Chapter 11: Starting the Fire
The school bell rang loudly as the fillies and colts exited the building, all of them excited to start their weekend. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle trotted outside to wait for Apple Bloom, who had to finish packing up her belongings
“Are you absolutely sure?” Scootaloo asked as she raised an eyebrow.
“I’m one-hundred percent sure,” said Sweetie Belle with a look of confidence. “There’s nothing planned for today, nothing that can interrupt us, so we can spend the rest of the afternoon together!”
Smiling, Scootaloo said, “Great. So, I’ll go and get the food for our picnic.”
“Okay. I’ll get the rest of the stuff from my house and I’ll meet you at the clubhouse.”
Soon, Apple Bloom trotted out of the building with a smile on her face. As the other two looked up at her, they were surprised when she walked right passed them, heading down the dirt path.
“Hey, Apple Bloom,” called out Scootaloo. “Where are you going? We were waiting for you!”
“Huh?” she called out, stopping in her tracks. “Oh, uh, ah hafta hurry home. Ah gotta go get somethin’.”
As she began trotting away, Sweetie said, “Apple Bloom, is everything alright?”
She stopped once again. “Of course, why wouldn’t it be?”
“It’s just that...you’ve been acting a little...well...differently lately.”
“W-Whaddaya mean?” she asked, her eyes shifting back and forth, “Ah haven’t been actin’ differently. Everythin’s fine here...a-okay...nothin’ wrong at all, honest!”
Before they could say something, she began galloping away, shouting to them, “Ah hafta go! Ah’ll see ya’ll later!”
“We’re still on for our ‘Crusader’s’ meeting tomorrow, right?” Scootaloo shouted out to her.
“Of course!” she shouted back, not stopping her momentum. “See ya tomorrow!”
The two of them stood there with confused expressions again. A few moments passed when Scootaloo shook her head and said, “We’ll talk to her next time. For now, let’s get things ready for the two of us, shall we?”
“Okay,” said Sweetie Belle with a smile. The two of them trotted down the road together until Scootaloo needed to go in another direction to her house. Giving each other a small kiss on the lips, the two of them went their separate ways. As Sweetie trotted towards the Boutique, she couldn’t help but wonder what exactly Apple Bloom was up to.
Sweetie Belle trotted back and forth in the kitchen as she gathered several things for their picnic, like plates, cups and other things. Placing all the belongings in a small basket, she took it in her mouth and placed it by the front door so she wouldn’t forget it. Then, she turned around to get one more thing that she needed. However, she needed to ask Rarity’s permission to use it.
She made her way to Rarity’s work room to see her going through a chest of various gemstones, holding a lot of them in her magic and matching them up to a line of hats she made. Lightly knocking on the door, Sweetie Belle trotted.
“Yes, Sweet’ums?” she asked, placing the seven different colored jewels down.
“Can I borrow that checkered blanket you have?” she asked
“Of course,” she said. “It’s outside one the clothes line. I’ll go and get it for you.”
“Thanks, Rarity!”
Rarity trotted down the stairs and out the back door. On a nearby tree was the clothes line that had various articles of clothing attached to it, including the blanket that she often used for picnics. Taking it in her magic, she folded it up and began trotting back to the house. However, she stopped in her tracks when a noise came from behind her.
The sound of rustling leaves made her turn her head in suspicion, an eyebrow raised. Surprisingly, the sound instantly stopped when she looked in the direction of the bushes that were next to the tree that the clothes line was tied to. Cautiously, she began to approach the bush, her eyes beginning to narrow as she extended a hoof to it. Then, the sound of somepony calling her name made her jump back and let out a small shriek.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry,” Sweetie Belle said apologetically. “I didn’t mean to scare you, honest!”
Taking a few deep breaths to help regain her composure, Rarity said, “It’s quite alright, Sweet’ums. I was just...distracted, is all. Here you are, dear. Just try not to get it too dirty”
She levitated the folded cloth in front of Sweetie Belle, who took it in her mouth and trotted inside, giving her a muffled, “Thank you.”
Rarity began to follow her when something attached to the wall of the Boutique caught her eye and stopped her in her tracks. It was a flyer of some kind that was advertising some sort of upcoming event that was happening in a few weeks. She used her magic to take it off the wall and read it to herself for a moment. As her eyes scanned the ad, a smile came across her face.
This must be what Sweetie Belle was talking about yesterday, she thought. In that instant, an idea popped into her head. This might be the help I need.
Rolling the paper up, she trotted inside and began looking for her sister. She didn’t have to go far to see Sweetie Belle trying to stuff the blanket into her basket by jumping up and down on it, which wasn’t working out too well. Setting the paper down on the nearest table, Rarity trotted over to her with a smile on her face.
“Come on, come on,” she mumbled to herself. Then, she stopped jumping on it and said with a huff, “Dumb blanket.”
“Need some help?” she asked innocently as she took the blanket out of the basket with her magic.
“Yes, please,” Sweetie said. “Thanks, sis.”
“No problem at all,” she said, trying to sound as casual as possible. “So, Sweetie, it’s just you and Scootaloo going out today?”
“Yeah,” she said, trying to rearrange the items in the basket to make room.
She bit her lower lip as she tried to organize her thoughts and put them into words. Then, she looked around the room and said, “You know, I was thinking about yesterday and I couldn’t help but notice how well you and Rumble were getting along together. You two seem to be very comfortable with each other, huh?”
The filly took out the cups to reposition them and said, “I...I guess so.”
Rarity could feel her heart starting to race even faster than before. “I know that you and your friends haven’t spent too much time together with him, so I was wondering...I mean, if it’s all the same to you...”
Taking a deep breath, she said, “...why don’t you take Rumble along with you?”
“WHAT!?” Sweetie shrieked, dropping the neatly arranged basket on the floor. She turned to look at Rarity with a look of shock as the mare gave her an awkward smile. “Rarity, you promised that I could go out with Scootaloo today!”
“I know, I know! It’s just that...well...” she said, trying to make her smile look as natural as possible. Then, she let out a sigh and hung her head, a look of sadness coming across her face. “Oh, never mind. It was a foolish thing to think about.”
As Rarity turned her back to her, Sweetie Belle asked, “What is it? What’s wrong?”
The mare flashed a coy smile before putting on her routine again. “It’s just that, I was talking to Thunderlane yesterday and he told me what Rumble was like back in his old home, how he wasn’t able to make many friends. He also told me that you and your friends are the first friends Rumble has ever made. I guess...I thought that...if he spent more time with you and your friends, he’d be more confident to make other friends.”
Letting out a fake sigh of guilt, she said, “You don’t have to if you don’t want to. I was just trying to help him out, is all. Be sure to be back before supper time.”
With that, Rarity slowly began to trot away, her head still hanging low. A humongous wave of guilt began washing over Sweetie Belle, making her feel really bad for Rumble. Every fiber of her being kept telling her to say “no” to the offer, to go out with Scootaloo alone like she had promised over and over again. However, there was a small voice in the back of her head that told her to say three simple words...
“I’ll do it,” she said softly, stopping Rarity in her tracks. “I’ll invite him with us. I didn’t know he didn’t have any other friends and, I guess we’d be pretty bad friends if we didn’t help him out.”
She trotted up to her younger kin and placed a hoof on her shoulder. “You’re doing a very noble thing, Sweetie Belle. I’m sure Scootaloo will feel the same way. Besides, if she loves you, I’m sure she’ll understand.”
“I’m sure she will, too,” she said, offering a weak small smile. Then, she turned to the door and said, “Well, I’ll see you later.”
“Have fun,” she said as the filly took the basket in her mouth and trotted off down the road. When she was certain she was out of earshot, she let out a sigh.
You’ll thank me for this, Sweet’ums, she thought. Maybe you’ll see that Rumble is a more-
“Pssst!” a voice whispered to her, interrupting her thoughts. Turning her head to the left, she saw that the bushes beneath the tree were shaking, much like the bushes had in the back of the house.
“Who’s there?” she called out as she trotted over to the bush. “Show yourself!”
“Is she gone?” the small voice asked.
Rarity stopped in her tracks and asked, “Who?”
“Sweetie Belle.”
“Yes...” she answered, her voice becoming very unsure. “May I ask why?”
Silence followed as the bush continued to shake. After several seconds, Rarity was surprised to see a familiar face poke out from within.
“Apple Bloom?” she asked. “What in Celestia’s name are you doing?”
“Ah wanted ta talk ta ya,” she said, her voice still low, but not in a whisper. “But ah wanted us to be alone first.”
“Alone? What about? Is everything alright?”
“Yeah, everythin’s alright,” she said as she trotted out of the bush.
“Was that you in the bushes in the back?” Rarity asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Yeah, sorry ‘bout that,” she said as she stuck her head in the bush again. “Ah had ta make sure Sweetie wasn’t home.”
A few moments went by before the filly got out of the bush. This time, she had a small brown bag in her mouth that looked very full.
“Apple Bloom,” Rarity said, “May I ask why you’re sneaking around here?”
She placed the bag on the ground and said, “Can we talk inside? Ah don’t want anypony ta see us.”
“Sure, I suppose, but sweetie, what...” She stopped midsentence as she looked down at the small bag. The top of it was slightly open, revealing the pile of bits that were inside of it. Seeing her looking at the bag, Apple Bloom picked it up again and quickly trotted to the Boutique, trying her best not to show her blushing cheeks.
She watched as the filly opened the front door and went inside. Sticking her head out of Opal’s cat door, she looked both ways, as if she was making sure that nopony was around. After pulling her head back in, she stuck out a hoof and gestured for her to follow.
Flabbergasted, Rarity shrugged a shoulder before trotting to the Boutique, feeling very nervous about finding out what the filly wanted to talk about and why she was in possession of so many bits.
“So, Rumble, how was school today?” Thunderlane asked as the colt trotted into the kitchen.
“It was okay,” he said, a smile on his face. “We had a test today, but it was an easy one, so I think I did alright on it.”
“That’s good,” the stallion said. A smirk on his face, he asked, “How are your friends? Any plans to see them again?”
He felt his heart skip a beat. “W-We’re meeting each other tomorrow.”
“That’s great. I’m so glad to see you able to make friends. You seem to be getting along better here than back home, especially with Sweetie Belle.”
Rumble’s heart began beating faster as his cheeks filled with blood. It seemed like his problem was getting worse with every passing day; he used to feel this way whenever he was around her. Now, he was getting this way just by the mere mention of her name.
Relax, Rumble, he thought to himself as he took a few deep breaths. You’re not seeing her today, so there’s nothing to-
The two of them were surprised when they heard a knocking at their door.
“Who could that be?” Thunderlane asked as he got up and trotted to the door. Rumble positioned himself to see who it was as the stallion opened the door. Then, his heart halted to a stop when he caught a glimpse of who it was.
“Hello, Sweetie Belle,” said Thunderlane.
“Hi,” she said with a smile. “Is Rumble home?”
“Of course he is. I’ll go get him,” he said as he trotted over to the colt. Offering a smile, he whispered to him, “She’s asking for you, big guy.”
Rumble could feel his heart beat again and it was hurting his chest as it raced on overdrive. Slowly, he got off the chair and approached the doorway, trying his best not to look the filly in the eyes.
“Hi, Rumble,” said Sweetie, a soft smile on her face.
“Hi,” he responded as he rubbed a hoof against the ground. “What’s up?”
“Well, we were having a picnic this afternoon and I was just wondering...that is, if you weren’t doing anything later...if you would...I don’t know...like to join us?”
There was a long moment of silence after that. Rumble tried his best to come up with some sort of excuse to get out of going, but no matter how hard he tried he just couldn’t think of anything to say. Sweat felt like it was trickling down the back of his neck as he tried even harder to say something.
“I...I don’t know,” he managed to say after a while. “I don’t...I mean, I haven’t...uh...”
Sweetie Belle looked to the ground and said, “You don’t have to if you don’t want to. I completely understand.”
Thunderlane smiled to himself as he watched his younger brother trying to get the right words out. Seeing that he needed a little bit of a push, he trotted up to him and said, “Well, we’re not doing anything this afternoon, so I don’t see why not.”
Putting a hoof on his shoulder, he continued, “Go on, little bro. Go have some fun with your friends.”
Rumble quickly shot him an unsure look as his breathing began to intensify. After receiving a nod from him, he turned to Sweetie Belle again and said with a toothy grin, “Okay, I’ll come along.”
“Great,” she said with a smile. “We’d better get going. Scootaloo should be waiting at the clubhouse by now.”
“Have fun, you two,” said Thunderlane as he closed the door after Rumble had trotted out. Then, the two of them stood there, both feeling a little awkward.
Sweetie Belle could see that Rumble was starting to sweat like he had yesterday. Concerned, she asked him, “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” he said through gritted teeth, trying his best to smile. “It’s no big deal, really. Why don’t you lead the way? I’m still having trouble remembering where the clubhouse is.”
“Okay,” she said as she went to reach for her basket.
“Want me to take that for you?” Rumble asked.
Blinking in surprise, Sweetie could feel her cheeks beginning to feel warm. With a nervous smile, she said, “Sure.”
With that, the two of them left the inn and began making their way towards Sweet Apple Acres.
Merciful Celestia, Rumble thought to himself as he and Sweetie Belle trotted through town. What did I do so wrong to deserve this? Whatever it is, I’m sorry, okay! Please, just wake me up from this nightmare!
The rest of the journey was made in complete silence as they trotted through the town towards Sweet Apple Acres. It wasn’t long before the two of them made it to the clubhouse, Rumble still trotting behind Sweetie Belle. As it came into view, they could see Scootaloo sitting at the bottom of the ramp with her back towards them, her scooter upside down in front of her and a brown basket by her side. She was spinning one of the wheels around, no doubt making sure there was nothing wrong with it.
When she was confident they were close enough, Sweetie Belle called out, “Hey, Scootaloo!”
Her ears perking up at the sound of her name being called, Scootaloo turned her scooter over and rested it on the tree that supported the clubhouse. Then, she turned to her and said, “Hey, Sweetie Belle, what took you so long? I was about to-”
She stopped in midsentence as her eyes fell upon the two ponies that stood in front of her. The two of them sat in front of her, Rumble placing the basket down in between him and Sweetie Belle.
“Hi, Scootaloo,” said Rumble.
“Hi,” she said, clearly shocked to see him there.
A moment of silence fell upon them as she looked from Sweetie Belle to Rumble and back again. Then, her look went from shock to confusion to disappointment. Although she managed to conceal it from them, Scootaloo was enraged at what was happening. She was promised that she and Sweetie Belle were going to spend some quality time together. Now, she was in the presence of her and Rumble. She was so angry that her promise was broken again that she was inches away from walking away and calling the whole thing off.
Forcing a smile on her face, Sweetie Belle cleared her throat and said, “Well, ready to go on our picnic?”
Her heart began to speed up as Scootaloo locked her eyes onto her, a look of pure disbelief on her face and anger clearly in her eyes. It was enough for Sweetie Belle to drop her fake smile. She hung her head down low and began rubbing a hoof against the back of one of her legs; if there was ever a time she regretted taking Rarity’s advice, it was now.
Rumble began to feel like the elephant in the room, though they were outside. Judging by Scootaloo’s reaction, he knew she wasn’t too thrilled to see him there. If fact, he’d go so far as to say that she didn’t want him there in the first place. Therefore, he lowered his head in shame as well.
“I’m sorry,” he said to her. “If you don’t want me here, I can just leave. It’s no big deal, honest.”
Seeing the look on his face, a small wave of guilt washed over her. Taking a deep breath, Scootaloo said as calmly as she could, “No, it’s alright. You’re here now, so it’s not a problem. Shall we get going, then?”
“Okay,” said Sweetie Belle as she trotted up to her. Unfortunately, she stopped in mid-step when she felt her hoof press against her chest, preventing her from getting any closer.
“Let’s just go,” she said flatly to her, giving her a look of resentment.
Looking around for a few moments, Rumble asked, “So, where’s Apple Bloom? Isn’t she joining us?”
“No, she’s not,” she said through gritted teeth. Then, she looked at Sweetie Belle and said, “Though she may as well.”
She felt her heart sink as she watched her friend pick up her basket in her mouth and trot away in anger. Letting out a sigh of defeat, she picked up her basket and began following her as tears began to well up in her eyes.
Rumble began to follow behind the two of them, an unsure feeling coming over him. As he trotted, he couldn't shake a thought from his mind: Why were Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle having a picnic together without Apple Bloom?
“Are ya sure this looks good on me?” Apple Bloom asked as she placed the top on the big box that was in front of her.
“Of course, dear,” said Rarity with a smile. “It looks ravishing with your complexion.”
“And are ya sure this is the best one ya have?” she asked, tapping a hoof on an even smaller box that she placed on top of the big one.
“For the hundredth time, it’s the best one that I have.”
The filly smiled as she gave her the brown bag of bits. Then, she said, “Just one more thing.”
“What is it, darling?”
Leaning in close, Apple Bloom whispered, “Ya hafta promise not ta tell anypony about this! Not Applejack, Big Mac, or even Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle! Nopony must ever find out ‘bout this!”
“I promise,” she said with a worried expression. “But, sweetie, what exactly do you need these for? It’s not like you to buy these things, and where in Equestria did you get all these bits?”
“Sorry, but ah can’t tell ya that. It’s a secret.”
“But, why-”
Rarity was silenced by Apple Bloom placing a hoof over her mouth and whispering, “Don’t tell anypony.”
Rarity gave her a nervous smile as she nodded in response. Then, she placed both boxes in a big plastic bag so she could carry them home with ease.
“Do be careful,” she said as she began to trot away.
“Ah will, and thanks again,” Apple Bloom said as she began trotting towards the door. However, she stopped when something caught her eye.
On a nearby table, she saw a piece of paper rolled up on top of it. Looking behind her, she saw that Rarity was trotting up the stairs to her work room. When she was out of earshot, Apple Bloom set her bag down and unrolled the paper to see what it was. The second she read what it said, her eyes went wide with excitement.
This gives me an idea! Apple Bloom thought to herself, a huge grin growing on her face. Rolling the paper back up, she placed it in her bag and left the Boutique. Then, she began galloping back to Sweet Apple Acres, her cheeks turning from light pink to crimson as her idea continued floating around in her head.
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The more Rarity does, the more I want her to be hit with a stick.
i think i know what's gonna happen
This is why I dont like Rarity
Another good chapter. Good, but not great. I was hoping for some alone time between Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.
In the next chapter, if it doesn't happen, can there at least be a good reason for why Sweetie and Scootaloo don't kiss, or mention to Rumble that they're in a relationship?
Also, in some of my experiences on this site, sequels are longer than the original. This story is now 40,00+ words, and New Discoveries is 56,000+ words. Approximately, how much longer do you think this story will be?
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LOL!
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Yeah, probably
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Sorry that this
whole storychapter wasn't as good as you wanted it to be. Hopefully, it'll get better for you,which i highly doubt.The reason they don't kiss is shown in the story; Scootaloo is angry with her. As far as why they don't say anything, well...
As far as length is concerned, I don't know how long chapter-wise this story will be, but word-wise, it'll be longer than the first one.
I hate you, Rarity!
By the time this hits the fan, Rarity will have turned Sweetie Belle and her friends against each other, broken her sister's heart, broken the heart of an innocent colt, and lost out with the guy she wants for herself. Discord would be impressed; he couldn't do this on his best day!
Damn Rarity is a manipulative bitch in this fic, all thanks to a mild homophobic cultural undercurrent.
You've made it obvious enough that the pairs in the end will be Scootabelle, Rumbloom and Rarilane, but the facepalm every time Rarity tries to mess with that is annoying (palm has met face literally only once or twice, but figuratively far more often)
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Flawless Victory?
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As a wise man, my father, once said, " The journey is more important than the end. Now, get to walking you little shit!" [Great guy, he was]
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Glad you're liking it.