A Dare's Truthby HMXTaylorLeeChaptersSerendipity?Or Something Else?Definitely The LatterSerendipity?Dear diary, Long time, no write! It's been a really busy last couple of weeks for me. Ever since we got our cutie marks, me and the other Crusaders have been spending all of our free time after school trying to help ponies with their cutie marks! But... it hasn't been going that well. Turns out that most ponies are pretty certain about what their cutie marks really mean. Scootaloo jokingly suggested taking a leaf out of Princess Twilight's book and "making a cutie mark problem" if we couldn't find one... I love that pony, but sometimes she thinks before she speaks! It's probably for the best though–when we aren't "crusading," for lack of a better word, we're all busy doing homework! Miss Cheerilee has been just piling it on, to "prepare us for high school next year." At least me and the girls can work together on it, so it's less miserable for us. Surprisingly, Apple Bloom is really good at math, something that Scootaloo and I both struggle with. I bet she'd make a great business pony for Sweet Apple Acres someday. At least she has an idea of what she'll be able to do after school. I still don't know yet —is it weird that I worry about that stuff? Scootaloo seems really carefree about it, but I'm pretty sure that she's just being Scootaloo. You know, "show no fear!" and all that, just like Rainbow Dash. Speaking of Scootaloo, again, we're going to be having a sleepover tonight! Apple Bloom and Scootaloo are gonna be over in a little bit. My parents haven't quite made up their mind if they can stay the night, but I don't know why they would really say no. We get into a lot less trouble now that we have our cutie marks. I'm still wondering what exactly we're gonna do, but I'm sure we'll figure something out! I'll let you know how it— "So, now what?" The question that Sweetie Belle posed to her friends had become all too common, and their time spent together lacked the single minded focus on discovering their special talents that it used to. Nowadays, instead of doing a million different things with the expectation of a life changing revelation, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were adjusting to the mundane simplicity of "just having fun" with vary degrees of success. Tonight's sleepover was no exception. "I dunno," Scootaloo grumbled in frustration from her perch on the foot of Apple Bloom's bed. The pegasus was laying on her back, her right foreleg dangling down along the edge of the mattress absentmindedly. Every couple of seconds, her hoof would gently graze against Sweetie Belle's ear below, which would invariably twitch at the stimulus. Sweetie Belle could have very easily moved, simply scooched a bit to the left along the wooden bed frame she was sitting against, but she didn't. Dear Diary, So, a funny thing happened today. The Crusaders and I were trying to find our special talents... again. Broken record, I know. Anyways, while we went to Rarity's to drop off my school stuff, we saw her working on (of all ponies!) Applejack's mane! Applejack insisted that it was for the Gala next week (I still can't believe we get to go!) to make sure it went with her dress. Inspired, we decided to try and style each other's manes. It's a good thing we weren't allowed to use scissors, because we didn't get our cutie marks. I worked on Apple Bloom, but since she didn't want to take off her bow, I couldn't really do too much with it. All I could really do was make the end of her mane all spiky... just like that time we sang in the talent show. Well, now I know for sure that I'm not cut out to be a stylist —I hope Rarity doesn't mind. But the weird part—Scootaloo worked on my mane. I was amazed she went along with it at all, consider how "lame" she says it is. But it was awesome. She was perfect—firm, but gentle, and even when she grazed my sensitive ears, it felt sooooo nice! She didn't really do much besides brush it, saying that there was nothing wrong with my mane anyway. I know I'm probably reading way too deep into it, but that she did it at all means the world to me, and when she said she likes my mane as is... Yeah, reading too deep. Apple Bloom managed to tame the unkempt parts of Scootaloo's mane, and she looked adorable, as always. Rarity just finished dinner, so I gotta go. One week to the gala! "There's just nothing to do," Scootaloo continued her lament of boredom, likely all but oblivious to the mane-styling memory swarming around in Sweetie Belle's head below. Apple Bloom spat out the yellow crayon she was using to draw a picture of, what seemed to be, herself under an apple tree. "There's plenty of stuff to do, what're you talkin' about?" She pushed a small notebook towards the bed, with a noticeable bulge from the crayons and pencils stuffed within it's pages. "Here, try drawin' or writin' something. Maybe write a sequel to that Scootaloo The Great story you wrote for school?" "I'm not in the mood to do any writing," Scootaloo groaned, lifting herself off of her back and standing up on the bed, much to Sweetie Belle's disappointment. "But a sequel's not a bad idea. I just need to come up with more awesome stuff." Sweetie Belle noted, desperately hoping that the blush creeping across her face wasn't as apparent as it felt, that writing about Scootaloo wasn't hard to do at all, even in a non-fictional capacity. Sweetie Belle’s diary had a disproportionate amount of material as of late that was spent musing about the orange pegasus that had rapidly gained a hold of Sweetie Belle's affections. Scootaloo was as energetic as she was spirited, and she certainly had an abundance of spirit. She was always raring to go, to try some crazy new adventure, even in a setting as mundane as Apple Bloom's bedroom during a sleepover. And though Sweetie Belle knew she wasn't quite on the same athletic level as Scootaloo was, but Scootaloo had always been supportive even if Sweetie Belle happened to fall behind during some of their escapades. On the topic of athletics, Scootaloo was most definitely in shape. She was incredibly agile, and her daring feats and tricks on her scooter often evinced that. She had lean muscle that was accentuated just enough underneath her orange fur, which was coarse, yet so invitingly soft. And then, there was that purple mane, a deliberate disaster that portrayed the tomboyish nature of a filly that didn't seem to care about keeping a perfectly styled mane. And below that head of hair were two beautiful eyes, full of wonder in a brilliant amber hue— But wait. Scootaloo's eyes weren't amber. They were a deep shade of violet. Sweetie Belle blinked, her Scootaloo fueled trance all but broken. Scootaloo's cute face had vanished from her mind's eye, and Sweetie Belle found herself staring instead at Apple Bloom's face, complete with amber colored eyes under a quizzically raised eyebrow. "What?" "You alright, Sweetie Belle? You're lookin' awfully flushed." “What?” Sweetie Belle shook her head frantically, glancing up to notice Scootaloo’s (purple) eyes looking down upon her with curiosity, her face growing even warmer as a result. “I’m fine, I was just... thinking?” She paused before answering, still unsure how exactly to answer even as she did. Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow, but Scootaloo, thankfully, didn’t seem to notice. Instead, she asked “About what?” You. Don’t say that. “I was thinking about… nothing,” Sweetie Belle answered lamely. “That sounds like this sleepover, alright,” Scootaloo agreed as she hopped down to the floor. “A whole bunch of nothing! I still don’t know why we couldn’t stay at your place, Sweetie. Then we could play some of your fancy new games.” Grateful for the distraction, Sweetie Belle turned away from the still-quizzical-looking Apple Bloom to shrug. “Not sure. Maybe they just didn’t want a lot of noise?” “But we’re not loud!” Scootaloo cried, Sweetie Belle’s ear folding in disagreement. “I mean, not really.” Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. “Hardly. Excuse me if we don’t have any fancy video games. We prefer the games where you actually do stuff with each other, instead of starin’ at a screen.” “Sounds like you didn’t like losing to me,” Scootaloo argued. “Maybe if you practiced a little bit more, you’d get why they’re so awesome.” “Practicin’ tappin’ buttons? That’s just silly.” “Scoring a bunch of of points and doing tricks Pony Hawk’s Pro Scooter isn’t silly, it’s awesome! I think you’re just being a sore loser about it.” “Winnin’ and losin’ has nothin’ to do with it,” Apple Bloom insisted, but her soured facial expression seemed to indicate otherwise. Tired of hearing her friends squabbling, Sweetie Belle opted to change the subject. “How about instead of arguing, we find something to do? Maybe not video games,” she mused, “but how about board games instead?” “Like Monopony!” Apple Bloom cheered, jumping to her hooves and scrambling to the closet where her board games were stowed. “No way,” Scootaloo shook her head. “You always win at that one!” “Sounds like you’re just bein’ a sore loser about it.” “What else do you have?” “Let’s see… Scorewords?” Apple Bloom’s suggestion was accompanied by the telltale clatter of plastic tiles bouncing against each other in a cardboard case. Sweetie Belle’s eyes lit up at the sight of the word-making game being pulled from the closet, but they faltered at Scootaloo’s sigh of discontent. “No thanks,” Scootaloo muttered again, turning her attention to Sweetie Belle. “Sweetie always wins at that one.” “Well, then what do you want to do?” Apple Bloom asked with a sulk, shoving the board back atop Monopony’s box with a clatter as the letter tiles within shuffled about. Scootaloo groaned again in frustration. “I don’t know. Now that we’ve got our cutie marks...” she trailed off, but Sweetie Belle knew exactly what she would have said. The trio exchanged glances with one another for several moments, accompanied by dissatisfied sighs as the hollow answer to the question “we’ve got our cutie marks, now what?” sounded between them with silence. “Well, we should still try and find somethin’ to do before dinner,” Apple Bloom insisted to break the quiet and lift the temporarily dampened spirits that had settled in the room. “And if Scootaloo doesn’t want to do any games that involve thinkin’...’” “Hey!” “Then why don’t we play…” Apple Bloom scratched her chin, looking between her two friends as she pondered. Her eyes settled on Sweetie Belle for a second, and then lit up for an instant when she finally decided on something. “Truth or dare?” Scootaloo clapped her hooves together excitedly as a mischievous smile formed on her face. “Alright! I’ve come up with some totally awesome stuff to dare you two to do since last time!” “Um, are you sure that’s a good idea?” Sweetie Belle asked timidly. “After what happened last time?” “Oh don’t be silly, we aren’t even near anythin’ flammable this time!” “Aw, come on, Sweetie Belle!” Scootaloo pouted with her bottom lip curling ever so slightly. As much as she tried to, Sweetie Belle could hardly resist. “You promise it won’t be like last time?” Sweetie Belle clarified, looking back nervously at the eager faces of her friends who were all too quick to nod their heads enthusiastically. “Promise! Pinkie promise, even!” Apple Bloom exclaimed with several waving motions of her hooves, followed with a gesture with her right hoof to her eye. Dear Diary, Stupid, stupid, stupid! I got grounded today, for some silly little accident! So today, the girls and I were playing a game of truth or dare. And Scootaloo dared Apple Bloom to do some crazy spin trick on her scooter, which Apple Bloom tried to do but she lost control of it. The scooter flew into one of the lanterns along the park, and then a tree got set on fire and… yeah. It was a complete accident, but the fire department told our parents anyways, and they weren’t very happy about it. I didn’t even have anything to do with it, but they grounded me anyways! At least it’s just a week for me - Apple Bloom got extra chores for a whole three weeks. If they hadn’t kept trying to show up each other with their dares… I guess we won’t be playing Truth or Dare again anytime soon. “Alright then, Truth or Dare it is!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed, much to the approval of her friends, who both pumped their hooves in the air. “So, how should we start?” “Me!” Apple Bloom and Scootaloo cried at the same time, both of them wearing a confused expression as they vied for first pick of the game. “This is my house, Scootaloo,” Apple Bloom explained with a grin, “so I get to go first.” “But we’re your guests, and we should be allowed to go first,” Scootaloo argued, turning to Sweetie Belle for help. “Isn’t that the rule?” “Um…” “But nothin’! It was my idea to play the game in the first place, so I should be allowed to go first,” Apple Bloom said defensively, since her first reason had been shot down so abruptly. “Yeah, but…” Scootaloo frowned, and she tilted her head back with a frustrated groan. “Fine! Since I’m such a good friend, I’ll let you go first.” “Thanks,” Apple Bloom said with an exaggerated smile. “Alright, Scootaloo… Truth or dare?” “Do you even have to ask?” Scootaloo boasted. “Dare, duh!” As was typical of her, Sweetie Belle thought. Not one to back down from a challenge, Scootaloo almost invariably opted to “dare” instead of tell the truth about some embarrassing question. “Perfect,” Apple Bloom grinned. “I dare you to…” She looked around the room, searching for some sort of inspiration by which to embarrass her friend. Her eyes settled on a pale pink dress hanging in the open closet, one that she had worn months ago as a flower filly for Princess Cadance’s wedding, and her grin grew even wider. “Oh come on!” Scootaloo groaned again, following Apple Bloom’s gaze to the garment. Sweetie Belle imagined Scootaloo wearing that flower filly dress again, and though she didn’t think it silly, she giggled anyways. It didn’t help the situation. “We haven’t even started yet, and you’re already callin’ it quits?” Apple Bloom taunted with a laugh. “If that’s the best you’ve got, I have so got this!” Scootaloo trotted with indignation towards the dress, as if she actually welcomed the humiliation. After several minutes of wrestling with correctly navigating the various gaps in the fabric, Scootaloo emerged in her pink dress, frills and all. The tone of the clothing matched the color of her cheeks, but she wore a stubborn smile regardless, to show that it didn’t bother her. Just adorable, Sweetie Belle thought. “My turn,” Scootaloo said with relish, turning to face Apple Bloom, who didn’t look at all perturbed. “Nu uh,” Apple Bloom shook her head. “Sweetie Belle gets to go next.” “WHAT?” Scootaloo balked, her hooves punching down on her dress in frustration. “That’s not fair! You dared me, so I get to go next!” “My house, my rules,” Apple Bloom beamed. “And I say Sweetie goes next.” “Can I take this off at least?” Scootaloo scratched at a troublesome bit of lace. “Only if you want to back out of the dare,” Apple Bloom replied with satisfaction. Scootaloo’s eye twitched. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” “You have no idea.” Games of truth or dare almost always went this way when the Crusaders played. Sweetie Belle was mostly concerned with finding out more about her friends, or getting to know them better. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, meanwhile, just enjoyed tormenting one another. Sweetie Belle had learned to keep her dares or questions fairly mild, lest they come up with some creative retaliation. And now, Sweetie Belle was trying to come up with something that wouldn’t upset either of her friends… yet, she didn’t want to disappoint them either. “Okay then,” Sweetie Belle’s face screwed up as she looked back and forth between her two friends, deciding which one to inflict the next round upon. Scootaloo’s violet eyes kept glancing sideways at Apple Bloom, and the pegasus was mouthing silently to Sweetie Belle. Sweetie Belle could hardly say no. “Apple Bloom!” Sweetie Belle raised a white hoof at her friend, whose smug appearance had already begun to falter at the exclamation. “Truth? Or Dare?” Apple Bloom stared, unblinkingly, at Scootaloo as she answered. “Dare.” “Get her good, Sweetie Belle! Avenge me, for this dress!” Scootaloo clapped her hooves in anticipation. Sweetie Belle’s mind raced with the various options at her disposal. It wasn’t just about a simple game of truth or dare - she had to defend Scootaloo’s… something. It wasn’t quite “honor”, more like her “dignity.” But since it was Scootaloo who was asking, it was even more important that she get it right. “I dare you to…” Sweetie Belle spoke slowly, realizing that she had been concentrating too much about Scootaloo, and less about the dare before she had begun her sentence, and still didn’t actually have anything in mind. What would Scootaloo do? In that case, what would Rainbow Dash do? “I dare you to impersonate Rainbow Dash!” Sweetie Belle announced to decidedly mixed reactions. Apple Bloom guffawed, and Scootaloo grimaced. “Really, Sweetie Belle?” Scootaloo shook her head. “Impersonating Rainbow Dash isn’t embarrassing!” Sweetie Belle frowned, and bit her lip. She thought for sure that seeing Apple Bloom make a mockery of her idol would be satisfying enough for Scootaloo. “Sorry! I thought it’d be really funny. Truth or Dare isn’t always just about embarrassing each other, is it?” Sweetie Belle asked as she scratched at her foreleg. “Isn’t she just the cutest, Scootaloo?” Apple Bloom laughed. Sweetie Belle blushed at the notion of Scootaloo looking at her as “cute.” “Yeah, yeah,” Scootaloo replied shortly. “Make with the Rainbow Dash, and you’d better do her justice.” Scootaloo’s threat would have almost had menace were she not wearing that adorable pink dress. Apple Bloom cleared her throat, and then paused. “I’m Rainbow Dash!” She shouted suddenly, her southern drawl given a horribly unappealing rasp. “I’m the best pony ever!” Apple Bloom leapt up from the floor to her bed, paying no mind to the two ponies that were rolling on the floor in laughter. “I’m the fastest pony ever, except for Applejack, I need to cheat to beat her in a race.” Scootaloo’s expression began to sour. “My job isn’t taming critters, or buckin’ apples, but kicking clouds! Clouds!” Apple Bloom repeated. “They’re soft and fluffy, everything I’m not. Because I’m Rainbow Dash, remember?” Scootaloo’s forelegs folded across her chest, and she clicked her tongue. “How could you possibly forget that I’m Rainbow Dash? I leave rainbow trails everywhere I go, rainbow butt trails—” “Alright, just stop!” Scootaloo shouted crossly. “Rainbow Dash doesn’t… I mean, she does, but—” “Butt trails,” Apple Bloom finished slyly, her voice dropping the rasp. Scootaloo’s voice was likely to get a rasp, given how much she had been groaning this evening. “I’m sorry about that, Scootaloo,” Sweetie Belle rubbed Scootaloo’s shoulder, her hoof catching on a pink strap. “I should have picked something else.” “No,” Scootaloo shook her head again. “She’s the one who should be sorry.” “Oh, lighten up, will ya?” Apple Bloom laughed as she hopped down from the bed. “It’s not like y’all two are married, or somethin’. Though, the way you carry on sometimes, it makes me wonder…” “Wonder all you want, Apple Bloom,” Scootaloo blushed furiously. “My turn now, and I dare you to—” “Truth. I pick truth,” Apple Bloom said casually, brushing her shoulders. “Oh come on!” Scootaloo cried once more, eliciting a thumping noise from downstairs. “Y’all wanna keep it down?” Applejack’s voice filtered up through the floorboards. “It’s no wonder Sweetie Belle’s folks said you were too loud!” “Oh come on!” Scootaloo hissed. “You can’t do that!” “It’s called Truth or Dare, not just dare,” Apple Bloom explained. “Just because you always pick dare, doesn’t mean I have to.” “You think you’re so clever,” Scootaloo whispered with narrowed eyes, before turning to look at Sweetie Belle. “Sweetie, I need your help.” “My help?” Sweetie Belle squeaked. “With what?” “She needs to be thoroughly embarrassed to make up for that Rainbow Dash… attack,” Scootaloo spat as though she couldn’t describe the atrocity strongly enough. “And you were always good with the personal touchy-feely things.” Sweetie Belle’s face flushed ever so slightly. “Um, thanks?” “So,” Scootaloo continued, “what’s the most embarrassing question ever? Like, something that you would just die if anyone found the truth about?” “Um,” Apple Bloom muttered. “Did I say I was sorry about what I said about Rainbow? Because I’m sorry.” “Too late for that now, Apple Bloom!” Scootaloo announced with a tangible sense of satisfaction. “So, what’ve you got, Sweetie Belle?” Sweetie Belle froze, lost in thought. One of the reasons she didn’t really care for truth or dare all that much, apart from its immediate (and flammable) dangers, was how easily she was embarrassed. So, there weren’t any shortage of embarrassing or humiliating questions on offer for her. But for Sweetie, which one would be the worst? “That’s easy, who do I — you, you have a crush on?” Sweetie Belle finished her thought out loud, making sure to correct it. Just like when she had suggested the Rainbow Dash impersonation, her friends’ reactions were worlds apart. Horror, and elation. “Oh my,” Apple Bloom blushed furiously, covering her mouth and cheeks with her hooves as Scootaloo cheered. “Awesome, Sweetie! And how sweet it is, Apple Bloom!” Scootaloo jeered to the dagger-like stare of Apple Bloom. “So, let’s hear it, AB. Who do you wish was your very special somepony?” Gone was the self-assured, almost arrogant, filly from before. Instead, Apple Bloom shuffled nervously, mumbling under her breath. “What was that, Apple Bloom?” Scootaloo asked. “I couldn’t quite hear you. Maybe you could wear this dress, it might give you some confidence—” “—Rainbow Dash!” Apple Bloom burst out. “She’s so fast and awesome, and how could I not have a crush on her?” “Very funny,” Scootaloo’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “You know the rules, you have to tell the truth if you pick truth.” “I know… I—I don’t have a crush on anypony,” Apple Bloom answered, her shifty gaze not at all convincing to either Scootaloo or Sweetie Belle. “What do you think, Sweetie?” Scootaloo glanced sideways at the unicorn. “Does that look like she doesn’t have a crush?” Sweetie Belle put herself in Apple Bloom’s (horse)shoes, and was quite easily able to relate to her friend’s discomfort. “If she doesn’t want to answer, Scootaloo, then she—” “—She shouldn’t have chickened out and picked truth instead of dare,” Scootaloo interrupted. “So, come on then, out with it! Who is it? WHO IS IT?” “It’s Spike, alright?” Apple Bloom relented, her cheeks aflame. “WHO — wait, Spike?” Scootaloo stopped in her rant. “Like, Spike? Our Spike, like the dragon?” ‘I don’t have a crush on anypony’, Sweetie Belle recalled. Not as untruthful as it seemed. “Yeah, that Spike, and don’t you dare say anything to him about it,” Apple Bloom demanded, her eyes burning as she glared at Scootaloo. “Come on, Apple Bloom,” Scootaloo’s voice softened for the first time since the exchanges had begun. “I’m not that mean. I — we — wouldn’t do that to you. Right, Sweetie?” “Right!” Sweetie Belle nodded in agreement. “I’m serious,” Apple Bloom said warily, evidently not too convinced. “Not. A. Word.” “Promise,” Scootaloo smiled. “Pinkie promise, even,” she waved her arms about, ending the gesture with her right hoof inches away from her eye. “Thanks,” Apple Bloom replied earnestly. “So… Spike, huh?” Scootaloo asked casually. “I guess he’s pretty cute, for a dragon—” “—Okay, you know you’re just asking for it now,” Apple Bloom’s mood shifted from humiliated to vindicated, and she found herself back on the offensive. “Both of you,” she added. “Me?” Sweetie Belle squeaked. “What did I do?” “You came up with that question, so you’re just as responsible,” Apple Bloom replied. “And now… Truth? Or Dare? Which one, Sweetie Belle?” Sweetie Belle’s eyes grew wide at the question. Almost invariably, Sweetie Belle picked truth when she played. Her friend’s didn’t really press her too much for embarrassing questions, for one, and for two, a game of escalating dares between just two ponies was often bad enough. Sweetie Belle was content to answer some questions and sit back whilst her two friends worked tirelessly to torture each other. But now that Apple Bloom knew exactly what Sweetie Belle’s most dreaded question ever (to paraphrase Scootaloo) was, Sweetie Belle hesitated with her choice. Telling even your closest friends about the object of your affections clearly wasn’t easy, judging from Apple Bloom’s reaction, and it could only be made worse when her crush was actually in the room with her. With revenge for her “truth” on Apple Bloom’s mind, Sweetie Belle’s decision was practically made for her. “Dare!” Sweetie Belle announced, once again gaining two opposite reactions from her friends. Scootaloo cheered, while Apple Bloom’s lips pursed. “Way to go, Sweetie Belle,” Scootaloo tousled Sweetie’s mane playfully. “There’s no way she’ll be able to beat that question for sheer embarrassment!” “Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” Apple Bloom broke into a mischievous grin. “Not for either of you. Sweetie Belle, I dare you to kiss Scootaloo.” Scootaloo’s laughter stopped immediately. She looked back and forth at the red-faced Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom in a panic. “What?” Scootaloo squeaked uncontrollably. “I dare you,” Apple Bloom pointed at a shell-shocked Sweetie Belle, then to Scootaloo. “To kiss you.” Flummoxed, Scootaloo tried to articulate a proper response. “I… uh… you wouldn’t. You wouldn’t!” “I would,” Apple Bloom’s grin grew ever wider. “And not some weak little kiss, neither. On the lips!” “Maybe we should stop,” Scootaloo uncharacteristically squeaked again. “You win, Apple Bloom.” “I’m hearing a whole lotta talkin’, but no smoochin’, you two,” Apple Bloom drawled. “You should probably get on that.” “You’re evil, you know that? Evil!” Scootaloo cried again. “Aw, come on. It’s just a little kiss, is all,” Apple Bloom waved her hoof. “You got a problem with kissin’ Sweetie Belle?” “No — I mean — I don’t know!” Scootaloo’s hooves flailed about. “Do you think she’s ugly?” “No, she’s not —” Scootaloo turned to look at Sweetie Belle “—you’re not ugly, Sweetie Belle.” “Does she have bad breath?” Apple Bloom asked. “No!” “So then, you know how her breath smells, but you’re nervous about kissin’ her?” “Oh my gosh…” Scootaloo looked down at her hooves, mortified. “Well, it sounds like you’re the only one complainin’ about it,” Apple Bloom poked at her friend. “I ain’t heard a word from Sweetie Belle in protest.” Suddenly, Sweetie Belle felt the stares of both of her friends piercing her. Scootaloo’s violet eyes were wide, pleading for an answer to help save her from embarrassment. Apple Bloom’s, however, were simply watching her with curiosity. “I um…” Sweetie Belle started, her mouth going dry. “I don’t know what to say,” she said truthfully. “She’s shocked you would go this low, Apple Bloom,” Scootaloo said with desperation. “I’m sorry you got grounded last time, but come on!” “Nope!” Apple Bloom shook her head. “All’s fair in love and war, so pucker up!” “This is so unfa—” Scootaloo’s protest was cut off at the mouth, as Sweetie Belle planted her lips on hers. It probably only lasted for a second, maybe two, but if you’d have asked Sweetie Belle, it felt like it lasted alot longer. Maybe a minute, maybe two. And in that minute, Sweetie Belle was incredibly grateful to Apple Bloom for instigating such a ridiculous game of truth or dare that enabled Sweetie Belle to finally make good on her wish to show Scootaloo how she felt. In that minute, Sweetie Belle could swear she felt the protest leave Scootaloo’s lips, replaced instead by an affection of their own. She wasn’t quite sure on that point, she would need more time. A second, minute, whatever, it wasn’t quite enough. “There,” Sweetie Belle mumbled as she withdrew from Scootaloo’s shell-shocked face, the pegasus’ lips still puckered. Then came the awkward silence. Sweetie Belle would have welcomed Apple Bloom’s gloating, or Scootaloo scraping at her own tongue, or something, but the three of them just sat there. Sweetie Belle had enjoyed the kiss, secretly of course, but evidently she must have done something horribly, terribly wrong. “That was…” Scootaloo said at long last, raising her hoof to her lips. “That was…” “That wasn’t nearly as much fun as I thought it’d be,” Apple Bloom commented. “That was the most boring kiss I think I’ve ever seen.” “Boring?” Sweetie Belle raised her voice defensively. “What do you mean it was boring?” “Yeah?” Scootaloo joined in. “And how exactly were you expecting to be entertained? She didn’t kiss you!” “I dunno,” Apple Bloom shrugged her shoulders. “It was like watchin’ one of those Haymark Original movies. Flat, but it had potential. Maybe you two need to practice?” “Practice?” Scootaloo cried. “We’re not going to practice kissing for your entertainment!” “But you’ll kiss once for it,” Apple Bloom said dismissively. “You know, you two don’t need to use me as an excuse…” “Oh, that’s it!” Scootaloo lunged towards Apple Bloom, her back hoof catching on the edge of her dress, sending the filly crashing to the floor. “Enough with the roughhousing, already!” Applejack’s voice came calling again. “Dinner’s ready if y’all can make it down without wreckin’ the place!” “Well, y’all heard her! Game’s over, let’s go eat!” With surprising speed, Apple Bloom had opened the door to her bedroom, and the clopping of her hooves growing quieter as the filly hastily trotted down the hall, then down the stairs.. She left a dumbfounded Sweetie Belle, and a disheveled Scootaloo alone in her room, exchanging looks with each other. “What just happened?” Scootaloo asked as she removed the dress at long last, draping it over the foot of Apple Bloom’s bed. Sweetie Belle did her best to contain a smile as she merely shrugged her shoulders. They followed their friend out the door, Sweetie Belle hitting the light switch on the way out and shrouding the room in darkness. Author's Note Pre-read and edited by the great RaylanKrios! Or Something Else?Dear Diary, Another fun sleepover last night. It was my turn to pick the movie to watch, since Scootaloo chose the last one (The Appleloosan Bonesaw Slaughter = ew!) I went for the movie Manespray, a super fun feel good musical. Scootaloo was typically Scootaloo about it, and didn’t want to watch a comedy with ponies bursting into song and dance… but since I’ve seen it so much, I spent most of it watching Scootaloo’s reaction. She’ll never admit it, but she couldn’t take her eyes off it! I know I write this a lot, but I think she is a lot “softer” than she likes to let on. I wish she would open up a bit more, you know? It’s Apple Bloom’s turn to pick next time, but when I get to pick again, I’ll pick a romance. I’ll get to gauge Scootaloo’s reaction to that one too, maybe I can use it as inspiration to talk to her about us? We’ll see… “So, what did y’all think of it?” Apple Bloom asked as the trio traipsed up the stairs to her room. “I’m beginning to think this entire sleepover was just an elaborate revenge plot,” Scootaloo replied. “You didn’t like the movie?” Sweetie Belle tilted her head, as Apple Bloom turned the light on to her bedroom, revealing the pink dress on the bed that likely validated Scootaloo’s mindset. “I thought it was really cute. I’m surprised that you picked A Trot To Remember, Apple Bloom. You usually go with action films with lots of fight scenes and stuff, not romance.” “Which would have been better than that,” Scootaloo added from behind Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom as she crested the top of the stairs, her hoof falls quickly approaching the bed room. Sweetie Belle watched Apple Bloom’s reaction to both Scootaloo’s comment, and the dress resting upon the bed— a not-so-subtle grin. The two often heckled each other, but not to the extent that Apple Bloom had instigated this evening. To a tomboy like Scootaloo, romance was probably seen as a form of punishment, Sweetie Belle noted with a frown. “Come on, now, Scootaloo,” Apple Bloom leapt onto her bed. “It wasn’t that bad.” “What do you mean, that bad?” Sweetie Belle asked from below, “Did you not like it either? Why did you choose it then?” “Dunno,” Apple Bloom said quickly, “I heard it was good. A nice change of pace.” “Don’t know who you heard that from,” Scootaloo rolled her eyes, closing the bedroom door behind her. “It was awful.” Sweetie Belle’s smile faltered. “I thought it was good…” she pouted. Scootaloo’s eyes widened at Sweetie Belle’s reaction. “Okay, I mean, it wasn’t awful,” she scrambled to correct herself. “But you have to admit, it was soooo predictable.” Not sure how to dispute it, Sweetie Belle did her best to try to defend her position. “I guess… but isn’t that the point of a romance film, though? You know that Sandy Shore and Mane West are going to get together at some point, the fun is watching them get there.” “It was more frustrating than fun,” Scootaloo objected. “You knew that they were perfect for each other, pretty much as soon as they met. But neither of them want to admit it, and it’s just watching them dance around the inevitable. Like every romance movie ever.” “You watch a lot of romance there, Scoots?” Apple Bloom inquired with a raised eyebrow. The filly had begun to arrange the pillows on the bed that Applejack had laid out for them while they watched the movie. “No!” Scootaloo’s face color changed with remarkable speed, from orange to deep crimson tinted orange. “I mean… no,” she echoed herself, only with a much more controlled tone of voice. “Only when they play on TV while my parents are watching, that’s pretty much it.” “Which ones have you seen? Just like there are bad horror movies, there are bad romance films too,” Sweetie Belle explained. “I can point out some good ones, if you like.” “I don’t know, Sweetie…” Scootaloo said uneasily. “A Trot To Remember was alright, but most movies I’ve seen were all like… Single Santa Seeking Mrs. Hooves and Love Under Celestia’s Sky.” “Those were both Haymark Original Movies!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed with a blush, reminded of Apple Bloom’s (negative) comparison to Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo’s ‘kiss’ to the kind in those films. “Those ones are pretty cheesy, and the acting is really amateur, like Apple Bloom said. It’s hard to really believe that they’re in love with each other. That’s what makes a romance work.” “Well, they’re acting,” Scootaloo said bluntly. “You know it’s not really happening anyhow.” “What about your horror films?” Sweetie Belle retorted. “You know the characters aren’t really in danger, but they’re still fun to watch, right?” Scootaloo opened her mouth to argue, but promptly closed it again. “I thought you didn’t like horror films, Sweetie,” Apple Bloom interrupted as she bounced to the floor, walking towards the closet. “I gave them a chance,” Sweetie Belle said simply. “Scootaloo wanted to watch some at some our sleepovers, and I figured if she liked them, I should at least give them a try.” “And?” Apple Bloom’s muffled voice asked, the earth pony’s mouth clamped around a set of spare blankets. “It took some getting used to,” Sweetie Belle admitted, “but it was a lot of fun being scared.” “And were you scared or what?” Scootaloo laughed. “During pretty much all of Foal’s Play, you wouldn’t let me go!” This time, it was Sweetie Belle’s turn to blush. “That doll was really creepy.” “Well, if you have any nightmares, make sure you grab a hold of Scoots again,” Apple Bloom said from the edge of the bed. “Because I need my beauty sleep.” “Beauty sleep?” Sweetie Belle asked incredulously. She had never known a pony, except for maybe Scootaloo, who seemed to care so little about beautification than Apple Bloom. “Are you going to bed already?” Scootaloo whined. “But we’re not even tired!” “Y-yeaaaaa,” Sweetie agreed, unconvincingly, with a yawn. “We’re not even tired.” Apple Bloom had already nestled herself under the covers on the far left side of the bed, her face turned away from the other two Crusaders. “Look at it this way, the earlier we get up tomorrow, the earlier we can go outside and do somethin’ that isn’t a board game, or truth or dare.” “That isn’t truth or dare?” Scootaloo’s voice raised. “Oh no, we’re totally playing tomorrow, I need to get you back for…” She paused, looking at Sweetie Belle for just a moment. “...To get you back for that dress,” she finished. “Only one truth or dare session per sleepover, that’s the rule,” Apple Bloom explained, slipping her pink sleep mask over her mane to cover her eyes. “Good night, y’all,” she said with a cheerful finality. “Where do these rules keep coming from?” Scootaloo asked, looking to Sweetie Belle for some backup. “That’s not a thing, is it?” Sweetie Belle shrugged, trying her best to not to support either one of her friends over the other. “You’ve seen Apple Bloom play Monopony,” she said. “She does have a good head for management, right?” “She cheats at that too,” Scootaloo insisted as she traipsed begrudgingly towards the light switch. She looked at Sweetie Belle, gesturing with a nod of her head to the light she was just about to turn off. The unicorn nodded, and with a soft click, the room went turned almost pitch black, with the exception of the dim glow of moonlight around the bedroom window. “Shoot. Uh, Sweetie,” Scootaloo’s voice came from the darkness, “do you think you could…” A pale green light illuminated the room, emanating from Sweetie Belle’s horn. “Yeah,” she replied casually, already prepared to offer a light. It wasn’t the first time that Scootaloo had acted without thinking, but if she could prevent Scootaloo from tripping over something in the dark again, Sweetie Belle was glad to help. In the glow, Scootaloo walked slowly towards the edge of the bed, bracing herself for a moment as she hopped upwards. Sweetie Belle heard a gasp of surprise, the scrambling of hooves on the thick comforter that covered the mattress. “Everything alright, Scootaloo?” Sweetie Belle followed suit, hopping up to the bed, her luminous horn revealing a cross-faced Scootaloo. The pegasus grunted, and raised a piece of pink fabric up with her hoof. Apple Bloom’s dress, right where Scootaloo had thrown it. “Stupid dress, I kinda slipped on it,” Scootaloo explained as she gently draped the dress over the footboard. She didn’t know what possessed her to say it, and even as the words left her lips, Sweetie Belle could scarcely believe she had been so forthright. “I thought it looked pretty cute on you.” The green hue from Sweetie’s horn obscured Scootaloo’s blush, but Sweetie could discern from the telltale aversion of the eyes and the shrinking of her shoulders that Scootaloo was embarrassed by her compliment. “Thanks…” she mumbled, walking across the bedspread towards the pillows. “We should um, we should probably get some sleep. You wanna lay down first, between me and AB? You wiggle around a lot in your sleep, I noticed.” “Do I?” Sweetie’s magical light flickered for a moment. “Yeah, but it’s cool,” Scootaloo nodded quietly. “I just don’t want you falling out of the bed again if you sleep on the outside.” Dear diary, Last night, we had our traditional Crusader sleepover, this time at Scootaloo's. Everything was going really good, until the actual sleeping part. She's got a really small bed, I think, and sometime after we fell asleep, I guess I rolled out of bed and landed square on my face. Of course, Scootaloo woke up right away and saw. It didn't even hurt that bad, but I just kinda started crying. But only a little! It was super embarrassing, even though Scootaloo didn't even seem to care about me being a big baby. She just wanted to make sure that I was alright. Did I ever tell you how much I adore her? Sweetie Belle winced at the thought of her smarting muzzle again, making her way to the headboard and the many pillows that lined it. . “Right… I hope I don’t wake Apple Bloom up if I move too much.” “I hope you do,” Scootaloo joked, making extra sure that she whispered once Sweetie Belle reminded her that Apple Bloom was, in fact, trying to sleep. There wasn’t any motion or protest coming from the breathing figure of the farm filly. “Asleep already? She must have been tired. And we didn’t even really do anything tonight…” Slowly, Sweetie Belle lowered herself underneath the tautly pulled top sheet, Scootaloo holding the fabric up like a makeshift tent. “Thanks,” she whispered to a cordial nod from Scootaloo, who, much less gracefully, tucked herself into bed too. “Good night, Sweetie,” Scootaloo said softly as she shifted a bit, trying to make herself more comfortable. “You too, Scoots,” Sweetie Belle replied, the glow on her horn dissipating. She laid still, a bit more self-conscious of her “wriggling,” and stared up at the ceiling. The room was virtually silent, except for the soft breathing of her friends on either side of her. After several minutes, Sweetie Belle wasn’t much closer to falling asleep. She agreed with Scootaloo, it seemed like they had gone to bed much earlier than usual. Applejack didn’t even have to tell them to “quiet down and go to sleep,” which usually occurred about three times whenever they stayed the night. The whole decision to stay over at Apple Bloom's was unusual too, as it was Sweetie Belle's turn to host. A small twinge in her upper back prompted Sweetie Belle to move, before she got too stiff. Per usual, she rolled over so that she was sleeping on her side, making sure to move as quietly as possible so as to not disturb the girls. She rolled to her left, and silhouetted against the window, she saw the back of Scootaloo’s untidy mane resting immediately in front of her. Sweetie Belle lay still for another few minutes, her eyes adjusting to the darkness of the room, making it that much easier to see Scootaloo’s mane. As paradoxically as it seemed, the tough-and-tumble hairstyle looked wonderfully soft against the moon’s glow from the window. It was then that a wild thought entered Sweetie Belle’s head. I wonder if she’d notice if I touched it? Sweetie Belle thought. What would she do if I did? She liked it when Apple Bloom brushed her mane before, so she surely wouldn’t mind me, would she? All it would take is a small stretch of her foreleg. Sweetie watched, almost helplessly, as her white leg reached out towards the purple mass of hair atop Scootaloo’s breathing figure. But what if she didn’t like it? What if she thought it was weird, or creepy? Would she get mad at me? Especially since we're supposed to be sleeping? Sweetie Belle’s hoof was held aloft, mere inches from Scootaloo’s ear. It inched forward of its own accord. Then again, she didn’t seem to mind too much that we kissed each other. It was a dare, but still, she didn’t get disgusted or anything afterwards. Besides, don’t friends brush each other’s manes anyways? Though, she’s sleeping... If I do it soft enough, I’m sure she won’t even notice. As her hoof lowered at a glacial pace, Scootaloo suddenly burst to life. The back of Scootaloo’s mane was replaced by Scootaloo’s face, with Sweetie Belle’s hoof floating right in front of her eyes as Scootaloo rolled over nearly instantaneously. “Sweetie?” Scootaloo asked with confusion. “What are you doing?” “Nothing!” Sweetie Belle squeaked in a panic. “You’re awake! I thought you were sleeping. I mean, I just—” she fumbled over her words as her hoof retreated out of sight underneath the muted yellow bedsheet. “Yeah, I’m awake…” Scootaloo started cautiously. “I was checking to see if you were still awake. What were you doing?” She repeated the question, much to Sweetie Belle’s dismay. “I’m not sure,” Sweetie Belle answered quickly. “I guess I felt like stretching, but didn’t want to get up,” she answered in what she thought was a stroke of brilliance. “Your hoof was awfully close to my face,” Scootaloo pointed out. “Was it?” Sweetie Belle tried her best to keep her false giggle from sounding too forced, but at the volume she laughed at, even she thought it was obvious. “I didn’t notice. It’s really dark in here without a light.” “Not it’s not. I can see you just fine.” Scootaloo was utterly destroying Sweetie Belle’s attempt to pass off the would-be affectionate gesture as an accident. “Oh,” Sweetie Belle mumbled under her breath, her adjusted eyesight revealing that Scootaloo had propped herself up on her front elbow. Her face was silhouetted against the window frame, and Sweetie Belle couldn’t see how exactly Scootaloo was looking at her. In the absence of anything conclusive, Sweetie Belle immediately assumed the worst. “Sorry about that…” she mumbled quietly, so low that even she had a hard time hearing it. “It’s no big deal,” Scootaloo said. “You just surprised me, is all.” The two sat in silence for several moments. Scootaloo resting on her elbow, watching her, and Sweetie Belle didn’t dare to turn or look away. To do so would be a clear indicator of her guilt, her wrong-doing, her being weird and creepy and— "So what were you really doing?" Scootaloo asked. Sweetie knew the question was coming, but still had no real answer outside of her less-than-brilliant stretching story. "I uh..." Sweetie Belle stammered, "I just saw this wild bit of your hair kinda sticking up, against the moon in the window. So I was gonna try and sort of pat it down." Scootaloo patted her hair down hastily, to little avail as the aforementioned cowlick sprang back into place. "My hair is always like that though. Does it... does it bother you?" "No!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed, wincing as she heard Apple Bloom shuffle behind her. "I mean, no... I love you and your mane. I mean, I love your mane. I mean, I really like your mane!" She hoped her slip of the tongue went unnoticed. The pair were silent. Sweetie Belle's heart was pounding in her chest. Her answer seemed reasonable enough, right? She liked most everypony's mane! "You really love... er, like my mane?" Scootaloo asked for clarification after what seemed ages. "Yes!" Sweetie Belle breathed in relief. "It's so you. It's kinda crazy and all over the place and wild and unkempt, but it's still really soft and nice and... and..." her babbling faltered. "All over the place, huh?" Scootaloo said, with a tone of melancholy in her voice. "That sounds familiar." "What do you mean?" Sweetie Belle asked with concern. “I don’t know… I just have a lot of things on my mind, I guess. It's all over the place.” Sweetie Belle's heart fluttered for a moment, and she inched closer to her friend. “Oh? What kind of things?” “Things like... “ Scootaloo paused for a moment. “Never mind.” "Is that why you were still awake?” “Yeah, but It’s stupid,” Scootaloo shook her head violently, rolling over gracelessly in the bed away from Sweetie Belle. “I shouldn’t have said anything.” Sweetie Belle didn’t relent. “I bet it isn’t stupid. Come on, you can tell me.” Even in the dark, Sweetie Belle could see the hesitation that Scootaloo was expressing. “Promise you won’t laugh?” Scootaloo whispered. “Promise.” “I keep thinking about the future…” she trailed off. “D-do you do that?” “Think of the future?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Yeah… you know, like, just lying in bed thinking about where your life is going, wondering why you can’t sleep—sometimes I just can’t get it out of my head. I know it sounds crazy...” Scootaloo’s voice trailed off. Sweetie Belle smiled to herself somberly. This was the side of Scootaloo she rarely saw: soft, pensive, unsure, and vulnerable. It was something Sweetie Belle found endearing, and she knew exactly how Scootaloo was feeling; she had many nights just like that. “It’s not crazy…. I totally get it. I mean we have our cutie marks, but it isn’t like we thought. Like getting our cutie marks would make life easy, or we’d suddenly understand life.” “Right?” Scootaloo responded enthusiastically. In her excitement, Scootaloo rolled over to face Sweetie Belle, coming nose to nose with her, and Sweetie Belle’s outstretched hoof smacked her in the cheek. The two fillies simultaneously broke into a fit of silent giggles, neither one minding the close proximity to the other. “Sorry about that,” Scootaloo muttered. “I just didn’t know you were going through the same stuff.” “It’s alright,” Sweetie replied, giving Scootaloo a sleepy grin. “Sometimes the future can be a scary thing to think about … but maybe none of that matters—maybe we can figure out where life goes together.” Sweetie Belle sucked in a breath sharply as she realized what she as saying. If Scootaloo were any closer to her, Sweetie was positive she would feel how hard her heart was pounding as she was certain it would burst through her chest at any second. Scootaloo frowned, but only for a second. “Yeah, maybe. I’m sure we’ll be fine if the three of us stick together. But it’s still something I think about now and then.” Sweetie Belle deflated slightly, glad Scootaloo didn’t interoperate her differently. Not that she didn’t dream of a long-lasting relationship with Scootaloo, she just didn’t mean to say it like she had. “The three of us... Yeah, the best we can do is take it one day at a time. Who knows where life will take us?” “Yeah,” Scootaloo agreed. Her eyes fixed onto Sweetie Belle’s. The room echoed with the ambiance of unspoken emotion: two hearts resting on the uncertainty of an unforeseen future, but content to be in that moment… beating together. Even in the dim light Sweetie Belle could make out the deep maroon of Scootaloo’s eyes. They were soft and comforting with just a glint of light reflecting the moonlight. Sweetie Belle was content to stay like this forever: laying mere inches apart, sharing an experience beyond words. It was a comfortable silence she was enjoying; words weren’t necessary. It was perhaps minutes or hours when the silence was finally broken by a soft giggle from Scootaloo. “What?” Sweetie Belle jumped, the giggle having snapped her out of her musings. “Oh…” Scootaloo chuckled. “I was just thinking about that game of truth or dare …” Sweetie Belle’s heart rate shot from resting to full sprint as memories from a few hours ago came rushing back to her, particularly memories of her first, awkward, kiss. “Wh-what about it?” She squeaked. “Just how crazy it got,” Scootaloo mentioned casually. “Apple Bloom was acting a bit unusual tonight. At first I thought she was just getting back at me for last time, but now I’m not so sure. It’s like she was up to something… like why was she so upset when that kiss wasn’t very good?” “Right? And what was that about practice?” “Was she expecting us to be like Sandy Shore and Mane West our first time?” Scootaloo asked, her voice growing louder and louder as she spoke. “Shh!” Sweetie peered over her shoulder, but her friend was still fast asleep. “Sorry,” Scootaloo whispered. “So, Was um... was that your first kiss?” “Yeah. Yours?” “Mhm.” Scootaloo nodded. “It was… nice. Rushed and a little weird, but nice.” Sweetie Belle felt the heat radiating from her face as she did her best to maintain eye contact. “It’d probably be better if we practiced,” Scootaloo suggested with a raised eyebrow. Sweetie Belle cocked her head to the side, unsure she actually heard correctly. “Pr-practice?” Sweetie Belle heard herself ask. “Y-yeah. You know, so we aren’t so bad at it,” Scootaloo said, trying to sound confident and casual, but she couldn’t hide the nervous vibrato in her voice. Her heart was pounding and her hooves were trembling. The thought of practicing kissing with Scootaloo both thrilled and frightened her. The first time she kissed Scootaloo, she just went for it, not knowing what she was doing. Now, however, she was right there asking her to kiss some more, and Sweetie Belle couldn’t help but fear she’d do it worse than before. But an even stronger voice in her mind was already at work, urging her to throw all cautions to the winds and to go for it. There were no dares or annoying spectators—it was the moment she had always dreamed of. “Yes,” Sweetie felt her mouth move and her voice echo the words she was screaming in her mind. “I-I mean yeah, we could practice some if you’re okay with that.” “Yeah…” Scootaloo replied. “Totally.” They stared at each other in trepidation, blushing furiously, unsure how to proceed. Slowly, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo moved in closer, removing what little space remained between them. She welcomed the warmth from Scootaloo’s body as she moved her muzzle to Scootaloo’s. She paused as their noses touched, taking a second to exchange breath. And then Sweetie Belle tilted her head and placed her lips upon Scootaloo’s. She felt Scootaloo’s lips quiver in a moment’s hesitation before returning the kiss. The sensations were almost overwhelming. Her lips were so soft and moist, and the way she pushed back into her… She could only describe it as magical, but all too soon they broke apart. “That was… better,” Sweetie Belle said. Her heart was still pounding. She was certain she could feel Scootaloo’s heart beating just as hard. “Yeah… but it still wasn’t Sandy Shore and Mane West good.” Scootaloo grinned, her eyes sparkled with flirtatious mischief. “Hey! It was much—” Sweetie Belle’s words were abruptly halted by Scootaloo’s lips planting on hers. She suppressed a squeak of surprise when Scootaloo embraced her, pulling her body tightly against her’s. She melted like warm bee’s wax in her strong hold, pushing back into the kiss. She brought her foreleg up to Scootaloo’s mane and brushed her forelock over her ear, resting her hoof behind Scootaloo’s head, holding her in the kiss. “Wow,” Sweetie Belle gasped after they broke apart. “That was probably like the movies…” Sweetie Belle said, making Scootaloo smile bashfully. With her hoof still behind Scootaloo’s head, she guided her into another long, tender, kiss. Sweetie Belle felt the rhythm of Scootaloo’s breathing, the gently curve of her neck, and the way Scootaloo’s hoof caressed her back. Each stroke started at the withers and traveled the entire curve of her back, each one eliciting a moan from her. “Oh, Scootaloo,” Sweetie whispered after she pulled back from the kiss. She planted a short kiss on her cheek. “That was… that was amazing.” She rested her head in the crook of Scootaloo’s neck. “Awesome,” Scootaloo said, smiling happily. “I guess there’s something more to these romance movies than I thought,” she mused aloud. “... and this is the part in the movies where the characters realize they really, really like each other, and then they say cheesy nothings and kiss some more.” Sweetie Belle’s ears perked up, and she raised her head to look Scootaloo in the eyes; she could almost see the love radiating from them. Sweetie Belle knew Scootaloo wasn’t always good with words, or that mushy stuff, as she’s always called it, but now it seemed she was the one having trouble with words. Do I just say it? I mean she did… sorta. Okay… here it goes... "So... before, when you said you really liked my mane?" Scootaloo said the exact moment before Sweetie Belle opened her mouth. Sweetie Belle felt like she had been sucker punched as she painfully swallowed a lump in her throat. "Yeah?" "Is that what you really meant to say?" "No," Sweetie Belle said as she began to shake. "I mean, I love your mane. But I... I think that... I think that what I really like is you, Scootaloo. More than like, you know?" "Good." Sweetie Belle couldn't see Scootaloo's face despite being mere inches apart, but she could practically hear the grin she was wearing. "Because I really like you too." "Really?" Scootaloo responded by planting a soft kiss on Sweetie Belle’s cheek. “So…” She paused, lost for words. “So, um, I guess Apple Bloom will be glad we are better at kissing, hm?” “I guess?” I wonder… from making Scoots wear that ridiculous dress that made her unbearably cute, to daring me to kiss her, to watching sappy romance movies—but she couldn’t know. No one knows. “So do you think we should, you know, go on dates and stuff?” Scootaloo asked. “I-I mean if that’s what you want to do.” Sweetie Belle almost leapt to her feet yelling a loud triumphant yes! into the night, announcing her love to Equestria, not caring who she woke. But, instead she settled for smiling broadly. “I’d love to go on dates and stuff with you, Scoots.” Sweetie Belle couldn’t help but add a mischievous inflection on Scootaloo’s choice word, ‘stuff.’ Scootaloo frowned. “Yeah stuff. You know whatever stuff ponies do on dates. Like—” Scootaloo’s rambling was cut short as Sweetie Belle placed her lips upon hers. “Relax,” Sweetie said after breaking the kiss. “I’m just teasing you.” She nuzzled Scootaloo’s neck and kissed her cheek. “Scoots,” Sweetie Belle whispered. “I-I’ve wanted to tell you how I felt for so long. I’ve always had a crush on you, I think; even before I really knew what a crush was, I would always feel butterflies in my stomach when you were around. But despite your tough pony persona, you’ve always been there—picked me up when I was down, and more than once, you’ve held out your hoof and taken me on a whirlwind adventure—just the two of us…” Sweetie Belle took a deep breath. Finally getting her feelings out was refreshing; she had kept them bottled up so long. Scootaloo tightened her grip on Sweetie Belle. “I’ve always thought dating and love was lame. Then one day I felt something… something different, and it was always when you were around. I still thought romance was lame, but I’d tell myself, ‘if I had to date somepony, I’d date Sweetie Belle,’ because she was always nice, and it was cool she showed interest in what I did and in me.” “And what do you think of her now?” “Well… I think she’s caring, strong, and very pretty. She brings out a part of me I didn’t know was there, and maybe, just maybe romance isn’t so lame after all; not with you, Sweetie Belle, you make it worth it.” “Scoots…” Sweetie Belle was lost for words. She was profoundly moved by what Scootaloo had said. Never had she felt so wanted for who she was; never had a pony told her she brought the best out in them. Never. So, she buried her face into that soft lavender-scented mane, nuzzling into her tight grip. “Pretty crazy how things turned out,” mused Scootaloo. “I guess all we needed was a nudge in the right direction. Glad Apple Bloom invited us over, and that we played truth or dare, I still have get somepony back, but I’ll worry about that later.” Sweetie Belle giggled. “You two get too crazy with that game.” Sweetie Belle shook her head. “But I’m glad we played it nonetheless.” Sweetie Belle, feeling more content than she ever had, yawned. Content to have Scootaloo as a pillow, she nuzzled into her, preparing to drift off to sleep. “Sweetie,” Scootaloo said softly, but Sweetie Belle could still detect a level of concern in her voice. “I don’t mind, um, s-snuggling, but I don’t want to hear it f-from her in the morning. This will probably come as a real big shock.” “O-oh,” Sweetie Belle said, not hiding the hurt she was feeling. “After all that kissing practice, you still want to keep it a secret?” Her chest went cold. “It’s not like that,” Scootaloo added hastily. “I j-just thought we should wait until tomorrow and tell her, instead of her finding out and teasing you.” “I think she’d tease you,” Sweetie Belle corrected. “But… you’re right. We should tell her sometime tomorrow, together. And… take it slow, let this become a real relationship and not a cheesy romance.” With a nodding in understanding, they shared one last kiss, one last embrace and nuzzle, and then Sweetie Belle returned to her central spot in the bed. Her heavy eyes fluttered as sleep finally won the battle she had been fighting. She fell asleep, staring into those deep mysterious maroon eyes she loved so much. I can't wait to write this in my diary tomorrow... Author's Note A collaboration between me and Twi-Fi, from ages ago. See if you can tell who wrote what! Manespray is a play on Hairspray, a film by Adam Shankman (or is it Flankman)? He also directed "A Walk To Remember" (A Trot To Remember) staring Shane West (Mane West) and Mandy Moore (Sandy Shore). Definitely The LatterSweetie Belle was bubbling with excitement as she rushed upstairs to her bedroom. She barely greeted her parents as she made haste to ink the memories of her sleepover in her diary while they were still fresh, even if she almost broke her neck tripping up the stairs! "Where's the fire?" Her father called up the stairs behind her. "You alright?" "Yeah, I'm fine!" Sweetie replied as she entered the room. "Better than fine," she mumbled under her breath with a grin. She set her saddlebag with her sleepover things on her bed, and retrieved her diary from underneath her pillow. A few weeks ago, she had accidentally forgot to conceal it and left it on the desk for all the world to see — just before a sleepover no less! Luckily for her, she stowed it before anypony had seen it. Her quill was shaking in her teeth, and the entry was going to be a tricky one to decipher later, but Sweetie Belle didn't care. The emotion would come across plain as day! Dear diary, I finally did it. I told Scootaloo how I felt, and guess what? SHE LIKES ME BACK!!!! Apple Bloom invited us over, and we played truth or dare, and we kissed, and it was bad but not really, but then we were going to sleep, and then then we started talking and then me and Scootaloo kissed and it was so AWESOME!!!! Sweetie Belle spat the quill out, frowning at the spray of words she had just written down, hardly legible, and hardly sensible. Sweetie Belle took a deep breath, and decided to think before just pouring her next series of racing thoughts onto the page. There was just so much to cover! She and Scootaloo woke up, snuggling quite close despite their agreement not to. Apple Bloom had asked what exactly was going on, and with about as much preparation as Sweetie Belle had with her latest diary entry, she and Scootaloo told Apple Bloom about what had happened the night before. Apple Bloom looked shocked at first, then amused. "I'm happy for y'all," she had said, "but keep your kissing practice to yourselves around me, okay?" Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were both very disappointed by this request given the prowess they thought they had made. And what prowess I made... Sweetie Belle thought, as she flipped quickly through her diary pages. All of the pages filled with her hopes and longing. And then last night, with all of the circumstances just coming together in a perfect storm of— Sweetie Belle froze. As the pages fanned out from her perusal, she saw something flitting out from between the sheets, barely visible in the orange glow coming from her open window. This object floated for a bit before landing on the floor to the right of her desk, and without the tinting from the sunset obscuring it, Sweetie Belle very easily identified it. It was a hair. A hair with the exact same shade of red as one that rested underneath the pink bow of one of her best friends. Sweetie Belle paused for a moment, her mind a whirlwind. And then, she smiled. Author's Note Sorry for taking so long, you guys deserve better.
Serendipity?Dear diary, Long time, no write! It's been a really busy last couple of weeks for me. Ever since we got our cutie marks, me and the other Crusaders have been spending all of our free time after school trying to help ponies with their cutie marks! But... it hasn't been going that well. Turns out that most ponies are pretty certain about what their cutie marks really mean. Scootaloo jokingly suggested taking a leaf out of Princess Twilight's book and "making a cutie mark problem" if we couldn't find one... I love that pony, but sometimes she thinks before she speaks! It's probably for the best though–when we aren't "crusading," for lack of a better word, we're all busy doing homework! Miss Cheerilee has been just piling it on, to "prepare us for high school next year." At least me and the girls can work together on it, so it's less miserable for us. Surprisingly, Apple Bloom is really good at math, something that Scootaloo and I both struggle with. I bet she'd make a great business pony for Sweet Apple Acres someday. At least she has an idea of what she'll be able to do after school. I still don't know yet —is it weird that I worry about that stuff? Scootaloo seems really carefree about it, but I'm pretty sure that she's just being Scootaloo. You know, "show no fear!" and all that, just like Rainbow Dash. Speaking of Scootaloo, again, we're going to be having a sleepover tonight! Apple Bloom and Scootaloo are gonna be over in a little bit. My parents haven't quite made up their mind if they can stay the night, but I don't know why they would really say no. We get into a lot less trouble now that we have our cutie marks. I'm still wondering what exactly we're gonna do, but I'm sure we'll figure something out! I'll let you know how it— "So, now what?" The question that Sweetie Belle posed to her friends had become all too common, and their time spent together lacked the single minded focus on discovering their special talents that it used to. Nowadays, instead of doing a million different things with the expectation of a life changing revelation, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were adjusting to the mundane simplicity of "just having fun" with vary degrees of success. Tonight's sleepover was no exception. "I dunno," Scootaloo grumbled in frustration from her perch on the foot of Apple Bloom's bed. The pegasus was laying on her back, her right foreleg dangling down along the edge of the mattress absentmindedly. Every couple of seconds, her hoof would gently graze against Sweetie Belle's ear below, which would invariably twitch at the stimulus. Sweetie Belle could have very easily moved, simply scooched a bit to the left along the wooden bed frame she was sitting against, but she didn't. Dear Diary, So, a funny thing happened today. The Crusaders and I were trying to find our special talents... again. Broken record, I know. Anyways, while we went to Rarity's to drop off my school stuff, we saw her working on (of all ponies!) Applejack's mane! Applejack insisted that it was for the Gala next week (I still can't believe we get to go!) to make sure it went with her dress. Inspired, we decided to try and style each other's manes. It's a good thing we weren't allowed to use scissors, because we didn't get our cutie marks. I worked on Apple Bloom, but since she didn't want to take off her bow, I couldn't really do too much with it. All I could really do was make the end of her mane all spiky... just like that time we sang in the talent show. Well, now I know for sure that I'm not cut out to be a stylist —I hope Rarity doesn't mind. But the weird part—Scootaloo worked on my mane. I was amazed she went along with it at all, consider how "lame" she says it is. But it was awesome. She was perfect—firm, but gentle, and even when she grazed my sensitive ears, it felt sooooo nice! She didn't really do much besides brush it, saying that there was nothing wrong with my mane anyway. I know I'm probably reading way too deep into it, but that she did it at all means the world to me, and when she said she likes my mane as is... Yeah, reading too deep. Apple Bloom managed to tame the unkempt parts of Scootaloo's mane, and she looked adorable, as always. Rarity just finished dinner, so I gotta go. One week to the gala! "There's just nothing to do," Scootaloo continued her lament of boredom, likely all but oblivious to the mane-styling memory swarming around in Sweetie Belle's head below. Apple Bloom spat out the yellow crayon she was using to draw a picture of, what seemed to be, herself under an apple tree. "There's plenty of stuff to do, what're you talkin' about?" She pushed a small notebook towards the bed, with a noticeable bulge from the crayons and pencils stuffed within it's pages. "Here, try drawin' or writin' something. Maybe write a sequel to that Scootaloo The Great story you wrote for school?" "I'm not in the mood to do any writing," Scootaloo groaned, lifting herself off of her back and standing up on the bed, much to Sweetie Belle's disappointment. "But a sequel's not a bad idea. I just need to come up with more awesome stuff." Sweetie Belle noted, desperately hoping that the blush creeping across her face wasn't as apparent as it felt, that writing about Scootaloo wasn't hard to do at all, even in a non-fictional capacity. Sweetie Belle’s diary had a disproportionate amount of material as of late that was spent musing about the orange pegasus that had rapidly gained a hold of Sweetie Belle's affections. Scootaloo was as energetic as she was spirited, and she certainly had an abundance of spirit. She was always raring to go, to try some crazy new adventure, even in a setting as mundane as Apple Bloom's bedroom during a sleepover. And though Sweetie Belle knew she wasn't quite on the same athletic level as Scootaloo was, but Scootaloo had always been supportive even if Sweetie Belle happened to fall behind during some of their escapades. On the topic of athletics, Scootaloo was most definitely in shape. She was incredibly agile, and her daring feats and tricks on her scooter often evinced that. She had lean muscle that was accentuated just enough underneath her orange fur, which was coarse, yet so invitingly soft. And then, there was that purple mane, a deliberate disaster that portrayed the tomboyish nature of a filly that didn't seem to care about keeping a perfectly styled mane. And below that head of hair were two beautiful eyes, full of wonder in a brilliant amber hue— But wait. Scootaloo's eyes weren't amber. They were a deep shade of violet. Sweetie Belle blinked, her Scootaloo fueled trance all but broken. Scootaloo's cute face had vanished from her mind's eye, and Sweetie Belle found herself staring instead at Apple Bloom's face, complete with amber colored eyes under a quizzically raised eyebrow. "What?" "You alright, Sweetie Belle? You're lookin' awfully flushed." “What?” Sweetie Belle shook her head frantically, glancing up to notice Scootaloo’s (purple) eyes looking down upon her with curiosity, her face growing even warmer as a result. “I’m fine, I was just... thinking?” She paused before answering, still unsure how exactly to answer even as she did. Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow, but Scootaloo, thankfully, didn’t seem to notice. Instead, she asked “About what?” You. Don’t say that. “I was thinking about… nothing,” Sweetie Belle answered lamely. “That sounds like this sleepover, alright,” Scootaloo agreed as she hopped down to the floor. “A whole bunch of nothing! I still don’t know why we couldn’t stay at your place, Sweetie. Then we could play some of your fancy new games.” Grateful for the distraction, Sweetie Belle turned away from the still-quizzical-looking Apple Bloom to shrug. “Not sure. Maybe they just didn’t want a lot of noise?” “But we’re not loud!” Scootaloo cried, Sweetie Belle’s ear folding in disagreement. “I mean, not really.” Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. “Hardly. Excuse me if we don’t have any fancy video games. We prefer the games where you actually do stuff with each other, instead of starin’ at a screen.” “Sounds like you didn’t like losing to me,” Scootaloo argued. “Maybe if you practiced a little bit more, you’d get why they’re so awesome.” “Practicin’ tappin’ buttons? That’s just silly.” “Scoring a bunch of of points and doing tricks Pony Hawk’s Pro Scooter isn’t silly, it’s awesome! I think you’re just being a sore loser about it.” “Winnin’ and losin’ has nothin’ to do with it,” Apple Bloom insisted, but her soured facial expression seemed to indicate otherwise. Tired of hearing her friends squabbling, Sweetie Belle opted to change the subject. “How about instead of arguing, we find something to do? Maybe not video games,” she mused, “but how about board games instead?” “Like Monopony!” Apple Bloom cheered, jumping to her hooves and scrambling to the closet where her board games were stowed. “No way,” Scootaloo shook her head. “You always win at that one!” “Sounds like you’re just bein’ a sore loser about it.” “What else do you have?” “Let’s see… Scorewords?” Apple Bloom’s suggestion was accompanied by the telltale clatter of plastic tiles bouncing against each other in a cardboard case. Sweetie Belle’s eyes lit up at the sight of the word-making game being pulled from the closet, but they faltered at Scootaloo’s sigh of discontent. “No thanks,” Scootaloo muttered again, turning her attention to Sweetie Belle. “Sweetie always wins at that one.” “Well, then what do you want to do?” Apple Bloom asked with a sulk, shoving the board back atop Monopony’s box with a clatter as the letter tiles within shuffled about. Scootaloo groaned again in frustration. “I don’t know. Now that we’ve got our cutie marks...” she trailed off, but Sweetie Belle knew exactly what she would have said. The trio exchanged glances with one another for several moments, accompanied by dissatisfied sighs as the hollow answer to the question “we’ve got our cutie marks, now what?” sounded between them with silence. “Well, we should still try and find somethin’ to do before dinner,” Apple Bloom insisted to break the quiet and lift the temporarily dampened spirits that had settled in the room. “And if Scootaloo doesn’t want to do any games that involve thinkin’...’” “Hey!” “Then why don’t we play…” Apple Bloom scratched her chin, looking between her two friends as she pondered. Her eyes settled on Sweetie Belle for a second, and then lit up for an instant when she finally decided on something. “Truth or dare?” Scootaloo clapped her hooves together excitedly as a mischievous smile formed on her face. “Alright! I’ve come up with some totally awesome stuff to dare you two to do since last time!” “Um, are you sure that’s a good idea?” Sweetie Belle asked timidly. “After what happened last time?” “Oh don’t be silly, we aren’t even near anythin’ flammable this time!” “Aw, come on, Sweetie Belle!” Scootaloo pouted with her bottom lip curling ever so slightly. As much as she tried to, Sweetie Belle could hardly resist. “You promise it won’t be like last time?” Sweetie Belle clarified, looking back nervously at the eager faces of her friends who were all too quick to nod their heads enthusiastically. “Promise! Pinkie promise, even!” Apple Bloom exclaimed with several waving motions of her hooves, followed with a gesture with her right hoof to her eye. Dear Diary, Stupid, stupid, stupid! I got grounded today, for some silly little accident! So today, the girls and I were playing a game of truth or dare. And Scootaloo dared Apple Bloom to do some crazy spin trick on her scooter, which Apple Bloom tried to do but she lost control of it. The scooter flew into one of the lanterns along the park, and then a tree got set on fire and… yeah. It was a complete accident, but the fire department told our parents anyways, and they weren’t very happy about it. I didn’t even have anything to do with it, but they grounded me anyways! At least it’s just a week for me - Apple Bloom got extra chores for a whole three weeks. If they hadn’t kept trying to show up each other with their dares… I guess we won’t be playing Truth or Dare again anytime soon. “Alright then, Truth or Dare it is!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed, much to the approval of her friends, who both pumped their hooves in the air. “So, how should we start?” “Me!” Apple Bloom and Scootaloo cried at the same time, both of them wearing a confused expression as they vied for first pick of the game. “This is my house, Scootaloo,” Apple Bloom explained with a grin, “so I get to go first.” “But we’re your guests, and we should be allowed to go first,” Scootaloo argued, turning to Sweetie Belle for help. “Isn’t that the rule?” “Um…” “But nothin’! It was my idea to play the game in the first place, so I should be allowed to go first,” Apple Bloom said defensively, since her first reason had been shot down so abruptly. “Yeah, but…” Scootaloo frowned, and she tilted her head back with a frustrated groan. “Fine! Since I’m such a good friend, I’ll let you go first.” “Thanks,” Apple Bloom said with an exaggerated smile. “Alright, Scootaloo… Truth or dare?” “Do you even have to ask?” Scootaloo boasted. “Dare, duh!” As was typical of her, Sweetie Belle thought. Not one to back down from a challenge, Scootaloo almost invariably opted to “dare” instead of tell the truth about some embarrassing question. “Perfect,” Apple Bloom grinned. “I dare you to…” She looked around the room, searching for some sort of inspiration by which to embarrass her friend. Her eyes settled on a pale pink dress hanging in the open closet, one that she had worn months ago as a flower filly for Princess Cadance’s wedding, and her grin grew even wider. “Oh come on!” Scootaloo groaned again, following Apple Bloom’s gaze to the garment. Sweetie Belle imagined Scootaloo wearing that flower filly dress again, and though she didn’t think it silly, she giggled anyways. It didn’t help the situation. “We haven’t even started yet, and you’re already callin’ it quits?” Apple Bloom taunted with a laugh. “If that’s the best you’ve got, I have so got this!” Scootaloo trotted with indignation towards the dress, as if she actually welcomed the humiliation. After several minutes of wrestling with correctly navigating the various gaps in the fabric, Scootaloo emerged in her pink dress, frills and all. The tone of the clothing matched the color of her cheeks, but she wore a stubborn smile regardless, to show that it didn’t bother her. Just adorable, Sweetie Belle thought. “My turn,” Scootaloo said with relish, turning to face Apple Bloom, who didn’t look at all perturbed. “Nu uh,” Apple Bloom shook her head. “Sweetie Belle gets to go next.” “WHAT?” Scootaloo balked, her hooves punching down on her dress in frustration. “That’s not fair! You dared me, so I get to go next!” “My house, my rules,” Apple Bloom beamed. “And I say Sweetie goes next.” “Can I take this off at least?” Scootaloo scratched at a troublesome bit of lace. “Only if you want to back out of the dare,” Apple Bloom replied with satisfaction. Scootaloo’s eye twitched. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” “You have no idea.” Games of truth or dare almost always went this way when the Crusaders played. Sweetie Belle was mostly concerned with finding out more about her friends, or getting to know them better. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, meanwhile, just enjoyed tormenting one another. Sweetie Belle had learned to keep her dares or questions fairly mild, lest they come up with some creative retaliation. And now, Sweetie Belle was trying to come up with something that wouldn’t upset either of her friends… yet, she didn’t want to disappoint them either. “Okay then,” Sweetie Belle’s face screwed up as she looked back and forth between her two friends, deciding which one to inflict the next round upon. Scootaloo’s violet eyes kept glancing sideways at Apple Bloom, and the pegasus was mouthing silently to Sweetie Belle. Sweetie Belle could hardly say no. “Apple Bloom!” Sweetie Belle raised a white hoof at her friend, whose smug appearance had already begun to falter at the exclamation. “Truth? Or Dare?” Apple Bloom stared, unblinkingly, at Scootaloo as she answered. “Dare.” “Get her good, Sweetie Belle! Avenge me, for this dress!” Scootaloo clapped her hooves in anticipation. Sweetie Belle’s mind raced with the various options at her disposal. It wasn’t just about a simple game of truth or dare - she had to defend Scootaloo’s… something. It wasn’t quite “honor”, more like her “dignity.” But since it was Scootaloo who was asking, it was even more important that she get it right. “I dare you to…” Sweetie Belle spoke slowly, realizing that she had been concentrating too much about Scootaloo, and less about the dare before she had begun her sentence, and still didn’t actually have anything in mind. What would Scootaloo do? In that case, what would Rainbow Dash do? “I dare you to impersonate Rainbow Dash!” Sweetie Belle announced to decidedly mixed reactions. Apple Bloom guffawed, and Scootaloo grimaced. “Really, Sweetie Belle?” Scootaloo shook her head. “Impersonating Rainbow Dash isn’t embarrassing!” Sweetie Belle frowned, and bit her lip. She thought for sure that seeing Apple Bloom make a mockery of her idol would be satisfying enough for Scootaloo. “Sorry! I thought it’d be really funny. Truth or Dare isn’t always just about embarrassing each other, is it?” Sweetie Belle asked as she scratched at her foreleg. “Isn’t she just the cutest, Scootaloo?” Apple Bloom laughed. Sweetie Belle blushed at the notion of Scootaloo looking at her as “cute.” “Yeah, yeah,” Scootaloo replied shortly. “Make with the Rainbow Dash, and you’d better do her justice.” Scootaloo’s threat would have almost had menace were she not wearing that adorable pink dress. Apple Bloom cleared her throat, and then paused. “I’m Rainbow Dash!” She shouted suddenly, her southern drawl given a horribly unappealing rasp. “I’m the best pony ever!” Apple Bloom leapt up from the floor to her bed, paying no mind to the two ponies that were rolling on the floor in laughter. “I’m the fastest pony ever, except for Applejack, I need to cheat to beat her in a race.” Scootaloo’s expression began to sour. “My job isn’t taming critters, or buckin’ apples, but kicking clouds! Clouds!” Apple Bloom repeated. “They’re soft and fluffy, everything I’m not. Because I’m Rainbow Dash, remember?” Scootaloo’s forelegs folded across her chest, and she clicked her tongue. “How could you possibly forget that I’m Rainbow Dash? I leave rainbow trails everywhere I go, rainbow butt trails—” “Alright, just stop!” Scootaloo shouted crossly. “Rainbow Dash doesn’t… I mean, she does, but—” “Butt trails,” Apple Bloom finished slyly, her voice dropping the rasp. Scootaloo’s voice was likely to get a rasp, given how much she had been groaning this evening. “I’m sorry about that, Scootaloo,” Sweetie Belle rubbed Scootaloo’s shoulder, her hoof catching on a pink strap. “I should have picked something else.” “No,” Scootaloo shook her head again. “She’s the one who should be sorry.” “Oh, lighten up, will ya?” Apple Bloom laughed as she hopped down from the bed. “It’s not like y’all two are married, or somethin’. Though, the way you carry on sometimes, it makes me wonder…” “Wonder all you want, Apple Bloom,” Scootaloo blushed furiously. “My turn now, and I dare you to—” “Truth. I pick truth,” Apple Bloom said casually, brushing her shoulders. “Oh come on!” Scootaloo cried once more, eliciting a thumping noise from downstairs. “Y’all wanna keep it down?” Applejack’s voice filtered up through the floorboards. “It’s no wonder Sweetie Belle’s folks said you were too loud!” “Oh come on!” Scootaloo hissed. “You can’t do that!” “It’s called Truth or Dare, not just dare,” Apple Bloom explained. “Just because you always pick dare, doesn’t mean I have to.” “You think you’re so clever,” Scootaloo whispered with narrowed eyes, before turning to look at Sweetie Belle. “Sweetie, I need your help.” “My help?” Sweetie Belle squeaked. “With what?” “She needs to be thoroughly embarrassed to make up for that Rainbow Dash… attack,” Scootaloo spat as though she couldn’t describe the atrocity strongly enough. “And you were always good with the personal touchy-feely things.” Sweetie Belle’s face flushed ever so slightly. “Um, thanks?” “So,” Scootaloo continued, “what’s the most embarrassing question ever? Like, something that you would just die if anyone found the truth about?” “Um,” Apple Bloom muttered. “Did I say I was sorry about what I said about Rainbow? Because I’m sorry.” “Too late for that now, Apple Bloom!” Scootaloo announced with a tangible sense of satisfaction. “So, what’ve you got, Sweetie Belle?” Sweetie Belle froze, lost in thought. One of the reasons she didn’t really care for truth or dare all that much, apart from its immediate (and flammable) dangers, was how easily she was embarrassed. So, there weren’t any shortage of embarrassing or humiliating questions on offer for her. But for Sweetie, which one would be the worst? “That’s easy, who do I — you, you have a crush on?” Sweetie Belle finished her thought out loud, making sure to correct it. Just like when she had suggested the Rainbow Dash impersonation, her friends’ reactions were worlds apart. Horror, and elation. “Oh my,” Apple Bloom blushed furiously, covering her mouth and cheeks with her hooves as Scootaloo cheered. “Awesome, Sweetie! And how sweet it is, Apple Bloom!” Scootaloo jeered to the dagger-like stare of Apple Bloom. “So, let’s hear it, AB. Who do you wish was your very special somepony?” Gone was the self-assured, almost arrogant, filly from before. Instead, Apple Bloom shuffled nervously, mumbling under her breath. “What was that, Apple Bloom?” Scootaloo asked. “I couldn’t quite hear you. Maybe you could wear this dress, it might give you some confidence—” “—Rainbow Dash!” Apple Bloom burst out. “She’s so fast and awesome, and how could I not have a crush on her?” “Very funny,” Scootaloo’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “You know the rules, you have to tell the truth if you pick truth.” “I know… I—I don’t have a crush on anypony,” Apple Bloom answered, her shifty gaze not at all convincing to either Scootaloo or Sweetie Belle. “What do you think, Sweetie?” Scootaloo glanced sideways at the unicorn. “Does that look like she doesn’t have a crush?” Sweetie Belle put herself in Apple Bloom’s (horse)shoes, and was quite easily able to relate to her friend’s discomfort. “If she doesn’t want to answer, Scootaloo, then she—” “—She shouldn’t have chickened out and picked truth instead of dare,” Scootaloo interrupted. “So, come on then, out with it! Who is it? WHO IS IT?” “It’s Spike, alright?” Apple Bloom relented, her cheeks aflame. “WHO — wait, Spike?” Scootaloo stopped in her rant. “Like, Spike? Our Spike, like the dragon?” ‘I don’t have a crush on anypony’, Sweetie Belle recalled. Not as untruthful as it seemed. “Yeah, that Spike, and don’t you dare say anything to him about it,” Apple Bloom demanded, her eyes burning as she glared at Scootaloo. “Come on, Apple Bloom,” Scootaloo’s voice softened for the first time since the exchanges had begun. “I’m not that mean. I — we — wouldn’t do that to you. Right, Sweetie?” “Right!” Sweetie Belle nodded in agreement. “I’m serious,” Apple Bloom said warily, evidently not too convinced. “Not. A. Word.” “Promise,” Scootaloo smiled. “Pinkie promise, even,” she waved her arms about, ending the gesture with her right hoof inches away from her eye. “Thanks,” Apple Bloom replied earnestly. “So… Spike, huh?” Scootaloo asked casually. “I guess he’s pretty cute, for a dragon—” “—Okay, you know you’re just asking for it now,” Apple Bloom’s mood shifted from humiliated to vindicated, and she found herself back on the offensive. “Both of you,” she added. “Me?” Sweetie Belle squeaked. “What did I do?” “You came up with that question, so you’re just as responsible,” Apple Bloom replied. “And now… Truth? Or Dare? Which one, Sweetie Belle?” Sweetie Belle’s eyes grew wide at the question. Almost invariably, Sweetie Belle picked truth when she played. Her friend’s didn’t really press her too much for embarrassing questions, for one, and for two, a game of escalating dares between just two ponies was often bad enough. Sweetie Belle was content to answer some questions and sit back whilst her two friends worked tirelessly to torture each other. But now that Apple Bloom knew exactly what Sweetie Belle’s most dreaded question ever (to paraphrase Scootaloo) was, Sweetie Belle hesitated with her choice. Telling even your closest friends about the object of your affections clearly wasn’t easy, judging from Apple Bloom’s reaction, and it could only be made worse when her crush was actually in the room with her. With revenge for her “truth” on Apple Bloom’s mind, Sweetie Belle’s decision was practically made for her. “Dare!” Sweetie Belle announced, once again gaining two opposite reactions from her friends. Scootaloo cheered, while Apple Bloom’s lips pursed. “Way to go, Sweetie Belle,” Scootaloo tousled Sweetie’s mane playfully. “There’s no way she’ll be able to beat that question for sheer embarrassment!” “Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” Apple Bloom broke into a mischievous grin. “Not for either of you. Sweetie Belle, I dare you to kiss Scootaloo.” Scootaloo’s laughter stopped immediately. She looked back and forth at the red-faced Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom in a panic. “What?” Scootaloo squeaked uncontrollably. “I dare you,” Apple Bloom pointed at a shell-shocked Sweetie Belle, then to Scootaloo. “To kiss you.” Flummoxed, Scootaloo tried to articulate a proper response. “I… uh… you wouldn’t. You wouldn’t!” “I would,” Apple Bloom’s grin grew ever wider. “And not some weak little kiss, neither. On the lips!” “Maybe we should stop,” Scootaloo uncharacteristically squeaked again. “You win, Apple Bloom.” “I’m hearing a whole lotta talkin’, but no smoochin’, you two,” Apple Bloom drawled. “You should probably get on that.” “You’re evil, you know that? Evil!” Scootaloo cried again. “Aw, come on. It’s just a little kiss, is all,” Apple Bloom waved her hoof. “You got a problem with kissin’ Sweetie Belle?” “No — I mean — I don’t know!” Scootaloo’s hooves flailed about. “Do you think she’s ugly?” “No, she’s not —” Scootaloo turned to look at Sweetie Belle “—you’re not ugly, Sweetie Belle.” “Does she have bad breath?” Apple Bloom asked. “No!” “So then, you know how her breath smells, but you’re nervous about kissin’ her?” “Oh my gosh…” Scootaloo looked down at her hooves, mortified. “Well, it sounds like you’re the only one complainin’ about it,” Apple Bloom poked at her friend. “I ain’t heard a word from Sweetie Belle in protest.” Suddenly, Sweetie Belle felt the stares of both of her friends piercing her. Scootaloo’s violet eyes were wide, pleading for an answer to help save her from embarrassment. Apple Bloom’s, however, were simply watching her with curiosity. “I um…” Sweetie Belle started, her mouth going dry. “I don’t know what to say,” she said truthfully. “She’s shocked you would go this low, Apple Bloom,” Scootaloo said with desperation. “I’m sorry you got grounded last time, but come on!” “Nope!” Apple Bloom shook her head. “All’s fair in love and war, so pucker up!” “This is so unfa—” Scootaloo’s protest was cut off at the mouth, as Sweetie Belle planted her lips on hers. It probably only lasted for a second, maybe two, but if you’d have asked Sweetie Belle, it felt like it lasted alot longer. Maybe a minute, maybe two. And in that minute, Sweetie Belle was incredibly grateful to Apple Bloom for instigating such a ridiculous game of truth or dare that enabled Sweetie Belle to finally make good on her wish to show Scootaloo how she felt. In that minute, Sweetie Belle could swear she felt the protest leave Scootaloo’s lips, replaced instead by an affection of their own. She wasn’t quite sure on that point, she would need more time. A second, minute, whatever, it wasn’t quite enough. “There,” Sweetie Belle mumbled as she withdrew from Scootaloo’s shell-shocked face, the pegasus’ lips still puckered. Then came the awkward silence. Sweetie Belle would have welcomed Apple Bloom’s gloating, or Scootaloo scraping at her own tongue, or something, but the three of them just sat there. Sweetie Belle had enjoyed the kiss, secretly of course, but evidently she must have done something horribly, terribly wrong. “That was…” Scootaloo said at long last, raising her hoof to her lips. “That was…” “That wasn’t nearly as much fun as I thought it’d be,” Apple Bloom commented. “That was the most boring kiss I think I’ve ever seen.” “Boring?” Sweetie Belle raised her voice defensively. “What do you mean it was boring?” “Yeah?” Scootaloo joined in. “And how exactly were you expecting to be entertained? She didn’t kiss you!” “I dunno,” Apple Bloom shrugged her shoulders. “It was like watchin’ one of those Haymark Original movies. Flat, but it had potential. Maybe you two need to practice?” “Practice?” Scootaloo cried. “We’re not going to practice kissing for your entertainment!” “But you’ll kiss once for it,” Apple Bloom said dismissively. “You know, you two don’t need to use me as an excuse…” “Oh, that’s it!” Scootaloo lunged towards Apple Bloom, her back hoof catching on the edge of her dress, sending the filly crashing to the floor. “Enough with the roughhousing, already!” Applejack’s voice came calling again. “Dinner’s ready if y’all can make it down without wreckin’ the place!” “Well, y’all heard her! Game’s over, let’s go eat!” With surprising speed, Apple Bloom had opened the door to her bedroom, and the clopping of her hooves growing quieter as the filly hastily trotted down the hall, then down the stairs.. She left a dumbfounded Sweetie Belle, and a disheveled Scootaloo alone in her room, exchanging looks with each other. “What just happened?” Scootaloo asked as she removed the dress at long last, draping it over the foot of Apple Bloom’s bed. Sweetie Belle did her best to contain a smile as she merely shrugged her shoulders. They followed their friend out the door, Sweetie Belle hitting the light switch on the way out and shrouding the room in darkness. Author's Note Pre-read and edited by the great RaylanKrios!
Or Something Else?Dear Diary, Another fun sleepover last night. It was my turn to pick the movie to watch, since Scootaloo chose the last one (The Appleloosan Bonesaw Slaughter = ew!) I went for the movie Manespray, a super fun feel good musical. Scootaloo was typically Scootaloo about it, and didn’t want to watch a comedy with ponies bursting into song and dance… but since I’ve seen it so much, I spent most of it watching Scootaloo’s reaction. She’ll never admit it, but she couldn’t take her eyes off it! I know I write this a lot, but I think she is a lot “softer” than she likes to let on. I wish she would open up a bit more, you know? It’s Apple Bloom’s turn to pick next time, but when I get to pick again, I’ll pick a romance. I’ll get to gauge Scootaloo’s reaction to that one too, maybe I can use it as inspiration to talk to her about us? We’ll see… “So, what did y’all think of it?” Apple Bloom asked as the trio traipsed up the stairs to her room. “I’m beginning to think this entire sleepover was just an elaborate revenge plot,” Scootaloo replied. “You didn’t like the movie?” Sweetie Belle tilted her head, as Apple Bloom turned the light on to her bedroom, revealing the pink dress on the bed that likely validated Scootaloo’s mindset. “I thought it was really cute. I’m surprised that you picked A Trot To Remember, Apple Bloom. You usually go with action films with lots of fight scenes and stuff, not romance.” “Which would have been better than that,” Scootaloo added from behind Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom as she crested the top of the stairs, her hoof falls quickly approaching the bed room. Sweetie Belle watched Apple Bloom’s reaction to both Scootaloo’s comment, and the dress resting upon the bed— a not-so-subtle grin. The two often heckled each other, but not to the extent that Apple Bloom had instigated this evening. To a tomboy like Scootaloo, romance was probably seen as a form of punishment, Sweetie Belle noted with a frown. “Come on, now, Scootaloo,” Apple Bloom leapt onto her bed. “It wasn’t that bad.” “What do you mean, that bad?” Sweetie Belle asked from below, “Did you not like it either? Why did you choose it then?” “Dunno,” Apple Bloom said quickly, “I heard it was good. A nice change of pace.” “Don’t know who you heard that from,” Scootaloo rolled her eyes, closing the bedroom door behind her. “It was awful.” Sweetie Belle’s smile faltered. “I thought it was good…” she pouted. Scootaloo’s eyes widened at Sweetie Belle’s reaction. “Okay, I mean, it wasn’t awful,” she scrambled to correct herself. “But you have to admit, it was soooo predictable.” Not sure how to dispute it, Sweetie Belle did her best to try to defend her position. “I guess… but isn’t that the point of a romance film, though? You know that Sandy Shore and Mane West are going to get together at some point, the fun is watching them get there.” “It was more frustrating than fun,” Scootaloo objected. “You knew that they were perfect for each other, pretty much as soon as they met. But neither of them want to admit it, and it’s just watching them dance around the inevitable. Like every romance movie ever.” “You watch a lot of romance there, Scoots?” Apple Bloom inquired with a raised eyebrow. The filly had begun to arrange the pillows on the bed that Applejack had laid out for them while they watched the movie. “No!” Scootaloo’s face color changed with remarkable speed, from orange to deep crimson tinted orange. “I mean… no,” she echoed herself, only with a much more controlled tone of voice. “Only when they play on TV while my parents are watching, that’s pretty much it.” “Which ones have you seen? Just like there are bad horror movies, there are bad romance films too,” Sweetie Belle explained. “I can point out some good ones, if you like.” “I don’t know, Sweetie…” Scootaloo said uneasily. “A Trot To Remember was alright, but most movies I’ve seen were all like… Single Santa Seeking Mrs. Hooves and Love Under Celestia’s Sky.” “Those were both Haymark Original Movies!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed with a blush, reminded of Apple Bloom’s (negative) comparison to Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo’s ‘kiss’ to the kind in those films. “Those ones are pretty cheesy, and the acting is really amateur, like Apple Bloom said. It’s hard to really believe that they’re in love with each other. That’s what makes a romance work.” “Well, they’re acting,” Scootaloo said bluntly. “You know it’s not really happening anyhow.” “What about your horror films?” Sweetie Belle retorted. “You know the characters aren’t really in danger, but they’re still fun to watch, right?” Scootaloo opened her mouth to argue, but promptly closed it again. “I thought you didn’t like horror films, Sweetie,” Apple Bloom interrupted as she bounced to the floor, walking towards the closet. “I gave them a chance,” Sweetie Belle said simply. “Scootaloo wanted to watch some at some our sleepovers, and I figured if she liked them, I should at least give them a try.” “And?” Apple Bloom’s muffled voice asked, the earth pony’s mouth clamped around a set of spare blankets. “It took some getting used to,” Sweetie Belle admitted, “but it was a lot of fun being scared.” “And were you scared or what?” Scootaloo laughed. “During pretty much all of Foal’s Play, you wouldn’t let me go!” This time, it was Sweetie Belle’s turn to blush. “That doll was really creepy.” “Well, if you have any nightmares, make sure you grab a hold of Scoots again,” Apple Bloom said from the edge of the bed. “Because I need my beauty sleep.” “Beauty sleep?” Sweetie Belle asked incredulously. She had never known a pony, except for maybe Scootaloo, who seemed to care so little about beautification than Apple Bloom. “Are you going to bed already?” Scootaloo whined. “But we’re not even tired!” “Y-yeaaaaa,” Sweetie agreed, unconvincingly, with a yawn. “We’re not even tired.” Apple Bloom had already nestled herself under the covers on the far left side of the bed, her face turned away from the other two Crusaders. “Look at it this way, the earlier we get up tomorrow, the earlier we can go outside and do somethin’ that isn’t a board game, or truth or dare.” “That isn’t truth or dare?” Scootaloo’s voice raised. “Oh no, we’re totally playing tomorrow, I need to get you back for…” She paused, looking at Sweetie Belle for just a moment. “...To get you back for that dress,” she finished. “Only one truth or dare session per sleepover, that’s the rule,” Apple Bloom explained, slipping her pink sleep mask over her mane to cover her eyes. “Good night, y’all,” she said with a cheerful finality. “Where do these rules keep coming from?” Scootaloo asked, looking to Sweetie Belle for some backup. “That’s not a thing, is it?” Sweetie Belle shrugged, trying her best to not to support either one of her friends over the other. “You’ve seen Apple Bloom play Monopony,” she said. “She does have a good head for management, right?” “She cheats at that too,” Scootaloo insisted as she traipsed begrudgingly towards the light switch. She looked at Sweetie Belle, gesturing with a nod of her head to the light she was just about to turn off. The unicorn nodded, and with a soft click, the room went turned almost pitch black, with the exception of the dim glow of moonlight around the bedroom window. “Shoot. Uh, Sweetie,” Scootaloo’s voice came from the darkness, “do you think you could…” A pale green light illuminated the room, emanating from Sweetie Belle’s horn. “Yeah,” she replied casually, already prepared to offer a light. It wasn’t the first time that Scootaloo had acted without thinking, but if she could prevent Scootaloo from tripping over something in the dark again, Sweetie Belle was glad to help. In the glow, Scootaloo walked slowly towards the edge of the bed, bracing herself for a moment as she hopped upwards. Sweetie Belle heard a gasp of surprise, the scrambling of hooves on the thick comforter that covered the mattress. “Everything alright, Scootaloo?” Sweetie Belle followed suit, hopping up to the bed, her luminous horn revealing a cross-faced Scootaloo. The pegasus grunted, and raised a piece of pink fabric up with her hoof. Apple Bloom’s dress, right where Scootaloo had thrown it. “Stupid dress, I kinda slipped on it,” Scootaloo explained as she gently draped the dress over the footboard. She didn’t know what possessed her to say it, and even as the words left her lips, Sweetie Belle could scarcely believe she had been so forthright. “I thought it looked pretty cute on you.” The green hue from Sweetie’s horn obscured Scootaloo’s blush, but Sweetie could discern from the telltale aversion of the eyes and the shrinking of her shoulders that Scootaloo was embarrassed by her compliment. “Thanks…” she mumbled, walking across the bedspread towards the pillows. “We should um, we should probably get some sleep. You wanna lay down first, between me and AB? You wiggle around a lot in your sleep, I noticed.” “Do I?” Sweetie’s magical light flickered for a moment. “Yeah, but it’s cool,” Scootaloo nodded quietly. “I just don’t want you falling out of the bed again if you sleep on the outside.” Dear diary, Last night, we had our traditional Crusader sleepover, this time at Scootaloo's. Everything was going really good, until the actual sleeping part. She's got a really small bed, I think, and sometime after we fell asleep, I guess I rolled out of bed and landed square on my face. Of course, Scootaloo woke up right away and saw. It didn't even hurt that bad, but I just kinda started crying. But only a little! It was super embarrassing, even though Scootaloo didn't even seem to care about me being a big baby. She just wanted to make sure that I was alright. Did I ever tell you how much I adore her? Sweetie Belle winced at the thought of her smarting muzzle again, making her way to the headboard and the many pillows that lined it. . “Right… I hope I don’t wake Apple Bloom up if I move too much.” “I hope you do,” Scootaloo joked, making extra sure that she whispered once Sweetie Belle reminded her that Apple Bloom was, in fact, trying to sleep. There wasn’t any motion or protest coming from the breathing figure of the farm filly. “Asleep already? She must have been tired. And we didn’t even really do anything tonight…” Slowly, Sweetie Belle lowered herself underneath the tautly pulled top sheet, Scootaloo holding the fabric up like a makeshift tent. “Thanks,” she whispered to a cordial nod from Scootaloo, who, much less gracefully, tucked herself into bed too. “Good night, Sweetie,” Scootaloo said softly as she shifted a bit, trying to make herself more comfortable. “You too, Scoots,” Sweetie Belle replied, the glow on her horn dissipating. She laid still, a bit more self-conscious of her “wriggling,” and stared up at the ceiling. The room was virtually silent, except for the soft breathing of her friends on either side of her. After several minutes, Sweetie Belle wasn’t much closer to falling asleep. She agreed with Scootaloo, it seemed like they had gone to bed much earlier than usual. Applejack didn’t even have to tell them to “quiet down and go to sleep,” which usually occurred about three times whenever they stayed the night. The whole decision to stay over at Apple Bloom's was unusual too, as it was Sweetie Belle's turn to host. A small twinge in her upper back prompted Sweetie Belle to move, before she got too stiff. Per usual, she rolled over so that she was sleeping on her side, making sure to move as quietly as possible so as to not disturb the girls. She rolled to her left, and silhouetted against the window, she saw the back of Scootaloo’s untidy mane resting immediately in front of her. Sweetie Belle lay still for another few minutes, her eyes adjusting to the darkness of the room, making it that much easier to see Scootaloo’s mane. As paradoxically as it seemed, the tough-and-tumble hairstyle looked wonderfully soft against the moon’s glow from the window. It was then that a wild thought entered Sweetie Belle’s head. I wonder if she’d notice if I touched it? Sweetie Belle thought. What would she do if I did? She liked it when Apple Bloom brushed her mane before, so she surely wouldn’t mind me, would she? All it would take is a small stretch of her foreleg. Sweetie watched, almost helplessly, as her white leg reached out towards the purple mass of hair atop Scootaloo’s breathing figure. But what if she didn’t like it? What if she thought it was weird, or creepy? Would she get mad at me? Especially since we're supposed to be sleeping? Sweetie Belle’s hoof was held aloft, mere inches from Scootaloo’s ear. It inched forward of its own accord. Then again, she didn’t seem to mind too much that we kissed each other. It was a dare, but still, she didn’t get disgusted or anything afterwards. Besides, don’t friends brush each other’s manes anyways? Though, she’s sleeping... If I do it soft enough, I’m sure she won’t even notice. As her hoof lowered at a glacial pace, Scootaloo suddenly burst to life. The back of Scootaloo’s mane was replaced by Scootaloo’s face, with Sweetie Belle’s hoof floating right in front of her eyes as Scootaloo rolled over nearly instantaneously. “Sweetie?” Scootaloo asked with confusion. “What are you doing?” “Nothing!” Sweetie Belle squeaked in a panic. “You’re awake! I thought you were sleeping. I mean, I just—” she fumbled over her words as her hoof retreated out of sight underneath the muted yellow bedsheet. “Yeah, I’m awake…” Scootaloo started cautiously. “I was checking to see if you were still awake. What were you doing?” She repeated the question, much to Sweetie Belle’s dismay. “I’m not sure,” Sweetie Belle answered quickly. “I guess I felt like stretching, but didn’t want to get up,” she answered in what she thought was a stroke of brilliance. “Your hoof was awfully close to my face,” Scootaloo pointed out. “Was it?” Sweetie Belle tried her best to keep her false giggle from sounding too forced, but at the volume she laughed at, even she thought it was obvious. “I didn’t notice. It’s really dark in here without a light.” “Not it’s not. I can see you just fine.” Scootaloo was utterly destroying Sweetie Belle’s attempt to pass off the would-be affectionate gesture as an accident. “Oh,” Sweetie Belle mumbled under her breath, her adjusted eyesight revealing that Scootaloo had propped herself up on her front elbow. Her face was silhouetted against the window frame, and Sweetie Belle couldn’t see how exactly Scootaloo was looking at her. In the absence of anything conclusive, Sweetie Belle immediately assumed the worst. “Sorry about that…” she mumbled quietly, so low that even she had a hard time hearing it. “It’s no big deal,” Scootaloo said. “You just surprised me, is all.” The two sat in silence for several moments. Scootaloo resting on her elbow, watching her, and Sweetie Belle didn’t dare to turn or look away. To do so would be a clear indicator of her guilt, her wrong-doing, her being weird and creepy and— "So what were you really doing?" Scootaloo asked. Sweetie knew the question was coming, but still had no real answer outside of her less-than-brilliant stretching story. "I uh..." Sweetie Belle stammered, "I just saw this wild bit of your hair kinda sticking up, against the moon in the window. So I was gonna try and sort of pat it down." Scootaloo patted her hair down hastily, to little avail as the aforementioned cowlick sprang back into place. "My hair is always like that though. Does it... does it bother you?" "No!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed, wincing as she heard Apple Bloom shuffle behind her. "I mean, no... I love you and your mane. I mean, I love your mane. I mean, I really like your mane!" She hoped her slip of the tongue went unnoticed. The pair were silent. Sweetie Belle's heart was pounding in her chest. Her answer seemed reasonable enough, right? She liked most everypony's mane! "You really love... er, like my mane?" Scootaloo asked for clarification after what seemed ages. "Yes!" Sweetie Belle breathed in relief. "It's so you. It's kinda crazy and all over the place and wild and unkempt, but it's still really soft and nice and... and..." her babbling faltered. "All over the place, huh?" Scootaloo said, with a tone of melancholy in her voice. "That sounds familiar." "What do you mean?" Sweetie Belle asked with concern. “I don’t know… I just have a lot of things on my mind, I guess. It's all over the place.” Sweetie Belle's heart fluttered for a moment, and she inched closer to her friend. “Oh? What kind of things?” “Things like... “ Scootaloo paused for a moment. “Never mind.” "Is that why you were still awake?” “Yeah, but It’s stupid,” Scootaloo shook her head violently, rolling over gracelessly in the bed away from Sweetie Belle. “I shouldn’t have said anything.” Sweetie Belle didn’t relent. “I bet it isn’t stupid. Come on, you can tell me.” Even in the dark, Sweetie Belle could see the hesitation that Scootaloo was expressing. “Promise you won’t laugh?” Scootaloo whispered. “Promise.” “I keep thinking about the future…” she trailed off. “D-do you do that?” “Think of the future?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Yeah… you know, like, just lying in bed thinking about where your life is going, wondering why you can’t sleep—sometimes I just can’t get it out of my head. I know it sounds crazy...” Scootaloo’s voice trailed off. Sweetie Belle smiled to herself somberly. This was the side of Scootaloo she rarely saw: soft, pensive, unsure, and vulnerable. It was something Sweetie Belle found endearing, and she knew exactly how Scootaloo was feeling; she had many nights just like that. “It’s not crazy…. I totally get it. I mean we have our cutie marks, but it isn’t like we thought. Like getting our cutie marks would make life easy, or we’d suddenly understand life.” “Right?” Scootaloo responded enthusiastically. In her excitement, Scootaloo rolled over to face Sweetie Belle, coming nose to nose with her, and Sweetie Belle’s outstretched hoof smacked her in the cheek. The two fillies simultaneously broke into a fit of silent giggles, neither one minding the close proximity to the other. “Sorry about that,” Scootaloo muttered. “I just didn’t know you were going through the same stuff.” “It’s alright,” Sweetie replied, giving Scootaloo a sleepy grin. “Sometimes the future can be a scary thing to think about … but maybe none of that matters—maybe we can figure out where life goes together.” Sweetie Belle sucked in a breath sharply as she realized what she as saying. If Scootaloo were any closer to her, Sweetie was positive she would feel how hard her heart was pounding as she was certain it would burst through her chest at any second. Scootaloo frowned, but only for a second. “Yeah, maybe. I’m sure we’ll be fine if the three of us stick together. But it’s still something I think about now and then.” Sweetie Belle deflated slightly, glad Scootaloo didn’t interoperate her differently. Not that she didn’t dream of a long-lasting relationship with Scootaloo, she just didn’t mean to say it like she had. “The three of us... Yeah, the best we can do is take it one day at a time. Who knows where life will take us?” “Yeah,” Scootaloo agreed. Her eyes fixed onto Sweetie Belle’s. The room echoed with the ambiance of unspoken emotion: two hearts resting on the uncertainty of an unforeseen future, but content to be in that moment… beating together. Even in the dim light Sweetie Belle could make out the deep maroon of Scootaloo’s eyes. They were soft and comforting with just a glint of light reflecting the moonlight. Sweetie Belle was content to stay like this forever: laying mere inches apart, sharing an experience beyond words. It was a comfortable silence she was enjoying; words weren’t necessary. It was perhaps minutes or hours when the silence was finally broken by a soft giggle from Scootaloo. “What?” Sweetie Belle jumped, the giggle having snapped her out of her musings. “Oh…” Scootaloo chuckled. “I was just thinking about that game of truth or dare …” Sweetie Belle’s heart rate shot from resting to full sprint as memories from a few hours ago came rushing back to her, particularly memories of her first, awkward, kiss. “Wh-what about it?” She squeaked. “Just how crazy it got,” Scootaloo mentioned casually. “Apple Bloom was acting a bit unusual tonight. At first I thought she was just getting back at me for last time, but now I’m not so sure. It’s like she was up to something… like why was she so upset when that kiss wasn’t very good?” “Right? And what was that about practice?” “Was she expecting us to be like Sandy Shore and Mane West our first time?” Scootaloo asked, her voice growing louder and louder as she spoke. “Shh!” Sweetie peered over her shoulder, but her friend was still fast asleep. “Sorry,” Scootaloo whispered. “So, Was um... was that your first kiss?” “Yeah. Yours?” “Mhm.” Scootaloo nodded. “It was… nice. Rushed and a little weird, but nice.” Sweetie Belle felt the heat radiating from her face as she did her best to maintain eye contact. “It’d probably be better if we practiced,” Scootaloo suggested with a raised eyebrow. Sweetie Belle cocked her head to the side, unsure she actually heard correctly. “Pr-practice?” Sweetie Belle heard herself ask. “Y-yeah. You know, so we aren’t so bad at it,” Scootaloo said, trying to sound confident and casual, but she couldn’t hide the nervous vibrato in her voice. Her heart was pounding and her hooves were trembling. The thought of practicing kissing with Scootaloo both thrilled and frightened her. The first time she kissed Scootaloo, she just went for it, not knowing what she was doing. Now, however, she was right there asking her to kiss some more, and Sweetie Belle couldn’t help but fear she’d do it worse than before. But an even stronger voice in her mind was already at work, urging her to throw all cautions to the winds and to go for it. There were no dares or annoying spectators—it was the moment she had always dreamed of. “Yes,” Sweetie felt her mouth move and her voice echo the words she was screaming in her mind. “I-I mean yeah, we could practice some if you’re okay with that.” “Yeah…” Scootaloo replied. “Totally.” They stared at each other in trepidation, blushing furiously, unsure how to proceed. Slowly, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo moved in closer, removing what little space remained between them. She welcomed the warmth from Scootaloo’s body as she moved her muzzle to Scootaloo’s. She paused as their noses touched, taking a second to exchange breath. And then Sweetie Belle tilted her head and placed her lips upon Scootaloo’s. She felt Scootaloo’s lips quiver in a moment’s hesitation before returning the kiss. The sensations were almost overwhelming. Her lips were so soft and moist, and the way she pushed back into her… She could only describe it as magical, but all too soon they broke apart. “That was… better,” Sweetie Belle said. Her heart was still pounding. She was certain she could feel Scootaloo’s heart beating just as hard. “Yeah… but it still wasn’t Sandy Shore and Mane West good.” Scootaloo grinned, her eyes sparkled with flirtatious mischief. “Hey! It was much—” Sweetie Belle’s words were abruptly halted by Scootaloo’s lips planting on hers. She suppressed a squeak of surprise when Scootaloo embraced her, pulling her body tightly against her’s. She melted like warm bee’s wax in her strong hold, pushing back into the kiss. She brought her foreleg up to Scootaloo’s mane and brushed her forelock over her ear, resting her hoof behind Scootaloo’s head, holding her in the kiss. “Wow,” Sweetie Belle gasped after they broke apart. “That was probably like the movies…” Sweetie Belle said, making Scootaloo smile bashfully. With her hoof still behind Scootaloo’s head, she guided her into another long, tender, kiss. Sweetie Belle felt the rhythm of Scootaloo’s breathing, the gently curve of her neck, and the way Scootaloo’s hoof caressed her back. Each stroke started at the withers and traveled the entire curve of her back, each one eliciting a moan from her. “Oh, Scootaloo,” Sweetie whispered after she pulled back from the kiss. She planted a short kiss on her cheek. “That was… that was amazing.” She rested her head in the crook of Scootaloo’s neck. “Awesome,” Scootaloo said, smiling happily. “I guess there’s something more to these romance movies than I thought,” she mused aloud. “... and this is the part in the movies where the characters realize they really, really like each other, and then they say cheesy nothings and kiss some more.” Sweetie Belle’s ears perked up, and she raised her head to look Scootaloo in the eyes; she could almost see the love radiating from them. Sweetie Belle knew Scootaloo wasn’t always good with words, or that mushy stuff, as she’s always called it, but now it seemed she was the one having trouble with words. Do I just say it? I mean she did… sorta. Okay… here it goes... "So... before, when you said you really liked my mane?" Scootaloo said the exact moment before Sweetie Belle opened her mouth. Sweetie Belle felt like she had been sucker punched as she painfully swallowed a lump in her throat. "Yeah?" "Is that what you really meant to say?" "No," Sweetie Belle said as she began to shake. "I mean, I love your mane. But I... I think that... I think that what I really like is you, Scootaloo. More than like, you know?" "Good." Sweetie Belle couldn't see Scootaloo's face despite being mere inches apart, but she could practically hear the grin she was wearing. "Because I really like you too." "Really?" Scootaloo responded by planting a soft kiss on Sweetie Belle’s cheek. “So…” She paused, lost for words. “So, um, I guess Apple Bloom will be glad we are better at kissing, hm?” “I guess?” I wonder… from making Scoots wear that ridiculous dress that made her unbearably cute, to daring me to kiss her, to watching sappy romance movies—but she couldn’t know. No one knows. “So do you think we should, you know, go on dates and stuff?” Scootaloo asked. “I-I mean if that’s what you want to do.” Sweetie Belle almost leapt to her feet yelling a loud triumphant yes! into the night, announcing her love to Equestria, not caring who she woke. But, instead she settled for smiling broadly. “I’d love to go on dates and stuff with you, Scoots.” Sweetie Belle couldn’t help but add a mischievous inflection on Scootaloo’s choice word, ‘stuff.’ Scootaloo frowned. “Yeah stuff. You know whatever stuff ponies do on dates. Like—” Scootaloo’s rambling was cut short as Sweetie Belle placed her lips upon hers. “Relax,” Sweetie said after breaking the kiss. “I’m just teasing you.” She nuzzled Scootaloo’s neck and kissed her cheek. “Scoots,” Sweetie Belle whispered. “I-I’ve wanted to tell you how I felt for so long. I’ve always had a crush on you, I think; even before I really knew what a crush was, I would always feel butterflies in my stomach when you were around. But despite your tough pony persona, you’ve always been there—picked me up when I was down, and more than once, you’ve held out your hoof and taken me on a whirlwind adventure—just the two of us…” Sweetie Belle took a deep breath. Finally getting her feelings out was refreshing; she had kept them bottled up so long. Scootaloo tightened her grip on Sweetie Belle. “I’ve always thought dating and love was lame. Then one day I felt something… something different, and it was always when you were around. I still thought romance was lame, but I’d tell myself, ‘if I had to date somepony, I’d date Sweetie Belle,’ because she was always nice, and it was cool she showed interest in what I did and in me.” “And what do you think of her now?” “Well… I think she’s caring, strong, and very pretty. She brings out a part of me I didn’t know was there, and maybe, just maybe romance isn’t so lame after all; not with you, Sweetie Belle, you make it worth it.” “Scoots…” Sweetie Belle was lost for words. She was profoundly moved by what Scootaloo had said. Never had she felt so wanted for who she was; never had a pony told her she brought the best out in them. Never. So, she buried her face into that soft lavender-scented mane, nuzzling into her tight grip. “Pretty crazy how things turned out,” mused Scootaloo. “I guess all we needed was a nudge in the right direction. Glad Apple Bloom invited us over, and that we played truth or dare, I still have get somepony back, but I’ll worry about that later.” Sweetie Belle giggled. “You two get too crazy with that game.” Sweetie Belle shook her head. “But I’m glad we played it nonetheless.” Sweetie Belle, feeling more content than she ever had, yawned. Content to have Scootaloo as a pillow, she nuzzled into her, preparing to drift off to sleep. “Sweetie,” Scootaloo said softly, but Sweetie Belle could still detect a level of concern in her voice. “I don’t mind, um, s-snuggling, but I don’t want to hear it f-from her in the morning. This will probably come as a real big shock.” “O-oh,” Sweetie Belle said, not hiding the hurt she was feeling. “After all that kissing practice, you still want to keep it a secret?” Her chest went cold. “It’s not like that,” Scootaloo added hastily. “I j-just thought we should wait until tomorrow and tell her, instead of her finding out and teasing you.” “I think she’d tease you,” Sweetie Belle corrected. “But… you’re right. We should tell her sometime tomorrow, together. And… take it slow, let this become a real relationship and not a cheesy romance.” With a nodding in understanding, they shared one last kiss, one last embrace and nuzzle, and then Sweetie Belle returned to her central spot in the bed. Her heavy eyes fluttered as sleep finally won the battle she had been fighting. She fell asleep, staring into those deep mysterious maroon eyes she loved so much. I can't wait to write this in my diary tomorrow... Author's Note A collaboration between me and Twi-Fi, from ages ago. See if you can tell who wrote what! Manespray is a play on Hairspray, a film by Adam Shankman (or is it Flankman)? He also directed "A Walk To Remember" (A Trot To Remember) staring Shane West (Mane West) and Mandy Moore (Sandy Shore).
Definitely The LatterSweetie Belle was bubbling with excitement as she rushed upstairs to her bedroom. She barely greeted her parents as she made haste to ink the memories of her sleepover in her diary while they were still fresh, even if she almost broke her neck tripping up the stairs! "Where's the fire?" Her father called up the stairs behind her. "You alright?" "Yeah, I'm fine!" Sweetie replied as she entered the room. "Better than fine," she mumbled under her breath with a grin. She set her saddlebag with her sleepover things on her bed, and retrieved her diary from underneath her pillow. A few weeks ago, she had accidentally forgot to conceal it and left it on the desk for all the world to see — just before a sleepover no less! Luckily for her, she stowed it before anypony had seen it. Her quill was shaking in her teeth, and the entry was going to be a tricky one to decipher later, but Sweetie Belle didn't care. The emotion would come across plain as day! Dear diary, I finally did it. I told Scootaloo how I felt, and guess what? SHE LIKES ME BACK!!!! Apple Bloom invited us over, and we played truth or dare, and we kissed, and it was bad but not really, but then we were going to sleep, and then then we started talking and then me and Scootaloo kissed and it was so AWESOME!!!! Sweetie Belle spat the quill out, frowning at the spray of words she had just written down, hardly legible, and hardly sensible. Sweetie Belle took a deep breath, and decided to think before just pouring her next series of racing thoughts onto the page. There was just so much to cover! She and Scootaloo woke up, snuggling quite close despite their agreement not to. Apple Bloom had asked what exactly was going on, and with about as much preparation as Sweetie Belle had with her latest diary entry, she and Scootaloo told Apple Bloom about what had happened the night before. Apple Bloom looked shocked at first, then amused. "I'm happy for y'all," she had said, "but keep your kissing practice to yourselves around me, okay?" Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were both very disappointed by this request given the prowess they thought they had made. And what prowess I made... Sweetie Belle thought, as she flipped quickly through her diary pages. All of the pages filled with her hopes and longing. And then last night, with all of the circumstances just coming together in a perfect storm of— Sweetie Belle froze. As the pages fanned out from her perusal, she saw something flitting out from between the sheets, barely visible in the orange glow coming from her open window. This object floated for a bit before landing on the floor to the right of her desk, and without the tinting from the sunset obscuring it, Sweetie Belle very easily identified it. It was a hair. A hair with the exact same shade of red as one that rested underneath the pink bow of one of her best friends. Sweetie Belle paused for a moment, her mind a whirlwind. And then, she smiled. Author's Note Sorry for taking so long, you guys deserve better.
