//------------------------------// // Back to Basics // Story: The Bug in The Mirror // by Skijarama //------------------------------// The 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.”