//------------------------------// // Chapter 54; I Had Trouble Thinking Of A Title // Story: Working Towards The Future // by Dasponi //------------------------------// “I wonder what that was about.” Scootaloo said as she and Rainbow Dash continued to eat their dinner. She had been confused by Star Shine’s sudden actions. His question seemed random and out of the blue and the way he just walked off unnerved her. She bought that he wanted to run her bath but she didn’t believe it was just that. He clearly wanted some time to think and had something on his mind. Something he was in no hurry to tell her. If he wouldn’t tell her then she would try and get it out of Rainbow Dash. “I really wish I knew.” Rainbow Dash replied with a sigh. He would tell her some things that he wouldn’t tell Scootaloo but there were things he wouldn’t even tell her. She wouldn’t even know the things he wouldn’t tell Scootaloo as long as she was around. “I’ll try and find out later. I doubt it’s anything bad though.” she added to try and reassure Scootaloo. “If it wasn’t bad why didn’t he say anything?” Scootaloo replied, playing with her food absentmindedly. Rainbow Dash had to admit she had a point. She also did have an answer to that question though. “You know what he’s like.” Rainbow Dash said. Scootaloo looked up at her. It was clear she didn’t know what he was like, or just didn’t know what about him Rainbow Dash was referring to. “Even if it was something tiny he’d probably worry about it and think it was something bad.” Rainbow Dash elaborated. “I think a lot of things aren’t as bad as he makes them out to be sometimes. In fact-” Rainbow Dash began before being interrupted by the return of Star Shine. Rainbow Dash was considering telling Scootaloo about Vaccuus Medeis and was under the impression it probably wasn’t as bad as Star Shine thought it was. Or at the very least it wouldn’t have been so bad to tell Scootaloo about it. They were so busy talking they didn’t notice that the sound of running water had stopped. “Jeez you guys sure do eat slow don’t you?” Star Shine commented sarcastically as he entered the room. He seemed to be in better spirits and had no idea what he had just interrupted. He looked around the room and when he saw the serious expressions on Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash’s faces he could tell he had indeed interrupted something. “Umm, you guys okay?” he asked nervously. “Yeah, just wondering about you...” Rainbow Dash replied, scrutinizing Star Shine. He smiled shakily under her stare and fidgeted nervously. “Me? I’m fine. I told you it was nothing serious. I just get like that sometimes.” Star Shine said. Rainbow Dash shrugged and hopped down from her seat. Scootaloo followed suit. “Go on up to your bath.” Rainbow Dash told Sootaloo, patting her gently on the flanks. Scootaloo did as she was told and gently nuzzled Star Shine’s legs as she passed them. He smiled down at her and watched as she left the room and ran upstairs. Moments later there was a splash as she jumped into the bath. Rainbow Dash moved towards Star Shine, who backed away slowly and nervously. “Aren’t you going to up to her?” he asked shakily. Rainbow Dash shook her head and soon she was stood in front of Star Shine. “I will in a sec, I just want to talk to you first.” Rainbow Dash replied. Star Shine was out of room to back into and so sat down, consigned to his fate. Things were, once again, never as bad as he feared. “I don’t like it when you just run off like that. If somethin’s on your mind then tell me, okay?” Rainbow Dash said. She sounded genuinely concerned and Star Shine felt a little bad about just walking off and hiding things from her. He gave a sigh. “I promise I’ll tell you later, but for now you need to go to Scootaloo.” Star Shine replied. Rainbow Dash felt he was trying to weasel his way out of talking to her again but conceded he had a good point. Scootaloo was probably wondering where she was and why she hadn’t gone up yet. She also had a tendency to come to her own, often incorrect and mentally damaging, conclusions. Rainbow Dash felt if she didn’t get up to her quickly then Scootaloo might feel that she herself was being discussed and, if it was something she wasn’t allowed to know, it would probably be something bad. “Alright but I’m here for you to talk to. So please talk to me. You don’t have to keep everything to yourself anymore.” Rainbow Dash said softly, giving Star Shine a quick hug. He returned the hug and then let Rainbow Dash go. “I could say the same to you, but for now you have a little filly to bathe.” Star Shine replied, giggling. Rainbow Dash left the room and then leaned her head back into it. “Don’t you want to come up too?” she asked. Star Shine shook his head and smirked. “I think she’s a bit too old to be bathed, she just wants to spend some time with you.” Star Shine replied, feeling like he was stating the obvious. Scootaloo was far too old to be bathed by ponies who were her real parents, nevermind somepony who had become more of a surrogate brother or uncle. At the very least she could take a bath with one of her friends, but not himself or Rainbow Dash. “Well, duh.” Rainbow Dash replied, rolling her eyes. “But you ever consider she wants to spend time with you too?” she asked. Star Shine did a small double take before regaining his composure as if nothing had happened. His face had lost it’s smile and was back to being stoic. “I have. I’ve also considered that maybe I’m a little too close to her as it is.” he replied. Rainbow Dash made her way back across to him and gently brushed him on the nose with her tail. He laughed and then sneezed. The absurdity of what just happened made him laugh some more. “Don’t be so serious.” Rainbow Dash said, smiling herself. “How could you be too close to her?” she asked. Star Shine tried not to smile but it was proving very difficult. “I’m going to be going away in about a week. I don’t get close to ponies. You’re pretty much the only real friend I have.” Star Shine replied sadly. “Yeah but there’s two things you aren’t considering.” Rainbow Dash replied as she made her way to the stairs and started climbing up them. “Oh? And what’s that?” Star Shine replied. He was used to considering every factor in an equation, even ones that had no actual bearing on the problem or outcome. If there was actually something he hadn’t considered he wanted to know about it. Rainbow Dash turned her head around to look at him. “Well you’re coming back for a start.” she replied. “You had BETTER come back. When you left your letter saying you were going to Canterlot for your new job she was so upset I didn’t even have the heart to tell her you were going. She couldn’t believe for a second you might be leaving properly. She doesn’t even know you’re going and she still wants to spend time with you.” she added. “THAT’S what else you aren’t considering.” she added emphatically before turning back around and heading up the stairs. She had wasted so much time Scootaloo was probably getting really worried. Star Shine lowered himself onto the floor, left alone with his thoughts. Rainbow Dash entered the bathroom to see Scootaloo running a hoof through the water and staring off at nothing in particular. She looked up and smiled when she saw Rainbow Dash enter the room. She even moved to the edge of the bath and leaned on it. “Hey Rainbow! What kept you?” she asked happily. She had been worried but the sight of Rainbow Dash took all her worry away, like it usually did. Rainbow Dash smiled and patted her on the head. “Sorry ‘bout that Squirt. Had to talk to Star about something.” Rainbow Dash replied. “Oh, I was worried you might think I was too old or something.” Scootaloo said nervously. “Or that you might not want to spend time with me.” she added quietly before she could stop herself. Rainbow Dash nuzzled up to her. “Me and Star considered you might be too old, but I always want to spend time with you. I got worried myself you might think that and wanted to be up here sooner, but he insisted on being an idiot.” Rainbow Dash reassured her. Scootaloo giggled a little. “Is...Is he going to come up to?” Scootaloo asked nervously, fidgeting with her forehooves. Rainbow Dash sighed. “That was one of the ways he was being an idiot. He thinks you’re too old to have him around and that you don’t want to spend time with him.” Rainbow Dash explained. She felt she could hardly say Star Shine didn’t want to spend time with Scootaloo. Even if she had stayed calm long enough to listen to his reasons she wasn’t sure how well Scootaloo would take it. She was under the impression Scootaloo would react the same way she herself had and feel that it didn’t matter that Star Shine was going away. It would also have meant explaining that Star Shine was going away and bath time hardly felt like the time or place to do that. “Oh...” Scootaloo replied softly and sadly. “Who’s the idiot?” Star Shine said as he entered the room. Rainbow Dash jumped and Scootaloo quickly gathered all the bubbles in the bath and lowered herself into the water to cover herself up. “You are, you idiot!” Rainbow Dash shouted, chastising him for making her jump. Star Shine laughed but stopped when he saw how Scootaloo had reacted. “See, she’s not comfortable with me being here. I should just go.” he said sadly, pointing a hoof at Scootaloo who was still hiding herself under a mixture of water and bubbles. She leaned out of the bath again and the water displacement moved the bubbles away. “No, I want you to stay. I want to spend time with you.” Scootaloo insisted. She motioned with her foreleg for him to move closer. Star Shine started moving towards the bath before Rainbow Dash put a foreleg in front of his chest to stop him. “Close your eyes so she can get comfortable.” Rainbow Dash said to explain her actions. “Don’t worry, I won’t let you hit anything.” she added sweetly. Star Shine closd his eyes and Rainbow Dash winked at Scootaloo. Rainbow Dash motioned for Scootaloo to move to the other side of the bath and she did so before Star Shine started walking again. After he took a few steps Rainbow Dash stuck out a foreleg to trip him up. He hit it and tripped and fell into the bath, executing a spectacular forward flip as he did so. Miraculously he managed to land in the bath upright. He still caused a fairly large splash which hit Rainbow Dash but she felt it was worth it and burst out laughing, as did Scootaloo. “Oh not again...” Star Shine said as he opened his eyes slowly and realised what had happened and where he had landed. He opened his eyes to see he was facing the wall. “You’re just evil.” he said, leaning his head back to talk to Rainbow Dash. “Funny too.” Rainbow Dash replied, stifling her laughter. Star Shine turned around in the bath and tried to get out but Rainbow Dash held him back and wouldn’t let him. She did let him out though when he pushed against her again. “What was that for?” Star Shine asked. He sounded hurt, mostly emotional. Rainbow Dash hugged him to calm him down. She’d never really seen him angry and was in no hurry to see it, especially in front of Scootaloo and not after she tried to get the two of them to be more comfortable with eachother. “I just thought if you ended up in the bath with her, you’d have no problem with being with her when she’s in the bath.” Rainbow Dash explained. Star Shine sighed and Scootaloo tried to hide a blush that was forming on her cheeks. “It’s not about what I think, it’s about what she thinks.” Star Shine replied with a sigh. “I don’t want to make her uncomfortable.” “I’m not uncomfortable.” Scootaloo said suddenly. Star Shine turned to face her. “You’re not?” he asked her. Scootaloo shook her head. “Then I’ll stay.” Star Shine said, nuzzling up against Scootaloo. Scootaloo ran a foreleg through the water to splash him in the face. Star Shine laughed and splashed her back. Rainbow Dash couldn’t resist joining in and soon enough the air was filled with the sound of laughter from three very silly, and very wet, ponies.