Thanks to Archer’s foresight, the carpet wasn’t even spotty. Dinky’s rump cleaned off nicely, and unlike her Apple Bloom didn’t have a place she needed the boy stuff to stay in, so Apple Bloom did end up taking a nice hot satisfying shower. The heady, excited smell of sex in the room dissipated when they opened a window to let the evening air in to cool down their hot bodies. The only evidence of their activity that remained was a slightly fuller garbage bag.

And with that, the three began studying in earnest. Most of it was review, as this whole week Dinky had been too busy thinking of Mr. Tinker’s stallionhood to comprehend anything he was actually saying. She was, well far as Apple Bloom could tell, brilliant though. Her level of vocabulary at times was ridiculous. You only had to tell her something once and she just remembered it just like that, without even practicing. Apple Bloom half suspected Dinky could’ve passed exams even with her estrus driving her batty.

Time Turner came up to check on them and found them in a tight circle, chattering eagerly around the pencils in their mouth. Bloom had forgotten all about the cookies and punch, until that stallion came up with the tray on his back. It wasn’t what you’d call a complete meal, but it gave them the energy to keep going and focus on their work, and also it came with a little something... extra.

Turner was such a nice stallion, if a bit peculiar. With the warm smile he and Dinky shared when he walked into the room Apple Bloom was sure they got along right nicely. She was curious just what he did in that workroom, but didn’t bring it up on account of politeness and studying to be done. The only thing really peculiar about him was his insistence on not wasting the Moon tea.

“Here you girls are, nice and chilly,” he said revealing two of the cups he’d brought down filled with that dirty brown piss dirt stuff.

“Aww,” Dinky said disappointedly as she saw the stuff. “Can’t you throw that out?”

Turner shook his head, pressing the teacup into Dinky’s hooves saying, “Well it’s already made and we wouldn’t want it to go to waste, now. You know that good little fillies always drink their Moon tea!”

“But I don’t need...” Dinky trailed off biting her lip. She glanced nervously at the garbage and looked back at Turner saying, “I mean I... I just don’t feel like I want any right now. My estrus isn’t bothering me, honest!”

“Well, I’m afraid I must insist,” Turner said unflinchingly in that light casual tone he always seemed to use. “You know I have a strict policy of at least one cup of Moon tea every evening during the estrus period. I assure you, you will thank me for this one day!”

“But–” Dinky protested.

“Just...” Turner interrupted, “Humor a foolheaded stallion’s request, please?”

Dinky gave him a long look, but her eyes were ultimately trusting, and she scrunched her muzzle up and hurled the tea into her mouth swallowing it as quickly as possible. Then she grabbed for a cookie, but he was already handing one to her.

Archer was startled when the second cup was pressed to her chest. “You too, Archer,” Turner said calmly. Archer wasn’t as reluctant to take it from him, oddly enough, though she peered at the glass with dinner plates as though the tea were going to jump up and bite her.

“Well go on, drink up,” he encouraged her, “Don’t hesitate just drink it all at once.”

Archer glanced at Turner warily, then back to the tea. She carefully raised her hooves to pull the cup to her lips, then closed her eyes and poured the tea in as fast as she could. She almost turned visibly green at the taste of it, swallowing even after the tea was entirely gone, smacking her lips and saying, “Oh Celestia that was nasty...”

Dinky shoved a cookie into Archer’s mouth and Archer chewed on it gratefully, washing it down with a hearty glass of berry juice.

“What’s so important about Moon tea anyway?” Apple Bloom asked skeptically of Turner. “You do know that stuff tastes terrible, right?”

“All you really need to know is it keeps a filly out of trouble in estrus,” Turner said enigmatically. “It’s really not my place to say more. Your parents are the ones who can tell you more, well legally at least.”

“Lega–”

“Well, enough of that!” Turner said nervously, trotting quickly out the door. “You three get studying, and enjoy the rest of your afternoon!” He closed the door behind him.

“Well great,” Apple Bloom said grumpily, “It’s the law? What do you do when you ain’t got any parents?”

Dinky just shrugged, and Archer just turned her head down. “Papa says a lot of things that sound more serious than they are,” Dinky offered uncertainly. “It’s probably just Papa being Papa again. He once made it sound like ice cream was going to take over Ponyville!”

“Hyeah,” Archer said rolling her eyes, “Those crazy earth ponies, am I right?”

“Guess it makes sense as any of this grownup stuff,” Apple Bloom said gloomily, “Not teachin’ boys about estrus and bein’ all crazy about it.”

“A-a-anyway, let’s compare notes,” Dinky said hurriedly, “We can study the law after exams are over. But right now I really need to–”

“Ah hear you Dinky,” Apple Bloom said nosing through her saddlebags she’d left at the door, tossing a notebook in Dinky’s direction.

They shared notes, of which Apple Bloom’s were the most comprehensive. At least, more comprehensive for the days after Apple Bloom got out of estrus. Archer had the day Apple Bloom had missed, but of course Archer had been craving a cock that entire day so half of them were lovesick poetry referencing Rumble and, oddly, Scootaloo. After the first dumbfounded look from the three of them, Archer had to carefully sort through her notes to figure which ones didn’t have embarassing poetry written on them. There weren’t many. Dinky wasn’t as embarassed to share hers, but they were all just surprisingly detailed diagrams of Mr. Tinker’s stallionhood. Not very accurate either, as she confessed abashedly that she only had speculation on what a penis would look like before Apple Bloom came along.

But after going over flashcards and sharing notes, all that was left was for them to talk about theory and application of the concepts they’d learned over the year. Wasn’t much to catch up on at all. Archer had this crazy theory that there was an equivalence between friendship and cutie marks, until Bloom pointed out the missing variable that you couldn’t eliminate with unit conversions. Besides, what would a friendship cutie mark even look like?

And the whole time Dinky’s demeanor had brightened like night and day. She said it herself, even. She’d always been nervous around colts apparantly, and just terrified of having one over as the estrus got worse, but now that Bloom did her she felt like she could be herself around ‘him’.

“I can’t possibly be weirded out now,” she said cheerfully, “Getting your penis goop in my vagina is as weird as it gets!” Dinky had stopped leaking of that stuff a while ago, but claimed she could still feel it in there. Whether ‘it’ was Apple Bloom’s penis goop, or just the absence of a feeling of estrus wasn’t quite clear even to her. Anyway it was nice both she and Archer could hang with Apple Bloom like she was just one of the fillies again. By the time the three fillies’ studying had devolved into eagerly gossipping about boy things, such as Rumble’s mysterious arrival, and how the colts had actually thought estrus was contagious, Dipsy loudly got back from her route.

“Mail’s here!” the grey pegasus shouted, slamming open the door.

Dinky immediately shot up, shouting “Mama!” and ran down the stairs, hugging her tightly. Bloom and Archer followed down shortly thereafter, until they were both arrested by the hot spicy smell emanating from Dipsy’s hindquarters.

“Muffin! How’re you doing?” Dipsy cooed to her filly warmly, “You feeling any better now?”

“Oh! Um! Better, yes.” Dinky released her mother, stepping off to the side and looking in the other direction, “I’m feeling much better about my... studies. Yes, my studies!”

Both Apple Bloom and Archer drifted enthralled to Dipsy’s rump, nostrils flaring and pupils dilating. They knew what was going on long before Dinky did, but even she in her excitement and devotion could not mistake what her own mother’s firm, round, wide hips carried with them.

“That’s good to hear!” Dipsy said chirpily, drinking in their stares. “I know you kids have been working so hard this afternoon so I thought I’d help with,” she paused wiggling her hips seductively, “Something special today~”

Dinky smiled brightly and announced, “You brought pizza!!”

Golly, Granny would flip if she knew what they did that evening for dinner at the Dew household. The thing is, Apple Bloom loved pizza. She never got it but she sure as buck loved it. The love of pizza might be a constant among every filly and, now every colt apparantly, but the fattening cheesy tomato laden dish on a buttery bubbly crust was something Apple Bloom could really dig into. That was the fun thing about going to stay with friends, is you could eat things you wouldn’t normally be able to. You could really cut loose without disturbing the importance of your family’s lifestyle. Though, Dinky would be a lot pudgier if pizza was a regular meal at this household, so it was probably a special occasion for her too.

Apple Bloom wasn’t complaining though. She enjoyed it so much she near got tangled up in the stringy molten cheese strands. Bloom loved anything related to milk really, whether it was milk or cheese or... or butter. It was such a miraculous thing that there could be cows producing this stuff. Apple Bloom loved every bit of the stuff they made.

She was honestly curious if she’d like pony milk any better. Probably not, in fact! Some of her friends remembered the later parts of their weaning when they could go back to it for a bit of comfort, but of course Apple Bloom just had to be bottle fed. She honestly didn’t know what to think about that, but she was pretty sure that had to have instilled in her a love of cow milk more than the natural stuff.

“Doctor!” Dipsy said to Time Turner when the smell of pizza roused him from his retreat and he emerged from the basement doors.

“You’re a doctor?” Apple Bloom asked, passing a slice to the brown earth stallion.

“Well, not in the way you might think,” the chipper stallion admitted with a curious smile.

“I have an engineering degree from the University of Hoofington.”

“That’s real cool!” Apple Bloom said brightly.

“So you build all sorts of crazy machines?” Archer suggested.

“Um... not in the way you might think,” Turner repeated himself. “I design and repair timepieces for a living.” He gestured at the hourglass on his hindquarters.

“Wow,” Apple Bloom said, “I wanna get a time engineering cutie mark!”

“Or maybe a doctor of time cutie mark!” Dinky put in. Archer didn’t say anything, just stared at her plate self consciously. Hmm.

“You got your cutie mark, Archer,” Apple Bloom said deliberately, “Why don’t you tell us how you got it?” That didn’t seem to do the trick though, as Archer got even more uncomfortable at the suggestion. Eventually she said,

“I... killed something.”

And even the sounds of chewing stopped.

Apple Bloom exclaimed, “What?! No you didn’t! What did you really do?”

“There were some foals who got separated on a ...field trip I was on,” she explained quietly, “When we found them they had ran into a ...puma. I had my bow, so I shot her.”

“Her?” Dinky asked.

“I found out it was a female,” Archer answered. A moment went by and she added, “It was easy.” Then she went back to just eating her food.

Apple Bloom didn’t know what to say to the enigmatic blue pony, who said all that in such a subdued tone. She wasn’t sure whether to console her or caution her, but Apple Bloom realized everypony else had stopped eating, so she did the next best thing she could do to offering words of... consolation or condemnation. She just picked up her piece of pizza and started eating like it weren’t no thing.

That seemed to clue the others in, and they started eating too, which definitely seemed to relax Archer. Apple Bloom didn’t know how a pony could be so calm about doing such a thing, didn’t know a pony could do such a thing, but it was Archer’s special talent, so maybe that was normal.

“Oh, I almost forgot!” Dipsy announced after dinner, rummaging in the saddlebags she dumped by the door and trotting back to the table. “Somepony just gave this to me today!” she shouted after dumping it onto the table. It was a simple looking watch, not made of gold like they usually are though.

Turner had picked up the watch on a hoof and was looking at it, saying “Fascinating. This looks like steel.”

“What’s steel?” asked Apple Bloom curiously.

“It’s an alloy of iron,” Turner said offhoofedly, checking the chain to see if it was composed of the same material. “Are you sure they just... gave you this watch?” he asked Dipsy.

That got Apple Bloom’s attention. She leaned more closely to look at the strangely shiny yet dull surface. She never actually had seen iron before. Dipsy just shrugged and said, “They said you needed to have it, and that you’re the only pony who could use it.”

“Why’s it got all those circles engraved into it?” Apple Bloom asked. Dinky was starting to lean forward too, though Archer just looked confused.

“Who exactly gave you this watch?” Turner asked skeptically, ignoring Apple Bloom’s question for now.

“Um...” Dipsy fidgeted saying, “Nopony I recognized. They had on a thick cloak too.”

“In the summer?” Dinky protested.

“Well now I’m really curious,” Turner said, pushing the fob to flip the watch open.

“Huh, broken,” he muttered. When Apple Bloom looked she could see a bright light inside the watch, which came from the candle’s reflection on its much shinier interior. The hands were indeed sitting at 10 and 2 and not moving.

“I’ll take a look at it,” he said, flipping it and catching the chain in his mouth, then trotting towards the basement.

“Wait!” said Dinky, “Can I show my friends your workroom?”

Turner nodded agreeably, saying “Just don’t touch anything. Lots of fragile components lying around, some of them quite sharp!”

Following him down the stairs, Apple Bloom was surprised to see the workshop had a strange blue box in it. Looking closer she realized it was a blue toolbox full of tools, picks and tiny wrenches and such. It was about the size of a breadbasket, and sitting up on the workbench. The rest of the workbench table was covered in gears, springs, sprockets and well, watch parts. There was a half dismantled wall clock too.

Turner tried to unscrew the watch but the screws were stripping the gold screwdriver. A silver screwdriver did the trick, twirling in his lips as the little screws made a neat pile and the back of the watch fell open. It was sort of fun just to watch him work. Apple Bloom wasn’t particularly following any of the gears or springs he was adjusting. It looked like they were made of normal metals though, not the weird iron stuff the case composed.

Dinky drew Apple Bloom’s attention away from the stallion and walked her around the workshop. “And here’s the drawer of gears arranged by size, and this is the oiling station, and this is where he can heat metals if they warp and this is the bucket of old discarded watch cases, and the workbench has drawers here with all sorts of screwdrivers and pokers and this is the clock he is making for the Berrys and this is the helping clip stand he uses to hold parts still while he works on them, and this is the jewelry eyepiece that he uses to look more closely at the‒”

“Dinky?” Turner said interrupting her impromptu tour, “I’m sort of in the middle of something right now.” Dinky seemed to notice then that she had ended up standing entirely on the desk, straddling over the watch he was working on, and that he was actually currently wearing the eyepiece she had her hoof on.

“Heh heh, sorry,” Dinky said jumping down. She looked left and right then struck a nonchalant pose and said, “Let’s... leave him to his work, Apple Bloom.”

“I’m not going to fix this tonight,” Turner said distractedly, “I’ll be right up, and then perhaps you could show me what you’ve successfully studied so far?”

“We could‒”

“That’d be great!” Dinky said jumping in place. She dragged the three of them out of the basement as intently as she dragged them into it. True to his word, Time Turner did emerge soon after, and Dinky was overjoyed to go over the exam preparation checklist point by point. Apple Bloom was kind of envious with how well she knew that stuff. Maybe it was her special talent though?

“What would that cutie mark even look like?” Dinky wondered later.

“Ah dunno, a Smartie Pants doll?” Apple Bloom said. The three of them got a good laugh over that. And meanwhile, nopony ever mentioned Archer’s cutie mark again.

When Big Macintosh came to pick Apple Bloom up at past twilight, Dinky just couldn’t thank her enough for helping her so much and saving her grade. It actually made Mac smile if in a uncomfortable worried sort of fashion. Archer’s parents hadn’t come to pick her up yet, but Archer explained that she was sleeping over with Dinky tonight. And of course on hearing that, Apple Bloom had to turn her eyes on Big Macintosh. And of course he outright absolutely forbade all sleepovers no how no when, not as long as she’s a colt. She probably could have thrown him by suggesting a sleepover with “other” colts, but she didn’t feel it was worth fighting over, and besides she still didn’t feel so good about calling herself a colt. Sure it was great when you were doing it in a filly, but no more sleepovers? Escorted to school and back? And of course... well, that one thing about fillies that being a colt was really making Apple Bloom see just what she’s missing.

Apple Bloom’s gut was feeling heavy by the time they got back, likely from the rich food so she took some extra hay time, but then Applejack came home! It was way late when Applejack came through the door, and Applejack was looking tired and flustered and worn out, but she was bound and determined to get back in time to see them all before bedtime.

“Applejack!” Apple Bloom declared, though it sounded more like “Appmmhmm!” with her mouth full.”

“I’m back y’all!” Applejack announced, hanging her hat up by the door and striding in like she owned the place. Because she did. Literally own the place. Uh, anyways.

Applejack continued boisterously, “Hey Big Mac! Hey Granny! Glad I got here before the lights were out but it was mighty close there for a minute. Hey there, uh...” a nervous smile danced on Applejack’s face as Apple Bloom downed the last of her fodder and ran up to her, giving her sister a big hug, Dinky style. “....... Apple Bloom.”

“Why you pattin’ me on the back, sis?” Apple Bloom said in the strangely awkward hug that Applejack seemed to insist on. Applejack backed up, straightening and saying, “Uh, nothing I uh, just,”

“Bedtime,” came Big Mac’s voice, causing Applejack to sigh relievedly and Apple Bloom to protest.

“Aw come on the moon’s not even‒ Applejack just got back! I just wanna find out everything she did with Discord an’ the princesses.” Applejack started to sweat at the mention of that, but Apple Bloom heedlessly went on, “It took all your friends so it must’ve been important, and you were gone for days!”

“Uh... heh,” Applejack said quietly, reaching unconsciously for her nonpresent hat.

“Was he making trouble? Did you have to fight him at all?”

“Uh, you could say that,” Applejack admitted slowly, with a terrible poker face indicating she wasn’t telling the whole story.

“Did he service you like the letter said he would?”

“That’s enough outta you Apple Bloom,” Granny Smith declared, “Applejack has had a long day...s... and she needs her sleep, and so do yer!”

Apple Bloom stomped her hoof, but Granny was right, and again it wasn’t a battle worth fighting. She turned on her way out of the room though and asked Applejack, “At least before ah go I gotta know, is Discord gonna make me a filly again?” Apple Bloom was surprised to feel a bit of disappointment well up in her chest on saying that. Of course this colt thing was temporary‒ she’d just die if it weren’t, but... she had been hoping she could help more fillies before it ended, make more of that delicious penis goo and all.

Applejack hesitated a long time before answering. “Come on,” she said, “I’ll tell you while we get ready for bed.”

Applejack followed along after Apple Bloom, who looked at Applejack askance as they walked down the hall and in. Apple Bloom said, “Are you sure you wanna follow me like this?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Applejack said gently to her, “It’s not something I can break to you easy.”

“Well it’s just, I gotta go pee,” Apple Bloom retorted critically. Applejack seemed to notice at that point that she’d managed to follow Apple Bloom devotedly and distractedly all the way into the toilet room.

“Uh, p-pee right, pee with your boy‒you‒your uh, I’ll uh, be bathroom. Teeth!”

Apple Bloom tried in vain to decipher what Applejack just said, but guessed she would just have to ask Applejack later, after she was in the bathroom, brushing her teeth. Applejack had rushed off faster than you could say hog’s whistle, not even bothering to turn around as she left, so Apple Bloom just took care of her business and followed more sedately thereafter.

“Discord is... busy,” Applejack answered in the bathroom later, after a good long tooth brushing, longer than she usually did. “Real ...busy. yup. Busy. The princesses both want him to do them‒ their tasks for him for a good long while. They’re princesses you know, ageless and ancient, and they take a... special touch, if you know what I mean. (And I really hope you don’t.)”

“What was that last part?” Apple Bloom asked, turning off the faucet from washing her hooves.

“Nothin’ nothin’. But uh... golly Apple Bloom I don’t know how to break this to you, but... Discord is gonna be a while longer, maybe even a week. It is real important, and he can’t be interrupted, and I hope you can understand he totally dropped this on you at the worst time but... you’re going to have to stay a colt for a while longer now.”

“Alright, thanks sis,” Apple Bloom said giving Applejack a friendly nuzzle, already thinking pleasantly of who she was going to do tomorrow, “You take care, and good night!”

“W-wait‒ you, uh,” Applejack lifted a hoof then looked at it confusingly, lowering it to stand on again. “You ain’t upset?”

“Why would I be upset?”

“You know... for stayin’ a colt and all?”

Apple Bloom chuckled to herself, “Aw, Applejack, it ain’t all that bad. I been enjoying myself a lot actually!”

“Enjoying yourself, huh?” Applejack asked skeptically.

“Yeah, doing all sorts of things only a colt can do!”

“Only a colt can do?” Applejack’s voice faded to a squeak as she brought her hoof nervously across her chest.

“Yeah my friends love it. And I been helping other fillies too.”

“Helping other... fillies, how?”

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes, “Duh. Exams are next week? We got a whole class of fillies who can’t study, and they need my help!”

Applejack bit her lip then said in the dark hallway, “Heh uh... you mean like, studying together right? Not like, you mean like, like studying right?”

“Yeah...?” Apple Bloom said slowly, “I was just over at a unicorn named Dinky’s tonight. She had piz‒ we did like, flashcards and teaching her stuff.”

“Who else you been teaching stuff?” Applejack asked dangerously. Dangerously for which of them she wouldn’t be able to say.

“Well there’s a bunch of colts‒”

“Colts?!” Applejack blurted out eyes bugging out in mental imagery.

Apple Bloom stopped at the outburst then hesitantly said, “Y-yeah, you wouldn’t believe what colts don’t know. Their classes didn’t even begin to cover it!”

“Oh right, right. Studyin’”

The two stood there silently for a moment, before Apple Bloom turned to her bed saying, “I’ll just... go to bed then. Night ‘sis...?”

That seemed to snap Applejack out of it and she nodded, backing off and closing the door fast enough to make a rush of air. It was only then that Apple Bloom paid attention to just how funny Applejack was smelling, more and more as they talked. Funny as in, like a filly funny. As in, strangely enticing. Not even daring to contemplate what that could imply, Apple Bloom just buried herself in her covers which, sadly, were losing the scent of her fillyhood as days went by. It was still comforting though. She had some more time to be a colt now, and resolved to make the best use of it, and now she was confident that in due time she would be stinking up these covers filly style again.

Thankfully Apple Bloom had remembered to go pee before she slept, because although when she woke up she did not have a morning erection, as soon as Apple Bloom realized this and sighed in relief it immediately started to perk up. Soon despite her best efforts, her penis was uncomfortably stiff again. It didn’t last long though, what with walking around and chores and stuff. Was a bit awkward to explain to Applejack and Big Mac though. Especially Applejack. She was just not taking this very well, so hot and bothered all the time. She must have been really upset. Apple Bloom needed to be a filly again, or something, if for no other reason than her sister’s peace of mind.

It wasn’t long after Big Mac left with Apple Bloom for school that Applejack announced to Granny, “...we’re out of Moon Tea,”

“But we just‒” Granny started.

“We’re out. I’m gonna go get more. Don’t wait for me.” So Applejack gallopped off toward town, in a different direction from the school, with Apple Bloom none the wiser.

At the beginning of the day, Apple Bloom was trying to plan out which fillies to take care of, and what to do on the weekend. But what threw her for a loop almost immediately that morning was Sweetie Belle coming in. The candy white unicorn looked tired and upset, like a filly who’s been crying all night, but hopefully it wasn’t that bad. Then Apple Bloom started to get an idea of the reason, because in her left saddlebag was a familiar looking thermos, and a familiar looking second lunchbox was perched firmly on her tail.

Apple Bloom actually lost a good portion of the day’s review of the history of the Eastern Republic, due to worrying about Sweetie Belle. Apple Bloom kept glancing back at her, watching her drinking down that Moon Tea, and trying to see if Sweetie was using any ice packs, and wondering what the buck could have happened. Sweetie’s estrus was as gone as Scootaloo’s, wasn’t it? Apple Bloom certainly hadn’t been ungenerous with her application of boy stuff. But if so, then why would Sweetie be doing that again? Was somepony forcing her to? Did Apple Bloom’s efforts somehow not take?

She couldn’t ask Sweetie Belle directly frustrating as that is, but Apple Bloom did the next best thing. She rushed up immediately to Scootaloo at the beginning of break, before the pegasus could buzz off, finding her off in the hallway outside of class. It sure looked like Scootaloo wanted to buzz off anyway though, for some reason. But this was important, so Scoots could wait a few minutes.

”Uh, h-hey Apple Bloom--” Scootaloo started to say.

”Did you see that?” Apple Bloom said to her urgently, “Sweetie was drinking her Moon tea!”

”Uh... yeah... Sweetie’s in heat again,” Scootaloo said, scratching her head self consciously.

”But how?” Apple Bloom whispered tensely, eye to eye with the pegasus.

“W-uh-well uh-” Scootaloo was just stuttering and blushing hard enough to burst, her tail down protectively between her legs. Apple Bloom blushed herself and backed up then, giving Scootaloo some personal space. That filly sure needed a lot of it.

“Sorry...” Apple Bloom said softly. “But ah mean, I already put boy stuff in Sweetie.”

“B-boy stuff, yeah...” Scootaloo confirmed not thinking about boy stuff at all whatsoever.

“You don’t think it took?” Apple Bloom suggested. “It seemed to work, but it was only my second time, and I did it funny sitting on top of her while she stood in place. Maybe she didn’t like my weight bearing down on her?”

“Bearing down on her...” Scootaloo offered intelligently, her eyes losing focus as her mind went places.

“You okay, Scootaloo?” Apple Bloom asked raising a critical eyebrow.

Scootaloo shook herself, as if to clear her head, saying, “What, me? No I’m fine! Perfectly fine! Better than fine even! No problems here, heh heh.”

“Well that’s good to know,” said Apple Bloom with a smile, “But Sweetie might be a different picture. Has she been avoiding me this whole time because I didn’t cure her estrus at all?”

“No‒ no, you did,” Scootaloo said hesitantly, “You really, really did. It just might have... I dunno... worn off?”

“Dinky was right!” moaned Apple Bloom, covering her face in her hooves, “There’s no way I can satisfy all the fillies if they go back into heat!”

“Well maybe it’s just-- um...” Scootaloo bit her lip, unable to say.

“At least it’s not happening to you Scootaloo,” Apple Bloom said relievedly, “I don’t know what I’d do if both of you had it again. That would be terrible!”

“Terrible! Yeah...” Scootaloo agreed with an uneasy smile. “Good thing we don’t have that to worry about, huh?”

“Still, this makes it even more important,” Apple Bloom said, sitting down and rubbing her chin. “If Sweetie gets no help for her estrus, then that really will make her mean, and that’d just destroy her. I gotta find a way to reach her, get her head straight, put to rest her concerns about colts, and I guess to put more boy stuff in her.”

“More boy stuff,” Scootaloo agreed dreamily.

“I should have known when I found I could make more myself, that it wouldn’t last forever,” Apple Bloom sighed, “At least mah goo is more effective than Moon tea.”

“A lot easier to get too,” Scootaloo grumbled.

“I dunno, my sister gets it pretty easily,” Apple Bloom noted, “Moon tea, that is. I couldn’t get her to stop shoving the stuff at me. You can’t get it yourself?”

“Well, not really,” Scootaloo vacillated, “Fillies aren’t exactly allowed to buy it at the store, not until they get to the big 1-8.”

“Yeah, but your parents just buy it for you until then,” Apple Bloom said.

”Look, can we just keep this about Sweetie?!” Scootaloo snapped at her.

”Okay, okay,” Apple Bloom said, raising her hooves. “So we gotta find some way to help her, and I gotta be with her again and- and that’d show her that she’s alright around colts!”

”What would?”

Apple Bloom spoke thoughtfully, saying ”If I’m puttin’ my boy stuff in, then it’ll be totally obvious to her that colts only make her nice and happy.”

”Didn’t seem to work last time...” Scootaloo grumbled crossing her hooves.

”That’s where you come in, Scoots!” Apple Bloom yelped brightly.

”Me?” Scootaloo looked at Apple Bloom with curiosity.

”Yeah you’ll be the uh, Sweetie Belle, and she’ll be the Rarity, and I’ll be Rarity’s stallion, I mean Sweetie Belle’s stallion, I mean‒”

”I get it,” the orange filly said rolling her eyes.

Apple Bloom blushed, but continued anyway. ”When I put my stuff in her last,” she explained, “We were all alone that time, but Sweetie Belle knows that Rarity’s fine when she’s alone. It only goes south when her sister’s trying to be with her. So it doesn’t help Sweetie Belle if it’s just me, but if you’re there, then Sweetie will know she’s not like Rarity, because ah bet she’ll totally love you!”

”I get it!” Scootaloo chirped eagerly, “So, so it’s like a test. Sweetie Belle puts herself to the test, and then she knows and doesn’t have to cry anymore!”

Apple Bloom looked at Scootaloo askance, saying ”...I thought you said she weren’t cryin’“

Scootaloo blushed and her wings fluttered, looking left and right as she stammered ”Uh, well, you know,”

”Never mind,” Apple Bloom interrupted, shaking her head at the silly filly. “Now, first you gotta tell Sweetie Belle so she can‒”

”Woah, woah!” Scootaloo interrupted. “No way she’d ever agree to this! She’d thinks she would become evil if you’re just near her, much less inside her!”

“But she’s gotta!” Apple Bloom fussed furiously, “It’s the only way she’ll ever learn. Besides, she did it before.”

Scootaloo gave a pained grimace of sympathy saying, “Do you really want to wait for her heat to get so bad that Sweetie Belle can’t stand it anymore?”

“I see your point,” Apple Bloom admitted glumly.

“So here’s what we’re gonna do,” Scootaloo said, pulling Apple Bloom into a huddle.

“We’re gonna stage an intervention.”

“Like a stage play?” Apple Bloom asked uncomprehendingly.

“No no it’s just an expression,” Scootaloo said her nostrils flaring angrily. She looked like she regretted doing that, pulling away from Apple Bloom abruptly to stand separate from the filly gone colt.

“It’s like when Twilight had that drinking problem,” Scootaloo explained. “You get her in a room with all her friends and tell her she needs to cut it out, and then she can’t leave until she at least talks it out,” Scootaloo explained.

“How do you know about that?” Apple Bloom asked.

Scootaloo scrunched her face nervously, saying, “Oh, she um, sort of was holding me ransom to get at Rainbow Dash’s secret Cider supply.”

Apple Bloom nodded sympathetically. “Cider is a helluva drug.”

“So we stage an intervention,” Scootaloo continued, “Which means tricking Sweetie into thinking you’re not going to be there, and then you are. Then she confesses and stuff, and it all works out great.”

“I dunno Scoots, that seems kinda mean.”

“And leaving her like this is not?”

“You’re right... Sweetie Belle needs help,” Apple Bloom agreed decisively. “And so does her sister, it sounds like. I can’t do much about Rarity, but if you and me work together, we might just be able to help Sweetie Belle once and for all.”

“I am totally up for that,” Scootaloo cheered.

“Alright,” Apple Bloom said, dragging Scootaloo into a huddle again, “So here’s the plan...”

(rasarasarasarasarasarasara)

After conspiring together, Apple Bloom asked again, just to be sure, “So let me get this straight. Our plan is that I hide in the clubhouse, and then you bring Sweetie Belle to the clubhouse?”

“That’s about it, yeah,” Scootaloo said.

“So where does the quart of plum pudding come in?”

“Right after the giant eggbeaters.”

“Oh yeah.”

“... you know what,” Scootaloo decided, “Let’s skip that part. Just wait for me at the clubhouse during second break and I’ll bring Sweetie over.”

Apple Bloom nodded solemnly, hoping Sweetie would forgive her for what they had to do, hoping it wouldn’t horribly backfire in some way that would result in Sweetie Belle hating them forever, and delivering all their closest secrets to Diamond Tiara in order to ingratiate herself into the secretive cult of Tiara who would enact their scheme to curse the world with a thousand days of hunger only to be foiled by the amazing intrepid adventurer Daring Do herself. But it would probably be fine.

Scootaloo had to keep herself far apart from Apple Bloom to even talk with Sweetie Belle, so it was a necessary hardship, but Apple Bloom really didn’t appreciate not having her best friends to rely on. That meant Apple Bloom was going to have to dodge fillies all by herself, and when she was totally ready to put it in a filly her penis just liked coming out and teasing both her and the fillies, even when she tried to say no. And when they stick their butts at you it’s just kind of hard to say no to that. You just want to climb on and start going. But Apple Bloom had to, for Sweetie Belle’s sake, as the whole scheme wouldn’t work if Apple Bloom was tapped out this afternoon. Letting Scootaloo uh... distance herself from Apple Bloom’s presence entirely too quickly, Apple Bloom sighed after the pegasus, and turned the corner to the school yard.

Only to be confronted by not a single filly to be seen.

“...wha?”

Rainbow Dash was not having a good day. The featherheads from south Hoofington had diverted a jetstream in the wrong direction pulling in heat and low humidity from the south. This was going to mess up her plans for a nice summer rainstorm to help cool off all those hot bums swinging around town. And the interruption was reminding her of how long she had until work was over, and there were like 3 hours left. A mare has needs, you know! She didn’t want to wait 3 hours. But what can you do? Can’t exactly buck clouds while bucking ponies.

It wasn’t exactly difficult work either, just moving cirrus clouds in to refract the sunlight which cools the air on one side and redirects humidity in from the east. Gave her plenty of time to think, and she had plenty of thoughts to think about trading stallions with Flitter, which could give her a shot at Buddy. And how Star Hunter was going to have to fly north for some fillies he knew in Whinnipeg but Dash was prepared for that with the strapping and healthy Thunderlane ready to chase her across the sky. Among other fillies. But this Sunday he was all hers.

And, having thought about the stallions now Dash didn’t have anything to think about. She dragged another line of netlike clouds in place, wisping out the corners before going to the next row, along with the other three pegasi in parallel behind her. She started thinking about Scootaloo again, and how she was being all flippant about estrus. She was at the same age as all the other fillies with it, so she had to be feeling it. It was like, synchronized or something. Dash just had to guess that Scootaloo found Rainbow Dash to be so awesome that she couldn’t lose face by letting it show at all. That was an admirable amount of control, if so. Dash knew she would never be able to pull something off like that.

Not that she wanted to, as that would make her miss a cornucopia of stallions, but when she was a filly it had been just one horrifically anxiety ridden day after another. Living on Moon tea basically. Like her dad once said, if you save it for marriage than you feel the true magic of love. Poor dad was such a buffoon, but she hadn’t figured that out until way later in life. If anything she deserved to cut loose a little, to catch up from what stallions she missed before. Love was too much trouble anyway, and would seriously cut into her ‘me’ time. But Dash didn’t have to love to get some hot stallion in her, and that made her smile slyly a lot more than romance ever did.

Dash didn’t hate Moon Tea or anything. You still had to drink it or you were going to be getting heavy in the belly, but now that she was a technical adult, it was just so much easier to keep your impulses under control when you just sort of... embraced them. Really, she could never figure out why she hadn’t done that a lot earlier; would have saved a lot of frustrated seasons and lonely nights. Dash wasn’t a very smart pony though, and she wasn’t good at judging things that weren’t right in front of you like cloud positions, trade winds, or speed trails.

It was alright if she had to catch up a little as far as sex goes anyway; that’s what she’d done for everything in her life really. And as long as nopony found out about it, then ponies would continue to love her and help her out and think that she’s awesome. The perfect crime, really. One that left her thanking herself for doing it every day that estrus tried to dive bomb her.

Dash sort of wished she could be like Scootaloo. That filly actually deserved to be loved, and really was awesome. She didn’t have to pretend at all, she just ripped through town without a care in the world for what other ponies thought. And even though this estrus season had finally hit her, somehow Scootaloo was finding the strength to muscle through it. Dash really wanted to know her secret. It was almost like Scootaloo had a whole bunch of stallions to attend to her too. Dash couldn’t figure out how Scootaloo acted like that, without it actually being true, and it really puzzled her. Reminded her of how little she knew about that filly.

“Heh, maybe Discord made her a colt too and I didn’t even notice,” Rainbow Dash muttered. Then the implications of what was possible if Scootaloo was a colt hit her, making her forget her hoof until the cloud had just about torn a corner off. She hastily smoothed out her error, and pretended that this blush was totally intentional. There’s no way Scootaloo was a colt too, that was just crazy estrus thoughts. ...right?

Apple Bloom was grateful that every filly was avoiding her, as she certainly had some serious boy stuff to do to Sweetie Belle, and couldn’t be going and using herself up in the morning break, but why was every filly avoiding her? It was weird. Apple Bloom at a loss just sought out her one remaining friend, and once she saw Sweetie wasn’t nearby, Apple Bloom walked right up to Scootaloo without being accosted once, and nopony’s rear was turned her way. Just a bunch of staring. Angry, hateful staring.

“Ah dunno what’s goin on Scootaloo,” Apple Bloom nervously whispered to her.

“What’s wrong?” Scootaloo asked jumping down from the bars.

“Well it’s just‒” Bloom paused and leaned a little closer, “I’m not surrounded by fillies today.”

“Are you normally surrounded by fillies?” Scootaloo asked skeptically. Apple Bloom nodded.

“This estrus thing has been the talk of the playground ever since Sweetie blabbed about it,” Apple Bloom explained. “Yesterday I couldn’t get them to leave me alone, even though I was already tapped out!”

Scootaloo looked around, and the bars were entirely empty of other foals. “That is kind of weird,” she said. “I could ask around I suppose?”

“If you would I’d appreciate it,” Apple Bloom sighed, “Between the Sweetie Belle thing and this Saturday I don’t need another thing on my mind.”

“What’s this Saturday?” Scootaloo asked curiously.

“Oh! Uh, it’s a surprise,” Apple Bloom winked. “I wanna tell you both about it once we get Sweetie back on good terms again.”

Scootaloo nodded. They didn’t have much to say, so they parted ways. Apple Bloom didn’t have much to do all by herself. She’d counted on having to dodge fillies the whole first break so much that she didn’t have any other option. But at least without a retinue following her around she could approach the boys without them making themselves scarce. It was almost too easy.

“I dunno what you did,” Rumble said approaching Apple Bloom confidently, “But it sure worked. There’s no way you’ll catch it now!”

“I’m tellin you Rumble,” Apple Bloom muttered, “Cooties ain’t real. You don’t need to hide from fillies all the time.”

“It’s noble of you to sacrifice yourself to confirm the legend,” Rumble said, “But I’m not taking any chances. Besides fillies make me... nervous.”

“How so?” Apple Bloom asked curiously. They started to walk along the flower garden path, lovingly maintained by a trio of mares who lived near the school. It was a nice breezy day for summer, wasn’t hot and sticky like yesterday. Kind of like Apple Bloom herself, except it was the weather not her private parts. Most summer days were pleasant in Ponyville. It was only rare that a hot one came along, on account of that crack weather team. Rainbow Dash was pretty well known for revitalising Ponyville’s weather department and it showed, even if she wasn’t exactly a Wonderbolt.

“I don’t know how to explain it, it’s just the way they look at me,” Rumble said, looking around as he walked. “They get this hungry look in their eyes and I know it’s silly but sometimes I feel like they just want to eat me up.”

Apple Bloom snickered, “Well you’re half right, but you got the wrong side,” she joked unthinkingly.

“They can’t eat me, though!” Rumble insisted, “I’m way too big!”

Yep, that was it. Apple Bloom was rolling belly up among the flowers, laughing her head off. She stood up at last and patted Rumble saying, “You are just so funny, you know that?”

Rumble rolled his eyes in assent.

“Listen, I swear it’s not bad if you spend time with a filly,” Apple Bloom asserted to the pegasus, “They’re ponies too, and you could make some good friends I wager... and maybe if you do, you might learn something, from trying things out,” she finished with a smug purr.

“I still don’t see why you can’t just tell me what’s so great about fillies,” Rumble muttered, as they headed back toward the play yard.

“Well three reasons,” Bloom said tapping out a hoof, “First off it’s lots more fun if I show you. Second off I can’t find good words to describe it that do any justice. And third,” she lifted the hoof to cover her smile and said slyly, “It’s a surprise.”

“Well I don’t want to spoil the surprise,” he said reluctantly, “If you promise it’s a good surprise.”

“Cross my heart an’ hope to fly stick a cupcake in my ey‒ow!”

“You know you’re not actually supposed to‒”

“Ah know ah know!”

Author's Notes:

Sneaky, sneaky.