What You Mean To Me

It’s an interesting thing
Having a pulse
A constant internal ticking
that connects us
to the rhythm of the universe
Binding us to its unyielding law:
An expiration date.

We struggle to define our time
With purpose.
With focus.
Brought forth in a culmination
A declaration
On our side.
That tells the world we did it.

And yet, despite such clarity
We squander our time
With things that serve no purpose.
We know who we are
What we are
And then promptly ignore it
For things that do not matter.

And yet,
Despite my criticism
I partake in such shortcomings
And lack such focus.

I simplified all I knew
To avoid this flaw
Yet here I am
Perpetrating regardless.

And the peculiar thing is
She’s starting to make me wonder
“Is that such a bad thing?”

The magical aura around my quill intensified a bit as I launched it across the room in a sudden swell of anger, following it up with a sharp growl in frustration, crumpling the offending parchment levitating in front of me and quickly depositing it in the trash, joining with at least fifteen older siblings. My quill, no longer influenced by my magic, had halted its swift retreat from my person and was slowly wafting down towards the ground, coming to rest on my carpet a scant few inches from where it began. I eyed the utensil with unblinking disdain. It, unsurprisingly, remained motionless under my gaze. A small drop of ink remaining on the quill’s tip slowly loosened itself, answering the call of gravity, impacting against my carpet, leaving both a stain as well as an unnerving impression of the quill bleeding. The quill, the parchment, the ink, they were all tools, and doing their jobs flawlessly. The only thing in the room currently failing at it’s self-prescribed function was a certain onyx-coated unicorn.

I closed my notebook with a rather heavy hoof, a sharp thud echoing through the small bedroom as parchment met parchment, punctuating the end of tonight's creative endeavors, leaving the remainder of the evening open to once again test the limits of my liver. I picked up the quill more gently than was necessary, as if to apologize for my earlier outburst, and with a practiced flick of my neck and a subtle application of magic, nestled it back in the container on my desk with its brothers, my notebook quickly following suit. I made my way out of my bedroom without giving the stain on the carpet a second glance. I was never one to put aesthetics on much of a high pedestal, especially interior design. A home was for living in, a servant of utility, not art. Small imperfections like that only reinforced the fact that the house was serving its purpose. They added character.

Besides, it was far from the first ink stain marring that carpet.

Moving away from my bedroom into the kitchen, I began pondering which of the, at this point almost embarrassingly large selection of drinks at my disposal, I should start the evening off with, when my tantalizing thought process was interrupted by a uneven barrage of knocking on my front door. I let out a heavy sigh as I replaced the four different beverages I had narrowed down my choices to back into my fridge and made my way to greet my guest. A quick trot and a small spark of magic opened the door.

"River Rhyme! Buddy! How ya doin, man?!"

I wasted no time slamming the door shut again. My guest anticipated the move however, and prevented the door from closing with a foreleg. Luckily for my company I had closed the door with a hoof instead of magic, otherwise he would probably be in an incredible amount of pain right now. I sighed in defeat and opened the door again. The golden earth pony in my doorway was pouting, looking at me with mock sadness as he nursed his hoof regardless of the menial impact. I braced myself for what was coming.

"What do you want, Caramel?"

"What do I want?! Well first I want an explanation for why you would slam the door in the face of your best friend!"

"Because it’s late, and whenever you show up unannounced after 5 o'clock it's because of one of two things; either A) You want something, or B) You screwed up and need my help." I paused for a moment and put a hoof to my chin in thought. "Which, come to think of it, still counts as wanting something."

Caramel continued throwing overly dramatic expressions of hurt my way. "Oh come on Rhyme! I show up unannounced for plenty of other reasons besides that!"

I raised an eyebrow, deciding to test the theory. "So why are you here, then?"

Caramel smirked, happy to have been granted an opening. "Think, man! You should already know exactly why I showed up today specifically!"

I stared at him blankly, and his enthusiasm waned a bit, his ears drooping ever so slightly. "You really don't know?! C'mon...think! What day is it today?"

I glanced back at my calendar purely for the sake of theatrics. "Uhh...Tuesday?"

"Right! And what's marked on your calendar to be going on specifically this Tuesday?"

I turned again and squinted to get a better look at the calendar on the far wall. When that failed, I pulled it off the wall and levitated it over, not really caring where the tack holding it up fell. I glanced down at today's date.

"Oh yeah, the Solar Eclipse."

I looked up at Caramel, his face brimming with boyish excitement. I didn't share his sentiment. "Your point being...?"

"C'mon man! We gotta go check it out! The whole town is gathering to appreciate the Princesses' handiwork."

This time it was my turn to smirk. "So you do want something, then?"

Caramel sputtered, taking a moment to come up with a response. "J-Just your company! We both know that doesn't count!"

"Sounds like a technicality to me."

Caramel scoffed. "Oh come off it, dude! Lets go hang out, it'll be fun!"

"Why do you even want me there? Aren't you already meeting up with Sassaflash?"

"What? I can't hang out with my best friend and my marefriend?"

"When the event is being billed as a family/couples thing, kind of."

My comments once again stopped Caramel in his tracks. He knew just as well as I did that, while the Gathering of the Eclipse was being billed as an event for everypony to come and witness the splendor of the Ruling Sister's abilities, the nature of the phenomena on display and the metaphor behind it was attracting mostly tightly knit families and young couples. I also knew that Caramel has made it his personal mission to find me a marefriend, so it wasn't all that difficult to put two and two together and figure out the real reason he was so hellbent on getting me out if the house tonight.

Caramel seemed to have shaken off my verbal salvo and had readied a retort, a devious grin forming on his face. "C'mon man. Just come hang out with us. I guarantee it'll be a good time."

"I was already having a good time here." I lied.

"They'll have free drinks there..."

"I have better drinks here."

Caramel found his opening and changed tactics. "Maybe, but you know who will show up if the event has free drinks, don't you?"

I sighed, Caramel was as predictable as he was dense. "How many times have I told you that I'm not interested in Berry Punch?"

"But you guys are perfect for each other! You have so much in common!"

I shot Caramel a deadpan expression. "Oh really? Enlighten me."

"Well, you guys both like to drink! And uh...and you both..."

"Oh gee, thanks. Three years of kinship, and my primary characterization in your mind is that I remind you of the town drunk?"

"Well you do! And Berry Punch is not just the town drunk! She works a steady job and takes care of her sister! She's a great pony who you obviously need to get to know better."

I'll give Caramel that one, he turned that point on me pretty well. But I wasn't going to fall into his trap, uncharacteristically well laid as it was.

"Look, I'm sure Berry is nice. But I'm just not interested! I enjoy a quiet evening, partaking in the sophisticated art of alcoholic indulgence, something I was just about to entertain myself with before somepony came around and messed that up. Conversely, Berry seems to enjoy making a game out of how long she can go in public without puking all over herself."

Caramel did his best to stifle a giggle, probably remembering last years Hearth's Warming party. I continued to make my point. "Believe it or not, my interests and personality extends beyond the consumption of alcohol. Just because somepony drinks as much as me, doesn't mean I'll instantly fall head over hoof for them! Otherwise I'd have fallen for Applejack a long time ago."

Caramel squeed. "Wait! You have a crush on Applejack!?"

I was stunned. Caramel was in rare form tonight. "Are you even listening to what I'm saying?"

"You're saying a lot of stuff, but all I'm hearing is a soul desperate for companionship crying out for help!"

This was my best friend speaking.

Sometimes, I seriously questioned my choice of companions.

"Caramel, I'm not even going to dignify that with a response. Instead, I'm going to close this door, get very drunk, and try to forget the ridiculous level this conversation has devolved into."

I went to shut the door completely when Caramel's face lit up again. He again shoved his forehoof in my doorway, again preventing me from escaping his babbling, and again made me wonder why I considered this stallion my friend. In light of that last point, I decided to slam the door with fervor anyways. Caramel let out a very feminine scream, and I'm ashamed to admit his pain elicited a stronger sensation of satisfaction than it had any right to. Miraculously, he found a way to continue talking regardless.

"WHAT ABOUT THE GIRLS?! OW SWEET CELESTIA MY HOOF!"

There were times when I hung out with Caramel that I wondered why I had not yet earned my cutie mark in patience. Now was one of those times.

"Caramel. What part of 'not interested' requires further defining?"

The stubborn stallion began nursing his hoof for real this time, then finally wised up enough to limp through the again open doorway, preventing me from shutting him out a third time. "Not a girl. The girls. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo are all gonna be there tonight. They'll want you to be there too!"

"Apple Bloom will be with her family, Sweetie Belle will be with hers, and Scootaloo will be clinging to Rainbow Dash the entire evening. None of them will miss me."

"Horsefeathers and you know it!" Caramel spat back. "We both know those girls love you! Not to mention Apple Bloom's cousin is visiting from Manehatten! You really think the girls are gonna let an opportunity for a full reunion of the Cutie Mark Crusaders pass them by?"

The mention of the Crusaders brought a slight blush to my cheeks. While the girls still hadn't gotten their Cutie Marks yet, they had since taken on a much more, shall we say, subtle approach to cutie mark acquisition. Mainly in light of the fact that they were getting older. As a result, it had been awhile since I'd heard the trio (and by extension myself as well) referred to by that name. It brought up some embarrassing but nostalgic memories. Caramel was right though, of course. If Babs was going to be there, the girls would surely prefer it if I was there as well.

But still...

"I'd prefer to not be present at a gathering like this, Caramel. I'm not really comfortab-"

"Aww, now don't gimme and of that can't do attitude! We'll have a great time!"

"Caramel. Just...drop it, OK?"

"But the girls miss you..."

"Please. Drop it. Caramel."

"I'm telling you it'll be fun! Sass totally loses it when she's even a little buzzed! I bet-"

"CARAMEL! DROP IT!"

Caramel shrank back into the corner against my doorframe, trembling under the force of my verbal assault. Small objects sitting near the door launched themselves into the air as my magic reached out of its own accord, visually punctuating my rage. An empty beer bottle sitting on the banister near the doorway shattered under the pressure of my magical grip. Caramel yelped and sank further into the corner, retreating to his haunches. The slender Earth Pony looked up at me for a moment, and, when seeing the anger painted over my face, immediately averted his gaze again. His expression cut through my contempt and appealed to my higher emotions. My anger immediately dissipated. As annoying as Caramel could be, he wasn't the true source of my discomfort. He was, illogically enough, my friend, and he didn't deserve this.

I slowed my breathing, inhaling and exhaling with purposeful precision, attempting to stop the pounding in my temples and calm my racing pulse. With each breath I began getting a better hold over my magic, and placed the items in my grip back in their proper spots. With careful, quiet hoofsteps, I slowly made my way over to Caramel, meeting him halfway as I sat down as well. A gentle hoof met his shoulder, and I did my best to put on a more approachable expression.

"Please, Caramel...I'm asking you as a friend. Let it go, OK?"

He got back up on his hooves slowly, still a bit shaken. Unsurprisingly, Caramel wasn't one who took anger directed his way very well. He was a very happy-go-lucky stallion, and when he wasn't being so needy, his positive attitude was a pleasure to be around. Unfortunately, the flip side of this was that he couldn't process anger or antagonism, it being so foreign to him.

The fact that I knew this made my outburst all the more inexcusable.

He simply nodded in response to my request, and slowly turned towards the door. He was on his way out when he turned around again, doing his best to give me a heartfelt smile. It wasn’t very convincing.

"Sorry, Rhyme...I was just trying to be friendly. Have fun, OK?"

He disappeared before I could respond, each word impacting with the force of a blow to the gut, leaving me to mull over my actions and fester in my swiftly expanding sensation of guilt.

I took a moment to consider my situation. Caramel wasn't just spouting horsefeathers to get me out of the house. If Babs indeed was in Ponyville, it was only a matter of time before both her and the rest of the girls showed up at my doorstep, wanting to hang out for old times sake. If that happened (and it will), being horrifically intoxicated to the point of incoherence was probably less than the ideal state to be greeting them in, especially considering they'd most likely end up dragging me to the Gathering anyways, me being too inebriated to ignore their suggestion. Apple Bloom especially would have no problems taking advantage of my less-than-ideal state of mind, as she had done so rather frequently to Applejack and Big Mac during our long nights of social drinking together.

The shimmering of broken glass of the shattered beer bottle caught my attention, and suddenly a second, even worse scenario presented itself to me. If the girls showed up and tried to get me to go to the Gathering like Caramel did, I could easily end up snapping at them the same way I had just snapped at him. Perhaps even worse if I was drunk.

The only way to make sure I didn't either end up at the Gathering against my better judgement, or unassumingly assault my most longstanding friends, was to deny myself the main attraction of evening. And if I was sober when the girls show up, all Sweetie Belle would need to do is turn on her practiced persuasion techniques and I'd be putty in her hooves. And Scootaloo, well, all she'd probably have to do at this point is ask.

I picked up the remnants of the crushed beer bottle and deposited them in the trash as I got back up and checked myself in the mirror, making sure I looked presentable. Not noticing anything horribly offensive, I sighed, deeper than was necessary, simply to punctuate my own admission of defeat. There was no way out.

This was not going to be good.

________________________

Despite being a quarter after seven, Ponyville was still being bathed in a bright golden light as Celestia's sun hung low but powerfully in the sky, awaiting its part to play in tonight's spectacle. I took a few casual sips of a bottle of Celestial Gold held tightly in my magical aura like a security blanket as I made my way towards the Gathering. The drink was hardly what one would first consider for a light, family friendly outing, but I could already tell I'd need a bit of a buzz if I was to make it through this evening with my sanity intact.

And I'll be damned if I don't get to enjoy at least one decent drink tonight.

As I continued my deliberate meandering towards the Park, my mind wandered, and busied itself with contemplating the significance of tonight's event. A Solar Eclipse was a new phenomenon, to modern Equestria at least. During the more turbulent times of Equestria's past, the Princesses used the phenomenon as a last resort to confuse their enemies in the midst of battle, and give the Crown's forces the upper hoof they needed to secure the day. Of course, in such a long standing era of peace, there wasn't a pony left alive who had been witness to the event that hadn't played a part in bringing it about.

After tonight, that would all change.

Gossip had chalked up the idea to Princess Luna. She had been making an active effort as of late to reconnect with the citizens of Equestria, finally gathering the confidence to leave the Castle at dusk and mingle with her subjects in a more personal manner. Most of the ponies had gotten used to the idea of Luna being back in the limelight with her sister at this point, and have been able to mentally disconnect the true persona of the younger Princess with her past self as Nightmare Moon. Wanting a way to prevent the story of her misgivings from again fading into the realm of mythology, the Princess of the Night had concocted a new way to use the Solar Eclipse as a ceremonial token: to blot out the Sun for the evening once every 1000 days, as a reminder both to herself and all the citizens of Equestria the truth of the tale of Nightmare Moon, as well as immortalizing the lessons she had learned as a result of her banishment.

A bit melodramatic, really.

Still, the concept oozed with romanticism, and as a result the return of a celestial event not seen in over a millennia drew the attention of nearly everypony with a pulse.

My thought process was pierced by a obnoxious, yet familiar voice. Despite still being a few dozen yards away from the clearing outside Ponyville Park where the majority of the town had gathered to watch, Caramel was yelling something to Sassaflash. Despite her sitting not even six inches away from him, he was projecting his voice with such fervor that it was still clearly audible, even from this distance. I would be embarrassed for him if I wasn't relieved that he seemed to have perked back up after my earlier outburst. I looked over the spectacle in front of me: Nearly half of the town’s denizens had gathered in the large field outside of Ponyville Park. Princess Twilight had made very deliberate plans to have those in the town interested in viewing the event converge in this specific location. Apparently it was one of her favorite spots for stargazing, so it gave a very nice view of the sky. The landscape was dotted with dozens of families and couples passing the time with food and drink, the air buzzing with a cacophony of casual conversation.

Of course, it had to be my friend acting out of turn, his enthusiastic ramblings attracting more than a few awkward stares from his immediate neighbors. I couldn't contain an exaggerated eye roll as I took a rather large swig of Celestial Gold, and made my way over to Caramel. He was so preoccupied with finishing whatever ridiculous story he was in the middle of that he didn't notice my approach. Sassaflash seemed to be about as engaged as I would've expected her to be. Her eyes were glazed over at this point, and she was only half paying attention, nodding and mumbling subtle "mhmm"s whenever Caramel took a moment to breathe. Her demeanor seemed to improve a bit though when she noticed me slowly creeping up behind her coltfriend, shooting me a subtle smirk without tipping him off. His banter came to a complete stop as he posited a question to Sass, who purposely hesitated in answering, allowing me an opening to make my presence known.

"For Celestia's sake, Caramel, will you dial it back a few decibels? I can hear you all the way from my house."

Caramel turned around and, when he realized who it was, did pretty much exactly the opposite as he crushed me in a bear hug. "RHYME! YOU SHOWED UP!"

A witty retort escaped me, as my mind was preoccupied with dealing with the newly settled ringing in my ears, forcing me to make do with something more pedestrian. "Yeah well, someone had to come shut you up. The entire town can hear you, and not just because most of them are within regular earshot.”

With that, Caramel went to break the embrace, but I kept him there for an extra second, leaning closer and muttering a quick “Sorry about that.” He responded by giving me another tight squeeze.

“Think nothing of it buddy! Water under the bridge! Come on and take a seat! I’d offer you a drink, but it looks like you already have one! You hungry? Sass made some awesome salad that’s to die for!”

I chuckled and went to join Caramel and Sass on the blanket they had laid out, but the latter put out a forehoof, stopping me in my tracks. “Ahh ahh ahh! Caramel may be giving you a free pass, but in my book, anypony who hassles my coltfriend unjustified has to pay a toll to come sit with us!”

I sighed as I eyed Sassaflash with mocking disapproval, “And what pray tell would you have in mind?”

She smirked. “Is that Celestial Gold?”

“Oh...you wouldn’t dare.”

“You hurt my Caramel. I dare.”

My mock disapproval quickly became very real as I levitated my still nearly full bottle of Celestial Gold over to Sassaflash, who all-too-eagerly took it in a forehoof, downing over double what I had managed to get through in one gulp. She made a point to exhale in an exaggerated display of satisfaction when her lips left the bottle, all the while eyeing me eyeing the used-to-be-mine drink. “Thanks, Rhyme. You’re a real friend.” She gloated, punctuating the last phrase by patting the blanket with a hoof, inviting me to sit.

I huffed as a took a seat opposite Sass. "Yeah whatever. Gimme some salad..."

She laughed and passed the serving bowl over, Caramel grabbing another helping himself as I fumbled around for a plate. I made sure to help myself to as generous a serving as possible to make up for my lost bottle of booze. The delightful concoction of veggies, fruit, and vinaigrette did much to arrest my unease as it stimulated my palette, Sassaflash’s meals never failing to be fantastic. She gave me a grin full of snark superiority, observing the satisfaction plainly visible on my face. I merely grunted in response, my mouth too full of food to throw a clever quip her way.

“Don’t look now! Somepony’s future wife just showed up!”

Why I bothered following Caramel’s gaze I’ll never know, as I already knew exactly who he was referring to. Berry Punch was making her way across the street with Minuette, Pina Colada hovering around them both, desperately attempting to get some sort of attention. Her efforts yielded little results however, and the trio made their way over to one of the larger groups, beckoned over by Golden Harvest. Berry said her hellos and then immediately grabbed a drink.

I turned my nose up at her choice of beverage like the beer snob the Apple Family had quickly turned me into.

Polsky Blue Ribbon...pfft...some ponies...

My head shook in an unconscious display of disapproval as I inwardly wept for beer connoisseurs everywhere. Caramel took the opportunity to once again expertly whittle away at my patience, wrapping me in a foreleg.

"C'mon, buddy! No need to be nervous! Just go over and say hi! I'm tellin ya she'll love you!"

"Don't start this again, Caramel."

The stallion pouted. "You could at least try!"

I sighed. I didn't want to have to go here, but the guy's persistence left me little alternative. I gave Caramel a strong pat on the back as a flashed him a friendly grin. "I'll tell you what: I'll go over there right now and try and put the moves on Berry Punch, if you finally give in and give Big Macintosh a shot."

Sassaflash burst out laughing, rolling on her back and kicking her hind legs as Caramel turned beet red. "Sh-shut up about that, dude! I have a marefriend!"

"Oh come now, Caramel old buddy. You could at least try!"

Caramel was uncharacteristically silent.

"C'mon, I'll call Big Mac over right now!"

"NO!"

It was my turn to laugh as Caramel squirmed. There was a bit of history behind this. Caramel was, obviously, quite the affectionate stallion, wearing his emotions on his sleeve and not one to display his feelings with any attempt at subtlety. As such, it was an easy enough mistake to confuse simple platonic friendship as attempts at making a more...passionate...connection. Big Macintosh had made such an assumption.

And had been more that willing to return such feelings in kind.

Needless to say the fallout had been more than a little awkward for Caramel, and while Mac was long over the misinterpretation, Caramel still felt awkward having put Mac in such a position without realizing it.

Being the good friend that I was, I made sure that he would never be able to live the incident down.

"I dunno. Maybe I should invite Big Mac over. I did have some questions about an order I wanted to place next week, and when am I gonna see him again without breaking his back over keeping the farm going..."

"Pfft...well maybe I should call over Berry! We got a few drinks we could spare after all! And I'm sure she wouldn't mind a few extra drinking buddies!"

"Yeah...like she'd even acknowledge a pony with an ugly mug like yours..."

"Oh, now you're calling me ugly?! Well I got both Sass and Big Mac interested in me, apparently!"

Sass suddenly piped up. "Don't you go dragging me into this!"

Her protests escaped both of us as I continued my bickering unhindered. "All the more reason to invite Mac over! I'm sure he'd love to hear you say that himself!"

"Umm...boys...as much as I hate interrupting such high quality entertainment, I think your entire argument has just been rendered moot."

Sassaflash raised a hoof in the direction where Berry Punch was sitting. Both our gazes followed and we were greeted with the mare in question sitting very comfortably with Minuette. To the point where it was less "with" Minuette and more "on top of". The moment was punctuated as Minuette leaned in and placed a quick yet passionate peck on Berry's lips, eliciting an exaggerated "Ewww!" from Piña Colada.

Caramel's jaw dropped in the most fantastic fashion, enough to nearly salvage the evening in and of itself. I finally averted my gaze as Berry returned the kiss with a bit more passion than was prudent given the social setting. Caramel continued to stare, but it seemed as if he was lost in his own mind, his scheme for the evening shattered. I couldn't help but grin as Caramel tried to come to grips with what he just witnessed.

"I'm hoping we can drop this now?"

"B...wh...when did that happen?!"

"Not soon enough, if you ask me. Looks like tonight had some merit after all."

Sassaflash went over to Caramel and broke him out of his trance with a quick kiss of her own, stopping him from what looked like ogling over the newest couple in Ponyville. He returned the kiss in kind. "Ugh...now I need a drink. Can you grab me one, Hun?"

Sass laughed and stretched out a wing to grab the picnic basket without leaving Caramel's side, cheeks tinged a bit pink at his casual use of a pet name in public. I suddenly felt a bit out of place being in such proximity to an intimate moment, opting to speak up lest the two get more mushy.

"A drink sounds fantastic, actually. What did you guys bring?"

I got my answer as Sassaflash passed Caramel a can of Polsky Blue Ribbon.

I groaned, letting gravity claim me as my face impacted against the blanket, burying my muzzle in a fruitless attempt to hide my disappointment. "I gave up Celestial Gold for this?"

Sass huffed in mock annoyance as she cracked open a can for herself. "The Apples really have ruined you, haven't they?"

"You have no idea..."

"So...are you gonna pass, or...??"

I stretched out a hoof in Sass's general direction, not bothering to lift my head from the blanket. "It's OK...just...gimme it..."

She placed the can in my hoof and I coaxed myself back into a presentable position, eyeing the drink with hesitation. It's not that PBR is bad, per se. It's just that, once you've been exposed to what's going on in the local brewing community, you can never go back to big box stuff. I cracked the can regardless, and, after taking a cautious sniff, downed a sizable amount in a single gulp. Disappointment permeated my being as the drink failed to provide any of the complexity I had come to expect from my booze. Sass and Caramel just watched with amused grins on their faces, Sass snorting a bit when an unpleasant shiver went up my spine as the aftertaste hit.

"You gonna live?"

I took a moment to collect myself before responding. "The better question is are you going to live? You're the one following up a bottle of Celestial Gold with PBR."

Sass just shrugged. "Ehh. Beer is beer."

I struggled with a second swig of the budget brew to make sure my next statement carried accurate inflection. "...blasphemy..."

Sass looked like she was going to respond, but a squeaky voice interrupted her.

"Hey look! River Rhyme's here!"

Sweetie Belle was as enthusiastic as ever, her voice cracking a bit in her greeting as she ran over to us. Apple Bloom was right behind her.

"Hey there Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom."

"It's about time you showed up! We were worried you didn't plan on coming at all!”

“Yeah!” Apple Bloom chimed in, "We were thinkin' of headin on over to yer place if you had kept on dawdlin!"

That elicited a not-so-subtle "Hah!" from Caramel, which I elected to ignore. Sweetie Belle's confused gaze passed from him back to me. "Did...we say something weird?"

I glanced back over at Caramel with a smirk, who was now comfortably cuddled up with Sass. "Ignore him. He's mentally deficient."

Sassaflash laughed, Caramel pouted, and the girls didn't seem any less confused as to what we were talking about.

"Says the guy who gave up live in Trottingham to move out here to the boondocks!"

Babs Seed made her way over from where the rest of the Apples had settled, and we traded a hearty hoof bump. This was only the third time we'd met, but she had felt a bit of kinship with me as soon as we'd first become acquainted. Since we were both city ponies at heart, I was the only one in the town really able to relate to the pleasures and pains of city life.

I shot the Manehattenite an eye roll. "Good to see you again too, Babs. How long has it been?"

"Hmm...haven't been to see my cuz in at least a year." She flashed me a grin. "How ya holdin' up out here in the sticks, Rhyme? Miss the hustle n' bustle of the city yet?"

I chuckled. "I have my moments..."

Apple Bloom scoffed. "Rhyme may have been born in the city, but ah' reckon he's just as at home in Ponyville as the rest of us."

"Well I can sure drink like a country pony now. Your sister has made sure of that."

I half expected some sort of wise ass quip concerning me being a drunk to be thrown my way. When none came, I finally realized that the impromptu CMC reunion was missing a member.

"Where's Scootaloo?"

The girls all suddenly looked a bit uncomfortable. Babs was the first to speak up. "Well...she's uhh..."

Bloom and Sweetie glanced back across the clearing and pointed. There was Scootaloo, taking her time to make her way over to us, and once she got closer it was rather easy to figure out why. The pint sized Pegasus was pretty banged up. Her regular swift gait had been reduced to a hobble, her bandaged left rear leg proving to be the primary culprit, breaking the rhythm of her stride whenever her weight landed on it. Likewise, her right foreleg was similarly bandaged, but didn't seem to be causing her nearly as much distress. There were a mess of other untreated smaller cuts and scrapes scattered all over her body, marring her otherwise impressive athletic build. Despite her distressing appearance, Scootaloo still did her best to break into a light trot when she saw her friends all gathered.

“What the heck guys?! I thought I told you to wai-”

Scootaloo stopped as she noticed me, my face painted with concern as I continued looking her over. She quickly straightened her posture and attempted to mask her limp, putting on an expression of casual indifference. “Uhh...hey there, Rhyme,” she let out a nervous chuckle, “how ya doin? Beautiful day, isn’t it?”

I looked her over again, then to the other girls. When I was met with expressions as confused as my own, I looked back to Scootaloo. “OK...what happened?”

Her eyes met the ground as she gave the grass a meek kick with her good forehoof, uninterested in providing an answer.

I looked over to Bloom, shooting her an expression of puzzlement. "Umm...??"

Bloom just shrugged in response. Sweetie Belle sighed as she looked over at her friend with concern. "We don’t know anything either! She just showed up at the clubhouse like this. We all tried to figure out what had happened, but she won't say anything!"

"It’s no big deal, OK! I told you guys I just don't wanna talk about it..."

I looked over to Caramel and Sass. They just gave me matching blank stares, unsure what to do either.

"Umm...OK, kiddo. Hope you're alright..."

An uncomfortable silence fell over our group as we all pondered what to do next. I reflexively took another sip of my drink, and broke the silence with an unconscious groan. Apple Bloom looked over and, doing a double take as she peered at the can I was holding, let out a laugh.

“Rhyme, are y’all drinkin Blue Ribbon?”

I scowled as I looked over at Bloom, “Don't even think about lecturing me, Apple Bloom! It’s not my fault my present company is so uncultured!”

“You’re right, its your fault for being so darn picky!” Caramel shot back.

Apple Bloom kept laughing. “Nah, he’s right. Compared to realbeer, that stuff is terrible.”

I’m pretty sure we all eyed Apple Bloom inquisitively at that statement. She shrugged.

“What? Ah help Applejack and Mac with cider season every year. Y’all seriously think I ain’t never tried any of the stuff before?”

I reflected on the character’s of Bloom’s siblings for all but a few miliseconds before responding. “Touché.”

Apple Bloom grinned. “Y’know Rhyme, we did bring a bit of the good stuff with us. Ah’m sure if y’ask real nice like, I could convince Applejack t’spare ya a bottle.”

My expression immediately changed to one of unquestionable sincerity.

“Child, the Equestrian language does not contain words potent enough to accurately express my gratitude if you could do that for me.”

Bloom laughed. “Not what ah was expectin’, but effective nonetheless. Ah’ll see what ah can do.”

She turned to leave, and Babs decided to follow.

“Oh...this I gotta see.”

Sweetie Belle got up as well. "I guess I'll go check up on Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. As soon as we noticed you were here, we just kind of left them high and dry."

I gave her a nod as she began to leave. It still boggled my mind that the girls were not only on good terms with Diamond and Silver now, but were actually starting to become friends. They had been ruthless to the trio the first couple years I'd been in Ponyville, but as of late, the once bullies seemed to have finally grown up and mellowed out a bit. Despite some understandable initial hesitation, the girls had been quick to forgive the two and extend the olive branch, and just like that, the group of three became a group of five.

Sweetie Belle turned around and looked over to Scootaloo. "You coming?"

"Umm..."

The battered Pegasus was resting comfortably on the blanket a few feet from me. At some point Sass must have offered her a bit of her salad, as she was nibbling on a small serving of it. Scootaloo was doing her best to project her usual confidence and energy, but fatigue had clearly claimed her. She had elected to lie down on the blanket as opposed to sitting, not the usual choice for the little filly always ready and rearing to go at a moment’s notice. Whatever had happened had exhausted Scootaloo, and the last thing her body seemed to want was for her to get back on her hooves again. She looked down at her food before responding to Sweetie.

"Think I'm gonna finish this up first. I'll catch up with you guys later."

The statement lacked all of the normal bravado inherent in the pegasus' speech. Something was clearly eating at her. Sweetie looked torn, not knowing whether to join up with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, or stay here and help Scoots. She looked at me and I gave her a nod, motioning for her to go. She nodded back at me wordlessly. "OK, Scootaloo. See you in a bit."

And with that she took off, leaving just the four of us. Caramel and Sass were busy enjoying each others company in a way only lovers could, blissfully indifferent to everypony around them, the world beginning and ending with each other, so I was essentially alone with Scootaloo at this point. l attempted to sneak a peek at her again whilst she ate. Her frightful condition, combined with her unwillingness to speak about what had caused it, was doing little to alleviate my concern. She stopped her slow munching on her salad when she caught me examining her again.

"What?"

"Nothing, I guess."

Her cheeks burned red, and she raised a wing to cover herself. It was at that point when I noticed her right wing was unmoving, tied up and bound in a sling.

"Well, stop looking at me then."

Silence reigned for the following few minutes. I nursed my pitiful drink while Scootaloo played with her food, only occasionally taking a bite or two.

"You not like the salad?"

"No, it's good. Why do you ask?"

"No reason. It’s just, I don't think I've ever seen you take so long to eat before, even when its something you hate, you usually just power through it."

She seemed insulted. "What, you think I'm a pig or something?!"

"Huh? No! I'm just saying I thought you didn't like the salad is all!"

Scootaloo broke eye contact, sighing. "I'm just not that hungry..."

Okay. Now I knew something was wrong. Scootaloo is never ‘just not that hungry.’

Putting my drink aside, I lay down on the blanket next to Scootaloo, making it easier to look her in the eyes.

"Talk to me, kiddo. Are you alright?"

She huffed. "Do I look alright to you?

I’d look her over again, but that wasn’t necessary at this point. "No. No you don’t. And that's exactly my point. I'm worried about you."

"Well don't be! I'm fine!"

"You just said you weren't though."

She never did like when I made valid points. Today was no exception. "Well...I'm fine with being not fine, okay?! Sheesh!"

I sighed. "...well I'm not."

That comment got her a bit flustered again, the ground suddenly more interesting than keeping eye contact. She looked contemplative, as if she wanted to speak, but was unsure of what to say. I gave her a supportive smile, but she didn't return it, fiddling with her hooves as her eyes shifted back and forth. She looked like she was about to speak when she winced suddenly, and began attempting to scratch her bound wing with a hind leg.

"Ugh! So itchy...stupid cast..."

The comment sparked an idea.

“Hey. Turn around for a second.”

“Huh?”

“Or better yet, stay there. You’re hurt. I’ll move.”

“Hmph! I can move, I’m not a cripple!” She turned quickly so that her side with the cast wing was facing me, plopping back down with a huff, followed by a painful groan as her hindleg punished her for placing her weight on it so suddenly. She did her best to ignore it.

“Happy?”

I grinned. “Very. Now...just gimme a second.”

Gently, I placed a forehoof on the cast. Scootaloo shuddered in surprise, but kept her gaze locked on my hoof, curious to see what I was up to.

“Where is it itchy? Here?”

“A...a little lower...” she responded meekly, her face flushed.

I moved my hoof just over an inch south. “Here?”

“Yeah.”

My horn lit up, and I slowly moved my hoof away, replacing it's touch with magic. The energy passed through the cast and made contact the bare wing underneath. Scootaloo squeaked in surprise, followed by a soft coo as I scratched her wing with a gentle application of tactile magic, careful not to use too much pressure and upset her injury. After a few seconds the glow subsided.

“Better?”

She averted her eyes. “Yeah...thanks...”

I smiled. “Don’t mention it.”

Scootaloo seemed to be a little less grumpy, fiddling with her hooves and slowly finishing up her salad.

"It's not as bad as it looks, you know."

I looked back over at her. “Hmm?”

“The cuts and stuff. It looks worse than it actually is.”

I couldn’t help but prod at her a bit. “I hope so. It looks pretty bad.”

“Gee...thanks.” she deadpanned.

“You know what I mean.”

“Yeah I guess...”

“Any chance you can clue me in on what happened?”

Silence was my only response.

“You didn’t get into a fight with some rowdy colt or something, did you?”

“What?! No!”

“You’re sure?”

She sighed. “I’m pretty sure I’d remember someone punching me in the face.”

I grinned as I made an obvious effort to examine her face. "Oh? Who said anything about being punched in the face?"

"Ugh! I did NOT get into a fight! Honest!"

“Alright, good. Just making sure there isn’t some punk out there that I have to go beat some sense into.”

She laughed. “Yeah right. You wouldn’t do that...”

I dropped all pretenses of playing around "Hey...yes I would."

“S-shut up...”

"I’m serious! If someone raised a hoof to my favorite Pegasus, you bet your flank I’d beat them all the way into next Tuesday!”

She blushed. “I...I’m your favorite Pegasus?”

I cocked my head, surprised. “You...didn’t already know that?”

She broke eye contact as she fumbled with her hooves.

I leaned in close, whispering obnoxiously into her ear, making sure Caramel and Sass could still hear me. “Keep it on the dl though. If Sass finds out, she might not give me free beer anymore.”

Sass snorted.

I picked up my can of PBR and looked straight at her. “Though with such poor taste in the stuff to begin with, that wouldn’t be much of a loss.”

"Ah'll say! Fer th' love o' Celestia, Rhyme! Put that can down, y'all are embarassin' me!"

Apple Bloom, the pint sized deliverer of all that was good in the world, practically knocked the can of lukewarm PBR out of my hoof, replacing it with a perfectly chilled bottle of Sweet Apple Select Original, an Apple Family classic. Without hesitation I pried off the cap with a quick spark of magic and took a swig, relishing the complex, full-bodied taste with that signature Zap Apple kick. The comparative quality nearly brought a tear to my eye.

"OK. I stand corrected. PBR totally has its place. It makes a real drink all the more satisfying."

Apple Bloom beamed with pride.

My intense interest in the drink apparently caught Scootaloo's attention. She eyed the bottle with wide-eyed intrigue. "I...is it really that good?"

Apple Bloom laughed. "Scoots, yer way too intah sweet stuff t'ppreciate a good cider."

Scootaloo eyes narrowed. A challenge had been leveled. "Oh really? We'll see about that! Gimme that, Rhyme!"

She went to grab the bottle, which I immediately levitated out of her reach.

"Hey! What gives?!"

I shook my head. "Sorry Scoots, this stuff is off limits for fillies."

"But Apple Bloom has had some before!"

"Yeah, but from Applejack, not from me. If Bloom asked me for a drink I'd say no to her too."

Scootaloo wasn't ready to give up. She turned over to where AJ and Mac were sitting. "Hey Applejack! Gimme some cider!"

AJ didn't even bother looking over at her, responding in a detached monotone. "No."

Scootaloo gently sat on her haunches, pouting. "Horsefeathers."

Apple Bloom giggled. "Trust me, Scootaloo. It's not like soda or punch. Y'all wouldn't like it."

"Easy to say that..." She mumbled.

I lowered the bottle back over to Scootaloo. "Smell. No sips. Got it?"

She nodded and slowly moved her muzzle over the bottle, hesitating for a few moments before taking a deep sniff.

Scootaloo’s eyes suddenly widened in a fashion that rivaled Caramel's earlier jaw drop in raw comedic effect. She sharply shrank away from the drink out of reflex.

"T-that's terrible! How can you drink that?!"

I couldn't help but grin, and Apple Bloom doubled over in a fit of laughter. Even Caramel and Sassaflash surfaced from their private world for a quick laugh. Scootaloo's cheeks flushed a deep red, ashamed to have brought this on herself. I put a hoof around her, careful to avoid her bad wing and smiled. "Relax, it's an acquired taste, one that I'm happy you have no experience with yet."

The comment seemed to improve her demeanor.

The clearing was suddenly silenced by the obnoxious sound of somepony poorly mimicking the Royal Procession, attempting to replicate a bugle with mouth noises.

“Behold! Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria! Behold!”

The crowd turned to get a look at their newest Princess, who, despite the awkward fanfare, was not embodying one’s usual concept of royalty this evening. Forgoing the traditional regalia fit for her position, Princess Twilight instead wore a frazzled, unkept mane and heavy bags under her eyes, carrying with her a small stack of books and a plethora of notes in twin magical auras, and a baby dragon on her back. To her left was a rowdy Pegasus, laughing her flank off.

“Seriously, Rainbow Dash? Aren’t we done with the Princess jokes by now?”

The Wonderbolt gasped in a display of mock insult, “Is her Highness not pleased with her introduction?” She proceeded to laugh again, amused by her own joke. The Princess however, seemed too exhausted to appreciate what little merit there was in Rainbow’s prodding. Spike, on the other hand, was quite amused, and he struggled to stifle his own giggling fit, grinning at Rainbow Dash.

Looking over the crowd, the Princess noted with dismay that many of the ponies gathered had bowed their heads in response to Dash’s emphatic declaration. The Princess glared daggers at the Wonderbolt, who simply chuckled nervously in response. The Alicorn sighed and addressed the crowd.

“Oh come on! We all know Rainbow wasn’t serious! Most of you have known me for how many years now?! Enough with the royal treatment! I’m here to watch with you as a spectator, as a friend. Can we just ignore the title for one evening, please?”

Rainbow darted in front of her. "Yeah! Seriously guys! She might be a princess and everything, but, deep down, she's still the awkward egghead we all know and love!"

Twilight nodded. "Exactly. ...hey!"

Rainbow Dash collapsed into another fit of laughter, and Spike rolled off Twilight's back, joining Rainbow on the ground. The Princess muttered something that seemed to contain a few obscenities under her breath. Regardless though, Dash's display did its job and got the crowd to relax around their old friend and former neighbor, and the Princess and the Wonderbolt were slowly surrounded by a sea of friends old and new, intent on getting caught up with Ponyville's biggest celebrities.

Sassaflash gave Caramel a quick kiss before getting up and going over to try and get in a few words with Rainbow Dash, interested in catching up with her old Weather Team buddy. I looked over to Scootaloo, half-expecting her to be gone and already over with Rainbow Dash. Instead, I was greeted with essentially the opposite. The filly was curled up, trying to make herself as small and inconspicuous as possible, hiding behind my larger figure.

"Okay, now I know something is up."

"W-what so you mean?"

"Look, it's not that I'm trying to get rid of you, but, you did notice who's over there with the Princess, right? Why are you still over here, and not invading Dash's personal bubble with your usual blissful indifference?"

Scootaloo once again took a keen interest in the grass. "I'm just tired, that's all..."

I was barely able to contain the exasperated huff that came from such an obvious lie. "Scoots, I've seen the way your face lights up when you talk about Rainbow Dash. There is nothing, certainly not fatigue, that would keep you from her side if you wanted to be there."

I leaned down a bit lower to get a better look at her eyes, still transfixed on the ground. "Problem is, you don't want to be there." My hoof slowly found its way atop Scootaloo's.

"What's the matter?"

The filly sighed in frustration, turning her head away from me again. "I just suck, okay?"

"Scootaloo, you do not su-"

"Yes I do! Look at me!" She flexed her one good wing and stretched out her limbs to accentuate her point. "Two months, Rhyme! I've known Rainbow Dash was gonna be here for two. Months. Who knows when she'll be back from Cloudsdale again!"

She sat back up, but still looked the other way, not ready to make eye contact. "So I practiced. I practiced every day for as long as I could. I knew I had to fly before she came back again."

The filly kicked the ground with a forehoof, getting frustrated. "Rainbow Dash pulled off a Sonic Rainboom when she was half my age! But what can I do?!"

She sunk back down on the blanket, staring off into the distance. "Nothing...I can't even get off the ground. I'm not good enough to be hanging out with a Wonderbolt..."

She finally looked up at me, tears in her eyes. "I'm not good enough to be her friend at all..."

"Shut up, Scootaloo."

Her eyes went wide at my blunt statement. "What?"

I remained resolute. "Shut. Up."

I looked down at her, her face a mix of confusion and fear. "I don't ever want to hear you saying such obvious horsefeathers like that again."

I softened my gaze a bit, giving her a warm smile. "You're an amazing filly. You've got a great heart, the determination of five normal ponies, nerves of steel, and an innate sense of sarcasm that is as endearing as it can be annoying."

She giggled a bit through her tears at that last one.

"But most importantly, you have amazing friends that truly care about you. Rainbow Dash included."

I grabbed the tip of her good wing in my magic. "We like you...she likes you, not for what you can do with these..."

I let go of her wing and placed a hoof over her heart. "...but what you do with this."

I smiled at her again as I picked up my bottle of Sweet Apple Select. "Now go over there and say hi to your friend. After all, who knows when she'll be back from Cloudsdale again."

Scootaloo smiled as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "That was the cheesiest speech I've ever heard."

"I'd have to agree!" Caramel piped up suddenly.

I scowled at both of them as I took another drink. "I'm a bit buzzed. Leave me alone."

Scoots got up and gave me a quick hug. "Thanks."

She took off, making her way over to Rainbow Dash, leaving me alone with Caramel. He stared at me for a few seconds before bursting out laughing.

"Dude that was so lame."

I rolled my eyes. "Like you're one to talk. Besides, cheesiness is often a side effect of sincerity."

"Yeah, and sometimes its a side effect of cheesiness."

I sighed. "Caramel. Shut up."

"What? Do you not 'ever want to hear horsefeathers like that again' from me either?"

He started laughing. A quick spark of my magic though, and his empty PBR can suddenly sprang to life and smacked him in the face.

Caramel was silent after that.

With Caramel’s antics subdued for the moment, I turned my attention back towards Scootaloo. Most of the ponies that had swarmed the Princess and Rainbow Dash had returned to their seats at this point, with only their closest friends still gathered with them. Pinkie was as animated as usual, explaining something to the others with boundless enthusiasm, jumping back and forth between each of them, the rest of the girls only partially paying attention. Rarity was in some isolated argument with Applejack, the two never seeming to spend any time together without some sort of heated, yet pointless, debate. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had at some point rejoined their sisters, both grinning and rolling their eyes at their senior’s antics. The Princess, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Sassaflash were all conversing with each other, Dash seeming to be dominating the conversation, punctuating her points with overly dramatic body language.

Scootaloo finally worked up the nerve to approach Dash who, along with the others, seemed as put off at her appearance as the rest of us were. An awkward giggle and a minute of protesting from Apple Bloom later, the Elements seemed to put her appearance behind them, Dash ruffling up Scootaloo’s mane with a forehoof and offering a seat beside her. From there the Wonderbolt continued whatever tale she was in the middle of, and from that moment on Scootaloo didn’t take her eyes of Dash for a second, entranced by every movement she made, and every syllable she spoke. Her eyes lit up with awe each time the Wonderbolt made an exaggerated motion, her back arching and tail spasming in excitement as Dash delivered the climax of her tale with exaggerated bravado. Scootaloo lost it, heaping boundless praise on the cyan pegasus, her good wing convulsing with glee, her face frozen in an expression of pure, undiluted bliss.

Something about the scene was off, though.

For all of the attention Scootaloo was giving Rainbow, she seemed to be getting little of it in return. Much like the earlier display with Berry and Piña Colada, Scootaloo's efforts to get some attention seemed to be yielding poor results. Dash would occasionally nod or give Scootaloo a one word response, but that was about it. Never giving up anything with any real depth, any real meaning. She seemed content to give the filly just enough attention to keep her sated, whilst focusing her true interest on her fellow Elements. I didn't know much about Scootaloo's relationship with Rainbow Dash other that what she had told me over the years, but I had assumed that there had been something to it other than one-way blind idolization. In light of this interaction though, my earlier words suddenly left a foul taste in my mouth. Did Rainbow even like Scootaloo? Did she see the amazing filly for who she really was, and appreciate how much she truly loved her? Or had her fame jaded her, and now, she saw Scoots merely as another fan to appease with hollow indifference?

As I continued to observe I silently begged, pleaded, for Rainbow to return Scoots' affections. All I wanted was her to give her a hug, or a hoof bump, or a sincere smile, anything. Yet nothing ever came, the interaction remaining criminally one-sided, and that realization made Scootaloo's ignorant enthusiasm all the more painful to watch.

If she ever looked at me like that, I'd give her so much more.

"Talk about eye candy, eh?"

I nearly jumped out of my skin as Caramel spoke up, suddenly right next to me, his statement turning my eyes to pinholes. "Caramel! She's 13 years old!"

Caramel looked at me, confused. "Uhh...I was talking about the Wonderbolt? Or, if that doesn't float your boat, how about the ex-model? Or the fashionista?"

I laughed. "Oh...I was just thinking about Scootaloo. I guess I’m still a bit worried about her. So...yeah. You confused me there for a second.” I paused for a moment, Caramel still looking over the Elements a bit too intently. “Do you really think you should be drooling over the girls like that when your marefriend is literally right next to them? Seems like bad form,” I chuckled, “even for you."

Caramel stared at me with a devious grin, deciding to focus on the first part of my statement as opposed to the latter. "Scootaloo, huh? Well then, at least now I know why you weren't interested in Berry."

It was a good thing I wasn't taking a sip of my cider when he said that, spitting it out all over the ground would have been such a waste. "What?!"

He got a kick out of my discomfort. "This is great! I finally have something to come back at you with when you bring out Big Mac! What did you say earlier? 'Tonight isn't completely without merit'? Indeed it is not my friend! Score one for the Earth Pony!"

My cheeks burned red, partially because of what Caramel had said, and partially because of how he was acting, as he started whooping like an idiot in a display of menial victory. Of course, I didn't take what he said seriously. He obviously didn't mean it. Caramel always did have a way of saying utterly ridiculous things...

Realizing that the sanity of everypony at the gathering was in jeopardy at the hands of her coltfriend, Sassaflash excused herself from the conversation and bolted over to Caramel, slapping a hoof over his mouth with no attempts at either subtly or restraint.

"Dear, do us all a favor and be quiet."

Caramel simply nodded. Sassaflash hesitated for a few moments before removing her hoof, eyeing her coltfriend to make sure he got the message. As soon as she moved away, Caramel decided to keep talking anyways.

"I did it! You owe me 20 bits! I got proof that our buddy Rhyme here isn't gay!"

My jaw dropped. Caramel was really intent on running with this, wasn't he?

Perhaps it was my sudden sense of vulnerability, but Sass seemed more interested than she should be. "Oh really? Well then, lets hear it."

Caramel was about to start when I decided that now would be the best time to jump in, lest Sass, and anypony else within earshot, get the wrong idea about what Caramel would undoubtedly project loud enough for the entire town to hear.

"Yes Caramel, do tell. Then after that, let's clue Sass in on the Wonderbolt, the ex-model, and the fashionista, eh?"

Caramel suddenly lost all his previous momentum, falling silent. Sass eyed him incredulously. "Well?"

"Uhh...actually...to speak of such things would be a blatant disregard for the guy code...so I'm gonna have to pass of this one..."

We both gave Caramel dumbfounded stares. Sassaflash huffed. "Well, if you can't fess up, don't expect me to pay up."

"Wait...you guys are actually taking bets?!"

Caramel laughed. "You do play those kinds of things pretty close to the chest, dude. It's anyone's guess which way you go."

A sudden realization hit me as I turned my attention to Sass. "You think I'm gay?!"

She shrugged. "It would explain a lot..."

I groaned in a most pathetic fashion. Considering the circumstances though, I reasoned it was excusable. I proceeded to chug the rest of the bottle of Sweet Apple Select. Then, without a word, marched over to Big Mac, grabbed another bottle out of his icebox, and proceeded to return to Sass and Caramel. Settling back on my haunches without so much as a glance to the couple, I popped the cap off the new bottle and began downing it with a vengeance as well. Both Caramel and Sass looked over at me.

“Rhyme? ...buddy? Are you okay?”

I took a quick break for the already half gone bottle, and stared back at the two with an exaggerated expression of depression. “You’ve hurt me. You’ve hurt me and now beer is my only friend.”

I went back to the drink and Sassaflash gave me an awkward stare, while Caramel just started laughing.

“Umm...excuse me, everypony!”

Princess Twilight got up and made her way to the front of the crowd, the murmur of conversation began to die down.

“I just wanted to let everypony know that the first Solar Eclipse of modern Equestrian history is set to begin in just under 20 minutes, so I recommend that you get a good seat now.”

She paused for a moment as the crowd began to return to their families and significant others. Caramel cuddled up with Sassaflash again. AJ, Babs, and Bloom left Dash to be with Mac and Granny Smith. Rarity and Sweetie settled in together, Pinkie got up and went and snuggled up with the Cakes, somehow enveloping all of them at once in a big hug, and Scootaloo stayed with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.

I had a sudden strong desire for another drink.

After a few more minutes of letting the crowd get settled, the Princess continued. “Excellent! First of all, on behalf of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, I’d like to personally thank everypony who gathered here today to witness this event. As this is the first time an eclipse has occurred in over a thousand years, I figured some research was in order! As such, there are a few precautions I’d like to advise before the event begins! As you all are probably aware, a pony shouldn’t look directly into the sun. This is still true during...”

It was at that point that myself, and most of the ponies around us, began tuning the Princess out. She had the best intentions, but other than the included history lesson on Solar Eclipses, it’d be safe to assume that the majority of those gathered were already well aware of what she was saying.

The sound of soft kisses from behind me clued me in that Caramel and Sass were enjoying each other’s company again. I slowly scooted away to the opposite side of the blanket, giving the two as much space as I could without being obvious. A quick glance around me revealed similar situations, with families getting close and couples getting even closer. I levitated another can of PBR out of Sass’s picnic basket as subtly as I could, cracking as slowly as possible. The pedestrian taste hitting my tongue seemingly going to be my only companion for the rest of the evening.

This is why I wanted to stay home...

“Get ready, everypony! It’s about to begin! Remember, don’t look directly at the event until the moon completely eclipses the sun!”

The crowd began to gasp and ooh in wonder as the moon began it’s advance, slowly becoming visible and overlapping the sun hanging low in the summer sky. Not being able to start directly at it, observing the effect on the surrounding landscape proved to be the next best choice, as it gave the effects of sunset happening at an exponentially faster speed, shadows growing and extending their length rapidly as the world as a whole began to dim.

I was so transfixed on the visual effect of the Eclipse that I didn’t notice the small body making it’s way towards me until it settled down at my side.

“Hey Rhyme.”

“Scootaloo?”

She seemed a bit hesitant. “Mind if I sit with you?”

“No...no not at all.” I patted the blanket with a hoof. “Take a load off.”

She smiled and shuffled a little bit closer, moving off the grass and onto the blanket next to me. For moment we both just sat there, saying nothing.

“So uhh...what happened with Rainbow Dash?”

It may have been because of the orange glow being cast by the continually diminishing sunlight, but Scoots cheeks seemed to blush. “Well...let’s just say she was getting a bit too friendly with Fluttershy for my taste...”

I cocked my head in surprise as I turned. The Wonderbolt and the meek animal caretaker were indeed nuzzling in a rather blatant display of affection. My cheeks suddenly matched Scootaloo’s as I averted my gaze.

“Oh...”

Scoots let out an awkward laugh. “Yeah, kinda gross...”

“Not into mushy stuff, huh?”

She scoffed. “What?! No way! You gotta be tough! Like Rainb-” She stopped as she realized what she was saying. “Well...usually like Rainbow Dash...”

We sat together in a tranquil silence and continued to observe the dimming landscape, shadow continuing to claim the world at a rate not seen in a millennia. Soon, Ponyville, and all of Equestria, was blanketed in an almost completely pitch black shadow, the moon nearing the end of its journey.

“Alright, everypony, it’s safe to observe the event directly now!”

The crowd simultaneously had it’s breath taken away. The sun was gone. Reduced to nothing more than a soft, radiating golden halo around a jet black orb, it’s light all but extinguished. I looked upon the spectacle with similar wonder, unable to hold back a comment.

“It’s...beautiful. In a haunting, almost melancholy sort of way...don’t you think? Almost makes it seem like Princess Luna may have been onto something all those years ago.”

Scootaloo seemed much less enthused. “Ehh, I guess so.”

The moon finally settled into position in front of the sun, blotting out all but the faintest of light, the world barely able to be perceived except for a faint warm glow, desperately trying to make its presence known in the all encompassing void, casting the world in an eerie muted monochrome. Silence reigned as all of Equestria seemed to come to a unified halt, the majesty of the moment sinking in.

I still let out a slight gasp when it happened.

Scootaloo suddenly shifted her body, erasing the distance between us and coming to rest against my side, her face leaning softly against my shoulder. Her good wing extended, gently wrapping around my back, and subtly pulled us even closer, nestling me in a warm blanket of orange primary and down.

Scootaloo slowly, timidly, placed a forehoof on top of my own. She nuzzled my neck a few times before deciding on a position and staying there. Cheeks flush, heart pounding, and thoroughly confused, I chanced a gander down at the filly. Her eyes were shut, resting against me, apparently having found something more interesting than the eclipse. Scootaloo let out a contented sigh.

“You know...maybe...maybe mushy isn’t so bad sometimes...”

Where the motivation came from for what I ended up doing next, I’m not sure. Maybe it was the alcohol at work. Maybe I was feeling sentimental. Or maybe, for some physiologically disturbing reason, I just simply enjoyed giving Caramel more ammunition against me.

Whatever the reason, I looked down at the small filly, her figure barely visible save for desperate subtle rays of light that had escaped the moon’s blockade and danced over her delicate frame. I leaned over and, without hesitation, placed my lips on the top of her mane, giving it a soft kiss. She tensed up for a moment, surprised, before quickly relaxing again, returning her head to to rest on my shoulder.

I felt her wing give me an extra squeeze.