Knock-knock-knock

Chrome stood outside a familiar door (trying not to look too anxious), as it was opened by a familiar red-haired pony.

“Hi Chrome,” smiled Applebloom.

“Hi,” he smiled back. “Is Sweetie Belle ready?”

“Mmm, lemme check. Sweetie Belle, Chrome’s here. Do you need some big strong hands to help you with anything?”

The question was met by a pillow to Applebloom’s face.

“She’ll be ready soon,” chuckled Applebloom.

Chrome tried not to blush, knowing that Applebloom had just made a reference to the time she and Scootaloo had found him milking Sweetie Belle last winter in their dorm room.

“You do realize I was just trying to help, right?” he asked.

“Of course,” said Applebloom, before giving him a playful side-wink.

A few moments later, Sweetie Belle appeared in the doorway. Her hair was freshly curled, and she was wearing a white shirt, and a light (mostly unbuttoned) sweater. It was complimented by a golden-yellow skirt that came down to just above her knees, and a small lavender purse draped over her right shoulder.

“Hi,” said Sweetie Belle.

“Hi,” replied Chrome.

“So, did everything work out okay with Rarity?” asked Chrome, as they made their way across campus.

“The same manure, a different day,” said Sweetie, rolling her eyes. “I was on ‘coffee duty’ for most of the morning. As usual, not even a thank you.”

“Gee, I thought your sister was the element of generosity.”

“Oh she is…but it’s not like she’s that way all the time. I…I probably make her sound like she doesn’t care, but she does. It’s…complicated.”

The two continued on their way, passing by numerous other students. A few seemed to be on their way to weekend classes or study sessions, but most seemed to be gravitating towards an area south of the campus. It was here that Canterlot University had cultivated a number of stores and facilities for the students, that were more in line with their more cash-strapped pocketbooks.

Right around Hearth’s Warming, a new sandwich shop had opened up, and had slowly gained popularity among the student body. Chrome had heard a few of the cadets talking about it, and Scootaloo had told Sweetie Belle about it too.

It wasn’t even even eleven o’clock, and the two soon found themselves in a line leading up to the entryway.

“So what do you think makes this place so popular?” asked Chrome.

“Beats me,” replied Sweetie. “But Scootaloo and her friend eat here every week after their Wednesday workouts.”

“Well, before we get inside, I jist wanna say I got this, okay?”

“Oh, you don’t need to-“

“No, I insist. Your sister got dinner the last time we got together, it’s the least I can do.”

“Alright,” sighed Sweetie.

As the line made its way into the store, the smell of fresh bread filled their noses, and Sweetie blushed as her stomach growled. Looking up at the different types of sandwiches, the couple were surprised to see that each one was named after a different part of Equestria.

“So which one are you going to get?” asked Chrome. “I bet you’re gonna try the Ponyville one.”

“Maaaybe?” smiled Sweetie. “Actually, I think I’m gonna go with the Manehattan, since I’ve been craving carrots for awhile. Why don’t you try the Ponyville, and let me know how it is?”

“Well, if you insist.”

Finally it was their turn to order. After getting their sandwich orders and two bags of haychips, the two made their way outside, and found a small table next to the line of ponies. While Chrome sat down, Sweetie Belle went to a nearby condiment stand, and grabbed a handful of extra napkins. Chrome was wondering what she was doing, when she returned to the table, and rested her bosom on it. She then spread out six of the napkins, and tucked them into her collar to keep her top clean from food.

“Oh, right,” he blushed.

“Yeah, one of the things I hadn’t considered happening regularly when I took my sister’s pills,” sighed Sweetie Belle, unwrapping her sandwich.

“So, um…speaking of Rarity, did she help you to…grow?” he asked, opening a bag kettle-haychips.

“Oh no, I just, found her secret stash one day, and an overdose later, I gained an extra 20 pounds…and a lot of attention.”

“And how did Rarity take it?” asked Chrome, biting into his sandwich.

“About as well as any big sister would. Upset at me for revealing her pill-taking, but a little more upset that I ended up bigger than her.”

“This is gonna sound odd,” gulped Chrome, “but…if she’s jealous of how big you are, why didn’t she just take more of her pills?”

“Because she still has her job to think about. I mean, just look at how I have to eat. Can you imagine my sister getting this big, and sitting down at a table to sew or cut fabric?”

“I…get your point,” said Chrome, trying not to think of Rarity with a huge chest squishing against a sewing machine, as he took another bite of his sandwich.

“So how does Ponyville taste?” asked Sweetie, as she magicked her own sandwich in for a bite.

“Not bad,” he replied. “The sliced apples are good.”

“Wonder if they got them from Sweet Apple Acres. By the way, for being a unicorn, you don’t really seem to do much magic.”

“How do you mean?”

“Well, most unicorns use their magic to do regular stuff, like this,” she said, as her green aura levitated her sandwich to her lips. “But you use your hands like an earth pony.”

“Is that wrong?”

“No, it’s just…unusual. Every unicorn I know has used magic for almost everything.”

“Well, I guess it was just the way I was raised,” replied Chrome.

“So before you took Twilight’s class, you hadn’t really used your magic?”

“Not really.”

“Seems a bit strange to me. Twilight’s course is pretty advanced, and you-“

“Well, well, well,” came a voice that Chrome found familiar. “Looks like cocky’s trying to grab himself some prime mare-meat.”

Looking to the line nearby, Chrome saw Brawny Bones clad in an RGC shirt, along with a few other cadets staring at the two (who seemed mostly infatuated with Sweetie’s bustline).

“Aren’t you gonna say hello and tell me who your friend is, cocky-locky? Captain’s always telling us to get along, you know.”

“Brawny Bones, this is Sweetie Belle,” said Chrome. “Sweetie Belle, this is Brawny Bones.”

“Hello,” said Sweetie politely, before taking another bite of her food.

“Oh yeah, the last pony I banged told me about you,” chuckled Brawny. “Word is you got your sister to pay for your tit surgery, because you really like attention.”

Chrome could see Sweetie blush slightly, ignoring eye contact as Brawny’s friends laughed, causing some other ponies to notice.

“You know Sweetie, you can always do better,” continued Brawny. “A big pony like you, deserves a grade-A stud.”

“Really?” asked Sweetie, straightening up and looking him in the eye.

“You bet.”

“And where would I find one?”

The smile disappeared from Brawny’s face as his cohorts reacted to the diss, and Chrome stifled a chuckle, as Sweetie swished her hair around and turned back to her meal.

“You really need to use that smart mouth for other things,” continued Brawny. “Betcha could make a lot of money in Canterlot, given how much you look like a sl-“

“Why don’t we get going?” Said Chrome, wrapping up his sandwich.

“Sounds good to me,” replied Sweetie, following suit and ignoring Brawny and his cohorts.

“Yeah, go ahead and leave with the freak…freak,” said Brawny as the two hurried off.

They were a few blocks away when they came to a small park. Finding a bench, Sweetie pulled out a few more napkins and tucked them into her collar, before they both unwrapped their food, and carried on eating.

“What a jerk,” said Sweetie Belle, after awhile.

“Yeah,” replied Chrome. “He’s always trying to get away with stuff.”

“You…don’t think I’m a-“

“No,” said Chrome immediately. “I don’t, and I never would.”

The response brought a smile to Sweetie Belle’s face, and she seemed to brighten up a bit.

“What was with that nickname?” she asked. “Does it have to do with…no, forget it.”

“What?”

The blush had returned to her cheeks as she averted her eyes.

“No, it’s, well…I mean, I can see…it’s big-oh my Celestia, I sound so stupid-“

“Yes, it does-“

“You don’t have to make me feel like an-“

“I mean yes, you figured out why he calls me Cocky-Locky,” sighed Chrome, shifting his legs slightly, and trying not to think of the weight between them (and Sweetie stealing glances at it).

“Y-you didn’t take any pills like I did…did you?”

“No, it’s some kind of, genetic abnormality. A doctor told my parents that I could have it…reduced, but they weren’t sure it might not cause issues…later on in life.”

“Is it, hard, to move around with?”

“It hasn’t been easy. I actually got into athletics to strengthen my leg muscles when I was 13. It’s helped handle some of the weight, but it’s still there, as I…I’m sure you know about.”

“Oh yeah,” said Sweetie Belle, looking down at her chest, and trying not to think about just what was in Chrome’s pants, as she took another bite of her sandwich. “So…the Cadets. Is there anything, interesting going on?”

“As a matter of fact, there is something coming up,” he said. “But…oh you might not be interested.”

“What?”

“You see, every Spring there’s a dance, and…”

“Aannnnddd?”

“Oh, it’s this big, traditional thing. Our superior officers are there, and Shining Armor from the Crystal Empire shows up as part of the festivities. There’s food, drinks, and well, dancing like I said.”

“Sounds like fun.”

“Yeah I…I guess it does.”

“So…cocky-locky, got any filly in mind to ask out?”

Her use of his nickname cause Chrome to almost choke on a hay-chip. He almost reprimanded her, but the question seemed to provide a solution to something that had been on his mind for awhile.

“Now that you mention it,” he said, putting down his sandwich, “there is one filly, but, I don’t know if she’d be interested.”

“Why not?”

“She’s attractive and all, but I just don’t know if she likes to dance.”

“Have you tried asking her?”

“I…I haven’t.”

“Huh…some Cadet,” smirked Sweetie. “Afraid to ask somepony out?”

“What if she says no?”

“You’ll never know unless you ask, will you?”

Chrome was surprised how direct she was being. A few moments later, he looked Sweetie Belle directly in her green eyes.

“Alright…wanna go with me?”

It took Sweetie a split-second, and then it clicked.

“M-me!?” she squeaked. “You want me to go to the dance with you!?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m the pony you want to ask out!?”

“Yeah…so, what do you say?”

Sweetie found her mouth suddenly dry. This was not quite what she was expecting to happen today, as she struggled to get her brain to function. Finally, she licked her lips and found her voice.

“Uh, um…sure, okay,” she blushed. “Boy this is…weird!”

The word seemed to set something off in both of them, and they laughed, the nervousness seeming to fade away as they both calmed down.

“Wow, that was…easy!” sighed Chrome.

“Just, how long were you worrying about asking me?” asked Sweetie.

“Oh, for a few months.”

“Maybe you can learn from this. Get that stuff out in the open, and then you won’t worry so much. I mean, how do you feel right now?”

“Relieved!”

“See? Was that so bad? And it turned out okay. I mean, there’s a lot of other stuff to worry about besides me, isn’t there?”

As he swirled her words around in his head, Chrome decided to make another confession, as a warm sensation seemed to envelope his body.

“Maybe you’re right,” he replied. “In fact, I think I owe you another confession.”

“For what?”

“For why I took Twilight’s class.”

“You said you wanted to improve your magic.”

“Well yeah, but…that was, a small part of it.”

“Oh? And what was the other part?”

Chrome took a deep breath, before it all came tumbling out.

“Well, okay. The reason is, I…I, think I’m in love with you, Sweetie Belle. Ever since I ran into you and helped you out last fall, I’ve had you on my mind and-and I promise it’s not because I’ve seen your…breasts, I…I know you’re a really great filly, and I felt that, getting into Twilight’s class was a good way to get to know you better. And well, it hasn’t been easy and all, but I’m learning some new things even though I’m having troubles, but um…well, there it is.”

There was a quiet moment where only the sounds of birds and the rustling of tree branches was heard. Sweetie Belle had been about to take a bite of her sandwich, but now levitated it back down.

“Oh…I see,” she said, becoming very quiet, and suddenly focused on a light post across the park.

“Anyway I…I hope that didn’t come off as weird. I just felt, after what you said that I should-“

“Nonono, it’s…you know, I…I think I should get back to my friends,” said Sweetie Belle, pulling the napkins out of her top, and wrapping up her sandwich. “Thank you for lunch. I’ll…see you later.”

Okay,” said Chrome, watching her get up and walk quickly away.

It felt like his heart was going to explode from his chest, as he saw her turn a corner, and then disappear from sight. The giddy feeling of asking her to the dance, had been replaced with a lead brick that was now sitting in the pit of his stomach, as kept thinking of Sweetie Belle’s reaction to his confession.

I blew it, he thought, feeling like he just wanted to collapse into nothingness. Even his appetite was gone.

Sweetie Belle’s hooves clacked on the pavement and her chest bounced with each step, as she hurried across the campus.

Her head was swirling with all sorts of thoughts given what Chrome had told her. She kept trying to quell those thoughts, but they just would not stop floating around inside her head.

Eventually she found herself back at the dorm. Knocking on the door to her room, she was greeted by Scootaloo, who gave her a big smile.

“So, how was lunch?” asked Scootaloo, before noticing the look on her friend’s face.

“I…I don’t know,” replied Sweetie, squeezing past her friend and into the room and plopping her half-eaten sandwich on the kitchen table, where Applebloom turned around from her homework, and looked up at her friend.

“Somethin’ wrong, Sweetie Belle?” asked Applebloom, a look of growing concern spreading across her face. “Did Chrome do somethin’ to ya? Ah kin contact the-“

“No, it’s…not that,” said Sweetie, shaking her head before sitting down on her bed, as her friends came over. “Girls…I need some advice.”

Author's Note

Yeah, finally got around to finishing this chapter. I think the fact that there’s a lot of talking in it, is what made me put off working on it for awhile. Writing all the little asides and nuances of nervous talking isn’t easy.

Also brought back Brawny Bones, though I did make it so that Chrome handled the situation with maturity vs the name-calling (since he’s with Sweetie and trying to be mature).

I also think this chapter was problematic, because it’s a turning-point, where stuff is finally confessed, and that means stuff going forward is going to be different.