Azure Edge

by Leaf Blade

282. In Good Hands

Rarity’s family were seated around a table in a fancy restaurant in the Crystal Empire, and even Applejack was there, having caught up to the family and been invited to hang out blah blah blah, Sweetie Belle didn’t care about any of that.

All Sweetie was interested in was Apple Bloom.

They had been talking pretty much nonstop since they met at the train station, and if Sweetie Belle had it her way, they’d be talking nonstop for literally forever. Apple Bloom was super cool and nice, and every time she like nodded enthusiastically at one of Sweetie’s stories, or said some adorable countryism, Sweetie’s heart melted a little bit more.

Sweetie just thought she was neat.

Though granted, she sure wished Rarity would chill out a bit. Rarity kept looking over at Sweetie and Apple Bloom with her hands on her cheeks, scrunching her face into this embarrassing coo as she oo’d and aww’d at Sweetie’s conversation, and while Apple Bloom seemed to take it in stride, it was still really embarrassing.

Sweetie tried to ignore it, but—

“Oooooo,” Rarity cooed, hands on her cheeks. Sweetie sighed irritably for like the thirtieth time since they sat down, and they hadn't even gotten their food yet.

“C’mon, Rarity,” Applejack chuckled and put her arm around Rarity, yanking her close to the big earth pony. “Let the kids have their fun.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Rarity said, trying to push herself away from Applejack, but AJ was keeping her in a lock and Rarity eventually gave up. “I just—can you blame me?”

“Yes,” Sweetie Belle and Applejack said together, and Sweetie gave Applejack finger guns while AJ winked back at her, Apple Bloom laughing into her hand, and geez Apple Bloom had a really cute laugh.

“Hey, Sweetie,” Apple Bloom chuckled, Sweetie giving her undivided attention, “don’t worry too much about Rarity. I know how sisters can be, and it’s fine.”

“Hey now,” Applejack balked, “what d’ya mean ‘how sisters can be’? I’m not a nosy mare like Rarity.”

“Ouch, darling,” Rarity said drolly.

“C’mon, Applejack,” Apple Bloom snickered, “don’t pretend like you wouldn’t be doin’ that exact stuff if Rarity weren’t here takin’ the heat for ya.”

“Well,” Applejack blushed and itched her cheek, “ya can’t prove anything.”

Rarity and Apple Bloom laughed, and so did Sweetie’s parents who had thankfully kept mostly to themselves during this little outing, cuz if Sweetie thought Rarity was embarrassing— and she did— she had nothing on their mom and dad.

Okay, with Rarity thoroughly distracted by Applejack, it was time for Sweetie to make her move. She didn’t know what her move was, but she knew she wanted to do something, just like… she wanted to show Apple Bloom some affection, something other than just words to say like ‘hey I think you’re cool’.

She kinda wanted the effortless chemistry that Rarity and Applejack had, as she watched them playfully bicker and then seamlessly shift into flirting with each other, and then just as easily turn that into talking about life stuff or small talk. They just had it all, like they were perfect for each other, and Sweetie Belle wanted in on that too, but with Apple Bloom.

So she put Apple Bloom in a headlock out of nowhere.

“OW!” Apple Bloom cried out as Sweetie put her arm around her, immediately draining the color from Sweetie’s face as Apple Bloom pushed herself away and looked at Sweetie in annoyance. “What was that for?!”

“Uh,” Sweetie’s face turned bright pink and a faint, pale green aura lit up around her horn as she tried to come up with an excuse, but she just kinda stammered as everyone at the table started staring at her, and then everyone in the restaurant, and then everyone in the Empire, and then everyone in the ENTIRE WORLD, until…

…Sweetie teleported out of the restaurant.

Well okay, not completely out of the restaurant; she found herself in the girls’ bathroom, which was really nice by the way. She was a little bit out of it though too, since teleporting was still a really new thing for her and she hadn't done it just now on purpose.

Still though, she locked the door on the stall she ended up in and just kinda curled up into a ball, stewing in her complete and utter failure to charm Apple Bloom and how she now felt like her chances of being friends with her were totally ruined and it was all her fault and Apple Bloom was probably gonna be like ‘ew yer weird and gross I don’t like you anymore’ which…

Wow, she was sick of hearing that.

“Sweetie Belle?”

Sweetie’s head snapped up and her eyes widened; last thing she expected to hear was Apple Bloom’s voice saying her name, but she looked at the gap under the stall and sure enough there were Apple Bloom’s hooves standing right outside.

“How did you—” Sweetie stammered, confused how Apple Bloom managed to find her, but then again Rarity had been working on her magic just as much as Sweetie had, and she had Twilight and Sweetie didn’t, so that gave her an edge. “Uh, what’s up, Apple Bloom?” Sweetie chuckled awkwardly, trying to pretend like she wasn’t on the verge of tears. Or barfing.

“You okay?” Apple Bloom asked, and she sounded upset. Sweetie swore if she made Apple Bloom upset with her dumb headlock shit and then even more upset with her even dumber teleport shit, she was gonna set herself on fire or something. “You disappeared all of a sudden. Everypony was worried about you.”

“Uh, yeah, sorry about that,” Sweetie sighed, and then just kinda didn’t say anything else. She didn’t know what else to say.

“I’m sorry too,” Apple Bloom said sadly. “I didn’t mean to embarrass ya.”

“No! You shouldn’t apologize!” Sweetie exclaimed desperately; the last thing she wanted was to make Apple Bloom feel bad for her screwup. “I’m the one who’s a dumb stupid idiot here, not you!”

“Yer not a dumb stupid idiot!” Apple Bloom said with an honestly kinda shocking amount of bite in her voice. “That’s my friend yer talkin’ about, and if yer gonna shit talk her, I’m gonna come in there and beat the shit outta you, y’hear me?!”

“W-wow,” Sweetie said, her face turning bright pink. Wow! “Uhm, w-wow, okay. I’ll keep that in mind!”

“Sorry,” Apple Bloom chuckled awkwardly, “that mighta been too intense.”

“No, you’re good!” Sweetie insisted. “Thanks, I actually— I really appreciate that, Apple Bloom.”

“No problem, what’re friends for?” Apple Bloom declared proudly, and hearing her call Sweetie a friend got Sweetie all choked up and made butterflies start swarming around in her stomach. “Now can I get in there? Talkin’ to a door is makin’ me feel weird.”

“Oh! Yeah, sure!” Sweetie said, and Apple Bloom crawled under the wall and into the stall, waving at Sweetie with a big smile that made Sweetie’s heart beat faster for some weird reason.

“So I wasn’t sure what you were thinkin’ when you suddenly attacked me at the table earlier,” Apple Bloom said, and Sweetie’s mood immediately plunged into the toilet, “but Rarity said you weren’t tryn’ to attack me? You were tryin’ to be affectionate?”

Sweetie stared blankly into space and wondered if she could just fire off another teleport and escape from this conversation entirely.

“Which I guess just surprised me, is all,” Apple Bloom said awkwardly, trying to fill up the empty space in the conversation that Sweetie’s silence had left, “cuz like, wow a cute girl trying to be affectionate with me is like, wow! No way?! Holy piss! Shit! How did that happen?!”

“What d’ya mean ‘how did that happen’?!” Sweetie scoffed. “You’re awesome! You’re cool and cute and you have an adorable accent and I like your bow and your fashion is on point and you like swords and you know how to make swords like holy shit how does it get any cooler than that well I’ll tell you how it’s cuz you also listen to me when I ramble about stuff and you always have these super cool insights and little factoids and you know stuff about things and oh my gawd I’m really going off aren’t I this is so embarrassing I need to shut up before I make a total ass of myself.”

Apple Bloom blinked, eyes wide. Sweetie Belle wanted to crawl up her own ass and die.

“Y-you… you like me!” Apple Bloom said, like it was some kinda revelation and not the most obvious shit in the world.

“Yes? Obviously? Who wouldn’t like you?” Sweetie asked incredulously, cheeks tinted a burning red.

“Oh, Sweetie,” Apple Bloom laughed bitterly, “I could give you a list like a mile long.”

“RIGHT?! BIG MOOD!” Sweetie yelled, her arms flailing in the air.

“Well hey,” Apple Bloom kicked her hoof and ran her hand through her mane, “if we’re both kinda outcasts then like, maybe we should stick together?” Apple Bloom held out her hand and extended her littlest finger, her legs shaking underneath her.

“Yeah,” Sweetie Belle said softly, reaching out with a trembling hand and putting her own little finger around Apple Bloom’s, “I’d like that a lot.”

Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom returned to the table, where their food and family were waiting for them, the two sitting down next to each other and Sweetie trying not make a big deal about it or anything.

“Hey,” Rarity said softly, “you okay?”

“Yeah,” Sweetie nodded.

“Good,” Rarity smiled warmly, and Sweetie smiled back. “Glad I let Apple Bloom go after you instead of going myself. Seems like you’re in good hands.”

“Yeah,” Sweetie looked over at Apple Bloom, who looked away bashfully and made Sweetie giggle, the pair’s hands intertwined under the table, “I think so too.”

Author's Note:

i know after the apple bloom chapter i said writing kids was rly hard, but honestly i've warmed up to it already. sweetie belle and apple bloom are not hindered by things like "logic" the way rarity and the others are, and that is fun

If you enjoyed this chapter, please let me know by leaving a comment! I absolutely adore reading them!
Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed!

Comments

[ShadowLDrago]

All Sweetie was interested in was Apple Bloom.

She's gay for her, I'm willing to bet.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Rarity said, trying to push herself away from Applejack, but AJ was keeping her in a lock and Rarity eventually gave up. “I just—can you blame me?”

Yes.

“Hey now,” Applejack balked, “what d’ya mean ‘how sisters can be’? I’m not a nosy mare like Rarity.”

“Ouch, darling,” Rarity said drolly.

And yet, she isn't wrong.

Well okay, not completely out of the restaurant; she found herself in the girls’ bathroom, which was really nice by the way. She was a little bit out of it though too, since teleporting was still a really new thing for her and she hadn't done it just now on purpose.

Still, being able to do it at all is no small feat.

“Yer not a dumb stupid idiot!” Apple Bloom said with an honestly kinda shocking amount of bite in her voice. “That’s my friend yer talkin’ about, and if yer gonna shit talk her, I’m gonna come in there and beat the shit outta you, y’hear me?!”

I like her. I like her a lot.

“Yeah,” Sweetie Belle said softly, reaching out with a trembling hand and putting her own little finger around Apple Bloom’s, “I’d like that a lot.”

Daaw, this is nice.

i know after the apple bloom chapter i said writing kids was rly hard, but honestly i've warmed up to it already. sweetie belle and apple bloom are not hindered by things like "logic" the way rarity and the others are, and that is fun

LOGIC? For two of the famed Cutie Mark Crusaders? Please. They're like cats. Not constrained by such petty things as 'logic' or 'physics'.

[Kaleido]

All Sweetie was interested in was Apple Bloom.

neat

They had been talking pretty much nonstop since they met at the train station, and if Sweetie Belle had it her way, they’d be talking nonstop for literally forever. Apple Bloom was super cool and nice, and every time she like nodded enthusiastically at one of Sweetie’s stories, or said some adorable countryism, Sweetie’s heart melted a little bit more.

awwwwww

“Yes,” Sweetie Belle and Applejack said together, and Sweetie gave Applejack finger guns while AJ winked back at her, Apple Bloom laughing into her hand, and geez Apple Bloom had a really cute laugh.

omg
this is perfect
gang up on rarity y'all

“Well,” Applejack blushed and itched her cheek, “ya can’t prove anything.”

heheh

So she put Apple Bloom in a headlock out of nowhere.

huh
well
yeah that'll work i guess

…Sweetie teleported out of the restaurant.

oops
poor sweetie

Wow, she was sick of hearing that.

oh nooooooooo

“No! You shouldn’t apologize!” Sweetie exclaimed desperately; the last thing she wanted was to make Apple Bloom feel bad for her screwup. “I’m the one who’s a dumb stupid idiot here, not you!”

oh nooooooooo!

“W-wow,” Sweetie said, her face turning bright pink. Wow! “Uhm, w-wow, okay. I’ll keep that in mind!”

ah yes, self esteem through small ensured violence

“So I wasn’t sure what you were thinkin’ when you suddenly attacked me at the table earlier,” Apple Bloom said, and Sweetie’s mood immediately plunged into the toilet, “but Rarity said you weren’t tryn’ to attack me? You were tryin’ to be affectionate?”

omg
rarity understands!
rarity is the true parental figure since her parents don't seem to be very good at that whole parent thing in canon or generally otherwise.

“Yeah,” Sweetie looked over at Apple Bloom, who looked away bashfully and made Sweetie giggle, the pair’s hands intertwined under the table, “I think so too.”

awwww
yay