"This triple date was genius, Sweetie Belle!" Scootaloo exclaimed as the three couples walked around the moonlit park wearing autumn jackets.
Apple Bloom commented as she wrapped a hoof around Pip's neck with a smile, "It sure was."
Sweetie Belle just giggled, "Actually it was Button's idea not mine."
Button Mash blushed furiously with him saying, "I was just telling you that we hadn't hung out with our friends in a long time, you were the one that suggested the date."
Rumble pointed, "You should have been more specific then before they dragged us to that fancy restaurant."
Scoots rolled her eyes at her coltfriend, "Lighten up, Rumble, at least you got a free meal out of it since me and the girls paid for it."
He replied, "And that's why I'm not complaining that much."
His marefriend smirked at him, "Admit it, you like being with me…"
Rumble pretended to ponder on it, "Do I?" then he smirked back, "Yeah… yeah, I do…" he used his wing to caress her face.
Scootaloo melted to his soft touch.
Apple Bloom remarked, "I still can't believe you two ended up together, Scootaloo you were so angry at him when he decided to make his own camp for blank flanks!"
Rumble face-palmed and groaned, "You just had to bring that up!"
Pip pointed, "Don't beat yourself up, at the time you made some pretty valid points about cutie marks."
Scootaloo mentioned, "And you learned your lesson in the end. What matters now is that we focus on the future."
Rumble cocked a brow at her, smirking away, "As in our future?"
She slightly blushed and turned her head away, stating, "Maybe…"
Sweetie Belle then yawned and told them, "Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm feeling tired and would like to go home."
Button smiled and nuzzled her head, "Allow me, my sweet." he took her hoof and started escorting her away.
The other two couples waved them off while saying good night.
Scootaloo said, "I better get home too, my parents have me under a strict curfew."
Rumble mentioned, "Yeah, Thunderlane will be waiting up for me so I better get going too."
The two sporty ponies went on their way just as they said their farewells to the last couple.
Apple Bloom and Pip were all alone now and ended up staring at each other lovingly before she looked up and sighed, "Beautiful night, isn't it?"
Pip looked up as well with a smile, "Princess Luna has really out done herself, hasn't she?"
"She sure did…" she exhaled happily.
"In fact, I was hoping she would provide this kind of atmosphere for what I'm about to say…"
She looked at him in confusion.
He took a deep breath as he slowly took her hoof, "Apple Bloom… in the time that we've gotten to know each other… and I'm not talking recently, I'm talking about all those times when we were just foals… As much as I was desperate to get a cutie mark, just hanging around you and the girls really brought me closer to you… I gained a small crush on you, hoping someday you would look my way and not see me as that small colt in need of help all the time…"
"Pip… what is it you're tryin' to say?"
He looked at her with warm eyes as he outright said, "I'm saying… I love you, Apple Bloom…"
She let out a small gasp.
He rubbed his neck awkwardly as he blushed, "I know I might be moving fast, but I can't help it, just being around you makes my heart flutter so much that I can't put it off anymore. I love you and that's how it is."
She was crying with tears of joy running down her face as she was smiling so much from his declaration, making her say, "Pip… I love you too…"
He gapped at her words before smiling himself. Then slowly, they leaned toward each other where they had their first ever kiss.
Applejack cuddled right by her dragon after he made a fire in the farmhouse's fireplace. It was a fairly cold night outside and Spike's fire breath was just the thing to counter it.
He whispered to her, "Toasty?"
"Hmm…" she responded with closed eyes and a smile on her face.
That was all the answer he needed as he put his head close to her's and closed his eyes in bliss.
She inquired without opening her eyes, "Think we can do this every night after we're married?"
He smirked without opening his eyes as well, "If that's what you want, that's what we'll do…" he nuzzled her head.
Big Mac and Sugar Belle had been watching the exchange from the other room and they beamed at the sight.
Sugar commented in a low tone, "They really are good for each other…"
"Eeyup…" he turned to her and softly said, "Spike is a great guy, always was, I have a lot of fun with him whenever we hang out and I can rely on him."
"So you approve wholeheartedly of him marrying your sister?"
"Of course. Any other guy that was engaged to Applejack would've had a hard time gaining my trust but I've known that dragon for a long time now and I couldn't ask for a better brother-in-law."
"Would you consider Apple Bloom's coltfriend as a future brother-in-law?"
"As long as he doesn't hurt her and I get to know him better, it will be likely, but my sister is too young to think of marriage." he made an annoyed frown.
Sugar giggled, "For now, but someday…"
"I don't want to think about it. Instead…" his face softened toward her, "let's talk about us, have you given any thought to what we talked about a couple of days ago?"
Sugar slightly frowned and admitted, "Some of it, but I still need some time to think about it."
He looked on in concern, "What's there to think about? It's our desire to have children."
"Yes, we want children but I still don't know if we're ready to have them. I mean, I shouldn't be this hesitant to have kids if I was ready for them, right?"
"Hmm… I suppose that's true, after raising Apple Bloom, I felt ready to have foals of mah own."
"But I never had any siblings, Big Mac, so I have no idea of how to take care of small children. So can you wait just a little bit longer?" she gave him pleading eyes.
His own eyes went soft as he stated, "Eeyup."
She hugged him in gratitude, "Thank you… I know it's hard but I promise you that it will happen, just not now."
"I understand… I just want to make sure you're happy, Sugar Belle."
"I am happy… with you…" she kissed his cheek.
Back in the living room, the dragon told his love, "Twilight and the others should go on map missions more often."
"I know what you mean, I like how it's just the two of us…" she nuzzled under his chin.
Just then the front door open and they looked up to see Apple Bloom with a lovesick look on her face as she walked in with a skip in her step.
Applejack chuckled, "Looks like some pony had a good time on her date."
AB sighed lovingly, "The best…"
Sugar Belle asked, "What did you do?"
Apple Bloom replied with a dopey grin, "We went to a restaurant with all our friends and afterwards we went for a moonlight stroll until the others had to go but when it was just me and Pip…" she paused.
"Yes…?" they all inquired.
She squealed loudly, "He told me he loved me!"
"WHAT?!" they gasped in astonishment.
"Yes! And then we had our first kiss!" she kept squealing and ran up to her room, too excited to see her family's reaction.
The family was stunned till Spike voiced, "Whoa… I knew things were going great for them but I didn't think they were moving this fast."
Applejack said, "It took her and Tender a whole year before they confessed their love for each other. With Pip it was a matter of weeks."
Sugar inquired, "Do you think that's a bad thing?"
Her sister-in-law replied, "No, but I do worry that Apple Bloom is taken by Pip so much that she truly believes she loves him."
Spike said, "You don't that for sure, AJ, it could be real love between them. It just took us by surprise that she moved on so quickly."
His fiancée responded, "But that's just it, Spike, I'm not so sure if she has moved on from Tender Taps."
Big Mac nodded, "She did say at dinner two nights ago that she wasn't sure if she'll ever get over him."
Sugar Belle agreed, "She did say that."
Spike stated, "Look guys, I know from experience how hard it is to get over your first love but when you meet the right pony then your first love becomes nothing more than a distant memory. If Apple Bloom and Pip have declared their love for each other then eventually Apple Bloom will forget her attraction to Tender and start focusing on her new relationship because it will become the most important thing to her…"
Applejack sighed, "I really hope you're right, Spike…"
He wrapped his tail around her, "Trust me. I went through the same thing so it will happen."
Unbeknownst to all of them Sour Grape was spying on them through her hand mirror while she was in her room at the inn. She gave a deep chuckle, "This has indeed become an interesting development… We have the youngest admitting her love to her recent beau while her family is worried they're moving too fast and then we have our married couple deciding whether or not to have children now but the wife is uncertain…" a smirk grew across her face, "I will have to pay her a visit regarding these fears…"