//------------------------------// // Time To Unleash The Banana // Story: Fauna of Mirrors // by Eggtaro //------------------------------// "Urgh." There it was again. The groan. The groan that he's been hearing for the past hour. "Urgh!" He tried his best to stay cool. To stay chilled. But he knew he was only lying to himself. His twitching right eye was proof of that. It wasn't twitching because of some stupid dust particle that got stuck on his eyeball, no. His eye was twitching all because of one pony. "Urrgghh!" The sound of impatient hooves pacing back and forth behind him was beginning to irritate him, too. He could tell that his veins were just about ready to explode, all of them fuelled by the constant groans. He wanted to say something to her, to express his own displeasure. To let out his own version of frustration. "Urrrrgghhhhh!" But he didn't. Discord shook his head and chose to pay the groan and pacing no mind. There were more important things that required his attention at the moment. He could deal with the groaning Pegasus later. He was just about to resume to what he was doing when--- “How much longer is this gonna take, Discord?” Rainbow whined from behind him. Discord sighed loudly, scratching his bearded chin, and reluctantly turned himself around to give the inquisitive Pegasus an annoyed look. She has been pestering him for the past hour now, bombarding him with an onslaught of waves after waves of questions and sending a never-ending carnage of groans into his back. Her personal favourite though, was, without a doubt, the how-much-longer-is-this-gonna-take question. That took the cake. That bit the bullet. That made the call. “Patience, my dear Dashie. Like I said, this sort of thing takes time.” Discord replied for what must be the hundredth time. “Did I not already tell you that this portal needs time to charge?”He asked, pointing at a small metallic silver-coloured box beside him. “And stop with all the questions, Dash. I find it already difficult enough to concentrate on this without your constant questioning distracting me.” Rainbow groaned in frustration, throwing her hooves into the air. “All this waiting is killing me!”She exclaimed loudly, hovering in mid-air. “First the mirror gets all cracked up and it’s not even showing us anything anymore. Second, we can’t even find out what has happen to Crème.” She lowered herself back on to the ground, folding her wings. “What if something bad happened to him?” “I’m sure the lad is doing just fine.” Discord said, turning back around to face the device in front of him. “Though, I do hope he did not end up somewhere…unpleasant.” He said with a grimace. “Imagine him appearing right in the middle of a hydra’s nest.” Discord shivered at the thought. “Nasty little things, those Hydras.” He continued, ignoring Rainbow’s shocked expression. “Well, it’s not like they pose a problem for yours truly, I mean, what with me being the Lord of Chaos and all that. But for a human being like Crème…” He let his voice trail off, unconsciously creating an invisible cloud of dread, which found its way to Rainbow Dash. “Urgh, stop it! You’re making me sick.” Rainbow said, her face painted with disgust. “Just get that portal up and running already!” She nagged, turning around and trotting to the other end of the apartment. “What do you think I have been doing for the past hour? Painting my toenails?” Discord rolled his eyes and resumed doing what he has been doing before being so rudely interrupted by Rainbow. A soft sigh leaked out of his lips as he stared at the small dimly glowing box which sat comfortably on what had been the coffee table; the sudden eruption that took place within Crème’s apartment almost a day ago had left the entire place in a huge mess: fallen furniture, shattered glass and an overturned couch to name a few. But the real shocker was the broken mirror. The magical broken mirror. None of them were expecting something of that magnitude to happen so suddenly out of the blue. The booming noises, the intense shaking, and that glowing aura which covered the entire mirror. Let’s not forget the part where Crème suddenly got swallowed up by said mirror, sending him to (hopefully) Equestria. Discord always thought that he had seen it all. He is Discord after all; he can conjure up all sorts of bizarre and unexplainable things, manipulate reality and twist it into something disturbing and chaotic. He has even travelled to worlds and universes no one in Equestria has ever been to (except maybe the royal sisters and that bearded wizened old pony). Of course, loud booming mirrors which can grow up to ten times their original size was nothing new to Discord --- he himself had made even weirder things to grow ten times their original size, like a bed or a random squirrel or a slice of chocolate cake. And yet here he was, seated on a chair with missing legs inside Crème’s apartment, digging through his brain to figure out exactly what had occurred yesterday. From what he gathered, he knew it was some form of teleportation, and he was positive that he had seen that sort of magic before; it was an ancient spell of a certain age --- a rather crude one, however --- he was sure of it, one that was surprisingly powerful and that can only be fully activated after a number of strict conditions has been met. But what bothered him was how he failed to notice such a thing before; he even remembered giving the mirror a good once over before it all happened --- examining every nook and cranny his human eyes allowed him. A cast spell would always leave some form of remnant energy --- energy or essence that cannot be seen with just the naked eye. That energy would be something more spiritual like; it can be sensed and felt if one concentrated hard enough, or if one has the natural born talent to harness and wield magic. Pretty much like dust; you can't always see it but, if you try hard enough, you'll find that it is all around you. Sometimes all the way to your eyeballs. Discord began humming a tuneless tune, gently prodding the glowing box with his finger, his thoughts still anchored on yesterday’s events. He could not understand why he did not manage to sense the spell even after examining the mirror thoroughly. Usually, the stronger the spell, the more noticeable its energy will be. This spell, however, this ancient spell gave out nothing; not even a tiny drop of its energy can be felt within the air. It almost seemed like it was hidden on purpose. Probably covered by another spell he failed to notice as well. But that only deepens the mystery on who was behind it all. Then again, he wasn't sure if there was a second spell involved in the mix. Whoever cast it was undoubtedly skilled. Insanely skilled. Discord hated the idea of discovering the existence of the spell only after it was fully activated. He finds it insulting to acknowledge the fact that somepony out there was actually capable of casting a spell even the Lord of Chaos and Disharmony himself could not perceive. Now that Discord thought more about it, something else about this spell disturbed him. A spell of this level requires a lot of magic power. Not only just to cast it, but to also sustain it. A simple and quick teleportation spell doesn’t need a high dose of magic to cast, since it will only last about a second. But for a spell that only fully activates once its set conditions are met… that spell will definitely need a stream of magic continuously charging it to keep itself from disappearing --- either from a powerful magic user or from a magical source; an item or a piece of land imbued with magical properties for instance. Now if he was in Equestria he wouldn’t even give the spell a second thought, where magic was abundant and common and can be found almost anywhere. But he’s on Earth right now. Magic isn’t everywhere around here. It’s uncommon. It’s almost non-existent. He couldn’t even find enough magical sources to charge his one banana. One banana! So who or what was responsible for juicing the spell? What kept the spell going? How long had the spell been going? Why was there a spell on the mirror in the first place? Why does pizza taste good even when it’s bad? How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? Why would a woodchuck chuck wood? Discord stopped humming, his face turning into a frown. He glanced over to the broken mirror, which rested silently on Crème’s couch. The entire glass was covered in cracks and missing pieces; communication with the other side was no longer possible. Staring deeply into it does nothing too, except presenting you with a full view of your cracked reflection. If only--- A series of soft knocks on the door brought Discord back to his senses. He stood up, dusted himself off, and calmly walked towards the front door. He carefully opened the door until there was only but a crack and asked in the most casual, sing-song voice ever: “~Who is it?” * * * * * * Stupid useless banana. How much longer is that thing gonna charge anyway? It's been sitting there for almost a day already! As Discord was making his way towards the door Rainbow quickly entered Crème’s bedroom, wanting to hide herself before the front door opens. And with good reason; she wasn’t exactly sure how other humans might react if they see her. But that doesn’t mean she was going to stay there in the open and find out. I hope Crème is okay. That bit about him ending up in a Hydra's nest isn't really all that nice to think about right now. So, with her head poking out from the bedroom, Rainbow watched in silence as Discord spoke to whoever it was behind the door. She still finds it weird to see Discord in his human form --- not that she prefers the original look, but still… pretty weird. Compared to his real face and body, the human version of Discord was at least...well, tolerable to look at. I wonder how I'll look as a human... Rainbow never would’ve guess that there would be another being from Equestria here on Earth all this time. And of all the beings that could’ve popped up on Earth, it just had to be Discord, who just happens to have all the necessary things needed to travel to Earth to and fro. If she knew about this way earlier, she might already be back home right about now, zipping around the open cloudless sky, hanging out with her friends or maybe doing cool stuff like reminding everypony just how awesome she is. And yes, even if that means getting help from the Lord of Chaos and Disharmony himself; the enemy, the antagonist, the villain, the bad guy, and all those other words used to describe a bad guy. Well... the ‘former’ and supposedly ‘reformed’ enemy, anyway. And even though she still has her trust issues with Discord, Rainbow would still demand for his aid without even hesitating for a single second; even she knows when she is in need of assistance. Besides, the winged pony misses her friends dearly. She wanted nothing more than to be able to take a nice, casual flight around Ponyville. To do things like waving to her friends, showing off her skills, getting an apple to eat, showing off her skills--- Rainbow shook her head. There was a time and place for all those sort of thoughts. For now, she just has to patiently wait until Discord's banana portal is ready for action. Fortunately, Rainbow is a very patient pony. Urgh! I can't stand this waiting anymore! Very patient. Who's at the door anyway? What's taking him so long? Rainbow took another quick peek from within Crème’s bedroom, her curiosity already getting the best of her as to who their visitor was. Her eyes quickly darted to where Discord stood, wanting to get a glimpse for herself; Discord was taking a step back and opening the door wide, granting their visitor access to Crème’s apartment. One look at the visitor was enough to make Rainbow sigh loudly. Shaking her head, she stepped out from her hiding spot to greet their new arrival, Sonata. Who was carrying a medium-sized brown paper bag with one hand and waving in Rainbow's direction with the other. A half-eaten wheat tortilla with who-knows-what filling was dangling from her mouth. When she spoke, it was next to incomprehensible, but still understandable to a certain degree. "Fy, Vainfow!" * * * * * * Sonata was shocked when she came back to find Crème’s apartment in a chaotic state. All she did was go out and grab lunch for the gang and then, all of a sudden, boom! Something big went down while she was gone. Not only was the place in a ruined mess. Crème had also disappeared, having being sent away to a place she could only hope was Equestria. It's already been a day since Crème’s teleportation to Equestria. But they still don't have any clue or information on whether or not Crème was safe and sound. Normally, they could just communicate with the other world by using the magical mirror. But the mirror was all battered up, and nothing magical has been happening to it since. Discord, being a magical creature from Equestria himself, said that the only way to find out was to go to Equestria themselves. Where, hopefully, they will be able to find a still living and breathing Crème. Of course, the only option to go there was with the use of Discord's personal teleporter device: a banana, of all the things it could have taken its shape upon. Which was currently resting on its side next to a small glowing box; The Beautiful Banana Charger, Sonata called it, for the light emanating from the silver box was mesmerising; though a little dim and not as bright as the light-bulb inside Crème’s bathroom, the gentle golden glow was pleasant to look at. Discord, on the other hand, preferred the term: A Magical Cube Thingy Which Can Send Us Home --- also known as a MCTWCSUH. Which sounds like an old man sneezing with his dentures flying out. Silly name. The Beautiful Banana Charger sounds way better. She likes calling it the BBC. She loves that BBC. What with its mysterious yet intriguing design and also its warm and ever peaceful glow. She wondered just where on Earth did Discord get it? For it did not look like something one would just find anywhere on the street. When she told Discord about calling it the BBC, she couldn't understand why he kept on shaking his head in a sad and pitying manner. What's wrong with calling it BBC? What's wrong with BBC? Just like yesterday, Sonata had just came back from grabbing some food for Rainbow and Discord. She was the obvious choice for the job, because Rainbow mustn't be seen and Discord was busy with getting the banana charged. And, just like yesterday, she went and got the one food she believes will help raise the spirits of everyone: tacos. Having already started with her own, Sonata happily handed the brown paper bag to Rainbow, who grabbed it with her mouth. "Thanks." Rainbow muttered through a mouthful of brown paper. Sonata gave her a quick nod in response before munching away greedily on her remaining taco. "Try not to get any of your saliva on my piece, will you?" Discord said, closing the door behind him and patting Sonata on the head. "And thank you, Sonata." he said, giving her a small smile. "I hope all that running around isn't tiring you out." She swallowed the last remaining bit of wheat tortilla before speaking. "Not at all, Mr.Ord! I always like grabbing food." It was true. She considers it to be one of her favourite pastimes. "Please, Sonata. Just call me Discord." Discord said, passing her and walking over to Rainbow, who was having difficulty pulling out her share from the brown paper bag with her hooves. "Come here you little taco!" Rainbow said, thrusting her hoof into the brown paper bag. "Come to papa!" "Problem?" Discord asked, with a hint of a smirk forming on his lips. "What problem?" Rainbow asked stubbornly, her face scrunching up. "I don't have a problem." She glared at him. "Do you have a problem?" "Not really, but I think---" Sonata ignored the duo's squabbling and bounced her way over to the kitchen sink. As she rinsed the sticky gravy on her hands away with the cool flow of water, she gazed around the once comfy looking apartment; gone were the neatly placed furniture that once decorated the small living room. Gone were the legs on that chair she grew fond of for its soft and fluffy cushioning. Gone was Crème, who got swallowed up by a mirror that went cuckoo all of a sudden. Gone was Crème. Gone. Gone. Gone. Sonata sighed. Truth be told, she was feeling a little down due to Crème's absence, and also maybe feeling a tad envious, despite not wanting to admit it herself, for Crème has gone (though perhaps, unwillingly) to a place filled with magical creatures --- creatures that could talk just like humans do on Earth! And they can cast magic! Real magic! She closed her eyes, letting herself be whisked away into her daydream. She could see it clearly --- the Kingdom of Equestria! A magical, yet mysterious land filled with all sorts of things little boys and girls once dreamt of. For Sonata, that world was now just a portal away, and all that stands between her and Equestria was the slowly charging banana. Sonata simply couldn't wait to go there. She could already see herself running up to every single adorable pony she finds there and giving them a huge, warm hug. Discord told her that the ponies of Equestria simply love cuddles, even if the gesture came from a complete total stranger! He also encouraged her to give them a firm slap on the flank, saying something about how it would make them like her more. Although she plans on actually doing it, Sonata still finds the whole idea of accepting sudden love hugs and firm slaps from complete strangers to be a little weird, but who cares really? Being able to hug magic-casting talking ponies was always a dream Sonata wanted to accomplish. But there was still that part about smacking their flank... Sonata sighed again. Shaking her head and reeling herself back to reality. All that daydreaming did nothing except making her more impatient that she already was. If only the charging wasn't taking so lon--- *DING* *DING* *DING* "Well what do you know?" came Discord's voice, his tone surprised. "The charging is finally complete." Rainbow dropped the taco she was holding in her hooves with a soft *SPLAT!* Her eyes wide and her mouth agape. "You mean...?" Discord nodded his head, a big smile plastered onto his face. "Yup. Time to pack up gang! It's time to go home."