The Belle and Bloom Show

Road Less Traveled

It was the day of the show, and I was backstage. Sweetie had gone off to talk to the musicians in the orchestra pit, and some of the dancers were practicing their lines off in the distance. I wasn’t doing much of anything.

I didn’t feel like practicing any lines or dance moves. I was about to join Sweetie in the orchestra pit, when the back door opened and none other than Dos-à-Dos entered. She exhaled deeply, dropping her saddle bags at the door, and stretching.

Dos-à-Dos caught sight of me after scanning the room, and sauntered up to me with a warm smile. “Hey, girl,” she sang. I couldn’t help but notice her perfect pitch.

“Howdy,” I replied, trying to sound casual. For some reason this made her grin in a gushing sort of way.

“Excited?” she asked. “I’m a little nervous, but I’m so excited!” She bounced on her feet.

My face grew hot, and I looked down. My heart was beating hard. She was nearly as irresistible as Sweetie. What in Equestria was going on? “I’m a little nervous, but not like last time—”

I was scooped up into her limbs as she held me close. “You’ll do great,” she whispered in my ear, making me shudder. She pecked me on the cheek. Those lips were so divine—I had melted into her. I reached out and held her into me, resting my head onto her shoulder.

“Oh the night we could’ve had,” she mused gently. “I’m still sore from last night… I just couldn’t get you out of my head.”

My heart stopped. Did she just? No… we both had spent our night hoofing ourselves to a night that could’ve been? That familiar heat was stirring up inside me again. I broke the embrace, and looked around. Sweetie Belle was still in the orchestra pit; Feather Step and the rest of the dancers were scattered around the stage. No one was paying much attention to us, however.

“I’m, um, I’m going into the changing room to check if all of our costumes are back there. Do you want to lend me a hoof?” I asked her. My heart was pounding so hard, I could practically hear it. What was I thinking?

She raised her eyebrows. “You bet.”

We moved discreetly as we dared into the changing room. I closed the door softly as she cleared the threshold. She had her forelegs around me the second the door clicked. Our lips met, and I pushed myself into her. I kissed her again, pressing my face into her. We broke apart, and she kissed my cheek, and then peppered me with tiny kisses down my neck making me shiver and moan.

I couldn’t get enough. I pushed her into the wall as our lips locked again. Her tongue pushed against me, asking for entrance. I accepted, letting our tongues touch and intertwine. We both moaned as our tongues danced around each others and explored.

After what felt like an eternity we broke apart. I kissed her cheek and down her neck, returning the favor. I felt her shudder in response.

“Oh, I want you so bad, Apple Bloom.” She kissed my cheek. She ran her tongue up my neck, making me shudder and moan. I felt my fillyhood wink with incessant need.

I was dripping, and so was she; I could smell her aroma—the sweet musk. It was driving me insane! I wanted her too. I wanted to pin her to the ground and do so many things. I wanted to make her feel good; I wanted her to scream my name! “Dosie, we’re back stage…” I mumbled into her neck as I kissed her.

“Shh, no one is going to come back here for a while,” she whispered. She gently pulled me to the floor, rolling me over onto my back. She laid on top of me. Our lips locked as our tongues wrestled. She gave me a knowing look as we broke apart, and she kissed my cheek, then down my neck, then lower and lower. She reached my lower stomach, and I spread my hindlegs apart, exposing everything to her.

Dosie moaned softly. “Oh, Apple Bloom, you’re so beautiful.” She rubbed her hooves all over my cutie marks. Her hooves stopped near my dripping filly parts where she pushed on my thighs, parting my lower lips, and exposing the pink insides of my flower.

I felt so exposed, so vulnerable with everything on display to her. It excited me to a whole new level. I wanted her to touch me there; I needed her skilled tongue inside me. I wanted to feel her dripping, most intimate parts rubbing against mine, and her juices squirting into my fillyhood, on my teats, and on my face. I wanted to taste her fillyhood, have it in my face, have it slide down my body, spreading her juices and pheromones all over me, so everypony knew I belonged to her.

Her face moved between my legs. I yelped as her lips warped around my left teat. I was far more sensitive than I could’ve ever imagined; her soft lips gave me more than my hoof ever could. She moved to the other. She suckled and licked me there for a little, letting me enjoy the new sensations. It felt so good. After a little while, she continued her journey lower. She kissed my inner thighs, making me moan and whimper with anticipation. Especially when I felt her hot breath on my fillyhood.

She kissed my lower lips, and then ran her tongue through my entire slit. I slammed my head back into the floor crying out; I had nearly lost it there.

“Shhh,” she said, licking me there again. “I can tell you aren’t going to last much longer…” Her skilled tongue ran across my slit again, this time giving a flick across my clit. My body shook, and I had to stuff a hoof in my mouth to keep quiet. She did it again, and I could feel it building up inside me. I put my other hoof on the back of her head, pushing her face into me as I began to back my hips erratically.

“Dosie… I’m gonna—”

I felt her tongue enter me, pushing as deep as it could go. She was inside me! I winked hard on her tongue. I couldn’t hold out any longer. My body shook, and I could feel my fillyhood contracting and squeezing on her as I squirted all over her face. But she didn’t stop there. Her assault on my fillyhood continued. Her tongue ran in circles over my clit, making me yelp.

“I. Just. Can’t. Get. Enough.” Dosie said between licks. “Tastes so good.”

She alternated between pushing her tongue inside me, flicking my clit, and running her tongue my entire length.

“Dosie…” I mumbled. “I—I’m—’ was all I managed to say as my body shook violently. I squirted onto her waiting tongue a second time as my vision blurred. I was so on edge, my never ending down there were on fire. Another orgasm rocketed through my body as I felt her tongue slide out from inside me.

“Wow,” I said sloppily. My tongue was hanging out of my mouth as I stared at the ceiling vacantly.

“I’ll give you a little to get your bearings, babe,” said Dose as she cuddled up to me, laying her head on my chest.

Just then I heard the changing room door open. “I think they’re in here,” Sweetie’s voice yelled. And then she entered the room. She noticed the disheveled costumes, some had been pulled off their hangers, and then she noticed us on the floor. My legs were spread wide open, a puddle of our juices on the floor, and Dosie snuggled against me. Sweetie Belle’s eyes went wide with horror.

My heart stopped. And with a sudden gasp, I found myself inside my dark room. I was breathing hard, and my body was sweaty. I could feel a huge wet spot on my bed sheets. I looked down to see my hoof between my legs; I was already a little sore from the furious hoofing I did when I was awake.

This was my first erotic dream! It felt so real! So intense! And it was with Dos-à-Dos? “Oh, no,” I grumbled. And I was caught by Sweetie… what did that mean? Was she going to be jealous in my dream? Mad because we were getting it on in the changing room before a show—

“The show!” I shouted. My voice echoed off the walls in the dead of night. “Oops.” I listened, hoping I didn’t wake anyone. “Horse apples, I really need to get some sleep,” I told myself as I looked at my clock.

I rolled over to the other side of my bed, and let the confusing thoughts run through my head until it worse me down, and I couldn’t think straight, and I fell asleep.

The first thing I did after waking up was throw my sheets into the wash. I had slept in as long as I dared, but I feared Sweetie Belle would be over eventually. I couldn’t risk her seeing what I did to my bed sheets.

Tonight was our second show! However, in light of recent events ,it felt almost like an afterthought. I was still trying to wrap my mind around what had happened. Was I just scared? Should I have said yes? I turned her down, and then hoofed myself like no other. For the first time in a long time, Sweetie wasn’t in any of my fantasies. And the most intense erotic dream ever didn’t involve her either.

It still felt like I gave the right answer. I couldn’t help wondering about what I had missed out on… my imagination went pretty wild, but it was the unknown which had the most exciting aspect—all the ways she could’ve blown my mind that I didn’t know about. But I wasn’t ready for that, was I? That was like learning to run before you can walk.

I was running on autopilot while mulling over last night. I had taken a quick shower, and made my way down stairs. I took my usual spot at the table.

A plate of toast clattered on the table in front of me, startling me out of my deep thoughts. “Ya awake there, sugarcube?”

“Huh, oh yeah.” I ate my toast quickly.

“I’m happier than a tick in spring for the show tonight!”

I was vaguely aware of Applejack sitting across from me. “Equestria to Apple Bloom!” She stood up and stood next to me. “Anypony home?” She rapped the side of my head with her hoof.

“Ah, yeah, Ow!” I rubbed the spot on my head where she hit me, and glared at her.

“Just making sure you’re alright. You were a million miles away.”

“Just a lot on my mind,” I muttered. “AJ…”

“Hmm?”

I stood up and hugged her tightly. “Thank you.”

She hesitated and wrapped me into her embrace. “Er... what for?”

I leaned into her. “If it weren’t for all of those lessons you gave me, I think I would’ve made a huge mistake last night.”

Applejack laughed nervously. “Well how about that? I managed to teach your stubborn little butt something afterall. So, what happened last night?”

I broke out of her embrace and sat down. “I got my first kiss last night.”

Whatever Applejack was expecting me to say, it wasn’t that. Her brow disappeared under her forelock. “Hold up there. So you and Sweetie are a thing now?”

My heart dropped. It was going to sound so much worse now. I shook my head. “I met this filly from the dance academy. We hit it off well.”

“Hold up! You kissed some other pony you just met!”

I melted under her gaze. “It’s not like that. Sorta…” I launched into the whole story of how I met Dos-à-Dos; how I accidentally flirted with her. I explained how I suspected she was hitting on me, but I wasn’t sure. “And then after I fell over she caught me. And she sorta just came onto me—I-I didn’t know what to do.”

“I see,” said Applejack. She shook her head. “It never goes the way you think it would… so what happened next?”

I continued my story about how she wanted to hook up, and how she didn’t want a relationship, just sex. “It’s just so strange to not want a relationship. She asked to kiss me one more time, and then we talked for a little.”

Applejack let out a long sigh. “I’m gonna have to sit down for this one.

“First, good on you! You weren’t comfortable with that, and you told her so. I’m very proud of you, sugarcube. It’s not always easy to say no to those things in the heat of the moment.” Applejack laughed nervously. “If you weren’t ready, you would have most certainly regretted it. I’m glad she didn’t try to force anything, and she respected you.

“Second, I think this Dos-à-Dos mistook you for some pony much older and more experienced than you actually were.”

I felt a knot in my chest subside as I exhaled. “She just came onto me so quickly and strongly… more experienced,” I laughed. “I have no experience.”

“Look, sugarcube, that’s okay. In fact, it's probably better you don’t have any at your age.” Applejack cleared her throat. “Some ponies just want friends they can hookup with casually. They call them—well, I’d rather not say what they’re called. I reckon you’ll learn soon enough.”

Was she talking about buck buddies? I’ve heard that before, but never knew what it meant; the more I thought about it, though, the more it seemed to fit. “But Applejack, why did I feel so guilty about it? I’m not even dating Sweetie, but it somehow felt like I was betraying her.” I rubbed my hooves over my eye.

“I suspect, when it comes to Sweetie, you have somethin’ more than the physical attraction. Even if Sweetie turned you down, you’d still be there to support her anyway you could, because you love her.” Applejack rubbed a hoof over my shoulders.

“I do?” I mean I liked her a lot. I spent a lot of time thinking about her… did I love her though?

“I think your feelings for her run deeper than ya think. But, you’ll have to find out for yourself. This Dos-à-Dos sounds like a nice filly. Maybe she misread ya?”

“Yeah she is nice… I just couldn’t do that with her. But how do I know when I’m ready?”

Applejack laughed. “I don’t know, sugarcube. You just know, I suppose. If you and Sweetie enter a relationship and want to become intimate… you’ll know. Just close the dang door and keep it down; that’s all I would ask.”

I looked up at her with my eyebrows raised. “Are you saying—’

‘All I’m saying is if and when you get to that point, you’ll do it no matter what I say. You have good enough sense to do things right and to be safe. I trust ya not to bring a new filly home every week or something crazy. It’s better than sneaking off into the bushes and doing it.”

I shifted in my seat. There was probably more of a story here than she was willing to share. All I had to remember was to keep the door shut? I had to get to that stage in my non-existent relationship first… I wondered what she’d think if I had brought a filly home she’s never met, taken her up to my room, and had her spend the night. AJ never judged, but I don’t think she’d approve.

My thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. Applejack got up to answer it.

It was quiet for a second; then I heard the door open. “Well, hi there, Sweetie Belle. She’s in the kitchen.”

“Are you coming to the show tonight?” Sweetie Belle asked warmly.

“I wouldn’t miss it.”

Sweetie Belle entered the kitchen beaming. AJ followed shortly after. “Good, you aren’t in bed.”

“Well, good morning to you too, Sweetie,” I said sarcastically.

She sat across from me at the table. She leaned over the table, coming in close to me. “Good morning,” she said with a breathy reply.

If I didn’t know better, I’d say she was flirting with me. I frowned at her as I caught the corners of Applejack’s mouth twitching. I knew she was fighting real hard to suppress a huge grin. “Are you alright, Sweetie?”

“Nope,” she shook her head. “I'm excited!” She moved closer; her nose was practically touching mine. “Aren’t you?”

I felt hot in my cheeks. I just had to move a little closer to kiss her. “I-I’m a little nervous.”

Sweetie Belle sat down in her chair. “Oh. I guess that’s reasonable. But you should be excited. If we get this…” she lowered her voice, and gave a nervous glance at Applejack. “If we get this, TS said he would have a contract for us.”

My heart was beating hard. “Not helping.”

Sweetie cringed. “Sorry.”

I rolled my eyes. She was in such a chipper mood; it was hard not to gush all over her. But I kept it together.

“What are you two fillies doin’ before the show tonight?” asked Applejack. “It sure is a mighty fine day; why don’t you two go on a picnic? I’ll pack y’all some apple fritters.”

I blushed madly as I buried my face in my hooves. She just couldn’t help herself could she? “I’m not sure we’ll have time for—”

“I think it’s a great idea!” exclaimed Sweetie.

I shot her a confused look. “You do? Sweetie, you know our show is tonight, right?”

Sweetie sat back in her chair. “And? It’s not like we’re doing this picnic all day. We’ll go get things set up after.”

“Okay…” I sighed. My sister was too much. She wasn’t going to pester me about Sweetie Belle, but she was going to force us into romantic settings now. If her and Rarity decided team up…

“What’d I tell ya,” Applejack said playfully.

I grumbled and stood up from my chair and stretched. “Should we get Scoots?”

“For the picnic?” Sweetie Belle frowned. “You know she’s not into those kinds of things.”

I shrugged. I couldn’t think of a time she said she hated picnics; not recently anyway. She wasn’t even that tomcolt like anymore.

“I don’t have enough apple fritters for all three of ya. We all know that Scootaloo can eat like no pony’s business.”

“Yeah… how is she not fat?” asked Sweetie Belle with a hint of irritation. “I can only eat half of what she eats and gain weight. And I still had to lose weight for the Filly-Tonix.”

I looked over Sweetie’s body casually. She wasn’t fat; not even close. Sure, she slimmed down a little in the Filly-Tonix. I had always assumed that was from the constant activity. But had to lose weight? If she had lost any more, her ribs would start to show.

“Super pegasus metabolism, I suppose.” Applejack shrugged. “I’ll pack everything up for you two. After the show, I’ll make some more so Scoots can have some too.”

“Ooh, thanks, Applejack. What a perfect way to spend the rest of the morning,” Sweetie chirped.

“You betcha, Sugarcube.” She flashed me a knowing grin.

A few minutes later, Applejack had packed a basket with a checkered blanket and apple fritters. We headed out the door and into the orchard. We decided not to go too far, and found a nice shaded place in the orchard on top of one of our orchard’s rolling hills. It wasn’t much, but it gave us a view of the entire farm.

“Perfect spot,” Sweetie Belle said as she used her magic to unfold and stretch out the checkered blanket. She lay on her side, stretching out completely.

I secretly gave her figure a few glances as I pretend to find a comfortable position on the opposite side of the blanket. She had no idea what a tease she really was.

“And the grass is soft. I’m just going to sleep here until the show.” She rolled over onto her back, staring up at the sky.

I took a fritter out of the basket and ate. With Sweetie cloud gazing, I was less discreet. Her pearly-white body was smooth and lean. Her hind legs were bent at the knees over her lower belly, covering her teats, but only just. The curve of her hindquarters and the roundness of her butt was perfect. Her hip bone just barely visible, and the way her stomach tapered off to her undercarriage... She didn't have bulky colt muscles or hips like I had. No, she was sculpted perfection.

Sweetie rolled over to face me, and I had to quickly tear my eyes away from her. “How do you feel about this show?” she asked.

“I always get nervous, but I think this will be it. We’ve raised the stakes by adding them dancers.” I offered her a fritter from the basket, which she took graciously and nibbled on.

Sweetie smiled. “Ooh that reminds me, Dos-à-Dos seemed to be getting a little friendly with you—I should've warned you about her… I keep forgetting to do that—” Sweetie shook her head. She was blushing madly. “Anyway, she’s a bit, um… well she gets around, and she’s all about fillies; if you know what I mean.”

I had to suppress a laugh as the events from last night came rushing into my mind. “Ya don’t say… well I think she’s really nice.”

“She is,” said Sweetie Belle. Then she frowned. “Wait… you mean you think she’s nice?”

I nodded. Sweetie Belle’s jaw dropped. “What? I thought you knew.” I gestured hopelessly. “Everyone else seems to know,” I muttered.

“I-I had no idea. Really? If this is a joke, it isn’t funny.”

“I ain’t jokin.’ I’ve had a thing for fillies since like always.” I wanted to say I had a thing for her, but that will have to wait; her mind was already blown by this.

“I guess we never really talked about it…” Sweetie Belle looked down at the blanket.

“True… we usually just listen to Scootaloo’s sex talks and innapropiate jokes.” We both giggled. “Remember when Twist overheard Scoots talking about how big of a stallion she thinks she can take, and we kept trying to convince her that no stallion was that big—”

“And then she went on about some erotic dream with two big stallions…” Added Sweetie Belle, talking over me.

“Yeah…” I laughed. “She probably thought we were the grossest fillies ever.”

“She certainly didn’t talk to us much after that,” Sweetie giggled. “Oh that’s terrible. We should apologize to her. Scoots is just very… open on that subject.”

“Horny pegasus,” I mutter. Sweetie Belle snorted. “Well I guess you know what I like.” I held my fore hooves up. “The question now is, what do you like, Sweetie? Or as Scoots would say: do you like the pie or do you like the meat stick? Or both?”

Sweetie’s jaw dropped. “Bloom! You are so bad!” Sweetie Belle’s face had gone bright red. Partially from laughter, and partially from the very direct question.

There was a good chance everything I had hoped for—lusted for—would be shattered right here. I shouldn't have asked. I found myself leaning forward as Sweetie Belle struggled to answer my question.

“I-um-I’m not sure?” Sweetie looked up at me. “I really hadn’t thought about that stuff… much. I’ve been so focused on music and stuff…”

Maybe Dos-à-Dos was right. She didn’t know herself what she was. But I found that hard to believe. I knew pretty quickly, even if I didn’t want to admit it. Scoots knew right away, and announced to all of Ponyville practically that she was bi.

“Come on, Sweetie, you’ve been in heat. What do you think about when you… you know?”

Sweetie’s stretched out body curled up. She breathed heavily and avoided my eyes. I cringed at her discomfort.

That was stupid. She wasn’t Scootaloo, who’d give me a detailed description of what she got off to each night. Sweetie was bashful about this stuff. Probably because of something Rarity had instilled into her about being a lady or some nonsense.

“You don’t have to answer that,” I said quickly. “I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have asked such a question—you know what? Let’s just forget the whole thing and talk about our show.”

Sweetie Belle relaxed a little. “I don’t know,” she said simply. “I don’t know why it’s so hard for me to talk about this. When I’m in heat I just… sort of… do it. Maybe something is wrong with me because I don’t know?”

I sat up quickly, giving her a serious look. “Hey look, Sweetie, nothing is wrong with you.”

“Are you sure? I head Scoots talk all the time about this stuff and how she thinks certain colts are hot and other fillies are attractive. And now you say you’ve always known you liked fillies…” She trailed off. “I think certain ponies are good looking, but I’m not sure if I’m attracted to them.”

“Hey, it’s okay. Maybe it takes some longer to know than others. Does it change anything if you know or not right now?”

Sweetie Belle thought for a minute before answering. “I guess not,” she dejected.

I took a deep breath. My dumb flank opened this can of worms. There was no way out except to dive straight in! “Okay, so imagine this… you’re in the most intense heat at its peak, and you need some relief…” Sweetie Belle tensed up a little. “You go to hoof yourself raw—you’re in crazy bad heat—what’s the first fantasy that comes to your mind without even thinking about it?”

“Um, I guess—”

I cut across her. “Don’t think! What is it?”

“A filly going down on me!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed. There was dead silence; we head nothing but the occasional chirps from birds. We stared at each other, and then, Sweetie clapped a hoof over her mouth, her eyes wide.

My heart was practically exploding with glee.

Sweetie Belle was the first to break the silence. “I-I guess I’m a fillyfooler…”

I had to play devil’s advocate just to be sure. “You said a filly going down on you… but would you eat out another filly?” My face went bright red. By ‘another filly’ I was mostly meaning me.

“Maybe? I’m not sure. The idea doesn’t gross me out whereas sucking off a colt just seems…”

“Nasty?” I suggested.

“Yeah.” Her eyes light up with realization. “Yes. Remember how I always hated that colt smell? That musky smell?”

She had complained about colts in the classroom smelling bad many times. I would always agree, and Scootaloo never noticed; she just thought we were crazy. “It’s supposed to turn mares on or something. I always thought it would once I got older…”

I nodded. “Yeah it doesn’t work for us, I suppose.”

I was glad to finally have an answer to a question that’s been bugging me for ages. And I was glad to have helped Sweetie discover something about herself. I, of course, wanted to ask her if the mare scent turned her on. Or, more specifically, if my scent turned her on. But those were pretty invasive questions. She had just come to the realization a few seconds ago. There was no need to overload her.

We made eye contact briefly, and for no particular reason we busted out giggling. We laughed and laughed, rolling and slapping the ground with our hooves until our sides hurt.

I wasn’t sure if I was imagining things or if Sweetie was looking at me a little differently now. She smiled differently, and her face radiated a different light.

Another quiet moment filled the space after our giggles had subsided. For a while our heavy breathing was all we could hear. And then, Sweetie Belle snickered quietly before speaking. “I can just see how this conversation will go with Rarity...

“Hey, Rarity it turns out I like fillies.

“Oh, Sweetums, are you sure?” Sweetie said in an eerily accurate impression of Rarity. “Yep. Apple Bloom asked me if I’d stick my tongue in some filly’s foal hole, and I said yes—”

“Sweetie!” I cried, choking on my own saliva.

“What?” she asked innocently. “You think Scoots is the only one who can talk like that?”

“Umm, yes?” We both snorted with laughed again.

She nodded. “You’re probably right. But can you imagine?”

“Not really, I must admit. AJ kinda already knew when I told her. It wasn’t much of a thing, really.”

“I’m sure Rarity doesn’t care, but it will shock her.”

“She might already know,” I suggested. “I think they start suspecting it when you aren’t talking about colts at a certain age. And you were with a bunch of fillies on tour, sharing hotel rooms… wearing tight spandex together, dancing together—”

“Point taken!” Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes. “This is all still new to me. I will tell her when I’m ready. I mean… it’s still so…” she shook her head. “Overwhelming. How could I have been so clueless about it?”

“I guess when you’re so focused on other things you sorta overlook it.”

“Your trick worked! Awkward, but it really helped me realize that in the heat of the moment, I would be thinking about other fillies.”

“Exactly. AJ once told me we all have certain things that are just part of who we are and never change, like our preferences and such,” I replied enthusiastically. There was more to what my sister had said, but I couldn’t remember the specifics: I got the general idea across.

Sweetie’s eyes lit up. “That’s true!” she squeaked. “Pony psychology suggests there are innate traits we will always default to. Like, are you right hoofed or left? You can train yourself to be good with your off hoof, but in a time of stress of reflex, you’ll default to your dominant hoof. This is true in sexuality too. You always have a default preference—”

“Sweetie, you’re such a dork.” I stuck my tongue out at her.

“But it’s interesting, and Twilight will be proud of me for learning that and making those connections.”

Oh, she was such a bookworm. And it was always really cute when she just knowledge dumps everything so matter-of-factly. If her music career never takes off, at least she’s got the brains to do just about anything.

“Anyway, back to what started all of this,” Sweetie said. “You and Dosie?” she asked raising her eyebrows mockingly.

“What? No. I just think she’s nice. We aren’t dating or doing anything.” My face went bright red.

“You two would be cute together.”

I was forced to agree. But I wasn’t ready to jump into something physical, especially a one-night-stand. I simply shrugged. “Maybe. She’s not into relationships though.”

Sweetie Belle nodded. “Yeah, I heard she kinda sleeps around. She was going out with one of the other fillies at the academy back in the day. They were inseparable. Then that other filly moved away.”

“That sucks,” I added.

“It gets worse,” Sweetie’s voice darkened. “See Dosie was madly in love with her. She even went to visit her one summer in Manehatten, I think. Anyway Dosie found out she was seeing someone else.” Sweetie lowered her head, staring at the ground. “It broke her heart. She was beyond devastated. She didn’t come back to the academy for almost a year.”

My heart sank. If I was confused about my decision last night, it was nothing to how I felt for her now. Maybe she wanted more than a quick roll in the hay? Maybe she just didn’t want to risk getting close until she was certain… the heart can be so fragile in the hooves of those we love most.

“She came out of her depression,” Sweetie Belle said, bringing me out of me thoughts. “She came back, had a few flings with some of the girls, but nothing serious.”

“Wow, I had no idea…”

“Yeah, she won’t talk about it much. I think it’s still too painful for her. We all felt so bad for her… she’s doing good now though.” Sweetie shook her head and stretched her hind legs. “Anyway, we have a show to do tonight.”

I nodded. I couldn’t help feeling a bit carefree. I still had no idea if she liked me like that or if she ever would. But the Dos-à-Dos history rested heavy over my shoulders now.

“We do.” I looked into the picnic basket to find one more fritter. “Ya want it?”

Sweetie shook her head.

“Do they taste funny?” I asked, noticing the half-eaten one next to her

“No, they’re just a lot of sugar.”

“Sweetie… I saw you drink an entire milkshake last week,” I protested.

“I was in heat,” she snapped. “I get cravings.”

“I’m just teasin. If you don’t want it, I’ll eat it.” I reached for the fritter, but Sweetie swatted my hoof away.

“No. Mine.”

“Hey. You said—”

“I said it was a lot of sugar. I never said anything about giving it to you.” Sweetie Belle ate the remainder of it in one bite. She flashed me the most adorable smile after, my heart practically melted. Sometimes I hated how much control she had over my emotions with the simplest actions. Sometimes I loved it; she could smile at me, and all of my troubles washed away.

I ate the last one quickly and stood up. Sweetie Belle folded the blanket quickly with her expert magical skill.

By mid-afternoon we were at the Ponyville City Center. We took a long way around to avoid large crowds on the main roads. We entered through the side door to the backstage area. Feather Step was pacing the entire area muttering her lines to herself in a rushed agitated voice.

“There you two are!” she said and rushed over to us. “I’m, like, freaking out right now. Holy Celestia this place looks so much bigger from up here on stage. And the curtain isn’t even up yet!”

I put a hoof on her shoulder. “It’s going to be okay. You’ll be great! I was really nervous the first time—heck I’m nervous now. I’m singing lead this time.”

Feather Step nodded. “I-I know. But what if I forget my lines?”

“We’ll deal with it if and when that happens,” Sweetie Belle said quickly. “It has happened to us all. I got my tongue tied when introducing the FIlly-Tonix in Las Pegasus. I said, ‘hello Baltimare our show to you welcome.’ I was mortified. Especially because of the deafening silence after, and I realized what I had said.”

Feather Step clapped a hoof over her mouth. “Oh wow. What happened after that?”

“I would have been okay with Celestia banishing me to Tartarus right there…” Sweetie smiled. “I played it off as a joke. It was a stroke of genius that will never come again. I said, ‘Come on, Las Pegasus! Where’s your spirit? I just insulted your city by calling it Baltimare! You were supposed to boo! Are you ponies dead out there?” Sweetie Belle shrugged. “It worked, they laughed.”

“Wow, nice save,” I said. “Hey, why didn’t you tell Scoots and I this one?”

Sweetie Belle shrugged. “You two wanted jucy behind the scene stories.

“Anyway, point is, Feather Step, it’s not the end of the world if you do. But I think you’ll be great. You know your lines, and the rest of it is dancing, and you can do that really well.”

Feather Step exhaled loudly. “Okay. I got this! Just like dancing with some talking in it. How hard can it be?”

“Exactly,” I agreed. “So, should we run through it a few times?”

“Yes,” Sweetie agreed. “Are the musicians here yet?”

“Yeah, they were practicing in the band room, but half the dancers aren’t here yet.” Feather Step said.

No sooner had she said that when the door swung open, and in walked Dos-à-Dos and the rest of the dancers. I avoided her gaze, as she looked in my direction.

She approached us. She seemed a little tense, but that was understandable. She didn’t flash me any cute glances or smiles. I guess I had gotten used to them. “Hey, you two. Are you guys ready for this?”

“Yep,” Sweetie Belle said cheerfully.

“I reckon so. Feather Step is a little spun up, but I think we helped calm her down a bit.”

Dosie made a dismissive gesture. “She’s always like that. Don’t worry, she’ll be fine.”

“Well, now that we’re all here, I think we should run through it at least once.” Sweetie Belle looked around the stage, visually counting everyone. “Just a dry run, no singing.”

“Why no singing?” asked Dosie.

“So we don’t ruin our voices before the show,” I replied, looking at her. It was the first time we had made eye contact. Her big blue eyes gazed into me, and the sides of her mouth twitched into a small smile.

Did I hurt her last night? Sweetie said she hasn’t been close to anyone since her horrible breakup… maybe she thought I was different? It was a lot of flirting for a quick roll in the hay… maybe she wanted to see where it could’ve gone?

Alright, everypony!” Sweetie Belle yelled. Her voice echoed through the stage. Our two set pieces did little to absorb any sound. “We’re going to do a run-through! Positions!”

“Um, Apple Bloom. Can I have a quick word,” Dosie said quietly.

Startled and perplexed by her request, I nodded and followed her out of hearshot of Sweetie Belle.

“Hey, um,” she said quietly. “H-how are you?”

I frowned. “Fine?”

She shook her head. “I’m sorry… I’m not good at this. I-I meant are you okay with me? Did I make things weird between us?”

I exhaled. “Oh, no. Not at all.”

“I-I was just wondering. You seemed a little distant and not yourself… but I guess that’s because of the show.” She looked down and stomped her hoof. “Gosh, I’m so stupid—”

I put a hoof on her shoulder, calming her. “Hey, don’t be so hard on yourself.” I took a deep breath. “I thought I had really hurt you last night. Okay?”

She looked into my eyes, and smiled sadly. “And you were feeling guilty for saying no, right?”

“Yeah,” I muttered.

“Oh, Apple Bloom, you really are an amazing pony. You have such a wonderful heart. Don’t feel bad. I’m fine.”

“Are-are you sure? Sweetie told me the whole story, and I just feel so bad. We were really hitting it off and—”

“What are you two doing over there? Come on!” Sweetie Belle shouted.

“We’ll talk later,” I said before rushing off to my place on the stage.

We ran through it twice without issue. As it got closer to show time, we set up our set pieces behind the curtain. One was a simple cross section of a shop, and the other was a dance club setting. They sat at opposite ends of the stage, leaving the middle wide open.

Talent Scout arrived backstage about a half hour before we were to start. He carried a messenger bag over his shoulder and wore a neutral expression… until he saw the hip hop dance team fillies, and a smile broke out across his face.

“Sweetie Belle,” he said with ridiculous levels of formality. It would almost seem like he was mocking her. “I never received a script… I had no idea you’ve expanded the production.”

Sweetie Belle shrugged. “Our show is a surprise!”

“But backup dancers?” he asked. He seemed particularly interested in them. His eyes lingered on Feather Step for a few seconds longer than what one would consider polite. “Are you recreating the Filly-Tonix?” Talent Scout’s eyes were practically glowing.

“To make this show work we had to add some dancers and actors.”

Talent Scout stared blankly at me as if I had spoken in a forgeign language. It was a simple yet effective way to make me feel small, unimportant, and stupid.

“You will just have to see,” Sweetie chirped, filling in the awkward silence.

It was enough to pull his glare off me and back onto Sweetie Belle. “I’m sure you’ll be great.” He held up his messenger bag. “I have some things for you to look over if all goes well tonight.”

Sweetie’s eyes lit up. “Oooh. Contracts?”

Talent Scout gave a sly smile, but didn’t say anything. Sweetie beamed and jumped up and down on the spot. “Now get out there and knock them dead.” He swatted her on the hind quarters, just above her tail dock. He then walked passed me without a second look.

I glared after him, grinding my teeth. My eyes were locked on his head. He can insult me, but touching my friend? Eyeing the others?

I knew what I had to do. I needed to do what was right. The show be damned! I was walking after him. I saw ponies around me, but they didn’t matter. I was almost to him, when something grabbed me, and prevented me from moving forward. I struggled against it, but soon found it pointless.

I turned to see a green haze around my body.

“It’s not worth it,” said a sweet voice in my ear. I turned to see Dos-à-Dos effortlessly holding me in her magical aura.

“Dosie, let me go,” I grunted. “I need to kick the snot out of him.”

“I know. I saw the whole thing. If you do that… it will only end badly for you.”

“It’s Sweetie I’m doing it for,” I spat.

Dos-à-Dos sighed. “It will ruin her too. Stallions like that wield a lot of power. He will ruin her, and you.”

“But, but he just—and it’s not even the first time he’s done it! No one disrespects my friends like that! Let me go!” I snarled. I was beside myself shaking.

“I know…” Dosie said softly. “Apple Bloom please calm down and listen.” Her magical aura fell, and she wrapped me in her hooves.

Her warm softness did calm me. I was reducing to breathing short and hotly. She continued to hold me and rub my back softly. Slowly, my breathing slowed. “That’s it. Just breathe,” she whispered.

“Look at me,” she said. “He’s a scumbag. He’s taking advantage of Sweetie’s dreams and ambitions, and worst of all, sees her as an object he can use. But if you go pick a fight with him, you both will be very sorry.

“After the show, report him. Report him to Princess Twilight even.”

“Okay,” I said flatly. She was right, and that annoyed me. I was acting like an idiot.

“We have a show starting very soon. You’re the star tonight. We’re counting on you to carry the performance. You can deal with him after. I can come too, as a witness, and support if you feel like you need it..”

I nodded. “Right. Show must go on. I just don’t like how he ignores me, makes me feel stupid, how he treats Sweetie Belle…”

“Just remember… we are about to put on a kick ass show—a show you two wrote—not him.”

I smiled at her as she released me from her embrace. “You really think it’s that good?”

She nodded. “If you don’t believe in your own work, no one else will either.” She pecked me on the cheek. “Break a leg. Curtain in ten minutes.”

I stood there stunned. My mind was blown. Was that the difference between the soulless productions mass produced with writers and consultants and sessions musicians and genuine art? Was this the machine Applejack referred to? We were making a very big mistake working with TS, and whatever he had in that bag wasn’t going to be good for us at all…

A frantic Sweetie Belle came rushing over. “There you are! Get into costume! Hurry!”

My eyes went wide as I remembered Dos-à-Dos saying ten minutes. I swore under my breath and rushed to the changing room, Sweetie Belle on my tail. “What the hay were you doing?” she squeaked.

“Wha—nothing.” I shook my head. I didn’t like lying, but now wasn’t the time. “I’ll tell you later.”

“Ugh, here take this.” She tossed me a dress and four heeled boots.

The dress was a black and white cow-pony formal dress. It had several small sequence diamonds down the flanks and around the hips. The collar was double breasted with larger diamonds that went down in a V shape to the center of my chest. The boots were black with silver points at the toes.

I was ready in record time. Sweetie Belle had applied my makeup with the most precise magical skill I had ever seen. Luckily for her, she didn’t need any makeup for her part.

We left the changing room with minutes to spare. We arrived with the rest of the dancers, who were looking around frantically.

“Oh thank Celestia,” Feather Step said. “I thought you were going to miss it.”

“Wow, you look nice, Apple Bloom,” said Dos-à-Dos with an approving smile.

“We have a full house,” said Sweetie Belle peering through the little side window. Feather Step shifted nervously. “... and here… we… go. Break a leg, fillies.”

The lights went down, a single spot light lit the center of the stage. The rumble of voices talking over another died. Silence. I took a deep breath, cleared my mind, and stepped out onto the stage.

I stepped into the light; it helped blind me to the fact that thousands of eyes were upon me. “Howdy there, fillies and gentlecolts! Welcome to our second Belle and Bloom production!” A cheer rose like wall of sound, and then fell silent quickly. “We hope you’ll enjoy the show. Today we’ll focus on things many young fillies and mares struggle with. And yes colts and stallions struggle too. We want you out there, especially those young fillies and colts, to know you ain’t alone. We hear ya.”

A few cheers and a few cat-calls rang out in my pause. “We hope you’ll enjoy the show!”

I stepped off the stage as the curtain rose, revealing Sweetie Belle standing next to a clothing rack full of dresses. Dos-à-Dos, Feather Step, and the other dancers moved about several clothing racks holding dresses. They would occasionally take one off the rack to examine it.

“I do love this dress. But, why does it have to be a size two?” Feather Step asked, overstating her outrage.

“This one is nice,” Dos-à-Dos added.

“Are you crazy? What will ponies think of me in that? How are we going to, like, not look fat and not look like we’re trying too hard?”

Sweetie Belle pulled a dress off a rack, and held it up to her. She did a quick twirl and smiled.

Feather Step moved toward her quickly. “Size six?” she laughed hysterically. “You silly unicorn, you’re not fat. Quit screwing around and get a size one like all of us. Unless you’re like miss perfect over there in her size zero.”

Dos-à-Dos grinned. “That’s right.” She ran a hoof through her mane. “I only eat once a day to not get fat. Can you imagine me in a size two? I think I’d rather die.”

Feather Step nodded. “The shame would kill us all…” she shuddered. “Size six. Too funny.”

Sweetie Belle reluctantly grabbed a different dress. “There. We’ll see you tonight, fatty.” The other fillies burst into a fit of giggles. “Or… I should say, we’ll hear you coming.” They giggled again.

Sweetie looked down at the ground, and the audience awed loudly. “I’m, like, joking… you’ll look nice in that dress.”

The lights went down, and the curtain fell. Two of the fillies quickly moved a mirror and dresser onto the stage, then moved off. The light came back up. Sweetie Belle was trying to stuff herself into the too-small dress. She struggled and flailed about until a loud tearing sound was heard, making her freeze. Pouting, she pulled the torn fabric away. She gazed into the mirror, she pushed on her stomach, and bent her head down and wept softly.

The audience awed softly again for her.

That was my queue. The spotlight on Sweetie dimmed and turned a shade of blue as another light shone on me. A twangy banjo started softly as I approached the microphone, and stood right next to Sweetie Belle. Then it repeated a little faster as the drum beat started. My heart was pounding as I opened my mouth and sang out.

Why do you keep on staring?
That mirror, mirror, it ain't fair at all
Dress sizes can't define, don't let the world decide what's beautiful
No.

I stood behind Sweetie and pulled her to her feet.

You won't make yourself a name if you follow the rules
History gets made when you're acting a fool
So don't hold it back and just run it
Show what you got and just own it
No, they can't tear you apart

I did a little twirl.

If you trust your rebel heart, ride it into battle
Don't be afraid, take the road less traveled

Sweetie Belle smiled softly and sang out, harmonizing perfectly.

Wear out your boots and kick up the gravel
Don't be afraid, take the road less traveled on
Oh, ooh whoa, oh, ooh whoa
Take the road less traveled on

Sweetie Belle looked into the mirror and smiled. She started dancing around in no particular way and off beat swinging her hips wildly.

Don't follow anyone
March to the rhythm of a different drum
Why do we analyze, break out, and criticize the crazy ones?
Oh

Sweetie Belle did a crazy running-in-place move that she ad libbed on the spot. The audience laughed.

We both leaned over onto the same microphone for the chorus.

If you trust your rebel heart, ride it into battle
Don't be afraid, take the road less traveled
Wear out your boots and kick up the gravel
Don't be afraid, take the road less traveled on
Oh, ooh whoa, oh, ooh whoa
Take the road less traveled on

I opened the dresser and brought out the dress she picked out. Sweetie quickly put it on, and did another twirl, showing off her dress.

Put your hooves up, show me that you're one of a kind
Put your hooves up, let me hear your voice tonight
Oh!

Sweetie Belle skipped across the stage. The lights came up for that section revealing a dance floor, and the rest of the backup dancers on the dance floor.

The music faded.

Sweetie Belle entered the dance area, and the other fillies stopped their routine to stare at her.

“Oh, wow, you, like, really are fat,” said Feather Step.

Sweetie Belle stood stunned for a second; she walked past them and walked onto the stage. Upbeat disco sounding music started playing, and she started dancing. She danced like she was the only one in the room, like no one was watching her. Off beat, out of step, but having a blast none-the-less.

As soon as the music started playing, I did my big twirl I had practiced many times. Remembering Dosie’s advice, I remembered to lean back a little more on my turn. I nailed it! It was better than any rehearsal.

We both began to sing.

Ooh
Ooh
Ooh

You can dance
You can jive
Having the time of your life
Ooh, see that girl
Watch that scene
Diggin’ the dancing queen

The other fillies crossed their fore-legs, looking cross.

Friday night and the lights are low
Looking out for a place to go
Where they play the right music
Getting in the swing
You come to look for a king
Anybody could be that guy
Night is young and the music's high
With a bit of rock music
Everything is fine
You're in the mood for a dance
And when you get the chance

Slowly the other fillies began to join her on the dance floor. Dosie pantomimed showing Sweetie basic dance steps. Feather Step remained stubbornly not having fun. The rest joined in for the chorus.

You are the dancing queen
Young and sweet
Only seventeen
Dancing queen
Feel the beat from the tambourine, oh yeah
You can dance
You can jive
Having the time of your life
Ooh, see that girl
Watch that scene
Diggin’ the dancing queen

I joined everyone else on the dance floor, standing in front of them. I gestured to Sweetie Belle.

You're a teaser, you turn 'em on
Leave 'em burning and then you're gone
Looking out for another
Anyone will do
You're in the mood for a dance
And when you get the chance

For the refrain I beckoned to Feather Step, who turned up her nose. We all beckoned. She threw up her hooves, and joined us on the dance floor. We all sang the chorus at the top of our lungs.

The music came to a halt, the lights went down, and the curtain fell. The house erupted into thunderous cheers and hoof stomping, and whistles. We all took center stage and bowed to the increasing volume.

“Thank you all!” I screamed into the microphone. “Give it up for the amazing Sweetie Belle!” The noise grew lounder. As it started to die down I shouted again. “And a special thanks to the hip hop dance team from the Ponyville Dance Academy!” The cheers rose to deafening levels again.

“And let’s not forget the amazing Apple Bloom!” Sweetie Belle shouted. I received the loudest cheer yet. It was amazing the amount of noise they were making. I can’t remember the crowds going this crazy for the Filly-Tonix.

“I’m Belle! She’s Bloom! We are Belle and Bloom, and that’s our show! Good night, Ponyville!” Sweetie shouted.

We left the stage. My ears were ringing, and I could still hear they cheering and stomping like no other.

“That was amazing!” Dos-à-Dos squeezed Sweetie Belle and kissed her cheek, making her blush.

“I did it!” Feather Step shouted.

“I told you, you’d do great!” I hugged her tightly. “You were awesome!”

“And so were you!” I was scooped up into Dos-à-Dos’s strong embrace. I was forced to think of all the times I’ve been held by her in very recent times. “That spin was flawless. Your singing was unbelievable!” She kissed both of my cheeks.

It was an amazing feeling. We were on top of Equestria. This was our greatest night ever!

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