Birds Of A Featherby DWhayChaptersThe Ride OverFriendly AdviceEven More Friendly AdviceChanges Of HeartThe Ride OverAmong the relative peace of the Equestrian countryside, a train was heading towards the station. It was still miles away from it's destination, approaching at what seemed to be a snail's pace. The tracks were nearly frozen solid and the conductors hadn't even wanted to run the train that cold winter's day. It had taken some negotiating, but the school teacher Cheerilee had been very persuading. Now her class was heading to Canterlot to take a tour of the famous Royal Castle and see the princess herself. The train carts were packed full with tired, grumbling foals, exhausted from waking up so early for their yearly field trip. In one specific train cart, The Cutie Mark Crusaders were laughing and yawning to a good book, along with their impromptu cart-mates. Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom were laughing beside Pipsqueak and Featherweight, who were beginning to drift off to sleep again. Being woken at three o'clock in the morning is bad, but having to haul your luggage to a train, getting into your cart and eating a ton of warm, fluffy pancakes is just asking for a very drowsy filly. Sweetie Belle was leaning against the wall, a small rivulet of drool hanging off her bottom lip as she drifted off again. Scootaloo was up in the luggage stow, using the shelf like a cot. Apple Bloom was taking up the seat across from Pip and Featherweight, snoring loudly. The colts were losing consciousness to persistent yawns and heavy eyelids, sitting next to each other since all other spots were taken. Neither wanted to fall asleep, but it wasn't much of a choice at that point. Pip was already drifting off, swaying from side to side and muttering nonsensical things to himself. Featherweight was almost as tired, managing to stay attentive but still struggling to keep his eyes open. "So..." Pip muttered in his Cockney accent. "Where do you come from, ye' scallywag?!" Scootaloo chuckled from her position up in her makeshift cot. Pip always head dreams about him being a pirate, and he seemed to be dreaming with his eyes open. Mostly open, anyways. His eyelids were battling him, half-shut and slowly descending. "Argh! I'll rend ye.... hoof to head... applesauce." He collapsed onto Featherweight's shoulder, snoring loudly. The other colt looked at Pip and smiled. It was nice to see his friend so peaceful, his red bandanna around his neck and the mid-morning sun trying to keep him awake. Although it was a bit uncomfortable, he decided it wasn't worth fighting, so he leaned over and rested his head on his friend, quickly falling asleep with the soft rhythm of Pip's heart. "Aww..." Sweetie Belle sighed. "That's so cute." It was beyond cute. It was flat-out adorable. Scootaloo rolled over and looked at them, smiling. "Okay, I've got to admit that's pretty cute." The usually anti-affectionate filly confessed. "Why can't we sleep like that?" Sweetie asked. "Because we fight enough as it is and I'd roll all over you." "Please?" "No, Bells. Even if we did Apple Bloom would wake up and be mad at us." "Well why? It's not like we'd be doing anything wrong?" "Where have you been? Apple Bloom would yell at us for a week straight." "Why, though?" Scootaloo groaned. "Do I really have to show you? Remember the time that one worker on her farm turned out to have a huge crush on her brother and she set his house on fire?" "I think I'd remember that, Scoots." "Ugh... fine, watch this." Scootaloo leaned over and poked Apple Bloom, waking her from her slumber. The junior farmhand blinked and looked around, groggy. "Are we there yet?" "No." Scootaloo replied. "But look at that, don't you think that's cute?" The filly blinked once, then twice, her teeth grating. "What do you think?! That is disgusting! Really, I can't even think of why you would think that's cute! A gross abomination of nature! If my big Sis' was here she'd kick both their flanks for sleeping like that!" Scootaloo leaned over to Sweetie. "That's why." "A disgustin' excuse for a colt! Both of you wake up now! I can't even look at it anymore!" Both of them jerked awake, groaning. Featherweight was having the most pleasant dream he'd been been in an ice cream parlor with his best buddy, Pip. The colt of his dreams was rolling over, waving a hoof for Apple Bloom to leave him alone. The filly jumped up on the seat and yelled in his ear, her eyes full of anger. "Get the hay up! We're almost there!" The colt jumped up, throwing the junior farmhand across the train cart. "Wha?! Huh? We're almost there?" Sweetie Belle giggled, Apple Bloom was up in the cot with Scootaloo, crushed between two suitcases. Just when the commotion had died down, the train came to a grating halt, throwing Scootaloo and Apple Bloom along with all the luggage down on the heads of the foals. It took a few minutes for everypony to gather their wits and things up off the floor of the cabin. Snips burst into the cart, excited. " "We're here!" He called, grabbing his things and leaping off the train. "Ugh..." Pip groaned, his fourteen pound suitcase had hit him right in the head, almost knocking him out. "What happened?" "A bit of a malfunction with the luggage." Featherweight mumbled. "Oh... so where are we going first?" "The hotel, I think." They gathered their things and leapt off the train, eager to see the city. What they got was more than they could have imagined. Towering buildings, richly carved and decorated with swirling patterns, giving the city a mystical, almost unreal aura. The two small colts gawked in awe, they would never have thought they were coming to a place so big! Ponies bustled through the streets, hobos begged for money and received a large chunk of spare change for their holiday season. The rich made up the most of the crowd with their luxurious coats and manes done in style. The workers made up a small amount of the crowd, heading to their busy work shifts, ready to be let off early to be with their families on Hearth's Warming Eve. Never could they have been more amazed or shocked. They felt so small among the massive buildings and vast crowds of ponies. It was amazing but terrifying, and nothing less than exhilarating. Cheerilee was at the front of the group, trying to herd the students towards a rather large, upscale looking hotel. The CMC and their guests moved with the crowd, heading towards their lodging. In large, quite fancy letters the name of the hotel blazed in Neon. 'Le Hotel De Fluer.' The foals entered through the front doors; an immaculate facade of gold and marble that towered over them in its proud stonework. The sheer scale of the building was astonishing to say the least. Cheerilee was trying to keep of children together while checking them all in, meanwhile the richer fillies were up by the check-in counter demanding their own, separate rooms. Silver Spoon was willing to pay extra for her and Diamond Tiara to be booked into their own top-floor suite. Cheerille caved and let them have their suite, all the while keeping the group together. She herded them to the stairs, where she gave them their keys, and let them go. The teacher wandered over to the edge of the lobby and muttered something about needing a drink. It was pure bedlam; fillies and colts ran from room to room, laying claim to their own when they finally found the matching key. The CMC managed to grab a room for their own, agreeing to share their room equally. Pip and Featherweight were still looking around an hour later, wandering the halls aimlessly. Each door they checked to see if the room key matched the number on the door. Their search took the two colts all the way to the back of the hotel, to the room all the way at the end of the hall. Pip looked from the key to the door, surprised. "You sure that's the right number?" "Yeah." Featherweight said. "We got the second suite..."' They looked at each other with huge, ecstatic grins. Featherweight wasted no time putting the key in the door and turning it, just to stop and gawk at the room they were going to be staying in for the next two nights. Nothing could have prepared them for the sight of two couches, three times their size, a fireplace they could have roasted a cow in and a few dozen cupboards full to the edges with fudge cakes. The two drooled over the room for what seemed like forever, until a feeling of homesickness came over Featherweight. It wasn't that he wanted to go back to Ponyville. He never wanted to leave this place. It was a palace, and he wanted to be the prince forever. Pip jumped across the room, eagerly exploring the inside of the suite while kicking off his horseshoes. "Come on Feathers! Look at this place! And this carpet..." The colt rolled around on the carpet for a few minutes, relishing the feeling of the soft fabric on his back. It was rather soft carpet, and the poor English-colt had never felt fabric of such quality. Featherweight jumped onto the couch, sighing. It wasn't fair to him. He was borderline poor, and here he was in this rich suite with all this food and all this luxury and he only had three days to enjoy it. To him it was depressing, to Pip it was a godsend. One of them wanted to enjoy their time here to the absolute fullest, but the other didn't want that at all; he was afraid of being shot down when he went back to his far less extravagant life in Ponyville. "What's the matter, Feathers?" Pip asked, hopping onto the leather couch. "This is supposed to be fun and you look all down. Why?" "Ah, it's nothing. Just feeling kinda... I don't know, worthless. Looking at all this stuff here just made me realize how poor I am." "Aww! Don't worry about that,chap! I'll help you feel better!" "Nah, you don't have to do anything for me, Pip." Pip tackled him over playfully. "No, you're feeling down and I ain't gonna let you be all miserable. Now where are you ticklish?" The colt prodded at his friend's stomach, trying to get him to laugh. "Come on Pip!" "Nope!" The two wrestled around until Pip bowled them both off the couch, pinning Featherweight under him. The two were startlingly close, a mere hairsbreadth away from each other. At first they didn't realize what was happening, but after a few seconds of staring into each others eyes a bright, rosy blush leapt to both their cheeks. Pip got off his friend, clearing his throat. "Um... yeah. Don't let all that get you down, mate." He continued. "Just enjoy it all while ya' can." "Thanks Pip." Featherweight leaned over and gave Pip a peck on the cheek. I'm sorry if I made anyone "D'aaaaaawww!" there, but it was so cute I had to do it. I hope it was a good first chapter. Please leave a comment. Friendly AdvicePip kicked a piece of paper into the fireplace, bored out of his mind. It hadn't been that there wasn't anything to do; he had an entire hotel to goof around in! But it was the fact that Featherweight was acting strange. He'd been touchy about what Pip did around him and he didn't like any bodily contact. He'd gone for a high hoof and it had ended in his friend turning around and leaving the room. It was becoming awkward, and it wasn't like Featherweight. Maybe it was being away from home or the events in the room a few hours earlier, but Pip was beginning to think he'd done something wrong. He decided that he'd go and try to discuss what had happened with the Cutie Mark Crusaders, they were the most understanding fillies he knew. Or thought he knew, anyway. He got up off the black leather couch and gave the room Featherweight was in a glance. The door was most likely locked, and the fact that they hadn't spoken in a few hours kept him from being brave. So the colt left his suite and headed down the hall to the room of the CMC. He wasn't feeling right, like he'd done something bad to hurt Featherweight's feelings. Had he? His friend had acted very irate at him. He needed help, some advice from the best friends in the world. The Cockney accented pony saw a few colts in their hotel room, playing some sort of game with dice. Pip stood in the doorway, observing them. He didn't normally drop eaves around other ponies, but he was interested in the game. They threw the dice, counted the numbers, then whoever had the lowest number had to perform some stunt like do a front-flip on the bed. It was odd to watch, but he thought about joining them. Just as soon as he opened his mouth to say something, one of the colts saw him. They didn't even say a word, but one narrowed his eyes. The air turned hostile, and the gathering of young colts turned to look directly at Pip. "Ugh... it's Frenchie. What the hay do you want, Frenchie?" One growled. "Um... I just saw you guys playing a game 'n-" "Shut up and go away, Frenchie. We can't even understand you half the time, anyway. Just leave us alone. And shut the door while you're over there, would ya'?" Pip felt rather hurt by their words. "But I'm no' French I'm-" "Don't care! Just shut the door and go sulk in whatever corner you Frenchies do. Really, nopony wants you here, just leave." The colt turned and used his tail to close the door, his eyes watering. What had he even done to deserve that? He was just a little curious about the game. "I'm English." He sniffed, feeling unwanted. He made his way down the hall, dragging his hooves. Was he really that hard to understand? Was he actually that repulsive? Maybe he just shouldn't have left his life in Trottingham. Pip kicked a piece of paper, holding back the water in his eyes and trying to cheer himself up. He was going to talk to Scootaloo, she'd know what it felt like to feel out of place among her own kind. The colt meandered all the way do the first room and turned the door handle. What he found there was the CMC trying to untie Sweetie Belle, who had her hooves knotted together. Apple Bloom stood at the end with the rope proudly clenched in her teeth, striking a pose. It was obvious that the junior farmhand had just practiced her cattle wrestling skills on her friend. "Hey girls." He gave a meek smile. They hadn't noticed him in the doorway. "Oh, hey Pip." They all said at once. "Can I ask you guys somethin'?" "Give us a minute." Scootaloo got through her mouthful of rope. "Just need to get this first." He watched as they struggled to get the knot undone, until after a few minutes Scootaloo got it. "Okay, you were saying?" "Okay... so I was with Featherweight in our room, and he was acting kinda down. I decided I'd cheer him up with a little wrestlin' and we fell of the couch..." He trailed off. "Go on." Apple Bloom ordered. "Well... we... kinda sat there for a minute, just close to each other... then I felt this weird feeling and Feather's face turned this bright red. I didn't know what was going on, but I got off him and he acted all funny the rest of the evenin'. I don't know if I did something wrong or what. I'm hoping you guys can tell me what I can do... oh yeah, and he leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. That's normal, right?" Apple Bloom was red in the face from holding her tongue, and the coil of rope was still clenched in her teeth. Scootaloo gave Sweetie a nervous look, preparing for the worst. Just when they thought that AB was going to go off on an ultra-conservative rampage, she charged into the washroom and slammed the door as hard as she could, rattling the entire hotel. The two remaining Crusaders sighed in relief. At least Apple Bloom was showing some sort of self-control. They both knew that she could have hit him in the face. "Well, you didn't really do anything wrong, Pip." Scootaloo explained. "Apple Bloom is just being... well, an Apple. This isn't really my thing. Sweetie, can you help him out? You're into all that romance gunk." "R-romance?" Pip balked. "B-but I wasn't talking about-" Sweetie wrapped her hoof around his shoulders. "Aww! Your face is all red! It's okay, your secret is safe with us. Now, I suggest that you just talk to him. He doesn't want to confront his feelings. Just, you know, say that you feel like that about him too." "B-but I don't like 'im like that! We're both blokes!" "Hey look! Your face is red again!" He crossed his hooves indignantly, just turning a deeper shade of scarlet in embarrassment. Apple Bloom threw open the door to the washroom. "Ah can't take it anymore!" She left the room, storming down the hall. Pip looked around. "What was that about?" Scootaloo had the worst feeling that her friend was about to do something awful. "Pip, go back to your room and talk to Featherweight. We'll reel in Apple Bloom." "But I still don't get what I did wrong!" Pip called after them, left alone in the hotel room. The colt sat there in the room for another few minutes, pondering over what had just happened. So... Apple Bloom hated him, Scootaloo was kind of along for the ride and Sweetie Belle was his romance adviser? What the hay had just happened to him? He tried to wrap his head around why Sweetie Belle would think he was that way, but for some reason it struck him as... strangely truthful. The English-colt sighed and surveyed the room again, preparing to face his greatest fear. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, telling Featherweight his feelings. Would it be so bad, confessing he was a little affectionate towards his friend? In his head, maybe. But it wasn't in his nature to talk about the contents of his heart. He didn't have the bravery, as courageous as he considered himself, he didn't have the gall to tell his best friend he liked him. Pip looked around the room once again, trying to figure out what to do. He couldn't just tell Featherweight, that was against his nature. His emotions weren't so simple that he could throw them out there for all to see. That AND he was quite afraid that once he told Feathers the rest of the school wouldn't be so... accommodating. He'd heard of it happening before, in other schools, colt-cuddlers were made fun of and teased, bullied to the point of misery. Some of the torment he'd caught wind of was... graphic. So he would gladly 'skip' admitting his feelings for Featherweight. He decided that he'd sooner jump off a bridge than sign that virtual death warrant. Besides... well, how would his parents react? They would hang him from a street post. Not to mention the rest of his family, the rest of the world, every redneck he knew... the list just went on and on. The colt came to the conclusion that maybe it was just better to keep his feelings pent up inside where they could fester as a mental illness. After all, it wasn't like Feathers really felt the same way, right? Maybe it was something else. It could be any number of things. Maybe he just didn't feel good, had a cold and didn't want to give him his illness. Or perhaps he was just homesick and wanted to be alone. Pip convinced himself that it was something else, not just a case of unrequited affection. Everything would be fine. He just needed to give Feathers a little space. It would be all right after that. So he trotted out of the room, his emotions suppressed for the day and a healthy wall of denial holding his inner feelings at bay. Even More Friendly AdvicePip sat alone in the living room, the black leather couch warming his side as he pondered his next adventure, wondering what he could do since the whole hotel was on lockdown. Nopony could get in or out due to security and other measures that their teacher had put in place to avoid a potential lawsuit. Although his door was locked and he had a whole hotel suite to goof off in, the colt couldn't help but feel sort of hollow inside. He didn't want to acknowledge that the feeling was loneliness or that he was repressing his feelings, so he did what most Brits did when they felt down or just needed to have some peace and calm. He made some tea. He marched into the kitchen and scowled at the tall counters, irritated that the place wasn't more suited to one of his stature. Next the clever colt found a box in the closet and stood up on it, teetering and wobbling to try and keep his balance. He managed to time his leap perfectly and make it onto the countertop, allowing him to feel quite clever as he opened the cupboard. That feeling of being clever faded fast when he discovered that there was everything in this suite... but tea. There was no tea. Pipsqueak's eyes teared up at the thought. He'd been taught that tea was a near necessity to life, if you felt stressed, you drank a cup of tea. If you were feeling sick, drink a cup of green tea. If you were going to make an important decision, than make some tea. Tea was the fulcrum on which your diet turned and if there was not tea then you may as well starve. So Pip slouched down on the couch a few minutes later, devastated and outraged. How could a hotel not have any bloody tea?! Apple Bloom whistled nonchalantly out on the deck of the balcony. It hadn't been all that difficult for the agile filly to sneak into Diamond Tiara's and Silver Spoon's suite, even less for her to pick the lock on their door and tiptoe past the sleeping fillies. She wasn't one to mess around and she was going to head right to the pony that was the most connected, the most rumor-savvy, gossip dwelling filly she knew. Her worst enemy, one that she seemed to suddenly share a sort of bond with. She hated Pip, and Featherweight wasn't on her good list either, and she most definitely wasn't going to tolerate what she'd been raised to hate. Granny Smith had taught her to hate and hate she would. She was going to wait until Diamond woke up, then she would sneak in and tell her to spread a nasty rumor about Pip, then she would sit back and watch the magic happen as Pip was bullied and scorned until he begged for mercy. She could picture it, him having stones and pebbles thrown at him and Featherweight by him, both together in misery. She would call it a stalemate whenever he openly admitted to her that he would repent his ways. The filly couldn't deal with the strange or the different, so she would settle for suppressing and containing what she hated in typical Apple Family fashion. It wasn't that she was evil, it was just what she'd been taught. Granny Smith had told her that it was wrong and therefore, being just a small child, she decided it was true. It wasn't that she thought about what she was doing, she was just doing what she was told and not questioning it. In no way was Apple Bloom an awful pony, it was just that she was being misled by the morals and norms of a different generation, a far less tolerant one. She heard a rustling in the bed and a muffled voice; the filly crept into the suite and couldn't believe her eyes. The pony she believed to be her one partner in her fascist belief was snuggling her friend in the most adorable fashion imaginable. The junior farmhand twitched as she watched Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon with their hooves around each other, smiling in their sleep. The farmhand didn't even say a word, but left as quietly as she'd came... planning out another way to somehow punish Pip and Featherweight. Pip walked downstairs, bandanna around his neck. He was going to get some tea from the main lobby, the mineral water that was in the fridges was awful. The Cockney accented colt wasn't happy, and the sight of Apple Bloom didn't brighten his mood. She stormed down the hallway, her bow off and a large, rather sophisticated knot where it used to lay. She looked like she was ready to punch somepony, and he didn't want to get in her way. He was catching onto her rather strong opinions, and the colt didn't want to be right in her line of fire when she decided to tell him about them. He dodged into a room he didn't know, the door wasn't open but he wasn't supposed to be out in the halls that late and neither was she. So he closed the door, looking around. It only took him a few moments to realize that it was Diamond and Silver's suite. Pip tried to hold his unsteady breathe, if either Apple Bloom or the sleeping twins noticed him he was in very big trouble. So the colt held absolutely still in the dark, trying to keep his heavy breathing and shaking knees under control. He heard Apple Bloom pass and continue down the hall, much to his relief. He was about to leave the room without looking around, but then he saw the one thing that he didn't expect from two very rich fillies. The two, in bed together, innocent and peaceful, snuggled up and hooves around each other's back. It was downright adorable. Just then he realized that him and Featherweight weren't the only ones that were keeping their feelings hidden and suppressed. They were as well. He knew what would happen in the morning, too. They would wake up, give each other awkward glances, blush, then get out of bed and never talk about it again. For some reason... Pip just knew. The colt left the room, trying to fit this new discovery into his little bubble of denial. The barrier keeping his inner feelings down was breaking, and he didn't know how to handle the mix of emotions raging for attention in his head. For some reason he felt a new link between him and the rich fillies. It wasn't that he wanted to be friends, but there was a thread of compassion between them now. Maybe in the morning before they left for the play he could tell them about his plight and see if they could help him. Pip later found that the hotel restaurant only had coffee, and that he was going to have to either drink that or the awful city tapwater. He groaned and sipped a decaf mocha for about an hour, grumbling his feelings into the overly large cup. He didn't understand why they had made the cup so big, until the waiter came over.It was from a friend. "Well hey, sonny. How're you on this fine evenin'?" Pip looked up to see a tall stallion over him, none other than Caramel himself. He stood tall in a rather fanciful suit, a bowtie and a undercoat looked good on the stallion, and the neatly combed mane was enough to make Pip question why he was there. The smartly dressed stallion smiled at him warmly, taking a seat across from the misunderstood Brit. "What're you doing here, Caramel? I thought that you went to Apploosa after that... er, incident when Apple Bloom burned down your house." The stallion chuckled. "I'm not really suited for life out there. Too rough and tumble for me. I'm more a baker at heart. So I came here. It's slow at night so I take my break and wait the tables." "You work here?" "Better, I live here. Second floor, the room right to the left of suite 2." The English-colt didn't have to do a lot of thinking to figure out Caramel lived right next to him, and that Caramel was a self-admitted colt-cuddler. It also didn't take long for the question that had plagued him since he'd met his best friend to come to the front of his mind. "Hey Caramel... I want to ask you somethin' pretty personal... is that okay?" "Well sure little buddy, what's the matter?" "I... I have these... feelings, and... they're for... this other colt. It's... my friend and he's about my age. I think that he doesn't know what to do, and I don't either. We're both too scared to say anythin'." Caramel paused, thinking. His brow furrowed as he concentrated. "I think that you should just tell him in the most subtle way. Slip it to him in a way that he would only recognize if he had these feelin's too." "Well how am I supposed to do that?" Pip asked. "I mean, I would have to plan everything and-" "If you'd let me finish." Pip looked down into his cup. "Sorry." "Or, you could just come out to him. Take the leap. It's what I wanted to do with Macintosh... but her sister figured it out and, well, you know what happened. I reckon that you're over-thinking this. Don't think, just feel. What you feel is worth more than anypony else's opinion. If you feel that way, tell him so. Don't make yourself feel bad, just do it and if he doesn't, then no harm done. Understand?" The socially awkward colt smiled and nodded, glad to have some advice from somepony that understood. "Thanks a lot, Caramel." Authors Note: I'm really, really sorry this chapter isn't all that great, but there's a lot going on. I apologize from the bottom of my heart, I wish that I could bring his story more justice than this. It deserves better than me.... Changes Of HeartSweetie Belle and Scootaloo were in their rooms, patiently waiting for Apple Bloom to come back. They'd had a long talk and they'd decided that their friend needed to have a chat. Sweetie Belle wanted to know just what her problem was with Pip and Featherweight, she'd been angry and callous ever since she'd seen the two on the train. Not only that, but Scootaloo, being the sneaky filly she was, managed to get into AB's luggage and find her personal diary. With a little arguing, they'd decided it was time to get to the bottom of why their friend loathed Pip. "Should we really read this?" Sweetie Belle asked. "I mean, this is really personal and she might be kinda mad." "Y'all are right, I would be." Apple Bloom stormed in and took her diary off of them, seemingly calm. She hopped into bed, tired from her midnight escapade. She closed her eyes, ready to go to sleep. "No way!" Scootaloo barked, jumping onto the bed with Apple Bloom. "You have been a total jerk since we got here and I want to get to the bottom of it!" "What? I haven't done nothin' wrong!" "Okay, sorry to say it Apple Bloom, but did you really think that you were able to just sneak into Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon's suite?" The filly held up a bobby pin. "No offense, but you're not all that good with sneaking around." The junior farmhand turned a shade of red, furious. "I coulda' done all of that myself! And why did you help me anyways!" "So that you could see you are the only party pooper that has anything against couples ‘like that'." "But it's wrong isn't it!?" Sweetie Belle broke in. "Who the hay told you it was wrong in the first place?" "My Granny Smith told me! She said that it was an 'abomination' ta nature and that if you saw such things it is your job to ‘set them straight' and Granny Smith is always right!" "But Apple Bloom, I don't understand. Why be so... zealot-y if you know that you're the only one who feels this way?" "’Cuz my family feels this way!" She countered. "Oh gods," Scootaloo groaned, "I can't take this anymore." The filly took a deep lungful of air, ready to rock her friend's worldview. She knew that this was going to break the filly's heart, but it just had to be done. "Sorry to burst your bubble, Apple Bloom, but I caught Apple Jack and Rainbow making out behind the barn once. I sat there and watched for like five minutes. And I read your brother's mail before; he was sending Caramel love letters before you scared him away by literally burning his house down. Whatever Granny Smith told you, the rest of your family had nothing against being gay. As a matter of fact I'm fairly sure that your brother is a colt-cuddler and your sister is a filly-fooler. Sorry if this totally rocks your world, but somepony needed to tell you that before things got too out of hoof." Shock hung over the room. Nopony moved, most tried not to breathe. They watched as Apple Bloom's head tried to work out that she was the one who was wrong, not them. She couldn't hate her sister and her brother no matter how attracted to the same gender they were. No matter what she was told by her peers or her other schoolmates she couldn't hate her own kin. She turned to look at Scootaloo, stunned and confused. "You mean that I've been puttin' my own family down?" "Yes, Apple Bloom, and I'm sorry to blow your mind out your ears, but yeah, you're being a total jerk to everypony." Again the room lapsed into a long, tense silence, filled only with Scootaloo scuffing her hoof and Apple Bloom's heavy breathing. It took a few minutes for any words to be spoken. "I, er, I need to think." Apple Bloom got up and rushed into the washroom, locking the door behind her. Sweetie turned to Scootaloo . "Think we made a difference?' "I think she'll think twice before dissing on her own family again." Scootaloo picked up Apple Bloom's diary, flipping to the page she wanted. "What the hay are you doing?! That's private!" "So? I've read through it before, Belles. She has a massive crush on Pip, by the way." "Is that part of the reason she hates him for liking Feathers?" "Yeah, she's just mad because she's never had the guts to tell him. Now she's jealous of Feathers and angry at herself so she takes it out on other ponies. You really don't need a Masters Degree, Belles." "Oh... so what now?" "Now we go to bed," Scootaloo yawned. "It's past midnight and I'm beat." Scootaloo jumped onto her bed, putting the sheets and pillows all out of order, just how she liked it. The filly put her head down, ready to get an amazing night's sleep before the tour of Canterlot tomorrow. In fact, she was just about asleep when Sweetie Belle prodded her in the side. "What?" "Remember on the train when I asked you why we couldn't snuggle in our sleep?" After a brief pause, Scootaloo smiled. "Get in here." The unicorn jumped in next to her friend, glad to have a buddy to weather the night with. I didn't take long for their hooves to find each other in the darkness, and even less to find themselves in a comfortable embrace, warm and snug in their room, snow falling outside their window, a light dusting on the sill. It didn't take long for the atmosphere to get the better of Sweetie Belle. "Hey Scoots? Can I tell you something?" "I love you too Belles, you don't have to say it." "So is it okay if I-" Scootaloo rolled over and kissed Sweetie Belle on the lips, blushing. Hiding her flushed cheeks from her bedmate, she rolled back over, tired and cozy against her new mare-friend. They didn't say anything, but wrapped their hooves around each other and passed out with their heads resting on each other's shoulders. "So is that an 'I love you'?'" Sweetie Belle whispered. "Don't rub it in." Meanwhile, on the other side of the hotel, Pip closed the door to his suite, getting ready to come out to Featherweight. He was so nervous the fudge mocha that he had just drank was churning in his stomach like a ship in a storm. He untied his bandanna. "Just don't overthink it," he told himself. "Just like Caramel said." He walked into the kitchen to find a large pot of tea made on the counter with a little note next to it. Pip jumped up to read it. 'To the kid with the bandanna.' Pip smiled. It was from Caramel. Pouring two glasses, he set both of them down on the coffee table, slightly more confident in himself. It was going to be a good night and he knew it. Once he tasted the tea, a super-sweet blend of calming herbal Chamomile and sugary goodness, he got up and trotted over to Featherweight's door. He lifted his shaking, nervous hoof to knock. He didn't put much effort into it; he moreover let his hoof fall into the door. Despite being as gentle as he could, the resulting boom echoed in his ears like the sound of drums. "Who is it?" Featherweight asked. "It's... me. Can we talk out here? I have tea." It took a few moments for Featherweight to come to the door, and once he opened it Pip felt awful for stalling to long. His best friend looked awful, red rings around his eyes from crying and a red nose from wiping it so many times. The miserable-looking colt sighed and cantered over to the coffee table. He took a sip of tea, hiding his face behind the glass. "So, er, Feathers, I was thinking about earlier today and I wanted to know if y-" "I know, I'm sorry Pip! I just kinda didn't know how to react and you were so nice to me and I was kinda lonely and...." "Why are you sorry?" "I... you acted like you didn't want me to do that and I just thought after what had just happened on the couch that it would be okay, I mean I thought but then you acted like it was a bad thing and then I went into my room and I guess I overthought it and the I thought that you would be mad so I just decided that it would just be best if I didn't talk to you until morning and just avoid you once this whole trip was over and we could put it all behind us because after all I'd think that you'd be the forgiving type and you're nice and so I just thought that it would go sorta like that but then I started to put together these scenarios there you were so mad that you weren't friends with me anymore an-" "Featherweight!!!" Pip screamed. The young pegasus cringed, unprepared for his friend's sudden outburst. At first Pip was a little irritated that at his friend was so nervous he was rambling, but then that feeling disappeared when he saw the look on his the colt's face. He looked very sorry and terrified, tears in his eyes. "Look... Feathers, I wanted to tell you that really I'm okay with this. You can like me in that way all you want, I won't mind, because I feel that way too. If you, er, think that this is too sudden or somethin' like that I could maybe wait a bit or-" "Pip?" "What?" "I've always felt that way about you, even before this trip. I thought that maybe you'd be angry that I was a colt-cuddler or that I'd have to find a new best friend." "Oh, Feathers. I would never do that! I mean... you're my best and first mate, and I would never abandon you." "Really?" Pip looked at his best friend and thought about his past with this shy, awkward, rather skinny pegasus. "You were the first pony that I talked to in Ponyville, ever. I didn't talk because I didn't want anypony to notice my accent. I only talked to you because you seemed to understand what it was like to be the odd on out. I thought we had so much in common, and then you warmed up to me and we became friends with the Cutie Mark Crusaders and all that... but you were the only pony I ever really trusted." " I remember on Nightmare Night when you dressed as a pirate... I had to admit you were pretty... well, handsome." Pip smiled. "Thanks." "So... what do we do now that we-" The colt was tackled off the couch by the Brit, landing on the plush carpet. Pip gave his love a smile, removing his bandanna. He just sat there on top of Featherweight, their muzzles mere centimeters from each other’s. The smaller pegasus couldn't help but blush so intensely his cheeks burned. The larger colt tied his bandanna around Featherweight's neck, smiling and blushing. The two didn't remember much of what happened after that, but the night was a blur of smiling, kissing and laughing over stories of their adventures. Pip was especially merry, considering he had his life in Trottingham to tell his new colt-friend about. The night ended at around two in the morning with them crawling into bed next to each other, planting a long, loving kiss on each other's lips, and falling asleep almost right after, still together in a cozy embrace.
The Ride OverAmong the relative peace of the Equestrian countryside, a train was heading towards the station. It was still miles away from it's destination, approaching at what seemed to be a snail's pace. The tracks were nearly frozen solid and the conductors hadn't even wanted to run the train that cold winter's day. It had taken some negotiating, but the school teacher Cheerilee had been very persuading. Now her class was heading to Canterlot to take a tour of the famous Royal Castle and see the princess herself. The train carts were packed full with tired, grumbling foals, exhausted from waking up so early for their yearly field trip. In one specific train cart, The Cutie Mark Crusaders were laughing and yawning to a good book, along with their impromptu cart-mates. Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom were laughing beside Pipsqueak and Featherweight, who were beginning to drift off to sleep again. Being woken at three o'clock in the morning is bad, but having to haul your luggage to a train, getting into your cart and eating a ton of warm, fluffy pancakes is just asking for a very drowsy filly. Sweetie Belle was leaning against the wall, a small rivulet of drool hanging off her bottom lip as she drifted off again. Scootaloo was up in the luggage stow, using the shelf like a cot. Apple Bloom was taking up the seat across from Pip and Featherweight, snoring loudly. The colts were losing consciousness to persistent yawns and heavy eyelids, sitting next to each other since all other spots were taken. Neither wanted to fall asleep, but it wasn't much of a choice at that point. Pip was already drifting off, swaying from side to side and muttering nonsensical things to himself. Featherweight was almost as tired, managing to stay attentive but still struggling to keep his eyes open. "So..." Pip muttered in his Cockney accent. "Where do you come from, ye' scallywag?!" Scootaloo chuckled from her position up in her makeshift cot. Pip always head dreams about him being a pirate, and he seemed to be dreaming with his eyes open. Mostly open, anyways. His eyelids were battling him, half-shut and slowly descending. "Argh! I'll rend ye.... hoof to head... applesauce." He collapsed onto Featherweight's shoulder, snoring loudly. The other colt looked at Pip and smiled. It was nice to see his friend so peaceful, his red bandanna around his neck and the mid-morning sun trying to keep him awake. Although it was a bit uncomfortable, he decided it wasn't worth fighting, so he leaned over and rested his head on his friend, quickly falling asleep with the soft rhythm of Pip's heart. "Aww..." Sweetie Belle sighed. "That's so cute." It was beyond cute. It was flat-out adorable. Scootaloo rolled over and looked at them, smiling. "Okay, I've got to admit that's pretty cute." The usually anti-affectionate filly confessed. "Why can't we sleep like that?" Sweetie asked. "Because we fight enough as it is and I'd roll all over you." "Please?" "No, Bells. Even if we did Apple Bloom would wake up and be mad at us." "Well why? It's not like we'd be doing anything wrong?" "Where have you been? Apple Bloom would yell at us for a week straight." "Why, though?" Scootaloo groaned. "Do I really have to show you? Remember the time that one worker on her farm turned out to have a huge crush on her brother and she set his house on fire?" "I think I'd remember that, Scoots." "Ugh... fine, watch this." Scootaloo leaned over and poked Apple Bloom, waking her from her slumber. The junior farmhand blinked and looked around, groggy. "Are we there yet?" "No." Scootaloo replied. "But look at that, don't you think that's cute?" The filly blinked once, then twice, her teeth grating. "What do you think?! That is disgusting! Really, I can't even think of why you would think that's cute! A gross abomination of nature! If my big Sis' was here she'd kick both their flanks for sleeping like that!" Scootaloo leaned over to Sweetie. "That's why." "A disgustin' excuse for a colt! Both of you wake up now! I can't even look at it anymore!" Both of them jerked awake, groaning. Featherweight was having the most pleasant dream he'd been been in an ice cream parlor with his best buddy, Pip. The colt of his dreams was rolling over, waving a hoof for Apple Bloom to leave him alone. The filly jumped up on the seat and yelled in his ear, her eyes full of anger. "Get the hay up! We're almost there!" The colt jumped up, throwing the junior farmhand across the train cart. "Wha?! Huh? We're almost there?" Sweetie Belle giggled, Apple Bloom was up in the cot with Scootaloo, crushed between two suitcases. Just when the commotion had died down, the train came to a grating halt, throwing Scootaloo and Apple Bloom along with all the luggage down on the heads of the foals. It took a few minutes for everypony to gather their wits and things up off the floor of the cabin. Snips burst into the cart, excited. " "We're here!" He called, grabbing his things and leaping off the train. "Ugh..." Pip groaned, his fourteen pound suitcase had hit him right in the head, almost knocking him out. "What happened?" "A bit of a malfunction with the luggage." Featherweight mumbled. "Oh... so where are we going first?" "The hotel, I think." They gathered their things and leapt off the train, eager to see the city. What they got was more than they could have imagined. Towering buildings, richly carved and decorated with swirling patterns, giving the city a mystical, almost unreal aura. The two small colts gawked in awe, they would never have thought they were coming to a place so big! Ponies bustled through the streets, hobos begged for money and received a large chunk of spare change for their holiday season. The rich made up the most of the crowd with their luxurious coats and manes done in style. The workers made up a small amount of the crowd, heading to their busy work shifts, ready to be let off early to be with their families on Hearth's Warming Eve. Never could they have been more amazed or shocked. They felt so small among the massive buildings and vast crowds of ponies. It was amazing but terrifying, and nothing less than exhilarating. Cheerilee was at the front of the group, trying to herd the students towards a rather large, upscale looking hotel. The CMC and their guests moved with the crowd, heading towards their lodging. In large, quite fancy letters the name of the hotel blazed in Neon. 'Le Hotel De Fluer.' The foals entered through the front doors; an immaculate facade of gold and marble that towered over them in its proud stonework. The sheer scale of the building was astonishing to say the least. Cheerilee was trying to keep of children together while checking them all in, meanwhile the richer fillies were up by the check-in counter demanding their own, separate rooms. Silver Spoon was willing to pay extra for her and Diamond Tiara to be booked into their own top-floor suite. Cheerille caved and let them have their suite, all the while keeping the group together. She herded them to the stairs, where she gave them their keys, and let them go. The teacher wandered over to the edge of the lobby and muttered something about needing a drink. It was pure bedlam; fillies and colts ran from room to room, laying claim to their own when they finally found the matching key. The CMC managed to grab a room for their own, agreeing to share their room equally. Pip and Featherweight were still looking around an hour later, wandering the halls aimlessly. Each door they checked to see if the room key matched the number on the door. Their search took the two colts all the way to the back of the hotel, to the room all the way at the end of the hall. Pip looked from the key to the door, surprised. "You sure that's the right number?" "Yeah." Featherweight said. "We got the second suite..."' They looked at each other with huge, ecstatic grins. Featherweight wasted no time putting the key in the door and turning it, just to stop and gawk at the room they were going to be staying in for the next two nights. Nothing could have prepared them for the sight of two couches, three times their size, a fireplace they could have roasted a cow in and a few dozen cupboards full to the edges with fudge cakes. The two drooled over the room for what seemed like forever, until a feeling of homesickness came over Featherweight. It wasn't that he wanted to go back to Ponyville. He never wanted to leave this place. It was a palace, and he wanted to be the prince forever. Pip jumped across the room, eagerly exploring the inside of the suite while kicking off his horseshoes. "Come on Feathers! Look at this place! And this carpet..." The colt rolled around on the carpet for a few minutes, relishing the feeling of the soft fabric on his back. It was rather soft carpet, and the poor English-colt had never felt fabric of such quality. Featherweight jumped onto the couch, sighing. It wasn't fair to him. He was borderline poor, and here he was in this rich suite with all this food and all this luxury and he only had three days to enjoy it. To him it was depressing, to Pip it was a godsend. One of them wanted to enjoy their time here to the absolute fullest, but the other didn't want that at all; he was afraid of being shot down when he went back to his far less extravagant life in Ponyville. "What's the matter, Feathers?" Pip asked, hopping onto the leather couch. "This is supposed to be fun and you look all down. Why?" "Ah, it's nothing. Just feeling kinda... I don't know, worthless. Looking at all this stuff here just made me realize how poor I am." "Aww! Don't worry about that,chap! I'll help you feel better!" "Nah, you don't have to do anything for me, Pip." Pip tackled him over playfully. "No, you're feeling down and I ain't gonna let you be all miserable. Now where are you ticklish?" The colt prodded at his friend's stomach, trying to get him to laugh. "Come on Pip!" "Nope!" The two wrestled around until Pip bowled them both off the couch, pinning Featherweight under him. The two were startlingly close, a mere hairsbreadth away from each other. At first they didn't realize what was happening, but after a few seconds of staring into each others eyes a bright, rosy blush leapt to both their cheeks. Pip got off his friend, clearing his throat. "Um... yeah. Don't let all that get you down, mate." He continued. "Just enjoy it all while ya' can." "Thanks Pip." Featherweight leaned over and gave Pip a peck on the cheek. I'm sorry if I made anyone "D'aaaaaawww!" there, but it was so cute I had to do it. I hope it was a good first chapter. Please leave a comment.
Friendly AdvicePip kicked a piece of paper into the fireplace, bored out of his mind. It hadn't been that there wasn't anything to do; he had an entire hotel to goof around in! But it was the fact that Featherweight was acting strange. He'd been touchy about what Pip did around him and he didn't like any bodily contact. He'd gone for a high hoof and it had ended in his friend turning around and leaving the room. It was becoming awkward, and it wasn't like Featherweight. Maybe it was being away from home or the events in the room a few hours earlier, but Pip was beginning to think he'd done something wrong. He decided that he'd go and try to discuss what had happened with the Cutie Mark Crusaders, they were the most understanding fillies he knew. Or thought he knew, anyway. He got up off the black leather couch and gave the room Featherweight was in a glance. The door was most likely locked, and the fact that they hadn't spoken in a few hours kept him from being brave. So the colt left his suite and headed down the hall to the room of the CMC. He wasn't feeling right, like he'd done something bad to hurt Featherweight's feelings. Had he? His friend had acted very irate at him. He needed help, some advice from the best friends in the world. The Cockney accented pony saw a few colts in their hotel room, playing some sort of game with dice. Pip stood in the doorway, observing them. He didn't normally drop eaves around other ponies, but he was interested in the game. They threw the dice, counted the numbers, then whoever had the lowest number had to perform some stunt like do a front-flip on the bed. It was odd to watch, but he thought about joining them. Just as soon as he opened his mouth to say something, one of the colts saw him. They didn't even say a word, but one narrowed his eyes. The air turned hostile, and the gathering of young colts turned to look directly at Pip. "Ugh... it's Frenchie. What the hay do you want, Frenchie?" One growled. "Um... I just saw you guys playing a game 'n-" "Shut up and go away, Frenchie. We can't even understand you half the time, anyway. Just leave us alone. And shut the door while you're over there, would ya'?" Pip felt rather hurt by their words. "But I'm no' French I'm-" "Don't care! Just shut the door and go sulk in whatever corner you Frenchies do. Really, nopony wants you here, just leave." The colt turned and used his tail to close the door, his eyes watering. What had he even done to deserve that? He was just a little curious about the game. "I'm English." He sniffed, feeling unwanted. He made his way down the hall, dragging his hooves. Was he really that hard to understand? Was he actually that repulsive? Maybe he just shouldn't have left his life in Trottingham. Pip kicked a piece of paper, holding back the water in his eyes and trying to cheer himself up. He was going to talk to Scootaloo, she'd know what it felt like to feel out of place among her own kind. The colt meandered all the way do the first room and turned the door handle. What he found there was the CMC trying to untie Sweetie Belle, who had her hooves knotted together. Apple Bloom stood at the end with the rope proudly clenched in her teeth, striking a pose. It was obvious that the junior farmhand had just practiced her cattle wrestling skills on her friend. "Hey girls." He gave a meek smile. They hadn't noticed him in the doorway. "Oh, hey Pip." They all said at once. "Can I ask you guys somethin'?" "Give us a minute." Scootaloo got through her mouthful of rope. "Just need to get this first." He watched as they struggled to get the knot undone, until after a few minutes Scootaloo got it. "Okay, you were saying?" "Okay... so I was with Featherweight in our room, and he was acting kinda down. I decided I'd cheer him up with a little wrestlin' and we fell of the couch..." He trailed off. "Go on." Apple Bloom ordered. "Well... we... kinda sat there for a minute, just close to each other... then I felt this weird feeling and Feather's face turned this bright red. I didn't know what was going on, but I got off him and he acted all funny the rest of the evenin'. I don't know if I did something wrong or what. I'm hoping you guys can tell me what I can do... oh yeah, and he leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. That's normal, right?" Apple Bloom was red in the face from holding her tongue, and the coil of rope was still clenched in her teeth. Scootaloo gave Sweetie a nervous look, preparing for the worst. Just when they thought that AB was going to go off on an ultra-conservative rampage, she charged into the washroom and slammed the door as hard as she could, rattling the entire hotel. The two remaining Crusaders sighed in relief. At least Apple Bloom was showing some sort of self-control. They both knew that she could have hit him in the face. "Well, you didn't really do anything wrong, Pip." Scootaloo explained. "Apple Bloom is just being... well, an Apple. This isn't really my thing. Sweetie, can you help him out? You're into all that romance gunk." "R-romance?" Pip balked. "B-but I wasn't talking about-" Sweetie wrapped her hoof around his shoulders. "Aww! Your face is all red! It's okay, your secret is safe with us. Now, I suggest that you just talk to him. He doesn't want to confront his feelings. Just, you know, say that you feel like that about him too." "B-but I don't like 'im like that! We're both blokes!" "Hey look! Your face is red again!" He crossed his hooves indignantly, just turning a deeper shade of scarlet in embarrassment. Apple Bloom threw open the door to the washroom. "Ah can't take it anymore!" She left the room, storming down the hall. Pip looked around. "What was that about?" Scootaloo had the worst feeling that her friend was about to do something awful. "Pip, go back to your room and talk to Featherweight. We'll reel in Apple Bloom." "But I still don't get what I did wrong!" Pip called after them, left alone in the hotel room. The colt sat there in the room for another few minutes, pondering over what had just happened. So... Apple Bloom hated him, Scootaloo was kind of along for the ride and Sweetie Belle was his romance adviser? What the hay had just happened to him? He tried to wrap his head around why Sweetie Belle would think he was that way, but for some reason it struck him as... strangely truthful. The English-colt sighed and surveyed the room again, preparing to face his greatest fear. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, telling Featherweight his feelings. Would it be so bad, confessing he was a little affectionate towards his friend? In his head, maybe. But it wasn't in his nature to talk about the contents of his heart. He didn't have the bravery, as courageous as he considered himself, he didn't have the gall to tell his best friend he liked him. Pip looked around the room once again, trying to figure out what to do. He couldn't just tell Featherweight, that was against his nature. His emotions weren't so simple that he could throw them out there for all to see. That AND he was quite afraid that once he told Feathers the rest of the school wouldn't be so... accommodating. He'd heard of it happening before, in other schools, colt-cuddlers were made fun of and teased, bullied to the point of misery. Some of the torment he'd caught wind of was... graphic. So he would gladly 'skip' admitting his feelings for Featherweight. He decided that he'd sooner jump off a bridge than sign that virtual death warrant. Besides... well, how would his parents react? They would hang him from a street post. Not to mention the rest of his family, the rest of the world, every redneck he knew... the list just went on and on. The colt came to the conclusion that maybe it was just better to keep his feelings pent up inside where they could fester as a mental illness. After all, it wasn't like Feathers really felt the same way, right? Maybe it was something else. It could be any number of things. Maybe he just didn't feel good, had a cold and didn't want to give him his illness. Or perhaps he was just homesick and wanted to be alone. Pip convinced himself that it was something else, not just a case of unrequited affection. Everything would be fine. He just needed to give Feathers a little space. It would be all right after that. So he trotted out of the room, his emotions suppressed for the day and a healthy wall of denial holding his inner feelings at bay.
Even More Friendly AdvicePip sat alone in the living room, the black leather couch warming his side as he pondered his next adventure, wondering what he could do since the whole hotel was on lockdown. Nopony could get in or out due to security and other measures that their teacher had put in place to avoid a potential lawsuit. Although his door was locked and he had a whole hotel suite to goof off in, the colt couldn't help but feel sort of hollow inside. He didn't want to acknowledge that the feeling was loneliness or that he was repressing his feelings, so he did what most Brits did when they felt down or just needed to have some peace and calm. He made some tea. He marched into the kitchen and scowled at the tall counters, irritated that the place wasn't more suited to one of his stature. Next the clever colt found a box in the closet and stood up on it, teetering and wobbling to try and keep his balance. He managed to time his leap perfectly and make it onto the countertop, allowing him to feel quite clever as he opened the cupboard. That feeling of being clever faded fast when he discovered that there was everything in this suite... but tea. There was no tea. Pipsqueak's eyes teared up at the thought. He'd been taught that tea was a near necessity to life, if you felt stressed, you drank a cup of tea. If you were feeling sick, drink a cup of green tea. If you were going to make an important decision, than make some tea. Tea was the fulcrum on which your diet turned and if there was not tea then you may as well starve. So Pip slouched down on the couch a few minutes later, devastated and outraged. How could a hotel not have any bloody tea?! Apple Bloom whistled nonchalantly out on the deck of the balcony. It hadn't been all that difficult for the agile filly to sneak into Diamond Tiara's and Silver Spoon's suite, even less for her to pick the lock on their door and tiptoe past the sleeping fillies. She wasn't one to mess around and she was going to head right to the pony that was the most connected, the most rumor-savvy, gossip dwelling filly she knew. Her worst enemy, one that she seemed to suddenly share a sort of bond with. She hated Pip, and Featherweight wasn't on her good list either, and she most definitely wasn't going to tolerate what she'd been raised to hate. Granny Smith had taught her to hate and hate she would. She was going to wait until Diamond woke up, then she would sneak in and tell her to spread a nasty rumor about Pip, then she would sit back and watch the magic happen as Pip was bullied and scorned until he begged for mercy. She could picture it, him having stones and pebbles thrown at him and Featherweight by him, both together in misery. She would call it a stalemate whenever he openly admitted to her that he would repent his ways. The filly couldn't deal with the strange or the different, so she would settle for suppressing and containing what she hated in typical Apple Family fashion. It wasn't that she was evil, it was just what she'd been taught. Granny Smith had told her that it was wrong and therefore, being just a small child, she decided it was true. It wasn't that she thought about what she was doing, she was just doing what she was told and not questioning it. In no way was Apple Bloom an awful pony, it was just that she was being misled by the morals and norms of a different generation, a far less tolerant one. She heard a rustling in the bed and a muffled voice; the filly crept into the suite and couldn't believe her eyes. The pony she believed to be her one partner in her fascist belief was snuggling her friend in the most adorable fashion imaginable. The junior farmhand twitched as she watched Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon with their hooves around each other, smiling in their sleep. The farmhand didn't even say a word, but left as quietly as she'd came... planning out another way to somehow punish Pip and Featherweight. Pip walked downstairs, bandanna around his neck. He was going to get some tea from the main lobby, the mineral water that was in the fridges was awful. The Cockney accented colt wasn't happy, and the sight of Apple Bloom didn't brighten his mood. She stormed down the hallway, her bow off and a large, rather sophisticated knot where it used to lay. She looked like she was ready to punch somepony, and he didn't want to get in her way. He was catching onto her rather strong opinions, and the colt didn't want to be right in her line of fire when she decided to tell him about them. He dodged into a room he didn't know, the door wasn't open but he wasn't supposed to be out in the halls that late and neither was she. So he closed the door, looking around. It only took him a few moments to realize that it was Diamond and Silver's suite. Pip tried to hold his unsteady breathe, if either Apple Bloom or the sleeping twins noticed him he was in very big trouble. So the colt held absolutely still in the dark, trying to keep his heavy breathing and shaking knees under control. He heard Apple Bloom pass and continue down the hall, much to his relief. He was about to leave the room without looking around, but then he saw the one thing that he didn't expect from two very rich fillies. The two, in bed together, innocent and peaceful, snuggled up and hooves around each other's back. It was downright adorable. Just then he realized that him and Featherweight weren't the only ones that were keeping their feelings hidden and suppressed. They were as well. He knew what would happen in the morning, too. They would wake up, give each other awkward glances, blush, then get out of bed and never talk about it again. For some reason... Pip just knew. The colt left the room, trying to fit this new discovery into his little bubble of denial. The barrier keeping his inner feelings down was breaking, and he didn't know how to handle the mix of emotions raging for attention in his head. For some reason he felt a new link between him and the rich fillies. It wasn't that he wanted to be friends, but there was a thread of compassion between them now. Maybe in the morning before they left for the play he could tell them about his plight and see if they could help him. Pip later found that the hotel restaurant only had coffee, and that he was going to have to either drink that or the awful city tapwater. He groaned and sipped a decaf mocha for about an hour, grumbling his feelings into the overly large cup. He didn't understand why they had made the cup so big, until the waiter came over.It was from a friend. "Well hey, sonny. How're you on this fine evenin'?" Pip looked up to see a tall stallion over him, none other than Caramel himself. He stood tall in a rather fanciful suit, a bowtie and a undercoat looked good on the stallion, and the neatly combed mane was enough to make Pip question why he was there. The smartly dressed stallion smiled at him warmly, taking a seat across from the misunderstood Brit. "What're you doing here, Caramel? I thought that you went to Apploosa after that... er, incident when Apple Bloom burned down your house." The stallion chuckled. "I'm not really suited for life out there. Too rough and tumble for me. I'm more a baker at heart. So I came here. It's slow at night so I take my break and wait the tables." "You work here?" "Better, I live here. Second floor, the room right to the left of suite 2." The English-colt didn't have to do a lot of thinking to figure out Caramel lived right next to him, and that Caramel was a self-admitted colt-cuddler. It also didn't take long for the question that had plagued him since he'd met his best friend to come to the front of his mind. "Hey Caramel... I want to ask you somethin' pretty personal... is that okay?" "Well sure little buddy, what's the matter?" "I... I have these... feelings, and... they're for... this other colt. It's... my friend and he's about my age. I think that he doesn't know what to do, and I don't either. We're both too scared to say anythin'." Caramel paused, thinking. His brow furrowed as he concentrated. "I think that you should just tell him in the most subtle way. Slip it to him in a way that he would only recognize if he had these feelin's too." "Well how am I supposed to do that?" Pip asked. "I mean, I would have to plan everything and-" "If you'd let me finish." Pip looked down into his cup. "Sorry." "Or, you could just come out to him. Take the leap. It's what I wanted to do with Macintosh... but her sister figured it out and, well, you know what happened. I reckon that you're over-thinking this. Don't think, just feel. What you feel is worth more than anypony else's opinion. If you feel that way, tell him so. Don't make yourself feel bad, just do it and if he doesn't, then no harm done. Understand?" The socially awkward colt smiled and nodded, glad to have some advice from somepony that understood. "Thanks a lot, Caramel." Authors Note: I'm really, really sorry this chapter isn't all that great, but there's a lot going on. I apologize from the bottom of my heart, I wish that I could bring his story more justice than this. It deserves better than me....
Changes Of HeartSweetie Belle and Scootaloo were in their rooms, patiently waiting for Apple Bloom to come back. They'd had a long talk and they'd decided that their friend needed to have a chat. Sweetie Belle wanted to know just what her problem was with Pip and Featherweight, she'd been angry and callous ever since she'd seen the two on the train. Not only that, but Scootaloo, being the sneaky filly she was, managed to get into AB's luggage and find her personal diary. With a little arguing, they'd decided it was time to get to the bottom of why their friend loathed Pip. "Should we really read this?" Sweetie Belle asked. "I mean, this is really personal and she might be kinda mad." "Y'all are right, I would be." Apple Bloom stormed in and took her diary off of them, seemingly calm. She hopped into bed, tired from her midnight escapade. She closed her eyes, ready to go to sleep. "No way!" Scootaloo barked, jumping onto the bed with Apple Bloom. "You have been a total jerk since we got here and I want to get to the bottom of it!" "What? I haven't done nothin' wrong!" "Okay, sorry to say it Apple Bloom, but did you really think that you were able to just sneak into Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon's suite?" The filly held up a bobby pin. "No offense, but you're not all that good with sneaking around." The junior farmhand turned a shade of red, furious. "I coulda' done all of that myself! And why did you help me anyways!" "So that you could see you are the only party pooper that has anything against couples ‘like that'." "But it's wrong isn't it!?" Sweetie Belle broke in. "Who the hay told you it was wrong in the first place?" "My Granny Smith told me! She said that it was an 'abomination' ta nature and that if you saw such things it is your job to ‘set them straight' and Granny Smith is always right!" "But Apple Bloom, I don't understand. Why be so... zealot-y if you know that you're the only one who feels this way?" "’Cuz my family feels this way!" She countered. "Oh gods," Scootaloo groaned, "I can't take this anymore." The filly took a deep lungful of air, ready to rock her friend's worldview. She knew that this was going to break the filly's heart, but it just had to be done. "Sorry to burst your bubble, Apple Bloom, but I caught Apple Jack and Rainbow making out behind the barn once. I sat there and watched for like five minutes. And I read your brother's mail before; he was sending Caramel love letters before you scared him away by literally burning his house down. Whatever Granny Smith told you, the rest of your family had nothing against being gay. As a matter of fact I'm fairly sure that your brother is a colt-cuddler and your sister is a filly-fooler. Sorry if this totally rocks your world, but somepony needed to tell you that before things got too out of hoof." Shock hung over the room. Nopony moved, most tried not to breathe. They watched as Apple Bloom's head tried to work out that she was the one who was wrong, not them. She couldn't hate her sister and her brother no matter how attracted to the same gender they were. No matter what she was told by her peers or her other schoolmates she couldn't hate her own kin. She turned to look at Scootaloo, stunned and confused. "You mean that I've been puttin' my own family down?" "Yes, Apple Bloom, and I'm sorry to blow your mind out your ears, but yeah, you're being a total jerk to everypony." Again the room lapsed into a long, tense silence, filled only with Scootaloo scuffing her hoof and Apple Bloom's heavy breathing. It took a few minutes for any words to be spoken. "I, er, I need to think." Apple Bloom got up and rushed into the washroom, locking the door behind her. Sweetie turned to Scootaloo . "Think we made a difference?' "I think she'll think twice before dissing on her own family again." Scootaloo picked up Apple Bloom's diary, flipping to the page she wanted. "What the hay are you doing?! That's private!" "So? I've read through it before, Belles. She has a massive crush on Pip, by the way." "Is that part of the reason she hates him for liking Feathers?" "Yeah, she's just mad because she's never had the guts to tell him. Now she's jealous of Feathers and angry at herself so she takes it out on other ponies. You really don't need a Masters Degree, Belles." "Oh... so what now?" "Now we go to bed," Scootaloo yawned. "It's past midnight and I'm beat." Scootaloo jumped onto her bed, putting the sheets and pillows all out of order, just how she liked it. The filly put her head down, ready to get an amazing night's sleep before the tour of Canterlot tomorrow. In fact, she was just about asleep when Sweetie Belle prodded her in the side. "What?" "Remember on the train when I asked you why we couldn't snuggle in our sleep?" After a brief pause, Scootaloo smiled. "Get in here." The unicorn jumped in next to her friend, glad to have a buddy to weather the night with. I didn't take long for their hooves to find each other in the darkness, and even less to find themselves in a comfortable embrace, warm and snug in their room, snow falling outside their window, a light dusting on the sill. It didn't take long for the atmosphere to get the better of Sweetie Belle. "Hey Scoots? Can I tell you something?" "I love you too Belles, you don't have to say it." "So is it okay if I-" Scootaloo rolled over and kissed Sweetie Belle on the lips, blushing. Hiding her flushed cheeks from her bedmate, she rolled back over, tired and cozy against her new mare-friend. They didn't say anything, but wrapped their hooves around each other and passed out with their heads resting on each other's shoulders. "So is that an 'I love you'?'" Sweetie Belle whispered. "Don't rub it in." Meanwhile, on the other side of the hotel, Pip closed the door to his suite, getting ready to come out to Featherweight. He was so nervous the fudge mocha that he had just drank was churning in his stomach like a ship in a storm. He untied his bandanna. "Just don't overthink it," he told himself. "Just like Caramel said." He walked into the kitchen to find a large pot of tea made on the counter with a little note next to it. Pip jumped up to read it. 'To the kid with the bandanna.' Pip smiled. It was from Caramel. Pouring two glasses, he set both of them down on the coffee table, slightly more confident in himself. It was going to be a good night and he knew it. Once he tasted the tea, a super-sweet blend of calming herbal Chamomile and sugary goodness, he got up and trotted over to Featherweight's door. He lifted his shaking, nervous hoof to knock. He didn't put much effort into it; he moreover let his hoof fall into the door. Despite being as gentle as he could, the resulting boom echoed in his ears like the sound of drums. "Who is it?" Featherweight asked. "It's... me. Can we talk out here? I have tea." It took a few moments for Featherweight to come to the door, and once he opened it Pip felt awful for stalling to long. His best friend looked awful, red rings around his eyes from crying and a red nose from wiping it so many times. The miserable-looking colt sighed and cantered over to the coffee table. He took a sip of tea, hiding his face behind the glass. "So, er, Feathers, I was thinking about earlier today and I wanted to know if y-" "I know, I'm sorry Pip! I just kinda didn't know how to react and you were so nice to me and I was kinda lonely and...." "Why are you sorry?" "I... you acted like you didn't want me to do that and I just thought after what had just happened on the couch that it would be okay, I mean I thought but then you acted like it was a bad thing and then I went into my room and I guess I overthought it and the I thought that you would be mad so I just decided that it would just be best if I didn't talk to you until morning and just avoid you once this whole trip was over and we could put it all behind us because after all I'd think that you'd be the forgiving type and you're nice and so I just thought that it would go sorta like that but then I started to put together these scenarios there you were so mad that you weren't friends with me anymore an-" "Featherweight!!!" Pip screamed. The young pegasus cringed, unprepared for his friend's sudden outburst. At first Pip was a little irritated that at his friend was so nervous he was rambling, but then that feeling disappeared when he saw the look on his the colt's face. He looked very sorry and terrified, tears in his eyes. "Look... Feathers, I wanted to tell you that really I'm okay with this. You can like me in that way all you want, I won't mind, because I feel that way too. If you, er, think that this is too sudden or somethin' like that I could maybe wait a bit or-" "Pip?" "What?" "I've always felt that way about you, even before this trip. I thought that maybe you'd be angry that I was a colt-cuddler or that I'd have to find a new best friend." "Oh, Feathers. I would never do that! I mean... you're my best and first mate, and I would never abandon you." "Really?" Pip looked at his best friend and thought about his past with this shy, awkward, rather skinny pegasus. "You were the first pony that I talked to in Ponyville, ever. I didn't talk because I didn't want anypony to notice my accent. I only talked to you because you seemed to understand what it was like to be the odd on out. I thought we had so much in common, and then you warmed up to me and we became friends with the Cutie Mark Crusaders and all that... but you were the only pony I ever really trusted." " I remember on Nightmare Night when you dressed as a pirate... I had to admit you were pretty... well, handsome." Pip smiled. "Thanks." "So... what do we do now that we-" The colt was tackled off the couch by the Brit, landing on the plush carpet. Pip gave his love a smile, removing his bandanna. He just sat there on top of Featherweight, their muzzles mere centimeters from each other’s. The smaller pegasus couldn't help but blush so intensely his cheeks burned. The larger colt tied his bandanna around Featherweight's neck, smiling and blushing. The two didn't remember much of what happened after that, but the night was a blur of smiling, kissing and laughing over stories of their adventures. Pip was especially merry, considering he had his life in Trottingham to tell his new colt-friend about. The night ended at around two in the morning with them crawling into bed next to each other, planting a long, loving kiss on each other's lips, and falling asleep almost right after, still together in a cozy embrace.
