"...And then Snails fell and bashed his teeth out! You should've seen it, Sweetie Belle, it was something gruesome!"

The words flooded out of the orange pegasus, retelling the earlier event that had plagued her of her morning. Her excuse, for arriving late at the private hangout that Scootaloo had organized with her friend. With the intention of leaving out Apple Bloom. Not because she didn't appreciate her friend's company, but for the opportunity to have Sweetie Belle's light scent wash over her and not to have to share it with anyone else.

Scootaloo hadn't intented to be late, simply, she had stumbled upon an idea in her wake. One of which excited her to the core, she had to do it as soon as possible. That's where Snips and Snails came in, while her usual go to was Rumble, Thunderlane's younger brother who also had a passion for dangerous stunts, he hadn't been available ever since they had finished Ponyville's Schoolhouse. Sent off to Cloudsdale, she recalled. A thought which had her stomach drop.

However, she tried to push it from her mind. Snips and Snails didn't share her love for danger but they had some experience in these stunts of hers, mostly from being peer pressured. That didn't matter. She had taken her lead in the stunt, performing it perfectly with Snips following after in the most ungraceful of ways. Then followed Snails, quickly plummeting before he could even begin.

He had fallen face first, on his chin, cracking his teeth which then stabbed into his tongue. He spat out a bloody paste and his best friend, forgetting all about her, quickly rushed her to the hospital.

Scootaloo had tried to escape the scene to no avail. Because almost as quickly as Snails' fall, her rainbow idol found out. Not long after came the lecture and the loud scolding. Something about safety, risk, and whatnot. Scootaloo understood her idol's perspective, after all, Rainbow Dash herself was once in that reckless stage of life but she had managed to survive it, putting her into a place of adulthood which changed her with a maturity that no pony could really recognize. She didn't want Scootaloo to make a mistake that she had, nor suffer from idiotic consequences. However, Scootaloo's adolescent brain didn't work like that, the danger and adrenaline called to her alike nothing else.

In the middle of all that yapping from Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo was startled with the memory of her plans with Sweetie Belle. She quickly apologized to the other mare, who didn't seem to believe any of it, and rushed off before Rainbow could say anything else.

That's how the two got here, laying amongst the vibrant grass. A vibrant hue of orange alongside a calming hue of white. Two unlikely colors which were especially pleasing to the eye. At least, it was through Scootaloo's. Every now and again, one of her pale orange feathers would be swarmed by the wind and land on her friend's white coat or get tangled with a curl or two. Leading Sweetie to complain and advise her to groom her shedding winter coat only for Scootaloo to ignore it with a couple of taunting laughs.

It wasn't until a few quiet moments that Scootaloo realized that Sweetie Belle hadn't reacted to her last comment. Not a single huff or breath, not even a hum of acknowledgement. Lifting her head, her purple eyes traced to Sweetie Belle's resting position on the patch of grass only to notice her looking up at the sky with a furrowed brow.

Irritation prickled at her hooves and Scootaloo opened her mouth to comment on it.

"I'm going."

Then it quickly shut. Confusion spiraled about her body and she tilted her head to the side.

"Going where?" Scootaloo chortled in amusement.

"Manehattan."

Silence followed after. Scootaloo could swear every second after that initial comment, she could hear the beat of her heart in her own ears.

"What?" Her words came out pathetic, in a brief pained whisper which was quickly cleared away with a slight cough.

If Scootaloo thought the silence before was unbearable, now, it was straight up hell.

A breath followed Sweetie Belle's reveal and the grass rustled under her as she sat up from her laid down position. A hoof came to rub her face. "I thought it through, you know I did." Her voice was softer than Scootaloo had ever heard it before. "Long and hard, for months since we graduated. I think it's what's best for me, for my future. Don't you see?"

A strangled cry threatened to claw it's way out of Scootaloo's throat but she quickly swallowed it and looked away, eyebrows furrowed furiously, jaw muscles clenching as she took a shaky breath in through her nostrils. "For you?" She echoed back, voice low and quiet. "What about the Cutie Marks? What about our purpose? What about us?" Scootaloo demanded an explanation, copying Sweetie Belle and getting up from her relaxed position across the soft grass.

Sweetie Belle shook her head, overwhelming Scootaloo with the aura of sadness that the white mare was trying to fight through. "It's not like that, Scootaloo." After some hesitance, Sweetie Belle finally decided to try to meet Scootaloo's stubborn presence only to be ignored by Scootaloo turning to face the other way. "You know it isn't, why are you trying to make me seem like the bad guy?"

"Because you're trying to break us apart! You didn't even fight back! If you knew you wanted to go, why didn't you tell us immediately? No, instead, you waited to admit something you knew you wanted to do months later." A growl rumbled through Scootaloo's throat. "And for what? To lead us on? Do you think Apple Bloom and I are idiots, Sweetie Belle? Do you?!"

That comment had Sweetie Belle's earlier softness deplete into nothing and her face twisted in anger. "What are you talking about? Why are you saying and doing all this? You're being dramatic, did you know that?"

Scootaloo scoffed immediately, finally turning to face her friend. "Oh, I'm being dramatic? Don't forget about how you decided to leave us out on this decision until now! Have you even told Apple Bloom?"

Sweetie Belle's teeth clenched together, an angry green glare shot at her orange companion. Scootaloo laughed loudly. "Didn't think so!"

The unicorn adolescent's voice cracked as she raised her voice. "It isn't your decision to make, Scootaloo! It's what's best for me! I'm still my own pony, even with our cutie marks, even with our shared destinies. I can grow, have my own hobbies, make my own path, have my own life and still be a Crusader!"

The unicorn's face then softened although her brow remained furrowed, determined to remain as stern as before. "Didn't we all go through this already? I thought we knew this."

Scootaloo shook her head, avoiding her friend once more. "This isn't the same, this is moving away from us. From your friends and family and leaving us-"

"Leaving you behind?"

The interruption had caused another knot to form in Scootaloo's throat. "Even after all of it, I just thought that we would always be together. I know it's stupid, I just.." This time, Scootaloo couldn't swallow her sadness and her throat cracked emotionally.

Scootaloo's ears flicked at the sound of Sweetie Belle's long sigh. She could feel her friend's green eyes wash along her back, causing her to tense only to feel a hesitant hoof plant at the base of one of her wings. This prompted Scootaloo to turn around, to be met with Sweetie Belle's eyes which shimmered with unshed tears.

"We will all be together, Scootaloo. You, Apple Bloom, and I, no matter how far apart we may be, we will always be intertwined. By our cutie marks, by our hearts, by our memories."

They were bitter sweet words which soothed a part of Scootaloo's heart and broke the other piece to shreds. Just as Snails' teeth had, she supposed.

"I just can't stand the idea of you being so far away." Scootaloo whispered, orange eyes desperately scanning through all of Sweetie Belle's green hues awakened by her eyes. Searching, scanning for any sign of hesitance. For any sign of regret. Only to find none. No, she was set on her plans. Scootaloo would just have to accept it, she knew all along that's how things would be. It was only fair.

A sad smile curled on the white mare's lips and she let out a breathy laugh. "I know, just as I can't picture you in Cloudsdale." Scootaloo's ears pinned back at that and suddenly, there was some understanding that rushed through Scootaloo.

"Just how I'm trying to better my flying, you're trying to better your own skills."

Sweetie Belle nodded slowly.

Scootaloo shook her head, stubbornly clenching her jaw. "But that's different! Flying, it's something I have to know. It's a part of me, of my identity as a pegasus. It's entirely different!"

Sighing, the unicorn's voice grew in sternness. "Just as this opportunity could become a part of me, Scootaloo. Of my own identity. What if I find something out there for me. This is important to me, just as your journey to Cloudsdale is for you."

Scootaloo's facial features drooped down. "Tsk, yeah..."

A silence washed over them both, understanding yet unwielding of change. Scootaloo had never felt such complicated emotions through her. She didn't want to be a hypocrite, hated all who wore that title. Yet here, she felt like she was one. Selfish, greedy, and the worst of hypocrites.

Sweetie Belle was right, Scootaloo wanted to pursue and better her flying, something which she felt was utterly important to her self identity along with her status as a pegasus. She had never been able to fly the best and now, she was fighting for that to change. After the summer was over, she would pursue Cloudsdale Academy Training, in hopes of strengthening her wings and her spirit to finally conquer her insecurity.

And Sweetie Belle wanted to see what that boarding school in Manehattan had to offer for her. She could form connections, find new passions, meet new people, live through experiences that not all ponies had the privilege of seeing. And here was Scootaloo, her supposed best friend, trying to stop her rather than encouraging her.

It was a hard pill to swallow but yes, Scootaloo was being nothing more than a hypocrite.

After a few moments, Sweetie Belle leaned in a little more to break the silence. "Hey.."

"Hm?"

Suddenly, she was knocked onto the meadow, falling right on a patch of dandelions. The fuzzy white puffs clung to her face, some even whisked into her mouth causing Scootaloo to spit out profusely. "W-What are you?"

Sweetie Belle's arms were tightly wrapped around Scootaloo. "You can't be mad at me Scootaloo!" Her voice was full of sadness, causing Scootaloo's eyebrows to jolt up. "If this is truly it, if this is our last summer, I don't think I could stand the thought of you being upset with me."

Her voice had come out a quivering mess. Which had the adolescent orange mare feel pangs of guilt in her stomach. "No, Sweetie, I could never."

Scootaloo rolled over, so her back was to the grass and she could face Sweetie Belle and finally see her face. Her forearms wrapped around her friend, nose being tickled by her friend's curls. "I'm sorry, you're right, we'll make it work. Everything will turn out okay."

Holding her friend for what seemed for hours, Scootaloo's grip on Sweetie Belle never lost it's strength. Even when her arms began to strain and her back began to ache. She held Sweetie Belle comfortably in her arms until her shaky body became relaxed. It wasn't until then that Scootaloo felt herself growing more and more abashed by the scene at hand.

Here the two lay, in an empty meadow. Arms around each other, all on their own, breathing each other's scents and sharing in each other's warmth. Scootaloo wasn't a pony to be affection. She hadn't ever initiated any sort of touch, whether that was with her relatives or friends. Perhaps, she had grown to become too prideful. That hadn't been the case when she was a filly.

Any affection that she did receive, she was sure to end quickly. A brief hug with Rainbow, a friendly side hug with Apple Bloom, some hesitant shoulder rubbing in a crowded room.

But when it came to Sweetie Belle, it was a brand new story. She never initiated the touch but when she was blessed with it, Scootaloo tried to take it all greedily. She savored the warmth, the breaths, the sensations as if she would never feel it again. Still, she couldn't last long under Sweetie's touch. And while she loved it, any affection from her friend led to a sudden shyness that she quickly tried to get rid of.

Yet here she was, growing warmer and warmer with embarrassment. Heart racing loudly, hooves growing shaky and breath becomnig heavier. Scootaloo didn't know what to do. She broke her hold on Sweetie Belle, letting her forearm droop back to her side only to see Sweetie Belle raise her head from her chest and look at her with those wide green eyes.

"What are you doing?" The other mare had asked, her tone had changed into something more breathy. The close proximity of the two wasn't making things better, Scootaloo gulped, sweat gathering at her brow. "I-I was just stretching." Then came out the most terrible reply, stomach swirling nervously.

Sweetie Belle's head tilted, almost innocently and she took a hold of Scootaloo's hoof, placing it on her chest. Scootaloo could feel that the white mare's heart was too, racing at a quicker pace. However, she seemed to be able to control her nerves better than the daredevil pegasus ever could. And there was mischief in her eyes, something that Scootaloo had grown more than familiar to.

"What if I don't want you to do that..?" Her voice was but a whisper. Scootaloo could suddenly smell the minty smell of Sweetie Belle's breath wash over her muzzle. The pegasus was now in a state of panic and froze up, body growing tense. No longer were they in the reassuring, comforting hug from before. Something newer had taken it's place. An unfamiliar yet addicting sensation and the air around them had thickened in response.

Scootaloo gulped once more, ears pinning back nervously. "Well then what do you want me to do?" She mumbled and Sweetie Belle's eyes flickered to her lips. Her stomach dropped in response.

Before Sweetie Belle could say anything, Scootaloo suddenly had a question of her own.

"Can I kiss you?"

All Scootaloo needed was that nod of approval before slowly breaking their distance. One more shaky breath and one needy sigh later before finally meeting Sweetie Belle's lips.

They were soft and wet, Scootaloo's eyes had fluttered to a close. All that she knew was the sweet scent of the mare on top of her and the taste of her lips.

It was a brief thing, lasting only a second. The two locked eyes once more, the cheesiest of smiles making it's way across the pegasus' face before Sweetie Belle surprised her with another kiss.

This time, their kiss lasted two seconds. And then another, for three seconds.

But with each kiss exchanged between the two, a fire ignited in Scootaloo's stomach. And no amount of kisses that Sweetie Belle pressed on her lips satiated it. In fact, it only worsened it.

In an act of vulnerability, Sweetie Belle let out a quiet gasp once they pulled away. Which fueled the fire in Scootaloo's stomach even more. Something awoke in the orange pegasus, just from that one noise alone, came a need to draw more from her friend.

Without a warning, she latched onto her lips once more. Sweetie Belle let out a strangled sound of surprise before melting into the kiss. Scootaloo pressed into it feverishly, hoping to be the cause of more of those noises. Sweetie Belle's delight was evident, Scootaloo was sure she felt it too. Her hooves had wandered to the base of Scootaloo's wings, giving it a slight rub.

Scootaloo interrupted the kiss by letting out a low groan. The two parted away with wide eyes, panting heavily. They looked at each other, utterly overwhelmed by the sensations they had felt and still, longing for more of it.

The daredevil pegasus hadn't ever felt anything like it, no amount of stunts, no matter how dangerous could draw this good of an adrenaline out. All Scootaloo could say in the moment were a few, vulnerable words in a whisper.

"Promise me that things won't change."

Sweetie Belle's face softened and her eyes grew loving.

"I promise."

That was the only invitation that Scootaloo needed. She took her place, hovering over the white mare, looking down at her with the most overwhelming of eyes while Sweetie Belle met her with the most longing of eyes.

The two shared in an experience that no amount of distance would ever erase.

Author's Note

Hello everyone! This is my first fanfiction here on FimFiction. Been following this website for years and I was obsessed with it when I was younger. Alas, I'm a working adult now and have gone through the same experience that I've written for these two. Goodbyes, heartbreaks, distance, the longing, love, all that stuff.

Because I feel like I've grown with the Crusaders to some degree (alongside their Voice Actors in someway), I wanted to explore these two's dynamic in something that most of us have gone through once in our lives. Graduating high school, turning that new page and having to say goodbye to those who we thought would stay in our lives forever. I wanted to see what it would be like for them.

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle are my favorite pairing, alongside Applejack x Rainbow Dash, Twilight x Pinkie, and Sci-Twi x Sunset. I also wanted to explore their relationship some more. I wrote fanfics of them when I was younger but they'll never be posted LMAO. I also wanted to see how far I've come in my storytelling.

This was written in about two hours or so. I think you can kinda tell with how rough it is but this fanfic is an idea I've had for years, since I was in high school. Just never really had the commitment to write it out until now. Maybe because I understand the concept more fully now? I don't know.

But yeah! Here it is, hope you enjoy it. It's just meant to be some fun little thing, not a master piece. Peace!