“Ugh, what’s taking her so long?” Sweetie questioned with a grumble and stamped her hoof against the wet earth beneath it. “It’s like she has to look absolutely perfect for everything! Her face is going to be covered in mud when we get to the spa anyways. So what’s the point?”
Scootaloo sighed and watched as the impatient filly paced back and forth in the cool shadow of Carousel Boutique. “It’s just Rarity being Rarity. I thought you’d be used to it by now.”
The unicorn gave a huff before speaking bitterly. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. But still, this is important!”
Scootaloo opened her mouth to speak, but soon realized that once again reiterating the fact that Rarity had no knowledge of the true intention of their meet up, would only anger Sweetie further. She decided instead to disregard the repeated complaints. She turned her gaze to the busy street ahead where ponies still scurried about, trying hard to complete their tasks of cleaning up and repairing the mess produced by the storm before lunch, or perhaps by dinner. She began to realize that neither of these options would be the case. The damage inflicted wasn’t just upon the town’s aesthetics, but many of the homes and businesses were affected as well. She was sure the maintenance would take a week, if not more, to complete.
Her heart gave a sudden and exceptionally startling jolt as she spotted the familiar, pale yellow fur, red mane, and large pink bow of Apple Bloom in the distance. Her heart gave another jump, just as frightening as the previous once she realized how quickly the filly approached. Her eyes slammed shut, her heat pounded rapidly, and her body shook with terror as Sweetie Belle’s greeting to the fellow crusader rang through the air.
With complete and utter concentration, Scootaloo hoped that the elegant and stylish sister of Sweetie Belle would appear from the shop’s entrance and pull the two away from the looming situation before it even had a chance to begin. These hopes were soon crushed when the country filly returned the greeting as she came to a stop before them.
“Hey Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, I’ve been lookin’ for you two all morning. Where’ve ya been?”
“Oh, we were just having tea,” Sweetie Belle explained with a wide smile and finished with a joy filled jump. “Anyways, what did you need?”
“Well, me and Scoots need to tell you somethin’….speakin’ a which, you doin’ okay?” Apple Bloom asked curiously, turning her gaze to the shuddering pegasus.
Completely oblivious to the second half of the statement, Sweetie quickly responded. “That’s weird, me and Scootaloo have something to tell you too…Can you please tell her, Scootaloo? I’m still kind of nervous.” She looked down shyly and prodded a hoof lightly against the ground.
“Hmm, interestin’…go ahead, Scoots, tell me.”
The only thought which ran through Scootaloo’s mind was that of fleeing the scene before the two could figure out the situation for themselves. Sadly, her hooves were seemingly glued in place and her body stiff with fright.
“You can’t be that nervous. You’re the bravest pony here,” Sweetie Belle said in a rather insistent tone.
“Uh…um…uh,” the pegasus muttered, her eyes never opening, even for the slightest peek.
“How about ah go first?” Apple Bloom suggested impatiently. Scootaloo’s body shook furiously. She knew she had to scream out ‘no,’ but was unable. Only a dry, inaudible utter expelled from her half open mouth. “Me and Scootaloo…well, we’re datin’.”
“Wait, what?” Sweetie Belle shrieked. Her large green eyes looked as though they would soon burst out from their sockets. “What do you mean you and Scootaloo are dating? She’s mine!”
Scootaloo allowed her eyes to open just enough to see that Apple Bloom’s face had grown a deep red from anger, and then quickly slammed them shut once more. “What in the hay are you talkin’ about, Sweetie?”
“That’s what Scootaloo and I had to tell you…we’re the ones who are…d-dating!” the unicorn’s voice cracked and faltered as tears filled her eyes. “We were in the process of going on our first date, actually!” she then shrieked furiously.
“Oh yeah? Me and Scoots went on our first date yesterday!” Apple Bloom yelled back in a harsh tone.
“But yesterday, Scootaloo…I…who’s dating who?” Sweetie Belle whimpered and shook her head confusedly.
Apple Bloom turned her piercing gaze towards the only other filly who might have the answer; and was followed suit by Sweetie as she wiped away her tears and gave a rather ferocious sounding sniff. The accused suddenly burst into an uncontrollable fit of tears, implying that she was, in fact, guilty. Scootaloo tried her best not to look as though she was a complete and utterly sad fool, but the task seemed to grow harder and harder as she gasped for air through her sobs. She then attempted to wipe away the streams of saline tears as they passed between the crease of her muzzle and down over the edges of her lips. This only helped for a moment before the warm, tickling streams returned with even greater force than before. After a long bout of silence, she hoped that the two fillies had somehow disappeared. Perhaps it was just another nightmare and she still lay in the comforting warmth of her bed.
As Scootaloo opened her eyes with hesitation, she realized that this truly was reality, and that she must say something in hopes of repairing the quickly deteriorating situation. “I’m really sorry…” she forced out painfully, her throat stinging as the words passed through it. “Applebloom, you asked first…but when I was heading home…” she paused to inhale the liquefied snot which trickled down the face of her snout. “I…Sweetie saw me…and then she told me that she, well, that she liked me. I just couldn’t say no…and I guess I sort of…kind of…liked her too…and ended up saying yes…sorry! I just…I just couldn’t make either of you two sad! A-and I love both of you, okay?” The pegasus sighed, knowing that her small sob story did nothing to justify her actions; and that the two fillies who fumed angrily before her knew this just as well.
“So, you were trying to date both of us?” Sweetie Belle shrieked before grinding her teeth with rage, a tear occasionally dripping from her eyes.
“That’s really not okay,” Apple Bloom growled, her eyes growing even more intense.
“I…it’s just that-” Scootaloo’s indecipherable mumbling was quickly interrupted by the now wholly irate Sweetie Belle.
“I don’t care about your excuses! They make no sense! You messed up and now you’ve got to fix it! You need to choose one of us, and that pony will be me, right?”
“You?” Apple Bloom snapped back ferociously. “Ah had her first! Why in hay would you get her? That’s just stupid!”
Sweetie Belle huffed loudly and a painfully angry grimace appeared on her face. “I would’ve asked her first if I wasn’t busy yesterday…or if I knew you were going to steal her from me!”
“Steal her? Ah just told ya, I asked her first! You’re the one doin’ the stealin’!”
“Girls, please!” Scootaloo yelled helplessly over the bickering in hopes it wouldn’t evolve into a full-fledged filly fight. “Calm down, okay?” she pleaded, rather shocked that the simple statement attracted their attention.
Sweetie Belle’s shrill response rang through the pegasus’ ears. “It’s your fault, Scootaloo! You’re the one who did this, all of this! You better make a decision before things get even worse than they already are!”
Scootaloo sucked in a deep breath of air as a previous thought invaded her mind. “This is gonna sound really bad…but hear me out, okay?” Although the looks upon the other ponies’ faces seemed as though they would rather not, their mouths were clamped shut with anticipation. “I really think I love both of you…and maybe, just maybe, you two might be interested in each other too? Can we, maybe, all three date each other…we’re the Cutie Mark Crusaders and we should stick together. This is just, sort of, the next level of that…but…it…” her voice slowly ambled to a halt, not exactly sure where her plea was headed.
“So you’re sayin’ all three of us should be dating each other? That’s just confusin’ and sounds wrong if ya ask me!” Apple Bloom grumbled.
“Yeah, that’s kind of sick, Scootaloo. I don’t even know how you came up with it, honestly,” Sweetie Belle agreed.
“I just-” the defeated filly’s pleas were drowned out by the unforgiving voice of Apple Bloom.
“Well, whatever it is…you made the wrong choice! I’m outta here!” With that, Apple Bloom whipped around and stomped off.
“Yeah…me too!” Sweetie squeaked and then gave a vigorous nod of agreement.
This only created backlash as the filly she began to follow came to a halt and glared back at her with a bitter scowl. “I don’t wanna see you neither! Back off, ya…you filly stealer!”
The shocked unicorn looked as though she was about to pounce at her friend, or perhaps former friend, but quickly stormed off in the opposite direction. Scootaloo’s untimely and would be savior finally appeared from the shop and watched shamefully as Sweetie Belle stormed towards her. “Oh, Sweetie, I do apologize for the wait, my hair was a fright and I…”
“It’s not that! The trip to the spa is off!” she screeched in response, causing Rarity to wince.
“Sweetie, what is the matter, dear?” she questioned as her small sister stomped passed her and through the entrance.
The pegasus intercepted a final, muffled scream as Rarity followed, closing the door behind her. “Scootaloo is what’s the matter! She really screwed up this time!”
Then, Scootaloo was alone, left to struggle through all the despair she had single-hoofedly created. She realized then that her lies may have not only jeopardized her own friendship, but the bond between the other two fillies as well. Did her imprudent, rather self-centered notions actually cause the destruction of the Cutie Mark Crusaders?
The filly turned away and plodded silently down the road, gazing down at her hooves, but not actually paying them any attention. She had no destination in particular, only wanting to walk in an attempt to escape the thoughts of her now, likely ruined, future. She let out a soft, broken sigh as another wave of tears traveled down her face and soaked through her fur. She wondered if this is what Rainbow meant when she said she was too young for the drama which was often associated with relationships. If relationships only made things worse, then what was their point? Although, it may have gone more smoothly if she had only told the truth right away. The complete bliss filled joy she had just experienced yesterday, and even the pain and worry which ensued after, was like a wonderful dream compared to what she now felt.
“Hey, kid!” she heard from behind, causing her to jump as the unwelcome sensation of fear joined the other undesirable emotions which coursed through her body. She couldn’t believe that Rainbow Dash had the nerve to startle her for kicks after what she had just experienced. She quickly whipped around to expel all her pint up emotions in the form of rage, but was suddenly locked into a warm and powerful embrace. “I take it my advice didn’t help, huh?” the pony asked, stroking a hoof against her small back.
“No, it wasn’t that, I really messed up big time…I-I mean they did…no, it was me, alright? Me, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom,” the filly admitted in a muffled voice as she nuzzled her snout into Rainbow’s strong chest. She attempted to stay strong in the embrace of her idol, but couldn’t hold back the occasional gasping sob which expelled humidly onto the pony’s cyan fur.
“Yeah, I knew that,” Rainbow responded in what Scootaloo perceived as an almost smug tone. “It may not seem like it, but I’m always looking out for ya. It’s sorta my duty as a sister, you know?”
The small pegasus broke away from her chest and looked up curiously. “Huh…w-what do you mean? You knew it was us three the whole time? You knew I was the filly with the problems?”
Rainbow smirked and gave the filly’s purple mane a light ruffling. “Yeah…it’s not like I was spying on you or anything. That’s not cool. I just kinda noticed, I guess. Saw you and AB the other day when I was rounding up clouds for the storm. I didn’t think much of it, just young love or whatever. It’s usual. Then when me and the team were finishing up the preparations, I saw you and Sweetie Belle. I knew something was up.”
Scootaloo’s already fractured heart, jumped painfully at the statement. “Wait…so that means you knew how much I screwed up….” she said in a weak whisper. “Did you see what happened today too?”
“Uh, yeah, I think most of the town heard it because of how loud your friends were,” Dash said with a laugh. This caused Scootaloo’s mouth to quiver in a combination of shame and embarrassment. “I was just kidding, trying to lighten the mood up a bit,” she quickly added, giving the small pegasus a squeeze.
“I don’t care about anypony else that saw it, I just care that you did,” she muttered, pushing herself away from the embrace and then turning as another fit of tears came over her. “You…you probably think I’m too dumb to be your sister now, huh? I just made, like, the worst decisions in the history of Equestria, even after you gave me all that advice. You hate me now, don’t you?”
Rainbow responded with a stubborn shake of her head and pinned the filly’s tail to the ground with her hoof before she could commence any form of escape. “Trust me, if I hated you, you’d know. Besides, everypony makes mistakes and I’m pretty sure the ones you made weren’t the worst. Were they bad? Yeah, but it happens.” She sighed, seemingly not making any ground with Scootaloo as she frowned dejectedly and attempted to tug her tail away. “Look, kid, even an awesomely awesome pony like me makes mistakes like that. Love is just confusing and nopony really knows how to deal with it.”
“Wait…you did stuff like this too?” Scootaloo asked, her frown subsiding.
“Of course I did,” the pegasus admitted confidently. “But…I’m pretty sure it wasn’t as bad as yours. Kissing two fillies in one day and going on a date; then going on another and ruining three friendships the next?” She quickly removed her hoof from Scootaloo’s tail and placed it on her mouth before she had a chance to respond. “Just kidding,” she said with a smirk. “I don’t even wanna tell you all the stuff I’ve done…it’s sorta, really embarrassing.” She then smiled and pulled away her hoof as a small laugh pushed against it. “What really matters is if you’re good enough to make up for it, and I’m pretty confident you will.”
A small frown once again appeared on the young pony’s face as she pondered the statement. “Yeah, of course I will…but how? They’re so ticked at me…What do I say?”
“Well, you gotta do the only thing you can do, apologize to both of them. After that, try to convince them to make up too. Listen, I know you don’t like to be cheesy and I know I don’t like to be either, but sometimes you sorta have to. When you can get them both together, make sure it’s both so you can all come to an understanding at once, you can’t try to play it cool or keep it short. You have to be sincere. You have to mean everything you say and let them know you’re actually sorry. Other than that, I don’t really have much for ya. Like I said yesterday, you know them way better than me and that means you know how to work with them too.”
“Sounds like a plan. Thanks, Rainbow Dash!” the filly exclaimed, a sense of profound determination coming over her. The plan seemed easy enough, and if Rainbow claimed it would work, then she was sure it would.
Her mentor leaned forward and wrapped her into another quick embrace. “It’s gonna be tough, and they won’t be willing to talk right away; but I know for a fact that you can do it.”
“Thanks,” Scootaloo said with a nod before pushing away and turning to make her leave.
“Oh and one more thing, give them the first day to steam off a bit. Don’t wanna push it too soon. Maybe get some sleep instead?” Rainbow Dash asked with a laugh, shaking her head at the groggy little pony. “Good luck, kid, but I know you won’t need it. Gotta go help clean up this mess…that I may or may not have caused. Told ya I make mistakes,” she gave Scootaloo a final wink as she hovered into the air. Before taking off, she spun around in a circle with her hooves pointed at the chaos caused by the storm around her as if to emphasize the point she was making.