Pinkamena was sitting at the table in Fluttershy’s kitchen. Her hoof was tapping the table. Another hoof tapping the floor. An empty plate sat in front of her, cleaned of her breakfast, and across from her Pinkie Pie was still poking at her food. Pinkamena looked down at her legs and traced the pattern on one with a hoof, a habit she’d picked up during the last few days that she turned to whenever she was getting restless.
Pinkie took a small-ish bite out of a waffle and let the rest fall back onto her plate.
Pinkamena sighed. She slapped a hoof down on the table just hard enough to make the plates clink.
“Pinkie, knock it off.”
“Huh?” Pinkie jumped in her seat and looked up. “What?”
“Quit it!”
“Quit what?”
“Moping!” Pinkamena let out an exaggerated groan and leaned on the table seriously. “You’ve looked all sad for days now and I’m sick of it.”
Pinkie gave her a blank stare. “Do I look sad?”
“Ugh, yeah! You didn’t even go outside yesterday.”
“I had nowhere to go.”
“You’re Pinkie Pie, since when do you need a reason to do things? What are you even moping about, anyway?”
“I dunno,” Pinkie said. “I didn’t realize I was moping.”
Pinkamena rolled her eyes. “C’mon. Tell me.”
“I…” Pinkie frowned pitifully. “I’m gonna miss you. We only just met and now you’re going away.”
“I’m not dying. You’ll still see me.”
“Yeah, but…” Pinkie crossed her legs in front of her chest. “I don’t know. It just feels weird. I feel like I’m being a bad big sister.”
“We’re the same age.” Pinkamena shook her head. “Whatever. Look, Pinkie, you’re fine. You might not know me as well as you want, but you gotta know I love you, right?”
“Yeah, but I should know you better! I get that it’s hard for everypony else, but I should know you, right?”
Pinkamena thought for a moment. She pursed her lips and furrowed her brow. Then she stood up. “C’mon.”
Pinkie blinked. “Huh?”
“I said c’mon! We’re going out.”
Pinkie got up slowly. “Okay… Where are we—”
“Out! I don’t know.” Pinkamena walked towards the front door, grabbed her scarf from a hat rack and wrapped it around her neck. “Somewhere that isn’t you being cooped up inside all day.”
Pinkie plodded after her uneasily. “But why? What are we doing?”
“We’re having fun,” Pinkamena said. “Look, we haven’t scheduled a day for our sisters thing, right? Let’s do it today.”
“But I don’t have any plans,” Pinkie protested. “I haven’t thought up any traditions or games or—”
Pinkamena opened the door and shoved Pinkie outside. She shut the door heavily after herself. “Let’s figure it out.”
The morning air was crisp and cool. Dewdrops sprinkled the grass that led down the hill in front of Fluttershy’s house. When the door shut, a flock of birds took off from somewhere nearby and briefly blotted out the sun above them. It was cool enough outside to make Pinkamena glad for the scarf, but not so chilly that Pinkie was uncomfortable. The air was just cold enough to be a jolt to the system, and it woke them both up completely.
Unable to protest any further, Pinkie followed Pinkamena into town. They had no destination, and they were in no hurry, so they wound up just wandering the streets. Some ponies who passed them by gave them strange, confused glances, and some even stopped to ask why there were two Pinkies, but by this point, much of the town had been informed of the new addition to the Pie family. Pinkamena greeted all these friendly faces with a smile, a genuine one, and basked in the smiles she got back. Smiles that, finally, felt like they were meant for her, and not Pinkie.
“I wish you didn’t have to go tomorrow,” Pinkie said at one point.
“I know,” Pinkamena replied. “I need this, though. It’ll be good for me.”
“But the Crystal Empire is so far away!”
“That’s the whole point! Not a lot of ponies there know you super well.”
Pinkie frowned. “Are you gonna be okay all on your own?”
“We were fine moving out as a filly,” Pinkamena told her. “Quit worrying.”
“I know, I just—”
Pinkamena drifted to the side and bumped into Pinkie. “Quit it!”
“Okay, okay. Just… Promise you’ll come to me if you need anything, okay?”
“Of course,” Pinkamena said. “Pinkie promise.”
“Pinkamena promise?”
“That too.”