“I can't believe we only have one week left!”
Sweetie Belle, who squeaked her comment fairly loudly, quickly put away her supplies inside her desk and proceeded to trot up to Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. The school day had just ended and a bunch of eager young ponies had already bolted out the door. The Cutie Mark Crusaders waited a minute so they wouldn't get trampled at the doorway. It was what they always did everyday, and it has been arguably the wisest decision they collectively made. Especially since the winding calender made everypony antsier with each ending day. Since the classroom was now basically empty, an extremely excited Sweetie Belle had room to hop in circles around her two friends. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo couldn't help but warmly smile as they watched the giddy unicorn bounce out the door of the schoolhouse. The other two crusaders exited the building and the trio grouped together at the bottom of the steps.
“I know right? It'll be great to do all of our crusadin' n' such without any distractions like dumb math homework!” Apple Bloom chimed as she turned to Sweetie Belle, who responded with a toothy grin.
Scootaloo snickered loudly. “AB, I thought you did well in math.”
“Well yeah of course! But come on Scoots, ya gotta admit that we get so much of it though!” Apple Bloom countered. She gave her pegasus friend a soft jab. “Now hurry up and get yer scooter so we can leave.”
Scootaloo reluctantly nodded and started to trot around the side of the schoolhouse. The other two fillies made their way to the sidewalk and waited. At her destination, Scootaloo saw her trademark scooter leaning against the wall of the schoolhouse and quickly admired it for a second before walking it onto the sidewalk where her friend were patiently stationed. On her way there, she noticed that one of the wheels was slightly wobbly.
“Luckily it's not too bad." She said to herself, "Don't worry, momma's gonna tune you up soon.”
Suddenly, something came over her.
Meanwhile, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle started up a small conversation. Being too busy chatting among themselves, the two didn't notice Scootaloo standing behind them with the newly acquired scooter. After a few seconds, both fillies turned around simultaneously to meet their companion.
“Oops, sorry Scootaloo, we didn't see you there.” Sweetie Belle said with an embarrassed chuckle.
Dead silence ran between the three ponies. Scootaloo just stood in front of her friends, lost in thought. Her gaze was fixed on the ground right next to the wheels of her scooter. Sweetie Belle arched an eyebrow at Scootaloo's sudden lack of livelihood. Apple Bloom only smirked at the sight and decided to use this opportunity to banter back at Scootaloo for her earlier comment.
“So...um...are ya read to go Scoots? Cause ya look like you're lost or forgettin' something.” She teased, “That or ya just want to look puuuurty for us.” Apple Bloom purposely added emphasis on her last sentence. She added a playful wink towards the absent-minded pony in front of her to completely seal the gesture.
Scootaloo had completely zoned out. Her mind suddenly became flooded with thoughts...personal thoughts. However, Scootaloo managed to retain her statuesque composure. It had become a recently recurring event for her mind to suddenly be bombarded with these thoughts and images. No matter how much it hurt to dwell and think about, Scootaloo had learned to stay calm and composed and not let her emotions take over. Although deep inside her heart, she wanted to. When it first happened, she used to cope by slowly morphing these thoughts into a dream. Eventually, it started to become instinctual in many cases. This trend happened so often that it started to become a nuisance for the young filly. She finally learned and realized that it was just a dream. She knew her situation. She knew that it couldn't be changed. She knew crying and getting emotional over it was worthless. She knew that dreaming of change was useless.
'Why...why then do I keep having the same stupid fantasy...'
She snapped back to reality with a quick shake of her head. Immediately, Scootaloo noticed the sly look plastered on Apple Bloom's face. Next to her, Sweetie Belle was suppressing a giggle. Finally realizing her mind went adrift, Scootaloo blushed and averted her gaze back to the ground.
“Sorry my bad.” She rubbed the back of her neck slowly with a forehoof, “I was just deciding whether a helmet is worth it today. I wanted to do some tricks, but one of my wheels is loose so I'm gonna stay at an even pace with you guys. No tricks this time.” Scootaloo let out a small squee in hopes that she was convincing enough.
Fortunately it worked. Apple Bloom just shrugged it off while the pegasus clipped her helmet buckle together and slid it onto one of the handlebars. She then stepped onto her scooter.
“Ready.”
“Alright then! To Rarity's!” Sweetie Belle shouted, pointing a hoof towards her sister's boutique.
As they made their way to the destination, Scootaloo turned to look at Apple Bloom.
“By the way, I was not trying to look like Halle Quartz...”
Scootaloo immediately regretted speaking. The comment was intended as an answer to the earth filly. What she got instead was a Freudian slip, making her want to hit herself for not thinking before opening her mouth.
“Ya know I never said anythin' about Halle Quartz right? I just said you were trying to model for us.” Apple Bloom scoffed.
“Halle Quartz? From that show Suburban Saddles? Oh she's really pretty though! I really love her mane!” Sweetie Belle chimed in cheerfully. “It's absolutely fabulous; as Rarity would say.” She did a short impression of her sister, which caused Apple Bloom to chuckle.
Sweetie's expression quickly became quizzical. “I think that's the only big acting role she has had so far actually. It's kinda strange that you know about her, that show is really sappy.”
“Nice to see ya have a mare-crush Scootaloo.” Apple Bloom was having a hay-day with her pegasus friend.
“I...uh...um...I'm just going to stop talking now...” Scootaloo said. She sighed in defeat and embarrassment. Her friends broke into a fit of laughter. Instinctively, the pegasus filly slowed her pace to hide her face, which was now beet-red from blushing.
“...it has good humor...” She muttered under her breath as she slowly caught back up.
Sweetie Belle analyzed the yellow fabric that she held in her hoof. She ran her other hoof across the fabric to feel it. Cotton. Sweetie Belle grunted, rolled the fabric up, and put it back neatly. The unicorn filly was running all across her sister's workroom in hopes of finding the golden silk fabric she previously used for the creation of the CMC capes.
While Sweetie looked at another roll, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo sat off to the side in one of the corners of the room; Apple Bloom was conversing with Scootaloo. The orange filly blankly stared at her hooves, only giving fake smiles while her friend talked. Not once did Scootaloo make eye contact with Apple Bloom. This did not go unnoticed. Concerned, Apple Bloom leaned towards Scootaloo, tilting her head in hope that her friend would look at her.
“Scootaloo,” she said softly, “are you okay? Ya look up-”
“Ugh! Where is that dumb fabric!?” Sweetie Belle screamed, throwing her hooves up in frustration. Apple Bloom jumped at the sudden outburst and furrowed her brow at Sweetie, who failed to even look her way. Almost if on cue, Rarity walked into the room, levitating a steaming cup of tea next to her.
“I hope you girls aren't destroying everything in this room.” Rarity sneered as she glanced around the room. She was definitely thankful that the workroom was still in one piece. Sweetie zipped straight to her sister.
"Rarity, do you have any more of those golden fabric things!? We wanted to make more capes for Babs' friends in Manehattan." Sweetie Belle asked politely. She watched Rarity set down her cup on a nearby table and fix her posture.
“Apple Bloom's cousin? That's so cute! Well you're in luck Sweetie Belle, I do happen to have a bit of that golden silk left over. I believe there's enough for you to complete your craft project. It's just in storage to prevent any confusion during my moments of inspiration. You know how hoarding gets in the way of things. My, listen to me ramble! Let me just get it for you darling.” Rarity responded with a warm smile.
"Oh and you can help yourself to whatever fabrics you want in here, but please don't cut a large amount from the rolls Sweetie. You don't want to find out what happens when you put a damper on my orders again, do you?" The older unicorn pressed her forehead against her sister's, her glare boring a hole straight through the now-shrunken filly. Tiny beads of sweat began to form on Sweetie's temples and her body trembled lightly.
"N-n-no sis. Not at all...th-thank you." Whimpered Sweetie Belle.
"Good!" Rarity beamed blissfully as she trotted out the door to retrieve the requested item. Sweetie Belle let out a large sigh of relief then rubbed the spot where her sister's horn was basically stabbing into her skull.
Sweetie Belle gently placed the last small roll of fabric into her red wagon, which she then proceeded to hook up to the back of the scooter.
"Thanks for the stuff Rarity!"
"Oh and thanks for letting me spend the night at Apple Bloom's too!"
"Of course! You three have a wonderful time. At least you won't be in my mane." The girls' faces flattened at Rarity's remark. "Only kidding of course!" Rarity sheepishly laughed. "You girls have fun now!"
The older mare turned around and walked back into the boutique, but not without giving one last smile to the three girls first. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom waved goodbye as they watched the door close. A somber Scootaloo, on the other hand, hung her head, and slowly pushed herself on her scooter away from the building. Her attitude, once more, did not go unnoticed. The other two fillies cocked their heads back and frowned. After exchanging concerned glances, Sweetie Belle quickly caught up to the sulking crusader and placed a hoof on her shoulder, which caused Scootaloo to stop abrubtly.
“Hey Scootaloo? What's Wrong?” She asked, her tone soft. Scootaloo moved her gaze to the corner of her eyes and continued to face forward.
"Nothing's wrong.." She murmured inaudibly.
“Yeah what's up? You've been acting really strange.” Apple Bloom walked up slowly to face Scootaloo.
“I said nothing's wrong...”
Apple Bloom immediately grabbed Scootaloo's face with both hooves. She managed to lock eyes with the pegasus, who was caught off guard by her actions.
“I know that's a bunch of horsefeathers.” She let go, only to watch her friends expression deflate again. “Please.”
Scootaloo stared at her friends for a minute then let out a heavy sigh. She contemplated completely dismissing the subject by telling them she'd rather not talk about it. Her mouth opened, ready to form the sentence she had put together in her head.
“...It's dumb...”
That was all she could muster. Defeated, Scootaloo sat down on her scooter and looked straight down, her eyes only meeting with the purple painted board underneath her. A few seconds of silenced passed, and Scootaloo moved her eyes back up and saw that her friends were smiling. They weren't large smiles by any means, but they still felt warm nonetheless; they were comforting. These smiles told the gloomy filly that everything would be alright, told her that they could be trusted. The expression spoke to her more than any amount of words could. Scootaloo let out a deep breath.
“Alright,” She gulped, “that show with Halle Quartz, I do like it. A lot actually.”
Scootaloo felt her heart sink a little. Yes, it was true she did like the show and its star actress, and yes she accidentally slipped that out earlier but that wasn't what was really bothering her. However, she just couldn't bring herself to tell the truth to them. Still, the fact that she lied to her friends now made her feel even worse. Her face was stained with distraught.
The other two crusaders turned to face each other, both confused. Sweetie, who was slightly disappointed at the 'problem,' raised an eyebrow as she turned back to her glum friend.
“That's it?”
Apple Bloom shot a piercing glare at Sweetie Belle for her blunt response.
“Of course not, that'd be silly.” Scootaloo let out a tiny laugh and even managed to crack a grin. With the damage already dealt, Scootaloo assumed it was best to just try and make her explanation as convincing as possible. She quickly ran through what things to say before opening her mouth again.
“See, I've always tried to make myself looks all awesome and cool. Just like Rainbow Dash you know? So obviously a sappy and 'uncool' show such as Suburban Saddles shouldn't be my thing. I didn't want you guys to find out because..."
She didn't expect her sentence to form this way. In an instant, her grin faded into a small frown. Scootaloo mentally cursed at her subconscious, realizing her bottled up emotions ended up bleeding through to her speech. It was finally getting the better of her again. The pegasus felt tears forming and her throat became slightly choked, hindering her speech for a moment.
Apple Bloom mouthed the word "oh" before slowly making her way to the near-sobbing Scootaloo. She had never seen this side of her friend before. It was almost shocking to see her in such a vulnerable state. Yet that didn't bother Apple Bloom from plopping herself even closer to Scootaloo, who currently was sniffling and wiping away her tears.
"Because...I...I...thought that you'd think less of me..." Scootaloo managed to reveal through a few gulps and sniffles. She was at least glad she got half the truth out to her friends.
“Scoots, you're being ridiculous.” Apple Bloom said bluntly. “Look it's just a show. Yes we may tease ya, but it's all in good fun. There are definitely things you tease me with, but we're still friends ain't we?”
“Yeah exactly! We're your best friends Scootaloo. We love you, and nothing's gonna change that!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed, nuzzling her friend a little for comfort.
“Sweetie Belle's right. You are you, and no matter what, you'll always be cool and awesome to us. There's nothing in the entire universe that will make us think less of you. If there was, we wouldn't be friends.”
Scootaloo's ears perked up upon hearing Apple Bloom's comment. She quickly threw both forehooves around her two friends and gave them a tight hug. The other two fillies eagerly returned the gesture. When the hug broke off, Scootaloo rubbed the back of her neck.
“I'm sorry for being so gloomy guys.” She said, feeling a bit ashamed.
“It's alright Scoots.” Sweetie Belle giggled. “I like the show too. So if it makes you feel better, we could always talk about it sometime.” She grinned from ear to ear.
“That would be awesome Sweetie.”
“Ya know, I need to watch this show now.”
“Oh Apple Bloom you're missing out! It's so good, definitely worth it!” Scootaloo noted excitedly, her happiness now fully restored.
As the trio made their way to the clubhouse, Scootaloo couldn't help but ponder a few more things. She looked at both her friends and let out a smile.
The three fillies inspected the two new capes they had just produced. They were perfect. The Cutie Mark Crusaders cheered and gave each other a high-hoof in success.
"I hope Babs' friends will like them." Sweetie said modestly.
"Oh I know they will for sure!" Apple Bloom answered as she folded one of the capes neatly.
"Yeah, I mean, how could they not? They're so awesome!" Scootaloo hovered in the air for a brief moment. When she landed, she stroked the underside of her chin. She was so eager to move onto the arguably bigger event of the night. "So with all that done we should totally plan out our next few crusades!"
It took an entire three seconds before a dozen crayons and blank sheets of paper were thrown to the ground in front of her and Sweetie Belle. Apple Bloom winked at her fellow crusaders before plopping down onto her stomach and jotting down the beginnings of a list.
"So I was thinkin', maybe we could try a hoof at pole vaulting, then if that doesn't work we could try white-river rafting."
"Oh! I overheard Button say something about castle crashing with some friends. We should definitely try that out too!"
A few hours of contemplation, bickering, and giggling passed. Celestia was starting to end the day by slowly lowering the sun, which made for a beautiful scene over Ponyville. The three girls had finished up their list of crusades and were laying around and chatting about whatever struck each other's fancy.
"Jeez I wouldn't think that's physically possible..." Apple Bloom grimaced as she stared aimlessly at the clubhouse's ceiling.
"Oh I know Right!? I nearly barfed. It was pretty gross." Sweetie Belle said fair nonchalantly. She took a second to admire a drawing she made before nudging it away from her and softly resting her head on her hooves. The angle let her see the orange pegasus that was by one of the windows of the clubhouse.
Scootaloo, although not one that was normally fond of quiet activities, rather enjoyed gazing out into the setting sky. It was a clear and refreshing way to think. She played some of the days events again in her head. She was still slightly disappointed in herself for not telling the complete and honest truth to her two closest friends in all of Equestria why she was upset. Scootaloo took a quick glance over to her friends and mentally sighed. Partly because of what was on her mind, but mostly because they were just lazy sacks laying on the clubhouse floor.
Earlier Applejack came in to supply the CMC with some apple fritters as well as check up on the group. She had asked if they were planning to sleep in Apple Bloom's room or in the clubhouse. When it wasn't yet decided, Applejack just informed them to decide before the sun completely set so that they wouldn't be walking around in the dark of night.
Apple Bloom then quickly rolled over, stood up, and peered over Scootaloo's shoulder from where she stood. "Hey girls, it's almost sundown, and mah sis is expecting an answer soon, so what do you wanna do? Should we sleep here tonight or head up to mah room?"
Sweetie Belle also stood up and brushed off any dirt that may have gotten in her coat. "I'm not exactly sure still. Do you enough sleeping bags?"
"Yeah we do. Applejack said we have four. They're in the house. If ya want, we could decide on the way back."
"Oh that's a relief, my sleeping bag is in my closest at home still. I totally forgot all about it."
Sweetie Belle, who picked up the plate of apple fritter crumbs, then made a quick observation. She balanced the plate on her back before turning to Scootaloo, who remained to stare outside silently.
"You know, speaking of homes, I don't think we've ever spent the night at Scootaloo's house before."
Scootaloo's eyes widened instantly. The orange pegasus was caught of guard yet still managed to slowly turn to reluctantly face her friends. She awkwardly smiled and felt a bead of sweat roll down the side of her face.
"Yeah, you're totally right! That's kinda weird...Scoots why haven't we ever been to yer house?"
The pegasus' mind was racing. Her teeth were clenched together extremely tight, reflecting how hard she was trying to put on her smile.
'Shoot, what do I say!? I don't want them to know!'
She coursed through excuses. Nothing was coming to her. She couldn't think. Before Scootaloo could start mentally freaking out, she took one hard, long look at her friends. Although they both displayed looks of confusion, Scootaloo could still feel the same warmness she felt just hours before.
'There's nothing in the entire universe that will make us think less of you. If there was, we wouldn't be friends.'
'We're your best friends Scootaloo. We love you, and nothing's gonna change that!'
Scootaloo averted her eyes from her friends to the floor. Her fake smile slowly faded, but she immediately replaced it with a firm expression. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom couldn't help but get even more confused.
'These are my friends...my best friends. I love them and I trust them. It's about time they know. No more hiding...'
"You know what? Let's change that. We are gonna go to my house tonight." A new found determined voice escaped from the young pegasus as she moved her eyes back towards her friends.
Scootaloo marched out of the clubhouse and back towards the Apple family's house. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle slowly turned towards each other and shared a moment of silence and even more confusion. The young unicorn finally shrugged and turned towards the door.
"Well I guess that's decided then. Come on let's go ask Applejack."
Apple Bloom, who now was the last crusader standing inside the clubhouse, scratched the back of her head. She stopped at the doorway and stared at Sweetie Belle as she was running to catch up to Scootaloo. With a sigh and a shake of her head, the young earth pony made her way down the steps of the clubhouse.
"This has been one weird day."
Author's Note
Well you made it! Sorry if the writing is really simple and whatnot. It's been a while since I've written creatively. And I wasn't exactly a godsend when it came to it in the first place. But alas, I wanted to write this story. So here we are! I definitely want to be able to improve, so let me know how it was and maybe some tips to improve.
Oh and if the Halle Quartz thing is confusing, I apologize. It'll be explained a little bit more maybe next chapter.
By the way, being a college student definitely limits my time when it comes to artsy stuff, so if someone would like to draw a cover to this story, just PM me, cause that would be freaking awesome.
It didn't take long for the three crusaders to pack all their things once they made it back to the Apple family home. Sweetie Belle stepped back and admired how neatly she packed her necessities in her saddlebag. After a brief three second pause, the unicorn exploded into a fit of bubbly-ness.
“Oh my gosh, I don't know why, but I am so excited!”
“Jeez Sweetie Belle, it's just a sleepover at my place. I doubt it'll be that great honestly.” Scootaloo joked, playfully rolling her eyes as her friend cantered in place.
"Well...Still!"
The last of the trio would of joined in on the conversation, and maybe even defend Sweetie Belle's excitement (she couldn't help but share a similar feeling), but she was currently too preoccupied in her own room upstairs double checking her toiletries. As soon as Apple Bloom finished, she buckled her own saddlebag, quickly ran down the steps, and haphazardly threw it towards her friends. The saddlebag narrowly missed the back of Scootaloo's head, which fortunately went unnoticed by her. At the bottom of the stair case, Apple Bloom glanced over to the kitchen where her sister was washing dishes. She momentarily rejoined her friends.
“One sec girls, lemme ask mah sis if we can actually go first.”
“Uh...Apple Bloom? Aren't you supposed to ask for permission before we start packing our things?” Scootaloo sneered.
A bead of sweat formed on Apple Bloom's brow as she made the realization. She let out a faint embarrassed laugh. It was now Sweetie Belle's turn to playfully roll her eyes. Instead of halfheartedly explaining her mistake, Apple Bloom dashed into the kitchen. The display left the remaining two crusaders exchanging glances before breaking out into a small giggle fit.
In the kitchen, Apple Bloom quietly approached her busy sister and lightly tapped the back of her hind leg.
"Hey sis, can I ask you a question?"
Applejack momentarily stopped her chore and turned to face her little sister.
"Of course sugarcube. What can I do ya for?" She answered politely.
"Well I...uh...we wanted to go over to Scootaloo's house and spend the night there. Would that be okay?" Apple Bloom asked quietly, shuffling one of her forehooves as she did so.
In response, Apple Bloom was met with a hearty chuckle. She pat her sister on the head, which made Apple Bloom shoot an annoyed glare at the older mare. Applejack merely ignored it and continued.
“I swear, you young fillies nowadays can't make up you minds about anything!” She sighed.
“I know I know. It's alright. I'll just tell them that we'll have to-”
“Ah didn't say no Apple Bloom.” Applejack said with an earnest smile. She then looked up to see her sister's friends having a casual conversation. She particularly watched Scootaloo for a few moments before adding on to her statement.
“Besides, ya never asked me to sleep over at Scootaloo's house before anyways. Which is a little strange I guess now that I think about it. But anyways, I don't see why ya'll can't do that.”
“Yeah.”
“Just...um...well it is almost dark, and I see ya'll are already packed up and stuff. So the only thing I'm asking ya to do is to go straight to her house okay? I don't want ya'll to be wandering the streets at night.” Applejack ordered, putting on the most stern face she could muster.
Apple Bloom nodded in compliance. “Don't worry Applejack, that's what we were plannin' to do anyways.” With that, she bolted out of the kitchen to rejoin her friends. “Alrighty she said yes, let's go!”
The crusaders put on their saddlebags and waved goodbye to Applejack.
“Goodnight!” They all shouted. Apple Bloom ran up to her sister and added in a thank you and a hug around her neck just for good measure.
“Have fun girls!” She shouted back before returning to the sink. Upon hearing the door shut, Applejack let out a smirk. “Silly fillies.”
Only ten minutes passed before the trio made it to their destination (albeit Scootaloo was driving a little recklessly). They went clear across Ponyville, near the outskirts of town. In front of the three fillies stood a narrow, but decent sized, two-story home. There was a ledge covered in shrubbery and an assortment of yellow and white flowers that oversaw the front door, completed with two marble white columns that connected it to the ground. The brightness of the columns definitely helped add more flare to the home's stereotypical dull tan paint that plagued nearly every residency in Ponyville. This was especially true with the neighboring buildings. Scootaloo aimed her hoof at the lone window on the second floor.
“Well here we are, home sweet home. That's my room up there. So what do you guys think?" She turned around and patiently waited for her friend's responses.
"It's pretty cool. I like the plants up there on yer window sill Scoots." Apple Bloom responded simply.
"I personally really like the columns. My house doesn't have them; they definitely add a unique touch." Sweetie Belle added as she stroked one of the said columns.
Scootaloo approached the door, with her friends close behind her. "Thanks guys. My dad actually did the work on that stuff. The ledge, columns, even added the plants just because he could. Neat huh?"
Between the mixture of awe and surprise, the two fillies in front of Scootaloo asked the obvious rhetorical question:
"Your dad did all that?"
As if on cue, the front door opened and a male pegasus stood at the doorway. He was slightly taller than most of the males in town, but maybe by an inch or two. His coat was copper colored, his eyes had a navy blue tint, and his mane was clay colored. Speaking of manes, this particular stallion's was slightly messy and short, despite his bangs starting to grow out; it definitely looked like a low maintenance, yet classy and relevant style even without any combing or gels. He even sported a light stubble. Despite having slight bags under his eyes, the pegasus looked surprisingly young, just about as young as Prince Shining Armor, if not, one or two years older.
Now although they were still fillies, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle did know an attractive stallion when they saw one. It didn't take long for either of the girls to notice his fit physique. Although not extremely toned or muscular, it was not hard to notice that he still was strong and built. That aspect just added onto his youthful complexion. Needless to say, they were both taken back a bit. While the two awkwardly stared at Scootaloo's father, the said figure tilted his head in confusion.
"Scootaloo? What are you doing here? I though you said you were spending the night at your friend's house tonight?" He had a bemused expression plastered on his face.
Sweetie Belle shuddered at the voice that escaped the stallions throat, which was fairly deep and slightly raspy. Apple Bloom leaned her head towards Sweetie's without taking her eyes off of him.
"He's a nine." She whispered. Sweetie Belle responded by slowly nodding her head.
"Well yeah that was the original plan, but we all decided that we should stay at my place." Scootaloo stated matter-of-factly.
Her father let out a soft, almost inaudible chuckle. "Alrighty then kiddo. So these are your friends huh?" The three crusaders nodded simultaneously. "Well it's nice to finally meet you two. Scoots here has told me all about you guys. Come on inside and make yourself at home." With his introduction finished, Scootaloo's father left the fillies with an inviting smile and walked towards his bedroom.
"Your dad's good looking..." Sweetie Belle blurted just before the trio filed through the doorway.
"What?"
"Nothing."
The trio took no time at all to lounge on the couch in the living room and watch T.V. Scootaloo's father walked down the hall from his room.
"Hey Lulu, did you put your scooter and the wagon away?" Scootaloo's father asked. He peered his head over the couch to where his daughter lay; she simply looked back up at him.
"Yep. It's all in- D-Dad! Not in front of my friends!" Scootaloo wailed after the sudden realization that her pet name was just used in the vicinity of her closest friends. Both of the said ponies tried their hardest to suppress their laughter.
"Lulu? That's a new one. We gotta start using that." Apple Bloom snickered. This earned a leer from Scootaloo, although it didn't stop her, and in the end all the poor pegasus could do is flush her cheeks a crimson shade from all the teasing. She then felt her dad's hoof ruffle her hair.
"Oh it's not that bad!" He blatantly lied through his cheeky smile. Although he did want to continue messing with his daughter in front of her friends, he decided it was best to change the subject and spare her the humiliation. "So I was thinking, since I wasn't expecting you guys here, and I'm not really in the mood to cook, that I'd just order some pizza for dinner. Is that alright with you guys?"
The Cutie Mark Crusaders immediately shouted a yes in response.
"Awesome. I only really know what Scootaloo likes for toppings. So we're getting at least one large pineapple. How about I go the easy route with a large three cheese pizza then? Oh and both thick crust okay?"
All three fillies nodded their heads vigorously.
The three crusaders sat at the counter that was built at the edge of an open kitchen while Scootaloo's father remained standing up just on the opposite side of said counter. Two steaming hot boxes of pizza sat in the center of the group and it sure hadn't taken long for the four of them to dig right in.
"So you must be Sweetie Belle, and you are Apple Bloom correct?" Scootaloo's dad inquired, pointing his hoof at the respective fillies. They both nodded their heads.
"Ya know, we never actually got yer name yet sir." Apple Bloom said in response.
The man in question smirked as he dipped his crust in ranch. "Oh please, no need for that sir crap." He popped the crust in his mouth. "Anyways, my name is Mason." He puffed out his chest boldly.
"Well its nice to finally meet ya Mr. Mason!" Apple Bloom piped.
Mason immediately hung his head, leaving the filly rather confused.
"I know you're just being polite Apple Bloom, but you don't need to call me mister either. Only in a professional setting does it not bother me." He tapped a hoof to his chin, "Shoot, even then, I'd rather my boss just call me by my name."
Both Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom exchanged looks, but shrugged it off. The unicorn got a little curious and decided to ask a question of her own.
"Speaking of bosses, what do you exactly do mis...er...Mason?"
Mason stared at the two quizzical fillies in surprise and blinked a few times. "You guys never saw my-" A wave of realization hit him and he smacked his face. He laughed sheepishly and started over. "Sorry guys, I've been kind of reclusive. I could have sworn you saw my cutie mark, but I guess not. Well here it is!"
Eager, the two girls leaned over the counter from their seats. When Mason turned around, they noticed that his flank was emblazoned with two gears, one large and one small. On the larger gear, there was a mallet and wrench that crossed in an x formation in the center. There were also a few sparks from where the two gears met.
"Cool!" The girls cooed in unison.
"Glad you think so. It's kinda funny actually, I always thought that my mark was relatively simple." He pointed his hoof towards the mallet and wrench cross. "It's pretty obvious that from these tools here that you can guess I have a skill in building things. So yeah my job is pretty much that. If it has anything to do with construction, I've done it."
Her father had a tint of pride in his voice; however, Scootaloo sighed quietly and looked down at the crumbs of her plate as soon as the last bit was mentioned. This did not go unnoticed by her two friends however, and although they were concerned, their instincts told them that dinnertime in the kitchen was not the time or place to bring up the issue. Sweetie Belle decided it would be a good idea to keep the conversation going.
"That makes sense. Scootaloo said that you built the columns and the window sill out on the front of your house, which I thought were beautiful by the way."
Mason responded to the compliment with a simple grin.
"So whats with the gears then Mason? Do they also represent yer skill in building like the tools do? Maybe fixing things?" Apple Bloom added.
"That's former is what I thought at first." The stallion walked over to the fridge and took out a beer before continuing. “Never thought it was fixing things up, but I see where you get that idea. I mean yes I can fix things, although that's more of an at-home kinda deal. It's just that I knew by then that my special talent wasn't fixing a broken object, no no no, I had a fond love of construction and I knew that was ultimately what I was good at." He took a quick sip of his drink and continued.
“You see there was one thing that I loved more than constructing something, and that was to actually design it. I don't remember what I built that day when I got cutie mark, but I recall that everything was all my own creation, from the drafts to the final product. So to put it simply, the gears represent my ingenuity."
There was a sudden shift in Mason's tone that struck Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom odd. They both noticed that Mason's voice started to trail off and it looked like the stallion was ashamed for some reason of his story. Once again, the two fillies looked at each other in confusion. Just as soon as Sweetie Belle was about to whisper the plaguing question to the daughter, there was a loud knock on the front door. Mason's ears perked up.
"Huh I wonder who that can be." He gently placed his alcoholic beverage on the counter, but not before taking one quick swig. "Don't you dare think about touching it missy." He said jokingly.
Scootaloo rolled her eyes and playfully elbowed her father as he walked by her. "I wasn't planning on it." As he walked away, Scootaloo heard him mutter his doubts in a joking manner. She cracked a small smile as he left the room and continued to munch on her piece of pineapple pizza.
Although it was a bit puzzling to see a sudden one-eighty from both of them, both Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom shrugged it off and joined their friend by also smiling. To them, it was just nice to see that Scootaloo had a good relationship with her father.
Once Mason opened the door, he met eyes with a young, female mail courier. Upon seeing the male figure, the courier quickly rummaged through her bag. Mason cocked his head after a minute or two of watching the mare grumble into the bag in frustration.
"One second sir, the paper that had my route on it came off my clipboard somehow..." The mail mare said with her muzzle still in the bag, making her voice slightly muffled. "Ah found it!" She exclaimed immediately afterward, causing Mason to jump.
"So how may I help you?" Mason asked as the mare secured the paper on her clipboard. She kept it in one hoof and scanned it for the address she was currently at.
"Um...is this the household for Blake Mason?" She asked.
"Yes. That would be me."
"Great! I have a letter for you Mr. Mason!" She quickly put her clipboard away and dug through her bag once more, this time coming out with a sealed envelope in her mouth.
Mason grumbled at the way he was address but nonetheless took the envelope in his hoof and bid the mare a good night before going back inside.
He tore open the envelope and read through the message as he shut the door behind him with one of his hind hooves. Upon reaching the end, Mason felt his body sink. He took in a deep breath and then exhaled. Mason read through the letter once more.
"Dammit."
Mason made his way back towards the kitchen, where he caught a glimpse of the three girls placing their plates just to the right of the sink.
"So who was at the door dad?" Scootaloo walked up to her father and awaited his response.
'Ugh...man she's going to be so mad at me...'
Mason immediately frowned as he looked into his daughter's eyes. It didn't help that they were all big and cute either, even without her puppy dog face she sometimes used to guilt him into things.
“A mail mare delivered a letter from...um...work...” He muttered. Mason then faced away from Scootaloo to finish the last bit. “They want me to come in tomorrow...”
Scootaloo definitely didn't take the news well.
“WHAT!?”
Mason flinched.
“Why are you going in!? It's a Saturday! Aren't you supposed to be off on the weekends!?” She fumed, her voice quavering slightly.
“I know I know I am technically. But they need me tomorrow because we're gonna be short on guys at the site and we need this project done fairly soon.” Mason explained with a soft tone.
Scootaloo replaced her irritated and angry expression with a bereft one.
“Can't they ask somepony other than you?” Her tone was somber this time.
Mason slowly shook his head, much to his daughter's displeasure.
“B-But we were gonna hang out and go to the market and stuff after-”
Mason interjected by holding a hoof up. “I'm sorry sweetie, but I have to go in. I could technically send a telegram out now, but you know that we need the money.”
After a few moments of silence, Scootaloo sighed and started to make her way out of the kitchen.
“Um, where do you think you're going? You still have to do the dishes Scootaloo.” Mason said in a more stern tone.
Scootaloo abruptly stopped and groaned as she turned around.
“But Daaaaaaad! I have friends over!” She whined. She completed it with a pout. Unlike the puppy dog face, this never got through to her dad.
“Well that's not an excuse.” Mason rolled his eyes. He then looked at his daughter devilishly. “And to think that I was going to move the T.V. PLUS the video games up there in your room for you three too..”
Needless to say, all three pairs of ears perked up right away, regardless of what the previous mood in the room was.
“Oh and that I would let you guys stay up as long as you wanted just to be lenient. But since you are being lazy I guess I'll just-”
Scootaloo rushed passed her dad so fast that he ended up spinning in circles where he stood. After regaining his balance, he let out a cool smile.
“Oh Scootaloo! Let us help!”
“Yeah it'll get done quicker!”
'Their eagerness is infectious. It's definitely cute.' Mason chuckled to himself.
He decided that he better hurry up and fulfill his end of the bargain or else he'd have three anxious and upset fillies at his door. Mason took a quick look at the clock that hung above the kitchen sink.
'It's gonna be a long day tomorrow...'
“Jeez Sweetie Belle, how are you so good at this game?” Scootaloo grunted as she fumbled the controller in her hands, “Heck how are you good at all these games?” She looked at the large pile of games next to her, which covered almost every single genre known to ponykind.
Sweetie Belle simply shrugged as she continued to dominate Scootaloo at the current fighting game they were playing. Apple Bloom watched from Scootaloo's bed as Sweetie took out her opponent with one swift combo ending in a satisfying uppercut, which awarded the overly modest winner with a loud “Flawless Victory!”
Scootaloo put on a blank expression.
“We should just play a cooperative game instead.” She stated flatly.
“The three of us could always play a board game if yer sick of losing.”
Scootaloo shot Apple Bloom a dirty look.
“Hey I lost just as bad too!” Apple Bloom admitted as she threw up her hooves in defense.
Sweetie Belle beamed “A board game would be fun!” She was completely oblivious from the death glare Scootaloo was currently giving her.
After a few minutes of rummaging through their options, the three decided to play Monopoly. With the television playing some cheesy romantic comedy in the background, they all laid on the floor and calmly started the game.
They got bored in fifteen minutes.
“Seriously?” Scootaloo asked a little surprised.
“Super seriously.” Apple Bloom responded, trying to hide her embarrassment from her friends.
Scootaloo continued to tighten the wheels on her scooter. "Dang Apple Bloom I cant believe you did that."
“Hey Scootaloo, are you even allowed to have your scooter up here?” Sweetie Belle asked as she intently watched her friend work on her ride.
“He honestly doesn't care where it is as long as it's out of the way. He's cool like that.” She confirmed. The pegasus spun each wheel to check them. After getting the results she wanted, Scootaloo put the scooter in the corner of her room and put her tools away in a little bag, which she then put on a shelf right next to the scooter.
Apple Bloom chuckled. "Yer dad is pretty cool Scoots." The pegasus only smiled at the comment.
“You know, my dad getting me a tool set for my scooter so I don't have to keep asking to use his can come in handy sometimes.” She giggled to herself before pulling out a comic from the shelf to read.
Sweetie Belle turned her head and noticed a frame on Scootaloo's nightstand. It was laying face-down. Peaking her curiosity, the unicorn got up and flipped it over.
“Hey Scoots, who is this here in the photo?”
Both Apple Bloom (who became very interested) and the pegasus in question walked over to see who she was talking about. In the photo was Mason, Scootaloo, and a champagne colored unicorn mare with the same hair and eye color as Scootaloo. The three were outside a stadium; Mason and the mare were wearing jerseys and Scootaloo had face paint and a hat on, all of which held a coordinated green and white color scheme.
“That's my mom.” She replied. Upon seeing the photo she cracked a small smirk-like grin, but it immediately faded.
“What happened to her?” Apple Bloom asked quizzically.
They watched as the orange filly slowly drop her sorrowful gaze to the floor, completely silent. Sweetie Belle covered her mouth while Apple Bloom shared a similar sad expression with her pegasus friend. The two immediately went up and hugged Scootaloo in hopes to comfort her.
“I'm so sorry about your loss...” Sweetie Belle softly said.
“What?” Scootaloo snapped out of her state and pushed her friends away. “My mom's not dead!”
“Well what was up with you being all depressed and sad and stuff?” Apple Bloom asked, incredibly confused.
Annoyed, Scootaloo rolled her eyes and looked away from her friends. “I just...haven't seen her in a while.” She said somberly. Immediately afterward however, she veered back to eye her friends intensely. “Jeez you guys, why did you assume the worst? Sheesh, I'm sure you guys probably thought I was homeless or lived in an orphanage or something since I haven't invited you over before.” Her sarcastic tone was met with sheepish and embarrassed chuckles. Scootaloo's face turned serious as she watched the beads of sweat trickle from her friends' foreheads.
“Really?”
“Um...well...uh” Sweetie Belle stammered. She was trying to find a way to dodge around the awkward situation when her saving grace stepped in.
“Anyways, you said you hadn't seen yer mom in a while. Why's that?”
Sweetie Belle let out a sigh of relief and mentally thanked Apple Bloom.
Scootaloo reverted back to the previous gloomy composure. She picked up the the photo from the nightstand and stared at it.
“My mom and dad got divorced.”
Her friends mouthed an 'oh' as she put down the photo and opened the drawer to her nightstand. Inside laid a scrapbook. She picked it up and turned around.
Scootaloo hopped up onto her bed and placed the scrapbook down in front of her. She then motioned for her friends to come up as well. They obliged and sat in front of her, with the closed scrapbook being the only thing between them.
"I wanted to show you guys something. I think it's about time I do."
Author's Note
Oh man I'm so sorry for anyone who liked the story so far for the late update. It's just...you know, finals and stuff, then all the holidays. I was wicked busy. I'm gonna try to be a little better at updating from now on. Also I hope everything has turned out alright, I've been typing this chapter from 12 to 4 in the morning so I hope it's at least readable. Please let me know of any mistakes and any feedback is totally welcome.
Onto story related stuff: Yes there is still things mentioned in the first chapter that still have some explaining, but that will all be done in the next chapter, which is gonna focus on Scootaloo's past (little sneak peek for ya). Her dad will still have some exposition and back-story later on that should tie everything together.
Speaking of her dad, what did you think of Mason? I chose his talent to help explain why Scoots was so good with building the float in One Bad Apple. Then I realized it would later be a nice framing device ;D. Anyways, I threw in the attractive quip there as a reflection of something that actually happened between my ex girlfriend and her best friend when they first came over and met my dad. Needless to say, it was awkward.
Jeez this is getting long, so one more announcement! I'm currently working on a few projects! The closest one is going to be a much darker story in terms of content and topics as opposed to the generally lightheartedness I planned this story to be. I can't wait to share it for those who are into those kind of stories!
