A Game of Homes.

by Lethrael

Squeak! Squeak?

Squeak! Squeak?

There was a sound of quick hoofstamping and a yellow body rushed out off the building. Scootaloo faced the mare fearless, after all it was a pony and no other bear. Sweetie Belle on the other hoof drooped discouraged and drew circles on the ground with her left hoof. She bit her lips and blushed, as the mare stopped in front of them and looked very worried down on them. Before Scootaloo was able to flinch away, the mare raised her hoof and fondled over her head. Sweetie Belle get an encouraging touch too, then the mare shared a look on both fillies.

“Oh you poor poor sweeties, what were you thinking?
How could you get lost in the Everfree Forest?

It is dangerous out there, don't you know?”

Scootaloo faced the pony confused at best and opened her mouth. She didn't sound, that she was mad about her, or was blaming them. She was worried, that's all. Scootaloo had expected something different and looked astonished to the mare. The yellow pony smiled back and ran the hoof over her own pink mane. Even Sweetie Belle wasn't able to answer and looked ashamed to the ground.

“Oh you poor sweeties, you were still afraid, right?

So you couldn't answer properly.

Do you want a warm cocoa and cookies, to feel better then?”

The mare turned over to the door and flattered with her now revealed wings, but she didn't lift up. As she mentioned the food, Scootaloo's stomach growled and she nodded automatically.

Sweetie Belle looked appalled up for the sun and let a small squeak out off her mouth. The small unicorn pranced on the spot and looked to the ground again. The pegasus turned over quickly and beheld the small unicorn again. A gentle wing lifted her head a little bit and the green eyes of the mare searched the one's from the unicorn. But they weren't standing there, instead gliding over the head and stopped on the horn finally.

“I know you, right? You are Raritys little sister?”

Sweetie Belle smiled and nodded quickly. She drooped again and sighed soundly. The mare lookee to Scootaloo and she seemed to realise just now , that she was really there.

“You...I have seen you before, too.

Today?”

The voice thinned down and the mare blushed. Scootaloo nodded and opened her mouth to answer. Behind her the bear hummed and she jumped scared away. A wing was catching her and the warmth in it surprised her. It held her gentle on position and the voice calmed her down.

“Thanks Harry. See you tomorrow.”

The bear growled again and lumbered away. Scootaloo looked after him, slightly trembling in the wing. Not until he was out off sight, she was able to look away and saw, that the mare smiled down on her. Scootaloo jumped out off her embrace and breathed in deeply. The yellow wing laid down on it's own body and the mare caressed gently over her own mane, to get some time.

She thought for a long time, mumbled to find the right words, but wasn't audible in the slightest. Her eyes were wandering over the ground, over the foals and over the skies. Since the bear had left, she wasn't self confident any more, and simply unable to speak. Her wings supported this conclusion very easily, they joined in the prancing. They were opening, caressing her mane, pressing close against her body. Scootaloo watched the rising panickiness with more and more confusion. What happened here?

She was suppose to be nervous, not the elder mare. The long lasting silence and infecting uptightness were too much pressure for Sweetie Belle and she couldn't stay silent longer.

“I'm sorry, Fluttershy. I'm so sorry.”

Her voice pitched higher and higher, as she spoke more and more up and continued with a yell.

“I just wanted to..”

Scootaloo interrupted her with an even louder yell.

“It was my idea, okay!
I thought we could simply follow you and help you against Zecora.

I didn't believe, that we could get lost in the forest as we did.
I even don't know, that this was the Everfree Forest!”

The yellow mare looked appalled to both fillies and flinched a little bit back from the loud confessions.

She raised her shivering hoof, to calm Scootaloo down, but the foal yelled even louder.

“Sweetie Belle said always, that we shouldn't be there, but she came with me either way.

She always said, that this was a stupid idea and

that we should go back, but I was too stubborn to listen.

It was my fault all alone.”

The smaller unicorn glanced at her in confusion and a trembling little hoof laid down on Scootaloos shoulder. Before the pegasus was able to speak up again, Sweetie founded her voice and squeaked.

“You mustn't say this, Scootaloo.”

The elder foal opened her mouth, shut it again and nodded finally. She pranced on the spot and smiled to the pegasus mare. Even her wings trembled,and supported in this way the discomposure of her. The mare smiled and blushed a little bit more, copied Scootaloos reddened cheeks.

“I better walk you home, girls.”

She founded her voice at least. But it was so sound, that the fillies didn't understood her and had to guess, what exactly she was talking about. Not before she turned over, and jogged on route to Ponyville, they were understanding, what she had said and skulked after her.

Sweetie Belle started to whisper and stepped a few steps closer to Scootaloo.

“Why did you lie to her?”

Scootaloo blushed and looked forward to the along strding pegasus. She was totally lost in her own thoughts and didn't show any attention to the fillies, so she didn't even know if they were following her. But for all that, the little pegasus whispered on her own.

“I didn't want, that she becomes mad at you, or that she tells your parents, what you have done.
That it was your fault all alone.”

Sweetie Belle shook her head and looked down on the ground again.

Her voice pitched a little bit and she pointed at the pony before them.

“This is Fluttershy. She never get mad at anypony. She is Rarity's best friend and...”

Sweetie Belle sighed and felt silent again. Her eyes glanced high to the sun and she bit her lips. Scootaloo looked to the sun too, was that a coloured streak, which rushed further, or was she wrong with it. No, the streak went bigger and Scootaloo paused for a few steps. A pegasus flew jubilating through the sky, cleared away any little bit of clouds and finally looped a loop. A fast swoop later, she headed down to them and whirled around the manes of the murmuring pegasus and the foal behind her. She was floating in the sky, flapping her wings sideways and laughed down on the group. Scootaloo starred astonished to the cyan mare and her wings trembled really in excitement now.

“Hi Fluttershy. Isn't it awesome, that we get loose of this dumb thing.

I'm so happy to fly normally again...”

Those words came out off her mouth very fast and just now she saw the foals behind her friend. Fluttershy nodded and opened her mouth, but Rainbow Dash was much faster then she. First she spoke up, but quickly she get closer to both foals.

“So you two.

Haven't I flew you over today? Sorry, we're in hurry, you know.

Where's your scooter, kid?”

Scootaloo felt a hoof stroke gently through her mane and stroked itself into position again, but didn't loose her hero out off sight. Sweetie Belle nodded and opened her mouth.

She closed it again as Scootaloo started to mumble around. Rainbow squinched her face shortly and looked back to the yellow mare.

“How did they get to you, Fluttershy?

And why did this one only mumble around?”

Scootaloo blushed and swallowed more mumbling down her throat. Her trembling small wings attracted Rainbow's attention easily and she grimaced slightly. What was the matter with this filly? Fluttershy stepped closer and smiled hesitantly.

“Harry had found them in the Everfree Forest.

I think they just follow us and...”

Rainbow piped impressed and smiled bright.

“Really brave of you two kiddos.

Did you loose your scooter there, kid?”

Again Scootaloo couldn't answer and simply nodded. Rainbow flew nearer and wiped her mane. She laid even a hoof down on her shoulder.

Oh my gosh, her wings trembled more and it went over her whole body. It showed the excitement clearly to anypony.

“Then I know a thing to do. To make up for knocking you over I'm gonna get your Scooter back, deal?”

Scootaloo grinned widely and a strange sound came out off her mouth.

“Squeak.”

She nodded and blushed more, as she copied the sound. Why wasn't she able to simple speak up?

“Alright, Squeaks. I will find it. Where do you stay?”

An unidentifiable sound, like a hiccup escaped Scootaloo's mouth and she flinched a step away. What was the matter with her? Luckily Sweetie Belle supported her finally and said:

“She stayed at Sunny Rays house recently. Her name is Scootaloo and...”

Rainbow Dash nodded, smiled to the unicorn and squinted to Scootaloo for an Goodbye.

“You know, short stuff, it would be helping to speak up a bit in a talk.

Would be nice to actually hear your voice for real.

See you, Squeaks.”

And she left. She glided higher on the wind and Scootaloo looked after her with a dreaming expression. She let sink down her head, more red than usual and stroke the ground heavily two times. It hadn't gone as she would have had it.

What happened to her voice? Why could she only make such strange squeaks? A yellow wing laid down on her chin and lifted her head.

“You were afraid to talk to her? To fudge it, right?”

The gentle voice sounded familiar for her and she nodded simply. Scootaloo closed her eyes shut and a tremble went over her body.

“Don' worry, I got the same problem...sometimes...often....any times...”

The mare blushed and her voice thinned down. She looked away, searched for new confidence and spoke up again.

“Scootaloo.

I'm sure it wouldn't bother Rainbow... I think.

Maybe you want to write a letter to her if you don't be able to talk to her.”

Scootaloo lifted her head and looked the yellow mare in the friendly shimmering eyes. This was a great idea. A letter. For Rainbow Dash. This would she do.

Author's Note:

Finally Scootaloo met her idol.
But she just couldn't bring a word out off her mouth.
If you want to, feel free to comment.
Enjyoy my work.