Scootaloo pulled back the curtains of the carriage and frowned at the traffic jam. “Jeez, is everyone heading to the roller rink today?”
Apple Bloom shrugged, “Maybe? It is Saturday after all.” She rubbed her chin with her hoof, “You know, I can’t tell if I am surprised or not that you managed to find a roller skating rink within the city limits.”
Scootaloo leaned back, stretching her hooves above her head in a ‘nonchalant’ manner. “What can I say, I know how to find creatures who know how to find information.”
Sweetie rolled her eyes with a smile, “Oh please, we all know you just asked Spike.”
Scootaloo’s cheeks puffed out as they reddened with a blush and she mumbled, “So what if I did?”
Sweetie giggled and leaned over to kiss Scootaloo’s cheek. “You are so cute when you pout.”
This only intensified Scootaloo’s pouting and blushing, much to the amusement of Sweetie and Apple Bloom. Thankfully for Scootaloo, the carriage began to move again shortly after, and they were on their way to her date.
~~
Scootaloo jumped out of the open carriage door, “Finally! Come on girls, let's go!”
The driver coughed gently and Scootaloo turned towards him, digging bits out of her saddlebag, “Oh right, here. Thanks for driving.”
Apple Bloom hopped out of the carriage next, stretching out after the long drive. “Yeah, thanks mister.”
Sweetie was the last to depart, stepping out of the carriage in the delicate manner her sister showed her. “Thank you, I hope you have a good day.”
The driver nodded his thanks to them and took off. Sweetie looked over the outside of the roller rink, the large building painted with soft blues and purples in a surprisingly chic and modern look.
There wasn’t even a neon sign like most rinks. Instead, there was a simple sign on top with a flowing script. “Huh, Canterlot Skate Club. It’s…huh. You know, I don’t really know what I was expecting.”
Scootaloo scratched her head, “Yeah, me neither. But hey, a roller rink is a roller rink. Even fancy ones in Canterlot.”
“Eyup.”
They trotted up the sidewalk to the entrance, where engraved glass doors greeted them. Scootaloo went ahead to open them when they magically opened, a unicorn mare dressed in a red polo shirt smiling at them from inside.
“Welcome to Canterlot Skate Club. Party of three?”
Scootaloo blinked before nodding and hesitantly walking in, “Uh, yeah. I’m sorry, did I need to make a reservation or something?”
“Not at all, we welcome walk-ins. How long do you plan to skate? We have many packages ranging from one hour to all day unlimited access, which includes in and out privileges.”
Scootaloo glanced at her marefriends before shrugging, “Eh, let’s go ahead and do the all day package.”
“Wonderful! Follow me and I’ll get you three all set.”
They followed her to the right, where she stepped behind a counter and rang them up on a till. Scootaloo dug out more bits to pay her and then she floated over three purple and orange bands. “These will let the staff know that you have in and out privileges and also that you are in one party together.”
Sweetie placed her hoof on the counter and the mare wrapped the band around it. “Why do you need to know if we are together?”
“In case of emergency. We have multiple rinks and some of them are quite large, so we use color codes to mark which ponies are together in case of separation or injury.”
Apple Bloom got her band put on, “Do y’all really have enough colors to do that?”
The mare smiled as she put on Scootaloo’s. “If we are ever so busy we run out of color combinations, we have patterns.”
“Wow, that’s awesome!”
“We do pride ourselves on safety. Now then, just head down this hall and you’ll come across a set of doors that lead to our main rink. You’ll find access to the food court and other rinks.”
They thanked the mare before starting down the pointed out hallway, each buzzing with excitement. They came to a large entryway and trotted through to a huge room.
The main rink was large, with scores of creatures both off and on. Small stadium seats were set against the walls and benches were pushed against the rink walls on the outside.
There were more doors with signs above them set in the outside wall, leading to places like ‘food court’, ‘kids rink’, and ‘glow in the dark’. The soft purples and blues from the outside were continued here, accented with swirls of oranges and yellows and pinks.
Sometimes the patterns created vague shapes; outlines of ponies and dragons and griffons and hippogriffs, while other spots were reminiscent of spiraling towers and landmarks found in Canterlot. Music was playing from speakers, loud enough to be heard and understood, but soft enough that conversation could be had at a regular volume.
Scootaloo gasped, “Oh.my.gosh! Look at this place! This is awesome!” She turned to Apple Bloom and Sweetie with a smirk, “Do I know how to pick a good date or do I know how to pick a good date?”
Apple Bloom chuckled as Sweetie scrunched her nose, “That doesn’t make any sense, Scoots.”
Scootaloo scoffed and waved her hoof, “It doesn’t have to. Come on, let’s go get skates.”
Apple Bloom and Sweetie shared a glance before following Scootaloo to a skate rental counter. After getting their skates from the employee behind the counter, they walked over to a bench to put them on.
Sweetie stuck her tongue out as she focused her magic to pull on the laces of her skates and tied them all into a neat bow. Beside her, Scootaloo grunted as she pulled hers tight with her teeth. “Ey Thweetie, thome help pleathe?”
Sweetie smiled and did the same for her, Scootaloo smacking her lips to get the taste of the laces out of her mouth. “Thank you. I always have a hard time getting them tight enough.”
Sweetie pecked her cheek, “You’re welcome. Hey Apple Bloom, you need help too?”
“Nope.”
Sweetie and Scootaloo looked over at Apple Bloom, who was already standing proudly with her skates on and laces tied well. “But thanks for the offer. Come on, let’s get on the rink!”
The three headed towards a cut out in the rink wall, Sweetie a bit unsteady on her hooves but Scootaloo and Apple Bloom walking like pros.
They paused at the entrance, waiting for an opening before all three stepped onto the polished wood floor. Sweetie’s front skate immediately shot out from under her and she cried out, “Whoa!”
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were there to catch her though, steadying Sweetie between them. Apple Bloom nuzzled her, “Easy now, it’s alright, we got ya. Just take it slow, it’s just a little slide to the side and pick up, you see?”
Sweetie nodded and watched as they demonstrated and did her best to copy. She let out a shaky laugh as she managed to do it, albeit sloppier than Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, but she didn’t really care.
“I’m doing it! Girls, look I’m doing it!”
“Yeah! Great job Sweetie. Apple Bloom and I are going to move away a little now okay? We will still be close enough to catch you before you fall though.”
“O-Okay.”
Sweetie stumbled a little without their support, but steadied herself and began to skate. It was slow going, something Sweetie felt a little guilty about as she knew Scootaloo and Apple Bloom could, and probably would prefer to, go much faster. However, they didn’t seem to mind as they looked around the impressive rink, taking in the designs on the walls and the overall atmosphere.
Scootaloo began humming as an old Sapphire Shores song came on, “Oh jeez, I haven’t heard this song in forever.”
Apple Bloom nodded, “Yup. I haven’t heard Sapphire Shores in a while in general.” She snickered and glanced at Sweetie, “Remember when we had to sneak into her practice to fix a head piece?”
Sweetie blushed, ducking her head in embarrassment as she groaned, “Ugh, don’t remind me. I still can’t believe I almost ruined Rarity’s career.”
Scootaloo grinned as she skated ahead slightly and turned around to face Sweetie, skating backwards now. “Oh come on, that was fun! It was like a spy mission.”
Sweetie shook her head, “Maybe for you. If it wasn’t for Luna telling me Sapphire’s ‘lucky animal’ was a dolphin, I don’t think she would have kept sis as her designer.”
Scootaloo flipped around and ended up beside Sweetie again, putting her wing over her. “Hey, don’t be down about it. Everything worked out in the end didn’t it?”
Sweetie cracked a small smile and opened her mouth to respond when someone interrupted her. “Well hello there, what’s a group of fine ladies like yourselves doing in a dump like this?”
Sweetie scrunched her nose and glanced to the left, where two pegasus stallions that were old enough to be her father were leering. Another one came up beside Apple Bloom and leaned in. “Yeah, this place is no place for such pretty gals like you.”
Scootaloo gagged loudly, “Oh buck off, we aren’t interested in a group of creeps.”
The one who spoke first draped his dark brown wing over Scootaloo’s back, “Aww come on, there’s no need to be rude.”
Scootaloo growled and sped forward before turning around and flaring her wings out. “Don’t. Bucking. Touch. Me.”
“Ooh, feisty. I really dig that in a mare.”
Sweetie cringed towards Apple Bloom as the other skated closer to her, “Aww, there’s no need to be shy babe, I’m not gonna bite.”
Sweetie stumbled as Apple Bloom wrapped a hoof around her and firmly pulled her towards an exit from the rink. Scootaloo was already there, wings flared, feathers fluffed up, and lips pulled back into a snarl as the stallions bugging them backtracked to follow.
Apple Bloom held Sweetie close as Scootaloo stepped in front of them, ready to throw hooves if they weren’t left alone.
The apparent leader of the group looked over them and a lightbulb seemed to go off as he started laughing. “Oh, oh this is too good. Boys, it seems we’ve found ourselves a genuine herd of lesbo-“
He didn’t get to finish the slur as a magical aura grabbed his lips. He snorted angrily as two bulky stallions, a unicorn and an earth pony, walked up, wearing black shirts emblazoned with ‘Security’.
The unicorn dispelled his magic and shook his head in disappointment. “You boys just wasted your last chance. You are all hereby banned from the Canterlot Skate Club. For life. Come with me.”
The group grumbled, the brown one looking back at Scootaloo and snarling, “This place was lame anyways, full of stuck up bit-“
This time, the unicorn kept his lips closed with magic as the earth pony walked behind the group and ushered them away.
Sweetie let out a shaky breath and nuzzled Scootaloo, murmuring gentle words of comfort as Apple Bloom gently pet her wings, smoothing the feathers down.
A mare walked up, wearing the red polo shirt of a staff member, “Oh goodness, are you alright? I am terribly sorry about that.”
Scootaloo exhaled, wings sagging as she finally calmed down. “It’s, it’s fine. I’m just glad security got to them before I did.”
The mare cracked a small smile, “Yes, they were bothering other guests earlier this week so we were watching them closely. Again, I sincerely apologize on behalf of Canterlot Skate Club that they bothered you. Is there anything I can do?”
“Nah, it’s all good. Things happen and ponies are stupid sometimes. Thank you though.”
The mare nodded and floated up three cards, “Very well. Please at least take these food vouchers. They are good for any item on the menu in our food court.”
Sweetie took the cards and smiled, “Thank you.”
“You are very welcome. I do hope you enjoy the rest of your stay here.”
Scootaloo raspberried as the mare walked off and looked over the vouchers, “Well, do we want to go ahead and take a break or skate for a bit longer?”
Sweetie shrugged, “We didn’t really get to skate long, I want to try and get a couple more laps in. Maybe I’ll even be able to go a bit faster now that I know what I’m doing.”
“I can’t believe I am about to say this but…It’s okay if we don’t go fast.”
Sweetie and Apple Bloom gasped, staring at Scootaloo as if she had grown a second head. Scootaloo shuddered and stuck her tongue out, “Yeah, yeah, I know. Let’s just get back on the rink.”
Sweetie giggled and kissed Scootaloo’s cheek, “It’s okay, we won’t tell Rainbow Dash.”
“You better not, or else.”
Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow, “Or else what?”
“Or else I’ll…I’ll…Ah ha! I won’t kiss you goodnight anymore!”
Sweetie gasped again, raising her hoof to her chest, “Oh goodness, that is a serious threat. I don’t know what I would do without your goodnight kisses.”
Apple Bloom snorted, “Get them from me instead?”
“But it wouldn’t be the same.”
“Wouldn’t it?”
“Nu-uh. Your kisses are warm and soft, like a cup of warm cider while sitting in front of a fire during winter. Scootaloo’s kisses are cool and exciting, like pop rocks or fireworks.”
Scootaloo and Apple Bloom blushed, both unsure how to respond. Sweetie giggled and pecked their lips before starting back to the rink and calling out over her shoulder, “You coming?”
Sweetie stuck her tongue out as she concentrated on moving her hooves, stepping on the rink with confidence and starting to skate. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo joined her, catching up quickly and settling into a steady rhythm.
Sweetie laughed joyously as she picked up speed enough to feel some wind on her face. “Whoo!”
Scootaloo laughed as well, “There you go! Though, seriously, we can take this slow.”
Apple Bloom nodded, “Going fast is fun, but it hurts more if you trip or crash.”
“Oh I know, this is probably the fastest I’ll be going. Feels good though.”
Scootaloo spread her wings slightly, enjoying the rush of air over her feathers. “Yeah, it feels really good.”
They skated for a couple hours, though they didn’t recognize the time for what it was. When their stomachs started to growl though, they decided it was time for a break.
Sweetie’s legs wobbled as she stepped off the rink, but she didn’t stumble. She did let out a groan as she sat on a bench though, eyes wide as her legs tingled and ached and hurt. “Okay I uh, I think I probably should have taken a break before this.”
Scootaloo chuckled as she sat down and gently elbowed Sweetie. “Ahh, good old post skate shakes. You’ll be fine, just gotta sit down for a bit. Might be a bit sore tomorrow.”
Apple Bloom, still standing somehow, nodded. “Eyup. It’s a good time for a break though, let’s put those vouchers to good use!”
Sweetie tried to bring her hoof up for a cheer but quickly abandoned that idea as the weight of the skate made itself very well known. She coughed and with a burst of magic undid all her and Scootaloo’s laces before pulling the skates off.
Now unburdened, she lifted her hoof and Scootaloo and Apple Bloom followed. Sweetie pondered how Apple Bloom could have already had her skates off, but, ultimately, it wasn’t as important as they pulled off the perfect three way hoof bump.
Sweetie giggled with the movement, and after glancing at her marefriends, they gleefully shouted, “Cutie Mark Crusaders roller skate date…yay!”
They laughed and shared kisses before returning their skates and heading to the food court. They found a surprisingly varied menu, from crepes to pasta, hayburgers to soups, there seemed to be something for everyone.
In the end, the group decided on hayburgers and soon sat with their lunches. They talked about the day so far; Scootaloo scowling and muttering some choice words about the creeps that had bugged them, Apple Bloom expressing surprise that the burgers were so good as Sweetie agreed and tried to keep the conversation on lighter topics.
Scootaloo huffed, “I just, I can’t believe there are still assholes like that roaming around.”
Apple Bloom snorted and tossed her straw wrapper at the pegasus, “Stop letting them get in your head, you aren’t here on a date with them.”
Scootaloo shuddered, “Ugh, don’t even put that idea in my head, they were so old!”
Sweetie smirked, “Well maybe you like them old, you’re dating us aren’t you?”
“Only cause you are like, a few months older than me. Those guys were ancient.”
Apple Bloom grinned and elbowed Sweetie, “I don’t know, maybe you are right, after all, Scoots is still thinking about them.”
Scootaloo pursed her lips, effectively trapped in a Catch 22. She grumbled as she tossed the wrapper back at Apple Bloom. “Alright, alright, I’ll stop bringing it up. We still have a whole day of skating ahead of us and I want to check out the other rinks.”
Sweetie nodded, “The glow in the dark one sounds fun, let’s try that one after lunch.”
They spent the rest of the day there, skating to their heart's content and singing when songs they knew came on (even when strange looks were thrown their way). As it neared evening, the group returned to the hotel and ordered room service before settling in for an action movie, at Scootaloo’s insistence of course.
The three snuggled together under the covers and eventually drifted off to sleep.