//------------------------------// // You Can't Be Serious! // Story: Rise and Fall // by Peppermint Cream //------------------------------// Finished. At last. Those damn fillies made the remainder of my afternoon living hell. Now that the mess had been cleared up and the fillies were leaving, I could finally relax. I hovered slightly off the ground as I led the three troublesome foals to the door. There was only one thing on my mind. Smash. As soon as the Cutie Mark Crusaders were out the door, I was flying back to the living room and I was gonna listen to a little piece of home. Not Equestria, this strange land that I had adapted to, but Earth, the place I actually belong. "Sorry 'bout that mess Peppermint," Applebloom was so adorable when she was being all apologetic. But she's not my type and anyway, I'm not into mares. "S'ok, all that matters is that you cleaned it up afterwards." C'mon, I gotta get them outta my house, I need proper music! Plus, they might start asking questions concerning my parents... "Yeah, I guess so Pepper..." Now, if I was into mares, Scootaloo would be the kinda filly I'd be after. She was such a daredevil and so athletic and athletic equals great figure ya know! "That's right Scoots, you guys need to get going now 'cause I don't know about you, but I'm getting tired." Yes! They haven't asked about my parents! Peace and quiet at last. "Bye Peppermint!" Their unified shouting left me slightly flustered as they climbed down the ladder from my enchanted cloud house. I sped through my house to my bedroom, grabbed Smash and flew down to the living room. The CD player opened and I placed the disc inside. My armchair looked comfortable and welcoming, I walked over and sat in it, pressed play via the remote and my session of relaxation began. "Ah, it's time to relax and you know what that means a glass of wine, Your favourite easy chair and of course this compact disc Playing on your home stereo. so go on indulge yourself, that's right, Kick off your shoes, put your feet up, lean back and and just enjoy The melodies. after all, music soothes even the savage beast...." So true, so true. I thought I heard a knocking sound but I ignored it. It was probably just some cold caller. The knocking sounded again halfway through "Nitro (Youth Energy)". This time I'm answering the door. "Oh, hey Scoots. What brings you here?" She shuffled awkwardly and drew circles with her hoof. Something wasn't quite right here. I stepped aside and gestured for her to come in. "Take a seat, I'll go make some drinks. Any specific preference?" I'm breaking out the Galaxy! Mmmmm Galaxy... "Do you have hot chocolate?" "Who doesn't!" With that, I trotted through the living room and into the hallway. The kitchen was through the door straight ahead. I never really took the time to really appreciate the decor of the room. It was painted a gorgeous sky blue with flecks of a strange purple gemstone embedded into it. The purple flecks looked a lot like Tanzanite. The counters were made of white and black marble. The floor was made up of large, square, red tiles that shone like the morning sun. Now for the hot chocolate. It took several cupboards but eventually I came across my rather large stash of Galaxy cocoa powder. They were definitely just add water, which meant I still needed milk. I recited the instructions my mother gave me as a child while I completed each step. Step one, turn on the kettle. Step two, cocoa in the cup! The tub said to use 4 teaspoons. Forget that, I'll double it! Step three, pour a little milk into the cup. Step four, Stir into a paste. Remember, no lumps! Step five, Add the boiled water, stir and enjoy! I got down a tray from on top of the fridge and placed the beverages on it. With a flap of my wings I became airborne as I carried the hot tray in my hooves. A swift kick from my hind leg opened the kitchen door. I floated through the open door into the hallway and through into the living room. It was as I entered, a thought dawned on me. I left an Earth band playing on the stereo! It appeared to be playing the last chorus of Come Out And Play, to which Scootaloo was singing along to. She wasn't too good at singing... "Hey! Man, you talking back to me? Take him out! You gotta keep em' separated! Hey! Man, you disrespectin' me? Take him out!-" "You gotta keep 'em separated!" I watched as Scootaloo's orange cheecks turned to crimson red. A few chuckles escaped from me as I set the drinks on the glass coffee table. "Sorry about that..." "What's there to be sorry about?" "I dunno actually... where can I get this album? It's has to be the most epic thing ever!" Cover story, Peppermint, cover story! "Well, it was a present. All I know is that they aren't an Equestrian band." Nailed it! I'll just go call Pinkie and tell her to host a "Peppermint Cream made up a successful cover story" party! "What a wicked, cool present!" She went and sat in her chair. I passed her a mug of hot chocolate which she accepted gratefully. We sat in silence for a while. It wasn't awkward silence and there was no tension in the air. The silence was peaceful and soothing. Until now, I had never really payed attention to how the filly looked, I had only cared about keeping my cover. Now that I looked at her properly, I realised that Scootaloo was a beautiful filly. Her coat was a stunning orange like the sunset that gave off a youthful glow. Her unruly plum mane and tail actually had an aroma of summer berries, it was quite a strong scent for she could smell it even though she was a few metres away. She had a spark of determination in her eyes and her irises were a shade deeper than her mane and tail. "So what brings you here, Scoots?" "Well, um, this is kinda awkward..." "You can tell or ask me anything." "Okay, Pepper, this is gonna take a while." "Go on..." "When I was just a few months old, my father passed away. My mother was depressed and angry. She took it all out on me, night after night. Eventually, I got sick of the beating and the insults, I-I decided to d-do something about-" Scootaloo couldn't finish her sentence as she broke down into tears. I felt great sorrow for her and a rather large amount of rage towards her mother.However, It seemed that Scootaloo did not want to be comforted as she pushed me away when I moved over to her. "Scootaloo... Do you want to continue or call it a night and go home?" "T-that's just it Pepper! How can I go to a place I don't have?!" "You're homeless?" "Well, I have no parents! No parents means no money, no money means bills aren't paid, unpaid bills means no home!" "What do you mean you have no parents? What about your mom!" "I-I.." An expression of guilt appeared across her face as she spoke. "You, what?" "I killed her." "WHAT?!" "I killed my mother."