CHAPTER 13
"That. Was the best party. EVER!" Dashie threw her front hooves in the air for emphasis. After the party, we'd all gone home, and I got some much needed rest... OK, not really, I didn't sleep at all... I think you can piece together what happened. "And the best part was when you and Sean went up against Hoops! How'd you two do that?!"
I scratched the back of my head. "Franky, I haven't the faintest friggin' idea. All I know is, it was from a video game back on Earth, and that was the third greatest moment of my life."
Dashie's eyebrow popped up. "What're the first and second?"
I got a huge grin on my face. "The second one is when I met you..." She frowned, but she let me finish. "And the first was when you and I kissed on the altar." She just stared at me for a second, then she smiled warmly.
"You're awesome, you know that? Heck, I think you were destined to end up with me! The awesomest pegasus and the awesomest human!" I tried to suppress it... But I burst out laughing. "What's so funny?"
"I just can't believe how swollen your ego is." I stuck my tongue out at her.
"Hey! My ego is NOT swollen! I'm just that awesome."
"Sure thing, babe." I decided it would just be best to let her think that, and keep stroking her ego instead. "I wonder how Scoots is doing with Apple Bloom..."
"Yeah, she hasn't talked about that in a while. I wonder what's up?" She sat down and I rubbed my chin, both of us thinking. "I don't think we should just outright ask her, that would probably backfire on us."
I nodded. "Oh, big time... OK, this may seem extreme, but what if we check her diary?" Dashie looked at me like I was a psychopath... Oh. Wait. Right.
"Are you CRAZY?! You NEVER read a girl's diary! It holds, like, her deepest, darkest secrets!"
"I know... Alright, you've just made me even more curious. Now I HAVE to check it out." I felt a smile creep onto my face, and I have to admit, I felt my crazy side coming on.
Dashie sighed dejectedly. "Alright... Just... Keep it to yourself, alright?"
"Dashie, really, what do you take me for?" She gave me her "Are you serious?" face. "What?" She shook her head and waved her hoof in the air.
"Nothing... Just go ahead..." I walked up the stairs and went into Scoots' room. I hadn't been in there ever since I got back. IT was MUCH different than how I remembered it, but it was what I expected. Wonderbolts posters everywhere, a little desk near the window, and a single pony bed with Wonderbolts sheets. "Yep. Saw ALL of this coming... Now, where's that diary?" Yes, I realize that reading my daughter's diary wasn't the best course of action, but hey, it was all I could think of. I did some searching in the usual places: Under her bed, under her mattress, in her desk, etc. But I didn't find it.
"Wow, Scoots is a master at hiding stuff. There has to be a-" I felt the bit of cloud below me sink a little. "Oh... I see how it is." I kneeled down and yanked the small flap of loose cloud open, and there was the diary. "Clever girl..." I started flipping through the pages until I got to the most recent entry.
Dear Diary...
Apple Bloom's still avoiding me... I thought Dad told me she liked me! At first, I thought she was just being shy, but now I'm sure she thinks I'm weird. Dad totally ruined my chances by telling her..."
"... Fuck." Well, there goes my self-esteem... And then, I heard the door open.
"What did you find?" Dashie walked in and sat down next to me.
"Apparently, Apple Bloom is being really shy, and it's starting to get to Scoots. I think I need to do something about this..."
Dashie put her hoof on my shoulder. "You don't have to, you know... Just let her figure it out on her own. She's a big girl now, Kyle. You don't have to hold her hoof anymore."
"I know... But I'm the one who told Apple Bloom, so I need to set things straight." With that, I was off to find Apple Bloom.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Nah, Apple Bloom ain't here. Sorry Kyle." Big Mac shrugged.
"Dangit! Alright, thanks man." I headed off into the orchard, hoping to find Apple Bloom in there. I assumed she was old enough to help out when she wasn't working. "Wait... Why didn't I check where she works? D'OH! Oh well... I don't even know where that is anyways." I tried to think of places she would most likely be.
Then, I stumbled upon the old treehouse. It'd seen better days. The paint was fading, the little flaps on the windows were hanging on their hinges, and the wood was splitting in some spots, rotting in others. I felt a flash of sadness, as I knew this was a part of somepony's childhood just rotting away. I was so busy taking in the details, that I almost didn't pick up on the voice coming from inside.
"... Oh, Ah' don't know what t' say t' her! Ah' feel like Fluttershy... And here Ah' am, talkin' t' mahself." I climbed up into the treehouse and took a seat next to Apple Bloom, who looked at me, surprised.
"Hey there, Apple Bloom... So, I heard you're avoiding Scoots. Care to tell me why?" I already knew, but I just asked the most obvious question out of habit.
"Well... Ah' just... Ah' dunno how t' feel now. Ah' mean, Ah' like her like that too, but... It just feels weird now that Ah' know she likes me like that too!" She was tearing up, so I did the only thing I could think of: I gave her a big hug.
"It's alright, Apple Bloom. I understand. I remember there was someone back on Earth who I really cared about, and I never told them how I felt. Those feelings are gone now, but I still sometimes wonder what could've been. So I have some advice for you: Don't wonder what could be, because you'll spend so much time wondering that you don't act, and you end up lonely. Don't let yourself end up like that. Now, here's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna wait until Scoots gets home, and I'll tell her to pick me up a cupcake from Sugarcube Corner, and you just wait there for her. Get going!" She gave me a big smile and darted out the door.
"... Jeez, who am I, the Love Guru?"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Third Person)
(Three Hours Later)
Apple Bloom had been loitering around Sugarcube Corner for almost three hours, and there was still no sign of Scootaloo anywhere. She sighed dejectedly and headed towards the door... Which was thrown open by an orange pegasus. They both just stood there and stared at each other for a few moments before Scootaloo spoke up.
"Oh... Hey Apple Bloom... Uh, w-what's up?" She dug at the floor a bit with her hoof, and looked down a bit. She almost started sweating, even.
"Oh... Uh... N-Nothin'... What 'bout you?" Apple Bloom knew why Scootaloo was there, but she had to get a conversation started somehow.
"Well... I'm here to pick up some cupcakes for Dad, but since you're here... I need to tell you something. I've wanted to say this for a while now, but lately you've been avoiding me..."
"Ah'm sorry 'bout that... There's actually somethin' I wanted to ask you too..." They both looked into each other's eyes, a twinkle of hope evident in both.
"Wait... Do you want to ask what I think you do?" Apple Bloom nodded, and Scoots swallowed hard. "Well... You ask first."
"No... Y'all go ahead and ask first." Apple Bloom's face went as red as her mane.
"How about we ask at the same time?" Apple Bloom nodded again, and they both took deep breaths.
"Will you go out with me?"