Best Friends, Too

by shortskirtsandexplosions

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.

Author's Note:

Comments

[Zaid ValRoa]

Friendship brings a lot of happiness. And sometimes, that's more than enough.

[gamexpert1990]

There's no friend quite like a best friend.

[DrEggnog]

What a strange, intimate little story, with an oddball variety of moods. *shrug* I liked it.

[Stonecrop Sedum]

Adorable.

[destinedjagold]

7182476 Your avatar seems to disagree.

[Misago]

Hmmmm. I wonder if there is a better word to describe this kind of "best friend happy". Something less often used. Maybe it went out of fashion, but it might have been used to refer to being THIS happy... too bad there isn't such a word to describe these two pairs of best friends and how "happy" they are.

Anyways, it was a really cute story. Only complaint is that it ended too sooooooooon~

[Karakorum]

I liked that, and I can't wrap my head around why.

[FanOfMostEverything]

An enjoyable blend of sweetness, silliness, and overwhelming denial. Thank you for it.

[Leftover of Saikano]

I liked this. Sweet sweet stuff.

[Poet Knight]

O, to have such a best friend. *sigh*

[Lightning Bearer]

After reading this story, my dentist will finally be able to put in that swimming pool.

Cute, cute stuff.

[Nopetrain]

It would be funny to see a mutual friend suggesting other kind of friendship activities of a more... ah.... intimate nature. Like a joint account or adoption, in a friendly manner, among other things... Surely two best friends who are so close should know how to properly "tickle" one another towards the profoundest of laughs, to take one another to the edge of life and death and cross all boundaries again and again... like friends do, I mean. But no seriously it would be funny for a friend who's fully aware of the undertones to suggest these things like the normal friend activities they clearly are.

[DinkyUniverse]

This is absolutely beautiful, I definitely want to see more of these two together.

[xv22shasokais]

And that's how you get instant diabetes.

[ponyponipon3]

New story by Skirts = put everything IRL on hold and READ IMMEDIATELY!!!

[Crescent Minor]

Aw, this is Complete? But I want MORE!

[Metal Aura]

What a tragic ending for the spider. It did serve as an excelent metaphor for their relationship. They moved around the "furniture" in their minds, and some repressed issues sprung up by suprise only to be shooed away by Amy to ensure that Minuette doesn't need to stop experiencing happiness.

[RazgrizS57]

I blame Pudge.

[RazgrizS57]

Okay but seriously, this was really cute. I like the ambiguity of the ending and how Amethyst, at least, kept to not being able to properly express herself. It suit the character you built and had you gone that route, I have a strong feeling this story would be nearly twice as long and contain a whole bunch of almost-useless drivel. So good on you for showing restraint for once!

[Piecemeal Pony]

This was...

Comfy. Cute, adorable and fluffy to bursting point, but not so dragged out as to appear...desperate. It's a typical Skirts fluff piece, but cut and refined in the fires to emerge a shimmering amethyst, as bright as the brightest star in all of Princess Luna's heavens.

It was quite lovely.

[fausticornrules]

7182268
I might actually have a toothache from how sweet this story is!

[FloydienSlip]

Interesting, introspective piece, and definitely a realistic look at relationships.

[pahnazd]

This story was so many shades of adorable that I can't even.
All the shades!
A lovely, lovely little read. Thank you

[Keebroo]

Amethyst Star: Spider Slayer 2

Now with 20% more giggle-snorts!

[Aurora Dimmet]

Now when's the Best Friends Double Da-... Friendship Outing? And the Best Friend Swap? Only the best of friends can swing.

[Hap]

Huh.

[Hungryman]

Oh my glob, this is priceless! So much latent homosexuality. I laughed loudly while reading this and cried with sweet sugary tears covered in blueberry sprinkles.

So. I believe if there would be a sequel it should be named "Best friends with benefits (too)". Case besties totally do this. And it's not gay.

[Titanium Dragon]

This had far more emotional depth to it than I was expecting. It was sugar sweet and funny, but I was not expecting the best friends to deliver the emotion that they did.

[Titanium Dragon]

I reviewed this story as part of Read It Now #81.

My review can be found here.

[Hoof of Approval]

7279397 God, this was my reaction.

There's more emotional content packed into this than you'd realize.

[StormLuna]

What I see in this story is that Minuette has rather strong friendship feelings for Amethyst, perhaps not too far away from more than that. Amethyst however, I think is terrified of the prospects of growing close to anypony and she uses thoughts of Lyra and Bon Bon being too close to convince herself that becoming a closer friend with Minuette could only wind up in heartbreak, or at least some sort of major emotional let down. I absolutely love this story and have read it twice already, and that is just in one day. This is an excellent piece of work you have here, thanks for writing it.

[Clear Tactic]

"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."

Even if she is intentionally concealing her real answer, that's still rather romantic platonic. So very platonic. Well done all around.

[Future Regret]

I wish I had an amethyst star personality template in my head but I really don’t. Still a good fic

[BlueMoonHarlot]

Hoo boy, hoo boy, hoo boy.