//------------------------------// // Losing an Argument // Story: No Hugs for Sugar Crush // by FerociousCreation //------------------------------// “Aww, come on,” Nightshade said while looking down at Sugar Crush. “Don't give me that look. Morganite and I just wanted to see what you and Mineral were up to.” No of her sister's words broke Sugar from her angry and embarrassed mood. Everything from her mouth and below was submerged in relaxing warm water; no bubbles layered the surface. Sugar continued to eye Nightshade with a nasty leer. “You… need me to scrub your back, or do you want me to get Mineral?” The younger sister lurched herself upwards and screamed, “GET OUT!” Nightshade scrambled onto all fours and fled the bathroom, afraid Sugar might jump at her, and break her in two. She entered the kitchen with Morganite sitting quietly at the table with a cup of hot tea. Mineral Water sat on the other side of the table, just as silent as the mare. The two looked at Nightshade with different expressions; Morganite wore a worried frown, while Mineral bore a neutral stare. “I can tell by Sugar’s scream she is not happy with you,” Mineral said. “I’ve never seen her so angry with me,” Nightshade frowned as she looked at the ground. “I don’t blame her. I myself am not happy with your intrusion.” Mineral looked at the two mares in his kitchen. “I’m surprised I let you both into my home after what you did.” Morganite rotated the liquid in her cup. “I’m sorry we did that…” “As am I,” Nightshade agreed, her ears fell back in shame. “I just wanted to see you two do cute things.” “Like what?! Watching me bathe with your sister!?” Mineral exclaimed, forcing himself to stand. His cheeks went red, “I hope you are happy for ruining my nice moment with Sugar. When I was cleaning the bathtub of soap suds, she and I didn’t talk. It was awkward for us.” Mineral’s eyes traced over the shapes on Morganite’s cup. “And I’m worried that… things will be awkward between Sugar and me.” Morganite rose her hoof to make an input. “I don’t think it will be awkward between you two.” “And how do you know that?” Mineral asked. “Because you two are just embarrassed because of me and Nebula.” The faintest smile rose on Morganite’s face. “You both will still be friends as you always have been.” Nightshade took her seat next to the pink crystal pony. “Perhaps more, considering your move you were making on Sugar.” Instead of letting her words get on his bad side, Mineral looked away from the mares. “If I ever- And I mean if Sugar and I get together… will you be okay with that?” The thestral quickly straightened herself. “You don’t need to worry about asking me for permission,” Nightshade said. “I trust you. You make my sister very, very happy.” “I do?!” Mineral exclaimed a lot louder than he would have liked. Morganite’s bubbly giggles flustered the stallion, but her grin made him smile in due time. He couldn’t deny how much he cared about Sugar. How much was the big question. “Do I have to explain how I know that?” Nightshade asked with a raised brow. “Even Morganite can tell.” “Hehe, yup!” Morganite rested her elbows on the table and leaned her chin on her hooves. Mineral Water looked at the crystal pony, curious why she positioned herself in such a position. “I hope I don’t have to remind you that she made the Mineral Milk Cookies because of you.” Suddenly, Mineral felt stupid. “Oh…” The mares laughed at his cluelessness, and he felt like throwing them out of his house. “And I don’t think my sister wouldn’t hold her close as she was wrapped in a towel if she didn’t care about you,” Nightshade grinned. “Okay, I get it!” Mineral looked down the lit hallway, curious about the mare everypony was talking about. “I’m going to go see if Sugar Crush okay.” Before Nightshade of Morganite could get a word in, he warned the two, “No snooping around my house, or you won’t be welcome here ever again.” *** Stupid stupid stupid STUPID Sugar Crush… Over and over, the bathing thestral pounded self-inflicted insults into herself. The water was warm, but it did nothing to comfort Sugar. Her faded reflection looked back, its eyes filled with disappointment. Why did I get carried away and try to kiss Mineral Water…? A chorus of knocks rattled against the door. “Sugar, are you okay?” Mineral called. She didn’t want to keep him waiting. “Come in.” The door opened, and Mineral Water slowly approached Sugar Crush with a gentle smile. “Enjoying your bath?” he asked. “I’m trying…” Sugar said to her water reflection. The thick steam from the water added to the dense awkwardness weighing her down. “Are you… upset with me?” “For what?” “For trying to kiss you.” Sugar flushed. She spread out her wings and wrapped her body in a leathery blanket. Mineral’s small laugh made her feel slightly less upset. “I was also participating just so you know.” “I guess…” Her friend sighed, “I am only upset with Nightshade and Morganite for ruining our moment.” “But I was the one who created our moment.” Sugar hid her face from Mineral by ducking into her wings. “Are you worried you made things awkward between you and I, whether or not Nightshade would have?” Mineral asked. “Because I did worry about that. However, Nightshade and Morganite told me downstairs that I make you very happy.” Sugar Crush popped her head up. “And you do, Mineral. You are the sweetest stallion to me when I am down on myself.” She tried not to smile, but the memory was too recent for the thestral. “Especially when you held me earlier.” Mineral puffed out his shiny chest. “I bet my hugs are quite the experience.” “Too bad you will never know about how fantastic my hugs are,” Sugar smirked. Her mind wandered to the past, remembering how her friend reacted so nervously when he allowed himself to be hugged. A high priority question to ask when the date officially starts. “Part of me worries that you might snap me in half, considering how you only hug your sister when she upsets you.” “Like I said earlier today,” Sugar started, “don’t make me angry, and I promise not to do what I do to Nightshade.” “Is this a sign that you aren’t good at arguing?” Mineral asked. “Because I would hate to be at different odds with you and be completely right by obliterating your stance at whatever that may be.” Slowly, Sugar Crush rose her hoof from the water. And flicked some liquid at the stallion. “Hey!” he laughed. “I’m not that sensitive!” Sugar laughed back. “And yet here you are, getting my coat wet.” A wide grin reached for his eyes. “You want to start an argument now? Because I can argue that you are sensitive by splashing at me.” The best response that came to mind was for Sugar Crush to stick out her tongue at Mineral Water. Which only worked against her. “And now you are making obscene gestures?” “Oh, cut it out!” Sugar splashed at Mineral again with a little more water in her hoof. “Okay, maybe I am a little more sensitive than I want to be. See! I can admit I am wrong! How about that!” The mare folded her arms, and she prepared for Mineral to argue her confession. Instead, the crystal pony smiled at the thestral with a relaxed grin. “It does mean a lot to me that I can cheer you up.” It was as clear as the moon in the sky when Mineral Water visibly blushed before Sugar Crush. He took a few steps closer to the bathtub. “Thanks,” Sugar smiled. She eyed his happy lips, and the mare couldn’t help but frown shortly after her small burst of joy. “I still feel bad about me trying to kiss you…” “But why?” Mineral’s smile weakened a little, but his blush remained. “I wanted to kiss you as well.” “Because I made everything awkward…” “How is it all your fault?” Sugar Crush let out a weak sigh. She flushed and prepared her answer. “Because I wanted to remember what it was like to kiss a stallion. The moment we were having was perfect. You were being so sweet to me and… I felt ashamed because I thought I ruined your tub. But there you were, holding me in a towel.” Mineral licked his lips, perhaps wondering about their interrupted kiss. “Do you… Do you like me?” The question she was hoping to not hear was brought into the conversation. Sugar’s heart pounded with regret, while somehow glad Mineral Water was able to ask the question. “I do care about you a lot. Really, I do.” Both of Sugar Crush’s ears retreated. “I just… I felt…” Finally, she blurted it out, “I feel like I rushed too quickly to get you to kiss me!” Before her sensitive emotions got too powerful, Sugar managed to get a grip of herself. “I mean, I’ve only known you for almost two weeks. And now here I am, being an overly hasty mare...” A dull hum rumbled inside Mineral. “I see,” he said. “Did you forget how we became friends? How you chose to, in the kindest way you could, hastily find where I lived to give me some cookies?” “That was different.” “Is it?” The faintest of smiles lifted Mineral’s right cheek. “Brace yourself, Miss Sensitive. I feel an argument coming along.” Sugar, once again, playfully flicked some water at her friend. “Bring it on; prove me wrong,” she reacted in kind. “Alright then.” His smile was gone, but at least their argument didn’t start with a shout that followed an insult. “So, why was you giving me your Mineral Milk Cookies different from you trying to kiss me? They were both acts of kindness, yes?” “To an extent,” Sugar answered. “The difference was that my cookies were made because your name inspired me. I also knew that, despite how you didn’t see it, you wanted somepony to know that you were sad. And I wanted to treat you to something sweet.” “In more ways than one,” Mineral smiled. “Hehe, yup!” Sugar had to wonder if arguments could have laughs and silly moments. The conclusion she came up with became a simple yes. “Then explain why you wanting to kiss me was different,” Mineral scratched at his chin. “Because you can’t just give anypony a kiss as easily as a cookie.” The stallion scrunched his brow and nodded, “Point taken.” He gestured his hoof to Sugar Crush. “Though I assume you have more to say.” ‘Yes,” she said. “Like I said before, I told you that I wanted to remember what a kiss felt like.” Sugar looked away, angry that her urges got the best of her. “Instead of giving you something that was genuine, I succumbed to wanting to kiss you…” The thestral shook her head, “And I should not have done that. I should not have done that to my best friend…” “So you don’t like me?” Mineral Water asked. The question smashed hard into Sugar Water. Somehow, she managed to tear up again. “I’m sorry, Mineral!” she sobbed. “I’m really, really sorry!” Sugar tried to find any disappointing stares her friend might have. Either he was really good at hiding his emotions, or Mineral Water did not find shame in her. “You are a very sweet stallion; one of the best friends I have ever had in my entire life. I just don’t know if I want to be in a relationship right now… I need more time.” “Okay,” Mineral Water nodded, his voice at a near whisper. He cleared his throat and said, “Does this mean we should stop resting our heads on one another to make things less awkward?” “This is exactly what I wanted to avoid, Mineral! Now you want to stop doing the thing that makes me relax when I get anxious or upset!” “N-no! I never said that!” Mineral bit his lip. “I only asked for your sake, not mine. When I give you my attention, it is to calm you down. Think of it as my own version of a hug.” Sugar wanted more convincing statements; she wanted to lose her argument with Mineral Water in order to remove the terrible guilt from her heart. “What about my hugs, then?” “Don’t you ever give up that pursuit!” Mineral answered with a strong, confident exclamation. “That is a major reason why our friendship came to be; because you told me that you would keep trying to hug me to remind you that you are there for me.” “Then…” A lot of weight was lifted off of Sugar’s wings, but the mare was still bared down by one question. “...does that mean that nothing between us has changed?” “Your sister told me that it is as obvious as day that I make you happy,” Mineral Water smiled. “So no. Nothing between us has changed. I swear. Just keep being the friend I need.” After a long, drawn-out talk, Sugar Crush said, “Thank you for winning the argument.” “Just don’t be a sore loser later on. We got a fun night ahead of us.” A giggle bubbled in Sugar’s breast. “I won’t.” Mineral Water stood up and faced the doorway. “Wash up, now. I want to get ready, too.” “I’ll make it quick,” Sugar Crush beamed. “And thank you again, Mineral.” “Your welcome,” he said back. The stallion took one good, long look at his friend. Her smile lifted his spirits, giving him confidence their date would go off without a hitch. Mineral Water gently closed the door to the bathroom and let out a long, quiet sigh. “Great… The moment Sugar Crush says she wants to wait is the moment I fall in love with her…”