Apple Bloom didn’t remember exactly when Scootaloo had begun singing while doing her chores, but she wouldn’t have traded it for the world. Her songs were little bits of nonsense made up on the spot, sung loudly and a bit off-key with only the sound of running water and clattering dishes to accompany them, and they made quiet evenings like this feel like home.
She smiled, and squeezed her foreleg tighter around the barrel of the mare that she was snuggling on the couch, feeling the softness of said mare’s belly-coat against her withers. Those puffy, pink-and-lavender curls tickled her nose as she buried her face into the silky whiteness of her neck to plant a soft kiss, feeling the tension in the muscles underneath them with her lips. Keeping her lips there, she spoke.
“Whatcha thinkin’ ‘bout, Belle?”
Apple Bloom could hear Sweetie Belle’s anxious pout in her reply.
“Oh, nothing, Bloom…” Sweetie Belle’s body squirmed as she adjusted her hindlegs. “The carrots weren’t too underdone, were they? I should’ve diced them finer.”
“They were just fine, Sweets.” She gave Sweetie’s belly a reassuring rub. “I ain’t my sister about it, but I wouldn’t lie about a meal bein’ delicious. You’re really gettin’ good at this stuff, honest.“
Sweetie Belle twisted herself around to face Apple Bloom, tucking in her legs close to her body.
“But it didn’t turn out like when you made the same thing last week. That’s why I asked you so many questions then.”
Apple Bloom laughed. “Well, y’know, you don’t learn potionmaking for ten years without picking up a trick or two! Besides…” She let Scootaloo’s ditty wafting in from the kitchen fill the silence. “It ain’t like that singin’ voice is any less lovely to hear on account’a it not bein’ so perfectly liltin’ like yours.”
Sweetie smiled sheepishly and looked away for a moment before meeting Apple Bloom’s eyes again. She reached out to stroke the back of Apple Bloom’s head just below her ear with the edge of her hoof.
“It really is lovely, isn’t it? Even though she’s singing about… a baby shark?”
“Bet that’s about next week, when she’s taking one of her classes to Seaquestria, but who knows?“ Apple Bloom shrugged, and smiled, closing her eyes to better enjoy the scritches. “All I know is that I can’t imagine life bein’ any more perfect than it is right now.”
“Yeah. It is pretty perfect, isn’t it?” Sweetie Belle agreed, continuing to scritch as Scootaloo transitioned to a quasi rock-ballad about sweeping off in the distance. Then, like all perfect and mortal things, the scritching came to an end, and Apple Bloom opened her eyes to see Sweetie Belle looking at her with drooping ears that betrayed the soft smile on her face.
“I’m still thinking about my lunch with Rarity today..”
“Yeah, I figured somethin’ was up when you didn’t talk much about it at dinner.” Apple Bloom exhaled through her nostrils. “So what happened?”
“That’s the thing? Nothing happened. It felt just like any other time I had lunch with Rarity at the Carousel Boutique, only now neither of us live there full time. She uses my room now, isn’t that funny? She finally convinced Yona to take hers.”
Apple Bloom laughed. “Ha, the twins use mine now. But what, didya expect her to be completely different or somethin’?”
“I mean, kinda? She agonized about it for moons like moving up there to be with Twilight was some big decision that’d change her life forever. And she had a point. Then we had that giant going-away party that all of Ponyville and half of Manehattan attended. And today it was just like… I don’t know. The way she talked about Twilight, or really the way she didn’t. It just reminded me of how she was like with Applejack. And I kinda thought that her finally making that decision was a sign things would be different. Like, that’s how the story is supposed to go, y’know?”
Apple Bloom gave her a squinting look, and Sweetie Belle gave an apologetic one in return.
“C’mon, y’know better’n that, Sweetie! You remember how Big Mac and Sugar Belle’s story was as sappy as they come, but that didn’t stop ‘em from havin’ the stupidest problems. Problems he’d run to me for! Can you imagine? A teenage filly havin’ta teach a grown stallion how to talk to his own wife?”
“I mean, we all helped him with that one! And he did learn.“
“Yeah, but that’s ‘cause he wanted to! An’ I think it’s different with Rarity.”
Sweetie Belle frowned, and Apple Bloom softened her voice
“I mean, is it even a problem? Seems to me that this kinda thing is just what Rarity wants. Like it’s what she lives for, y’know? Somethin’ complicated that’s hard for anycritter to understand. Somethin’ with a big story attached that’s all full’a drama an’ feelings.”
“Yeah, maybe.” Sweetie frowned. “I mean, I guess that’s what I remember growing up, her weaving whatever just happened with her and Applejack into a drama blanket of woe that she recited at me, usually while crying with her ice cream stash that she never let me touch.”
“I mean, I’d’ve taken that over Applejack never talkin’ about it at all and just workin’ herself to the bone in order’ta not think about it. Or worse, nearly breakin’ her legs from buckin’ everythin’ too hard.”
“Yeah, then they wouldn’t talk to each other for a while unless it was in front of other ponies.” Sweetie Belle sighed. “So of course they had to talk to each other through us.”
“‘Til we sat both of ‘em down and told ‘em we wouldn’t be doin’ that for ‘em no more! D’ya remember that?”
“Yeah, I remember how surprised they looked. At that point, I don’t think they even realized that’s what they’d been doing, and they looked so ashamed.”
Apple Bloom laughed. “Yeah, I dunno! It was a lot to deal with growin’ up, but maybe that’s why what we have now is so different, y’know?”
“Yeah, I know what you mean. It’s just so… easy.”
Sweetie Belle squeaked in a way that was the most adorable thing Apple Bloom had ever seen, tied with all of the other times she had ever seen it. So much so that she just had to place a gentle hoof on the back of Sweetie’s head before guiding her face to her own. They kissed, soft lips on soft lips, springy coifs pushing gently against each other, until their lips parted into soft smiles as they gazed into each other’s eyes.
Then, a raspy voice shouted out,
“Hey, room for one more?”
That was all the warning they got before the body of a pegasus mare landed on them, knocking the air out of them both.
“Dangit, Scoots!” Apple Bloom yelped. “For the last time, this thing is a couch, not a bed!”
“Yeah, but that makes it so much more fun!” she said, as Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle’s limbs rearranged themselves, flailing to accommodate the newcomer. Scootaloo shoved her face into the gap between them where their chests were touching.
“You girls are the best cushions, did you know that?”
Both of them groaned. Apple Bloom responded by holding Scootaloo’s head down while Sweetie Belle giggled and noogied her with a hoof.
“Ow, ow, okay, jeez!” Scootaloo shouted. “You made your point!”
Apple Bloom let her go, and Scootaloo rubbed the spot on her head where Sweetie noogied her for relief, giving the two of them a pouting frown.
Apple Bloom laughed. “What’re ya, a puppy?” she said, which got Scootaloo to smile.
“What was that song you were singing about, anyway?” Sweetie asked. “The one with the baby shark?”
“Oh, that? Yeah, that’s about taking my class to Seaquestria next week!”
(“Told you!” Apple Bloom whispered, reaching around Scootaloo’s back to punch Sweetie Belle in the foreleg.)
Scootaloo swished her tail behind her, her voice growing more excited. “I can just about feel the water on my fins already, I just can’t wait!”
“You know it’s supposed to be a trip for your students, right?” scolded Sweetie Belle.
“Hey, after what I went through to make it happen, I think I deserve to enjoy it, too! Rainbow Dash was supposed to have kept the forms from last year, and, well, I showed you two how she “organizes” her files. I swear, I had to run around half of Equestria last week!” she shook her head. “What were you two even talking about, anyway?”
“Oh, y’know! How nice it is that what we have with each other is so uncomplicated.”
“Yeah, well, how else would we be?” she asked. “I love you"—she gave Apple Bloom a peck on her lips—"and you"—then Sweetie Belle—"and I love that you love each other." Her stubby wings flapped excitedly as she smiled. "What could possibly be complicated about that?”
Apple Bloom laughed. "You're right, Scoots. It really don't have to be at all."
And they spent the rest of the quiet evening in each other's embrace, and it really wasn't complicated at all.
