Rumble in the Jungle

by Minds Eye

Chapter 2: The Legend of Rumble

Rumble plodded through the streets of Ponyville, taking care to avoid Sugar Cube Corner, thinking of life and love. He couldn't make sense of it all. There were too many questions, too many problems, too many ideas.

He thought he had a good plan. The three ponies he trusted most in this town even helped him with it. One of them was single mare herself, and the other two were dating each other. One was where Scootaloo was, and the other two were where he wanted Scootaloo and him to be. Shouldn't their ideas count for a lot?

He did still have one bit left to buy another flower...

But Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon destroyed that plan. They didn't even know all the details, and they still dissected him and left him a shell of a colt. They saw him just as Scootaloo would see him, a colt in a silly bow tie with a silly flower asking for a date. Not only were they the same age as his crush, they even knew her better than he did. If they tore him apart, wouldn't Scootaloo?

The bow tie hung loose around his neck, both ends dangling by his face. He already wore it twice. It didn't feel right trying to return it for a refund. So, he was stuck with his one and only bit. Buying Scootaloo a better gift was out of the question.

This left him only with the desperate plan of doing something crazy to get Scootaloo’s attention. That...seemed...childish, but he...was a kid. But would it even work? Did fillies really go for stuff like that? Sure, Dust Storm took off to fight a dragon in his legend, but it was a dragon. It was kind of a pressing issue that some pony needed to take care of. Besides, there were no dragons around Ponyville.

Actually, there was, but whaling on Spike for no good reason would just be mean.

Plus, Rumble thought Spike was a pretty cool guy.

Rumble needed help, and he had no idea where to turn to get it. Thunderlane and Cloudchaser had already weighed in. Miss Cheerilee wasn't dating any pony that he knew of. The only other ponies in town that he knew had any romantic ties were the Cakes, and there was no way in Tartauros he was showing his face around Sugar Cube Corner until the party was over, or he had a new, solid plan.

His parents were the only other option, but they weren't much of one. They still lived in Cloudsdale, and they didn't want him flying all the way there alone just yet. He'd have to go with Thunderlane, but even that would take the rest of the day. There was no way they would get back in time for the party, so there was no reason to rush to Cloudsdale.

Homes and stores grew farther and farther apart as he reached the outskirts of town. Thunderlane's house was getting closer. Rumble picked his head up, inhaling deeply. The air was so much fresher in this part of town that he felt it made him think clearer. He needed that boost now. Now that he thought about it, he wondered if the closer proximity to the Everfree Forest helped recycle the air-

The Everfree Forest!

"Oooooooh," Rumble gasped. The Everfree Forest was filled with all sorts of creatures and monsters. And Rumble was, after all, a pegasus. Of the three tribes of ponies, the pegasi were the warriors. All of the legends-and not just legends, but histories!-that he read stressed that fact. Every great pegasi, male or female, had a part in their story about trials, or tests. Made-up or real, from Dust Storm to Commander Hurricane, they all had to prove themselves. And there was one doozy of a proving ground right outside his hometown.

This might just be the smartest and dumbest thought he ever thought.

He would go into the Everfree Forest. He would find...something. A special kind of flower, or a gem, or maybe a funny looking rock, he would just find a trophy of some kind to prove he was there and bring it back to Scootaloo. A rite of passage. He would do something crazy to get her to notice him, and the party would be safe from any catastrophe on his part. Worst case scenario, he would chicken out and stay home all night. That, if he was being honest with himself, was what he was planning right now anyway.

First, he would need supplies. And to drop off his books, they wouldn't do him any good in the forest. He would have to go home. Thunderlane would be waiting for him, and that would be an interesting conversation. Would his brother even let him go? Well, that would be his first challenge.

Rumble finally reached home and pushed the door open. Cloudchaser's voice ripped through his eardrums. "NO, THUNDERLANE!"

"I can't smell it on this side of the house yet! More cheese, woman!"

The voices died down to reveal the sound of hissing steam from the kitchen on the left side of the house, and the bathroom door opening and closing on his right. Rumble sighed and dropped his saddlebag by the door and headed for the staircase leading to his bedroom at the back of the living room. Thunderlane's body cut in front of it on his way back to the kitchen, gray mane and black coat the opposite order of his brother's. His head turned to look at Rumble, back to the hallway in front of him, and snapped back to Rumble, wide eyed.

"Whoa!" Thunderlane ran a nervous hoof through his mohawk before walking to his brother. "H-Hey, Rumble. How are you?"

"Not great," he admitted, making his way to the staircase.

"Oof." Thunderlane stopped him with a hoof on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Bro. I know how much it stings. Cloudchaser and I just made some soup if you want a bowl?"

"No, I'm on my way to-"

Cloudchaser's voice cut him off. "Thunderlane, who are you talking to?"

"Rumble," his brother answered with a slight hesitation.

A bowl clattered on the floor. The sound of beating wings and rushing wind filled the house. Cloudchaser burst into the room, her silver, spiked mane actually lying flat for a split second until it caught up with the rest of her. She stopped for a moment until her eyes landed on Rumble.

Rumble braced himself. Cloudchaser zoomed in and wrapped him up, squeezing him tight for a moment before letting him go, keeping her front hooves around him. She sat on the floor next to him with a rueful smile. "I'm so sorry, Rumble. She didn't go for the bow tie?"

"She..." Lie. LIE. Don't tell them what's going on, or what you're planning. Just LIE. "She didn't see the bow tie." How did she do that? One quick squeeze, not too long or too short, and a sympathetic smile later, and he couldn't hold back from her.

Cloudchaser raised an eyebrow. "But you're wearing it. That...is it, isn't it?"

"He didn't go!" Thunderlane stepped next to his marefriend, looking down at Rumble. He didn't look angry, or disappointed, but genuinely surprised.

Cloudchaser looked the same way. "Oh, Rumble, what happened? You were so sure of the plan last night!"

He felt under a spotlight again, and he didn't like it. "It wasn't impressive enough." With that, he stood up and started to walk around the pair in front of him.

Thunderlane moved to block him. "Oh, no you don't. This is your first crush, Bro. Trust me, this isn't going to get any easier the longer you wait. If you don't ask her, you'll just feel this exact same way with the next filly. And then the next. And then the next."

"You should listen to him, Rumble. He knows what he's talking about. You should have seen him babble like a lunatic when he asked me out. I said yes out of pity."

Rumble stuffed a hoof in his mouth to stop his laughter. Thunderlane shot a glare over his head. "Don't lie to the kid like that."

Cloudchaser poked her head into Rumble's sight, looking at him. "Come on, Big Bro, he's smiling now." She sat down in front of him again. "Do you want to know what Flitter told me on our way home last night? She said that if Scootaloo turned you down she would chew her out herself, right in front of Rainbow Dash, or those two friends of hers, or any pony if she had to. Neither of us have had a colt do for us what you're thinking of doing for Scootaloo. You'll make her day; I just know you will."

"I'm still trying to make her day." Rumble flicked his eyes back and forth between them as he spoke. "I'm not giving up. Something better just came to mind."

"Oh? What's that?"

Rumble grinned and hovered up to their eye level. "I, Rumble, will venture alone into the Everfree Forest!" He spun, dramatically pointing his hoof in the forest's direction. "There I will fight monsters, brave dangers, and find a trophy worthy of Scootaloo!"

He hung in the air, holding his pose, until he heard Thunderlane's voice. "I told you not to buy him those stupid books!" Rumble turned in anger, and Thunderlane matched the fire in his eyes. "Don't look at me like that. What are you thinking, kid? You can play Fantasy outside anytime. This is her birthday! You-"

"And I want to give her the best present that I can! I'll go to the party when I'm ready to go to the party."

"And I," Cloudchaser said, stepping between the brothers, "think I left the stove on. Thunderlane, could you check that to make sure nothing boils over?"

With a grunt, his brother headed for the kitchen. Rumble started his way up the stairs, followed by Cloudchaser. She climbed beside him, looking on in concern. "You sound different today. Yesterday, the bow tie was 'cool,' and you were going to find a flower 'as pretty as her eyes,' but now you think you can do better? You wanted to do something special for her, but now today is about staying away until you get her the best gift you can? Rumble, what happened?"

He was stripped down to the inadequate core of his being, but he couldn't say that. He absolutely did not want Flitter chewing out Scootaloo for saying no, and the last thing he needed was a scene like that with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. "I...I'm just not good enough for her."

"That isn't up to you. That decision is no pony's but hers. Do you want me to find Flitter? She can give you some pointers if she's finished with her weather-"

"It won't make a difference."

They reached the top of the stairs. Rumble started walking to his room, and Cloudchaser didn't follow. "You're dead set on this, huh? All the planning and pining you've done, and now you're going to go play outside. You don't think you're good enough for her, and your response is to go play outside?"

Rumble smiled to himself. She could have said that last bit a lot harsher. "I won't be playing; I'll be searching."

Cloudchaser sighed and shook her head. "Alright. Just...I need to run home for a minute. Don't leave until I get back, OK?" She turned and flew downstairs without waiting for a reply.

Rumble pushed open the door to his room, pulling off the cloth around the back of his neck and dropping it on the floor. Despite the clutter of books on a small table, and the unmade bed, and the few toys and games scattered on the floor, the room felt empty to him.

It was the walls, he thought. They were sky blue, but there was almost nothing on them. He asked Thunderlane about repainting them, maybe just a few gobs of white to look like clouds, but they hadn't done it yet. There was a grand total of one thing decorating the four walls combined.

Rumble paused and looked over the framed picture again. It showed a newly empty Ponyville reservoir in the background, and three ponies smiling in front of it. Flitter and Cloudchaser stood close together with Rumble sitting on their shoulders, his forelegs raised in triumph. Tornado Day was the one shining moment of his life.

And that was the problem.

Other colts and fillies had stuff on their walls. Pictures for memories, or ribbons to show they did something, or trophies to show they won something, but Rumble only had the one thing. As much as he loved learning about the history of his tribe, he just felt so small reading epic story after epic story. There were more achievements on any one page of any one book in his room than he had to show for his entire life.

That changed today.

He heard the front door open and close. Thunderlane's voice immediately cried out, "You know you're an idiot, right?!"

Rumble snapped, turning to shout out the door. "You didn't try to impress Cloudchaser?!"

"I impressed Cloudchaser by spending time with Cloudchaser! You're gonna go flying around doing who-knows-what. Oh, sorry! You're going to the Everfree Forest to find a trophy! What did I tell you Rumble? You're trying to find reasons not to talk to this girl!"

"I am going to talk to the girl!"

"When? After you conquer the forest?"

"Well it might be quicker for me if I had a weapon!"

"Oh, not this again!"

"You said you'd buy me a spear!"

"I did buy you a spear!"

"It broke!"

"It was plastic! You threw it against a rock! What did you think would happen?"

He didn't have time for this. The Everfree Forest was waiting for him. Rumble marched to his closet and pulled out a pack of camping equipment his parents bought for him when he moved down to Earth. Thunderlane helped him pitch the tent outside a couple of times, but he never really used the whole set before. He pulled out the empty canteen and slung it over his shoulder, hanging it on his right side.

When he turned around, Thunderlane was in his room, holding out a thermos. "Here, take some soup. You'll get hungry."

"Thanks." Rumble hooked the thermos on the canteen strap, dangling it on his left side for balance.

Thunderlane looked like he wanted to say more, but he held himself back as best he could. "You're making a mistake. I just want you to hear that. You'll regret not going to the party."

He stepped to the side, letting Rumble leave. Rumble left without looking back. He trotted down the stairs and headed for the kitchen to fill his canteen. Thunderlane followed him in, turning his attention back to the pot of soup. The two brothers parted quietly. There was nothing left to say. Thunderlane said his piece, and words wouldn't be what proved him wrong. Rumble left the house promising himself that no matter what, he would remember this day for the rest of his life.

"Wait!" Rumble turned to see Cloudchaser coming in for a landing. "I told you not to leave until I got back!"

"Ah, Thunderlane was being a jerk. He doesn't think-whoa! What is that?!"

Cloudchaser grinned and held out a wooden short sword. "It's dangerous to go alone! Take this."

Rumble's jaw dropped. He slowly reached out and took the hilt with both front hooves. They fit nicely under the hoof guard. The "blade" was short, only about half the length of his body. That actually worked to his advantage. The smaller size and weight made it easier to wield with his hooves. A few practice swings proved that.

Rumble hovered in the air and held the sword straight over his head. "This...is so cool! Where did you get this?"

Cloudchaser laughed. "Some punk colt tried chasing me and Flitter around with it when we were growing up. We got fed up, snatched it from him, and knocked him senseless with it. We just kinda...kept it. Anyway, it's yours now."

No way! "This-This is awesome! Thank you!"

"It's yours on two conditions. First, I don't want to hear one word from Fluttershy about you messing with her animals."

"You won't! What's the second?" Even though he asked, he was pretty sure he knew.

"You talk to Scootaloo. Tonight."

"Done."

Cloudchaser blinked in surprise a few times, and then she smiled. "Alright then! It's yours. Go, find your confidence." With that, she went back into the house.

Oh, he would find more than confidence. Rumble slid the sword over his right shoulder, under the canteen strap. He practiced drawing and replacing his new tool a few times to get the hang of it. A few quick climbs and dives in the air got him used to the feeling of all his equipment. Then, with a whoop, Rumble back flipped and took off for the Everfree Forest.

He was ready.

Comments

[OmniFox]

Don't forget about the birthday kiss Rumble needs to give to Scootaloo.

[Evil HERO Malicious Bane]

This chapter caught my eyes and interest

[ponygrad]

Jesus this is cute.