//------------------------------// // Your Foalsitter Is a PRINCESS?! // Story: The Bug in The Mirror // by Skijarama //------------------------------// 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.