Rumble followed behind the Cutie Mark Crusaders, running as fast as he little legs can. He would rather fly, but the colt has no idea where Fluttershy's home is and needed the three to lead him to her cottage. “Why didn't you tell me Thunderlane was in trouble the moment you three got to my house?” he panted with his brow furrowed at the girls.
“Did you see how Rarity was looking at us?” Sweetie Belle replied with another question. “When my sister gets crazy, you can tell when her right eye starts to twitch. It is hard to notice, but when it happens, you better watch out.”
Rumble grumbled at the Cutie Mark Crusaders and their inability to warn others about somepony’s inevitable danger. He knew their cutie marks were not going to be anywhere close to being a guard of some sort.
With the cottage coming into view, the girls were relieved to see that they have arrived. But when they saw Thunderlane dangling over a large bucket, they froze in shock; Rumble took off, his wings taking control.
“Let go of my my brother!” Rumble shouted at the draconequus who sat at what looked to be a lifeguard post. Discord wore a red and white striped shirt, holding onto a fishing pole that had Thunderlane’s hooves hogtied with rope for a fishing line. As he dangled above the pool of water, an angry fish leapt out and tried to take a bite out of his face. Thunderlane swung his head forward, nearly losing a part of himself.
Pointing at the bucket, Discord let out a chuckle and pointed at the large bucket that was filled with water. “You better be careful, there are piranhas in there...” From where Rumble was standing, the container was at least three times as large as he was and could only watch his helpless relative dangle above the water.
Thunderlane tried to look at his brother, but his efforts to swing and glance at Rumble did not work. “Rumble, go get help! Go wake Fluttershy!
“Oh come on Rumble!” Rainbow Dash put an arm around the colt and smirked. “Let him… hang out for a while so he can learn a thing or two. Besides, your brother left you to do all of your house chores. I am sure you are angry with him doing that to you, aren't you?”
Rumble snorted, “So! That doesn’t make me want to hurt him! He is my brother!”
“We aren’t going to hurt him darling,” Rarity spoke from behind with a reassuring voice, though the colt was not buying it. “All we are doing is some… fear tactics.” Glancing up to Discord, she said in a cold voice, “Lower him...”
Thunderlane felt himself get closer to the dangerous water, his tail touching the surface. He could feel the carnivorous fish tug at his tail, but thankfully were not eating it. “Please, I am sorry! Let me go!” It was the only thing the pegasus could do. In a fit of fear, Thunderlane tried to shake himself free, but it did nothing. Unable to do anything else, he began to tear up. “I’m sorry! It’s my fault Fluttershy is so upset!”
Thunderlane’s words fell mute on his torturers’ ears; only Rumble heard his brother’s plea. “Aww, he is crying,” Rarity mocked. “Discord, did Fluttershy sob all evening?”
“She did a little this morning.” He shook his head and frowned at Thunderlane. “The poor mare got any sleep last night…”
Thunderlane’s ears fell back, his body growing limp. He has given up. “Do what you want to me… I guess I deserve this…” Rumble couldn’t believe what his brother had just said. He knew Thunderlane was stronger than that. Why was he caving in so easily?
“Hey Rumble,” Rainbow Dash asked. Rumble shot an angry glance at the sky-blue mare; she ignored the expression. “Where is Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle?” It suddenly dawned onto him that they were nowhere to be found. Maybe they went to get help. He could only hope.
***
A window slowly opened as the Cutie Mark Crusaders climbed into Fluttershy’s cottage. Scootaloo was the first to enter with ease, but both Sweetie Belle and Applebloom fell on top of her.
“Ow!” the pegasus complained as she stood up, her friends rolling off her back. “The heck?!”
“Sorry, but their ain’t no time to be all sneaky-like,” Applebloom spoke as she stood on all fours. “We need to be quick and find Fluttershy.”
“But what if they hear us?” Sweetie Belle asked. The three fillies heard the loud commotion outside with Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Discord’s harassment, Rumble’s yelling, and Thunderlane’s pleeing.
“Ah think they won’t be hearing us with all that noise goin’ on out there…” Applebloom responded to the unicorn’s question. Judging from where they were, the girls were in the kitchen. They have been at Fluttershy’s home before and know that the kitchen was connected to the living room.
“I wonder why Fluttershy has not heard anything from outside,” Scootaloo wondered. As they briskly exited the kitchen, the filly’s question was answered. The yellow pegasus was sound asleep with purple earmuffs covering her ears and wore a light-violet robe. As Fluttershy smiled in her slumber, a brown bear was sitting beside her on the couch, weighing down the sofa… and eyeing the three intruders.
“Ugh… hey…” Applebloom’s ears retreated as she and her friend stood in fear. “I umm-” A white rabbit leapt from nowhere and right in front of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. In his grasp, Angel wielded an aluminum fork, pointing the small weapon at them.
“Geeze, did Discord put you two up to this?” Sweetie Belle asked in shock of the aggressive rabbit.
With every ounce of bravery, Applebloom went forward and approached the bear cautiously. She felt a sting in her arm as Angel stabbed at her; but he was easily dealt with as Scootaloo managed to pin him down when Angel wasn’t looking.
“Please Mr. Bear,” Applebloom begged as she rubbed her back leg, “We need to wake Fluttershy up.” The large mammal folded his arms, not wanting to allow the child to do anything. “If you don't wake her, Thunderlane will be seriously hurt.” The bear flashed his large pointy teeth at the word “Thunderlane.”
“Look, you may not like Thunderlane, but that doesn't mean we should stand idly by while he gets tormented!” Sweetie Belle chimed in. “You wouldn't want to be mocked and made fun of if you got caught in a bear trap. You would want to have somepony help you, right?”
The bear blinked, pondering the child’s words. “If you let us wake Fluttershy…” Scootaloo spoke up, bringing the animal’s attention to her. Beneath her hoof, Angel squirmed to be free, but the filly kept a good hold of him. “...we will catch you a nice big fish. After all, my friends and I are looking for our cutie marks, so it is a win win for all of us!”
All three filly’s watched the bear ponder about the offer that was presented to him. However, it was not enough to convince him, so the brown beast resumed his post.
“Two REALLY BIG FISHES!” Applebloom exclaimed, reaching out her arms, pretending to hold a large fish.
“You mean fish, right?” Sweetie Belle asked with a brow raised.
Applebloom leered at her friend, not pleased with the sentence correction. “This is a serious situation right now! We have to wake up Fluttershy, not focus on my improper use of words!” Turning her attention back to the bear, Applebloom asked, “So, two big FISH!” She lurched her head toward Sweetie Belle before resuming. “Do we have a deal?”
Almost convinced, the bear rotated his paw, gesturing for more offers. “What, you want a bath too?” Scootaloo asked in a hurried tone as she heard Thunderlane yell in fear; Rumble followed up with a shout at Discord. Nodding yes, the beast gave a wide smile. “So, can you please wake Fluttershy if we do those favors for you?” To the fillys’ relief, the bear gave a thumbs up of approval.
He reached over to Fluttershy and gently took the earmuffs from his owner. Almost instantly, the pegasus was stirred by the noise from outside. Fluttershy groaned as her eyes slowly opened.
“Girls…?” she weakly responded. “What are you doing in my cottage?”
At once, the Cutie Mark Crusaders sent a flurry of words at the half asleep mare. The only thing Fluttershy was able to comprehend was “Thunderlane” and “trouble.”
Fluttershy’s ears twitched when she heard a shout from outside. Holding up a hoof, stopping the fillies mid-sentence, she went over to the door. Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and the bear glanced at each other, wondering what was about to happen next.
With the twist of the nob, Fluttershy revealed the outside world; and was introduced to a horrifying sight. “What in the world is going on?!” Fluttershy yelled as loud as she could, but it came out softly.
A look of shock came from Discord, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity, not sure what to do or say. Rumble and Thunderlane were definitely happy to see the mare, but they too were surprised at her entrance.
“F-Fluttershy!” Thunderlane exclaimed over the sudden silence. “Thank goodness you are here!” Despite the many fish that swam beneath him, he looked to her with concern. “Listen, I need to talk to you about yesterday.”
Turning to Discord, Fluttershy gave him a hard look. “Release him now!” Discord hesitated, not wanting his bait to get away. “Don't make me use the stare…” The threat alone made him let go of the fishing pole, causing Thunderlane to plummet toward the piranhas.
Fluttershy lept into the air to catch the helpless stallion as he yelled during his fall. But Discord snapped his fingers just before Thunderlane collided with the water, and the stallion hovered just above the surface. Fluttershy leered at Discord as he shrugged, “What, you said let go.”
“You know exactly what I meant!” she exclaimed, now hovering in front of the draconequus.
“Hey!” Rumble exclaimed. “Where are you two going?!” Fluttershy looked to see the colt pointing at Rarity and Rainbow Dash attempting to sneak away, now halfway across the stone bridge. They froze in place, realizing they were caught and unable to escape unnoticed.
“Get back here you two!” Fluttershy demanded. As if they were being scolded by their mothers, Rainbow Dash and Rarity slowly trudged back to the cottage with ears shamefully pointed backwards.
Fluttershy’s eyes looked at Rainbow Dash, seeing her wear the Thunderlame tee shirt. “What are you three trying to do!? Kill him!? And what’s with that shirt?!” the furious yellow mare barked, gesturing a hoof to Thunderlane. As he still hovered above the water, he noticed the fishing pole was in the bucket. Thunderlane could feel the rope being tugged as the piranhas were pulling on the rod in hopes to bring him under. Thankfully, Discord’s magic prevented him from meeting a terrible fate.
“We- can explain…” was all Rainbow Dash could muster as her gaze fell upon Thunderlane. “He… he hurt you!” She jabbed a hoof in his direction. “And we wanted to show him what happens when he hurts our friend!”
“Th-that’s right!” Rarity added. “We do wield the Elements of Harmony and we should protect what is dear to us.” She gestured to her emblem that wrapped around her neck.
Discord nodded in agreement. “They do make a valid argument.” Fluttershy landed beside Rumble, both not convinced with their reasoning.
“Last time I remember using the Elements of Harmony was on you because you were very mean at the time, Discord. And I don't see any trace of evil in Thunderlane.” Fluttershy took a deep breath and exhaled before she said anything she may regret later. “Let me ask you this…” Fluttershy pulled Rumble close to her and gave him a sweet smile. Rumble’s cheeks flared as the pretty mare embraced him. “Rumble here is Thunderlane’s brother.” She looked back to Rainbow Dash and Rarity, her grin evaporating quickly. “And I am sure Rumble and Thunderlane would do anything to protect one another. So by your logic, Rainbow Dash…” The cyan pegasus folded her ears back at the sound of her name in shame. “...they should hurt you and Rarity for your cruelty.” Turning her eyes to the brothers, Fluttershy asked, “Would you two want to harm my friends after what they did?”
“No,” the siblings responded in unison.
“Exactly!” Fluttershy stamped her hoof in the dirt, kicking up a tiny cloud of dirt into the air. The small cloud tickled her nose and the pegasus let out a squeak of a sneeze.
“Bless you,” everypony said at once.
“Thank you.” Clearing her throat, Fluttershy continued, “Why do you think the world is such a bad place? It’s because some ponies think revenge is a good way to teach a lesson. It is not!” She shook her head, her pink mane swinging around and smacked Rumble in the face by accident.
“Thunderlane told me yesterday he was going to tell me why he couldn't be my special somepony.” Fluttershy suddenly froze, remembering yesterday's event. She glanced at Thunderlane as the two frowned at one another. “I just… left in a fit of tears before he could tell me why.”
“And… that is why I came here this morning: to tell you my reason,” Thunderlane replied. “I just, didn't expect this to happen.” He struggled to free himself from the tightly bound rope, but was unsuccessful… again. “However, this isn't the first time I have had angry mares try and hunt me down for rejecting a friend of theirs…”
“So you are a heartbreaker!” Rarity yelled, her eyes almost on fire; they were quickly extinguished by Fluttershy’s angry look.
“I had my reason!” Finally, Thunderlane showed some anger himself. “Even my brother knows what has happened to me the last few weeks with the other mares asking me out so suddenly.” He had to uncomfortably twist his neck to see Rumble. “Right? You just didn’t know about Fluttershy until now.” Rumble nodded but kept silent.
“So, can I please tell Fluttershy why I rejected her without feeling threatened?” Thunderlane asked the draconequus. With the snap of his fingers, Discord freed the stallion from his bondage let Thunderlane fall into the water. Fluttershy and Rumble gasped and flew over the bucket, worried the worst has happened. But the moment Thunderlane surfaced, he, Fluttershy, and Rumble noticed the piranhas surrounded him and peaked their little heads above the water, not acting like savage animals. “I guess you all want to know why I am being used as bait.” Each and every one of them nodded. This day is getting very strange… I hope Blossomforth won't get angry with me for running late…
Fluttershy noticed Thunderlane’s nervous expression. “Just tell us when you are ready,” she said calmly. Discord adjusted himself in his tall chair, and Rarity and Rainbow Dash walked up beside Fluttershy. Rumble flapped his wings and landed on the edge of the wooden bucket, keeping his balance as he walked around the rim.
“The reason why I can't date you Fluttershy is because… I already have a special somepony…” Thunderlane spoke low, as if ashamed of his relationship.
“Oooooooohhhh! That makes sense,” Rainbow Dash spoke aloud. “Wow, now I feel like a jerk…” Her ears fell back in shame, now knowing the truth.
“As do I…” Rarity admitted as well.
All eyes, including the piranhas,’ looked at Discord, expecting an apology. “I guess I am a jerk as well…” A fish from the pool lept up and bit the draconequus’ tail. “Ow! Okay, I am sorry too!” The piranha let go, satisfied with Discord’s apology and fell into the water with a splash. “Geeze, didn't Fluttershy just tell us not to harm out of spite?” he asked to the school, wondering where the culprit went.
“And you are all forgiven.” Thunderlane was still a bit upset with the three who tormented him, but for Fluttershy’s sake, he said what was needed. “So yeah, I have a girlfriend. Her name is Blossomforth.”
Fluttershy turned her head a little. “How come I never see you two together as a couple, like holding hooves?”
“Because she wants to keep it under the radar,” Thunderlane admitted. “She doesn't want everypony knowing about our relationship.”
Rainbow Dash creased her brow at the excuse, not believing it to be a valid one. “But if Fluttershy knew that beforehoof, she wouldn't she wouldn't have been lead on.”
“But I never gave Fluttershy any hints of romantic interest, nor tried anything to flatter her on purpose.” Thunderlane had to think for a moment, knowing that was almost true. “Except for that time when I thought I could wingpress fifty pounds. I just wanted to show everypony how strong I was.”
“Oh yeah, I remember.” Fluttershy had to contain her giggles, but a few escaped. A snort came from Rainbow Dash. She knew she could wing press twice as much as Thunderlane and was nowhere near impressed at his attempt to be a strong stallion.
Rarity rose her hoof a little before making her input. Since nopony spoke after her small gesture, she asked the stallion, “But you said this was not the first time this has happened correct?” Sinking his body in shame, Thunderlane submerged his mouth under water and muttered something, but only bubbles came up, and nothing was explained.
Rumble walked around the bowl over to Fluttershy. “Thunderlane has had to reject two other mares this month.” Thunderlane nodded to his brother’s words, his eyes only looking at the curious piranhas.
“Oh dear…” Fluttershy’s ears fell back, feeling sorry for the stallion’s predicament. “Do you mind telling us who? You don't have to though.” She spoke nice words, but her eyes begged for the names of the other mares. Thunderlane looked around to see the others just as curious; except for his brother who continued to walk around the rim of the bucket.
“It was Cloudchaser and Derpy Hooves…” He now couldn't bare the sight of Fluttershy and turned away from her.
Rainbow Dash couldn't help but snicker solely for the fact that now four mares had their eyes on him. Everypony saw her expression and Rainbow Dash, chuckled, “I'm sorry, but…” She gestured an arm at the sad stallion. “Who would like you? I mean, you are good looking I guess.” Rarity, Fluttershy, and Rumble gave her a harsh stare. “I mean, aside from you Fluttershy.”
“That is what I would like to know…” Thunderlane muttered. “When I was asked out by Blossomforth, I was definitely happy, but I never thought my close friend felt romantically interested in me.” He smiled, but it was weak. “And she does make me happy. Never did I ever know what true happiness was until I shared my heart with Blossomforth.”
Rarity let out an “aww” as Fluttershy smiled for her friend’s happiness. Though, Fluttershy couldn't help but feel jealous, but kept her thoughts inward. Rainbow Dash and Discord simply rolled their eyes at the mush talk.
“Not a week went by after Blossomforth and I became special someponies...” the black pegasus resumed, his tone more low and sad, “...when Cloudchaser confessed her feelings to me. Oh Cloudchaser…” Thunderlane let out a heavy sigh. “She came to me with my favorite snack: caramel apple slices. At first, I was grateful for the kind gesture, but then I noticed as I was eating the snack, she gave me the same look Blossomforth did when she confessed her emotions to me.” He had to think about how to describe the “look.”
“Does the ‘look’ you are describing go something like this?” Rarity slightly tilted her head to the left, brought her chin to her shoulder blade, and looked up at Thunderlane. Her eyes were half closed and a trace of blush was found in her cheeks.
“Yeah, just like that.” He looked at the water as the fish looked at him, eager for the pegasus to continue his story. “And I had no choice but to turn her down because of my prior engagement.” He looked between Rainbow Dash and Rarity. “Then, when Flitter heard how I rejected her friend, well… she gave me an earful.” Every time Thunderlane blinked, he could see Cloudchaser fly away in tears and Flitter exclaiming how peeved she was at him.
“And then… there was Derpy…” Fluttershy could tell the stallion was having a hard time confessing what has happened before her own confession. “When I turned her down… oh, her face was just… so sad.” Thunderlane shook his head just at the thought alone, trying to pry the memory from his mind. “Carrot Top, Derpy’s best friend, was so furious with me, that she managed to bury me in her garden with my head just above the ground.”
“Oh my goodness!” Fluttershy exclaimed. “How long were you trapped there?”
“Thankfully, only five minutes. Derpy managed to save me despite how I broke her heart…” Thunderlane then looked to the yellow pegasus. “...And then there is you.” He opened his mouth but nothing left it. All he could do was frown and sank further into the water. As he spoke, water flooded into his mouth, but he just simply spit it out. “I couldn't find much sleep because of yesterday.” In a fit of frustration, away from the piranhas, Thunderlane swiped at the water and splashed the liquid away from everypony. “Why?! Why am I sought out!? I'm not special! All I do is break hearts! What's next, is Princess Celestia going to fall from the sky and tell me her heart burns brighter than the sun she raises?”
Rainbow Dash and Rarity now felt terrible for their act of vengeance and now understood not only Thunderlane’s reason for rejecting Fluttershy, but the pain it brought him.
“Stop that!” Fluttershy exclaimed with a furrowed brow. Everyone was not expecting her to say that and looked at one another with shock. She flapped her wings and landed on the edge of the bucket, attempting to mimic Rumble’s good balance. Unfortunately for her, she was not as nimble as the colt and fell toward Thunderlane.
He caught the falling pegasus, but was forced underwater. When Thunderlane surfaced, he saw Fluttershy’s mane was soaked and her light-violet robe swirled around in the water. “Sorry…” Fluttershy muttered, her hair covering her eyes.
Thunderlane chuckled and moved the mare’s pink hair with his hoof so she can see him. Realizing how close she was to the pegasus, Fluttershy couldn’t help but blush; happy, but sad as well. “It is alright,” he smiled. “So why did you tell me to ‘stop that?’”
Fluttershy looked down at the piranhas that swam around the two ponies. “Because you are special.” Her gaze went up to Thunderlane. “Why else would I confess my feelings to you? You are kind, and… strong, and always looking to improve, and… just…” She couldn’t keep her eyes on Thunderlane, too flustered with her compliments. “...just a lot of things.” Fluttershy’s ears folded back, knowing the true reality of the stallion’s commitment with another mare. “Did… Blossomforth tell you those same things? Did Cloudchaser and Derpy as well?”
Three other mares popped into his mind, their smiles and “looks” they gave him when they confessed their love. “Yeah…”
“Then you are desired.” Taking a piranha from below the water, she surfaced it and she smiled at the fish. “There are many fish in the sea and there are many ponies in Equestria.” Fluttershy faced the sharp-toothed creature toward Thunderlane and said, “And just like this piranha, I managed to find an adorable creature.” The animal then gave Thunderlane a wide sharp-toothed grin. Yeah… some “adorable creature” you got there…
She let it go and it joined the other fish with a quick paddle of its fin. “You just happened to be picked by other mares because of how big of a fish you are.”
Thunderlane chuckled at Fluttershy’s adorable analogy about mares and fish, and rubbed the back of his head. “I guess, heh.” His same frown returned to him, however, still saddened by the fact that he still had to reject Fluttershy. “I am sorry you didn’t know about my relationship with Blossomforth. I’ll tell her to be a little more open about our relationship so other mares don’t fall for me.” He reached out an arm to embrace the mare, but brought it back, not sure if it would be the right thing to do.
Fluttershy noticed the gesture and quickly moved in and held him close. She knew if there was no chance of the two of them getting together, she might as well get as much out of his warmth as she can. Thunderlane wrapped his arms around the pegasus and said to her, “Go find someone better than me. And I am sure when you do find that stallion, he will make you happy.”
“Mmhmm-” Fluttershy choked a little and grasped Thunderlane even tighter, feeling a bit guilty taking advantage of his affection. She began to sob a little, still feeling jealous of Blossomforth; but she knew she needed to rid herself of such an emotion, or she will grow to hate both her and Thunderlane.
Rarity hummed at the cute gesture from Thunderlane and began to tear up as well. Rainbow Dash, Rumble, and even Discord watched with frowns, feeling pity for the two; even the piranhas wore sad expressions. When Fluttershy broke contact with the pegasus, the water was feeling a little colder than before.
“A-anyways, I need to get going.” Standing up, Thunderlane crawled out of the bucket and landed on the ground. Water dripped from his coat and his hair drooped from the wetness, but that didn’t bother Thunderlane. He looked to his brother with a half smile. “Let’s go.”
Looking to the door, Rumble saw the Cutie Mark Crusaders spectating the entire ordeal. He wanted to ask his brother if he could stay with the trio, but remembered he still had chores to do back at the house. “Alright,” he answered Thunderlane’s question. Looking to the girls, he said, “Come by later so we can do some crusading. I still need to do chores around the house.” They nodded, but kept quiet as they watched Thunderlane and Rumble make their way to the bridge.
“I wish you and Blossomforth the best,” Fluttershy called out to him from inside the bucket. “And- and I still see you as a great friend.”
Thunderlane paused for a moment before looking to the yellow mare, giving her a wave. “Thanks Fluttershy. I will see you another time.” After walking through the dirt path that lead to Ponyville, the two brothers were out of sight, blocked out by the tall trees.
With him gone, Fluttershy looked at the piranhas and then to her friends. And began to cry.
“Oh my dear friend.” Rarity was quick to be beside her upset friend and slowly reached her hoof into the bucket, afraid her limb would become a snack for the fish. But instead of finding a sharp-toothed fish, Rarity found Fluttershy’s shoulder and gave it a gentle rub.
Fluttershy clenched her eyes tightly. “I guess I was too late…” From his tall chair, Discord snapped his fingers, causing the wooden bucket to disappear. The depressed mare was still wet, her robe soaked from all the water it sponged up. A chilling breeze whisked through the air, chilling Fluttershy to the bone.
Discord stood beside Fluttershy and asked, “Would you like a towel?” He snapped his claw and a white towel appeared in his paw’s grasp.
The mare wiped her tears and sniffed, “Yeah…” Fluttershy removed her robe, the cloth making a squishing noise at it fell to the ground. After Fluttershy dried herself off, she looked at Rainbow Dash’s neck, eyeing her element. “What were you planning on using that for? she pointed to the thunderbolt emblem.
“Umm, blast Thunderlane with a beam of loyalty?” Rainbow Dash rubbed the back of her head. “But I guess that won't be necessary considering he is loyal to Blossomforth.”
“And I wanted to make the magic of generosity convince him to be generous of your compassion,” Rarity added. “But he seems generous enough to care about your feelings and gave you clarity.”
Clearing her throat, Fluttershy put on her best serious expression and looked to all her friends. “Promise me you three won't do this again.”
At once, they all proclaimed, “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”
“Thanks,” Fluttershy smiled weakly.
Looking at her two crusaders, Applebloom smiled, “Looks like everything turned out okay… sort of.”
Sweetie Belle frowned, “It is a shame that Fluttershy and Thunderlane couldn't get together because of his relationship with another mare.”
“Yeah…” Scootaloo’s ears perked up and she bounced up and down. “But hey, we prevented Thunderlane from being harmed! We definitely have our cutie marks now!”
At once, the girls looked to their flanks, but saw no image they have been desiring so much. In a fit of disappointment, the Cutie Mark Crusaders let out a heavy sigh. “Well, at least we tried.” Applebloom tried to sound as enthusiastic as possible, but that didn't seem to encourage her friends and herself.
A grunt came from behind the girls as a shadow loomed over them. The bear held three fishing rods on one paw and a bucket with a yellow brush scrubber sitting in the bucket in the other.
Shrugging, Sweetie Belle said to friends, “Well, we might as well get our cutie marks in animal cleaning.”
“Or fishing perhaps!” Scootaloo beamed.
“Or maybe fulfilling promises!” Applebloom bounced. Now filled with the Cutie Mark Crusader attitude, the fillies gave each other a high hoof, ready to work toward their future goal.
***
Thanks to the morning heat, along with their flight, Thunderlane’s coat was dried by the time he and his brother arrived at Hoovy’s Cafe. As soon as he opened the door, his eyes were met with a white pegasus with freckles in her cheeks. Blossomforth stood up and approached the two with a smile.
“Good morning, Thunderlane,” she spoke, kissing him on the cheek. “Morning Rumble.”
“Hello,” the brothers answered in unison.
Noticing Thunderlane’s frizzy mane, she couldn't help but chuckle. “You forget to dry your hair when you bathed this morning?”
Not wanting to tell his special somepony about the events that had just occurred, Thunderlane answered Blossomforth’s question with another, “Were you waiting long?”
“I got here twenty minutes ago.” Thunderlane winced, worried he kept Blossomforth waiting too long. “But the diner is packed, so your tardiness is excused.” The mare gestured to the bustling restaurant, servers briskly tending to their customers. “So, hair, what's up with it?”
Being the little brother he is, Rumble let out the truth, “Thunderlane was held hostage for breaking another mare’s heart.”
“WHAT!?” Blossomforth’s outburst silenced the busy room and many ponys looked to her. Her ears pointed back as her cheeks flushed. In a much lower tone, but still angry tone, she growled, “Who tried to hurt you?”
She pulled Thunderlane toward her, their muzzles touching. “I can explain dear. Y-you see-”
“U-umm…” a small voice squeaked, “Blossomforth, your table is ready…” A pink mare with her mane in a bun stood behind the pegasus she was requesting. “Do… you need a minute?”
Rumble couldn't help but chuckle at Blossomforth’s embarrassment as Thunderlane touched her hooves and placed each one individually back onto the ground. He looked to the server and said, “I think we are ready.”
***
Rumble scribbled on a child’s activity sheet as Thunderlane explained yesterday's and today's events to Blossomforth. The freckled cheek mare was ready to storm over to Twilight Sparkle’s library and tell her off about her friends; thankfully, Thunderlane convinced her to be more civil. Being smug about the entire ordeal, Blossomforth leaned up against her stallion. “It's a good thing I snatched you up when I did.”
“Blossomforth, please, you and I need to be just a little more open about our relationship,” Thunderlane begged. “I don't want to be another victim of being a heartbreaker again and getting attacked by some crazy friend. Does the part ‘I was dangling over a bucket of piranhas’ make you a little concerned?”
Blossomforth sighed, “Of course it does. I just-” Her shoulders sagged, not wanting to go through with her boyfriend’s request. “You remember what I told you before, why I don't want to be open about us.” The mare gripped Thunderlane’s hoof desperately.
Throughout her life, Blossomforth has been a mare not so fortunate with stallions. And every time she was in a relationship, she couldn't help but tell others about her stallion. However, word would catch wind to mares who spited Blossomforth and would always steal away her special somepony. Thunderlane couldn't understand the savage nature of mares, but respected her opinion.
“I…” There was no easy answer for Thunderlane. All he could do was hold Blossomforth close.
“I do applaud you for being faithful me though,” Blossomforth spoke low, her cheeks lifting slightly.
“You know,” Rumble spoke, his eyes not leaving the hippopotamus he was coloring red, “if you have to reject another mare, why not try setting them up with another stallion?”
Blossomforth’s ears twitched at the suggestion, looking to Thunderlane with a smirk. “You know what, that sounds like a great idea!”
Thunderlane didn’t like his brother’s suggestion and his girlfriend’s expression even more. “Umm, I- I am not so sure about that…”
“Why not?” Blossomforth was beginning to get enthusiastic about Rumble’s idea. “Think about it… If you don't like breaking a mare’s heart, just try and set them up with another stallion. And, with less mares off your tail, the less you can stress about another mare falling for you.”
“Blossomforth, I-”
“Then it is settled!” Thunderlane sighed in irritation that his input is getting ignored. “From here on out, for every mare’s heart you break, including the ones you have already shattered, you have to set them up with some other stallion!”
Thunderlane couldn't believe how light his girlfriend was treating his current heartbreaking streak. However, he somehow felt it was a slightly good idea, but didn't know if he had the heart to face the heartbroken. Leering at his younger brother, Thunderlane muttered, “Thanks Rumble…”
“And thanks for leaving all those chores for me to do, bro.”
The End?