A Dinky Love Story

by Cryptid-Kid

The Dance

It was just another cold, rainy spring day for everyone. The students had spent their recess inside, where they had taken refuge from the pouring rain. It seemed like the dreary weather would just never stop, and they would never see another ray of sunlight fall onto the sparkling green grass, or hear the wonderful sound of birds singing to the world ever again.

But to Dinky, it wasn't a depressing, bleak morning-- it was everything. It might have been storming outside, but in her world, it was a beautiful sunny day where the flowers were in full bloom, the lush green grass was being swayed by the gentle warm breezes, and the sound of birds chirping accompanied the opulent smell of the prettiest flowers, the fresh-cut grass, and the faint scent of honey from a beehive, all forming together in the air to create a perfect spring morning.

This is the kind of powerful effect love has on a clueless, naive pony who has fallen for someone who she thought was perfect. And it was even more powerful the day of the dance, which just so happened to be today.

A million thoughts were racing through her mind: Our first formal event since we started going out! What should I wear? I don't even know how to dance! I wonder if Pipsqueak does? Does that make me incompetent if he does?

But despite her nervousness, the filly was trembling with excitement and dreaminess, each passing moment like a spell that had been casted on her heart, making it feel as if it were soaring through the air like a pegasus.

She hadn't been focusing in school, she had been daydreaming of spending a perfect night at the dance with the one colt she had fallen desperately in love with over the course of a couple of weeks.

And there he was: striding down the hall; his spiky, two-toned, chocolate-colored mane, beautiful hazel eyes catching hers, his proud, confident posture as he worked his way through the crowd to meet her of all ponies-- all of these qualities stood out to her. She had dreamed of finding her very special somepony one day; and her wishing on stars every night when she was a foal had payed off-- because she couldn't have been happier with him... It was like a dream come true!

Her pace quickened to match the speed of her heart that was pumping rapidly now, and soon enough they were both galloping to meet each other, not caring about the world around them until their lips met, and even then, they felt as if they were the only ponies on earth-- not knowing or caring that a million other ponies were very well around them, their eyes looming over the two ponies who were so involved with each other at the moment.

This had been going on for days. Pipsqueak would walk through the doors, Dinky would blush and throw a huge grin before speeding off over to him, dropping whatever she was holding, and fly into his arms, kissing him passionately and clinging to him as if she hadn't seen him for years, and he was thought to be dead, but there he was, suddenly alive, like the ending of so many fantasy tales Dinky had spent every night reading when she was a young foal.

But when she saw him that morning, saw him grin at her the moment he laid eyes on her, she felt as if all her troubles were melting away and, with them, any dread she could possibly search for in her heart. She had found everything she needed. Someone to love and to love her back unconditionally...

But sometimes, love does not come easily. It takes time, and a young pony in love to have the courage to realize that. Dinky was not that pony, not until she changed on a night that she would never forget. Not in her whole life.

The pair of lovebirds strolled down the path leading up to the auditorium, their tails intwined in a fashion that told everyone that nothing in the whole world could possibly drive them apart or cause a rift between them.

Dinky used her magic to push the door open, revealing a perfect, wide room for a dance: a shined floor with seldom a speck of dirt on it, streamers and wall art adorning the beauty of it all, (courtesy of the art club, most of it being Dinky's work as art was her special talent) tables with colorful tablecloth waiting for refreshments to be placed in a neat arrangement atop of them all, and a glimmering disco ball that held together everything like the center stitch of a dress. It would look even more beautiful at night, when the dance was in full swing.

Dinky could just imagine herself in the middle of it all: Ponies would be dancing, the music lighting up the whole room, they would be chatting and having the time of their lives, and Pipsqueak would be sitting in the corner all alone, wishing his dream mare was with him, and then Dinky would stroll through the doors of the auditorium, her beautiful dress attracting the eyes of everyone, confidently striding over to her one true love-- Pipsqueak-- who would gallop over and fling him arms around her as he had been waiting the whole night for her, thinking she might have decided not to come, but there she was, and they would dance together during a romantic slow song and they would both cry and say they loved one another and--

"Dinky! Hello?"

Her dreamy thoughts were interrupted as a pony waved their hoof in front of her face. Snapping out of her trance, Dinky blushed as she realized that Pipsqueak had been trying to talk to her in the present. Well, a mare can dream!

"Sorry, Pip?"

"I asked what time you were arriving at the dance." Pipsqueak gazed affectionately at his girlfriend, his hazel eyes washing over her golden ones.

"Oh. I don't know... I've got a lot of studying to do, what with the finals coming up soon, so... I'll probably be there by 6:30."

Pipsqueak nodded, almost half to himself, and then said something that didn't quite match his expression or tone: "But. Then we'll only have a half an hour together."

Dinky smiled back at him, her eyes flickering over the room and then slowly working up to meet his gaze. "I'll try to be there as soon as possible. It's just... I really need to study."

Pipsqueak shrugged. "A half an hour is still plenty of time, I suppose."

She kissed his cheek. "Of course. Besides... I'm not that good at dancing anyway."

They watched as several pegasi flew up to the ceiling to attach various streamers. One of them, a bluish gray pegasus, struggled behind carrying quite a lot of bags full of decorations the others had instructed him to hold.

The moment Dinky noticed that particular pony she bolted over to the ladder placed delicately across the room and galloped over so that she was under him, using the safety of her own magic to keep it steady. In an instant, she was at the top where she was level with the pegasus, surprising him as he hadn't been looking where he had been going and nearly bumped into her.

For the first time in days, she spoke to him. "Heya Rumble! Need a hoof with that?"

It was only then that she realized how different he looked. She didn't know ponies could change so much throughout a couple of weeks! But his mane seemed messier, out of its sleek style, his eyes were dull and drained of happiness with dark circles around them, his smile... Well, there wasn't one.

"No thank you, Dinky," was the only reply she heard from the cold pegasus before he flew around her and caught up with the rest of the pegasus ponies that were helping with the preparations of the dance.

She stood with a puzzled expression on her face before using her magic to slide the ladder across the floor, earning respective winces from those around her as her actions made a grinding, horrible sound similar to someone scratching a chalkboard. But the sound was over in a flash as she had moved as quickly as Pinkie Pie when hyped up on sugar. And she had caught up to Rumble, who was once again shocked and a bit startled.

"Hey! Are you going to the dance tonight?"

Rumble didn't look at her. He said in a quiet voice, "Yeah. Thunderlane's making me go. He said that it isn't good for me to spend my time 'moping' in my room."

"What have you been--"

"Dinky!"

Her attention was snapped back to her calling boyfriend, who seemed to be impatient. "Oh, I gotta go. Uh, see you at the dance, Rumble!"

Climbing down from the ladder, Dinky used her magic to prop it up against a wall across the room where it wouldn't fall and hurt anypony. She turned back to Pipsqueak. "Sorry. Just chatting with Rumble."

Pipsqueak nodded nonchalantly, his eyes narrowed to slits and fixed on the gray pegasus. He quickly shifted his gaze back to the unicorn in front of him and gave a half-smile.

"So... What were you talking about?"

"I wanted to know if he was going to the dance tonight. We haven't been hanging out lately so I'm really looking forward to the dance!" Dinky clapped her hooves. "My two best friends in the whole wide world are gonna be there!"

Pipsqueak raised an eyebrow, but said nothing, his face neither a smile nor a frown. "You say he hasn't been around you lately?"

"No," Dinky replied with a shake of her head. "not really. The last time I talked to him was like, a week ago maybe? Until just now, that is."

"And what did you two... discuss?" Pipsqueak said through gritted teeth fixed in a strange smile.

"I don't remember," Dinky shrugged. "Why?"

"Curious," Pipsqueak's brown eyes were alternating between Dinky and Rumble, drawing an imaginary line between the two of them with his gaze, streaking from the floor to the ceiling.

Dinky didn't respond and her gaze shadowed the whole auditorium, admiring the beautiful work the pegasi had done so far, even though it wasn't completely finished yet.

The bell's loud ringing snapped Dinky out of her thoughts and brought her back to the present.

"C'mon, Pip," Dinky said and motioned towards the door before making her way over to it. "We don't wanna be late for class."

He followed, provided Dinky didn't look back to see the icy stare he was fixing on Rumble. One that was only recognized as pure rivalry, a cold hex that chilled not only Rumble, but anypony else who happened to be around in the atmosphere Pipsqueak had now created.

It wasn't just evil, no this was downright creepy, and he had somehow managed to leer at Rumble or any other stallion that was friendly with Dinky when she wasn't looking whenever he got the chance. And she was too spacey to realize it or notice.

Rumble found himself sitting on the bridge that shadowed the rushing white rapids below him. The water stormed and raged headstrong down the river, splashing as each wave resisted against jagged rocks and smashed by furiously. He technically wasn't supposed to be here, as the rapids were quite dangerous and had been closed off from the public years ago, but Rumble and Dinky had discovered a hole in the fence that kept ponies (with the exception of pegasi) out of the woods while on a walk. To remind the ponies of the danger of falling in the river, several warning signs were posted all across the walls and scattered throughout the fence in bright neon colors. They were pretty hard to miss.

But despite the loud sound of the raging rapids, and the trees surrounding him creating a thick layer of ominous, mysterious shade at night, it was a great place for Rumble to sit and think. To get away from everypony and just sit by himself when he was stressed. He appreciated and respected nature, but didn't dare stay in the forest after 5 p.m. He would spread his wings and fly home as fast as he could the minute he noticed the sun was going down. Celestia knows what kind of creatures could be stalking him during the night... When he was alone...

He shoved a pebble that was resting on the bridge and watched it fall to its watery doom that awaited it. It soon got lost under the foaming strong currents that chased the stream. He rested his head on his hooves as he watched the river beneath him, thinking about the dance, his mind full of regrets.

I'd stay home if Thunderlane wasn't going to be in the house all night... He'll just make me go and send me back if I came home much too early... Rumble swung his hooves and, not for the first time that day, or the hour he had been sitting there watching the rapids tumble by, he felt a pang of heartache that originated from just wanting his best friend back. Even just for one day. One day for him to have her all to himself...!

He let out a long, frustrated sigh. Rumble, you're better than this. Get. Over. Dinky. You can totally live without her. For a brief moment he felt a burst of motivation before it deflated after he remembered who exactly was Dinky's boyfriend.

And that was another thing. Rumble had tried to play nice with Pipsqueak. He had tried to convince Pipsqueak that he and Dinky were only friends (sadly.) That stuck-up, selfish pony couldn't allow Dinky to have her own friends! He didn't just not trust Dinky, he was keeping Rumble from her!

He suddenly felt more discouraged as another thought came to mind. And Pipsqueak was right to not want me around Dinky... I am in love with her... Or, at least I used to be.

Still, he thought the way Pipsqueak treated him when he confronted him was wrong. He didn't have to be rude! Couldn't he have just asked politely instead of filing an ultimatum and screaming in Rumble's face like that?

Whatever, Rumble lied to himself again, pretending like he didn't care, If Dinky wants to date that jerk then hopefully she'll recognize him for his true self. In the meantime, I can... totally live without Dinky!

Sighing as he realized that convincing himself that at the time was like trying to turn an apple into an orange. It just wasn't true. It wasn't.

It was hopeless. He was in love with Dinky and she had chosen Pipsqueak over him!

Tears rolled down his face, streaking down his neck and chin and some falling to rest on the bridge below him, his eyes narrowed to slits so that he could barely watch them fall and dampen the stone he was sitting on in a speck-sized puddle.

His thoughts were swayed by a certain deep voice calling out his name in loud desperation, reigning a sense of guilt in as he saw his brother Thunderlane, a gray dot in the distance, grow larger as he approached quickly.

He was not happy.

Rumble sheepishly recoiled, and Thunderlane, making no attempt to hide his angry, lashed out. "Rumble! I have been looking all over for you, and I find you slinking around the one place I told you to stay away from!"

The pale gray pegasus rubbed the back of his neck, giving a nervous grin as if to persuade his furious guardian. "I- I'm sorry, Thunder, I.." Tears were welling up in his eyes, but he did everything he could to hold them back, and despite his best efforts a clear sparkling dewdrop formed around the rim of his eye.

Thunderlane sighed, not able to stay mad at his brother for long. "Listen, Rumble. You've been sulking around for weeks now and it's starting to concern me. And don't tell me that everything's fine, because I know that it isn't." Thunderlane gave Rumble a stern, intimidating look that warned him not to tell a lie.

Rumble stayed quiet, occasionally opening his mouth to say something but eventually clamping it shut due to not knowing what to say or how to word his thoughts.

"I... Thunderlane... Can you keep a secret?" Rumble whispered as his forbidden tear managed to slip out of his eye, sliding its way down his pale gray face now.

"Of course I can," Thunderlane told him and put an arm around Rumble. "What's wrong, little brother?"

Rumble sniffed, his posture straightening slightly at the sight of Thunderlane's friendly golden gaze that dawned upon him, giving off a silent message that told him Thunderlane could be trusted. "Well..." He shook his head. "You know Dinky?"


"Yeah?" Thunderlane raised an eyebrow, narrowed his eyes and gave him an all-knowing smile as realization spread throughout the air. "Oh my gosh, you like her, don't you?"

Rumble gave a stiff nod before opening his mouth to speak, however, Thunderlane cut him off. "Ha, I knew it! You've had a crush on her since the seventh grade. I bet she's in love with you." He winked at his brother and elbowed him, making his stomach churn.

Rumble nearly shouted, "Only she isn't in love with me!" He brought his hooves to his face, hiding a river of tears flowing as frequently as the rapids below him, each one having a feeling of pain and heartache embedded deeply within the soul. "S-She's... She's in love with Pipsqueak..."

Thunderlane stared blankly at him for a minute before shaking his head. "Who's Pipsqueak?" His eyes were expressing deep compassion, but confusion nonetheless.

"What?" Rumble yelled, unable to hear him over the rapids' constant splashing and delivering powerful blows made of waves to sharp, jagged rocks.

"I asked, 'Who's Pipsqueak?'" Thunderlane shouted.

Rumble rolled his eyes. "The most annoying colt in the entire school! He's acting like Dinky's mother, telling her who she can and can't be friends with! And what's worse, she's oblivious to the entire thing... It's like... she doesn't need me anymore." He wiped away a few tears that he was struggling to reign back in, rubbing his eyes as well as wallowing in self-pity.

"Oh," Thunderlane replied, not knowing what else to say or do other than wrapping his arm around Rumble's shoulders in support. "I... had no idea. I'm sorry, Rumble, I... That must suck..."

"Yeah. It does." Rumble shifted away from him, glaring through teary eyes narrowed to slits at the stone bridge overshadowing the blazing waves of ongoing water.

"I'm sorry, Rumble," Thunderlane muttered.

He didn't hear what his brother told him, but nodded anyway as if he did when he heard the faint, low vibrating sound of Thunderlane's voice being exercised, reminding him of the low hum of mosquitos as they swarmed around the front porch's glowing light on hot summer nights.

"Come back with me," Thunderlane prompted, nudging him. "You know, the dance is starting soon, so you'd better be getting ready. Maybe once you're out and interacting with other ponies you'll fall into a better mood."

Rumble's expression lifted slightly, his eyes looking as if they wanted to leave their colorless, dull state and return back to the eyes Thunderlane was used to: Pale purple, vibrant and bright, always expressing a great deal of friendliness and cheeriness. "Okay."

Thunderlane lifted his set of stormy gray wings, raising them to the darkening sky, and with one great leap he took off, shooting himself up into the clouds in the direction of home. Rumble smiled and followed him at a slower pace. He couldn't keep up with Thunderlane; there was no doubt he was one of the fastest pegasi in Ponyville!

"Dinky! What's taking so long? Hurry up, or you'll miss the dance completely!"

An annoying, loud banging noise could be heard from outside of Dinky's room. She rolled her eyes and promptly marched over to her door, passing by the mirror to make sure she looked okay briefly, then opened the door using her magic.

Her big sister, Amethyst's impatient expression evaporated into thin air when the door opened to reveal Dinky in her beautiful dress.

Her hair was done up in a way that made her look as if she were a princess. Beautiful long blonde hair seemed to be sparkling and gleaming now in contrast of her outfit.

She was wearing a dark cerulean dress, not begging for attention, but amazing all the same. It wasn't frilly or fancy, but it wasn't plain or simple, and if Amethyst didn't know better she'd say Dinky were a beautiful queen or maiden from another country, awaiting her destiny at this one formal ball. Dinky was hardly wearing any makeup, but that didn't matter, as she looked gorgeous enough on her own.

Amethyst gasped when she saw her little sister before her, taking in her beauty. "Oh, look at you!" She said softly, hugging Dinky briefly. When she pulled away, she continued: "You look beautiful."

"Thanks," Dinky whispered, smiling shyly and blushing. "Well, I'd better get going. Tell Mom I left, okay?"

"Sure thing," Amethyst responded, her eyes still sweeping over Dinky's appearance. Both ponies noticed about a second later that Amethyst was tearing up.

"What's wrong?" Dinky's golden gaze interlocked with her sister's light violet stare. She flashed a look of compassion as she eyed Amethyst, who was wiping away a tear.

"Nothing," the older unicorn whispered, her smile returning to her crestfallen face, "It's just... You're all grown up now!"

Dinky threw her arms around the purple unicorn, hugging her tightly again and laughing softly. Both of them felt a moment of joy and sisterly unity and unswayed bursting pride: They might not be little foals growing up together anymore, but they were still sisters, and loved each other unconditionally, no matter how many times one of them pulled the other one's hair, or ate the other one's cookie, or drew all over the other one's homework, all three things becoming vague memories of each other's childhoods.

They broke the hug, and Dinky smiled, her vision grazing softly down the stairs. "I have to go. Don't want to keep my date waiting that much longer."

"Have fun," Amethyst called after her, watching her make her way gracefully down the stairs just as a princess would, except for the fact that there was no prince charming or knight in shining armor waiting for her at the end of the staircase. At least not at that very moment. Dinky's heart fluttered at the thought of Pipsqueak being there, dancing with her, both listening softly to a slow song, and she could hear the comfort of his slow heart beat as she was pressed against him, swaying softly to the dance.

"I will!" Dinky smiled back up at her sister before using her magic to open the door, closing it gently behind her. The walk to school was only about five minutes, so if no great disasters happened she would hopefully get there in one piece without tearing her dress, tripping and falling, or getting soaked by the oncoming sprinklers that guarded several neighbors' lawns. Luckily no such thing happened.

It was a peaceful dusk stroll through town, at a time where day and night were colliding, creating not only a beautiful sunset, but a crisp breeze that ruffled the back of Dinky's neck. She giggled softly at the strange feeling of the soft wind tickling the nape of her neck. She didn't often leave her hair up, rather she usually had it down, so having it done up felt like a weight was taken off her neck. The breeze made her feel so relaxed and calm that she started considering cutting her mane so she would always feel this way. Having a long mane was nice and all, but it sure was nice to make a change every once in a while.

She finally neared the school building, each step closer sending her heart flying on different excitable scales. Despite the fact that it seemed odd going to school during the nighttime, she was almost ecstatic, yet nervous all the same. This was going to be the best night of her life! She couldn't wait to see Pipsqueak, awaiting her patiently by the dance floor, where they would dance the night away... Well, until the dance was over, at least.

Those thoughts sent her galloping to the door, a huge grin plastered across her face, her heart beating out of her chest, her emotions soaring past her-- This was the night of her dreams!


She could hear the beautiful music through the muffling doors of the auditorium as she approached them. She beamed brightly at the pony guarding the doors to make sure no random ponies who didn't bring their tickets showed up. He glowered down at her as if he was either taking his job too seriously or he really didn't want to be there, or both, but Dinky didn't let that affect her joyous mood.

Dinky's horn lit up a brilliant shade of gold and she levitated a pale blue ticket, looking slightly green as it was floating in her globe of golden magic, out of the pocket of her dress, where it had been waiting. She set the ticket in the center of the guard pony's outstretched hoof, and his sullen expression morphed into an appreciative, friendly one. His own horn lit up a shade of deep green and the doors to the auditorium responded to his magic. They opened at once and Dinky could instantly hear the music blaring out of the doors, spilling out into the night briefly before she thanked the guard pony and the doors closed behind her.

Her eyes fell across the gorgeous decorative dance room-- as expected, it was at least three times more beautiful at night, with all the lights dimmed and the sparkling disco ball practically brimming with life. What a lovely night! Not for the first time, Dinky felt as if nothing could possibly ruin this night-- nothing at all.

This was it. This was her time to shine. And she could tell that everyone around her noticed it too by the way they stopped and stared, their eyes growing wider, their attention flickering over to her and abandoning whatever it was they were doing briefly before returning to their previous state of mind.

Her stomach was in a knot. She had been waiting forever for this! The moment had finally arrived! Her eyes immediately began scanning the shining room for her date-- Where was that colt? After a few seconds of searching her excited expression shattered and was replaced with bitter despair. What if he wasn't here? What if he didn't make it? What if he got tired of waiting and gave up on her? What if--

To her relief, her gaze came to rest on that short, familiar colt, standing and chatting with a few of his friends, it seemed. One of them was a filly in her class that she never really talked to, but was still friendly towards her-- Sweetie Belle, she thought her name was-- a pretty filly who was the youngest of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Standing near her were her two best friends-- Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, both Cutie Mark Crusaders as well, even though all of them had earned their cutie marks. All three of them wore beautiful dresses, Sweetie's being almost as pretty as Dinky's, she realized. Pipsqueak wore a necktie and his eyes were fixated on Sweetie Belle-- the earth pony seemed to be having a wonderful conversation with her.

Dinky's heart started pounding out of her chest-- She had found him, her "one true love," and she began galloping over to him, pushing her way through the crowd gently to make her way over to her boyfriend she was so desperately trying to get to.

And then Dinky's high hopes and dreams were smashed together in one quick move.

Pipsqueak took Sweetie Belle's face in his hooves and prevented her from talking by leaning in to seal her lips with a kiss.

Dinky stopped dead in her tracks. She felt as if she had been slapped across the face, and she could practically feel her heart deflating like a balloon that a pin had been stuck in.

She just couldn't believe it. What... What just happened?!

She was given no comfort as Sweetie Belle pushed Pipsqueak away from her, breaking the kiss instantly, her face a shade of red. She seemed extremely humiliated, and began yelling at him in a high octave.

"Pipsqueak! What the hay did you do that for?! I-- I have a boyfriend! You have a girlfriend!" Sweetie backed away from him as he followed her. He practically growled, looming over her and making her feel about a hundred times smaller as he began to sling a series of horrid insults that made her burst into a fit of tears.

Suddenly an orange pegasus and a yellow earth pony shoved their way in front of him, their gazes full of nothing but protectiveness and need to defend Sweetie.

Dinky felt like she wanted to move, but couldn't-- she just felt so betrayed, so heartbroken, so... worthless... That she felt as if her hooves were glued to the stage and that she was just forced to watch as Apple Bloom hissed at Pipsqueak to back off in her country accent.

"I don't care if you act like a jerk all the time and push me around," Scootaloo told him angrily, "but nopony harms Sweetie Belle!"

"Yeah!" Apple Bloom cut in. "If... If you ever try ta' hurt her, we'll.... We'll actually start standin' up to ya for a change!"

Ponies started staring, and suddenly a brown earth colt with a scruffy orange mane-- Button Mash, Dinky knew his name as he was in Rumble's grade-- dashed off to where they were and immediately took Sweetie in his hooves. "Hey, what did you do to my girlfriend?" The colt's amber eyes shone with defensiveness, and Sweetie Belle began wailing, burying her face into his shoulder and retreating into the slightly older colt's comforting hug.

"Back off, idiot!" Pipsqueak shoved Button Mash roughly, letting him fall to the floor as ponies all around them gasped, most of them stopping what they were doing to watch. "All four of you don't know anything! You're all just... You're all stupid pathetic babies who don't have a life!" With that, he stampeded off, his eyes two hazel orbs of fire, leaving them next to tears on their own at the corner of the room.

Pipsqueak looked as if he had a heart attack when he came face to face with a teary-eyed Dinky, her face showing nothing but the effects of betrayal, pain and heartache. He knew he was in for it when she glared down at him.

"Why did you kiss Sweetie Belle?! And what was all that stuff they said about you being a jerk to them?!" Dinky nearly exploded in anger, her voice even coming to rise above the music.

Pipsqueak stood in shock. "I.... You're here... early." His face was filled with horror and surprise, and Dinky could tell that he had not been counting on her showing her face a few minutes earlier than the time she had told him she would arrive.

"I.... I thought you loved me!" Dinky burst her way through the crowd, not saying another word-- Not wanting to hear another word-- She was so disgusted with him that it made her stomach churn with dread and horror.

She didn't want any part of this any longer. Dinky shoveled through the wave of ponies, galloping across the room towards the back door that led to the staircase to the second level of the building. Without thinking about it her hooves smashed against the door, pushing them roughly open, and she disappeared into the ghostly school building.

She didn't stop until she reached the bottom of the stairs, and even then she reluctantly threw herself down so that she was sitting on the last step. She couldn't think of anything to do at that time except sit there and cry, her heavy breathing and wails filling the abandoned building's atmosphere. Each moment that she had witnessed passed before her, replaying itself in her mind over and over again and again until she couldn't take it anymore and burst into a rapid yet quiet fit of tears.

She just felt so betrayed. So rejected. Like Pipsqueak had taken her sense of happiness and mangled it beyond recognition. How could he? I thought he loved me! She was just so repulsed by this whole situation that she felt sick to her stomach. Dinky felt like she never wanted to see his face ever again, or come to this school ever again, or speak to anyone ever again. This was it. Her life was ruined. It was over.

Her quiet crying cut through the air, each wail being accompanied by a series of short, heavy breaths and sniffling when she took the time to cut off her grieving to breathe quickly. Her hoarse voice was loud enough to be heard by anyone in the same room as her, but still not quite that loud for anyone to hear her. Luckily, someone did.

She heard the sound of hooves on marble floors and looked up, her vision controlled by tears until she blinked them out. A friendly gray figure stepped out of the shadows to approach her, and her emotions suddenly went out of control as she burst out crying and threw her hooves around his neck without even thinking.

"Rumble!" Dinky sobbed, her face being buried into his shoulder, "MY LIFE IS RUINED!" Her shrill hollering almost pierced his ears, but he didn't seem to let it bother him as he wrapped his hooves around her.

"No... Shh, Dinky, it's alright, your life isn't ruined yet..." Rumble whispered comforting words that had no effect on the horrified pony.

"Yes it is!" Dinky wailed, her voice hardly recognizable due to her crying and her high-pitched octave that she hissed at him with.

"Oh, seriously!" Rumble broke the hug, his purple eyes almost ablaze with anger. "Pipsqueak is a stupid featherbrain and he always has been!"

She stood in mild shock at Rumble's sudden mood swing. Dinky would have felt the need to defend Pipsqueak but after the events that happened just then, she couldn't help but agree.

"What do you mean, 'always has been?' He has been nothing but nice to me and my friends until just now!" Dinky narrowed her golden eyes, interlocking her gaze with Rumble's.

"No, he hasn't!" Rumble nearly shouted, as if he had been waiting to say that for some time now and had been holding all his emotions in.

Dinky flinched, her gaze softening a bit to allow his to as well. He realized that he had startled her, so he said in a much calmer voice, "No, he hasn't. Ever since you two started dating, he... he made a threat towards me that meant if I tried to talk to you, he'd kill me."

She gasped. "He'd kill you? I mean, I get that he's a jerk and all but--"

"Well, no, he didn't actually say 'kill', but... I could just tell from the look in his eyes that he meant business." Rumble looked uneasy at the very thought.

She rolled her eyes. "Uh, how could he possibly mean business with you?" Her watery eyes weren't full of hurt and self-pity, they were filled with mild annoyance now. "Seriously, Rumble. You should have told me about it! He's a shrimp compared to you. What did you actually think would happen?"


Rumble looked down at the floor in embarrassment, not meeting her gaze. She must have noticed he was feeling insecure about it, because she apologized after a few seconds.

"Sorry," she sighed, and he looked up at her for the first time in awhile after a moment of silence. "I'm just really upset about this whole thing. I'm disgusted in him, I'm disgusted in myself for dating him, I'm... I'm just so angry right now!" She broke their gaze by glaring down at the floor below them. "If you had just told me I would have broken up with him right then."

"I know," Rumble said, rubbing the back of his neck that was turned away in shame. "Sorry. I guess I was getting too worked up about it all. I was just really depressed, you know? Because of Pipsqueak and y..." His face went bright red for a minute, and he instantly cut himself off, as if he had been leaking confidential information without realizing it until just then. It took a moment for him to compose himself, and by that time Dinky had been staring at him through tears with a confused expression spreading over her. "...Anyway, the point is, at least now you know he's a jerk, right?"

"I guess," Dinky pouted, hanging her head in sorrow. "I just wish I had known this sooner. I... I really loved him. Or, I thought I did... and I thought he loved me." She practically was oozing with depression and heartache, both feelings Rumble had been experiencing in the same way up until this night. "I just wanted this night to be perfect! After all those years of bullies and harassment and scars I thought I finally met someone who loved me! But he's just like the rest of them!" Tears were streaking rapidly down either side of her face, staining the floor below them in a clear dewdrop hard to see in this light.

Rumble shook his head and gave her a golden, gleaming smile that lit the darkness in her bitter heart. "No, not everyone-- There's ponies out there who really suck, and they'll hate on you as they live, but there's still your sister, and your mother, and I'll always be there for you, and I'll never hate you."

Dinky felt something ignite inside of her; words she had been waiting to hear in a long time from someone was finally spoken, and without even thinking she threw her arms around him, glad to have her best friend back. Someone that actually cared about her-- Someone who loved her!

Suddenly her heart skipped a beat or two and she felt heat rising in her face at the thought when she pressed herself against him. She had never really thought about it that way. N-No, Dinky, I'm sure he doesn't love you, I-I mean, you've known him for a long time and you love him as a friend but he doesn't.... Love love you, right? What if he does? What would it be like if we started dating?

She shoved the thoughts out of her mind when Rumble slowly broke the warm hug. He smiled at her, his purple eyes filled with light, and if she didn't know any better she'd say he was blushing. He spoke quietly: "So... there are still a few minutes before the dance ends..."

Dinky's face lit up. "You know, I could go for some dancing right about now!"

Rumble bowed his head courteously, which made her laugh because they were best friends and it was weird to see him act so formal towards her. "Well, in that case, may I have this dance, Miss Dinky?"

She bowed her head in response, taking his outstretched hoof and smiling before saying, "Yes sir, you may." They both burst out laughing before skipping off together, an odd pair, back to the auditorium doors.

Dinky wasn't going to let Pipsqueak bring her down-- Not when she had her best friend, a pony worth living for! There was still a lot of dancing to do, and she didn't intend to spend her time dancing alone.

She couldn't help feeling a rush of excitement and courage as the two ponies galloped down the halls, but this was something different. She felt free, she felt almost invincible. She couldn't remember a time where she felt this much joy. And it was only until the doors to the auditorium opened when she realized it was because of Rumble.

Glancing up at him, she cursed herself for being unable to control the heat that rose beneath her cheeks. A set of amazing light violet eyes glistened with friendliness in the light of the dance. His dark mane was brushed back in a sleek style, and his mouth was turned upwards in a perfect smile-- one that she didn't quite like to admit she admired. He was wearing a dark blue bow tie that she couldn't help thinking made him look... What was that word? Cute? She immediately shook the thought out of her head, but...

He sure was handsome. Something she never really noticed about him until now where it made her do stupid things, such as blush and sit there as her heart fluttered when he looked at her. She felt this weird feeling in the pit of her stomach that reminded her of going upside-down in the loop of a super fast roller coaster. But she wasn't on a roller coaster, she was on the ground, so what strange force could possibly be strong enough to be compared with the roller coaster?

And why did she suddenly feel this way about Rumble? It's not like she had always thought of him like this. She guessed her emotions were running so high right then that it made her think of all sorts of dumb things. Like, for example, that Rumble was attractive. And charming. And cute.

Dinky's thoughts were interrupted as Rumble grabbed her hoof. Pulling her out to the dance floor, she giggled and decided to push all those irritating thoughts out of her mind and run along with him to dance for awhile.

Pipsqueak and Sweetie Belle were nowhere to be seen; they probably both went home out of shock and/or disappointment, Dinky realized. There were still a few couples and lone ponies dancing among groups of friends and suddenly it hit her like a ton of bricks.

She didn't know how to dance. And she was standing in the middle of a dance floor. With her best friend. Who was holding her hoof. Which was starting to get really sweaty just then.

Her imaginary request to have time to think wasn't picked up by Rumble as he began dancing, and she decided to go along with it by pretending to dance while basically just moving side to side frequently and tapping her hoof to the floor every once in a while to the music. She felt awkward, and wanted nothing more than to be home where none of this was actually happening. But at the same time, being around, dancing (sorta) with Rumble, her tall, handsome good friend (and there was nothing more to it than that) put her in a happy mood that prompted her to stay with him and left her wondering if she could ever have acquired a mood like this with Pipsqueak.

No-- Rumble was the pony who had made her laugh and smile and feel at home, the pony who had defended her time and time again from bullies and threats, the only pony in the universe who understood her-- who she could actually be herself around.

And when she looked deep into his radiant violet irises a thought came to mind: She did love him as a friend. But, in a romantic way...? She just couldn't answer that nagging question at the moment. And how could she love somepony else after having her heart shattered to shards just a few minutes ago?

But how could someone like Pipsqueak possibly compare to somepony as amazing as Rumble? He was kind, caring, funny, brave, sensitive, good-looking... What more could a filly possibly want in a colt? She turned her head away from him and refused to meet his gaze as the thought, while meaningful, made her feel a certain emotion of uncomfortableness.

Rumble looked up at her, and she glanced back at him, before being met with his endearing smile made her immediately pin her eyes on the ground, a deep blush spreading over her face like wildfire.

Dinky! You stupid featherbrain! Why are you acting this way around him? You're not supposed to be shy around your best friend. She cursed herself for her sudden actions that she couldn't seem to control nor reign in at the moment.

It wasn't until a particular slow song came to rest over the night when Dinky had found her emotions were all scattered in different directions, each one containing an ambiguous concept of how she felt about Rumble. All the time she had spent dancing she had been trying to understand herself at the present and how she felt about her best friend that she realized she could quite possibly have feelings for. She was too tired from all the dancing to protest when Rumble pulled her closer to him, the both of them swaying softly to the music.

She couldn't ever really imagine herself dancing to some sappy romantic song with Rumble, of all ponies, her best friend, and there was nothing more to it than that. But somehow through her sleepy haze she could feel her heart flittering with affection as his eyes fell down upon her.

Not having enough energy to do anything other than sway with him to the flow of the soft music in a calm fashion, Dinky couldn't bring herself to meet his eyes. This was definitely not a normal feeling. Not to have towards a friend who had been there by her side for years.

Flustered, Dinky pondered over the subject, debating with two sides of her mind for a long while before she noticed she was staring directly at her and he was returning her gaze affectionately. Embarrassed, she decided to say something to break the ice between them.

"So.... Thunderlane made you go to the dance, huh?"

"Yeah, but I guess it wasn't all that bad. Besides, now I have a filly to dance with." Rumble gave her a smile that should have warmed her heart, but instead made her cower in fear as she felt butterflies in her stomach.

What the hay, Dinky? Why are you suddenly so shy? Why does everything he says make you blush and get some stupid tingling feeling on the inside now? What is this weird feeling? I thought I had it with Pipsqueak, but... She peered into his cautious yet caring eyes, full of happiness yet grief at the same time. Her emotions were so on edge right then that she didn't know what to think of him anymore.

After the dance Rumble walked Dinky home in silence. It was nighttime now, and the moon shone brightly in the sky, gifting them the light they needed to make the trip to her house. Neither of them said anything, no this was a genuine moment of awkward silence that both of them acknowledged but didn't go out of their way to point it out. The truth was that neither of them knew what to say after a night of heartache turned into a strange romantic slow dance full of unspoken tension between the two.

All sorts of thoughts filled Dinky's mind. She wasn't sure if she had liked the dance, or disliked it, in fact, she was growing even less sure every passing moment she spent with the colt. She suppressed a growl of frustration. Why did a simple walk home feel like it was taking centuries to get there?!

"Uh, Dinky?"

The sentence spoken by Rumble rang through her ears as she had been so caught up in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed she was walking right by her own home. She stopped, turned around, her red face barely thankfully not too revealing in the shadowy moonlight, and trotted up to the front porch after following a familiar passageway of stones that looked dark brown in the night's shade. She was finally home.

Rumble stood by her as she knocked on the door a few times. There was no response, and they waited in yet another annoying moment of awkward silence until she rang the doorbell.

Both ponies could hear a startling clashing noise echoing throughout the indoors of the house. It sounded like a million ponies were attempting to balance pots and pans on their heads while juggling breakable objects and standing on plastic beach balls. A worried look spread across both of their faces before the noise stopped shortly and hooves could be heard nearing the door.

The front door swung open to reveal a light gray pegasus with a messy blonde mane and crooked golden eyes that matched Dinky's giving them a bright smile.

"Oh, hi Muffin, you're home," the pegasus beamed, welcoming both of them. "And you've brought a few friends!"

"W-What?" Dinky looked behind her to make sure nopony was following her, but there was no one there, it was just the silent, calm night taking over her front lawn. "Uh, no, Mom, it's only Rumble that walked me home. No one else came with us." She rolled her eyes and grinned at her mother's usual antics, and Rumble giggled softly in a way that she knew she shouldn't have found adorable, but cursed herself for thinking it was anyway.

Her mom's eyes, one of which was scoping the ceiling, the other sweeping over both of them, tried to center themselves on the younger ponies before her. "Oh. My vision's not what it used to be."

Her mom's silly attitude lightened the mood, melting some of the ice between them that Dinky's mother was oblivious to.

"I brought Dinky home," Rumble said after clearing his throat, the two of them exchanging forced smiles.

"How nice of you, Tumble." She grinned at the colt. "Why don't you come in for a while?"

"It's Rumble, and I'd love to stay but I gotta get home before Thunderlane starts freaking out," Rumble told them, and rolled his eyes at the thought before saying goodbye departing down the trail to his home.

"Goodbye, Grumble!" Dinky's mom called after him as he trotted away. "Thanks for bringing my muffin home!" She ruffled her daughter's mane before closing the door, leaving both mares inside and blocking Rumble from Dinky's vision. Dinky giggled to herself at how her mom was always getting ponies' names wrong, no matter how many times they told her their correct names.

Her thoughts were interrupted before she was swept up in the air by her mother, who was hugging her closely to her chest. "Ohh, my little filly is all grown up! I'm so proud of you, Muffin! I knew you'd someday go to a dance and get a handsome boyfriend! And who better than Rumble to--"

She was cut off as they smashed into the wall. Her mom had been flying around the room and due to her uneven eyesight they had crashed, both ponies tumbling over on the living room floor in a mess of feathers, fur and golden hair. Dinky growled lowly as she did not appreciate the lump of a pony that was weighing her down, still dazed from the fall.

She squirmed out from underneath her mom's clutches, grumbling and pushing her way out of the mess. She loved her mother, but sometimes she had come to accept the fact that not everypony was cut out to be the perfect parent.

"Mom! Rumble is not my boyfriend!" Dinky hissed as her mom tackled her in another instant hug and showered her with kisses and affection.

"My muffin is in love!" The gray pegasus squeezed her daughter tightly, causing Dinky to flush with embarrassment.

"N-No, I'm not in love! And that's final!" Dinky pushed herself out of the hug and growled "Goodnight, mother" before storming up the stairs. A slam of the door followed her angry exit.

Letting herself fall back against her bed, she grabbed a pillow and hugged it.

What a night.

She was exhausted. So much had happened in one measly day that she could hardly remember anything, or how it started. Just that morning she had been the happiest pony on earth with Pipsqueak and now that felt as if it were months ago. She had been on an emotional roller coaster since.

And the thing that bugged her the most was the fact that she still couldn't get Rumble out of her mind. And she still couldn't figure out how she felt about him. It's like she thought he was cute, sure, but were friends of the opposite sex supposed to think that? And if she didn't have "special feelings" for him, why did she suddenly feel shy and start blushing around him? She groaned at the thought her brain sent her: Maybe I'm in love.

Growling in frustration, the pony sat up, releasing the pillow from her tight grasp that had grown tighter the more tense her thoughts became. The tension in her was about to explode, and she was going to do something about it. She inhaled deeply before screaming at the top of her lungs to an invisible enemy that was everywhere.

"I AM NOT IN LOVE!"

She was not sure why she did it, but boy were Amethyst and the rest of the neighborhood mad at her for rousing them from their slumber.

Author's Note:

I'm back from my vacation, so hopefully new chapters will be coming up soon ;)
Sorry this one is pretty long.

Comments

[Evil HERO Malicious Bane]

Great chapter, the events of this was unexpected. Like when I read Pip threatening Rumble, usually he's nice

[Cryptid-Kid]

5858449 Thank you c:
We don't know a whole lot about Pipsqueak's character as he is a background colt, which means I'm hoping it's safe to give him the kind of personality where he acts nice on the outside but is mean on the inside. Also, these events take place in their teenage years, well into high school, so Pipsqueak could have had a complete personality flip.
Thanks very much for your feedback!

[The Derpy Doctor]

OMG, my heart burns. I thought I'd ne notified if there was a new chapter on this story and until the new one came out it didn't know this one was out. The first part just pulled some of my heartstrings and the last part, I was all like: "aaaaaaaaawwwwww." This does seem to draw resemblance to a part of my second book. I wonder if I had anything to do with that, but really: aaaaaaaawwwwwwwww..."

[Laknock]

Alright, RainbowNightFury, can I call you RNF? Is okay if I put Pipsqueak in the middle of a human transmutation circle? And then burn his eyes and toungue out? Blame Roy Mustang, not me.