “I will!” She kept waving for a while until, finally, the forms of her friends faded entirely from view amidst the ocean of bodies. Once they were gone, she got comfortable on Sunspots back, allowing him to carry her horn. “So… what happened in first period?” he asked once they were a block or so away, swiveling his ears to face in her direction. “Nothing bad, I hope?” Minuette frowned, shifting in place to get more comfortable. “Um… no… well, okay, yeah, totally. I failed the second half of the test…” she admitted, lowering her head to hide her eyes behind her bangs. Sunspot paused for a second before carrying on. “Second half of the test…?” he asked, seemingly confused. He perked up a moment later as the realization hit him. “Oh! It was a practical test, wasn’t it? Actually casting a spell and not just writing about it?” Minuette hummed and nodded. “Uh-huh.” “What went wrong?” “Um… I kinda popped like a lightbulb…” The return journey to the house was filled largely with Minuette regaling her father with what had happened during first period. She recalled how so many others had done well before and after her, especially Twilight Sparkle, and how among those who failed, hers was perhaps the most flashy. None of the others had created quite such a light show in their blunders. Recounting the tale had, unfortunately, done wonders to immediately crush what high spirits Minuette had managed to build up from the banter with her friends. By the time they stepped into the living room of the house, Minuette held no desire to socialize any farther, and instead went directly to her room. And that was where she now found herself a few hours later, a school-lent textbook on beginner’s magic open in front of her. Foal-friendly drawings were scrawled along the pages to go with the more clinical text, helping to add some visual aids for the more abstract concepts of spellcraft. Minuette’s eyes skimmed over the page time after time after time, soaking up all of the details she could. She had to figure out where she had gone wrong so that she could do it right next time! Her parents weren’t the sort to get on her case for bad grades unless they were really bad, primarily because they knew she wasn’t a slacker and usually bounced back from such occurrences. It wasn’t them she was worried about. It was everyone else. She hadn’t been in Celestia’s school for very long. None of the ponies in that class had, but that didn’t change the fact that, as far as she knew, a fair few came from upper-class families in the wealthier parts of the city. Bristle and Split Ends were examples of that, both of them coming from very well-to-do families. Hay, even that Twilight Sparkle filly was the youngest child to some minor noble family or other. But the same could not be said about Minuette. Her family had wealth, sure, enough to live comfortably in Canterlot, but they were far from living a life of luxury. Her family didn’t carry impressive business influence or any sway over local government. She was, among her peers, basically a nobody… “Somepony wanna remind me why the daughter of a dentist is in this school?” The scorn in that colt’s voice… the contempt. Minuette had heard it but the once, and she did not want to hear it ever again. But to do that, she had to prove herself worthy of their respect, or at least above their condemnation. And to do that, she had to get her act together and nail the next test that came her way. Minuette took a deep breath and lifted her muzzle from the book. She was situated in the center of her room, her bed to her back and a window set into the wall ahead of her, affording her a pleasant view of the city. Celestia was in the process of setting the sun, causing the world outside to slowly fade away into orange-tinted darkness. Minuette took a long, deep breath before closing her eyes, tuning all of it out and focusing on her magic. Her horn lit up with yellow light, and she began to try the spell that she had failed before. Her brow furrowed in concentration, small needles of pain starting to stab into her skull from the strain. “Come on, come on, come on…” she thought, gritting her teeth behind tightly pursed lips in a desperate bid to get it right this time. The light formed on the tip of her horn. It was small, fragile, and barely even noticeable. That ephemeral point of magic drifted forward a few inches before, like last time, Minuette felt it starting to unravel at the seams. Resisting the urge to curse, she cut off the flow of her magic and canceled the spell before she could pop again. Opening her eyes afforded her a disappointing glimpse as a few stray sparks of energy drifted out of view before fading away, like the last dying embers of a pitiful campfire. Minuette growled in frustration. “UGH! What am I doing wrong?!” she demanded, pressing her face into her hooves. She took a few minutes to calm down and catch her breath before scanning the page and trying again. As before, she closed her eyes and called upon her magic. Like before, her horn began to glow with yellow, and a small pearl of ephemeral white light formed on the tip of her horn. Minuette tuned out everything else, focusing instead on just the spell. She took her time, working on it bit by bit, piece by piece. She was making progress! She couldn’t repress a smile as she realized what she had been doing wrong. It was all kinds of technical, and she really didn’t want to commit any brainpower to figure out the specifics just now, but whatever she was doing differently this time, it was working better than before! Spurred on, Minuette put a little more power into the spell. “Careful…” “Huh?!” Minuette’s eyes snapped open as an unfamiliar voice reached her ears. Her spell forgotten and winking out of existence, she pivoted on her haunches to face the source of the noise, only to find there was nopony there. It was just her, alone in her room- Movement. Minuette’s eyes flew to her mirror as something, a shadow, darted out of her view in its surface. She sprang to her hooves, her heart spiking in her chest. She had definitely seen something moving in her mirror, she was sure of it. Suddenly feeling cold, Minuette spun in a slow circle, casting her gaze across her room for any sign of the intruder. But there was nobody. Nothing was even an inch out of place. Minuette wasn’t sure if that made it better or worse. She licked her suddenly dry lips and glanced back to the mirror. Whatever she had seen, it was no longer visible there. Repressing the urge to shudder, Minuette opened her mouth and called out in a shaky squeak of a whisper. “W-w-whos there?” A knock came to her door the moment those words fled her lips. Minuette let out a high pitched yelp of fear, falling back to her haunches with a grunt. Her eyes flew wide, focusing on her door as it swung open, her heart hammering wildly in her chest as the interloper revealed itself. It was Sunspot. He looked down at Minuette, blinking. “Oh! I’m so sorry, Minnie! I didn’t scare you, did I?” he asked, slipping inside and giving her a warm, affectionate smile. Minuette took a few deep breaths before looking over at her mirror in confusion. She knew she had seen something there! She couldn’t deny it! It had been there, clear as day, even if only for a split second! Where had it gone?! What was it?! Sunspot frowned and drew closer. “Uh, Minuette? You okay?” Minuette jumped on hearing his voice and turned back to him. Now he was starting to look worried, and all at once, Minuette’s anxiety began to drain away. Whatever strange thing she had seen, it wasn’t worth upsetting her father over. She put on a warm smile and nodded. “Uh-huh. I’m okay. You just startled me, that’s all!” she said, trying to shove aside the quiver in her voice. Sunspot didn’t seem entirely convinced, but he did not press the issue just then. Instead, he looked down at the textbook still open on the floor. “Ah. Studying, are you?” he asked knowingly. Minuette rolled over onto her hooves. “Mmhmm!” she chirped before dragging herself over and plonking herself down in front of the book. “I’m trying to figure out what I did wrong with the test spell.” Sunspot nodded, lowering himself onto his belly beside her. “And? Made any progress?” Minuette nodded. “A little bit. I think I was just trying to make it a bit too fast back in school. So it just kinda… popped.” “Makes sense,” Sunspot said, looking down into the book with a frown. “Yeah… the energy required for this spell is pretty low, but you are still really young and inexperienced. If you pour too much power into it too fast, you risk accidentally overrunning your own ability to maintain it. Kinda like slowly hoofing you more and more weights versus just dropping one really heavy one into your hooves. You can adapt to one, the other will break your shoulders.” “That sounds painful.” “It is painful.” “How do you know? Did you break your shoulders once?” Sunspot blushed. “A-anyways,” he seamlessly deflected with much grace. “Uh, w-why don’t you try it again?! I can, uh, walk you through it, or something! Eheh!” “Oh yeah, he broke them hard,” Minuette thought to herself with a predatory smirk before nodding and returning her attention to her book. She scanned the contents one last time, then closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her horn lit up with yellow light, and slowly but surely, she began to pour power into the spell. Bit by bit, piece by piece, she put it together, slowly weaving the simple pieces together. All the while, her father was right there, lending her his voice and his warmth, guiding her along. “That’s it… that’s it. Slow down a little, don’t overdo it. Steady… steady… There’s a gap there, can you plug it?... Atta girl. Okay… okay… nice!” Minuette’s eyes popped open upon hearing her father’s delighted exclamation. The moment she did, she was rewarded with an up-close and intimate view of the pearl of light she had just made. She stared at it, eyes wide, jaw agape for several seconds. With a small wince of effort, she nudged it a few feet away from her face to shine its light on the whole room. “I… I did it.” “You sure did,” Sunspot agreed, leaning down to give Minuette an affectionate nuzzle. “And you did it very well.” Minuette stared at the ball of the light several more seconds before allowing it to disperse. The moment she did, a pressure that had been building up in her head was released, and she only then realized just how bad her headache had gotten. She wouldn’t be able to do that again for a little while. Nevertheless, victory was hers! A delighted squeal peeled past her lips as she turned and hurled herself against her father in a bone-crushing hug. “I did it! I did it, I did it, I did it, I did it, I did it! EEEE!” “Yes, you did,” Sunspot agreed in a strangled gasp. “But- ack! I can’t breathe! Oh my!” Minuette released him, blushing sheepishly. “Oops! Sorry,” she apologized. Sunspot shook his head with an amused chuckle. “No, no don’t be. You did good,” he said before reaching out and pulling Minuette into another, far gentler embrace. She returned it gladly, burying her face into his chest fur and smiling. “Thanks for the help, dad…” “You’re welcome, kiddo… although it doesn’t look like you really needed much help. You pretty much had it-” “Dad?” “Yeah?” “Just take the compliment.” Sunspot rolled his eyes and gave his daughter a little squeeze. “Okay… if you insist.” The two remained like that for a little while longer, enveloped in each other’s hooves and basking in Minuette’s victory. However small it was, it was still a good one. Unbeknownst to either of them, the presence in the mirror watched on. It smiled at the two of them, in plain sight of them both if either had bothered to look. Then, without a word, it turned and stepped out of sight, vanishing beyond the frame. The Bug in The MirrorAnxiety had a weird way of creeping up on ponies. Minuette lay in her bed around eight days later, her eyes staring blankly into the wall while her mind ran like a leashless puppy after the mailmare. Except, in this case, the mailmare was a collection of anxious worries and probably irrational fears. Each and every one made her feel more and more uncomfortable, and she couldn’t help but repress a small shudder. The next test was rapidly approaching. In fact, it was tomorrow. She had been studying fiercely all week long to make sure she got this next one right, and she had done routine exercises to make sure she could actually cast the spell asked of her this time! She had been at it relentlessly, and her parents seemed confident that she would do fine. And really, they were probably right. Minuette wasn’t stupid or weak, she knew that she was all set to do it right… Probably. However, that rational understanding was routinely undermined by a string of what-ifs and hypotheticals that drove her to climb the walls. Or would, if she had spider legs. Now she was thinking about spiders. Gross. And matters were definitely not helped at all by her mirror. Over the last several days, she knew she had seen something moving around in there. But every time she had gone to take a closer look, it just disappeared. Snuffed out and gone from view like a candle in a blizzard. It was getting a little frustrating, to be perfectly honest. She knew she wasn’t crazy. Crazy ponies didn’t see the same thing with such regularity, did they? Crazy ponies saw weird, wacky stuff, like talking heads, or floating heads, or the floor being made of literal lava or something. They didn’t imagine movement in their antique birthday mirrors, and literally nowhere else. Right? She would really have to do some personal research into crazy ponies and what they saw, she decided. But later. For now, the magic test. Tomorrow morning. Yes. She did not feel ready. Not at all. She gave off a quiet huff and closed her eyes. Sleep. That was what she needed. A nice bit of sleep would chase away her doubts, leaving her feeling refreshed and ready to tackle whatever the school day saw fit to throw at her! Such a shame sleep had decided to take an unscheduled vacation to Saddle Arabia. Minuette had been laying here in the dark for what must have been hours, so far, she had not managed to get a single wink of sleep. It was frustrating enough on its own that she couldn’t fall asleep, but it was made even worse by the fact she felt tired enough to fall asleep then and there. She just couldn’t do it. All because of this stupid anxiety! She sighed and rolled over to face the rest of her room. A moment passed before, on a whim, she opened one of her eyes just a crack. And just like that, all of her fears over the upcoming test were driven from her mind. All of her fear over failing the test and forever being a laughing stock to the other foals was replaced with a whole new, primal sense of fear as she realized that there was somepony else in the room with her. Or rather, something was in her mirror, staring back at her with large, glowing blue compound eyes. She focused on it for a moment, careful not to breathe too heavily or open her eyes too much. She didn’t want it to notice her. Now that she was looking, she could more effectively make out its body and its shape. It was more or less the same shape and size as a typical pony stallion, albeit with harder angles and sharper edges. It almost appeared to be insectoid, with a hard, armored carapace of black chitin instead of colorful fur. A curved horn rose up from its head, while tattered transparent wings wavered gently upon its back. Two sharp fangs jutting from its upper lip drew Minuette’s eye as they caught what little light was in the room. The oddest part of its appearance, however, had to be the holes that tunneled through all four of its legs. The best comparison she could think of was swiss cheese, which was not at all flattering for whatever this creature was, and she decided then and there she would never make that comparison again. Probably. She stared at its eyes, waiting for the mysterious creature to do something. Was it going to step through her mirror and suck up her blood? Was it a vampire? It definitely had the teeth for it. But then again, vampires typically had normal pony bodies and bat wings, right? So no, not a vampire. Just… something. It was something, and it was weird, and she didn’t know what to make of it. As her fear of the strange creature reached a peak, almost enough to make her cry out, the creature suddenly sighed and lowered its head, much to Minuette’s surprise. It almost looked… sad. And then it spoke. “...You really have nothing to fear, little one,” he said quietly, his voice unevenly distorted into two tones and partially muffled as if by a thin wall of glass. Of course, he was reflected in the mirror, so that made sense. “I have seen you practicing relentlessly. You are more than ready for this ‘test,’ I know it… You don’t have to be scared.” Had Minuette’s eyes been open more than a crack, she would have blinked in confusion. Did the mirror bug thing just… talk? And furthermore, was it complimenting her? And why did it look so sad? The bug looked back up to her, his lips curling up into a small smile. “I hope you sleep well, kid. And when you wake up, I know you’ll do just fine.” That was the straw that broke the proverbial camels back. Minuette took a deep breath and slowly opened her eyes, making direct eye contact with the bug in a manner she knew he would notice. And notice he did, for he immediately locked up, his ears folding back against his head. For what felt like an eternity, neither of them moved. They just stared at each other, wide-eyed and nervous. Slowly, ever so slowly, Minuette pushed herself up to a seating position, keeping her gaze fixated on the bug the whole way. “...Huh?” she asked in a barely audible whisper, yet even that tiny noise was deafening in the silent room. The bug flinched back, his wings giving a quick buzz. Without a word, he suddenly turned and went to dart out of view. Minuette’s heart spiked in her chest, and the need for sleep was forgotten. This was what she had been seeing in her mirror all this time, and now was her chance to figure out what the deal was! “Hey! Hold on!” she called as she leaped from the bed. The moment her hooves met the floor, she galloped up to the mirror, placing her hooves against the glass just as the bug vanished from view. Minuette craned her neck, trying to get an angle to see the mysterious creature, but to no avail. “Wait! Come back! Who are you?! What are you?!” Her words, alas, seemed to fall on deaf ears. Minuette kept her hooves and face pressed against the glass as if it were a mirror for several seconds, hoping against hope that the creature would come back. Several seconds came and went, and she eventually realized it was pointless. Whatever she had just seen, it was gone. She slowly slid down and fell to her haunches, her ears drooping. She had been so close, and she had blown it! Maybe if she had just stayed quiet, the bug would have talked to her some more. Or maybe she should have thanked him for saying those nice things about her. Maybe, maybe, maybe… ...Maybe he could still hear her? Maybe he was right around the bend? She had no way of knowing right now, seeing as she could not see him. She sighed heavily and leaned forward, resting her forehead against the glass. “...Um… are you still there? I’m sorry if I scared you. Can you come back out again? I, uh… I heard what you said. About my test, I mean. You were real nice…” A second passed. Minuette held her breath, watching her reflection with anticipation and rapidly dwindling hope. Then, to her shock, her reflection began to fade, leaving just her room. And then, from off to one side, the face of the bug came into view. He moved slowly and timidly, almost like a scared dog. His ears were folded down, and his wings were tucked against his back. His eyes, however, shined with a mixture of confusion, curiosity, and relief. Minuette put on a small smile. He was a lot bigger than she had first thought. He was easily the size of an adult stallion, if not a little larger. She looked up into his eyes. “Hi. I’m Minuette.” The bug blinked at her, slowly sitting on his haunches in front of her. He lifted a hoof and pressed it to the glass on his side. He worked his jaw for several seconds before managing to find his voice. “I… uh… H-hello, Minuette,” he stammered out awkwardly as if he wasn’t sure he was doing this right. Nevertheless, Minuette’s smile grew. “I heard what you said, mister. Thank you.” “Uh… w-well, uh, you’re welcome,” he eventually managed to reply, looking down with shifting, confused eyes. “I, uh… I’m sorry, I’m just confused. You’re not… scared of me?” he finally asked, looking up at her with his head tilted down, almost making him look like a sad puppy. Minuette shook her head. “Nope. Well, I was for a second, but then I saw how sad you looked, and sad ponies aren’t scary, they’re depressing by proxima.” The bug tilted his head. “...What? Proxima? Oh, heh, I think you meant proxy,” he corrected after a moment, a tiny laugh slipping past his lips. “That too,” Minuette chirped without missing a beat. The two were quiet for a few seconds. Minuette took the chance to get a closer look at him, spotting a lot of smaller details. There were some scratch marks in his chitin, and she realized that his carapace was segmented, the lines that divided each piece of his outer shell providing some fascinating definition to his shape. He was very distinctive to look at, that much was certain. His fangs were amazing to look at, too. They were so much larger than the ones she had seen on the tigers in her book, relative to his body size. She was genuinely kind of impressed he could talk through those things. She knew for a fact they would give her a lisp or something if she tried to speak with them. Eventually, he spoke again, snapping her out of her casual analysis of his body. “So… you heard what I said?” he asked. Minuette looked up into his eyes and nodded. “Uh-huh! You told me that I could do it, and that I’d ace the test, and that I needed to get some sleep, and-” she abruptly paused as a possibility made itself known to her. “Wait a minute… are you just me seeing stuff because I can’t get to sleep?” The bug gave a short laugh at that. “Ha! Oh, I hope not. That would be so unsatisfying after all this time,” he replied, a small amount of mirth in his voice. Minuette giggled at that before tilting her head at him. “Well… okay, if I’m not seeing things, then, what are you? Who are you? Why are you in my mirror? And what’s your name?” The bug looked down at her for a few moments, his expression turning visibly grimmer. He opened his mouth to speak, working through several false starts before, at last, he began to find his words. “I… uh… I don’t-” “Minuette!” Minuette all but jumped out of her skin as the door to her room suddenly opened, revealing her mother staring at her with stern disapproval on the other side. Minuette turned to face her, her ears folding back. “Oh, I am SO dead!” Pearly sighed and trotted over. “Oh, sweet Celestia, Minnie. You’re supposed to be in bed sleeping,” she chastised in tired exasperation. “What are you doing talking to yourself?” “I’m not!” Minutette protested, jabbing a hoof back at her mirror. “There’s this bug in my mirror!” “Oh, don’t make things up, it’s too late in the night for that,” Pearly told her before lifting Minuette in her magic and carrying her for the bed. “B-but, but!” Minuette protested, jabbing her hooves at the mirror while trying to get a good look at him behind her mother. “Bug thing! Look, right there!” “There’s nothing there, sweetheart,” Pearly dismissed with gentle finality as she tucked her daughter back into bed. “Now go to sleep, okay? You have a test in the morning.” “But-” “Sssh,” Pearly shushed her by placing a hoof to Minuette’s lips. “No buts. You’ve been studying hard for this one all week, so you get some sleep so you can be well-rested and do it right. Okay?” Minuette pouted up at her, sneaking one more glance toward her mirror, hoping to catch the bug’s eye so he would speak up. However, to her disappointment and confusion, he was gone. There was nothing in the mirror save for the typical reflection of her room. She stared at it for a few seconds before looking up at Pearly and giving her a tired nod. “Okay, mom…” she mumbled out. Pearly smiled and planted a light kiss on Minuette’s forehead. “That’s my girl. Get some sleep,” she whispered before standing up and quietly making her way for the door. Minuette watched her go the whole way, her eyes darting back and forth between her mother and the mirror. Alas, the bug did not reappear, and soon enough, Pearly slipped out, closing the door behind her with a gentle thunk. Minuette waited for a few minutes before looking at the mirror again. “Hey, are you still there?” she whispered at it as loud as she dared. There was no answer—Only silence. Minuette huffed in disappointment before setting her head back down on her pillow and closing her eyes. “...Who was that?” she whispered to herself before turning over onto her side. “...You really have nothing to fear, little one. I have seen you practicing relentlessly. You are more than ready for this ‘test,’ I know it… You don’t have to be scared. I hope you sleep well, kid. And when you wake up, I know you’ll do just fine.” The bug’s words echoed in her ears a few times, and a tiny smile crept onto her face. She wasn’t sure why, but something about his voice soothed her anxiety and dread. Maybe it was the vibrations in it. Who knew? Whatever the case, with those words of encouragement ringing in her thoughts, Minuette, at long last, fell into slumber. Author's Note Took us long enough, but hey, the two have finally spoken to each other! :D See? Flying Colors!Minuette’s eyes slowly peeled open as the first rays of the morning sun streamed into her room. A long, drowsy, and frankly unattractive yawn worked its way out of her before she pushed herself up to her haunches. She took a moment to collect her thoughts and wake up a little, allowing her eyes to aimlessly wander over her room. Eventually, her gaze settled on her mirror, and her train of thought ground to a sudden halt. Immediately, she remembered the bug she had seen in it the previous night. Or… had it been a dream? She frowned in thought. The memory of the interaction was hazy at best, and all she recalled with any degree of clarity were his distorted assurances that she would ace this upcoming test. With a quiet hum, she hopped down from her bed and walked up to her mirror. Her tired reflection stared back at her, eyes drooping with bags under them, her mane tousled and wild from a night of tossing and turning. But even as she squinted and peered past her own visage for any sign of the exoskeletal interloper, she saw no sign of him. “...Um… hello?” she called softly, wondering if he might wander into view again like he did last time. To her disappointment, however, no such thing happened. It was just her own image staring back at her. “Hm… musta been a dream, then,” she mumbled before turning and dragging herself out of her room. The home was largely quiet as she picked her way through it, although she knew her parents were up. The smell of breakfast being cooked drifted up the stairs and up her nostrils, making her stomach growl and her mouth water. Minuette gave out a pleased and eager hum, ready to dig into whatever her parents had seen fit to make this time. She could hear them talking as she sleepily came down. Curiosity got the better of her. She perked up her ears once she reached the bottom and listened in. The chatter was mostly routine. Her parents were simply discussing with one another their plans for the day, much of which went right over the filly’s head. Nothing stood out to Minuette for a while, and she was about to step out into the kitchen to ask when breakfast would be ready until a question from her father made her think better of it. “A cupcake with breakfast?” Sunspot’s voice asked, clearly skeptical. “Pearl, honey, you know I love you, but are you sure we should be giving sugar like that to the beast first thing in the morning?” Minuette stifled a giggle. “Hah! Beast.” “She didn’t get to bed until late last night. I found her talking to her mirror before I came to bed as if it could talk back.” Minuette froze, the giggles dying in her throat. “Wait… mom saw that? Then, that means it really happened!” And if it really happened, then the bug in her mirror was not, in fact, a dream. He was real — or at the very least, he was a figment of her waking imagination. But that didn’t make any sense! How was there a talking bug pony thing in her mirror? How had he gotten there? And if he was really there, why hadn’t he answered her when she called out to him earlier? She felt the urge to go running up and call out for him again just to see, but that idea quickly fell off the tracks when a thought occurred to her. “...Maybe he was just sleeping,” she eventually mumbled to herself. It was the only explanation that made sense, and if it was true, she didn’t want to be mean by waking him up. She remembered how cranky her dad could get if he got woken up too early, and she didn’t wanna do that for the bug… Whoever the bug was. Unfortunately, that left her in a tricky spot. There was little she could do about the bug right now, with school looming just ahead, and her mother had seemingly not been able to see the bug. All she could do for now was keep going about her day. “I’ll try to talk to him again when I get home,” she decided with a nod to herself. “Then he’ll have gotten all the sleep he needs, and I’ll have passed my test!” With that resolution burning in her mind, she drowsily dragged herself into the kitchen, giving off a mumbled greeting to her parents as she went. Thankfully, they did not seem to catch onto the fact that she had just been eavesdropping on them, and soon enough, she was consuming a breakfast of cereal and a single blueberry cupcake with sprinkles. As she ate, her mind wandered back to the bug, and his words from beyond the wall of glass rang in her ears once again. “...You really have nothing to fear, little one. I have seen you practicing relentlessly. You are more than ready for this ‘test,’ I know it… You don’t have to be scared. I hope you sleep well, kid. And when you wake up, I know you’ll do just fine.” Minuette smiled to herself. “Yeah, I will do just fine. I’ll pass this with flying colors, just like I said I would!” When Minuette marched into the classroom later that morning, it was with her head held high and a confident look on her face. In her head, she was marching heroically face-first into the storm of discord and adversity that would surely mold her into some great hero. She could totally imagine a cape billowing epically behind her in an unfelt breeze, a light shining down from her above. Yes, she was the big good, and the various chairs and the whiteboard was the army she was to single-handedly strike down! All she had to do was wait for the word from above and- “Hey, Minnie!” First Aid called out from the right, instantly shattering Minuette’s self-empowering fantasy. The blue unicorn did not miss a beat, though. Her face lit up with a large grin, and she scampered over to her seat, finding that her three friends were already gathered and waiting for her. Split lifted a hoof in greeting. “Hey, Minuette. Studied this time, I hope?” he greeted as she plopped down in her seat. Minuette grinned back at him and gave a sharp nod. “Uh-huh! I got this!” Bristle let out a low whistle, leaning back in his seat with an amused smirk. “Ooh, confident today.” “Yeah! I got this!” Minuette repeated, lighting up the very tip of her horn to give off a few small pulses of light, while her face remained split into a big, energetic grin. “I got some real good advice from someone at home, I studied real hard, I did my practice, I ate a cupcake for breakfast! WOO! I am READY for this!” First Aid giggled before reaching out to nudge Minuette’s shoulder. “You ate a cupcake for breakfast?” “Uh-huh! Mom made me! Said I slept like crud, and the sugar from the cupcake would help! Now I’m really awake and ready to do this!” Split End raised an eyebrow. “Uh… I’m not sure that’s how that works,” he mused skeptically. His words were lost on Minuette, though, who was currently mid-sugar rush. Her eyes were wide and rapidly scanning the room, and she noticed she was getting a few odd stares from her classmates. Some of them had anticipatory smirks as if expecting her to fail as spectacularly as she did last time. “I ain’t failing!” she decided with finality, thumping her hooves together over her chest as if for emphasis. Although, in truth, it was just because she was basically vibrating, and some of that energy needed to go somewhere. Shortly after, the bell rang, and once more, Princess Celestia stepped into the room, her gentle eyes passing over the students with a motherly smile to match. “Good morning, class!” she greeted, earning a unanimous greeting from her students in response. Her eyes briefly lingered on Minuette, and an amused glimmer entered the alicorn’s eyes before she continued. “As I said yesterday, we have another magic test today. This test, as your homework will have made clear, is to create a basic, rudimentary illusion. I assume you have all done your research and gotten plenty of practice?” “Totes!” Minuette barked, jumping slightly in her seat and drawing some chuckles from the rest of the room. Celestia giggled at the response. “Hahaha. I’m glad to see such enthusiasm from you this morning, Minuette. Even by your standards, you seem rather cheerful,” she noted with a raised eyebrow. “Yeah, she ate a cupcake, apparently,” Split pointed out with a hoof pointed at the vibrating filly. “We’re all gonna die!” another foal playfully squealed from somewhere else in the room, drawing another round of laughs. Minuette’s cheeks puffed up in annoyance, and a few agitated, wordless sounds escaped her before she sat back in her seat with puffed up cheeks and an annoyed growl. Celestia allowed the children to have their laughs for a moment before softly clearing her throat. The moment she did, the room fell silent, as all of the foals paid dutiful attention to their princess and magic teacher. Once she was sure she had their full attention, she continued. “As before, there will be a written portion to this test, and then the practical demonstration of the spell. Are there any last-minute questions or concerns?” When nopony answered, Celestia nodded her head. “Very well. Then we may begin,” she declared. As before, she lifted a stack of parchment in her magic, delivering each sheet to her students individually. Minuette accepted hers enthusiastically and delved right in, her pen primed and ready to go. The room fell into utter silence. Minuette’s gaze traced over the test in front of her, her brow furrowing with concentration. A small bead of anxiety began to well up inside of her, reminding her of the possibility, however remote, that she might fail this time, too. She’d be a laughing stock if that happened. And- no. No, she had prepared for the test this time. She had practiced the spell until her horn was sore, she had read the material at least five times to ensure she had it all memorized. She took in a long, deep breath and set about writing down her first answer. “I got this,” she reaffirmed. She allowed her thoughts to drift into silence after that, focusing entirely on the paper before her. The sound of pens scratching against parchment and the gentle shimmering of magic were the only sounds to be heard. Every so often, Minuette snuck a glance at her friends to see how they were doing. Of the three of them, First Aid seemed to be having the most trouble, her muzzle scrunching up with thought and concentration. Split and Bristle were doing somewhat better, but there was definitely a bit of strain in there. At one point, Minuette caught First’s eye and gave her a short nod and encouraging smile. First Aid blinked in surprise before reciprocating the gesture and returning to her work. Soon enough, the papers began to get turned in. Much like last time, the written portion of the test was short and fairly simple — nothing more or less than a means to ensure that the students clearly remembered the premise of the magic they were working with. As the last sheets were deposited on Celestia’s desk, the alicorn smiled and rose to her hooves. “I believe it is time, then,” she said to the class, her wings adjusting on her sides. “Just like last time, my little ponies. Clear the middle of the room!” It was just like before. A flurry of movement, the legs of the desks scraping across the hard floor, ponies chattering amongst themselves to hype each other up or speculate on what was to come next. Minuette found her place by First Aid and waited for her turn as Celestia called the other students forward one at a time to perform the spell. “Lemon Hearts, why don’t we begin with you?” A bright yellow filly with a curly blue mane and tail with a trio of colorful hearts on her flanks stepped forward, her deep pink eyes shimmering with a mixture of nervousness and anticipation. Celestia gave the foal an encouraging smile before stepping back. “The spell, as you know, is a minor illusion. I would like for you to manifest a small object of your choice in the air. You may be as elaborate or as basic as you wish with the visuals, so long as you can project the image in your mind so the rest of us can see. Begin whenever you are ready.” The room watched with bated breath as Lemon Hearts nodded her head and closed her eyes. Her horn lit up with a magenta aura to match her eyes. Her muzzle scrunched up, and her brow furrowed with concentration. A few awed murmurs passed through the crowd as, slowly but surely, the air before the foal began to shimmer and ripple with light. A shape began to emerge, starting as a mere distortion, like heatwaves from an open fire, but filling in as if by multi-colored smoke. A lone butterfly appeared in the heart of the room, its wings beating slowly but surely in a steady, if rigid, beat. Minuette blinked a few times, taken aback somewhat. She had not yet given any thought to what she was going to have her illusion be. She scrunched up her muzzle in thought before leaning to the side to whisper to First Aid. “So… what are you gonna make?” “I dunno. Something,” First Aid replied in an equally hushed voice. “Maybe a monkey.” “Why a monkey?” “I dunno. Monkeys are funny?” Minuette shrugged her shoulders. She couldn’t exactly argue with that sentiment. She returned to standing straight and watched as Celestia called on the next student. One at a time, they came forward, each one conjuring a different illusion. One of them made a tea set, while another made his favorite toy. One of them created a rudimentary depiction of his dog (which earned a few adoring coos from the class), while another made a big box of doughnuts. And then, the moment came. Celestia’s smile fell on Minuette. “Minuette, you’re next.” Minuette’s heart skipped a beat. She had been so focused on the other foals that she had almost forgotten that her turn was coming up. She swallowed heavily and turned to her friends. First Aid smiled back at her, while Split and Bristle gave her nods of encouragement. She hesitated for a moment. It was strange. Something about the looks on the colts’ faces didn’t seem quite right to her. It was as if they weren’t really confident in her success like First Aid was… After a moment, though, Minuette turned and stepped into the center of the room. A collection of snickers went through the crowd, and she knew, she just knew they were laughing at her, no doubt remembering her little ‘explosion’ from last time. She shuddered under their jeering stares, her ears folding back with indignation. Not even fifteen minutes ago, they had been laughing because she was being deliberately funny, but now they were laughing in anticipation of another cosmic failure. She shook her head to dispel her doubts. She lifted her head and set her jaw, coming to a stop in the core of the room to face the princess. Celestia gave her a small, encouraging nod. “Go on, Minuette. Show us what you can do.” Minuette took a deep breath and nodded. “R-right. Okay,” she said before closing her eyes and lighting up her horn. Several seconds passed as she racked her brain for an appropriate image to manifest, but to her growing dismay, she was drawing blanks. Maybe it was being put on the spot like this or having all of those eyes staring judgmentally at her from the edges of the room. Whatever it was, it was driving all of the creativity from her thoughts—a bead of sweat formed on her brow, an anxious whimper threatening to slip past her lips. “You really have nothing to fear, little one…” Minuette’s eyes snapped open as she gave an audible gasp, the image of the bug flashing in her mind. She latched onto it with everything she had and focused on her spell, pouring as much power as she dared into making the image come to life. Bit by bit, the air before her began to shimmer and ripple. Then, with a small pulse of light, the image became clear. It was crude at best, and not quite accurate to the real deal, Minuette realized, but standing before her in the middle of the room, clear for all to see as a symbol of her success, was a vague recreation of the bug she had seen in her mirror. A silence fell over the room for several seconds. “I… I did it,” she whispered to herself, her eyes glued onto the illusion. A few moments passed as the realization set in, and her gaping mouth formed into a wide, ecstatic grin. “I did it! I did it, I did it, I DID IT!” she squealed, hopping in place a few times. She came to a stop when a sharp throb of pain tore through her horn, causing the image to flicker. With a grunt, Minuette decided that, for the moment, enough was enough. She lifted the image into the air over their heads and dispelled it in a shower of sparks. A few shocked gasps tore through the crowd, and some of the foals even gave off mystified calls to see it again. Several long seconds passed. Nopony said a word. Minuette looked around at the other foals, seeing wide eyes and hanging jaws staring back at her. Her smile began to fade, and some irrational part of her brain began to wonder if she had done something wrong. She turned back to Celestia for answers and found the alicorn smiling down at her. “Well… that was certainly the most unique thing I have seen during one of these tests in a long time, Minuette,” she said quietly. “You have quite the imagination, don’t you?” Minuette gave a loud sigh of relief before grinning widely up at the princess. “Uh-huh!” Celestia’s smile grew wider. “Well, you did a wonderful job. Return to your classmates now. There are still more students to get through.” Minuette gave a chirpy nod before turning and scampering back to her friends, a visible skip in her step. First Aid greeted her with a hug the moment she rejoined them, squealing with delight. “That was amazing, Minuette! Better than anypony else here, I think!” Minuette returned the hug, bouncing in place with a wordless squeal. She then looked past her red-maned friend to grin at the colts behind her. They were looking back at her with similarly wide-eyed looks of shock and alarm at what they had just seen her do. “See? What’d I tell ya?” she asked cockily. She waggled her eyebrows at them and gestured back at the center of the room. “Flying colors!” Author's Note Victory! FangsThe rest of that day passed in something of a blur for Minuette. She was swallowed whole by the high of having absolutely destroyed that test. She could tell that whatever silly reputation she had earned as a ‘dunce’ had been thoroughly demolished. The only pony whose illusion managed to outdo hers wound up being Celestia’s personal student, but that was to be expected. First Aid had done pretty well, but to Minuette’s surprise, Bristle and Split both almost failed. Either they had a hard time grasping how the spell worked, were lacking in stamina, didn’t sleep well, or they just didn’t study like they were supposed to. Whatever the case was, the end results were two near-miss spells that almost ended in disaster. They scraped by with a passing result, though. Neither of them had been in a good mood after that and had left without a word when the bell saw fit to usher them along to their next period. Minuette had wanted to go and make sure they were feeling alright, but the school would not wait for her. Nevertheless, she flitted from class to class like a happy butterfly, doing her work with gusto before, at long last, the final bell saw fit to release her and her fellow foals from their obligations. Her father had come to pick her up alone today, and he had been more than a little delighted to hear about her stunning success. “You made a full-blown bug pony?!” he asked as they made their way home, his daughter riding on his back. Minuette puffed out her chest and struck a hoof up into the air. “I sure did! He was super cool, all black and buggy and stuff!” she declared, electing to keep quiet the fact that she had drawn the image from the bug in her mirror. She had plans to talk to that guy later and didn’t want any unwanted interruptions from her curious parents. “Well darn, kiddo, that’s impressive,” Sunspot praised, lifting a hoof up to ruffle her mane. “I’m proud of you. You keep it up, you hear me?” “Yes, sir!” Minuette chirped before resting her hooves on her dad’s head and grinning. Their house was now in sight, just up the street, and Minuette was ready and eager to get inside. “Honey, we’re back!” Sunspot called out as he opened the door, stepping inside with his own lips split into a wide grin. “And guess which little beast managed to ace her magic test!” “It was me!” Minuette declared, not even bothering to give her mother, who was not in the entrance hall, a chance to answer. “I aced it! I did it better than anypony else in the class! Flying colors, oh yeah!” Minuette’s ears perked up as an elated gasp came from somewhere deeper in the house, and her mother came cantering into view from the living room with a wide smile. “You did? Really?!” she asked, hefting her child up with her magic. Minuette nodded enthusiastically, her smile growing significantly. “Uh-huh! I made a bug-pony-looking thing!” Pearly hesitated for a moment, and it was then that Minuette remembered that her mother had witnessed her talking to the bug in question. Although, at the time, it had been pretty obvious that Pearly had not seen him. Still, she was quick to recover and put on a bright, cheerful smile. “And you aced it?” “Perfect score!” “Well, predicted perfect score,” Sunspot clarified with a chuckle. He set Minuette down with his magic, ignoring the disapproving pout she shot his way. “The written part of the test hasn’t been graded yet. She got a perfect score on casting the spell, but that’s not her whole grade-” “Flying colors, dad! Flying!” Sunspot chuckled and reached down to ruffle her mane again. “Heh. If you say so, kid.” Her pout intensified. She indignantly swatted his hoof away before backing up. “I do say so! I know so!” she protested sharply. Then, sensing an out, she turned and shoved her nose up into the air in an exaggerated display of haughty superiority. “Now, I’ma go read that book on teeth Mom got me!” Sunspot and Pearly shared a confused glance at that, but neither of them questioned it, thankfully. Pearly gave Minuette a nod and a smile as she started for the stairs. “Alright, Minnie. I’ll call you when it’s time for dinner, okay?” Minuette nodded back at her as she began her ascent. “Kay!” she called before sprinting up the stairs as fast as her short, filly legs could take her. She rounded the bend and darted into her room, closing the door behind her before anyone had a chance to stop her. She pressed her ear up to the door and listened for any sign of them following her, but to her relief, she instead heard her parents scattering throughout the house. She turned back to face the room, and her eyes rested on her mirror. The bug was not there at the moment. A few seconds passed before, with a grunt, she pried her saddlebags off and set them down by the door. With a deep breath, she approached the mirror and stared at her reflection. “...Hello?” she called softly, lifting a hoof and resting it against the glass. “You there? I… um… I passed the test, just like you said I would.” Several seconds passed in silence. There was no movement and no response. She pressed her hoof against the glass a little harder and rose to her hind legs, trying to get a better look past her reflection. “...Hello?’ And then, finally, it happened. Her reflection faded from view, and the bug walked into view from the left, his eyes set on her. “...Hello, little one,” he greeted in a friendly, albeit reserved, tone. Minuette smiled and gave off a heavy sigh of relief. “Oh, good. You’re real,” she said before thumping back onto her haunches. The bug chuckled, sitting down in front of her. “Well, yes, of course, I am. I said so last night, didn’t I?” he asked rhetorically. “Well, yeah, but you’re a bug pony that’s talking to me from inside my mirror,” Minuette countered matter of factly. “I mean, that’s kind of crazy, isn’t it?” “Maybe,” The bug agreed with a noncommittal shrug. “But, it would also be very unsatisfying.” Minuette giggled at that. “Heh, yeah, I guess so,” she agreed before looking into his eyes again. He smiled back at her. “So, you passed the test, just like I knew you would. Congratulations, little one.” She beamed up at him, showing off her teeth in a wide, happy grin. Her smile slowly faded after a moment, and her expression morphed into a scrutinizing, puffy-cheeked pout. “Heeey… how come you didn’t say anything to me this morning if you’re real?!” The bug lifted his hooves defensively. “Hey, now, you had to go to school. I knew that if I showed myself to you, you probably wouldn’t want to leave. So, I decided to stay out of sight, so you could go and pass that test without distractions.” “You coulda at least said ‘hi,’” Minuette protested indignantly. “I could have,” the bug agrees with a slow, sage nod. “But, I didn’t.” Minuette gave a pitiful, annoyed whine, slapping a hoof against the floor. “Why, you… HMPH!” She turned her head to the side and thrust her nose into the air. The bug chuckled at the display before lowering himself to his belly. “Haha… you know, I’m still surprised you’re so… okay with this,” he said, a less-amused tone slipping into his voice. Minuette opened her eyes and looked back to him. “Huh? What do you mean?” He gestured at the mirror. “Well, like you said, I’m a talking bug pony trapped in your mirror. Most foals would, at least at first, be terrified of me, and skeptical for a while after until I could prove I meant no harm. You? Like a moth to a flame.” Minuette tilted her head at him. “...A moth to a flame? But… Fire burns. Why would a moth fly up to one?” “Ever seen a moth fly up to a lamp?” “Uh-huh. It’s funny.” “Yeah, they like light,” the bug explained. “They navigate in the night by using the light of the moon, but other light sources throw off their senses. That’s why moths will so often settle on windows with lights inside, or fly up to lamps or torches.” “...So you’re a fire?” The bug broke out laughing again. He shook his head a minute later. “Ha! No, I’m not a fire. I was just making an expression.” Minuette blinked, her cheeks lighting up with a faint red tint. “Oh… uh, I knew that.” “Did you, though?” “Y-yes!” The bug raised an eyebrow. Minuette shrank back into herself, her cheeks puffing up. “N… Y-yes.” The bug laughed again, causing the blush of Minuette’s cheeks to spread out. She gave off another groan of embarrassment, her ears drooping. A few seconds passed before she heard a tap on the glass. She looked up to see the bug’s smile had shifted from amused to apologetic. “Heh… sorry. It’s been a long time since I’ve properly spoken with anypony. I just had to get it out of my system.” Minuette blinked at him a few times before slowly rising to an upright position. “Oh… that reminds me. You never got to answer my questions last night,” she said, her blush forgotten in her curiosity. The bug tilted his head. “Hm? What do you mean?” Minuette tapped the frame of the mirror, her muzzle scrunching up. “Well… who are you? What are you? And what are you doing in my mirror?” The bug’s smile immediately fell away, replaced with a forlorn frown. He looked down at the ground, his ears folding back. “...A-ah. I see…” he mumbled softly, surprising Minuette with just how… sad he sounded. A few seconds passed. He shook his head and lifted his eyes to meet hers again. “The truth is, little one… I honestly do not know.” “Huh?” Minuette asked, bewildered. “What do you mean? How can you not know?” The bug sighed and looked off to one side. “...I have been inside of this mirror for as long as I can remember. Two… three hundred years, at least,” he said softly, his hoof rising to touch his chest. Minuette gasped, her eyes bulging in their sockets. “WHAT?! Three hundred years?! Like, three, and then two zeroes?!” The bug nodded, this time finding no amusement in her antics. “Far longer even than that if I had to guess. I… I have been trapped in here for so long, that any memories I had of before, if ever there was a before, have faded away completely. I don’t know my own name, if I had any friends or family, where I could have come from, or even what I am… all I know is that this mirror, and whatever is reflected in it, is my entire world.” “Oh my gosh… that’s awful!” Minuette gasped. Her hooves wandered up to cover her mouth. She couldn’t fathom what it must have been like, being stuck in that mirror for so long. “But… but you’ve had friends since, right?” The bug nodded. “Some. Here and there. There was a family that had me in their possession for many generations, as I recall. They were wonderful ponies, and my time in their care is the best time I can remember. But, when the last of them passed away without an heir… I was left alone, again. I was stuck in an old warehouse for many, many years. I don’t know how many. Every so often, somepony would come by to take inventory. But none of them were foals. None of them could see or hear me, no matter how loud I called out to them… And then somepony threw a tarp over the mirror, and my world became nothing but darkness and fabric for who knows how long. “Eventually, the tarp was pulled away, and the mirror was sold off at an auction to some rich nobles here in Canterlot. Then, when their son spotted me and cried out that there was a monster in his mirror, his parents deemed it appropriate to sell me… and so it was that your parents found me and brought me here… to you.” Minuette blinked at him a few times, her eyes shimmering as he concluded his tale. “Oh my gosh… I… I’m so sorry…” she whispered, reaching one of her hooves out to the mirror, every one of her instincts screaming at her to hug him. Her hoof met the glass, barring her passage, separating her from the despondent bug that sat across from her. “I’m so, so sorry…” The bug looked back up at her, his lips curling up into a sad smile. “Thank you, little one… I am glad to know that there is somepony there who can see me again.” “Because I’m a foal?” Minuette asked, recalling what he had mentioned earlier. Her heart began to beat a little faster, and her ears folded back. “W-wait, if only foals can see you, then… w-will you disappear when I grow up?” The bug, to her relief, shook his head. “No, no. Whatever curse binds me to this reflection, it’s kind enough to allow you to continue seeing me. Had you been much older when you first got this mirror, I would have never appeared to you. But now that you have seen me, I will appear to you for the rest of your days. It is a bewildering kindness, but nonetheless one I am thankful for.” Minuette stared at him for a few minutes, blinking a few times as she tried to absorb the deluge of information her young mind had just been hit by. She swallowed heavily before reaching a hoof up to the surface of the mirror. “So… you’re just gonna be around, now?” she asked quietly. “Unless you don’t want me to be, yes,” The bug replied gently. “I am at your mercy, after all. I have no power in your world, save for my words. I will be here should you want me, but if you do not, then I will stand aside. That is what I was planning originally, after all.” “Oh, no, I want you around, absolutely!” Minuette said eagerly, placing her other hoof against the glass. “You helped me pass my test, and you’re really nice, but you’re also really sad, and I don’t want you to be! If you want a friend, I’d be happy to be one to you!” The bug smiled at her, his wings wavering on his back. “You are too kind, little one… thank you.” Minuette grinned before withdrawing her hooves. “You’re welcome… now, if you’re gonna stick around, you need a name…” The bug shrugged. “I have had many. You may call me whatever you want.” Minuette lifted a hoof to her chin, her muzzle scrunching up in thought. “Uuuummmm…” she drawled out as she swept her eyes over his chitinous form. “How about… Reflection? No, that’s lame. Tatters? No, that’s sad. Swiss?” “Like swiss cheese?” the bug asked with a raised eyebrow. He glanced down at his hole-riddled forelegs and grimaced. “I’d rather you not…” “Okay, okay, so not Swiss,” Minuette conceded. “What about Buggy?” “I mean, while not inaccurate, it’s not terribly creative, is it?” The bug asked with a faint hint of amusement slipping back into his voice. Minuette hummed, working her little brain for all it was worth. There had to be some identifying feature about the bug that stood out to her that wouldn’t be insulting or upsetting. She swept her eyes over him one more time, starting from his hollowed legs, to his armored carapace, before her eyes finally settled on his glowing blue eyes and the two, long, sharp fangs that jutted from his upper jaw. It clicked. “Fangs!” The bug blinked, reaching a hoof up to his teeth. He gave it thought for a moment before peeling his lips back to show off more of them to Minuette, drawing a fascinating coo from the filly. His teeth were all very sharp and numerous, giving off the impression of an impressive carnivore. He clamped his muzzle shut a second later, smiling down at her. “Fangs, huh… I like it…” Minuette’s grin returned in full force. “That settles it, then! From now on, your name is Fangs!” she declared, striking her hoof on the ground as if it were a gavel, and she was the judge delivering a sentence. Fangs smiled back at her and nodded. “So it is…” “Great! Now we can properly introduce ourselves! Ahem… Nice to meet ya!” Minuette chirped, pressing her hoof to the glass once again. “I’m Minuette!” Fangs nodded at that, pressing his own hoof up to the glass to mirror her own. He met her eyes and gave her a large, genuine smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, too, Minuette… My name is Fangs.” Author's Note And our buggo has a name. Funny FacesSeveral days later, a most peculiar scene was unfolding in the bedroom of Minuette. Were there anypony else there lucky enough to be capable of seeing Fangs, they would see him knelt down, belly to the ground, with his lips peeled back to show off his rather impressive array of sharp, carnivorous teeth. Especially his two great fangs that jutted from his upper lip, which were visible at all times. That wasn’t the weird part. The weird part was the little blue unicorn filly who was absolutely gushing over what she was seeing. A little notepad was floating next to her in her magic, along with the book on teeth her mother had bought for her. She was giggling and talking excitedly at herself as she looked between Fangs’ mouth, the book, and then went to furiously scribble something down on her notepad. This had been the scene for the last ten minutes. “So…” Fangs began, briefly closing his mouth so he could talk. His eyes darted over to the patch of morning light against Minuette’s wall. “Don’t you have school today?” “In an hour,” Minuette chirped without missing a beat. “Wednesdays have late starts, so I don’t gotta go quite yet.” “Then shouldn’t you be asleep?” “Nuh-uh,” Minuette shot down with a shake of her head. She pointed the tip of her quill at Fangs and grinned. “Because you got chompers and I wanna see em!” Fangs gave off a mixture between a sigh and a laugh, rolling his eyes. “Well, we’ve been sitting here for ten minutes. Do you still need to see my teeth? My lips are getting sore.” In answer to this question, Minuette spun around her notepad to show him what she had been working on. He paused, raising an eyebrow as he was met with a remarkably detailed illustration of his open maw, complete with footnotes, labels, and cute little butterflies down in the corner. “That’s… detailed,” he noted slowly. Minuette’s grin grew significantly. “Duh! Cause I got a good reference right in front of me!” she said before tapping the mirror. “Now open up! I still gotta get the ones in the very back! Also, your tongue is forked.” “It is,” Fangs acknowledged. He gave a weary but charmed sigh and opened his mouth again, giving Minuette a view that he recalled most other creatures would probably be at least mildly grossed out by. Not her, though. Minuette just went right back to taking notes and drawing the inside of his mouth with all of the gusto of a world-renowned artist on caffeine and sugar drops. Several minutes passed before, with a nod and hum of approval, Minuette snapped her book closed. “Okay! I think that’ll just about do it!” she declared. “You can close your mouth, now.” Fangs obliged, clamping his jaw shut and rubbing it lightly as if it were sore. “Whew. Thank goodness. I was afraid my jaw was about to fall off.” “Nah, it won’t do that,” Minuette replied with a giggle. “It would’ve done it already if it could do that.” Fangs smirked back at her, a little hint of mischief filtering into his eyes. “Oh yeah? Are you quite sure about that, little one?” he asked slowly, a plan to entertain himself being born. Minuette nodded. “Uh-huh!” “Hm. If you say so,” Fangs said slowly. He then looked behind Minuette and blinked, widening his eyes. “Wait, is that a big spider on your wall?” he asked, pointing at a section of wall where there was a very distinct lack of a spider. Minuette paled and spun around on her hooves. “Spider?! Where?!” “Hook, line, and sinker,” Fangs thought victoriously before hiding his face with his hooves. While Minuette’s back was to him, he briefly closed his eyes and focused. It had been a long time since he had had an occasion to do this, and it took a second to recall the steps. Instinct took over soon enough, though. Green flames suddenly sprouted along his face and jaw, almost like a beard. With a wince, he imagined the changes he wanted and opened his eyes. The flames vanished, and when they did, Fangs’ muzzle had disappeared completely from his face, leaving nothing but a smooth curve that blended perfectly into his throat. Minuette tilted her head before slowly turning around. “Well, I don’t see any spiders- FANGS?!” she squealed, her hooves flying up to cover her mouth at the sight of Fangs’ distinct lack of one. Fangs opened his eyes wide and thumped his hooves against the glass as if to convey that he was scared and confused. He also made muffled cries through his vocal cords, which made the chitin of his chest vibrate in very entertaining ways. “Fangs, where’s your mouth?! Oh my gosh, did it really fall off?!” Minuette babbled in a panic, rising to her hooves and running in place. “Oh no no no no, I didn’t want this to happen! Uh, uh, um, uh!” Her horn suddenly lit with magic, and Fangs watched as an illusion began to form in the air in front of her. He paused and tilted his head before turning around, and watching as a perfectly mirrored copy of the illusion appeared in his reflected world. It was an illusion of his muzzle, floating there, waiting for him to put it back on. He looked back at Minuette, then at the illusion. This filly seriously thought his muzzle had fallen off. He had successfully fooled her, and now she was trying to make him a new one with manipulated light. If he still had a nose, he would have snorted with the effort of keeping his laughter inside. “Fangs, put it on!” Minuette groaned through clenched teeth, putting on display how much effort this was taking. Fangs decided to play along, scampering over and quickly positioning himself so that the fake muzzle would line up to more or less where his real one would be. Then, with another flare of green fires, his true, real muzzle was restored to his face. Minuette saw those flames, and with a sigh of relief, dispelled the illusion. She ran up and pressed her face up against the mirror, causing her cheeks to squish up and flatten on the cool surface. “Are you okay?! It’s not gonna fall off again, is it?!” she asked anxiously. Fangs opened his mouth to speak, to tell her that all would be well, that thanks to her quick thinking and skills with magic, she had successfully restored his muzzle to his face. He opened his mouth to tell her these things and praise her creativity. All that came out was a howl of uproarious laughter. Minuette paused, her face screwing up with confusion. “Heeey! What’s so funny?! You lost your mouth!” she demanded indignantly, thumping a hoof against the glass. Fangs took a few deep breaths in an attempt to quiet down his laughter, shooting her a knowing look. “Ha! No, no it did not.” Minuette tilted her head. “But… what?” Fangs stepped forward, his laughs finally dying down, and got comfortable before the glass. “Jaw’s don’t just fall off, you know. I may be a weird mirror bug, but that rule still holds true for me,” he explained with a mirthful smirk. Minuette tilted her head. “But… then… what happened?” Fangs closed his eyes and focused. Another swirl of green flames enveloped his head, and once again, his muzzle disappeared. He opened his eyes to look at Minuette to see that she was staring back at him in wide-eyed shock and confusion. Before she could freak out again, he quickly restored his muzzle and smiled more gently. “There are many things I do not know about myself or what I am, but what I do know is that I can change my body at will. I can add or remove limbs, or even turn into completely different objects and creatures. It’s quite fascinating but very tiring.” Minuette’s eyes bulged in their sockets. “You… can transform?!” she asked in a mystified whisper. “What can you turn into?” “Many things,” Fangs replied simply. “Although, I cannot remain changed forever. It drains my magic to remain in a different form, and the more differences between my new form and my true one, the faster it will drain me. If I were to become a full-sized elephant, for example, the size difference between such a creature and myself would cause an immense drain on my magic. If, however, I turned into, say, a pony...” To prove his point, Fangs was swallowed in another swirl of green. When it passed, a perfect duplicate of Minuette was looking back at her with a cheerful smile. The now-disguised Fangs thrust a hoof into the air and spoke in Minuette’s young, squeaky voice. “The size and shape differences are small enough I could stay like this for weeks if I had to!” Minuette stared at Fangs slack-jawed, even when he dispelled his disguise and returned to normal. She slowly tilted her head to one side, as if she were trying, and failing, to properly process the bombshell he had just dropped on her. “...That… is… awesome!” She suddenly squealed, hopping in place several times, her ecstatic grin returning in full force. “Ooh! Ooh! Turn into an hourglass!” Fangs recoiled a bit at the sudden suggestion. But, after a moment, he rolled his eyes and allowed himself to shift. Hooves gave way to a gold-colored frame, and chitin shifted into transparent glass. He could already feel the unorthodox shape sucking his magic away, and so only held it for a few seconds before snapping back to normal. It’s short time in existence did not seem to bother Minuette at all, who began laughing. “Oh, wow! That is so amazing! Oh, oh, do a tiger! Lil baby one, like in my book!” Fangs chuckled at her. “Did you miss the part where I said it tires me out?” “You can take a nap when I go to school,” Minuette pointed out without missing a beat. “You’ve got nothing but time to kill when I’m gone!” Fangs opened his mouth to protest, but the words did not come. No matter how much he hated to admit it, she had a point. It’s not like he had much else he could do here when she wasn’t around, so he could absolutely take some time to just rest when she went to school. And even if it was exhausting, her laughter was a wonderful sound he had gotten addicted to in the short time he had known her. His lips curled up into a small smile. “Oh, very well. Just remember, I have limits,” he said before changing once again. This time, a baby-faced tiger emerged from the flames, pouncing against the glass with the mew of a common house cat. Minuette’s hooves flew up to her cheeks, her eyes bulging with adoration. “D’aaawww, you’re so cute!” she cooed, her cheeks flushing slightly. “Lookit your paws! They’re so fluffy and small!” Fangs pawed at the glass a few times, then rolled over onto his belly to show off his generously proportioned chest fluff. That got Minuette squealing and pressing her face up the mirror with repeated chants of ‘Fluffy, I wanna hug it.’ Minuette soon lost track of time, asking Fangs to turn into thing after thing, and being increasingly impressed with each new creature or object he turned into. Tigers, dogs, cats, birds, turtles, a rock. He was quite versatile, explaining that, during long periods of being all on his own, one of his only means of entertaining himself to stave off insanity was changing into different things and just existing as them for a while. Eventually, though, her fun had to come to an end. A knock came to her door, drawing a startled yelp out of Minuette. She spun on her haunches to see the door open, and Pearly poking her head in. “Hey, Minnie. It’s time for you to get going,” she said with a smile. Minuette pouted and pointed at the mirror. “Aaaw! But I wanna keep talking to Fangs! He can turn into stuff!” Pearly paused, her brow furrowing. In the mirror, Fangs reverted back to his true form, looking a little worn out if his heavy breaths were any indication. A few seconds passed before Pearly walked into the room, approaching the mirror. “Fangs… is that your new imaginary friend?” Minuette wilted. “N-no! He’s-” “Little one,” Fangs cut her off, drawing her attention. He met her gaze and slowly shook his head. “It’s no use. She can not see me, nor will she ever be able to. It may be for the best if you just go along with it…” “But… you’re real,” Minuette protested. “I am,” Fangs acknowledged with a slow nod. “But she will never believe that. Nor will most others. If you go around telling everypony that I’m real, it could invite problems for you, me, and your family.” “...But…” Fangs smiled softly and placed his hoof against the mirror. “It’s fine, little one. I do not mind. And in truth, do others really need to know about me? I am your friend, and you are mine. That is more than I can say I have had in decades. Let it be enough…” Minuette eyed him for several moments. She didn’t like it. Why should she have to hide the truth about him behind such a silly lie? He wasn’t imaginary, he was real. He was right there! She had spoken with him every morning before going to school and every night before going to bed for days now. She knew he was real… why couldn’t she say so to everypony else? In the end, though, she was forced to accept reality. She could not force others to believe her, and since she had no way of proving it to the adults, all she could do was hide behind that explanation. It didn’t feel right to her, but there wasn’t much else she could do… “Okay,” she whispered to him before turning back to Pearly, who was staring back with a raised eyebrow. Minuette sighed and nodded. “Er, yeah… Fangs is my imaginary friend.” That actually seemed to come as a relief to her mother. Pearly smiled and nodded. “I see. Well, you can talk to fangs when you get home then. And maybe you can tell me a little more about him?” Minuette nodded, getting up to her hooves. “Sure, I guess,” she mumbled, frowning. A few seconds passed in silence before Pearly strode forward and placed a hoof on her head. “Okay, come on, Minnie. You need to get to school. Your father already has your saddlebags packed and ready to go by the door.” “Okay,” Minuette acknowledged, getting a small bounce back into her step. She smiled back at Fangs as she made her way for the door. “Bye, Fangs! I’ll see you later!” Fangs waved in response. “Have fun at school, little one. I’ll be here when you come home!” he called after her before the door closed, blocking him from view. Not So Funny FacesMinuette’s journey to Celestia’s school was somewhat slower than usual this morning. Despite Fang’s assurances that it was fine, the fact that she was supposed to refer to him as her imaginary friend when speaking to others just did not sit right with her. Fangs wasn’t fake! He wasn’t imaginary, she knew it! He was real, he was in her mirror, and she didn’t want to lie about him. But what choice did she really have? She gave off a heavy sigh as, for the seventh time since she left her home that morning, she realized that Fangs was probably right. Trying to prove that he was real when no adults could see him would likely only cause everypony a lot of stress. However, just because she couldn’t show Fangs to any adults, that didn’t mean she couldn’t show him to her friends. They were still foals, only a little older than her—First Aid, Split End, Bristlestroke. Minuette’s lips curled up into a small smile at the thought of showing Fangs to them. He would have three more friends, and there’d be somepony who would believe her when she said that Fangs was real! Although finding a good time to show them would prove to be a hassle, she knew. Bristle and Split were typically very busy when they weren’t in school. Between Split having some family matters he always had to take care of when he left school, and Bristle having a private art tutor, their time after school was out was typically swallowed up. In truth, she had only gotten to hang out with the two of them once or twice outside of Celestia’s school since First Aid introduced them. First, though, would be a simpler matter. She didn’t have the extracurricular activities or other such obligations that those two did… Minuette was pulled from her internal musings as Celestia’s school, and her friends came into sight. They were standing in front of the regal statue of the solar alicorn that presided over the front yard of the campus, speaking in hushed tones as a veritable river of other students walked by. “And with a few minutes to spare before class!” she thought. Grinning and hoping to put her plans into motion now, Minuette picked up her pace. “Hey, guys!” she called out to them as she approached, thrusting a hoof into the air to wave. Her friends looked to her and First beamed. “Minnie! Morning!” she called over, taking a few steps to meet Minuette. Split and Bristle exchanged glances, the latter grimacing. “...Hey, Minuette.” Minuette paused, one of her ears drooping in a lopsided gesture of confusion. That had been a rather less cheerful greeting than she had been expecting. She tilted her head at them and frowned. “Uh… you two okay?” Bristle nodded. “Yeah, yeah, we’re fine,” he said in an almost dismissive tone. “Just… tired.” “Oh. Didn’t sleep well?” Minuette ventured, her confusion giving way to mild confusion. Split shook his head. “No, no. Don’t worry about it,” he said, prompting Minuette to clam up. He shared a glance with Bristle, then turned to First. “We should probably be getting a move on… class is due to start in a few minutes.” “Oh, uh, sure…” First replied, though she did not move even as Split and Bristle made their way inside, each of them casting a glance in Minuette’s direction. She watched them go, an uneasy feeling setting up shop in her stomach. Something was wrong. She could feel it. She swallowed heavily and turned to First Aid, who was still staring after their departing friends with a similarly concerned frown. “...They aren’t okay, are they?” she asked in a hushed whisper. First sighed and shrugged her shoulders. “I dunno. They’ve been acting kind of off for a little while now. I think they didn’t do very well on that last test in Celestia’s class…” Minuette’s ears drooped. “Oh…” If that was the case, then she knew how they felt. Her bungling of the first test had left her in a very sub-par mood. She looked back at the entrance, but Split and Bristle were already gone. Her frown deepened. “Well… I’m sure they can turn it around! I know I did!” she said, trying to force some more of her energetic optimism into her voice. “Maybe,” First replied before taking off after them. “Just be careful about talking about it around them. I’ve known those two a lot longer than you have, Minnie… they’re good guys, but they don’t always take it well if they fail.” Minuette hesitated, her brow furrowing. Yet again, she was being asked to hold her tongue. It didn’t sit right with her. Those two were her friends, weren’t they? And friends looked out for and supported each other! But First Aid had a point. She had known them long before Minuette had. For the time being, it would be best to follow her guidance and not breach the subject directly. With a small sigh, she nodded. “Okay. I’ll try not to,” she promised. First Aid smiled. “Thanks, Minnie.” The school day passed by in something of a blur after that. Bristle and Split were remarkably quiet during class, only ever talking once or twice to ask questions. After that, as always, Minuette’s other classes forced her to be pulled away from them. She did her best not to worry about them, but then came lunch, and their moods seemed even lower than before when she joined them. As a result of her growing concern and curiosity over her friends, she had a harder time than usual paying attention in class. She couldn’t help it. Her mind just kept wandering back to them, and First Aid’s request that she not bring up their lowered mood with them. It was disheartening, and she didn’t like it, not one bit. They were her friends, after all! Friends helped each other, didn’t they? That’s what her parents had always told her, at least, and she had no reason to doubt them about that. But how could she do that without going against First’s request that she not breach the jar of spoiling beans? Not caring about how odd that metaphor sounded in her head, she began to put some serious thought into how she could solve the problem without going against First’s request. She couldn’t speak up to them about their grumpiness directly; she knew that. But that didn’t mean she was out of options… “I got it!” she suddenly exclaimed in the middle of her alchemy class. The teacher glanced at her from his desk with a raised eyebrow, along with a few of the other students, who all seemed less than pleased with her sudden outburst. The teacher adjusted his glasses with a hoof. “Is that so? I assume, then, you’ve figured out exactly how to put out the glow on the nebulae moth trap plant?” Minuette blinked. “Huh?” The plant on the table in front of her, as if annoyed that she had forgotten about it, lurched forward to snap at her face. She leaned back from it with an alarmed squeak as she was given a very intimate view of the sharp-looking teeth of the plant, with a lure akin to an anglerfish’s dangling from its top. In fact, the whole plant was basically an anglerfish, except it was a carnivorous plant. Gross. She didn’t like these teeth. They were slimy and smelled like honey that had gone bad. “I will take that as a no,” The teacher deduced with a bemused shake of his head, accompanied by a few amused chuckles from the class. “Try to keep it down, Minuette, okay? I know you’re excitable, but you should keep your personal epiphanies to yourself in class.” “Right. Sorry,” Minuette apologized sheepishly before glaring at the plant. It glared back at her, or she imagined it would be if the freaky thing had eyes. “...Gross,” she grumbled before carrying on with the lesson, allowing her body to go on autopilot while her mind worked. “I can’t bring their grumpiness up with them directly, but I know ponies laugh when I’m around! Maybe I can invite them over to my house today, make them laugh a bunch, and even show them Fangs and the mirror! Then they’ll have somepony cool to distract them, Fangs will have some new friends, and somepony will finally believe me when I say he’s real! It’s the perfect plan, nothing could possibly go wrong!” With that resolution burning firmly in her heart, she carried on with far more vigor and enthusiasm until, at long last, the bell saw fit to release her. She saw herself out of her last class at a brisk pace, ducking and weaving through the ponies around her until, at last, she stepped out through the front doors and emerged onto the campus’ front yard. However, to her surprise, Bristle and Split were nowhere to be seen. There was just First Aid, standing by the statue with a distant look in her eyes. Minuette frowned, slowing her pace to a more timid walk as she drew near. It wasn’t until she was within a few feet that First finally noticed her and looked her way. “Minuette. Hey,” she said quietly. Minuette’s ears drooped. “Hi. Uh… where are the guys?” First sighed and nodded down the road. “They already went home. They said they had a lot of homework to deal with,” she said, though her tone of voice implied she did not believe that excuse for a second. And neither did Minuette. She frowned, looking in the direction First had indicated. They were nowhere to be seen. “Oh… Are they feeling better now, at least?” she asked, hoping against hope that they were being genuine. First sighed and shrugged. “I dunno. They didn’t stay to talk. They seemed like they were in kind of a hurry, honestly.” Minuette looked to First, her ears drooping. “Well, so much for the perfect plan…” she thought despondently, her frown turning more annoyed with herself. “Well, now what?” First shook her head. “I dunno, Minnie… for now, I think we just need to give those two a bit of space.” Minuette nodded in understanding, though her expression bespoke nothing but disappointment. “Alright…” she relented. A few seconds passed before, with a hopeful smile, she nudged First’s shoulder and got her attention. “Well… when they’re feeling better, maybe you could let them know I was thinking of inviting them over to my place sometime. Ya know, so we can hang out, play some games, that kinda thing.” First Aid stared at Minuette for a moment, her lips curling up into an appreciative smile. “Heh. Sure, that sounds like fun! I’ll let them know next time I see them.” “Sweet!” Minuette exclaimed perhaps a touch louder than was necessary as she was able to at least somewhat salvage her perfect plan. It was a bit rickety, but it would drive. “I’ve had something really cool since school started that I’ve been dying to show to you guys! You’ll love it!” First Aid raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. “What is it?” Minuette’s smile turned a touch mischievous. “It’s a surprise. Gonna hafta come and hang out to see what it is,” she said with a sly wink. First Aid pouted. “Awww! Minnie! Can I get a hint?” she asked, leaning forward and making her eyes as big as possible. Minuette faltered. Was this the puppy-dog look she had heard her parents complain at her for abusing so many times in the past? Because it sure as hay felt like it. Try as she might, she could not resist those giant glistening orbs and gave off a relenting sigh. “Okay, okay, just stop looking so sad!” First Aid’s facade snapped away like someone flicked a switch. In an instant, she was all smiles and eager anticipation all over again. “Okay! Now, hint!” Minuette rolled her eyes. “Ugh. It’s something really cool my mom and dad got me for my birthday, and I just know you guys are gonna love it, too.” First Aid nodded energetically. “Uh-huh, uh-huh! And?” A few seconds passed, and First Aid’s expecting look did not falter. Minuette blinked. “And… that’s your hint.” First Aid’s eye twitched. “Wha… but that’s not helpful at all!” she whined pathetically, lightly slapping at Minuette’s shoulder. “How can I tell the guys what you’re gonna show them if I dunno what it is?!” “You’re not!” Minuette laughed, swatting back. “I told ya, it’s a surprise! Be surprised, dangit!” First Aid’s pout deepened, and she looked away with a huff. “Hmph! You’re the worst.” “Nope,” Minuette chirped with a smug grin. “I’m the beast!” Following that exchange with First Aid, it wasn’t long before Minuette was picked up by her father and taken home. She enthused eagerly about what she had been taught, and briefly touched on the subject of Split End and Bristletroke acting upset all day long. That had been enough to warrant some minimal concern from Sunspot, but not a whole lot. He seemed confident it would be fine in the long term, though his tone implied he felt there was something else going on. Regardless, as soon as they were back inside the house, Minuette bolted up the stairs for her room, where Fangs was waiting for her. She shut the door behind her with a large grin when she saw him, and he smiled back. “Welcome home, little one,” Fangs greeted, his wings wavering on his back. “How was your day?” “Mostly good,” Minuette replied while casually tossing her saddlebags onto her bed. “Though a couple of my friends were acting kinda grumpy and sad all day…” Fangs raised an eyebrow. “Oh?” Minuette nodded, coming forward and sitting down in front of the mirror. “Uh-huh. Split End and Bristlestroke. Have I told you about them?” Fangs’ brow furrowed as he thought the question over. A second later, he shook his head. “No, you have not. I have heard their names in passing, but I know next to nothing other than they are your friends at school.” Minuette nodded, adjusting herself to get comfy. “Yeah. I met them thanks to First Aid. They’re good guys, even if Split can be a bit of a dummy sometimes.” “First Aid?” “Oh, I met her at a daycare,” Minuette clarified. “Before I started going to school. Mom and Dad had different schedules or something than they do now, and for a few months, I had to go spend part of the day at daycare. I met First Aid there, and we became good, close friends! She knew Split End and Bristlestroke before I did, and introduced me to them a few months before we all got accepted into Celestia’s School!” “I see. So First Aid is an older friend of yours, while Split and Bristle are newer?” “Mhmm!” “And what seems to be wrong with them?” Fangs pressed, laying down on his own belly to be at Minuette’s eye level. Minuette frowned, her chirpy tone turning a touch somber. “Well… when I first got to school, they were kinda tired and grumpy looking. They’ve been acting kinda grumpy for a few days, actually, now that I think about it… I just didn’t notice until today.” Fangs hummed in thought, his lips curling into a frown. “Hmmm… tell me about them. I am afraid I know very little.” Minuette nodded. “Okay! So, Split End and Bristle are both really fun, and both of them live way up in the upper districts of Canterlot, where all of the stuffy nobles live. They’re the kids of some minor noble houses themselves or something. Split End likes hair a lot, and I think he’s gonna be a barber when he grows up. Bristlestroke’s probably the artsiest pony I know and can do these really cool sketches all the time. They’re both really good with magic, and everypony really looks up to them!” Fangs’ frown turned concerned. “Nobility? Those two are from the nobility?” Minuette nodded, tilting her head. “Uh, yeah. Why?” Fangs hummed for a moment before shrugging. “Forgive me. I believe I have told you this already, but I had a less than pleasant introduction to pony nobility when the mirror was purchased by some in the upper city before your parents bought me. They were not kind to their foal and had unrealistically high expectations and strict rules. I do not see that foal developing well under their care…” Minuette nodded, her ears drooping slightly as she recalled the story. “Right… that kid called you a monster, didn’t he?” she asked in a hushed voice. “With a scream and eyes more fearful than I am comfortable admitting,” Fangs confirmed with a slow nod. He shook his head a moment later. “...A-anyways, back on track. Tell me, do you know much about their parents? Are they strict, perhaps?” Minuette shrugged. “I dunno. I’ve never met them, and Bristle and Split never talk about them. Why? Is that important?” “I am not sure,” Fangs replied, glancing sideways. “...When about did you say this behavior of theirs began? And do you have any idea at all what caused it?” Minuette blinked, briefly taken off guard. “Oh. Uh, well, they started acting a little tired and grumpy a few days ago, back when I went and passed that test with flying colors like I said I would. And First Aid thinks they’re kinda upset because they didn’t do too well on that test themselves...” Fangs’ frown deepened. “Hmm… Concerning.” Minuette tilted her head. “Huh?” A few seconds passed before Fangs shook his head. “Oh. Forgive me. I lost myself in my speculation for a minute, there,” he clarified before meeting her gaze. “Alas, I can’t claim to know the truth of this situation, and my own theories are based on very little information. The most reasonable assumption I can make is that First Aid, who has known them far longer than you or I, is right, and they are simply upset about not doing well on that test. Hearing about how you were lightly picked on and teased after you failed yours, I can only imagine it might be worse for them, especially considering the fact that they are of the nobility, while you are not. The natural expectation is for them to excel where others fail, but if they come up short…” Minuette gasped, her eyes flying wide. “Oh my gosh! Do you think they’re being bullied?!” “I am considering it as one of many possibilities,” Fangs answered in a level tone. “Again, little one, I am not very well informed about your friends. What little you have shared with me does not paint a perfect picture. Take what I’m saying here with a grain of salt.” Minuette blinked, tilting her head. “A… a grain of salt? What does that mean?” “It means to be skeptical,” Fangs replied with a smile. “To not take me at my word on this. I may very well be wrong, so do not treat my word as the truth. Treat it as one possibility among many.” Minuette stared at him for a moment, her muzzle scrunching up. She then smiled up at him and began to laugh openly. Fangs frowned. “What? What’s so funny?” Minuette pointed a hoof at him. “You talk kinda funny, you know that? You use a lotta big words!” Fangs blinked at her a few times before sharing in her amusement, letting off a few chuckles of his own. “Hardly. This is how ponies spoke before I was put under the tarp. From my point of view, you are the ones with strange speech patterns.” “Nuh-uh,” Minuette shook her head with a large, cheeky grin. “You’re totally the weird one. You’re the bug in my mirror, after all! You’re always the weird one!” Fangs opened his mouth to protest, shut it, and puffed up his cheeks at her. This only drove Minuette on to laugh even more, eventually drawing a sigh and roll of Fangs’ eyes. “Fair enough. I can’t exactly argue with that.” My World Is a ReflectionMinuette lay on her bed, her eyes glued onto her mirror and its lone occupant. It was dark out by now, the sun having set a short while ago. Dinner had been early, and for the sake of getting to school on time and well-rested, she was to go to bed soon. Luckily for her, she still had a little bit of time to kill. Right now, she was choosing to pass it by simply watching Fangs and seeing what he was doing. The bug was idly wandering around on his side of the mirror, examining things up close for a time, sometimes muttering quietly to himself, and then moving on to some other mundane object. He sometimes traced his hoof along them, a distant look in his eyes, before shaking his head and carrying on. Minuette hummed quietly to herself as she watched, trying to figure out just what Fangs was up to. He had been like this when she came back up from dinner and had only spared her a brief greeting. Whatever he was doing, it clearly had him very deep in thought. Eventually, Fangs came to a stop in the corner of his version of the room, right by a ball that Minuette would sometimes throw against the wall to pass the time. He stared at it intently, his glowing blue eyes drinking up every single detail. Minuette frowned, a small bead of concern lighting up in her chest. She glanced over at the ball in her room, then back to Fangs, watching what happened. Eventually, Fangs leaned down and gently prodded the ball with his muzzle, not unlike how a parent might to gently wake their slumbering foal. However, to Minuette’s surprise, the ball did not budge an inch in his world, nor did it move in hers. It remained completely static and still. A moment later, Fangs pulled back, his ears drooping. “...Of course not,” he grumbled, lightly kicking the ball to identical results. Minuette blinked. “Huh?” Fangs jumped, surprised by her voice. He turned to face her, blinking several times. “Oh. Minuette. You’re… still awake,” he observed distractedly, setting off red flags in Minuette’s mind. Worried, she hopped down from her bed and wandered up to the mirror. Fangs met her there, settling down on his haunches as she approached. She squinted up at him. “...Well, yeah, of course, I am. I don’t gotta be in bed for another few minutes, and you’re acting funny. And not the good kinda funny, either.” Fangs hummed, his lips pursing into a thin line. A few seconds later, Minuette nodded past him toward the ball on his side. “What happened with the ball? Can you move it?” Fangs glanced back at it, then shook his head. “Alas, no… As I’ve told you before, my world consists only of what is reflected in the surface of the mirror,” he said solemnly, his ears drooping. “That which lies behind it is, to me, little more than an empty void. Darkness that stretches on forever, while that which lies before it is static. I can put every ounce of strength in my body into it, yet I would be unable to even move a tiny pebble, or disturb a single grain of sand at a beach…” Minuette’s eyes widened. She got up on her hind legs to prop her hooves onto the surface of the mirror. “Oh my gosh! So, like, you can’t play with the ball if you get bored?!” Fangs shook his head. “Not as you do, no. If I were so inclined, I could make a game out of trying to move it, I suppose, but that would not be all that entertaining, I would wager,” he said. He turned back to Minuette, his expression downcast. Minuette’s heart tugged against her chest with pity. Her face contorted with sympathy as she thought of how boring — now, how maddening — that must be. She couldn’t even imagine what it must have been like… “So… what if something moves in the real world?” Fangs nodded to the ball. “See for yourself.” Minuette blinked, then nodded. She turned and scampered over to the ball, swiftly picking it up in her hooves and bringing it back over to the mirror. To her surprise, when her reflection faded away, the ball continued to move all on its own, flying through the air to match where she held it in the real world. Fangs stepped aside as it passed, his eyes locked onto it. Minuette stopped in front of the mirror and fell to her haunches, her eyes wide. “Woah… so… if somepony moves something over here, it just moves over there?” “Correct,” Fangs replied, placing his hooves on the ball's underside as if to hold it. “Now… drop it.” Minuette blinked. “Huh? But…” “Just do it,” Fangs insisted gently, meeting her gaze. She stared into those orbs for several seconds before nodding and dropping the ball. Her eyes followed it in the mirror as, to her growing shock, it phased right through Fangs’ hooves as if they weren’t even there. It bounced against the carpeted floor once, rolling off to one side an inch or two before coming to a stop and falling still. Fangs lifted his hooves and stared at them, a disappointed huff escaping him. “...When the reflections change, my hooves find no purchase. It is as if I have become a ghost… A blessing in some ways, for I do not have to worry about objects slamming into me at high speeds… But it is infinitely more a curse, for no matter how I try, I can do nothing to the world around me… and I can feel none of it.” Minuette blinked at him, her jaw falling open. “You can’t feel… what do you mean you can’t feel it?” she asked in complete bafflement. Fangs sighed, shaking his head. “My world is a reflection, Minuette, nothing more,” he said. His eyes wandered to her hooves, still pressed against the glass. With a sigh, he pressed one of his own up to hers, as if to touch her. “...Do you feel that? The glass? The surface through which you see me?” Minuette nodded, swallowing heavily. She ran her hooves over the ancient, smooth surface, taking note of how it felt. It was smooth, devoid of imperfections, and with no discernible texture. It just… was. Only now that she was really thinking about it did Minuette realize how wrong it felt against her skin. She shuddered, wanting to pull away, but unable to. She was transfixed by Fangs and what he was telling her, and some small part of her wanted to truly understand his plight. A moment later, Fangs pulled his hoof away and tapped it against the floor. “That is what my world is, Minuette. A reflection… and so all within it feels the same way. It’s just glass… I could not for the life of me tell you what the carpet you stand on feels like, for I have not felt such a thing in all my years in this accursed mirror.” Minuette backed away a few paces, finally pulling her hooves away from the mirror. She stared at Fangs for several moments, working her jaw as she tried to find words. It was to no avail, unfortunately. What could she say in a situation like this? What could she say or do that could possibly make her unexpected imaginary friend feel better? Suddenly, Fangs’ eyes widened, and he looked away. “Oh… Forgive me, Minuette. I am sorry, I did not mean to become so melancholy with you. It’s just… I have not had a chance to properly ruminate on these things in a long, long time, and your room has given me much to investigate and explore. I just… I got lost in my head, I suppose.” “N-no. No, it’s okay,” Minuette shook her head, forcing herself to smile. “I… I kinda want to know everything, anyway. I mean, I wanna make you feel better...” she shifted a little closer and smiled up at him. “And how am I supposed to make you feel better if I dunno what’s bothering you?” Fangs blinked. A smile crept onto his face. “Heh… you truly are a sweet little thing, aren’t you, little one?” he asked in a soft voice, lowering himself down onto his belly. Minuette nodded. “Mhmm! Being mean’s not okay. It’s… well, mean! I’d much rather be nice and sweet.” “A good mentality to have,” Fangs assured her, pressing his forehead against the glass. “Truly, I am lucky that your parents are the ones to purchase the mirror. Thank you, Minuette.” “No problem!” Minuette chirped, lightly knocking on the side of the mirror. Fangs chuckled at that. The two fell silent after that, allowing the cool colors of the night to soothe and relax them. Minuette looked down at the ball and began to idly roll it around on the ground with her hooves. Her thoughts wandered with the gentle, repetitive motions. Question after question ran through her mind about the rules that governed the mirror and Fangs’ place in it. She did not have answers for any of them, though, but one in particular stuck out in her head. She thought back on a cool trick First Aid had shown her back when they went to the daycare together, where two mirrors held up to each other would make an endlessly repeating image. She blinked and looked up to Fangs. “So… what would happen if I put another mirror in front of this one?” she asked bluntly. Fangs’ eyes flew wide. He looked down at Minuette with an uncomfortably intense look. “Do not do that,” he said quickly, almost frantically. “For the love of, er, what was her name? Celestia?” “Er… yeah?” “Okay. For the love of Celestia, do not put another mirror in front of this one!” he commanded. Minuette tilted her head in confusion. “Huh? Why? Does it do something bad?” Fangs shuddered, turning away with an uncomfortable grimace. “Trust me, little one, when I say that there are some things better left unsaid… and unseen…” he shivered uncontrollably and wrapped his forelegs around himself. Minuette stared at him for a few seconds. She had a feeling there was a very interesting story behind that reaction, but for the time being, she figured it would probably be for the best if she simply didn’t pry. So, with a shrug, she moved on to another question. “Okay. So, you said your world is basically just whatever’s reflected in the mirror, right?” A few seconds passed before Fangs pulled himself together. He took a deep breath and turned back to Minuette, clearly eager to distract himself from whatever horrid memories she accidentally poked with a stick. “Er, y-yes, that’s correct, little one. My world is a recreation solely of what can be seen in the surface of the mirror. Why?” Minuette stared at him for a few moments, her muzzle scrunching up as her brain went to work. “Well… I was just thinking that you must be bored in there. I mean, you’re stuck in my room, like all the time, and you can’t even play with any of my toys! And when I’m off at school, you don’t have anypony else to talk to.” “That is nothing new for me, Minuette,” Fangs reminded her. “It is not much of an issue.” “That’s dumb!” Minuette protested. Fangs recoiled, blinking at her in surprise. Undeterred, she went on. “You shouldn’t be forced to be bored all the time! And you shouldn’t be stuck in my room, either! I mean, it’s not exactly huge, is it?” Fangs looked around, a whimsical look on his face. “To be fair, little one, a small room is a thousand times more tolerable than being pressed against the mirror’s surface by an immovable tarp.” “Not the point!” Minuette protested, stomping her hoof against the floor. “I wanna make sure you can have some fun and stuff when I’m off doing stuff at school! And you have those wings, too, but I’ve never seen you use em, and I think that sucks! You got em, you should be able to use em!” Fangs sighed and turned back to face Minuette. “Well, true as that may be, I am not entirely sure what you intend to do about it. My world is static, little one. I cannot change it no matter what I do, and there are only so many rooms in your house. Besides, I doubt your parents will approve of you moving it around for the sake of your ‘imaginary friend,’ now will they?” “Not around the house,” Minuette shook her head before lighting up her horn with magic. Fangs’ eyes widened as she enveloped the mirror in her grasp, lifting it a few inches off the ground. She grunted and groaned with effort, her horn aching from the exertion of lifting something so big and heavy compared to her. “Minuette? What are you doing?” Fangs asked in alarm. Minuette grunted, her teeth grinding together. She slowly turned the mirror around as she floated it over a few feet to the right. She could see Fangs’ moving to try and keep her in his sights as the mirror turned, and the world within it changed to match. Eventually, it was facing the other way. With one last groan of strain, Minuette set the mirror down, propping it against her bedside table facing it toward her window. The moment she set it down, she staggered off to one side, her head pounding from the effort. She soon slumped against the wall, panting heavily. She placed a hoof against her temple to try and quell a newfound headache, to limited results. “Minuette?!” Fangs’ voice called from the mirror, increasingly alarmed. “Are you alright?! What did you do?!” Minuette took a few deep breaths before calling over to him. “I’m okay!” She called, staggering forward until she was in front of the mirror again. Fangs visibly relaxed on seeing her, his wings drooping at his sides. “Goodness, filly, you scared me! What were you thinking?!” Minuette flinched from the tone in his voice, reminded of scoldings she had received from her parents in the past when she had been bad. She discarded that feeling a moment later, a grin adorning her muzzle. Then, with one last flicker of her magic, she grabbed onto her window and threw it open, allowing a current of mountain air chilled by the night to drift in. She met Fangs’ gaze, her grin widening. “...Changing the world?” Fangs stared at her for several seconds, a bewildered frown on his face. “...I hope you realize how cheesy that sounded.” “Don’t care. Ten.” “And that is a valid point,” Fangs conceded before turning around to stare at the window. His posture slowly changed as it dawned on him just what Minuette had done. He looked back and forth between her and the world she had just opened up to him. “Little one… I…” “Your world is based on what’s in the mirror, right?” Minuette reminded him, nodding toward the window. “Well, what if the world was in the mirror?” She glanced back to the window on her side, taking note of what could be seen. It was mostly the rooftops of other buildings on her street, though the open sky rested beyond, speckled with the million flickering lanterns that were the stars. She grasped the mirror in her hooves and gently pulled it closer to the window, moving slower this time, until at last, she was holding it up right to the window, allowing Fangs to look out at a very large chunk of Canterlot from a relatively good vantage point. Even the slopes of the mountain the city rested on could be seen, rising high up into the night sky and capped with snow. “And what if, when I’m not around, like when I’m at school or with friends and stuff, I put you here so you can explore the world out there?” Minuette finally asked, looking into the mirror at Fangs. He stared out at Canterlot, his eyes wide and his jaw hanging open. In particular, his gaze was locked onto the surface of the moon. He stared at it for a long while, working his jaw. “Is that… the moon?” he asked in barely even a whisper. “Uh-huh.” “...What happened to it?” Minuette frowned, looking at it herself. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary… it looked the same as it ever did, the Mare in the Moon and all. “What do you mean?” she asked quietly. Fangs stared at it for a few moments longer before shaking his head. “N-never mind, little one. I just… it has been a very long time since I have seen the night sky… I… I had forgotten…” his words trailed off, his eyes wandering the heavens as if in a daze. Minuette smiled softly at him. “...You wanna explore a little?” Fangs was quiet for a short time before looking back at her, then to his wings. He gave them a few short buzzes, allowing Minuette to hear them in motion for the first time. “...I… I don’t… I…” he struggled to find his words. At last, he focused on Minuette, and his eyes lit up. “I would love to, Minuette!” Minuette smiled and nodded. “Okay, go on then! Just make sure you’re back before I turn the mirror around! I don’t wanna do that only to find out you're gone!” Fangs shook his head. “That won’t be a problem, little one. My whole world is what’s reflected in the mirror. If you turn it around to face your room’s interior again, all else will dissolve for me, and I will return to you as if I had never left.” “Oh, okay!” Minuette chirped before taking a step back and gently resting the mirror against the window. “Is that good? Do you need me to adjust it at all?” “No, no, this is perfect,” Fangs answered, though Minuette could no longer see him, as the mirror was pressed more or less flat against the wall and window. “Thank you, Minuette… truly… words cannot express how much this means to me…” Minuette tilted her head. “...Okay? Uh, well… You’re very welcome, Fangs! Have fun!” “I will,” Fangs answered. Minuette’s ears then caught the sound of his wings buzzing in the air. The sound slowly faded into silence, and for a moment, Minuette sat there, left all on her own in her room for the first time since she got the mirror. She was about to go and hop into bed when, to her surprise, she heard the distant echoing of Fangs’ voice, laughing loudly and ecstatically to the heavens, before that, too, faded into nothingness. Minuette smiled, turning to head for bed. “Good night, Fangs,” she whispered. Author's Note Sorry updates in this have been slow when compared to my other stories. My editor has been very busy as of late, and my OCD forbids me from posting new chapters before he's made his passes. Group ProjectMinuette resisted the urge to sigh as she struggled to keep her attention on Princess Celestia’s lecture on the fundamental principles of the next spell they would be undertaking. It was easier said than done, though. Every few moments, Minuette’s gaze would drift over to Split and Bristle, only to find them focusing on their notes with their ears swiveled squarely at their teacher. They hadn’t spoken much with her over the last few days. She had approached them multiple times wherever the chance presented itself, but on each occasion, she had been gently directed away or told that everything was fine before they wandered off. It was becoming increasingly disheartening. They were still clearly bummed out and working themselves to the bone to make up for the test they hadn’t done so well on. First Aid seemed especially worried about them. Every so often, when Minuette would ask about how they were doing, or if she had any idea as to when they would be able to head over to her place for that ‘surprise’ she had kept talking about, she would either receive shrugs or noncommittal responses as her answers. “They’ve never been this quiet before,” First had said during lunch one day. She and Minuette had been sitting alone in the courtyard, as Split and Bristle had elected to head to the library instead. “And, what’s worse… They’re quietest around you.” “Oh no. Do you think they’re mad at me for something?!” “What? No, no of course not! Why on Equestria would they be mad at you? That’s silly, Minuette.” “Heh. Yeah, I guess it is…” First Aid had found the idea to be completely and utterly ridiculous. And, at face value, Minuette couldn’t exactly blame her. The other filly had known those two for a lot longer than her. But while First was dead-set in her belief that their silence and distance from Minuette was purely a result of stressing out over their next big test, Minuette wasn’t so sure… “Hearing about how you were lightly picked on and teased after you failed yours, I can only imagine it might be worse for them, especially considering the fact that they are of the nobility, while you are not. The natural expectation is for them to excel where others fail, but if they come up short…” Minuette gasped, her eyes flying wide. “Oh my gosh! Do you think they’re being bullied?!” “I am considering it as one of many possibilities,” Fangs answered in a level tone. It was an unpleasant possibility to consider, but if Fangs was right, then it was very much a possibility… and in some small way, Minuette couldn’t help but feel responsible for it. Celestia’s school was filled to the brim with foals from well-to-do or noble families. There was a high standard on everypony here. Minuette was among a rather small group of outliers. She was a commoner. No noble blood, no highly influential family, or family ties—she was just a normal filly. And she, the normal commoner filly, had aced the last big test… The very same one that those two, the children of noble families, had done poorly on. And now they were being quiet and distant from her… Of course, she was probably just being paranoid. But still… the timing was there, and Fangs hadn’t been very optimistic about pony nobility. All Minuette could really do was hope that she was wrong and try to make her friends feel better as soon as possible. The class dragged on and on, before, eventually, Celestia set down the chalk and turned away from the board. “Alright, did everypony catch all of that?” she asked. A wave of affirmatives came from the other foals, including Minuette. Her mind had been distracted, but she had the gist of it. It was an advanced form of the lights and illusions they had been working with so far but in a less rigid form. The spell created ‘fluid light’ that the caster could weave into any shape they so desired, lending it whatever colors they chose. However, it was significantly more complicated than the previous two spells, and Minuette had a feeling it was beyond her to tackle. Celestia smiled and nodded. “Good. The test for this spell will be in three weeks, and it will be a little different from the last one. Instead of a paper quiz and demonstration of the spell, this time, there will only be a demonstration. However, you will not be tackling this magic alone. I want all of you to split into groups of at least three and work together to come up with the best picture you can think of. When the time comes to show your mastery of the spell, you will be expected to work together and pull your weight, presenting your work of magic art. The art itself does not need to be good, to be clear. I am not testing your artistic talents, but your magical skill. I will be grading each student based on their contribution, the stability of the creation, and the distribution of the work. However, for the creatively inclined amongst you, there may be some extra credit in it for you if you produce a particularly good image. Does everypony understand?” As yet another wave of affirmatives ran through the classroom, Minuette’s eyes darted to her side, locking onto First’s. The other filly was grinning back at her. They both knew it, then. This was their chance to get Split and Bristle where they needed them to be! “Very good. Take a minute and find who you want to group with,” Celestia declared, holding her head up. Already the room was breaking into a clamor as foals raced to claim their friends before anypony else, and she had to raise her voice to be heard. “Once you’ve done that, you may spend the rest of the period to begin planning!” With the go-ahead from Celestia, Minuette leaned forward to look past First Aid at Split End and Bristlestroke. The two colts were glancing at each other with frowns on their faces. Evidently, they had already decided to team up. But they needed at least three team members. Minuette grinned and waved at them. “Hey, guys! Why don’tcha team up with First and me?” she asked eagerly. Split and Bristle turned to look at the two of them, their eyes darting between Minuette and First. There was clear indecision in their eyes. Minuette’s earlier bead of anxiety grew just that little bit more from their expressions. They were hesitating. Why would they hesitate, unless they didn’t want to be part of this group? “Come on, guys,” First Aid added, leaning forward and giving them puppy dog eyes. “Minnie and I can’t do this alone.” Split winced at that, glancing to the side. “Er… well, we kinda have to have at least three team members, don’t we?” he asked quietly. “Mhmm!” Minuette chirped in affirmation. Bristle sighed a second later, seemingly dissatisfied. “Alright, okay. Guess we’re teammates, then,” he said. “Sweet!” Minuette cheered, turning to First Aid and sharing a quick hoof-bump with her. That had been relatively painless. Now all she had to do was get them back to her house after school so they could discuss what they were going to do for the picture. And so she could show them Fangs, of course, but that had been a part of the plan right out the gate. “Any ideas about what we’re gonna make?” Split asked as if reading Minuette’s mind. He glanced back at his cutie mark and grimaced. It was a pair of scissors slicing through a mass of straight brown hairs. “Cause, uh, I’m not thinking of much… Hair’s always been my thing.” “We know,” Bristle replied, glancing down at his own. A paintbrush upon a canvas, unsurprisingly. “I’m sure I can think of something… but I’m pretty tired today.” “It is a group effort,” First Aid reminded him with a gentle nudge. “So we all gotta contribute.” “Yeah, yeah, I know,” the colt replied, lightly brushing her hoof away. “Just… I’m just really not feeling it today. I didn’t sleep very well.” “Oh… Okay,” First Aid conceded, withdrawing a bit. “Well, uh… the rest of us can make a start, then, and you can chip in some more when you’re a little more rested. How does that sound?” Bristle shrugged. “Sounds fine, I guess… Just gimme a time and a date.” Minuette’s eyes practically sparkled. Here it was! “Ahem. Well, we could head over to my house tomorrow afternoon,” she said eagerly. “We can talk things out in my room, figure things out, throw some ideas at the wall to see if they stick. Maybe even get some ideas from-” Her friends blinked as she caught herself just shy of mentioning Fangs by name. She frowned and looked down somewhat. They hadn’t met him yet, and if she went name-dropping him now, the odds of them believing her would be slim to none. And calling her sanity into question was the last thing she wanted to do. Besides, they already went through that whole song and dance about whether or not she was crazy. “From… your parents?” First Aid ventured a second later with a raised eyebrow. Minuette was quick to latch onto the offered escape and gave First Aid a smile that was perhaps a bit too grateful. “Y-yeah! My parents, yeah. They might not be painters like Bristle, but they’re grown-ups, and grown-ups just have the best ideas!” “Heh. Tell that to my alchemy teacher,” Split scoffed, a tiny smile appearing on his face. “Let’s grow pony eating plants in class, he said. It’ll be fun, he said. Oh, don’t worry. The plants won’t turn aggressive and spray you with a quart of foul-smelling green gunk, he said!” All three pairs of eyes fell on the complaining colt. Minuette stifled a snicker at his indignant smile. “Heh. Wh-what the heck happened in your alchemy class?” she asked between her barely stifled chortles. “Yeah, cause uh, I don’t remember anything like that in mine,” First added, also trying and failing to stifle her laughter. Split End’s cheeks puffed up in agitation, an embarrassed flush enveloping them. “...L-lucky,” he grumbled quietly before looking straight down. Bristle also managed to put on a small smile at that, some of the tension leaving his face. “Heh. No, Split, that one was your fault. The teacher wasn’t the one who decided it was wise to put a hoof file in the plant’s mouth.” “Eeeeww,” First Aid said, cringing back in spite of her continuing laughter. “Dude, that is such a stupid idea! What were you thinking?!” Split End groaned in humiliation, covering his head with his hooves. “Ugh… just drop it,” he whined pathetically, his ears folding down to rest flat against his skull. “It took all night to get the smell out… and everypony else already laughed at me for it.” Minuette’s laughter ended immediately, guilt replacing her mirth. How could she have been so stupid? She should have figured that he would have been laughed at for something like that, and considering that he was probably already being teased and picked on for the failed test, he wouldn’t have taken it well at all. First Aid followed close behind her, quickly sensing that the joke was over. She briefly glanced back at Minuette, her ears drooping. Minuette swallowed heavily. Slowly, she slid out of her seat and trotted up to Split’s side. Bristle kept an eye on her as she went but otherwise did not move to stop her. With a deep breath, she placed her hoof on Split’s back and smiled. “...I’m sorry, Split,” she said quietly. “I didn’t mean to make you feel upset or anything. I… I wasn’t thinking.” “No. You weren’t,” Minuette flinches away from the sharp response. She withdrew her hoof and backed away, looking down. “...I’m sorry… I guess I was the dumb one, this time,” she apologized again. “So am I,” First agreed, reaching over to pat Split on the shoulder. “I’m just not used to you acting like this, you know?” Split was quiet for a moment. He took a deep breath and lifted his head. The humiliation on his face had faded at least a little bit. “...Apology accepted,” he said after a moment. He glanced at Minuette for a moment, his mouth opening as if to say something more. After a moment, he decided against it and looked back down at his hooves. “...So… o-our project?” The attempted redirection was about as obvious as it could get. But given what had just happened, Minuette was all too happy to get back on topic. She nodded and returned to her seat, trying not to worry. She shared a glance with First Aid, though, and they both knew then and there that not worrying about their friends was strictly out of the question for now. With that concerning thought setting up its nest in their minds, they turned their attention to their group project and spent the remainder of the period discussing various ideas for their illusionary art. All the while, Minuette hoped that their meeting with Fangs would be the kick her friends needed to pull themselves together and get out of this rut. It was no fun when they were sad and upset like this… and she just wanted things to go back to normal. Imaginary FriendWere one to peer into Minuette’s room, they would find that, for the first time since she had gotten the mirror, she was using it for its intended purpose. She stood in front of it, examining her reflection with a narrow-eyed squint of scrutiny. A hairbrush floated in the air next to her, hovering just above her head, twitching every so often with anticipation at being used. Her parents had made it clear — despite her many protests that it was unnecessary — that if she was inviting boys over, she would need to be presentable. That meant her room had to be tidied up, and her appearance had to be adjusted to. She had grumbled about how such extreme measures were what boys were supposed to do. But, what would have otherwise been an onerous task was made almost trivial with the help of Fangs. He called out to her routinely as she set about cleaning up her room, picking up books or toys she had left lying around. And then, when that had all been done, he had done a remarkable job at helping her work out exactly what she wanted to do with her mane. With a few final deft swishes of the brush, she beamed at her reflection. “Alright, I think that will just about do it!” she declared, casting the brush aside with nary a care in the world. Her reflection followed it with its eyes and frowned. “Oh, great. Now you have to go pick that up. And you were doing so well,” it grumbled in mock disappointment. Minuette rolled her eyes and rose to go after the brush. “Hardy har, Fangs. Hardy har.” Her reflection in the mirror exploded into green flames, and Fangs smiled at her as she went. “In case you had forgotten, you enlisted my help with you and your room. You asked for this,” he pointed out. Minuette stuck her tongue out at him as she passed, idly smacking the mirror frame with the brush. The two shared a good-natured laugh at that. She quickly deposited the brush back in the bathroom before coming back and closing the door behind her. She looked at the clock to see how much time she had left. Less than half an hour until her friends arrived. Her smile faded, and Fangs was quick on the uptake. He frowned at her. “Ah, and there it is again.” Minuette frowned back at him in confusion. “Huh? What? There’s what?” she asked, marching up to the mirror. Fangs gestured at her face. “The frown. You’re worried. Anxious.” Minuette paused. “I’m anxious?” she asked, having completely missed that fact herself. Fangs nodded. “Subtly so, but yes.” Minuette squinted her eyes at him, her ears folding back as doubt and skepticism came over her. “How do you know that? What, are you a mind reader or something?” she asked slowly. Fangs chuckled and shook his head. “Ha! Nothing quite so fanciful. No, little one, I am not a mind reader. I am, however, an empath, after a fashion,” he corrected. Minuette stared at him. Her muzzle scrunched up as she racked her brain for any knowledge she had on that word. Alas, she came up with nothing, and she huffed at him. “Wassat?” Fangs snorted in amusement at her blunt request. He leaned back somewhat, his eyes drifting upwards. “It means, Minuette, that I can tell exactly what others around me are feeling. I can see their emotions in the air, radiating off of them like steam from a plate of hot food. Every emotion comes with its own unique color, and from those, I can discern a rough idea of what a pony is feeling. Although the reasons behind their emotions elude me.” Minuette’s eyes widened. “Woah… you can see emotions?!” Fangs blinked. “That is what I just said, yes.” Minuette’s grin grew. “Oh, wow! That’s so cool! They all have different colors?! What color are mine right now?!” she asked, bouncing up and down in place with excitement. Fangs leaned forward, squinting through the glass. He stared at her for several seconds before smiling and nodding. “Yellow and gold. You are excited, presumably by the revelation that I can see what you are feeling at any given time. There are trace amounts of pale blue, not unlike the edge of the horizon at noon. Contentment perhaps, or appreciation. I am assuming that is because you enjoy my company. And there, hugging close to your body, obscured by the others, is a thin film of dull purple. Anxiety, a more subtle form of fear. Something is gnawing at you. It has been since you woke up this morning.” Minuette frowned at that, her excitement briefly abating. There was the mentioning of anxiety again. But what did she have to be anxious or afraid of? She had her friends coming over so they could work on the spell Celestia had assigned them to study, and she planned on introducing them to Fangs so they could have another friend, and so he could meet more ponies that could see him. They would all stop being so sad and upset all the time, Split and Bristle would ace their upcoming test, and everything would be just fine. ...Right? Fangs’ expression softened somewhat. “The anxiety is growing.” Minuette fidgeted in place, her ears drooping. “Er, yeah… I think I know what it is.” Fangs sat back and gestured for her to speak. “Go on, then. Tell me. Perhaps I can help?” Minuette took a deep breath and trotted closer to the mirror. “Well, it’s just that… I really, really want this to go well, you know?” she asked, sitting down in front of him. “But my friends have never seen you before, and I’ve never even talked about you to them. They’ve all seen a vague resemblance of you once in class when I made an illusion of you as part of that test I was so scared of, but they have no idea you’re here. And Split and Bristle have been really sad and mopey lately and I don’t wanna scare them or make them upset. And you are kinda scary looking.” Fangs raised an eyebrow. “My feelings have been harmed.” Minuette’s eyes sprang wide open, and she quickly put her hooves out in front of her. “I m-mean, you look scary at first, but then when I got to know you, I saw that you’re really nice and actually really cool looking! I mean, look at those teeth! They’re so long and- why are you laughing?” Halfway through her panicked spiel, Fangs had begun laughing. He took a few deep breaths to compose himself when she stopped and soon smiled warmly at her. “Little one… these are your friends we are speaking of, are they not?” he asked slowly. Minuette tilted her head at him. “Well, yeah… and I don’t wanna upset them or anything.” “But they are your friends,” Fangs insisted, leaning forward slightly. “And good friends at that, from how much you have been worrying for them. Especially First Aid. Is that correct?” Minuette nodded at him. “Uh-huh! She’s my oldest and best friend! Why?” Fangs nodded at Minuette. “Because, if they are your friends, then I see no reason for this meeting to go poorly. They trust and respect you, they appreciate you, and they enjoy your company. You have told me your fair share of stories about times you made them laugh or smile at your… comedic antics.” Minuette puffed up her chest. She had made them smile and laugh a lot, hadn’t she? Especially that time when she turned the tables right around on Split after she failed her test. “At the end of the day, they are your friends,” Fangs went on. “And no matter what, I am positive things will be totally fine.” As if on cue, the sound of a hoof knocking on a door resonated from downstairs. Pearly’s voice came up a second later, shouting to be heard through the walls. “Minuette! Your friends are here!” “Ah, what perfect timing,” Fangs noted with a satisfied smile. Minuette glanced back at her door, then turned to him again. They made eye contact for several seconds. She stared deep into those glowing orbs, taking what strength and comfort she could from not only his grounded gaze but also his words of assurance. Her heart swelled with confidence and resolve. He was right. They were her friends, and she was worrying for nothing. This was going to go great! A grin split her muzzle. “Alrighty! Thanks, Fangs! I’ll bring them right up! Strike a pose, ‘cause we wanna make a good first impression!” she said before turning and scampering for the door. “I think I’ll just hide out of sight until you call on me!” Fangs called after her. “That way they’ll expect something odd!” “Boring, but okay!” Minuette agreed before throwing open her door and scampering down the steps. Her eyes flew to the door the moment she reached the bottom, landing on the sight of her three friends already stepping inside and wiping their hooves on the doormat. First Aid saw her coming first, and her face lit up with a smile. “Minnie!” she called, galloping forward and throwing her forelegs around Minuette in a hug. “It’s good to see you!” Minuette gave off a grunt from the sudden contact, but all the same, she returned the hug with gusto. “You, too!” she said before leaning back and waving enthusiastically at Split and Bristle as they closed the door behind them. “Hey, guys! Welcome to my house!” Split looked it over, a thoughtful look on his face. “Hm… Kind of basic, but I like it.” Bristle nodded in agreement as he took it in. “Yeah, it’s nice. Little small, though.” First Aid rolled her eyes at them. “You guys are just used to big family estates,” she pointed out playfully. Bristle shrugged his shoulders. “Eh. Fair enough.” “You kids want anything before you get to work?” Pearly asked from the side, as the one who had opened the door. “Snacks? Water?” Bristle turned to her with a simple shake of his head. “No, thanks. Maybe later, though,” he said respectfully. Neither Split nor First Aid made any effort to disagree with that assessment. The filly between them turned back to Minuette and grinned. “So, where we going?” she asked eagerly. Minuette turned and gestured up the stairs that she had just come barreling down. “Right upstairs in my room! Come on, lemme show ya!” she said, flashing her friends a wink before turning and running back up. Her legs were starting to complain a little by the time she reached the top, but at the moment, she could not really find it in herself to care. With her anxieties squashed by Fangs’ assurance, she was beyond eager to get this party started. She burst into her room a moment later, her eyes flying to her mirror. Fangs poked his head out to confirm it was her. She made eye contact and waved at him. He nodded in turn before ducking back and out of sight. Minuette’s grin grew, and she had to actively stop herself from scampering excitedly in place. All was where it needed to be! Now, all that needed to be done was to get the introductions out of the way! The others came filing in a few moments later. First Aid came first, bounding in with a big smile. She took in the room as she entered, slowly spinning in place. “Wow. You’ve got a nice room, Minnie!” she said. “You haven’t been here before?” Split asked as he followed her in, eyeing the room in a more controlled fashion. His eyes found the small bookcase Minuette kept tucked against the wall at the foot of her bed and raised an eyebrow. Minuette didn’t know what the problem was. Most of the books were storybooks from when she was younger and one or two books on animals and teeth. Nothing odd about that, right? “Nope,” First replied, turning back to Split and shaking her head. “Never really had a chance.” “Odd for you,” Bristle nodded as he entered. He closed the door behind him and took a second to look around. “Hm. Small, but it works.” “Heh. Glad you like it!” Minuette chirped before jumping back a little, careful to ensure she was close to the mirror. “So, you guys ready to get a start on this project?!” “As ready as I am going to be,” Split added with a noncommittal shrug. Bristle hummed, stepping forward until the group formed something of a loose circle. “I suppose so. Does anyone have any ideas to start with? I was thinking a landscape would be simple enough, but loose enough for plenty of creativity.” “Sounds about as good as anything I came up with,” Split replied. First Aid cut in before those two could get too far lost in their deliberations, lifting her hoof to get their attention. Once they were focused on her, she cleared her throat and pointed at Minuette. “So… Minuette? Before we get into this, didn’t you, ya know, have a surprise for us?” Minuette’s heart skipped a beat. She had not expected First to jump on the subject like that. But she was quick to adapt and roll with the punches. She had invited her friends here for more than just their school project, after all, and this seemed as good a time as any to put the Fangs part of her plan into motion. With a nod, she turned to Split and Bristle. “Yep! So, Split, Bristle. First and I have been noticing that you two have been kinda down in the dumps, lately,” she began, measuring her words carefully. Bristle grimaced, glancing off to one side. “I… suppose you could put it that way, sure. I’d rather not think about it while we’re here, though.” Minuette hesitated for a second, glancing over at First Aid for support. The other filly smiled and nodded for her to continue, though there was something in her gaze, warning Minuette to tread lightly. Doubling down on her gentle tone, Minuette pressed on. “Well, I dunno what made you two get all sad and stuff, but I didn’t like it. So… I didn’t just ask you guys to come here so we could work on this group project and pass the big test together, but because there’s someone I want you to meet!” That got everyone’s undivided attention. Split raised an eyebrow. “Someone you want us to meet? Who? I didn’t see anypony else coming in. Just your mom and your dad…” Minuette shook her head. “You wouldn’t have seen him coming up, ‘cause he lives in my room!” she said before turning to the mirror. “He’s kinda spooky looking, but he’s really nice and smart! When I failed that first test, he helped give me the confidence I needed to ace the next one with flying colors!” “The same one the two of us stumbled on,” Bristle noted with a hint of bitterness. “Okay… who is this mystery friend of yours, then?” Minuette marched up to the mirror and turned to face the others. They were all watching her with curiosity and interest. She took a deep breath—moment of truth. “I’d like you all to meet him so he can help all of us with this project, and so you can all have a new friend, and so he can have three new friends! So, allow me to introduce…” She turned and threw her forelegs wide over the mirror as if to present something. “Fangs, the mirror bug!” On cue, Fangs stepped into view, a hopeful smile on his face. He nodded his head at the trio as he came into sight. “Hello, little ones. It is a pleasure to meet you.” Minuette grinned, winking at Fangs before turning back to her friends, expecting them to give off exclamations of surprise and awe and wonder any second now. She was met with confused stares and total silence. Bristlestroke frowned. “Minuette… what are you talking about?” Minuette’s grin shattered. She turned to Fangs for some sort of explanation. Had she positioned the mirror wrong? He stared back at her, the hope in his eyes bleeding away to be replaced with little more than disappointment. Minuette turned back to her friends, forcing her smile to return. “Um… the bug pony in my mirror? The one standing right there?” she asked insistently, jabbing her hoof at Fangs repeatedly for emphasis. Split and Bristle shared a look of confusion, while First never took her eyes off of Minuette. There was something in those eyes. A question, a plead. It was as if she was silently asking Minuette if she was being serious. “Er… it’s a mirror,” Split pointed out a second later. “There’s nothing there.” “But… But…” “Little one,” Fangs muttered to her in defeat. “They can’t see me… They must be too old.” “No,” Minuette denied, turning to him with her ears folding back in dismay. “No, that doesn’t make any sense! I can see you just fine, and they aren’t much older than I am! It… it must be some mistake-” “Are you SERIOUS?!” The entire room went quiet. Minuette jumped in her skin and spun around to face the one who had shouted, her heart skipping a beat. Bristlestroke was staring back at her with barely contained outrage. First shrank back, her ears folding down. “Bristle… p-please-” “No no, SHUT up, First Aid!” he snapped, stomping past her until he was looming threateningly over Minuette. “I can’t believe this! You dragged us all the way here when we didn’t want to come just to show us your mirror and show us you’re completely and utterly insane?! Have you gone insane, or did you ever even have a mind to lose?!” Minuette cowered away from him, her belly pressing itself to the floor. “I… I… But he’s… he’s right there...” she whimpered, her eyes starting to water. She glanced at the mirror, to Fangs, her eyes pleading with him to do something. She lifted a hoof and pointed. “Right there. Please, look.” Bristle snarled and shot a spiteful glance at the mirror. For several seconds he looked before growling and stepping back from Minuette. “I can’t believe this… I can not believe I got showed up by a common twerp with an imaginary friend!” Minuette shriveled on the floor, tears breaching her eyes. Her heart felt as if it had just been shattered in her chest. “But… he’s real!” she protested in vain. “Is he, now?!” Bristle snapped, turning to the mirror with a scowl of disgust. He scoffed at it before grabbing onto the frame. “Bah! This thing’s too nice for you!” Minuette’s heart froze when Bristle turned and threw the mirror down to the ground. Her eyes landed on Fangs’, which had flown wide in fear and shock. The mirror slammed down on the ground with an echoing thud and crack, and for one heart-stopping instant, Minuette feared that the glass would shatter, and her friend would be gone. Thankfully, that did not happen, and Split went into motion. He grabbed onto Bristle’s foreleg and yanked him away. “Bristle! Stop it, that’s enough!” he shouted. Bristle tore his hoof away from Split’s and stepped back, glaring at him as if he had just been stabbed in the back. “Really, Split?! You’re not angry about this?!” Split hesitated, glancing back at Minuette with an uncertain frown. “I mean… a little, but… you’re taking it too far!” “Oh, yeah, sure,” Bristle snorted sarcastically, his tail lashing behind him. “I’m taking it too far. She’s just the little kid whose sudden one-eighty performance in class made everyone else bully us and our parents get on our backs all the time!” Minuette screwed her eyes shut as the shouting continued. “Please… s-stop…” “Do you have any idea what your little light show has put me through?!” Bristle went on, stomping toward her again. “Do you have any idea how much the other foals keep ganging up on me and Split?! Or how my parents yelled at me when we got my test results back?! Why oh why, they asked, did I let some commoner do better than me in the most prestigious school in the entire kingdom that I worked my tail off to get into?!” “I… I didn't…” Minuette whimpered. The shouting, the angry glares, the mirror on the ground… it all became too much. She covered her head with her hooves, screwed her eyes shut, and began to cry. A heavy silence fell over the room, the only sound being Minuette’s pathetic wails. Several seconds passed before Bristle snorted, his coat bristling. “And now you’re crying?! Oh, this just gets better and better! Insane and a crybaby! How did you ever make it into Celestia’s school?!” “BRISTLE!” First Aid finally cut in, moving to put herself between Bristle and Minuette. She glared up into his eyes with tears escaping her own. “That’s enough! Please, just stop yelling!” Bristle stared her down for several long seconds. Before anypony could say anything else, the door to the room suddenly slammed open, and two very angry parents stormed in. “Leave my baby alone!” Pearly shouted, her horn lighting up with magic and grasping Bristle in a firm grip. He barely had time to give off a squawk of alarm before he was forcefully hauled from his hooves and jettisoned out the door. He landed on his rump in the hall with a grunt before glaring up at Pearly and Sunspot. “Hey! You can’t just-” “Shut up and get out of our home,” Sunspot cut him off, his own horn lighting up. “Nopony makes my daughter cry. Nopony.” Bristle glared back at them for several seconds. Then, with a snort and a flick of his tail, he rose to his hooves and began to march for the stairs. “Tch. Fine. Whatever. Waste of my freaking Sunday,” he grumbled before fading from view. Once the sound of the door opening and closing resonated through the home, Pearly turned and cantered into the room, her eyes glued on Minuette. “Minnie? Minnie, it’s okay. He’s gone,” she said. Minuette looked up into her mother’s eyes. “Mom…” she whimpered in a broken croak of a voice. She allowed herself to be pulled up into a tight hug, burying her face into her mother’s chest and openly crying all over again. “He… h-he…” “Sssh,” Pearly shushed her, patting her repeatedly on the back of the head to silence her miserable cries. “It’s okay, sweetie. He’s gone. He can’t hurt you. You’re okay. It’s all gonna be okay. Mommy’s got you.” As Pearly did all she could to comfort her daughter, Minuette could hear Sunspot turning to the two other foals who remained in the room. There were several seconds where he did not say a word before he spoke in a low, commanding voice. “You two have some explaining to do.” Author's Note So... that coulda gone better. AftermathThe next hour passed by in a slow, dreadful blur for Minuette. Her mind couldn’t stop racing as a storm of emotions assaulted her poor, little heart. Sadness because of Bristle’s outburst, fear for Fangs, and whether or not he was okay after falling like that, and confusion about why her friends hadn’t been able to see him. But through it all, she at least had the comforting presence of her mother’s embrace to soothe her thoughts and quell the storm. Now, Minuette was seated with her parents in the living room. They had adjourned to there shortly after Bristle’s departure, where Sunspot began to mercilessly grill First Aid and Split End for Answers about what had happened with Bristle and why. Minuette did her best to listen, but some of the discussion was lost on her as her emotions pulled her away again. Every time, Pearly was there to shush her whimpers and guide her gently back to an attentive state. Eventually, Sunspot heaved a heavy sigh and rubbed the bridge of his snout with a hoof. “Okay… so let me see if I have this straight,” he said slowly, his tone leaving no room for interruption. “Split, you and Bristle have been getting picked on by other kids at school over a test you didn’t do too well on, in part because Minuette aced it when you didn’t. Is that right?” Split looked down shamefully. “Er… yes, sir,” he answered in a meek, pitiful voice. “And Bristle’s parents have been pretty hard on him, too…” “What about yours?” Sunspot asked, raising an eyebrow. “You’re from a noble family, too. Don’t they have high expectations of you?” Split flinched as if struck. A moment later, though, he sighed and nodded. “Yeah… a little. But not as bad was Bristle’s. Mine don’t yell at me for bad grades. They just kinda’ chastise me a bit. It’s not fun, but they don’t yell at me.” Pearly hummed quietly. “And so Bristle lashed out… He thought my little girl was the catalyst for all his problems and took the first chance he saw to take it out on her?” “I guess…” Sunspot groaned in frustration, burying his face in his hooves. A few moments later, he lifted his eyes to glare at Split. “And what about you, then?” he asked slowly. First Aid was quick to leap to her friend’s defense. “H-hey, he tried to stop Bristle when things got bad!” she said. Sunspot shook his head. “Yeah, and that’s the only reason I haven’t thrown him out of the house yet. But I want to hear it from him. Split, is this going to be a problem? Are you at all angry at my daughter for what’s been happening to you?” Split looked down, mouthing uselessly like a fish for several seconds. Minuette observed him, every fiber of her being hoping and praying that he would say no and that this could all be over and done with. “...A little, yeah,” Split admitted, shame evident in his voice. “But I wasn’t gonna bring it up. Minnie’s a good filly if a little dense and silly sometimes… she didn’t deserve this.” Minuette whimpered, clutching closer to Pearly’s chest. “S-s-split… I’m sorry,” she managed to choke out. “I’m so sorry…” Split looked up at her in surprise. “What? But, Minnie-” “Don’t be sorry. You didn’t do anything wrong, Minnuette,” Sunspot gently interrupted with a shake of his head. He focused back on Split and gave him a long, meaningful stare. “...Split, I appreciate your candor here. It says a lot about you that you were willing to admit this to me. But for now, I think it’d be for the best if you go back home… and for a little while, at least, I want you to stay away from my daughter.” Split’s eyes widened. “Huh? B-but-” “I’m not asking you to stop being her friend,” Sunspot gently assured him. “But you have to understand… even after what you said, and how you conducted yourself when Bristle was acting out… after what happened upstairs, I can’t really say I trust you. And I need to make sure my daughter is going to be okay, and for that, I wanna make sure we can all leave this incident behind us. So please… give her some time and space. Can you do that for me?” Split was quiet for a minute before nodding his head. “I can, sir. Thank you… and, uh, Minnie? I’m the one who should be sorry,” he said, turning to Minuette and making her heart skip a beat. “I should’ve known bringing Bristle here was a bad idea… he… he liked to rant at me when you weren’t around. I should’ve known that he wouldn’t be good for this… so… I’m sorry.” Minuette stared at him for a moment, her brain taking a second to catch up. She put on a small, gentle smile, and nodded her head at him. “It’s… it’s okay, Split. Thanks for coming, anyway… and thanks for standing up for me…” Split put on a small smile and nodded at her. First Aid frowned in confusion. “He ranted at you? But he never did that with me.” “I think it’s because of how close you and Minuette are,” Split guessed with a noncommittal shrug. “He didn’t want you to get on his case… since, you know, you’re his friend, too. Or, well…” Split sighed and looked off to one side. “...You were his friend. Dunno if that’s gonna stick after this…” First Aid opened her mouth to protest, but nothing came out. A few seconds passed in solemn silence before she looked down and closed her eyes. “Right...” Minuette looked between them for a few seconds. She sniffled quietly before gently pulling herself out of her mother’s embrace. She slowly trotted forward, drawing the attention of both First Aid and Split. She paused when their eyes were on her, and for a moment, she felt the desire to rush back to Pearly’s hooves. She shoved the feeling down, though, and soon fell against First Aid, giving the other filly a warm hug. First Aid blinked in surprise, but after a moment, she hummed and returned the embrace, burying her face into Minuette’s shoulder. “Thank you,” Minuette whispered to her. For a short time, the rest of the world faded out, and Minuette was able to finally calm herself down and relax her thoughts. She took a series of deep breaths, savoring the warmth of the embrace of her oldest friend. There was still the matter of Fangs she had to see to, and she would, but for the moment, she just couldn’t find the strength to pull away. After what felt like an eternity of sharing a hug with First Aid, Minuette had to be pulled from the moment when Sunspot cleared his throat. “Pearl, look after Minnue, would you? I’m going to see the others home.” Minuette winced, instinctively tightening her hold on First. She knew they had to go home, especially after what just happened upstairs, but she didn’t want First to go just yet. “Alright,” Pearly replied, rendering Minuette’s thoughts on the matter meaningless for now. “Minnie, honey? Come on, they need to go home.” A few moments passed before First Aid withdrew from the hug of her own accord. She gave Minuette a weak, reassuring smile, easing her anxiety and disappointment somewhat. “It’s okay, Minnie. I’ll see if I can talk to Bristle when I get a chance. He’s not a bad pony, I know he isn’t.” Minuette sniffled and nodded. “Okay… thanks. Bye, First.” With that, Minuette backed off, allowing her father to guide the visitors out of the room. Split sent her one last apologetic frown before vanishing out the front door, plunging the home into silence. “Okay, let’s go,” Pearly urged gently, resting one hoof on Minuette’s back. “How about I get you some sweets? To take your mind off all this?” Minuette managed to perk up at that, though not nearly as much as she usually would have. She looked up to her mother and gave a small smile of her own. “Sure… I’d like that a lot,” she said. The candy did wonders to ease Minuette’s mind, though only for a little while. Her mind still routinely wandered back to Bristle’s outburst, making it difficult to keep her spirits up. Pearly left her in the kitchen for a short time once she was sure Minuette would be fine, presumably to go upstairs and tidy up anything that had been knocked over during Bristle’s outburst. Minuette couldn’t help but shudder every time her mind wandered back to it, even with the help of the candy. The rage in his eyes, the volume of his voice… she had never seen that kind of look from him, never heard him yell like that before. It had disturbed her deep down for one of her friends to treat her like that… and somehow, she couldn’t help but feel like it was her fault. The logical side of her brain knew that was a load of hot garbage, but that didn’t stop her from thinking it. Bristle and even Split had both said that the treatment they’d been receiving came about due to her doing better than them on that test with the illusion. She had ‘showed them up.’ And because of that, the other foals, and even their own families, began to beat up on them… Maybe she should throw the next test? Take some of the pressure off them? She shook her head, banishing that idea. She couldn’t do that. She and First were still supposed to be a group for this project, even if Split and Bristle were probably not a part of theirs anymore. If she deliberately did poorly, that would hurt First, too, and then she’d really have done something wrong. “Ugh… this all sucks,” she grumbled in her mind. She was pulled from her depressing thoughts by the sound of Pearly stepping back into the room. Minuette looked up to find her mother smiling back at her. “Looks like your room didn’t get all that tousled, thankfully. Only thing out of place was the mirror.” Minuette’s eyes widened, her heart skipping a beat. She still didn’t know if Fangs was alright! She leaned forward, placing her hooves on the table and all but standing up in her seat. “Is he okay?!” she asked emphatically. Pearly frowned at her for a moment. “Do you… mean Fangs?” she asked after a moment. Minuette nodded, inwardly remembering that Fangs was just her imaginary friend to her family. “Y-yeah. The mirror isn’t damaged is it?” she asked hopefully. Pearly smiled and shook her head. “No. It’s not even scratched, actually. Color me surprised, it doesn’t look that durable.” Minuette sighed heavily in relief, flopping back into her chair. “Oh, thank goodness… I was so worried when it fell over…” Pearly’s smile faded. She looked away for a second before closing her eyes and nodding. “Right…” A few seconds passed, and a sudden feeling of raw tiredness came over Minuette. The last couple of hours had been beyond exhausting, now that she thought about it. A long, unattractive yawn worked its way out of her before she finished off her candy and hopped down from the chair. “Well… I think I’m gonna go to my room for a while,” she said quietly. Pearly stepped back to let her pass. “Okay, honey… do you want or need anything else? Anything at all?” she asked quietly. Minuette paused in the door frame. She shook her head and looked up at her mother. “No. I think I’ll be okay, mom. I just wanna lay down and get some rest. I’m kinda tired…” she said. Pearly nodded. She leaned down and planted a gentle kiss on Minuette’s forehead. “I’m not surprised… it’s been a hectic couple hours. Go get some rest, sweetie. I’ll come check on you a little later, okay?” “Kay. Thanks, mom,” Minuette said, giving her mother a quick hug and nuzzle. “I love you.” “I love you, too, Minnie,” Pearly replied in a gentle whisper. The two parted shortly after, and Minuette continued on her way for her room. Her hooves felt heavy as she trudged up the stairs, but the promise of talking to Fangs was enough to keep her moving. She still didn’t understand why her friends hadn’t been able to see him, and she meant to see if he had any answers for her. She stepped through the door to her room and closed it behind her. She took in a deep breath before turning her eyes to the mirror. Sure enough, just as her mother said, there wasn’t even a scratch on the reflective surface. Minuette couldn’t help but give another quiet sigh of relief at seeing it unharmed. She trusted her mother’s word, but to see it safe and intact with her own two eyes was calming in its own right. She marched up to the mirror and sat down in front of it. Fangs wasn’t currently in her line of sight. So, after a moment, she cleared her throat. “Fangs? You in there?” A few seconds passed. Then, sure enough, with his head held low and his ears drooping, Fangs stepped into view. These Precious Moments“Hello… Little one,” Fangs greeted, his lips curling up in a pitiful attempt at a smile. Minuette sighed in relief, a hoof flying up to cover her heart. “Oh, thank Celestia. You’re okay!” she breathed. She allowed herself to fall forward, pressing her forehead up against the cool, unchanging glass. “I was so worried when he pulled you over… I thought… I thought…” A quiet hum came from the other side of the mirror, drawing Minuette’s attention. Fangs was smiling for real, now, and he shook his head. “No, little one. I have existed this way for a very long time, and I have traded hooves many times. Many of those hooves belonged to foals. If this mirror could break, it would have done so by now. Whatever curse binds me here renders the glass indestructible.” Minuette nodded at that and leaned away. Fangs was okay. The mirror was okay - and apparently couldn’t become not okay, either, so that was a plus - and First was going to talk to Bristle just as soon as she got a chance. “See”? She thought, starting to relax. “Everything is going to be fine… totally and completely fine, and… and…” “I’m sorry.” Minuette’s slowly deteriorating thoughts did not get a chance to go to the dark place they were eyeing. All of her attention was pulled directly to Fangs when he uttered that most unexpected sentence. She looked at him again to find his head lowered and his eyes closed. He looked… almost ashamed of himself. She blinked. “...Huh? What are you sorry for?” she asked, tilting her head in confusion. “You didn’t do anything wrong.” “Perhaps not,” Fangs acknowledged quietly before lifting his eyes. “But just because I did nothing wrong, does not mean I said nothing wrong.” Minuette didn’t like the sound of that. She licked her lips and leaned forward slightly. “What do you mean?” Fangs hesitated for a moment, suddenly looking as if he weren’t so sure of what he had to say anymore. He opened his mouth several times, but each time, all that came out was a quiet sigh. Finally, he managed to find his words and his voice. “...Minuette. Before your friends arrived, I told you, with confidence, that everything would be fine. I assured you that nothing would go wrong and that this plan of yours would go off without a hitch. I assumed that your friends would appreciate all of the effort you went to in order to bring them together and spend time with them… and I was wrong.” Minuette’s eyes widened. “Wha… but… Fangs, that’s not your fault,” she protested, utterly baffled. “You didn’t know they were going to react that way!” Fangs sighed, turning away to avoid making eye contact. “I didn’t know, but I should have considered it a possibility. Those were the children of nobles, Minuette, and I should have known - I should have known that it wouldn’t have been so simple.” Minuette shook her head. “Hey, come on. That’s not-” “The point is, Minuette, I set you up for a fun time, and what did you get?” Fangs interrupted her, his wings twitching in agitation on his back. He faced her again, his glowing blue orbs boring into hers with an intensity that gave her pause. “A bully. You were shouted at, insulted, mocked, and picked on by somepony you thought was your friend… And while Bristle’s behavior is not my responsibility, the fact that I said nothing to prepare you for such an outcome… that is my fault.” A heavy silence fell over the two. Minuette stared, wide-eyed, and unblinking at Fangs for almost a solid minute. Had he truly meant all of that? She hadn’t known Fangs long enough to tell when he was lying, so he could have been exaggerating, or he could have been wholly honest about how he felt about this. But if he believed something so broken and so wrong, then… Minuette’s ears drooped. “Fangs… how can you even say something like that?” she asked quietly, placing her hoof up against the glass. “None of this was you. You shouldn’t beat yourself up like this.” Fangs was quiet for a short while, unable to meet Minuette’s gaze. He sighed and sat down on his haunches, shaking his head. “...Forgive me, little one. It is just… it can be very easy for me to blame myself when things go wrong.” “Why?” Fangs lowered himself onto his belly. “All I have are my words, little one,” he said slowly and quietly, his tone somber. “Those are all I can use to interact with the world beyond this accursed barrier. And those ponies I can call my friends have been few in number and far apart over the years. I cherish them with all my heart, for when they are gone, I am left behind. I must make my time with them count. So I watch, I listen, I learn, and when asked, I speak. And when something goes wrong… It is easy to tell myself that I should have spoken, said something to prevent it. To look back and, in perfect hindsight, see all the things I could have said to avoid whatever happened. It is so easy to fall into pits of self-deprecation because to me, all of these moments I am to spend with you are beyond precious. And…” He lifted his eyes to Minuette, and to her shock, they were starting to shimmer with what could only be tears. “And I don’t want them to be squandered. I wish to make the most of every moment I have…” Minuette’s heart twisted in her chest, and she could feel her own eyes watering up again. What Fangs was saying was hard for her to wrap her head around, but she got the idea. She couldn’t even begin to imagine how hard it must have been for him. It had never even crossed her mind that whenever things went wrong in the real world, he could only watch. “I… I’m so sorry,” she whispered, moving forward and wrapping her forelegs around the mirror, trying in vain desperation to give Fangs a hug. “I had no idea…” “It’s fine, little one… I know it’s wrong of me,” Fangs said softly. Minuette sniffled, then leaned back. Fangs had placed a hoof against the glass and was giving her a gentle smile. She tried to smile back but just couldn’t find it in herself to do so. She looked down, her ears resting flat against her head. “I really wanna hug you…” Fangs nodded. “And I you… But for now, it is more than enough to simply be here,” he said in a low whisper. “But enough about me. It wasn’t my friend who turned his back on me… how are you holding up?” Minuette cringed, her heart skipping a beat. She shuddered at the memory of Bristle shouting at her, of the infuriated look in his eyes, and of how First had been on the verge of tears when she stood up to him. She sniffled, folding in on herself, her hooves curling protectively over her chest. “I… I’ll be okay,” she mumbled, sniffling. “But… I d-don’t understand. Why couldn’t they see you?” Fangs frowned, his gaze wandering. “Hmm… I wonder…” He stood and began to pace slowly in pace before the mirror. Minuette watched him, now wondering what he was thinking. She sniffled, swallowed, and inched a little closer to the mirror. “Fangs?” “In all the years I have been trapped here, I never once took the time to try and narrow down when exactly a foal could no longer see me,” he said slowly, his brow furrowed. “I had never wanted to run the risk of them missing me. And it had never struck me as important…” He turned on Minuette, his expression hardening. “You had turned ten years old when your parents delivered the mirror to you, right?” Minuette nodded. “Uh-huh, and I saw you, just for a second, that night. I thought the light was playing tricks on my eyes,” she said before frowning. Fangs nodded, a look of dawning comprehension coming over his face. “I see… so the cut-off point is ten years old. You must have spotted my shadow within hours - perhaps even mere minutes of losing the ability to do so. If you had waited even a little longer to make use of the mirror...” Minuette’s eyes widened at the implication. Her hooves drifted up to cover her mouth. “You mean… I might not have been able to ever meet you?” she asked in dread, realizing that if Fangs was right, they had really dodged a bullet on this one. Fangs nodded. “That is the only explanation I can think of. You are perhaps older than any other foal was when I met them, and your friends aren’t terribly much older than you are. We got lucky, you and I…” Minuette stared at Fangs for a few seconds. Then, with a tiny smile replacing her shocked frown, she spoke. “Well… I’m happy I met you, Fangs,” she said. Fangs’ smile returned, and he nodded again. “As am I, little one. As am I.” The remainder of the day passed by in a quiet blur. Minuette spent most of her time in her room, talking with Fangs whenever she could. But more often than not, the discussions would peter out into awkward silence, affording her mind the chance to meander back to the memories of Bristle’s outburst. The hours seemed to drag, and when it was finally time for dinner, it felt as if an entire ice age had come and gone. The food warmed her belly, and the gentle reassurances from her mother and father did wonders to ease Minuette’s turbulent thoughts and still quivering heart. She spent some time with them after that, hoping to get every ounce of parental affection she could get out of them before she had to go to bed. But, soon enough, the sun made its inevitable descent, and the night swallowed Equestria. And with that, it was time for her to head to bed. She tried her best to stall, but her parents were insistent that she get her sleep - especially after everything that had happened today. She needed her rest, they told her, and she didn’t doubt them. She felt like she could sleep for an eon. The problem was that she had school tomorrow… and school meant being in the same room as Split and Bristle again. As she lay there in bed, her eyes staring up at the ceiling, her mind kept wandering over to that inevitable reunion. She felt her heart fluttering with fear in her chest at the prospect. Every time, she imagined the other colt openly picking on her in class or in the halls, mocking her ‘imaginary friend’ or something. She wasn’t a noble, she was a commoner filly. She’d be easy prey, and almost nopony else would lift a hoof to defend her, she figured. And all because she had done better than him on one freaking test. All of this because she had pulled her weight, done her homework, practices, and gave it her all. She had made him look bad, and if what she had heard was true, it had not been pleasant on him. She hadn’t meant for it to turn out like this! She hadn’t been trying to get others to pick on and bully him. She just didn’t want that kind of attention on her. She just wanted to do well in school and make her family proud. So why did doing that have to make one of her best friends hate her? Maybe she would apologize to him… maybe she’d throw the next test for his sake. Maybe… maybe… “Little one?” Minuette jumped slightly when Fangs suddenly spoke up, in spite of how low his voice was. She looked over to see his glowing eyes staring back at her through the darkness. She frowned. “Fangs… oh, did I forget to move the mirror so you could go outside?” she asked, mentally kicking herself in the flank. Fangs shook his head. “No, no, that’s fine. I’d rather be here tonight… judging by the colors I am seeing here, it looks like you need me.” Minuette sighed, remembering how he could literally see every emotion she had as colorful mist. She flopped back down onto her bed, groaning in a mixture of frustration and dread. “I don’t wanna go back to school… I wanna stay here…” Fangs nodded. “I do not blame you for that, but it’s out of our hooves… You really should try and get some sleep, though.” Minuette rolled onto her side to glare at fangs, giving him an indignant pout. “Oh, yeah, like it’s that easy,” she snarked sarcastically. Fangs was not fazed by her sharp tone. Instead, he simply smiled. “Well… what helps you sleep at night?” he asked. Minuette paused, thinking back. “Well… for a long time, mom or dad would read me stories to help me sleep. But they stopped doing that a couple of years ago. They said I was getting too old for it.” “Did it work?” “Uh-huh.” Fangs’ face lit up with a small smile. “Well, then… what if I told you a story?” That got Minuette’s full attention. She sat bolt upright, staring at Fangs with wide eyes and a gaping jaw. “You’d do that?!” she asked in disbelief, already feeling herself get excited. “You know a good one?” Fangs chuckled at her enthusiasm. “Well, I think it’s good. I’ll be telling it from memory, though, seeing as I don’t have it down in writing anywhere.” Minuette was unable to restrain a squeal of delight. She clapped her hooves a few times, then quickly lay back down, tucking herself in with her magic. “Okay, Fangs! Ready! Tell me a story!” she all but commanded to the bug in her mirror. Fangs laughed at that. He cleared his throat a moment later and began to speak. “Once upon a time, there was a kingdom in a faraway land, ruled by a mighty and powerful queen. Her subjects knew no fear from their enemies, for there were none who could oppose her. She protected her people, and she kept them safe, happy, and away from the dangers of the world. For a thousand long years, this queen ruled, and all was well in the land. “But then, one day, the queen learned of a disaster in a faraway land, one that not even she could stop.” Minuette gasped, immediately slipping back into her role as the excitable listener. “Oh no! What was it?!” “I’m getting to that, be patient,” Fangs said to her, stifling a chuckle. “The queen’s subjects were fearful. They had no idea what was happening. Their crops were beginning to die, and the land would no longer obey them. Without their food, they would starve. Without the land, their homes would crumble. The queen knew something had to be done, and so she sent seven of her bravest warriors out to find the source of this spreading darkness and see it unmade, while she remained behind to defend their home and her subjects...” Minuette listened with wrapt attention as Fangs told her more and more of his story. She gripped her sheets tightly when she heard of how, on the way to the scene of the disaster, they were attacked by an erratically acting dragon. She giggled when she heard about how they found a field of blue flowers that made them turn into funny things. She gasped in horror when one of the warriors got separated from the others in a rockslide. But soon, her eyes began to drift closed. Fangs’ two-toned voice was soothing, almost melodious as he weaved his tale. Soon, his words began to blend together, and Minuette’s world faded into darkness. “But no matter what hardships had befallen him,” Fangs was saying as she drifted off to slumber. “The warrior knew he would save his people.” Author's Note I am so sorry for how late this chapter is. As matters stand, my editor for this story has kind of fallen off the face of the earth, leaving me to tend to the chapters without him. As such, spelling errors or grammatical mistakes are likely going to be more frequent until such time as either my editor returns to the stage, or I get a new one to help me out. Big Red LettersMinuette awoke to the first rays of morning sunlight assaulting her closed eyelids. She gave off an annoyed groan of dismay, scrunching up her face and screwing her eyelids as tightly shut as she could in a futile attempt to drown out the light so that she could get some more sleep. She had been in the middle of a particularly good dream involving ice cream, Fangs, and a yeti. She didn’t really remember the specifics, but she wanted to go back! It was fun! Alas, another element of the day would conspire against her. Not long after the light roused her, a gentle knock from her door rendered any remaining efforts to return to sleep utterly pointless. The door creaked open a moment later, and Pearly poked her head in. “Minnie? You awake, sweetie?” Minuette grumbled something incoherent and most likely inappropriate before rolling over and burying her face into her pillow. She could just make out Pearly giggling at her. Her mother’s hooves found her shoulders a second later and gently lifted her up. “Okay, enough of the drama. Come on, you need to get ready for school.” “School sucks,” Minuette complained, weakly trying to pry herself out of Pearly’s grasp, to no avail. “I don’t wanna go.” “And I don’t want to stare at how much tartar some ponies let build up in their mouths, much less break it all up and clean what’s underneath, but it’s what I gotta do,” Pearly shot back without missing a beat. “But that’s different,” Minuette whined as she finally gave up her attempts at resistance. “You get paid to go to work. I don’t get paid to go to school.” Pearly giggled at Minuette’s continued defiance. She made a show of rolling her eyes and backing off in defeat. “Oh, very well, if you insist. And to think, I went through all the effort of making cinnamon rolls for you, too…” Minuette’s ears perked up. Oh, now that was just completely unfair! She slowly turned and gave Pearly the most indignant pout she could manage. “...That’s just mean.” Pearly giggled merrily as she began to head for the door. “They’ll be ready in a few more minutes. If you aren’t down by then I’ll come get you, okay?” she said with a cheerful nod. She paused in the door before glancing back at Minuette, a more serious look on her face. “And, Minnie?” Minuette tilted her head at her. Something about her tone wasn’t quite right. Did she sound… worried? What could she have to be worried about? Now growing anxious, Minuette swallowed heavily and spoke. “Yeah, mom?” Pearly hesitated for a few moments. She worked her jaw up and down as if fishing for the right words. Eventually, she put on a reassuring smile. “Just… if you need to talk about what happened yesterday, you know you can always come to your dad or I, right?” Oh. That. Minuette’s ears drooped flat against her head while her mood plummeted. So that was it. And now that her mother mentioned it, the memory of the incident with Bristle became mercilessly clear. She had enjoyed a few fleeting minutes of blissful ignorance, but now she remembered why she was so anxious about going back to school. She swallowed heavily and gave Pearly one more smile. “I know, mom. Thanks.” Pearly began to back out of the room, holding Minuette’s eyes the whole while. “Of course. We love you, Minnie,” she said before vanishing from view entirely, though she left the door open just a crack behind her. Minuette stared after her for a few moments. Her heart was beginning to feel cold with dread and anxiety. Her hooves clutched tightly to her blankets, and she raised them up to hover over her chest. She took in a deep shuddering breath. Scenario after grim scenario began to race through her head. After how things went yesterday, worse than she ever could have imagined, the idea of something going right when she saw Bristle again seemed foreign. Before she could let her thoughts go too far out of control, though, she was suddenly jarred from her depressing reverie by the sound of Fangs clearing his throat. Minuette gave off a quiet squeak of alarm, then turned to face the bug in her mirror. He nodded once she saw him with a worried frown. “Little one. You are letting your fear run away with you, again,” he said matter of factly. Minuette opened her mouth to belt out a denial of some kind, but nothing came. And then she remembered that even if she had tried to deny it, he would probably be able to tell she was lying. She remembered how he could see her emotions in the air like wisps of color. She frowned at him for a few seconds before letting off a long, heavy sigh. “Yeah… I guess I am…” Fangs nodded quietly. “I cannot say I blame you. It was quite an ordeal you went through yesterday… and I apologize again for setting you up for a success that was bound to never happen.” Minuette shook her head before hopping down. She walked over at a slow pace, giving Fangs a small, reassuring smile. “It’s okay. It wasn’t your fault,” she said, echoing her thoughts from the previous night. Fangs nodded. “I know. I know that,” he acknowledged. The two fell into a long, heavy silence after that, neither saying a word for several minutes. Minuette’s smile began to fade, and her mind began to wander once again. She bit her lip as the dread and anxiety swelled up inside her all over again. Her hooves began to push uneasily into the carpet, fidgeting in place. Suddenly, Fangs met her gaze and put on a small smile. “Tell me. Did you enjoy my story, little one?” he asked. Minuette blanked. Story? She had to think for a moment before it came back to her, the story of the brave warriors sent by their queen to find and end some sort of threat to the world. At once, she latched onto that, far preferring the enigmatic cliffhanger she had been left on to her morbid concerns about the day that lay ahead of her. She put on a large smile and nodded her head eagerly. “Oh, yes! It was really, really good! And those voiced you did, too! It was so cool!” Fangs chuckled at the rapid return of her enthusiasm. He leaned back slightly and tilted his head at her. “I am glad. You fell asleep somewhere in the middle of the tale, and it left me kind of worried that I was boring you.” Minuette shook her head. “Boring me?! Fangs, that was one of the coolest stories I've ever heard! And you told it all to me without even needing a book!” she exclaimed, throwing her hooves up into the air for emphasis. “Where did you learn it?” Fangs stared at her for several seconds, the smile on his face being replaced with a blank, distant look. Immediately, Minuette’s grin faded, and her excitement was replaced with concern. Had she said something wrong? She lowered her hooves and inched closer to the mirror. “Fangs?” Hearing his name again snapped the bug out of his trance. He jumped in place and shook his head. “O-oh! Forgive me, Minuette. I was just… trying to remember,” he said, idly reaching one hoof up to rub at his shoulder. “But… I can’t recall where I heard it. Wherever I first learned this legend, it must have been quite a long time ago.” Minuette relaxed slightly. Well, at least she hadn’t upset Fangs somehow. All the same, she couldn’t help but slump in place a little at her friend’s own diminished mood. “Oh… that’s a shame,” she mumbled, her ears drooping. Fangs perked up a moment later, shaking his head in dismissal. “Perhaps it is, but it’s not relevant. What matters is that I recall the tale with enough clarity to tell it to you - and some few others besides, should you have need of them.” Minuette’s smile slowly began to return. More stories told by Fangs? That sounded like a fun time. Some small part of her couldn’t help but wonder if he would have done well as a storyteller or writer or something. To her young mind, he definitely and unquestionably had a strong knack for it. After a moment, she brushed back some of her mane, realizing now how unkempt and messy it was from a night of tossing and turning. “Well… thank you, Fangs. It really helped me last night.” Fangs’ wings buzzed briefly on his back. “Think nothing of it, Minuette. After all you have done for me in the short time I have known you, it was the very least I could do,” he said with warmth and appreciation. “You’ve been a great friend to me, and you even had the clarity and creativity to grant me the skies, however fragmented and spotty they may be. I can safely say that none that I remember knowing have had the clarity for such a thing. You are my only solace and company… and words cannot express what that means to me.” Minuette blinked, taken aback. There was weight to his words that she wasn’t sure she truly understood. The look in his eyes, the intensity of his words, the strength of his tone… he meant every word of what he just said, and given what she knew of him, it was hard for Minuette to truly wrap her head around how much her presence here probably meant to him. But at the same time, could he really grasp how much he meant to her, especially now after Bristle’s outburst? She had gone from having four friends to two, seeing as her father had asked Split to stay away for now. It was just First Aid and Fangs… “You’re welcome, Fangs,” she eventually said, beaming up at him. “You mean a lot to me, too, and I’m…” the memory of Bristle tugging the mirror down flashed through her mind, causing Minuette to cringe. She winced but continued a second later, resting one hoof against the glass. “I’m just glad you're okay. When he pulled you down, I thought… I was afraid I had lost you.” Fangs blinked at her, then shook his head. “Luckily, the mirror is indestructible.” Minuette nodded. That was a good thing, yes. But… her eyes snapped wide open as she considered her own words. “But… I can still lose you,” she muttered, her hoof retreating from the glass. Fangs lifted an eyebrow. “Little one?” Minuette sprang to her hooves, trotting in place with anxious energy. “What if somepony comes and steals the mirror from the window when I’m gone?!” she asked, her eyes darting to her window and the view of Canterlot outside. “What if it falls and somepony throws it in the trash?! What if-” “Minuette, hey, stop,” Fangs cut her off, putting a hoof against the glass. “You are panicking over what are, frankly, absurd hypotheticals. I am not going anywhere, I promise.” Minuette took a moment to think that over, and then eventually gave off a sigh. Fangs had a point. What were the odds of that, anyway? As long as she was careful, the odds of him ever actually vanishing from her room were slim to none, especially when she was around to keep tabs on things. But still… there was always the chance. Thinking fast, Minuette turned and ran over to her chest of drawers, her horn sparking to life. She quickly tore open the bottom drawer, finding inside a wealth of drawing supplies. Well, a wealth to her ten-year-old mind. Crayons, colored pencils, a rubber ducky that she was supposed to return to the bathroom last month. She quickly plucked one of the reddest, brightest crayons she could find and ran back to the mirror and a very confused looking Fangs. “Uh, little one, what are you- GYAH!” Fangs let off an indignant squeal as Minuette grabbed the mirror in her magic and pulled it away from the wall, far enough that she could get at the backside. It leaned forward slightly, more than she had been hoping, causing Fangs to stumble a bit as his world shifted. Minuette winced guiltily, and so set to work, quickly applying the crayon to the back of the mirror. “What are you doing?!” Fangs demanded, his words partially muffled. “I can only see carpet! Little one!” “One sec!” Minuette told him, writing out the last few letters. Then, with a small flourish, she applied a triple underline to the words before drawing back to admire her work. Three lines of text, all in big, bold, vibrant red letters. ‘PROPERTY OF MINUETTE IF LOST RETURN TO HER IN CANTERLOT’ “There! Now, if I ever lose you, somepony else will come along and bring you back!” She declared cheerfully before putting the mirror back where it belonged. Fangs flopped back onto his haunches as his reality stabilized itself. He shook his head a few times, and Minuette could just imagine a few birds flying in circles around it. After a moment, he gave her a modestly annoyed look. “And what, pray tell, were you doing back there?” he asked. “And why did you not warn me? We went over this after you first did the thing with the window, did we not?” Minuette paused, a blush slowly coming to her cheeks. “Oh yeah, I kinda promised I’d tell him next time, didn’t I?” she realized. She was quick to cough into her hoof and give him an apologetic grin. “Sorry, Fangs. I guess I was just excited.” Fangs snorted, his wings buzzing on his back. He didn’t stay mad at her for long, though, and simply smiled. “Ugh… I suppose I should not be surprised. But my first question still remains unanswered. What did you do?” Minuette grinned and slapped the frame of the mirror a few times like a used chariot salesmare trying to get some business. “Oh, not much. I just wrote a little message on the back of the mirror telling anypony who finds it to bring it back to me! That way, even if I lose you, it won’t be forever!” Fangs glanced at the frame with a frown. “...Huh. I had not considered that,” he admitted. He then gave a weak chuckle and shook his head in bemusement. “You truly are something else, aren’t you?” “Dad calls me the little beast!” “So I have heard, and so I have learned.” Before the duo could talk any further, there was a knock on the door. Minuette turned to see Pearly poking her head in with a welcoming smile. “Minnie. Food’s ready,” she said. “Time to come down.” And just like that, Minuette’s good mood fell apart. Her ears drooped, and she turned back to Fangs in the hope that she could find some excuse to hang around. But going by the despondent look he wore, that was not going to be happening. No more delays, then, it seemed. She gave a quiet huff before standing. “Okay, mom. I’m coming,” she said quietly. She placed her hoof against the glass and gave Fangs a small smile. “Later, Fangs. Wish me luck?” Fangs nodded. “Good luck, little one. I am confident that you will be fine,” he said to her in reassurance. “And stick with First Aid. She is a good filly and a better friend to you. She’ll watch your back.” Minuette’s smile became a little more genuine. Just a little. Fangs wasn't wrong, she did still have First Aid at that school… but she was all she had. As she pulled her hoof away from the mirror and turned to follow her mother out of the room, she shook herself and set her jaw. “Welp,” she thought as the door closed behind her. “Nothing else for it… I guess I just gotta make some more friends.” Destiny Tingles“Minnie!” Minuette jumped in her skin at the sudden call of her name. She quickly turned her head to see First Aid rising from her desk and running over to greet her. She had just arrived in class for first period, and most everypony was already here. Minuette put on a small smile at the sight of her friend, though she was not able to keep her eyes from briefly darting past her to look at where Bristle and Split usually sat. To her combined surprise, disappointment, and relief, both were absent. As First Aid finished closing the gap, Minuette cast her gaze about the room for any sign of the duo. Her heart skipped a beat with anxiety when she caught sight of Split on the other side of class. He gave her a small, apologetic smile and wave before looking down at his desk. “You doing okay?” First Aid asked in a lowered voice once she was close enough, bringing Minuette back to the present. She gave a slow nod, her eyes shifting this way and that. Where was Bristle? He had to be around here somewhere, didn’t he? “Er, yeah, I’m doing okay. A little tired, but okay,” was her half-attentive answer. She missed the worried frown First was giving her until she spoke up again. “Where’s Bristle?” First Aid’s frown deepened. She heaved a quiet, saddened sigh, then shook her head. “I dunno. I looked for him when I got to school earlier, but he wasn’t anywhere around. Not even Split knows where he is… I guess he decided to skip class today.” Minuette looked away, her ears drooping. “Or maybe he got grounded?” she ventured timidly. “His parents sound like they’re mean and dumb.” “That’s not nice, Minnie,” First Aid gently chastised her, though she didn’t have it in her to vocalize anything else on that subject. Minuette shrugged noncommittally before striding past First Aid and sliding into her desk. Several minutes passed where neither filly said anything. Minuette was hunched over her desk, fidgeting anxiously and passing her gaze around. Her eyes kept landing on Split, but he seemed to be doing his best not to make eye contact. He really was taking her father’s request to heart and choosing to keep his distance for now. “It’s not fair on him,” she thought, her ears drooping. She gave off a quiet sigh, then glanced back over at First. “Hey, uh… what about Split? How is he doing?” she asked in a whisper. First nodded toward him. “He’s doing okay. A little bummed out, but I think he’ll be fine.” Well, that was of some relief. Minuette managed a small smile as she looked back to Split. This time, he was looking back and managed to return the smile. Before either could act on the moment of contact, though, the door in the back of the class opened, and all of the ambient chatter fell silent as Princess Celestia entered the room, regal and radiant as ever. “Good morning, class,” she greeted in her usual motherly tone. “Good morning, Princess!” everyone replied in unison, though Minuette really only mumbled it. Celestia nodded in satisfaction as her eyes roved over the class. A small frown decorated her muzzle as she quickly took attendance, no doubt noticing the distinct lack of Bristle, who had otherwise had perfect attendance up to this point. Once she was done, she set the clipboard aside and nodded to her students. “Before we get to today’s lesson, I want to take a moment to remind everypony that your group project is due in just under three weeks. If you haven’t found your groups, you may want to get on that.” Minuette’s ears went flat against her head, and a very inappropriate word danced across her thoughts. The group project! She had completely forgotten about it in all of the drama surrounding Bristle! A small pearl of panic began to creep up in her heart as the princess began to outline what was going to happen in class today. “What am I going to do?!” Minuette thought, her eyes turning down to stare at her desk. “We had our group, but it’s basically been torn apart! I don’t think First and I can do this all on our own! Oh no, we’re gonna fail, and then everypony’s gonna start picking on me, and her too! Oh no, oh no! What do we do, what do we do, what do we do?!” Judging by the uneasy look on First Aid’s face, she had a similar, if less intense, train of thought going. Minuette turned to her and whispered quietly. “First, what are we gonna do?! We don’t have a team anymore!” First bit her lip, her eyes shifting nervously. “Uuum… We could see if there’s anypony else in this class without a group yet?” she ventured, though she didn’t sound so sure of that plan. “I think everypony’s already taken, though,” Minuette pointed out, her mind scrambling. “What choice do we have, though?” First countered. Minuette opened her mouth to offer some form of rebuke, but nothing came. First Aid was right. It wasn’t like this was a school-wide project, like for a science fair or something. This was a project for this specific class. They couldn’t go and draw someone from their own projects to help them with this when they wouldn’t get anything out of it. That would be selfish, mean, and quite a little dumb. First Aid put on a reassuring smile and lightly tapped Minuette on the shoulder. “Let’s ask around when the bell rings, okay? And when we’re going through our classes, if we share any of them with ponies here, we can check with them, too.” Well, it was a plan, at least. Minuette nodded. “Right! W-we’ll find someone, I know we will!” she declared, doing her best to put her usual cheeriness into her voice. First Aid grinned back at her in response before leaning back to focus on the princess. As Minuette allowed herself to get absorbed in Celestia’s lecture, she allowed her mind to wander to who she would ask to join their group first. “We got this!” she told herself in her mind, trying to psyche herself up. “Just like last time! We’ll pass with flying colors, I know we will! Just gotta find someone!” “I didn’t find anyone,” Minuette complained in frustration a couple of hours later. She had taken every single opportunity she could find to ask ponies she passed if they’d be willing to team up with her and First, only for all of the ones she approached to tell her they were already in a group and had already made some progress. Either that or they just didn’t want to join Minuette’s group for one reason or another. “Aren’t you the one who popped?” “Yeah, so?” “...I’m good.” That one had stung a little bit. But if nothing else, the search across halls and classes had been a fantastic distraction. In fact, the longer it went on, even with all of her failures, Minuette’s mood was steadily beginning to improve. She still felt lingering bits of dread and anxiety in her chest every so often, but she was mostly able to ignore it and focus on class and poking her classmates. It was the lunch break now, and as had been the plan, Minuette made her way straight to the entrance to the cafeteria to meet up with First. She had been waiting for only a couple of minutes when the other filly arrived. Judging by the disappointed yet seemingly acceptant look on her face, First Aid had much the same luck as Minuette did. “Me neither,” First Aid confirmed with a defeated sigh, pushing open the cafeteria doors with her magic. “This sucks.” The two briefly stopped on catching sight of the sheer number of ponies crammed into the large interior space. Although, judging by the weather outside, it should have come as no surprise. The pegasi weather teams had brought in a not-insignificant amount of rainclouds over the course of the morning, and they had started unloading their contents shortly before lunch began, dousing Canterlot and the surrounding mountainside with a torrential downpour. Most ponies would understandably want to avoid the bad weather, leading to the cafeteria being overwhelmed by a veritable swarm of hungry fillies and colts, the vast majority of whom had taken seats around the numerous tables that filled the space. The volume of their chatter was high, causing Minuette’s ears to briefly snap back in response. First Aid glanced back at Minuette and shugged. “Eh. Well, we can worry about it later. Let’s get some lunch.” Minuette followed after her, trying to be the usual, cheerful voice of optimism she tended to be. “Well… maybe we just missed somepony?” she guessed hopefully. “I mean, not everypony from first period is scattered across all our other classes, right? So we just gotta find one of the ones we missed, corner them, and make them join our group!” First Aid paused, giving Minuette a bemused frown. “...Make them?” Minuette grinned. “Uh-huh!” “...How?” “By asking reeeeaaally nicely,” Minuette replied without missing a beat. It made perfect sense in her head. Ask them nicely, they say yes. If they say no, ask nicer and louder. Rinse and repeat until they finally say yes. First Aid managed to find it in her to giggle at that, elbowing Minuette in the side. “You’re so silly sometimes, you know that?” she asked as she made her way for the counter. Minuette went after her with a bounce. “I know!” The two didn’t say a word to each other as they acquired their lunch from the tired, deadpan-wearing mare at the counter. Once they had their food, they waded into the ocean of faces to look for a place to sit down and hash out Minuette’s idea a little more. It wasn’t like they were on the cusp of their deadline, after all, so they had the time to work it out. “You seeing anywhere to sit?” First Aid asked a few minutes later, squinting through the crowd. “Cause, uh… I’m not.” Minuette looked around, frowning. And there was the downside of having so many ponies eating in the cafeteria. It looked like basically every chair in the room was taken up, leaving many ponies to go and eat while sitting against the walls. Not a common sight in this school, by any means. Before she could voice her belief that they were out of luck, however, a new voice, on the quieter side, spoke up behind them, barely audible over the din of the crowd. “Oh, uh, my table’s open.” Minuette turned around to the sight of a filly with a bright yellow coat and a curly blue mane and tail. On her flank was a cutie mark of three hearts, one green, and two blue, circling each other. Her bright, gentle eyes were a lovely shade of raspberry, and she was giving Minuette a warm, reserved smile. Her table just had enough space for two more, with the other seats taken up by a lavender filly with her nose in a book, and an off-white filly with a pink, bouncy mane. Minuette sighed in relief. “Oh, thanks! What’re your names?” she asked as she quickly slid into an open chair, followed shortly by First. The filly shrank back a bit from the energy in Minuette’s voice. “Oh, uh, my name’s Lemon Hearts,” she said, gesturing to herself. She then turned and pointed to the one with the pink mane. “That’s Twinkle Shine.” Twinkle Shine waved in greeting. “What’s up?” Lemon Hearts lowered her hoof and nodded at Minuette. “I’m pretty sure we share first period with you two, don’t we?” Minuette blinked, thinking back. A few seconds passed before she realized that she had in fact seen these two in her first-period class from time to time. She had never bothered to introduce herself, though. She’d usually been too busy shooting the breeze with First, Bristle, and Split, or focusing on whatever divine fried gold Celestia was saying. “Oh yeah! You!” First Aid exclaimed with a bright smile. “I remember you! It’s nice to meet you!” Minuette nodded in agreement. “Yeah! Nice to meet ya! Thanks for letting us sit at your table!” she said before her eyes fell on the last unicorn. She frowned and nodded at her curiously. “What about her?” Without lowering her book, the unicorn waved her hoof dismissively in the air. “Twilight Sparkle. Charmed,” she said bluntly. “And technically, this is my table. I was here first. I’m happy to let you all sit here, just try and keep it down, okay? I’m trying to study.” Minuette’s jaw dropped as her brain stalled. Twilight Sparkle?! Celestia’s student?! How had she not realized it sooner? It must have been the book. It was large compared to them, and so it covered most of the filly’s body. “Woah woah, wait,” First Aid piped up, seemingly just as floored by the revelation as Minuette was. “Twilight Sparkle?! You’re Princess Celestia’s student, aren’t you?!” Twilight nodded without lowering her book, turning the page with a quick flick of magic. “Uh-huh,” she replied as if it were nothing more than an afterthought. “Wow…” Minuette whispered, leaning back slightly. “Aren’t you, like, the best mage in class?” “No,” Twilight shot down. “That would be the Princess. I’m second best.” “Oh, right,” Minuette replied. Well, if nothing else, Twilight wasn’t technically wrong. Minuette got the impression she misunderstood the angle her question had been coming from, though. “I mean, of course Celestia’s the best mage in class. She’s just the best mage. Period.” “Well, if you don’t mind me saying it, you aren’t half bad yourself, Minuette,” Lemon Hearts suddenly spoke up. “Huh?” Minuette blinked, turning back to the others with a raised eyebrow. “What do you mean? We just met. How could you know that?” Twinkle Shine rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on. Remember that cool bug-pony-thing you showed off as your illusion a ways back? That was some shindig, let me tell ya. Kinda wish I had that kinda imagination,” she said with a dismissive wave of her hoof. “Would make this next project a lot easier, that’s for sure.” “Tell me about it,” Lemon Hearts mumbled, looking down at the table with a sour frown. “I have ideas, but I just don’t think I’m good enough to pull it off… And everypony else is basically in their groups already…” First Aid tilted her head. “Huh? You mean you're not in a group, yet?” she asked. Lemon shook her head. “Nope. I’ve tried to join one or two, but they were full already, and I kind of wound up backing off after a little bit… I didn’t know anypony in any of them, so I really didn’t feel like I’d fit in.” Twinkle Shine sighed despondently, leaning back. “Yeah, kind of a similar boat with me. Most of the groups I asked were full already or just said ‘no’ for some reason. Probably ‘cause I’m not a noble or whatever.” There was a beat of silence. Minuette and First Aid glanced at each other, ecstatic grins splitting both of their muzzles. “This. Is. PERFECT!” she decided within the privacy of her thoughts. If lady luck were a real pony out there somewhere, then she must have really liked her and First Aid today! Either that or she just felt sorry for them, but eh. Details. “Ya know,” Minuette said, leaning forward slightly with her grin growing. “First Aid and I don’t have a group yet, either…” Twinkle’s eyes flew wide at that, and she got a look on her face not unlike the one First and Minnie just shared. “Really?!” she asked, planting her hooves on the table and all but standing bolt upright. “Well hot dang, talk about a stroke of luck! Wanna team up?!” “Jackpot!” Minuette held out her hoof to shake. “One hundred percent!” First Aid was quick to layer her hoof on top of Minuette’s, nodding emphatically before turning her eyes to Lemon. “And you, Lemon Hearts? Wanna join up?” Lemon Hearts looked between the three fillies, shrinking back shyly into her seat a little bit. “Oh, uh… I mean… if you’re sure you want me,” she eventually said, meekly tapping her hooves together. Minuette rolled her eyes, grabbed Lemon’s hoof with her magic, and dragged it over to thunk down onto the trio of hooves. When Lemon stared at her in surprise, Minuette just winked. “Didn’t I just say it? One hundred percent!” “Yeah, don’t sell yourself short,” Twinkle added, lightly smacking Lemon on the back with her free hoof and putting on an encouraging smile. “You’re quiet as an earthworm, but your magic is on point.” Lemon’s eyes widened. “Huh? But-” “Can confirm,” First Aid added with a sage nod. “Those heart illusions you made for the test were very pretty to look at, and I’ve seen you practicing your telekinesis in the corner when Celestia’s lecturing. You’re pretty precise.” Lemon blinked at them a few times before a gentle smile graced her face, and she leaned more into the collection of hooves, adding pressure of her own will instead of under Minuette’s magic. “Thank you… Really. Then yes, I’d love to join your group!” “Awesome!” Minuette chirped. Awesome, they had a team of four, now. In theory, they could absolutely make do with just this. But there was still one pony left at this table who had been quiet for the most part. She looked to Twilight, a hopeful spark in her eyes. “What about you, Twilight? Are you in any groups, yet?” Twilight turned her page. “Nope.” “Well, this one has an open slot if you want to hop in!” First Aid said with a nod. Twilight huffed. “I think I’m good.” A wave of disappointment washed over the table. Well, that was unsatisfying in the extreme. Minuette frowned. It was a shame, too. Though she had ample confidence that they could make do with just the four the group now had, having Twilight freaking Sparkle as part of their team would make them all but unstoppable. “You sure?” Twinkle Shine asked with an oddly ominous tone of voice as if she knew something nopony else at the table knew. That caught Twilight’s attention if the twitch of her ears was any indication. She finally lowered the book and gave Twinkle a pointed stare. “I’m sure. I study better on my own. Other ponies are just… distracting.” Twinkle took this as her cue to continue, a mischievous glint in her eye. “Aaw, that’s too bad…” she said in a mock whine, leaning back dramatically in her seat. “Such a shame, too… It’s probably going to be a big challenge. Princess Celestia said she wanted everypony to group up for this project, after all. Most ponies would probably fail all on their own. But if you’re sure you can handle it…” All eyes fell on Twinkle as she finished speaking, and Minuette’s eyes widened. Okay, if that wasn’t some very thinly veiled attempts at clever manipulation, then she didn’t know what was. She also wasn’t entirely sure how to feel about it. Twilight’s eye twitched a few times before, finally, she sighed and closed her book. “Ugh, fair point. Celestia did tell us to group up, so I guess I have to,” she relented in defeat. Minuette’s frown deepened. Well, she sure didn’t seem happy about this. Before she could voice her concerns, though, Twilight sat more upright and perked up a little. “I’ll join your group… if you also let Moondancer join us.” “Moondancer?” Lemon asked with a tilt of her head. “Isn’t she the really, really quiet pony who sits next to you?” “Yes,” Twilight answered with a simple nod of her head. “She’s quiet and shy, but she’s one of the smartest ponies I know. She doesn’t have a group yet either, near as I can tell, so If I’m teaming up with you, then so is she. Deal?” “Sure, that sounds fine by me!” Twinkle said with a shrug before propping her chin up on a hoof with a big grin. “The more the merrier.” “Good. I assume there’s a place where we can all go to study and put our picture together?” Twilight asked bluntly. Minuette opened her mouth to suggest her house right out the gate, but the words got caught in her throat. Her mind wandered back to the incident with Bristle, and a knot of anxiety formed in her chest. She swallowed heavily and shrank back into her seat. She didn’t want a repeat of that performance. She just met these ponies, and while none of them were giving her bad vibes right now, neither had Bristle. If it turned out these ponies weren’t as good as their first impressions were leading her to believe, she’d rather not find out in her own home. She’d already tainted the sanctuary of her own bedroom enough by making that mistake once before. She wouldn’t do it again. Not if she could help it. Luckily, Lemon Hearts came to the rescue. “Well, we could go to my friend Lyra’s house. It’s usually pretty quiet when she’s practicing to play the lyre, and she has plenty of room.” “If that’s okay with her,” First Aid said with a nod. “It should be. She likes meeting new ponies and her parents are really sweet,” Lemon confirmed. Well, there was that problem solved. Minuette nodded and looked around the group she and First had miraculously managed to throw together. There would be six of them, seven if you counted Lyra - though that didn’t seem likely, since as near as she could tell, Lyra wasn’t in that class. Nevertheless, it was an impressive assortment, and she knew now that they would pass this test with flying colors. There was only one thing left to do. Minuette got a playful smirk on her face and slapped her hooves down on the table to assert her dominance. “So! What’re we gonna call ourselves?!” she asked of the table like a military general asking for suggestions on how to storm the bad guy’s castle. She was met with a series of stupefied stares. “...huh?” Twilight asked, confused. Minuette rolled her eyes and began to eagerly trot around the table, now thrumming with excited energy. “Well, think about it! We’re gonna be a big team, and we all gotta play our part! A big team needs a good name, don’t ya think? Something to really make us stand out!” “I think we stand out plenty already,” Lemon Hearts said, glancing at Twilight. “I mean, we have Celestia’s student…” “That’s nice, but ‘the team with Celestia’s student’ doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, does it?” Twilight frowned. “Does it need to?” she asked incredulously. “And does it even need a name?” Minuette stopped next to Twilight and hopped in place. “Yes! Absolutely!” First Aid chuckled, leaning forward and giving Twilight a knowing look. “Don’t bother fighting it. When Minuette gets in the zone, you can’t stop her. Just roll with it.” Twilight sighed heavily, her eyes turning longingly to her book as if she were now regretting her recent life choices. A second later, she looked back to Minuette. “I dunno. What do you think we should call ourselves?” Minuette paused, giving the matter some thought. That was the million bit question, wasn’t it? Well, okay, it absolutely wasn’t, but she still wanted to think of a cool name, dangit! She lifted a hoof to rub at her chin, considering the variables at play. “Twilight Sparkle, Twinkle Shine, Lemon Hearts, Moondancer, Minuette, and First Aid…” And then, in a flash of inspiration, it came to her, and she quickly turned back to the others. “The Flying Colors!” she suggested, thrusting her hoof into the air. Another series of bewildered looks stared back at her. Twinkle Shine broke the group’s silence by mirroring Twilight’s earlier ‘huh?’ Twilight pinched the bridge of her snout with a hoof before speaking. “Minuette… there are a lot of problems with that,” she said. “Huh? Why?” Minuette asked. “I think it works. I mean, with this roster? How can we not pass with flying colors?!” “The issue, Minuette, is that we are all unicorns. We don’t fly,” Twilight rebuked without missing a beat. “If this were Cloudsdale, that name would make sense. But as it is, we’re not pegasi, so flying is out. Although, I will afford you the fact that we do have a pretty wide spread of colors between us.” There were several moments of silence. Minuette pouted at Twilight indignantly before managing to morph her expression into a warm smile. “You, miss Twilight Sparkle,” she said, lifting a hoof and patting the other filly on the head. “Are a killjoy. You should lighten up a little!” Twilight frowned. “No, I don’t.” “Oho, yeah you do,” Twinkle Shine said, leaning forward with a playful grin. Twilight turned to her, growing flustered. “N-no, I don’t! I’m perfectly fine and light as I am!” “I think I gotta agree with Minuette on this one,” First Aid said, snickering into her hoof. “You need to relax, Twi. That was an impressive amount of joy you just killed.” Twilight turned back to the table at large as the general utterances of agreement filtered in. Her cheeks began to turn red with indignation, and the way they were puffing up only added to it. “The name just makes no sense…” “So?” Minuette asked cheerily. “Who cares?” “I do!” “Welp,” Minuette said, making a show of rolling up her non-existent sleeves. “Guess we gotta fix that.” Twilight blinked. “What are you- YIPE!” With no other warning, Minuette pounced like the little feral beast she may or may not have truly been. The jury was out on that one. Her hooves quickly found purchase against Twilight’s ribs and began to wiggle. Twilight’s eyes bulged as the first laughs flew from her now gaping mouth. She squirmed pathetically, trying to get away from Minuette, but the blue filly had mastered the art of tickling long ago. The battle was already won, the rest was really just a playful and funny formality. “S-s-stop! Hahaha! s-ha-stop, please!” Twilight pleaded, falling out of her chair in her feeble attempts to squirm away. “Not until you lighten up!” Minuette jeered, only intensifying her assault. Finally, Twilight managed to find just enough mental fortitude to light her horn and lift Minuette off of her. Minuette grunted and groaned as she was hefted a few feet into the air, her hooves just out of reach of the now frantically panting Twilight. The purple filly stared up at her as if she were some kind of rabid animal. “Are you crazy?!” Twilight demanded between her heaving gasps. Minuette threw her legs out wide for emphasis. “Filly, I might be!” A second passed, and Minuette realized that the entire cafeteria had gone silent. She looked up and around to realize that all eyes were on her. Nopony moved, waiting with bated breath for the sudden and impromptu spectacle to resume. Somepony somewhere questioningly began to mutter the word ‘fight?’ before getting lightly kicked by somepony beside him. And then, a giggle broke through the tension from the table. Minuette turned her head to look to see First Aid trying and failing to stifle her laughs. And then, finally, she gave up, and let it all come out. The sound was contagious, and soon enough, the rest of the table broke down into hysterical fits of boisterous laughter. The rest of the cafeteria followed soon after, filling the space with their amusement. Grinning ear to ear, Minuette turned back to Twilight, who just looked baffled more than anything else. Minuette wiggled her hooves at her in a mock display of trying to tickle her again while making a ghostly ‘ooooohhhhh’ sound. Twilight blinked at her. Her face began to twitch and tremble as if she were holding something back. Whatever efforts she made were short-lived, however, for soon, her face split into a broken grin, and she, too, joined in the laughter, albeit far more reserved than everypony else’s. “Meh, close enough,” Minuette said with a shrug. At around this time, Twilight finally dropped her, sending her falling back to the floor and landing next to Twilight in a heap. She quickly rose back to her hooves and held out a hoof for Twilight. “Ha! So! Team Flying Colors?” Twilight, once her giggles died down, rolled her eyes, and took the hoof. “Heh, fine, I guess I’m outvoted anyways,” she relented as she got back to her hooves. Grinning widely, Minuette turned back to the table. “We’re the Flying Colors, guys!” she declared, thrusting her hoof into the air victoriously. “Whoo!” Everypony else at the table mirrored her posture from their seats, adding their own exclamations of excitement and jubilation to the mix. And seeing the eager looks in their eyes, the smiles on their faces, and feeling the warm, fuzzy feeling in her chest, Minuette knew. “Huh. I did it. I found myself some new friends! That was fast!” And with that thought, the warm feeling began to spread out. Minuette’s eyes widened. There was magic surging inside her, but not through or from her horn. The eyes of her new friends all flew wide open before narrowing against some kind of bright light. A series of sharp gasps filled the air, giving Minuette pause. “What’s going on?!” she asked, looking down at herself. Her entire body was glowing, growing brighter and brighter with every passing second. It was almost blinding when, at last, there was a flash and a pop, and all the light coalesced to somewhere just behind her. Minuette’s eyes widened as the warmth gathered in her hips and waist, before fading away, leaving her flanks feeling surprisingly tingly. “What in the world just happened to me?” she asked in shock, looking around in confusion. Did someone cast a spell on her?! Was she about to transform into some kind of big, spooky monster?! Should she tell ponies to run away now?! What if she couldn’t change back?! What would Fangs think?! Her parents!? Where would she- “Minnie! Look!” First Aid suddenly blurted out, though there was no fear in her voice. Just ecstatic wonderment as she pointed at her friend’s flank. Minuette paused, then turned to look down at her flank. Her eyes widened. “Oh. Yeah, that actually makes a lot more sense than what I was thinking of…” There, freshly placed on her flank and with the last wisps of magical light fading away, was an image of a simple hourglass with golden frames and white sand flowing through. “Guys… Guys!” She all but shrieked as the realization clicked into place. She turned back to the table and began to jump frantically in place. “My cutie mark! I GOT MY CUTIE MARK!” With that whooping declaration, as was usually the custom when such an event unfolded in public, a wave of thunderous applause and congratulatory cheers burst out from the ponies around her. Minuette’s ears rang from the volume, but to be fair, they were already ringing from the sheer excitement she was feeling! Every foal dreamed of the day they got their mark, and she was no different. Although looking at it, some small part of her wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. A sentiment shared by Twinkle Shine, who trotted over to get a better look. “So… what’s it mean?” she asked bluntly. Minuette idly moved one of her hind legs around as if it might give them some clue. “Uh… I dunno?” she said with a raised eyebrow. “I don’t think I did anything out of the ordinary. I just made friends with all of you and tickled Twilight, and…” Another realization clicked into place. Minuette blinked a few times before her smile returned, somewhat softer this time. She turned back to the fillies in front of her and nodded. “I think I get it.” “Oh? What does it mean, then?” Twilight asked curiously, staring on with actual interest and excitement. “I haven’t seen a mark like that before.” Minuette looked back at her mark and gave her hips a little wiggle for emphasis. “Well, I got it when I made friends with you guys… and I just met you,” she said before smiling back at her. “So I think it means that I just make friends really fast.” “That’s… an… odd talent,” Twilight noted with a quirked brow. Twinkle did not share the studious unicorn’s reservations though and clapped Minuette on the back. “Well, I like it! Congratulations, Minnie! Can I call you Minnie?” she asked after a second. Minuette grinned and lifted a hoof, which Twinkle quickly bumped her own against. Minuette’s grin grew. “One hundred percent!” With the cheers of the cafeteria crowd ringing in her ears, and her new friends gathered around to congratulate her on finally finding her mark, the last of Minuette’s unease finally dissipated. There would still be some rough times ahead with Bristle, she figured, but right now, she just could not be bothered enough to care. “Everything’s gonna be just fine,” she thought, closing her eyes and tilting her head back as if to soak in the ambiance like a shower stream. “I just know it…” Her smile grew as her mind wandered back to her home, and how her parents would no doubt get her a big cake to celebrate. She thought of her room, and of the magic mirror leaned up against her wall, where Fangs was currently waiting for her. As the world faded away for her, she couldn’t help but wonder what he would think. Author's Note End of Act I. Yup, this story comes in acts, and our first one just wrapped up! I hope you all like what I did with this one, it was a lot of fun to work on once I found my muse and got typing. Old SymbolismThree Years Later. “Hey, Minnie.” Minuette blinked and turned to face the greeting as she stepped into her first period classroom. She wasn’t used to being greeted on entry like this, as usually her friends either showed up after she did, or were too busy with their pre-class preparations to notice her until she sat down beside them. She swept her eyes across the assembled ponies in the room. Many of them were familiar, while yet many more were strangers. She had seen their faces before, of course, but she hadn’t been able to pin a name to many of them for the last couple of years. She had settled nicely into her own little group, and so there had been no need. Eventually, her gaze landed on the spot by her desk. Lemon Hearts was waving back at her with a shy smile on her face. The rest of their circle of friends was already seated as well, leaving Minuette’s desk unclaimed in the dead center of the group. The only ones not presently seated with them were Twilight and Moondancer, who could usually be found on the other side of the room. “Sorry, girls, but you all can get pretty noisy during class,” had been Twilight’s explanation when asked why she sat so far away. “I’m happy to spend some time with you outside of school, but when in class I want to concentrate, and you’re all very distracting.” An understandable enough reason. Minuette was pretty distracting, if she did say so herself. Nevertheless, with a friendly grin, Minuette bounced over and quickly slid into her seat. “Hey, guys!” she greeted energetically. “How ya doing? You’re not usually here before me!” “Blame Lyra,” Twinkle Shine said with a roll of her eyes. “She was busy practicing the lyre for some big music test she has today, and it was driving me nuts. Figured it’d be better to come here and wait for the other loud and obnoxious one.” “Oh come on,” First Aid weakly chastised, lightly swatting Twinkle Shine on the shoulder. “She plays good music and you know it. And Minnie isn’t obnoxious.” “Nope, just loud,” Minuette chirped freely in response with an acknowledging grin. It felt good to be recognized! Twinkle rolled her eyes and reclined back in her seat. “Uh, huh, whatevs. Hey, any of you happen to know what the teach has planned for us today?” she asked with a raised eyebrow. “No idea,” First Aid said, her brow furrowing in thought. “But if Princess Celestia is going to be coming in to help us get started, it must be pretty big…” Minuette’s eyes widened. Oh, shoot. For a minute there she had completely forgotten! It had been quite a big deal with the class, she remembered, with plenty of the ponies cheering in their own quiet ways at the news that their old teacher was due to come and see them again. It had been two years since any of them had Celestia teaching their classes. Though the ruler of Equestria still taught just as much as she used to, her focus was, as always, on the younger fillies and colts who attended her school. Once ponies got past their first year, she tended to let the professors handle the bulk of the student body. Minuette’s eyes turned to look at the desk at the far end of the room. She could see the professor seated there, an elderly unicorn stallion with dull gray fur and a silvery, swept-back mane and tail. His old, partially sunken eyes were reading over one of many sheets of paper at his desk. Probably last-minute grading of previous projects. The old guy was really sweet and all, but sometimes he could be a bit slow on the uptake, or late to the draw. There were several minutes of relative quiet. The only sounds were the hushed chatter of ponies as they waited for the final bell to go to signify the start of class. Finally, the signature ringing filled the room, and everypony fell quiet. At the same time, the door in the back of the classroom swung open. All eyes turned to it, and a few audible gasps passed through the room as Princess Celestia strode in with a warm smile. Immediately, Minuette was struck by a wave of nostalgia as she remembered the first time the alicorn had stepped into her old first period class. It had only been three years, but it felt like an eternity. Celestia smiled and nodded down at the professor. He merely smiled, adjusted his old glasses, and went back to the paper before him, silently surrendering the floor to the princess. Celestia looked out over the room of ponies and cleared her throat. “Good morning, my little ponies. It is good to see you all again.” “Good morning, Princess Celestia!” Came the chorus of answers, not one pony skimping out on it. Celestia positively glowed from the happy response, as if invigorated by her students’ fondness for her. She didn’t dwell on it for long, though, and instead launched right into the matter at hoof. “Now, then, as you may all remember, yesterday, your professor, Mister Dustmite, announced that there would be a large and important project coming up for all of you starting today and that I would be present to give you all a guiding hoof in finding inspiration for what you want to cover. “So, as this is an Equestrian history class,” she went on, stepping around the desk to be nearer the center of the room. “Your project will be to find an event or series of events in Equestria’s long and storied history, and then cover it in a written report with as much factual information as you can gather.” A hoof shot up from the other end of the room. “So, what are we supposed to cover? Equestria’s history isn’t exactly short.” Celestia nodded at the colt in question. “A good question. That is why I am here. I am not here to make the decision for you, but to provide a range of possible starting points for all of you to use as a base-line. To that end, I would like to invite all of you to follow me. Leave your supplies here, we will be coming back, and I’ll be sure each of you has a note explaining why you were late in the event this little venture takes longer than I hope.” Minuette leaned forward with a curious glint in her eye. “We’re heading out? Where are we going?!” Celestia turned to Minuette, her smile growing. “To the Canterlot sculpture gardens. We shall walk among preservations of Equestria’s past, chiseled in stone, and from them, you will find your inspiration for what is to come.” Following that, there had been a flurry of movement and activity as everypony got up and procured whatever minimal supplies they might need. Namely an assortment of writing supplies to take notes on potential topics of interest. Once Celestia had been satisfied that the class had everything, they made their way out of the class. Their path soon took them out of the school, and even off of campus grounds. Although, given the school’s adjacent position to the castle, they weren’t out in the open for long. Soon enough, Celestia led the students through one of the castle’s many well-guarded gates and through lush, masterfully maintenance courtyards. Minuette’s eyes darted from one thing to the next, drinking it all in with childish delight. Ornate and beautifully trimmed hedges made to resemble ponies, creatures, and other such things were often lining the edges of the courtyards, while immaculate flower patches resided just in front of them, almost like each hedge was a castle, and the flowers the moat that warded off any would-be siege attempts. Soon enough, they passed through a stone archway and passed into the sculpture garden itself. Minuette’s eyes widened when they first entered, blown away by the sheer artistic mastery on display. Every single statue was perfect in every way her mind could think of. Perfectly proportioned, perfectly exaggerated where appropriate, perfectly shaped and perfectly maintained. The only one in class who did not seem to share her enthusiastic awe for the works of art was Twilight. No surprise there, to be sure. As Celestia’s personal student, Twilight often spent her time after school receiving private lessons from the princess herself. She all but lived within the castle’s grounds, and so she had seen all of these things before. Although, judging by the thoughtful look on her face, it had not been for any purpose such as this, before. The warm rays of sunlight streaming down from the sky above helped ease any boredom Minuette might have felt as she followed the rest of her class. Her eyes drifted curiously from one ornate sculpture to the next, taking in their subtleties. One ear was swiveled toward Princess Celestia as she began to rattle off the meanings of many of the sculptures to the class behind her, while the other ear absently listened to the chatter of her friends. Twilight and Moondancer whispered excitedly amongst themselves about each statue they passed, and Minuette could only imagine how in-depth the miniature geniuses were going. Lemon Hearts and First Aid, while both interested, were somewhat less enthusiastic. Finally, Twinkle Shine was just kind of indifferent. Minuette could only assume that she didn’t find much value for advancing her magical skills in a place filled with ‘fancy rocks.’ As for Minuette, she did her best to pay attention to the princess’s lecture, in spite of the relatively boring subject matter. History was something she had never been particularly keen on, but right now, she had to be. Up ahead, Princess Celestia came to a stop, smiling up at a statue of several ponies stacked haphazardly on top of one another with enormous cheery grins on their faces. “Ah, yes. This statue here was sculpted by none other than master artisan Monolith. It was made approximately three hundred years ago as an homage to a collection of fillies who managed to bring peace to the town of Sire’s Hollow.” Moondancer’s hoof shot up. Celestia smiled and nodded at the yellow-colored teenager, prompting her to ask her question. Moondancer adjusted her thick-rimmed glasses and spoke up, although her voice was noticeably quiet. “Um, how did they bring peace to the town? And why did they need to? What was wrong?” Celestia’s smile grew. “A good question, Moondancer. In truth, the town’s inhabitants had been at odds with one another for quite some time, unfortunately. There were some conflicting views about how the town should be managed moving forward, and tensions began to swell. Eventually, it began to escalate to actual fighting in the streets, and a letter was sent by the mayor, requesting my direct intervention. I sent the captain of my guard to try and help cool things down, but by the time they arrived, these little fillies had already done the work for him. As for the how, they were the offspring of the ponies who were arguing. Yet in spite of the enemies their parents made of one another, the foals became good friends and were able to convince their families to find a peaceful way forward. As such, the statue before you has come to represent friendship itself.” As Celestia finished speaking those three words, her eyes shifted to look not at Moondancer, but at Twilight. Confused, Minuette followed the alicorn’s gaze and saw that Twilight had turned her attention away from the statue of friendship and was now focusing on a statue of Starswirl the Bearded. Go figure. Minuette couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Twilight was, without question, the most magically interested member of the group. Even Twinkle Shine didn’t even come close. Twilight read books on the subject so often it sometimes made her come off as uninterested in her friends. She did interact with them on occasion, but more often than not she had to be pulled into their shared activities, usually by Minuette or First Aid. Her only intellectual peer was Moondancer. In fact, it often seemed that Moondancer was competing with Twilight over who knew more. It just never seemed that Twilight bothered competing back. Not like it mattered. She won basically every time anyway, often dispelling Moondancer’s own statements with the cold, clinical precision of a surgeon removing a tumor from a sensitive piece of flesh. Oh, great. Now Minuette was thinking about surgery. Gross. Celestia cleared her throat. “Twilight, did you get all of that?” she asked. Twilight nodded. “Yes, I did. I was just wondering more about this statue,” she said, pointing at the Starswirl statue. “I take it this one was done to commemorate another one of his feats of magic?” Celestia eyed the statue, her muzzle contorting with a solemn frown. “Alas, not that one, I am afraid. That statue was instead sculpted in his honor after he and several heroes from early Equestrian history ventured out to face a great evil. Though it is widely believed they succeeded, they never returned. As such, that statue was made in memorial to my late mentor.” Twinkle Shine’s eyes lit up, and she leaned forward slightly. “A great evil?! Oh, what was it?” she asked eagerly. “Please tell me it was big and snarly! Like a shadow wolf, or an Ursa Major!” Celestia shook her head. “Unfortunately, I do not know. Though he was my teacher, he did not inform me as to what he set out to do. All I know for certain is that it weighed heavily upon his soul, and he commanded that I remain behind to watch over…” Celestia stopped, a solemn, far off look in her eyes. Minuette blinked. She knew that look. She had seen it in Fangs’ eyes many times over the years she had known him. Whenever they talked about his past, or whenever he tried to remember anything from before the mirror, he got it. It was a look of regret, and of longing. Celestia shook her head, and when she opened her eyes again, the motherly warmth she was known for had returned. “He wanted me to look after his affairs in his absence. And so I did. Now, let us move on, shall we?” Without waiting for a response, Celestia turned and began to make her way deeper into the garden. Minuette stared after her, her muzzle scrunching up with a frown. She glanced sideways at First Aid before leaning over to whisper to her. “Is it just me, or did the princess leave something out there?” First Aid leaned back to whisper in response. “I noticed it, too. She didn’t look too happy…” “Tell me about it,” Minuette said, her brow furrowing. “I’ve only ever seen Fangs get a look like that in his eyes before. Of course, he’s about as old as Celestia, I think, so…” “Uh-huh,” Twinkle rolled her eyes and elbowed Minuette in the ribs a few times before picking up the pace a little. Minuette stared after her with a quiet huff of irritation. She had made no secret of Fangs’ existence to these ponies, though by his request she only referred to him as if he were imaginary. It was frustrating, sometimes, to keep herself from trying to convince them he was actually real. But he had been insistent that trying to prove he was real to others would only invite more trouble than either of them truly wanted. The group of teenagers soon stepped from one garden to the next, stopping periodically so Celestia could answer more questions. Finally, after almost half an hour, they reached the end of their tour and came to the last section of the gardens. There were yet more statues scattered about, yet one, in particular, stood out. It stood in the very center of the garden, and it gave Minuette pause. It depicted the oddest creature she had ever seen. Its body was long and snake-like, complete with a snake tail that had a feather plume at the end. It stood on two short, stubby legs, one a pony leg and the other a dragon leg. From its back emerged a pair of mismatched wings, one feathered and the other leathery. Its arms were similarly mismatched, with a lion’s arm and an eagle’s talon respectively. Finally, its elongated head resembled that of a pony with a deer antler and goat horn sticking out the back. From the chin came a tuft of a beard. The statue had its head thrown back, one arm up high in the air and the other held over its chest as if it were in the middle of an uproarious guffaw of laughter. Minuette cringed at the sight, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. Whoever had made this statue had done a magnificent job. It was so… lifelike. Celestia looked up at the statue for a moment before turning to the class and smiling. “This is the last statue I want to show you all today,” she said before turning to gesture up at it. “This statue represents discord - a lack of harmony between ponies. And what better depiction of this than a draconequus, a being of pure chaos?” Lemon Hearts’ hoof flew up. “What’s a draconequus? I’ve never heard of one before,” she asked curiously. Celestia smiled warmly. “I would not expect you to. There have only ever been one or two known to exist in all of history. They are beings of pure magic who are tied to an abstract concept or force. Think of them as the physical manifestations of what they represent. This one, for instance, was once the physical manifestation of chaos.” “Why was this statue made?” Minuette asked, eyeing the statue’s face with an uneasy grimace. Celestia turned back to it with a frown. She was silent for a moment before she spoke, her voice going somewhat distant again. “It was sculpted by my request to commemorate the defeat of one of Equestria’s most vile enemies, and my subsequent ascension to the Equestrian throne soon after.” “So this ‘chaos’ guy was around before you were the princess?!” Twilight exclaimed in surprise, her eyes going wide. “That’s amazing! What was he like?” Celestia’s frown deepened. “...In a word, Twilight, he was a monster. One of the worst I have ever seen...” A silence fell over the crowd of students. A few uneasy glances were exchanged, and Minuette couldn’t help but tilt her head. She hadn’t really thought about it much before, but it made sense that Celestia probably had some memories she didn’t want to dig up, or that would be unpleasant to revisit. It was just so rare to see her mask of warmth and affection break that it was easy to forget just how long the princess had lived, and how many evils she had faced and vanquished in that time. A long life comes with heavy weight, after all. Celestia suddenly shook her head and turned back to the crowd with a small, apologetic smile. “Ah, forgive me, my little ponies. I got lost in my mind for a moment,” she confessed before turning down the path. “Come, there is yet more for us to see before we return to the classroom.” With that, she set off again, and the class fell into stride behind her. It didn’t take long before the momentary drop in the mood was dispelled, with ponies once again chatting curiously amongst themselves and asking questions of whatever caught their interest. All the while, though, Minuette kept her eyes locked onto Celestia’s back, wondering just what the princess had gone through in her long life. “Well, if nothing else,” she eventually thought with a small smile. “I know who I can ask…” With that thought ringing loudly in her mind, Minuette refocused on the princess’s words rather than her past, listening intently as she rattled off the meaning and vague history of statue after statue. Author's Note I have changed one of Celestia's lines just slightly as of 12/16/2020. People were bickering about it and it was annoying me. Your Foalsitter Is a PRINCESS?!Minuette grumbled irritably to herself. She was standing among the many ornate and well-organized shelves that occupied the second floor of the Canterlot Public Library. The day had come for the study party at Twilight’s, and after Fangs had failed to yield any information about the Draconequus, Minuette had been left with no choice but to go along with her own plan and look for books the old fashioned way. But looking for books on ancient Equestrian history in this old place was nothing short of boring. Minuette couldn’t even find it in herself to care about the fact that Twilight would more than like try to skin her for blasphemy for that sentiment. She must have been perusing the shelves for related tomes for hours by now, right? She glanced up at the nearest clock hanging from one of the walls. “Ten minutes?!” she internally shrieked, her coat bristling. How in the hoof had it only been ten minutes?! No, no way, that clock was broken! She should report it to the librarian, or the management, or the city watch! “Hey, Minnie, you about done?” First Aid asked as she came into the aisle of books. Her saddlebags were noticeably stuffed with tomes that had not been there when the group had first arrived. Minuette gave off a pathetic whine as she plucked another tome from the shelf with her magic. “First, why aren’t any of these books explicitly about Draconequuses?” she asked drearily, adding this most recent tome to her stack. First Aid shrugged. “I dunno. Maybe because that whole thing happened before even Celestia was the Princess? Not to mention there have only been a couple of them.” “But that means I gotta look,” Minuette complained, giving an overly theatrical sigh. She threw her head back and shook a hoof at the ceiling. “And it’s so boring.” First Aid giggled and clapped Minuette on the back. “Hey, this was your idea,” she pointed out. Minuette grumbled in annoyance, shrugging First’s hoof off. She elected not to mention the fact that she had been planning on using Fangs as a shortcut to skip this step, or at least narrow down her search. Using her ‘imaginary friend’ to cheat on a school project was a little bit out there, even for her. She sighed and took one more book from the shelf, the last one she figured she’d need. It was the only one left on the shelf about ancient Equestrian history. “I know, I know. I just thought it’d be easier than this, you know?” she said, only half-lying. “Plus… I kinda only suggested this so we could spend more time with Twilight.” First Aid’s smile faltered at that. She withdrew her hoof and stepped back to give Minuette some space. “Right, and we all appreciate that. As dorky as you are, you go out of your way to cheer us all up whenever you can. I think that’s really admirable, Minnie,” she said comfortingly. Minuette managed to put on a small smile at that. “Heh. Thanks, First.” Taking what comfort she could from her oldest friend’s assurances, she withdrew all of the books she meant to check out from her saddlebags and looked them over. Satisfied that she had everything she was looking for, she put them back and stepped from the aisle. First Aid followed close behind her. After navigating a few lanes of shelves and passing a few older ponies, they came out to the large central chamber of the library. They stood on the second-floor loft, affording them a breathtaking view of the rest of the room. Sunlight streamed in through the bell-shaped stained glass-ceiling, providing a serene, colorful ambiance to the entire chamber. Down by the door, Minuette could see the rest of their group of friends idly chatting amongst themselves. It looked like they had already wrapped up checking out their books and were just waiting on them. Putting her characteristic spring back in her step, Minuette descended the stairs, dodging around a few more ponies along the way, and quickly made her way across the chamber. She did her best to keep her steps quiet, not wanting to disturb the ponies who were dutifully reading their chosen books at the numerous tables arranged around the heart of the library. It didn’t take long for her and First Aid to get their books checked out. The old mare behind the counter smiled sweetly at her the whole time, further helping to lift Minuette’s spirits. Soon enough, she had her books checked out and made her way to her friends. Twinkle Shine was, as usual, the first to speak up. “Yo! There you are!” she said louder than was permissible within a public library, waving her hoof in greeting. “SSH!” a chorus of angry ponies answered before Minuette had a chance, a collection of unamused grimaces being sent her way. Twinkle looked around at them all, looking as if she were the one who should be offended. Moondancer frowned sternly at her. “Twinkle, you know you’re supposed to be quiet in the library!” she chastised in a low whisper. Twinkle groaned and rolled her eyes. “Yeah yeah, sorry,” she apologized, lowering her voice to more respectable levels. Lemon Hearts smiled at the two, then turned to Minuette and First Aid as they finished their approach. “So, uh, did you two find everything?” “I’d say so,” First Aid said with a cheerful bounce. Minuette shrugged. “Eh. I didn’t find the answer to life, the universe, and everything, but I think I got what I’m looking for anyway,” she said matter-of-factly. Moondancer adjusted her glasses. “Isn’t the answer forty-two?” Minuette gave her a flat look. The cogs in her brain turned faster and faster, trying to process just how Moondancer had come to that conclusion. A few seconds passed before she turned to Twinkle with a small smirk. “And you all call me crazy for having an imaginary friend?” she asked with a waggle of her eyebrows. Twinkle shrugged with a noncommittal ‘meh’ before turning for the door. “Okay, c’mon, slow ponies. If we’re late to Twilight’s, you all know how she’s gonna react.” Minuette winced. She didn’t need any more incentive than that! Last time she had been late to an agreed-upon meeting where Twilight had been involved… well, the lecture she had administered had been about as intense as one given by their P.E instructor. Minuette took in a deep breath as they emerged onto the streets of Canterlot. The streets were alive with weekend activity, as many ponies milled about enjoying their day off. Minuette could even spot a few ponies from school scattered through the crowds as her group wormed its way toward Twilight’s home. Canterlot was a pretty magnificent city no matter where you were in it. Even the lesser districts, like the one where Minuette lived, were practically luxurious compared to their contemporaries in other cities. Or so Minuette had been told. She had yet to set hoof outside this city in her life, so she didn’t really know. Still, she wasn’t one to doubt the accounts of her parents. Nevertheless, as the group made their way into the district Twilight’s family called home, there was a sharp and noticeable jump in the size and quality of the architecture of the homes. Well-kept personal homes evolved into hefty family estates and manors belonging to the nobility. Fenced off yards, colorful walls, tall and elaborate windows, and all manner of other fanciful decorations could be seen on just about every home they passed. At last, Twilight’s home came into view. Compared to its neighbors, it was remarkably small and humble. It was still larger than hers by a not-insignificant amount, but it also didn’t scream ‘pompous’ like the other noble homes they had passed on the way. It was a refreshing change of pace. A sentiment clearly shared by Twinkle Shine. “Finally!” she exclaimed, picking up the pace and pulling to the head of the pack. “Let's get inside. I wanna get to studying already!” Minuette rolled her eyes. She watched as Twinkle bounded up to Twilight’s front door and gave a series of sharp knocks. A moment passed as the group gathered together on the doorstep, chatting idly amongst themselves about nothing in particular. Minuette didn’t contribute much, simply focusing on the door. It clicked open, revealing something Minuette had not been expecting to see today. The mare that smiled down at them was pink in color, with a three-toned mane tied back into a ponytail with a large cyan bow. The hair was divided between purple, hot pink, and yellow. A matching tail curled elegantly behind her. A cutie mark depicting a heart made of shimmering blue crystal framed on its sides by golden filigree decorated her flanks. Her soft, gentle eyes were a striking shade of purple. The most striking part about her, however, was the longer-than-usual horn coming from her forehead, and the large, feathery wings that ruffled against her sides. This mare was an alicorn, and Minuette was floored by the revelation. Literally. She fell to her haunches and just about passed out as a wave of shock rolled over her. “Oh! Hello,” the alicorn greeted with a warm smile. Her voice was soft and sweet, a gentle noise that instantly set Minuette’s spiked nerves at ease. It wasn’t motherly, like what Celestia often practiced. It was more cordial, relaxed. Like a good friend one hadn’t seen in an age. “You must be those friends Twilight told me about.” “Princess Mi Amore Cadenza!?” Moondancer yipped, quickly dipping into a low bow. The other fillies were quick to follow, with Minuette being the last. “I-I-I. I’m so sorry, we didn’t know that you were going to be here!” Cadenza tittered behind a hoof, blushing slightly. “Oh, my! Please, no need for that. I’m not a princess today, just a really lucky foalsitter. And please, call me Cadance,” she said, seemingly flustered by the sudden display of reverence. Minuette shot up, her eyes widening. “Foalsitter?! You mean you are Twilight’s foalsitter?!” she demanded. She had known that Twilight had a foalsitter, of course. They had all known. But none of them had ever really bothered to ask, and Twilight was a very reserved filly about her life at home. Never in Minuette’s wildest dreams would she have imagined that Princess Cadance would be that foalsitter! The rest of the foals rose up at Cadance’s amused, knowing laugh. The alicorn rolled her eyes and glanced back into the interior of the house. “So, she didn’t say anything about me, did she? Heh, that sounds like her,” she said before stepping to one side. “Well, come on in. She’s waiting for you all in the living room. You don’t want to keep her waiting much longer, or she’s probably going to try and build a book fort.” The foals didn’t move for a few seconds, looking amongst themselves anxiously. This was a very unexpected turn of events, and none of them were quite sure how to respond. Moondancer especially looked about ready to faint from anxiety and was hiding behind Lemon Hearts, who in turn hid behind First Aid. Cadance didn’t seem at all perturbed by the display, or at the very least, she was a master of not showing it. She just gave them all that same, gentle smile she had been wearing since opening the door and got down onto her belly. “Hey, how about I get you all some cookies once you’re settled in? Does that sound nice?” The foals didn’t need more encouragement than that. With their eyes lighting up, the group stepped into the entrance hall of Twilight’s home. Cadance shut the door behind them. “Do you all know your way around?” “Well enough,” Minuette replied. She had been here a few times in the past with some other members of the group. The only ones she didn’t think had been here were Moondancer and Lyra. Cadance nodded. “Alright, then. Have fun, kids.” “We’re studying,” Twinkle Shine noted, already looking far more comfortable around Cadance. No doubt from the promise of sweets. “How fun can it be?” “I heard that!” Twilight’s voice bellowed from the living room. She poked her very annoyed, pouting face out of the archway to the living room. “Who said that?!” Minuette turned to Twinkle, who was looking a lot less confident now. “Run.” Twinkle’s already pale coat turned a shade paler, and she gave Minuette the most indignant squeaks. “W-what the hay, Minnie?! Why’d you single me out?!” she demanded. Minuette cackled and backed up. “Cause we all know Twi’d figure it out eventually. I was just cutting to the fun part.” Twinkle Shine groaned in frustration, swearing merciless vengeance as she turned and sprinted up the nearby flight of stairs. Twilight was hot on her hooves, bellowing like a banshee about books and learning. Cadance smirked up the stairs as they disappeared, then looked down at Minuette. “What’s your name?” she asked. Minuette stood up straight. “Oh. I’m Minuette! My parents call me the beast, though!” Cadance’s smile grew. “I like it. I like you.” Minuette grinned widely, her tail wagging behind her as if she were a dog. “Thanks!” she chirped. A few seconds passed before Twilight came back down, carrying Twinkle Shine upside down behind her in her magic. Twinkle gave the entire group an impressive stink-eye as they reached the bottom of the flight. “Way to help me out, girls. Really brave. Really showing that ‘Team Flying Colors’ spirit.” A few assorted giggles went through the group. Twilight couldn’t help but smile slightly herself. “Oh, they just knew better than to get in my way,” she said, thrusting her nose up. Cadance giggled as well. “Twilight is hard to stop when she sets her mind to something.” The alicorn’s voice drew Minuette out of the moment and reminded her of the unexpected princess in the room. She gave Cadance a curious look, then turned to Twilight. “Oh, right. Hey, Twi? When were you gonna tell the rest of us that a freakin PRINCESS is your foalsitter?!” Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Oh… uh… I don’t know?” she said, shrinking back a little. “I mean, it just didn’t seem important, so…” “Dude!” Twinkle snipped, thrusting her legs up at the ceiling for emphasis. “There is royalty right there! How is that not important?!” “If it’s any consolation, I really don’t act like one when I’m on foal sitting duty,” Cadance pointed out. “And I wasn’t born as part of the royal family, either. I was adopted by Celestia as her niece after I got my horn.” “Not the point!” Twinkle declared before lowering her hooves again. Moondancer looked up at Cadance curiously. “How do you know Twilight?” she asked with a tilt of her head. “Oh, well, that’s actually a funny story. See, this one time, when a bunch of ladybugs got in this house,” Cadance began. Twilight suddenly cut her off with a frightened squeak. “Nope! No! We came here to study! So let’s go do that! Yes!” she stammered out rapidly before picking up the pace and heading for the nearby living room, dragging an increasingly indignant Twinkle Shine all the way. First Aid laughed at the display. “Eh. It’s not important. You can tell us later,” she said to Cadance as she went to follow. “Now let’s go, before Twilight makes a hostage out of Twinkle Shine.” Twilight’s living room was made up of a spacious room with two archways. One led out into the entrance hall, while the other led out to the kitchen. A collection of bookcases were arranged along the walls, each one loaded with a smattering of books, knick-knacks for her father, and trophies belonging to her mother. Twilight’s mother was something of a thrill seeker and adrenaline junkie, while her father was more of a bookworm. Minuette’s eyes were drawn to the center of the room, where Twilight had set Twinkle Shine down, and both were now in the process of taking out the various books they would be studying from. And there, sitting just beside Twilight, was perhaps the cutest creature in the house. Her eyes lit up, and Minuette was not able to keep a delighted squeal from tearing out of her. “Hi Spike!” she chirped, pronking over to him. The baby dragon was still very small, the spines on the top of his head barely able to scratch against Twilight’s knees. He looked up with his big, shimmering emerald green eyes, and a few happy, wordless babbles came out as he saw her approaching. Minuette slid to a stop, her heart melting at the sight. “He’s just so cute!” she internally squee’d. She placed a hoof against his exposed belly and began to vigorously rub, earning giggles from him. She grinned wider. “How are ya doing, little guy? Is Twilight being good to you? She giving you all the gems?” “Oog goo bwah gah!” “That’s a yes,” Twilight answered with a warm smile, looking down at the baby dragon with no small amount of love in her eyes. It was rare for Twilight’s eyes to house such affection for anything, but to be fair, she had hatched Spike’s egg herself. There was a connection there that Minuette knew she would never be able to understand. After a few moments of tickling Spike’s belly, Twilight gently nudged Minuette back. “Okay, try not to overstimulate him. We don’t want him going bonkers when we’re trying to study,” she said plainly. “Aaaaw, but cute!” Minuette protested, though she still backed off and sat down. Twilight rolled her eyes. “Yes, cute, and also three. Go easy on him.” Minuette pouted. With that settled, and the rest of the foals getting comfortable in a loose circle, Twilight pulled up the first of her books. “Okay, then, everypony! Study time! I have flashcards, notebooks, quills, and ink on standby if anypony wants to make use of them. Just ask first.” A general muttering of acknowledgment went about the room as the fillies withdrew their books and got to reading. Minuette’s own first book was on strange magical creatures. She looked at the beast that had been illustrated on the cover; a roaring chimera bounding toward an armored stallion with a halberd. “Hm. Nice fangs,” she noted, her eyes lingering on the chimera’s various sharp teeth. As she stared, she couldn’t help but be reminded of Fangs back home, and a small, albeit sad smile graced her lips. She wished she could have gotten him in on these kinds of meetups so much, but all of the ponies around her had crossed the age threshold a long time ago. They would never be able to see him. Her smile began to fade as she recalled how he had once described what it was like in the mirror, how he had no sense of texture beyond glass. How the air didn’t move around him, how there were no smells, no tastes… And how even after all this time, she had never once been able to touch him. “I wish I could hug him,” she thought. “I wish he could explore. I really wish he could leave that stupid mirror…” With that upsetting thought lingering in the back of her mind, Minuette opened her book and began to scour the pages. However much she may have wanted Fangs to be free, there was nothing she could do about him right now. For the moment she had to focus and study for the history project. But as her eyes roved over the lines of text, looking for any mention of the Draconequus, her mind would not leave her strange friend, and her desire to set him free. Just a Little ResearchNothing, nothing, and a whole lot more nothing. The various books that Minuette had acquired from the library had staggeringly little information about the spirit of chaos in their pages. All she was able to find were things she had already heard from Celestia back in the sculpture gardens, along with a colored illustration that made the creature far more fearsome and vile than the statue had. Artistic license on the part of the illustrator, if she had to take a guess. But that didn’t do anything to help her, and in the end, she was going to end up leaving Twilight’s home with the others just as bereft of ideas on how to approach her project as she had started. It was irritating, especially since, given the cheerful looks on her friends’ faces as they began to pack up their notes and books, they had all made some significant progress with their own work. With a sigh and a huff, Minuette began to drop her own supplies back where they belonged. They would be leaving in just a minute. “Hey, Minuette?” Minuette blinked and turned to face the speaker, finding First Aid approaching her, Moondancer close in tow. Minuette tilted her head at them. “Yeah? What’s up?” she asked, putting on a friendly smile. First Aid glanced briefly at Moondancer, who in turn looked away. The two looked unsure of themselves and what they were doing. Minuette frowned with confusion. She waited patiently, though, until First Aid focused back on her with a concerned look in her eyes. “Minnie, are you okay?” she eventually asked. “You were really quiet after we all got seated and started studying. And you kinda looked… um… upset.” Minuette blinked. “Oh. Crud, was it that obvious?” she asked lightly, hoping to avert her friends’ worries and lift her own spirits at the same time. “A little,” Moondancer replied shyly. “I saw it, too.” Minuette shrugged, stuffing another book into her bags. “I gotcha. Well, don’t worry. I’m okay. Just a little annoyed, that’s all,” she said, flashing her bags an irritated glance. “There wasn’t a whole lot of information on the spirit in those books, so I didn’t make much progress.” “And is that all?” First Aid pressed, leaning forward slightly. Minuette’s ears flicked down for a fraction of a second. She let off a sheepish chuckle. “Eheh… mostly?” First Aid’s muzzle scrunched up in disbelief. Minuette weathered the scrutiny for several seconds, her face starting to twitch under the strain. Eventually, she heaved a heavy sigh and shook her head. “Ugh. Okay, fine, I was thinking about Fangs, too,” she eventually confessed. First Aid’s expression softened slightly. “Ah, right… your mirror friend,” she said slowly. “What about him?” Minuette had to resist the urge to snort. First Aid didn’t think Fangs was real just as much as the rest of these foals. She was just more likely than the rest to humor her and play along whenever she brought him up. Minuette sighed and looked away, her mood dropping somewhat. “Nothing much. Just, you know… Wishing I could hug him. Wishing he wasn’t stuck in my mirror all the time.” First Aid was quiet for a few seconds. After a few seconds though, Minuette felt her hoof on her shoulder and looked over to see her oldest friend smiling warmly back at her. She didn’t say anything, though it seemed like she wanted to. Eventually, First gave her another pat before moving on. Minuette turned back to Moondancer. The filly shied away from her questioning glance and reached up to adjust her glasses with nervous energy. “I, uh… Sorry. I just thought… nevermind-” “Hey, don’t sweat it,” Minuette cut her off, giving Moondancer a heartfelt clap on the back. The motion elicited a startled squeak from her, but Moondancer was undeterred. “I get it, I was kinda being a big party pooper today. How about I make it up to you all some time?” Moondancer tilted her head, equal parts curiosity and confusion shining behind her eyes. “W-what do you mean?” Minuette grinned. “Candy! Or something,” she trailed off, running through a host of options. “Maybe donuts? We all like donuts… But the sugar… And our teeth… ah, screw it. Donuts. Definitely donuts.” Moondancer looked blankly at Minuette for a few seconds, then put on a small smile and nodded. “Okay… That sounds, uh, fun.” Minuette grinned. “It sure does!” she chirped before turning to the rest of the room. Everypony else had already put away all of their remaining books and were now exchanging any final words they had with Twilight. Cadance stood in the doorway, watching them all with a soft smile on her face. She glanced up at the clock on the wall, then nodded. “Okay, kids, time's about up. The parents are going to be home in a few minutes and I need to clean up.” An assortment of noises, ranging from disappointed groans to eager chattering, bubbled up from the assembled foals. Over it all, Twilight’s exclamation of ‘But books!’ rang out over the room, drawing some laughter from the group. Minuette snickered at the display before turning to leave with the others. She waved over her shoulder as she went. “Bye, Twilight! Thanks for having us over!” Twilight, already with her nose buried in another book, waved without looking in response. “Uh-huh. Thanks for coming,” she replied in that deadpan way she did when her attention was already elsewhere. “Typical Twilight,” Twinkle snorted with a shake of her head once they were outside. “Barely even out the door and she’s diving back into her words.” “To her credit,” First Aid pointed out with a small smirk. “She is a lot smarter than the rest of us. Except maybe Moondancer.” “Oh, uh, I dunno…” Moondancer protested, looking anywhere but at First Aid. “I mean, I try to study a lot, but…” “Aah, don’t be so modest,” Twinkle said with a wide grin, completely unfazed by the implication she was dumb. “I mean, you got Lemon Hearts’ head out of that beaker before anypony else did.” “It’s true, it’s true, she did do that,” Minuette chirped cheerfully, ruffling Moondancer’s mane. “Made up an oil and everything!” “Did we have to bring that up?” Lemon asked with a small pout. Minuette turned to her with a sharp nod. “One hundred percent.” Moondancer flushed from all the attention, but nopony missed the tiny, appreciative smile she wore on her face. “Heh… well, thanks. I try.” The friends continued to bicker and banter playfully amongst themselves as they left Twilight’s abode behind, before eventually saying their farewells and going their separate ways to return home. Minuette had a bounce in her step by the time they separated, the chattering with her friends doing much to chase away her prior concerns about Fangs. But once she was out of sight of them, those feelings began to slowly creep back into her mind. She paused about halfway to her house to turn and look at herself in the reflection of a shop’s display window. She allowed her mind to wander and imagined that Fangs was in this reflected surface instead of the mirror back in her room. She imagined him stepping through it, standing tall over her before she jumped against him to wrap him up in a warm hug. She tried to imagine how his hooves would feel giving her a hug in return. They had no fur, and he had described them as hard and chitinous. It was hard to imagine, and it actually sounded a little gross, so she stopped thinking about it. But still, the idea of getting to hold him, of breaking him out of that prison so she could spend time with him anywhere, show him to her friends, have him be friends with them, too… It was so tantalizing… Minuette shook her head and carried on. As much as she wanted it to happen, it wasn’t like there was anything she could do. Idle fantasizing wasn’t going to be of any help to her either, and so she pushed it from her mind for the time being. She focused on other things the rest of the way to her home. The house was quiet when Minuette returned, though she found her parents both in the living room upon her return. They were seated on the couch, reading a couple of novels they had been working through lately. They looked up at the sound of the door opening, and a warm smile spread across Pearly’s face. “Ah, Minnie! Welcome home!” she called, inserting a bookmark and setting the book aside. “Hey mom, hey dad,” Minuette replied, kicking the door shut behind her. “On time?” Sunspot asked skeptically, glancing up at the time. “Impossible. Has the beast been tamed?” Minuette gave him an indignant pout. “Wha- hey! I’ve only been late one time!” she protested with a stomp. “And I will never let you live it down,” Sunspot shot back with a smirk and wink. Minuette blushed and groaned in exasperation, though it quickly devolved into an amused series of giggles. Pearly playfully shoved her husband, then focused on her daughter. “So, how did it go?” she asked conversationally. “Eh,” Minuette replied as she took her saddlebags off. “Not as great as I had been hoping. Not a lot of info on this chaos guy in the books I picked up.” Sunspot blinked, leaning back in his seat. “Wow, really? And you kids checked out your books from the big public library, right?” “Mhmm,” Minuette replied with a nod. “Guess the guy’s kinda elusive. Maybe I just grabbed the wrong books or something…” A moment of silence fell over them. Minuette’s muzzle scrunched up as she thought about what else she could do to try and solve this little mystery. Maybe when she had a chance she could ask Celestia for advice on where to look? Or maybe ask Twilight to ask for her, seeing as she was Celestia’s personal student. Minuette shrugged and then flashed a smile at her parents. “Anyway, I’m heading upstairs. Gonna see if I missed anything in these books,” she announced. She turned for the stairs and set off at a brisk trot, carrying her saddlebags along behind her in her magic. “Alright. We’ll call you down when we make dinner!” Sunspot called after her. “We’re having hayburgers tonight!” “Oh, you guys are AWESOME!” Minuette shouted back. Now with an eager spring in her step, she ascended the stairs and soon pushed her way into her room. Her eyes fell on the mirror, which she had propped up to the window to let Fangs explore a little. She smiled and chucked the bags over onto her bed. “Fangs? I’m home.” No response. It was likely that he was far away from the surface of the mirror right now. Out there and exploring whatever he could. With a roll of her eyes, Minuette trotted up to the mirror and knocked on the back of it a few times. That done, she sat back and waited. It took maybe five minutes, but she soon heard the muffled, tell-tale buzzing of Fangs’ wings as he made his return. Once she heard a set of knocks in response, she grabbed the mirror with her magic and spun it around to face the room. Fangs was there, looking just a little short of breath and flying a few inches off the ground as his world spun and warped around him. Once the mirror was stable, he touched back down. “Hiya!” Minuette said with a small bounce. Fangs smiled at her. “Hello, little one. I take it, judging by your smile, that your day has gone well?” he asked, quickly getting his breath back under control. Minuette shrugged and plonked down onto her haunches. “Meh. Kinda? It wasn’t bad, but I didn’t really learn anything that I didn’t already know about the snakey guy.” Fangs’ brow furrowed, his smile fading. Minuette hesitated, eyeing his reaction closely. He was probably remembering the headache he had experienced last time she had asked him about the spirit, and she winced with sympathy. It had looked pretty uncomfortable. After a moment, Fangs shrugged off whatever was bothering him and put on a warm smile. “But you did spend time with your friends, yes?” he asked slowly. “And with Twilight Sparkle, specifically. It was your intent to blend quality time with your friends with a study session at Twilight’s house because she’s often aloof, was it not?” Minuette blinked. “Oh yeah, I kinda forgot that part,” she internally admitted. She didn’t say anything about it, though. Fangs’ smirk at her blushing face, and the colors that were radiating off of her that only he could see told the tale far more concisely than she ever could. So she simply settled for a nod. “And was it fun?” “Uh-huh!” Minuette replied, quickly shaking off her mild embarrassment. “It was pretty quiet, though. Twilight really takes her studying seriously. The moment our books were open, she was like this angry book chihuahua, barking down any side conversations. Well, until Cadance brought in the cookies. Then she became more like a goldie or something. All friendly and nice and happy to chat.” Fangs chuckled at that before giving Minuette a confused frown. “Cadance? I do not believe I have heard that name before.” Minuette gasped, slapping her hooves onto the floor. She had almost forgotten! “Oh my gosh, Fangs! You know how Twilight has a foalsitter, right?” “I believe you have mentioned this once or twice, yes.” “Well, get this - her foalsitter is a princess! Princess Cadance! The Princess of love is Twilight’s foalsitter! Like, can you even believe that?!” “I am a bug in a mirror,” Fangs deadpanned. “Little one, nothing surprises me anymore.” Minuette blew a raspberry at Fangs, much to his enjoyment. Once she was satisfied that he had learned his lesson, she leaned back and smiled again. “Well, it was a big surprise for me! And everypony else! We were all kinda scared and didn’t really know how to react or behave. And then she promised us cookies, Twilight chased Twinkle upstairs, and it was great!” Fangs blinked at Minuette, then laughed at her antics. “Ha. You never cease to make every waking moment exciting, do you?” he asked, already knowing the answer. “Nope, not one bit!” Minuette replied cheerfully. “What about you? How was the city?” “Truth be told, I wasn’t exploring the city this time,” Fangs replied, turning to look off towards where the window was. “Not when you came knocking, at any rate. I was up in the sky. I was trying to see how high I could get. Maybe see if I could find a physical boundary.” Minuette tilted her head. “A physical boundary?” Fangs nodded. “Yes. I wanted to see if there is a limit to how far the mirror’s reflection can go, or how far away from the mirror I am allowed to travel.” “Oh, that’s interesting,” Minuette mused, rubbing at her chin. “If you found an edge, do you maybe think you could break through it?” “Not a chance,” Fangs replied with a small note of disappointment in his voice. “For even after I climbed in altitude as high as I could before you came knocking, I found no hint of a barrier. I was several miles in the sky, to the point that I am sure I would have started suffocating had it not been this infernal reflection.” Minuette’s smile faded, and a sense of melancholy fell over her. She looked down at the ground and sighed, idly scuffing her hoof along the floor. “Oh… okay.” A few seconds passed while her mind wandered. For a brief second, she had allowed herself to hope that maybe Fangs was onto something, some clever way out of his prison. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized just how half-baked that idea was. For one thing, the mirror was utterly indestructible - the incident with Split and Bristle way back when had proven that - and so it was unrealistic to assume that Fangs could just punch through and out into the real world from anywhere inside it. Plus, for the mirror to recreate whatever was reflected in its surface, no matter how far away it was, and keep it all to scale, implied such a ludicrous amount of power that breaking out from wherever Fangs was at was basically impossible. Sometimes, she hated how much she had learned about magic. It made thinking about Fangs’ situation all the more unbearable… “Little one? What’s wrong?” Fangs suddenly asked, snapping Minuette out of her somber reverie. She looked up at him to see his eyes boring into her with concern. She turned to look away, rubbing at her shoulder with a hoof. “Oh, uh… you saw that, huh?” she asked quietly. “Quite clearly, yes,” Fangs replied, slowly sitting down on his haunches. “It was a blend of sadness, dread, and a lesser form of hopelessness. There was some anger, or perhaps frustration, mixed in as well. What is wrong, Minuette?” Minuette sighed. She knew it was pointless to hide anything from him. Besides, it would probably be better to get this off her chest. She turned to face Fangs and gave him a slow nod. “Well, it’s just that… while we were studying earlier, I was sitting there, hanging out with all of my best friends, having a good time as we ate cookies and studied for the big project…” She looked down, her ears drooping. “All of my best friends… except for you.” “Little one…” “They can’t see you, and none of them believe you even exist,” Minuette went on, allowing some of her long-buried frustration to shine through. “And that’s not fair! It’s stupid and wrong that you have to be stuck in that mirror all the time, and it’s stupid and wrong that I have to keep pretending to my friends that you’re just my imaginary friend! I want them to meet you, I want you to meet them! I want to be able to hang out with ALL of my friends at once, not just- ugh!” Minuette placed a hoof against her forehead and took a series of deep, calming breaths. Getting worked up wasn’t going to solve anything. After a moment she managed to calm down and put on a small, reassuring smile. “Sorry. Just… Got a little carried away there.” “No, no, you’re fine,” Fangs replied with a gentle smile. “And I perfectly understand. I’ve wanted to speak with your friends before… And heavens know that I’ve spoken to your parents numerous times while you’ve been away. Not that they could ever hear me, of course…” Minuette blinked. “You… you have?” she asked in surprise. It really shouldn’t have surprised her, now that she thought about it. It wasn’t like Fangs had a whole lot to do when she was away. Even when the mirror was facing outside, he could only really fly around. Fangs looked at the door behind her. “That I have. Usually to tell them how wonderful a daughter they have raised.” “Aaw,” Minuette cooed, picking up the not-so-subtle compliment. “Thanks, Fangs.” Fangs smiled down at her. “Of course… But as I was saying, I quite understand how you feel. It is quite frustrating to not be able to speak to the ponies around me save for you. I wish I could join you, truly I do…” A heavy silence fell between them. Minuette looked down, racking her brain. She really, really wanted Fangs to join her out in the real world, now. Her muzzle scrunched up as she tried to come up with some way she could do that. “Guh, I just wish I knew more about magic!” Minuette whined, burying her face in her hooves. “But I’m not gonna be a mage! I like teeth! I’m probably gonna be a dentist! But if I was better with magic, maybe I could…” She trailed off as the realization clicked into place, and she suddenly felt very stupid. She looked up to see an expectant look on Fangs’ face. “Judging by your aura, I am assuming you have had an epiphany?” he asked with an almost detached interest. As if this were part of some routine. Had the other ponies he had stayed with before tried to release him as well? Well, none of them were the little beast! Minuette nodded and perked up, a surge of determination rising up within her breast. “Uh-huh! I don’t know as much about magic as I probably should, but I know somepony who knows a LOT! Two ponies, actually.” Fangs raised an eyebrow. “Go on…” Minuette stood up and began to pace around the room, her mind working at a million miles a minute. “Twilight and Moondancer! Those two are the smartest ponies I know! Well, aside from Celestia, but I doubt I could get her help with this. She’s a busy princess! But Twilight and Moondancer are foals just like me! If I could convince them to help me study the mirror, then maybe we could find a way to open it up and let you out!” Fangs watched Minuette pacing around the room. He smiled softly at her. She might have been imagining it, but was that a hint of sadness in his eyes? He spoke before she could ponder it. “And you’re sure they would help with this? You said it yourself, neither of them believe that I am real. Are you certain they would go so far out of their way for what is, to them, a fiction?” That gave Minuette pause. “Ah, crud, I didn’t think of that,” she muttered, rubbing at her chin. “Well, if it is your intent to enlist their aid, you’ll need to find a way to convince them, first.” “Yeah yeah, I got that,” Minuette said, waving him off with a hoof. “Gimme a sec, I’m trying to think…” She ran over what she knew about the two teenagers, her pacing slowing down somewhat. Both of them were quite reserved, though for different reasons. Moondancer was a friendly sort, she was just shy and had a lot of social anxiety. Twilight was less friendly and more of a natural loner. She went along with it whenever the group dragged her away from her books, and Minuette knew that Twilight cared about them, but it could be hard to pull her into social interactions sometimes. Both of them were very smart, especially for their age. The two were often trying to one-up each other academically, driving the other to new heights. So if she wanted their joint help, she would need to present it to them not as her desperately trying to set Fangs free, but instead as a means of improving their already impressive minds. A chance to learn and study something new and interesting. But even then, it might not be enough. The foals were busy with school, and Twilight and Moondancer both loved their extra credit projects. If she was going to get their help, she would need to entice them with more than just a brain puzzle. It had to have significance to them, somehow. Some sort of benefit for their involvement besides ‘making Minnie happy.’ Which, to be fair, should have been reason enough, but Minuette didn’t write the rules. After a few seconds, an idea came to her, and she smiled. It was all she could think of, and it seemed pretty solid in her head. She spun back around to face Fangs, her grin growing. “I think I got it!” she declared, thrusting a hoof into the air. Study ProposalMinuette’s cheeks were starting to hurt. She had been wearing a gigantic grin from ear to ear for the last five minutes, her eyes glued firmly onto the book that was obscuring Twilight’s face from view. Moondancer sat off to her side, an uneasy look on her face. First Aid was at the table as well, watching Minuette with a strange hybrid of detached interest, cosmic fear, and fascinated excitement. They were seated around a table in the cafeteria at school. It was a bright day outside, allowing for warm shafts of sunlight to stream in through the windows. The warmth elevated the spirits of the smattering of ponies that occupied the spacious hall, and their riotous, jovial chatter and bantering was the only significant sound to be heard. Minuette, however, remained focused. She didn’t even budge when a couple of foals accidentally bumped into her chair as they passed. She merely gave a nod when she heard their uttered apology, but did not tear her eyes away from her target for a moment. Eventually, Moondancer quietly cleared her throat. “Um, what are you- mmf?” “Shh,” First Aid pressed a hoof to her mouth to silence her, watching the scene unfold with a curious look in her eyes. “I wanna see where this trainwreck goes.” “Gee, thanks,” Minuette had to resist the urge to roll her eyes at her friend’s playful jab. Twilight, at that exchange, finally decided to lower the book her face had been buried in since Minuette came in. The moment she did, she got a faceful of Minuette grinning at her like a comically exaggerated psychopath and reacted appropriately. She let out a yelp of alarm, flailing back from Minuette while her book went sailing into the air over her head. Minuette burst out laughing as Twilight toppled back and crashed to the floor in her chair. Moondancer gave a startled ‘eep!’ of surprise, while First Aid dutifully reached out with her magic to catch Twilight’s flying book before it had a chance to land and get damaged. A few ponies at nearby tables paused what they were doing to look over and assess the situation. Once they determined that it was just the beast doing her work, they went back to their business with nary more than an amused shrug or roll of the eyes. Minuette’s chuckling began to die down when a very peeved Twilight Sparkle slowly got back to her hooves. The princess’s student had her cheeks puffed up, her lips screwed up into a deeply indignant pout. A red blush had come over her features, and her eyes were narrowed with as much murderous intent as her tiny face could muster. Which, as it so happens, was quite a lot, given the thrill of danger Minuette felt. Twilight did not say a word. She merely took her book back in her magic and stalked around the table. Minuette shrank back down into her seat, waiting for her inevitable and absolutely justified punishment. Although, some of the intimidation factor was notably diminished once Twilight reached Minuette’s side. Seeing as Minuette was still sitting up in her chair, she was actually quite a bit higher than Twilight. Twilight glared angrily up at her for a few, long seconds, her eyes burning with vengeance. And then, with a grunt, she lifted her book up and brought it down on Minuette’s head. Bonk. Minuette’s eyes rolled around in her skull after the hit, and she could imagine there were little hourglasses flying in circles around her head. She could hear her friends laughing at the display, though, and so decided that, in the end, any ugly head lumps would be worth it. Twilight set her chair back up and plonked herself down in it with an exasperated sigh. “Now, then. Minuette,” she began, her voice jarringly casual. “Is there something you wanted to say to me? Because I get the distinct and throbbing impression on the back of my head that you were trying to get my attention.” Minuette shook her head to dismiss the proverbial hourglasses. She grinned at Twilight, though not as creepily this time, and nodded. “Uh-huh! I was wondering if you and Moondancer would be willing to help me out with a little extra credit project I’ve been thinking about working on.” Moondancer’s eyes lit up the moment she heard the words ‘extra’ and ‘credit.’ She leaned forward, setting her hooves on the table. “Really? What kind of extra credit project?” Minuette glanced at Twilight again before answering, measuring her response. Twilight was definitely listening, though the eagerness in her expression was noticeably less when compared to that of Moondancer. Probably lingering irritation from the head lump she was getting, too, or something. Minuette mentally shrugged and answered Moondancer’s question. “Well, after the total dud of luck I had when trying to research that chaos spirit guy, I kinda realized that there’s a lot of stuff I don’t know that I probably should. Mostly about magic.” “It’s not really your specialty, is it?” First Aid noted with a thoughtful hum. “No offense or anything.” “None taken!” Minuette chirped. “I like chompers! Gimme a skull full of teeth and I can geek over that for way too long.” “Gross,” Moondancer quipped. Twilight chose this moment to cut in, her brow furrowing impatiently. “Okay girls, can we stay on track here?” she asked, sounding notably more invested in the conversation now. “Minuette, what about magic specifically were you planning to study? I could probably give you a five-minute lecture on most subjects right now.” Minuette’s grin became more genuine. So far, so good. “Well, as it is, I was kinda thinking of looking into stuff like enchantments and wards and seals. Ya know, long-term spells that you slap on something to make it do cool stuff.” Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Huh. Wow. I wasn’t expecting that.” Minuette tilted her head. “Huh? How come?” “Because enchantments, wards, and seals are extremely complicated?” Twilight said as if it were obvious. “Even I can only put together a very basic ‘soft-lock’ enchantment on my bedroom door so ponies can’t bug me when I’m studying.” Moondancer looked at Twilight with fascination. “Soft lock?” “It simulates locking the door by making the handle harder to turn,” Twilight replied with a sage nod. “But it isn’t perfect. Enough force, or even just stronger magic, could blow through that enchantment with ease. I’m still working out the kinks, but it’s very math-heavy.” Minuette clapped her hooves together in front of her. “Then this is perfect! I need the extra credit in case I blow this history test thing, and you need to improve your knowledge of enchantments and wards and junk so you can go be a bookworm all day!” Twilight frowned, despite the knowing grins of the others. “Wha- hey! You say that like there’s something wrong with me studying!” she protested, looking around in irritation. First Aid giggled. “Well, there’s nothing wrong with studying,” she said, lifting a hoof to her muzzle. “But, well, you know. Too much of a good thing…” “Lies and slander,” Twilight snipped, puffing up her cheeks again. She held her book close to her chest as if she wanted to hug it. If Minuette didn’t know any better, she would have said that Twilight actively considered it, before thinking better of it. Moondancer smiled sympathetically at Twilight before turning to Minuette. “Well, I’d be happy to help you, Minuette. I’ve been meaning to brush up on enchantments, too,” she said. Minuette beamed. “Great! One down, one to go!” she thought before focusing on Twilight. “Heh. Teasing aside, what about you? Wanna help out?” she asked, being sure to add an enticing note to her voice. Twilight shook herself out of her mildly embarrassed state and observed Minuette for a few seconds. She then shook her head. “Sorry, but I think I’ll pass. My plate’s a bit full at the moment, and I need to focus on that.” “You sure?” Minuette asked, leaning across the table. “Because I have an enchanted item we can use~” Moondancer perked up immediately. “What?! You do?! What is it?!” she asked, sitting bolt upright. Minuette kept her eyes locked firmly on Twilight. She could see the war raging behind the other unicorn’s eyes at the reveal of this information. She was listening, clearly, waiting for Minuette to answer Moondancer’s question. After a second, Minuette turned to smirk at Moondancer. This would be an underhanded trick, sure, but hey, if Twinkle Shine could manipulate ponies a little bit, why couldn’t she? “Aaaw, sorry. No telling. That’d ruin the surprise! But it is quite magical, I can tell you that.” Moondancer pouted, and Twilight looked absolutely scandalized. And like that, Minuette knew she had her on the hook. Just had to reel her in a little more, and- “Okay, fine,” Twilight finally said, deciding to just cut to the chase and jump into the fishing boat herself and spare Minnie the trouble. “I’ll come and see what your enchanted item is, and if it’s at all special, then sure, I guess I can sit down and help you study it. Just don’t expect me to stick with this if it’s really basic, okay?” “That’s fine,” Minuette said, leaning back in her seat. “You got a lotta crud on your plate.” With a grunt, Twilight returned to her book. Minuette had to resist the urge to squeal and bounce in her seat. Her plan had gone off without a hitch! Well, the first part had, at least. She had two of the smartest fillies she knew volunteering to help her study Fangs’ mirror! There was still the chance that they’d catch on to the fact she was trying to prove Fangs was real, but to be fair, she wasn’t lying about the mirror being enchanted. It was indestructible, after all. If they began doubting her, all she had to do was punch the glass a bunch, or chuck a hammer at it with her magic. She’d rather not, of course, as Fangs would probably not appreciate the loud noise, but Minuette knew he could take it. “Last resort,” she promised herself. Although, there was still one more pony at the table who could lend their aid. Minuette turned to First Aid, eager for a chance to expand her ranks. “What about you, First? Wanna help?” And then she saw the look on First Aid’s face, and Minuette’s smile fell away. First Aid was looking at her with an almost tired, fearful look on her face. There was doubt in her eyes, and worry. After a few seconds, she realized she had been asked a question. She hid her fear behind a small smile and shook her head. “Uh, s-sorry, Minnie. I can’t. I already have a big project for the next week or so. I’m going to be out of town next week. Field trip for medicine class. We’re going to the big hospital in Manehattan to learn more about the tech used in big-city hospitals. And then I’m probably gonna have to write an essay about it or something when we get back. My teacher loves his paperwork.” “Oh, that actually sounds really interesting, too,” Moondancer piped up, leaning over somewhat. “You’ll have to tell us all about it when you get back.” Before First Aid could answer, the all-too-soon ringing of the bell echoed throughout the lunch hall, announcing the imminent resumption of class. The cafeteria exploded into a flurry of movement as the student body began to make its way out. Twilight’s book snapped shut with a glow. “Welp, that’s our cue to move on,” she said as she got out of her seat. “Yeah, it is,” Moondancer sighed. She gave Minuette a smile. “So, Saturday we come over and see this mystery enchanted item of yours?” “Uh, yeah, sounds good,” Minuette replied, her voice lower than before. Her gaze had not left First Aid’s. If Moondancer or Twilight noticed the drop in both of their moods, neither of them said anything. Minuette’s ear flicked when she heard them utter their usual farewells before trotting off, leaving her and First Aid alone at the table. The silence that hung between them once they were alone was almost suffocating. The tension in First Aid’s face made Minuette increasingly uneasy. Finally, though, First Aid broke the silence. She leaned across the table, her gaze boring intensely into Minuette’s. “Minnie… please tell me you’re not doing what I think you’re doing.” Minuette leaned back, her ears falling flat against her head. “Uhm… what do you think I’m doing?” she asked after a second. First Aid frowned. “Minnie, come on, I’m not an idiot. I know you. And I remember what happened the last time you brought ponies over to your house to see your mirror…” Minuette visibly winced at that, her mind wandering back to that grim day. She heard Bristle’s enraged shouting, and her chest involuntarily clenched at the memory. She swallowed heavily and hardened her expression. “First, come on, Twilight and Moondancer are nothing like that stupid jerk,” she said emphatically. First Aid’s frown deepened. “Minnie, please, don’t call him that…” Minuette blinked a small spark of anger rising in her chest. “Why not?! It’s true! He tried to break my mirror, yelled at me, and you!” First Aid took a few deep breaths, rubbing a hoof at her temple. “Look, what he did was wrong, and I haven’t forgiven him for it… And I just don’t want it to happen again.” “It won’t,” Minuette insisted. “Because I’m not trying to prove Fangs is real.” First Aid blinked. “You’re… you’re not?” she asked, bewildered. Minuette shook her head. “Nope. I mean, if this goes the way I plan, then it’ll end with Fangs getting to come out, but hey, that’s not the current goal. I’m genuinely trying to figure out how seals and enchantments work. Once I have that down, I can let him out myself.” First Aid stared at Minuette for a few long seconds. She then slumped back in her chair, letting off an exasperated laugh. She buried her face in her hooves, hiding her face. “O-ho-oh my gosh!” she finally blubbered out between snickers. “You really do believe in him, don’t you?” Minuette nodded, a solemn smile coming over her face. “Yup, I sure do. He’s one of my best friends… and I really hope you’ll meet him, someday.” First Aid chuckled, sliding out of her chair. “Well… I wish I could meet him someday, too,” she said quietly. Minuette could not miss the emphasis First put on the word ‘wish.’ With that, First Aid turned and began to walk away, heading for her next class. Minuette watched her go, her expression hardening with resolve. “You will meet him, someday. I promise,” she thought. The bell rang again, declaring that she was now, officially, late for class. The color drained from Minuette’s face. She quickly threw on her saddlebags and sprinted out of the cafeteria. “Just as soon as I get to class! Oh crud, oh no! WAIT FOR MEEE!!!” Author's Note Indestructible“And you are quite positive that this is a good idea?” “Yup! Nothing could possibly go wrong!” Fangs frowned at Minuette as she made that proclamation, then sighed heavily with exasperation. “Minuette, have you the slightest idea how much you just jinxed yourself?” Minuette smirked playfully. “Aw, c’mon Fangs! It’s not like we’re in one of those silly storybooks or anything. This is real life!” she declared, slapping the floor as if for emphasis. Fangs raised an eyebrow at Minuette at that but chose not to say anything. The two were in Minuette’s room, as per usual. It was Saturday and the time for Twilight and Moondancer to show up and see her ‘enchanted item’ was drawing close. Minuette had spent the last hour or so going over the plan with Fangs and getting what few things she believed she would need. She looked over at the window, trying to gauge the time. It wouldn’t be much longer. Only a few more minutes and her friends would come knocking. Then they could get a proper start on studying the mirror and finding a way to break Fangs out of it. “...But seriously,” Fangs suddenly spoke up, his voice concerned. “Are you sure about this, Minuette?” She frowned. How many times was he going to ask her that question? She turned back to him and tilted her head. “Why do you keep asking me that? The answer is still yes, I think this is a good idea. If I wanna break you out of the mirror, I gotta know how it works, and I am not gonna be able to figure that out without my friends.” Fangs looked down, his ears drooping. He shuffled uneasily on his haunches before speaking again. “I am aware. And I appreciate the effort, little one. Truly. But I cannot help but remember what happened the last time you had your friends involved with the mirror… And I will not be so careless now as I was then.” Minuette sighed heavily. It was now her turn to be exasperated. “Ugh, you too? Fangs, come on, Twilight and Moondancer are not Bristle! I already had to go over this with First Aid! It’s all going to be fine,” she explained, rubbing at the side of her head. Fangs was quiet for several seconds. “...Forgive me. I am just trying to look after you,” he finally said, lifting his head and putting on a small smile. “I trust your judgment. And even if I did not, it would not be within my power to stop you.” “Darn straight, and that’s what we’re trying to fix,” Minuette chirped. “What, do you want me to stop you?” Fangs asked with an amused snort and a quirk of the brow. “Hey, I know I can be dumb sometimes,” Minuette shot back without missing a beat. “Well, the first step to fixing a problem is to admit you have one…” Minuette blinked. “Wha- HEY! That’s not what you’re supposed to say!” she protested indignantly. “That’s the part where you’re supposed to be all like, uh, ‘you’re not dumb, you’re super smart,’ or something!” Fangs chuckled at that, and Minuette’s indignation didn’t last long. The two shared a good-natured laugh for a few seconds, allowing some of the tension from a little bit ago to dissipate. Fangs’ eyes then settled on something at Minuette’s side, and his brow furrowed with a brand new form of concern. “And… what is the purpose of that?” Minuette looked down, then lifted the ball-peen hammer in her magic with a wide grin. “Oh, this? It’s the last resort!” she stated matter-of-factly. Fangs blinked in confusion. “The… what?” Minuette giggled and mimed hitting something with the hammer. “Well, if Twi and Moondancer don’t believe the mirror is enchanted on the grounds that they can’t see you, I’ma slap it with this hammer and show them that it’s indestructible! Then they’ll have to believe it’s enchanted, and they’ll have to help me figure it out.” “Or they will believe you are crazy,” Fangs muttered under his breath. “Oh, I am crazy,” Minuette replied, rolling her eyes. Fangs chortled before refocusing on the hammer. There was still a hint of confusion in his eyes. “Where did you even get that?” he asked dubiously. “I stole it from my dad’s junk drawer.” “You stole it?” “I’m gonna give it back!” Fangs did not seem convinced. Minuette’s cheeks puffed up even more, and she used her magic to hold up the box of donuts that had been sitting on her other side. “Besides! I brought donuts for my friends! That balances out any bad karma, doesn’t it?!” Fangs continued to eye her with all of the skepticism of an adult being told the sky was falling. Eventually, his lip twitched up slightly. “Very well. I shall forgive your transgression this time.” “Good!” Minuette nodded before scarfing down one of the donuts. Fangs’ smirk grew yet again. “Didn’t you just say-” “Some of ‘em are for me!” Minuette cut him off with a pout. “Shut!” A gentle knock on the door cut them off before the two could speak any further. Minuette turned around as the door opened to see Pearly poking her face into the room with a gentle smile. “Minnie, your friends are here.” Minuette clapped her hooves over her chest in delight. It was about time! “Finally!” she cheered before jumping to her hooves. She flashed Fangs a wide smile before bolting for the door. She sped past her mother without giving her a chance to say anything and slid to a stop at the top of the stairs. She spotted Moondancer and Twilight by the front door, talking to Sunspot with friendly looks on their faces. Minuette took a second to compose herself. “Okay, Minnie. Operation: Free Fangs is a go!” she thought. She set off down the stairs at a brisk canter, grinning widely. “Twi! Moony! Hey!” Moondancer jumped from the volume of Minuette’s greeting and ducked behind Twilight. Twilight gave her a flat look, then shook her head and turned to Minuette. “Good afternoon, Minuette.” Moondancer poked her head out a second later. “You startled me.” Minuette giggled as she came to a stop. “Sorry ‘bout that. It’s good to see you guys!” Twilight put on a small smile of her own. “You, too. Now, what’s this enchanted item of yours? I’m curious to see what you have.” Minuette nodded sharply before turning to point up the stairs. “It’s up in my room. C’mon!” Moondancer and Twilight nodded at one another before they both started up the stairs. Minuette stepped out of their way, doing her best to keep from jumping in place. She was about to follow them up when she felt her father’s hoof gingerly touching her back. Confused, she paused and looked back at him to see a concerned look on his face. “Enchanted item?” he asked in a low whisper, his brow furrowing. “What enchanted item?” “The mirror,” Minuette replied without missing a beat. “Duh.” Sunspot went quiet, his expression shifting considerably to something far more thoughtful. He looked down at her for a good long while, and she was starting to feel uncomfortable. After a time, he shook his head and smiled. “Alright… if you say so,” he said simply before releasing her. “Sorry for keeping you.” Minuette watched him as he turned and wandered off into the rest of the house. Pearly followed shortly after him, giving Minuette a friendly smile and encouraging nod, seemingly oblivious to what had just transpired. Once she was alone, Minuette allowed her confusion to show readily on her face. What had that been about? She frowned as she went up the stairs. She had been expecting her father to maybe ask about her ‘imaginary friend, or even probe her about whether or not it was wise to have her friends interacting with it after what happened with Bristle. But he hadn’t said anything even remotely like that. Alas, Minuette could find no answers on the short ascent to her room, and so she chased the thoughts out of her mind with a quick shake of her head. She had more important things to worry about right now. She shut the door behind her and spotted Moondancer and Twilight sitting in the middle of the room, looking around searchingly. “So what is it?” Twilight pressed impatiently, glancing back at Minuette. “It had better be pretty impressive if you want me to stay on board this little project of yours.” Minuette rolled her eyes. “You’re all heart, Twi.” “I’m busy is what I am,” Twilight shot back. Minuette giggled before prancing across the room to take a position in front of the mirror. She glanced back at it to see Fangs sitting there, watching the scene unfold with obvious trepidation. She met his gaze meaningfully and subtly nodded toward her friends. A moment passed before he seemingly caught her meaning and nodded. “They are curious more than anything. Moondancer appears anxious, though I assume that’s just her introverted nature at play,” he explained with a simple nod. Minuette gave a sharp nod, then turned back to her friends, who were watching her patiently and intently. She cleared her throat, coughed into her hoof, and steeled herself. “Here we go!” With a needlessly fanciful flourish, she spun in place and gestured at the mirror as if she were displaying some fancy new designer wagon, or a pristine new painting, or some other ridiculously glamorous piece of junk that warranted all the dramatic poses in the world. “My enchanted item is none other than my indestructible mirror, of course!” she declared with a big grin. The reactions from Minuette’s friends were like night and day. A deadpan frown came over Twilight’s face, the look of a mare who had just pieced together how a truly boring magic trick worked, while Moondancer’s eye lit up with curiosity. The latter leaned forward, pushing her glasses up her muzzle slightly. “Indestructible?” Moondancer chirped and nodded. “Mhmm! This sucker’s old, for one thing. Centuries-old, as far as anypony I’ve met can tell, and it’s withstood the test of time,” she said, knocking on the glass for emphasis. “Many, many centuries,” Fangs breathed under his breath. Minuette ignored him. “Not to mention that I haven’t exactly been gentle with it. There was also this time that a big dumb stupid head bully decided to throw it to the ground in a fit of big dumb stupid rage. Any other mirror woulda shattered, or the frame woulda been bent or something. But not my mirror. Not a scratch on it!” Moondancer stood up and walked closer, her eyes lighting up even more. “Oh, wow. That must be a pretty impressive enchantment. Do you have any idea where the magic came from?” Minuette shook her head. “Nope.” “Though finding out would be a big help.” Before the two could enthuse about the artifact in the room, Twilight let off a long, heavy sigh. Moondancer and Minuette both went quiet and turned to look at the other unicorn as she stood up. “I see what you’re doing,” Twilight stated matter-of-factly. “And no, I am not playing along.” Minuette’s ears drooped. She shot a look over at Fangs, and his brow had furrowed with growing concern. He met her gaze. “She’s getting impatient. She feels insulted and annoyed. Be careful, little one.” “Huh?” Moondancer asked, tilting her head at Twilight in confusion. “What are you talking about?” Twilight pointed at the mirror. “I dunno how much attention you pay to Minnie’s ramblings, but according to her, this mirror is where ‘Fangs’ lives. Her imaginary friend,” she spelled out with disinterest. She set her hoof down and snorted. Her eyes settled on Minuette. “This is just a ruse to try and make us think he’s real, isn’t it?” Minuette leaned back, giving a deliberately exaggerated gasp of shock. “Twilight! I would never!” she protested. “And yet here we are,” Twilight replied before shaking her head. “Look, Minuette, if you want my help on an extra credit project, fine, I can help you study enchantments. But please don’t waste my time by dragging me all the way to your house when I am supposed to be studying for my next big test when there’s nothing here for me. That mirror,” she pointed at it again. “Is just a mirror. I don’t see anything special about it.” Minuette had to resist the urge to growl under her breath, and she was not able to keep herself from gritting her teeth. As much as she understood Twilight’s perspective, it was still very upsetting to hear her dismiss the home of one of her best friends to her face. Fangs being right there, on the receiving end of those words, was making it even worse. “Twilight,” she began after a second to calm down. “I said my mirror is indestructible. It doesn’t break. It can’t break. If that isn’t because of magic, then I dunno what is.” Twilight was quiet for a second. “...Alright. Fine. I’ll bite. You say it’s indestructible?” she asked after a second, standing up straight. “Prove it.” Minuette nodded, then turned to look at Fangs. She gave him an apologetic smile, hoping that he could understand her meaning without her having to say them. Judging by the look of dread in his eyes, he knew, and he simply nodded that he was ready. With that, Minuette turned back to Twilight. “With pleasure, sparkle-butt!” “Don’t call me that.” Minuette did not reply. She simply lifted the hammer in her magic in front of Twilight and Moondancer. Both sets of eyes locked onto the object, and the color visibly drained from Moondancer’s face. “Um… Minnie?” “Here is my proof!” Minuette declared before turning and sending the hammer at the mirror as hard and as fast as she could. Crack. The sound was almost deafening as the hammer met the glass. It was the kind of sound one would expect from cracking glass, and the antique frame holding the glass in place rang like the city bell tolling the lunch hour from the force of the blow. But, just as expected, there wasn’t even a scratch left on the surface of the mirror. Fangs was cringing, though, his ears folding back against his head. “Sorry,” Minuette whispered. She then struck the mirror another four times for emphasis, each blow carrying just as much force as the last. With that, Minuette turned back to Twilight and Moondancer and gave each of them a wide grin. They were looking on in surprise, their eyes wide. Twilight, in particular, looked taken aback, her jaw hanging open. “But… no way,” she mumbled after a few seconds. Minuette grinned, an idea coming to her, and floated the hammer over to the unbelieving unicorn. “Go ahead. You try and break it.” Twilight blinked and leaned away from the hammer a little bit, almost like she was afraid it would bite her or something. Or maybe she was afraid Minuette would suddenly start beating her with it. Moondancer leaned in from one side. “Where did you get that?” “I’m borrowing it from my dad,” Minuette replied, shooting a meaningful glance in Fangs’ direction. To her combined surprise and amusement, his ears had completely vanished from his head, and he had his hooves pressed up to his temples. He cracked open one eye to look pleadingly at her. “Is it over?” Minuette felt a tug on the hammer as Twilight took it up in her magic. She gave Fangs a sheepish grin, which in turn only made him whimper and close his eyes again. Twilight approached the mirror, eyeing the hammer in her magic carefully. She glanced back at Minuette. “So… what? Do I just hit it as hard as I can?” she asked slowly. Minuette rolled her eyes. “Well, duh. Just pretend Twinkle’s making fun of your books again or something.” Twilight nodded slowly, turned back to the mirror, and proceeded to lay into it. Minuette actually leaned back slightly from the sheer ferocity of the following seven strikes against the surface of the mirror. “Merciful Celestia, is that what I looked like from the outside?!” she asked in surprise. “Holy heck, no wonder Twi was looking at me like that.” Twilight backed off a few seconds later, breathing just a little heavier and eyeing the mirror with newfound fascination. She set the hammer down and backed up a few more paces before looking at Minuette. “Okay. Your mirror is definitely durable, I will give you that,” she admitted. “Yeah, it’s definitely got at least some kind of durability enchantment on it,” Moondancer noted, adjusting her glasses yet again as she leaned in. “You two didn’t even leave a scratch on it!” Minuette grinned almost mockingly at Twilight. “And you thought I was trying to share my imaginary friend,” she jeered. Twilight rolled her eyes and playfully shoved Minuette back. “Yeah yeah, eating my own words,” she relented. The group shared an amused series of laughs before focusing back on the mirror again. Minuette eyed it for a few seconds, feeling quite satisfied with herself. She had done it. Twilight and Moondancer’s eyes were alight with curiosity and no small amount of interest. The fish she had hooked yesterday were now well and truly on display in her aquarium! “And I am just now realizing how weird that metaphor is in this context,” she thought after a second. She shrugged. “Meh. Whatever.” “So, we gonna study this thing and figure out what makes it tick?” she asked, unable to hide her own intense excitement at the prospect. Twilight nodded eagerly as well. “Well, now that I know it’s this durable, of course!” “Great! What’s step one?” Minuette asked. “If it involves any more hammers,” Fangs moaned from the mirror. “Then I vote we abstain! My poor ears...” Twilight, oblivious to the bug's turmoil, turned and smiled almost manically at Minuette. “Step one: Books!” Minuette frowned. Somehow, she should have seen that coming, and yet she had failed to do so. What in the world was wrong with her? “Books?” she parroted obliviously. Twilight began to walk in place, clearly excited herself. It was the most energy Minuette had ever seen her display before, actually. “Yes! I have some books back home that talk about enchantment magic. We can reference those to help us figure out what we’re dealing with here. We’re also going to want to have some notebooks handy for taking notes. Enchantments can be very complicated, so we’re gonna wanna keep track of every. Little. Thing!” “She’s not wrong,” Moondancer added, leaning in from the side. Minuette thought this over for a second. It made sense, she supposed. She hadn’t really been thinking about all of this in a more academic light until now. While it was true that she wanted to understand how the enchantment on the mirror worked so she could bust Fangs out of it, it was largely driven by emotion rather than scholarly interest. But, if she was going to make any headway, she was going to have to approach it as if she were a scientist. And so, she gave a sharp nod and a big smile. “Alright, then. But those can wait till next time. For now, what can we do with the time we still have? Cause you two just got here.” Moondancer piped up, raising a hoof into the air. “Oh, I have a few ideas,” she said, smiling widely even as her glasses fell just a little crooked. Minuette listened with rapt attention as Moondancer and Twilight began to feverishly share what they knew, mostly a series of potential tests they could perform to start poking at the outermost layers of the enchantment. The discussion dragged on for minutes, and then even hours, and most of it was flying right over Minuette’s head. But it was a start. A start. Minuette allowed her eyes to dart over to Fangs. He had recovered from his earlier daze and was looking on with a weird look on his face. As he turned to look at her, he smiled, and she realized what it was. Gratitude. Whether or not he believed that they would succeed, he was nonetheless grateful for all of the effort she was putting in to try and help him. Minuette smiled and nodded. “Don’t worry, Fangs. Someway, somehow, I will get you out of there,” she thought confidently. “I promise. I won’t give up until you’re free. This is just the beginning.” With her resolve to set Fangs free as feeling as indestructible as the mirror itself, Minuette returned her attention to the friends that would help her. If they were going to pull this off, then they had a lot of work to do. Finally, Some Progress!The cafeteria was as noisy as ever. Minuette’s tired eyes glazed over the mass of ponies as they cheerfully gobbled down their lunches. She watched as Twinkle Shine went running away from another table giggling like the little sadist she was, with a colt chasing after her, blushing furiously and shouting something that was probably very inappropriate. She had to fight back the urge to yawn, her eyes lowering to look down at the table she was seated at. “I’m pooped.” The last few days had been more draining than she had been expecting. Almost every day after school, Moondancer and Twilight would head home with her for at least a few hours, and they would spend the bulk of that time studying up on enchantments, the theory behind them, the mechanics of basic enchantment magic, and everything even tangentially related. Somehow that wound up involving snails. Minuette didn’t know how, and she was not keen on finding out. “At least Twilight is thorough…” In spite of all of their work on getting her up to speed on the principles of enchantment magic, though, there had been almost no progress made on actually deciphering what was going on with Fangs’ mirror. Twilight insisted that they know all they could before they set about touching it. She had good reasons for it. Trying to tamper with enchantments without knowing the core foundations of the field was like trying to operate one of those fancy new industrial construction cranes without taking the necessary training course first. You were probably not going to do anything. And if you did, it would break something, and none of them were keen on breaking the mirror. Understandable, but no less frustrating. And that frustration had led to a few sleepless nights... “Minnie? You okay?” Minuette looked up with a groggy ‘huh’ at Moondancer sitting across from her. The other filly adjusted her glasses with a worried frown. “You’re looking really out of it today. You okay?” Minuette idly waved her hoof in dismissal. “Meh. My brain’s just playing catch up. Give it a minute.” “I’ve given it ten.” “Shaddap.” Moondancer quirked a brow, looking mildly offended by that remark, but did not choose to pursue it. Instead, she turned and looked anxiously off into the crowd, an impatient look in her eyes. “Where is she…?” Minuette let her face flump down onto the table. “Who?” she asked, her voice muffled by the cold, flat surface. Moondancer sighed heavily and turned back to her. “Twilight, of course. She was supposed to be here a while ago.” Minuette’s ears perked up. She sat up and shook her head, forcing the grogginess to leave her alone for a minute. “Huh? She was?” “Mhmm,” Moondancer confirmed, looking the other way. “She said she felt we were almost ready to start actually studying the mirror itself, and that we’d talk about it during lunch.” That got Minuette’s attention. She leaned forward, her drowsiness at least partially forgotten. “Wait, really?!” she asked, unable to keep the excitement out of her voice. Finally, a chance to actually make some progress! Something hard and rigid lightly thumped into the back of Minuette’s head, earning a wince from her. She turned around with an irritated glare to see Twilight standing there with a smug smirk. “Yes, really.” “Heeey, why’d you hit me?!” Minuette complained, throwing her forelegs into the air. Bonk. Minuette’s eyes spun lazily in her head at another application of book to forehead. Twilight rolled her eyes and slinked past her to settle down in one of the empty seats. “Because you were being loud.” “Was… not…” Minuette moaned as the last of her daze began to fade away. Moondancer couldn’t help but snicker at the display before putting on her serious face and focusing on Twilight. “You’re late.” “No, I’m not,” Twilight replied with a snort. “I came here exactly as soon as Princess Celestia dismissed me - and it's still lunchtime!" Moondancer’s brow raised in surprise. “The princess?” Twilight grinned eagerly before holding up the book she had used to abuse Minuette’s noggin again. ‘Amulets and Artifacts: A Comprehensive Guide on Advanced Enchantment Analysis’ was printed across the front cover in bold silver letters. Moondancer’s eyes flew wide open, and she rose from her seat with a gasp of shock. “Amulets and Artifacts?! The one written by Sage Fourleaf?!” Twilight held her head high with a satisfied smirk. “A first edition copy, no less. It’s even signed by Fourleaf himself.” Moondancer looked about ready to explode with excitement as she darted from her seat to obsessively ogle the newly presented tome. “Sweet Celestia, where in Equestria did you GET this?!” she demanded. Minuette watched as Twilight lifted the book up and away from Moondancer, as if she were playing with a cat or teasing a dog with treats. She tilted her head in confusion. “Uh… what’s the big deal?” she asked. Both Twilight and Moondancer looked at her as if she had just committed a war crime. Minuette shrank back from them. “Uh…” Twilight’s eye twitched. “What’s the big deal?” she asked, her voice a low, scraping growl of scholarly nerd rage. She leaped up onto the table and shoved her nose right in Moondancer’s face, their eyes less than an inch from each other. “THE BIG DEAL?! Minuette, you uneducated little-! This is the best book on enchantment magic ever written! It was penned by the grandson of Clover the Clever, Sage Fourleaf, the foremost authority on enchantments of the post-classical era! This is an original copy! The hooves of one of the greatest enchanters of all time once held this very tome!” Moondancer leaned into view from somewhere behind Twilight, lifting a hoof. “That last part isn’t quite as important!” “YES IT IS!” Twilight shrieked like a banshee. Minuette looked up at Twilight for a few seconds, her brain trying, and failing, to play catch-up. She then put on a weak smile, leaned back, and poked Twilight on the tip of the nose. “You’re being loud.” Twilight glared down at Minuette for a few more seconds before heaving a deep sigh and jumping down from the table. “Okay, fine, touché. I get excited, okay? Give me a break.” “We noticed,” Moondancer deadpanned before perking up. “But anyway, Minnie’s heresy aside-” “Hey!” Minuette whined. “-Where did you get that?! It’s not exactly a common book anymore.” Twilight sat back down and gently set the book down on the table. “I went to Princess Celestia earlier and asked her if she would be willing to let me borrow it for this extra credit project. She was pretty interested when I mentioned the mirror and lent me this after grilling me on all the principles of enchantments. I have it until the history project is due, so we have some time to consult it and figure out exactly what we’re doing!” Now Minuette was interested. She sat up and leaned forward slightly. “Really?! Awesome! What do we need to do?!” Twilight opened the book, her eyes scanning the table of contents. “There are a lot of ways to study enchantments and try and figure them out. It’s all about identifying all of the components that make them up and going from there.” “Right, because all spells are made of moving parts, right?” Minuette asked. “Exactly,” Moondancer replied. “Intent, energy, conditions, all moving in consort like a big, well-oiled machine.” “Precisely,” Twilight said, tapping the book with a hoof. “So the goal will be to figure out the specific functions of every piece and how they connect to the others.” Moondancer hummed, rubbing a hoof against her chin. “We’ll probably want to take it slow and go one component at a time. We’re also gonna need a lot of paper to take notes and make diagrams, or we’re gonna get lost really quickly,” Moondancer pointed out. “We aren’t experts, after all.” “Don’t worry, I’m way ahead of you on that,” Twilight replied without missing a beat, her magic flipping open her saddlebags and pulling out four separate notebooks. She passed one to Minuette, who took it with a giddy little squeal. “Eeee! Finally! PROGRESS!” “This isn’t going to be a fast process,” Moondancer cautioned with a frown. “Enchantments are really complicated, don’t forget.” Twilight rolled her eyes and tapped the book with a cocky smirk. “Relax, Moondancer. With this book and our magic put together, I doubt that mirror is gonna give us any trouble.” Moondancer gave Twilight a sidelong glance. “You’re confident.” “Celestia trusted me with this book. I have justification to be confident.” Minuette tilted her head. “Is… is that how that works?” she asked, confused. It felt like there was a pretty big hole in Twilight’s logic there, but Minuette was too tired right now to parse it. Nonetheless, Twilight gave a curt nod of her head. “One hundred percent. We’re gonna decipher this enchantment and nail this little project with - what was it you said?” she turned to Minuette with a nostalgic look. “Flying colors?” Minuette instantly perked up at the reminder, thrusting her hoof into the air. “Ooh! Ooh! That’s right! We’re the Flying Colors, that’s our group title!” Moondancer and Twilight both giggled at the display of enthusiasm. Before any further discussion could be had, though, the piercing sound of the bell echoed throughout the hall, marking the end of the lunch period. Minuette let her hoof drop and groaned. “Aw, poo. Class.” Twilight slipped her book back into her saddlebags with a snicker. “I’ll try and get in some reading in Fourleaf’s book before school is out. We good to meet up at your place later?” Minuette nodded, hopping down from the chair and slipping her own saddlebags on. “Uh-huh! Anything I should do to get-” a loud and ugly yawn interrupted her. “Agh- to get ready?” “Maybe have a coffee?” Moondancer asked teasingly as the trio began to make its way out of the cafeteria. “No, it tasted like gunk,” Minuette shot back, sticking out her tongue in revulsion. “That’s two counts of heresy…” Minuette let out a loud whine, swatting ineffectually at Moondancer’s shoulder. “Stooop iiit!” The rest of the school day passed by in something of a blur for Minuette. She was equal parts tired and overwhelmed with giddy excitement. Finally, her patience was going to start paying off! They had a good book on the subject, Twilight was a magical powerhouse and walking encyclopedia, and Moondancer was basically a less cocky Twilight with glasses. When the day finally ended and she was allowed to head home, she did so skipping and humming a jaunty little tune to herself. A tune which persisted as she pushed open the door and slid into the entrance hall. “Hey mom, hey dad! I’m home!” she called out loud, kicking the door shut behind them. Pearly poked her head out from the entrance to the living room with a large smile on her face. “Aah, there you are! How was school?” “I was tired!” Minuette cheered energetically, already heading for the door. “Moonie and Twily are gonna be coming over here in a little bit so we can keep working on the mirror. That okay?” she asked. Pearly chuckled at the contradiction between Minuette’s initial statement and her behavior but did not call her out on it. She then nodded. “It should be, though your dad is in your room right now.” Minuette paused at the top of the stairs and looked back down. “Huh? Why?” Pearly glanced up the stairs toward the closed door. “I think he said he was looking for something…” Minuette blinked a few times before the realization set in, and the color drained from her face. “Gah! Shoot! I forgot to give back his hammer!” she exclaimed, turning and bolting for her bedroom door. “Wait, you took his hammer?!” Pearly shouted, though Minuette ignored her. “I am in so much trouble!” she thought, her tired mind wondering just what her dad was going to think of having his tool snatched without permission. She was about to reach her door when it suddenly clicked and swung open and Sunspot stepped out. Minuette dug her hooves into the floor in a desperate bid to stop herself, but she was just a touch too slow. “GYAH!” Her entire field of view was consumed by her father’s chest fur, and she smacked into him face-first at mach-minnie. She fell back onto her rump with a dazed groan, her eyes once again rolling around in her head. “They gotta stop doing that,” she thought after a moment. “I’m no eye expert or anything, but this doesn’t seem healthy.” “Woah, there. You okay?” Sunspot asked with an amused chuckle, drawing Minuette’s eyes back up to him. He didn’t look angry about the hammer, which Minuette spotted in the air just over his shoulder. She nodded sheepishly, idly scuffing the floor with her hoof. “Uh… uhum. I’m okay.” He nodded, then showed her the hammer. “Did you steal my hammer?” “...Borrowed it. I was gonna give it back!” Sunspot shook his head with an exasperated sigh before kneeling down in front of her. “Ya know, if you needed my hammer for something, you should have just asked,” he scolded her lightly. Minuette looked away, her ears drooping. “Sorry.” Sunspot let out a small hum before ruffling her mane. The gesture of affection immediately lifted Minuette’s spirits, and she couldn’t help but giggle at the larger hoof on her head. Sunspot pulled back a moment later. “I take it your friends are coming over?” Minuette nodded. “Uh-huh! We’re gonna be figuring out how the enchantment on my mirror works! Twilight got a fancy old book or something, too!” she declared, thrusting her hoof into the air. Sunspot smiled down at her, but he didn’t say anything right away. In fact, there was something about his smile that gave her pause. She slowly lowered her hoof as her excitement was replaced with a small pearl of concerned confusion. “Dad?” He simply smiled, patted her on the head, and then walked past her. “Well, have fun with your friends. Shout if you need anything, yeah?” he called over his shoulder as he disappeared down the stairs. Minuette stared after him for a minute before slipping back into her room and closing the door behind her. She stood there in silence for a moment before a familiar voice spoke from behind her. “Is something wrong, Little One?” Fangs asked curiously. “Nope,” Minuette replied, shaking her head. She spun back to face the bug in the mirror with a large grin. “Everything’s great! Because today, we’re finally gonna start figuring out how to let you out of there!” Fangs smiled at her, his wings wavering on his back. “I am looking forward to it.” Author's Note Man, this chapter gave me so much freaking trouble, you have no idea. The chapter title actually carries two meanings, because, on the one hand, Minnie and Co. are finally looking to apply their gathered knowledge, so Minnie feels she's finally making real progress. Whereas with me, I'm just glad to get a chapter out. XD Where The Hard Work Starts“Comfy?” Fangs asked with a raised eyebrow and an amused smirk. Minuette turned to give him a curious look, her brow furrowed in confusion. “Very. why?” she asked. Fangs rolled his eyes and leaned forward slightly as if for emphasis. “Well, it’s just that you’re… you know…” he gestured vaguely in her direction with a hoof. “Huh?” Minuette blinked and took a moment to assess her position. She was currently laying down on the floor in front of the mirror, having flopped over there a few minutes ago to wait out the remaining time before her friends showed up. And she was pretty comfortable, she had to admit. So what was Fangs smirking for? The answer came swiftly, but it turned out to be one Minuette could have gone without. “You look like a spaghetti noodle with legs,” Fangs finally declared with a sage nod. Minuette surged to her hooves, spluttering incoherent nonsense. “Wha- HEY! I am not a noodle!” she protested, thunking the glass of the mirror with a hoof. “Never said you were,” Fangs shot back, his smirk persisting. “But, that being said, you did resemble one just a second ago. A shame you stood up. I was about to start taking notes. You can be quite the contortionist when you’re sleepy.” Minuette’s cheeks puffed up with indignation. She wasn’t even really sure why she felt so offended. Contortionists were awesome! She’d seen them perform one time! It was impressive. And scary, but mostly impressive. It was probably the noodle thing. Minuette was still very tired. Before the discussion could carry on any further, a knock on the door snapped Minuette out of her indignation. She spun on her hooves to see it being pushed open by Pearly, admitting an eager Moondancer and Twilight Sparkle. Minuette, seeing an out, leaped forward, immediately enveloping her two friends into a bone-crushing hug. The sudden force elicited squeaks of alarm from both of them, but Minuette couldn’t be bothered to care. “Girls! Finally! There you are!” Minuette beamed, pulling back a second later to beam at the new arrivals. “I was wondering when you were going to show up!” “My ribs,” Moondancer whined, rubbing delicately at her side. “My poor abused ribs.” “My books,” Twilight parroted with emphasis, rubbing instead at her saddlebags, which Minuette only now realized were full to the point of bursting. “My poor, abused books.” Minuette chuckled. “Twilight, aren’t Moony’s ribs a bit more important than your books?” The tense silence that followed was heavy and thick. Minuette only realized a second later what she had said wrong and shrank back down to the floor under the increasingly hostile look in Twilight’s eyes. She put on a small, disarming grin, letting off a nervous chuckle. “Eheh… uh… I’m kidding?” Twilight’s eyes narrowed for just a second longer. Then, with a huff, she strutted past Minuette with her nose thrust up into the air. Moondancer shook her head with a roll of her eyes and a small smirk. “That’s three counts of heresy, now…” she mumbled as she walked after the pouting bookworm. “Oh, come on!” Minuette called after her, stomping a hoof. A duo of amused giggles was the answer she received, drawing an annoyed groan out of her. She turned back to the door, catching the eye of her mother. Pearly stared down at Minuette with a concerned frown. “...You have interesting friends,” she eventually deduced. “They’re cool,” Minuette chirped, immediately forgiving all of their little sins. It wasn’t like her to hold a grudge. Usually. “They can get on my nerves sometimes, but I like ‘em!” Pearly smiled warmly. She gave Minuette an affectionate nuzzle before starting to close the door. “I’m glad. I’ll leave you girls be. Holler if you need anything, and be careful!” she said. “We will!” Minuette called, waving after her before the door closed with a resounding click. A silence followed afterward that felt as if it was stretching on into eternity. Minuette closed her eyes and took a long, deep breath. “This is it,” she thought to herself. “This is where all of the hard work really begins.” It felt kind of surreal, thinking that. Fangs had been trapped in the mirror for as long as Minuette had known him. It had been his entire existence for as long as he could remember. The mere thought of actually taking the needed steps to extract him from his magical prison was, to put it simply, daunting. Surely there had been powerful mages who had owned the mirror before her who had tried to break Fangs out themselves? Her confidence wavered for just a second, but she was quick to shake it off. “No. No, we got this. I got this! I’m the little beast! I just gotta put my head to work and do this right!” With that internalized rallying cry complete, she spun to the others with an eager grin. Twilight was already removing her copy of Amulets and Artifacts from her saddlebags,while Moondancer was pulling out her notebook and plenty of writing supplies. Quills, ink, pencils, erasers, and even a few bars of whiteout. Minuette took one more breath, retrieved her notebook from her saddlebags with a flourish of magic, then stepped forward to join her friends. “So, what’s step one?” she asked eagerly. “Let’s see,” Twilight said, flipping open her book and scouring the pages. Her eyes narrowed in concentration as she went, and she rubbed a hoof against her chin in thought. After a second, her eyes lit up, and she set the book down on the floor between all three of them. “Aha! Here we go! Right here. This is the identification spell used to discern the properties of most magic items. It should allow us to visualize the structure of the enchantment in our heads. It won’t tell us anything on its own, though, so as Moondancer said, we’ll need to take notes.” “I got us covered on that front,” Moondancer reminded them, giving her miniature blank library a twirl in the air for emphasis. A sharp look from Twilight cowed her into gently setting the supplies down nearby in an orderly fashion. Satisfied that no more blasphemy against the to-be-written word was to be committed, Twilight turned the book so Minuette could read it. “Depending on how complicated the enchantment is, we could have the whole thing mapped out anywhere from an hour from now to in a few days. It will all go a lot faster, though, if our notes are thorough and clean. So no distractions or doodles or anything, Minuette. Stay focused.” Minuette threw a sharp salute. “Yes, ma’am!” she said before refocusing on the book and reading through the spell’s instructions. It was relatively simple, though certainly a touch more complicated than many spells she had tried so far. Still, she had confidence she could pull it off with little difficulty, provided she wasn’t interrupted or put under any pressure. She smiled and nodded at Twilight. “Alright. I think I can do this!” Twilight nodded, an eager smile on her face. “Good! Moondancer?” The pale unicorn turned the book so she could read the spell. She squinted at the page, adjusted her glasses, and then put on a confident smirk of her own, locking gazes with Twilight as she did so. “Yeah, I got this.” Twilight clapped her hooves together. “Alright! Then let’s get started!” There was a flurry of movement as the trio got into position. A space in front of the mirror was cleared out of any and all obstructions - mostly textbooks on teeth, gums, and general dentistry - the notebooks were opened, writing utensils were spread amongst the group, and before long, the fillies had arranged themselves in a half-circle around the mirror. Fangs watched them the whole time. His expression was unreadable, giving Minuette pause once she was prepared to cast the spell. His eyes turned to lock onto hers, and for a moment, the world slowed to a crawl. Fangs lowered his head just a touch, his ears drooping. “Little one… Minuette. Are you sure you are prepared?” he asked in a low voice. “Are you ready to do this?” “Everypony ready?” Twilight asked, unknowingly echoing the bug’s question, albeit not his sentiment. “I am,” Moondancer replied, lighting up her horn with her signature aura. All eyes then landed on Minuette. She took a deep breath and put on the biggest, most confident grin she could. She looked into Fangs’ eyes. “I’ve been ready for a long, long time.” There was a pause. Fangs smiled. “Then good luck, my friend.” “Let’s do this, then,” Twilight commanded, her own horn lighting with magic. Minuette answered in kind, lighting up her horn and forming the spell. Her face contorted a little with strain from the complexities of it, as well as the energy requirement, but she was quick to compensate and power through it. This was going to be a tiring process, she could tell. “Three… two… one!” Twilight counted down. As one, the unicorn fillies angled their heads down until the tips of their horns were aimed directly at the mirror. Three wispy streams of magic, one purple, one pink, and one yellow, streamed forward and into the glass surface of the mirror, filling the room with the serene ambiance of magic energy. Like a field of windchimes heard from far away. The mirror responded immediately. The entire surface shimmered with a layer of rippling dark purple. Minuette bit her lip in concern, her gaze locked onto Fangs. He appeared just as confused and concerned as the rest of them, leaning back slightly. Whatever this was, Fangs had either never seen it before, or it had been so long since he had that he had lost his memory of it. However, it only took a few seconds for the dark purple to fade. As the reaction died down, an image slowly began to stitch itself together in Minuette’s mind. It was hard to parse with her eyes open, though. She noticed Moondancer and Twilight closing their eyes, no doubt focusing on the image without distractions. She took the chance to lock eyes with Fangs. “Are you okay?” she mouthed, being sure not to actually say the words aloud. Fangs nodded, his eyes still turned up toward the top of the mirror’s frame. “Y-yes, I am fine. I just… I think...” he muttered, his eyes going distant. Then, to Minuette’s shock, he gave off a loud gasp of pain. His eyes screwed themselves shut, his hooves flying up to clutch at his skull. Minuette gasped and was about to drop the flow of her magic to rush to his side when he lifted a hoof toward her in a gesture to stop. He stayed there on the ground for several seconds, his breaths deep and shaky, before he cracked open an eye to look at her. “Another h-h-headache,” he stammered out. “Don’t w-worry about m-me. I’m f-fine. Just f-focus on your spell.” “But…” Minuette whispered, shifting uneasily on her haunches. “Minuette? Are you seeing this?” Twilight asked, cracking an eye open. She frowned when she saw that Minuette’s eyes were locked on the mirror. “Minuette, hey! Focus! We need all the eyes we can get here!” Minuette glanced to Twilight, then to Fangs. Even through the pain he was clearly feeling, he managed to smile and nod at her. Minuette wanted to protest, to say that it was wrong to keep pushing forward if it was hurting him. But in spite of her reservations, he just kept giving her that gentle, encouraging smile. The same one he had given her so many times when she was being ravaged by anxiety, or self-doubt, or even sadness after the incident with Bristle those years ago. “You will do fine,” those eyes said. “Go on and do your best. There is nothing you cannot do when you put your all into it.” Minuette took a long, deep breath, taking what strength she could from the encouraging nod of her dearest friend, and closed her eyes. With the outside world blocked out, she was free to focus on the mental image the spell was projecting into her thoughts. It resembled an enormous sphere of light comprised of many smaller spheres. Each one was connected to several of its neighbors by wavy lines, forming a complex latticework that reminded Minuette of an illustration of a brain’s neurons she had seen once. She knew all at once that this was the enchantment upon the mirror. And it was huge. “Woooah…” Moondancer breathed, her voice laced with awe at what they were seeing. “It’s gigantic…” “It’s an enchantment,” Twilight clinically explained. “They’re all like th-this.” Though the Princess’s student was projecting confidence, Minuette couldn’t miss the slight stammer in her voice. She was just as floored as the rest of them. She was just better at hiding it. Minuette licked her lips. “So… what do we do now?” she asked after a moment, shifting her weight to get more comfortable. “Cause I’m kinda at a loss, you girls.” There was a beat of silence before Twilight spoke up. “Well… we can start just about anywhere. I say we pick a sphere at the outside of the enchantment and work our way in. We can map it out as we go.” “I can do that,” Minuette declared, cracking one eye open to start drawing a rudimentary sketch of what she was seeing in her notebook. “I’m not really good with all the super technical stuff, but I do know how to draw - kinda.” “Alright, mapping out the matrix is Minuette’s job,” Twilight acknowledged without missing a beat. “Moondancer, you and I will focus on figuring out the functions of each part of the spell.” “Are you sure?” Moondancer asker anxiously. “I was expecting something complicated… but… this is…” Minuette opened both eyes to stare imploringly at her hesitant friend with her best puppy dog look. “Oh, come on! We’re all already here! Let’s go all the way! Besides, if we can figure this whole thing out, imagine how much extra credit we’re all gonna get!” Moondancer opened her eyes to stare back at Minuette. The two were quiet for several seconds, and the pensive frown on Moon’s face never faded. Minuette’s eyes flicked to Fangs. He was still curled up on the floor, head in his hooves, but his breathing had slowed and relaxed. His eyes were closed. He was clearly still in some minor pain, but it seemed to be subsiding. Minuette turned back to Moondancer, her expression pleading. “Please. I really want to do this, but I need both of you.” Moondancer fidgeted in place, adjusting her glasses. But, eventually, the look in Minuette’s eyes won her over, and she let off a heavy sigh. “Oh… alright. Sorry. I guess I just got intimidated.” “Well, I am the beast,” Minuette reminded her with a wink. “No, you’re a heretic.” Minuette’s cheeks puffed up in indignation. “If you say that one more time…!” “Both of you stop it,” Twilight scolded, silencing the banter-in-motion before it could turn into a full-on trainwreck of a conversation. “We have work to do. I found us an entry point, so let’s get to it.” Moondancer and Minuette both offered up hasty apologies before closing their eyes and diving back into the image of the enchantment their minds constructed. Minuette eyed the infinitely complicated latticework of magic for a moment. It was daunting, to be sure. She had never imagined it would look like this. And each sphere was practically a miniature spell in its own right. It made sense, of course. She may have brought in Moondancer and Twilight with the explanation that the Mirror simply had a durability enchantment, but she knew better. So much better. It not only created a physical - or pseudo-physical - space derived from what was reflected in its surface, but it had also housed and preserved Fangs for centuries, possibly even millennia. It was going to be infinitely more complex than any of them had been anticipating. But she wasn’t going to back down now. Her attention was drawn from such musings when she noticed one of the spheres on the very edge of the collection twitching and flashing with a soft lavender light. “What’s that?” she asked, quirking a brow. “That sphere that’s flashing - you can all see that?” Twilight asked, a hint of strain in her voice. The others nodded along, voicing that yes, they could see it, prompting her to continue. “That’s the aspect of the enchantment I’m focusing on. It’s at the end of its chain, so it should make it easy to start with.” “Should,” Moondancer echoed skeptically. “We ready?” Twilight asked, ignoring Moondancer’s remark. “Ready.” “Abso-toodly-lutely!” Twilight scoffed in amusement before resuming. “Alright. Let’s do this.” A silence fell over the room as Moondancer and Twilight began to analyze the sphere. Minuette cracked an eye open to check on Fangs one more time before lifting her quill, ready to start taking notes. Author's Note Fun fact: The original title I had for this chapter before I started writing it was "Why is it always Flamingos?" I obviously ditched this plan when there were no Flamingos to be seen. 'Subtle' Discouragement“Okay, next node. Large sphere, five functions. Looks like an illusion matrix, maybe. There are three connections, one up, two going left and forward. Minuette?” “Yup yup.” “Alright. Moondancer? You ready?” “If you are.” “Always.” The trio of fillies lapsed into an unsteady silence broken only by the sound of Moondancer and Twilight’s quills scratching feverishly against the paper of their notebooks. Minuette took the chance to open her eyes and take a look at what she had written down so far. The first fifteen pages of her notebook had all been ripped out and spread across the floor, forming one enormous sheet for her to work on. At this point, over half of the sheets had been filled in with an increasingly convoluted series of circles, abbreviated labels, and lines connecting them. To make it all quite simple, Minuette was confused and becoming more so all the time. She wasn’t even participating in the back and forth between her friends as they discussed the finer intricacies of the enchantment and how it all worked, but she was still absolutely dumbfounded. This enchantment made no darn sense! They had been working on this sucker after school each day for the last two days, now, and they were still trying to just map the whole thing out. Even with several optimizations to their workflow, as proposed by Twilight, it still felt like they were beating their head against a brick wall. Shaking her head, she turned her attention away from the complicated map to focus on Fangs. His headaches had flared every time the fillies had set to work, but thankfully it seemed to have worn off for the time being. The bug had been quiet for the last few hours as the fillies worked and often made himself scarce so as to not distract Minuette. More often than not he wasn’t even in view when she looked his way. This time, though, he was there, looking back at her with an unreadable expression on his face. Minuette glanced back over at Twilight and Moondancer. Twilight’s eyes were closed while she explained the form and function of the ‘node’ they had landed on, while Moondancer was taking notes. Satisfied that the bookworms were occupied, Minuette slid her way over to Fangs, stretching her legs out in the process. They had only briefly stopped for lunch earlier, leaving her legs stiff and sore. She put on a smile as she drew closer to him. “Hey. How you holding up in there?” she asked in a hushed whisper. Fangs smiled down at her. “I’m doing fine, little one.” Minuette smiled, visibly relaxing. “Okay, good. Just worried. You keep getting those dumb headaches and everything.” Fangs nodded, his expression becoming more serious. He looked up at the frame of the mirror and narrowed his eyes skeptically. “Yes, it is rather odd...” Minuette tilted her head. “Odd?” Fangs nodded. “Every time you and your friends start working on the mirror, my headaches return. Every single time. Trust me, I have been keeping track.” Minuette’s ears drooped. That didn’t sound good. She looked down, her lips drawing into a thin line. “Do you… do you think that they keep happening because of what we’re doing?” “I wish I could say no, but again, given their timing and frequency…” Fangs sighed and shook his head. “There is no way it’s a coincidence. Perhaps it is a defense mechanism built into the enchantment to discourage outside tampering.” Minuette winced, a guilty lump forming in her throat. She wanted to help Fangs get out of there, yet, but if even just learning how the mirror worked was going to cause him pain, then was it really worth it? He was her friend, after all. Her best friend. But before she could give voice to her concerns, she heard the muted thump of a hoof touching the other side of the glass and looked up. Fangs had pressed his hoof to the mirror and was offering her a wide, reassuring smile. “Come now, Minuette. Don’t go doubting yourself now.” Minuette pouted at him. It was always so unfair how he could read her emotions like that. His warm smile briefly turned playful, but he was quick to press on. “The fact of the matter is, you have made it farther than anypony before you has. You are making an active effort to release me. None before you did much more than idly fantasize about the idea. None had the resources you do to see it through. Much less the raw stubbornness to try.” Minuette’s smile returned, her heart growing warm at the encouragement. She lifted her hoof and pressed it up against the glass, wishing she could take a hold of his. A few seconds passed before she heaved a quiet sigh and looked back at the assortment of sheets she had laid out on the floor. “I just wish it wasn’t so complicated.” “Indeed. You’ve spent days working on this, and near as I can tell, you are still just trying to map it out, are you not?” Minuette nodded, her cheeks puffing up in irritation. “Yeah. By the time we’ve wrapped it up, First Aid will be back from her field trip, and the history project will be due! Ugh!” “Hey, Minuette?” Twilight suddenly piped up in a disapproving tone. “I’m frustrated, too, but can you wait until we’re gone to rant and rave at inanimate objects? It’s distracting.” Minuette blinked, her cheeks tinting a lovely shade of pink. She hadn’t even realized she had been raising her voice. She swallowed heavily, chuckled sheepishly, and looked up at Fangs to see him repressing a series of amused snickers. “Got a little carried away, little one?” “If you tease me about this, I will face you towards the floor,” Minuette hissed, narrowing her eyes. “Ah, but you won’t,” Fangs said with a victorious smirk. “At least not for more than a few seconds. You are far too kind to commit to something like that.” “But you- I- UGH!” Minuette thrust her hooves in the air and stalked back to her cobbled together map like an angry cat. Moondancer giggled at the display, while Twilight just rolled her eyes impatiently. Minuette didn’t pay her much mind until she was seated. She lifted her quill in her magic and focused on her friends. “Okay, so, we ready to move on?” “If you are,” Twilight replied, narrowing her eyes. “No more distractions, though, okay? We’re on a schedule. I need to check in with Princess Celestia first thing tomorrow, so I’d like to be home at a reasonable hour so I can go to bed early.” “Alright, so we won’t be working on this for much longer tonight?” Minuette ventured, giving her quill a preparatory spin. “Nope, so let’s make it count,” Twilight replied before closing her eyes. Moondancer followed, and then Minuette. In her mind’s eye, she was once more greeted by the colossal formation of the enchantment. She opened her mouth to ask which connection they were going to map out next, but a quiet exclamation from Moondancer interrupted her. “Huh? That’s weird…” Moondancer said, sounding confused. “What is?” Twilight asked impatiently. “The enchantment. I dunno, but… the layout. Something about it looks different.” Minuette would have blinked in surprise were her eyes not already closed. So drew her view of the enchantment back to get a wider view. She couldn’t put her hoof on it, but Moondancer was right. The enchantment just felt off all of a sudden. It was like somepony had wandered into her room when she wasn’t there, rearranged her books and nudged all of the furniture just a little out of light. Including the window. Judging by Twilight’s confused hum, she noticed it too. “That’s strange. Enchantments are supposed to be static. They can’t change on their own without completely breaking down the function of the magic.” “Can the parts have moved around, though?” Moondancer asked with a frown. “You know, to throw off anypony trying to break the enchantment?” “Not really,” Twilight replied. Minuette heard her rifling through her book on the subject and opened her eyes to see the other mare flipping through the pages with narrow eyes. “The configuration of all of the enchantments parts can’t change or the spell breaks, as I said. At most, our perception of the matrix could be altered, I suppose, but the connections would all be the same.” Minuette tilted her head. “Er… can you explain that another way? My brain’s kinda going looloo here.” Twilight sighed in exasperation, setting the book down. “Okay, think of it like this. You have a bunch of colored tennis balls on a table, and they’re all connected to each other by a bunch of strings, right? The balls can't leave the table, and there isn’t any string left to tie up the balls. If you remove any of the strings, the whole thing falls apart. But you can move the balls around on the table. The connections and materials are all still the same, and it’s still connected the same, but how you interact with it just got changed a little bit. Make sense?” Minuette nodded in uncertainty. “I… think so?” Twilight nodded, satisfied, then closed her eyes again, her face screwing up in confusion. “But even still, it doesn’t make sense for an enchantment like this. There isn’t really any point in a perception shuffler. If somepony is smart enough and good enough with magic to get to a point where that would serve any purpose, they’re already good enough to work around it.” “It could just be there to confuse us,” Moondancer pointed out with a shrug. “You know, just some subtle discouragement.” Twilight snorted. “Well, I’m not discouraged. There’s extra credit riding on the line, and I did not borrow one of Princess Celestia’s books just to give up because of some magic parlor tricks!” Minuette rolled her eyes. “Heh. Never get between Twilight and a good GPA, I guess,” she muttered before closing her eyes again. She quickly zoomed back in on where they were before, eager to get back to work. She’d leave the complicated details to the nerds. Except there was a problem. She couldn’t find where they had left off. The changes to the enchantment’s layout had thrown her off something fierce, and now that it was unfamiliar to her again, she had no clue where to go. She put on a small, anxious grin, her ears twitching. “Uh, girls? Where are we?” she asked. “Oh, uh, one sec,” Twilight said before going quiet. A second later, there was a flash of lavender on one of the nodes, and Minuette pulled herself over to it. “Alright, we good?” Twilight asked after a moment. Once she had confirmation, she cleared her throat. “Ahem. Okay, I have time for one more node, so let’s make it a good one. Looks like the biggest one goes directly up from where we were. Let’s have a look.” Minuette nodded, focusing her view of the enchantment to follow the little spark of lavender that Twilight used to make sure they were all looking at the same thing. They followed the long, looping tendril up and up, and Minuette caught sight of the next node. It was the largest they had seen so far, and it almost looked like it was solid. An apt description, considering what happened when Minuette tried to get a good look at it. It was the oddest sensation she had ever felt. Mere moments before she would have reached it, she felt a bump in her head, as if somepony had gently poked at the inside of her skull with a stick, and then a strange floating sensation as her perception drifted away from the node. It wasn’t painful, but it did make her feel momentarily motion-sick. She frowned. “Uh… girls?” “What the hay was that?” Moondancer asked in confusion. Minuette watched as Twilight’s ‘spark’ tried to enter the node again, and was once again repelled before it even reached the outer wall. A moment passed, and then Twilight groaned in frustration. “Ugh! I should have known!” Minuette opened her eyes again. “What? What is it?” she asked, leaning forward in concern. Twilight had lifted the book up to her face and was fiercely scanning the contents of the page she was on. Her eyes swiped back and forth for several seconds before she sighed and put the book down. “Of course the mirror has a freaking probe ward on it!” Moondancer’s ears drooped. “Aw, crud.” Minuette got the feeling that the two of them knew what that meant, but she was utterly in the dark. She decided she should fix that, and cleared her throat, drawing their attention. “Uh, what’s a probe ward?” she asked. Twilight groaned, turning the book over to Minuette, revealing an illustration of a spherical barrier made up of interlocking pentagons deflecting a swirling dart of magical energy. “A probe ward, Minuette, is essentially an arcane identifier’s worst nightmare. Whoever created this enchantment put a barrier that prevents anyone from peering too closely at the more important parts of the spell. Key nodes, primary functions, that sort of thing.” “But… why would the mirror need something like that for a durability enchantment?” Moondancer questioned, her muzzle scrunching up. “It doesn’t make any sense…” Twilight scoffed, bringing the book back over to her before Minuette even had a chance to actually read the print. She skimmed it again with an irritated frown. “Dunno if you noticed, Moondancer, but nothing about this enchantment makes sense for a simple durability charm. It’s too big for that.” Moondancer was quiet for a second. She pushed up her glasses, her frown deepening. “Yeah, I did notice that. And a lot of the nodes we’ve looked at don’t make any sense either. It’s assembled like a labyrinth… Something else is going on here.” “Either that, or whoever invented this stupid thing has a fantastic grasp of magic, and a terrible understanding of engineering and systems. Personally, given how many dead-ends we’ve bumped into, I’m gonna bet on the latter.” Minuette swallowed heavily and looked over at Fangs. His brow had quirked in thought, his eyes shifting with consideration. She briefly considered reminding her friends about Fangs, but she was quick to dismiss the notion. If they started believing her about it, it would be better if they realized it on their own. If she tried to force it, she’d just lose their help, and she’d be back at square one. “Either way,” Twilight suddenly spoke up, drawing Minuette’s attention with her cocky tone of voice. Twilight set the book down and put on a big, confident grin. “We’re in luck. Because as it just so happens, there is a way to get around wards like this!” Moondancer nodded, smiling. “A few, actually.” Minuette sighed in relief. “Oh, good, we aren’t gonna be roadblocked!” she thought before leaning forward with a cheerful grin. “Well? What do we do, Twilight? What’s the plan?” Twilight made a ‘follow me’ gesture before closing her eyes. Minuette did the same and was once again looking at the larger node. Twilight spoke a second later. “The main trick that the book talks about for amateurs is to essentially create a small hole in the side of the ward - sort of. That’s really oversimplifying it, but it gets the idea across. So if we can create that small hole, we can slip in and be on our way.” “There are other ways, too,” Moondancer added. “But they’re probably a little above our skill level.” “For now, yes,” Twilight agreed. “But we won’t need those more advanced methods anyway. We got this. You two ready?” Minuette nodded, eager to make some more progress before the day was done. “Mhmm! Just tell me what I gotta do!” “Just follow my lead.” Minuette listened intently as Twilight began to walk her and Moondancer through the process. There were a lot of metaphors and analogies thrown around to help her grasp the fundamentals of what exactly they were doing, but she was quick to catch on either way. Before long, the trio of fillies began to poke and prod at the ward, slowly but surely. Minutes passed, and it soon became clear that the ward was surprisingly durable. Minuette winced, sweat starting to build up on her brow from the effort of trying to break through the intangible barrier. She could hear quiet grunts and groans from her friends. “Gah. It’s not budging,” Moondancer pointed out through clenched teeth. “Whoever enchanted this mirror really didn’t want anypony figuring it out!” “Gee, I wonder why,” Minuette muttered under her breath. “Doesn’t matter,” Twilight strained out, the hum of her magic in the air growing noticeably louder, and her spark in the mental landscape growing brighter. “More power. We can get through if we keep at it long enough.” Minuette didn’t want to say it, but she was already getting close to her limit in terms of power output. She had never been anywhere near as powerful as these two, and it was starting to show. But nevertheless, she tried. She had no choice. If she wanted to figure out how to get Fangs out of there, she’d have to break through this ward anyway. “Minuette,” Fangs said quietly, his voice laced with growing concern. “Be careful. Don’t overdo it.” “More power!” Twilight commanded. “We’re making progress!” Minuette groaned, her head starting to hurt. “Twilight, I can’t give any more than this! I’m tapped! Ow…” “I’m almost at my limit, too,” Moondancer agreed, her breaths growing heavy with excretion.”Maybe we should call it off?” “I’m not going to lose to an invisible wall, Moondancer!” Twilight snapped back. “Princess Celestia entrusted me with her book, I’m not about to turn back now! More power!” “Twilight…!” Minuette groaned, her skull starting to pound from the strain. The hum of their magic had become almost a howl now, like a winter storm of arcane energy. She could feel her mane lifting slightly from the stray energy flowing around the room, sending it drifting and making her skin tingle. “Little one, stop,” Fangs said in a firm, almost fearful voice. “Something is happening. Stop!” Minuette snapped open her eyes, pulling her attention away from the spell to look at the mirror. Her eyes widened. Dark purple energies were building up around the frame once again, crackling ominously. Her heart all but stopped in her chest at the sight. “What the…?” The mirror pulsed, the strange magic around it flaring aggressively, coinciding with a grunt of effort from Twilight. “Almost there…!” she groaned through grit teeth. Minuette’s heart raced. She looked back to Twilight. Even Moondancer had pulled out of the spell, gasping for breath, but Twilight was still going, her face one of strained defiance and stubborn refusal to give up. “Twilight, stop,” Moondancer said, reaching out to Twilight. “We aren’t getting through that. You need to-” “NO!” Twilight spat. “I can do this! Just… one… more…” “Twilight, the mirror’s reacting! You have to stop!” Moondancer barked with far more force. Too late. A sound like shattering glass filled the room. Minuette’s eyes snapped over to the mirror as an unnatural chill filled the room. She could see Fangs on the other side, his eyes locked onto hers. “Fangs?” There was a flash of light. A pulse of flickering orange and purple magic erupted out from the surface of the mirror in a rapidly expanding sphere. Minuette only had time to squint against the light before it reached her. It was chaos. Complete and total sensory overflow. Her entire body began to tingle with pins and needles, her nostrils were flooded with an incoherent mess of smells, her ears rang with an endless cacophony of discordant tunes and melodies overlapped with seemingly random sounds. She could taste cotton candy and pickles and cloth and countless things she didn’t have time to identify. And just as quickly as it began, the sensations ended. The foals were thrown off of their hooves by the shockwave with heart-stopping force. A trio of screams filled the room alongside a static boom that reverberated in their ears. Minuette barely had time to even process that she was in motion. And then she slammed into her bookcase. The wind was driven from Minuette’s lungs by the force of the impact. Her vision swam and blurred, and her body screamed at her in pain. She fell forward, slumping to the ground in a loose heap. “MINUETTE!” Fangs screamed from the mirror, the sound of his hooves beating against the glass barely audible over the ringing in her ears. “Minuette, are you alright?!” Minuette groaned. Her entire body felt stiff, now, and it was hard to think through the heavy haze that had settled over her mind. She lifted her head, her hearing starting to grow dull and muffled. “Wha… what…?” she asked in a pained whimper. A few final crackles of strange magic danced around the mirror’s fame for a moment before it finally fell still. Even with her now blurry vision she could just make out Moondancer and Twilight’s prone forms scattered around the room. She then looked to Fangs. His eyes were wide, frantic, and confused, shimmering with fear. His hooves were pressed up against the glass, and she could see his chest heaving with short, panicked breaths. She managed to smile at him. “I’m okay,” she called out in a weak slur, lifting up a hoof. “Just… oooowwww…” Fangs seemed to relax at that, his posture slacking. He watched her for a second, taking comfort in her words. Then his eyes lifted to look at something behind her, and his relief turned to fear once more. He focused back on her, pressing tighter against the glass. “Look out!” Minuette blinked. “Huh?” A shadow was passing over her. Confused, she rolled slightly and looked up. Her eyes widened, and her vision went sharp when she realized that her bookcase was now toppling over. Right on top of her. She didn’t even have time to squeak before the bookcase and all of its contents fell on top of her with a deafening crash. There was a flare of pain, the world went dark. And she knew no more. Author's Note 'Subtle' my tail section... My Head Hurts...“My head hurts…” That was the first thing that crossed Minuette’s mind when she finally regained consciousness. Her head was throbbing something fierce, her mouth and throat felt dry and sore, and she could just faintly make out the steady beeping of a heart monitor somewhere in her surroundings. Confused, she opened her eyes to get a look around. She was in a hospital room, that much was obvious, even though the lights were out. She looked around, trying to make out details. She was able to spot a window set high into the wall to her right, through which she could just make out the pale glow of the moon shining down on Canterlot. “What happened?” she groaned in a dry rasp, one hoof reaching up to rub at her face. She thought back, trying to remember what could have possibly led her here. “Okay, okay, let’s see… We were trying to decipher the enchantment on Fangs’ mirror when we hit some kind of ward or something,” she thought, recalling the frustration Twilight had put on display. “Twilight thought we could power through it, and we tried. But the mirror was tough, and Moondancer and I stopped. But Twilight didn’t. She kept going and… and… oh, no…” Minuette’s eyes snapped wide open as she remembered the pulse of dark energy that had erupted out of the mirror. She recalled how it had been enough to throw them all back, and then how the bookcase had fallen over on her. And then she was waking up here. “I must have been hurt…” She whispered to herself, her hoof slumping back to her side. She stared blankly up at the ceiling. Were Twilight and Moondancer okay, she wondered? She herself had been alright, albeit a little dazed after the pulse had hit her. It had been the bookcase slamming into her that had taken her out. So, logically, her friends must have been okay, right? Right? It was the most logical outcome, but the emotional, illogical little gremlin part of Minuette’s brain didn’t see things that way, and she began to nervously fret and worry over not just them, but her mother and father. Had the pulse passed through the walls, she wondered? Had it hit anyone else? Had it damaged anything? More importantly, what about Fangs? He had been alright before she blacked out. He had warned her about the falling bookcase. He was okay, for sure, she told herself. The mirror was indestructible, so was he. Or so she hoped. Alas, there was nothing she could do. There were a few pieces of technology hooked up to her, and she did not have the self-confident stupidity required to think she could safely unhook herself from any of it. All she could do was lay there, get some rest, and try to relax. But that was easier said than done. Her concerns over her friends haunted her thoughts, and the frightened look in Fangs’ eyes stared back at her every time she closed her eyes. And so she elected to just let her eyes wander until they caught something of interest. A small end table was set up next to her bed, and resting on top of it was a collection of cards and a glass vase with fresh flowers in it. Minuette’s stomach growled at the sight of the flowers, and she had to resist the urge to bring them over and scarf them down right now. As bewildering as it was to her, flowers given like this were a gift to be appreciated and not a snack. “Even though they’re perfectly edible and they taste good,” she mentally complained, outwardly huffing. “It’s dumb.” After a moment, she lit her horn and pulled over the closest card. It was plain, showing a beautiful sunrise over an ocean view, with the words ‘get well soon’ written in dark orange text within the sun itself. Minuette smiled at it as her yellow magic made the sun on the card even brighter. Without a thought, she flipped it open to read the message inside. You’re going to be fine, Minnie. The Little Beast is a lot harder to put down than that! There will be plenty of cake and cookies waiting for you when they let you out. Our treat! -Mom and Dad. “Aww,” Minuette cood, holding the card up against her chest. Well, it was good to know that at least something positive would come out of this. Cake and cookies, always a good thing. Unless you were diabetic, but Minuette wasn’t, so it wasn’t really an issue for her just now. Either way, the written comfort of her mother and father was enough to soothe her mind, and before long, Minuette was drifting off into a light, restless sleep. When Minuette came back to the waking world, it was to the sound of muffled voices speaking in her hospital room. A few seconds passed before she cracked open an eye. She winced and hissed in pain as the near-blinding light of the ceiling light pierced her retinas like a particularly enthusiastic knight rushing into battle with his spear. She felt pins and needles dancing around in her head. “Gah, why do I do things?” she thought in irritation. She took a moment to let the pain subside before opening her eyes again, slowly this time. She blinked a few times to force the room to come into focus before taking in the scene in front of her. It was surprisingly crowded in that little hospital room. There was a doctor there, a pegasus mare with a pale brown coat and a darker brown mane tied into a ponytail, and round glasses perched on her muzzle. Pearly and Sunspot were sitting off to the right, holding onto each other’s hooves. To Minuette’s surprise, there were also three foals in the room sitting in a little triangle on the floor by her parents. Twilight, Moondancer, and- “First Aid!” Minuette squealed at the sight of her friend, trying to sit bolt upright in her seat. A decision she immediately came to regret as the wide assortment of medical stuff plugged into her body went taught from the motion. Burning pain lanced outward from several points on her body where she was hooked up, and she let out a squeak of pain before thumping back onto the bed. “Well, she’s awake,” the doctor noted dryly with a roll of her eyes. “Minuette!” Pearly and Sunspot shouted in unison, both of them rising from their hooves and galloping over to crowd around her. They were joined shortly by the foals, with First Aid, in particular, hopping up onto the bed and sliding to a stop right in front of her. “Minnie!” She said, falling to her haunches. “Oh my goodness, you’re okay…” Minuette put on a grin. “Heh. Yeah, I am. It’s a lot harder than that to keep this little beastie down!” “Well, this little beastie is going to stay down until the doctor lets her up,” Pearly ordered in a stern voice, her eyes narrowing. “Mommy’s orders.” “And daddy’s,” Sunspot added. Minuette looked back and forth between her parents for a second, pouting at them. They were probably right, though, honestly. So she simply smiled and nodded. “Okay,” she said before turning her attention back to First Aid. “But how long was I out? You were still supposed to be out of town, weren’t you?” First Aid shuffled anxiously in place and sat down on her haunches. “I, uh… I was. You’ve been out for a few days…” she said quietly, reaching one hoof up to rub at her shoulder. “I heard about what happened my first day back. I dropped everything and came to see your mom and dad, and they let me come visit you yesterday. You wouldn’t wake up, and your head was all wrapped up in blankets… And… I w-was…” Minuette’s eyes widened in shock as fresh tears began to build up in First’s. She blinked several times, not sure what to say as First Aid looked down and began to quietly sob. Had it really been that bad? She lifted a hoof, reaching out to her friend. “First…?” “I was so worried about you!” First Aid exclaimed, meeting Minuette’s gaze again. “I never saw you looking like that before…” Minuette swallowed heavily. “Was… was it really that bad?” she asked in a quiet, timid whisper, all of her usual gusto fading away at the sight of her crying friend. The doctor chose this moment to interject, stepping into view at the foot of the bed. She adjusted her glasses with a kindly smile. “It looked worse than it was. You’re a lucky kid. You had a huge bruise, a fairly minor abrasion, and we suspect a minor concussion. The bandages were mostly there to hold the medical salve we applied to promote the healing process in place. We took them off yesterday evening. You’ve still got a nasty bruise, and it’s gonna take a while for that fur to regrow, but beyond that, you’re pretty much right as rain.” Minuette gave a sigh of relief. She turned to First Aid and put on a reassuring smile. “See? Flying colors.” That actually managed to draw some amused chuckles from the assorted ponies in the room. Except for the doctor, who just quirked a curious eyebrow. First Aid giggled quietly and wiped away her tears. “Yeah. Flying colors…” A few seconds passed before another filly jumped up onto the bed. Minuette turned to see Twilight there, an unreadable look on her face. Minuette blinked, suddenly feeling a surge of conflicting emotions. On the one hoof, she was glad to see that Twilight was okay and hadn’t been injured during the incident. On the other hoof, she kinda wanted to go on a long and angry tirade against Twilight for being a big dumb stupid head that got her hurt. Instead, however, Minuette just settled for a simple, quiet “Hi.” Twilight flinched as if she had been struck. She looked down at the bed, her ears drooping. “Uh… hi, Minuette,” she said in the quietest, most unsure voice Minuette had ever heard from her. “I… I’m sorry.” Minuette’s eyes widened. “You are?” Twilight sighed heavily, her posture sagging. “I got you hurt, Minuette. I was stupid and tried to push things way farther than I should have. I just thought… I thought I was better. I thought I was more powerful… But I was wrong. Do you think you could forgive me?” Minuette stared at Twilight in total shock. She had never before heard such an earnest apology from the overconfident little mage. She had always been so sure of herself, so quick to find her footing and push forward even when things got tricky. Her apologies in the past had always been almost dismissive or one-note. This was the first time she seemed to truly regret what had happened. That was reason enough. Minuette smiled and nodded. “I think I could… If you pay for the donuts next time!” What? She wasn’t going to give it to Twilight for free. That would just be too easy! Nonetheless, Twilight didn’t seem at all upset. She smiled warmly. “Heh. Deal. I’ll even buy double the donuts. My treat.” “Ooooh, I like the sound of that,” Minuette chirped, wriggling in place on the bed. Pearly and Sunspot had remained quiet for the moment, giving their child time to catch up with her friends. But with that exchange, Pearly turned back to the doctor hopefully. “So, is she good to come home?” she asked quietly. The doctor adjusted her glasses, looking over a clipboard. “Hmmm. Well, I don’t see why not. I’ll go get the discharge papers and instructions printed up in a bit. Let’s get you unplugged first.” The next few minutes passed by in an uneventful blur. The doctor got Minuette unhooked from all of the medical machinery, asked her a few questions about how she was feeling and what she remembered, and then stepped out, leaving the filly alone with her friends and family. Once the doctor was out, Minuette turned to First Aid again. “So? How was your field trip?” she asked eagerly, bouncing in place on the bed. “Was it fun?!” Moondancer had hopped up to join them now, and she looked to First Aid with interest as well. “Yeah, I’d like to know, too. It sounded fascinating when you were talking about it before you left.” First Aid smiled and nodded. “It was fun, yeah. Especially getting to explore Manehattan itself. When we weren’t at the hospital doing our research we got to look around. The buildings are so tall! Like, really tall! I felt dizzy just from looking up, they were so big!” “And the medical tech?” Moondancer asked, pushing her glasses up with a big, dorky smile. “How was all of that?” Minuette listened with rapt attention as First Aid indulged in Moondancer’s rampant curiosity. She didn’t really get most of it just then, all a bit too technical for her. But nonetheless, she was able to lose herself and her worries in the shining eyes and glowing smile of her oldest friend. The warm smiles of her parents in the back, occasionally chipping in with their own little questions or comments, was a welcome bonus. After a minute, though, a concern made itself known to Minuette. She frowned, her brow furrowing. She turned back to her mother and father, her ears lowering slightly. Pearly turned back to her with a curious look. “Minnie? What is it?” “Um… how’s the mirror?” Minuette asked anxiously, fidgeting with her hooves over her chest. “It wasn’t damaged or anything, was it?” The silence from her parents that followed that question gave Minuette an uneasy feeling. Sunspot and Pearly exchanged a meaningful glance. It was Pearly who spoke. “The mirror is fine, honey, but… I’m not so sure if...” “Pearly,” Sunspot suddenly cut her off, placing a hoof on her shoulder. “Maybe we should wait until we’re back home to talk about this?” Pearly turned back to him, her eyes hardening, and her lips drawing into a thin line. “Sunspot, you know it’s just going to get harder if we wait on this.” “Right, but do we have to do it in front of her friends?” he countered, nodding over at her. “It’s not really their business…” Minuette looked back and forth between her parents as they quietly debated… whatever it was they were debating. Whatever it was, it must have been important, and that uneasy feeling grew even worse. After a moment, she tilted her head, her eyes pleading. “What are you two talking about?” she asked quietly. Pearly and Sunspot both focused back on Minuette, the former as if only now remembering she was even there. A second passed before Pearly sighed and shook her head. “We can talk about it later. When we’re home.” Minuette frowned up at her. “Is something wrong?” Pearly did not answer her. Before Minuette could press the issue, the sound of the door opening and the doctor clearing her throat drew their attention. All eyes turned to look. Minuette frowned, confused by the gobsmacked look on the Doctor’s face. It was as if she had seen a ghost or something and was struggling to find the right way to proceed. “Er… Well, you’re all clear to go, but, uh… There’s somepony here who wants to speak with you, first, Minuette.” Minuette tilted her head curiously. “Who?” she asked. There were only so many ponies it could be, she reasoned. Maybe it was Twinkle Shine and Lemon Hearts? They had been kinda removed from recent events, maybe they were worried about her? But then again, why would they only now be showing up? And why would they be making the doctor look like that? “It’s alright, ma’am. I can take things from here,” a familiar, serene voice came from just out of Minuette’s field of view. Then, without any ceremony, Princess Celestia herself stepped through the door, her head held high and decorated with that same, motherly smile she always wore. “Princess!” Twilight squeaked, immediately dropping into a low bow. Minuette and the rest of the room were quick to follow suit. “Be at ease, my little ponies,” Celestia said in a soft, reassuring way that immediately eased the tensions in the room. “Rise and speak freely. I am here as a teacher concerned for one of her students today, not a princess.” Even with that assurance, it took a few seconds for the ponies in the room to rise. Minuette was the first up, and she looked up into Celestia’s eyes with wide-eyed fascination. She had spoken with Celestia before, of course, but she had never once imagined that the princess would come to see her in the hospital of all places. Celestia just smiled at her before nodding to the doctor. “Leave us, please.” The doctor nodded before turning and making her way out of the room. Then Celestia turned to Minuette again. “Minuette. How are you feeling?” “My head hurts,” Minuette replied with a chirpy grin. Celestia’s smile grew wider and more amused. “So I can imagine,” She said. She then turned her gaze to Twilight, who flinched away guiltily. Celestia’s smile faded, and she focused back on Minuette again. “Would you mind telling me what exactly happened?” Pearly’s eyes widened. “You came all the way here to ask us that?” she asked, seemingly in disbelief. Celestia nodded. “Of course. When it came to my attention that one of the students at my school had been hospitalized during a research project my personal student was involved in, I couldn’t just sit idly by and do nothing,” she said, strolling confidently to stand at the foot of the bed. She lowered herself to her haunches. “As my student, Twilight is my responsibility. She was quite enthusiastic about this project, and I enabled her to pursue it. Hence, it is my duty to put right what has gone wrong. And so, here I am.” There was a brief moment of silence as everypony in the room processed this information. Minuette took a second to get her thoughts in order. “So… you want me to tell you what happened?” she asked tentatively. “Please,” came the simple response. Well, this was an unexpected turn of events. Minuette took a deep breath, martialling her thoughts. She looked over to Twilight and Moondancer, and though Twilight still looked ashamed of herself, both nodded, affirming their support in this. And so, with nothing else for it, Minuette began to recount everything that had happened from their first day of studying the mirror’s enchantment to the day it finally punched back in response to Twilight’s attempts at brute-forcing it into submission. All the while, Princess Celestia listened quietly and attentively. It wasn’t a long story, but she nonetheless interrupted once or twice to seek clarification, which was usually provided by Moondancer. Twilight was remarkably quiet the entire time. Finally, Minuette had finished recounting the story. Celestia hummed quietly, pursing her lips in thought. She then turned to look at Twilight with a quirked brow. “I see. Twilight? What do you have to say about all of this?” she asked, her voice stern and expectant. Twilight flinched as if she had been struck. “I… I already apologized to her. I made a really big mistake. I thought I was better and I was wrong. I’m sorry…” Celestia eyed her for a moment longer. “All the same, I must insist you return my copy of Amulets and Artifacts.” Twilight’s eyes widened. “What? B-but, Princess-” Celestia cut her off sharply. “Twilight Sparkle, though I do not doubt you have learned your lesson, you have nonetheless proven that you are not ready to use its contents safely and responsibly. Your recklessness left one of your friends, a student in my school, hospitalized. That is unacceptable. Did you even stop to think if the mirror had defenses when you found that ward?” With every word, Twilight shrank into herself more and more, the shame on her face growing exponentially. She didn’t say anything, though. Instead, she merely lit her horn, and a pair of saddlebags in the corner that Minuette hadn’t noticed before flipped open. The book in question came drifting out, and the aura enveloping it changed from Twilight’s purple to Celestia’s radiant gold. Celestia nodded in satisfaction. “We will discuss this more in private, Twilight. But for now…” she then turned back to Minuette. It was jarring how quickly her expression went from stern and scolding to kind and caring, and it gave Minuette whiplash. “Minuette with you and your parents' permission, I would like to personally examine this mirror of yours.” Minuette’s eyes flew wide open, and she knew her parents were doing the same. She rose to her full height, a flood of questions flooding her mind. What if Celestia deemed it dangerous and took it away? What if she didn’t like what she found and destroyed it? But even amid those grim possibilities, one question, in particular, rang loud and clear in her mind. “What if she can set Fangs free?” There was no greater mage in Equestria than Princess Celestia. Whether in terms of power, knowledge, or simple intuition, the ruler of Equestria had no living equal. The only ponies or creatures that may have once been a match for her had long since passed from this world and numbered in the single digits. Starswirl the Bearded and that stupid chaos noodle, Discord, were the only ones that came to mind. If anyone could set Fangs free, it was Celestia. “Of course!” Minuette practically cheered, jumping in place excitedly. “Do you wanna come do it now? I am all for doing it now!” Celestia raised an eyebrow at her, no doubt noticing the excitement of her answer. Instead of doing the right thing and saying yes then and there, though, Celestia shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t come right away. I still have to discuss these recent events with Twilight, I need to speak with her parents about all of this, and I have a few matters in the castle that I have to complete before I can commit to any potentially lengthy investigations. I will be there in the morning, however.” Celestia then turned her eyes to Pearly and Sunspot, who had been staring at her agape for several seconds. “Assuming, of course, your parents are willing to have me?” Sunspot spluttered incoherently for a moment before bowing his head. “Oh, uh, it would be our honor, your majesty!” he said, tripping over his own words. Celestia nodded. “I am glad to hear it. Be well, all of you. Twilight,” she turned back to the shriveled filly, her eyes burning with disapproval. “Come with me.” Twilight gave off a quiet whimper but did not protest. She dutifully hopped down from the bed and followed Celestia as she stepped out of the room. Celestia paused in the doorway, giving Minuette one more smile. “Rest well, my little pony. I will see you tomorrow.” And with that, she was gone. A heavy silence hung in the room for several seconds. Then Moondancer adjusted her glasses. “You think Twilight’s gonna be okay?” she asked quietly. “She’ll be fine,” Minuette answered without missing a beat. “She’s just gonna get a good old-fashioned solar scolding. Probably be grounded for a few weeks.” Sunspot’s lips twitched slightly in dismay. “I wouldn’t mind longer than a few weeks…” “Be nice,” Pearly chastised him with a little shove. She then looked back down to Minuette. “Well, I think that’s enough excitement for one day. Are you ready to go home?” Minuette nodded. “Uh-huh!” “I’ll take her friends home,” Sunspot said, nodding to Moondancer and First Aid. “Come along, kids.” “Okay, uh. Gimme a second,” First Aid said with a quiet nod. She rose to her hooves and walked over to Minuette. Minuette looked up at her. “Hm? Something up?” First Aid didn’t answer with words. Instead, she reached out and pulled Minuette into a tight, tight hug. Minuette yelped in alarm, having not expected the sudden intimate contact. She didn’t take long to return the hug, though, burying her face into First Aid’s shoulder and savoring the contact with her friend. It had been too long since. Then First Aid whispered into her ear. “You think Celestia can free Fangs, don’t you?” Minuette went stiff. She leaned back to look into First Aid’s eyes. There was a storm of emotion raging in those gentle sapphire orbs, but Minuette couldn’t identify them just then. But, after a moment, she set her jaw and nodded. “Mhmm.” First Aid was quiet for several seconds. Then she released Minuette and backed off. “I hope you’re right,” was all she said before she turned and jumped down from the bed. Moondancer stared after her, confused, and adjusted her glasses. “What was that about?” Minuette didn’t answer. A second later, Moondancer shrugged and jumped down to follow First and Sunspot out the door, leaving Minuette alone in the room with her mother. She looked up to Pearly and smiled. “So… home?” Pearly nodded. “Yes. Home.” You're Worth It To MeThe walk back to Minuette’s home was quiet. Neither she nor her mother said a word for the entire walk back. It was fairly windy that day, the breeze occasionally howling as it wound between the buildings, streets, and elaborate archways. Minuette ignored it all, her head rested against her mother’s mane. She didn’t even pay any attention to the numerous gazes that occasionally lingered on her. She was, after all, not so little anymore. The sight of her being carried around on her mother’s back was probably an odd spectacle. But she didn’t care. She was tired, and she had far more pressing matters on her mind. Like Fangs. How had he been taking her absence? It had all happened so quickly, and Minuette doubted her mother and father spared much of a thought to her imaginary friend when they whisked her off to the hospital. Did Fangs even know she was awake? She thought of him pacing back and forth in front of the mirror, his face all screwed up with worry. She imagined her parents had closed the curtains and turned out the lights, leaving Fangs in darkness. He could probably see well enough thanks to his glowing eyes, but still. The thought of him being alone in the dark, in the quiet… She didn’t like it. All the more reason to get home. When they stepped back into the house, a wave of relief washed over Minuette. As soon as the door was closed, she hopped down from Pearly’s back, eager to scamper upstairs and see her friend. The impact felt far stronger than she had been expecting, and her own body weight caught her by surprise. With a cry of alarm, Minuette stumbled forward, about to topple. Pearly quickly reached down and caught her before that could happen. “Woah! Careful!” she said, holding Minuette until she was stable on her hooves. “You okay?” Minuette took a deep breath and nodded up at her mother with a smile. “Yeah. Thanks.” The two stood there in silence for a second. Pearly released her hold on Minuette and nodded towards the kitchen. “Come on. Let’s get you something to eat,” she said, beckoning for her to follow. Minuette hesitated, her eyes turning to look up the stairs. “Um… I was kind of thinking…” “Minnie,” Pearly cut her off, her tone catching Minuette off guard. It wasn’t angry, but it was stern, firm, and uncompromising, all while still being kind, calm, and gentle. Minuette turned to see her mother frowning down at her. A moment passed before Pearly’s features softened, and she held out a hoof. “You’ve been cooped up in the hospital for days, and you’ve barely eaten anything. Let me get you something to eat before you go upstairs.” Minuette eyed Pearly for a few seconds longer before relenting. She followed her into the kitchen, only briefly casting her gaze over her shoulders towards the door. Fangs could wait a little bit longer, she supposed… It wasn’t long before she was sitting down at the table, patiently waiting for Pearly to finish cooking whatever it was she had in mind. The enticing aroma of hashbrown sandwiches soon filled the room, and Minuette’s mouth watered when Pearly came by and set a plate with two sandwiches down in front of her, each one housing a patty of crispy hashbrowns with a side of hay fries. A simple lunch, but effective all the same. “Thanks, mom!” She chirped before digging in. Pearly sat across from her, resting her chin in her hooves and smiling softly at Minuette as she ate. “Of course, dear. You’ve had a rough couple of days…” she said in a quiet murmur. Minuette smiled. “It’s not all bad,” she pointed out, jabbing her sandwich at Pearly as if to point at her. “Princess Celestia came to see me.” Pearly’s smile dropped off her face like a fly caught in a bug zapper, the quiet joy in her eyes fading away. She shifted in place, looking off to one side. “Yes, she did… that was… quite the surprise,” she said, lightly playing with a length of her mane. “And she’ll be coming here tomorrow. To look at the mirror…” Minuette tilted her head in, mouth open and her sandwich hovering mere inches from her lips. Had she said something wrong? Confused, she lowered her sandwich and leaned forward. “You don’t sound happy…” Pearly jumped as if she had forgotten her daughter was even there. She turned back to Minuette, offering her a warm smile that was just a little too large. “Oh, I’m excited, of course,” she said, sitting more upright. “The princess herself, in my house. It’s exciting, but… it’s also worrying…” Minuette relaxed. “Oooh, I see what’s going on here,” she thought. She set her sandwich down and leaned forward. “Hey, if you’re worried about offending her and getting in trouble, don’t be. I’ve seen fillies fire spit wads at her!” She left out the detail that Twinkle Shine had been the one to fire the shot… and that it had been Minuette’s idea. Pearly blinked at her. “...And there were no repercussions for this?” she asked, dumbfounded. Minuette leaned back with an exaggerated roll of her eyes, fighting to suppress her amused snickers. “W-well, heh, there was some punishment. The culprit had to write an essay on spit. But the princess was laughing the whole time! She thought it was funny.” Pearly just stared at her for a few seconds before laughing and shaking her head. “Ahahah. Oh, foals… You know, I remember when I was your age… I used to get up to all kinds of trouble…” “Like dad?” Minuette asked with a cheeky grin. Pearly flushed. “N-no, I got into that trouble a little later on.” Minuette giggled and went back to chowing down on her sandwich, the mood in the room lifting. Pearly watched her eat in silence for several minutes, her own gentle smile back on her face. It was only when Minuette was close to finishing her second sandwich, now feeling much better, that the silence was broken. “Minnie,” Pearly said haltingly, her voice low and uncertain as her smile died yet again. “I’m not nervous about Celestia’s visit because I might offend her…” Minuette tilted her head, confused. What other reason could her mother possibly have, she wondered? It didn’t make any sense to her. Pearly fidgeted with her hooves for a second. “I’m… I’m worried about why she’s having to come in the first place.” Minuette blinked. “You mean the mirror?” Pearly looked down, her ears drooping. “...Honey, look,” she said in a tone that immediately set off red flags in Minuette’s head. “While you were at the hospital, your father and I did some talking, and… well… I don’t think you-” The door to the house suddenly opened, cutting Pearly off mid-sentence. She jumped in her seat, and both she and Minuette turned to see Sunspot stepping back inside. He looked up at them as he shut the door and grinned. “I’m back. The other foals are home safe, Minnie.” Minuette practically bounced in her seat, waving energetically at him. “Thanks, dad! Mom was just talking to me about something,” she said before turning back to Pearly expectantly. She scarfed down what remained of her lunch, then spoke up. “What were you saying?” Pearly did not answer. She instead looked over at Sunspot, a look of uncertainty on her face. Confused, Minuette looked between them. There was something going on here, some kind of silent communication she was not privy to. Judging by the brief moment where her father’s face hardened into something grim and serious, though, it wasn’t good. Minuette frowned. “...Guys?” Pearly shook her head. “Nevermind. It’s not important. I’ll tell you later,” she said before standing up and walking over to Sunspot. Minuette’s brow furrowed. Why did she feel like she was having stuff hidden from her? She didn’t like it when ponies hid stuff from her. Hiding things meant secrets, and she hated secrets. Mostly because she absolutely sucked at keeping them, but that was beside the point. “Okay… uh… thanks for the food, mom,” she said, slipping out of her chair and heading for the stairs. She deposited her plate in the sink with her magic. “I’m just gonna go upstairs and lay down.” “Probably a good idea,” Sunspot said, the warmth and friendliness back in his face and voice as she passed. She tousled her mane, drawing a few exclamations of disapproval from her followed by an amused laugh. Sunspot grinned and nodded up the stairs. “Go on. Get some rest.” Minuette nodded. She didn’t pay her parents any more attention as she scampered upstairs. Finally, time to see Fangs! She reached her door quickly and threw it open with her magic. As she suspected, it was dark when she entered. The lights were out, and the curtain over her window was drawn shut, emitting only a narrow slit of dusty light to paint a vertical stripe onto the wall over her bed. She paused in the threshold, her eyes lingering on the mirror. Fangs was nowhere to be seen. With a hum, Minuette closed the door, pulled the curtains, and flicked on the lights. The room was more or less the same as she remembered. But there were remnants of what had happened. The walls had noticeable dents in there where she remembered Twilight and Moondancer hitting it. Her dad must not have gotten around to patching it up yet. Looking to her bookcase, she was glad to see it was undamaged - although all of her belongings on it had been put back in the wrong places! She felt a certain twinge of something that did not care for it and made a point to come back and re-arrange things later. But for now, that could wait. Turning back to the mirror, Minuette jumped when she saw Fangs standing there, one hoof raised as if he had just got done walking or running. His eyes bored into her, his lips slightly parted. “Little one…” he breathed. Minuette smiled and pranced over to the mirror. “Hey, Fangs! I’m home!” she said cheerfully, plonking down in front of it. “Did ya miss me?” Fangs leaned back as if surprised by her energy. He blinked at her, then smiled. “Yes, I did. I am glad to see you’re okay,” he said, settling down on his belly. “The last I saw or heard of you, you were being carried out of the room by your mother while your father angrily yelled at Twilight and Moondancer.” Minuette looked down, frowning. “He was mad, huh?” “Furious,” Fangs replied, looking past her to the door. “I was impressed by his restraint. The entire room turned a fierce, fiery crimson when he realized what had happened to you. I thought he was about to get violent.” Minuette shook her head. “Nah, dad’s not like that.” Fangs nodded, his wings wavering on his back. He looked down to Minuette. He was not smiling, though. Minuette’s own smile faded at the look in his eyes. “...Fangs? Is something wrong?” she asked. Fangs winced, his wings fluttering more aggressively on his back. “Yes, something is wrong,” he said, standing up and walking away from the mirror. He was quiet for several long seconds before taking in a deep breath. He looked back at her over his shoulder. “...I want you to stop trying to break the enchantment.” Minuette blinked, sitting upright. “Huh? But-” “No buts!” Fangs cut her off, raising his voice in such a way that made her jump and squeak. He turned to face her, a desperate fire in his eyes. “When you and your friends dug too deep, the mirror lashed out. Just for prodding at it! If Twilight had actually managed to break through that ward… I dare not even think of how much worse things could have been…” Minuette looked down, her ears drooping. “I… I just… I want to get you out of there.” “I want to be free as well, but not if this is the cost,” Fangs countered, his tone softening considerably. “I’ve said it before, I will say it again. I have been trapped in here for centuries. I have come to grips with my reality… I don’t…” Fangs took in a shaky breath, and Minuette looked up. To her surprise, his eyes were shimmering with tears. She leaned back in shock, trying to think of a time where she had ever seen Fangs crying before. “Fangs…?” she asked in a barely audible whisper. Fangs sat down and looked to the side, wiping his hoof over his face to get rid of his tears. He took another breath to steady himself. “...You are my friend, Minuette. My only friend, and my best friend. You are the only companion I have… and I don’t want you to get yourself hurt for my sake. My freedom is not worth your health… so please…” He focused on Minuette, his eyes pleading. “Don’t walk this road anymore. It’s too dangerous. I don’t know why I am trapped in here, but I could never live with myself if anypony I cared about got themselves hurt… or w-worse… trying to find out. I’m not worth it.” “But what if you’re worth it to me?” Minuette asked, placing her hoof on the mirror’s glass, right where Fangs’ heart would be. “You’re such a good guy, Fangs. You don’t deserve this…” “I have lived with it for hundreds of years, little one,” Fangs reminded her once again, shaking his head. “You tried your best. You made it farther than anyone else has, and I am beyond proud of you for that. But I am begging you to go no further.” Minuette watched as Fangs reached out his hoof, pressing it to the glass in front of hers. Mere inches apart, but unable to reach her through this impenetrable wall of glass. He pressed his forehead against the barrier and closed his eyes. “If not for your own safety, then for my ease of mind… I can’t bear the thought of losing you like that...” Minuette stared at him for several long seconds, her heart withering in her chest. With a sigh, she rose and pressed her head against the glass as well. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes as her thoughts raged in her mind. Why was it that, no matter what she tried to do to help Fangs’ lot in life, it always blew up in her face? First, it was Bristle, and now it was this. What kind of sick joke was this stupid mirror trying to pull? What monster had been so cruel to make it this way? But not all hope was lost, was it? There was still a chance. One last hope that Fangs could be set free from his unfair, unjust imprisonment, and it would be coming here tomorrow. After a second, Minuette leaned back. “Well... Princess Celestia is coming here tomorrow,” she said in a whisper, putting on a small smile. “She’s gonna look at the mirror. I’m one of her students, and she wants to make sure I’m safe. So she’s going to study it herself…” Fangs’ eyes opened. He stared at Minuette in surprise. “The Princess is coming here? Personally?” he asked in disbelief. Minuette nodded, stepping back. “Mhmm. She’ll look at it, she’ll figure out how it works, and then she’ll set you free once and for all!” she declared as if it were already decided. “And then I can hug you!” Fangs looked down for a moment, his eyes shifting as the weight of this realization hit him all at once. He rubbed a hoof over his face, blinking rapidly while his wings twitched on his back. “Huh… You really think she can pull it off?” “Uh-huh!” Minuette chirped, spinning around on the spot. “She’s the princess! She can do anything! She even sent an evil killjoy named Nightmare Moon to the- well, to the moon!” she declared, thrusting her hoof up at the window. Fangs weighed her words for a moment, slowly nodding. “...Very well. I suppose, if ever there was a pony who could free me, it would be her,” he said, smiling. “Thank you, Minuette. If this works, then you will have my undying gratitude for making this possible. But if it doesn’t...” “Oh, pssh,” Minuette waved a hoof dismissively. “It’ll work. She’s Celestia!” “Little One,” Fangs interrupted her, his voice carrying a gentle, but firm, edge. “If it does not work… then that will be the end of it. Do you understand me?” Minuette tilted her head. “Huh?” “If Celestia is unable to free me… what hope will you ever have?” he asked carefully, his eyes lowering. “I do not mean any disrespect when I say that. But Princess Celestia is your magical superior by uncountable orders of magnitude. She raises the sun while you struggle to raise fifty pounds. If it is beyond her power to free me, then promise me that you will stop looking for a way yourself.” “But she will free you,” Minuette insisted, scampering up to the mirror and pressing both of her hooves up against it. “That I can promise!” “Minuette, please…” Fangs pressed, looking up into her eyes pleadingly. “Just do me this favor. And I will pray that you are right.” Minuette hesitated for a second. Finally, she shrugged. What could it hurt? “Alright, fine. I promise, if Princess Celestia somehow can’t let you out - which she absolutely will let you out! - then I won't keep trying to free you myself. Happy?” Fangs chuckled at the snarky tone she took on that last word before straightening his posture. “More than I was. Thank you, little one.” Minuette grinned and backed away from the mirror. This was going to work, she knew it. After everything she had tried, she had gotten the attention of the most powerful creature in the known world. There was no way Celestia would fail to set Fangs free. She could already picture him stepping through the glass, smiling down at her, before she threw herself against him and felt his chitinous skin for the first time. With that fantasy - no, that imminent reality - burning itself into her mind’s eye, she stared into Fangs’ eyes and spoke. “You’re welcome.” Author's Note Minnie be doing a confident. Fears and StoriesThe rest of the day passed by peacefully enough. Minuette spent the majority of her time with her parents after her heart-to-heart with Fangs, just chatting and getting caught up on what she had missed. It was mercifully little thankfully, although there was the slight hiccup that the school had seen fit to send homework to her house! She had been more than a little peeved about that. “I mean come on! I was in the hospital for Celestia’s sake! Celestia was there! It’s dumb! They’re dumb!” And so on and so forth until her family quelled her seething impotent rage with a cookie. But, alas, Minuette was still not back to one-hundred percent yet. Her muscles were still weak after the days spent without any use. As the day dragged on, her movements became slower as the energy left her body. When the time finally came to eat dinner, she barely said a word. She thanked her mother of course. Her cooking was always deserving of praise. But outside of that, Minuette didn’t really participate in the conversation. She just idly ate her food at a slow pace, allowing her thoughts to drift. “...Minnie?” Sunspot’s voice suddenly cut through the haze of her thoughts, bringing Minuette back to the here and now. She sat upright with a jolt and shook her head. “O-oh, uh! Sorry, huh? What?” she rambled, blinking a few times and shuffling in place to wake herself up some. Sunspot quirked a brow. “You okay?” he asked. Minuette nodded, already feeling her exhaustion creeping up on her again. She gave a little nod, looking back down at her food. “Uh-huh.” A second passed. Sunspot’s concerned frown turned into a gentle, knowing smile. “Tired?” For a brief, insane moment, Minuette contemplated saying ‘no’ to that. It was usually her modus operandi to proclaim her never-ending energy to the world and do something spastic to prove it. But, as fate would have it, she was just a little too tired to be bothered, and so she just offered up another small nod. “Uh-huh.” “Wow, you must be really tired,” Pearly remarked, hiding her smirk with a hoof. “You actually said ‘yes’!” “Nuh-uh,” Minuette weakly protested, pouting at her mother. “I said ‘uh-huh’! Totally…” She trailed off as she was overcome with the most poorly timed yawn possible. Once she was able to close her mouth, she pouted at the smugly satisfied grins of her parents. “...Shu’up.” The two parents shared an amused laugh at their daughter’s expense before Sunspot got up and gingerly picked Minuette up out of her seat. She blinked in confusion, having not quite noticed it until she was being carried away from the table on her dad’s back. “Let’s get you to bed, eh? You need your rest for when the princess comes tomorrow,” he said with a warm smile. “But food,” Minuette protested, turning to look at her plate. She had eaten most of her food, but there was still a little bit left. “Don’t worry, your mom made plenty. There will be leftovers,” Sunspot assured her as they ascended the stairs. “You can have more in the morning. Besides, you were looking about ready to pass out there. You need the rest.” “...But food.” Sunspot shook his head with a little laugh and nudged open Minuette’s door with his magic. He came to an unexpected stop a few steps in, though. When he didn’t continue, Minuette looked at him with confusion. His eyes were fixated on something to the side. With her brain still playing catch-up, Minuette followed his eyes to see what he was looking at. The mirror stared back at them. Fangs was nowhere to be seen at the moment. Minuette tilted her head, her groggy mind trying to piece together what was going on. Before she had a chance to ponder it, though, Sunspot went back into motion, heading for his daughter’s bed. Minuette gave off a quiet murmur as she felt herself lifted off of Sunspot’s back by magic, and then gave a satisfied groan when the familiar sensation of sinking into her mattress hit her back. Her muscles melted like butter, and she practically went limp then and there. She was honestly amazed she didn’t immediately fall asleep. Sunspot smiled down at her, using his magic to tuck her in. “You go ahead and go to sleep, okay sweetie?” he said in a quiet whisper. He leaned down and planted a gentle kiss right below Minuette’s horn, drawing a quiet giggle from her. “Heh… been a while since you carried me up here like this,” Minuette noted, snuggling into her blankets. “Well, you aren’t tiny anymore,” Sunspot pointed out with a smirk. “Or that young. You’re a growing filly. Why, in a few years, you’ll basically be a mare.” “Ugh. Growing up,” Minuette stuck out her tongue at the idea. “I don’t wanna…” Sunspot smiled down at her. He didn’t say anything, though. He brushed his hoof through her mane a few times, his smile going distant. Minuette looked up at him for a few seconds, a feeling of nostalgia for when she was really little coming to her. From before Fangs came into her life, even. “Hey, dad?” she eventually asked. Sunspot seemed to snap out of his reverie and looked down at her. “Hm?” “...Um, I know I’m a little old for this, but…” she shuffled in place before giving him her best puppy dog eyes. “...Can you tell me a story tonight?” Sunspot stared down at her for a second, his eyes blinking wide. A moment later, he smiled and gently shook his head. “Heh. Maybe someday, but not tonight. I don’t have any good ones off the top of my head. Besides, you need to sleep, and I don’t wanna keep you up.” With that, he stood up and made his way to the door. Minuette watched him go, pouting in disappointment. “...Okay. Maybe some other time?” she asked quietly. “Sure. Maybe,” Sunspot replied, stopping briefly in the doorway to smile back at her. “But ya know… I’ve always been the one telling you stories… Maybe you can think of one to tell me someday.” There was something in the way he said it that gave Minuette pause. Before she had a chance to question him, though, he quietly wished her pleasant dreams and slipped out, closing the door behind him and plunging the room into darkness. Unfortunately, sleep proved to be an elusive companion tonight. Minuette fell asleep for only an hour after her father left the room before her anxious thoughts overpowered her light, wispy dreams and restored her to the waking world. Her exhausted eyes stared blearily up at the ceiling, and a cold frustration began to worm its way into her system. Why was it always like this? She felt really tired, she wanted to sleep, but oh no, something important was happening tomorrow, and she was so anxious and eager for it that it sent her mind spiraling into a storm of what-ifs and exciting tangents that, ultimately, made no sense, like spider geese. And now she was imagining that unholy combination and groaned in frustration as her mind proved her point for her. She rolled over onto her side, eyeing the mirror. She could see Fangs through its surface, currently curled up on the ground in front of the glass with his eyes closed. He looked like he was sleeping, though as far as Minuette knew, he wasn’t physically capable of sleep in there. Probably just resting, letting his mind wander and conjure up a facsimile of a dream to pass the silence of the night. She just watched him for a few minutes, smiling softly at her friend. Come the morning, he’d finally be free, and she could give him that hug she had wanted to give him for years. She couldn’t wait. But she kinda had no choice, because she was still awake dangit! With a tired sigh, Minuette slipped out of bed and made her way for the door. She needed to use the restroom anyway. “Maybe a few minutes on my hooves will help me fall asleep?” Fangs blinked open an eye as she passed, but did not say anything for the moment. She briefly smiled at him before slipping out of the room and starting for the bathroom down the hall to her right. Some of the lights were still on, she noted. “Mom and dad must still be up,” she thought to herself. “I did go to bed really early. They’ll probably be going to bed soon, too.” She conducted her ‘business’ in the bathroom swiftly before turning to look at herself in the mirror. She couldn’t help but snort in amusement. “Heh. I look dumb,” she said aloud, turning her head this way and that. Her mane was beyond messy after her restless tossing and turning, and the heavy bags under her eyes made clear just how exhausted she was. There was also a general dopiness to her expression that, even with her mind mired as it was, she found amusing. She didn’t spend long staring at her reflection in the bathroom, though. She had a much better mirror for that, anyway. She stepped back out into the hall and made for her room, letting out a loud yawn. Minuette came to an abrupt halt when she heard her mother’s voice coming quietly from downstairs. She tilted her head and looked down the steps. There was something off about her voice. A moment later, Sunspot’s voice answered Pearly’s, both of them whispered. A pit formed in Minuette’s stomach. Something was wrong. Keeping her head low and her steps quiet, she began to descend the stairs for the living room. With every step she took, the voices became louder and more distinct, until she could make out the words. “I’m scared, Spot.” Minuette stopped next to the entrance to the living room and pressed herself against the wall. It wasn’t right to eavesdrop, she knew that, but at the same time, something compelled her to keep hidden. There was an uneasy feeling surrounding her, like she suddenly didn’t belong here. And if there was somewhere she didn‘t belong, she wanted to know why. Sunspot answered Pearly’s statement with a soft sigh. “I know you are. I’m worried about her, too. But we can’t rush this, you know that. Celestia will be here tomorrow, so let’s just wait and hear what she has to say before we do anything rash.” Minuette furrowed her brow. “Worried about who? Me? Are they talking about me?” she thought, inching just a little closer. “But… I’m fine. Tired, sure, but I’m here and I’m fine…” Pearly gave off a quiet groan of frustration. “Sunspot, have you even been paying attention?! Have you seen just how obsessed she’s become with that thing?! Even if Celestia tells us it’s perfectly harmless, she’ll still obsess over it!” “I know that,” Sunspot answered carefully. “But again, we have to be careful. If we do this the wrong way… I don’t want our relationship with her to suffer because we were stupid.” “She’s thirteen years old, Sunspot. She’s too old to be so invested in an imaginary friend, and I know my daughter isn’t wrong in the head! She’s a smart, clever girl! She shouldn’t be so adamant about this anymore!” Minuette felt a pang of anger in her chest but was quick to force it down. “Tomorrow. They’ll see when Celestia frees him.” Pearly went on without giving Sunspot a chance to speak. “And now this?! If Celestia’s student had pushed any harder, or if Minnie had been positioned any differently, I… I don’t…” Minuette’s ears drooped when she heard her mother sniffling. “Is… is she crying!?” She heard hooves moving across the carpeted floor, and Pearly’s quiet sobbing became muffled, and Minuette had the feeling she was burying her face into Sunspot’s chest. Sunspot took on a disarming tone, lowering his voice as if to coax Pearly’s into dropping with it. “I know, I know. You’re not wrong. But you know how attached to it she is. We have to be careful.” “But what if it hurts her again?!” Pearly demanded, her voice trembling. “What if it’s worse next time?! It’s doing something to her, Sunspot! We never should have gotten it… And the longer we keep it around, the more we’re letting this happen, the more we’re enabling her!” Minuette’s heart was starting to beat harder in her chest. A sickening, horrible feeling of dread welled up in her gut, spreading to the tips of her legs. She pulled her lips in, her ears facing forward. “Please don’t be saying what it sounds like…” A second passed before Pearly said exactly what Minuette hoped she never would. “W-we have to get rid of the mirror.” Her heart all but stopped in her chest, allowing a horrible feeling of cold to seep into her muscles. She sucked in a breath, unknowing if it was heard by her parents or not as the whole world went quiet around her. Her groggy thoughts spun into overdrive, a surge of dread, anger, and fear swallowing her whole. “T-they want to… get rid of it?” she thought, taking a shaky step back. “But… n-no, they can’t! If they get rid of the mirror, then…” She took another step back, her mind wandering to Fangs. In her mind’s eye, she saw an image of the mirror being hauled away in her mother’s magic while Sunspot held her back. She saw Fangs pressing himself against the glass, pounding against it with his hooves and calling out to her with tears in his eyes. She heard her own voice screaming after him, begging Pearly to bring him back. She couldn’t let that happen! But what could she do? She was just a foal, and she was still weak from her time in the hospital. She wouldn’t be able to stop her parents from getting rid of it with force no matter how hard she tried, and she wasn’t sure if she could talk her family into letting her keep the mirror. Not after everything that had happened. Barely keeping herself from breaking down into sobs, Minuette spun on her hooves and made her way back up the stairs, doing her best not to make any noise. She didn’t know if she had been heard or not. She couldn’t focus on the world around her through the tumult of her own thoughts. After a short, chaotic blur of motion, she staggered back into her room and closed the door behind her. Fangs was up in an instant, his eyes wide. “Minuette?” he asked, his voice laced with concern as he looked at her. He must have seen the whirlwind of negative emotions swirling around her, and he quickly rose to his full height. “What is it? What’s wrong?!” The moment Minuette heard that question, the dam broke. Tears leaked out of her eyes as she sprinted across the room, throwing herself against the mirror after a single bound. “F-Fangs!” she whimpered, pressing her face into the glass. “M-mom and dad! I heard them talking! They w-wanna throw you away!” “They what?” Fangs asked, taken aback. “Why?” Minuette looked up at him, sniffling and struggling to maintain her composure. “M-mom said t-that - sniff - that you’re d-dangerous! She th-thinks the Mirror’s doing something to me! That it’s making me act wrong! S-she’s afraid it’ll hurt me!” Fangs knelt down until he was at eye level, maintaining a shocking amount of composure. “Little One, calm down,” he said carefully, pressing a hoof to the glass. “Take a few deep breaths. Compose yourself.” “I w-won’t let them take you away!” Minuette denied, shaking her head. She hadn’t really heard what Fangs had said. She was too distraught to think or listen. She screwed her eyes shut, shaking her head. “I won’t! I don’t wanna lose you! I don’t want you to be alone again!” “Minuette!” Fangs barked, his voice rising just enough to stun Minuette into listening. She looked up into his eyes and briefly flinched back when she saw the raw fire in them. A moment passed before his expression softened considerably, and he pressed a hoof to the glass. “Breathe, little one. Breathe. I’m still here. We have time.” Minuette took his advice, taking a series of deep breaths. Little by little, her panic began to fade away, allowing her to think more clearly. Once Fangs was satisfied she was collected, he leaned back. “Now, tell me everything you heard. It’s possible you might be misunderstanding.” Minuette shook her head. “I don’t think so, but… okay,” she said. She launched into what she had heard, recounting everything her parents had said while she was listening in on them. Fangs listened quietly, his expression turning increasingly grim the more he heard. When Minuette finished recounting what she had overheard, a heavy silence fell over the room. Fangs remained planted in place, his expression sour. “They don’t believe you’re real,” Minuette said, shaking in place. She glanced back at her door, afraid her parents might barge in at any moment to take it away. Fangs nodded quietly. “Indeed… I cannot blame them for feeling the way they do. It was only earlier today that I expressed similar concerns for your health.” “But you’re the one in the mirror!” Minuette pressed, planting her forehooves against the glass. “You’re not an imaginary friend! You’re not responsible for what happened to me! You’re real! You’re right there! And you’re an even bigger victim than I am!” Fangs eyed her for a second, his lips tugging up into a somber smile. A second passed before Minuette sat back down, rubbing her face with her hooves. “Ugh… what do I do, Fangs?! I can’t let them take you away, but I can’t stop them if they really try… and… I d-don’t wanna argue with my parents.” Fangs nodded, humming in thought. “...Well, from what I have heard, it sounds to me like what we do is nothing.” Minuette looked up at Fangs, not very confused. “H-huh? But-” “Your father made it evident he is the more cautious of the two,” Fangs cut her off gently, his voice low and soothing. He met her gaze and smiled. “He has advocated that they wait until after Celestia has had a chance to investigate my prison herself - and, if your confidence in the princess is not misplaced, then she will do all of the heavy lifting for us.” Minuette blinked, taking a second to think it over. The more she thought about it, the more her fears began to relax, and a smile spread on her face. “Y-yeah… you’re right. Celestia will figure out the deal with the mirror and let you out! Then mom and dad can throw the mirror away all they want! You won’t be a prisoner anymore!” Fangs nodded. “Precisely. So for now, we do nothing, and let the princess do her work.” Minuette let out a heavy sigh of relief. She allowed herself to flop back onto the floor, staring up at the ceiling with her grin growing wider. She had been panicking there for a minute, but her confidence was back to full strength. How could she have forgotten to take the princess into account? Probably how sleepy she was, but eh, details. Ultimately, her parents’ fears didn’t actually change anything. The most they would do is make the conversation after Fangs was free a little more emotionally charged, but she had dealt with emotional gunk before. This would be a piece of cake. Besides, Fangs was really good with words and Celestia was an excellent judge of character. Between the three of them, Minuette knew they’d convince her mom and dad that Fangs was a good guy. Maybe he could even move in with them? It wasn’t like he had anywhere else to go right now. And then she yawned. A massive, epic yawn that would have shaken mountains. Or, well, that’s what Minuette told herself, at least. In reality, it was more of a tiny squeak with a wide-open mouth. Fangs smiled down at her in amusement. “Now… I believe that is enough excitement for tonight. It is out of our hooves, so best not to fret. Get some sleep,” he encouraged her. Minuette grunted, her smile fading away as she was reminded of her bed. “Guh… I was trying to sleep, but I just couldn’t,” she grumbled in irritation. “My head’s too awake.” “Well, you should still be in bed,” Fangs urged her. “Even if you can’t sleep, you can rest, and you’ll need all you can get for tomorrow.” “Ugh, you sound like my dad,” Minuette groused, hauling herself back up to her hooves and flashing Fangs a smirk of her own. “I like to think I’d make a very good father, thank you,” Fangs shot back with a smile of his own. “I have had a lot of practice with foals over the years, after all.” Minuette rolled her eyes and hopped up onto the bed. “I guess you have, yeah. I wonder what a missus Fangs would look like…” “One can imagine,” Fangs said, lowering his voice. “Now get some rest.” “I’ll try,” Minuette sighed, flopping down onto her pillow and pulling the blankets up to her chin. ...And just like that, the tired went away. “What is wrong with me?” Fangs let off a quiet chortle, no doubt seeing the waves of indignant frustration rolling off of her. “Heh. Would it help if I told you a story, Little One?” he asked with a smile. Minuette rolled to face him, her eyes lighting up. “Oh, oh! Yes, please! You tell the best stories! And your voice is just amazing for it!” Fangs smiled and puffed up at the praise. “Ha. Very well. But just so you know, this story isn’t mine,” he said, sitting back down on his haunches. “It’s your father’s.” Minuette blinked, tilting her head. “...Huh?” Fangs nodded toward the door. “A couple of days back, he came walking in a little before you arrived at school. He sat down by the bed for a while and started telling the story as if you were in it.” Minuette frowned in confusion. “...But… why would he do that?” she asked quizzically. “Why tell a story to my bed if I’m not in it?” Fangs shrugged. “I do not know… perhaps nostalgia? You aren’t a tiny filly anymore. Maybe he was trying to relive the feelings of bygone times. After that, he picked up the hammer you left on the floor, stepped out, and shortly after your friends arrived to start studying.” Minuette tilted her head. A moment later, though, she shrugged and snuggled into her blankets, facing Fangs. “Well, that’s confusing, but a story’s a story! Lay it on me!” Fangs nodded and sat back, closing his eyes. “Very well… Once upon a time, there was a little unicorn filly named Lakesong who lived in an old house at the edge of the forest. She lived with her mother and her father, who loved her very much. Lakesong spent her days playing with her friends from the nearby village, frolicking through the fields and flowers. But she never played in the forest, for her parents warned her that it was dangerous, and filled with horrible monsters that would gobble her up. But foals are foals, impetuous and curious. And so it was that Lakesong took her friends with her into the forest one day, eager to see what they would find. The woods were thick, and soon the light of the sun had been blocked by the leaves. The children could see almost nothing in the darkness, and the light from Lakesong’s horn did nothing to push away the shadows. Now knowing fear, the foals bit down on one another’s tails so they would not lose one another. Long did they wander the woods, through the dark, surrounded on all sides by things they could not describe. The warmth of day fled, and the cold of the night chilled them to their bones. The foals feared that they might never find their way. But then they heard somepony singing in the distance, a mare’s voice: soft, and gentle, and beautiful. With nowhere else to go, Lakesong led her friends to the source of the voice. There they found a beautiful clearing, a single shaft of light from the moon shining down through the leaves upon a pond surrounded by flowers of pink and blue, and covered in water lilies. And above the gentle waves of the water, there flew the ghost of a mare, pale as snow. Yet Lakesong was not afraid, for how could she be scared of so sweet a song. The ghost saw them and smiled. “New ponies! It has been so long since I have met somepony new!” she said, excited and vigorous. “I am Misty, and this pond is my home. Who are you?” “I am Lakesong, and these are my friends,” Lakesong said. “We’re lost.” Misty reached out to hold Lakesong’s hoof in hers, her voice buttery and sweet. “Oh, you poor dears. You got curious and wandered into the woods, didn’t you?” Lakesong told her all, of how they had been wandering for hours upon hours, of how they had lost their way in their curiosity. Misty listened, then nodded to the bed of flowers. “I can help you return home, little ponies. But first, you should sleep. It is dangerous at night, and I do not wish for you to be hurt.” And so Lakesong and her friends slept in that clearing all night, under the light of the moon and Misty’s watchful eye. She proved to be fun and clever, a ray of sunshine in the frightening forest. A true friend. When the day came, Misty led the foals back through the woods, for the edge of the forest. Soon, they could see the light of the sun again, and they left the forest. “Come with us, Misty,” Lakesong said to Misty. “My parents would love to meet you, and thank you for saving us!” Misty shook her head. “I am afraid I cannot leave the forest. It is my home. And what if somepony else gets lost? I must be there to see them safely home.” Lakesong tried and tried to convince Misty to come back with her, but alas, the ghost was not to be persuaded. And so Lakesong had to bid her farewell. “Thank you again for saving us, Misty!” she called as they left. “I promise we’ll come and see you again!” “Please do! These woods are terribly lonely!” Misty called back. She then turned and vanished into the wood. When Lakesong got home, her mother and her father were angry with her, and they scolded her. “Do not go into the woods, we said! It’s dangerous, we said!” “But mom, dad, I’m okay!” Lakesong argued. “Misty The Ghost saved me!” “Misty The Ghost?” the father spat. “Nonsense! Everypony knows there is no such thing as ghosts! Ponytails and poppycock! You are never to go into those woods again, do you hear me?!” But Lakesong did not listen. She and her friends snuck away to the woods many times, playing with Misty in the waters of her pond. But as the years dragged on and on, Lakesong’s friends drifted apart, as work and life called them away. But not Lakesong. She continued to see Misty whenever she could, happily until the end of her days… Fangs opened his eyes when he finally finished recounting the story. He looked to Minuette and found that she had fallen asleep at some point, a peaceful smile on her face. His heart warmed at the sight, and he bowed his head low. “...Thank you, Little One,” he whispered quietly. “For your companionship, for your joy… for your love. Thank you for everything you have given me. I will cherish them always.” With that, he stepped back out of view, allowing Minuette to get her sleep. Author's Note This chapter was quite the undertaking to throw together, lemme tell ya. Minuette's ResolveMinuette wasn’t sure how long she stayed like that, but it must have been a while. She eventually heard the telltale sound of the front door opening and closing, followed by the muffled clatter of wheels through the window as Celestia’s carriage was taken away. After that, it was a long silence, occasionally disturbed by the almost inaudible talking of her mother and father downstairs. Minuette took a deep breath. She was still far from being in a good mood, and there were still dried tear-marks on her cheeks. With a shaky sniffle, she wiped her hooves over her face and stared into the mirror, meeting Fangs’ gaze. “Well… what do we do now?” she asked in a soft whisper. Fangs shrugged. “I… do not know how to answer that. I suppose, for the time being, all we can do is follow Celestia’s orders, and go back to living our lives.” Minuette looked down, shaking her head. “I guess…” she mumbled. In truth, she wasn’t sure she liked the sound of that. After everything that had happened as of late, going back to the regular routine was the last thing on her mind. Maybe it was just her lingering bad mood from the revelation that Fangs would never be freed, but it just felt wrong somehow. “Hey, come now,” Fangs whispered, drawing her attention back to him. He offered her a comforting smile. “Dry your tears. The Minuette I know and care for wouldn’t let something like this keep her spirits down for long.” Minuette managed to put on a small, weak smile. “Heh… Right. Sorry. I’ll cheer up soon, promise,” she said, wiping her hoof over her face again. She took a series of deep breaths to compose herself and her thoughts in order. After a few more minutes, a gentle knocking came to the door. Minuette turned back to look and watched as both Sunspot and Pearly stepped into the room, her mother in the lead. “Hey, Minuette,” Pearly said softly. She blinked on seeing the clearly distraught look in her daughter’s eyes and stepped forward. “Are you okay?” Minuette put on a small smile. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m alright,” she said, rising back to her hooves. She faced her approaching parents fully and did her best to smile at them and assuage their concerns. “Just a little disappointed, that’s all…” There was a brief pause, and Minuette had to resist the urge to look back toward Fangs. Sunspot and Pearly exchanged a glance. Sunspot stepped forward, tilting his head curiously to one side. “Disappointed? About what?” he asked curiously, sitting down beside his daughter and placing a hoof on her back. Minuette glanced up at him, frowning in confusion. “Um… you know. About Fangs. How she can’t let him out.” Sunspot and Pearly exchanged wary glances, and an uneasy feeling began to settle into place in Minuette’s gut. A moment passed before Pearly stepped closer, her brow furrowed. “Right… sweetie… about that…” she said slowly and carefully as if choosing her words with extreme caution. Minuette frowned, tilting her head to one side. “Mom?” Pearly sat down in front of Minuette. It was at about this time that Minuette realized that her father’s hoof was curling around her back as if to hold her in place. She glanced up at him to see him shooting Pearly a hard, meaningful glance. Pearly was quiet for several seconds, fishing for words. She took a long deep breath, glanced skeptically at the mirror behind Minuette, and began to speak. “Princess Celestia told us what you two talked about… About why you started studying the mirror, and why you got your friends involved.” Minuette’s eyes lit up, and for a brief moment, a spark of joy came into life in her heart. “Does this mean they finally believe me?!” she thought, about ready to jump and squeal with excitement. It was her mother’s low tone and anxious demeanor that kept her rooted on the spot, listening with held breath and rapidly mounting dread. Pearly looked at Sunspot again before continuing. “I’ve been really worried about you for a long time now… You’ve been obsessed with that mirror almost ever since we got it for you. And then your imaginary friend, this ‘Fangs’ shows up, and you get even more attached to it. With how obsessed you are with him I’d almost swear he was actually real.” “He is real,” Minuette stated, her nostrils flaring. Pearly held up a hoof to quiet Minuette down. “I… I wish I could believe that, dear. I really do.” Minuette felt a tingle of anger on the back of her skull. She barely fought down a snarl and brushed Sunspot’s hoof away before rising to her hooves. “Why don’t you?! Princess Celestia herself told you he’s real, didn’t she?!” “She said she believed you,” Sunspot said a second later, his brow furrowed in sympathy. “But I just can’t,” Pearly went on, shaking her head. “It doesn’t make any sense. And even if he is real, that’s even worse!” “What?!” Minuette snapped, the fur on the back of her neck standing on end. “How is that worse, mom?! He’s been nothing but a great friend to me ever since I met him!” “Because if he is real, then a magical creature is living in my little girl’s room all the time, and saying and doing things I can’t see! He could be watching you while you sleep, and who knows what he could be saying to you!?” Minuette felt her anger begin to boil at these outrageous, scandalous claims. If anything, Fangs watched over her, at the very worst! She opened her mouth to give a biting retort, but a sharp clearing of Fangs’ throat caught her attention. She glanced back at him to see his expression hardened in warning. “Calm, Minuette,” he told her in a soothing town. “Take a breath. Relax. They will not listen to you if you come at this from a position of anger.” Minuette let his words echo in her ears for a moment, then nodded. She took a deep breath and turned back to Pearly, setting her jaw. “Mom, please. He’s my friend,” she tried in a more diplomatic tone. “He’s been almost like a big brother to me. Or maybe a quirky grandpa, he’s old enough for it. He’s been there for me for a long time when I needed someone to talk to or help me through something when you guys weren’t there. He’s a good guy… And he was alone for a long time before I ever met him. I want to be his friend and keep him company. It’s all I can do for him.” Pearly looked down slightly as Minuette finished speaking. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, clearly following Minuette’s example and trying to calm down. Sunspot took this chance to cut in, slipping around to be in Minuette’s line of sight. “We’re just worried about you,” he said gently, lifting Minuette’s chin so they were eye to eye. “You have to understand how this all looks to your mother and I. We’ve never been able to see Fangs, or hear him, or anything. All we have to go off of are your stories about him, and how obsessed you are with the mirror.” Minuette sighed, brushing his hoof aside. “I… I know. I know you’re worried… I overheard you two talking last night.” A heavy silence fell over the trio as Minuette revealed her prior eavesdropping. Pearly lifted her head, meeting her daughter’s gaze directly. “Then you know what I want to do…?” Minuette quickly took a step back, making sure to keep herself between her mother and the mirror. “I know, and I won’t let you take him!” she stated emphatically. Her heart was starting to beat faster in her chest at the prospect of having this argument now, especially after going so long thinking it wouldn’t even be an issue. But nevertheless, she held her ground. Pearly stood up, her brow furrowing. “Minuette, please. This obsession isn’t healthy!” “Princess Celestia herself told you it’s safe!” Minuette shot back, spreading her stance. “She told you about Fangs! Why can’t you just believe her if it’s so hard to believe your own daughter?! She’s the Princess for pony’s sake!” That gave Pearly pause. She took a step back, and she was suddenly not quite able to meet Minuette’s eyes. “I just… I…” Sunspot stepped in between the two, meeting Minuette’s gaze directly. “We just need some proof, Minuette,” he told her firmly. “Princess Celestia said she believed you, but she couldn’t see Fangs, either. I want to believe you, but I just can’t. Not yet. But if Fangs is real, then surely there’s something you can say, some story you can tell us, that’ll prove it? You’ve known him long enough.” Minuette blinked, her mind stalling for a moment. It sounded almost like her father was trying to nudge her into saying something specific, but whatever it was he was fishing for, it escaped her… Until his words from the previous night rang in her ears like the morning bell. “But ya know… I’ve always been the one telling you stories… Maybe you can think of one to tell me someday.” And just like that, it clicked. Minuette looked up at her father with wide eyes, realizing now that her father was a much more clever stallion than she had ever given him credit for. “Lakesong…” she breathed. Pearly blinked, lifting her head. “What?” Minuette practically began to bounce in place. “Lakesong! The story about Lakesong!” she repeated, lifting up onto her hind legs and planting her hooves firmly against her father’s chest. “You came in here one day when I was away at school! You said you were looking for that hammer I stole from you, but you were actually telling Fangs the story about Lakesong and Misty! He told it to me to help me sleep last night!” Pearly frowned, looking over at Sunspot. “What? What is she talking about?!” Sunspot just smiled. He reached down to gently nudge Minuette off of him before sitting back on his haunches. “Why don’t you recount this story for me? Just so I can be sure,” he said softly. Minuette nodded, glancing back at Fangs with a wide, ecstatic grin. He smiled back at her and gave a little nod of his own. Then, with a deep breath, Minuette sat down in front of Sunspot and launched into the story. “Mmkay, so, once upon a time there was this cute little filly called Lakesong, and she lived with her mom and dad by the edge of this big, spooky forest! She played with her friends all day, but she was always warned to never go into the forest, cause uh, it’ll gobble her up or something!” “The monsters in the forest were what would gobble her up,” Fangs noted under his breath. “But close enough.” “But Lakesong and her friends were just foals!” Minuette went on, ignoring Fangs’ remark. “And you know us! Always getting into trouble!” “Well, that much is true at least,” Pearly muttered. “Hush, dear,” Sunspot shushed her. Minuette pressed on. “So Lakesong and her friends decided to go into the forest! And they got lost and scared and wandered all over the place in the dark. Then they found this pond thing, and there was a ghost there named Misty! And Misty was really nice, she protected the foals for the night while they slept, and then she took them home when the sun came up! But she didn’t leave the forest, ‘cause the forest was her home! And nopony believed Lakesong and her friends about Misty, cause ghosts aren’t real, apparently, but Lakesong never stopped believing in her and went to see her whenever she could! And they all lived happily ever after, except Misty, ‘cause she was dead already!” There was a momentary pause as her retelling of the story sunk in. Pearly just stared at her, utterly baffled, then turned to Sunspot. “...Honey? What in the world is going on?” she asked after a moment. “What does any of that mean?” Sunspot turned back to Pearly with a wide grin of his own. “It means, Pearly, that Minuette was telling the truth. Fangs is real.” “What?! How?!” Sunspot turned back to Minuette, meeting her wide, overjoyed eyes with a soft smile. “I’ve kinda had this feeling he was real for a long time, now. I remembered how the kid who had this before Minuette kept saying there was a monster in the mirror, and then when Minuette got it, she got this ‘imaginary friend.’ I thought it was a coincidence at first, but the longer it’s gone on, and the more adamant she’s become, the more I started to think it was more than that.” Minuette felt her heart twisting slightly. “You did?” she asked. “Then… why didn’t you say anything?” “I didn’t say anything because… well…” he shrugged. “What if I was wrong? What if you were just making it up? I didn’t want to enable you if you were just having some really weird puberty phase or something.” Minuette’s cheeks tinted just a little red at that. “That’s… daaaad!” she half-laughed, half groaned, slapping a hoof to his face. “That’s so dumb!” Sunspot chuckled. “Heh, maybe,” he confessed before sobering up. “Anyway, once you started trying to figure out how this thing worked, I decided it was about time I found out for sure. But I can’t see Fangs, or hear him, or anything like that, so I needed to come up with some way to let you prove it to me. And that’s when I remembered how much you liked listening to stories when you were really little…” “And so you came in here and told the story! Fangs would hear it, he’d tell it to me, and then I could tell it to you!” Sunspot nodded. “Yup. I made the story up myself, too, just to be sure.” Minuette stared up at her father for a second longer. The upsurge of joy and elation in her heart at finally, finally proving that Fangs was real was too much for her to contain. She threw herself against Sunspot, wrapping her forelegs around his neck in a tight hug, and practically squealed with delight. She felt him return the gesture, laughing in amusement. From behind her and through her father’s laughter, Minuette heard Fangs giving off an appreciative hum. “I am impressed. That is a remarkably elegant solution. I’m honestly surprised nopony else has thought of it until now.” It was at this point that Pearly chose to rejoin the discussion. She stepped forward, taking up a position next to Sunspot, and eyed the mirror cautiously. “So… Fangs is real?” she echoed, still not quite sounding like she could believe it. “He’s listening to us? Right now?” Minuette glanced back over her shoulder at Fangs before dropping down from her father’s embrace. “Mhmm. He’s been there all day.” Pearly fidgeted anxiously in place, looking this way and that. “Then… w-what happens now?” she asked. There was a brief pause. Fangs took a deep breath and met Minuette’s gaze. “I believe it is long past due that I had a chance to speak with your family, Little One. Will you be my voice again?” Minuette grinned. “Sure!” she said to him before looking back to her family. “Would you like to talk to him?” “How would we do that?” Pearly asked, quirking a brow. Minuette flopped down onto her haunches next to the mirror and smacked her hoof against the frame like a used cart salesmare. “Just talk to him. When he says something, I’ll say what he says.” “To the word? No embellishing?” Sunspot asked with a hint of playful skepticism. “Not here, nope!” Minuette shook her head. “One hundred percent serious!” “Heh. I’ll take your word for it,” Sunspot said with a small smirk. He then focused his eyes on the mirror and stepped forward. Pearly remained at his side, still looking a little unsure. When Sunspot sat down on his haunches in front of the mirror, he gently guided Pearly down with him so they were side by side. A heavy silence hung in the air. Minuette looked back and forth between Fangs and her family; her heart beating just a little faster in anticipation. This one moment was something she had been looking forward to for so long, now, and at last, it was here. “What are you?” Sunspot finally asked, briefly glancing at Minuette. Fangs hesitated for a moment, but when he spoke, his voice was clear, direct, and devoid of hesitation. “I am nothing more or less than your daughter’s friend if you will permit me to remain as such. There is no other answer to that question that, as of now, would be of any consequence to you.” Sunspot listened intently as Minuette recounted Fang’s words, his brow furrowing in thought. “...He has a fancy way of speaking, doesn’t he?” “Like I said,” Minuette pointed out with a smile. “Quirky Grandpa.” “Hmph,” Sunspot snorted in amusement before returning his eyes to the mirror. “...You understand that Pearly and I have more than a few questions for you. About the mirror, about you… and about your relationship with our daughter.” Fangs nodded. “I would expect nothing else. Ask away. I have nothing to hide.” And ask away the parents did. The family must have sat there for hours, the parents at long last getting to speak with Fangs. All the while, even as her cheeks began to hurt, Minuette was unable to keep herself from smiling ear to ear. It had taken a long, long time, but finally, finally, her parents believed her. They asked him so many questions, many of which Minuette wouldn’t have known how to answer. But Fangs never once hesitated. It was so strange, seeing him acting in such a down-to-business fashion, speaking honestly, directly, and respectfully. He was clear and honest about what he knew and wasn’t shy about admitting when he didn’t know or remember something. But at all turns, he made sure to emphasize and reiterate his gratitude and care for Minuette, reaffirming his status as her friend. And maybe now, Minuette thought, he could have a few more. Back to BasicsThe next few days passed peacefully by for Minuette. To her relief, her parents had agreed to let Fangs stay, on the condition that they, of course, talk to him on occasion to make sure all was going well, and for her to tell them if he ever said anything suspicious or threatening. Kind of a weird thing to make her promise now of all times, but hey, they knew Fangs was real and had actually had a conversation with him. She was perfectly happy to deal with a slightly bothersome and ultimately unneeded measure like that in exchange. Fangs, for his part, seemed relieved more than anything. Whenever Sunspot or Pearly went to speak with him, he conducted himself in a calm, civil manner. There was this strange, almost rigid politeness to his every word, as if he were having a job interview. Maybe he felt intimidated by the fact that Pearly and Sunspot were Minuette’s parents, and, as such, were technically a higher rank than him in this particular dynamic. But then again, since when had ‘ranks’ ever factored into family dynamics like this? Especially when weird bug-ponies trapped in mirrors entered the mix? … The point is, Fangs was reserved and polite, and his conduct seemed to do wonders in easing Sunspot and Pearly’s concerns. The newfound peace between everypony served to ease Minuette’s own concerns as well, and the brief window of free time she had to herself left her feeling invigorated, energized, and ready to tackle whatever came next. Until it was actually time to go back to school. Then she just felt annoyed. She looked up at Celestia’s school with a blunt frown on her face. Her saddlebags were weighed down with notebooks, pencils, textbooks, a few sketches of Fangs’ teeth for good luck, an old wad of gum she forgot was there, and a few sheets of parchment detailing what she had missed and what she was expected to do upon her return to make up for the lost time. Minuette took a deep breath. She wasn’t entirely ready to be back, yet. She wanted to spend more time with Fangs, spend more time with her family now that they knew he was real. But time didn’t seem like a very patient mistress, and it was done waiting on her. There wasn’t any choice in the matter. But, if nothing else, she could take some comfort in the fact she’d get to see her friends again. “Minnie!” Ah, speak of the devil. Minuette turned with a wide grin as First Aid came sprinting at her from a nearby street corner. Twinkle Shine and Lemon Hearts were trotting close behind, while Moondancer brought up the rear with an apprehensive look in her eyes. Minuette ran to meet First Aid, and the two enveloped one another in a warm embrace. She buried her face in her old friend’s shoulder, taking a second to just feel the closeness of their contact. The familiar feel of her friend’s fur and hooves chased away her grumpiness, and she couldn’t help but let out a small, relieved giggle. She looked past First and waved at the others. “Hey, girls! Did ya miss me?!” “Sure did,” Twinkle remarked with a smirk. She came to a stop by Minuette’s side and clapped her on the shoulder. “It’s been real boring without you around to spice things up.” Lemon Hearts came up to her other side, her eyes the picture of concern. “Are you alright? You’re not still hurt, are you?” Minuette shook her head. “Nah! The doc fixed my noggin’ up, good! But I do have a bit of a bald spot somewhere, apparently.” Twinkle got a sparkle in her eyes. “No, Twinkle, you can’t see it.” Twinkle sighed in defeat. First Aid pulled out of the hug, giving Minuette a warm smile. “Ha… not even a trip to the hospital can kill your cheer, can it?” “Nope!” Minuette replied with a sharp nod. “Not a thing!” First Aid couldn’t help but give off a little coo of delight before diving back into the embrace. “Oh, sweet Celestia, I missed you…” Minuette rolled her eyes, patting First on the back. It was at this point that Twinkle started snickering to herself. “Heh… Yeah, you did,” she noted knowingly. She turned to Minuette, her lips peeling back into a smug grin. The same grin she got whenever she was about to be a little nuisance. “You shoulda seen her, Minnie. She’s been climbing the walls waiting for you to come back. Worrying and fussing all over.” First Aid disengaged from the hug to give Twinkle a puffy-cheeked glare. But, mercifully, Moondancer came to the rescue. “You say that as if you were any better,” she stated with a wry smirk, adjusting her glasses. “Don’t think I missed that little note you were writing… What was it again? A poem?” Twinkle blinked, turning to Moon with jaw agape. “You wha- how did you…?!” Minuette giggled as Twinkle and Moondancer began bickering back and forth, with Lemon Hearts watching from the sidelines and First Aid just basking in the satisfaction that karma had struck so swiftly. “Some things never change.” That said, she was quick to notice a conspicuous absentee from their happy little reunion. “So, where’s the pretty purple prodigy?” she asked, looking for any sign of Twilight and feeling very proud of that little bit of alliteration. There was a moment of silence following that question, and the air of amusement quickly died. After a moment, Moondancer stepped forward, head bowed low. “She’s still inside. She told us all to go on ahead and that she’d see us in class.” Minuette tilted her head. “How come?” Twinkle shrugged. “Dunno. She’s been acting kinda down since you woke up in the hospital, though.” And just like that, Minuette understood. “...Ah,” she said softly, nodding her head. Twilight must have still been guilty over the incident. She had been so sincere when she offered up that first apology, after all, and had all but shut down under Celestia’s harsh scolding. Minuette took in a deep breath. “Welp,” she thought, starting for the school with a renewed vigor and purpose to her step. “Only one thing to do about that!” “Minnie?” First Aid called after her, confused. “Where are you going?” Minuette shot her old friend a large grin over her shoulder. “To hug Twilight!” she called before stepping inside. The interior of the school felt somehow different as she wormed her way through the halls for her first-period class. There was the same chaotic scramble of ponies going this way and that to get to their classes, or the louder ponies haunting hall corners, joking and laughing among themselves. But even amid the typical hustle and bustle, Minuette couldn’t help but feel less crowded. She felt focused. Relaxed, even. She might have taken a moment to reflect on that and try and figure out why, but she had never been very good at introspection. Plus, she had a mission, and that took priority. Her friends caught up with her before long, but she paid them little mind for the moment. Not that there was much to pay attention to. Everypony was quiet for the most part. Twinkle Shine once or twice tried to strike up conversation, but it never really went anywhere. When they arrived at their first classroom, only about half of the students were present. There was still a little bit of time before the first bell, so most were probably out getting breakfast or hanging with their friends. Minuette scanned the assorted faces, all familiar, but only one of any importance. She spotted Twilight in her usual seat near the back of the class, out of sight and out of mind from the other students. Her face was hidden behind a large book, presumably research material for her private lessons with the Princess. Minuette didn’t waste a moment. She walked across the room toward Twilight, putting on a huge grin. “Heya!” she greeted enthusiastically. The reaction Twilight gave was immediate. She all but slammed the book down with an echoing thud and jumped in her seat with a startled yelp. She looked up to Minuette, her eyes wide in surprise. “Gyah! Minuette!” she exclaimed. Minuette just grinned wider. “How ya been?” Twilight stared at her for a moment. There was something in her expression that gave Minuette pause. But before she could parse it, Twilight covered it up with a stern-faced frown. “Don’t you know better than to sneak up on ponies?” Minuette just giggled. “Oh, come on, Twilight! You know me better than that.” Twilight opened her mouth to proffer up some sort of retort, but none came. After a moment of uselessly mouthing like a comically purple fish, she just gave a quiet sigh and leaned back in her seat. “Yeah, I guess I do…” she admitted, a ghost of a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. Her voice lowered into something softer, and her usual confidence bled away, replaced by something far more humble. “It’s good to see you. How, um… how are you feeling?” Minuette’s smile softened considerably. She closed the remaining distance, and before Twilight could offer up even a word of protest, she enveloped the other unicorn in a tight hug. Awkward angle from Twilight sitting at her desk and all. Twilight squeaked in surprise. “Yipe! Minuette, what are you doing?” she asked in a hiss. Minuette gave her a squeeze. “Giving you a hug, you silly filly. What’s it look like?” “Why?” “Because it’s good to see you, too.” Minuette pulled back and out of the hug, giving Twilight another soft smile. “Plus, I get the feeling you probably needed it.” Twilight stared at her for a few moments, her expression conflicted. There was a subtle red tint to her cheeks, indicative of her embarrassment at being hugged so brazenly where others could see. It was joined by confusion, annoyance, prideful poutiness. The usual Twilight suspects. “Princess Celestia was hard on you, wasn’t she?” Minuette finally asked, dropping her voice to a low whisper, her smile gone. Twilight went rigid. She looked down at her discarded book, her ears drooping. “...To put it mildly… I got lunch detention for two weeks after what happened… And I was grounded for one.” Minuette nodded along, but she didn’t say anything. Twilight let her face fall against the table with a groan, her hooves running through her mane. “Guh… I was so stupid. I shouldn’t have pushed it so much… I know I said it before, but I’m really sorry, Minuette.” Minuette smiled, placing a hoof on Twilight’s back. “I know you are…” she said softly before leaning a little closer with a small grin. “But you wanna know the best way to make yourself feel better?” Twilight was quiet for a few moments. She tilted her head so one eye was peeking at Minuette from under her mane. “What?” she asked, her voice muffled. Minuette’s grin grew. “Eat a bunch of donuts, of course!” she declared, thrusting one hoof up into the air for emphasis. “You promised you’d buy us all a bunch after I got out of the hospital, remember? I’m still holding you to that!” Twilight just stared at Minuette for a minute, her expression blank. She slowly sat up, just staring into Minuette’s grinning face. And then, finally, her stoic expression broke. A tiny smile appeared, followed by a subdued giggle. “Heh… yeah. Sure. Some donuts sound good… I’ll be there.” “You’d better be! You’re buying, remember?” Minuette teased, flashing Twilight a wink. Twilight rolled her eyes. “Ha! Yes, I remember.” “Holy cow,” a new voice suddenly spoke from behind Minuette, making her jump. She spun around to find the rest of their friends watching the whole moment quietly from a respectful distance… though now Twinkle Shine, the one who had spoken, was receiving a series of disapproving looks from the others. She didn’t seem to care. “Minnie, did you actually just get Twilight to agree to hang out?” she asked in disbelief. “Like, on your own? That’s possible?” Minuette, only mildly annoyed at the silent audience, let her grin grow as big as it could before thrusting her hoof up again. “Leave it to the beast to accomplish the impossible with flying colors!” Twinkle grinned. “Ha. Nice! Twilight’s paying, right?” Moondancer promptly smacked her. Minuette giggled at the interaction, then turned back to Twilight. Alas, before she could say anything else, the tell-tale blaring of the school’s first bell sounded. It would be time for class to begin before long. Minuette frowned up at the roof. “Gah. Wait your turn, you stupid bell!” she protested before smiling back down at Twilight. “We’ll talk later, 'kay?” Twilight nodded, her smile still small, but genuine. “Okay.” Satisfied, Minuette spun in place and marched to her desk with a noticeable bounce in her step. She ignored the verbal lashing that First was giving Twinkle for her poor timing and got comfortable in the familiar spot. Ponies began to filter in from outside, taking their places around the room. First Aid sat down at the desk beside her not long after. Minuette looked over at her with her trademark smile. First Aid returned it. She reached out and placed a hoof on Minuette’s shoulder. “Welcome back, Minnie,” she said in a soft whisper. “We missed you. A lot.” Minuette just grinned wider. “I missed you guys, too.” Closing The Door“Are you sure you have everything packed, Little One?” Fangs asked with a quirked eyebrow, his eyes darting from Minuette to look at the pair of saddlebags leaning against her bed. Minuette let out an exasperated sigh. “Ugh. Yes, Fangs, I have everything I need! Why do you keep asking me that?” “Just making sure,” Fangs defended, lifting a hoof with a small smirk. “I wouldn’t want you to go on this trip of yours and forget something important.” Minuette blew a raspberry at him, drawing an amused chortle from the imprisoned mirror bug. She then shook her head and frowned. “Well, we are forgetting something important…” The history exam had come and gone with no fanfare, and Celestia had called her in once or twice to question her on the mirror. Those meetings had been clinical and to the point, but Minuette had told the solar alicorn all she could about the mirror. She had also brought back a series of written questions to get Fangs' answers on them without having to remove the mirror from her home. But now it was the first day of Summer Vacation, and Minuette’s family had made arrangements to head out of Canterlot for the week to get away from everything. If Minuette recalled correctly, they were going to be headed down to that village at the base of the mountain - Ponyville, she thought it was called. A wholly different place from Canterlot, but close enough that, in the event that something came up, they would be able to come home swiftly. There was just one problem. The mirror stayed here. And Minuette didn’t like that. Fangs gave her a warm smile. “Minuette…” “You should get to come along, too! You’ve been in Canterlot for so long, now. It must be boring!” “Just getting to spread my wings and soar the skies outside on occasion is more than enough for me after the tarp,” Fangs shot back with a coy grin. “Really, it isn’t a big deal.” “But why can’t they let me take you with me?!” Fangs rolled his eyes. “Well, for one thing, I am your friend, but I am not your family, and this is a family trip. Secondly, you’re still the only pony who can perceive my existence. Therefore, bringing me along would only serve to throw a monkey wrench into your family time.” Minuette went to offer up some protest, but Fangs held up a hoof, silencing her before she could begin. He leaned in, a far more amused smirk spreading across his fanged muzzle. “You and I both know that, if you took me along, you’d spend more time ogling my teeth and chattering at me than seeing the sights and being with your family. Which, in my humble opinion, rather defeats the purpose.” Minuette spluttered incoherently for several seconds, searching desperately for some witty comeback, but none were forthcoming. In the end, she just settled for puffing up her cheeks and sticking her tongue out at the bug. She hated it when he was right and it inconvenienced her! Before the two could continue, there was a sudden knocking at the door. Minuette almost jumped out of her skin before turning around. “What is it?” she called out. The door popped open a second later, revealing Sunspot on the other side. He smiled at her. “Hey, kiddo. We’re gonna be rolling out of here in about an hour. You got everything?” Minuette nodded, pointing to her saddlebags on the bed. “Yup, I do.” “Good. In that case…” Sunspot stepped to one side and pushed the door all the way open to reveal there was somepony else standing just outside the bedroom. Minuette sprang up to her hooves with an excited gasp, her eyes igniting with delight. “First Aid!” she exclaimed, bounding over as the filly trotted into the room and enveloping her in a warm embrace. “Oof!” First grunted in surprise from the sudden impact, falling back onto her haunches. She giggled a moment later, once her breath returned to her, and returned the embrace. “Hah! Hey, Minnie!” “What are you doing here?!” Minuette asked with a huge grin, pulling back to look into First’s face. First Aid rolled her eyes, playfully pressing her hoof to Minuette’s nose. “What do you think, silly filly? I wanted to come and hang out with you.” Minuette’s grin widened at the prospect of hanging out with her oldest friend. But then her eyes wandered past First Aid’s big grin and settled on her father, and her burst of enthusiasm died on the spot. She deflated, turning back to First. “Heh. Well… I mean, we’re kinda…” “Yeah, I heard,” First Aid admitted, her ears drooping as she glanced back at Sunspot. “Your dad told me what’s going on.” There was a brief pause. Sunspot cleared his throat, drawing the attention of the two foals. “Like I said, we’re leaving in about an hour. I figured you could spend that time hanging out, if you wanted,” he explained with a shrug. Minuette blinked in surprise. That was surprisingly lenient on her, given their time constraints. But there was probably some sort of secret ulterior motive behind it all. Probably distracting her so that she wouldn’t bother them while they got their own last-minute preparations out of the way or something like that. But oh well. Who cares? And who was she to look a gift horse in the mouth? But then again, there was the time she had studied Fangs’ teeth for hours on end, and he had come as a part of a birthday present, so that made him a gift… …Minuette quickly shook her head and dispelled such notions. She put on a huge grin and nodded like an excited puppy. “If I wanted? Dad, c’mon, you know me!” Sunspot chuckled while stepping out of the room. “Yeh, I do. Have fun. Pearly will come to get you when it’s time to go. Don’t have too much fun, you two!” he said before the door closed shut with an audible click. The two fillies sat together in silence for a few seconds before disentangling from their hug and wandering into the middle of the room. “So. Ponyville, huh?” First asked after a short silence, sitting on her haunches. “I think Lyra mentioned that her family’s going to be moving down there next year.” “Mhmm,” Minuette replied, sitting across from her. “I’ve never been there. Dad says it’s really small and quiet, though.” First Aid’s smile turned predatory. “Quiet? And your folks are taking you there? Oh, Celestia have mercy on those poor ponies…” “May Celestia have mercy indeed,” Fangs added from the back of the room with a grin. Minuette rolled her eyes at the twin jabs before joining in. “Ha! Oh yeah, those country ponies won’t know what hit ‘em! Look out, Ponyville, the beast is coming for ya! Rawr!” She struck a pose as she said this. For some reason. First Aid giggled again. “Ha ha! Ah. Ya know, my train stopped there for a little bit when I was on my way to Manehattan.” Minuette perked up, leaning forward slightly. “Oh yeah? What’s it like?” “It’s small, quiet, and rustic. It’s actually really nice to look at. I didn’t get to see much of it before the train got moving again, but what little I saw was really nice. I could see a lot of hills and trees, and there was so much grass. There’s also this big spooky forest right next to it, too. Canterlot is beautiful, but it kinda lacks in the nature department sometimes.” Minuette took in the information with equal parts excitement and dismay. It sounded like a nice change of pace. She’d never even seen a forest in person before, for pony’s sake! It sounded new and exciting, and she couldn’t wait to go and see it for herself. Her eyes wandered over to Fangs, and her smile faded as she reminded herself that he wouldn’t be seeing it. Fangs met her gaze. He smiled. That same, reassuring smile he always gave her whenever she got stressed out. Somehow, this time, it felt unfair. “Minnie?” Minuette snapped back to First Aid as the other filly’s voice sliced through her momentary reverie. First’s smile was gone, replaced with a curious frown. “What is it?” Minuette hesitated for a second, before heaving a quiet sigh. “Gah. It’s nothing…” A pause. “...You don’t get to take Fangs, do you?” Minuette blinked, looking up to First Aid in shock. “Wha- huh? How did you know?!” she asked, confused. First Aid’s smile returned, softer this time, and far more distant. “What can I say? I know you a little too well,” she said in a lower voice. Minuette just stared at her for a moment. After a few seconds, she realized that her mouth was hanging open, and she clamped it shut with an audible snap. She leaned tentatively forward. “But… I thought you didn’t believe in Fangs.” First Aid didn’t say anything at first. She stood to walk toward the mirror, her smile fading away. She sat down in front of it, and from Minuette’s position, Fangs appeared to be towering over her, looking down at her with curiosity. Several seconds passed before First Aid spoke. “I… I don’t know,” she confessed, lowering her head. “I want to believe. I really do…” Minuette was quiet for a few seconds, her mind racing. After a moment, she rose to her hooves and walked over to sit beside her oldest friend. She draped a foreleg over First’s shoulders, drawing a curious glance from her. Minuette smiled. “Well, why don’t you?” she asked. First Aid heaved a sigh, shrugging her shoulders. “Because I can’t see or hear him? Because he sounds like something straight out of a little filly’s story? Because a magical bug pony trapped in your mirror that only you can see just doesn’t make any sense to me?” Minuette might have winced at those remarks, once upon a time. Not this time, though. This time, she just sat there and listened, letting her friend get her thoughts and her feelings out into the open. First Aid continued, running a hoof over her face. “But, at the same time, you’ve just been so… adamant about it. I know you, Minnie, and you’ve got the attention span of a wet noodle. I know that you aren’t the type to fake something for such a long time. Especially not these days. We aren’t tiny fillies anymore, we’re teenagers.” Minuette opened her mouth to protest the bit about her attention span, realized First had touched on the exact point Celestia had, and promptly closed her mouth. First’s lips tugged up into a tiny smile at seeing that reaction. “Heh… But besides all of that, we all know that your mirror is magical, now. Twilight and Moondancer spent all that time with you to research it. It put you in the hospital for pony’s sake! Hay, even Princess Celestia herself took an interest in the stupid thing! After all of that, how could I deny that there’s something magical about it?” First then looked away, her ears drooping. “And, if there’s magic on it… magic that strong, then… Maybe Fangs is real, too.” Minuette smiled softly at that, once again reminded that, for all of their joint antics, First Aid had always had a sharp mind. She patted First on the back before standing up and positioning herself next to the mirror. “Well… if it helps, Celestia believes in him.” First Aid blinked in confusion, sitting upright. “Huh?” Minuette just grinned and glanced at Fangs. He offered her a smile. “If ever there was a time for you to convince her, little one, it would be now.” That was all the confirmation Minuette needed. With little fanfare, she began to recap the story of Celestia’s visit, from her initial examination to the finer points of their protracted discussion about the ‘lock and key’ aspect of things. But she didn’t stop there. She went on, explaining the confrontation with her own parents that had followed, before, at long last, revealing the clever little gambit employed by her father to prove Fangs' existence. When at last the story came to its end, First Aid was silent. Her wide eyes turned to look into the mirror before narrowing as if trying to divine something obscured by a heavy fog. She was clearly trying to find Fangs somewhere amidst the reflection. There was a clear war raging behind First’s eyes. Minuette could see it plainly in her friend’s face. She was so close to believing, so close to finally being able to enter the fold! She just needed one more push. One last little nudge, and at long last, Fangs would have another friend in the circle. Finally, First Aid turned back to Minuette. Her lips pulled up into a small, sad smile. “I guess that settles it, then, doesn’t it?” Minuette’s heart all but skipped a beat. She leaned in eagerly, her grin widening even farther. “So you believe me? You believe in him?!” she asked eagerly, ready to throw herself against First in a tight hug. First looked back into the mirror, her smile growing. “...I can’t see him. I can’t hear him… But if Celestia herself believes in him… who am I to say she’s wrong?” she finally said with a shrug. “I can’t argue with that… so… yes, Minuette…” First Aid turned back to Minuette and spoke the three little words she had so longed to hear. “I believe you.” When Celestia had told Minuette that she believed her about Fangs, she had been overjoyed. The gratification, the validation of years of persistence and silence, all of it had been overwhelming in just how happy it had made her feel. But this was different, somehow. It wasn’t as violent of a surge of joy, but it was so much stronger. She didn’t squeal, she didn’t laugh or jump or do anything like that. For the first time in her admittedly short life so far, her joy was expressed only by the tearful embrace she gave to her oldest friend. First Aid returned the hug without a word. “Thank you,” Minuette whispered, giving First Aid a squeeze. “Thank you so much. Y-you have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that…” “You’re welcome,” First replied, her voice also a low whisper. She gave Minuette a pat on the back before leaning away to give her a warm smile. It was then that First noticed the tears in Minuette’s eyes, and her smile became a concerned frown. “Are you crying?” “No!” Minuette denied in a pathetic whimper, rubbing a hoof over her face. “J-just liquid happiness! O-or something. That thing Twilight’s brother says.” “Liquid pride?” “Y-yeah! That thing! Sniff.” First Aid giggled softly before hugging Minuette again. Neither of them said anything for a long while, just holding each other close. Minuette took the opportunity to truly process the full gravity of what just happened. It almost felt too easy. After years of playing off the existence of her best friend as little more than a figment of her imagination, finally, she was getting to share him with the ponies she cared about. It was almost surreal. The only thing that could make it better would be freeing him from the mirror. …But that wasn’t going to happen. It was impossible. Not even Celestia could pull it off. And if the princess couldn’t do it, then who could? Minuette shook her head, dismissing such thoughts. There was nothing more she could do about it now. All she could do for Fangs was exactly what she had been doing for him from the very beginning, and with Celestia as her literal and figurative witness, she was going to do just that. “Well?” First asked after what felt like forever, pulling out of the hug to give Minuette a big smile. “Aren’t you going to introduce us?” Minuette took a deep breath, then turned back to the mirror. “Uh huh. Fangs? You ready?” Fangs just smiled. “...I am.” With that confirmation, Minuette took her place next to the mirror and nodded to First. “Alright. First Aid, meet Fangs the mirror bug!” First hesitated for a moment. There was a final vestige of doubt lingering in her eyes, but she only needed a few seconds to overcome it and speak. “Uh… h-hi, Fangs. My name is First Aid… but, uh, you knew that already, didn’t you?” Fangs merely smiled. “I do, yes… it is a pleasure to finally speak with you, First Aid. And, though I confess such a sentiment is long overdue, I wanted to thank you for standing up for Minuette when she first tried to reveal me to you and your old friends.” Minuette relayed his words, and First Aid blinked in surprise as they came up. She shifted on her haunches, clearly trying to adjust to this new situation, but before long she spoke again. “You’re welcome.” “Minuette! Come on, it’s almost time to go!” Minuette shot an irritated glance over her shoulder at her bedroom door. “In a minute!” she hollered back before returning her attention to First and Fangs. The two had been engrossed in their discussion for a while now. First Aid had been extremely awkward and reluctant at first, but in time, she began to adjust to the situation. And before long, the two had been animatedly talking about a whole assortment of things. Many of which revolved around poking fun at Minuette, which was categorically unfair! Now, though, Fangs and First were both giving her a small smirk. She felt like she was being picked on again, and pouted appropriately. “What are you smiling at?” Fangs snickered, shaking his head. “Oh, nothing, but you really should be getting a move on. You don’t want to keep them all waiting for too long.” “Yeah, and I should probably be heading home anyway,” First agreed with a reluctant nod once Minuette conveyed his words. “I don’t wanna hold you guys up.” Minuette sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. “I know, I know. I just… ugh. You guys just met. But now I gotta go, and you can’t talk to each other if I’m not around…” Fangs simply smiled at her, that same, confident, comforting, reassuring, and altogether unfair smile he always gave her. He nodded towards the door. “Go on, little one. There will be time enough for us to get to know one another when you come back. Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere.” “I know you’re not, and that’s part of the problem!” Minuette lamented, smacking her face into the glass with a comical thud. It was at this time that the door swung open with a click, and Pearly poked her head in. She looked about ready to give off some dramatic, exasperated huff, as was the norm when dealing with Minuette being stubborn. But instead, all she did was blink and offer up a warm smile. She turned to First Aid. “First, it’s time for you to head home. Minnie has to get ready to go.” First rose to her hooves. “Okay. Lemme say goodbye real quick!” she turned back to Minuette and gave her a large smile. She then stepped forward and wrapped Minuette up in a warm hug. “Have fun in Ponyville, Minnie.” Minuette wanted to protest, but the words died in her throat. So she just smiled, rolled her eyes, and returned the hug. “I will.” First pulled away a second later, then looked back to the mirror. She nodded at Fangs before turning and heading for the door. She gave Minuette a little wave as she went. “Bye, Minnie!” Minuette waved, calling her own farewells after her until First Aid disappeared through the door. A few seconds later, the tell-tale sound of the front door opening and closing echoed through the home. Pearly gave a sage nod, her attention returning to Minuette. “...She knows, doesn’t she?” Minuette gave an enormous grin. “Yup! One more friend for Fangs!” Pearly laughed softly at the declaration. She stepped fully into the room and closed the door behind her. She came up to Minuette’s side and sat down, draping a foreleg over her shoulders. “I’m glad to hear it.” Minuette didn’t say anything. She just took a moment to smile and leaned into her mother’s embrace. The two sat in silence for a few short moments, enjoying one another’s company. Then Pearly patted Minuette’s shoulder. “But really, grab your things. It’s almost time to go.” Minuette’s eyes lingered on the mirror. “Are you sure we can’t take him?” she asked pleadingly, putting on her best puppy dog face as she looked up at her mother. “Did I not say earlier that taking me with you would defeat the entire purpose?” Fangs commented with a chuckle. Minuette ignored him. Pearly gave Minuette a soft smile before stepping forward. “I’m sorry, sweetie, but yes, I’m sure. Your father and I discussed it a lot, and we think it’d be for the best if Fangs stayed here.” Minuette blew out a raspberry in disappointment. “Bleh. Okay…” Pearly chuckled and ruffled Minuette’s mane. “Hey, look at it this way. You’ll have all kinds of stories to tell him when you get back. And besides, what would we say to the ponies at the hotel if we walked into the lobby carrying an entire vanity mirror when we’ll have one in our room?” “Um… I don’t know?” Minuette answered, looking down. “Exactly. So we leave him here,” Pearly said with a sage nod. “Er, no offense to you.” “None taken,” Fangs replied, giving Minuette a meaningful look. “I don’t mind staying here.” Minuette hesitated for a moment before fulfilling her role as Fangs’ messenger, relaying his words back to Pearly, who nodded gratefully. “I’m glad to hear it.” Minuette groaned in frustration, scuffing the floor with a hoof. “Ugh. This is dumb…” Pearly giggled at her daughter’s all-but catchphrase before rising to her hooves. “I’m sure you’ll change your mind once we get there… Go ahead and say goodbye, then meet us downstairs.” “Ugh. Okay,” Minuette relented. She couldn’t help but smile and giggled when Pearly leaned in to lay a quick, needlessly sloppy kiss into her mane. She squirmed away, parent and daughter sharing a short laugh before Pearly took her leave and headed back downstairs. Minuette watched her go, before turning back to Fangs. “Well… I guess I gotta go, huh?” she asked dejectedly. Fangs nodded. “That you do. I look forward to hearing all about it.” Minuette looked down, closing her eyes. “It’s just that… You’re gonna be all alone again, you know?” she asked, imagining him left all alone in this room with nopony to talk to for the next week. “Even if First could come by while we were gone, she still can’t talk to you unless I’m here.” “I know,” Fangs replied with a sage nod. “But I cannot hog you forever, nor should I. Don’t worry. I will make do. One week will hardly be the blink of an eye to me. You’ll all be back before I even have a chance to think about the fact you’re gone.” “Yeah, I guess…” Minuette muttered before rising back to her hooves. She looked at Fangs again, her eyes roving up and down his form. A moment later, she stepped forward and wrapped her legs around the frame in the closest approximation to a hug she could give him. “I’ll be back before you know it.” “Of course you will,” Fangs replied with a sage nod. “Take care, Minuette. And have fun!” Minuette pulled back from the mirror and offered him a big smile. Then, with only a slight bit of hesitation, she turned from the mirror and stepped out of the room. She paused in the doorway, looking back at Fangs one more time. He just smiled at her, and somehow, she knew everything would be alright. With that, she stepped out, closing the door behind her. Author's Note End of Act II. Oh man, this chapter was a pain in the arse to get to a point where I was happy with it. But yes! As of this moment, Act 2 of The Bug in The Mirror has come to a close! And with the conclusion of this act, I have a small announcement to make. Some of you may have noticed that, ever since I took up Rise and Shine alongside The Bug in The Mirror, my overall story production has gone down remarkably. This, plainly put, is because I am spreading myself kind of thin. As such, as we have reached a good pause point for Bug in The Mirror, it will be placed on a temporary hiatus while I focus down on my other two stories, Rise and Shine and Little Keys. Once one of those is complete (most likely Keys, as I'm almost done with the second-to-last arc of that one anyway), I will resume work on The Bug in The Mirror and work it back into my regular rotation. My hope in doing this is that I can mark stories as 'Complete' more frequently by getting them done in a smaller span of time by simply working on fewer at once. It's always a good feeling when I finish a story, and focusing down on fewer of them will, ideally, increase my velocity and hopefully help with my motivation. Allow me to reiterate, that Bug in The Mirror WILL continue! But it's just taking a back seat while Minuette closes this chapter on her life and moves on to the next one. Thanks for reading my nonsense, folks. Fangs and Minuette will see you when they come back! Until then, take care! Unseen, UnheardHe sat on his haunches, watching them all coming and going with a far away, solemn look in his eyes. His ears swiveled around to face every new sound, listening to the ponies walking this way and that through the old, lavish halls of the antiquated estate. Through the tall, narrow window he viewed the world through, he could see rows of long tables set up with knick-knacks, books, old cutlery, and various other household objects scattered across them, each one tagged with a sticker and a number. An estate sale. He didn’t know what had prompted the owners of the home to put it on. If he was honest, he didn’t really care, either. The ponies who owned this manor were far from kind. They were as full of themselves, and as arrogant as one could ever expect, the defining picture of the contradiction that was pony nobility. He had half a mind to go and give the owners of this manor a stern vocal lashing. He had seen them yelling at their servants and angrily chastising their only foal for even the tiniest mistakes more times than he cared to count in the few months he had been forced to watch them from behind this accursed glass. More than once, he had spoken up to try and help where possible, but like always, his cries went unheard, his visage unseen by any who mattered. Save for one. The colt looked back at him from across the room, hiding quietly behind his father’s legs. Out of the many ponies ambling aimlessly through the halls, he was the only one to have seen him. The only one who could see him. He had been hopeful that he might have found a friend in the little guy, but alas, his panicked screams and proclamations of a monster had dashed those hopes against the glass that separated them. A few ponies wandered directly into his field of view, briefly stopping to look down at him. He put on a small smile. “Hello…” he greeted quietly, his voice distorted into two tones. The ponies did not react to his words. They glanced at each other after a moment, shrugged, and moved on. His ears drooped as soon as they were out of sight, his heart withering in his old chest. Of course, they hadn’t heard him. They never did. Why would this time be any different? How long had he been like this? Forced to watch the world in front of him through an indestructible pane of glass, Unable to interact with almost anyone who crossed his path? It was hard to tell. The years had not been kind to his memory, and he was sure he had forgotten more than he remembered at this point. No matter how much he forgot, though, one thing remained ever-present in his mind. He was trapped. Trapped in an old mirror he had no control over, trapped in a world he could not interact with or leave, no matter how loud he screamed or how hard he pounded on the glass barrier in front of him. He gave off a quiet sigh, his eyes drifting back to the colt that had screamed at him before. They locked gazes, and he tried to smile again, acutely aware of the long, sharp fangs jutting down from his upper lip. Some small part of him hoped against hope that such a small gesture of friendliness might make the child reconsider him. The colt ducked behind his father’s legs again, mumbling quietly, no doubt telling him that ‘the monster’ was looking at him again. As if to add credence to the theory, the colt’s father glared down at him and spat out a hissed reprimand, causing the little foal to crouch down to the ground as if he had been struck. The ‘monster’s’ blood boiled at the sight. His smile fell away while his black, hole-riddled hoof flew forward, wanting nothing more than to clock that arrogant jerk of a father across his smug jaw. Alas, all his hoof found was the solid glass of the mirror with a loud smack, sending a spear of pain dancing up and down his foreleg. The glassy surface didn’t even twitch from his strike, and he knew it would not budge. It never had before. Another pony stepped up to once again cut off his line of sight with the poor foal. He was an orange unicorn stallion, his purple eyes looking at him in curiosity. He studied the mirror for a moment until his gaze eventually fell on something just out of sight to one side. His brow furrowed in confusion. “Huh...that’s cheap. Hey, honey?” he called, looking off to one side. A silvery mare with a mane and tail of blue and silver stepped forward, her bright blue eyes looking over the mirror that was the ‘monster’s’ home with just as much curiosity as the stallion. “Oh, my… this thing looks ancient,” she noted, reaching out to run her hoof along the old, ornate frame of the mirror. “Because it is,” the ‘monster’ explained simply, his tattered wings drooping at his sides. “But, they only want a few bits for it?” The mare went on, rubbing at her chin in thought. “Weird… it’s really nice,” The stallion said, stepping back. “Any idea why?” “No clue,” The mare replied quietly before looking back towards the colt and his father. She got the look of a mare with a bright idea. “But I think I know who to ask!” With that, the mare turned and waved energetically to the stallion, getting his attention. He grimaced at the sight and talked at his son before wandering over, an impatient grimace on his face. “Yes? What is it?” he asked in a tired and irritable voice. The mare wasn’t fazed, pointing at the ‘monster’ with a smile. “Why is this mirror so cheap? The thing’s an antique and in great shape! It must be worth a small fortune.” The father snorted. “Oh, it is, trust me. I blew a small fortune acquiring the blasted thing, only for my little boy to start crying ‘monster’ every time he laid eyes on it, the stupid child,” he said, glaring at the mirror with nothing but resentment. “Little fella’s too old for his imagination to be running rampant like this, but he’s stubborn. Figure if we get rid of the stupid thing we can get rid of ‘the monster’ he keeps whining about.” The orange stallion frowned, clearly unimpressed with the father’s tone. “So you’re selling it for dirt cheap?” “Yes. Why? You want it?” The ‘monster’ watched as the two ponies thought it over, looking at one another as if to silently communicate. They did not speak aloud for a moment, but he didn’t need them to. With barely even a thought, his vision blurred and refocused, allowing him to see their auras. Clouds of pink and dark mustard yellow enveloped the two. Love and confusion. “Hmmm… I don’t need a new mirror,” the stallion eventually said with a shrug. “What do you think, Pearly?” The mare beside him, Pearly if he had to guess, looked it up and down, her muzzle scrunching up in thought. Her eyes then lit up, and she turned back to her companion. “Neither do I, Sunspot, but you know who might?” she asked coyly. The stallion, Sunspot, got a small smile on his face to match hers. “Oh, yeah. She could use something like this, huh?” he asked. The ‘monster’ watched them with wide eyes as their auras shifted hues, abandoning the mustard yellow in favor of a glow alike to sunlight. Excitement. Was he about to change hooves again? How many times would that make in just the last ten years? He’d stopped counting after twelve, a decision he had since come to regret. “Minuette is going to that big school now,” Pearly went on, her eyes shining with fond thoughts of somepony who was not here. “And her birthday is in just a few days, too. Something like this would be nice for her, I think. She could touch up her appearance, practice anything she needs to recite...” “Oh, please,” Sunspot chuckled. “You and I both know she’s just going to make funny faces at it.” “I fail to see the problem with that.” Sunspot rolled his eyes. “Meh. Fair enough.” The father cleared his throat. “Ahem. So I take it you’re buying this thing?” “I’d love to,” Pearly replied, turning back to him. “We have a little filly waiting for us back home. She’s about to turn ten, and I think she’d really like this.” “So I heard,” the father dryly replied before stepping back. “Alright, then, pick it up and follow me. Box with the bits is near the front door.” “Alright. Honey?” Sunspot asked. “On it!” The ‘monster’ braced himself. All at once, his entire world became awash with a pale blue glow as Pearly grasped the mirror in her magic. A wave of vertigo and nausea flooded his senses as his world was lurched upward, the floor dropping away beneath his hooves. His wings sprang into life to keep him afloat, and he spun around to face away from the mirror. Behind him, a perfect replica of the manor drifted by, moving of its own accord as the mirror was pulled along. Unlike the manor through the glass behind him, however, the great rooms and halls in front of him were frighteningly empty. The tables, loaded with goods to be sold, were still scattered about, but there was not a pony to be seen. Empty as always. The world was reflected, but not the creatures that gave it life or meaning. He allowed his mind to wander with the world shifting beneath his hooves. He was about to be passed off again, sold like some simple trinket. And if what he had heard earlier was any indication, he was to be presented to yet another foal as a birthday present. A little filly about to turn ten years old... Repressing a sigh, he turned around and looked out through the mirror again. His eyes found the colt he had frightened. The young pony was looking back at him, his ears drooping. He almost looked guilty, as if he were only now regretting his previous behavior now that it was too late to take it back. The ‘monster’ sighed. It didn’t matter now. What was done was done, and he could do nothing to change it. His ears folded back at the memory of the colt ahead of him screaming in terror when he had first revealed himself. The moment had shocked him, it had been so abrupt, and his best efforts to soothe the situation had amounted to nothing when maids and servants came rushing in to check on the foal. In all of the chaos, things only got worse, until the little guy had fled his own room in a panic. “...I don’t want that to happen again,” the ‘monster’ said under his breath. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Foals were skittish things, this he knew. If this ‘Minuette’ was anything at all like the colt he was leaving behind, then there was no good to be had from showing his face to her. “I can do without a friend for a little while…” “And here you are!” Pearly’s voice came from somewhere out of his line of sight. “Thank you. Now please, get that thing out of here,” the father asked, clearly eager to be rid of the mirror. The monster grimaced. “...At least one of us has that luxury.” Without another word, Pearly and Sunspot carried the mirror along as they took their leave, eagerly chatting amongst themselves. That was it, then. The deal was struck, and his future was decided. The ‘monster’ took a deep breath and focused ahead as the mirror was floated for the front doors of the mansion. “...Alright, then,” he thought, bracing himself. “Let’s see my new home.” The doors opened, and his eyes were flooded with light. Author's Note And here we are with yet another Bug in The 'X' story! This one is likely going to be a LOT longer than Bug in The Cave was, as much like Basement, it will take place over a substantial period of time. I hope you all like what I have cooked up for you this time! Wait, am I Crazy?Something wasn’t quite right today. Minuette glanced around at the other students in the hall as she worked her way for her usual lunch spot. Some of them were looking back at her with scrunched up muzzles or, even worse, knowing smirks. A small few had been doing this earlier when she first got to school, but it seemed even worse now. It seemed that no matter what direction she looked in, somepony was giving her a look. Normally, she might have enjoyed the attention. Celestia knew that the little filly definitely enjoyed it when the spotlight was on her. But this was different. The way they were looking at her sent a tiny tingle of discomfort working its way slowly but surely down her spine. She shuddered uncomfortably, trying not to think about it, but they just kept staring. “Okay, need something to distract me,” she thought, racking her brain for something she could use to distance her mind from the looks she was getting. “Oh, I know! Tiger teeth! Little baby tigers and their gummy little mouths!” She now imagined what it would be like for a toothless baby tiger to try and bite her throat with its slimy little gums. A small smirk spread on her face as she imagined how ticklish it might be, and how much she’d probably be giggling at the wasted effort. Then mama tiger showed up, and everything stopped being funny and ticklish very quickly. Minuette’s smile faltered, and she decided that imagining tigers biting her was probably not the smartest thing to go to for a self-distracting train of thought. It was distracting, sure, but it went to dark places. But now she was thinking about teeth that scared her, and no set of chompers spooked her more than those of geese. “Why do they have teeth on the sides of their tongue?!” she thought with a disgusted shudder. “And why do they hate everypony on a personal level?! It’s mean!” Well, at least wondering why Geese were such rude jerks was more pleasant than thinking about a tiger nomming on her jugular. Still not exactly ideal, though. Those suckers were creepy! It was then that her mind wandered away from the feathered devils to something a bit more recent. She faltered mid-step as her thoughts shifted back to her personal training session in her room the previous day, and how she had seen something moving around in her mirror. Not to mention the voice that had told her to be careful. She frowned, her muzzle scrunching up in thought. Had she just imagined it? At the time, that was what she had told herself, so she could focus on her spell and her dad’s instructions. But once she had gone to bed and really thought about it, she had started doubting that assessment. Something about it just being her imagination just didn’t sound right… “Maybe because I’ve seen something move in it once before?” she wondered, thinking back to when she had first gotten it. She knew she had seen something moving in the reflection at least two times now. “...Wait, am I crazy?” she finally thought, a crooked smirk spreading across her face. “Ha! I am totally going crazy. Maybe.” She’d figure it out later. At least now she wasn’t thinking about all of the odd looks everypony kept giving her today. Mission accomplished! Minuette soon stepped out of the doors, and into a wide-open courtyard of sorts, surrounded on all sites by other sections of Celestia’s School. A steady stream of ponies ranging from little foals to mid-teenagers traveled this way and that in vaguely orderly flows, following paved stone paths that wound through the courtyard in an expansive circle. A large statue of Celestia herself was erected in the center of the courtyard, her wings fanning out wide as if to grant shelter to all who passed beneath. Off to one side, a grassy patch beside the path, Minuette saw her friends sitting around, nibbling on their pre-packed lunches with smiles. Perking up, she cantered over, already reaching into her saddlebags to withdraw her own lunch. “Hey, guys!” she called as she approached. First Aid looked up, smiling widely and giving a friendly wave. “Minuette! Hey! You’re a little late,” she called. Minuette set her saddlebags down before plonking onto her haunches. She gave First a bewildered look. “I am?” she asked, pulling a sandwich from her saddlebags. “About five minutes late,” Split pointed out with a raised eyebrow. “Looked like you were walking slower than usual when you came out.” “You also had this real thoughtful look on your face,” Bristle added, taking a bite from a boxed salad. “Like you were trying to solve that, uh… that number thing that goes on forever. What was that called again? Pi?” “Princess Celestia has been working on that equation for the last seven hundred years,” First Aid noted with a slow nod. “Last I checked, she told the class that she was at, like, four billion decimals? I think?” “That is a big number, and I have no idea what it means,” Minuette dismissed with a roll of her eyes. She took a big, healthy chomp from her sandwich. She glanced over at Bristle and spoke up once she had swallowed. “But yeah, I was thinking, actually.” “What about?” he asked, shifting slightly on his haunches. Minuette glanced back at the building she had emerged from, her ears lowering just slightly. “Um… well, I noticed a lot of ponies giving me odd looks as I was coming out here,” she said slowly, the tingle of discomfort returning. “Like, did I do something funny? Am I popular all of a sudden? And why don’t I like it?” An awkward silence hung in the air. Bristle, Split, and First all looked among themselves for a few moments before Split cleared his throat and spoke up. “Er, well… apparently, word started going around about your little ‘incident’ during that test,” he recounted slowly. “And, uh… well, it looks like you might have a reputation as a ‘spark plug’ now.” Minuette deflated, her ears resting flat against her head. “...Oh,” she mumbled, a combined feeling of dejection and embarrassment filling her system. Of course, word about that had gotten around. How had she managed to trick herself into thinking it wouldn’t? First Aid touched a hoof to Minuette’s shoulder, offering her a kind, sympathetic smile. “Hey, it’s okay. All you gotta do is pass the next test, and everypony will forget it soon enough!” she encouraged with a perky nod. Minuette managed to give her friend a tiny smile at that, but her mood did not lift as much as the other foal had probably been hoping. She looked down at her sandwich, her appetite now well and truly squashed. Great. She was the class clown now, wasn’t she? She certainly felt like it… “Hey, First’s right,” Bristle pointed out a moment later. “Might take a bit, but all of this will go away eventually.” “And if anypony really gets on your case about it,” Split added, a small edge of sinister amusement creeping into his tone. “Just report them to Celestia. She’s pretty good about dealing with bullies.” “Princess Celestia,” First corrected automatically. Split shrugged. “Eh.” Minuette hummed quietly before looking between her assembled friends. A tiny, weakened smile spread on her lips. They were probably right, she figured. It might take a bit, but things would turn out okay. All she had to do was pass that next test and make sure any bullies got their just deserts. “Heh… thanks, guys,” she eventually muttered before returning to her sandwich. A few moments passed in an awkward silence before her friends began to talk amongst themselves again. Minuette didn’t pay them much attention, though. She was trying to distract herself internally from the unfortunate situation she had found herself in. Whether or not the odd looks and mockery would go away with time didn’t matter right now, because right now, she did have that poor reputation, and she was going to have to put up with who knew what kinds of garbage until she moved past it? She didn’t want to think about that, though. She forced herself not to think about it. She looked around the courtyard for something, anything she could use to distance herself from those worrying, anxiety-inducing thoughts. But sadly, there wasn’t much to go on. Just ponies going about their day, the statue in the center, the various luxurious buildings that made up the campus, and her reflection looking back at her from a nearby window with the curtains drawn. “Hold on a tic.” “Do you guys ever see stuff moving in mirrors?” The conversation the others had been going into died the moment Minuette blurted the question. She turned to look at them to see an assortment of bewildered faces staring back at her, none of them quite comprehending. “Er, what?” First asked in abject confusion. Minuette gestured vaguely. “Ya know. Stuff in mirrors moving around that aren’t moving in the real world. A shadow in the corner or something,” she explained, her vague gestures becoming downright absurd. “And maybe they talk at you sometimes, telling you to ‘be careful’ when practicing your magic.” There were many seconds of silence after that where First, Bristle, and Split all stared at her like she had just grown two new heads that belched toasters. They looked between each other for a few seconds before First Aid tilted her head. “Um… no? That’s not supposed to happen.” “Huh. Weird,” Minuette replied, leaning back and taking another, larger chomp from her sandwich. “Cause that’s been going on with mine. Maybe I’m just crazy or something.” Bristle and Split shared a look before breaking out into amused grins. In was the latter who spoke. “Heh. Yeah, I agree. You have gone completely bonkers.” “Split!” First Aid lightly chastised him, frowning. “That’s not nice!” “Hey, she said it, not me! I’m just agreeing with her!” “It’s still not nice!” Split End threw his hooves up into the air with a loud, exasperated groan. “Ugh! There is just no winning with you, is there?!” “Not really, no,” Bristle remarked with a chuckle. “My dad says you should never annoy the nurse, after all.” Split grimaced. “Huh? What’s that gotta do with this? First Aid isn’t a nurse!” “Look at her name,” Bristle shot back. “First Aid. As in First Aid kit. Filly’s gonna be a doctor or a nurse or something.” First Aid puffed up her cheeks as she seemingly fell into the background of the discussion. “Excuse me?! Are you two ignoring me?!” she demanded indignantly. “No, we’re talking about you,” Bristle replied casually. “Bit different.” “Oh, you two are the worst!” “And Minuette’s crazy.” Minuette rolled her eyes and laughed at that. Using her magic, she hefted her sandwich up into the air and gave it a few fancy twirls, being careful not to send any of it flying. That would suck. “Heh. Yeah, I am. So crazy, that I’m gonna pass the next test with flying colors!” she decided then and there, thumping a hoof against her chest. Bristle glanced at her from the side. “Er, that’s not quite how that-” “Flying colors, Bristle,” Minuette shot him down before taking a very big, exaggerated chomp from her sandwich. When next she spoke, it was with her mouth full muffling her words. “Phwying. Cowurs.” First Aid looked back and forth between the two before sighing and slapping a hoof to her forehead. “Ugh. You guys…” she groaned quietly, earning more amused chortled from her company. After a moment, she lifted her eyes to Minuette and lightly punched her shoulder. “Well, I’m holding you to that, Minuette! Flying colors!” Minuette swallowed and made a cross over her chest. “Flying colors! Absolutely!” Split smiled at them for a moment before tilting his head to one side. “Wait a second… do colors actually fly?” “Rainbows are a thing,” Bristle noted. “So I think so?” “But they touch the ground at both ends,” Split sent back. “So, does that really count?” “Maybe? I dunno, man.” Minuette and First Aid shared a glance as Split and Bristle kept on bickering about whether or not colors could fly or not. They then smiled and broke down into giggles, taking much joy in the dumb antics of their two friends. That little moment did wonders to ease Minuette’s newfound worries. As simple and seemingly pointless as it all was, it stuck with her for the rest of the day, and she found it rather difficult to get the small smile off her face until well after the final bell had sent them all home. Picking ProjectsMinuette hummed quietly in thought as she stepped out of the school, her gaze locked on the ground. She felt the warmth of the sun on her back and she could hear the laughter and eager chattering of the other foals all around her making their way home. She gave passing glances at some of the louder ones that went by, but she wasn’t giving them much thought. Her mind was occupied instead with her time in the statue gardens earlier. She lifted her gaze when familiar voices reached her ears, and a smile blossomed on her face at the sight of her friends all gathered in their usual spot by a street corner. They would typically meet up there and walk together as a group for the majority of the way to their homes before splitting up at an intersection. Minuette picked up the pace, her smile turning into a wide grin. “Hey, girls!” The others turned to her, giving an assortment of greetings. “Hey, Minnie!” “Sup?” “Oh! Hey.” “Hi…” “Hello, Minuette.” Minuette came to a stop by First Aid’s side, bouncing eagerly in place. “So, how were the rest of your days?” she asked. “It wasn’t bad,” Twinkle Shine replied with a casual shrug. “But alchemy class sucked. Like usual.” Twilight wrinkled her nose at that. “You really need to get a better appreciation for alchemy, Twinkle. Seriously, it’s fascinating!” Twinkle stuck out her tongue in dismay, earning a few giggles from the others. Moondancer spoke up a moment later, in her usual, quiet voice. “I’ve mostly been thinking about what I want to do my history report on… the princess gave us a lot of options, and I don’t know where to start.” “Ditto,” First agreed with a slow nod. “But I was kinda leaning towards covering those fillies from Sire’s Hollow and all of that social drama. It could be interesting.” Twilight shrugged. “Maybe it could be, but I don’t see myself doing my report on that,” she stated bluntly. Minuette smirked knowingly. She nudged the other unicorn in the ribs with her elbow. “Gonna do your report on Starswirl, ain’t ya?” she asked slowly. “N-no!” Twilight shot down, stiffening slightly. A series of doubtful frowns went her way, and she was soon forced to concede. She deflated with a sigh and nodded. “Okay, fine, yes, I’m thinking I’ll probably do another report on Starswirl.” “And this one won’t even be for extra credit,” Twinkle noted. “Progress.” “Oh, hush. It’s not my fault that he led such a fascinating life!” Twilight protested, growing flustered from the teasing. Lemon Hearts smiled in amusement. “No, I guess not. I think it’s really admirable of you, though. You have a really good work ethic.” Twilight glanced at Lemon for a few seconds before relaxing. “I try. I’m the princess's student. I need to have a good work ethic. I can’t afford to let her down! She made me her personal student for a reason, and I don’t mean to let her down!” Twinkle Shine coughed into her hoof, disguising the words ‘hero worship’ with it, not that she fooled anyone. Twilight pouted at her and lightly smacked her upside the head, drawing some more giggles from the foals. Satisfied that Twinkle had been properly punished, Twilight turned back to the others. “But what about the rest of you? What are you planning on doing your reports on?” Minuette was the first to pipe up. “Oh! I plan to do mine on that chaos fella!” she said, her mind wandering back to the statue in question. She didn’t know why, but it had just drawn her in, and she meant to dig into it. Plus, she had what was effectively a second-hoof account for a lot of historical events living in her bedroom. She could only hope Fangs had been paying attention to what was going on back then. “Makes sense,” Twinkle noted with a smirk. “You’re the spazz of the group.” Minuette gave a chirpy nod. “And don’t you forget it!” First Aid giggled in amusement at that, draping a foreleg around Minuette’s shoulders to pull her into a side hug. “Ha! As if you could ever let us forget!” she said lightly. “Heh. Well, we should probably be getting a move on,” Minuette said, nudging First off of her after a moment. She turned to Twilight. “You gonna tag along this time?” Twilight shook her head. “Sorry, girls, but not today. Princess Celestia has lessons for me, and I’m going to be late if I don’t get a move on.” “Gah, oh come on, really?!” Twinkle blurted out in exasperation, earning surprised looks from everyone else. Minuette frowned at her in confusion. She knew Twinkle was the most outwardly easy to anger of the group, but that had come out of nowhere. Twilight raised an eyebrow. “I’m… sorry? Twinkle, you know that I can’t miss my-” “Yeah, yeah, I know,” Twinkle cut her off, placing a hoof against her temple and taking a deep breath. “Sorry. I just… it bothers me how rarely we get a chance to, you know, hang out with you. You’re our friend but you’re usually off with your nose in a book somewhere. I want to spend time with my friends out of school, not just in it!” A silence fell over the group, and Twilight’s ears drooped. She almost looked guilty at that, and she scuffed a hoof against the stone beneath. A few seconds passed before Lemon Hearts chipped in. “Yeah, I kind of agree…” Minuette looked back and forth, her ears drooping. Well, this had gone downhill fast, hadn’t it? The sudden and intense drop in the mood left her fishing for words, hoping to lighten things back up again. Luckily, cheering up her friends, or at least dispelling tension, was something she was very good at, and it did not take long for an idea to come to mind. She turned to Twilight with a hopeful look in her eyes. “Well… hey, Twilight, I got an idea. What if this weekend, we all go to the library and pick up some books to study our subjects with, and then we can all meet up at your place to have a little study party?” Twilight straightened up, looking surprised. “Wha- I mean, I’m good for most of that plan, but why my house?” “One, so we can spend more time with you,” Minuette pointed out, poking Twilight on the nose for emphasis and making her go cross-eyed. “Secondly, Spike’s cute.” “He is that,” Twinkle added with a smile returning to her face. “I like how his leg kicks when you rub his belly. He’s almost like a dog.” “Plus, your house is pretty quiet most of the time,” Moondancer added, adjusting her glasses and smiling. “And your parents are really nice.” Twilight looked between them all for a few moments before relenting. “Okay, okay, fair enough. We can figure out a precise date and time tomorrow, but for now, I really need to get up into the castle. Celestia’s waiting.” Minuette grinned. “Disaster averted!” she cheered internally. She gave Twilight a good-natured clap on the shoulder. “Oki doki! We’ll see you then, Twi!” she chirped before spinning to the rest of the group. “C’mon, let’s go!” “Yeah, and we can hit the donut shop on the way,” Twinkle said as the group began to make their way down the street, leaving Twilight to head into the castle. “Dad got me my allowance early this week, so it’s on me!” Minuette was unable to hold in a high-pitched squeal. “Aw, HECK yeah!” After taking a brief few minutes to pick up a box of donuts for each of them at Donut Joe’s, the five fillies continued on their way home, talking energetically about this and that. They speculated on what they might find out in their history projects and discussed the rest of their options. They listened to Lemon Hearts regale the others with the story about how Twinkle Shine had gotten her tongue turned yellow in alchemy class earlier with merciless sweetness, much to the lighter unicorn’s disdain. But eventually, the time came for the group to go their separate ways, leaving Minuette to prance home on her own. She hummed a merry tune to herself as she went while scarfing down another donut, her eyes alight and her smile wide. Her home came into view soon enough, and she wasted no time in throwing open the door. “I’m home!” she called out with a fanciful flourish. To her surprise, there was no answer. Frowning, Minuette poked her head into the kitchen to see a note on the counter. She didn’t bother lifting it up to read it. She knew her parents well enough to know that they were simply out shopping, meaning she had the run of the house until they got back. And that also meant she was alone with a certain someone… Fighting to contain the rush of excitement at seeing her best friend again, Minuette shoved another donut into her mouth and sprinted up the stairs for her room, already formulating how best to start asking him her questions. There was a resounding crash as she pushed open her bedroom door and leaped into the room with yet another flourish. She made sure to strike a cool pose. “Beefholf, Eimff hmmf- wah!” Minuette said through the donut in her mouth, only realizing too late in her sugar-rush that opening her mouth so wide while chewing was, perhaps, not an idea worthy of song. Her eyes flew wide, and her heart tore with panic as the partially chewed remains of her donut, a deliciously frosted thing covered in colorful sprinkles, went falling to the ground below. There was a flash of yellow light, and she just saved the chewed remains with her magic before they hit the floor. Minuette heaved a sigh of relief and stuffed the contents back in. She couldn’t help but shudder in mild revulsion. Somehow, eating something already damp with saliva and partially chewed was not as pleasant as just doing it from the start. She was drawn from her ruminations on that by the sound of chitinous hooves clapping from the far end of the room. Minuette’s cheeks puffed up and turned red with embarrassment as she realized her friend had seen all of that. “Oh, I am never living that down, am I?” she thought. Fangs was in the mirror, an amused smirk on his face, while he gave her the most sarcastic applause she had ever received. “Bravo, little one. Truly, an entrance to strike awe into the masses. You’ll be the next superhero for sure!” Minuette pouted at him. “Sh’up!” Fangs chuckled at that, lowering his hooves. “Ha ha ha. Your parents headed out a little under five minutes ago, give or take. They should be back before long,” he said, lowering himself to his haunches. “So, how was your day?” Minuette took a seat in front of the mirror, popping another donut into her mouth. She only had one more after this one. “It was fun! Princess Celestia gave me and the rest of my first period class a tour of the Canterlot sculpture gardens up in the castle so we could find inspiration for a big, independent history report we gotta do!” “I see, I see. What about the rest of your classes?” Minuette shrugged. “Meh. Same old, same old,” she dismissed. “I was actually kinda hoping you could help me out with my history project, though.” Fangs raised an eyebrow, taken aback. “Me? Are you quite sure about that? I haven’t exactly been involved with the events of the world for… well, ever, it feels like.” “I know,” Minuette said, popping the last donut into her mouth. Once she had it swallowed, she set the box to one side and nodded at Fangs. “But you’ve known a lot of ponies who were, haven’t you! The mirror was owned by one family for several generations, after all, and from what I’ve heard, they were pretty wealthy.” “They were a business family, yes,” Fangs conceded. “Though I fail to see how that’s relevant…” “Rich ponies are important ponies,” Minuette pointed out casually, leaning back in place. “Or important ponies become rich. Or something. And rich ponies love talking! So you probably heard plenty about history from them, and even if not, what about the ponies who came before them? You’re, like, a walking fossil! You’ve been there for things that happened when my great-grandma was in diapers!” Fangs’ expression flattened. “Gee. Thanks. I feel so young.” Minuette grinned and slid up to the mirror, nudging it with an elbow. “Heh. You’re an old guy.” Fangs sighed and placed a hoof against his forehead. “Ugh… Okay, fine, if it will spare me any more of this ignominy, very well, I’ll answer whatever questions I can.” Minuette grinned and clapped her hooves together. Great! She had secured her ticket to an easy A! At this rate, she wouldn’t even need to go to the library for books. She’d just go spend time with her friends and help them study! Fangs adjusted himself to get more comfortable before focusing on Minuette and letting his expression relax. “Alright. What are you doing your report on?” “Well, Celestia said we can do our report on just about anything in Equestria’s history, and she just took us through the garden to give us some inspiration,” Minuette said, scooting back and rubbing her chin. “And there were a lot of really cool things she talked about. How a bunch of fillies ended the strife of some other town, how Starswirl fought and defeated evil monsters, how some old thestral rebellion ended. She also told us about this mean old draconequus that represented ‘Discord,’ who apparently was one of her oldest and most powerful enemies. It’s that guy I wanna do my report on!” Fangs blinked. “...Draconequus?” he asked, his brow furrowing. “I am unfamiliar with the term. Could you describe it for me?” Minuette nodded. “Uh-huh! Okay, so, he had this really long body with a pony head. But instead of unicorn horns, he had a goat horn and a deer horn, and this really tacky little poof of a beard on his chin. All of his other limbs were mismatched, like a dragon and pony leg, a lion paw and eagle claw, and a pegasus wing and a big bat wing. He was apparently around before Celestia was Princess, if you can believe it, and- ...Fangs?” Minuette stopped talking when she realized that Fangs had stopped paying attention. His head was downturned, hiding his face from view. He had one hoof pressed up to his temple, and his breathing had become labored. Immediately, Minuette was on her hooves, worry and confusion coursing through her. She had never seen Fangs look like this before. Any time he had appeared uncomfortable, it had been a result of emotional discomfort, not physical. She stepped forward, pressing one hoof up to the glass. “Fangs? Are you okay?” she asked urgently. Fangs looked up at her, and her heart almost stopped beating. Fangs’ face was contorted in pain, one eye shut and his fangs showing in a strained grimace. He let out a pained hiss, his forked tongue slithering out. Minuette’s other hoof found the mirror, propping her up on her hind legs. “Fangs?!” “I… Ugh,” Fangs finally began to speak, forcing the words out. He took a few deep breaths to calm down, and his face gradually began to relax. “Guh… f-forgive me, Minuette. I just… I just had a headache. A bad one…” Minuette slowly eased off, but her heart was still alight with concern. “Are you alright? I’ve never seen that happen to you before… is something wrong? Is the mirror damaged?!” “No, no, it’s fine,” Fangs dismissed her with a wave of his hoof. He took another few breaths and gave her a weak, reassuring smile. “They are rare, but I have had headaches like this from time to time. Don’t worry, it’s not a problem. I just need to wait it out, that’s all…” Minuette frowned. “Is there a reason they happen?” “If there is, I have never deciphered it,” Fangs replied, rubbing at his temple more tenderly. “That being said… this one was particularly aggressive… I’m sorry, but perhaps your questions can wait until another time. Right now, I think I just need some quiet.” Minuette’s ears drooped, and her hope at getting some quick and easy answers ground to a halt. She looked down, scuffing her carpeted floor with a hoof. “Oh… okay.” “I’m sorry, little one,” Fangs responded, slipping back from the mirror a little. “It’s bad timing… we can talk more later.” With that, the bug in the mirror turned and stepped out of view, leaving Minuette alone with her thoughts. Celestia's Verdict“Minuette, honestly, waiting by the window isn’t going to make her come any faster.” Minuette pointedly ignored her mother’s words. She was standing up on her hind legs by one of the windows at the front of the house, her hooves perched on the window sill and her eyes glued onto the street outside. Princess Celestia was due to come by any minute now, she was sure of it, and gosh dangit Minuette was going to be the first pony there to greet her! It was a charming day outside, with warm morning sunlight filtering through the streets and breathing some much-needed life and energy into things. It did wonders to help quell Minuette’s frantically rebelling nerves. She had slept well enough following Fangs’ story, but that did little and less to keep her mind from spiraling into a mess of half-baked what-ifs and what-abouts. But she was also beyond excited, and it took all of her willpower to keep from bouncing off of the walls to declare her victory prematurely. Soon enough, Fangs would be free, and she could hug him! And he could get to meet all of her friends, too, which came with the added bonus of proving just how wrong they were about him! The concoction of feelings those two conflicting states brewed was enough to drive her insane. And so, to keep her mind occupied, she kept herself parked firmly by the door, watching the outside world for any sign of the princess. “Oh, leave her alone, hon,” Sunspot spoke up in Minuette’s defense, much to her relief. “The princess is gonna be here for pony’s sake. It’s only natural she’d be a little excited.” “Well, yes, but…” Minuette frowned, but she didn’t look back. She recalled her parents’ discussion from the previous night, her brow furrowing in dismay. She wasn’t really scared about them throwing away the mirror anymore, but she was angry. Well, okay, angry was probably a bit of a strong word. Annoyed? No, too gentle. Offended, that was it! She was offended. Offended that they would talk about it behind her back. Offended that they didn’t trust her with the mirror. Offended that they still didn’t believe her. Out of all of the ponies, if ever there were going to be ones who were on her side in all of this, she had thought it would be them. But then again, how could she possibly expect that? They had no way of perceiving Fangs. He might as well be fictional to them… and she had to admit, from the outside looking it, she probably looked more than a little insane. She groaned, burying her face in her hooves. “Why does this crud have to be so complicated?” Several minutes passed, and she heard her parents withdraw back into the dining room. Then, after some time and the smells of breakfast reached her, the sound of clopping hooves and clattering wheels from outside drew her attention. Minuette looked up, and her eyes lit up at the sight of an extravagant carriage being pulled up the street by two white-furred stallions in the golden ornamental armor of the royal guard. The carriage was open for all to see, and Princess Celestia was seated atop it with a gentle smile on her face. Minuette could see that just behind them, the ponies she had passed were only now coming up from their respectful bows. Feeling a brand new surge of excitement, Minuette spun around, bouncing on her hooves like a little bunny on coffee. “Mom! Dad! She’s here!” she squealed, darting into the kitchen. She found them both there, chowing down on the last lingering remnants of their breakfast. “She’s here, she’s here, she’s here!” “Already?!” Sunspot asked, his eyes flying wide. He turned to Pearly, who was already wolfing down the remains of her breakfast. “Ack, uh, help us get the dishes put away!” Minuette rolled her eyes at the clear overreaction but nonetheless did as she was told. With a spark of light from her horn, the various dishes and bits of cutlery scattered across the table were snatched up in her yellow magical aura. She deposited them all the sink before either her mother or father could get a word in. Minuette flashed them both a wide grin. “There. Now, let’s go say hi!” she decided before turning and scampering for the door. Sunspot and Pearly were right behind her, muttering amongst themselves. No doubt they were making last-second observations about each other’s appearance or ensuring the home was tidy and presentable, or any number of other things. Minuette tuned them out. The family gathered in front of the front door and waited with bated breath. Minuette sat still, sandwiched between her mother and father. She could just make out the sound of Celestia speaking on the other side of the door, though the words escaped her. She must have been talking to her guards, giving them instructions. As they waited, Minuette’s nerves slowly began to creep up on her, and she started to shift uneasily in place. What was taking so long? Was Celestia having second thoughts? Some weird part of Minuette’s brain idly imagined Celestia deciding to just skip all the complicated stuff and blow the house up. But that would be dumb, so she ignored that. Finally, finally, after what felt like an eternity of waiting and building anxiety, there came three sharp knocks on the door. All three waiting ponies jumped in their skin in response. Pearly composed herself first and opened the door with her magic. There, framed majestically by the glow of the morning sun, was Celestia. In Minuette’s house. To free Fangs. Minuette was not able to keep a tiny squee of delight from slipping out. Celestia offered the ponies in front of her a warm smile. “Good morning, my little ponies,” she said. Sunspot and Pearly immediately dipped into low bows, and Minuette only needed a moment to remember that she wasn’t in class right now and followed them down. She was so used to just waving and smiling when Celestia walked in. The formalities felt odd. Especially after all this time with Twilight. “Rise,” Celestia gently ordered. “This is your home, and I am your guest. Be at ease.” “O-of course. Thank you. Welcome to our home, your highness,” Sunspot said respectfully, rising back to his hooves. “We’re honored to have you here.” Celestia tittered quietly. “Oh, thank you. The pleasure is all mine. May I come in?” “Of course, of course!” Pearly replied with a nod, gesturing for the alicorn to enter. Celestia did so, having to duck her head somewhat to enter through the normal pony-sized door. Minuette beamed up at her as she entered, and Celestia smiled back at her. “So, can we get you anything?” Sunspot asked, glancing briefly toward the kitchen. “Some food, perhaps? Or maybe some water?” Celestia turned to him and shook her head. “Thank you, but no. If it is all the same to you, I would rather not waste time. I am here for more than idle pleasantries,” she stated, her voice taking on a more serious tone. The mood in the room shifted sharply, with both Sunspot and Pearly shrinking back. They glanced at one another for a moment before Sunspot spoke up. “Right. Of course.” Celestia turned to Minuette, who had herself quickly sobered up and calmed down. “Is the mirror ready for the examination?” she asked directly. Minuette nodded. “Yes, your highness, it’s in my room.” Celestia glanced up the stairs. “Very well. Take me to it, please.” Minuette glanced over at her parents for a moment. Both of them looked back with worry in their eyes. Pearly especially looked to be almost fearful, with one of her hooves tightly bound up in Sunspot’s grip. Sunspot, on the other hoof, for all of his own anxiety at having royalty in the house, gave Minuette a very different look. It was almost… expectant. Like he was waiting for her to do something. He then dipped his head in a very slow, deliberate nod, encouraging her to move forward. A moment passed before Minuette simply nodded back and made her way up the stairs. She heard three sets of hooves following close behind her. On the way up, she took several deep breaths to calm her nerves and gather her wits. As confident as she was that Celestia would set Fangs free today, she doubted it would be quite that easy. There would be questions, there would be convincing that needed to be done. And in the event Celestia prodded the mirror the same way Twilight had, there might be some actual danger involved in this examination. She had to be ready for everything. And so she set her jaw and steeled herself before pushing open the door to her room. Fangs was in the mirror already, sitting up and at attention as he waited for them. Minuette led Celestia into the room, followed shortly by Pearly and Sunspot. The door clicked shut behind them a moment later. “So, is this it?” Celestia asked, approaching the mirror with a critical eye. “It is, your majesty,” Sunspot said, hanging back by the door with Pearly. “Yup. I haven’t moved it since I got home,” Minuette said, walking beside the princess. She then looked up at Celestia, a brief flicker of hope lighting up in her chest. In a low whisper, only loud enough for Celestia to hear, she whispered, “Do you see him?” Celestia frowned and glanced down at her in confusion. “...See who?” Minuette deflated, shaking her head. “...Nothing. Nevermind,” she said quietly before looking up to fangs. She met his gaze and mouthed the words “I tried” to him. Fangs smiled that gentle smile he always gave her when she was on edge. “Thank you,” he said in a soothing tone. A moment passed before Celestia turned her attention back to the mirror. Her horn lit up with golden light, but she didn’t reach out to the mirror yet. “Please stand back, Minuette. If there is another pulse from this item, I do not wish for it to harm you, and I need room to work.” Minuette looked up at her, surprised. “Huh? B-but-” “Don’t argue with the princess, Minnie,” Pearly chastised from the back of the room. She patted the floor a few times for emphasis. “Come over here and let her work.” Minuette glanced back at her mother, then to Celestia, and finally to Fangs. He stared back at her for a moment before offering a slow nod. “You’re mother is right. Go.” Minuette swallowed heavily but did as she was told. She reluctantly withdrew and joined her parents by the door. As she turned back to watch, she felt Pearly’s hoof draping over her withers, and she knew then that she was not going to be released for anything until they were given the all-clear. With that, Celestia tilted her head back, channeling more power into her horn. To the awe of everypony present, a sphere of golden light appeared in the room, centered on the mirror and leaving just enough space for Celestia to examine it from all sides. Fangs jumped in surprise, making Minuette’s heart beat a little faster. As if sensing her discomfort, he simply offered her a smile. The next several minutes passed in an eerie quiet as Celestia began to methodically examine the mirror. She started by studying its physical form, her eyes roaming carefully over every single inch of its surface. Every so often she would place her hoof on the frame or the glass, humming to herself. Occasionally she would move it around in her magic to look at it from new angles, causing Fangs to have to reposition himself and making Minuette squirm out of sympathy for him. “When did you get this?” Celestia asked after a while, placing the mirror against the wall again. “And how?” “We bought it a few years ago for Minuette’s tenth birthday,” Sunspot said with a nod. “It was being sold for cheap at a yard sale of sorts up at some noble’s estate.” “Do you remember which one?” Celestia asked curiously. Sunspot shrug. “I… don’t. Sorry.” Celestia hummed, her brow furrowing in thought before she turned back to the mirror. The light on her horn grew brighter and brighter as she began to probe at the actual enchantment. As before, a shimmering veil of crackling purple magic pulsed over the frame of the mirror, and Fangs grunted in pain in response, his hoof flying up to his temple. And then, to Minuette’s surprise, Celestia suddenly stopped. The light on her horn winked out, her eyes flying wide open in shock and surprise. Even her barrier sputtered and faded with barely even a sound. Minuette went rigid, watching the alicorn with bated breath. That… didn’t look good. “It cannot be…” Celestia breathed, seemingly forgetting that she had an audience. Sunspot and Pearly shared an uneasy glance, while Fangs lifted his lowered head to focus on Minuette, assuring her he was fine. “Your highness?” Pearly asked in an anxious whisper. “What is it?” Celestia blinked, seemingly remembering the spectators. She turned back to Minuette. “...Minuette, you and your friends had been trying to map out the enchantment on this mirror, correct?” she asked carefully. Minuette squirmed under the princesses’ scrutinizing glare. It suddenly felt as if she was being interrogated. After a moment, she licked her lips. “Er, yes?” Celestia was quiet for a moment before turning back to the mirror. The barrier was restored a second later, brighter than before. “...You were doomed to fail from the start, I am afraid,” she said in a grim tone. Minuette’s ears drooped. She had kinda figured, frankly, but to hear the confirmation from Princess Celestia of all ponies stung in a very different way. “Is it dangerous?” Pearly asked, leaning forward and pulling Minuette just a little closer. Not enough to be uncomfortable, but close enough. Celestia furrowed her brow as she began to probe the enchantment again. “The enchantment upon this mirror is… elaborate. I have never seen anything quite like it,” she said slowly. Celestia’s brow furrowed even more, and she probed deeper. Minuette could see the rippling purple energy from the mirror’s defensive reaction, but a shimmer of golden light from Celestia’s horn held the burst at bay, allowing her to proceed undisrupted. The only problem now was that Minuette couldn’t see Fangs through all the light. “I… cannot say,” Celestia eventually muttered, her ears drooping somewhat. “It is beyond complicated… and nonsensical. It is so mired in its own loops and contrivances that it would take me years to map it all out…” “But is it dangerous?!” Pearly stressed, her voice rising slightly. She immediately withdrew with an apologetic ‘meep’ when Celestia shot her a stern look. Celestia didn’t answer right away. She continued to probe at the mirror for several more minutes, leaving the only sound to be her occasional hums of thought, and the steady shimmering hum of her magic. All the while, Minuette watched her, waiting for the moment when the alicorn would find the weakest link and break it all apart, letting Fangs into the real world. But no such event transpired. Celestia gave off a quiet sigh as, finally, the light on her horn blinked out. The barrier faded, and once the purple swells from the mirror died down, so too did the containment field. The room was as it had been before her examination began. “I have reached my conclusion,” Celestia said, turning back to the family. “W-what?” Minuette asked anxiously, her hooves fidgeting together over her chest. Celestia glanced back at the mirror. “The enchantment upon this mirror is not itself dangerous. It will only become a problem in the event somepony aside from the original caster tries to investigate it too closely. Beyond that, however, it is a perfectly harmless, indestructible mirror.” Sunspot breathed a sigh of relief, but Pearly did not seem convinced. “Are you sure?” she asked, taking a step forward. “Are you sure it isn’t affecting the minds of those near it, somehow?” Celestia nodded. “I saw no evidence of mental manipulation. Such was one of the first things I looked for.” “But… but…” Before anypony could say anything else, however, Celestia glanced over at Sunspot and Pearly. “Forgive the imposition, but I would like to speak with your daughter in private.” “H-huh?” Sunspot asked, tilting his head. “What for?” “I have questions for her that are best asked and answered in confidence.” The parents exchanged anxious, worried looks. But, a moment later, they began to withdraw, opening the door. “Behave yourself,” Sunspot called over to Minuette. “Answer her questions completely honestly, you hear me?” “That was the idea,” Minuette called after him with a wave. “See ya in a few!” The door clicked closed, and Minuette was left alone with Celestia. She took a slow breath and turned to face the alicorn, who had adopted a far more casual, gentle smile. Before saying a word, however, a pulse of light emanated from her horn, washing over the entire room. Minuette blinked, looking around in confusion. “Huh? What was that?” “A soundproofing spell,” Celestia explained with a small nod. “Now we may speak freely with no risk of eavesdroppers.” “Woooahh…” Minuette murmured, spinning in a slow circle. “That is so cool…” “I have seen you watching me, Minuette,” Celestia began calmly a moment later. “Far more intently than your mother and father. And where they appeared afraid, you looked expectant. Eager. Like you were just waiting for something to happen.” Minuette blinked. Had she been that obvious? Before she could speak, Celestia continued. “And beyond that, when I first arrived, you asked me if I could ‘see him.’ I would very much like to know who ‘he’ is.” Minuette was quiet for a moment, her brain stalling. This was it. The moment of truth. If she could convince Celestia of Fangs’ existence, she could get the alicorn to let him out. It was now or never! And that terrified her. She licked her lips and began to speak. “So… uh… d-did you ever hear about my, er, ‘imaginary friend?’” she asked hesitantly. Celestia raised an eyebrow. “...I do not believe I have, no,” she said slowly. Minuette hummed. She rose to her hooves and approached the mirror, lightly tapping the side with her hoof. Fangs was still taking deep breaths, but he looked better now than he had a moment ago. Satisfied that he’d be okay, Minuette turned back to Celestia. “Well… The thing is… he’s real. And he’s right here.” Celestia quirked a brow. She looked into the surface of the mirror, squinting curiously. “...Go on.” Minuette took that as a good sign. Finally! She wasn’t being dismissed right out the gate! With a small smile, she placed a hoof on the mirror’s frame. “His name is Fangs. He’s this funky lookin’ bug-pony with big blue glowy eyes. I made an illusion of him in class a few years ago, remember?” Celestia hummed quietly, closing her eyes. “Yes… I think I remember that. I commented that you had quite the imagination.” “Well, I don’t,” Minuette shot back. “Not back then, at least. I was just copying what I saw from him. But he’s been trapped inside the mirror for centuries… unable to talk to anypony but foals who see him when they’re little, unable to feel anything, or eat, or sleep, or use the bathroom, or anything.” Fangs gave her a flat look. “I do not think I miss that second-to-last one, actually.” “Shush.” Celestia considered Minuette for several long seconds, her brow furrowed in thought. Minuette took this as her cue to continue. “That’s why I was studying the mirror. That’s why I got Twi and Moonie to help me. I knew I wouldn’t be able to let him out on my own. I’m… not really that good at magic. Better than a lotta ponies, maybe, but… I’m no Starswirl. Point is, I needed them to help me figure out how the mirror worked so I could let him out.” She then put on a big grin, pointing at Celestia. “But now you’re here! You’ve looked at it yourself! And if anypony can set him free, it will be you!” Celestia did not say a word. Her expression was impossible to read, and silence dominated the room. Slowly, Minuettes grin began to fade away, dwindling into a disappointed frown. “...You don’t believe me, do you?” she asked despondently. Celestia, to her surprise, shook her head. “Actually, I do not doubt a single word you are saying.” Minuette’s eyes went wide. “Huh?!” Celestia rose to her hooves. “When I was studying the enchantment, while its full purpose eluded me, I was able to recognize that it was capable of storing… something, though I could not place my hoof on what, exactly. Furthermore, I know you, Minuette. You have been in my school for years, and have studied in several classes that I teach personally. I know how you think, how you act. You aren’t the sort to commit this much time and effort to a flight of fancy,” she stated as she strode up to the mirror. “You are… to put it gently, fickle. Flighty. You are easily distracted, and a terrible liar. And I know how to tell when somepony is lying.” Minuette’s heart lit up like a Hearthswarming Tree. Her hooves lifted up to her chest, her eyes shining, and her soul singing with unrestrained joy. “You believe me?!” she asked in a high-pitched squeal of joy. Celestia smiled. “I do.” Minuette rose to her hooves as the joy in her heart spread to her hooves. She jumped up and down in place, cheering her delight, uncaring about how her parents might think of it. “YES! Finally! You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for somepony to say that!” she exclaimed, darting it and giving Celestia a hug, not really caring that it probably wasn’t appropriate. Celestia laughed, not minding in the slightest, and wrapped her hooves around Minuette to return it. “So you’ll let him out?” Minuette asked hopefully, her heart beating faster and faster with excitement. “I bet he’ll wanna thank you, too!” She was expecting Celestia to answer with a solid ‘yes’ and get to work immediately. She was already imagining the glow of light and picturing the glass rippling like water as Fangs stepped through and into the real world. Instead, however, she was met with silence. She looked up into Celestia’s eyes, and her hope faltered at the apology she saw directed back down at her. Celestia released Minuette and nudged her back before rising to her hooves. She turned to the mirror, her eyes distant and forlorn. Minuette watched her, confused. “Princess?” “...Forgive me,” Celestia said softly, shaking her head. “But I am afraid that it is beyond my power to free your friend.” It was like Minuette’s heart had shattered. She didn’t say a word. She stared at Celestia, uncomprehending, for what felt like forever. Slowly, stiffly, she turned to Fangs. His eyes were closed, and he had lowered his head in disappointment. No. This wasn’t right. It couldn’t be. Minuette turned back to Celestia, licked her lips, and spoke. “W-what do you mean? You’re Princess Celestia! You can do anything!” Celestia gave a weak, bitter laugh. A broken sound laced with a thousand years of regret, and immediately Minuette knew how wrong she was. “Oh, how I wish that were true,” Celestia whispered, staring out the window for a moment. “Think of the enchantment holding your friend inside as a lock. A lock requires a key to open safely. And I do not possess the key… nor can I create it.” “But why not?!” Minuette demanded, her vision starting to blur with tears. “What’s this ‘key?!’ Maybe we can find it!” Celestia shook her head. “I’m sorry, but that is… quite impossible right now. The key for this spell is the original caster. If anypony else were to try and undo the enchantment, then they would get nowhere, just like trying to put the wrong key in the wrong lock.” “But… but…” Minuette was fishing for ideas now. There was no way this was how her efforts came to an end! She wouldn’t let it! “W-what if you forced the lock open?” she suggested desperately. “I mean, you can break a padlock if you hit it hard enough! Maybe you can break this… one…” Celestia had given her a solemn, sympathetic look as she spoke, causing the words to die in her throat as she said them. “...In theory, I could,” Celestia said a second later. “But to do so would not only require an unthinkable amount of energy, but it would also utterly destroy the enchantment… and everything it contains.” Minuette felt sick. She fell to her haunches, her head spinning. “Then… if you tried, you…” she mumbled in barely even a whisper. “I would not be setting him free,” Celestia confirmed gently. “I would be executing him…” Minuette’s breaths were coming in heaving gasps now. She brought a hoof up to her chest, her eyes wide as she tried desperately to think of something, anything. She must have overlooked something! Maybe she just needed to think about this from another angle, or… or… She screwed her eyes shut as the reality finally set in. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and she slammed her hooves down into the floor with a scream of frustration and grief. The scream rapidly broke down into pathetic sobs, and she felt Celestia’s hoof on her back a moment later. After all of her hard work, enlisting her friends, studying the enchantment, and even getting Celestia herself involved, this was her reward? To learn that it had all been for nothing?! She beat her hoof against the floor again, uncaring if anypony heard her. Why did Fangs have to suffer like this?! It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t right! She didn’t know how long she lay there, screaming and crying her heart out, but soon enough she ran out of energy to spend. All the while, Celestia quietly comforted her, a hoof on her back. Minuette’s wails gradually died down into mere shaky breaths and quiet whimpers. Finally, with a pathetic sniffle, she looked up at Fangs. “I’m sorry,” she whimpered, wiping a hoof over her eyes. “I’m s-so s-sorry, Fangs.” Fangs placed a hoof against the mirror. “No, no, don’t be. Don’t you dare apologize, Minuette,” he said gently, trying to smile at her. “You did everything you could. You made it farther than anyone else ever has. You made it as far as it is possible to get. I cannot thank you enough for that, and I am so proud of you.” “B-but you’re still trapped!” she protested, slipping out of Celestia’s hooves to press her hooves up against the glass. A surge of white-hot rage briefly surged through her veins at the obstacle. “It’s not right!” She shouted, punching the glass with every statement. “You shouldn’t be in there! It’s wrong! I was going to give you a big hug! I was going to introduce you to my mom! And my dad! And my friends! I was gonna show you Canterlot! You were gonna get to see the world! And eat food! And… and… gah, DANGIT!” She reared back and drove her hoof into the glass one more time. Pain flared up her leg to dance in her shoulder, drawing a cry of pain from her. She slumped to the ground, leaning against the mirror, gasping for breath as her rage died away, replaced with nothing more than a cold emptiness. Several moments passed in silence. And all the while, Minuette silently cried. Celestia, who had said nothing during Minuette’s breakdown, stepped forward, lowering herself onto her belly in front of the mirror. “If you can hear me, then I beg your forgiveness,” Celestia said. But not to Minuette, this time. Her eyes were locked on the mirror. “I wish there was more I could do to help you.” Fangs hesitated for a second. He turned to Minuette, giving her a meaningful look. Minuette sniffled quietly, confused. But when Fangs tilted his head towards Celestia. "Be my voice, little one." Minuette blinked, sniffled, and rose back to her haunches. After a breath to compose herself, she gave Fangs a shaky nod. Satisfied, Fangs then turned to face Celestia directly. And when he spoke, Minuette echoed his words to the listening princess. “There is nothing to forgive, your highness,” he stated simply. “You did everything you could… and so did Minuette. I had never held much hope that she could set my body free from this glassy prison… but nor do I need her to. In the time I have known her, she has given me something far more valuable than my freedom. So long as I am free to return that gift, then I do not want or need anything else.” Once Minuette was done reciting what he said, she glanced at him in surprise. Her heart twisted in her chest at the reminder of just how much she meant to him, and tears began to prick at her eyes again. Celestia nodded. “If that is what you wish.” Fangs nodded, closing his eyes. “It is, your highness.” Celestia rose to her hooves and took a step back. “Very well… Then I leave the mirror in your hooves, Minuette,” she instructed, focusing on the foal in question. “For so long as it remains in your possession, you are to take care of it and its sole resident and ensure that none, even yourself, attempt to unmake the enchantment. For your safety… and his.” Minuette nodded, bowing her head. “R-right… I will. Thank y-you, your m-majesty.” Celestia bowed her head in turn. Then, without a word, she turned, and the sound-proofing spell that had been placed over the room disappeared with a gentle golden shimmer. “I shall take my leave of you, now,” Celestia said without looking back. “You may take the next few days off, Minuette… I still have questions for you and Fangs, but they can wait. Until then, I wish you well.” “Thank you, Princess.” Celestia gave Minuette one last smile over her shoulder and then stepped through the door, leaving Minuette alone with Fangs. She turned to face him, her eyes tired. “...So that’s it,” she said softly. Fangs nodded quietly. “...It is. Thank you for trying.” Minuette sighed, brushing her hoof over her face again. “You’re welcome… I just wish… I w-wish it’d worked…” “I know… but as I said to the princess, you have given me far more than my freedom could ever be worth,” he said in a soft whisper, drawing her eyes back to him. He was smiling at her, his own eyes shimmering with tears. “I have known many in my time in this mirror, little one… but none have touched my heart as much as you have. I don’t need to be free from my prison for that to be true.” Minuette managed to offer Fangs a weak, trembling smile. There was a thought dancing at the edges of her mind, but it was not one she could put into words. Or perhaps she just didn’t need to. Without a sound, she lifted her hoof and placed it against the glass. Fangs reciprocated the gesture, resting his hoof right in front of hers. And for one moment, one beautiful second, it almost felt as if their hooves were touching...
Double DigitsThe home of Sunspot and Pearly White was a modest affair by Canterlot standards. From the outside, it was little more than yet another white and blue Canterlot home, coming in at two stories tall. It was, on most days, quiet, and pleasant. The ponies who passed it by never had much reason to give it any attention, beyond a cursory glance at the owners if they happened to be out in front at the time. Inside the house, however, it was a very different story. While things typically appeared to be no different than any other Canterlot home, the owners knew better. Times of ‘peace’ and ‘quiet’ were rare and far between, and the couple who called this house their home had long ago learned to cherish and savor those all-too-fleeting times with all their hearts. Right now was one such time. Nopony moved within those halls, and Sunspot listened to it all from his chair in the living room. He took in a long, deep breath, savoring the familiar smell of home. He swept his eyes across the room, taking note of the spread that had been put out before the entrance. A set of two boxes had been placed atop a table against the far wall, while a much taller third box was leaned against the wall beside the table. Each one was wrapped up in bright, colorful paper and bound with even-more-colorful ribbons. Pearly looked on at them from her place in the chair across from Sunspot’s, a tender smile on her face. “Well… is there anything else?” she asked quietly. Sunspot shook his head. “I don’t think so. It’s all in place…” he said, idly tapping the tip of his hoof against the arm of his chair. Pearly hummed at that before rising to her hooves. “So… shall I summon the beast?” she asked, a coy smirk spreading on her lips. Sunspot snorted. “The beast? I thought she was our little angel.” “She is,” Pearly replied without hesitation. “Until she has too much sugar. Then she becomes a little beast. And you and I both know that we can’t stop her from chowing down on the cake!” Sunspot rolled his eyes and rose to his hooves. “Heh. You got a point there,” he conceded, trotting over to stand by his wife. He glanced over at the gifts, his lips curling up. “...Wow. Ten years old already. Feels like just yesterday we were learning you were pregnant with her…” “Or conceiving,” Pearly added with a very deliberate purr. “Hon,” Sunspot was quick to say, placing a hoof against her lips. “C’mon. She might be listening.” Pearly giggled merrily at that before leaning into his side. She gazed towards the presents as well, a dreamy look coming into her eyes. “But yes… ten years. It really doesn’t feel like it’s been all that long, does it?” she asked in a far quieter voice. Sunspot nodded, draping a foreleg over Pearly’s shoulders. “It doesn’t… I guess it’s true what they say. Time flies when you’re having fun.” “Fun indeed,” Sunspot murmured. She turned and quickly snatched a kiss away from her husband. When she leaned back, she stared up into his eyes with a big grin. She was clearly excited and eager to get this show on the road. “So…” Sunspot nodded and released his hold on her. “It’s time. Summon the beast.” The smirk that appeared on Pearly’s face then could only be described as ‘devilish.’ She barely stifled an ecstatic giggle before spinning on her hooves, raising her head, and bellowing out at the house. “Minuette! We’re ready, come on down!” And just like that, the tentative peace that the small home had known was reduced to paste. Not that it was ever really an option to the creature they had just called forth. A door slamming open was heard upstairs, and barely a moment later, a blue ball of excitable energy and high pitched squealing noises came barreling into the room like a gerbil on a sugar rush. A messy head of hair sat atop her head, evenly divided between dark blue, and pale, silvery-blue. A short horn rose out of her forehead, nestled comfortably over ocean eyes that shined with excitement and anticipation. “Is it time to open presents?!” she squealed, hopping up and down in place after sliding to an abrupt halt in the room. “Is it?! Please, please, pleeeeaaase?!” Pearly and Sunspot shared a glance and burst into giggles. Minuette puffed up her cheeks, practically vibrating on the spot. “Hey! What’s so funny?! Stop laughing! It’s my birthday, you’re not supposed to laugh at me!” she protested, skipping forward to prod her father’s hoof. That only made the parents laugh louder. With one swift movement, Sunspot hefted his daughter up onto his back with his magic, making sure to spin her once or twice on the way up, eliciting a few giggles from her as she went. “Heh. What can I say, kiddo? You’re just too adorable,” he told her. Minuette sat upright, seemingly aghast. “What?! Adorable?! But I’m ten! I’m supposed to be something other than adorable now, aren’t I?” she asked, looking down at herself as if for evidence to that frankly absurd claim. Pearly reached over to ruffle her child’s mane. “You’re our daughter. You will never stop being adorable to us!” she declared with finality. Minuette blew a raspberry at her, then jumped down from Sunspot’s back to scamper towards the presents that had been arranged against the wall. “Presents! It is time for them, right?!” she asked eagerly. Her eyes found the tall one, flying so wide Sunspot was afraid they might pop out of her little skull. “Woah! This one’s big!” Sunspot rolled his eyes, following after her to make sure she didn’t accidentally break anything. “Heh, yes, it’s present time. And be careful with that one, it’s breakable,” he warned her gently. Minuette didn’t seem to register the warning. She immediately lit up her horn with a gentle yellow glow and plucked the smallest of the three boxes off of the table. Pearly intervened, quickly snatching up the box before Minuette could tear into it. “Oh, come now, have some patience!” she playfully scolded, lightly poking Minuette on the nose. “You’ll get your presents in just a moment, but let us hoof them to you first, okay?” Minuette whined impatiently before plonking dutifully down onto her haunches. “Okay,” she grumbled, puffed up her cheeks in childish indignation. Pearly rolled her eyes before sitting down on her haunches. Sunspot sat down next to her, taking the package in his own magic. “This first one is from your mother,” he said, hovering it down to Minuette. She quickly snatched it up and tore into it like a rabid rabbit into a bowl of freshly diced carrots. The little squeaking snarls were evidence enough of that. Scraps of paper went flying in all directions before Minuette rose to sit upright, clutching a thick book in her hooves. Her eyes widened, shimmering with fascination. “Woooaaah…” she mumbled, turning it over and affording Sunspot a view of the front cover. “Fangs and Teeth of all shapes and sizes: The Foal’s Encyclopedia to Dentistry!” Pearly giggled at Minuette’s fascination. “I remembered how you kept asking me all about my job a few weeks ago, and I figured, what the heck? You could probably get a lot out of that thing. It talks about the teeth of ponies and all sorts of creatures.” Minuette flipped it open, her eyes skimming the pages. She gave a nod and a short ‘mhmm!’ before setting the book down. “Thanks, mom! I’ll read it tonight before I go to bed!” she declared. “What’s next?!” Sunspot plucked the next package from the table and brought it down, his smile growing. “This one here is from me,” he said. Minuette pounced on it with gusto, and much like with the book, tore away the paper wrappings. When she was done, her weres were met with a package containing pale blue sheets with a darker blue comforter decorated with fluffy white clouds. She gave off a little coo as she looked it over, no doubt imagining what it would feel like on her fur. “Aw, cool! I’ve been needing some new sheets!” “Yeah, I know,” Sunspot said, leaning down to ruffle her mane. “Promise me you won’t jump on these ones, okay? You’re too big to be doing that, now, and your hooves aren’t soft anymore.” “Hmmmm… nuh-uh,” Minuette denied without missing a beat, casually setting the package on her other side. Sunspot gave off a resigned sigh, leaning back. “Of course not.” Minuette giggled at his resignation before focusing on the tall package leaning against the wall. “So, what’s the big one?” she asked, her tail wagging behind her with enthusiasm. Pearly and Sunspot turned to face it. They shared a glance, their expressions becoming a touch more serious. It was Pearly who spoke. “Well, Minuette, since you’ve started going to Celestia’s School a few weeks ago, your father and I have been thinking that something like this would be good for you to have.” “You’re going to have to give presentations to your classmates, and sometimes you’re going to have to look your best,” Sunspot added, scooting off to the side to allow Minuette to approach unobstructed. “And, between all of that, you can probably have some fun by making weird faces at it.” Minuette scrunched up her muzzle, her horn lighting up with yellow light. “...So… what is it?” she asked even as she began to peel away the paper. Her eyes slowly widened as, bit by bit, the mirror came into view. She stood up, her eyes tracing over the ornate frame before locking onto herself in the glass. There were a few moments of uncharacteristic silence. Sunspot swallowed heavily, a sudden feeling of unease coming over him. Did Minuette not like it? She was generally easy to please, but she wasn’t squealing with complete and total unrestrained joy yet. In his experience, that was a bad thing. Minuette stepped up to the mirror, looking at her reflection with wide eyes. “Woah…” she mumbled, lifting a hoof to the frame. She stared at her reflection for a few seconds, her face completely unreadable. Pearly and Sunspot stared anxiously at each other. And then Minuette stuck out her tongue at the mirror. And just like that, all was well with the world again. Pearly and Sunspot shared a sigh of relief as, much like they had predicted, Minuette began to make funny face after funny face at herself in the mirror. “Do you like it?” Pearly asked after a moment. Minuette nodded emphatically, turning to face her parents with an enormous grin. “I love it! ALL of it! And you! You guys are the best!” she declared before throwing herself against first Pearly, and then Sunspot, giving each of them a quick but bone-crushing hug. “Thank you guys! Thank you, thank you!” “Oof!’ you’re welcome, you excitable little thing you,” Sunspot laughed, patting her on the head while he had the chance. After a moment, she let go and squirreled back a few paces before spinning around to look at them. “So, cake and song next?” she asked in such a manner that suggested she knew the answer already. Pearly and Sunspot rose to their hooves. “Of course, Minuette. But only one slice of cake today!” Pearly said, adding a layer of warning to her voice. Minuette pouted up at her. “Aaaaw, why?” she demanded. Pearly swiftly scooped her daughter up in her magic. “Because you have school in the morning, young lady, and you need your sleep!” she replied with a grin. “And if you have more than one slice, you’ll get a tummy ache, and you’ll get a sugar rush, which is not a happy combo for you or for us. So one slice.” “But I’m ten!” Minuette protested as if that was somehow a perfect defense. “And I’m thirty-seven,” Sunspot shot back with a coy smirk, following his wife and daughter to the dining room. “And she never lets me have more than one slice, either.” “That’s because you’re old! Your old pony stomach can’t handle it!” Sunspot winced, his ears drooping while Pearly’s hoof flew up to her mouth to cover up her astonished laughter. “Ooooooh, dang! Your daughter really is a little beast!” Pearly declared, struggling to contain herself. Sunspot sighed, running a hoof down his face. “Yeah, well, if I’m old, then you’re the tomb I’m buried in.” “Darn straight!” Minuette laughed at them, her delighted giggles being the only sound to be heard as the family of three vanished into the dining room to commence with the cake. The next few hours were something of a blur for Minuette. She had devoured her cake with great enthusiasm and had sung along as her parents went through the traditional pony birthday song. Once that had been done, she had spent some time running around playing tag with her father while her mother brought her presents up to her room to get things put away and arranged. As it so happened, her father was really, really good at tag. She had chased him around the house for what must have been an ice age or three before she finally wore herself out and had to stop to rest. Apparently, this had been done to help her shoot down the inevitable ‘sugar rush’ that was on its way. After that, it became a haze of spending time with her parents, reminiscing about past birthdays, and then eventually having dinner. Minuette tried to steal another slice of cake somewhere in the mix, but her parents were onto her tricks. The mission ended in failure when Pearly simply levitated the cake away and dragged Minuette out of the kitchen, no matter how loud she complained that ‘one more bite’ wouldn’t be the end of the world. It would probably only be the end of her stomach, but hey, it would be worth it! Now, Minuette found herself resting on her belly in her room, the book her mother had gotten for her open at her hooves, and the big mirror set up against the wall to her right. Every time she used her magic to turn the page, she could see herself reflected in the glass surface, and she took the opportunity to make funny faces at herself every so often. Several photos and illustrations of tiger teeth stared back at her from the pages, along with blocks of text talking about the creatures themselves. Minuette read them over, taking it all into her mind with great interest. “So tiger cubs are born without teeth, huh?” she mumbled to herself, turning to the next page. A small, adoring coo slipped past her lips at the sight of a baby tiger yawning at the camera while sprawled on its back. Sure enough, its big mouth was devoid of the sharp-looking chompers of its grown-up counterparts. Not nearly as threatening. Now she was thinking about how it would feel to have a baby tiger trying to gum her to death. She giggled at the thought before shaking her head. “Aw, that’s so cute…” A gentle knock came to her door, drawing her from her thoughts. She looked up as it swung open to see her mother poking her head in. The mare gave her a small smile. “Hey, sweetie. Enjoying the book?” she asked quietly. Minuette nodded. “Mhmm! It’s real interesting!” she said, tapping the page for emphasis. “Did you know baby tigers don’t have teeth when they’re born?” Pearly stepped in, closing the door behind her. “I absolutely did. And did you know that those big gaps in their teeth are to help them hold onto prey when they squirm to get away?” she asked, a knowing glint in her eye. Now Minuette was imagining being held in the clutching jaws of an adult tiger. Her smile disappeared for a moment before returning all over again. “Oh. Wow, that’s interesting!” she said, looking back and turning the page back to get a better look at an adult’s mouth. Sure enough, there were several large gaps between their teeth, and thinking about it, she could see now how those would be helpful in holding something still. She winced. “...And kinda scary.” “And that is why we don’t make the big predator cats angry,” Pearly commented as she sat down beside Minuette. “They’ll come and gobble you right up!” “But that’s mean!” Minuette protested. “They’re mean!” “No, they’re just hungry. I mean, are we mean because we eat plants?” “No, because plants are food!” “To us,” Pearly corrected with a nod. “Because we are herbivores, remember? But Tigers are carnivores. They only eat meat.” “That’s dumb. They should be vegetarians like us!” Pearly laughed. She reached out to ruffle Minuette’s mane with an affectionate smile. “You know that isn’t how it works,” she said before looking up at the mirror. “What about the mirror? So you like it?” Minuette nodded. “Uh-huh! It’s super tall!” “It is,” Pearly acknowledged, standing up to get a brief look at herself in its surface. “And pretty. It’s the right size for adults, you know, so if you take good care of it, it should last you for a very long time.” Minuette looked into it as well, her smile growing. A long time, huh? She could get behind that idea, no problem. She looked at herself in the mirror, then her mother, and then herself again. The reflection was remarkably clear, she was beginning to realize. Despite the signs of age on the frame, the glass was completely devoid of imperfections or damage. It was almost like the room just extended beyond the glass, perfectly reflected on the other side. Minuette blinked. Something didn’t seem right. She squinted in confusion, idly scouring the image. A few seconds later, her eyes landed on a shadow in the back of the reflection that didn’t seem right. Confused, she glanced back over her shoulder, only to find that no such shadow existed in her room. “...huh?” she wondered. Pearly looked down at her. “Hm? What is it?” she asked. Minuette turned back to the mirror, but the shadow was gone. She blinked, leaning forward and squinting to try and get a better look. But there was nothing. Whatever she had seen, it was gone. But how could it be gone? And what was it? Was she just seeing things? ...Yeah, she was probably just seeing things, she decided. “Nothin’,” she dismissed with a chirpy tone. Pearly smiled and ruffled Minuette’s mane one more time. “Alright. Well, you should probably be heading to bed. You have school in the morning, and you need to be awake for that. You have a big test in the morning, don’t you?” Minuette gave off a long, dejected groan. “Ugh, yes. First big test of the year. Hmph,” she protested before looking up at Pearly with pleading eyes. “Do I have to? Can I just stay up a little longer?” Pearly looked down at her for a few seconds, and Minuette capitalized on the opening. She opened her eyes as wide as she could and made her lip tremble, focusing on looking as pitiful and pathetic as possible. Pearly’s resolve lasted about as long as a slice of butter in the desert against such a look. She sighed in defeat before smiling. “Oh, alright. You can stay up long enough to finish reading about tigers, but then you’re going to bed, and I won’t hear you complaining about it, you hear me?” Minuette clopped her hooves together before darting in to give her mother a big hug. “Awesome! Thanks, mom!” Pearly laughed and returned the hug. “Heh. You’re lucky you’re so cute,” she said, nuzzling her little girl. “Other mothers might not be so lenient.” Minuette smirked triumphantly before plopping back down to look into the pages of her book. Pearly sat down beside her to read with her, though Minuette knew that she was mostly doing this to make sure the little filly did as she had been instructed. Not that she minded, really. Spending time with her mother like this was something she could never complain about. And so it was that the mother and her child sat together in that little bedroom, reading from the present one got for the other, smiling and giggling every so often as one or the other made some humorous remark or comedic observation. Unbeknownst to either of them, however, they were being watched. The silent observer, hidden from view within the mirror, stared at them, his glowing blue eyes warming with appreciation, and a small smile spreading on his lips. “Yeah… I think I like it here better.” Author's Note And so our lead protagonist enters the stage by barreling down the stairs! Musical accompaniment for Minuette's arrival:
Celestia's SchoolCelestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns was without question the most prestigious in all of Equestria. It would have to be, seeing as the headmare and most prominent teacher within those old halls was none other than Princess Celestia herself. The campus stood tall and proud just outside of Canterlot Castle’s walls, larger than all of its contemporaries in the city. When Minuette had first started attending this school a few weeks ago, she had been more than a little intimidated. There had been so many ponies, and the buildings were just so large. She was a chirpy and friendly pony by nature, but so many of her new peers carried themselves with an air of superiority that made her feel lowly by comparison. Add onto that the near-labyrinthian layout of the school, and she had been lost for much of her first day, only ever barely blundering into the right classroom on time by pure luck. But that had been then, and now was now. Minuette slipped through the crowd, easily threading between groups as her hooves carried her for her first class. Magic Fundamentals 1. It wasn’t long before she was inside and hunting down the room in question. She hummed a merry tune as she went, her eyes bouncing from number to number on the walls by each of the doors. “Aha!” she quietly cheered as she came to hers and pushed it open with her magic. Most everypony was already at their seats, talking amongst themselves energetically while they awaited the arrival of the princess. Celestia herself taught this class, and that automatically made it the best class in the whole school, according to some of the students. “Minuette!” a filly called out from the right, drawing Minuette’s eye. The filly was maybe a year older than her, at the very most. She had an almost-white pink coat with a vivid red mane and tail that she kept bound behind her head in a neat ponytail. On her flank was a cutie mark of a first aid kit. Fitting, seeing as her name was- “First Aid!” Minuette greeted, cantering over, and enveloping the other unicorn in a bone-crushing hug. “You missed my birthday, you big silly!” First Aid’s eyes widened. She pulled back to gape at Minuette like a deer in the headlights. “What?! You’re birthday was yesterday!?” she asked, alarmed. Minuette giggled and nodded, taking her place in the desk next to First Aid’s. “Mhmm!” “You never told me!” First Aid pouted, lightly shoving Minuette once she was seated. “I would have come to celebrate, and I woulda bought you a gift, too!” Minuette shrugged, a sheepish grin on her face. “Eheh. I guess I forgot. Too excited…” “Heh. That’s kind of a contradiction,” a Colt’s voice answered from behind her. Minuette jumped with a high-pitched squeak and spun in her seat to face the new arrival. He was around First Aid’s age, with a light blue coat and a dark gray mane and tail, the former styled into a bowl-cut. He smiled down at her before ruffling her mane with a hoof. “So excited by your birthday that you forgot to mention it? The logic train’s not really working there.” Minuette lightly swatted his hoof away with a smirk. “Oh, hardy har!” she laughed sarcastically. “You know what I mean, Split End!” Split shrugged and sat back down in his desk. The unicorn beside him, a more elegantly built colt with a pale yellow coat with a light brown mane and tail rolled his eyes. “Hah. I see why First hangs out with you so much. You’re a fun one to watch.” First Aid rolled her eyes in response. “That, and she’s my friend, Bristle,” she reminded him. Minuette clopped her hooves together a few times in response to that. “Mhmm! Yup!” Bristle hummed with a nod. “So she is.” Minuette blinked and tilted her head to one side. She opened her mouth to speak, but a subtle nudge from First drew her attention. The filly smiled at her. “So, did you practice for the test?” she asked. Minuette tilted her head the other way. “You mean study, right?” she asked, shifting in her seat. “Well, yes, that,” First Aid replied with a slow nod. “But also practice.” “This isn’t just a written test, you know,” Split End piped up, leaning forward in his seat to look at Minuette more directly. “It’s a practical one. Gotta show the teacher that we actually know how to use magic, not just talk about magic theory on some paper.” Minuette blinked, her cheerful smile persisting. However, her ears slowly fell to rest flat against the sides of her head. “...Oh.” First Aid’s eyes widened. “Wait, you didn’t know?! How did you not know?! You were here when Celestia told us about it!” she asked, stunned. Bristle raised an eyebrow. “You weren’t slacking, were you?” Minuette gulped, unable to stifle a nervous chuckle. “Eheh, uh, well… I may have been a little distracted… by my, um… birthday coming up…” she admitted, rubbing the back of her head. Somehow, she had just known that something hadn’t been right when she left class that day... Split End frowned with a regretting grimace. “...And now I feel bad for making fun of that,” he admitted slowly. First Aid shot him a sideways glance before giving Minuette a reassuring smile. “Well, uh… I’m sure you’ll do great! If you grasp the theory, I’m sure you can figure it out in no time! I’ll be cheering for you!” That cheered Minuette up,. She perked up with a smile, her ears lifting to stand straight. “Right! Cheer extra loud, okay?” “But we’re in school,” Bristle pointed out. “We’re not supposed to be disruptive.” “Shushen!” Minuette snapped at him with a playful swat, eliciting a chuckle from the other unicorn. First Aid rolled her eyes. “You know what I meant,” she said. “I’ll be cheering for you as loud as I can inside. I don’t wanna be too loud for real, though, because then I’ll distract you, and it’ll go bad. You have to focus to do good magic!” Minuette beamed and gave a sharp nod. Unfortunately, any more chatter was summarily ground to a halt by the school bell ringing out through the classroom. The assembled students immediately quieted down as the door in the back swung open, admitting the tall, graceful form of Princess Celestia. For a moment, Minuette’s jaw dropped in awe, any small anxiety over the test forgotten in an instant. She had seen the Princess up close several times now, yes, but it never ceased to amaze her just how majestic the ancient alicorn was. How her feathers never appeared even a tiny bit out of line, how her pastel rainbow mane flowed in an invisible breeze, how her face never once became tarnished with anger or impatience. The worst emotion Minuette had ever seen on her face, in fact, was little more than mild annoyance or disappointment. But even those were enough to fill her with boundless shame when she beheld it, even when she was not the one who had incurred the princess’s quiet wrath. Her eyes carried a thousand years of practice behind them, and it showed in every single precise movement she made. All of those things amazed Minuette and filled her with wonder. Well, all of those things, and the fact that Celestia was just really flippin’ tall. “Seriously, how did she get that big? Does she have a stretcher or something? Or is it something magical, like her mane?” Minuette wondered. Alas, she would never know. Celestia took her place at the front desk and lifted her head to speak to the whole room, a practiced, motherly smile on her face. “Good morning, my little ponies.” “Good morning, Princess Celestia!” came the unanimously respectful answer. Celestia’s smile grew, her eyes shimmering just slightly as she looked between all of her assembled students. “I hope you all slept well last night. This morning you will be taking your first magic test in this class.” When a collection of affirmations answered her, she continued, pulling a stack of papers from her desk with her magic. “As this is your first test, and as many of you are still quite young, it will be very easy, and won’t count for much in your overall grade. That does not, however, give you license to ‘half-hoof’ it.” “Blast,” Split End mumbled loud enough for the class to hear, eliciting a series of amused chortles from around the room. Celestia shot him a small smile as she drew near. She delivered the test sheets to each student swiftly and efficiently, working her way through the crowd with effortless ease. Minuette watched her go with a small, thoughtful frown. Why did she do it like this? All of the other teachers in this school gave out sheets like this with their magic without leaving their desks. Eventually, Celestia came to Minuette’s desk and deposited her sheet. Minuette smiled up at her, and for a moment, the two made eye contact. Minuette paused as she stared into Celestia’s deep violet eyes, suddenly feeling like she was being scrutinized from top to bottom. And then Celestia smiled. Her eyes shined with surprising warmth, and Minuette couldn’t help but feel soothed by that look. It was a gentle, easy smile, one that promised that everything would be fine. “If you have any questions or concerns,” Celestia went on to the whole class, despite keeping her gaze on Minuette for a second longer. “Now is the time to ask.” Minuette’s mouth dropped open as the Princess passed her by. “Was… was that directed to me?” she thought to herself. The Princess had been speaking loud enough that she could only have been talking to the whole class, yet her eyes had never once left Minuette’s until she was done and had moved on. Before Minuette had a chance to ponder it, the teacher had already moved on. Minuette watched her go before shrugging and looking back down to her test sheet, giving the listed questions a preliminary read through. It didn’t seem so bad, actually. The only part she was worried about was actually having to put her knowledge into practice in front of the whole class. If she screwed it up... As if sensing the small pearl of unease Minuette felt at that idea, First Aid leaned over to whisper an encouragement. “You got this!” Minuette’s anxiety died down a bit from her friend’s support. She gave her a chirpy nod and grin. “Yeah, I do!” Mercifully, the paper part of the test was short and, as Celestia said, easy. It was a single sheet, and there were only questions on one side, many of which were multiple choice. It didn’t take long at all for all of the sheets to be turned it, many of them at the same time. Minuette and First Aid were last, right behind Bristlestroke and Split Ends. Celestia smiled and nodded as the last sheets were deposited, before rising to her hooves and speaking up. “Alright, I do believe that is everypony. It’s time for the second part of the test,” she announced to the class. “Everypony, please clear a space in the middle of the room. Try not to scratch the floor tiles with your desks if you can help it, the janitor will have a conniption.” A few amused giggles went through the class, along with a few quietly uttered instances of “what’s a conniption?” Everypony went into motion, the room filling with a loud cacophony of desk legs scraping on tiled floors as foals moved everything aside, clearing a sizable space in the middle of the room. Celestia looked it over for a moment before nodding in satisfaction. “Good. Now, everypony please clear out from the center. I will call on you by name one at a time, and test you individually,” she instructed, and the foals did as they were told, shuffling around to where there was space. Minuette was quick to work her way over and stand beside First Aid off to the side. First smiled at her. “So? How did you think you did?” Minuette shrugged. “Paper? I think I did good,” she said before nodding forward as Celestia called forth the first student. “This part, though…” First Aid patted her on the back. “You’ll be great! I know it!” “Hey, shh,” a colt whispered to them. “Don’t be noisy.” Minuette pouted at him but did not speak again. “Twilight Sparkle, you’re first.” Minuette blinked. “Twilight Sparkle?” she thought. She looked back to the cleared space to see a lavender unicorn stepping forth, her head held high. Her dark blue mane and tail were neatly combed, giving the impression that she was always in control of the situation. On her flank was a depiction of a starburst, surrounded by five smaller white sparkles. This was Princess Celestia’s personal student, although what that really meant, Minuette didn’t know. The filly shared this class with the rest of them, and yet was claimed to be especially close to the monarch in the room. Maybe she just had some fancy extracurricular activities or something? It didn’t matter just then. Celestia smiled down at Twilight before speaking loud enough for the rest of the class to hear. “For this test, I will ask you to create a simple orb of light in the air in front of you,” Celestia said with a soothing smile. “It does not need to be large or bright, merely present. Take your time, and do not overexert yourself. Ready?” Twilight gave a sharp nod. “Ready, Princess!” “Then begin,” Celestia said, taking a step back. She added with a sly wink. “Brighten up our day!” Twilight grinned before lighting her horn with a pale purple light. A few seconds passed as her brow furrowed in concentration. The light on her horn grew brighter and brighter until the light leaped from her horn to hover in the air in front of her face. Minuette’s eyes widened as it flickered once and then solidified, just like that. Twilight opened her eyes and smirked triumphantly at her creation. Celestia nodded with a flicker of pride in her eyes. “Very good, Twilight,” she said before nodding to one side. “Return to the others, please.” Twilight nodded before turning and making her way back into the sea of foals. Minuette watched her go, her eyes wide and her jaw hanging open. “She made it look so easy! Well, okay, it’s super easy to adults and stuff, but she’s barely older than I am!” Well, at least the ‘Celestia’s personal student’ title made sense, now. That filly was clearly loaded with potential. “Next, Lemon Hearts, please step forward.” Minuette turned her thoughts away from Twilight and watched as Celestia called foals forward to demonstrate their understanding of the spell. Not a single one of them nailed it so quickly like Twilight — who was now reading a book, Minuette noted. All of them faltered for a moment or took longer to create the light, and one or two outright failed to produce anything meaningful or substantial in spite of their best efforts. Finally, at long last, the moment came. “Minuette, it’s your turn.” Minuette locked up for a second. She glanced over at First Aid, the other filly giving her a reassuring smile and nod. Minuette took comfort from that, followed by a deep breath. She stepped forward until she was in front of the Princess, a cheerful and optimistic smile on her face. Celestia nodded at her, her eyes soft and soothing. “Go on.” Minuette nodded and closed her eyes, focusing on the spell. She called back to all of her studies and reading as her horn lit up with yellow light. A small needle of pain began to stab into the side of her skull from the strain, and she knew then and there that she really should have practiced more. “Gently now, don’t hurt yourself,” Celestia said softly, her voice a soothing song that reached through the darkness to guide Minuette’s way. “Concentrate, but don’t obsess. Direct, but don’t dictate. Magic flows like water. It must be guided with intent and intelligence, not force or recklessness.” Minuette did her best to follow that advice, she really did. For a moment, it began to pay off, as a tiny, flickering ball of light began to form in front of her. She cracked open an eye, hope soaring in her chest, and spurring her on. Unfortunately, it could not last. Try as she might, she could not maintain a hold of the light with her magic as untrained as it was. For a moment, the pearl of light grew exponentially brighter. And then, with an almost deafening pop that reminded her of a light bulb, the light shattered. A sudden forced jerked her back from inside of her skull, starting at the base of her horn, that sent her sprawling to the ground with a cry of pain. Celestia was at her side in a heartbeat, crouching down and looking her over for any signs of serious injury. “Minuette! Are you alright?!” she asked urgently. Minuette nodded and cracked open an eye. Her head was thumping, and her horn was tingling something fierce. The closest way to describe it was if she shook up a bottle of really fizzy pop and then dunked her horn into it and was feeling the bubbles do their thing. She found her voice after a second, mumbling out an affirmative “Uh-huh.” “Somepony wanna remind me why the daughter of a dentist is in this school?” a colt’s voice rang out from the crowd, lined with an edge of combined amusement and disdain. Minuette’s eyes widened, her heart withering in her chest. Celestia glared past her, and any laughs that echoed out from the colt’s remark died in an instant. “Watch your tongue,” she warned before gently helping Minuette to her hooves. “Do you think you can try again?” Minuette grimaced. Once she was on her hooves, she lit her horn just to feel it out. The tingle of bubbles became pins and needles, making her shudder and drop the magic instinctively. She sighed and shook her head. “No. My horn’s all tingly. It kinda hurts, too...” Celestia nodded and gave her a reassuring smile. “Good. Given how violently that spell discharged, it could have hurt a lot worse,” she said before lightly nudging Minuette back for the others. “Go ahead and rejoin your classmates. Rest your horn.” Minuette nodded, sluggishly pulling herself back toward First Aid. She did her best to smile and find comfort in her friend’s returned gaze, but her efforts were hindered by the feeling of an entire classroom staring at her. Her face slowly began to heat up with embarrassment, and she couldn’t get back into the crowd fast enough.
Parental GuidanceThe rest of the day passed in an embarrassing blur for Minuette. Try as she might, she just could not force her humiliating and flashy failure during the first major test in her magic class out of her mind. It didn’t help that she didn’t share many of her classes with her friends, at least not until the end of the day, meaning she was forced to fend for herself for most of the day. But, for a mercy, the school day eventually drew to a close. The moment the final bell rang, Minuette gathered her things into her saddlebags and practically bolted from the classroom, in spite of the teacher’s insistence that ‘the bell does not excuse you, I do!’ “That’s not how it works,” Minuette thought as she fled through the door. “If you excuse us and not the bell, then why do we have a bell at all? That’s a dumb thing to say. That teacher is dumb.” Thankfully, the teacher did not deem it fit to go after Minuette, allowing her to make her way for the exit without incident. She ducked and weaved through the densely packed crowd until she was back outside in front of the school. She glanced up at the sky, feeling the warmth of the afternoon sun on her coat. She closed her eyes and took a long, deep breath, savoring the fresh mountain air, letting it chase the embarrassment out of her system. “Minuette!” She was drawn from her momentary reprieve by the voice of First Aid. She turned around to see First Aid, Bristle and Split approaching her at a steady canter. First smiled as she came up, reaching out to nudge Minuette’s shoulder. “How did your day go?” Minuette returned the smile, albeit weakly. “It was… uh… it was okay? I guess? Meh,” she shrugged and looked ahead. Bristle Stroke frowned. “Still bothered by the test, huh?” he asked carefully. Minuette sighed and nodded as they set off down the street. “Mhmm. It looked so easy when all of you did it… Then I had to go and blow up like a lightbulb! Everypony could see it, too! Ugh… it was so embarrassing.” First Aid placed her hoof on Minuette’s back. “I’m sorry. But hey! You’ll figure it out next time! Just gotta study up and practice a little before the next test comes up!” she encouraged with a cheerful smile. Minuette perked up slightly, her chest warming up from the assurance. “You think so?” she asked hopefully. First Aid nodded, her grin growing. “Definitely! You’re smart as all heck, even if your brain is all over the place!” “But my brain isn’t all over the place. It’s in my head, where it belongs,” Minuette said, frowning. Split End chuckled and shook his head. “And behold, for she has proven First’s point!” he declared, deliberately exaggerating his native Canterlot accent. Minuette pouted back at him. “Hey, I am not! My brain’s in my skull, where it belongs! It’s not all over the place, and no, you can’t have it to spread around!” “A shame,” Split shot back with an only slightly evil smirk. “I was looking forward to getting a new type of jam to put on my sandwich…” “That is disgusting,” First Aid deadpanned, glancing back at Split with a flat look. “It is also a joke,” Split End rebuked without missing a beat, completely unrepentant. “Brain jelly?” Minuette asked, tilting her head. She then stuck out her tongue in revulsion. “Blegh! Gross! You’re a gross pony, Split!” He rolled his eyes. “Maybe. But hey, at least I’m not a light bulb.” It was like someone had flicked a switch. Just like that, whatever good mood Minuette had managed to accumulate from their friendly banter was shattered and scattered to the wind. Her expression immediately withered, her ears drooping to rest flat against her head. “R-right… eheh…” she stammered out, trying and failing to laugh. First Aid stopped and faced Split End directly, jabbing a hoof into his chest. “Hey! That wasn’t nice, Split! Apologize, right now!” she demanded, her eyes narrowing with severe displeasure. Split leaned back, cringing guiltily under the smaller filly’s ire. He glanced back up at Minuette and briefly made eye contact with her before looking away. “I, uh… sorry, Minuette,” he apologized weakly, scuffing his hoof along the ground. “I wasn’t really thinking…” “Yeah… I’d have at least waited a few weeks to make that kind of joke,” Bristle pointed out carefully. “Ya know, so it’s not so fresh, and so we can actually laugh at it without upsetting you.” Minuette hummed, her ears perking up just slightly from the apology. She nodded and gave Split a small smile. “It’s okay, Split… I know you can be kind of a big dumb head sometimes,” she said slowly and quietly. “Yeah, yeah,” Split agreed, seemingly having missed the cheeky insult Minuette had snuck in. “My mouth opens before I- Wait, hold on one bloody second!” Ah, there it was. Minuette giggled as Split’s cheeks puffed up in indignation. She pointed a hoof at him in the process. “Ha! Ya see, that’s called a joke! Even if it’s true!” she forced out between her amused giggles. “No, we call that a burn,” Bristle pointed out while nudging Split in the side with an elbow and a teasing smirk. “Kid’s got a mouth on her.” Split mouthed uselessly like a fish for several seconds before throwing his head up to just his pointy nose at the sky. “Hmph! Okay, fine! You win this time! But next time will be different, you’ll see!” he decided with a huff. A few amused giggles passed through the group, and First Aid visibly relaxed on seeing the tension so swiftly defused. She gave off an audible sigh before turning back to Minuette and grinning at her. “Whew. Nice recovery.” Minuette beamed. “Mom and Dad call me a little beast!” “With good reason,” First replied before nodding back at her friends. “Anyways, these guys invited me over to their house for a little while to play some games. If your parents give you permission, would you like to come with?” Minuette paused at that, her smile faltering. She looked between them all for a few seconds, the cogs in her brain slowly spinning into life. It was tempting, that was for sure. These three were really the only friends she had in this school so far, and most of her other friends lived a little too far away for her to go and see them without her parents taking her. But at the same time, going with them would mean she wouldn’t have time to focus on her homework or work on figuring out what she had done wrong with her spell. She shuddered at the thought of standing before the class again, primed and ready to perform the simplest of magic spells, only for her horn to pop all over again. She had no desire to get some stupid nickname like ‘Minnie the lightbulb’ or ‘blown fuse’ or ‘Botched cantrip the wonderfultastic!’ Not that anypony would come up with that third one, but still! Minuette stared at her friends for a moment longer before offering them an apologetic smile and shake of her head. “Sorry, guys, but no… I gotta practice that spell and get some homework done. Kinda slacked on some of it thanks to my birthday yesterday.” There was visible disappointment in the trio before her, but they were quick to recover. First Aid nodded in understanding. “Right. That’s okay, Minniuette. We’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay?” she said with a big smile. “Good luck, Minniuette,” Bristle added with a nod of his head. “We’re rooting for you.” Split grumbled out something to that same effect, but it was lost under his still lingering annoyance from being so magnificently ‘burned’ as Bristle had called it. Minuette nodded at all of them one more time before turning and sweeping her eyes across the sea of faces coming and going from the school. Foals, both younger and older than her, were scattered about. Those on the older end of the spectrum were seeing themselves home, while those nearer her age kept busy by their own little spaces to await the arrival of their parents to escort them home. A few staff members from the school were parked in strategic locations to oversee the proceedings, occasionally taking a moment to strike up a conversation with some students. Minuette had a hard time picking out any distinguishing features or faces In all of the chaotic hustle and bustle of the crowd. That was, of course, until the tell-tale face of her father came wandering into view, his own eyes scanning through the crowd for any sign of his little girl. Minuette perked up and waved at him. “Dad! Over here!” she called out, drawing the stallion’s attention. Sunspot turned to face her, his face lighting up with a smile. He cantered over, his gaze briefly flicking to her friends gathered behind her. “Hey, kiddo. How was your day?” he asked once he was in speaking range. Minuette paused before glancing back at the school, an uncomfortable grimace on her face. “It was okay. First period kinda sucked, though.” Sunspot frowned, coming to a stop right in front of her. “That so?” he asked curiously, crouching down to be her at eye level. “Do you wanna tell me about it?” Minuette nodded. “Uh-huh. On the way home?” she asked before moving forward and casually lumping herself onto Sunspot’s exposed back, eliciting a grunt of surprise from the stallion. Sunspot grimaced before rising to his full height. “Oof. Sure, but do you have to make me carry you? You’re ten, for pony’s sake. And bigger than you used to be.” Minuette smirked down at him with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Uh-huh! If I can’t have more than one slice of cake on my own birthday, then you get to make it up to me by carrying me home!” she declared, patting her hoof on his head like a judge’s gavel, finalizing the sentence. Sunspot groaned in defeat before smiling down at her friends. “Heh. I hope she didn’t cause any of you too much grief,” he said, though his tone implied he suspected she had. Split scuffed a hoof along the floor. “...She roasted me a minute ago.” “And it was magnificent,” Bristle added, grinning up at Minuette with an odd form of respect shining in his eyes. “Your daughters clever, there, mister.” Sunspot chuckled. “Heh. Yeah, that she is…” he acknowledged before turning sideways so Minuette could see her friends. “Anyway, we gotta go.” “Oh, okay,” Minuette said before smiling down at her friends and waving at them. “Bye, guys! See ya tomorrow!” First Aid waved happily in response, her lips peeling back into a big grin. “See you, Minuette! Study hard!” she called as Sunspot carried her away. Minuette nodded. “I will!” She kept waving for a while until, finally, the forms of her friends faded entirely from view amidst the ocean of bodies. Once they were gone, she got comfortable on Sunspots back, allowing him to carry her horn. “So… what happened in first period?” he asked once they were a block or so away, swiveling his ears to face in her direction. “Nothing bad, I hope?” Minuette frowned, shifting in place to get more comfortable. “Um… no… well, okay, yeah, totally. I failed the second half of the test…” she admitted, lowering her head to hide her eyes behind her bangs. Sunspot paused for a second before carrying on. “Second half of the test…?” he asked, seemingly confused. He perked up a moment later as the realization hit him. “Oh! It was a practical test, wasn’t it? Actually casting a spell and not just writing about it?” Minuette hummed and nodded. “Uh-huh.” “What went wrong?” “Um… I kinda popped like a lightbulb…” The return journey to the house was filled largely with Minuette regaling her father with what had happened during first period. She recalled how so many others had done well before and after her, especially Twilight Sparkle, and how among those who failed, hers was perhaps the most flashy. None of the others had created quite such a light show in their blunders. Recounting the tale had, unfortunately, done wonders to immediately crush what high spirits Minuette had managed to build up from the banter with her friends. By the time they stepped into the living room of the house, Minuette held no desire to socialize any farther, and instead went directly to her room. And that was where she now found herself a few hours later, a school-lent textbook on beginner’s magic open in front of her. Foal-friendly drawings were scrawled along the pages to go with the more clinical text, helping to add some visual aids for the more abstract concepts of spellcraft. Minuette’s eyes skimmed over the page time after time after time, soaking up all of the details she could. She had to figure out where she had gone wrong so that she could do it right next time! Her parents weren’t the sort to get on her case for bad grades unless they were really bad, primarily because they knew she wasn’t a slacker and usually bounced back from such occurrences. It wasn’t them she was worried about. It was everyone else. She hadn’t been in Celestia’s school for very long. None of the ponies in that class had, but that didn’t change the fact that, as far as she knew, a fair few came from upper-class families in the wealthier parts of the city. Bristle and Split Ends were examples of that, both of them coming from very well-to-do families. Hay, even that Twilight Sparkle filly was the youngest child to some minor noble family or other. But the same could not be said about Minuette. Her family had wealth, sure, enough to live comfortably in Canterlot, but they were far from living a life of luxury. Her family didn’t carry impressive business influence or any sway over local government. She was, among her peers, basically a nobody… “Somepony wanna remind me why the daughter of a dentist is in this school?” The scorn in that colt’s voice… the contempt. Minuette had heard it but the once, and she did not want to hear it ever again. But to do that, she had to prove herself worthy of their respect, or at least above their condemnation. And to do that, she had to get her act together and nail the next test that came her way. Minuette took a deep breath and lifted her muzzle from the book. She was situated in the center of her room, her bed to her back and a window set into the wall ahead of her, affording her a pleasant view of the city. Celestia was in the process of setting the sun, causing the world outside to slowly fade away into orange-tinted darkness. Minuette took a long, deep breath before closing her eyes, tuning all of it out and focusing on her magic. Her horn lit up with yellow light, and she began to try the spell that she had failed before. Her brow furrowed in concentration, small needles of pain starting to stab into her skull from the strain. “Come on, come on, come on…” she thought, gritting her teeth behind tightly pursed lips in a desperate bid to get it right this time. The light formed on the tip of her horn. It was small, fragile, and barely even noticeable. That ephemeral point of magic drifted forward a few inches before, like last time, Minuette felt it starting to unravel at the seams. Resisting the urge to curse, she cut off the flow of her magic and canceled the spell before she could pop again. Opening her eyes afforded her a disappointing glimpse as a few stray sparks of energy drifted out of view before fading away, like the last dying embers of a pitiful campfire. Minuette growled in frustration. “UGH! What am I doing wrong?!” she demanded, pressing her face into her hooves. She took a few minutes to calm down and catch her breath before scanning the page and trying again. As before, she closed her eyes and called upon her magic. Like before, her horn began to glow with yellow, and a small pearl of ephemeral white light formed on the tip of her horn. Minuette tuned out everything else, focusing instead on just the spell. She took her time, working on it bit by bit, piece by piece. She was making progress! She couldn’t repress a smile as she realized what she had been doing wrong. It was all kinds of technical, and she really didn’t want to commit any brainpower to figure out the specifics just now, but whatever she was doing differently this time, it was working better than before! Spurred on, Minuette put a little more power into the spell. “Careful…” “Huh?!” Minuette’s eyes snapped open as an unfamiliar voice reached her ears. Her spell forgotten and winking out of existence, she pivoted on her haunches to face the source of the noise, only to find there was nopony there. It was just her, alone in her room- Movement. Minuette’s eyes flew to her mirror as something, a shadow, darted out of her view in its surface. She sprang to her hooves, her heart spiking in her chest. She had definitely seen something moving in her mirror, she was sure of it. Suddenly feeling cold, Minuette spun in a slow circle, casting her gaze across her room for any sign of the intruder. But there was nobody. Nothing was even an inch out of place. Minuette wasn’t sure if that made it better or worse. She licked her suddenly dry lips and glanced back to the mirror. Whatever she had seen, it was no longer visible there. Repressing the urge to shudder, Minuette opened her mouth and called out in a shaky squeak of a whisper. “W-w-whos there?” A knock came to her door the moment those words fled her lips. Minuette let out a high pitched yelp of fear, falling back to her haunches with a grunt. Her eyes flew wide, focusing on her door as it swung open, her heart hammering wildly in her chest as the interloper revealed itself. It was Sunspot. He looked down at Minuette, blinking. “Oh! I’m so sorry, Minnie! I didn’t scare you, did I?” he asked, slipping inside and giving her a warm, affectionate smile. Minuette took a few deep breaths before looking over at her mirror in confusion. She knew she had seen something there! She couldn’t deny it! It had been there, clear as day, even if only for a split second! Where had it gone?! What was it?! Sunspot frowned and drew closer. “Uh, Minuette? You okay?” Minuette jumped on hearing his voice and turned back to him. Now he was starting to look worried, and all at once, Minuette’s anxiety began to drain away. Whatever strange thing she had seen, it wasn’t worth upsetting her father over. She put on a warm smile and nodded. “Uh-huh. I’m okay. You just startled me, that’s all!” she said, trying to shove aside the quiver in her voice. Sunspot didn’t seem entirely convinced, but he did not press the issue just then. Instead, he looked down at the textbook still open on the floor. “Ah. Studying, are you?” he asked knowingly. Minuette rolled over onto her hooves. “Mmhmm!” she chirped before dragging herself over and plonking herself down in front of the book. “I’m trying to figure out what I did wrong with the test spell.” Sunspot nodded, lowering himself onto his belly beside her. “And? Made any progress?” Minuette nodded. “A little bit. I think I was just trying to make it a bit too fast back in school. So it just kinda… popped.” “Makes sense,” Sunspot said, looking down into the book with a frown. “Yeah… the energy required for this spell is pretty low, but you are still really young and inexperienced. If you pour too much power into it too fast, you risk accidentally overrunning your own ability to maintain it. Kinda like slowly hoofing you more and more weights versus just dropping one really heavy one into your hooves. You can adapt to one, the other will break your shoulders.” “That sounds painful.” “It is painful.” “How do you know? Did you break your shoulders once?” Sunspot blushed. “A-anyways,” he seamlessly deflected with much grace. “Uh, w-why don’t you try it again?! I can, uh, walk you through it, or something! Eheh!” “Oh yeah, he broke them hard,” Minuette thought to herself with a predatory smirk before nodding and returning her attention to her book. She scanned the contents one last time, then closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her horn lit up with yellow light, and slowly but surely, she began to pour power into the spell. Bit by bit, piece by piece, she put it together, slowly weaving the simple pieces together. All the while, her father was right there, lending her his voice and his warmth, guiding her along. “That’s it… that’s it. Slow down a little, don’t overdo it. Steady… steady… There’s a gap there, can you plug it?... Atta girl. Okay… okay… nice!” Minuette’s eyes popped open upon hearing her father’s delighted exclamation. The moment she did, she was rewarded with an up-close and intimate view of the pearl of light she had just made. She stared at it, eyes wide, jaw agape for several seconds. With a small wince of effort, she nudged it a few feet away from her face to shine its light on the whole room. “I… I did it.” “You sure did,” Sunspot agreed, leaning down to give Minuette an affectionate nuzzle. “And you did it very well.” Minuette stared at the ball of the light several more seconds before allowing it to disperse. The moment she did, a pressure that had been building up in her head was released, and she only then realized just how bad her headache had gotten. She wouldn’t be able to do that again for a little while. Nevertheless, victory was hers! A delighted squeal peeled past her lips as she turned and hurled herself against her father in a bone-crushing hug. “I did it! I did it, I did it, I did it, I did it, I did it! EEEE!” “Yes, you did,” Sunspot agreed in a strangled gasp. “But- ack! I can’t breathe! Oh my!” Minuette released him, blushing sheepishly. “Oops! Sorry,” she apologized. Sunspot shook his head with an amused chuckle. “No, no don’t be. You did good,” he said before reaching out and pulling Minuette into another, far gentler embrace. She returned it gladly, burying her face into his chest fur and smiling. “Thanks for the help, dad…” “You’re welcome, kiddo… although it doesn’t look like you really needed much help. You pretty much had it-” “Dad?” “Yeah?” “Just take the compliment.” Sunspot rolled his eyes and gave his daughter a little squeeze. “Okay… if you insist.” The two remained like that for a little while longer, enveloped in each other’s hooves and basking in Minuette’s victory. However small it was, it was still a good one. Unbeknownst to either of them, the presence in the mirror watched on. It smiled at the two of them, in plain sight of them both if either had bothered to look. Then, without a word, it turned and stepped out of sight, vanishing beyond the frame.
The Bug in The MirrorAnxiety had a weird way of creeping up on ponies. Minuette lay in her bed around eight days later, her eyes staring blankly into the wall while her mind ran like a leashless puppy after the mailmare. Except, in this case, the mailmare was a collection of anxious worries and probably irrational fears. Each and every one made her feel more and more uncomfortable, and she couldn’t help but repress a small shudder. The next test was rapidly approaching. In fact, it was tomorrow. She had been studying fiercely all week long to make sure she got this next one right, and she had done routine exercises to make sure she could actually cast the spell asked of her this time! She had been at it relentlessly, and her parents seemed confident that she would do fine. And really, they were probably right. Minuette wasn’t stupid or weak, she knew that she was all set to do it right… Probably. However, that rational understanding was routinely undermined by a string of what-ifs and hypotheticals that drove her to climb the walls. Or would, if she had spider legs. Now she was thinking about spiders. Gross. And matters were definitely not helped at all by her mirror. Over the last several days, she knew she had seen something moving around in there. But every time she had gone to take a closer look, it just disappeared. Snuffed out and gone from view like a candle in a blizzard. It was getting a little frustrating, to be perfectly honest. She knew she wasn’t crazy. Crazy ponies didn’t see the same thing with such regularity, did they? Crazy ponies saw weird, wacky stuff, like talking heads, or floating heads, or the floor being made of literal lava or something. They didn’t imagine movement in their antique birthday mirrors, and literally nowhere else. Right? She would really have to do some personal research into crazy ponies and what they saw, she decided. But later. For now, the magic test. Tomorrow morning. Yes. She did not feel ready. Not at all. She gave off a quiet huff and closed her eyes. Sleep. That was what she needed. A nice bit of sleep would chase away her doubts, leaving her feeling refreshed and ready to tackle whatever the school day saw fit to throw at her! Such a shame sleep had decided to take an unscheduled vacation to Saddle Arabia. Minuette had been laying here in the dark for what must have been hours, so far, she had not managed to get a single wink of sleep. It was frustrating enough on its own that she couldn’t fall asleep, but it was made even worse by the fact she felt tired enough to fall asleep then and there. She just couldn’t do it. All because of this stupid anxiety! She sighed and rolled over to face the rest of her room. A moment passed before, on a whim, she opened one of her eyes just a crack. And just like that, all of her fears over the upcoming test were driven from her mind. All of her fear over failing the test and forever being a laughing stock to the other foals was replaced with a whole new, primal sense of fear as she realized that there was somepony else in the room with her. Or rather, something was in her mirror, staring back at her with large, glowing blue compound eyes. She focused on it for a moment, careful not to breathe too heavily or open her eyes too much. She didn’t want it to notice her. Now that she was looking, she could more effectively make out its body and its shape. It was more or less the same shape and size as a typical pony stallion, albeit with harder angles and sharper edges. It almost appeared to be insectoid, with a hard, armored carapace of black chitin instead of colorful fur. A curved horn rose up from its head, while tattered transparent wings wavered gently upon its back. Two sharp fangs jutting from its upper lip drew Minuette’s eye as they caught what little light was in the room. The oddest part of its appearance, however, had to be the holes that tunneled through all four of its legs. The best comparison she could think of was swiss cheese, which was not at all flattering for whatever this creature was, and she decided then and there she would never make that comparison again. Probably. She stared at its eyes, waiting for the mysterious creature to do something. Was it going to step through her mirror and suck up her blood? Was it a vampire? It definitely had the teeth for it. But then again, vampires typically had normal pony bodies and bat wings, right? So no, not a vampire. Just… something. It was something, and it was weird, and she didn’t know what to make of it. As her fear of the strange creature reached a peak, almost enough to make her cry out, the creature suddenly sighed and lowered its head, much to Minuette’s surprise. It almost looked… sad. And then it spoke. “...You really have nothing to fear, little one,” he said quietly, his voice unevenly distorted into two tones and partially muffled as if by a thin wall of glass. Of course, he was reflected in the mirror, so that made sense. “I have seen you practicing relentlessly. You are more than ready for this ‘test,’ I know it… You don’t have to be scared.” Had Minuette’s eyes been open more than a crack, she would have blinked in confusion. Did the mirror bug thing just… talk? And furthermore, was it complimenting her? And why did it look so sad? The bug looked back up to her, his lips curling up into a small smile. “I hope you sleep well, kid. And when you wake up, I know you’ll do just fine.” That was the straw that broke the proverbial camels back. Minuette took a deep breath and slowly opened her eyes, making direct eye contact with the bug in a manner she knew he would notice. And notice he did, for he immediately locked up, his ears folding back against his head. For what felt like an eternity, neither of them moved. They just stared at each other, wide-eyed and nervous. Slowly, ever so slowly, Minuette pushed herself up to a seating position, keeping her gaze fixated on the bug the whole way. “...Huh?” she asked in a barely audible whisper, yet even that tiny noise was deafening in the silent room. The bug flinched back, his wings giving a quick buzz. Without a word, he suddenly turned and went to dart out of view. Minuette’s heart spiked in her chest, and the need for sleep was forgotten. This was what she had been seeing in her mirror all this time, and now was her chance to figure out what the deal was! “Hey! Hold on!” she called as she leaped from the bed. The moment her hooves met the floor, she galloped up to the mirror, placing her hooves against the glass just as the bug vanished from view. Minuette craned her neck, trying to get an angle to see the mysterious creature, but to no avail. “Wait! Come back! Who are you?! What are you?!” Her words, alas, seemed to fall on deaf ears. Minuette kept her hooves and face pressed against the glass as if it were a mirror for several seconds, hoping against hope that the creature would come back. Several seconds came and went, and she eventually realized it was pointless. Whatever she had just seen, it was gone. She slowly slid down and fell to her haunches, her ears drooping. She had been so close, and she had blown it! Maybe if she had just stayed quiet, the bug would have talked to her some more. Or maybe she should have thanked him for saying those nice things about her. Maybe, maybe, maybe… ...Maybe he could still hear her? Maybe he was right around the bend? She had no way of knowing right now, seeing as she could not see him. She sighed heavily and leaned forward, resting her forehead against the glass. “...Um… are you still there? I’m sorry if I scared you. Can you come back out again? I, uh… I heard what you said. About my test, I mean. You were real nice…” A second passed. Minuette held her breath, watching her reflection with anticipation and rapidly dwindling hope. Then, to her shock, her reflection began to fade, leaving just her room. And then, from off to one side, the face of the bug came into view. He moved slowly and timidly, almost like a scared dog. His ears were folded down, and his wings were tucked against his back. His eyes, however, shined with a mixture of confusion, curiosity, and relief. Minuette put on a small smile. He was a lot bigger than she had first thought. He was easily the size of an adult stallion, if not a little larger. She looked up into his eyes. “Hi. I’m Minuette.” The bug blinked at her, slowly sitting on his haunches in front of her. He lifted a hoof and pressed it to the glass on his side. He worked his jaw for several seconds before managing to find his voice. “I… uh… H-hello, Minuette,” he stammered out awkwardly as if he wasn’t sure he was doing this right. Nevertheless, Minuette’s smile grew. “I heard what you said, mister. Thank you.” “Uh… w-well, uh, you’re welcome,” he eventually managed to reply, looking down with shifting, confused eyes. “I, uh… I’m sorry, I’m just confused. You’re not… scared of me?” he finally asked, looking up at her with his head tilted down, almost making him look like a sad puppy. Minuette shook her head. “Nope. Well, I was for a second, but then I saw how sad you looked, and sad ponies aren’t scary, they’re depressing by proxima.” The bug tilted his head. “...What? Proxima? Oh, heh, I think you meant proxy,” he corrected after a moment, a tiny laugh slipping past his lips. “That too,” Minuette chirped without missing a beat. The two were quiet for a few seconds. Minuette took the chance to get a closer look at him, spotting a lot of smaller details. There were some scratch marks in his chitin, and she realized that his carapace was segmented, the lines that divided each piece of his outer shell providing some fascinating definition to his shape. He was very distinctive to look at, that much was certain. His fangs were amazing to look at, too. They were so much larger than the ones she had seen on the tigers in her book, relative to his body size. She was genuinely kind of impressed he could talk through those things. She knew for a fact they would give her a lisp or something if she tried to speak with them. Eventually, he spoke again, snapping her out of her casual analysis of his body. “So… you heard what I said?” he asked. Minuette looked up into his eyes and nodded. “Uh-huh! You told me that I could do it, and that I’d ace the test, and that I needed to get some sleep, and-” she abruptly paused as a possibility made itself known to her. “Wait a minute… are you just me seeing stuff because I can’t get to sleep?” The bug gave a short laugh at that. “Ha! Oh, I hope not. That would be so unsatisfying after all this time,” he replied, a small amount of mirth in his voice. Minuette giggled at that before tilting her head at him. “Well… okay, if I’m not seeing things, then, what are you? Who are you? Why are you in my mirror? And what’s your name?” The bug looked down at her for a few moments, his expression turning visibly grimmer. He opened his mouth to speak, working through several false starts before, at last, he began to find his words. “I… uh… I don’t-” “Minuette!” Minuette all but jumped out of her skin as the door to her room suddenly opened, revealing her mother staring at her with stern disapproval on the other side. Minuette turned to face her, her ears folding back. “Oh, I am SO dead!” Pearly sighed and trotted over. “Oh, sweet Celestia, Minnie. You’re supposed to be in bed sleeping,” she chastised in tired exasperation. “What are you doing talking to yourself?” “I’m not!” Minutette protested, jabbing a hoof back at her mirror. “There’s this bug in my mirror!” “Oh, don’t make things up, it’s too late in the night for that,” Pearly told her before lifting Minuette in her magic and carrying her for the bed. “B-but, but!” Minuette protested, jabbing her hooves at the mirror while trying to get a good look at him behind her mother. “Bug thing! Look, right there!” “There’s nothing there, sweetheart,” Pearly dismissed with gentle finality as she tucked her daughter back into bed. “Now go to sleep, okay? You have a test in the morning.” “But-” “Sssh,” Pearly shushed her by placing a hoof to Minuette’s lips. “No buts. You’ve been studying hard for this one all week, so you get some sleep so you can be well-rested and do it right. Okay?” Minuette pouted up at her, sneaking one more glance toward her mirror, hoping to catch the bug’s eye so he would speak up. However, to her disappointment and confusion, he was gone. There was nothing in the mirror save for the typical reflection of her room. She stared at it for a few seconds before looking up at Pearly and giving her a tired nod. “Okay, mom…” she mumbled out. Pearly smiled and planted a light kiss on Minuette’s forehead. “That’s my girl. Get some sleep,” she whispered before standing up and quietly making her way for the door. Minuette watched her go the whole way, her eyes darting back and forth between her mother and the mirror. Alas, the bug did not reappear, and soon enough, Pearly slipped out, closing the door behind her with a gentle thunk. Minuette waited for a few minutes before looking at the mirror again. “Hey, are you still there?” she whispered at it as loud as she dared. There was no answer—Only silence. Minuette huffed in disappointment before setting her head back down on her pillow and closing her eyes. “...Who was that?” she whispered to herself before turning over onto her side. “...You really have nothing to fear, little one. I have seen you practicing relentlessly. You are more than ready for this ‘test,’ I know it… You don’t have to be scared. I hope you sleep well, kid. And when you wake up, I know you’ll do just fine.” The bug’s words echoed in her ears a few times, and a tiny smile crept onto her face. She wasn’t sure why, but something about his voice soothed her anxiety and dread. Maybe it was the vibrations in it. Who knew? Whatever the case, with those words of encouragement ringing in her thoughts, Minuette, at long last, fell into slumber. Author's Note Took us long enough, but hey, the two have finally spoken to each other! :D
See? Flying Colors!Minuette’s eyes slowly peeled open as the first rays of the morning sun streamed into her room. A long, drowsy, and frankly unattractive yawn worked its way out of her before she pushed herself up to her haunches. She took a moment to collect her thoughts and wake up a little, allowing her eyes to aimlessly wander over her room. Eventually, her gaze settled on her mirror, and her train of thought ground to a sudden halt. Immediately, she remembered the bug she had seen in it the previous night. Or… had it been a dream? She frowned in thought. The memory of the interaction was hazy at best, and all she recalled with any degree of clarity were his distorted assurances that she would ace this upcoming test. With a quiet hum, she hopped down from her bed and walked up to her mirror. Her tired reflection stared back at her, eyes drooping with bags under them, her mane tousled and wild from a night of tossing and turning. But even as she squinted and peered past her own visage for any sign of the exoskeletal interloper, she saw no sign of him. “...Um… hello?” she called softly, wondering if he might wander into view again like he did last time. To her disappointment, however, no such thing happened. It was just her own image staring back at her. “Hm… musta been a dream, then,” she mumbled before turning and dragging herself out of her room. The home was largely quiet as she picked her way through it, although she knew her parents were up. The smell of breakfast being cooked drifted up the stairs and up her nostrils, making her stomach growl and her mouth water. Minuette gave out a pleased and eager hum, ready to dig into whatever her parents had seen fit to make this time. She could hear them talking as she sleepily came down. Curiosity got the better of her. She perked up her ears once she reached the bottom and listened in. The chatter was mostly routine. Her parents were simply discussing with one another their plans for the day, much of which went right over the filly’s head. Nothing stood out to Minuette for a while, and she was about to step out into the kitchen to ask when breakfast would be ready until a question from her father made her think better of it. “A cupcake with breakfast?” Sunspot’s voice asked, clearly skeptical. “Pearl, honey, you know I love you, but are you sure we should be giving sugar like that to the beast first thing in the morning?” Minuette stifled a giggle. “Hah! Beast.” “She didn’t get to bed until late last night. I found her talking to her mirror before I came to bed as if it could talk back.” Minuette froze, the giggles dying in her throat. “Wait… mom saw that? Then, that means it really happened!” And if it really happened, then the bug in her mirror was not, in fact, a dream. He was real — or at the very least, he was a figment of her waking imagination. But that didn’t make any sense! How was there a talking bug pony thing in her mirror? How had he gotten there? And if he was really there, why hadn’t he answered her when she called out to him earlier? She felt the urge to go running up and call out for him again just to see, but that idea quickly fell off the tracks when a thought occurred to her. “...Maybe he was just sleeping,” she eventually mumbled to herself. It was the only explanation that made sense, and if it was true, she didn’t want to be mean by waking him up. She remembered how cranky her dad could get if he got woken up too early, and she didn’t wanna do that for the bug… Whoever the bug was. Unfortunately, that left her in a tricky spot. There was little she could do about the bug right now, with school looming just ahead, and her mother had seemingly not been able to see the bug. All she could do for now was keep going about her day. “I’ll try to talk to him again when I get home,” she decided with a nod to herself. “Then he’ll have gotten all the sleep he needs, and I’ll have passed my test!” With that resolution burning in her mind, she drowsily dragged herself into the kitchen, giving off a mumbled greeting to her parents as she went. Thankfully, they did not seem to catch onto the fact that she had just been eavesdropping on them, and soon enough, she was consuming a breakfast of cereal and a single blueberry cupcake with sprinkles. As she ate, her mind wandered back to the bug, and his words from beyond the wall of glass rang in her ears once again. “...You really have nothing to fear, little one. I have seen you practicing relentlessly. You are more than ready for this ‘test,’ I know it… You don’t have to be scared. I hope you sleep well, kid. And when you wake up, I know you’ll do just fine.” Minuette smiled to herself. “Yeah, I will do just fine. I’ll pass this with flying colors, just like I said I would!” When Minuette marched into the classroom later that morning, it was with her head held high and a confident look on her face. In her head, she was marching heroically face-first into the storm of discord and adversity that would surely mold her into some great hero. She could totally imagine a cape billowing epically behind her in an unfelt breeze, a light shining down from her above. Yes, she was the big good, and the various chairs and the whiteboard was the army she was to single-handedly strike down! All she had to do was wait for the word from above and- “Hey, Minnie!” First Aid called out from the right, instantly shattering Minuette’s self-empowering fantasy. The blue unicorn did not miss a beat, though. Her face lit up with a large grin, and she scampered over to her seat, finding that her three friends were already gathered and waiting for her. Split lifted a hoof in greeting. “Hey, Minuette. Studied this time, I hope?” he greeted as she plopped down in her seat. Minuette grinned back at him and gave a sharp nod. “Uh-huh! I got this!” Bristle let out a low whistle, leaning back in his seat with an amused smirk. “Ooh, confident today.” “Yeah! I got this!” Minuette repeated, lighting up the very tip of her horn to give off a few small pulses of light, while her face remained split into a big, energetic grin. “I got some real good advice from someone at home, I studied real hard, I did my practice, I ate a cupcake for breakfast! WOO! I am READY for this!” First Aid giggled before reaching out to nudge Minuette’s shoulder. “You ate a cupcake for breakfast?” “Uh-huh! Mom made me! Said I slept like crud, and the sugar from the cupcake would help! Now I’m really awake and ready to do this!” Split End raised an eyebrow. “Uh… I’m not sure that’s how that works,” he mused skeptically. His words were lost on Minuette, though, who was currently mid-sugar rush. Her eyes were wide and rapidly scanning the room, and she noticed she was getting a few odd stares from her classmates. Some of them had anticipatory smirks as if expecting her to fail as spectacularly as she did last time. “I ain’t failing!” she decided with finality, thumping her hooves together over her chest as if for emphasis. Although, in truth, it was just because she was basically vibrating, and some of that energy needed to go somewhere. Shortly after, the bell rang, and once more, Princess Celestia stepped into the room, her gentle eyes passing over the students with a motherly smile to match. “Good morning, class!” she greeted, earning a unanimous greeting from her students in response. Her eyes briefly lingered on Minuette, and an amused glimmer entered the alicorn’s eyes before she continued. “As I said yesterday, we have another magic test today. This test, as your homework will have made clear, is to create a basic, rudimentary illusion. I assume you have all done your research and gotten plenty of practice?” “Totes!” Minuette barked, jumping slightly in her seat and drawing some chuckles from the rest of the room. Celestia giggled at the response. “Hahaha. I’m glad to see such enthusiasm from you this morning, Minuette. Even by your standards, you seem rather cheerful,” she noted with a raised eyebrow. “Yeah, she ate a cupcake, apparently,” Split pointed out with a hoof pointed at the vibrating filly. “We’re all gonna die!” another foal playfully squealed from somewhere else in the room, drawing another round of laughs. Minuette’s cheeks puffed up in annoyance, and a few agitated, wordless sounds escaped her before she sat back in her seat with puffed up cheeks and an annoyed growl. Celestia allowed the children to have their laughs for a moment before softly clearing her throat. The moment she did, the room fell silent, as all of the foals paid dutiful attention to their princess and magic teacher. Once she was sure she had their full attention, she continued. “As before, there will be a written portion to this test, and then the practical demonstration of the spell. Are there any last-minute questions or concerns?” When nopony answered, Celestia nodded her head. “Very well. Then we may begin,” she declared. As before, she lifted a stack of parchment in her magic, delivering each sheet to her students individually. Minuette accepted hers enthusiastically and delved right in, her pen primed and ready to go. The room fell into utter silence. Minuette’s gaze traced over the test in front of her, her brow furrowing with concentration. A small bead of anxiety began to well up inside of her, reminding her of the possibility, however remote, that she might fail this time, too. She’d be a laughing stock if that happened. And- no. No, she had prepared for the test this time. She had practiced the spell until her horn was sore, she had read the material at least five times to ensure she had it all memorized. She took in a long, deep breath and set about writing down her first answer. “I got this,” she reaffirmed. She allowed her thoughts to drift into silence after that, focusing entirely on the paper before her. The sound of pens scratching against parchment and the gentle shimmering of magic were the only sounds to be heard. Every so often, Minuette snuck a glance at her friends to see how they were doing. Of the three of them, First Aid seemed to be having the most trouble, her muzzle scrunching up with thought and concentration. Split and Bristle were doing somewhat better, but there was definitely a bit of strain in there. At one point, Minuette caught First’s eye and gave her a short nod and encouraging smile. First Aid blinked in surprise before reciprocating the gesture and returning to her work. Soon enough, the papers began to get turned in. Much like last time, the written portion of the test was short and fairly simple — nothing more or less than a means to ensure that the students clearly remembered the premise of the magic they were working with. As the last sheets were deposited on Celestia’s desk, the alicorn smiled and rose to her hooves. “I believe it is time, then,” she said to the class, her wings adjusting on her sides. “Just like last time, my little ponies. Clear the middle of the room!” It was just like before. A flurry of movement, the legs of the desks scraping across the hard floor, ponies chattering amongst themselves to hype each other up or speculate on what was to come next. Minuette found her place by First Aid and waited for her turn as Celestia called the other students forward one at a time to perform the spell. “Lemon Hearts, why don’t we begin with you?” A bright yellow filly with a curly blue mane and tail with a trio of colorful hearts on her flanks stepped forward, her deep pink eyes shimmering with a mixture of nervousness and anticipation. Celestia gave the foal an encouraging smile before stepping back. “The spell, as you know, is a minor illusion. I would like for you to manifest a small object of your choice in the air. You may be as elaborate or as basic as you wish with the visuals, so long as you can project the image in your mind so the rest of us can see. Begin whenever you are ready.” The room watched with bated breath as Lemon Hearts nodded her head and closed her eyes. Her horn lit up with a magenta aura to match her eyes. Her muzzle scrunched up, and her brow furrowed with concentration. A few awed murmurs passed through the crowd as, slowly but surely, the air before the foal began to shimmer and ripple with light. A shape began to emerge, starting as a mere distortion, like heatwaves from an open fire, but filling in as if by multi-colored smoke. A lone butterfly appeared in the heart of the room, its wings beating slowly but surely in a steady, if rigid, beat. Minuette blinked a few times, taken aback somewhat. She had not yet given any thought to what she was going to have her illusion be. She scrunched up her muzzle in thought before leaning to the side to whisper to First Aid. “So… what are you gonna make?” “I dunno. Something,” First Aid replied in an equally hushed voice. “Maybe a monkey.” “Why a monkey?” “I dunno. Monkeys are funny?” Minuette shrugged her shoulders. She couldn’t exactly argue with that sentiment. She returned to standing straight and watched as Celestia called on the next student. One at a time, they came forward, each one conjuring a different illusion. One of them made a tea set, while another made his favorite toy. One of them created a rudimentary depiction of his dog (which earned a few adoring coos from the class), while another made a big box of doughnuts. And then, the moment came. Celestia’s smile fell on Minuette. “Minuette, you’re next.” Minuette’s heart skipped a beat. She had been so focused on the other foals that she had almost forgotten that her turn was coming up. She swallowed heavily and turned to her friends. First Aid smiled back at her, while Split and Bristle gave her nods of encouragement. She hesitated for a moment. It was strange. Something about the looks on the colts’ faces didn’t seem quite right to her. It was as if they weren’t really confident in her success like First Aid was… After a moment, though, Minuette turned and stepped into the center of the room. A collection of snickers went through the crowd, and she knew, she just knew they were laughing at her, no doubt remembering her little ‘explosion’ from last time. She shuddered under their jeering stares, her ears folding back with indignation. Not even fifteen minutes ago, they had been laughing because she was being deliberately funny, but now they were laughing in anticipation of another cosmic failure. She shook her head to dispel her doubts. She lifted her head and set her jaw, coming to a stop in the core of the room to face the princess. Celestia gave her a small, encouraging nod. “Go on, Minuette. Show us what you can do.” Minuette took a deep breath and nodded. “R-right. Okay,” she said before closing her eyes and lighting up her horn. Several seconds passed as she racked her brain for an appropriate image to manifest, but to her growing dismay, she was drawing blanks. Maybe it was being put on the spot like this or having all of those eyes staring judgmentally at her from the edges of the room. Whatever it was, it was driving all of the creativity from her thoughts—a bead of sweat formed on her brow, an anxious whimper threatening to slip past her lips. “You really have nothing to fear, little one…” Minuette’s eyes snapped open as she gave an audible gasp, the image of the bug flashing in her mind. She latched onto it with everything she had and focused on her spell, pouring as much power as she dared into making the image come to life. Bit by bit, the air before her began to shimmer and ripple. Then, with a small pulse of light, the image became clear. It was crude at best, and not quite accurate to the real deal, Minuette realized, but standing before her in the middle of the room, clear for all to see as a symbol of her success, was a vague recreation of the bug she had seen in her mirror. A silence fell over the room for several seconds. “I… I did it,” she whispered to herself, her eyes glued onto the illusion. A few moments passed as the realization set in, and her gaping mouth formed into a wide, ecstatic grin. “I did it! I did it, I did it, I DID IT!” she squealed, hopping in place a few times. She came to a stop when a sharp throb of pain tore through her horn, causing the image to flicker. With a grunt, Minuette decided that, for the moment, enough was enough. She lifted the image into the air over their heads and dispelled it in a shower of sparks. A few shocked gasps tore through the crowd, and some of the foals even gave off mystified calls to see it again. Several long seconds passed. Nopony said a word. Minuette looked around at the other foals, seeing wide eyes and hanging jaws staring back at her. Her smile began to fade, and some irrational part of her brain began to wonder if she had done something wrong. She turned back to Celestia for answers and found the alicorn smiling down at her. “Well… that was certainly the most unique thing I have seen during one of these tests in a long time, Minuette,” she said quietly. “You have quite the imagination, don’t you?” Minuette gave a loud sigh of relief before grinning widely up at the princess. “Uh-huh!” Celestia’s smile grew wider. “Well, you did a wonderful job. Return to your classmates now. There are still more students to get through.” Minuette gave a chirpy nod before turning and scampering back to her friends, a visible skip in her step. First Aid greeted her with a hug the moment she rejoined them, squealing with delight. “That was amazing, Minuette! Better than anypony else here, I think!” Minuette returned the hug, bouncing in place with a wordless squeal. She then looked past her red-maned friend to grin at the colts behind her. They were looking back at her with similarly wide-eyed looks of shock and alarm at what they had just seen her do. “See? What’d I tell ya?” she asked cockily. She waggled her eyebrows at them and gestured back at the center of the room. “Flying colors!” Author's Note Victory!
FangsThe rest of that day passed in something of a blur for Minuette. She was swallowed whole by the high of having absolutely destroyed that test. She could tell that whatever silly reputation she had earned as a ‘dunce’ had been thoroughly demolished. The only pony whose illusion managed to outdo hers wound up being Celestia’s personal student, but that was to be expected. First Aid had done pretty well, but to Minuette’s surprise, Bristle and Split both almost failed. Either they had a hard time grasping how the spell worked, were lacking in stamina, didn’t sleep well, or they just didn’t study like they were supposed to. Whatever the case was, the end results were two near-miss spells that almost ended in disaster. They scraped by with a passing result, though. Neither of them had been in a good mood after that and had left without a word when the bell saw fit to usher them along to their next period. Minuette had wanted to go and make sure they were feeling alright, but the school would not wait for her. Nevertheless, she flitted from class to class like a happy butterfly, doing her work with gusto before, at long last, the final bell saw fit to release her and her fellow foals from their obligations. Her father had come to pick her up alone today, and he had been more than a little delighted to hear about her stunning success. “You made a full-blown bug pony?!” he asked as they made their way home, his daughter riding on his back. Minuette puffed out her chest and struck a hoof up into the air. “I sure did! He was super cool, all black and buggy and stuff!” she declared, electing to keep quiet the fact that she had drawn the image from the bug in her mirror. She had plans to talk to that guy later and didn’t want any unwanted interruptions from her curious parents. “Well darn, kiddo, that’s impressive,” Sunspot praised, lifting a hoof up to ruffle her mane. “I’m proud of you. You keep it up, you hear me?” “Yes, sir!” Minuette chirped before resting her hooves on her dad’s head and grinning. Their house was now in sight, just up the street, and Minuette was ready and eager to get inside. “Honey, we’re back!” Sunspot called out as he opened the door, stepping inside with his own lips split into a wide grin. “And guess which little beast managed to ace her magic test!” “It was me!” Minuette declared, not even bothering to give her mother, who was not in the entrance hall, a chance to answer. “I aced it! I did it better than anypony else in the class! Flying colors, oh yeah!” Minuette’s ears perked up as an elated gasp came from somewhere deeper in the house, and her mother came cantering into view from the living room with a wide smile. “You did? Really?!” she asked, hefting her child up with her magic. Minuette nodded enthusiastically, her smile growing significantly. “Uh-huh! I made a bug-pony-looking thing!” Pearly hesitated for a moment, and it was then that Minuette remembered that her mother had witnessed her talking to the bug in question. Although, at the time, it had been pretty obvious that Pearly had not seen him. Still, she was quick to recover and put on a bright, cheerful smile. “And you aced it?” “Perfect score!” “Well, predicted perfect score,” Sunspot clarified with a chuckle. He set Minuette down with his magic, ignoring the disapproving pout she shot his way. “The written part of the test hasn’t been graded yet. She got a perfect score on casting the spell, but that’s not her whole grade-” “Flying colors, dad! Flying!” Sunspot chuckled and reached down to ruffle her mane again. “Heh. If you say so, kid.” Her pout intensified. She indignantly swatted his hoof away before backing up. “I do say so! I know so!” she protested sharply. Then, sensing an out, she turned and shoved her nose up into the air in an exaggerated display of haughty superiority. “Now, I’ma go read that book on teeth Mom got me!” Sunspot and Pearly shared a confused glance at that, but neither of them questioned it, thankfully. Pearly gave Minuette a nod and a smile as she started for the stairs. “Alright, Minnie. I’ll call you when it’s time for dinner, okay?” Minuette nodded back at her as she began her ascent. “Kay!” she called before sprinting up the stairs as fast as her short, filly legs could take her. She rounded the bend and darted into her room, closing the door behind her before anyone had a chance to stop her. She pressed her ear up to the door and listened for any sign of them following her, but to her relief, she instead heard her parents scattering throughout the house. She turned back to face the room, and her eyes rested on her mirror. The bug was not there at the moment. A few seconds passed before, with a grunt, she pried her saddlebags off and set them down by the door. With a deep breath, she approached the mirror and stared at her reflection. “...Hello?” she called softly, lifting a hoof and resting it against the glass. “You there? I… um… I passed the test, just like you said I would.” Several seconds passed in silence. There was no movement and no response. She pressed her hoof against the glass a little harder and rose to her hind legs, trying to get a better look past her reflection. “...Hello?’ And then, finally, it happened. Her reflection faded from view, and the bug walked into view from the left, his eyes set on her. “...Hello, little one,” he greeted in a friendly, albeit reserved, tone. Minuette smiled and gave off a heavy sigh of relief. “Oh, good. You’re real,” she said before thumping back onto her haunches. The bug chuckled, sitting down in front of her. “Well, yes, of course, I am. I said so last night, didn’t I?” he asked rhetorically. “Well, yeah, but you’re a bug pony that’s talking to me from inside my mirror,” Minuette countered matter of factly. “I mean, that’s kind of crazy, isn’t it?” “Maybe,” The bug agreed with a noncommittal shrug. “But, it would also be very unsatisfying.” Minuette giggled at that. “Heh, yeah, I guess so,” she agreed before looking into his eyes again. He smiled back at her. “So, you passed the test, just like I knew you would. Congratulations, little one.” She beamed up at him, showing off her teeth in a wide, happy grin. Her smile slowly faded after a moment, and her expression morphed into a scrutinizing, puffy-cheeked pout. “Heeey… how come you didn’t say anything to me this morning if you’re real?!” The bug lifted his hooves defensively. “Hey, now, you had to go to school. I knew that if I showed myself to you, you probably wouldn’t want to leave. So, I decided to stay out of sight, so you could go and pass that test without distractions.” “You coulda at least said ‘hi,’” Minuette protested indignantly. “I could have,” the bug agrees with a slow, sage nod. “But, I didn’t.” Minuette gave a pitiful, annoyed whine, slapping a hoof against the floor. “Why, you… HMPH!” She turned her head to the side and thrust her nose into the air. The bug chuckled at the display before lowering himself to his belly. “Haha… you know, I’m still surprised you’re so… okay with this,” he said, a less-amused tone slipping into his voice. Minuette opened her eyes and looked back to him. “Huh? What do you mean?” He gestured at the mirror. “Well, like you said, I’m a talking bug pony trapped in your mirror. Most foals would, at least at first, be terrified of me, and skeptical for a while after until I could prove I meant no harm. You? Like a moth to a flame.” Minuette tilted her head at him. “...A moth to a flame? But… Fire burns. Why would a moth fly up to one?” “Ever seen a moth fly up to a lamp?” “Uh-huh. It’s funny.” “Yeah, they like light,” the bug explained. “They navigate in the night by using the light of the moon, but other light sources throw off their senses. That’s why moths will so often settle on windows with lights inside, or fly up to lamps or torches.” “...So you’re a fire?” The bug broke out laughing again. He shook his head a minute later. “Ha! No, I’m not a fire. I was just making an expression.” Minuette blinked, her cheeks lighting up with a faint red tint. “Oh… uh, I knew that.” “Did you, though?” “Y-yes!” The bug raised an eyebrow. Minuette shrank back into herself, her cheeks puffing up. “N… Y-yes.” The bug laughed again, causing the blush of Minuette’s cheeks to spread out. She gave off another groan of embarrassment, her ears drooping. A few seconds passed before she heard a tap on the glass. She looked up to see the bug’s smile had shifted from amused to apologetic. “Heh… sorry. It’s been a long time since I’ve properly spoken with anypony. I just had to get it out of my system.” Minuette blinked at him a few times before slowly rising to an upright position. “Oh… that reminds me. You never got to answer my questions last night,” she said, her blush forgotten in her curiosity. The bug tilted his head. “Hm? What do you mean?” Minuette tapped the frame of the mirror, her muzzle scrunching up. “Well… who are you? What are you? And what are you doing in my mirror?” The bug’s smile immediately fell away, replaced with a forlorn frown. He looked down at the ground, his ears folding back. “...A-ah. I see…” he mumbled softly, surprising Minuette with just how… sad he sounded. A few seconds passed. He shook his head and lifted his eyes to meet hers again. “The truth is, little one… I honestly do not know.” “Huh?” Minuette asked, bewildered. “What do you mean? How can you not know?” The bug sighed and looked off to one side. “...I have been inside of this mirror for as long as I can remember. Two… three hundred years, at least,” he said softly, his hoof rising to touch his chest. Minuette gasped, her eyes bulging in their sockets. “WHAT?! Three hundred years?! Like, three, and then two zeroes?!” The bug nodded, this time finding no amusement in her antics. “Far longer even than that if I had to guess. I… I have been trapped in here for so long, that any memories I had of before, if ever there was a before, have faded away completely. I don’t know my own name, if I had any friends or family, where I could have come from, or even what I am… all I know is that this mirror, and whatever is reflected in it, is my entire world.” “Oh my gosh… that’s awful!” Minuette gasped. Her hooves wandered up to cover her mouth. She couldn’t fathom what it must have been like, being stuck in that mirror for so long. “But… but you’ve had friends since, right?” The bug nodded. “Some. Here and there. There was a family that had me in their possession for many generations, as I recall. They were wonderful ponies, and my time in their care is the best time I can remember. But, when the last of them passed away without an heir… I was left alone, again. I was stuck in an old warehouse for many, many years. I don’t know how many. Every so often, somepony would come by to take inventory. But none of them were foals. None of them could see or hear me, no matter how loud I called out to them… And then somepony threw a tarp over the mirror, and my world became nothing but darkness and fabric for who knows how long. “Eventually, the tarp was pulled away, and the mirror was sold off at an auction to some rich nobles here in Canterlot. Then, when their son spotted me and cried out that there was a monster in his mirror, his parents deemed it appropriate to sell me… and so it was that your parents found me and brought me here… to you.” Minuette blinked at him a few times, her eyes shimmering as he concluded his tale. “Oh my gosh… I… I’m so sorry…” she whispered, reaching one of her hooves out to the mirror, every one of her instincts screaming at her to hug him. Her hoof met the glass, barring her passage, separating her from the despondent bug that sat across from her. “I’m so, so sorry…” The bug looked back up at her, his lips curling up into a sad smile. “Thank you, little one… I am glad to know that there is somepony there who can see me again.” “Because I’m a foal?” Minuette asked, recalling what he had mentioned earlier. Her heart began to beat a little faster, and her ears folded back. “W-wait, if only foals can see you, then… w-will you disappear when I grow up?” The bug, to her relief, shook his head. “No, no. Whatever curse binds me to this reflection, it’s kind enough to allow you to continue seeing me. Had you been much older when you first got this mirror, I would have never appeared to you. But now that you have seen me, I will appear to you for the rest of your days. It is a bewildering kindness, but nonetheless one I am thankful for.” Minuette stared at him for a few minutes, blinking a few times as she tried to absorb the deluge of information her young mind had just been hit by. She swallowed heavily before reaching a hoof up to the surface of the mirror. “So… you’re just gonna be around, now?” she asked quietly. “Unless you don’t want me to be, yes,” The bug replied gently. “I am at your mercy, after all. I have no power in your world, save for my words. I will be here should you want me, but if you do not, then I will stand aside. That is what I was planning originally, after all.” “Oh, no, I want you around, absolutely!” Minuette said eagerly, placing her other hoof against the glass. “You helped me pass my test, and you’re really nice, but you’re also really sad, and I don’t want you to be! If you want a friend, I’d be happy to be one to you!” The bug smiled at her, his wings wavering on his back. “You are too kind, little one… thank you.” Minuette grinned before withdrawing her hooves. “You’re welcome… now, if you’re gonna stick around, you need a name…” The bug shrugged. “I have had many. You may call me whatever you want.” Minuette lifted a hoof to her chin, her muzzle scrunching up in thought. “Uuuummmm…” she drawled out as she swept her eyes over his chitinous form. “How about… Reflection? No, that’s lame. Tatters? No, that’s sad. Swiss?” “Like swiss cheese?” the bug asked with a raised eyebrow. He glanced down at his hole-riddled forelegs and grimaced. “I’d rather you not…” “Okay, okay, so not Swiss,” Minuette conceded. “What about Buggy?” “I mean, while not inaccurate, it’s not terribly creative, is it?” The bug asked with a faint hint of amusement slipping back into his voice. Minuette hummed, working her little brain for all it was worth. There had to be some identifying feature about the bug that stood out to her that wouldn’t be insulting or upsetting. She swept her eyes over him one more time, starting from his hollowed legs, to his armored carapace, before her eyes finally settled on his glowing blue eyes and the two, long, sharp fangs that jutted from his upper jaw. It clicked. “Fangs!” The bug blinked, reaching a hoof up to his teeth. He gave it thought for a moment before peeling his lips back to show off more of them to Minuette, drawing a fascinating coo from the filly. His teeth were all very sharp and numerous, giving off the impression of an impressive carnivore. He clamped his muzzle shut a second later, smiling down at her. “Fangs, huh… I like it…” Minuette’s grin returned in full force. “That settles it, then! From now on, your name is Fangs!” she declared, striking her hoof on the ground as if it were a gavel, and she was the judge delivering a sentence. Fangs smiled back at her and nodded. “So it is…” “Great! Now we can properly introduce ourselves! Ahem… Nice to meet ya!” Minuette chirped, pressing her hoof to the glass once again. “I’m Minuette!” Fangs nodded at that, pressing his own hoof up to the glass to mirror her own. He met her eyes and gave her a large, genuine smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, too, Minuette… My name is Fangs.” Author's Note And our buggo has a name.
Funny FacesSeveral days later, a most peculiar scene was unfolding in the bedroom of Minuette. Were there anypony else there lucky enough to be capable of seeing Fangs, they would see him knelt down, belly to the ground, with his lips peeled back to show off his rather impressive array of sharp, carnivorous teeth. Especially his two great fangs that jutted from his upper lip, which were visible at all times. That wasn’t the weird part. The weird part was the little blue unicorn filly who was absolutely gushing over what she was seeing. A little notepad was floating next to her in her magic, along with the book on teeth her mother had bought for her. She was giggling and talking excitedly at herself as she looked between Fangs’ mouth, the book, and then went to furiously scribble something down on her notepad. This had been the scene for the last ten minutes. “So…” Fangs began, briefly closing his mouth so he could talk. His eyes darted over to the patch of morning light against Minuette’s wall. “Don’t you have school today?” “In an hour,” Minuette chirped without missing a beat. “Wednesdays have late starts, so I don’t gotta go quite yet.” “Then shouldn’t you be asleep?” “Nuh-uh,” Minuette shot down with a shake of her head. She pointed the tip of her quill at Fangs and grinned. “Because you got chompers and I wanna see em!” Fangs gave off a mixture between a sigh and a laugh, rolling his eyes. “Well, we’ve been sitting here for ten minutes. Do you still need to see my teeth? My lips are getting sore.” In answer to this question, Minuette spun around her notepad to show him what she had been working on. He paused, raising an eyebrow as he was met with a remarkably detailed illustration of his open maw, complete with footnotes, labels, and cute little butterflies down in the corner. “That’s… detailed,” he noted slowly. Minuette’s grin grew significantly. “Duh! Cause I got a good reference right in front of me!” she said before tapping the mirror. “Now open up! I still gotta get the ones in the very back! Also, your tongue is forked.” “It is,” Fangs acknowledged. He gave a weary but charmed sigh and opened his mouth again, giving Minuette a view that he recalled most other creatures would probably be at least mildly grossed out by. Not her, though. Minuette just went right back to taking notes and drawing the inside of his mouth with all of the gusto of a world-renowned artist on caffeine and sugar drops. Several minutes passed before, with a nod and hum of approval, Minuette snapped her book closed. “Okay! I think that’ll just about do it!” she declared. “You can close your mouth, now.” Fangs obliged, clamping his jaw shut and rubbing it lightly as if it were sore. “Whew. Thank goodness. I was afraid my jaw was about to fall off.” “Nah, it won’t do that,” Minuette replied with a giggle. “It would’ve done it already if it could do that.” Fangs smirked back at her, a little hint of mischief filtering into his eyes. “Oh yeah? Are you quite sure about that, little one?” he asked slowly, a plan to entertain himself being born. Minuette nodded. “Uh-huh!” “Hm. If you say so,” Fangs said slowly. He then looked behind Minuette and blinked, widening his eyes. “Wait, is that a big spider on your wall?” he asked, pointing at a section of wall where there was a very distinct lack of a spider. Minuette paled and spun around on her hooves. “Spider?! Where?!” “Hook, line, and sinker,” Fangs thought victoriously before hiding his face with his hooves. While Minuette’s back was to him, he briefly closed his eyes and focused. It had been a long time since he had had an occasion to do this, and it took a second to recall the steps. Instinct took over soon enough, though. Green flames suddenly sprouted along his face and jaw, almost like a beard. With a wince, he imagined the changes he wanted and opened his eyes. The flames vanished, and when they did, Fangs’ muzzle had disappeared completely from his face, leaving nothing but a smooth curve that blended perfectly into his throat. Minuette tilted her head before slowly turning around. “Well, I don’t see any spiders- FANGS?!” she squealed, her hooves flying up to cover her mouth at the sight of Fangs’ distinct lack of one. Fangs opened his eyes wide and thumped his hooves against the glass as if to convey that he was scared and confused. He also made muffled cries through his vocal cords, which made the chitin of his chest vibrate in very entertaining ways. “Fangs, where’s your mouth?! Oh my gosh, did it really fall off?!” Minuette babbled in a panic, rising to her hooves and running in place. “Oh no no no no, I didn’t want this to happen! Uh, uh, um, uh!” Her horn suddenly lit with magic, and Fangs watched as an illusion began to form in the air in front of her. He paused and tilted his head before turning around, and watching as a perfectly mirrored copy of the illusion appeared in his reflected world. It was an illusion of his muzzle, floating there, waiting for him to put it back on. He looked back at Minuette, then at the illusion. This filly seriously thought his muzzle had fallen off. He had successfully fooled her, and now she was trying to make him a new one with manipulated light. If he still had a nose, he would have snorted with the effort of keeping his laughter inside. “Fangs, put it on!” Minuette groaned through clenched teeth, putting on display how much effort this was taking. Fangs decided to play along, scampering over and quickly positioning himself so that the fake muzzle would line up to more or less where his real one would be. Then, with another flare of green fires, his true, real muzzle was restored to his face. Minuette saw those flames, and with a sigh of relief, dispelled the illusion. She ran up and pressed her face up against the mirror, causing her cheeks to squish up and flatten on the cool surface. “Are you okay?! It’s not gonna fall off again, is it?!” she asked anxiously. Fangs opened his mouth to speak, to tell her that all would be well, that thanks to her quick thinking and skills with magic, she had successfully restored his muzzle to his face. He opened his mouth to tell her these things and praise her creativity. All that came out was a howl of uproarious laughter. Minuette paused, her face screwing up with confusion. “Heeey! What’s so funny?! You lost your mouth!” she demanded indignantly, thumping a hoof against the glass. Fangs took a few deep breaths in an attempt to quiet down his laughter, shooting her a knowing look. “Ha! No, no it did not.” Minuette tilted her head. “But… what?” Fangs stepped forward, his laughs finally dying down, and got comfortable before the glass. “Jaw’s don’t just fall off, you know. I may be a weird mirror bug, but that rule still holds true for me,” he explained with a mirthful smirk. Minuette tilted her head. “But… then… what happened?” Fangs closed his eyes and focused. Another swirl of green flames enveloped his head, and once again, his muzzle disappeared. He opened his eyes to look at Minuette to see that she was staring back at him in wide-eyed shock and confusion. Before she could freak out again, he quickly restored his muzzle and smiled more gently. “There are many things I do not know about myself or what I am, but what I do know is that I can change my body at will. I can add or remove limbs, or even turn into completely different objects and creatures. It’s quite fascinating but very tiring.” Minuette’s eyes bulged in their sockets. “You… can transform?!” she asked in a mystified whisper. “What can you turn into?” “Many things,” Fangs replied simply. “Although, I cannot remain changed forever. It drains my magic to remain in a different form, and the more differences between my new form and my true one, the faster it will drain me. If I were to become a full-sized elephant, for example, the size difference between such a creature and myself would cause an immense drain on my magic. If, however, I turned into, say, a pony...” To prove his point, Fangs was swallowed in another swirl of green. When it passed, a perfect duplicate of Minuette was looking back at her with a cheerful smile. The now-disguised Fangs thrust a hoof into the air and spoke in Minuette’s young, squeaky voice. “The size and shape differences are small enough I could stay like this for weeks if I had to!” Minuette stared at Fangs slack-jawed, even when he dispelled his disguise and returned to normal. She slowly tilted her head to one side, as if she were trying, and failing, to properly process the bombshell he had just dropped on her. “...That… is… awesome!” She suddenly squealed, hopping in place several times, her ecstatic grin returning in full force. “Ooh! Ooh! Turn into an hourglass!” Fangs recoiled a bit at the sudden suggestion. But, after a moment, he rolled his eyes and allowed himself to shift. Hooves gave way to a gold-colored frame, and chitin shifted into transparent glass. He could already feel the unorthodox shape sucking his magic away, and so only held it for a few seconds before snapping back to normal. It’s short time in existence did not seem to bother Minuette at all, who began laughing. “Oh, wow! That is so amazing! Oh, oh, do a tiger! Lil baby one, like in my book!” Fangs chuckled at her. “Did you miss the part where I said it tires me out?” “You can take a nap when I go to school,” Minuette pointed out without missing a beat. “You’ve got nothing but time to kill when I’m gone!” Fangs opened his mouth to protest, but the words did not come. No matter how much he hated to admit it, she had a point. It’s not like he had much else he could do here when she wasn’t around, so he could absolutely take some time to just rest when she went to school. And even if it was exhausting, her laughter was a wonderful sound he had gotten addicted to in the short time he had known her. His lips curled up into a small smile. “Oh, very well. Just remember, I have limits,” he said before changing once again. This time, a baby-faced tiger emerged from the flames, pouncing against the glass with the mew of a common house cat. Minuette’s hooves flew up to her cheeks, her eyes bulging with adoration. “D’aaawww, you’re so cute!” she cooed, her cheeks flushing slightly. “Lookit your paws! They’re so fluffy and small!” Fangs pawed at the glass a few times, then rolled over onto his belly to show off his generously proportioned chest fluff. That got Minuette squealing and pressing her face up the mirror with repeated chants of ‘Fluffy, I wanna hug it.’ Minuette soon lost track of time, asking Fangs to turn into thing after thing, and being increasingly impressed with each new creature or object he turned into. Tigers, dogs, cats, birds, turtles, a rock. He was quite versatile, explaining that, during long periods of being all on his own, one of his only means of entertaining himself to stave off insanity was changing into different things and just existing as them for a while. Eventually, though, her fun had to come to an end. A knock came to her door, drawing a startled yelp out of Minuette. She spun on her haunches to see the door open, and Pearly poking her head in. “Hey, Minnie. It’s time for you to get going,” she said with a smile. Minuette pouted and pointed at the mirror. “Aaaw! But I wanna keep talking to Fangs! He can turn into stuff!” Pearly paused, her brow furrowing. In the mirror, Fangs reverted back to his true form, looking a little worn out if his heavy breaths were any indication. A few seconds passed before Pearly walked into the room, approaching the mirror. “Fangs… is that your new imaginary friend?” Minuette wilted. “N-no! He’s-” “Little one,” Fangs cut her off, drawing her attention. He met her gaze and slowly shook his head. “It’s no use. She can not see me, nor will she ever be able to. It may be for the best if you just go along with it…” “But… you’re real,” Minuette protested. “I am,” Fangs acknowledged with a slow nod. “But she will never believe that. Nor will most others. If you go around telling everypony that I’m real, it could invite problems for you, me, and your family.” “...But…” Fangs smiled softly and placed his hoof against the mirror. “It’s fine, little one. I do not mind. And in truth, do others really need to know about me? I am your friend, and you are mine. That is more than I can say I have had in decades. Let it be enough…” Minuette eyed him for several moments. She didn’t like it. Why should she have to hide the truth about him behind such a silly lie? He wasn’t imaginary, he was real. He was right there! She had spoken with him every morning before going to school and every night before going to bed for days now. She knew he was real… why couldn’t she say so to everypony else? In the end, though, she was forced to accept reality. She could not force others to believe her, and since she had no way of proving it to the adults, all she could do was hide behind that explanation. It didn’t feel right to her, but there wasn’t much else she could do… “Okay,” she whispered to him before turning back to Pearly, who was staring back with a raised eyebrow. Minuette sighed and nodded. “Er, yeah… Fangs is my imaginary friend.” That actually seemed to come as a relief to her mother. Pearly smiled and nodded. “I see. Well, you can talk to fangs when you get home then. And maybe you can tell me a little more about him?” Minuette nodded, getting up to her hooves. “Sure, I guess,” she mumbled, frowning. A few seconds passed in silence before Pearly strode forward and placed a hoof on her head. “Okay, come on, Minnie. You need to get to school. Your father already has your saddlebags packed and ready to go by the door.” “Okay,” Minuette acknowledged, getting a small bounce back into her step. She smiled back at Fangs as she made her way for the door. “Bye, Fangs! I’ll see you later!” Fangs waved in response. “Have fun at school, little one. I’ll be here when you come home!” he called after her before the door closed, blocking him from view.
Not So Funny FacesMinuette’s journey to Celestia’s school was somewhat slower than usual this morning. Despite Fang’s assurances that it was fine, the fact that she was supposed to refer to him as her imaginary friend when speaking to others just did not sit right with her. Fangs wasn’t fake! He wasn’t imaginary, she knew it! He was real, he was in her mirror, and she didn’t want to lie about him. But what choice did she really have? She gave off a heavy sigh as, for the seventh time since she left her home that morning, she realized that Fangs was probably right. Trying to prove that he was real when no adults could see him would likely only cause everypony a lot of stress. However, just because she couldn’t show Fangs to any adults, that didn’t mean she couldn’t show him to her friends. They were still foals, only a little older than her—First Aid, Split End, Bristlestroke. Minuette’s lips curled up into a small smile at the thought of showing Fangs to them. He would have three more friends, and there’d be somepony who would believe her when she said that Fangs was real! Although finding a good time to show them would prove to be a hassle, she knew. Bristle and Split were typically very busy when they weren’t in school. Between Split having some family matters he always had to take care of when he left school, and Bristle having a private art tutor, their time after school was out was typically swallowed up. In truth, she had only gotten to hang out with the two of them once or twice outside of Celestia’s school since First Aid introduced them. First, though, would be a simpler matter. She didn’t have the extracurricular activities or other such obligations that those two did… Minuette was pulled from her internal musings as Celestia’s school, and her friends came into sight. They were standing in front of the regal statue of the solar alicorn that presided over the front yard of the campus, speaking in hushed tones as a veritable river of other students walked by. “And with a few minutes to spare before class!” she thought. Grinning and hoping to put her plans into motion now, Minuette picked up her pace. “Hey, guys!” she called out to them as she approached, thrusting a hoof into the air to wave. Her friends looked to her and First beamed. “Minnie! Morning!” she called over, taking a few steps to meet Minuette. Split and Bristle exchanged glances, the latter grimacing. “...Hey, Minuette.” Minuette paused, one of her ears drooping in a lopsided gesture of confusion. That had been a rather less cheerful greeting than she had been expecting. She tilted her head at them and frowned. “Uh… you two okay?” Bristle nodded. “Yeah, yeah, we’re fine,” he said in an almost dismissive tone. “Just… tired.” “Oh. Didn’t sleep well?” Minuette ventured, her confusion giving way to mild confusion. Split shook his head. “No, no. Don’t worry about it,” he said, prompting Minuette to clam up. He shared a glance with Bristle, then turned to First. “We should probably be getting a move on… class is due to start in a few minutes.” “Oh, uh, sure…” First replied, though she did not move even as Split and Bristle made their way inside, each of them casting a glance in Minuette’s direction. She watched them go, an uneasy feeling setting up shop in her stomach. Something was wrong. She could feel it. She swallowed heavily and turned to First Aid, who was still staring after their departing friends with a similarly concerned frown. “...They aren’t okay, are they?” she asked in a hushed whisper. First sighed and shrugged her shoulders. “I dunno. They’ve been acting kind of off for a little while now. I think they didn’t do very well on that last test in Celestia’s class…” Minuette’s ears drooped. “Oh…” If that was the case, then she knew how they felt. Her bungling of the first test had left her in a very sub-par mood. She looked back at the entrance, but Split and Bristle were already gone. Her frown deepened. “Well… I’m sure they can turn it around! I know I did!” she said, trying to force some more of her energetic optimism into her voice. “Maybe,” First replied before taking off after them. “Just be careful about talking about it around them. I’ve known those two a lot longer than you have, Minnie… they’re good guys, but they don’t always take it well if they fail.” Minuette hesitated, her brow furrowing. Yet again, she was being asked to hold her tongue. It didn’t sit right with her. Those two were her friends, weren’t they? And friends looked out for and supported each other! But First Aid had a point. She had known them long before Minuette had. For the time being, it would be best to follow her guidance and not breach the subject directly. With a small sigh, she nodded. “Okay. I’ll try not to,” she promised. First Aid smiled. “Thanks, Minnie.” The school day passed by in something of a blur after that. Bristle and Split were remarkably quiet during class, only ever talking once or twice to ask questions. After that, as always, Minuette’s other classes forced her to be pulled away from them. She did her best not to worry about them, but then came lunch, and their moods seemed even lower than before when she joined them. As a result of her growing concern and curiosity over her friends, she had a harder time than usual paying attention in class. She couldn’t help it. Her mind just kept wandering back to them, and First Aid’s request that she not bring up their lowered mood with them. It was disheartening, and she didn’t like it, not one bit. They were her friends, after all! Friends helped each other, didn’t they? That’s what her parents had always told her, at least, and she had no reason to doubt them about that. But how could she do that without going against First’s request that she not breach the jar of spoiling beans? Not caring about how odd that metaphor sounded in her head, she began to put some serious thought into how she could solve the problem without going against First’s request. She couldn’t speak up to them about their grumpiness directly; she knew that. But that didn’t mean she was out of options… “I got it!” she suddenly exclaimed in the middle of her alchemy class. The teacher glanced at her from his desk with a raised eyebrow, along with a few of the other students, who all seemed less than pleased with her sudden outburst. The teacher adjusted his glasses with a hoof. “Is that so? I assume, then, you’ve figured out exactly how to put out the glow on the nebulae moth trap plant?” Minuette blinked. “Huh?” The plant on the table in front of her, as if annoyed that she had forgotten about it, lurched forward to snap at her face. She leaned back from it with an alarmed squeak as she was given a very intimate view of the sharp-looking teeth of the plant, with a lure akin to an anglerfish’s dangling from its top. In fact, the whole plant was basically an anglerfish, except it was a carnivorous plant. Gross. She didn’t like these teeth. They were slimy and smelled like honey that had gone bad. “I will take that as a no,” The teacher deduced with a bemused shake of his head, accompanied by a few amused chuckles from the class. “Try to keep it down, Minuette, okay? I know you’re excitable, but you should keep your personal epiphanies to yourself in class.” “Right. Sorry,” Minuette apologized sheepishly before glaring at the plant. It glared back at her, or she imagined it would be if the freaky thing had eyes. “...Gross,” she grumbled before carrying on with the lesson, allowing her body to go on autopilot while her mind worked. “I can’t bring their grumpiness up with them directly, but I know ponies laugh when I’m around! Maybe I can invite them over to my house today, make them laugh a bunch, and even show them Fangs and the mirror! Then they’ll have somepony cool to distract them, Fangs will have some new friends, and somepony will finally believe me when I say he’s real! It’s the perfect plan, nothing could possibly go wrong!” With that resolution burning firmly in her heart, she carried on with far more vigor and enthusiasm until, at long last, the bell saw fit to release her. She saw herself out of her last class at a brisk pace, ducking and weaving through the ponies around her until, at last, she stepped out through the front doors and emerged onto the campus’ front yard. However, to her surprise, Bristle and Split were nowhere to be seen. There was just First Aid, standing by the statue with a distant look in her eyes. Minuette frowned, slowing her pace to a more timid walk as she drew near. It wasn’t until she was within a few feet that First finally noticed her and looked her way. “Minuette. Hey,” she said quietly. Minuette’s ears drooped. “Hi. Uh… where are the guys?” First sighed and nodded down the road. “They already went home. They said they had a lot of homework to deal with,” she said, though her tone of voice implied she did not believe that excuse for a second. And neither did Minuette. She frowned, looking in the direction First had indicated. They were nowhere to be seen. “Oh… Are they feeling better now, at least?” she asked, hoping against hope that they were being genuine. First sighed and shrugged. “I dunno. They didn’t stay to talk. They seemed like they were in kind of a hurry, honestly.” Minuette looked to First, her ears drooping. “Well, so much for the perfect plan…” she thought despondently, her frown turning more annoyed with herself. “Well, now what?” First shook her head. “I dunno, Minnie… for now, I think we just need to give those two a bit of space.” Minuette nodded in understanding, though her expression bespoke nothing but disappointment. “Alright…” she relented. A few seconds passed before, with a hopeful smile, she nudged First’s shoulder and got her attention. “Well… when they’re feeling better, maybe you could let them know I was thinking of inviting them over to my place sometime. Ya know, so we can hang out, play some games, that kinda thing.” First Aid stared at Minuette for a moment, her lips curling up into an appreciative smile. “Heh. Sure, that sounds like fun! I’ll let them know next time I see them.” “Sweet!” Minuette exclaimed perhaps a touch louder than was necessary as she was able to at least somewhat salvage her perfect plan. It was a bit rickety, but it would drive. “I’ve had something really cool since school started that I’ve been dying to show to you guys! You’ll love it!” First Aid raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. “What is it?” Minuette’s smile turned a touch mischievous. “It’s a surprise. Gonna hafta come and hang out to see what it is,” she said with a sly wink. First Aid pouted. “Awww! Minnie! Can I get a hint?” she asked, leaning forward and making her eyes as big as possible. Minuette faltered. Was this the puppy-dog look she had heard her parents complain at her for abusing so many times in the past? Because it sure as hay felt like it. Try as she might, she could not resist those giant glistening orbs and gave off a relenting sigh. “Okay, okay, just stop looking so sad!” First Aid’s facade snapped away like someone flicked a switch. In an instant, she was all smiles and eager anticipation all over again. “Okay! Now, hint!” Minuette rolled her eyes. “Ugh. It’s something really cool my mom and dad got me for my birthday, and I just know you guys are gonna love it, too.” First Aid nodded energetically. “Uh-huh, uh-huh! And?” A few seconds passed, and First Aid’s expecting look did not falter. Minuette blinked. “And… that’s your hint.” First Aid’s eye twitched. “Wha… but that’s not helpful at all!” she whined pathetically, lightly slapping at Minuette’s shoulder. “How can I tell the guys what you’re gonna show them if I dunno what it is?!” “You’re not!” Minuette laughed, swatting back. “I told ya, it’s a surprise! Be surprised, dangit!” First Aid’s pout deepened, and she looked away with a huff. “Hmph! You’re the worst.” “Nope,” Minuette chirped with a smug grin. “I’m the beast!” Following that exchange with First Aid, it wasn’t long before Minuette was picked up by her father and taken home. She enthused eagerly about what she had been taught, and briefly touched on the subject of Split End and Bristletroke acting upset all day long. That had been enough to warrant some minimal concern from Sunspot, but not a whole lot. He seemed confident it would be fine in the long term, though his tone implied he felt there was something else going on. Regardless, as soon as they were back inside the house, Minuette bolted up the stairs for her room, where Fangs was waiting for her. She shut the door behind her with a large grin when she saw him, and he smiled back. “Welcome home, little one,” Fangs greeted, his wings wavering on his back. “How was your day?” “Mostly good,” Minuette replied while casually tossing her saddlebags onto her bed. “Though a couple of my friends were acting kinda grumpy and sad all day…” Fangs raised an eyebrow. “Oh?” Minuette nodded, coming forward and sitting down in front of the mirror. “Uh-huh. Split End and Bristlestroke. Have I told you about them?” Fangs’ brow furrowed as he thought the question over. A second later, he shook his head. “No, you have not. I have heard their names in passing, but I know next to nothing other than they are your friends at school.” Minuette nodded, adjusting herself to get comfy. “Yeah. I met them thanks to First Aid. They’re good guys, even if Split can be a bit of a dummy sometimes.” “First Aid?” “Oh, I met her at a daycare,” Minuette clarified. “Before I started going to school. Mom and Dad had different schedules or something than they do now, and for a few months, I had to go spend part of the day at daycare. I met First Aid there, and we became good, close friends! She knew Split End and Bristlestroke before I did, and introduced me to them a few months before we all got accepted into Celestia’s School!” “I see. So First Aid is an older friend of yours, while Split and Bristle are newer?” “Mhmm!” “And what seems to be wrong with them?” Fangs pressed, laying down on his own belly to be at Minuette’s eye level. Minuette frowned, her chirpy tone turning a touch somber. “Well… when I first got to school, they were kinda tired and grumpy looking. They’ve been acting kinda grumpy for a few days, actually, now that I think about it… I just didn’t notice until today.” Fangs hummed in thought, his lips curling into a frown. “Hmmm… tell me about them. I am afraid I know very little.” Minuette nodded. “Okay! So, Split End and Bristle are both really fun, and both of them live way up in the upper districts of Canterlot, where all of the stuffy nobles live. They’re the kids of some minor noble houses themselves or something. Split End likes hair a lot, and I think he’s gonna be a barber when he grows up. Bristlestroke’s probably the artsiest pony I know and can do these really cool sketches all the time. They’re both really good with magic, and everypony really looks up to them!” Fangs’ frown turned concerned. “Nobility? Those two are from the nobility?” Minuette nodded, tilting her head. “Uh, yeah. Why?” Fangs hummed for a moment before shrugging. “Forgive me. I believe I have told you this already, but I had a less than pleasant introduction to pony nobility when the mirror was purchased by some in the upper city before your parents bought me. They were not kind to their foal and had unrealistically high expectations and strict rules. I do not see that foal developing well under their care…” Minuette nodded, her ears drooping slightly as she recalled the story. “Right… that kid called you a monster, didn’t he?” she asked in a hushed voice. “With a scream and eyes more fearful than I am comfortable admitting,” Fangs confirmed with a slow nod. He shook his head a moment later. “...A-anyways, back on track. Tell me, do you know much about their parents? Are they strict, perhaps?” Minuette shrugged. “I dunno. I’ve never met them, and Bristle and Split never talk about them. Why? Is that important?” “I am not sure,” Fangs replied, glancing sideways. “...When about did you say this behavior of theirs began? And do you have any idea at all what caused it?” Minuette blinked, briefly taken off guard. “Oh. Uh, well, they started acting a little tired and grumpy a few days ago, back when I went and passed that test with flying colors like I said I would. And First Aid thinks they’re kinda upset because they didn’t do too well on that test themselves...” Fangs’ frown deepened. “Hmm… Concerning.” Minuette tilted her head. “Huh?” A few seconds passed before Fangs shook his head. “Oh. Forgive me. I lost myself in my speculation for a minute, there,” he clarified before meeting her gaze. “Alas, I can’t claim to know the truth of this situation, and my own theories are based on very little information. The most reasonable assumption I can make is that First Aid, who has known them far longer than you or I, is right, and they are simply upset about not doing well on that test. Hearing about how you were lightly picked on and teased after you failed yours, I can only imagine it might be worse for them, especially considering the fact that they are of the nobility, while you are not. The natural expectation is for them to excel where others fail, but if they come up short…” Minuette gasped, her eyes flying wide. “Oh my gosh! Do you think they’re being bullied?!” “I am considering it as one of many possibilities,” Fangs answered in a level tone. “Again, little one, I am not very well informed about your friends. What little you have shared with me does not paint a perfect picture. Take what I’m saying here with a grain of salt.” Minuette blinked, tilting her head. “A… a grain of salt? What does that mean?” “It means to be skeptical,” Fangs replied with a smile. “To not take me at my word on this. I may very well be wrong, so do not treat my word as the truth. Treat it as one possibility among many.” Minuette stared at him for a moment, her muzzle scrunching up. She then smiled up at him and began to laugh openly. Fangs frowned. “What? What’s so funny?” Minuette pointed a hoof at him. “You talk kinda funny, you know that? You use a lotta big words!” Fangs blinked at her a few times before sharing in her amusement, letting off a few chuckles of his own. “Hardly. This is how ponies spoke before I was put under the tarp. From my point of view, you are the ones with strange speech patterns.” “Nuh-uh,” Minuette shook her head with a large, cheeky grin. “You’re totally the weird one. You’re the bug in my mirror, after all! You’re always the weird one!” Fangs opened his mouth to protest, shut it, and puffed up his cheeks at her. This only drove Minuette on to laugh even more, eventually drawing a sigh and roll of Fangs’ eyes. “Fair enough. I can’t exactly argue with that.”
My World Is a ReflectionMinuette lay on her bed, her eyes glued onto her mirror and its lone occupant. It was dark out by now, the sun having set a short while ago. Dinner had been early, and for the sake of getting to school on time and well-rested, she was to go to bed soon. Luckily for her, she still had a little bit of time to kill. Right now, she was choosing to pass it by simply watching Fangs and seeing what he was doing. The bug was idly wandering around on his side of the mirror, examining things up close for a time, sometimes muttering quietly to himself, and then moving on to some other mundane object. He sometimes traced his hoof along them, a distant look in his eyes, before shaking his head and carrying on. Minuette hummed quietly to herself as she watched, trying to figure out just what Fangs was up to. He had been like this when she came back up from dinner and had only spared her a brief greeting. Whatever he was doing, it clearly had him very deep in thought. Eventually, Fangs came to a stop in the corner of his version of the room, right by a ball that Minuette would sometimes throw against the wall to pass the time. He stared at it intently, his glowing blue eyes drinking up every single detail. Minuette frowned, a small bead of concern lighting up in her chest. She glanced over at the ball in her room, then back to Fangs, watching what happened. Eventually, Fangs leaned down and gently prodded the ball with his muzzle, not unlike how a parent might to gently wake their slumbering foal. However, to Minuette’s surprise, the ball did not budge an inch in his world, nor did it move in hers. It remained completely static and still. A moment later, Fangs pulled back, his ears drooping. “...Of course not,” he grumbled, lightly kicking the ball to identical results. Minuette blinked. “Huh?” Fangs jumped, surprised by her voice. He turned to face her, blinking several times. “Oh. Minuette. You’re… still awake,” he observed distractedly, setting off red flags in Minuette’s mind. Worried, she hopped down from her bed and wandered up to the mirror. Fangs met her there, settling down on his haunches as she approached. She squinted up at him. “...Well, yeah, of course, I am. I don’t gotta be in bed for another few minutes, and you’re acting funny. And not the good kinda funny, either.” Fangs hummed, his lips pursing into a thin line. A few seconds later, Minuette nodded past him toward the ball on his side. “What happened with the ball? Can you move it?” Fangs glanced back at it, then shook his head. “Alas, no… As I’ve told you before, my world consists only of what is reflected in the surface of the mirror,” he said solemnly, his ears drooping. “That which lies behind it is, to me, little more than an empty void. Darkness that stretches on forever, while that which lies before it is static. I can put every ounce of strength in my body into it, yet I would be unable to even move a tiny pebble, or disturb a single grain of sand at a beach…” Minuette’s eyes widened. She got up on her hind legs to prop her hooves onto the surface of the mirror. “Oh my gosh! So, like, you can’t play with the ball if you get bored?!” Fangs shook his head. “Not as you do, no. If I were so inclined, I could make a game out of trying to move it, I suppose, but that would not be all that entertaining, I would wager,” he said. He turned back to Minuette, his expression downcast. Minuette’s heart tugged against her chest with pity. Her face contorted with sympathy as she thought of how boring — now, how maddening — that must be. She couldn’t even imagine what it must have been like… “So… what if something moves in the real world?” Fangs nodded to the ball. “See for yourself.” Minuette blinked, then nodded. She turned and scampered over to the ball, swiftly picking it up in her hooves and bringing it back over to the mirror. To her surprise, when her reflection faded away, the ball continued to move all on its own, flying through the air to match where she held it in the real world. Fangs stepped aside as it passed, his eyes locked onto it. Minuette stopped in front of the mirror and fell to her haunches, her eyes wide. “Woah… so… if somepony moves something over here, it just moves over there?” “Correct,” Fangs replied, placing his hooves on the ball's underside as if to hold it. “Now… drop it.” Minuette blinked. “Huh? But…” “Just do it,” Fangs insisted gently, meeting her gaze. She stared into those orbs for several seconds before nodding and dropping the ball. Her eyes followed it in the mirror as, to her growing shock, it phased right through Fangs’ hooves as if they weren’t even there. It bounced against the carpeted floor once, rolling off to one side an inch or two before coming to a stop and falling still. Fangs lifted his hooves and stared at them, a disappointed huff escaping him. “...When the reflections change, my hooves find no purchase. It is as if I have become a ghost… A blessing in some ways, for I do not have to worry about objects slamming into me at high speeds… But it is infinitely more a curse, for no matter how I try, I can do nothing to the world around me… and I can feel none of it.” Minuette blinked at him, her jaw falling open. “You can’t feel… what do you mean you can’t feel it?” she asked in complete bafflement. Fangs sighed, shaking his head. “My world is a reflection, Minuette, nothing more,” he said. His eyes wandered to her hooves, still pressed against the glass. With a sigh, he pressed one of his own up to hers, as if to touch her. “...Do you feel that? The glass? The surface through which you see me?” Minuette nodded, swallowing heavily. She ran her hooves over the ancient, smooth surface, taking note of how it felt. It was smooth, devoid of imperfections, and with no discernible texture. It just… was. Only now that she was really thinking about it did Minuette realize how wrong it felt against her skin. She shuddered, wanting to pull away, but unable to. She was transfixed by Fangs and what he was telling her, and some small part of her wanted to truly understand his plight. A moment later, Fangs pulled his hoof away and tapped it against the floor. “That is what my world is, Minuette. A reflection… and so all within it feels the same way. It’s just glass… I could not for the life of me tell you what the carpet you stand on feels like, for I have not felt such a thing in all my years in this accursed mirror.” Minuette backed away a few paces, finally pulling her hooves away from the mirror. She stared at Fangs for several moments, working her jaw as she tried to find words. It was to no avail, unfortunately. What could she say in a situation like this? What could she say or do that could possibly make her unexpected imaginary friend feel better? Suddenly, Fangs’ eyes widened, and he looked away. “Oh… Forgive me, Minuette. I am sorry, I did not mean to become so melancholy with you. It’s just… I have not had a chance to properly ruminate on these things in a long, long time, and your room has given me much to investigate and explore. I just… I got lost in my head, I suppose.” “N-no. No, it’s okay,” Minuette shook her head, forcing herself to smile. “I… I kinda want to know everything, anyway. I mean, I wanna make you feel better...” she shifted a little closer and smiled up at him. “And how am I supposed to make you feel better if I dunno what’s bothering you?” Fangs blinked. A smile crept onto his face. “Heh… you truly are a sweet little thing, aren’t you, little one?” he asked in a soft voice, lowering himself down onto his belly. Minuette nodded. “Mhmm! Being mean’s not okay. It’s… well, mean! I’d much rather be nice and sweet.” “A good mentality to have,” Fangs assured her, pressing his forehead against the glass. “Truly, I am lucky that your parents are the ones to purchase the mirror. Thank you, Minuette.” “No problem!” Minuette chirped, lightly knocking on the side of the mirror. Fangs chuckled at that. The two fell silent after that, allowing the cool colors of the night to soothe and relax them. Minuette looked down at the ball and began to idly roll it around on the ground with her hooves. Her thoughts wandered with the gentle, repetitive motions. Question after question ran through her mind about the rules that governed the mirror and Fangs’ place in it. She did not have answers for any of them, though, but one in particular stuck out in her head. She thought back on a cool trick First Aid had shown her back when they went to the daycare together, where two mirrors held up to each other would make an endlessly repeating image. She blinked and looked up to Fangs. “So… what would happen if I put another mirror in front of this one?” she asked bluntly. Fangs’ eyes flew wide. He looked down at Minuette with an uncomfortably intense look. “Do not do that,” he said quickly, almost frantically. “For the love of, er, what was her name? Celestia?” “Er… yeah?” “Okay. For the love of Celestia, do not put another mirror in front of this one!” he commanded. Minuette tilted her head in confusion. “Huh? Why? Does it do something bad?” Fangs shuddered, turning away with an uncomfortable grimace. “Trust me, little one, when I say that there are some things better left unsaid… and unseen…” he shivered uncontrollably and wrapped his forelegs around himself. Minuette stared at him for a few seconds. She had a feeling there was a very interesting story behind that reaction, but for the time being, she figured it would probably be for the best if she simply didn’t pry. So, with a shrug, she moved on to another question. “Okay. So, you said your world is basically just whatever’s reflected in the mirror, right?” A few seconds passed before Fangs pulled himself together. He took a deep breath and turned back to Minuette, clearly eager to distract himself from whatever horrid memories she accidentally poked with a stick. “Er, y-yes, that’s correct, little one. My world is a recreation solely of what can be seen in the surface of the mirror. Why?” Minuette stared at him for a few moments, her muzzle scrunching up as her brain went to work. “Well… I was just thinking that you must be bored in there. I mean, you’re stuck in my room, like all the time, and you can’t even play with any of my toys! And when I’m off at school, you don’t have anypony else to talk to.” “That is nothing new for me, Minuette,” Fangs reminded her. “It is not much of an issue.” “That’s dumb!” Minuette protested. Fangs recoiled, blinking at her in surprise. Undeterred, she went on. “You shouldn’t be forced to be bored all the time! And you shouldn’t be stuck in my room, either! I mean, it’s not exactly huge, is it?” Fangs looked around, a whimsical look on his face. “To be fair, little one, a small room is a thousand times more tolerable than being pressed against the mirror’s surface by an immovable tarp.” “Not the point!” Minuette protested, stomping her hoof against the floor. “I wanna make sure you can have some fun and stuff when I’m off doing stuff at school! And you have those wings, too, but I’ve never seen you use em, and I think that sucks! You got em, you should be able to use em!” Fangs sighed and turned back to face Minuette. “Well, true as that may be, I am not entirely sure what you intend to do about it. My world is static, little one. I cannot change it no matter what I do, and there are only so many rooms in your house. Besides, I doubt your parents will approve of you moving it around for the sake of your ‘imaginary friend,’ now will they?” “Not around the house,” Minuette shook her head before lighting up her horn with magic. Fangs’ eyes widened as she enveloped the mirror in her grasp, lifting it a few inches off the ground. She grunted and groaned with effort, her horn aching from the exertion of lifting something so big and heavy compared to her. “Minuette? What are you doing?” Fangs asked in alarm. Minuette grunted, her teeth grinding together. She slowly turned the mirror around as she floated it over a few feet to the right. She could see Fangs’ moving to try and keep her in his sights as the mirror turned, and the world within it changed to match. Eventually, it was facing the other way. With one last groan of strain, Minuette set the mirror down, propping it against her bedside table facing it toward her window. The moment she set it down, she staggered off to one side, her head pounding from the effort. She soon slumped against the wall, panting heavily. She placed a hoof against her temple to try and quell a newfound headache, to limited results. “Minuette?!” Fangs’ voice called from the mirror, increasingly alarmed. “Are you alright?! What did you do?!” Minuette took a few deep breaths before calling over to him. “I’m okay!” She called, staggering forward until she was in front of the mirror again. Fangs visibly relaxed on seeing her, his wings drooping at his sides. “Goodness, filly, you scared me! What were you thinking?!” Minuette flinched from the tone in his voice, reminded of scoldings she had received from her parents in the past when she had been bad. She discarded that feeling a moment later, a grin adorning her muzzle. Then, with one last flicker of her magic, she grabbed onto her window and threw it open, allowing a current of mountain air chilled by the night to drift in. She met Fangs’ gaze, her grin widening. “...Changing the world?” Fangs stared at her for several seconds, a bewildered frown on his face. “...I hope you realize how cheesy that sounded.” “Don’t care. Ten.” “And that is a valid point,” Fangs conceded before turning around to stare at the window. His posture slowly changed as it dawned on him just what Minuette had done. He looked back and forth between her and the world she had just opened up to him. “Little one… I…” “Your world is based on what’s in the mirror, right?” Minuette reminded him, nodding toward the window. “Well, what if the world was in the mirror?” She glanced back to the window on her side, taking note of what could be seen. It was mostly the rooftops of other buildings on her street, though the open sky rested beyond, speckled with the million flickering lanterns that were the stars. She grasped the mirror in her hooves and gently pulled it closer to the window, moving slower this time, until at last, she was holding it up right to the window, allowing Fangs to look out at a very large chunk of Canterlot from a relatively good vantage point. Even the slopes of the mountain the city rested on could be seen, rising high up into the night sky and capped with snow. “And what if, when I’m not around, like when I’m at school or with friends and stuff, I put you here so you can explore the world out there?” Minuette finally asked, looking into the mirror at Fangs. He stared out at Canterlot, his eyes wide and his jaw hanging open. In particular, his gaze was locked onto the surface of the moon. He stared at it for a long while, working his jaw. “Is that… the moon?” he asked in barely even a whisper. “Uh-huh.” “...What happened to it?” Minuette frowned, looking at it herself. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary… it looked the same as it ever did, the Mare in the Moon and all. “What do you mean?” she asked quietly. Fangs stared at it for a few moments longer before shaking his head. “N-never mind, little one. I just… it has been a very long time since I have seen the night sky… I… I had forgotten…” his words trailed off, his eyes wandering the heavens as if in a daze. Minuette smiled softly at him. “...You wanna explore a little?” Fangs was quiet for a short time before looking back at her, then to his wings. He gave them a few short buzzes, allowing Minuette to hear them in motion for the first time. “...I… I don’t… I…” he struggled to find his words. At last, he focused on Minuette, and his eyes lit up. “I would love to, Minuette!” Minuette smiled and nodded. “Okay, go on then! Just make sure you’re back before I turn the mirror around! I don’t wanna do that only to find out you're gone!” Fangs shook his head. “That won’t be a problem, little one. My whole world is what’s reflected in the mirror. If you turn it around to face your room’s interior again, all else will dissolve for me, and I will return to you as if I had never left.” “Oh, okay!” Minuette chirped before taking a step back and gently resting the mirror against the window. “Is that good? Do you need me to adjust it at all?” “No, no, this is perfect,” Fangs answered, though Minuette could no longer see him, as the mirror was pressed more or less flat against the wall and window. “Thank you, Minuette… truly… words cannot express how much this means to me…” Minuette tilted her head. “...Okay? Uh, well… You’re very welcome, Fangs! Have fun!” “I will,” Fangs answered. Minuette’s ears then caught the sound of his wings buzzing in the air. The sound slowly faded into silence, and for a moment, Minuette sat there, left all on her own in her room for the first time since she got the mirror. She was about to go and hop into bed when, to her surprise, she heard the distant echoing of Fangs’ voice, laughing loudly and ecstatically to the heavens, before that, too, faded into nothingness. Minuette smiled, turning to head for bed. “Good night, Fangs,” she whispered. Author's Note Sorry updates in this have been slow when compared to my other stories. My editor has been very busy as of late, and my OCD forbids me from posting new chapters before he's made his passes.
Group ProjectMinuette resisted the urge to sigh as she struggled to keep her attention on Princess Celestia’s lecture on the fundamental principles of the next spell they would be undertaking. It was easier said than done, though. Every few moments, Minuette’s gaze would drift over to Split and Bristle, only to find them focusing on their notes with their ears swiveled squarely at their teacher. They hadn’t spoken much with her over the last few days. She had approached them multiple times wherever the chance presented itself, but on each occasion, she had been gently directed away or told that everything was fine before they wandered off. It was becoming increasingly disheartening. They were still clearly bummed out and working themselves to the bone to make up for the test they hadn’t done so well on. First Aid seemed especially worried about them. Every so often, when Minuette would ask about how they were doing, or if she had any idea as to when they would be able to head over to her place for that ‘surprise’ she had kept talking about, she would either receive shrugs or noncommittal responses as her answers. “They’ve never been this quiet before,” First had said during lunch one day. She and Minuette had been sitting alone in the courtyard, as Split and Bristle had elected to head to the library instead. “And, what’s worse… They’re quietest around you.” “Oh no. Do you think they’re mad at me for something?!” “What? No, no of course not! Why on Equestria would they be mad at you? That’s silly, Minuette.” “Heh. Yeah, I guess it is…” First Aid had found the idea to be completely and utterly ridiculous. And, at face value, Minuette couldn’t exactly blame her. The other filly had known those two for a lot longer than her. But while First was dead-set in her belief that their silence and distance from Minuette was purely a result of stressing out over their next big test, Minuette wasn’t so sure… “Hearing about how you were lightly picked on and teased after you failed yours, I can only imagine it might be worse for them, especially considering the fact that they are of the nobility, while you are not. The natural expectation is for them to excel where others fail, but if they come up short…” Minuette gasped, her eyes flying wide. “Oh my gosh! Do you think they’re being bullied?!” “I am considering it as one of many possibilities,” Fangs answered in a level tone. It was an unpleasant possibility to consider, but if Fangs was right, then it was very much a possibility… and in some small way, Minuette couldn’t help but feel responsible for it. Celestia’s school was filled to the brim with foals from well-to-do or noble families. There was a high standard on everypony here. Minuette was among a rather small group of outliers. She was a commoner. No noble blood, no highly influential family, or family ties—she was just a normal filly. And she, the normal commoner filly, had aced the last big test… The very same one that those two, the children of noble families, had done poorly on. And now they were being quiet and distant from her… Of course, she was probably just being paranoid. But still… the timing was there, and Fangs hadn’t been very optimistic about pony nobility. All Minuette could really do was hope that she was wrong and try to make her friends feel better as soon as possible. The class dragged on and on, before, eventually, Celestia set down the chalk and turned away from the board. “Alright, did everypony catch all of that?” she asked. A wave of affirmatives came from the other foals, including Minuette. Her mind had been distracted, but she had the gist of it. It was an advanced form of the lights and illusions they had been working with so far but in a less rigid form. The spell created ‘fluid light’ that the caster could weave into any shape they so desired, lending it whatever colors they chose. However, it was significantly more complicated than the previous two spells, and Minuette had a feeling it was beyond her to tackle. Celestia smiled and nodded. “Good. The test for this spell will be in three weeks, and it will be a little different from the last one. Instead of a paper quiz and demonstration of the spell, this time, there will only be a demonstration. However, you will not be tackling this magic alone. I want all of you to split into groups of at least three and work together to come up with the best picture you can think of. When the time comes to show your mastery of the spell, you will be expected to work together and pull your weight, presenting your work of magic art. The art itself does not need to be good, to be clear. I am not testing your artistic talents, but your magical skill. I will be grading each student based on their contribution, the stability of the creation, and the distribution of the work. However, for the creatively inclined amongst you, there may be some extra credit in it for you if you produce a particularly good image. Does everypony understand?” As yet another wave of affirmatives ran through the classroom, Minuette’s eyes darted to her side, locking onto First’s. The other filly was grinning back at her. They both knew it, then. This was their chance to get Split and Bristle where they needed them to be! “Very good. Take a minute and find who you want to group with,” Celestia declared, holding her head up. Already the room was breaking into a clamor as foals raced to claim their friends before anypony else, and she had to raise her voice to be heard. “Once you’ve done that, you may spend the rest of the period to begin planning!” With the go-ahead from Celestia, Minuette leaned forward to look past First Aid at Split End and Bristlestroke. The two colts were glancing at each other with frowns on their faces. Evidently, they had already decided to team up. But they needed at least three team members. Minuette grinned and waved at them. “Hey, guys! Why don’tcha team up with First and me?” she asked eagerly. Split and Bristle turned to look at the two of them, their eyes darting between Minuette and First. There was clear indecision in their eyes. Minuette’s earlier bead of anxiety grew just that little bit more from their expressions. They were hesitating. Why would they hesitate, unless they didn’t want to be part of this group? “Come on, guys,” First Aid added, leaning forward and giving them puppy dog eyes. “Minnie and I can’t do this alone.” Split winced at that, glancing to the side. “Er… well, we kinda have to have at least three team members, don’t we?” he asked quietly. “Mhmm!” Minuette chirped in affirmation. Bristle sighed a second later, seemingly dissatisfied. “Alright, okay. Guess we’re teammates, then,” he said. “Sweet!” Minuette cheered, turning to First Aid and sharing a quick hoof-bump with her. That had been relatively painless. Now all she had to do was get them back to her house after school so they could discuss what they were going to do for the picture. And so she could show them Fangs, of course, but that had been a part of the plan right out the gate. “Any ideas about what we’re gonna make?” Split asked as if reading Minuette’s mind. He glanced back at his cutie mark and grimaced. It was a pair of scissors slicing through a mass of straight brown hairs. “Cause, uh, I’m not thinking of much… Hair’s always been my thing.” “We know,” Bristle replied, glancing down at his own. A paintbrush upon a canvas, unsurprisingly. “I’m sure I can think of something… but I’m pretty tired today.” “It is a group effort,” First Aid reminded him with a gentle nudge. “So we all gotta contribute.” “Yeah, yeah, I know,” the colt replied, lightly brushing her hoof away. “Just… I’m just really not feeling it today. I didn’t sleep very well.” “Oh… Okay,” First Aid conceded, withdrawing a bit. “Well, uh… the rest of us can make a start, then, and you can chip in some more when you’re a little more rested. How does that sound?” Bristle shrugged. “Sounds fine, I guess… Just gimme a time and a date.” Minuette’s eyes practically sparkled. Here it was! “Ahem. Well, we could head over to my house tomorrow afternoon,” she said eagerly. “We can talk things out in my room, figure things out, throw some ideas at the wall to see if they stick. Maybe even get some ideas from-” Her friends blinked as she caught herself just shy of mentioning Fangs by name. She frowned and looked down somewhat. They hadn’t met him yet, and if she went name-dropping him now, the odds of them believing her would be slim to none. And calling her sanity into question was the last thing she wanted to do. Besides, they already went through that whole song and dance about whether or not she was crazy. “From… your parents?” First Aid ventured a second later with a raised eyebrow. Minuette was quick to latch onto the offered escape and gave First Aid a smile that was perhaps a bit too grateful. “Y-yeah! My parents, yeah. They might not be painters like Bristle, but they’re grown-ups, and grown-ups just have the best ideas!” “Heh. Tell that to my alchemy teacher,” Split scoffed, a tiny smile appearing on his face. “Let’s grow pony eating plants in class, he said. It’ll be fun, he said. Oh, don’t worry. The plants won’t turn aggressive and spray you with a quart of foul-smelling green gunk, he said!” All three pairs of eyes fell on the complaining colt. Minuette stifled a snicker at his indignant smile. “Heh. Wh-what the heck happened in your alchemy class?” she asked between her barely stifled chortles. “Yeah, cause uh, I don’t remember anything like that in mine,” First added, also trying and failing to stifle her laughter. Split End’s cheeks puffed up in agitation, an embarrassed flush enveloping them. “...L-lucky,” he grumbled quietly before looking straight down. Bristle also managed to put on a small smile at that, some of the tension leaving his face. “Heh. No, Split, that one was your fault. The teacher wasn’t the one who decided it was wise to put a hoof file in the plant’s mouth.” “Eeeeww,” First Aid said, cringing back in spite of her continuing laughter. “Dude, that is such a stupid idea! What were you thinking?!” Split End groaned in humiliation, covering his head with his hooves. “Ugh… just drop it,” he whined pathetically, his ears folding down to rest flat against his skull. “It took all night to get the smell out… and everypony else already laughed at me for it.” Minuette’s laughter ended immediately, guilt replacing her mirth. How could she have been so stupid? She should have figured that he would have been laughed at for something like that, and considering that he was probably already being teased and picked on for the failed test, he wouldn’t have taken it well at all. First Aid followed close behind her, quickly sensing that the joke was over. She briefly glanced back at Minuette, her ears drooping. Minuette swallowed heavily. Slowly, she slid out of her seat and trotted up to Split’s side. Bristle kept an eye on her as she went but otherwise did not move to stop her. With a deep breath, she placed her hoof on Split’s back and smiled. “...I’m sorry, Split,” she said quietly. “I didn’t mean to make you feel upset or anything. I… I wasn’t thinking.” “No. You weren’t,” Minuette flinches away from the sharp response. She withdrew her hoof and backed away, looking down. “...I’m sorry… I guess I was the dumb one, this time,” she apologized again. “So am I,” First agreed, reaching over to pat Split on the shoulder. “I’m just not used to you acting like this, you know?” Split was quiet for a moment. He took a deep breath and lifted his head. The humiliation on his face had faded at least a little bit. “...Apology accepted,” he said after a moment. He glanced at Minuette for a moment, his mouth opening as if to say something more. After a moment, he decided against it and looked back down at his hooves. “...So… o-our project?” The attempted redirection was about as obvious as it could get. But given what had just happened, Minuette was all too happy to get back on topic. She nodded and returned to her seat, trying not to worry. She shared a glance with First Aid, though, and they both knew then and there that not worrying about their friends was strictly out of the question for now. With that concerning thought setting up its nest in their minds, they turned their attention to their group project and spent the remainder of the period discussing various ideas for their illusionary art. All the while, Minuette hoped that their meeting with Fangs would be the kick her friends needed to pull themselves together and get out of this rut. It was no fun when they were sad and upset like this… and she just wanted things to go back to normal.
Imaginary FriendWere one to peer into Minuette’s room, they would find that, for the first time since she had gotten the mirror, she was using it for its intended purpose. She stood in front of it, examining her reflection with a narrow-eyed squint of scrutiny. A hairbrush floated in the air next to her, hovering just above her head, twitching every so often with anticipation at being used. Her parents had made it clear — despite her many protests that it was unnecessary — that if she was inviting boys over, she would need to be presentable. That meant her room had to be tidied up, and her appearance had to be adjusted to. She had grumbled about how such extreme measures were what boys were supposed to do. But, what would have otherwise been an onerous task was made almost trivial with the help of Fangs. He called out to her routinely as she set about cleaning up her room, picking up books or toys she had left lying around. And then, when that had all been done, he had done a remarkable job at helping her work out exactly what she wanted to do with her mane. With a few final deft swishes of the brush, she beamed at her reflection. “Alright, I think that will just about do it!” she declared, casting the brush aside with nary a care in the world. Her reflection followed it with its eyes and frowned. “Oh, great. Now you have to go pick that up. And you were doing so well,” it grumbled in mock disappointment. Minuette rolled her eyes and rose to go after the brush. “Hardy har, Fangs. Hardy har.” Her reflection in the mirror exploded into green flames, and Fangs smiled at her as she went. “In case you had forgotten, you enlisted my help with you and your room. You asked for this,” he pointed out. Minuette stuck her tongue out at him as she passed, idly smacking the mirror frame with the brush. The two shared a good-natured laugh at that. She quickly deposited the brush back in the bathroom before coming back and closing the door behind her. She looked at the clock to see how much time she had left. Less than half an hour until her friends arrived. Her smile faded, and Fangs was quick on the uptake. He frowned at her. “Ah, and there it is again.” Minuette frowned back at him in confusion. “Huh? What? There’s what?” she asked, marching up to the mirror. Fangs gestured at her face. “The frown. You’re worried. Anxious.” Minuette paused. “I’m anxious?” she asked, having completely missed that fact herself. Fangs nodded. “Subtly so, but yes.” Minuette squinted her eyes at him, her ears folding back as doubt and skepticism came over her. “How do you know that? What, are you a mind reader or something?” she asked slowly. Fangs chuckled and shook his head. “Ha! Nothing quite so fanciful. No, little one, I am not a mind reader. I am, however, an empath, after a fashion,” he corrected. Minuette stared at him. Her muzzle scrunched up as she racked her brain for any knowledge she had on that word. Alas, she came up with nothing, and she huffed at him. “Wassat?” Fangs snorted in amusement at her blunt request. He leaned back somewhat, his eyes drifting upwards. “It means, Minuette, that I can tell exactly what others around me are feeling. I can see their emotions in the air, radiating off of them like steam from a plate of hot food. Every emotion comes with its own unique color, and from those, I can discern a rough idea of what a pony is feeling. Although the reasons behind their emotions elude me.” Minuette’s eyes widened. “Woah… you can see emotions?!” Fangs blinked. “That is what I just said, yes.” Minuette’s grin grew. “Oh, wow! That’s so cool! They all have different colors?! What color are mine right now?!” she asked, bouncing up and down in place with excitement. Fangs leaned forward, squinting through the glass. He stared at her for several seconds before smiling and nodding. “Yellow and gold. You are excited, presumably by the revelation that I can see what you are feeling at any given time. There are trace amounts of pale blue, not unlike the edge of the horizon at noon. Contentment perhaps, or appreciation. I am assuming that is because you enjoy my company. And there, hugging close to your body, obscured by the others, is a thin film of dull purple. Anxiety, a more subtle form of fear. Something is gnawing at you. It has been since you woke up this morning.” Minuette frowned at that, her excitement briefly abating. There was the mentioning of anxiety again. But what did she have to be anxious or afraid of? She had her friends coming over so they could work on the spell Celestia had assigned them to study, and she planned on introducing them to Fangs so they could have another friend, and so he could meet more ponies that could see him. They would all stop being so sad and upset all the time, Split and Bristle would ace their upcoming test, and everything would be just fine. ...Right? Fangs’ expression softened somewhat. “The anxiety is growing.” Minuette fidgeted in place, her ears drooping. “Er, yeah… I think I know what it is.” Fangs sat back and gestured for her to speak. “Go on, then. Tell me. Perhaps I can help?” Minuette took a deep breath and trotted closer to the mirror. “Well, it’s just that… I really, really want this to go well, you know?” she asked, sitting down in front of him. “But my friends have never seen you before, and I’ve never even talked about you to them. They’ve all seen a vague resemblance of you once in class when I made an illusion of you as part of that test I was so scared of, but they have no idea you’re here. And Split and Bristle have been really sad and mopey lately and I don’t wanna scare them or make them upset. And you are kinda scary looking.” Fangs raised an eyebrow. “My feelings have been harmed.” Minuette’s eyes sprang wide open, and she quickly put her hooves out in front of her. “I m-mean, you look scary at first, but then when I got to know you, I saw that you’re really nice and actually really cool looking! I mean, look at those teeth! They’re so long and- why are you laughing?” Halfway through her panicked spiel, Fangs had begun laughing. He took a few deep breaths to compose himself when she stopped and soon smiled warmly at her. “Little one… these are your friends we are speaking of, are they not?” he asked slowly. Minuette tilted her head at him. “Well, yeah… and I don’t wanna upset them or anything.” “But they are your friends,” Fangs insisted, leaning forward slightly. “And good friends at that, from how much you have been worrying for them. Especially First Aid. Is that correct?” Minuette nodded at him. “Uh-huh! She’s my oldest and best friend! Why?” Fangs nodded at Minuette. “Because, if they are your friends, then I see no reason for this meeting to go poorly. They trust and respect you, they appreciate you, and they enjoy your company. You have told me your fair share of stories about times you made them laugh or smile at your… comedic antics.” Minuette puffed up her chest. She had made them smile and laugh a lot, hadn’t she? Especially that time when she turned the tables right around on Split after she failed her test. “At the end of the day, they are your friends,” Fangs went on. “And no matter what, I am positive things will be totally fine.” As if on cue, the sound of a hoof knocking on a door resonated from downstairs. Pearly’s voice came up a second later, shouting to be heard through the walls. “Minuette! Your friends are here!” “Ah, what perfect timing,” Fangs noted with a satisfied smile. Minuette glanced back at her door, then turned to him again. They made eye contact for several seconds. She stared deep into those glowing orbs, taking what strength and comfort she could from not only his grounded gaze but also his words of assurance. Her heart swelled with confidence and resolve. He was right. They were her friends, and she was worrying for nothing. This was going to go great! A grin split her muzzle. “Alrighty! Thanks, Fangs! I’ll bring them right up! Strike a pose, ‘cause we wanna make a good first impression!” she said before turning and scampering for the door. “I think I’ll just hide out of sight until you call on me!” Fangs called after her. “That way they’ll expect something odd!” “Boring, but okay!” Minuette agreed before throwing open her door and scampering down the steps. Her eyes flew to the door the moment she reached the bottom, landing on the sight of her three friends already stepping inside and wiping their hooves on the doormat. First Aid saw her coming first, and her face lit up with a smile. “Minnie!” she called, galloping forward and throwing her forelegs around Minuette in a hug. “It’s good to see you!” Minuette gave off a grunt from the sudden contact, but all the same, she returned the hug with gusto. “You, too!” she said before leaning back and waving enthusiastically at Split and Bristle as they closed the door behind them. “Hey, guys! Welcome to my house!” Split looked it over, a thoughtful look on his face. “Hm… Kind of basic, but I like it.” Bristle nodded in agreement as he took it in. “Yeah, it’s nice. Little small, though.” First Aid rolled her eyes at them. “You guys are just used to big family estates,” she pointed out playfully. Bristle shrugged his shoulders. “Eh. Fair enough.” “You kids want anything before you get to work?” Pearly asked from the side, as the one who had opened the door. “Snacks? Water?” Bristle turned to her with a simple shake of his head. “No, thanks. Maybe later, though,” he said respectfully. Neither Split nor First Aid made any effort to disagree with that assessment. The filly between them turned back to Minuette and grinned. “So, where we going?” she asked eagerly. Minuette turned and gestured up the stairs that she had just come barreling down. “Right upstairs in my room! Come on, lemme show ya!” she said, flashing her friends a wink before turning and running back up. Her legs were starting to complain a little by the time she reached the top, but at the moment, she could not really find it in herself to care. With her anxieties squashed by Fangs’ assurance, she was beyond eager to get this party started. She burst into her room a moment later, her eyes flying to her mirror. Fangs poked his head out to confirm it was her. She made eye contact and waved at him. He nodded in turn before ducking back and out of sight. Minuette’s grin grew, and she had to actively stop herself from scampering excitedly in place. All was where it needed to be! Now, all that needed to be done was to get the introductions out of the way! The others came filing in a few moments later. First Aid came first, bounding in with a big smile. She took in the room as she entered, slowly spinning in place. “Wow. You’ve got a nice room, Minnie!” she said. “You haven’t been here before?” Split asked as he followed her in, eyeing the room in a more controlled fashion. His eyes found the small bookcase Minuette kept tucked against the wall at the foot of her bed and raised an eyebrow. Minuette didn’t know what the problem was. Most of the books were storybooks from when she was younger and one or two books on animals and teeth. Nothing odd about that, right? “Nope,” First replied, turning back to Split and shaking her head. “Never really had a chance.” “Odd for you,” Bristle nodded as he entered. He closed the door behind him and took a second to look around. “Hm. Small, but it works.” “Heh. Glad you like it!” Minuette chirped before jumping back a little, careful to ensure she was close to the mirror. “So, you guys ready to get a start on this project?!” “As ready as I am going to be,” Split added with a noncommittal shrug. Bristle hummed, stepping forward until the group formed something of a loose circle. “I suppose so. Does anyone have any ideas to start with? I was thinking a landscape would be simple enough, but loose enough for plenty of creativity.” “Sounds about as good as anything I came up with,” Split replied. First Aid cut in before those two could get too far lost in their deliberations, lifting her hoof to get their attention. Once they were focused on her, she cleared her throat and pointed at Minuette. “So… Minuette? Before we get into this, didn’t you, ya know, have a surprise for us?” Minuette’s heart skipped a beat. She had not expected First to jump on the subject like that. But she was quick to adapt and roll with the punches. She had invited her friends here for more than just their school project, after all, and this seemed as good a time as any to put the Fangs part of her plan into motion. With a nod, she turned to Split and Bristle. “Yep! So, Split, Bristle. First and I have been noticing that you two have been kinda down in the dumps, lately,” she began, measuring her words carefully. Bristle grimaced, glancing off to one side. “I… suppose you could put it that way, sure. I’d rather not think about it while we’re here, though.” Minuette hesitated for a second, glancing over at First Aid for support. The other filly smiled and nodded for her to continue, though there was something in her gaze, warning Minuette to tread lightly. Doubling down on her gentle tone, Minuette pressed on. “Well, I dunno what made you two get all sad and stuff, but I didn’t like it. So… I didn’t just ask you guys to come here so we could work on this group project and pass the big test together, but because there’s someone I want you to meet!” That got everyone’s undivided attention. Split raised an eyebrow. “Someone you want us to meet? Who? I didn’t see anypony else coming in. Just your mom and your dad…” Minuette shook her head. “You wouldn’t have seen him coming up, ‘cause he lives in my room!” she said before turning to the mirror. “He’s kinda spooky looking, but he’s really nice and smart! When I failed that first test, he helped give me the confidence I needed to ace the next one with flying colors!” “The same one the two of us stumbled on,” Bristle noted with a hint of bitterness. “Okay… who is this mystery friend of yours, then?” Minuette marched up to the mirror and turned to face the others. They were all watching her with curiosity and interest. She took a deep breath—moment of truth. “I’d like you all to meet him so he can help all of us with this project, and so you can all have a new friend, and so he can have three new friends! So, allow me to introduce…” She turned and threw her forelegs wide over the mirror as if to present something. “Fangs, the mirror bug!” On cue, Fangs stepped into view, a hopeful smile on his face. He nodded his head at the trio as he came into sight. “Hello, little ones. It is a pleasure to meet you.” Minuette grinned, winking at Fangs before turning back to her friends, expecting them to give off exclamations of surprise and awe and wonder any second now. She was met with confused stares and total silence. Bristlestroke frowned. “Minuette… what are you talking about?” Minuette’s grin shattered. She turned to Fangs for some sort of explanation. Had she positioned the mirror wrong? He stared back at her, the hope in his eyes bleeding away to be replaced with little more than disappointment. Minuette turned back to her friends, forcing her smile to return. “Um… the bug pony in my mirror? The one standing right there?” she asked insistently, jabbing her hoof at Fangs repeatedly for emphasis. Split and Bristle shared a look of confusion, while First never took her eyes off of Minuette. There was something in those eyes. A question, a plead. It was as if she was silently asking Minuette if she was being serious. “Er… it’s a mirror,” Split pointed out a second later. “There’s nothing there.” “But… But…” “Little one,” Fangs muttered to her in defeat. “They can’t see me… They must be too old.” “No,” Minuette denied, turning to him with her ears folding back in dismay. “No, that doesn’t make any sense! I can see you just fine, and they aren’t much older than I am! It… it must be some mistake-” “Are you SERIOUS?!” The entire room went quiet. Minuette jumped in her skin and spun around to face the one who had shouted, her heart skipping a beat. Bristlestroke was staring back at her with barely contained outrage. First shrank back, her ears folding down. “Bristle… p-please-” “No no, SHUT up, First Aid!” he snapped, stomping past her until he was looming threateningly over Minuette. “I can’t believe this! You dragged us all the way here when we didn’t want to come just to show us your mirror and show us you’re completely and utterly insane?! Have you gone insane, or did you ever even have a mind to lose?!” Minuette cowered away from him, her belly pressing itself to the floor. “I… I… But he’s… he’s right there...” she whimpered, her eyes starting to water. She glanced at the mirror, to Fangs, her eyes pleading with him to do something. She lifted a hoof and pointed. “Right there. Please, look.” Bristle snarled and shot a spiteful glance at the mirror. For several seconds he looked before growling and stepping back from Minuette. “I can’t believe this… I can not believe I got showed up by a common twerp with an imaginary friend!” Minuette shriveled on the floor, tears breaching her eyes. Her heart felt as if it had just been shattered in her chest. “But… he’s real!” she protested in vain. “Is he, now?!” Bristle snapped, turning to the mirror with a scowl of disgust. He scoffed at it before grabbing onto the frame. “Bah! This thing’s too nice for you!” Minuette’s heart froze when Bristle turned and threw the mirror down to the ground. Her eyes landed on Fangs’, which had flown wide in fear and shock. The mirror slammed down on the ground with an echoing thud and crack, and for one heart-stopping instant, Minuette feared that the glass would shatter, and her friend would be gone. Thankfully, that did not happen, and Split went into motion. He grabbed onto Bristle’s foreleg and yanked him away. “Bristle! Stop it, that’s enough!” he shouted. Bristle tore his hoof away from Split’s and stepped back, glaring at him as if he had just been stabbed in the back. “Really, Split?! You’re not angry about this?!” Split hesitated, glancing back at Minuette with an uncertain frown. “I mean… a little, but… you’re taking it too far!” “Oh, yeah, sure,” Bristle snorted sarcastically, his tail lashing behind him. “I’m taking it too far. She’s just the little kid whose sudden one-eighty performance in class made everyone else bully us and our parents get on our backs all the time!” Minuette screwed her eyes shut as the shouting continued. “Please… s-stop…” “Do you have any idea what your little light show has put me through?!” Bristle went on, stomping toward her again. “Do you have any idea how much the other foals keep ganging up on me and Split?! Or how my parents yelled at me when we got my test results back?! Why oh why, they asked, did I let some commoner do better than me in the most prestigious school in the entire kingdom that I worked my tail off to get into?!” “I… I didn't…” Minuette whimpered. The shouting, the angry glares, the mirror on the ground… it all became too much. She covered her head with her hooves, screwed her eyes shut, and began to cry. A heavy silence fell over the room, the only sound being Minuette’s pathetic wails. Several seconds passed before Bristle snorted, his coat bristling. “And now you’re crying?! Oh, this just gets better and better! Insane and a crybaby! How did you ever make it into Celestia’s school?!” “BRISTLE!” First Aid finally cut in, moving to put herself between Bristle and Minuette. She glared up into his eyes with tears escaping her own. “That’s enough! Please, just stop yelling!” Bristle stared her down for several long seconds. Before anypony could say anything else, the door to the room suddenly slammed open, and two very angry parents stormed in. “Leave my baby alone!” Pearly shouted, her horn lighting up with magic and grasping Bristle in a firm grip. He barely had time to give off a squawk of alarm before he was forcefully hauled from his hooves and jettisoned out the door. He landed on his rump in the hall with a grunt before glaring up at Pearly and Sunspot. “Hey! You can’t just-” “Shut up and get out of our home,” Sunspot cut him off, his own horn lighting up. “Nopony makes my daughter cry. Nopony.” Bristle glared back at them for several seconds. Then, with a snort and a flick of his tail, he rose to his hooves and began to march for the stairs. “Tch. Fine. Whatever. Waste of my freaking Sunday,” he grumbled before fading from view. Once the sound of the door opening and closing resonated through the home, Pearly turned and cantered into the room, her eyes glued on Minuette. “Minnie? Minnie, it’s okay. He’s gone,” she said. Minuette looked up into her mother’s eyes. “Mom…” she whimpered in a broken croak of a voice. She allowed herself to be pulled up into a tight hug, burying her face into her mother’s chest and openly crying all over again. “He… h-he…” “Sssh,” Pearly shushed her, patting her repeatedly on the back of the head to silence her miserable cries. “It’s okay, sweetie. He’s gone. He can’t hurt you. You’re okay. It’s all gonna be okay. Mommy’s got you.” As Pearly did all she could to comfort her daughter, Minuette could hear Sunspot turning to the two other foals who remained in the room. There were several seconds where he did not say a word before he spoke in a low, commanding voice. “You two have some explaining to do.” Author's Note So... that coulda gone better.
AftermathThe next hour passed by in a slow, dreadful blur for Minuette. Her mind couldn’t stop racing as a storm of emotions assaulted her poor, little heart. Sadness because of Bristle’s outburst, fear for Fangs, and whether or not he was okay after falling like that, and confusion about why her friends hadn’t been able to see him. But through it all, she at least had the comforting presence of her mother’s embrace to soothe her thoughts and quell the storm. Now, Minuette was seated with her parents in the living room. They had adjourned to there shortly after Bristle’s departure, where Sunspot began to mercilessly grill First Aid and Split End for Answers about what had happened with Bristle and why. Minuette did her best to listen, but some of the discussion was lost on her as her emotions pulled her away again. Every time, Pearly was there to shush her whimpers and guide her gently back to an attentive state. Eventually, Sunspot heaved a heavy sigh and rubbed the bridge of his snout with a hoof. “Okay… so let me see if I have this straight,” he said slowly, his tone leaving no room for interruption. “Split, you and Bristle have been getting picked on by other kids at school over a test you didn’t do too well on, in part because Minuette aced it when you didn’t. Is that right?” Split looked down shamefully. “Er… yes, sir,” he answered in a meek, pitiful voice. “And Bristle’s parents have been pretty hard on him, too…” “What about yours?” Sunspot asked, raising an eyebrow. “You’re from a noble family, too. Don’t they have high expectations of you?” Split flinched as if struck. A moment later, though, he sighed and nodded. “Yeah… a little. But not as bad was Bristle’s. Mine don’t yell at me for bad grades. They just kinda’ chastise me a bit. It’s not fun, but they don’t yell at me.” Pearly hummed quietly. “And so Bristle lashed out… He thought my little girl was the catalyst for all his problems and took the first chance he saw to take it out on her?” “I guess…” Sunspot groaned in frustration, burying his face in his hooves. A few moments later, he lifted his eyes to glare at Split. “And what about you, then?” he asked slowly. First Aid was quick to leap to her friend’s defense. “H-hey, he tried to stop Bristle when things got bad!” she said. Sunspot shook his head. “Yeah, and that’s the only reason I haven’t thrown him out of the house yet. But I want to hear it from him. Split, is this going to be a problem? Are you at all angry at my daughter for what’s been happening to you?” Split looked down, mouthing uselessly like a fish for several seconds. Minuette observed him, every fiber of her being hoping and praying that he would say no and that this could all be over and done with. “...A little, yeah,” Split admitted, shame evident in his voice. “But I wasn’t gonna bring it up. Minnie’s a good filly if a little dense and silly sometimes… she didn’t deserve this.” Minuette whimpered, clutching closer to Pearly’s chest. “S-s-split… I’m sorry,” she managed to choke out. “I’m so sorry…” Split looked up at her in surprise. “What? But, Minnie-” “Don’t be sorry. You didn’t do anything wrong, Minnuette,” Sunspot gently interrupted with a shake of his head. He focused back on Split and gave him a long, meaningful stare. “...Split, I appreciate your candor here. It says a lot about you that you were willing to admit this to me. But for now, I think it’d be for the best if you go back home… and for a little while, at least, I want you to stay away from my daughter.” Split’s eyes widened. “Huh? B-but-” “I’m not asking you to stop being her friend,” Sunspot gently assured him. “But you have to understand… even after what you said, and how you conducted yourself when Bristle was acting out… after what happened upstairs, I can’t really say I trust you. And I need to make sure my daughter is going to be okay, and for that, I wanna make sure we can all leave this incident behind us. So please… give her some time and space. Can you do that for me?” Split was quiet for a minute before nodding his head. “I can, sir. Thank you… and, uh, Minnie? I’m the one who should be sorry,” he said, turning to Minuette and making her heart skip a beat. “I should’ve known bringing Bristle here was a bad idea… he… he liked to rant at me when you weren’t around. I should’ve known that he wouldn’t be good for this… so… I’m sorry.” Minuette stared at him for a moment, her brain taking a second to catch up. She put on a small, gentle smile, and nodded her head at him. “It’s… it’s okay, Split. Thanks for coming, anyway… and thanks for standing up for me…” Split put on a small smile and nodded at her. First Aid frowned in confusion. “He ranted at you? But he never did that with me.” “I think it’s because of how close you and Minuette are,” Split guessed with a noncommittal shrug. “He didn’t want you to get on his case… since, you know, you’re his friend, too. Or, well…” Split sighed and looked off to one side. “...You were his friend. Dunno if that’s gonna stick after this…” First Aid opened her mouth to protest, but nothing came out. A few seconds passed in solemn silence before she looked down and closed her eyes. “Right...” Minuette looked between them for a few seconds. She sniffled quietly before gently pulling herself out of her mother’s embrace. She slowly trotted forward, drawing the attention of both First Aid and Split. She paused when their eyes were on her, and for a moment, she felt the desire to rush back to Pearly’s hooves. She shoved the feeling down, though, and soon fell against First Aid, giving the other filly a warm hug. First Aid blinked in surprise, but after a moment, she hummed and returned the embrace, burying her face into Minuette’s shoulder. “Thank you,” Minuette whispered to her. For a short time, the rest of the world faded out, and Minuette was able to finally calm herself down and relax her thoughts. She took a series of deep breaths, savoring the warmth of the embrace of her oldest friend. There was still the matter of Fangs she had to see to, and she would, but for the moment, she just couldn’t find the strength to pull away. After what felt like an eternity of sharing a hug with First Aid, Minuette had to be pulled from the moment when Sunspot cleared his throat. “Pearl, look after Minnue, would you? I’m going to see the others home.” Minuette winced, instinctively tightening her hold on First. She knew they had to go home, especially after what just happened upstairs, but she didn’t want First to go just yet. “Alright,” Pearly replied, rendering Minuette’s thoughts on the matter meaningless for now. “Minnie, honey? Come on, they need to go home.” A few moments passed before First Aid withdrew from the hug of her own accord. She gave Minuette a weak, reassuring smile, easing her anxiety and disappointment somewhat. “It’s okay, Minnie. I’ll see if I can talk to Bristle when I get a chance. He’s not a bad pony, I know he isn’t.” Minuette sniffled and nodded. “Okay… thanks. Bye, First.” With that, Minuette backed off, allowing her father to guide the visitors out of the room. Split sent her one last apologetic frown before vanishing out the front door, plunging the home into silence. “Okay, let’s go,” Pearly urged gently, resting one hoof on Minuette’s back. “How about I get you some sweets? To take your mind off all this?” Minuette managed to perk up at that, though not nearly as much as she usually would have. She looked up to her mother and gave a small smile of her own. “Sure… I’d like that a lot,” she said. The candy did wonders to ease Minuette’s mind, though only for a little while. Her mind still routinely wandered back to Bristle’s outburst, making it difficult to keep her spirits up. Pearly left her in the kitchen for a short time once she was sure Minuette would be fine, presumably to go upstairs and tidy up anything that had been knocked over during Bristle’s outburst. Minuette couldn’t help but shudder every time her mind wandered back to it, even with the help of the candy. The rage in his eyes, the volume of his voice… she had never seen that kind of look from him, never heard him yell like that before. It had disturbed her deep down for one of her friends to treat her like that… and somehow, she couldn’t help but feel like it was her fault. The logical side of her brain knew that was a load of hot garbage, but that didn’t stop her from thinking it. Bristle and even Split had both said that the treatment they’d been receiving came about due to her doing better than them on that test with the illusion. She had ‘showed them up.’ And because of that, the other foals, and even their own families, began to beat up on them… Maybe she should throw the next test? Take some of the pressure off them? She shook her head, banishing that idea. She couldn’t do that. She and First were still supposed to be a group for this project, even if Split and Bristle were probably not a part of theirs anymore. If she deliberately did poorly, that would hurt First, too, and then she’d really have done something wrong. “Ugh… this all sucks,” she grumbled in her mind. She was pulled from her depressing thoughts by the sound of Pearly stepping back into the room. Minuette looked up to find her mother smiling back at her. “Looks like your room didn’t get all that tousled, thankfully. Only thing out of place was the mirror.” Minuette’s eyes widened, her heart skipping a beat. She still didn’t know if Fangs was alright! She leaned forward, placing her hooves on the table and all but standing up in her seat. “Is he okay?!” she asked emphatically. Pearly frowned at her for a moment. “Do you… mean Fangs?” she asked after a moment. Minuette nodded, inwardly remembering that Fangs was just her imaginary friend to her family. “Y-yeah. The mirror isn’t damaged is it?” she asked hopefully. Pearly smiled and shook her head. “No. It’s not even scratched, actually. Color me surprised, it doesn’t look that durable.” Minuette sighed heavily in relief, flopping back into her chair. “Oh, thank goodness… I was so worried when it fell over…” Pearly’s smile faded. She looked away for a second before closing her eyes and nodding. “Right…” A few seconds passed, and a sudden feeling of raw tiredness came over Minuette. The last couple of hours had been beyond exhausting, now that she thought about it. A long, unattractive yawn worked its way out of her before she finished off her candy and hopped down from the chair. “Well… I think I’m gonna go to my room for a while,” she said quietly. Pearly stepped back to let her pass. “Okay, honey… do you want or need anything else? Anything at all?” she asked quietly. Minuette paused in the door frame. She shook her head and looked up at her mother. “No. I think I’ll be okay, mom. I just wanna lay down and get some rest. I’m kinda tired…” she said. Pearly nodded. She leaned down and planted a gentle kiss on Minuette’s forehead. “I’m not surprised… it’s been a hectic couple hours. Go get some rest, sweetie. I’ll come check on you a little later, okay?” “Kay. Thanks, mom,” Minuette said, giving her mother a quick hug and nuzzle. “I love you.” “I love you, too, Minnie,” Pearly replied in a gentle whisper. The two parted shortly after, and Minuette continued on her way for her room. Her hooves felt heavy as she trudged up the stairs, but the promise of talking to Fangs was enough to keep her moving. She still didn’t understand why her friends hadn’t been able to see him, and she meant to see if he had any answers for her. She stepped through the door to her room and closed it behind her. She took in a deep breath before turning her eyes to the mirror. Sure enough, just as her mother said, there wasn’t even a scratch on the reflective surface. Minuette couldn’t help but give another quiet sigh of relief at seeing it unharmed. She trusted her mother’s word, but to see it safe and intact with her own two eyes was calming in its own right. She marched up to the mirror and sat down in front of it. Fangs wasn’t currently in her line of sight. So, after a moment, she cleared her throat. “Fangs? You in there?” A few seconds passed. Then, sure enough, with his head held low and his ears drooping, Fangs stepped into view.
These Precious Moments“Hello… Little one,” Fangs greeted, his lips curling up in a pitiful attempt at a smile. Minuette sighed in relief, a hoof flying up to cover her heart. “Oh, thank Celestia. You’re okay!” she breathed. She allowed herself to fall forward, pressing her forehead up against the cool, unchanging glass. “I was so worried when he pulled you over… I thought… I thought…” A quiet hum came from the other side of the mirror, drawing Minuette’s attention. Fangs was smiling for real, now, and he shook his head. “No, little one. I have existed this way for a very long time, and I have traded hooves many times. Many of those hooves belonged to foals. If this mirror could break, it would have done so by now. Whatever curse binds me here renders the glass indestructible.” Minuette nodded at that and leaned away. Fangs was okay. The mirror was okay - and apparently couldn’t become not okay, either, so that was a plus - and First was going to talk to Bristle just as soon as she got a chance. “See”? She thought, starting to relax. “Everything is going to be fine… totally and completely fine, and… and…” “I’m sorry.” Minuette’s slowly deteriorating thoughts did not get a chance to go to the dark place they were eyeing. All of her attention was pulled directly to Fangs when he uttered that most unexpected sentence. She looked at him again to find his head lowered and his eyes closed. He looked… almost ashamed of himself. She blinked. “...Huh? What are you sorry for?” she asked, tilting her head in confusion. “You didn’t do anything wrong.” “Perhaps not,” Fangs acknowledged quietly before lifting his eyes. “But just because I did nothing wrong, does not mean I said nothing wrong.” Minuette didn’t like the sound of that. She licked her lips and leaned forward slightly. “What do you mean?” Fangs hesitated for a moment, suddenly looking as if he weren’t so sure of what he had to say anymore. He opened his mouth several times, but each time, all that came out was a quiet sigh. Finally, he managed to find his words and his voice. “...Minuette. Before your friends arrived, I told you, with confidence, that everything would be fine. I assured you that nothing would go wrong and that this plan of yours would go off without a hitch. I assumed that your friends would appreciate all of the effort you went to in order to bring them together and spend time with them… and I was wrong.” Minuette’s eyes widened. “Wha… but… Fangs, that’s not your fault,” she protested, utterly baffled. “You didn’t know they were going to react that way!” Fangs sighed, turning away to avoid making eye contact. “I didn’t know, but I should have considered it a possibility. Those were the children of nobles, Minuette, and I should have known - I should have known that it wouldn’t have been so simple.” Minuette shook her head. “Hey, come on. That’s not-” “The point is, Minuette, I set you up for a fun time, and what did you get?” Fangs interrupted her, his wings twitching in agitation on his back. He faced her again, his glowing blue orbs boring into hers with an intensity that gave her pause. “A bully. You were shouted at, insulted, mocked, and picked on by somepony you thought was your friend… And while Bristle’s behavior is not my responsibility, the fact that I said nothing to prepare you for such an outcome… that is my fault.” A heavy silence fell over the two. Minuette stared, wide-eyed, and unblinking at Fangs for almost a solid minute. Had he truly meant all of that? She hadn’t known Fangs long enough to tell when he was lying, so he could have been exaggerating, or he could have been wholly honest about how he felt about this. But if he believed something so broken and so wrong, then… Minuette’s ears drooped. “Fangs… how can you even say something like that?” she asked quietly, placing her hoof up against the glass. “None of this was you. You shouldn’t beat yourself up like this.” Fangs was quiet for a short while, unable to meet Minuette’s gaze. He sighed and sat down on his haunches, shaking his head. “...Forgive me, little one. It is just… it can be very easy for me to blame myself when things go wrong.” “Why?” Fangs lowered himself onto his belly. “All I have are my words, little one,” he said slowly and quietly, his tone somber. “Those are all I can use to interact with the world beyond this accursed barrier. And those ponies I can call my friends have been few in number and far apart over the years. I cherish them with all my heart, for when they are gone, I am left behind. I must make my time with them count. So I watch, I listen, I learn, and when asked, I speak. And when something goes wrong… It is easy to tell myself that I should have spoken, said something to prevent it. To look back and, in perfect hindsight, see all the things I could have said to avoid whatever happened. It is so easy to fall into pits of self-deprecation because to me, all of these moments I am to spend with you are beyond precious. And…” He lifted his eyes to Minuette, and to her shock, they were starting to shimmer with what could only be tears. “And I don’t want them to be squandered. I wish to make the most of every moment I have…” Minuette’s heart twisted in her chest, and she could feel her own eyes watering up again. What Fangs was saying was hard for her to wrap her head around, but she got the idea. She couldn’t even begin to imagine how hard it must have been for him. It had never even crossed her mind that whenever things went wrong in the real world, he could only watch. “I… I’m so sorry,” she whispered, moving forward and wrapping her forelegs around the mirror, trying in vain desperation to give Fangs a hug. “I had no idea…” “It’s fine, little one… I know it’s wrong of me,” Fangs said softly. Minuette sniffled, then leaned back. Fangs had placed a hoof against the glass and was giving her a gentle smile. She tried to smile back but just couldn’t find it in herself to do so. She looked down, her ears resting flat against her head. “I really wanna hug you…” Fangs nodded. “And I you… But for now, it is more than enough to simply be here,” he said in a low whisper. “But enough about me. It wasn’t my friend who turned his back on me… how are you holding up?” Minuette cringed, her heart skipping a beat. She shuddered at the memory of Bristle shouting at her, of the infuriated look in his eyes, and of how First had been on the verge of tears when she stood up to him. She sniffled, folding in on herself, her hooves curling protectively over her chest. “I… I’ll be okay,” she mumbled, sniffling. “But… I d-don’t understand. Why couldn’t they see you?” Fangs frowned, his gaze wandering. “Hmm… I wonder…” He stood and began to pace slowly in pace before the mirror. Minuette watched him, now wondering what he was thinking. She sniffled, swallowed, and inched a little closer to the mirror. “Fangs?” “In all the years I have been trapped here, I never once took the time to try and narrow down when exactly a foal could no longer see me,” he said slowly, his brow furrowed. “I had never wanted to run the risk of them missing me. And it had never struck me as important…” He turned on Minuette, his expression hardening. “You had turned ten years old when your parents delivered the mirror to you, right?” Minuette nodded. “Uh-huh, and I saw you, just for a second, that night. I thought the light was playing tricks on my eyes,” she said before frowning. Fangs nodded, a look of dawning comprehension coming over his face. “I see… so the cut-off point is ten years old. You must have spotted my shadow within hours - perhaps even mere minutes of losing the ability to do so. If you had waited even a little longer to make use of the mirror...” Minuette’s eyes widened at the implication. Her hooves drifted up to cover her mouth. “You mean… I might not have been able to ever meet you?” she asked in dread, realizing that if Fangs was right, they had really dodged a bullet on this one. Fangs nodded. “That is the only explanation I can think of. You are perhaps older than any other foal was when I met them, and your friends aren’t terribly much older than you are. We got lucky, you and I…” Minuette stared at Fangs for a few seconds. Then, with a tiny smile replacing her shocked frown, she spoke. “Well… I’m happy I met you, Fangs,” she said. Fangs’ smile returned, and he nodded again. “As am I, little one. As am I.” The remainder of the day passed by in a quiet blur. Minuette spent most of her time in her room, talking with Fangs whenever she could. But more often than not, the discussions would peter out into awkward silence, affording her mind the chance to meander back to the memories of Bristle’s outburst. The hours seemed to drag, and when it was finally time for dinner, it felt as if an entire ice age had come and gone. The food warmed her belly, and the gentle reassurances from her mother and father did wonders to ease Minuette’s turbulent thoughts and still quivering heart. She spent some time with them after that, hoping to get every ounce of parental affection she could get out of them before she had to go to bed. But, soon enough, the sun made its inevitable descent, and the night swallowed Equestria. And with that, it was time for her to head to bed. She tried her best to stall, but her parents were insistent that she get her sleep - especially after everything that had happened today. She needed her rest, they told her, and she didn’t doubt them. She felt like she could sleep for an eon. The problem was that she had school tomorrow… and school meant being in the same room as Split and Bristle again. As she lay there in bed, her eyes staring up at the ceiling, her mind kept wandering over to that inevitable reunion. She felt her heart fluttering with fear in her chest at the prospect. Every time, she imagined the other colt openly picking on her in class or in the halls, mocking her ‘imaginary friend’ or something. She wasn’t a noble, she was a commoner filly. She’d be easy prey, and almost nopony else would lift a hoof to defend her, she figured. And all because she had done better than him on one freaking test. All of this because she had pulled her weight, done her homework, practices, and gave it her all. She had made him look bad, and if what she had heard was true, it had not been pleasant on him. She hadn’t meant for it to turn out like this! She hadn’t been trying to get others to pick on and bully him. She just didn’t want that kind of attention on her. She just wanted to do well in school and make her family proud. So why did doing that have to make one of her best friends hate her? Maybe she would apologize to him… maybe she’d throw the next test for his sake. Maybe… maybe… “Little one?” Minuette jumped slightly when Fangs suddenly spoke up, in spite of how low his voice was. She looked over to see his glowing eyes staring back at her through the darkness. She frowned. “Fangs… oh, did I forget to move the mirror so you could go outside?” she asked, mentally kicking herself in the flank. Fangs shook his head. “No, no, that’s fine. I’d rather be here tonight… judging by the colors I am seeing here, it looks like you need me.” Minuette sighed, remembering how he could literally see every emotion she had as colorful mist. She flopped back down onto her bed, groaning in a mixture of frustration and dread. “I don’t wanna go back to school… I wanna stay here…” Fangs nodded. “I do not blame you for that, but it’s out of our hooves… You really should try and get some sleep, though.” Minuette rolled onto her side to glare at fangs, giving him an indignant pout. “Oh, yeah, like it’s that easy,” she snarked sarcastically. Fangs was not fazed by her sharp tone. Instead, he simply smiled. “Well… what helps you sleep at night?” he asked. Minuette paused, thinking back. “Well… for a long time, mom or dad would read me stories to help me sleep. But they stopped doing that a couple of years ago. They said I was getting too old for it.” “Did it work?” “Uh-huh.” Fangs’ face lit up with a small smile. “Well, then… what if I told you a story?” That got Minuette’s full attention. She sat bolt upright, staring at Fangs with wide eyes and a gaping jaw. “You’d do that?!” she asked in disbelief, already feeling herself get excited. “You know a good one?” Fangs chuckled at her enthusiasm. “Well, I think it’s good. I’ll be telling it from memory, though, seeing as I don’t have it down in writing anywhere.” Minuette was unable to restrain a squeal of delight. She clapped her hooves a few times, then quickly lay back down, tucking herself in with her magic. “Okay, Fangs! Ready! Tell me a story!” she all but commanded to the bug in her mirror. Fangs laughed at that. He cleared his throat a moment later and began to speak. “Once upon a time, there was a kingdom in a faraway land, ruled by a mighty and powerful queen. Her subjects knew no fear from their enemies, for there were none who could oppose her. She protected her people, and she kept them safe, happy, and away from the dangers of the world. For a thousand long years, this queen ruled, and all was well in the land. “But then, one day, the queen learned of a disaster in a faraway land, one that not even she could stop.” Minuette gasped, immediately slipping back into her role as the excitable listener. “Oh no! What was it?!” “I’m getting to that, be patient,” Fangs said to her, stifling a chuckle. “The queen’s subjects were fearful. They had no idea what was happening. Their crops were beginning to die, and the land would no longer obey them. Without their food, they would starve. Without the land, their homes would crumble. The queen knew something had to be done, and so she sent seven of her bravest warriors out to find the source of this spreading darkness and see it unmade, while she remained behind to defend their home and her subjects...” Minuette listened with wrapt attention as Fangs told her more and more of his story. She gripped her sheets tightly when she heard of how, on the way to the scene of the disaster, they were attacked by an erratically acting dragon. She giggled when she heard about how they found a field of blue flowers that made them turn into funny things. She gasped in horror when one of the warriors got separated from the others in a rockslide. But soon, her eyes began to drift closed. Fangs’ two-toned voice was soothing, almost melodious as he weaved his tale. Soon, his words began to blend together, and Minuette’s world faded into darkness. “But no matter what hardships had befallen him,” Fangs was saying as she drifted off to slumber. “The warrior knew he would save his people.” Author's Note I am so sorry for how late this chapter is. As matters stand, my editor for this story has kind of fallen off the face of the earth, leaving me to tend to the chapters without him. As such, spelling errors or grammatical mistakes are likely going to be more frequent until such time as either my editor returns to the stage, or I get a new one to help me out.
Big Red LettersMinuette awoke to the first rays of morning sunlight assaulting her closed eyelids. She gave off an annoyed groan of dismay, scrunching up her face and screwing her eyelids as tightly shut as she could in a futile attempt to drown out the light so that she could get some more sleep. She had been in the middle of a particularly good dream involving ice cream, Fangs, and a yeti. She didn’t really remember the specifics, but she wanted to go back! It was fun! Alas, another element of the day would conspire against her. Not long after the light roused her, a gentle knock from her door rendered any remaining efforts to return to sleep utterly pointless. The door creaked open a moment later, and Pearly poked her head in. “Minnie? You awake, sweetie?” Minuette grumbled something incoherent and most likely inappropriate before rolling over and burying her face into her pillow. She could just make out Pearly giggling at her. Her mother’s hooves found her shoulders a second later and gently lifted her up. “Okay, enough of the drama. Come on, you need to get ready for school.” “School sucks,” Minuette complained, weakly trying to pry herself out of Pearly’s grasp, to no avail. “I don’t wanna go.” “And I don’t want to stare at how much tartar some ponies let build up in their mouths, much less break it all up and clean what’s underneath, but it’s what I gotta do,” Pearly shot back without missing a beat. “But that’s different,” Minuette whined as she finally gave up her attempts at resistance. “You get paid to go to work. I don’t get paid to go to school.” Pearly giggled at Minuette’s continued defiance. She made a show of rolling her eyes and backing off in defeat. “Oh, very well, if you insist. And to think, I went through all the effort of making cinnamon rolls for you, too…” Minuette’s ears perked up. Oh, now that was just completely unfair! She slowly turned and gave Pearly the most indignant pout she could manage. “...That’s just mean.” Pearly giggled merrily as she began to head for the door. “They’ll be ready in a few more minutes. If you aren’t down by then I’ll come get you, okay?” she said with a cheerful nod. She paused in the door before glancing back at Minuette, a more serious look on her face. “And, Minnie?” Minuette tilted her head at her. Something about her tone wasn’t quite right. Did she sound… worried? What could she have to be worried about? Now growing anxious, Minuette swallowed heavily and spoke. “Yeah, mom?” Pearly hesitated for a few moments. She worked her jaw up and down as if fishing for the right words. Eventually, she put on a reassuring smile. “Just… if you need to talk about what happened yesterday, you know you can always come to your dad or I, right?” Oh. That. Minuette’s ears drooped flat against her head while her mood plummeted. So that was it. And now that her mother mentioned it, the memory of the incident with Bristle became mercilessly clear. She had enjoyed a few fleeting minutes of blissful ignorance, but now she remembered why she was so anxious about going back to school. She swallowed heavily and gave Pearly one more smile. “I know, mom. Thanks.” Pearly began to back out of the room, holding Minuette’s eyes the whole while. “Of course. We love you, Minnie,” she said before vanishing from view entirely, though she left the door open just a crack behind her. Minuette stared after her for a few moments. Her heart was beginning to feel cold with dread and anxiety. Her hooves clutched tightly to her blankets, and she raised them up to hover over her chest. She took in a deep shuddering breath. Scenario after grim scenario began to race through her head. After how things went yesterday, worse than she ever could have imagined, the idea of something going right when she saw Bristle again seemed foreign. Before she could let her thoughts go too far out of control, though, she was suddenly jarred from her depressing reverie by the sound of Fangs clearing his throat. Minuette gave off a quiet squeak of alarm, then turned to face the bug in her mirror. He nodded once she saw him with a worried frown. “Little one. You are letting your fear run away with you, again,” he said matter of factly. Minuette opened her mouth to belt out a denial of some kind, but nothing came. And then she remembered that even if she had tried to deny it, he would probably be able to tell she was lying. She remembered how he could see her emotions in the air like wisps of color. She frowned at him for a few seconds before letting off a long, heavy sigh. “Yeah… I guess I am…” Fangs nodded quietly. “I cannot say I blame you. It was quite an ordeal you went through yesterday… and I apologize again for setting you up for a success that was bound to never happen.” Minuette shook her head before hopping down. She walked over at a slow pace, giving Fangs a small, reassuring smile. “It’s okay. It wasn’t your fault,” she said, echoing her thoughts from the previous night. Fangs nodded. “I know. I know that,” he acknowledged. The two fell into a long, heavy silence after that, neither saying a word for several minutes. Minuette’s smile began to fade, and her mind began to wander once again. She bit her lip as the dread and anxiety swelled up inside her all over again. Her hooves began to push uneasily into the carpet, fidgeting in place. Suddenly, Fangs met her gaze and put on a small smile. “Tell me. Did you enjoy my story, little one?” he asked. Minuette blanked. Story? She had to think for a moment before it came back to her, the story of the brave warriors sent by their queen to find and end some sort of threat to the world. At once, she latched onto that, far preferring the enigmatic cliffhanger she had been left on to her morbid concerns about the day that lay ahead of her. She put on a large smile and nodded her head eagerly. “Oh, yes! It was really, really good! And those voiced you did, too! It was so cool!” Fangs chuckled at the rapid return of her enthusiasm. He leaned back slightly and tilted his head at her. “I am glad. You fell asleep somewhere in the middle of the tale, and it left me kind of worried that I was boring you.” Minuette shook her head. “Boring me?! Fangs, that was one of the coolest stories I've ever heard! And you told it all to me without even needing a book!” she exclaimed, throwing her hooves up into the air for emphasis. “Where did you learn it?” Fangs stared at her for several seconds, the smile on his face being replaced with a blank, distant look. Immediately, Minuette’s grin faded, and her excitement was replaced with concern. Had she said something wrong? She lowered her hooves and inched closer to the mirror. “Fangs?” Hearing his name again snapped the bug out of his trance. He jumped in place and shook his head. “O-oh! Forgive me, Minuette. I was just… trying to remember,” he said, idly reaching one hoof up to rub at his shoulder. “But… I can’t recall where I heard it. Wherever I first learned this legend, it must have been quite a long time ago.” Minuette relaxed slightly. Well, at least she hadn’t upset Fangs somehow. All the same, she couldn’t help but slump in place a little at her friend’s own diminished mood. “Oh… that’s a shame,” she mumbled, her ears drooping. Fangs perked up a moment later, shaking his head in dismissal. “Perhaps it is, but it’s not relevant. What matters is that I recall the tale with enough clarity to tell it to you - and some few others besides, should you have need of them.” Minuette’s smile slowly began to return. More stories told by Fangs? That sounded like a fun time. Some small part of her couldn’t help but wonder if he would have done well as a storyteller or writer or something. To her young mind, he definitely and unquestionably had a strong knack for it. After a moment, she brushed back some of her mane, realizing now how unkempt and messy it was from a night of tossing and turning. “Well… thank you, Fangs. It really helped me last night.” Fangs’ wings buzzed briefly on his back. “Think nothing of it, Minuette. After all you have done for me in the short time I have known you, it was the very least I could do,” he said with warmth and appreciation. “You’ve been a great friend to me, and you even had the clarity and creativity to grant me the skies, however fragmented and spotty they may be. I can safely say that none that I remember knowing have had the clarity for such a thing. You are my only solace and company… and words cannot express what that means to me.” Minuette blinked, taken aback. There was weight to his words that she wasn’t sure she truly understood. The look in his eyes, the intensity of his words, the strength of his tone… he meant every word of what he just said, and given what she knew of him, it was hard for Minuette to truly wrap her head around how much her presence here probably meant to him. But at the same time, could he really grasp how much he meant to her, especially now after Bristle’s outburst? She had gone from having four friends to two, seeing as her father had asked Split to stay away for now. It was just First Aid and Fangs… “You’re welcome, Fangs,” she eventually said, beaming up at him. “You mean a lot to me, too, and I’m…” the memory of Bristle tugging the mirror down flashed through her mind, causing Minuette to cringe. She winced but continued a second later, resting one hoof against the glass. “I’m just glad you're okay. When he pulled you down, I thought… I was afraid I had lost you.” Fangs blinked at her, then shook his head. “Luckily, the mirror is indestructible.” Minuette nodded. That was a good thing, yes. But… her eyes snapped wide open as she considered her own words. “But… I can still lose you,” she muttered, her hoof retreating from the glass. Fangs lifted an eyebrow. “Little one?” Minuette sprang to her hooves, trotting in place with anxious energy. “What if somepony comes and steals the mirror from the window when I’m gone?!” she asked, her eyes darting to her window and the view of Canterlot outside. “What if it falls and somepony throws it in the trash?! What if-” “Minuette, hey, stop,” Fangs cut her off, putting a hoof against the glass. “You are panicking over what are, frankly, absurd hypotheticals. I am not going anywhere, I promise.” Minuette took a moment to think that over, and then eventually gave off a sigh. Fangs had a point. What were the odds of that, anyway? As long as she was careful, the odds of him ever actually vanishing from her room were slim to none, especially when she was around to keep tabs on things. But still… there was always the chance. Thinking fast, Minuette turned and ran over to her chest of drawers, her horn sparking to life. She quickly tore open the bottom drawer, finding inside a wealth of drawing supplies. Well, a wealth to her ten-year-old mind. Crayons, colored pencils, a rubber ducky that she was supposed to return to the bathroom last month. She quickly plucked one of the reddest, brightest crayons she could find and ran back to the mirror and a very confused looking Fangs. “Uh, little one, what are you- GYAH!” Fangs let off an indignant squeal as Minuette grabbed the mirror in her magic and pulled it away from the wall, far enough that she could get at the backside. It leaned forward slightly, more than she had been hoping, causing Fangs to stumble a bit as his world shifted. Minuette winced guiltily, and so set to work, quickly applying the crayon to the back of the mirror. “What are you doing?!” Fangs demanded, his words partially muffled. “I can only see carpet! Little one!” “One sec!” Minuette told him, writing out the last few letters. Then, with a small flourish, she applied a triple underline to the words before drawing back to admire her work. Three lines of text, all in big, bold, vibrant red letters. ‘PROPERTY OF MINUETTE IF LOST RETURN TO HER IN CANTERLOT’ “There! Now, if I ever lose you, somepony else will come along and bring you back!” She declared cheerfully before putting the mirror back where it belonged. Fangs flopped back onto his haunches as his reality stabilized itself. He shook his head a few times, and Minuette could just imagine a few birds flying in circles around it. After a moment, he gave her a modestly annoyed look. “And what, pray tell, were you doing back there?” he asked. “And why did you not warn me? We went over this after you first did the thing with the window, did we not?” Minuette paused, a blush slowly coming to her cheeks. “Oh yeah, I kinda promised I’d tell him next time, didn’t I?” she realized. She was quick to cough into her hoof and give him an apologetic grin. “Sorry, Fangs. I guess I was just excited.” Fangs snorted, his wings buzzing on his back. He didn’t stay mad at her for long, though, and simply smiled. “Ugh… I suppose I should not be surprised. But my first question still remains unanswered. What did you do?” Minuette grinned and slapped the frame of the mirror a few times like a used chariot salesmare trying to get some business. “Oh, not much. I just wrote a little message on the back of the mirror telling anypony who finds it to bring it back to me! That way, even if I lose you, it won’t be forever!” Fangs glanced at the frame with a frown. “...Huh. I had not considered that,” he admitted. He then gave a weak chuckle and shook his head in bemusement. “You truly are something else, aren’t you?” “Dad calls me the little beast!” “So I have heard, and so I have learned.” Before the duo could talk any further, there was a knock on the door. Minuette turned to see Pearly poking her head in with a welcoming smile. “Minnie. Food’s ready,” she said. “Time to come down.” And just like that, Minuette’s good mood fell apart. Her ears drooped, and she turned back to Fangs in the hope that she could find some excuse to hang around. But going by the despondent look he wore, that was not going to be happening. No more delays, then, it seemed. She gave a quiet huff before standing. “Okay, mom. I’m coming,” she said quietly. She placed her hoof against the glass and gave Fangs a small smile. “Later, Fangs. Wish me luck?” Fangs nodded. “Good luck, little one. I am confident that you will be fine,” he said to her in reassurance. “And stick with First Aid. She is a good filly and a better friend to you. She’ll watch your back.” Minuette’s smile became a little more genuine. Just a little. Fangs wasn't wrong, she did still have First Aid at that school… but she was all she had. As she pulled her hoof away from the mirror and turned to follow her mother out of the room, she shook herself and set her jaw. “Welp,” she thought as the door closed behind her. “Nothing else for it… I guess I just gotta make some more friends.”
Destiny Tingles“Minnie!” Minuette jumped in her skin at the sudden call of her name. She quickly turned her head to see First Aid rising from her desk and running over to greet her. She had just arrived in class for first period, and most everypony was already here. Minuette put on a small smile at the sight of her friend, though she was not able to keep her eyes from briefly darting past her to look at where Bristle and Split usually sat. To her combined surprise, disappointment, and relief, both were absent. As First Aid finished closing the gap, Minuette cast her gaze about the room for any sign of the duo. Her heart skipped a beat with anxiety when she caught sight of Split on the other side of class. He gave her a small, apologetic smile and wave before looking down at his desk. “You doing okay?” First Aid asked in a lowered voice once she was close enough, bringing Minuette back to the present. She gave a slow nod, her eyes shifting this way and that. Where was Bristle? He had to be around here somewhere, didn’t he? “Er, yeah, I’m doing okay. A little tired, but okay,” was her half-attentive answer. She missed the worried frown First was giving her until she spoke up again. “Where’s Bristle?” First Aid’s frown deepened. She heaved a quiet, saddened sigh, then shook her head. “I dunno. I looked for him when I got to school earlier, but he wasn’t anywhere around. Not even Split knows where he is… I guess he decided to skip class today.” Minuette looked away, her ears drooping. “Or maybe he got grounded?” she ventured timidly. “His parents sound like they’re mean and dumb.” “That’s not nice, Minnie,” First Aid gently chastised her, though she didn’t have it in her to vocalize anything else on that subject. Minuette shrugged noncommittally before striding past First Aid and sliding into her desk. Several minutes passed where neither filly said anything. Minuette was hunched over her desk, fidgeting anxiously and passing her gaze around. Her eyes kept landing on Split, but he seemed to be doing his best not to make eye contact. He really was taking her father’s request to heart and choosing to keep his distance for now. “It’s not fair on him,” she thought, her ears drooping. She gave off a quiet sigh, then glanced back over at First. “Hey, uh… what about Split? How is he doing?” she asked in a whisper. First nodded toward him. “He’s doing okay. A little bummed out, but I think he’ll be fine.” Well, that was of some relief. Minuette managed a small smile as she looked back to Split. This time, he was looking back and managed to return the smile. Before either could act on the moment of contact, though, the door in the back of the class opened, and all of the ambient chatter fell silent as Princess Celestia entered the room, regal and radiant as ever. “Good morning, class,” she greeted in her usual motherly tone. “Good morning, Princess!” everyone replied in unison, though Minuette really only mumbled it. Celestia nodded in satisfaction as her eyes roved over the class. A small frown decorated her muzzle as she quickly took attendance, no doubt noticing the distinct lack of Bristle, who had otherwise had perfect attendance up to this point. Once she was done, she set the clipboard aside and nodded to her students. “Before we get to today’s lesson, I want to take a moment to remind everypony that your group project is due in just under three weeks. If you haven’t found your groups, you may want to get on that.” Minuette’s ears went flat against her head, and a very inappropriate word danced across her thoughts. The group project! She had completely forgotten about it in all of the drama surrounding Bristle! A small pearl of panic began to creep up in her heart as the princess began to outline what was going to happen in class today. “What am I going to do?!” Minuette thought, her eyes turning down to stare at her desk. “We had our group, but it’s basically been torn apart! I don’t think First and I can do this all on our own! Oh no, we’re gonna fail, and then everypony’s gonna start picking on me, and her too! Oh no, oh no! What do we do, what do we do, what do we do?!” Judging by the uneasy look on First Aid’s face, she had a similar, if less intense, train of thought going. Minuette turned to her and whispered quietly. “First, what are we gonna do?! We don’t have a team anymore!” First bit her lip, her eyes shifting nervously. “Uuum… We could see if there’s anypony else in this class without a group yet?” she ventured, though she didn’t sound so sure of that plan. “I think everypony’s already taken, though,” Minuette pointed out, her mind scrambling. “What choice do we have, though?” First countered. Minuette opened her mouth to offer some form of rebuke, but nothing came. First Aid was right. It wasn’t like this was a school-wide project, like for a science fair or something. This was a project for this specific class. They couldn’t go and draw someone from their own projects to help them with this when they wouldn’t get anything out of it. That would be selfish, mean, and quite a little dumb. First Aid put on a reassuring smile and lightly tapped Minuette on the shoulder. “Let’s ask around when the bell rings, okay? And when we’re going through our classes, if we share any of them with ponies here, we can check with them, too.” Well, it was a plan, at least. Minuette nodded. “Right! W-we’ll find someone, I know we will!” she declared, doing her best to put her usual cheeriness into her voice. First Aid grinned back at her in response before leaning back to focus on the princess. As Minuette allowed herself to get absorbed in Celestia’s lecture, she allowed her mind to wander to who she would ask to join their group first. “We got this!” she told herself in her mind, trying to psyche herself up. “Just like last time! We’ll pass with flying colors, I know we will! Just gotta find someone!” “I didn’t find anyone,” Minuette complained in frustration a couple of hours later. She had taken every single opportunity she could find to ask ponies she passed if they’d be willing to team up with her and First, only for all of the ones she approached to tell her they were already in a group and had already made some progress. Either that or they just didn’t want to join Minuette’s group for one reason or another. “Aren’t you the one who popped?” “Yeah, so?” “...I’m good.” That one had stung a little bit. But if nothing else, the search across halls and classes had been a fantastic distraction. In fact, the longer it went on, even with all of her failures, Minuette’s mood was steadily beginning to improve. She still felt lingering bits of dread and anxiety in her chest every so often, but she was mostly able to ignore it and focus on class and poking her classmates. It was the lunch break now, and as had been the plan, Minuette made her way straight to the entrance to the cafeteria to meet up with First. She had been waiting for only a couple of minutes when the other filly arrived. Judging by the disappointed yet seemingly acceptant look on her face, First Aid had much the same luck as Minuette did. “Me neither,” First Aid confirmed with a defeated sigh, pushing open the cafeteria doors with her magic. “This sucks.” The two briefly stopped on catching sight of the sheer number of ponies crammed into the large interior space. Although, judging by the weather outside, it should have come as no surprise. The pegasi weather teams had brought in a not-insignificant amount of rainclouds over the course of the morning, and they had started unloading their contents shortly before lunch began, dousing Canterlot and the surrounding mountainside with a torrential downpour. Most ponies would understandably want to avoid the bad weather, leading to the cafeteria being overwhelmed by a veritable swarm of hungry fillies and colts, the vast majority of whom had taken seats around the numerous tables that filled the space. The volume of their chatter was high, causing Minuette’s ears to briefly snap back in response. First Aid glanced back at Minuette and shugged. “Eh. Well, we can worry about it later. Let’s get some lunch.” Minuette followed after her, trying to be the usual, cheerful voice of optimism she tended to be. “Well… maybe we just missed somepony?” she guessed hopefully. “I mean, not everypony from first period is scattered across all our other classes, right? So we just gotta find one of the ones we missed, corner them, and make them join our group!” First Aid paused, giving Minuette a bemused frown. “...Make them?” Minuette grinned. “Uh-huh!” “...How?” “By asking reeeeaaally nicely,” Minuette replied without missing a beat. It made perfect sense in her head. Ask them nicely, they say yes. If they say no, ask nicer and louder. Rinse and repeat until they finally say yes. First Aid managed to find it in her to giggle at that, elbowing Minuette in the side. “You’re so silly sometimes, you know that?” she asked as she made her way for the counter. Minuette went after her with a bounce. “I know!” The two didn’t say a word to each other as they acquired their lunch from the tired, deadpan-wearing mare at the counter. Once they had their food, they waded into the ocean of faces to look for a place to sit down and hash out Minuette’s idea a little more. It wasn’t like they were on the cusp of their deadline, after all, so they had the time to work it out. “You seeing anywhere to sit?” First Aid asked a few minutes later, squinting through the crowd. “Cause, uh… I’m not.” Minuette looked around, frowning. And there was the downside of having so many ponies eating in the cafeteria. It looked like basically every chair in the room was taken up, leaving many ponies to go and eat while sitting against the walls. Not a common sight in this school, by any means. Before she could voice her belief that they were out of luck, however, a new voice, on the quieter side, spoke up behind them, barely audible over the din of the crowd. “Oh, uh, my table’s open.” Minuette turned around to the sight of a filly with a bright yellow coat and a curly blue mane and tail. On her flank was a cutie mark of three hearts, one green, and two blue, circling each other. Her bright, gentle eyes were a lovely shade of raspberry, and she was giving Minuette a warm, reserved smile. Her table just had enough space for two more, with the other seats taken up by a lavender filly with her nose in a book, and an off-white filly with a pink, bouncy mane. Minuette sighed in relief. “Oh, thanks! What’re your names?” she asked as she quickly slid into an open chair, followed shortly by First. The filly shrank back a bit from the energy in Minuette’s voice. “Oh, uh, my name’s Lemon Hearts,” she said, gesturing to herself. She then turned and pointed to the one with the pink mane. “That’s Twinkle Shine.” Twinkle Shine waved in greeting. “What’s up?” Lemon Hearts lowered her hoof and nodded at Minuette. “I’m pretty sure we share first period with you two, don’t we?” Minuette blinked, thinking back. A few seconds passed before she realized that she had in fact seen these two in her first-period class from time to time. She had never bothered to introduce herself, though. She’d usually been too busy shooting the breeze with First, Bristle, and Split, or focusing on whatever divine fried gold Celestia was saying. “Oh yeah! You!” First Aid exclaimed with a bright smile. “I remember you! It’s nice to meet you!” Minuette nodded in agreement. “Yeah! Nice to meet ya! Thanks for letting us sit at your table!” she said before her eyes fell on the last unicorn. She frowned and nodded at her curiously. “What about her?” Without lowering her book, the unicorn waved her hoof dismissively in the air. “Twilight Sparkle. Charmed,” she said bluntly. “And technically, this is my table. I was here first. I’m happy to let you all sit here, just try and keep it down, okay? I’m trying to study.” Minuette’s jaw dropped as her brain stalled. Twilight Sparkle?! Celestia’s student?! How had she not realized it sooner? It must have been the book. It was large compared to them, and so it covered most of the filly’s body. “Woah woah, wait,” First Aid piped up, seemingly just as floored by the revelation as Minuette was. “Twilight Sparkle?! You’re Princess Celestia’s student, aren’t you?!” Twilight nodded without lowering her book, turning the page with a quick flick of magic. “Uh-huh,” she replied as if it were nothing more than an afterthought. “Wow…” Minuette whispered, leaning back slightly. “Aren’t you, like, the best mage in class?” “No,” Twilight shot down. “That would be the Princess. I’m second best.” “Oh, right,” Minuette replied. Well, if nothing else, Twilight wasn’t technically wrong. Minuette got the impression she misunderstood the angle her question had been coming from, though. “I mean, of course Celestia’s the best mage in class. She’s just the best mage. Period.” “Well, if you don’t mind me saying it, you aren’t half bad yourself, Minuette,” Lemon Hearts suddenly spoke up. “Huh?” Minuette blinked, turning back to the others with a raised eyebrow. “What do you mean? We just met. How could you know that?” Twinkle Shine rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on. Remember that cool bug-pony-thing you showed off as your illusion a ways back? That was some shindig, let me tell ya. Kinda wish I had that kinda imagination,” she said with a dismissive wave of her hoof. “Would make this next project a lot easier, that’s for sure.” “Tell me about it,” Lemon Hearts mumbled, looking down at the table with a sour frown. “I have ideas, but I just don’t think I’m good enough to pull it off… And everypony else is basically in their groups already…” First Aid tilted her head. “Huh? You mean you're not in a group, yet?” she asked. Lemon shook her head. “Nope. I’ve tried to join one or two, but they were full already, and I kind of wound up backing off after a little bit… I didn’t know anypony in any of them, so I really didn’t feel like I’d fit in.” Twinkle Shine sighed despondently, leaning back. “Yeah, kind of a similar boat with me. Most of the groups I asked were full already or just said ‘no’ for some reason. Probably ‘cause I’m not a noble or whatever.” There was a beat of silence. Minuette and First Aid glanced at each other, ecstatic grins splitting both of their muzzles. “This. Is. PERFECT!” she decided within the privacy of her thoughts. If lady luck were a real pony out there somewhere, then she must have really liked her and First Aid today! Either that or she just felt sorry for them, but eh. Details. “Ya know,” Minuette said, leaning forward slightly with her grin growing. “First Aid and I don’t have a group yet, either…” Twinkle’s eyes flew wide at that, and she got a look on her face not unlike the one First and Minnie just shared. “Really?!” she asked, planting her hooves on the table and all but standing bolt upright. “Well hot dang, talk about a stroke of luck! Wanna team up?!” “Jackpot!” Minuette held out her hoof to shake. “One hundred percent!” First Aid was quick to layer her hoof on top of Minuette’s, nodding emphatically before turning her eyes to Lemon. “And you, Lemon Hearts? Wanna join up?” Lemon Hearts looked between the three fillies, shrinking back shyly into her seat a little bit. “Oh, uh… I mean… if you’re sure you want me,” she eventually said, meekly tapping her hooves together. Minuette rolled her eyes, grabbed Lemon’s hoof with her magic, and dragged it over to thunk down onto the trio of hooves. When Lemon stared at her in surprise, Minuette just winked. “Didn’t I just say it? One hundred percent!” “Yeah, don’t sell yourself short,” Twinkle added, lightly smacking Lemon on the back with her free hoof and putting on an encouraging smile. “You’re quiet as an earthworm, but your magic is on point.” Lemon’s eyes widened. “Huh? But-” “Can confirm,” First Aid added with a sage nod. “Those heart illusions you made for the test were very pretty to look at, and I’ve seen you practicing your telekinesis in the corner when Celestia’s lecturing. You’re pretty precise.” Lemon blinked at them a few times before a gentle smile graced her face, and she leaned more into the collection of hooves, adding pressure of her own will instead of under Minuette’s magic. “Thank you… Really. Then yes, I’d love to join your group!” “Awesome!” Minuette chirped. Awesome, they had a team of four, now. In theory, they could absolutely make do with just this. But there was still one pony left at this table who had been quiet for the most part. She looked to Twilight, a hopeful spark in her eyes. “What about you, Twilight? Are you in any groups, yet?” Twilight turned her page. “Nope.” “Well, this one has an open slot if you want to hop in!” First Aid said with a nod. Twilight huffed. “I think I’m good.” A wave of disappointment washed over the table. Well, that was unsatisfying in the extreme. Minuette frowned. It was a shame, too. Though she had ample confidence that they could make do with just the four the group now had, having Twilight freaking Sparkle as part of their team would make them all but unstoppable. “You sure?” Twinkle Shine asked with an oddly ominous tone of voice as if she knew something nopony else at the table knew. That caught Twilight’s attention if the twitch of her ears was any indication. She finally lowered the book and gave Twinkle a pointed stare. “I’m sure. I study better on my own. Other ponies are just… distracting.” Twinkle took this as her cue to continue, a mischievous glint in her eye. “Aaw, that’s too bad…” she said in a mock whine, leaning back dramatically in her seat. “Such a shame, too… It’s probably going to be a big challenge. Princess Celestia said she wanted everypony to group up for this project, after all. Most ponies would probably fail all on their own. But if you’re sure you can handle it…” All eyes fell on Twinkle as she finished speaking, and Minuette’s eyes widened. Okay, if that wasn’t some very thinly veiled attempts at clever manipulation, then she didn’t know what was. She also wasn’t entirely sure how to feel about it. Twilight’s eye twitched a few times before, finally, she sighed and closed her book. “Ugh, fair point. Celestia did tell us to group up, so I guess I have to,” she relented in defeat. Minuette’s frown deepened. Well, she sure didn’t seem happy about this. Before she could voice her concerns, though, Twilight sat more upright and perked up a little. “I’ll join your group… if you also let Moondancer join us.” “Moondancer?” Lemon asked with a tilt of her head. “Isn’t she the really, really quiet pony who sits next to you?” “Yes,” Twilight answered with a simple nod of her head. “She’s quiet and shy, but she’s one of the smartest ponies I know. She doesn’t have a group yet either, near as I can tell, so If I’m teaming up with you, then so is she. Deal?” “Sure, that sounds fine by me!” Twinkle said with a shrug before propping her chin up on a hoof with a big grin. “The more the merrier.” “Good. I assume there’s a place where we can all go to study and put our picture together?” Twilight asked bluntly. Minuette opened her mouth to suggest her house right out the gate, but the words got caught in her throat. Her mind wandered back to the incident with Bristle, and a knot of anxiety formed in her chest. She swallowed heavily and shrank back into her seat. She didn’t want a repeat of that performance. She just met these ponies, and while none of them were giving her bad vibes right now, neither had Bristle. If it turned out these ponies weren’t as good as their first impressions were leading her to believe, she’d rather not find out in her own home. She’d already tainted the sanctuary of her own bedroom enough by making that mistake once before. She wouldn’t do it again. Not if she could help it. Luckily, Lemon Hearts came to the rescue. “Well, we could go to my friend Lyra’s house. It’s usually pretty quiet when she’s practicing to play the lyre, and she has plenty of room.” “If that’s okay with her,” First Aid said with a nod. “It should be. She likes meeting new ponies and her parents are really sweet,” Lemon confirmed. Well, there was that problem solved. Minuette nodded and looked around the group she and First had miraculously managed to throw together. There would be six of them, seven if you counted Lyra - though that didn’t seem likely, since as near as she could tell, Lyra wasn’t in that class. Nevertheless, it was an impressive assortment, and she knew now that they would pass this test with flying colors. There was only one thing left to do. Minuette got a playful smirk on her face and slapped her hooves down on the table to assert her dominance. “So! What’re we gonna call ourselves?!” she asked of the table like a military general asking for suggestions on how to storm the bad guy’s castle. She was met with a series of stupefied stares. “...huh?” Twilight asked, confused. Minuette rolled her eyes and began to eagerly trot around the table, now thrumming with excited energy. “Well, think about it! We’re gonna be a big team, and we all gotta play our part! A big team needs a good name, don’t ya think? Something to really make us stand out!” “I think we stand out plenty already,” Lemon Hearts said, glancing at Twilight. “I mean, we have Celestia’s student…” “That’s nice, but ‘the team with Celestia’s student’ doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, does it?” Twilight frowned. “Does it need to?” she asked incredulously. “And does it even need a name?” Minuette stopped next to Twilight and hopped in place. “Yes! Absolutely!” First Aid chuckled, leaning forward and giving Twilight a knowing look. “Don’t bother fighting it. When Minuette gets in the zone, you can’t stop her. Just roll with it.” Twilight sighed heavily, her eyes turning longingly to her book as if she were now regretting her recent life choices. A second later, she looked back to Minuette. “I dunno. What do you think we should call ourselves?” Minuette paused, giving the matter some thought. That was the million bit question, wasn’t it? Well, okay, it absolutely wasn’t, but she still wanted to think of a cool name, dangit! She lifted a hoof to rub at her chin, considering the variables at play. “Twilight Sparkle, Twinkle Shine, Lemon Hearts, Moondancer, Minuette, and First Aid…” And then, in a flash of inspiration, it came to her, and she quickly turned back to the others. “The Flying Colors!” she suggested, thrusting her hoof into the air. Another series of bewildered looks stared back at her. Twinkle Shine broke the group’s silence by mirroring Twilight’s earlier ‘huh?’ Twilight pinched the bridge of her snout with a hoof before speaking. “Minuette… there are a lot of problems with that,” she said. “Huh? Why?” Minuette asked. “I think it works. I mean, with this roster? How can we not pass with flying colors?!” “The issue, Minuette, is that we are all unicorns. We don’t fly,” Twilight rebuked without missing a beat. “If this were Cloudsdale, that name would make sense. But as it is, we’re not pegasi, so flying is out. Although, I will afford you the fact that we do have a pretty wide spread of colors between us.” There were several moments of silence. Minuette pouted at Twilight indignantly before managing to morph her expression into a warm smile. “You, miss Twilight Sparkle,” she said, lifting a hoof and patting the other filly on the head. “Are a killjoy. You should lighten up a little!” Twilight frowned. “No, I don’t.” “Oho, yeah you do,” Twinkle Shine said, leaning forward with a playful grin. Twilight turned to her, growing flustered. “N-no, I don’t! I’m perfectly fine and light as I am!” “I think I gotta agree with Minuette on this one,” First Aid said, snickering into her hoof. “You need to relax, Twi. That was an impressive amount of joy you just killed.” Twilight turned back to the table at large as the general utterances of agreement filtered in. Her cheeks began to turn red with indignation, and the way they were puffing up only added to it. “The name just makes no sense…” “So?” Minuette asked cheerily. “Who cares?” “I do!” “Welp,” Minuette said, making a show of rolling up her non-existent sleeves. “Guess we gotta fix that.” Twilight blinked. “What are you- YIPE!” With no other warning, Minuette pounced like the little feral beast she may or may not have truly been. The jury was out on that one. Her hooves quickly found purchase against Twilight’s ribs and began to wiggle. Twilight’s eyes bulged as the first laughs flew from her now gaping mouth. She squirmed pathetically, trying to get away from Minuette, but the blue filly had mastered the art of tickling long ago. The battle was already won, the rest was really just a playful and funny formality. “S-s-stop! Hahaha! s-ha-stop, please!” Twilight pleaded, falling out of her chair in her feeble attempts to squirm away. “Not until you lighten up!” Minuette jeered, only intensifying her assault. Finally, Twilight managed to find just enough mental fortitude to light her horn and lift Minuette off of her. Minuette grunted and groaned as she was hefted a few feet into the air, her hooves just out of reach of the now frantically panting Twilight. The purple filly stared up at her as if she were some kind of rabid animal. “Are you crazy?!” Twilight demanded between her heaving gasps. Minuette threw her legs out wide for emphasis. “Filly, I might be!” A second passed, and Minuette realized that the entire cafeteria had gone silent. She looked up and around to realize that all eyes were on her. Nopony moved, waiting with bated breath for the sudden and impromptu spectacle to resume. Somepony somewhere questioningly began to mutter the word ‘fight?’ before getting lightly kicked by somepony beside him. And then, a giggle broke through the tension from the table. Minuette turned her head to look to see First Aid trying and failing to stifle her laughs. And then, finally, she gave up, and let it all come out. The sound was contagious, and soon enough, the rest of the table broke down into hysterical fits of boisterous laughter. The rest of the cafeteria followed soon after, filling the space with their amusement. Grinning ear to ear, Minuette turned back to Twilight, who just looked baffled more than anything else. Minuette wiggled her hooves at her in a mock display of trying to tickle her again while making a ghostly ‘ooooohhhhh’ sound. Twilight blinked at her. Her face began to twitch and tremble as if she were holding something back. Whatever efforts she made were short-lived, however, for soon, her face split into a broken grin, and she, too, joined in the laughter, albeit far more reserved than everypony else’s. “Meh, close enough,” Minuette said with a shrug. At around this time, Twilight finally dropped her, sending her falling back to the floor and landing next to Twilight in a heap. She quickly rose back to her hooves and held out a hoof for Twilight. “Ha! So! Team Flying Colors?” Twilight, once her giggles died down, rolled her eyes, and took the hoof. “Heh, fine, I guess I’m outvoted anyways,” she relented as she got back to her hooves. Grinning widely, Minuette turned back to the table. “We’re the Flying Colors, guys!” she declared, thrusting her hoof into the air victoriously. “Whoo!” Everypony else at the table mirrored her posture from their seats, adding their own exclamations of excitement and jubilation to the mix. And seeing the eager looks in their eyes, the smiles on their faces, and feeling the warm, fuzzy feeling in her chest, Minuette knew. “Huh. I did it. I found myself some new friends! That was fast!” And with that thought, the warm feeling began to spread out. Minuette’s eyes widened. There was magic surging inside her, but not through or from her horn. The eyes of her new friends all flew wide open before narrowing against some kind of bright light. A series of sharp gasps filled the air, giving Minuette pause. “What’s going on?!” she asked, looking down at herself. Her entire body was glowing, growing brighter and brighter with every passing second. It was almost blinding when, at last, there was a flash and a pop, and all the light coalesced to somewhere just behind her. Minuette’s eyes widened as the warmth gathered in her hips and waist, before fading away, leaving her flanks feeling surprisingly tingly. “What in the world just happened to me?” she asked in shock, looking around in confusion. Did someone cast a spell on her?! Was she about to transform into some kind of big, spooky monster?! Should she tell ponies to run away now?! What if she couldn’t change back?! What would Fangs think?! Her parents!? Where would she- “Minnie! Look!” First Aid suddenly blurted out, though there was no fear in her voice. Just ecstatic wonderment as she pointed at her friend’s flank. Minuette paused, then turned to look down at her flank. Her eyes widened. “Oh. Yeah, that actually makes a lot more sense than what I was thinking of…” There, freshly placed on her flank and with the last wisps of magical light fading away, was an image of a simple hourglass with golden frames and white sand flowing through. “Guys… Guys!” She all but shrieked as the realization clicked into place. She turned back to the table and began to jump frantically in place. “My cutie mark! I GOT MY CUTIE MARK!” With that whooping declaration, as was usually the custom when such an event unfolded in public, a wave of thunderous applause and congratulatory cheers burst out from the ponies around her. Minuette’s ears rang from the volume, but to be fair, they were already ringing from the sheer excitement she was feeling! Every foal dreamed of the day they got their mark, and she was no different. Although looking at it, some small part of her wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. A sentiment shared by Twinkle Shine, who trotted over to get a better look. “So… what’s it mean?” she asked bluntly. Minuette idly moved one of her hind legs around as if it might give them some clue. “Uh… I dunno?” she said with a raised eyebrow. “I don’t think I did anything out of the ordinary. I just made friends with all of you and tickled Twilight, and…” Another realization clicked into place. Minuette blinked a few times before her smile returned, somewhat softer this time. She turned back to the fillies in front of her and nodded. “I think I get it.” “Oh? What does it mean, then?” Twilight asked curiously, staring on with actual interest and excitement. “I haven’t seen a mark like that before.” Minuette looked back at her mark and gave her hips a little wiggle for emphasis. “Well, I got it when I made friends with you guys… and I just met you,” she said before smiling back at her. “So I think it means that I just make friends really fast.” “That’s… an… odd talent,” Twilight noted with a quirked brow. Twinkle did not share the studious unicorn’s reservations though and clapped Minuette on the back. “Well, I like it! Congratulations, Minnie! Can I call you Minnie?” she asked after a second. Minuette grinned and lifted a hoof, which Twinkle quickly bumped her own against. Minuette’s grin grew. “One hundred percent!” With the cheers of the cafeteria crowd ringing in her ears, and her new friends gathered around to congratulate her on finally finding her mark, the last of Minuette’s unease finally dissipated. There would still be some rough times ahead with Bristle, she figured, but right now, she just could not be bothered enough to care. “Everything’s gonna be just fine,” she thought, closing her eyes and tilting her head back as if to soak in the ambiance like a shower stream. “I just know it…” Her smile grew as her mind wandered back to her home, and how her parents would no doubt get her a big cake to celebrate. She thought of her room, and of the magic mirror leaned up against her wall, where Fangs was currently waiting for her. As the world faded away for her, she couldn’t help but wonder what he would think. Author's Note End of Act I. Yup, this story comes in acts, and our first one just wrapped up! I hope you all like what I did with this one, it was a lot of fun to work on once I found my muse and got typing.
Old SymbolismThree Years Later. “Hey, Minnie.” Minuette blinked and turned to face the greeting as she stepped into her first period classroom. She wasn’t used to being greeted on entry like this, as usually her friends either showed up after she did, or were too busy with their pre-class preparations to notice her until she sat down beside them. She swept her eyes across the assembled ponies in the room. Many of them were familiar, while yet many more were strangers. She had seen their faces before, of course, but she hadn’t been able to pin a name to many of them for the last couple of years. She had settled nicely into her own little group, and so there had been no need. Eventually, her gaze landed on the spot by her desk. Lemon Hearts was waving back at her with a shy smile on her face. The rest of their circle of friends was already seated as well, leaving Minuette’s desk unclaimed in the dead center of the group. The only ones not presently seated with them were Twilight and Moondancer, who could usually be found on the other side of the room. “Sorry, girls, but you all can get pretty noisy during class,” had been Twilight’s explanation when asked why she sat so far away. “I’m happy to spend some time with you outside of school, but when in class I want to concentrate, and you’re all very distracting.” An understandable enough reason. Minuette was pretty distracting, if she did say so herself. Nevertheless, with a friendly grin, Minuette bounced over and quickly slid into her seat. “Hey, guys!” she greeted energetically. “How ya doing? You’re not usually here before me!” “Blame Lyra,” Twinkle Shine said with a roll of her eyes. “She was busy practicing the lyre for some big music test she has today, and it was driving me nuts. Figured it’d be better to come here and wait for the other loud and obnoxious one.” “Oh come on,” First Aid weakly chastised, lightly swatting Twinkle Shine on the shoulder. “She plays good music and you know it. And Minnie isn’t obnoxious.” “Nope, just loud,” Minuette chirped freely in response with an acknowledging grin. It felt good to be recognized! Twinkle rolled her eyes and reclined back in her seat. “Uh, huh, whatevs. Hey, any of you happen to know what the teach has planned for us today?” she asked with a raised eyebrow. “No idea,” First Aid said, her brow furrowing in thought. “But if Princess Celestia is going to be coming in to help us get started, it must be pretty big…” Minuette’s eyes widened. Oh, shoot. For a minute there she had completely forgotten! It had been quite a big deal with the class, she remembered, with plenty of the ponies cheering in their own quiet ways at the news that their old teacher was due to come and see them again. It had been two years since any of them had Celestia teaching their classes. Though the ruler of Equestria still taught just as much as she used to, her focus was, as always, on the younger fillies and colts who attended her school. Once ponies got past their first year, she tended to let the professors handle the bulk of the student body. Minuette’s eyes turned to look at the desk at the far end of the room. She could see the professor seated there, an elderly unicorn stallion with dull gray fur and a silvery, swept-back mane and tail. His old, partially sunken eyes were reading over one of many sheets of paper at his desk. Probably last-minute grading of previous projects. The old guy was really sweet and all, but sometimes he could be a bit slow on the uptake, or late to the draw. There were several minutes of relative quiet. The only sounds were the hushed chatter of ponies as they waited for the final bell to go to signify the start of class. Finally, the signature ringing filled the room, and everypony fell quiet. At the same time, the door in the back of the classroom swung open. All eyes turned to it, and a few audible gasps passed through the room as Princess Celestia strode in with a warm smile. Immediately, Minuette was struck by a wave of nostalgia as she remembered the first time the alicorn had stepped into her old first period class. It had only been three years, but it felt like an eternity. Celestia smiled and nodded down at the professor. He merely smiled, adjusted his old glasses, and went back to the paper before him, silently surrendering the floor to the princess. Celestia looked out over the room of ponies and cleared her throat. “Good morning, my little ponies. It is good to see you all again.” “Good morning, Princess Celestia!” Came the chorus of answers, not one pony skimping out on it. Celestia positively glowed from the happy response, as if invigorated by her students’ fondness for her. She didn’t dwell on it for long, though, and instead launched right into the matter at hoof. “Now, then, as you may all remember, yesterday, your professor, Mister Dustmite, announced that there would be a large and important project coming up for all of you starting today and that I would be present to give you all a guiding hoof in finding inspiration for what you want to cover. “So, as this is an Equestrian history class,” she went on, stepping around the desk to be nearer the center of the room. “Your project will be to find an event or series of events in Equestria’s long and storied history, and then cover it in a written report with as much factual information as you can gather.” A hoof shot up from the other end of the room. “So, what are we supposed to cover? Equestria’s history isn’t exactly short.” Celestia nodded at the colt in question. “A good question. That is why I am here. I am not here to make the decision for you, but to provide a range of possible starting points for all of you to use as a base-line. To that end, I would like to invite all of you to follow me. Leave your supplies here, we will be coming back, and I’ll be sure each of you has a note explaining why you were late in the event this little venture takes longer than I hope.” Minuette leaned forward with a curious glint in her eye. “We’re heading out? Where are we going?!” Celestia turned to Minuette, her smile growing. “To the Canterlot sculpture gardens. We shall walk among preservations of Equestria’s past, chiseled in stone, and from them, you will find your inspiration for what is to come.” Following that, there had been a flurry of movement and activity as everypony got up and procured whatever minimal supplies they might need. Namely an assortment of writing supplies to take notes on potential topics of interest. Once Celestia had been satisfied that the class had everything, they made their way out of the class. Their path soon took them out of the school, and even off of campus grounds. Although, given the school’s adjacent position to the castle, they weren’t out in the open for long. Soon enough, Celestia led the students through one of the castle’s many well-guarded gates and through lush, masterfully maintenance courtyards. Minuette’s eyes darted from one thing to the next, drinking it all in with childish delight. Ornate and beautifully trimmed hedges made to resemble ponies, creatures, and other such things were often lining the edges of the courtyards, while immaculate flower patches resided just in front of them, almost like each hedge was a castle, and the flowers the moat that warded off any would-be siege attempts. Soon enough, they passed through a stone archway and passed into the sculpture garden itself. Minuette’s eyes widened when they first entered, blown away by the sheer artistic mastery on display. Every single statue was perfect in every way her mind could think of. Perfectly proportioned, perfectly exaggerated where appropriate, perfectly shaped and perfectly maintained. The only one in class who did not seem to share her enthusiastic awe for the works of art was Twilight. No surprise there, to be sure. As Celestia’s personal student, Twilight often spent her time after school receiving private lessons from the princess herself. She all but lived within the castle’s grounds, and so she had seen all of these things before. Although, judging by the thoughtful look on her face, it had not been for any purpose such as this, before. The warm rays of sunlight streaming down from the sky above helped ease any boredom Minuette might have felt as she followed the rest of her class. Her eyes drifted curiously from one ornate sculpture to the next, taking in their subtleties. One ear was swiveled toward Princess Celestia as she began to rattle off the meanings of many of the sculptures to the class behind her, while the other ear absently listened to the chatter of her friends. Twilight and Moondancer whispered excitedly amongst themselves about each statue they passed, and Minuette could only imagine how in-depth the miniature geniuses were going. Lemon Hearts and First Aid, while both interested, were somewhat less enthusiastic. Finally, Twinkle Shine was just kind of indifferent. Minuette could only assume that she didn’t find much value for advancing her magical skills in a place filled with ‘fancy rocks.’ As for Minuette, she did her best to pay attention to the princess’s lecture, in spite of the relatively boring subject matter. History was something she had never been particularly keen on, but right now, she had to be. Up ahead, Princess Celestia came to a stop, smiling up at a statue of several ponies stacked haphazardly on top of one another with enormous cheery grins on their faces. “Ah, yes. This statue here was sculpted by none other than master artisan Monolith. It was made approximately three hundred years ago as an homage to a collection of fillies who managed to bring peace to the town of Sire’s Hollow.” Moondancer’s hoof shot up. Celestia smiled and nodded at the yellow-colored teenager, prompting her to ask her question. Moondancer adjusted her thick-rimmed glasses and spoke up, although her voice was noticeably quiet. “Um, how did they bring peace to the town? And why did they need to? What was wrong?” Celestia’s smile grew. “A good question, Moondancer. In truth, the town’s inhabitants had been at odds with one another for quite some time, unfortunately. There were some conflicting views about how the town should be managed moving forward, and tensions began to swell. Eventually, it began to escalate to actual fighting in the streets, and a letter was sent by the mayor, requesting my direct intervention. I sent the captain of my guard to try and help cool things down, but by the time they arrived, these little fillies had already done the work for him. As for the how, they were the offspring of the ponies who were arguing. Yet in spite of the enemies their parents made of one another, the foals became good friends and were able to convince their families to find a peaceful way forward. As such, the statue before you has come to represent friendship itself.” As Celestia finished speaking those three words, her eyes shifted to look not at Moondancer, but at Twilight. Confused, Minuette followed the alicorn’s gaze and saw that Twilight had turned her attention away from the statue of friendship and was now focusing on a statue of Starswirl the Bearded. Go figure. Minuette couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Twilight was, without question, the most magically interested member of the group. Even Twinkle Shine didn’t even come close. Twilight read books on the subject so often it sometimes made her come off as uninterested in her friends. She did interact with them on occasion, but more often than not she had to be pulled into their shared activities, usually by Minuette or First Aid. Her only intellectual peer was Moondancer. In fact, it often seemed that Moondancer was competing with Twilight over who knew more. It just never seemed that Twilight bothered competing back. Not like it mattered. She won basically every time anyway, often dispelling Moondancer’s own statements with the cold, clinical precision of a surgeon removing a tumor from a sensitive piece of flesh. Oh, great. Now Minuette was thinking about surgery. Gross. Celestia cleared her throat. “Twilight, did you get all of that?” she asked. Twilight nodded. “Yes, I did. I was just wondering more about this statue,” she said, pointing at the Starswirl statue. “I take it this one was done to commemorate another one of his feats of magic?” Celestia eyed the statue, her muzzle contorting with a solemn frown. “Alas, not that one, I am afraid. That statue was instead sculpted in his honor after he and several heroes from early Equestrian history ventured out to face a great evil. Though it is widely believed they succeeded, they never returned. As such, that statue was made in memorial to my late mentor.” Twinkle Shine’s eyes lit up, and she leaned forward slightly. “A great evil?! Oh, what was it?” she asked eagerly. “Please tell me it was big and snarly! Like a shadow wolf, or an Ursa Major!” Celestia shook her head. “Unfortunately, I do not know. Though he was my teacher, he did not inform me as to what he set out to do. All I know for certain is that it weighed heavily upon his soul, and he commanded that I remain behind to watch over…” Celestia stopped, a solemn, far off look in her eyes. Minuette blinked. She knew that look. She had seen it in Fangs’ eyes many times over the years she had known him. Whenever they talked about his past, or whenever he tried to remember anything from before the mirror, he got it. It was a look of regret, and of longing. Celestia shook her head, and when she opened her eyes again, the motherly warmth she was known for had returned. “He wanted me to look after his affairs in his absence. And so I did. Now, let us move on, shall we?” Without waiting for a response, Celestia turned and began to make her way deeper into the garden. Minuette stared after her, her muzzle scrunching up with a frown. She glanced sideways at First Aid before leaning over to whisper to her. “Is it just me, or did the princess leave something out there?” First Aid leaned back to whisper in response. “I noticed it, too. She didn’t look too happy…” “Tell me about it,” Minuette said, her brow furrowing. “I’ve only ever seen Fangs get a look like that in his eyes before. Of course, he’s about as old as Celestia, I think, so…” “Uh-huh,” Twinkle rolled her eyes and elbowed Minuette in the ribs a few times before picking up the pace a little. Minuette stared after her with a quiet huff of irritation. She had made no secret of Fangs’ existence to these ponies, though by his request she only referred to him as if he were imaginary. It was frustrating, sometimes, to keep herself from trying to convince them he was actually real. But he had been insistent that trying to prove he was real to others would only invite more trouble than either of them truly wanted. The group of teenagers soon stepped from one garden to the next, stopping periodically so Celestia could answer more questions. Finally, after almost half an hour, they reached the end of their tour and came to the last section of the gardens. There were yet more statues scattered about, yet one, in particular, stood out. It stood in the very center of the garden, and it gave Minuette pause. It depicted the oddest creature she had ever seen. Its body was long and snake-like, complete with a snake tail that had a feather plume at the end. It stood on two short, stubby legs, one a pony leg and the other a dragon leg. From its back emerged a pair of mismatched wings, one feathered and the other leathery. Its arms were similarly mismatched, with a lion’s arm and an eagle’s talon respectively. Finally, its elongated head resembled that of a pony with a deer antler and goat horn sticking out the back. From the chin came a tuft of a beard. The statue had its head thrown back, one arm up high in the air and the other held over its chest as if it were in the middle of an uproarious guffaw of laughter. Minuette cringed at the sight, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. Whoever had made this statue had done a magnificent job. It was so… lifelike. Celestia looked up at the statue for a moment before turning to the class and smiling. “This is the last statue I want to show you all today,” she said before turning to gesture up at it. “This statue represents discord - a lack of harmony between ponies. And what better depiction of this than a draconequus, a being of pure chaos?” Lemon Hearts’ hoof flew up. “What’s a draconequus? I’ve never heard of one before,” she asked curiously. Celestia smiled warmly. “I would not expect you to. There have only ever been one or two known to exist in all of history. They are beings of pure magic who are tied to an abstract concept or force. Think of them as the physical manifestations of what they represent. This one, for instance, was once the physical manifestation of chaos.” “Why was this statue made?” Minuette asked, eyeing the statue’s face with an uneasy grimace. Celestia turned back to it with a frown. She was silent for a moment before she spoke, her voice going somewhat distant again. “It was sculpted by my request to commemorate the defeat of one of Equestria’s most vile enemies, and my subsequent ascension to the Equestrian throne soon after.” “So this ‘chaos’ guy was around before you were the princess?!” Twilight exclaimed in surprise, her eyes going wide. “That’s amazing! What was he like?” Celestia’s frown deepened. “...In a word, Twilight, he was a monster. One of the worst I have ever seen...” A silence fell over the crowd of students. A few uneasy glances were exchanged, and Minuette couldn’t help but tilt her head. She hadn’t really thought about it much before, but it made sense that Celestia probably had some memories she didn’t want to dig up, or that would be unpleasant to revisit. It was just so rare to see her mask of warmth and affection break that it was easy to forget just how long the princess had lived, and how many evils she had faced and vanquished in that time. A long life comes with heavy weight, after all. Celestia suddenly shook her head and turned back to the crowd with a small, apologetic smile. “Ah, forgive me, my little ponies. I got lost in my mind for a moment,” she confessed before turning down the path. “Come, there is yet more for us to see before we return to the classroom.” With that, she set off again, and the class fell into stride behind her. It didn’t take long before the momentary drop in the mood was dispelled, with ponies once again chatting curiously amongst themselves and asking questions of whatever caught their interest. All the while, though, Minuette kept her eyes locked onto Celestia’s back, wondering just what the princess had gone through in her long life. “Well, if nothing else,” she eventually thought with a small smile. “I know who I can ask…” With that thought ringing loudly in her mind, Minuette refocused on the princess’s words rather than her past, listening intently as she rattled off the meaning and vague history of statue after statue. Author's Note I have changed one of Celestia's lines just slightly as of 12/16/2020. People were bickering about it and it was annoying me.
Your Foalsitter Is a PRINCESS?!Minuette grumbled irritably to herself. She was standing among the many ornate and well-organized shelves that occupied the second floor of the Canterlot Public Library. The day had come for the study party at Twilight’s, and after Fangs had failed to yield any information about the Draconequus, Minuette had been left with no choice but to go along with her own plan and look for books the old fashioned way. But looking for books on ancient Equestrian history in this old place was nothing short of boring. Minuette couldn’t even find it in herself to care about the fact that Twilight would more than like try to skin her for blasphemy for that sentiment. She must have been perusing the shelves for related tomes for hours by now, right? She glanced up at the nearest clock hanging from one of the walls. “Ten minutes?!” she internally shrieked, her coat bristling. How in the hoof had it only been ten minutes?! No, no way, that clock was broken! She should report it to the librarian, or the management, or the city watch! “Hey, Minnie, you about done?” First Aid asked as she came into the aisle of books. Her saddlebags were noticeably stuffed with tomes that had not been there when the group had first arrived. Minuette gave off a pathetic whine as she plucked another tome from the shelf with her magic. “First, why aren’t any of these books explicitly about Draconequuses?” she asked drearily, adding this most recent tome to her stack. First Aid shrugged. “I dunno. Maybe because that whole thing happened before even Celestia was the Princess? Not to mention there have only been a couple of them.” “But that means I gotta look,” Minuette complained, giving an overly theatrical sigh. She threw her head back and shook a hoof at the ceiling. “And it’s so boring.” First Aid giggled and clapped Minuette on the back. “Hey, this was your idea,” she pointed out. Minuette grumbled in annoyance, shrugging First’s hoof off. She elected not to mention the fact that she had been planning on using Fangs as a shortcut to skip this step, or at least narrow down her search. Using her ‘imaginary friend’ to cheat on a school project was a little bit out there, even for her. She sighed and took one more book from the shelf, the last one she figured she’d need. It was the only one left on the shelf about ancient Equestrian history. “I know, I know. I just thought it’d be easier than this, you know?” she said, only half-lying. “Plus… I kinda only suggested this so we could spend more time with Twilight.” First Aid’s smile faltered at that. She withdrew her hoof and stepped back to give Minuette some space. “Right, and we all appreciate that. As dorky as you are, you go out of your way to cheer us all up whenever you can. I think that’s really admirable, Minnie,” she said comfortingly. Minuette managed to put on a small smile at that. “Heh. Thanks, First.” Taking what comfort she could from her oldest friend’s assurances, she withdrew all of the books she meant to check out from her saddlebags and looked them over. Satisfied that she had everything she was looking for, she put them back and stepped from the aisle. First Aid followed close behind her. After navigating a few lanes of shelves and passing a few older ponies, they came out to the large central chamber of the library. They stood on the second-floor loft, affording them a breathtaking view of the rest of the room. Sunlight streamed in through the bell-shaped stained glass-ceiling, providing a serene, colorful ambiance to the entire chamber. Down by the door, Minuette could see the rest of their group of friends idly chatting amongst themselves. It looked like they had already wrapped up checking out their books and were just waiting on them. Putting her characteristic spring back in her step, Minuette descended the stairs, dodging around a few more ponies along the way, and quickly made her way across the chamber. She did her best to keep her steps quiet, not wanting to disturb the ponies who were dutifully reading their chosen books at the numerous tables arranged around the heart of the library. It didn’t take long for her and First Aid to get their books checked out. The old mare behind the counter smiled sweetly at her the whole time, further helping to lift Minuette’s spirits. Soon enough, she had her books checked out and made her way to her friends. Twinkle Shine was, as usual, the first to speak up. “Yo! There you are!” she said louder than was permissible within a public library, waving her hoof in greeting. “SSH!” a chorus of angry ponies answered before Minuette had a chance, a collection of unamused grimaces being sent her way. Twinkle looked around at them all, looking as if she were the one who should be offended. Moondancer frowned sternly at her. “Twinkle, you know you’re supposed to be quiet in the library!” she chastised in a low whisper. Twinkle groaned and rolled her eyes. “Yeah yeah, sorry,” she apologized, lowering her voice to more respectable levels. Lemon Hearts smiled at the two, then turned to Minuette and First Aid as they finished their approach. “So, uh, did you two find everything?” “I’d say so,” First Aid said with a cheerful bounce. Minuette shrugged. “Eh. I didn’t find the answer to life, the universe, and everything, but I think I got what I’m looking for anyway,” she said matter-of-factly. Moondancer adjusted her glasses. “Isn’t the answer forty-two?” Minuette gave her a flat look. The cogs in her brain turned faster and faster, trying to process just how Moondancer had come to that conclusion. A few seconds passed before she turned to Twinkle with a small smirk. “And you all call me crazy for having an imaginary friend?” she asked with a waggle of her eyebrows. Twinkle shrugged with a noncommittal ‘meh’ before turning for the door. “Okay, c’mon, slow ponies. If we’re late to Twilight’s, you all know how she’s gonna react.” Minuette winced. She didn’t need any more incentive than that! Last time she had been late to an agreed-upon meeting where Twilight had been involved… well, the lecture she had administered had been about as intense as one given by their P.E instructor. Minuette took in a deep breath as they emerged onto the streets of Canterlot. The streets were alive with weekend activity, as many ponies milled about enjoying their day off. Minuette could even spot a few ponies from school scattered through the crowds as her group wormed its way toward Twilight’s home. Canterlot was a pretty magnificent city no matter where you were in it. Even the lesser districts, like the one where Minuette lived, were practically luxurious compared to their contemporaries in other cities. Or so Minuette had been told. She had yet to set hoof outside this city in her life, so she didn’t really know. Still, she wasn’t one to doubt the accounts of her parents. Nevertheless, as the group made their way into the district Twilight’s family called home, there was a sharp and noticeable jump in the size and quality of the architecture of the homes. Well-kept personal homes evolved into hefty family estates and manors belonging to the nobility. Fenced off yards, colorful walls, tall and elaborate windows, and all manner of other fanciful decorations could be seen on just about every home they passed. At last, Twilight’s home came into view. Compared to its neighbors, it was remarkably small and humble. It was still larger than hers by a not-insignificant amount, but it also didn’t scream ‘pompous’ like the other noble homes they had passed on the way. It was a refreshing change of pace. A sentiment clearly shared by Twinkle Shine. “Finally!” she exclaimed, picking up the pace and pulling to the head of the pack. “Let's get inside. I wanna get to studying already!” Minuette rolled her eyes. She watched as Twinkle bounded up to Twilight’s front door and gave a series of sharp knocks. A moment passed as the group gathered together on the doorstep, chatting idly amongst themselves about nothing in particular. Minuette didn’t contribute much, simply focusing on the door. It clicked open, revealing something Minuette had not been expecting to see today. The mare that smiled down at them was pink in color, with a three-toned mane tied back into a ponytail with a large cyan bow. The hair was divided between purple, hot pink, and yellow. A matching tail curled elegantly behind her. A cutie mark depicting a heart made of shimmering blue crystal framed on its sides by golden filigree decorated her flanks. Her soft, gentle eyes were a striking shade of purple. The most striking part about her, however, was the longer-than-usual horn coming from her forehead, and the large, feathery wings that ruffled against her sides. This mare was an alicorn, and Minuette was floored by the revelation. Literally. She fell to her haunches and just about passed out as a wave of shock rolled over her. “Oh! Hello,” the alicorn greeted with a warm smile. Her voice was soft and sweet, a gentle noise that instantly set Minuette’s spiked nerves at ease. It wasn’t motherly, like what Celestia often practiced. It was more cordial, relaxed. Like a good friend one hadn’t seen in an age. “You must be those friends Twilight told me about.” “Princess Mi Amore Cadenza!?” Moondancer yipped, quickly dipping into a low bow. The other fillies were quick to follow, with Minuette being the last. “I-I-I. I’m so sorry, we didn’t know that you were going to be here!” Cadenza tittered behind a hoof, blushing slightly. “Oh, my! Please, no need for that. I’m not a princess today, just a really lucky foalsitter. And please, call me Cadance,” she said, seemingly flustered by the sudden display of reverence. Minuette shot up, her eyes widening. “Foalsitter?! You mean you are Twilight’s foalsitter?!” she demanded. She had known that Twilight had a foalsitter, of course. They had all known. But none of them had ever really bothered to ask, and Twilight was a very reserved filly about her life at home. Never in Minuette’s wildest dreams would she have imagined that Princess Cadance would be that foalsitter! The rest of the foals rose up at Cadance’s amused, knowing laugh. The alicorn rolled her eyes and glanced back into the interior of the house. “So, she didn’t say anything about me, did she? Heh, that sounds like her,” she said before stepping to one side. “Well, come on in. She’s waiting for you all in the living room. You don’t want to keep her waiting much longer, or she’s probably going to try and build a book fort.” The foals didn’t move for a few seconds, looking amongst themselves anxiously. This was a very unexpected turn of events, and none of them were quite sure how to respond. Moondancer especially looked about ready to faint from anxiety and was hiding behind Lemon Hearts, who in turn hid behind First Aid. Cadance didn’t seem at all perturbed by the display, or at the very least, she was a master of not showing it. She just gave them all that same, gentle smile she had been wearing since opening the door and got down onto her belly. “Hey, how about I get you all some cookies once you’re settled in? Does that sound nice?” The foals didn’t need more encouragement than that. With their eyes lighting up, the group stepped into the entrance hall of Twilight’s home. Cadance shut the door behind them. “Do you all know your way around?” “Well enough,” Minuette replied. She had been here a few times in the past with some other members of the group. The only ones she didn’t think had been here were Moondancer and Lyra. Cadance nodded. “Alright, then. Have fun, kids.” “We’re studying,” Twinkle Shine noted, already looking far more comfortable around Cadance. No doubt from the promise of sweets. “How fun can it be?” “I heard that!” Twilight’s voice bellowed from the living room. She poked her very annoyed, pouting face out of the archway to the living room. “Who said that?!” Minuette turned to Twinkle, who was looking a lot less confident now. “Run.” Twinkle’s already pale coat turned a shade paler, and she gave Minuette the most indignant squeaks. “W-what the hay, Minnie?! Why’d you single me out?!” she demanded. Minuette cackled and backed up. “Cause we all know Twi’d figure it out eventually. I was just cutting to the fun part.” Twinkle Shine groaned in frustration, swearing merciless vengeance as she turned and sprinted up the nearby flight of stairs. Twilight was hot on her hooves, bellowing like a banshee about books and learning. Cadance smirked up the stairs as they disappeared, then looked down at Minuette. “What’s your name?” she asked. Minuette stood up straight. “Oh. I’m Minuette! My parents call me the beast, though!” Cadance’s smile grew. “I like it. I like you.” Minuette grinned widely, her tail wagging behind her as if she were a dog. “Thanks!” she chirped. A few seconds passed before Twilight came back down, carrying Twinkle Shine upside down behind her in her magic. Twinkle gave the entire group an impressive stink-eye as they reached the bottom of the flight. “Way to help me out, girls. Really brave. Really showing that ‘Team Flying Colors’ spirit.” A few assorted giggles went through the group. Twilight couldn’t help but smile slightly herself. “Oh, they just knew better than to get in my way,” she said, thrusting her nose up. Cadance giggled as well. “Twilight is hard to stop when she sets her mind to something.” The alicorn’s voice drew Minuette out of the moment and reminded her of the unexpected princess in the room. She gave Cadance a curious look, then turned to Twilight. “Oh, right. Hey, Twi? When were you gonna tell the rest of us that a freakin PRINCESS is your foalsitter?!” Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Oh… uh… I don’t know?” she said, shrinking back a little. “I mean, it just didn’t seem important, so…” “Dude!” Twinkle snipped, thrusting her legs up at the ceiling for emphasis. “There is royalty right there! How is that not important?!” “If it’s any consolation, I really don’t act like one when I’m on foal sitting duty,” Cadance pointed out. “And I wasn’t born as part of the royal family, either. I was adopted by Celestia as her niece after I got my horn.” “Not the point!” Twinkle declared before lowering her hooves again. Moondancer looked up at Cadance curiously. “How do you know Twilight?” she asked with a tilt of her head. “Oh, well, that’s actually a funny story. See, this one time, when a bunch of ladybugs got in this house,” Cadance began. Twilight suddenly cut her off with a frightened squeak. “Nope! No! We came here to study! So let’s go do that! Yes!” she stammered out rapidly before picking up the pace and heading for the nearby living room, dragging an increasingly indignant Twinkle Shine all the way. First Aid laughed at the display. “Eh. It’s not important. You can tell us later,” she said to Cadance as she went to follow. “Now let’s go, before Twilight makes a hostage out of Twinkle Shine.” Twilight’s living room was made up of a spacious room with two archways. One led out into the entrance hall, while the other led out to the kitchen. A collection of bookcases were arranged along the walls, each one loaded with a smattering of books, knick-knacks for her father, and trophies belonging to her mother. Twilight’s mother was something of a thrill seeker and adrenaline junkie, while her father was more of a bookworm. Minuette’s eyes were drawn to the center of the room, where Twilight had set Twinkle Shine down, and both were now in the process of taking out the various books they would be studying from. And there, sitting just beside Twilight, was perhaps the cutest creature in the house. Her eyes lit up, and Minuette was not able to keep a delighted squeal from tearing out of her. “Hi Spike!” she chirped, pronking over to him. The baby dragon was still very small, the spines on the top of his head barely able to scratch against Twilight’s knees. He looked up with his big, shimmering emerald green eyes, and a few happy, wordless babbles came out as he saw her approaching. Minuette slid to a stop, her heart melting at the sight. “He’s just so cute!” she internally squee’d. She placed a hoof against his exposed belly and began to vigorously rub, earning giggles from him. She grinned wider. “How are ya doing, little guy? Is Twilight being good to you? She giving you all the gems?” “Oog goo bwah gah!” “That’s a yes,” Twilight answered with a warm smile, looking down at the baby dragon with no small amount of love in her eyes. It was rare for Twilight’s eyes to house such affection for anything, but to be fair, she had hatched Spike’s egg herself. There was a connection there that Minuette knew she would never be able to understand. After a few moments of tickling Spike’s belly, Twilight gently nudged Minuette back. “Okay, try not to overstimulate him. We don’t want him going bonkers when we’re trying to study,” she said plainly. “Aaaaw, but cute!” Minuette protested, though she still backed off and sat down. Twilight rolled her eyes. “Yes, cute, and also three. Go easy on him.” Minuette pouted. With that settled, and the rest of the foals getting comfortable in a loose circle, Twilight pulled up the first of her books. “Okay, then, everypony! Study time! I have flashcards, notebooks, quills, and ink on standby if anypony wants to make use of them. Just ask first.” A general muttering of acknowledgment went about the room as the fillies withdrew their books and got to reading. Minuette’s own first book was on strange magical creatures. She looked at the beast that had been illustrated on the cover; a roaring chimera bounding toward an armored stallion with a halberd. “Hm. Nice fangs,” she noted, her eyes lingering on the chimera’s various sharp teeth. As she stared, she couldn’t help but be reminded of Fangs back home, and a small, albeit sad smile graced her lips. She wished she could have gotten him in on these kinds of meetups so much, but all of the ponies around her had crossed the age threshold a long time ago. They would never be able to see him. Her smile began to fade as she recalled how he had once described what it was like in the mirror, how he had no sense of texture beyond glass. How the air didn’t move around him, how there were no smells, no tastes… And how even after all this time, she had never once been able to touch him. “I wish I could hug him,” she thought. “I wish he could explore. I really wish he could leave that stupid mirror…” With that upsetting thought lingering in the back of her mind, Minuette opened her book and began to scour the pages. However much she may have wanted Fangs to be free, there was nothing she could do about him right now. For the moment she had to focus and study for the history project. But as her eyes roved over the lines of text, looking for any mention of the Draconequus, her mind would not leave her strange friend, and her desire to set him free.
Just a Little ResearchNothing, nothing, and a whole lot more nothing. The various books that Minuette had acquired from the library had staggeringly little information about the spirit of chaos in their pages. All she was able to find were things she had already heard from Celestia back in the sculpture gardens, along with a colored illustration that made the creature far more fearsome and vile than the statue had. Artistic license on the part of the illustrator, if she had to take a guess. But that didn’t do anything to help her, and in the end, she was going to end up leaving Twilight’s home with the others just as bereft of ideas on how to approach her project as she had started. It was irritating, especially since, given the cheerful looks on her friends’ faces as they began to pack up their notes and books, they had all made some significant progress with their own work. With a sigh and a huff, Minuette began to drop her own supplies back where they belonged. They would be leaving in just a minute. “Hey, Minuette?” Minuette blinked and turned to face the speaker, finding First Aid approaching her, Moondancer close in tow. Minuette tilted her head at them. “Yeah? What’s up?” she asked, putting on a friendly smile. First Aid glanced briefly at Moondancer, who in turn looked away. The two looked unsure of themselves and what they were doing. Minuette frowned with confusion. She waited patiently, though, until First Aid focused back on her with a concerned look in her eyes. “Minnie, are you okay?” she eventually asked. “You were really quiet after we all got seated and started studying. And you kinda looked… um… upset.” Minuette blinked. “Oh. Crud, was it that obvious?” she asked lightly, hoping to avert her friends’ worries and lift her own spirits at the same time. “A little,” Moondancer replied shyly. “I saw it, too.” Minuette shrugged, stuffing another book into her bags. “I gotcha. Well, don’t worry. I’m okay. Just a little annoyed, that’s all,” she said, flashing her bags an irritated glance. “There wasn’t a whole lot of information on the spirit in those books, so I didn’t make much progress.” “And is that all?” First Aid pressed, leaning forward slightly. Minuette’s ears flicked down for a fraction of a second. She let off a sheepish chuckle. “Eheh… mostly?” First Aid’s muzzle scrunched up in disbelief. Minuette weathered the scrutiny for several seconds, her face starting to twitch under the strain. Eventually, she heaved a heavy sigh and shook her head. “Ugh. Okay, fine, I was thinking about Fangs, too,” she eventually confessed. First Aid’s expression softened slightly. “Ah, right… your mirror friend,” she said slowly. “What about him?” Minuette had to resist the urge to snort. First Aid didn’t think Fangs was real just as much as the rest of these foals. She was just more likely than the rest to humor her and play along whenever she brought him up. Minuette sighed and looked away, her mood dropping somewhat. “Nothing much. Just, you know… Wishing I could hug him. Wishing he wasn’t stuck in my mirror all the time.” First Aid was quiet for a few seconds. After a few seconds though, Minuette felt her hoof on her shoulder and looked over to see her oldest friend smiling warmly back at her. She didn’t say anything, though it seemed like she wanted to. Eventually, First gave her another pat before moving on. Minuette turned back to Moondancer. The filly shied away from her questioning glance and reached up to adjust her glasses with nervous energy. “I, uh… Sorry. I just thought… nevermind-” “Hey, don’t sweat it,” Minuette cut her off, giving Moondancer a heartfelt clap on the back. The motion elicited a startled squeak from her, but Moondancer was undeterred. “I get it, I was kinda being a big party pooper today. How about I make it up to you all some time?” Moondancer tilted her head, equal parts curiosity and confusion shining behind her eyes. “W-what do you mean?” Minuette grinned. “Candy! Or something,” she trailed off, running through a host of options. “Maybe donuts? We all like donuts… But the sugar… And our teeth… ah, screw it. Donuts. Definitely donuts.” Moondancer looked blankly at Minuette for a few seconds, then put on a small smile and nodded. “Okay… That sounds, uh, fun.” Minuette grinned. “It sure does!” she chirped before turning to the rest of the room. Everypony else had already put away all of their remaining books and were now exchanging any final words they had with Twilight. Cadance stood in the doorway, watching them all with a soft smile on her face. She glanced up at the clock on the wall, then nodded. “Okay, kids, time's about up. The parents are going to be home in a few minutes and I need to clean up.” An assortment of noises, ranging from disappointed groans to eager chattering, bubbled up from the assembled foals. Over it all, Twilight’s exclamation of ‘But books!’ rang out over the room, drawing some laughter from the group. Minuette snickered at the display before turning to leave with the others. She waved over her shoulder as she went. “Bye, Twilight! Thanks for having us over!” Twilight, already with her nose buried in another book, waved without looking in response. “Uh-huh. Thanks for coming,” she replied in that deadpan way she did when her attention was already elsewhere. “Typical Twilight,” Twinkle snorted with a shake of her head once they were outside. “Barely even out the door and she’s diving back into her words.” “To her credit,” First Aid pointed out with a small smirk. “She is a lot smarter than the rest of us. Except maybe Moondancer.” “Oh, uh, I dunno…” Moondancer protested, looking anywhere but at First Aid. “I mean, I try to study a lot, but…” “Aah, don’t be so modest,” Twinkle said with a wide grin, completely unfazed by the implication she was dumb. “I mean, you got Lemon Hearts’ head out of that beaker before anypony else did.” “It’s true, it’s true, she did do that,” Minuette chirped cheerfully, ruffling Moondancer’s mane. “Made up an oil and everything!” “Did we have to bring that up?” Lemon asked with a small pout. Minuette turned to her with a sharp nod. “One hundred percent.” Moondancer flushed from all the attention, but nopony missed the tiny, appreciative smile she wore on her face. “Heh… well, thanks. I try.” The friends continued to bicker and banter playfully amongst themselves as they left Twilight’s abode behind, before eventually saying their farewells and going their separate ways to return home. Minuette had a bounce in her step by the time they separated, the chattering with her friends doing much to chase away her prior concerns about Fangs. But once she was out of sight of them, those feelings began to slowly creep back into her mind. She paused about halfway to her house to turn and look at herself in the reflection of a shop’s display window. She allowed her mind to wander and imagined that Fangs was in this reflected surface instead of the mirror back in her room. She imagined him stepping through it, standing tall over her before she jumped against him to wrap him up in a warm hug. She tried to imagine how his hooves would feel giving her a hug in return. They had no fur, and he had described them as hard and chitinous. It was hard to imagine, and it actually sounded a little gross, so she stopped thinking about it. But still, the idea of getting to hold him, of breaking him out of that prison so she could spend time with him anywhere, show him to her friends, have him be friends with them, too… It was so tantalizing… Minuette shook her head and carried on. As much as she wanted it to happen, it wasn’t like there was anything she could do. Idle fantasizing wasn’t going to be of any help to her either, and so she pushed it from her mind for the time being. She focused on other things the rest of the way to her home. The house was quiet when Minuette returned, though she found her parents both in the living room upon her return. They were seated on the couch, reading a couple of novels they had been working through lately. They looked up at the sound of the door opening, and a warm smile spread across Pearly’s face. “Ah, Minnie! Welcome home!” she called, inserting a bookmark and setting the book aside. “Hey mom, hey dad,” Minuette replied, kicking the door shut behind her. “On time?” Sunspot asked skeptically, glancing up at the time. “Impossible. Has the beast been tamed?” Minuette gave him an indignant pout. “Wha- hey! I’ve only been late one time!” she protested with a stomp. “And I will never let you live it down,” Sunspot shot back with a smirk and wink. Minuette blushed and groaned in exasperation, though it quickly devolved into an amused series of giggles. Pearly playfully shoved her husband, then focused on her daughter. “So, how did it go?” she asked conversationally. “Eh,” Minuette replied as she took her saddlebags off. “Not as great as I had been hoping. Not a lot of info on this chaos guy in the books I picked up.” Sunspot blinked, leaning back in his seat. “Wow, really? And you kids checked out your books from the big public library, right?” “Mhmm,” Minuette replied with a nod. “Guess the guy’s kinda elusive. Maybe I just grabbed the wrong books or something…” A moment of silence fell over them. Minuette’s muzzle scrunched up as she thought about what else she could do to try and solve this little mystery. Maybe when she had a chance she could ask Celestia for advice on where to look? Or maybe ask Twilight to ask for her, seeing as she was Celestia’s personal student. Minuette shrugged and then flashed a smile at her parents. “Anyway, I’m heading upstairs. Gonna see if I missed anything in these books,” she announced. She turned for the stairs and set off at a brisk trot, carrying her saddlebags along behind her in her magic. “Alright. We’ll call you down when we make dinner!” Sunspot called after her. “We’re having hayburgers tonight!” “Oh, you guys are AWESOME!” Minuette shouted back. Now with an eager spring in her step, she ascended the stairs and soon pushed her way into her room. Her eyes fell on the mirror, which she had propped up to the window to let Fangs explore a little. She smiled and chucked the bags over onto her bed. “Fangs? I’m home.” No response. It was likely that he was far away from the surface of the mirror right now. Out there and exploring whatever he could. With a roll of her eyes, Minuette trotted up to the mirror and knocked on the back of it a few times. That done, she sat back and waited. It took maybe five minutes, but she soon heard the muffled, tell-tale buzzing of Fangs’ wings as he made his return. Once she heard a set of knocks in response, she grabbed the mirror with her magic and spun it around to face the room. Fangs was there, looking just a little short of breath and flying a few inches off the ground as his world spun and warped around him. Once the mirror was stable, he touched back down. “Hiya!” Minuette said with a small bounce. Fangs smiled at her. “Hello, little one. I take it, judging by your smile, that your day has gone well?” he asked, quickly getting his breath back under control. Minuette shrugged and plonked down onto her haunches. “Meh. Kinda? It wasn’t bad, but I didn’t really learn anything that I didn’t already know about the snakey guy.” Fangs’ brow furrowed, his smile fading. Minuette hesitated, eyeing his reaction closely. He was probably remembering the headache he had experienced last time she had asked him about the spirit, and she winced with sympathy. It had looked pretty uncomfortable. After a moment, Fangs shrugged off whatever was bothering him and put on a warm smile. “But you did spend time with your friends, yes?” he asked slowly. “And with Twilight Sparkle, specifically. It was your intent to blend quality time with your friends with a study session at Twilight’s house because she’s often aloof, was it not?” Minuette blinked. “Oh yeah, I kinda forgot that part,” she internally admitted. She didn’t say anything about it, though. Fangs’ smirk at her blushing face, and the colors that were radiating off of her that only he could see told the tale far more concisely than she ever could. So she simply settled for a nod. “And was it fun?” “Uh-huh!” Minuette replied, quickly shaking off her mild embarrassment. “It was pretty quiet, though. Twilight really takes her studying seriously. The moment our books were open, she was like this angry book chihuahua, barking down any side conversations. Well, until Cadance brought in the cookies. Then she became more like a goldie or something. All friendly and nice and happy to chat.” Fangs chuckled at that before giving Minuette a confused frown. “Cadance? I do not believe I have heard that name before.” Minuette gasped, slapping her hooves onto the floor. She had almost forgotten! “Oh my gosh, Fangs! You know how Twilight has a foalsitter, right?” “I believe you have mentioned this once or twice, yes.” “Well, get this - her foalsitter is a princess! Princess Cadance! The Princess of love is Twilight’s foalsitter! Like, can you even believe that?!” “I am a bug in a mirror,” Fangs deadpanned. “Little one, nothing surprises me anymore.” Minuette blew a raspberry at Fangs, much to his enjoyment. Once she was satisfied that he had learned his lesson, she leaned back and smiled again. “Well, it was a big surprise for me! And everypony else! We were all kinda scared and didn’t really know how to react or behave. And then she promised us cookies, Twilight chased Twinkle upstairs, and it was great!” Fangs blinked at Minuette, then laughed at her antics. “Ha. You never cease to make every waking moment exciting, do you?” he asked, already knowing the answer. “Nope, not one bit!” Minuette replied cheerfully. “What about you? How was the city?” “Truth be told, I wasn’t exploring the city this time,” Fangs replied, turning to look off towards where the window was. “Not when you came knocking, at any rate. I was up in the sky. I was trying to see how high I could get. Maybe see if I could find a physical boundary.” Minuette tilted her head. “A physical boundary?” Fangs nodded. “Yes. I wanted to see if there is a limit to how far the mirror’s reflection can go, or how far away from the mirror I am allowed to travel.” “Oh, that’s interesting,” Minuette mused, rubbing at her chin. “If you found an edge, do you maybe think you could break through it?” “Not a chance,” Fangs replied with a small note of disappointment in his voice. “For even after I climbed in altitude as high as I could before you came knocking, I found no hint of a barrier. I was several miles in the sky, to the point that I am sure I would have started suffocating had it not been this infernal reflection.” Minuette’s smile faded, and a sense of melancholy fell over her. She looked down at the ground and sighed, idly scuffing her hoof along the floor. “Oh… okay.” A few seconds passed while her mind wandered. For a brief second, she had allowed herself to hope that maybe Fangs was onto something, some clever way out of his prison. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized just how half-baked that idea was. For one thing, the mirror was utterly indestructible - the incident with Split and Bristle way back when had proven that - and so it was unrealistic to assume that Fangs could just punch through and out into the real world from anywhere inside it. Plus, for the mirror to recreate whatever was reflected in its surface, no matter how far away it was, and keep it all to scale, implied such a ludicrous amount of power that breaking out from wherever Fangs was at was basically impossible. Sometimes, she hated how much she had learned about magic. It made thinking about Fangs’ situation all the more unbearable… “Little one? What’s wrong?” Fangs suddenly asked, snapping Minuette out of her somber reverie. She looked up at him to see his eyes boring into her with concern. She turned to look away, rubbing at her shoulder with a hoof. “Oh, uh… you saw that, huh?” she asked quietly. “Quite clearly, yes,” Fangs replied, slowly sitting down on his haunches. “It was a blend of sadness, dread, and a lesser form of hopelessness. There was some anger, or perhaps frustration, mixed in as well. What is wrong, Minuette?” Minuette sighed. She knew it was pointless to hide anything from him. Besides, it would probably be better to get this off her chest. She turned to face Fangs and gave him a slow nod. “Well, it’s just that… while we were studying earlier, I was sitting there, hanging out with all of my best friends, having a good time as we ate cookies and studied for the big project…” She looked down, her ears drooping. “All of my best friends… except for you.” “Little one…” “They can’t see you, and none of them believe you even exist,” Minuette went on, allowing some of her long-buried frustration to shine through. “And that’s not fair! It’s stupid and wrong that you have to be stuck in that mirror all the time, and it’s stupid and wrong that I have to keep pretending to my friends that you’re just my imaginary friend! I want them to meet you, I want you to meet them! I want to be able to hang out with ALL of my friends at once, not just- ugh!” Minuette placed a hoof against her forehead and took a series of deep, calming breaths. Getting worked up wasn’t going to solve anything. After a moment she managed to calm down and put on a small, reassuring smile. “Sorry. Just… Got a little carried away there.” “No, no, you’re fine,” Fangs replied with a gentle smile. “And I perfectly understand. I’ve wanted to speak with your friends before… And heavens know that I’ve spoken to your parents numerous times while you’ve been away. Not that they could ever hear me, of course…” Minuette blinked. “You… you have?” she asked in surprise. It really shouldn’t have surprised her, now that she thought about it. It wasn’t like Fangs had a whole lot to do when she was away. Even when the mirror was facing outside, he could only really fly around. Fangs looked at the door behind her. “That I have. Usually to tell them how wonderful a daughter they have raised.” “Aaw,” Minuette cooed, picking up the not-so-subtle compliment. “Thanks, Fangs.” Fangs smiled down at her. “Of course… But as I was saying, I quite understand how you feel. It is quite frustrating to not be able to speak to the ponies around me save for you. I wish I could join you, truly I do…” A heavy silence fell between them. Minuette looked down, racking her brain. She really, really wanted Fangs to join her out in the real world, now. Her muzzle scrunched up as she tried to come up with some way she could do that. “Guh, I just wish I knew more about magic!” Minuette whined, burying her face in her hooves. “But I’m not gonna be a mage! I like teeth! I’m probably gonna be a dentist! But if I was better with magic, maybe I could…” She trailed off as the realization clicked into place, and she suddenly felt very stupid. She looked up to see an expectant look on Fangs’ face. “Judging by your aura, I am assuming you have had an epiphany?” he asked with an almost detached interest. As if this were part of some routine. Had the other ponies he had stayed with before tried to release him as well? Well, none of them were the little beast! Minuette nodded and perked up, a surge of determination rising up within her breast. “Uh-huh! I don’t know as much about magic as I probably should, but I know somepony who knows a LOT! Two ponies, actually.” Fangs raised an eyebrow. “Go on…” Minuette stood up and began to pace around the room, her mind working at a million miles a minute. “Twilight and Moondancer! Those two are the smartest ponies I know! Well, aside from Celestia, but I doubt I could get her help with this. She’s a busy princess! But Twilight and Moondancer are foals just like me! If I could convince them to help me study the mirror, then maybe we could find a way to open it up and let you out!” Fangs watched Minuette pacing around the room. He smiled softly at her. She might have been imagining it, but was that a hint of sadness in his eyes? He spoke before she could ponder it. “And you’re sure they would help with this? You said it yourself, neither of them believe that I am real. Are you certain they would go so far out of their way for what is, to them, a fiction?” That gave Minuette pause. “Ah, crud, I didn’t think of that,” she muttered, rubbing at her chin. “Well, if it is your intent to enlist their aid, you’ll need to find a way to convince them, first.” “Yeah yeah, I got that,” Minuette said, waving him off with a hoof. “Gimme a sec, I’m trying to think…” She ran over what she knew about the two teenagers, her pacing slowing down somewhat. Both of them were quite reserved, though for different reasons. Moondancer was a friendly sort, she was just shy and had a lot of social anxiety. Twilight was less friendly and more of a natural loner. She went along with it whenever the group dragged her away from her books, and Minuette knew that Twilight cared about them, but it could be hard to pull her into social interactions sometimes. Both of them were very smart, especially for their age. The two were often trying to one-up each other academically, driving the other to new heights. So if she wanted their joint help, she would need to present it to them not as her desperately trying to set Fangs free, but instead as a means of improving their already impressive minds. A chance to learn and study something new and interesting. But even then, it might not be enough. The foals were busy with school, and Twilight and Moondancer both loved their extra credit projects. If she was going to get their help, she would need to entice them with more than just a brain puzzle. It had to have significance to them, somehow. Some sort of benefit for their involvement besides ‘making Minnie happy.’ Which, to be fair, should have been reason enough, but Minuette didn’t write the rules. After a few seconds, an idea came to her, and she smiled. It was all she could think of, and it seemed pretty solid in her head. She spun back around to face Fangs, her grin growing. “I think I got it!” she declared, thrusting a hoof into the air.
Study ProposalMinuette’s cheeks were starting to hurt. She had been wearing a gigantic grin from ear to ear for the last five minutes, her eyes glued firmly onto the book that was obscuring Twilight’s face from view. Moondancer sat off to her side, an uneasy look on her face. First Aid was at the table as well, watching Minuette with a strange hybrid of detached interest, cosmic fear, and fascinated excitement. They were seated around a table in the cafeteria at school. It was a bright day outside, allowing for warm shafts of sunlight to stream in through the windows. The warmth elevated the spirits of the smattering of ponies that occupied the spacious hall, and their riotous, jovial chatter and bantering was the only significant sound to be heard. Minuette, however, remained focused. She didn’t even budge when a couple of foals accidentally bumped into her chair as they passed. She merely gave a nod when she heard their uttered apology, but did not tear her eyes away from her target for a moment. Eventually, Moondancer quietly cleared her throat. “Um, what are you- mmf?” “Shh,” First Aid pressed a hoof to her mouth to silence her, watching the scene unfold with a curious look in her eyes. “I wanna see where this trainwreck goes.” “Gee, thanks,” Minuette had to resist the urge to roll her eyes at her friend’s playful jab. Twilight, at that exchange, finally decided to lower the book her face had been buried in since Minuette came in. The moment she did, she got a faceful of Minuette grinning at her like a comically exaggerated psychopath and reacted appropriately. She let out a yelp of alarm, flailing back from Minuette while her book went sailing into the air over her head. Minuette burst out laughing as Twilight toppled back and crashed to the floor in her chair. Moondancer gave a startled ‘eep!’ of surprise, while First Aid dutifully reached out with her magic to catch Twilight’s flying book before it had a chance to land and get damaged. A few ponies at nearby tables paused what they were doing to look over and assess the situation. Once they determined that it was just the beast doing her work, they went back to their business with nary more than an amused shrug or roll of the eyes. Minuette’s chuckling began to die down when a very peeved Twilight Sparkle slowly got back to her hooves. The princess’s student had her cheeks puffed up, her lips screwed up into a deeply indignant pout. A red blush had come over her features, and her eyes were narrowed with as much murderous intent as her tiny face could muster. Which, as it so happens, was quite a lot, given the thrill of danger Minuette felt. Twilight did not say a word. She merely took her book back in her magic and stalked around the table. Minuette shrank back down into her seat, waiting for her inevitable and absolutely justified punishment. Although, some of the intimidation factor was notably diminished once Twilight reached Minuette’s side. Seeing as Minuette was still sitting up in her chair, she was actually quite a bit higher than Twilight. Twilight glared angrily up at her for a few, long seconds, her eyes burning with vengeance. And then, with a grunt, she lifted her book up and brought it down on Minuette’s head. Bonk. Minuette’s eyes rolled around in her skull after the hit, and she could imagine there were little hourglasses flying in circles around her head. She could hear her friends laughing at the display, though, and so decided that, in the end, any ugly head lumps would be worth it. Twilight set her chair back up and plonked herself down in it with an exasperated sigh. “Now, then. Minuette,” she began, her voice jarringly casual. “Is there something you wanted to say to me? Because I get the distinct and throbbing impression on the back of my head that you were trying to get my attention.” Minuette shook her head to dismiss the proverbial hourglasses. She grinned at Twilight, though not as creepily this time, and nodded. “Uh-huh! I was wondering if you and Moondancer would be willing to help me out with a little extra credit project I’ve been thinking about working on.” Moondancer’s eyes lit up the moment she heard the words ‘extra’ and ‘credit.’ She leaned forward, setting her hooves on the table. “Really? What kind of extra credit project?” Minuette glanced at Twilight again before answering, measuring her response. Twilight was definitely listening, though the eagerness in her expression was noticeably less when compared to that of Moondancer. Probably lingering irritation from the head lump she was getting, too, or something. Minuette mentally shrugged and answered Moondancer’s question. “Well, after the total dud of luck I had when trying to research that chaos spirit guy, I kinda realized that there’s a lot of stuff I don’t know that I probably should. Mostly about magic.” “It’s not really your specialty, is it?” First Aid noted with a thoughtful hum. “No offense or anything.” “None taken!” Minuette chirped. “I like chompers! Gimme a skull full of teeth and I can geek over that for way too long.” “Gross,” Moondancer quipped. Twilight chose this moment to cut in, her brow furrowing impatiently. “Okay girls, can we stay on track here?” she asked, sounding notably more invested in the conversation now. “Minuette, what about magic specifically were you planning to study? I could probably give you a five-minute lecture on most subjects right now.” Minuette’s grin became more genuine. So far, so good. “Well, as it is, I was kinda thinking of looking into stuff like enchantments and wards and seals. Ya know, long-term spells that you slap on something to make it do cool stuff.” Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Huh. Wow. I wasn’t expecting that.” Minuette tilted her head. “Huh? How come?” “Because enchantments, wards, and seals are extremely complicated?” Twilight said as if it were obvious. “Even I can only put together a very basic ‘soft-lock’ enchantment on my bedroom door so ponies can’t bug me when I’m studying.” Moondancer looked at Twilight with fascination. “Soft lock?” “It simulates locking the door by making the handle harder to turn,” Twilight replied with a sage nod. “But it isn’t perfect. Enough force, or even just stronger magic, could blow through that enchantment with ease. I’m still working out the kinks, but it’s very math-heavy.” Minuette clapped her hooves together in front of her. “Then this is perfect! I need the extra credit in case I blow this history test thing, and you need to improve your knowledge of enchantments and wards and junk so you can go be a bookworm all day!” Twilight frowned, despite the knowing grins of the others. “Wha- hey! You say that like there’s something wrong with me studying!” she protested, looking around in irritation. First Aid giggled. “Well, there’s nothing wrong with studying,” she said, lifting a hoof to her muzzle. “But, well, you know. Too much of a good thing…” “Lies and slander,” Twilight snipped, puffing up her cheeks again. She held her book close to her chest as if she wanted to hug it. If Minuette didn’t know any better, she would have said that Twilight actively considered it, before thinking better of it. Moondancer smiled sympathetically at Twilight before turning to Minuette. “Well, I’d be happy to help you, Minuette. I’ve been meaning to brush up on enchantments, too,” she said. Minuette beamed. “Great! One down, one to go!” she thought before focusing on Twilight. “Heh. Teasing aside, what about you? Wanna help out?” she asked, being sure to add an enticing note to her voice. Twilight shook herself out of her mildly embarrassed state and observed Minuette for a few seconds. She then shook her head. “Sorry, but I think I’ll pass. My plate’s a bit full at the moment, and I need to focus on that.” “You sure?” Minuette asked, leaning across the table. “Because I have an enchanted item we can use~” Moondancer perked up immediately. “What?! You do?! What is it?!” she asked, sitting bolt upright. Minuette kept her eyes locked firmly on Twilight. She could see the war raging behind the other unicorn’s eyes at the reveal of this information. She was listening, clearly, waiting for Minuette to answer Moondancer’s question. After a second, Minuette turned to smirk at Moondancer. This would be an underhanded trick, sure, but hey, if Twinkle Shine could manipulate ponies a little bit, why couldn’t she? “Aaaw, sorry. No telling. That’d ruin the surprise! But it is quite magical, I can tell you that.” Moondancer pouted, and Twilight looked absolutely scandalized. And like that, Minuette knew she had her on the hook. Just had to reel her in a little more, and- “Okay, fine,” Twilight finally said, deciding to just cut to the chase and jump into the fishing boat herself and spare Minnie the trouble. “I’ll come and see what your enchanted item is, and if it’s at all special, then sure, I guess I can sit down and help you study it. Just don’t expect me to stick with this if it’s really basic, okay?” “That’s fine,” Minuette said, leaning back in her seat. “You got a lotta crud on your plate.” With a grunt, Twilight returned to her book. Minuette had to resist the urge to squeal and bounce in her seat. Her plan had gone off without a hitch! Well, the first part had, at least. She had two of the smartest fillies she knew volunteering to help her study Fangs’ mirror! There was still the chance that they’d catch on to the fact she was trying to prove Fangs was real, but to be fair, she wasn’t lying about the mirror being enchanted. It was indestructible, after all. If they began doubting her, all she had to do was punch the glass a bunch, or chuck a hammer at it with her magic. She’d rather not, of course, as Fangs would probably not appreciate the loud noise, but Minuette knew he could take it. “Last resort,” she promised herself. Although, there was still one more pony at the table who could lend their aid. Minuette turned to First Aid, eager for a chance to expand her ranks. “What about you, First? Wanna help?” And then she saw the look on First Aid’s face, and Minuette’s smile fell away. First Aid was looking at her with an almost tired, fearful look on her face. There was doubt in her eyes, and worry. After a few seconds, she realized she had been asked a question. She hid her fear behind a small smile and shook her head. “Uh, s-sorry, Minnie. I can’t. I already have a big project for the next week or so. I’m going to be out of town next week. Field trip for medicine class. We’re going to the big hospital in Manehattan to learn more about the tech used in big-city hospitals. And then I’m probably gonna have to write an essay about it or something when we get back. My teacher loves his paperwork.” “Oh, that actually sounds really interesting, too,” Moondancer piped up, leaning over somewhat. “You’ll have to tell us all about it when you get back.” Before First Aid could answer, the all-too-soon ringing of the bell echoed throughout the lunch hall, announcing the imminent resumption of class. The cafeteria exploded into a flurry of movement as the student body began to make its way out. Twilight’s book snapped shut with a glow. “Welp, that’s our cue to move on,” she said as she got out of her seat. “Yeah, it is,” Moondancer sighed. She gave Minuette a smile. “So, Saturday we come over and see this mystery enchanted item of yours?” “Uh, yeah, sounds good,” Minuette replied, her voice lower than before. Her gaze had not left First Aid’s. If Moondancer or Twilight noticed the drop in both of their moods, neither of them said anything. Minuette’s ear flicked when she heard them utter their usual farewells before trotting off, leaving her and First Aid alone at the table. The silence that hung between them once they were alone was almost suffocating. The tension in First Aid’s face made Minuette increasingly uneasy. Finally, though, First Aid broke the silence. She leaned across the table, her gaze boring intensely into Minuette’s. “Minnie… please tell me you’re not doing what I think you’re doing.” Minuette leaned back, her ears falling flat against her head. “Uhm… what do you think I’m doing?” she asked after a second. First Aid frowned. “Minnie, come on, I’m not an idiot. I know you. And I remember what happened the last time you brought ponies over to your house to see your mirror…” Minuette visibly winced at that, her mind wandering back to that grim day. She heard Bristle’s enraged shouting, and her chest involuntarily clenched at the memory. She swallowed heavily and hardened her expression. “First, come on, Twilight and Moondancer are nothing like that stupid jerk,” she said emphatically. First Aid’s frown deepened. “Minnie, please, don’t call him that…” Minuette blinked a small spark of anger rising in her chest. “Why not?! It’s true! He tried to break my mirror, yelled at me, and you!” First Aid took a few deep breaths, rubbing a hoof at her temple. “Look, what he did was wrong, and I haven’t forgiven him for it… And I just don’t want it to happen again.” “It won’t,” Minuette insisted. “Because I’m not trying to prove Fangs is real.” First Aid blinked. “You’re… you’re not?” she asked, bewildered. Minuette shook her head. “Nope. I mean, if this goes the way I plan, then it’ll end with Fangs getting to come out, but hey, that’s not the current goal. I’m genuinely trying to figure out how seals and enchantments work. Once I have that down, I can let him out myself.” First Aid stared at Minuette for a few long seconds. She then slumped back in her chair, letting off an exasperated laugh. She buried her face in her hooves, hiding her face. “O-ho-oh my gosh!” she finally blubbered out between snickers. “You really do believe in him, don’t you?” Minuette nodded, a solemn smile coming over her face. “Yup, I sure do. He’s one of my best friends… and I really hope you’ll meet him, someday.” First Aid chuckled, sliding out of her chair. “Well… I wish I could meet him someday, too,” she said quietly. Minuette could not miss the emphasis First put on the word ‘wish.’ With that, First Aid turned and began to walk away, heading for her next class. Minuette watched her go, her expression hardening with resolve. “You will meet him, someday. I promise,” she thought. The bell rang again, declaring that she was now, officially, late for class. The color drained from Minuette’s face. She quickly threw on her saddlebags and sprinted out of the cafeteria. “Just as soon as I get to class! Oh crud, oh no! WAIT FOR MEEE!!!” Author's Note
Indestructible“And you are quite positive that this is a good idea?” “Yup! Nothing could possibly go wrong!” Fangs frowned at Minuette as she made that proclamation, then sighed heavily with exasperation. “Minuette, have you the slightest idea how much you just jinxed yourself?” Minuette smirked playfully. “Aw, c’mon Fangs! It’s not like we’re in one of those silly storybooks or anything. This is real life!” she declared, slapping the floor as if for emphasis. Fangs raised an eyebrow at Minuette at that but chose not to say anything. The two were in Minuette’s room, as per usual. It was Saturday and the time for Twilight and Moondancer to show up and see her ‘enchanted item’ was drawing close. Minuette had spent the last hour or so going over the plan with Fangs and getting what few things she believed she would need. She looked over at the window, trying to gauge the time. It wouldn’t be much longer. Only a few more minutes and her friends would come knocking. Then they could get a proper start on studying the mirror and finding a way to break Fangs out of it. “...But seriously,” Fangs suddenly spoke up, his voice concerned. “Are you sure about this, Minuette?” She frowned. How many times was he going to ask her that question? She turned back to him and tilted her head. “Why do you keep asking me that? The answer is still yes, I think this is a good idea. If I wanna break you out of the mirror, I gotta know how it works, and I am not gonna be able to figure that out without my friends.” Fangs looked down, his ears drooping. He shuffled uneasily on his haunches before speaking again. “I am aware. And I appreciate the effort, little one. Truly. But I cannot help but remember what happened the last time you had your friends involved with the mirror… And I will not be so careless now as I was then.” Minuette sighed heavily. It was now her turn to be exasperated. “Ugh, you too? Fangs, come on, Twilight and Moondancer are not Bristle! I already had to go over this with First Aid! It’s all going to be fine,” she explained, rubbing at the side of her head. Fangs was quiet for several seconds. “...Forgive me. I am just trying to look after you,” he finally said, lifting his head and putting on a small smile. “I trust your judgment. And even if I did not, it would not be within my power to stop you.” “Darn straight, and that’s what we’re trying to fix,” Minuette chirped. “What, do you want me to stop you?” Fangs asked with an amused snort and a quirk of the brow. “Hey, I know I can be dumb sometimes,” Minuette shot back without missing a beat. “Well, the first step to fixing a problem is to admit you have one…” Minuette blinked. “Wha- HEY! That’s not what you’re supposed to say!” she protested indignantly. “That’s the part where you’re supposed to be all like, uh, ‘you’re not dumb, you’re super smart,’ or something!” Fangs chuckled at that, and Minuette’s indignation didn’t last long. The two shared a good-natured laugh for a few seconds, allowing some of the tension from a little bit ago to dissipate. Fangs’ eyes then settled on something at Minuette’s side, and his brow furrowed with a brand new form of concern. “And… what is the purpose of that?” Minuette looked down, then lifted the ball-peen hammer in her magic with a wide grin. “Oh, this? It’s the last resort!” she stated matter-of-factly. Fangs blinked in confusion. “The… what?” Minuette giggled and mimed hitting something with the hammer. “Well, if Twi and Moondancer don’t believe the mirror is enchanted on the grounds that they can’t see you, I’ma slap it with this hammer and show them that it’s indestructible! Then they’ll have to believe it’s enchanted, and they’ll have to help me figure it out.” “Or they will believe you are crazy,” Fangs muttered under his breath. “Oh, I am crazy,” Minuette replied, rolling her eyes. Fangs chortled before refocusing on the hammer. There was still a hint of confusion in his eyes. “Where did you even get that?” he asked dubiously. “I stole it from my dad’s junk drawer.” “You stole it?” “I’m gonna give it back!” Fangs did not seem convinced. Minuette’s cheeks puffed up even more, and she used her magic to hold up the box of donuts that had been sitting on her other side. “Besides! I brought donuts for my friends! That balances out any bad karma, doesn’t it?!” Fangs continued to eye her with all of the skepticism of an adult being told the sky was falling. Eventually, his lip twitched up slightly. “Very well. I shall forgive your transgression this time.” “Good!” Minuette nodded before scarfing down one of the donuts. Fangs’ smirk grew yet again. “Didn’t you just say-” “Some of ‘em are for me!” Minuette cut him off with a pout. “Shut!” A gentle knock on the door cut them off before the two could speak any further. Minuette turned around as the door opened to see Pearly poking her face into the room with a gentle smile. “Minnie, your friends are here.” Minuette clapped her hooves over her chest in delight. It was about time! “Finally!” she cheered before jumping to her hooves. She flashed Fangs a wide smile before bolting for the door. She sped past her mother without giving her a chance to say anything and slid to a stop at the top of the stairs. She spotted Moondancer and Twilight by the front door, talking to Sunspot with friendly looks on their faces. Minuette took a second to compose herself. “Okay, Minnie. Operation: Free Fangs is a go!” she thought. She set off down the stairs at a brisk canter, grinning widely. “Twi! Moony! Hey!” Moondancer jumped from the volume of Minuette’s greeting and ducked behind Twilight. Twilight gave her a flat look, then shook her head and turned to Minuette. “Good afternoon, Minuette.” Moondancer poked her head out a second later. “You startled me.” Minuette giggled as she came to a stop. “Sorry ‘bout that. It’s good to see you guys!” Twilight put on a small smile of her own. “You, too. Now, what’s this enchanted item of yours? I’m curious to see what you have.” Minuette nodded sharply before turning to point up the stairs. “It’s up in my room. C’mon!” Moondancer and Twilight nodded at one another before they both started up the stairs. Minuette stepped out of their way, doing her best to keep from jumping in place. She was about to follow them up when she felt her father’s hoof gingerly touching her back. Confused, she paused and looked back at him to see a concerned look on his face. “Enchanted item?” he asked in a low whisper, his brow furrowing. “What enchanted item?” “The mirror,” Minuette replied without missing a beat. “Duh.” Sunspot went quiet, his expression shifting considerably to something far more thoughtful. He looked down at her for a good long while, and she was starting to feel uncomfortable. After a time, he shook his head and smiled. “Alright… if you say so,” he said simply before releasing her. “Sorry for keeping you.” Minuette watched him as he turned and wandered off into the rest of the house. Pearly followed shortly after him, giving Minuette a friendly smile and encouraging nod, seemingly oblivious to what had just transpired. Once she was alone, Minuette allowed her confusion to show readily on her face. What had that been about? She frowned as she went up the stairs. She had been expecting her father to maybe ask about her ‘imaginary friend, or even probe her about whether or not it was wise to have her friends interacting with it after what happened with Bristle. But he hadn’t said anything even remotely like that. Alas, Minuette could find no answers on the short ascent to her room, and so she chased the thoughts out of her mind with a quick shake of her head. She had more important things to worry about right now. She shut the door behind her and spotted Moondancer and Twilight sitting in the middle of the room, looking around searchingly. “So what is it?” Twilight pressed impatiently, glancing back at Minuette. “It had better be pretty impressive if you want me to stay on board this little project of yours.” Minuette rolled her eyes. “You’re all heart, Twi.” “I’m busy is what I am,” Twilight shot back. Minuette giggled before prancing across the room to take a position in front of the mirror. She glanced back at it to see Fangs sitting there, watching the scene unfold with obvious trepidation. She met his gaze meaningfully and subtly nodded toward her friends. A moment passed before he seemingly caught her meaning and nodded. “They are curious more than anything. Moondancer appears anxious, though I assume that’s just her introverted nature at play,” he explained with a simple nod. Minuette gave a sharp nod, then turned back to her friends, who were watching her patiently and intently. She cleared her throat, coughed into her hoof, and steeled herself. “Here we go!” With a needlessly fanciful flourish, she spun in place and gestured at the mirror as if she were displaying some fancy new designer wagon, or a pristine new painting, or some other ridiculously glamorous piece of junk that warranted all the dramatic poses in the world. “My enchanted item is none other than my indestructible mirror, of course!” she declared with a big grin. The reactions from Minuette’s friends were like night and day. A deadpan frown came over Twilight’s face, the look of a mare who had just pieced together how a truly boring magic trick worked, while Moondancer’s eye lit up with curiosity. The latter leaned forward, pushing her glasses up her muzzle slightly. “Indestructible?” Moondancer chirped and nodded. “Mhmm! This sucker’s old, for one thing. Centuries-old, as far as anypony I’ve met can tell, and it’s withstood the test of time,” she said, knocking on the glass for emphasis. “Many, many centuries,” Fangs breathed under his breath. Minuette ignored him. “Not to mention that I haven’t exactly been gentle with it. There was also this time that a big dumb stupid head bully decided to throw it to the ground in a fit of big dumb stupid rage. Any other mirror woulda shattered, or the frame woulda been bent or something. But not my mirror. Not a scratch on it!” Moondancer stood up and walked closer, her eyes lighting up even more. “Oh, wow. That must be a pretty impressive enchantment. Do you have any idea where the magic came from?” Minuette shook her head. “Nope.” “Though finding out would be a big help.” Before the two could enthuse about the artifact in the room, Twilight let off a long, heavy sigh. Moondancer and Minuette both went quiet and turned to look at the other unicorn as she stood up. “I see what you’re doing,” Twilight stated matter-of-factly. “And no, I am not playing along.” Minuette’s ears drooped. She shot a look over at Fangs, and his brow had furrowed with growing concern. He met her gaze. “She’s getting impatient. She feels insulted and annoyed. Be careful, little one.” “Huh?” Moondancer asked, tilting her head at Twilight in confusion. “What are you talking about?” Twilight pointed at the mirror. “I dunno how much attention you pay to Minnie’s ramblings, but according to her, this mirror is where ‘Fangs’ lives. Her imaginary friend,” she spelled out with disinterest. She set her hoof down and snorted. Her eyes settled on Minuette. “This is just a ruse to try and make us think he’s real, isn’t it?” Minuette leaned back, giving a deliberately exaggerated gasp of shock. “Twilight! I would never!” she protested. “And yet here we are,” Twilight replied before shaking her head. “Look, Minuette, if you want my help on an extra credit project, fine, I can help you study enchantments. But please don’t waste my time by dragging me all the way to your house when I am supposed to be studying for my next big test when there’s nothing here for me. That mirror,” she pointed at it again. “Is just a mirror. I don’t see anything special about it.” Minuette had to resist the urge to growl under her breath, and she was not able to keep herself from gritting her teeth. As much as she understood Twilight’s perspective, it was still very upsetting to hear her dismiss the home of one of her best friends to her face. Fangs being right there, on the receiving end of those words, was making it even worse. “Twilight,” she began after a second to calm down. “I said my mirror is indestructible. It doesn’t break. It can’t break. If that isn’t because of magic, then I dunno what is.” Twilight was quiet for a second. “...Alright. Fine. I’ll bite. You say it’s indestructible?” she asked after a second, standing up straight. “Prove it.” Minuette nodded, then turned to look at Fangs. She gave him an apologetic smile, hoping that he could understand her meaning without her having to say them. Judging by the look of dread in his eyes, he knew, and he simply nodded that he was ready. With that, Minuette turned back to Twilight. “With pleasure, sparkle-butt!” “Don’t call me that.” Minuette did not reply. She simply lifted the hammer in her magic in front of Twilight and Moondancer. Both sets of eyes locked onto the object, and the color visibly drained from Moondancer’s face. “Um… Minnie?” “Here is my proof!” Minuette declared before turning and sending the hammer at the mirror as hard and as fast as she could. Crack. The sound was almost deafening as the hammer met the glass. It was the kind of sound one would expect from cracking glass, and the antique frame holding the glass in place rang like the city bell tolling the lunch hour from the force of the blow. But, just as expected, there wasn’t even a scratch left on the surface of the mirror. Fangs was cringing, though, his ears folding back against his head. “Sorry,” Minuette whispered. She then struck the mirror another four times for emphasis, each blow carrying just as much force as the last. With that, Minuette turned back to Twilight and Moondancer and gave each of them a wide grin. They were looking on in surprise, their eyes wide. Twilight, in particular, looked taken aback, her jaw hanging open. “But… no way,” she mumbled after a few seconds. Minuette grinned, an idea coming to her, and floated the hammer over to the unbelieving unicorn. “Go ahead. You try and break it.” Twilight blinked and leaned away from the hammer a little bit, almost like she was afraid it would bite her or something. Or maybe she was afraid Minuette would suddenly start beating her with it. Moondancer leaned in from one side. “Where did you get that?” “I’m borrowing it from my dad,” Minuette replied, shooting a meaningful glance in Fangs’ direction. To her combined surprise and amusement, his ears had completely vanished from his head, and he had his hooves pressed up to his temples. He cracked open one eye to look pleadingly at her. “Is it over?” Minuette felt a tug on the hammer as Twilight took it up in her magic. She gave Fangs a sheepish grin, which in turn only made him whimper and close his eyes again. Twilight approached the mirror, eyeing the hammer in her magic carefully. She glanced back at Minuette. “So… what? Do I just hit it as hard as I can?” she asked slowly. Minuette rolled her eyes. “Well, duh. Just pretend Twinkle’s making fun of your books again or something.” Twilight nodded slowly, turned back to the mirror, and proceeded to lay into it. Minuette actually leaned back slightly from the sheer ferocity of the following seven strikes against the surface of the mirror. “Merciful Celestia, is that what I looked like from the outside?!” she asked in surprise. “Holy heck, no wonder Twi was looking at me like that.” Twilight backed off a few seconds later, breathing just a little heavier and eyeing the mirror with newfound fascination. She set the hammer down and backed up a few more paces before looking at Minuette. “Okay. Your mirror is definitely durable, I will give you that,” she admitted. “Yeah, it’s definitely got at least some kind of durability enchantment on it,” Moondancer noted, adjusting her glasses yet again as she leaned in. “You two didn’t even leave a scratch on it!” Minuette grinned almost mockingly at Twilight. “And you thought I was trying to share my imaginary friend,” she jeered. Twilight rolled her eyes and playfully shoved Minuette back. “Yeah yeah, eating my own words,” she relented. The group shared an amused series of laughs before focusing back on the mirror again. Minuette eyed it for a few seconds, feeling quite satisfied with herself. She had done it. Twilight and Moondancer’s eyes were alight with curiosity and no small amount of interest. The fish she had hooked yesterday were now well and truly on display in her aquarium! “And I am just now realizing how weird that metaphor is in this context,” she thought after a second. She shrugged. “Meh. Whatever.” “So, we gonna study this thing and figure out what makes it tick?” she asked, unable to hide her own intense excitement at the prospect. Twilight nodded eagerly as well. “Well, now that I know it’s this durable, of course!” “Great! What’s step one?” Minuette asked. “If it involves any more hammers,” Fangs moaned from the mirror. “Then I vote we abstain! My poor ears...” Twilight, oblivious to the bug's turmoil, turned and smiled almost manically at Minuette. “Step one: Books!” Minuette frowned. Somehow, she should have seen that coming, and yet she had failed to do so. What in the world was wrong with her? “Books?” she parroted obliviously. Twilight began to walk in place, clearly excited herself. It was the most energy Minuette had ever seen her display before, actually. “Yes! I have some books back home that talk about enchantment magic. We can reference those to help us figure out what we’re dealing with here. We’re also going to want to have some notebooks handy for taking notes. Enchantments can be very complicated, so we’re gonna wanna keep track of every. Little. Thing!” “She’s not wrong,” Moondancer added, leaning in from the side. Minuette thought this over for a second. It made sense, she supposed. She hadn’t really been thinking about all of this in a more academic light until now. While it was true that she wanted to understand how the enchantment on the mirror worked so she could bust Fangs out of it, it was largely driven by emotion rather than scholarly interest. But, if she was going to make any headway, she was going to have to approach it as if she were a scientist. And so, she gave a sharp nod and a big smile. “Alright, then. But those can wait till next time. For now, what can we do with the time we still have? Cause you two just got here.” Moondancer piped up, raising a hoof into the air. “Oh, I have a few ideas,” she said, smiling widely even as her glasses fell just a little crooked. Minuette listened with rapt attention as Moondancer and Twilight began to feverishly share what they knew, mostly a series of potential tests they could perform to start poking at the outermost layers of the enchantment. The discussion dragged on for minutes, and then even hours, and most of it was flying right over Minuette’s head. But it was a start. A start. Minuette allowed her eyes to dart over to Fangs. He had recovered from his earlier daze and was looking on with a weird look on his face. As he turned to look at her, he smiled, and she realized what it was. Gratitude. Whether or not he believed that they would succeed, he was nonetheless grateful for all of the effort she was putting in to try and help him. Minuette smiled and nodded. “Don’t worry, Fangs. Someway, somehow, I will get you out of there,” she thought confidently. “I promise. I won’t give up until you’re free. This is just the beginning.” With her resolve to set Fangs free as feeling as indestructible as the mirror itself, Minuette returned her attention to the friends that would help her. If they were going to pull this off, then they had a lot of work to do.
Finally, Some Progress!The cafeteria was as noisy as ever. Minuette’s tired eyes glazed over the mass of ponies as they cheerfully gobbled down their lunches. She watched as Twinkle Shine went running away from another table giggling like the little sadist she was, with a colt chasing after her, blushing furiously and shouting something that was probably very inappropriate. She had to fight back the urge to yawn, her eyes lowering to look down at the table she was seated at. “I’m pooped.” The last few days had been more draining than she had been expecting. Almost every day after school, Moondancer and Twilight would head home with her for at least a few hours, and they would spend the bulk of that time studying up on enchantments, the theory behind them, the mechanics of basic enchantment magic, and everything even tangentially related. Somehow that wound up involving snails. Minuette didn’t know how, and she was not keen on finding out. “At least Twilight is thorough…” In spite of all of their work on getting her up to speed on the principles of enchantment magic, though, there had been almost no progress made on actually deciphering what was going on with Fangs’ mirror. Twilight insisted that they know all they could before they set about touching it. She had good reasons for it. Trying to tamper with enchantments without knowing the core foundations of the field was like trying to operate one of those fancy new industrial construction cranes without taking the necessary training course first. You were probably not going to do anything. And if you did, it would break something, and none of them were keen on breaking the mirror. Understandable, but no less frustrating. And that frustration had led to a few sleepless nights... “Minnie? You okay?” Minuette looked up with a groggy ‘huh’ at Moondancer sitting across from her. The other filly adjusted her glasses with a worried frown. “You’re looking really out of it today. You okay?” Minuette idly waved her hoof in dismissal. “Meh. My brain’s just playing catch up. Give it a minute.” “I’ve given it ten.” “Shaddap.” Moondancer quirked a brow, looking mildly offended by that remark, but did not choose to pursue it. Instead, she turned and looked anxiously off into the crowd, an impatient look in her eyes. “Where is she…?” Minuette let her face flump down onto the table. “Who?” she asked, her voice muffled by the cold, flat surface. Moondancer sighed heavily and turned back to her. “Twilight, of course. She was supposed to be here a while ago.” Minuette’s ears perked up. She sat up and shook her head, forcing the grogginess to leave her alone for a minute. “Huh? She was?” “Mhmm,” Moondancer confirmed, looking the other way. “She said she felt we were almost ready to start actually studying the mirror itself, and that we’d talk about it during lunch.” That got Minuette’s attention. She leaned forward, her drowsiness at least partially forgotten. “Wait, really?!” she asked, unable to keep the excitement out of her voice. Finally, a chance to actually make some progress! Something hard and rigid lightly thumped into the back of Minuette’s head, earning a wince from her. She turned around with an irritated glare to see Twilight standing there with a smug smirk. “Yes, really.” “Heeey, why’d you hit me?!” Minuette complained, throwing her forelegs into the air. Bonk. Minuette’s eyes spun lazily in her head at another application of book to forehead. Twilight rolled her eyes and slinked past her to settle down in one of the empty seats. “Because you were being loud.” “Was… not…” Minuette moaned as the last of her daze began to fade away. Moondancer couldn’t help but snicker at the display before putting on her serious face and focusing on Twilight. “You’re late.” “No, I’m not,” Twilight replied with a snort. “I came here exactly as soon as Princess Celestia dismissed me - and it's still lunchtime!" Moondancer’s brow raised in surprise. “The princess?” Twilight grinned eagerly before holding up the book she had used to abuse Minuette’s noggin again. ‘Amulets and Artifacts: A Comprehensive Guide on Advanced Enchantment Analysis’ was printed across the front cover in bold silver letters. Moondancer’s eyes flew wide open, and she rose from her seat with a gasp of shock. “Amulets and Artifacts?! The one written by Sage Fourleaf?!” Twilight held her head high with a satisfied smirk. “A first edition copy, no less. It’s even signed by Fourleaf himself.” Moondancer looked about ready to explode with excitement as she darted from her seat to obsessively ogle the newly presented tome. “Sweet Celestia, where in Equestria did you GET this?!” she demanded. Minuette watched as Twilight lifted the book up and away from Moondancer, as if she were playing with a cat or teasing a dog with treats. She tilted her head in confusion. “Uh… what’s the big deal?” she asked. Both Twilight and Moondancer looked at her as if she had just committed a war crime. Minuette shrank back from them. “Uh…” Twilight’s eye twitched. “What’s the big deal?” she asked, her voice a low, scraping growl of scholarly nerd rage. She leaped up onto the table and shoved her nose right in Moondancer’s face, their eyes less than an inch from each other. “THE BIG DEAL?! Minuette, you uneducated little-! This is the best book on enchantment magic ever written! It was penned by the grandson of Clover the Clever, Sage Fourleaf, the foremost authority on enchantments of the post-classical era! This is an original copy! The hooves of one of the greatest enchanters of all time once held this very tome!” Moondancer leaned into view from somewhere behind Twilight, lifting a hoof. “That last part isn’t quite as important!” “YES IT IS!” Twilight shrieked like a banshee. Minuette looked up at Twilight for a few seconds, her brain trying, and failing, to play catch-up. She then put on a weak smile, leaned back, and poked Twilight on the tip of the nose. “You’re being loud.” Twilight glared down at Minuette for a few more seconds before heaving a deep sigh and jumping down from the table. “Okay, fine, touché. I get excited, okay? Give me a break.” “We noticed,” Moondancer deadpanned before perking up. “But anyway, Minnie’s heresy aside-” “Hey!” Minuette whined. “-Where did you get that?! It’s not exactly a common book anymore.” Twilight sat back down and gently set the book down on the table. “I went to Princess Celestia earlier and asked her if she would be willing to let me borrow it for this extra credit project. She was pretty interested when I mentioned the mirror and lent me this after grilling me on all the principles of enchantments. I have it until the history project is due, so we have some time to consult it and figure out exactly what we’re doing!” Now Minuette was interested. She sat up and leaned forward slightly. “Really?! Awesome! What do we need to do?!” Twilight opened the book, her eyes scanning the table of contents. “There are a lot of ways to study enchantments and try and figure them out. It’s all about identifying all of the components that make them up and going from there.” “Right, because all spells are made of moving parts, right?” Minuette asked. “Exactly,” Moondancer replied. “Intent, energy, conditions, all moving in consort like a big, well-oiled machine.” “Precisely,” Twilight said, tapping the book with a hoof. “So the goal will be to figure out the specific functions of every piece and how they connect to the others.” Moondancer hummed, rubbing a hoof against her chin. “We’ll probably want to take it slow and go one component at a time. We’re also gonna need a lot of paper to take notes and make diagrams, or we’re gonna get lost really quickly,” Moondancer pointed out. “We aren’t experts, after all.” “Don’t worry, I’m way ahead of you on that,” Twilight replied without missing a beat, her magic flipping open her saddlebags and pulling out four separate notebooks. She passed one to Minuette, who took it with a giddy little squeal. “Eeee! Finally! PROGRESS!” “This isn’t going to be a fast process,” Moondancer cautioned with a frown. “Enchantments are really complicated, don’t forget.” Twilight rolled her eyes and tapped the book with a cocky smirk. “Relax, Moondancer. With this book and our magic put together, I doubt that mirror is gonna give us any trouble.” Moondancer gave Twilight a sidelong glance. “You’re confident.” “Celestia trusted me with this book. I have justification to be confident.” Minuette tilted her head. “Is… is that how that works?” she asked, confused. It felt like there was a pretty big hole in Twilight’s logic there, but Minuette was too tired right now to parse it. Nonetheless, Twilight gave a curt nod of her head. “One hundred percent. We’re gonna decipher this enchantment and nail this little project with - what was it you said?” she turned to Minuette with a nostalgic look. “Flying colors?” Minuette instantly perked up at the reminder, thrusting her hoof into the air. “Ooh! Ooh! That’s right! We’re the Flying Colors, that’s our group title!” Moondancer and Twilight both giggled at the display of enthusiasm. Before any further discussion could be had, though, the piercing sound of the bell echoed throughout the hall, marking the end of the lunch period. Minuette let her hoof drop and groaned. “Aw, poo. Class.” Twilight slipped her book back into her saddlebags with a snicker. “I’ll try and get in some reading in Fourleaf’s book before school is out. We good to meet up at your place later?” Minuette nodded, hopping down from the chair and slipping her own saddlebags on. “Uh-huh! Anything I should do to get-” a loud and ugly yawn interrupted her. “Agh- to get ready?” “Maybe have a coffee?” Moondancer asked teasingly as the trio began to make its way out of the cafeteria. “No, it tasted like gunk,” Minuette shot back, sticking out her tongue in revulsion. “That’s two counts of heresy…” Minuette let out a loud whine, swatting ineffectually at Moondancer’s shoulder. “Stooop iiit!” The rest of the school day passed by in something of a blur for Minuette. She was equal parts tired and overwhelmed with giddy excitement. Finally, her patience was going to start paying off! They had a good book on the subject, Twilight was a magical powerhouse and walking encyclopedia, and Moondancer was basically a less cocky Twilight with glasses. When the day finally ended and she was allowed to head home, she did so skipping and humming a jaunty little tune to herself. A tune which persisted as she pushed open the door and slid into the entrance hall. “Hey mom, hey dad! I’m home!” she called out loud, kicking the door shut behind them. Pearly poked her head out from the entrance to the living room with a large smile on her face. “Aah, there you are! How was school?” “I was tired!” Minuette cheered energetically, already heading for the door. “Moonie and Twily are gonna be coming over here in a little bit so we can keep working on the mirror. That okay?” she asked. Pearly chuckled at the contradiction between Minuette’s initial statement and her behavior but did not call her out on it. She then nodded. “It should be, though your dad is in your room right now.” Minuette paused at the top of the stairs and looked back down. “Huh? Why?” Pearly glanced up the stairs toward the closed door. “I think he said he was looking for something…” Minuette blinked a few times before the realization set in, and the color drained from her face. “Gah! Shoot! I forgot to give back his hammer!” she exclaimed, turning and bolting for her bedroom door. “Wait, you took his hammer?!” Pearly shouted, though Minuette ignored her. “I am in so much trouble!” she thought, her tired mind wondering just what her dad was going to think of having his tool snatched without permission. She was about to reach her door when it suddenly clicked and swung open and Sunspot stepped out. Minuette dug her hooves into the floor in a desperate bid to stop herself, but she was just a touch too slow. “GYAH!” Her entire field of view was consumed by her father’s chest fur, and she smacked into him face-first at mach-minnie. She fell back onto her rump with a dazed groan, her eyes once again rolling around in her head. “They gotta stop doing that,” she thought after a moment. “I’m no eye expert or anything, but this doesn’t seem healthy.” “Woah, there. You okay?” Sunspot asked with an amused chuckle, drawing Minuette’s eyes back up to him. He didn’t look angry about the hammer, which Minuette spotted in the air just over his shoulder. She nodded sheepishly, idly scuffing the floor with her hoof. “Uh… uhum. I’m okay.” He nodded, then showed her the hammer. “Did you steal my hammer?” “...Borrowed it. I was gonna give it back!” Sunspot shook his head with an exasperated sigh before kneeling down in front of her. “Ya know, if you needed my hammer for something, you should have just asked,” he scolded her lightly. Minuette looked away, her ears drooping. “Sorry.” Sunspot let out a small hum before ruffling her mane. The gesture of affection immediately lifted Minuette’s spirits, and she couldn’t help but giggle at the larger hoof on her head. Sunspot pulled back a moment later. “I take it your friends are coming over?” Minuette nodded. “Uh-huh! We’re gonna be figuring out how the enchantment on my mirror works! Twilight got a fancy old book or something, too!” she declared, thrusting her hoof into the air. Sunspot smiled down at her, but he didn’t say anything right away. In fact, there was something about his smile that gave her pause. She slowly lowered her hoof as her excitement was replaced with a small pearl of concerned confusion. “Dad?” He simply smiled, patted her on the head, and then walked past her. “Well, have fun with your friends. Shout if you need anything, yeah?” he called over his shoulder as he disappeared down the stairs. Minuette stared after him for a minute before slipping back into her room and closing the door behind her. She stood there in silence for a moment before a familiar voice spoke from behind her. “Is something wrong, Little One?” Fangs asked curiously. “Nope,” Minuette replied, shaking her head. She spun back to face the bug in the mirror with a large grin. “Everything’s great! Because today, we’re finally gonna start figuring out how to let you out of there!” Fangs smiled at her, his wings wavering on his back. “I am looking forward to it.” Author's Note Man, this chapter gave me so much freaking trouble, you have no idea. The chapter title actually carries two meanings, because, on the one hand, Minnie and Co. are finally looking to apply their gathered knowledge, so Minnie feels she's finally making real progress. Whereas with me, I'm just glad to get a chapter out. XD
Where The Hard Work Starts“Comfy?” Fangs asked with a raised eyebrow and an amused smirk. Minuette turned to give him a curious look, her brow furrowed in confusion. “Very. why?” she asked. Fangs rolled his eyes and leaned forward slightly as if for emphasis. “Well, it’s just that you’re… you know…” he gestured vaguely in her direction with a hoof. “Huh?” Minuette blinked and took a moment to assess her position. She was currently laying down on the floor in front of the mirror, having flopped over there a few minutes ago to wait out the remaining time before her friends showed up. And she was pretty comfortable, she had to admit. So what was Fangs smirking for? The answer came swiftly, but it turned out to be one Minuette could have gone without. “You look like a spaghetti noodle with legs,” Fangs finally declared with a sage nod. Minuette surged to her hooves, spluttering incoherent nonsense. “Wha- HEY! I am not a noodle!” she protested, thunking the glass of the mirror with a hoof. “Never said you were,” Fangs shot back, his smirk persisting. “But, that being said, you did resemble one just a second ago. A shame you stood up. I was about to start taking notes. You can be quite the contortionist when you’re sleepy.” Minuette’s cheeks puffed up with indignation. She wasn’t even really sure why she felt so offended. Contortionists were awesome! She’d seen them perform one time! It was impressive. And scary, but mostly impressive. It was probably the noodle thing. Minuette was still very tired. Before the discussion could carry on any further, a knock on the door snapped Minuette out of her indignation. She spun on her hooves to see it being pushed open by Pearly, admitting an eager Moondancer and Twilight Sparkle. Minuette, seeing an out, leaped forward, immediately enveloping her two friends into a bone-crushing hug. The sudden force elicited squeaks of alarm from both of them, but Minuette couldn’t be bothered to care. “Girls! Finally! There you are!” Minuette beamed, pulling back a second later to beam at the new arrivals. “I was wondering when you were going to show up!” “My ribs,” Moondancer whined, rubbing delicately at her side. “My poor abused ribs.” “My books,” Twilight parroted with emphasis, rubbing instead at her saddlebags, which Minuette only now realized were full to the point of bursting. “My poor, abused books.” Minuette chuckled. “Twilight, aren’t Moony’s ribs a bit more important than your books?” The tense silence that followed was heavy and thick. Minuette only realized a second later what she had said wrong and shrank back down to the floor under the increasingly hostile look in Twilight’s eyes. She put on a small, disarming grin, letting off a nervous chuckle. “Eheh… uh… I’m kidding?” Twilight’s eyes narrowed for just a second longer. Then, with a huff, she strutted past Minuette with her nose thrust up into the air. Moondancer shook her head with a roll of her eyes and a small smirk. “That’s three counts of heresy, now…” she mumbled as she walked after the pouting bookworm. “Oh, come on!” Minuette called after her, stomping a hoof. A duo of amused giggles was the answer she received, drawing an annoyed groan out of her. She turned back to the door, catching the eye of her mother. Pearly stared down at Minuette with a concerned frown. “...You have interesting friends,” she eventually deduced. “They’re cool,” Minuette chirped, immediately forgiving all of their little sins. It wasn’t like her to hold a grudge. Usually. “They can get on my nerves sometimes, but I like ‘em!” Pearly smiled warmly. She gave Minuette an affectionate nuzzle before starting to close the door. “I’m glad. I’ll leave you girls be. Holler if you need anything, and be careful!” she said. “We will!” Minuette called, waving after her before the door closed with a resounding click. A silence followed afterward that felt as if it was stretching on into eternity. Minuette closed her eyes and took a long, deep breath. “This is it,” she thought to herself. “This is where all of the hard work really begins.” It felt kind of surreal, thinking that. Fangs had been trapped in the mirror for as long as Minuette had known him. It had been his entire existence for as long as he could remember. The mere thought of actually taking the needed steps to extract him from his magical prison was, to put it simply, daunting. Surely there had been powerful mages who had owned the mirror before her who had tried to break Fangs out themselves? Her confidence wavered for just a second, but she was quick to shake it off. “No. No, we got this. I got this! I’m the little beast! I just gotta put my head to work and do this right!” With that internalized rallying cry complete, she spun to the others with an eager grin. Twilight was already removing her copy of Amulets and Artifacts from her saddlebags,while Moondancer was pulling out her notebook and plenty of writing supplies. Quills, ink, pencils, erasers, and even a few bars of whiteout. Minuette took one more breath, retrieved her notebook from her saddlebags with a flourish of magic, then stepped forward to join her friends. “So, what’s step one?” she asked eagerly. “Let’s see,” Twilight said, flipping open her book and scouring the pages. Her eyes narrowed in concentration as she went, and she rubbed a hoof against her chin in thought. After a second, her eyes lit up, and she set the book down on the floor between all three of them. “Aha! Here we go! Right here. This is the identification spell used to discern the properties of most magic items. It should allow us to visualize the structure of the enchantment in our heads. It won’t tell us anything on its own, though, so as Moondancer said, we’ll need to take notes.” “I got us covered on that front,” Moondancer reminded them, giving her miniature blank library a twirl in the air for emphasis. A sharp look from Twilight cowed her into gently setting the supplies down nearby in an orderly fashion. Satisfied that no more blasphemy against the to-be-written word was to be committed, Twilight turned the book so Minuette could read it. “Depending on how complicated the enchantment is, we could have the whole thing mapped out anywhere from an hour from now to in a few days. It will all go a lot faster, though, if our notes are thorough and clean. So no distractions or doodles or anything, Minuette. Stay focused.” Minuette threw a sharp salute. “Yes, ma’am!” she said before refocusing on the book and reading through the spell’s instructions. It was relatively simple, though certainly a touch more complicated than many spells she had tried so far. Still, she had confidence she could pull it off with little difficulty, provided she wasn’t interrupted or put under any pressure. She smiled and nodded at Twilight. “Alright. I think I can do this!” Twilight nodded, an eager smile on her face. “Good! Moondancer?” The pale unicorn turned the book so she could read the spell. She squinted at the page, adjusted her glasses, and then put on a confident smirk of her own, locking gazes with Twilight as she did so. “Yeah, I got this.” Twilight clapped her hooves together. “Alright! Then let’s get started!” There was a flurry of movement as the trio got into position. A space in front of the mirror was cleared out of any and all obstructions - mostly textbooks on teeth, gums, and general dentistry - the notebooks were opened, writing utensils were spread amongst the group, and before long, the fillies had arranged themselves in a half-circle around the mirror. Fangs watched them the whole time. His expression was unreadable, giving Minuette pause once she was prepared to cast the spell. His eyes turned to lock onto hers, and for a moment, the world slowed to a crawl. Fangs lowered his head just a touch, his ears drooping. “Little one… Minuette. Are you sure you are prepared?” he asked in a low voice. “Are you ready to do this?” “Everypony ready?” Twilight asked, unknowingly echoing the bug’s question, albeit not his sentiment. “I am,” Moondancer replied, lighting up her horn with her signature aura. All eyes then landed on Minuette. She took a deep breath and put on the biggest, most confident grin she could. She looked into Fangs’ eyes. “I’ve been ready for a long, long time.” There was a pause. Fangs smiled. “Then good luck, my friend.” “Let’s do this, then,” Twilight commanded, her own horn lighting with magic. Minuette answered in kind, lighting up her horn and forming the spell. Her face contorted a little with strain from the complexities of it, as well as the energy requirement, but she was quick to compensate and power through it. This was going to be a tiring process, she could tell. “Three… two… one!” Twilight counted down. As one, the unicorn fillies angled their heads down until the tips of their horns were aimed directly at the mirror. Three wispy streams of magic, one purple, one pink, and one yellow, streamed forward and into the glass surface of the mirror, filling the room with the serene ambiance of magic energy. Like a field of windchimes heard from far away. The mirror responded immediately. The entire surface shimmered with a layer of rippling dark purple. Minuette bit her lip in concern, her gaze locked onto Fangs. He appeared just as confused and concerned as the rest of them, leaning back slightly. Whatever this was, Fangs had either never seen it before, or it had been so long since he had that he had lost his memory of it. However, it only took a few seconds for the dark purple to fade. As the reaction died down, an image slowly began to stitch itself together in Minuette’s mind. It was hard to parse with her eyes open, though. She noticed Moondancer and Twilight closing their eyes, no doubt focusing on the image without distractions. She took the chance to lock eyes with Fangs. “Are you okay?” she mouthed, being sure not to actually say the words aloud. Fangs nodded, his eyes still turned up toward the top of the mirror’s frame. “Y-yes, I am fine. I just… I think...” he muttered, his eyes going distant. Then, to Minuette’s shock, he gave off a loud gasp of pain. His eyes screwed themselves shut, his hooves flying up to clutch at his skull. Minuette gasped and was about to drop the flow of her magic to rush to his side when he lifted a hoof toward her in a gesture to stop. He stayed there on the ground for several seconds, his breaths deep and shaky, before he cracked open an eye to look at her. “Another h-h-headache,” he stammered out. “Don’t w-worry about m-me. I’m f-fine. Just f-focus on your spell.” “But…” Minuette whispered, shifting uneasily on her haunches. “Minuette? Are you seeing this?” Twilight asked, cracking an eye open. She frowned when she saw that Minuette’s eyes were locked on the mirror. “Minuette, hey! Focus! We need all the eyes we can get here!” Minuette glanced to Twilight, then to Fangs. Even through the pain he was clearly feeling, he managed to smile and nod at her. Minuette wanted to protest, to say that it was wrong to keep pushing forward if it was hurting him. But in spite of her reservations, he just kept giving her that gentle, encouraging smile. The same one he had given her so many times when she was being ravaged by anxiety, or self-doubt, or even sadness after the incident with Bristle those years ago. “You will do fine,” those eyes said. “Go on and do your best. There is nothing you cannot do when you put your all into it.” Minuette took a long, deep breath, taking what strength she could from the encouraging nod of her dearest friend, and closed her eyes. With the outside world blocked out, she was free to focus on the mental image the spell was projecting into her thoughts. It resembled an enormous sphere of light comprised of many smaller spheres. Each one was connected to several of its neighbors by wavy lines, forming a complex latticework that reminded Minuette of an illustration of a brain’s neurons she had seen once. She knew all at once that this was the enchantment upon the mirror. And it was huge. “Woooah…” Moondancer breathed, her voice laced with awe at what they were seeing. “It’s gigantic…” “It’s an enchantment,” Twilight clinically explained. “They’re all like th-this.” Though the Princess’s student was projecting confidence, Minuette couldn’t miss the slight stammer in her voice. She was just as floored as the rest of them. She was just better at hiding it. Minuette licked her lips. “So… what do we do now?” she asked after a moment, shifting her weight to get more comfortable. “Cause I’m kinda at a loss, you girls.” There was a beat of silence before Twilight spoke up. “Well… we can start just about anywhere. I say we pick a sphere at the outside of the enchantment and work our way in. We can map it out as we go.” “I can do that,” Minuette declared, cracking one eye open to start drawing a rudimentary sketch of what she was seeing in her notebook. “I’m not really good with all the super technical stuff, but I do know how to draw - kinda.” “Alright, mapping out the matrix is Minuette’s job,” Twilight acknowledged without missing a beat. “Moondancer, you and I will focus on figuring out the functions of each part of the spell.” “Are you sure?” Moondancer asker anxiously. “I was expecting something complicated… but… this is…” Minuette opened both eyes to stare imploringly at her hesitant friend with her best puppy dog look. “Oh, come on! We’re all already here! Let’s go all the way! Besides, if we can figure this whole thing out, imagine how much extra credit we’re all gonna get!” Moondancer opened her eyes to stare back at Minuette. The two were quiet for several seconds, and the pensive frown on Moon’s face never faded. Minuette’s eyes flicked to Fangs. He was still curled up on the floor, head in his hooves, but his breathing had slowed and relaxed. His eyes were closed. He was clearly still in some minor pain, but it seemed to be subsiding. Minuette turned back to Moondancer, her expression pleading. “Please. I really want to do this, but I need both of you.” Moondancer fidgeted in place, adjusting her glasses. But, eventually, the look in Minuette’s eyes won her over, and she let off a heavy sigh. “Oh… alright. Sorry. I guess I just got intimidated.” “Well, I am the beast,” Minuette reminded her with a wink. “No, you’re a heretic.” Minuette’s cheeks puffed up in indignation. “If you say that one more time…!” “Both of you stop it,” Twilight scolded, silencing the banter-in-motion before it could turn into a full-on trainwreck of a conversation. “We have work to do. I found us an entry point, so let’s get to it.” Moondancer and Minuette both offered up hasty apologies before closing their eyes and diving back into the image of the enchantment their minds constructed. Minuette eyed the infinitely complicated latticework of magic for a moment. It was daunting, to be sure. She had never imagined it would look like this. And each sphere was practically a miniature spell in its own right. It made sense, of course. She may have brought in Moondancer and Twilight with the explanation that the Mirror simply had a durability enchantment, but she knew better. So much better. It not only created a physical - or pseudo-physical - space derived from what was reflected in its surface, but it had also housed and preserved Fangs for centuries, possibly even millennia. It was going to be infinitely more complex than any of them had been anticipating. But she wasn’t going to back down now. Her attention was drawn from such musings when she noticed one of the spheres on the very edge of the collection twitching and flashing with a soft lavender light. “What’s that?” she asked, quirking a brow. “That sphere that’s flashing - you can all see that?” Twilight asked, a hint of strain in her voice. The others nodded along, voicing that yes, they could see it, prompting her to continue. “That’s the aspect of the enchantment I’m focusing on. It’s at the end of its chain, so it should make it easy to start with.” “Should,” Moondancer echoed skeptically. “We ready?” Twilight asked, ignoring Moondancer’s remark. “Ready.” “Abso-toodly-lutely!” Twilight scoffed in amusement before resuming. “Alright. Let’s do this.” A silence fell over the room as Moondancer and Twilight began to analyze the sphere. Minuette cracked an eye open to check on Fangs one more time before lifting her quill, ready to start taking notes. Author's Note Fun fact: The original title I had for this chapter before I started writing it was "Why is it always Flamingos?" I obviously ditched this plan when there were no Flamingos to be seen.
'Subtle' Discouragement“Okay, next node. Large sphere, five functions. Looks like an illusion matrix, maybe. There are three connections, one up, two going left and forward. Minuette?” “Yup yup.” “Alright. Moondancer? You ready?” “If you are.” “Always.” The trio of fillies lapsed into an unsteady silence broken only by the sound of Moondancer and Twilight’s quills scratching feverishly against the paper of their notebooks. Minuette took the chance to open her eyes and take a look at what she had written down so far. The first fifteen pages of her notebook had all been ripped out and spread across the floor, forming one enormous sheet for her to work on. At this point, over half of the sheets had been filled in with an increasingly convoluted series of circles, abbreviated labels, and lines connecting them. To make it all quite simple, Minuette was confused and becoming more so all the time. She wasn’t even participating in the back and forth between her friends as they discussed the finer intricacies of the enchantment and how it all worked, but she was still absolutely dumbfounded. This enchantment made no darn sense! They had been working on this sucker after school each day for the last two days, now, and they were still trying to just map the whole thing out. Even with several optimizations to their workflow, as proposed by Twilight, it still felt like they were beating their head against a brick wall. Shaking her head, she turned her attention away from the complicated map to focus on Fangs. His headaches had flared every time the fillies had set to work, but thankfully it seemed to have worn off for the time being. The bug had been quiet for the last few hours as the fillies worked and often made himself scarce so as to not distract Minuette. More often than not he wasn’t even in view when she looked his way. This time, though, he was there, looking back at her with an unreadable expression on his face. Minuette glanced back over at Twilight and Moondancer. Twilight’s eyes were closed while she explained the form and function of the ‘node’ they had landed on, while Moondancer was taking notes. Satisfied that the bookworms were occupied, Minuette slid her way over to Fangs, stretching her legs out in the process. They had only briefly stopped for lunch earlier, leaving her legs stiff and sore. She put on a smile as she drew closer to him. “Hey. How you holding up in there?” she asked in a hushed whisper. Fangs smiled down at her. “I’m doing fine, little one.” Minuette smiled, visibly relaxing. “Okay, good. Just worried. You keep getting those dumb headaches and everything.” Fangs nodded, his expression becoming more serious. He looked up at the frame of the mirror and narrowed his eyes skeptically. “Yes, it is rather odd...” Minuette tilted her head. “Odd?” Fangs nodded. “Every time you and your friends start working on the mirror, my headaches return. Every single time. Trust me, I have been keeping track.” Minuette’s ears drooped. That didn’t sound good. She looked down, her lips drawing into a thin line. “Do you… do you think that they keep happening because of what we’re doing?” “I wish I could say no, but again, given their timing and frequency…” Fangs sighed and shook his head. “There is no way it’s a coincidence. Perhaps it is a defense mechanism built into the enchantment to discourage outside tampering.” Minuette winced, a guilty lump forming in her throat. She wanted to help Fangs get out of there, yet, but if even just learning how the mirror worked was going to cause him pain, then was it really worth it? He was her friend, after all. Her best friend. But before she could give voice to her concerns, she heard the muted thump of a hoof touching the other side of the glass and looked up. Fangs had pressed his hoof to the mirror and was offering her a wide, reassuring smile. “Come now, Minuette. Don’t go doubting yourself now.” Minuette pouted at him. It was always so unfair how he could read her emotions like that. His warm smile briefly turned playful, but he was quick to press on. “The fact of the matter is, you have made it farther than anypony before you has. You are making an active effort to release me. None before you did much more than idly fantasize about the idea. None had the resources you do to see it through. Much less the raw stubbornness to try.” Minuette’s smile returned, her heart growing warm at the encouragement. She lifted her hoof and pressed it up against the glass, wishing she could take a hold of his. A few seconds passed before she heaved a quiet sigh and looked back at the assortment of sheets she had laid out on the floor. “I just wish it wasn’t so complicated.” “Indeed. You’ve spent days working on this, and near as I can tell, you are still just trying to map it out, are you not?” Minuette nodded, her cheeks puffing up in irritation. “Yeah. By the time we’ve wrapped it up, First Aid will be back from her field trip, and the history project will be due! Ugh!” “Hey, Minuette?” Twilight suddenly piped up in a disapproving tone. “I’m frustrated, too, but can you wait until we’re gone to rant and rave at inanimate objects? It’s distracting.” Minuette blinked, her cheeks tinting a lovely shade of pink. She hadn’t even realized she had been raising her voice. She swallowed heavily, chuckled sheepishly, and looked up at Fangs to see him repressing a series of amused snickers. “Got a little carried away, little one?” “If you tease me about this, I will face you towards the floor,” Minuette hissed, narrowing her eyes. “Ah, but you won’t,” Fangs said with a victorious smirk. “At least not for more than a few seconds. You are far too kind to commit to something like that.” “But you- I- UGH!” Minuette thrust her hooves in the air and stalked back to her cobbled together map like an angry cat. Moondancer giggled at the display, while Twilight just rolled her eyes impatiently. Minuette didn’t pay her much mind until she was seated. She lifted her quill in her magic and focused on her friends. “Okay, so, we ready to move on?” “If you are,” Twilight replied, narrowing her eyes. “No more distractions, though, okay? We’re on a schedule. I need to check in with Princess Celestia first thing tomorrow, so I’d like to be home at a reasonable hour so I can go to bed early.” “Alright, so we won’t be working on this for much longer tonight?” Minuette ventured, giving her quill a preparatory spin. “Nope, so let’s make it count,” Twilight replied before closing her eyes. Moondancer followed, and then Minuette. In her mind’s eye, she was once more greeted by the colossal formation of the enchantment. She opened her mouth to ask which connection they were going to map out next, but a quiet exclamation from Moondancer interrupted her. “Huh? That’s weird…” Moondancer said, sounding confused. “What is?” Twilight asked impatiently. “The enchantment. I dunno, but… the layout. Something about it looks different.” Minuette would have blinked in surprise were her eyes not already closed. So drew her view of the enchantment back to get a wider view. She couldn’t put her hoof on it, but Moondancer was right. The enchantment just felt off all of a sudden. It was like somepony had wandered into her room when she wasn’t there, rearranged her books and nudged all of the furniture just a little out of light. Including the window. Judging by Twilight’s confused hum, she noticed it too. “That’s strange. Enchantments are supposed to be static. They can’t change on their own without completely breaking down the function of the magic.” “Can the parts have moved around, though?” Moondancer asked with a frown. “You know, to throw off anypony trying to break the enchantment?” “Not really,” Twilight replied. Minuette heard her rifling through her book on the subject and opened her eyes to see the other mare flipping through the pages with narrow eyes. “The configuration of all of the enchantments parts can’t change or the spell breaks, as I said. At most, our perception of the matrix could be altered, I suppose, but the connections would all be the same.” Minuette tilted her head. “Er… can you explain that another way? My brain’s kinda going looloo here.” Twilight sighed in exasperation, setting the book down. “Okay, think of it like this. You have a bunch of colored tennis balls on a table, and they’re all connected to each other by a bunch of strings, right? The balls can't leave the table, and there isn’t any string left to tie up the balls. If you remove any of the strings, the whole thing falls apart. But you can move the balls around on the table. The connections and materials are all still the same, and it’s still connected the same, but how you interact with it just got changed a little bit. Make sense?” Minuette nodded in uncertainty. “I… think so?” Twilight nodded, satisfied, then closed her eyes again, her face screwing up in confusion. “But even still, it doesn’t make sense for an enchantment like this. There isn’t really any point in a perception shuffler. If somepony is smart enough and good enough with magic to get to a point where that would serve any purpose, they’re already good enough to work around it.” “It could just be there to confuse us,” Moondancer pointed out with a shrug. “You know, just some subtle discouragement.” Twilight snorted. “Well, I’m not discouraged. There’s extra credit riding on the line, and I did not borrow one of Princess Celestia’s books just to give up because of some magic parlor tricks!” Minuette rolled her eyes. “Heh. Never get between Twilight and a good GPA, I guess,” she muttered before closing her eyes again. She quickly zoomed back in on where they were before, eager to get back to work. She’d leave the complicated details to the nerds. Except there was a problem. She couldn’t find where they had left off. The changes to the enchantment’s layout had thrown her off something fierce, and now that it was unfamiliar to her again, she had no clue where to go. She put on a small, anxious grin, her ears twitching. “Uh, girls? Where are we?” she asked. “Oh, uh, one sec,” Twilight said before going quiet. A second later, there was a flash of lavender on one of the nodes, and Minuette pulled herself over to it. “Alright, we good?” Twilight asked after a moment. Once she had confirmation, she cleared her throat. “Ahem. Okay, I have time for one more node, so let’s make it a good one. Looks like the biggest one goes directly up from where we were. Let’s have a look.” Minuette nodded, focusing her view of the enchantment to follow the little spark of lavender that Twilight used to make sure they were all looking at the same thing. They followed the long, looping tendril up and up, and Minuette caught sight of the next node. It was the largest they had seen so far, and it almost looked like it was solid. An apt description, considering what happened when Minuette tried to get a good look at it. It was the oddest sensation she had ever felt. Mere moments before she would have reached it, she felt a bump in her head, as if somepony had gently poked at the inside of her skull with a stick, and then a strange floating sensation as her perception drifted away from the node. It wasn’t painful, but it did make her feel momentarily motion-sick. She frowned. “Uh… girls?” “What the hay was that?” Moondancer asked in confusion. Minuette watched as Twilight’s ‘spark’ tried to enter the node again, and was once again repelled before it even reached the outer wall. A moment passed, and then Twilight groaned in frustration. “Ugh! I should have known!” Minuette opened her eyes again. “What? What is it?” she asked, leaning forward in concern. Twilight had lifted the book up to her face and was fiercely scanning the contents of the page she was on. Her eyes swiped back and forth for several seconds before she sighed and put the book down. “Of course the mirror has a freaking probe ward on it!” Moondancer’s ears drooped. “Aw, crud.” Minuette got the feeling that the two of them knew what that meant, but she was utterly in the dark. She decided she should fix that, and cleared her throat, drawing their attention. “Uh, what’s a probe ward?” she asked. Twilight groaned, turning the book over to Minuette, revealing an illustration of a spherical barrier made up of interlocking pentagons deflecting a swirling dart of magical energy. “A probe ward, Minuette, is essentially an arcane identifier’s worst nightmare. Whoever created this enchantment put a barrier that prevents anyone from peering too closely at the more important parts of the spell. Key nodes, primary functions, that sort of thing.” “But… why would the mirror need something like that for a durability enchantment?” Moondancer questioned, her muzzle scrunching up. “It doesn’t make any sense…” Twilight scoffed, bringing the book back over to her before Minuette even had a chance to actually read the print. She skimmed it again with an irritated frown. “Dunno if you noticed, Moondancer, but nothing about this enchantment makes sense for a simple durability charm. It’s too big for that.” Moondancer was quiet for a second. She pushed up her glasses, her frown deepening. “Yeah, I did notice that. And a lot of the nodes we’ve looked at don’t make any sense either. It’s assembled like a labyrinth… Something else is going on here.” “Either that, or whoever invented this stupid thing has a fantastic grasp of magic, and a terrible understanding of engineering and systems. Personally, given how many dead-ends we’ve bumped into, I’m gonna bet on the latter.” Minuette swallowed heavily and looked over at Fangs. His brow had quirked in thought, his eyes shifting with consideration. She briefly considered reminding her friends about Fangs, but she was quick to dismiss the notion. If they started believing her about it, it would be better if they realized it on their own. If she tried to force it, she’d just lose their help, and she’d be back at square one. “Either way,” Twilight suddenly spoke up, drawing Minuette’s attention with her cocky tone of voice. Twilight set the book down and put on a big, confident grin. “We’re in luck. Because as it just so happens, there is a way to get around wards like this!” Moondancer nodded, smiling. “A few, actually.” Minuette sighed in relief. “Oh, good, we aren’t gonna be roadblocked!” she thought before leaning forward with a cheerful grin. “Well? What do we do, Twilight? What’s the plan?” Twilight made a ‘follow me’ gesture before closing her eyes. Minuette did the same and was once again looking at the larger node. Twilight spoke a second later. “The main trick that the book talks about for amateurs is to essentially create a small hole in the side of the ward - sort of. That’s really oversimplifying it, but it gets the idea across. So if we can create that small hole, we can slip in and be on our way.” “There are other ways, too,” Moondancer added. “But they’re probably a little above our skill level.” “For now, yes,” Twilight agreed. “But we won’t need those more advanced methods anyway. We got this. You two ready?” Minuette nodded, eager to make some more progress before the day was done. “Mhmm! Just tell me what I gotta do!” “Just follow my lead.” Minuette listened intently as Twilight began to walk her and Moondancer through the process. There were a lot of metaphors and analogies thrown around to help her grasp the fundamentals of what exactly they were doing, but she was quick to catch on either way. Before long, the trio of fillies began to poke and prod at the ward, slowly but surely. Minutes passed, and it soon became clear that the ward was surprisingly durable. Minuette winced, sweat starting to build up on her brow from the effort of trying to break through the intangible barrier. She could hear quiet grunts and groans from her friends. “Gah. It’s not budging,” Moondancer pointed out through clenched teeth. “Whoever enchanted this mirror really didn’t want anypony figuring it out!” “Gee, I wonder why,” Minuette muttered under her breath. “Doesn’t matter,” Twilight strained out, the hum of her magic in the air growing noticeably louder, and her spark in the mental landscape growing brighter. “More power. We can get through if we keep at it long enough.” Minuette didn’t want to say it, but she was already getting close to her limit in terms of power output. She had never been anywhere near as powerful as these two, and it was starting to show. But nevertheless, she tried. She had no choice. If she wanted to figure out how to get Fangs out of there, she’d have to break through this ward anyway. “Minuette,” Fangs said quietly, his voice laced with growing concern. “Be careful. Don’t overdo it.” “More power!” Twilight commanded. “We’re making progress!” Minuette groaned, her head starting to hurt. “Twilight, I can’t give any more than this! I’m tapped! Ow…” “I’m almost at my limit, too,” Moondancer agreed, her breaths growing heavy with excretion.”Maybe we should call it off?” “I’m not going to lose to an invisible wall, Moondancer!” Twilight snapped back. “Princess Celestia entrusted me with her book, I’m not about to turn back now! More power!” “Twilight…!” Minuette groaned, her skull starting to pound from the strain. The hum of their magic had become almost a howl now, like a winter storm of arcane energy. She could feel her mane lifting slightly from the stray energy flowing around the room, sending it drifting and making her skin tingle. “Little one, stop,” Fangs said in a firm, almost fearful voice. “Something is happening. Stop!” Minuette snapped open her eyes, pulling her attention away from the spell to look at the mirror. Her eyes widened. Dark purple energies were building up around the frame once again, crackling ominously. Her heart all but stopped in her chest at the sight. “What the…?” The mirror pulsed, the strange magic around it flaring aggressively, coinciding with a grunt of effort from Twilight. “Almost there…!” she groaned through grit teeth. Minuette’s heart raced. She looked back to Twilight. Even Moondancer had pulled out of the spell, gasping for breath, but Twilight was still going, her face one of strained defiance and stubborn refusal to give up. “Twilight, stop,” Moondancer said, reaching out to Twilight. “We aren’t getting through that. You need to-” “NO!” Twilight spat. “I can do this! Just… one… more…” “Twilight, the mirror’s reacting! You have to stop!” Moondancer barked with far more force. Too late. A sound like shattering glass filled the room. Minuette’s eyes snapped over to the mirror as an unnatural chill filled the room. She could see Fangs on the other side, his eyes locked onto hers. “Fangs?” There was a flash of light. A pulse of flickering orange and purple magic erupted out from the surface of the mirror in a rapidly expanding sphere. Minuette only had time to squint against the light before it reached her. It was chaos. Complete and total sensory overflow. Her entire body began to tingle with pins and needles, her nostrils were flooded with an incoherent mess of smells, her ears rang with an endless cacophony of discordant tunes and melodies overlapped with seemingly random sounds. She could taste cotton candy and pickles and cloth and countless things she didn’t have time to identify. And just as quickly as it began, the sensations ended. The foals were thrown off of their hooves by the shockwave with heart-stopping force. A trio of screams filled the room alongside a static boom that reverberated in their ears. Minuette barely had time to even process that she was in motion. And then she slammed into her bookcase. The wind was driven from Minuette’s lungs by the force of the impact. Her vision swam and blurred, and her body screamed at her in pain. She fell forward, slumping to the ground in a loose heap. “MINUETTE!” Fangs screamed from the mirror, the sound of his hooves beating against the glass barely audible over the ringing in her ears. “Minuette, are you alright?!” Minuette groaned. Her entire body felt stiff, now, and it was hard to think through the heavy haze that had settled over her mind. She lifted her head, her hearing starting to grow dull and muffled. “Wha… what…?” she asked in a pained whimper. A few final crackles of strange magic danced around the mirror’s fame for a moment before it finally fell still. Even with her now blurry vision she could just make out Moondancer and Twilight’s prone forms scattered around the room. She then looked to Fangs. His eyes were wide, frantic, and confused, shimmering with fear. His hooves were pressed up against the glass, and she could see his chest heaving with short, panicked breaths. She managed to smile at him. “I’m okay,” she called out in a weak slur, lifting up a hoof. “Just… oooowwww…” Fangs seemed to relax at that, his posture slacking. He watched her for a second, taking comfort in her words. Then his eyes lifted to look at something behind her, and his relief turned to fear once more. He focused back on her, pressing tighter against the glass. “Look out!” Minuette blinked. “Huh?” A shadow was passing over her. Confused, she rolled slightly and looked up. Her eyes widened, and her vision went sharp when she realized that her bookcase was now toppling over. Right on top of her. She didn’t even have time to squeak before the bookcase and all of its contents fell on top of her with a deafening crash. There was a flare of pain, the world went dark. And she knew no more. Author's Note 'Subtle' my tail section...
My Head Hurts...“My head hurts…” That was the first thing that crossed Minuette’s mind when she finally regained consciousness. Her head was throbbing something fierce, her mouth and throat felt dry and sore, and she could just faintly make out the steady beeping of a heart monitor somewhere in her surroundings. Confused, she opened her eyes to get a look around. She was in a hospital room, that much was obvious, even though the lights were out. She looked around, trying to make out details. She was able to spot a window set high into the wall to her right, through which she could just make out the pale glow of the moon shining down on Canterlot. “What happened?” she groaned in a dry rasp, one hoof reaching up to rub at her face. She thought back, trying to remember what could have possibly led her here. “Okay, okay, let’s see… We were trying to decipher the enchantment on Fangs’ mirror when we hit some kind of ward or something,” she thought, recalling the frustration Twilight had put on display. “Twilight thought we could power through it, and we tried. But the mirror was tough, and Moondancer and I stopped. But Twilight didn’t. She kept going and… and… oh, no…” Minuette’s eyes snapped wide open as she remembered the pulse of dark energy that had erupted out of the mirror. She recalled how it had been enough to throw them all back, and then how the bookcase had fallen over on her. And then she was waking up here. “I must have been hurt…” She whispered to herself, her hoof slumping back to her side. She stared blankly up at the ceiling. Were Twilight and Moondancer okay, she wondered? She herself had been alright, albeit a little dazed after the pulse had hit her. It had been the bookcase slamming into her that had taken her out. So, logically, her friends must have been okay, right? Right? It was the most logical outcome, but the emotional, illogical little gremlin part of Minuette’s brain didn’t see things that way, and she began to nervously fret and worry over not just them, but her mother and father. Had the pulse passed through the walls, she wondered? Had it hit anyone else? Had it damaged anything? More importantly, what about Fangs? He had been alright before she blacked out. He had warned her about the falling bookcase. He was okay, for sure, she told herself. The mirror was indestructible, so was he. Or so she hoped. Alas, there was nothing she could do. There were a few pieces of technology hooked up to her, and she did not have the self-confident stupidity required to think she could safely unhook herself from any of it. All she could do was lay there, get some rest, and try to relax. But that was easier said than done. Her concerns over her friends haunted her thoughts, and the frightened look in Fangs’ eyes stared back at her every time she closed her eyes. And so she elected to just let her eyes wander until they caught something of interest. A small end table was set up next to her bed, and resting on top of it was a collection of cards and a glass vase with fresh flowers in it. Minuette’s stomach growled at the sight of the flowers, and she had to resist the urge to bring them over and scarf them down right now. As bewildering as it was to her, flowers given like this were a gift to be appreciated and not a snack. “Even though they’re perfectly edible and they taste good,” she mentally complained, outwardly huffing. “It’s dumb.” After a moment, she lit her horn and pulled over the closest card. It was plain, showing a beautiful sunrise over an ocean view, with the words ‘get well soon’ written in dark orange text within the sun itself. Minuette smiled at it as her yellow magic made the sun on the card even brighter. Without a thought, she flipped it open to read the message inside. You’re going to be fine, Minnie. The Little Beast is a lot harder to put down than that! There will be plenty of cake and cookies waiting for you when they let you out. Our treat! -Mom and Dad. “Aww,” Minuette cood, holding the card up against her chest. Well, it was good to know that at least something positive would come out of this. Cake and cookies, always a good thing. Unless you were diabetic, but Minuette wasn’t, so it wasn’t really an issue for her just now. Either way, the written comfort of her mother and father was enough to soothe her mind, and before long, Minuette was drifting off into a light, restless sleep. When Minuette came back to the waking world, it was to the sound of muffled voices speaking in her hospital room. A few seconds passed before she cracked open an eye. She winced and hissed in pain as the near-blinding light of the ceiling light pierced her retinas like a particularly enthusiastic knight rushing into battle with his spear. She felt pins and needles dancing around in her head. “Gah, why do I do things?” she thought in irritation. She took a moment to let the pain subside before opening her eyes again, slowly this time. She blinked a few times to force the room to come into focus before taking in the scene in front of her. It was surprisingly crowded in that little hospital room. There was a doctor there, a pegasus mare with a pale brown coat and a darker brown mane tied into a ponytail, and round glasses perched on her muzzle. Pearly and Sunspot were sitting off to the right, holding onto each other’s hooves. To Minuette’s surprise, there were also three foals in the room sitting in a little triangle on the floor by her parents. Twilight, Moondancer, and- “First Aid!” Minuette squealed at the sight of her friend, trying to sit bolt upright in her seat. A decision she immediately came to regret as the wide assortment of medical stuff plugged into her body went taught from the motion. Burning pain lanced outward from several points on her body where she was hooked up, and she let out a squeak of pain before thumping back onto the bed. “Well, she’s awake,” the doctor noted dryly with a roll of her eyes. “Minuette!” Pearly and Sunspot shouted in unison, both of them rising from their hooves and galloping over to crowd around her. They were joined shortly by the foals, with First Aid, in particular, hopping up onto the bed and sliding to a stop right in front of her. “Minnie!” She said, falling to her haunches. “Oh my goodness, you’re okay…” Minuette put on a grin. “Heh. Yeah, I am. It’s a lot harder than that to keep this little beastie down!” “Well, this little beastie is going to stay down until the doctor lets her up,” Pearly ordered in a stern voice, her eyes narrowing. “Mommy’s orders.” “And daddy’s,” Sunspot added. Minuette looked back and forth between her parents for a second, pouting at them. They were probably right, though, honestly. So she simply smiled and nodded. “Okay,” she said before turning her attention back to First Aid. “But how long was I out? You were still supposed to be out of town, weren’t you?” First Aid shuffled anxiously in place and sat down on her haunches. “I, uh… I was. You’ve been out for a few days…” she said quietly, reaching one hoof up to rub at her shoulder. “I heard about what happened my first day back. I dropped everything and came to see your mom and dad, and they let me come visit you yesterday. You wouldn’t wake up, and your head was all wrapped up in blankets… And… I w-was…” Minuette’s eyes widened in shock as fresh tears began to build up in First’s. She blinked several times, not sure what to say as First Aid looked down and began to quietly sob. Had it really been that bad? She lifted a hoof, reaching out to her friend. “First…?” “I was so worried about you!” First Aid exclaimed, meeting Minuette’s gaze again. “I never saw you looking like that before…” Minuette swallowed heavily. “Was… was it really that bad?” she asked in a quiet, timid whisper, all of her usual gusto fading away at the sight of her crying friend. The doctor chose this moment to interject, stepping into view at the foot of the bed. She adjusted her glasses with a kindly smile. “It looked worse than it was. You’re a lucky kid. You had a huge bruise, a fairly minor abrasion, and we suspect a minor concussion. The bandages were mostly there to hold the medical salve we applied to promote the healing process in place. We took them off yesterday evening. You’ve still got a nasty bruise, and it’s gonna take a while for that fur to regrow, but beyond that, you’re pretty much right as rain.” Minuette gave a sigh of relief. She turned to First Aid and put on a reassuring smile. “See? Flying colors.” That actually managed to draw some amused chuckles from the assorted ponies in the room. Except for the doctor, who just quirked a curious eyebrow. First Aid giggled quietly and wiped away her tears. “Yeah. Flying colors…” A few seconds passed before another filly jumped up onto the bed. Minuette turned to see Twilight there, an unreadable look on her face. Minuette blinked, suddenly feeling a surge of conflicting emotions. On the one hoof, she was glad to see that Twilight was okay and hadn’t been injured during the incident. On the other hoof, she kinda wanted to go on a long and angry tirade against Twilight for being a big dumb stupid head that got her hurt. Instead, however, Minuette just settled for a simple, quiet “Hi.” Twilight flinched as if she had been struck. She looked down at the bed, her ears drooping. “Uh… hi, Minuette,” she said in the quietest, most unsure voice Minuette had ever heard from her. “I… I’m sorry.” Minuette’s eyes widened. “You are?” Twilight sighed heavily, her posture sagging. “I got you hurt, Minuette. I was stupid and tried to push things way farther than I should have. I just thought… I thought I was better. I thought I was more powerful… But I was wrong. Do you think you could forgive me?” Minuette stared at Twilight in total shock. She had never before heard such an earnest apology from the overconfident little mage. She had always been so sure of herself, so quick to find her footing and push forward even when things got tricky. Her apologies in the past had always been almost dismissive or one-note. This was the first time she seemed to truly regret what had happened. That was reason enough. Minuette smiled and nodded. “I think I could… If you pay for the donuts next time!” What? She wasn’t going to give it to Twilight for free. That would just be too easy! Nonetheless, Twilight didn’t seem at all upset. She smiled warmly. “Heh. Deal. I’ll even buy double the donuts. My treat.” “Ooooh, I like the sound of that,” Minuette chirped, wriggling in place on the bed. Pearly and Sunspot had remained quiet for the moment, giving their child time to catch up with her friends. But with that exchange, Pearly turned back to the doctor hopefully. “So, is she good to come home?” she asked quietly. The doctor adjusted her glasses, looking over a clipboard. “Hmmm. Well, I don’t see why not. I’ll go get the discharge papers and instructions printed up in a bit. Let’s get you unplugged first.” The next few minutes passed by in an uneventful blur. The doctor got Minuette unhooked from all of the medical machinery, asked her a few questions about how she was feeling and what she remembered, and then stepped out, leaving the filly alone with her friends and family. Once the doctor was out, Minuette turned to First Aid again. “So? How was your field trip?” she asked eagerly, bouncing in place on the bed. “Was it fun?!” Moondancer had hopped up to join them now, and she looked to First Aid with interest as well. “Yeah, I’d like to know, too. It sounded fascinating when you were talking about it before you left.” First Aid smiled and nodded. “It was fun, yeah. Especially getting to explore Manehattan itself. When we weren’t at the hospital doing our research we got to look around. The buildings are so tall! Like, really tall! I felt dizzy just from looking up, they were so big!” “And the medical tech?” Moondancer asked, pushing her glasses up with a big, dorky smile. “How was all of that?” Minuette listened with rapt attention as First Aid indulged in Moondancer’s rampant curiosity. She didn’t really get most of it just then, all a bit too technical for her. But nonetheless, she was able to lose herself and her worries in the shining eyes and glowing smile of her oldest friend. The warm smiles of her parents in the back, occasionally chipping in with their own little questions or comments, was a welcome bonus. After a minute, though, a concern made itself known to Minuette. She frowned, her brow furrowing. She turned back to her mother and father, her ears lowering slightly. Pearly turned back to her with a curious look. “Minnie? What is it?” “Um… how’s the mirror?” Minuette asked anxiously, fidgeting with her hooves over her chest. “It wasn’t damaged or anything, was it?” The silence from her parents that followed that question gave Minuette an uneasy feeling. Sunspot and Pearly exchanged a meaningful glance. It was Pearly who spoke. “The mirror is fine, honey, but… I’m not so sure if...” “Pearly,” Sunspot suddenly cut her off, placing a hoof on her shoulder. “Maybe we should wait until we’re back home to talk about this?” Pearly turned back to him, her eyes hardening, and her lips drawing into a thin line. “Sunspot, you know it’s just going to get harder if we wait on this.” “Right, but do we have to do it in front of her friends?” he countered, nodding over at her. “It’s not really their business…” Minuette looked back and forth between her parents as they quietly debated… whatever it was they were debating. Whatever it was, it must have been important, and that uneasy feeling grew even worse. After a moment, she tilted her head, her eyes pleading. “What are you two talking about?” she asked quietly. Pearly and Sunspot both focused back on Minuette, the former as if only now remembering she was even there. A second passed before Pearly sighed and shook her head. “We can talk about it later. When we’re home.” Minuette frowned up at her. “Is something wrong?” Pearly did not answer her. Before Minuette could press the issue, the sound of the door opening and the doctor clearing her throat drew their attention. All eyes turned to look. Minuette frowned, confused by the gobsmacked look on the Doctor’s face. It was as if she had seen a ghost or something and was struggling to find the right way to proceed. “Er… Well, you’re all clear to go, but, uh… There’s somepony here who wants to speak with you, first, Minuette.” Minuette tilted her head curiously. “Who?” she asked. There were only so many ponies it could be, she reasoned. Maybe it was Twinkle Shine and Lemon Hearts? They had been kinda removed from recent events, maybe they were worried about her? But then again, why would they only now be showing up? And why would they be making the doctor look like that? “It’s alright, ma’am. I can take things from here,” a familiar, serene voice came from just out of Minuette’s field of view. Then, without any ceremony, Princess Celestia herself stepped through the door, her head held high and decorated with that same, motherly smile she always wore. “Princess!” Twilight squeaked, immediately dropping into a low bow. Minuette and the rest of the room were quick to follow suit. “Be at ease, my little ponies,” Celestia said in a soft, reassuring way that immediately eased the tensions in the room. “Rise and speak freely. I am here as a teacher concerned for one of her students today, not a princess.” Even with that assurance, it took a few seconds for the ponies in the room to rise. Minuette was the first up, and she looked up into Celestia’s eyes with wide-eyed fascination. She had spoken with Celestia before, of course, but she had never once imagined that the princess would come to see her in the hospital of all places. Celestia just smiled at her before nodding to the doctor. “Leave us, please.” The doctor nodded before turning and making her way out of the room. Then Celestia turned to Minuette again. “Minuette. How are you feeling?” “My head hurts,” Minuette replied with a chirpy grin. Celestia’s smile grew wider and more amused. “So I can imagine,” She said. She then turned her gaze to Twilight, who flinched away guiltily. Celestia’s smile faded, and she focused back on Minuette again. “Would you mind telling me what exactly happened?” Pearly’s eyes widened. “You came all the way here to ask us that?” she asked, seemingly in disbelief. Celestia nodded. “Of course. When it came to my attention that one of the students at my school had been hospitalized during a research project my personal student was involved in, I couldn’t just sit idly by and do nothing,” she said, strolling confidently to stand at the foot of the bed. She lowered herself to her haunches. “As my student, Twilight is my responsibility. She was quite enthusiastic about this project, and I enabled her to pursue it. Hence, it is my duty to put right what has gone wrong. And so, here I am.” There was a brief moment of silence as everypony in the room processed this information. Minuette took a second to get her thoughts in order. “So… you want me to tell you what happened?” she asked tentatively. “Please,” came the simple response. Well, this was an unexpected turn of events. Minuette took a deep breath, martialling her thoughts. She looked over to Twilight and Moondancer, and though Twilight still looked ashamed of herself, both nodded, affirming their support in this. And so, with nothing else for it, Minuette began to recount everything that had happened from their first day of studying the mirror’s enchantment to the day it finally punched back in response to Twilight’s attempts at brute-forcing it into submission. All the while, Princess Celestia listened quietly and attentively. It wasn’t a long story, but she nonetheless interrupted once or twice to seek clarification, which was usually provided by Moondancer. Twilight was remarkably quiet the entire time. Finally, Minuette had finished recounting the story. Celestia hummed quietly, pursing her lips in thought. She then turned to look at Twilight with a quirked brow. “I see. Twilight? What do you have to say about all of this?” she asked, her voice stern and expectant. Twilight flinched as if she had been struck. “I… I already apologized to her. I made a really big mistake. I thought I was better and I was wrong. I’m sorry…” Celestia eyed her for a moment longer. “All the same, I must insist you return my copy of Amulets and Artifacts.” Twilight’s eyes widened. “What? B-but, Princess-” Celestia cut her off sharply. “Twilight Sparkle, though I do not doubt you have learned your lesson, you have nonetheless proven that you are not ready to use its contents safely and responsibly. Your recklessness left one of your friends, a student in my school, hospitalized. That is unacceptable. Did you even stop to think if the mirror had defenses when you found that ward?” With every word, Twilight shrank into herself more and more, the shame on her face growing exponentially. She didn’t say anything, though. Instead, she merely lit her horn, and a pair of saddlebags in the corner that Minuette hadn’t noticed before flipped open. The book in question came drifting out, and the aura enveloping it changed from Twilight’s purple to Celestia’s radiant gold. Celestia nodded in satisfaction. “We will discuss this more in private, Twilight. But for now…” she then turned back to Minuette. It was jarring how quickly her expression went from stern and scolding to kind and caring, and it gave Minuette whiplash. “Minuette with you and your parents' permission, I would like to personally examine this mirror of yours.” Minuette’s eyes flew wide open, and she knew her parents were doing the same. She rose to her full height, a flood of questions flooding her mind. What if Celestia deemed it dangerous and took it away? What if she didn’t like what she found and destroyed it? But even amid those grim possibilities, one question, in particular, rang loud and clear in her mind. “What if she can set Fangs free?” There was no greater mage in Equestria than Princess Celestia. Whether in terms of power, knowledge, or simple intuition, the ruler of Equestria had no living equal. The only ponies or creatures that may have once been a match for her had long since passed from this world and numbered in the single digits. Starswirl the Bearded and that stupid chaos noodle, Discord, were the only ones that came to mind. If anyone could set Fangs free, it was Celestia. “Of course!” Minuette practically cheered, jumping in place excitedly. “Do you wanna come do it now? I am all for doing it now!” Celestia raised an eyebrow at her, no doubt noticing the excitement of her answer. Instead of doing the right thing and saying yes then and there, though, Celestia shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t come right away. I still have to discuss these recent events with Twilight, I need to speak with her parents about all of this, and I have a few matters in the castle that I have to complete before I can commit to any potentially lengthy investigations. I will be there in the morning, however.” Celestia then turned her eyes to Pearly and Sunspot, who had been staring at her agape for several seconds. “Assuming, of course, your parents are willing to have me?” Sunspot spluttered incoherently for a moment before bowing his head. “Oh, uh, it would be our honor, your majesty!” he said, tripping over his own words. Celestia nodded. “I am glad to hear it. Be well, all of you. Twilight,” she turned back to the shriveled filly, her eyes burning with disapproval. “Come with me.” Twilight gave off a quiet whimper but did not protest. She dutifully hopped down from the bed and followed Celestia as she stepped out of the room. Celestia paused in the doorway, giving Minuette one more smile. “Rest well, my little pony. I will see you tomorrow.” And with that, she was gone. A heavy silence hung in the room for several seconds. Then Moondancer adjusted her glasses. “You think Twilight’s gonna be okay?” she asked quietly. “She’ll be fine,” Minuette answered without missing a beat. “She’s just gonna get a good old-fashioned solar scolding. Probably be grounded for a few weeks.” Sunspot’s lips twitched slightly in dismay. “I wouldn’t mind longer than a few weeks…” “Be nice,” Pearly chastised him with a little shove. She then looked back down to Minuette. “Well, I think that’s enough excitement for one day. Are you ready to go home?” Minuette nodded. “Uh-huh!” “I’ll take her friends home,” Sunspot said, nodding to Moondancer and First Aid. “Come along, kids.” “Okay, uh. Gimme a second,” First Aid said with a quiet nod. She rose to her hooves and walked over to Minuette. Minuette looked up at her. “Hm? Something up?” First Aid didn’t answer with words. Instead, she reached out and pulled Minuette into a tight, tight hug. Minuette yelped in alarm, having not expected the sudden intimate contact. She didn’t take long to return the hug, though, burying her face into First Aid’s shoulder and savoring the contact with her friend. It had been too long since. Then First Aid whispered into her ear. “You think Celestia can free Fangs, don’t you?” Minuette went stiff. She leaned back to look into First Aid’s eyes. There was a storm of emotion raging in those gentle sapphire orbs, but Minuette couldn’t identify them just then. But, after a moment, she set her jaw and nodded. “Mhmm.” First Aid was quiet for several seconds. Then she released Minuette and backed off. “I hope you’re right,” was all she said before she turned and jumped down from the bed. Moondancer stared after her, confused, and adjusted her glasses. “What was that about?” Minuette didn’t answer. A second later, Moondancer shrugged and jumped down to follow First and Sunspot out the door, leaving Minuette alone in the room with her mother. She looked up to Pearly and smiled. “So… home?” Pearly nodded. “Yes. Home.”
You're Worth It To MeThe walk back to Minuette’s home was quiet. Neither she nor her mother said a word for the entire walk back. It was fairly windy that day, the breeze occasionally howling as it wound between the buildings, streets, and elaborate archways. Minuette ignored it all, her head rested against her mother’s mane. She didn’t even pay any attention to the numerous gazes that occasionally lingered on her. She was, after all, not so little anymore. The sight of her being carried around on her mother’s back was probably an odd spectacle. But she didn’t care. She was tired, and she had far more pressing matters on her mind. Like Fangs. How had he been taking her absence? It had all happened so quickly, and Minuette doubted her mother and father spared much of a thought to her imaginary friend when they whisked her off to the hospital. Did Fangs even know she was awake? She thought of him pacing back and forth in front of the mirror, his face all screwed up with worry. She imagined her parents had closed the curtains and turned out the lights, leaving Fangs in darkness. He could probably see well enough thanks to his glowing eyes, but still. The thought of him being alone in the dark, in the quiet… She didn’t like it. All the more reason to get home. When they stepped back into the house, a wave of relief washed over Minuette. As soon as the door was closed, she hopped down from Pearly’s back, eager to scamper upstairs and see her friend. The impact felt far stronger than she had been expecting, and her own body weight caught her by surprise. With a cry of alarm, Minuette stumbled forward, about to topple. Pearly quickly reached down and caught her before that could happen. “Woah! Careful!” she said, holding Minuette until she was stable on her hooves. “You okay?” Minuette took a deep breath and nodded up at her mother with a smile. “Yeah. Thanks.” The two stood there in silence for a second. Pearly released her hold on Minuette and nodded towards the kitchen. “Come on. Let’s get you something to eat,” she said, beckoning for her to follow. Minuette hesitated, her eyes turning to look up the stairs. “Um… I was kind of thinking…” “Minnie,” Pearly cut her off, her tone catching Minuette off guard. It wasn’t angry, but it was stern, firm, and uncompromising, all while still being kind, calm, and gentle. Minuette turned to see her mother frowning down at her. A moment passed before Pearly’s features softened, and she held out a hoof. “You’ve been cooped up in the hospital for days, and you’ve barely eaten anything. Let me get you something to eat before you go upstairs.” Minuette eyed Pearly for a few seconds longer before relenting. She followed her into the kitchen, only briefly casting her gaze over her shoulders towards the door. Fangs could wait a little bit longer, she supposed… It wasn’t long before she was sitting down at the table, patiently waiting for Pearly to finish cooking whatever it was she had in mind. The enticing aroma of hashbrown sandwiches soon filled the room, and Minuette’s mouth watered when Pearly came by and set a plate with two sandwiches down in front of her, each one housing a patty of crispy hashbrowns with a side of hay fries. A simple lunch, but effective all the same. “Thanks, mom!” She chirped before digging in. Pearly sat across from her, resting her chin in her hooves and smiling softly at Minuette as she ate. “Of course, dear. You’ve had a rough couple of days…” she said in a quiet murmur. Minuette smiled. “It’s not all bad,” she pointed out, jabbing her sandwich at Pearly as if to point at her. “Princess Celestia came to see me.” Pearly’s smile dropped off her face like a fly caught in a bug zapper, the quiet joy in her eyes fading away. She shifted in place, looking off to one side. “Yes, she did… that was… quite the surprise,” she said, lightly playing with a length of her mane. “And she’ll be coming here tomorrow. To look at the mirror…” Minuette tilted her head in, mouth open and her sandwich hovering mere inches from her lips. Had she said something wrong? Confused, she lowered her sandwich and leaned forward. “You don’t sound happy…” Pearly jumped as if she had forgotten her daughter was even there. She turned back to Minuette, offering her a warm smile that was just a little too large. “Oh, I’m excited, of course,” she said, sitting more upright. “The princess herself, in my house. It’s exciting, but… it’s also worrying…” Minuette relaxed. “Oooh, I see what’s going on here,” she thought. She set her sandwich down and leaned forward. “Hey, if you’re worried about offending her and getting in trouble, don’t be. I’ve seen fillies fire spit wads at her!” She left out the detail that Twinkle Shine had been the one to fire the shot… and that it had been Minuette’s idea. Pearly blinked at her. “...And there were no repercussions for this?” she asked, dumbfounded. Minuette leaned back with an exaggerated roll of her eyes, fighting to suppress her amused snickers. “W-well, heh, there was some punishment. The culprit had to write an essay on spit. But the princess was laughing the whole time! She thought it was funny.” Pearly just stared at her for a few seconds before laughing and shaking her head. “Ahahah. Oh, foals… You know, I remember when I was your age… I used to get up to all kinds of trouble…” “Like dad?” Minuette asked with a cheeky grin. Pearly flushed. “N-no, I got into that trouble a little later on.” Minuette giggled and went back to chowing down on her sandwich, the mood in the room lifting. Pearly watched her eat in silence for several minutes, her own gentle smile back on her face. It was only when Minuette was close to finishing her second sandwich, now feeling much better, that the silence was broken. “Minnie,” Pearly said haltingly, her voice low and uncertain as her smile died yet again. “I’m not nervous about Celestia’s visit because I might offend her…” Minuette tilted her head, confused. What other reason could her mother possibly have, she wondered? It didn’t make any sense to her. Pearly fidgeted with her hooves for a second. “I’m… I’m worried about why she’s having to come in the first place.” Minuette blinked. “You mean the mirror?” Pearly looked down, her ears drooping. “...Honey, look,” she said in a tone that immediately set off red flags in Minuette’s head. “While you were at the hospital, your father and I did some talking, and… well… I don’t think you-” The door to the house suddenly opened, cutting Pearly off mid-sentence. She jumped in her seat, and both she and Minuette turned to see Sunspot stepping back inside. He looked up at them as he shut the door and grinned. “I’m back. The other foals are home safe, Minnie.” Minuette practically bounced in her seat, waving energetically at him. “Thanks, dad! Mom was just talking to me about something,” she said before turning back to Pearly expectantly. She scarfed down what remained of her lunch, then spoke up. “What were you saying?” Pearly did not answer. She instead looked over at Sunspot, a look of uncertainty on her face. Confused, Minuette looked between them. There was something going on here, some kind of silent communication she was not privy to. Judging by the brief moment where her father’s face hardened into something grim and serious, though, it wasn’t good. Minuette frowned. “...Guys?” Pearly shook her head. “Nevermind. It’s not important. I’ll tell you later,” she said before standing up and walking over to Sunspot. Minuette’s brow furrowed. Why did she feel like she was having stuff hidden from her? She didn’t like it when ponies hid stuff from her. Hiding things meant secrets, and she hated secrets. Mostly because she absolutely sucked at keeping them, but that was beside the point. “Okay… uh… thanks for the food, mom,” she said, slipping out of her chair and heading for the stairs. She deposited her plate in the sink with her magic. “I’m just gonna go upstairs and lay down.” “Probably a good idea,” Sunspot said, the warmth and friendliness back in his face and voice as she passed. She tousled her mane, drawing a few exclamations of disapproval from her followed by an amused laugh. Sunspot grinned and nodded up the stairs. “Go on. Get some rest.” Minuette nodded. She didn’t pay her parents any more attention as she scampered upstairs. Finally, time to see Fangs! She reached her door quickly and threw it open with her magic. As she suspected, it was dark when she entered. The lights were out, and the curtain over her window was drawn shut, emitting only a narrow slit of dusty light to paint a vertical stripe onto the wall over her bed. She paused in the threshold, her eyes lingering on the mirror. Fangs was nowhere to be seen. With a hum, Minuette closed the door, pulled the curtains, and flicked on the lights. The room was more or less the same as she remembered. But there were remnants of what had happened. The walls had noticeable dents in there where she remembered Twilight and Moondancer hitting it. Her dad must not have gotten around to patching it up yet. Looking to her bookcase, she was glad to see it was undamaged - although all of her belongings on it had been put back in the wrong places! She felt a certain twinge of something that did not care for it and made a point to come back and re-arrange things later. But for now, that could wait. Turning back to the mirror, Minuette jumped when she saw Fangs standing there, one hoof raised as if he had just got done walking or running. His eyes bored into her, his lips slightly parted. “Little one…” he breathed. Minuette smiled and pranced over to the mirror. “Hey, Fangs! I’m home!” she said cheerfully, plonking down in front of it. “Did ya miss me?” Fangs leaned back as if surprised by her energy. He blinked at her, then smiled. “Yes, I did. I am glad to see you’re okay,” he said, settling down on his belly. “The last I saw or heard of you, you were being carried out of the room by your mother while your father angrily yelled at Twilight and Moondancer.” Minuette looked down, frowning. “He was mad, huh?” “Furious,” Fangs replied, looking past her to the door. “I was impressed by his restraint. The entire room turned a fierce, fiery crimson when he realized what had happened to you. I thought he was about to get violent.” Minuette shook her head. “Nah, dad’s not like that.” Fangs nodded, his wings wavering on his back. He looked down to Minuette. He was not smiling, though. Minuette’s own smile faded at the look in his eyes. “...Fangs? Is something wrong?” she asked. Fangs winced, his wings fluttering more aggressively on his back. “Yes, something is wrong,” he said, standing up and walking away from the mirror. He was quiet for several long seconds before taking in a deep breath. He looked back at her over his shoulder. “...I want you to stop trying to break the enchantment.” Minuette blinked, sitting upright. “Huh? But-” “No buts!” Fangs cut her off, raising his voice in such a way that made her jump and squeak. He turned to face her, a desperate fire in his eyes. “When you and your friends dug too deep, the mirror lashed out. Just for prodding at it! If Twilight had actually managed to break through that ward… I dare not even think of how much worse things could have been…” Minuette looked down, her ears drooping. “I… I just… I want to get you out of there.” “I want to be free as well, but not if this is the cost,” Fangs countered, his tone softening considerably. “I’ve said it before, I will say it again. I have been trapped in here for centuries. I have come to grips with my reality… I don’t…” Fangs took in a shaky breath, and Minuette looked up. To her surprise, his eyes were shimmering with tears. She leaned back in shock, trying to think of a time where she had ever seen Fangs crying before. “Fangs…?” she asked in a barely audible whisper. Fangs sat down and looked to the side, wiping his hoof over his face to get rid of his tears. He took another breath to steady himself. “...You are my friend, Minuette. My only friend, and my best friend. You are the only companion I have… and I don’t want you to get yourself hurt for my sake. My freedom is not worth your health… so please…” He focused on Minuette, his eyes pleading. “Don’t walk this road anymore. It’s too dangerous. I don’t know why I am trapped in here, but I could never live with myself if anypony I cared about got themselves hurt… or w-worse… trying to find out. I’m not worth it.” “But what if you’re worth it to me?” Minuette asked, placing her hoof on the mirror’s glass, right where Fangs’ heart would be. “You’re such a good guy, Fangs. You don’t deserve this…” “I have lived with it for hundreds of years, little one,” Fangs reminded her once again, shaking his head. “You tried your best. You made it farther than anyone else has, and I am beyond proud of you for that. But I am begging you to go no further.” Minuette watched as Fangs reached out his hoof, pressing it to the glass in front of hers. Mere inches apart, but unable to reach her through this impenetrable wall of glass. He pressed his forehead against the barrier and closed his eyes. “If not for your own safety, then for my ease of mind… I can’t bear the thought of losing you like that...” Minuette stared at him for several long seconds, her heart withering in her chest. With a sigh, she rose and pressed her head against the glass as well. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes as her thoughts raged in her mind. Why was it that, no matter what she tried to do to help Fangs’ lot in life, it always blew up in her face? First, it was Bristle, and now it was this. What kind of sick joke was this stupid mirror trying to pull? What monster had been so cruel to make it this way? But not all hope was lost, was it? There was still a chance. One last hope that Fangs could be set free from his unfair, unjust imprisonment, and it would be coming here tomorrow. After a second, Minuette leaned back. “Well... Princess Celestia is coming here tomorrow,” she said in a whisper, putting on a small smile. “She’s gonna look at the mirror. I’m one of her students, and she wants to make sure I’m safe. So she’s going to study it herself…” Fangs’ eyes opened. He stared at Minuette in surprise. “The Princess is coming here? Personally?” he asked in disbelief. Minuette nodded, stepping back. “Mhmm. She’ll look at it, she’ll figure out how it works, and then she’ll set you free once and for all!” she declared as if it were already decided. “And then I can hug you!” Fangs looked down for a moment, his eyes shifting as the weight of this realization hit him all at once. He rubbed a hoof over his face, blinking rapidly while his wings twitched on his back. “Huh… You really think she can pull it off?” “Uh-huh!” Minuette chirped, spinning around on the spot. “She’s the princess! She can do anything! She even sent an evil killjoy named Nightmare Moon to the- well, to the moon!” she declared, thrusting her hoof up at the window. Fangs weighed her words for a moment, slowly nodding. “...Very well. I suppose, if ever there was a pony who could free me, it would be her,” he said, smiling. “Thank you, Minuette. If this works, then you will have my undying gratitude for making this possible. But if it doesn’t...” “Oh, pssh,” Minuette waved a hoof dismissively. “It’ll work. She’s Celestia!” “Little One,” Fangs interrupted her, his voice carrying a gentle, but firm, edge. “If it does not work… then that will be the end of it. Do you understand me?” Minuette tilted her head. “Huh?” “If Celestia is unable to free me… what hope will you ever have?” he asked carefully, his eyes lowering. “I do not mean any disrespect when I say that. But Princess Celestia is your magical superior by uncountable orders of magnitude. She raises the sun while you struggle to raise fifty pounds. If it is beyond her power to free me, then promise me that you will stop looking for a way yourself.” “But she will free you,” Minuette insisted, scampering up to the mirror and pressing both of her hooves up against it. “That I can promise!” “Minuette, please…” Fangs pressed, looking up into her eyes pleadingly. “Just do me this favor. And I will pray that you are right.” Minuette hesitated for a second. Finally, she shrugged. What could it hurt? “Alright, fine. I promise, if Princess Celestia somehow can’t let you out - which she absolutely will let you out! - then I won't keep trying to free you myself. Happy?” Fangs chuckled at the snarky tone she took on that last word before straightening his posture. “More than I was. Thank you, little one.” Minuette grinned and backed away from the mirror. This was going to work, she knew it. After everything she had tried, she had gotten the attention of the most powerful creature in the known world. There was no way Celestia would fail to set Fangs free. She could already picture him stepping through the glass, smiling down at her, before she threw herself against him and felt his chitinous skin for the first time. With that fantasy - no, that imminent reality - burning itself into her mind’s eye, she stared into Fangs’ eyes and spoke. “You’re welcome.” Author's Note Minnie be doing a confident.
Fears and StoriesThe rest of the day passed by peacefully enough. Minuette spent the majority of her time with her parents after her heart-to-heart with Fangs, just chatting and getting caught up on what she had missed. It was mercifully little thankfully, although there was the slight hiccup that the school had seen fit to send homework to her house! She had been more than a little peeved about that. “I mean come on! I was in the hospital for Celestia’s sake! Celestia was there! It’s dumb! They’re dumb!” And so on and so forth until her family quelled her seething impotent rage with a cookie. But, alas, Minuette was still not back to one-hundred percent yet. Her muscles were still weak after the days spent without any use. As the day dragged on, her movements became slower as the energy left her body. When the time finally came to eat dinner, she barely said a word. She thanked her mother of course. Her cooking was always deserving of praise. But outside of that, Minuette didn’t really participate in the conversation. She just idly ate her food at a slow pace, allowing her thoughts to drift. “...Minnie?” Sunspot’s voice suddenly cut through the haze of her thoughts, bringing Minuette back to the here and now. She sat upright with a jolt and shook her head. “O-oh, uh! Sorry, huh? What?” she rambled, blinking a few times and shuffling in place to wake herself up some. Sunspot quirked a brow. “You okay?” he asked. Minuette nodded, already feeling her exhaustion creeping up on her again. She gave a little nod, looking back down at her food. “Uh-huh.” A second passed. Sunspot’s concerned frown turned into a gentle, knowing smile. “Tired?” For a brief, insane moment, Minuette contemplated saying ‘no’ to that. It was usually her modus operandi to proclaim her never-ending energy to the world and do something spastic to prove it. But, as fate would have it, she was just a little too tired to be bothered, and so she just offered up another small nod. “Uh-huh.” “Wow, you must be really tired,” Pearly remarked, hiding her smirk with a hoof. “You actually said ‘yes’!” “Nuh-uh,” Minuette weakly protested, pouting at her mother. “I said ‘uh-huh’! Totally…” She trailed off as she was overcome with the most poorly timed yawn possible. Once she was able to close her mouth, she pouted at the smugly satisfied grins of her parents. “...Shu’up.” The two parents shared an amused laugh at their daughter’s expense before Sunspot got up and gingerly picked Minuette up out of her seat. She blinked in confusion, having not quite noticed it until she was being carried away from the table on her dad’s back. “Let’s get you to bed, eh? You need your rest for when the princess comes tomorrow,” he said with a warm smile. “But food,” Minuette protested, turning to look at her plate. She had eaten most of her food, but there was still a little bit left. “Don’t worry, your mom made plenty. There will be leftovers,” Sunspot assured her as they ascended the stairs. “You can have more in the morning. Besides, you were looking about ready to pass out there. You need the rest.” “...But food.” Sunspot shook his head with a little laugh and nudged open Minuette’s door with his magic. He came to an unexpected stop a few steps in, though. When he didn’t continue, Minuette looked at him with confusion. His eyes were fixated on something to the side. With her brain still playing catch-up, Minuette followed his eyes to see what he was looking at. The mirror stared back at them. Fangs was nowhere to be seen at the moment. Minuette tilted her head, her groggy mind trying to piece together what was going on. Before she had a chance to ponder it, though, Sunspot went back into motion, heading for his daughter’s bed. Minuette gave off a quiet murmur as she felt herself lifted off of Sunspot’s back by magic, and then gave a satisfied groan when the familiar sensation of sinking into her mattress hit her back. Her muscles melted like butter, and she practically went limp then and there. She was honestly amazed she didn’t immediately fall asleep. Sunspot smiled down at her, using his magic to tuck her in. “You go ahead and go to sleep, okay sweetie?” he said in a quiet whisper. He leaned down and planted a gentle kiss right below Minuette’s horn, drawing a quiet giggle from her. “Heh… been a while since you carried me up here like this,” Minuette noted, snuggling into her blankets. “Well, you aren’t tiny anymore,” Sunspot pointed out with a smirk. “Or that young. You’re a growing filly. Why, in a few years, you’ll basically be a mare.” “Ugh. Growing up,” Minuette stuck out her tongue at the idea. “I don’t wanna…” Sunspot smiled down at her. He didn’t say anything, though. He brushed his hoof through her mane a few times, his smile going distant. Minuette looked up at him for a few seconds, a feeling of nostalgia for when she was really little coming to her. From before Fangs came into her life, even. “Hey, dad?” she eventually asked. Sunspot seemed to snap out of his reverie and looked down at her. “Hm?” “...Um, I know I’m a little old for this, but…” she shuffled in place before giving him her best puppy dog eyes. “...Can you tell me a story tonight?” Sunspot stared down at her for a second, his eyes blinking wide. A moment later, he smiled and gently shook his head. “Heh. Maybe someday, but not tonight. I don’t have any good ones off the top of my head. Besides, you need to sleep, and I don’t wanna keep you up.” With that, he stood up and made his way to the door. Minuette watched him go, pouting in disappointment. “...Okay. Maybe some other time?” she asked quietly. “Sure. Maybe,” Sunspot replied, stopping briefly in the doorway to smile back at her. “But ya know… I’ve always been the one telling you stories… Maybe you can think of one to tell me someday.” There was something in the way he said it that gave Minuette pause. Before she had a chance to question him, though, he quietly wished her pleasant dreams and slipped out, closing the door behind him and plunging the room into darkness. Unfortunately, sleep proved to be an elusive companion tonight. Minuette fell asleep for only an hour after her father left the room before her anxious thoughts overpowered her light, wispy dreams and restored her to the waking world. Her exhausted eyes stared blearily up at the ceiling, and a cold frustration began to worm its way into her system. Why was it always like this? She felt really tired, she wanted to sleep, but oh no, something important was happening tomorrow, and she was so anxious and eager for it that it sent her mind spiraling into a storm of what-ifs and exciting tangents that, ultimately, made no sense, like spider geese. And now she was imagining that unholy combination and groaned in frustration as her mind proved her point for her. She rolled over onto her side, eyeing the mirror. She could see Fangs through its surface, currently curled up on the ground in front of the glass with his eyes closed. He looked like he was sleeping, though as far as Minuette knew, he wasn’t physically capable of sleep in there. Probably just resting, letting his mind wander and conjure up a facsimile of a dream to pass the silence of the night. She just watched him for a few minutes, smiling softly at her friend. Come the morning, he’d finally be free, and she could give him that hug she had wanted to give him for years. She couldn’t wait. But she kinda had no choice, because she was still awake dangit! With a tired sigh, Minuette slipped out of bed and made her way for the door. She needed to use the restroom anyway. “Maybe a few minutes on my hooves will help me fall asleep?” Fangs blinked open an eye as she passed, but did not say anything for the moment. She briefly smiled at him before slipping out of the room and starting for the bathroom down the hall to her right. Some of the lights were still on, she noted. “Mom and dad must still be up,” she thought to herself. “I did go to bed really early. They’ll probably be going to bed soon, too.” She conducted her ‘business’ in the bathroom swiftly before turning to look at herself in the mirror. She couldn’t help but snort in amusement. “Heh. I look dumb,” she said aloud, turning her head this way and that. Her mane was beyond messy after her restless tossing and turning, and the heavy bags under her eyes made clear just how exhausted she was. There was also a general dopiness to her expression that, even with her mind mired as it was, she found amusing. She didn’t spend long staring at her reflection in the bathroom, though. She had a much better mirror for that, anyway. She stepped back out into the hall and made for her room, letting out a loud yawn. Minuette came to an abrupt halt when she heard her mother’s voice coming quietly from downstairs. She tilted her head and looked down the steps. There was something off about her voice. A moment later, Sunspot’s voice answered Pearly’s, both of them whispered. A pit formed in Minuette’s stomach. Something was wrong. Keeping her head low and her steps quiet, she began to descend the stairs for the living room. With every step she took, the voices became louder and more distinct, until she could make out the words. “I’m scared, Spot.” Minuette stopped next to the entrance to the living room and pressed herself against the wall. It wasn’t right to eavesdrop, she knew that, but at the same time, something compelled her to keep hidden. There was an uneasy feeling surrounding her, like she suddenly didn’t belong here. And if there was somewhere she didn‘t belong, she wanted to know why. Sunspot answered Pearly’s statement with a soft sigh. “I know you are. I’m worried about her, too. But we can’t rush this, you know that. Celestia will be here tomorrow, so let’s just wait and hear what she has to say before we do anything rash.” Minuette furrowed her brow. “Worried about who? Me? Are they talking about me?” she thought, inching just a little closer. “But… I’m fine. Tired, sure, but I’m here and I’m fine…” Pearly gave off a quiet groan of frustration. “Sunspot, have you even been paying attention?! Have you seen just how obsessed she’s become with that thing?! Even if Celestia tells us it’s perfectly harmless, she’ll still obsess over it!” “I know that,” Sunspot answered carefully. “But again, we have to be careful. If we do this the wrong way… I don’t want our relationship with her to suffer because we were stupid.” “She’s thirteen years old, Sunspot. She’s too old to be so invested in an imaginary friend, and I know my daughter isn’t wrong in the head! She’s a smart, clever girl! She shouldn’t be so adamant about this anymore!” Minuette felt a pang of anger in her chest but was quick to force it down. “Tomorrow. They’ll see when Celestia frees him.” Pearly went on without giving Sunspot a chance to speak. “And now this?! If Celestia’s student had pushed any harder, or if Minnie had been positioned any differently, I… I don’t…” Minuette’s ears drooped when she heard her mother sniffling. “Is… is she crying!?” She heard hooves moving across the carpeted floor, and Pearly’s quiet sobbing became muffled, and Minuette had the feeling she was burying her face into Sunspot’s chest. Sunspot took on a disarming tone, lowering his voice as if to coax Pearly’s into dropping with it. “I know, I know. You’re not wrong. But you know how attached to it she is. We have to be careful.” “But what if it hurts her again?!” Pearly demanded, her voice trembling. “What if it’s worse next time?! It’s doing something to her, Sunspot! We never should have gotten it… And the longer we keep it around, the more we’re letting this happen, the more we’re enabling her!” Minuette’s heart was starting to beat harder in her chest. A sickening, horrible feeling of dread welled up in her gut, spreading to the tips of her legs. She pulled her lips in, her ears facing forward. “Please don’t be saying what it sounds like…” A second passed before Pearly said exactly what Minuette hoped she never would. “W-we have to get rid of the mirror.” Her heart all but stopped in her chest, allowing a horrible feeling of cold to seep into her muscles. She sucked in a breath, unknowing if it was heard by her parents or not as the whole world went quiet around her. Her groggy thoughts spun into overdrive, a surge of dread, anger, and fear swallowing her whole. “T-they want to… get rid of it?” she thought, taking a shaky step back. “But… n-no, they can’t! If they get rid of the mirror, then…” She took another step back, her mind wandering to Fangs. In her mind’s eye, she saw an image of the mirror being hauled away in her mother’s magic while Sunspot held her back. She saw Fangs pressing himself against the glass, pounding against it with his hooves and calling out to her with tears in his eyes. She heard her own voice screaming after him, begging Pearly to bring him back. She couldn’t let that happen! But what could she do? She was just a foal, and she was still weak from her time in the hospital. She wouldn’t be able to stop her parents from getting rid of it with force no matter how hard she tried, and she wasn’t sure if she could talk her family into letting her keep the mirror. Not after everything that had happened. Barely keeping herself from breaking down into sobs, Minuette spun on her hooves and made her way back up the stairs, doing her best not to make any noise. She didn’t know if she had been heard or not. She couldn’t focus on the world around her through the tumult of her own thoughts. After a short, chaotic blur of motion, she staggered back into her room and closed the door behind her. Fangs was up in an instant, his eyes wide. “Minuette?” he asked, his voice laced with concern as he looked at her. He must have seen the whirlwind of negative emotions swirling around her, and he quickly rose to his full height. “What is it? What’s wrong?!” The moment Minuette heard that question, the dam broke. Tears leaked out of her eyes as she sprinted across the room, throwing herself against the mirror after a single bound. “F-Fangs!” she whimpered, pressing her face into the glass. “M-mom and dad! I heard them talking! They w-wanna throw you away!” “They what?” Fangs asked, taken aback. “Why?” Minuette looked up at him, sniffling and struggling to maintain her composure. “M-mom said t-that - sniff - that you’re d-dangerous! She th-thinks the Mirror’s doing something to me! That it’s making me act wrong! S-she’s afraid it’ll hurt me!” Fangs knelt down until he was at eye level, maintaining a shocking amount of composure. “Little One, calm down,” he said carefully, pressing a hoof to the glass. “Take a few deep breaths. Compose yourself.” “I w-won’t let them take you away!” Minuette denied, shaking her head. She hadn’t really heard what Fangs had said. She was too distraught to think or listen. She screwed her eyes shut, shaking her head. “I won’t! I don’t wanna lose you! I don’t want you to be alone again!” “Minuette!” Fangs barked, his voice rising just enough to stun Minuette into listening. She looked up into his eyes and briefly flinched back when she saw the raw fire in them. A moment passed before his expression softened considerably, and he pressed a hoof to the glass. “Breathe, little one. Breathe. I’m still here. We have time.” Minuette took his advice, taking a series of deep breaths. Little by little, her panic began to fade away, allowing her to think more clearly. Once Fangs was satisfied she was collected, he leaned back. “Now, tell me everything you heard. It’s possible you might be misunderstanding.” Minuette shook her head. “I don’t think so, but… okay,” she said. She launched into what she had heard, recounting everything her parents had said while she was listening in on them. Fangs listened quietly, his expression turning increasingly grim the more he heard. When Minuette finished recounting what she had overheard, a heavy silence fell over the room. Fangs remained planted in place, his expression sour. “They don’t believe you’re real,” Minuette said, shaking in place. She glanced back at her door, afraid her parents might barge in at any moment to take it away. Fangs nodded quietly. “Indeed… I cannot blame them for feeling the way they do. It was only earlier today that I expressed similar concerns for your health.” “But you’re the one in the mirror!” Minuette pressed, planting her forehooves against the glass. “You’re not an imaginary friend! You’re not responsible for what happened to me! You’re real! You’re right there! And you’re an even bigger victim than I am!” Fangs eyed her for a second, his lips tugging up into a somber smile. A second passed before Minuette sat back down, rubbing her face with her hooves. “Ugh… what do I do, Fangs?! I can’t let them take you away, but I can’t stop them if they really try… and… I d-don’t wanna argue with my parents.” Fangs nodded, humming in thought. “...Well, from what I have heard, it sounds to me like what we do is nothing.” Minuette looked up at Fangs, not very confused. “H-huh? But-” “Your father made it evident he is the more cautious of the two,” Fangs cut her off gently, his voice low and soothing. He met her gaze and smiled. “He has advocated that they wait until after Celestia has had a chance to investigate my prison herself - and, if your confidence in the princess is not misplaced, then she will do all of the heavy lifting for us.” Minuette blinked, taking a second to think it over. The more she thought about it, the more her fears began to relax, and a smile spread on her face. “Y-yeah… you’re right. Celestia will figure out the deal with the mirror and let you out! Then mom and dad can throw the mirror away all they want! You won’t be a prisoner anymore!” Fangs nodded. “Precisely. So for now, we do nothing, and let the princess do her work.” Minuette let out a heavy sigh of relief. She allowed herself to flop back onto the floor, staring up at the ceiling with her grin growing wider. She had been panicking there for a minute, but her confidence was back to full strength. How could she have forgotten to take the princess into account? Probably how sleepy she was, but eh, details. Ultimately, her parents’ fears didn’t actually change anything. The most they would do is make the conversation after Fangs was free a little more emotionally charged, but she had dealt with emotional gunk before. This would be a piece of cake. Besides, Fangs was really good with words and Celestia was an excellent judge of character. Between the three of them, Minuette knew they’d convince her mom and dad that Fangs was a good guy. Maybe he could even move in with them? It wasn’t like he had anywhere else to go right now. And then she yawned. A massive, epic yawn that would have shaken mountains. Or, well, that’s what Minuette told herself, at least. In reality, it was more of a tiny squeak with a wide-open mouth. Fangs smiled down at her in amusement. “Now… I believe that is enough excitement for tonight. It is out of our hooves, so best not to fret. Get some sleep,” he encouraged her. Minuette grunted, her smile fading away as she was reminded of her bed. “Guh… I was trying to sleep, but I just couldn’t,” she grumbled in irritation. “My head’s too awake.” “Well, you should still be in bed,” Fangs urged her. “Even if you can’t sleep, you can rest, and you’ll need all you can get for tomorrow.” “Ugh, you sound like my dad,” Minuette groused, hauling herself back up to her hooves and flashing Fangs a smirk of her own. “I like to think I’d make a very good father, thank you,” Fangs shot back with a smile of his own. “I have had a lot of practice with foals over the years, after all.” Minuette rolled her eyes and hopped up onto the bed. “I guess you have, yeah. I wonder what a missus Fangs would look like…” “One can imagine,” Fangs said, lowering his voice. “Now get some rest.” “I’ll try,” Minuette sighed, flopping down onto her pillow and pulling the blankets up to her chin. ...And just like that, the tired went away. “What is wrong with me?” Fangs let off a quiet chortle, no doubt seeing the waves of indignant frustration rolling off of her. “Heh. Would it help if I told you a story, Little One?” he asked with a smile. Minuette rolled to face him, her eyes lighting up. “Oh, oh! Yes, please! You tell the best stories! And your voice is just amazing for it!” Fangs smiled and puffed up at the praise. “Ha. Very well. But just so you know, this story isn’t mine,” he said, sitting back down on his haunches. “It’s your father’s.” Minuette blinked, tilting her head. “...Huh?” Fangs nodded toward the door. “A couple of days back, he came walking in a little before you arrived at school. He sat down by the bed for a while and started telling the story as if you were in it.” Minuette frowned in confusion. “...But… why would he do that?” she asked quizzically. “Why tell a story to my bed if I’m not in it?” Fangs shrugged. “I do not know… perhaps nostalgia? You aren’t a tiny filly anymore. Maybe he was trying to relive the feelings of bygone times. After that, he picked up the hammer you left on the floor, stepped out, and shortly after your friends arrived to start studying.” Minuette tilted her head. A moment later, though, she shrugged and snuggled into her blankets, facing Fangs. “Well, that’s confusing, but a story’s a story! Lay it on me!” Fangs nodded and sat back, closing his eyes. “Very well… Once upon a time, there was a little unicorn filly named Lakesong who lived in an old house at the edge of the forest. She lived with her mother and her father, who loved her very much. Lakesong spent her days playing with her friends from the nearby village, frolicking through the fields and flowers. But she never played in the forest, for her parents warned her that it was dangerous, and filled with horrible monsters that would gobble her up. But foals are foals, impetuous and curious. And so it was that Lakesong took her friends with her into the forest one day, eager to see what they would find. The woods were thick, and soon the light of the sun had been blocked by the leaves. The children could see almost nothing in the darkness, and the light from Lakesong’s horn did nothing to push away the shadows. Now knowing fear, the foals bit down on one another’s tails so they would not lose one another. Long did they wander the woods, through the dark, surrounded on all sides by things they could not describe. The warmth of day fled, and the cold of the night chilled them to their bones. The foals feared that they might never find their way. But then they heard somepony singing in the distance, a mare’s voice: soft, and gentle, and beautiful. With nowhere else to go, Lakesong led her friends to the source of the voice. There they found a beautiful clearing, a single shaft of light from the moon shining down through the leaves upon a pond surrounded by flowers of pink and blue, and covered in water lilies. And above the gentle waves of the water, there flew the ghost of a mare, pale as snow. Yet Lakesong was not afraid, for how could she be scared of so sweet a song. The ghost saw them and smiled. “New ponies! It has been so long since I have met somepony new!” she said, excited and vigorous. “I am Misty, and this pond is my home. Who are you?” “I am Lakesong, and these are my friends,” Lakesong said. “We’re lost.” Misty reached out to hold Lakesong’s hoof in hers, her voice buttery and sweet. “Oh, you poor dears. You got curious and wandered into the woods, didn’t you?” Lakesong told her all, of how they had been wandering for hours upon hours, of how they had lost their way in their curiosity. Misty listened, then nodded to the bed of flowers. “I can help you return home, little ponies. But first, you should sleep. It is dangerous at night, and I do not wish for you to be hurt.” And so Lakesong and her friends slept in that clearing all night, under the light of the moon and Misty’s watchful eye. She proved to be fun and clever, a ray of sunshine in the frightening forest. A true friend. When the day came, Misty led the foals back through the woods, for the edge of the forest. Soon, they could see the light of the sun again, and they left the forest. “Come with us, Misty,” Lakesong said to Misty. “My parents would love to meet you, and thank you for saving us!” Misty shook her head. “I am afraid I cannot leave the forest. It is my home. And what if somepony else gets lost? I must be there to see them safely home.” Lakesong tried and tried to convince Misty to come back with her, but alas, the ghost was not to be persuaded. And so Lakesong had to bid her farewell. “Thank you again for saving us, Misty!” she called as they left. “I promise we’ll come and see you again!” “Please do! These woods are terribly lonely!” Misty called back. She then turned and vanished into the wood. When Lakesong got home, her mother and her father were angry with her, and they scolded her. “Do not go into the woods, we said! It’s dangerous, we said!” “But mom, dad, I’m okay!” Lakesong argued. “Misty The Ghost saved me!” “Misty The Ghost?” the father spat. “Nonsense! Everypony knows there is no such thing as ghosts! Ponytails and poppycock! You are never to go into those woods again, do you hear me?!” But Lakesong did not listen. She and her friends snuck away to the woods many times, playing with Misty in the waters of her pond. But as the years dragged on and on, Lakesong’s friends drifted apart, as work and life called them away. But not Lakesong. She continued to see Misty whenever she could, happily until the end of her days… Fangs opened his eyes when he finally finished recounting the story. He looked to Minuette and found that she had fallen asleep at some point, a peaceful smile on her face. His heart warmed at the sight, and he bowed his head low. “...Thank you, Little One,” he whispered quietly. “For your companionship, for your joy… for your love. Thank you for everything you have given me. I will cherish them always.” With that, he stepped back out of view, allowing Minuette to get her sleep. Author's Note This chapter was quite the undertaking to throw together, lemme tell ya.
Minuette's ResolveMinuette wasn’t sure how long she stayed like that, but it must have been a while. She eventually heard the telltale sound of the front door opening and closing, followed by the muffled clatter of wheels through the window as Celestia’s carriage was taken away. After that, it was a long silence, occasionally disturbed by the almost inaudible talking of her mother and father downstairs. Minuette took a deep breath. She was still far from being in a good mood, and there were still dried tear-marks on her cheeks. With a shaky sniffle, she wiped her hooves over her face and stared into the mirror, meeting Fangs’ gaze. “Well… what do we do now?” she asked in a soft whisper. Fangs shrugged. “I… do not know how to answer that. I suppose, for the time being, all we can do is follow Celestia’s orders, and go back to living our lives.” Minuette looked down, shaking her head. “I guess…” she mumbled. In truth, she wasn’t sure she liked the sound of that. After everything that had happened as of late, going back to the regular routine was the last thing on her mind. Maybe it was just her lingering bad mood from the revelation that Fangs would never be freed, but it just felt wrong somehow. “Hey, come now,” Fangs whispered, drawing her attention back to him. He offered her a comforting smile. “Dry your tears. The Minuette I know and care for wouldn’t let something like this keep her spirits down for long.” Minuette managed to put on a small, weak smile. “Heh… Right. Sorry. I’ll cheer up soon, promise,” she said, wiping her hoof over her face again. She took a series of deep breaths to compose herself and her thoughts in order. After a few more minutes, a gentle knocking came to the door. Minuette turned back to look and watched as both Sunspot and Pearly stepped into the room, her mother in the lead. “Hey, Minuette,” Pearly said softly. She blinked on seeing the clearly distraught look in her daughter’s eyes and stepped forward. “Are you okay?” Minuette put on a small smile. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m alright,” she said, rising back to her hooves. She faced her approaching parents fully and did her best to smile at them and assuage their concerns. “Just a little disappointed, that’s all…” There was a brief pause, and Minuette had to resist the urge to look back toward Fangs. Sunspot and Pearly exchanged a glance. Sunspot stepped forward, tilting his head curiously to one side. “Disappointed? About what?” he asked curiously, sitting down beside his daughter and placing a hoof on her back. Minuette glanced up at him, frowning in confusion. “Um… you know. About Fangs. How she can’t let him out.” Sunspot and Pearly exchanged wary glances, and an uneasy feeling began to settle into place in Minuette’s gut. A moment passed before Pearly stepped closer, her brow furrowed. “Right… sweetie… about that…” she said slowly and carefully as if choosing her words with extreme caution. Minuette frowned, tilting her head to one side. “Mom?” Pearly sat down in front of Minuette. It was at about this time that Minuette realized that her father’s hoof was curling around her back as if to hold her in place. She glanced up at him to see him shooting Pearly a hard, meaningful glance. Pearly was quiet for several seconds, fishing for words. She took a long deep breath, glanced skeptically at the mirror behind Minuette, and began to speak. “Princess Celestia told us what you two talked about… About why you started studying the mirror, and why you got your friends involved.” Minuette’s eyes lit up, and for a brief moment, a spark of joy came into life in her heart. “Does this mean they finally believe me?!” she thought, about ready to jump and squeal with excitement. It was her mother’s low tone and anxious demeanor that kept her rooted on the spot, listening with held breath and rapidly mounting dread. Pearly looked at Sunspot again before continuing. “I’ve been really worried about you for a long time now… You’ve been obsessed with that mirror almost ever since we got it for you. And then your imaginary friend, this ‘Fangs’ shows up, and you get even more attached to it. With how obsessed you are with him I’d almost swear he was actually real.” “He is real,” Minuette stated, her nostrils flaring. Pearly held up a hoof to quiet Minuette down. “I… I wish I could believe that, dear. I really do.” Minuette felt a tingle of anger on the back of her skull. She barely fought down a snarl and brushed Sunspot’s hoof away before rising to her hooves. “Why don’t you?! Princess Celestia herself told you he’s real, didn’t she?!” “She said she believed you,” Sunspot said a second later, his brow furrowed in sympathy. “But I just can’t,” Pearly went on, shaking her head. “It doesn’t make any sense. And even if he is real, that’s even worse!” “What?!” Minuette snapped, the fur on the back of her neck standing on end. “How is that worse, mom?! He’s been nothing but a great friend to me ever since I met him!” “Because if he is real, then a magical creature is living in my little girl’s room all the time, and saying and doing things I can’t see! He could be watching you while you sleep, and who knows what he could be saying to you!?” Minuette felt her anger begin to boil at these outrageous, scandalous claims. If anything, Fangs watched over her, at the very worst! She opened her mouth to give a biting retort, but a sharp clearing of Fangs’ throat caught her attention. She glanced back at him to see his expression hardened in warning. “Calm, Minuette,” he told her in a soothing town. “Take a breath. Relax. They will not listen to you if you come at this from a position of anger.” Minuette let his words echo in her ears for a moment, then nodded. She took a deep breath and turned back to Pearly, setting her jaw. “Mom, please. He’s my friend,” she tried in a more diplomatic tone. “He’s been almost like a big brother to me. Or maybe a quirky grandpa, he’s old enough for it. He’s been there for me for a long time when I needed someone to talk to or help me through something when you guys weren’t there. He’s a good guy… And he was alone for a long time before I ever met him. I want to be his friend and keep him company. It’s all I can do for him.” Pearly looked down slightly as Minuette finished speaking. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, clearly following Minuette’s example and trying to calm down. Sunspot took this chance to cut in, slipping around to be in Minuette’s line of sight. “We’re just worried about you,” he said gently, lifting Minuette’s chin so they were eye to eye. “You have to understand how this all looks to your mother and I. We’ve never been able to see Fangs, or hear him, or anything. All we have to go off of are your stories about him, and how obsessed you are with the mirror.” Minuette sighed, brushing his hoof aside. “I… I know. I know you’re worried… I overheard you two talking last night.” A heavy silence fell over the trio as Minuette revealed her prior eavesdropping. Pearly lifted her head, meeting her daughter’s gaze directly. “Then you know what I want to do…?” Minuette quickly took a step back, making sure to keep herself between her mother and the mirror. “I know, and I won’t let you take him!” she stated emphatically. Her heart was starting to beat faster in her chest at the prospect of having this argument now, especially after going so long thinking it wouldn’t even be an issue. But nevertheless, she held her ground. Pearly stood up, her brow furrowing. “Minuette, please. This obsession isn’t healthy!” “Princess Celestia herself told you it’s safe!” Minuette shot back, spreading her stance. “She told you about Fangs! Why can’t you just believe her if it’s so hard to believe your own daughter?! She’s the Princess for pony’s sake!” That gave Pearly pause. She took a step back, and she was suddenly not quite able to meet Minuette’s eyes. “I just… I…” Sunspot stepped in between the two, meeting Minuette’s gaze directly. “We just need some proof, Minuette,” he told her firmly. “Princess Celestia said she believed you, but she couldn’t see Fangs, either. I want to believe you, but I just can’t. Not yet. But if Fangs is real, then surely there’s something you can say, some story you can tell us, that’ll prove it? You’ve known him long enough.” Minuette blinked, her mind stalling for a moment. It sounded almost like her father was trying to nudge her into saying something specific, but whatever it was he was fishing for, it escaped her… Until his words from the previous night rang in her ears like the morning bell. “But ya know… I’ve always been the one telling you stories… Maybe you can think of one to tell me someday.” And just like that, it clicked. Minuette looked up at her father with wide eyes, realizing now that her father was a much more clever stallion than she had ever given him credit for. “Lakesong…” she breathed. Pearly blinked, lifting her head. “What?” Minuette practically began to bounce in place. “Lakesong! The story about Lakesong!” she repeated, lifting up onto her hind legs and planting her hooves firmly against her father’s chest. “You came in here one day when I was away at school! You said you were looking for that hammer I stole from you, but you were actually telling Fangs the story about Lakesong and Misty! He told it to me to help me sleep last night!” Pearly frowned, looking over at Sunspot. “What? What is she talking about?!” Sunspot just smiled. He reached down to gently nudge Minuette off of him before sitting back on his haunches. “Why don’t you recount this story for me? Just so I can be sure,” he said softly. Minuette nodded, glancing back at Fangs with a wide, ecstatic grin. He smiled back at her and gave a little nod of his own. Then, with a deep breath, Minuette sat down in front of Sunspot and launched into the story. “Mmkay, so, once upon a time there was this cute little filly called Lakesong, and she lived with her mom and dad by the edge of this big, spooky forest! She played with her friends all day, but she was always warned to never go into the forest, cause uh, it’ll gobble her up or something!” “The monsters in the forest were what would gobble her up,” Fangs noted under his breath. “But close enough.” “But Lakesong and her friends were just foals!” Minuette went on, ignoring Fangs’ remark. “And you know us! Always getting into trouble!” “Well, that much is true at least,” Pearly muttered. “Hush, dear,” Sunspot shushed her. Minuette pressed on. “So Lakesong and her friends decided to go into the forest! And they got lost and scared and wandered all over the place in the dark. Then they found this pond thing, and there was a ghost there named Misty! And Misty was really nice, she protected the foals for the night while they slept, and then she took them home when the sun came up! But she didn’t leave the forest, ‘cause the forest was her home! And nopony believed Lakesong and her friends about Misty, cause ghosts aren’t real, apparently, but Lakesong never stopped believing in her and went to see her whenever she could! And they all lived happily ever after, except Misty, ‘cause she was dead already!” There was a momentary pause as her retelling of the story sunk in. Pearly just stared at her, utterly baffled, then turned to Sunspot. “...Honey? What in the world is going on?” she asked after a moment. “What does any of that mean?” Sunspot turned back to Pearly with a wide grin of his own. “It means, Pearly, that Minuette was telling the truth. Fangs is real.” “What?! How?!” Sunspot turned back to Minuette, meeting her wide, overjoyed eyes with a soft smile. “I’ve kinda had this feeling he was real for a long time, now. I remembered how the kid who had this before Minuette kept saying there was a monster in the mirror, and then when Minuette got it, she got this ‘imaginary friend.’ I thought it was a coincidence at first, but the longer it’s gone on, and the more adamant she’s become, the more I started to think it was more than that.” Minuette felt her heart twisting slightly. “You did?” she asked. “Then… why didn’t you say anything?” “I didn’t say anything because… well…” he shrugged. “What if I was wrong? What if you were just making it up? I didn’t want to enable you if you were just having some really weird puberty phase or something.” Minuette’s cheeks tinted just a little red at that. “That’s… daaaad!” she half-laughed, half groaned, slapping a hoof to his face. “That’s so dumb!” Sunspot chuckled. “Heh, maybe,” he confessed before sobering up. “Anyway, once you started trying to figure out how this thing worked, I decided it was about time I found out for sure. But I can’t see Fangs, or hear him, or anything like that, so I needed to come up with some way to let you prove it to me. And that’s when I remembered how much you liked listening to stories when you were really little…” “And so you came in here and told the story! Fangs would hear it, he’d tell it to me, and then I could tell it to you!” Sunspot nodded. “Yup. I made the story up myself, too, just to be sure.” Minuette stared up at her father for a second longer. The upsurge of joy and elation in her heart at finally, finally proving that Fangs was real was too much for her to contain. She threw herself against Sunspot, wrapping her forelegs around his neck in a tight hug, and practically squealed with delight. She felt him return the gesture, laughing in amusement. From behind her and through her father’s laughter, Minuette heard Fangs giving off an appreciative hum. “I am impressed. That is a remarkably elegant solution. I’m honestly surprised nopony else has thought of it until now.” It was at this point that Pearly chose to rejoin the discussion. She stepped forward, taking up a position next to Sunspot, and eyed the mirror cautiously. “So… Fangs is real?” she echoed, still not quite sounding like she could believe it. “He’s listening to us? Right now?” Minuette glanced back over her shoulder at Fangs before dropping down from her father’s embrace. “Mhmm. He’s been there all day.” Pearly fidgeted anxiously in place, looking this way and that. “Then… w-what happens now?” she asked. There was a brief pause. Fangs took a deep breath and met Minuette’s gaze. “I believe it is long past due that I had a chance to speak with your family, Little One. Will you be my voice again?” Minuette grinned. “Sure!” she said to him before looking back to her family. “Would you like to talk to him?” “How would we do that?” Pearly asked, quirking a brow. Minuette flopped down onto her haunches next to the mirror and smacked her hoof against the frame like a used cart salesmare. “Just talk to him. When he says something, I’ll say what he says.” “To the word? No embellishing?” Sunspot asked with a hint of playful skepticism. “Not here, nope!” Minuette shook her head. “One hundred percent serious!” “Heh. I’ll take your word for it,” Sunspot said with a small smirk. He then focused his eyes on the mirror and stepped forward. Pearly remained at his side, still looking a little unsure. When Sunspot sat down on his haunches in front of the mirror, he gently guided Pearly down with him so they were side by side. A heavy silence hung in the air. Minuette looked back and forth between Fangs and her family; her heart beating just a little faster in anticipation. This one moment was something she had been looking forward to for so long, now, and at last, it was here. “What are you?” Sunspot finally asked, briefly glancing at Minuette. Fangs hesitated for a moment, but when he spoke, his voice was clear, direct, and devoid of hesitation. “I am nothing more or less than your daughter’s friend if you will permit me to remain as such. There is no other answer to that question that, as of now, would be of any consequence to you.” Sunspot listened intently as Minuette recounted Fang’s words, his brow furrowing in thought. “...He has a fancy way of speaking, doesn’t he?” “Like I said,” Minuette pointed out with a smile. “Quirky Grandpa.” “Hmph,” Sunspot snorted in amusement before returning his eyes to the mirror. “...You understand that Pearly and I have more than a few questions for you. About the mirror, about you… and about your relationship with our daughter.” Fangs nodded. “I would expect nothing else. Ask away. I have nothing to hide.” And ask away the parents did. The family must have sat there for hours, the parents at long last getting to speak with Fangs. All the while, even as her cheeks began to hurt, Minuette was unable to keep herself from smiling ear to ear. It had taken a long, long time, but finally, finally, her parents believed her. They asked him so many questions, many of which Minuette wouldn’t have known how to answer. But Fangs never once hesitated. It was so strange, seeing him acting in such a down-to-business fashion, speaking honestly, directly, and respectfully. He was clear and honest about what he knew and wasn’t shy about admitting when he didn’t know or remember something. But at all turns, he made sure to emphasize and reiterate his gratitude and care for Minuette, reaffirming his status as her friend. And maybe now, Minuette thought, he could have a few more.
Back to BasicsThe next few days passed peacefully by for Minuette. To her relief, her parents had agreed to let Fangs stay, on the condition that they, of course, talk to him on occasion to make sure all was going well, and for her to tell them if he ever said anything suspicious or threatening. Kind of a weird thing to make her promise now of all times, but hey, they knew Fangs was real and had actually had a conversation with him. She was perfectly happy to deal with a slightly bothersome and ultimately unneeded measure like that in exchange. Fangs, for his part, seemed relieved more than anything. Whenever Sunspot or Pearly went to speak with him, he conducted himself in a calm, civil manner. There was this strange, almost rigid politeness to his every word, as if he were having a job interview. Maybe he felt intimidated by the fact that Pearly and Sunspot were Minuette’s parents, and, as such, were technically a higher rank than him in this particular dynamic. But then again, since when had ‘ranks’ ever factored into family dynamics like this? Especially when weird bug-ponies trapped in mirrors entered the mix? … The point is, Fangs was reserved and polite, and his conduct seemed to do wonders in easing Sunspot and Pearly’s concerns. The newfound peace between everypony served to ease Minuette’s own concerns as well, and the brief window of free time she had to herself left her feeling invigorated, energized, and ready to tackle whatever came next. Until it was actually time to go back to school. Then she just felt annoyed. She looked up at Celestia’s school with a blunt frown on her face. Her saddlebags were weighed down with notebooks, pencils, textbooks, a few sketches of Fangs’ teeth for good luck, an old wad of gum she forgot was there, and a few sheets of parchment detailing what she had missed and what she was expected to do upon her return to make up for the lost time. Minuette took a deep breath. She wasn’t entirely ready to be back, yet. She wanted to spend more time with Fangs, spend more time with her family now that they knew he was real. But time didn’t seem like a very patient mistress, and it was done waiting on her. There wasn’t any choice in the matter. But, if nothing else, she could take some comfort in the fact she’d get to see her friends again. “Minnie!” Ah, speak of the devil. Minuette turned with a wide grin as First Aid came sprinting at her from a nearby street corner. Twinkle Shine and Lemon Hearts were trotting close behind, while Moondancer brought up the rear with an apprehensive look in her eyes. Minuette ran to meet First Aid, and the two enveloped one another in a warm embrace. She buried her face in her old friend’s shoulder, taking a second to just feel the closeness of their contact. The familiar feel of her friend’s fur and hooves chased away her grumpiness, and she couldn’t help but let out a small, relieved giggle. She looked past First and waved at the others. “Hey, girls! Did ya miss me?!” “Sure did,” Twinkle remarked with a smirk. She came to a stop by Minuette’s side and clapped her on the shoulder. “It’s been real boring without you around to spice things up.” Lemon Hearts came up to her other side, her eyes the picture of concern. “Are you alright? You’re not still hurt, are you?” Minuette shook her head. “Nah! The doc fixed my noggin’ up, good! But I do have a bit of a bald spot somewhere, apparently.” Twinkle got a sparkle in her eyes. “No, Twinkle, you can’t see it.” Twinkle sighed in defeat. First Aid pulled out of the hug, giving Minuette a warm smile. “Ha… not even a trip to the hospital can kill your cheer, can it?” “Nope!” Minuette replied with a sharp nod. “Not a thing!” First Aid couldn’t help but give off a little coo of delight before diving back into the embrace. “Oh, sweet Celestia, I missed you…” Minuette rolled her eyes, patting First on the back. It was at this point that Twinkle started snickering to herself. “Heh… Yeah, you did,” she noted knowingly. She turned to Minuette, her lips peeling back into a smug grin. The same grin she got whenever she was about to be a little nuisance. “You shoulda seen her, Minnie. She’s been climbing the walls waiting for you to come back. Worrying and fussing all over.” First Aid disengaged from the hug to give Twinkle a puffy-cheeked glare. But, mercifully, Moondancer came to the rescue. “You say that as if you were any better,” she stated with a wry smirk, adjusting her glasses. “Don’t think I missed that little note you were writing… What was it again? A poem?” Twinkle blinked, turning to Moon with jaw agape. “You wha- how did you…?!” Minuette giggled as Twinkle and Moondancer began bickering back and forth, with Lemon Hearts watching from the sidelines and First Aid just basking in the satisfaction that karma had struck so swiftly. “Some things never change.” That said, she was quick to notice a conspicuous absentee from their happy little reunion. “So, where’s the pretty purple prodigy?” she asked, looking for any sign of Twilight and feeling very proud of that little bit of alliteration. There was a moment of silence following that question, and the air of amusement quickly died. After a moment, Moondancer stepped forward, head bowed low. “She’s still inside. She told us all to go on ahead and that she’d see us in class.” Minuette tilted her head. “How come?” Twinkle shrugged. “Dunno. She’s been acting kinda down since you woke up in the hospital, though.” And just like that, Minuette understood. “...Ah,” she said softly, nodding her head. Twilight must have still been guilty over the incident. She had been so sincere when she offered up that first apology, after all, and had all but shut down under Celestia’s harsh scolding. Minuette took in a deep breath. “Welp,” she thought, starting for the school with a renewed vigor and purpose to her step. “Only one thing to do about that!” “Minnie?” First Aid called after her, confused. “Where are you going?” Minuette shot her old friend a large grin over her shoulder. “To hug Twilight!” she called before stepping inside. The interior of the school felt somehow different as she wormed her way through the halls for her first-period class. There was the same chaotic scramble of ponies going this way and that to get to their classes, or the louder ponies haunting hall corners, joking and laughing among themselves. But even amid the typical hustle and bustle, Minuette couldn’t help but feel less crowded. She felt focused. Relaxed, even. She might have taken a moment to reflect on that and try and figure out why, but she had never been very good at introspection. Plus, she had a mission, and that took priority. Her friends caught up with her before long, but she paid them little mind for the moment. Not that there was much to pay attention to. Everypony was quiet for the most part. Twinkle Shine once or twice tried to strike up conversation, but it never really went anywhere. When they arrived at their first classroom, only about half of the students were present. There was still a little bit of time before the first bell, so most were probably out getting breakfast or hanging with their friends. Minuette scanned the assorted faces, all familiar, but only one of any importance. She spotted Twilight in her usual seat near the back of the class, out of sight and out of mind from the other students. Her face was hidden behind a large book, presumably research material for her private lessons with the Princess. Minuette didn’t waste a moment. She walked across the room toward Twilight, putting on a huge grin. “Heya!” she greeted enthusiastically. The reaction Twilight gave was immediate. She all but slammed the book down with an echoing thud and jumped in her seat with a startled yelp. She looked up to Minuette, her eyes wide in surprise. “Gyah! Minuette!” she exclaimed. Minuette just grinned wider. “How ya been?” Twilight stared at her for a moment. There was something in her expression that gave Minuette pause. But before she could parse it, Twilight covered it up with a stern-faced frown. “Don’t you know better than to sneak up on ponies?” Minuette just giggled. “Oh, come on, Twilight! You know me better than that.” Twilight opened her mouth to proffer up some sort of retort, but none came. After a moment of uselessly mouthing like a comically purple fish, she just gave a quiet sigh and leaned back in her seat. “Yeah, I guess I do…” she admitted, a ghost of a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. Her voice lowered into something softer, and her usual confidence bled away, replaced by something far more humble. “It’s good to see you. How, um… how are you feeling?” Minuette’s smile softened considerably. She closed the remaining distance, and before Twilight could offer up even a word of protest, she enveloped the other unicorn in a tight hug. Awkward angle from Twilight sitting at her desk and all. Twilight squeaked in surprise. “Yipe! Minuette, what are you doing?” she asked in a hiss. Minuette gave her a squeeze. “Giving you a hug, you silly filly. What’s it look like?” “Why?” “Because it’s good to see you, too.” Minuette pulled back and out of the hug, giving Twilight another soft smile. “Plus, I get the feeling you probably needed it.” Twilight stared at her for a few moments, her expression conflicted. There was a subtle red tint to her cheeks, indicative of her embarrassment at being hugged so brazenly where others could see. It was joined by confusion, annoyance, prideful poutiness. The usual Twilight suspects. “Princess Celestia was hard on you, wasn’t she?” Minuette finally asked, dropping her voice to a low whisper, her smile gone. Twilight went rigid. She looked down at her discarded book, her ears drooping. “...To put it mildly… I got lunch detention for two weeks after what happened… And I was grounded for one.” Minuette nodded along, but she didn’t say anything. Twilight let her face fall against the table with a groan, her hooves running through her mane. “Guh… I was so stupid. I shouldn’t have pushed it so much… I know I said it before, but I’m really sorry, Minuette.” Minuette smiled, placing a hoof on Twilight’s back. “I know you are…” she said softly before leaning a little closer with a small grin. “But you wanna know the best way to make yourself feel better?” Twilight was quiet for a few moments. She tilted her head so one eye was peeking at Minuette from under her mane. “What?” she asked, her voice muffled. Minuette’s grin grew. “Eat a bunch of donuts, of course!” she declared, thrusting one hoof up into the air for emphasis. “You promised you’d buy us all a bunch after I got out of the hospital, remember? I’m still holding you to that!” Twilight just stared at Minuette for a minute, her expression blank. She slowly sat up, just staring into Minuette’s grinning face. And then, finally, her stoic expression broke. A tiny smile appeared, followed by a subdued giggle. “Heh… yeah. Sure. Some donuts sound good… I’ll be there.” “You’d better be! You’re buying, remember?” Minuette teased, flashing Twilight a wink. Twilight rolled her eyes. “Ha! Yes, I remember.” “Holy cow,” a new voice suddenly spoke from behind Minuette, making her jump. She spun around to find the rest of their friends watching the whole moment quietly from a respectful distance… though now Twinkle Shine, the one who had spoken, was receiving a series of disapproving looks from the others. She didn’t seem to care. “Minnie, did you actually just get Twilight to agree to hang out?” she asked in disbelief. “Like, on your own? That’s possible?” Minuette, only mildly annoyed at the silent audience, let her grin grow as big as it could before thrusting her hoof up again. “Leave it to the beast to accomplish the impossible with flying colors!” Twinkle grinned. “Ha. Nice! Twilight’s paying, right?” Moondancer promptly smacked her. Minuette giggled at the interaction, then turned back to Twilight. Alas, before she could say anything else, the tell-tale blaring of the school’s first bell sounded. It would be time for class to begin before long. Minuette frowned up at the roof. “Gah. Wait your turn, you stupid bell!” she protested before smiling back down at Twilight. “We’ll talk later, 'kay?” Twilight nodded, her smile still small, but genuine. “Okay.” Satisfied, Minuette spun in place and marched to her desk with a noticeable bounce in her step. She ignored the verbal lashing that First was giving Twinkle for her poor timing and got comfortable in the familiar spot. Ponies began to filter in from outside, taking their places around the room. First Aid sat down at the desk beside her not long after. Minuette looked over at her with her trademark smile. First Aid returned it. She reached out and placed a hoof on Minuette’s shoulder. “Welcome back, Minnie,” she said in a soft whisper. “We missed you. A lot.” Minuette just grinned wider. “I missed you guys, too.”
Closing The Door“Are you sure you have everything packed, Little One?” Fangs asked with a quirked eyebrow, his eyes darting from Minuette to look at the pair of saddlebags leaning against her bed. Minuette let out an exasperated sigh. “Ugh. Yes, Fangs, I have everything I need! Why do you keep asking me that?” “Just making sure,” Fangs defended, lifting a hoof with a small smirk. “I wouldn’t want you to go on this trip of yours and forget something important.” Minuette blew a raspberry at him, drawing an amused chortle from the imprisoned mirror bug. She then shook her head and frowned. “Well, we are forgetting something important…” The history exam had come and gone with no fanfare, and Celestia had called her in once or twice to question her on the mirror. Those meetings had been clinical and to the point, but Minuette had told the solar alicorn all she could about the mirror. She had also brought back a series of written questions to get Fangs' answers on them without having to remove the mirror from her home. But now it was the first day of Summer Vacation, and Minuette’s family had made arrangements to head out of Canterlot for the week to get away from everything. If Minuette recalled correctly, they were going to be headed down to that village at the base of the mountain - Ponyville, she thought it was called. A wholly different place from Canterlot, but close enough that, in the event that something came up, they would be able to come home swiftly. There was just one problem. The mirror stayed here. And Minuette didn’t like that. Fangs gave her a warm smile. “Minuette…” “You should get to come along, too! You’ve been in Canterlot for so long, now. It must be boring!” “Just getting to spread my wings and soar the skies outside on occasion is more than enough for me after the tarp,” Fangs shot back with a coy grin. “Really, it isn’t a big deal.” “But why can’t they let me take you with me?!” Fangs rolled his eyes. “Well, for one thing, I am your friend, but I am not your family, and this is a family trip. Secondly, you’re still the only pony who can perceive my existence. Therefore, bringing me along would only serve to throw a monkey wrench into your family time.” Minuette went to offer up some protest, but Fangs held up a hoof, silencing her before she could begin. He leaned in, a far more amused smirk spreading across his fanged muzzle. “You and I both know that, if you took me along, you’d spend more time ogling my teeth and chattering at me than seeing the sights and being with your family. Which, in my humble opinion, rather defeats the purpose.” Minuette spluttered incoherently for several seconds, searching desperately for some witty comeback, but none were forthcoming. In the end, she just settled for puffing up her cheeks and sticking her tongue out at the bug. She hated it when he was right and it inconvenienced her! Before the two could continue, there was a sudden knocking at the door. Minuette almost jumped out of her skin before turning around. “What is it?” she called out. The door popped open a second later, revealing Sunspot on the other side. He smiled at her. “Hey, kiddo. We’re gonna be rolling out of here in about an hour. You got everything?” Minuette nodded, pointing to her saddlebags on the bed. “Yup, I do.” “Good. In that case…” Sunspot stepped to one side and pushed the door all the way open to reveal there was somepony else standing just outside the bedroom. Minuette sprang up to her hooves with an excited gasp, her eyes igniting with delight. “First Aid!” she exclaimed, bounding over as the filly trotted into the room and enveloping her in a warm embrace. “Oof!” First grunted in surprise from the sudden impact, falling back onto her haunches. She giggled a moment later, once her breath returned to her, and returned the embrace. “Hah! Hey, Minnie!” “What are you doing here?!” Minuette asked with a huge grin, pulling back to look into First’s face. First Aid rolled her eyes, playfully pressing her hoof to Minuette’s nose. “What do you think, silly filly? I wanted to come and hang out with you.” Minuette’s grin widened at the prospect of hanging out with her oldest friend. But then her eyes wandered past First Aid’s big grin and settled on her father, and her burst of enthusiasm died on the spot. She deflated, turning back to First. “Heh. Well… I mean, we’re kinda…” “Yeah, I heard,” First Aid admitted, her ears drooping as she glanced back at Sunspot. “Your dad told me what’s going on.” There was a brief pause. Sunspot cleared his throat, drawing the attention of the two foals. “Like I said, we’re leaving in about an hour. I figured you could spend that time hanging out, if you wanted,” he explained with a shrug. Minuette blinked in surprise. That was surprisingly lenient on her, given their time constraints. But there was probably some sort of secret ulterior motive behind it all. Probably distracting her so that she wouldn’t bother them while they got their own last-minute preparations out of the way or something like that. But oh well. Who cares? And who was she to look a gift horse in the mouth? But then again, there was the time she had studied Fangs’ teeth for hours on end, and he had come as a part of a birthday present, so that made him a gift… …Minuette quickly shook her head and dispelled such notions. She put on a huge grin and nodded like an excited puppy. “If I wanted? Dad, c’mon, you know me!” Sunspot chuckled while stepping out of the room. “Yeh, I do. Have fun. Pearly will come to get you when it’s time to go. Don’t have too much fun, you two!” he said before the door closed shut with an audible click. The two fillies sat together in silence for a few seconds before disentangling from their hug and wandering into the middle of the room. “So. Ponyville, huh?” First asked after a short silence, sitting on her haunches. “I think Lyra mentioned that her family’s going to be moving down there next year.” “Mhmm,” Minuette replied, sitting across from her. “I’ve never been there. Dad says it’s really small and quiet, though.” First Aid’s smile turned predatory. “Quiet? And your folks are taking you there? Oh, Celestia have mercy on those poor ponies…” “May Celestia have mercy indeed,” Fangs added from the back of the room with a grin. Minuette rolled her eyes at the twin jabs before joining in. “Ha! Oh yeah, those country ponies won’t know what hit ‘em! Look out, Ponyville, the beast is coming for ya! Rawr!” She struck a pose as she said this. For some reason. First Aid giggled again. “Ha ha! Ah. Ya know, my train stopped there for a little bit when I was on my way to Manehattan.” Minuette perked up, leaning forward slightly. “Oh yeah? What’s it like?” “It’s small, quiet, and rustic. It’s actually really nice to look at. I didn’t get to see much of it before the train got moving again, but what little I saw was really nice. I could see a lot of hills and trees, and there was so much grass. There’s also this big spooky forest right next to it, too. Canterlot is beautiful, but it kinda lacks in the nature department sometimes.” Minuette took in the information with equal parts excitement and dismay. It sounded like a nice change of pace. She’d never even seen a forest in person before, for pony’s sake! It sounded new and exciting, and she couldn’t wait to go and see it for herself. Her eyes wandered over to Fangs, and her smile faded as she reminded herself that he wouldn’t be seeing it. Fangs met her gaze. He smiled. That same, reassuring smile he always gave her whenever she got stressed out. Somehow, this time, it felt unfair. “Minnie?” Minuette snapped back to First Aid as the other filly’s voice sliced through her momentary reverie. First’s smile was gone, replaced with a curious frown. “What is it?” Minuette hesitated for a second, before heaving a quiet sigh. “Gah. It’s nothing…” A pause. “...You don’t get to take Fangs, do you?” Minuette blinked, looking up to First Aid in shock. “Wha- huh? How did you know?!” she asked, confused. First Aid’s smile returned, softer this time, and far more distant. “What can I say? I know you a little too well,” she said in a lower voice. Minuette just stared at her for a moment. After a few seconds, she realized that her mouth was hanging open, and she clamped it shut with an audible snap. She leaned tentatively forward. “But… I thought you didn’t believe in Fangs.” First Aid didn’t say anything at first. She stood to walk toward the mirror, her smile fading away. She sat down in front of it, and from Minuette’s position, Fangs appeared to be towering over her, looking down at her with curiosity. Several seconds passed before First Aid spoke. “I… I don’t know,” she confessed, lowering her head. “I want to believe. I really do…” Minuette was quiet for a few seconds, her mind racing. After a moment, she rose to her hooves and walked over to sit beside her oldest friend. She draped a foreleg over First’s shoulders, drawing a curious glance from her. Minuette smiled. “Well, why don’t you?” she asked. First Aid heaved a sigh, shrugging her shoulders. “Because I can’t see or hear him? Because he sounds like something straight out of a little filly’s story? Because a magical bug pony trapped in your mirror that only you can see just doesn’t make any sense to me?” Minuette might have winced at those remarks, once upon a time. Not this time, though. This time, she just sat there and listened, letting her friend get her thoughts and her feelings out into the open. First Aid continued, running a hoof over her face. “But, at the same time, you’ve just been so… adamant about it. I know you, Minnie, and you’ve got the attention span of a wet noodle. I know that you aren’t the type to fake something for such a long time. Especially not these days. We aren’t tiny fillies anymore, we’re teenagers.” Minuette opened her mouth to protest the bit about her attention span, realized First had touched on the exact point Celestia had, and promptly closed her mouth. First’s lips tugged up into a tiny smile at seeing that reaction. “Heh… But besides all of that, we all know that your mirror is magical, now. Twilight and Moondancer spent all that time with you to research it. It put you in the hospital for pony’s sake! Hay, even Princess Celestia herself took an interest in the stupid thing! After all of that, how could I deny that there’s something magical about it?” First then looked away, her ears drooping. “And, if there’s magic on it… magic that strong, then… Maybe Fangs is real, too.” Minuette smiled softly at that, once again reminded that, for all of their joint antics, First Aid had always had a sharp mind. She patted First on the back before standing up and positioning herself next to the mirror. “Well… if it helps, Celestia believes in him.” First Aid blinked in confusion, sitting upright. “Huh?” Minuette just grinned and glanced at Fangs. He offered her a smile. “If ever there was a time for you to convince her, little one, it would be now.” That was all the confirmation Minuette needed. With little fanfare, she began to recap the story of Celestia’s visit, from her initial examination to the finer points of their protracted discussion about the ‘lock and key’ aspect of things. But she didn’t stop there. She went on, explaining the confrontation with her own parents that had followed, before, at long last, revealing the clever little gambit employed by her father to prove Fangs' existence. When at last the story came to its end, First Aid was silent. Her wide eyes turned to look into the mirror before narrowing as if trying to divine something obscured by a heavy fog. She was clearly trying to find Fangs somewhere amidst the reflection. There was a clear war raging behind First’s eyes. Minuette could see it plainly in her friend’s face. She was so close to believing, so close to finally being able to enter the fold! She just needed one more push. One last little nudge, and at long last, Fangs would have another friend in the circle. Finally, First Aid turned back to Minuette. Her lips pulled up into a small, sad smile. “I guess that settles it, then, doesn’t it?” Minuette’s heart all but skipped a beat. She leaned in eagerly, her grin widening even farther. “So you believe me? You believe in him?!” she asked eagerly, ready to throw herself against First in a tight hug. First looked back into the mirror, her smile growing. “...I can’t see him. I can’t hear him… But if Celestia herself believes in him… who am I to say she’s wrong?” she finally said with a shrug. “I can’t argue with that… so… yes, Minuette…” First Aid turned back to Minuette and spoke the three little words she had so longed to hear. “I believe you.” When Celestia had told Minuette that she believed her about Fangs, she had been overjoyed. The gratification, the validation of years of persistence and silence, all of it had been overwhelming in just how happy it had made her feel. But this was different, somehow. It wasn’t as violent of a surge of joy, but it was so much stronger. She didn’t squeal, she didn’t laugh or jump or do anything like that. For the first time in her admittedly short life so far, her joy was expressed only by the tearful embrace she gave to her oldest friend. First Aid returned the hug without a word. “Thank you,” Minuette whispered, giving First Aid a squeeze. “Thank you so much. Y-you have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that…” “You’re welcome,” First replied, her voice also a low whisper. She gave Minuette a pat on the back before leaning away to give her a warm smile. It was then that First noticed the tears in Minuette’s eyes, and her smile became a concerned frown. “Are you crying?” “No!” Minuette denied in a pathetic whimper, rubbing a hoof over her face. “J-just liquid happiness! O-or something. That thing Twilight’s brother says.” “Liquid pride?” “Y-yeah! That thing! Sniff.” First Aid giggled softly before hugging Minuette again. Neither of them said anything for a long while, just holding each other close. Minuette took the opportunity to truly process the full gravity of what just happened. It almost felt too easy. After years of playing off the existence of her best friend as little more than a figment of her imagination, finally, she was getting to share him with the ponies she cared about. It was almost surreal. The only thing that could make it better would be freeing him from the mirror. …But that wasn’t going to happen. It was impossible. Not even Celestia could pull it off. And if the princess couldn’t do it, then who could? Minuette shook her head, dismissing such thoughts. There was nothing more she could do about it now. All she could do for Fangs was exactly what she had been doing for him from the very beginning, and with Celestia as her literal and figurative witness, she was going to do just that. “Well?” First asked after what felt like forever, pulling out of the hug to give Minuette a big smile. “Aren’t you going to introduce us?” Minuette took a deep breath, then turned back to the mirror. “Uh huh. Fangs? You ready?” Fangs just smiled. “...I am.” With that confirmation, Minuette took her place next to the mirror and nodded to First. “Alright. First Aid, meet Fangs the mirror bug!” First hesitated for a moment. There was a final vestige of doubt lingering in her eyes, but she only needed a few seconds to overcome it and speak. “Uh… h-hi, Fangs. My name is First Aid… but, uh, you knew that already, didn’t you?” Fangs merely smiled. “I do, yes… it is a pleasure to finally speak with you, First Aid. And, though I confess such a sentiment is long overdue, I wanted to thank you for standing up for Minuette when she first tried to reveal me to you and your old friends.” Minuette relayed his words, and First Aid blinked in surprise as they came up. She shifted on her haunches, clearly trying to adjust to this new situation, but before long she spoke again. “You’re welcome.” “Minuette! Come on, it’s almost time to go!” Minuette shot an irritated glance over her shoulder at her bedroom door. “In a minute!” she hollered back before returning her attention to First and Fangs. The two had been engrossed in their discussion for a while now. First Aid had been extremely awkward and reluctant at first, but in time, she began to adjust to the situation. And before long, the two had been animatedly talking about a whole assortment of things. Many of which revolved around poking fun at Minuette, which was categorically unfair! Now, though, Fangs and First were both giving her a small smirk. She felt like she was being picked on again, and pouted appropriately. “What are you smiling at?” Fangs snickered, shaking his head. “Oh, nothing, but you really should be getting a move on. You don’t want to keep them all waiting for too long.” “Yeah, and I should probably be heading home anyway,” First agreed with a reluctant nod once Minuette conveyed his words. “I don’t wanna hold you guys up.” Minuette sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. “I know, I know. I just… ugh. You guys just met. But now I gotta go, and you can’t talk to each other if I’m not around…” Fangs simply smiled at her, that same, confident, comforting, reassuring, and altogether unfair smile he always gave her. He nodded towards the door. “Go on, little one. There will be time enough for us to get to know one another when you come back. Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere.” “I know you’re not, and that’s part of the problem!” Minuette lamented, smacking her face into the glass with a comical thud. It was at this time that the door swung open with a click, and Pearly poked her head in. She looked about ready to give off some dramatic, exasperated huff, as was the norm when dealing with Minuette being stubborn. But instead, all she did was blink and offer up a warm smile. She turned to First Aid. “First, it’s time for you to head home. Minnie has to get ready to go.” First rose to her hooves. “Okay. Lemme say goodbye real quick!” she turned back to Minuette and gave her a large smile. She then stepped forward and wrapped Minuette up in a warm hug. “Have fun in Ponyville, Minnie.” Minuette wanted to protest, but the words died in her throat. So she just smiled, rolled her eyes, and returned the hug. “I will.” First pulled away a second later, then looked back to the mirror. She nodded at Fangs before turning and heading for the door. She gave Minuette a little wave as she went. “Bye, Minnie!” Minuette waved, calling her own farewells after her until First Aid disappeared through the door. A few seconds later, the tell-tale sound of the front door opening and closing echoed through the home. Pearly gave a sage nod, her attention returning to Minuette. “...She knows, doesn’t she?” Minuette gave an enormous grin. “Yup! One more friend for Fangs!” Pearly laughed softly at the declaration. She stepped fully into the room and closed the door behind her. She came up to Minuette’s side and sat down, draping a foreleg over her shoulders. “I’m glad to hear it.” Minuette didn’t say anything. She just took a moment to smile and leaned into her mother’s embrace. The two sat in silence for a few short moments, enjoying one another’s company. Then Pearly patted Minuette’s shoulder. “But really, grab your things. It’s almost time to go.” Minuette’s eyes lingered on the mirror. “Are you sure we can’t take him?” she asked pleadingly, putting on her best puppy dog face as she looked up at her mother. “Did I not say earlier that taking me with you would defeat the entire purpose?” Fangs commented with a chuckle. Minuette ignored him. Pearly gave Minuette a soft smile before stepping forward. “I’m sorry, sweetie, but yes, I’m sure. Your father and I discussed it a lot, and we think it’d be for the best if Fangs stayed here.” Minuette blew out a raspberry in disappointment. “Bleh. Okay…” Pearly chuckled and ruffled Minuette’s mane. “Hey, look at it this way. You’ll have all kinds of stories to tell him when you get back. And besides, what would we say to the ponies at the hotel if we walked into the lobby carrying an entire vanity mirror when we’ll have one in our room?” “Um… I don’t know?” Minuette answered, looking down. “Exactly. So we leave him here,” Pearly said with a sage nod. “Er, no offense to you.” “None taken,” Fangs replied, giving Minuette a meaningful look. “I don’t mind staying here.” Minuette hesitated for a moment before fulfilling her role as Fangs’ messenger, relaying his words back to Pearly, who nodded gratefully. “I’m glad to hear it.” Minuette groaned in frustration, scuffing the floor with a hoof. “Ugh. This is dumb…” Pearly giggled at her daughter’s all-but catchphrase before rising to her hooves. “I’m sure you’ll change your mind once we get there… Go ahead and say goodbye, then meet us downstairs.” “Ugh. Okay,” Minuette relented. She couldn’t help but smile and giggled when Pearly leaned in to lay a quick, needlessly sloppy kiss into her mane. She squirmed away, parent and daughter sharing a short laugh before Pearly took her leave and headed back downstairs. Minuette watched her go, before turning back to Fangs. “Well… I guess I gotta go, huh?” she asked dejectedly. Fangs nodded. “That you do. I look forward to hearing all about it.” Minuette looked down, closing her eyes. “It’s just that… You’re gonna be all alone again, you know?” she asked, imagining him left all alone in this room with nopony to talk to for the next week. “Even if First could come by while we were gone, she still can’t talk to you unless I’m here.” “I know,” Fangs replied with a sage nod. “But I cannot hog you forever, nor should I. Don’t worry. I will make do. One week will hardly be the blink of an eye to me. You’ll all be back before I even have a chance to think about the fact you’re gone.” “Yeah, I guess…” Minuette muttered before rising back to her hooves. She looked at Fangs again, her eyes roving up and down his form. A moment later, she stepped forward and wrapped her legs around the frame in the closest approximation to a hug she could give him. “I’ll be back before you know it.” “Of course you will,” Fangs replied with a sage nod. “Take care, Minuette. And have fun!” Minuette pulled back from the mirror and offered him a big smile. Then, with only a slight bit of hesitation, she turned from the mirror and stepped out of the room. She paused in the doorway, looking back at Fangs one more time. He just smiled at her, and somehow, she knew everything would be alright. With that, she stepped out, closing the door behind her. Author's Note End of Act II. Oh man, this chapter was a pain in the arse to get to a point where I was happy with it. But yes! As of this moment, Act 2 of The Bug in The Mirror has come to a close! And with the conclusion of this act, I have a small announcement to make. Some of you may have noticed that, ever since I took up Rise and Shine alongside The Bug in The Mirror, my overall story production has gone down remarkably. This, plainly put, is because I am spreading myself kind of thin. As such, as we have reached a good pause point for Bug in The Mirror, it will be placed on a temporary hiatus while I focus down on my other two stories, Rise and Shine and Little Keys. Once one of those is complete (most likely Keys, as I'm almost done with the second-to-last arc of that one anyway), I will resume work on The Bug in The Mirror and work it back into my regular rotation. My hope in doing this is that I can mark stories as 'Complete' more frequently by getting them done in a smaller span of time by simply working on fewer at once. It's always a good feeling when I finish a story, and focusing down on fewer of them will, ideally, increase my velocity and hopefully help with my motivation. Allow me to reiterate, that Bug in The Mirror WILL continue! But it's just taking a back seat while Minuette closes this chapter on her life and moves on to the next one. Thanks for reading my nonsense, folks. Fangs and Minuette will see you when they come back! Until then, take care!
Unseen, UnheardHe sat on his haunches, watching them all coming and going with a far away, solemn look in his eyes. His ears swiveled around to face every new sound, listening to the ponies walking this way and that through the old, lavish halls of the antiquated estate. Through the tall, narrow window he viewed the world through, he could see rows of long tables set up with knick-knacks, books, old cutlery, and various other household objects scattered across them, each one tagged with a sticker and a number. An estate sale. He didn’t know what had prompted the owners of the home to put it on. If he was honest, he didn’t really care, either. The ponies who owned this manor were far from kind. They were as full of themselves, and as arrogant as one could ever expect, the defining picture of the contradiction that was pony nobility. He had half a mind to go and give the owners of this manor a stern vocal lashing. He had seen them yelling at their servants and angrily chastising their only foal for even the tiniest mistakes more times than he cared to count in the few months he had been forced to watch them from behind this accursed glass. More than once, he had spoken up to try and help where possible, but like always, his cries went unheard, his visage unseen by any who mattered. Save for one. The colt looked back at him from across the room, hiding quietly behind his father’s legs. Out of the many ponies ambling aimlessly through the halls, he was the only one to have seen him. The only one who could see him. He had been hopeful that he might have found a friend in the little guy, but alas, his panicked screams and proclamations of a monster had dashed those hopes against the glass that separated them. A few ponies wandered directly into his field of view, briefly stopping to look down at him. He put on a small smile. “Hello…” he greeted quietly, his voice distorted into two tones. The ponies did not react to his words. They glanced at each other after a moment, shrugged, and moved on. His ears drooped as soon as they were out of sight, his heart withering in his old chest. Of course, they hadn’t heard him. They never did. Why would this time be any different? How long had he been like this? Forced to watch the world in front of him through an indestructible pane of glass, Unable to interact with almost anyone who crossed his path? It was hard to tell. The years had not been kind to his memory, and he was sure he had forgotten more than he remembered at this point. No matter how much he forgot, though, one thing remained ever-present in his mind. He was trapped. Trapped in an old mirror he had no control over, trapped in a world he could not interact with or leave, no matter how loud he screamed or how hard he pounded on the glass barrier in front of him. He gave off a quiet sigh, his eyes drifting back to the colt that had screamed at him before. They locked gazes, and he tried to smile again, acutely aware of the long, sharp fangs jutting down from his upper lip. Some small part of him hoped against hope that such a small gesture of friendliness might make the child reconsider him. The colt ducked behind his father’s legs again, mumbling quietly, no doubt telling him that ‘the monster’ was looking at him again. As if to add credence to the theory, the colt’s father glared down at him and spat out a hissed reprimand, causing the little foal to crouch down to the ground as if he had been struck. The ‘monster’s’ blood boiled at the sight. His smile fell away while his black, hole-riddled hoof flew forward, wanting nothing more than to clock that arrogant jerk of a father across his smug jaw. Alas, all his hoof found was the solid glass of the mirror with a loud smack, sending a spear of pain dancing up and down his foreleg. The glassy surface didn’t even twitch from his strike, and he knew it would not budge. It never had before. Another pony stepped up to once again cut off his line of sight with the poor foal. He was an orange unicorn stallion, his purple eyes looking at him in curiosity. He studied the mirror for a moment until his gaze eventually fell on something just out of sight to one side. His brow furrowed in confusion. “Huh...that’s cheap. Hey, honey?” he called, looking off to one side. A silvery mare with a mane and tail of blue and silver stepped forward, her bright blue eyes looking over the mirror that was the ‘monster’s’ home with just as much curiosity as the stallion. “Oh, my… this thing looks ancient,” she noted, reaching out to run her hoof along the old, ornate frame of the mirror. “Because it is,” the ‘monster’ explained simply, his tattered wings drooping at his sides. “But, they only want a few bits for it?” The mare went on, rubbing at her chin in thought. “Weird… it’s really nice,” The stallion said, stepping back. “Any idea why?” “No clue,” The mare replied quietly before looking back towards the colt and his father. She got the look of a mare with a bright idea. “But I think I know who to ask!” With that, the mare turned and waved energetically to the stallion, getting his attention. He grimaced at the sight and talked at his son before wandering over, an impatient grimace on his face. “Yes? What is it?” he asked in a tired and irritable voice. The mare wasn’t fazed, pointing at the ‘monster’ with a smile. “Why is this mirror so cheap? The thing’s an antique and in great shape! It must be worth a small fortune.” The father snorted. “Oh, it is, trust me. I blew a small fortune acquiring the blasted thing, only for my little boy to start crying ‘monster’ every time he laid eyes on it, the stupid child,” he said, glaring at the mirror with nothing but resentment. “Little fella’s too old for his imagination to be running rampant like this, but he’s stubborn. Figure if we get rid of the stupid thing we can get rid of ‘the monster’ he keeps whining about.” The orange stallion frowned, clearly unimpressed with the father’s tone. “So you’re selling it for dirt cheap?” “Yes. Why? You want it?” The ‘monster’ watched as the two ponies thought it over, looking at one another as if to silently communicate. They did not speak aloud for a moment, but he didn’t need them to. With barely even a thought, his vision blurred and refocused, allowing him to see their auras. Clouds of pink and dark mustard yellow enveloped the two. Love and confusion. “Hmmm… I don’t need a new mirror,” the stallion eventually said with a shrug. “What do you think, Pearly?” The mare beside him, Pearly if he had to guess, looked it up and down, her muzzle scrunching up in thought. Her eyes then lit up, and she turned back to her companion. “Neither do I, Sunspot, but you know who might?” she asked coyly. The stallion, Sunspot, got a small smile on his face to match hers. “Oh, yeah. She could use something like this, huh?” he asked. The ‘monster’ watched them with wide eyes as their auras shifted hues, abandoning the mustard yellow in favor of a glow alike to sunlight. Excitement. Was he about to change hooves again? How many times would that make in just the last ten years? He’d stopped counting after twelve, a decision he had since come to regret. “Minuette is going to that big school now,” Pearly went on, her eyes shining with fond thoughts of somepony who was not here. “And her birthday is in just a few days, too. Something like this would be nice for her, I think. She could touch up her appearance, practice anything she needs to recite...” “Oh, please,” Sunspot chuckled. “You and I both know she’s just going to make funny faces at it.” “I fail to see the problem with that.” Sunspot rolled his eyes. “Meh. Fair enough.” The father cleared his throat. “Ahem. So I take it you’re buying this thing?” “I’d love to,” Pearly replied, turning back to him. “We have a little filly waiting for us back home. She’s about to turn ten, and I think she’d really like this.” “So I heard,” the father dryly replied before stepping back. “Alright, then, pick it up and follow me. Box with the bits is near the front door.” “Alright. Honey?” Sunspot asked. “On it!” The ‘monster’ braced himself. All at once, his entire world became awash with a pale blue glow as Pearly grasped the mirror in her magic. A wave of vertigo and nausea flooded his senses as his world was lurched upward, the floor dropping away beneath his hooves. His wings sprang into life to keep him afloat, and he spun around to face away from the mirror. Behind him, a perfect replica of the manor drifted by, moving of its own accord as the mirror was pulled along. Unlike the manor through the glass behind him, however, the great rooms and halls in front of him were frighteningly empty. The tables, loaded with goods to be sold, were still scattered about, but there was not a pony to be seen. Empty as always. The world was reflected, but not the creatures that gave it life or meaning. He allowed his mind to wander with the world shifting beneath his hooves. He was about to be passed off again, sold like some simple trinket. And if what he had heard earlier was any indication, he was to be presented to yet another foal as a birthday present. A little filly about to turn ten years old... Repressing a sigh, he turned around and looked out through the mirror again. His eyes found the colt he had frightened. The young pony was looking back at him, his ears drooping. He almost looked guilty, as if he were only now regretting his previous behavior now that it was too late to take it back. The ‘monster’ sighed. It didn’t matter now. What was done was done, and he could do nothing to change it. His ears folded back at the memory of the colt ahead of him screaming in terror when he had first revealed himself. The moment had shocked him, it had been so abrupt, and his best efforts to soothe the situation had amounted to nothing when maids and servants came rushing in to check on the foal. In all of the chaos, things only got worse, until the little guy had fled his own room in a panic. “...I don’t want that to happen again,” the ‘monster’ said under his breath. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Foals were skittish things, this he knew. If this ‘Minuette’ was anything at all like the colt he was leaving behind, then there was no good to be had from showing his face to her. “I can do without a friend for a little while…” “And here you are!” Pearly’s voice came from somewhere out of his line of sight. “Thank you. Now please, get that thing out of here,” the father asked, clearly eager to be rid of the mirror. The monster grimaced. “...At least one of us has that luxury.” Without another word, Pearly and Sunspot carried the mirror along as they took their leave, eagerly chatting amongst themselves. That was it, then. The deal was struck, and his future was decided. The ‘monster’ took a deep breath and focused ahead as the mirror was floated for the front doors of the mansion. “...Alright, then,” he thought, bracing himself. “Let’s see my new home.” The doors opened, and his eyes were flooded with light. Author's Note And here we are with yet another Bug in The 'X' story! This one is likely going to be a LOT longer than Bug in The Cave was, as much like Basement, it will take place over a substantial period of time. I hope you all like what I have cooked up for you this time!
Wait, am I Crazy?Something wasn’t quite right today. Minuette glanced around at the other students in the hall as she worked her way for her usual lunch spot. Some of them were looking back at her with scrunched up muzzles or, even worse, knowing smirks. A small few had been doing this earlier when she first got to school, but it seemed even worse now. It seemed that no matter what direction she looked in, somepony was giving her a look. Normally, she might have enjoyed the attention. Celestia knew that the little filly definitely enjoyed it when the spotlight was on her. But this was different. The way they were looking at her sent a tiny tingle of discomfort working its way slowly but surely down her spine. She shuddered uncomfortably, trying not to think about it, but they just kept staring. “Okay, need something to distract me,” she thought, racking her brain for something she could use to distance her mind from the looks she was getting. “Oh, I know! Tiger teeth! Little baby tigers and their gummy little mouths!” She now imagined what it would be like for a toothless baby tiger to try and bite her throat with its slimy little gums. A small smirk spread on her face as she imagined how ticklish it might be, and how much she’d probably be giggling at the wasted effort. Then mama tiger showed up, and everything stopped being funny and ticklish very quickly. Minuette’s smile faltered, and she decided that imagining tigers biting her was probably not the smartest thing to go to for a self-distracting train of thought. It was distracting, sure, but it went to dark places. But now she was thinking about teeth that scared her, and no set of chompers spooked her more than those of geese. “Why do they have teeth on the sides of their tongue?!” she thought with a disgusted shudder. “And why do they hate everypony on a personal level?! It’s mean!” Well, at least wondering why Geese were such rude jerks was more pleasant than thinking about a tiger nomming on her jugular. Still not exactly ideal, though. Those suckers were creepy! It was then that her mind wandered away from the feathered devils to something a bit more recent. She faltered mid-step as her thoughts shifted back to her personal training session in her room the previous day, and how she had seen something moving around in her mirror. Not to mention the voice that had told her to be careful. She frowned, her muzzle scrunching up in thought. Had she just imagined it? At the time, that was what she had told herself, so she could focus on her spell and her dad’s instructions. But once she had gone to bed and really thought about it, she had started doubting that assessment. Something about it just being her imagination just didn’t sound right… “Maybe because I’ve seen something move in it once before?” she wondered, thinking back to when she had first gotten it. She knew she had seen something moving in the reflection at least two times now. “...Wait, am I crazy?” she finally thought, a crooked smirk spreading across her face. “Ha! I am totally going crazy. Maybe.” She’d figure it out later. At least now she wasn’t thinking about all of the odd looks everypony kept giving her today. Mission accomplished! Minuette soon stepped out of the doors, and into a wide-open courtyard of sorts, surrounded on all sites by other sections of Celestia’s School. A steady stream of ponies ranging from little foals to mid-teenagers traveled this way and that in vaguely orderly flows, following paved stone paths that wound through the courtyard in an expansive circle. A large statue of Celestia herself was erected in the center of the courtyard, her wings fanning out wide as if to grant shelter to all who passed beneath. Off to one side, a grassy patch beside the path, Minuette saw her friends sitting around, nibbling on their pre-packed lunches with smiles. Perking up, she cantered over, already reaching into her saddlebags to withdraw her own lunch. “Hey, guys!” she called as she approached. First Aid looked up, smiling widely and giving a friendly wave. “Minuette! Hey! You’re a little late,” she called. Minuette set her saddlebags down before plonking onto her haunches. She gave First a bewildered look. “I am?” she asked, pulling a sandwich from her saddlebags. “About five minutes late,” Split pointed out with a raised eyebrow. “Looked like you were walking slower than usual when you came out.” “You also had this real thoughtful look on your face,” Bristle added, taking a bite from a boxed salad. “Like you were trying to solve that, uh… that number thing that goes on forever. What was that called again? Pi?” “Princess Celestia has been working on that equation for the last seven hundred years,” First Aid noted with a slow nod. “Last I checked, she told the class that she was at, like, four billion decimals? I think?” “That is a big number, and I have no idea what it means,” Minuette dismissed with a roll of her eyes. She took a big, healthy chomp from her sandwich. She glanced over at Bristle and spoke up once she had swallowed. “But yeah, I was thinking, actually.” “What about?” he asked, shifting slightly on his haunches. Minuette glanced back at the building she had emerged from, her ears lowering just slightly. “Um… well, I noticed a lot of ponies giving me odd looks as I was coming out here,” she said slowly, the tingle of discomfort returning. “Like, did I do something funny? Am I popular all of a sudden? And why don’t I like it?” An awkward silence hung in the air. Bristle, Split, and First all looked among themselves for a few moments before Split cleared his throat and spoke up. “Er, well… apparently, word started going around about your little ‘incident’ during that test,” he recounted slowly. “And, uh… well, it looks like you might have a reputation as a ‘spark plug’ now.” Minuette deflated, her ears resting flat against her head. “...Oh,” she mumbled, a combined feeling of dejection and embarrassment filling her system. Of course, word about that had gotten around. How had she managed to trick herself into thinking it wouldn’t? First Aid touched a hoof to Minuette’s shoulder, offering her a kind, sympathetic smile. “Hey, it’s okay. All you gotta do is pass the next test, and everypony will forget it soon enough!” she encouraged with a perky nod. Minuette managed to give her friend a tiny smile at that, but her mood did not lift as much as the other foal had probably been hoping. She looked down at her sandwich, her appetite now well and truly squashed. Great. She was the class clown now, wasn’t she? She certainly felt like it… “Hey, First’s right,” Bristle pointed out a moment later. “Might take a bit, but all of this will go away eventually.” “And if anypony really gets on your case about it,” Split added, a small edge of sinister amusement creeping into his tone. “Just report them to Celestia. She’s pretty good about dealing with bullies.” “Princess Celestia,” First corrected automatically. Split shrugged. “Eh.” Minuette hummed quietly before looking between her assembled friends. A tiny, weakened smile spread on her lips. They were probably right, she figured. It might take a bit, but things would turn out okay. All she had to do was pass that next test and make sure any bullies got their just deserts. “Heh… thanks, guys,” she eventually muttered before returning to her sandwich. A few moments passed in an awkward silence before her friends began to talk amongst themselves again. Minuette didn’t pay them much attention, though. She was trying to distract herself internally from the unfortunate situation she had found herself in. Whether or not the odd looks and mockery would go away with time didn’t matter right now, because right now, she did have that poor reputation, and she was going to have to put up with who knew what kinds of garbage until she moved past it? She didn’t want to think about that, though. She forced herself not to think about it. She looked around the courtyard for something, anything she could use to distance herself from those worrying, anxiety-inducing thoughts. But sadly, there wasn’t much to go on. Just ponies going about their day, the statue in the center, the various luxurious buildings that made up the campus, and her reflection looking back at her from a nearby window with the curtains drawn. “Hold on a tic.” “Do you guys ever see stuff moving in mirrors?” The conversation the others had been going into died the moment Minuette blurted the question. She turned to look at them to see an assortment of bewildered faces staring back at her, none of them quite comprehending. “Er, what?” First asked in abject confusion. Minuette gestured vaguely. “Ya know. Stuff in mirrors moving around that aren’t moving in the real world. A shadow in the corner or something,” she explained, her vague gestures becoming downright absurd. “And maybe they talk at you sometimes, telling you to ‘be careful’ when practicing your magic.” There were many seconds of silence after that where First, Bristle, and Split all stared at her like she had just grown two new heads that belched toasters. They looked between each other for a few seconds before First Aid tilted her head. “Um… no? That’s not supposed to happen.” “Huh. Weird,” Minuette replied, leaning back and taking another, larger chomp from her sandwich. “Cause that’s been going on with mine. Maybe I’m just crazy or something.” Bristle and Split shared a look before breaking out into amused grins. In was the latter who spoke. “Heh. Yeah, I agree. You have gone completely bonkers.” “Split!” First Aid lightly chastised him, frowning. “That’s not nice!” “Hey, she said it, not me! I’m just agreeing with her!” “It’s still not nice!” Split End threw his hooves up into the air with a loud, exasperated groan. “Ugh! There is just no winning with you, is there?!” “Not really, no,” Bristle remarked with a chuckle. “My dad says you should never annoy the nurse, after all.” Split grimaced. “Huh? What’s that gotta do with this? First Aid isn’t a nurse!” “Look at her name,” Bristle shot back. “First Aid. As in First Aid kit. Filly’s gonna be a doctor or a nurse or something.” First Aid puffed up her cheeks as she seemingly fell into the background of the discussion. “Excuse me?! Are you two ignoring me?!” she demanded indignantly. “No, we’re talking about you,” Bristle replied casually. “Bit different.” “Oh, you two are the worst!” “And Minuette’s crazy.” Minuette rolled her eyes and laughed at that. Using her magic, she hefted her sandwich up into the air and gave it a few fancy twirls, being careful not to send any of it flying. That would suck. “Heh. Yeah, I am. So crazy, that I’m gonna pass the next test with flying colors!” she decided then and there, thumping a hoof against her chest. Bristle glanced at her from the side. “Er, that’s not quite how that-” “Flying colors, Bristle,” Minuette shot him down before taking a very big, exaggerated chomp from her sandwich. When next she spoke, it was with her mouth full muffling her words. “Phwying. Cowurs.” First Aid looked back and forth between the two before sighing and slapping a hoof to her forehead. “Ugh. You guys…” she groaned quietly, earning more amused chortled from her company. After a moment, she lifted her eyes to Minuette and lightly punched her shoulder. “Well, I’m holding you to that, Minuette! Flying colors!” Minuette swallowed and made a cross over her chest. “Flying colors! Absolutely!” Split smiled at them for a moment before tilting his head to one side. “Wait a second… do colors actually fly?” “Rainbows are a thing,” Bristle noted. “So I think so?” “But they touch the ground at both ends,” Split sent back. “So, does that really count?” “Maybe? I dunno, man.” Minuette and First Aid shared a glance as Split and Bristle kept on bickering about whether or not colors could fly or not. They then smiled and broke down into giggles, taking much joy in the dumb antics of their two friends. That little moment did wonders to ease Minuette’s newfound worries. As simple and seemingly pointless as it all was, it stuck with her for the rest of the day, and she found it rather difficult to get the small smile off her face until well after the final bell had sent them all home.
Picking ProjectsMinuette hummed quietly in thought as she stepped out of the school, her gaze locked on the ground. She felt the warmth of the sun on her back and she could hear the laughter and eager chattering of the other foals all around her making their way home. She gave passing glances at some of the louder ones that went by, but she wasn’t giving them much thought. Her mind was occupied instead with her time in the statue gardens earlier. She lifted her gaze when familiar voices reached her ears, and a smile blossomed on her face at the sight of her friends all gathered in their usual spot by a street corner. They would typically meet up there and walk together as a group for the majority of the way to their homes before splitting up at an intersection. Minuette picked up the pace, her smile turning into a wide grin. “Hey, girls!” The others turned to her, giving an assortment of greetings. “Hey, Minnie!” “Sup?” “Oh! Hey.” “Hi…” “Hello, Minuette.” Minuette came to a stop by First Aid’s side, bouncing eagerly in place. “So, how were the rest of your days?” she asked. “It wasn’t bad,” Twinkle Shine replied with a casual shrug. “But alchemy class sucked. Like usual.” Twilight wrinkled her nose at that. “You really need to get a better appreciation for alchemy, Twinkle. Seriously, it’s fascinating!” Twinkle stuck out her tongue in dismay, earning a few giggles from the others. Moondancer spoke up a moment later, in her usual, quiet voice. “I’ve mostly been thinking about what I want to do my history report on… the princess gave us a lot of options, and I don’t know where to start.” “Ditto,” First agreed with a slow nod. “But I was kinda leaning towards covering those fillies from Sire’s Hollow and all of that social drama. It could be interesting.” Twilight shrugged. “Maybe it could be, but I don’t see myself doing my report on that,” she stated bluntly. Minuette smirked knowingly. She nudged the other unicorn in the ribs with her elbow. “Gonna do your report on Starswirl, ain’t ya?” she asked slowly. “N-no!” Twilight shot down, stiffening slightly. A series of doubtful frowns went her way, and she was soon forced to concede. She deflated with a sigh and nodded. “Okay, fine, yes, I’m thinking I’ll probably do another report on Starswirl.” “And this one won’t even be for extra credit,” Twinkle noted. “Progress.” “Oh, hush. It’s not my fault that he led such a fascinating life!” Twilight protested, growing flustered from the teasing. Lemon Hearts smiled in amusement. “No, I guess not. I think it’s really admirable of you, though. You have a really good work ethic.” Twilight glanced at Lemon for a few seconds before relaxing. “I try. I’m the princess's student. I need to have a good work ethic. I can’t afford to let her down! She made me her personal student for a reason, and I don’t mean to let her down!” Twinkle Shine coughed into her hoof, disguising the words ‘hero worship’ with it, not that she fooled anyone. Twilight pouted at her and lightly smacked her upside the head, drawing some more giggles from the foals. Satisfied that Twinkle had been properly punished, Twilight turned back to the others. “But what about the rest of you? What are you planning on doing your reports on?” Minuette was the first to pipe up. “Oh! I plan to do mine on that chaos fella!” she said, her mind wandering back to the statue in question. She didn’t know why, but it had just drawn her in, and she meant to dig into it. Plus, she had what was effectively a second-hoof account for a lot of historical events living in her bedroom. She could only hope Fangs had been paying attention to what was going on back then. “Makes sense,” Twinkle noted with a smirk. “You’re the spazz of the group.” Minuette gave a chirpy nod. “And don’t you forget it!” First Aid giggled in amusement at that, draping a foreleg around Minuette’s shoulders to pull her into a side hug. “Ha! As if you could ever let us forget!” she said lightly. “Heh. Well, we should probably be getting a move on,” Minuette said, nudging First off of her after a moment. She turned to Twilight. “You gonna tag along this time?” Twilight shook her head. “Sorry, girls, but not today. Princess Celestia has lessons for me, and I’m going to be late if I don’t get a move on.” “Gah, oh come on, really?!” Twinkle blurted out in exasperation, earning surprised looks from everyone else. Minuette frowned at her in confusion. She knew Twinkle was the most outwardly easy to anger of the group, but that had come out of nowhere. Twilight raised an eyebrow. “I’m… sorry? Twinkle, you know that I can’t miss my-” “Yeah, yeah, I know,” Twinkle cut her off, placing a hoof against her temple and taking a deep breath. “Sorry. I just… it bothers me how rarely we get a chance to, you know, hang out with you. You’re our friend but you’re usually off with your nose in a book somewhere. I want to spend time with my friends out of school, not just in it!” A silence fell over the group, and Twilight’s ears drooped. She almost looked guilty at that, and she scuffed a hoof against the stone beneath. A few seconds passed before Lemon Hearts chipped in. “Yeah, I kind of agree…” Minuette looked back and forth, her ears drooping. Well, this had gone downhill fast, hadn’t it? The sudden and intense drop in the mood left her fishing for words, hoping to lighten things back up again. Luckily, cheering up her friends, or at least dispelling tension, was something she was very good at, and it did not take long for an idea to come to mind. She turned to Twilight with a hopeful look in her eyes. “Well… hey, Twilight, I got an idea. What if this weekend, we all go to the library and pick up some books to study our subjects with, and then we can all meet up at your place to have a little study party?” Twilight straightened up, looking surprised. “Wha- I mean, I’m good for most of that plan, but why my house?” “One, so we can spend more time with you,” Minuette pointed out, poking Twilight on the nose for emphasis and making her go cross-eyed. “Secondly, Spike’s cute.” “He is that,” Twinkle added with a smile returning to her face. “I like how his leg kicks when you rub his belly. He’s almost like a dog.” “Plus, your house is pretty quiet most of the time,” Moondancer added, adjusting her glasses and smiling. “And your parents are really nice.” Twilight looked between them all for a few moments before relenting. “Okay, okay, fair enough. We can figure out a precise date and time tomorrow, but for now, I really need to get up into the castle. Celestia’s waiting.” Minuette grinned. “Disaster averted!” she cheered internally. She gave Twilight a good-natured clap on the shoulder. “Oki doki! We’ll see you then, Twi!” she chirped before spinning to the rest of the group. “C’mon, let’s go!” “Yeah, and we can hit the donut shop on the way,” Twinkle said as the group began to make their way down the street, leaving Twilight to head into the castle. “Dad got me my allowance early this week, so it’s on me!” Minuette was unable to hold in a high-pitched squeal. “Aw, HECK yeah!” After taking a brief few minutes to pick up a box of donuts for each of them at Donut Joe’s, the five fillies continued on their way home, talking energetically about this and that. They speculated on what they might find out in their history projects and discussed the rest of their options. They listened to Lemon Hearts regale the others with the story about how Twinkle Shine had gotten her tongue turned yellow in alchemy class earlier with merciless sweetness, much to the lighter unicorn’s disdain. But eventually, the time came for the group to go their separate ways, leaving Minuette to prance home on her own. She hummed a merry tune to herself as she went while scarfing down another donut, her eyes alight and her smile wide. Her home came into view soon enough, and she wasted no time in throwing open the door. “I’m home!” she called out with a fanciful flourish. To her surprise, there was no answer. Frowning, Minuette poked her head into the kitchen to see a note on the counter. She didn’t bother lifting it up to read it. She knew her parents well enough to know that they were simply out shopping, meaning she had the run of the house until they got back. And that also meant she was alone with a certain someone… Fighting to contain the rush of excitement at seeing her best friend again, Minuette shoved another donut into her mouth and sprinted up the stairs for her room, already formulating how best to start asking him her questions. There was a resounding crash as she pushed open her bedroom door and leaped into the room with yet another flourish. She made sure to strike a cool pose. “Beefholf, Eimff hmmf- wah!” Minuette said through the donut in her mouth, only realizing too late in her sugar-rush that opening her mouth so wide while chewing was, perhaps, not an idea worthy of song. Her eyes flew wide, and her heart tore with panic as the partially chewed remains of her donut, a deliciously frosted thing covered in colorful sprinkles, went falling to the ground below. There was a flash of yellow light, and she just saved the chewed remains with her magic before they hit the floor. Minuette heaved a sigh of relief and stuffed the contents back in. She couldn’t help but shudder in mild revulsion. Somehow, eating something already damp with saliva and partially chewed was not as pleasant as just doing it from the start. She was drawn from her ruminations on that by the sound of chitinous hooves clapping from the far end of the room. Minuette’s cheeks puffed up and turned red with embarrassment as she realized her friend had seen all of that. “Oh, I am never living that down, am I?” she thought. Fangs was in the mirror, an amused smirk on his face, while he gave her the most sarcastic applause she had ever received. “Bravo, little one. Truly, an entrance to strike awe into the masses. You’ll be the next superhero for sure!” Minuette pouted at him. “Sh’up!” Fangs chuckled at that, lowering his hooves. “Ha ha ha. Your parents headed out a little under five minutes ago, give or take. They should be back before long,” he said, lowering himself to his haunches. “So, how was your day?” Minuette took a seat in front of the mirror, popping another donut into her mouth. She only had one more after this one. “It was fun! Princess Celestia gave me and the rest of my first period class a tour of the Canterlot sculpture gardens up in the castle so we could find inspiration for a big, independent history report we gotta do!” “I see, I see. What about the rest of your classes?” Minuette shrugged. “Meh. Same old, same old,” she dismissed. “I was actually kinda hoping you could help me out with my history project, though.” Fangs raised an eyebrow, taken aback. “Me? Are you quite sure about that? I haven’t exactly been involved with the events of the world for… well, ever, it feels like.” “I know,” Minuette said, popping the last donut into her mouth. Once she had it swallowed, she set the box to one side and nodded at Fangs. “But you’ve known a lot of ponies who were, haven’t you! The mirror was owned by one family for several generations, after all, and from what I’ve heard, they were pretty wealthy.” “They were a business family, yes,” Fangs conceded. “Though I fail to see how that’s relevant…” “Rich ponies are important ponies,” Minuette pointed out casually, leaning back in place. “Or important ponies become rich. Or something. And rich ponies love talking! So you probably heard plenty about history from them, and even if not, what about the ponies who came before them? You’re, like, a walking fossil! You’ve been there for things that happened when my great-grandma was in diapers!” Fangs’ expression flattened. “Gee. Thanks. I feel so young.” Minuette grinned and slid up to the mirror, nudging it with an elbow. “Heh. You’re an old guy.” Fangs sighed and placed a hoof against his forehead. “Ugh… Okay, fine, if it will spare me any more of this ignominy, very well, I’ll answer whatever questions I can.” Minuette grinned and clapped her hooves together. Great! She had secured her ticket to an easy A! At this rate, she wouldn’t even need to go to the library for books. She’d just go spend time with her friends and help them study! Fangs adjusted himself to get more comfortable before focusing on Minuette and letting his expression relax. “Alright. What are you doing your report on?” “Well, Celestia said we can do our report on just about anything in Equestria’s history, and she just took us through the garden to give us some inspiration,” Minuette said, scooting back and rubbing her chin. “And there were a lot of really cool things she talked about. How a bunch of fillies ended the strife of some other town, how Starswirl fought and defeated evil monsters, how some old thestral rebellion ended. She also told us about this mean old draconequus that represented ‘Discord,’ who apparently was one of her oldest and most powerful enemies. It’s that guy I wanna do my report on!” Fangs blinked. “...Draconequus?” he asked, his brow furrowing. “I am unfamiliar with the term. Could you describe it for me?” Minuette nodded. “Uh-huh! Okay, so, he had this really long body with a pony head. But instead of unicorn horns, he had a goat horn and a deer horn, and this really tacky little poof of a beard on his chin. All of his other limbs were mismatched, like a dragon and pony leg, a lion paw and eagle claw, and a pegasus wing and a big bat wing. He was apparently around before Celestia was Princess, if you can believe it, and- ...Fangs?” Minuette stopped talking when she realized that Fangs had stopped paying attention. His head was downturned, hiding his face from view. He had one hoof pressed up to his temple, and his breathing had become labored. Immediately, Minuette was on her hooves, worry and confusion coursing through her. She had never seen Fangs look like this before. Any time he had appeared uncomfortable, it had been a result of emotional discomfort, not physical. She stepped forward, pressing one hoof up to the glass. “Fangs? Are you okay?” she asked urgently. Fangs looked up at her, and her heart almost stopped beating. Fangs’ face was contorted in pain, one eye shut and his fangs showing in a strained grimace. He let out a pained hiss, his forked tongue slithering out. Minuette’s other hoof found the mirror, propping her up on her hind legs. “Fangs?!” “I… Ugh,” Fangs finally began to speak, forcing the words out. He took a few deep breaths to calm down, and his face gradually began to relax. “Guh… f-forgive me, Minuette. I just… I just had a headache. A bad one…” Minuette slowly eased off, but her heart was still alight with concern. “Are you alright? I’ve never seen that happen to you before… is something wrong? Is the mirror damaged?!” “No, no, it’s fine,” Fangs dismissed her with a wave of his hoof. He took another few breaths and gave her a weak, reassuring smile. “They are rare, but I have had headaches like this from time to time. Don’t worry, it’s not a problem. I just need to wait it out, that’s all…” Minuette frowned. “Is there a reason they happen?” “If there is, I have never deciphered it,” Fangs replied, rubbing at his temple more tenderly. “That being said… this one was particularly aggressive… I’m sorry, but perhaps your questions can wait until another time. Right now, I think I just need some quiet.” Minuette’s ears drooped, and her hope at getting some quick and easy answers ground to a halt. She looked down, scuffing her carpeted floor with a hoof. “Oh… okay.” “I’m sorry, little one,” Fangs responded, slipping back from the mirror a little. “It’s bad timing… we can talk more later.” With that, the bug in the mirror turned and stepped out of view, leaving Minuette alone with her thoughts.
Celestia's Verdict“Minuette, honestly, waiting by the window isn’t going to make her come any faster.” Minuette pointedly ignored her mother’s words. She was standing up on her hind legs by one of the windows at the front of the house, her hooves perched on the window sill and her eyes glued onto the street outside. Princess Celestia was due to come by any minute now, she was sure of it, and gosh dangit Minuette was going to be the first pony there to greet her! It was a charming day outside, with warm morning sunlight filtering through the streets and breathing some much-needed life and energy into things. It did wonders to help quell Minuette’s frantically rebelling nerves. She had slept well enough following Fangs’ story, but that did little and less to keep her mind from spiraling into a mess of half-baked what-ifs and what-abouts. But she was also beyond excited, and it took all of her willpower to keep from bouncing off of the walls to declare her victory prematurely. Soon enough, Fangs would be free, and she could hug him! And he could get to meet all of her friends, too, which came with the added bonus of proving just how wrong they were about him! The concoction of feelings those two conflicting states brewed was enough to drive her insane. And so, to keep her mind occupied, she kept herself parked firmly by the door, watching the outside world for any sign of the princess. “Oh, leave her alone, hon,” Sunspot spoke up in Minuette’s defense, much to her relief. “The princess is gonna be here for pony’s sake. It’s only natural she’d be a little excited.” “Well, yes, but…” Minuette frowned, but she didn’t look back. She recalled her parents’ discussion from the previous night, her brow furrowing in dismay. She wasn’t really scared about them throwing away the mirror anymore, but she was angry. Well, okay, angry was probably a bit of a strong word. Annoyed? No, too gentle. Offended, that was it! She was offended. Offended that they would talk about it behind her back. Offended that they didn’t trust her with the mirror. Offended that they still didn’t believe her. Out of all of the ponies, if ever there were going to be ones who were on her side in all of this, she had thought it would be them. But then again, how could she possibly expect that? They had no way of perceiving Fangs. He might as well be fictional to them… and she had to admit, from the outside looking it, she probably looked more than a little insane. She groaned, burying her face in her hooves. “Why does this crud have to be so complicated?” Several minutes passed, and she heard her parents withdraw back into the dining room. Then, after some time and the smells of breakfast reached her, the sound of clopping hooves and clattering wheels from outside drew her attention. Minuette looked up, and her eyes lit up at the sight of an extravagant carriage being pulled up the street by two white-furred stallions in the golden ornamental armor of the royal guard. The carriage was open for all to see, and Princess Celestia was seated atop it with a gentle smile on her face. Minuette could see that just behind them, the ponies she had passed were only now coming up from their respectful bows. Feeling a brand new surge of excitement, Minuette spun around, bouncing on her hooves like a little bunny on coffee. “Mom! Dad! She’s here!” she squealed, darting into the kitchen. She found them both there, chowing down on the last lingering remnants of their breakfast. “She’s here, she’s here, she’s here!” “Already?!” Sunspot asked, his eyes flying wide. He turned to Pearly, who was already wolfing down the remains of her breakfast. “Ack, uh, help us get the dishes put away!” Minuette rolled her eyes at the clear overreaction but nonetheless did as she was told. With a spark of light from her horn, the various dishes and bits of cutlery scattered across the table were snatched up in her yellow magical aura. She deposited them all the sink before either her mother or father could get a word in. Minuette flashed them both a wide grin. “There. Now, let’s go say hi!” she decided before turning and scampering for the door. Sunspot and Pearly were right behind her, muttering amongst themselves. No doubt they were making last-second observations about each other’s appearance or ensuring the home was tidy and presentable, or any number of other things. Minuette tuned them out. The family gathered in front of the front door and waited with bated breath. Minuette sat still, sandwiched between her mother and father. She could just make out the sound of Celestia speaking on the other side of the door, though the words escaped her. She must have been talking to her guards, giving them instructions. As they waited, Minuette’s nerves slowly began to creep up on her, and she started to shift uneasily in place. What was taking so long? Was Celestia having second thoughts? Some weird part of Minuette’s brain idly imagined Celestia deciding to just skip all the complicated stuff and blow the house up. But that would be dumb, so she ignored that. Finally, finally, after what felt like an eternity of waiting and building anxiety, there came three sharp knocks on the door. All three waiting ponies jumped in their skin in response. Pearly composed herself first and opened the door with her magic. There, framed majestically by the glow of the morning sun, was Celestia. In Minuette’s house. To free Fangs. Minuette was not able to keep a tiny squee of delight from slipping out. Celestia offered the ponies in front of her a warm smile. “Good morning, my little ponies,” she said. Sunspot and Pearly immediately dipped into low bows, and Minuette only needed a moment to remember that she wasn’t in class right now and followed them down. She was so used to just waving and smiling when Celestia walked in. The formalities felt odd. Especially after all this time with Twilight. “Rise,” Celestia gently ordered. “This is your home, and I am your guest. Be at ease.” “O-of course. Thank you. Welcome to our home, your highness,” Sunspot said respectfully, rising back to his hooves. “We’re honored to have you here.” Celestia tittered quietly. “Oh, thank you. The pleasure is all mine. May I come in?” “Of course, of course!” Pearly replied with a nod, gesturing for the alicorn to enter. Celestia did so, having to duck her head somewhat to enter through the normal pony-sized door. Minuette beamed up at her as she entered, and Celestia smiled back at her. “So, can we get you anything?” Sunspot asked, glancing briefly toward the kitchen. “Some food, perhaps? Or maybe some water?” Celestia turned to him and shook her head. “Thank you, but no. If it is all the same to you, I would rather not waste time. I am here for more than idle pleasantries,” she stated, her voice taking on a more serious tone. The mood in the room shifted sharply, with both Sunspot and Pearly shrinking back. They glanced at one another for a moment before Sunspot spoke up. “Right. Of course.” Celestia turned to Minuette, who had herself quickly sobered up and calmed down. “Is the mirror ready for the examination?” she asked directly. Minuette nodded. “Yes, your highness, it’s in my room.” Celestia glanced up the stairs. “Very well. Take me to it, please.” Minuette glanced over at her parents for a moment. Both of them looked back with worry in their eyes. Pearly especially looked to be almost fearful, with one of her hooves tightly bound up in Sunspot’s grip. Sunspot, on the other hoof, for all of his own anxiety at having royalty in the house, gave Minuette a very different look. It was almost… expectant. Like he was waiting for her to do something. He then dipped his head in a very slow, deliberate nod, encouraging her to move forward. A moment passed before Minuette simply nodded back and made her way up the stairs. She heard three sets of hooves following close behind her. On the way up, she took several deep breaths to calm her nerves and gather her wits. As confident as she was that Celestia would set Fangs free today, she doubted it would be quite that easy. There would be questions, there would be convincing that needed to be done. And in the event Celestia prodded the mirror the same way Twilight had, there might be some actual danger involved in this examination. She had to be ready for everything. And so she set her jaw and steeled herself before pushing open the door to her room. Fangs was in the mirror already, sitting up and at attention as he waited for them. Minuette led Celestia into the room, followed shortly by Pearly and Sunspot. The door clicked shut behind them a moment later. “So, is this it?” Celestia asked, approaching the mirror with a critical eye. “It is, your majesty,” Sunspot said, hanging back by the door with Pearly. “Yup. I haven’t moved it since I got home,” Minuette said, walking beside the princess. She then looked up at Celestia, a brief flicker of hope lighting up in her chest. In a low whisper, only loud enough for Celestia to hear, she whispered, “Do you see him?” Celestia frowned and glanced down at her in confusion. “...See who?” Minuette deflated, shaking her head. “...Nothing. Nevermind,” she said quietly before looking up to fangs. She met his gaze and mouthed the words “I tried” to him. Fangs smiled that gentle smile he always gave her when she was on edge. “Thank you,” he said in a soothing tone. A moment passed before Celestia turned her attention back to the mirror. Her horn lit up with golden light, but she didn’t reach out to the mirror yet. “Please stand back, Minuette. If there is another pulse from this item, I do not wish for it to harm you, and I need room to work.” Minuette looked up at her, surprised. “Huh? B-but-” “Don’t argue with the princess, Minnie,” Pearly chastised from the back of the room. She patted the floor a few times for emphasis. “Come over here and let her work.” Minuette glanced back at her mother, then to Celestia, and finally to Fangs. He stared back at her for a moment before offering a slow nod. “You’re mother is right. Go.” Minuette swallowed heavily but did as she was told. She reluctantly withdrew and joined her parents by the door. As she turned back to watch, she felt Pearly’s hoof draping over her withers, and she knew then that she was not going to be released for anything until they were given the all-clear. With that, Celestia tilted her head back, channeling more power into her horn. To the awe of everypony present, a sphere of golden light appeared in the room, centered on the mirror and leaving just enough space for Celestia to examine it from all sides. Fangs jumped in surprise, making Minuette’s heart beat a little faster. As if sensing her discomfort, he simply offered her a smile. The next several minutes passed in an eerie quiet as Celestia began to methodically examine the mirror. She started by studying its physical form, her eyes roaming carefully over every single inch of its surface. Every so often she would place her hoof on the frame or the glass, humming to herself. Occasionally she would move it around in her magic to look at it from new angles, causing Fangs to have to reposition himself and making Minuette squirm out of sympathy for him. “When did you get this?” Celestia asked after a while, placing the mirror against the wall again. “And how?” “We bought it a few years ago for Minuette’s tenth birthday,” Sunspot said with a nod. “It was being sold for cheap at a yard sale of sorts up at some noble’s estate.” “Do you remember which one?” Celestia asked curiously. Sunspot shrug. “I… don’t. Sorry.” Celestia hummed, her brow furrowing in thought before she turned back to the mirror. The light on her horn grew brighter and brighter as she began to probe at the actual enchantment. As before, a shimmering veil of crackling purple magic pulsed over the frame of the mirror, and Fangs grunted in pain in response, his hoof flying up to his temple. And then, to Minuette’s surprise, Celestia suddenly stopped. The light on her horn winked out, her eyes flying wide open in shock and surprise. Even her barrier sputtered and faded with barely even a sound. Minuette went rigid, watching the alicorn with bated breath. That… didn’t look good. “It cannot be…” Celestia breathed, seemingly forgetting that she had an audience. Sunspot and Pearly shared an uneasy glance, while Fangs lifted his lowered head to focus on Minuette, assuring her he was fine. “Your highness?” Pearly asked in an anxious whisper. “What is it?” Celestia blinked, seemingly remembering the spectators. She turned back to Minuette. “...Minuette, you and your friends had been trying to map out the enchantment on this mirror, correct?” she asked carefully. Minuette squirmed under the princesses’ scrutinizing glare. It suddenly felt as if she was being interrogated. After a moment, she licked her lips. “Er, yes?” Celestia was quiet for a moment before turning back to the mirror. The barrier was restored a second later, brighter than before. “...You were doomed to fail from the start, I am afraid,” she said in a grim tone. Minuette’s ears drooped. She had kinda figured, frankly, but to hear the confirmation from Princess Celestia of all ponies stung in a very different way. “Is it dangerous?” Pearly asked, leaning forward and pulling Minuette just a little closer. Not enough to be uncomfortable, but close enough. Celestia furrowed her brow as she began to probe the enchantment again. “The enchantment upon this mirror is… elaborate. I have never seen anything quite like it,” she said slowly. Celestia’s brow furrowed even more, and she probed deeper. Minuette could see the rippling purple energy from the mirror’s defensive reaction, but a shimmer of golden light from Celestia’s horn held the burst at bay, allowing her to proceed undisrupted. The only problem now was that Minuette couldn’t see Fangs through all the light. “I… cannot say,” Celestia eventually muttered, her ears drooping somewhat. “It is beyond complicated… and nonsensical. It is so mired in its own loops and contrivances that it would take me years to map it all out…” “But is it dangerous?!” Pearly stressed, her voice rising slightly. She immediately withdrew with an apologetic ‘meep’ when Celestia shot her a stern look. Celestia didn’t answer right away. She continued to probe at the mirror for several more minutes, leaving the only sound to be her occasional hums of thought, and the steady shimmering hum of her magic. All the while, Minuette watched her, waiting for the moment when the alicorn would find the weakest link and break it all apart, letting Fangs into the real world. But no such event transpired. Celestia gave off a quiet sigh as, finally, the light on her horn blinked out. The barrier faded, and once the purple swells from the mirror died down, so too did the containment field. The room was as it had been before her examination began. “I have reached my conclusion,” Celestia said, turning back to the family. “W-what?” Minuette asked anxiously, her hooves fidgeting together over her chest. Celestia glanced back at the mirror. “The enchantment upon this mirror is not itself dangerous. It will only become a problem in the event somepony aside from the original caster tries to investigate it too closely. Beyond that, however, it is a perfectly harmless, indestructible mirror.” Sunspot breathed a sigh of relief, but Pearly did not seem convinced. “Are you sure?” she asked, taking a step forward. “Are you sure it isn’t affecting the minds of those near it, somehow?” Celestia nodded. “I saw no evidence of mental manipulation. Such was one of the first things I looked for.” “But… but…” Before anypony could say anything else, however, Celestia glanced over at Sunspot and Pearly. “Forgive the imposition, but I would like to speak with your daughter in private.” “H-huh?” Sunspot asked, tilting his head. “What for?” “I have questions for her that are best asked and answered in confidence.” The parents exchanged anxious, worried looks. But, a moment later, they began to withdraw, opening the door. “Behave yourself,” Sunspot called over to Minuette. “Answer her questions completely honestly, you hear me?” “That was the idea,” Minuette called after him with a wave. “See ya in a few!” The door clicked closed, and Minuette was left alone with Celestia. She took a slow breath and turned to face the alicorn, who had adopted a far more casual, gentle smile. Before saying a word, however, a pulse of light emanated from her horn, washing over the entire room. Minuette blinked, looking around in confusion. “Huh? What was that?” “A soundproofing spell,” Celestia explained with a small nod. “Now we may speak freely with no risk of eavesdroppers.” “Woooahh…” Minuette murmured, spinning in a slow circle. “That is so cool…” “I have seen you watching me, Minuette,” Celestia began calmly a moment later. “Far more intently than your mother and father. And where they appeared afraid, you looked expectant. Eager. Like you were just waiting for something to happen.” Minuette blinked. Had she been that obvious? Before she could speak, Celestia continued. “And beyond that, when I first arrived, you asked me if I could ‘see him.’ I would very much like to know who ‘he’ is.” Minuette was quiet for a moment, her brain stalling. This was it. The moment of truth. If she could convince Celestia of Fangs’ existence, she could get the alicorn to let him out. It was now or never! And that terrified her. She licked her lips and began to speak. “So… uh… d-did you ever hear about my, er, ‘imaginary friend?’” she asked hesitantly. Celestia raised an eyebrow. “...I do not believe I have, no,” she said slowly. Minuette hummed. She rose to her hooves and approached the mirror, lightly tapping the side with her hoof. Fangs was still taking deep breaths, but he looked better now than he had a moment ago. Satisfied that he’d be okay, Minuette turned back to Celestia. “Well… The thing is… he’s real. And he’s right here.” Celestia quirked a brow. She looked into the surface of the mirror, squinting curiously. “...Go on.” Minuette took that as a good sign. Finally! She wasn’t being dismissed right out the gate! With a small smile, she placed a hoof on the mirror’s frame. “His name is Fangs. He’s this funky lookin’ bug-pony with big blue glowy eyes. I made an illusion of him in class a few years ago, remember?” Celestia hummed quietly, closing her eyes. “Yes… I think I remember that. I commented that you had quite the imagination.” “Well, I don’t,” Minuette shot back. “Not back then, at least. I was just copying what I saw from him. But he’s been trapped inside the mirror for centuries… unable to talk to anypony but foals who see him when they’re little, unable to feel anything, or eat, or sleep, or use the bathroom, or anything.” Fangs gave her a flat look. “I do not think I miss that second-to-last one, actually.” “Shush.” Celestia considered Minuette for several long seconds, her brow furrowed in thought. Minuette took this as her cue to continue. “That’s why I was studying the mirror. That’s why I got Twi and Moonie to help me. I knew I wouldn’t be able to let him out on my own. I’m… not really that good at magic. Better than a lotta ponies, maybe, but… I’m no Starswirl. Point is, I needed them to help me figure out how the mirror worked so I could let him out.” She then put on a big grin, pointing at Celestia. “But now you’re here! You’ve looked at it yourself! And if anypony can set him free, it will be you!” Celestia did not say a word. Her expression was impossible to read, and silence dominated the room. Slowly, Minuettes grin began to fade away, dwindling into a disappointed frown. “...You don’t believe me, do you?” she asked despondently. Celestia, to her surprise, shook her head. “Actually, I do not doubt a single word you are saying.” Minuette’s eyes went wide. “Huh?!” Celestia rose to her hooves. “When I was studying the enchantment, while its full purpose eluded me, I was able to recognize that it was capable of storing… something, though I could not place my hoof on what, exactly. Furthermore, I know you, Minuette. You have been in my school for years, and have studied in several classes that I teach personally. I know how you think, how you act. You aren’t the sort to commit this much time and effort to a flight of fancy,” she stated as she strode up to the mirror. “You are… to put it gently, fickle. Flighty. You are easily distracted, and a terrible liar. And I know how to tell when somepony is lying.” Minuette’s heart lit up like a Hearthswarming Tree. Her hooves lifted up to her chest, her eyes shining, and her soul singing with unrestrained joy. “You believe me?!” she asked in a high-pitched squeal of joy. Celestia smiled. “I do.” Minuette rose to her hooves as the joy in her heart spread to her hooves. She jumped up and down in place, cheering her delight, uncaring about how her parents might think of it. “YES! Finally! You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for somepony to say that!” she exclaimed, darting it and giving Celestia a hug, not really caring that it probably wasn’t appropriate. Celestia laughed, not minding in the slightest, and wrapped her hooves around Minuette to return it. “So you’ll let him out?” Minuette asked hopefully, her heart beating faster and faster with excitement. “I bet he’ll wanna thank you, too!” She was expecting Celestia to answer with a solid ‘yes’ and get to work immediately. She was already imagining the glow of light and picturing the glass rippling like water as Fangs stepped through and into the real world. Instead, however, she was met with silence. She looked up into Celestia’s eyes, and her hope faltered at the apology she saw directed back down at her. Celestia released Minuette and nudged her back before rising to her hooves. She turned to the mirror, her eyes distant and forlorn. Minuette watched her, confused. “Princess?” “...Forgive me,” Celestia said softly, shaking her head. “But I am afraid that it is beyond my power to free your friend.” It was like Minuette’s heart had shattered. She didn’t say a word. She stared at Celestia, uncomprehending, for what felt like forever. Slowly, stiffly, she turned to Fangs. His eyes were closed, and he had lowered his head in disappointment. No. This wasn’t right. It couldn’t be. Minuette turned back to Celestia, licked her lips, and spoke. “W-what do you mean? You’re Princess Celestia! You can do anything!” Celestia gave a weak, bitter laugh. A broken sound laced with a thousand years of regret, and immediately Minuette knew how wrong she was. “Oh, how I wish that were true,” Celestia whispered, staring out the window for a moment. “Think of the enchantment holding your friend inside as a lock. A lock requires a key to open safely. And I do not possess the key… nor can I create it.” “But why not?!” Minuette demanded, her vision starting to blur with tears. “What’s this ‘key?!’ Maybe we can find it!” Celestia shook her head. “I’m sorry, but that is… quite impossible right now. The key for this spell is the original caster. If anypony else were to try and undo the enchantment, then they would get nowhere, just like trying to put the wrong key in the wrong lock.” “But… but…” Minuette was fishing for ideas now. There was no way this was how her efforts came to an end! She wouldn’t let it! “W-what if you forced the lock open?” she suggested desperately. “I mean, you can break a padlock if you hit it hard enough! Maybe you can break this… one…” Celestia had given her a solemn, sympathetic look as she spoke, causing the words to die in her throat as she said them. “...In theory, I could,” Celestia said a second later. “But to do so would not only require an unthinkable amount of energy, but it would also utterly destroy the enchantment… and everything it contains.” Minuette felt sick. She fell to her haunches, her head spinning. “Then… if you tried, you…” she mumbled in barely even a whisper. “I would not be setting him free,” Celestia confirmed gently. “I would be executing him…” Minuette’s breaths were coming in heaving gasps now. She brought a hoof up to her chest, her eyes wide as she tried desperately to think of something, anything. She must have overlooked something! Maybe she just needed to think about this from another angle, or… or… She screwed her eyes shut as the reality finally set in. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and she slammed her hooves down into the floor with a scream of frustration and grief. The scream rapidly broke down into pathetic sobs, and she felt Celestia’s hoof on her back a moment later. After all of her hard work, enlisting her friends, studying the enchantment, and even getting Celestia herself involved, this was her reward? To learn that it had all been for nothing?! She beat her hoof against the floor again, uncaring if anypony heard her. Why did Fangs have to suffer like this?! It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t right! She didn’t know how long she lay there, screaming and crying her heart out, but soon enough she ran out of energy to spend. All the while, Celestia quietly comforted her, a hoof on her back. Minuette’s wails gradually died down into mere shaky breaths and quiet whimpers. Finally, with a pathetic sniffle, she looked up at Fangs. “I’m sorry,” she whimpered, wiping a hoof over her eyes. “I’m s-so s-sorry, Fangs.” Fangs placed a hoof against the mirror. “No, no, don’t be. Don’t you dare apologize, Minuette,” he said gently, trying to smile at her. “You did everything you could. You made it farther than anyone else ever has. You made it as far as it is possible to get. I cannot thank you enough for that, and I am so proud of you.” “B-but you’re still trapped!” she protested, slipping out of Celestia’s hooves to press her hooves up against the glass. A surge of white-hot rage briefly surged through her veins at the obstacle. “It’s not right!” She shouted, punching the glass with every statement. “You shouldn’t be in there! It’s wrong! I was going to give you a big hug! I was going to introduce you to my mom! And my dad! And my friends! I was gonna show you Canterlot! You were gonna get to see the world! And eat food! And… and… gah, DANGIT!” She reared back and drove her hoof into the glass one more time. Pain flared up her leg to dance in her shoulder, drawing a cry of pain from her. She slumped to the ground, leaning against the mirror, gasping for breath as her rage died away, replaced with nothing more than a cold emptiness. Several moments passed in silence. And all the while, Minuette silently cried. Celestia, who had said nothing during Minuette’s breakdown, stepped forward, lowering herself onto her belly in front of the mirror. “If you can hear me, then I beg your forgiveness,” Celestia said. But not to Minuette, this time. Her eyes were locked on the mirror. “I wish there was more I could do to help you.” Fangs hesitated for a second. He turned to Minuette, giving her a meaningful look. Minuette sniffled quietly, confused. But when Fangs tilted his head towards Celestia. "Be my voice, little one." Minuette blinked, sniffled, and rose back to her haunches. After a breath to compose herself, she gave Fangs a shaky nod. Satisfied, Fangs then turned to face Celestia directly. And when he spoke, Minuette echoed his words to the listening princess. “There is nothing to forgive, your highness,” he stated simply. “You did everything you could… and so did Minuette. I had never held much hope that she could set my body free from this glassy prison… but nor do I need her to. In the time I have known her, she has given me something far more valuable than my freedom. So long as I am free to return that gift, then I do not want or need anything else.” Once Minuette was done reciting what he said, she glanced at him in surprise. Her heart twisted in her chest at the reminder of just how much she meant to him, and tears began to prick at her eyes again. Celestia nodded. “If that is what you wish.” Fangs nodded, closing his eyes. “It is, your highness.” Celestia rose to her hooves and took a step back. “Very well… Then I leave the mirror in your hooves, Minuette,” she instructed, focusing on the foal in question. “For so long as it remains in your possession, you are to take care of it and its sole resident and ensure that none, even yourself, attempt to unmake the enchantment. For your safety… and his.” Minuette nodded, bowing her head. “R-right… I will. Thank y-you, your m-majesty.” Celestia bowed her head in turn. Then, without a word, she turned, and the sound-proofing spell that had been placed over the room disappeared with a gentle golden shimmer. “I shall take my leave of you, now,” Celestia said without looking back. “You may take the next few days off, Minuette… I still have questions for you and Fangs, but they can wait. Until then, I wish you well.” “Thank you, Princess.” Celestia gave Minuette one last smile over her shoulder and then stepped through the door, leaving Minuette alone with Fangs. She turned to face him, her eyes tired. “...So that’s it,” she said softly. Fangs nodded quietly. “...It is. Thank you for trying.” Minuette sighed, brushing her hoof over her face again. “You’re welcome… I just wish… I w-wish it’d worked…” “I know… but as I said to the princess, you have given me far more than my freedom could ever be worth,” he said in a soft whisper, drawing her eyes back to him. He was smiling at her, his own eyes shimmering with tears. “I have known many in my time in this mirror, little one… but none have touched my heart as much as you have. I don’t need to be free from my prison for that to be true.” Minuette managed to offer Fangs a weak, trembling smile. There was a thought dancing at the edges of her mind, but it was not one she could put into words. Or perhaps she just didn’t need to. Without a sound, she lifted her hoof and placed it against the glass. Fangs reciprocated the gesture, resting his hoof right in front of hers. And for one moment, one beautiful second, it almost felt as if their hooves were touching...
