Trapped

by Gylden Glor

Return

Twilight sighs as I finish explaining what happened in Celestia's castle.

"At least that...thing is gone," she says in relief. "Maybe...Maybe now, I can rest easy, knowing that his heart and body were destroyed."

I nod, and rub my eyes. Having just woken up from a nap, I was somewhat worried that the visions would haunt me again. However, that is not so.

"Peter," Twilight says, staring ahead into empty space in deep thought. "I...I think I know why you had those visions."

I perk up, intrigued. I had told them all about the visions, and about how they were all rotting and injured in some way. Of course, they were somewhat grossed out, but they still managed to keep together and help me through it. Especially Rainbow Dash, who held me as I described her appearance.

"Do tell," I say, leaning forwards.

"Well, you said that some black stuff had climbed up the blade, right?" Twilight says, squinting as she compiles her thought into words. "Well...That was probably the evil in the heart, right? Which means that...Whenever you activate it, you don't only use the power of Will, you use whatever was in that heart. And...It makes you see things afterwards. Perhaps that's why it's the Element of Sacrifice: the wielder must sacrifice a bit of their sanity to wield it."

"Wouldn't work for me, then," I state. "I'm already insane."

Twilight shoots me a stern look. "Don't even try joking like that, Peter."

I nod, and she continues. "However, it seemed as though Rainbow Dash soothing you was able to calm you down. So, perhaps it was just the sword's attempt to feed on your pain and fear. Perhaps it will still make you feel fear and pain in order to sustain itself and grow stronger. But...Security erased your fear. I mean, this is all just speculation. Sorry if it was a bit...Haphazard, I'm not very good at immediately making thoughts into words, especially when I haven't totally completed them yet."

I nod, and shrug. "Nah, I understood. And it made sense, kinda. And if it's true, I think we'd better be careful with it. We don't want it getting too strong, do we? If it does, then it may just end up sending somepony into a spiral of fear, from which no amount of kisses and cuddles can retrieve them."

Twilight nods. "Yep...By the way, I've been meaning to ask you a few questions."

I roll my eyes. "Twilight, I'm not in the mood to talk about all of human history right now..."

She chuckles lightly, and waves her hoof in dismissal. "No, no, I don't want to talk about that," she says. "I just want to know if you've told anypony else about this yet."

I shake my head "no". You'd think I'd have explained it to all of them at once, but I needed Twilight's advice on it. She's infinitely smarter than me, and will know how to handle each of her friends.

Right now, Twilight and I are sitting at a table in a diner, awaiting our coffee, soda, hay sandwich, and cheese sandwich. I'm craving a hamburger right now; but there's not much I can do about that, is there?

"You should tell them each individually," Twilight says after a few moments of thought. "They'll each have questions. If you were to tell them all at once, you'd get drowned in questions..."

I nod. "And I have a pretty good feeling that Rainbow's gonna keep asking me if it was scary, or if I'm okay..." I sigh, and scratch my head aimlessly.

Twilight smiles. "Yeah, but she worries about you, Peter. You should be happy. She rarely ever acts emotional with anypony. The fact that she's letting you get so close to her is a truly rare privilege."

I smile, and nod. "I can tell. And I'm happy that she cares about me, just as much as I care about her, but...Doesn't she seem a bit...Obsessed, to you?"

Twilight raises an eyebrow. "Peter, she obsesses over everything. It's in her nature. Just because she's excited over her relationship with you doesn't mean she's obsessed."

I shrug. "Yeah, I guess you're right...Whatever. I just don't know when it comes to her, to be totally honest..."

Twilight tilts her head in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," I start, struggling to find the words, "I...I want to make her happy, y'know? And I...I care about her, a lot. But, I mean, she's really bent on this whole...sex thing, and it's like...I know that I'm sending her mixed signals! Which is frustrating for me, because it's confusing for me, too! I just...I just don't know. I don't want to keep leading her on like this, but at the same time, I neither want to fully commit to it, nor do I want to fully abandon the concept..." I sigh, and rub my temples. "It's all just...I'm just not good at social interactions. I never have been. And I'm not good at knowing what I want in relationships...It's all just very difficult for me."

Twilight frowns. "Why don't you tell Rainbow Dash about this?" She asks. "She deserves to know that you're not just trying to lead her on. And, besides, if she understood, maybe then, you'd have less of a hard time communicating with her..."

I take a deep breath, and mutter a "thank you" as my food is set before me. "I wish I could tell her," I say. "But...I find it hard to be honest with the people I'm closest to. And yet, here I am, spilling out my secrets to you over a plate of food."

Twilight frowns, and takes a sip of her coffee. She immediately spits it back in, and replaces it on the small plate it came on. "Oh, Celestia, how does Rarity stomach this stuff," she mutters, holding a hoof to her mouth. I raise an eyebrow at her, and inspect the coffee. "It looks fine," I tell her. "you're probably just not used to caffeine."

Twilight nods, and begins to munch on her hay salad. I take a bite out of my sandwich, and realize how great it would taste with a few slices of ham...

"So, are you ready to go back to Ponyville?" I ask her. Earlier that day, Shining Armor had come to the guest chambers, and had told us that, due to the newly developed absence of Grendel in this world, we would be allowed to go back to Ponyville. However, I know that it will be full of memories for Twilight, and I can't help but resent ever giving Grendel the benefit of the doubt.

"I don't know," Twilight admits. "I'm afraid that there will be...Too many memories."

I nod. Exactly as I thought. "Tell you what. Stay here for a while. Get your thoughts in order. When you're ready, just send a Pegasus with a letter, and we'll come right up to get you. And we'll make sure to visit you every few days, just to check in."

Twilight smiles at me. "That sounds good. I'll walk with you guys to the train station, but after that, I'll say my goodbyes. I don't have anything important at home, so I don't need to get any luggage."

I nod, and put aside my plate with a satisfied sigh. "That was a good sandwich," I remark. "Could've benefited from some ham, though..."

"Please," Twilight says, "don't mention meat...I'm still having a hard time stomaching that your kind just kills animals for food..."

I nod, and wait for her to finish her food before standing. She leaves the payment of bits on the table, and we both depart, heading for the guest rooms.

Once we're there, we find that everypony is already waiting outside for us. Rainbow Dash has my bag in her teeth, and is balancing my iPad and headphones on her back. I take the bag, and the iPad and headphones.

"I would have put them in," she explains, "but I couldn't get the thing open..."

I shrug, and put the things in my bag. Twilight smiles at us all, and I clap her on the shoulder. After taking a deep breath, I grab the rolling barrel that holds the Element of Sacrifice, and turn on my heel.

"Alright," I say, heading off in the direction of the train station, "let's go."

With that, we depart, several of the ponies behind me laughing as they share in conversation. However, two of us remain silent: Twilight Sparkle and I. I remain silent because I just don't feel like being social right now, and Twilight's silent for obvious reasons.

As we near the train station, I stand in the entrance to our train.

"What the hay, Peter?" Rainbow Dash cries. "Let us in!"

"Twilight has something to say," I inform her. She turns, eyebrow raised as Twilight begins to speak.

"Everypony," she begins. "I'm going to stay here for a little while longer."

"What!?" Rainbow immediately shouts. "Aww, c'mon, Twi', it'll be so boring without you!" Several other voices of dissent join hers, each of them calling for Twilight to stay for different reasons.

"Yeah!" Pinkie exclaims. "Without your sciency science, how will we make super cupcakes?"

Twilight smiles sadly, but shakes her head. "I need to get my thoughts in order, and I need to be alone for a bit. I'm going to stay with Celestia for now, and resume my studies here, in Canterlot. I'd like for you guys to visit, though."

"Well, of course, sugarcube," Applejack says. "We'll come up every time we can, ya hear?"

"Yeah!" Rainbow adds in. "Rain or shine!"

I can't help but smile as Twilight looks to all her friends in gratitude, who are now adding their own promises to visit to the list. "Thank you," she says, tears brimming in her eyes. "Thank you all so much!"

With that, they commence in a group hug. I smile, and retreat into the train before I can get sucked in. I've never been one for mass physical contact.

After a few minutes, the ponies all clamber in, standing on the seats so they can wave out the window. I imagine sad music playing off in the background, and I muse at how connected they all are. It's quite amazing, really.

I smile at Rainbow as she retreats from the window. As she sits down next to me, Scootaloo jumps in between us, and smiles up at Rainbow Dash.

"So, do you have any cool stories to tell for the train ride?" She asks, beaming up at the cyan Pegasus. Rainbow Dash pulls back with a dubious expression, but smiles.

"Yeah, I've got one," she says. "But I think I'd better leave it for when you're older." I raise an eyebrow at her, and she winks at me.

"Well, I'm a second older now!" Scootaloo cries. "Can I hear it now? Huh? Can I?"

I pull back in surprise as her wings begin to buzz. I can feel the air coming off of them, and I realize that they have more of a pushing power than the pull required to lift the Pegasus off of the ground.

Huh... I think to myself, scratching my chin as I observe her wings. That could be useful...

"Uh, Peter? Why are you staring at Scootaloo's wings?" I turn to face the white filly that asked the question, but stop as Rainbow Dash grabs Scootaloo, and puts her on the opposite side from me.

"What?" I ask, frowning in confusion. "What's so bad about looking at a Pegasus' wings?"

"It's fine to look," Rarity explains, ushering Sweetie Belle over to her seat. "It's another thing to stare. It conveys...longing."

I blush, and press my palm into my face with a sigh. "Sorry," I mutter. "Didn't know...I was just, ah, interested in her wings."

"Yeah, interested," Rainbow Dash growls, still holding Scootaloo away from me. "Keep away from her, you perv."

I raise my eyebrow, and shake my head frantically. "No, no, no! It's not like that!"

"Yeah, sure," Applejack cuts across. "And Ah thought you were an upstandin' young man..."

I blush furiously, and point towards the orange Pegasus. "No, I swear, I'm not attracted to Scootaloo! It's just...Her wings, they just...they're different."

"Different as in a filly's," Fluttershy says softly. "It's okay if you're attracted to children, Peter. Just...Don't act on it..."

I guffaw. "Seriously!? I'm not a pedophile! Her wings don't act as normal wings do, they don't have much pull power!" I sigh, and grasp Rainbow's wing.

"Hey!" She cries as I hold it out to use it as an exhibit.

"Look: the feathers here are tougher on the underside, and if she didn't have a bandage on the joint, I could show you how the muscles contract in a way that allows it to bend, and pull her upwards. The feathers on the back are smoother, and allow her to be incredibly aerodynamic." I gesture towards Scootaloo. "And from what I've just seen, Scootaloo's wings are less flexible than Rainbow Dash's. The muscles are oriented differently, and they're capable of faster movement. Her feathers grow in a way that makes less of an upward pull, and more of a forward push, which means that she is more capable of horizontal velocity, acceleration, and impulse than she is vertical. This means that if she were to stand on something like a scooter, she could cause more acceleration and velocity, and exert a considerable amount of force on it, which, given the equation of net force is equal to mass times acceleration, means that she can go even faster by simply using her wings as she does."

They're all silent as I explain. When I'm done, I let to of Rainbow's wing, and she irritably pulls at a few of the feathers, preening what I had upset.

"Oh," Pinkie Pie says. "I was this close to not inviting you to the Baby Cake's birthday party!"

Rainbow Dash frowns, and lets go of Scootaloo. "Sorry, Peter," she mutters. "I guess I just assumed that you were attracted to her..."

I nod, and shrug it off. "It's fine. I understand perfectly."

Rainbow nods, and leans over to give me a quick peck on the cheek. I look down at Scootaloo, and see a bit of jealousy in the orange filly's eyes. I smile at her, and reach over to muss up her mane. "Hey!" She protests as I ruffle her hair. I chuckle as she plays with it, trying to get it back into place. Rainbow Dash smiles down at the orange filly, and uses her hoof to help repair the 'do.

"There ya go, bucko," Rainbow says as she finishes fixing the filly's mane. "Go on, sit with your friends."

Scootaloo nods, and rushes over to Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. I smile, and put my arms behind my head with a yawn.

"Damn," I sigh. "Today was tiring..."

"Oh, hey," Applejack says. "Ah was meanin' to ask ya about that."

"-And that's why I need to have cupcake storage in my mane!" I shake my head in confusion.

"I'm sorry, what?" I ask Pinkie Pie. I hate when that happens: you're not paying attention, and then you start to listen to what people say, and you hear something totally unrelated and out of place.

"I just wanna have portable cupcakes," she says. "Geesh." I shake my head, and return my attention to Rarity. "You were saying?"

"What happened today?" Applejack asks, looking at me in concern. "You seemed t' be afraid of somethin'."

I sigh, and all the mares lean in, with the exception of the three fillies, who simply continue to talk about...stuff.

"Yeah, Peter," Rainbow Dash echoes, "what happened?"

I look around, and explain what had happened at the castle.

"I'm sorry," Rainbow interrupts me. "What does this have to do with how you acted today?"

"I'm getting to that," I tell her. "So, if you shut up, I can explain!" Rainbow Dash nods, and I continue my story. I very vaguely describe the visions, so as not to perturb them. I then tell them about Twilight's theory, and they all explode into questions.

"So, where are the Elements of Disharmony?"

"Did Celestia and Luna make the Elements of Harmony, as well?"

"Was it hard to stab the heart?"

"Do you think Grendel will come back?"

"Is Grendel actually dead?"

"What will happen now?"

"Hey, what's that out there?"

"What are you going to do now?"

"Oh, it's just a bird..."

"Why are you ignoring our questions?"

"Hey, I'm going to put my iPod on. I won't be able to hear you, so if you need me, just tap me."

"Well, that's rude..."

"Peter! Peter! Peter?"

"I don't think he can hear you."

"Is he falling asleep?"

"Tap him!"

"If you do not stop tapping my I shall desecrate upon the remains of your ancestors!"

That gets them to stop tapping me and asking non-stop questions. They shy away from me a bit, and Applejack sits next to Granny Smith with a small frown. I smirk in victory, and recline, stretching out my legs as Queen blasts in my headphones. I eventually begin to nod to the beat, and hum along to the lyrics, my hands clasped behind my head. I begin to relax after a while, and I can tell that the ponies have forgotten about what I had said. I fidget a bit, and end up lying down on the long seat, my leg hanging off and my finger twitching as I count the beats and measures of each song. I nod along to some of them, but skip a few others, such as a few deadmau5 songs.

Eventually, the train comes to a screeching halt, and I'm sent rolling onto the floor with a loud, painful thud.

"Ow..." I moan as I remove my headphones and stand up. "Should've worn a seatbelt..."

I ignore the laughter at my expense, and crack my back with a grunt. "So, where do you guys wanna go?" I ask the snickering ponies.

"Well, where're ya goin' t' stay?" Applejack asks.

"If I get my bandages off today, you can stay with me!" Rainbow offers. I shrug. "I'd be like a prisoner. I can't fly off of the clouds..."

Rainbow nods, and I stretch before having a sudden idea. "I can stay in the library," I declare. "I could keep it in shape for her, y'know?"

"What if that stuff is still in the basement?" Rainbow asks me.

"I can clean it up," I respond as I grasp the barrel, the blade rattling inside. Sweetie Belle and Rarity walk out first, the latter tossing her mane as she leaves. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I simply must attend to my boutique! Who knows how much disgusting dust has collected there!"

I smile as Rarity trots off, Sweetie Belle close behind. They're quite adorable, especially Sweetie Belle.

"So, Peter, seeing as how I can't get my bandages off yet," Rainbow says, slowly meandering towards her question.

"Yeah," I interrupt. "You can stay at the hospital-I mean, library...How did I mess those two up?" I begin to chuckle in self-mockery. "I confused library with hospital! How much of an idiot do you have to be to do that!?"

Rainbow Dash chuckles. "About as dumb as you!"

"Uhh, Rainbow?"

I turn, despite my name not being Rainbow, and see that Scootaloo, Rainbow, and I are the only ones left in the train.

"So, Rainbow," Scootaloo begins, nervously. "Could you...I mean, would you...Uh...Applejack is going camping with Apple Bloom tomorrow, and Rarity is going with Sweetie Belle, too...But, I can't go without my own adult..."

"Yeah, I'll go with you," Rainbow Dash says. "So, are you packed yet?"

Scootaloo shifts uncomfortably. "Well...No...."

Rainbow Dash rolls her eyes. "Well, come on! We'll get some stuff from the store! Peter, you come, too."

I raise an eyebrow. "Why's that?"

"You think I'm going to let you stay here, and ruin the library?" She remarks with a smirk. "You're coming with us, stupid."

"What?" I ask. That was not on my to-do list. Actual physical activity? No! Never! You'll never take me alive!

"You're going camping with us, Peter!" Rainbow Dash shouts, as if I'm death. I jump a bit, and quickly recover. "Uhh, yeah. Okay. Let's go get some stuff now."

Rainbow nods. "Now, we need to get some bits to buy supplies with...Ugh, I left my bits up in Cloudsdale..."

"I'm sure Twilight has some spare supplies," I interject. "Or, we could get Fluttershy to get your bits."

Rainbow nods, and looks down at Scootaloo. "So, Scoots, how about you go with Peter back to the library to find supplies, aaaand I'll go talk to Fluttershy. Deal?"

Scootaloo smiles. "Deal. C'mon, Peter, we've got supplies to find!"

I can't help but smile as she walks out, head held high.

"Hey, be sure to bring your scooter and helmet," Rainbow Dash calls after us as we depart.

"Always!" Scootaloo shouts back. I smile, and we continue walking in silence.

Oh, fun. I've always been terrible at talking to people I don't know yet. Basically, making friends. But, hopefully I'll find something to ask Scootaloo about.

"So, Scootaloo, do you use your wings to propel yourself on the scooter?" I ask, thinking back to what I had determined in the train.

"Yeah," she says. "I just make 'em go real fast, and then boom! That scooter takes off like there's no tomorrow!"

I chuckle. "So, you use your wings like a motor..."

She looks up to me in confusion. "I don't get it. A motor?"

I raise an eyebrow at her, and summarize the use of motors in the human world.

"Wow," she breathes. "You're really super advanced back on Earth, aren't you?"

I nod. "I mean, Neil Armstrong was the first man to-"

"Oh, oh! Lemme guess!" Scootaloo cries out. "Ummm...First man to...Fly?"

I shake my head with a smile. "No, I'm pretty sure that was the combined efforts of the Wright Brothers. No, Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon."

Scootaloo stops walking, and I don't notice until I've walked about a yard further. I turn back, and walk up to her. She stares up at me in complete shock, and I raise an eyebrow.

"You okay?" I ask.

"He walked on the moon!?" She cries. "So...He was banished!?"

I shake my head. "No. He used a space ship to go there, and then came back to Earth in a return shuttle."

"Whoa!" She starts hopping in excitement, and I can't help but laugh. "That's so cool! Does Rainbow know yet?"

I shake my head "no," and Scootaloo practically explodes. "I can't wait to see the look on her face when you tell her!" She shouts.

"Neither can I," I say with a small chuckle. "But, for now, let's get back to the library, okay?"

Scootaloo nods, and we continue walking, the young filly laughing at the thought of actually catching Rainbow Dash dumbfounded.

"Here we go," I grunt as I force apart the doors. I half expect the ground to be covered in black goo, but luckily, it's not. Rather, it looks like it was recently cleaned. Must've been the good ponies of Ponyville, looking after the library during our absence.

"So, where should we look first?" Scootaloo cries.

"Maybe the basement," I say, placing the barrel and its blade against the wall. "But we probably-"

"Basement it is, then!" She cries, immediately running down the steps.

"Scootaloo!" I shout after her. "Wait!" I swear under my breath, and chase after her, worried that she may run into that black goop that Grendel left behind...

However, I'm greeted by a cheery, bright basement. It seems as though the residue was removed. It was most likely destroyed along with Grendel's physical being...

"What?" Scootaloo asks, looking back at me.

"Nothing," I say with a wave of my hand. "Didn't know what was down here..." I sigh, and jump down the last three steps. "Let's look around."

She nods, and we quickly begin to scour the area, checking in drawers, in cabinets, and boxes.

"I found some sleeping bags!" Scootaloo cries. I approach the area where she found the sleeping bags, and nod. "Good. Let's look around in this area, Twilight probably organizes her things by location..."

Scootaloo nods, and we begin to open drawers nearby. We find bags, blankets, a tent, and more. I nod in appreciation, and my stomach growls.

"Somepony sounds hungry!" Scootaloo cries out. I chuckle, and nod.

"I could go for a cheeseburger," I sigh, rubbing my stomach. I haven't had meat in at least a month. I'm seriously craving some real fucking food...

Wait...

I'll be camping.

I can just say that I have to go use the bathroom, and bring a knife with me!

I can hunt, and cook it where they won't notice! I can just have some fucking meat! Hallelujah!

"Scootaloo, let's bring this upstairs," I say, picking up the packed tent, as well as one of the rolled up beds. "We can get our bags ready."

Scootaloo nods, and I do a final sweep of the room after we bring the things up. I return with (conveniently) three camping bags, and pack each of them with one sleeping bag, and I put the tent in one of them. I sigh as I finish, and shrug.

"That's enough for the trip," I say. "Or, good enough for me."

Scootaloo shrugs, as well. "We can just sleep on the ground. Who cares. The less work, the better."

"My sentiments exactly," I say, holding my fist out to her. She meets my fist with her hoof in an incredibly painful bro-hoof. I rub my knuckles as she pulls back her hoof.

"Wow, you've got quite the arm!" I say, sucking on my knuckles in an attempt to ease the pain.

"That, or you're just weak," she remarks. I shrug. "True, true..."

I take my bag off, and take out my iPad. I boot up the game Hell Fire (fuckin' love that game) and start playing it. Scootaloo immediately leans over, intrigued, and I explain the device to her.

"Yeah, whatever," she interrupts me halfway through. I was getting a tiny bit technical, and explaining its history and shit. "Can I try using it?"

I frown. "I dunno, your hoof might not be able to activate it. But give it a try," I suggest, holding it up to her. I show her how to play the game, and she taps the screen with the tip of her hoof, and flicks the projectile at one of the enemies. Or, at least, she tries to. Unfortunately, her hoof can't activate the screen.

"Awww, I really wanted to play it!"

I close the smart case, and ruffle her mane. "It's fine. If you want, I could play it for you. Just tell me what to do."

Scootaloo rubs her chin with a hoof for a bit, and eventually nods. "Okay!"

I smile, and open the smart case. Fortunately, I deactivated the password earlier, since I no longer need to worry about humans using it. I open Hell Fire, and erase the progress I've made so far by logging out and logging in with another account. I begin the game, and let Scootaloo direct me through the tutorial. She reads all the text, and learns each and every thing about how to play the game. I have her mark off each enemy by the number above its sprite, and its location. Eventually, she begins tapping on the enemies, and I fire at them. When I miss, she hits me on the shoulder, and I make a fake cry.

As we approach the first boss, she gets super hyped, and starts shouting at me to fire at him. However, when it one-shots us, she shouts in anger. "What the fuck, Peter!?"

"Watch your language!" I bark at her. She shrinks back, and rubs her foreleg. "Sorry...I-I got a bit excited..."

I smile at her, and pat her on the back. "It's fine. Come on, we'll get stronger so we can fight him."

She looks at me in surprise. "You're not going to punish me?"

"I'm not your parent," I tell her. "It's not my place to punish you."

She smiles, and worms her way under my arm. I smile, and show her how to use the reinforce function. She nods, and we go into the boss battle.

"Yes!" She cries as we defeat our enemy. "I knew we could do it!"

I chuckle, and ruffle her mane. "Yep, you sure did." I look up to the door, and frown. "I wonder what's taking Rainbow so long..."

"Fluttershy is very slow in the sky," Scootaloo explains. "Rainbow is probably still waiting for her to get back..."

I nod. "Yeah, you're probably right. Oh, hey, the game loaded."

With that, we continue to play the game, occasionally getting angry at each other as we both make mistakes. She quickly grasps the concepts, and I don't get exasperated when she forgets about one or two things, because she quickly remembers right after.

I'm quickly getting attached to her. She's rather fun to hang with, and she has a nice personality. That, and she's adorable.

As we continue to play, it grows gradually darker out, and I realize that Scootaloo's parents might be getting worried.

"Scootaloo, I think I should take you back to your home now," I say. "It's getting late."

"Nah, it'll be fine," she says. "My parents don't care, anyway."

"What do you mean?" I ask, shocked.

She sighs before answering. "My parents just don't give a damn about me. Half the time, I just leave, and they don't even ask where I'm going. And I don't know why, but I don't care anymore, because I have ponies who care about me now, like Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Rainbow Dash..."

I smile, and rub her shoulder. "That's very wise, Scootaloo," I compliment her. "You're very mature for your age."

She shrugs. "Yeah, whatever. I don't like to act mature, though. Takes the fun out of things."

I smile. "Ain't that the truth."

We share a small laugh, at the end of which the young filly lets out a rather loud yawn. I smile, and put aside the iPad.

"Let's get you to bed," I say as I stand. She shakes her head. "Awww, c'mon, I can stay up a bit later! It's not even that dark-"

She stops speaking as she falls asleep, breathing lightly as she unconsciously snuggles up against me. I smile down at her unconscious form, and carefully lift her, cradling her in my arms as I bring her up to Twilight's bed. I carefully lay her down, and tuck her in, making sure not to wake her as I so so. I softly close the door behind me as I leave, and descend the stairs to play on my iPad.

About an hour later, a very irritable Rainbow Dash walks in.

"Ugh, Fluttershy is so damn slow!" She grunts as she slams the door shut.

"Not so loud!" I warn her in a hushed tone of voice. "Scootaloo is sleeping upstairs."

She frowns. "Isn't her family worried about her?"

I blink in surprise. "You didn't know?"

Rainbow shakes her head. "Know what?"

"Her parents, like, legit don't give a fuck about her. Half the time, she'll just leave the house, and they won't even ask where she's going."

Rainbow blinks in surprise. "That's horrible!"

I shrug. "She's fine about it, though. She's happy that she has ponies that care about her."

Rainbow Dash nods with a small smile. "Yeah, she's tough."

I nod, and hold out my hand. "Everything's packed. Now, come on, let's get some sleep..."

Rainbow Dash smiles, and walks into the guest bedroom.

"We're staying here," she remarks as we prepare the guest bed, "but we're still guests."

"Well, I don't think it would be proper for us to share Twilight's bed," I explain. "Especially if we decide to make out or something..."

Rainbow Dash shoots me a suggestive glance. "Just making out, Peter? Where's your explorer side?"

I chuckle, and pull back the sheets. "Well, I don't want to run the risk of Scootaloo hearing us. She's just a filly, after all."

Rainbow frowns at me. "That's not it, Peter. You're not being completely honest with me."

I frown. "How so?"

"You don't want to do sexual actions with me," Rainbow Dash states. "I can tell. You barely look at me like you want me, but you keep saying that you do. And when I make an advance, you pull back, but keep telling me how much you want me." I look away, ashamed of myself. "Is this some kind of sick joke for you, Peter?"

I look up in surprise. "No, of course not!"

"Then stop acting like it is, and make up your mind."

I sigh, and look away. "I'm afraid," I tell her. "I'm afraid, and it kills me that I am." I take a deep breath, and steel my nerves. Twilight was right. Rainbow deserves to know how I feel.

"Rainbow Dash," I whisper as I grasp her hooves, "there's something I need to tell you...about my...about my feelings for you..." Rainbow Dash immediately jumps out of the bed. "I...I have to go," she stammers, hurrying towards the door. "Look, Peter, I like you, but I don't exactly...love you..."

I raise an eyebrow. "Da fuq you talking abut, you crazy bitch?" She looks back to me in confusion.

"So...You weren't going to tell me that you love me?" She asks. I shake my head "no," and she lets out a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank goodness..."

I start laughing. "You actually thought I was going to say that I love you? Bitch, you be crazy!" She laughs along, and sits down next to me on the bed.

"I may be ready for sex," she adds on, "but I am not ready for love."

This makes me laugh even harder. "Rainbow, you are such an asshole..." She punches me, but keeps laughing. I hold my arm, and punch her in the foreleg. I end up hurting myself, instead.

"Pussy," she remarks with a small laugh. She rolls onto her side, and presses her back to my chest as she snuggles up to me. I smile, and wrap my arms around her, holding her as we lay there...

Wait, shit, I haven't accomplished anything!

So, the mixed signals still stand. I've told her that I want her, and yet, I've acted like I'm afraid to want her. I've told her that she turns me on, and yet, I've rejected her advances. Like, seriously, I'm setting myself up for disaster, because I just know that I'm going to hurt Rainbow Dash.

So, it's time to stop sending signals, and time to start broadcasting an answer to a question.

I bite my lip in thought. She seems to be so peaceful right now...Would I really want to disrupt that?

Yes. Yes, I would.

"Rainbow," I say softly. She turns to look at me. "Yeah?"

"We need to talk."

She sighs, and turns all the way, until her face is just in front of mine. "About what?"

"Sex," I say. Right to the point. Rainbow Dash blushes.

"I dunno, Peter," she says, softly. "I'd love to, but with Scootaloo just upstairs..."

"I didn't mean now!" I roll my eyes. "God, you just have to take everything out of proportion don't you?

"What I need to talk to you about is, well...I'm assuming that you've been getting mixed signals from me, right?"

She raises an eyebrow. "You're kidding, right? You signals are more mixed than...mixed signals!"

"Nice analogy," I remark. "Anyway, I think we should decide on what we're going to do about it."

Rainbow Dash smiles at me. "I know what we're going to do. We're going to be adults, and settle our differences. Right here, and right now."

I raise an eyebrow. "Oh? I'm proud of you, Rainbow. That's very mature."

Rainbow Dash rolls her eyes at me. "You're such a fuckin' old colt, Peter," she sighs. I chuckle, and pat her on the head.

"You know it, girl." Rainbow chuckles, and snuggles up against me. "Good night, Peter," she says softly, resting her head on my chest. I smile, and wrap an arm around her.

"Wait, the fuck happened to settling our differences?" I ask. Rainbow Dash chuckles.

"You're smart, but you don't get certain things, do you?"

I raise an eyebrow. "How so?"

"I've decided that we should wait a bit," Rainbow tells me. "Besides, I don't want your dick all up in my pussy. You're not nearly cool enough."

I laugh. "Girl, you don't even know how cool I am," I say. "I'm about as cool as lava!"

"But lava's hot," Rainbow Dash points out.

"That's the joke, you fucking idiot," I say. She chuckles, and shrugs. "Whatever. We should probably get some sleep. Scootaloo is going to be waking us nice and early..."

I chuckle, and close my eyes. "Good night, Rainbow Dash," I say with a small smile.

"Goodnight, Peter," she whispers.

I take a deep breath, and let the warmth of the cyan Pegasus pressed up against my side lull me into a sleep.

However, that sleep is ruined by an excited, and rather irritated, orange Pegasus, bouncing up and down on our mattress.

Comments

[Theodorehip]

Me likes this chapter.

[Theodorehip]

Proofreading chapters is so much more fun than writing them, since I'm a terrible writer, and apparently a good proofreader, isn't that right, Gylden?

[Gylden Glor]

1784968 fuck you, Theo.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

[Theodorehip]

I do not seem to understand this "mission accomplished".

[Gylden Glor]

1785249 Don't you remember?
Best friends have to say "fuck you" to each other at least twice a day.
Seeing as how you don't swear, I have to carry that extra weight.
And I accomplished it!
HUZZAH!

[Theodorehip]

Understood good sir, please continue. 1785316

[High_Wind]

Twilight: "I can't go back right now, there's just... there's just too many memories...."

cache.gawker.com/assets/images/comment/4/2011/12/370e52673adea55dbf4c1debfd76cc57/340x.gif

[Triv_]

1785815
That dog like legit freaks me out

[Theodorehip]

That Dog..........I will have nightmares for a week now.

[Gylden Glor]

1787263
Theo....

Y U NO CLICK ON "RESPOND TO COMMENT" BUTTON BEFORE TYPING OUT RESPONSE TO COMMENT?

GOD, YOU FUCKING IDIOT!!!!

[Theodorehip]

1789149

Im sorry, With my monitor's contrast, I cant see them very well.

[Superanon74]

why is scootaloo saying "fuck" such a bad thing? your sucking the badass out of her