That's A First

Chapters

1. The First Of Many
2. What Is Love?
3. Trial And Error

1. The First Of Many

"Happy Hearts and Hooves Day, Ms. Cheerilee!"

Cheerilee sat behind her desk, organizing a few graded tests when the combination of three tiny voices broke her from her concentration.

'Oh my, is that what day it is already?'

She redirected her nose towards the calendar, and sure enough it was Hearts and Hooves Day. 'And to whom do I owe the pleasure of this greeting?' Getting up on her hooves, she looked over the stack of papers to see exactly who she had expected. There stood three fillies, known as the Cutie Mark Crusaders to the rest of their class. "Oh, hello my little ponies. You all look excited to start the day!"

"You bet!" Apple Bloom hopped off the ground a little. Sweetie's eyes filled with light as her smile indicated that she was waiting for something.

"Sooooooo...?"

Scootaloo cocked her head slightly towards the calendar with a sly smile. Cheerilee followed her motion with her eyes, once again looking at the date.

"Yes girls, it is Hearts and Hooves Day, you may take your seats."

"Whatever you say, Ms. Cheerilee," Scootaloo said, giving a 'knowing' wink. "Whatever you say."

'Did she just wink at me? Whatever, probably just being weird.' She shook her head and pulled the pointer off of her desk with a forehoof. "Alright everypony, open up to page 263. Who would like to read for the class?"

The bell rang with the sound of freedom. Almost every filly and colt in the small school house stuffed their belongings into saddlebags and disappeared through the door. There were only three who stayed behind.

"Girls, you may go home now, class is dismissed."

"So Crusaders, what do you want to do today?"

Cheerilee began clearing the chalk board, convinced that the three would leave soon. 'Whyever do they still call themselves Cutie Mark Crusaders? I suppose if a name sticks...'

"Well Ah'd love to play with y'all today, but I can't. Ah need to help around the farm," Apple Bloom stated, or boasted rather, in an oddly loud tone of voice. It was like she wanted somepony to hear her. "On account a my brother havin' a date!"

"Yeah, It would be a shame for him to have to miss his date," Scootaloo added, laughing in a somewhat teasing manner. "I sure wonder who the lucky lady is."

Sweetie stifled a laugh, but her expression soon twisted into one of disappointment. "Apple Bloom, why didn't you tell us you couldn't play today? We had plans and everything!"

'I get the feeling they want my attention...'

"Did you girls need something?"

"Oh no Ms. Cheerilee, we wouldn't want you to be late!" Scootaloo covered her mouth with her hooves, trying to repress a fit of giggles. She then followed in Sweetie's steps and sank to an almost angry mood. "Wait a minute, yeah! Bloom, what the hay?"

"Sorry girls, Ah thought Ah told you!" The farm filly backed off a little, but recomposed herself quickly. "Anywho, Ah need to get going so that Big Macintosh can get ready!" Again with the unnecessarily loud speaking. "For his date!"

'This is getting weird...' Cheerilee once again checked the calendar, as if it held the answer. Hearts and Hooves Day. Cutie Mark Crusaders. Big Macintosh. The corner of her eye twitched as it all fell together. 'Please don't tell me they think I'm... Oh goodness!'

Apple Bloom was already gone, but Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were practically standing on the desk, staring Cheerilee dead in the eyes.

"Soooooooooooo..."

"I don't know what you're insinuating girls, but I have a lot of paperwork to go through so if you could please-"

"Paper work, or..." Scootaloo paused, forgetting entirely where she was going with this. "Um... Your date!"

"Sorry to disappoint girls, but you've got it wrong." Cheerilee began packing her own saddlebag with loose sheets of paper, hoping to dodge a bullet as quickly as possible.

"So you're not dating Big Macintosh?"

"No, I'm afraid not."

Both of the remaining crusaders harmonized in a long "Awwwww...."

"So you don't have a date then?"

"No, now I must be off to-"

"We could help you find one!"

Sweetie was dangerously close to her teacher's face, smiling as wide as her jaws would allow. "I'll bet we could find you a special somepony! We could even help set up a picnic!"

'Oh Goddesses no, anything but that!' The scholar frantically searched for an excuse, until she blurted, "I must be off to meet my date! Yes, I have a date and I must be off to meet them!"

Scootaloo shot a skeptical look to her friend, and it was returned. "I dunno, you just said you didn't have one..."

"My mind was elsewhere now I must be going to-"

Ding ding

The door bell rang as somepony walked in. 'Wait, was I expecting somepony today? Oh no, I was!' Cheerilee began sweating as her own bluff would soon make things very difficult to explain.

"I have arrived, Cheerilee! You wanted to speak to me?"

Sweetie Belle narrowed her eyes as her own sister walked into the room, looking for her teacher who had just claimed to be off on a date. "What's going on here?"

"Oh, er, hello Sweetie Belle. You run along now, your teacher and I must discuss-"

"Our date!"

The room fell silent for a full minute. Scootaloo did her best not to burst into laughter, while Sweetie continued to glare at her sister.

"Goodness, did I say that out loud?" 'Did I just say that out loud? You're trying to diffuse the potential disaster, not ignite it!'

"I dare say you did. Sweetie, run along while the adults have a nice long talk."

"Why didn't you tell me you were dating Ms. Cheerilee!"

Scootaloo was on her back at this point, withholding her breath as best as she could. Cheerilee began sidling towards the door, hoping that nopony would see her.

"And what can we even do with only two Crusaders?" Sweetie continued, seething with dejection.

"It's Hearts and Hooves Day, go be with each other!"

The bottled up laughter ended, replaced by another awkward silence.

"You mean, like..."

"A date?"

"Sure! Go have fun, the grown ups have business to take care of!"

The two filly's cheeks did an impression of Pinkie Pie that would make a changeling envious.

"I guess we could..."

"Haha, yes Sweetie, you could. Now please if you could be off?"

Completely robbed of any desire to tease their teacher, or each other, any further, the girls shuffled uncomfortable while mumbling a few things under their breath. Soon, Rarity and Cheerilee stood alone.

"Well that was awkward. You're going to have to explain to me what you were thinking."

The magenta mare sighed a long breath of relief. Somehow, that little exchange was preferable to most of the other outcomes.

"Well, we have much to discuss... Are you free for lunch?"

The two looked at everything except for each other. Rarity found that, at this very moment, a long streamer of numbers really tied the room together.

"Are you asking me on..." she paused to narrow her eyes, envisioning a camera closing in on her. "A date?"

"Am I?"

Their eyes met, and sparks flew. Yes, it had to be... No, it wasn't love. They kind of wanted to expel the other from existence right then.

"I'm free for dinner..." Rarity scowled, baring her teeth just a little. Cheerilee stood her ground vehemently.

"I'll pick you up at 6."

All at once, they both dropped the act and burst into raucous laughter. Cheerilee fell to the floor as a single tear formed in her eye. "Ahaha! Oh Celestia that was good!"

"Oh yes, that was simply perfect!" Rarity took a deep breath to compose herself. "And to think my sister thought we were actually... Oh this is just too delightful, I can not wait to hear all about... her..." She paused, realizing what she was even about to say. "Her date with Scootaloo? Oh dear..."

"I'm booooooooored!" Sweetie rolled around on the floor in hopes of finding something to do down there. Back in the clubhouse, it had taken a few moments to quell the looming awkwardness that had overtaken them back at the school house. "Crusading is no fun without all three of us!"

"Well, it's not really crusading anymore," Scootaloo corrected, gesturing a forehoof towards the butterfly on her own flank. "I mean, shouldn't we come up with a new name?"

"No! I like being a crusader!" Sweetie crossed her legs in front of her and pouted. Scootaloo produced a teasing giggle at the sight of her friend being so stubborn.

"Yeah, yeah, I do too. Anyway," she changed the subject, just as bored in the inside as Sweetie was on the outside. "What do we actually do with our day?"

"Hmmm..." The little white unicorn thought for a second, running a few possibilities through her head. "Well, maybe we should take Cheerilee's advice?"

"You mean go on a date? Ick!" Scootaloo stuck out her tongue and pointed a hoof at it, indicating exactly what she thought of that plan. "Come on, Sweetie, are you really still stuck on that?"

Sweetie looked out the window, noting that the sky was somehow even more perfect than normal. "Seriously! I mean, not that I want to date you, but it's something to do! Besides, isn't our group supposed to be all about trying new things?"

The usually more adventurous of the two sat silently for a second. On one hoof, dating one of her two closest friends would be just about as weird as it gets. Not to mention, what would happen if Apple Bloom thought it was weird and stopped being their friend? 'Or worse... What if Apple Bloom got jealous? Wait, why would she even..? Scratch that thought...' But on the other hoof, Sweetie did say it was just to try it, not anything serious. And, as anypony in Scootaloo's position would have to admit, Sweetie was certainly becoming quite the looker. It had only been two years since the incident with Cheerilee and Big Mac, and Sweetie was looking more and more like her sister every day.

"Scootaloo? Is something wrong?"

'Nah, I'm good... Wait, I need to say that out loud'

"Sure, a date then!" To Sweetie's surprise, Scootaloo came out of her daze with the very last thing that she expected her friend to say.

"Oh... Oh wow okay, so we'll go on a date then!"

'Did I just... Okay, this is so unrainbow. What the hay, mouth? Who gave you permission to make decisions like that?' The inner conflict continued, as her eyes wandered to her friend turned date with scrutiny. The light reflected off of her stark white coat just right to accentuate every curve of her body. 'Ah crap, don't tell me you're in on this too eyes! Fine, but that's two out of five and I ain't giving in that easy!'

"So, picnic on the hill, darling?" Sweetie teased in a low voice, almost mimicking Rarity. Scootaloo's wings popped from their closed position ever so slightly as her ears twitched.

'Ears, you rogue! Fine, three out of five. Touch and taste, do not let me down!'

The hill was a pretty nice spot. It was rather well known as the preferred picnic spot for the elements of harmony, and for good reason. The view of the town from up there was breath taking, and the clouds always parted just right overhead. Scootaloo made a mental note to thank that very spot for making it easy to focus on something other than her date. Sweetie had laid down a checkered blanket and sat on it, inviting the flustered pegasus to join her.

"This spot's really comfy! Aren't you gonna sit down?"

Scootaloo stood over by a tree, checking the perimeter for anypony who might see her. Being the designated day for pony love, that particular area was well populated with couples. Fortunately, they all seemed to be fixated on each other, so nothing to worry about too much.

"It's hardly a date if you don't sit with me!"

Satisfied that she wouldn't have to explain anything to anyone later, Scootaloo appeared from behind her tree and made her way to the blanket. 'She's right, this spot is really nice... I guess sitting next to her couldn't hurt.' With that thought, she plopped her behind down next to her friend, paying undivided attention to the large cloud shaped like a heart floating above them. 'Probably from Cloudsdale, nothing weird about that...'

"So, what do we do on a date?" Sweetie shifted a little, and Scootaloo felt a familiar warmth on her side. Glancing to the side, she noticed that her companion had found it appropriate to scoot closer. In retaliation, Scoots shifted away about an inch.

"Heck if I know, I figured you knew." Sweetie closed the distance once again, continuing to make Scootaloo as uncomfortable as possible. "I mean, this is supposed to be for fun right? Totally casual?"

"Yup!" There was that smile, that innocent smile that Sweetie used when she legitimately had no idea what was going on. 'Oh Celestia that smile is adorable. That's not fair!' Another discrete attempt at getting away left Scootaloo at the very edge of their blanket. A few blades of grass tickled at her flank, sending a shiver through her spine. 'This is getting weird fast.'

"Hey, Sweetie Belle?"

"Yes, Scootaloo?"

"Why are you sitting so close to me?"

The sound of another couple throwing unbearable pet names back and forth just barely reached the two fillies' ears, but not much else could be heard. The wind whistled through the grass while Scootaloo let her eyes wander. Within inches, Sweetie sat there, smiling away as if nothing was weird about any of this. Her cheeks bulged at the corners of her mouth, accentuating the dimples in her round little face. 'Is this happening? Am I really thinking that my best friend is adorable and it feels normal? Let's look at something else, how about that.'

Looking around that little white distraction, Scootaloo found herself staring at another couple. It was a mare and a stallion, holding each other's hooves and staring longingly into each other's eyes. Averting her gaze, she caught sight of the very end of a passionate kiss, leading to a loving embrace. All around them, there were ponies partaking in the holiday, and there she sat with her best friend, who seemed dead set on having a proper date.

"Scootaloo?"

"Yes, Sweetie?"

"Can I hold your hoof?"

'What?! No!' She subconsciously protested, but once again her senses betrayed her. "Sure..." she muttered as her cheeks felt like they would melt off. A soft, perfectly trimmed and pampered hoof reached down and took hold of her own.

The two sat there, silently, watching leaves blow by in the wind. 'Okay, okay, touch I can see your point. This isn't so bad... Taste, it's just you and me buddy, we got this!' If her heart had wings, it would probably be learning to fly right about now. Each beat felt solid in her throat as she gave explicit attention to how incredible Sweetie felt against her side. Her coat was light, almost fluffy, and her body felt soft to the rough and sinewy pegasus. 'Wait... Her body? When did she...?'

While Scootaloo had been lost in thought, the determined unicorn had rested against her side and laid her head on a lonely orange shoulder. Sweetie had to admit, Scootaloo's coarse fur and sleek body were comforting. She felt like she could fall asleep right then and there.

"So is this a date? Because if so we can be done now, right?" Scootaloo squirmed under the weight of her bundle, trying to decide if she was more uncomfortable with the situation or her feelings about the situation. Sweat dripped down her forehead as she felt her body temperature rising.

"Nope, we haven't finished our date yet." Sweetie's voice sounded a little too comfortable, like she was content to lay there forever. This only gave Scoots more reason to worry.

"Haven't f-finished? What else do we do on a date?"

The air around them seemed to fall dead as time slowed. Sweetie turned her muzzle up to look at her acting guardian, eyes half lidded and mouth turned up in a tired smile. Scootaloo watched in horror as her face got closer, and she swore she could smell buttercups on Sweetie's breath. 'This is bad, this is terribly awfully bad. Stop there Sweetie Belle, go no further!'

It was too late. Before she could render another thought, Scootaloo felt a pressure on her lips that wiped her brain clean. Without permission, her eyes rolled back into her head and she fought to regain control of her senses. 'Oh crap this is bad. Breath Scootaloo, breathe and you'll just... How soft are her lips? Holy cow!' Once again, her thoughts were intercepted by the sensation of the softest lips she's ever felt pressed against her own. That wasn't saying much of course, they were the only lips she'd ever felt on her own, but as firsts go this one was pretty damn good.

Sweetie pressed harder, leaning almost every pound of her weight against the pegasus holding her in her hooves. That was yet another unknown to Scoots, who hadn't realized that she had wrapped her hooves around the little marshmallow.

'Okay, this isn't terrible, just break it and it will be fi-what is that?' She felt her lips being drawn apart as they moved with Sweetie's, as if they had a mind of their own. 'Oh don't you do this to me! Taste, you are my last hope, hold strong!' The two sat in that embrace for what seemed like an eternity. Outside of their current range of euphoria soaked comprehension, an older mare caught sight of the scene and let out a long "D'awwwwwwww."

Everything holding Scootaloo together was crashing down as she felt something alien against the roof of her mouth. 'Is that... No no no that is not Sweetie's tongue!' Her eyes bulged for only a moment, but closed once again when she realized that her last line of defense had been breached. 'Ooohh she tastes like... Is that marshmallows? Marshmallows and chocolate! Dear Celestia she tastes like s'mores! Abort mission! Abort missi-aahh that's good...'

All too soon, and not nearly soon enough at the same time, the kiss was broken. Sweetie Belle removed herself in a flash, standing as if to be ready to go back to the clubhouse. "Alright, that's all! We can go do something else now!"

Scootaloo, on the other hand, was in shock. She had frozen in place, her eyes glazed over. Inside, her limbic system was waging a war the size of which Equestria has never seen.

"Scootaloo?"

She was out for the count. The feeling in her heart was like something she had never felt in her life. It was like a tingling excitement, but it made her feel warm and fuzzy. It made her feel like she just wanted to curl up in a ball with Sweetie Belle and cuddle for the rest of forever.

"Scootaloo!"

"Huh?"

"We can go now!"

"Oh..." Scootaloo cleared her head and looked up at Sweetie. "Do we have to?"

"Uh, you wanted to so I guess not but... What?"

'Okay, I've lost the battle, but by the voluminous flank of Celestia I will not lose the war!' She worked up all the resolve she could, preparing a tongue lashing that could make an ursa cry. She opened her mouth, willing the words to come out, but her vocal cords had another idea. "Can we do that again?"

"Um..." Sweetie was lost for words, unsure of how to respond to that. She was proud that she was apparently that good, but the date was over. She expected that to be it. "I mean, I guess. Why?"

"No reason! Bye!"

With that, Scootaloo was gone. Only the most trained eye could have seen which direction she went, and Sweetie could barely spot a fire in a kitchen.

"Ah young love. I remember my first kiss," interjected the nosy mare, who had gotten up to talk to the lonely unicorn. "She likes you a lot, I can tell."

"Really? I didn't think it was that special."

Sweetie folded up her blanket and began walking towards Ponyville, determined to find her date. The mare watched, bewildered at how this sweet, adorable little filly had just completely missed the scene happening around her own lips.

2. What Is Love?

"... And so then I did like, ten flips. I thought I would only be able to pull off seven, or maybe nine, but I surpassed even my own expectations!"

"That's fascinating, Rainbow Dash."

Twilight Sparkle turned to the next page of her latest study guide, paying half attention to the braggart sitting next to her.

"That cloud never stood a chance! You should have seen it Twi, if it could have seen me coming it would have pissed itself!"

"That's nice, Rainbow."

The bench in the town square supported the weight of Rainbow Dash and Twilight, and between them was a box of cupcakes. Rainbow had been on duty earlier that day, securing the weather for everypony's special day. A single thunder cloud off in the distance was the only blemish on an otherwise masterpiece of a day.

"Are you even listening, Twilight?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Cool. Anyway, like I was saying..." Her words trailed off as a familiar orange blur sped by. "Whoa, is that Scootaloo? Hey Twi, wait here."

"Mhmmm..."

Scootaloo thought she passed somepony she recognized, but most of it was a blur. Her inner conflict was still raging on as much as ever, and now her eyes found it appropriate to water up. 'Good call eyes, totally the time for that.' Her slender hooves carried her as fast as she could go, not sure where she was going.

'Where am I going anyway?'

Scoots stopped dead in her tracks, allowing herself a chance to breathe. She was almost at the outskirts of town by now, but she was certain that she had passed by Sugar Cube Corner at least once.

'Alright, so let's think about this now. Why am I running?' The first question she asked herself was certainly not an easy one. There were plenty of reasons for why she was running, but were any of them good reasons? 'First, I totally just asked to kiss Sweetie Belle again, so that's awkward...'

"Yo, kid, what're you running from?"

'Second, I liked it. No... I loved it.' A bit of that nervous heat from before returned to her face as she thought about it again. 'But we're just friends, that's totally not cool. Maybe...'

"So, just gonna ignore me or..."

"Maybe that's just what kissing feels like?"

"Ahem! I'm going to pretend you didn't just ask me that. Let's start again. Hey, Scoots, what's up?"

'That must be it! Kissing other ponies probably just gives you tingly feelings!' Finally at somewhat of a conclusion, Scootaloo allowed herself to come back to reality. "Oh, hey Rainbow Dash! Can I ask you something?"

"Uh... Sure, but I kinda have plans, so make it quick?"

"Totally, just... Hmmm..." She really had no idea how to ask, or what to ask for that matter. All she knew was that she was confused.

Rainbow instinctively checked her wrist for the time, but reminded herself that she didn't actually wear a watch. "Any day now."

The younger filly tried to at least form a proper question in her mind, but it just didn't work. She had no idea what she was even confused about, just that she was confused. Aware that she was wasting her big sister's time, she scrambled for something to at least make this worth her while.

"I... Uh..."

"Right, I'd love to help you and all, but I really need to go now, so..."

Neither of them could have prepared for what happened next. Scootaloo, in desperation to make some sense of her dilemma, launched herself forward with her hind legs. Her aim was true, and she planted her face directly onto Rainbows. Their lips remained locked for only about a second, but they each perceived it as being too long. Scootaloo stared into her idols eyes as she saw a mix of surprise and anger well up in them. 'Good idea Scoots, ruin your life real quick.'

Once that second was up, the troubled filly fell flat on her face at Rainbow's hooves. She looked up into a pair of rose colored eyes that suddenly had all the time in the world.

"What was that?"

"What was what?" 'Smooth, Scootaloo, like that would ever work.'

"You're going to explain exactly what you just did so we can revoke that whole sister thing and go on with our lives."

The next thing Scootaloo could think to do was cry. This day was turning into a disaster, and she didn't even know why. To top it all off, she didn't even get the tingly feeling again. This whole thing was a bust. She remained laying on the ground and began to sob into the dirt.

"Uh... Alright, you're crying, why are you crying?"

"Mmmffmmfllm-"

Rainbow grabbed a lock of Scootaloo's mane and yanked her up, freeing her mouth to speak.

"-And I'm really confused and now you hate me and I just want to die!"

"Whoa! Hey, stop that! I didn't mean it!"

Scoots sniffled a little and wiped a hoof across her eyes to clear some of the tears away. She soon found herself standing on the ground again, but her knees felt weak. "I'm just so confused..."

"No kidding..."

"I thought that maybe I'd get the tingly feeling again if I kissed you, but I didn't!" She stomped an irritated hoof, which unfortunately was positioned on top of a small rock. She felt the shock vibrate up to her shoulder, but was unwilling to show her discomfort in front of Rainbow. "Why didn't I get the stupid tingly feeling again?!"

Rainbow took a second to comprehend everything, but soon found herself wishing to be anywhere but there. She realized what was going on, and knew for certain that she was not the pony to give that sort of advice. Her eyes shifted around to find a distraction, and noticed the position of the sun. She was already late.

"Look, kid, I'm no good at this whole love business, but whoever I'm guessing just gave you your first kiss is probably the one you should be talking to about this."

"But Sweetie Belle was acting like it was a game! I thought it was a game and now it's not a game anymore!"

As if her desire to run could get any more intense, it did just then. Rainbow gulped audibly, realizing that she was Scootaloo's only real parent figure, not to mention big sister. This was a conversation that she didn't want to have with anypony, and especially not in a situation like this. Either way, her protective side just wanted to find the little unicorn and give her a piece of her mind.

"Hey, having somepony play with your heart sucks, but you'll get through it! Just talk to her about it, maybe she feels the same? Anyway, I really need to go so..."

"But she shouldn't feel the same! I shouldn't even feel this way!"

This just kept getting worse. If not for her emotional attachment to this filly, Rainbow would have been gone within milliseconds. She eagerly hovered above the ground, at least offering a sympathetic smile. "You'll figure it out Scoots, you're too cool not to. I gotta go."

"Ok..." Scootaloo drew circles in the dirt as she heard Rainbow Dash take off, the wind displacement ruffling her mane. Suddenly, the pain in her leg made sure that she couldn't ignore it any longer. "Stupid Sweetie Belle and her stupid kiss. Why does she have to be so perfect?!" She slammed her hoof on the ground again, but her already throbbing hoof protested violently, sending the filly to the ground in agony. "Gah why does this day have to suck so bad?!"

"Oh I'm sure it's not all bad. Would some tea help?"

Another familiar voice, but a much lighter and delicate one, came from behind the wounded pegasus. It could be none other than Fluttershy.

"I mean, if you'd like some tea, I don't mean to impose..."

'Did I really run that far? Yeah, that's Fluttershy's place over there... Idea!'

"Hey Fluttershy, can I ask you a question?"

Sweetie Belle had forgotten exactly how far from the town that hill was, as she was now getting tired. It didn't help that the blanket on her back was a little heavier than she remembered. Then again, she hadn't carried the blanket on the way up.

"Scootaloo!" she called, expecting an answer. "Scoot-Scootaloo!" Her call only summoned the odd looks from a few couples around her. "I could have sworn that would work..."

One little bridge to cross and she'd be in the town square. The scene was the same as any would assume, being filled with couples still out on dates. Sweetie had been looking for Scootaloo, but one couple in particular drew her attention away from her task. One of the houses along a row of many identical houses showed an interesting scene in the doorway.

"Oh my, I really should look for my sister and her friend, but I look forward to tonight!"

"Yes, I suppose it's best not to let them cause too much trouble." Cheerilee was preparing to close her door, when she stopped. "And, well... I didn't expect to find a date today, but... I'm glad I did... I'll see you at six!" With that, her face lit up and she slammed the door out of nervous anxiety. Rarity turned towards the street to begin her search, though she wouldn't have to look far. As soon as she turned her nose away from Cheerilee's door, she was confronted by a wide grin.

"So you are dating Ms. Cheerilee!"

Rarity's face filled with color as she stared into her sister's eyes. She was really hoping that nopony worth noting had seen that little exchange.

"You, ahem... You heard all of that then?"

"I did, and it was adorable!"

"It was not adorable! It was simply..." Rarity bit her tongue, wondering what she could say that would make any sense. Surely Sweetie was old enough to see the signs, so lying would do no good. "Where's Scootaloo?!"

"Oh, she ran away. Speaking of which," Sweetie began as she did a quick check around for a specific shade of orange. "Have you seen Scootaloo? I'm trying to find her."

"No I can't say I have. Would you mind telling me why Scootaloo ran away from you?"

"I don't know! It was the weirdest thing!" The younger sister sat down on the dirt, pouting a little. "Our date was going just fine, and then she ran away without explaining why!"

"Ah, your date then? Perhaps something happened during your date?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary. We sat on the hill, held hooves a little, and then I kissed her. Next thing I know, she's acting all awkward and runs away."

'Oh my... That would explain it...' Rarity placed a hoof on her forehead to try and alleviate a growing headache. Maybe Sweetie wasn't old enough to see the signs. "Sweetie Belle, I have some time before my... Well my rendezvous, so I think we should have a little talk."

"Ok!" Sweetie's ears perked up, though she showed no sign of moving. "Talk away!"

"Here?" Rarity turned again to look at the door behind her, catching a brief sight of Cheerilee peeking at her through the curtain. "Surely we can go back to the boutique and talk over a nice cup of tea?"

Sweetie stood up and gave an exasperated sigh. "UGH, fine, but then I really need to look for Scootaloo. How long is this going to take?"

"Not long, Sweetie, not long."

"So run this by me again. You're telling me that Scootaloo is in love with me?"

"Yes, I assure you that is the most likely reason. Any other questions?"

Sweetie Belle shifted uncomfortably in her seat as the idea of it all set in. Either way, she didn't believe it, but it made her wonder. "So, does that mean she would want to date me again?"

"Well, provided she's not too proud to admit feelings for her best friend, then yes that is exactly what that means."

"What if she thought it was weird and just wanted to get away from me?"

Rarity scratched at her chin in thought. "Well, I suppose, but I'd rather hope she would not do that. If she is your friend, then the proper thing to do in that situation would have been to set boundaries and talk about it. No, I'm certain she has developed feelings for you."

"Well that's dumb."

"Sweetie!" The older unicorn stood from her seat angrily, giving her sister a disapproving glare. "Whether or not you reciprocate those feelings, she is your friend! I expected my little sister to have some compassion!"

Sweetie stood as well, trying to match her sister's glare. "Well I never wanted to start anything with her, we were just going on a date to try it! We even said it was completely casual at the clubhouse!"

"Then why did you kiss her?!" Rarity's eye twitched in frustration, trying not to slap Sweetie right there. It helped, however, that Sweetie was now looking at her hooves in what appeared to be shame. A single tear clung to her eye. "Sweetie, I did not mean to yell at you, but you must understand-"

"I don't know why I did it!" Sweetie closed both of her eyes as hard as she could, and her voice cracked a little. "I thought that was what ponies did on a date! I didn't know it was a bad thing to do!"

"Do you... Do you understand why it was wrong Sweetie Belle?" Rarity gave her sister a sympathetic look, hoping that the filly had learned her lesson.

"Because I'm too young?"

And that was not the lesson she had hoped her sister had learned. Rarity rolled her eyes as she sighed, wondering why her parents haven't had this talk with their daughter yet.

"Love is a dangerous game Sweetie Belle. You are old enough for love, you have been for a few years now. The problem is that you toyed with another pony's heart and didn't think of how it would hurt them."

"Toying? But... I just thought..."

"I understand that you did not mean to upset your friend, Sweetie Belle, but I'd be willing to bet that she's feeling something similar to heartbreak right now." Rarity placed a comforting hoof around her sister's shoulder. "What you need to do is talk to her. Tell her that you don't feel the same, and that it was wrong of you to give her a false hope. Why, I suspect that a filly as tough as Scootaloo will be more than willing to forget the whole thing and move on!"

"But what if I do feel the same?"

The air grew quiet, and both sisters sported a dark blush. Rarity looked down at her sister with a new level of interest that she hadn't found until now.

"In that case, Sweetie... In that case you need to find her and let her know."

"Wow, it's that easy?"

"In the event that you do have feelings for Scootaloo, and that she has feelings for you as well, yes it is that easy."

A thought came to Sweetie's mind, and it dawned on her that there may be more to this situation than she had at first thought. She had a new issue that needed to be resolved.

"So, what do ponies do on a date anyway?"

"Oh, well a picnic is just fine sometimes, but a proper date includes dinner, and perhaps a show." Rarity's mouth turned up into a whimsical smile as she slipped into a day dream. "And if it's a particularly special date, perhaps a dance, and then watching a meteor shower in each other's embrace. That night was just magical... Sweetie Belle, are you still there?"

She snapped back to reality to catch the door swinging shut, leaving the fashionista alone.

"So I just need to find Scootaloo so we can finish our date."

Sweetie continued walking through town, doing her best to find tracks to follow. Scootaloo didn't have her scooter, so tire tracks were out of the question. No, Sweetie would have to rely on hoof prints, which were abundant in a town filled with ponies.

"Why did Scootaloo have to be a pony? This would be so much easier if she was a dragon or something."

"Can I help you young miss?"

A mare no older than Rarity with a sky blue coat stood before the lost little filly. Her mane was a refined grey and her voice suggested an air of sophistication.

"Yeah! I need to finish my date, but my friend ran away."

"Perhaps I can help you with that." The older pony pinched Sweetie's cheek in a motherly manner. "My name is Shoeshine!"

"Ouch!" Sweetie recoiled at the cheek pinch, but was happy to have somepony to help. "I'm Sweetie Belle, and I'm looking for an orange pegasus."

Shoeshine nodded, and watched as her new friend began walking in the direction of the forest. The young unicorn seemed a little clueless, but she was cute. The blue earth pony followed with a chuckle, reminiscing about her own childhood.

3. Trial And Error

"Oh goodness, are you alright? Oh, you poor dear."

Scootaloo laid back on Fluttershy's couch, rubbing a rabbit foot shaped lump on her head. She felt like her brain was about to explode, after a flying kick from Angel directly to the temple. Fluttershy emerged from the kitchen with a pack of ice, and an undying blush on her cheeks.

"I do apologize for Angel, and I'm sure he feels awful." Almost on cue, Angel stuck his tongue out at his victim. "But you must understand, he gets protective of me sometimes. Are you alright?"

"Yeah... I think so..." Scootaloo took the ice pack from her host and held it to her throbbing bruise. 'You'd think I came at her with a knife... Jeez.'

"But I will admit that you startled me. I certainly wasn't expecting..." The older pegasus blushed even harder and turned her nose away in embarrassment. "Well that was just very spontaneous of you..."

Scoots let her head fall back on the cushion, closing her eyes to rest for a moment. She felt as though she could just fall asleep there, call it a day, and hope for her headache to be gone tomorrow. Either way, she had pressing matters to deal with.

'The tingly feeling still didn't come back... Perhaps I need to take a different approach to this...'

"So what's the actual issue?" Scootaloo sat at the front of a long table, overlooking five copies of herself. None of them answered. "Well? Let's go over everypony we've tried so far. First, let's talk about Sweetie Belle."

Five simultaneous sighs harmonized at the name. Scootaloo watched herself literally melt over the very mention of her friend five times over. One Scootaloo with a large pair of glasses stood from her seat.

"Sight here, and I'd like to start off by saying that Sweetie Belle is an absolute babe. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

Four voices rang out in unison, as another Scootaloo with unusually large ears stood as well.

"On the behalf of hearing, I would like to add that Sweetie Belle's voice is like vanilla frosting. It's so sweet and alluring, and I could listen to it all day."

At the mention of frosting, a third copy who had been panting greedily the entire time rose her hoof. "Speaking of frosting, can you say yum? That kiss... I swear I could put Sugar Cube Corner out of business if I could wrap that up!"

The original Scootaloo waved both hooves to signal silence. She set her glare on a Scootaloo who seemed to be itching uncontrollably. "What about you, Touch?"

"She... Uh... Well she made me feel... Warm and... Warm and fuzzy... I liked it quite a lot..."

"Fair enough." Her gaze shifted to the last Scootaloo who had kept relatively quiet the whole time, and was combating a particularly bad runny nose. "You haven't said much, any thoughts?"

Smell looked up with a nervous smile. "She smelled really good." Her tone was low and breathy, which sent a chill up Scootaloo's spine.

"Uh... Yeah... So that's Sweetie Belle, we can all agree on her, right?" All five of the copies nodded their heads. "Good, then let's move on to Rainbow Dash. Sight?"

"Yes, well Rainbow Dash is a looker. As cool as cool can be, and her assets are nothing to laugh about."

Touch batted at a particularly bothersome itch behind her ear, and tapped the table to get everyponies' attention. "I hate to say she's not much to brush up against though. Rough on rough doesn't make for a very good time."

"And her breath, her mouth. She was so... Bland..." Taste leaned back in her chair as she recalled the event. "I mean, she tasted like morning dew and clouds. Hardly any different than your own breath Scootaloo, I need something stimulating!"

Hearing let out a fan-girlish sigh as she fell back to her seat. "Oh but her voice. Her stories are so invigorating!"

Five pairs of eyes shifted to Smell, waiting for her part of the discussion.

"She smelled like a work out... Nice and sweaty... Do you know where she keeps her gym bag or-?"

"Okay! Alright, so we know we can't agree on Rainbow Dash. What about Fluttershy?"

"Nope!" Taste scoffed right off the bat. "Herbs and dirt. It was like kissing a rabbit... You don't think-"

"Stop right there, don't want to hear it!" Scootaloo shoved her hooves in her ears before anything too weird was said. Touch was the next to speak up.

"Well, also like a rabbit, she was soft. Cuddling with her would be wonderful I would imagine."

"And that voice, oh dear me, record it and give me headphones, I'll be gone for the next week!" Hearing nearly fainted to the ground, only to be caught by Sight.

"Gotta go with Taste on this one, girls. I'd swear she's wasting away!" A few murmurs of approval led into yet another collective glare at Smell

"Mmmmm..."

Scootaloo made a mental note to consider breaking her nose in the near future. "Right, right, so that's it?" She looked over her senses as they all nodded and began fading into her mind. "So we all need to agree on somepony, and then I'll get the tingly feeling again?"

More nods, no answers. Scootaloo was soon alone at the table.

"But who..."

"...and that's why kissing ponies without warning is looked down upon." Fluttershy took a sip of tea, satisfied that she had taught her lesson, and looked at her guest expectantly. "Now, if it isn't too bold of me to ask, why did you kiss me?"

Scootaloo opened her eyes, coming to the realization that she had actually fallen asleep. Fluttershy was still going on about the incident in the kitchen, so it clearly hadn't been a very long nap. Either way, Scoots hadn't heard a single word that was spoken to her, and she was actually quite alright with that. 'Probably just some sappy stuff about love. I need to figure this out.'

"Well, I'm glad that this has all been resolved!" The orange pegasus brought herself to her hooves, causing her to remember the aching in her hoof, and in her head.

"But we haven't..." Fluttershy looked down at the floor, feeling almost like she'd been brushed off. "We haven't resolved anything really..."

"Well, there's always tomorrow! I'll see you around Fluttershy!"

Before another word could be spoken, Scootaloo was out the door. Fluttershy was left alone with Angel Bunny at her side.

"Every year..." She looked down at Angel, who was giving her a sympathetic smile. "It's always the same..."

"Are you sure she went to the forest?"

"Not really, but I figured that it's as good a place as any to run to!" Sweetie Belle kicked a small rock in front of her, causing it to lead the way toward the Everfree Forest. Shoeshine sighed to herself, starting to wish she hadn't agreed to help with the search.

"You know, we've been walking for a while now. Why did your friend run away anyway?"

Sweetie stopped dead in her tracks and watched the rock bounce down the dirt path. "I never told you?"

"No, you just said you needed to finish your date, which sounds like it's a bust by now, and not much else."

"Well, I kissed her and she got all weird." The younger of the two kicked at the ground. "Do you think it was my breath?"

Shoe cocked an eyebrow, recalling her own dating troubles as a filly. "Did she say anything before she ran?"

Looking back on the incident, Sweetie Belle's cheeks produced a light blush. "She... Asked me to kiss her again..."

"And you said...?"

"That we didn't have to?"

At this point, the older mare felt a strange magnetism between her hoof and her face. Resisting the urge, she looked down at the little unicorn with an understanding smile. "Look kid, it sounds like she likes you, and you just got nervous. Tell her it was a mistake, like you didn't want to sound too eager. Come on, let's go find your little fillyfriend and we can-"

Her mouth was silenced by what seemed to be the softest cork she had ever felt. Her eyes went wide as she looked down to see a little white unicorn attached to her by the lips. Even more distressing, she could have sworn she heard a camera click from behind a tree. Sweetie Belle retracted herself and watched Shoeshine intently.

"I uh... Who just... What?"

Sweetie leaned in closer, taking careful note at the details of Shoeshine's reaction. She noticed that her victim's hooves were shaking, as if they were about to take off.

"I need to... Oh goodness... Ch-Cherry? Cherry Berry, I need to talk to you!"

Just like that, Shoeshine was sprinting back to town frantically. Sweetie stood and watched for a second, before holding a hoof up to her mouth and letting out a small breath.

"Same reaction... Must be my breath." Another camera click resounded from behind the same tree as before, summoning Sweetie's attention. "Hey, who's there?" No answer, just the rustling of leaves. "I must be imagining things. Scootaloo, here I come!"

Featherweight had been following Sweetie Belle for a while now. His day had been going rather poorly, but that wasn't going to last. He was determined.

Earlier in the day, just after school, he had finally resolved to speak his mind. He was finally going to approach Sweetie Belle, and ask her to lunch, or dinner, or something. Anything would do really, just to be with her would be enough. Flowers all bundled nicely in a bouquet, he saw the object of his affection sitting on the hill with Scootaloo.

The presence of the orange filly would certainly make things difficult, but it would only be a small snag in the plan. 'You got this Featherweight, sweep her off her feet!' he thought, planning out the entire date ahead of time in his head. He wasn't the same scrawny kid he used to be. No, his training sessions with his father had certainly paid off, and he was now a much stronger colt, both physically and mentally.

The two fillies were sitting strangely close together, closer than friends normally would. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were notoriously attached to each other though, so Featherweight thought nothing of it. At least, he thought nothing of it until they were holding hooves.

"Now this can't be right. Are these two...?"

Then the kiss. That dreaded kiss that seemed to last forever. As each millisecond dragged on, Featherweight could feel his wings rising from place in both anger and an unwelcome feeling of interest. After what felt like a year, the kiss was broken, and the two fillies stared into each other's eyes. All Featherweight could think to do was raise his camera and take a picture.

And now, he found himself in very much the same situation. Sweetie had led him to the outskirts of the forest, and he had just now gotten any good material.

"Hey, who's there?"

Featherweight pressed his back to the tree as hard as he could, silencing his breath and hugging his camera to his chest. Now would not be a good time to get caught. Instinctively, he dove for the nearest bush.

"I must be imagining things. Scootaloo, here I come!"

With that disaster avoided, Feather wiped the sweat from his forehead and allowed himself to breathe once more. "Who knew research could be so intense? Let's take a look at the photos."

Switching his camera to slideshow mode, he cringed at the first picture. There was the silhouette of Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, shadowed by the intense sun behind them. The lens flare and framing of the trees had made the shot an accidental masterpiece.

"At least I can use it for my portfolio. Next."

A picture of Sweetie Belle laughing at her sister. Nothing particularly telling about it, just that she and her sister had a healthy relationship. He clicked the button to continue, bringing up the picture of Sweetie Belle and Shoeshine. Not as cringe worthy as the first, but he still felt awkward even possessing the picture.

"So, Shoeshine too, huh? At least now I have something to cross reference. And finally..."

The fourth picture. This one was just Sweetie Belle testing her breath. Nothing portfolio worthy, but definitely earning a spot on his wall. It was adorable, nothing more to say about it.

"So what I can take away from this is that Scootaloo and Shoeshine have both somehow captured Sweetie's affection. Shoeshine heard me and ran, so I might not want to look for her right now. If only I could find..."

As soon as the thought so much as formed in his head, Featherweight heard light hoof beats in the distance. They were getting closer, and heading directly for him. Poking his head out of the bush, he saw a blur of orange rocketing towards him.

'Careful what you wish for, Feather...'

Scootaloo collided with Featherweight at full speed, being caught off guard by the colt she was currently tangled with. The two tumbled across the grass, feeling each and every bump in the dirt reverberate through their bodies. Once they had stopped, Featherweight held up a shaky hoof, snapping a picture of himself.

'Found her...'

After slamming the cottage door behind her, Scootaloo began to trot back towards the town. It felt as if her mind was clear, though it really wasn't. That nap had at least calmed her down a bit.

"So, I need to find somepony who appeals to all of my senses. That shouldn't be hard."

Her pace picked up a little, and she lifted her hooves a little higher with each step. The very first image in her head was, of course, Sweetie Belle. Every sense perked right up as figurative hearts overtook her eyes. Eventually, she caught herself mid-skip and cleared her mind.

"So, somepony else who appeals to all of my senses. Simple," she told herself, trying to sound convincing. "I guess the easiest thing would be to find somepony who is similar enough... Like if she had a sister or something..."

If the trees could have yelled at her for being stupid, they would have. It didn't take long for her to bring up a mental image of Rarity in her head.

"Right, she totally has a sister. Senses, what do you think?"

She wasn't in her head anymore, so she couldn't talk to her senses as easily. Either way, she began to work out the details.

"So she's beautiful, everypony knows that. Her voice just oozes seduction. Yeah, she might do." Scootaloo began walking again, not entirely paying attention to where she was going. The checklist continued. "From the few times I've been around her, I know she's soft, just like Sweetie Belle. And taste... I guess we'll just have to find out!"

Her pace picked up again, and she was once again skipping along the dirt road. She wasn't in a love struck daze any longer, but the answer to her problem seemed to be in view. She would go to the Boutique, and she'd be able to find out for sure what was going on.

With her head in the clouds, she had failed to realize that she was almost at a full sprint. Nothing seemed to be in her way, just a straight path from point A to point B. It all seemed resolved, until object C arrived. A pony's head popped out of the very bush that Scootaloo was about to run right through.

"Featherweight?"

The two tangled in seconds, and they got at least three feet before they hit the ground. They rolled as one, and Scootaloo clung for dear life. One side of her was actually okay using Featherweight as a buffer, and the other side had no opinion on the matter. All that did matter was that she was being shielded from more physical harm.

A few bumps along the way made sure that the trip along the grass was as uncomfortable as possible. Something about all of this was oddly soothing. She had let her mood get out of hand there, and this was a nice wake up call.

Soon, the two stopped, and Featherweight was pinned to the ground. Scootaloo had her hooves wrapped around his body, and she had almost forgotten who she was even clinging to.

'So warm... The tingles! Praise the sun the tingles are back!'

Her eyes were closed, and neither had realized until seconds after their landing that they were engaged in a passionate kiss. Featherweight raised a hoof and snapped a picture of them, and the click of the camera proved to bring Scootaloo back to her senses. She opened her eyes to see another pair staring at her in dangerously close proximity. Needless to say, the tingles were gone.

"Featherweight?! Bluh!" As fast as she could, Scootaloo was up on her hooves and scraping the taste off of her tongue. The unfortunate(?) colt pushed himself up on his knees.

"So, uh... How's it going?"

"What the hay are you doing?! Why were you hiding in that bush?"

"Research?" It wasn't a lie at least, that was what he was doing.

Scootaloo cleared her throat to try and quell her rage. It was bad enough that she just accidentally made out with one of her class mates, but she got the tingles again from it. Even worse, they were gone as soon as she realized that it was Featherweight, so nothing could even be learned from the experience.

"I don't have time to be mad at you. I'll see you in class tomorrow."

In a desperate attempt to distance herself from the situation, Scootaloo redirected herself towards the town and took off. Featherweight had to sit for a few seconds to fully register what had just happened. He wasn't sure if he should be embarrassed, insulted, or flattered. He looked down at the screen of his camera, and it showed a scene straight from a cheesy romantic comedy. He was pinned, with his eyes almost bulging, staring with microscopic pupils at a confused filly with much the same expression.

"Well, I can at least rule out 'good kisser'. If that's what I'm competing with then I should be all set."

Featherweight forced himself up on his hooves, still watching as Scootaloo became an orange speck in the distance. He had his target, and now the real research could begin.

Author's Note

Kisses for everyone!