Funny Faces
Several days later, a most peculiar scene was unfolding in the bedroom of Minuette. Were there anypony else there lucky enough to be capable of seeing Fangs, they would see him knelt down, belly to the ground, with his lips peeled back to show off his rather impressive array of sharp, carnivorous teeth. Especially his two great fangs that jutted from his upper lip, which were visible at all times.
That wasn’t the weird part. The weird part was the little blue unicorn filly who was absolutely gushing over what she was seeing. A little notepad was floating next to her in her magic, along with the book on teeth her mother had bought for her. She was giggling and talking excitedly at herself as she looked between Fangs’ mouth, the book, and then went to furiously scribble something down on her notepad.
This had been the scene for the last ten minutes.
“So…” Fangs began, briefly closing his mouth so he could talk. His eyes darted over to the patch of morning light against Minuette’s wall. “Don’t you have school today?”
“In an hour,” Minuette chirped without missing a beat. “Wednesdays have late starts, so I don’t gotta go quite yet.”
“Then shouldn’t you be asleep?”
“Nuh-uh,” Minuette shot down with a shake of her head. She pointed the tip of her quill at Fangs and grinned. “Because you got chompers and I wanna see em!”
Fangs gave off a mixture between a sigh and a laugh, rolling his eyes. “Well, we’ve been sitting here for ten minutes. Do you still need to see my teeth? My lips are getting sore.”
In answer to this question, Minuette spun around her notepad to show him what she had been working on. He paused, raising an eyebrow as he was met with a remarkably detailed illustration of his open maw, complete with footnotes, labels, and cute little butterflies down in the corner.
“That’s… detailed,” he noted slowly.
Minuette’s grin grew significantly. “Duh! Cause I got a good reference right in front of me!” she said before tapping the mirror. “Now open up! I still gotta get the ones in the very back! Also, your tongue is forked.”
“It is,” Fangs acknowledged. He gave a weary but charmed sigh and opened his mouth again, giving Minuette a view that he recalled most other creatures would probably be at least mildly grossed out by. Not her, though. Minuette just went right back to taking notes and drawing the inside of his mouth with all of the gusto of a world-renowned artist on caffeine and sugar drops.
Several minutes passed before, with a nod and hum of approval, Minuette snapped her book closed. “Okay! I think that’ll just about do it!” she declared. “You can close your mouth, now.”
Fangs obliged, clamping his jaw shut and rubbing it lightly as if it were sore. “Whew. Thank goodness. I was afraid my jaw was about to fall off.”
“Nah, it won’t do that,” Minuette replied with a giggle. “It would’ve done it already if it could do that.”
Fangs smirked back at her, a little hint of mischief filtering into his eyes. “Oh yeah? Are you quite sure about that, little one?” he asked slowly, a plan to entertain himself being born.
Minuette nodded. “Uh-huh!”
“Hm. If you say so,” Fangs said slowly. He then looked behind Minuette and blinked, widening his eyes. “Wait, is that a big spider on your wall?” he asked, pointing at a section of wall where there was a very distinct lack of a spider.
Minuette paled and spun around on her hooves. “Spider?! Where?!”
“Hook, line, and sinker,” Fangs thought victoriously before hiding his face with his hooves. While Minuette’s back was to him, he briefly closed his eyes and focused. It had been a long time since he had had an occasion to do this, and it took a second to recall the steps. Instinct took over soon enough, though.
Green flames suddenly sprouted along his face and jaw, almost like a beard. With a wince, he imagined the changes he wanted and opened his eyes. The flames vanished, and when they did, Fangs’ muzzle had disappeared completely from his face, leaving nothing but a smooth curve that blended perfectly into his throat.
Minuette tilted her head before slowly turning around. “Well, I don’t see any spiders- FANGS?!” she squealed, her hooves flying up to cover her mouth at the sight of Fangs’ distinct lack of one.
Fangs opened his eyes wide and thumped his hooves against the glass as if to convey that he was scared and confused. He also made muffled cries through his vocal cords, which made the chitin of his chest vibrate in very entertaining ways.
“Fangs, where’s your mouth?! Oh my gosh, did it really fall off?!” Minuette babbled in a panic, rising to her hooves and running in place. “Oh no no no no, I didn’t want this to happen! Uh, uh, um, uh!”
Her horn suddenly lit with magic, and Fangs watched as an illusion began to form in the air in front of her. He paused and tilted his head before turning around, and watching as a perfectly mirrored copy of the illusion appeared in his reflected world. It was an illusion of his muzzle, floating there, waiting for him to put it back on.
He looked back at Minuette, then at the illusion. This filly seriously thought his muzzle had fallen off. He had successfully fooled her, and now she was trying to make him a new one with manipulated light.
If he still had a nose, he would have snorted with the effort of keeping his laughter inside.
“Fangs, put it on!” Minuette groaned through clenched teeth, putting on display how much effort this was taking.
Fangs decided to play along, scampering over and quickly positioning himself so that the fake muzzle would line up to more or less where his real one would be. Then, with another flare of green fires, his true, real muzzle was restored to his face.
Minuette saw those flames, and with a sigh of relief, dispelled the illusion. She ran up and pressed her face up against the mirror, causing her cheeks to squish up and flatten on the cool surface. “Are you okay?! It’s not gonna fall off again, is it?!” she asked anxiously.
Fangs opened his mouth to speak, to tell her that all would be well, that thanks to her quick thinking and skills with magic, she had successfully restored his muzzle to his face. He opened his mouth to tell her these things and praise her creativity.
All that came out was a howl of uproarious laughter.
Minuette paused, her face screwing up with confusion. “Heeey! What’s so funny?! You lost your mouth!” she demanded indignantly, thumping a hoof against the glass.
Fangs took a few deep breaths in an attempt to quiet down his laughter, shooting her a knowing look. “Ha! No, no it did not.”
Minuette tilted her head. “But… what?”
Fangs stepped forward, his laughs finally dying down, and got comfortable before the glass. “Jaw’s don’t just fall off, you know. I may be a weird mirror bug, but that rule still holds true for me,” he explained with a mirthful smirk.
Minuette tilted her head. “But… then… what happened?”
Fangs closed his eyes and focused. Another swirl of green flames enveloped his head, and once again, his muzzle disappeared. He opened his eyes to look at Minuette to see that she was staring back at him in wide-eyed shock and confusion. Before she could freak out again, he quickly restored his muzzle and smiled more gently. “There are many things I do not know about myself or what I am, but what I do know is that I can change my body at will. I can add or remove limbs, or even turn into completely different objects and creatures. It’s quite fascinating but very tiring.”
Minuette’s eyes bulged in their sockets. “You… can transform?!” she asked in a mystified whisper. “What can you turn into?”
“Many things,” Fangs replied simply. “Although, I cannot remain changed forever. It drains my magic to remain in a different form, and the more differences between my new form and my true one, the faster it will drain me. If I were to become a full-sized elephant, for example, the size difference between such a creature and myself would cause an immense drain on my magic. If, however, I turned into, say, a pony...”
To prove his point, Fangs was swallowed in another swirl of green. When it passed, a perfect duplicate of Minuette was looking back at her with a cheerful smile. The now-disguised Fangs thrust a hoof into the air and spoke in Minuette’s young, squeaky voice. “The size and shape differences are small enough I could stay like this for weeks if I had to!”
Minuette stared at Fangs slack-jawed, even when he dispelled his disguise and returned to normal. She slowly tilted her head to one side, as if she were trying, and failing, to properly process the bombshell he had just dropped on her.
“...That… is… awesome!” She suddenly squealed, hopping in place several times, her ecstatic grin returning in full force. “Ooh! Ooh! Turn into an hourglass!”
Fangs recoiled a bit at the sudden suggestion. But, after a moment, he rolled his eyes and allowed himself to shift. Hooves gave way to a gold-colored frame, and chitin shifted into transparent glass. He could already feel the unorthodox shape sucking his magic away, and so only held it for a few seconds before snapping back to normal.
It’s short time in existence did not seem to bother Minuette at all, who began laughing. “Oh, wow! That is so amazing! Oh, oh, do a tiger! Lil baby one, like in my book!”
Fangs chuckled at her. “Did you miss the part where I said it tires me out?”
“You can take a nap when I go to school,” Minuette pointed out without missing a beat. “You’ve got nothing but time to kill when I’m gone!”
Fangs opened his mouth to protest, but the words did not come. No matter how much he hated to admit it, she had a point. It’s not like he had much else he could do here when she wasn’t around, so he could absolutely take some time to just rest when she went to school. And even if it was exhausting, her laughter was a wonderful sound he had gotten addicted to in the short time he had known her.
His lips curled up into a small smile. “Oh, very well. Just remember, I have limits,” he said before changing once again. This time, a baby-faced tiger emerged from the flames, pouncing against the glass with the mew of a common house cat.
Minuette’s hooves flew up to her cheeks, her eyes bulging with adoration. “D’aaawww, you’re so cute!” she cooed, her cheeks flushing slightly. “Lookit your paws! They’re so fluffy and small!”
Fangs pawed at the glass a few times, then rolled over onto his belly to show off his generously proportioned chest fluff. That got Minuette squealing and pressing her face up the mirror with repeated chants of ‘Fluffy, I wanna hug it.’
Minuette soon lost track of time, asking Fangs to turn into thing after thing, and being increasingly impressed with each new creature or object he turned into. Tigers, dogs, cats, birds, turtles, a rock. He was quite versatile, explaining that, during long periods of being all on his own, one of his only means of entertaining himself to stave off insanity was changing into different things and just existing as them for a while.
Eventually, though, her fun had to come to an end. A knock came to her door, drawing a startled yelp out of Minuette. She spun on her haunches to see the door open, and Pearly poking her head in.
“Hey, Minnie. It’s time for you to get going,” she said with a smile.
Minuette pouted and pointed at the mirror. “Aaaw! But I wanna keep talking to Fangs! He can turn into stuff!”
Pearly paused, her brow furrowing. In the mirror, Fangs reverted back to his true form, looking a little worn out if his heavy breaths were any indication. A few seconds passed before Pearly walked into the room, approaching the mirror. “Fangs… is that your new imaginary friend?”
Minuette wilted. “N-no! He’s-”
“Little one,” Fangs cut her off, drawing her attention. He met her gaze and slowly shook his head. “It’s no use. She can not see me, nor will she ever be able to. It may be for the best if you just go along with it…”
“But… you’re real,” Minuette protested.
“I am,” Fangs acknowledged with a slow nod. “But she will never believe that. Nor will most others. If you go around telling everypony that I’m real, it could invite problems for you, me, and your family.”
“...But…”
Fangs smiled softly and placed his hoof against the mirror. “It’s fine, little one. I do not mind. And in truth, do others really need to know about me? I am your friend, and you are mine. That is more than I can say I have had in decades. Let it be enough…”
Minuette eyed him for several moments. She didn’t like it. Why should she have to hide the truth about him behind such a silly lie? He wasn’t imaginary, he was real. He was right there! She had spoken with him every morning before going to school and every night before going to bed for days now. She knew he was real… why couldn’t she say so to everypony else?
In the end, though, she was forced to accept reality. She could not force others to believe her, and since she had no way of proving it to the adults, all she could do was hide behind that explanation. It didn’t feel right to her, but there wasn’t much else she could do…
“Okay,” she whispered to him before turning back to Pearly, who was staring back with a raised eyebrow. Minuette sighed and nodded. “Er, yeah… Fangs is my imaginary friend.”
That actually seemed to come as a relief to her mother. Pearly smiled and nodded. “I see. Well, you can talk to fangs when you get home then. And maybe you can tell me a little more about him?”
Minuette nodded, getting up to her hooves. “Sure, I guess,” she mumbled, frowning.
A few seconds passed in silence before Pearly strode forward and placed a hoof on her head. “Okay, come on, Minnie. You need to get to school. Your father already has your saddlebags packed and ready to go by the door.”
“Okay,” Minuette acknowledged, getting a small bounce back into her step. She smiled back at Fangs as she made her way for the door. “Bye, Fangs! I’ll see you later!”
Fangs waved in response. “Have fun at school, little one. I’ll be here when you come home!” he called after her before the door closed, blocking him from view.
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Didn't take long for little Minnie to become fascinated by Fangs' sharp teeth.
That ending was a little sad, but it was beautifully done. I'm eager for the day she can create an illusion of him easily to show people.
A great chapter, I really like it, the ending was a bit sad, but done wonderfully
It would be really interesting if she could find a way to transfer (even if temporarily) him to a secondary mirror. Not only could he be a more traveled imaginary friend, he could be a great personal assistant as well! "Hey, Fang, what's on my agenda today?"
So he does know how to transform.... But still doesn't rely on love for sustenance? Curious, whether that's part of the mirror's doing...
Oh! And think of the implications that she can have a practice subject? Got an interview you need to ace? Test yourself off a simulacrum!
Now, how to we help Fang?
Keep going! ;)
This’ll get awkward as she grows older... Hopefully she brings some of her friends(and Twilight) in on the secret.
Very cute. I like how MInuette is fascinated by Fangs' teeth.
I hope minuette discovers how to travel into and out of mirrors.
I’m surprised Minuette wasn’t pissed that Fangs fooled her with the mouth thing.
10330140
I think she might have Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!
10330164
Kinda expected a Dude, Not Funny! reaction from her.
Maybe it’s just me.
10330168
No, I expected that too. It's probably because that's how we would react.
10330184
Oh? Really?
10330188
Um... Yes?
10330200
Huh. Never thought of that.
Empathy 1000.
Also, obvious though it was, called Minuette's fascination with teeth!
10330218
[Shifty eyes]
Yes, I didn't steal it from you. I swear.
10330229
I...
*rubs eyes*
10330280
I'm glad to have... possibly contributed?
10330283
Well, Minuette being fascinated by teeth is just a given cause, you know, dentist. her fascination with Fangs' teeth is what I got from you... I think.
You made a comment predicting her enthusiasm over his chompers, right?
I'm just going to come out and say it Pearly is a changeling. Most likely an unaffiliated Scout that has been living in Canterlot and doesn't know anything about Chrysalis' plans to attack in the future
That sad tag has me really nervous.
Many have said it, but Minuette is just so cute.
Fangs is such a prankster. Glad Minnie took it well.
10329897 More likely, any such illusion is going to terrify her friends and classmates (except probably for Twilight).
The sad part is that Celestia knows all about the dangers of magic mirrors and without Fangs advice to keep quiet word of this would have gotten to her as head of the school and he possibly could have been free in a matter of weeks.
An unrelated question for the author. Why did you create OC friends for Minuette? Of her canon gifted school friends Twinkleshine and Lemon Drops are virtually blank slates with no established personalities, fan or otherwise. You can use them for anything you want without raising any remarks.
Oof
Sigh
1. Say to mom, “as an experiment, pick a random name and number and say them aloud in my room while I am at school.”
2. Upon returning home, consult Fangs to find out the secret info while mom watches so as to prevent an audio recording explanation.
3. Repeat the secret info to mom.
4. Explain method of obtaining info.
Repeat as necessary.
10330738
That has a similar problem as being stalked by an invisible man, that being the explanation is so out there that unless the physical proof is set before their eyes so they can touch it, others will look for literally every other explanation before entertaining the claim as true.
Please, at least tell Celestia so she can help the buggy friend.
10330840
Being stalked by an invisible man is dealing with an actor with malicious intent. No-one in this story, least of all Fangs, has malicious intent, so the comparison breaks down. Thing is, Equestria has monster attacks weekly and magic of all sorts. A spell that traps a creature that only young ponies can see inside a mirror is... well child-play for this universe. Remember the time Twilight transposed herself into the music box? That was a “simple spell.” So the idea that there’s actually a creature in her mirror should easily register as at least possible, especially since she reported signs similar to the previous owner’s child, in spite of not informing her of the mirror’s history.
The solution to an invisible man stalking you is to shoot them in self defense (with horn lasers if necessary) by using some variation of flour on the floor or confetti in the air to “see the hole”. Doesn’t matter how invisible it is, a corpse can’t stalk you.
10330654
Don't worry, the friends from the show have their place. But there was a major subplot for this opening act of the story that I needed to do that required different characters.
10330738
Yeah, but, here's the thing...
Minuette is ten.
She ain't gonna think of that.
10330292
Yes: 10250585
Well, glad to have contributed to such an amusing scene.
10330947
Imho - she could say "I'll close my eyes and you do or show something, mom. Fangs will tell me what you did" is in the realm of possibility.
10330947
10 year olds need to get on my level. I figured stuff like that out when I was 5 or 6. I mean, why has no-one in stories ever read a book or seen a movie? Is this really the first time she’s ever considered how she would react to different, unusual scenarios? She strikes me as quite the creative type.
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SawItInAMovieOnce
Cute! Very cute!
10331888 When I was 4, I wanted to be a volcanologist, and I had an autograph from newscaster Larry Kane. My favorite shows were Doctor Who, Cosmos, and Star Trek (ToS, since I am so old it was only 1980 when I began watching).
I was a hyper-nerd.
Again, the father might believe her, or at least entertain the notion as soon as he hears of it (whether from Minuette or Pearly), given that he's heard a second-hoof account of a "monster" in the mirror, and Minuette hasn't been known to make stuff up like this.
Any of her schoolfriends too that she decides to invite over. That is, unless she took Fangs' words to heart and kept his realness a secret. Then again, it just might be a foal's errand to keep them away if she wants to keep the ponies in her life.
Morrrrreee!!!!! Sooo goood
10330885 That's gonna be hard when even Fangs doesn't know how or why he was imprisoned within the mirror. It could be anything.
This is the most adorable wonderful story and I'm honored my comment inspired it! You took the title in such a cool and interesting direction and I'm excited to see where this all goes. :)
10344642
Well, some of the credit has to go to my mother, too. Fun fact: The world of the mirror being only that which is reflected in its surface was my mother's idea.
10344646
Ooo~! Good on her! It's definitely a cool concept. :)
10344705
It is. She suggested it as we were walking home, and I snatched it right up. originally the idea was for his world to just be an empty dark space with a featureless solid floor. That's what's depicted in the cover, since I drew the cover before I finished outlining.
10344706
I'd have probably thought the same, with a blank void. But mirror image backdrop world is more interesting, I think. :)
Originally when I thought of the title, I was actually imagining a pony waking up to look in their mirror and they're somehow a changeling now. It initially didn't occur to me for the bug to be literally IN the mirror, haha! I think I like this more, though. It's more unique.
10334270
Plus, Celestia can’t even see the bug. And neither would Twilight be able to.
Aww, the bug has a soft spot for Minnie!
Ah, some proper social and magical stimulation. He really needed that.