Author's Note

This chapter is the prologue, and clop will be in the next chapter! There's a lot of themes that are heavy and personal to my past that I touch upon in this story, and know that this is a character's journey to self-love and growth as well as a clop story. I hope y'all enjoy, and let me know what you think!

Prologue: Sweetie's Stroke of Luck

Sweetie Belle grinned from ear to ear as she made her way to the house where her and the other Cutie Mark Crusaders lived, both arms carrying bags of various shirts, dresses, and other accessories she bought from the mall with her last paycheck. She had finally finished her first year of teaching at the School of Friendship, and it was the first day of summer break for students and teachers alike. The short yet slim unicorn mare glanced at her surroundings, no ponies in sight, before humming a little tune to herself. Her mind cleared up of any judgments, and it felt as though she was walking on clouds until she heard a jarring sound that she knew all too well.

Scootaloo came rolling in her motorcycle at top speed, only stopping just a few feet ahead of Sweetie Belle. Apple Bloom clung tightly to the taller pegasus, with the both of them wearing helmets. Sweetie Belle eyed Scootaloo’s leather jacket and black boots, still in awe of just how much she’d grown into her own identity over the past year. Apple Bloom too, Sweetie Belle realized, as she saw the yellow mare lean in and kiss Scootaloo’s cheek. Scootaloo hopped off the motorcycle and proceeded to pull it forward towards their house a short distance away. Apple Bloom wrapped her left arm around Scootaloo’s shoulder, and Sweetie Belle stared up at Apple Bloom’s toned legs all the way up to her pink skirt. Scootaloo looked over her shoulder and smirked as she met Sweetie Belle’s eyes.

“Sure you don’t want to join us?” Scootaloo chuckled, with Apple Bloom turning and staring at Sweetie Belle intently.

“I’m…okay,” Sweetie attempted to smile. “Don’t get me wrong, mares are really pretty, but-”

“But you really wanna try dick, I know,” Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “Can’t say I relate, but a mare wants what she wants, I suppose. Ain’t that right, my sweet apple~”

Sweetie felt a jolt throughout her whole body as Scootaloo reached over and groped one of her marefriend’s boobs, causing Apple Bloom to sharply gasp. Each time she saw those two playing at the other’s buttons, Sweetie second-guessed her dreams of getting dicked down by a big stallion. For Celestia’s sake, the mare’s dreams used to be finding her sweet prince. And now what? It was already enough to give that up, but to give up stallions entirely?

“You know…” Scootaloo turned back to look at Sweetie Belle as she caught up with the two mares. “Sating this curiosity of yours kind of requires another participant y’know. You can’t use dildos forever.”

“W-Who says that I use-”

“I found it underneath the couch, Sweetie Belle.”

Sweetie Belle felt her face turn red as she refused to meet Scootaloo’s eyes.

“I’m just sayin, you don’t have to go your whole life just wanting it,” Scootaloo shrugged. “If I was like that, I never would’ve taken a chance and asked Apple Bloom out.”

“Sweetie Belle?” Apple Bloom spoke up, her ears flattened as she looked back at Sweetie.

“Yeah?” Sweetie felt her body tensing up.

“Do…do you wanna come watch TV with us?” Apple Bloom asked. “It’s the newest season of that soap opera we watched before…well, do ya want to join us?”

The three mares had finally reached the house that they shared, and Sweetie Belle felt her chest tightening as she walked ahead of them and opened the door.

“N-No thank you, I need to unpack my new clothes,” Sweetie stepped inside, Apple Bloom following as Scootaloo stayed outside to put away the motorcycle. “And I bought some clothes for the foal coming, I’m going to go visit Rarity.”

“Are ya sure that’s a good idea? Especially given your crush on-”

“There’s no crush on anypony,” Sweetie growled, the fur all over her body standing on end as she glared at Apple Bloom for a few moments, until she processed her own reaction. Her eyes watering, she looked away from Apple Bloom’s wide-eyed expression. “I’m sorry, Apple Bloom, but you understand. There can’t be a crush, not this time.”

Sweetie Belle barely felt her friend’s hand brush against her shoulder before she walked up the stairs and made a beeline for her room. Imaging his stripes and piercing blue eyes, his smooth deep voice and sunny expression, Sweetie wondered just how a stunning specimen could slip out of her reach and into the hands of her sister of all ponies. Sweetie gritted her teeth as she flung the shopping bags into the corner of her room and jumped onto her bed. Was the decent stallion, or Celestia forbid, less than that what she deserved? Did it even matter? All she wanted was to experience the touch of somepony, to be the center of their gaze, to have been in the heat of passion and to be able to tell her best friends about it.

Rarity didn’t even ask for it, she just wanted to get knocked up, and fucking Prince Charming just landed in her boutique! Where is my Prince Charming? Why won’t somepony just look at me?

Sweetie Belle walked to the bathroom near her bed, and stared at her frazzled pink and purple hair, her short and stubby horn, and wide green eyes.

Am…I ugly?

Sweetie’s breath got caught in her throat, and a tear slipped down her face. And it was in that moment, that she recalled her forbidden crush mentioning a best friend, another one of his kind. And who knows? Perhaps falling into the same situation that Rarity did would yield the same results? Sweetie felt her heart racing as she imagined her fur purified by the black paint a zebra had to offer. She would then be worthy of being held, being made love to.

Sweetie Belle quickly wiped her tears away and washed her face, applying a new layer of makeup before rushing over and taking the bag full of foal clothes. Spraying some perfume on herself, Sweetie set the can on the counter before leaving her room and closing the door behind her. Rushing down the stairs, pointedly looking away from Scootaloo and Apple Bloom on the couch, Sweetie Belle bolted out the door and barely heard Apple Bloom calling after her before the door shut behind Sweetie.

Now with only the minimal sounds of leaves rustling and birds chirping around her, Sweetie took a deep breath and made her way to Rarity’s boutique. As she approached the building, Sweetie felt her heart crying out for the stallion on the other side of the door. But no, it couldn’t be so. Sweetie shook her head and walked up to the door, slowly knocking on it. Feeling her heart pounding inside her chest, the door opened as her…no, Rarity’s stallion towered over the unicorn mare. Grinning as brightly as the sun shined, Mandla opened the door and gestured his hoof towards her.

“Please, please! Come inside, sister of my lover,” Mandla grinned. “It’s wonderful to see you again, have you been well since we last spoke? Your sister mentioned that you were feeling lonely, and I want you to know that you’re always welcome to spend time with us.”

“Th-Thank you,” Sweetie felt bathed in the warmth of Mandla and his voice, and again wondered…why Rarity? Who wasn’t even looking for him when she found him? What did she do to deserve such a bright and loving creature?

“Is Sweetie here?” Sweetie Belle felt her blood boiling at the sound of her sister’s voice, and saw Rarity skipping towards her sister with her arms opened wide. “Oh my dear sister! You’ve brought us gifts!”

“Of…course!” Sweetie forced a grin as she patted her sister’s back. “I wanted to visit, and I didn’t want to come here empty-handed, of course. I um, have some questions to ask you two. Well, Mandla specifically.”

“Oh?” Mandla tilted his head as Sweetie broke away from the hug, staring at the stallion’s lop-sided smile. “And what is it you’d like to ask, dear pony?”

What do you two think about herds? Would you ever consider sharing Mandla, sister? Would you like to date both of us, Mandla? What makes you think you deserve him all to yourself, Rarity? Is that foal even yours?

Sweetie Belle, don’t be ridiculous. Rarity said she only slept with Mandla, of course the foal has to be his. Now go on, ask them.

Sweetie Belle took a deep breath, her questions at the ready, but then she looked at Mandla as he put his arm around Rarity and pecked her on the cheek, and felt her strength crumbling into a pile of dirt. Sighing, Sweetie Belle spoke up.

“...did you mention a best friend?” Sweetie Belle asked Mandla.

“You mean Mwenye?” Mandla’s ears perked up as he turned to look back at Sweetie Belle. “Oh yeah, the guy never stays in one place. He was in Canterlot last week, and he just traveled down to Manehatten a few days ago.”

“Oh,” Sweetie frowned.

“But he did say that he’d be back in Ponyville to check in on us,” Mandla patted Rarity’s shoulder, and Sweetie turned her gaze on her sister.

“You know him?” Sweetie asked.

“Well, sure she does,” Mandla replied as Rarity looked away. “She met him shortly after I got her pregnant, and he was very supportive of me finally settling down.”

“Thank you for the clothes by the way,” Rarity smiled as she stretched her hand out, Sweetie giving her the bag and noticing that her older sister still wasn’t looking at her. Instead, Rarity was staring at Mandla intently. “So Sweetie, got any more questions for us?”

“Nope!” Sweetie smiled, knowing that she somehow chipped away at Rarity’s cheerfulness. There was something about this Mwenye that Rarity wasn’t saying outright, and the realization only stirred Sweetie Belle’s loins even more. Was he even more attractive than the smooth Mandla?

Sweetie turned around and walked out the door of the boutique and gasped, her hands close to her mouth as she saw a ridiculously tall and muscular zebra getting off the train. Not even wearing a shirt, various citizens of Ponyville glared and shielded their children from looking at the chiseled abs of the zebra stallion. But Sweetie Belle only stared all the longer, feeling her pussy clenching away at nothing as her heart pounded in her chest.

Oh yes, Sweetie Belle let her arms fall back to her sides as she smirked. He will do very nicely for my plan~