Cheerilee's day started earlier than most ponies'. The sun had yet to rise by the time she slowly rolled out of bed and groggily made her way through her morning routine, each step from shower to breakfast increasing her general wakefulness by a small margin until she finally found herself sitting on the front porch sipping contentedly at a mug of rich black coffee and watching the schoolyard slowly coming to life under the rising dawn. She didn't actually live inside the school, despite what most of her students assumed, but in a cozy little bungalow a short walk away, close enough to be able to be at the schoolhouse as early as necessary--in case some young pony needed to show up before the doors would normally open--or to stay after class in case some pony's parents were slow to retrieve them. Granted, it had been several years since anypony had taken advantage of her exceptional availability, but she still woke up well before dawn every morning, just in case.

Her ears twitched around at the muffled thud of heavy hoofbeats approaching her front door from inside. A smile crept across her face as she heard the door swing open with a quiet creak and the hooves' owner joined her on the porch. "'Mornin'." The rich, deep voice rolled over her, sending a delicious thrill down her spine that was amplified substantially when a broad square muzzle appeared over her shoulder and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek.

"Good morning yourself," she replied with a hint of surprise. "You're up awfully early, especially considering how late you had to work yesterday." A sly grin hovered at the edges of her lips and her eyelids drew half-closed. "And how late you were up."

"The sun doesn' sleep in, so neither do I," Big Mac quipped with a shrug and a narrow smile. He sat down behind her, enveloping her with his forelegs and resting his head heavily on top of hers.

Cheerilee giggled and leaned back into him. "Still, you must be exhausted. Do you want some coffee?"

The big red stallion shook his head, which turned her head from side to side as well. "Nope. Just gets me jittery. I'll be alright." The couple sat in silence for some time, watching the sleepy city awaken. Cheerilee listened to Big Mac breathe and felt his slow, steady heart beating against her shoulders. They had been dating for a few years now, ever since she'd corralled him at a Winter Wrap-up afterparty and they had shared a long series of awkward hemming and hawing before Applejack had finally run out of patience and stomped up to them, declaring they were to go on a dinner date the next weekend, that it was Big Mac's treat, and that they would go to Horsia's--a relatively pricey restaurant in the city center--and then take in a movie. Cheerilee and Big Mac had acquiesced to her plan, too startled to be angry.

It had not gone well. Their first date had been a disaster, as the confluence of Big Mac's shyness and Cheerilee's fears of making him spend too many bits on her had rendered them both miserable for the entire time. They had even skipped the movie completely, unwilling to suffer the crushing awkwardness any longer than necessary. They hadn't spoken for a while afterwards, both ponies too ashamed and embarrassed to even discuss the fiasco. Eventually, though, their friendship dulled their mortification, and they'd taken the time to actually talk through what had happened, and, miraculously, decided to try again, but without Applejack's well-meaning but ultimately ill-fated 'help'. They settled on a picnic in the park that Big Mac would provide, and Cheerilee would pay for whatever else they might want to do afterwards.

It was the perfect solution. Free of the risk of public ridicule, Big Mac slowly opened up and Cheerilee was able to coax him into a genuinely pleasant conversation. The food--gathered from the Apple orchards and therefore essentially free--was naturally delightful, and Cheerilee ate without guilt, remarking enthusiastically on the quality of both the foodstuffs themselves and the deftness of preparation. Big Mac had stunned her by claiming to have made all the food with his own hooves, and then brought a fillyish blush to her cheeks by revealing he'd only bothered because he'd wanted to impress her. By the time the meal was finished, Cheerilee could not think of anything she'd rather do than keep the date going. Big Mac had sheepishly agreed.

They'd walked through the park, split a sundae at Sugar Cube Corner (Cheerilee refused to let Big Mac even attempt to pay), sat together on a bench in the town square where Big Mac had blushed adorably as he attempted to stealthily sneak a hoof over to touch hers. She giggled and took it with a warm smile. They held hooves and sat in silence for some time, but a comfortable, serene silence, in every sense the obverse of the thick, awkward silence that had permeated their first date. It was pleasant. It was peaceful. Then it became sublime when Big Mac nervously leaned over and planted a kiss on her cheek. She'd blushed and giggled, and snared him before he could pull away, returning the kiss, but on his lips instead. The peck was brief, and the extent of their intimacy for that night, but it was more than sufficient.

That had been almost three years ago. Their courtship had had all the same issues as any new couple might, compounded by Big Mac's immensely frustrating habit of refusing to talk about problems until they threatened to destroy the fledgling relationship, but Cheerilee managed to counterbalance this foible with the exceptional patience she had honed over years of dealing with young ponies. The other interesting element of having a quiet, reserved stallion for a special somepony was that Cheerilee found herself beholden to undertaking all the significant firsts. She had been the first to initiate a kiss of any variety more intimate than a quick peck, the first to invite him in to her bungalow, the first to invite him to stay the night after he'd failed to take the hint, the first to invite him into her bed when he'd failed to take that hint, the first to initiate intimacy once in bed when he'd failed to take that hint, and the first to grab him by his stupid, adorable face and demand he put himself inside her when he'd failed to make any moves in that direction of his own volition.

It wasn't as though he hadn't wanted to do all these things, she knew, for he always undertook her suggestions with the utmost enthusiasm--and what enthusiasm he had...--it was simply that he was permanently too shy to break through whatever relationship barrier stood before him. Even after he'd left her breathless, sweaty, shaking from ear to dock, he'd nervously asked if he could stay in her bed that night. She'd been unable to answer immediately, but once her head had stopped spinning in delirious ecstasy, she'd grabbed the foal by his mane and dragged his forelegs around her shoulders. It was like that most of the time. She had eventually learned to read his body language and expressions, and had started giving him permission out loud to do things she knew he wanted to do. It was odd, she reflected, but it worked, and she wouldn't want it any other way. In fact, the only time he'd taken the initiative to say or do anything for the first time was the most important of all, when he'd hemmed and hawed and stuttered for several minutes before blurting out that he loved her. She'd burst into delighted tears, thoroughly ruining the moment, but it hardly mattered. She'd responded in kind.

Now, she thought, rolling her eyes up to look at the underside of her coltfriend's chin, all that was left was the greatest step of all. She wanted to leave that to him, too, which meant an exceptionally long wait at best, and an infinite wait at worst. She smiled. That was okay by her. She would wait as long as she had to.

"Hey, isn't that Scootaloo?" Her reverie was suddenly interrupted and her head bobbed under Big Mac's jaw as the big stallion turned both of their heads towards the gate at the entrance to the schoolyard. Cheerilee squinted a little and saw the orange and magenta splotch approaching the school.

"Huh," she said, bemused. "So it is. And Silver Spoon, too," she added, noticing now the silver streak next to the pegasus. "They're awfully early today."

"And together," Big Mac observed. "Didn't think those girls liked each other much."

"Yeah..." Cheerilee said, "they didn't."

"Wonder what changed."

What indeed, Cheerilee thought. Her decision to put them together on the project had been a crazy hail Celestia, a last ditch effort to attack their greatest shortcomings from another angle besides head-on. Scootaloo's laziness and outrageous ego versus Silver Spoon's absence of self-esteem and her continuous struggle to succeed. If Scootaloo could only see past her own muzzle long enough to apply her intelligence and charm to help Silver Spoon see even a fraction of her own value and potential, Cheerilee was certain they'd both come out of the season measurably better off. Scootaloo could apply to the Academy with confidence, and Silver Spoon could actually graduate. Eventually.

Cheerilee had only ever expected them to tolerate each other, if they could even manage that, and only long enough to complete the project. She'd certainly never expected to see them spending time together voluntarily, let alone earlier than she had ever seen Scootaloo awake and about. Perhaps her plan was working better than she'd expected it could...

Scootaloo had largely forgotten about Miss Cheerilee's plan. At present, she had her own plans to worry about, and she was not particularly confident about the outcome. Silver Spoon had been trying to reassure her for the past twenty minutes, ever since she'd met the surprised pegasus at her front door with a tentative smile and the offer of a lift in her family's carriage. Scootaloo had gracefully declined, as she preferred walking when she couldn't use her scooter--she didn't trust certain classmates enough to leave her prized possession sitting unguarded outside the school--and Silver Spoon had asked if they could at least walk together. Nonplussed, Scootaloo had acquiesced, and with somepony waiting for her, the pegasus had been forced to complete her morning routine with somewhat more speed than usual, resulting in their current status of "entirely too early".

It was just as well, thought Scootaloo, glancing anxiously around the deserted yard. Every second she could put off the inevitable storm that was guaranteed to crash down on her when Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle showed up was increasingly valuable to her. Silver Spoon noticed her skittish scanning and rolled her eyes. "Come on, Scootaloo, it's not like they're going to sneak up on you or anything."

Scootaloo gave her a manic look. "Don't be too sure. Apple Bloom may not look like much, but she's crafty. And Sweetie Belle's got her sister's vengeful streak. I can't even imagine what they'd be able to pull off together."

Silver Spoon shrugged. "Nothing at the moment. They're not on speaking terms, remember?"

"So you think."

"Oh, for--" Silver Spoon exhaled forcefully. "Never mind. I'll go talk to them, then, since you're such a chicken."

"I'm not a chicken."

"Then you get to break the ice."

"I will. I just need to...prepare."

Silver Spoon groaned. "No, what you need to do is chill out. You're freaking, and don't get me wrong, I understand why, but it's not going to help. When they show up, just talk to them like you always do. They're your friends, and it's not like you've never fought before."

Scootaloo pursed her lips. "Not like this."

"Maybe not, but it's no different. You all made mistakes, said stuff you didn't mean. Now it's just time to clear the air." Silver Spoon smiled. "It'll be fine, trust me."

Scootaloo gave her a worried look. "You really think so?"

Silver Spoon gently bumped Scootaloo's shoulder with her own. "I do."

Scootaloo blushed lightly. Then she blanched and her eyes widened as she spotted Sweetie Belle approaching them from across the yard. "Oh Luna," she breathed, her heart suddenly pounding.

Silver Spoon followed her gaze. "Oh good. Sweetie Belle is probably the first one you should talk to anyway. She seemed a lot less...prickly when I talked to her yesterday."

Scootaloo pressed her lips together tightly. "Yeah, probably."

Silver Spoon rubbed against her shoulder again. "Come on, Scootaloo, you know I've got your back. And your friends will understand, I'm sure of it."

Scootaloo allowed herself to relax slightly into the contact. "Yeah," she repeated. "Yeah, okay." She watched anxiously as Sweetie Belle approached, not quite meeting their gaze. Then the unicorn seemed to lose her nerve and stumbled to a halt some distance away, pointedly staring at the ground. Scootaloo blushed and looked to Silver Spoon, unsure of the right move. Silver Spoon simply shrugged and nudged her towards the unicorn. Scootaloo grimaced, but slowly got to her hooves and closed the rest of the distance between them herself.

Finally, she was close enough that Sweetie Belle could no longer pretend not to notice them, and she looked up at Scootaloo from beneath thick eyelashes. Her eyes were wide and worried, mirroring the nervous frown on her muzzle. She didn't say anything, and Scootaloo couldn't find the words to break the ice herself either, so they sat in silence.

Silver Spoon was not having any of it. "Morning, Sweetie Belle."

Sweetie Belle's eyes darted over to meet the earth pony's for an instant before falling to the ground again. "H-hey, Silver Spoon...Scootaloo," she added quietly.

Scootaloo suddenly found her voice again, gravelly and unsteady though it was. "Hey, Sweetie." Another long silence passed. Silver Spoon was leaning heavily into her side now, maddening in her persistence. Scootaloo wanted to be angry about it, but she could only sigh and acquiesce. "Look, Sweet--"

"Oh Scootaloo, I am so, so sorry!" Sweetie Belle suddenly burst into dramatic sobs and dove for Scootaloo's shoulders, wrapping herself tightly around the pegasus and bawling into her ear. Scootaloo was stunned into inaction, and Sweetie Belle filled the resulting silence with a stream of explanations and apologies. "It was just so sudden, and everything was going wrong at once, and Apple Bloom was so angry, and I just wanted everything to be okay again, but then you were yelling, and Apple Bloom was yelling, and I didn't know what to say or do or anything, and...and..." She dissolved into incoherence.

Scootaloo didn't know what to say. This wasn't exactly how she'd imagined this conversation going. She'd expected a lot more hemming and hawing and a long, circumspect discussion with apologies on both sides before they could find a comfortable middle ground to agree on. She certainly hadn't expected Sweetie Belle to take the fall for them both. In fact, she didn't want her to. She gently patted Sweetie Belle on the back. "It's alright, Sweetie, it wasn't your fault."

Sweetie Belle pulled away and shook her head. "No, you're wrong. I screwed up big time. I shouldn't have been so...wishy-washy. I should've just said what I thought, and not worried about what Apple Bloom was gonna say."

"Wait," Scootaloo said, "so...you don't agree with Apple Bloom?" A little flicker of warmth flared to life in the cold pit of her stomach. "You...you don't think I'm a freak?"

"Freak?" Sweetie Belle made an appropriately affronted face. "Of course not, Scootaloo! You're my friend, one of my best friends. If this is who you are, then it's who you are, and that doesn't change anything about who you've always been."

"But...all that time..." Scootaloo was dumbfounded. "I thought you'd for sure be mad that I'd kept it from you for so long."

Sweetie Belle sniffed and shrugged. "I don't care. Not anymore. I mean, it was a little surprising, but that's all." She hugged Scootaloo tightly. "You're my friend, and I love you no matter what. This doesn't change anything." She looked at the ground between them. "And I'm just sorry I didn't tell you that back when you needed me to."

Scootaloo slowly closed her eyes, tears of relief flooding them and leaking out and down her cheeks. Sweetie's acceptance washed over her, waves of warmth and love that did more to ease her wounded heart than all of Silver Spoon and her parents' platitudes had for the past several days. Her best friend, her oldest friend, accepted her. Still loved her, in spite of everything. All the pain and loneliness and fear she'd been desperately denying ebbed away, and Sweetie's words filled the resulting void with warmth and comfort. Elated to tears, she returned Sweetie Belle's hug and the two ponies embraced tightly, sniffing and crying quietly together for several seconds, equally relieved to know their friendship was not in fact ruined beyond repair. When they parted, Scootaloo swiped at her eyes with a hoof and gave Sweetie Belle a watery smile. "You don't know how much it means to me to hear you say that," she said. "I...I thought you and Apple Bloom didn't want to be my friend anymore."

"Over this?" Sweetie asked, scoffing. "As if this is the weirdest thing that's ever happened to our friendship."

"Well, it's the weirdest thing that isn't something we can fix, or that will go away or anything."

"No, I suppose not," Sweetie Belle mused. "But still, it's something we can work around."

Scootaloo raised an eyebrow at this. "Work around? What do you mean? You think it's a problem?"

Sweetie Belle shook her head vehemently. "No, no, nothing like that. I think it's fine, and honestly, when I actually sat down to think about it, it made perfect sense. I mean, the signs were there..." She gave Scootaloo a meaningful look.

Scootaloo pressed her lips together. "Yeah, okay, I guess I wasn't exactly hiding it real well from anypony but myself."

Sweetie Belle actually giggled a little. "Anyway, I just meant it's something I think we can probably bring Apple Bloom around on."

Scootaloo frowned. "I dunno, Sweetie. I mean, you heard what she said, right? About me, and...heck, about my parents, even. Seems like she'd be kind of hard to convince." If I even cared to convince her, she didn't add, but a nasty little voice in the back of her head sneered it just the same.

Sweetie Belle shrugged. "Maybe. All we can do is try, right?"

Scootaloo's spirits lifted at this. "You'll help?"

"Well, duh," she scoffed. "What kind of silly question is that? Friends always help each other out." Her gaze suddenly shifted, and she gave the temporarily forgotten Silver Spoon a warm smile. "And we're all friends, right?"

Silver Spoon visibly relaxed as she returned the smile. "Yeah. Yeah, we are. Hey, Sweetie," she suddenly continued, taking advantage of Sweetie Belle's momentary focus. "I want to apologize for bailing the other day. I should've just stuck it out, at least long enough to be polite and show you guys how much everything you did and said meant to me. You were all amazing, and I just took off without saying anything, and that was totally wrong of me." She shrank into herself sheepishly. "Can you forgive me?"

Sweetie Belle grinned broadly. "Totally. I guess we all kinda went a little crazy this weekend, huh?"

"Heh, yeah," Scootaloo said dryly. "A little."

"So."

"So," Scootaloo echoed Sweetie Belle, raising a curious eyebrow.

"So," Sweetie Belle repeated as she delicately searched for the right words. "You like mares."

Scootaloo blushed reflexively. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Just mares?" Sweetie's tone shifted almost imperceptibly, but if Scootaloo had had to identify the change, she might've called it hopeful.

Instead, she simply shrugged and shook her head. "Nah, I still like stallions, too. Like Rainbow Dash."

Sweetie Belle grinned. "How strange that you would follow in Rainbow Dash's hoofprints."

Scootaloo stuck out her tongue at her friend. "Funny."

"So are you two like, an item now?" Sweetie Belle glanced between the two.

Scootaloo and Silver Spoon glanced at each other, eyes wide, and started rambling denials over one another. Sweetie Belle blinked and leaned back, surprised. "Oh, okay. I just thought..."

Scootaloo shook her head vehemently. "No, no. We're not together. It's just a crush, and she knows all about it, but we talked it over, and, well..."

Sweetie Belle nodded. "Yeah, I get it." She seemed especially morose, as though she'd actually hoped Scootaloo and Silver Spoon might become a couple. Scootaloo couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. Sweetie Belle's entire attitude about the situation seemed off. She contemplated probing further, but lost the train of thought when the unicorn continued. "Have you told anyone else?"

"Just Rainbow Dash," Scootaloo said.

"Oh, really?" Sweetie Belle said. "What'd she say?"

Scootaloo smiled sheepishly. "She was real supportive. You know how she is." The smile faltered very slightly. "In fact, I'm pretty sure she already knew before I told her."

Sweetie Belle couldn't hide a smirk. "I think a few ponies did."

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "Not me, apparently."

The unicorn shrugged. "Well, that's not unusual...or so I hear."

Scootaloo gave her a searching look. "You know, for all the drama this caused over the weekend, you seem awfully okay with it now."

Sweetie Belle sighed. "I was never not okay with it. It just caught me off-guard, and Apple Bloom's reaction was...hard to swallow."

Scootaloo barked a laugh. "That's one way to put it," she said dryly.

Sweetie Belle hung her head. "I just didn't know how to react. I mean, I know it's a big deal, and I knew it was something we just needed to talk about a little bit, but when Apple Bloom went off like she did, I just panicked. All I could think of was how to save our friendship. The Crusaders', I mean."

Scootaloo grunted. "Yeah, well, she didn't seem to be in a talking mood." The insulting mood, though...

"No, she really didn't," Sweetie Belle agreed morosely. "And you might be right. I really hope we get a chance to talk it over with her, but she might not even want to."

"Oh, please," Silver Spoon suddenly spoke up, waving a hoof. "You three are disgustingly inseperable." Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo stared at her in surprise. She shrugged. "Take it from somepony who's watched from the outside for years, this isn't going to last. I mean, don't get me wrong, all the Apples are, like, impossibly stubborn, so it might take a while, but she'll start missing you soon enough." She smiled reassuringly at Scootaloo. "Trust me."

Scootaloo felt the warmth of her smile washing over her, relaxing tense muscles and sending a pleasant little thrill through her middle. She couldn't help but return it. "Yeah, you're probably right." She barely managed to resist the urge to nuzzle the earth pony as she added, "Thanks, Spoon."

The three ponies sat and chatted idly about the lessons Scootaloo had missed during her absence while the morning passed and the yard began to fill up around them. Some of the other ponies greeted Scootaloo and wished her well; others seemed to make special note of the fact that Silver Spoon had apparently replaced Apple Bloom in their normal group. Most seemed not to take notice of her at all. It seemed that news of her recently revealed proclivities had not yet spread among her classmates. Scootaloo was glad to only have to tackle the issue with a few ponies at a time. She remembered as well as anypony what a nightmare it had been for poor Glittershell when she'd been suddenly and maliciously outed.

"Good morning, girls!" Scootaloo and her friends all turned as one to face their teacher, who was trotting lightly up behind them, her saddlebags bouncing gaily on her ample flanks and an easy grin on her face.

"Good morning," they responded, incidentally as one.

"Good to see you back, Scootaloo. Are you feeling better?"

Scootaloo smiled. "Much, thanks."

The fuchsia mare beamed. "I'm so happy to hear that. Did you get your makeup work?"

Scootaloo nodded. "Yeah." She nosed into her own saddlebag and pulled out the envelope. "Here," she mumbled around the paper.

Cheerilee blinked. "Oh! Well, I didn't actually expect you to...well, thank you anyway." She took the envelope and stuck it into her own bag. "You know," she said, her gaze sliding from one young mare to the next, "I must say I'm surprised and gratified to see the three of you getting along for once." She smiled. "I had always hoped you might bury the hatchet one day and see you had more in common than you might think."

All three fillies glanced furtively at each other and blushed, each according to her own personal level of awkwardness. Miss Cheerilee seemed not to notice, simply beaming at them with pride. Scootaloo cleared her throat. "Yeah, well...I guess you were right, Miss Cheerilee. Silver Spoon's not so bad." She smirked at the earth pony next to her. "Most of the time."

Silver Spoon rolled her eyes. "Wish I could say the same about you."

Miss Cheerilee's smile faded momentarily, but returned when the three fillies responded to the ribbing with easy giggles. "Well, anyway, like I said, I'm glad. I hope your projects are going smoothly?"

Silver Spoon and Scootaloo nodded together. Scootaloo said, "Yeah. We're still in preliminary planning stages, but I think we've got a good base to work with. Shouldn't be too hard. You were right, by the way."

Cheerilee grinned. "I thought I might be." She turned to Sweetie Belle. "And yours?"

The unicorn scowled at the ground. "No such luck. Diamond Tiara still won't even talk to me."

"At all?" Sweetie shook her head. Cheerilee pursed her lips. "Alright, I'll talk to her. I'm sorry it's such an issue, but I promise it won't reflect poorly on you. I know you've been trying."

Sweetie Belle's scowl softened into a tentative smile. "Thanks, Miss Cheerilee."

The earth pony nodded. "Of course. By the way, is Apple Bloom not here yet?"

The trio shrugged. "We haven't seen her," Sweetie said.

"Odd," Cheerilee said. "She's usually here well before you three are." She paused. "I wonder...oh!" she interrupted herself and focused on something behind them. "There she is! Good morning, Apple Bloom!"

Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Silver Spoon all turned to face the approaching earth pony. Her mane and tail had somewhat less of their normal bounce, and her bows seemed loose and flat, as though she'd tied and retied them several times. Her face was mostly inscrutable, but the expression was anything but positive. She managed to twist it into an approximation of a smile long enough to acknowledge Miss Cheerilee's greeting. "Hi, Miss Cheerilee."

An anxious silence yawned among the five mares for a few moments before Cheerilee seemed to read the atmosphere and decided she was not helping. "Anyway, I'll leave you four to yourselves. See you all inside!" With a flip of her tail and a bob in her step, she trotted off into the schoolhouse.

The silence held sway for several more seconds as the two sides sized one another up. Silver Spoon and Sweetie Belle anxiously glanced between their more chromatic friends, neither one confident enough in themselves to speak up. Scootaloo found the anger she'd been resisting all morning break through at the sight of the yellow pony. Apple Bloom's arrival brought back vivid, painful memories of the previous weekend, and she discovered she was no longer particularly interested in apologizing to Apple Bloom. No matter what minor transgressions she might have committed, Apple Bloom had done worse. Much worse, and not just to Scootaloo herself, but to Silver Spoon and Sweetie Belle and her parents--her parents who hadn't done anything but care for Apple Bloom as though she were their own daughter. The Apples might have had old-fashioned opinions, but that hardly excused vitriol like that. It would take a lot more than tears and hugs to fix the damage she'd done, if it could be fixed at all. Scootaloo wasn't sure anymore.

Finally, Apple Bloom took a deep breath, exhaled it, then took another and said, "Look, Scootaloo, Ah...Ah got a lot of things Ah need to say, an' some of 'em are gonna need to be private, just you an' me, but before Ah say anythin' else, Ah owe you an' Sweetie both an apology." She stopped, but her friends didn't interrupt. Eventually, she continued. "Sweetie Belle, Ah'm sorry Ah went off on you like Ah did. You were only doin' what you thought was right, an' Ah said some stuff Ah didn' mean. Ah was angry, but Ah shouldn't've treated you like Ah did all the same."

Sweetie Belle smiled tentatively. "Thanks, Apple Bloom. It's alright. I know you were upset."

Apple Bloom pursed her lips and gave her a curt nod. Then she turned to Scootaloo, but seemed unable to muster the will to speak to her just yet. The pegasus stifled a sneer. Instead, Apple Bloom kept turning and looked at Silver Spoon instead. "Actually, Silver Spoon, Ah think Ah owe you an apology, too."

Silver Spoon blinked. "You...you do?"

Apple Bloom nodded. "Yeah. Ah didn' realize what was goin' on, but it shouldn't've made any difference. Ah shoulda just respected your choice an' let you leave without makin' a big deal outta it. You had your reasons, an' that shoulda been good enough for me."

"Oh," Silver Spoon murmured. "Well...thanks. I mean, I was still...sorta wrong, but...I appreciate it."

"Yeah," Apple Bloom said, already losing interest in Silver Spoon's response as she finally focused her attention back on Scootaloo. She couldn't stall any longer. The pegasus and the earth pony locked eyes. Scootaloo's pulse hummed in her ears as she waited for Apple Bloom to speak. She refused to be the first to speak, and she could wait all day if she had to for her friend to swallow her pride.

Unfortunately, Miss Cheerilee was not so patient. Four sets of ears swiveled around at the pealing of her bell, and Scootaloo saw a flash of panic on Apple Bloom's face as she dutifully turned to go inside. "Scootaloo, wait!"

The pegasus stopped, as did Silver Spoon and Sweetie Belle, turning to give the yellow filly a curious look. Apple Bloom gritted her teeth. "Ah mean...do ya mind bein' a little late? Ah...Ah wanna talk to you real quick. Alone."

Scootaloo gave her a skeptical look, but shrugged and nodded at the other two mares. They exchanged a glance before continuing towards the school building. They broke into whispered conversation as soon as they were out of Scootaloo's considerable earshot. Scootaloo ignored them and turned to face Apple Bloom again. She doggedly maintained her silence, instead pursing her lips and waiting for Apple Bloom to take the first step.

The yard was completely empty by the time the yellow earth pony found her voice again. "Scootaloo, Ah..." She swallowed hard. "Ah just..." She faltered again.

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "You know, I've already missed a few days of class this week, and I'd really rather not miss any more if you're just gonna stammer at me."

Apple Bloom blinked, stung. A flash of anger crossed over her face, but she immediately quelled it and took another deep breath. Scootaloo huffed. Typical Apple. Anger first, then stalling. 'Sorry' my flank. "Yeah, Ah know. It's just...hard."

"I can only imagine."

The earth pony's jaw muscles flexed as she gritted her teeth, clearly struggling to forestall a retort. Scootaloo was unfazed. She knew what she'd done wrong, and as soon as Apple Bloom showed a flicker of genuine remorse for her mistakes, Scootaloo would respond in kind. Until then, she felt positively justified in sniping at her.

"An-y-way," Apple Bloom forced through her teeth, "look, about Saturday mornin'--"

"Saturday morning?" Scootaloo feigned ignorance. "What about it?" She opened her eyes wide in mock inspiration. "Oh, right! Saturday morning! I do remember something strange about that day."

"Darn it, Scootaloo!" Apple Bloom snapped. "Would you jus' shut up for a second?"

"Sucks when somepony won't let you explain yourself, doesn't it?" Scootaloo sneered. "Almost like they don't care what you have to say, cuz they already know what they think."

Apple Bloom glared at her. "You know that's not what Ah meant."

"Really?" Scootaloo said. "You sure didn't seem that curious for details on Saturday. Seemed like you had your mind pretty well made up."

"Of course Ah didn' want details!" Apple Bloom said. "It's gross enough without havin' to hear all about it."

Scootaloo snorted. "Oh yeah, super gross. Touching another mare's hoof is absolutely disgusting."

"It is if yer a mare, too," Apple Bloom snapped.

Scootaloo pursed her lips. "Yeah, that's kind of what I thought. Nice apology, AB. I should've known you couldn't see past your own muzzle." She turned her back on a dumbstruck Apple Bloom and stalked towards the schoolhouse. "I'll see you inside."

"Wait, Scootaloo!" Scootaloo ignored her. She felt the ground shiver under her hooves as Apple Bloom stomped furiously, throwing her substantial earth pony strength into each step. "Scootaloo!" Scootaloo kept walking, her legs shaking with rage as the blood thundered in her ears. A tiny part of her more rational mind--with Mama Tavi's voice, naturally--scolded her for being childish, but the rest of her crowed with righteous indignation. It served Apple Bloom right to be ignored and brushed off. Let her see what it felt like.

She suddenly pulled up short as Apple Bloom galloped around and slid to a halt in the dirt in front of her. "Wait! Stop a second, Scootaloo."

Scootaloo scowled at her. "Why? You're just going to say the same stuff all over again. 'Fillyfooling is wrong, you're a freak, you should be ashamed.' Frankly, I don't need to hear it again." She narrowed her eyes at the earth pony. "Especially from somepony who claims to be my friend."

Apple Bloom heaved another sigh, but this time, Scootaloo noticed her expression was cowed, timid...even ashamed. Her anger faltered slightly. "Yeah, you're right," Apple Bloom said softly. "You don't. Ah was wrong. Ah was wrong then, an' Ah'm not doin' any better today."

"I'll say," Scootaloo sniped, but there was somewhat less venom in the barb than before.

Apple Bloom took the shot with grace. "First, Ah need to apologize for somethin' else, though. Ah know you probably wanted to keep your secret from everypony, but Ah had to tell mah sister."

"Oh, that's great," Scootaloo groaned, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, cuz of all ponies in Ponyville, Applejack is the one I want to know I'm bi."

"Bi?" Apple Bloom repeated, raising one eyebrow.

"Yeah. I mean, I still like stallions, too."

"You do?"

"Well, yeah." Scootaloo tilted her head at her friend. "Did you think I was just attracted to mares or something?"

"Well..." Apple Bloom hemmed. "Ah mean, you didn't really explain it much, so Ah just assumed..."

Scootaloo gave her a dour look. "I hardly had the chance to explain, did I?"

Apple Bloom blushed. "No, Ah guess not."

"So Applejack think's I'm totally gay, then?"

Apple Bloom shrugged. "Ah did, so Ah guess she probably does, too."

"Why did you even tell her, though?" Scootaloo glared at the yellow pony. "It wasn't your secret to tell."

"Ah know, but..." Apple Bloom shifted uncomfortably on her hooves. "Ah was in a bad way, worryin' and bein' mad, and she could tell, so she sat me down and wrung it out of me." She gave Scootaloo a tentative smile. "It was for the best in the end."

"How?"

Apple Bloom's eyes drifted past Scootaloo's face and focused on the middle distance behind her. "She got me thinkin' about some stuff Ah'd never really thought about much before. Some family stuff, some things she'd said, some stuff Ah thought Ah knew..." She smiled sadly and looked back at Scootaloo. "Turns out Ah was way off on a lot of things."

"You don't say." Now the venom had drained completely. Scootaloo's anger had mostly dissipated, but a few small embers continued smoldering, daring Apple Bloom to say something to fan them back to life.

Apple Bloom nodded. "More'n anything, AJ made me realize that...well, it just doesn' matter. It doesn' matter who you like or wanna be with, cuz in the end, you're still you, an' you're the same pony who's been one of mah best an' closest friends forever. Nothin's changed just cuz you finally said somethin'. So, yeah...Ah'm sorry, Scootaloo. Ah shouldn't've said what Ah said, about you or your moms. It wasn' necessary, an' it wasn' true, and you were right to be mad at me." She lowered her eyes and mumbled. "Can you forgive me?"

Scootaloo didn't respond immediately. Mama Vy was in her head, ranting about giving Apple Bloom her comeuppance and serving her right by not forgiving her, but she could only entertain the notion for a few seconds. Instead, she simply sighed and sagged. She was tired of being angry. Tired of being hurt and upset and most of all, she was tired of not having her best friends around. Emotional exhaustion tugged at her, and she followed it willingly. "Yeah, I do."

Apple Bloom looked up, her eyes shining and hopeful. "You mean it?"

Scootaloo nodded, frustrated at the burning of yet more tears pushing at the corners of her eyes, but too tired to fight them. "Yeah, I mean it." She heaved a shaky sigh. "Honestly, Apple Bloom, I just want to forget most of last weekend happened at all. I don't want to think about what I did or what we all said or what happened." Her ears folded back against her skull and she sniffed. "I just want my friends back."

Apple Bloom was much less emotionally demonstrative than Sweetie Belle, but she still had her moments. She fairly dove the distance between them and caught Scootaloo in a breathtaking hug, burying her face in the pegasus' shoulder. Scootaloo returned the embrace as best she could with her forelegs bound by Apple Bloom's grip, nuzzling into the earth pony's rich crimson mane. It smelled like apple cider and rich loamy earth. It smelled like comfort and care, like coming home after a long day and letting the cares of the world fall at the doorstep. It smelled like acceptance.