A Dare's Truth

by HMXTaylorLee

Or Something Else?

Dear Diary,
Another fun sleepover last night. It was my turn to pick the movie to watch, since Scootaloo chose the last one (The Appleloosan Bonesaw Slaughter = ew!) I went for the movie Manespray, a super fun feel good musical. Scootaloo was typically Scootaloo about it, and didn’t want to watch a comedy with ponies bursting into song and dance… but since I’ve seen it so much, I spent most of it watching Scootaloo’s reaction. She’ll never admit it, but she couldn’t take her eyes off it! I know I write this a lot, but I think she is a lot “softer” than she likes to let on. I wish she would open up a bit more, you know?

It’s Apple Bloom’s turn to pick next time, but when I get to pick again, I’ll pick a romance. I’ll get to gauge Scootaloo’s reaction to that one too, maybe I can use it as inspiration to talk to her about us?

We’ll see…

---

“So, what did y’all think of it?” Apple Bloom asked as the trio traipsed up the stairs to her room.

“I’m beginning to think this entire sleepover was just an elaborate revenge plot,” Scootaloo replied.

“You didn’t like the movie?” Sweetie Belle tilted her head, as Apple Bloom turned the light on to her bedroom, revealing the pink dress on the bed that likely validated Scootaloo’s mindset. “I thought it was really cute. I’m surprised that you picked A Trot To Remember, Apple Bloom. You usually go with action films with lots of fight scenes and stuff, not romance.”

“Which would have been better than that,” Scootaloo added from behind Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom as she crested the top of the stairs, her hoof falls quickly approaching the bed room. Sweetie Belle watched Apple Bloom’s reaction to both Scootaloo’s comment, and the dress resting upon the bed— a not-so-subtle grin. The two often heckled each other, but not to the extent that Apple Bloom had instigated this evening. To a tomboy like Scootaloo, romance was probably seen as a form of punishment, Sweetie Belle noted with a frown.

“Come on, now, Scootaloo,” Apple Bloom leapt onto her bed. “It wasn’t that bad.”

“What do you mean, that bad?” Sweetie Belle asked from below, “Did you not like it either? Why did you choose it then?”

“Dunno,” Apple Bloom said quickly, “I heard it was good. A nice change of pace.”

“Don’t know who you heard that from,” Scootaloo rolled her eyes, closing the bedroom door behind her. “It was awful.”

Sweetie Belle’s smile faltered. “I thought it was good…” she pouted.

Scootaloo’s eyes widened at Sweetie Belle’s reaction. “Okay, I mean, it wasn’t awful,” she scrambled to correct herself. “But you have to admit, it was soooo predictable.”

Not sure how to dispute it, Sweetie Belle did her best to try to defend her position. “I guess… but isn’t that the point of a romance film, though? You know that Sandy Shore and Mane West are going to get together at some point, the fun is watching them get there.”

“It was more frustrating than fun,” Scootaloo objected. “You knew that they were perfect for each other, pretty much as soon as they met. But neither of them want to admit it, and it’s just watching them dance around the inevitable. Like every romance movie ever.”

“You watch a lot of romance there, Scoots?” Apple Bloom inquired with a raised eyebrow. The filly had begun to arrange the pillows on the bed that Applejack had laid out for them while they watched the movie.

“No!” Scootaloo’s face color changed with remarkable speed, from orange to deep crimson tinted orange. “I mean… no,” she echoed herself, only with a much more controlled tone of voice. “Only when they play on TV while my parents are watching, that’s pretty much it.”

“Which ones have you seen? Just like there are bad horror movies, there are bad romance films too,” Sweetie Belle explained. “I can point out some good ones, if you like.”

“I don’t know, Sweetie…” Scootaloo said uneasily. “A Trot To Remember was alright, but most movies I’ve seen were all like… Single Santa Seeking Mrs. Hooves and Love Under Celestia’s Sky.”

“Those were both Haymark Original Movies!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed with a blush, reminded of Apple Bloom’s (negative) comparison to Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo’s ‘kiss’ to the kind in those films. “Those ones are pretty cheesy, and the acting is really amateur, like Apple Bloom said. It’s hard to really believe that they’re in love with each other. That’s what makes a romance work.”

“Well, they’re acting,” Scootaloo said bluntly. “You know it’s not really happening anyhow.”

“What about your horror films?” Sweetie Belle retorted. “You know the characters aren’t really in danger, but they’re still fun to watch, right?” Scootaloo opened her mouth to argue, but promptly closed it again.

“I thought you didn’t like horror films, Sweetie,” Apple Bloom interrupted as she bounced to the floor, walking towards the closet.

“I gave them a chance,” Sweetie Belle said simply. “Scootaloo wanted to watch some at some our sleepovers, and I figured if she liked them, I should at least give them a try.”

“And?” Apple Bloom’s muffled voice asked, the earth pony’s mouth clamped around a set of spare blankets.

“It took some getting used to,” Sweetie Belle admitted, “but it was a lot of fun being scared.”

“And were you scared or what?” Scootaloo laughed. “During pretty much all of Foal’s Play, you wouldn’t let me go!”

This time, it was Sweetie Belle’s turn to blush. “That doll was really creepy.”

“Well, if you have any nightmares, make sure you grab a hold of Scoots again,” Apple Bloom said from the edge of the bed. “Because I need my beauty sleep.”

“Beauty sleep?” Sweetie Belle asked incredulously. She had never known a pony, except for maybe Scootaloo, who seemed to care so little about beautification than Apple Bloom.

“Are you going to bed already?” Scootaloo whined. “But we’re not even tired!”

“Y-yeaaaaa,” Sweetie agreed, unconvincingly, with a yawn. “We’re not even tired.”

Apple Bloom had already nestled herself under the covers on the far left side of the bed, her face turned away from the other two Crusaders. “Look at it this way, the earlier we get up tomorrow, the earlier we can go outside and do somethin’ that isn’t a board game, or truth or dare.”

“That isn’t truth or dare?” Scootaloo’s voice raised. “Oh no, we’re totally playing tomorrow, I need to get you back for…” She paused, looking at Sweetie Belle for just a moment. “...To get you back for that dress,” she finished.

“Only one truth or dare session per sleepover, that’s the rule,” Apple Bloom explained, slipping her pink sleep mask over her mane to cover her eyes. “Good night, y’all,” she said with a cheerful finality.

“Where do these rules keep coming from?” Scootaloo asked, looking to Sweetie Belle for some backup. “That’s not a thing, is it?”

Sweetie Belle shrugged, trying her best to not to support either one of her friends over the other. “You’ve seen Apple Bloom play Monopony,” she said. “She does have a good head for management, right?”

“She cheats at that too,” Scootaloo insisted as she traipsed begrudgingly towards the light switch. She looked at Sweetie Belle, gesturing with a nod of her head to the light she was just about to turn off. The unicorn nodded, and with a soft click, the room went turned almost pitch black, with the exception of the dim glow of moonlight around the bedroom window.

“Shoot. Uh, Sweetie,” Scootaloo’s voice came from the darkness, “do you think you could…”

A pale green light illuminated the room, emanating from Sweetie Belle’s horn. “Yeah,” she replied casually, already prepared to offer a light. It wasn’t the first time that Scootaloo had acted without thinking, but if she could prevent Scootaloo from tripping over something in the dark again, Sweetie Belle was glad to help.

In the glow, Scootaloo walked slowly towards the edge of the bed, bracing herself for a moment as she hopped upwards. Sweetie Belle heard a gasp of surprise, the scrambling of hooves on the thick comforter that covered the mattress.

“Everything alright, Scootaloo?” Sweetie Belle followed suit, hopping up to the bed, her luminous horn revealing a cross-faced Scootaloo. The pegasus grunted, and raised a piece of pink fabric up with her hoof. Apple Bloom’s dress, right where Scootaloo had thrown it.

“Stupid dress, I kinda slipped on it,” Scootaloo explained as she gently draped the dress over the footboard.

She didn’t know what possessed her to say it, and even as the words left her lips, Sweetie Belle could scarcely believe she had been so forthright. “I thought it looked pretty cute on you.”

The green hue from Sweetie’s horn obscured Scootaloo’s blush, but Sweetie could discern from the telltale aversion of the eyes and the shrinking of her shoulders that Scootaloo was embarrassed by her compliment.

“Thanks…” she mumbled, walking across the bedspread towards the pillows. “We should um, we should probably get some sleep. You wanna lay down first, between me and AB? You wiggle around a lot in your sleep, I noticed.”

“Do I?” Sweetie’s magical light flickered for a moment.

“Yeah, but it’s cool,” Scootaloo nodded quietly. “I just don’t want you falling out of the bed again if you sleep on the outside.”

---

Dear diary,

Last night, we had our traditional Crusader sleepover, this time at Scootaloo's. Everything was going really good, until the actual sleeping part. She's got a really small bed, I think, and sometime after we fell asleep, I guess I rolled out of bed and landed square on my face. Of course, Scootaloo woke up right away and saw. It didn't even hurt that bad, but I just kinda started crying. But only a little! It was super embarrassing, even though Scootaloo didn't even seem to care about me being a big baby. She just wanted to make sure that I was alright.

Did I ever tell you how much I adore her?

---

Sweetie Belle winced at the thought of her smarting muzzle again, making her way to the headboard and the many pillows that lined it.
.
“Right… I hope I don’t wake Apple Bloom up if I move too much.”

“I hope you do,” Scootaloo joked, making extra sure that she whispered once Sweetie Belle reminded her that Apple Bloom was, in fact, trying to sleep. There wasn’t any motion or protest coming from the breathing figure of the farm filly. “Asleep already? She must have been tired. And we didn’t even really do anything tonight…”

Slowly, Sweetie Belle lowered herself underneath the tautly pulled top sheet, Scootaloo holding the fabric up like a makeshift tent. “Thanks,” she whispered to a cordial nod from Scootaloo, who, much less gracefully, tucked herself into bed too.

“Good night, Sweetie,” Scootaloo said softly as she shifted a bit, trying to make herself more comfortable.

“You too, Scoots,” Sweetie Belle replied, the glow on her horn dissipating. She laid still, a bit more self-conscious of her “wriggling,” and stared up at the ceiling. The room was virtually silent, except for the soft breathing of her friends on either side of her.

After several minutes, Sweetie Belle wasn’t much closer to falling asleep. She agreed with Scootaloo, it seemed like they had gone to bed much earlier than usual. Applejack didn’t even have to tell them to “quiet down and go to sleep,” which usually occurred about three times whenever they stayed the night. The whole decision to stay over at Apple Bloom's was unusual too, as it was Sweetie Belle's turn to host.

A small twinge in her upper back prompted Sweetie Belle to move, before she got too stiff. Per usual, she rolled over so that she was sleeping on her side, making sure to move as quietly as possible so as to not disturb the girls. She rolled to her left, and silhouetted against the window, she saw the back of Scootaloo’s untidy mane resting immediately in front of her.

Sweetie Belle lay still for another few minutes, her eyes adjusting to the darkness of the room, making it that much easier to see Scootaloo’s mane. As paradoxically as it seemed, the tough-and-tumble hairstyle looked wonderfully soft against the moon’s glow from the window. It was then that a wild thought entered Sweetie Belle’s head.

I wonder if she’d notice if I touched it? Sweetie Belle thought. What would she do if I did? She liked it when Apple Bloom brushed her mane before, so she surely wouldn’t mind me, would she?

All it would take is a small stretch of her foreleg. Sweetie watched, almost helplessly, as her white leg reached out towards the purple mass of hair atop Scootaloo’s breathing figure.

But what if she didn’t like it? What if she thought it was weird, or creepy? Would she get mad at me? Especially since we're supposed to be sleeping?

Sweetie Belle’s hoof was held aloft, mere inches from Scootaloo’s ear. It inched forward of its own accord.

Then again, she didn’t seem to mind too much that we kissed each other. It was a dare, but still, she didn’t get disgusted or anything afterwards. Besides, don’t friends brush each other’s manes anyways? Though, she’s sleeping... If I do it soft enough, I’m sure she won’t even notice.

As her hoof lowered at a glacial pace, Scootaloo suddenly burst to life. The back of Scootaloo’s mane was replaced by Scootaloo’s face, with Sweetie Belle’s hoof floating right in front of her eyes as Scootaloo rolled over nearly instantaneously.

“Sweetie?” Scootaloo asked with confusion. “What are you doing?”

“Nothing!” Sweetie Belle squeaked in a panic. “You’re awake! I thought you were sleeping. I mean, I just—” she fumbled over her words as her hoof retreated out of sight underneath the muted yellow bedsheet.

“Yeah, I’m awake…” Scootaloo started cautiously. “I was checking to see if you were still awake. What were you doing?” She repeated the question, much to Sweetie Belle’s dismay.

“I’m not sure,” Sweetie Belle answered quickly. “I guess I felt like stretching, but didn’t want to get up,” she answered in what she thought was a stroke of brilliance.

“Your hoof was awfully close to my face,” Scootaloo pointed out.

“Was it?” Sweetie Belle tried her best to keep her false giggle from sounding too forced, but at the volume she laughed at, even she thought it was obvious. “I didn’t notice. It’s really dark in here without a light.”

“Not it’s not. I can see you just fine.” Scootaloo was utterly destroying Sweetie Belle’s attempt to pass off the would-be affectionate gesture as an accident.

“Oh,” Sweetie Belle mumbled under her breath, her adjusted eyesight revealing that Scootaloo had propped herself up on her front elbow. Her face was silhouetted against the window frame, and Sweetie Belle couldn’t see how exactly Scootaloo was looking at her. In the absence of anything conclusive, Sweetie Belle immediately assumed the worst. “Sorry about that…” she mumbled quietly, so low that even she had a hard time hearing it.

“It’s no big deal,” Scootaloo said. “You just surprised me, is all.”

The two sat in silence for several moments. Scootaloo resting on her elbow, watching her, and Sweetie Belle didn’t dare to turn or look away. To do so would be a clear indicator of her guilt, her wrong-doing, her being weird and creepy and—

"So what were you really doing?" Scootaloo asked. Sweetie knew the question was coming, but still had no real answer outside of her less-than-brilliant stretching story.

"I uh..." Sweetie Belle stammered, "I just saw this wild bit of your hair kinda sticking up, against the moon in the window. So I was gonna try and sort of pat it down."

Scootaloo patted her hair down hastily, to little avail as the aforementioned cowlick sprang back into place. "My hair is always like that though. Does it... does it bother you?"

"No!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed, wincing as she heard Apple Bloom shuffle behind her. "I mean, no... I love you and your mane. I mean, I love your mane. I mean, I really like your mane!" She hoped her slip of the tongue went unnoticed.

The pair were silent. Sweetie Belle's heart was pounding in her chest. Her answer seemed reasonable enough, right? She liked most everypony's mane!

"You really love... er, like my mane?" Scootaloo asked for clarification after what seemed ages.

"Yes!" Sweetie Belle breathed in relief. "It's so you. It's kinda crazy and all over the place and wild and unkempt, but it's still really soft and nice and... and..." her babbling faltered.

"All over the place, huh?" Scootaloo said, with a tone of melancholy in her voice. "That sounds familiar."

"What do you mean?" Sweetie Belle asked with concern.

“I don’t know… I just have a lot of things on my mind, I guess. It's all over the place.”

Sweetie Belle's heart fluttered for a moment, and she inched closer to her friend. “Oh? What kind of things?”

“Things like... “ Scootaloo paused for a moment. “Never mind.”

"Is that why you were still awake?”

“Yeah, but It’s stupid,” Scootaloo shook her head violently, rolling over gracelessly in the bed away from Sweetie Belle. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”

Sweetie Belle didn’t relent. “I bet it isn’t stupid. Come on, you can tell me.”

Even in the dark, Sweetie Belle could see the hesitation that Scootaloo was expressing.

“Promise you won’t laugh?” Scootaloo whispered.

“Promise.”

“I keep thinking about the future…” she trailed off. “D-do you do that?”

“Think of the future?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Yeah… you know, like, just lying in bed thinking about where your life is going, wondering why you can’t sleep—sometimes I just can’t get it out of my head. I know it sounds crazy...” Scootaloo’s voice trailed off.

Sweetie Belle smiled to herself somberly. This was the side of Scootaloo she rarely saw: soft, pensive, unsure, and vulnerable. It was something Sweetie Belle found endearing, and she knew exactly how Scootaloo was feeling; she had many nights just like that.

“It’s not crazy…. I totally get it. I mean we have our cutie marks, but it isn’t like we thought. Like getting our cutie marks would make life easy, or we’d suddenly understand life.”

“Right?” Scootaloo responded enthusiastically. In her excitement, Scootaloo rolled over to face Sweetie Belle, coming nose to nose with her, and Sweetie Belle’s outstretched hoof smacked her in the cheek.

The two fillies simultaneously broke into a fit of silent giggles, neither one minding the close proximity to the other.

“Sorry about that,” Scootaloo muttered. “I just didn’t know you were going through the same stuff.”

“It’s alright,” Sweetie replied, giving Scootaloo a sleepy grin. “Sometimes the future can be a scary thing to think about … but maybe none of that matters—maybe we can figure out where life goes together.” Sweetie Belle sucked in a breath sharply as she realized what she as saying. If Scootaloo were any closer to her, Sweetie was positive she would feel how hard her heart was pounding as she was certain it would burst through her chest at any second.

Scootaloo frowned, but only for a second. “Yeah, maybe. I’m sure we’ll be fine if the three of us stick together. But it’s still something I think about now and then.”

Sweetie Belle deflated slightly, glad Scootaloo didn’t interoperate her differently. Not that she didn’t dream of a long-lasting relationship with Scootaloo, she just didn’t mean to say it like she had. “The three of us... Yeah, the best we can do is take it one day at a time. Who knows where life will take us?”

“Yeah,” Scootaloo agreed. Her eyes fixed onto Sweetie Belle’s.

The room echoed with the ambiance of unspoken emotion: two hearts resting on the uncertainty of an unforeseen future, but content to be in that moment… beating together.

Even in the dim light Sweetie Belle could make out the deep maroon of Scootaloo’s eyes. They were soft and comforting with just a glint of light reflecting the moonlight. Sweetie Belle was content to stay like this forever: laying mere inches apart, sharing an experience beyond words. It was a comfortable silence she was enjoying; words weren’t necessary.

It was perhaps minutes or hours when the silence was finally broken by a soft giggle from Scootaloo.

“What?” Sweetie Belle jumped, the giggle having snapped her out of her musings.

“Oh…” Scootaloo chuckled. “I was just thinking about that game of truth or dare …”

Sweetie Belle’s heart rate shot from resting to full sprint as memories from a few hours ago came rushing back to her, particularly memories of her first, awkward, kiss. “Wh-what about it?” She squeaked.

“Just how crazy it got,” Scootaloo mentioned casually. “Apple Bloom was acting a bit unusual tonight. At first I thought she was just getting back at me for last time, but now I’m not so sure. It’s like she was up to something… like why was she so upset when that kiss wasn’t very good?”

“Right? And what was that about practice?”

“Was she expecting us to be like Sandy Shore and Mane West our first time?” Scootaloo asked, her voice growing louder and louder as she spoke.

“Shh!” Sweetie peered over her shoulder, but her friend was still fast asleep.

“Sorry,” Scootaloo whispered. “So, Was um... was that your first kiss?”

“Yeah. Yours?”

“Mhm.” Scootaloo nodded.

“It was… nice. Rushed and a little weird, but nice.” Sweetie Belle felt the heat radiating from her face as she did her best to maintain eye contact.

“It’d probably be better if we practiced,” Scootaloo suggested with a raised eyebrow.

Sweetie Belle cocked her head to the side, unsure she actually heard correctly.

“Pr-practice?” Sweetie Belle heard herself ask.

“Y-yeah. You know, so we aren’t so bad at it,” Scootaloo said, trying to sound confident and casual, but she couldn’t hide the nervous vibrato in her voice.

Her heart was pounding and her hooves were trembling. The thought of practicing kissing with Scootaloo both thrilled and frightened her. The first time she kissed Scootaloo, she just went for it, not knowing what she was doing. Now, however, she was right there asking her to kiss some more, and Sweetie Belle couldn’t help but fear she’d do it worse than before.

But an even stronger voice in her mind was already at work, urging her to throw all cautions to the winds and to go for it. There were no dares or annoying spectators—it was the moment she had always dreamed of.

“Yes,” Sweetie felt her mouth move and her voice echo the words she was screaming in her mind. “I-I mean yeah, we could practice some if you’re okay with that.”

“Yeah…” Scootaloo replied. “Totally.”

They stared at each other in trepidation, blushing furiously, unsure how to proceed. Slowly, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo moved in closer, removing what little space remained between them. She welcomed the warmth from Scootaloo’s body as she moved her muzzle to Scootaloo’s. She paused as their noses touched, taking a second to exchange breath. And then Sweetie Belle tilted her head and placed her lips upon Scootaloo’s.

She felt Scootaloo’s lips quiver in a moment’s hesitation before returning the kiss. The sensations were almost overwhelming. Her lips were so soft and moist, and the way she pushed back into her… She could only describe it as magical, but all too soon they broke apart.

“That was… better,” Sweetie Belle said. Her heart was still pounding. She was certain she could feel Scootaloo’s heart beating just as hard.

“Yeah… but it still wasn’t Sandy Shore and Mane West good.” Scootaloo grinned, her eyes sparkled with flirtatious mischief.

“Hey! It was much—”

Sweetie Belle’s words were abruptly halted by Scootaloo’s lips planting on hers. She suppressed a squeak of surprise when Scootaloo embraced her, pulling her body tightly against her’s. She melted like warm bee’s wax in her strong hold, pushing back into the kiss. She brought her foreleg up to Scootaloo’s mane and brushed her forelock over her ear, resting her hoof behind Scootaloo’s head, holding her in the kiss.

“Wow,” Sweetie Belle gasped after they broke apart. “That was probably like the movies…” Sweetie Belle said, making Scootaloo smile bashfully. With her hoof still behind Scootaloo’s head, she guided her into another long, tender, kiss.

Sweetie Belle felt the rhythm of Scootaloo’s breathing, the gently curve of her neck, and the way Scootaloo’s hoof caressed her back. Each stroke started at the withers and traveled the entire curve of her back, each one eliciting a moan from her.

“Oh, Scootaloo,” Sweetie whispered after she pulled back from the kiss. She planted a short kiss on her cheek. “That was… that was amazing.” She rested her head in the crook of Scootaloo’s neck.

“Awesome,” Scootaloo said, smiling happily. “I guess there’s something more to these romance movies than I thought,” she mused aloud. “... and this is the part in the movies where the characters realize they really, really like each other, and then they say cheesy nothings and kiss some more.”

Sweetie Belle’s ears perked up, and she raised her head to look Scootaloo in the eyes; she could almost see the love radiating from them. Sweetie Belle knew Scootaloo wasn’t always good with words, or that mushy stuff, as she’s always called it, but now it seemed she was the one having trouble with words.

Do I just say it? I mean she did… sorta. Okay… here it goes...

"So... before, when you said you really liked my mane?" Scootaloo said the exact moment before Sweetie Belle opened her mouth. Sweetie Belle felt like she had been sucker punched as she painfully swallowed a lump in her throat.

"Yeah?"

"Is that what you really meant to say?"

"No," Sweetie Belle said as she began to shake. "I mean, I love your mane. But I... I think that... I think that what I really like is you, Scootaloo. More than like, you know?"

"Good." Sweetie Belle couldn't see Scootaloo's face despite being mere inches apart, but she could practically hear the grin she was wearing. "Because I really like you too."

"Really?"

Scootaloo responded by planting a soft kiss on Sweetie Belle’s cheek. “So…” She paused, lost for words. “So, um, I guess Apple Bloom will be glad we are better at kissing, hm?”

“I guess?”

I wonder… from making Scoots wear that ridiculous dress that made her unbearably cute, to daring me to kiss her, to watching sappy romance movies—but she couldn’t know. No one knows.

“So do you think we should, you know, go on dates and stuff?” Scootaloo asked. “I-I mean if that’s what you want to do.”

Sweetie Belle almost leapt to her feet yelling a loud triumphant yes! into the night, announcing her love to Equestria, not caring who she woke. But, instead she settled for smiling broadly. “I’d love to go on dates and stuff with you, Scoots.” Sweetie Belle couldn’t help but add a mischievous inflection on Scootaloo’s choice word, ‘stuff.’

Scootaloo frowned. “Yeah stuff. You know whatever stuff ponies do on dates. Like—”

Scootaloo’s rambling was cut short as Sweetie Belle placed her lips upon hers. “Relax,” Sweetie said after breaking the kiss. “I’m just teasing you.” She nuzzled Scootaloo’s neck and kissed her cheek.

“Scoots,” Sweetie Belle whispered. “I-I’ve wanted to tell you how I felt for so long. I’ve always had a crush on you, I think; even before I really knew what a crush was, I would always feel butterflies in my stomach when you were around. But despite your tough pony persona, you’ve always been there—picked me up when I was down, and more than once, you’ve held out your hoof and taken me on a whirlwind adventure—just the two of us…” Sweetie Belle took a deep breath. Finally getting her feelings out was refreshing; she had kept them bottled up so long.

Scootaloo tightened her grip on Sweetie Belle. “I’ve always thought dating and love was lame. Then one day I felt something… something different, and it was always when you were around. I still thought romance was lame, but I’d tell myself, ‘if I had to date somepony, I’d date Sweetie Belle,’ because she was always nice, and it was cool she showed interest in what I did and in me.”

“And what do you think of her now?”

“Well… I think she’s caring, strong, and very pretty. She brings out a part of me I didn’t know was there, and maybe, just maybe romance isn’t so lame after all; not with you, Sweetie Belle, you make it worth it.”

“Scoots…” Sweetie Belle was lost for words. She was profoundly moved by what Scootaloo had said. Never had she felt so wanted for who she was; never had a pony told her she brought the best out in them. Never. So, she buried her face into that soft lavender-scented mane, nuzzling into her tight grip.

“Pretty crazy how things turned out,” mused Scootaloo. “I guess all we needed was a nudge in the right direction. Glad Apple Bloom invited us over, and that we played truth or dare, I still have get somepony back, but I’ll worry about that later.”

Sweetie Belle giggled. “You two get too crazy with that game.” Sweetie Belle shook her head. “But I’m glad we played it nonetheless.” Sweetie Belle, feeling more content than she ever had, yawned. Content to have Scootaloo as a pillow, she nuzzled into her, preparing to drift off to sleep.

“Sweetie,” Scootaloo said softly, but Sweetie Belle could still detect a level of concern in her voice. “I don’t mind, um, s-snuggling, but I don’t want to hear it f-from her in the morning. This will probably come as a real big shock.”

“O-oh,” Sweetie Belle said, not hiding the hurt she was feeling. “After all that kissing practice, you still want to keep it a secret?” Her chest went cold.

“It’s not like that,” Scootaloo added hastily. “I j-just thought we should wait until tomorrow and tell her, instead of her finding out and teasing you.”

“I think she’d tease you,” Sweetie Belle corrected. “But… you’re right. We should tell her sometime tomorrow, together. And… take it slow, let this become a real relationship and not a cheesy romance.”

With a nodding in understanding, they shared one last kiss, one last embrace and nuzzle, and then Sweetie Belle returned to her central spot in the bed. Her heavy eyes fluttered as sleep finally won the battle she had been fighting. She fell asleep, staring into those deep mysterious maroon eyes she loved so much.

I can't wait to write this in my diary tomorrow...

Author's Note:

A collaboration between me and Twi-Fi, from ages ago. See if you can tell who wrote what!

Manespray is a play on Hairspray, a film by Adam Shankman (or is it Flankman)?

He also directed "A Walk To Remember" (A Trot To Remember) staring Shane West (Mane West) and Mandy Moore (Sandy Shore).

Comments

[SC14]

Just revisited this over a year after it was finally finished. And its still as good as I remember it. Good Job my friend.