Spike stood in front of the twin doors, trying in vain to contort his nervous expression into confidence or aloofness. His meek knocks echoed between the panes of glass, which were carved and curved into fantastical designs that obscured the reflection of his face. He pushed his hands into his pockets to keep from fidgeting them about, and waited earnestly for some answer. His uncertainty of whether or not to knock once more was shocked out of him as a rough hand shoved him right up against the glass.

“Move it Spike, we didn’t come here to gawk at the fancy doors!” Rainbow Dash snorted as Spike stumbled about into the vacant space on the other side of the entrance.

The doors fell noisily and loosely open as the girl behind him forced him through, causing him to lose his footing and fall onto the bright white carpeting. Rainbow Dash broke into a loud guffaw as she watched him scramble against the thick, plush rug. Groaning audibly at his captain’s pushiness, Spike felt at his cheek, where the abrasive imprint of the coarse fabric burned his face.

“Rainbow, quit pushin’ the kid around,” Applejack demanded as she came through the door herself, holding it open for Pipsqueak before closing it gently behind them.

“Are you jealous, AJ?” Rainbow Dash asked as she slunk up behind the blonde and eyed her with a cheeky grin. “Don’t worry, you’ll always be the most fun to tease.”

“What a relief,” came the sarcastic mutter of the freckled girl, which fell nearly silent beneath the welcoming bellow of the owner of the little shop.

“Ah, Rainbow Dash, darling, I thought I heard your brash voice,” the woman’s elegant tone rose above the mounds and rounds of fabric that hung about the room. “If anyone could drag Applejack down here for some measurements, I knew it’d be you.”

"I can get AJ to do a lot of things," Rainbow murmured suggestively to the girl in question, who hummed a dull tone instead of dignifying the suggestion with a response.

Spike hurriedly got to his feet and dusted the fronts of his pants, as if there was a speck of dirt on those crisp and clean carpets. As best as he tried to delay it, his attention was inevitably drawn to the woman who floated down the stairs like some flickering feather, her gorgeously tousled hair bouncing with each step. He stood up straight anticipating her acknowledging gaze, though Applejack grouchily moseyed past him.

“Let’s just get this over with,” the irritable blonde grumbled as she followed Rainbow Dash to the raised platform by the mirrors, which made her cringe to look at.

“Oh, Spike, congratulations on joining the team,” Rarity said to the younger boy, who sheepishly grinned and almost replied too quickly for her to finish. “Rainbow tells me she thinks you have real potential.”

“She did?” Spike blinked in surprise to hear such a thing, and looked over at the team captain who was currently holding up a rather short gown against her less than enthusiastic friend, trying to envision what it might look like on her body.

“If for nothing more than target practice!” Rainbow Dash chuckled as she grabbed another dress from the rack, which would reveal far too much skin for her blonde friend’s simple taste. “Nah, you’re cool buddy.”

Spike smiled as Rainbow Dash brushed the topic off, never much for praising other people, at least to their faces. He felt particularly lucky to have her good faith in him, but knew he would have to work hard to keep it, considering his limited knowledge of the game she seemed to trust him to play. Applejack finally pushed her friend’s invasive hands away from herself and the runs of clothing.

“We ain’t playin’ dress-up here, Rainbow,” Applejack shook her head but smiled a bit, finding the friendly hazing somewhat comforting in the otherwise unpleasant situation.

“Well, I suppose since you’re all here, we should get started.” Rarity began as she reached into one of her desk drawers and revealed a long measuring tape, which she slung around her neck. “Who’s first?”

Everyone exchanged uncertain glances, as no one wanted to be the first to get up on the platform and be measured. It was somewhat disheartening, standing up there in front of the mirror, and can make one feel quite self-conscious as their body is examined. Applejack and Rainbow Dash glared at each other intimidatingly, and Spike shrunk behind Pipsqueak’s arching height.

“Well, per’aps I’ll get up there, then,” Pipsqueak said as he noticed the reluctant looks of his fellow teammates and decided to take the plunge first.

Rarity extended her hand to gesture for the tall young man to approach the platform. From the raised level he could see three duplicate reflections of himself, all with a slightly different angle, from the mirrors before him. Coming so fresh into his large body, Pipsqueak was still clearly uncomfortable in his shoes and shifted around under the attention. Rarity did not hesitate to quick-step over to him, measuring tape spread through her fingers. She pulled his arms apart and out, running the long white tape along his body as she got the dimensions, which she jotted down on a little notebook that fit into the sewing kit on her hip.

Spike felt a surge of jealousy ignite within him as he watched her dainty, feminine hands touch another man, even if it was just business and strictly innocent. Spike shut it out, feeling his anxiety weighing down on his chest. Closing his eyes, he let banter shoot back and forth between Applejack and Rainbow Dash as Pipsqueak continued letting Rarity take his measurements. After a couple infuriating scenarios contemplating potential outcomes involving Pipsqueak and Rarity finally played out in Spike’s head, he heard that the large lineman was soon hurried off the platform. Spike’s eyes opened up as he heard a lovely voice call out the team captain.

“Rainbow Dash, please step up.” Rarity gestured for the rainbow-haired girl to approach the raised ledge.

“Get ready to measure perfection!” Rainbow Dash leapt onto the platform, nearly shoving Pipsqueak right off of it. She looked at herself in the mirrors and smirked, as if it pleased her.

“Considerin’ the uniform’s gotta fit over your big head, Rare’s got her work cut out for her,” Applejack muttered snidely with a smile of her own, her eyes running down the body of her best friend. Pipsqueak passed her on his way to the door and Applejack gestured a pleasant wave to let him go. “Leavin’?”

“Yessum, practice ran a bit longer than I expected. I’ll see you later.” Pipsqueak smiled warmly as he waved goodbye the the rest of them, even though Rainbow Dash did not acknowledge his exit.

“Oh, quit bitching. You’re up next, AJ,” Rainbow Dash continued on her conversation, and Applejack just shrugged as she heard the bell above the Boutique door ring out to signal Pipsqueak’s leave.

“If it were up t’me, Ah’d wear my brother’s hand-me-downs,” the simple farmer explained, putting her hands onto her hips.

“Yeah, except he’s bigger than you in every way but what counts,” Rainbow Dash mimed extensively large breasts on her own chest, exaggerating the matter.

Applejack bit back a laugh at the horrified expression on Rarity’s face and the sheepish blush that Spike displayed, shaking her head as she told her captain, “Mime your own fake tits, RD.”

“You know, this would be a lot easier if you weren’t moving so much,” Rarity hurriedly directed them on topic, struggling against Rainbow Dash’s constant movements and posing in the mirrors.

“Sorry Rarity; if Applejack’s staring, I want to give her a show,” Rainbow Dash explained with a quick sly look back to her now flustered teammate.

“Ah ain’t starin’!” Applejack defensively shouted as she averted her attention away, crossing her arms defiantly. “Just hurry up s’we can get outta here.”

Spike blinked in surprise as Rarity flashed him a subtly amused expression, something he had not been expecting from her during her business hours. After another few struggles to get accurate measurements, Rarity finally finished jotting down the necessary lengths for Rainbow Dash’s uniform. Though initially reluctant to give up her position atop the pedestal, the football team’s boisterous captain eventually hopped back down to ground level. Applejack pretended to have not been paying attention as her best friend grabbed her still crossed arms, shoving her towards her fate.

“The struggle is half the fun,” Rainbow mused as Applejack resisted her shoves.

“All right, Applejack, your turn. I’ll make it quick and painless,” Rarity vowed as she stepped out of the way to make room for the less than enthused girl.

“I was going to say the opposite,” Rainbow Dash teasingly murmured into Applejack’s ear, though she had to duck suddenly to dodge a wild swing the freckled farmer intended for her.

“Zip it, missy,” Applejack shrugged the snickering Rainbow Dash away from her as she stepped up onto the raised platform and faced reflected duplicates of herself in the many tall mirrors around her.

Applejack shifted uncomfortably under the watching eyes of those in the room, and the many eyes of her own reflections for that matter. She took to following the trim around the roof instead of focusing on the situation, though she squeezed at her arms in their crossed position. That is, until Rarity needed access to that same area.

Clearing her throat and staring at the anxious girl in her store, Rarity gestured for Applejack to move her arms out of the way. Applejack groaned an irritable sigh as she complied, only to tense up rigid as Rarity looped the measuring tape around her back and pulled it in front of her, closing tight around her bust. The tape fell down around her waist next, and then encircled her hips the same way her belt did. Applejack felt the need to express her concerns, though she felt humiliated to speak of such things.

“Ah know this is your job an’ all, but if y’go anywhere near my crotch, Ah’m gonna deck you.” Applejack muttered monotonously as her eyebrows dropped onto a stern stare.

“Noted.” Rarity responded dully, expecting her friend to have anticipated more professional motives from her.

Applejack caught sight of her football captain staring at her in one of the reflections, and though it was embarrassing, she felt somewhat comforted by the gaze. She peered over her shoulder towards her best friend, who played with biting her lips and making interested faces as her own gaze shifted to the real girl on the platform. Applejack huffed a chuckle and retained Rainbow Dash’s attention as Rarity extended her arm for an accurate reading.

“And Ah was the one starin’?” Applejack remarked as she noticed the undivided gaze of her friend, whose eyes met her own. “Why’re y’lookin’ at me like that?”

Rainbow Dash was not one to be flustered or caught off guard, though, and responded promptly with a smirk. “Like what? Like I wanna lick chocolate syrup off your body?”

“You what?!” Flushing madly, Applejack swallowed her surprise and traded it in for the simplicity of honesty. “You ain’t funny, RD. ‘Sides, Ah happen t’know you’re more of a caramel kinda girl.”

“Don’t worry, I’d lick anything off you, baby,” Rainbow Dash enunciated with a wink as her leering gaze rolled over her friend’s body suggestively, much to the discomfort of everyone else in the room. Applejack swallowed as the image came into her head, trying to get the sweet imagined taste out of her mouth.

“Um, excuse me you two, but I’m finished,” Rarity interrupted blankly as she hung the measuring tape back over her shoulders.

“I’m just getting started,” Rainbow Dash continued, raising her eyebrows until Applejack scoffed to bite back a grin.

“Don’t mind her,” Applejack told Spike and Rarity as she noticed their uncertain expressions. “Al’right Spike, your turn.”

“Oh, right.” Spike gulped back some excess saliva, but flinched when Rainbow Dash draped her arm around his shoulders roughly.

“If she does your inseam twice, it means she likes you,” Rainbow Dash winked and spoke loudly enough for the others to hear clearly as she shoved Spike forward, watching him stumble on his footing.

“Dash, must you be so crude?” Rarity asked rhetorically, knowing there was no real answer for such a question. Rainbow Dash just liked to push people’s buttons.

“Fine, fine, I’ll get out of your fabulously over-styled hair already,” the team captain spoke dramatically as she flipped her own hair and struck an overzealous pose.

“Better over-styled than not styled at all,” the fashionista murmured to herself, narrowing her eyes at the jock before her, who didn’t seem to mind the mild hostility.

“Hey AJ, wanna grab something to eat? I’ll get you home before midnight, I swear.” Rainbow Dash held her hand over her heart as she spoke, faking some integrity.

“Yeah, Ah’m in.” Applejack readily agreed with a nod, but turned back to the younger boy to extend an invitation, “Hey Spike, y’want we should wait for you?”

“Uh, no, go on ahead Applejack.” Spike waved his hands up defensively, allowing them to leave.

“I’ll take good care of her!” Rainbow Dash wrapped her arm around Applejack and called back like Rarity and Spike were her parents. “Later little dude!”

“Y’gotta quit it with those jokes, someone’s gonna think you’re serious,” Applejack grumbled as she made a show to pry Rainbow’s wandering hands off her body.

“Is that so bad?” Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow and smirked as she held the door open for her friend, slyly ogling the farmer’s body once more as she let the girl exit before following close after her.

As Applejack and Rainbow Dash left, only Rarity and Spike were left in the boutique. A pregnant silence hung in the air as they stared at each other. Spike soon realized he was grinning awkwardly at Rarity, complete with an eye twitch while the designer was curiously staring at the boy, waiting for him to come to the platform. He coughed nervously, realizing why the silence hung.

“Uh, oh, sorry, I zoned out for a bit,” Spike stuttered, standing up and awkwardly pacing himself towards the platform.

Rarity eyed him, rubbing her chin as Spike removed a thick purple shirt, revealing a thin aqua green t-shirt underneath. Nodding, Rarity prepared her measuring tape as well as her notepad. Spike haplessly tossed the larger shirt onto a nearby chair and stood tall, tensing up as he awaited Rarity’s orders. Instead, she immediately wrapped her arms around his belly, fingers gently grabbing onto one end of the tape. He felt the tips gently brush against his stomach through the thin shirt while her other hand was firmly planted on his hip. The contact made his body feel tingly, made worse as he felt a light breath from Rarity through the back of his cheap shirt. The boy gulped, doing his best not to shiver from the light contact.

For as long as he had known her, Spike had always been enamoured with Rarity. Whether or not it made sense didn’t matter; Spike felt an attraction towards a beautiful woman who always wanted the best for her friends. Spike didn’t spend much time with her, but from what he saw, and what he always heard, Rarity was selfless in every definition of the word… even when it didn’t seem like she was.

Rarity released her hold on the tape, writing down Spike’s waist-size as the boy nervously followed her. Her eyes darted back and forth, never betraying her professional attitude.

‘She’s only… what, 18? And she’s got her own fashion boutique… and she’s self-sustaining, living on her own. I don’t have much of a chance, do I...?’ Spike thought, his body slumping forward as he did.

“Spike, is there any reason you’re so jumpy? You’ve been keeping to yourself a lot. Is there a reason you’re so… disconnected from the others?” her calm, soothing voice came.

Spike didn’t instantly react to it, his eyes aiming downwards to look at the older girl’s face. She still had that professional gaze as she started taking his leg measurements, writing each one down. Spike gulped and attempted to think of an excuse, only to fall flat. He opted for silence. Rarity didn’t speak up which only confirmed what she thought.

“Spike, we never have time to speak with one another anymore. I’m always so busy with my business or with the girls and you seem to be content with being solo… but, if something, someone is bothering you, you could always come talk to us,” Rarity said, a somber tone appearing in her voice.

“What if that someone isn’t worth bothering others for? Or even acknowledging?” Spike responded, putting on an oddly accusational tone. His words jumbled a bit and he realized that the woman caught the error. “Not like there’s anything anyways.”

“Okay then. Me. Just me. Anything bothers you, or anyone bothers you, come to me.” Rarity paused, setting down all materials. With a simple motion, an elegant shoe was set atop the platform just in front of Spike. Followed by another. Rarity stood merely an inch away from Spike and to both of their surprise, Spike was three or four inches taller; they hadn’t seen each other often enough or been this close in a while so it came as a slight shock. Her delicate fingers slid up his body and she forced his arms to wrap around her body as they hugged briefly. Spike was caught off guard and found himself blushing, and even sniffing her hair.

‘Clean, fresh and smelling of vanilla,’ Spike thought with a goofy smile.

“Spike, I don’t care what you perceive to be a bother; if someone is bothering sweet little Spikey-wikey, no matter how big you get, they’ll answer to me. And if not, you will answer to me. You can’t expect me to watch you wander around alone, do you?” Rarity pulled back from the hug and smiled warmly at Spike.

Spike could swear his heart skipped a beat and he gulped, feeling an attraction just towards those deep blue eyes. He nodded dumbly as Rarity stepped off the platform and took a deep breath.

“Thanks, Rarity,” Spike said, feeling his voice crack as he chuckled.

Rarity stifled a giggle as she picked up her measuring tape, resuming the rest of the measuring. It passed by in silence, both parties letting it hang as to let Rarity focus and Spike contemplate what was said. When all was said and done, Rarity had put away all of her material, writing a few more lines on the notepad. As she slid the drawer containing all of her notes closed, she glanced over to see Spike still standing tall and straight as she has instructed minutes prior. Rarity broke into a somehow refined guffaw, having to lean on a nearby support beam. Spike giggled awkwardly, confused as he looked around him as if to spot some inside joke.

“S-Spike, I was done minutes ago, you can get down now, silly,” she said, snickering as she stepped forward.

Rarity raised her arms above her head and briefly stopped walking as she stretched her limbs outward. Spike’s eyes were glued to her chest as he watched her bosom gain prominence as Rarity stretched before he caught himself. He shook his head and sat down on the edge of the platform, hanging his head just in time to hear her footsteps resume as she walked over to the platform next to him. A gentle hand was placed on Spike’s shoulder causing him to meekly glance over his shoulder to see that same smiling face again. He couldn’t help but smile back, even if a second later he averted his gaze.

With that, Spike stood up, doing a stretch of his own. Several bones cracked as he did and he slumped forward briefly to adjust before turning to face the older woman. He extended a hand out to her and her own met his. They shook hands and exchanged satisfied smiles.

“Thanks for your services,” Spike said, grinning as he added the extra quirk to the end.

Rarity giggled once more, a tint of red appearing on her cheeks as he said this. “It’s no trouble, Spike. Anything for a friend.”

Their hands returned to their sides and they stood there awkwardly for a brief moment. Spike eventually coughed and nodded as he turned to walk towards the exit. Rarity’s eyes were glued to his back as Spike slid on his sweater.

“I’ll take what you said to heart, Rarity,” Spike agreed at last, waving his hand behind his head.

“Don’t be a stranger, Spike,” Rarity said as Spike scurried out the door.

Once outside, Spike let out a deep sigh and leaned against the door as it closed. He allowed himself a moment to think before grinning uncontrollably.

‘That was decent,’ he thought.

The words never seemed to matter much, they never stuck in his mind. They were all rude and antagonistic, and really, repeated themselves time and again through constant use. It was like any other time, when Spike was against some familiar and yet unnamed brick wall, standing in some unusually vacant lot that disappeared past certain known limits into imagination. The boy opposite him seemed much taller and more intimidating than usual, which was surprising considering his faceless, brutish friends had since disappeared.

“That's all you got?” His voice was similar, but did not exactly match Felix's in the realm of the subconscious mind. It was deeper, more sonorous and slow, like thick wax or tar, “No wonder she chose me over you.”

Spike never had to think to know for certain who was being spoke of, her pale, luminous face flashed before his very eyes. She did not look upon him with any smile that time, she was expressionless as a figment. Balling up his fists so tight it almost felt real, Spike growled and ground his teeth at the boy before him. Another swing flew out, but there was no adequate desired effect. Again, he swung like he was forcing every ounce of his energy into the punch, but though it landed, it felt weak.

“Shut up!” Spike screamed over what little he could hear of the faint, murmuring words of his adversary, so quiet it frustrated him not to hear.

Again his fists flew out, and though the boy before him bled and flinched with the force, it still felt like it was not enough. His confident smirk and unimpressed expression more unnerving than his strong body. Spike was on top of the boy then, pinning him with such broad and burly legs that did not seem like his own.

His now bloodied fists collided again and again with the damaged face of Felix, and though he could hear the screams of bystanders, familiar ones, telling him to stop, he could not. He did not want to. A wide and malicious grin spread across his face as his slivered eyes went wide to capture all of this divine punishment.

Spike sat up abruptly, choking and gasping for air as he felt the flavourful liquid breaching his throat. He forced another several coughs out to dislodge the obstruction from keeping him from breathing, which it was doing a marvellous job of. He gasped and gawked up at his team captain as she glared down at him, half-emptied purple sports drink clasped in her hand.

“Laying on your back is not part of the game, bub,” Rainbow Dash said to him blankly as he sat up on the bleachers and tried to get ahold of himself. Before he could manage a retort or defensive shout, someone else stood up for him and smacked the rainbow-haired girl on the back of her head. “Ouch! What the hell was that for, AJ?”

“Wastin’ a good drink! And scarin’ the poor kid half t’death, look at him, his face is all purple.” Applejack gestured roughly towards the younger boy as the team captain rubbed her sore skull.

“It’s a grape flavoured drink, of course he’s purple,” Rainbow Dash murmured, slinking away from her strong and violent friend.

“Looks t’me like you’re drownin’ him.” The freckle faced farmer looked down at the boy, shoving the football she carried under her arm as she kneeled closer to his height. “Y’all right, sugarcube?”

“Yeah,” he managed in a hoarse and difficult voice, “I think so.”

“Good,” Applejack smiled warmly, before slamming her hand against his shoulder and knocking him onto his side with force. She retrieved the football from under her arm and waved it in front of his shocked face. “Now get your butt up an’ join the rest o’the team in practice!”

“Y-Yes ma’am!” Spike scrambled to get to his feet and hurried away from the blonde quarterback, remembering that Rainbow Dash had warned him about Applejack’s aim with a football.

As Spike passed the limits of eavesdropping, the pair exchanged words, “Spike… has he been practicing his kick? If he fumbles, I’ll be a little… irritated,” Rainbow asked in a whisper, tilting her head ever closer to Applejack.

“Oh, calm down, RD. Ah bug Twi everyday t’send Spike over t’my place so Ah can help ‘im with it. He refuses, even if Ah ask ‘im directly. But Ah don’t peg him for the type t’let us down,” Applejack said, pursing her lips as she watched Spike head out with the rest of the team as well as few people trying out, the number having dramatically decreased once more.

“Man, that kid… and here we thought Twilight was a social mess when we met her,” Rainbow muttered, rolling her eyes. “Like, seriously, what is his issue? I thought boys like, skateboarded and bragged about fuckin’ bitches and whatnot.”

Rainbow missed a solemn glance from Applejack as the two focused on Spike. Rainbow’s eyes turned away as she seemingly contemplated something. Applejack, on the other hand, watched the team do a few warm ups. Slowly, Rainbow’s gaze locked back on to Spike, and she leaned in closer to Applejack. In the distance, a faint squeaky wheel could be heard.

“Say, Applejack, could I ask you something?” Rainbow asked casually, shifting her weight from foot to foot.

“Uh, sure?” Applejack responded, focusing on Rainbow Dash with intent eyes.

“Has Spike seemed a bit—” Rainbow Dash would not have the chance to finish.

A giddy giggle sounded from behind her, the young, rather butch voice cracking slightly as the sound of wheels skidded to a halt on pavement. Rainbow recognized the sound of a bike or scooter screeching to a halt and slowly turned around as she felt bits of sand or gravel impact her leg. Applejack briefly turned her head before facing forward again, only to do a double take. Rainbow’s eyes widened a bit as she saw who the girl was.

“Woah, Scootaloo? That you, kid?” Rainbow asked, turning the rest of her body around.

“Hi, Rainbow Dash!” the girl exclaimed excitedly, her voice squeaking at the height of her pitch.

Short. One could only describe Scootaloo as short; one of the few to be shorter than Rainbow Dash as well as skinnier; which made sense considering she was a year or two younger than the captain, though they had been acquainted in elementary school. She wore an orange t-shirt and had a purple helmet with white-stripes on her head. Dark pink hair stuck out from under the edges of the helmet insides which was, yet again, even shorter than Rainbow’s. Her chin was pointed and looked frail, keeping in tone with the rest of her body and the most defining feature: a wide smile with giant, beaming eyes.

Rainbow’s mouth twitched several times, the football captain fighting back glee of her own before settling on a disinterested look.

“Hey squirt, long time no see,” Rainbow said, pretending not to care too much as she faked checking her nails.

Scootaloo immediately caught on and stood up straight as she removed her helmet, setting it atop the handlebars of her scooter as it fell sideways onto the grass. The two of them were suckers for appearances, whether they knew it or not.

“Yeah, long time, bro,” Scootaloo muttered, imitating the older athlete with just the same level of apathy.

Applejack stifled a chuckle behind her hand as their overacted disinterest amused her. The two girls didn’t speak as they pretended to act cool, but sure enough the facade became futile. Their similarly bright eyes met and massive grins broke out on their faces.

“Dammit, c’mere, squirt,” Rainbow said as she pulled the shorter girl towards her, locking her head between her arm as she gave Scootaloo a nuggie.

Scootaloo laughed a bit as she pretended to fight back, flailing her arms about as if they would ever collide with the girl she admired. The two of them had been like siblings ever since elementary school, when they had been well acquainted despite their age difference. Scootaloo was the same age as Applejack’s younger sister, so they had been around each other quite often. Rainbow Dash released her and, just to make sure, she scanned the area quickly to check for spectators or onlookers.

“Don’t get yer boxers in a knot, nobody saw ya,” Applejack assured her, emphasizing her words with a firm slap on the back to her captain.

Instead of prying at the use of a masculine undergarment, Rainbow briefly flashed a smirk before clearing her throat, composing herself once more. She couldn’t look like a wimp in front of her team, or in front of anyone. Scootaloo followed suit, fixing her mussed up hair with a few flicks of her wrist.

“So, kid, what the hell are you doing here? Thought you moved to Cloudsdale?” Rainbow asked, leaning against the end of the bleachers.

“I did, I even gave it a chance, and guess what? It wasn’t for me, I decided this year I would get myself kicked out of that preppy place once and for all and come back to Manehattan. Hardly took me two days to pull it off,” Scootaloo held her head up triumphantly.

“Someone sounds like a little badass,” Rainbow Dash nodded proudly.

“Someone sounds like a bad influence,” Applejack murmured in a tease, only to be silenced by the pouting expression of the girl at the end of the remark.

“Besides, the guys in Cloudsdale Academy are pussies; none of them bothered to learn how to tackle, and their skatepark makes the one back in Trottingham look like Canterlot X-Games,” Scootaloo muttered, gritting her teeth at the memory.

“No kidding? Cloudsdale is gonna be a pushover?” Rainbow asked, glancing towards Applejack with a smirk. The farmer rolled her eyes skeptically, maintaining her smile.

“Without me? Hell yeah! I wouldn’t even think about playing on their lousy football team!” Scootaloo proclaimed eagerly as she declared her allegiance aloud.

“Not like they’d have much of a chance anyway,” Rainbow Dash beamed proudly as she ruffled the collar of her shirt, moving to the side only to present the rest of her team to the younger girl, “Behold, the tryouts for this year’s Manehattan Manticores Football team!”

“Wait, this is it?” Scootaloo asked, staring dumbfounded at the small team.

“What do you mean, this is it?!” Rainbow asked, pouting her lip. “They can’t all look as awesome as me, kid. Just give it time, AJ and I will mould them into a winning team in no time. You’ll see!”

“If you say so,” Scootaloo said, briefly doubting her words before agreeing.

Applejack walked up behind the much shorter girl, whose age and inexperience stunted her beneath the looming shadow of the farmer. The freckled blonde smiled down at her as Scootaloo turned around to face the intimidating upperclassman. The two of them had never really been close or seen eye to eye on a lot of things, but they were always civil and shared an admiration for Rainbow Dash.

“Oh, right.” Rainbow Dash defied any establish idea that Applejack was a threat by simply slinging her arm around the slightly taller and more defined girl, making her shift in her stance and lean over a bit. “Scootaloo, do you remember Applejack? You’re still friends with her kid sister, aren’t you?”

“Uh, yeah. I am,” Scootaloo confirmed as she recognized several familiar features between Applejack and her younger sibling, a childhood friend of hers. Still, Scootaloo looked up at the girl uneasily.

“Tell me, Scootaloo,” Applejack began slowly, though she had an idea about the answer already. “What position d’you play?”

“Wide receiver,” Scootaloo nodded surely as she faced Applejack, who chewed on her lip and she played with the idea of following through with her demonstration.

“Al’right then, go long.” Applejack gestured yonder, not bothering to clear the field first.

“What?” Scootaloo blinked incredulously at the sudden command.

“Ah said, go long,” the farmer repeated sternly, her gaze hardening on the younger girl until she understood her role.

“You want to test her catch?” Rainbow asked, grabbing the pigskin from the bleachers, where Applejack had rested it after taunting Spike.

“An’ her speed,” Applejack said as she caught a ball lazily tossed by the team captain. “An’ for that matter, why don’t we get Spike over ‘ere.”

Immediately, Spike found his name being called out as he sighed, jogging across the whole field as he completed the tire drill. On his way to the older girls, Spike paused briefly as his eyes locked onto Scootaloo. It seemed as if the boy didn’t remember the girl at all, as he faced Rainbow instead of lingering on her. Sweat dampened an area of his shirt around his neck, but it cooled him as the slight breeze caught it. Applejack reached back and wordlessly tossed the black kicking tee over to Spike as he fumbled, juggling the black square briefly. Spike looked back up at Rainbow and Applejack as they walked towards the field, Scootaloo trailing behind. Scootaloo ran her fingers through her hair until it was slicked back from the sweat; she was not typically a girl who cared about smelling like daisies.

“You, you want me to kick it?” Spike asked as he finally stumbled after them.

“That’s what y’do, ain’t it?” Applejack suggested as Rainbow walked towards the end of the field, kneeling down as Spike tossed her the tee. “Listen, you ain’t gotta be no star yet. Just give it your best, Ah guarantee you’ll kick it farther than me or Rainbow could.”

“Speak for yourself,” Rainbow Dash muttered, setting up the ball.

“Ah have faith in you, Spike,” Applejack said, resting a supportive hand on the younger boy’s padded shoulder, “Jus’ do exactly as we showed y’in practice, routine’ll keep you consistent and focused. Follow through, an’ dedicate yourself t’the kick. Trust me, I ain’t doubtin’ you for a second.”

Spike nodded with a visible nervousness to his face. “Okay, I’ll try.”

Giving him one more pat, Applejack smiled as she walked backwards before spinning around and jogging past Rainbow Dash to reach near where Scootaloo waited.

“Ol’ comp?” Applejack asked quietly to Rainbow as she passed, shortening the word competition to suit their slang. The two of them shared a mutual nod as they remembered their own familiar rivalry.

“Eeyup,” Rainbow responded, grinning as her eyes centred on Scootaloo, someone who would take her place for this round of casual competition.

The girl was a little unsure of what the two were talking about as Spike arrived and took his stance. He tested the ground and was weary of Rainbow potentially yanking the pigskin back. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes to focus before staring directly at the football. Scootaloo was prepped in a stance he could recognize only as a true, seasoned runner’s… and oddly enough, just a few feet back out of Scootaloo’s peripheral, Applejack was in a similar stance.

Rainbow signalled she was ready as her fingertips were on the end of the ball. Letting out another deep breath, Spike grunted as he pushed off the ground, dashing as fast as he could imagine as he closed the distance between him and the ball. Pulling it back, Spike swung his foot as hard as he could at the ball as Rainbow yanked her hands back to avoid a hit.

That satisfying sound of foot connecting with the leather washed away all of Spike’s fear and he grinned as he watched the ball soar forward, not straight but close. He glanced down just in time to spot Scootaloo already ten-feet gone ahead with Applejack close on her tail. Rainbow stood up, rather dumbfounded to see the scrawny girl was not only faster than Applejack… but almost as fast as her—Rainbow Dash.

Up ahead, Scootaloo continued breathing, having taught herself runner’s techniques as she pulled ahead of Applejack. She realized she was being tailed by the larger girl as she took off and prepared to catch it while avoiding Applejack. In the back of her mind, she instinctively knew where the ball would land, having registered the speed, trajectory and height of the kick. Her arms assumed the position as she was a safe few feet ahead of the farmer. With a good leap, Scootaloo bounded into the air, not even looking behind her as she raised her hands in the catching formation. She could feel all eyes on her—even those in the tryouts, and that excited her.

Applejack grinned as she watched the ball sail directly into Scootaloo’s arms and immediately watched those same arms retract and reposition themselves tightly into her body—that ball was as safe as it could be without prying it from Scootaloo’s unconscious hands.

Immediately upon landing, the shorter girl managed to stop dead in her tracks, catching Applejack off guard and pushed off, leaning back as she knew an arm would be attempting to slap down on her.

Predictably, Applejack’s arms outstretched as she swung her right hand forward, about to catch the short girl and take her down. It never happened as Scootaloo ducked just enough to avoid the farmer’s grasp. The shorter girl bolted in the opposite direction, but so proud of herself for dodging the first assault, her feet skidded against the grass and she nearly forgot about Applejack entirely. The farmer grinned as she wiped her brow, admiring Scootaloo’s promise.

However, the younger girl did not make it much farther, as Applejack herself was no stranger to these techniques. Propelling herself in a breakneck forward motion and throwing everything into one tackle, Applejack made contact with the short young receiver’s body, knocking her onto the ground with enough force to send her tumbling and rolling a yard or two further. Applejack hurriedly followed after and inspected the girl, blushing in embarrassment as she realized how she had overdone it.

“Y’all right, kido? Here—” Applejack bent down and tugger her arm under Scootaloo’s, raising her back up to her feet with hardly any trouble at all. “Ah’m sorry, Ah didn’t mean t’knock y’like that. That was one heck of a catch, lemme tell you.”

“You think so?” Scootaloo asked eagerly as she got to her feet, still clutching the ball in her small hands.

“Shoot, Ah know so. Looks t’me like we just found our new wide receiver,” Applejack patted her on the back, wincing sheepishly as she noticed how hard she hit the small girl. “Course, y’still got somethin’ t’learn about takin’ tackles. I reckon Rainbow Dash wasn’t t’good at that when I first came around neither.”

“What was that?” came a brash voice as Applejack nearly fell forward and lost her balance. Rainbow Dash had made it to them and jumped onto her back, but Applejack managed to stay on her feet despite her buckling knees.

“Get offa me!” the farmer shuffled and tried to buck her friend off of her. “Can’t y’see Ah’m tryn’a have a moment here with our new wide receiver?”

“You hear that, squirt? Straight from the mouths of babes!” Rainbow Dash grinned as Applejack managed to wriggle out from under her.

“The mouths of what now?” Applejack murmured as she narrowed her eyes at the abrasive jock whose arm still lingered on her shoulders.

“So, I’m in?” Scootaloo’s eyes widened hopefully and a great big smile stretched across her face.

“Anyone who can catch one of Spike’s aimlessly booted missiles is good with me,” Rainbow Dash pointed a thumb to herself, not even noticing the way Spike grunted irritably to hear such a remark as he jogged up to the group.

“Speakin’ of which, nice kick there, buddy,” Scootaloo praised him with a simple punch to the shoulder, which he had not been anticipating. “If you ever need someone to run out and fetch those balls for you, I’m your girl.”

“Oh, uh, yeah, sure,” Spike forced a nervous smile and played with pleasantries.

“‘course, you probably don’t even remember me, do you?” Scootaloo tilted her head, folding her hands behind her back and smiling a curious smirk.

“Remember you?” Spike blinked as he recalled some familiarity, but nothing solid.

“Yeah! We went to elementary school together, same grade and class, you dolt. That is, until my parents transferred me over to Cloudsdale Academy,” Scootaloo explained as she stood on her toes then teetered to her heels, recalling something of her childhood. “Before I made friends with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, I used to hang out with... what’s his name again? Um… something like… something like, oh, Felix!”

“Felix?” Spike nearly choked on his saliva as the familiar name rang out, and a cold sweat rushed over his clammy skin.

“Back in the day anyway, haven’t spoken to him much since then. But forget that, here, let me give you my number,” Scootaloo snatched up his hand and pulled a pen out from who knows where, biting the lid off and finishing her sentence with it hanging from her mouth as she scribbled some numbers on his forearm. “That way you can keep me updated when practices and stuff are. I doubt Rainbow Dash will be much help with that.”

“I have more important things to do than remind you when to eat, sleep and catch balls, squirt,” the football captain scoffed and pretended to look busy, peering out over the field like she was doing some reconnaissance.

“Hardly,” Applejack slipped out of Rainbow’s lazy hold and straightened her collar.

“Enough chatting,” Rainbow Dash cleared her throat roughly and changed the subject, “We have a team to whip these sorry slackers into!”

Author's Notes:

A/N From myself and Arby Works!:
QUICK Q/A POLL FOR YA::
Heya, so Arby and I were discussing something earlier, we are considering putting a little... clop-type, mature rating stuff into this a little later. How do you feel about that? We'd have to change some tags and ratings and all but, give us some feedback. I got a real hot scene cooking up here, and we have some good ideas to keep it storyline based, so it wouldn't be sex for sex sake. Anyway, your thoughts??