[Classic] The Scootaloo Diaries

"Alright Rainbow, I think I've perfected it this time." Twilight grinned and closed the bedroom door behind herself.

Rainbow pulled the blanket down from over her head, chuckling as she spoke. "Ha, I've heard that one before. What is this? Like, the hundredth test?"

"It's the nineteenth test, Dash. And I don't want to hear you complaining. Unless you don't want to be my test subject anymore?" Twilight winked and made her way to the bed.

"Whoa! Nope, no complaining here. I just figured you'd be done perfecting it by now – it's been years, Twi." Dash stood up and puffed her chest out, ready for the spell to be cast on her.

Twilight nodded. "That's what I thought. And don't say it like that, it takes a long time to get such a complex spell right. Besides, it gives us something to look forward to between tests. This sort of thing is completely unprecedented, and similar spells have taken upwards of twenty years to perfect. I'm making great time if I do say so myself."

"I guess you're right. Oh, and is Spike actually gone this time? I don't want him walking in here again, pretending he doesn't know what's going on." Rainbow rolled her eyes.

"No, ever since he sprouted wings last year all he does is hover around Rarity's all day," Twilight said.

"That didn't stop him a couple months ago, did it?" Dash chuckled, rubbing the back of her mane.

"I'm sure he won't be coming back this time, okay? Now if you're ready, let's get started."

She stood back and ignited her magic, carefully focusing on everything she had been working on. The glow from her horn became a concentrated aura, wrapping around Rainbow's entire body. She focused and fine tuned every ounce of her concentration as she carefully began constructing the spell.

Rainbow looked herself over as she felt the spell beginning to take effect. She felt her body changing – her wings becoming heavier and her stomach churning. She felt something between her legs growing, and instinctively covered herself with her tail. As the spell came to completion, Twilight rested. She took a deep breath and made her way to the bed.

"Wow, that took a lot this time," she said, panting.

"Um, Twilight? What the hay is this?!" Rainbow shouted as she stood on her back legs and looked down.

"That's your new colthood. We'll have to call you Rain-boner Dash now." Twilight giggled and stared, feeling impressed with her own work.

"No, I mean these!" Rainbow reached down with a hoof and bounced a large sack back and forth. "These are new."

Twilight couldn't help but laugh, letting out a light snort as she attempted to contain her outburst. "It'll take forever to explain, but I'd love it if you wanted to listen. First off, I changed a chromosome in most of your body, then reversed and accelerated the re-composition of your body's natural form. After that, I made sure to break down and reshape the organic material, replacing what was once your..."

"Twi, it's magic – you ain't gotta explain it. I just wanted to know why I have a sack, but I'm not complaining." Rainbow dropped to all fours and made her way onto the bed.

"It's because every time before, I just created an artificial attachment to your body or reshaped your..."

"Shh, let's just test it out. It won't last forever, right?" Rainbow placed a hoof over Twilight's mouth and climbed on top of her.

"Right, it should last just under an hour, as long as my magic stays intact without fading." Twilight began speaking slower as Rainbow's soft lips brushed against hers.

The excited mare fluffed her wings and arched her back as she brushed her cheek across her lover's, finding her soft, sensitive neck. Twilight let out a hot breath that licked at Rainbow's ear as she bit down. The cyan mare's gentle nips created a light sting that sent tingling chills shooting down Twilight's spine. She wrapped her hooves around Rainbow's back and pulled her down so that their bodies were tightly pressed against one another. She then lifted her back hooves and welcomed Rainbow to take charge.

"Eager, huh?" Rainbow grinned and prodded Twilight's sensitive lips with her already stiff appendage.

"M'hmm," Twilight answered with a nod, running her hooves down Rainbow's sides.

Rainbow placed her hooves around Twilight's shoulders and rolled over onto her back, pulling the unicorn on top. "You've got something else to do first."

Grinning, Rainbow placed both hooves on Twilight's head and gently pushed her down between her legs. Twilight couldn't help but smile at the gesture as she let her dominant lover guide her. She rested her forelegs on either side of Rainbow's hips, making eye contact as she began to gently flick the tip of the appendage with her tongue.

Rainbow shuddered, craving more contact. She placed a hoof on the back of Twilight's head and pressed it down, allowing herself to slide into her lover's mouth. Twilight closed her eyes as she gently massaged the shaft with her tongue, lightly swirling it around. Rainbow wrapped her hoof around a few locks of Twilight's mane, pulling her head back up and lowering it again. The submissive unicorn couldn't help but let a light moan escape as she began sucking and willingly bobbing her head.

"Twi, that feels so awesome." Rainbow tilted her head back and closed her eyes, enjoying her treatment.

Twilight slowly lifted her head, a string of saliva slowly dripping from her tongue down Rainbow's lower body. "Does it? Maybe I'll have to try this out on myself later." She grinned as she climbed back up the bed.

"Heh, I don't know about that." Dash blushed and looked away.

"We'll talk about it later." Twilight began kissing the aroused mare's neck, working her way up to the ear.

As she went in for a kiss on the lips, Rainbow uncomfortably twisted away a little, resisting for a moment before giving into the gorgeous unicorn's alluring lips. Twilight pressed her tongue against Rainbow's lips, begging to be let inside. The defiant mare gave in and allowed the tongue inside, tasting herself on its tip. Twilight smiled as their tongues intertwined and began to lower her flank onto the erect shaft. Dash moaned as she felt Twilight's warm lips tightly wrapping around the tip and slowly sliding down.

Rainbow couldn't help but thrust herself upwards and press the shaft deeper, granting herself the satisfaction she desired. Twilight moaned out loudly as she felt herself getting deeply penetrated. "Easy there Dash, not so rough."

"Sorry," Rainbow giggled, blushing as she let herself gently slide back out a little.

Twilight began rocking her hips back and forth, easing down until she felt her plot resting on Dash's pubic region. She pressed herself forward, causing both mares to gasp with pleasure. She slid back and forcefully pressed herself forward again, repeating the motion. Her hooves rested on Rainbow's chest as she began to press harder and harder. The two made eye contact and Twilight continued to move against her lover, feeling a building orgasm approaching.

Rainbow felt the mare squeezing tighter as she began getting closer. She instinctively began thrusting upwards again in time with Twilight's bouncing, penetrating as deeply as she could. "That's the spot, right there Dash, don't stop!" Twilight shouted as she bit down on the tip of her hoof.

With one final thrust, Twilight pressed herself down and fell over, tightly hugging her lover as she came. Heavy blush rested on her nose and cheeks, her entire body quivering with excitement. "Dash, that was... amazing! As always."

"Glad you liked it, it felt better for me this time too. Now, get rid of it so I can come too." Rainbow leaned up and excitedly waited for the unicorn to release the spell.

"That's the thing Dash... I think you can come this time... That's what I was working on," Twilight said, panting between sentences.

"Oh, really? So what do I do, just keep doing... this?" Dash asked, rolling her partner over and climbing on top.

Twilight nodded and wrapped her legs around the still excited mare. Dash wiggled herself forward, re-penetrating the still soaking wet lips. Twilight lifted her legs higher as Rainbow pounded away between her thighs. Each mare moaned and gasped as the pleasure continued to build. "Come on Twi! Squeeze me tighter, I know you can!" Dash shouted as she pressed in as deeply as she could.

"I'm... trying!" The blushing unicorn attempted to reply between jolts of pleasure.

Rainbow leaned all the way back and hugged onto Twilight's back legs. She licked up the center of one of her lover's back hooves and brushed her teeth across the tip. The sensation drove Twilight crazy. "Dash, yes, do it harder! Buck me harder! You're gonna make me come again!"

Happy to obey, Rainbow thrust herself forward as hard as she could, causing the bed to violently rock back and forth. Twilight screamed out in ecstasy as the tip of her partner's appendage reached a sensitive spot deep inside of her.

"You wanna come together Twi?" Rainbow asked as she felt herself getting close.

"Yeah... let's do it," she agreed, focusing as hard as she could on the rapidly approaching orgasm.

As Twilight came again, she squeezed tighter than ever before, prompting Rainbow to come as well. The ecstatic mare wrapped her hooves tightly around Rainbow's waist, pulling her in as deeply as possible as she ejaculated. Twilight's eyes rolled up into the back of her head as she experienced a new sensation quite literally filling her body.

Rainbow collapsed forward, drooling on Twilight's chest. "So, how'd you... like it?" the unicorn asked, desperately trying to catch her breath.

"It was good... great..." Rainbow rolled over and sprawled out across the bed.

Each mare closed her eyes and Twilight cuddled up close to her lover. "So, is it perfect now?"

Rainbow wrapped her hoof around Twilight's neck and pulled her closer. "Yeah, it was great. Better than I imagined. But I think we should just stick to doing it the way we usually do for the most part."

"I agree. It was fun, but I prefer you just the way you are." She focused her horn and released the spell, allowing her lover to return to normal.

Rainbow rolled over on her side, pressing her muzzle against Twilight's. "I can't believe I've been living here for so long now. Almost four years, right?"

"Yeah, and it still feels like you just moved in here last week." The purple mare laughed and smiled, enjoying the sentimental moment.

"I know, it really does... But anyway – Twi, I was thinkin'. We've been together for a really long time now, and well, would you want to... Um, you know, would you want to ever, maybe, uh..." Rainbow blushed and closed her eyes as she stumbled over her words.

"Out with it Dash, would I want to what?"

"Would you want to... to get... married?" Rainbow looked down, avoiding eye contact, heavy blush setting in.

Twilight's eyes widened. "Um." She smiled and laughed. "What did you just ask me?"

"Nothing, it's stupid. I just... I'm sorry, I don't know what I was saying. I'm sorry, I..." Rainbow turned a deep shade of red and attempted to hide her face in the bedding.

"No, it's just that I never expected you, of all ponies, to ask me that. Of course I would Dash. I love you, and I have no intention of leaving you. Spending the rest of our lives together would be... Well, I can't imagine anything I'd ever want more." Twilight hugged onto her lover and delivered a sweet and soft kiss.

Rainbow's blush was beginning to disappear. "I'm really, really glad to hear that, because I got you something."

"What is it?" she asked with an eager smile.

"Look under your pillow. I was gonna ask this sooner, but you kinda distracted me with your spell thing." Rainbow smiled and leaned up, excited to see her marefriend's reaction.

Twilight lifted the pillow with her magic and peeked beneath. There she saw a beautiful golden ring with a shining amethyst gemstone delicately set into the center.

"Dash, it's beautiful." Twilight lifted the ring with her magic and slid it over her horn. "It fits perfectly! When did you measure my horn?"

"I snuck Rarity in here while you were sleeping. We measured it and I had her make the ring. She said I should go with ruby, but I picked amethyst because I thought it matched your eyes." Rainbow couldn't help but blush again. "And also because it looks the coolest!"

"Well that was really sweet and thoughtful of you, Rainbow. Come here."  Twilight closed her eyes and rubbed her muzzle against Dash's cheek. "I love you, and I'm so glad we're doing this too."

"I love you too. I guess this is the start of the rest of our lives together, right?"

*** Several months later***

"You about ready?" Scootaloo waited near the front door with her saddlebag.

Cheerilee nodded and trotted out from the kitchen. "Why are you in such a rush?"

"Remember, today's Applebloom's birthday? Which means mine's in three days," Scootaloo pointed out with a shining grin.

"That's right! Ooh, I can't wait. So what are we planning to do for Applebloom's birthday then?" Cheerilee followed Scootaloo outside and they began trotting down the road towards Sweet Apple Acres.

"AJ's throwing her a party and the whole Apple Family's gonna be there. It's a big deal ya know; she's technically an adult mare now." Scootaloo led the way with a quick pace.

"Right. We've talked about this several times before dear. You're sure you grabbed both gifts?" Cheerilee eyed the saddlebag as she kept pace.

"Eeyup, we're good to go."

The two mares quickly made their way to the edge of town. Upon arriving at their destination,  Cheerilee took a seat and caught her breath while Scootaloo scoffed and stood strong. "I'm not as young as I once was, Scootaloo. You can't expect me to gallop across town and not need a little break."

"Ha, well you sit and rest then ya old hag. I'm gonna go make sure Rainbow and Twilight aren't late." The cocky mare hoofed the saddlebag over to her secret lover and ran over to Applebloom, giving her a warm hug.

"Ah, it's good to be back in Ponyville again. I really missed y'all a lot. More than I thought I would to be honest." Applebloom gave her her friend a kiss on the cheek.

"We really miss you too AB. Things just aren't the same around here without you. So how're things going with the Oranges? Oh, and how's Manehatten? Do you like it there?" Scootaloo was clearly excited to see her friend again and continued to blurt out questions.

"Uh, good, good, and yes. I just wish you were livin' up there too."

"I know, I kinda do too, but I couldn't make Cheerilee leave Ponyville, since she loves it here so much. And I'm not about to leave her side, ya know? Anyway, I gotta go make sure Rainbow's gonna show up. I'll be back soon okay?" Scootaloo stepped back and winked before cantering off back towards town.

"Alright, you hurry back now!" Applebloom called after friend before returning to the affections her other friends and family had to offer.

Scootaloo tapped on the library door and was allowed in by Spike shortly after. "Heya kiddo, what brings you here?"

"Don't call me kiddo, I'm older than you ya know..." Scootaloo looked up to meet Spike's eyes.

"Well, you sure are smaller than me," he pointed out, spreading his wide wings.

"Whatever, where's Dash?" Scootaloo let herself in and began trotting around in search of her friend.

"Uh, Twi's feeling pretty sick today. I think they're still in the bathroom." Spike frowned and fiddled with his spines.

Scootaloo glanced back at him nervously. "Sick, huh? Is it serious?"

"Seems like it... She's been getting sick like this every morning for a while now."

Just then, Rainbow Dash came trotting into the front room. "Oh, hey Scoot. I thought I heard you in here. Look, I'm not sure what's goin' on, but Twi is feeling pretty crappy. I think she needs to go see a doctor. As soon as I find out what's up, I'll head over to the party, alright? Here, take our gifts. You and Spike can just wait for us there."

Twilight appeared in the doorway and groggily trotted into the front room, her steps weak and a hoof over her mouth. She used it to signal her friends to leave.

"I'm sorry you're feelin' a bit under the weather Twi. Get well soon, okay?" Scootaloo offered her comfort before heading out with Spike, who picked her up and quickly flew over to the Acres.

"Alright Twilight, let's get you checked out." Rainbow put a supporting wing around her partner, and the pair headed down the short road to the Ponyville Clinic.

Spike spread his wings straight out and gave a powerful downwards flap as he came to a light landing. However, the gust from his large wings sent several tablecloths along with the items on them toppling away.

Applejack jumped up and caught her hat before it could blow away as well, and was quick to march straight up to the young dragon with a stern expression. "Now Spike, what'd I tell you about landin' like that? I can't have you blowin' my apple pies all over the ground, now can I? Look, that's three ruined that I gotta hurry up and bake from scratch. Plus, most of my family ain't seen a big dragon like you before, and I don't want ya scarin' folks."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm sorry," Spike groaned, blushing as he walked away to set the gifts down on a table near the rest.

Scootaloo jumped off his back and fluttered to the ground. Applejack was once again immediately forced to put on a stern attitude. "I swear, it's just in one ear and out the other with you two. How many times do I gotta tell ya? No flying! Them wings o' yours can't handle it, and I don't need ya gettin' hurt again! Ya hear?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm sorry," Scootaloo joked and trotted away, waving the worrisome mare down with a hoof.

These ponies're gonna cause me a heart attack, I swear... Applejack placed a hoof on her head and trotted back indoors.

"Applebloom!" Scootaloo shouted as she searched for her friend.

"I'm over here!" A voice sounded from behind the old apple barn.

Scootaloo hurried over just in time to catch two of her best friends smooching in the shadows. "Oh come on guys. You knew I was coming back here."

"Yeah, sorry Scootsy."

"You're not allowed to call me that anymore," Scootaloo objected, only half-serious.

Silver Spoon rolled her eyes and trotted up to her friend. "Come here you. I missed you."

"Aw, I missed you too, both of you." The three joined in a group hug. "So, have you heard from Sweetie Belle at all?"

"Eeyup, and she says her and Rarity might not make it down from Canterlot to see me this year." Applebloom pouted and looked away.

"That's too bad. Well hay, don't let it get ya down. Today's your big day." Scootaloo smiled to cheer her friend up.

Just then, Spike came walking around the corner of the barn. "Heya Applebloom, everypony's looking for you. What are you guys hiding out back here for anyway?"

"Uh, nothin'," Applebloom laughed, trotting up to the dragon and climbing onto his back. "Can you fly me over the Acres for my birthday?"

"Haha, sure thing AB." Spike shrugged at the other two mares and took flight, blowing them each backwards.

"Spike sure has gotten huge since last year." Silver Spoon couldn't help but notice.

"Yup, he sure has... So, um... How are things going with you and Applebloom?" Scootaloo shifted her eyes away, kicking at the ground.

"Good – we're roommates now, and plan to go to the same college once we graduate this year. We'll be roommates in the dorm too." Silver smiled and looked to the sky.

"Heh, cool. I'm not sure what I'm doing. Cheerilee has a lot of plans for me, but I haven't really discussed them with her. Spring Break is almost over, and then there're only a few months left. I should really start looking into all this." Nervously, Scootaloo made eye contact with Silver Spoon, her eyes wide and full of questions.

"Something on your mind Scoot?" Silver asked, detecting her ex-lover's discomfort.

"I just... Well, I'm still not sure what I wanna do with my life, ya know?" Scootaloo looked back down, feeling ashamed.

Silver Spoon trotted up to her sulking friend, placing a hoof on her cheek. "Scootaloo... I... I can't." Words attempted to form themselves into a sentence, but Silver lost herself in Scootaloo's wide purple eyes.

"Look, I'm sorry. Okay? Just forget I said anything. Let's head back to the party." Scootaloo trotted off and cleared her mind, shaking her head and putting on a smile.

"Oh, hey there Dash!" Scootaloo shouted as she spotted her troubled friend arriving. "How's Twilight doing?"

"Uh, she's fine. The doctor wanted to keep her there for a while, so she told me to just fly over and let everyone know that she'll be here soon. She isn't feeling sick anymore and the doctor said it's perfectly natural," Rainbow explained.

"Well, that's good news I guess. I'm gonna get back to Cheerilee now. Later."

"Oh wait, where's the birthday mare?" Rainbow asked, glancing around.

Scootaloo smiled and pointed her hoof up towards the air over Rainbow's head, then turned to trot away. Rainbow jumped into the air and took flight. Spotting Spike, she flew by his side, silently challenging him to a bit of a race. As the two accelerated, Applebloom grabbed onto Spike's neck and began to panic, her eyes wide as the large red bow blew out of her mane.

Scootaloo laughed, taking a seat next to Cheerilee. "Look at 'em go! Poor AB, I bet she's terrified."

Cheerilee smiled and leaned back, a hoof over her chest as she breathed heavily.

"Everything okay Cheer? You don't look so... rested," Scootaloo queried with concerned eyes.

Cheerilee forced her breathing to slow before assuming a more comfortable position. "Of course. I just felt like I was about to sneeze." She giggled and looked away.

Scootaloo wore a concerned frown until Spike crashed forcefully into the ground, causing Fluttershy to shriek and sending Applebloom toppling over his head as he proclaimed his victory. "I got you, yes!"

"No way, are you crazy?! I totally got here first!" Rainbow argued as she nearly simultaneously landed next to him.

"It's a tie," Scootaloo announced, standing to help her fallen friend back onto her hooves. "Right, Fluttershy?" she asked, looking back and hoping to resolve the conflict between the two racers.

"Um, I... Um..." Fluttershy nervously cowered beneath the stares of her riled-up friends.

"Ugh, you're useless," Scootaloo muttered under her breath before trotting past the overly shy pegasus.

Cheerilee's smile faded as she watched the youthful ponies around her enjoying themselves. She placed her hoof over her heart once again, letting out a pained sigh as she attempted to catch her breath.

"Hello!" Cheerilee's eyes widened in shock as she jumped up.

"Oh, hello there Pinkie Pie." She wiped her brow and sat back down, her heart racing faster than ever.

Pinkie trotted right past her over to Applebloom, hoofing over an array of apparently random gifts. She then trotted over to a table topped with several apple-related desserts and pulled a tray of cupcakes from seemingly out of nowhere. Cheerilee watched her closely, than glanced over to Rainbow Dash who persisted in arguing over their silly little race. These young mares were so clearly full of life and so carefree, putting all their energy towards enjoying the lives they led. A certain word continued to repeat itself in her mind: young, youth, youthful. And yet, these mares weren't that much younger than her. Cheerilee held both hooves out, staring down at them. They began to shake as she once again began over-analyzing everything she could about life and aging.

What is youth, and what is life? How does one determine age? Is it just a number, or is it more complicated than that? When do we decide that we've grown up, and how do we decide we're still too young? Does my love for Scootaloo make me bad? Is it really wrong, simply because of what we call age? I can't help but look at this differently – I have no choice but to. I've been forced to, and I have to make sense of it. If my life is a line, from birth to death, then I'm being pushed along that line by something beyond my control. My age grows as I approach the end of that line. Does that mean that the closer I am to the edge, the older I am? Or is it the closer to the beginning, the younger I am? Either way, I suppose I'm much older than my peers, much older than everypony around me...

Suddenly, Granny Smith walked out to greet the arriving guests in her own way, catching Cheerilee's attention.

Am I older than Miss Smith, I wonder?

Cheerilee's thoughts were interrupted as a horde of Apple Family members came trotting onto the farm. She slouched in her seat and hoped not to receive too much attention. Behind them, Twilight Sparkle slowly walked in, scanning through the mass of unfamiliar faces and hoping to find her partner. She carefully squeezed through the ponies and pressed forward until she spotted Rainbow Dash.

Twilight couldn't help but take a moment to enjoy the sight, despite how inappropriately immature it was. Rainbow had a dragon much larger than her pinned to the ground and in a headlock, her hooves interlocking around his neck as he begged for mercy.

"Come on, Spike. You're double her size, and you still let her bully you like that?" Twilight mocked.

"Twi, I can't help it... She's... she's..." He coughed for air and pounded the ground with a clenched fist.

"So, who won the race again?" Rainbow asked with a devilish grin.

"You!" Spike squeaked beneath his breath.

"That's what I thought." Rainbow released the dragon and fell backwards, panting after the tussle. "So Twi, how'd it go?"

"Well, Rainbow... I, uh... Well, I have some... Um, how should I put this..." Twilight was cut off by Applebloom dragging her away.

"Come on Twi, don't ya wanna watch me open my presents?" The unicorn blushed and shrugged as the birthday mare led the way.

The first gift she grabbed was a package from Rarity. She opened it up and took a card off the top.

"My dear, sweet Applebloom. You're turning into a full grown mare today, and I couldn't be happier or more proud of you. I only wish I could have been there to celebrate the day with you. I'm sorry I couldn't join you, and I promise I'll make it up to you. I hope to spend a day together here in Canterlot, just the two of us. I've included a first class carriage ticket. I'm looking forward to your visit.

I love you, Applebloom, and happy birthday my dear."

The painful absence of her friend was eased by the endearing card and thoughtful gifts. She pulled out a beautiful red silken bow that shone brightly in the sunlight. A large gemstone was placed neatly in the center near the bottom, and it was perfectly gorgeous in Applebloom's opinion.

"Heh, perfect timing for this gift. Right, Spike?" She glared over to the now blushing dragon before tying the bow into her mane, allowing its long ribbons to dangle down on one side.

As she filtered through the rest of the gifts, Twilight tried to find an opportunity to speak to her lover. "Dash, we really need to talk."

"Hang on Twi, I think she's opening my gift now." Rainbow ignored her partner's request as she anxiously anticipated Applebloom's reaction to her gift.

"Rainbow, come on. I'm being serious."

"Uh-huh. One sec."

Groaning, Twilight stomped away and took a seat next to Cheerilee.

"Something on your mind, Miss Sparkle?"

"Yes, actually, but Rainbow's too busy to pay any attention to me!" Twilight shouted.

Cheerilee's eyes widened as she leaned away a little from the angry mare. "I'm, um, sorry to hear that Twilight."

Taking a deep breath, the flustered mare lowered her voice and calmed herself down. "I'm sorry Cheerilee, I don't mean to shout. I'm just so temperamental lately, I can't really explain it... Not yet anyway." Twilight placed her front hooves over her stomach and leaned back, a nervous smile growing as she watched her lover excitedly fly up to demonstrate how to use the gift.

Cheerilee smiled and let out a deep sigh. She trotted up close to Twilight and placed a hoof on her head, then leaned down and whispered in the mare's ear, "Congratulations."

"Thanks," Twilight responded without thinking.

"Oh, and Scootaloo told me about you two, congratulations on your engagement as well. I'll assume it was purely coincidental." Cheerilee grinned and trotted away before the stunned mare could respond.

Twilight gulped and wondered just how obvious it really was. In a mild panic, she jumped up and rushed over to an oblivious pegasus. "Rainbow, please listen to me, I need to talk to you about something but I want to do it in private. Let's go somewhere, just for a minute."

"Sure thing Twi, but look, she's about to open your gift now," Rainbow pointed out with a grin.

Twilight placed her hooves over her face and sighed before turning to watch her young friend open the gift. She couldn't help but smile as she watched a disappointed Applebloom set a book down on the table and offer an insincere 'thank you'. "Can we go now?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah, yeah, sure. What's got you so worked up today anyway?" Rainbow asked, as she turned to walk away with her concerned lover.

As they trotted towards the barn, they crossed paths with Pinkie. The excitable mare gasped and wrapped her forehooves around the two lovers' necks. "I heard you guys got engaged! Why didn't you tell me?!"

Twilight glared at Rainbow and turned to face Pinkie. "Yes, we're engaged. I didn't want to have the whole town knowing before we had a date and everything set, okay?"

"That's just silly Twilight! We need to throw an engagement party right away!" Pinkie dragged both mares over to a stage where the family band was meant to perform later that evening in celebration of both Applebloom's birthday and the family reunion.

The pink mare pushed both her friends up the steps and trotted off, informing them not to move an inch. Hardly concerned with Pinkie's unpredictable intentions, Rainbow urged Twilight to speak. "Look, no ponies around. So what did you wanna talk about?"

"It's just, well..." Twilight was immediately cut off by Pinkie shouting to the crowd of ponies, announcing their engagement.

"Well? Just say what you have to say already, will ya?" Dash asked, getting impatient.

Twilight groaned and stamped her hoof. "I've been trying to but I keep getting interrupted!"

Pinkie grabbed a loudspeaker and dialed it to max volume before she rushed back to the stage in preparation for the couple's speech.

"What I've been trying to say is..." Pinkie held the loudspeaker up to Twilight's mouth just in time to catch the last two words of her sentence as she angrily shouted them. "I'm pregnant!"

High-pitched feedback rang through the air as Twilight's words echoed through the hills of The Acres. A large mass of ponies stared up at her, some familiar faces looking more stunned than others.

"Whoa! That is not what I expected you to say!" Pinkie raised an eyebrow and lowered the speaker.

Twilight blushed deeply and slowly backed away. Rainbow's jaw was hanging wide open as she attempted to process what she'd just heard. Pinkie shrugged and held the speaker up the Dash's mouth, but the pegasus quickly smacked it away and trotted off the stage after Twilight.

Scootaloo laughed and nudged Cheerilee's shoulder. "Wow, and I thought our stuff was complicated."

"I'm happy for them. I hope everything works out for the best, and we definitely need to lend them our support, Scootaloo." Cheerilee wrapped a hoof around her lover and pulled her close, not caring who saw.

"Yeah, you're right. Dash is probably freaking out right now. I'm gonna go talk to her." Scootaloo stood up to leave but was quickly stopped by Cheerilee.

"Wait, let them be alone for a while to talk it out."

Scootaloo nodded and sat down, waving at Applebloom to join her from where she stood talking to Applejack and Fluttershy about the latest news.

Rainbow Dash made her way behind the stage and placed her hoof on her lover's shoulder. Twilight turned around with tears slowly dripping down her cheeks. "Hey... Cheer up will ya?"

"What are we gonna do Dash?" Twilight asked, allowing her insecurity shine through.

"We'll figure it out. We always do. I can always pick up more work if I have to. The fastest flyer in Equestria is also the fastest package delivery pegasus in the business. I'm in high demand ya know." Rainbow grinned encouragingly.

"It's not that Rainbow, it's just that... Well... We, I mean, I don't think we're ready for this. I just don't know what to think, or how to react." Twilight looked up, her tears beginning to flow faster.

"Shh shh, don't cry alright?" Rainbow wiped her marefriend's tears away and kissed her muzzle. "I love you Twilight, and we'll get through this together. It's a big deal, sure, but we'll figure it out. Together. I promise you."

Through her worries and discomfort, Twilight smiled. "Thanks, Rainbow. I hope you're right."

As the evening fell, Scootaloo found herself wandering through the random groups of semi-drunken ponies she didn't know. Applebloom was attempting to teach her older brother to dance as she did every year. Silver Spoon leaned up against the corner of a barn far away from the fire in the center of the Acres, resting in the shadows and staring up at the moon, as she did every year. Scootaloo made her way over and attempted to make small talk.

"Somethin' on your mind?" she asked, not sure what she was getting at.

"Nope, you?"

"Nope..."

The two stood quietly for a moment, before Scootaloo forcefully plopped down on the ground, sitting against the wall.

"So, where's Cheerilee?" Silver asked, glancing down.

"She went home. She was tired or something."

"Ah, cool, I guess." Silver stared back up at the moon, her glasses reflecting its brightness into Scootaloo's eyes.

"What are you doing way out here anyway?" Scootaloo asked, not sure what else to say.

"Just... catching my breath, so to speak. Why did you follow me?"

"The same reason, maybe?"

Silver pressed herself against the barn's wall and slowly slid down, placing her hoof on Scootaloo's shoulder. "Because you want to catch my breath?" she questioned, looking over at her ex-lover.

"So to speak." Scootaloo gazed into the mare's beautiful moonlit eyes and began to lose herself once again.

Their muzzles touched and each closed their eyes, their hearts racing.

Scootaloo smiled. "So, are you gonna kiss me? Or do I have to lie to my diary?"