//------------------------------// // Chapter 14 - I'm With You // Story: I'm gonna cuddle you. And you're gonna enjoy it! // by Shin Guyviroth //------------------------------// I wasn't sure how long I had been walking for, but it was definitely taking its toll on my lower extremities. I felt cramping pains run through my right foot to the point that it was painful just bending it or putting any sort of pressure on it. My thighs couldn't stop shaking from the amount of stress that they've had to endure all day. And then my legs gave out completely. I collapsed, falling forward like a tree after it's been hacked away by a lumberjack, only stopping myself from face-planting the grass as my arms shot out to break the fall. I felt like the only energy I had left was in my arms and hands, and so I crawled my way to a nearby tree and laid back against it. I never realized where I was until now. I sat on top of a hill that overlooked Ponyville, with almost the entirety of it under my gaze, and it looked… incredible. To one side behind me I could see the whole of Applejack's farm—even Apple Bloom's little tree house. But in front of me I saw the entirety of Ponyville, its expanse rolled out in front of me. So many houses, so many structures; it was all overwhelming. I couldn't help but smile as I spotted some of the places I had been to, and how different they all looked between night and day. I glanced into the distance to where Rarity's boutique was, but there didn't seem to be anything. No lights, no noise, not even from her house. I guess she went to bed early? Maybe it's just the normal bed time for ponies here. But then I heard loud cheering only some distance away towards the middle of the village. Quickly my eyes took to the sight of bright yellow sparkles littering the area like… well, sparklers. Then I realised what day it was; Bonfire Night. I had completely forgotten. I couldn't make out the noise that followed, but it sounded like a loud voice. But the more I tried to listen in to it, the more I began to understand what it was; some sort of announcement over a microphone. So ponies celebrated Bonfire Night too? We had a lot more in common than I thought. I sighed, flinging myself back against the tree and hitting my head against the bark. "Can't believe I'm gonna miss Bonfire Night," I mumbled to myself. I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth." "You ain't the only one." Someone was here with me? I opened my eyes expecting to see someone in front of me, or to the side of me, or even above me, but I couldn't see anything. "None of my friends bothered to turn up. Even Rainbow Dash said she was too busy to come watch the fireworks with me." A sigh followed. "It ain't fun watchin' it on your own…" As I kept listening to this young, child-like voice, I spun around to find where it was coming from. Then I saw someone. It was a child—a little filly, same size, size age as Apple Bloom. Orange with a forward mane of deep purple. Tiny little wings sat either side of her back. Her head hung low as she stared at the ground. Poor girl… "Who were you gonna watch it with?" I asked. I felt bad not trying to comfort her as a first priority, but I needed something clarified. "Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom," she replied, her tone bordering on frustration. "They said they were gonna meet me here…" I felt worse. "I'm sorry they're not here. I'm… Well I'm partially to blame." She turned to me. I expected her to pause, to scream, to do something in regards to what I was. But she didn't say or do anything to reflect upon any sort of fear she might have had towards me. No, it was more like anger than fear. "What? Were you better company for them?" she spat as she glared at me. "Was I not good enough to see the fireworks with?" "It's nothing like that. Honest." She didn't believe me though. She still shot pins at me with her eyes. "I was helping Apple Bloom make a new banner for her club house. We spent a long time on it, and she was real exhausted when we finished. She went straight to bed." With each word I spoke, the filly's expression softened. "She spent all day working on the banner?" "You know about it?" "Of course I do!" Her lips spread across her muzzle into a grin of accomplishment as she spoke, " Me, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle made the club house!" And then from accomplishment to sheepish. "Uh, actually… Applejack made it for us. But we founded the Cutie Mark Crusaders!" She then raised an eyebrow at me. "Are you a new crusader?" "No, I'm just… I was just passing." "So you ain't lookin' for a special talent?" Oh, I had a special talent. It just wasn't a good one. Not something I was proud of. "No," I replied. "What's your name, anyway?" "I'm Scootaloo. And you?" "Summers." I wasn't sure if it registered with her; she just glanced from side to side as if looking for something. Her attention turned to the sparkling setting of Ponyville below us. "What about Sweetie Belle?" asked Scootaloo. "Why didn't she show up?" I didn't know what hurt more: the fact that I couldn't give an answer, or the fact that I couldn't give her ease of mind. "I don't know. I guess Rarity asked her to give her a hand with her work." "Oh…" she gave another sigh as her head hung. She patted at a patch of grass with a hoof. "And Rainbow Dash…" It was that tone of a strained voice and a crushed heart that I understood her hurt fully. It wasn't just a friend spending time with a friend. No, it was more than that. It was a young pegasus looking up to their mentor; an admiring fan to their greatest idol. It must have meant a lot for her to get to spend a night's celebration with Rainbow Dash. It reminded me of when I was young, sitting on the sofa every Saturday at 10am in the morning and watching my favourite wrestlers—Undertaker, Rock, Big Show, Jericho—watching them perform and put their bodies on the line with spectacular performances. I wanted to be the next Rock… just like how Scootaloo wanted to be the next Rainbow Dash. A loud, whistling noise torpedoed through one side of my skull and out the other, bringing me out of my thoughts. I jumped up, almost smacking the back of my head on the tree trunk as I looked up to see what it was. A small spark of light shot up into the sky with a grey trail of smoke left in its wake. Suddenly it exploded into a shower of sparkling purple and green, filling the night sky with colour. "I guess the fireworks started," spoke Scootaloo. I could see the crushing disappointment on her face. I moved around beside her. I placed a hand on her withers, caressing her fur with my palm. "Why don't we watch the fireworks together?" I asked I smiled as best I could given the tension. I hated seeing her—seeing anyone—like this. "It'll be fun." "I… " Scootaloo hiccupped, and her shoulders tensed up as she shrugged them. Her lips began to quiver. Her mouth opened, mouthing words that I couldn't read. A sob escaped her throat, followed by another. Her eyes shut closed tightly, and a bead of tear trickled down her cheek. "I just wanted to watch the fireworks with my friends…!" I couldn't bear it. My throat and my chest tightened as the poor girl sobbed and cried in front of me. I felt my chest crack and shatter as I sat their powerless to help her. I took my hand away from her and… I just watched. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what I should do. But I knew what I could do. I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around Scootaloo, cradling her in my arms. Gently I pulled her towards me; she gave no resistance as though she couldn't even feel it or even notice it. I held her close to me, wrapping her in my caring embrace. It reminded me of when I met Trixie. It was that feeling all over again. "It'll be okay, Scootaloo," I cooed softly into her little ear. She kept sobbing, her tears soaking into my shirt. But I didn't care. I was gonna hold her like this until she stopped, and I was gonna keep on cuddling her until she felt better. "You'll get to see Rainbow Dash later, and then you can watch the later fireworks together." I felt Scootaloo nuzzle against my collarbone, wiping her nose and eyes against my shirt. Then her glinting, tearful eyes turned up at me. "W…Will you watch the fireworks with me?" I guess she didn't register what I said earlier. I smiled at her and ran my thumb along the top of her cheek, wiping away the tears that matted her fur. "Of course I will." Another firework shot into the air, whistling its cry as it shot towards the stars before exploding into a fount of blues, oranges, greens and purples. Kinda reminded me of Rainbow Dash. I smiled as I relaxed back against the tree with Scootaloo sat in my lap, her legs sticking outwards like a baby kitten, the both of us watching as the fireworks shot one after the other. Every so often Scootaloo would cry out in amazement as some of the bigger, louder fireworks exploded into shimmering clouds and spheres of smoke, sparkles and flashes of shining colours. At times she would point out how the firework made a shape of a Wonderbolt symbol or something else that, admittedly, I didn't quite understand. It was a complete turnaround from moments ago. She was all cheery, wide-eyed, excited, smiling. I felt better, especially for her. This is what I wanted to see; not her upset and crying, but smiling and having a good time like she should be doing on a night like this. Minutes went by as silence fell on the night. The smell of firework smoke hung in the air and the sight of sparkling colours still littered the streets of Ponyville below. "I guess that's all they're doing for the moment," I spoke out. "They'll do more later, right?" "Yeah, they always have a break before they fire off the really awesome ones," replied Scootaloo. "I'd better go and find Rainbow Dash. Hopefully she won't be too busy now." "I hope so too, Scootaloo." The little pegasus hopped off my lap before galloping across the hill. Suddenly she stopped and turned to me. "Hey, Summers? Thanks for watching the fireworks with me." I smiled. And I wanted to shed a tear for her. "You don't have to thank me, Scootaloo. And don't tell anyone you were with me." "Huh? Why not? Don't the other ponies like you?" "Something like that. Promise you won't say anything, okay?" I saw the confusion and uncertainty In her eyes. But she nodded regardless. "Okay. I promise." "Thanks." She turned back towards Ponyville and ran down the hill as fast as her little legs could carry her. And all I could do was lay back against the tree and look back up at the stars. A tear rolled down my cheek.