Gathering Rosebuds

by bookplayer

Rating: teen
Tags: Cutie Mark Crusaders, Sex, Scootaloo, Slice of Life, Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 4228

Life changes for the CMC as they grow from fillies to mares.

Things change.

The Crusaders all got their cutie marks years ago. Now Apple Bloom is living in mortal dread of becoming a mare, Sweetie Belle is keeping an ever changing list of which colt she wants to be her very special somepony, and Scootaloo is leaving for flight school in Cloudsdale at the end of the summer.

It's a time for first kisses, changing friendships, and new ways of thinking about their bodies and themselves as three best friends to decide what kind of ponies they're going to become, and how they'll survive the bumpy road of growing up. But however they do it, they'll do it together.

Because some things never change.

Warning: This is rated teen, and contains NO SEX, even off screen. But it does contain frank talk about sex and sexuality, and is inspired by the young-adult books of Judy Blume ("Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret" and "Forever.") Since these books are typically read in middle or high school, I felt teen was appropriate. If readers or mods disagree, please let me know.

Thank you to DbzOrDie, Jackie, Twifight Sparkill, First_Down, and TheRealRainbowDash for pre-reading, proof reading, and combinations of both.

Published 2012-10-18 16:50:01 UTC
Last updated 2012-10-18 16:50:01 UTC

Growing Up is Weird - Scootaloo

Growing up is weird.

Like, the day I got my cutie mark I couldn't stop looking at it, I was so excited, and everypony was excited for me. Then I had a cute-ceañera, but after a few weeks it was just. . . there. And I was the same pony, but with a cutie mark.

Learning to fly was a little better, I mean, there's a lot of stuff you can do when you can fly that you can't really do on the ground. But it somehow didn't turn me into a superstar Wonderbolt overnight, there was a ton of other stuff I had to learn to be any good at flying. I was the same pony, in the same spot, just a few feet in the air. And three years later it felt like I'd always been able to fly, of course I can fly, I'm a pegasus. Duh.

So when I went through my first heat, I spent most of the day sitting in my room thinking back on those things. I figured that going into heat must be the same. According to the really-helpful-and-totally-not-boring talk that Miss Cheerilee had given to all the fillies our age, I was a mare now, but that was the same talk that said I was supposed to be feeling like I wanted to pop my tail for pretty much any colt and probably some of my bedroom furniture. I wasn't sure if I trusted it.

I mean, I felt it more than usual, especially when I woke up that morning, but it was more like hmm, wonder if there are any colts that want to mate? than oh my gosh somepony rut me! But that was still weird for me, because colts usually didn't even cross my mind unless Sweetie Belle started quizzing me about which ones I liked. (Answer: Soarin'. I didn't care if he was more than twice my age, he was it.)

So I knew enough to mention this to my mom, and she gave me some herbs that were supposed to calm me down and told me to stay home from school. Because everypony knows that letting a mare in heat around colts who haven't started taking herbs to control themselves yet is a good way to end up with a foal, or at least the most embarrassing situation anypony involved is ever going to be in.

The herbs brought back my normal complete lack of feelings about colts. So for the rest of the day, I was just bored and laying in bed, thinking. I thought about going away to flight school in Cloudsdale next fall. I thought about my friends, and how they weren't going away to Cloudsdale with me. When that got me down, I thought about how much fun this summer would be, spending time with them every single day except for the week I was gonna be at flight camp.

Even though we got our cutie marks three summers ago, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom and I were best friends forever. We'd just been hanging out last night and I was fine, so when I didn't show up for one of the last days of school- one of my last days ever in the Ponyville schoolhouse- I knew they'd figure out what happened.

Exactly five minutes after school was out they came bursting into my bedroom.

“You got it!” Apple Bloom shouted, her eyes wide.

“What's it like? Does it hurt? Does it feel good? Do you feel different?” Sweetie asked, grinning like I just made the Wonderbolts or something.

“It's like. . . nothing. Especially now,” I said honestly. “Mom gave me some herbs this morning, but she said I have to stay away from colts until tomorrow.”

“Nothin'? Really? Promise?” Apple Bloom pleaded.

“Yup. Nothing.”

Apple Bloom looked a little relieved. I knew she was really weirded out by the whole idea.

“I hope I get it soon,” Sweetie sighed.

Apple Bloom grinned suddenly. “Diamond Tiara hasn't got it yet. Scoot's a mare now, and Diamond Tiara's still a filly. You oughta call her a- a silly filly!”

Sweetie rolled her eyes. “Scootaloo is way too grown up for something like that. Right Scoot?”

I got a big grin on my face.

“I said, right Scoot?”

“Uh, yeah, sure,” I said, which was true. I had to think of something much worse than 'silly filly' to call Diamond Tiara.

“Oh!” Sweetie squeaked. “You missed it at school today, Snips nipped Sunny Daze! At first she didn't get it, then he started nudging her tail and she got really grossed out. She ran and got Miss Cheerilee, and Snips had to go home.”

I scrunched up my face. “Eeew! I'd be so grossed out if Snips tried to nip me!”

“Good thing you weren't there. You're in heat, it probably woulda been you.” Apple Bloom said, her eyes going wide again.

“Would you have popped your tail for him?”

“EW! Ew ew ew NO!” I made a face as I tried to explain exactly how disgusting that idea was.

“Well you are in heat, right? I mean, it's not like you like Snips-” she had to pause until I finished making gagging noises. “But I always heard that being in heat makes you want it really bad, unless you're eating herbs.”

“I know, that's what I heard too. Maybe I'm just, like, super controlled! I mean, I'm not saying I wasn't totally thinking about it, but I wasn't desperate enough to pop my tail for any of the colts at school. Now maybe if Soarin' nipped me. . .” I squirmed a little. That was totally not what I needed to be thinking about when I was in heat.

“Soarin's a grown stallion, Scoot,” Apple Bloom pointed out, looking kinda uncomfortable.

“And I'm a mare now, right?” I grinned, but Apple Bloom still looked worried. “I'm teasing. I know he's way too old for me.”

“No, I mean. . . wouldn't somethin' like that, um, ya' know. . . hurt?” she asked.

“I don't know,” I said. “I mean, right now I think I'd like it.”

“No, it doesn't hurt,” Sweetie Belle said. “I've read lots of my sister's books, and they all say it feels really good!”

“Those the same books where everypony's got a flowin' mane and they're always swoonin' over stuff?” Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow at Sweetie.

“Yeah. . .”

“You sure ya' trust 'em? I mean, I don't know a lot of ponies with flowin' manes, and your sister's the only one I know who swoons. I think a lotta that's made up.”

“Well it can't hurt that much, if ponies who love each other like to do it,” Sweetie said as she rolled her eyes.

“I dunno. . .”

“Maybe you're a fillyfooler,” I suggested to Apple Bloom.

She narrowed her eyes. “You sayin' that just 'cause my sister is?”

“No, I'm saying it 'cause you're scared of stallions. It's totally cool if you are.” I said. I was a little worried about how she was looking at me, 'cause I wasn't really sure that I wasn't a fillyfooler. I mean, yeah, I was totally into Soarin' right then. But before I went into heat, he was a way distant second to a certain awesome mare who was dating Apple Bloom's sister.

She let it go, and just kinda huffed, “I ain't scared of stallions. I just think it sounds like it'd feel weird, is all.”

“Can we not talk about this today?” I said. Thinking about if sex would feel weird, and about Soarin', and Rainbow Dash, and whether I liked mares or stallions was making me kind of confused. And being in heat didn't help that at all.

“Of course! Oh Scoot, this is so neat.” Sweetie hopped a few times. “Do you want us to go out and get you anything?”

“Nah, let's just play a game or something,” I said. More than anything, I just wanted to spend some time with my best friends.

I watched them get out a game and sit down on the floor. I couldn't help thinking about leaving for flight school in Cloudsdale next year; I always wanted to go, but now that I realized that I was actually going to be leaving Ponyville, it felt weird. After this summer, I wouldn't be hanging out with Apple Bloom or Sweetie Belle anymore. I'd see them on vacations and stuff, but not every single day. I wouldn't be able to pass them a note in class, or walk out of school and know that they'd be waiting for me. I really was excited, I was gonna get to spend all my time flying! And I still had all summer with them. But looking at them, knowing that soon they weren't gonna be with me. . . well, it was weird.

How weird it was always made my eyes kind of wet, so I ran my hoof across my face while Apple Bloom was setting up Battle Cloud.

“Is something wrong?” Sweetie asked.

“No. Being in heat, um, makes your eyes itchy.”

“Uh-huh,” Sweetie said with a smirk. “Rarity says that it makes her over-emotional.”

“What's that mean?” I asked.

“Well, from what I can tell, it means she cries a lot then gets mad at me when I ask what's wrong.”

Apple Bloom looked up. “Ya' think your sister's in heat all the time? Can that happen?”

“No. It can't,” Sweetie said.

I flew up off the bed and landed on the floor next to them. “Let's stop talking about this. Are we gonna play a game or what?”

We played until dinner time, when Mom wanted them to go home. She made mushroom burgers and hay fries for dinner, my favorite, and we had a really embarrassing conversation about how her little filly was all grown up, and what it means to be a mare. Turns out it means not having sex. At least, that's the part she kept saying over and over. Then I went to bed.

And that's how I became a mare, and nothing really changed. At least, that's what I thought at the time. . .

Dumb Pegasus - Apple Bloom

I had the whole walk back to Sweet Apple Acres to think. I hated thinkin' these days. Seemed like all I could think on was how everythin' was changin', and none of it seemed like a good thing. Scoot would be leavin' at the end of the summer, and all Sweetie wanted to talk about were boys and gettin' her first heat. Talkin' 'bout colts was fine, but really, there's only so many things ya' could say 'bout 'em, and sometimes it seemed like she'd change her mind 'bout which one she liked just so she had a new set of things to say.

And as to talkin' 'bout gettin' our first heat, that was the last thing I wanted to talk 'bout. I couldn't even see how she was lookin' forward to it, it all sounded awful. First ya' go plumb crazy and wanna mate with anythin', then ya' got colts sniffin' at ya' and nippin' ya'. It was like Celestia made it so somethin' embarassin' was bound to happen!

I made my way to the farmhouse. It woulda been nice if bein' home meant I didn't havta think anymore 'bout things changin'. But soon as I walked in, that went out the window.

“Heya kid,” Rainbow Dash said, sittin' in the kitchen while AJ was makin' dinner. I kinda glared at her.

“Hey little sis! How was school today?”

“It was fine. Scoot wasn't there. She, uh. . .” I blushed some, and wished it was just Applejack there. This was one’a the reasons I hated her datin' Rainbow Dash, if it was just AJ, I coulda just said Scoot got her first heat.

“Is something wrong with Scoot?” Rainbow Dash butted in.

“No. Nothin's wrong with her. She's a mare now,” I said. I thought it sounded silly to say it that way, but kinda more polite.

“Ooh! Fire's lit, huh?” Rainbow Dash grinned. I glared at her again.

“Well good for her,” Applejack said. She was facin' away from me and Rainbow Dash. “I guess it wasn't bad?”

“Nah, she's fine.”

“I told ya'. Scoot's went okay, and yours is gonna go okay too. Are ya' feelin' better about it now?”

“No.” I rolled my eyes. “There's still 'bout a million things that could go bad!”

“Yeah.” Rainbow Dash nodded. “Like, did you know manticores can smell a filly going through first heat? It's their favorite snack. They'll stalk out of the Everfree Forest looking for them.”

I stared at her, and my eyes went wide. Nopony told me that before. The farm went right up against the Everfree Forest!

“Rainbow Dash!” AJ scolded her.

Rainbow Dash fell over laughin'. “Gotcha! That was awesome!”

I turned around and started to stomp off. I had no idea why Applejack put up with her, but it didn't mean I hadta.

“Apple Bloom, wait,” Rainbow Dash called, and I stopped.

She walked over and wrapped a wing 'round me. “There are no heat sniffing manticores, okay? There's nothing to be afraid of. It's happened to all of us, and we all survived.”

“I'm goin' to my room,” I said, shruggin' off her wing. I stomped upstairs and slammed the door.

I pulled out my homework and tried to get it done, but I couldn't even think of that. That dumb pegasus made me so mad. She was always hangin' 'round Applejack, and she always made jokes and teased 'bout serious stuff. The worst part was, AJ seemed to like her bein' here.

I couldn't even talk about it with my friends, 'cause Scoot got mad if I said anythin' bad 'bout Rainbow Dash. At first, I tried to tell her that it was different when she was around all the time and messin' stuff up, but Scoot just said I was jealous that AJ was spendin' so much time with her, and we had a fight. I wouldn't have minded AJ spendin' time with somepony who was nicer. 'Course, they'd haveta be really nice.

I was in my room 'bout a half an hour when somepony knocked on the door.

“Apple Bloom? Can I come in?” AJ called.

“Yeah,” I said, and she opened the door and came on in.

“You wanna come on down for supper?”

“Nope.”

“Dash left, sugarcube.”

“Okay then,” I said, but I didn't move from the bed.

She walked over and hopped up in the bed next to me, makin' herself comfortable. “You wanna talk, little sis? You can tell me why you got a problem with Dash all of a sudden. I thought ya' thought she was cool.”

“I don't got a problem with Rainbow Dash.” I snuggled against her. “I just don't get why she's gotta be here all the time.”

“Well, we like bein' 'round each other, and it's kinda hard for me to go to her place.” AJ smiled.

I sighed.

“And she likes you too,” she said, givin' me a nuzzle. “She likes bein' round the family, bein' as she don't got much of her own.”

“She's got a funny way of showin' it.”

“I'm sorry 'bout that, sugarcube. I gave her an ear full, believe me. But. . . ya' might be a bit too sensitive 'bout that. She was only teasin'.”

“Teasin' bout the worst thing that's ever gonna happen in my life.”

Applejack tried not to laugh and pulled me close. “It ain't gonna be the worst thing that's gonna happen. Or if it is, I guess you're one lucky pony.”

She was wrong, and I knew it. “What if it starts when I'm at school, AJ? What if one of the colts nips me and I pop my tail? I'd never live it down, I'd have’ta move to the other side of the world!”

“If it comes on when you're at school, Miss Cheerilee'll send somepony for me, and I'll be right there. She won't let none of the colts near ya', I promise.”

“What if it's so strong it hurts?” I asked. Miss Cheerilee said that hardly ever happened, but I was sure it'd happen to me.

“We'll get ya' in a cool bath, that'll make it better right away. Sugarcube, every grown-up mare's been through this same thing. I know it's kinda scary, but it ain't worth all this fuss.”

I was quiet a real long time, then I said, “I ain't ready for it.”

“I know, Apple Bloom.” She stroked my mane with her hoof. “It just all comes anyhow, no matter if anypony's ready or not. But ya' know, it all goes as quick as it comes. One day soon, you'll be a grown mare and you'll be wonderin' how it all happened so fast.”

“I don't wanna be a grown mare. I wanna stay a filly.”

I could hear her smilin' as she said, “And here I remember where ya' couldn't wait to grow up.”

“I didn't know then how bad it was gonna be. Somepony shoulda told me.”

“It ain't bad, there's lots of fun stuff 'bout growin' up.”

“Name somethin'.”

“Ya' get to make new friends, and ya' get to go fun places. . .”

“I want my old friends, and I want 'em right here. Nopony I ever meet is gonna be as good.” I knew that was true. I'd never have friends as good as Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.

“You don't know that, sugarcube. Why, when I was your age, I didn't even know most of my friends. Your friends are always gonna be special to ya, but ya never know if there're ponies who're just as special that you ain't met.”

“Good. I can stay a filly and never worry 'bout meetin' anypony as annoyin' as Rainbow Dash.” I knew that was low, but I couldn't help it.

“Apple Bloom,” AJ said, soundin' kinda annoyed. “First, if I'd never met Dash, Equestria woulda been destroyed a couple times over.”

I sighed. There wasn't much I coulda said to that.

“And second, you're actin' like a baby foal right now.” She got up out of the bed and started to the door. “There's just no reasonin' with you.”

“That's cause I'm right.”

“Well, you can be right all ya' want, but you still gotta grow up,” AJ said as she walked outta the room.

I sighed again. There wasn't much I coulda said to that, either.

The Perfect Colt - Sweetie Belle

I walked home through the park after I left Scootaloo's house. She was so lucky. She was a mare now and I really, really wanted to be a mare. If I was a mare, I thought I'd probably be able to convince my mom to let me wear make-up and go on dates with colts, and maybe colts would even want to go on dates with me. I knew just which ones I'd want to go out with, too: Rumble, or Featherweight, or Shady Daze. I knew why I liked all of them, but my friends never wanted me to explain it.

As I was walking, I noticed some colts playing ball, and Rumble was there! I had to make sure he saw me, so I stopped to watch. He was so athletic, and such a good flyer, and really nice. I thought all of those would be good things in a very special somepony.

I smiled at him a lot, but he didn't seem to notice me. I even tossed my mane, even though it was so poofy that it didn't really toss right. I wished I had a flowing mane like the mares in the books. Then I could toss it and it would catch in the light, and Rumble would fly right over and start talking to me.

He'd tell me I looked pretty, no, stunning. He'd tell me I looked stunning and ask if he could walk me home. Then on the way, he'd pick me a flower and say it wasn't as pretty as me. Of course I'd say thank you, and he'd drape his wing over me and we'd get to Rarity's shop just as the sun was setting, and he'd give me a kiss on the cheek, because he's a gentlecolt.

“Hey, Sweetie Belle!”

I looked up. He was talking to me! Rumble was talking to me! I blushed and looked down. “Um, hi Rumble. . .”

“Hey, could you kick our ball back?”

I blinked. Then I looked around, and saw the ball they were playing with was right next to me. That's all he wanted, his stupid ball. And he didn't even come over to me to get it.

I frowned, and kicked the ball hard. He caught it and smiled. “Nice kick!”

Argh! Colts! What was wrong with them?

I turned and walked away like I didn't even care. Because I totally didn't. Rumble might be cute, but he wasn't a gentlecolt. Featherweight was cuter anyway. And smart. That was way more important than being athletic, he'd never just ask me to kick a dumb ball. He probably could write me poetry or something!

I thought about Featherweight the rest of the way home.

I trotted in the door of the boutique, but Rarity wasn't in the front room. I called to her, “Rarity!”

“I'm in here, Sweetie Belle,” she called from her inspiration room. When I got there, she was leaning over her table drawing something, so I stayed back by the door so I wouldn't bother her.

“Rarity, it's way more important for a colt to be smart than athletic, right?”

“Everypony has different talents, dear. One isn't better than the other,” she said, not really looking up.

“I mean like, for a very special somepony. It's way more important that he's smart and thinks a lot and can write you poetry and doesn't just want you to kick some dumb ball. That's why I know that Featherweight is the colt for me. He's so smart, and he's quiet, and nice, and really cute!”

I leaned against the doorframe. “I know this morning I said that I was totally into Rumble, but it turns out that Rumble is a jerk. . . He's at the bottom of my list now. I mean, not the entire list, I'd still rather have him for a special somepony than Snails or Truffle, but he's at the bottom of the list of colts I want to be my very special somepony.”

“Of course, Rumble has muscles,” I said, putting my hoof to my face and thinking. “All the stallions in the books have a lot of muscles. Maybe that's important. And Rumble did smile at me. Maybe he shouldn't be at the bottom of the list. Maybe he should be in the middle. I don't know. Which is more important? Poetry or muscles?”

“Sweetie Belle, I am trying to design something!” Rarity snapped, glancing back at me.

“What are you designing?” I asked.

“A chastity belt at this rate,” she sighed. “Why don't I go and make you some dinner? Then you could do your homework. Quietly.”

After dinner, I went upstairs to do my homework. But I didn't do my homework right away. First, I pulled out the book I had borrowed from Rarity that morning. She wouldn't mind as long as I got it back to her before she noticed. I curled up on my bed and started reading.

This one was called Crashing Waves and it was about the dashing pirate prince, Storm Thunder, and the beautiful unicorn maiden who ended up on his ship. They fell in love, of course, and I found the really good stuff on page 272.

How could Apple Bloom and Scootaloo not think it sounded wonderful to have a handsome stallion kissing them and whispering about how beautiful they were? Not to mention the other stuff. I couldn't find anything bad about somepony making me 'moan with desperation in unparalleled passion,' even after I looked the words up in a dictionary.

I set the book down and sighed. Why weren't any of the colts at school like Storm Thunder? Why didn't they notice me? Why didn't I have a mane of flowing sapphire tresses? My life was so tragic.

I just wished I had somepony who would say they loved me and they'd always be there for me. I had my friends, but I felt like I just got on their nerves sometimes. Neither of them wanted to talk about grown-up things like colts, they just wanted to run around and play. And then Scootaloo would be leaving at the end of the summer.

I just thought that if I could find my perfect colt, it wouldn't matter as much if Scoot was at flight school or Apple Bloom had chores to do, because I'd have him. That made sense, if everything had to change because we were growing up, then being grown up meant that I could find a new kind of friend who would be with me forever.

And of the colts in my class, that would have to be Featherweight. Or Rumble. . .