“Lost in thought, strong in heart. Lost in mind, no track of time. Lost in words, you know their hurt. Lost in deed, and some may bleed.”
Scootaloo shuddered at the words spilling from Pyrus’s mouth. Ok, I can’t be the only one who finds that slightly creepy… but it’s also pretty cool. I mean, he’s poememing… is that a word? Poememing while he walks. Scootaloo was forced to halt as she found herself staring at Pyrus’s green eyes because he had stopped in front of her. With a light ~eep~ she silently cursed herself for getting lost in thought AGAIN before slowly letting out a breath. “What?” was all she could manage to say; her blood pounding forced her mouth shut after that.
“Well, I thought you should know… That’s rain. It’s raining. It’s going to be raining very hard soon.” Pyrus held out a hoof, and a raindrop conveniently fell onto it. “Fantastic…”
“O-oh… it’s… it’s raining now. We should… get to the barn?”
“Oh, yes, I thought that might be a good idea. I just wanted your input on it.” Pyrus’s tone of voice hit Scootaloo like a train.
*****
The barn was still across a field from them. Pyrus wasted no time, pulling with most of his strength, and plowed toward the barn. Scootaloo pulled on her own red wagon, which was stacked with two total apple buckets. The six on Pyrus’s cart shook violently as he started to trot. Scootaloo let out a breath and dropped her apples, they could go out and get them later.
She passed Pyrus, and threw open the sliding door to the barn as rain began to pound the thirsty ground. Pyrus then launched past her, nearly crashing the cart in the process. Unclipping it, he then walked over to the door. He stared with hatred at the two apple buckets still piled outside. Scootaloo stood next to him, frowning.
“Sorry…”
“No problem… as long as we go get them.” Pyrus’s eyebrows deepened.
Water smashed against the metal roof, gradually increasing in volume. The wall of falling moisture got thicker. Pyrus sighed.
Scootaloo suddenly had an idea. “Can’t you just… magic them back here? Lift them or something?” It sounded like a good idea to her.
“Your confidence in my power is flattering.” Pyrus replied solemnly. Scootaloo blinked at him. “Okay… here. I’ll show you.”
Pyrus Nightwrite dropped down to a sitting position, closed his eyes, and concentrated. A small orange glow popped into existence at the base of his horn, inching its way upward. Scootaloo cringed slightly as she felt a similar warmth in her chest. It spread and bloomed as the dim magic wave struggled to envelope his horn. Warmer, warmer, and stronger became her heart for reasons she decided not to explain to herself. Just as the dim wave of power was fractions of an inch away from covering his entire horn, it flickered and gave out. Her chest however did not, and she felt the mental dam keeping her emotion from flooding everything she was begin to buckle.
Pyrus exhaled harshly, and panted to catch his breath. “They’re too far…”
Scootaloo hardly felt the slap back to reality. Not trusting herself to speak, she bolted out to the buckets. She fell into a dreamlike trance. Pyrus cantered through the pouring downfall beside her. She bent down to pick up the one to her left, and scooped it onto her back. She watched herself as if she was watching another pony move.
*BOOM* a large flash, a resounding crash, and a deafining boom shocked her back into her own body. To her right, a bloodsmashing yell indicated the fact that Pyrus heard it too. Flinging apples behind him as the bucket haphazardly bounced on the orange colt’s back, he sprinted full out to the barn. Scootaloo ran back at a quick pace as well, the once very warm part of her now frozen on the surface, yet still brewing on the inside.
This time, Pyrus did crash. He flew headlong into the pile of apple bushels at full speed, and apples flung in several directions. Scootaloo managed to keep most of the apples in her bin as she screeched to a halt, using her small wings to slow herself. She set the apples down, and went to the barn door.
“Well, it doesn’t look like we’re going in right now… so I’m gonna close this door.” She pointed out to Pyrus. When no reply came, she pulled the large wooden door made for carts closed. She turned to give a grin to Pyrus, and noticed that he hadn’t moved, and was still buried beneath a pile of fruit. She jumped, buzzing her wings for speed, landing next to the bins.
“Omygosh? Are you okay?”
*****
“Yes? Well, no? Umm… just… give me a minute. I don’t know yet.” Pyrus stuttered out.
“Here, let me help you out of there.” Scootaloo started shuffling through the apples.
“No! Umm… no. I’ll come out when… when I need to.”
A loud burst of thunder rattled the rafters of the barn. Pyrus let out a small whine and shivered, causing several apples to shake off of the pile he hid under. He closed his eyes tightly. He heard Scootaloo’s voice through the produce.
“Oh. Hey, it’s just thunder, it can’t hurt you…”
Pyrus sighed and slowly backed his way out of the mess he’d made, and realized that it WAS a mess. Apples were scattered in every direction, and there were several barrels tipped over. He slowly and shakily made his way into a standing position, gaining his balance only to have it thrown off by a surprising hug from Scootaloo. Nearly falling over and not knowing how to respond, he let out a confused and shaky grunt.
“It’s okay,” Scootaloo said softly. “I know what it’s like to be scared…”
Pyrus sighed and awkwardly stood with the orange filly hugging him. “Scootaloo? Why… well, obviously… umm…?”
“Oh!” Scootaloo quickly snapped off of Pyrus and stood a few feet away from him. “…Sorry. I…”
Why? Why is that so adorable? I don’t understand… Pyrus felt the tugging at his chest that he had felt every time he had seen her that day. Scootaloo stood trying and failing to start a sentence to explain herself. Pyrus, meanwhile, stood trying and failing to form a complete answer in his head.
Thunder crashed again, louder this time.
*****
Wow, Scootaloo, wow. You’re really hugging him again… he’s right there. Touching you. He’s right there… Hugging back?
Scootaloo slowly moved her head to face the other pony she clung to. He slowly did the same. The pair’s eyes met for a brief instant, and Scootaloo saw the same confusion she felt in herself staring back at her. Then she looked away, at the ground.
“I… I guess I’m a little afraid too…” Scootaloo admitted, without moving.
“I’m not afraid…” Pyrus replied. “Well… maybe a little… Maybe a lot…”
“Pyrus?” WHY DID I JUST SAY THAT?
“Yeah Scootaloo?”
“Umm…” Was all she could manage to say. A large lump sat in her throat and prevented her from speaking. She pulled herself off of Pyrus and sat in awkward silence, while the storm winds rushed through the holes and openings between the lumber of the door.
*****
“I think… I think I’ve figured it out.”
“What do you mean?”
Pyrus looked tward the barn door, and back at Scootaloo. Spoke to soon, Pyrus. You have no idea what you mean. “I… are you cold?”
Scootaloo was shivering. A lot. She was soaking wet from the rain, and the autumn air seemed to be taking it’s toll.
“No, I’m used to being cold.” Scootaloo said confusedly, but her chattering teeth gave her away.
“That… That doesn’t mean you should BE cold. Here, follow me.” Pyrus turned and retreated away from the cold winds of the storm into a stall, which was sheltered from the wind. Once there, he turned back and watched Scootaloo shiver her way in. “This any better?”
Pyrus waited for her reply, knowing that she was going to say no. He knew what he had to do, but for some reason didn’t want to.
“Why aren’t you cold, Pyrus? I mean, you’re all wet and it’s cold in here, so shouldn’t you be cold to?” Scootaloo chattered through clenched teeth.
“No. One more thing about my fire… accident when I was young made me very difficult to cool. It’s nice in the winter… not so great in the summer.” Pyrus awkwardly lay down in the corner of the room, and gave a deep breath. “Scootaloo, I know this is gonna sound weird, but it’s the best I can offer for you.”
I REALLY don’t know about this… I don’t want to offend her…
Scootaloo looked at him as quizzically as a shivering filly can really look. “Go on…”
“I… Well… It would seem that… the best way for me to warm you… I guess… body warmth? N-not like I mean I want to… uhh…” Pyrus trailed off at the grin that spread along Scootaloo’s face. “I see I haven’t offended you, so… uh…”
Scootaloo giggled a little, and stepped over to Pyrus, laying down and leaning into him. A new feeling of warmth spread through Pyrus. Warmer, warmer, for reasons he decided not to explain to himself. “Umm… this means yes then?”
Scootaloo looked over her shoulder at the orange unicorn, smiling. “You ARE warm, and it IS cold… there’s no reason to make it awkward, right?”
“Right. I think…”
“Good.” Scootaloo fell silent for a moment, then continued. “But seriously, don’t tell the girls okay? We’ll never hear the end of it. Not with Sweetie Bell around anyway…”
Pyrus laughed at that, glad of a joke to lighten the mood. “We probably wouldn’t... Hey Scootaloo?”
“Yeah?”
*BOOM* Thunder cut Pyrus off before he could say anything. Despite the fact that they were inside and safe, Pyrus still felt the chilly grip of fear latch onto lungs. This is worse than last time… I really need to stop being such a scardy-pony whenever a storm rolls around.
Pyrus felt a grip outside of himself as well, one that comes from hooves of one pony giving another a hug. He opened his eyes to find that Scootaloo was the other pony (Which he though should have been obvious anyway) and that she had her forelegs wrapped around him. He started to protest a little, but Scootaloo silenced him. “Come on, Pyrus. I’m cold, you’re scared. We have perfectly good reasons to be doing this.”
Pyrus didn’t know why he was so hesitant, but he felt something odd whenever he hugged her like that, and until he knew what it was he didn’t want to encourage it. But, he decided, She has a point. I guess I can’t really avoid it. Pyrus thought not unhappily, then sighed deeply, and hugged Scootaloo back. “I guess you’re right.”
“Of course I’m right.” Scootaloo sighed as well.
A long moment passed where neither pony said anything, both just held each other and tried their best not to make eye contact. Some more, distant thunder passed by. A small bird took shelter in the nest she made in a nook of the beams overhead, which Pyrus found to be a good thing to watch so he didn’t have to look at the filly cozied into his body. Slowly the moments oozed by, and Scootaloo started shivering less and less, and she got closer and closer to Pyrus, until she was fully resting her head in his shoulder. Pyrus did not find this unpleasant, because it made him feel safer somehow.
When Scootaloo finally did speak, it was with a yawn. “It’s been a long day, hasn’t it?” Pyrus nodded his head, which Scootaloo didn’t see but rather felt. “A very long day…”
“Yeah…” Pyrus agreed, “I wonder if this storm is gonna let up.”
“If I know Everfree storms… not likely anytime soon.” Scootaloo shifted again. “You know… you’re a good friend Pyrus.” It became obvious to Pyrus that she was about to fall asleep, and he somehow was okay with it. “Maybe even something more…”
Soft breathing was all that came after. She’s asleep. She’s asleep on me. Well, at least she’s warm. Pyrus shook his head to himself, and leaned his head against the wooden beam that separated him and the metal wall. He closed his eyes and thought, more to pass the time than anything else.
She’s the first really good friend I’ve had in a very long time… Scootaloo. There are things I will never understand about fillies, that’s for sure. I mean, really, what was with Applebloom today anyway? Was Scootaloo really just sitting there, staring at me…?
I wonder… I wonder, what does she think of me? I mean, I know I’ve asked myself this question probably a hundred times with as many ponies, but this time… it’s different. As if I need to know what she thinks of me before I can figure out myself how I think of her. She’s the nicest, …cutest?… and most energetic pony I’ve met. We were instant friends, weren’t we? Even in books that rarely happens…
Ever since she crashed into the tree, it just seems I’ve felt… different. Warmer. I think… I think I have it figured out.
‘The love for a friend, intensified… a care, a force that pulls forever against you until you feel like you can’t live without helping them in a time of need…’ Right Luna? This is what you meant, isn’t it? Yes… “I know now…”
Pyrus looked at the sleeping filly, and he saw her in an entirely new light. “You like me, don’t you Scootaloo?” Pyrus whispered with certainty, everything becoming clearer to him. “Like, really like me, more than just friends… It’s okay, you don’t have to be embarrassed, I know… it’s obvious really. You’re not clumsy as far as I can tell, at least not until I’m nearby. You’re different since we met too, aren’t’ you? Warmer, right?” Pyrus closed his eyes, again.
“It’s okay, Scootaloo, I’m sure it’s just as obvious about me. I like you too.”