Thirty-ish Minute Pony Stories

by Abecedarian

Such Fragile Lives (Prompt #181)

TMP Prompt #181 - “Alternity”

Prompt: What if?

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Such Fragile Lives

“Hold ftill!” Silver Spoon said around the paintbrush. “Af often af we’ve done thif an’ you ftill—”

“I can’t help it if it tickles!” Her pink friend shifted. “You really oughta be faster by now.”

“You coulda picked un leff coh-clicated!” She put a final dot on the tiara, and stepped back. “There!”

“Complicated!?” Diamond Tiara huffed. “At least mine’s all one color. I‘ve never seen a spoon like that.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Spoon rubbed her aching jaw. “I wish your mom had named you “Rubber Ball” or something.”

“Ugh, don’t even joke!” Tiara looked behind herself. “Are you gonna do the other side or what?”

“Give me a minute to rest, for crying out loud! Remember that time I got them all off-center? You want that to happen again?”

“It better not. Or else.”

“Don’t you threaten me, Tiara.” Silver Spoon’s lips curled cruelly “Remember, I know your little secret.”

“If I go down for that,” Diamond Tiara matched her grin. “I’ll take you with me.”

They held each others’ gaze for a couple of seconds, still smiling.

“Best friends?”

“Forever.”

“Right.” Diamond Tiara picked up a paintbrush and dipped it in a pot of silver paint. “I’ll juft get ftarted on you.”

“Okay.”

Silver Spoon stood stock-still, head bowed, as her friend dragged the brush across her flank with remarkable gentleness.

“Aw’righ’,” Tiara asked. “Wha’ is it?”

“What?”

“Yer uh’set. Why?”

“You know why.” Spoon looked at her blank flank. “Nothing we’ve done is helping.”

“Ih’ll hah’en unh day. Hromif.”

“You keep promising that…” Silver Spoon shook her head. “Maybe…maybe we should, you know…”

Tiara spat out the brush.

“No! Absolutely not!”

“Maybe we should start our own club, then?”

“And look like we’re ripping them off? No way! I’ll have Cutie Marks painted on me for the rest of my life before I admit defeat!”

“The rest of—Tiara?”

“…And if my Cutie Mark turns out to suck, I’ll just have you keep painting over it! And—”

“Diamond Tiara!”

“What?”

“I’m tired,” Spoon said. “Aren’t you tired? You may be okay with this, but I—”

“Just a little longer. Please.” Tiara put a hoof on her friend’s shoulder and looked her in the eye. “I‘d be all alone if I didn‘t have you. I need you.”

Silver Spoon sighed.

“Thank you.” Tiara picked up the brush again. “Un day.”

“…One day.”