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Park
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Best Friends, Too

Park

"So are you gonna have a lick or not?" Minuette asks.

My ears twitch. I turn to glance at her while we stroll across Ponyville. "Huh?"

She giggle-snorts. She always giggle-snorts. "Your ice cream, silly filly!" The blue-coated mare levitates a balloon by her blue mane as she looks at me with her bright blue eyes. Have I mentioned that my best friend is blue? "You promised you would give my favorite dessert a try!"

"Oh, and I will!" I shrug as we approach the entrance to Ponyville Park. "I'm just... taking my time..."

"Taking your time?!" Her mane flounces as she hops in place. Minuette's an endless conveyor belt of giggles, and I'm the receptical. "You can't do that, Amethyst Starrrr! It'll melt!"

I smile. "Then maybe you can finish it off instead."

"Amyyyyy..." She sticks her tongue out. Nopony calls me that. Nopony but Minuette. "You promissssed."

"Alright. Fine. Here goes." I levitate the cone close to my muzzle. I linger—if only to hear the deep foalish gasp from the base of Minuette's throat as she leans forward on the tippy-tips of her hooves. At last, I lather a dollop of the fruity dessert into my mouth. A slight tingle ripples up and down my spine, but it's over far too soon. Like most things.

"Welllll?" she coos.

"It's... sugary," I say. "Just like you."

"So you do like it!"

I roll my eyes and smirk. "Ponies and ice cream aren't the same thing."

"I beg to differ!"

"Pffft... what does that even mean, Minuette?"

"Something Pinkie Pie taught me! 'Have a favorite taste for every pony you know.' It's a great philosophy to live by! For instance, lemon squares make me think of Lemon Hearts. Cotton Candy makes me think of Twinkleshine. Moondancer is gingerbread. And Twilight Sparkle is licorice!" Minuette winks, cupping her face with her hoof. "Psssst... Don't tell her thaaaat," she whispers before snickering raspily.

"Heheheh..." I smile. "So which dessert is me?"

She giggles and points at the cone I'm levitating. "What are you sampling, silly?"

I glance at the half-melted scoop, then squint at her. "I'm your favorite dessert?"

"Yup!" She talks, bounces, talks. "Strawberry swirl with purple sprinkles! See? It's sweet, silky, but with a tiny dash of crunchiness!"

"Wow..." I drone, wagging an eyebrow. "It's so me."

"Heehee! I know, right?!" She winks. Blue saucers dipping in and out of the ocean. "Now you'll know what goes on in my mouth every time I see you! Heehee!"

I roll my eyes again. "Heh... I'm flattered, Minuette. Really, I am." I give the scoop another lick, ponder on it, then shrug. "But... I just don't see myself as being so sweet. That's your schtick."

"And there's nothing wrong with that, Amy!" She trots briskly backwards, facing me as we cross a bridge over a babbling brook. "Ever since we've met, I've been super impressed by your scholarly seriousness and organizational skills and expert library book alphabetizing—"

I chuckle, my voice raspy and real.

"Whaaaaaaaaaat?" She smirks curiously.

"That's a hard sell," I mutter.

"Huh?"

"You... make me sound so dull."

"'Dull?!' Pffft. That's a frumpy word for it," she says, waving a hoof. "You're just... geometric!"

"Hah!" I nearly drop the ice cream as I jolt in mid-stride. "Now I know you're just playing horse hockey with me!"

"No! Honest!" She giggle-snorts. "You're like super sleek concrete tiles! Perfect for playing four-square on a bright sunny school morning! Or... or..." She gasps, blue eyes widening. "Duaaaaaaaah! A dry towel to wrap oneself in after an afternoon of bouncing around in rain puddles!"

"Heheh... yeah, okay..."

"And the longer you stay all snuggled up..." She hugged herself, snickering. "...you get all toasty and warm and you wanna stay in there forever—"

"Alright! I get it! That's... really cool, and stuff..." I give the ice cream another lick. The strawberry swirl is almost sickeningly sweet... but I think I can get used to it. For Minuette's sake, I can get used to anything. After all, I can't remember the last time anypony has ever made me feel so... so... "Happy."

"Hmm?" Those blue saucers blink. "What's that, Amy?"

"Erm... I'm... happy that I make you so happy... n'stuff..." I clear my throat. "Though, I swear, I'm somewhat confused half the time."

"Heehee!" She smirks at me. "Isn't it enough to just take ponies at their word and smile?"

"Erm... it's..." I clear my throat. "You make it sound so easy..."

"Well, why not?" She winks. "I'm super happy to hang out with you, Amethyst Star."

"Heh..." I smile warmly. Genuinely. "And I'm happy when we're hanging out too, Minuette."

"Heeeee..." She stands on her hind quarters and stretches a blue hoof out. "Hey! Power up?!"

"Eugh..." I grimace slightly, glancing at the park full of frolicking ponies around us. "Right now?"

"Come onnnnnnn..." She winks, grinning and grinning some more. "Live a little!"

"Okay, fine..." I stretch a hoof out to meet hers in the air. "Unicorn diamonds..."

"Unicorn hourglass!" she cheers.

A breath later, and we both chant: "Spaaaarkle!"

Minuette does a pirouette. She scuffles to a stop, and so do her eyes. A pout. "Amyyyyyy!"

"What?"

"You were supposed to twirl as well!"

"Pffft. Minuette. I don't twirl. You know that."

"Pleeeeeeease?" Sparkling eyes. "For me?"

"Alright. One more time?"

"One more time!"

Our hooves make contact.

"Unicorn diamonds."

"Unicorn hourglass!"

"Spaaaaaaaaaaarkle—"

This time, with a coy grin, I lift her off her hooves in my telekinesis and rotate her around me. In a brisk second, she's standing at my side, eyes rattling about in a dizzy fashion.

"You... you ch-cheated!" Minuette sputters.

"Hmmm?" I lick the ice cream and smirk. "How do you know I didn't just twirl twice and mesmerize you?"

She stares at me. She blinks. Then—her muzzle explodes into a stupid grin. "Hey! That's pretty clever!"

"Heheh... no it isn't."

"I liked it all the same! See! You can be sugary-silly!"

"Those are two different things."

Before she can argue in that cute, ringing voice of hers...

...a different cute, ringing voice ripples over the nearby hilltop.

"Oh wow! You two have your own secret hoof-shake too!"

"Just like us!"

I turn around, squinting. "Huh?"

Minuette's somehow on the other side of me, bouncing and waving. "Ooooh! Hi, Lyra! Hi, Bon Bon!"

Oh boy...

The two mares trot towards us, both wearing the same smile. Lyra balances a flashy kite across her flank. The fresh scent of sweat and giggles wafts off both ponies as they smile... breathe... smile... breathe—

"Did you come up with that thing together?!" Bon Bon chirps.

"Heehee! You know ittt!" Minuette hums.

"Well..." I clear my throat, gesturing. "It was mostly Minuette's invention—"

"But Amy here makes it all the more dazzling—er... sorry, Amethyst Star." Minuette winks back at me. "Sorries. Got caught up in the moment."

I open my muzzle to reassure her—

"Awwwwwww!" Bon Bon coos, her cheeks rosy. "You even have nicknames for one another!"

"How just like best friends," Lyra adds with a nod and a smirk. "Bon Bon and I have—like—ten or twenty nicknames for one another."

I blink. "Ten or... twenty?"

"Ehhhhhh..." Bon Bon waves a hoof. "It varies by the hour. Like 'Hearty-Strings.'"

"'Sweetums'..." says Lyra.

"'Lime Plucker,'" Bon Bon adds.

"'Candy-Cooties.'"

"'Lizard Gizzard.'"

"'Peachy-Poo.'"

Bon Bon giggles at the last one. Lyra sticks her tongue out.

Minuette gawks at me. With a humored expression, she mouths: "'Peachy... Poo...?'"

I fight the urge to snicker. "Ahem... Wow." I turn to face the two mares. "They all sound so..."

"Bubbly!" Minuette squeaks.

"Well, we just can't help it!" Bon Bon says, leaning in to nuzzle Lyra. "We're so thrilled to be bessssst friendsssssss..."

"Heeheehee..." Lyra nuzzles her back. "...you said it, Sandy-Cakes."

Minuette nearly chokes on her own tongue.

"Well, uhm..." I fuss with the levitating ice cream, catching the melted dessert in my magic field. "...it was super cool running into you two—"

"Oooooh! Hey!" Bon Bon grins. "Wanna see our secret best friendsies hoof-shake?!"

"Oh yes!" Lyra hops in place. "We've been dying to show it to somepony!"

I raise an eyebrow. "Guess it wouldn't really be much of a secret, then, would it—?"

"We'd love to!" Minuette exclaims.

I wince. I'd face-hoof if it wasn't for the ice cream. Celestia dang it, Minuette...

"Okay! Here goes!" Bon Bon twirls to face Lyra. "Ready?"

Lyra squats on all fours. "Ready!"

The two shimmy towards one another in a coordinated fashion.

"A hop..." They bounce.

"...a bop...!" They slap their cutie marks together.

"...and away we drop!" They fall down in separate directions, backs to the ground as they make mirrored grass angels.

Silence.

"Wowwwwww!" Minuette claps and claps. "That's super awesome, you guys—"

"Aaaaaaaaaaand..." Both mares curl up until they're facing each other on the ground. "...sunshine!"

Lyra smiles, crossing hooves so that her right fetlock makes contact with Bon Bon's. "Always mine..."

"...til the end of time!" Bon Bon twirls her forelimbs. Both mares twist until they're standing up, shoulder to shoulder, neck to neck.

I fidget where I stand. "Uhm... looks like you both put some work into—"

"Swear on our tails!" Lyra twirls her tail-hairs around Bon Bon's.

"Come rain or come hail!" Bon Bon toppels backwards until she's lying across Lyra's flank. The two mares form a crazy double-decker bus of pony flesh.

"Unfurl friendship flags and set sail!" This is chanted as Lyra gives Bon Bon a telekinetic boost. The earth pony does a flip, then lands—cradled in Lyra's forelimbs. The two take the moment to boop their peach-and-lime noses together... before the air around them is filled with high-pitched giggles.

Minuette continues clapping, though I can tell from her wincing expression that her fetlocks must sting by now. I see the glint of her eyes in my peripheral. She looks lost halfway between joy and drowning. I decide to let her tread water for a bit. Silly pony.

"That's... uh... pretty snazzy!" I say with a crooked smile.

"Heeeee... we know..." Bon Bon drapes back in Lyra's forelimbs, grinning at me upside-down. "We work up a new one every week!"

"Every... week..."

"Being creative is half the fun!" Lyra winks, nuzzling Bon Bon in her arms once again. "All the part of being besttttttt friendsssss."

"Heeeeeee..." Bon Bon playfully protests, her forelimbs curling up. "Lizard Gizzard..."

"Candy Cooties..."

"So... uh..." I give the ice cream another lick. It's thin and watery now. "...how long have you both been this close?"

"Oh!" Minuette blurts. "Lyra's been hanging out with Bon Bon ever since she moved to Ponyville! Isn't that right, Lyra?"

"Yup yup!" Lyra sets Bon Bon down on the ground and both side hug each other, leaning cheek to cheek. "We met one night for DnD and we've been Besties ever since!"

"Ooooh..." I smile, eyes brightening. "You're into table-top board games?"

"Huh?" Bon Bon blinks. "What does dinner'n'dessert have to do with board games?"

"Uhhhhh—"

Lyra explains, "Bon Bon put up an article in Canterslist, looking for a mare who was 'pretty, creative, emotionally receptive, and quick to making life-changing commitments!''

"All the qualifications of a best friend! Heeheehee!" Bon Bon shakes with bubbly giggles. "Lyra showed up at the precise time and place. And we had dinner and dessert..."

"And maybe a drink or two," Lyra said with a wink.

"Or twenty."

"Heehee.." Lyra rolls her eyes. "Anywaaaaaaay... from day one, we knew we were b.f.f.f.f.f.f.s!"

"Erm..."

Bon Bon explains: "Best filly friends forever felicitously feeling funtimes!"

"Did we mention foreverrrrrr?" Lyra rubs her cheek against Bon Bon's while both giggle once again.

Minuette and I exchange glances. Smiling, we squint at the two.

"So... it all started with a date, huh?" I ask.

"Why, of course!" Lyra blinks innocently, her green cheek still smooshed up against Bon Bon's. "A date listed on Canterslist that we both met on and discovered how fun it was to spend time together!"

"Doing best friend stuff!"

"Like walks in the park!"

"Attending cover band tours!"

"Crotcheting!"

"Hopscotch!"

"Eating fruit snacks!"

"Snuggle time after fruit snacks!"

"Fishing!"

"Tossing the fish back! Heehee! You know... friendly friendship stuff!"

"Wait..." I raise a hoof, my muzzle lingering open. "About... the fruit snack part—"

"Oh, Bon Bon makes the sweetest little fruit treats!" Lyra giggles. "You've no idea!"

"Sometimes we arrange entire nights for enjoying fruit snacks together!" Bon Bon adds.

"Well..." Lyra leans in. "It's not all eating fruit snacks, Peachy-Poo."

"Well, sure. There's also hug contests and slow dancing. But they wouldn't care about any of that."

"Good point."

"Well!" I clear my throat, trotting backwards. "It's been really swell! Glad to know you two are so happy!"

"Oh, absolutely!" Bon Bon nods with a grin. "Always nice to run into another pair of besties!"

"We should compare notes sometime!" Lyra says. "There are tons of fun activities that Bon Bon and I have invented that we just bet you and other best friends would enjoy!"

"Would you like to hear some?" Bon Bon asks, gasping.

"Well... uhm... my ice cream has nearly melted..." I look aside. "...and I think Minuette had a dentist's appointment somewhere with—"

"We would love to!" Minuette says, grinning wide.

"Grkkk!" I grimace, but before I can open my muzzle to protest—

"Great!" Bon Bon leaps forward, grasping my hoof and tugging me across the park. Lyra does the same to Minuette. "We know the absolute perfect spot to hang out, too! It's a comfy bench in the shade!" She winks. "Lyra found it. She's so good at finding comfy spots."

"I learn from the comfiest spot with legs!"

"Heehee...!"

I stifle a groan, glaring aside at Minuette.

She merely winks at me. I swear, she's doing this on purpose.

I sigh... but it's through a smile. Some things in life are impossible to be mad at...

Bench
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Best Friends, Too

Bench

Two hours later, and I wish I could still be so zen about it all...

"...and that's when we started wearing each other's dresses!" Bon Bon says, giggling.

I bite off the end of my ice cream cone and stare down the funnel at her. After munching, I swallow and mutter: "Wearing each other's dresses..."

"Y'know, on cold January afternoons?" Bon Bon giggles again. "Lyra has to make deliveries in the snow for her music store. And it can be so blistery cold that time of year."

"So Bon Bon—like the best friend she is—wears my dress uniform for an hour or two before my shift begins!" Lyra says, sitting on the bench weirdly. "That way—when I put it on—it's already warmed up and my teeth don't have to chatter so hard!"

"And what nice teeth you have these days, Lyra!" Minuette says. She winks at Bon Bon. "I minored in orthodontics halfway through college... but didn't earn enough credits to strap scared foals to a chair. Teehee!"

"Oh! I remember Lyra telling me about that!" Bon Bon says. "She says she always thought it was fitting—what with your mane looking like sparkling toothpaste and all!"

"Heh..." I nibble slowly at the ice cream cone, smirking towards the afternoon sky above Ponyville. "Do you have 'best friend conversations' over the bathroom sink?"

"Only when we're not brushing each other's teeth."

I nearly spit out the crunchy material in my muzzle. "You... br-brush each other's teeth?"

"Well, why not?" Lyra blinks. "A pony's... kinda blind when she tries to do it on her own!"

"That's why it's so nice to have a bestie around to lend a hoof!" Bon Bon giggles. "The same goes with mane brushing... grooming..."

"Nose-hair trimming."

"Oh! Good one, Lime Squeezie! Thanks for reminding me."

"Anytime, Bubblebumps."

"Haven't... you..." I clear my throat. "...ever heard of a mirror?"

"Come, now, Amy..." Minuette smiles across the bench at me. "Mirrors don't matter when you're in love."

Lyra and Bon Bon jerk towards Minuette. Expressions blank. Eyes blinking.

"Huh?"

"What do you mean?"

I gnash my teeth. Hoooo boy...

"Uhhhhhhhhh..." Minuette glances at me, trembles a bit, gulps, then says: "In... l-love with being best friends!"

Silence.

"Heehee! You're right!" Lyra grins.

"Being best friends is soooooooooo amazing!" Bon Bon coos.

"Wouldn't have it any other way!"

"Nope! No other way!"

"Eheheheh... heeeeee..." Minuette wipes her brow before casting me a desperate look.

She's actually kind of adorable when she squirms. So, with a devilish smirk, I turn towards the two mares once again. "So... that's a pretty snazzy kite you have there."

Minuette slaps two hooves over her muzzle, choking in the intense need to snort.

"Oh! You like it?" Bon Bon grins, lifting the object off of the ground where it was leaning against the bench. "We made it just the other day!"

"Yup!" Lyra smirks proudly. "Bon Bon got the materials and I put the framework together!"

"Do you like the colors?" Bon Bon winks. "We chose 'em together!"

"Wow." I nod. "Every shade of the rainbow." I nod again.

Minuette gags into her forelimbs, blushing red-on-blue.

"Yeah? So?" Lyra raises an eyebrow. "We happen to like rainbows!"

"It says 'joy' and 'friendship!'" Bon Bon proclaims. "It's the promise of a new day of life and happiness!" She winks aside. "Just like a new morning where you wake up knowing that you get to see your best bestie againnnnn!"

"Hmmmmm..." Lyra rubs noses with her. "...such a poet."

"Such a musician."

"Cross my heart..."

"...and hope to serenade!"

"Heheheh..."

"Heeee!"

Minuette finally composes herself. She lowers her hooves, coughing, then smiling. "Well, we think it's absolutely beautiful. Like the two of you." She casts me a mixed smile/glare. "Right, Amy?"

I take a warm breath and say, "I'm really glad you two are getting along so well. It's... it's..."

Minuette exhales, "Fuzzy?"

"Inspirational," I say. "Really and truly."

"Awwwwwwwww..." Lyra and Bon Bon hug each other, smiling our way. "Well, it's really sweet to hear you both say that."

"And we wish you the best..."

"Huh?" I blink. "What for?"

"For your trip down Best Friends Lane, of course!" Bon Bon winks. "You only ever make that kind of a journey once!"

My brow furrows at that. Nevertheless, I give her a thoughtful nod. "How very monogamous."

Minuette coughs.

"Er... I mean... mono-felicitous?"

"Heehee!" Lyra giggles. "Stole the words out of my muzzle!"

I munch what's left of the ice cream cone, swallow, and smirk at Minuette. "And just who am I to doubt the cunning words of such expert linguists?"

And now it's Minuette's turn to face-hoof.

Night
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Best Friends, Too

Night

The sun's setting as we part ways on the edge of Ponyville Park.

"Bye, Lyra!" Minuette waves, grinning from ear to ear. "Bye, Bon Bon! It was super... super fun, you guys!"

"Been a real treat!" I add, waving alongside her. "We should do this again sometime!"

"Hey, you know where we live!" Bon Bon says, then giggle-snorts. "Of course... we all know where we live!"

"Ponyville!" Lyra blurts.

"I was gonna say 'Cloud Nine,' but sure!"

"You're my Cloud Nine, Best Bestie!"

"Ohhhhhhh youuuuuu... Lime Ball."

"Pastel Puff."

"Stringer-Upper."

"Peach Fuzz!"

"Heeheehee!"

The two nuzzle, then gallop over the darkening hilltop, tossing their kite skywards behind them. There's a flash of color—happy and exultant—and then they vanish along with the mares' thundering hoofsteps.

Minuette and I trot down the far side of the hill. We take our time.

And finally...

...after we are well... well beyond earshot of the two friends...

...we glance at one another.

Minuette bursts first. She's always the first to collapse. Her giggles come out in a torrent of snorts and chortling breaths.

"Heeheehee!"

"Heheheh..."

"Hahaha..." She wipes a tear from her eye. "Wow. Those two are soooooo precious... but... oh my gosh!"

I smirk. "I know, right?"

"Joined at the flank!"

"Born with one cutie mark."

"They must have snuggled the whole time we chatted with them!" Minuette giggles, giggles, and wheezes. "Sooooooo cuuuuuute..."

"But wowsers..." I shake my head. "That's... that's just too happy, y'know?"

"Huh?"

"Just... just say it, y'know?" I shrug. "For crying out loud. There's being 'best friends,' and then there's being all over each other."

Minuette nods quietly.

I look forward as the shadows of evening slowly consume the sleepy countryside. "I... I don't get it. Shouldn't they realize by now? Don't they ever think outside the box?"

"They... seem really really pleased with being who they are, Amy."

"Yeah, but... some things are just too happy to be called 'best friends,' y'know? I mean... that's pushing the term... by a Tartarusian amount. Heh..."

Silence.

Then somepony asks, "What's so wrong with that?"

The night's sky shifts. I feel my blood running cold. With a heavy blink, I glance to my side.

Minuette's staring at me. Her eyes are placid lakes. The blue stillness is positively eerie.

"Erm..." I clear my throat. "What's wrong with... what?"

"Being as happy as you can be," she says. "And being happy together." She smiles, but it is a weak thing, waiting for a support beam, and I'm the only other soul within a giggle's throw. "Lyra and Bon Bon find ways to be happier and happier with each passing day. Is that such a bad thing?"

"What? No!" I squint into the shadows, but they only blind me. I fumble for the dirt path before us. "But... doing all that they do and claiming to be 'best friends?' That's just... silly. In the delivery, that is. Er... you know what I mean."

"No... I-I don't think I do."

"Eh... it's not a big deal, Minuette."

"Isn't it?" She blinks at me. "Because... you make it sound like best friends should put a limit on their happiness."

"Shouldn't we?" The retort is a hard bullet, steaming. It takes me a few stumbling seconds to ascertain who got hit. "Erm... I mean... yeesh, Minuette. Best friends shouldn't... do that kind of stuff. And if they do, that's fine..." I cleared my throat, but it doesn't seem to make my voice any less raspy. "...but... th-they should just call it something else, ya feel me?"

Silence. The sun has gone down. I feel the same chill as the ice cream I ate earlier, but none of the sugar.

For once I'm glad that she can't see me wincing. "Minuette?" I already hate how foalish my tone sounds. "You... you feel me?"

"I guess that makes sense," she says. If I didn't know better, I'd say the voice in the dark was coming from another mare. All of a sudden, the lampposts of Ponyville park flicker to life. A sad blue figure shuffles in the spotlight, her ears drooping. "I dunno. I guess I always thought that... you should do what you can every day to be happier... especially if you have ponies who make you super happy to be around them. That's... kinda sorta what makes life all the more amazing, y'know?" She looks up at me. There's a tiny glint in her eye, accompanied by a giggle, but both feel like winded things. Tattered flags rippling in a limp breeze. "Again... heehee... your wisdom always amazes me, Amethyst Star."

I bite my lip. I don't know what feels more awkward: her desperate attempt at a compliment or my vanishing nick-name. The whole moment feels sour, and it consumes my fidgeting limbs.

"Yeesh... I'm beat. Y'know?"

"Huh?"

"Long... long day..." I smile crookedly. "Long fun day, of course, but... uhm..."

"You need to call in a night cap?"

"Eheh... yeah." I gulp. "I think so."

"Heehee! Can't say I blame you." She smiles, and that chipper unicorn sparkles back to life in the lamplight. "I love Lyra to death, but she can wear a pony out on her own... much less with her b.f.f.f.f.f.f. by her side."

"Hah..." I grin briefly. "It's hard to imagine anything wearing you out, Minuette."

"Yeah," she exhales, her gaze falling to the ground. Somehow, it sounds like neither a response nor an affirmation. And everything turns awkward and crooked again.

Somehow, I am always the one to bring things to a close.

"Well... uh..." I begin trotting towards home, waving a hoof through the distance growing between us. "Thanks for the ice cream!"

She nods. I see pearly teeth in the night. "My favorite."

I feel a tug. I move swiftly, snapping it, and I'm home sooner than I know it.

Home
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Best Friends, Too

Home

The front door's barely been closed for twenty seconds, and I already feel like I've stomped a cardboard box full of kittens to the curb.

I lean against a wall, sighing... then sigh some more.

Why did it have to end so soon?

We were having so much fun.

Even if we weren't doing anything, we were just...

...being together.

A sore lump forms in my throat. I zap magic at a lamp in the corner of the foyer. It switches on, but I don't notice a difference. The shadows are all the same.

I shuffle towards my living room, glancing at photographs and portraits along the way. I see snapshots of myself against the backdrop of Ponyville. In almost every frame, I'm alone, but judging from the unicorn's smile you wouldn't think twice about it. And for the longest time, neither did I. But then the days drifted by. Twilight Sparkle became the town's paragon of organization and magic. And this solitary unicorn gradually woke up to how... empty her routine had become in the wake of change.

And then Minuette strolled into my life... tossed some sugar into the coffee... brought the kick back.

I smile... but then that smile immediately fades, for all I can think of is her drooping blue ears under a cold spotlight. There's a first for everything, and though Minuette's lethargy was short-lived, it still stabs my chest from the inside out to think that I brought that cloud upon her...

Upon my very best friend.

"Friggin' idiot..." The cramped walls echo a grumbling voice. "...didn't have to call it off so soon." A sigh. "Why do you always do this to yourself?"

Somepony knows the answer to this, but I feel as though I know her less and less with each passing day. With Minuette around, I've no longer felt the need to. Perhaps that's where the joy springs from, laced in those sparkly giggles...

My teeth chatter. I'm fidgeting in place. My eyes glance all around my living room. I don't know that I'm looking for something until I find it.

"Hah!" An umbrella. "Silly filly..." Minuette must have left it here the last time she visited. But that's alright. "I should... probably give this to her." Yeah. "It's not too late. She should still be awake at her house." Yeah...

There's a smile on my face... a deliciously heavy thing that tugs me towards the front door, faster and faster. I levitate the umbrella by my side, breaking into a full gallop. At last, I swing the door open...

...and there Minuette stands on the stoop, levitating a metal instrument by her head. "Aaack!" She jumps, lowering her hoof from the doorbell.

"Aaaah!" I jump as well.

There's a dull, thoughtless second, during which we collect our breaths... and our shivers.

"Uhhhhhhhh..." Minuette squirms.

"H-hey! Uhm..." I glance at my umbrella, then hold it towards her. "I was going to bring this back to your place—"

"—I thought you might want to borrow this egg-beater!" She blinks.

I blink. "...figured you left this the last time you visited—"

"'Cuz who doesn't like scrambled eggs at sunrise—" She winces.

Silence.

We look at each other, then at our instruments. A beat. We break into laughter.

"Hahahaha!"

"Heeheeheehee!"

"Heheheh..." I shake in place, clutching myself. "You know what I-I just realized?"

"Wh-what?!" she squeaks.

"This isn't even your umbrella!"

"I know!" She rolls her eyes. "I hate that color!"

"And I hate scrambled eggs!"

"I know!"

More laughter. The crickets go silent. Perhaps they're scared. We certainly aren't.

The night resonates with Minuette's giggles. It could be the sunrise for all I care.

"Wowsers..." she exhales, wiping a happy tear from her eye. "I don't know what got into me."

"It's okay," I say, resting the umbrella against a wall. I smile through the door at her. "It was very thoughtful of you, Minuette"

"No it wasn't," she sighs melodically. "It was silly. Thoughtless." Another sigh, this one duller. Her blue eyes fall to the wayside. "Like everything I say or do."

I squint. "Now don't say that."

"No. It's okay." She waves a hoof, twirling the egg beater about as if she's about to turn around. "You already made it clear you were calling it in for the night, Amy."

"Well... actually..." I clear my throat, glancing up at the stars. "I'm... not that super tired—"

Minuette spins around, beaming, full of teeth. "Really?!"

I flinch.

She blinks, then her ears droop again. "I'm... I'm sorry..." She gulps, then her eyes peek up at me. "Confession time? Between best friends?"

I gulp. "Sure." It's dry.

"I... I know that you like your space and all, Amy. And that's super cool. I like how you're... heehee... so thoughtful and contemplative about everything. And I respect ponies who need their alone time... even if I can't always understand it..."

"Yeah...?"

"But... I just want you to know that..." She clears her throat, her blue saucers darting about, in orbit around me but never quite landing. "...I really... really enjoy spending time with you. And it only gets more and more fun. And... when I'm not around you... it's... not fun." She inhales... exhales. A very slow thing, unfolding. "And all I can think of is spending more time with you the next time we meet. Because... it makes me happy." A giggle—off to the side. "Happier than I already am..." At last, her eyes make contact, and they pierce straight through me. "If... you can believe that."

I stare back.

"That... eheheh..." She brushes her mane aside. "...that's not weird, is it? I mean..." A gulp. "For best fr-friends?"

"No," I breathe. "I-I mean... there's nothing wrong with being happy," I say. "I just..." My lips trip on my teeth. I stare into the night past her. So much emptiness—a familiar shade. I ponder just how long I've been afraid... mortified of dipping into a place even darker... a shadow formed by the collapse of something so precious... something like this.

You can only become something so much before it crumbles. I think that's why I've loved organizing things. It's my mad attempt at keeping all the pieces together. It's a tough enough task on my own...

"Amy?"

My eyes fall to hers once again. Such a warm ocean.

She comes to the surface with a smile. "Whatever you say... I'll always be there for you." Twinkling. "I promise."

It's like I can taste the ice cream again. Somehow, I don't think I've ever believed another pony so much in my life.

"Hey... uh..." My ears twitch. My mind jolts. "Have you ever listened to Shadow Spade?"

Minuette blinks, eyebrows straight. "What."

"Shadow Spade! Uhm... the radio show!"

"I... can't say I-I have..."

"It's on in less than fifteen minutes," I say—stammering, really. "Rarity told me all about it last time I visited her to get a blouse altered." A smile. "It's really thrilling stuff! Mystery... mystique... mares in noir fashion."

"Heehee..." Minuette giggles. I'm alive again. "That's a lot of 'M's.' Bet it stands for ''MMMmmm'—delicious stuff!"

"It's a radio show, Minuette," I drone. "Not an ice cream cone."

"So?" She pouts, giggle-snorting. "My ears can eat too!"

"Well, hope they're famished." I motioned into the living room. "Come on in. I'll fetch us both some lemonade."

"Heehee..."

"What?"

"You only have lemonade when it's daylight out, silly."

"I told you earlier I'm not tired, remember?"

"Heehee... I remember."

"Sooo—"

"Fetch the lemonade, you silly goose! Jeez!"

"Heheh..."

Duet
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Best Friends, Too

Duet

My best friend and I sit across from one another, a crackling radio between us.

I've never listened to The Shadow Spade Hour before.

I don't know who these talking characters are.

I haven't a single clue as to what the plot is.

When the commercials air between acts, I don't know what they're advertising.

Minuette and I sip our lemonades, talking over the noisy program.

"And after about three months, she just moved to Ponyville entirely," Minuette says, her legs dangling childishly off the edge of her chair. "I must admit, the gals and I missed Lyra very dearly at first."

"I should say!" I smirk, taking a sip. "You're even sitting like her!"

She giggles and rolls her eyes. "But... it was all good. Because once we found out how happy of a life she was having in Ponyville, we all stopped feeling so bad! I kept making visits here, and the rest of the gals followed suit!"

"And then you moved in yourself."

"Yeah. Lyra and Bon Bon offered me a spot in their guest room, but... y'know..." She giggles into her cup, making a little echo. "There's only so much a girl can handle!"

"Including somepony as bubbly as you?"

"Heyyyyyy..." Minuette sticks her tongue out. "Don't push it."

"Heehee..." I smirk. "Say... personal question."

She flutters her eyelashes. "Best friendsssssss..."

"Heheh... alright..." I sip again, then speak: "Didn't it bother you moving away from Moondancer, Lemon Drops, and Twinkle Shine?"

"Oh, it's not so baaaaad..." Minuette waves a hoof. "Besides, they visit me all the time! Plus Twilight! Heehee! We're like sisters now!"

"Yeah, but you must see them less and less ever since you left Canterlot."

"It's not really that big of a difference, Amy," she says. "Besides..." Her eyes drift towards the radio. "...I'm liking Ponyville a lot more." She gulps. "Like... a lot lot more."

"Oh?"

"Mmmm..." She sips more from her cup. The lemonade's all gone. We both know this. "May I ask a personal question?"

I gulp. "B-best friends."

Her eyes dart up. "When was the day you realized that we were... best friends?"

Silence, save for a dramatic damsel shriek from the radio, followed by organ music.

"I... it..." I scratch my head. "What?"

"Hehehe..." Minuette glances demurely aside. She looks rosier in the penumbra of the living room's lamplight, or so I tell myself. "I guess I phrased that wrong. Silly me."

"I guess I just don't quite get it." I blink. "Do you remember a time—like—an exact moment when we became best friends?"

"Oh! Totally!" Her response is unexpectedly explosive, even for her. She bounces up and down in her seat. "It was the day Twilight introduced us at Sugarcube Corner! Every pony at the lunch table asked for cupcakes with three flavored frosting and extra sprinkles! But you? You only asked for angel food cake!"

"Pffft..." I nearly drop my lemonade glass.

"Whaaaaat?"

"Minuette..." I chuckle, smirking her way. "That's the first day you and I ever talked to one another... ever."

"Sooooo?" She pouts. "The moment you ordered something so bland... simple... ordinary..."

"Geometric..."

"Whatever!" She winks. "I knew there was a pony who needed lots of sugar and smiles in her life! And anypony who could make that happen would have to be nothing less than a best friend!"

"And so you decided then and there that we were best friends... from the beginning..."

"Welllll..." She smiles, eyes rolling. "It worked out alright, didn't it?"

"Yeah..." I nod back. "I'd say it did."

"Now, what about you?"

"Hmmm?" I hum into my lemonade glass.

She sticks her tongue out. "I told you mine. You tell me yours!"

"Errm..."

"Or..." Minuette blinks, her eyes bright, blue, and brilliant. "...do you not even remember?"

I stare at her eyes, her flouncing mane—the same mane she had pinned into a bun the one day she hopped over to my house, volunteering her assistance with some much needed furniture rearranging. I hadn't asked her, but it didn't matter. Minuette made the boring labor fun. She sang as we dusted... told silly anecdotes as we moved a sofa... even giggled and cooed at my family photos. We talked about old memories for an hour.

Then—out of nowhere—she had shrieked. Moving all the furniture around had exposed some ginormous house spiders from hiding. The fully grown mare spent a full five minutes hopping from chair to chair, from stool to stool, dancing in place and asking me... begging me to slaughter the eight-legged monstrosity. I laughed at her... called her a little filly. Her response was to cling to me, as if I was her valiant protector. I merely sighed and used a dustpan to shoo the creature through a cranny in the floorboards.

All the while, she held me close, and yet I could see—as I'm certain she knew I saw—a tiny hint of a mischievous smirk beneath her horrified grimace. And those teeth twinkled as only they could twinkle, with eyes that matched, that knew all of the empty spaces that those ocean waters filled, warming, inviting, deep but never drowning. And that was precisely the moment, I think, when I fell in—

"Tomorrow," I blurt.

Minuette blinks at me. "Huh?"

"I'll realize that you're my best friend tomorrow," I said.

She leans her head aside. Her muzzle scrunches, an adorable thing. It's always been adorable. "How... can you realize that we're best besties tomorrow?"

"Because I'm realizing it all the time, Minuette," I say. "Each and every day... I'm finding out new and newer ways that we're best friends." I take a final sip of the lemonade, winking her way. "So, that's why I say I'll know tomorrow. Cuz it can only get more fun from here."

She looks at me. She smiles. "And that can only be a good thing."

"It sure as heck can't be bad."

"Heeheehee..." She giggles. Warm cheeks. "Silly pony."

I salute. "I learn from the best."

"Mmmhmmm..."

The radio crackles on...

"...I have no stinkin' clue what we're listening to," I say.

"Hahahahaha!" Minuette explodes, and my home contains her. "Me neither! Heeheehee!"

My giggles join hers. It's a simple duet, but that's what singers do.

Best friends, too.