CH1
Fern gazed out the window. The little light peach earthpony filly could barely contain her excitement, her long teal tail swishing from side to side with anticipation.
Her father had told her that another filly her age was moving into the neighborhood.
“Awen’t you excited, Hex?” asked the filly, having for some reason not yet outgrown her childhood lisp.
“Not really,” Hex answered absentmindedly, too engrossed in his book to care. He was slightly smaller than the filly, a purple, bookish little unicorn. He and Fern had been friends ever since she moved in next door, even though she made him nervous sometimes.
“Then why did you bothew coming ovew?” the overexcited filly inquired.
“Because you asked me to,” the colt replied without looking up from his book.
“I thought you’d be mowe fun today,” pouted Fern before brightening, “Wead youw siwly book, then. I’m going outside to have some fun!”
“My book’s not silly...” Hex grumbled as the filly headed outside.
She had only been a few minutes outside before Fern got bored. There was nothing to do. Just as she was about to go back inside and pester Hex, a sky blue pegasus filly tumbled over the fence, her darker blue mane going every which way as she flopped in front of Fern and quickly got back to her hooves.
“Hi!”
"Who awe you?"
"I'm Thunderbolt!" The filly replied, smiling brightly.
Fern smiled back. "I'm Fewn!"
"Nice to meet you!" Thunderbolt replied, bouncing around Fern, "Can we be friends?"
"Suwre!" said Fern, joining Thunderbolt in her bouncing before stopping suddenly and gasping. "Wanna go an' pway wif Hex?"
"Who's that?" Thunderbolt said, scratching her head.
"He's the colt that wivves next doow. Wet's supwise him!"
"What are we waiting for, then?" Thunderbolt exclaimed, her little wings flapping excitedly.
The two fillies snuck (in an extremely unsneaky, giggly fashion) back inside to where the unsuspecting colt was sitting, still reading his book. The small colt turned a page in his large book, too absorbed in his reading to notice the two obvious fillies.
"SURPRISE!" Thunderbolt exclaimed, leaping up and landing nimbly on the colt's back. Fern shrieked with glee as she barreled into Hex from the side, sending them all into a flailing mess. Hex yelped as the two fillies collided with him.
Thunderbolt giggled excitedly, hurriedly untangling herself from the mess of limbs and tails. Of course, once she was standing, the filly promptly dove back onto Fern and Hex.
After the initial excitement had calmed somewhat, Fern giggled and hugged the startled Hex tightly.
"Isn't he cuwte?"
"Erm..." Hex mumbled.
"Hi!" Thunderbolt said, joining the hug. "I'm Thunderbolt!"
"Uh, hi."
"I'm Fern's new friend," Thunderbolt explained, smiling brightly, "And she said we should come surprise, so we totally did!"
Hex just blinked at the two fillies for a moment, before pushing them off of him, or at least trying and failing to do so.
"Get off..." he whined.
"Tickwle him?" asked Fern with a mischievous grin.
"Tickle fiiiiight!" Thunderbolt exclaimed, before ignoring Fern's suggestion and diving onto the filly. Hex immediately took the opportunity to scramble away.
"Heehee...stop...get him not me...teeheehee!" Fern giggled uncontrolably as she tried to tickle back. "You...bahahaha...you have f-f-feathewrs...it's not fai-heeheehee!"
Hex ran over to his book and picked it up, before fleeing as fast as his short little legs could carry him.
"Stop stuttering, Fern!" Thunderbolt giggled, squirming as she tried to avoid Fern's counterattack, oblivious to Hex's escape attempt.
"Hee-he's getting awahay-hay!" shrieked Fern.
"Huh?" Thunderbolt said, before seeing the fleeing Hex as he exited through the back door. "Oh. Get him!" The filly quickly let go of Fern and began pursuing the colt. Fern rolled to her feet and bolted after Thunderbolt, still giggling.
Hex saw the two fillies begin to pursue him. He began trying to run faster, but alas, he wasn't very fast to begin with, so he didn’t have much success in the matter.
"I can get to him first!" Thunderbolt said, trying to outpace Fern.
"You...have a head stawt..." puffed Fern, straining to even keep up with Thunderbolt.
"Come on, slowpoke!" Thunderbolt giggled, "You'll have to do better than that!"
Hex was beginning to wheeze, and his pace started to slow.
"Got'cha!" Thunderbolt giggled, finally managing to catch up with the wheezing colt and leap at him, grabbing at his tail.
Fern was right behind, jumping onto Hex and pinning him as best she could
"No!" the colt cried out. Hex squirmed in a futile attempt to escape.
"Well...now that?" Thunderbolt asked, having not thought about what happened after they'd caught Hex.
"Um," said Fern, "We, er, tickwle him?"
"Nuh!" Hex started to squirm even more, but the tiny colt was far outmatched by the two fillies. Even though he was a year older than them, they were already taller and stronger than him, giving them a large advantage over the poor colt.
"Uhmm...okay!" Thunderbolt said, before beginning to tickle Hex.
"N-no! Stah... stop!" Hex said between tickle-induced giggles, "Sta-stop!"
"Not until you say 'please'!" Thunderbolt giggled evilly.
"Ple... ple..." Hex gasped, unable to get the whole word out.
"Hmmm...was that good enough, Fern?" Thunderbolt asked her partner-in-crime.
Fern considered a moment, then leaned in close to Hex's face. "Cawefuwl, we can smewl feaw."
"We can?" Thunderbolt asked, sniffing the air in confusion.
Hex whimpered. Fern leaned even closer, with an terrible attempt at a threatening look.
"We'wl do it. We'wl keep tickwling you fowever and evew."
"No... don’t..." Hex moaned pitifully.
"Ok!" said Fern, then gave him a quick kiss before jumping off giggling.
"Ewwww, kisses!" Thunderbolt exclaimed, scrunching up her nose as she stepped back.
Hex rubbed his cheek with a scowl, his face bright red.
Fern giggled. "Don' tewl me you didn' want to..." she teased at Thunderbolt, before suddenly shoving her towards Hex.
"Oof!" Thunderbolt said, stumbling into the blushing colt.
"Fern," Thunderbolt whined. "That wasn't nice!"
"Oh come on, don't you wanna kiss him?"
"No, I don't!" Thunderbolt huffed, crossing her forelegs. "Kissing is gross!"
Hex just sat there, unsure of whether he should be grateful, flattered, insulted, or disappointed.
"Awe you afwaid of kissing him?" asked Fern
"N-no!" Thunderbolt replied, blushing brightly.
"Is it because you like him?" Fern asked
"W-what?" Thunderbolt said. "I just met him!"
"Then why don' you wanna kiss him?"
"I'm not sure I'm e-entirely comfortable with this..." Hex mumbled. He could only sit there as the two fillies argued his fate.
"Because you don't kiss ponies you just met!" Thunderbolt retorted.
"Why not?" asked Fern
"Because...because!" Thunderbolt replied, unable to think of a proper reason.
"Fine..." sighed Fern, then grinned again, "Wanna tickwle him sommore?"
"Tickle fiiiight!" Thunderbolt exclaimed, her blush disappearing as she tackled Fern, rather than Hex. Hex blinked a few times in confusion.
"Tee-hee! N-no, s-stop! Hahahaha!"
Fern tried to tickle back, but Thunderbolt had the advantage of feathers.
"Hex, get her hooves!" Thunderbolt giggled. "This is your chance to get her back!"
"I don't wanna..."
"Don't be like that!" Thunderbolt replied.
Fern struggled, giggling.
"Nyeh..." Hex shuffled his hooves, unsure of what to do.
"Don't be a coward, Hex!" Thunderbolt said. "Get her!"
Slowly, Hex inched closer to the two fillies, before closing his eyes and focusing his magic to grab Fern's hooves with his telekinesis.
Fern giggled even more. Hex seemed very uncomfortable, but continued to hold Fern as best he could.
"Oookay, I think that's enough," Thunderbolt said, finally clambering off Fern.
"Should... should I let go now?" Hex asked.
"Go ahead," Thunderbolt giggled. "She's done for, anyway."
"Am not!" protested Fern. Hex shrugged, then released Fern from his telekinetic grip. Immediately the freed filly jumped on Thunderbolt and began her counterattack.
"H-hey!" Thunderbolt said, trying to squirm away. "S-stop!'
Fern giggled as she tickled away. Hex watched the two with a look of uncertainty.
"L-let me go!" Thunderbolt said, laughing uncontrollably as she tried to escape Fern.
"Uh, so, do I hold her down now?" he asked Fern, "I mean, if I did, then we'd all be even..." Hex continued, "It would be fair."
"Fow it to be faiw, you'd have to kiss me back," giggled Fern
"H-how would /that/ be needed for it to be f-fair?" Hex stammered.
"Wewl," said Fern matter of factly, "We both tickwled each othew, but onwly I kissed you."
"B-but she didn't kiss anyp-pony!" Hex said, "S-so it doesn't f-factor in to the fairness!"
"If she had, you woulda had to kiss hew, too." Fern grinned.
"B-but then, by th-that logic, for it to b-be fair, you'd have to k-kiss eachother t-too!" Hex exclaimed, "and you're b-both fillies, so that would b-be weird!"
"But she didn't kiss you, so it's just between you an' me." Fern giggled again
"B-but, b-but..."
"What, awe you afwaid?" asked Fern.
"Well, it's just th-that I'm not sure I'm e-entirely c-comfortable with th-this..." Hex' eyes darted back and forth.
really confused...." Thunderbolt said, her brow furrowed in thought. At this point, neither of them were really paying any attention to Thunderbolt. The filly had squirmed away from Fern, and was watching the two argue.
"You'we afwaid," teased Fern
"W-Well, I mean, I guess, maybe..." Hex mumbled.
Fern shuffled a little closer to Hex.
Hex shuffled a little farther from Fern.
"Thundewbowlt, Hex is scawed of kissing me," said Fern, "He's being a scawdy cat."
"Kisses are still nasty..." Thunderbolt grumbled.
"How do you know? You won't even twy!"
"I just know, okay? Sheesh!"
Hex started to slowly creep away, hoping to avoid notice.
"You'we boff scawed of kissing!"
"No, it's just gross!" Thunderbolt said defensively.
"You'we scawed!"
"I'm n-not scared," Hex said, ruining his attempt to go unnoticed by speaking up, "j-just not sure I'm c-comfortable with it..."
"I'm not scared!" Thunderbolt said, starting to look a little annoyed. "Stop saying that!"
"Then pwoove it!" said Fern, pointing at Hex
"No!" Thunderbolt said.
"Scawdy cat."
"Stop it!" Thunderbolt whined.
Hex' eyes darted back and forth between the two fillies.
"Then kiss him."
"No!" Thunderbolt staid, stamping her hooves. "No, no, no!"
"B-besides, if she kissed me, then I'd owe you both kisses..." Hex stammered.
"So? You'we boff just scawed."
"No I'm not!" Thunderbolt said, stamping her hooves again.
"Awe tooo!"
"Am NOT!" Thunderbolt shrieked, before suddenly pushing Fern down and galloping away.
"Thundewbowt! Come back!"
"N-now what?" Hex asked as he helped Fern back up, his expression one of worry.
"You stiwl need to kiss me..."
Hex stiffened, before scuttling back from the filly.
"Why do you keep p-pushing that?"
"I dunno!" said Fern, "Wet's go find Thundewbowt."
"Okay," Hex replied, letting out a small sigh of relief, "She went inside!" he pointed a hoof, then the two took off in the direction of the house.
Finding Thunderbolt didn't take terribly long. The pegasus filly was curled up in a ball in the corner of the living room, sniffling quietly under her breath.
"What's wwong?" asked Fern, nuzzling her friend
"You were being mean..." Thunderbolt sniffled.
"I'm sowwy," said Fern, also beginning to tear up, "Wiwl you fowgive me?"
Thunderbolt wiped at her eyes, before hugging Fern tightly. Hex shuffled awkwardly.
Fern hugged her back before looking over her shoulder at Hex. "You couwd kiss her and make it awl bettew..."
Important stuff:
This story is a collaboration between TheOnlyWes, GrandpaLove, and Gurumane. The pic is by Grandpalove and Gurumane. Ponies belong to hasbro.