//------------------------------//
// Lavender and Lupines 
// Story: Kicked 
// by Teq 
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Scootaloo sat at the end of the bed, Sweetie Belle cradled in her arms as they gently played with each other’s tongues. Scootaloo was relieved to once again feel the warmth of Sweetie’s body so close to hers, to have that sense of release as they kissed each other in a show of affection. Sweetie tugged gently on Scootaloo’s mane, prompting a slight smile; she loved it when Sweetie did that. There was a tickle shooting up into her jaw as Sweetie’s tongue glided over the roof of her mouth and Scootaloo pulled Sweetie in closer, wrapping her hooves around her waist to meet in the small of her back. Sweetie rubbed Scootaloo’s neck with her hooves in a comforting and very stimulating way and Scootaloo could feel herself getting more and more excited with every passing moment.

Ever so gently, she ran her hooves down over Sweetie’s hips and onto her rear which prompted a slight squeak from the unicorn. She carefully took Scootaloo’s hooves in hers and guided them back up to the small of her back, where Scootaloo once again waited with frustration. A few seconds later she broke their kiss. There was a brief moment of silence before Sweetie glanced off to one side, embarrassed, “Sorry, Scoots. I know you want us to move forward and… experiment, but I don’t think I’m ready for that just yet. Can we just keep going with the cuddling for now?” Scootaloo sighed inwardly. It was the same thing every time; she was never ready for that just yet. Scootaloo was desperate to experiment, try new things that she’d never had the opportunity to try before, but every time Sweetie shyly put her down and insisted that they should carry on as they were for the time being.

It was starting to get really frustrating. Initially, Scootaloo had tried letting Sweetie Belle lead, but it only took a few minutes for her to give up in fear that she wasn’t doing well enough. Scootaloo was fine with that, she preferred to be dominant. She’d once tried to entice Sweetie into laying down and allowing herself to relax whilst Scootaloo herself lay atop her, but she didn’t want to do that either. She’d even tried getting Sweetie to make out in different places, like in the kitchen or living room or on one occasion in Rarity’s bedroom when she wasn’t in, but Sweetie still didn’t feel comfortable. The only places she was willing to go to were her own bedroom and any room in the house with a lock on it. There were various other more kinky ideas that Scootaloo wanted to try, but never even considered mentioning them. She didn't want to frighten Sweetie, after all.

So far all they’d done was kiss and cuddle with each other, and maybe occasionally a little careful spooning when it came to lights out time, but that was it. Scootaloo couldn’t help looking a little crestfallen. Sweetie pouted and pulled Scootaloo closer into a tight embrace, “Aww, I’m sorry, Scoots. Someday. Just not now, okay? I don’t want to take things too quickly.” Too quickly? It had been a full fortnight and they’d done nothing even remotely new. It was always the same; sit down, cuddle, kiss, repeat. It was beginning to get a little repetitive. Scootaloo nodded gently.
“That’s okay. I understand. Just take your time.”
“Thanks, Scoots.”

They held the pose for a while until Sweetie lightly kissed her on the forehead and pushed herself off then end of the bed. Scootaloo fell backwards and stared up at the ceiling. Now she had to endure another day alone as Sweetie went to school. Sweetie had at one point tentatively asked if Scootaloo wanted to try and return to school to continue her education, but she’d outright refused to trust her on that one. School was one thing that she never wanted to return to. She didn’t need an education. She knew enough to do what she wanted to do, and that was fine by her. She didn’t need to learn any more. Besides, if there was one place that would send her crazy it would be school.

Sweetie had her coat on and her saddlebags over her back in seconds few. She lovingly kissed Scootaloo on the forehead, and whispered a quiet, “I’ll see you when I get home,” before heading for the door. She paused for a moment, poised to pull the door open. “Scoots?”
“Yea?” There was a brief pause.
“Love you.” Scootaloo felt her heart skip a beat.
“Love you too.” Sweetie smiled and pushed open the door, loudly announcing to Rarity that she was leaving for school. The mare called back, warning her to be careful and not to talk to anypony she didn’t know. This was followed by a groan and a loud, “I know, Rarity! You’ve only told me hundreds of times!” There was a loud slam, followed by silence as the front door was closed and Sweetie left, leaving Scootaloo, essentially, alone.

Rarity was still here, but she didn’t want to talk to Rarity. Sweetie had tried to ask Rarity to be nice to Scootaloo, and so she'd quietly voiced her concerns. She was scared of saying something that may tip Scootaloo back over the edge, so she’d just avoided her and let Sweetie do the talking and comforting. Apparently it also taught her good motherly skills. Scootaloo didn’t know at what age Sweetie wanted foals (or, indeed, if she wanted any at all), but even she thought that learning motherly skills at sixteen was a little early. Maybe that was just her opinion.

Scootaloo lay on her back, arms spread wide as she stared up at the ceiling. It was a boring ceiling. It was just a single matt colour, and not even a very interesting colour at that. Well, at least it wasn’t white. Oh, why did Sweetie have to be so shy about all of this? She was always so confident when it came to everything else. Maybe not ‘brave’ but definitely ‘confident’. And cautious. Was Scootaloo doing something wrong? Maybe her father had missed out a part when he’d sat her down and talked to her about relationships? Maybe she was going too fast? Maybe the problem wasn’t Sweetie, but her? She felt more stressed out now that she was in a relationship as opposed to when she was alone. Maybe she should call it off? No, that wasn’t an option at the moment. Ah! Why did this have to be so complicated?

She thumped the bed angrily. What was she missing? She’d tried her utmost to be comforting and caring and to give her friend the proper attention. Maybe it was the ambience? Maybe it was fear of the unknown? Maybe Sweetie was worried that Rarity would find out? They’d not told Sweetie’s older sister about their relationship. Granted, Scootaloo had suggested it, but Sweetie had refused outright. Apparently Rarity had never made her view clear when it came to their kind of relationship and Sweetie was worried that Rarity wouldn’t approve. Scootaloo was a little worried too, but not so much that she wasn’t prepared to make this the best relationship ever!

Was it that Sweetie was trying not to get too attached to her? Was it so that she could call of the relationship with as little damage caused as possible? Was she having doubts? That could have been it. Well, whatever the reason, Scootaloo was determined to make this work. She was determined to prove to Sweetie that she wasn’t going to be docile. She needed to take action and make this work, whatever the cost. But how? What could she do? She didn’t have much money of her own. All the money she used to have was in her bedside drawer at her parent’s house, but there was no way she was going back there. Sweetie had left her a little money in case she ever felt confident enough to go to town on her own, but it only amounted to about twenty bits that she’d accumulated over the course of the week. Scootaloo was reluctant to spend it, but if it meant igniting a flame between the two then she would go to any length.

She picked up the money, flung a coat over her back, wrapped a scarf around her neck and left the house, pocketing the coins as she did so. Now she felt alone. Alone and exposed. There was nopony else at her side now. She was going solo. She gulped. She took her first steps along the road to town, some of the first steps she’d taken alone in a while. She was slightly reassured by the knowledge that all of her enemies would be in school so her chances of bumping into them were slim. Still, it wasn’t uncommon for Diamond or Silver Spoon to skip classes every now and again to go to Sugar Cube Corner or similar places. Usually when they tried that, though, Pinkie would pick them up and take them back to school. Weekdays at Sugar Cube Corner were often parents’ days, where mothers and fathers could get together and relax.

Scootaloo stopped and thought. In the heat of her passion she’d forgotten to make any sort of plan. She had no idea what it was she wanted to do. She had to keep things low budget, so maybe just buy her a small present? No, no that wouldn’t work. Maybe she could book her a meal somewhere? No, that would be too expensive. She knew a store that she could buy candles from, maybe that could help with the ambience? Yea, that sounded like a plan. What else though? Candles on their own wouldn’t swoon her beloved Sweetie. She needed to get some flowers, but she couldn’t afford both candles and flowers. But she didn’t need to, she thought, as a smile began to paint her muzzle and a plan started to form.

After a few minutes, she had her plan ready for launch. She would buy some candles from a store in town. Then she would go to the park and find some flowers that she could bring back. With that accomplished, she would get busy making Sweetie’s room as visually stunning as possible. She’d have to steal the lighter from the kitchen but then she could set up the candles on as many surfaces as possible. She’d make sure to lay out Sweetie’s bed in a nice, crisp way. Then, flowers on the bed, scattered around in some sort of pattern. Blinds down, lights off so the only light was from the flickering of the candle flame. Air freshener from the kitchen downstairs if needed, and then some covert operations; she had to steal some perfume from Rarity.

This was the part of her plan she was most excited about. Step one: start something to get Rarity distracted. Alternatively, hope she's busy. That part would need some work though, but she could sort that out closer to the time. Step two: sneak in and find some decent scents. Step three: don perfume and hope for the best. Step four: make sure that Rarity doesn't find out. Oh, this was going to be perfect!

Scootaloo wasn’t a genius when it came to romance, and usually she’d stick her tongue out at this sort of thing. But whilst, on the outside, she liked to portray this tomboyish ruggedness, inside she was… well she was still a tomboy, but she was a cunning one. She looked deep into herself and tried to find what it was that would make her feel special. What could Sweetie do to make her feel like the most important mare in the world? Well, exactly what she’d just planned out. The only thing her plan lacked was two tickets to a Wonderbolts show hidden under the pillow, but that was a bit out of her price range.

Her plan finally decided on, she resumed her usual walking pace, ready for a flurry of activity. She walked past the first few buildings of town. That violinist was still there, busking in exactly the same spot. The town wasn’t as full as it was on the weekends. Most ponies were either at school or at work, so those who still milled around were either on break or unemployed. Two mares walked past her, talking about their foals’ progress in school. A stallion with a cigarette in his mouth talked to another stallion behind a stall, a 'closed' sign hanging down from the front. Scootaloo looked around for her candle shop, trying to spot the sign amongst the mass of other businesses striving to get themselves noticed.

She pushed past a few ponies who got in her way as she spotted the burning candle outside the shop. The store was called ‘Fire Starter’s’ and was, funnily enough, owned by a kind young stallion called Fire Starter. Despite sounding like an arsonist, the stallion was tall, lanky and un-intimidating. He had a coat of deep crimson and his mane was a messy wash of black, orange and bright yellow. His cutie mark depicted a sparking flint and steel and his eyes were a bright ruby red. He was the sort of stallion that, despite his underwhelming physical build, would stand out in large crowds for his vibrant colour scheme and flamboyant personality.

Scootaloo pushed the door to the shop open and made her way inside, closing the door behind her. The store was really just one large room with shelves along the walls and table in the middle. It was dark inside, with no lights or windows. The room was lit purely by candle light, which cast eccentric shadows over the walls and surfaces, and making anypony who entered look impressive and mystical. This was the sort of atmosphere Scootaloo was going for, and she hoped that Fire Starter would help her to do so.

All the shelves were stacked with candles of various sizes and colours, from ordinary white to a brilliant pink. Every so often one of them would be lit and burning slowly, illuminating a small space around it and adding the vague, acrid stench of light smoke to the air. But the air was more heavily filled with the scent of cinnamon, which was being given off by a slowly burning candle on the counter. It was a delicious scent and it was part of what made Scootaloo love this place. She scanned the shelves and tables, looking for the candles that would really set the mood.

She bumped into Fire Starter crouching down and lighting another candle on the bottom shelf. He was an earth pony, and clutched in his teeth a long pistol like lighter which helped him light candles in more hard to reach areas. The stallion dropped the lighter into a pocket of his loosely fitting jacket and smiled at her, “Good morning. How can I help?” Scootaloo smiled back briefly before continuing.
“I’m looking to buy some candles.”
“I could’ve guessed that! Now what precisely do you need? I can set any mood in any surrounding, some come on, tell me what needs done.”
“Well,” Scootaloo took a deep breath of cinnamon scented air. “I want to make my partner loosen up a bit so sheeeeee,” she held that sound for a while. “He… will be more willing to try a few new things with me. Oh wow, I’m embarrassed to talk about this to you.”
“Don’t be. This sort of thing is nothing new to me. Well, candles are perfect for any romantic setting. So, first thing to know is what colour is the room? What’s the general paint scheme?”
“I think the first thing to know is how much this’ll cost.”
“How much do you have?”
“About twenty bits.”

Fire Starter sucked air in between his teeth. Scootaloo cringed slightly, fearing that the stallion would turn her away. Fire Starter relaxed and smiled his usual smile before putting her fears to rest, “Well, it may be a little tight, but I’ll see what I can do. So, what colour’s the room?”
“It’s sort of… I dunno, white and pink and purple and stuff.”
“White and pink and purple and stuff? This is your room I trust? Anyway, I think that for that scheme you should be going for a purpley candle. If the room’s particularly large then I recommend some larger, thinner candles but if it’s smaller than go for some shorter, broader ones.”
“I dunno, it’s fairly large,” Scootaloo absent-mindedly stroked her foreleg nervously. She felt awkward talking to Fire Starter about this, but his advice could be invaluable if it meant the difference between success and failure.

“Well, how about these?” Fire Starter pointed out a small collection of six candles, all about the same size with a decent height. Scootaloo looked them over, picking one up in her hooves and rolling it around. Fire Starter continued, “Unless you want some scented ones, which opens up a lot more doors but will cost you a little more.”
“These’ll do fine I think. How much for all six?”
“Well, usually I’d charge four bits each, but I could sell them to you for three bits each and still make a respectable profit. That would be a total of eighteen bits for the lot.”
“Sounds good,” Scootaloo took the money out of her pocket and counted the bits out, handing them to Fire Starter who accepted them with a smile.
“Would you like me to box those up for you?”
“I suppose.” Scootaloo hadn’t really considered that. She’d not brought any saddlebags and hadn’t been thinking about the need to carry anything. Would she be charged extra for it?

Turns out she wouldn’t, and Fire Starter packed the six candles into a small black box with the business’ logo emblazoned on the top. Scootaloo hastened to fit the box under her (slightly under developed) wing, keeping it clamped tightly against her body. With the candles purchased, she thanked Fire Starter for his time and he in turn flashed her another charming smile. Scootaloo left the shop and was once again blinded by the glare of the sun. By comparison, it was quite dark in the shop and Scootaloo wondered how Fire Starter coped with the constant change of brightness. Maybe he just left the shop late at night and returned in early morning. That would be a depressing existence; never seeing the sun. Scootaloo felt like there was some irony in that, but ignored it and set off for the park.

***

It was an uneventful journey by all accounts. She passed some ponies, she ignored them. She was pretty much tunnel visioning on getting this plan carried out before Sweetie got back from school. It was midday, and Sweetie would finish school at half past three. She had three and a half hours to get everything perfect, but she wasn’t really feeling any pressure. She had plenty of time. She was casually strolling down the path in the park, scanning for flowers that she thought would fit. She wanted to keep with the purple theme that Fire Starter had suggested, so looked around for purple plants that she thought looked nice. She found some particularly nice smelling lavenders and another plant that looked like lavender but smelled a little different and was a little more... flowery. She didn’t know which to take, so she took both.

With all of her gathering done, all that was left to do was prepare. She planned ahead; what needed done first? Well, she needed to make Sweetie’s bed for her. That would take some time. She would have to strategically position the candles, but she could refrain from lighting them until Sweetie got home. What she was most excited about was her covert operation. She wasn’t sure how she would do it, but she was looking forward to trying. This was going to be so perfect!

She let herself back into the Boutique, eliciting a slight jingle from a bell above the door. Rarity came speeding into the room, glasses resting on the bridge of her nose and a measuring tape around her neck, “Welcome to Carousel Boutique! Latest and best fashion in Ponyville, how may I help you?”
“Well I’m flattered, but there’s no need.” Scootaloo stood shyly in the doorway as Rarity looked a little disappointed.
“Oh. Scootaloo, uh. Sorry, darling, must hurry. I’ve got… work to do.” The prim white unicorn immediately made herself scarce, scurrying back to her work room to continue assembling her latest outfit which consisted of… something. Scootaloo honestly had no idea. Fashion wasn’t really her thing. But that was irrelevant now, because she had to focus on preparing for Sweetie Belle’s return.

She stole the lighter from the cabinet in the kitchen (which was left unlocked for some reason) and took it and her candles and her flowers to Sweetie’s room, where she dumped them on the cabinet and set about making Sweetie’s bed. Let’s see, how did you do this again? Line those up nicely, straighten that out, iron that flat. Oh dear, she’d not done this in a while. Okay, pull the duvet down over the sides and tuck it in under the mattress like that, yes, that looked good. Oh, wait, fold the top over first, then tuck it under. Right, that was good. Sweetie would be impressed. Hopefully.

Right, now she had to spread these flowers about. Scootaloo was no florist, but she liked to think she knew what looked cool. Maybe… line those up like that? No, that looked awful. Okay, try it like that then? No, that was worse. Aw, screw it. Scootaloo gathered up all of the purple flowers and hurled them over the bed, letting them fall randomly and smiling. Yes, that looked good. A little messy perhaps, but that was her style. She ran a hoof through her mane as she brought herself to her next task. She opened the box of candles she'd bought from Fire Starter’s and took one of the purple lumps of wax out.

Rolling the candle around in her hooves, she thought over where to place it. Scootaloo pulled the blinds shut and looked the room over a few times. Oh dear, this was harder than it looked. Right, that definitely needs to go there on the bedside table. But now it looked unbalanced, so this next one should go on the other side. That looked good, on to the third one. That could go on top of the cabinet like that, to cast a more general glow. Scootaloo hoped that this would look good. Three down, three to go. She thought back to her own house, despite how much it hurt. Her mother had liked candles, but it wasn’t as much of an obsession, unlike her white fetish. Actually, that was how Scootaloo had been introduced to Fire Starter.

Now, her mother always liked to have at least one pair of candles together somewhere, usually off to one side. Scootaloo looked over at Sweetie’s desk. Two on the left, one on the right, bam! Now that looked cool! Now where to hide the box? She ultimately decided to slide it under Sweetie’s bed, out of sight.

Okay, so now the room looked nice. She glanced at the clock slowly ticking away on Sweetie’s bedside. Oh dear, she’d already wasted an hour and a half of her precious preparation time. No more time for messing about with candles, time to get her stealth on!

She crept down the corridors of the house, listening for Rarity. She expected her to be in her work room, and so she was, hard at work on her new line of fashion. The golden opportunity for Scootaloo. Ever so carefully she snuck into Rarity’s bedroom and began to search for Rarity’s perfume. She was bound to have some, a mare of her standards, but where did she keep it? Scootaloo was checking in every drawer in the desk and in every cabinet but Rarity had done a good job of keeping it hidden. Scootaloo even looked under Rarity’s bed at one point, and in her clothes drawer (which had led to some pretty astonishing things that Scootaloo wished she could un-see).

At last, hidden in a small corner of her bottom clothes drawer, Scootaloo had found a collection of small glass bottles. She wasn’t exactly the person of reference when it came to perfume, but if it smelt nice to her then surely it would smell nice to Sweetie Belle? That was the plan anyway. She tried various scents, spraying them onto her foreleg before inhaling each one. Some were more pleasant than others, but Scootaloo didn’t want anything too powerful. She didn’t want to overwhelm Sweetie, just make her go, “Oh, Scootaloo, you smell nice. Let’s aggressively make out with each other!” Or something along those lines, anyway.

She eventually decided on a spray that she felt complimented the lavenders she’d found earlier. It was quite a floral scent, but it wasn’t especially strong and was actually quite relaxing. Scootaloo sprayed her neck with the stuff (and once inadvertently sprayed herself in the face, causing her eyes to sting badly and forcing her to cough and splutter), and then hastily replaced all of the bottles and left the room, just as she heard Rarity start packing up for the day.

She was ready. She was ready to give Sweetie the pleasant surprise of her life! This had to go well. It wasn’t exactly fine dining up in Canterlot, but it was the thought that counted. She told herself. Again and again. Now began the nervous wait for Sweetie to return. Minutes slowly and painfully ticked by as Scootaloo sat on the bed, swinging her legs and thinking of nothing but how desperate she probably looked. This stuff wasn’t exactly her forte, so it probably wasn’t up to Sweetie’s standards. Maybe she’d hate it? What happened if she really, strongly hated it? Scootaloo’d have wasted good money and she’d look like a fool. She’d look like a fool in front of the only pony who still cared for her. That was the last thing she wanted.

Half an hour left to go. She still had time to pack everything away. She still had time to hide the candles, throw the flowers out the window, mess up Sweetie’s bed and have a shower before she got back, right? Would the scent come off with a shower? How long would it last? Was it too potent? Maybe she’d chosen poorly? Did it clash too much with everything else? Were the candles the wrong colour, the wrong size or the wrong shape? Should she have scraped together a few extra bits and gone for scented? What were half of these flowers on Sweetie’s bed? Where they poisonous? Oh no, what if they were? What if Sweetie was allergic to them? Oh no, oh no, this was a bad idea. This was a very bad idea! Why had she done this?

She was about to get up and begin fixing things when a bell jingle jangled merrily. It seemed distant and Scootaloo’s vision suddenly tunnelled on the door. Her heart skipped a beat when she heard that soft, sweet voice, “Rarity! I’m home! Where’s Scootaloo?”
“I haven’t a clue, darling. I trust you had a good day. Oh, Sweetie, have you been using my perfume again?”
“No, why?”
“It’s just there’s an odd scent in my room and it smells rather suspiciously like one of my perfumes.”
"Nope. Sorry. I can't help you there."

The conversation continued, but Scootaloo had zoned out. She half lay, half threw herself onto the bed, ready for Sweetie when she came in. Oh, wait, the candles! She leapt to her hooves again and in a blur of orange and purple, she had all the candles lit and burning softly. She had to admit, the room did look quite impressive in the candle light. But now wasn’t the time for that! She hurled the lighter into a drawer and again resumed her position on the bed. She tried to lay in what she hoped was an attractive manner. Hey, in for a penny in for a pound. If she was going to look stupid, she may as well do it right.

Hoofsteps. Hoofsteps headed this way. No chance to change her mind now, she just had to hope that this worked! Silence for a moment, then Sweetie called out, “Scootaloo? Hey, Scoots, where are you?” The door handle was beginning to turn. Scootaloo swallowed audibly. This was such a bad idea. A faint crack of light. Was that a white hoof? Was that a confused looking eyes peering round the door frame? Was the door now open wide enough for her to slip through? Was she now standing in the room, the door shut behind her as she gawped at the mess Scootaloo had made of a seduction attempt?

Sweetie stood there in silence. The candles, the bed, the flowers, the scent, the Scootaloo. So much purple! She was shocked. No, shocked wasn’t quite the right word; she was surprised. Had Scootaloo done all this? All by herself? There was a strange glint in Scootaloo’s eyes. Sweetie put her face close to a candle, the flickering flame making her eyes shimmer and highlighting the perfect contours of her face. The heat forced her away. She looked at the beautifully made bed, upon which was a light coating of fresh lavenders and lupines. She could pick up their heady, aromatic scent. Her eyes traced from the foot of the bed upwards. She followed Scootaloo’s tail that lay limp, along it up to her... attractive… flank, then up over her slender belly, over her torso, the length of her neck to her face which had drawn a little closer, her eyes locking her in a stare that she couldn’t break. Her mane was strewn on her head in a messy and unkempt manner, and oh what a pleasant scent was coming off her.

Sweetie clambered onto the bed next to Scootaloo, wrapping both her hooves around her marefriend’s neck, pulling her close. She pressed her muzzle into Scootaloo’s neck, sniffing deeply at the wonderful aroma that she carried. Tentatively she kissed Scootaloo on the neck, gently pressing her lips against her flesh. Scootaloo trembled. Had it worked? Was this it working? Sweetie gently poked out her tongue and began to slowly run it up the length of Scootaloo’s neck, before coming to her chin and softly pecking her on the cheek.

Scootaloo was about to make a move of her own, but before she could manage it Sweetie pushed her lips onto hers and held them there, pulling Scootaloo closer and closer until there was nothing separating their bodies. Sweetie was being a lot more aggressive than usual, but Scootaloo didn’t mind. She kind of liked it. She kind of liked to have somepony lead her and tell her what to do. Usually she resented such authority, but now she was embracing it as Sweetie began to wrap her tongue around Scootaloo’s.

With one of her hooves, Sweetie lightly applied pressure to Scootaloo’s sternum, gently trying to push her back, but keeping her lips in constant contact. Scootaloo slowly began to fall back and Sweetie took a more dominating position above Scootaloo, asserting her control over her by tugging gently on her mane and massaging one hoof over her belly. Scootaloo had never felt such a feeling of relief and euphoria. What Sweetie was doing was heavenly. Scootaloo could feel Sweetie grab more tightly onto her mane, pulling harder and slowly beginning to rest her body on top of hers, eliciting a slight squeak from both parties.

Scootaloo locked her hooves together in the small of Sweetie’s back, and Sweetie herself brought both of her hooves down, running them gently along Scootaloo’s torso and midriff until they rested on her hips, carefully moving down a little further to rub against Scootaloo’s rear. Scootaloo was ready to scream with relief. At long last Sweetie was beginning to experiment and take control, and all it took was some candles and some likely very expensive perfume.

For minutes on end they held their pose, passion and the desire to experiment bringing them closer than they had ever been before. Scootaloo felt like soft clay in Sweetie’s hooves, and she enjoyed that feeling. It felt like there was somepony there to guide her, to show her the way. Sweetie was that somepony that hadn’t given up on her. She still cared, and she still wanted Scootaloo to be happy. Scootaloo couldn’t be happier as she lay here holding Sweetie in a tight embrace, tearing up slightly as she was enveloped by a feeling she’d not known for quite some time. Love. Pure, unadulterated love. It warmed her heart and made her want to shout to the heavens. She didn’t care what anypony thought of her anymore because she had love, and that was more than enough for her.

And so she began to weep. And Sweetie pulled her closer, cradling her in those hooves that would never let her go. Now she could, after so much effort, begin to recover.

End.