Scootaloo was a bit saddened by her upcoming boring afternoon. Sweetie Belle had gone home at the insistence of her big sister to help try on a few arrangements, and Applebloom seemed preoccupied with something important after receiving a text from Applejack about taking care of some business together. With her friends too busy to hang out and no big sister to engage with, Scootaloo reluctantly went home to do what she does best: eat snacks half naked while playing video games.
In her previous homes, Scootaloo rarely had the chance to play games of any kind. It was a luxury she was very grateful for on top of having a nice home and constant meals each day regardless of how they tasted. On her first birthday living with Blue Aura, she had received a small TV for her room. The following Christmas, she received a game console to go with it. Having been some of the first and few gifts she had ever received, Scootaloo both enjoyed and got her money’s worth out of them. Both she and Aura knew she spent far more time playing video games than she did studying or doing homework, but since she passed all her classes and didn’t cause any trouble, Aura left her to herself whenever possible.
While half of her mind went into autopilot staring at her TV screen and hitting buttons on her controller, the other half of her mind pondered her options to fill the immediate loneliness she felt. Sure, this feeling was probably due to being stuck at home by herself with no friends to hang out with, but it would have been nice to be invited to go with Sweetie Belle back to her place to try on dresses or something. Putting dresses on would’ve been really lame, but at least they could spend some time together. If given the chance, Scootaloo would’ve volunteered to help Applebloom and her family with whatever they were doing today. They could’ve spent some time together too…
Thoughts about her friends were beginning to create another problem. Being a teenager, alone, at home, bored, and with too much time on her hands, Scootaloo began to wonder if she should spend the next half hour having some ‘quality alone’ time before ordering takeout for dinner. It was an attractive idea considering her golden opportunity, but Scootaloo decided against it. The last thing she wanted to feel was a ‘weirdness’ about herself for doing something rather shameful. After all, it was the middle of the day, and she wasn’t being productive anyhow. Besides, that was a ‘middle of the night on her phone’ thing, so it could wait if she still felt like it later.
By the time the sun was setting, Scootaloo gave her eyes a rest and got up from her bed to go to the kitchen for a snack to eat while waiting for her pizza she was going to order. Luckily, there was pizza already in the fridge from last weekend. Although the cheese had solidified in a couple places, her microwave made short work of that issue. After a messy dinner on paper plates now in the trash, Scootaloo went back to her room to strategize a better way to rid Novigrad of the werewolf attacking the red light district that wouldn’t end in everyone dying violently. Seeing people get killed was kind of cool in the game, but she couldn’t advance to the next level unless the conflict ended favorably. Games can be jerks sometimes.
Once the sun went down, Scootaloo turned her game console off to watch TV. She checked her phone to see if there were any messages from her friends, but sadly, there was none. They must really be busy…
Scootaloo gave up on trying to make her day worth remembering and decided to get some sleep. Her body would thank her for going to bed early anyway, but just in case she needed it, she got up and walked back to the kitchen to get some water. Hopefully Blue Aura wouldn’t be too upset about her having dishes in her room after dinner.
With a bottle of water next to her bed, a warm blanket pulled over her lap, and her two pillows squarely fitted under her head, Scootaloo’s eyes opened and closed very slowly as sleep began to take her towards the land of unconsciousness. Everything felt perfect, so warm and cozy, the cool brisk air of the night breezing through her window. With a happy little sigh, she closed her eyes for what should have been the final time that evening.
There came a loud and alarming buzzing sound, and Scootaloo nearly jolted in surprise. Her eyes widened as her arms and legs stiffened up, a sudden rush of heat inching up her neck as her adrenalin response kicked it. It took a long moment to realize just what that noise was, and Scootaloo groaned loudly in painful annoyance at the sight of her phone rattling atop the little plastic dresser by her bed.
With a quick slam of her hand down on the object, Scootaloo successfully silenced her phone. However, the bright screen still pierced her eyes like the angry glare of the sun, and the only thing to remedy the problem was to engage the enemy. Without bothering to read the screen, she tapped her finger against the glass a few times before laying her head on her side with the phone on her ear.
“What?” Scootaloo asked harshly, her voice gargled by a dry throat.
“Hi-ya, Scoots.” Came a cheery and unmistakable voice. “Wow, got a frog ‘n yer throat er somethin’?”
“No, I’m just happy you called.” Scootaloo sighed and slowly sat up. “I was about to go to bed.”
“Oh, shoot…Sorry ‘bout that…” Applebloom’s voice was noticeably sadder now.
“It’s finneeee…” Scootaloo sighed again. “What’s up? Something wrong?”
“Umm….no?” It sounded more like a question than a statement. “I just thought I’d call ya ‘n see how ya’ll ‘er doin’.”
“Seriously?” Scootaloo yawned loudly and bit her lip. “This couldn’t wait until tomorrow?”
“Is that you, Scootaloo?” Came another voice, just as chipper and lively. “Hi, Scootaloo!”
“Hi…Sweetie Belle…” Scootaloo grumbled and brought her phone down to look at the time. It was nearly eleven at night, so that meant she probably slept for at least a couple hours so far. She knew she could live off a couple hours, but that came free with a side of grumpy goose feathers. “Can you guys tell me why you’re calling, or can I go back to bed now?”
“Well, we were wonderin’ if ya’ll want to sneak out.” Applebloom said in a near whisper that probably wasn’t necessary.
“Are you serious?” Scootaloo’s eyes widened in surprise as she cleared her throat. This time, it was her turn to whisper for fear of waking Aura who was probably in the other room sleeping. “Like, totally serious?”
“Sure! Why wouldn’t we be?” Sweetie Belle giggled in a way that made Scootaloo want to either pinch her cheek or bite her ear. Actually, both sounded pretty good. Either choice would satisfy both her annoyance and sexual frustration. “So? You wanna sneak out or what?”
“Uhhh…I dunno…” Scootaloo rubbed the back of her head and wiggled her bare knees together, very aware that if she was really going to do this, she would need to wear clothes. “I…think I’m just gonna chill and get some sleep.”
“Aw, c’mon now.” Applebloom whined. “Let’s go to the park! It’ll be fun! Don’t ya’ll live like, down the street from the park anyhow?”
“Yeah, but…you guys don’t live anywhere near me. How are you two gonna get down here?”
“Shh, don’t tell her yet.” Sweetie Belle whispered.
Applebloom whispered back in the phone. “Why not?”
“Cause it’s supposed to be a surprise, duh!”
“Ain’t it my surprise, not yer surprise?”
“That’s not the point!”
Scootaloo sometimes wondered if her friends might be a bit slow. Sure, they had their moments, moments which Scootaloo would never trade for the world, but now was not one of them. Once those two girls got excited about something, it seemed like their intelligence would be replaced by enthusiasm. Scootaloo reluctantly had to admit to herself that she indeed had the same problem. “You guys do know that I can hear you, right?”
“What?” Applebloom asked. “Ya still there, Scoots?”
“Scootaloo? Can you hear us?”
With a heavy sigh, Scootaloo palmed her face. “Yeah. I’m here. I can stilllllll hear you.”
“Great!” Sweetie Belle clapped her hands together, and for some reason, Scootaloo could hear the clap come from both ends of the line. “So, are you coming?”
“Fine…” Scootaloo swung her legs over the bed and stood to crack her back and scratch her purple panty covered bum.
“Great! Get down here as soon as you can!” Sweetie Belle squeaked with excitement.
“See ya’ll ‘n a bit, Scoots!” Applebloom made a loud shushing sound into the phone, presumably at Sweetie Belle.
Scootaloo paused for a moment to look at her screen. She brought the phone back up to ear to ask, “Are you guys there already?”
“Shhhhhhhhh!” Sweetie Belle and Applebloom both hissed at each other right before the line went dead.
“The heck?” Scootaloo muttered to herself before tossing her phone onto her bed. A lot of curiosity and suspicion motivated her to leave the house as soon as possible, so she began to look for some clothes. Her eyes had gotten used to the darkness of the night during the past minute, so it wasn’t too hard to find a pair of ripped jeans on the floor. Her jeans were so tattered and ripped that even Applebloom might not wear them, but they were her favorite pair, and she would never get rid of them no matter how many times Aura would try to replace them. Along with the jeans, she put on her favorite hoodie before walking to her window.
Aura wasn’t the type to stay up late or bother her at night, so making noise probably wouldn’t be much of a problem. Still, Scootaloo didn’t feel like getting caught. It wasn’t so much of a problem of getting in trouble as it was worrying her adopted mother. So, as quietly as possible, Scootaloo opened her window. She was about to hop out onto the ground in the backyard but remembered she nearly forgot her phone. She returned to her bed to retrieve it before hopping outside, landing on her feet behind the backyard fence.
Scootaloo tiptoed to the sidewalk and pulled the hood of her jacket over her head to keep her ears warm. Having short hair was nice when taking showers but not the best in cold weather. Tonight was especially brisk.
The streets were eerily dark at night. When living at her previous homes with other parents, she snuck out all the time. In those days, she knew the streets like the back of her hand, but since coming to Canterlot City, this was a first. Scootaloo began to wonder if she was getting soft. Having a nice home and a routine schedule meant she was a good kid now. Scootaloo didn’t like the sound of that. She gritted her teeth and began hurriedly walking towards the park. It would have been a much faster trip if she brought her scooter, but that would’ve been a hassle.
Once she arrived to the park, she scanned the playground and parking lot. It wasn’t unusual to see the parking lot with a few cars scattered near the street since the park was so close to the surrounding homes, but it was very strange to see two shadows hanging around the swing set in the middle of the night. Scootaloo was pretty sure who the two figures were, so she trudged her way towards them.
Sweetie Belle was sitting on one of the swings with her ankles crossed, and her face lit up into an adorable smile when she caught a glimpse of Scootaloo. Having forgone her usual cute little outfits, Sweetie Belle wore tight fitting capri pants and a button up nautical style coat that contrasted her bright pink lips. With one hand, she waved her down while speaking in a loud whisper. “Heyyyy! Scoots!”
Applebloom stopped leaning against the pole of the swing set and ran over to Scootaloo with open arms to give her a hug. Her choice of attire was usual, consisting of brown work pants that curved nicely around her butt and an oversized flannel shirt that obviously belonged to her big sister. “Scoots!”
“Whoa, hey!” Scootaloo whispered loudly back. The hug she received knocked the hood right off her head. “When did you guys get here?” A slight blush crossed her cheeks in the dim moonlight as she caught a whiff of Applebloom’s sweet musk. Her heart sank a little when the embrace ended, but she was quick enough to return the hug.
Instead of replying right away, Applebloom reached into the back pocket of her pants to pull out her wallet. “Look! Look!”
Scootaloo had to lean her head back to create enough distance to see what was in front of her face. “You…got your driver’s license?”
“She sure did!” Sweetie Belle got out of her swing and clapped her hands together with a little squeal.
“Whoa…” Scootaloo took the little plastic card and marveled at it. “Awesome!!!” She screamed in a whisper that crackled. “That’s so cool! Did you guys drive here?”
“Sure did!” Applebloom pointed towards the parking lot to a small pickup truck that, even in the dim light, appeared to have seen much better days. The truck was much smaller than Applejack’s oversized pickup, but at least it didn’t have any rust. The whole frame of the truck was peeling paint, and the rims of the tires had completely faded to a flat grayish color. Although it wasn’t the best of cars, it was still something. “Ah got myself a truck too!”
“Isn’t it the best thing ever?” Sweetie Belle giggled.
“Yeah.” Scootaloo nodded appreciatively. “This is…super cool!” She handed Applebloom her license back with a big grin. “When did this happen?”
“Today after school.” Applebloom giggled and put her wallet back into her pocket. “Applejack took me to take my driver’s test, ‘n Ah passed ‘n my first try! After that, we drove all the way out to my cousin’s ‘n he gave me his old truck.”
“No way…” Scootaloo giggled enthusiastically and rubbed the back of her head. “That’s gotta be like, the best day ever! Your cousin must be really cool.”
“Hey’s…kinda weird.” Applebloom giggled and shook her head. “Always got guy friends hangin’ ‘round his place.”
“Still, I mean, it’s awesome that he just gave you that truck.” Scootaloo pointed admirably at the vehicle.
“Isn’t it so exciting???” Sweetie Belle put her hands on her much taller friend’s shoulders. “Now we can all go on a road trip! Or camping! Or a camping road trip!”
“Yeah! ‘N now Ah ain’t gotta ask my sister fer a ride all the time! We can stay out late ‘n party!” Applebloom put her hands into the air and shook her shapely hips.
“Really?” Scootaloo giggled and shook her head. “You’re kidding, right? Since when do you girls party?”
“Alright, maybe Ah got a ‘lil carried away there, but ya’ll know what Ah mean.” Applebloom gave her a shrug. “Now that Ah can drive, we can pretty much do anythin’!”
“Anything!” Sweetie Belle chimed in. “We can even take a trip to Manehatten and check out some of the concerts there.”
“Or maybe get tickets to the rodeo ‘n camp out ‘n the back of my truck, eat s’mores fer dinner, ‘n have a bonfire!” Applebloom put an arm around Scootaloo’s shoulder. “Didn’t ya’ll say ya wanted to go see Rainbow Dash play ‘n the city tournament next month? Bet now we can actually do that.”
“That would be so…so cool…Heck, I’ll even skip school for that.” Scootaloo nodded up at her and hugged her tightly. “Would you really take me there?”
“Course! Who wouldn’t wanna see the championship game?” Applebloom giggled and rubbed the top of her purple head.
“We can eat all the hotdogs and popcorn we want!” Sweetie Belle gasped. “Rarity never lets me get hotdogs.”
“Wait a sec.” Scootaloo gave her friends a worried look. “Aren’t you two gonna get in trouble for sneaking out?”
“Not if we don’t get caught.” Sweetie Belle whispered mischievously. “We’ve never been caught before, so I think we’ll be ok.”
“Yeah. Ah just thought it’d be kinda nice to go fer a ride tonight now that Ah got my own truck. ‘Sides, don’t ya’ll sneak out all the time?” Applebloom asked.
“Well, yeah, I mean, I used to a long time ago.” Scootaloo nodded. “I probably won’t get in trouble, but I don’t want you guys to get in trouble.”
“Oh, don’t worry about us.” Sweetie Belle giggled and wrapped an arm around Scootaloo’s elbow. “My parents are hard sleepers, and Rarity always gets her beauty rest.”
Applebloom nodded in agreement. “Applejack sleeps like a rock, ‘n as long as Ah get back home before the sun comes up, Ah should be fine.”
“Since when did you guys break the rules?” Scootaloo asked. “I’m kind of impressed.”
“Shucks.” Applebloom giggled and shook her head. “Ain’t like that. Me ‘n Sweetie Belle been sneakin’ out together fer a while now. Do it all the time ‘n the summer.”
“Seriously?” Scootaloo gasped. “You guys never invited me?”
“Well, we wanted to…” Sweetie Belle squeezed her arm gently. “But we weren’t sure if you’d want to. I mean…you just moved out here a couple years ago, and…honestly, we didn’t really know you all that well back then.”
“But…we’ve been best friends for years!” Scootaloo brought her face closer to her friend’s faces to keep from having to shout. “I thought we did everything together. What do you guys do that’s so important that I can’t tag along?”
Applebloom and Sweetie Belle traded silent glances. “Well…it’s not that.” Sweetie Belle shook her head slowly and lowered her hands to stand next to the tall redhead. “Me and Applebloom….we’ve been…”
“Been…what?” Scootaloo crossed her arms. “Sneaking out without me?”
“We’ve only snuck out together a handful a times.” Applebloom sighed. “It ain’t like we do it ALL the time.”
“Ok.” Scootaloo took a deep breath. “But still, I can’t help but feel a little hurt.”
“I know, and we’re sorry, Scootaloo. We’re really sorry.” Sweetie Belle took a step forward and put her hands on her shoulders. “The…real reason why we wanted you to meet us tonight was to talk about something.”
“It ain’t bad ‘er nothin’.” Applebloom shook her head to reassure her. “It’s just…it’s ‘bout us.”
“Us? Us friends? Are you saying that…you don’t want to hang out anymore?” Scootaloo had to ask just to make sure this wasn’t happening, and she bought back a tear.
“Oh, heavens no!” Sweetie Belle shook her head adamantly. “No, of course not. We’re still best friends!”
Scootaloo sighed very deeply. “Oh thank goodness…” She exhaled slowly. “I was really worried that you guys didn’t want to be friends with me anymore…”
“How could ya even think that, Scoots?!” Applebloom gasped. “Ain’t no way that’d ever happen! Yer our bestest friend ‘n the whole world, ‘n we love ya!” She quickly wrapped her arms around her and squeezed tightly for a moment. “Why would Ah take ya to go see the championship game if Ah don’t wanna be friends with ya no more?”
Scootaloo shifted her feet and wiped her eyes, shaking her head like failed a test. “I feel really silly right now…” She giggled awkwardly. “I don’t know why that was the first thing my mind went to…I guess I…Sorry, I guess I worry sometimes that you guys…It’s stupid. Nevermind. It’s stupid. I can be realllllly dumb sometimes.”
Sweetie Belle giggled. “Sometimes…but so can we.” She gave Scootaloo a gentle hug around the waist and wiped her face with the back of her wrist. “Listen, Scoots. We called you out here because we wanted to talk to you about…” She paused to search for the right words. “…how you still feel about…Rainbow Dash.”
“Rainbow…?” Scootaloo looked up at her friends as she felt her cheeks brighten and tingle. “What about her?”
Applebloom gave her a pat on the shoulder. “We know ya’ll been kinda broken up ‘bout her… We’re real sorry she hurt ya like that, but we think it’d probably be best if ya’ll moved on ‘n…tried gettin’ over her.”
“You’re a really sweet girl, Scootaloo. We love that about you.” Sweetie Belle took her hand and squeezed gently. “We think that…we could help you get over her. We want to try and make you happy again like you used to be…We miss our best friend’s smile.”
“Wow, umm…Well, this wasn’t what I was expecting.” Scootaloo looked down at the ground. “Girls…I don’t feel like talking about it right now…but…” She bit her lip to keep from crying, but now that the subject had been brought up, it was impossible not to sniffle. Her friends were right. Her heart had been broken upon realizing Rainbow Dash was with someone. Although she had an infatuation towards her that she couldn’t really explain, the pain was undeniable. “…Y-Yeah…” She choked out. “In all honesty, I-I haven’t been taking this well…”
“That’s fer sure.” Applebloom nodded. “Ya’ll don’t show up to school, ‘n ya’ll disappear on us fer a whole day. We ain’t mad ‘bout that no more, but it did kinda shock us ‘n it…really made us think.”
“It made us really worry about you too.” Sweetie Belle began rubbing her back. “I know I already said this, but we care about you a lot, and we wanna try to make you happy. We’re your friends, and…well, that’s what friends do.”
Scootaloo made a small giggle through her soft sobbing. “Just hearing that all over again makes me happy.” She wiped her face hard one last time before throwing her arms around her friends. “I love you girls…and I’m sorry for not being the best of pals lately. I’m sorry for crying too…I’ve been doing that a lot lately.” She giggled at herself and took a step back to run a hand through her hair.
“Aw, shucks, Scoots.” Applebloom pecked her on the cheek. “We’re just glad yer feelin’ better.”
“Mhm! And we wanted to…ask you something.” Sweetie Belle gave her a smile as Scootaloo took a step back.
“Ask me?” Scootaloo asked, her hands finding the pockets of her hoodie.
“Uh, yeah.” Applebloom gave her a nod and began to blush. This was something that Scootaloo had only seen a handful of times, and each time was like a pretty birthday present. “Me ‘n Sweetie Belle been talkin’…’n uh…we were wonderin’…”
“If you want…” Sweetie Belle’s pale face lit up under the moonlight in a red hue that brought out her long lashes. “…would you like to…”
Scootaloo’s tummy was beginning to fill with butterflies. She had no idea what they were going to ask, but whatever it was must be extremely important to make her best friends blush so furiously, and this was making her rather nervous. “T-To…what?”
“Uh…” Applebloom cleared her throat. “Well…”
Sweetie Belle turned her face away and squeaked nervously as the butterflies in her own tummy made her stiffen up. “…We…like you, Scoots…” She finally squeaked out. “And…we…wanna be more than…friends…with you.”
Scootaloo just stared up at them with a dumbfound expression. “L-Like….m-me?” She choked.
“W-Well…y-yeah.” Applebloom breathed deeply and ran her fingers over her ear to brush back a strand of hair that wasn’t there. “W-We do…”
“Since…when?” Scootaloo asked, her mind still trying to grasp the situation.
“Since we first met.” Sweetie Belle quickly answered. “Scootaloo…we’ve never told you this, but…me and Applebloom...”
“A-Are…dating?”
“N-No, not datin’ really. We’re just…more than…friends, Ah guess.” Applebloom shared a smile with Sweetie Belle. “We ain’t datin’, but…we’re close like that.”
“And we want you to be close like that with us too.” Sweetie Belle stepped forward again and grabbed Scootaloo’s hands. “Scoots, we…we think you’re the best friend in the whole world, and we love you…we love you a lot.”
Applebloom began rubbing her arm with her hand and looked down at the ground. “…We were thinkin’…if ya’ll wanted…we could try ‘n make ya happy.” She looked up directly Scootaloo. “Ah know…ya’ll still love Rainbow Dash, and Ah hate to say this, but…we never wanted ya to get together with her. She ain’t right for ya, Scoots. She don’t love ya the way we do.” She stepped forward and put her hand on Scootaloo’s back again.
Scootaloo pulled her hands free to cover her face with her palms. Her tears were beginning to flow again, and her shoulders heaved up and down with each little sob. It hurt a little bit to know that her friends were actually opposed to her feelings towards Rainbow Dash, but it was warming to know how much they really loved her, even if it was difficult to fully understand. “…Girls…I don’t know…” She sucked in some air and brought her gaze back up to them. “I’m not gonna lie…I have thought about it. I’ve always thought you guys were really cute…but…I think I still love Rainbow Dash…”
“Yeah, we knew ya’ll probably still got feelins for her, Scoots.” Applebloom put her arms around her waist and lifted her off the ground for a moment. “That’s ok. We ain’t got no problem with that. We just wanna have a shot at fillin’ her place ‘n make ya happy the same way ya’ll make us happy.”
Sweetie Belle reached out to squeeze Scootaloo’s forearm before planting a soft little kiss on the cheek. “…Could…you give us…a chance?” She asked, her face displaying the nervous anticipation that Scootaloo was definitely feeling. “If you don’t like it, we can always go back to being friends.”
With a long breath, Scootaloo gave her two friends a slow nod. Her response was much quicker than she realized, and it wasn’t a hard decision to make considering she didn’t have much to lose if she agreed. Her friends would still love her, and at the very least, this new arrangement might make her at least a little happy again. “I-I…y-yeah…let’s give it a shot.” She said through a giggle. She raised her arms up into the air for a moment before taking a long sigh. “Why not…”
Applebloom breathed a massive sigh of relief and threw her arms around the small girl, picking her up into the air. Sweetie Belle nuzzled her face into Scootaloo’s side and squealed with delight. “Thank you, Scoots!”
“Ah promise we ain’t never gonna hurt ya, Scoots.” Applebloom whispered into her ear after setting her back down. “We’ll always be here for ya no matter what.”
Scootaloo nodded at her and wiped her entire face with the sleeve of her hoodie. “I really needed to hear that… Thanks, you guys.” She looked up at Sweetie Belle and gave her a hug. “You are the sweetest person I’ve ever met.” She turned to Applebloom and gave her a hug as well. “And you just give me a hard time, so I guess things even out.”
“Hey!” Applebloom gasped. “Ah don’t ALWAYS tease ya. Just when Ah think ya’ll deserve it.”
“Seems to be most of the time.” Scootaloo rolled her eyes before nervously fiddling with inner lining of her pockets. “S-So…u-um…I’m really curious about something.”
“What’s that?” Sweetie Belle asked, linking both her own and Scootaloo’s fingers together.
“Have you girls…uh…kissed?” The moment she uttered the question, her face turned beet red. “N-Nevermind. Just forget I asked.”
“It’s ok, Scoots.” Applebloom giggled and slipped a hand around her hip. “Ah guess if we’re all gonna be galfriends now, then we can tell ya.”
“So…is that a yes?”
“Mhm!” Sweetie Belle nodded and quickly clapped a hand over her mouth upon realizing her response had been less than quiet.
“S-Seriously?” Scootaloo had to clear her throat again as she felt her ears tingle with heat.
“Well, yeah, sure.” Applebloom dropped her arms and shrugged. “Me ‘n Sweetie Belle kiss sometimes.”
“L-Like…everyday, or…”
Sweetie Belle giggled hard into her hand and nodded. “Well, when we feel like it.”
“No kidding…” Scootaloo had to remind herself to breathe. “Would it be totally weird to say…that...I would kinda like to see that?”
“Nah, it ain’t weird.” Applebloom shook her head and giggled along side Sweetie Belle who now had one hand in her own. “Not unless ya’ll make it weird. Why? Ya’ll wanna see us kiss right now?”
Scootaloo hesitated to answer. “U-Um…w-well, yeah…kinda.” She nervously squeezed her fingers into fists inside the pockets of her hoodie.
“Well, Applebloom?” Sweetie Belle turned to the tall girl and giggled innocently. Applebloom met her eyes and took a step forward to close the distance. They linked hands together and both girls leaned forward to peck each other on the lips. It wasn’t a dramatic or intense kiss, but it was definitely a kiss. There was a sweet virtue and tenderness in their embrace that made Scootaloo’s heart skip a beat. “How’s that?” Sweetie Belle asked their audience.
“Um…y-yeah, pretty cool.” Scootaloo shrugged and awkwardly kicked the dirt beneath her feet. “Really cute…”
“Ya’ll wanna give it a try?” Applebloom asked, still holding Sweetie Belle’s hand.
“I-It’s ok…” Scootaloo shook her head and darted her eyes left and right. “I…don’t know how to kiss…”
“You’ve never had a kiss before?” Sweetie Belle asked in genuine surprise. “Really?”
“Well, yeah…I guess I’ve been saving it for the right person…” Scootaloo shrugged again and wiggled her toe against the ground. “Besides…no one’s ever wanted to kiss me anyway.”
“Aw, shucks…” Applebloom grabbed her hands and brought them up to her chest which gave the little speed demon a bit of a shock. “…A sweet gal like you ain’t been kissed? That’s a real crime.”
“W-Well…” Scootaloo couldn’t meet her gaze but allowed her hands to be bound in her grip. “I-I...”
“Is it alright if Ah get to be yer first then?” Applebloom asked, leaning forward to touch noses.
Sweetie Belle put her hands on her hips. “Hey, what about me? Why do you get to be Scootaloo’s first kiss? I wanna be her first kiss!” She shouted in a hoarse whisper.
“Alright then.” Applebloom reached into her pocket to fish out a coin. “We’ll flip for it.”
“Seriously?” Scootaloo asked. “You’re gonna flip for it?”
“Is that a problem?” Applebloom looked back at her.
“W-Well, n-no I guess not, but…I dunno. I was kind of imagining my first kiss to be a lot more romantic.” Scootaloo shook her head and sighed. “N-Nevermind…”
“Aww, that’s so sweet!” Sweetie Belle threw her arms around her shoulders and nuzzled their cheeks together. “How about this. We both get to be your first kiss, and whoever is better gets to go twice!”
“W-Wait, I dunno, maybe we should just-”
“Great idea!” Applebloom exclaimed as quietly as possible. “Ah get to go first.”
“No, I get to go first.” Sweetie Belle stuck her tongue out at her and held her position by Scootaloo’s side. “You owe me, remember? I gave you my last fish stick at lunch today.”
Applebloom sighed. “Fine…” She crossed her arm and grumbled. “Well? Gonna make me wait all night ‘er what?”
Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes at her and turned back to Scootaloo. “Scoots, look at me for a sec?” She asked in a sweet voice that oozed a honey finish.
Scootaloo did as she was told and met her eyes. She took a moment to appreciate her long beautiful lashes as Sweetie Belle dropped her hands down to her waist. “K-Kay…”
“Close your eyes…” Sweetie Belle whispered, her warm breath brushing against Scootaloo’s cheek. Again, Scootaloo did as she was told. After a deep breath, Sweetie Belle leaned in to kiss her.
The first thing Scootaloo tasted was a sweet mint flavor, almost refreshing and delicious. The taste was made even better by the sensation of warm, wet, and extremely soft lips pressing against her own. The almost indescribable bliss of Sweetie Belle’s lips caused Scootaloo to open her mouth and gasp for a bit of air. However, the only air available to her was the warm air from Sweetie Belle’s mouth that rolled over her tongue and caused her to gasp louder.
Just as quickly as it had happened, the kiss ended. Sweetie Belle took a step back and licked her lips, her knees shaking from nervous excitement. “S-So, how was it?” She inquired softly.
Scootaloo nearly stumbled backwards from the kiss, and her knees were shaking worse than her friend’s. “U-Uh…i-it…it was…g-great…” She cleared her throat awkwardly and looked away towards the ground.
“Did… you like it?” Sweetie Belle asked, feeling a bit dejected at the possibility that her kiss was not well received. “Did…you hate it?”
“N-No, I…I did like it…” Scootaloo nodded slowly and found it impossible not to lick her lips. “I…r-really liked it.”
Applebloom stepped towards her. “Is it my turn now? Ah’ve been waitin’, ya know?”
“Yeah, for like ten whole seconds.” Sweetie Belle teased. “It’s called ‘waiting your turn’.”
“Ah ain’t listenin’ to ya’ll right now.” Applebloom waved a hand dismissively at her. “Not until Ah have my turn.” She put her arms around Scootaloo’s neck.
“H-Hang on…” Scootaloo took another deep breath to steady herself. This was not at all how she planned on spending her night, and her mind was still reeling from that last embrace. “…I…need a moment.”
“Can it wait?” Applebloom asked, putting a finger under her chin. “Cause it’s been nearly two years now. Ah really don’t feel like waitin’ another second.”
Scootaloo nervously swallowed and met her gaze. “…S-Sure…” Was all she offered before receiving her second kiss.
This new kiss was different in many ways, but very similar in others. The taste was sweet like before, but instead of mint flavor, Scootaloo swore she could taste the hint of apple pie. Not like the inner filling of a pie, but the iced crust surrounding it. Applebloom’s lips were firmer than Sweetie Belle’s, maybe even warmer and thicker. They felt just as heavenly and delectable, also having the power of taking her breath away. Once Applebloom pulled back to take a breath in, she gave Scootaloo a firm peck on the cheek for good measure before taking a step back.
Scootaloo’s legs did give out on this kiss, probably meaning that Applebloom won. Her body felt weak, and Applebloom had to keep her on her feet by wrapping her arms around her waist. “Whoa there, Scoots. Ya’ll ain’t gonna faint ‘n me, are ya?”
“S-Sorry…” Scootaloo choked out in a quiet whisper that could barely be heard even in the silence of the night.
Applebloom shot Sweetie Belle a triumphant smirk. “Guess this means Ah won, ‘n ya’ll lose.”
“You wish.” Sweetie Belle stuck her tongue out again.
With a slight giggle, Scootaloo nodded. “A-Actually…u-uh…I think Applebloom did win that one.” She humorously pointed out. Having been kissed by her two best friends relieved a lot of the tension in the air, and now that it was over, she actually felt pretty relaxed.
“See?” Applebloom let go of Scootaloo’s waist to shake her hips. “Ah won! Ah won!” She chanted quiet celebration.
“Aw, no fair… I really wanted to win.” Sweetie Belle made a pouty face. “Can I still give her another kiss?”
“Nope. Fair’s fair ‘n love ‘n war, Sweetie Belle.” Applebloom shook her head. “Ya’ll just gonna have to wait til the tomorrow.” She turned back to Scootaloo. “Mind if Ah have my victory kiss, Scoots?”
With a happy giggle, Scootaloo shook her head and brought the sleeve of her hoodie up to her mouth to savor the flavor of her friends within the fabric of the material for later. She dropped her sleeve to her side, and this time, it was her turn to take a step forward. “Go for it, Applebloom.”