8. Truth (or dare)
The hills were covered in deep green grass. On top of one of the smaller hills, named Jason by Rainbow Dash, a large tree was slowly losing all its colourful leaves. As Scootaloo stood atop the Jason Hill and scanned the sky for her mentor. Why Dash had dubbed the hill with such a name, she had no idea. Something about a sports in Cloudsdale called "Odd-shaped-ball". Flying had always seemed a lot more interesting to Scootaloo than ball sports.
It wasn't long at all before a familiar pegasus pony zipped through the air, landing near Scootaloo in an almost elegant fashion.
Almost, as she hadn't taking the pile of leaves into account, making her trip on the not so solid ground.
"Rainbow Dash! So glad to see you! How was Cloudsdale?"
Rainbow shook the leaves out of her hair.
"Yuck, I hate autumn," she exclaimed, before righting herself and rubbing a hoof through the little filly's mane,
"Glad I'm outta there, squirt. All there was there was some boring pony with a wig yapping on about restraining orders and therapy. That guy was such a buzz kill."
Sitting atop the Jason Hill, they looked about across the sky, puffy clouds floating about. Clouds never had worries. They were just there, not minding anything really. Scootaloo imagined it would be amazing to be up there with them. Careless, high up above all that was unpleasant-
"So," Rainbow Dash said, "Wanna do some flight training?"
The clouds had always seemed so far away. No, Scootaloo didn't feel like she wanted to train today. The farthest she'd ever gotten above ground on her own had only been a few metres and that had cost her all of her strength. It'd take centuries of training to ever get to the clouds.
Right now, she wanted to talk about a topic she'd never ever thought she'd wanted to talk about with her 'big sister'.
She wanted to talk about a boy.
Scootaloo's thinking must've left a weird expression upon her face, cause Rainbow caught up on her heavy thoughtq.
"What's the trouble, kid?" she asked worriedly.
Scoot's ears flopped down, "Well, uhm, actually I don't really feel like flying right now."
Rainbow Dash looked even more worried.
"Actually, Rainbow Dash, I would really like to just talk."
Her big sister who wasn't really a sister nodded, changing her usual 'I'm so cool face' for her 'I'm all ears' face.
Okay brain, now we need to find a way to put this to words without embarrassing ourselves.
"I think I have a crush."
Okay brain, I understand your failure there, but we can still save this. We have to find a way to-
"Like, a really, really bad one."
See? That was not too bad.
Rainbow Dash lifted a brow, "Who is it?"
"Someone really, really cute."
Brain, I give up on you. Those low grades should've warned me something like this would happen and I've had it. I'm done with you.
An imaginative choo choo train drove by and picked up Scootaloo's brain.
The blue mare in front of her gave her a warm smile, "Tell me everything, I can keep a secret."
"Aguh a-buh"
Okay brain, I'm sorry I overreacted. Could you come back now? Great! Let's try this again.
Scootaloo was about to try and say something again, but Rainbow Dash was first.
"Let me guess, it's that Rumble kid again, is it?"
It felt like a jolt of electricity powered up Scootaloo's head.
"No it's not! Wait, what do you mean, again?"
"I saw how psyched you are every time you talk about him."
Scootaloo's cheeks went red, "That was never a serious thing! Besides, I'm over that now."
The Dash shrugged, "Sure sure. But who is it then?"
Scootaloo shifted on her hooves, a bit startled as the fact came to mind she was actually talking to Rainbow about this. Luckily, her only witness was Jason Hill and he seemed like he wouldn't be telling anyone any time soon. She decided to just say it. Forget all the formalities, forget all the ego. Just say it bluntly.
"Early Stride."
For a second Rainbow's left eye twitched.
"Stride like in that colt who likes touching trees?"
"Well, yeah."
"Stride like in that colt who rolls in the grass like a puppy?"
"Pretty much."
"Stride like in that colt who's actually mad enough to join you on your insane quests to get your cutie marks?"
"Quite so- Insane?!"
Rainbow Dash shrugged again, "Hey, I ain't judging. I've done far worse when I was a kid."
She leaned in closer towards Scootaloo, as if she didn't want Jason Hill to hear her talking, "So, when are you gonna tell him?"
The filly grimaced, "I don't really know. When the time is right?"
Her mentor shook her head, "Scootaloo, it's never a suitable time for something like that. Don't believe what the movies tell you."
The orange filly had never really seen a romance in a movie. The only movies she had seen were Daring Do films. The only slight hint of romance that had ever occurred in those movies, was one of the bad guys screaming the name of a long lost goddess he had always admired as he felt into a pit of lava. Thus, Scootaloo had never learned anything about romance from film. Songs however, had taught her a true lover would always stalk their partner even if they aren't wanted. She didn't think much of that idea.
There was a tense atmosphere in the cerise coloured teacher's office, as Stride sat their across her, slowly figuring out how he would best pose his question. Fed up jumbling with words, he decided to keep it simple.
"Will I ever have a cutie mark?"
There you go. plain and simple. Easy to answer, right?
Miss Cheerilee uncomfortably moved back and forth on her seat, trying to think of the best way to put it.
"It's not because you don't have a cutie mark that you'll never have one, Stride, you're just a late blommer, like your friends. That's all," she decided.
The foal wasn't convinced, "I mean, cutie marks supposedly show our destiny, right? But since I'm dying, doesn't that mean-"
The teacher stopped him mid sentence by putting a hoof on his shoulder. Her eyes were watery.
"A destiny is a destiny, no matter how short."
He dropped his chin and thought about that.
"But, is it still possible that I'll never get my cutie mark?"
"Stride, every year dozens of foals are taken from us by accidents or by monsters in the forest," Cheerilee turned her head, shaking off a painful memory, "Some of them never get their cutie mark, that's true."
She turned back to look straight into Stride's eyes. The deep red irises were a bit disturbing, as she could see dozens of emotions floating through them like various coloured flower petals in the red water of a current rich pond. It reminded her of her own cutie mark, three happy flowers, only these petals weren't all as jolly.
"You still have seven great months ahead of you. It may seem like it's not much and of course it's less than you deserve, but a lot can happen in seven months. I can't ensure this, but you can still get your cutie mark."
Stride looked down at the floor again. Cheerilee preferred Stride looking at the sky, like he always did when he was dreamy. She'd noticed that dreamy look had melted the hearts of some of the fillies at school, but she decided not to rat them out on that.
"But if cutie marks tell you what you'll be doing for the rest of your life, then what's the point? I mean, I don't really have much of a lifetime left to practice a trade, so why would a cutie mark appear in the first place?"
Cheerilee bit her lip, not knowing the best way to answer this. She had long ago vowed to herself not to give this definition to her students, as it worked best if they found out themselves, but this child really needed her help and that was something she couldn't turn down.
"Stride, cutie marks don't really work like that."
She sighed and tried to clear her voice of pity, as it wouldn't ring well with the boy who'd probably had to endure enough compassion as it was.
"A cutie mark is a projection created by your own mind. It symbolises your fate, yes, but that's not all. It symbolises the fate you've come to terms with, the aspect of yourself you realise is one of the things that makes you who you are."
Stride lifted a brow and pouted, "So if anything, my cutie mark will be like a gravestone or something, because I have to come to terms with my fate?"
Cheerilee flexed her neck.
"No Stride, not that kind of fate. The fate you choose for yourself, the thing you want to do, because it's what you love doing."
Realisation seeped into the young pony's mind.
"Like dad got his axe, because he found out how much he actually liked being a lumberjack," he said, "not because he was meant to be."
The teacher gave him her warmest smile, "Well, if was ever meant to be is another discussion. But yes, it's pretty much about coming to terms with who you are yourself. Be it a lumberjack, be it a teacher... That's why nobody ever disagrees with their cutie mark."
Something jumped in Cheerilee's chest as she saw the relief on her student's face. Even though she'd had her doubts from time to time, she was once again confronted with the fact that she had made the right decision, becoming a teacher.
In the Cutie Mark Crusaders' clubhouse, two little fillies were sitting underneath an unlit light bulb. The place they had called 'the thinking corner'.
"How are we going to tackle this problem," Sweetie Belle whispered.
Apple Bloom shrugged, "The light bulb ain't burning just yet. In other words: Ah ain't got no clue."
There was no way they could force Stride and Scootaloo to confess to one another. Apple Bloom felt pressed however. For some reason, she felt like it had to happen quickly, or it'd never happen at all.
A faint knocking on the door disturbed the thinking corner, making Sweetie Belle hiss like a snake. Nobody disturbs the thinking corner. The door opened and a brown face with a helicopter cap above peeped in.
"Hi, guys. Would you like to come and play?"
Sweetie Belle's hiss changed into an awkward choke. Nobody disturbs the thinking corner, except for her knight Noble.
"Oh, hi there, Button! Of course we'd like to-"
She was abruptly interrupted by her fellow crusader, "Get out, we're busy scheming."
"Okay," Button said as he quickly closed the door and vanished.
Apple Bloom received an explosive glare from her friend.
"That wasn't very nice!"
The bow wearing filly shrugged in indifference, "He sure didn't seem to mind. Do you have any good ideas yet?"
Sweetie Belle shook her head, "No, none. Scheming? Really?"
The girls sighed in unison. This was going to be harder than they thought. Sweetie Belle was starting to get bored to the hooves. She forced out another exaggerated sigh, hoping Apple Bloom would pick up on that and start feeling the boredom too.
"Apple Bloom, can't we play a game or something? We've been thinking more today than I've done in the last five months and I'm starting to get a headache."
Apple Bloom shook her head, "We have to do this first, Sweetie Belle, this is Scootaloo's special somepony we're talking about."
The marshmallow coat unicorn wasn't pleased with that answer. She decided to try again, "Really? I mean, we could play guess who or we could play truth or dare..."
Apple Bloom's ears perked up, "That's it!"
She jumped up and turned on the light bulb.
"Sweetie Belle! That's genius! All we have to do is play truth or dare..."
"Sounds fine-"
"...and pick dares so absurd and insane they'll have no choice other than to pick truth!"
"Uhm..."
Squeaky clean. The window to Miss Cheerilee's office was now clean as could be and Stride felt very pleased with himself. He dropped the sponge back into the water. Or at least, in the thick brown goo that used to be water. Whoever had thrown the mud ball at the poor teacher's window was long gone, but that didn't matter.
Through the glass he saw her friendly face smiling at him, then turning around. Shortly after, she appeared next to him on the abandoned school yard.
She granted him her usual warm charisma, "Really, Stride, you didn't have to do this."
Stride shook his head, "Anything to help my friends, Miss Cheerilee."
A bit of a blush appeared on the school teacher's cheeks. After all, it was unusual for a school kid to come here on a holiday. It was even stranger for them to spontaneously start cleaning up the place. But the rarest thing, the rarest thing was the student calling her a friend.
"Well, you sure have done your good deed for the day," she told him. Not only because he'd cleaned up. Also because he, despite having a bit of a depressing aura to those who knew of his condition, had really cheered up Miss Cheerilee's day. She realised it was supposed to be the other way around, but he seemed happier now than when he'd entered the building, so she considered her work done.
"Now go and play with your friends. I bet they're already waiting for you at your clubhouse.
Stride couldn't resist trotting through the field instead of on the road, enjoying the tall grass tickling his body. He didn't stop to admire the trees or to play in the grass though. He was too excited to see his friends. Too excited to see Scootaloo.
He quickly arrived at the clubhouse. For a few seconds, he stood still. The sun was already hanging a bit low, casting a flare through the corner of the roof. Stride stuck his face in the beam, enjoying the heat of the afternoon sun, before it slipped away into evening's long cast shadows.
He carefully made his way up the stairs, shivering at remembering how he'd once fell off the roof and hurt his leg. Tripping and tumbling down the stairs however was the least of his worries, he'd soon find out. He could hear the voices of his fellow crusaders. They didn't sound overly jolly though and it seemed a dispute was going on. He gently nudged the door. Nopony noticed.
In the middle of the room, a very confused Sweetie Belle looked back and forth between a devious looking Apple Bloom and a very unhappy Scootaloo.
"Ah'm telling ya," Apple Bloom said, "Either you switch to truth, or you'll have to do as Ah say!"
"Are you out of your mind?!" Scootaloo exclaimed.
"If you don't want to do the dares, then don't take 'em anymore!"
"I'm not setting my tail on fire!"