As much as pacing had made her retelling easier, Twilight found that the concentration technique was actually counterproductive to listening, so she plopped her plot back into the baths. Fluttershy had covered everything about her night, the last time she had a turn, so... Ooh, she was actually ahead, chronologically! That meant whatever Fluttershy discussed now would have been concurrent to her plan and its execution, and thus her message with Spike. It always made Twilight a bit more comfortable to have a concrete timeline of things- Same with all of her various lists and schedules. Order and rationality meant coherency and comprehension. Proper timing was proper execution was proper living... Or so she had been taught.

But of course, she was just getting off track again- It was Fluttershy’s time to shine. And shine she did. Or, well... Fluster. Look around nervously. Traditional public-speaking Fluttershy, in other words, but still... She hadn’t been that nervous talking about doing that to Luna’s horn. So why now?
“Well, we, um... Had a very nice breakfast. Luna had gone to Bon-Bon the day before, and she got, well... Sculptures.”

Rarity perked up and reached into her saddlebag with a tendril of magic.
“Oh! I know those sculptures... I believe Sweetie Belle got me one of the Boutique for my birthday last year. I have a picture around here somewhere...”

Shockingly, Fluttershy managed to look even more nervous.
“Oh, Sweetie Belle. Yes... Well, the sculptures were very nice, and delicious. And after breakfast, we went for a walk in Whitetail Woods. After all, it was such a beautiful day yesterday... Hee, Twilight, do you think Celestia’s mood had anything to do with that?”

It was her turn, now, to blush.
“W-what? I mean, um, if it was, then every time we... Oh dear. I might have to keep an eye on meteorological effects when we’re... OK, you know what? I think you’re just trying to stall again.”

The pegasus pouted, but she would have none of it- Turns were meant to go in relatively even spacing, fair was fair and all that. Fluttershy sighed.
“So... our walk. It ended at a clearing in the woods, where we might have gotten a bit... frisky. Except there was an, um... interruption.”

She paused, looking between the two of them.
“And then we cleared up the interruption and went home-”

“Waaaaait one second young mare!”

“...I’m a week older than you, Rarity.”

“Shush darling, I’m scolding you. Do you really think you can just say you got “interrupted” and then jump straight past it! That’s what wonderful delicious drama is made from! So who was it? Or what? After all, you weren’t far from the Everfree...”

The response they got was barely loud enough to qualify as a mumble. Twilight was sure that something like that had been the origin of the first single decibel measurement.

“I couldn’t make out what you said Fluttershy. Do speak up, please.”

Stubbornly, Fluttershy seemed to get even more quiet, speaking on some kind of subsonic level only truly audible to her own vocal chords. Twilight stifled a laugh- How bad could it have been?

“Pleeease, dear?”

Finally, she caved in and told them.
“Well, it was the... the Cutie Mark Crusaders.”

Despite the occasional curl of steam still rising out of her bath, Twilight felt the temperature of the room drop hard. Rarity stared daggers at their mutual friend.
“My baby sister saw you doing what!?”

--------

If there was one thing Spike hadn’t been expecting to deal with that day, it was a face full of pony. But here he was at the bottom of a hill in Ponyville, rump sore from a direct crash with Scootaloo’s scooter. Well, alright: The Crusaders were at the bottom of the hill, and he was at the bottom of the Crusaders, currently being crushed by so much filly it was silly.
“Sweetie Belle, can you please get off of me?”

Well, that’s what he tried to say, but it came out more like “Swwmmfbefjfff” and then trailed off. Sometimes, being friends with these three almost seemed like more trouble than it was worth... But he knew that was just the recent injury talking. Eventually, they all did manage to pull themselves off of him, cleaning the tree sap (where did that even come from?) out of their fur as they went.

Applebloom was the first one to apologize.
“Ah’m sorry Spike, we just sorta... Lost control.”

“Yeah we did! And it was all thanks to you pointing out your coltfriend like it was some huge emergency! Maybe next time, you could shout right next to my ear even louder!”

The young farmpony blushed.
“Hay! I wasn’t that loud, and fer the last time, Spike is not my coltfriend!”

Sweetie Belle leaned in and made a ridiculous expression at her, probably meant to be the look of somepony in love.
“Aaaww, really? So why do the two of you spend so much time together, hmmm?”

Her and Scootaloo started giggling, while their third friend was left sputtering. Spike just sighed and put a claw on her back.
“Eh, don’t let ‘em get to you- They’re just fooling around, right?”

“Ah know, ah know- I keep tryin’ to get ‘em back the same way, but they don’t have anypony I can make jokes about.”

That got the other fillies to stop laughing, suddenly both looking a bit hurt and... embarassed?
“Hey! Low blow.”

“Yeah Apple Bloom, we’re just messing with you two. We’re all friends, so of course we hang out a lot.”
Sweetie Belle had already gotten to work getting the scooter set back up as she talked, with a little help from all of them. For once, it wasn’t too banged-up from the sudden stop. Spike remembered the time they had ran full-force into him while he was trying to send a letter to Celestia... It took about a week for them to get that wheel mailed back from the palace.

“So, why are you three in such a hurry anyways?”

“We weren’t! Just sorta heading around Ponyville, looking for something new to try out so we can earn our Cutie Marks, and then your marefriend got all shouty at the side of my head.”

Rather than actually respond, he just shook his head and finished helping them put the scooter up. Lately, it had seemed like the jokes were coming faster than ever, but he couldn’t really blame them. It was coming close to summer, and apparently there was an unspoken expectation that when school started again in the fall, most of the class would already have some special somepony, or just a fun story from the vacation. He didn’t envy them that... Well, that was a lie. Sometimes he really did wish he went to school with them, or anypony really. Twilight was an amazing tutor, but he had to get all of his social stuff on his free time, rather than have classmates.

Sweetie Belle broke him out of his thoughts by shaking his shoulder vigorously.
“Oh hey, that’s right! Do you wanna come join us for a picnic later? Or now?”

“Eh, I dunno- I wanted to go see if I could find out from Luna what this whole “thing” tonight is.”

Scootaloo waved a hoof dismissively.
“Pfft, Pinkie’s already trying that- She told us not to bother.”

“R-really? Well...”

Unfortunately for his willpower, Sweetie Belle brought out the big guns.
“...Rarity let me take some of her leftover sapphires...”

And just like that, before he even knew it, they were on the far side of Ponyville, parked under a shade tree and snacking down. The girls all had sandwiches and bags of sugared flower-petals, and he had a nice fistful of sapphires with a little emerald dust. Sure, he’d had other plans, but... Good gemstones don’t just walk into your mouth, yaknow?

By the time he had finished, the girls were nearly done as well. Spike dusted his claws off and looked around. This was... Nice. Nice and comfortable, like all his days with the Crusaders were. It had taken some getting used to all their in-jokes and antics, but their burning desire to get their cutie marks reminded him of how he sometimes felt about his dragon nature. They were all looking for something sorta mysterious, distant, and hard to sum up. But they’d all get there eventually. So now it was just waiting, and enjoying the wait.

Sweetie Belle suddenly started walking away from them, shooting a look back over her shoulder.
“Hey Scootaloo! Come with me for a bit, OK? It’s about that ‘plan’ we had.”

The pegasus looked at her in confusion for a second, then perked up.
“Oh! Right. Hey, Apple Bloom, Spike? Don’t follow us. We’re totally planning a surprise for a bunch of ponies, and that includes you, so no spoiling it. Got it?”

He shrugged-- No scales off his back.
“Sure.”

“Yeah, sure. Have fun yew two!”

Apple Bloom stuck her tongue out at her friends, and they all laughed before the others trotted off, deeper into the woods. And now the two of them were alone. For the first time all day. Apple Bloom looked over at him, scuffing her hoof along the ground shyly.
“Ah...are they definitely gone?”

He cleared his own throat nervously, darting his eyes across the field. He didn’t see anypony else around either.
“I...I think so.”

With a sigh, Apple Bloom leaned close to him, and Spike reached over...

--------

Fluttershy was cowering before the wrath of Rarity. Normally a composed and demure unicorn, it was a bit of a known factor in Ponyville that one did not ever under any circumstances threaten or even make the slightest untoward suggestion in relation to her “baby sister”. Sweetie Belle never complained about the treatment, but Twilight remembered how Shining could get about her, back in the day... It wouldn’t be a huge stretch to call it smothering. But then again, his special talent was protection, so... She forgave him even if, in retrospect, she wondered how much it contributed to her sheltered unsociable teen years. Twilight had spent so long distracted, however, that it seemed like Rarity’s tirade was finally running out of steam.

“Do you have any idea just how much seeing that kind of thing can damage a foal? I mean, she isn’t really a foal, but... I... Oh Fluttershy, don’t cry. I simply get... You know. The way you would feel if somepony threatened your animals.”

The pegasus mare nodded, sniffling as she recomposed herself.
“Yes, I understand. In fact, after that... Well, first, I do have to let you know that we had just been kissing. And Sweetie Belle clearly didn’t know what we were doing- She thought I was preening Luna!”

At that, Rarity smiled.
“Heh. Well, you do seem to be the type to care for those close to you. Although I’ve never seen you and Rainbow Dash...”

Fluttershy was back to radiant blushing.
“No! Never. I mean... It’s a bit, um... Like the horn thing. Not so drastic, but it’s an... an intimate thing. Familial, or for... close lovers.”

“Ah. My apologies for the implication about the two of you.”

“It’s not a problem Rarity. But since you mentioned threatening my animals...”
Fluttershy then went on to explain how Luna had managed to completely reduce Angel Bunny into a quivering mess of neurotic hopping (a state Twilight felt he justly deserved, from what she had seen) madness. She had never questioned the Princess as to how, but none of them needed to ask why- They had all seen the terror that little creature could inflict.

“And, well, after that we went to visit Lyra and Bon-Bon, on the way I got Luna to try hay fries for the first time, and...”

Twilight looked at her.
“Hay fries? Really?”

“Well, that marketplace stall does such good ones, and she really enjoyed them. I got a two-pony cone, and she just sorta... finished it all herself! I mean, I still had my own food, so I didn’t mind, but it was really... cute.”

Twilight smiled at her blushing recital of the Princess’ first encounter with the new food. It sounded nice, and privately, she wondered if there was any kind of experience she could show Celestia like that... Something that even in her long, long life, she had never tried before. Maybe that would be a nice goal.

“Well, our time at Lyra and Bon-Bon’s place was rather... eventful. So Twilight, would you like to go again?”

For once, she wasn’t nervous about her turn! This one would be relatively easy. After all, it was just about how Princess Celestia near-constantly teased and played with her over the course of five long agonizing hours in which she was (if her lust-hazed memories were correct) dressed, stripped, bathed, dressed again... Beneath the water of the tub, she unconsciously rubbed her hind legs together.

--------

In a clearing outside of Whitetail Woods, not far from Ponyville, a pony and a dragon could be found. Not easily- They were well hidden, quite hard to spot. But that’s where they were, and Apple Bloom was content to stay there for quite a while She let out a happy little sigh of appreciation and leaned back against the tree. Every once in a while, she’d open her eyes to make sure they weren’t going to be caught, but the rest of the time, she was too busy enjoying this new feeling. Because while ponies could certainly do a lot of things, there was one feature they were really missing...

“Ah keep sayin’ it, but ah really like yer claws, Spike.”

He continued to dutifully skritch behind her ears, occasionally running those claws down her back. Even though she didn’t do near as much work as her brother and sister on the farm, she still got sore. And this made all the difference in Equestria after a long day of chores and Crusading and dealing with Sweetie and Scootaloo’s teasing... Even if it was, in a way, the source of it. Sure, the two of them had been getting pretty close lately, but it wasn’t like they were actually kissin’ or anythin’. That was a step she hadn’t even thought about (and certainly never daydreamed of in class, nope) until now. But the longer they stayed in the field like this, the more it seemed like a kinda sorta good idea...

“Hey, do you wanna go check up on those two?”

She paused her previous naughty (by her standards) thought.
“W-what? But we said...”

“What we agreed to was not spoiling the surprise. You can’t really spoil yourself, right? So we just don’t tell anypony else, and boom! Problem solved.”

Honestly, she had been looking for an excuse to do exactly that anyways, so she jumped to her hooves, nodding.
“Hop on!”

It was his turn to pause and look confused.
“Um...”

“Hey, Ah’m faster than you Spike, and they probably went purty far- So get on mah back.”

He didn’t say anything to her, and she didn’t say anything back. It felt like it would be too easy to ruin the moment, to scare him off. But really, she just liked being close to him. It felt comfortable, and made her happy. So when he finally did it, jumping up and putting one claw into her mane, she whinnied a bit under her breath. Heavy, but not too heavy... Comfortable. Like carrying an apple-barrel back home.

“Giddy-up, little pony!”

She rolled her eyes, but did it anyways.
“Very funny.”

----

Spike was a little nervous about this. What if they got seen first? The two fillies would see him brazenly riding on Apple Bloom, and that would be the end of his dignity, or at least ability to deflect their jokes. He really did like her, and wondered why they made so many jokes about them... It felt like if Twilight was here, she would have said something about “deflection issues”. After all, he’d had a creeping suspicion lately, and the two of them sneaking off into the woods only made it stronger.

Apple Bloom looked back at him.
“Make sure to keep real quiet Spike- We’re here.”

When they first rounded the corner of the clearing, they saw Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo very close to one another. They were standing under the shade of a large tree, neither of them facing where Apple Bloom and Spike had come in from. Just in case, they backed away and listened from a distance. The conversation seemed... weird. Did their brash, fast-paced friend actually sound scared?
“Sweetie, I’m not so sure about this.”

They could hear their unicorn friend talking to her, voice soft.
“What’s wrong, Scootaloo?”

“I dunno, it just... sorta... seems kinda...”
Whatever she said next was lost to her ever-increasing mumbling. Curiosity got the better of their caution, so the two of them leaned out, Spike standing on Apple Bloom’s back to get a better view. What they saw was Sweetie Belle leaning over Scootaloo, who had sat down in the crook of the tree. Every so often, Scootaloo shot a nervous glance from side to side.

“Well, yeah! But... that’s alright, right? Because you said...”

This time the pegasus got a little angry, or so it sounded.
“I know what I said! So... yes. Yeah. Before I, uh, chicken out. And no chicken jokes!”

The other mare giggled at that, and leaned closer. Spike had a feeling he knew what was coming, so he quickly hopped off of Apple Bloom’s back. It would be pretty dangerous to be standing on top of her when she got the sudden shock of seeing...

Apple Bloom’s voice rang out through the entire field as she reared back in surprise.
“Did yew two just kiss!?”

Spike shook his head and dove for cover before the argument broke out. Called it.