Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, and Scootaloo all sat in their clubhouse, discussing their next crusading mission.
"I think we should go skydiving!" Scootaloo suggested, slamming her hooves on the floor for effect.
"Ah... Ah don't know about that..." Applebloom responded as Sweetie Belle stood up.
"We can earn our cutie marks in selling stuff!"
Applebloom shook her head. "Nah. When Ah tried, my flank was blank as ever."
"Oh, okay..." Sweetie Belle pondered for a moment. "I have no more ideas."
Applebloom's face lit up. "Ah have an idea!"
"What is it?" Sweetie and Scootaloo chorused as Applebloom's smile widened.
"We should have a sleepover! That way we have even more time to think of ideas!"
"And fun!" Sweetie Belle added on. "But... where should we go?"
"We were at mah place the last time..." Applebloom recalled as she smiled again. "We should sleepover at your place, Scoots!"
Scootaloo turned her head away. "No, I don't think we can."
"Why not?" Sweetie Belle asked. "We've never been able to sleepover at your house!"
Scootaloo got a small glare. "And I think it's going to stay that way. My parents are... really busy."
"Really? What do they do?" Applebloom asked.
"They... oh, I forgot!" Scootaloo responded as she nervously smiled and glanced across the clubhouse. It was obvious to tell she was hiding something.
"Okay... well... we can sleepover at the boutique!" Sweetie Belle suggested.
"That's a great idea! When should we arrive?" Scootaloo asked.
"Well... does five o' clock work for you two?"
"Yep!" Scootaloo and Applebloom responded.
"Alright! Let's all get home, you two can pack your bags, and then we can have a sleepover!" Sweetie Belle remarked as they all started to bounce up and down.
Scootaloo was the first one out the door and immediately spotted Big Mac.
"Big Mac!" Scootaloo remarked, fluttering her wings as she ran down to him.
"Nice to see you too, Scoots!" Big Mac responded, giving Scootaloo's mane a small ruffle.
Scootaloo then turned to her friends. "I'll see you guys later!" She remarked as she took off on her scooter.
Applebloom walked up to Big Mac. "Big Mac? You look like your hidin' a secret," Applebloom informed as Big Mac got an embarrassed look.
"Why were you and Scootaloo acting like you were... family or somethin'?"
"We weren't. I just like talking to you guys," Big Mac responded. It surprised Applebloom to hear that much out of him. He normally barely talks.
"Well... alright. Sweetie Belle and I are going to get somethin' in the market... so... see ya later!" Applebloom responded as she took Sweetie's hoof and ran off.
"Applebloom! What are we doing?" Sweetie asked as Applebloom pointed to Scootaloo, who was doing a few tricks on her scooter in the center of town.
"We're seeing where her house is. It seems like she's hidin' somethin'."
"But... isn't that intruding on other's privacy?"
"Well, we're not gonna tell her we spied! We're just findin' out her real excuse to why she can't invite us over!"
"Well... okay..."
They saw Scootaloo speed off on her scooter.
"Let's follow her! Don't make a sound!" Applebloom remarked as she and Sweetie Belle silently trotted after Scootaloo.
After a minute of running after their friend, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle saw Scootaloo park her scooter outside of Fluttershy's cottage.
"Fluttershy?" Sweetie Belle questioned as she saw Scootaloo open the door, greeted by a hug from the butterscotch Pegasus.
"This doesn't make a lick a' sense!" Applebloom remarked. She then motioned for Sweetie Belle to follow her as she walked to the side of the cottage and peered through the window.
"How was school today?" The two heard Fluttershy ask Scootaloo as the filly threw her saddlebag against the wall.
"It was great! I made a drawing for you!" Scootaloo responded as she handed Fluttershy a paper.
"That would explain why she was drawing that butterfly earlier..." Sweetie Belle whispered as she saw Fluttershy's face light up.
"It's beautiful, sweetie! I'm going to hang this on the fridge!"
"Thanks!" Scootaloo then smiled even bigger. "I'm going to sleepover at Sweetie Belle's house at five o' clock!"
"Really? Well, then you better start packing! I'm sure you're going to have a lot of fun!" Fluttershy's smile then faded. "Did they ask to sleepover at our house?"
Applebloom and Sweetie Belle gasped. "OUR HOUSE?!" They remarked, looking at each other with wide eyes.
Fluttershy looked towards the window. "Who's out there?"
Fluttershy opened the window to see the two fillies sitting on the ground, looking back with wide eyes.
Fluttershy got an even more serious look on her face. "Come inside, girls. I think you should hear this."
"Hear what?" Sweetie Belle asked as she started to walk towards the front door.
"I'll tell you when you get in here," Fluttershy responded.
When the two reached the front door, Fluttershy opened it and let them in.
"Take a seat, girls." As the two sat down on the couch, Fluttershy continued, standing by Scootaloo's side. "Please promise you won't tell anypony. What I'm about to tell you is something only I, Scootaloo, and someone else knows about."
Applebloom and Sweetie Belle nodded. "We promise, Fluttershy!" They chorused as Fluttershy smiled.
"Thank you. You see..."
"Fluttershy's my mom," Scootaloo responded as the other crusaders looked at her with wide eyes.
"Really?! Wow!" Sweetie Belle responded.
"Then... who's yer father?" Applebloom asked as Fluttershy's face grew slightly red.
"Your brother, Applebloom."
"Ya mean... Big Mac?!"
"Yep!" Scootaloo responded as Applebloom's eyes grew wide.
"Big Mac had a child and never told anypony?" She asked. Her serious look then slowly turned into a smile. "Wait... if my brother had you... that means..."
"We're related!" Scootaloo finished as Applebloom got a huge smile.
"Oh, this is great!"
Sweetie Belle cocked her head to the side. "This doesn't make any sense. Why are you keeping this a secret?"
Fluttershy stepped forward. "Because it is embarrassing for me and Big Mac."
"Why?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Well, first of all, we weren't married. And pretty young, for parent standards. We got close... and... I soon became pregnant with Scootaloo. I hid in my house, making sure nopony would see me. During those months, Big Mac and I started to grow apart. We broke up, and agreed that the foal could stay at my house. Big Mac never opened up his secret to his family, and I never opened up to mine. Scootaloo was the greatest secret I've ever had to carry, and I still don't want anypony else figuring it out."
"Oh. I see what you mean." Sweetie Belle then got a confused look on her face. "So... you and Big Mac just... grew apart?"
"Yes." Fluttershy responded. "It happens in a lot of relationships. We decided to still be friends, though, since that's what we started seeing each other as."
Sweetie Belle nodded as she nervously laughed. "Yeah... Big Mac was probably not the best choice to use the love potion on..."
Fluttershy giggled. "Oh, you mean, with Cheerilee?"
"Yep! it's really strange, though."
"What's really strange?"
"After that day, it seemed like Cheerilee was into Big Mac or something. It still does. I notice it in class," Sweetie Belle responded as Fluttershy giggled again.
"Oh, I hope it works out for them."
"What? You won't be upset?" Sweetie Belle asked as Fluttershy shook her head.
"Nope. Big Mac and I had our fun together. If he's with another mare that makes him happy, I'll be happy as well."
"I guess I can see that..."
Scootaloo then got a huge smile. "Hey! How about you two sleepover here! Well, if that's okay with you, Fluttershy."
Fluttershy nodded. "Of course! Just run and tell your sisters where you'll be," Fluttershy then smiled brighter. "I'm just happy I can act like a parent to Scootaloo with you two here. It was awkward the last time you had a sleepover here, since I couldn't use my motherly instincts to take care of Scoots."
Applebloom smiled. "Alright! Thanks for telling us. Oh yeah, we're mighty sorry for spyin' on you two. We were just curious."
"It's okay! Really! Now... I'll see you girls in a few minutes!" Fluttershy responded as Sweetie Belle and Applebloom ran out the door.
After a second of silence, Scootaloo spoke up. "Mom?"
"Yes, sweetie?"
"Are you sure it was the best idea to tell others this information? I mean, what if they say something without meaning to?"
Fluttershy nodded her head. "I can trust that they won't say anything about it. They know how much of a secret it is to us, and I know they wouldn't want to hurt us in any way."
Scootaloo smiled. "Alright. Now... let's get the party started!" Scootaloo responded as she ran over to the closet, getting out a large assortment of party items.
Author's Note
This picture inspired me to write this. I mean, it makes a lot of sense, if you think about it.
(PLEASE don't down-vote the story just because you don't like how I had Fluttershy and Big Mac break up. I just did what made sense to the actual canon. Thanks!)
