Loss

The day you loose some pony isn't the worst. It's all they days they stay gone.

Minuette looked around her tidy, but dusty house and tried not to cry. It had been almost a year, a year since...

She shook her head, as if trying to ward off the memory. She went to her mirror and brushed her blue and white mane. She brushed her teeth, washed her face, and all the other mediocre tasks of her day.

She went around, as routine as clockwork. She tried not to think, because thinking led to remembering, and remembering led to feeling, and feeling led to pain.

Has it really been a year? A whole year? It sounded so long, it felt so long, so much longer. She didn't look at the mantle, where the pictures still sat, covered with dust.

She walked about, careful not to disturb anything, and pulled out some food for breakfast. Just some oatmeal and applesauce. She poured a glass of juice and sat. Eating her food slowly, very slowly, trying to keep her mind blank, She didn't want to even think about anything, lest that lead to other, more painful, thoughts.

"Mommy!" A little filly called to her. The little filly had red, white and blue hair with a white coat. Her eyes were green, and her smile was dazzling.

"Yes Minty?" She replied laughing. "What is it?"

Minty ran up to her and held out a picture. "I made this for you Mommy."

Minuette planted a kiss on her forehead. "It's beautiful, and it smells so- Minty, did you paint with the toothpaste again?" She wiggled her eyebrows accusingly.

The mischievous little filly giggled. "Uh-uh Mommy. I din'nt do it!"

"Oh really?" Minnuette asked. "Well, perhaps you should tell that to- The tickle monster!"

"Ahhh!" She squealed and tried to run away, but Minuette caught her in her hooves.

"I got you! And I'm not letting go, my little sunshine!"

Suddenly a pair of strong hooves lifted both of them up and spun them around. "Aha! Now I've got you!"

Minuette looked up the white coated stallion and gave a look of mock horror! "You put us down right now, Silver Crown! Or I'll give you... A cavity!"

"Oh really? Well then, I'd better give up now!" Silver said as he set the two down, before giving Minuette a quick kiss.

"Oh stop it you..." She said as she tousled his green streaked mane.

Knock, knock, knock!

Minuette looked up, then quickly ran to answer the door. It was Moondancer.

She smiled brightly. "Hey Moondancer! What brings you around here? Am I late for book club?"

"No, no, it's fine. I just wanted to check on you." Moondancer replied while adjusting her glasses.

Minuette laughed. "Why do you want to check on me silly? I'm fine. How about you? Isn't Twilight coming to visit soon?"

"Yes, tonight. But back to the point, you seem to be avoiding the subject. Are you doing okay?"

"Of course! Why wouldn't I be?" She asked with a smile.

"Well, you've been acting kind of... strange." Moondancer said. "Can I come inside?"

Minuette stuttered for I moment. "I'm not sure that's a good idea, I'm in the middle of cleaning, and um, I really need to get back to it, could you maybe come by later?"

"I can help! I know tons of cleaning spells." Moondancer said as she tried to walk inside. "No! I mean, you don't need to!" Minuette said, she felt herself go slightly pale. "It's just... I have a certain way of doing things, I just..."

"Nonsense! Here, let me see." She walked past Minuette, who was now on the verge on panic.

"Moondancer, you really don't have to!" She said, almost pleadingly.

Moondancer looked around in shock. "Wow, how long has it been since you dusted?"

"Please don't touch anything." Minuette whispered.

Moondancer wasn't listening, like Twilight she got caught up in the task at hoof.

Her magic sent things flying about, tidying about. Minuette was freaking out a little bit.

Moondancer dusted of a picture, then paused to look at it. "Hey, who's this?" She held up a small picture frame with a photo of three ponies.

Minuette freaked out. "Don't touch it!" She shouted, and tried to grab it.

Moondancer, startled, jumped a little, and lost her grip on the frame, it flew through the air and crashed into a large mirror that had been covered with a cloth. Both items cracked with a loud, shattering sound.

Minuette and Moondancer froze in horror. The glass sprinkled onto the floor.

Shattered, just like...

No! She couldn't think about it, she couldn't remember! She sat in front of the mirror, her heart breaking after holding back the pain for so long.

"I'm so sorry..." Minuette heard Moondancer say, but she remained frozen. "I'll go..."

Moondancer left, but Minuette was too busy trying to repress the memories. But, as she stared at the mirror, it broke loose.

It was dark, raining, and Minuette was waiting for Silver, and Minty to get back from the market, she had prepared a special surprise for Minty's birthday, she eagerly awaited there return. She waited, and waited, and waited...

It was late, and she was still waiting. She worriedly paced in front in the living room. Wondering when they would be back. Then, a sharp knock sounded at the door. She ran and opened it, a policepony answered. She took off her hat.

"Ma'am." She sounded, pained. "I have some news for you."

"Yes officer?"

"I'm afraid there has been an accident, and..."

Minnuette felt herself go pale. "No..." She whispered.

"Your husband, and you daughter-"

"No! It can't be!" Minuette broke down sobbing. "Please, no... It can't be..."

"I'm afraid it's true Ma'am." The policepony said, avoiding her eyes. "They died in the accident.

Minuette sat on the ground, frozen in shock, and pain. The policepony said more, but she wasn't listening. Her little Minty, her Silver. Gone... She left after a while, leaving Minuette to her grief.

Minuette had sat there until the morning, then she got up. She cleared the table, and tidied up. She went through the motions, just like a machine. She paused in front of the mirror, she had been planning on surprising Minty with it, but now as she looks at it, all she could see was her blank face. She forced a smile. No one must see how broken she was.

No one...

She ran into the streets, not able to face her pain anymore. She wanted to run from it, run from the memories, from everything. It was raining, which hid her tears. She ran through Canterlot, not knowing where she was running to.

Finally, she slowed, being tired, she walked by an alleyway, and leaned against the wall. Tired, and broken.

She watched as ponies walked by, barely giving her a second glance. She didn't mind. She stood there, and soon, no one was passing by. She was alone.

She felt more alone then she had ever before, she didn't know what to do. She was about to head back to her house, and then, she heard it. The galloping of hooves, and something more... unfamiliar.

She looked behind her into the alleyway, looking into it, when suddenly someone ran out of the shadows, knocking her over.

"AHHHHH!" She screamed as she was bowled over.

"Ahhhhh!" A male voice screamed.

She lay there on the ground, trying to process what had just happened.

"Great whickering stallions! I am so sorry! I didn't see you there." He said, and she felt a hoof helping her up.

"S-sorry." She said. "I wasn't being careful." She looked at him. He had a brown coat, and a darker brown mane, he wore a green bow-tie, and had the deepest, bluest eyes she had ever seen. But it was his Cutie Mark that caught her attention. It was an hour-glass, just like hers.

"No no, it is I, who is at fault." He extended his hoof to her. "Let me start over. Hello! I am The Doctor, pleased to meet you, Miss...?"

"Minuette." She said. "I'm Minuette." She smiled, and it surprised her. She hadn't smiled like this in a while. This Doctor was a curious pony.

She was about to ask him what he was a Doctor of, when a loud roar sounded from the alley.

"Um, this is our cue to leave." He said.

"Wait, wha- Ahhh!" The head of a large, sinister, and dangerous looking creature appeared at the end of the alleyway.

He grabbed her hoof, and looked at her.

"Run!"

And they ran.