So What’s the Point?
“Best movie ever!” Apple Bloom skipped out of the cinema, her red locks bouncing around her face. “They got so many great actors an’ the sets were so lifelike an’ that action sequence was a blast an’ Ahuizotl was absolutely terrifyin’ an’—”
“I’ll admit it,” Sweetie Belle said. “Rainbow Dash played Daring Do far better than I would have given her credit for. Most ponies see Daring as an unflappable spouter of one-liners, but with Rainbow…” She shrugged. “With Rainbow, she seemed a bit more ‘pony.’ She actually looked terrified during the death trap scene. It lent a lot to the tension.”
“—an’ the music was better’n anything else ah’ve heard an’ the Caballeron cameo after the credits was super unexpected an’—”
“Did you know Rainbow Dash did her own stunts?” Spike said. “For the fight scenes, too. She’s pretty good at jiu shih tzu, I think.”
“She’s also a black-belt in carrote and hoofkwondo.” Scootaloo giggled as she trotted past. “And she’s not too bad at boxing.”
“—an’ then the whole temple was comin’ down around her an’ Ahuizotl was chasin’ her an’—”
Rumble circled in from behind Spike, his wings shaking. “I think I saw her practice kendown in her backyard with a griffon once.”
Spike raised an eyebrow. “Wait, isn’t that with swords? How’s it possible for a pony to hold a sword?”
“—an’ the romance was so sweet an’—” Apple Bloom stopped prancing at the same time her eyes crossed. “Hay, yeah, that sounds pretty wacky, right there.”
Rumble closed his eyes and held his hooves out. “I only know what I saw.”
“Must’ve been that Martial Paw character who’s been hanging around town.” Scootaloo shoveled the last of her popcorn into her mouth. “He said he’s a friend of Dash.”
“Haven’t met him.” Rumble reached for his tie and gave it a tug. “You ready to go, Scootaloo?”
Apple Bloom narrowed one eye. “Where’re you two headed?”
“Um…” Scootaloo and Rumbled exchanged a glance. She gave everyone a half-grin. “Rumble invited me to the Silver Spoon Restaurant.”
Spike blinked. He chuckled and danced his eyebrows at Rumble. “Well, well, well!”
Sweetie Belle touched her lips and smirked. “I’m guessing that wasn’t a reservation for five, was it?”
Scootaloo gave Rumble a sidelong glance. “I didn’t think so—”
“Nah, sorry.” He shuffled his front hooves. “I was just—”
“Relax, Sugarcube, them all ’re just teasin’ yah.” A small laugh jumped out of Apple Bloom’s mouth. “You two have fun, yah hear?” Her ears drooped down a little as she turned away. “See y’all later.”
“Hold up,” Spike said, tapping a finger on her shoulder. “I had this plan to take everypony to Sugarcube Corner to thank you for the free ticket.” He flicked his tail and gave Scootaloo a smarmy grin. “Since certain special ponies have somewhere else to be, I guess it’ll just have to be the three of us.”
Sweetie Belle bowed her head. “That’s rather gentlecoltly of you, Spike. I accept your invitation.”
Spike held his hand out to Apple Bloom. “Whadda yah say? Coming with?”
Apple Bloom stared at the claw, her cheeks tingeing pink. Her eyes met his as her mouth sought words. “Ah, Oh—okay. Sure.”
Spike took Apple Bloom’s foreleg in the crook of one elbow, and Sweetie Belle’s in the other. “Later, dudes. Us lowly peasants go to retrieve victuals.”
Scootaloo and Rumbled watched them amble off. She tilted her head. “You know, I think Spike could sweep a mare right off her feet if he tried. Why doesn’t he?” She nudged his shoulder with a wingtip. “You think he’s still hurting about the whole Rarity thing?”
Rumble grimaced and turned his head away. “I try not to gossip about my friends behind their back.”
“Right. Sorry.” Scootaloo’s wings lifted a little, covering her back. “That was pretty rotten.”
Rumble sucked on his bottom lip. “You ready to head out?”
“Sure.” Scootaloo lifted a hoof which, after a moment, she bumped against his leg. “Lead the way.”
They walked in silence the entire way to the restaurant. They reached it just as the sun sank beneath the horizon, and the streetlamps lit one by one. The outdoor seating of the Silver Spoon, surrounded by thick, green, healthy hedges, glowed from the light of various colorful paper lanterns.
“Wow,” Scootaloo said. “You timed this pretty stinking perfectly.”
“Yes. This was perfectly planned down to the second.” He forced a laugh. “What am I, a medium?”
“Maybe a moderate.” Scootaloo motioned him forward. “The tab’s in your name, right?”
“Yeah.” Rumble trotted briskly up to the maitre d’. “Reservation for ‘Rumble,’ please.”
The maitre d’s eyes widened. They narrowed. They flicked from the young stallion to the guest list and back again. “Oui. This way, monsieur.”
Scootaloo kept close to Rumble’s side as they walked to a table placed far from any hedge. “They know you here.”
“After my and Spike’s accident last year,” Rumble said, “part of repaying our debt was helping install the new ones. They got a real good look at me.”
Rumble pulled out a chair for Scootaloo to slide into. The maitre d’ made a point of removing the candles from the table. “Your server will be along momentarily. Please enjoy the complimentary water.”
Once he was gone, Scootaloo stifled a snort. “Yup, they know you pretty well around here.”
Rumble fidgeted in his seat. His cloth napkin was already in several knots.
“Hay,” Scootaloo said, “what’s up?”
“Oh, nothing.” Rumble shrugged his wings as his tail lashed behind him. “I’m just wearing a too-tight suit in the middle of the fanciest restaurant in Ponyville sitting across the table from you and I have no idea what to do now.”
“Uh...” Scootaloo smoothed her skirt down. “Don’t ponies talk on dates?”
“Y-yeah. That’s what I’ve heard. I just—” Rumble laid the napkin on the table and tried to undo the knot. “I just thought that getting it all set up was the hard part.”
“Hello, there! How nice to see the two of you here!” Silver Spoon herself walked up beside their table. “Don’t you make an adorable couple?”
Scootaloo hazarded a smile. “Uh, hay, Silver. How’s the whole ‘restaurant owner’ thing working for you?”
“It’s, like, the bomb. I don’t think we’ve had better business.” Silver gave Rumble a lingering look. “Once we got the hedges replaced, anyhow.”
Rumble cleared his throat and leaned forward. “You got the last check, didn’t you?”
“It arrived in the mail today,” Silver Spoon said. She rested a hoof on Scootaloo’s chair. “Rest easy, Scootaloo, your boyfriend is officially debt-free.”
“Great,” Scootaloo said with a plastic smile. “Awesome.”
Silver Spoon tittered. “Well, I hope you enjoy your night together. If you need anything, I’ll be at that table right over there.” She pointed to a table that held another mare, one with a pink coat, purple mane, and a shiny tiara on her head. “We’ll be sure to answer any needs you might have.”
“We’ll keep that in mind.” Rumble about choked on his own spit. “Thank you, ma’am.”
Silver Spoon nodded and trotted back to her table. Scootaloo blew a breath through clenched teeth. “She still drives me nuts.”
“I think she does it on purpose.” Rumble tapped the table while his wings angled up behind him. “Hay, Scootaloo, there’s something I kinda need to—”
“Good evening. May ay take yoh ohdah?”
They both turned. Standing beside their table, in an even tighter-fitting tuxedo than Rumbles, was a giant of a pegasus. Muscled rippled beneath skin, veins bulged in his neck, and his small wings fluttered constantly on his back. He bared his teeth in a friendly sort of smile. “Would yoh like to staht with something to drink?”
Scootaloo looked way, way up. “I still need to look at the menu, Mister Biceps.”
“Please,” he said, his friendly sort of smile widening. “Mah friends call meh ‘Snowflake.’”
“Yeah…” Scootaloo tried to match his smile, but it faltered. “Um, lemonade sounds nice. Doesn’t lemonade sound nice?” Her purple eyes searched Rumble’s face.
He nodded quickly. “Yeah. Two lemonades, please.”
“Vehry goood, ay will be bek with yoh drinks shortly.” He trotted off, rattling nearby tables with his hoofsteps.
Scootaloo leaned an elbow on the table. “Featherweight really missed out on the ‘muscle’ genes, didn’t he?”
“He keeps telling me he’s gonna get as big as his dad eventually, but…” Rumble shook his head. “So, um, how was your day?”
Scootaloo fluffed her feathers to get herself more comfortable in her seat. “You were gonna say there’s something you need to tell me.”
Rumble looked down. He had managed to get his napkin tangled up in the table cloth. He set about gently loosening it. “Yeah, I guess there was that.”
“Well, there you go,” Scootaloo said. “You’ve paid for the entertainment. You reserved the table. You’ve got your captive audience.” She brushed her forelock out of her face and smiled. “Go ahead. Spit it out.”
The ground shook as Snowflake landed beside them. He lowered two glasses of lemonade before them, alongside a new napkin for Rumble. “Are yoh redey to ohdah?”
“I’d like…” Scootaloo stuck her tongue out the side of her mouth and pointed at her menu. “The… Caesar salad, please. Hold the onions.”
(1): Mayonnaise, lettuce, and tomato sandwich.
“MLT sandwich (1) on wheat toast, please,” Rumble said.
“Vehry goood.” Snowflake removed their menus and flew off. “Eef yoh need anything, joost wave a hoof.”
The two fell silent. The restaurant had a quiet sort of noise about it. There was the occasional clink of silverware on china, the low murmur of conversation, and a small hum from the magic lanterns. Scootaloo’s tail flicked in time with a song in her head.
“I’m turning eighteen next year.”
Scootaloo’s ears swiveled forward. “What’d you say?”
“I’m turning eighteen next year.” Rumble’s new napkin was being tied up in one knot, untied, and retied in quick succession. “Full-fledged adult, for everything that matters.”
Scootaloo crossed her forelegs. “And what ‘matters,’ exactly?”
Rumble bit the inside of his cheek. “I’m gonna join the Guard, Scootaloo.”
“Oh.” Scootaloo’s hooves went to her lap. Her wings drooped as her face softened. “Oh, wow. That’s right. G-good for you.”
“Th-Thunderlane says he wants me to wait until I’m exactly eighteen to sign up.” Rumble kept his eyes on his knots. “Even though I could send in an early signup and join on the exact day. I think it’s a good idea. Gives me a time cushion, you know?”
“I… I…” Scootaloo gave a quiet sniff. “I hope it’s everything you want it to be.”
Rumble shrugged. “I need to live up to that standard, Scootaloo. I need to fly that flag.” The corners of his mouth turned up, showing white teeth. “I need to be the best.”
Scootaloo touched her hoof to the edge of her glass. “So what’s the point?” she muttered.
Rumble’s smile vanished. “I’m sorry?”
“So what’s the point of all this?” Scootaloo waved a hoof around. Snowflake started to trot over, but she shook her head. “I mean, what’s the point of this date thing? What’s the point of even telling me you like me? It’s just—” She sighed. “What’s the point if whatever we manage to build up only lasts a year?”
“The point…” Rumble took in a deep breath, expanding his muscular chest. “The point is that I don’t want it to just last a year. I want it to last, period.”
Scootaloo frowned. “Because long-distance relationships have such a great track record.”
“I’m not talking about just dating, Scootaloo,” Rumble said. “I wanna get married.”
Scootaloo’s chair scraped against the floor as she rose up, her wings flaring. “Wha—? Holy horseapples, Rumble,” she managed to squeak. “What the heck?”
“Oh, shoot, um—” Rumble pupils became pinpricks. “I didn’t mean right now. I don’t even mean in the next couple years. Just…” He pushed his napkin aside. “Just please, hear me out.”
Scootaloo remained standing for a long moment. She settled herself down in the chair, her eyebrows level.
“I know neither of us are anywhere near ready to be married. That’s not exactly what I meant.” Rumble cleared his throat, then cleared it again. “I’m just… hoping that this can be more than a fling. I don’t just wanna date you, I wanna…”
He rested one forehoof over the other. “I wanna learn how to love you, Scootaloo.”
Scootaloo opened her mouth. She shut it. She opened her mouth again, thought better of it, then spoke anyway. “You aren’t going to be around. You’re gonna be off in training and I’ll be… here. Alone.”
Rumble bit down harder on the inside of his cheek. “It’s not like we’d never see each other. I’d still be in Equestria, ’cause I’m joining the Home Guard. I’ll get to come home and stay home. We’d write—”
“Like me and Dash. I get it.” Scootaloo rested her head in her hooves. “Rumble, this is… I don’t even know. I don’t know that I can do this.”
Rumble locked his gaze on her eyes. His wings trembled. “I’m sorry. I just—I just didn’t want to miss my chance to try. To tell you that you’re—”
“I can’t.” Scootaloo swallowed hard. Her throat bobbed as she talked. “They won’t keep you in Equestria. You’re gonna get sent to Felacia, or Zebrabwe, or somewhere stupid like that, and you’re gonna get killed and I’m never gonna see you again and I just can’t,” she said, her last words ending with a sob.
She pushed out her chair and stood up. Her teeth clenched around her bottom lip. She lifted her head as if to say something, but turned around and walked toward the exit. She moved at a fast walk, not paying attention. She bumped face-first into another pony and tried to brush past.
“Well, who do we have here?” Diamond Tiara said. “What’s the matter? Did muscle-brains over there dump you?”
Scootaloo wiped off her face, smearing what little mascara she’d applied. “Shove it, Diamond.”
Diamond moved to block her path. “I guess that means he’s free, right? Maybe I’ll trot right up to his table and ask him if he wants company.”
“I said shove it!” Scootaloo shouted. “And get out of my way!”
Scootaloo pushed Diamond Tiara aside with her wings. She ran for the exit under the scrutiny of everypony in the restaurant.
“He doesn’t want you, Scootaloo!” Diamond yelled. “Just like your real parents didn’t want you!”
Scootaloo froze.
“Yeah, that’s right. You’re just an unloved orphan!” Diamond Tiara sneered as her eyes blazed. “You’re just a stupid street rat who can’t fly. You try and try, but always fail! You’re an unloved mistake!”
“I’m not an orphan!” Scootaloo stomped up to Diamond, her wings spread and her eyes hard. “I have a million friends who love and support me! I have a big sister to guide and help me! I have two loving parents who’ll never leave my side!” She shoved a hoof at Diamond’s chest, knocking her back a step. “And that’s a heck of a lot more than you have right now!”
Silver Spoon was between them, holding them apart. “Out! The both of you! I will not permit or tolerate such actions! Get out of my restaurant!”
Scootaloo glared daggers at Diamond before turning back to the exit. Diamond gave Silver a pleading look. “But Silver—”
“That means you,” Silver Spoon said as she pushed her glasses up. “We’re going to have a long discussion about this tonight, DT.”
Her eyes hollow, Diamond stumbled after Scootaloo, escaping to the tune of Silver Spoon apologizing for the interruption and promising free desserts on the house.
Scootaloo pulled her skirt off and hung it over her back. She walked through Ponyville’s darkened streets, heading away from the restaurant. She heard the quick clomp of hooves behind her and turned around. “Go away, Diamond. We’ve already had this conversation a million times.”
“Y—you don’t get to say that,” Diamond choked. Now that she was close, Scootaloo smelled something rotten on her breath. “You don’t get to say that about me.”
“Let me just point out”—Scootaloo bumped Diamond with an elbow and watched her teeter—“that I don’t give a darn whether you think you’re a special pony princess. You’re just scum, do you know that? Nothing but a rotten apple. A pain in the flank. A zit on my cheek that needs getting rid of.”
“I’m…” Diamond shook her head, blinking her eyes. “Can’t. I’m the best. I’m always the best.”
“If you were the best you wouldn’t have to keep putting me down!” Scootaloo growled. “Now leave me alone!”
“But I gotta be the best!” Diamond sat down. Tears trickled down her cheeks. “I gotta be the best. Mamma said so!”
Scootaloo said nothing. She turned around and marched away.
Diamond prodded her cutie mark. She called after Scootaloo, “If—if I’m not the best, what’s even the point of this stupid crown on my butt? What’s even the point? How can I be the best if you’re always better?”
Scootaloo looked over her shoulder. “The best at what?”
Diamond Tiara fell silent, her eyes wide. After no words were said for a while, Scootaloo left. Diamond just stayed still, staring into nothing.
***
Scootaloo stood next to the lake. All was dark on the ground, lit only by the moon and the stars. Ponyville’s park was empty save for herself and whatever animals risked moving around at night. She laid her skirt over a bench and washed the makeup off her face in the water.
The flap of wings beside her caught her ears. When hooves touched down on the path, she recognized the gait. “What do you want, Rumble?”
“I screwed up so bad.” He sat down beside her. “I’m sorry.”
Scootaloo rubbed her nose. “I screwed up, too. Said some things I shouldn’t have.”
She shook her mane, spraying water everywhere. She touched it with a sigh. “Purple mop. We meet again.”
“It looks cute,” he said.
She scrunched her nose. “I don’t wanna hear compliments. I wanna hear what you were trying to say.”
Rumble paddled his forelegs in the water. “I’m just… I just wanted to tell you what you mean to me. I wanted to take a chance.”
Scootaloo lay down on the bank and crossed her forelegs under her chin. “D-do you get how scary this is? Every day, you hear about the griffons being unfriendly on the news. Every day, you hear about some guard falling in a diamond dog mine and getting mauled. Every day, there’s some new dragon forecast telling people in a border town to evacuate. You’re gonna get hurt.”
Rumble looked at the moon. Scootaloo glanced his way, just as his eyes reflected the light. “I gotta do it, Scootaloo,” he said. “I gotta give back to this country. I’ve gotta live up to the standard I’ve set for myself. I’ve got to make Equestria safe for you. And Thunderlane. And Cloudkicker. And everypony else.” He looked at her, a silhouette with shining eyes. “I just don’t wanna have to do it alone.”
“I can’t go with you,” Scootaloo whispered. “I can’t be a guard. I’m not built for it. That’s not me.”
Rumble sighed. “Nopony’s asking you to join up.”
He watched the water lap at the shore. “When I was little, Flitter would babysit me. It seemed like she had a different boyfriend every week. When I asked her why, she said it was because she liked to shop around.” He squinted. “At least, I think that’s what she said. After I told Thunderlane about it, he decided to get me a different sitter.”
Scootaloo snorted.
“So I asked him why he didn’t have a girlfriend, and helpfully supplied Flitter as an option.” Rumble grinned. “After gently throwing that particular choice out the window, he told me he didn’t have to go looking for a special somepony if he could just find her.”
Scootaloo brushed her mop down. “How’d that work?”
“He said he wrote down all the things he wanted in a mare. Eye color, age, disposition, the whole works.” Rumble scribbled in the wet sand. “He said he wrote that, prayed to the Creator over it, and then tucked it away somewhere. He said the Creator would find someone who fit better than anypony he could find himself.”
She shut her eyes. “Rumble…”
“When I got older, I did the same thing.” She noticed that he’d ditched his tuxedo somewhere between the restaurant and the park. “So that’s what brings me here tonight.”
Scootaloo scooped water out of the lake and molded it between her hooves. “And?”
“Item one, she’s gotta like Daring Do.”
Laughter bubbled up from Scootaloo’s chest. “Seriously?”
“I was twelve at the time, but it still counts.” Rumble watched her play with the bubble. “Second, she’s gotta be awesome. Like, super-cool.”
Scootaloo separated the blob into two and started to juggle them. “Hmm.”
“Third, she’s gotta be a pegasus.”
“Nothing tribalist about you, is there?”
“I’m just saying, these are the preferences.” Rumble brushed his chest. “Fourth, lavender eyes. Fifth, she’s gotta have a smile that brightens a whole room.”
Scootaloo smirked. “So what you’re saying is that if Twilight Sparkle was a pegasus…”
“No.” Rumble scooched around until he was facing her. “Six, loves kids. Seven, isn’t afraid to be goofy. Eight, easy to talk to. Nine, handy with tools.”
The juggling water blobs halted in midair. “Tools?”
“You think I wanna do all the home-improvement by myself?” Rumble giggled. “I don’t.”
Scootaloo let the water return to the lake. “It’s nice, Rumble, but there’s—”
“Ten.” Rumble held up a hoof. “Ten is important. Ten is big.”
Scootaloo held his gaze. “Then spit it out.”
“Ten is that she needs to understand how important it is to strive for a dream.” He reached out and touched her foreleg. “That if you aren’t working towards a dream, you aren’t really living. She needs to know how it feels to need something with your whole soul.”
Scootaloo let him take her hoof in his. “I just happened to glance at it a few weeks ago,” he said. “The list, I mean. And things just… I was thinking about it, and you popped into my head. Just ‘ding’ out of the blue. And after a while I realized that you’re… you’re her.”
Scootaloo’s wings lowered to the ground. “You gotta follow your dream. I know you do. You can’t give up your dream any easier than I can give up mine. And you, you’re—” She grinned. “You’re stinking Prince Charming with a sense of humor, you know that?”
Rumble’s cheeks took on a dark tinge in the dim light. “But that still leaves the big problem. Doesn’t it?”
Scootaloo brought her other hoof up to his. “Neither of us really want to be alone, do we?”
Rumble tried for a small smile. “Maybe if I get really good they can make me Captain of the Ponyville Guard. They’d have to move a barracks here, but you never know.”
Scootaloo sucked in her lips. “That’s the thing, isn’t it? It’d just be temporary separation, unless…”
“Hay,” Rumble lifted her chin. “Every day, thousands of guards don’t suffer horrifying deaths.”
“Don’t be a jerk.” Scootaloo exhaled through her nose. “But… you’d be the best, wouldn’t you? The best guard you can be, the best special somepony, the best…” She choked on her spit as a chuckle fought with a sob on their way out of her mouth. “Husband? Geeze, I’m too young for this conversation.”
Rumble spread his wings and flapped warm air around them. “Too young? We’re seventeen. We could marry next year if we were in a hurry.”
“I’m not,” Scootaloo said.
Rumble nodded. “I’m not, either. But I meant what I said.” He brought his face close to hers. “I want to learn how to love you.”
Scootaloo looked up to the moon, and then down to its reflection on the lake. She took a step back onto the water, leading Rumble forward. “You can start by learning how to dance.”
“Wait, what?” Rumble resisted, but only a little. “Didn’t we establish that I can’t walk on that stuff?”
She kept his hooves locked with hers. “I’ll do the walking.” She spread her wings in a small curtsy. “You do the flying.”
Her hooves stepped lightly on the water, sending small ripples across the lake. Every beat of his wings sent the ripples jittering and shaking, but didn’t break them. They moved slowly, she on the surface and he in the air, until they were both in the center of the lake. They held each other at leg’s length and shuffled back and forth.
“It’s… not quite the same without music,” Rumble said. “Is it?”
“Gee, and me without my phonograph.” Scootaloo pulled him closer, wrapping one foreleg around his shoulder. “If you can’t hear music, then look for it.”
She kicked out a back leg, sending several drops of water jumping into the air. They dropped one by one and made a small ‘plink’ sound. Each step produced more drips, which produced more plops.
He slid his hooves to her shoulders. “Musician, too? Truly, you are a jack of all trades.”
Scootaloo took a wide step, causing water to splash his face. “Did you just call me a donkey?”
He just shook his head. She added a spin to their step, leading them in circles around the lake. The drops played out a simple rhythm to guide them along. They paused as Scootaloo drew her hoof in a line across the surface, lifting a short wall of water which shone in the light of the moon. Rumble took a chance and wrapped his forelegs around her waist, swinging her in a slow arc. Small droplets of water flew around them as she settled back to the surface.
“Now you’re getting it,” she said. She hugged his neck and brought him closer. They twirled, and the water twirled around them. Dew collected on Rumble’s wings, granting him a coat of starlight. Scootaloo’s eyes sparkled as she directed the dancing droplets. He lifted them both in the air, pulling water to himself. Before long, fog rolled around them, fog that eventually merged into a fluffy white cloud. They both set their hooves atop it and danced together, cheek to cheek.
When the dance ended, he held her high, her wings spread in imagined flight. She bent her head down and pressed her lips against his. They embraced, first with their forelegs and then with their wings. They prolonged the kiss, neither wanting it to end.
When the inevitable came, they parted, short of breath. Their foreheads touched as they sat upon the cloud in the quiet night. Scootaloo folded her wings and lay on her back, and Rumble lay beside her. They watched the stars twinkle overhead.
“You know, I could get used to this,” she said.
“Yeah, that was pretty… wow. That’s a good word for it.”
“You saying that words have finally failed you?”
“Wouldn’t be the first time tonight.”
“This time’s much less of a screw up.”
He propped himself up on his elbow. “How much less?”
She nestled herself into the soft cloudstuff. “Like a zillion times less.”
Rumble sighed. He scratched at the fluff. “It ain’t gonna be easy, is it?”
Scootaloo rested her hoof on her chest, smoothing a few stray hairs down. “Nah. But people always say important stuff isn’t easy. Maybe I ought to listen up.”
Rumble touched her foreleg. “You’re like the princess of uneasy important stuff. Or something.”
Scootaloo laughed. “Was that supposed to be a compliment?”
“Hay, I’ve had an odd day.” He shrugged with a chuckle. “Take what you can get.”
She touched his cheek. “’Kay.”
Their lips dovetailed, sending tingles down their spines. Scootaloo held her hooves behind Rumble’s head. Her wings fluttered through the cloudstuff.
Scootaloo’s eyes snapped open. Her wings fluttered through the cloudstuff unhindered. She sucked in a deep, shuddering breath.
Rumble lifted his head, his eyebrows high. “What’s wrong?”
In one motion, she brought herself to a standing position and pushed him to the cloud. She pressed her hooves to his chest, holding him down.
“Wh—whoa, whoa, wait!” he stammered. “We—we can’t just—!”
“Flap your wings,” she said.
He forced his heart to slow down. He studied her face, which was twisted into a mask of horror and worry. Her wings shook from stress. “Scootaloo, why—?”
“Flap your wings!” she shouted, though it came out as a pained cry.
Still breathing heavily, Rumble complied. His feathers made soft “paff, paff, paff” sounds as they bumped against the top of the cloud. “Scoots, are you—?”
“No.” Scootaloo crossed to the edge of the cloud. She put her wingtips to the surface and lifted her forelegs to perform a wingup. After two pushes, her wings slowly sank into the clouds. She lay on her stomach, with the cloud up to her chin.
“No.” She stood up and scooped up cloudstuff beneath her. She set her wingtips down and tried again, and again she sank. “No. Come on, come on.” She flipped over backwards and landed on her wing, balanced perfectly with all four legs in the air. After a brief second, she slipped into the cloud. “No! No! No!”
Rumble rushed up to her and scooped her hooves in his. “Scootaloo, look, I’m here. I can help you. Tell me how to help you.”
Scootaloo cast her eyes around, searching for something to focus on. Something to inspire a solution. Something to help. “It’s my wings. There’s something wrong with them.”
“Are you o—” Rumble cut himself off and started over. “Are you hurt? Do you need a doctor? I can carry you to the hosp—”
“It’s my wings, Rumble!” Scootaloo pulled away from him, drawing her legs close to her body. She shook as tears gathered. “It’s always been my wings! They’ve always been imbalanced! My own wings are holding me down!”
“We’ll talk to the doctors.” Rumble reached for her. “They can fix it. They’ve got to know a way.”
“Did you hear me?” Scootaloo snapped. “My own wings are why I can’t fly!”
She sat down hard. She wiped salt from her eyes. “I wanna go home.”
Rumble chewed the inside of his cheek. “Sure. Sure, I’ll take you.”
She leaned on him while they descended. They retrieved her skirt and made the now-long trek back to Quills and Sofas. He kissed her on the forehead, and then waited as she walked inside. She closed the door and waited until she heard wing beats before walking further into the store.
Davenport sat on one couch. Roseluck was fast asleep on his lap, snoring gently, a cloth on her forehead. He rubbed her shoulder and looked to Scootaloo. “How was your date, Kid?”
Scootaloo looked back with reddened eyes. A pang touched her heart at the sight of her mom. She trotted over and gave them both a kiss on the cheek. She moved past them and up the staircase.
“It was weird, Dad. Just plain weird.”
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Wait! I don't understand what just happened. What's wrong with her wings?
5230137 From what I read, unless i'm wrong, her wings passed right through the clouds unlike Rumble's, which could actually touch and hit it, when she means imbalance I think she means magic imbalance, which is what affects her flying, like Discord hinted at before.
This was emotionally something alright.
5230137
Her wings went through the cloud. His didn't.
--Spade
Wow, that was a moving chapter, both dramatic and romantic.
RD forgot to read that part of the script, didn't she?
Creator damn it, Sweetie Belle, make up an excuse and go home, you're totally ruining AB's chance!
Scootaloo should have asked Bulk Biceps for advice on how to fly. His advise? "Scootaloo, geht to da choppa!... You can fly in one of those."
Hah, Silver Spoon is a fantastic frenemy.
Wow, jump the gun much? I retract my earlier statement on Rumble having game.
See, when they were ten, this would be the incredibly cruel comment that shows how Diamond Tiara is a master bully. But now that everyone else is growing up, this just makes her look sad and desperate, creating stupid rumors with no basis in fact (as far as everyone else knows). It's less "villain struck a cunning blow" and more "ew, that dog dropped a deuce on the carpet in front of everyone." She really has not changed one bit.
Ok, she has changed a little bit, she's developed a drinking problem. I suppose becoming an alcoholic has-been is the most likely fate of most bullies, but that part about her mom and her cutie mark have grabbed my interest like the scrappy but deadly bite of a jiu shih tzu master. I hope we get to find out more about how she ended up this way, right now she's like that arguing couple in the apartment next door where you kind of want to know why they are always screaming at each other, but you're afraid of what the answer might be. That part back at the beginning where DT comes in and complains about the cake being misspelled when it isn't, it's retroactively sad now, because either that's due to her drinking on the job, or she stopped paying attention in school, and either way I bet the cake is what made Filthy realize his daughter is a lost cause.
Ok, I retract my game retraction from earlier.
Ok, double the game, no, triple it.
Solution seems simple here, not enough magic in the wings, too much in the hooves. Cut the hooves off, magic goes to wings. Who needs walking when you can fly?
5230137
Spade and Hudson covered it pretty well. She wasn't able to channel her innate pegasus magic through her wings to hold herself up. We don't know why this is, but she's certain that the reason she can't fly is because there's no magic in her wings.
5230444
Bingo on the imbalance thing. She's taken Discord's heart-to-heart to heart. If that makes sense.
5230468
My fingers are crossed that it was a good emotional something, not a bad emotional something.
5230489
A story is like a shark, if it isn't always moving, it dies.
I've heard various directers use that technique to get some real method acting out of ponies. You know there's an explosion, but you don't know how big it is, or how close it is. It's the kinda scene where Michael Bray nudges somebody and says "Hay, watch this."
Again, I dunno what you're talking about. Spike has plenty of bits for both Sweetie and Apple Bloom to get ice cream. It's not like Ab's going without, here.
When he seats ponies at tables, he always starts with "Come weeth me eef you want to eat."
Even the best fumble the ball sometimes.
Oh dear. It was a Rumble fumble tumble, bundled with a grumble.
Hello and welcome to the wide world of petty ponies. Too many people drop doo everywhere they deign to speak. It's a sad reality, so of course i've got to include it in my own sad reality.
Dunno if it'll be featured in the story proper, but this is the first night Tiara's had a drop to drink. It wasn't at all relevant, and may never be, but she's not a total lush yet.
Blueblood, on the other hoof...
Rest assured, we're going to get a closer look at DT sometime in the near-future. You've already been given a glimpse into what the mark's about, but there's a bit more than just that. For sure.
Well, she's a bit of a witch, too. Not literally, but all the same...
Or perhaps... ALL IS NOT AS IT SEEMS!
But maybe not.
Remember the conversation we had on the Flim Flimflam<<<>>>Shining Armor scale? Where Sombra and Lickety Split ended up somewhere below Tom in terms of "Strong, Noble, Steadfast, and True"?
Rumble's rating as "Certifiably Hunky" has been noted.
Well, duh, of course. And that's why Discord's always talking about the time he removed Rainbow Dash's wings, to show that he could do the exact same thing to her feet!
I bet that's why stories that become their own 'verses usually have adventure and dark tags. Because blood in the water attracts other sharks.
Is it true that when the king of the Goats was eating at Silver Spoons during his diplomatic visit with Princess Twilight, Bulk served Rambo: First Course?
What? sorry, you mumbled.
Who's my petty little princess?!?
I can't wait, I feel like a vulture watching a pony crawling across the desert, calling dibs on the eyeballs.
That makes me wonder, where do Featherweight and his dad fit?
It's too bad RD never tried racing while she was wingless, she would have super-fast.
Ahh man, visits to that restaurant never go well. I was wondering about Rumble and the guard, that sort of commitment does present complications to a relationship. Nothing that can't be endured if you work at it, though.
But hey, at least the post-date date went really well, Rumble's list and that dancing scene, oh yeah.
5232436
In my defense, there's one story with the dark tag amongst six stories in the series.
Two adventures, yeah, but I don't feel as bad about writing an adventure story.
Alas and alack, they should've asked you for advice!
As it is, any milkshake races (and subsequent headaches) will have to wait.
Goats don't have a government of their own, they live among other species, but I hear Izod enjoyed Jumbo the Minotaur's action movies.
It happens. If I don't enunciate, conversations tend to crumble.
You'll be waiting for a while, yet. Said pony still has a few rations and a bit of water.
Oh yeah? Well, maybe she takes a dim view for comparing her to a witch? Hmm? Thought of that?
Besides, she's an enchantress and a mage. Witch is something altogether unpleasant.
Unless Zecora's the mare you imagine, in which case, buddy, you'll be roughed up by a dragon.
Featherweight is hard to pinpoint, as he's the kind of dude who'll dive into burning buildings to save a mare, but then he'll kiss them regardless of previous relationships.
"Honorable Pervert," perhaps?
Snowflake, on the other hoof, is pretty high on the scale from attitude alone. Steadfastness suffers a hit due to letting his phobias control him. Better than "Nice Guy" not quite "Total Studmuffin."
Hmm. Hmm, hmm, hm, hmmmm, hmm.
Hmm.
5235061
It may be cursed.
Most things can be worked through with willingness to commit. Something that's in short supply in this day and age, but it's there.
That's a scene I've been both looking forward to and dreading. Sounds like it turned out okay.
5235950
I meant in general, most verse stories start with an adventure, then side stories and authorized 3rd party sequels show up, and the stories keep growing teeth for the rest of their lives, and the author is in a cage surrounded by the stories. Or sharks, at this point I can't tell them apart.
He's totally the leader who invites movie stars and former hoofball players to his palace to hang out.
Wow, witches aren't automatically evil, they just get a boost from an outside power source. Whether that boost comes from a black and red amulet or a Crystal tree is immaterial. And sure Twilight isn't ugly, and she certainly doesn't know how to handle a broom, but otherwise she hits every trait on the checklist.
You're a great speaker!
Don't be so humble.
Oh, I can wait....
Featherweight is no longer allowed in library or palace without tissues, due to his mysterious nosebleed problem, is he?
Sitting in Discord's thinking tree, eh? Certhinly helps explain how, the second her wings are injured, Daring Do speed rushes through those temple traps. How about this: You know how many stories have horn rings to block unicorn magic. What if they made bracelets for earth ponies that did the same thing. Would an unscrupulous earth pony wear 3 bracelets to become a hoof-wrestling champion?
Aw, this was a nice chapter. Apart form the big revelation about Scoots' wings, it seems like something's going on with Diamond Tiara as well. Guess we'll be learning more about that later. Also, does Scootaloo already know she was adopted? She didn't give much of a reaction when DT dropped that particular bombshell, though I guess she had other things on her mind at that particular moment
5236091
Go figure that I'd be the one to work backwards on those first couple steps, since the "side stories" came before the adventure.
If they're cages, they're cages the author's lovingly crafted around themselves. I mean, if an author likes to write about something, then it's only natural to write a lot about it.
Ahehehehee... You know it.
I see where you're coming from, though I think you might be using too broad a definition. There've been many types of witches throughout the eons of storytelling. There've also been many other character types who gain and/or harness power from an outside source. I doubt you can call Bowser a witchy type even when he grabs some super-powered sticker or other. I see witches as having a unique "feel" about them: Dark rituals, bubbling potions, shadowy manipulations, a mix of malice and mischief...
And occasionally dabbling in something that would make most ponies wet their beds.
Ignoring witches in other stories or in real life, The Heart's Promise witches are at the very least antagonistic, hailing as they do from the classic archetypes brought to us in fairy tales. They're the types to summon the Smooze. They're the creatures who sing to lure you into their clutches. They're the beings who would see the stars blacked out.
They like to think they hold the reigns of Equestria. Illumi-witch-i, you might say.
I would argue that she also doesn't eat children or barter for ponies' firstborn.
When not humble I bumble.
There are times when his face gets as red as Big Mac's...
Wouldn't work quite like that. Fairy strings work like water pipes, they can only hold a certain amount of magic at a time. If you try to force out more than the strings can hold, you get a magic mishap like Twilight's entrance into Celestia's School. BOOM. Babies fly and phase through walls, dragons get hatched, a sonic rainboom knocks your shy friend off a cloud...
5238688
Thank you, and yes we will.
She did know, and we'll see it next chapter. She was probably more mad that Diamond knew.
5252637
You sound like that paranoid pony who went around claiming prominent government officials were being replaced by some sort of reptile/insect monsters in disguise, using mind-control magic to force ponies to obey. That guy was so crazy, he just disappeared years ago.
If you stuck a foal in the middle of a hayburger near Twilight, say goodbye to that foal.
Oh, that classic trope where the witch trades something to get her hands on an infant, and raises the child on her own to act as an unpaid servant to the witch? Yep, Twilight is nowhere near that trope.
To change the subject completely, how did Celestia get her hooves on Spike's egg?
At least you're not full of hot air like me. I've got a lung-full.
Makes you wonder, then desperately try to unwonder, what Featherweight is referring to when he mentions his own "Twilight Time."
...you drag a house down main street.
5252902
Now you're describing Twilight.
You seriously win all the points and ninety-percent of the touchés with that one. You've got me.
But actually, the story of how Spike was found is an absolutely awesome, novel-length tale in my head. Filled with history, monsters, hearts, friendship, romance, sorcery... it's got all that and a bag of chips.
These rhymes are getting horrible.
Not too much to wonder there. Twilight's lobbying to have serenade-ing outside somepony's window declared a form of harassment.
Well, now that you mention it, I'm willing to believe that Big Mac's magic is just that powerful, his fairy strings that developed, his heart that strong. He's a boss.
5252966
To be fair, it's more like if Rapunzel periodically escapes the tower on her own, so she can run off to the tower of another witch and slave away for her.
I'm sure that's what Twilight told Spike when he first asked. It's not until Spike is an adult that Celestia will sit him down and explain that, just because the game is called "Dragon Poker," doesn't mean you should bet your unborn child on two pair, especially if your opponent has centuries of experience playing cards and doesn't believe in take-backs.
I was thinking more "Feathers! I need to use the shower, my shift starts in half an hour, and Ms. Spoon is not a forgiving boss! You'll have to have your... "Twilight Time" while I'm at work."
Man, could you imagine if he and Maud had a baby? I figure that Maud is already the earth pony magic equivalent of Twilight Sparkle, if they had a kid every time he went running the local diamond dogs would think it was the end of the world.
5253286
And now Spike's wearing a long, blond wig. What have you done to me, Howie?
There were some very high stakes, but it wasn't a game.
"So stohp meking keeesee faces in da mirror!"
Earnest Hemingway, eat your heart out.
Yeah, Maud's a earth-shaking wunderkind. She chews rocks. Geeze.
Now that I think about her, she'd do well as an alchemist, discovering new alloys and such from the minerals in the soil and stone.
I have got to write a Maud story, after I get to the Spike story. Aurgh, so many stories to tell.
5253678
Wigs for everyone! (face wigs) img.pbooru.com/images/254/551d38b1ced38f74d36c84216ab3dfa804d64f2c.png?253966
Oh? Then what would you call it? A gentledrake's wager? A fair trade (somewhere there is a nerdy dragon who studies under Tiamat, raising a pony foal?)
Wow, that is less crude and funnier than my version! Of course, I'm assuming Featherweight gets out the purple makeup and the fake horn and crown for this.
I mostly just based my assumption on her shredding a boulder like swiss cheese in under a second. I doubt even Mac could do that.
Ehh, just write your other stories and then add her in. "X happened. And then there's Maud."
5254330
Sadly, Ponyville's manlymenstallions have yet to discover the testosterone-iousness of full beards.
A rescue.
You know, at this point I'm inclined to believe so.
Well of course not. But I also don't think Maud would be able to harvest the entire east field in a single work day, either.
"Scootaloo soared through the clouds, her tail flapping in the wind. She looked down at the ground and saw Maud Pie studying at the Rock Science College. Maud munched on a topaz with well-concealed delight."
And then the entire rest of the story is about Maud. Scootaloo gets relegated to guest star. All character tags get replaced by Maud. You shall be assimilated into the Maudmind. Resistance is metamorphic.
5262498
What do all the most powerful males in history (Starswirl, Discord, Tirek) have in common? This is why ponies other than Cheerilee need to check out books from the treebary.
How many rescue-es end up as the academic equivalent of "win 3 ring-tosses and get a goldfish? "
I blame the no-kill dragon shelters.
Of course she could. Wait do the trees still have to be planted at the end of the day? Never mind.
Maud is the Steve Urkel of ponies.
5262567
Gasp! You couldn't be more truthful if you tried! I would like to make mention of Andean's feather/mane beard, as well as that ubiquitous cuss "By Celestia's Beard!" (aaaarrrrr)
This is Equestria we're talking about...
"Hay, I harvested your apples."
"Buh-- But where did th' orchard go!?"
"It's okay, you don't need to thank me. Your joy is thanks enough."
"Where's the dang-blasted farm!?"
"Somewhere."
"Where the heck's Ponyville!?"
"It's around. By the way, do you know how to get a small village out of orbit?"
5263707
I always thought that curse was supposed to be incredibly filthy, until I realized it wasn't a euphemism, it was a reference to that awesome beard pic fimfiction-static.net/images/story_images/82901.png?1360487085
The weird part is, Pinkie is basically a female version of Urkel, but in a society that fits her a lot better.
5263825
And here I didn't even realize there could be negative connotations. Every once in a while, I take naive to a new level.
Now, the Urkle is reversed!
5263964
Does that make Cheese Sandwich or Pinkie the Stefan Urquelle?
5264141
Couldn't tell you, but I do know that Boneless is Steevil.
5268962 Urkel meets Chucky? What a uniquely 80s way to go.
Time to review this chapter. Kinda interesting that Applebloom is the most enthusiastic about the movie. It makes sense, Scootaloo has probably been privy to parts of the production, so she's a little burnt out, so to speak. Also, the beginning of AB's crush.
It's funny how everyone at the restaurant knows Rumble, for all the wrong reasons. Also, Bulk is fast, but he has the worst timing.
The date . . . was written suitably awkward. I think my immediate reaction to his "proposal" was like Scootaloo's, he didn't handle himself as well here as he did earlier or later.
Remember how I said I expected the cliche orphan angst? This is where you showed in no uncertain terms that she's already made peace with it, and it's a glorious subversion. Okay, granted, it's possible to interpret it as Scoots not believing her for now, but it still works out well.
My dad said he made a "wife list" as well. Kinda wish I made one before I ever got any crushes, or at least one more detailed than how we should raise the kids. It was amusing too, so points for that.
I was kinda confused when I first came here, because I thought they had already ruled out the wings at some point. You do explain it later though, so it evens out.
Till next time,
Shalom
Rumble's comment about a barracks in Ponyville raises the question of why there isn't one already.
Twilight's castle needs some guards.
I'll give that date a 7/10 since Rumble went after Scootaloo and the cute dance on the lake. But what's up with Scoots wings?