//------------------------------// // Ch2. The Beginning Of War // Story: Sweethearts And Admirers // by DraconicAggressiveLove //------------------------------// The next day... "Class is dismiss! Have a good day, everypony!" Appebloom watched the other foals, dash out of the classroom, as she sneaked away from her desk, trying to blend in with the crowd. So she wouldn't have to clean up the school barn, today. But sadly for the young country filly, Cheerilee spotted her in a flash, as the adult earth-pony, stood in her way from the outside world, called ponyville and Equestria. "Not so fast, Applebloom! Your going to serve your punishment with everypony, else! Now, go back to your seat or you rather have me, call your big sister Applejack and big brother Big Mac?" Cheerilee had a stern tone in her voice, as she was sending Applebloom a glare not to try any funny business. Applebloom rolled her eyes, returning to her seat and looking over to her right to only see an unhappy Scootaloo, with her wings all tucked in, tightly. With Sweetie Belle on her left, was hitting her head on the desk, over and over in boredom. While Dinky however, was wiggling her little tail in her seat, while the little filly waited for their punishment to start. As the other pegasus, Rumble, was tapping his left hoof on his desk as he kept his eyes on the board. Cheerilee grabbed some buckets full of water with yellow sponges in the buckets, as she also got some brooms, and chalkboard erasers. "Sweetie Belle, you swept the floor with these two brooms. While Scootaloo will clean off the desks with the buckets of water and sponges." Applebloom raised her hoof in the air. "Yes, Applebloom?" "What are me and Rumble, suppose to do?" "You two will be cleaning off the chalk board" The two foals nodded their heads, with everypony getting out of there seats except for Dinky who sat their for a few minutes before Cheerilee finally noticed the filly. "I totally forgot about you, Dinky! You will be helping Scootaloo with cleaning off the desks and when your done with that, Dinky. You can help me sort out some files and papers." Dinky let out a smile before she joined Scootaloo at cleaning off the desks, with the sounds of mumbling could be heard under Scootaloo's breath. "Ugh, this is boring! I should be outside with Rainbowdash than sitting here, cleaning off a desk! Today, was the day that I was supposed to get flying lessons from Rainbowdash!" The orange pegasus whined, while she rubbing the yellow sponge on top of a desk. Cheerilee sat down at her desk, the mare started sorting around a large pile of paperwork and files at her desk. Applebloom grumbled, looking over to Rumble who was busy, erasing some stuff on the chalkboard that was about today's lesson. She looked at Sweetie Belle to only see the white unicorn, sweeping the floor near Ms. Cheerilee's desk. Applebloom turned her attention back to Rumble, as her eyes changed from normal to smitten eyes. The filly in seconds, started to stare at the colt like a lovesick pigeon or duck. She slowly rubbed the eraser on the board while she continued to stare at him, with Rumble not even noticing the little filly that was staring at him and was also starting to drool a little. But when Rumble turned around, he jumped a little at the sight of Applebloom who surprisingly didn't look the other way, to avoid making things, awkward between them. "Um...hiya?" "Hiya, Rumble!" Applebloom rubbed the back of neck, while Rumble flapped his wings, sending a little breeze in her mane. "It sucks that we have to clean up the abandon shed in Sweet Apple Acres in the south field where all of thosefruit bats live in. Just the thought of them, get me the creeps!" The colt shivered at the thought of the little monsters, coming at him. It just made him even more afraid of them. Applebloom did a raised eyebrow kinda look, at Rumble when he shivered. "Rumble are you afraid of a bunch of tiny fruit bats? Out of all ponies ah would had thought be afraid of them, but you on the other hoof is something ah didn't expect. Coming from the colt who is so-called 'The bravest pegasus colt, alive!'." He gulped, dropping the eraser in his hoof by the board, while the sounds of chuckling could be heard from the sweeping Sweetie Belle. Applebloom putted a hoof over her mouth, trying her best not to laugh at the colt's fear "Go ahead and laugh." "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make fun of yea!" "No its perfectly, alright. Just laugh at my fear, everypony does it." The earth-pony putted her right hoof on his shoulder, looking him, dead in the eye. "I'm sorry for acting rude about something you fear, Rumble. As it wasn't very classy for a young lady like myself to do. So, do you forgive me or not?" "I forgive you. Are you happy now?" "No." Before Rumble could response to her, Applebloom did something of the unexpected as her and Rumble's lips were touching. Making a kiss, with Sweetie Belle dropping her broom and everypony else, dropping whatever they were doing and staring at the two foals. When Applebloom pulled away from Rumble's lips, he was speechless and so was everypony else in the classroom. "Now, I forgive you." A flash of orange dashed across the room, pushing Applebloom away from the colt as it was nopony other than Scootaloo. Who had her wings, out wide as the filly had an agitated look on her face, while she looked at Applebloom's direction. With the country filly's eyes turning normal. Applebloom stood up on all fours, standing up tall and proud and sending the same look at her pegasus challenger. Rumble came into the middle of the two fillies that were fighting over him. "Woah Woah! Ladies, we can easily settle this if we just sat down and talk, reasonably with each other!" Both the fillies let out a huff with Cheerilee also getting between the two fillies. "I want you two fillies to stop this at once or else, you rather have me, talk to your parents on a way to stop this?" Applebloom went to the other side of the room, whipping her tail to the side and side in the process, as Cheerilee looked up at the clock. As it was already time for the foals to go home. With the sounds of knocks could be heard at the door, as the mare opened the door to only have the foals come dashing to their parents. Rumble and Applebloom lay by one of the many apple trees of Sweet Apple Acres, as they stayed cool in the tree's refreshen shade. Applebloom had her hind left leg on top of her other leg with her front hooves being behind her neck while she lay next to Rumble, with one piece of wheat in her mouth. As the filly was barely holding all of it in her mouth. "It's too bad that Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Dinky, bailed on us. When we were about to clean the abandon shed." "They are just a bunch of cowards who can't deal with a bit of dirt on their hooves and some sweat in their manes!" "Says the filly who bailed on me in the past, on multiple times in the past!" "I have never bailed on you! Name one time I bailed on you, Rumble!" The colt smirked at her, with Applebloom's cheeks becoming just slightly red with a bit of crimson, also. "The time when I asked you to help me raise money to help safe, that fancy restaurant, that I liked so munch. But when the event started, everypony showed up expect for you and Scootaloo. So don't be telling me that you didn't bailed on me!" Applebloom rolled her eyes playfully, turning her direction to the large young adult purple and green scaled, male dragon. Coming their direction. "Hiya, Spike!" She waved at the almost breathless dragon, with his long wings, spread out, wide. "Applebloom have you seen your sister Applejack by any chances?" Spike asked the filly, finally catching his breath. "Yep. She right behind ya, Spike." The dragon turned around to only see the country mare herself, Applejack. "Oh hi, AJ! I was just wondering what the Apple family is cooking for dinner, tonight?" Applejack sat by the dragon's side, nuzzling Spike by his side, a bit. "Ah don't know what Granny Smith is making today, but Applebloom won't you invite Rumble and his brother?" Applebloom looked over at Rumble, who was slightly blushing at the offer as all eyes were on him. "What ya say Rumble? Do y'all want to stay over for dinner with my family?" "Sure! As I will ask my brother Thunderlane if it's alright with him." They nodded their heads, with everypony and Spike padding along on their way to the barn. "But is it kinda weird that we kissed and your already asking me over for dinner with your family? Isn't that what ponies do when they are dating each other or want to be married to each other?" Applejack froze in her tracks looking over at her little sister. "WHAT KISS!?" "I will tell you about it later, after dinner, Applejack." The two foals laughed, with Applebloom and Rumble, walking side by side. With Spike nudging his shocked marefriend on their way to the barn. * * * "Why are we even here, Sweetie Belle!" "You need to do something fun to get over your jealousy." Scootaloo folded her arms, while she sat down on the mat that was on top of the stairs. While, Sweetie Belle knocked on the door of Button Mash's house. And the gamer colt, Button Mash appeared behind the door, smiling at Sweetie Belle as it soon faded away when he saw the orange pegasus filly. "Um Sweetie Belle, why is Scootaloo with us...?" Sweetie Belle leaped over to the colt, with the filly began to whisper into his left ear. "I will explain later, once we get inside, Button." He nodded, his head in agreement with the three foals, walking inside. After a few minutes, after Sweetie Belle explained to Button Mash, why Scootaloo was tagging along on their annual gaming session. The three of them were sitting at the kitchen. Button Mash gotten up from his seat, and heading for his room and coming back with some gameboys, and some other type of games, also. "Ugh, this is boring!?" Scootaloo pouted in her seat, glaring at the white unicorn that was next to her at the table. "How about we get you an account on Ponycraft, like me and Button Mash." "What is Ponycraft?" The pegasus asked them, with the unicorn and earth-pony looking at each other for a moment and then back at the orange filly. "Ponycraft is a game where you dig (mine) and build (craft) different kinds of 3D blocks within a large world of varying terrains and habitats to explore. In this world the sun rises and sets as you go about your work, gathering materials and making tools. There is rain and the occasional lightning storm, and animals that you can tame, farm to make food for yourself. Depending on which mode you're playing in, you might also need to fight for your survival against hunger, danger and bad guys." Button Mash and Sweetie Belle said at the same time, with Scootaloo in seconds, grabbing Sweetie Belle's laptop that was in her saddlebag. Button Mash, also, grabbed his laptop from his room and setting it on the table. The two gamers helped Scootaloo with setting herself an account on Ponycraft with only one step left before the filly joined the game as a Ponycraft member. As that little step was her, username. "What should my username, be?" Scootaloo turn her attention to the gamers who let out a shrug. Until there were the sounds of loud footsteps, coming their way with Button Mash putting his face on the table, leaving the two fillies with an confused look on their faces. At what the sounds, was. "I HAVE AN PERFECT USERNAME IDEA FOR YOUR PONYCRAFT ACCOUNT!", said a loud voice. A brown coated, two-tone cream maned and tailed earth-pony colt, that looked to be at least sixteen years old, by the looks of it. "Get out of here, Gabson!" Button mash shouted at his older brother, with the older colt messing up, his two-tone orange mane, up. The older colt sat down by Button Mash, as the teenage colt had a blue gamecube as his cutie mark with gaming being something that ran in the family. "So what is your idea for my username?" "Your username should be Button Mash's Love or how about Queen Mash?" Scootaloo blushed in seconds at the suggestions with her and Button Mash avoiding each other's gazes. "I think her username should be ScootalooIsNumberOne. I think it fits her better than your silly, suggestions." Scootaloo nodded in agreement, typing in the username suggestion, and flappings her wings in joy when she was done. "ALIGHT LET'S START GAMING!" Gabson shouted, with the three foals nodding their heads in agreement. "BUTTON MASH AND GABSON CIRCUIT MASH, WHAT IS GOING ON IN THERE!" The two brothers' mother shouted loudly, her voice coming from her bedroom. The almost old mare already had a headache with her oldest son's shouting all the time. Scootaloo let out an awkward whistle, Sweetie Belle looked at the embarrassed Button Mash as she putted her hoof on his head, smiling at the colt. "Aww..." Sweetie Belle also blushed in embarrassment at Gabson's comment about her hoof on Button's head. "Alright! Let's start playing some Ponycraft before I decide to get out of here!" Sweetie Belle nodded, her hoof getting off Button's head. * * * Little old Pipsqueak was struggling to get free from Dinky's yellow magic aura that was all around his tail. "Stop struggling, Pip! Your making it harder for me to keep a hold of your tail! As you promised me that you will have a sleepover at my house, if I could make Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, look like fools in front of the entire class!" He let out a sigh, giving in to his unicorn crush. "That's munch, better." We the two foals finally made it to the Whooves family's cottage, Dinky knocked on the door with a lavender blue coat, jasmine maned and tailed mare, with a lemon chiffon streak, orchid eyes and a cutie mark of a cloud covering a sun. Pipsqueak looked up at the pegasus mare, she looked quite familiar to the pinto earth-pony colt. "Why, hello there!" The mare said, hugging Dinky, tightly with her hooves. When the pegasus was done hugging her little niece, she turned her gaze on Pipsqueak who tail was still under the grip of Dinky's magic aura. "So you must be that colt, Pipsqueak, that my little niece has been talking about the past week, about you coming over to the our cottage for a sleepover." "She has?" Pipsqueak looked over at Dinky who was rubbing the back of her neck, awkwardly. The colt swear he could see a tiny red patches on her cheeks, that looked like she was blushing a bit at the situation. "Alright, that enough, Auntie Cloudkicker!" "Okay, I will quit embarrassing you and your little 'coltfriend' for now." "Auntie Cloudkicker, can you please close the door before I freeze to death, in here!", said a voice. With a female unicorn with a pink coat, a violet mane and tail with a floral lavender streak, amethyst eyes, and a cutie mark of three brilliant-cut diamonds, on her pink flank. Appearing by the older pegasus. "Amethyst Sparkler Star Whooves! Where are your manners!" Cloudkicker slapped the unicorn on her head, with the young adult unicorn rubbing her now sore head. "Do you ever get tired of slapping aside my head, Auntie Cloudkicker!?" "Actually, I never get tired of slapping some good sense into that empty head of yours!" Amethyst gave the older mare a glare with the pegasus just simply, rolling her eyes at her older niece's annoyance. "Whatever. Just let Dinky and her Trottingham coltfriend, inside before dad sees him and goes all overprotective mode on her." "Like the time when you have that special coltfriend by the name of Comet..., it was Comet something. Oh what was his name, Sparkler?" Amethyst's cheeks were becoming super crimson, just the thought of her coltfriend made her blush like a little school filly, all over, again. "His name is Comet Tail, Auntie Cloudkicker." "Oh yeah, that was his name! Isn't he your ex-coltfriend, now?" "No. My ex-coltfriend is Notesworthy with Comet Tail being my current special somepony who I plan on marrying, later in the future." And with that, the pink unicorn padded off in the house with Cloudkicker, chuckling under her breath. "Alright, you two! C'mon, in!" Dinky followed after her aunt with Pip, lagging behind with his tail still being dragged around like a rag doll. When they finally made it inside, Dinky let go of Pipsqueak's tail with the colt, slowly getting up on all fours, with Dinky giving his a quick nuzzle by his side. The colt froze at the quick nuzzling from the filly, he was a bit surprised by Dinky's quick actions. Pip looked down at the wooden floor, avoiding Dinky's lovely bright smile. Cloudkicker looked at the two foals, putting her right hoof over her mouth with her older niece, Sparkler, doing the same. While the two mares try to hold in their chuckles and giggles. But there was the sudden sounds of footsteps, rushing down the stairs with a spiky brown maned and tailed stallion, leaping up in the air and hugging Dinky in his hooves. "DINKY!" The stallion shouted, nuzzling the little unicorn with Dinky, laughing and wrapping her hooves, tightly around his neck. And also, giving a nuzzle to 'The Doctor'. With a grey pegasus mare flying after him, with a set of 'derped' yellow eyes. The grey mare stopped in her tracks when she saw the familiar pinto colt from their family vacation at Trottingham. She grabbed Pipsqueak in her hooves, flapping her wings as she started to fly in the air. "LIL' PIPPY!" "It's nice to see you again, Ma'am Derpy!" Pipsqueak said, while trying his best, not to pass out with Derpy's strong hugging. "This is going to be a long sleepover..." * * * "Goodbye, and have a safe walk, home!" Gabson waved goodbye to Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, with Button Mash also waving goodbye to the two fillies. "See ya, later!" The door closed with Scootaloo trying to catch up to Sweetie Belle, who was up ahead of her on the path. "Hey, Sweetie belle!" "Yeah, Scootaloo?" "I just remembered that I left something at Button Mash's house, just wait here while I go get it." Sweetie nodded her head. The orange pegasus dashing back to the door, knocking on the wooden door with Button Mash, appearing in front of her. "Um, hello again, Scootaloo..." "I just forgot something in your house." "Oh, alright. Just come in and get it." She putted her right hoof on his left hoof, making Button Mash, freeze in place. "What are you doing..?" "I know this may be sudden and maybe make things, awkward between us. And plus, I don't do this type of girly or icky stuff, but I'm just going to do this, for once.." He looked at her with wide eyes, bracing himself for the worse. She wrapped her front hooves, around his neck, her wings spreading out, wide. As Scootaloo in seconds had her lips on Button Mash's lips, with the two foals not pulling away at anytime. But the two didn't notice the sounds of footsteps, coming their direction with the two foals, spreading in seconds when they finally noticed the white unicorn. "Um, Sweetie Belle... it's not what it looks like..." They both said. Sweetie Belle marched up to the two foals, pushing the pegasus to the bushes and wrapping her front hooves around Button Mash's neck and kissing the gamer pony in seconds. With the kiss only lasting a few minutes before Sweetie Belle broke away from his lips. The unicorn putted her left hoof on his lips before he could say something, with Button's mom, walking in on the colt and filly. She let out a fake cough, making Sweetie Belle, let out an innocent smile at her before she grabbed Scootaloo and padded off. "Button Mash, I think it's time we had the talk about the birds and the bees." * * * In the Apple family's barn, the Apple family was all sat down at the kitchen table with their two pegasus guests, Thunderlane, Rumble and Spike. With the young adult pegasus stallion, having his whole face, covered with cherry apple pie crumbs. Rumble shook his head at his brother in embarrassment, with a little earth-pony filly having her eyes, locked on him. Applejack looked over at her little sister, noticing the filly, hadn't even took a bite out of her cherry apple pie. "What with ya Applebloom? You haven't even took a bite out of ya, cherry pie?" Applebloom looked away from the colt, now looking at her big sister, nervously. "I'm just not hungry, that's all!" Before Applejack could really find out what was wrong with her little sister, she felt a sudden scaly tail, up against her side. Which was slowly making its way to her flank, she gave Spike a glare with the playfully dragon, sending her a smirk. Making the farmer mare, giggle under her breath, putting her front hooves on her mouth. * * * Their was a knock on Dinky's door of her room. Dinky slowly opened her eyes as it was already past, twelve o'clock in the night with everypony all tucked in, in their comfy beds. She raised her head with the knocking only becoming louder and louder. "Go away, dad! I'm trying to go asleep, here!" She shrieked on the top of her lungs with the knocking, to her pleasure, had stopped. "It's me, Pipsqueak." She let out a sigh, leaping from her yellow bed, while she carried one of her white pillows with her magic as she walked over to the door. She opened the door, with the pinto colt having a white pillow in his mouth and a red and yellow blanket over his back. Dinky had a raised eyebrow expression on her face, Pisqueak flattened his ears, as the colt was now using the puppy dog look. "Alright. But when my father wakes up and goes in my room to see me and you in the same bed, I'm blaming you for all of this. Understand, me?" He nodded his head. "And no funny business, mister! Or else my Auntie Cloudkicker will really show you, why she has 'kicker' in her name, for a reason!" He gulped, padding in the filly's room. Pip climbed on her bed, sleeping on the left side of the bed while Dinky slept on the right side of the bed. While the two foals slept in the yellow bed their was strange sounds coming from the upstairs hallway. "EERrwWwoooooSHHHhEERrwWwoooooSHHHhEERrwWwoooooSHHHh. EERrwWwoooooSHHHhEERrwWwoooooSHHHhEERrwWwoooooSHHHh." As a large cloud of blue smoke appeared in the room, revealing a unicorn mare with a light blue coat, an ice-colored mane with a dark blue streak, and a cutie mark of an hourglass. The mare's horn glowing brightly light blue, as it stopped glowing when she took a step closer to the bed. "Well, it's seems my little young master Dinky, has been shot by one of Cupid's arrows. I may have to do some more research of this in the closet, with my other studies on this strange world." "You were talking about me?" The tiny guardian of love, appeared on the strange light blue-coated mare's mane. With the tiny mare, leaping down and onto her muzzle, with the unicorn, smiling at the tiny creature. "I would have guessed it, that you will be the cause of this little game of love. You have on my young master." The tiny mare, giggled. "Yep, thats me!" "Then we have a lot to talk about. Let us, chat in the living room while my master's pony family is still asleep in their beds." "Alright, then! Lead the way, my dear magical friend." The blue smoke appeared again, with the mare's horn, glowing brightly light blue, yet again. "EERrwWwoooooSHHHhEERrwWwoooooSHHHhEERrwWwoooooSHHHh. EERrwWwoooooSHHHhEERrwWwoooooSHHHhEERrwWwoooooSHHHh."