Pinkie's greatest Challenge.

by Lethrael

Pinkie's Hugs.

The way back to Sugarcube Corner took longer, than Pinkie had expected. Scootaloo slunk slowly ahead and remained silent the whole way back, from the apple orchard to Ponyville. She turned her head time and again to the mare and seemed to think about something, but as soon as Pinkie smiled to her, she turned the head around and played cool. The other ponies on the street didn't talk with Pinkie, but looked after her with a warm smile on their faces. A few of them even whispered with each other.

Fortunately Scootaloo didn't notice it until they stepped into Sugarcube Corner and most of the guests there looked at her for a moment too long. The filly sighed and turned away from the gazes. She scowled and cocked her head slightly.
“Did you tell somepony about that??”
Pinkie's eyes were darting through the bakery and she looked to the guests considering what they would know, but they had looked away quickly. The Cakes were the only exception, Miss Cake who stood behind the counter and smiled half hearted and Mister Cake, who came out of the kitchen with a few pies just right now. They were both looking to Scootaloo and their smile widened and became more genuine. They knew the whole situation of course and just tried to be supporting. Pinkie thought what to do next, but just started with going to the stairs and put on a reserved smile.
“We should go upstairs, right?
It's a little bit well overcrowded...”

The doorbell rang, a few pairs of hooves sounded behind them and a loud voice almost yelled through the room.
“,,,and than I spin around and flew through a cloud.”
The Lanes came to the bakery like they did every Saturday morning for the family breakfast and Rumble almost shouted a story from his last training session. Miss Lane, a bright grey pegasus mare with a so warm smile, that Pinkie just could look to her, petted the colts mane and started to speak. Her purple eyes darted through the rooms and stayed lock on Pinkie.
“Rumble be a dear and just talk a little bit lower, would you?
I think the other ponies aren't interested in your training, you know?”
The mare wasn't able to raise her voice, or to tell him off, so the colt just continued with a slightly lowered voice. He looked through the room, but stopped as he spotted Scootaloo and cocked his head.
“But Mum, I just wanted...What're you doing here, Scoots?
And why do you have a sleeping bag...”
Before he cloud finish the question, Scootaloo ran upstairs with nervously flapping wings and Pinkie looked confused after her. As the stamping hooves left the stairs finally, Pinkie could hear, that they were ran through the room for a while. Pinkie looked over the family and smiled to Miss Lane in an apologetic manner. The mare glared after the filly and cleared her throat.
“Well that's a little bit rude.”
This sentence wasn't directed to her own colt, but to Scootaloo instead and for a short moment the mare even frowned. Pinkie licked her lips and shook her head. She sighed and followed Scootaloo upstairs.
“I'm sorry.”
She didn't say more to the Lanes, before she left the room. Pinkie went upstairs and arrived her room quickly. She looked around.

Scootaloo had tossed her saddlebags aside the huge bed, stood beside it and looked out of the window nearby with a face as long as a fiddle. Pinkie cleared her throat and drew the attention back to her. The filly shot a glance to her, shook herself and sighed. She looked through the room and focused once the bed, once the closets and finally stayed on the small alligator on a pillow. She managed to put on a smile back onto her face and mumbled something audible.
“It's nice here, Pinkie.
Just a little bit uhm, small.”
There was a hidden question in this sentence as well as a little disappointment and the smile on Scootaloo's face faded. Pinkie looked around and nodded finally. She bounced closer to Scootaloo, winked at her and thumbed one hoof on the ground.
“You're right, Scootaloo.”
She stretched the last O very long and turned her head.
“But this doesn't mean, that we will stay here when I adopt you.
It's just for the sleepover, you know.”
Pinkie raised one hoof and hugged the shying filly tightly. The mare held Scootaloo shortly in her hooves and pointed to her bed with one hoof, meanwhile she held Scootaloo with the other one.
“Do you want the bed, or the couch?”
Finally Scootaloo was able to escape the hug and weaved away a few steps from Pinkie. The filly looked from the bed to the couch and back. She thought, mumbled an answer and trotted to her sleeping bag.
“I think the floor would be enough, Pinkie.
I have this here and Caring has said...”
Pinkie nodded and cocked her head. She smiled than and jumped to one of her closets. The mare pulled away a drape in front of it and almost vanished completely in the closet.

Scootaloo cocked the head very confused, as a sink, a knotted mess of streamers and many flocks of confetti flew out of the closet and landed on the ground. The mare didn't just finish there, but rummaged through more things and threw them out of the closet.
A huge first aid kit, a few balls in every size, a few balloons full with air and even more deflated uh an two wrapped presents she threw after her. Scootaloo approached her hesitantly and gazed at the next things thrown away by Pinkie. A huge binder with different pictures on the covers, an ancient chefs hat and finally a multiple time patched saddlebag with beat up latches.
Before Scootaloo was able to ask anything, the picture on the front cover of the binder caught her attention. It was a pretty old and bleached out one, but stayed perfectly on the cover.
She saw four little fillies in Filly Guard uniforms around a small camp fire, who either smiled into the camera, or did something different.
Scootaloo recognised Pinkie on the second look, because her mane wasn't fluffy after all and the colour was almost bleached out. She didn't have her cutie mark neither, so it was just a guess on Scootaloo's behave. Even her smile was so different, than the filly was used to, strangely wide and enthusiastic, but also very insecure around the eyes.

Beside the filly sat another shyly smiling filly and looked from a small hammer with a spiky end to a small opened geode with magenta crystals in it. But something was off with her smile too. It seemed to be half hearted and somewhat forced. The other two ponies around the fire were actually focused on her task, peeling of potatoes and didn't seem to notice the camera in the first place.

“Found it!”
Something hit Scootaloos head, it was fortunately soft and she just felt on the mattress, as she tripped over the binder. The bounce was softer, than the ground before and half as dusty. Alright the soft thing, which had hit her was really dusty and forced a sneeze out of Scootaloo, but it was better than to break with her face again.
Scootaloo tried to raise her hooves to brush the dusty thing away from her face, but the dust blurred her vision and she couldn't grab it in time. Another hoof touched hers and she stopped her failed attempt instantly. Pinkie freed her from the dusty sleeping bag and pulled her back on the hooves with a loud snicker.
“Hey a pillow fight is planned for later, you know?
Now we should...”
She looked over Scootaloos bruised face and took a deep breath. Than she grabbed the first aid kit and pulled it closer.
“You should really go wash your face.
I'll wait here and prepare the patches to cover up all those bruises.”
Scootaloo rubbed her nose and touched a small bruise there. She fought down a yelp and shut her eyes closed.
“I don't need patches. Ouch...”
She stopped her answer with another yelp and sighed. Pinkie put her hooves slowly down to the ground and looked with a worried glimpse in her eyes over the filly. Her smile faded away and changed into an inquiring expression, as she finally cocked her head.
Scootaloo gave finally up and mumbled an answer.
“Okay, okay, where's the bathroom?”
She sounded so low, that Pinkie had to step directly beside her to fully understand her. She smiled quickly and pointed downstairs.
“You've to walk downstairs, cross the kitchen and to the left door.
You can't miss...uhm...”
She stopped, as Scootaloo sighed heavily and slouched her shoulders. Pinkie thought for a few moments, before she went to the stairs by herself.

She turned her face to the filly again and waved aside.
“Never mind.
I'll go an get a bowl of water.
Uh and your welcome-muffin of course.”
A grumbling sound approved her suggestion and the filly blushed. Pinkie grinned and took the first step, but she stopped suddenly. She looked back to the chaos she just created and focussed Scootaloo finally. The filly rubbed her nose with one hoof and glanced to the binder. Pinkie nodded softly and smiled encouraging.
“You can make yourself comfortable and curl up a little, if you want to.
Look for a spot, where you can roll out your sleeping bag,
or sit down on the couch, oh or just...”
Scootaloo cocked her head, as Pinkies quick suggestions faded away into a low whisper and turned her head away from the binder. She looked from the couch to her sleeping bag and thought. Usually she would roll out her sleeping bag on the one spot she should. She was used to do it that way at least. As she had slumber parties with Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom was always a place where she had to do it. Here she was in charge and this was well too much.
She looked around and searched for the perfect spot, but she couldn't find it, so she couldn't decide and shook her head multiple times. She sighed finally and climbed on the couch and looked confused to Pinkie. Pinkie opened her mouth, but she had to do something else first and ran downstairs.

Pinkie trotted through the kitchen, as she heard Rumbles loud voice.
“And than Miss Cheerilee said to me, that I would be a Wonderbolt in no time...”
Pinkie heard another low whispered sentence through the closed door.
“Rumble my dear, just a little bit quieter.”
Pinkie looked out for a small bowl, a facecloth, two muffins and the well prepared warm cocoa. She put everything on a tray and walked slowly upstairs, as she heard the loud voice from Rumble again .
“Do you think I could fly to Cloudsdale, Mum?
I can train much better there.”
The voice went dull finally and Pinkie didn't understood the last few words and could hear.
Well nothing but silence.

It was silent and that confused Pinkie. Scootaloo was usually an energetic filly, at least Pinkie remembered her that way. The mare paused on a step and thought. She listened again, but didn't hear a thing.
Finally she stepped into her room and looked out for Scootaloo. The filly sat on the couch and stared indecisive from her sleeping bag to the ground. As she heard Pinkie returning, she looked to her and sighed again. Scootaloo put on a fake smile, shook her head and just mumbled a few words.
“I don't know, Pinkie.
Where should I put my sleeping bag?”
Scootaloo didn't sound like herself, but strangely totally like herself at the same time. Pinkie didn't know how she could describe it, her voice sounded like she should, but what she said and how she said it was totally different. The mare just came closer to the sofa, put the trail on it and pushed the bowl with the warm water closer to Scootaloo. But the filly grabbed the cocoa first and took a hasty sip. She tried to brush away the chocolate trail with a relieved sigh and was finally able to smile. Now it was even a real smile.
Pinkie had turned around to the room and looked cross it. She chuckled and nodded.
“Okay, I will do something about it, Scootaloo.
Just clean your face, I'll roll out the sleeping bags meanwhile.
And than I'll take care of your bruises.”
The filly nodded slowly, apparently glad to get a clear direction and grabbed the facecloth. She cleared away the rest of the chocolate strains, but as she went over her nose, her hoof became much gentler, almost guarded. She had to fight back a yelp every time she felt the soap burning in the small bruises.
Pinkie glanced over her from time to time and thought. Should she speak? She shook her head and stayed silent the whole time.

She cleared the place in front of her bed, pushed everything back into the closet, well everything aside the first aid kit and the binder. She rolled out both sleeping bags, hummed a song in the meantime and pulled a pillow down from her bed, before she finished. She was so intent upon her work, that she totally forgot, that there was an other pony in her room. She grabbed the smaller, but very heavy saddlebag and stopped surprised. She shook it curiously, but a quick yelp and galloping hooves stopped her.
“That's mine!”
Scootaloo galloped aside her, seized it out off Pinkies hooves and snuggled it closely onto herself. She blushed quickly and laid the bag beside her sleeping bag. Pinkie just smiled and mumbled an apology.
“I just wanted to look, why it's so heavy.
Did you pack rocks?”

Pinkie giggled first, but as she saw the serious expression on Scootaloos face, she stopped and just looked confused to her. Scootaloo shook her head and didn't look into her eyes. She skulked slowly back to the couch, turned her head from left to right and seemed to argue with herself about something. The filly sat down finally, looked to Pinkie and pointed with a shivering hoof at the first aid kit.
“Didn't you want....”
The filly couldn't finish her sentence, before her voice cracked. She just looked suppliant to Pinkie and chewed on her lips.
Pinkie saw, that Scootaloo tried to change the subject here and pondered. Should she push for answers, or not?
She looked over Scootaloos bruised face, saw the nervously flapping ears, the darting eyes and the forced smile. Pinkie decided that she let it slip for now and turned resolute to the first aid kit. She pushed it aside the couch and faced Scootaloo.
The mare fondled gently with one hoof over her bruised face, nudged her softly on the nose and held her chin with the hoof, so that she would look directly into her eyes.
“Keep still, please.”
Scootaloo nodded and closed her eyes. She breathed a little bit faster, but Pinkie hadn't push her for answers after all. That helped her to calm down a little bit.

The filly kept her eyes shut and just winced once, as Pinkie waved with the disinfectant over her scratched nose. The burning and the sharp smell of herbs brought back something. The filly squinted her eyes closer, trembled and raised her hoof. She didn't touched her nose with it, but rubbed her eyes carefully.
“Sorry, Scootaloo.
It burns a little bit, but it's over shortly, I promise.”
Pinkie tried to calm her down a little bit, but the filly just pressed her ears against the head and sighed. Pinkie waited and didn't continued with the disinfectant.
“I'm sorry, but so it won't get infected...”
Scootaloo nodded slowly and opened her right eye. She looked directly into Pinkie's eyes, whispered one sentence and shifted her position on the couch back and forth nervously.
“Please don't tell anypony, promise?”
Pinkie crossed her hoof in front of her chest and said her usual mantra.

“Cross my heart, hope...”

But Scootaloo stopped her and grabbed her hoof quickly. She pushed it slowly down and shook her head.
“No, please. No Pinkie promise.
Eventually you have to share it with somepony...”
Pinkie looked thoroughly confused, but Scootaloo looked so pleading and desperate, that the mare nodded finally.
“But why should I promise you to tell nopony, when I have to tell it somepony instead?”
Pinkie cocked her head, stared at Scootaloo and tried to understand what she should do. The filly sighed and drew circles on the couch.
“Because...well..uhm...”
Scootaloo didn't finish her answer, just cleared her throat and Pinkie nodded. She put away the cloth with the disinfectant, sat down aside Scootaloo and answered finally.
“Okay, I promise not to tell anypony, or just to tell somepony, if you will allow it, or uhm...”

Scootaloo turned her head, moved closer to Pinkie, but stopped halfway and blushed. She waited a few seconds, took a deep breath and approached her finally. She nestled herself onto the older mare and cuddled her head against her side.
“I...like it, when you hug me.
And I...I, you know I miss it so much.”
The filly pressed her eyes against the warm coat and Pinkie could feel, that she brushed away tears on it. She opened her mouth, but closed it again and simply hugged Scootaloo. She pulled her closer and whispered an answer.
“But I thought your friends would hug you all the time and you didn't like that.
As Rainbow Dash had told you her story...”
Scootaloo pushed herself from Pinkies side and sighed. She nodded slowly.
“That's totally different.
Sweetie Belle is so clingy and Apple Bloom...she get hugged from her sister and her brother all the time and. I...I was so jealous.”
A sob stopped the last sentence and Scootaloo brushed over her eyes with a hoof. She squinched up her face and shook herself.
“I...I just wanted to be hugged by somepony, who...”
She fell silent and looked down to her hooves. She sniffed silently and touched her face with one hoof. She started to tremble and winced, as she felt an itching sting on her nose. Pinkie just pulled her closer and nuzzled her cheek. She could feel, that the filly calmed visibly down and started to nestle her own cheek down on her side.
“I miss this so much!"
Pinkie nodded, just held her in the hug and smiled gently. She thought for a while and whispered.
“If you like, we can meet here, or any place else, when you need a hug.
I don't tell anypony, I promise.”
Scootaloo raised her eyes and faced Pinkie very surprised. She thought it through for a while and nestled than closer to the mare.
“But...I don't know you very well.”
Her answer faded more and more away and the filly turned her head more and more away, but Pinkie's hoof stopped her. The mare whispered and nuzzled the filly again,
“You will get to know me, Scootaloo.”
The filly whispered one last sentence, before she nestled her head against Pinkie's side again.
“Thanks, Pinkie.”
The mare nodded and just hugged the filly. Both stayed in the hug for a moment.

Author's Note:

I've finished my next chapter.
Please feel free to comment and enjoy my next look on the growing relationship
between Scootaloo and Pinkie Pie.
Oh and merry Christmass everypony.
Yours Lethrael.

Comments

[raven618]

Naww.

I'm a little confused on what the point of having an overly excited Rumble was, but I imagine I'll learn in due time.

[Kichi]

The idea seems interesting, liked it.

[Texus]

“Did you tell somepony about that??”

It actually wouldn't be so nice to make it an open thing if Scootaloo maybe wants to keep it a private matter.

I liked this chapter, only the one moment where I thought Pinkie would maybe put Scootaloo on the spot by telling more than a few ponies about it sounded a bit mean.