"What was it you wanted to talk about?" I ask. Tilting my head to look at his face.
"You said that you were saving up to buy a home for yourself, right?" Rumble asked.
"Yeah," I answer, "I've been living off of my parents for long enough, I figured it's time to be independent for a change. I'm just having trouble finding an affordable one."
"You know, I think I can hook you up to a good place." he responds.
"Really?!" I ask excitedly. I then soften. "What's the catch?"
"Well, it's not the greatest, and it's definitely not the biggest place. But I think you could work it out."
"Where's it located?" I ask.
"Around here." Rumble said, gesturing to the houses around his own. "I think you can get a pretty good deal for it."
"How'd you find out about this? Why didn't you tell me sooner?" I ask.
"My cousin sells cloud homes, and she knows some pretty decent ones. I didn't really think much of it until earlier this week." Rumble admitted.
"Rumble, which home is it?" I ask, looking expectantly at the other ones. He just chuckles and points at his own home. "Wait..." I say. I begin to catch on as Rumble grins. "are you asking me to move in?" I suggest.
"Bingo." Rumble smirked.
I'm taken back for a second. Still a bit surprised. "But, wouldn't I just be in your way?"
"I'm sure we can work something out. It'll be far from a perfect life, but I want you to be here. It just feels empty without anyone else around." Rumble admitted, looking back to his house.
"Are you sure? Even though I can be messy and disorganized?"
"I think that I've known you long enough to be used to it. You don't have to, you know." Rumble assured me. "It's just a suggestion."
"Of course!" I say, wrapping my arms around his neck. I managed to knock him over to his side and he lands back on the soft cloud floor. Wrapping his wings around me.
"Glad to here it." he said. "When exactly are you going to move in?" he asked.
"Slow down, we need to clear this with my Dad first, Romeo." I say. I felt Rumble tense up.
"Oh." he said in a small voice.
"Absolutely not."
"But you said that I could move anywhere as long as I'm happy, you said you'd support me no matter where I end up." I say.
"I never thought that you'd want to move in with somebody. If it was one of your friends, sure, but him," he said the word with disgust, prompting me to roll my eyes.
"Oh, come one Sweetheart," Mom said. "She's a mare now, she's free to make her own choices. If she wants to move in with him, let her."
"But-"
"But what?" she interrupted.
"I don't want to lose my little filly so soon. First it's dating, and then they're moving in together, and next thing you know she's engaged." my father droned on. "I can't let him take her away so soon. She literally just got out of school."
"That was three weeks ago Dad." I say.
"That's not that long Scootaloo. I don't think you should do it."
"You trust me don't you?" I ask.
"Of course!" he replied.
"And I trust Rumble."
"So."
"He's never hurt me in any way, he's always been watching out for me, just like you told him to. Can't you put a little more faith in him?"
"I can respect that he kept to my demands, I'm grateful even, but you've only dated him for a few months, surely that's too short of a time to start that chapter of your lives." he tried.
"I've known him for years, Dad, We've been friends for years, you said yourself that we were adorable together when we were foals."
"I don't remember that."
"I do." Mom interjected.
"B-but Scootaloo, I don't want to lose you like this. Not so soon."
"You said the same thing on my first day of school, middle school, and high school. Dad, I've grown up, I think it's time to move on a bit in my life. I'll always be your little filly, and I never want you to forget that I'll always be your little filly. But I'm old enough to make my own choices now. And I choose to live with Rumble." I say.
He doesn't reply right away, instead he just sighs in defeat. "You're right." he says. I see a few tears pricking in his eyes. "You're all grown up. I shouldn't be holding you back like this. It was going to happen someday." he says.
"It's okay, Dad," I say. "I'll miss being around here too, but I want to be independent." I reply.
He wipes his eye and goes back to his regular fatherly smile. "You're right. I'm sorry Scoot."
"Don't worry about it. I understand."
"Sorry, lover boy, for not trusting you, I mean."
"It's alright sir," he says to Rumble, who was no longer as tensed as he was coming here.
"But hey, I'm sure that you'll be the same exact way with your kids." Rumble and I both blushed furiously and looked away from each other, prompting my parents to howl with laughter.
I do my best to avoid my gaze from Rumble, and I tilt my ears down. Refusing to even look at him.
"Maybe you two'll be fine after all." Dad says.
"Why do you need all of this stuff?" Rainbow Dash asked, heaving a gigantic box of my items.
"Because I do. You can set it by the door right here." I say, I point to the door to the room I was going to be sleeping in, one of the guests rooms Rumble set out for me.
"One more trip and that should be it." I tell her. "Thanks for helping me out by the way.
"Hey, you helped me out, so I figured I'd better return the favor."
My Dad came in with Rumble, toting my one gigantic box together.
"Thanks for helping Dad, I'm sorry you had to do this instead of enjoying your day off."
"No problem, I'll be fine." he assured me. After one last trip to my old house, everything's set in stone.
"Alright, we've got to go. See ya later, Scoot." Rainbow Dash said. She and Soarin; then took off from the edge.
"Thanks for the help." I call out after them. My Dad then comes up behind me.
"You sure you've got everything?" he asks.
"Yeah. I'm pretty sure." I walk up to him and give him a good squeeze. "Thanks, Dad, for everything." I say.
"No problem, kiddo." he says. I could tell he was tearing up again, so I just squeezed him a bit harder. We then broke away and he leaped into the air.
"See you later Scoot, love you,"
"Love you too, Dad." He then turns away with a small smile and heads for home.
Rumble comes up behind me and stares up at the darkening town below us, the streetlights beginning to turn on. "Miss him already, huh?"
"Yeah." I say. I turn away and walk back inside, heading into...my room.
"You need any help unpacking?"
"No, I think that I can handle it." I say. For the rest of the evening, I unpack the boxes and make myself at home, throwing the emptied boxes to the side. By the time I get to bed, my new cloudbed, it's a bit past midnight.
I was expecting myself to be a bit weary, but, I was wide awake. I knew that at this point, Rumble should be asleep across the hallway, but I needed some rest. I throw off the newly set blankets and step out of bed, opening and then shutting the door behind me. I open Rumble's door and peek inside, fast asleep.
Without a word, I walk over to the opposite side of the bed and slip in. He opens his eyes as I lift up the blankets, and takes a moment to freak out for a bit. "Oh." he says tiredly, seeing it was me. "it's just you Scoot. Mother of Luna, you scared the living hay out of me." he said quietly.
"I couldn't sleep."
"I guess that if I were you, I wouldn't be able to either." he offered his wing to me and I took the opportunity, I lay my head on his chest while he curls it around me.
"You want to sleep here?" he asks.
I smile, "I'd love that."