A few misadventures between Rumble and Scoots before the married life.
It first started with Rumble liking Scootaloo, then they started liking each other, then they started dating. Simple as it sounds, this story indicates a lot more happening between the lines.
Thunderlane grunted as he pushed his younger brother. Rumble, who was sweating like mad, despite the late Winter weather, was digging his hooves deeply into the ground, forming a large mound of snow and dirt at his hooves.
"On second thought, I can't do this, please don't make me do this!" Rumble pleaded. His older brother rolled his eyes and continued pushing.
"No little bro, you're like, sixteen and you barely talk to anyone. Besides, didn't you say that you like this mare?"
"....Well... yeah," Rumble said, "but I don't want to do this today!"
"You said that yesterday, and the day before, and all last week. You need to talk to other ponies your age besides your friends Rumble. It's time you get out the house for a change."
"But-"
"Just take it like a stallion and deal with it. You're going to stay out here all day if you don't say anything to anyone." Thunderlane said, reaching their destination. "Just try not to act like a wuss." He said, dragging a stiff Rumble onto the bench.
"I'm not a wuss!" Rumble yelled, turning redder as his brother flew away. "Stupid Thunderlane," he said, crossing his arms, he saw Scootaloo; the last pony he expected to see, who he just so happened to have a bit of a crush on since they first met. She looked away from Rainbow Dash, who she was talking with and saw Rumble. He froze up as she ran up to him.
It was then that he decided that his luck seemed to hate him that day. Either that or it seemed to be benefitting Thunderlane more than him.
"Hey Rumble!" She called out. Her cheeks were red from what he assumed to be the cold. Rainbow Dash flew away from the distance as she stopped in front of him.
"What's up?" She smiled. Rumble unfroze his regular position and stared at the ground. becoming more interested with his scarf than the mare talking to him.
"Oh, nothing, nothing at all." He assured her.
"I was wondering if you wanted to hang out or something." She explained.
"You were?" Rumble asked.
"Of course, we hung out all the time when we were a few years younger didn't we?" She said.
"But, well, if you don't mind me asking, why aren't you with you're friends like you usually are?"
Scootaloo sighed. "They're too busy messing about with their crushes or coltfriend in Sweetie Belle's case." She said with an annoyed roll of her eyes.
Rumble couldn't help but think he heard the lonely tone in her voice. She sighed and folded her arms, prompting to sitting on the bench next to him. Ignoring the mound of snow and rocks on the ground that Rumble managed to dig up on his way there, she smiled at him.
"I honestly don't have many plans today. All of my friends are either dating or busy. She sighed as she looked down. "Even Rainbow Dash."
"...Well, I don't really have plans for today either. So maybe we can go do something?" Rumble suggested.
Scootaloo smiled up at him. "I'd love that."
The rest of the day was spent flying around Ponyville, looking for some place for the two to just hang out without being swarmed by lovey dovey couples.
The park was out since Sweetie Belle and Button Mash were skating, (at least trying to anyway) on the frozen pond, and it looked like the cheesiest scene from a Hearth's Warming movie.
Pipsqueak was with Apple Bloom in Sugar Cube Corner, and they too looked like they belonged in a Hearth's Warming movie. Everywhere around Ponyville there was lovey-dovey moments, it was all so sweet it felt sickening.
"Bleh." Scootaloo said, sticking her tongue out and pretending to puke.
"Maybe we should just go home." Rumble suggested, feeling uneasy with how everypony in town suddenly became a romantic. He felt like flying away, yet he didn't think Scootaloo would let him. Seeing that she could easily catch up with him and tackle him for as long as he could remember.
"Fine." She sighed. "We'll just head for my house."
The two stared at each other awkwardly, not quite sure what to do. Rumble looked to the ceiling and rubbed the back of his head, and Scootaloo looked down. Both had a nervous sweat from the silent tension. Eventually Scootaloo sighed.
"I can't do this." She said. Rumble looked at her, confusion painting his face.
"What do you mean?" He asked.
She sighed. "Rainbow Dash set me up to this."
"What?"
"I mean she said I should come talk to you. Saying that I should 'speak with other ponies my age' I told her we were friends already, but she told me I should still do it." She said, mimicking her idol in an annoyed tone. She decided to leave out the conversation she had before meeting up with Rumble.
"Really? 'cause Thunderlane made me go to that park bench. Insisting that I talk with other ponies 'within my age group'. I think that it's because he doesn't think I have a lot of friends." He said, leaving out that he was supposed to talk with her specifically and admit his feelings to the young mare.
"Welp," Scootaloo said, popping her lips at the p. "I hope they're satisfied. We're sitting in my house all alone with nothing to talk about."
"Yeah." Rumble agreed. "Unless you want to talk about our siblings/surrogate siblings." He said.
"Well, Rainbow Dash is always talking about her oh, so perfect boyfriend. Scootaloo said, clapping her hooves together and cocking her head to the side at a ridiculous angle. Along with batting her eyes and making her voice go a tone higher.
Rumble laughed.
"Same here, only Thunderlane's always going on about how 'he and Blossomforth did this, or, how wonderful their little dates went, or even, how much her eyes seem to sparkle'. I like Blossom, but hearing my brother talk about her all the time is so annoying."
"Couldn't have said it better myself." Scootaloo said. The two laughed at the memory.
"Seems like all of our friends are in some relationship with someone else huh?" Scootaloo said, flopping down to her back and spreading her arms and wings out.
"Yeah." Rumble agreed, doing the same.
"Sweetie Belle's dating Button Mash," Scootaloo said.
"Snails is dating Twist," Rumble said.
"Apple Bloom is always hanging out with Pipsqueak,"
"And even my brother's friends have their own relationships."
The two sighed in unison.
"So what do we do?" Scootaloo asked. "They've got all of their time with each other, and it's like we're the only ponies living in town without a relationship. Even Spike is spending time out of town with that other dragon."
"It sucks." Rumble agreed.
"What exactly does it leave us to doing? My friends are talking all about their relationships instead of what we used to talk about and our future careers." Scootaloo continued.
"Well...what would you like to be?"
Scootaloo paused and stared at the ceiling as though there was actually something interesting about it. "I want to be known all over Equestria, and have the crowds cheer my name. I want to become something that'll make me and other ponies happy. I just don't know what exactly yet. Maybe I'll become a Wonderbolt. And amaze the crowds with Rainbow Dash by my side."
"I guess that that means it's every pegasus' dream to become a Wonderbolt. I want to become one too." Rumble said aloud.
"Hey, it'd be pretty cool to fly with you by my side. You're a pretty cool dude Rumble." She said, smiling at him.
"T-thanks!" Rumble said.
"But that still doesn't mean you're any good at snowball fights." She teased.
"Hey! That was years ago and you know it." He replied.
"That was like two and half years ago dude. That's not as long as it sounds." She chuckled.
"Whatever." Rumble mumbled, causing the mare to laugh.
"Classic Rumble. Always getting his butt kicked by a girl." She grinned.
"I don't get my butt kicked by a girl!" Rumble claimed.
"Really? 'Cause I remember tackling you and pinning you down a lot. I can literally count the amount of times you actually beat me with my hoof." She held out her hoof teasingly. Making Rumble blush red.
"Okay, fine, you caught me. So I don't like to hit or tackle girls? It's kind of a terrible thing you know."
"Fair point." Scootaloo shrugged. "But you're right, it was years ago."
"A lot has happened in that time." Rumble said.
"Yeah, with Rainbow Dash joining the Wonderbolt's, and everyone getting some romantic interest." Scootaloo said.
"Something about the way you talk about your friends every few minutes makes me wonder-"
"What exactly?" Scootaloo asked defensively. Looking up at him as he sat up.
"I think that you're jealous." He teased. Now it was Scoot's turn to blush.
"What?!" She said quickly, sitting up just then and blushing until the tips of her ears were red.
"You are jealous aren't you?" Rumble pushed forward.
"I-I don't know what you're talking about." Scootaloo said, trying to look annoyed as she turned away from him.
"Admit it Scootaloo, you're jealous that you're friends all have coltfriends and you don't aren't you?"
"No I'm not! Why would I be jealous of something dumb like that? Talking all lovey dovey with each other, hanging out all the time, talking to someone who gets you," She softened and her blush faded slightly. She hugged her arms close to her chest as she continued to look away.
"having someone to talk to when you're angry, or who doesn't care about what you look like, being with someone else instead of bring alone." She sighed. "You're right, I'm crazy, stupid jealous of all of them. And I don't know why! I don't even like romance! Why do I feel so envious though?"
"It's cause you're alone Scoots. It's okay to feel that way you know." Rumble said.
"Remind me again why I'm telling you all off this? Some random colt I found on a park bench?" She added, failing at trying to stop the conversation.
"You invited me here, and we've known each other since we were foals Scoot." Rumble said. "I know how it feels to be alone. In case you haven't noticed, we're kind of stuck in the same situation right now."
"I know. But what do I do?"
Losing whatever confidence he had gained, Rumble stuttered out a response."Well..we could...I don't know... um, is it hot in here?" Rumble said, looking down quickly as Scootaloo raised an eyebrow, not sure if he was going to say what she thought he was going to say.
"Just spit it out, and quit stalling."
"Maybe we could hang out together sometime?" Rumble said.
Scootaloo whipped around, her eyes flew open as she stared at him in shock. Her prediction was correct, but she didn't think he'd actually say it.
"Are you asking me out?" She questioned.
"Uh, no- I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."
"Actually, that sounds like fun." She smiled.
"It does? I thought that you hated romance."
"I do, but we're just hanging out right?"
"Yeah, sure." Rumble said.
"Cool. So what time?"
"I'm free this Friday."
"I can't. Rainbow Dash needs me to help her with something."
"Whatever happened to being left alone all of the time?"
"Just because it's all the time doesn't mean never. Is Thursday good?"
"I can't, Thunderlane's dragging me to his friend's birthday party."
"Then how about Saturday, is that good?" She asked.
"It's perfect."
"Good." I think it's about time you went home, it's like 8 right now."
"See you Saturday."
"See ya Romeo." She said.
Rumble wasn't in the mood to put up with his brother's questions about coming home later than usual, so he ignored him and locked himself in his room for the rest of the night.
'What in Celestia's name did I get myself into?" He asked himself restlessly through the pillow.
All the way on the other side of town, Scootaloo thought the exact same question. She sighed and wrapped her pillow around her head, restless for whatever reason than night. Though she knew the exact reason why. Rumble was in her thoughts as much as she was in his own.
It was going to be a long night for the both of them.
The next day at school, Scootaloo could barely keep her head up. Not only was it from lack of sleep, but every chance they had between classes, her friends would always swarm her about how 'wonderful' their dates went. Scootaloo was so sick and bored of it that all she could do was try not to fall asleep in the hallways.
It wasn't until Sweetie Belle noticed Scootaloo nodding off that she finally said something. "Scootaloo, I know you're tired of hearing us go on about our crushes,"
"Then why don't you ever talk about something else if you know I don't like it?"
"'Cause we know that you'll one day do the same." Apple Bloom responded. "Don't cha have a little crush?"
"Nope." Scootaloo said plainly. Ponies have asked her enough times for it to become a regular reflex. She started walking to her last class, hoping her teacher wouldn't mind that she sat in there for a few minutes early.
"Not even a tiny one?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Not at all."
"You don't think about anypony at night?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Nada." Scootaloo lied. Doing her best to sound convincing.
"Have you ever thought about your first kiss?" Sweetie Belle asked. Scootaloo stopped, causing the two to bump into her, doing nothing to knock her down.
"That's a bit of a random question isn't it?" She asked.
"Do ya?" Apple Bloom asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I never even had my first kiss." Scootaloo stated to them. The two gasped. Before they could swarm her with questions like she knew they would, she continued. "Nor do I want one. I'm not as willing to get my head stuck in the clouds as you guys. I'm just not interested in romance with anypony at the moment." She stated.
Unfortunately for her, Rumble came down the hallway, making her stop in place as he waved to her. Considering the fact that he was what kept her up the night before. "Hey Scootaloo."
"Hey Rumble." She said, trying to play it cool. Her friends stared from the side, looking back in forth like the two were hitting a tennis ball, a big goofy grin spreading on their faces every time the conversation bounced back to Scootaloo.
"You want to talk at lunch, my friends are going to be too busy tending to their love interests." He said with a roll of his eyes.
"Sure, why not, I'm not doing anything here."
"Okay then, meet you in the Cafeteria then."
"See ya." She waved.
Her two friends stared at her with a childish look on their faces. "Oooooohhh, somepony's in love." Sweetie Belle sang.
"No I'm not."
"Then why'd ya freeze up then?" Apple Bloom asked her with the same tone of voice.
"I just wasn't expecting to see him is all." She replied.
"Admit it, you like him don't you?" Sweetie Belle said.
"No!" Scootaloo said, unwillingly having blush tint the tips of her ears and cheeks.
"Ya do! You like him!" Apple Bloom pointed out teasingly.
"Shut up! I don't like him like that."
"Then why'd ya say yes?"
"Because for the past few months I've been sitting with you guys, I've been hearing nothing but dates and crushes and movies and romance." Scootaloo said, clapping her hooves together and pretending to swoon.
"Is it also because you want to be there with him?" Sweetie asked.
"He's just a friend guys." Scootaloo said, ready to throw in the towel, she softened. She wouldn't be hearing the end of it.
"But you have a crush on him, do you lie awake thinking about him?" Sweetie asked. Scootaloo stopped again.
"Do ya dream about him?"
"Do you hang out with him all the time?"
Scootaloo did her best to try and not turn bright red, and decided to think about something else. 'Wonderbolts, Wonderbolts, Wonderbolts.'
She thought repeatedly, her blush slowly fading. Then her conversation with Rumble the other day came to mind, making her blush come back.
"No." She lied. "I don't think about him like that, I don't dream about him, and before you can ask I don't want to kiss him square on the lips." She said, making Apple Bloom blush a small bit from embarrassment.
"But-"
"No."
"What-"
"Nada."
"Don't-"
"Do you get it? Zero, none, zilch, nothing!" Scootaloo said. "Can we stop talking about this now? My dad will kill me if he hears I'm late for class again." Just then the bell rang, and the group parted ways to their classes.
Scootaloo balanced her tray in her hooves, flying up into the air to locate where Rumble would be sitting. She scanned the lunch room, scoffing at the amount of eskimo kisses she saw.
She eventually located the gray colt, who waved his arms in the air at a single table alone. Scootaloo grinned and flew down to meet him, where she set her tray across from him and punched his arm across the table.
"Glad to see you here too Scoot." He chose the perfect spot in the lunch room, the tables by the open window, where no pony liked going by with the weather outside. It had been jammed open all year, and was stuck that way until the school fixed all of the other windows first. But Scootaloo nor Rumble minded the extra cold.
"I'm so glad you invited me here, my friends won't let me hear the end of it about our little conversation in the hallway today." Scootaloo sighed, picking up her pizza.
"My friends are too busy smooching their love of their lives," Rumble said. Pretending to gag at the words. Scootaloo laughed.
"I'm just glad to have somepony to talk to who won't describe a date in every. Little. Detail." She replied.
"Yeah. How's class treating you?"
"My grades are pretty decent, though they're not the best in the world." She admitted.
"Same here, I thought that you wouldn't really care that much about them."
"Of course I do, good grades are a key to success. At least, that's what my mom tells me. 'Sides, you need to have good grades in High school if you ever want to join the Junior Wonderbolts." She said, crunching on a few of her fries.
"You mean you're joining?"
"I thought it over, and I think that it's a pretty good way to go. Rainbow Dash had to do it. Even though she admits she did slack off, she was lucky enough that she ended her school days with a passing grade."
"Cool, 'cause I'm thinking about joining too."
"Well training at the Wonderbolt's Academy is going to be pretty intense."
"We could always practice on our own."
"Yeah, that sounds cool. We can practice together."
Rumble's ears perked up as he turned red. 'Why does she always think that I think we should do things together?' He asked himself. He resisted the urge to sigh and agreed.
"Guess that you could show me a few tricks and I'll show you some of mine." Rumble stated.
"I'd like that." Scootaloo said, breaking off another piece of her pizza before chomping on it.
Rumble noticed the combination on her plate. "Are you eating pizza and fries?"
"Yeah, don't tell me you think it's a weird combination."
"Well, to be honest I've only seen ponies eat fries with hayburgers. And pizza with pasta. I guess I didn't expect you to do that."
"Yeah I could've had a hayburger with my fries, but I'm not in the mood for it. Why are you asking?"
"Just curious." He replied.
"Good, I'm glad you think so, because I couldn't care less about what you think of what I eat." She said, tossing a few fries in her mouth.
Rumble decided to let that conversation drop. It was a weird one to pick up on in the first place. "Any better luck getting your friends to talk about anything else?"
"Nope. 'Cept that instead of talking about themselves, they're starting to talk about how they think I have a crush on you." Scootaloo laughed like it was the funniest thing she'd ever heard, eventually getting Rumble to join in.
"Really? I would've thought that they think that I have a crush on you."
"Well do you?" She asked, her expression turning deadly serious.
"What?"
"Do you like me like they claimed I like you? Do you want to be more than friends?" Rumble blushed, staring down at his hooves. As much as he wanted to say the words caught in his throat, he had a feeling he already hinted it. Scootaloo froze too. looking at him first before dropping her gaze down to her plate.
"Oh." She simply stated. The rest of the hour was spent quietly. Both of them had a small blush that a normal pony would've thought to be from the cold, but any couple would've thought it was about each other. And the couple would've been right.
Surrounded by cluttered noise, the rest of Scootaloo's food sat untouched on her plate. She continued to stare down at it, not quite sure of what to think. She hugged her arms to her chest until the bell rang.
With that, both of them stood up and went to dump what was left on their trays away. Even though the French fries and pizza stayed fresh in their minds.
Scootaloo was quiet for the rest of the day, she didn't want to think about Rumble, so she just focused all of her attention on the rest of the lessons she was taught. She even let her friends swarm her about how well their lunch went, after a failed attempt to get her to talk about hers.
Even when Rainbow Dash came by to hang out with Scootaloo that afternoon, she mostly remained quiet.
"Something on your mind squirt?" Scootaloo shook her head.
"I just have a lot of homework, that's all. Maybe we can hang out later." Rainbow Dash became surprised at this as Scootaloo walked away from her and continued home.
"Is this because I told you to talk to that colt the other day?" She asked, flying above her surrogate sister's head. Scootaloo shook her head and continued forward.
Rainbow Dash decided to let it drop, and let Scootaloo return home. Where she did all of her homework silently, and just sat in her room for the rest of the afternoon.
"Scootaloo?" Her mom called from the kitchen.
"Yes Mom?"
"Do you want your dinner?"
"What is it?"
"Pizza."
Scootaloo decided not to. She continued to stare up at her ceiling for the rest of the night, unable to let Rumble exit her head.
'Why? Why me of all ponies? Wouldn't he be happier with somepony else? Rumble and me, it's such an odd pair.' She sighed. 'Just like the Pizza and French Fries.'
Rumble was scolding himself in his bedroom. 'I'm such an idiot! Why didn't I lie about it? Why did I even invite her instead of sit by myself?' He hit his head on the pillow, calling himself stupid with each time he did.
Thunderlane found his brother lying face flat on the bed, with his pillow wrapped around his ears. "Rough day at school bud?" His brother groaned in response.
"I'll take that as a yes. You want dinner? Dad's making Hayburgers and fries." He hinted, saying one of his brother's favorite meals. He didn't get the response he expected.
"No thanks." Rumble said through a muffled pillow, curling up into a ball and rolling to his side.
"Suit yourself." His brother shrugged after recovering from his small shock.
And for the second time in a row, neither of the two could sleep that night.
Rumble sat nervously on the park bench. Staring down to what was left of the small mound of rocks and dirt from a few days before. He started twiddling his hooves as he waited for her.
'Will she even show?' He thought. 'The last time we met wasn't the best.' He thought. He sighed and looked to the sky, rain threating to show. But Rumble still waited, not wanting to leave in the case she'd ever show up. Though he highly doubted she would.
After another ten minutes he felt about ready to head home. 'I'm such an idiot, thinking she'd still want to be friends and hang out after lunch.' He reflexively smacked his hoof to his head.
"Idiot!" He said aloud.
"Are you talking to me? Or are you referring to yourself?" He heard. Rumble jumped and turned towards the voice, finding the owner of it, Scootaloo, standing there with a smirk on her face.
"What took you so long?" He asked, trying to steer the conversation away from him.
"Well, my friends came for a surprise visit and decided to stick to me like tree sap," She said with a roll of her eyes. "long story short, I eventually ended up having to tell them my plans to make them leave. So if you see a rustle of a bush or something, let me know." She said.
"Not a problem."
"So what're we doing today?" Scootaloo asked, sliding onto the bench next to him.
"Well, after I found out it was going to rain, I guess that instead of practicing we could go see that new movie."
"No way!" She said, her eyes lighting up. "You don't mean-"
"Blood Spilled 3; Uncut," Rumble finished smugly, holding out the tickets for proof.
"How the hay did you get these?" Scootaloo asked, snatching the tickets out of his hoof and staring at them.
"I have my connections." Rumble bragged.
"Let's go!" Scootaloo said, taking Rumble off guard as she grabbed his hoof, clutching the tickets tightly in her mouth to ensure they wouldn't get lost.
"But it doesn't start for another 20 minutes." Rumble said, quickly glimpsing at his watch as he did his best to catch up.
Scootaloo spat the tickets into her free hoof and held them just as tightly as before. "That gives us time to buy snacks. 'Sides, those who get there first get the best seats." She grinned, continuously pulling at Rumble's arm until he was one step behind her.
The lights dimmed as the boring previews finally ended. Just as other ponies began crowding the theatre. Scootaloo went dead silent from her quiet whispers and watched the screen with great intensity.
As bloodcurdling screams from the actors sounded, many of the ponies in the theatre screamed with them. Rumble, however, just rolled his eyes and crunched away at his popcorn. Scootaloo did her best not to laugh at the effects.
"There's no way blood can spray that far." Rumble whispered to her. She covered her mouth and giggled in agreement.
A few minutes later, Scootaloo couldn't help but groan. "This is so overused." She whispered.
"It's pretty cliché." Rumble agreed. A loud scream suddenly erupted from the back of the room, causing all eyes to go that direction.
"Great." Scootaloo sighed. Sweetie Belle looked down to the rest of the ponies and blushed, shrugging her shoulders while giving a nervous smile. Apple Bloom rolled her eyes from the distance and crossed her arms.
"You were right." Rumble said, looking down to her. Scootaloo did a face hoof as another scream erupted from the back of the room. This time everypony in the theatre shushed the pair, including Scootaloo and Rumble.
"Oh Sweet Celestia." Scootaloo sighed, sinking into her seat and covering her face with both hooves. It took one final scream before she had decided she had enough. Just as the killer came to the victim, she stood up, and walked to the back of the room.
Rumble watched from afar and followed quickly after. Meanwhile, Scootaloo was leading her two friends out the room, stomping as she gestured to the outside.
"What the hay are you two doing here!?" Scootaloo yelled, flying up into the air once she was outside of the theatre.
"We wanted to see how your date would turn out." Sweetie Belle admitted, still blushing from the screaming.
"Oh for the love of-I told you a thousand times that we're just hanging out."
"Ya wouldn't have known if Miss Scaredy Cat over here would've quit here screaming." Apple bloom said, pointing a hoof to Sweetie Belle.
"I couldn't help it!" She shot back.
"How the hay did you even manage to get in there? The tickets were sold out!"
"Button was supposed to see it with his brother, but he couldn't go, so I asked him to lend it to us." Sweetie Belle explained.
"Ah' still can't believe he gave you those when he knows you hate scary movies."
"What's so hard to believe? You think that I can't handle it?"
"That's exactly what ya said before you got everypony in the theatre to shush us. You could 'a woken the dead with those screams!"
"That doesn't matter!!" Scootaloo yelled out, causing whatever ponies who were ignoring the argument to stop and look their way. "I told you not to make such a big deal about this! Rumble and I are just friends! When have I ever spied on you and Pipsqueak, Apple Bloom? Or stalked you and Button Mash talking all lovey dovey to each other?! I don't have a crush, I'm not dating, and I don't like Rumble that way!!" Her friends looked down shamefully, going quiet. Scootaloo was still fuming, and Rumble set his hoof on her shoulder.
"Let's go, I think we're making a big enough scene as it is." He said, pointing to the exit. Scootaloo gave one deathly glare to her friends and stomped out, Rumble scowling right behind her.
"I'm so sorry Rumble. I can't believe they did that." Scootaloo said, still breathing heavily. "Now we missed the best part because I was making such a big deal about it."
"Don't worry about it, I'd be pretty peeved too." Rumble admitted.
"They are so going to regret that." Scootaloo said.
"Well..." Rumble looked away.
"Yeah?" She asked, a bit of an edge still hiding in her voice.
"Is it all true?"
"What do you mean?"
"You know what I'm talking about, what you said back at the theater..."
"Don't tell me you're hurt by that." She said.
"Not really, I just didn't expect you to say it all at once." Rumble admitted.
"I'm sorry dude, I like you as a friend, maybe even a best friend, but I can't see us...liking each other like that."
"That's okay." Rumble said.
"I don't think it is."
"Don't worry about it." Rumble said, staring at his hooves for the umpteenth time that day.
"No, I think I should let you know something." She said. She looked down too, only she was staring at the dirt on the ground as she continued talking, not really wanting to make contact with his eyes. She was afraid of what he'd say next.
"I've been thinking about you a lot."
"You have?"
"Don't get any ideas lover boy, I don't mean as a boyfriend, I mean I've been just thinking. Ever since you first came over to my house the other day, and I told you about how I feel with all of my friends hanging out with guys and all, I couldn't help but think about you. And when you didn't respond when I asked how you felt, I couldn't help but try not to think about you all the time. You just couldn't stay out of my head for the past few days."
"So you have feelings for me?" Rumble asked.
"I'm not saying that, but I still think about you a lot." She punched his arms, but Rumble noticed how she avoided his gaze. "Let me guess, you think about me all the time too?"
"Not before you came running up to me. I still liked you a lot before then, but I didn't think about you all of the time up until for days ago. Why did you do that anyway?"
"Didn't I tell you that Rainbow Dash made me?"
"Not that I remember."
Scootaloo sighed, not wanting to bring up that awkward conversation. "Fine. To be honest, Rainbow Dash was talking to me about whether I had any crushes or not, I said no. She then started going on about how I should do something about whatever else, I didn't really care for it. It was just awkward. I spotted you and decided to end the conversation then and there."
"So she didn't actually make you?"
"Okay, I admit I just ran off on her. But it was really awkward when she started talking about all of that. Look, the point is, I just don't like you that way. Maybe it'll change someday, maybe it won't. Who knows? I could end up falling in love with you in the tackiest, movie cliché way possible."
"Maybe." Rumble said.
"I don't get what you see in me." Scootaloo slipped out before clapping a hoof over her mouth.
"Well, I like the way you're always so determined to do something, and how you're always so laid back. You don't let anyone bring you down. I admire that in a lot of ponies."
"What's so special about me?"
"You weren't like all of the other foals I played with, you're as rough as concrete when you need to be, but I can tell you can be a big ole' softie when it comes down to it."
"You know, I'm actually enjoying this." She smiled.
"You are? But we didn't even get to see that movie."
"It'll always just be a bunch of moving pictures, I can watch it another time. Though I really do appreciate you getting those tickets."
"It wasn't a problem."
"Besides, I'm glad I got that off my chest. It was starting to become a real pain in the neck ya know."
"Oh well. What should we do now?"
"I should go home, it's getting late, and my dad's expecting me to be home by 7, so..."
Rumble heard a light knock on his door. "Yeah?" He asked, looking up from his comic book. The door burst open in a ruffle of purple feathers and squeals. Mainly from Flitter. She wrapped her arms around the teen and nearly squeezed the life out of him.
"Oh! I can't believe it! You've grown so much since we last saw you!" Flitter said, tightening her grip.
"...F-Flitter? Cloudchaser? What are you guys doing here?"
"We just so happened to be in town." Cloudchaser said.
"And I just had to stop by and see my favorite little colt!" Flitter said, releasing Rumble from her death grip.
Rumble gasped as he took a lungful of air. "It's great to see you too Flitter."
"How's life treating ya?" Cloudchaser asked, sitting on the bed next to Flitter.
"It could be worse."
"Is that it? There's got to be more to it than that! Give me details!" Flitter said.
"There's not much to tell you. 'Cept that I'm thinking about going to Wonderbolt's Academy."
"Cool." Cloudchaser said.
"Yes, and what else?"
"My friends are all in their own relationships."
"And what about you? I'm sure there's a bunch of fillies knocking down your door."
"No, not really."
"Really? You're not even friends with that little filly anymore?"
"You mean Scootaloo?" Rumble said.
Flitter nodded. " That's right! Does she like you?"
"As a friend."
"But does she like you, like you?" Cloudchaser asked, getting interested.
"I-I don't think she does." Rumble said, avoiding eye contact.
"That simply won't do. If there's anything I remember from when you were younger, it was that you two stuck together like you were joined by the hip. I remember the way you looked at her, you still like her don't ya?" Flitter asked, a grin stretching across her face.
"Um..."
"Well do you?" Cloudchaser repeated, raising an eyebrow. Rumble blushed, staining his ears red.
Flitter gasped. "You do! You do still like her!"
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean anything!" Rumble claimed.
"Oh yes it does, I know you Rumble, you have strong feelings for her don't you? You really really love her don't you?"
"Well..."
"Do you?"
Before Rumble could answer, Cloudchaser set a hoof on Flitter's shoulder. "Okay Flit, I think you've asked enough questions. Give the kid some space."
"Oh, silly old me, crowding up over ponies as usual. Sorry Rumble."
"Don't worry about it." Rumble said trying to put on his best convincing smile. The duo continued asking their questions, and he continued answering them. But they didn't stick to him like the first few did.
Later that night, he found himself lying awake for a different reason than his other sleepless nights, the same question he kept trying to answer. Was Flitter right? He always felt like it was just a small crush he just had, that it would go away soon enough, but could it be true?
Did he really love her that way? Or did he just like her?
Those questions kept him up all through the night, demanding to be answered. Only he wasn't sure how to.
Scootaloo sunk into the couch. Drinking her soda through her straw. "Thanks for inviting me over, I had a lot on my mind."
"No problem, Squirt. After all the help you gave me last week, It's the least I can do."
"All I did was bring in a bunch of Soarin's boxes."
"And we wouldn't have done that in one day if you hadn't helped us out ya know." She said, popping off the cap to her bottle.
Scootaloo drank a long sip before saying something on her mind.
"I don't get it."
"What're you talking about?'
"I hope you understand this, but I don't get the whole 'being in love' thing." Scootaloo said.
"Go on."
"I mean, two ponies, any two ponies can fall in love with each other, and they can date and hang out and kiss all the time. But I just don't see it. I don't get it."
"Is there a reason why you're mentioning this? Could this be the thing that has been on your mind?" Rainbow Dash asked. Scootaloo didn't reply.
"Listen up, Squirt, whether you believe it or not, I felt a lot like you do before. Remember when all of my friends started dating?"
"Yeah."
"I'm not gonna lie to you, I felt left out. Like you, I didn't get the whole 'falling for someone' thing. One moment my friends are single, the next they're chattering away about some other pony."
"You felt left out?"
"Yeah, I couldn't really relate since I haven't been in that type of relationship before." Rainbow Dash said, twirling her straw around. "I didn't think I ever would at first, but I eventually found someone to understand that feeling with, and he makes me happy. I didn't know how I really felt about him, but I finally realized how I truly feel about him, and I love him. I had to take a long time to 'thaw out' as he puts it to say this to him, but...after saying those words, I couldn't be happier. Now he's moved in with me."
"You mean you eventually found somepony anyway?"
"Key word, eventually. It took a while to realize it, Soarin' and I started off as friends, and we hung out all the time. After 'thawing out' and finally admitting my feelings, we started dating, and look at where we are now." Scootaloo looked down, sparking Rainbow's curiosity. "This isn't about that colt Rumble from the other day, is it?" She asked.
Scootaloo blushed and immediately turned red, straightening up as she uttered a response. "N-no!" She quickly replied before turning away.
"Then what's with the blush?" Rainbow Dash teased.
"I'm not blushing!" Scootaloo said trying to think about something else.
"It's okay to like some ponies a little you know." Rainbow Dash said knowingly.
"I only like him as a friend." Scootaloo said.
"You know which like I mean Scoots."
Scootaloo went quiet and rubbed her arm, her blush getting redder. She mumbled. "A little." Despite her best efforts, Rainbow Dash heard her anyway, deciding to milk it a bit, she put her hoof to her ear as though she didn't hear clearly.
"What was that?"
Scootaloo sighed. "I may like him a little." She said.
"One more time."
"You know what I said!" Scootaloo shot. Rainbow Dash smiled.
"I don't know what you're talking about." She said, closing her eyes and sipping on her straw expectantly. Scootaloo groaned.
"Okay! I may like him, just a bit."
"That's all I needed to hear." Rainbow Dash smiled. Scootaloo could tell she was up to no good. But she knew she was too late to stop it. She flopped onto the back and covered her face with her hooves.
'Do I like him more than a friend?' Scootaloo kept asking herself. She stared at her desk, finding years of past scratches and pictures made in it, some of which had names of other ponies from previous years, and some she knew from ponies around town. She continuously stared at the lettering, ignoring the review of whatever the teacher was teaching.
She had something else on her mind. And she wasn't quite sure what it was. 'Do I have feelings for Rumble?' The idea sounded ridiculous to her, though part of her liked it.
She snapped out of her trance once the bell rang, and a scuffle of notebooks and saddlebags and pencils cleared her head. She packed in a trance like state, not really looking up from the floor.
It wasn't until she was jumped on that she looked up. "What the-"
"We're so sorry!" The two mares cried out. They started talking at miles per minute, apologies shooting at Scootaloo too fast for her to catch up with. She waited and let chatter go on and on until for another minute or so, just when it made one continuous noise, stuck her hooves into the pair's mouths, immediately silencing them.
"I forgive you alright? Just don't let it happen again."
"We promise." The two said, their voices muffled through Scootaloo's hooves. Scootaloo dropped her arms and continued down the hallway. Her friends bounced back up and followed quickly after her.
"Is that it?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"What do you mean?"
"How're you able to forgive us that easily?" Apple Bloom asked.
"I don't know, I'm not that mad about it anymore?"
"You aren't?" The two asked, their voices overlapping with each other.
"I've kind of had a lot of other things on my mind lately."
"Like what?" Apple Bloom asked. Scootaloo grew hesitant.
"Wonderbolt's Academy." She quickly stated.
"Oh, I guess that is a lot to think about." Sweetie Belle shrugged.
"Can't say I blame ya there." Apple Bloom agreed.
"Okay, um... I should get to class before the bell rings again. See you girls at lunch."
"See you later Scootaloo." Sweetie Belle called out. The trio raced down the halls to their next class.
Just as she promised, Scootaloo went to sit with her friends at lunch, and it didn't surprise her to find Pipsqueak and Button Mash there. The two were sitting next to their girlfriends, so Scootaloo sat at the end of the table as usual. Even though her friends tried to include her in on the conversation, she either shrugged or shook her head.
Eventually they saw that she wanted to be left alone with her thoughts, and continued on with their chattering, something she was used to hearing. It wasn't until everyone went silent that she looked up.
"Is something wrong?" Scootaloo asked, whipping her head to them. She followed their gaze to the lunch line, seeing Rumble wave as he approached the table. He sat across from Scootaloo smiling awkwardly as he looked to her friends. All four eyes bounced back and fourth between the two, as they talked with each other.
"What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to have a little conversation is all."
"Are you sure you want to do it here?" Scootaloo said, nodding her head a bit to the side to her friends.
"Meh. It doesn't really matter where."
"Are your friends okay with you sitting here?" Scootaloo asked, turning back to the table Rumble usually sat in.
"They won't mind. I just wanted to talk."
"About?" Scootaloo asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I wanted to know if you still wanted to practice today."
"I said I would didn't I?" She reminded him.
"Yeah. You did, but I also wanted to know if you wanted to go somewhere afterwards." Scootaloo nearly choked on her salad.
"Y-you mean like a date?" She coughed.
"No, more like hanging out together." Rumble corrected.
"Oh, okay then sure. I don't have any other plans." Scootaloo said once she recovered.
"See you then." Rumble said. Before he moved towards his own table, he dropped a note underneath the one she sat in. Her friends turned back to the coltfriends with curious eyes locked on Scootaloo, who reached underneath the table to pick it up.
Hiding it from view of everypony else, she opened it.
Bring your appetite.
She didn't know why, but something about the message made her crack a smile.
The two tore through the sky, doing their best to beat the other. Eventually the two stopped, landing atop the biggest cloud. Scootaloo was the first to speak.
"Well...now that we're both here, let's get to some new tricks." She panted, sparking a smile to form on Rumble's face. "What do you want to do first?"
"I've always been taught that ladies are always first." Rumble proclaimed. Scootaloo rolled her eyes and playfully shoved him, nearly knocking him off.
"Okay then Romeo, I want to see you fly around these clouds as fast as you can." She said, folding her arms.
"But-"
"You never know until you try." She smirked. Rumble groaned and flew to the farthest cloud while Scootaloo flew to the ground. She cupped her hooves around her mouth. "Go!" She called out.
Rumble sped off, doing his best to avoid whatever clouds came his way. "You're straying too far!" Rumble tried getting closer but ended up clipping the next puff of cloud.
"That's too close! Keep your eyes ahead of you!"
"Maybe I could if you'd stop-" Just then Rumble plunged face first into first cloud ahead of him. Causing Scootaloo to burst out laughing. She laughed harder when he spat out a puff of the stuff before gagging. She flew up to him, deciding to tease him a little further.
"I told you." She said, wiping away a tear.
"Can you just get me out of here please?" Rumble asked.
"Alright, come on lover boy." She grabbed his tail in her mouth and set her hooves on the cloud before pulling with all of her might. Causing Rumble to pop out immediately.
"How the hay are you so agile?" He asked, referring to the other times he's seen her fly before. He started trying to remove the remaining tufts of the stuff from his hair. "That's way harder than it looks."
"You think I learned it all in one night? It took a lot of practice you know. Plus, it's kind of a part of my special talent ." She said, pointing to her cutiemark. Moving closer to him, she brushed a bit of the white stuff from his coat. "Okay, now do it again."
Rumble stretched his wings as he landed on the ground. "I never thought that I'd miss the ground so much." Rumble sighed.
"Quit being such a baby, I promised you that you could teach me what you know tomorrow." She said, in an annoyed tone.
"You can be a pretty tough teacher."
"And practicing with the Wonderbolts will be so much better." She replied, her words dripping with sarcasm.
"Good point." He admitted.
"So what're you teaching me tomorrow?" She asked.
"Well for starters, we're not going to get stuck in clouds as much." Rumble said.
"Do you have any clue about what to teach?"
"Nope. Not at all. To be honest, I think that you could teach me more than I can teach you."
"You could teach me how to deal with high altitudes and all of those dizzying turns." She hinted.
"That's actually not a bad idea."
"I don't get how you don't feel dizzy after making all of those giant arcs and loops, or being higher than the clouds."
"It takes a lot of practice. It's not something you can learn over night." Rumble teased. Scootaloo smirked and punched him in the shoulder roughly, causing him to smile back.
"Ow." He said, milking it a bit. Scootaloo rolled her eyes.
Eventually they made it to town, where a few spectators had gathered. Rumble and Scootaloo walked by, trying to ignore the whispering as they walked by. A few familiar faces from school sneered as they walked by.
"Geez, you can't do anything without ponies talking about you." Scootaloo whispered.
"You got that right." Rumble agreed.
"Hey you two." The pair whipped around to find Rainbow Dash flying towards them.
"Oh, hey Rainbow Dash, what are you doing here?"
"I wanted to hang out with you after school, but I couldn't find you. So I went looking for you and suddenly I'm here." She explained.
"Oh...sorry about that." Scootaloo blushed.
"Don't worry about it Squirt, I understand. You two looked great out there."
"You saw?" Rumble asked.
"Yeah, and I say you two are Wonderbolts material."
"Well that's convenient, considering we're trying to get into the Academy." Scootaloo said.
"Well, if you keep at it, you two will be in for sure." She looked to the town clock and jumped into the air. " I gotta go, have fun on your date Scoots."
"It's not a date!" The two replied, a tinge of red spotting their cheeks. Rainbow Dash flew away, laughing hysterically at their response.
Rumble teasingly bowed as he pushed the door open for Scootaloo. "M'lady," He said in a royal accent. Scootaloo rolled her eyes and walked in.
"I'm impressed, I expected some fancy expensive restaurant." She teased.
"Whatever, do you want to eat or not?"
"I'll take some fries with my hayburger if you don't mind please." She smiled. Rumble rolled his eyes and walked to the counter to order. Eventually the two found themselves eating at a table together. Both of them doing their best to act casual.
"Anything new with you Rumble?" Scootaloo asked, tossing some fries into her mouth.
"My old foalsitters came for a visit." He said, deciding to leave out the awkward conversation he had with them days before. Scootaloo nearly choked.
"You mean Flitter and Cloudchaser?" She asked, trying not to cough.
"I'm surprised you remember them."
"Well, with the amount of times Flitter asked me if I liked you every time I saw you three, and when she tried to hug me that one time and nearly squeezed the life out of me. Then there was Cloudchaser, who always asked if I was your girlfriend. They're not that easy to forget."
You got that right." Rumble agreed, waving his straw around. "But they were pretty good at watching me. Despite the amount of times they tried to put me in a bow." Rumble said. Scootaloo laughed at that.
"Geez, I never knew that practicing for so long would work up such an appetite." Scootaloo declared, propping herself onto one elbow.
"You're hungry? You were basically yelling at me and sitting back on a cloud the whole time."
"What can I say? Teaching you isn't easy. But you made some improvement." She teased.
"Whatever."
"What about Thunderlane, anything new with Blossomforth?"
"Yeah, he tells me that he has some 'future plans', but I think that he's thinking about popping the question." He said.
"Why exactly?"
"Well he's been dating her for years, and lived with her up until a year ago."
"You mean he just hangs around the house all of the time?"
"Yeah, he's always stopping by with Blossom to have dinner, but I can't say I blame him, Mom and Dad are excellent chefs."
"Maybe I should try it sometime if you make it sound so good."
"Is it always food with you?"
"Nope. I just eat a lot." Scootaloo stated, and it was true, she ate as much as any other colt she knew. And she couldn't care less.
"And how about Rainbow Dash, how's she doing with Soarin'?"
"It's still pretty weird to go to her house and find Soarin' snoozing away on the couch. But I'm getting used to it."
"Anything else?" He asked. Scootaloo decided it was probably better not to explain her conversation from the other day.
"Something tells me that those two are going to end up engaged sometime soon. I'm just not sure when." Scootaloo admitted. Chewing out of habit on the tip of her straw.
"Are you happy about that?"
"Of course I'd be happy for her when the time comes, I just hope that we'll keep our connection, ya know?"
"I'm sure you guys will."
"I hope so. How ya feeling about the Academy?" She said, quickly getting off of the subject.
"I just hope I can make it through your training before I get there."
"It's not that bad Rumble."
"It kind of is." He teased
"Whatever. You know for a fact that it'll be like, 50 times as worse this Summer."
"Yeah, you've got a point there." Rumble repeated.
"-Which you said for the umpteenth time today. You whine too much dude." Scootaloo said, turning the tables with the jokes.
"And you push ponies too hard."
"You're just gonna have to deal with it if you want to become a Wonderbolt." She said, popping a few more fries in her mouth.
"With you there, I might have to reconsider."
"Suit yourself." She jokingly shrugged, before a smile spread across her face. Soon reflecting on Rumble's.
"Though, if I were to be honest, I enjoy your company, regardless of whether your yelling at me or not." He said.
"I enjoy yours, even though you can act like a wuss."
"I'm not a wuss." Rumble claimed, crossing his arms and shutting his eyes.
"Whatever you say." Rumble looked to the door and sighed. Scootaloo followed his gaze to find Snails with Snips and Featherweight standing at the door. They spotted their friend and scooted into their booth next to them.
"Hey Rumble," Snips said, smiling at him as he sat next to Scootaloo.
"Hey guys. What're you doing here?"
"We just wanted to see what you were doing. Hope you don't mind if we join you for a bit." Snails replied. Scootaloo darted her eyes to Rumble quickly before smiling at the three.
"Well, we were kind of in the middle of a conversation..." Rumble hinted, hoping they'd get the message to leave the pair.
"Okay then, we won't bother you two." Featherweight said. Rumble sighed and put his head to his hooves.
"Maybe I should go." Scootaloo offered, looking to Rumble as she said so.
"No! You don't have to do that." Snips looked to Rumble and then to Scootaloo before a childish grin stretched across his face.
"Oh, I see, you two are on a date."
"What?!" The pair cried out turning to him.
"That explains why you wanted to sit alone," Featherweight said, "you wanted to ask her out in private."
"T-that's not the case at all!" Rumble said, holding his hooves up.
"There's no need to hide it buddy," Snails said, wrapping his arm around Rumble's shoulder. "We understand if you want to be alone."
"We're just friends." Scootaloo assured, mimicking Rumble's position.
"So sorry we interrupted your date then." Featherweight said, clearly the message wasn't getting to them.
"It's not a date!" The two yelled out, turning beet red.
"See you later lovebirds."
Scootaloo and Rumble sighed, knowing that it was going to be a long week.
The next time Scootaloo and Rumble were at school, everything was awkward between their friends. Scootaloo couldn't get a word out of the crusaders without being asked about how her 'date' went, "It wasn't a date." She'd reply.
Rumble's friends would continuously talk to him and ask him about his new girlfriend, "She's not my girlfriend." was always his response. It got to the point in which the two decided to eat lunch at the 'cold tables' as ever pony started calling them.
"I told you not to mention it around everypony." Scootaloo warned.
"Yeah, you were right."
"Now they're all convinced that we're dating now." The two cringed at the questions they knew they'd be asked.
"I don't even want to think about what they'll do next." Scootaloo stated with a shudder.
"Me neither." Rumble agreed. "How about we talk about gym?"
"It's not exactly the worst class ever, as long as you do what you're told." Scootaloo shrugged.
"Says the coach's favorite female player."
"Just because I played a few sports during the past years doesn't mean I'm a sports star, besides, he liked you too." She pointed out.
"Not with the way he was always praising your team."
"Whatever, we both know I wasn't the star of it all, that's a spot reserved for Lily."
"Yep." Rumble agreed, referring to the best athlete in the school. "Speaking of which, why aren't you in this year?"
"Well," Scootaloo sighed, "I decided not to do any sports this year because I want to focus on my grades, this being our last year, I want to go out with the best grades."
"Well you're halfway there." Rumble said, leaning back and taking a long sip of his water.
"Yeah, only four and a half months to go." She said unenthusiastically.
"You say that like you're not too excited for it."
"Don't get me wrong, I'll be happy once all of the grades are and homework's out of the way, but..."
"But what?"
"I guess that I'm going to miss being a kid."
"But you're nearly 18 Scootaloo."
"I know that, I mean, I'm not too excited to pay taxes and buy my own house and other stuff. It just doesn't sound fun."
"Yeah..."
"I'm just going to miss being a teen, you know? Soon I'll be expected to handle everything on my own and act like an adult, but I don't think I'm ready to be one."
"Well... I guess that nopony really is ready when they have to act like an adult, we all have a part of ourselves that wants to be a kid again. But I say that you should enjoy the time while you have the time. You and I may not have much longer left, but...I think that we should cherish these last few moments."
Scootaloo took a long time to reply. Before she smiled at him. "That sounds like it came straight from a cheesy movie." She smiled, leaning back and propping her back.
"You mentioned it, not me."
"Fair point." Scootaloo shrugged. A bone chilling wind swept through them just as the bell rang. Prompting the two to get up and rush for class.
"Rumble..." Scootaloo said behind him. He turned back around to see hesitation in her eyes before she looked back up to his own. "Thanks." She smiled. Rumble smiled back.
"No problem."
After a much easier practice taught by Rumble, the two parted ways and headed to their regular homes. Rumble went home to find that his brother wasn't there, and sighed with relief as he calmly walked to his room.
Well, walked being a key word.
He was instantly knocked off of his hooves and on the ground in seconds. He saw a flash of purple and suddenly realized that Flitter was still hanging about. She had him in a death grip and didn't show many signs of moving until Rumble could barely get the words out.
"...Can't...b-breathe!" He heaved.
"Oops! Sorry Rumble." She released him from her iron grip and he gasped for air. "I'm just so happy you're home!"
"Why...?" He asked suspiciously.
"Because I wanted to see you of course! I missed you being away all day." She said.
"Well, sorry to disappoint, but I need to get some things done." He said, motioning to his room. Flitter flattened her ears to the side of her head.
"Oh, I was hoping we could go to the park together like old times, and that you'd take me to see your girlfriend-"
"You mean Scootaloo?"
"Yeah, who else?"
"Oh for the love of- Flit, she's not my girlfriend, we're just friends." He said, standing up at eye level with her. He stood a few inches above her head, forcing her to look up at him.
"But I thought that you two started dating."
"What?! No! Where'd you hear that?"
"Thunderlane said that a friend of his saw you two eating there and talking about relationships."
"You mean he was eavesdropping?"
"That's what I wanted to know, but Thunderlane said he wasn't. Anyway, I seriously thought that you started dating."
"Sorry to disappoint, but that's not the case, we're just friends." Rumble assured her. He couldn't help but feel like he was lying a bit, even though he wasn't.
"Okay then, sorry Rumble."
"Don't worry about it." Rumble said. Though he was getting tired of saying it. All day, and the rest of it, he spent sounding like a broken tape recorder, at dinner with his parents, who mentioned Scootaloo, and when Thunderlane teased him about being in love with her while he just picked away at his pasta. It was really bothering him.
"Geez Rumble, I was just teasing." Thunderlane said to an unresponsive Rumble.
"Well, I don't think it's funny." Rumble said, looking directly at his eyelevel.
"I didn't mean to keep bothering you about your girlfriend-"
"Ugh! For the last time, she's. Not. My. Girlfriend!!" He yelled out. Everyone at the table fell silent, while Rumble just fumed and left the table.
There was a soft knock on the door.
"Go away."
"Well, I did come to see you." The voice on the other side replied. Rumble sat up.
"Scootaloo?"
"The one and only." Rumble quickly got up to unlock his door, finding Scootaloo standing there with an expectant grin.
"What are you doing here?"
"Well, you didn't come to flight practice today. As far as I'm concerned you went straight home." She said, throwing him a slightly angry glare.
"Sorry won't cut it, as long as we're not Junior Wonderbolts, you're not going to be escaping practice, rain or shine." She said, stabbing her hoof in his chest with each word. Rumble tried backing away, but she only followed until he ended up falling on the floor. He gulped.
"Pick up the pace!" Scootaloo yelled out.
"I'm trying!"
"Doesn't look like it! You need to keep your head forward, you have peripheral vision for a reason, use it!" Rumble continued racing through the trees, coming close to hitting them before bumping into another.
"Ow!" He yelled out, running head first into the shrubbery. Scootaloo shook her head and flew down.
"Keep your head straight Rumble."
"I think I prefer the clouds." He groaned, rubbing the spot on his head.
"You wouldn't stop whining about them. Take it like a stallion." Rumble rolled his eyes and held his head. Not thinking Scootaloo would notice his bad mood.
"Hey," She said, landing next to him. "Is something bothering you?"
"No, it's nothing."
"Rumble, your not as focused as you used to be, and your even worse than before, what's wrong."
"I know I shouldn't let it be bothering me, but I'm sick and freakin' tired of ponies saying you're my girlfriend or that we're dating. It used to be an annoying thing, but now everypony's overdoing it, and it's really ticking me off." He ranted.
"There's nothing we can do about it."
"I know that, but I just can't get over it."
"Well, as somepony once told me, just accept the things that come into your life, and one day they'll eventually be able to manage. I say just keep avoiding conversation. It works when my family does that."
"Yours does it too?"
"All of the time, 'Scootaloo, are you flying around with that colt all the time?,' or 'How's you're boyfriend doing?'"
"I guess I'm not alone on that."
"Not even close. But I guess we're just going to have to deal with this stuff."
"Yeah, that sucks."
"It does, but not as much as you're 50 wing-ups."
"What?!"
"You've been lollygagging all afternoon, now drop and give me 50 lover boy."
After another two days of practice, the weekend came just in the knick of time for Rumble, who desperately wanted a break.
"Fine. We don't have to practice on the weekend. If you get declined because you can't handle a bit of flying, that's on you." Scootaloo replied to his request.
"I was hoping we'd save the weekend for hanging out a bit." Rumble added.
"Fine lover boy, I'll see you Saturday."
And that was the last he'd heard from her. She didn't show up at all in town, or at the park where they agreed to meet. After another hour or so, he decided to see if she was at her house.
With a light knock on the door, Rumble waited for someone - hopefully Scootaloo, to answer it. He instead found her father there.
"Yes?" He asked, stretching the word in an annoyed tone. He was a tall stallion with purple hair that was more red than violet, complete with a slightly gravely voice and indigo eyes. He had a dark orange coat and a raised eyebrow pointed in Rumble's direction.
"Um, yes sir, I was hoping to see Scootaloo? Is she home?" A look of recognition covered the stallion's face as he moved to the side, staring Rumble down.
"Ah, yes, you're that new coltfriend of hers." He said.
"We're just friends sir." Rumble stated.
"Whatever you say. She's upstairs in her room. Why do you want to see her?"
"We were supposed to hang out today." Rumble replied to the pegasus. The stallion nodded his head and went back to his chair, where apparently he was watching TV.
"I won't be stopping you, lover boy."
I heard a knock on the door and woke up immediately, sitting up to see who it was. "Yeah?" My voice cracked. I put a hoof to my throat, which felt pretty raw at the moment as Rumble came in.
"Hey." Rumble said as he stepped in. I couldn't tell if he disliked what he saw. With my stuffy nose and my puffy red eyes, along with my nasally, yet tender voice. I went through yet another round of coughing and sunk in bed. I don't think that I'll be able to say something clever like I usually do.
"Hey Rumble." I managed to get out.
"You don't look so good." He said. I wasn't sure if he could see me roll my eyes, but I did it anyway.
"Thanks Captain Obvious." I croaked.
"Sorry, I guess that the park's out then."
"Yeah, this happens whenever the seasons are about to change." I explain, going through a fit of coughing before smoothing out my tender throat.
"How bad is it?" Rumble asked, sitting on the bean bag chair next to my bed.
"Relax." I say before grabbing a tissue to blow my nose. "This isn't The Fault in Our Stars Rumble, I don't have some terminal illness."
"That's good."
"I just came down with a bad cold is all." I assure him before going through another coughing fit. I try to let out a lengthy sigh, but it comes out choppy and catches in my throat.
"Anything I can do?"
"Not at the moment, unless you want to get me some soup my mom made from the kitchen. She shouldn't mind." I say.
"Okay then, coming right up, M'lady," He jokingly bows in front of me and leaves the room, causing me to once again role my eyes.
After a few detours of going down the wrong hallways, Rumble stumbled across Scootaloo's mother, a fairly young looking mare, she looked astonishing beautiful. With her long raspberry mane flowing from one side of her head to the other, and her dandelion almost orange coat. With her big shining purple eyes, she looked a lot like a slight recolor of her daughter. Save being completely barren of wings, and her longer mane, the two looked very similar.
She smiled up at the teen, being just about a few centimeters shorter. "You must be Rumble, nice to see you again, you sure have grown since I've last seen you." She said, looking at him more closely.
"It's great to see you again too, do you know where I can find the kitchen, I haven't been here since-"
"You and my daughter were running around the house a few years back?" She finished.
"Yes Ma'am." Rumble nodded.
"What exactly are you looking for? I hope you're not scavenging for food."
"I wanted to bring some soup for Scootaloo." Rumble explained.
"Oh, that's so sweet. I was just planning to bring up a bowl to her. I guess that you can go do that now." She said. Rumble followed her to the kitchen, where he balanced a tray of Apple Juice, Tomato soup, along with a gigantic pack of crackers on his wings.
"Be careful, I just had this carpet cleaned." She warned.
"Yes Ma'am." Rumble replied, finding his way back much more easily. The mare smiled and went back to what she was doing.
"Call if you two need anything."
I had just shut my eyes when I heard my door open. I lean upwards and look to the door to find Rumble. And sure enough, he was carrying a tray of food for me, the scent of tomato soup managed to make me smile.
"Here you go, it took me a while to find the kitchen, but-"
"Thanks Rumble." I say, he crouches down and carefully slides the tray onto my bed, where I prop myself up on a pillow and stare down at my lunch.
"What's with the straw?" Rumble asked, looking at it with a confused expression.
"In my house, when somepony's sick, we don't just eat soup and sleep all day, we have our own way of doing things." I croak, waving the straw around before plopping it into the gigantic bowl.
Rumble watched without comment as I slurped my way through my meal, and crunched on my crackers. I eventually set my tray on the desk next to my bed. "I need to thank my mom." I say, breaking the awkward silence.
"She's pretty cool."
"Yeah."
"Will you be better soon?"
"Hopefully, but I wouldn't get my hopes up. Sometimes this can last days." I warn him.
"Oh well, as long as your better eventually." I felt happy that Rumble was there, just him being there made me feel better. 'Does that mean what I think it means?' I wonder. I reach for my Apple Juice, but I end up knocking over the nearly empty glass.
"Shoot." I say, leaning over to try and pick up the emptied container. Rumble jumps up and catches my hoof before he bends down and picks up the glass before he sets it on my desk. I feel a shudder go up my spine once he brushes past me, and heat begins to flood my cheeks.
"It's a good thing that that didn't break." He says, turning back to me. He starts to move away, but I grab his hoof with both of mine. Something about him no longer this close just...felt empty.
He looks to me with a bit of surprise in his eyes, and I just stare down at my hoof as he sets himself on the bed next to me. He moves his gaze from my blushing red face to his hoof in mine. I find his eyes staring at mine, which makes my wings nervously flutter.
'What am I doing? Why am I freezing up like this? What's so important about him being there next to me?' What was so important about him being there next to me? Maybe it was just me being sick, but a part of me just wanted him to stay there. I felt warm, and not just from the fever.
"I'm, glad you came." I say, forcing the words through my throat.
"I am too." He says to my surprise. I find him slightly tugging on my arm, and I can't help but lean closer to him.
'What am I doing? Why am I getting closer to him?' Part of me had no clue, but a small part of me, another part that must've been fighting it's way through the other parts, seemed to know. I see his eyes close, and feel mine doing the same, as he pulls me into him.
'Wait." I say aloud. He opens his eyes and looks into mine.
"I-I'm sorry." He says, backing away. It felt like all the warmth I had felt left as he leaned away. I wanted to say that it was okay, that it was simply some stupid thoughts. But I ended up staying quiet, and hugged my arms to my chest. We looked away from each other, a long silence seemed to spread as we both turned red as the tomato soup.
It was soon interrupted by my furious fit of coughing, pretty much breaking whatever reality we had formed around ourselves. "Let's just...keep that between us. And forget about it." I suggest. He nods and stands back up, going back to his original spot.
After the awkward encounter at Scootaloo's house, neither of the two wanted to mention the event. So they decided to try and forget about it. The two weren't really reminded of the event until they were invited to Blossom Forth and Thunderlane's house.
"....What?" Rumble asked, looking at his brother in disbelief.
"I would like to apologize for teasing you so much. There I said it. Look Rumble, I didn't intend to overdo it, I was just messing with you. But I guess I pushed a little too far." This was a first, Thunderlane almost never apologized for anything to his brother, this was a big event for him.
"A little?" Rumble asked, raising an expectant eyebrow, deciding to let that precious moment of theirs stretch.
"Okay, a lot." Thunderlane sighed, rolling his eyes.
"So what was it about making it up to me you were talking about?"
"Were you even listening?"
"If I were to be honest, no." Rumble stated. Thunderlane sighed and sat on the edge of Rumble's bed.
"I asked if you and your girl- friend could come over to my house."
"Why do you want to do that?"
"Because I'm trying to be nice, take it or leave it."
"I'll take it, Scootaloo and I don't have much else to do. So when?"
"How's tomorrow?"
"Okay, but what exactly is the whole point of you inviting us?"
"What makes you think there's a point?" Thunderlane asked. Rumble paused and glared at his brother, giving him a look that basically screamed; 'Really?'
"Okay, you caught me, we've got something to invite you for." Thunderlane said, holding his hooves up defensively.
"I'll tell Scootaloo about it." Rumble said, lying back down on his back before picking up his comic book again.
"Why?" A sniffling Scootaloo asked.
"I don't know, ask him."
"Sure, I guess. Do I have to do something specific?"
"Just make sure you're prank-proof, I had to learn that the hard way." Rumble shuddered.
"You're talking to somepony who's been taken under the wing of a master prankster, I think I can handle myself."
"Suit yourself."
"Exactly." Rumble rolled his eyes before spotting a slightly shivering Sweetie Belle walk up to the two.
"Hey Scootaloo." She said, looking to her friend.
"Hey Sweetie, what's up?"
"I just wanted to talk. It feels like we haven't done it in forever." Scootaloo whipped her head to Rumble, who simply waved her off as if saying, 'Go ahead, I won't stop you.'
"Okay then, sure." Scootaloo shrugged. She followed Sweetie Belle to the usual tables, where Apple Bloom awaited, but she was surprised to find that neither Pip nor Button were there.
"Is there some type of holiday or something?" She asked.
"No, we just want to talk." Apple Bloom said.
"I don't understand how you two are always sitting there, it's so cold." Sweetie Belle said.
"You'd have to get used to it." Scootaloo said.
"So what's the deal Scoots?" Apple Bloom asked.
"What are you talking about?"
"You know what," Sweetie Belle added.
"No, I don't know." Scootaloo replied.
"We mean that you're always hanging out with Rumble, ah' can't remember the last time the three of us even talked during the past two weeks." Apple Bloom explained.
"Is that what this is about?"
"You spend so much time with him, you hardly even talk to us." Sweetie Belle said.
"You guys still don't think he's my boyfriend or crush do you?" Scootaloo asked, folding her arms.
"No, but we just feel left out."
"Oh, so now you're the ones feeling left out." The two raised a brow.
"Huh?" They asked.
"You two have only been talking about or hanging out with your crushes all the time, for what, say the past year? And have been talking about this, or never having time for any of the stuff we used to do. Now I start hanging out with someone else and your feeling left out?" Scootaloo asked. The two fell silent.
"Did we really do all of that?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Yes, and it really got annoying. Why do you think I sit with him nowadays rather than you guys?" She said, saying the sentence in a harsher tone than she meant for.
"Ah didn't think that we were that lovesick."
"Please, you two might as well have been engaged to them." Scootaloo said, causing the two to blush.
"You're right. We're terrible friends." Sweetie Belle whimpered, looking down to her hooves.
"You guys aren't the worst friends ever, but that got really annoying." Scootaloo said.
"How's about we make it up to ya? We can have a good old fashioned girl's night out, and do a bunch of stuff together." Apple Bloom suggested. The other two perked up, it had been forever since they went on one.
"When exactly?"
"Why, tonight of course!" Apple Bloom grinned. Scootaloo felt a pang of guilt.
"Yeah, about that," She stated.
"What?" Sweetie Belle asked, a serious expression paining her face.
"I can't do it tonight. I promised Rumble I'd do something with him."
"How about tomorrow?" Sweetie Belle suggested.
"Ah've got to help mah family in the fields tomorrow." Apple Bloom stated.
"The night after?" Scootaloo suggested with a hopeful tone.
"I've got to help Rarity with something." Sweetie Belle stated.
"Do we even have time for each other anymore?" Apple Bloom asked.
"I guess that we're going to have to make time. I'm sorry I've been excluding you girls for the past few months."
"And I speak for both of us when I say we're sorry too." Sweetie Belle replied. Apple Bloom nodded in agreement. Scootaloo looked back to 'the cold tables' and found Rumble waiting for her patiently.
"It's been great to speak with you girls again, but I should get back to Rumble." Scootaloo said. The two nodded in understanding. Scootaloo quickly stood up and walked back.
Scootaloo flew next to Rumble with her scarf wrapped tightly around her neck, causing her to fidget with it. "Well," Rumble stated once they arrived, we're here. You sure you want to do this Scoots?"
"Yeah, I'm sure." She stated. Rumble shrugged and rang the doorbell. There was a bunch on faded clutter inside for a minute or so before Thunderlane reached the door.
"Hey Rumble," He said, he looked to Scootaloo, "Hey Scootaloo." She smiled a small smile at him.
"Hey." The two said in reply.
"Come in," Thunderlane gestured inside and the two slid past him. They found Blossomforth sitting in the living room, looking pretty tired. She smiled at them and waved them in.
"Hey Rumble," she said excitedly, grabbing the teen and messing up his hair.
"Hey Blossom." Rumble replied.
"You must be Scootaloo," Blossomforth said, turning to her.
"Yep. That's me." Scootaloo smiled.
"Thunderlane's told me so much about you." She said.
"Is that a good thing or should I take it as a bad thing?" Scootaloo asked, trying to break the ice. Blossom laughed.
"In a good way, I promise." She said.
"Okay, enough with the awkward conversation you three, let's get to why they're here." Thunderlane said, coming in from the next room.
"Alright," Scootaloo said, sitting on the sofa.
"So why are we here Thunderlane? This isn't a prank is it?"
"Chillax Rumble, It's not a prank." Thunderlane assured him.
"Then what is it?" Scootaloo asked. Blossomforth and Thunderlane exchanged a look before Thunderlane turned back to them.
"Well, we're engaged is all." He grinned. It took the two a moment to react, but they suddenly flooded the couple with 'Congrats,' and praise.
"Wait a minute," Scootaloo asked. "why did you want me to be here?" Scootaloo asked.
"Well, we were kind of hoping you'd be one of the bride's mares." Blossomforth said, looking at her with kind eyes.
"Really?"
"Well, we've known you for a while, and we'd like you to be apart of our wedding. Hope you don't mind." Thunderlane said.
"Of course I don't mind, it's just that I thought that I'd be the last pony you guys would come to." She said.
"Well you thought wrong. Hope you don't mind wearing a dress, or walking down the aisle with Rumble." Blossom said. Causing the two to blush a small bit.
"I don't," Scootaloo quickly added.
"Good. Now we need to get arrangements and everything done."
"When's the wedding?" Rumble asked.
"Sometime in June, we didn't make an official date yet." Thunderlane shrugged.
"Well, once again, Congrats you two, I hope everything goes as planned."
"Don't worry, we put two of the world's best party/wedding planners on the case." Blossom said.
"Let me guess, Pinkie and Cheese?" Scootaloo asked.
"Yep."
"Figures." She replied.
Blossomforth and Thunderlane continued talking about their wedding plans, and what they'd be wearing, along with their photo shoot. Eventually the sun started to set and Scootaloo and Rumble had to get home.
"See you later Thunderlane." Rumble stated, standing up before quickly being followed by Scootaloo.
"Later little bro." Thunderlane said, ruffling his brother's mane.
"I'll see you two love birds around." Scootaloo said, stepping out of the house.
"Thanks for visiting." Blossomforth said.
After a few minutes of walking, Rumble broke the silence.
"I knew they'd do it eventually."
"You were right. Those two seem to be made for each other." Scootaloo replied.
"What happened back there Scootaloo?"
"What do you mean?"
"You seemed to freeze up a bit. And I don't recall you making any clever remarks."
"I guess that I didn't know what to say. It may not be the first time I met your family, but it's the first time I've been asked to be a bride's mare."
"It is?"
"Yeah, I mainly attended other weddings in the past few years. Speaking of which, how do you feel now that Blossomforth's going to be your sister in law?"
"I don't feel any different to be honest. I mean, it's great that she's going to be my new sister, wonderful even, but I don't really feel anything else." Rumble explained.
"And you don't mind walking, me down the aisle?" Scootaloo asked, a tinge of blush shading her cheeks.
"That's a bit of a sudden question."
"Then give me a sudden answer." Scootaloo replied.
"Well, no, I don't mind walking with you down the aisle. Why'd you ask?"
"Just curious." She said.
Scootaloo lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling as she reflected on the day. 'Down the aisle with Rumble. What's so important about that? We're just friends.' She thought.
'Why'd I ask in the first place? Why did I freeze up at Thunderlane's?' She couldn't shake the feeling that she might've been nervous to be in the wedding. 'Why would I be nervous?' She thought.
Scootaloo jumped when she saw the time, quickly catching herself in the air as she hovered over a defeated Rumble.
"Something wrong?" He asked.
"No, well, yeah, I have to meet up with my friends." Scootaloo said.
"I won't stop you."
"Don't think I'm going to let you get out of practice that easily, 50 wing-ups. Now!" Scootaloo commanded.
"What?!" Rumble asked in disbelief.
"Another word out of you and I'll make it 75! Now drop and give me 50!" Rumble sighed and started doing his wing-ups muttering to himself about being pushed too hard.
"Okay, you keep doing that, I'll meet up with my friends. If I find out that you skipped your wing-ups," She bent down to eye level with him and gave a cold glare. "I will make sure you regret it." She replied. Rumble swallowed and started to move faster as he broke into a sweat, despite the cold weather.
Scootaloo flew off to Sweet Apple Acres, where the trio agreed to meet up that afternoon. After a few minutes, she landed on the first step of the clubhouse, hearing an unusual creek on the floor boards. She looked to the shutters of the club house and concluded that the place has seen much kinder years.
'We should really fix that soon.' She thought. Eventually, as she sat inside, the rest of her friends showed up.
"There you are." She said, turning to the two.
"Sorry ah'm late, I had a few chores to finish." Apple Bloom explained.
"I had to do something else." Sweetie Belle admitted.
"Ah' never thought we would've let this place fall apart."
"It's still in somewhat good condition." Scootaloo said, trying to brighten the mood.
"We hadn't been in here for months. I feels so bad." Sweetie Belle said.
"We could always fix it again. It's still holding up pretty well." Scootaloo said, knocking on a floor board.
"Sure, so what do you girls feel like doin'?" Apple Bloom asked.
"We could go to the spa." Sweetie Belle suggested.
"Yes, we could do exactly what every group of mares does to hang out. Boring." Scootaloo said before faking a yawn.
"How about the park?" Apple Bloom mentioned.
"There's a lot of other ponies there, and it feels a bit crowded." Sweetie Belle said.
"Sugar Cube Corner?" Scootaloo asked.
"Ah'm not in the mood for anything sweet." Apple Bloom said.
"Yeah, plus, I'm sure that Pinkie and Cheese will be having their 'snuggle sessions' Scootaloo shuttered.
"Then what do we do?" Sweetie Belle asked. Everyone fell silent.
"We could go to Fluttershy's." Scootaloo offered.
"Why would we do that?"
"I don't know, maybe Discord'll be there. He's always a promising case for a fun night." Scootaloo said.
"What about the Castle?" Sweetie Belle suggested.
"I'm not sure I want to go there." Scootaloo said.
"Why?"
"What exactly would we do there? Besides, it's more like a place for our sisters and their friends than us. Since they are the ones who own the place."
"What do we do?" Apple Bloom asked. Out of habit, Scootaloo flopped down onto her back.
"Maybe we could just stay here."
"Do you maybe want to fix the things here?" Sweetie Belles asked.
"We can't. We don't have any tools, and neither of us have the supplies for it." Apple Bloom reminded her. "Can't you use some type of spell to do it?"
"Sure, magic can fix everything, just ask the unicorn to do it." Sweetie Belle said sarcastically.
"Gee Sweetie, I didn't mean it like that."
"I know, but I don't know how to use my magic to fix the whole clubhouse automatically. That's more for ponies with more experience fixing things." She explained.
"You three want to stay here, and just talk then?" Scootaloo asked.
"We don't have any better options." Sweetie Belle replied.
"Okay, but here's a suggestion, we'll make a pact."
"About?" Sweetie asked Scootaloo.
"As long as we step hoof into this clubhouse, we won't be talking about any other relationships but our own." Scootaloo said.
"But-"
"Nope."
"Wha-"
"No."
"Fine." The two gave in. Scootaloo stuck her hood out and the other three reached their own hooves in.
"Deal." The three said. And to seal it off, they each did the Pinkie Promise; just in case.
"So how's that practice you're doing?" Apple Bloom asked.
"It's going fantastic. I've already upgraded my speed and Rumble's becoming more agile." Scootaloo explained.
"Well, I sure do hope you two get into the Academy." Sweetie Belle said.
"Same here." Scootaloo agreed.
"How's your career going as a future pop star?" Apple Bloom asked with a smug grin.
"It's going splendid. As long as I keep at it, I may even book a big gig!" Sweetie Belle squealed, her eyes seeming to light up.
"Any new songs you're singing?" Scootaloo asked.
"I wrote down a few, but I need to make sense of the music that will go with it. I won't rest until it sounds just right." She said.
"Okay, Miss Inspiration." Apple Bloom teased.
"Oh whatever. Anything new with you Apple Bloom?"
"Well, since it's apart of my talent to help out on the farm, and a side talent of mine is crafting and design, I'm going to improve the farm's structure, maybe then it'd stop needing to be raised up all of the time." She said.
"What else?"
"I plan on getting Apple Jack to help me and Big Mac build a house for him and Cheerilee."
"I still can't believe those two tied the knot." Sweetie said.
"You'd best believe it, because something tells me we could end up with a new Apple soon."
"And what's that something?" Scootaloo asked.
"Well, with the way Big Mac has been going on about how he should get his own house instead of staying in the barn with AJ and I, Ah'm sure that sooner or later, I'll become an aunt."
"Good for those two." Sweetie said. There was a short silence before Scootaloo broke it.
"We came pretty far didn't we?"
"We sure did." Apple Bloom agreed.
"Was it really all those years ago that we first became friends?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Sure doesn't feel like it." Scootaloo said.
"It feels just like yesterday that we formed the Cutie Mark Crusaders." Apple Bloom said.
"And built this Clubhouse and embarrassed ourselves at the school talent show." Sweetie Belle smiled, chuckling to herself.
"Or the adventures we had trying to get these cutiemarks of ours. Along with making new friends." Scootaloo said.
"Remember carrying the flag for the Equestria Games?" Sweetie said.
"How could I forget? That was probably the best day of my life." Scootaloo said.
"Remember when Babs first came to town?" Apple Bloom asked.
"One does not simply forget such a bad seed." Sweetie Belle said.
"You remember when we became friends with Diamond Tiara and Silver before they moved away to Canterlot?" Scootaloo asked.
"How could we forget? It was the day we earned these." Sweetie Belle said, pointing to her Cutiemark.
"We really came far, huh girls? We went from three cutiemarkless fillies," Apple Bloom stated.
"To a trio of friends with a lifetime of friendship." Scootaloo finished.
"Look who's being cheesy now." Sweetie Belle teased.
"Whatever, you guys know what I mean." Scootaloo said.
"Ya know, I really feel that you've developed a bit of a soft spot." Apple Bloom said, propping herself onto one elbow.
"Why do you say that?"
"Well, ever since you first started hanging out with Rumble-" Sweetie began.
She was cut off by a flash of pink coming from the shutters. Finding Pinkie there yelling out.
"Don't break you Pinkie Promise!!" She yelled out.
"I'll allow it." Scootaloo quickly added.
"Oh, okie-dokie-lokie then. Carry on!" The mare sang, hopping away into the distance.
"How'd-" Apple Bloom stopped herself before she could finish, knowing there was no point in asking.
"You were saying?" Scootaloo asked.
"Well, ever since you started hanging out with your friend all of the time, I think that you might've let your guard down a bit." Sweetie Belle finished.
"I have not." Scootaloo insisted.
"You kind of have, when was the last time you yelled at anypony in say, the last two weeks, besides us?" Sweetie replied. Scootaloo paused, thinking a moment. She hadn't really gotten mad or rough with anypony for a while. Come to think of it, she hardly got mad unless someone was teasing her about Rumble.
"There was that time I punched that Oracle guy in the face for teasing Rumble and I." She suggested.
"Let me guess, 'K-I-S-S-I-N-G'?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Yep, and he was punched in the face for it." Scootaloo added.
"That doesn't count." Sweetie Belle teased.
"It totally does!"
"Nah, it's gotta be somepony we know personally." Apple Bloom said.
"You see him hanging around all of the time!"
"Yeah we may know about him, but that still doesn't count. Try again."
"Fine, I give up, I'm going soft." Scootaloo said in a defeated tone.
"So you do admit it." Apple Bloom said.
"Yes, I admit it." Scootaloo said flatly.
"If you don't mind, may I ask why?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Nope, that's going over the line."
"Aw, come on, please?" She replied.
"No means no Sweetie." Scootaloo said. Folding her arms.
"Please tell us. We promise we won't make fun of ya for it." Apple Bloom said.
"You also promised that we wouldn't talk about it in here, and I say that no means no."
"Fine." The two sighed.
"Just to change the subject, how are you girls feeling since this is our last year in school?" Apple Bloom asked.
"I'm excited." Sweetie Belle smiled. "Sure we'll be expected to pursue a bunch of boring stuff and adult responsibilities, but we won't have any more homework to worry about, or any test to get gray hairs over." She said.
"I'm all ears." Scootaloo agreed.
"Wait a second, hold on, you've gotten gray from stress?" Apple Bloom asked.
"No, but I nearly did. Keeping good grades isn't easy." Sweetie Belle said.
"Agreed." The two replied.
"What do you two want to do once you graduate?"
"We've talked about this a thousand times AB." Scootaloo replied.
"That's not an answer."
"I want to be a world renowned Wonderbolt, and fly with Rainbow Dash and my friend Rumble by my side." Scootaloo said.
"You two know well enough about how seriously I take my music career." Sweetie Belle said.
"You guys know what I'm doing." Apple Bloom asked.
"Are you going to stay here in Ponyville?" Scootaloo asked Sweetie.
"I might have a few tours here and there if I make it to my goal, but Ponyville will always be my home, and I could never leave it. Not even for the fanciest cities out there that don't get three monster attacks a week." Sweetie Belle said.
"Same." The other two agreed.
Just then the three noticed how quickly the sun was setting, and decided to head home.
"It was great to talk with you girls again." Scootaloo told her friends.
"Yeah, that was actually pretty fun." Sweetie Belle said.
"Same time next week?" Apple Bloom suggested. The trio all nodded their heads in agreement and parted ways, each of them getting home with a warm smile on their face, and just before dark.
As Scootaloo stepped out of class to head for the lunchroom, she was jumped on by a certain two mares. "What the-" She cried out, before realizing it was her friends. She sighed as she stood up from the ground.
"You two seriously ought to stop doing that to ponies." She suggested.
"We only do it to you." Sweetie Belle smiled back. Scootaloo rolled her eyes and smiled.
"So what's the deal? Is there something you want to talk about?" Scootaloo asked, starting to walk to lunch.
"You never answered my question." Sweetie Belle explained.
"You mean the one from yesterday?" Scootaloo asked. "About me giving an explanation about why I'm going soft?"
"Yep. That's the one." Apple Bloom nodded.
"I told you that that question went over the line."
"Technically," Sweetie Belle corrected, "you said we couldn't mention it in the club house. This isn't the club house is it?" She said, a devious smile crossing her face.
"Why do you want to know so badly?"
"Well," Apple Bloom began, "we still feel pretty guilty after talking your ears off about our coltfriends. Or crush in mah' case. We just want to know. We promise we won't mention it unless you do." Apple Bloom said. Scootaloo watched as her two friends started doing the Pinkie Promise. Sealing the deal.
She rolled her eyes and began to blush a small bit. "I guess that it's because...I just relate to him, you know? I like hanging out with him all the time, and I always feel happy when he's around." She summarized. Deciding to keep what happened at her house a secret as promised.
"So, ya think that he's making ya feel this way?" Apple Bloom asked, doing her hardest not to ask if she had developed a crush on the colt.
"I guess so." Scootaloo said. Her two friends quickly ran ahead of her and stopped in front of her, big hopeful eyes staring her way.
"So, you maybe want to go on a date with him?" Sweetie asked.
"No!" Scootaloo quickly added, blushing profusely "Not in that way."
"But do you ever think about being with him?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Now you two are really pushing it. Can we talk about something else please?"
"It's yes or no Scootaloo." Apple Bloom said, standing her ground.
"Maybe, I don't know okay?" Scootaloo said, brushing past them and walking into the lunch room, her cheeks still tainted red as she kept her stubborn attitude.
"That's all we wanted to know." Sweetie Belle grinned.
"Don't you two get any ideas, or do anything crazy. Like set us up on some mystery date." Scootaloo called back.
"Why the hay would we do that?"
"It's a random thing I came up with okay?"
"You know that only happened in cheesy books and movies right?" Apple Bloom grinned.
"Whatever. I'll talk to you guys later." Scootaloo called out over her shoulder, already getting in line with her tray.
Scootaloo stretched her wings and arms as she flattened herself on her bed, taking in a deep breath before wrapping herself up in the blankets.
Despite her best efforts, she knew she wasn't going to get much sleep that night. Just like the night before, she thought of Rumble. She grabbed her pillow and squeezed it.
'Why can't I ever think of anything else?' She thought. 'Why do I think of him so much?' The conversation she had with Rainbow Dash several days before resurfaced.
' "Yeah, I couldn't really relate since I haven't been in that type of relationship before.I didn't think I ever would at first, but I eventually found someone to understand that feeling with, and he makes me happy. I didn't know how I really felt about him, but I finally realized how I truly feel about him, and I love him. I had to take a long time to 'thaw out' as he puts it to say this to him, but...after saying those words, I couldn't be happier." '
'Do I feel the same way?' She thought. She was getting tired of thinking it every night, it was becoming routine. She groaned into her pillow and squeezed it.
'Why is this so complicated?" She said into the pillow. She turned to her side and scrunched up into a ball.
A memory from the past quickly came up, making her blush red.
The snow gently fell despite it's previous blizzard from the night before. Scootaloo and Rumble had just tumbled down the biggest hill they could find with their tattered old sled, and found themselves giggling away in the snow.
"This is the best day ever!" Rumble said, throwing his legs into the air before making a snow angel.
"How come?" Scootaloo asked.
"Because, you're here." Rumble grinned, smiling. Scootaloo's eyes flew open, shock painted her face, followed by blush.
"R-really?" She asked.
"Of course, I wouldn't spend today any other way." The young colt laughed. Scootaloo was speechless. She didn't know what to say or what to do. The two foals lay there, snow working its way through the different layers in their manes.
A faint call in the distance stopped their own little fantasy midway, causing Scootaloo to look back. "That's my dad." She said in a disappointed tone.
"Oh, I guess that I'll see you later then?" Rumble said. Scootaloo's name became louder.
"Of course." She said. Just as she turned around, Rumble grabbed her hoof, filling her with warmth and sending a shiver down her spine. He looked down, red blush tinging his cheeks and his ears, reflecting onto Scootaloo's face. They're faces grew even hotter once he leaned in closer and kissed her on the cheek.
Scootaloo froze, not quite sure how to react as the whole world seemed to be blocked off.
"I-I'm sorry." Rumble said, scratching behind his head and turning redder than before. Scootaloo, quick to react, grabbed his head and kissed his cheek for a much longer time. It wasn't until she opened her eyes again that she saw Rumble's wings popped up and her dad's voice getting closer.
She quickly ran away and into her dad's arms, staying silent for the rest of the day. She really felt the cold of that day as soon as she broke away from him.
Scootaloo's ears perked up once she heard the door click. She looked up to see her dad come in. She sighed. "Hey Dad." She said.
"Did I scare you there?" He asked jokingly.
"No, more like startled." She said.
The stallion came in and sat at the edge of Scootaloo's bed. "Is something bothering you?"
"Why do you ask?" Scootaloo said.
"Well, you're never really up this late. Tell me what's going on." Her dad said.
"I just have a lot on my mind is all." She replied.
"That being...?" He asked.
"Nothing important." She said.
"It must be if it's keeping you up like this." He said.
"Scootaloo, I've been a member of the royal guard since before you were born, I've seen some things that not even Luna or Celestia, or even your mother is allowed to know. I think that I can keep this as a secret between us." He reminded her.
"Fair point." She sighed before blush painted her cheeks. "You know how Rumble and I started hanging out again?"
"Yeah."
"I think that, I might, sort of,like him." She said, shrinking into her blankets.
"Oh, well that's perfectly fine." He replied.
"Really?" Scootaloo asked, her voice was mix of shock and disbelief.
"I figured that at some point you'd start getting interested in boys since you were born. I'm just surprised it's happening so late." He teased.
"Dad! You know I wasn't interested in colts when I was younger."
"But you're older now, and you like him don't you?"
"Well, yeah. I do."
"Just like your mother when we first met." He said, shaking his head and laughing to himself.
"What should I do dad? I can't get him out of my head, and I don't know for sure about whether or not I like him or not."
"Don't look at me, I don't have all of the answers here, but I think that when the time comes to it, you'll find out. Just like what they say in the books, follow your heart, though I'd say you should listen to your brain a teeny bit more." He teased.
Scootaloo smiled. "Thanks Dad."
"Just being of service." He replied. He stood up and went to the door.
"Try to sleep well for me won't you Scoots?" He asked, just before shutting the door.
"I will. Thanks again." She said. Her Dad nodded and made a motion as though he was tipping his hat respectively to her.
Rumble tried to think about anything other than that day in the snow a few years before. But try as he might, he couldn't shut it out of his head.
'I'm such an idiot. Why did I kiss her?' He asked himself. Even though it was such a long time ago, he still couldn't get over the thought of it. He turned to his side and thought about Scootaloo. He didn't think he'd ever forget the look in her eyes when he said he had the best day with her.
The way her eyes lit up and her pupils seemed to grow. He didn't stop thinking about the snow reflecting in the black of her eyes, or how adorable the blush on her cheeks looked. He remembered the way she blinked a few times in disbelief as she stared at him.
He sighed, knowing he'd never get her out of his head. She always seemed to stick around in his head.
His thoughts eventually drifted to when he came to visit her. The thought of tomato soup really made him smile as he thought back to that moment. He remembered how she grabbed his hoof and held it in her own. And how he almost kissed her.
He covered his face with the pillow and blushed into it. 'Why do I always feel like doing that?' He asked himself. He turned over, and stayed wide awake from his racing thoughts of Scootaloo.
And despite what her father had said, and despite her best efforts, she lay wide awake.
It was almost like they were the only ponies in the world left awake. And that the night would last forever almost as if Nightmare Moon had taken over.
Rumble sighed as he knocked on the door. And the exact stallion he was looking for answered it. "Oh, hey Rumble." He said.
"Um, hello Sir." Rumble said.
"Do you need something?"
"Um, is Scootaloo home?" Rumble asked. Scootaloo's dad raised an eyebrow suspiciously.
"No, why?" he asked, leaning on the door frame and crossing his forelegs.
"I wanted to ask you something." Rumble mumbled, looking down as he scratched his head nervously. Scootaloo's dad nodded and waved him in.
"Okay, lay it on me." he said, sitting back in his chair. Rumble looked away and shifted his gaze to a few pictures on the shelves. He found a picture of a filly Scootaloo with a determined look on her face, another with her friends, the third with her Cutiemark, and the final one of her was her when she was sixteen.
On another shelf, he found a bunch of pictures of her dad wearing golden armor and wearing royal guard attire. There was one picture of Scootaloo holding the camera and smiling while her mother and father stood in the background.
"You like those?" he asked, following Rumble's gaze to the photos.
"Yeah, they're nice."
"So you see how important Scootaloo is to us don't you?" The stallion said, throwing on a serious and stern look and pointing it Rumble's way.
"Yes Sir." Rumble swallowed the lump in his throat.
"And you can also see how I was a member of the Royal Guard can't you?" the stallion walked over to the photos and looked directly at one that contained him saluting.
"Yes Sir." Rumble nodded, sweat breaking on his forehead.
The stallion turned to him and edged slowly to him, making Rumble back away until he hit the wall. "Look Rumble," He said as he drew near. "I like ya, a lot actually, and something tells me that you came here about my daughter." His eyes grew cold and lifeless as he stared Rumble down, making him shrink down.
A frown started to form on the stallion's face, terrifying Rumble, considering he'd never seen the stallion frown the way he was right now. "Well?" He asked.
"Yes Sir."
"What did you come for?"
"I-I came to ask you i-if I-I could date your daughter." Rumble couldn't help but blush.
"And you expect me to just let you date her by you asking?" The stallion said.
"Um... No Sir." Rumble hesitated.
"Well you can't expect me to say yes if you're going to shrink down like a wuss. If you want to convince me that you've got what it takes to date my daughter, then ask me like a stallion." he looked at Rumble expectedly.
"I...I want to date your daughter." Rumble said.
"Okay then, and exactly how will you prove that you can do that?"
"Um..." Rumble looked down at his hooves. 'This was a stupid idea, I shouldn't have came.' He thought.
"Look Rumble," the stallion repeated, softening a bit. He started bringing his face closer to Rumble's. He was mere inches from his face and stared at him with cold unmoving eyes, causing Rumble to crouch back even more.
"You want to know why I'm being so tough on you?" The stallion asked, expecting Rumble to nod. When he got no response, he continued anyway.
"I've been a member of the Royal Guard for years, way before Scootaloo was even born, It's my job to protect those that need protecting, maybe even overprotect them. I've faced many threats, and came face to face with death more times than I could count, as a guard, you have to put other ponies before yourself, so imagine my role as a father. I need you to do the same for Scootaloo."
The stallion leaned away, looking over to his side. "I admit that I can be very overprotective, but as a father, and having her as my only child, I say that it's my job to be." He then pushed his face into Rumble's again, where he scowled at him.
"Got that?" He asked, poking his chest. Rumble held his breath as he nodded.
"Good. So will you look after my daughter Rumble?"
"Yes Sir, I promise that I will." Rumble swore.
"Will you treat her right?"
"Of course Sir." Rumble said.
"Good, then I shouldn't have anything to worry about." He said, turning and sitting back in his chair just as casually as before. It was as though the past few minutes never even happened. Causing Rumble to sigh in relief.
"Thank You Sir." Rumble said, a relieved smile growing onto his face.
"Hold on a minute. I've got one more thing." He said, sinking deep into his recliner and throwing on his usual happy face.
"If you ever hurt my daughter, or break her heart, if you make as much as one mistake, not only will you never see her again," he brought his hooves together and cracked them loudly and ominously. "you're going to regret ever meeting her." he said. The most terrifying thing wasn't just the calm tone of his voice, but was rather how completely normal his expression was.
He was smiling like it was any other day, and his relaxed yet laid back posture really sold how unsettling it all was. Rumble found himself shaking as though he was in the middle of a blizzard.
Scootaloo wiped her eyes, she was doing her best not to fall asleep and land face first into her tray. "Scootaloo?" Rumble asked.
"Huh?" she said, looking up.
"Are you okay? You look like your about to pass out." Scootaloo tried to focus her eyes on him, but she felt like she was seeing double.
"I'm fine." She said. But in truth, she wasn't, she felt a bit frightened, considering the fact that the last time she got no sleep, she fell off of a cliff and into a river.
"You're shaking a bit." Rumble said, pointing to her hoof, and the table, which looked like it was vibrating.
"Okay, you caught me." Scootaloo said, setting her head on the table. "I haven't gotten much sleep in the past few days."
"How come?" Rumble asked.
"I've just been thinking about my future a lot." she said.
"But why are you shaking?" Rumble asked. Scootaloo took her head of the table and sat up, taking her hooves off of the table. "It's okay to tell me Scootaloo." Rumble said, she looked down and rubbed her eyes.
"Please don't tell anyone about this." she said pleadingly.
"Of course not." Rumble replied.
"If you do, I'm going to deny it."
"Not a problem. Now what exactly is bothering you?"
"Don't laugh okay?"
"I won't."
"Promise?"
"I promise."
"You really promise?"
"Yes I really promise," he mimicked, "are you going to say it or not?"
Scootaloo turned to the side. "I-I'm...kind of scared."
"You are?"
"Don't say anything about it. I know that I may come off as tough and rough, but we've all got our own fears."
"Do you mind me asking what they are?"
"I'd only do it if you told me yours." she said.
"Okay then, in that case, I'm claustrophobic, if I were in a small room without many windows or doors, or maybe few lights, or a bunch of ponies were in there, I'd freak out. I'm also afraid of failing."
"Failing?"
"You know, afraid to let anypony pony down, or be or do what they expect me to do. But I'm afraid of letting them down when I feel like doing my own things." Rumble explained.
"That can't be easy."
"It isn't." Rumble agreed.
"I guess that I don't like failing either, remember when me and my friends carried the Ponyville flag a few years back?"
"How could I forget, you guys represented us pretty well." Rumble said.
"Well, at first we did our rocking routine, but then somepony made fun of me about not being able to fly yet, and I felt like no one would enjoy the performance if I didn't fly. So I tried to do it, but it nearly ended up ruining the routine. It took Rainbow Dash to help me see that I didn't have to fly to do it to represent Ponyville."
"Wow. That must've sucked."
"It did. But that's not my only fear." she said, looking down.
"What else is there?"
"When I was younger, I had a bunch of nightmares and I couldn't fall asleep. Rainbow Dash, our friends, and I were on a camping trip, and I kept trying to prove I wasn't scared of her stories. I was afraid she wouldn't take me under her wing if I was a coward. I thought I heard something and ran off in the middle of the night, and I fell in a river, until Rainbow Dash saved me."
"You fell of a cliff? Is that why you're scared? The memory of it?"
"Partially, though, who wouldn't be scare if it felt like they were nearly killed?"
"Fair point. I can see why."
"That's not it though, I'm also kind of afraid of being rejected." she said, rubbing her arm.
"Rejected?"
"Yeah, I'd feel like I'm never good enough for anypony and all. I'd feel like I'd never be good enough to do anything. I just feel like I could never be able to do something no matter how hard I try."
"Does that mean you're afraid that you won't get in to the Academy."
"Yeah, a little bit."
"Well I guess that that means we're going to have to work harder.
"Good, then as soon as we get to practice, you and I are doing wing-ups."
"But isn't it my turn t-"
"Don't try it Rumble." she said. He put his hooves up defensively.
"Okay, I'll do them." he said. He then groaned.
'Is that why you're Dad's so overprotective? He knows about your fear?' He thought.
"I did some pretty crazy things today." Scootaloo admitted.
"Such as?"
"Well, I thought I saw a flamingo in Home Ec." She said.
"What?" Rumble asked, raising his eyebrow.
"And then I told my friends that I felt like Princess Celestia." she said, blushing a bit.
"Well you're not alone, you're not the only one who hasn't gotten much sleep for the past few days. I thought that Sweetie Belle's hair was cotton candy, and that her horn was the stick."
"That's pretty weird."
"I'm not the one who saw a flamingo in class."
"I didn't mistake my friend's hair for food." she shot back.
"Fair point." he shrugged. The lunch bell rang, and the two stood up to clear they're trays.
"Um...Scootaloo?"
"Yeah?" she asked, turning around to look at him.
"Can I ask you something, after practice?" Rumble asked.
"Sure. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to try and keep my head up during history." she smiled at him and flew away.
'How the hay am I going to ask her?' Rumble thought to himself.
We heaved heavily as we sat in the grass. Rumble and I were sweating like crazy as we hunched over.
"Why...do you... always make me do so many wing-ups?" he asks.
"Hey... I did them too." I replied. "So quit complaining." Not to mention that my lack of sleep or the amount of times I nearly hit something made me feel light headed.
"I guess." he said. I leaned back and I looked to Rumble.
"Didn't you want to ask me something?" I ask him, I recall that he had a question to ask me in the cafeteria.
"Oh, yeah." Rumble sat up and looked away, rubbing his arm and becoming pretty interested with a few blades of grass next to him.
"Ask away then." I say.
"I was wondering if...um...you... maybe wanted... to go on a date?" Rumble blushed a deep red and shut his eyes. "Maybe dinner together?"
For whatever reason, my thoughts, went back to that day in the snow, where Rumble said he had the best day ever and all. I felt exactly the same way I had in the snow from such a long time ago, and I felt the same sense of warmth from when he was in my room when I was sick.
I don't say anything and I look to the grass beneath my hooves, I feel heat rise in my cheeks. I fall completely speechless and wait for him to sat something. "R-really?" I ask him, keeping my gaze away from his. I tried to ask in a neutral tone, but it came off more as shock and disbelief than I intended.
"Well...yeah. I was kind of hoping you'd like to go out for dinner or something." He says, there's a bit of hope in his voice, but what little confidence I heard in it was overlapped by fear.
I couldn't help but feel reluctant. A large part of me said to let him down easy, but that one other part of me was still holding on pretty strong.
'What do I say?' I think. 'I don't even know for sure if I like him in that way yet.' I hear him shift his position and I feel Rumble's eyes on me, making me even more nervous than before.
"I..." I stop, 'It's simple, yes or no!' I remind myself. 'Why is this so hard for me?' "I'll think about it." I say, before he could react, I jump up into the air and fly off as fast as I could.
Guilt stabbed at me as I kept thinking about the look of defeat on his face. I flew all the way across town until I found a cloud looming over a place where no pony lived. There was an open field stretching to the mountains and was about a quarter mile from town.
"Ugh!" I say. I hide my face in the cloud and try not to scream. "Why is it so hard for me to choose?" I ask myself. I lay flat and turn to my back. "What is he going to think of me now?" I ask myself. I shut my eyes and groan.
"I could've said yes, I could've said no, what's so hard about that? Why couldn't I do it?" I ask. I lie there and do nothing. I try not to think of Rumble, but the look of disappointment I saw just seems to keep resurfacing out of nowhere.
"Why?" I asked myself. "Why, why, why, why?" I repeated the question over and over, as if I'd get an answer for it.
Or so I thought.
"Why what?" I heard. I jump up into the air and look around. I look around for the source of the voice and find the owner of it landing on the cloud next to me.
"Oh, hey Rainbow Dash." I say.
"Is something bothering you? You looked pretty distressed there." She said. She throws me a supporting smile, but I decide to look away.
'Should I tell her about it? What if she laughs or something? No, Rainbow Dash would never do that.'
"Well, Rumble just asked me if I wanted to go on a date." I say, looking to the ground.
"Really? What'd you say?"
"I said I'd think about it." I reply.
"Okay then, is that all that's bothering you?" She asks and I sigh.
"No."
"What could possibly be the problem? Do you not want to date him?" she asks.
"Yes? I think I do. No? I don't know! I don't know if I like him like that, I want to just be friends, but I also like him, just a little." Blush resurfaces on my skin.
She's silent for a moment before she replies. "Well, why do you still want to be friends?" Now it was my turn to be quite. We shared a long pause while I flopped on my back and shielded the sun from my eyes.
"I don't know." I admit. "It's just that we've been friends for the longest time, and to date now... I just can't describe it." I say.
"I know how you feel." I look to her. "You remind me a lot of myself before I started dating Soarin', just like you, I wasn't sure if I liked him or not, and I wish that somepony could've given me advice of some sort. Eventually though, I had to get over my feelings and tell him how I felt."
"So you're saying I should do that?" I ask.
"I'm not saying that. You've got your own choices to make, we're two completely different ponies, living completely different lives, caught up in similar,-but different, situations." She leans back into the cloud and turns her head to me. While I just look away.
"Is that the only problem?"
"No." I sigh.
"What else is bothering you?"
"I don't know why I couldn't choose, it was yes or no. Why's it so hard for me to ask?" I rant, flailing my hooves into the air.
"Are you a little nervous about dating him?" she asks me. I blush. That was an understatement.
"Yes, I feel very...tense about it, you know?" I ask. She nods.
"And...why do you feel tense?" she asks.
"I don't know!" I say aloud. She looks up to the sky and shields the sun from her eyes.
"Those seem to have become your favorite words lately." She teases, trying to lighten the mood. I say nothing.
"Maybe it'll help if you just talked it out or something?" she suggests.
"Did that work for you?"
"Ask Fluttershy, I must've talked her ears off." she replies with a supportive grin.
"I guess...that I feel afraid." I say quietly. She says nothing as if she was pushing me to go on. "I don't feel like I could date him, I just don't know how I could."
"Have you stopped to think that you're thinking about this a little too deeply?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Of course I have, but I don't know any other way to find the answer. " she just shrugs and urges me to continue.
"I just...can't. I can't, but I want to, but I'm just too scared!" I say.
"But why are you scared?" she asks. I can't help but try to think of a witty comeback, but my head is too clouded.
"I don't want to make the wrong choice. What if he's not right for me?"
"Then you'll find someone else that'll make you happy, it happens to many ponies."
"But what if he is?"
"Explain."
"I mean, what if I make a mistake, or say something mean, or do something stupid, or-"
"Hold on Scoots. Let me stop you right there, you need to know that that's the point of a relationship. It's up to the ponies to make it work together. They have to talk, and they have to be honest, otherwise they'd end up unhappy together. If Rumble's not right for you, then that's just that."
"I can't help but feel he will end up doing that though. What if he doesn't like me that much anymore? Or what if he ends up wanting to break up with me, or go for some other mare? What if he just doesn't like me as much as I thought he did."
"Does Rumble judge you right now though?"
"No, at least, I don't think he does, what if he's just trying to be nice to me?."
"Does he show an interest in any other mares?"
"Maybe? It's a possibility.
"Did he admit that he likes you a lot?"
"No."
"Then that's just something you'll have to find out. Some ponies really surprise you, some in more good way than bad. But its like I said, don't overthink this. You don't want to assume the worst in him, then he'd end up seeming to be the worst. Just make your own choice." She set her hoof on my shoulder.
I stay silent for a moment, my head was overflowing with thoughts. 'I can't believe I said all of that about him. I'm such a bad friend. Why am I such an idiot?' I wonder. I bring my hoof to my head.
"I'll leave you to think about it." Rainbow Dash says, getting up faster than I could blink.
"Wait," I say.
"Yeah?"
"How'd you find me here?" I ask.
"Well, I was looking for you since I didn't have much to do today, and then I found you flying like you're life depended on it, so I decided to see what's up." she explains.
"I'm glad that you did." I say.
"Me too." she replies.
"You're not going to tell anypony about this, are you? Not Soarin', or your friends, or even Tank when he wakes up?" I ask.
"Trust me Squirt, I wouldn't do that to you."
"Promise?" I ask.
"I promise."
"Good."
"I've got to go. Don't worry so much about it Squirt, just make your own choice." She reminds me, looking to me with supporting eyes and a winning smile. "I hope that you won't forget that. With that she jumped off the cloud and flew away, leaving me to hassle with my thoughts.
It was like being forced to choose something you didn't want to side in, one part of me said to let him down easy, while another said to accept it. I don't know how long I stayed there, thinking of Rumble, but I eventually came to my conclusion.
I look to the sky and find that it was getting darker as the sun started to set. 'Shoot." I say. I have to tell Rumble before I have to get home, otherwise I'd end up with another sleepless night of thinking.
I quickly fly to his house, and knocking on his door in a matter of minutes. I knock on the door and await an answer. Instead of getting Rumble like I hoped, his mother opens the door.
"Oh hello Scootaloo, didn't expect to see you here."
"Hey, is Rumble home?" I ask.
"No, we thought that'd he was with you." She says, staring into my eyes with her pink ones, she brushes her blue-gray mane out of her eyes and smiles.
"I haven't seen him in a while." I say.
"Oh," she begins to flutter her gray wings. "Maybe he's hanging out with his friends. If you see him, tell him to be home before eight." She smiles.
"I will." I tell her. I turn and fly away after thanking her for her help. 'He could be in the park, it's an unlikely chance, but it's worth something.' I think. I make a b-line for the park, flying slowly in case he happened to be walking in the vacant streets.
Once I arrive, I fly all around the place, calling out his name until for a long time. "Rumble?" I repeated, searching all over, up and down for any sign of him.
"Darn it!" I say once I receive no reply. I sit on the closest bench I could find and put my head into my hooves. 'I shouldn't have run off like that. I'll never find him.' The street lights were starting to flicker on as the stars started popping into place. I sigh and get up.
'I guess that I'll just have to tell him tomorrow.' I trudge home, staring down at the ground and continuously kicking at whatever stones my hooves could find in the middle of the road. Just as I was kicking the third one I could find, I hear a distant voice.
"Scootaloo?" I hear. I whip my head up and look for the voice, turning to my left to see Rumble there.
"Rumble!" I reply. Without thinking, I find myself running up to him and jumping on him. He tried to step back in surprise, but I manage to tackle him down as always.
"Yes." I tell him. It takes him a moment to process as he looks up at me, and then his eyes seem to grow as he smiles excitedly.
"R-Really?" he asks.
"Yes Rumble."
"You're not pulling a joke on me?" he asks. I shake my head and blush, a small smile creeping on my lips.
"I'm not. I...I'd actually like to go out with you Rumble."
"Y-you do?" he stutters.
"Yes." I felt the warmth grow between us, and I breathed in a deep breath. It was as though I had been holding my breath all this time as a huge weight made its way off of my shoulders.
"Does that mean-" I cover his mouth.
"I'm not revealing everything tonight, lover boy. Let me save something for the date, right now, we both need to get home." I say, blushing even redder as the heat moved to my ears.
"So I'll meet you at your house on Saturday night, at seven?" He asks, a smile still stretching on his face. I can't help but smile back as I feel more warmth.
"I'd love that."
And for the first time in the weeks they started thinking about each other, the two slept a peaceful night, both of which had big smiles plastered on their faces, as they're dreams were filled with memories of the previous day they left behind.
Rumble and Scootaloo both agreed to not mention the dating around friends. They didn't really feel that right then would be the right time to. So at school the next day, if either of them saw each other in the halls, they'd always direct their gaze away from each other and at something else.
Eventually, noon came around and everyone filed out for the cafeteria, where Rumble and Scootaloo sat together.
"Anything new lately?" Scootaloo asked.
"Nah, unless you count being dragged out of my room to try on tight suits." Rumble replied.
"That must suck,"
"You're one to talk, you're supposed to be at Rarity's to get a dress with the other bridesmares tomorrow," Rumble said.
"I am?"
"Yeah, but don't worry, it's just going to be Flitter and Cloudchaser, along with two of Blossom's other friends. One of which, might I add, makes a lot of puns."
"Like?" Scootaloo asked.
"She said that Blossom's relationship was blossoming forth."
Scootaloo shuttered. "That's bad."
"She's still pretty cool though." Rumble admitted.
"I don't have to wear white, do I?"
"I don't know, they're keeping it tradition to not show the groom the dress, but apparently they're doing the same with the bridesmaids. In other words, I have no idea."
"Well, at least we'll be done with school by then." Scootaloo said.
"Yeah, I can't wait. Though, I'm not that excited for exams."
"I'm sure that you'll get a decent score." Scootaloo assured him.
"It's not the material. I just don't like to take tests."
"Well you're not the only one, your looking at someone who's hated tests her whole life." Scootaloo motioned to herself.
"Yeah. So when do we try out for Junior Wonderbolts?"
"We're supposed to take them in May, and two weeks later, we're supposed to be notified." Scootaloo said.
"You think that the course'll be tough?'
"It can be, depending on how often we practice that is. Which means..." Scootaloo hinted for him to finish.
"More wing-ups?" Rumble guessed.
"No, agility. But we should do it more often." she smiled and Rumble sighed.
"So," Rumble lowered his voice to a whisper and leaned in a bit to Scootaloo. "do you still feel like going on a date?" he asked.
Scootaloo leaned in a bit closer and stared straight into his eyes. "I told you yes didn't I, it's almost like you want me to change my mind." She chuckled and Rumble smiled.
"Good. I'm still a bit surprised that you said yes." he replied.
"If I were to be honest, I am too. I didn't really know if I should say yes at first, but after a lot of thinking, I eventually made my choice. Scootaloo blushed and looked away, while Rumble smiled and blushed with her.
It wasn't until the noticed just how close they actually were to each other that they went back to their regular position. Unfortunately though, that moment didn't escape the eyes of her friends, one look at their table, and you could see everything they wanted to say in their eyes.
'Tell us what's going on at the tree house.' Scootaloo gulped and looked away as if she hadn't seen them.
"Oh boy." She mumbled.
"What, was that?" Apple Bloom asked with her arms folded.
"What do you mean?" Scootaloo asked.
"You know exactly what we mean. What was with the leaning and the whispering and the blushing?"
"You mean at lunch?"
"Yes!" The two shouted out. Both of them were giving her glares that made her avoid their eyes.
"It was nothing." Scootaloo assured them.
"Is staring intensely and blushing like crazy nothing?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"There's nothing between me and Rumble. We were just talking." Scootaloo lied. She didn't want to blurt out their secret like that.
"Looked more like giggling n' goofy smiles to me." Apple Bloom stated.'
"Okay, so we were talking with each other, big deal." Scootaloo said, failing at trying to dismiss the topic.
"It's a big deal if you two are exchanging secrets like that." Sweetie Belle mentioned.
"We don't have anything to hide." Scootaloo said, bit by bit, she could feel her confidence breaking.
"Then why'd you lean in towards him like that? To talk about the weather?" Sweetie Belle replied.
"No, we were just talking, and...it sort of just happened. It doesn't mean anything." Scootaloo resisted the urge to say 'promise', she didn't want to break any of them.
"We know you're hiding something Scootaloo." Apple Bloom said.
"I told you already, there's nothing to hide. I don't have anything to hide from you guys. I tell you two everything don't I?" Saying those words made her feel pangs of guilt.
"Then tell us what you were saying. And we'll believe it." Sweetie Belle said. At this point, Scootaloo felt ready to crack, but she quickly wracked her brain for another answer.
"We were talking about me being a bridesmare." she said. Her friends softened, and Scootaloo let out a sigh of relief.
"You are?" Apple Bloom asked, dropping her arms.
"Yeah, for Thunderlane's wedding."
"Why didn't you tell us before?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"I didn't think that it would be that important for you to know." Scootaloo said.
"You could've saved yourself the guilt trip if you had told us earlier."
"I wasn't thinking straight." Scootaloo said, putting on a fake smile.
"Then, we're awful sorry for pushing ya like that. Ah' feel terrible."
'You're not the only one.' Scootaloo thought. "Don't be, I should've told you guys when I first found out. Are you going?"
"Everypony in town is always going to weddings. I wouldn't miss it for anything." Sweetie Belle assured.
"Same here, if the crop holds up." Apple Bloom said.
"It's so nice of them to let you be in their wedding." Sweetie Belle grinned.
"I know. But I haven't been in a wedding for a while, I just hope I can get some things right."
"Aw don't worry about it, Ah'm sure that you've got this in the bag." Apple Bloom waved off.
"Yeah. I can't wait to see you there, who will you be walking with -if you're walking with someone that is." Sweetie Belle asked.
"Rumble." Scootaloo sighed, she just knew the conversation would end up back to him eventually.
"Aw, that'll be so cute." Sweetie Belle teased. Scootaloo blushed.
"Don't get any ideas!" she said defensively, though her sharp tone had no effect with her blush ruining it, causing the other two to giggle.
Scootaloo sighed. 'Oh well. At least I didn't say anything about my date.' She arched her back as guilt weighed her down again. 'It seems like I get more hidden secrets everyday.' With that, she sighed, and went on to talk about something else.
I stared directly towards the ground. I tried to adjust my appearance a bit, and fix my hair, but there wasn't a strand out of place. I've done and redone everything at least a thousand times, but I was still nervous to go.
'Okay Rumble," I tell myself. 'just be yourself." I take a few deep breaths and take one last look at the mirror. I put on my most winning smile and head out.
"I'll see you later Mom," I call out, flying out pass her. "See you before ten." Before she could respond, I've already shut the door behind me and started to Scootaloo's house.
I land on the steps a few minutes later, and knock on the door, 'Don't be nervous, don't be nervous,' I think. Eventually, someone opens the door, and unfortunately for me, it was her Dad.
"Hey Rumble," he tells me. "need something?" he smiles as I try to swallow the lump in my throat.
"Oh, well, I was supposed to take Scootaloo out for dinner. Is she ready?" I ask.
"I'm here," she says, from behind, she starts trotting down the steps and comes up behind her dad. She looked almost the same as she always did, the only difference being her brushed mane, and the blue clip holding up part of it. She also carried a matching blue purse around her neck.
"You kids have fun," he says, leaning on the door and throwing Scootaloo a side smile on his face.
"We'll try." She responds. He bursts into laughter and shakes his head, going back inside as we turned away.
"You look nice."
"Only the best for you." I say.
"That was really cheesy." she says. I couldn't help but smile at that.
"I know."
"So how's the wedding coming along with Thunderlane?" she asks.
"So far, it's going great. They're always talking about flowers, and the theme, and such, glad to see that they're excited about it," I state.
"Are you?"
"I'm excited that Thunderlane's taking a big step forward in his life, and I'm happy to have Blossom Forth as my new Sister-in-Law."
"She seems like she'd be a nice one." she agreed.
"What about Soarin' and Rainbow Dash?" I ask.
"Huh?"
"Do you think that they could be next in line?"
Scootaloo shrugged. "Maybe, as long as Rainbow Dash is happy, either way." she states.
"Any new tricks you could be thinking up?" I ask.
"Not at the moment, but I'm thinking of something at the moment,"
"What's that?"
"I don't know what to call it, but I plan on having it deal with swoops and dives and such." We were approaching the restaurant, and we were close enough to see a few ponies were standing inside.
We stepped inside and asked about a table, and the place was full of ponies, not every table was filled, but there was enough to get cranky waiters running around the place, some looked like they'd rather be on break. I received a pager, or whatever the hay they call the device. "It'll light up to let you know when a table is ready." The pony said, answering before we could even ask anything else. He looked like he was having a pretty rough day, and I guess that I'd be pretty upset too if I had to answer the same questions over and over again. I felt sorry for the guy.
Scootaloo and I went back outside to wait, and sat on in the decorative benches that were outside. "I haven't been to this place in ages, but I never expected them to start giving out these pager things to customers." Scootaloo said, turning the small thing over and over as she examined it.
"Same here, I never would've thought they'd do it either." I agree. We wait outside while other ponies who come before us go in, and other ones walk out.
Scootaloo and I say nothing and both end up staring out at the sky. I find myself blushing as the silence grows, and dart my eyes to her every few seconds. Before she could notice, I always look away, before I blush even redder and switch my gaze back to her.
I play this little game with her before she catches my eyes and blushes herself. I find a smile growing on both of our faces as she scoots herself a bit closer to me.
And, right on cue, that stupid little pager went along and did its beeping. We both scoot away and look up, and I try to hide my disappointment as we walk inside.
A waiter stands by and grabs the machine with his magic, he walks us to an area of vacant tables, where we get a booth to sit in while he gives us our menus.
"I'll be a moment." he says. Scootaloo and I sit across from each other and smile. She sets her purse to the side of her while I look away and run my hoof over the wooden table designs. Scootaloo looks out through the window.
"So..." I finally begin.
"This is..." she states, before stopping.
"New?" I suggest. She nods.
"Yeah, I haven't exactly ever been on a date before." she admits.
"You haven't?" I ask.
"Well, I never took much of an interest in anypony. I always had other things to worry about, for instance, getting my cutiemark. And once I finally got it, I started thinking of ways to use my special talent."
"I can't say I blame you." I reply.
"There's more to life than romance, and I've been thinking about my future career possibilities ever since I even learned what a cutiemark is. So you can imagine that when I got it," she says, letting her sentence hang.
"You started thinking how to use that talent for future careers." I finish, she nods and the waiter comes back.
"Have you decided?" he asks. We shake our heads and he just nods in understanding. After a minute, he brings us bread sticks and walks off to some other table.
Scootaloo takes one and breaks it apart into a few pieces, popping each part she tore off into her mouth. "Do you feel the same way?" she asks.
"If I were to be honest, I never really thought that deeply about it. Sure I considered different career paths, but not that often." I admit.
"Meh. My friends and I were always so obsessed with getting those things."
"But you did." I remind her.
"Yep. And I'm glad with how it turned out." she replied. She moves her hair from her eye and smiles at me. I take a bread stick myself and nibble on it until our waiter gets back.
"Have you decided?" he repeats.
Scootaloo gives him the menu and says what she wanted, and I did the same.
"What else do you have in mind?" she asks.
"I don't know, maybe you could tell me what you were going to say the other day?" I suggest. I look down and twiddle with my hooves while she blushes and looks at the table.
"W-well." she stutters. I let her pause and take a deep breath. She looks up to me and continues blushing as she avoids my eyes. "I...kind of like you a bit,"
"As friends though," I say.
"Maybe a little more than friends." she finishes. She turns to the side and rubs her arm.
I say nothing and stare at her. "Y-you do?" I ask.
"How many times do I have to repeat myself for you these days?" she teases, throwing me a winning smile, but her blush refusing to fade.
"Anything else?" I ask.
"Nope." she says.
"But you said you'd-"
"I didn't say I'd spill out my guts telling you everything. I just said to save some conversations for now." she mentioned.
"Can't I get anything else out of you?" I ask.
"Tell you what, I'll tell you something you want to know about me, as long as you tell me something I want to know about you," she suggests.
"Does everything have to be a game with you?"
"Take it or leave it, besides, you know I won't say anything that easily," she reminds me. She had a point. Scootaloo was a steel trap when it came to her own secrets.
"I'll take it." I sigh.
"Good, in that case, tell me this; what made you decide to ask me out here?" I freeze and start to sweat. I didn't expect her to ask that question tonight.
She raises an eyebrow when I remain silent. "Well?" she asks. I look into her eyes and then think better of it once she throws me a question glance.
"I always had a bit of a small crush on you." I squeak.
"I know that, you kind of said that the first time we ate lunch together, remember?" she reminds me. "I mean what made you decide you should date me?" I felt as though my stomach filled up with feathers.
"I wanted to be more than friends. I wanted to be a little closer with you, and have you be a little closer with me, you know? I felt that dating would be a good way to know each other better."
"Well, I kind of feel the same way." she tells me. "I would like to be a little closer to you too. Not all lovey dovey and stuff like on TV,"
"No way," I agree.
"But I just want to get to know you from more than a 'close friends point of view.'" she explains.
"Have your friends found out about this yet?"
"No, but I hated lying to them."
"We don't have to keep this secret then." I assure her.
She takes a long sip before continuing again. "No, I want to keep this between us. They have their own way of dealing with their relationships, while I have mine. I just want to deal with this...privately, of course they'll find out eventually, but I just don't want them to know yet." she says, blushing on the word 'date'.
"I definitely don't want my friends to know. They're always going on about their girlfriends, and stuff. But I just want to keep what's between us, well, between us."
"Yeah. I'm just not that kind of pony. They'll find out eventually, but for now, I won't worry about it." The waiter comes and asks us about what we wanted to drink.
"Water is fine." I say. He looks to Scootaloo.
"Same." he nods and returns with our drinks after a minute or so before rushing off again.
"Speaking of worrying, Blossom Forth is worrying about which colored flowers to get for the flower girls." I say with a roll of my eyes.
"Who's going to be the flower girl?"
"Her cousin's daughter." she raises a brow.
"I know, its a stretch, but no one else is willing to do it. She's kind of the youngest on her side of the family." I explain.
"Oh well, I hope she enjoys it."
"Same here, I've only met her a few times before, but she's up to it according to Blossom." I say. The waiter just then comes in, balancing trays in his purple aura of magic.
"Your meals." he says in a fancy tone. he sets our dinner on the table and refills our drinks. Scootaloo wastes no time digging into her dinner, and I start through mine.
"This is actually pretty good." she says around carrot.
"Yeah." I agree. It was worth the wait.
"This is pretty fun." Scootaloo said, wiping off her mouth.
"I'd like to hang out like this more often."
"Can we finish this date before we go on to planning the next?" she chuckles.
"Yeah. Oh! You've got to hear this, it's probably the funniest thing I've ever witnessed." I say.
"Really? How would you rate it?"
"Near-tears funny." I say, trying not to laugh at a memory.
"Go on." she motions, adopting my smile.
"So I was in gym class with the boys, and we were playing classic softball." I begin.
"When did this happen?"
"About a few weeks ago actually," I say.
"Okay, continue."
"There's this one guy in my class, who was a bit of a showoff, and he isn't exactly someone me and my friends would hang out with. He was talking about Lily behind her back, who just so happened to be rolling the ball for everyone to kick. He went up to the plate, and made a big commotion about getting ready to kick the ball and run."
So she rolled the ball, and he kicked it."
"Big whoop." Scootaloo said.
"But the funny thing is, the ball bounced right off one of his buddies in the field; who landed face first in a mound of overgrown grass and mud, and the ball bounced back to him."
"Really?" Scootaloo asked with a grin growing on her face.
"He was supposed to dodge the ball, and though he tried to jump, it hit him in his leg, and threw him off, making him land face first into the dirt and mud." I burst out laughing while Scootaloo joined in.
"And...and that's not the best part," I continue, wiping a tear from my eye. "Lily replied...'Who's the mud pony now?'" Scootaloo started laughing harder until tears were pricking at the edges of her eyes.
"That explains why I saw dirt in Bronze's mane." Scootaloo said. We went through another series of laughter before she could go on to say something else.
"The funniest thing happened in class the other day." she began. I waited for her to go on as she tried to stop herself from giggling.
"You know how we had that one test in Algebra?" she asked.
"How could I forget? That wasn't easy to pass.
"One pony in my class, she had studied day and night for that test, and she got most of the answers right," she said.
"But what happened?" I asked.
"She got the first question wrong!" Scootaloo laughed.
"You mean the first question? Where we basically had to write down the name of the lesson?" I asked in disbelief. Scootaloo nodded. "But the title's right above it!" I say before bursting into laughter.
"When we got our test papers back, it was hilarious when she decided to show everyone how well she did. She didn't think that we would see which question had the big red 'X' on it." Scootaloo laughed. After another series of jokes, the waiter returned with the checkbook.
"Enjoy your meals?" he asked.
"Yes, it was delicious." Scootaloo said, sounding out every syllable.
"I'll leave you two to pay." I reach for the check book he set on the table and find Scootaloo's hoof there first.
"What're you-"
"I'm paying, you brought me here, it's the least I could do."
"But that's exactly why I should pay it. I asked you to come."
"But I said I would didn't I, I've got money to spare." she said.
"And I do too, I'm paying Scootaloo."
"Nope. I am."
"How about this," I suggest, "we'll each pay half."
"That sounds exactly like something from a movie." she replied.
"Do you really want to argue over this in the middle of the restaurant?" I reply.
"Fine." she took her purse and slammed 20 bits on the table. I smile and take out my own. We eventually get up to leave, and walk down the street for several minutes, until we're in front of Scootaloo's home.
"I had fun." She said, looking into my eyes.
"I did too." I reply, smiling back at her. Before she turns away, she turns my head to the side and kisses my cheek. Causing my wings to pop up as we both blush deeply.
"Bye Rumble." she says, smiling and pushing the door open. Once she's inside and the door is shut, I bring a hoof to my cheek.
Scootaloo jumped as she was poked by a sewing needle. "Ow!" she cried out.
"Sorry dearie." Rarity apologized, taking the pins out of her mouth. Scootaloo tried her best not to sigh at that, all of the excited cheers she heard and the talk about garments and such just wasn't really her idea of fun. She yawned and tried not to move.
Blossom Forth sat across the room and was looking through Rarity's book of designs for the perfect dress to try, her other bridesmares; the ones that weren't becoming a pin cushion, were looking at the designs with her.
"This one looks nice." Flitter said, pointing to a specific design in the book.
"I think it's nice too, but it's a bit too long don't you think?" Blossom said. She sighed. "What about you Scootaloo?"
"Hm?" Scootaloo whipped her head up from her Rarity who sewing the fabrics, surprised that Blossom wanted to talk to her about dresses. "Yes?" she answered.
"Which do you think looks nice?" Blossom asked, flying closer to her and holding the book out.
"Oh, well..." Scootaloo began. 'Aw shoot.' she thought. "I don't take much of an interest in dresses, so..." Scootaloo tried, but her attempt at trying to get Blossom to ask any pony but her failed.
"You don't have to know all about the latest styles and all that," she replied, throwing on a smile. "I just want you to have a look." Scootaloo looked into the sketch book and found several designs. Some of the dresses were big and poofy, others were thin or slender, long, short, big, small, with a veil or without a veil, many of them were combinations or hybrids of the shapes, and each had their own unique design.
"Maybe you could choose that one?" Scootaloo suggested, Blossom looked at what she pointed at; a dress that resembled a flower, which; according to Rarity's notes, was supposed to have the lightest shade of pink on the white fabric. And was supposed to stop at her hooves. Blossom smiled.
"That's a great choice." she replied. "So that leaves me with three options." The mares in the room turned to her as she flipped through the book. "This one," she turned to the one Scootaloo picked out, "this one," she turned to a white dress that was shorter than the rest, and had designs that resembled flower petals. "and this one." She finally turned to the longest dress, where she pointed to the design with several flowery patterns at the front. The dress would stop right at her hooves, and looked a bit like the first and second dress she found.
"I like that one." Cloudchaser said. Everyone else nodded in agreement while Rarity walked up to see which one she chose.
"Alright, is the dress you're going with?" She asked.
"Yes." Blossom Forth said. Rarity smiled and took a pink sticky note from her stack of them on her work table, she took a pen and wrote "BF" on it before sticking it on the page and shutting the book.
"As soon as we're done, I'll get right to it." Rarity promised. She went back to Scootaloo where she started with the last of the sewing. The other Bridesmares were surrounding Blossom, talking back and forth about how beautiful the dress she chose was.
'I'm never going to get used to this.' Scootaloo thought. 'I can't talk about frilly dresses all day.' She tried not to flutter or stretch out her wings, knowing they'd get in the way of Rarity's work. Try as she might to stand still, she was itching to fly.
"Something bothering you?" Rarity asked, looking over her red glasses and to Scootaloo.
"No." Scootaloo replied.
"Scootaloo, I've known you since you became friends with my little sister, I know something is bothering you." Rarity said knowing. Scootaloo couldn't hold in her sigh this time.
"I'm just not interested in all of these frilly dresses." Rarity was used to her friends using the term 'frilly dresses', so she let it slide. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that I was chosen to be a bridesmare, but I just don't understand why I am one."
"Ah, the old 'I don't think I'm fit for this,' cliché," Rarity teased. "I've seen this countless times in my career, and all I can tell you is that even though you don't think you fit the part, you should embrace it."
"How exactly do I do that?"
"Simple, enjoy it in whatever way you can." Rarity suggested.
"And you say I'm cliché."
"Cliché or not, try it out. Unless you want to spend all of the fittings and wedding rehearsals like this."
"I'll try to enjoy it." Scootaloo said quickly. Causing Rarity to chuckle.
"Good, now hold still before I-"
"Ow!" Scootaloo brought her leg back out of reflex.
"stick you." Rarity finished. Making Scootaloo smile out of embarrassment from her glare.
"How was the fitting?" Rumble asked, Scootaloo said nothing until she set her tray down.
"We chose a good dress for Blossom, and Rarity's going to finish the bridesmares dresses to match the bride's."
"You don't sound too enthusiastic,"
"Well, I'm not exactly a big fan of trying on dresses or getting poked with pins. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that Blossom found something nice for her and her bridesmares, I just-"
"Don't enjoy it as much?" Rumble finished before stuffing his sandwich in his mouth.
"Yeah." Scootaloo replied.
"Maybe it'll be better next time." Rumble suggested.
"I hope it is." Scootaloo replied spooning her soup in her mouth. "But the strangest thing was how Blossom asked me about which dress she could pick." Scootaloo said as if were the funniest thing she'd ever heard.
"How is it strange?" Rumble replied.
"I thought that everypony knew how much I don't really enjoy fashion. Sure I like some designs, and don't mind trying on clothes once in a while. But I can't deal with it if it's constant. You know how much I'd rather talk about near anything else over than the next Trenderhoof line."
"Did she pick it?"
"Nah. She picked another similar dress, but I don't mind."
"I can relate. I don't enjoy having to put on a suit for any formal event. I just don't really find an interest in it." Rumble shrugged.
"I can't blame you." Scootaloo agreed. She took another spoon full and set it in her mouth.
"Are you excited for Winter Wrap Up?" Scootaloo asked.
"Yeah. How about you?"
"I'll tell you one thing, once Spring is finally here, I won't have to worry about getting sick again, or having my sinuses act up."
"Speaking of being sick, remember when I came to your house?" Scootaloo tensed up.
"How could I forget?"
"I wanted to know about whether or not there's any other things or traditions your family does."
"Well..." Scootaloo began. "my Mom and Dad always do these things when they hear about a boy I hang out with."
"Such as?"
"You know how you asked my Dad for courtship?"
"Yeah, that was only one of the most terrifying moments in my life." Rumble replied.
"Well my family's always talking about how I might get married soon or how they could become grandparents." Scootaloo blushed and shuddered while Rumble tensed up and blushed as well.
"That explains it."
"Explains what, exactly?" Scootaloo asked.
"Why you don't want to tell you're friends."
"That, and they're likely going to keep mentioning how they could become bridesmares soon, like Apple Bloom and I did with Sweetie Belle for the first few months she started dating Button Mash." she sighed. "But there's no way I can handle that, not without saying or doing something completely embarrassing."
"Same here, if I told Featherweight and my friends, they're going to ask me which one of them will be the best man. And then, it'll be exactly how it was in the last year all over again."
"I'm not dealing with that again. I can handle my parents, but my friends can go as far as spying on our hang outs or trying to see us..." Scootaloo froze and stopped midsentence, blushing all the while.
"See us...what?"
"Please forget I mentioned that last sentence." Scootaloo covered most of her face with her hooves, though the red on her ears gave away how she was blushing so harshly.
"I'll forget it once you tell me what you were going to say." Rumble started feeling uneasy about her response.
"Yeah, how come you're getting second thoughts all of a sudden?"
"Because I just realized that we're going to be in a bit of an awkward situation."
"How awkward?"
"You'll see. But in advance, I apologize for bringing you here." he says. Scootaloo sighed and lowered her head to the frozen ground.
'Great.' she thought. The two walked up the doorstep of Rumble's home a few minutes later, and knocked on the door.
"I also forgot to mention that Thunderlane will be here with Blossom." Rumble said. And speak of the devil, Thunderlane answered the door.
"Hey little bro," he said, ruffling his brother's hair.
"Hey Thunderlane." Rumble said. "Do you think Mom and Dad'll mind if I invited Scootaloo for dinner?"
"I doubt it. Come on, bring your girlfriend in." Thunderlane smiled when Scootaloo shot Rumble a look that made him shrug. The two followed him inside.
"I thought that we weren't supposed to tell anyone." Scootaloo whispered.
"Cut me some slack here, I asked him on advice with asking you out in the first place." Rumble defended.
"I can hear you two you know." Thunderlane said. "Are you two sharing secrets or something?"
"Thunderlane, you promised." Rumble threatened.
"Chillax little bro, It's just harmless teasing. But I can't help you if Mom and Dad start talking." Thunderlane said, holding his hooves up. Rumble sighed and rolled his eyes, bringing Scootaloo into the living room.
"Hey Mom, hey Dad." Rumble said. The two adults turned around and smiled.
"Hey Rumble," his Dad said. He looked to Scootaloo and smiled. "It's been a while since I've seen you around here."
"Yeah...I know." Scootaloo looked down and scratched the back of her head.
"You don't mind if I invited her for dinner do you?"
"No, of course not." Rumble's father replied. He wrapped an arm around Scootaloo and lead her to the couch.
"You can stay as long as you'd like." he promised.
"Thank you sir." Scootaloo said.
"Dinner will be ready in a few minutes, so go wash up." Rumble's mother said, shooing the two a way to the bathroom.
Scootaloo followed and eventually after a few minutes, everyone sat at the kitchen table. Scootaloo sat next to Blossom Forth; who sat to the left of Thunderlane, and smiled warmly at the two. Rumble sat next to his Mom, with his father at her left side. And his Dad sat next to Thunderlane.
They all engaged into conversation as they dug in, scooping in salad and pasta on their plates. There was a bunch of muffled chatter, as laughter soon erupted from different family members.
Eventually, Rumble's mother, who was wiping a tear from her eye from laughing so hard looked to Scootaloo. "What about you Scootaloo? Do you have anything interesting to say?"
Scootaloo looked down to her plate. "No Ma'am." she replied.
"Oh there's got to be something you could tell us." Rumble's dad mentioned.
"There's not much to tell really. I mean, I enjoy helping Blossom out by being her bridesmare, but other than practicing for the Wonder Bolt's Academy, I don't have much else to say."
"But aren't you and Rumble together?" Rumble's mother replied. Scootaloo tensed up, giving Rumble a scorching look from the side.
"Um...what makes you think that?"
"It's painfully obvious. The way you two kids are always hanging out together. Reminds me of when I was young with my Storm." Rumble's father replied.
"Oh, you sweet heart." his mother replied. "Don't you two always go on dates together?"
"Oh, well, we went to a restaurant a few times. But that's it."
"There's no need to hide it Rumble. We're all family here. It's okay to talk about your girlfriend a little." Thunderlane joined in. Rumble shot Thunderlane a look, which had no effect on him as he kept the same teasing grin on his face.
Scootaloo and Rumble both tensed up at the word 'girlfriend'. They may have started dating, but it still felt strange to call each other those names. Or any nicknames. The tips of the two's ears started turning red, and heat was spreading to their cheeks.
"You don't have to be embarrassed Rumble," Blossom Forth encouraged. "you can talk about being together. Have you two kissed each other yet?"
Scootaloo started covering her face with her hooves and slipping out of her chair as she turned bright red, while Rumble broke into a nervous sweat.
"N-no. I haven't." he assured her.
"Not even a small peck on the lips?" his mother asked.
"Nope." Rumble said quickly. Right now, he and Scootaloo both wished they could just climb in a hole and stay there for the rest of their lives. 'I am so sorry Scootaloo.' Rumble thought.
"It's not like that, we just hang out together."
"Yes, eating dinner together until ten is totally just hanging out." Thunderlane smirked, folding his arms and looking to Rumble."
"Thunderlane! You said you wouldn't tell anyone."
"Didn't think you meant family too. Welp, it's a bit late for that now." he said. Rumble put his head on the table and groaned as he continuously turned red.
"You two don't have to be embarrassed." Rumble's mom echoed, "You two are exactly like Blossom and Thunderlane here, and I'm sure that within a few years time, you two'll will be- "
"Please don't say it Mom, not in front of Scootaloo." Rumble begged.
"be happily married, just like these two will." she said. Scootaloo had enough and stood up.
"Thanks for the meal, but I should get home." she stood up and walked out of the silent room.
"Scootaloo wait," Rumble went after her.
"Don't you want any hot chocolate?" Rumble's dad called out.
"No Sir," she replied. Everyone at the table went silent as the front door opened.
"You think we went a little far this time?" Rumble's mom asked.
"Maybe a bit. But hey, we didn't mention grandkids." His father shrugged.
"Scootaloo, wait."
"What Rumble?" she snapped back, whipping her head around.
"I'm sorry."
"You don't need to be."
"I don't?"
"I should've known this would happen. Yet I was hoping it wouldn't, I'm such an idiot for not thinking about it."
"It's my fault for inviting you there." Rumble said, walking up next to her as she trudged home.
"It was still fun for the first few minutes, and I got dinner out of it, so that wasn't so bad."
"I didn't think they'd go that far though." Rumble said.
"You don't think about that, do you?" Scootaloo asked, looking to Rumble with curious eyes and the fading blush on her cheeks.
"Think about what?" Rumble asked.
"What your mother mentioned at the end, you know, about the..." Scootaloo tried to say it but the word caught in her throat. But Rumble understood what she meant, and blushed.
"No. I don't." Rumble admitted.
"Okay then, I'm not sure how to feel about that."
"You don't have to feel anything about it."
"Well, since my parents have mentioned in the past about how I'm almost old enough to get married, I can't help but want to consider it."
"When did they mention that?"
"Around the time I turned seventeen. My dad kept tearing up and saying how I was growing up so fast. He even had this big talk with me about how I could marry somepony once I turned twenty five or something like that."
"He's pretty protective." Rumble said.
"Yeah, he can be, but I can understand why. He's my Dad, and I'll always love him to death, even if it means he raises the bar a bit with my relationships."
"Fair enough. Do you hate my family now or something?"
"Why would I do that?"
"They did keep teasing us about our relationship."
"Yeah, but that's typical family teasing. I just couldn't bear the..." Scootaloo choked on her words as she tried to get the last one out.
"It's okay, I understand what you mean." Rumble assured her.
"Do you feel anything about it?" she asks.
"Not really, like I said, I don't think about it too often. I never really thought about that, between you and me. You know?" The two stopped in the snow, Rumble looking away and scratching the back of his head.
"Do you consider me to be your girl-" she tried saying the word as well, but the caught in her throat with the first.
"I actually don't know what to consider you as, I don't feel close enough to you to consider you that, but I consider you as more than a friend."
"I feel the same way." snow started drifting down between the two, it was one of the last scheduled blizzards before Spring. One snowflake floated in between them, drifting as it slowly fell to the ground. Snow mixed in with the layers in their manes, and warmth spread to Scootaloo's cheeks as she thought back to the one day in the snow.
'I seem to be reminded constantly of it all the time.' she thought. Rumble stared into the black in her eyes, which was reflecting the drifting snowflake between them. For a long time, the two stayed there, waiting for the other to say something, and gradually growing a bit closer every minute. Until the warmth growing between them could no longer compete with the dropping temperature.
"I-I'd best get home." Scootaloo said, wishing she hadn't broken their gaze so quickly. The two walked in silence for a while until Scootaloo made it home.
"See you in school tomorrow." she said. Before stepping inside.
"See ya."
Scootaloo's mother stepped up and saw the snow in her daughter's hair. She smiled. "How was it?"
"That bad huh? Well, you survived, though I'm surprised that you didn't beat the snow here."
"I got a bit sidetracked on the way home."
"Okay then." Scootaloo climbed the stairs and walked down the hallway to the bathroom, where she cleaned herself up before going to bed.
She shut the door and flopped onto her bed, sighing all the while as she drifted into sleep. Where her dreams were filled with hot meals and fallen snow. And for the first time in a while, Rumble.
"Scootaloo?" Scootaloo didn't reply and continued staring ahead.
"Hey, Scootaloo?" the voice asked again, a yellow hoof started moving in front of her face. "Anyone there?"
"Scootaloo!" Sweetie Belle said, shaking her friend's shoulders until she got out of her daze.
"Huh?" she asked.
"We've been calling your name for the past five minutes." Sweetie Belle said.
"Really? Sorry about that." Scootaloo apologized.
"You must 'a been in real deep thought to not answer us like that, any longer and I would've went to go get help." Apple Bloom said.
"I guess that you could say that." Scootaloo rubbed her eyes, unaware of the red on her cheeks.
"What were you thinking about?"
The better question was, Could she ever think about anything else?, Rumble was staying in her mind no matter what she did.
"Nothing important," she shrugged.
"Whatever you say Scootaloo," Apple Bloom said with a roll of her eyes. "Just finish scrubbing." she tossed Scootaloo a bucket of water, nearly soaking her with the cold stuff.
"Hey, watch it!" she called back.
"Ah'm not the one who volunteered to clean the outside of the clubhouse am I?" Apple Bloom said with a smirk. Scootaloo mumbled under her breath and took the sponge, scrubbing away at all of the dirt and such. She continued briskly until the entire outside was cleaned, and started sweeping all of the sticks and acorns that managed to find their ways there. Eventually, the trio had completely fixed the clubhouse.
"I'll ask AppleJack to help me straighten up the flooring tomorrow. Until then, thanks for helping girls."
"No problem." Sweetie Belle said. "It's always a pleasure to clean a the inside of the tree house."
"You sure you don't need any help?" Scootaloo asked.
"Positive, 'sides, don't you have that dress fitting tomorrow?"
"Yeah, but I'm sure that-"
"Go to the fitting Scootaloo, Blossom and her bridesmares lookin' their finest is way more important than fixing a little old clubhouse." Sweetie Belle said.
"Okay then, suit yourself."
"See ya at school tomorrow." Apple Bloom said. She waved as her friends took off for home, eventually parting ways as town came into view.
"Is this too tight dearie?" Rarity asked, wrapping the dress around Blossomforth.
"No, it's fine, though something's pinching my side a bit."
"Well I'll get right to it." Rarity swooped to the Blossom's right and immediately started tending the problem, while the other's waited in their dresses. If they had the flowers, makeup, and accessories, they would've looked ready for any wedding. The other mares gossiped about the wedding, while Scootaloo sat with her head resting on her hoof.
Rumble managed to enter her mind and she felt like she wasn't even in the boutique anymore. 'I wonder what he'll think of me in this dress,' she thought, trying to mentally think up an image of Rumble with a shocked look on his face. One look in the mirror, and Scootaloo could tell that anyone would be shocked at how she looked.
With the flower theme, Rarity had to find a way to get the dresses to match everyone's personality, and Scootaloo was stuck with one of the more slender dresses of the set, it curved around her, and stopped at her hooves. A light shade of pink fabric, a curved design cut into it, almost like a heart stopping just below the neck, was holding it up. The shade lightened as it ran through to the back of the dress. The dress came with its own accessory; a pink flower with a purplish-pink middle to match her hair, much like Blossom's cutiemark to add to her hair. It lay on the table next to her, she didn't find it necessary to see how it would look.
'Rarity went all out with the matching on this one.' Scootaloo thought. She looked up to find everyone staring back at her, Blossom, who was wearing an unfinished dress stood in front of everyone with hopeful eyes. It was like everyone was waiting for something.
Scootaloo then realized that someone must've said something to her, and that she didn't quite catch it. "Huh?" she asked. Every mare in the room burst into giggles, as Scootaloo felt herself turn red.
"I asked if you liked the way I look." Blossom repeated, wiping a tear from her eye. "You looked like you were miles away from this place. That was probably the most hilarious thing I've seen today," Blossom said, choking back another round of giggles.
'I can see why she loves Thunderlane so much.' Scootaloo slouched over and said nothing, still blushing from the laughter.
"I bet that she was thinking about Rumble." Flitter said. Scootaloo blushed harder, further proving Flitter's point. "Ha! I knew it! You do like him don't you?" Flitter said, coming closer to Scootaloo.
Before Scootaloo could mutter out a response, Rarity came to her rescue.
"Now, now, we're worrying about Blossom here," she began, smirking when Scootaloo threw her a grateful glance. "do you like the way it looks?"
"I actually do." Scootaloo said, looking at the dress.
"Just wait until this dress is finished, Thunderlane's in for the surprise of his life." Blossom said, turning to the mirror and posing to get a good look at herself.
"I'm sure he'll love it." one of Blossom's friends, Silver Speed assured her.
"Thanks Silv," Blossom replied.
"See you girls next week." Rarity called back, Scootaloo hung her head, still blushing a small bit, she walked out quickly, but couldn't escape Rarity's watchful eye.
"Scootaloo."
"Horse apples." she mumbled, she knew Rarity would want to know what the big deal was.
"May I talk to you for a moment?"
Scootaloo tried to pretend nothing happened. "About what?"
"Nice try, you know what I'm talking about." Rarity said Scootaloo sighed and walked back inside.
"Okay, you caught me. I was in deep thought."
"About...?" Rarity asked.
"Nothing really important," Scootaloo admitted. "I'm just thinking a bit about my future." her answer became a reflex with the amount if times she had been asked that question. She was surprised at how easy it was for her to say it.
"Something tells me it's more than that." Rarity said in a suspicious tone.
"Trust me Rarity, its not worth thinking over." Scootaloo assured her, she had more than her fair share of that experience.
"Then do me one favor, just before you leave Scootaloo,"
'Here we go,'
"Answer Flitter's question, do you like Rumble in the way she was letting on?"
"Why do you want to know that?"
"I just do."
"It's no pony's business on who I like and don't like, I don't want my 'feelings' ending up on the front page of Equestria Daily."
"That's not-"
"Could we please not talk about it. I really don't feel comfortable with answering that." 'Considering I'm still trying to find out myself.'
"Okay, I understand I must've been invading a little, I truly and deeply apologize."
"Don't worry about it."
"But if you ever do want to talk about something, feel free to come to me if you feel the need to. I'm sure you'd go straight for Rainbow Dash or even Blossom Forth before me, but still."
"Thanks Rarity." Scootaloo replied, she knew Rarity's heart was in the right place, but she didn't want to reveal the feelings she didn't even understand openly like everyone suggested. She stepped out of the boutique, and headed home. Instead though, she found herself making a B-line for the highest cloud in the sky, and found herself laying there, Rumble invading her mind more than ever.
She put a hoof to her temple and groaned. 'I may not ever get him out of my head.' She let her arm drop to her chest and looked to the blue of the sky.
'I need to stop getting so side tracked. Otherwise I'm going to end up like this every day." she told herself quietly, she played with a tuft of cloud, it wasn't until the sky began to turn red and the blues and indigos and purples of the sky began to fade in.
'I'd better get home.' she thought, she propped herself up and quickly flew to the ground. The air was cold and chilly, and she badly wished for something warm to hold or wrap around her.
She squeezed her eyes shut as a cold gust of wind blew her way, making her hover in the air and wrap her arms around her chest. 'Mother of Luna, its cold out here." she muttered. She opened her eyes in time to realize she was nearly home. She quickly flew to her door and knocked, waiting for her dad to open the door.
"Hey Scootaloo." Rumble said with a smile. Scootaloo couldn't help but blush as she tilted her ears back.
"H-hey. What are you doing here?" she said, her sentence was choppy and made her blush even more.
"I came to talk to you, but I saw that you weren't here, so now I'm just kind of hanging around." Rumble explained.
"What did you want to talk about?" Scootaloo asked, stepping closer, she no longer felt the cold, with the warmth she felt seeing him.
"Can we say this in your room?" he asked. Scootaloo felt hesitant as she stepped inside.
"Um....sure." Scootaloo smiled at her dad as she walked past him, getting a small smile back.
Once they were in her room, Rumble shut the door behind them and sat in her chair.
"What is it Rumble?" she asked.
"Well, I just wanted to talk to you."
"Couldn't we have done it outside?"
"I think that this conversation would be better off in private."
Scootaloo tilted her ears back again, she grew worried about what he was going to say.
"Then spit it out." she said, trying to keep her usual casual laid back tone. But she failed once her voice shook at the end.
"This is kind of a silly question, but, what do you think you'd be doing in the future?"
"That's it?" she asked, she continued without letting him respond. "Okay then, well, flying with the Junior Wonderbolts and being bumped up to the official Wonderbolts. And living in my own cloud home."
"What about with me?" Rumble asked. Scootaloo tensed up and froze. Her face went completely red and her heart started beating like crazy. She didn't know what to say. Not at all.
"Why do you want to know?" she asked, shutting her eyes and turning around.
"I'm just curious, have you thought about it? It's okay if you haven't." Rumble said. Scootaloo sighed and cracked open her eyes until they were lidded halfway.
"That's the thing though Rumble," she said quietly. "I always think about it." Now it was Rumble's turn to tense up, though he didn't blush nearly as much as Scootaloo was, her ears, cheeks, and the bridge of her nose made her coat look more scarlet than orange.
"You have?"
Scootaloo sighed and turned his direction, looking down at the floor. "Yes."
Rumble felt eager to ask 'About what?' but he didn't want to force Scootaloo to speak.
A long pause came between the two, neither of them knowing how to respond. Scootaloo fluttered her wings uncomfortably, while Rumble twiddled his hooves.
"I....I'm always thinking about you Rumble. And I don't know why." Scootaloo admitted, finally breaking the forming ice. "I guess that thoughts about being with you in the future popped up once in a while."
"What exactly do you see us doing together?" Rumble asked.
"....I'd rather not say."
"Remember our deal Scoots, you tell me something and I'll tell you?" Rumble reminded her.
'Why am I always doing this to myself?' she thought. "I thought about us living...together...at one point." she shrunk down and turned away, looking out the window as gray clouds took the place of the forming night sky.
Rumble didn't know how he could respond. How do you respond to something like that, 'I do too.'? He never expected her to give that as a response. Thunderlane had warned him that girls were always thinking about this type of stuff, that it came naturally to them. He never expected Scootaloo would mention such a gigantic step in a relationship.
"I...I don't know how to respond." Rumble finally admitted, the words were hard for him to choke out.
"That's okay, I shouldn't have mentioned it." Scootaloo said. "I...I'm sorry."
"You don't have to be." Rumble replied quickly. "I came here to ask you in the first place. Now what do I have to say?" Rumble asked, preparing himself for what could come next.
"You don't have to do that this time." Scootaloo said, turning over and lying on her bed, her back facing towards him. Rumble's jaw dropped as he stared back at her. It was hard for him to say what he was thinking next.
"...I...I don't?" he asked in obvious disbelief.
"Not this time." Scootaloo stated. "Look, I don't want to talk about this now. I can barely understand exactly how I feel about you, I think that we should talk about this another time. You can go home now if you want." Scootaloo said quickly.
"Okay then. I'll guess that I'll see you in school tomorrow?" Rumble asked, getting up and looking back to her, hoping he'd find her eyes again.
"Yeah." she said softly. Disappointed, Rumble quietly shut the door and left.
'Where is she?' Rumble asked, tapping his hoof on the table. Eventually Scootaloo showed up out of the blue, holding a tray and showing no rush to get to the table as usual.
"There you are." Rumble said in a relieved tone. "I didn't think you'd come."
"Why?"
"Well, after yesterday-"
"Can we please forget about yesterday?" she interjected blush rushing to paint her cheeks.
'Why is she so defensive about this?' Rumble thought. "Okay, then tell me this, how do you plan on buying your future house?"
"That's too close to the last subject." Scootaloo scowled.
"Please?" Rumble replied. "I'm really curious."
"Then you tell me how you'll buy your house." she demanded.
"Fine, go on, ladies first." Scootaloo rolled her eyes and looked down.
"Believe it or not Romeo, I had a few jobs not too long ago to cover it. I saved up a bunch of money and put it in some bank accounts a while ago, and I've got my eye set out on a few cloud homes I checked out."
"My parents offered to pay for my house, but I refused. So I'm taking money out of my savings account to buy one."
"And how'd you get this money?"
"My parents set it up when I was born, and more money was put into it over the years. So I have a bunch of interest."
"I won't bother asking how much, do you have your eyes set on a house?"
"I'm looking at some. But I've got a friend of family who can help me find one."
"What exactly do you have your eyes set out on?"
"Basically anything that can fit my budget." Rumble shrugged.
"Okay then, can we talk about something else, this is getting boring."
"You want to talk about our next hang out?" Rumble offered. Scootaloo knew he meant date, but that he didn't want to say it aloud.
"Go for it, what do you suggest?" she asked.
"We could go house-hunting." he said teasingly. Scootaloo rolled her eyes and punched his arm.
"I'll pass on that one. Can't we just, I don't know, relax?" Scootaloo suggested.
"And how would we be relaxing?"
"I don't know, lay down on a cloud or something?"
"This is shocking news, Scootaloo doesn't want to exercise?" Rumble teased. Scootaloo rolled her eyes again.
"After practice. And you earned yourself 50 wing-ups." she pointed her hoof to him with a scowl, showing how much she meant it. Rumble knew he shouldn't object to it, so he settled for a defeated sigh.
'Why do I do this to myself?' he thought. Before another word could be said between them, the bell rang, signaling the two to get to class. Without a word, they both stood up and walked to the end of the cafeteria, where they just smiled at each other and parted ways.
The class went silent when the intercom crackled, as though someone was balling up paper on the other side of it. After a few short crackles a voice on the intercom interrupted.
"Please excuse the interruption, but all Seniors report to the Gym after your next class. All Seniors report to the Gym after your next class." The voice repeated. As soon as there was a click and the speaker went silent, talking resumed. All except for Scootaloo, who continued copying down what was left on the board as she rest her head on her hoof.
'Wonder what its for.' she thought, the pencil drooping from her mouth as she finished. The bell rang and she stood up, while everyone else ran out of class, Scootaloo finished stuffing her things in her saddle bag.
History went by faster than she could keep up, and she soon found herself sitting at the top of the bleachers a few seats away from her friends in the 'Assembly Room' as everyone called it. A bunch of chatter and conversations were tuned out as Scootaloo stared at the gym floor ahead.
'Maybe its another lecture about exams.' she thought. She sighed and paid no attention to the empty row on both sides of her. She leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes, waiting for the Principal to make an appearance before them.
"Tired?" she heard, Scootaloo jumped and opened her eyes, looking at the place where the voice came. Rumble was coming to a landing on the seat in front of her and smiling teasingly. As much as she wanted to scowl at him, she couldn't help but smile back.
"No, just bored." she stated. Rumble came up and sat to her right, smiling at her as she forced her eyes away, knowing she'd end up blushing if she looked at him. A tendril of her hair covered her eyes and hid the forming smile from him.
"Me too, they're probably going to remind us about how important exams are again." Rumble said with a roll of his eyes.
"Probably." Scootaloo agreed.
"Have you studied at all for them?" Rumble asked.
"Not as often as I should." Scootaloo shrugged.
"And how much is 'often'?" Rumble questioned, shifting himself towards her.
"If I get any free time from my friends or Rainbow Dash at all, or from trying on or discussing dresses, or practicing with you, then I take the time to review a few lessons." Scootaloo said.
"And that's how much a week?"
"I'm sorry, I didn't know I was supposed to keep track. I don't know a couple of hours?"
"Yeah, guess I'm a little more nervous than I thought."
"Little?" Scootaloo asked, pointing a raised eyebrow and crossing her arms his way.
"Okay, a lot." Rumble said with a roll of his eyes.
"Hey, don't be so worried about it, it's just a test."
"A test that determines if I can graduate high school, how are you not nervous about this?"
"Who said I wasn't?"
"You might as well have with the way you act about it."
"I may not show it, but I'm just as nervous as you. How can I get into Junior Wonderbolts if I can't pass my high school exams, the ones that basically determine if I get a career or not?"
"So you are nervous?"
"No, I'm excited and I can't wait to take the test that will determine my whole entire future." Scootaloo said in an obnoxious and sarcastic tone.
"You're worried about your future?"
"Yeah, didn't I tell you before, Romeo?"
"Maybe, but I wouldn't remember it that much." Rumble admitted.
"Well I am. I've been ever since me and my friends started looking for our destinies. Of course its apart of mine to help other ponies find the true meaning of their own destinies, or even find it, but I have several sub talents to use in a career."
"Such as flying." Rumble added.
"Yep."
"You're a pretty agile and nimble flier." Rumble said.
"Are you kidding? I'm not half as good as Rainbow Dash, or even the most nimble fliers in the Wonderbolts."
"I'd say you're better. You can really fly Scoots."
"You think so?" Scootaloo asked, finally making contact with his eyes.
"Yeah. I really do. You're one of the best I've ever seen." Rumble said.
"Are you saying that to get on my good side today?" Scootaloo asked with an unsure tone.
"Call it what you like, but I'm being honest here." Rumble said.
"Well....thanks. I didn't start off that way though."
"I know, you were a late bloomer."
"There's a bit more to it than that."
"There is?" Rumble asked, turning back to her.
"Yeah." Scootaloo said, her tone deepening as she looked away and hugged her arms to her chest.
"You want to talk about it?" Rumble asked.
"Maybe another time," Scootaloo said.
"Okay then, I can respect that."
Before another word could be spoken, the Vice-Principal started tapping the microphone. "Testing, testing, can you all hear me?" she asked into the microphone. Many of the students in the bleachers nodded and she smiled.
"Good, I'm sure that you all are wondering about why you came here," she asked, shifting her indigo eyes across the audience. The students nodded, and some responded with a "Yes," or "Yeah," .
"I'm sure this comes as no surprise, but we wanted to discuss the importance of your exams." she said. A few students groaned while the others let out a long sigh.
"I know, I know, you heard this a thousand times, but we simply wanted to let you know the importance of them."
"But we already know they determine whether we graduate!" One raspberry haired mare called out, moving her light orange hooves to cup her mouth.
"I'm sure you do," the Vice-Principal said, putting on a patient smile, "but we still feel that it's important to discuss." she stepped out of the way, making room for the Principal, a blue-gray unicorn with completely silver hair. She opened up her turquoise eyes expectedly, and whatever chatter had arose stopped in an instant.
"Thank you." Mrs. Harper said, she looked among the crowd of students. "I am well aware that some of you don't take your tests very seriously, and I believe that it is a part of my job to make certain that you understand that dawdling around isn't going to get you a good career."
Rumble looked to Scootaloo, who guessed Rumble would do so and rolled her eyes.
"Some of you may be planning parties and a get together, but I can not stress you enough to put some time aside to study. Passing a test and forgetting about the material the next day is completely different than knowing the material. For these can later apply to your later life. Take it from an old mare like myself, it may not seem all that important now, but you should focus on your studies, and preferably get a career that applies to your destinies.
"That slip of paper you will receive will determine what careers you end up with, so I suggest that you work hard to earn it. Meaning you shouldn't let something like a party of some sort get in the way of your future career. Make responsible choices, and don't only learn, but know the material."
A few classmates snickered and loudly whispered to one another. "She sounds like she's in a psa commercial. Next thing you know she's going to tell us to eat healthy." One said loudly, earning a few chuckles from the crowd. Scootaloo rolled her eyes at the bunch.
"Underestimated my hearing haven't we Mister Lining?" Mrs. Harper said into the microphone, spawning a bunch of laughs from the crowd as the stallion looked up in shock, blushed, and sank into his seat.
Mrs. Harper continued going on about making responsible choices and different career paths. Rumble and Scootaloo continued saying nothing as she went on, occasionally being interrupted light blue Vice-Principal Skies. Who would occasionally flutter her wings or fix a hair of her blue mane, which had a three different shades of blue, each layer darker than the other, and tied in a tight bun at the top of her head.
Rumble tensed up and froze when he heard movement to his right. He then found something leaning on him and found mauve purple hair brushing his cheek. He felt a bit of heat flood the tops of his ears as he tilted them down. He continued staring down at the Principals, trying not to miss a word Mrs. Harper was saying.
The tips of Scootaloo's ears were red, and the lightest shade of red painted her cheeks and the bridge of her nose. She continued smiling as she began to lean on Rumble a bit, starting to feel a bit tired from sitting there for nearly a whole two hours. She tensed up and froze when she found something wrap around her side and bring her a bit closer, and found gray feathers wrapping her. She looked up to see the biggest smile and blush on Rumble's face, before smiling even wider and continuing to listen.
"Thank you all for your time. You are dismissed." Principal Harper waved her students off, and they all started climbing down the bleachers, stretching out their tired limbs before heading off to their next class. Before anyone could see them, the two pegasi unraveled and smiled at each other, exchanging a simple nod, which might as well screamed 'See you at practice,' .They then glided down the steps of the bleachers and parted ways.
Scootaloo sighed and stared out the window. Why now of all times? It was the perfect weather before to practice with Rumble on that new spin move. But of course, there it was, falling right outside the window as though it was taunting her in the last class of the day.
Rain.
'Great.' she thought. For the first time in a long time, she wished that they all would just stay in class instead of having to face an afternoon of doing nothing but homework. But of course, time was not on her side that day.
The bell rang and everyone sprang up, eagerly wanting to get home as they all strapped on their saddle bags. The teacher took her time to remind everyone to study, and that they had a test that Friday. But at that point, Scootaloo was the last in class.
The teacher sighed and sat at her desk, waving at Scootaloo carelessly as she stood up and started to leave. "Have a nice day," she sighed, Scootaloo wished she would.
Rumble sighed as he looked up to the gray clouds, he stood in the door way and frowned at the forming puddles on the ground. A few of his class mates brushed past him and opened up their own umbrellas, or met up with family members. He sighed and looked up at the clouds.
'Couldn't it have rained any other day?' he thought. He stepped into the rain and quickly started for home.
"Wait up," he heard, he looked behind him to find Scootaloo trotting down the steps with an umbrella tucked between her wing. Rumble jumped from the reaction but recovered quickly once she flashed him a smile.
"Hey Scoots," he said, returning the smile back.
"You aren't just going to walk home in the rain are you?" she asked.
"We can't practice today," Rumble said, gesturing to the clouds.
"So? We can do other things besides practice. Can't get away from me that easily." she said with a devious grin.
"Okay, so what do we do?" Rumble said, moving his gaze to Scootaloo as she walked up to him.
"We could go to my house again. My folks should be at work, so we'll have the place to ourselves. Rumble found himself tensing up at that thought. The last time they were alone and out of public eyes, they nearly kissed. He shook off the memory.
"Sounds good," he said.
Rumble and Scootaloo sat on the sofa side by side, neither knew what to do. 'Come on Scootaloo, think! He's right next to you, say something!' she kept telling herself. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She regretted asking him to come. Here was the perfect time to talk to Rumble, and she was freezing up.
She so badly wanted to snap out of it. Rumble continued looking at the ceiling, listening to the patter of the rain outside. "So..." Rumble finally managed to say.
"Yeah?" Scootaloo responded, a bit too quick to sound casual.
Rumble hesitated as a thought came to his head. "About the assembly the other day..." he said, twiddling his hooves. Scootaloo blushed and looked down.
"Oh yeah, I was feeling a bit tired, and I knew you wouldn't mind if I leaned on you a small bit so..."
"I actually liked that a bit." Rumble said, moving his eyes up to Scootaloo's, her blush making the seem more intense.
"Y-you did?" she asked, fluttering her wings.
Rumble nodded. And blushed.
"And then you wrapped your wing around me," Scootaloo mentioned.
"Yeah, I...I don't know what came over me, I guess that I just wanted you to come a little closer and-" Rumble blushed and scratched the back of his head. Scootaloo stopped him.
"I liked that. It actually felt...nice. Comforting in a way." she said. The two stared in the other's eyes for the longest time, neither feeling the need to exchange a word before the other.
"Would you..." Rumble finally said after the long silence, "mind if I did it again?" he asked. Scootaloo blushed and the words caught in her throat. She settled for a nod, which Rumble couldn't help but think looked adorable.
Rumble subtly wrapped his wing around her. And Scootaloo found herself closing the space between them. She leaned her head onto Rumble's neck and sighed. She wished she could stay there forever, and that the growing warmth in her chest would never stop burning. The warmth spread to her cheeks as she looked up at him, finding him blushing too.
"This is pretty nice..." Scootaloo said finally.
"I like it too." Rumble agreed. They sat there for another moment before Rumble broke the silence. "I wish we could be out there."
"Me too, stupid rain." Scootaloo sighed.
"Do you have anything on your mind?" he asked.
"Nothing I want to talk about right now." she said. She didn't want to mention anything she might regret.
"Then, I hope you don't mind if I ask you something else." Rumble said.
"Depends on what it is." Scootaloo said.
"Remember when you were sick and I came to visit..."
"Haven't I answered this already?" Scootaloo said.
"I just want to be sure, and I do have a bit of a bad memory." Rumble said. Scootaloo rolled her eyes and looked down.
"I don't know what I was thinking." Scootaloo said. "Something about you no longer close felt, strange. Empty in a way. I just acted without thinking. I'm so sorry about that." Scootaloo buried her face in her hooves.
"Trust me, I didn't mind. I was a bit surprised at first, but I liked it....a lot." Rumble looked to Scootaloo, who was still avoiding his gaze. "Besides, I'm the one who pulled you a little closer."
"Yeah." Scootaloo said. Hugging her arms to her chest and blushing like crazy.
"Did you...mean anything by doing that?" Rumble asked eventually.
"What?" Scootaloo asked.
"I mean, when you grabbed my hoof, did it mean something?" Rumble asked. Scootaloo could now feel that warmth burning like mad.
"I-I don't know. I just acted without thinking. I didn't expect you to respond." Scootaloo looked at her arms.
"Just like in the snow." Rumble muttered. Scootaloo could tell he was blushing. "I'm so mad at myself for doing that." Rumble said, bringing a hoof to his forehead and squeezing his eyes shut. "I'm so sorry that I started that." Rumble apologized. Scootaloo couldn't help but smile.
"You don't have to apologize," she told him. Her eyes drifted to his, which were full of a bit of surprise and aimed in her direction. "I did it too. I'm sorry about that."
"Your the last pony who should be sorry, I started it. You just one-upped me by doing it longer." Rumble said.
"It wasn't meant to be that way, it was another action without thinking. It's like my brain flipped to autopilot and..." Scootaloo sighed. The two looked to the floor. They weren't sure what to say next to make the conversation any less awkward.
"Well...I honestly wouldn't mind if you did it again..." Rumble said.
"Let's slow down a moment Romeo, one step at a time." Scootaloo said.
"But-"
"Another time." Scootaloo stated. Rumble knew better than to object and sighed.
"Fine." The rain continued to patter against the roof of the house. Every drip heard from outside echoed in their ears.
They remained silent for the rest of the afternoon. Listening to the cold rain pitter patter across everything it touched.
The two panted as they flopped down on the cloud. After a long afternoon of practice, the two finally finished. They flew around Ponyville for the highest and farthest cloud from any pony, until they came across one cloud at a dizzying height, that was big enough to fit the both of them.
The two each took a moment to catch their breath, until they finally slowed their breathing and looked to the sky. "That was some practice," Rumble said.
"Easy for you to say, you were the one teaching me today, how are you so out of breath?"
"It's as hard to coach you as it is to be coached by you." Rumble replied.
Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "Whatever lover boy, so what exactly did you want to do up here?" she asked. Rumble looked her direction and right into her eyes.
"I wanted to tell you something else." Rumble said.
"And what would that be?" Scootaloo asked, doing her best to keep her tone of voice. Though her stomach seemed to drop all the way to the ground.
"I don't want any more barriers between us Scoots, we've known each other for years, yet we still can't help but blush and say nothing when we're together." Rumble said.
"It's not that easy Rumble," Scootaloo said, starting to get a bit defensive.
"I'm just saying we should try knocking down a few more walls that we built between ourselves."
"First off, isn't that the whole point in a relationship? Second, why are you being so metaphorical all of a sudden? I thought that we agreed that cliché's are overused."
"I know, but we haven't done much progress. Do you want to blush in public every time we talk about something with each other?"
"No, but I don't want to take such a huge step like that." Scootaloo said. "Besides, we made some progress."
"Such as?"
"I let you wrap your wing around me, and I always get closer to you when we sit together..." Scootaloo said, "when no pony's watching."
"But I would like to take it a bit further, you know? I'm not saying we should do anything drastic, but I'd like for us to get a bit closer to each other."
"You're so stubborn." Scootaloo scoffed with a smirk.
"Look who's talking Hot Shot." Rumble shot back with a sly grin.
"Fine, what do you suggest?" Scootaloo said.
"Well for starters, we could tell each other about more things. In a bit more specific way than with friends." Rumble said.
"Do you want to tell our friends about this?" Scootaloo asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Honestly, I don't feel the need to do that yet. Maybe later, when our relationship grows."
"Okay, then can you answer my questions for a change?"
"What do you mean?"
"For the past few days we ever talked to each other, you called all the shots, let me have a chance at this." Scootaloo said.
"Fine, what's the question?" Rumble asked.
"Why do you hang out with me all the time? Be honest." Scootaloo hugged her arms to her chest.
"I told you before, and I'll tell you again, I like hanging out with you. You were always different from other fillies, determined, and I've hung out with you long enough to know that underneath all that tough skin, you have a soft side." Rumble said.
"You don't find interest in any other mares? You don't want anything from me? Don't you ever think they might be better than me, or look better than me? Don't you?"
"Why would I think that?"
"I don't know, okay?!" Scootaloo snapped. Rumble fell silent as he looked at her rage filled eyes. "I...I don't know. I just always thought that you could hang out with any other mare in Equestria, and you're so nice and you just go with the flow. I always wondered why you would want to spend anytime with me."
They both fell silent as Scootaloo ripped her reddening eyes away. She put a hoof to her face once she felt moisture boiling up in her eyes. 'Why am I crying now? Now of all times to?' She quickly wiped it away and hoped Rumble wouldn't notice.
But he wasn't fooled. "Scootaloo?" he asked hesitantly, seeing big tears roll down the side of her face as she sat up. He rolled to his hooves and edged closer, trying to get a good look at her face but with no prevail. He found a few tears dripping off her face behind her mane.
'Aw shoot, I didn't mean to make her cry.' Rumble thought. 'I'm such an idiot!' He brought his hoof to his face. After a second or so, he turned back to Scootaloo and set a hoof on her shoulder. Scootaloo tensed up and stared blankly out ahead.
"I'm sorry Scootaloo. I shouldn't have mentioned this topic yet." He sighed and looked at her back side. "I don't like all of those other mares the same way I like you, they don't hold a candle to you. I think that you're a great mare, that you're talented. I admire how you don't show any care for those that try to put you down. I like how you're always so determined....I find something beautiful in that." Rumble was surprised that he wasn't blushing, and it felt like a gigantic weight was lifted off his chest upon saying those words.
Scootaloo found more moisture building up in her eyes, and she did nothing as they boiled over. She sniffed once and turned to the side a bit, still hiding her face behind her mane.
"You...think I'm beautiful?" she asked, her voice catching in her throat. Rumble smiled.
"Yes." he said. Scootaloo didn't reply for a moment. Her lips were quivering until they eventually formed a small shaky smile as tears ran like rivers over them.
She heard movement and found Rumble moving closer. He wrapped his arms, and then his wings around her, and rested his head over hers. "I'll always think that you're beautiful Scootaloo, despite what other ponies may say, or whatever you think of yourself, I will always think you're beautiful. Scootaloo's eyes grew wide as the tears on her face stained Rumble's coat. Though he didn't seem to mind, he just rested his head on top of hers and squeezed her into a hug.
The tears came to a halt as she smiled, laying her head on his chest. "Thank you." she whispered, the warmth growing in her chest. The sound of his heartbeat, and the feeling of his arms and wings around her, made her feel like a small child again.
When the two finally parted, neither said a word to the other. They just sat there, watching the sun make it's slow arc across the rest of the sky. And watched the different colors go with it as it began to set. One by one, the stars began to poke out as Luna's moon began to spread out across the sky. A whole assortment of blacks and blues, indigos and purples, mixed in together like a master piece.
"Luna did a great job with the sky tonight." Scootaloo said, watching the forever stretching view.
"She did." Rumble agreed, sitting next to each other. They sat so close together that their wings were touching. Scootaloo leaned into Rumble and he wrapped his wing around her and looked into Scootaloo's eyes. They were like pools of water reflecting the night sky. She shifted her gaze to his, and they stared into each other's eyes.
"But not as beautiful as you." he said with a smirk, knowing she'd laugh. She did, and pushed him to the side playfully.
"You're such a dork." she said, her red ears glowing in the dark radiantly.
"I don't know." Scootaloo said in a skeptical tone.
"My friends insisted that I invite you. Featherweight would like to see you there."
"It won't get wild, will it?"
"Trust me, Featherweight's against partying too hard. And I don't mean Pinkie Pie's standards, he can handle that fine, I mean the really hard partying."
"Will anyone else be there?" Scootaloo asked, referring to ponies she didn't know.
"A few Seniors in Featherweight's family might come from other towns to visit, but that's about it. We're all just going to be hanging out together, nothing too wild."
"Okay then, I'll have to schedule it. You won't mind if I invite my friends, would you?"
"Knowing Featherweight, I'd be surprised if he hadn't asked them already, he has this thing with inviting students he's ever been in class with."
"Okay then, I'll see to it."
"Please Dad?" Scootaloo asked.
"Will Lover Boy be there?"
"Yes, Dad, he invited me." Scootaloo said.
"Will there be any drinking?"
"Nothing but cider and punch."
"Where will it be?"
"SugarCube Corner."
"Anything else I should know about?"
"It's just a hang out Dad, my friends will be there, and they're bringing their boyfriends. I'll just be there with my old class is all. And maybe a few members of Featherweight's family."
"Did you ask your mother?"
"Yes, she said I could go, as long as I'm careful."
"Okay then, but you know the rules."
"I know, Dad, I know."
"Okay then. Just keep in mind what I said."
"I will, I doubt that anything bad will happen though, Pinkie's hosting it."
"Okay then, you can go."
"Thank you Dad." Scootaloo said, she gave him a hug and went upstairs.
"Kids," her father sighed. "one second they're running around the house and the next they're going to parties." He shook his head and continued watching TV.
"Scootaloo, you're boyfriend's here!" Scootaloo's father called out.
"I'll be a moment." Scootaloo continued brushing through her mane before holding up part of it with the blue clip she wore on her date.
After a bit more tending here and there, Scootaloo grabbed her saddlebag and trotted down the stairs. "Ready?" she asked. Rumble looked up to see Scootaloo coming down.
"You look great." he said.
"Thanks, but you don't have to flatter me with compliments." Scootaloo said.
"I'm just being honest." Rumble grinned.
"You're such a dork." Scootaloo laughed. The two walked out the door. "See you later Dad." Scootaloo said.
"Rumble, hold on." Her father said, stopping the colt. Rumble turned around, trying not to show how nervous he suddenly was.
"Anything you do to her, I'm doing to you, so don't even think about bringing her home with a single hair out of place." He mumbled to him. Rumble froze and tried to swallow the lump in his throat.
"Yes sir." he choked out.
"Got that?" he said out loud, as though he said something completely different.
"Yes Sir." Scootaloo looked back expectantly at him.
"Are you going to make me go by myself?" she asked.
Rumble snapped out of his trance. "No, I'm coming." Rumble said, running down the steps quickly.
"What was all of that about?" Scootaloo asked.
"Nothing important." Rumble said, a sweat breaking on his forehead, he knew that the stallion's eyes were boring into him. "Nothing at all." he said.
"There you are," Sweetie Belle said. She walked up with Button Mash by her side.
"Glad that you're here too Sweetie." Scootaloo smiled.
"Hey Rumble." Button said, Rumble smiled back.
"Where's Apple Bloom?"
"She's coming with Pip, she should be here soon." Sweetie Belle said.
"Okay, I'm going to greet Featherweight." Scootaloo said. She walked away and went looking for Featherweight, who was hanging out with Zippoorwhill. Or Zip as everyone called her.
"Thanks. And thanks for coming." Featherweight said.
"No problem, thanks for the invite."
"No trouble at all. Hope you enjoy." Featherweight said. Scootaloo smiled and left to give the two time to themselves.
Within the next hour, other ponies came, Twist with Snails, and Snips with his marefriend. Along with Featherweight's other classmates.
Pinkie Pie walked around, handing out cupcakes whilst DJPON3 pumped up popular music for everyone to dance to. Scootaloo danced with her friends, and ate a whole bunch food as the night moved on.
However, Scootaloo eventually grew tired of dancing, and decided to take a break from it. She went off to the sidelines and sat by the punch bowl, taking a few cups herself.
At this point, Featherweight's family members came in and blended in with everyone else, but they brought a few friends from their school along.
One of which was walking up to her. He sat in the chair next to her and smiled. Scootaloo couldn't help but flutter her wings as she gave a small smile back, she found herself moving away from him once he edged closer.
"Great party huh?" He asked, propping an elbow on the table. Scootaloo looked away from the dark blue pegasus, he had green eyes and a short cut purple mane.
"Yeah." she said. The stallion laughed and edged closer to her.
"But even then, what's a mare like yourself doing here with a crowd like this?" he asked.
"I'm here with my friends." Scootaloo said defensively.
"No need to be so feisty," the teen held his hooves up. "I'm just saying I've seen better."
"Then you can go to some other party and leave me alone." Scootaloo said. The stallion grinned and Scootaloo scowled.
"And let you stay here all by yourself?" he asked with a grin.
"I'd rather it." Scootaloo said. The stallion put a hoof on hers and she snatched it away. He laughed. "Come on, don't you like me?"
"I don't take interest in random strangers."
"Don't you believe in love at first sight?"
"No, I don't actually. And I certainly don't plan on falling in love with you." The stallion made one last move to try and get closer, but before another word could be said, Scootaloo stood up and turned away from him. The stallion grabbed her wings, and turned her around.
"Let me at least know your name before you leave." he pleaded. Scootaloo scowled and brought a hoof to his face, knocking him to the ground.
"Don't ever talk to me again you creep. So you'd best think twice before doing it." She said. She turned around and stomped towards a dazed Rumble, who heard the commotion and was looking to see what was going on.
"Scootaloo, what's wrong?" he asked. He looked back to the shocked stallion laying on the ground, holding his face, which had a nasty red forming.
"I want to leave, I think that I've done enough partying for one night."
"Okay, let's go." Rumble said, knowing better than to object.. "Snails, tell Featherweight I'll see him in school Monday, and that I said happy birthday."
"No problem, see you later Rumble." Snails said, oblivious to the commotion.
The two walked out of the door and started off for home. "What went on back there Scootaloo?" Rumble asked.
"I'm fine." Scootaloo snapped back.
"That scowl on your face doesn't say so." Rumble said. Scootaloo sighed.
"Can we at least do this somewhere where no pony can overhear?" Scootaloo said.
"Sure, we still have time to kill."
Scootaloo took off into the sky, knowing Rumble would follow. She found a cloud to sit on and flopped onto it. "Some creep, I think that he's from out of town, he came up and started talking to me."
"And...?" he asked, knowing that that wasn't the end of it.
"He started flirting with me, and getting closer to me." Scootaloo said. "It made me feel uncomfortable and I didn't want to be in the same place he's in anymore." Scootaloo hugged her arms to her chest. "I know it must sound pretty stupid-"
"Not at all, I would've done the same if some random pony did that to me." Rumble said. "Did he say or do anything to offend you?"
"No," Scootaloo scoffed, a bit angry with how Rumble cut her off. "he was just too clingy, and was creeping up on me. He looked at me like I was some kind of meal, and I hate that type of attention." she replied. "There's a difference between being called pretty by friends or ponies you know, but some random stranger? I don't like that at all."
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, it just made me really uncomfortable."
"Well, considering how he was lying on the ground when I found you, I'm guessing that he's uncomfortable too."
"'Just giving the chef a taste of what he's served.'" Scootaloo shrugged, a smile forming on her face.
"Where'd you get that from?"
"A book."
"You like to read?"
Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "I don't read often, only if I have absolutely nothing to do. It was a pretty good book, I must say. What did he look like?"
"He looked pretty shocked. And what looked to be a pretty nasty mark forming on his face." Rumble said.
"I left a mark?"
"I'm not surprised. With the amount of exercise we do, I'm surprised you didn't leave a dent in his skull."
Scootaloo cringed. "I wouldn't want to do that." she said. "Just ask my friends, I can't stand blood. A few cuts, and a few scrapes, bruises, maybe even stitches or broken bones, but organs? Nope."
"I don't mind it in video games, or TV." Rumble said.
"Neither do I, but that's because you know it's not real. I wouldn't want to leave a dent in anypony's skull. Regardless of who they may be. I just can't deal with that type of thing, I get all light headed and stuff. It's just so unpleasant."
"Well that would explain why you kept your lunch when we went to go see that movie." Rumble said.
"Horror movies are hilarious nowadays, every director's coming up with these ideas about ghosts or dolls that kill ponies. It's just so ridiculous, it's laughable." Scootaloo smiled.
"There are a few scary ones out there."
"Yeah, and that's only the realistic ones, like a murder without a mask, or chainsaw. Or stupid characters that end up lucky or have some cheesy romance in the end."
"Or the movies with the aliens or witchcraft, that's apparently 'based on a true story'." The two held their sides as they erupted into laughter.
"The funny thing is how scared I was when I was younger. Now I find a lot of them to be hysterical." Scootaloo said, wiping a tear from her eye.
"Yeah, Thunderlane would tell me all about these stories, like the Headless Horse-"
"That one freaked me out, I was so terrified of it. I didn't sleep at all for the first few nights. Or the Mare with the Missing Horseshoe?"
"Oh yeah, I won't even go into that." Rumble said with a roll of his eyes.
"Good times." the two sighed. They sat up and looked to the dark sky. The crescent moon was shinning boldly through the purple and black sky.
"I remember looking up at the stars when I was younger with Thunderlane." Rumble said with a smile.
"I did it with my Dad, and Rainbow Dash here and there." Scootaloo said. She smiled at the memory of pointing out different shapes in the sky.
"Tonight was actually pretty fun." Rumble said, looking into Scootaloo's eyes. "But I think this is the best part." he wrapped a wing around Scootaloo, who took to scooting in closer, smiling at Rumble's line.
"You're so cheesy Rumble."
"Whatever makes you smile." he says. Scootaloo laughed and sighed.
The two were walking through the park, after another afternoon spent practicing. Scootaloo kicked at a stone on the ground, contemplating on how to end the silence.
"It's nice out today." Scootaloo said, looking at the trees.
"It is, despite being a bit chilly." Rumble said.
"Do you, want to say anything?" Scootaloo asked.
"I don't exactly have much to say." Rumble said, "I kind of said everything I wanted to."
"Same." Scootaloo said. "All we do on most of these is look into each other's eyes and talk about life. Then you wrap your wing around me, and I scoot closer." Scootaloo ranted with a roll of her eyes. "It gets old you know?"
"You don't like it?" Rumble asked.
"Don't get me wrong, I do, but you have to admit we've been doing it too often."
"I still enjoy it though. I also enjoy the conversations we have while we do that." Rumble said.
"So do I, you can actually relate to me in ways other ponies may not."
"Yeah. Same here."
"Then what do you want to talk about?' Scootaloo asked.
"I'm clueless." Rumble said.
"We have to do something, walking together is fine, but it's kind of boring." Scootaloo sighed.
"We could try doing something I've seen Thunderlane and Blossomforth do before they started dating." Rumble said.
"Don't tell me you're going to go all lovey-dovey with me." Scootaloo said.
"Not exactly, though, it's kind of cheesy."
"Lay it on me."
"What are some deal breakers for you?" Rumble asked.
"That? I could write a book with that stuff. My friends say I should lower my standards, but I don't want to date someone who tells me what to wear or do."
"That's understandable." Rumble said.
"What about you? What are your standards?"
"Why me?"
"For the past couple of days, it felt like all of the attention was on me. I want to know your standards."
"Well...."
"Don't make me ask twice."
"I don't know, I guess that I wouldn't want to deal with someone that's overly dramatic about everything." Rumble said.
"I know how that feels." Scootaloo said.
"What about you?" Rumble asked.
"I wouldn't want a jerk. I want to be with someone who makes me happy, and comforts me when I need it, but isn't afraid to get in a scrape."
"Do I fit those standards?"
"For the most part, yes." Scootaloo grinned. "What about me?"
"You pretty much fit them, for the most part." Rumble mimicked.
"Oh shut up," Scootaloo said with a roll of her eyes as she punched Rumble in the arm. He wandered to the side a bit before walking at the same steady pace next to her.
They continued walking, talking about stereotypes in dating and such until they came across an empty park bench to sit on. The two sat on it without stopping their conversation, while Scootaloo launched into a story about a friend of hers who had come to spend the weekend at her house. Who happened to have left a dispute between her and her coltfriend where she lived.
"...she'd go on for hours about why she was right and he was wrong, sitting me down to talk about the situation as though I was some type of therapist. Then she started screaming into the pillow in the guest room for hours, then punching, and then at dinner the same night, you couldn't get her to stop talking about the 'what ifs' and 'maybe he was right about this'.
"It was all so mind boggling it gave me a headache," Scootaloo said.
"You poor thing. When did that happen?"
"I just turned sixteen at the time. So about two years ago."
"How old was she?"
"She's about a year older, so seventeen."
"How do you know this pony?"
"Her mom was friends with mine in high school. So they've been trying to get us to be friends ever since they came in touch again. But we have our differences."
"That sounds like a total pain."
"It was. But I had to be a 'nice host' as my mother put it. It was just the way I was raised. So I had to keep my mouth shut. Shake my head, or say yes, maybe say she was right when I wish I could've done something else."
"What did you want to do?"
"Basically I just wanted to say, 'hey, you know what? I know something that may help you.' Then I'd give her one of my empty boxes."
"Why would you do that?"
"Because that box shows just how much I care about her little 'catastrophe' ." Rumble held his sides and howled with laughter.
"That's glorious!" Rumble choked out, before going back into another hoot of laughter. Scootaloo eventually joined in, the biggest smile on her face.
"Another thing I look for in a pony." Scootaloo said once they caught their breaths. "Someone to laugh at my jokes, and not me."
The next day, Rumble was talking with his friends before class. He saw Scootaloo across the hallway and waved, she smiled and waved back before turning to one of her chattering friends. Laughing all the while at something Sweetie Belle seemed to say.
'Okay Rumble, just ask your friends for advice, you don't even have to mention Scootaloo. They may not be able to get the hint on when to leave us alone, but they're better in this type of stuff than I am.' He took in a deep breath before turning back to his friends.
"Hey guys," he asked. They all stopped their conversation and immediately looked to him.
"What's up Rumble?" Featherweight asked.
"I need some advice." Rumble said hesitantly.
"Okay..." Snips said.
"What do you do when you feel like you should just, I don't know, do something you want to so badly? Even if it means making things uncomfortable?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Have you ever felt like you just had to say or do something or you'd just explode?"
"Of course, I feel that way all the time with Twist." Snails said, putting a hoof on his chest. "I just feel like I have to tell her something, like, 'you look beautiful', or 'I love you,' or I'd just burst into a billion little pieces.
Snips turned to Rumble and away from Snails and pretended to gag, opening his mouth and pointing inside. Rumble couldn't help but chuckle.
"Or maybe you watch too many sappy movies." Featherweight teased.
"Hey, he asked, and that's my answer." Snails shrugged.
"I feel that when a big change occurs in my life." Snips replied. "For instance, when I first started dating my marefriend, I just felt like saying she was beautiful, and I'm glad I did."
"What's this coming from?" Featherweight asked.
"I'm just curious."
"I don't think that just curious is a good enough excuse, with the way you were describing it." Snips agreed.
"Okay, so maybe I want to say something to somepony else, I just need your advice on how to say it."
"Just be honest. It's the simplest thing to do." Featherweight said. "And who knows, maybe that pony will actually like it." Featherweight wrapped an arm around Rumble's shoulders while Snails elbowed his ribs.
"Thanks guys."
"No problem." Snips said. Just then, the bell rang, and the four picked up their saddlebags and took off for class.
Once Rumble was far ahead of them and out of range, Featherweight whispered to the two unicorns. "You think he means Scootaloo?"
The two nodded. "Yup."
"It's pretty obvious they've got a thing for each other. I'm surprised it lasted this long." Snails said.
"Couldn't have said it better myself." Snips agreed.
As soon as classes were dismissed, Scootaloo hopped up with everyone else as they left the classrooms. "Have a nice day Scootaloo." The teacher sighed. Scootaloo smiled before opening the door and shutting it. She flew down the hallways and caught up with the other students that weren't staying for clubs outside.
She flew out and hovered above the staircase that lead outside, she looked around for Rumble and smiled once he waved from below. "Hey Rumble," she said as she flew down to him.
"Hey Scoots." Rumble smiled.
"Ready for another day of practice?" Scootaloo said with a determined look.
"When you are. Though, do you mind if I tell you something afterwards?" Scootaloo tilted one ear down and raised an eyebrow in its place.
"Sure....why?" she asked.
"Nothing important." Rumble said. Scootaloo couldn't help but feel like a thousand little butterflies were flying all around inside of her. She and Rumble jumped in the air and started off to where they'd usually practice.
Rumble and Scootaloo had both improved gradually as they practiced. Rumble was now able to make sharper turns and dives, without clipping a single feather or touching a cloud.
Scootaloo learned to be a bit more daring with her drops and spins. While both improved their speed greatly. By the time practice was over, the two hoof bumped.
"We are pretty good." Scootaloo said.
"We'll both get into the Academy for sure, thanks to you."
"I can't take all the credit though, that'd be a bit selfish. You helped me too."
Scootaloo grinned. Rumble felt his heart flutter as red poured into the tips of his ears and his cheeks. He liked seeing the smile on her lips, and the purple of her mane sweeping in front of her eyes. Scootaloo felt her stomach drop as he looked down and blushed.
"It's so stupid, but I just wanted to say..." Rumble breathed in a deep breath before letting it out. He looked Scootaloo straight in her eyes, causing a bit of blush of her own to tinge them. He stepped closer and started talking quietly.
"I love you Scootaloo." Rumble stated, it was quiet but clear.
Scootaloo felt her hairs stand on end, she was taken back and lifted her hoof, her mouth opening as red flooded her face and ears. She looked at Rumble's smiling eyes and tensed up, fluttering her wings a small bit.
"Y-you what?" Scootaloo asked, not sure how to respond.
"I love you Scootaloo. You make me want to say all of the time, and I'm so glad I finally did." Rumble continued. He was still talking quietly as Scootaloo stared back, her eyes turning as glassy as they were in the snow years before.
She looked like a little filly again, he managed to take her breath away and catch her off her guard again. Rumble smiled back, and couldn't help but find that adorable.
"I..." she muttered out. "I...don't know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything. I just wanted to. It feels so good to finally get it off my chest." he sighed.
"This is really cheesy you know," Scootaloo said, a bit of her blush fading as she began to smile again.
"I don't care, I just wanted to say it." Rumble said.
"Well, I don't know what to so" Scootaloo smiled.
"Are you going say you love me too?" Rumble asked. Scootaloo rolled her eyes and grinned as she pushed him away.
"Not this time lover boy." But, she grabbed his face with the tip of her hoof and turned to his cheek. Where she kissed it for a few seconds before letting go.
"Is that enough?" she asked. Rumble froze. Save for his wings popping up. Scootaloo giggled and blushed. "I'll take that as a yes."
We were sitting together, laughing our flanks off at whatever joke he cracked. He smiled at me and wiped a tear from one eye, focusing it directly on my own.
"I love you Scootaloo." he said. I found myself looking back into his eyes and smiling at him. Feeling the same words pass my lips.
He leaned in and shut his eyes, like when I was sick in bed. Only this time, I brought myself closer as well, and before he could rest his lips on my own, everything stopped.
I woke up in a flash and found sweat on my face. I rub a hoof over it to get rid of the precipitation and find moisture in my eyes. I stare at the at my hoof, now with a drop of salty tears on the tip.
"What?" I ask myself. I find more dripping down my face. "Why am I crying?" I ask. Was it because I didn't get to kiss him in my dream? It was just a dream, though it felt so real to me. I plop my face back onto the pillow and ball myself up. Trying to decipher what my tears meant.
"Hey Scootaloo." Sweetie Belle waved, Scootaloo smiled and waved back. Yawning as she came in and sat on the floor.
"We haven't seen you all day." Apple Bloom said. Scootaloo looked down. She felt a bit guilty for avoiding everypony. She was pondering all day about telling her friends about the dream. But she finally decided when she sat with Rumble that day without uttering a word.
"Is something wrong?" Sweetie Belle asked. Scootaloo sighed and hugged her arms to her chest.
"Uh-oh, that's never a good sign." Apple Bloom turned to Sweetie Belle worriedly.
"I guess that I should've told you earlier, but you know how I've been hanging out with Rumble all of the time?"
"Yes." Sweetie Belle said.
"Well, I'm, kind of dating him."
"Finally!" Apple Bloom said out of nowhere.
"What?" Scootaloo asked, perking her ears up and looking at her friends, who had big grins on their faces while she blushed a bit.
"We've been waiting for you to tell us that for weeks!" Sweetie Belle piped in.
"You mean you knew?"
"Of course we knew," Apple Bloom said with a roll of her eyes. "it's so obvious that you two like one another."
"What gave it away?"
"You two are always leaning in when you're talking at the table, you're always in the park together, we've seen you laugh and blush around each other between classes, and we saw him put his wing around you during the assembly the other day." Sweetie Belle ranted.
Scootaloo blushed. "Are you...mad?"
"Why the hay would we be mad?" Apple Bloom asked.
"It's just, that, I thought that you'd be angry if I didn't tell you about us dating."
"Ta be honest, we were only upset that ya waited this long. We knew you'd say so eventually. Don't think we couldn't tell you were makin' things up the other day when you told us you were going to be a bridesmare." Apple Bloom beckoned.
"I'm so sorry."
"Don't be Scootaloo, I would do the same with Pipsqueak." Apple Bloom said, waving it off while Sweetie Belle shrugged.
"You guys know me so well."
"Just like you know us so well." Sweetie Belle piped in.
"Now tell us what the problem was," Apple Bloom urged her.
"Well...." Scootaloo said. "last night, I had the weirdest dream. I was hanging out with Rumble, and then he leaned down to kiss me."
"Did you not want that to happen?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"The strange thing is that I actually did." She rolled her eyes as her friends grinned and squealed like mice.
"So did ya?" Apple Bloom asked.
"That's the thing, we never got to. The dream just cut off there. And I woke up crying."
"You were crying?" Sweetie Belle said in a softer tone. Scootaloo made a small nod as she looked down at the floor.
"My question is if you want to actually kiss him." Apple Bloom said.
"I don't know! I did in the dream, but I don't want to kiss him on the lips." Scootaloo said. 'yet.' she thought, blushing a bit at the last word.
"Have you kissed him before?"
"Other than the cheek? No." Scootaloo said.
"I remember the first time I wanted to kiss Button Mash," Sweetie Belle said, sighing and looking to the ceiling.
"Here we go," Apple Bloom said with a roll of her eyes and looking to Scootaloo.
"I was itching to do it, at least once. We were on our date, and he told me how much he like being there. And I was so happy that I was there too. By the end of it, he set his hooves on my face and slowly drew me in. And then I kissed him, right on the lips. It was so magical." Sweetie Belle said the last sentence as though she was about to melt.
"That's sweet and all Sweets, but how's that going to help Scootaloo?" Apple Bloom asked.
"The point is, if you feel it's the right time to, go for it. If he kisses you first-" she smiled at how red Scootaloo's face turned once she said the last sentence.
"Then just let it happen, go with the kiss, and it'll be much better."
"You say that as though you're an expert." Scootaloo said.
"I'm definitely not," Sweetie Belle giggled. "I'm just sharing my own experience. But do whatever works for you. And when the time comes, I'm sure that it'll be perfect for you two."
Scootaloo sighed and continued walking forward, Rainbow Dash was trailing a bit behind her, asking her about her 'newfound relationship' with Rumble. The whole conversation just made Scootaloo want to sink into the ground and stay there.
Fortunately for her, that very same pegasus the two were speaking of spotted her. In an instant, he could already see what was going on in the situation, and quickly swooped in to help.
"Hey Scootaloo," Rumble said casually, coming up to the two as if he didn't know what they were talking about.
Scootaloo grinned in relief, as Rainbow Dash fell silent, she threw him a thankful glance as he smiled wider. "Hey Rumble, how's it going? Anything you need?"
"I was hoping if I could just steal you for a bit, if Rainbow Dash doesn't mind of course." he looked to the rainbow maned equine, who smiled widely, making him feel a bit uneasy.
"Sure, go ahead. But maybe you can return the favor by coming over to my house later on with Scootaloo?" Rumble pinned his ears to his head as Scootaloo bit her lip. Throwing Rumble a glare.
"Um....sure?" Rumble said, putting on a forced smile.
"Good, see you at three. I should get going anyway." Rainbow Dash flew away with a triumphant smile, and the pair looked at each other. Rumble shrugged and put on a nervous smile as Scootaloo scowled.
"Great." she sighed.
"You got us into this mess!" Scootaloo whisper shouted at Rumble as they approached the cloud home.
"I didn't think she'd do that," Rumble defended.
"Now we're going to talk about that all afternoon." Scootaloo groaned, hanging her arms as she dropped her head.
"Maybe it won't be so bad," Rumble suggested.
"In what way will it not be?" Scootaloo asked.
"Well..." Rumble tried thinking of something, but it all went against him. Even though the two were closer in their relationship, they still weren't that comfortable with talking about it with anyone else. Ever since she first started dating Soarin', once in a blue moon, she would ask Scootaloo about her relationship. Now that she was actually in one with him, Rainbow Dash would ask her like an excited filly about the two's romance.
"Exactly." Scootaloo finished. "Nothing. This is going to be so embarrassing. And Soarin' will be there too." Scootaloo sighed and put a hoof to her face.
"I'm sorry Scoots, I guess I just reacted without much thought." Scootaloo sighed again and straightened.
"It's not your fault. You didn't know. I'm sorry. I just don't like having all of that type of attention on me, ya know?"
"Yeah." Rumble agreed. "But it looks like we better suck it up, Rainbow Dash is waiting outside." Scootaloo looked ahead, and sure enough, he was right. Rainbow was standing right outside with Soarin', casually waving at the two. Scootaloo drew in a deep breath and dropped onto the door step.
"Hey Rainbow Dash," Scootaloo said.
"Glad ya made it Squirt." she looked to Rumble, "nice to see that you didn't chicken out." she smiled. Soarin', who Rumble had only met a few brief and select times in his life, smiled right back at him.
"Hey kid," he said to Scootaloo, who smiled back. He then looked to Rumble. "Nice to properly meet you." he held out a hoof, and Rumble bumped it, making the stallion smile. "I can tell that we're going to get along just fine."
"Come on in you two, I want to talk in the living room." Scootaloo followed behind the pair, momentarily looking back at Rumble. Who was no less than one step behind her.
He never really went inside Rainbow's house, so he looked around at all of the medals and trophy's and pictures lining the walls or on the shelves. He took a seat next to Scootaloo on one of the sofas and continued looking around.
"Like what you see?" Soarin' asked with a grin. Rumble nodded and proceeded to focus his attention on one picture with Rainbow and Scootaloo together.
"Well, there's plenty more. Pinkie always liked playing around with that camera." Rainbow Dash shook her head and sat on the couch, immediately in the crook of Soarin's arm as she leaned back. Rumble and Scootaloo sat close, but they didn't want to do much more than that, not in front of another two ponies.
Rainbow Dash watched as the two avoided each other's eyes, Rumble looking around the room while Scootaloo remained silent and twiddled her hooves.
"Hey," Rainbow Dash started. "No need to be so tense."
"Sorry, it's the first time I've ever been here."
"I know that Rumble, but I mean you two should be a bit more relaxed." Rainbow Dash said. They both did the exact opposite and tensed. Prompting Rainbow to smack her hoof on her head.
"You two are acting like this is your first time sitting together." Rainbow Dash said with a raised brow. "Chillax. There's nothing to be so worked up about."
"Sorry, it's just this thing we kind of do around other ponies." Rumble said.
"I don't think anypony would mind if you two were huddled up together like this." Soarin' said, gesturing between himself and Rainbow Dash
"It's not that, it's just something we don't do in public a lot, ya know?" Rumble explained.
"I can respect that," Rainbow Dash stated. "after all, we weren't much better." Soarin' laughed.
"Not in the slightest." he agreed.
"But we did eventually get used to being more affectionate." Rainbow Dash said.
"Well that's good. I don't mean to be rude, but what exactly did you want Rumble and I to come here for.?" Rainbow Dash smiled.
"I was wondering when you'd ask." she grinned. "Honestly, I invited you two love birds over to talk about our relationships. Since we never got the chance."
"Oh..." Rumble said, stealing a glance in Scootaloo's direction.
"No need to be so nervous, it's just conversation. I'm not going to make you two jump off of a cliff." she laughed.
"Sorry." Rumble apologized.
"You don't have to apologize so much either."
"Well, I don't know how to start. I just like hanging out with this guy a lot. And I've known him for a few years, so when he asked me the question, I considered it and said yes. And now here we are." Scootaloo stated.
"I know that, I mean is there anything you two want to talk about?"
"Not really, no." Rumble stated.
"Then what did you two do for Hearts and Hooves Day?"
"Nothing." Scootaloo shrugged, leaning into the couch some more as she set her hooves behind her head.
"Nothing?" the pair repeated.
"Yup. Nothing." Rumble said.
"No gifts?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Nope." Scootaloo replied, popping her lips.
"Not even a date?"
"Nada." Rumble shrugged.
"How come?" Rainbow Dash said.
"Neither of us felt like it was necessary. Rumble and I both made a pact a few years back to not obsess over getting each other gifts for Hearts and Hooves Day. And it just sort of stuck." Scootaloo explained.
"Besides, neither of us are into all of the cheesy things everypony else does. Like getting each other chocolates, or buying flowers and teddy bears." Rumble added. "It just doesn't really click for us."
"Then what did you two do for Hearts and Hooves?"
"Nothing really. Just hang around with family, say hello to our friends, and hang out for a while." Scootaloo said.
"Well that's a shock to me." Rainbow Dash said.
"Why is that?"
"Well, you're the one who decided to make a gigantic card for your teacher. And helped your friends make that love potion." Rainbow Dash teased. Scootaloo blushed and sunk into her seat, covering up her face.
"Fair point." she mumbled.
"Do you two ever do anything you may have seen other couples do?"
"Not much, though I tend to wrap my wing around Scootaloo from time to time."
"Anything else?"
"Not anything that can come to mind, no." Scootaloo said.
"Well I give up." Rainbow Dash sighed. "I can't get anything else out of you two can I?"
"Good, because I wanted to ask you guys about something for a while." Scootaloo mentioned.
"Okay, spit it out squirt."
"You know how in order to get in the Junior Wonderbolts, you have to be recommended by another Wonderbolt?" Scootaloo asked. Rainbow Dash sat up.
"Where's this going?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"I was kind of hoping, that, since you two are in the Wonderbolt's and all, that you could maybe recommend us?"
"Of course I can do that." Rainbow Dash said. "But I can't do the same for Rumble, since it's against the policy and all."
"Wait, what policy?" Rumble asked.
"You mean you don't know?" Scootaloo asked.
"I knew about the recommendation, but not any policy," Rumble explained.
"Basically, if a Wonderbolt has seen you fly and thinks your good enough to qualify, they can recommend that you get into the Junior Wonderbolts. But the policy is that a Wonderbolt can recommend one pony every time a new position for Junior Wonderbolts is opened. So I can't do the both of you." Rainbow Dash explained.
"That's why I wanted to ask Soarin' if he could recommend Rumble." Scootaloo said.
"Well, I wouldn't mind, but it depends on how well he can actually fly. You're going to have to prove it to me kid." Soarin' said.
"You could come see us practice on Monday." Scootaloo suggested. "That's the perfect time to see how good we are. Rumble's improved a lot over the past couple of weeks since we've started." Scootaloo said.
"Okay then, we'll stop by to see, if you two fit the role, then we'll recommend you." Rainbow Dash said. "But keep in mind that we can't be biased. Consider that we can only recommend one and only one pony each." she leaned towards the two and gave them an intense glare.
"Understood." Rumble said hesitantly.
"Good. Now what else did you two want?"
"Nothing really. I mean, you invited us here." Scootaloo reminded. "Do you have anything else you wanted to discuss?"
"I'm pretty curious about how you're taking being Blossom's bridesmare." Rainbow Dash said with a grin.
"What? How'd you-"
"Word can spread fast around a town like this." Rainbow Dash stated.
"Never underestimate the power of gossip." Scootaloo mumbled. "I'm flattered that she wants me to be in her wedding, but I'm not sure if I'm suited as a bridesmare." Scootaloo said.
"It may seem that way now, but it'll get better. You're looking at a pony who was a bridesmare at the big Royal Wedding." Rainbow Dash said.
"Well when you put it that way," Scootaloo said. "It doesn't sound that bad."
"Hence why I mentioned it." Rainbow Dash replied. "How about you Rumble?"
"I'm happy for them, and I'm glad that my brother wants me to be in it. Not much else I can say on that."
Rainbow Dash stretched and yawned. "Oh well, I've questioned you two enough, you're free to go." Scootaloo and Rumble stood up.
"See you Monday then," Soarin' said.
"Don't forget what I said." Rainbow Dash reminded.
"We won't, thanks for having us." Rumble said.
"Stop by any time you want." Rainbow Dash offered.
"Later." Scootaloo waved before she shut the door and looked to Rumble. The sun was much lower in the sky and it was getting ready to set.
"That was...interesting." Rumble said.
"Yeah." Scootaloo agreed. They leapt off of the edge and caught themselves in the air. Flying at the same pace. "But next time, don't play hero." Scootaloo teased.
"I won't," Rumble said with a roll of his eyes.
"Though, that wasn't as embarrassing as I thought it'd be."
"Rainbow Dash seems to really understand you." Rumble said.
"Yeah. She really does. Though, sometimes, her questions can be a bit of a pain."
"I know that for sure." From the distance, a faint cry was heard from the house.
"I heard that!" the cyan blob shouted. Scootaloo laughed and turned, shrugging in the mare's direction, knowing she'd see the gesture.
"But it was still nice to meet Soarin'. He seems like a pretty nice guy."
"If you think he's pretty laid back, you should see him in the same room as an apple pie." Scootaloo stated.
"Maybe I will someday." Rumble said. Scootaloo smiled and looked up to him.
"Yeah, maybe."
"That was a pretty nice visit. Hopefully I can visit those two in the nearby future. Maybe even fly with them as a Wonderbolt with you."
The whole school day was like torture. The whole entire time, Scootaloo and Rumble were full of excitement, along with a bit of fear. At one point in the day, Scootaloo was even shaking from excitement. But once the day had finally trudged away, the two raced out of the building, immediately making a b-line for their usual spot to practice.
"Are you nervous as I am?" Rumble asked as he stretched out his limbs.
"Definitely, why wouldn't I be?" Scootaloo replied.
"Yeah, I just hope that they'll think we're good enough, you know?" Rumble said. He turned to Scootaloo as she flipped her mane out of the way, before continuing to stretch her forelegs.
"Me too. Rainbow Dash knows how much I've improved with my flying over the years, but I just hope that she'll consider it Wonderbolt material." Scootaloo said with a worried tone.
"I'm sure you'll get recommended. I don't know so much about myself though." Rumble said.
"You'll be fine. We didn't teach each other old tricks for nothing did we?" Scootaloo reminded him.
"I guess that you're right." Rumble sighed. Just then, they looked ahead to see the very pair critiquing them. Rainbow Dash smiled casually while Soarin' waved at the two.
Scootaloo looked to Rumble and broke into a sweat, her stomach felt like it was full of butterflies. The two exchanged a nervous glance before stepping up and trotting to the pair.
"Glad that you two came." Rumble said.
"Of course, anything for a future colleague. " Soarin' said.
"Okay, who's up first?" Rainbow Dash asked. Rumble and Scootaloo both exchanged a nervous glance before Scootaloo looked back, putting on a determined look.
"I guess that I'll go up first." she said.
"Okay, you don't have to be nervous about this. Just do it as though I'm not here. If you want to perform in front of thousands, you shouldn't make worry about us watching." she assured her. Scootaloo smiled at her and took in a deep breath.
The other three stepped back as Scootaloo crouched down, readying herself for a routine she thought of doing. She closed her eyes, drew in a quick deep breath once more, and upon releasing it, she took off.
The grass was left overturned as she took of for the sky, towering to ridiculous heights as she took to making dizzying turns, making it seem like the whole world flipped. She arched in the air before making a giant loop towards an array of the clouds. She made quick and sharp turns, just close enough to nearly clip her wings. A purple trail following her from behind. Rumble cheered her name as she set off to a forest of trees.
She passed over the heads of the three spectating, blowing their manes back as the two visitors nodded as if they were impressed. They followed her through the trees as she dodged falling branches and tree trunks. Once she finally emerged, she decided to finish off her performance by climbing the sky again, going at full speed, she flew upwards in the sky, before dropping down with her wings closed. Her eyes shut from the pressure, and once she felt she fell long enough, she opened up her wings, tilting up just a bit too early to be considered impressive.
She came right towards the judges before coming to a skidding stop not three yards from where she started. She managed to pass the trio as she made her landing, and looked back with frantic breathing as she walked back up to everyone else.
Rainbow Dash smiled proudly at Scootaloo. "You did good Squirt. You could use a bit more practice, but I'll definitely be telling everybody else." Scootaloo smiled brightly as her eyes seemed to twinkle. Her wings started to flutter in excitement as she resisted the urge to not hop around all over the place.
"Okay, you're next Rumble." Soarin' said.
"You can do this." Scootaloo assured him. Rumble smiled nervously at her before taking to lifting himself into the air. He landed atop a cloud before taking a deep breath.
'Okay, you can do this Rumble,' he assured himself. He exhaled and jumped off the cloud, holding his hooves straight out as he began spinning towards the ground. His wings were clamped shut until he wasn't three inches from the ground. He opened his wings, catching himself as he shoot across the ground, overturning the grass as Scootaloo had, a dark gray trail following him. He raced past the three, blowing their manes past their heads.
"Go Rumble!!" Scootaloo cheered. Rumble smiled and continued moving, doing flips so risky his wings barely missed the tips of the grass. He flew over the water of a nearby pond and skimmed it, making waves appear as he shot up toward the sky, flinging bits of water all over. He moved up to the clouds and spun around them, though not close enough to wow Soarin' very much. He then shot through them, leaving holes the size of himself in clean cuts as he raced through them. He made a quick turn and circled them all into one gigantic large cloud, which he dropped down on with enough force to make thunder.
He jumped off again, looping under it and crushed it into oblivion. For the end, he dropped down again, moving at bone breaking speeds and going up with bone crushing pressure. He dropped down right for the judges, before stopping an inch in front of them. The wind catching up a few seconds later as it blew their manes back again.
Rumble breathed deeply, Scootaloo walking up to him and claiming that he was amazing. Soarin' looked down. "Well?" Rumble asked, expecting an answer from the stallion.
"You were amazing," Soarin' said, the tone in his voice made Rumble think otherwise.
"But...?" he asked, still huffing as Scootaloo and Rumble turned serious.
"I don't think it's Wonderbolt's material yet, sorry. You're an excellent flier, one of the best I've seen you're age. But I've seen other ponies do it better. Other ponies who are trying out as well. I'm not saying no, but I think you should do a bit more practice if you want to get in."
"But," Scootaloo started, Rumble stopped her by putting a hoof on her shoulder. She looked back to him in disbelief.
"I'll come see you again if you ask, if you think you're ready for it. Then, if you can wow me as much as Scootaloo, then I'll recommend you. But for now, you should continue practicing."
"Okay then, I'll do it." Rumble said.
"Good. I'll see you around kid." Soarin' turned around and left, Rainbow Dash smiling at the two.
"Chin up dude, you've still got a chance." she looked to Scootaloo. "And you were great, I'll be keeping in touch with the both of you, see you later." she took off behind Soarin', catching up quickly.
Scootaloo looked to Rumble, who said nothing as he looked down.
"Congrats Scootaloo." he said, looking to her.
"Rumble, I don't want-"
"Don't."
"What?"
"Don't start making any offers to not let Rainbow Dash recommend you. I don't want you to do that."
"But Rumble, what about you? Isn't this your dream too?"
"You don't have to be recommended by a Wonderbolt do you?"
"Well, no, but it's a guaranteed way to get you in." Scootaloo hesitated.
"It's up to Soarin', if he doesn't think I'm fit for the role, then I'm not-yet." Rumble said. He started trudging away.
"Wait, where are you going?" Scootaloo asked, following behind him.
"Home. I've had enough practice for one day. I'll see you tomorrow Scootaloo."
"But don't you want to talk about this?"
"Not right now." Rumble mumbled. Scootaloo stopped dead in her tracks, watching Rumble walk away for a few moments before looking down. She eventually took off into the sky and headed for home.
Rumble sat in bed. He felt crushed. He felt like staring at the roof forever, like he failed. 'Oh let's face it, I'll probably never get in. If I couldn't do it the first time, I doubt that I'll be able to do it the next.' he sighed and set his forearm over his eyes. 'I should just give up on being a Wonderbolt.' he felt moisture come to his eyes and quickly wiped it away, before turning to his side. Eventually, he fell asleep.
"Rumble," he cracked open his eyes, finding a blurry figure. He sighed and shut them again.
"Rumble," he heard again. He felt something shaking him and started to recognize the voice.
"Rumble!" Scootaloo said. Rumble opened his eyes to see the blob come into focus. He found a big grin and purple eyes staring directly at him.
"Gah!" he shouted, flaring his wings up as he jumped out of bed. He landed back on a mess of sheets, Scootaloo laughing her flank off. "Scootaloo?" Rumble asked, rubbing his tired eyes. He looked up again. "Is this a dream?"
"Nope. It's 100% real. Get up lazy bones." Scootaloo said. Rumble stole a glance to his clock.
"It's like five in the morning." Rumble protested.
"And?" Scootaloo asked.
"Wait, why are you in my room?"
"To wake you up for practice." Scootaloo said, leaning her bodyweight on her hooves. She swung her legs off the edge of the bed. Rumble couldn't understand how she could be so awake.
"Practice?" he asked.
"Yes, practice. You want to get into the Wonderbolt's don't you?"
"Yeah, but-"
"Then get up. Come on, we don't have all morning." Scootaloo said. Rumble groggily got out of bed. A thought came to mind.
"Wait, do my parents know you're here?"
"Of course they do, they let me in here." Scootaloo said.
Rumble sighed. "Okay, I'm up."
"About time. I had originally planned to wake you up five minutes ago. But you wouldn't wake up. I guess that we're going to have to minimalize stretching."
"Stretching?"
Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "Yes. Stretching. When are you going to get the point?"
"In another three hours, when I usually wake up." Rumble complained.
"I had a feeling you'd say that." Scootaloo reached over the side of the bed and grabbed something. Rumble wasn't able to make out what it was until he felt something cold and wet splash in in the face.
"Gah!" he cried out. His teeth started chattering as he lost all of his fatigue. "W-what w-was t-th-that....?" he asked, nearly furious.
"Cold water. A classic in keeping a pony up." Scootaloo said. "Now that you're actually fully awake, we can get started. Since you wasted seven minutes, you're getting seventy wing-ups."
"What?" Rumble asked.
"You heard me. Now drop." Scootaloo demanded. Rumble mumbled something unintelligible and did as told.
"What was that?" Scootaloo asked.
"Nothing." Rumble said quickly.
"Good." Scootaloo got in front of him and started going in time with him. Quietly counting out loud every time they went up. After another three hours of wing-ups, push ups, sit ups, stretching, more wing-ups, and going outside to do a few more laps, Rumble was completely beat while Scootaloo stayed energetic as ever.
She shrugged and smiled teasingly. Once the two were done, and returned home to shower, Rumble thought that he'd be able to get a few minutes of rest before having to go to school. After a good shower, he flattened himself on his bed. Too tired to move.
"I woke him up early. He said he needed to practice more." Scootaloo stated, shutting her locker closed.
"I don't think that he meant it like that." Sweetie Belle said.
"I only wanted to help him."
"And making him do laps around the neighborhood is the way to go?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Well, when you put it like that..."
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle both smacked their hooves to their heads.
"Oh Scootaloo," Apple Bloom sighed.
"Hey, I just want him to be recommended. I know that he felt down after Soarin' said he needed more practice. I just wanted to help him practice some more."
"That's nice of ya and all, but did he want that?"
"Well," she hesitated. "no." she sighed smacked her hoof to her head. "I messed up didn't I?"
"Yeah." Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom agreed.
"I'm such a terrible girlfriend." Scootaloo mumbled.
"At least you're concerned for him, I think that-" Sweetie Belle said.
"Wait," Apple Bloom butted, stopping all of a sudden. "did you just say 'girlfriend'?"
"Yeah...?" Scootaloo said questionably.
Sweetie Belle gasped. "you actually consider yourself his girlfriend?!"
"Yes, why are you making such a big deal out of it?"
"Scootaloo, you and Rumble hardly show any affection to each other. I mean, you're always pushing him around, and he just takes it."
"And you're a bit rough with him." Apple Bloom pointed out.
"Okay, so what?"
"So you are actually softening a bit. You've always been edgy around other ponies Scoots." Sweetie Belle agreed.
"Am I really like that?" Scootaloo asked.
"Yes." the two answered in unison.
"You should soften up around him. I mean, you don't want to bully him around do you?"
"Of course I don't want to do that. I'm just...rough." Scootaloo mumbled.
"You could be a little bit more..." Apple Bloom thought for a moment. "gentle, with the way you act around him.
'This is like Rainbow Dash's all over again." Scootaloo sighed.
"Okay, so I have my flaws, and I may have went a little far-"
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle both rose an expectant brow.
"Okay, over the top." Scootaloo admitted. "I just thought that it would work. It seemed like a good idea in my head at the time."
"Well, ta be fair, we have our fair share of moments like that, but you should probably work this out with Rumble." Apple Bloom mentioned, wrapping an arm around her friend and giving her a supporting smile.
"You're not going to let me live this down, are you?" Scootaloo asked.
"Nope." Sweetie Belle grinned.
Scootaloo groaned.
"Um...hey." Scootaloo said. She bit her lower lip and sat across from Rumble, who said nothing and groggily looked up to her.
"Hey." he eventually said.
"Um, pretty nice day isn't it?" Scootaloo said, basically beating around the bush.
"Yeah." Rumble agreed, before slouching back into a lazy position.
"Look," Scootaloo said, breaking her voice a bit. "I'm sorry Rumble." she mumbled.
"Huh?" he asked, perking his ears up.
"I'm sorry." Scootaloo quickly said. "I...I shouldn't have forced you like that. And I went over the top. I didn't mean to be so rough with you. I'm just, really sorry."
"It's okay Scootaloo." Rumble groggily said. Scootaloo looked at him in disbelief.
"How?"
"What?"
"How is it okay? I push you around all the time and you just let me. I woke you up for no reason and forced you to do things. How is it okay?" Scootaloo asked.
"I know you meant well, Scootaloo."
"So? That doesn't mean you can just let me do it. How are you able to put up with that?"
"The same way you have to put up with me."
"That doesn't really help you know."
"How come?" Rumble asked.
"You're an easy going guy, you don't force me to do things, and you're not rough with everyone all of the time. How are you able to put up with me?"
"I don't know," Rumble admitted "I just do. I know you don't mean to hurt anyone. You just tend to be pushy from time to time."
"If by pushy, you mean this morning don't you?"
"Well...yeah. But that's okay, I forgive you."
"I don't understand how you're able to forgive me so easily either. Why do you put up with me?"
"Because I like you for being you." Scootaloo stopped.
"What?"
"I don't mean that in a cheesy way-well, sort of, I mean I don't mind if you tend to be a bit bossy at some times. You just mean well for other ponies. Even though you do tend to go over the top now and then, and cocky at other points. You're still caring. I know that you want me to be recommended, and that you wanted to help by getting me to practice more often. Even though it's a bit over the top, in the end, you just want me to be recommended. Right?"
"Right."
"I can tell you only wanted to help. You know this is important to me. That's why I can forgive you. Even though you're bossy, tough, and edgy, I know that you have a soft side. You're always so confident in other ponies and want the best for them, especially those you care about."
"That's a nice way of looking at it. Though, you're probably just exaggerating. I'm not all sunshine and rainbows as you're making me out to be."
"True. But even though you don't go around helping whoever you can, you still care." Rumble pointed out.
"Then you must be trying to flatter me, aren't you?"
Rumble shrugged. "Call it what you want to. I'm still standing by what I said."
"Whatever you say." Scootaloo said. She looked down at her tray and picked up one of the cookies on it. She spilt it in half and set one side on Rumble's tray.
"What's this for?"
"For eating." Scootaloo remarked. Rumble smiled, sitting up and taking the treat. He looked at Scootaloo, who became more interested with what was on her tray than him.
"You ready for this Rumble?" Soarin' asked. "A couple of days is a pretty short time for perfecting your skills."
"I'm ready. I've worked on my routine a bit."
"You can do this Rumble," Scootaloo reminded him.
"Alright. Let's do this then kid. Go ahead and start." Soarin' motioned. The three stepped back while Rumble took a deep breath before crouching.
'I can do this.' he told himself. In an instant, he snapped off the ground. leaving the three with their manes blowing back and the grass as overturned as it was days before. He whipped up to the clouds above and weaved his way around them, his back towards the surface as he circled them at dizzying speeds.
"Better." Soarin' muttered.
"Come on Rumble." Scootaloo said.
Rumble recovered quickly from the dizzying turns and dropped onto a single cloud, snapping back up as it turned gray and thunder emitted from it.
'Now the trees.' Rumble reminded himself. With another flap of his wings, he looped in violent turns and was dodging tree trunks in the blink of an eye. He raced past the three, blowing their manes back again. He managed to get closer to the trunks, and came close with a few branches. Just in reaching distance of his frantically flapping wings as sticks and twigs fell past him.
By the time he managed to emerge from the trees without clipping his wings, he decided to end the performance by dropping. He flew up as high as he could go, until he started feeling light headed from the altitude, and closed his wings.
He dropped at bone breaking speeds, his eyes completely shut as a cone made it's way around him. He was nose down towards the trio, and in the knick of time, he opened his wings and with a mighty crack landing softly on the ground. The sound echoed over the field, and caught the attention of other ponies far off. The sky seemed to shake from the sound of it.
Scootaloo ran up to him and nearly knocked the poor colt over with her bone crushing hug. "That. Was. Awesome!" she declared. Rumble smiled as she hung off of his neck.
"Really? It wasn't much different from last time."
"But there was a huge improvement in the agility." Soarin' said, stepping up to the pair. "I'm actually pretty impressed with how quickly you cleaned up."
"Does that mean...?" Rumble said hopefully. Soarin' smiled.
"I'll be sure to get a good word in about you."
"Really?" Rumble asked, his eyes lighting up.
"Yes. Really."
The two erupted into a cheer. Smiling to their hearts contempt as they had a bit of a celebration.
Scootaloo looked to Rumble and wasn't able to stop the words from coming out of her mouth. "I could just kiss you!" she then clamped a hoof over her mouth as everyone looked her direction. She immediately regretted those words.
Rumble was taken back as Rainbow Dash broke into a smirk. "What was that?" he asked. He couldn't tell if he heard properly.
"You don't have to worry about it." Scootaloo quickly covered up. She held her hooves up defensively and gave a nervous grin, her face completely scarlet.
"Did you really say you could kissme?" Rumble asked.
'Stupid, stupid, stupid...' Scootaloo thought to herself repeatedly. 'Why can't I keep my big mouth shut?'
"I guess that we should leave you two love birds alone." Rainbow Dash butted in. "See ya later Squirt." Rainbow Dash said.
"Wait!" but she was already gone.
"You don't have to hide it ya know." Rumble said.
"It just slipped out, okay?!" Scootaloo shot back, blush still painting her cheeks. "I was just excited-"
"Excited enough to want to kiss me?" Rumble asked.
Scootaloo was taken back by the remark and stuttered. "why aren't you blushing?"
"I'm not the one who just claimed they wanted to kiss someone."
"Now you're just pushing it." Scootaloo replied.
"Oh lighten up Scoots, I don't mind it."
"Why aren't you bothered by this?" Scootaloo asked, trying to veer the subject to something else.
"Because I know you care. You really are a big old sweet heart aren't you?"
"Ugh! You're impossible!" Scootaloo said with a roll of her eyes. She stomped off, her face still as red as a tomato. Making Rumble bust a gut over the ordeal.
"See you tomorrow then!" he called out. He continued laughing as Scootaloo continuously stomped off, you could nearly see the steam coming out of her ears.
"Are you coming or not?" Apple Bloom asked with a raised eyebrow.
"In a second," Sweetie Belle said, whipping her head to her friend.
"One, let's go." Scootaloo said, tugging on Sweetie Belle's arm.
"You guys are so impatient."
"Says the pony who spent the last ten minutes trying to say goodbye to her coltfriend." Apple Bloom remarked.
"One more thing?" Sweetie Belle begged.
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle exchanged a glance between one another, before turning back to their friend.
"Two minutes, and then we're going." Scootaloo said. The two started off on the road as Sweetie Belle perked up and turned back to Button Mash, who was grinning openly. Of course, neither Scootaloo nor Apple Bloom could avoid from turning back to see the two kissing the other. Even though there was clearly no tongue, the two may as well have been playing tonsil tennis.
"Bleh." Scootaloo said.
After another moment or two, Sweetie Belle skipped behind the two with a light blush on her cheeks, smiling from ear to ear as she kept glancing back.
"Was that really necessary?" Scootaloo asked.
"Oh whatever, " Sweetie Belle said with a roll of her eyes. "you kiss Rumble all the time don't you?"
"What?!" Scootaloo started blushing as her hairs stood on end. She looked away and bit her lips. "No, of course not." She kept walking forward until she realized her friends had stopped. "What?"
"Have you made any progress yet?" Apple Bloom asked in disbelief.
Scootaloo looked down. "Well..."
"C'mon, we're talkin' about this in the tree house." Apple Bloom stomped off towards the farm, Sweetie Belle quickly following, and Scootaloo was left no choice but to follow.
"Explain yourself." Apple Bloom demanded
"I just never kissed him on the lips. That's all." Scootaloo said. "It's not a big deal."
"But don't you like him that way?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Of course I do. Why else would I be dating the guy?"
"She means don't you like him enough to kiss him?" Sweetie Belle said.
"Well...." Scootaloo said, looking down.
"You said it yourself, you felt like kissing him before."
"That was in a dream!" Scootaloo corrected.
"But you still wanted it to happen didn't ya?" Apple Bloom pointed out.
Scootaloo didn't have any response to that one.
"Scootaloo, you should try confronting your feelings. Otherwise, you may never progress in your relationship with Rumble. Do you want that to happen?"
"I actually just like things the way they are now."
"But do you want ta stay like this for as long as you're dating him? I swear that every time Ah' see you two together I feel cold, cause there's ice that needs breaking." Apple Bloom emphasized. Sweetie Belle held out her hoof for Apple Bloom to bump, prompting Apple Bloom to hit it proudly.
"Rumble and I are close."
"But do you want to stay at that 'new boyfriend status'? Don't you ever want to let your guard down around him?"
"I do that all the time."
"I mean completely Scootaloo, getting rid of that tough girl look. You can only be gentle if you want to be." Sweetie Belle replied.
"Okay, so I don't act tough all of the time, and I do want to get closer to him. How is kissing on the lips supposed to confirm that?"
"It's one way of showing affection to him. Ya love him right?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Yes."
"Have you ever told him that?" Sweetie Belle asked. Scootaloo looked down.
"No, not that I can recall." Scootaloo sighed.
"Did he ever say he loved you?"
"Yes." Scootaloo said softly.
"What did you do in response?"
Scootaloo sighed. "He caught me off guard. I blushed and called it cheesy." Before her friends could say another word, she hugged her arms to her chest. "I'm a terrible girlfriend."
"No your not," Sweetie Belle assured her. "you just don't have the knack to show your affection. You don't have to kiss him right away, you can always do that eventually. But if you really want to get closer to him, then you'd best soften up a bit."
"You're right. I guess that my ego got in the way." Scootaloo said.
"You'd best keep that from happening again. Unless you don't want a close relationship."
"I do, it's just..." Scootaloo put her head down on her arms. "ugh. Why is this so hard?"
"It's only hard if ya make it hard." Apple Bloom said.
"Says the pony who still isn't dating her crush." Scootaloo snapped back. Everyone went silent. Scootaloo softened once she realized what she said. "Apple Bloom, I'm sorry, I'm just so frustrated."
"I can understand. Ah' shouldn't be forcing this on ya if I hadn't done it myself."
"But I didn't mean it, it just slipped out. I'm so sorry."
"It's fine Scoots, It doesn't affect me a bit. You're right. Tell you what, if you get closer to Rumble-"
"I don't have to kiss him right away do I?"
"No, you don't have to. I'll ask Pipsqueak out."
"You're seriously willing to do that?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Ah ought to do it sometime. He doesn't seem any closer to asking me. 'Sides, whatever it takes for Scootaloo, I'm in for it." Apple Bloom said.
"Thanks girls." Scootaloo said.
"No problem. But Ah'm not asking Pip out until you and Rumble loosen up." Apple Bloom commanded.
"Hey Rumble," Scootaloo said, surprising the colt as he took a step from his locker to look at her.
"Hey Scootaloo." he replied. He noticed the big smile and how Scootaloo seemed pretty eager to say something. "What's up?"
"You mind talking about something, after practice today?" Scootaloo asked, moving her head to the floor as she blushed, but her eyes were still trained on him.
"Why not at lunch?"
"I would feel better talking about it when we're alone." Scootaloo said.
"Alright then, It's settled." Rumble said.
"Um..." Scootaloo turned her body around before turning back. "I guess that I'll just head to my next class, don't want to be late again." Before Rumble could get another word out, she trotted away, making sure she was out of hearing distance before letting out a relieved sigh.
"So what did you want to ask me?" Rumble asked, Scootaloo sighed before looking straight into his eyes.
"Rumble, I know it's a silly question, but I want you to answer honestly. Do you think I'm too rough?"
"What? No, of course not. You're fine the way you are."
"I knew you'd say something like that." Scootaloo said, flopping down onto her back, letting the grass get into her mane.
"Then why'd you ask?"
"I don't think I show enough affection towards anypony. Yeah I can compliment or say I like something, but I don't think I show enough of that affection." Scootaloo said.
"Of course you do. Remember all those times you-"
"Don't try to make me feel good about myself Rumble, I know I'm not affectionate."
"But you are."
Scootaloo frowned at the sky. "When was the last time I said 'I love you'?" she asked.
"Well..." Rumble paused. "you kiss me."
"On the cheek Rumble, I do the same thing to my Dad every morning. You don't ever get tired of getting punched in the shoulder, or being called names? I know you said you don't mind me being bossy and all. But I hardly show any affection towards you. All I ever did was kiss you on the cheek, and say yes when you asked me out. Anyone could do that. "
"So you think that you don't show how much you care about me enough?"
"Yeah."
"Scootaloo, you don't have to."
"That's the point, Rumble" Scootaloo sat up and looked at Rumble straight in the eye. "You don't have to either. Yet you do it anyway. You were the one who kissed me on the cheek first a few years back, you were the first pony to ever ask me out, you put up with my nonsense, you comfort me when I cry, you came to visit me when I was sick, you were the first to wrap a wing around me, you agreed to practicing with me despite how much I pushed you, and you were the only pony that gave me a personal Heart's and Hooves Day card all of those years ago!" Scootaloo said. She had tears pricking in the edges of her eyes, making Rumble furrow his brows in worry.
She was really close to his face, and once she noticed the tears rolling down her face, she paused, sitting back in her place.. "Look at me, crying like a baby again. And what do you do? You comfort me." Scootaloo said.
"You still remember that?" Rumble asked. He looked at Scootaloo, even though she avoided his gaze by busying herself with wiping the tears still coming.
"What?" she asked, her face and eyes were puffy and red.
"You still remember that card?" Rumble asked.
Scootaloo sniffed. "Of course I do. I remember it like it was yesterday. All of my friends got cards from other students, the ones you didn't have to share with the entire class, Sweetie Belle got one from Button Mash, and Apple Bloom got one from two other colts. But I didn't get a single one. Just the ones that everyone had to bring to class." Scootaloo wiped her eyes on her wings again before continuing.
"I never told anyone, but, I went home alone that day, crying. But then, I saw you, where you appeared to be looking for something. You had a big red card in your mouth, with a little lollipop sticking out the end. As soon as you saw me, your cheeks went red." Scootaloo chuckled at the memory, her voice softened, yet still cracking.
"Scootaloo!" the little colt called out, buzzing his wings. The orange filly stiffened and quickly wiped away the few tears on her face, furrowing her wings as she peered over the handles of her scooter.
"Hey Rumble," she replied, doing her best to make a casual tone. She took a second look at the card in his mouth, pretending as though it was the first time she noticed it. "Is that for a friend?" she asked.
Rumble blushed a deeper red. "Well, it's um...for you." he said. Avoiding her gaze.
Scootaloo was taken off guard. 'He got this for me?' she thought. She couldn't stop the blood from coloring her face, along with the tips of her ears. "Really?" she managed.
"Yeah." Rumble said, before quickly adding, "not that I like you, in that way, I mean. I mean, I like you! Just not, um...lovey dovey, ya know?" he smacked a hoof to his forehead. "Forget that, here."
"What's-" before she could finish, the little colt took off into the air, leaving her alone in the middle of the street. Scootaloo looked down and opened the card, which was in the shape of a gigantic red heart, with a smaller pink one inside. A little red lollipop, one of the big ones you could get from SugarCube Corner, the ones with heart covered wrappers, that Scootaloo had never gotten before, slipped out.
'Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
There's no one on Heart's and Hooves Day,
As special as you.
At the bottom, Rumble's writing spelt out, "Happy Hearts and Hooves day Scootaloo! Love, From, Rumble.
Scootaloo smiled at the card, as cheesy as it all was, she was thankful. She took the lollipop out of place and slipped off the wrapper. She took one lick before grinning. Cherry flavored.
One of her favorites.
"I never really told you how thankful I was." Scootaloo looked down. "Instead, I just suggested that we didn't have to get each other gifts for Hearts and Hooves day anymore."
"If you ask me," Rumble said, finally speaking up, "I say you're a pretty affectionate pony."
"And why is that?" Scootaloo asked.
"You remembered that day. That shows you cherished it, you're crying as we speak, that shows you're sorry, you tried to kiss me before, when you were sick, which shows that you enjoy my company." Scootaloo tensed up, "You may tease me a lot, but you would never truly laugh at me or others if they were hurt, that shows you're considerate, you're always concerned for others and their achievements, that shows that you're compassionate, you're always determined to work hard for the benefit of yourself in the future and others you care about, that shows your confidence.
"You don't need to keep track of my life 24/7, or tell me you love me every day. We don't have to kiss each other on the lips, until we both feel the time is right, we don't have to get each other gifts, or buy things for each other. You care, Scootaloo, and that's affection enough, though it'd still be nice to hear it once in a while. That's just something we can work on, together. Isn't that what relationships like this are for? Figuring it out? Helping and accepting each other's flaws? Working together as we go along? That's my definition, and if you ask me, love doesn't have to be spoken, to be true."
Scootaloo fell silent, she looked into Rumble's honest and forgiving eyes, those very same eyes that once avoided hers years before then as she used to avoid them. Used to. She smiled up at Rumble.
"You're right. If we're going to make this work, I want us both to do things together, and work on our flaws, together. So for starters, if I need to lighten up a bit, don't be afraid to tell me."
"I will. I'll tell you, I mean."
"But you wouldn't hate me if I dropped the tough girl look when I'm around you?"
"Scootaloo, I love you for being yourself, not the way you act." Rumble said.
"You're so cliché."
"Sometimes they're the best things."
"I couldn't agree more." Rumble held out his wing as though it was an offer, an offer that Scootaloo took gladly. She pulled herself in and rested her head onto Rumble's heart. She felt warm again, as though another weight was lifted. She felt like she could smell something, a familiar scent, she grinned at the memory of it.
"Hey Scoots." Rumble said, coming up behind her. She looked away from her friends and smiled at him.
"Hey Rumble." she said. "Anything you need?"
"I wanted to invite you to dinner again." Rumble said.
Scootaloo looked unsure. "I don't know. You have a wonderful and kind family and all, but, last time didn't turn out so well."
"Yeah, it's because Thunderlane and Blossom Forth wanted to announce something, and Mom suggested that you'd come, since you're basically like family over there. She made Dad and Thunderlane promise that they would go light on the teasing this time."
"I'm kind of used to it by now. I've blushed enough to put a tomato to shame." Scootaloo replied.
"Alright then, so I'll see you tomorrow night at six?"
"It's a date."
"See ya then."
"Again?" Scootaloo's mother asked, looking up from the dinner she was making.
"Yes, Rumble's family invited me over for dinner at their house. Can I go please?" Scootaloo asked, leaning her weight on the island in the middle of the kitchen.
"Sure, I don't have a problem with it, but you'll need to ask your father too." she said.
"Thanks Mom," Scootaloo said. Scootaloo glided out of the kitchen. "Dad?"
"I'm here, what is it sweetheart?" he asked, stepping out from the hall.
"I wanted to ask you if I could go to Rumble's house tomorrow for dinner." she said. He furrowed his brow.
"How come?"
"Blossom Forth and Thunderlane are going to have an announcement, and she wanted me to be there." Scootaloo explained.
"I'm fine with that, it's just,"
"You don't want me going over to his house." Scootaloo said expectantly.
"Not that," he said to her surprise. "I just don't get to see you around that often anymore. You're either with your friends, or him." he said the word as though it was venomous. "the only times I see you are when you're heading to school, or coming home in the evening for dinner. I don't think I can handle that."
"Handle what exactly Dad?"
"Hardly seeing my daughter. I know that as soon as you graduate, you'll be headed off to the Academy, and I won't be able to spend so much time with my little girl anymore. It's like something's missing." he wiped a tear from his eye. "I want to spend whatever time there is left with you while I can."
"It's just for one night Dad, no more than a couple of hours, I promise." Scootaloo said. Her father huffed.
"Fine. But I want you here no later than eleven. Get it?"
"Got it." Scootaloo quickly replied without thought.
"Good." her father said.
"Hello Scootaloo," Rumble's mother said, greeting her with a motherly smile.
"Hello Mrs.-"
"You don't worry about all that, you can just call me Storm from now on." she insisted.
"Okay, Storm." Scootaloo said awkwardly. The mare giggled and led the two to the dinner table. Blossom Forth looked up from setting the plates down and gasped happily.
"You came!" she said.
"You didn't tell her?" Scootaloo asked, looking to Rumble.
"Never got the chance to." Rumble shrugged.
Thunderlane walked into the room, smirking once he looked over to Scootaloo. "Hey lovebirds." he greeted. Storm shot him a look. He walked over to Blossom Forth and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
"Dinner'll be ready in a second." Storm said, she went into the kitchen while everyone else sat down. Thunderlane and Blossom Forth sat across Scootaloo and Rumble.
"How's it going for you two?" Thunderlane asked, leaning into his chair.
"Not really, unless you think practicing for the Academy's noteworthy." Scootaloo asked.
"What about you guys?"
"Well, the wedding's quite a hassle, it's only a couple of weeks away and there's so much to do, so much to plan, but it'll be worth it, if it means marrying this guy." Blossom Forth looked over to Thunderlane and smiled. He responded by wrapping a wing around her.
"And I can't wait to see you in that wedding dress." he said.
"It's not so fancy, but I hope that you'll like it." Blossom Forth said.
"Don't tell me you believe in that type of stuff." Thunderlane said.
"You know very well that I do. And you're not getting a word out of me mister." Blossom teased.
"Fine." Thunderlane said. Scootaloo couldn't help but giggle at the two. Just then, Rumble's mother came in holding a serving dish, and everyone sat up.
"Okay, everyone, here it is." she set the dish on the table, where she revealed a ton of baked potatoes. Everyone oohed and awed at it before digging in.
"This looks amazing Mrs.- I mean, Storm." Scootaloo said. She earned a giggle in response.
"Oh it's nothing at all. You should see how well Rumble's father can cook, he's the better chef if you ask me." she said.
"It's thill prethe gud though." Thunderlane said with a mouth full of cheese.
"Aw, gross," Blossom laughed, leaning away from Thunderlane, who teasingly moved in closer with a full mouth.
"So how are things going for you two?" Rumble's father asked.
"Who are you referring to?" Rumble asked.
"All four of you, you can start off first if you want to."
"Things are going fine Dad,"
"What about you Scootaloo?" he asked, turning towards her.
"Things couldn't have been better, now that I've got a few things worked out." Scootaloo said.
"Oh? Were you having a bit of trouble with something before?"
"I guess you could say that," Scootaloo shrugged, sneaking a wink in Rumble's direction. Who smiled back.
"And you two, how are things in your new home?" Storm asked.
"Well, we've been talking a lot, and, " Blossom looked to Thunderlane and silently whispered to him, while he just gestured his head with a smile towards everyone else.
"Hold on, don't tell me." Storm asked. "you're pregnant, aren't you?" she asked. Thunderlane dropped his fork and started coughing, while everyone else looked to a now blushing Blossom Forth.
"No!" She answered quickly, trying to calm Thunderlane, who was frantically drinking his water. "Thunderlane and I talked it over, and we thought about going back to Cloudsdale." she corrected.
Now it was Rumble's turn to drop something, he nearly spilt all of his water on the floor from the sudden shock. "What?" he asked in disbelief.
"We're moving little bro." Thunderlane managed to say, recovering from the earlier outburst.
"That's...nice." Rumble said dully.
"That's wonderful," his father said. "you two are moving to a great city ya know, there's going to be tons of opportunity's for you two."
"Thanks Dad, though, we're gonna miss Ponyville a lot." Thunderlane said.
Scootaloo turned away from everyone, who had their attention mainly on the other couple, and looked to Rumble, who was now picking away at his half eaten meal. He shifted his gaze to her without turning his head, in which she shot him a look that spelled,
'Are you alright?' he just turned his gaze back to the potato he was poking at. It seemed to have cooled down pretty quickly.
"We're going to be moving at the beginning of the Summer, so right now, we're focusing on getting the wedding, while moving is just something we think about in our spare time." Thunderlane explained.
"Of course, we'll come and visit when we get the chance to," Blossom assured everyone. "maybe one day, we'll bring someone else with us." she said dreamily.
Thunderlane blushed and smiled, rubbing the back of his head. The ordeal caused his parents to laugh, though he didn't notice how Rumble didn't seem to be chuckling very much. Everyone continued with the conversation, no one but Scootaloo noticed Rumble's unusual silence.
"Thank you for coming," Storm said, picking up the dishes.
"Thank you for inviting me, Ma'am. Scootaloo said.
"I better take her home now, see you when we get back." Rumble said.
"See you later Scootaloo, feel free to stop by anytime." Storm called out.
As soon as they were out of hearing distance, Scootaloo finally asked her question. "What. was. that?"
"What are you talking about?" Rumble said.
"You know exactly what I mean. You were pretty quiet tonight."
"I just didn't feel like talking, I was too busy eating."
"That seems to be your favorite question this month, you know that?"
"Why Rumble?" Scootaloo repeated.
"Why are you so concerned?"
"Because you've helped me out with every problem I've come across since we started dating, and I've done zilch. I think it's about time you receive help for once."
"Like payback?"
"No, out of the kindness of my heart."
"You don't have to do that Scootaloo."
"But I want to. You've done so much for me, and I haven't done enough for you."
"You were the only pony in town who would talk to me about anything other than a relationship before we started dating, and you said yes when I first asked you, I think that's enough."
"Not for me. Now are you going to let me help you and stop avoiding my questions, or are you going to try and deal with it yourself?" Rumble paused. He really wanted to get some things off his chest, and Scootaloo seemed pretty intent on listening. You'd be a fool not to take this golden opportunity.
"It's just that, since Thunderlane's moving away, I won't exactly have the older brother that's always been there for me, around anymore. He teases me a lot, and I ignore him a lot, we don't even see each other every day anymore. But, Ponyville wouldn't feel the same without him here. Ya know? I guess that it's because he always defended me when I was younger, and he's always pushing me to pursue my goals, he was the reason I even sat down on that bench when we first started talking again."
Scootaloo was taken back by surprise, but she continued listening. "He'd always take me places, and come to my games for sports, even helped teach me to fly. But, since he's going away now, I guess that I'll feel...what's the word?"
"Like something's missing." Scootaloo said softly.
"Yeah. Exactly." Rumble said. They walked in silence for another minute or two before Scootaloo spoke up.
"You know," she said, Rumble turned and looked to her. "You and my Dad are exactly alike. "
"How?" Rumble questioned, taken back by what she said.
"You both care about other ponies, other ponies you don't want to let go, even if you don't see them very often, or even acknowledge all the time. You're still going to miss him,"
"Actually, yeah, that's exactly how I feel." Rumble said.
"It's all apart of life Rumble, you want Thunderlane to be happy right?"
"Of course I do."
"Then it's better to just accept it and move on, if he ends up living happily in the end, whether you're there or not, then you should be happy too."
"Wow."
"Wow, what?"
"Hearing somepony else say that, actually makes a lot more sense to me. You're right. I should be happy."
"Good." They stopped talking for another minute or two before continuing. "You know, I would've expected some sort of grudge against Blossom, and plans to trash her big day, from some cliché sitcom." She stopped and put a hoof to Rumble's mouth before he could protest.
"But I know you never would." she smiled, already back to her old jokes.
And not to his surprise, Rumble smiled back.
"You're home early." Scootaloo's Dad huffed, looking up from the recliner.
"Yeah, well, I felt like talking with you about something." Scootaloo said. She came in and sat on the sofa to the left of him.
"What is it?"
"I thought about what you said the other night, when you said I could eat at Rumble's, and, you're right."
"I am?" her father asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes, I spend more time out of my home than inside it, I should be sharing whatever time I have before graduating with you guys, and I'm clearly not on too much of a good start."
"That would certainly be nice." her father agreed. "though, I wouldn't want to get in the way of you spending time with your friends or that 'coltfriend' of yours." he said 'coltfriend' as though it was foreign.
"I know that, and I just wanted to thank you."
"For what exactly Scootaloo?"
"For putting my happiness before yours. I know you miss your little filly, and that I don't spend that much time with you anymore, but even then, you still let me live my life out happily, you have no rejections for me to live out my dream of being a Wonderbolt, and I'm thankful." she walked over and wrapped her arms around the surprised stallion.
"Of course I'd do all of that sweetheart, but why the sudden change of heart?"
"Let's just say that it took another point of view for me to understand how you a bit more." she said.
"Well, I'm glad that I can support you in the ways I do."
"It means a lot to me Dad." she then smiled and stood herself back up. "who knows, maybe Rumble and I can live that way."
"Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves here," the stallion said. Scootaloo giggled.
"Goodnight." she kissed him on the cheek before heading upstairs. "Daddy." she said, just loud enough for him to hear, and to bring a tear to his eye.
'Daddy,' he thought, shaking his head with a smile. 'it's been a long time since I was called that.' He looked back to the stairs, where Scootaloo had long disappeared into her room. 'Night my little filly.' he thought.
"Maybe we could wait until tomorrow." Apple Bloom suggested, sweating bullets as she bit the tip of her hoof.
"No, you said you would do it, Scootaloo did her part, now you do yours." Sweetie Belle replied.
"Me and mah big mouth." Apple Bloom mumbled. She sighed. "Is he here yet?"
"Not yet, but he's coming." Scootaloo answered.
Apple Bloom groaned and shifted uncomfortably. "Are you girls hot or is it just me?"
"It's you." Scootaloo said. "You don't have to be so nervous about it, you were confident in the tree house, don't tell me you're going to wuss out now."
"Well..."
"It's always going to be hard the first time, but trust me, it'll be worth it." Sweetie Belle assured her. She looked up and jumped, pointing behind Apple Bloom. "There he is!" she whisper shouted. Apple Bloom turned around and blushed immediately, turning back around to find her two friends gone.
"Oh." she sighed. She looked up in Pipsqueak's direction and took a deep breath. "I can do this." she told herself. "Hi Pip." she greeted, a bit too eagerly.
"Oh, hey Apple Bloom." Pip said, stopping in his tracks. He wasn't as small as he used to be, he had a pretty effective growth spurt that made him stand at Apple Bloom's height.
"Are ya...free tomorrow?" Apple Bloom choked out.
"Are you asking me out?" Apple Bloom jumped up, turning bright red.
"What?! No, I mean, I was just wonderin' is all."
"You really are asking me out aren't you?" Pip asked knowingly. Apple Bloom avoided his eyes and rubbed one of her forelegs.
"Maybe." she admitted.
"I'm sorry Apple Bloom, but, I've got other plans this week. Besides, even if you are asking me out, I just don't really feel that way about you." Pip said.
Apple Bloom felt crushed. "Oh." she managed to say. She felt tears welling up in her eyes and turned away in fear that he'd notice. Seeing her cry like this was something she definitely didn't want.
"Wait," Pipsqueak said.
Apple Bloom turned back around, her eyes burning. "What?"
"I can still make time on Sunday." he offered.
"Sure." Apple Bloom replied, putting a sad smile on her face. With that, she trotted away.
Once she reached the outside, she was confronted by her friends. "Are...you okay?" Scootaloo asked worriedly.
"I'll live. It's not the first heartbreak I've ever encountered." Apple Bloom said, trying to laugh it off. "...I should go home now, Apple Jack is probably needing mah help in the fields." Before her friends could say another word, she trotted off.
Sweetie Belle looked to Scootaloo. "Should we go after her, or talk to Pip?"
"Maybe we should go after her. Not much we can say to him." Scootaloo shrugged. The two took off after Apple Bloom, not noticing the spotted colt looking from behind the school doors.
"Apple Bloom? Are you alright?" Applejack asked through the door.
"Leave me alone Applejack!" she called out through the door.
"But you're friends are here." she called back. A long silence occurred before there was a light click from the door, before creaking open.
"Thanks." Scootaloo said to her.
"No problem, try ta help her out will ya? I'm no expert in this type of thing." she replied.
"We'll do our best." Sweetie Belle said.
The two walked in through the door to find Apple Bloom on her bed, with her back turned to them. She was lying on her side, and seemed to be clutching something.
"Apple Bloom?" Scootaloo asked.
She tightened her grip.
"You want to talk about it?" Sweetie Belle asked.
She didn't reply.
The two walked up to her bed and sat at the edge of it. "We're sorry you had to go through that." Sweetie Belle said.
"So you saw everything," Apple bloom replied. It wasn't a question.
"There's a bright side in this," Scootaloo said.
"And just what might that be?" Apple Bloom asked coldly.
"He's still free on Sunday." Scootaloo said.
"So. It's not like it'll be any different from before. He probably just said it to be nice. He must hate me now." Apple Bloom sniffed. "Ah'm such a fool for thinking of askin'. Of course he'd say no. I'm such an idiot!" Apple Bloom threw the object she was clutching, what looked to be a journal, at the wall.
"No you're not Apple Bloom, it'll only get better." Sweetie Belle said.
"Oh really?" Apple Bloom said, turning to Sweetie Belle, her orange eyes blazing, she had red marks and puffy eyes, along with white trails from dried tears on her face. "You're the one who actually has a coltfriend, you never had to be turned down by your crush, what makes you think this'll get better?!" Apple Bloom threw at her.
"Maybe you should-" Scootaloo began.
"What?! Calm down? How am ah supposed ta calm down?! You certainly wouldn't know about it! You never even had to ask Rumble on a date! Yet you two think this is going to be better? Are you bucking kidding me?!" she screamed.
A long silence filled the space as Apple Bloom panted. It took her a minute to realize that she was in her friend's faces. She softened once she saw the hurt looks on their faces, and how close Sweetie was to tears.
"Ah'm sorry." she said. "I'm just so frustrated and upset. I didn't mean to take it out on you girls." Apple Bloom sighed and flattened herself on the bed. "Ah know that ya'll just wanted to help, but I think I should just be alone."
"Can I say something else?" Scootaloo asked.
"What is it?" Apple Bloom asked softly.
"I have no idea how it feels to have my heart broken like that. But you're not alone Apple Bloom, who knows, maybe Pip does have feelings for you, or he doesn't, maybe he's sorry for hurting you, maybe he isn't. I have no idea how long you had a crush on him, But, I think that you could try again if you're willing to. If you still feel that way. It's tough, relationships like these, and it can often cause more drama that even Discord wouldn't be able to handle, but you never know unless you try."
"Scootaloo's right. If you want to still date him, you still have a chance. But if you don't, you can always learn to move on from this. It always sucks when you get turned down like this, and it'll feel like a stab to the heart. But over time, wounds learn to heal, and you can too." Sweetie Belle continued.
"We'll leave you alone now, but you should think about what we said." Scootaloo said. Apple Bloom said nothing and looked away.
"Where did that come from?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"What?" Scootaloo asked, turning her attention away from the apple trees.
"That whole speech, back in Apple Bloom's room." Sweetie Belle reminded.
"Oh, well, I had a bunch of conflicting feelings when it came to Rumble. And a few times before as well."
"What does that mean?"
"Remember all of those times I never really got any other ponies attention, when you two always had someone giving you something, or buying you gifts for Hearts and Hooves?"
"You were alone."
"Yeah, I felt like no pony had any feelings for me. I didn't have any crushes on any pony, and I guess I never really got used to feeling left out and alone. Until Rumble came back in the picture anyway." Scootaloo said. "What about you?"
"What about me, exactly?"
"How did you come up with what you said?" Sweetie Belle smiled and shut her eyes for a long minute, taking in a deep breath before opening them again. "I never really told you two."
"Told us what?" Scootaloo asked.
"There's one thing Apple Bloom got wrong in there."
"Quit it with the riddles Sweets, what did she get wrong?" Scootaloo asked.
"Being turned down by a crush." she replied.
"What?" Scootaloo asked. "Who?"
"Well, not long after getting our cutiemarks, I developed the courage to finally ask Spike out."
"Spike?" Scootaloo repeated in shock.
"Yup. I developed a crush on him when we all went to the Empire together."
"Wow, that long?"
"Yeah. I had these fantasies about us growing old together and dating. So when I finally asked him..."
"He turned you down." Scootaloo finished. Sweetie nodded and chuckled.
"Of course, I was heart broken. It was before Rarity said she didn't have feelings for him like he originally did. He told me he just wasn't in to me. That he just like Rarity more. Of course, I cried myself to sleep that night. I never really told anypony but Rarity."
"What she do about it?" Scootaloo asked.
"She told Spike how she felt."
"Wow."
"I know. I felt like I was trash. Not worthy enough for anypony. And it took a long time for those wounds to heal. Though, they required a few stitches, you know?"
"I have no idea." Scootaloo said.
Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes. "Rarity helped me to get over my little heart break. She said that there's plenty of fish in the sea. And of course, there was Button. I didn't develop a crush on him, we just met and became friends after the whole ordeal. And he helped to make those wounds of mine heal up faster. Especially after he asked me out."
"I'm glad you told me this Sweets. I just wish you told me when it happened. I would've tried to help you out." Scootaloo said.
"I know. But I'm glad it worked out the way it did. I probably wouldn't have met up with Button the way I did had it not been for that little heartbreak. I guess some good things can come from bad things huh?"
Scootaloo looked up from Sweetie Belle and turned to see Apple Bloom coming their way. "Hey AB, feeling any better?"
Apple Bloom smiled and nodded. "Yeah, took me a while to get out of my state, but I'm glad you girls came when you did. I really appreciate it."
"So does that mean you don't like him any more? If you don't mind my asking." Sweetie Belle asked.
"If Ah were ta be honest...I still kind of do. Just...not as much."
"That's understandable, seeing how long you've had a crush on him and all." Scootaloo said.
"Well, I also wanted to say I'm sorry."
"You don't have to Apple Bloom." Sweetie Belle said.
"I do. I shouldn't have taken it out on you two, it's not your fault Pip doesn't feel the same. I know you just wanted to help."
"Trust us, it's fine." Scootaloo said.
"Thanks for understanding girls. Even after I've been so awful to ya."
"Don't worry about it." Sweetie Belle said.
"You two are the best."
"Don't get all sentimental on us Apple Bloom, I've got a date with Rumble and I'm eating lunch with him, there's only so much of that I can handle in one day." Scootaloo said.
"Hope it goes well, and that you don't mind telling us what you two are doing." Apple Bloom asked.
"Nothing special, we're just going out to eat after practice."
"Speak of the devil." Sweetie Belle said, looking up. The rest followed her gaze to find Rumble coming over to them.
"Hey Rumble." Scootaloo said, stepping up to him.
"Hey Scoots," the colt smiled. "I'd love to talk, but I'm supposed to be delivering a message before I have to get to class."
"A message?" the three asked in unison.
"Pipsqueak said he wanted to talk to you at lunch Apple Bloom." Rumble said. Apple Bloom immediately softened and looked down.
"He did?" Sweetie Belle asked for her friend.
"Yeah. I found him in the hallway yesterday going on and on about calling himself stupid. He sounded like he made a mistake or something, so when I asked if he was alright, he begged me to come talk to you three. Especially to Apple Bloom."
"Why would he want to see me?" Apple Bloom asked.
"I don't really know much, just that he overheard something and that he felt terrible." Rumble said.
"Thanks Rumble," Scootaloo said.
"No problem, see you at lunch?"
"See ya."
Scootaloo turned to Apple Bloom, who was looking at the floor with a sad expression. Even her bows seemed to droop. "Do you want to do it?" she asked.
Apple Bloom was hesitant but nodded. "Yeah. I should probably hear him out. It must be pretty important if he couldn't do it himself." Before another word could go around, the bell rang, and the trio walked to their first classes of the day.
"You're absolutely sure about this?" Sweetie Belle asked, getting her tray.
"Yeah, I've got my mind set on it. No use chickening out now." Apple Bloom said.
"Well I'm going to sit with Rumble, good luck with the whole conversation thing." Scootaloo said.
"Thanks. Scootaloo grabbed her tray and glided to the table, where Rumble usually waited.
"Hey Scootaloo."
"Hey Rumble." She sat her tray on the table and took a bite of her apple.
Rumble looked to her group of friends, and watched as Apple Bloom sat at a table with Pipsqueak alone. "Hope you wouldn't mind telling me about the whole situation."
"Well," Scootaloo began, "a while back, Apple Bloom and I made a deal with each other. She said that if I were to soften up a bit, and be nicer to you, then she'd ask Pipsqueak out on a date."
"From the looks of it, that didn't go too well."
Scootaloo took another bite and looked to the table where her friend sat. Where she seemed to be listening to a full blown apology from Pipsqueak.
"Yeah. I guess that Pip overheard our conversation, and he felt bad about it." Scootaloo tore her eyes away from the two and looked at Rumble.
"Any news on the wedding?"
"Well, Blossom's thinking of moving it to late Spring."
"She is?"
"Yeah, seems to go with the theme of the wedding more." Rumble shrugged.
"I'll never understand brides," Scootaloo said. "I don't get why everyone has to have the best wedding ceremony ever or the perfect wedding dress and suits."
"Maybe you will one day." Rumble said with a smirk. Scootaloo glared at him with a tinge of blush painting the tips of her ears and cheeks.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked.
"I'm just saying, maybe you will feel that way someday. I'd especially like to see you in a wedding dress." Rumble teased. Scootaloo turned red as a tomato and tensed up. Her hair seemed to stand on end as her eyes shrunk. She quickly put her head to the table. "What a tease." she mumbled from the table.
Rumble erupted with laughter while Scootaloo fumed. You could almost see the steam coming out of her red ears.
"How are you comfortable with talking about this? Me, in a...wedding dress?" She whispered the two words in disgust and cringed.
"I just am." Rumble shrugged. "Why aren't you comfortable talking about it?"
"It's just that, I'm fine with being in a wedding, I was a flower filly before. And I'm going to be a bridesmare soon. It's not being in the wedding that's the problem. It's getting married that's the problem. I don't know why, but I just can't ever see myself as marriage material."
"You never thought you were 'dating' material either, but look at you now." Rumble teased.
"Remind me again about why we're talking about this? We're only Seniors."
"And we're almost adults too. After the school year, we'll officially be on our own." Rumble reminded.
"You got me on that one." Scootaloo admitted. "Moving to a slightly different topic, what's the first thing you planning to do once we all graduate?"
"Well, I'd like to maybe celebrate. Since we won't have to worry about school anymore."
"One, we still have to go to the Academy, and two, how exactly are you going to be celebrating?"
"Well, I was thinking of going to a beach or something."
"Boo. Lame." Scootaloo called out.
"Can you come up with anything better?"
"Maybe a get together with a whole bunch of our friends?"
"Yours doesn't sound much better you know." Rumble pointed out.
"Fair point." Scootaloo admitted. "But it'd still be nice to get together anyways. Who knows where we'll end up? I heard Featherweight's thinking about moving to Canterlot or somewhere else with Zip."
"Yeah, he's thinking about moving so that they could achieve their goals and all that."
"And who knows how long we could be away on tours?" Scootaloo said.
"You make a pretty fair point."
"Same thing goes for Sweetie Belle, since she said she's on her way of getting a gig."
"Maybe we should hang out." Rumble decided.
"Good choice. But right now, I guess we're just going to have to focus on passing."
"Yeah." Rumble looked back to the table Pip was sitting and smiled. "Hey, look," he said.
Scootaloo followed his gaze to the table. She saw Pipsqueak holding out a flower bouquet to Apple Bloom, with a small blush on his cheeks. And it looked like Apple Bloom was hesitant with taking it. She eventually took the flowers and smiled.
"Looks like those two made up." Scootaloo said.
"Do you think that they're going on a date later?" Rumble asked.
"Doesn't look like it. More like Pip just wanted to talk with her. But what would I know? I'm not there." Scootaloo shrugged.
"Well, hopefully things turn out well for them." Rumble shrugged leaning back. He then perked up. "Oh yeah," he beamed.
"What is it?"
"My parents wanted you to help us."
"With?"
"Well, Mom, Dad, Thunderlane, and Blossom are going through some photo albums. Blossom wants to make this big collage for the wedding, so we're all looking for pictures."
"Why do they want me there?"
"Mom thinks you can help us pick some out, Blossom can be terrible at making decisions." Rumble stated.
"You can say that again." Scootaloo mumbled.
"Plus, I don't want to experience that without you."
"Do you mean that in a cheesy way, or a serious way?"
"Serious way. Every time my family 'takes a trip down memory lane', Rumble quoted, "I always have to put up with Dad laughing, Mom crying, and Thunderlane's teasing. And now that Blossom's going to be there, there will be giggles."
"I'd most likely be laughing too."
"Did you forget the pictures my Mom took of us when we were younger?" Rumble hinted.
"Oh, I see. You want me to suffer with you."
"Pretty much, yeah." Rumble admitted.
Scootaloo sighed. "Typical."
"So will you be coming?"
"Depends on when we do it."
"We all agreed tomorrow will be fine."
"I'll be there." Scootaloo sighed.
"See you then." Rumble grinned.
Scootaloo mumbled something under her breath.
"So how'd it go?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Well," Apple Bloom said. "He told me he felt awful about what he said. 'f Course I said it was fine, but he didn't believe me. He said he liked me a lot, but that he didn't share the same exact feelings. That he just didn't feel like datin' anypony."
"Wow." Scootaloo said.
"Yeah. He did tell me that he'd still like to hang out. But mostly as friends. Ah' told him I understood, and that it was okay. But then he did the sweetest thing." Apple Bloom gestured to the bouquet sticking out of her saddlebag and blushed with a big grin. It was an assortment of a few roses, white flowers that resembled bells, and the one that took the most attention was one flower with gigantic white petals, and what looked like red at the edges.
"He gave me this bouquet, an 'I'm sorry' present he called it. Ah' didn't know if I could accept such a thing, but, with the puppy dog eyes he was giving me, I couldn't resist." Apple Bloom explained.
Scootaloo pretended to puke and pointed to the inside of her mouth. "Sounds like something straight out of a romance movie."
"And I don't see you getting any flowers from Rumble." Apple Bloom said in defense. Sweetie Belle bit her lip to hold back the 'burn' that was building in her throat.
"Fair point. But you have to admit it's a bit much."
"Exactly why I was so hesitant. But he seemed really sorry about what he said and these are pretty nice."
"They really are." Sweetie Belle said.
"So you're going to hang out with him?"
"Yep. But it's like I said, as friends."
"The same thing happened with Rumble and I, and look at where we are now." Scootaloo shot back. Sweetie Belle bit her lip again.
Apple Bloom couldn't hold back the blush on her cheeks. "It won't be like that."
"Well, he did say he doesn't have the exact same feelings for you." Sweetie Belle said.
"And?" Apple Bloom asked defensively.
"That could mean he likes you a little. You still have a chance with him."
"Whatever, what would you know?"
The two responded by raising their eyebrows as though they were saying, 'Really? You're really asking us that?'
Apple Bloom scoffed. "I don't think he fancies me that way, alright? He said it himself."
"He could, and not realize it yet." Sweetie Belle said, trotting down the front steps.
"With the way he always smiles when you walk by him," Scootaloo teased.
"And the way his ears perk up when you talk to him," Sweetie added.
"And especially how he sometimes avoids your gaze before sneaking a look back at you."
"Will you two cut it out? I don't want to get my hopes up okay?" Apple Bloom said.
"Lighten up AB," Scootaloo said, flying down to her level and wrapping an arm around her neck. "we're only kidding around."
"And speaking the truth." Sweetie Belle said with a grin.
"And exactly why, may I ask, do you know all of this? Were you spying on us?" Apple Bloom said.
"It's actually pretty hard to miss. He's been doing that ever since we were Juniors." Scootaloo said. Apple Bloom blushed.
"Did he? Or are you just teasing?"
"Call it what you want, but my eyes haven't lied to me yet." Scootaloo said. "Now I'm going to go, I'd best go now before Rumble gets lonely out there."
"I've got a date on Minecraft I don't want to miss, Button and I just found a new stash of diamonds!" Sweetie Belle said her eyes lighting up. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom rolled their eyes and smiled.
"See you girls later, I'm going home," Apple Bloom said. Her two friends went their separate ways. "I need to find a vase to put these in." she said once they were gone. She smiled and trotted away.
"No, Rumble. For the umpteenth time, I'm not changing my mind I said I'd be there."
"You might end up regretting it." Rumble cautioned.
"Well that's for me to regret later, and enjoy now. Let's just get this over with." Scootaloo said. She hung her head and called back to her parents inside.
"See you guys at dinner." She called out.
"Bring her home no later then ten. Got that Rumble?" Scootaloo's father looked up from across the room and gave Rumble the coldest stare he could muster, freezing the poor colt into place.
"Yeah, yeah, I'll be here. Bye Dad." Scootaloo said, taking Rumble's hoof and breaking him out of his stance. She pulled him out the door and shut it.
"Come on." Scootaloo said, tugging Rumble until he was able to move his hooves again. Which took a bit longer than it should've. They were halfway there before he stopped sweating and started moving on his own again.
"Sorry." he apologized.
"Whatever, just don't make me baby you like that again." Scootaloo said.
"Sorry." Rumble repeated.
Before another word could be said, the two arrived. Of course, as soon as they got to the door, it swung open and Storm appeared. "There you two are." she smiled. "We were looking for you, didn't want to start without everyone here." she giggled.
"Sorry we're being late, my Dad gave Rumble quite a scare." Scootaloo said with a smirk.
"Oh, I see." Storm giggled with Scootaloo while Rumble blushed.
"Come in, come in, we're all waiting for you." Storm walked in, and the pair followed. As soon as they walked into the living room, Thunderlane perked up.
"Finally! What took you so long?" he asked.
"They got a bit held up, but the important thing is that they're here now."
"Alright, let's get started. What do you want to do first Blossom?" Rumble's father asked.
"Let's start with the first." Blossom suggested.
"Perfect! I absolutely love that one." Storm said excitedly.
Scootaloo sat next to Blossom on the sofa and looked at the scrap books on the floor. To her surprise, there wasn't as many as she thought they'd be. At least, nowhere near as much as the Apple Family's. Scootaloo looked to the two boxes sitting unopened next to Blossom and raised a curious eyebrow.
"Curious?" Blossom asked, catching her gaze. Scootaloo nodded. "Go ahead, I won't mind." Scootaloo knelt down next to the boxes and pulled out a large scrapbook, two others of similar sizes sat at the bottom of the box. But they all differed in color and decoration, and apparently, given the different pictures on the cover, different themes.
"These are yours?" Scootaloo asked.
Blossom smiled and nodded. "My mother decided to give them to me once I moved out. Since all these things have been doing was take up space in the attic, I decided that it was time to put them to good use." Blossom explained.
She eyed the scrapbook Scootaloo had in her hooves and grinned. "You found my parent's old album." she smiled. She took the book and flipped through the pages, showing them to Scootaloo as she did so. In it way a gray pegasus stallion with turquoise hair, and blue eyes. And her mother stood next to him, with lighter blue eyes and very light pink coat. She had short pink hair that matched her daughter's, and the same smile on her face.
"They were so happy together, especially after, so my mother tells me, I came along. But life happens, and they're not together anymore. A shame if you ask me, but they both help me out and love me the same.
"I'm sorry to hear that." Scootaloo said.
"Don't be, they're living happily now. And my father is especially glad now that I'm getting married. Though, he thinks I could've done a bit better. Just like all Dads, huh?" Blossom chuckled.
"Tell me about it." Scootaloo agreed. Blossom kept flipping through the pages until she settled on a picture of her as a baby. She carefully took it out of the book and set it to the side.
"That'll work. How's it going over there Thunderlane?" Blossom asked.
"Well, Mom and Dad are gushing over my baby pictures. Especially this one," Thunderlane gave her a picture of him as a foal, walking on the ceiling.
Blossom and Scootaloo giggled. "I think this'll do fine." She set the photo to the side next to her other picture.
"Oh, look at this!" Storm said, everyone turned her direction as she held up a picture of Thunderlane as a colt, holding a baby Rumble in his arms with a missing tooth. "I thought I lost this one." she said. "Glad I didn't."
"Really takes me back." Rumble's Dad said.
"It does." Thunderlane agreed, looking at another picture of Rumble."
"I bet you're glad that I had this idea aren't you?"
"I always was." Thunderlane said defensively.
"Sure, and that 'maybe we could do something else,' comment you made yesterday totally suggests that." Blossom said sarcastically.
"Okay, you caught me." Thunderlane replied, holding his hooves up.
"Now that you mention it, I was wondering why you felt like doing this." Scootaloo stated.
"Well I was doing a lot of thinking about decorations. And I eventually started thinking about our relationship, and everything that happened from the time we met and now. So I got the idea to represent this in the wedding, to show how far we've come together. It'd be far more interesting than saying it. It's like the saying goes, 'A picture's worth a thousand words,' ."
"Well, with the amount of pictures we've got, we might as well be rewriting the dictionary." Rumble's father stated.
Everyone kept looking through the albums, laughter was heard, and blush was seen from embarrassed ponies, and a bit more than a few tears were shed. Mostly from Storm.
The pile next to Blossom had grown so big a spare box was needed to hold them. When everyone came across the last album, Scootaloo at that point was half-asleep, and drifting off every few minutes.
"Tired Scootaloo?" Rumble asked knowingly.
"What?" Scootaloo said snapping awake. "No, I'm fine."
"You're eyes don't say so." Rumble replied. "You want me to take you home?"
"No, I can stay, I'm fine Rumble." Scootaloo said. Rumble shrugged.
"Alright, just let me know otherwise."
Blossom Forth smiled once she came across pictures of her and Thunderlane together. "Look Thunderlane," Blossom held up a picture for him to see, and he immediately started grinning.
"Oh yeah, that trip to the beach." he said with a grin. "I'd love to see you in that bathing suit again."
Blossom blushed and rolled her eyes. "Whatever." she replied. She set the picture in the box.
"Okay, last one." Rumble said, offering a picture to the pair.
"Nice choice little bro." Thunderlane said with a ruffle of his brother's mane.
"Perfect." Blossom said. She took the picture from him and turned to Scootaloo. "Wha do you th-" she stopped abruptly when she saw the young mare's eyes were shut, and that she was breathing softly, leaning on the pillow of the couch.
"I knew it." Rumble said with a shake of his head. "I guess that means I should take her home now. Thanks for letting her come guys."
"Not a problem little bro, we wouldn't have finished without her. Though, hopefully next time, she won't fall asleep." Thunderlane said with a wink. Blossom snickered before quickly covering her mouth.
"Make sure you come back safely. Goodness knows what can happen next in this town." Storm cautioned.
"I will." Rumble walked over to Scootaloo and shook her shoulder.
Scootaloo groaned and turned to her side. Rumble sighed and tried again, getting the same response.
"Looks like you're going to have to carry her." His Dad said with a smile. Rumble sighed again before giving in. He took one of Scootaloo's hooves and pulled her onto his back, wrapping her forelegs around his neck as she laid on his backside.
"See you guys later." Rumble said. He walked out the door into the windy evening, the stars shining with all their might as he walked. He couldn't help but blush when Scootaloo wrapped tightened the grip on his neck. He smiled while her heart throbbed against his back side. She breathed softly into his neck, sending a tingle up his spine, she was pretty light on his back.
He made sure she wasn't slipping off of him and that she held on tight to him. When she shifted a small bit, and tightened her grip, she mumbled something he could barely make out.
"Rumble," she said.
He didn't know why, but something about her saying his name, made him feel elated. He felt heat flow into his cheeks as he smiled wider. To him, it was the best feeling in the world to have her there, in such a peaceful state, like the way she was.
He finally approached her home and rung the doorbell. Her father answered and looked at Rumble in a state of shock.
"She fell asleep at my house, is it okay if I put her in her bed?" Rumble asked softly.
Her father nodded. "Sure, go ahead, she had a pretty long day." he stepped out of the way and went to the kitchen. Where his wife sat.
As Rumble passed by with Scootaloo on his back, she couldn't help but smile at the sight.
Rumble climbed the stairs timidly, making Scootaloo wouldn't slip off. Once he made it in her room, he slipped her forelegs off of his neck, and slid her onto her bed. Where she shifted for a second or so, to the point in which Rumble was afraid she'd wake-up, before settling in one position and smiling. Rumble couldn't help but have the urge to kiss her.
But he didn't want to wake her up, so he settled for one on the head, before quickly leaving and shutting the door behind him.
"Thanks." her father said once he came downstairs. "I appreciate you bringing my daughter home safely." He set a hoof on Rumble's shoulder and nodded to him to show his thanks. "Keep it up Rumble." he said. He patted Rumble's shoulder again before going back into the kitchen.
'Glad to return the favor,' he thought to himself. He then smiled and let himself out. He couldn't help but think about the picture he showed to Blossom with her and Thunderlane, still able to feel the ghost of Scootaloo's forelegs on his neck he smiled. The image of Blossom kissing a blushing Thunderlane's cheek fresh in his mind.
"What do ya mean you can't come?" Apple Bloom asked.
"I mean I can't come, I have to do something this afternoon. We'll just have to hang out tomorrow."
"Didn't I tell you?" Sweetie Belle said.
"Am I missin' something here?" Apple Bloom questioned.
"I have to go to a photo shoot for the wedding pictures today. Rumble had to do it with the rest of the guys last week. So now it's our turn.
"I'm supposed to help Rarity get the bridesmares ready."
"Can Ah' come?"
"Why?" Scootaloo asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I really want to see you in your dress. Please?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Sure, you can come if you want to. As long as you're quiet, since Photo Finish likes to work in silence."
"I promise." Apple Bloom said.
"Scootaloo!" Blossomforth called out. She turned away from the photographer and walked to her. "I'm glad you came." She looked to Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom behind her. "And that you brought your friends." she smiled.
"We won't say a peep about the dresses." Sweetie Belle swore. Apple Bloom made a motion of zipping her mouth, while Blossom giggled.
"Good. You should go get dressed."
"Alright! Bring forth, ze Bride first!" Photo Finish called out. Blossom stepped away and fixed the hem of her wedding dress, before stepping over to the area where Photo pointed. Blossom decided to take photos in her favorite part of town, where there were trees all around that gave the pictures a fairy tail setting, with the abundance of flowers there was.
Once she had finally finished with Blossom, who struck more poses than any model could, Photo called out for, "ze Bride's mares!"
Flitter and Cloudchaser stepped up first, holding out their flowers together, and striking different poses as well. One included them blowing a kiss to the camera, while another included both of them winking at the camera. Photo wasn't done there, once she had gotten them together, she took pictures of them apart. Flitter was reserved for the flowers in the area, while Cloudchaser flew around in her dress, Photo taking the picture at just the right time to make the pictures look elegant.
"Next!" she shouted out. Another Bridesmare, Silver Speed, the one Rumble said made bad puns, stepped up. She took several photos as well, going as far as acting like a model. Causing the other mares on the side line to giggle at her antics.
Sweetie Belle stood with Scootaloo, and was helping Rarity manage her hair for the pictures.
"Ow!" Scootaloo yelped.
"Oh quit being a baby, this is the first time I had to deal with your hair. When was the last time you brushed it?"
"Yesterday." Scootaloo replied.
"Must be the flying. You really should take better care of yourself Scoots." Sweetie sighed. She continued brushing through Scootaloo's mane until she managed to get the knots out. Afterwards, Rarity slipped the dress, after sewing in the finishing stitches, over her head. Before taking Sweetie's place to style her hair.
"Thank you Sweetie."
"No problem sis." Sweetie Belle gave the brush back to Rarity and trotted back to her place next to Apple Bloom, who was lying in the grass with the others.
Rarity didn't speak much as she brushed and combed, quickly styling Scootaloo's mane until the curl was hanging to the side of her face, much like a bang of some sorts, and the rest of her hair was flattened and curled at her neck. Rarity made sure not to go over the top and only gave her mane the same classic curls she always wore as a filly. The only difference was that it was much longer than back then.
"Thanks Rarity." Scootaloo said with a smile, once the mare held up a mirror for her to see herself.
"Not a problem." she replied.
"Next!" Photo called out. Rarity stuffed the flowers and Scootaloo's hooves, and signaled for her to rush over.
'Here we go,' Scootaloo thought. With a sigh, she quickly flew over to where Photo Finish was waiting.
She was directed to holding her bouquet getting scolded every time she moved out of place.
"Stay still!" Photo shouted.
'I'm trying to...' Scootaloo thought. Instead of saying it, she just did her best to keep a smile on her face and did her best to act like a statue.
When Scootaloo was told to lay on the ground for another photo, she couldn't help but look to the sky every now and then. "Over here!" Photo directed. Scootaloo let out a slow sigh and looked to the camera. She was aching to stretch out her wings, and to just fly away from it all.
When Photo wasn't looking, she unfolded her wings and took a second to stretch them out. To her surprise, the mare caught sight of her, even through her thick glasses.
"Hold that pose!" she called out. Scootaloo froze, her wings completely stretched out. Photo started directing her to move around, much more to Scootaloo's liking.
"Perfect!" Photo kept saying. She zipped around, taking photos from different angles. "Why didn't I think of this before?!" she called out. She continued instructing and directing Scootaloo until she was satisfied.
"Wonderful!" she praised, looking back through the pictures. "You're a natural." she called out to Scootaloo.
"I wouldn't say so."
"But these are amazing." Blossomforth replied, looking over Photo's shoulder to look at the pictures. "They really suit you."
"Okay! I go! I will bring ze photos next week." Photo announced. With that, she and the rest of her crew left, without much of a word.
"Thanks for coming Scootaloo." Blossom said afterwords. "I know it couldn't have been easy for you."
"No problem, I'm just glad it's finally over. How did the guys manage to get through this?"
"All Thunderlane said was that they barely survived." Blossom replied.
"Scootaloo!" her friends called out. The two swarmed their friend, hopping around all around her and continuously praising her.
"You looked amazing!"
"Like a real model!"
"That dress really suits you!"
"I can't wait to see you at the wedding."
Scootaloo waited until they managed to slow down to a point where she could interrupt. "Thanks girls, but I wouldn't say so. Honestly I don't know how some ponies do it."
"I'm surprised you lasted this long." Silver Speed said, coming up behind the trio.
"So am I." Scootaloo said. She sighed and hung her head. 'I hope I never have to do that again.' she thought.
"Okay, so what did you want me here for?" Scootaloo asked. Opening the door and walking inside.
"I was actually just hoping to talk to you a bit."
"But why would you want us to do that in your room?"
"I was also hoping we'd get to maybe cuddle for a bit." Rumble said.
Scootaloo gave him a look as though she was considering the offer. She then smirked and shut the door behind her. "Spill it Romeo." she said, sitting on the bed next to him.
Rumble grinned as well and lay on his pillows, pulling Scootaloo down to lay next to him, wrapping a wing around her and she put her head to his chest. "I actually wanted to talk to you about flying."
"We do that all of the time, Rumble." Scootaloo said.
"I mean, how you started flying." Rumble said. Scootaloo looked to Rumble in a bit of disbelief, not sure if he was actually talking about what she thought he meant.
"You mean how I first learned how to fly?" she asked.
"More like what motivated you to fly." Rumble said.
Scootaloo paused, not sure if she felt comfortable telling him at the time. She started hugging her arms to her chest and took her head off of Rumble's. "That's a bit of a long story." she said. Looking away from his gaze, and lowering her voice.
"You can tell me, I really want to know." Rumble said.
"Well. It's not the happiest story." Scootaloo said.
"You don't have to if you're not comfortable with it."
"No, you needed to know sometime. What better time than now?" she said. She shut her eyes and drew in a deep breath. "When you learned to fly at first, did you have any trouble?" she asked.
"Not that much." Rumble admitted. "After several tries, I was able to get myself off of the ground."
"If someone told you, that, you might not have been able to, would you believe them?" Rumble was taken back.
"Well...I'd deny it at first."
"If you were told, that you may never fly the same way as other ponies, would you believe them?"
"Um...no." Rumble admitted.
"If you were told, that, you could never fly at all, would you believe them then?" Scootaloo asked.
"No." Rumble said quietly. "Not right away."
"That was my answer. No. I didn't believe it. I never wanted to. I always tried my hardest to try and fly. But at the time, it just wasn't working. I was a 'late bloomer', as some ponies call it. My wings just weren't big enough at the time. But that didn't stop me from trying, and practicing, and working through it until I was able to get in the air."
"But there were many times when I felt like just giving up entirely. It often took the support of Rainbow Dash and other ponies to help me overcome that. But I never did give up."
"That takes some determination." Rumble said.
"Yeah. I had to stay determined. Otherwise, I would've just thrown in the towel right then and there. But, it wasn't always that way."
"It wasn't?" Rumble asked, shocked.
"No, we've all got to learn something from someone. And I learned from my Dad."
"You're Dad taught you to be determined?" Rumble asked.
"Yup." Scootaloo said, throwing on a smile.
"Guess I shouldn't be so surprised." Rumble replied.
"We were at the doctor's, they said that I may not be able to fly."
Scootaloo felt boiling tears invade her vision, blurring the doctor in front of her, who had a sad and sorry look on his face as he put aside the x-rays and the clipboard. Scootaloo's mother looked to her, tears coming into her eyes herself as she looked to her daughter. Scootaloo, staring at the floor, choked back sobs.
"Sc-" her mother began, reaching a comforting hoof towards her. But Scootaloo bolted. The tears boiled over, leaving red marks and puffy eyes on her face as they slid off of her face. She sprinted out the door, sliding across the floor as she ran down the hallway, dodging any ponies who were minding their own business. Ponies with looks of shock and concern on their faces as she ran past.
But she didn't care. She just felt like doing one thing, running. She wanted to be as far from it as possible, as though distancing herself from the truth would make it all a lie. It had to be a nightmare. It just had to be. Any moment, Princess Luna could show up from one of the many doors in the hallway.
"Scootaloo!" her father called out. Scootaloo ignored him and continued running at full speed. Turning at dangerous angles as she rounded the corners. Until she finally made it outside, where she ran and ran until she was as far from the hospital as her legs could carry her.
Scootaloo panted, gasping for air through her sobs and burning lungs. She collapsed on the ground, right next to a tree and only continued sobbing.
She didn't hear the muffled hoofsteps behind her, and became startled once she felt a hoof on her shoulder. She whipped around, hoping she wouldn't see any of her friends there. She was thankful to find her father there instead. He outstretched his arms, which she ran into. The stallion had a few tears in his eyes himself, and looked straight ahead, keeping a soldier expression on his face. And hugging his daughter tightly.
He stroked his hoof through Scootaloo's mane and sighed. "It's going to be okay Scootaloo, I promise." he said.
Scootaloo could only continue sobbing over her father's shoulder, dampening his coat. "No it won't!" she gasped. "I'll never be able to fly! I'll never be able to walk on clouds by myself or go to Cloudsdale." she said.
Her father pulled Scootaloo off his shoulder, who took to wiping away any of the resurfacing tears on her face. "Don't cry, Scootaloo I don't want to see you cry." Scootaloo looked to her father's eyes, taken back by the tears in them. She'd never seen her father cry before.
"The doctor said that you could never fly again. He never said you won't."
"But he said that I had a small chance to fly like every other pegasus." she objected. Her father put on a look of understanding. He used his hoof to wipe away Scootaloo's slowing tears away.
"It's a chance isn't it?"
Scootaloo rubbed her eyes "Yeah, I guess." she said.
"Scootaloo, you're never going to fly if you don't believe it yourself. You've got to be confident that you can do it. You've got to be determined to fly and fight with everything you've got."
"But I tried in the past, and it still didn't work. What if...what if I never fly?" Scootaloo asked.
"It won't change much. You're still you. Flying doesn't determine who you are. It's how you act that determines who you are. You never thought you'd find your cutiemark did you?"
"No." Scootaloo admitted.
"And now who's got the best cutiemark in town?" he replied.
Scootaloo put a small smile on her face. "I do."
"See? It's not impossible unless you say it is. You can't give up, Scootaloo. You can ask any Wonderbolt, and Princess, anyone who's living their dreams. They had to stay determined. Meaning, that whatever life threw their way, they had to make the best of it. So a little disability shouldn't stop you. Because flying's not impossible, if you put in the work."
Scootaloo looked up to her Dad, wiping her face again before smiling up at him, dry eyed. "Thanks Daddy." she said. She went into his arms again and squeezed him. He smiled hugged her back, stroking through her hair again.
Rumble stared down at Scootaloo. "You didn't stop, did you?"
"Not until I was able to get myself off of the ground. My Dad and Rainbow helped me too." Scootaloo said. "If it wasn't for those words, I wouldn't be here, and my life would've been completely different."
"Wow." Rumble said.
"Okay, enough with the sentimental stuff. I think it's time you told me something."
"Okay, like what?" Rumble asked.
"Well, what was it like when you first met Blossom?"
"Oh, well, Thunderlane knew Blossom ever since he caught the feather flu from her."
"Well that's something I didn't expect." Scootaloo said.
"She came over to our house and made some soup for Thunderlane. Saying how sorry she was for spreading it to him. That's probably the time I met her officially. She talked with both Thunderlane and I as though we saw each other every day. Of course they became good friends for the longest time. But they eventually started dating. Now here we are."
"Well that was a disappointment."
"I guess my life's just not that interesting." Rumble shrugged.
Scootaloo grinned once an idea came to mind. "Then I'm going to make it interesting. 'You got to make life interesting, or else life's going to make it interesting for you.' Scootaloo quoted.
"Where'd you get that from?"
"Would you believe me if I told you that Daring Do said it herself?"
"You read Daring Do?" Rumble asked.
"Of course I do. Rainbow Dash introduced it to me." Scootaloo said boldly. "Even got me to meet the author of the books."
"Well, I guess that I was wrong."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that you make my life interesting. You basically turn my world upside down all of the time."
"I'm just going to take that as a compliment." Scootaloo said.
Rumble laughed.
"You know, I'm glad that I came today." Scootaloo said.
"And why is that?"
"You're bed's pretty comfortable." Scootaloo teased. "Oh, and it's nice to see you and all. And cuddle. "
We were sitting on the clouds, huffing and puffing as we stretched out our tired wings.
"That was quite the practice." I say.
"I know, maybe next time we shouldn't skip breaks though." Rumble suggested.
"Typical Rumble," I say teasingly. Rumble rolls his eyes and looks at me, flashing a smile.
"You know, I've had something on my mind all day today. As soon as I saw you this morning actually."
"And just what might that be?" I ask him.
"Your lip gloss." he says, pointing his hoof at me.
"You noticed it?" I ask.
"How could I not? You never wear any make up."
"Sweetie Belle wanted me try it out, she said she thought it'd suit me."
"Well, it kind of does in a way, it's making your lips look a bit more noticeable."
"Well that's why she gave me the one that matched me. She thought I'd ought to try it out, and she likes it. But personally, I'm not too fond of it. Especially since ponies had been staring at me all day." I groan.
"Well, if I were to be honest, I say you look just fine without it." Rumble said.
I couldn't help but smile at that. "Thanks, but I'm sure that you know that I don't care for anyone else's opinions. I know she meant well, but I don't think I'm ever going to wear this again."
"Suit yourself, but it can't be that bad, you're not wearing that much to begin with." Rumble stated.
"It does taste like cherries." I say.
"Really?" Rumble says. Before I can blink, he quickly swoops in and gives me a kiss, full on the lips. I stand there, eyes widened in shock, and blush rushing into my face and the tips of my ears. When he finally pulls away, he licks his lips teasingly. "You're right, there's a hint of berries in there too." he says.
I stand there, speechless, blush all over my face. My lips still tingled, I could feel the ghost of his lips on mine. 'Did...he just, kiss me?' I think. It wasn't the fact that he kissed me that was the most shocking. It was the fact that I actually....enjoyed it.
"Scootaloo?" he asks worriedly. He waves a hoof in my face and creases his eyebrows. "I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that without your con-" I stop him by pressing my lips to his. And now it's his turn to be shocked. I let my eyes shut and continue pressing my lips to his, until he starts kissing me back.
I find us slowly leaning back into the clouds and we just continue, he wraps his wings around me and I just let it happen. I find a smile stretching over my lips. We continue until I feel like my lungs would burst if we didn't stop. I pull myself away from him and gasp for air, a smile still stretched across my face.
He chuckles for a quick second before he pulls away from me. And I find myself opening my eyes.
But at that pint he was gone. I find myself lying on the cloud, alone. "Rumble?" I call out, but I get no reply. I find myself trying to wipe off the lip gloss, but there isn't any there. I sigh and lean back, trying not to let any tears come. 'I guess he had to leave.' I think. But the memory is still there. I smile, rethinking about the moment.
I took a look around my room. And felt butterflies fill up my stomach. "It was a dream?" I asked. I quickly sat up, looking around in disbelief. "But...it all felt so real." I said.
'I really dreamt all of that?' I thought, putting a hoof to my head. I felt heat flood her cheeks and the tips of her ears. Along with moisture on my face. I quickly wiped it away. 'There's no way...that had to be real' I thought. I still felt my lips tingling from the sensation. It was as though he actually was there to kiss me.
But, why am I okay with this? Shouldn't I be objecting to this? Or...
I put my hoof to my lips, those butterflies seemed to be having a party or something, with no intent on leaving. 'Why do I feel anxious?' I ask myself. Maybe it was just from the dream.
The dream. What was so wrong with it being a dream that I had? It was only a few kisses. A few, sweet, kisses.
I sigh and climb out of bed. Something tells me that it's going to be a long day.
It took nearly half an hour for the blush to completely fade, but I didn't want to go anywhere with any sign of red on my face. Especially since Rumble and I had planned to hang out today. The last thing I wanted was him finding out about that dream of mine. But those stupid butterflies never ceased to stop fluttering about.
"Scootaloo?" I heard. I look up to realize I was in the living room. My mother had a worried look on her face.
"Huh?" I ask, turning towards her.
"Are you feeling alright? I just called your name twice." she explained.
"You did?" I ask in disbelief. 'I could've sworn I would've heard her if she did.'
"Sweetheart, are you feeling alright? Do you feel tired maybe?" she asked me, walking over to me and putting a hoof on my forehead.
"I'm fine, Mom, no need to worry. I'm just lost in thought is all." I explain.
"What's on your mind? Anything you want to talk about?" she asked. I couldn't stop blush for rushing into my cheeks. I avoided her gaze and looked to the ground, tilting my ears down so she wouldn't see the red covering them.
She choked out a chuckle and smiled. "Oh, I see. Well, don't let me stop you. I'm sure that you and Rumble are going to be pretty busy with your plans today." she said. She walked back to the stair case where she started climbing the stairs. Chuckling to herself all the while.
"Ugh." I sigh. As late as I was to meet up with Rumble, I couldn't wait for the stupid blush to fade. I start trotting out of the house, quick to lock the door behind me. I then take off from the front door and fly as quickly as possible towards my destination.
Rumble and I had both agreed to meet up by the place where we usually practice, which didn't really help my current situation very much. Of course, I wasn't surprised to see him there. As soon as I land, he's already at my side, getting ready to ask me what kept him waiting.
"I woke up a bit later than usual," I lie, "sorry I'm late." he sighs and smiles at me.
"It's fine, I'm guessing you slept well then," he says.
A quick memory of the dream caused me to turn away from him. "I guess you could say that. What about you?" I ask, trying to turn the subject to him.
"I slept alright. I had the best dream," he begins.
"Did you now?" I ask, trying to put on a casual look.
"You and I graduated and we both joined the Wonderbolts." he explained with a grin. "What about you?" he asked me.
"Me? Nothing, nothing important." I say, a bit too quickly.
"I don't believe it."
"Really, I didn't dream of anything." I say.
"Did you now?" he throws at me.
I mumble something under my breath. "Fine, I did have a dream,"
"About what?" he asked.
"Don't think you're going to get it out of me that easily." I reply "we're already wasting enough time as it is, we should start practicing." I say, flapping my wings.
"Girls are such enigmas." he mumbles.
I choose to ignore the last thing he says. He comes to my level and starts explaining what he was going to help me with. But I couldn't really keep my mind on it. My thoughts were clouded with my dream. As much as I tried, I couldn't help but smile and blush when he wasn't looking. Even when I tried to focus, I faltered a bit more than I usually do, enough to get Rumble to notice.
"You okay Scoots? You don't seem as focused as usual."
"I'm fine, I'm just tired." I say.
"If you feel like taking a break..." Rumble began.
"I know, I should let you know. You don't have to worry, I'm fine." I assure him. Eventually, as we practiced into the afternoon, I started faltering a bit more. At first, I had dismissed my clouded thoughts as those memories of the dreams, but it wasn't until I started feeling sluggish and lightheaded that I came to a realization. I didn't eat a single thing since this morning. And it was well into the afternoon.
I knew I shouldn't tough it out, but we were only going to practice for an extra thirty minutes before breaking for lunch. But Rumble proved that to be a bit more difficult.
"Scootaloo, you need to keep your wings angled. Otherwise, you might not get it right."
"I'm trying," I say. But he wasn't having it.
"Come on, Scoots, you can do this." we continued trying the same trick until we passed the thirty minute mark.
"Maybe we should break for lunch." I suggest.
"Am I hearing you right? You're the one that wants to take a break?" he says.
"I'm a bit hungry." I admit.
"Well, we can break once you get it right. You're almost there."
Just my luck.
I try my best, but my limbs may as well have been made of cement. I only continued to falter. It wasn't until I had to catch myself that I decided enough was enough.
"I'm sorry." I say, pushing away from him. "I-I need a minute." I fly to the ground and sit, putting my hooves to my head. Rumble quickly comes to my side, and I don't need to see his face in order to see how worried he was.
"Maybe we should take a break, you don't look too good." Rumble said.
"Ya don't say?" I snap back, scowling at him.
"I'm sorry, Scoot, I didn't know."
I can't help but feel terrible for snapping at him. I soften a bit. "No, I should've told you how I was feeling."
"Did you eat anything today?" he asked, standing up and reaching his hoof out to me.
"No." I answer, taking it and pulling myself up. The sudden movement caused me to feel lightheaded and stumble a bit. But of course, Rumble catches me.
"I think that that's enough for today." he says. "Come on. I'll pay for lunch." he says. I don't even object, I just lean on him and we stumble to our usual spot for lunch. Rumble sits me in the closes vacant booth and orders for us.
Once he sets the food in front of me, I can't stop myself from devouring it. He just eats his own hayburger until I finish mine. Once I've finished he knowingly pushes his half eaten hayburger to me with the rest of his fries.
"Thanks." I say. I eat a bit slowly this time, and he takes the opportunity to talk to me.
"Scootaloo, why didn't you let me know like I asked?"
I sigh and swallow a mouthful of fries. "I thought we'd take a lunch break sooner than we did. But I guess I underestimated you."
"Really?" Rumble asked. "Geez, Scoot, I'm so sorry. I wish I knew."
"Don't blame yourself, I should've told you. Better yet, I shouldn't have skipped breakfast." I say.
"Why did you?" he asks.
I felt a bit hesitant about answering. "Well, I was a bit distracted."
"By what?" he asked.
"Do you ever run out of questions?" I say, trying to change the subject.
"Do you ever say anything on your mind?" he replied.
I stop. Setting the burger down, I look down and start blushing, tilting my ears down so he wouldn't see the blush staining them. It felt like those butterflies were coming back. And that something was building up in my throat. I started to worry about my meal making a reappearance.
"You know how I was reluctant to tell you about my dream this morning?" I begin.
He nods. "Yeah."
"Well, that dream I had last night, was kind of the cause."
"What happened?" he asked.
I didn't know if I should tell him. I still felt reluctant to tell him about that. But I felt like saying something else. For once, I let myself go into autopilot. "It doesn't really matter." I say. "But it made me realize something."
I move my gaze to his, and stare at him directly, and for whatever reason, my blush starts fading a bit, and a smile begins stretching over my lips. "I'm too reluctant to speak my mind. I never tell you anything I'm feeling. But, right now, I feel like telling you something that's been on my mind for the longest time. Something I didn't realize at first."
"What?" he asks softly. I realize we're leaning in a bit closer. So I resume my regular position.
It was as though there was something bubbling up in my throat, and that it was taking the butterflies with it. I decide to just let it out.
"I love you, Rumble."
"What?" he asks. A bit of shock on his face.
"You heard me. I love you." I say a bit more boldly.
"So you've finally said it." he replies. Smirking.
"I guess so." I say. And I smile too.
I didn't expect myself to say those words. Those three, little, words. I never thought I'd say them out loud, but I realized how much truth was in them. I guess I always did love him. That I just didn't realize it at first.
I guess that letting myself go into autopilot really did have it's advantages. But even after all of that, after taking the biggest weight of my chest, I still felt like one thing was missing.
And I knew it was that kiss.
'Why am I so obsessed over it?' I kept asking myself. 'It's a kiss. It can't be that important. Couples do it all the time.'
'But we don't.'
I sighed and flattened myself back onto my bed. I put my hoof to my mouth, as though the ghost of Rumble's lips were still there. I couldn't help but smile at the thought, I shut my eyes, and dreamt of the same dream, all over again.
"How do you think you did?" Rumble asked. Scootaloo stretched out her stiff wings and sighed.
"I think I did pretty okay. I doubt I got every single one of them correct, but, I'm sure I'll pass this year."
"I told you studying would come in handy."
"Whatever you say Rumble, how do you think you did?" Scootaloo asked, she trotted down the steps and onto the slightly damp ground before her. The smell of petrichor was everywhere.
"I say I did pretty good, but as you said, not perfect."
"I'll guess that we'll find it out soon enough." Scootaloo replied. "I'm just glad to finally get those tests out of the way. It was a really long week."
"You could say that again, thank Luna they're finally over," Rumble said. Je then looked away for a moment and began to smile. "You know, I've been thinking-"
"About what?" Scootaloo asked.
"You know how the wedding's coming up so soon, and I was thinking we could do something together before then." Rumble said.
"And what might that be?" Scootaloo asked, looking up to him.
"Well, I don't recall the last time we've ever danced together. I was hoping we could maybe go out dancing tomorrow." Rumble suggested.
"I don't know, I haven't really danced with anypony else before, I haven't danced in a while in general." Scootaloo replied.
"Maybe we should change that before the wedding."
"Why do you want to do that?"
"I'd really like to dance with you at the reception, but since I've never danced with you before..."
"Fine." Scootaloo said. "But nothing fancy." she demanded.
Rumble grinned. "I promise."
"You're doing what?" Thunderlane asked.
"I'm going out dancing with her. How many times do I have to repeat myself to you?" Rumble replied.
"Why are you telling me this?" Thunderlane shot back.
"Well, I haven't exactly, danced with a filly before." Rumble admitted.
"What do you mean? I saw you dance with other ponies before at parties."
"I mean as a pair. I don't know what to do if it's just the both of us."
"Look Rumble, all I can say is don't stress about it so much. You two just do your own thing. I doubt you two'll be on Prancing with the Stars anytime soon, but the more often you two dance together, the more you'll get used to it. Just do what you feel like doing, and dance however you want to." Thunderlane said.
"Thanks, big bro." Rumble replied.
"Whatever. I still can't believe you're telling me of all ponies about this. I would've asked Dad first."
"Where do you think I'm coming from? I'm not interested in taking any lessons on it. Besides, you know how Mom and Dad get when they dance together. There's no way I'd be able to compete with that." Rumble reminded him.
Thunderlane smirked at a memory. "Fair point."
"How do I look?" Scootaloo asked her Dad.
"Grown up." her father replied.
"What does that mean, Dad?"
"It means you're growing up too fast."
"You're not going to start crying are you Dad?" Scootaloo asked with a smug grin.
"With as often as you're going out these days, I just might." the stallion replied.
"Love you too." Scootaloo hopped out of her seat once a knock was heard from downstairs. "See you later Dad,"
"Later." the stallion said half-heartedly. Scootaloo rushed past him, but not before planting a kiss on his cheek.
"See you at ten!" Scootaloo called out. She then shut the door behind her and smiled up at Rumble. "So, where're we headed?" she asked.
"You'll see, for now, just follow me." Scootaloo shrugged and did as asked. Rumble flew to the outskirts of the town, to the same empty open fields she had visited before. She asked several questions along the way, but Rumble chose to ignore them.
"Okay, we're here." Rumble said, landing on the biggest cloud in the middle of the field. Scootaloo stepped onto it and looked to him with a raised eyebrow.
"We're not going anywhere else?" she asked.
"No, do you want to?" Rumble asked. To his surprise, Scootaloo grinned.
"Nope. It's perfect. Where's the music?"
Rumble gestured to a radio he received from Thunderlane and switched it on. The cd inside started playing and began spurring out wordless songs that were perfect for dancing.
"Nice choice." Scootaloo said.
"I try my best." Rumble shrugged. He stepped closer to Scootaloo and grinned. The two moved in harmony together, one step in one direction, two steps in the other. Scootaloo decided to wrap an arm around Rumble's neck and spun him around so that he was standing where she originally was, all the more going a bit faster with the music.
She chuckled as Rumble grabbed her hoof and spun her in place, grinning all the while. "This is actually easier than I thought it'd be." he said with a grin.
Scootaloo laughed and continued. It wasn't until Scootaloo started flapping her wings that they started dancing in the air. At that point, a slower paced song had started, prompting the two to slow their movements. It was as though they were slow dancing in the air. Only, with more twists and turns. They let the wind catch in their wings as though it were leading them into their own special little style of dance.
"I never knew you could dance so well." Scootaloo said with a smug grin.
"I could say the same for you." Rumble replied.
The blue of the sky eventually faded into crimson, as the sun set behind them, the two showed no signs of stopping just yet. Even as the moon rose in the sun's place, bringing forth the cool evening, the two just danced and danced to their heart's contempt.
They weren't the best, but they both enjoyed the other's company. When the cd finally stopped, Rumble and Scootaloo came face to face, panting as they held their place. They lowered themselves to the cloud and softly landed on it, refusing to break the other's gaze.
'You have the most beautiful eyes." Rumble thought. Scootaloo blushed and was taken back, prompting to looking down at her hooves. 'Did I just say that out loud?' Rumble asked himself. He smacked a hoof to his forehead.
Scootaloo took him by surprise once more by replying with, "So do you." and with a tiny smile on her face, she started flapping her wings. And gave Rumble one long kiss on the cheek. "I've got to go, thanks for suggesting this. I actually had a good time."
"Maybe we could do it again sometime?" Rumble suggested.
"It's a date." Rumble's wings popped up and blush faded his cheeks. A smile stretching across his face. Scootaloo giggled.
Just before taking off, she replied. "Maybe next time, it'll be on the lips." she teased.
"Hold still." Aloe says. She takes the rollers out of my mane and brushes through them. Leaving them curly and elegant. She smiles and points to the mirror.
And honestly, I was shocked. Somehow, with only a little make-up, I looked absolutely stunning. Yet, still like myself. I couldn't help but smile at my reflection. "I look amazing." I say. Aloe just smiles and chuckles. "Thank you." I say.
"Not a problem. Now you'd better get dressed the wedding's starting soon." she said, before moving on to someone else. The room was bustling with chatter. Several of the other bridesmares were laughing, some of them were putting their jewelry on. And once or twice there was a few cases when one of them would ask for help with their dress. Rarity was running all around the place, dodging anything that was in her way.
But there was still one pony missing.
"Where's Blossom?" I ask.
"She said she was going to the bathroom. But she's been in there for a while." Silver Speed responded, before going back to her regular conversation. Without another word, I start for the hallway, where I find the bathroom door at the end of it, locked and closed shut.
"Blossom?" I ask after a few knocks. "You in there?"
"Oh! Um, yes. Do you need something?" she called from the other side. As much as I could tell she was trying to hide it, I was still able to hear the waver in her voice.
"I'm just checking on you, are you alright?"
"Yes! I'm fine, better in fact. Why do you ask?" There's no way I could've missed the crack in her voice.
"Blossom, are you nervous?" I ask. She doesn't respond for a moment.
"Nervous? No, not at all, I'm fine." she said, raising her voice a bit.
"How come I haven't seen your face for the past 20 minutes?" I ask, looking at a clock on the wall.
"Well..." she sighs "you're right." after a soft click the door opens a crack. I open it a bit wider to see Blossom sitting there in her dress, wringing her hooves. "I guess I am pretty nervous." she said. I notice how puffy her eyes are.
"Are you crying?" I ask in surprise. This was a first, through out the entire time I've been around Blossom, she hasn't shed one tear, seeing her do so now felt like as surprising as a slap to the face, and left me just as taken back.
"I guess so." she says. She tries to laugh but it gets caught in her throat, she then proceeds to wipe her tear stained face.
I felt completely helpless. I didn't know how to handle these type of situations by myself. Sure, I've had to help my friends when they were down, but I've always had Sweetie Belle or Apple Bloom there. I fell silent for a moment, not sure what to do next. But I didn't want to just stand there and do nothing. I've got to help her somehow. " Do you want me to get you something? Maybe ask someone to help you?" I felt stupid asking it, but it was all I could think of.
"No, you don't need to do that." she said with a smile. I decide to sit next to her, she takes this by surprise, but scoots a bit to the side anyway, before shutting the door behind me.
"What's wrong Blossom? I've never seen you cry before. Is it about Thunderlane?" I ask.
"No, no, it's not that, I guess that I'm just getting a bit overwhelmed is all." she admitted. She rubbed her eyes. "Scootaloo, do you ever just feel nervous to try something new? Especially with someone you care so much about?" I was once again, taken back.
"Yeah, all of the time." I admit.
"Well, maybe it's anxiety or maybe it's just stress, but, I'm just a bit, scared."
"Scared?" I ask.
"Don't get me wrong, I love Thunderlane, I want to marry him. But, I'm afraid. I'm afraid that it won't work, that we'd be better off as boyfriend and girlfriend rather than married. I'm afraid of not giving what I'll have to promise him. I'm afraid of not ever being good enough." She sighed and put her hooves to her head. "It's silly, isn't it?"
"Honestly," I admit, "I don't blame you. When everyone expects things to work out just fine for you, or when you're doing something new, but you're afraid of it not being what you've hoped for. When you've waited you're entire life for it to happen, or for that pony to care about you, but you just feel like it might not work out." I say. I shock myself as much as I shock Blossom.
"Scootaloo," she asks. "are you...scared too?"
"Of what?" I ask her.
"I don't know, I guess it's, moving on with our lives, expecting to find the happiness we've always longed for. And it won't ,meet our expectations." she says. I look away. She was right. That was exactly what I was afraid of.
"I guess I am." I say. "It's just that, with all of us finishing our last school year, trying out for the Academy, and especially trying...new things with Rumble," I blush a small bit and look at the tiles ahead of me, trying to keep tears from brimming over. "I am afraid. I'm scared of trying new things with him, afraid it won't work, or that I won't be right for him, afraid that I won't be able to give him the same amount of kindness and love he gives me, afraid that I can't support or help him like he helps me, afraid to try new things with him and to do something as simple as kissing him!" I rant, my voice gradually growing louder. I soften.
"I'm sorry." I say. "Here I am, trying to help you, and instead I list my own problems." I wipe the tears now flowing down my face, thankful for the water-proof mascara Rarity thought to use.
"No, I feel the same way. I want to listen and help you too." she says. I couldn't help but smile, her words reminded me of someone else's.
"But, I guess that can be the best part." I say.
"What do you mean?"
"It's trying those new things, learning to make it work for the two of us, together, that I actually enjoy the most. It's only after he washes those fears away, that I actually feel happy doing those things. Of course, I don't like going too far, and Rumble knows my boundaries, but I hope that we can continue to conquer our fears, together." I say. "I know, it must sound pretty cheesy doesn't it?"
"No, actually, that's helped a bunch." We both take a moment to wipe our eyes. "Thank you Scootaloo, seriously, I guess that talking just helped."
"I'm glad we talked too, I needed to get that off of my chest." I say.
"Maybe you two can muster up the courage to 'try new things' if you know what I mean?" she asked teasingly. I can't help but blush.
"W-what do you mean?"
Blossom made an over exaggerated kissing noise while clapping her hooves together and batting her eyelashes. I can't help but laugh and blush harder.
"Maybe." I say.
Blossom opens the door and steps out, looking at the clock on the wall. "Shoot!" she said, "we'd best get you dressed." she said. She races me to the dressing room and she helps me slip on my dress, while Rarity reapplies a bit of my make-up.
But my mind's not focused on that, it's more on something else. 'Is that really true? Is all of the things I said how I really feel? It sure seems like it. Am I really that scared for our relationship? I guess I was just oblivious to it. Too caught up in the clouds to realize it.' I thought.
I think of Rumble, and that evening we danced to our heart's contempt. 'You have the most beautiful eyes.' he said. The words bring a smile to my lips and heat to my cheeks and ears.
"Scootaloo?" Rarity asks with a teasing smile and raised eyebrow pointed my direction.
"Yes?" I say, snapping out of my trance.
"What're you thinking about that's making you blush so much?" she asked.
"What makes you think I'm blushing?" I ask, immediately moving a hoof to cover one of my cheeks.
"Well I haven't applied any blush on you." she explained. "in other words, spill it."
"I'm just thinking about something embarrassing, that's all." I try. Rarity doesn't look like she's buying it.
"Alright." she says anyway. She adds a few more last touches to my eye shadow and snaps in the flower. "Good to go!" she says. She glances at the clock.
"And just in the knick of time too," Flitter says. "come on, Scoot, we've got to get going." Rarity smiled.
"See you on the aisle." she replied. Before walking to the rest of the guests.
"Okay everyone, just like the rehearsal." Cloudchaser said. Every other mare nodded and they all stood in a straight line on one side of the hallway. The guys were going to be on the other side parallel to the mares. The music started dimly in the background and Scootaloo's stomach dropped. She swallowed the lump in her throat and drew in a breath. She tilted her head to see Cloudchaser walk up to the grooms stallion she was paired up with, he offered his arm out to her, and she took it, holding on tightly to her bouquet. The doors opened before the pair and the waltzed through them.
The whole ordeal was painfully long, and didn't do much to help with Scootaloo's sudden burst of nervousness.
'Don't worry,' A smile came to her lips as she thought of those words. Knowing that the owner of them was waiting at the end of the hall just as she was.
Blossom was waiting in another room awaiting her cue. She was supposed to enter the hallway and walk through the doors after Rumble and Scootaloo took their place on the alter.
The line gradually grew smaller until Scootaloo was up next right after Silver Speed. She averted her eyes to try and see Rumble, and froze when she saw him looking back, a bit of blush and a feeling of warmth spreading. She smiled at him and he smiled. The pair before them walked away and Rumble got a good look at Scootaloo.
'Wow.' I thought. She was absolutely stunning. It was as though she was at a famous photo shoot or in a movie. The way her wavy mane and curled bang moved to the left side of her face, the way her eyes glimmered. And how the dress gave her a little glow. The flower added to her hair, and the small make-up with the blush she had just all mixed together perfectly. It was all I could do to try not to gawk at her. And I found my wings popping up in response, and my jaw dropping down.
Her giggling snapped me out of my trance, and I quickly fixed myself and walked towards her as we had practiced. I offered her my arm and she gladly took it, grasping her bouquet of flowers tightly in her free hoof. She looked to me with her shimmering mauve eyes, seeming to glow with the rest of her image.
She literally took my breath away. Everyone in the room, which turned out to be a lot more than I had expected, turned to us and smiled. I spotted my friends sitting with Scootaloo's and seeming to gush at us. We walked to the middle of the aisle, where we slowed down for Photo Finish to snap a few pictures for us. A few other flashes of light came from the crowd as ponies tried getting pictures of us.
I couldn't help but feel a bit...warm, next to Scootaloo, several months ago, if I hadn't talked with her on that day in the winter, I'd probably be freaking out with some other pony. But I'm so grateful to have Scootaloo rather than anyone else. And for a moment, I only wanted us to be in the room, as though no one else was there.
But we eventually made the end of the aisle, and we had to part ways. Scootaloo smiled up at me for a split second before breaking away. She stands in her place across from me, and the flower fillies start prancing down the aisle, throwing petals all about.
The ring bearer, a younger distant cousin of mine, is prancing beside her, carrying a pillow in his mouth which held the rings.
Everypony stood as the music took a turn for a more suiting theme. Octavia clearly knows Blossom's not up for the standard wedding March. She put a bit more of a Spring vibe with the help of Vinyl Scratch.
Blossom stepped from the hallway, and everyone gasped. Many ponies snapped photos while Photo Finish snapped some pictures. Blossom's dress perfectly reflected her personality, and one glance at Thunderlane put a smirk on my face. He looked exactly as I had with Scootaloo, despite his wings still folded and his jaw still shut.
Blossom walked down the hall, and it was as though she was glowing, or that she came straight from a fairy tale. Once she had met up with Thunderlane, everypony sat down as the Mayor called out her words.
"We've all gathered here today, to celebrate the union of this lovely couple, a couple unlike any I've ever come across." she says. A lot of ponies chuckle in the crowd while others nod their heads in agreement.
"But, it is my great honor to wed these two together, and I hope that you, as much as I, wish these two a happy marriage. May I have the rings please?"
The little colt stepped up and held out the two rings, attached at the chain for the two to wear around their necks. She turned to Thunderlane, who had the biggest grin I've ever seen on his face in my entire lifetime.
"Do you, Thunderlane, take this mare to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, through sickness and in health," I can't help but glance to Scootaloo, who's smiling next to Blossom and looking the Mayor's direction, and I get that feeling of warmth again. "for as long as you both shall live?"
"I do." Thunderlane says proudly.
The Mayor turns to Blossom, who has a few tears brimming in her eyes as she looks directly into Thunderlane's. "And do you, Blossom Forth, take this stallion to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, through sickness and in health," Scootaloo's eyes meet mine and she smiles back, the tips of her ears turning red. "for as long as you both shall live?" she continues.
"I do." Blossom says with confidence.
"I now pronounce you, husband and wife, you may now kiss the bride." And Thunderlane does just that. He kisses her full on the lips and the crowd cheers. Many ponies jump from their seats while a few others, such as Blossom's mother and my own start tearing up. Thunderlane wraps a hoof around Blossom and the two trot down the aisle, heading out of the doors, and the rest of the wedding party follows. From Cloudchaser and the stallion she was partnered with to me and Scoots.
Scootaloo and I just grin and flap our wings, speeding down the hallway with everyone else outside, where the reception was being held.
Once everyone reached the outside, the dancing and the gossip commenced. "Scootaloo!" Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle shouted, jumping on me, careful not to stain my dress.
"You looked wonderful!" Sweetie Belle said.
"You did great in there." Apple Bloom agreed.
"Thanks girls, I appreciate you saying that." I say.
"We also saw the way you were looking at Rumble." Sweetie Belle hinted with a smile. To their surprise, I didn't blush as much as they had hoped.
"I'm sure you did. Didn't he look sharp?" I ask.
"He sure did." Apple Bloom replied, a small bit of disappointment in her voice. "That was a rather beautiful wedding, ah' must say. Blossom and Thunderlane are meant for each other."
"You could say that again." Sweetie Belle said, looking to the couple who were dancing in the middle of the dance floor with a few other ponies.
"Blossom and Thunderlane are meant for each other." Apple Bloom joked, I just snickered while Sweetie Belle just sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Um, Scootaloo?" I heard. I whipped around and saw Rumble standing there, a small smile on his face. "I was wondering if you wanted to maybe dance together? They're playing one of your favorites." he suggested.
Apple Bloom looks to Sweetie with a smirk. "Ya'll go right on ahead, we won't be bothering ya." she said. She and Sweetie fled the scene and walked off. A bunch of ponies by that time many other couples danced together, including Sweetie and Button Mash, and Rumble and I gladly participated. Many of the ponies there were actually quite surprised to see us dancing together, but we didn't care. We just danced to our heart's contempt.
We didn't notice when other ponies started crowding around us to watch, we just did our own thing, moving with the music, as though we were the only two creatures in the world, as though we were one.
When the music finally stopped, we both found ourselves panting, and a cheer erupting from a few ponies who were watching on the sidelines.
"Guess you've got it in you after all." Rumble's father said with a wink. I throw a confused look at Rumble who just chuckles and shrugs. We move away from the crowd just as the stars pop into place, and the lights strewn around the party begin to fade on. I find myself sitting on a cloud closer to the ground, and just above the decorations. I recall Blossom had suggesting some be brought in for the party, so that the pegasus guests could sit somewhere.
So far, Rumble and I were the only ones.
Rumble looked to me and looked into my eyes, the stars reflecting in them. "You look beautiful." Rumble he said out of nowhere. I couldn't help but smile and blush.
"Thanks, you don't look so bad yourself." I reply. He returns the gesture and I chuckle. "You know, Rumble, remember when I told you 'I love you' for the first time?" I ask.
"Of course, it's was one of the happiest I've ever been with you."
"Well, do you also remember how I said I was always so reluctant to tell you anything on my mind?" I ask.
"Yeah." he answers.
"Did I ever tell you that I felt like kissing you?" I ask again. He smiles.
"You mean 'I could just kiss you!'?" he teases.
"Not like that, I mean, really kiss you."
"Not that I recall." he admits.
"Well, what would you do if I kissed you now?" I ask. He doesn't respond. At least, not with words. I find him pressing his lips to mine, and my face burning hot. I perk my ears up and he continues. I feel a tingle go up my spine, as though electricity just passed through me. Although I was shocked, I shut my eyes, smiling through the kiss, and kiss him back.
As he started to lean back, wrapping his wings around my back just as he had in my dream, I let out a single tear.
'Finally.' I think.
And it's as though we're in our own little piece of paradise. An orange soda, and cherry chap stick flavored paradise.
The auditorium was absolutely packed to the brim with ponies. It was as though all of Ponyville, and several ponies from out of town were packed in there.
Scootaloo glanced behind one of the doors, finding Rainbow Dash and Soarin' entering through the front door with a few other ponies. Rainbow Dash caught her eye and winked, causing Scootaloo to smile.
"That's a lot of ponies."
"And dragons. Spike's here with Mina." Sweetie Belle pointed out, slipping on her graduation cap.
"He is?"
"Yeah. he just came back into town a few days ago." Apple Bloom explained. Just like the wedding. the dressing room was bustling with Seniors, a few of them were wiping away tears while others were talking excitedly.
Once everyone had their robes on, they all filed out of the room to meet up with the boys. "See you on the stage." Scootaloo said with a wink. Her friends nodded and they went to their assigned places.
The crowd fell silent as, one by one, the seniors slipped out from behind the doors. Bright flashes from cameras nearly blinded her, but she kept walking. Everyone filled out into the row of seats set out for them.
Scootaloo glanced to the left, spotting her mother and father sitting next to Rumble's parents. She spotted Blossom and Thunderlane sitting next to them, along with Flitter, who was wiping a tear from her eye, and Cloudchaser. Rainbow Dash and Soarin waved.
Scootaloo's father gave her a reassuring wink. Causing her to grin. When she turned to the right, she spotted Sweetie Belle's family with Button Mash's. And saw that Apple Bloom's family took up a large part of the room. They all whooped with cheer when Apple Bloom walked out, and among them. Pip's family sat next to Applejack and Big Mac.
'Everyone's here.' she thought, glancing through the crowd. Snip's family, Snail's family, Twist's, Zippoorwhill's, Featherweight's, everyone's. was there. Even Twilight was there with Flash and her other friends.
And only more ponies were coming into the room.
The Principal stepped out onto the stage, stepping up to the Microphone and adjusting, whilst the Assistant Principal stood off to the side. Everyone fell silent. "Welcome," she called out, "thank all of you for joining us today in this ceremony." The crowd cheered at her words. "This year has been rather interesting for our Seniors, there were accomplishments, and there were set backs. But right now, I'm proud to see each and every one of the Seniors in this room today, and I consider it my great honor to have been their Principal.
"These extraordinary students have done things that left me speechless, made accomplishments seen as impossible, and I'm glad to have seen them grow throughout the year, into the adults they're meant to be." Many of the Seniors smiled up at her, while some looked down and wiped away a few tears, Sweetie Belle included.
Scootaloo felt as though her stomach had a ton of butterflies stuck in them. As the principal continued on, she couldn't help but glance at Rumble, who sat several seats to her right. He caught her eye and smiled, banishing all of the butterflies she smiled back.
"...But enough about me, let's get to the students." she said, she turned away from the microphone while the Assistant Principal took her place, her eyes glanced down to the book of names.
"Apple Bloom." she called out. The Apple Family cheered and stomped, along with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. Apple Bloom walked proudly onto the stage. Receiving her diploma and grinning to her heart's contempt.
After a few more names were called, Button Mash came up next. He earned a round of applause as well, especially from Sweetie Belle. One by one, names were called, eventually, Featherweight approached the stage, earning an uproar from Zippoorwhill, Pipsqueak coming in soon after him.
Then Rumble took the stage, smiling down at the applauding audience, especially Scootaloo, who cheered loudly. And slowly, one by one, the amount of ponies between Scootaloo and the stage was getting smaller.
"Scootaloo," the Assistant Principal called out. Scootaloo heard her family and Rumble's cheer deafeningly with her friend's families. She stood up and walked down the aisle, the Principal holding out her diploma to her.
"Congratulations." she said with a smile.
"Thank you." Scootaloo said. They turned to the camera to snap a quick photo, and Scootaloo walked off of the stage. She held her diploma out for her family, and they all cheered in glee. She even saw her father wipe a tear from his eye, while her mother snapped a picture. Once back down, Scootaloo stared at the slip of paper in her hooves.
This was it, she was done with this chapter of her life. She was becoming an adult. But she didn't feel sad, and she no longer felt nervous, she felt happy. Rumble glared at her and smiled, holding up his diploma, and she returned the gesture.
Yeah, she was definitely happy.
Snails was called up, and quickly followed by Snips. Sweetie Belle then came up and earned a loud round of applause, especially from Button Mash. Twist came on the stage, and received loud applause from all of her friends and their families in the audience.
And finally, there was Zippoorwhill, who grinned widely with her diploma. Featherweight and everypony else stomped the ground for her. Once the last students were called up and seated, the Button Mash walked up to the stage.
"As mentioned before, we've overcome many obstacles through out the years. I've been there with every single one of you the whole way, and the compassion, the confidence, the consideration, the kindness, the loyalty, and the friendships and accomplishments that were made make me proud to be a part of it all. I'm here to say, we did it. We've gone through every challenge thrown our way to get where we are today. We're officially becoming members of society, we're officially becoming adults. This chapter of our lies is over. And a new one is about to begin." Button Mash continued. "I am genuinely excited to experience it, to become independent and finally grow up to be what we're meant to be.
"That, my fellow students, is something I am proud to be apart of. I'm glad that I had the opportunity to say, 'We did it! We finally made it to the top!' Something we've worked so hard for majority of our lives, and now it's finally here." Everyone in the room cheered a deafening roar, stomping on the ground as Button Mash left the stage. The Principal taking his place.
"I want you to move your tassel to the right." Ever Senior did as told, big grins reflecting on their faces. "Congratulations class of 2016!" The Seniors cheered and jumped about, their caps flying into the air above. The crowd stomped loudly for the group. Many of the couples jumped into each other's arms, cheering all the while.
Eventually, the Seniors had to file out, of the room, but they remained just as excited. Scootaloo met up with her friends and grinned. To everyone's surprise, the trio started bouncing about as though they were little fillies again. Shouting 'We did it!' repeatedly.
"You sure did, Squirt." Rainbow Dash said, setting a hoof on a surprised Scootaloo's shoulder. "I'm proud of you Scoot." she said. Scootaloo grinned and smiled.
"You're not getting sappy are you Rainbow Dash?" she asked with a grin.
"I just might." the mare admitted. She pulled Scootaloo into a hug, who gladly squeezed the mare back. Rainbow Dash pulled away and saw Scootaloo's parents approaching their way.
"I'll see you at the Academy." she said.
"Wait, you mean I got in?" Scootaloo asked, her eyes lighting up.
"I figured it'd be better to tell you the news face to face rather than give you a letter." She patted Scootaloo on the back,
"Congrats," Soarin' said after her.
"Thanks." Scootaloo replied gleefully. The two then walked away as Scootaloo's parents approached.
"I'm so proud of you." her mother said while giving her daughter a squeeze.
"Thanks Mom."
"Way to go champ, you really made your old man proud." her father said. He put a comforting hoof on her face and she grinned.
"I must've, with the tears I saw you wiping away."
"What can I say? I'm proud of my little girl, she's officially grown up." Scootaloo pulled her father in a hug.
"Thanks Dad." she said.
"I think that someone else wants to congratulate you too." her mother said, pointing to the door. Scootaloo looked to it and fell speechless with the rest of the crowd.
"Hey Scoot," Spitfire said.
"Hey." she said softly.
Spitfire chuckled. "I imagine Rainbow Dash already told you about your acceptance into the Academy. I've got to say, you and that coltfriend of yours impressed me."
"T-thank you. That means a lot coming from you." Scootaloo said.
"No need, I just wanted to congratulate my future colleagues." she said with a wink.
"Not a problem, hey, where is that coltfriend of yours anyway? Don't want to keep all of the good news between us." she said.
"I'm here." Rumble said from behind.
"Oh, I take that you overheard me then?" Spitfire asked with a grin.
"Yep. And thanks, that means a lot to us." Rumble said.
"No problem, kid. See you at the Academy." Spitfire said. She then walked off to talk to Rainbow Dash and Soarin'.
Rumble looked to Scootaloo. "Congrats, Scoot." he said.
"Thanks Rumble, congratulations to you too." Scootaloo replied.
Rumble blushed a bit and looked directly into Scootaloo's eyes. Without a word, she kissed him straight on the lips. Smiling all the while. Much to everyone's shock.
"Whoa, okay, hold on." Scootaloo's father said, breaking the two apart. "you're not that grown up yet." he said.
"Dad!" Scootaloo said.
"Save the tonsil tennis for later please." he said.
"We weren't-"
"Don't ruin my good mood lover boy, unless you want me to ruin my baby girl's special day." he said, giving Rumble a terrifying glare.
"Yes sir." Rumble gulped.
"Could you cut it out Dad?" Scootaloo begged.
Scootaloo sat at her table, drinking an orange soda as she stared at the room full of ponies. 'Pinkie really outdid herself with this graduation party,' she thought. She looked to her left to see Apple Bloom approaching her.
"Hey AB, what's up?" she asked.
"Have ya seen Pip? I wanted to talk to him." Apple Bloom asked.
"No, why, is it important?"
"No." Apple Bloom replied while blushing.
"It must be if you're blushing like that." Scootaloo teased.
"Yeah." she admitted. "He wanted to talk to me. You sure you haven't seen him?"
"Positive, I haven't seen him since we left the school."
"Shoot," Apple Bloom said.
"I'll let you know if I find him." Scootaloo said.
"Thanks." Apple Bloom said. She walked off and Scootaloo continued with what she was doing.
"Pip? Pip? Where the hay are ya?" Apple Bloom called out.
"I'm here." Pipsqueak said, trotting over to her.
"There you are, what took you so long?"
"My Mum wanted me to take some pictures. She can be quite choosy when it comes to something like that." Pip admitted.
"Oh, well that Ah' can understand." she replied. "Now what was it you wanted to tell me?"
Pip drew in a breath. "I've been thinking a lot lately, and, I've actually like you, a lot, for a while AB. For years in fact."
"Years?" Apple Bloom asked, taken back.
"Yes. And, when you asked me if I wanted to go on a date...I don't know what happened. I just sort of panicked. I didn't expect you to ask me of all ponies that, since I thought you took more of an interest to Tender tap."
"But we're only friends,"
"I know that now. I'm sorry for assuming. But, I regretted turning you down like that."
"I know that, I've still got those flowers you got for me."
"Wait, you do?" Pipsqueak asked with a blush. Apple Bloom blushed as well.
"Of course, they were absolutely beautiful, and it was one of the nicest things a colt's ever done for me." Apple Bloom said.
"Well, I'm glad you like them."
"Well, what was it you wanted to tell me?"
"Oh!" Pipsqueak jumped. "I wanted to...ask you....on a...date...." he said.
"What?" Apple Bloom asked, taken back.
"I wanted to as-"
"No, Ah' heard ya the first time, I mean, what?." Apple Bloom interrupted.
"I understand if you don't want to, I mean, It's been like several weeks since you last asked me, and we've been friends for such a long time. I'd also understand if you hated me."
"Why would Ah' hate ya Pip?" Apple Bloom said.
"Because I rejected you and was oblivious to your feelings." Pip explained.
"Well, just ta let ya know, Ah' don't hate ya. I don't even dislike ya in fact. I don't have the same exact feelings as before, but some of them are still there."
"Does that mean-"
"Yes. Mah' answer's yes."
"Really?" Pip asked in surprise.
"Yes." Apple Bloom answered simply.
"Oh thank you Apple Bloom! I'll do my best to make it a good date for you."
"Nothin' too fancy. Ah' don't favored that type of stuff."
"Alright. Thank you Apple Bloom, for forgiving me, I mean." Pip interjected.
"Not a problem, now, we should probably get back to the party," Pipsqueak nodded and Apple Bloom lead the way.
"Oh, and Pip?" said, stopping in her tracks. Starting to blush a bit.
"Yes?"
"One more thing." she whipped around and grabbed his face, kissing him full on the lips. Pip's eyes flew open, and he blushed furiously through his spotted face. Apple Bloom kept her eyes closed, blushing all the while.
When she finally pulled away, Pip stood in shock, his mouth hanging open. Apple Bloom took to closing it with her hoof and giggling. "Ah' just wanted to do that, just once." to her surprise, Pip grabbed her soldiers and returned the favor, shocking her as well, though, she eventually slipped into the kiss.
"Bleh." Scootaloo whispered from a bush in the distance.
"Oh look who's talking, Miss 'I don't want to kiss him full on the lips.'" Sweetie Belle mimicked.
"Fair point, but look," Scootaloo pointed to the pair, who were breaking away for air, a string of saliva between their mouths. Scootaloo pretended to gag.
"I see your point. But that happens all of the time." Sweetie Belle said.
"Because you kiss Button every single chance you get." Scootaloo said. "I do it by occasion."
"Yet, a couple of months ago, you said you weren't interested in dating."
"And?"
"If that can change, so can the, 'kissing on occasion' thing." Sweetie teased.
"Shut up Sweetie Belle." Scootaloo said with a blush.
"Hey Scoot," Rumble asked.
"Yeah?" she said.
"You want to go up there?" Rumble asked, pointing to a cloud in the sky.
"Gladly." Rumble took Scootaloo's hoof and they flew up to it, the sun setting in it's place.
"So we did it." Rumble said once they reached it.
"We sure did."
"What do we do now?" he asked.
Scootaloo thought for a moment before shrugging. "Guess we'll find out soon enough." Rumble wrapped a wing around her.
"I'm moving out of my parent's place soon." Rumble said.
"That's great! So you found a house?"
"Yep, it's not perfect, but it's a cloud home, just like I wanted." Rumble said.
"Good to hear." Scootaloo said. She lay her head onto Rumble's chest, listening to his heart beat.
"This was an amazing day." Rumble said.
"It sure was." Scootaloo said with a yawn.
"Tired?"
"It's been a pretty long day." Scootaloo explained.
"I am too." Rumble admitted.
The two fell silent as, one by one, the stars came into place. The night sky taking on a lavender hue. Scootaloo's eyes began to droop, despite her trying to stay awake.
"What was it you wanted to talk about?" I ask. Tilting my head to look at his face.
"You said that you were saving up to buy a home for yourself, right?" Rumble asked.
"Yeah," I answer, "I've been living off of my parents for long enough, I figured it's time to be independent for a change. I'm just having trouble finding an affordable one."
"You know, I think I can hook you up to a good place." he responds.
"Really?!" I ask excitedly. I then soften. "What's the catch?"
"Well, it's not the greatest, and it's definitely not the biggest place. But I think you could work it out."
"Where's it located?" I ask.
"Around here." Rumble said, gesturing to the houses around his own. "I think you can get a pretty good deal for it."
"How'd you find out about this? Why didn't you tell me sooner?" I ask.
"My cousin sells cloud homes, and she knows some pretty decent ones. I didn't really think much of it until earlier this week." Rumble admitted.
"Rumble, which home is it?" I ask, looking expectantly at the other ones. He just chuckles and points at his own home. "Wait..." I say. I begin to catch on as Rumble grins. "are you asking me to move in?" I suggest.
"Bingo." Rumble smirked.
I'm taken back for a second. Still a bit surprised. "But, wouldn't I just be in your way?"
"I'm sure we can work something out. It'll be far from a perfect life, but I want you to be here. It just feels empty without anyone else around." Rumble admitted, looking back to his house.
"Are you sure? Even though I can be messy and disorganized?"
"I think that I've known you long enough to be used to it. You don't have to, you know." Rumble assured me. "It's just a suggestion."
"Of course!" I say, wrapping my arms around his neck. I managed to knock him over to his side and he lands back on the soft cloud floor. Wrapping his wings around me.
"Glad to here it." he said. "When exactly are you going to move in?" he asked.
"Slow down, we need to clear this with my Dad first, Romeo." I say. I felt Rumble tense up.
"Oh." he said in a small voice.
"Absolutely not."
"But you said that I could move anywhere as long as I'm happy, you said you'd support me no matter where I end up." I say.
"I never thought that you'd want to move in with somebody. If it was one of your friends, sure, but him," he said the word with disgust, prompting me to roll my eyes.
"Oh, come one Sweetheart," Mom said. "She's a mare now, she's free to make her own choices. If she wants to move in with him, let her."
"But-"
"But what?" she interrupted.
"I don't want to lose my little filly so soon. First it's dating, and then they're moving in together, and next thing you know she's engaged." my father droned on. "I can't let him take her away so soon. She literally just got out of school."
"That was three weeks ago Dad." I say.
"That's not that long Scootaloo. I don't think you should do it."
"You trust me don't you?" I ask.
"Of course!" he replied.
"And I trust Rumble."
"So."
"He's never hurt me in any way, he's always been watching out for me, just like you told him to. Can't you put a little more faith in him?"
"I can respect that he kept to my demands, I'm grateful even, but you've only dated him for a few months, surely that's too short of a time to start that chapter of your lives." he tried.
"I've known him for years, Dad, We've been friends for years, you said yourself that we were adorable together when we were foals."
"I don't remember that."
"I do." Mom interjected.
"B-but Scootaloo, I don't want to lose you like this. Not so soon."
"You said the same thing on my first day of school, middle school, and high school. Dad, I've grown up, I think it's time to move on a bit in my life. I'll always be your little filly, and I never want you to forget that I'll always be your little filly. But I'm old enough to make my own choices now. And I choose to live with Rumble." I say.
He doesn't reply right away, instead he just sighs in defeat. "You're right." he says. I see a few tears pricking in his eyes. "You're all grown up. I shouldn't be holding you back like this. It was going to happen someday." he says.
"It's okay, Dad," I say. "I'll miss being around here too, but I want to be independent." I reply.
He wipes his eye and goes back to his regular fatherly smile. "You're right. I'm sorry Scoot."
"Don't worry about it. I understand."
"Sorry, lover boy, for not trusting you, I mean."
"It's alright sir," he says to Rumble, who was no longer as tensed as he was coming here.
"But hey, I'm sure that you'll be the same exact way with your kids." Rumble and I both blushed furiously and looked away from each other, prompting my parents to howl with laughter.
I do my best to avoid my gaze from Rumble, and I tilt my ears down. Refusing to even look at him.
"Maybe you two'll be fine after all." Dad says.
"Why do you need all of this stuff?" Rainbow Dash asked, heaving a gigantic box of my items.
"Because I do. You can set it by the door right here." I say, I point to the door to the room I was going to be sleeping in, one of the guests rooms Rumble set out for me.
"One more trip and that should be it." I tell her. "Thanks for helping me out by the way.
"Hey, you helped me out, so I figured I'd better return the favor."
My Dad came in with Rumble, toting my one gigantic box together.
"Thanks for helping Dad, I'm sorry you had to do this instead of enjoying your day off."
"No problem, I'll be fine." he assured me. After one last trip to my old house, everything's set in stone.
"Alright, we've got to go. See ya later, Scoot." Rainbow Dash said. She and Soarin; then took off from the edge.
"Thanks for the help." I call out after them. My Dad then comes up behind me.
"You sure you've got everything?" he asks.
"Yeah. I'm pretty sure." I walk up to him and give him a good squeeze. "Thanks, Dad, for everything." I say.
"No problem, kiddo." he says. I could tell he was tearing up again, so I just squeezed him a bit harder. We then broke away and he leaped into the air.
"See you later Scoot, love you,"
"Love you too, Dad." He then turns away with a small smile and heads for home.
Rumble comes up behind me and stares up at the darkening town below us, the streetlights beginning to turn on. "Miss him already, huh?"
"Yeah." I say. I turn away and walk back inside, heading into...my room.
"You need any help unpacking?"
"No, I think that I can handle it." I say. For the rest of the evening, I unpack the boxes and make myself at home, throwing the emptied boxes to the side. By the time I get to bed, my new cloudbed, it's a bit past midnight.
I was expecting myself to be a bit weary, but, I was wide awake. I knew that at this point, Rumble should be asleep across the hallway, but I needed some rest. I throw off the newly set blankets and step out of bed, opening and then shutting the door behind me. I open Rumble's door and peek inside, fast asleep.
Without a word, I walk over to the opposite side of the bed and slip in. He opens his eyes as I lift up the blankets, and takes a moment to freak out for a bit. "Oh." he says tiredly, seeing it was me. "it's just you Scoot. Mother of Luna, you scared the living hay out of me." he said quietly.
"I couldn't sleep."
"I guess that if I were you, I wouldn't be able to either." he offered his wing to me and I took the opportunity, I lay my head on his chest while he curls it around me.
