I sigh and repeat what the magenta unicorn just told me, “I’m sorry I beat you up! But the truth is, you really shouldn’t have tried to bully me… “

The pink earth foal in front of me at the table, blinks, and nods, before robotically repeating, “I acknowledge now that I should not have bullied you, and I now see the error of my ways! Do you accept my apology?”

“Good! Good!” We both hear the magenta unicorn on the other side of the table say, while the blue unicorn with the hat slurps her strawberry milkshake…

I finally break my silence, “Look, Starlight Glimmer, since that’s your name apparently, if this pink filly and me are going to be friends, I really think you need to take a more natural approach and not be breathing down our ears the whole time, telling us what to say!”

The pink earth foal adds towards Starlight, “Yeah, I think it would probably be better if we got to know one another personally, without you here. Uh, maybe we could check out that Ponese flick at the theater? I saw an add for it on the way up here, and I think that would be a good way to get to know each other?”

Starlight frowns, “I dunno?” before staring over at Binky beside me, “How do you feel about Ponese movies?”

I stare at her wide-eyed and honestly reply, “I’m actually not even sure where that country is?”

Diamond smiles at me, “So exposing you to other cultures would probably be good, right?”

I gaze at Diamond, equally enormously, “I don’t know? Maybe?”

The unicorn says, “Great! And you two could go to the sleeper dance tomorrow, as friends?”

I stare at Starlight, “I don’t even like to dance!”

Diamond says to Starlight, “I think I’d rather remove my brain from my skull through my nose with a little spoon?”

Starlight frowns at Diamond, “That was oddly specific?”

She smiles, “Well, other cultures, right?”

Starlight smiles, “Right! So you two go to the other end of the cafe and talk to one another, and I’ll just wait for my marefriend, here!”

<*****>

I hold my chocolate shake up with my magic, and begin to trot towards the other end of the cafe, figuring Diamond would follow me…

“Hey, let’s sit over here!” Diamond says at a table two tables towards the back, before launching her shake off her snout onto the table, and then using her teeth to move the chair back…

Earth ponies! I think to myself as I use my magic to set my shake down next to Diamond…

I use my magic to bring the chair back, before parking my flanks on the seat, to stare at the pink foal, “You wanted to be alone with me, so our friendship could grow organically, right?”

“I’ll give you two hundred bits, and you agree to never see me again, deal?”

I frown, “Diamond, just what are you asking me?”

She sighs, “I’m asking you to just forget this whole friendship thing, I pay you off, and we just silently ignore each other for the rest of her lives!”

This shocks me a bit! “Diamond, I really do want to be your friend!”

She reciprocates, “What?”

I blink, “I meant what I said! I wanna be your friend, so you’re not alone all the time! Doesn’t that sound better?”

She eyes me carefully, “It’s like you’re a good pony, or something?”

I blink, “Um, I guess?” and finally decide to slurp some of my yummy chocolate shake!

If nothing else, I’m gonna get that from this meeting!

She nods, “Alright, Binky! We can try to be friends, or whatever!” and slurps a bit more of her strawberry shake..

I narrow my eyes in satisfaction at the yummy flavor of chocolate on my palette as the goodness flowed down my throat…

She takes one of the final slurps of her shake before saying, “Well, finish your shake Binky! We got a weird foreign movie to check out!”

I chuckle and put the shake down, to stare at her, “You’re a weird foreign movie!”

“Jerk!” She giggles and slurps her pink shake, with her hoof.

“Butt-head!” I retort, before magically holding my shake to my face to slurp some more.

“Hey, how are you two doing now? Are we good and friendly, now?” Starlight chimes in from beside the table.

I level my shake to my face and stare at her, “Shut up, Aunt Starlight! You’re ruining the moment!”

Diamond turns towards Starlight, and adds, “Idiot!”

“Jerk!” I say to Starlight.

At that point, Starlight could only cringe, and giggle maniacally to herself, before asking, “What is wrong with you fillies?”

I say, “Well, you’re the counselor! You tell me?” and take the another slurp from my shake…

<******>

Diamond and I trot side-by-side out of the movie theater, with nopony else…

I turn my head left towards her and say, “Foreign movies are weird!”

She looks at me and frowns, “Well, at least we didn’t see any of that normal mainstream garbage!”

I gaze at her carefully, “I mean, it’s not like we all haven’t seen the same romantic comedies a thousand times!”

“Sleepless in Ponyville!”

“Twelve things I Hate About You!”

“Bridget Hoove’s Diary!”

Her eyes widen, “But this way, you not only don’t understand anything without subtitles, but they have senses of humor you don’t get!”

“Yes, foreign romantic comedies are so much better, with their strange premises, and bizarre wording!”

She snickers, “I never thought you’d be so much fun, Binky!”

I nod, “Right?”

“So uh, what do you wanna do now, Binky?”

I sigh, “I really should be getting back to the hive now! Mom probably already got some dinner for me, by now? I am their primary source of love for the moment!”

She frowns, “What?”

I nod and take a pace towards her to hug her, “I’ll see you later, Diamond Tiara!”

She tentatively returns the hug, “O-okay! Bye for now, Binky!”

<*****>

"Ugh...wha...?"

I groan groggily as I slowly open my bleary eyes, still half-asleep and disoriented. The bright light filtering through the window made me wince a bit as I rubbed my eyes and tried to get my bearings.

I flip over the blanket from my body and blink as I fully register my surroundings, but then it hit me… I was in my hive…

And there, beside me on the bed, covered by the blanket I just flipped over, was a familiar pink pony…

Uh, what is she doing here? She wasn’t here when I went to sleep!

Well uh, should I wake her? She looks so peaceful there…

I can’t help but giggle a bit as Diamond snoozes on her tummy, and a little bit of drool comes out of her mouth…

Oh, gross! That’s gonna get on my bed!

“Diamond! Wake up!” I say.

Her eyes open suddenly, “Wait, wha? Where am I?” before staring up at me and smiling, “Oh, hey Binky! What’s going on?”

“Why are you in the hive?”

Diamond chuckles and sits up, wiping away a bit of drool from her lips. "Well, after the movie, I was still feeling kind of restless, and I didn't really want to go home just yet. I mean, who would I talk to? What would I do? So I thought I would come by and see if you wanted to hang out a bit longer… You were asleep when I arrived, so I hopped into bed, figuring I’d catch a few z’s myself!"

I raise an eyebrow, still a bit perplexed. "But how did you get into the hive? I locked the hive gate before I went to bed."

“Let’s just say you learn your way around a lock when there’s things around you, you’re not supposed to get into!” she nods, “Liquor! Cigars! Porn!”

“That still doesn’t mean I gave you permission to sleep in my bed!”

She frowns at me with big eyes, “Well, we’re friends, right?”

I squint at her while considering this… I finally sigh, “Fine! You win this round! I guess you can sleep in my bed sometimes? You’re really brave to head into the Everfree Forest, so late?”

“Well, I’ve been to Zecora’s shack a few times, once I met the Crusaders, and well, you’re really not THAT far off!”

I frown at the super filly, “Uh, alright then! Come on! Chrysalis made coffee!”

“Aren’t we kinda young for that?”

I shake my head, “I don’t know? Maybe? You want coffee, or not?”

<*****>

Well, I’ve seen dad drink this stuff before? I think to myself, as I use my forehooves to pour a cup of coffee into the white mug…

Binky smiles, “Yeah, since I’m a pony, and I’m living in the hive, I got cups, and plates, and all the things I would normally have in a pony home! Mom was sure of that!”

I take a spoon, and add two sugars, from the beige sugar bowl next to it, on the strange bluish-black counter with strange globials on the walls of this bizarre insectoid room.

This is how my dad usually makes it! Well, that and bourbon… I think to myself, while using my hoof to stir the black coffee…

Suddenly, I hear the same vocoder voice from earlier, say, “Diamond Tiara! Just what are you doing in my hive at this hour of the morning?”

Binky grins at her mother, “She followed me home last night! Can I keep her?” before taking a slow, tentative sip of her coffee…

Chrysalis narrows her eyes at her foal, while I smile, “I just came in at night, and wanted to see Binky! I mean, “ and sigh, “I have so many toys and so many fun things, but it just doesn’t seem to matter anymore? I uh, I wanted to see Binky… “

“Binky is important to you?”

I nod, “Oh, yes Queen Chrysalis! Binky means a lot to me!”

“Hey, remember when I beat you up?” The small pink unicorn on the left says to me before taking a sip of her coffee and eyeing me carefully.

She’s obviously testing me! I stare at her, “Look, we’re past that now, okay? You said you wanted to be my friend, and I accept… “

“Did we just become best friends?”

I frown, “Well, Silver Spoon still exists!”

“Yeah, but when was the last time you saw her?”

My eyes widen, “Just yesterday!”

“Yeah, but you were with me too, right?”

I nod, “Well, right!”

“And who’s house did you break into last night, when you had nowhere to go? Me, or Silver Spoon?”

I frown when I begin to realize the implications of her words… “Just what are you trying to say, Binky?”

“I’m saying you’re my friend now, whether you realize it or not!”

I blink at her, “Does this mean we’re about to hug?”

She nods, and positions her body towards me, “I think so?”

I take three paces towards her and embrace her in my forehooves… “I’m sorry Binky… I guess I’m a bit stubborn?”

She holds me back, “Obvious Foal strikes again!”

“Shut up! Dummy… “

“Idiot jerk… “

“Stupid moron… “

“Hose-brain!”

(To be continued… )

Author's Note

Leave it to me, the audiophile to come up with an obscure music reference nobody else will get...