Scootaloo continued to ride around on her scooter for the next half hour or so while Rainbow Dash watched and cheered as Scootaloo performed tricks occasionally to break the monotony of just riding around. She loved riding her scooter but doing the same thing over and over again can get boring no matter how much you enjoy it. Rainbow Dash was beginning to wonder how much longer Star Shine would be when she heard and felt something land next to her. She jumped and yelped at the sudden sensation of wind hitting her and looked across to see it was just Star Shine. He was holding a basket too, with the handle secured firmly in his mouth. He put the basket down and laughed at Rainbow Dash.
“Awww did I scare you?” he teased as Rainbow Dash came back to the ground softly. She grumbled something but didn’t respond to his question.
“Hey Scoots, he’s back!” Rainbow Dash called across to Scootaloo. Scootaloo looked in the direction of Rainbow Dash and saw Rainbow Dash pointing a hoof at Star Shine, who was waving at her. She turned her scooter around and headed towards the pair.
“So what’s with the basket?” Scootaloo asked when she reached them and noticed the basket on the ground.
“Yeah I was wonderin’ that too. I thought you were making dinner?” Rainbow Dash added. Star Shine smiled and opened the basket. There was a small blanket inside covering the rest of the contents and blocking them from view. He removed the blanket to reveal the sandwiches and various other food items underneath it as well as a few drinks.
“Well it’s such a lovely day out I thought that instead of sitting inside the house we should have a picnic and watch the sunset.” Star Shine explained as he laid the blanket down on the grass. Scootaloo beamed at the idea and helped set everything up.
“There you go with all these fun ideas again...” Rainbow Dash said a little melancholically. She liked the idea herself. She just also wished that she had come up with it. Especially after the insane game of hide and seek Star Shine had come up with.
“Hey this is one that includes you, and I think having a dinner in Canterlot is a wonderful idea. If anything I just stole your idea and made it a little more...private.” Star Shine replied reassuringly.
“Yeah yeah...” Rainbow Dash said softly before what Star Shine said really processed in her mind. “Hey you’re right, you stole my idea! Stop stealing my ideas!” she added, poking Star Shine in the chest while he smiled nervously. Star Shine winked at Scootaloo and the two shared a small laugh at Rainbow Dash’s expense. “Anyway let’s eat. I’m starving.” Rainbow Dash lowered herself onto the blanket and started eating. Scootaloo smiled and sat down next to Rainbow Dash and Star Shine sat next to Scootaloo. “Do you have to sit so...close?” Rainbow Dash asked Star Shine. Scootaloo was quite small so there wasn’t much space between Rainbow Dash and Star Shine and he was a little too close for her tastes.
“Sorry...” Star Shine replied sheepishly, scooting across the blanket to sit a little further away. Scootaloo pouted and tapped the space on the blanket next to her where Star Shine had been sitting. He gave her a puzzled look, as did Rainbow Dash.
“I wanted him to sit next to me.” Scootaloo explained to the pair of adults. Star Shine smiled and set himself back down next to Scootaloo and whispered a thanks into her ear.
“Alright, you get to sit there, but no getting touchy. You’re sat next to Scoots, not me.” Rainbow Dash warned. She was still mulling over what Scootaloo said about Star Shine liking her and she was more wary of what he did and why he might have done it than ever.
“Geez Dashie, what do you think I’m going to do? Jump on you? I’ll save that for later when Scoots isn’t around.” Star Shine giggled. He was teasing her and always knew the right thing to say to rile her up. He had considered not riling her up before but she just made it way too fun and she’d never given him a serious injury for it. Not yet at least.
“Why won’t you jump on her? I jump on her all the time.” Scootaloo asked in confusion. She hadn’t understood what Star Shine had meant and to her you could only jump on another pony playfully. Star Shine laughed and Rainbow Dash tried to hide her face behind a hoof. Neither one of them was in any hurry to explain what had happened to Scootaloo.
“One of these days you’re going to push me too far...” Rainbow Dash said quietly to herself as Star Shine kept laughing. Scootaloo scrunched her face up in confusion. That neither of them would tell her what they meant made her think it was something she couldn’t do. Which meant it could only be one thing.
“You don’t play when I’m there? Is it cos I can’t fly and you play in the sky?” Scootaloo asked sadly. She had seen Pegasi play in the sky at the orphanage and was always sad she could never join in. Star Shine stopped laughing as what he had accidentally done made him frown instead. Rainbow Dash huddled up to Scootaloo and nuzzled her reassuringly.
“It’s not that Scoots. We don’t play anything together.” Rainbow Dash said.
“We’re boring old grownups so we always talk. If anything we should play more.” Star Shine added, also cuddling up to Scootaloo. She smiled at the reassurance and at the physical contact.
“I hate to say it but you’re right...we should play more...” Rainbow Dash said cryptically. Star Shine looked across at her and saw there was a glint in her eyes as she shook her rump much like a predatory cat might.
“Oh-” was all he managed to say before Rainbow Dash pounced on him and pinned him to the ground. Scootaloo laughed and pinned down one of Star Shine’s forelegs so that Rainbow Dash could move a foreleg of her own. Star Shine looked scared as Rainbow Dash raised her now free foreleg and smiled at him menacingly. She knew that despite all his bluster and sarcasm he had one great and terrible weakness.
“Oh please. Not that. Please not that.” Star Shine pleaded. He could take a good guess as to what was coming up. Once again Scootaloo didn’t really know what was going on. She was just joining in and thought Rainbow Dash might want to use one of her legs for something. She thought Star Shine sounded almost genuinely terrified.
“He’s about to move a LOT Squirt so hold him down tight.” Rainbow Dash instructed. Scootaloo looked at her nervously but did as she was told and held his foreleg down harder. Rainbow Dash brought her hoof down slowly, practically torturing Star Shine with the wait. Just when he thought it would never happen she finally touched his chest and he burst out laughing.
“Huh? What’s wrong with him?” Scootaloo asked. She didn’t know what could cause a pony to react so much to just being touched a little bit.
“I’m really...really...ticklish.” Star Shine managed to say between laughs. Scootaloo knew she was ticklish but Star Shine was on a whole other level. She laughed and started tickling him herself. Star Shine fidgeted harder and because Scootaloo wasn’t holding him down he was able to get out from under Rainbow Dash and try and escape. He managed to run a few feet before Rainbow Dash pounced on him again. This game continued for about five or ten minutes before Star Shine’s pleas for mercy finally worked and the pair of mares stopped. When they finished playing together all three laid on their backs and looked up at the night sky together. After a short amount of time Rainbow Dash and Star Shine were surprised to hear the sound of crying. They looked across to where it was coming from and saw that instead of looking up at the sky, Scootaloo was curled up and crying.
“Scootaloo? What’s wrong?” Rainbow Dash asked softly as she moved over to Scootaloo and wrapping a wing around her in comfort. Scootaloo turned and cried into Rainbow Dash’s coat. Star Shine elected to stay where he was and let Rainbow Dash handle it. Scootaloo needed Rainbow Dash for emotional things more than she needed him for them. He closed his eyes to focus on what Scootaloo said and think.
“I’m...I’m sorry. It’s the stars. Before I was living in the...in the clubhouse, I used to sleep on the streets. It still hurts.” Scootaloo slowly explained. She was used to looking up at the stars and making wishes. Over time none of those wishes had come true and she had grown angry and bitter at them. Much like her wings, they were an ever present reminder of her past.
“I’m sorry Scoots, I had no idea.” Rainbow Dash replied, wrapping Scootaloo up in a tighter hug. “They a painful reminder for you too?” she asked, remembering what Scootaloo had said about her wings. Scootaloo nodded and cried softly at the memories as Rainbow Dash soothed her by gently stroking her mane.
“Hey Scoots.” Star Shine said after a few minutes of silence had passed.
“Yeah?” Scootaloo replied, looking over at him from between Rainbow Dash’s wings. Rainbow Dash looked over too.
“Remember those stars.” he said as he pointed a hoof up at the night sky and the beautiful night sky overhead. A lot of ponies had gained a new appreciation for the night after Luna had returned. She tried harder than ever to make it amazing and she had certainly done everypony proud.
“Why?” Scootaloo asked, looking up at the stars Star Shine was pointing at. They didn’t look remarkable or special to her.
“Because no matter where I go, or what I do, when the night comes around we’ll always be looking at the same stars.” he said, smiling brightly across at her. Scootaloo smiled back. Rainbow Dash let her go now she looked happier and Scootaloo cuddled up close to Star Shine. It was one of the sweetest things she’d ever heard.
“That is one of the cheesiest things I’ve ever heard.” Rainbow Dash said, faking a retch. She herself had actually found it to be very sweet. Just a little sickeningly so. She was also glad to see Scootaloo smile again.
“Upset I didn’t say it to you?” Star Shine teased, ruffling Scootaloo’s mane. Rainbow Dash sighed at the teasing but didn’t respond.
“Wait, are you going somewhere?” Scootaloo asked nervously as the full implications and message of what Star Shine had said hit her. He shook his head and patted her reassuringly.
“I don’t have any plans to. Like I said before I’m not going anywhere until you fly, or Rainbow Dash kicks me out.” Star Shine replied, adding the little joke at the end to lighten the mood.
“I will do if you don’t start paying rent...” Rainbow Dash replied. She was well aware of how long Star Shine had been living at her house and eating all her food without contributing a bit.
“Oh that reminds me, as well as paying Rarity I left a bag of bits on your bed for you. Consider it rent. I’d like to stay with you if that’s okay.” Star Shine said. His conversation with Scootaloo had convinced him he should try and stay with Rainbow Dash for as long as he could. If Scootaloo didn’t want him to leave then he wouldn’t and if paying rent allowed him to stay he was more than happy to pay rent. Part of him was also feeling guilty about how long he’d stayed at Rainbow Dash’s and not contributed anything.
“I guess you can stay then.” Rainbow Dash said. Scootaloo punched the air and Star Shine smiled. “But speaking of staying, stay out of my room.” Rainbow Dash added. Star Shine laughed nervously.
“Sorry, I didn’t want to leave a bag of bits lying around and tempt anypony who came past. I didn’t look through anything.” Star Shine explained. Rainbow Dash understood and the three continued to watch the stars together. Scootaloo smiled up at them, rather than be upset by them. It seemed that perhaps some of the things she had wished for had come true. Perhaps nopony who wished upon a star while Luna was imprisoned on the moon had their wishes granted and it took a while after she got back for Scootaloo’s to be granted. She must have been busy fulfilling all those wishes. Scootaloo giggled to herself as she suddenly thought of something.
“Something funny?” Rainbow Dash asked, smiling herself.
“A little.” Scootaloo replied nervously. She was a little embarrassed, as well as amused, by her sudden thought. “It’s just I used to look up at the night sky and make a wish. I used to wish on stars and now one has actually fallen into my life.” Scootaloo said as she looked across at Star Shine. Star Shine laughed as he realised that he was the star Scootaloo had been referring to and Rainbow Dash joined in when she got it. Scootaloo looked back up at the sky in mild embarrassment.
“That’s very sweet of you Scoots. Much like these stars here too, I won’t be going anywhere for a while too.” Star Shine replied. Rainbow Dash smirked and shook her head. Things were getting a little too cutesy for her tastes.
After a while passed Rainbow Dash looked across at Scootaloo and saw that she had fallen asleep. They had all completely lost track of time.
“Hey Shine...” Rainbow Dash whispered so she didn’t wake Scootaloo up. Star Shine looked across at her curiously. He’d never really known Rainbow Dash to whisper about anything. He looked down at Scootaloo and smiled as he understood why.
“She’s so cute when she’s sleeping.” he commented quietly. Scootaloo had curled up and rested her head on her forelegs. When she was sleeping was one of the few times her wings were tucked into her side. She had also curled her tail around her body to use it as a pillow.
“She is...” Rainbow Dash agreed, smiling at the sight below her. She leaned down and gave Scootaloo a kiss on the forehead like she normally would when she put her to bed. A smile spread across Scootaloo’s sleeping face. “She should also be in bed though, and I should get to work. Think you can put her to bed for me?” Rainbow Dash asked. Star Shine nodded.
“Sure I will. I want to stay out here a little longer but I’ll put her to bed.” Star Shine replied.
“Okay just don’t let her get cold.” Rainbow Dash said. Star Shine extended a wing and rested it over Scootaloo to keep her warm. Rainbow Dash smiled as she approved and headed into the night sky for her evening shift at work. Star Shine continued to look up into the night sky, thinking all the time as he usually did when he stared up at the beautiful moon above.