Subs and Sandwiches

It was raining in Ponyville, Sandy found as she stepped out of the train. She blamed it on her fellow pegasi and their love of storm clouds. Though the plants looked greener and everything looked more alive, she still didn’t much care for it. It chilled her to the bone and left her mane a sopping mess. This time, though, she had a much bigger package to protect, though she’d wrapped it in a plastic bag as a preemptive measure.

She made her way over to the Ponyville Clocktower entrance just as the bell chimed seven. Perfect timing! She made it before the rush, so hopefully she could surprise her friends with-

“Hey, Sandy! Whatcha got there?” Glossy Print, in her eagerness, almost knocked Sandy over. She huffed and hid the bag away, trying to hide it from Print’s prying eyes.

“It’s a surprise, and I’d rather it not be spoiled. Let’s go over to the Subs shop, okay?” Sandy took Print by a hoof and led her through the portals into the great hall of Clocktower. A guard waved them by, smiling rather knowingly at Sandy.

Print bounced on her hooftips. “Oooh, the kinky kind of subs, or-”

“The sandwich kind, Print,” Sandy deadpanned, and wandered over to the shopping district of the Society. Admittedly, you probably could buy a sub in the Sub’s Subs if you asked nicely enough, but that wasn’t her plan. A daisy sandwich would do just fine, thank you.

“Right, right, that’s fair, I suppose. Hey, did you hear? Ghost and Misty had the most hilarious experience, and-” Sandy cut the excited earth pony’s tale off with a gentle boop to the muzzle, effectively silencing her.

“Can it wait until we get there, Print? I know you’re pretty eager to see what I have for you, and I must admit, I’m rather excited to show you.” Print nodded. They sat down at their regular booth and waited.

It didn’t take long for Sandy’s other friends to find their way over. Misty marched proudly into the sandwich shop, leading Ghost on a leash. Ghost was dressed up as a personal maid, and blushing a brilliant shade of pink that went well with her maroon uniform. “Look, I caught a Ghostie!” Misty giggled, making Ghost blush deeper.

“Alright, I know you all remember when we met up a few months ago to discuss our favorite Society stories, right?” The mares nodded, and Sandy continued, reaching into her bag. “Well, I’m pleased to announce that I’ve finished my latest book: a novel full of short stories based on the ones you told me. Here are copies for all of you.”

She passed out the freshly bound books, and her admired them. Ghost shyly prodded Sandy. “Um, so you brought a copy for yourself here? Are you going to read it to us?”

Sandy shook her head. “Not quite, Ghost. I brought my own copy because I was, um…” She felt at a loss of words. This was an easy request, so why was she suddenly feeling shy? “I was wondering if you all would consider… signing my copy?”

Misty was the first to break the awkward silence. Her laugh rang across the table as she reached over for Sandy’s book. “No worries, Sandy. Now, should I come up with some fancy unreadable signature for this?”

Ghost piped up, a mischievous grin on her face. “Why fake it, Misty? Your hoofwriting is naturally illegible!” Everypony laughed and passed around their books for each other to sign.

It was a wonderful sight, Sandy thought as she watched her friends laugh and mess around with each other. Friends were a wonderful gift, and each of their stories helped make her world a brighter place.

Sandy frowned. Was this some sort of real-life friendship lesson? Learned because of a kinky sex cult? She decided it didn’t matter, because it was true for her. She was the luckiest mare alive, to have such good friends whom she could count on.