Spike has a lot on his mind. As a senior at Ponyville High, he's overloaded with classes, buried in stress... and he's been harboring a crush on a certain close friend for longer than he'd care to admit.
Scootaloo has a lot on her mind. As a junior at Ponyville High, she's pouring her focus into the upcoming softball season, dealing with some irritating gossip about her personal life... and can't help but notice a certain dragon constantly looking her way.
Perhaps it's finally time for one of them to do something about all this...
Cover art by https://twitter.com/cassettepunk
Editing assistance graciously provided by https://www.fimfiction.net/user/112079/Daedalus+Aegle
Chapters (7)
Holy shit. You're back!
Why isn’t there a drama tag?
I did not expect that I like this story so much to be honest, I will look forward to the next chapter
Written with google translator
He's a pegasus in all the other parts, as far as I can tell.
Outcropping
Intriguing start, nice subtle worldbuilding of the AU and horribly relatable about being the nerdy introvert at the party. Definitely keeping an eye on this one.
11621846
On those typos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=no_elVGGgW8
Thanks for catching them! Got them fixed.
And I hope you enjoy how this thing keeps going!
Daedalus sent me.
This certainly looks like an intriguing slice of life story. I will be following this with interest.
You really have a lovely way with words. Significant Other, who is looking over my shoulder as I read this on my laptop on the sofa, said "I can already feel the exhaustion from that party". (He is a bit of an introvert himself). The "leave nothing to the imagination" line also got a wry giggle out of me as well.
Looking forward to more ScootaSpike
I am old enough to have those memories fade away with time, yet still young enough to wince in a bit of anxiety as those memories are dredged back up...
Given Spike and Scootaloo's awkwardly awkward oblivious awkwardness around each other and Equestria's penchant for spontaneous flash musicals, I believe it is only a matter of time before they both break out in a musical number à la Partridge Family's I Think I Love You
11622385
Hey, no judgment here - I'm pretty certain at this point that typos actively breed in stories between writing and publication. And sometimes afterwards.
11622711
I do love me a good musical. A shame they never quite translate into written stories so well...
11622816
They really do! A hearty and resilient species, the wild typo...
Umm... I hope there's some really reliable waterproofing, trip-proofing and... basically everything-proofing on those cables, cause otherwise...
Anyway, nice chapter - really enjoying the CMC's interactions and... relating to Spike's anxiety, even if I've not personally experienced this cause of it.
11630602
To paraphrase Homer Simpson, who knows more about electricity than farmers?
And the good chemistry continues. Particularly like how you handled their shared interest - a thing to get one's attention on the other and for both to bond over, but not the reason why they're interested in each other.
I love this so far. I can't wait for more! It's really so good and omg I think in in love with your writing!
11637281
Yeah, that was something I really wanted to get right. It's something that matters to them both, but it is inherently a surface level personality point, as it were. Gotta dig a bit deeper to keep them around.
11637613
Thank you!
YES
NOW THIS IS A FREAKING GOOD STORY
This is a fantastic story, can't wait for more. Good chapter!
I really like this story. It allows me to plunge into those old days and feel that atmosphere a little. Now I study at the university and I am glad to once again remember what it was.
11646896
I'm more then 15 years out from high school at this point. Some of it I remember well, other parts a blur. The recreation is very tricky indeed.
Is this story still going? it's been awhile...
11731005
Hello, yes! Last few months got a lot more hectic than I meant to, so this got back burnered. But I'll be back to it! Hopefully soon!
11732334
All Good! just wanted to make sure this was still ongoing and not dead, glad it still is but no pressure focuses on your life first.
"My Rarity sense is tingling!"
Well, this was an interesting read. This story has a school vibe and it was nice to go back to those old carefree days... Thanks for this story
Damn, this story was great but that ending or at least what is assumed to happen in the future got me
but it's a good massage about reality and life, anyway Great story!
So, the thing with Gabby was just a throw away scene? Like, she comes in, tries to confess to Spike, see Spike and Scootaloo smooching, runs off and vanishes forever?
11782671
Yup, just an unclosed loop among several. I thought about putting something in, but the chapter was long enough as it is.
Wait. It's over? Already?
Man, I really dug this. You really captured those nostalgic feelings of the best parts of high school. A tremendous return to form!
I just wish there was more...
11787394
Nothing in life ever lasts as long as we'd like! But I thank you for reading and for your sentiment.
Best God dam story I read in a while just my mind can't wrap around them two not being together in the end and their relationship is going to end but hey I guess that's life (I cried that spike and scoot would eventually leave each other and the graduation rubbed salt in mah wound)
Man, this was such a fun, well written and genuinely emotional jaunt into a very authentic and very genuine feeling part of adolescence.
You absolutely nailed the tone of this story. Every few paragraphs I would grin about something a character did, or how awkward Spike was, or how so many of the situations that happened felt like things that could have/might have happened to me when I was that age. The whole story had such a thick coat of like warm familiarity about it, like one of those ‘Remember When…’ fireside chats with some friends that goes until 2 AM
I know that this story is complete, but you have such a fabulous little world crafted here, and really great characters who fill it up. I’d be elated to read about little side-adventures and different going-ons for these little rascals, if you ever decided to go that route.
Either way, Really fantastic work here. Im eagerly looking forward to seeing whatever you do next.
11922423
Well thank you! I poured a lot of heart and energy into this and I'm really quite happy it's struck a chord with some folks. And helped everyone see the light of this particular ship, for which I might well be the last torchbearer.
I'm sorry I'm also a lazy slug who doesn't write much or I'd think about doing some sequel short stories. Maybe someday!
11922634
Anytime! Thank you for writing it, it really scratched the itch I have for, like, coming-of-age/awkward adolescence stories.
I understand being lazy, but you’ve got a knack for storytelling and you’re especially good at creating vivid, authentic, moments. Maybe not today, or tomorrow, but id be elated if you ever decided to pick this up again or wanted to spin another yarn in a similar way to this one.
Either way, all the best to you. I’m sure I’ll be coming back and reading this every few months from now on.
Hmm... so, overall, I love the story, want to make that clear right out of the gate, but the ending leaves me... conflicted.
Because this way of looking at and doing things - essentially saying "it's just high school, it's not that big a deal, it'll probably end and that's okay"... well, I have mixed feelings about that in general.
Like, on the one hand, I do very much like that it's going against the typical "THIS HIGH SCHOOL ROMANCE IS THE CENTRE AND CRUX OF ALL THINGS!" attitude and it can make for some very powerful, real and raw emotions, as it very much does here. And saying that it's okay if it ends? That part I have no mixed feelings about - it is nothing but a good thing.
But at the same time, there is, at least it seems to me, a tendency to go too far the other way and some works can sometimes feel... for lack of a better term, fatalistic. Cause saying "it's gonna end, don't question it, don't resist it, just resign yourself to it" is... well, again, it is probably better than the other extreme, but still feels off.
I mean, high school romances are notoriously ephemeral and that shouldn't be denied or downplayed, and them lasting for long afterwards isn't usually a thing... but I'm pretty sure it's not impossible. Sure, it's fine to accept that it probably won't last and won't be the end of the world if it doesn't, but... well, if a relationship is good and makes both parties'* lives better, who says it's not worth fighting for, at least a little?
And here... like, is the whole long distance thing just not an option? And yes, I know it's not that simple and there'd be problems and there are plenty of reasons why it might be a non-starter - I'm certainly not putting it forward as a solution to all problems. As a matter of fact, I was waiting and waiting for the idea to come up specifically so they could bring up the problems and, again for lack of a better term, debunk the idea and they just... never did. It was honestly kind of weird. Like, was it just taken for granted it wouldn't work? Because... yeah, it's very likely to fail, but again, it's not impossible and... well, maybe this is just my inexperience and naiveté talking**, but I don't see a reason not give a little bit of a try.
But, going back to the first hand, once you accept that... the whole thing works perfectly - it's just the right kind of bittersweet, warming and wrenching the heart in equal measure, and feels so, so real and empathetic and mature...
Like I said, it makes me very conflicted.
All that being said, there is one possibility I am very glad wasn't brought up, since whatever other options would or might do, this one would definitely have cast a pall over their future lives if it had occurred to them and planted the idea in their heads. However, as it didn't, I as an outside observer can imagine it myself.
Because call me a moony, callow, naive romantic***, but it does occur to me that just because they separate and lead different lives... nothing says they have to stay apart forever. And, wishful thinking as it might be, I like to imagine that, maybe in five years, maybe ten, maybe more, when they're well into their lives; a bit older and a good deal wiser; after a fair few relationships were sincerely tried and ultimately came to an end on their own terms... maybe they'll meet up again. Maybe they'll find that things aren't as awkward or as concluded as they thought. Maybe they'll just see where things go and maybe, just maybe...
Eh, probably not, but hey, stranger things have happened. Is it nonsense? Oh, almost certainly, but then...
Apologies if I'm going against what was intended or what you wanted people to take away or... generally if this isn't the right venue for this kind of thinking, just... wanted to give my thoughts.
Also, apologies for the ridiculously long comment - it's kind of a habit of mine; not proud of it, but it is what it is.
*Pretty sure there's a better word for the people in a couple than 'parties', but it's escaping me right now.
**For reference, I'm Ace. Not Aro, but still, for the most part, relationships are something happens to other people.
***Because I am one, because I'm not ashamed of being one and because it has something of a double meaning to me - see previous footnote.
11938740
Bah, ridiculously long comments are why I write any of these stories in the first place. And I'm glad you enjoyed reading said story!
And you raise good points! I was going back and forth on it, and I think I did have a LDR conversation part at one point that I cut for space and because I felt like I was repeating myself at some point and that the chapters were getting bloated enough as it was. And frankly, while those kinds of relationships certainly can and do work for a ton of folks out there, I don't much buy into them myself, and didn't want to give a ton of thought to it.
Melancholy was the goal and I'm glad folks are going for it. That and the general idea of "High school is the most important time of your life, right up until it really really isn't."
That said, I've mapped out this ship to a
totally absurdperfectly healthy degree and your thoughts on a possible future for them... well, it isn't exactly far off from what I was thinking. So someday I'll have to maybe write a sequel. Just in time for the last visitors to this site to scuttle off into the night for good I imagine.