It took a few attempts with her flickering magic before Sweetie Belle managed to unite key and lock, and even a few more tries to get the darn key turning. She all but stumbled into her apartment and kicked the door shut behind her with a back leg.
Then, with an iota of memory, she opened the door and retrieved her keys.
“Bluebell?” she called into the apartment, kicking the door shut again. Silence told her that Bluebell wasn’t there, but Sweetie’s brain ignored it.
Sweetie Belle shrugged and tossed her keys towards the dish by the door – they skipped over the rim and smacked against the wall, sliding behind the table the dish was sitting on. She gave them another shrug – it was future Sweetie Belle’s problem.
“Bluebell? You here or what?” she hollered again on her convoluted path to the kitchen. She grunted when she bumped into the coffee table, chair, sofa, and then the coffee table again before finally getting her momentum angled towards her goal. Still no answer came from the apartment.
Sweetie misjudged her magic’s power, and the refrigerator door swung out and smacked the counter hard enough to leave a dent. She squinted as she scanned the contents of the fridge for a full five minutes before she shuddered and slammed the door shut again.
“Guess I’ll have to get more wine on my own,” she grumbled to herself, making her way to the door. Having half-learned her lesson, she avoided the cluster of furniture she had pinged off of and headed for the door – and promptly stumbled, running face-first into it.
Rubbing her sore snout she opened the door to find a vaguely familiar orange Pegasus with a purple mane standing there, but in her current state wasn’t registering in Sweetie Belle’s brain.
She frowned. “Outta the way,” she slurred. “Need more wine.”
Sweetie walked forward into the Pegasus, but the other pony didn’t budge – causing Sweetie to continue walking against them like a toy robot does when it encounters a wall.
“Yeah, I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” the Pegasus said sternly. With a whine of protest from the inebriated unicorn, Scootaloo ushered Sweetie Belle back into the apartment.
“Land sakes,” Apple Bloom remarked, following Scootaloo in and shutting the door behind her, gentler than Sweetie had. “She’s more hammered than Fruit Punch at her birthday party.”
“Yo, you in there Sweets or what?” Scootaloo asked, shaking a hoof in front of her eyes.
The nickname seemed to jog a sluggish brain cell and Sweetie Belle squinted at the two of them. It took a minute or two of processing before names followed. “Scootaloo…? Apple Bloom…?”
“Oh look, she remembers us,” Scootaloo said sarcastically. “Pretty amazing, giving what she said.” She shoved Sweetie to the couch, not too roughly but not gently either.
“Easy, Scoots,” Apple Bloom said, walking over and setting a hoof on her shoulder. “She sounded three sheets to the wind and then some. I’m sure she didn’t mean it.”
Scootaloo glared over her shoulder at Apple Bloom, which softened at her hopeful gaze. Huffing a sigh, she stormed over to the chair and sat down roughly in it, forelegs crossed and gaze averted from the now-confused Sweetie Belle.
“What are you two talkin’ about?” she asked, looking between them. “What did I say? What are you even doing here?”
Apple Bloom took a seat next to Sweetie Belle on the couch and smiled softly at her. “Well, Rarity’s worried sick about ya. You haven’t called her in weeks since you moved to Manehatten, but she didn’t want to be the overprotective sister-type now that you’re all grown and all.”
“Yeah, you can take care of yourself,” Scootaloo shot harshly.
“Scootaloo,” Apple Bloom admonished, before returning to Sweetie Belle. Realization was creeping over her face. “Anywho, we decided to call ya, but you didn’t pick up the first few times.”
“And then you called us.”
Sweetie swallowed, an ache starting to form in her head as her brain’s gears spun without lubricant. “I-I did?” she croaked.
The ringing chime of the apartment’s phone played in her memory, and she could faintly hear herself talking but couldn’t make out what was being said. She could make out her laughing and the slamming of the phone receiver, but that was all.
“I don’t… I don’t remember it.” She looked to Scootaloo, who gave her the cold shoulder, before turning to Apple Bloom. “Wh-What did I say?”
“I knew you were in there somewhere,” Apple Bloom said with a sideways smile. “You, uh… said some things. Not exactly things you’d… normally say.”
“Oh for Twilight’s sake, Apple Bloom!” Scootaloo whirled around, hooves slammed into the armchair’s arms. “Your sister is the Element of Honesty, don’t beat around the damn bush!”
A tremble made its way into Sweetie Belle’s legs as Scootaloo turned on her. “You said something to the effect of-“ her voice took on a mocking tone of Sweetie Belle’s- “’Why are you calling me? I got too much to do here! I have so many friends and I don’t need you two anymore. I already have like five marefriends.’”
Sweetie Belle turned to Apple Bloom with wide eyes, hoping that she would say it wasn’t true. She was too honest to keep it from her, wasn’t she?
But Apple Bloom’s gaze was too honest: it was hurt and shied away from her. A hoof rubbed the opposite foreleg, and even her bow seemed to droop.
So Sweetie Belle turned to Scootaloo, to find her breathing deeply and clenching her teeth, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening their way out of the corners of her eyes.
Sweetie shot off the couch as the emotional weight offset the alcohol in her stomach and she made a beeline for the toilet. She just made it in time to empty her stomach. As she sank onto the cold tile floor of the bathroom, she burst out into tears.
Apple Bloom looked to Scootaloo, whose glare had softened but not relented. The Earth pony sighed and went to retrieve Sweetie Belle, helping her to her hooves and escorting her back to the couch.
“I-I’m sorry…” the unicorn croaked quietly, staring at the coffee table.
“You wanna tell us what’s goin’ on, Sweetie?” Apple Bloom asked softly, taking one of Sweetie Belle’s front hooves in hers. “You weren’t that much of a drinker back in Ponyville.”
“You didn’t throw ponies away either,” Scootaloo shot. Apple Bloom scowled at her.
“Scootaloo, please. Give her a chance to explain.”
Scootaloo glanced at them before glaring towards the far wall. She wiped angrily at her eyes.
“Oh sweet Twilight,” Sweetie Belle mumbled. “I didn’t… I didn’t mean for this to happen. I just…” She looked up to Apple Bloom who nodded encouragingly. “I was just so scared!”
Sweetie Belle leaned into Apple Bloom’s chest and sobbed, soaking her coat with tears. She felt a pair of legs hold her close, and then a moment later, another pair. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle scooted over for Scootaloo to join them on the couch.
“What do you have to be scared of?” Scootaloo asked, the roughness in her voice having melted.
“I wanted to do this for… for so long. To move out on my own, be my own pony. Even… if it meant leaving Ponyville and you two,” Sweetie mumbled. The familiar smell of Apple Bloom’s coat soothed her, along with the Earth pony planting a kiss atop her head and Scootaloo stroking her mane.
“Everypony wants to be their own pony sometime,” Apple Bloom said softly. “You leavin’ didn’t mean we’d stop lovin’ ya.”
“But it was so… terrifying. All the new ponies, not knowing if they wanted to be friends or if they were looking for something or if they wanted nothing to do with me.” She sniffled. “I guess somewhere at the parties I was invited to, I started drinking.”
“You got invited to parties and you were scared of socializing?” Scootaloo asked. “The little sister of the biggest fashion pony Equestria’s ever seen?”
“Rarity made it look so easy,” Sweetie whined. “But when I started drinking, all those fears just… left. I felt I could do it, but… I honestly don’t know what I’ve done. I think my roommate left, and I barely even remember the phone call, but… I’m so sorry. I never wanted to hurt you two.” She buried her face deeper.
“It’s alright, Sweetie. We’re here for ya now.” Apple Bloom planted another kiss on her head. “Why didn’t ya call us sooner if you were so scared? Or Rarity?”
“Because it wouldn’t be fair. You two have your own lives to worry about, and we all know Rarity does. I didn’t… I didn’t want to be babied, or make you feel like I couldn’t handle it.”
“Well, Sweets,” Scootaloo said, and Sweetie Belle felt her bury her muzzle into her mane. “We’re kinda here anyway, aren’t we?”
“There’s a big difference between being babied and being loved, Sweetie.” Apple Bloom pulled them both close. “And you are most certainly loved.”
Sweetie broke out into tears again, but this time there was a smile on her face. She twisted around so she could hook one foreleg around Scootaloo and pulled them both in close, never wanting to let them go.
After a few minutes of the warmth that she needed, she released them and wiped at her eyes. “Will… Will you two stay? Just for tonight?” she asked.
“Of course,” Apple Bloom said, smiling warmly.
“And if you ever feel scared again, Sweets, just call us up,” Scootaloo added. “We’re here for you.”
Sweetie giggled as Apple Bloom and Scootaloo each kissed her cheek and helped her off the couch. Now that the emotions were starting to settle and the alcohol was wearing off, she was starting to feel groggy.
She was helped into bed and tucked in, but sat up once they turned to leave the room. “Hey, I thought you were going to stay over,” she said.
“We were gonna crash on the couch,” Scootaloo said. “Seeing as your roommate might want their room.”
Sweetie smirked and patted the spaces on either side of her. “If you two are sleeping anywhere, you’re sleeping with me,” she said.
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo smiled at one another. As Apple Bloom climbed into the bed on one side, Scootaloo all but jumped into bed on the other. The other two giggled, before settling in and kissing each other good night.
As they drifted off to sleep, Sweetie Belle looked between them before settling in between their warmth, sighing contently. Compared to the alcohol, this was much better.