A Little Sunshine & Fresh Air Never Hurt Anybody

Chapter 10

Sweet Apple Acres, Ponyville

Apple Bloom couldn’t help but let out a pleasurable sigh as she slipped her legs into the warm, fragrant water of the bathtub. Ever since she was a little girl, she delighted in taking bubble baths. There was something immensely satisfying about washing away all the fatigue built up in your muscles after a hard day’s work. Doing it just for its own sake was fine too, she reckoned.

As she lowered the rest of her body deeper into the water, a brief precious memory appeared in her mind. She couldn’t have been more than three at the time but she remembered happily splashing around in this very tub. Playing with her and gently scrubbing her skin had been a strong woman with curly orange hair and bright blue eyes. Her mama. Pear Butter.

Apple Bloom smiled at the memory and reached out a hand as if to touch her. An excited bark and the scratching of paws on tile broke her from her reverie. “Winnona, wait-!”

Tongue lolling to the side, the energetic border collie leapt into Apple Bloom’s lap, splashing water everywhere. The teenager laughed and snorted as she playfully wrestled with the family dog before hugging Winona to her chest. “Look at the mess ya made, girl! Would it kill ya ta climb in the tub gently fer once?”

Winona sensed that her young mistress was in a good mood, so she languidly licked the human’s chin. Apple Bloom giggled and nuzzled Winona’s nose back. The dog whined and wriggled from her grasp and began to paddle around the sizable bathtub.

“C’mon now, this ain’t a swimmin’ pool.” Bloom giggled.

The bathroom door creaked open and a familiar old voice chuckled. “She ain’t the one who nearly got drowned by a critter a quarter of her size,” Granny Smith remarked with a wink.

“Like none o’ yer dogs ever jumped ya while takin’ a bath.”

“Heh. Ya got me there.” The old woman shook her head as she made to leave.

Apple Bloom pulled herself half out of the tub, coating her body in a layer of bubbles that resembled a dress. “Wait! Granny, Ah gotta ask ya somethin’.”

The old woman waved her hand and sat atop the toilet seat. “Go on then, child.”

“Sweetie & Scoots have been fightin’ lately. Ah wanna fix it. AJ and Mrs. Cheerliee suggested that Ah git ‘em on even ground.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “AJ went on further ta suggest that they should both be nekkid fer the occasion. That’s the even ground part. Durin’ the Harvest Festival Break, I’d like ta invite ‘em over fer snacks and whatnot. It’ll give ‘em a chance ta hash things out amongst themselves and make their peace. Is that ok with ya?”

Granny Smith rubbed her chin in thought. “This sort o’ plan could go either way, dearie. Bear in mind, they might not agree ta yer terms.” Apple Bloom nodded. “Shoot. Ah don’t see why not. Better idea then what Ah did when me ‘n Goldie had an argument at yer age.”

“What happened?”

“Damn near didn’t talk ta her fer a decade!” Granny smacked her thigh and chortled. “We held on ta that stupid grudge way longer than we had any right ta. Best you straighten those two out.”

Apple Bloom smiled, “Is it ok if they visit fer a day?”

Granny shook her head. “Eenope. The whole weekend. Do one o’ them sleepovers. We got plenty o’ space fer ‘em.”

“Thanks, Granny. Could ya pass me mah phone? Ah’d like ta text mah friends.” The younger Apple pointed to the device resting by the sink. Picking it up, Granny passed it to her then stared at Winona.

Clicking her tongue, the old woman got up and pulled the pooch from the bath, “You leave Apple Bloom in peace now, ya hear girl?” Winona’s ears flattened at Granny’s stern look. “Go find Applejack. Git.” Hopping from her arms, the dog shook herself dry and scampered away.

Apple Bloom settled back into her bath with a sigh of contentment as Granny left the bathroom, muttering about getting a snort of whiskey. Opening up her messages, the teenager scrolled to her personal group chat with Sweetie and Scootaloo. After taking a deep breath, she exhaled and carefully typed out a message.

Hey girls. I know things are a bit tense right now. I love you two a lot and I hate seeing you fight. How about you guys come over to Sweet Apple Acres during the break and have a sleepover with me? We can clear the air and hang out again. What do you say?

Placing her phone on the bathtub’s rim, the young naturist slid back into her bubble bath. Now it was up to Scootaloo and Sweetie to make the right choice.

Sweetie Belle reloaded her rifle as she backpedalled through the mines. The snarls of the Xenos echoed in her ears as an insectoid monster crawled from the darkness of the cave into the light of her shoulder lamp. Upon smacking the clip home, she shouldered her rifle and opened up on full auto, blowing holes in her chitinous enemies.

Turning, she yelled, “Dinky! How are the repairs coming?”

A blonde diamond dog with a cybernetic eye looked up from a futuristic minecart loaded with gemstones. Waving the wrench clenched in her gloved paws she shouted, “It’s Crazy Eye, Killer Pink!”

“Roleplaying now? Are you ki-” Jumping away from an exploding bug, Sweetie sighed, “Fine. CRAZY EYE, are the repairs done?!”

“Almost my Alpha! Hold 'em off!”

Blowing the head off a crab-like enemy, Sweetie heard the telltale click of an empty mag. Cursing, she drew a compact hot pink revolver and began carefully picking off the growing horde. Backing up she yelled, “Prop Jock, where are you?”

“Coming!” A nasally but excited voice bellowed as a hulking brown-furred diamond dog dashed into view. In his paws was a minigun which promptly began to spit hot death into the horde. Prop Jock’s beefy arms were tattooed, his fangs were painted red and sunglasses covered his orange eyes. All this made the tiny striped propellor hat perched on his head even more out of place.

Crazy Eye barked with excitement as she vaulted over the mine cart to join them. Her shotgun forced back the last of the Xenos as the laden minecart’s hoverjets slowly raised it above the cave surface. As it began to float away, she threw Sweetie some ammo.

“Ready to fight our way out Killer Pink?”

Sweetie smirked, “You know it Crazy Eye. Prop Jock?”

“Let’s kill some bugs, bitches!”

Several minutes of blasting bugs later, Sweetie’s pack made it to the dropship and clambered aboard. As they rocketed away an image of the trio of miners appeared. Prop Jock was kissing both his biceps while Crazy Eye break danced. Killer Pink meanwhile simply removed a pack of cigarettes from her pink overcoat and lit one with a wink.

Leaning back from her gaming PC, Sweetie stretched and yawned, “GG guys. You get that achievement, Button?” Her friend’s voices echoed over her headset.

Button Mash was as neurotic as ever, “I sure did Sweetie! It took more platforming than I expected though.”

Dinky giggle snorted, “So you can finally turn that hat of yours golden, huh?”

“Sure can! I’m going to look so cool. You girls wanna go again?”

“Nah, my mom wants me to help make some muffins with her tonight, for her side business,” The blonde replied. “You can drop by and be our taste tester, if you want.”

“Who me? Ohh wow…”

Sweetie smirked knowingly, “Well, aren’t you two a cute couple? I should go too, Rarity says gaming is bad for my posture.” Her phone vibrated beside her. “Besides, I’m getting a text. Same time next week?”

“You got it Killer Pink!”

“Sure thing boss!”

Laughing, Sweetie quit Galactic Diamond Dogs and picked up her phone. Upon opening it, her jovial expression faded as she read the message.

Hey girls. I know things are a bit tense right now. I love you two a lot and I hate seeing you fight. So how about you guys come have a sleepover at Sweet Apple Acres during the break? We can clear the air of this drama and just hang out again. What do you say?

A whole bevvy of emotions Sweetie had been trying to ignore for the past few days bubbled up inside her. Anger, shame, fear and hope all vying for dominance as she bit her lip. On the one hand, she was still upset at Scootaloo for goofing around with Rainbow Dash instead of helping with the project. But on the other, she wasn’t proud of the way she’d treated her friend either.

“Ugh! What should I do,” Sweetie muttered feeling the familiar sting of tears in her eyes. Rubbing her eyes angrily, she stood up and dashed across her room, covered in magical girl anime and sci-fi posters, to the door. Opening it, she called out. “Rarity, where are you?”

“In the living room darling!” Her sister’s singsong voice answered her.

Gripping her phone to her chest, Sweetie trudged to the living room, her stomach a bundle of nerves. She found Rarity clad in a paint-splattered blouse and smock with her hair tied in a messy yet somehow elegant bun. She was humming along to some classical music as she put brush to canvas. Her subject seemed to be a young man with a slight build wearing thick glasses, a sweater vest and nothing else.

“W-who’s that?” Sweetie asked with a faint tremble. “And why isn’t he wearing pants?”

Rarity carefully added a curve to her subject’s hips, “This is Micro Chips, darling. Sandalwood’s beau. Micro wanted to give Sandalwood something nice for his birthday next week, you see.” Turning her older sister smiled. “It’s quite sweet, if a bit risque.” Setting aside her brush, she approached Sweetie. “Sweetie, dear, what’s wrong?”

Blubbering incoherently, Sweetie ran into her sister’s embrace. Rarity didn’t say a word and simply clutched Sweetie to her chest while she had a good cry, stroking her hair. When she calmed down, the two siblings sat down on the couch.

“I assume that the saga with Scootaloo continues?” Rarity asked gently.

Sweetie rested her head on Rarity’s shoulder, “Mhmm. Apple Bloom wants to host a sleepover over the break so we can bury the hatchet.”

“But?”

“What if Scootaloo doesn’t want to apologize?” Sweetie’s lip trembled. “Apple Bloom hasn’t noticed, or maybe she doesn’t care, but Scoots has been ditching us a lot lately. What if she doesn’t want to be our friend anymore?”

Rarity rested her chin on her sister’s head, “Why would you think that, dear?”

“Because I was rotten to her. I got so angry at her when she wasn’t being helpful with our group project. I said some really hurtful things. Would you blame her if she didn’t want to be friends with me anymore?”

The two sisters sat in silence, Rarity idly twirling a strand of her hair, “All friends fight and have disagreements, sometimes even hurt one another. You have to care about someone an awful lot to be as upset as you are now.”

“I guess, but what if that’s the problem? I don’t want to keep putting in efforts and making excuses if she’s not willing to hang out with us.”

“Of course not but, Sweetie dear, we need to be generous with our friends. Sometimes they take a little, sometimes a lot. If Scootaloo wasn’t willing to do the same, I’d say cut her out of your life.” She hugged her sister a little tighter. “But, in her own uncouth way, she is. Why else do you think she came to the apartment the other day?”

Sweetie sniffed, “Do you think I should go?”

“I believe that would be the best course of action in this situation. You girls have a special bond and I’d hate to see you lose it.” Breaking the embrace, Rarity smiled. “Go with an open heart and mind, Sweetie dear. Don’t give up on Scootaloo just yet.”

“O-ok,” The younger girl drew herself up. “You’re right, Rarity. Besides, it’ll be fun to spend some time at Sweet Apple Acres.”

Rarity smirked, “More chances to check out the Apple Family jewels, hmmmm?”

“S-shut up!” Sweetie flushed as she texted her reply.

I’m game if Scootaloo is. When are you thinking AB?

Hey girls. I know things are a bit tense right now. I love you two a lot and I hate seeing you fight. So how about you guys come have a sleepover at Sweet Apple Acres during the break? We can clear the air of this drama and just hang out again. What do you say?

Scootaloo reread the message again and bit her lip. Her pulse pounding not just from the adrenaline of her workout but also nerves. The prospect of confronting Sweetie again terrified the young athlete. What if she hated Scootaloo and made Apple Bloom choose between them?

Her fear gave way to anger as she recalled their confrontation. Sure, she’d bailed on them but it was to hang out with Rainbow Dash. Why was that so bad? Sweetie had a big sister too.

“Yo, Scoots, you aight?” A familiar voice called out. “Where’s that power drink?”

Shaking her head, Scootaloo tossed her phone onto her gym bag and grabbed a pair of water bottles. The tomboy was clad in a loose orange t-shirt and a pair of purple shorts. Her hair was matted with sweat, while grass stains had coloured her knees green.

As she jogged towards her big sister, she pasted a smile on her face, “All good, Dash.”

Rainbow Dash placed her foot on the soccer ball they’d been playing with and raised an eyebrow, “You sure?” She was everything Scootallo aspired to be. Confident, strong and outgoing, Rainbow Dash was athletic but unquestionably feminine. Her rainbow-coloured hair was shaved on the sides and spiked up on the top, giving her an aerodynamic look. About a head and shoulders taller then Scootaloo, she wore a black sports bra with matching spats.

The thing she envied the most about Rainbow Dash’s appearance though was her breasts. They weren’t very large but they were noticeable, firm, and well-shaped. That combined with her toned body meant no one ever mistook her for a boy. A frequent occurrence in Scootaloo’s life.

“Yeah,” She replied, tossing the drink underhanded. Catching it one-handed, Dash smirked before squirting the energy drink into her mouth. Doing her best to mimic her, Scootaloo tried to shove thoughts of Sweetie and Apple Bloom away. This was her time with Rainbow, not them.

Dash swished her drink in her mouth and gargled. Swallowing, she squirted her bottle at Scootaloo splashing her in the face, “What’s bugging you, squirt?”

“Nothing,” Scootaloo protested, squirting some energy drink right back. “Forget it.”

“You’re gonna tell me one way or the other Scoots,” Rainbow Dash replied as she dodged her attack. “Tell ya what, let's play for it. First to score a goal on the other spills their guts.”

Scootaloo blanched, “Hold on! What do I get if I win the match?”

Rainbow shrugged as she tossed her water bottle back to the side of the soccer field, “I dunno, you can ask me intimate details about my love life? Come on, let’s play ball!” Laughing, the collegiate athlete began to dribble the ball towards the centre of the field. Mentally cursing, Scootaloo followed and faced off against RD, who kicked the ball up into her hand.

“Sure you don’t wanna tell me?” Rainbow asked gently.

By way of answer, Scootaloo simply rotated her torso, clapped her hands and settled into a ready posture, “Throw the ball, Dash.” She smirked crookedly. “I’m looking forward to asking if you or Lightning Dust is the dom.”

“Heh! Alright then,” Rainbow Dash laughed as she tossed the ball straight up into the air. “You asked for it!”

As the ball descended, both girls leapt up to meet it. While she was shorter than Rainbow, Scootaloo’s legs were longer which helped her jump just slightly higher than her surrogate sibling. Lashing out with her hand, she knocked the ball onto her side of the field and dashed towards it. Rainbow, for her part, landed casually and bobbed on her feet.

Reaching the ball, Scootaloo began to dribble it down the field towards Rainbow’s net. If she could just score a quick goal, she could avoid this awkward conversation. Just like she was avoiding Sweetie and Apple Bloom.

For a brief moment, her dribbling faltered and she kicked the ball off to the side. As she moved to correct it, Rainbow Dash was suddenly right by her side smirking. Scootaloo knew the rumours that Dash had supernatural speed were all made up. The truth was that she knew exactly how to push her well-trained body to the limit. It was as impressive as it was terrifying.

Yelping, Scoots booted the ball towards Rainbow Dash’s distant net. As it bounced towards the edge, Dash took off, legs eating up the distance in a bounding, cyan blur. Heart pounding in her chest, Scootaloo followed suit, urging her legs to make up the distance.

Just feet away from the goal, Rainbow outran the ball and kicked it back towards Scootaloo. Turning on her heel she sprinted back towards her as Scootaloo slid to bunt the ball back towards Rainbow’s net. Scrambling to her feet, she raced for the ball barely reaching it before her mentor.

Cackling, Rainbow got in Scootaloo’s face as she desperately dribbled the ball. The two elbowed one another as their feet fought for domination before finally, by spinning the ball backwards with the bottom of her foot, the purple-haired tomboy broke free. Crowing, she lined up the perfect shot and booted it towards Rainbow’s net.

“Not so fast!” Rainbow yelled as Scoot’s foot hit the ball. Grinning she leapt in front of her surrogate sister and headbutted the ball away with an audible smacking noise. The sporty girl collapsed to the ground unmoving.

“RAINBOW?!” Scootaloo yelled running towards the downed athlete. She skidded to a stop in relief as Dash casually leapt to her feet. Tapping her forehead, she winked.

“I’ve got a thick skull, remember?” Speeding off towards the ball, which was rolling towards Scootaloo’s net, she called. “Now, watch me no scope this shit!”

Scootaloo’s relief gave way to her competitive spirit as she raced after Rainbow. This time, however, there was no catching her. Scootaloo could only watch as Rainbow took control of the ball, hooked it with her feet and tossed it up. As it fell she performed a spin kick that caused it to hit the back of Scootaloo’s net with a swish.

“GOALLLL!”

Puffing Scootaloo drew up beside her, “That... was a dirty trick.”

“Nah, just natural skill,” Rainbow replied, flexing for an imaginary crowd. “Alright, it’s time to spill the beans. What’s bugging you, kiddo?”

Scootaloo turned away, “You cheated.” Before she could storm away, she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her chest. Squawking, Scootaloo tried to break free as Rainbow wrestled her into a headlock. Her screams of protest became one of laughter as Rainbow began to noogie her little sister’s sweaty hair affectionately.

“Come onnnnn, tell me Scoots!” The two fell to the ground as they continued to wrestle for several moments. Eventually, the two athletes lay side by side, with Rainbow’s arm still wrapped around Scoots’ shoulder. Sitting up, she pulled Scootaloo with her and ruffled her hair. “Tell me.”

Scootaloo exhaled, “Promise you won’t get mad?”

“Never.”

“Ok.” The tomboy fidgeted but remained seated in the field. “I kind of messed up. No, scratch that, I screwed up pretty bad. Ya know how I’ve had a lot more time lately to hang out with you? Well, that’s because I’ve been blowing off Sweetiee and Apple Bloom on purpose.”

Rainbow was silent and simply stared at Scootaloo thoughtfully.

“Sweetiee was not taking it well and then I kind of bailed when we were supposed to be working on a class project together for social studies. She’s really pissed at me and… I’m worried that she hates me now.” Scootaloo rubbed her eyes as she felt them begin to sting. “It’s just… I apologized, ran over to her apartment in my gym clothes, and she still treated me like chopped liver. What’s so wrong with wanting to hang out with you?”

“I take it this was the day we got tagged in that post, right?” Rainbow asked quietly, rubbing Scootaloo’s back. The tomboy nodded, rubbing her teary eyes fiercely. “Why are you ditching them, Scoots? Rarity tells me Sweetie is really torn up about this.”

“Y-you knew?”

The athlete smiled crookedly, “Hey, we might not have been BFFs, but me and Rares were close in high school. Not gonna lie, I was pretty concerned to hear that you’re leaving your friends out in the cold. Especially for me.”

“But you’re my big sister! I never get upset when Sweetie and Apple Bloom spend time with their own!” Scootaloo protested.

“Yeah, but they don’t bail when you already have plans with them, dummy,” Rainbow replied, flicking Scootaloo’s forehead with her finger. “Scoots, you will always be my little sister even if we aren’t related. I love spending time with you. Even so, you shouldn’t spend all of your time with me. You’ve gotta patch things up with Sweetie. Was she the one who texted you?”

Scootaloo groaned, “No, it was from Apple Bloom. She wants to throw a sleepover at Sweet Apple Acres during the break. Get us to play nice together and whatnot.”

“It sounds like a good idea to me,” Rainbow smirked. “Ya know, you guys could always play spin the bottle-” She laughed as Scootaloo punched her arm. “Seriously! Grow a pair and go. Not literally, but you know what I mean! If you don’t, it will only make you guys drift apart further.”

“You’re right,” The younger girl sniffed. “They see me for who I really am, ya know? Not some butch lesbo but a girl who just happens to like sports n’ isn’t into--uh--girly stuff.” She flopped on the ground and covered her eyes. “Man! I can’t believe how stupid I was!”

Rainbow softly tousled her hair. “Everyone makes mistakes, Scoots. What matters is how we handle the aftermath. What did I teach you about that?”

“Apologize and put our best foot forward?”

“Exactly. Text ‘em, kiddo.”

Rolling to her feet, Scootaloo jogged over to her phone and picked it up. Opening her messages, she smiled at Sweetie's reply but felt a pang of panic. Typing quickly she replied: Sounds fun. Let's do it.

The redhead’s response was not long in coming.

That’s awesome girls! This sleepover is gonna be so much fun! How about we shoot for the first day of break? Just come to the main gate and be sure to pack light!

Light huh? Well, I guess we could afford to lose some baggage, huh Scoots?

Yeah. See you guys then.

There was nothing quite like ending a day of work with a good book, in Big Mac’s opinion. The big man was stretched out on a hammock hung on the porch with a view of the farm spread out at his feet. On a stool beside him, his cell phone and a half-full bottle of hard cider rested.

Dinner had been both filling and interesting. It seemed that both his sisters had plans for the break. Applejack was heading off with that Russian woman and her boyfriend to some fancy hot spring resort. Apple Bloom, meanwhile, had invited Scootaloo and Sweetie over to fix some teenage spat they had going on. It made Mac wish he had something planned other than work and finishing off the third book in The Age of Madness trilogy.

Grabbing his drink, he took a quick swig, resting the book on his chest. He supposed he could call Cheerilee, but he didn’t want to seem needy. Better to let her set the terms for their next date, he decided.

One chapter later, Mac was roused from his reading by the vibrating of his phone. Sliding his bookmark into place, he set aside his book and grabbed the device. His face lit up when he saw the caller ID.

“Daisy Mae! How are ya doin’ this fine evenin’?”

Mae laughed. “Just grading some assignments. Your sister’s group did very well, despite all the personal drama for those involved.”

Mac leaned back in his hammock. “Happy ta hear that. Bloom has a plan ta fix all o’ that. Seems ta be comin’ together nicely. Is that why ya called?”

“Um... no. I just wanted to hear your voice. Say, Macintosh, do you happen to have any plans for the fall break?”

The big farmer did his best to act casual. “Enope. Ah was plannin’ on buildin’ some whiskey barrels but otherwise just taking it easy. You?”

He listened as Mae breathed nervously over the phone. “I was wondering if you’d like to give me a tour of the farm over the break?”

“Ya mean Sweet Apple Acres?”

“I’ve always wanted to see it.” Mae hummed. “Also, I’ve been doing some research on nudism since our date. I think I’d like to try it out for myself. Your farm seems the best place to do so.”

“Really?!” Mac beamed before coughing. “Ah mean--there ain’t any rush. Do whatever ya feel comfortable with.” Privately Mac thought he’d be even more head over heels for her if she did.

“Of course, you’ve been nothing but a gentleman, Mac. I feel safe around you. I dare say, it’s the main reason why I’m even considering it in the first place,” She laughed awkwardly. “Anyway, would you like to show me around this weekend?”

Mac was relieved that Cheerilee couldn’t hear the thundering beat of his heart. “Ah would love ta. Just make sure ya bring some good walkin’ shoes and a water bottle. It’s a big property.” He coughed. “Ohh, and sunscreen too. Fer yer skin, o’ course. Assumin’ ya plan on showin’ a bit more than usual.”

Mae giggled, “I suppose all I really need to wear is a smile, right? For now, I suppose these assignments won’t grade themselves. See you soon, Mac. I’m looking forward to it.”

“Me too,” Mac replied as he hung up. Putting his phone on the stool he leant back and put his hands behind his head and smiled widely. The chance to spend more time with Daisy Mae, possibly skin to skin, had him feeling like he’d just won the lottery.

“Well, don’t ya look just look as smug as Winnona in the bathtub,” Granny Smith drawled as she sauntered out of the house. Taking a seat beside her grandson, she smirked. “Was that yer woman on the phone?”

“She ain’t mah woman, Granny,” Mac protested.

Granny Smith chuckled, “Whatever ya say, sonny boy. Is she comin’ over or what?”

“Mhmm. She’s mighty keen on checkin’ out the farm.”

“Ah imagine she’ll be checkin’ other things out too,” The old woman cackled. “Does she intend ta take her clothes off while she’s here?”

Big Mac rubbed the back of his neck. “She said she’d like ta give it a whirl, but ah don’t wanna push her. Just ta be safe, I’ll meet her at the gate in jeans and a shirt. We’ll let things evolve naturally from there.” He gestured to the orchard before them. “She wants ta see the farm, so that oughta work up a good sweat. Might suggest we try goin’ fer swim ta git her toes wet and all that.”

Granny nodded sagely. “That’s fer the best. Yer Daddy courted yer Mama like that, as Ah recall.” She snapped her fingers. “Say, ya oughta show them their old meetup spot. Mighty romantic place. Hell, Ah bet that’s where ya were conceived.”

Mac laughed heartily, scratching his chest while he shrugged, “Why not? It’s a beautiful hike. Thanks fer the advice, Granny.”

“No problem young’un. What ah’m here fer,” The old woman remarked as she settled back and enjoyed the setting sun with her grandson.