The Belle and Bloom Show

I basked in the warmth of the morning sun beaming through my window. My bed had never been so comfortable. I felt good. All symptoms of estrus were practically gone. I felt a slight itch every so often. I didn’t get turned on by every little thing. I wouldn’t have to hoof myself every night and morning. I didn’t feel the need to, but I was certainly feeling like doing it to start off my day; maybe I could take my time with it? I wouldn’t be such a hair-trigger now.

Sweetie Belle had been the focus of my heat-addled mind, but I needed something else… something more exciting. I needed a setting—

A knock on my door brought me out of my thoughts. “Just when I was trying to get in the mood,” I muttered under my breath. “Yes?” AJ has some of the worst timing. At least she freakin knocked this time.

The door opened, but it wasn’t Applejack. Instead there was a very pretty white unicorn filly with bright green eyes. “Apple Bloom?” Her eyes scanned the room. Finally her eyes stopped at the bed where I lay beneath the covers. “You’re still in bed?”

“Still?” What was she talking about?

“I was waiting in the clubhouse for like twenty minutes.” Sweetie sounded slightly annoyed.

I sat up, stretching. “What time is it?” There’s no way I slept in that late.

Sweetie Belle sat on the corner of my bed. “It’s like after nine now.”

I shrugged. I fell back down on my bed. It felt so soft and comfortable. “I guess I overslept…” I said as I looked at the ceiling.

“Just a little.” Sweetie Belle smiled. She tapped the bed with her hoof. “Come on, get up. I have some ideas to run by you.”

“Okay go.” Why did I have to get up for that?

“Come on.” Sweetie Belle poked me through the comforter. The dull impact tickled a little.

I grunted and rolled over onto my side. “Too comfortable this morning.”

Sweetie Belle let out an exasperated groan. A pale-green aura formed around my blankets. Before I could protest, they were gone with a whoosh. My body was instantly assaulted with a rush of cool air. I curled up as best I could, wrapping my tail around me.

“I said get up,” Sweetie Belle squeaked.

Annoyed, I rolled out of bed. “Rude.”

Sweetie Belle stuck her tongue out in response: a very foalish thing to do. I fought back a smile so I could remain annoyed at her. She seemed quite pleased with herself. I pushed passed her, heading for the bathroom.

“Now that that’s settled—hey! Where are you going?”

I was halfway out of my room before she realized I was leaving. “Shower.”

“Oh come on!” She followed me down the hall. “We have to get this show ready. We have a deadline—not like last time.” She followed me into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

“Sweetie,” I said as kindly as I could. “Just give me a minute.”

Sweetie Belle nodded and let out a sigh that said ‘fine.’

“Are you taking a shower with me?” I asked. I doubted we’d fit in the tub like we used to. I was trying to get her to realize where she was, but if really wanted to join… I wasn’t going to say no.

“Oh. I already did,” she said quickly. “Anyway, what do you think of an opening skit instead of a cold open with that song?”

Shaking my head, I turned on the shower and stepped in. “I’m not sure,” I replied. I raised my voice a little to talk over the noise the shower was making. “Why do we need an opening skit?”

I looked up at the showerhead. I guess I won’t be having any fun with that today… I wonder what she’d do if I—

“To better introduce the song. We could set it up and tell the story of a filly with who is self-conscious.

I scrubbed my body with a loofah as I listened to her. “It sounds like a lot of costume changes for me.”

I rinsed the soap off my body. The bathroom was smelling quite nice now. I turned around and flagged my tail, letting the water wash everything off. Sweetie Belle quickly looked away.

“Really?” she asked.

I shrugged. “You followed me in here. Besides, nothing you ain’t seen before…” I waved my hoof, flinging some water at her. She blushed a little. “But while you’re there, could you help me with my tail?”

If Sweetie Belle was blushing before, it was nothing to how red her face was now. “Umm…”

“Come on. I can’t reach it all. Doesn’t somepony help do yours?” I asked.

Sweetie Belle shook her head. “Not anymore… I can use my magic.” She stood there thinking it over. She looked uneasy, but finally stepped forward. “Okay,” she said at last. “Rarity used to do this for me… I never thought about it before, but I guess earth ponies still have to do this,” she mused.

She grabbed a bottle of shampoo, and with her magic, she squeezed a liberal amount of it on her hoof. She placed her hoof right at the base of my tail and slowly worked it in.

When Applejack did this it wasn’t a big deal. I would help her out sometimes too. If Sweetie had done this yesterday, my tail would’ve flagged instantly, and she’d see my everything dripping in her face. But today, I could keep all of that under control. But it was still pretty hot; something I didn’t expect, but probably should have. I shouldn’t have asked her. AJ could’ve helped me another time. My tail wasn’t that bad.

“Anyway, it would be a few changes, but you could just layer the costumes like last time.”

She was working her way down my tail now. “I think we should get backup dancers for this one. The scenes will make more sense if we have a group instead of me constantly changing costumes.”

Sweetie Belle reached the end of my tail. She let my soap-sodden tail fall. It hit my inner thigh with a soft splat. “That could work…”

I backed up under the shower so it could wash my tail off. An enormous amount of suds pooled below me as all the soap washed out. “But where would we get dancers on short notice?” I probably should have thought that through a little.

“The Ponyville Dance Academy. You’re still friends with Tender Taps, right? I mean, we’d have to have something put together before asking them. And if they have any performances that overlaps or are in the same week, it’s a no go.”

“Best chance we got.”

“Not if you don’t hurry up,” Sweetie Belle urged.

I rolled my eyes. “I’m going, I’m going,” I grumbled. “My first day out of heat… can’t a filly relax?”

“Showbiz doesn’t care about mare problems,” Sweetie Belle taunted matter-of-factly.

I turned the shower off, and stepped out. “Yeah, because it’s run by stallions,” I shot back.

Sweetie opened her mouth to argue, and then closed it again. “You’re not wrong…”

I grabbed a towel, and started drying myself off. Sweetie Belle was still blushing slightly. Was she really that bashful? “Um, Sweetie, um th-thank you for helping me with my tail. I don’t know what I was thinkin’, I should have asked AJ.”

“It’s okay,” she said quickly. “We’ve been friends for a long time. We’ve all seen each other.” Sweetie Belle waved a hoof. “Are you ready?”

At least I wasn’t the only one sneaking peeks. I’m sure Sweetie and Scoots’ were more accidental than mine were. Or maybe she did check me out…

“Yep, let’s get this started,” I said. I threw my towel on the floor and opened the bathroom door. “Come on. Waiting on you, Sweetie.” I grinned at her as she scowled.

The rest of the morning was slow work. We sketched out a rough idea of the show. Sweetie had two different songs to choose from. We had to run through the entire rough-draft act to figure out which song fit better. In the end, we went with Sweetie’s first choice because it was catchy and fun.

Sweetie Belle insisted we have at least a rough draft of the performance together before asking the academy. They were less likely to say no if they saw what they were being asked to do, and more likely to say yes if they saw that it was thoughtfully choreographed. This was all her domain; my part was simply to learn the parts I was going to play, and help plan the event.

“Okay, so I have an idea,” I said brightly. Sweetie was hunched over a notebook writing out our event. “What if I’m not in the opening act? What if I come on and sing the song, and you’re like acting out the scene?”

“Huh?” Sweetie Belle looked up. “You mean like not part of it, but singing the song that goes with the scene?”

“Yeah. You still sing your harmony parts and all, but I’m not actually part of the scene. That will solve us trying to explain how I’m there anyway.”

Sweetie nodded. “Yeah…” She trailed off. “That actually works better. If I’m in the room by myself, it would put more focus on the visual.” Sweetie Belle bent down over her notebook again. She scribbled out a few lines, and then wrote in the margins. “There. Nice idea.”

“I might actually be good at this thing yet,” I said half joking.

“You are good.” She looked up and gave me a reassuring smile. “Don’t think you’re not. I couldn’t have done this without you.”

A warmth spread through my chest, and what was my stomach doing? Somersaults? My face was warm too. It was a high praise coming from her. And it meant the world to me that she truly valued me in this endeavor.

“Okay, done! Finally.” She sat up and stretched. “Let’s go ask them, and then get lunch after.”

“Sounds good to me.”

Sweetie was on it today. She bounced with exuberance as we walked into town.

“The sun with loving light makes bright for me each day!” she sang out.

She was in rare form. I struggled to keep up with her as she bounded ahead. “The sun what? Sweetie, wait!”

“It makes bright for me each day,” she repeated. “It’s a quote from—from something I read…” She shrugged. “Old pony philosophy stuff.”

I had forgotten with her being in the Filly-Tonix, and now our show, that she was a very prolific reader. “But what does it mean?”

Sweetie shrugged again. “There’s more to the quote, I just can’t remember it.”

We had just turned onto the main road when I stopped dead in my tracks. In the middle of the market square stood a massive billboard with our faces on it. There were big purple bubbly letters below that said, ‘The Belle and Bloom Show!’ and some smaller text below. ‘The hottest new show in town!’ Below that was the date and time of our upcoming show and locations to buy tickets.

“When did that go up?”

“Oh, the sign?” Sweetie cocked her head to one side. “You should leave the farm more often. That’s been up since the day after the show.”

As we walked past the sign, my neck craned as far as it could so I could continue to stare in disbelief before snapping back to look forward.

"Was that Princess Twilight's idea? Or did Talent Scout put that up?" I wondered aloud.

"Honestly? Probably both,” Sweetie Belle mused. “She really liked our show. It looks like she wasn't the only one, either..."

By this time we were generating a lot of attention. Many ponies passing by did double takes. There were hushed conversations as we passed by. I could usually hear, “Oh my gosh that them! Belle and Bloom!” and “Shh, they’re coming this way! Oh gosh, what if they stop by here? Does my mane look alright?”

“Wow, this is crazy,” I muttered out of the corner of my mouth. I couldn’t help feeling elated. “We’re like celebrities now.”

Sweetie Belle seemed to be soaking it up too. “Yes. Some pony even wrote a review of the show in the paper. We got a ten out of ten for originality and providing something engaging and different for the town.”

“That’s good! Local critics like us.”

“You always get fluff pieces.”

I stared at her. “Sweetie. We have ponies writing about us! I’ll take a fluff piece.”

“There’s nothing wrong with it,” she countered. “But some real feedback would be nice.”

I agreed. It seemed reasonable, but why did the idea make me nervous?

I saw the dance academy at last. It was a few buildings down. But before we reached it, we were approached by a middle-aged mare and a young colt following close behind her.

“I’m sorry to bug you fine fillies. My son is a huge fan and wanted to get your autographs.” She leaned in close to me and whispered not-so-quietly, “he’s got a big crush on you.”

She didn’t seem sorry one bit. The colt hid behind her, keeping his eyes to the ground. I couldn’t blame him. I would be so upset if AJ did something like that with me. “Sure thing,” I replied. It was the least I could do for the poor boy.

“Oh, yes certainly,” said Sweetie Belle promptly. She too seemed a little nervous.

We each signed a poster of ourselves. It was a picture taken of us on stage together in our gypsy outfits. The top had the same bubbly purple lettering for our show name.

“That was weird,” I said as they walked off; I made sure they were well out of earshot.

“I guess we have to get used to it. That poor colt though.” She flashed me a wry smile.

I rolled my eyes. “That was really uncalled for, what she did. Maybe he didn’t want her to tell anyone?”

“At that age? Of course he didn’t want her to tell you that. I would be so mad if mom or Rarity did that.”

“Yeah same.” I didn’t think Applejack would ever tell Sweetie Belle. She might tease me once in a while, but she wouldn’t be mean. “Where did they get those posters anyway?”

Sweetie Belle sighed. “You really haven’t been in town since. We’re a big hit here. One of the local shops started printing them—I don’t remember which one. The Belle and Bloom show makes a little money every time they sell one.”

“We have money?” All of this was too much. The fame, posters, autographs, and to top it off, we were making bits off all of this.

“The show is, yes. TS created an account. All of those bits can be used for our shows. All the money for tickets goes there too.”

We came to a stop in front of a building with a glass big glass windows which allowed passing-by ponies to look in and see the dance classes in session. Inside there were partitions between different sections for different types of dances. On the far left were hard-wood floors for ballroom. The next section had the same flooring and tall mirrors along the wall for ballet. The next two sections were empty, but had matted flooring. The last room had a team of young mares doing a coordinated dance. They moved in unison, doing a variety of low swoops and side steps. An older mare stood in front, leading them through the motions.

“Good. The hip-hop group is here,” said Sweetie Belle. We stepped inside. We were immediately greeted with loud pop sounding music which we instantly recognised. “Hey, that’s one of ours!”

“I guess Filly-Tonix is good for dancing,” I suggested.

“Five-and-a-six-and-a-seven-and-a—keep-in-time!” yelled the dance instructor to the beat of the music. “Dos-à-Dos! That’s the off beat. On one—that’s it! Keep it up!”

“This next part gets funky,” said Sweetie quietly.

“Get ready for the time change! There! Now in six-eight—yes great transition! And… back-to-common-time!”

To me they all looked great. Their movements were fluid, and their feet hit with every beat of the music. They all wore the same silver full-body dance leotard. Unlike the Filly-Tonix’ uniforms, these actually fit them.

“Why does it change there?”

Sweetie shrugged. “The studio musicians got bored? I really don’t know.”

The song finally ended. The studio was dead quiet, and a ringing in my ears clouded my hearing, making everything sound dull.

“Good work, girls. Take five.” The mare finally spotted us and walked our way, smiling broadly. She was a slender earth pony with a white coat and a straight-haired two-tone blue and pink mane and tail. She was sweating slightly around her brow. “Now this is a surprise.” She spoke sweetly. “Sweetie Belle! Good to see you.”

“Good to see you too!” Sweetie chirped. “This,” she gestured to me, “is Apple Bloom. Apple Bloom, this is Promenade. One of the best dance instructors in Equestria.” Promenade made a dismissive gesture with her hoof.

I nodded and smiled at her. She greeted me with an excited smile.

“Apple Bloom. Yes, I heard you sing—great voice. Huge fan of the show.”

I blushed a little. “Thank you kindly.”

“Well… what can I do for you two?”

Sweetie Belle stepped forward. “We were hoping some dancers here would want to be backup dancers for our next show.”

Promenade raised her eyebrows. “Oh, wow. I’m sure tons will be interested. Do you want them to audition?”

“Ummm…” Sweetie Belle said. She looked back at me.

I shot Sweetie Belle an unsure glance. “Our next show is coming up quick—end of this week.”

Promenade nodded. “And you won’t have time to audition a bunch of foals. You want the hip-hop team, right?”

She was good. I liked this mare; she was straight to the point. I think AJ would appreciate some pony like this too. No time for nonsense!

“Exactly!” Sweetie Belle squeaked. “If they aren’t… busy that day”

“I don’t know… they don’t have anything for a little while. It’s up to their individual schedules and how many will be willing to do it—which is probably all of them.” She rolled her eyes, and turned to me. “After Sweetie became part of the Filly-Tonix the girls were super excited some pony from here made it big time. And now that you two are doing stuff here in town… we’re in there learning some of the hip-hop moves the Filly-Tonix used.”

“Yeah… those moves… aren’t that good,” said Sweetie Belle. There was a tone of uncertainty in her voice. Promenade raise a single eyebrow. “I-I mean they’re generic. We used those same moves in everything. We just changed the order and added a little flair.”

“She’s being modest,” said Promenade looking at me. “Sweetie Belle is a very talented dancer. She moved into the advanced classes in about six months. Not many can do that, that quickly.”

Sweetie Belle blushed furiously. I knew she was good; I’ve seen her both on stage and off stage. She made it look easy; it wasn’t. She could feel the music and know it; I considered myself lucky if my flailing happened to even slightly match the rhythm.

“Anyway, let’s see who wants to help you two out.” Promenade turned to where all the dancers were stretching in a tight circle. I could hear giggling and chit-chat from here. “Hey Dos-à-Dos! Come over here for a sec!”

A unicorn filly who looked slightly older than Sweetie and I walked over. I could see a pale-blue coat under her silver full-body leotard. She had a short pale-greenish mane with lighter highlights. Her body was lean, but I could see her muscles were toned as the spandex did little to hide these things. Her brilliant-blue eyes lit up upon seeing us.

“Hello! Loved your show! You two are the best!”

“Well, Dosie,” said Promenade, “Since you’re a fan, would you and the team like to perform backup dance routines at the end of the week for the show?”

She stared blankly for a moment. Then, her jaw dropped in awe. “You-you want us to perform on stage with you two?” She asked. Her excited voice carried across the room. The other fillies were no longer stretching. Instead they were listening intently.

“Sure do,” I said.

“Wa-wow! Heck yes!”

Promenade smiled. “Good. That’s settled. We have a little time left for this session—” The other fillies had broken out into loud excited talking. “Probably aren’t getting anything productive out of them now. We’ll just end it here.” Dos-à-Dos seemed to be the only one who had heard her though.

“Oh, yeah!” Sweetie pulled her notebook out of her saddlebags with her magic. “This is what we’re doing.” She levitated the book over to Dos-à-Dos.

The filly took it as if being offered a high-valued prize. She read it over, smiling. “Oh, you want us to do some acting… Oh. No. We couldn’t say those lines to you, Sweetie.”

“It’s okay. It’s all an act.”

Dos-à-Dos smiled. “I know it just… it hits close to home—in fact all of this does.”

“That’s why we think it’s important,” I chimed in.

She nodded. “Okay… I can see what you two are doing.” She flipped the page. “Ooh! I love this song! Okay I’m, like, so in.”

“Glad to have ya, Dos-à-Dos.” I said extending my hoof to her.

She shook it earnestly. “Call me Dosie. Everypony does.” She looked right at me and winked. My heart fluttered.

What was that? Was she hitting on me? Or is she just star-struck? She was cute, but my heart was set on Sweetie.

Over the next hour we got to know the hip-hop dance team. Dosie was the unofficial captain of the team since she was there the longest and was considered the best dancer by the others. They learned the routine quickly—it wasn’t that complicated anyway. The acting part was difficult. They were way too giggly and couldn’t do the lines without falling into a fit of giggles.

“Come on, girls let’s go to—pfffft! Stop. Feather Step! Stop looking at me! I-I can’t!” the filly was overcome in a fit of giggles.

Annoyed, I decided to ask, “Are the lines that bad?”

“No!” Dosie giggled. “We just can’t act. It’s super awkward.”

Three fillies in the corner were talking. As some of the giggles died down, we all overheard them. “And this weird stallion was, like, sitting with his legs open, and I could, like, see everything…” she trailed off.

“Was he hot?” asked the filly named Feather Step.

“Pfff, no. He was, like, old.”

“Ewwww,” the others said in unison.

I was into fillies and all, but this was estrogen overload. I was going to go insane if I had to deal with this for the rest of the week.

“...and my sister and her colt friend were totally making out yesterday—”

“Hey!” Sweetie’s voice squealed loudly over all the side-bar conversations. They all died instantly. “Come on, girls. We just need one who can act reasonably well. The rest just kinda fill in the blanks. We only have a few days to get this.”

From that point on, things went smoother. We discovered Feather Step was our best actress, and she won the speaking part. She did her best to take it seriously, but she was especially chatty and giggly.

Dosie was really getting friendly with me over the last two days. She didn’t spend much time with Sweetie Belle as me. Which had me thinking she was more than just star-struck. She also didn’t engage with the others in colt talk, and by the third day, she was making very direct advances toward me.

I didn't quite know what to make of this; she was very attractive, nice, and easy to talk to. Despite this, I didn't really know her that well — not like I knew Sweetie Belle. Growing up together will do that.

Still... there was something exciting about her, and I felt strangely guilty even acknowledging it. It felt as though I were betraying Sweetie even though we weren't in a romantic relationship. And even though we shared seemingly everything together, Sweetie Belle's aspiring love life was a complete mystery to me. I didn't know if she liked fillies, or colts, or anypony at all for that matter!

"I really like that bow," Dosie said, simultaneously pulling me from my thoughts and complicating the situation further. "It's cute."

We were backstage. It was the night before the performance, and we had just finished two run throughs of the show. They went well, and we were confident we’d put on a great show for the town the next evening.

Sweetie Belle was talking with the musicians about the transitions.

“Thanks,” I said awkwardly. “It’s, um, from my sister.”

“So… are you ready for tomorrow,” she asked.

“Yeah. I think so.”

“Do you want to go over that dance move again? You know, the one that was giving you trouble?” There was a slight tension in Dosie’s voice.

“Yeah, I could go through it a few more times. It is a little tricky.”

“Okay, let’s go… over here. Then you can cover more ground.”

We moved behind the main curtain. We stood between the two sets that were built on each side of the stage.

“I’m going to stand here, and you come to me.” Dos-à-Dos stood at the far end of the stage.

I planted my left hind leg and spun. As the spin came back around, I stepped with my right foreleg and did a half pivot. With the momentum, I transferred my weight to my right hind and spun fast. After two spins, I stopped right in front of Dosie. All four hooves, flat on the floor; I stood square.

“I think you have it,” she said, giving me an appraising look. She moved in close to me. “Your shoulder dropped a little, but you kept your balance.”

“Yeah, It’s a bad habit.” I agreed. “I felt it, and I fixed it that time.”

She nodded. “When you do that pivot on your front, just bring your shoulder back a little more. I know it feels like you’re leaning way back, but you aren’t.” She demonstrated quickly. She did it so effortlessly. She stepped closer. “Go ahead and try it from that point.”

Shrugging, I placed my front foreleg in position and did the pivot. As I shifted to my hind leg, she grabbed my foreleg and spun me around. She held my leg back, pushing me upright. I spun so freely, I turned three times and lost my balance. She caught me in her forelegs.

“Sorry. I got a little over zealous,” I laughed nervously. She was still holding me.

“You’re really good, Apple Bloom.” She looked me directly in my eyes. Then she closed her eyes, and moved in close. She tilted her head and moved in closer. And before I had time to even process what was happening, my lips were greeted by the soft wetness of her lips.

I should have pushed her off. I should have told her it was a misunderstanding. But I did none of those things. She held me so tenderly. Her kiss was so soft. My heart was pounding.

She broke the kiss and brushed my face with her hoof. It felt so nice. “I really like you, Apple Bloom. I think you’re really cute and talented and funny.”

I couldn’t think of anything to say. No pony had ever been so direct. I wish I could’ve said that to Sweetie Belle. But I lacked her confidence.

She turned my head slightly, and pulled me into another kiss. This time I was ready for it, and closed my eyes. Our lips met again. It felt amazing. She broke apart and kissed my cheek.

“I-um-I um…” I was lost for words. How do I tell her without breaking her heart? I liked her, I really did. This was really hard. She was throwing herself at me, and I wanted to chase Sweetie. Was I being dumb? It was so amazing the way she was holding me. “Dosie… you’re a nice filly… I like you too—”

“But you have someone else you’re crushing on?” She hugged me a little tighter.

“Look, you’re really cute and—”

“Shhh. I know. I’m not looking for a relationship. I know you’ve got your eyes on Sweetie.”

My heart sank into my stomach. Did the whole damn town know? “H-how do you know that?”

“Please. I spotted you as a filly-fooler a mile away. You ogling Sweetie… a blind pony could see.”

“Oh,” I said. “I-I didn’t realize…” She loosened her grip a little, and I leaned back to look her in the eyes. “Then what are you looking for if not a relationship?”

She gave me a wry smile. “Surely you’ve figured that out by now. I don’t do relationships; not anymore.”

My face went bright red. I could feel heat down there. Wow, she was very direct. I had no idea what to do. The obvious thing would’ve been to say no. But a part of me really wanted this. Somewhere in the back of my mind, reality kicked in over my hormone-addled brain. “I-I can’t. I’ve never done anything like that before… and-and I don’t think I’m ready.”

Dosie deflated a little and her embrace slacked. “Darn. Well.. if you change your mind, I’m the first in line. Honey, I’m still free. Take a chance on me,” she sang softly. “Can I kiss you one last time?”

She was persistent. I smiled and nodded in spite of my better judgement. Our lips connected again in a long kiss. She held the back of my head, and I melted into her.

We broke apart after long last. She released me from her embrace. She looked sad, but confident. “Sweetie Belle will be lucky to have you.”

I felt sorry for her. She was really nice. She didn’t try to push me into anything. All those times we were talking and joking around she probably took as flirting. I felt rotten. I think I had truly hurt her.

“I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologise. I made the first move. I could’ve asked… I still want you as a friend. If things aren’t awkward after all of this.”

I smiled, feeling a little better inside. “I think we could be that.”

She returned the smile, but I could still see a trace of sadness in her eyes. “Did I come on too strong?”

I laughed nervously. “I ain’t never had a kiss from anypony before. I ain’t even had a filly-friend before. It-it was a lot really quickly.” I figured full and honest disclosure was the best way. My sister would approve!

“I was your first kiss?” asked Dosie softly.

I nodded.

Dosie looked down at the ground. “I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to rob that from you. I know it’s a big deal.”

I put a hoof on her shoulder. “It’s alright. Took me by surprise, and it certainly wasn’t how I thought my first kiss would go… but I liked it. Was I bad?”

She giggled. “You’re such a tease! The second time, you were better. The third… perfect.”

“Well that’s good.” A thought occurred to me: she had known I was into fillies instantly. How? “Dosie…” I trailed off.

“Yeah?”

“How did you know I was a filly-fooler?”

She shrugged. “I just knew. With some ponies I know instantly what their preferences are.”

“Do you know Sweetie’s,” I asked, trying to keep the hopeful tone out of my question.

Dosie frowned. “No… I’m not sure about that one. I’m not sure she even knows… but I do know this… she’s very cute.”

I silently agreed. There was only one true way to find out…

We said goodnight and left the stadium. Sweetie Belle hadn’t left yet, but told us to go. She had a few last minute things to do.

I decided to go back and wait for her after bidding Dos-à-Dos a goodnight.

I was having a strange night. I got my first kiss and propositioned for a one-night stand from a filly I had met a few days ago. I still felt guilty for kissing her, and I felt even more guilty for wanting to do it more, and for almost saying yes to sleeping with her.

I was about to walk back into the stadium when Sweetie opened the door and walked out. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Nothin; just thought I’d walk you home.”

Sweetie Belle smiled. “My hero,” she said playfully.

I probably would have had a snarky comeback, but my heart just wasn’t in it. I just wanted to walk with her. I wanted to find out if she liked colts or fillies, but I couldn’t think of a good way to ask her.

“It’s dark out. Besides, Rarity’s is on my way home.”

We walked and talked. It amazed me how easy it was to talk with her about almost anything. We could probably talk forever about music, Scootaloo’s crazy stunts, what our sisters were up to, and so forth. We could even talk on less trivial topics like our plans for the future and how we felt about things going on at home. However, love and romance were topics we’ve always avoided somehow. Maybe we were both too bashful? Or maybe she, like me, was afraid our interests would differ too much, and we’d go our separate ways.

We said goodnight at the Carousel Boutique, and I set off for Sweet Apple Acres.

I couldn’t quite shake the guilt of what had happened with Dosie, but I knew what I was doing once I got in bed, and I didn’t have to feel guilty about doing that!