Minuette’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!!!”