//------------------------------// // Beyond Earth // Story: Fauna of Mirrors // by Eggtaro //------------------------------// "I...I can explain." "Really? Because I do believe that what I'm seeing in front of me right now has done all the explaining that needs to be done." Ord smiled. "I see before me a young man in bed with a pegasus and a young girl." Ord sighed, slowly shaking his head, acting disappointed. "I won't question your taste in women, Creme. But two at the same time? You're a confident little guy, aren't you?" "You don't understand, Ord." Creme whispered, trying to free his arm from Sonata's grasp. "A lot of things happened last night." Creme wasn't confident with his excuse though. He was positive something did happen. But exactly what happened, however, that, he was unsure of. "You don't say." Ord said, cracking a smile. "I must say, I am very curious to find out as to what could have possibly happened last ni---" Rainbow suddenly let out a snore, making Creme's body stiffen up. He slowly turned his head to his left, his heart pounding so fast and with such ferocity he was sure it would awaken the entire apartment building. His eyes widened with fear as Rainbow slowly raised her head, blinking drowsily at him. Creme's heart immediately raced a million miles per second, sending streams of nervousness and panic signals to his brain. He closed his eyes, expecting for the worst to happen. But it didn't come. Rainbow only mumbled something unintelligible. After a few seconds, she closed back her eyes and went back to sleep. Hugging on to Creme's other arm in the process. A sigh of relief escaped Creme's lips. He was almost certain he was going to be goner. But it seems like Lady Luck still has him in her sights. Ord laughed. "Too close for comfort?" Ord joked. "Anyway, were any of these...events accompanied by the presence of alcohol, hmm?" Ord questioned, crossing his arms together. "Or dare I say...drugs?" he added dramatically, while raising an accusing eyebrow at Creme. "No!" Creme glanced at the two sleeping beauties on both sides of his bed, secretly hoping to himself that his voice did not wake them. It didn't. They remained fast asleep, snoring peacefully while hugging on to Creme's arms, oblivious to the scene unfolding in the bedroom. "What made you think that any of that were involved?" Creme asked, lowering his voice to a harsh whisper. "I don't do drugs!" "But you do drink, do you not?" "I do...but that's not the point!" Creme raised his head, struggling to get a better look at the man standing in his bedroom. Ord was questioning him like a mother would to a son. If Creme were in Ord's position, he too, would find that the situation was indeed...questionable; He was in bed with a pegasus. That alone could raise enough questions to fill an empty belly. "Just...let me get out of here first and I'll explain everything to you." Ord let out a soft chuckle. "Are you sure you wouldn't rather stay there and enjoy the rest of your day in bed?" he asked, giving Creme a mocking smile. "I wouldn't want to bother you and your...company." "No." Creme said, getting annoyed by Ord's unhelpfulness. Can Ord not see what Creme was going through at the moment? A little help would be nice, you know. he thought bitterly, letting his head fall back on to his pillow. He sighed. "Any ideas?" "Just slide your arms out, or pull them out." Ord said, as if it was the most obvious thing to do. "I'm pretty sure that would work." "Not helping, Ord." "No, no, really. Just slide them out." Ord said, moving his own arms. "You forget that Sonata is a very, very deep sleeper; even an earthquake would be unable to wake her from her slumber." Creme glanced at Sonata. Her face was mere inches away from his lips, but she did looked like she was in a deep sleep. He quickly --- but gently --- slid his arm out from Sonata's grasp, his fingers accidentally brushing against her soft melons as his arm secured freedom. A jolt of excitement and panic coursed through his veins as his arm came free. Panic because he was afraid Sonata might wake up. Excited because his fingers--- Creme quickly shook his head, removing any thoughts about melons and sleeping girls. He needed to focus on more important things; his other arm. One down, one more to go. He glanced over at Ord, who was clapping his hands together silently in mock praise. Creme rolled his eyes at him. "Well done, my boy!" Ord said, giving Creme the thumbs up. "At this rate, you'd probably be out of that bed by midnight." he added sarcastically. "I'm trying my best, Ord!" Creme whispered, his teeth bared. He pointed at Rainbow with his head. "What about---" "Rainbow Dash?" Ord snickered. "That pegasus sleeps like the dead; you don't need to worry about her waking up from anything." "Right." Creme nodded, returning his focus to his next objective. Just as he was about to slide his arm out from Rainbow's hug, a sudden realization struck him. A realization that should have struck him from the moment he saw Ord standing in his bedroom. "Wait..." he said, turning to stare at Ord, frowning. "Just how on earth did you get into my apartment? And how did you know her name was Rainbow Dash?" * * * * * * The sound of voices woke Sonata up. She blinked. Slowly rubbing her eyes as she sat up in the bed, yawning loudly. As her blurred vision slowly came into focus, Sonata noticed that something was amiss. She stared at the bed she was in for a few moments, wondering to herself as to why the bed felt so different from the one she was used to. There was also a much...different scent coming from the bed. Sonata picked up the pillow lying next to her. It was white, and soft to the touch. Completely different to the ones she has in her apartment. She brought the pillow close to her chest and gave it a tight hug, sniffing down on it as she does so. The scent --- a mixture of cheap laundry detergent and lemons --- strangely reminded her of Creme. She let go of the pillow, watching it flop back on to the bed. How did she ended up here? Sonata pondered, looking around. Did something happen last night? Why couldn't she remember anything? The room she was in was, without a doubt, Creme's --- she recognized the bag that was resting against the side of the wall; Creme carried the bag with him every time he goes to work. But why Creme's bedroom? Why wasn't she in her own apartment? Her own bed? Picking up the pillow again, Sonata placed her face against the soft, fluffy pillow and took a deep breath. Somehow, being here, inside Creme's bedroom, didn't felt bad or uncomfortable at all. She felt safe. Secured. Protected. It was definitely much better than being all alone in her own room. At least she has company here. Sonata closed her eyes, and hugged the pillow. Embracing the warm, fluffy feeling that spread throughout her face. Whatever might have happened last night was no longer on her mind; she wasn't really bothered by the whole thing, anyway. All she wanted to do now, was to continue hugging the pillow, breathing in the soft scent of Cr--- "What are you doing?" Sonata let out a yelp. Dropping Creme's pillow faster than a hot potato. She did not realize that she was not alone in the bedroom. "R-Rainbow?" Sonata stuttered, her cheeks warming up. The pegasus nodded her head slowly, giving Sonata a weird look. "Were you...were you smelling Creme's pillow?" Rainbow asked, raising an eyebrow. "N-no." * * * * * * "To be honest, I am quite surprised by how well you are taking this, Creme." Ord said, taking a small sip from his coffee. "Most humans would probably be going crazy this far into our conversation." Creme glanced at Ord, placing down his own cup of coffee on the small round kitchen table. "Let's just say I had some...prior experience, when it comes to dealing with magical artifacts and beings." he said, jabbing a thumb at the magical mirror behind him. "But trust me, I'm still shocked by the whole thing." "And all of this happened when?" "A few days ago. Right after I got the mirror." "That would explain the magical surge I felt back then." Ord said, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "And she has been stuck here ever since?" "Ever since she went through the portal." Creme nodded. "We've been waiting to see if the portal would open up again." "Interesting. If it weren't for Rainbow Dash's curiosity and adventurous spirit; I might have never found out about this mirror you have." "And I might never know that you are in fact, the spirit of chaos and disharmony." "Those are tales from days long past, Creme." Ord said, with a wave of his hand. "I'm reformed now, didn't Dashie tell you? Or did she forget all about that?" "Oh, she did tell me about that." Creme said. "She's still not convinced though." he added, turning around to look at his bedroom door. Ord --- or Discord, which was his real name back in Equestria --- had told Creme the reason why he was on Earth; to search for any signs of magical activities occurring on Earth. Discord was also looking for Princess Celestia, who had gone missing for a period of time. And three magical artifacts, that went missing around the same time Celestia disappeared. "So, does this discovery help your search in anyway?" Creme asked. "Not exactly." Ord said, shaking his head. "Although this mirror does indeed, contain equestrian magic, I can't say for sure if it's one of the missing artifacts." he glanced at the mirror. "I'll need Luna's help on this." "Anything I can do to help?" Creme offered. "I mean, I'm kinda involved in this too, aren't I?" "That you are, my dear boy." Ord said. "That you are." he stood up, stretching his body. "I'll need you to help me find that little old lady." he said, looking around. "She might have some important information I could use." "What about Rainbow?" "Her? She can go back to Equestria with me. Though the trip might be a bit...tight" Ord shuddered. "Banana portals aren't exactly the best way to travel around different worlds." he said. "And I'll be bringing your mirror with me, if you don't mind." "Not at all." "Than I suggest you wake the two ladies up." Ord suggested, sitting back down and picking up his cup. "For there will be a ton of explaining that needs to be done. And questions to answer. Demanding questions, maybe. But questions nonetheless." Ord gave Creme a smile. "I have no doubt that Sonata will be excited to return to Equestria too." "What are you talking about?" Creme asked, confused. "Sonata has never been to Equestria before." Ord shook his head. "No, Creme. She has." Ord said mysteriously. "But we'll leave that part for another time. You best pack some of your things too." Creme raised an eyebrow. "Why?" "Because Equestria, my boy!" Ord cried, waving his arms about like a maniac. "You're coming with us."