Lining up the shot, Babs exhaled. She could do this. It was tradition. It came naturally to every kith and kin of the Apple family- even a distant cousin like her. Inhale, exhale.
She let fly.
Thump!
“Shoot,” Babs breathed.
The horseshoe sat a dismal foot away from the spike.
Walking over to fetch it, she saw Scootaloo rolling up on her scooter.
“Heya Shcoots,” Babs said around the horseshoe in her mouth. “Whash up?”
Scootaloo took off her helmet, shaking out her purple mane. “Not much, just doing some sick moves on the way over. Where’s everypony else?”
Babs shrugged, lining up the shot again. The horseshoe game set-up had been back when the girls had thought they could get a cutie mark in horseshoe tossing. Though Apple Bloom had proved to be the best next to Scootaloo, it had been a bunk venture. That didn’t stop the horseshoe pit from taking up permanent residence near the clubhouse for “official” Crusading breaks.
“Apple Bloom’sh helpin’ her shishter,” Babs said, trying to get a feel for the distance. She tried spinning once and let go. It overshot by two feet. Babs blew her mane from out of her face and began the walk across the pitch field. “I dunno where Sweetie Belle’s got to.”
“Okay. Cool.”
Scootaloo parked her ride and hopped over to lay on the nearby picnic table and watch Babs play.
“You feeling better?” Scootaloo asked as Babs returned to the throw line.
The other filly shrugged and put the horseshoe down at her hooves.
“Dunno. I’m still not happy the way I treated all youse guys for most of dis trip.”
“Hey, we practically tried to kill you!” Scootaloo retorted with a lopsided grin.
“Yeah. And I’m takin’ dat all into account,” Babs said with her own crooked smile.
“Well, I think you’re cool in my book. And that’s a hard book to get into, sister!”
Babs chuckled. “Sounds like. Specially if I gotta compete wit’ dat rainblow gal.” She picked up the horseshoe and began judging her next shot.
“Rain-bow DASH!” Scootaloo said with a shake of her hoof. “She’s awesome and you know it!”
Babs snorted laughter and tried an approach she’d seen Applejack use. She tossed the shoe up and waited till it dropped, whipping out her hind legs to kick it the necessary distance. They whiffed miserably.
“Nuts,” she grumbled.
She picked up the shoe again and tried again and missed again.
“Aaagh,” Babs sighed, determination settling in. She would get this right or she’d eat the rest of her tail...
“Hey, uh, Babs?” Scootaloo said.
“Yeah?” This time, she’d try a lower toss and whip around faster.
“Those bullies back home...?”
“Yeah?” Just up and kick. Up and kick. Up...
“Did they pick on you ‘cause you like mares?”
The horseshoe plopped into the dirt as Babs stared at Scootaloo, who was hunched slightly and looking somewhere else entirely.
Moving away from the game, Babs approached Scootaloo, who’d adjusted her view to just the right of the earth pony. Concern settling across her brow, she stared up at the pegasus.
“Scoots, why’d ya say somethin’ like dat?”
Scootaloo’s gaze drifted to Babs, then just as quickly skipped by to stare past the other filly’s left shoulder.
“I dunno.”
Planting her rump, Babs looked straight into Scootaloo’s face, even if her eyes wouldn’t meet.
“Scoots, I know we just got made bosom buddies or whatevah, but we’re Crusaders and we gotta stick together. Can’t help ya if you’re gonna be all not-lookin-at-me.”
Scootaloo bit her lower lip. She didn’t look at Babs, but she did manage Babs’s forehooves.
“Some of what you talked about sounded like what I went through. Before I moved to Ponyville.”
Babs thought for a moment and hopped up on the table to sit next to her fellow Crusader- her friend. She plopped a forearm around Scootaloo’s shoulder.
“Here I am. All ears,” Babs said.
Scootaloo sighed and looked away. A minute passed before she spoke again.
“I used to live in Racewell, near Coltlanta?” she said, shooting a glance to a nodding Babs. The other filly either knew about the place or was at least willing for Scootaloo to continue.
“Right so, I’d just started school and we were at recess and I was playing with my friends and we were talking about a sleepover and I talked about how we could try kissing during that. I’d heard one of my mom’s friends talk about it or something and it sounded like, y’know, fun.”
Scootaloo went quiet again then hunched a little closer to Babs.
“My friends... They looked at me weird and said they didn’t do that. I didn’t think anything was wrong, so I just finished recess. But something was wrong, ‘cause the next day they started calling me a filly-fooler like- Y’know. Like it was a bad thing.”
Scootaloo’s took a deep breath then and Babs couldn’t tell what she was trying to say until she said, “Then... They, um... They threw a rock at me.”
Babs went carefully still. This didn’t escape Scootaloo’s attention. Babs adjusted her seat and coughed.
“‘Kay. No-goodniks crossed a line. What happened next?”
“I got in a fight.” Scootaloo sighed. “The teacher saw and called my mom. She had a conference where we talked about me being disruptive. Like I was the problem.” The pegasus snorted derisively. “Mom listened, thanked the teacher and had me tell her what really happened on the way home. She talked to Dad and they decided I wasn’t going to that school any more.”
She looked over in the direction of town and Babs could feel as her shoulders relaxed. “We moved to Ponyville the next week. I... Kept to myself. At first. Didn’t talk about kissing or anything. The other kids were more focused on cutie marks anyway, so...” She shrugged again. “Sweetie Belle and I made friends at lunch and then Apple Bloom spoke up at Diamond Tiara’s Cutecinera and we’ve been so busy looking for our cutie marks that I’d pretty much forgot about it. Well... Till you showed up.”
Silence again. Scootaloo opted to focus on her hindhooves.
“Do you like mares?” Babs finally asked.
Scootaloo cast her gaze about and exhaled heavily. “Yeah. Maybe. I dunno! I’m a kid! I don’t even know what my cutie mark is- how am I supposed to know about all this... Mushy stuff?”
Babs chuckled and rubbed Scootaloo’s back. “Yeah, I hear dat. But ah... You weren’t far off dere, Scoots.”
The pegaus blinked. “You do like mares?” Scootaloo said, her gaze swinging up to lock on her friend.
Babs shrugged. “Mares... And colts. I think I’m, like, not picky.”
“Wow,” Scootaloo said.
The pair lapsed into silence.
“I thought I had it tough picking which cereal I wanted in the morning,” she added.
That earned a laugh.
“So... Do you wanna kiss ‘em or the sex stuff adults talk about?” Scootaloo asked.
It was Babs’s turn to shrug and roll her eyes.
“I dunno. Bad enough I’m the last kid in class to get her cutie mark. Then I said I liked it when Light Dancer kissed me, which she only did on account it was a dare, and I wouldn’t mind it again. Then they start goin’ in for dat!” Babs shook her head. “I used to be too scared to think, but after here and youse guys? I figger I don’t care. Those ponies got deir own problems and I'm just today's excuse. So, like, now I'm thinkin' I'll look- won't be ashamed, but whatevah. Figure the rest out when I got my cutie mark sorted, y'know?”
“Heh. Preach it, sister,” Scootaloo said, raising her hoof.
Babs reciprocated the bump.
“Wish my parents were all up on my side like yours were,” Babs said.
“Don’t you have a sister?” Scootaloo responded.
“Yeah...” Babs hedged.
“Why not talk to her? Sweetie Belle goes to Rarity for all sorts of stuff and you’ve seen how tight Apple Bloom and Applejack are.” Scootaloo swung her hindhooves back and forth in the air a little. “I’m kinda jealous- they got these cool, big sisters. I’m pretty much on my own if I have big pony questions.”
Babs nodded. She’d thought about going to her sister in the past, but that always seemed like some unreality. Like, maybe she wouldn’t believe Babs, but... Well, Ponyville had been pretty educating. Maybe her sister would listen. It'd be nice for somepony to have her back.
“Why don’cha do an honory sis?” Babs said.
“Huh?”
“Don’t know if you got it here, but we got this thing in the city- Big Sisters. Some mares act like honorary big sisters for kids. It’s pretty cool. Other kid in my class has a Big Sister. She’s all right. Not a friend, but doesn’t throw rocks, y’know?”
Scootaloo nodded.
Silence again. It was more comfortable this time though.
Babs leaned back, eyes closed, listening to the wind in the trees. She decided she liked visiting Ponyville. Not just because of the Crusaders or the Apple family that was in her corner, but because it was a different kind of quiet. City quiet was when all the noise mixed into one big wall you tuned out, but this kinda quiet was alright too. Peaceful like.
“So who in the Crusaders do you wanna smooch?” Scootaloo asked.
Babs opened an eye on Scootaloo to confirm the mischievous smirk she’d heard in the pegasus’s tone.
Babs snorted. “Oh, all of youse. Every one of ya is so irresistable an’ all.”
“But Apple Bloom’s your cousin!”
“Third or fourth, so she’s, like, totally up for kissin’. You want one Scoots? That what you’re askin’ for?”
“Ick, no! Mushy stuff! Ugh!”
“Oh, mushy stuff, huh? I gotcher mushy stuff right here!”
Babs launched at Scootaloo and they rolled off the table into the soft dirt laughing. Scootaloo was quick, but Babs was heavier and had wrestled more. She pinned the pegasus with her forelegs.
“Here comes da smooch express!” Babs whistled, her lips puckered.
“Ha ha! Stop!” Scootaloo said, her stomach shaking from laughter. “Uncle! Uuuuuncle!”
Babs chortled and rolled off, laying next to Scootaloo and chuckling along.
“Heh heh heh-whooo,” Scootaloo said.
“Yeah,” Babs responded.
The two lay and watched the trees as they caught their breath.
“Hey, Babs?”
“Yeah, Scoots?”
“Thanks for... Y’know. Talking about this stuff with me.”
“No problemo. Crusaders gotta stick together, right?”
“Right.”
They hoofbumped on it.
Babs rose first and helped Scootaloo up easily.
“Man, you’re strong,” Scootaloo commented as Babs shook dirt off her coat.
Babs shrugged. “Your parents moved after some no-goodniks threw rocks. I don’t exactly got dat particular luxury y’know?”
Scootaloo winced.
“C’mon. Think I almost got this figured out. You can beat my rump off if you want.”
Scootaloo followed Babs over to the throwing line and the lone horseshoe. She stood off to the side as Babs went back to her original technique of throwing from her mouth.
Thump!
It was closer, but not close enough to count.
Scootaloo went to retrieve the shoe and return to the line.
“Y’know,” Scootaloo said, as she balanced on her hindlegs to throw with her forehooves. “Maybe I'm into mares, maybe not, but you can tell me anything you can’t talk with Apple Bloom about. Like, about the bullying and all.”
Babs blew her mane out of her face and watched as Scootaloo’s arc landed in the sand, far closer than Babs had yet managed. She went to get the shoe.
“Thanks, but I think I’ll talk to my sis. Like you said, she’s dere. She should get my back.”
Scootaloo nodded and moved out of the way.
“Maybe talk with Applejack? I think that’s how big families work,” the pegasus suggested.
Babs let the shoe fall from her mouth as she considered that.
“Hey. Dat’s a good idea. I’ll talk wit’ her before I go. You’re pretty smart, Scoots.”
“Yeah, well... Training to be as awesome as Rainbow Dash ain’t for losers,” Scootaloo said, pumping up her chest proudly.
Babs picked the shoe up and decided she’d try Applejack’s trick one more time.
“Hey,” she said through clenched teeth. “Why doncha ashk her t’be yer honorary shish?”
Babs tossed the shoe.
“Rainbow Dash...?” Scootaloo said.
Babs whipped around.
“My sister...?”
Babs nailed it with both hooves.
“Wow.”
There was a clang and both fillies looked in delight at Babs’s shot spun around the spike.
“Alright Babs!”
“Hey! Lookit dat!”
“Didja get a cutie mark for horseshoes?”
Babs turned and Scootaloo got close to her flank. They waited for a tense moment... And nothing happened.
“Ah well,” Babs said. “Scratch dat one off da list.”
“Yeah, we all tried a while back and it didn’t take. It’s a pretty fun game though.”
“Yeah. Fun game.”
Scootaloo went and retrieved the shoe to start over. Babs moved off to the side and the pair played until Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom showed up to join.
Author's Note
I wish this was exaggeration, but the Crusaders' experiences with those bullying extremes come from personal accounts some friends shared with me. They've fortunately gone on to their own happy endings (or is it happy in-the-middle-of-livings?), but the bullying still stuck with them.
I originally thought of Babs because she needed more fic love, but Scootaloo started talking and I wasn't about to stop her. In the end, I think this came out well.
Hope youse guys liked it!
