I open the door to the library with a hefty sigh.
"Hello?" I call out, stepping inside. Nopony answers, so I shrug, and immediately enter the breakfast, and begin searching for some kitchen.
...
...
You see what happens when I'm hungry? My crazy goes all syntax!
When I find some (apparently) generic cereal, I pour it into a bowl and add milk. Within several minutes, I'm washing off the bowl and spoon in the sink, drying them, and replacing them in the cabinet.
Only because this isn't my home. If this were my own home, I'd just say "fuck it" and throw them in the sink.
I crick my neck, wondering where in the hell Rainbow and Scootaloo have gone off to...
Or maybe, they're still asleep?
Nah, that's impossible? I was in Canterlot for a good hour or so, right? And the train rides were like, an hour long each...
I open the door to the guest room, and see that it's empty. As I take a seat on the bed, I can swear that there's a giggling noise, but I disregard it as the springs creaking.
I lay back on the bed, and close my eyes for about five minutes.
When I hear hushed voices, I immediately spring out of bed, silently, crouching so that my feet make no noise.
"Quiet! You don't want him to know we're here!" I hear an unidentifiable voice scold. I gulp, slowly stalking my way over to the dresser, which is where these voices are coming from. I think of remarking that saying "quiet" isn't effective, but realize that if the individuals in the closet mean me harm, it may not be the best choice.
As I creep up to the dresser, which seems to be totally shut, I make sure to stay right in the center, so that somepony looking though a crack angled right or left wouldn't immediately see me.
When I've reached the doors, I tense myself, grasping the handles with a firm steadiness as I prepare for the worst...
I tear the closet doors open, and jump back, prepared for a knife to come slashing out at me. However, all I get is two Pegasus ponies, jumping out with loud screams.
I watch in confusion as Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo fall on the floor with a pronounced thud. It isn't until a few seconds later that I realize they were trying to scare me.
"Did we get'cha?" Scootaloo asks, popping her head up from under Rainbow's wing. "Are ya scared?"
I smile at the little filly. "'Fraid not, kiddo. But try harder next time, and maybe-" I let out a cry of shock as I turn around, and come face to face with an ugly-ass motherfucker.
"Hah! We got 'im, Scoots!" I hear Rainbow Dash yell. "Great job, Pinkie!"
Pinkie Pie unzips her costume of the ugliest mare in the world, and smiles up at me. "Wow, you should've seen the look on your face!"
I chuckle lightly as Rainbow flies around me, holding Scootaloo up as they laugh in victory.
"I'm not gonna lie," I mutter, "you got me."
"Alright," Scootaloo giggles. "So, we gonna go, now?"
Rainbow Dash nods, and I raise an eyebrow. "Go where?"
"To Cupcake Corner, of course!" Pinkie Pie cries.
"Yeah," Rainbow adds on. "I promised Scootaloo that, if we managed to scare you, we'd get a few treats at Sugarcube Corner. On me!"
"Yeah," Scootaloo says, wistfully. "My parents never brought me there, so this'll be my first time actually being brought there by somepony older than me..."
Pinkie smiles sadly at the filly. "The treats are on me, then," she says, softly. "And, Peter, we've still got to celebrate your arrival in Ponyville!"
I shrug. "We don't have to. Might be a bit overkill for me."
Pinkie shrugs in return. "We have to have a party for you!"
I shrug again. "No, we don't."
"YES WE DO!" Pinkie Pie roars, her eyes turning into coals of pure fire as she stares at me.
"Well," I stammer, "that escalated quickly..."
She calms back down with a giggle. "We can talk about that later, though!" She chirps, cheerfully. "C'mon, everypony! We've got to get some treats!"
Rainbow Dash is simply gaping at Pinkie, and Scootaloo is frozen. After slapping Rainbow, and gently bringing Scootaloo back to her senses with a hug and tender words, the three of us follow Pinkie Pie.
By the time we arrive at Sugarcube Corner, it seems to be mid-day. I duck through the door, and join my friends at a table.
"I'll be right back with some snacks!" Pinkie declares, happily. She runs off, and returns moments later with an assortment of cookies. "All on the house, Scootaloo!" She declares, patting the orange filly on the back.
"Wow!" Scootaloo says, in awe. "Is this all for me?"
"No," I immediately say. "It's for the two of us, Scoots. But not for Rainbow Dash." I stick my tongue out at the cyan Pegasus. "She don't deserve no cookies, girl!"
Scootaloo giggles, and Rainbow Dash waits for her admirer to come to her aid. When Scootaloo joins in, and directs a joke at the cyan Pegasus, as well, I can tell that Rainbow feels hurt, even though she isn't going to show it, and would never admit it to anypony, not even myself.
"But, in all seriousness, Rainbow can have as many as she likes," I tell Scootaloo. "And, hey, you'd better start showing her a bit more respect. I can joke with her, and so can you, but at a certain point, you've got to stop and realize that she deserves respect, alright? Don't worry, you were nowhere near that point just now, but I think it's best that you try not to stray near said point."
Scootaloo nods as I finish. "So, you're not mad at me?"
"No, of course not. Just, if the jokes start getting mean, then you should probably stop before we go too far."
Scootaloo nods, and smiles at me for a little while. At first, I don't notice, as Rainbow and I are talking about where I could get a job.
After a few seconds, I look back to Scootaloo, and return the smile. She immediately turns back to the mountain of snacks, and I believe I can see a tiny bit of a rosy blush on her orange cheeks. I smile, and pat her gently on the back.
"So, how're you liking your snacks?" I ask her.
"I, uh, I haven't had one yet."
"Well, to ahead!" I say, handing her a cookie. "They're really good."
She smiles, and accepts it. As she chews on it, she lets out sounds of content.
"This is really good," she remarks. "I love it!"
I smile, and ruffle her mane. "Go ahead, have another. But don't have too many, or you'll get a really bad stomach ache!"
She shrugs. "Not my problem!" I blink, and laugh in confusion. "Then who's problem is it, pray tell?"
Scootaloo shrugs. "I dunno. Maybe it's Rainbow's!"
Rainbow Dash looks up from a piece of cake she was devouring. "Huhf? Fwat?" She asks, cake flying out o h mouth as she speaks. I roll my eyes, and clamp her mouth shout with a hand. "Don't speak with your mouth full, crumby," I jest, before letting go. She rubs her jaw with a hoof, and gives me a look of ire before swallowing her cake.
"I said that me having a stomach ache would be your problem," Scootaloo repeats. Rainbow Dash raises an eyebrow. "I don't get it."
Scootaloo shrugs. "Yeah, it was a dumb joke, anyway..."
"You've got that right," Rainbow remarks, before picking up a cookie. "Now, if you'll excuse me, my taste buds have a date with heaven!"
With that, Scootaloo and I are essentially left to fend for our own. We make idle conversation, asking each other about what kinds of games we play, and what kinds of music we like, etc., etc....
Until she asks me a singular question that I hadn't been asked as of yet.
"So, do humans get Cutie Marks?"
I frown. "No, we don't."
Scootaloo smiles wide. "Which means you can join the Cutie Mark Crusaders!!" She cries. I raise an eyebrow.
"But how? I can't get a Cutie Mark, so how would I crusade for one?"
"You would be a Crusader forever!" Scootaloo explains. I shrug, and smile back at her.
"Sure. Sounds fun!"
Her wings start to flap, and she begins to giggle and blush lightly. I sincerely hope I'm imagining the blushing. "That's so great! Thank you, Peter, you'll be the coolest addition to the Crusaders yet!"
Rainbow Dash swallows her food, and cuts across. "What about me? What if I wanted to be a Crusader?"
"Well, you already have a Cutie Mark," Scootaloo responds. Rainbow blushes, and mutters "oh, yeah," before returning to her food. I chuckle, and so does Scootaloo.
"Man, what an airhead," I remark, knocking on her skull with a knuckle. Scootaloo laughs, and Rainbow punches me in the arm.
"But this airhead has got a strong punch," she growls at me. I nod with a chuckle. "Yes, she does..."
Scootaloo starts to snicker, even though nopony has made a joke since my airhead comment. "What's so funny?" I ask her.
"You two are so cute together!" She explains. Rainbow and I look into each other's eyes, and blush as we look away. Scootaloo laughs even harder, and the two of us simply ignore each other for a few seconds, unable to get over the fact that we're "cute" together.
"So, Peter, you're going to work at Applejack's farm?" Rainbow asks me after a few minutes of silence. I nod. "Yep. Gonna go there right after this to help her work on the design for the irrigation."
"Can I come?" Scootaloo immediately asks. I look at her with a small smile. "You might get bored, Scootaloo...Maybe you should go with Rainbow? She's going to practice for the Wonderbolts, right?"
Rainbow shakes her head. "Nope. I'm a weather pony, remember? I've got work to do! There's a storm scheduled for tomorrow, and I have to organize the clouds by the Northern edge of Ponyville, that way we can simply make a current to blow them in tomorrow."
I nod, and we continue to chomp away at our treats. Rainbow, however, stops at a grand total of ten. "I'd better get to work now. See ya, guys!"
And, with that, she's off, leaving Scootaloo and I to our own mechanisms.
"Okay, bye," I say, sarcastically, to the empty spot where Rainbow used to be. "Don't rush or anything, that'd be ridiculous."
Scootaloo laughs, and I smile at her. "So, you ready to go, Scoots? You've already had six of these things, and I don't want you getting a stomach ache..."
Scootaloo contemplates a seventh she's about to eat, but replaces it with a nod. "Yeah, I'm good." I nod, and call over Pinkie Pie, who immediately swallows all the treats.
"Thanks for stopping by, you guys!" She calls as we leave. I thank her for her hospitality, and we leave the small shop behind.
By the time we're halfway to Applejack's, Scootaloo is starting to have a tummy ache.
"Ow," she moans. "My tummy hurts..."
I smile, and gesture. "C'mon. Let's get you back to Twilight's library. She probably has some alka-seltzer or something..." Scootaloo smiles as we walk back to the lavender unicorn's home. Surely, she's unaccustomed to being cared for so much...
However, I'm starting to have doubts that her parents are really this terrible. Perhaps I should go talk to them?
"Scootaloo, where do your parents live?" I ask as I dissolve a tablet of seltzer into a glass of cold tap water. The filly gladly accepts the water, and gulps it down before answering me.
"They live just by the town hall. The house number is 12. You can't miss it."
I nod, and prepare to leave. "Wait, you aren't actually going to see them, are you?" She asks as I leave the room. I look back to her, and smile.
"Perhaps," I respond. "I just want to see what they're like."
She nods, and I can't help but see the worry in her eyes. "Don't worry, Scoots, I'll be fine."
The filly nods, and I get on my way. Within ten minutes, I'm lost, and within another ten, I'm at house 12.
I take a deep breath as I grasp the brass knocker. I slam it onto the wood a few times, and wait for the door to be answered.
"Scootaloo, is that you!?" I hear a mare call as the door is opened. She looks up to me in hope, but sighs as she sees that it's not the young filly. "Who are you?" She asks me, a bit of a bite in her voice. I give her a once-over, and see that she's an orange mare with a blue mane. Her eyes are a deep green, and her Cutie Mark is what appears to be a stopwatch.
"My name is Peter," I tell her. "I'm friends with Scootaloo."
She lights up at the mention of the filly's name. "Oh? Is that so? How is she? In fact, where is she?"
I blink. For apparently not caring at all, she seems rather concerned. "She's at Twilight's library, she's staying with Rainbow and I for the time being, because it was too late for her to walk back on her own."
She lets our a tsk. "That's ridiculous. A filly her age should be able to walk home on her own..."
I blink in shock. "At midnight?"
She nods. "Yes, at midnight. We have very old-fashioned values."
I frown. "Ma'am, I don't mean to impose, as I know it's not my place, but-"
"Then perhaps you shouldn't say anything at all," she hisses. I nod. "Perhaps, but I want to know something. Scootaloo says that, even when she brings home a good test, or does all her homework, you don't even congratulate her."
She nods. "Why should we? It's simply a test and a homework. We only congratulate true success. As for her stay at that library, I can't say that I approve. I would much rather have her home soon, as her father and I get worried when she's gone for more than a day."
I nod, and smile at the mare. "While I may not agree with some of your values, I have no doubt that, as a direct result of your parenting, she will grow up to be a fine young mare." She smiles, and thanks me before I promise the safe return of her daughter.
"Wait," she says as I'm about to leave. "If she would like to stay with you and Rainbow Dash for a little longer, well...I don't necessarily trust Rainbow Dash. But I believe I can trust you. So, as long as you look after my daughter, she can spend a few more days with you. Until she's ready to come home."
I smile, and nod. She is truly a great mother. "May I have your name?" I ask. As long as I'll be returning here to talk to her, I may as well learn her name...
"My name is Scootaloo," she tells me. I smile. "So, you named your daughter after yourself?"
"And my mother, and my mother's mother, and so on, and so forth," she responds with a proud smile. "It is a proud family tradition. I am Scootaloo the Tenth."
I nod, and hold out my hand. She meets it with a hoof, and I shake it, firmly and shortly. "Nice to make your acquaintance, Scootaloo the Tenth," I say with a small smile. She nods to me, and I realize something.
"Hold on," I say as she begins to close the door. "You're not...scared of me? I mean, you've never seen a creature such as me, you've never heard of me, but you're not totally freaked out by me?"
"My dear, there are many things I have not heard of," she tells me. "For the longest time, I hadn't ever heard of griffins. And then, I met one! Was I afraid? No, of course not! So, just because I haven't heard of a creature such as you doesn't mean I fear you. You seem to be very gentle and kind, so I trust you."
I smile, and nod. "Thank you, ma'am," I say, before turning and walking away.
When I return to the library, I immediately find Scootaloo struggling to use my iPad.
"Hey," I call as I close the door behind me. She jumps away from the device, bearing all, of guilt.
"Sorry, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't doing it wrong, and-"
I smile as I sit down next to her, and pat her on the back. "It's fine, Scoots. By the way, I spoke to your mother."
Scootaloo gulps. "She wants me to go home, doesn't she?"
"She said that you can stay for a few more days," I tell her. She lights up, and grins widely. "So long as I look after you. And she's a very good mother, by the way."
"But she doesn't care about me!" Scootaloo protests.
"She does, but she's old-fashioned," I explain. "Firstly, you know that you're Scootaloo the Eleventh, right?" She nods with a sigh, and I smile. "She goes by old tradition and customs. Back then, they believed in raising kids by congratulating true success. They're proud of you, but they don't want to spoil you. When you finished your first year of school, they celebrated with you, no?"
"Yeah, but-"
"But nothing," I cut across. "They care about you, and it's wrong for you to say that they don't."
Scootaloo sighs, and looks away. "I know...I just wish they would do fun things with me once in a while..."
I smile at her, and nudge her in the side. "What d'you think Rainbow and I are here for?" I ask her. "Just say the word, and we can go an adventure!"
"The word!" She immediately cries. I burst out laughing, and stand.
"That's rich," I sigh as my laughter dies. "And deserving of an adventure...So, where d'you wanna go?"
"Into the Everfree!" She declares, hopping up and down in excitement.
"Sorry, we can't," I tell her. "I promised your mother that I would look after you, Scootaloo. How about we try something more...local?"
Scootaloo pouts with a sigh, but I'm unrelenting. "No, Scootaloo, we can't go into the Everfree."
"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, please!?" She begs. "We can get Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle to go with us!"
"No, Scootaloo," I sigh. "The Everfree is no place for fillies."
"Have you ever even been in the Everfree?" She demands. I shake my head.
"No, and from what Rainbow Dash has told me, I don't want to go in. While it's not nearly as bad as an afternoon stroll through the Bronx, it's still pretty damn bad."
Scootaloo raises an eyebrow, and I dismiss the confusion. "Maybe you should've gone with Rainbow Dash," I remark.
"Yeah, maybe," she grunts. "She wouldn't be such a spoil-sport..."
I roll my eyes, and take out my iPad. "Do you wanna play a game?"
She shakes her head "no." "I wanna go outside and do something!"
"Outside?" I moan. "Ugh, I hate doing things, that requires physical exertion..."
Scootaloo sighs, and grasps my hand with a hoof as she walks towards the door. I'm embarrassed to admit that she is able to pull me.
"C'mon, we're going to Applejack's. Might as well get started on your job, huh?"
I sigh as we walk outside. "I legitimately don't want to do anything. Can't I just take a nap?"
"No!" Scootaloo shouts. "Gosh, Peter, you're so lazy! How did you even get out of bed this morning!?"
"Celestia made me," I chuckle. Scootaloo starts to laugh, and we both laugh for a few moments before we start on our way to Applejack's farm.
"But, seriously, you're normally so energetic," Scootaloo says as we walk. "Why'd you get so lazy when you got inside?"
"It happens," I shrug. I can feel my stamina quickly returning, as my laziness is starting to fade. May as well jump into this, eh? "Well, I'm back to normal," I announce as I perk up.
"I don't understand," Scootaloo says, confused. I chuckle lightly.
"I don't, either," I respond. "It's weird, I have weird spells of fatigue, but when I start walking around and talking, it goes away."
"Huh..."
I nod, and Scootaloo shakes her head. "You're really weird, Peter..."
"You got that right!"
She chuckles a bit, and we walk on in silence, until we reach Sweet Apple Acres. When we do, Applejack immediately greets us, mud dripping from her hooves and staining her coat.
"Ah wasn't expectin' visitors," she tells us. "If Ah was, Ah would've cleaned up a bit."
I shrug. "It's fine. I'm assuming you were watering the trees today?"
She nods as we walk back to the barn, Scootaloo close behind. "Yep. Still tryin' to make that irrigation system you were talkin' about..."
"And that's why I'm here," I inform her. "I'm going to help you make some designs."
She smiles, and hurries ahead to the barn, leaving me in the dust. A few moments later, she returns with Apple Bloom and Big Mac.
"So, Peter's goin' t' help y'all with th' designs for th' irrigation system!"
I nod, and Apple Bloom lights up. "Is Scootaloo going to help, too?"
Scootaloo shakes her head. "Nah, I have no idea what we'd be doing, anyway. I might just hang around, take a nap, or just help out around the farm."
"Speakin' of which," Applejack says, before fitting two baskets onto the filly's back. She follows the orange mare off into the trees, and I follow Apple Bloom and Big Mac into the barn.
"Alright, Big Mac, let's get th' designs out!" Apple Bloom declares.
"Eeeeeeeeeyup."
A table is pulled over, with blueprints on it that have a label of "one acre" on each side. I frown, and immediately cross that out.
"We can't do it on that large of a scale," I declare. "Not only do we not have the man-er, stallion power, it would require hundreds of yards of pneumatic tubing to manage it. Let's do the first few at a scale of...one mile."
They nod, and with that, we begin to design, debating how to manage the water flow, as well as how to secure the pipes together. It feels like about ten minutes have passed when I put down the pencil, and nod at our finalized design.
"That was a good idea," I tell Apple Bloom, who is proudly observing the complete designs. "The flow redirection tap will make it about five hundred times easier to manage the water flow, rather than having one valve on each vertex...And Big Mac, leaving the ends open for the connection of the next portions was something I had overlooked." They both nod at my credit, and I tap on the design for the compressor. "That's about as modern as we're going to get, given the available resources...You'll have to keep checking on it, but that's more efficient than running around with a hose..."
They nod, and Apple Bloom claps her hooves in excitement. "We can get the materials by next week! And Peter, that system will really save us a lot of materials-who would've guessed we could use plastic tubing like that?"
I nod, and Big Mac smiles at me. "Y'know, yer' pretty good at this," he tells me, his baritone voice resonating through my bones. "Ah'll have Applejack pay ya' a fair amount of bits, givin' that you just saved us about one thousan' or so..."
"Actually," Apple Bloom interjects, "with the implementation of Peter's pneumatic divider, that's more like one hundred thousand bits!"
Big Mac's pupils dilate, and he shakes my hands, rather vigorously.
"Hey!" Applejack calls out, cheerfully, as she places down two buckets of apples. "Let me help you wit' that, Sugarcube," she says, helping a struggling Scootaloo with placing the baskets down on the ground.
"Thanks," Scootaloo sighs.
"So, how'd y'all do?" Applejack asks. As she approaches the designs, she nods in appreciation. "So, is this only for one mile?"
"Nope," I say, picking up the top blueprints to show the others. "We did a few calculations, and it will cost quite a lot to build all of this...y'know, to cover as much land as necessary. Four corner sections, over a thousand center pieces, and about two hundred lining sections..."
Applejack cringes. "How much will that cost?"
Apple Bloom hops onto the table in excitement. "Less than the original design? Peter knows how t' use cheap materials to make it work better! Like plastic!"
Applejack nods, visibly relieved. "So, how much less does it cost?"
"Ya' may wanna sit down," Big Mac says. Applejack obliges, and sits down on the hay floor of the barn.
"Over one hundred thousand bits."
Within a second, Applejack is on top of me, shaking my hand, and promising to pay me as much as I want.
"Whatever you deem proper," I tell her. "I don't want to be a thief."
Applejack runs off, and returns with a bag full of bits.
"Here," she says, smiling at me. "This is two hundred bits. You deserve it fer' savin' us so darn much!"
I smile, humbled, but push away the bag of coins. "No, no, I can't possibly take that much, Applejack. Besides, Big Mac and Apple Bloom helped a lot. It's not right to give me all the credit."
"But yer' the one who saved us all that money!" Apple Bloom declares. I laugh, sheepishly, but continue to turn down the payment.
"Applejack, I can't possibly take that much money from you. I mean, twenty bits would be a perfect payment."
"Only twenty?" Applejack asks, dumbfounded. "You saved us one hundred thousand bits, Peter! You can't possibly take only twenty bits!"
I sigh, and take one bit out of the bag of coins. "I'll take this one bit as payment," I announce, shoving it into my pocket.
Applejack smiles at me. "Yer' a saint, but Ah can't possibly let you go home without a sufficient payment. We have one thousand bits left, it's fine!"
I frown. "But...How will you afford the irrigation system?"
"We have a separate stash," Applejack explains. "It's got over three hundred thousand bits in it. Since you saved us so much on the costs, we can buy it by the time next harvest season rolls around!"
I sigh, and shove my hands into my pockets. "I won't leave with two hundred bits, Applejack. I can't possibly take that much from you."
Applejack sighs. "Alright, Ah've had enough. Peter, either you take this payment of two hundred bits, or we'll pay ya' through Rainbow Dash, and double the payment. And we both know she'd be all too willin' to take the money."
I cringe, and sigh in defeat. "Fine...I'll take the two hundred bits..."
"Good!" She ties the bag closed with a spare rope, and hooves it to me. "Now, get goin'. It's gettin' late."
"But it's been ten-" I look behind Applejack, and see that the moon is in the sky.
"Hours," Applejack finishes for me. My stomach growls, and I sigh.
"Guess I'd better get going then," I mutter as I begrudgingly pick up the heavy bag of bits. "Thank you for all the bits, Applejack," I say as I waddle out, the bag weighing down my arm.
"G'night!" Applejack calls after me. "It's a shame ya' can't stay fer' dinner!"
I turn with a frown. "Whoever said I couldn't stay for dinner?"
She smiles, and I do a facepalm. Great. Now I'm taking more from them!
Within twenty minutes, I've left my bag o' bits by my chair at the table, and Scootaloo is seated next to Apple Bloom at a separate table. Granny Smiths teeters in, and I help her to set the table.
When everything is ready, we adults gather around the table.
"So," Applejack announces as we begin to eat the apple pie dinner, "Peter helped us to make designs for irrigation tonight."
Granny Smith smiles at me. "Ah always knew ya' were a smart boy," she says.
"Thank you," I say with a smile.
"He saved us over one hundred thousand bits!" Applejack declares, her voice escalating in excitement. Granny Smith's eyes widen, and she looks to me with a sort of reverence.
"Well, Ah hope ya' pay 'im fairly!" She declares.
"We gave him two hundred bits," Applejack explains. Granny Smith nods. "Good."
"He didn't wanna take it, though," Applejack chuckles. "He insisted on a ridiculously low pay!"
"My, my," Granny Smith muses. "Peter, yer' truly a wonderful young stallion." I'm about to say "man," but decide against it. "It seems that Rainbow Dash has truly found a catch!"
I blush, and Applejack laughs. "Yeup!" She shouts, clapping me on the back with a hoof. "She's truly for 'erself a great boy!"
I blush, and look down to my slice of pie as I continue to eat. "Thanks," I mutter. I've never enjoyed being publicly glorified...
About an hour later, I've finished helping with the dishes, and I've picked up my bits with a hefty sigh. Scootaloo joins me after saying goodbye to Apple Bloom, and I thank the ponies several times before leaving.
However, before I can leave, Applejack pulls me to the side.
"What d'ya see in Rainbow?" She asks. "Ah just don't understand why you'd be wit' somepony like her..."
I frown. "Well, I like her. A lot. In fact, I think I might-" I cut myself off with a gulp. Applejack raises an eyebrow at me, and I chuckle. "Sorry, slip of tongue. But, either way, I want to be with her. There's more to her than you think, Applejack. And, well...she's beautiful. In every way. Her appearances, her personality, her eyes, her mane-everything."
"But ya' still don' find her sexy?" Applejack asks, rather condescendingly.
"Did she put you up to this?" I immediately ask.
"No," she sighs. "Okay, yes, but..."
"Look...Tell Rainbow Dash, that if she wants to speak to me about sex, if she's having a hard time dealing with it, she can just talk to me, okay?"
Applejack nods, and gives me a quick hug. "You're an even better guy than Ah thought..."
I smile, and pat her on the back before I continue on my way out of the farm. Once rejoined with Scootaloo, we head on back to the library.
And, when we get there, Rainbow Dash is waiting for us.