Scootaloo’s heart bubbled with excitement, boiling over and cascading down into the entirety of her soul. The energy falling down visibly vibrated in her being, and her body. She was on the verge of bouncing into the trees. I almost feel I could fly!
The day was definitely looking better. Earlier, she had gotten out of bed with her wing aching and stiff from the cold hard ground, and she had gotten to school 10 minutes late because her wing wasn’t working the way it normally did.
At lunch, Applebloom gave her an apple as usual, and she had eagerly accepted. As the apple neared her teeth, Silver Spoon appeared behind her, and had knocked it out of her hooves. Diamond Tiara naturally slinked up in front of her and caught it, immediately taking a bite.
“Oh, were you gonna eat this? I’m so sorry.”
Left hungry and seething angrily, her brain lacked its usual working force. The math on the paper did nothing but buzz uselessly in her head, as did the large red letter F circled on the test. Her day was not going well.
But now her brain was working overtime, and she still couldn’t think. The excitement she felt completely blocked her mind from her mouth.
Pyrus’s clear voice completely derailed her train of thought. “So, where do you live? It’s kinda hard to walk you home if I don’t know where you live.”
“Oh, Uuuuhhh... I… well...” Horseapples! I can’t let him know! not yet... “Well, I’ll… uh… just show you. It’s… ummm… easier just to show you.”
“Okay…? Lead the way, I guess…”
The pair set off down the road, leaving the bright colors of the setting sun behind them. The dirt crunched under their hooves as they walked. Scootaloo fell silent as she walked, looking to the side, to the twisted metal of the scooter tied in a haphazard pile on her back, and at the trees they passed. She couldn’t bring herself to simply look to the left at Pyrus, who had as well fallen silent.
Finally, Pyrus broke the silence, forcing Scootaloo to look over at him. “Why don’t you just fly home? You don’t have to walk with me…”
Scootlaoo’s eyes drooped slightly, now looking towards her feet. Scootaloo felt the wet tickle of a tear, and bit it back. “I… I can’t… I… I ride this for a reason…” she gestured vaguely at the broken scooter.
“Oh… I’m so sorry. I didn’t know-”
“It’s fine. How could you have known?”
“I still shouldn’t have said that. It was unkind of me.”
“Don’t worry about it, it’s really okay…” Scootaloo’s voice trailed off. The tear she had been fighting back snuck its way out as she felt it trickle down her face.
“Hey… if it makes you feel any better, you are really fast on that scooter. I saw you on riding in the distance.” He stopped. “I saw you about here. I looked back down at my… paper… and suddenly, you had crashed through my tree. You got to me really fast. I’m impressed.”
Scootaloo’s face widened, and she found herself chuckling again. He’s trying to make me feel better about myself. It wouldn’t be so funny if he wasn’t actually doing it!
“Yeah, I guess it would make me feel a bit better…”
“Good.”
The first house of the village passed them by, and then the second. Soon they were surrounded by houses on each side. The windows were closed, and the lights off. The sun had completely set now, and there were no more traces of the daylight any longer. The moon had risen, and shone softly in the cloudless starry sky. Pyrus stopped and inhaled deeply, closing his eyes. The cool night air had Scootaloo shivering slightly, but Pyrus didn’t seem to be affected at all.
She stood, shaking, and studied his form. Oddly, she black in his mane and tail seemed… different somehow. It’s… brighter. Orange-er. Like his the black had… suddenly, it clicked. The black had vanished! There were still a few thin streaks, but the rest had almost completely retreated! Scootaloo resolved to ask him about it later, and instead asked him a simpler question.
“What’s you cutie mark all about?”
“Huh?” Purus’s eyes opened again and he exhaled, deflating slightly. “Oh, this? Well…
“I got it about two years ago, back in Canterlot. As a colt, I had no idea whatsoever what or who I was. I didn’t have a single talent, nothing to go off of. I was fairly late, everypony in my class but me and a couple others already had their marks. I wanted to find out as quickly as possible what it was. I searched for weeks, with no success at all. It wasn’t cleaning, it wasn’t running or sports, and it definitely wasn’t cooking. It didn’t take me long to figure out that I was out of options.
“Then one night, I woke up to a dream. I can’t even remember what that dream was, but something told me to go for a walk. It was the middle of the night, but I had to go. So I went out there, into the cold autumn night. Suddenly, an idea came to my mind, like a vision. So I sat down, caught a paper that was floating in the breeze, searched around for a quill, and after finding one, I just started writing. Writing about the night I was in, writing about the moon and stars, writing about the breeze, and… just simply writing. What came out was a poem. After I had finished, I went home. I looked in the mirror before going back to bed, and I saw this.”
Scootaloo stood, completely captivated. She inspected the cutie mark of her newest friend, the unrolled scroll with the quill and candle crossed over the top. The quill was deep red, and the candle was lit with an orange flame.
“So… your talent is poetry? Or is it the night time?”
“…Both. My talent it’s self is writing poetry, but I am best in the middle of the night.”
“Oh. Hey, if your talent is poetry, why won’t you let me read that one you had? The one you were reading earlier.”
“Well, I don’t like it. It isn’t that good. It’s terrible.”
“Come on, let me see. pleeeeeeeese!” Scootaloo pleaded.
Pyrus looked at her. The twinkle in Scootaloo’s eyes and her pleading pout sent something astray in him. He will shattered, and he accepted.
“Well… okay. But you have to promise that you won’t read it until you get home.”
“Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” Scootaloo went through the motions of a standard Pinkie Pie Swear.
“What…?” Pyrus asked slowly.
“Oh, you don’t know Pinkie Pie yet? She’s the pink earth pony that lives at the bakery and throws parties?”
“Oh, her?” Pyrus shuddered slightly; remembering the surprise party thrown at his house when he had first moved in. it was the longest night of his life. “But what does that have to do with… that?”
“It’s her signature swear. Everypony in Ponyville uses it. You do not break a Pinkie Pie Swear. Ever.” The look in Scootaloo’s eyes had Pyrus thoroughly convinced.
Pyrus sighed in defeat. “Ok then, here’s the poem, I guess. You can have it. Just don’t hate me for it.” Opening his saddlebag, he extracted the rolled scroll with his orange glow. Using the ribbon tied on the scroll, Pyrus pied the scroll to the scooter on Scootaloo’s back.
“Why would I hate you for a poem?”
“………”
“well, whatever.”
Scootaloo and Pyrus were now standing in the middle of Ponyville, town hall loomed high above them, slightly ominous in the dark of night.
“hey, Pyrus? I know I can make it from here… you don’t have to walk me all the way home. I mean, won’t your parents get worried?” Scootaloo couldn’t bring herself to tell Pyrus where she lived just yet.
“…They aren’t. Mom won’t worry at all…”
“Seriously, you should really get home, Pyrus.”
“I can go the rest of the way with you. It’ll be just fine, my Mom doesn’t-“
“NO” Scootaloo’s voice resounded slightly off of Town Hall, and echoed off the mountains in the distance. The sudden outburst startled Pyrus, and again his will broke, this time tearing a little.
“I’m sorry Pyrus, but…”
“Okay… I guess its fine…”
“Thank you.”
“Then I guess I’ll… uhh… see you tomorrow?”
“Yeah, see ya, Pyrus.”
“bye, Scootaloo…”
As Pyrus walked away, he mentally checked himself. Why did she snap like that? Did I say something…? Is it something I did? Or is she trying to hide something from me?
Scootaloo turned and walked in the other direction, turning down a darker alley. The houses loomed around her, and the gravel under her feet crunched loudly without Pyrus’s voice to help drown it out. Turning once again, she made a beeline strait for a collapsing house. The side wall had fallen, dragging half the roof down with it. The majority of the house lay in a pile off to the side of the foundation. Some sheets hung from the roof, covering the interior. Home, sweet home… Scootaloo thought bitterly, brushing past the dirty sheets into the building inside.
Untying and dropping her scooter on the concrete floor, Scootaloo clacked over to her matt. A rough quilt lay on the ground, atop a torn and frayed floor mat. Carrying the poem by its ribbon in her mouth, she climbed into the cold quilt, shivering slightly. Wrapping herself into a quilt cocoon, Scootaloo opened the poem. Her eyes scanned the title, and then ran down the page.
Nightfall
Sun sets in the distance
Slowly the bright moon begins to rise
The low clouds seem to break apart
And the cool breeze sighs
Alone sitting under an apple tree
Birds chirp, bats squeak, a large owl hoots
Leaning up against the apple tree
Standing there deep in its roots
The stars come out in the darkening sky
Little diamonds shining bright
Solemnly they twinkle
As I welcome the coming night
A warm feeling spread across Scootaloo’s heart for the second time that night. Running her eyes up and down, she read and reread the poem, eagerly taking in every word. The poem warmed her heart, her heart warmed her blood, and soon Scootaloo felt the warmth spreading through her body, heating her softly. Her eyes drifted shut and her breathing slowed down, as she too welcomed the night.