Author's Notes:

After thinking about it for a while, I decided not to write a clop bit for this chapter. But for those of you who wanted one, I will write a oneshot clopfic involving these two at some point in the future.

Also, school has started back up for me, meaning that my slow rate of updates will be even slower than it already is. So keep that in mind while waiting for an update or new story from me.

That's it for now,
Gold4tune out, pce /)

Minuette broke out into peals of laughter, her friends joining in as Cheerilee finished her story of her class’s latest antics. She and her friends: Cheerilee, Derpy, Lyra, Bon Bon, and the twins, Flitter and Cloudchaser, always met up at her house the day after heat weekends to share drinks and stories.

Currently, Minuette, and Derpy split the cough, Lyra and Bon Bon were snuggling in the love seat, Cheerilee was in an armchair and the twins were laying on the floor. A few empty bottles of cheap wine were laying haphazardly on the coffee table, the corks nowhere to be found. The T.V was playing some cheesy soap-opera that was serving as little more than background noise.

“I don’t see why Thunderlane doesn’t just stallion up and ask us out on a date!” Flitter said, her voice slurring slightly, “Me and Cloudy-plot over there are giving him all of the signs.”

“Hes probably just intimidated by you two, its not every day twins decide to share a stallion between themselves,” Cheerilee hypothesized.

“Just let him find you in lingerie on his bed when he gets home from work one day. Stallions are stupid, you gotta do something dramatic to get the point across.

“So, hows your search for a stallion going Minuette?” Bon Bon asked.

“I think she should stick to mares,” Lyra snarked, earning a swift swat from her marefriend.

Minuette sighed and plopped herself further down into the couch,

“I think I’m fine being single for a while. I just can’t seem to find a stallion I can connect with you know? None of them seem to get me,” Minuette explained,

“I know how you feel, Time Turner is the first stallion to like me for more than my plot,” Derpy said.

Further conversation was cut short as a series of harsh knocks sounded from the front door.

“Who the hay could that be?” Cloudchaser asked.

“I don’t have the faintest idea,” Minuette responded.

“I’ll get the door,” Cheerilee said as she hoisted herself up, grumbling all the while.

“I’m coming!” the schoolmare shouted as another set of knocks sounded through the house.

Grumbling, the mare opened the door and saw the last thing she expected to see. A slightly sweaty, panting, Caramel was standing on the doorstep. He was fidgeting from side to side, one of his hooves grasping a makeshift bouquet of wild flowers, complete with roots.

“Uhhh… Hey Cheerilee, is Minuette there?” Caramel said nervously.

Cheerilee looked the stallion up and down a few times before calling out over her shoulder.

“Minuette? Caramel is on the doorstep asking for you.”

“Caramel?” came the response as the mare in question got up and made her way to the front door.

Cheerilee watched Caramel’s body tense up as Minuette came around the corner, a smile on her face as she caught sight of one of her oldest friends.

“Hey Caramel, what's up?” she asked, eyeing the flowers confusedly.

For a brief second, a burning heart could be seen in Caramel’s eyes, but it was gone so quickly neither of the two mares could be sure it was there in the first place.

“I love you!” the stallion suddenly blurted out.

Silence.

“What?” Minuette finally said.

“I was hanging out with the guys at the bar and Big Macintosh walked in with this demon lord from Tartarus who gave me this special drink that Princess Luna taught him how to make and he infused with his special magic so I could come here and tell you how I feel about you!” the words tumbled out of the stallion’s mouth at a speed that even Pinkie would have trouble following.

The two mares stood there awkwardly as they processed the stallion’s words.

“I think I’m going to leave you two alone,” Cheerilee said as she shuffled off, heading back towards the living room.

The schoolmare hurried off, leaving the two others alone on the doorstep.

Minuette took a deep breath, taking a moment to gather her scattered thoughts.

“You… love me?” Minuette said tentatively.

“Ever since we went to school together,” Caramel replied immediately, “I’ve tried to be the be the best friend I could possibly be to you, but I have to tell you how I feel. When you almost died in the whole wedding fiasco you have no idea what that did to me!”

“I didn’t almost die…” MInuette muttered.

The two of them stood there awkwardly, both trying to figure out what to do next.

“Well,” Minuette finally said, “I think we could talk about this better inside.”

Caramel licked his lips nervously as Minuette let him inside her house, but not before he made sure he wiped his hooves on her welcome mat.

“Oh… umm, this way,” Minuette said as she gestured for Caramel to follow her. She led him through her house to her living room. Her friends were nowhere to be found, they had probably exited through the backdoor in order to give her privacy.

“What should I do with these?” Caramel asked, motioning towards the flowers in his hoof, still dropping dirt.

“Oh,” Minuette said, hurrying to the kitchen where she rattled around for a bit trying to find a vase.

Caramel waited patiently, and soon enough the mare returned with a glass vase filled with water. He smiled awkwardly as she set the vase down on a side table. The stallion walked over and did his best to smoothly put the flowers into the vase, but the roots made his job a tad difficult.

Finally, the flowers were safely tucked away, the water rapidly turning a sludgy brown from the remaining dirt.

“Sorry about the mess,”Minuette said as she suddenly realized the glasses and bottles scattered haphazardly around the room. She started to straighten up the mess she and her friends left, desperate for something to distract her, taking far more time to organize the empty bottles into orderly rows on the coffee table than necessary.

When the bottles were all upright and in rows MInuette leaned back, still reeling in disbelief.

“So you love me?” she giggled, “for all these years and you never told me.”

Caramel nodded.

“Sorry,” Minuette said, “I just have no idea how to respond to this. Its not everyday your best friend appears on your doorstep declaring his love for you.”

“Yea, I could imagine,” Caramel muttered.

The two of them sat on the couch, leaning back into it as they tried to come up with something to say next.

“I never loved you!” a mare on the t.v suddenly declared, “because I’m secretly your father’s uncle’s cousin’s former roommate!”

“What does that make us?” a teary eyed stallion asked.

“Absolutely nothing! Like our relationship is about to become!”

“What the buck are you watching?” Caramel blurted out, struggling not to burst into laughter.

Minuette giggled despite herself,

“Some shitty show that made good background noise,” she responded.

“Do ponies actually watch this?” Caramel asked.

“Well we are!”

“I didn’t vote for it.”

“My heart is broken beyond repair!” the stallion exclaimed, “I shall never love again!”

Both Minuette and Caramel couldn’t help themselves as they broke out into great peals of laughter. Tension spilled from the room as the two of them cracked up, not even trying to keep themselves quiet. They laughed until their sides hurt, both of them thankful for the distraction.

Eventually their laughter died down, and the pair returned their attention to the T.V, waiting for the next corny line.

“I don’t know what to do here,” Minuette said softly.

“If it helps, I don’t have any idea either,” Caramel offered.

Minuette gave him a flat stare,

“You just proclaimed you’re love to me, and you had no plan on what you would do next?”

“Well, this kinda was a spur of the moment thing, I didn’t really think past the ‘I love you’ bit.”

“Yea, I think the dirty wildflowers kinda gave that away.”

Caramel blushed,

“It seemed like a good idea at the time.”

Minuette giggled at his reaction,

“No no, I think its sweet. Its a very ‘you’ thing to do.”

“I guess I’ll take that as a compliment.”

The two of them once again lapsed into silence. For a while, the T.V was the only sound in the room.

He was preparing himself for the next cheesy line when he felt a pressure on his side and turned to see Minuette not inches from him. She leaned forward and pulled him into a hug.

“I must have been killing you with all my colt friends over the years. I can’t even imagine how you must have felt.”

Caramel awkwardly returned the hug, silently reveling in the feeling of her body against his own.

“Its ok, I’m just happy I was there to help you pick up the pieces.”

Minuette winced before pulling back,

“I’m so sorry Caramel,” she buried her face in her hooves, “I should’ve I didn’t notice earlier.”

“Well, I did my best keep it a secret,” Caramel responded, “after a while it just became second nature.”

Minuette sighed, and silence reigned throughout the room.

“You ran all the way to Canterlot, what type of friend would do that?” the mare suddenly said.

“Well, I’m your best friend, of course I would do it.”

Minuette sighed once again and shook her head. Caramel was about to ask what was wrong when she turned back towards him, a half smile on her face. She wordlessly leaned against Caramel, shifting so her entire side was pressed against his. The stallion froze as she laid her head on his shoulder, a smile still on her face as she stared up at him.

“I’m free tomorrow, if you want to do something,” she said softly.

“Like a date?” Caramel stammered out.

A shy smile spread across her face,

“I think I’m open to that idea.”

Caramel felt his heart leap in his chest, but like Thunderlane always told him, he kept his cool. He licked his lips, and slowly, ever so slowly, wrapped his foreleg around Minuette’s shoulder.

“Yea,” Minuette said as she snuggled in closer, giving Caramel an affectionate nuzzle, “I think we can give this a shot.”