Snowdrop smiles. "So.. It looks like we've got my mother's approval. But even though I'm the one who initiated it each time.. There's something she told me that I agree with too. We need to not take this so fast. Last night.. Kissing you like that.. It really risked a lot. That kiss you gave me on the cheek because you were too scared to say it? Those are the sorts of affections we're open to right now. I certainly wouldn't mind doing more~ But we don't need to make a mistake along the lines and mess things up. Are you okay with that?" She asks, smiling at him again.
"Mmhhmm." Chestnut nods with a content smile on his face.
"Good." She kisses his cheek with a giggle. "I'm really glad I met you, Chestnut." She says, finally getting off his lap to get her breakfast.
"Mmmhhmm." Chestnut nodded again as he actully started to eat his breakfast now.
Primrose was still crying upstairs. She was proud of her daughter of course.. But this was such a big change for her. This meant she had potentially even less time with her daughter than the average parent's 20 years or so. That sounds like a long time, but it goes by so fast for parents. Not even out of elementary school yet and she already had a coltfriend? What could this mean for her teen years? How much did this shorten her time with daughter? How long would it be before she was all alone.. The poor mare's head was just filling up with questions like this and she couldn't help but cry.
Downstairs, Snowdrop had grabbed her breakfast and was sitting across the table from Chestnut just as her mother had wanted her to all along. The main thing that started their whole stupid little fight.
Chestnut sat across from Snowdrop, eating his food happily. (I'm so glad that this fight is over...I..I hope her mother is ok.) He thought to himself.
Snowdrop couldn't help but smile as she ate. Always seeing Chestnut across from her.. She was already fantasising about their future together. Spending every morning like this together. She dreamt like a fully grown mare about to be married. But despite all these happy feelings, there was this tiny little voice somewhere in her head. Constantly reminding her how young they were, that Chestnut would only be spending a few more hours with her today before he had to go home. It was small alright, and it was quiet. But she couldn't ignore it. The negative thoughts slowly started to take over her mind, breaking the seal of happines. Just as she was finishing her pancakes, Snowdrop puts her fork down with a sigh. "We should go check on mommy, Chestnut.. We need to get you home to tell your parents yet. Do you think they'd let you spend the weekend once they know you're safe? Or at least.. Let me spend the weekend?"
"I don't really know..." Chestnut said, his tone shakey as he thought of home.
Snowdrop's already faded smile falters more at the tone of his voice. "Is.. Everything okay at home? N-normally I wouldn't pry but I just.. That was one of the things Mommy asked me about when she doubted that I love you.."
"Y-yes..i-it's just..I...I'd rather not talk about it." Chestnut said, his tone quiet.
"Okay.. Are you sure though..? I.. I don't like how you're acting now that I mentioned it.." Snowdrop said, looking at her first love with concern.
"It's nothing..I..just don't wanna talk about it." Chestnut said as his voice got stronger.
"Well.. O-okay.. Could you come with me to see mommy, please? She might need some more time before she's ready to leave the house.." Snowdrop warns him, going around to collect their dishes.
"Ok." Chestnut said, following behind Snowdrop. "Lead the way!" he said with a mock accent.
"Just a second, sweetie. Mommy always tells me to put the dishes away when she can't." Snowdrop tells him, putting them in the sink first.
"Ok." Chestnut repeated, sitting down on the cloud floor to wait for her.
Snowdrop puts everything away quickly and runs by Chestnut, tagging him as his only warning that she was heading out.
"Hey! Wait for me!" He calls, chasing after her. "So you think she'll be fine?" Chestnut asked, looking over at Snowdrop as they ran next to eachother.
"Well.. I think she'll be okay. Fine might be a bit of an overstatement. This is a lot to take in for my poor mother." Snowdrop answers, slowing once they're upstairs in respect of her mother's grieving.
"Oh..w-well..I hope that she'll be ok then." Chestnut said, slowing down to walk behind her.
Approaching her door, Snowdrop knocks lightly. "M-mommy.. May we come in?"
Very quietly and sounding somewhat strained still, Primrose responds "Y-yes.. Come on in, please.."
Chestnut didn't want to enter first, so he nudged Snowdrop. "G-go ahead."
"O-okay.." Snowdrop whispers back, reaching up for the doorknob with her tiny hoof. She was hesitant as well.
Primrose stayed quiet.
"I-it's ok..I'm r-right next to you." Chesnut said to comfort her. "We go in together."
Snowdrop smiles. "Oh, I'm glad to hear that.." She finally opens the door and finds herself stumbling in a dark room. Primrose must have closed the curtains, turned off the lights.. Everything. "Mommy..?"
"Don't worry, Snowflake.. Mommy's here. Just needed some alone time like I said.." The young mare still sounded very tired, haggard almost.
"O-okay.. It's just.. Chestnut and I were thinking of taking him home, but we want you to come with us." Snowdrop said, still unnerved and extra quiet.
"Sure I will, sweetie.. Just give me a couple minutes to clean up." She chuckles. "I look terrible right now."
Snowdrop smiles. "Aww, I'm sure you don't, mommy. But okay." She responds happily. "C'mon Chestnut! Let's go!" She takes off again, giggling.
Chestnut followed, laughing with Snowdrop. As the pair neared the door, Chestnut slowed to a stop. "So..uh..y-you're gonna..come home with..with me?" He asked nervously.
"Of course I am!" She declares happily. "Why wouldn't I be..?" Asks Snowdrop, again saddened by the realisation that there was definitely something off about her new friend whenever home was mentioned.
"N-no reason...j-just..wondering." He said, obviously hiding something. "Anyway...l-let's go!" Chestnut said as he reached for the door.
"We have to wait for my mom!" Snowdrop sounded almost annoyed now. "Why are you in such a rush, Chestnut? I can tell you're hiding something.. Your atitude changes completely whenever we talk about your home.."
Chestnut stayed quiet, deciding if he should talk to her about it or not.
"Chestnut..?" Snowdrop places a hoof on his arm again. "You don't have to tell me what's wrong if you don't want.. But at least tell me you don't want to then." She says, half-hugging him.
"I-I'd rather..not really talk about it." Chestnut explained, his tone quiet as he scuffed the floor with his hoof.
"Alright.." Snowdrops says understandingly. "But.. If you're this.. Umm.. Hesitant about it, is there anything you should warn me about before we head out?" She asks.
"No..it's just..m-my parents..w-well...I..don't wanna discuss it." Chestnut answered again, hiding his face from Snowdrop.
Snowdrop sighs. "Alright, baby.. I'll just take your word for it. Don't worry about them." She says, hugging him a little tighter.
Primrose comes down the stairs just as Snowdrop hugs him again and smiles. She looked beautiful. Her pale pink and white hair all tidied up and straightened out. She even threw on a nice dress. Giggling as she noticed her daughter staring, she says; "Oh, don't mind me. I just want to look good for his parents. First impressions are everything, you know~ Everypony ready?" She asks happily. not thinking about why Snowdrop would be hugging Chestnut.
"Wow...you look really pretty." Chestnut said looking up at Primrose. "Alright..l-let's go." He said shyly again as he turned to the door.
Primrose smiles again. "Alright! But hold on a moment, Chestnut~ I have an offer to make! Snowdrop knows what I meeean~"
Snowdrop's face lights up just at the possibilities she thought of. "Ooh ooh ohh! Yes, mommy! Please! I love that!" She says, smiling wide and sounding excited.
"What?" He asked, turning around to face Primrose. "What..offer?"
"She's offering to let us ride her, Chesty! I love riding mommy! She can fly so much faster than me and I don't need to worry about straining my senses to find the way! And you can guide her and we'll be sitting so close! Ooooh, this is gonna be so much fun!"
Primrose smiles wider and nods, sitting down so Snowdrop can hop on. "Are you up for it, sport?" She asks Chestnut, looking at him.
Chestnut thinks for a minute before nodding happily. "Sure!" he said as he climbed on to Primrose's back carefully.
"Alright.. Hold on, you two!" Primrose takes off with a running start.
Snowdrop cheers with excitement as they take off and grabs onto her mother's neck carefully. "Chestnut!" She calls back to him. "We'll be going faster than this yet, grab onto me! And.." She starts with a sudden thought. "B-be careful.. There aren't many.. Ehm.. A-areas you can grab.." Her embarrassment saying enough about what was on her mind.
Chestnut grabbed Snowdrop around her waist, right below the base of her wings. "That..that ok?" He called to her over the winds.
"Perfect." She says happily. "Now you're going to need to direct her, Chesty~ Are you good to start following directions, mommy?" She asks.
Primrose nods. "At your service." She says with a chuckle.
"Alright..y-you can just go to the library in town..I..I know my way from there." Chestnut said, yelling over the wind.
"Awww.. But Chesty, I want to meet your parents! How else can we ask them if you can stay longer?" Snowdrop sounded disappointed.
Primrose slows her flying so the two can talk.
"I can...ask them then meet you two somewhere else?" Chestnut said, shrugging his shoulders lightly.
"No. I want to know why you're avoiding this so much. If it's really so bad, we should stop them anyways." Snowdrop says, starting to get defensive of her coltfriend over the thoughts she was having.
Primrose sighs. "You know, Chestnut.. She's right. It sounds like there's definitely something up with them and we both want to make sure you're okay." She was trying to be more reasonable than her daughter.
“I-it's nothing..I promise..i-it's just..nothing!" Chestnut said, burying his face in Snowdrop's back.
"I don't believe you." Says Snowdrop, still sounding snippy.
"Please, Chestnut.. This all sounds very concerning. If it really is nothing, we won't take any further action. But if this turns out to be something really bad like we're both thinking.. I'm going to have to do something about it." Says Primrose. "You understand that, right? If anything's wrong, we need to know."
"Nothings..nothings wrong.." Chestnut said softly, pulling his teary-eyed face from Snowdrop's back. "Please..j-just..let me walk?" He begged.
“I can't let you do that, Chestnut.. If you're acting like this, it has to be something bad." Primrose was doing all the talking now. Snowdrop had gone quiet and was trying not to cry.
"B-but..fine." He says, defeat resounding in his voice. "Go to the library first and I'll take you from there." Chestnut said with finality.
"I don't know if I can trust you after this act.. But it's not like a really have a choice." Primrose sighs again and starts descending. "Be ready to chase him if you have to, Snowdrop. I'm not as agile as you."
Snowdrop nods, tears in her eyes. "I really hope it's not too bad.."
Chestnut sat on Primrose's back waiting for her to land fully. As soon as she landed, Chestnut hopped off and walked to stand in front of her.
Primrose watches him carefully, Snowdrop still seated on her back. "I'm sorry I had to be so forceful with you, Chestnut.." She lowers her head. "Please.. Lead the way."
"It's ok..just..do one thing?" Chestnut said, looking at Snowdrop. "Don't...dont try to follow." he said before darting away, running in the direction of the Ponyville Park.
"Darn it! I knew we couldn't trust him.. He went to the park, Snowdrop. Follow him! I'll.. Um.. I-I'll.. Shoot.." Primrose trails off. She too had to face a decision now. The more responsible think to do right now would be either stay here and watch over her daughter or keep a bird's eye view open for her. But her mind was telling her to go home and let her daughter handle this on her own. "Sn-snowdrop.. Wait a moment. I need your help. Do you think I should stay here for your sake or wait for you at home?"
Snowdrop couldn't believe she was hearing this. The choice was obvious even to her, just a filly. "Mom.. I-I don't know what's gotten into you, but that's pretty obvious. Watch over me. It'll be hard for me to track him in a less familiar area." She starts running after him before his hoofsteps get too quiet and calls behind her; "Watch over me!"
Primrose blinked. Her daughter was right.. What a horrible thing to think.. She shakes her head clear and takes to the skies. "You've got him, Snowdrop! Keep running!" Were her only instructions for now.
Chestnut didn't stop. He heard Primrose and Snowdrop talking but ran as hard as he could. (I'll be in the trees soon enough and I can hide there.) He thought to himself as he pushed his speed. Only yards from the trees, he had to choose, hide or stop and face the truth. Deciding to hide he ran into the trees and out of Primrose's sight.
"Hurry, Snowdrop! He's run into the trees! I can't see him as well now!" Primrose calls from above.
Snowdrop nods and charges forward, leaning into her run for aerodynamics and quickly crashing into the bushes not far behind. "Come out, Chestnut! Why are you doing this?!" She calls out.
(Don't answer her Chestnut..she'll find you then and you'll have to go back..just...just don't answer.) Chestnut thought to himself as he ran. Knowing the forest in the park helped him enough to give him time to hide from Snowdrop in a discreet little part.
"I'm not giving up that easily!" Snowdrop calls out when all goes quiet. The tears hadn't left her eyes yet, and her voice wasn't in check but she was managing. "Please.. Answer me, Chestnut! I know you're out here! What could be so bad that you won't even let us try to help you?!" She wanders the forest aimlessly, straining her hearing again so she could listen for every little sound.