//------------------------------// // Pajama Party // Story: Adolescence // by Scout Feather //------------------------------// The rest of the week went uneventfully enough. The day following the secretive kiss, Apple Bloom was at school once again. Despite everything, neither Sweetie Belle nor Scootaloo gave each other more than an awkward glance, or casual ‘Hello’s. Apple Bloom found herself talking mainly to herself during lunch. As the week went by, the tension between the two fillies nearly lifted, and everything was almost as it was before. Soon, Friday came. In the late afternoon, the Cutie Mark Crusaders gathered around the clubhouse, devising a way to earn their cutie marks as they usually did. The room was brightly lit, painted with innocent, childish decor. It was as it always was, save for one exception: an extra large cot in the middle of the room that Big Mac had dragged from the farmhouse, for the slumber party which they were engaged in now. The late afternoon turned to evening, which in turn fell to twilight, and the Crusaders exhausted every last one of their ideas in and around the clubhouse. They tried silly girly things that they didn’t want to do anyway, like ‘Cutie Mark Crusader Ballet Dancers!’, which had, of course, been all Sweetie’s idea. They tried outlandish ideas, ‘Roof-jumping cutie marks, anyone?’ which only ended in near-disaster. They even tried poem-writing. None of these worked. At last, the world around them became darkened and black, lit only by the light of the moon, and a lamp next to the cot. The Crusaders all sat around it, pondering more ideas as a cold breeze blew through the center of the uninsulated clubhouse, causing all three to simultaneously shiver. “Brr...ah think it’s about time to get into our PJs. Now I understand why Applejack made us have a pajama party instead of a plain old sleepover. It’s cold!” Apple Bloom whined, still rubbing a shoulder, which was sore from an earlier fall from the rooftop to the sturdy ramp. Sweetie Belle nodded, hopping off the bed, opening her saddlebags and pulling out a pink nightgown Rarity had made. It was frilly and warm looking, tufts of fuzz all around the collar and leg openings. She quickly wiggled her way into it. “It’s a good thing, too! Otherwise we’d freeze!” She agreed, head poking out the top just as Apple Bloom pulled on a set of second hand pajamas - a shirt and pant combo her sister had likely once worn, green and emblazoned with apples all over. Sweetie glanced at Scootaloo. “Aren’t you going to put your PJs on, Scootaloo? Did you remember to bring them?” “Yeah, but…I ruined my Wonderbolts ones, and all I have are these ones that my mom bought…” She trailed off. “Oh? I bet they’re awesome! Let’s see!” Sweetie chimed. Another breeze, much stronger this time, blew through the clubhouse. Anyone who wasn’t wearing clothing shivered intensely. “No, they’re like, for little foals! Brr!” She paused, defeat ringing through her voice. “Fine, I’ll put them on!” Begrudgingly, the filly hopped off the bed and made her way to her own saddlebags. For several minutes, blocked from view to the other two by the large cot, she busied herself with getting dressed. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom cast nervous glances to each other. When Scootaloo finally emerged, Apple Bloom had to strain to withhold her laughter. Her pajamas, while thick and comfortable looking, were full-body, right down to the hooves. They were bright, sky-blue, with clouds all around. A zipper ran from the neck down. Scootaloo simply blushed, looking away as she fumbled with her hooves from inside the clothing. “Aww! They look cute, Scoot!” Sweetie remarked, trotting up to feel the fabric of her hoofie pajamas. “Y-yeah Scoots! Y’all look...a-adorable! Hahaha!” Apple Bloom suddenly fell over laughing raucously. It was Scootaloo’s first instinct to advance and tell her just what she thought, but Sweetie suddenly put a hoof on Scootaloo’s chest, stopping her. For some reason, it worked. The anger stopped flooding through her and her blood pressure stopped rising. She let out a sigh, looking down at Sweetie. “D-do you really think I look cute? A good kinda cute, right?” She whispered, too low for the earth pony to hear. Sweetie Belle gave her a broad smile, nodding. “I bet they’re really warm, Scoots. You don’t have to feel embarrassed. You look nice.” Sweetie comforted. This caused Scootaloo to blush, and she shifted from hoof to hoof, casting a glare at Apple Bloom. “Yeah, whatever.” Scootaloo declared, loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. Her chest puffed up and she flicked her tail. Sweetie giggled while Apple Bloom, finally recomposed, simply rolled her eyes. “If ya say so, Scoots.” Apple Bloom stifled a yawn, staggering slightly. “Ah think I’m gonna get into bed. It’s awfully late…” She hopped up onto the bed, folding back the covers with her teeth. Sweetie followed not long after, choosing the opposite side of the big cot, leaving a wide space in the middle for Scootaloo, who reluctantly crawled into it. She wasn’t really tired - not yet anyway - and could easily spend a good few more hours crusading, but her friends seemed intent on sleep. The bed was certainly warm and inviting. As she wiggled her hooves under the big quilt, she couldn’t help but feel a strong sense of security. Apple Bloom was leaning over the lamp, and in a moment the room was shrouded by darkness. Figures and silhouettes slowly started adjusting in Scootaloo’s vision, and she stared at the ceiling, wide awake. It didn’t take long before a loud snore could be heard to her right. She looked over to see Apple Bloom, her back to the rest of the bed’s occupants. Scootaloo couldn’t help but roll her eyes silently, focusing her attention upwards again. Her thoughts wandered to the pony on the other side of her. Chancing a peek, she saw Sweetie Belle, seemingly fast asleep, on her side and facing away. Her forehooves were drawn up to her chest, curled neatly over the blanket - she looked peaceful As Scootaloo was busy admiring her, another breeze ran through the room. She was, of course, unphased because of the thick pajamas she had previously been humiliated about wearing. For once, she found herself thankful that her mother had bought them. Sweetie, however, shivered heavily. It appeared like her nightgown didn’t offer much for warmth. Scootaloo winced. She always hated to see friends suffer, but this was different. Her protective instincts kicked in, and she felt like she had to do something. But what? An idea came to her, and she immediately shook it away. No, there was no way she was doing that. That was too sappy. With another filly? Nuh-uh. She knew from survival classes she had taken at camp that the best way to warm up another pony was by using your own body heat. It made sense, and now that she looked at Sweetie, who had shrunk and curled herself into a ball as she shivered gently, Scootaloo couldn’t bear to see it. She tried to tell herself she’d do it for anypony. But would she even consider the prospect if it hadn’t been the filly she had been eyeing all week shivering from the cold in front of her? In fact, since the kiss they had shared, Scootaloo had had a lot of time to think about things. At first, she was unusually shy around Sweetie at school, but it faded within a few days, pretending like things were back to their same old rhythm. But that wasn’t true. That feeling in her stomach, the one that gripped her heart and drove her to a cold sweat, had gotten worse around Sweetie. Maybe this was one of those ‘growing up’ things she had been told about? She bit her lip, eyes locked on Sweetie’s back. She had to be honest: the idea, however intimidating, was tempting. She couldn’t let her just shiver there. Besides, the cold would make a good cover for what she really wanted, but scarcely was able to admit: simply to cuddle. How could she be so sappy? Rainbow Dash would have a field day on her levels of uncoolness here. She could just sneak up and put a hoof around Sweetie. Just hug her for like, a minute or two. Enough to warm up the shivering filly. Nopony, not even Sweetie (who was likely fast asleep) would know. It was foolproof. Okay...okay, I’m gonna do this. She cast a nervous glance behind her - Apple Bloom was a heavy sleeper, there was no way she would notice - and crawled forward silently. The blankets rustled as she inched and scooted her way up to Sweetie Belle. She was directly behind her now, muzzle inches from the back of her head. She bit her lip to stop from making any noise, as the position forced herself to be close to Sweetie’s twitching ear as well. Sweetie’s shivering hadn’t decreased, and it worried Scootaloo enough to give her the extra motivation to take the next step. A slow, cautious hoof, wrapped in her warm Hoofie Pajamas, slipped around the surprisingly warm belly of Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo was unmistakably embracing her now, heart doing little leaps and bounds. The position was far more comfortable than one without previous experience could imagine. Sweetie was like a living, breathing fluffy pillow, except better. Her fur was warm and inviting, carrying the scent of lilacs mixed with an earthy, outdoorsy smell. It was a mixture of scents that brought to mind a pony who was prissy and clean, but also valued being able to play in the mud every once in a while. Just like Sweetie. Scootaloo supposed Sweetie hadn’t really noticed her position yet, having barely even made a stir, yet her shivering stopped altogether. Scootaloo smiled. Mission Accomplished, she thought. As soundless as ever, she tilted her head forward and dared to press her muzzle to Sweetie’s neck and nuzzle it ever so slightly, taking a good whiff of her mane. It smelled like roses and cotton candy. At this point, Scootaloo didn’t really understand anything she was doing, but she didn’t really care. It all felt so wonderful to her. As Sweetie slept motionlessly, sharing in the warmth of Scootaloo’s admittedly awesome nightwear, the pegasus let out a deep sigh. Her thoughts were happier now. Nothing could make her sad, being curled up so close to the filly that made her feel so strange. As funny as those feelings were, they felt right. Should she be feeling this for a filly? No… Scootaloo thought dismally. This isn’t right… fillies don’t do this together. I’m not supposed to be doing this. I should stop, before she wakes up! This, and a dozen other thoughts of doubt clawed at her, but she made no attempt to move. Nothing would pry her from her comfortable position. She closed her eyes and nuzzled Sweetie’s neck again. It was so warm; her fur so soft. Scootaloo had thoughts of pure bliss as her hoof began to move, rubbing the unicorn’s stomach gently. Moments of happiness passed. In Scootaloo’s mind, it was the best few minutes ever. Sleep simply wouldn’t come to her, no matter how hard she tried. Those thoughts of doubt always came back when she was close to sleep. An eye opened, and she blinked as everything started to adjust to her vision again. Once everything was relatively clear, she recognized the great big pearl staring right in front of her. It was Sweetie’s eye. She was awake. Scootaloo’s first instinct was to pull away and run, but a quick and firm hoof placed itself on hers, and Sweetie smiled. She gave the hoof a squeeze, and suddenly, through the expression and actions, Scootaloo understood everything Sweetie was trying to say. She was telling her to stay. Not to leave. How could Scootaloo say no to that? The two stayed like that for a long time. Neither dared to move more than their heads, but their eyes remained locked, hooves clasping each others’ in front of Sweetie. At some point Scootaloo became conscious of the fact that Sweetie felt a lot warmer. Did she still need to be like this? Now that she’d done her duty, what made her stay, hooves wrapped around her friend? Her doubts were washed away when she saw Sweetie shift forward, lifting herself up, and, in what felt like an instant, press her lips to Scootaloo’s. No tongue was shared this time. No spark lit between them. It was barely long enough to remember what it felt like. Her lips simple grazed over Scootaloo’s, their muzzles pressed together suddenly, and that was it. Nothing more. That accomplished, Sweetie whispered a quiet ‘Good night’, and turned back around, laying her head on her pillow. It was several minutes before Scootaloo broke from her daze and laid down herself. One forehoof was used to embrace the other filly, squeezing lightly, and the other was resting under the crook of her neck, completing a sleepy and unintrusive hug. It was all so surreal, as if it wasn’t really happening. Fortunately for her, it was. Responding with a similar whisper of ‘good night.’, she nuzzled her friends cheek and tried to close her eyes with her muzzle buried in her friends fur. It wasn’t long before sleep overtook her, joining her two friends. She didn’t dream much, and her sleep was light, but it was the best night she could ever remember having.