"Ugh...hayseed...What in Celestia's golden sun is that racket?"

Sleep quickly began its far too hasty retreat as my senses slowly returned to me, brought forth by an inane, relentless tapping coming from my bedroom window. I let out a rather obnoxious groan as I stretched, attempting to resist the warm embrace of my bed, the thick comforter extending quite the cordial invitation to return to my slumber. My eyelids were heavy, and protested loudly at my half-hearted coercion as I cautiously pried them open, not yet ready to face Celestia's morning sunrays.

The rest of my body joined in with my eyelids in attempting to stave off consciousness, my entire being sore with the sensation of an unfulfilling sleep. I had been awake rather late the night prior getting acquainted with some of Sweet Apple Acres finest, and the unmistakable sensation of a hangover was doing nothing to help alleviate my desire to ignore the unknown disturbance. Another series of tapping entered my ears violently, enhancing the dull rhythmic throbbing of my booze-induced headache, the sharp pain finally returning me to reality. With a heavy sigh I tossed my covers aside, the minds' curiosity trumping the body's base reservations, and I slothfully made my way to my bedroom window.

Unsurprisingly, the source of the noise was a particular orange filly, who was rather energetically beating the crap out of my window with a forehoof. She would appear in the window for a few moments, buzzing her tiny wings rapidly in an attempt to generate lift, getting off a few knocks before gravity once again claimed her, pulling her back to the ground below. I stood there with an amused grin as she continued the process a few times with her eyes clenched in frustration, before she finally peered inside again and made eye contact with me. I laughed as her face took on an annoyed expression, made even more humorous as she slowly sank back out of sight again. I shook my head and cleared my throat as I slowly opened the window, peering my head out and did my best to act presentable in my state of half-sleep.

"Having fun?"

She panted in between her words, the maneuver clearly having taken a bit out of her. "What...the hay...is wrong with you?"

"I enjoy my rest."

"And I enjoy not looking like an idiot."

I smirked. "I guess neither of us are getting what we want this morning then."

She glared at me with the most adorable expression of hatred, her eyes narrow and brow furrowed as she stared me down unblinking in a display of pseudo-antagonism. Unsurprisingly, Scootaloo never was able to intimidate me, despite her many attempts. I couldn't help but let out another laugh. Her expression deepened. "Its not funny!" She snapped.

"It kinda is."

Scootaloo just hung her head in response, taking the comment a bit harder than I anticipated. Being able to determine where her boundaries are has always been rather difficult. The line seems to shift with her mood. I sighed."Aww...c'mon...you know I didn't mean anything by that!”

She just sat on her haunches, ignoring me, seemingly distraught. Though, experience told me she was playing the moment up a bit to try and make me feel bad.

I wasn’t falling for it. Not this time.

“You know, it really wasn’t all that stupid looking...” I began in a sing song voice.

She looked up at me again with disgust, knowing where I was going with this, and her eyes narrowed with rekindled rage. “Oh...you better not...”

I ignored her, putting a hoof to my chin in an act of faux contemplation. “Hmm...it was kinda more like...what’s the word...?”

“I’m warning you...”

The stupidest grin ever spread uncontrollably across my face. “...cute.”

She hated it when I said that.

Scootaloo’s cheeks flushed and her face somehow managed to contort into an even deeper scowl. She broke eye contact with me, instead looking at the grass while crossing her forehooves in disapproval. “Shut. Up.”

I laughed again and decided to lay off for now, fully satisfied in my vengeance for my less than ideal wake up call. “So...what exactly brings you to my humble backyard at such an ungodly hour?”

"It's 10AM." Scootaloo deadpanned

"Exactly. Ungodly hour."

The filly sighed, not interested in my light banter. "I've been trying to get your sorry flank up!"

I looked at the filly, then casually glanced behind be at the front entrance of my home, then returned back to Scootaloo. "I...have a front door you know."

"Yeah I do know. We know each other real well now. I tried that for 10 minutes before I came back here!"

Oh...

"Yeah...sorry about that, Scoots. I was up real late last night."

She took personal offense to that. "What?! Why?! You promised you'd be ready to go to Sweet Apple Acres when I got here!"

Sweet Apple Acres? Why would we b-
Oh...

I facehoofed. "The Sisterhooves Social..."

If I didn’t know better, I’d say Scootaloo was beginning to take pleasure in pointing out my idiocy. "Oh now you remember! Well hurry up! We gotta go meet up with Rainbow Dash!"

"All right, all right! Lemme unlock the door for you. Not gonna make you sit outside while I get ready..."

"Hurry!"

I slowly turned my attention towards the front door and, with a quick thought, my horn burst to life, a cool blue aura undoing the bolt on the door. A sharp pain in my forehead reminded me that I was, in fact, still hung over, and that using magic does nothing to alleviate said condition. I stumbled my way to my small bathroom to freshen up a bit as the sound of tiny hoofsteps entered my living room. They came to a stop and were followed by a muted thump, most likely Scootaloo taking a seat on my couch. A few minutes passed in silence as I quickly began to take a shower. I was in the middle of working the shampoo in my mane into a fine lather when Scootaloo piped up again.

"It stinks in here."

I called out over the showerhead in reply. "That, my girl, is the smell of alcohol. Give it a few years and I'm sure you'll come to appreciate it."

The wait before her response was just long enough to be unnerving. "Ooh...is that what this bottle is? I wanna try some!"

I nearly tripped over my own forehooves as I instinctually bolted out of the shower, shampoo mane and all. "No! No! Classic Equestrian Brown Ale does not mix well with fillies!"

I spilled into the living room, soaking wet, to see Scootaloo sitting on the couch, in the company of not a beer but instead a devious smirk. I stood there in stunned silence as her smirk grew bigger and bigger. Words finally found me again.

"You lying little sack of horsefeathers..."

Scootaloo recoiled in fake horror and covered her ears. "Whoa! Language! Innocent ears over here!"

I scoffed. "Please...I've heard you say worse on your good days..."

Her smirk returned. "Innocent ears. Not tongue."

I rolled my eyes as I made my way back to my shower. Scootaloo was too caught up in a giggling fit on the couch to throw any parting remarks my way. I shut the door to the bathroom a bit louder than I intended to, stopping Scootaloo's laughing fit. Taking the door slam as a challenge, the last thing I heard from her before drowning out the world under a warm cascade of water was a muffled:
"That'll teach you to call me cute!"

I let the water run down through my mane and extradite both the lathered shampoo what was left of my grogginess, letting out another heavy sigh.

Kids...
_________________

"You shower like a girl."

Scootaloo had apparently not yet reached her quota for insults this morning, continuing to tease me even as we made our way through downtown Ponyville, making our way to Sweet Apple Acres. She tooled around on her scooter, doing some simple tricks and riding in circles around me as I casually trotted along in no particular hurry. Despite Scootaloo's wake up call because of my unplanned tardiness, we still had a good half hour before the social began, so I saw no reason to rush. Scootaloo however, did not agree.

"Ugh...can you go any slower?!"

I slowed my trot to half my original speed.

"You suuuuuuuck..."

I laughed. "Relax, we have plenty of time."

Scootaloo still wasn’t convinced. "If you walk as quickly as you shower we'll never get there!"

Bringing up my showering habits again reminded me of her first comment. "Showering like a girl. Isn't that like...insulting to yourself?"

She scoffed, her voice taking on a lecturing tone. "I am a girl, so I have an excuse. Even still, I don't take TWENTY minutes to wash my mane."

"Well, in my defense, my mane is longer than yours.”

Valid points did not sit well with the filly this morning, and she eyed me with disdain. I continued unabated. “Regardless though, I decided that I deserved the solace of a nice, relaxing shower after being awoken with such provocation."

"Only cuz you're too dumb to get up when you're supposed to."

"I was up late last night enjoying the tranquility of a most beautiful evening in the company of a quality local beverage. Princess Luna would be proud."

"I doubt Luna would like you breaking your promise."

"Oh, and you know what Her Highness would think about the situation, huh?"

"Better than you. I've met Princess Luna."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah. In my dream."

"...your dream?"

"Yep. Luna can visit you in your dreams."

Scootaloo's normal joking demeanor disappeared and instead became completely serious during this exposition, giving her account an eerie amount of credibility.

"...S-she can really do that?"

Scootaloo shrugged nonchalantly. "I guess so."

"...huh..."

We continued in silence for a few seconds as I pondered her words. Scootaloo's gaze drifted down the road and excitement quickly filled her face again."C'mon...we're getting close! You have to meet Rainbow Dash!"

I had been in Ponyville for almost a year now, and I don't think a single day had gone by that I had been with Scootaloo when she didn't mention the cyan Pegasus in some way. Of course, even if she hadn't had such a blatant idolization of the mare, her name would still be familiar. Recalling her idol, I suddenly connected the dots between her last two statements.

“So...you know the Princess of the Night...and a Wonderbolt?”

She stood up a bit straighter in response. “Yep! Pretty impressive, huh?”

I nodded. It was certainly surprising, to say the least. In all honesty, when Scootaloo first mentioned that she knew Rainbow, I had a hard time believing her. But after finding out that basically the entire town knew waaaay too much embarrassing history concerning the Wonderbolt’s humble beginnings, I had to concede to the truth.

“I still can’t believe the biggest new name in extreme stunt flying has an obsession with a book series like Daring Do, and was writing a blatant self-insert fiction...”

Scootaloo grinded to a halt in a panic, stopping me dead in my tracks too. “SHH!”

She looked around to make sure that Rainbow Dash hadn’t somehow materialized next to us in the last thirty seconds before walking over to me and continuing in a hushed whisper. “You’re not supposed to know that! Nopony is supposed to know that! If you mention that around her she’ll KILL you.”

One would initially think that this was an overreaction from a self-proclaimed zealous fangirl, but then again, stories of Rainbow Dash demolishing a barn single hoofededly by essentially crashing into it made me err on the side of caution.

“...Noted.”

The rest of the journey to Sweet Apple Acres was relatively quiet, with Scootaloo riding ahead of me, showing off with the occasional scooter trick, followed by a quick look back at me to gauge my reaction, her gaze prompting a warm smile and the occasional short compliment on my part. Each affirmation from me lit up her face, and she took off again, determined to make her next trick even more impressive than the last.

After about 15 minutes of stunts, the dull murmur of a crowd began to encroach upon us as we approached Sweet Apple Acres. Half of Ponyville was gathered for the annual event, which, if I was understanding correctly, has continued to grow in complexity each year. Our impending arrival spurred Scootaloo on, and with a loud buzzing of her wings she took off at full speed, forcing me into a light canter just to keep up with her. We cut our way through the bulk of the crowd gathered at the entrance to the farm and made our way to the main event area. Scootaloo jumped off her scooter and began frantically looking around, trying to spot Rainbow Dash. I stood by the sidelines and observed her enthusiasm with a grin. Her excitement rubbed off on me a bit as I found myself also eager to meet the famed pegasus athlete. One would think that a bright cyan coat, a spectrum streaked mane, and an insurmountable ego would be easy to spot in a crowd, yet the Wonderbolt continued to elude our gaze, Dash apparently doing a good job staying out of sight. Scootaloo continued her search unhindered however, ignoring the calls off Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle as they made their way over to us from the main barn. They gave both of us a friendly wave, of which only one of us returned. Apple Bloom rolled her eyes and made her way towards Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle continued over to me.

"She’s looking for Rainbow Dash?"

"That obvious, huh?"

Sweetie smirked as she matched my gaze, both of us watching as Apple Bloom chased Scootaloo around the farm, desperately trying to calm down "Well, who else does she get this excited over?"

This statement elicited an interesting response from me. I'm not exactly sure how to describe it. I just felt rather uncomfortable all of a sudden, prompting a left field question. "You've obviously met her before. Is she worth all the fanfare?"

Sweetie Belle pondered for a moment. "Well...yeah! She's pretty cool I guess. She likes all the same stuff as Scootaloo does, so we all get why she gets all hyper like this.” Sweetie’s voice became a bit more somber. “Scootaloo has always been a bit jealous of us for having our sisters, so she looks to Rainbow Dash for same kind of bond. And while they do what they can, Rainbow Dash is gone a lot now. It must be tough for both of them...”

I nodded, not exactly sure what to say in response, electing to continue watching as Apple Bloom attempted to reign in Scootaloo's hype. The scene eventually caught the attention of Applejack, who was busy helping her brother and grandmother getting the final preparations for the event set up. The large field directly behind the central structures of Sweet Apple Acres had been cleared out of its usual myriad of tools and farming equipment, and an elaborate obstacle course full of all sorts of relays and challenges had been haphazardly erected in their stead, aligned to a winding path etched out in the soil. Applejack and Big Macintosh were busy setting up the starting line post, their Granny Smith in a rocking chair barking orders through a megaphone not too far away. To an athletic little filly like Scootaloo, the setup must’ve looked like heaven. To a more...sedentary pony like myself, I was getting exhausted just looking at it. The obstacle course was flanked with an assortment of other games, rides, food stands, and an assortment of tables and hay bales for ponies to sit down and take a load off. While the event was called the Sisterhooves Social, the gathering had stuff going on for everypony in the family.

" Well Howdy there, River Rhyme! I’m surprised you made it!"

Scootaloo stopped talking with Apple Bloom and interjected before I got a chance to respond. "You and me both! I was barely able to get him out of bed!"

The comment earned me an odd look from Applejack.

I chuckled nervously. "She was knocking on my window for the better part of 15 minutes trying to wake me up."

Applejack laughed. “ Oh is that all? Well, ah can’t say ahm surprised. When you said ya wanted some of th’ strongest stuff we brewed last night, I didn’t think y’all would actually have th’ chops t’ handle it! So..how did the ‘Ghastly Apple Gorge’ treat ya?”

My head chose that moment to deliver a swift blow to my temple, as if to accentuate my next statement. “Kicked my flank all kinds of bad. Calling that stuff 'cider' is insulting." Thinking about my hangover brought the pain back to the forefront of my mind, figuratively and literally, and i nursed my temples with a forehoof. Applejack let out a chuckle at my expense. I did my best to ignore both the pain and her commentary. "Still, It was just what I was looking for. I’ll probably be grabbing some more before I leave today, if that’s alright with you.”

Applejack huffed. “More already? Well...ah won’t say no to honest business, but you best be careful with how quickly you put that stuff away, Sugarcube. We both know as much as you may like yer beer, you aint no Apple.”

I gave a slight groan at her chastising. Applejack and her brother were the closest thing I had in Ponyville to a “drinking buddy”, but the difference in our levels of tolerance was staggering. I had thought only a year ago that I was exceptionally skilled in my ability to handle alcohol, but the Apples were quick to prove just how comparatively plebeian my abilities actually were, the siblings able to down beer, cider, and hard liquor in a fashion I wouldn’t have thought possible had I not been a witness to it in the flesh multiple times. I decided to chalk it up to the fact that the Apple Family grew up around beer, and had years to temper their tolerance, enjoying the act of drinking as an act of recreation, whereas I had taken to the habit relatively recently as a form of escapism.

“Don’t worry about me. I can still hold my own when not compared to such freaks of nature.”

Applejack shot me a discontent look at the surprise verbal salvo. Not wanting to get on her bad side this early in the morning, nor continue talking about our drinking habits in front of the filles (though at this point I’m sure Apple Bloom was more than familiar with drinking culture than most parents would deem proper, given her siblings), I decided to switch gears and inquire as to the original matter that brought us here.

“So...where is Rainbow Dash? I’d be lying if I said I’m not a little interested in meeting the mare behind the flightsuit.”
Scootaloo’s wings started buzzing again. “Yeah! Where is Rainbow Dash already?!”

Applejack sighed. “She said she’d be back before the event started, but knowin her, she’s probably stallin’ on purpose so she can made some kinda ‘grand entrance’. That girl has always been a showoff, an’ bein worshipped by half of Equestria ain’t done nothin’ to mellow out her ego.”

Scootaloo wasn’t pleased. “She’s still not here yet?!”

Applejack chuckled, “Don’t you worry none, Scootaloo. She’ll be here. And when she shows up, we’ll all know about it, believe you me.”

Scootaloo seemed a bit disappointed, but the promise of Rainbow Dash sated her for now. Apple Bloom rounded up her fellow pint-sized Crusaders, ushering them into the barn. “C’mon girls! We gotta get ready for the competition!”

Sweetie Belle bounced off after Apple Bloom with a wide grin on her face, just happy to be spending some quality time with Rarity. I had to admit that the opportunity to see the refined fashionista participating in such....base activity was going to be quite the sight, almost as intriguing as meeting a celebrity like Rainbow Dash. Speaking of Dash, Scootaloo trailed behind Sweetie, visibly less excited due to her idol’s absence, but not entirely deflated of enthusiasm just yet. She was about to enter the barn when I decided to call out to her. “Hey!”

She looked back at me with an inquisitive expression. I simply smiled at her, giving her a tiny wave. “Good luck out there, kiddo.”

She perked up a bit and flashed me that trademark Scootaloo smirk. “If you knew Rainbow Dash, you’d know we don’t need it.”

And with that she turned around and joined her friends.

Applejack laughed as the three filles took off. “Looks like somepony is pretty confident...”

“I guess you and Apple Bloom have your work cut out for you.”

Applejack put a forehoof to her chin. “Hmm...well Rainbow may be the fastest flyer in Equestria, but th’ ground and yer four hooves is where Earth ponies are at home. She's been doin an awful lot o’ flyin up there in Cloudsdale, but I doubt she been doin’ a whole lotta runnin’. Or herdin’. Or apple buckin’.”

I smirked. “Do I detect a hint of friendly rivalry, Ms. Apple?”

She smirked back and gave the ground a firm stomp with her foreleg in approval, holding her head up high. “Yer darn tootin.”

Her confidence got a chuckle out of me. "Well then, I guess this may get a bit more interesting than I was expecting."

Our conversation came to a close there when Big Macintosh walked over and gave his sister a tap on the shoulder. She turned and shared a few words with the humble, hulking stallion, his voice too low for me to make out what was being said. After a minute of muted back and forth, he turned around and left again to rejoin Granny Smith, who was gathering up the tools they had been working with. Applejack turned back to face me, sensing my confusion.

“Looks like eve’thin is ready to go for the event. Ah think ah’ll make sure all our contestants are ready n’ rearin’ to go while Mac and Granny get the course finished up. Feel free to take a seat and get cozy. We should be startin real soon.”

I nodded with a smile and made my way over to the makeshift bleachers that had been set up by the sidelines. I was almost out of earshot when a heard a call from Applejack.

“Oh...an’ Rhyme?”

I turned.

“We’ll be havin’ some refreshments out by th’ bleachers before the event starts. Help yerself to as much water as you want." She gave me a wink. "Celestia knows a lightweight like you’ll need it.”

She laughed at her own jab as she trotted off to join her family, leaving me to simmer in my embarrassment. For some reason, part of me still didn’t take too kindly to being so utterly outclassed by a seemingly simple farm girl like Applejack.

Another particularly strong sensation struck my temples, reminding me that Applejack’s chastising, while slightly humiliating, was no less well founded, and I sighed in defeat as I began making my way over to the base of the bleachers, eager to grab the biggest pitcher I could find and alleviate my headache, as well as perhaps treat myself to a quality Sweet Apple Acres lunch.
____________________

This is a bit longer than 'a few minutes' AJ...

I was in the middle of downing my fourth mug of water, and had already helped myself to one of the heartiest meals I had eaten since...well, since the last time I had been treated to Granny Smiths cooking, but even a satisfied belly and an abating headache couldn't stave the fact that the apparent delay was starting to get a bit concerning. The Sisterhooves Social had been set to begin almost 45 minutes ago. The bleachers were packed with mothers, brothers, and fathers itching to see their family compete in the big race, but their excitement was only reinforcing their increasing boredom, the crowd beginning to get fidgety.

I cast my gaze towards the barn to our left, where Applejack has disappeared earlier to join the CMC and the other ponies participating in the event. From the murmur of the crowd around me, I had been able to gather that, apparently, Granny Smith usually appears on stage and makes some sort of opening speech and gets the event started as the contestants all take their place at the starting line. However, as of right now, nopony was even on the field.

I was considering perhaps making my way over to the barn and finding out what was going on, when the doors finally opened and the participants began filing in. The crowd cheered and whooped as over a dozen pairs of sisters made their way to the starting line at the far end of the obstacle course. Granny Smith and Big Macintosh made their way to the central podium, and began the opening ceremonies.

I tuned in and out of the elder Apple's...less than coherent speech, and cast my gaze across the ponies who were competing. I recognized a few of them that vaguely, having seen them around town: Berry Punch and her sister Piña Colada, Ditzy and Dinky Doo, Golden Harvest and...Noi, if I recall correctly.

And of course, there was Rarity, looking just about as enthused as one would expect. Her head was hung low and she seemed rather distraught being out of her Boutique and just moments away from a close encounter with some dirt. I looked to her side and saw Sweetie Belle, looking very...upset as well?

She was ecstatic just a little while ago. What happened?

A cursory glance over to AJ and Apple Bloom revealed a similarly somber mood. I scanned the group looking for Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash when everything started to fall into place.

Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash aren't here...

I looked around in more of a panic then I really had any reason to be. A fact which was a little bit surprising. In looking around for Scoots, I inadvertently made eye contact with Applejack. We stared for a few seconds before she gave a quick nod and motioned back to the barn. I understood immediately and jumped off the bleachers. Just as I did, Granny Smith gave the signal to start the race and the sisters took off, and I made a beeline for the barn.

Something was wrong.

____________

"Scootaloo? ...hey Scoots! Where are you kiddo?"

I'm not exactly sure what I had expected to find in the small barn, but I at least thought I'd stumble across a small orange filly. Instead, the barn was devoid of anypony, my only company some worn farm equipment and an excessive amount of hay bales. I gave the barn another once over to make sure Scootaloo wasn't hiding anywhere creative before I left.

Back outside the crowd was beginning to get rowdy as the majority of the sisters had made it to the pie eating leg of the race. Rarity was going at a comically slow pace, though Sweetie Belle seemed too distracted to really care that they were quickly losing ground. Likewise AJ and Apple Bloom seemed similarly distant. It looked like neither pair was going to be setting any records today.

Taking a quick breather after inhaling nearly an entire apple pie in one go, Appplejack once again met my gaze. Too far away to have a proper conversation, she gave a look as if to ask what was going on. I replied with an exaggerated shrug while mouthing "She's gone." I turned my head and motioned towards the main entrance to Sweet Apple Acres that led back to Ponyville with a forehoof. "I'm gonna go look for her!"

Applejack swallowed the last of her pie and raised a forehoof, motioning for me to wait. She turned back towards Big Macintosh by the podium and exchanged a few words. She then went back to her pie, and Big Mac left his post by Granny Smith and cantered over to me. I greeted him as cordially as I could, despite every muscle in my body screaming to get out of here and find Scootaloo.

"Hey Mac. You have any idea what's going on?"

"AJ didn't go into any specifics. Just told me that Scootaloo was upset and t' help you find her."

I wasn't liking the sound of this.

"I was gonna go back to town to see if she was back there. Her scooter is missing so..."

Mac nodded. "Good idea. Ah'll take a look round the farm. Know the place like th' back o' mah hoof. Includin' all the good hidin' spots. If she's still here, ah'll find her."

"OK. If I haven't had any luck in an hour I'll come back. If you find her before then, could you have somepony come get me?"

"Eeyup."

With that I took off, eager to get track down a little filly who had her heart set on a fun filled day.

________________

The task of looking for Scootaloo was becoming an unexpectedly odd exercise in frustration.

On the one hoof, I had the overwhelming urge to make a mad dash through Ponyville as fast as I could (which, granted, wasn't that fast), in an attempt to locate the filly as quickly as possible. However, the more sensible part of my increasingly flustered mind tried to rationalize a slow, deliberate search, lest I move to quickly and blow right by her. The two contrasting methods were battling it out in my mind, and I found myself meandering slightly outside of Sweet Apple Acres, not sure what to do just yet.

Of course, my struggling and hesitation both suggested an underlying motivation that I found even more unexpected.

I was worried sick about the poor girl.

Sure, Scootaloo and myself had grown rather comfortable around each other over the past year, but I was well on my way towards finding my own niche here in Ponyville. As a result, I had not only grown comfortable around Scootaloo, but also the other Crusaders, their siblings, Mr. and Mrs. Cake, Caramel and Sassaflash, the list went on and on. I had made more than my fair share of friends in the small town, and, naturally, would be concerned if any of them had been troubled.

This was different though.

If I had been alone, nursing a drink, parchment and quill in hoof, I probably would have thought on this emotion a bit, picking it apart, trying to get to the root of what was causing my increased sense of care, if for no other reason than it allowed me an excuse to not be making any progress writing. However, there were more pressing matters, so I merely chalked it up to the filly being just that, and focused instead on Scootaloo herself, considering her inclinations. Where would she go if she were upset, and her friends weren't available to help?

The thought experiment didn't take too long to bear fruit. Scootaloo was not one for elaborate planning or carefully crafted actions. She played things pretty straight. As a result, I highly doubted she would go out of her way to carefully stow away in a place she couldn't be found. On the contrary; despite her rough and tumble attitude, when things bothered her, Scootaloo was the type who preferred to bounce her problems off somepony else, putting a lot of weight into the considerations of her peers. However, the filly was too prideful to ask for a pep talk directly, instead dropping not-so-subtle hints until the pony in question decides to initiate the conversation themselves, with Scootaloo initially feigning resistance before opening up. Combine this with the fact that she wasn't able to actually talk with anypony, and would instead be calling for attention in a non-verbal fashion, and her location was narrowed down to only two probable locations: The Crusader clubhouse, or the Park.

If she was at the Clubhouse, Big Mac would have in all likelihood found her already, and was on his way to come let me know. That left the park, which, in my meandering, I was already halfway there. I took off and made my way towards Ponyville's quaint secluded parklands. If Scootaloo had ended up here, I think I already had a pretty good guess on where exactly she'd be...

Ponyville's parkland was beautiful. A dense, healthy green grass punctuated by large, lush oak trees, and small bushes patches flanking the many meandering park trails. Small groups of flowers tastefully accented the larger patches of green, providing an atmosphere pleasant for all of the senses.

It was midday, and the majority of Ponyville was gathered at Sweet Apple Acres for the festivities, but Ponyville Park wasn't completely deserted. A few ponies were enjoying the tranquility of a summer's day in the warmth of Celestia's golden rays, while others were happily walking the paths with their significant others. I made my way through the park at a clip halfway between a casual trot and a light canter, weaving my way down the winding trails as quickly as possible without attracting too much attention, or broadcasting my worry, which was increasing exponentially the closer I got to my destination. I did my best to reassure myself.

She’ll be there. She has to be there. Where else would she go?

At last I made it to the largest oak tree in the center of the park, it's presence somehow ominous given the present situation, a far cry from its usual ambience when I would meet up with the other Crusaders here, marking the beginning some sort of ridiculous escapade that we'd all be regretting by the end of the day. Said ominous sensation became worse when Scootaloo was nowhere in sight.

It's OK. She's just sitting on the other side of the tree. No big deal. Just go to her.
Slowly, I made my way towards the massive tree trunk and circles around to the other side.

"Scootaloo...??"

Nopony was there.

I cursed vehemently under my breath. Where else could she be?! I thought...I knew she would be here! How could she not be here!

I began pacing to help vent my frustration. What should i do now? Should I go back to Sweet Apple Acres and check in with Mac? Do I keep looking around Ponyville? If she's not here, Scootaloo could be anywhere, and I had no idea where to start.

I kicked the ground with a forehoof. "Hayseed!"

I exhaled sharply. This wasn’t helping. Pointless aggression wasn't going to do me any favors, and it certainly wasn't going to bring any comfort to the filly I had come looking for in the first place. I took a familiar seat under the shielding shade of the oak tree, letting it cool me off both literally and metaphorically as I struggled to get control of my increasing paranoia and figure out the next best course of action.

I was prioritizing a mental checklist of places to search when my thoughts were interrupted by a small movement in the corner of my eye catching my attention. A small speck of orange against a sea of green, lightly propelled through the air by the soothing summer breeze. I reached out with my magic and grabbed it out of the air, bringing it close and looking it over.
A tiny feather.

She’s still here...

I jumped up onto my hooves.

She didn’t stay in this particular spot, but she at least stopped around here recently. She could still be close by...
I took off at a full gallop, no longer caring about attracting attention to myself. While there was no way to be sure where the feather had come from (or if it was even actually Scootaloo’s, there was indeed a fair bit of assumption going on here), I had noticed it coming from my right, so I headed down the closest path in that direction. It wasn’t much to go on, but it was the best that I had at the moment.

I made my way down a few different trails branching off from the initial one, none of which had any trace of the filly I was looking for. I had nearly reached the end of my wits and the main path, when I noticed a patch of orange against a tree.

Scootaloo.

I made my way over to her, standing there for a few moments in silence. She was collapsed in a heap, keeled over on the side of the trail. Her scooter was flipped around in front of her, and her coat was covered in dirt, suggesting she had hit something and fallen off of it. Her left hind leg had a scrape on it, and her fur was matted and bloody around the wound. Her disheveled mane was draped over her eyes and falling atop her helmet, which she had grasped in her forehooves in a desperate attempt for some comfort. Her injured hind leg was touching the far wheel of her scooter, and she would give it a slight kick every few seconds and send it spinning, letting it come to a stop for a few moments before repeating the motion, wincing a bit as pain shot up her leg from the wound, seemingly indifferent.

If she had noticed my approach, she wasn't acknowledging it.

Seeing her in such a state, hurt, and devoid of her usual enthusiasm, was as jarring as it was heartwrenching. I made my way next to her and flopped down on my haunches, making sure she couldn't miss it. I looked over at her again.

"Hey, kiddo."

She took a moment before responding, inhaling deeply a few times and attempted to stifle her sniffling. She finally looked up at me, her nose runny and raw from rubbing at it, eyes bloodshot and the fur on her face matted from tears. Still, she did her best to feign contentment, even coercing a smile onto her face. "...hey."

Her voice was quiet, faltering a bit. She was holding back the tears as best she could, but it was a losing battle. I ask a question with a rather obvious answer.

"How are you doing?"

She tried to smile at me again. This time she wasn't as successful. "I'm...fine...just great. Why wouldn't I be?" She stopped for a moment to fight more tears, inhaling sharply. "R-Rainbow Dash will be here any minute to make her 'grand entrance'...right?"

I looked down at her with a blank expression. I didn't want to lie to her, but to be honest, I had no idea if Rainbow had any intention of showing up. I had never met her, after all. For all I knew she really could be planning her grand entrance as we speak.

I was so caught up in my thoughts, I almost didn't notice the small orange forehooves wrapping themselves around my neck. I let out a small gasp as Scootaloo buried her face into my chest, fresh warm tears staining my coat. She cried. She bawled her eyes out, using my fur to muffle her sobbing lest anyone hear her, squeezing my neck even tighter each time she surfaced for a breath. I sat there for a full minute in stunned silence as I watched her overflow with emotion. Never had I seen the rambunctious filly let her guard down like this before. She was breathing hard now, on the verge of hyperventilating. She fought to get control of herself again, looking up at me with wide, tear streaked eyes, exposing her soul, her words barely above a whisper.

"Why didn't she come for me, Rhyme? ...why?"

I felt tears forming in my eyes now, too. I didn’t have a good answer for her. None that didn’t involve throwing a complex combination of expletives at her idol, at least. There was nothing I could say to comfort her.

"I...I don’t know..."

She let loose another torrent of tears before continuing. “She promised! she promised she'd be here! She was supposed to take me under her wing! She promised! She promised to be there for me and then she just...leaves! She’s up in Cloudsdale and I can’t even follow!" She flaps her tiny wings to accent the statement. "Would she even want me to follow if I could?!"

She paused and took a few deep breaths, before continuing in an even more solemn tone. "She's not my sister... As much as I want her to be...she's not."

The admission felt like a punch in the gut to me. I couldn't imagine what it felt like to her. "Hey...Scootaloo..."

“But I just wanted to pretend! Thats all! Was that so wrong! She was all I had!" Her tears flowed freely again as she tugged on my coat.

"She was all I had..."

I was struggling to keep my own tears at bay at this point. Scootaloo was broken. Her tiny frame curled up and shivering, struggling with her emotions. I had never met Rainbow Dash in my life, true, but she had hurt this filly, badly. And as a result, for the time being at least, I did not like her. Not one bit.

She sniffled a bit and looked up at me. "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

Her eyes met the ground, too nervous to ask the question straight. "Promise me...you won’t leave too..."

Without thinking, I wrapped a forehoof around her back and pulled her into a tight embrace, resting my muzzle on the top of her forehead. She was still shivering, her voice shaky as she tried to force herself to stop crying, the occasional soft whimper still escaping her. I found myself rocking her back and forth in an attempt to calm her down. I did my best to keep my own voice steady as a tear loosed itself from my eye as well.

"Of course I promise."

We stayed like that for awhile. For a solid twenty minutes I held her as she continued to vent, her tears slowly beginning to subside. After that we continued sitting there for another ten. There were no words, no eye contact, no interaction at all. We just....existed, lost in a melancholy trance.

Suddenly Scootaloo let out an awkward laugh. “I am totally lying on top of you right now, aren’t I?”

I looked down at the filly curled up on my lap. “Seems like it.”

"Sorry about that."

I smiled at her. "You have nothing to apologize for."

“I should get up, huh?”

I shrugged. “Only if you want to.”

She hesitated for a few moments, lifting her head up, then lowering it again, electing to stay where she was. She smiled and exhaled softly, making herself comfortable again while giving me another small squeeze. She closed her eyes and chuckled a bit. "That was pretty lame of me...wasn't it?"

"Hey..."

I gently brought my forehoof to rest atop her head, running it through her mane. The sensation caused her to open her eyes with a start, and I looked straight into them. "It's OK to let things out when you're hurting. Better that than keeping it all bottled up."

She smiled, but did her best to avert my gaze, locking her eyes on the ground. I decided it better to change the subject. I let out a loud groan as I stretched, leaning us both back a bit as I came to a rest against the tree and looked out across the parklands.“You know, I’m surprised I found you all the way out here, and not by our usual meeting spot.”

“Yeah?”

I nodded. “Figured you’d stick around there or go to the Clubhouse.”

“I went there at first...but it felt wrong. We’re usually all there together...”

I put a hoof on her shoulder. "That tree has been the start of a whole lot of crazy adventures the last few months, hasn't it?"
Scootaloo just hummed in agreement.

I laughed. "Remember that one time that Sweetie Belle thought it would be a good idea to get our cutie marks as landscapers, and told us that she had gotten permission to plant a bunch of new trees here?"

Scootaloo did her best to stifle a giggle, fighting to keep a smile off her face.

I continued, determined to get a better reaction out of her. “And...and how we were awake digging holes all over the park the entire night, planting apple seeds that Apple Bloom had brought from the farm?”

I got an audible giggle this time.

“And how we ended up digging too many holes then we had seeds for? So we ended up just leaving a bunch of empty holes, figuring we’d finish the next morning?”

Scootaloo was opening laughing now, as was I.

“What...what was...what was it that Mr. Greenhooves said to us the next day? When he found the park like that?”

Scootaloo struggled to stop laughing as she put a hoof to her muzzle in thought. “Wasn’t it like...’If I wanted the park to look like the moon, I would’ve gotten Princess Luna to help!’”

I completely lost it at that point. Scootaloo’s impression of Greenhooves was as hilarious as it was inaccurate.

The funniest thing about that night though had probably been the fact that I had even agreed to help in the first place. Digging up random holes in a public park seems like an obvious mistake, but the Crusaders had shown up at my doorstep rather late that night, eager to get things started. At that point, I may have just been the tiniest bit drunk, and relatively open to suggestion.

Our shared laughter lasted a few more minutes, Scootaloo rolling around on the ground, making a mess of her coat, her eyes leaking with a different kind of tears.

Mission accomplished.

I stretched a bit and got up on my hooves, giving my coast a quick brush off before turning around and extending a forehoof to Scootaloo. “Milkshakes?”

She grabbed my forehoof as I helped her up. “Definitely.”

_________________

The scents emanating from Sugarcube Corner were entrancing at this hour. Of course, one would be hard pressed to think of a time when Sugarcube Corner didn't carry an aroma as delectable as the sweets contained within. Even after closing and well into the night, the smell of the pastry shop's choice confections still lingered well into the morning.

Right now though, it was the afternoon, so Mr. And Mrs. Cake were in full swing. As Scootaloo and myself made our way inside the baker shop, we could see the duo in the back room, slaving away over their sizable oven and a multitude of pans containing brownies, pastries, donuts, candies, and, of course, cakes by the dozens in varying degrees of preparedness. Being that it was the middle of summer, cool treats like ice creams, freeze pops, and snow cones were in particularly high demand. And preparation of the frozen delectables, as well as manning the storefront, was being handled by Pinkie Pie. She gave us both an energetic hello as we entered, taking our place at the back of the small line Pinkie was serving.

We both waited in line in relative silence, only giving each other small smiles the few times we made eye contact, instead electing to pass the time taking in the sight and smells of Sugarcube Corner. Neither of us were ready to talk just yet. After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, we finally made it to the head of the line. Pinkie Pie was moving in an almost unnatural fashion as she juggled stocking the glass display cases by the registers with fresh pastries, as well as making frozen treats for ponies coming up to the counter. Despite the ridiculous pace she was moving at, Pinkie was, as usual, beaming from ear to ear, happy to be making everpony’s day just a little bit sweeter. She gave us another warm welcome as we approached the counter.

"Hi Scootaloo! River Rhyme! How are the pint sized and not-so-pint sized Crusaders doing today?!"

We both glared at Pinkie.

"Sheesh. Tough crowd..."

I gave Pinkie a sympathetic smile. "Sorry Pinkie, we've just had a bit of a rough afternoon..."

Pinkie gasped. "A rough afternoon?! Well that doesn't sound like fun. Not fun at all! That sounds like nuf!"

Scootaloo raised an eyebrow. "Uhh...'nuf'?"

"THE OPPOSITE OF FUN!" Pinkie screamed, getting the attention of some of the patrons eating at the front of the shop. Pinkie however, continued unabated. "If you're having a 'nuf' day, than something bad has happened, and if something bad is happened then you need something good to happen to make you feel better, and you came here for something good to happen then you must want one of..." Pinkie Pie reached behind her with a forehoof, causing the sound of various objects being shuffled around to permeate the immediate area. Which was weird, because her hoof was nowhere near the shelving space on the far wall, and as far as I could tell she wasn't wearing a saddlebag. Nevertheless, a few sounds later she retrieved an object from...somewhere, and presented it to Scootaloo. "...these!"

Balanced in Pinkie Pie's hoof was Scootaloo's personal favorite treat at Sugarcube Corner; a large chocolate milkshake. This one though, was even bigger than the usual, complete with whipped cream, chocolate shavings, and a bright cherry on top. Scootaloo gasped. "Oooooh..."

"See, you're feeling less 'nuf' already!"

Pinkie handed the treat down to Scootaloo, who had to balance it with both a forehoof and her muzzle to keep massive malt from falling, her muzzle getting stained a bit by the whipped cream. I looked over at her with a laugh as she struggled to keep her balance. "Why don't you find us a table kiddo, and I'll square up with Pinkie."

Scootaloo carefully nodded and took off uncharacteristically slow, treating her cargo with care. I turned back towards Pinkie. "Thanks for that. Poor girl needed a little something after her day today." I raised an eyebrow and smirked a bit. "No idea how you did it, though."
Pinkie closed her eyes and gave me one of her trademark smiles, tilting her head a bit. "That’s OK. I dunno how I did it, either!"

Sometimes I forgot how weird Pinkie Pie could be.

"So...did you want anything, Rhyme?"

I paused for a moment, perusing the menu just for the sake of formality. If I was going to get something, I already knew exactly what it would be.

"Maybe...what's the damage on that milkshake?"

"Hmm...seven bits!"

"That's not too bad, just gimme a sec to-"

I reached back to dig through my saddlebag for my wallet, before realizing that, in my haste, I had left the bag at Sweet Apples Acres.
"Uhh...Pinkie Pie...is it OK if I take a raincheck on that shake for an hour or two? I seem to have left my wallet with Applejack.

"That's OK! Take that one on the house! Least I can do when somepony's hero doesn't show up."

"B-Wh-how did you...??"

Pinkie smiled yet again. "Just a hunch! Now get out there and start de-’nuf’ing! "

I did my best to ignore Pinkie’s custom vocabulary and thanked her again for looking the other way concerning my shortsightedness, said my goodbyes, and looked around for Scootaloo. Unsurprisingly, she had elected to take a seat outside as opposed to one of the booths inside the shop. Being a Pegasus, Scootaloo wasn't apt to stay indoors for longer than was necessary. Not to mention she liked keeping an eye on her scooter whenever possible. She plopped down on on the deck of her scooter resting on her haunches, nursing the massive dairy treat that probably contained a week’s worth of calories. She had a smile on her face though, and that’s all that mattered. Not to mention that, unlike me, she’d probably work all those calories off by the end of the day.

I took a seat next to her as she continued to attack the drink, blissfully unaware of my presence.

I let her enjoy her treat in peace as I soaked up the moment. Scootaloo was smiling again, which in turn made me happy again. It was a beautiful afternoon, the just warm without being overbearing, with a cool breeze running through my coat to keep the humidity from being oppressive.

“Thanks...”

I left my daydreaming and looked over at Scootaloo, who was fidgeting with her forehooves, looking down at her milkshake.
“It’s no big deal. Just a milkshake. It was my pleasure.”

“No...I mean...thanks...for everything. You didn’t have to come look for me.”

“Hey, what are friends for?” I gave her a quick pat on the back. “What is family for?”

She blushed, stopping mid sip, then looked away from me. “S-shut up. You’re not allowed to be that cool...”

“Me? Cool? I gotta remember to mark this down on my calendar...”

She laughed. “Don’t get me wrong...it’s not like you’re...well...Rainbow Dash. I mean, you don’t fly really fast, or are super athletic or anything.” She gave me a devious smirk. “In fact, you’re getting a little chubby, if I’m being honest. Might wanna work on that.”

My face flushed as a felt a slight pinch of anger. “What?! What do you mean by th-”

I look downward at my gut, and realized for the first time that I had indeed developed a bit of a beer belly. Nothing horrific mind you, but Sweet Apples Acres had apparently started to take its toll on me. Perhaps I should rethink the second helping of Ghastly Apple Gorge. I sighed.

“...go on...”

Scootaloo looked away again, fiddling at her scooter with her hind legs. “But like...I dunno. You’re cool in a different way. With Rainbow Dash its like...I gotta try and be better. Be like her. But with you, its different. I don’t really have to try to impress you or anything.”
She looked at me. “It’s like...you already like me for who I am or something...”

I had no idea what to say in response to that. Today had been a very emotive day for Scootaloo, and it was a side of her I had no preparation for. Teasing I understood, trading jabs I had come to expect, but this? I didn’t think the filly had it in her.

“Well...yeah, of course. You don’t have to prove anything to me.”

We just sat there in silence again. Neither really knowing what to say.

“Where’s your drink?”

“Huh?”

“Didn’t you want to get a shake too?”

I laughed. “Oh yeah. Well apparently I left my wallet at Sweet Apples Acres. Don’t worry though, Pinkie let you have that one on the house, so you’re good. Enjoy it.”

She looked down at the drink, then back at me.“Here.” She rotated the straw around to face me and held the mug out. “Try some. It’s good.”

“Aww, its OK. Far be it from me to deprive you of your favorite drink. Thanks though.”

She continued to hold the mug out.

“No really. It’s OK.”

She huffed, pushing the drink further in my face for added emphasis. I wasn’t gonna win this one. I sighed, leaning over a bit to get a better angle, and took a slight sip from the straw.

It was indeed pretty good.

We sat outside of Sugarcube Corner for awhile longer, Scootaloo working on her milkshake, making sure to shove it back in my face every few sips. I decided not to bother putting up a fight at any subsequent offerings. We were nearly done with that massive dessert when she paused for a moment after a particularly long sip.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“You just did.”

She deadpanned me and gave me a small kick to the shins.

“All right, all right...shoot.”

“It might sound kinda stupid.”

“Well you’ve come this far, you’re committed now.”

She took another sip, then passed the shake back to me before continuing.

“When you call me cute...do you really mean it?”

I spat out the majority of my helping of milkshake mid sip, gagging a bit as the rest went down my windpipe. “What?!”

“Do you mean it? Or, are you just making fun of me?”

I felt a rather large lump beginning to form in my throat as Scootaloo continued to stare me down with bated breath. This was nothing if not a loaded question. No response on my part was going to end well. Even saying nothing would end badly.

“It’s OK if you are. I don’t mind. Really...”

I could barely contain my eyeroll. Wow...tell a more obvious lie, why don’t you...

I sighed again. I had to say something. “Well, to be hones-”

“Hey there squirt!”

A voice from the heavens delivered unto me salvation, immediately drawing Scootaloo’s attention and saving me from stabbing myself in the hoof with an awkward answer. A glance down the street showed the Apple Family, Rarity and Sweeite Belle, and, hovering a few feet above them, a certain cyan pegasus with a spectrum streaked mane.

“RAINBOW DASH!”

Scootaloo bolted from her seat, wings buzzing as she galloped down the street at full speed, Rainbow diving downward and meeting the little filly in a warm embrace. Scootaloo started crying again, this time tears of joy, and Rainbow Dash gave her a quick noogie and messed up her mane even more than usual. Scoots just giggled.

“Where have you been?!”

Rainbow sighed. “Sorry about that, kiddo. I tried ducking outta practice early, but Spitfire wasn’t having it. I just got finished twenty minutes ago.”

“You flew all the way from Cloudsdale to Ponyville in twenty minutes?”

Rainbow scoffed. “Please. Remember who you’re dealing with, here.”

Scootaloo just beamed.

I watched the scene play out, the group of friends taking time to catch up with the Wonderbolt who they had barely seen for almost a year. Pinkie Pie even managed to spare a few minutes outside Sugarcube Corner and literally tackle Rainbow Dash. All the while, Scootaloo didn’t budge from her idol’s side. It was great, really. She had finally gotten what she had wanted to do all day. I was happy for her.

And yet, at the same time, I felt a sensation I wasn’t really expecting.

Jealousy.

Author's Note

I have been dreading this chapter ever since I finished my notes for it last month. Now thats its finally complete, my fears weren't unfounded. Honestly, this is probably gonna end up as my least favorite chapter of this story, if for no other reason than the ones that come after it interset me a lot more.

Regardless, hope there was a few things here you liked, and that it was at least worth the wait.

Also...is it just me, or does the Google Docs importer suck...hard...