//------------------------------// // Consequences & Resolution // Story: Friendship's New Flight: New Crusade // by Masterob //------------------------------// Apple Bloom had carried Rumble all the way to the Apple Family farm, it wasn't too hard for her since she does hard labor all the time so she's strong enough to carry a colt, though the walk was quite long. "Dinky, would you be able to hold up Rumble a moment?" Apple Bloom asked. "Yeah, of course", Dinky said and grabbed Rumble and propped him up on her back while Apple Bloom knocked. Sweetie waited in the background, she was really scared & nervous, she knew she was in for it for assisting in beating down Rumble, not to mention she felt a bit guilty, she couldn't believe she actually hurt Rumble, to the point where his blood stained her hooves. The door was opened by Big Macintosh. "Howdy Apple Bloom, did you find that boy?" Big Mac asked. "Yeah...he's right there", Apple Bloom said and pointed to an unconscious Rumble. Big Mac was horrified, "Oh no, get that boy inside quick!" Apple Bloom and Dinky quickly got Rumble inside and he was set on the couch. "What in tarnation happened!?" Big Mac asked as he checked on Rumble. "Babs, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle happened!" Apple Bloom angrily stated. "Babs? Ah...ah can't believe...ah never though she would...we gotta find Applejack", Big Mac said. "Find me for what?" they heard. They turned to find Applejack & Cloudchaser entering. "You're here?" Apple Bloom asked. "Yeah, mean and Cloudchaser came by to see if Babs was here", she then noticed Rumble in his condition. "LAND SAKES!" Applejack rushed to Rumble to check on him, "What happened!?" Cloudchaser looked more horrified than Big Mac, "Rumble..." she felt petrified. Applejack put her ear on his heart, it was still beating, "He looks mangled, did you do a dangerous stunt!? What happened!?" "Ah didn't do this! It was Babs, Sweetie and Scootaloo, they gave him a gang style beat down!" Apple Bloom said. Cloudchaser then felt an immense rage, "WHAT!? WHERE ARE THEY!?" "Sweetie was just right here, did you see her on the way in?" Apple Bloom asked. "We didn't see her", Applejack said. Apple Bloom ran outside and looked around, she managed to catch Sweetie Belle attempting to sneak away. "That little sneak!" Apple Bloom shouted. Cloudchaser went outside, "I'll get her, teach her a little lesson" "Don't...ah told her if she snuck away I'd give her a whooping, ah gotta keep mah word. Besides this is personal", she glared at Sweetie Belle, "She messed with mah colt" Cloudchaser huffed, "Fair enough, but I get Scootaloo and your cousin". "Be mah guest", she went toward Sweetie Belle but Applejack called her. "Apple Bloom...go easy on her...don't rough her up too much", Applejack plainly stated. Apple Bloom nodded and went after Sweetie Belle. Applejack turned to Cloudchaser, "I'm sorry this happened, this was just terrible". "Gee no kidding!" Cloudchaser turned to Applejack, "You promised me nothing bad would happen to Rumble! I trusted you, why didn't you just send that girl away the first sign of trouble!?" Applejack stuttered, "But...Cloudchaser ah didn't excpect..." "Dammit Applejack you're too...too...naïve with this stuff, you just can't handle being tough unless it's with another colt or filly! You jumped at the chance to chase and threaten Rumble but with Babs you barely did anything, I mean seriously, 'no dessert', she pushes him and intimidates him and that's the best!?" Cloudchaser asked, obviously very angry. Applejack looked hurt, "But CC, Babs is mah cousin, ah have to be-" "Don't call me CC, I'm not happy with you Applejack, you weren't on top of things like you should be, you told us you loved Rumble", Cloudchaser said, feeling hurt herself. Applejack started to tear up, "Ah do love him, you gotta believe me". Cloudchaser shook her head, "Sorry Applejack, I don't know what to believe right now, now I'm gonna go find the others, and get those two other brats...and if you really do love Rumble, then do me a favor and keep an eye on him". Applejack sniffled and nodded, "Ah will". Cloudchaser flew off, Applejack was in tears still, Dinky had approached her. "Are you ok Applejack?" "I'm fine, how about you?" "I took a few punches but I'm ok, I'm more worried for Rumble", Dinky said. "Me too sugarcube", Applejack then went inside and approached Rumble. She hugged him very gently, "I'm so sorry this happened, ah didn't protect you, ah said I would never let anything else bad happen to yah, ah failed yah" she then kissed his forehead, "But ah do love yah Rumble, ah will make sure you get better", she then carefully picked him up and carried him to her room and laid him on her bed and pulled the blanket over him, "I'll watch over you", she then grabbed a chair and sat down, just watching as he rested. Back to Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, Sweetie tried to run away, mostly out of fear for how the others will act, she went into a barn to hide for a moment. She poked her head out of the barn a while later to see if the coast was clear for her to make her escape, but unfortunately for her, Apple Bloom got in her face. "Going somewhere?" Sweetie Belle yelped and backed away and tried to run but was cornered. "Apple Bloom, wait, lets talk about this!" "You had yer chance!", Apple Bloom said and just walked up to Sweetie Belle to whack her hard in the face. Sweetie rubbed her face and pleaded some more. "Apple Bloom, stop, please, I'll go back inside" There was another whack. "Please! No More!" Whack. "Apple Bloom, stop!" Whack. Sweetie was in tears, her face was getting swollen, "This hurts a lot! Please no more" Whack. Sweetie was tearing up more," Stop! No More!" Whack. Sweetie broke down, "I'm begging you, stop!" Whack. "Why are you doing this!?" "You know why!" Whack. Sweetie spoke though her sobbing, "Why do you care about him than you do about me!?" Apple Bloom briefly stopped, "You think ah don't care about you?" Sweetie Belle briefly blinked. "I do care about yah, you think I'm enjoying this!? Ah don't wanna hurt you, but you need to be taught a lesson, after what you did to Rumble, yer getting off pretty easy", Apple Bloom stated. "But...we're supposed to be best friends", Sweetie said. "Ah thought Scootaloo was yer best friend, you knew her longer, if you want this beating to stop, then do to me what you did to Rumble, try to attack me!" "But...I can't...you're my friend...I love you" Apple Bloom stood there a moment, somehat pitying Sweetie Belle, "Ah love you too", Whack. Outside Cloudchaser can hear the sounds of Apple Bloom whacking Sweetie Belle, and the sounds of Sweetie's cries and begs for the beating to stop. "I almost feel bad for her, but she's getting what she deserves", she then flew off to find the other fillies. Meanwhile with Scootlaoo and Babs, they ran pretty far to get away from Apple Bloom. "We made it", Babs said and huffed to catch her breath. Scootaloo looked around, "Where's Sweetie Belle?" Scootaloo asked. Babs looked around, "Not sure...did she get left behind?" "Oh no...she seemed frozen in place when we ran, you think Apple Bloom got her?" Scootaloo asked in concern. "Probably...damn, who knows what Apple Bloom will do, she seemed pretty pissed", Babs said, pretty concerned. "I gotta go get her, she's the weakest of us, she can't handle fights alone!" "Wait, you can't go, suppose the others found out? Suppose Cloudchaser gets her hooves on you, she'll kill yah" "I'll take that chance, she's my best friend, I can't leave her", Scootaloo said and ran off. "Wait...don't leave me alone!" Babs said, but Scootaloo didn't stop, "Aw crap", Babs then followed her. Meanwhile Cloudchaser was flying and encountered Rainbow Dash & Thunderlane, "Rainbow! Thunder! Up here!" Both looked up. "Sup Cloudchaser, you find the fillies?" Cloudchaser shook her head, her voice went dark, "Not exactly, but Rumble found them". Rainbow was concerned at Cloudchaser's tone, "What happened?" "Is my brother ok?" Thunderlane asked. "Not exactly, Sweetie, Scootaloo & Babs...they hurt Rumble". Thunderlane looked horrified, "What do you mean they hurt him!? How!? Where is he!?" "They ganged up and attacked him, left him with a black eye and cuts everywhere, his face had some blood dripping", Cloudchaser said. Thunderlane felt his breathing go uneasy, "My...my brother got...where is he!?" "Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack's watching over him". "I gotta go check on my brother, Rainbow, find those little brats and deal with them!" Thunderlane asked of his marefriend. "Sweetie's already been caught, Apple Bloom's teaching her a good lesson right now", Cloudchaser said. "Lesson? How?" Thunderlane asked. "If you hear crying in a barn, it's Sweetie Belle, if you hear yelling, it's Apple Bloom, if you hear hitting, well piece that together". "One down as far as I'm concerned, I'm gonna kick some filly ass", Rainbow said and flew off, with Thunderlane flying towards Sweet Apple Acres. Rainbow and Cloudchaser kept flying and warned all ponies they came across. After warning Pinkie Pie and Rarity. "My darling little sister...a brute?" Rarity said in shock. "Better hurry to Sweet Apple Acres before Apple Bloom leaves her in the same condition she and her thug friends left Rumble in", Cloudchaser warned. Rarity rushed toward Sweet Apple Acres. "I'm gonna go back to Sugarcube Corner and get Rumble some nice 'Get Well Soon' treats, make him all happy", she then bounced away. "Wow, even in a situation like this she's really perky", Cloudchaser said. "That's Pinkie, but she does mean well, her goal right now would be to get Rumble to smile again", Rainbow said. "Wow, she's sweet in her own way", Cloudchaser admitted. After warning Fluttershy & Flitter. "Oh my, I better get to Sweet Apple Acres ASAP, he probably needs a lot of nurturing", Fluttershy said. "You gonna go find the fillies sis?" Flitter asked. "Yeah, me and Rainbow Dash". "Good, give them a good black eye for me", Flitter said sinisterly. Cloudchaser was a bit surprised but somewhat satisfied, "Will do sis" After warning Derpy. "My Little Muffin!" Derpy rushed over to Sweet Apple Acres. "That doesn't surprise me", Rainbow said. After warning Twilight Sparkle, Spike & Cherilee. "What!? I can't believe this, those girls should know better", Twilight said. "Sweetie Belle & Scootaloo have always been a bit...rambunctious, but I never would have expected them to take things this far, they never even fought Diamond Tiara or Silver Spoon", Cherilee said. "Well they hurt him, now these girls need to be punished...big time", Rainbow said. "Me and Rainbow are gonna find them and make sure they get their punishment", Cloudchaser said, both then flew off. "Wait! This isn't good, if they find those girls they'll probably inflict physical harm onto them", Twilight said. "Well they kinda deserve it", Spike stated. "Spike! They do not deserve anything like that, I gotta find them, you two can head to Sweet Apple Acres", Twilight said and flew off. "I still can't believe those girls stooped that low, and to that sweet young colt too, he's really mature and respectable for a colt his age", Cherilee said. "If you ask any of Twilight's friends they'll yell you he's more mature than colts any age", Spike said. "Well that is true, but come on, lets check on the poor boy", Cherilee said. Meanwhile Scootaloo was heading towards where Rumble last was, "Good chance Apple Bloom brought them to Sweet Apple Acres, I gotta save Sweetie Belle". Babs ran behind her, "Hey I'm worried about Sweetie too but this is still risky!" "Don't care, gotta save her", Scootaloo said. Both of them ran through a grassy area, then hid near some trees in hopes nopony would spot them, however it was too late for that. Above, Rainbow had spotted them, "There they are CC, I'll handle Scootaloo, you handle Babs". Cloudchaser had an evil smile, "Perfect". Both landed in front of the fillies. "Going somewhere?" Rainbow asked. Babs and Scootaloo looked terrified. "Shit, it's Rainbow Dash & Cloudchaser", Babs said, fear apparent in her voice. Scootaloo sweated a bit, "I take it you know what happened to Rumble" "I'm really ashamed of you Scootaloo, I figured you'd know better, looks like you need a whooping of your own", Rainbow cracked her hooves like knuckles, "And I'm just the mare to do it". Scootaloo was scared, "Wait, you wouldn't hurt me would you Rainbow Dash? I'm your biggest fan, I look up to you, I want to be just like you". "I don't turn my back on somepony, break their heart and then beat them down later, so don't give me that crap Scootaloo", Rainbow warned. Scootaloo backed away, "But Rainbow, you're like the Big Sister I never had, hell a lot of ponies even think we're sisters, would you really hurt someone who's like a sister to you?" Rainbow scowled at Scootaloo, "You're no sister, my sister wouldn't beat up my coltfriend's brother, Rumble is like a little sibling to me, very respectful kid who understands my element, something you're not worthy of, you're more of a mini-Lightning Dust than a mini-Rainbow Dash". "Ugh, enough talk Rainbow, she's just stalling, kick her ass, I'm going for that Manehatten brat there", Cloudchaser said and approached Babs. Babs looked scared and looked around to see if she can make an escape, though every time she moved to run away, Cloudchaser blocked her path, then she turned to run to another spot, but same thing, Babs had nowhere to go, Babs then foolishly tried to punch Cloudchaser, but she caught her hoof and then elbowed her down and trapped her in a reverse armbar. "Ah, my arm!" "Time to pay", Cloudchaser placed her knee on Babs' arm and applied pressure, while Babs yelped in pain. Scootaloo was scared now, between Babs being close to a beating and about to get a beating herself from Rainbow, she didn't know what would happen now, all she knew was her idol glared at her with malicious intent in mind, she then looked up at Rainbow with pleading eyes, "Rainbow Dash please, don't hurt me, you're starting to scare me!" "I bet you know how Rumble feels right now, I bet you intimidated him before you beat him down" Scootaloo then remembered when she gave Rumble that same intimidating look she's seeing now from Rainbow Dash. "But Rainbow, you've always been their for me, I was your little pipsqueak, your number one fan, how can you just throw everything away? And for what? For Rumble? Because you love Thunderlane? Are you really gonna abandon your loyalty to me? A filly you've known longer?" Rainbow started to get mixed feelings about this but shook them off, "You were my number one fan, but Rumble looks up to me just as much, and you need to be taught a lesson". "Just ignore her! Do what you need to do!" Cloudchaser said, applying more pressure on Babs' arm. "Your gonna break my arm!" Babs shouted. "That's the idea, I told you that if you hurt Rumble, you were going back to Manehatten in an Ambulance, I'm gonna break each of your bones, starting with your arm!" Cloudchaser put more pressure on her arm and started bending it. "AAHH! Please stop!" Babs begged. "Now you know how Rumble feels! I don't break my promises like your cousin did!" Cloudchaser pulled more, increasing Babs' pain. Scootaloo was scared, she started tearing and got on her knees, "Please Rainbow, I'm sorry, I made a mistake, it won't happen again, I'll do anything to make up for it, I'll help you take care of Rumble, we'll reform the Crusaders with him in it, I'll even be his personal slave for the next month...or two months, I'd even do it for a year if it'll make things right, just please don't hurt me". Rainbow looked conflicted, she was angry but she felt bad for Scootaloo, after all Scootaloo was her biggest fan first. Scootaloo always did respect Rainbow Dash, and Rainbow was starting to wonder if this technically went against her element of loyalty, though she also has to be loyal to her coltfriend and his brother, but what should she do? "She's just trying to trick you, just take her out!" Cloudchaser shouted, bending Babs' arm more, making her scream in agony, tears comng from her eyes. Scootaloo simply sobbed louder, "This isn't what I wanted at all!" Rainbow shook her head, then looked down on Scootaloo, "Maybe you're right Scootaloo, maybe I shouldn't do this after all this time". Scootaloo smiled and sighed relief, but it was short lived. "Or maybe I show you what it's like to have your heart broken by a friend!" Scootaloo's eyes widened in fear as Rainbow grabbed her and pinned her against a tree. dangling in the air, Rainbow's fist ready for a strike. "I don't want someone in my life who would hurt another pony so shamelessly! The suffering you've caused to Rumble will now be given to you!" Scootaloo teared up, her idol was so close to hurting her, more than her idol, the very mare she looked up to like an older sister. this can't be happening, she can't believe this, "Rainbow! No! Please stop! I'm sorry!" "You missed your chance when you hurt Rumble! You're not a friend, you're just some annoying pony I never should have given the time of day to!" "Rainbow Dash! NO!" Rainbow then swung her fist as Scootaloo screamed in terror. However before her fist made contact, her it stopped short of Scootaloo's face, Scootaloo looked to see what happened, Rainbow Dash's once fierce face turned to remorse. "What am I doing? I'm not acting any better than you were", she then dropped Scootaloo. "Rainbow, what are you doing? Hit her!" Cloudchaser said. Rainbow shook her head, "I can't, I wanted to but...I just can't" Scootaloo panted, tears still in her eyes as Rainbow simply backed away. "But Rainbow, what about Rumble?" Cloudchaser asked. Rainbow sighed, "You think Rumble would want us to do this? I mean look at us...we're acting like bullies ourselves" Cloudchaser thought for a moment, she looked down at Babs then sighed. "Fine then", she let Babs go, who then created a distance between them. "So...you're not gonna beat us up?" Babs asked. "No...you're gonna get ONE more chance, but you need to come with us to Sweet Apple Acres right now", Rainbow warned. "But if you try to skip out, you're gonna get a beating, like the one Apple Bloom was giving Sweetie Belle when I left there", Cloudchaser said. Scootaloo looked surprised, "Apple Bloom's actually beating her up?" "Sorta, she seems to be slapping her around a bit, I didn't see anything, but I did hear Apple Bloom whacking her and Sweetie Belle crying". Both Scootaloo and Babs felt bad, they left Sweetie to that punishment. At that point, Twilight caught up to them, "I finally caught you two, did you find the girls?" "Yeah", Rainbow pointed to the two scared fillies. Twilight examined them, "Hm, no cuts or bruises". Rainbow raised her eyebrow, "You thought we were gonna beat them up?" Twilight nodded, "Yeah, luckily I was wrong". "No you were right, we just changed our minds at the last second", Rainbow admitted. Twilight facehoofed. "Hey at least we didn't do it", Rainbow said. Twilight just glared at them, "I don't want to hear about something like this happening again, otherwise the only one who will be facing consequences are the both of you", she turned to the direction of Sweet Apple Aces, "Now let's head to the farm". there was no argument, all the ponies in question went to the farm. Meanwhile back at Sweet Apple Acres, all the ponies are tending to Rumble. Thunderlane looked like a mess, "My poor brother..." Applejack nuzzled him a bit, "I'm so sorry about this, ah should have taken better care of him". Thunderlane placed his arm around Applejack, "I'm not gonna fault you AJ, you tried to handle your cousin, I just can't believe this actually happened". Fluttershy wiped Rumble's head a bit, making sure to get all traces of blood off him. "He's pretty banged up, but he should be waking up soon", Fluttershy said. "Good, poor little angel, when he gets up I have a big hug ready for him", Flitter said. Outside the room, Apple Bloom had given Sweetie Belle an icepack for her face, it was pretty swollen. "Keep that there, your face will go down", Apple Bloom said. Sweetie was still crying, "Apple Bloom...you think we'll ever be friends like we used to?" Apple Bloom sighed, "Ah want to, but after all this, I'm gonna need time". Sweetie teared a bit, "I never wanted to take it this far, honestly when it was over and I saw the damage I inflicted...I felt so bad for Rumble. I can't believe I hurt him, and for what? Once the dust settled I realized I beat him up for petty jealousy". Apple Bloom sighed, "Wish you could have realized that before you hurt him", Apple Bloom said. "I did, but I couldn't help myself", Sweetie said. "You owe him a huge apology", Apple Bloom said. "I know but how can I go in there with everypony mad at me? Even my own sister refuses to speak to me", Sweetie said. "Wait til they leave, I'll help with that part", Apple Bloom said. After a few minutes Rumble woke up, "Ow my head...where am I?" Applejack then pulled Rumble into a strong hug. "Thank the stars you're alright! Ah was so worried!" "Um Applejack, you're...kinda...crushing...me, Rumble said, hardly able to breath. This fell on deaf ears, Applejack continued the hug until Thunderlane pulled them apart. "Too much?" Applejack asked. Thunderlane sighed then smiled, "It's fine, I know how much you love my brother". "Ah don't love him enough if ah let this happen". "Don't go blaming yourself, the fillies are responsible for their own actions". Apple Bloom arrived in the room, "Speaking of which, there's a certain filly who wants to apologize for her actions" Sweetie Belle shyly entered the room and did a small wave, "Hello", she put on an awkward smile, though all the mares & Thunderlane simply glared. Sweetie Belle wanted to back out but Apple Bloom slammed he hooves together as if threatening to hurt Sweetie Belle again. "Go on, apologize", she warned. Sweetie gulped a bit, she was too nervous to enter with all the others watching. Rumble sensed this, "Can everypony leave me and Sweetie alone for a moment?" All the ponies turned to Rumble. "You sure you wanna do that bro?" Thunderlane asked. Rumble nodded, "Yeah, we need to settle this just between us". All the ponies were in doubt but obeyed Rumble's wish. "Just holler if you need us" Applejack said and left with everypony. Rumble patted the spot next to him, "Come, sit" Sweetie was unsure bit didn't wanna argue and sat next to Rumble. "So, is there something you wanna-" Rumble didn't get to finish since Sweetie pulled him into a strong hug of her own, sobbing in the process. "I'm so sorry! I went too far! I never should have hurt you, I was being a brat, now I'm a bully too, I don't expect you to forgive me but I'm truly sorry for how I've treated you!" Sweetie said, still in tears. Rumble was a bit taken back, and the hug hurt a bit but he wasn't gonna ruin a possible redemption. "Sweetie it's fine, I'm not mad", Rumble said. Sweetie stopped the hug and looked at him confused, "How can you not be mad!? I hurt you physically and emotionally, why are you so freaken nice!?" Rumble was now a bit worried she was relapsing but spoke on, "I can see you're truly sorry, so I won't hold anything against you, besides you're too cute to be mad at". Sweetie blushed and turned her head away. "Colts, always wanna charm a filly", Sweetie said. Rumble chuckled nervously as he rubbed his head, "Sorry, just natural for me, but why did you hate me from the moment that I met you?" "I didn't hate you stupid, I liked you", Sweetie admitted, "Truth be told Rumble, I had a small crush on you, but I was jealous when you only noticed Apple Bloom". Rumble looked shocked, "Wait, all this because I noticed Apple Bloom first? So if I called you pretty right away none of this would have happened?" Sweetie nodded, "Guess so" Rumble facehoofed, "Fillies". Sweetie chuckled, "But I guess that's no excuse, I never should have hurt you, I feel just terrible about it, I'm never gonna live this down" Rumble hugged her a bit, "We'll move past this, all I want is to be your friend...do I have your friendship?" Sweetie Belle simply glanced at Rumble, then smile and nodded, "Yeah, you do, you're my friend, if we reform the Crusaders, I want you to be a member", Sweetie then gave him a kiss on the cheek, "And maybe one day we can be more than friends, I know you like another filly, maybe you have hidden feelings for me". Rumble awkwardly chuckled, "It's possible, but don't hold your breath right now, this is a tough decision for me". "I can wait, but here's a little more motivation for you to pick me", Sweetie then gave Rumble a nice kiss, much to his surprise, this was quite a new development he didn't expect. Sweetie broke away and grinned, "Like that?" Rumble seemed nervous, then noticed the fact that her face looked a bit swollen, "What happened to you anyway? You look like you got hit" "Lets just say Apple Bloom wasn't happy with what I did", Sweetie said. "Ouch, well lets tell her we're friends, but try not to tell her you like me, she'll just get jealous". "Yeah, she will". "And DON'T Tell her you kissed me, that's gonna make things a little more awkward", Rumble said. Sweetie chuckled, "Yeah, it will, I'll tread lightly on that". Both of them stood up. "You ok to walk?" "You didn't break my legs, I'm sore but I'm fine", Rumble said. "Also one more thing", Sweetie said. "What?" "Stop being so nice, it's really annoying, toughen up a bit!" Sweetie demanded. Rumble nodded, "Noted". As she started walking out, Rumble had a scowl on his face, "Be careful what you wish for", he muttered low enough so she couldn't hear. Both left the room, all the ponies approached them. "Everything ok?" Applejack asked. "Yeah, she apologized to me, I forgave her, now we're friends", Rumble said. Applejack blinked in shock, "Wow, really? You are a sweet boy Rumble" "She's really sorry for what she's done", Rumble said. Rarity approached them, "Be that as it may, she will still receive some punishment, I can't allow this to slide". "What? Wasn't it enough that Apple Bloom assaulted me?" Sweetie asked. "Ah didn't assault you ya big baby", Apple Bloom said. "We'll discuss this later, we just need the other fillies", Rarity stated. Fluttershy approached her, "When they get here, I have an idea on what to do with them". In a few minutes, Rainbow, Twilight & Cloudchaser arrived with Babs and Scootaloo. "Got the fillies", Rainbow said. "Good, now we can discuss the punishment, Fluttershy I believe you had an idea in mind?" Rarity asked. "Yes...now Applejack, I know you probably wanna send Babs home right now after what she did". Applejack glared at her, "Yes honestly, I'm very disappointed in her". Babs lowered her head in shame. "But how about instead, you let Babs stay with me for a while", Fluttershy offered, "I can help her though whatever issues they have, maybe Babs still has some lingering issues with bullying, I wanna help her through that". "Wow, that's not a bad idea, but ah don't want to burden you with mah problems though", Applejack said. "It's no burden, I wanna help, I think I can help her with this, everypony needs a another chance, and she's just a filly, she needs to learn this sooner than later", Fluttershy said. "Wait, you can't watch over Babs, what if she beats you up? You're very weak and helpless", Pinkie said. Fluttershy glared at Pinkie, "Pinkie, go home". Pinkie smiled, "Okie Dokie", she then hopped back home while Fluttershy continued to speak. "Well, what do you say?" Applejack sighed, "If you think it'll work, ah guess Babs can stay with you, what about the other fillies?" "Well if Rarity and Scootaloo's parents wanna try it, they can, though I think Sweetie Belle is fine since she apologized to Rumble and made friends". Applejack sighed, "Fine then, she can stay with you", Applejack turned to Babs, "She's doing something really nice for you, DON'T blow it" Babs nodded, "Ok cuz" As everypony prepared to go home, Scootaloo approached Rumble. "I know Sweetie apologized to you, I want to as well. All the tension just caught up with me, I was just really concerned for Sweetie Belle, I'm really sorry, I hope we can start over soon", Scootaloo said. "I think we can", Rumble said and hugged her, "You're not a bad filly, you just made a bad mistake". Scootaloo blushed, then groaned, "Sweetie Belle's right, you ARE too nice" Rumble groaned a bit, "What is it with you fillies and the whole 'too nice' thing". "It's just that, it really makes us feel more like heels and stuff", Scootaloo said. Rumble grinned a bit, "Sorry to make you feel that way", he turned away, "I'll see you next later, I have to go home, bye Scootaloo". Rumble went to say his good-byes to Apple Bloom as and then approached Babs before she left with Fluttershy, "Listen Babs, I know you probably don't wanna see me, but I hope soon we can be friends too". Babs looked surprised, "You serious? After how I bad I was to yah? Why you being so nice?" "I have a weakness for fillies, even if they were mean to me, besides I'm friends with your cousins, I want to be your friend too soon", Rumble admitted. Babs still looked surprised, then looked away sadly, "I don't know what to say...I think I was wrong about you...you're not a bad colt, you're a great kid, damn now I feel like a jackass, I'm really sorry kid". "Don't worry about it, besides I was wrong about one thing about you myself", Rumble admitted. "Huh? What would that be?" "You're actually kinda cute, at least your eyes are", Rumble said with a sly grin. Babs blushed, "Dammit kid, don't screw with me, I ain't cute" "Yeah you are, you're a pretty filly when you're not being mean", Rumble said. Babs blushed more, "Shut up kid, get out of here before I hurt yah some more". Rumble chuckled with satisfaction and walked off with Thunderlane. Cloudchaser herself had finished talking with Applejack, "I'm sorry for getting mad at you AJ, I was just frustrated" "It's fine, ah can understand that" "For the record, I think you're a great mare, and I know you love Rumble, don't take anything I said seriously", Cloudchaser admitted. "Thanks CC, means a lot". The two shared a hug that lasted a bit, Rarity noticed and looked displeased, then cleared her throat loudly, "Ok you two have made your point". Cloudchaser took her hint and broke the hug, "See you later AJ', she then left with Thunderlane. Applejack turned to Rarity, "Uh what was that about?" "What was all hat about darling?" Rarity asked, feigning her curiosity a bit. "You cleared your throat loudly, you also looked a bit unhappy", Applejack said. "I haven't the slightest idea what you mean...by the way, I think you're a great mare too, a REALLY great mare", Rarity said, with a wink and then walked off. Applejack was confused, "Ah swear she's been acting weird lately, must be imagining things" Soon all the ponies left, Derpy left with Dinky to tend to her bruises, Twilight and Spike went home, Rarity left with Sweetie Belle & Scootaloo and Rainbow joined Thunderlane on the walk, as did Flitter. "Rumble, you have some pretty complex relationships", Rainbow said. "At least with pretty fillies", Flitter said. Thunderlane chuckled, "So now that this has ended, will you be dating any of them anytime soon?" "They're all pretty, and Sweetie Belle has certainly gotten my attention at least...but I still have one other girl in mind, Apple Bloom & Sweetie Belle know that, but I can't tell them who it is". "Huh? Why not? Worried she'll go after them?" Thunderlane asked. Rumble grinned, "Let's just say I know better than to tell a girl that her sister looks good to me". The four ponies stopped at Rumble's words. "Wait...does that mean you have a crush on Applejack!?" Rainbow asked. Rumble had a sly smile, "Maybe" The ponies were surprised. "Rumble, you're really something", Rainbow said. Rumble chuckled and walked with the others. Things were looking brighter for Rumble & The Crusaders. Hopefully things stay that way.