//------------------------------// // Rarijack Prompt: Hug // Story: Assorted Short Stories // by Titanium Dragon //------------------------------// "Why are we doing this again?" "Shh!" Scootaloo's ears drooped as her two friends both hissed at her. "I was just asking," she said in a lower tone of voice. "We're tryin' to see what they're up to. They were awful fast to get rid of us this mornin'." "Yeah. Rarity even gave us bits to go get hay shakes!" "So what's the problem?" Scootaloo shook her head. "You two are being weird." "We ain't bein' weird, our sisters are." "You're being pretty weird too, hiding in the bushes like this," Scootaloo grumbled. "Why don't we go do something fun?" "This is fun!" "No, it isn't, it's boring!" "Quit fighting!" Sweetie Belle swung her hoof between the two. "At least give me the binoculars," Scootaloo grumbled, sitting back on her rump and crossing her hooves across her chest. "Hold yer horses, I'll let you have them in a minute," Apple Bloom said, before rising back up and putting the lenses back to her eyes, peering out through the window of Carosel Boutique. "What do you see?" Sweetie Belle asked, leaning forward and squinting. "Applejack is wearin' a dress." "A dress?" "Eyup. And she don't look too happy about it. Rarity's talkin' to her..." "What's she saying?" "How should I know? They don't let me hear any better." "So what? Applejack is wearing a dress, big deal. Even Rainbow Dash wears dresses sometimes." Apple Bloom lowered the binoculars to look at Scootaloo. "You don't know my sister. She never wore dresses before she was friends with Rarity." "Fine. Can I look now?" "I said in a minute." "That was a minute ago!" "Girls, please!" Sweetie Belle's shrill voice silenced the pair, before all three fillies ducked their heads down in unison, holding their breath. "Think they heard us?" Apple Bloom slowly peeked her head up out of the bushes, lifting the binoculars to her eyes once more. "I don't think so. They're still talkin'. And now Applejack is blushin'." "Why?" "I dunno!" Apple Bloom didn't turn to look at Scootaloo as she spoke. "Now they're both laughin'." "Too bad we can't hear what they're saying." "Maybe we could if you stopped complaining!" Apple Bloom pressed the binoculars closer to her eyes. "They're hugging!" "What?" Sweetie Belle sprung to her feet, pushing Apple Bloom aside before grabbing the binoculars herself and peering through them. "Aww!" "So what? We hug each other all the time." Scootaloo shook her head. "Not like that!" "What do you mean?" Sweetie Belle giggled. "They're so cute." "What are they doing?" "They're rubbing noses." "Are they kissing?" "I don't think so..." Scootaloo rubbed her mane, before rising up and peering out of the bush, squinting her eyes. "I can't see anything." "They're adorable!" Sweetie Belle lilted. "Ugh. So why are we sitting around watching your sisters be mushy?" "Applejack ain't mushy!" Sweetie Belle giggled. "I dunno, she seems pretty mushy to me!" "Lemme see!" Scootaloo snatched the binoculars from Sweetie Belle's hooves and looked through them before opening her mouth. "Blech! They're as bad as my parents." Apple Bloom pouted. "She is not!" "Is too! They're just looking at each other with their noses pressed together." Scootaloo lowered the binoculars. "First Big Mac, then your sister... are you going to mush out on us too when you find a colt you like?" "No!" Apple Bloom stomped her hoof for emphasis. "I dunno, you seemed awfully interested in spying on our sisters," Sweetie Belle said, her voice rising. "So were you!" "Ugh, they're kissing!" Both heads snapped back to Scootaloo. "I wanna see!" "Me too!" Scootaloo lifted the binoculars away from her friends' hooves. "Hey, it's my turn now!" The three fillies tumbled out of the bush, rolling down the hillside as they wrestled for the binoculars. Grunting and shoving at each other, Apple Bloom finally managed to knock Scootaloo down, springing into the air to grab the binoculars only to lose her balance. Her eyes widened, then clenched shut as she held her legs in close to her body in anticipation of the impact, only to fall into what felt like fabric, not thorns. Opening her eyes slowly, she yelped at the sight of the bush staring straight back at her, the much-fought for eyepieces tumbling from her nerveless hooves. "Hey, you dropped them!" Sweetie Belle squeaked, diving down to catch the fumbled binoculars before coming up short as the rose bush stood up. "Hey girls!" the rose bush chirped loudly, the three fillies jerking upright at the high-pitched voice. "Oh, uh, hey Pinkie Pie," Scootaloo said, rubbing a scrape on her leg as she lowered her gaze. "What are you girls doing up here?" "Uh, nothin'," Apple Bloom said lamely, the three fillies shifting uncomfortably under the disguised pony's blue gaze. "What are the binoculars for, then?" Pinkie Pie leaned forward curiously, shedding several fake leaves. "Uhmmmm... bird watching!" "That's right! Fluttershy said this was a great place to watch birds." "Fluttershy said she comes here to watch birds?" Pinkie Pie blinked. "Aw, poor Fluttershy! She's too shy to say anything to Rarity. And now she's with Applejack!" The thee fillies stared dumbly at the pink pony. Pinkie Pie gasped. "I know! We can go cheer her up!" "What does Applejack and Rarity hugging do with watching birds?" Apple Bloom tilted her head. Pinkie Pie giggled, patting the filly on top of her head patronizingly. "You'll understand when you're older." Apple Bloom pouted, brushing Pinkie Pie's hoof off her head. "Why do ponies always say that, anyway?" she grumbled. "I don't know," Pinkie Pie said, lowering her head and putting her hoof to her chin pensively. "But first, I really should tell Rarity she needs to close her blinds if she's going to make out with Applejack in the dressing room. Who knows who might be watching!"