The Life and Times of Everypony

by Leafdoggy

Firsts (CMC)

Autumn in Ponyville was always beautiful. The air was crisp and cool, the wind didn’t overstay its welcome, and animals could be heard all day long, busying themselves as they prepared for the coming winter. It was a time that everypony loved.

That included the three ponies whose excited chatter filled the orchard. It was a particularly warm day, at least for the time of year, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were spending it relaxing in the cool shade of their clubhouse. The well-used treehouse, with its crooked welcome sign and wood just beginning to show its age, fit right in against the orange and brown of the trees all around it.

Inside, the three young ponies were sitting in a circle around a map of Ponyville. “So,” Scootaloo was saying, pointing at various spots around the map, “after lunch Rainbow Dash will be napping on a cloud around here somewhere. Tomorrow’s Tuesday, though, which means a couple hours later she’ll have her secret spa appointment, so—”

“Scootaloo, we really don’t need to know everything Rainbow Dash is gonna be doin tomorrow,” Applebloom interrupted. “We’re just goin to breakfast with our sisters! How could we possibly need to know all this?”

“You never know!” Scootaloo said. “What if she’s super late and we can’t find her anywhere else and the only place she shows up is her super secret spa day appointment?”

Applebloom gave her a disapproving look.

“Okay, fine, maybe that’s not very likely,” Scootaloo admitted. “Still, though, it’s interesting! Don’t you two wonder what your sisters do all day?”

“Nope,” Applebloom said.

“Nah,” Sweetie Belle told her.

“Our sisters mostly just work,” Applebloom continued.

“And pretty much all the rest of the time Rarity is with Rainbow Dash,” Sweetie Belle added, “so if she’s gonna do something worth knowing about, I’ll hear about it from you.”

Scootaloo sighs. “How do you guys deal with having such boring sisters.”

“Hey, Applejack’s not boring!” Applebloom said indignantly. “I don’t see Rainbow Dash dating a princess.”

“Yeah,” Sweetie Belle agreed, “and Rarity is, uh… Um… She does stuff.”

“Uh-huh, sure,” Scootaloo said. “Like what?”

“I, uh, saw her kiss Rainbow Dash the other day,” Sweetie Belle said.

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “There’s nothing special about that, it happens all the time.”

“Yeah, but this time was different!” Sweetie Belle insisted.

“Different how?” Scootaloo asked.

“It just was,” Sweetie Belle said. “I dunno, it just kinda stuck out to me. I keep thinking about it.”

“Was it their anniversary or somethin?” Applebloom asked.

“Nah, that’s in the summer,” Scootaloo said. “Maybe they made some kind of big decision?”

“Maybe Rarity just got better at kissing,” Applebloom suggested.

“No, it’s nothing like that,” Sweetie Belle said. “It didn’t actually look any different from normal, it just felt different.”

“Maybe you’re jealous,” Applebloom said.

Sweetie Belle blushed and puffed out her cheeks angrily. “Am not!”

Applebloom and Scootaloo both chuckled. “You look pretty jealous to me,” Scootaloo said.

Sweetie Belle glared at them both.

“Don’t sweat it, Sweetie Belle,” Scootaloo told her. “I bet Applebloom would’ve gotten jealous, too.”

Applebloom gasped and blushed a little. “What, like you wouldn’t?”

“I never said that,” Scootaloo said. “I figured we all thought about that stuff.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s true,” Applebloom said. “I was just teasin, Sweetie Belle, I didn’t mean nothin by it.”

“Hmph,” Sweetie Belle huffed grumpily.

“Aw, c’mon,” Applebloom said. “You’ll get me back sometime.”

Sweetie Belle huffed again, but then a thought struck her and she grinned. “I’ve got an idea,” she said. “You said you think about that stuff. Does that mean there’s a pony you think about kissing?”

Applebloom blushed harder. “I-I mean… Don’t we all? It just kinda happens, it don’t mean nothin.”

Scootaloo grinned. “Applebloom, do you like somepony?”

Applebloom glared at them both. “I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”

They both laughed. “C’mon, Applebloom, tell us who!” Sweetie Belle urged.

“Yeah, tell us!” Scootaloo said.

“No way!” Applebloom told them. “Why should I have to say when neither of you are?”

“What makes you think we even like anypony?” Scootaloo asked.

“Oh, come on,” Applebloom said. “You must like somepony. I’ll only tell if you two do too.”

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo exchanged a nervous glance.

Applebloom smirked. “What’s wrong, are you too chicken? Guess I won’t have to say after all.”

“I’m not chicken!” Scootaloo said. “I… Fine, I’ll say.”

They both looked at Sweetie Belle. She tried to look away from them at first, but she didn’t last long. “Fine,” she agreed.

Applebloom chuckled. “Great! Okay, on the count of three, we all say.” The others nodded. “One, two… Three!”

Scootaloo shouted “Sweetie Belle!”

Sweetie Belle said “Scootaloo!”

And Applebloom blurted out “Diamond Tiara!”

There was a beat of silence as they all looked around at each other. Then the room exploded, each of them talking over each other frantically. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle blushed and couldn’t bring themselves to meet eyes, both trying to distract themselves by focusing on Applebloom. Meanwhile, Applebloom was laughing gleefully and pointing between the two of them.

Eventually, Applebloom’s laughing died down, and the other two quieted down with it. They both stared at opposite walls, occasionally stealing a glance at the other before turning away as quickly as possible.

Scootaloo coughed. “So, uh… Diamond Tiara?”

“Huh?” Applebloom responded with a gasp. “Oh, I, uh… I really said that, huh?” She laughed awkwardly.

“You really like her?” Sweetie Belle asked.

Applebloom shrugged. “I guess? I hadn’t really thought about it, but… I dunno, ever since we became friends she’s been on my mind a lot.”

“Huh,” Scootaloo said. “Are you gonna ask her out?”

“What?” Applebloom looked at her in shock. “Why in Equestria would I do that?”

“Cuz you… Like her?” Scootaloo replied. “That’s what you do when you like somepony.”

“Oh,” Applebloom said.

“I think you should do it!” Sweetie Belle told her. “I mean, why would she say no? You’re great! I bet she’d love to go out with you.”

“You really think so?” Applebloom asked. “Hmm… Hey, wait a second.” She pointed at the two of them again. “Why are we talkin about me when I’m the hard one to figure out?”

The two looked at each other, then blushed and turned away. “W-What do you mean?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“You know darn good and well what I mean,” Applebloom said. “You said each other! This practically solves itself.”

“Are you saying…” Scootaloo began, but her voice trailed off and she swallowed hard.

“What I’m sayin is that you two should kiss.”

They both blushed and their eyes went wide. “K-Kiss?” Sweetie Belle stammered.

“Well it’s what we’ve been talkin about, ain’t it?” Applebloom asked. “You like each other, you wanna know what kissin is like, and it ain’t like you don’t know each other. So just do it!”

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo locked eyes, blushed, looked away again, then forced themselves to look back at each other. Scootaloo smiled and shrugged, and Sweetie Belle grinned awkwardly and scooted closer. They each inched towards each other, and jumped a bit when their hooves touched. Then they started to lean towards each other, their eyes darting between the other’s eyes and lips, and eventually they both closed their eyes. They crept forward, slower and slower, until…

“Oh, for pete’s sake,” Applebloom said under her breath when they both stopped moving. Quietly, she leaned over and bopped Scootaloo on the back of the head, sending them careening into each other. It was only for an instant, but their lips touched before they shot back away from each other, their eyes wide and their faces redder than ever. Their expressions were both blank, too stunned to show anything, but their eyes were locked together.

“So, uh…” Applebloom coughed awkwardly. “Did you… Like it?”

A beat passed, then another. Then, slowly, Scootaloo’s mouth crept up into a smile, and Sweetie Belle’s did the same. Soon they were both grinning as wide as possible, still staring into each other's eyes without speaking.

“I’ll, uh, take that as a yes,” Applebloom said. She waited a moment, but still got no response. “Guys? You still in there?”

She waved a hoof in front of Scootaloo’s face, and Scootaloo jumped back in surprise and looked at her. “Huh?” she said, and she and Sweetie Belle both looked around as they came back to their senses. “Oh, heh, sorry. That was kinda a lot.”

“So, you liked it,” Applebloom said, “so now what?”

“What do you mean?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Like, are you two gonna start dating?”

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo looked at each other, then back at Applebloom, then at each other. “Uhh…” Scootaloo said. “I, uh… Hey, we did our thing, so now it’s your turn, right? C’mon, let’s go find Diamond Tiara!” Before Applebloom could respond, Scootaloo had dashed out the door of the clubhouse.

“We, uh, better not keep her waiting,” Sweetie Belle said, and she followed closely after. Applebloom looked at where they had been for a second, then groaned and walked out to follow them.

So, the trio set off into Ponyville. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo walked on either side of Applebloom, too nervous to get any closer to each other. Every few minutes, one would steal a glance at the other, and the other would blush and smile as they shyly looked away. Then they’d look back, only to make the first pony blush in kind.

Applebloom walked ahead of them, oblivious to all this. “So, uh,” she said, trying to get out of her head and away from the flurry of thoughts flying through it, “where exactly are we goin?”

“To Diamond Tiara,” Scootaloo told her. “Duh.”

“Y’all are really gonna make me do this?”

“We’re not gonna make you,” Sweetie Belle said. “We’re just encouraging you. Nothing will ever happen if you don’t make a move.”

The wind bit at the ponies’ ears as they walked into Ponyville. It was getting later in the day, and the cold was starting to beat out the warmth. Still, the streets were filled with smiling, laughing ponies. Every time they walked past one of them, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo both turned red and stared down at the ground, but they got a little more used to it each time.

“Why does something have to happen?” Applebloom asked.

“Well, you could just go your whole life thinking about kissing her,” Scootaloo said. “That doesn’t sound very fun, though.”

“I dunno,” Applebloom said, “it’s lookin pretty close to me right now.”

“Yeah, right,” Scootaloo said. “You’re still walking.”

“So how’re you gonna ask her out?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Do I need a plan?” Applebloom responded.

“Well, yeah,” Sweetie Belle said. “I mean, with me and Scootaloo it was easy cuz we both said each other. You actually have to show her why she should go out with you.”

“We’re already friends,” Applebloom said.

“Yeah, but that’s not romance,” Sweetie Belle told her. “She’s never seen the lovey dovey side of you.”

“I dunno that I have a lovey dovey side,” Applebloom said. “I guess I could bring her flowers or somethin.”

“But she’s Diamond Tiara,” Scootaloo said. “She can get anything she wants. She’s not gonna be impressed by just buying her something.”

“Well I ain’t writin her a song,” Applebloom said.

“We just have to think of what makes you special,” Sweetie Belle said. “Like, you’re really strong.”

“And you love apples,” Scootaloo said.

“And you don’t back down from stuff.”

“And you really love apples.”

“And you see the best in everypony.”

“And you really, really love—”

“Enough with the apples!” Applebloom shouted. “How am I supposed to show her any of that?”

“Hmm…” Sweetie Belle hummed in thought. “Yeah, I have no idea.”

“Augh,” Applebloom groaned. “I’m just gonna get some flowers. If I pick em all out myself, then it’s not just buyin her somethin, right?”

“I guess,” Scootaloo said with a shrug.

Luckily, Diamond Tiara lived close to the market already, so they didn’t have to detour far to get there. It was a fairly busy day, lots of ponies taking advantage of the good weather to get some chores done, but with no upcoming holidays the flower stand wasn’t too packed. They had to stand in line for a bit, all three of them looking around shyly as they waited, but it was only a few minutes before they made it to the front of the line.

Roseluck smiled at the ponies as they walked up. “Well, if it isn’t the Cutie Mark Crusaders,” she said cheerily. “This is a rare treat. What can I help you with?”

“Um, well,” Applebloom muttered as her cheeks started to turn red, “I was kind of hoping to get some flowers for somepony.”

“Oh?” Roseluck put a hoof to her mouth to hide a giggle. “And who would this lucky pony be? I can help you pick out just the right flowers.”

“R-Really?” Applebloom smiled up at her. “Well, they’re for, um…” Her voice lowered to barely a whisper. “They’re for Diamond Tiara.”

“Aww, how cute,” Roseluck said. “Well, that’s easy enough. I always say, the best thing to get a pink pony is pink flowers. ‘Pink begets pink,’ I always say. Would you like to add any kind of special touches?”

“Umm…” Applebloom looked down in thought for a moment. “Oh! Do you think it would look nice with a couple orange ones?”

“I think that sounds perfect,” Roseluck told her. “I’ll get that whipped up lickety split.”

“Thank you, miss Roseluck,” Applebloom said. “How much do I owe you?”

“Oh, pfft.” Roseluck dismissed the thought with a wave of a hoof. “You don’t owe me anything. There’s nothing better than helping young love bloom.”

Applebloom grinned wide as Roseluck gave her the flowers. “Thank you!” All three waved excitedly, then trotted off in the direction of Diamond Tiara’s home.

“You seem awfully excited all of the sudden,” Scootaloo said.

“Do I?” Applebloom asked. “Yeah, I guess I kinda am. I dunno, I just… Getting the flowers made it feel real. I’m actually doing this. I’m doing this!”

“Yeah!” Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo both cheered for her.

“Uh, hey,” Applebloom said as they neared the house, “do you think I can do this alone? It feels weird to have you two there.”

“Yeah, sure,” Scootaloo said. “We can watch from the bushes.”

“Or you could… Not watch at all?” Applebloom suggested. “Maybe go get some alone time of your own together.”

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo glanced at each other. “Uhhh,” Scootaloo said, “we, um… Yeah, I guess we could do that.”

Sweetie Belle nodded in agreement and grinned. “We’ll, uh, see you later Applebloom!” Then she motioned for Scootaloo to follow her, and the two trotted away together with huge smiles on their faces and their cheeks turning red.

Applebloom chuckled and squeezed the bouquet against her chest. “Alright, Applebloom, you can do this,” she told herself. She swallowed hard, then confidently walked up and knocked on the huge door of Diamond Tiara’s sizable home.

It felt like she waited there for an eternity. Time stood still, the world melted away, and all that was left was her and her thoughts. Her nerves skyrocketed, the hair on the back of her neck stood up, and she was just about ready to turn and run when the door opened up.

Filthy Rich grinned when he saw Applebloom. “Well, if it isn’t my favorite little tycoon,” he said. “How can I help you? I do hope everything is alright.”

“Um, hi, Mr. Rich,” Applebloom muttered with a nervous smile. “I-I um, I wanted, um… Is Diamond Tiara home?”

Filthy Rich looked at Applebloom, then at the flowers, then back at Applebloom, and chuckled to himself. “Why, yes she is,” he said. “Please, come inside, you can wait in the foyeur while I get her for you.”

Applebloom smiled and nodded, then followed him inside. The inside of Diamond Tiara’s home was imposing, to say the least. Most notably, everything was spotless. Everything had its place, and everything was where it was meant to be. None of the art lining the walls was crooked, none of the flowers decorating the halls were dry. Applebloom could just about see herself in the polished marble floors. It was all a lot for her to take in, and she continued to gaze around in wonderment as Filthy Rich plodded up the grand, wide staircase leading to the upper level.

She found herself walking over to look up at a massive painting, one that took up an entire wall. It was a portrait of the family, Diamond Tiara and her parents alongside an older pony that Applebloom didn’t recognize, sitting together with serious expressions before a fireplace. Serious aside from Diamond Tiara, that is, who looked younger and had been painted with a huge smile on her face.

“Applebloom?” Diamond Tiara’s voice made Applebloom jump in place and whirl around to face her. Immediately, Applebloom started to blush behind her anxious grin. “Is everything alright?” Diamond Tiara asked her. “Where are Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo?”

“Uh, hi Diamond Tiara!” Applebloom said, a bit too loudly. “Everything’s fine, they’re fine. They’re just, you know, not here.”

“Uh-huh,” Diamond Tiara said. She tilted her head quizzically. “What’s with the flowers?”

“Oh, these?” Applebloom looked at the flowers, then hastily held them out. “They’re for you!” She laughed nervously.

“Aww, thank you!” Diamond Tiara smiled and took the bouquet from her. “They’re wonderful. You, uh, know I’m not sick though, right?”

Applebloom laughed again. “Of course! They’re for, um… Well… I wanted to ask you something.”

“Okaaaay,” Diamond Tiara said. “Well, ask me then. I’d rather not stand in the foyeur all day.”

“Yeah, of course,” Applebloom said. “See, the thing is, I kind of…” She took a deep breath, then blurted everything out at once. “I think I like you and came to ask you if you wanna go out with me!”

Diamond Tiara’s eyes went wide. “Oh!” She looked down at the flowers, and her cheeks flushed a bit. “Oh, wow. Okay. I don’t really know what to say.”

Applebloom’s smile slipped a bit. “I-I mean, of course, you don’t have to if you don’t want to, I just…”

“No, no, I mean I just… Really don’t know what I’m supposed to say,” Diamond Tiara said. “Nopony’s ever asked me out before.”

“Really?” Applebloom asked. “But you’re… You!”

Diamond Tiara raised an eyebrow at her. “You do realize everypony hated me until, like, a year ago, right?”

“I mean, I guess,” Applebloom said, “but you’re better now!”

“Not everypony forgets so easily,” Diamond Tiara said. “You’re… A special kind of pony.”

Applebloom blushed a bit harder and looked away. “T-Thanks,” she said. “You’re special too!”

“Obviously,” Diamond Tiara said. Then, before Applebloom could realize what was happening, Diamond Tiara walked up and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Does that work as an answer?”

Applebloom’s face instantly went beet red. “I- Um- I-” she stammered, trying, and failing, to get any coherent thoughts out. Finally, she just smiled and nodded.

Diamond Tiara grinned. “Let me know when you come up with a first date! I’ll be waiting with bated breath.” She waved and, without waiting for Applebloom to collect herself, started to trot down the hall. “I’ll see you later! I’m going to go put these in a vase.”

It took Applebloom a minute to piece everything together. When she finally did, she smiled wider than ever, then realized she was still in Diamond Tiara’s house and scurried hurriedly out the door.

She nearly ran head first into Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, who were standing in front of the door waiting for her. She skidded to a stop in front of them, and noticed that they were standing a lot closer than they had been before, and they both had incredibly giddy smiles.

“Sooo?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“So, what?” Applebloom responded.

So, did she say yes?” Scootaloo asked.

Applebloom tried to stay composed, but she couldn’t keep herself from smiling. “She did!” She grabbed the other two and hugged them tight.

“Hooray!” the other two cheered. “So,” Sweetie Belle asked, “when’s your first date?”

“Uhh, I dunno yet,” Applebloom said. “She told me to figure it out.”

Scootaloo laughed. “Good luck with that.”

“Yeah,” Sweetie Belle agreed. “I mean, dating Diamond Tiara? Talk about high maintenance.”

“Yeah, yeah, yuck it up,” Applebloom said. She motioned for them to start walking, and the other two followed her down the street. “C’mon, let’s go get somethin at Sugarcube Corner to celebrate. It’s not every day all three of us get girlfriends.”

Comments

[Razzy]

D'awwwwwww~

[Kessie_amarra]

They gay is strong with these ponies! I love it!