//------------------------------//
// Two 
// Story: Freedom Through Harmony: Book II 
// by Electricut 
//------------------------------//

Two
Year 504, Equestrian Calendar

Alright, so there's this really cool guy, right? At least, some people think he's cool, sometimes... You know what? He's freaking awesome. Screw the haters. So there's this super amazingly awesome guy. He's just hanging around, being all chill as cool guys are known to do sometimes. And a guy this awesome must have a pretty cool name to go with him, right?

... Yeah, I've heard worse.

"Scootaloo, what's takin' you so long?" A voice called. I smiled smugly before making my final preparations. My shoulder-length violet hair and unfittingly small, orange feathered wings were both already groomed to perfection. Shrugging on the black leather jacket I always wore on stage, then the strap of my thin, angular guitar, I strode around the edge of the stage and entered the backstage area where my band mates were waiting.

"What kept you?" Sweetie Belle asked, while looking around the corner at the audience. Her curly, soft pink-and-violet streaked hair had recently been trimmed to shoulder length as well, save for a longer bit that fell in front of her right shoulder: a style she must have picked up from her father. "Audience is getting impatient."

"You know I wouldn't have it any other way." I responded. She wasn't kidding: even from back here I could make out the sounds of the audience cheering for us to get on with it. Looking around, I saw Applebloom seated upon a crate near the exit, looking both annoyed and slightly bemused. Her stark-red hair fell past her shoulders, a pretty pink bow tied in at the back. A few cute freckles were dotted around under her soft bronze eyes. I flashed her a cheesy smile before flipping my guitar pic expertly between my fingers, and dramatically pointing onstage in one move. "Let's not keep 'em waiting any longer!"

I brought my hand down on the strings of the instrument, the magical energies stored within amplifying the sound and silencing the crowd. Imagining their bated breath and excited gazes, I smiled devilishly and began to play, standing just beyond the curtain of the stage. The audience knew exactly what song I had chosen, and a big cheer began to rise. At what I judged to be its climax, the three of us charged onstage to our positions, but I could sense that all eyes were on me.

Applebloom hopped up to her seat behind the drum set stationed onstage, scooping up the drumsticks laid across its surface and backing up my guitar with a rapid but steady beat. Sweetie Belle leaped forward to the front of the stage, skidding to a halt on her knees, and began to sing, the crowd joining in when prompted. We were starting with one of our more energetic songs, after which we would move on to some of our other songs; less well-known perhaps, but which I honestly enjoyed playing more. As the first song concluded, and the crowd cheered, I turned to Applebloom, then to Sweetie Belle. Both nodded, and we began the next song.

_____________

The three of us managed to escape the ravenous crowds after the show, and hid out in the old clubhouse at the Acres. While other kids our age might have abandoned their clubhouses years ago, allowing nature to have its way with them, this old fort had remained the main base of operations for the Crusaders after all this time. The other was my house- the one Rainbow Dash used to live in, and gave me for my fifteenth birthday for the purpose of 'partying and whatnot'- but I felt it would have been too obvious. We were trying to avoid attention for a change.

"Man, that never gets old." Sweetie Belle remarked. "I'd just be bored to tears with all this royal princess crap if I didn't have these shows to look forward to... You guys... You guys are the best..."

Applebloom and I laughed warmly at her cheesy comment. "Sweetie Belle, be honest- how drunk're you right now?" She asked, calming.

"I'm not!" Sweetie Belle insisted. I raised an eyebrow at her, holding her gaze for a few moments. Finally she looked away abashedly. "I'm not that drunk..." She corrected quietly.

"I just don't get that about you." I admitted, getting serious. "Drinking's terrible for you anyway, even if we were old enough to drink. I don't get how you can stand to do that as much as you do, especially when we're only seventeen."

"Oh, don't you go preaching to me, Scootaloo." Sweetie Belle said indignantly, but I could tell she was enjoying herself and didn't quite see a problem. "Last time, you got drunker than I did."

"Yes..." I began, preferring not to remember the event in question. "But the terrible hangover I had afterwards ensured I'll never do it again. Honestly, I'm surprised you didn't get very put-out about it afterwards, too."

"What can I say? I'm a forgiving person... Besides, I never have really bad hangovers."

"Y'know, tonight might not've been the best night to be drunk, anyway." Applebloom commented. "Or rather, you prob'ly don't wanna be hung over in the mornin'."

Sweetie Belle lowered her eyebrows, confused, and seemed to be trying to figure out what Applebloom was talking about. Finally, realization dawned on her face. She covered her eyes in exasperation and groaned.

"Agh, tomorrow's the twenty-first, isn't it..." Sweetie Belle complained.

"Yeah..." I agreed, not particularly enthusiastic about tomorrow’s event either. "Luna's coming to town to say hi, then she'll fly us all over to Eclipse for another show." As much as I loved playing music- this show would not be an exception- it was the audience we would be dealing with that put a damper on this event.

"I mean..." Sweetie Belle mumbled, "I love Luna to death and all- especially since she pretty much gets what I'm going through- and my sister Rarity of course, and even Blake is pretty cool too. Just... Augh, I hate everyone else up at Eclipse... It's snobs like them that make me hate being princess..."

"And so, instead of doin' that, you're hangin' out drunk in a clubhouse in the middle-a'-nowhere." Applebloom concluded.

Sweetie Belle seemed to take absolutely no offense to the comment. She chuckled slightly, folding her arms over her chest. "What's important is, I'm among good company. I'd pick you two over a bunch of snooty noble people any day."

"Aw, I feel special now." I joked at her. "Hard to believe that before becoming a princess, you were born a noblewoman yourself." 

"Yeah, well, I wasn't a snooty noblewoman. At least I had some freakin' humility... But, I mean, when I was raised only by Rarity and Opal for most of my life, and then by my dragon-dad these last five-and-a-half years, what can you expect? I was born to be awesome, not proper."

"Yeah... You staying here for the night?" I asked. House Icarus still operated independently of Eclipse, under Opal's leadership, but Sweetie Belle had spent maybe a week total in her old home since becoming a princess. Much of her time was regrettably spent in Eclipse City, and she stayed in the castle with her sister, the queen. Almost all the remaining time was spent recovering and unwinding from said, and she always elected to stay at the Acres with her closest childhood friends, Applebloom and I.

"Of course." was her response. "But, uh... Do you think... Do you think we could maybe... sleep right out here tonight? Like we used to? For old time's sake? I'm feeling a little nostalgic."

I smiled fondly and looked to Applebloom, and she nodded. Tonight, we would go back to when we were just kids, almost six long years ago. A couch that was already ancient back then still sat against the wall of the Crusader's fort. We started by vigorously beating the majority of the dust out of it, clouding the air. Underneath the battered cushions was a newer, warm fleece blanket, and several pillows were strewn about the rooms, serving as seats.

We threw the pillows onto the couch haphazardly, then kicked up the front legs of the sofa, making it into a bed. I was the first to throw myself onto the bed, kicking up additional dust. Applebloom was on a second later, landing halfway on top of me. Last but not least, Sweetie Belle launched herself at us, knocking the breath out of me as she tackled us playfully. We laughed and laughed, enjoying the easy pleasure of wrestling each other.

Finished with that, we scrambled up the couch into a more comfortable horizontal position, all wrapped up in each others' arms. The blanket was pulled over us tightly, the three of us cuddled up snugly against each other. I could feel the gentle heartbeats from both Applebloom and Sweetie Belle.

Sweetie Belle, wedged between Applebloom and I without much room to maneuver, sniffed quietly. I swiveled my head slightly to look at her, and was alarmed when I saw genuine tears in her eyes. She sniffed again and said quietly: "I'm sorry."

"What for?" Applebloom asked, concerned.

"For drinking." Was her solemn answer. "My life sucks, and I know I shouldn't be messing myself up instead of trying to fix it, but... It's just so hard..."

"I understand." I assured her, hugging her tighter. "You got all these responsibilities thrown at you that you never wanted. You're expected to be all frilly and proper like a princess should, and you've got all this pressure from the noble people of Eclipse..."

She nodded vigorously. "I never asked for any of this. All I want is to be able to live a normal life, with you guys." She sighed heavily, then muttered: "All the money and power in the world, and I feel like I have nothing."

Applebloom chimed in, patting her on the head while speaking. "Aw, you just gotta not let it get to you. You can't change who you are, and someday, those noble jerks'll get that. Ya just gotta keep on doin' what comes natural and keep your head held high."

Sweetie Belle sniffed again, but was smiling. She closed her eyes and burrowed deeper into the sheets and pillows, an arm around each of us. "I love you guys..." She said, her words muffled. She was asleep not thirty seconds later, and I was quick to follow.