Bright sunshine glimmered off the pool, the clear water reflecting dancing light up into the sky.
"I think we are going to get into trouble," Sweetie Belle whined softly; watching as Scootaloo started to back away from the chain link fence.
"Nonsense we ain't doing nothing wrong," said Apple Bloom; also watching as their pegasus friend took a small run up towards the tall fence, her small wings flapping suddenly humming softly as she lifted up off the ground.
"Just give me a second!" Scootaloo shouted, perhaps a little too loudly to her two friends, flying over the fence and landing carefully on the other side.
"Nailed it!" Scootaloo hoof thrusted into the air in victory, before trotting towards the gate not really looking where she was going.
Scootaloo felt a sudden pain against her nose and then her butt as she was stopped, very suddenly by the swimming instructor standing right before her!
"Can I help you little pony?" Splish Splash asked, she looked down to Scootaloo who was rubbing her muzzle with her hooves.
"Miss Splish Splash, we weren't doing nothing wrong!" Scootaloo said looking up at the grey blue unicorn.
"Of course not, that's why you were breaking in rather then asking to use my pool?" asked Splish Splash rhetorically.
Scootaloo shuffled uncomfortably, "We just trying to get our cutie marks..."
Splish Splash rolled her eyes and trotted with Scootaloo to the large gate in the fence, pulling it open with a slow griding noise.
"We'll just be leaving!" Scootaloo said, starting to gallop away; only to realise her feet were not quite touching the ground as Splish Splash had lifted her off the ground.
"H..hey!" Scootaloo complained, her legs still making scampering running motions in the air.
Splish Splash set Scootaloo down smiling to the three small fillies, "Well you guys coming in?"
The cutie mark crusaders lit up with joy as they bounced into the large warmed pool.
"Now pool safety rules..." Splish Splash announced, the joy deflating slightly as the three looked up to the unicorn.
"First and most important, no drowning!" Splish Splash commanded, her horn glinting in the sun.
"Secondly ... have fun!" She announced, grinning at the three fillies.
Sweetie Belle was first into the water, with an elegant circular dive there was almost no splash at all as she gracefully entered the water.
"Ooh Miss Splish Splash this is really nice, it is heated?" Sweetie Belle asked, starting to swim lengths of the pool.
"Well Girls," Splish Splash said looking to the remaining two. "The water is fine and the weather is great!"
Apple Bloom looked down into the clear pool water, shrinking back from the edge as she was unable to see the bottom.
"Issit very deep Miss?" She asked gulping softly, nerevously pressing her hoof into the water.
"Only here at the deep end, you can swim down here if it makes you feel better," Splish Splash replied, she started to lead Apple Bloom to the shallower end.
"It's okay, Twilight and Rainbow Dash never like leaving the shallow end!" She winked at Apple Bloom.
Apple Bloom slowly stepped from shallow step to shallow step descending into the pool, a sense of relief sweeping over her as the water did. She thought that if Twilight and Rainbow didn't feel good leaving the shallow end, there's no reason to worry about it.
Scootloo's wings hummed again fluttering lightly in the breeze, a single feather fell from her wing into the pool, floating calmly on the surface.
Splish Splash returned from where she had helped Apple Bloom into the pool, she looked at the little pegasus, "You never swam before?"
Scootaloo flustered backing up accidentally against the chain link fence.
"I ain't afraid of it!" Scootaloo spat as she tried to press herself back further into the chain link fence.
Splish Splash nodded offering her hoof to Scootaloo, "I know, come on let me help you."
Scootaloo whinnied slightly as Splish Splash started to lead her down to the same end as Apple Bloom, rather than heading to the steps they continued around to the rim of the shallow end of the pool.
"What you doing?" Scootaloo asked, watching suspiciously as Splish Splash turned around and started to back into the water, her rump and googles and flipper cutie mark vanishing beneth the surface.
"Ahhhhh relaxing," said Splish Splash as she sighed happily. Her tail started to swish across the water surface, large ripples forming across the surface.
Scootaloo slunk closer, stretching her hoof out and tentively checking the water.
Splish Splash looked across her and nodded to the pool side, there was large hoof handles for holding onto for those less confidant in swimming.
Splish Splash pulled herself out of the water, just as Sweetie Belle reached the side and turned around, completing her first length and starting another.
"Right so ready to try?" Splish Splash asked Scootaloo, guiding her to the hoof handles.
"I ... guess," said Scootaloo grumbling, her small hooves clinging very tightly to the handles.
Splish Splash leaned down and whispered to Scootaloo, "I bet you can't get your wings in the water just in time to splash that unicorn."
Scootaloo looked up the pool, Sweetie Belle had picked up speed and confidence, she was almost at the other end already.
Steadying herself Scootaloo took a deep breath bracing herself just in case, tugging once more on the hoof handles to ensure they wouldn't come loose as she lowered her tail against the water surface.
"There we go, that's not so bad to start with is it?" Asked Splish Splash, as she trotted to in front of Scootaloo, carefully pressing her hooves onto the hoof handles for extra support.
Scootaloo for the first time let a small smile cross her face leaning back more and relaxing, now waiting and watching as Sweetie Belle started to swim with ease closer.
"Ready?" Splish Splash asked, grinning and watching, Scootaloo leaned back; more of her body sinking into the warm water as she beat her small wings once carefully testing feeling the resistance of the water against them.
"R..ready!" Scootaloo said and lowered herself just enougth, as Sweetie Belle approached suddenly there was a flurry of wingbeats, the soft humming of her small wings splashing and throwing up waves of water.
"Heeeeey!" Sweetie Belle complained splashing back to Scootaloo.
Scootaloo grined giggling splashing her wings more as Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle both started to splash at Scootaloo now.
"And ... release!" Splish Splash said suddenly, pressing a small button near the hoof handles as they game away and Scootaloo fell backwards into the water.
Only to her surprise she didn't fall far, she was already fully floating in the water and the pool was very shallow here so even small fillies could touch the bottom.
Scootaloo felt rather self conscious for a moment, how silly she had been to not just relax and enjoy it. This only lasted for a second before Sweetie Belle splashed more water against Scootaloo and she was forced to splash back.
"Miss Splish Splash?" Apple Bloom swam closer to the edge looking up to Splish Splash, she looked up and beckoned for Splish Splash to come nearer.
"Can I get a float please?" Apple Bloom asked, whispering quietly.
Splish Splash nodded fetching a small square of floating material.
"Okay!" Splish Splash said as she slipped into the pool herself.
Apple Bloom looked across the small float as Splish Splash held it neatly in her mouth, starting to swim backwards slowly clinging onto the float; Apple Bloom fixed her gave at the grey blue unicorn's horn, terrorified to look down as she could feel the floor of the pool slowly vanishing from underhoof.
"Amma doing it?" Apple Bloom asked, Splish Splash however released the float from her mouth and disappeared under the water, just in time for Apple Bloom to reach the rim of the deep end of the pool.
Apple Bloom clenched onto the float digging her hooves in, treading the water slowly starting to move around and heading back to the shallow end; her kicks becoming stronger, faster.
Splish Splash broke the surface of the water just beside Sweetie Belle, her eyes narrowing slightly as she grinned at the younger filly.
"Oh it is on!" said Sweetie Belle, starting to kick faster stretching and pushing herself to race Splish Splash.
Splish Splash backed off from Sweetie Belle, letting the other younger unicorn win.
Panting slightly Sweetie Belle looked to Scootaloo, she was still treading water; not going in past where the sloped floor left her hooves.
Apple Bloom arrived seconds later finally releasing her tight grip of the float, all three cutie mark crusaders starting to splash each other again.
Splish Splash left the now froathing with water, it was alive with the activity of the three splashing youngsters.
As Splish Splash looked on watching, knowing they might not get thier cutie marks from this but at least they would have a memory of a time together that would last.
