My Big Batty Not-Wedding

by Wise Cracker

New Players

“I thought you said this track would be free?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“We did,” Silver Spoon replied, looking up at the pegasi going through the cloud rings. “And in just a few seconds, it will be.”

Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom looked down and to the side, where nearly all their classmates were. The track was huge compared to the one where Rumble and Truck had raced before, but then this one was set entirely up in the air. There were bleachers to accommodate the crowds, several cloud rings in a position Diamond Tiara swore was identical to the one they had at Flight Camp, all in all it was the perfect spot for a pegasus race.

“Remind me again why nopony’s ever heard of this place?” Apple Bloom asked.

Diamond shrugged. “Club ponies just like to keep to themselves. They’ll tell the ponies in charge when they need the tracks or the courts, but they don’t hang up the schedule anywhere. So most ponies just assume the clubs own the tracks. But they totally don’t: the town does.”

“Uhuh. And those fellas are just gonna leave when they’re done? They’re not gonna make any trouble? It feels kinda weird usin’ a track that’s made for grownups.”

Diamond Tiara was about to make a snide remark, but she bit it down. “Look, don’t worry about it, Apple Bloom. The clubs still have to follow the rules, that means they have to clear out when their time’s up. When that happens, it’s open for everypony again.”

“If you say so.”

In the distance, a bell sounded. The flyers of the Cloudsdale Cloud Cutter Club lined up in front of their instructor, got some words of encouragement, then dispersed.

Diamond Tiara smiled. “See? Just like I promised. Now where’s the racers? I wanna see some sonic booms and magic trails already!” She jumped up and down excitedly.

“Hold your horseshoes, Diamond, I’m, like, tryin’ to get in the zone and stuff.” Truck kept his eye on the rings of the track, way up high, as he came flying in at a leisurely pace. “Whoa. I didn’t know you had one of these in Ponyville.”

Diamond’s smile grew wider. “I know, right? This is an official track, Wonderbolts certified.”

“Yeah, they use the same one at Flight Camp, so if you practise here, you’ll be ready to race there sometime, too,” Silver Spoon added.

The boy chuckled as he landed down below at the starting line. “Well, I wouldn’t mind gettin’ a leg up on the competition.”

Apple Bloom felt a pang in her chest at that. Scootaloo really would like to get a leg up on the competition, no doubt, considering how long she’d been flightless.

“Now all we gotta do is wait for Rumble and his friends.” Diamond scanned the skies for any bat-winged flyers.

“Yeah, where are they, anyway?” Shady Daze looked around. “Where do those rousettes even live?” He looked to Featherweight and Lance, the only two boys in town who were on speaking terms with the mysterious Rumble.

Lance shrugged. “As far as I know, Rumble’s place is right near Tuber Lane. That might be where they are.”

Silver Spoon winced. “Right near the poison weeds? No wonder he never invites anypony over.”

“Actually, they haven’t been poisonous for ages.”

“Gah!” Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon jumped up when they heard the voice behind them. When they recovered, they noticed the two grey girls with bat wings standing on the top of the bleachers.

Rumble landed beside the pair of rousettes. “Eheh, yeah, I forgot to warn you about that: rousettes are really good at sneaking around.”

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle took in the sight of the two bat ponies Rumble had brought along. It was pretty clear right from the get-go which one was Stella: that lean, slender build of a royal, that dark blue hair that looked like it came from Princess Luna’s bloodline -- even if it wasn’t technically a bloodline, Lord Nox hadn’t been too clear in that department -- but, most of all, the intensity behind those slit eyes. The Cutie Mark Crusaders had seen their fair share of princesses, and the look of a noble was very distinct, even to them. She was still a blank flank, though, which was a bit of a surprise, all things considered.

Chitter, on the other hoof, looked more of a playful trickster, especially with her eager smile and bright eyes. Contrary to Stella, her mane was groomed in the same style of Rumble, but with with a bright blue colour, like Scootaloo’s aunt Vinyl. Both girls were a shade of grey, but Stella was more bluish than Chitter was. And like Stella, Chitter was a blank flank.

All in all, everypony was relieved to find that rousettes were not that hard to tell apart from one another, and presumably the pair they’d seen pulling Princess Luna’s chariot last Nightmare Night had just been made up to look similar.

“Everypony, this is Chitter, and this is Stella. Chitter, Stella, this is, well, everypony.” Rumble gestured to all the kids below.

Chitter smiled at the ponies beneath her in the bleachers. “Hi, there! Sorry for scaring you, force of habit.”

Stella waved. “Hello, everyone.” Her voice was soft, her words calm and collected, almost entrancing.

Diamond shook her head to clear it. “Oh, hi! I’m Diamond Tiara, and this is Silver Spoon. Umm, so you two are new in Ponyville?”

Chitter nodded towards Stella. “Stella’s new, I was born here.”

Diamond and Silver exchanged glances. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle did the same, and the rest of class followed suit.

Silver Spoon smiled nervously at Chitter. “Umm, so you’ve lived here since, like, you were born, then?”

Chitter let out a nervous chuckle. “Yeah, but we rousettes have kind of a rule about kids going out. We’re not supposed to go out alone.”

“Then why hasn’t anypony seen rousettes around here in, you know, bunches?” Silver asked.

Chitter gulped. “Umm, that’s kind of a touchy subject.”

Rumble put himself in between the mess of girls to stop things from getting any more awkward. “Hey, how about that race, huh? I’m sure Truck’s getting a little anxious.”

“Truck?” Stella glanced towards the dark orange colt down on the ground. “Is that your rival?”

“Yo there, little batty lady.” He did a salute motion. “I’m the other hotshot in this town.”

Stella glided over the bleachers to land next to him on the starting line. “Very well then, darling, I look forward to seeing your skills. Rumble speaks very highly of you.”

“Hey, Rumble, try not to let Truck embarrass you, okay?” Lance whispered. “I think he might be up to something.”

Rumble shrugged it off. As always, the boys of Ponyville had each other’s backs. And technically, Truck was not one of them, so some caution was justified. Still, Rumble knew the girl behind the boy. “He’s just trying to psych himself up.”

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle took their place lower on the stands. Apple Bloom gestured towards Silver Spoon. “Who do you think’s gonna win?”

“I’d say Rumble again,” Silver Spoon replied. “Unless, like, Truck’s figured out pegasus magic by now.”

“No way,” Diamond Tiara started. “Stella’s gonna win, you can tell.”

Sweetie Belle pouted. “Nopony thinks Chitter’s gonna win?”

Lance shook his head. “Chitter’s not much of a racer, not compared to Rumble. She’s his sparring partner for self-defense class, but she doesn’t have the speed he does.”

The little unicorn would not take that as an answer. “Come on, Chitter! Show’em what you’re made of!”

Chitter’s ears perked as she took her position. “Rumble, is that girl cheering for me?”

“Yeah. That’s Sweetie Belle, one of the girls I told you about. One of Scootaloo’s friends.”

“And she’s cheering for me,” Chitter noted.

“Yup.”

Chitter furrowed her brow in confusion. “Not that I’m complaining or anything, but umm, she only just met me two minutes ago.”

Rumble nodded again. “Yup. She does that.”

Stella looked over the bleachers and the crowd that was watching their every move. She noticed Rumble and Truck doing their warm-up stretches, so she did the same. “Is it just me, or does that unicorn look familiar, Chitter?”

Chitter pondered it for a moment. “Now that you mention it, wasn’t she in that Gabby Gums thing?”

“Yes, I remember that now,” Stella said. “They were in the papers, were they not? Something about a scandal regarding Princess Celestia and a cake?”

Rumble cleared his throat nervously. “Yeah, that’s her.”

“Wait, Scootaloo is one of those girls? So your classmates embarrassed Princess Celestia herself?” Stella chuckled. “I like them already.”

“The girl next to her is Apple Bloom,” Truck added. “She’s from the Apple family.”

“Ah, yes, Nox told me about them. And where is the other girl you mentioned? Where is Scootaloo?” Stella scanned the stands, looking for a girl who matched the description Rumble had given her.

“She’s not around right now,” Rumble replied. “Wing trouble.”

Silver Spoon stood at the edge of the track, flag on the ground. “Okay, now we just need to wait for the medical po-”

“I’m here! I’m here! Don’t start without me!” Derpy came rushing in, medkit strapped to her waist as before. “Okay, ready when you are. Hi, girls, I’m Ditzy Do, but you can call me Derpy.”

Rumble sighed. Introductions were taking a while. “She’s the mailmare. Don’t let the eyes fool you; she’s really smart, and she’s a really good flyer on the longer stretches.”

Silver Spoon held up the flag. “Everypony ready?”

The contestants lined up and assumed the pose.

“Rumble?” Stella asked.

“Yes, Stella?”

“If I should win this little race of ours, would you be upset?”

“Only if you try to rub it in.”

Stella smiled. “I shall endeavour to make your defeat as painless as possible, then.”

Truck rolled his eyes. “You two lovebirds-”

“Love bats, darling. Taxonomy is your friend.” Stella winked.

“Whatever. Don’t forget there’s two other flyers in this race. And I don’t know about Chitter, but I’m in it for real.”

Silver Spoon raised the flag higher. “Set!”

Rumble took a deep breath to steady himself. “Let’s just try our best, and put on a good show. And try not to hurt each other, please? We’re doing this for fun.”

“Agreed,” Stella said.

“Agreed,” Chitter added.

“Gotcha,” Truck replied.

“Go!”

---

Apple Bloom wasn’t entirely sure what had happened once the starting signal had sounded, but whatever it was, it was big. All four flyers had dashed off, rushing towards the first ring in the wake of a blast of pegasus magic and whatever it was rousettes had to serve as replacement.

She looked on in awe as Chitter was the first to lag behind, Truck and Rumble going neck to neck with Stella flying slightly above and behind them. Rumble lost some distance in a sharp turn, though, and that gave Stella the opportunity to pass him by.

The crowd cheered.

Truck struggled to keep up with the rousette, but he managed it. Stella was flapping her wings like crazy, and her face was contorted in a toothy grimace that let her fangs show even from that far.

“Looks like it’s between Truck and Stella now,” Diamond started. She bounced up and down with excitement, and so did half of their class. The other half sat there with their mouths agape. Apple Bloom reached up with a hoof to close hers. She could certainly see the appeal of racing now, with the sounds of wind and wings in the air.

Rumble tried to catch up, whizzing through one ring after another just milliseconds behind his competitors.

Apple Bloom gritted her teeth. “Come on, Rumble…”

There came the final stretch. Just three more rings, then the finish line. Truck whizzed through the first in the lead. Stella beat him to the second one. Rumble was inching closer to them, but he didn’t have a lot of room to maneuver.

Then his wings stopped, and a hushed silence fell over the crowd.

---

Scootaloo was panting when she landed. Rumble wasn’t doing any better. Chitter had to sit down after the exertion.

But the winner hid her fatigue well.

“Goodness, Rumble, you should have told me you knew how to do a dash. I was under the impression you only learned that at Flight Camp,” Stella chuckled, ignoring the clamouring kids around her.

Scootaloo felt someone pat her back. “You did really well, Truck,” Sweetie Belle said. “You almost had it in the bag.”

Truck nodded. “You’re a lot faster than I thought you’d be, Stella.”

Rumble chuckled. “Told you she was good. Chitter, are you okay?”

“Can’t… breathe… need… water…” The girl guzzled down a sports drink Derpy gave her.

The mailmare rolled her eyes. “She’ll be fine. Just nooby sickness, that’s all.”

“You were really awesome, Truck,” Diamond Tiara prodded the changeling. “Looks like you’ve got the bursting down too, huh?” She leaned in to whisper. “Think you could beat those two next time?”

Truck whispered in kind. “Yeah, I’m pretty close. If the track’s got more sharp turns, I’ve got Rumble beat. We’re pretty even now, though.”

Stella walked over to the two boys, a herd of new fans swarming the girl. “Indeed we are, darling. Ah, Rumble, what am I supposed to say now?”

Rumble caught his breath, and only now noticed everypony in class was asking Stella questions.

“Where are you from?”

“Are you a vampire?”

“What does your kind eat?”

“Where do you live?”

“Are you a princess?”

“How’d you get so fast?”

“One at a time!” Rumble called out. “Guys, one at a time, please. If you wanna ask Stella questions, at least wait until the ground stops spinning?”

Stella winced embarrassedly. Chitter got back on her hooves. She sighed to catch her breath. “Why are you so excited, anyways? You act like you’ve never seen a race before.”

“Well, we have, but we don’t usually get any rousettes around here,” Apple Bloom noted. “And my sister didn’t get a lot of answers when she invited a few of them over the other day. So, umm, since you are gonna live in Ponyville now, Stella, do you really mind if we’re curious?”

“But I’ve lived in Ponyville my whole life,” Chitter argued. “Lance and Featherweight know who I am.”

“Umm, actually, all we know is what Rumble told us,” Lance replied. “And I think the only thing you know about us is what Rumble told you.”

Chitter furrowed her brow. “Really?”

Rumble shrugged. “He’s got a point there, Chitter. I’ve never seen you talk to any boys besides me. They thought you were my girlfriend, remember?”

Stella chuckled. “A minor misunderstanding, I’m sure. Right then, what is it you want to know?”

“How come you talk all fancy-like?” Apple Bloom asked.

“That would be because of my guardian, Lord Nox. I rarely leave his side, even for negotiations, since I’m meant to be his successor. I’m told I speak like a Canterlot girl as a result.”

Sweetie Belle nodded. “Yeah, you do, trust me. My sister talks just like you, and she likes the high-society stuff, too.”

“Are you nocturnal?” somepony in the back asked.

Chitter and Stella exchanged a glance. Chitter shrugged. “Umm, no? We rousettes don’t sleep the same way ponies do. We don’t fall asleep for longer than four hours, tops, and it doesn’t matter much when we sleep, as long as we do. That’s why we tend to get the night shift a lot: it doesn’t bother us like it does ponies. But no, we’re not nocturnal.”

“Then, umm, why is it you live so far away from the rest of Ponyville?” Sweetie Belle asked carefully.

Chitter gulped. Stella took it in stride. “Oh, that. That’s just because of a silly tradition, nothing more.”

Derpy raised an eyebrow. “It’s tradition to not be around ponies?”

Stella cleared her throat. “Actually, Miss, or Missus Derpy?”

“Just Derpy.”

“Well, Derpy, the truth is that we rousettes are very traditional. Because of our traditions, everyone knows who they are and what they must do, and they have kept our kind alive for a very long time, through some very hard times, even. Most of our traditions only involve other rousettes, not ponies. When it comes to interacting with rousettes, there are a lot of rules to follow, even for outsiders.” Stella nodded towards Rumble. “Rumble and Thunderlane are friends to rousettes, but they had to, ah, jump through some hoops, let’s say, to be accepted by our kind. We have our ways, you have yours, and we try not to get in anypony’s way, that’s all.”

The kids and mare all made a face of confusion.

“I suppose what I’m trying to say is: we have traditions and rules for social interaction, but the rules only speak of interacting with other rousettes. Ponies do not live by rousette traditions and rules, so if we want to keep living by our own rules, we’d have to account for ponies somehow. We can’t force you to live by our rules: that would be wrong. We have to adapt to that. Only, our kind never actually got around to writing rules about ponies, not since, well, you know…”

Derpy nodded. “Right, that curse thingie from way back when. I heard about that.”

Chitter scratched her head. “Huh. Is that really the only reason?”

Stella shrugged and put a wing around Rumble, pulling him close with no objection on his part. “Mayhaps there are other reasons, but that’s what I was taught, darling. But enough about all that, I’m dying to hear about my new home. What manner of ponies live in this fair town?”

Silence fell over the crowd.

Rumble rolled his eyes.

“This is where everypony gets a chance to introduce themselves and make friends with her, guys.”

“I don’t think I got to, like, make your acquaintance proper, girls.” Truck extended his hoof towards Chitter and Stella. “How’d you get so fast?”

Chitter still panted for breath. “Mostly trying to keep up with Mister Hurricane over here.”

Stella chuckled. “I fly in solitude. The Western Provinces have no shortage of wide, open airspace.”

Apple Bloom quirked an eyebrow. Something was off here, but she couldn’t put her hoof on what. “And I guess you’ve seen a lotta dragons there, too?”

“Oh, yes, darling, there are several families who make their dens and hoards right outside the Equestrian borders.”

“And are there any other rousettes there, too?” Apple Bloom asked.

Stella winced. “Hardly any, I’m afraid. I do go to what bat parties I can, but those require an extensive trip.”

“Must be nice, though, being the ward of a noble,” Chitter said. “Lord Nox is the highest-ranked noble in Equestria, after all, second only to the Princesses.”

Stella chuckled nervously. “Yes, it does have its perks. But I’m not a blood relative to Princess Luna, nor to Lord Nox.”

“Wow,” Diamond Tiara said. “But doesn’t it get boring, having to follow all those rules? I heard high society can be really strict, especially if you make a mistake.”

Stella was about to answer, but Chitter cut her off. “Oh, that’s not much of a problem. See, in rousette high society, you can only really criticise someone of a lower rank, and you can earn a higher rank depending on how good you are or what you do. Since Lord Nox is the highest in rank, no one can really criticise him, and he’s allowed to break the rules. It’s kinda like your Princesses, actually. Ambassadors are to us kinda like what immortals to ponies: they always groom their successors to be exactly like them. Since Lord Nox has to deal with dragons and all that, he’s supposed to be a little different; he’s supposed to act exactly like the ambassador before him. And so does Stella, obviously, since she’s, like, going to fill in for him once Lord Nox retires.”

Stella chuckled, before leaning in to whisper in Chitter’s ear. “Darling, please, I know you’re used to running interference for dear Rumble, but do let me speak for myself, would you? We’re here to make friends, both of us.”

Chitter blushed. “Eheh, sorry. Force of habit.”

Truck cocked an eyebrow. “So, what, are all rousettes as sporty as you, then, or is it just the fancy ones?”

Chitter opened her mouth, then closed it under a firm glare from Stella. Stella smiled at the boy. “Not all of us like sports, no, but we are all raised in the ways of aristocracy, regardless of our rank. Some of us take fencing lessons, some of us learn to play music or do fine arts, and there are several schools of dueling. We have our own system of knighthoods, different orders depending on whether we prefer the arts, combat, or serving the kingdom. Some of those orders are in fencing or dueling, so we do compete. Usually not in races, though.”

Rumble smiled. “Yeah, Stella’s kind of… special. That’s why I like her, after all.” He wrapped a wing around her shoulder to illustrate.

Truck grumbled. “Uhuh. So you two are, like, together together now?”

“Yup.” Rumble smiled brightly.

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon looked at each other. Silver Spoon pouted. “What about Scootaloo?”

Stella blinked. “What about Scootaloo, darling?”

“Yeah, Rumble, I thought you and Scootaloo were together?” Truck asked. “Wasn’t she your flying buddy before me? What happened there?”

Rumble shrugged nonchalantly. “She needed my help. I helped her. Now she doesn’t need me anymore, so we don’t hang out. Why, has she told you anything?”

Truck let out a quiet snort. “Nah, dude. Just checkin’. Wouldn’t want you to hurt a friend of mine.”

Stella chuckled. “Oh, my, it seems this Scootaloo girl has very loyal friends. I do hope she comes around, she sounds like an interesting pony.”

Truck had to stop himself from grunting. “Yeah, dude, she is. Come to think of it, maybe I should go get her.”

“Aww, come on, Truck, don’t leave now,” Silver Spoon said. “We’re just getting to the interesting part!”

“Sorry, Silver Spoon, but I’ve got to, like, do another practice run up in Cloudsdale, anyway. Racing’s fun, but a guy’s gotta keep his schedule. Need to keep these big guns working.” He flapped his wings once, then twice, then took off. “I’ll be sure to tell Scootaloo you asked for her.”

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle winced. Nopony in their class noticed, but Truck’s departure reeked of jealousy. Maybe the girl behind the boy was feeling heartbroken about Rumble’s choice of company. Or maybe Scootaloo was just feeling unpopular when it came to romance.

Diamond Tiara swooned when Truck took off. “He’s so dedicated.”

“And so cool,” Silver Spoon added.

The boys in their group, aside from Rumble, frowned at that remark.

As for Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, they were suddenly busy trying to figure out if they should be laughing or terrified at the notion of Diamond and Silver getting a crush on Truck.

Author's Note:

Only minor last-minute editing on this shorter chapter. Just one sentence that got bumped away to a later mention. Just some kids socialising, nothing more.

And yes, Scootaloo and Stella have now raced against each other. And Stella won. As if there wasn't enough reason to get jealous as it is.

Comments

[terrycloth]

So... no follow-up from the cliffhanger with Scootaloo last chapter?

[Wise Cracker]

6624223
Nope. Whatever it is, she's hiding it.

[Slavenger Karl]

Scoots sure needs to learn how to clone herself. Or Twi could fish out a captured drone from the Dungeon for her to Control and act as Truck. I can already picture It...
"But mom, it's just like getting a dog..."

[Wise Cracker]

6626986
That's not a bad idea, actually. I might use that sometime: modern slavery vs animal husbandry with changeling drones. A similar thing comes up in the Changeling Blood sequels, but they're only at concept stage.

*scribbles it down*

[Slavenger Karl]

6627450
If you look for some intresting ideas or opinions - don't be afraid to ask me to make a joint brainstorm. I also can hold my tongue behind my teeth, so no worries. The only downside it thqt I sometimes can be a bit overzealous abaut my points but then just 't3ll me to 3ar 5n34ker5'. It generally makes me hungry and I would return later after the hype has passed.

[Twilight_the_spy]

You better watch out, you better not die, you better watch out I'm tellin' you why,

Diamond tiara has a crush on youuuuuuuuuuuu

I'm sorry... I just had to.