•)9(•

First Real Date

A date.

A real date.

The idea made Fluttershy ecstatic.

'A real date...!' she thought.

It was the most spectacular thing in Equestria to her, except possibly who she was actually sharing it with.

She had never been on a real date before. It was exciting to think about! It was... wonderful...

"Well!" Rainbow said with enthusiasm, snapping Fluttershy out of her thoughts. "Shall we?"

Fluttershy looked at all the cake on the table, then at Rainbow and smiled kindly. "...We most certainly shall." She nuzzled her and walked over to grab a plate.

~ * * * ~

Another heavy book flew over Spike's head, just missing it. Red this time. That was different. Insignificant, but different nonetheless. Keeping track of the colors kept him entertained, it seemed.

He had tried convincing Twilight to give her search a rest. He was sure that she would, at this rate, clear every shelf within five minutes. His advice, however, was not so much as even noticed. It was tragic, really. The sight before him, beside him, behind him, and at times, above him, was tragic. The pony who he was loyal to for all these years was going crazy...

...again.

To say that Spike was used to this behavior would not even begin to describe it. It happened at least once every two months. It was not to say that it worsened everytime, but it did happen. Needless to say, he eventually became annoyed. That, and worried. Sickly worried, really.

"Twilight?" He tried to gain her attention. There was no reply, just another book catapulted in his direction. He avoided it easily. "Hey, Twilight!" he tried again. This didn't seem to be working. Suddenly, a purple book caught off guard and landed on his toes.

"YYYOOOOWWW!!!"

Even after the sudden outburst of his, he went unnoticed. This was becoming a wee bit tiresome, now. Actually, way more than a wee bit. He was in pain, he was frustrated, he was ignored, and he was possibly in even more danger than what had already happened to him.

As he bounced around on one foot while holding the other, he came to a conclusion that he thought only seemed logical at the time:

He needed to leave.

And he did so, clumsily if anything. He may have still been worried for Twilight, but he would NOT be hit with anymore books.

The sudden door slamming was what caused the rapid book-tossing to stop. The lavender unicorn had then noticed her assistant's absence.

~ * * * ~

'Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!'

She took long, heavy steps across the wood floor of her room as she thought to herself.

'How could ya not've known she was already with somepony else, Applejack!? How!? Yer one o' her best friends!'

The unintentionally struck herself with the word and stopped pacing. She stared up at the clouds through her window.

"I am one o' her best friends..." There wasn't a doubt about it, she knew. There may have been alot of tension between her thoughts concerning the situation, but she was still her friend. "And I need to at least act like I am..."

~ * * * ~

"So..." Scootaloo glanced over her shoulder at one of her two passengers. "You're saying that my idol, our babysitter and your sister are all filly-foolers?"

"Uh..." Apple Bloom was getting uncomfortable. Not with the topic, but with the driver. "Ya might wanna watch where yer goin', Scootaloo... and yes..." She sighed. "They are."

Scootaloo sighed with her. She was finally starting to get used to the idea. She knew she would have to eventually, so why not start now? It's not as if she had any actual say in the matter, and trying to pry them apart was the last of things she should be doing. So going with the flow was the least of things she could do, really.

She then had another thought as they approached Sweet Apple Acres. "So..." she said, "if Applejack found out, she would be heartbroken then, right?"

"Yeah, it wouldn' be pretty..."

They quickly slowed as they approached their destination. Sweetie Belle was carefully carried inside by Apple Bloom, taking her to her own room and gently placing her on the bed. As she tiptoed out, she heard a muffled voice from across the hall.

"She ain't yers, an' she ain't never gonna be yers, Applejack..."

Applejack was talking to herself again... Apple Bloom hoped to Celestia that this wasn't what she thought it was about.

"All ya can do now is jes' watch 'er an' support 'er an' Fluttershy..."

Apple Bloom's hopes were ruined. They were too late. Her sister had already found out. The only thing she could do now was hope she wouldn't go into a state of eternal depression. She hoped she would have the mental capacity to move on...

...And maybe find somepony else...

She also knew that the rest of it wasn't her business. With this in mind, she turned toward the stairs, intent on heading out the door. Without waking Granny Smith, of course.

Stepping outside, she had a glum look in her expression. She saw Scootaloo standing and waiting by the wagon. She knew she would have to break it to her straight, so why wait...?

'Here goes nothin'...'

"Scootaloo," she said with zero enthusiasm as she approached the pegasus with weak legs. Scootaloo looked in her direction.

"Hey, Apple Bloom," she said happily. She then noticed her friend's look. "What happened?"

Apple Bloom wouldn't look at her. She just kept looking at the ground. It was clear to Scootaloo that she wanted to get something across but was too scared to say it. Maybe needed a little motivation.

Gently, she embraced her in a tender and careful hug. The reason for such gentleness was the fact that Apple Bloom looked and felt as if she were fragile at the time. Scootaloo could feel the trembling of her earth pony friend. She then felt the tiniest bit of liquid drip onto her right shoulder.

Was Apple Bloom... crying?

She then heard a light sniffle from her friend, then a muffled phrase. "We're... we're too late," came Apple Bloom's trembling voice. "Mah sister already knows..."

According to what Scootaloo had been told earlier, she knew that this was tremendously bad news. Despite it though, she couldn't help but close her eyes and relish in the feeling of her friend's naturally soft, red mane.

Wait a minute...

Her eyes popped open slightly. Was she... enjoying the softness of Apple Bloom's mane? Was she actually bathing in the touch of the smooth but slightly messy strands of the pony she had known for quite some time now?

She had done it almost obliviously. It just... happened. She didn't know why she did it, and she might not ever find that out, but gosh! Her mane was so soft! And smooth!

It still puzzled and confused her, but she figured that for now, it was probably best to put her own emotions aside. She then began running her hooves through Apple Bloom's mane, stroking the back of her neck to comfort her.

"Scootaloo?" said the shaky filly in her forelegs. "W-what 'r ya doin'?"

Scootaloo thought for a moment. What was she doing? Whatever it was, she was sure enjoying it. "Stroking your mane..." she said stoically.

Apple Bloom sniffed one last time and stopped her trembling. "Yer what now...?"

"Just..." Scootaloo paused her stroking. She seemed to be engrossed in Apple Bloom's mane. "...Stroking your mane..." she said as began stroking it again.

"Well... It feels real nice an' all, but..." She paused to see if her pegasus friend would stop. She did not. "...Ain't it a little awkward for ya?"

"Eh... Not really. I guess I just love the feel of your mane." The stroking continued.

"Well, thanks, but... ya do know that's somethin' that only Pinkie Pie an' couples do, right?"

The stroking stopped. Then it started again. Scootaloo sighed. "Yeah... I know... Is it uncomfortable for you?"

"Not really, no... Ah kinda like it, really. But somepony else might notice an' get the wrong idea 'bout it..."

The stroking stopped, this time without resuming. Scootaloo hesitantly let go of her friend and stepped back. "Your right," she said. "Sorry..."

"It's fine..." Apple Bloom said, rubbing the back of her neck. It felt strange: the absence of Scootaloo's hoof. In a way, she actually wanted it to be there again. It almost felt like it was missing... Like it was... supposed to be there.

The same could be said for Scootaloo. She too felt a type of emptiness, only around her hoof. She wanted to feel the silkiness of the southern pony's red mane.

Their thoughts about what had just happened were scaring them half to death. They were not scared as in 'afraid,' but more to the sense of being confused and slightly ashamed. Both had been completely aware and consent to the show of affection; their thoughts were blotted with points of uncertainty. They were mostly unsure of what to think about it. Apple Bloom found it quite comforting, and Scootaloo found it to be very soothing for the both of them.

As they looked at each other, both could see the other's silent but visible need in their eyes. Neither of which had any idea that they themselves were expressing a type of longing for the other.

They were beginning to be uncomfortable in each other's presence. Their instincts were to flee, to rid themselves of each other. At least for a while. There didn't seem to be any other logical solution to their emotionally disturbing situation. That is, until Apple Bloom made a simple but bold move...

"Uh, S-Scootaloo...?"

"Yeah?" came Scootaloo's reply.

By now, Apple Bloom had almost grown careless of the fact that they were out in the open and it was still mid-day. She knew that this would be the one thing that would tie up the loose ends of uncomfortable moments between them. She slowly walked up to the pegasus and tremblingly but also desperately whispered in hear ear.

"C-could ya please... please... do that again?"

Scootaloo didn't let her second thoughts get the better of her this time.

"...Alright," she whispered back while barely nodding.

Slowly but not hesitantly, they embraced each other in a one-legged hug, resting their heads on each other's shoulders. Scootaloo then started running her hoof through Apple Bloom's mane again, stroking it. They both could feel the other's breathing slow down immensely. Apple Bloom's tenseness was lightened as she leaned into her friend's touch.

The process went on for about ten full minutes. Scootaloo tried out different maneuvers on her neck. Eventually, she brought her other hoof around, as well, bringing them both into a two-legged hug. Their closeness made them feel like nothing else mattered. They now stood on only their hind legs, but managed to keep a good balance.

Just then, a new scent made its way to Scootaloo's nose. She could tell that it was a fruity type of scent. Specifically, apples. Even more specifically, apple pie.

The aroma was almost made to be alluring. She felt extremely tempted to do... to do something with it. Something with her lips.

She did not know what she would do yet, but that idea would be on its way soon enough. For now, this was good enough.

Then something occurred to her.

What was 'this'?

It looked to be the act of showing affection and care for her apple-scented friend in a different manner than she ever had. It almost seemed like a way of being more open to her. Why was she being so open? She didn't know, really. The news of a new couple and an enormously jealous sister were events of the past. Not in the far past, but in the past all the same. This meant neither she, nor Apple Bloom were even acknowledging the news itself as of now.

What made the news so unimportant to them? They had the absent-minded impression that it was this moment between them.

This moment...

This precious moment...

...this tender moment. It seemed like everypony could see them. It seemed like the whole wide world of Equestria could witness it. Like they would take this to their graves.

But, in all of their honesty, they didn't give a single haystack. Apple Bloom was so lost within the soothing motions and Scootaloo was so lost in her soft mane that they didn't really care if anypony came out with the wrong idea.

Then one final thought tried to click. Scootaloo's mind was dark at the time and she couldn't find the light switch.

"...Apple Bloom?" she whispered into her ear.

"...mmhmm...?" Apple Bloom replied.

"What is... 'the wrong idea'?"

Apple Bloom opened her eyes.

She hadn't really thought about it, though she knew what 'the wrong idea' was. She was beginning to think that it wasn't such a bad idea after all. In fact, if it meant more of this... this... whatever it was, she wouldn't mind at all.

The continuous and comforting strokes from Scootaloo reminded Apple Bloom that she still lacked an answer. She might as well give it to her. She had decided that it would probably be best to be pretty blunt about it, too. This way, she probably wouldn't have to repeat herself.

But first, privacy.

She then stepped back and freed herself from the embrace they had. She made an almost involuntary whimper at the lack of touch from Scootaloo. They both were back on all-fours before Apple Bloom looked her and said "Let's head into the barn an' then Ah'll tell ya what it is."

Scootaloo was a bit confused, but she nodded as they walked slowly in the barn's direction.

Once inside, Apple Bloom started to close the barn door. After it was closed, she looked at Scootaloo, who stood in the middle of the barn. There was nopony inside, and the only noises that could be heard were the occasional creaks of floorboards and squeaks of mice. The smell was not as a barn would usually smell, for it had been cleaned just the other day.

She now saw her winged friend in a way she never thought she would. She didn't know what it was, but she knew it was real inside of herself. Possibly outside, too, but only if a mutual type of feeling was shared.

"Ya can call me crazy if ya want," she started, "but... but if I said it was the wrong idea before, well... that just might change here..."

Scootaloo looked at her with puzzlement. She couldn't decide if she was becoming more excited or more scared. Either way, she definitely knew that there were butterflies in her stomach.

"This..." said Apple Bloom, as she walked toward Scootaloo, hesitance clear in her steps, "...is the idea."

Their muzzles only inches apart now, Apple Bloom took a good long look at the pegasus before her to make sure she was consent to what she was about to do. Her friend's body was barely shaking, her lips were trembling lightly, and her eyes were not even partially lidded. She looked eager to find out but still scared of her answer. She was consent, though.

Apple Bloom decided it was time. She then closed her own eyes and inched forward. She was never a very patient pony. She knew it, too.

Scootaloo knew now what she was about to do. At first, she could definitely see this as being seen as the wrong idea. But now, it seemed like she was very attracted to Apple Bloom.

That was her last thought before their lips met. Their minds went blank as they stood there, engaged in an oddly initiated kiss. It was a bit of a struggle at first to find comfortable ways to keep attached to each other; they would keep rocking back and forth, almost losing balance at times.

Apple Bloom was experiencing a feeling of taking lead. She felt like she was leading this friend of hers to something they both silently wanted.

Scootaloo was experiencing a state of shock. She was speechless and thoughtless. But over a small amount of time, she found herself melting into the kiss, her eyes fluttering shut. She became aware of their unbalanced state and brought them into standing on only their hind legs again, embracing each other for balance. But even then, they were still struggling. Apple Bloom would step back and Scootaloo would step forward and vice versa, or one would step to the side and the other would try to keep them from tumbling. Eventually though, they lost it and tumbled onto a nearby pile of hay.

Their kiss ended as they landed. They poked their heads out of the pile before looking at each other again. There was a silence that was made to consider all of the things that just happened. It was hard to believe that a club meeting could lead to the first kiss of your life. But in the end, it had happened. They didn't know how, but it did.

And neither of them had any objections to it. In fact, they even felt like they wanted to do it again...

Scootaloo was the first to break the silence. "I...I-I think... they'd actually have the right idea..."

Apple Bloom then jumped on her and kissed her again shortly before pulling back and looking in her eyes and smiling.

"They sure would, Scoots." She then nestled up against her as they rested in the hay pile. "They sure would..."

~ * * * ~

If anypony had a habit spying on ponies, it would be Pinkie Pie.

There she stood on the path to Sweet Apple Acres, watching as a barn door closed, her mouth agape with Rarity on her back. She never thought she would see anything like this, at least not while those two were this young.

She had seen yet another relationship develop. This time, her spying was unintentional. In fact, she was still on her way to delivering a special gift for the Apple family.

Originally, her plan was to take Rarity home to the Boutique, bur she frowned when she realized that it was locked; Rarity had been off work for a few hours to go to the party, and only she knew where the key was. But she was currently unconscious, so Pinkie Pie would do the next best thing.

With permission, of course.

Remembering the task at hoof, she stopped staring at the barn and continued on her way to ask permission for a visitor, still temporarily scarred from what she had witnessed.

She trotted up to the front door with less spring than usual in her step and knocked on it with even less enthusiasm. As she waited for an answer, she could hear the sound of painful emotions being let out from somewhere inside the house. Applejack's crying almost made her want to cry. She didn't even know what the matter was! Applejack never cried. At least, not that she ever remembered.

This was what she called a rarity.

The same went for the pony on her back, only capitalized.

'Oh my gosh!' she thought. 'Why would Applejack ever cry!? She never does that...

'Ooooohh, I don't like where this could lead to, and I'm not at all fond of things I like! And I don't like things I'm not at all fond of! And I'm not at all fond of things I don't like. And, and... Oh, this could go on FOREVER!!!'

She shook herself of her thoughts as she heard the door open in front of her. A big, tall, red stallion with a naturally messy marigold mane.

"Hiya, Big Mac," she greeted with less Pinkieness than meant to use. She even surprised herself with the not-so-perky tone she had used.

Big Mac just smiled politely and nodded in return. He always considered himself to be one to notice unusual attitudes, but was also able to hide the fact that he noticed. He could see that Pinkie was feeling a wee bit different today. The only thing that seemed remotely Pinkie-like was the fact that she was carrying an unconscious white unicorn who currently had a very untidy mane, due to all the spring-like steps. Namely, Rarity.

He laughed inwardly as he could imagine her reaction when looking in the mirror.

"Afternoon," he replied. "There somethin' ya need?"

"Wwweeeellll..." she started, looking back at her passenger. She then looked back at Big Mac. "...I was just wondering if you wouldn't mind keeping an extra guest here until she wakes up. You see, house is locked and I don't know where her key is. My room is too messy right now so she can't stay there either, and that's where you would come in! By the way, she passed out at a secret party I had because she found out about--"

She shut herself up before anything else came out. She then continued on, more carefully than before. "Because she found out about something new, but the news was too shocking for her..."

There was definitely something strange about Pinkie today. Big Mac could see and hear it.

"Anywho...!" she continued more Pinkie-like, "do you think it would be alright?"

Big Mac thought for a second. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with it, really. However, there was one thing...

He gave it some more thought. Maybe that one thing could be avoided if only she was put somewhere inside the house that was reasonable. Maybe it would be okay after all...

After his inner discussion, he looked at Pinkie Pie and nodded his head slowly.

"Oh, GREAT!!" she exclaimed. "Where should I put her? On the couch? In Granny's chair? On the table? In the barn? On the porch? Next to the pigs? In the--"

Big Mac silenced her with a hoof. "The couch would be fine..."

~ * * * ~

Almost all of the cake was almost half gone.

Fluttershy had only eaten two pieces.

Rainbow Dash was developing a terrible stomachache. The pain was only starting to make itself known. She clutched her stomach as she was downing her twelfth piece. She promised to herself that she would make it to fifteen. How could she help it? The cake was so delicious, and it was already set out in slices on individual party plates. This goal was on her bucket list, too. So how could she just pass it by at such a perfect opportunity?

Fluttershy watched in sympathy from across the table as her lover sat clutching her belly, trying to dull the pain of what twelve slices of chocolate cake with pink frosting can do. It didn't even make her laugh on the inside. Who would eat this much cake just to say you did it?

That's a dumb question. Who, besides Rainbow Dash, would do that? Pinkie Pie was an exception; she just loves cake in every way possible.

She knew this needed to end now. And it was because it was Rainbow Dash who was doing it. She couldn't stand the suffering anymore.

"Rainbow Dash..." she managed to say, "...you should probably stop now..."

Rainbow looked at her and forced smile. "Why would I stop now? I'm only three pieces--" She gasped and clutched her stomach again. "...away."

Fluttershy shook her head at her best friend's occasional lack of common sense. "Because, Rainbow," she said, "i-it's hurting you... and... I can't stand to... to see you be hurt..."

Rainbow stopped trying to eat and just sat there, unmoving, staring at Fluttershy, with remnants of chocolate cake around her mouth. She raised both eyebrows. "Do I really mean that much to you?" she asked.

Fluttershy nodded shyly.

Rainbow couldn't help but find it completely adorable that she would act shy even around her marefriend. But you know... she was still Fluttershy.

"Well, okay then," she complied happily. "If you really want me to stop, then I will." She then brought a napkin to her face and gracefully wiped it.

Fluttershy then noticed a tiny piece she seemed to have missed. "Oh, I-I think you missed a spot..."

"What? Where?"

Fluttershy then saw a perfect opportunity. "Here... l-let me get it for you..."

Rainbow was slightly surprised at such an offer. She definitely couldn't complain though. She held still and closed her eyes as Fluttershy leaned across the table slowly. The table was big and round, so eventually she climbed on top of it fully, completely oblivious to the slices of cake that had not yet been eaten. When they were muzzle-to-muzzle, Fluttershy, now settled down on the table and maybe a slice or two, moved ever-so-slightly to the left of Rainbow's vision. She could really care less if she had cake on her belly at all. She then proceeded to lick the leftovers from Rainbow's face, making sure to taste everything her tongue could reach aside from the cake itself before actually cleaning it off.

After the first lick, however, she fell in love with the taste so much that she was enormously tempted to just continue further.

And she did.

Rainbow surprisingly felt another lick. There wasn't still cake there, was there? This one almost seemed heartfelt, rather than just to clean up. Then another. She knew what was going on now.

Two could play at this...

As Fluttershy went on, she herself felt a lick on the corner of her mouth. It startled her immensely. She twitched hard and they both opened their eyes. They looked into each other's eyes for a short while before feeling another urge to go on. However, Fluttershy wanted to alter it a little this time. It would take a bit of a mutual feeling, though...

Carefully, she brought her own lips to Rainbow's, hoping not to surprise her too much.

Rainbow was surprised, but only a little if any. She returned the kiss almost immediately, making sure to be equally as gentle with Fluttershy. She then brought her hooves around the shy mare she was kissing, never intending on letting go.

Little did she know that this was what Fluttershy had hoped for. She too wrapped her hooves around Rainbow, but as she did so, she then noticed that her wings were stretched out. This must have been a sign of... of something. Something she was quite curious about. She would have to be careful not to bother them, as she was afraid that something might happen to them in their current state.

She then proceeded with her hopeful plan and began to lean back rather slowly. Her intention was to have Rainbow follow her. She helped her out a little by tugging lightly around her with her hooves to start her in the right direction. Rainbow took heed to Fluttershy's actions and followed, climbing out of the chair and onto the table. Fluttershy was now on her haunches, still tilting backward, keeping lead until they reached their destination.

As she was about to lay down on her back, she used her wings to clear away any plates with cake on them. This way, she could at least have a clean back. After her path was clear of cake plates, she lied down fully, allowing Rainbow to lay on her. Rainbow did so, but made sure to not put her full weight on her all at once. It was about ten full seconds until she rested on her fully.

As they went about a tongue dance, Fluttershy decided to use her hooves in Rainbow's colorful mane, running it through the various strands and hues. Rainbow did the same with Fluttershy's mane, only she didn't have as much control over it due to the angle she was at.

Fluttershy ran her hoof all throughout the many colors of the hair she was permitted to play with, eventually running it all the way down to the full extent of its length. Finding the ends, she accidentally touched Rainbow's left wing. She felt Rainbow's wing and body spasm against her. Following which, she heard and felt a soft whimper from her.

She knew that this was where they needed to stop and save the rest for later.

Hesitantly and unwillingly, she pulled her lips away from Rainbow's, earning another soft whimper from her. The word may not have been the best to describe Rainbow Dash, but Fluttershy found her quite adorable when she would whimper in want of more.

They opened their eyes and just looked into each other's for a while. It seemed to them that they made a type of connection every time they did this. It was, in many ways, a way of showing one another their thoughts about what they just participated in.

After about thirty seconds of just staring and breathing, Fluttershy found something to talk about.

"Did you know you have gorgeous eyes, Dashie?"

Rainbow did not know this. "I didn't," she replied with a smile. "What color are they?"

Fluttershy thought carefully before she spoke again. "Do you promise not to be ashamed?"

"Wait..." Rainbow was confused. "Why would I be ashamed? Are they not that awesome or something?"

"Oh, don't worry," Fluttershy assured her, "their plenty awesome... it's just that their really... or very, uhm... feminine..."

"And what's wrong with that? I'm a mare, so that means I'm naturally feminine, right?"

"Well... uhm... I guess..."

"So then tell me," Rainbow urged. "What color are they?"

"...Uhm..." Fluttershy knew there was no getting around easier now. "...They're pink..."

Rainbow froze. She seemed to be having second thoughts about asking. Then a connection came to her. "Wait a minute," she said, "does 'feminine' sort of mean 'girly'?"

Fluttershy raised her eyebrows at such a question. "Uhm... yes... or lady-like, I guess..."

Rainbow was doomed. Throughout her whole life, she never knew these two things. She wasn't all that surprised at Fluttershy's larger vocabulary, but rather the fact that she didn't even know her own eye color. Now she was almost sorry that she even asked.

"I really like pink," said Fluttershy.

Almost sorry.

"Well, that's a plus then," Rainbow said with a kind smile. She then took notice to the room around them. "Hey, uh... I think we should help clean up and then head out. What do you think?"

Fluttershy nodded simply.

Satisfied with the answer, Rainbow proceeded to stand up off of her. Upon doing this, she noticed that she had picked up more than a little cake on her front. She looked at Fluttershy again and saw where she had gotten it from. "Also, is there a shower at your place?"

Fluttershy nodded as simply as before.

Author's Note

I apologize immensely for such a long wait. I have no real excuse except for the fact that I read and write slower than average. Also, I greatly appreciate any constructive criticism. Anything that helps improve story writing is good, actually.