//------------------------------// // Indestructible // Story: The Bug in The Mirror // by Skijarama //------------------------------// “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.