Little Keys

by Skijarama

Old Friend

After Rainbow finished off her breakfast, the group took off for Minuette’s abode. The walk through Canterlot was mercifully uneventful. Rainbow took the lead, of course, with Twilight and Rarity walking side-by-side behind her. Spike, predictably, had parked himself on Rarity’s back; with her permission, of course.

Thorax and Spiracle agreed to head back to Squall’s home for the time being. A small part of Twilight felt bad about excluding them from things, especially after they stuck their necks out to get those guards off her back. But it really wasn’t their business, strictly speaking, and Spiracle was still new to the city. Getting her involved in Twilight’s personal drama—especially considering how severe said drama was—was a recipe for disaster.

Still, the insights they could provide as empaths could be of use…

She shook her head. “Only if we have to.”

Rainbow led the group down a series of streets into one of the lower districts, where citizens with lower incomes made their homes. Of course, a ‘low income’ household in Canterlot was still a few grades of quality higher here than what one might find in other cities. The buildings were usually one story tall, though some had two. They lacked the elegant design work and elaborate patterns of the wealthier parts of the city, but they were still finely made. Competent stonework and colorful roofing made for a charming, almost rustic appeal.

Rainbow came to a stop in front of one of the said houses, her eyes looking it over with scrutiny. Twilight came to a stop beside her, eyeing the building. It was a two-story house sandwiched between two larger homes. A short set of stairs went up to the front door, over which resided a decorative hourglass with a golden frame.

Minuette’s Cutie Mark. This was the place.

“Had a feeling,” Rainbow noted with a sage nod. “She liked this place—even if it’s kinda cramped.”

Rarity gave the hourglass over the door a quizzical look. “An hourglass? What was her special talent again?”

Spike sat up. “To hear her tell it, she makes friends in no time at all,” he explained with a shrug. “Which is kinda true, I guess.”

Rainbow snickered. “Hah. You and I both know you became friends with her so fast because she gave you belly rubs.”

“They were good belly rubs!”

While those two were going back and forth, Twilight kept her eyes on the house. It had been a long time since she had seen Minuette. The other foal had been one of the bubbliest, most cheerful ponies Twilight had ever met. She was almost like Pinkie Pie in many respects, albeit perhaps a little less… chaotic.

Even so, Minuette held her friends really close to her heart. Twilight could only imagine how she had taken it when she had flown off to Ponyville.

A few moments passed before Rainbow turned back to Twilight. “You want the honors, or should I?” she asked.

Twilight took another deep breath. “I’ll do it,” she said with a firm nod. She was the one trying to make amends, after all, and Moondancer wasn’t the only friend she had neglected.

Rainbow gave her an encouraging smile and stepped aside, giving room for Twilight to make her ascent. She hesitated for only a moment until she received a thumbs-up from Spike. Taking the small gesture to heart, she put on a brave face and marched up the stairs.

“Here goes…” she whispered to herself, knocking three times.

There was an ominous pause before the door suddenly clicked open. Twilight’s wings ruffled on her back, and she took an involuntary step back. The door creaked loudly as it slowly swung inward, revealing that the entrance hallway beyond was dark, unlit. Twilight could just about make out what she thought was a cobweb.

And there was Minuette. Twilight immediately felt a rush of recognition at seeing the blue unicorn. Minuette was almost Twilight’s age; just a touch younger. But in the darkened interior, it was difficult to make out details. Her face was obscured by shadow, save for her eyes, which stared at Twilight, unreadable.

A lump formed in Twilight’s throat. A tingling feeling crawled up and down her back under Minuette’s stare, and she suddenly found her confidence waning. She felt like she was being judged already, silently reprimanded for her past actions.

“M-Minuette?” she asked haltingly, her voice hitching in her throat for a moment.

Minuette didn’t answer her. The tense silence dragged on.

Twilight swallowed hard. This had been a mistake. She opened her mouth to say as such, to apologize for bothering her and withdrawing, but the words didn’t come.

Or rather, they didn’t have the chance to.

A powerful blunt force slammed into Twilight’s chest, knocking the wind out of her from the impact. She let out a startled squeak as something constricted tightly around her neck, holding her in place with a grip as tight as an iron vice. She squirmed for a moment, thinking she was being strangled, until she realized that the hold on her was firm, but not crushing.

Confused, Twilight glanced down. Her eyes widened when she realized that Minuette was hugging her tightly, face buried into her shoulder.

Odd. She hadn’t thought they’d been this close.

A moment later, Twilight licked her lips and spoke again, her voice low and uncertain. “Minuette…? Are you…?”

“Welcome back,” Minuette suddenly whispered. Twilight felt another rush of nostalgic memories overcome her on hearing it. Of playful laughs and weird jokes, of enormous grins and metaphors that only Minuette would ever understand. Minuette looked up into Twilight’s eyes, her lips pulled into a large, ecstatic grin. “It’s so good to see you, you old so-and-so!”

Minuette released her hold on Twilight and took a step back. “What are you doing here?” she then noticed the ponies standing behind her, and her grin grew several times over. “Dashie?! Spike?! Is that you?!”

Rainbow waved, smiling back at her. “Sup, spazz ball?”

Minuette giggled at the nickname before turning back to Twilight, practically vibrating on her hooves. “Oho, wow! This is great! I had no idea any of you would be coming by! And just look at you!”

Twilight barely had time to utter a bewildered “uh” before Minuette was right up in her business, poking at her wings like a foal playing with their newest toy. “Lookit these wings, huh?! They’re so cool!”

“She does realize that you quite literally died to get them, right?” Midnight asked with an irritated snort.

Twilight ignored her.

Minuette then pranced—not walked, not stepped, pranced—past Twilight to land by Rainbow and Spike. “And Rainbow! I love your mane! I never imagined you with a ponytail, but you make it look so good! You’re taller, too!”

Rainbow leaned back slightly from the sudden gush of praise. She fidgeted with her ponytail, a slight blush coming to her cheeks. “O-oh, uh, thanks. I, uh, I made it myself.”

“Smooth,” Spike deadpanned.

Minuette was undeterred by Rainbow’s awkward response, still running in place. Suddenly, she gasped in realization and shot up onto her hind legs. “Wait wait wait! Hold everything! AAH!”

And just like that, she turned and disappeared back into her home with a speed that would make Pinkie proud. A moment passed in silence, and Twilight took the blessed seconds to try and process what had just happened.

That was not the reaction she had been expecting at all. But, if nothing else, she could take some small comfort in the fact that Minuette didn’t seem to be mad at her for disappearing. Did she even know about Twilight’s Fall?

“What a childish idiot,” Midnight scoffed dismissively. “You’re wasting your time here. Best to leave now while her back is turned.”

Twilight continued to ignore her.

A moment later, Minuette came rocketing back out of her house, now with a camera floating erratically along behind her in an aura of yellow magic. She slid to a stop by Twilight and turned to Rarity. “Mind getting a pic of me with these guys?”

Rarity didn’t even have a chance to protest before the camera was all but shoved into her hooves. She spluttered incoherently. “Wait, what?”

Minuette ignored her, turning back to Twilight and Rainbow. “I tried to tell my coworkers way back when that I was friends with you guys, but they never… believed me…” she trailed off for a moment, her eyes going distant.

Twilight felt a twinge of uncertainty. She lifted a hoof, leaning forward slightly. “Minuette?”

Minuette shook her head. “Nevermind! Pictures now, drama later!” she declared before plonking herself down next to Twilight. She grinned back at Rainbow and Spike. “C’mon, guys! Get in here! Pic time!”

Spike and Rainbow shared a glance.

“Do I get any say in this matter?” Rarity asked, though the resignation in her voice made it clear she knew the answer.

“Just roll with it,” Rainbow said, rolling her eyes. She came up to Twilight’s side and sat down, draping a foreleg over her shoulders and pulling her in close. “Once Minnie’s got her mind on something, she doesn’t give up.”

“Nope!” Minuette chirped. Suddenly, she gave a loud gasp and turned back to Twilight one more time. “Wait wait wait! Really fluff ‘em up!”

“Does she think you’re a toy?!” Midnight demanded.

Twilight just smiled and awkwardly did as Minuette asked, unfurling her wings as wide as she could. It took some shuffling about for them to be displayed properly without bothering Rainbow or Spike.

Rarity’s expression was flat and unimpressed. “...Ready then, are we?” she asked.

Spike flashed her a thumbs-up.

“Fine. Everypony say Pinkie.”

A moment later, the picture was taken, and Minuette quickly stashed the camera back in her house before shutting the door and turning back to face the group again. Her rush of excited energy finally seemed to be fading, though she was still grinning like a goofy idiot. “Oh, gosh! This is so exciting! I wasn’t expecting to see any of you! What are you doing here?”

It was then that her smile dropped, and her voice took on a more solemn edge. “Did… did Celestia finally let you off the hook?”

Twilight flinched, her ears drooping at the reminder of her still-standing punishment. She forced herself to cast such thoughts aside with a shake of her head. “Er… not exactly. I’m still in hot water, but I can come and visit Canterlot for a few days every month… as long as somepony’s with me.”

Rainbow looked down, her own ears drooping. Nopony said a word for several seconds.

Minuette growled in frustration, stomping a hoof. “Gah! It’s all so dumb! I tried to tell them you didn’t do it, that they had the wrong mare! But nopony ever believes me! They all think you were the one who went around stealing memories and stuff, but it couldn’t be you! You’d never do something like that! I know you wouldn’t!”

With every word, Twilight felt another pang of guilt. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm down her trembling nerves. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

Minuette’s voice dropped. “...Right?”

Suddenly, Rarity cleared her throat, drawing all eyes to her. She put on a warm smile. “It’s all rather complicated, miss Minuette, and not something we should be discussing on your front doorstep. May we come inside so we can discuss these matters in private?”

Minuette narrowed her eyes at Rarity for a moment. A second later, her eyes snapped wide open, and her jaw dropped. “Oh, shoot! You! You’re Rarity!” she exclaimed as if in horror.

Rarity huffed. “...My name precedes me?” she asked, offended by Minuette’s tone.

Minuette, seemingly realizing the fool she’d just made of herself, bowed her head in apology. “Ooooh, I’m sorry! I didn’t realize that’s who you were! I was just so caught up in seeing my old friends again I wasn’t even thinking about the pony they had with them! I’m real sorry!”

Rarity took a deep breath, then nodded, her smile returning. “It’s fine, darling. I am a little out of place in this reunion, aren’t I?”

Minuette perked right back up, her grin returning. She turned and opened her door for the others. “Well, let’s fix that. Come on in, everypony, and make yourselves comfy!”

The group entered without a word. Twilight cast her eyes about as they emerged into Minuette’s living room. Off to the left, a round wooden table rested on top of an equally round decorative rug surrounded by sitting cushions. A fireplace was set into the wall next to it. A bookcase was set against the far wall, loaded with books; mostly dentist textbooks or adventure novels, from what Twilight could see. Two archways led out of the room, one to the right led to what looked like a kitchen and dining room, while the other was next to the bookcase and led into a hallway.

Minuette flopped down at her table, gesturing for the others to sit. As they got comfortable, Twilight was still trying to find her words. She looked down and took a few deep breaths, trying to regain her confidence from earlier.

A second passed before Minuette spoke up again. “So… you didn’t do it, right?” she asked slowly, leaning forward slightly.

Twilight sighed, looking up at Minuette. No use in denying it.

“I did,” she confessed quietly, her voice low with regret.

Minuette slapped a hoof to her mouth, her eyes wide in disbelief. Twilight looked away, unable to bear the sight of her old friend looking at her like that. She felt Rainbow’s hoof on her back a moment later and offered the pegasus a grateful smile.

“But why…?” Minuette finally asked, lowering her hoof.

Twilight sighed, looking down. “I… I wasn’t in my right mind. After everything that happened with the Plundervines, I was stressed and angry. And then learned some… painful truths.”

Rainbow’s hoof on her back tensed, and Twilight instinctively reached a wing out to comfort her.

“Let’s not forget who was hiding those truths, shall we?” Midnight spat, her voice caustic.

Twilight looked up to Minuette. “You know I had amnesia, right? Well, what I learned threw everything I knew about my life into question. I suddenly felt like I couldn’t trust anyone… not even my best friends. I hadn’t felt emotions like that since I got amnesia in the first place. It was overwhelming. And, being an alicorn, all of that negative emotion… it was just too much for me… Before I knew it, those feelings had turned into something… else. Something wrong. And they took control.”

“You became your truest self,” Midnight countered. “You let your artificial inhibitions drop like the dead weight they are. At that moment, you were more yourself than you ever had been before.”

Twilight ignored her, pressing on. “My mind wasn’t right… but it was still me. And I hurt a lot of ponies. I did a lot wrong… The princesses were right to punish me. I have to make amends for what I’ve done wrong.”

She looked back up, meeting Minuette’s gaze. “And, on that note… I want to apologize to you, too.”

Minuette blinked, clearly confused. “H-huh?”

Twilight sighed, looking down. “...When I left Canterlot, I did it without even giving a single thought to the good friends I already had back here. I didn’t even say goodbye or come by to visit after what happened with Nightmare Moon. I just… forgot about all of you. I was a terrible friend to all of you, and after what I’ve done, I don’t know if any words I say will ever suffice, but… I am so sorry for how I treated you all. I was distant, I was cold… I cared more about my books than any of you, with the exception of Rainbow Dash.”

She looked back up to meet Minuette’s gaze, her jaw set. “So, if my neglect caused you any pain, then… I’m sorry. I wish I could take it all back, that I could go back in time and be a better friend to all of you. But I can’t… and I’m sorry.”

Rainbow looked sideways at her, her brow furrowed. Twilight knew why. They both knew that time travel was possible. If they figured out how it worked, Twilight could probably follow through on that wish.

But she never would. She knew the consequences of time travel well enough.

She wouldn’t put anypony else through what Rainbow had suffered. Not again.

A moment passed. Minuette’s smile returned, though it wasn’t as big as it had been before. “It’s alright, Twilight. We were all kinda used to you being in the background. We didn’t take it personally. But, for what it’s worth, I forgive you… For everything.”

Twilight’s eyes widened. “Really?”

Minuette’s smile grew. “Of course. You’re my friend. I don’t think I could ever stay mad at you. Especially not after an apology like that.”

Twilight sighed with relief, a weight she hadn’t noticed being lifted. “Thank you…”

There was a poignant pause as those words settled in, affording the group a chance to collect themselves. Eventually, the silence was broken, and Rarity spoke up. “Now, as long as we are on the subject of apologies and making amends for past mistakes, that brings us rather neatly to the reason we sought you out in the first place.”

Minuette looked at Rarity, tilting her head. “Huh?”

Rarity continued with a disarming smile. “You see, earlier today, Twilight and I had a run-in with another from her old friend group here in Canterlot. There were some…” she hesitated for a moment, choosing her words with care. “...Heated words, shall we say, and we learned that this friend was one of the ponies Twilight had crossed paths with that night.”

“It was Moondancer,” Spike clarified, his shoulders slumping.

Rainbow leaned in, pulling her hoof away from Twilight. “As nice as it is to see ya, Minnie—and we should absolutely hang out more often—we came to you because… well, like Twi said, we gotta make things right. But we don’t actually know anything about what’s been going on with Moondancer lately, other than she got hit by Midnight. Plus, we don’t even know where to find her. We were kinda hoping you’d be able to fill us in about that, seeing as, ya know, you’re so close with her and all that.”

Minuette was quiet for several seconds. She looked down, closed her eyes, and sighed in dismay. “Moondancer… I, er… I haven’t actually talked with her a whole lot in a while.”

Twilight blinked, feeling a ping of dread. Had they come here for nothing? She leaned in anxiously. “Why not?”

Minuette rubbed at her shoulder, averting her eyes. “She kinda… drifted away from the rest of us after you moved to Ponyville. We reached out to her from time to time, but she was always too busy studying to hang out. So, eventually, we just stopped asking.”

Minuette shook her head, her tone dropping even more. “Last time I talked to her was a couple of weeks ago. We bumped into each other at Donut Joe’s… She looked so tired. Like she hadn’t been sleeping right for weeks. She was jumpy and irritable. But she seemed happy to see me, at least.”

Spike leaned forward in anticipation, though his voice reflected his anxiety. “And? How’d it go?”

Minuette shrugged. “We talked for a while, reminiscing about old times. She was really into it, too. I dunno. It was like she didn’t want it to end. She kept fishing for new subjects. Like, she told me about where she works, she told me about all of the cool books she’s been reading lately. She almost looked desperate. And I was happy to talk with her again, and we started reminiscing. But then… when I got to talking about Twilight…”

Minuette paused, idly dragging a hoof along the surface of the table. “She snapped. She started yelling at me. We started arguing… I tried to tell her it wasn’t you, but… she…”

The blue unicorn fell silent, and a heavy silence blanketed the table. Twilight heaved a heavy sigh. She could only imagine how frustrating that would have been for Moondancer, having her own friend telling her that the one who had wronged her was actually innocent. But more than that, she couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to her in the years before Midnight’s rampage.

“I screwed up,” Minuette lamented, burying her face in her hooves and taking a deep breath. “Oh, Celestia, I screwed up bad.”

Twilight lifted a hoof to comfort her old friend, but Rainbow beat her to the punch by standing up and quickly making her way around the table. Minuette looked up in confusion as Rainbow placed a hoof on her back.

“C’mon now, nonna that,” Rainbow soothed, a gentle smile on her face. “We got enough angst going around. Besides, you were just trying to stick up for your friend. Nothing wrong with that.”

“But… but…”

“Hey. I get it, trust me. That feeling of screwing up’s been a constant buddy of mine since Discord did his thing. In my experience, the best thing to do to make it go away is to put right what went wrong. Trust me, it’s super cathartic.”

Minuette was quiet for several seconds. She then offered up a slow nod. As she spoke, her words gained energy and momentum. “Right. Okay. Right! Okay!”

Minuette hopped up from her seat. “No problem! I can do that! If you need help helping Moondancer, then I’d be happy to help with the helping!”

Twilight wrinkled her nose. “Minuette, do you have to butcher ponish like that?”

Minuette just giggled. “Oh, c’mon, Twi! You know that Ponish is a joke of a language, right?”

“Ce l’est certainement, oui,” Rarity said with a sage nod.

There was a moment of silence.

Spike pointed at her. “What she said.”

Twilight rolled her eyes and rose from her seat. “Heh. Alright, I get it,” she said, admitting defeat, before turning back to Minuette. “Alright, Minuette. You mentioned you know where Moondancer works, right?”

Minuette nodded. “Mhmm! She told me before we had our argument!”

Rarity nodded slowly. “Then I believe we know our next destination, dears. Maybe her coworkers would be willing to part with some information?”

“Sounds like as good a plan as any,” Spike agreed with a sharp nod.

Rainbow came back around to Twilight’s side of the table. “Then we should probably be getting a move on,” she said, nodding for the door. “We only have so much time to do this, so let’s not waste any, eh?”

Twilight had no arguments with that. “Right. Come on,” she said as she rose, turning for the door.

“Oooh, this is so exciting!” Minuette cheered, bouncing over the table like a certain party pony. “A quest with a princess of Equestria, an alicorn, an element of harmony, and the most adorable dragon in Equestria! And all of them are my friends! With a squad like this, we’ll make things right with Moonie with flying colors!”

Twilight snorted in amusement, a small smirk playing at her lips. That had been a favorite sentence of Minuette’s way back in the day.

With that, Minuette practically knocked her own door down as she frolicked into the streets. “Come on, guys! Let’s fly! Get it?!” she called over her shoulder, her voice fading into the distance.

Rarity stared after her, a brow raised. She turned to Twilight. “You found some fascinating friends growing up.”

Twilight blushed, looking away slightly. “Eheh, I didn’t really find them. Minuette found me. And dragged me into the group. Kicking and screaming.”

“Didn’t she tickle you in the school cafeteria during lunch?” Spike asked, quirking a brow.

Rainbow snickered, pausing briefly in the doorway. “Let’s be real; that’s why we like her.”

“And the belly rubs,” Spike agreed as he followed Rainbow out.

“Oh, would you stop obsessing over that?”

“You don’t get it, Dash! You never got a belly rub from her!”

“I got Twi for that!”

“I did not need to know that!”

Twilight rolled her eyes as their bickering faded into the distance. Rarity followed after them, tsking quietly and shaking her head. That left Twilight alone in Minuette’s house. She took a moment to look around the room, basking in the newfound quiet for a second. The home was a little dusty, maybe, but it was otherwise well kept and very lived in. It was nice, too.

To see one of her old friends doing so well set her heart at ease. She put on a small smile. “Yeah… I should come see them more often,” she whispered to herself.

With that, she turned and followed her friends out of the home, closing the door behind her.

Author's Note:

Wound up trimming off the end of this chapter and stitching it onto the start of the next one. It just felt right for the flow of things. Man, I am having to do a LOT of revisions as I am going, seeing as these chapters were written months apart from each other. >.<

As usual, still self editing, so do let me know if you spot something awry.

Comments

[Griseus]

My mind wasn’t right… but it was still me. And I hurt a lot of ponies. I did a lot wrong… The princesses were right to punish me. I have to make amends for what I’ve done wrong.

Twilight is slowly getting it.