Being pulled away by your ear hurts like hell; not to mention that the sensation is like a thousand needles hitting the base of it. How did I get into this predicament? I have NO idea, but what I can tell you is that Ms. Cheerilee has an iron vice grip on my ear, “Fuuuuudgy stuff!,” I expertly hold my tongue. Apparently, she got pissed at me for flashing both her and Scoots… But that look is more loathing, almost like…"Oh shi-" An enormous wave of shoots through the right side of my cranium. Yes, screw you, I can use smart words too!

The purple school teacher pulls me through the crowded streets of Ponyville, never releasing her tight hold on my ear. Eventually, I am lead to the elementary school; though many people saw us, something tells me Ms. Cheerilee absolutely does not give two shits or a fuck about what she's doing. Instead, she pulls me through the small halls of the school, and into an unfamiliar classroom. To my surprise, Scoots is silently sitting at one of the desks; her gaze has dropped to the floor, and it looks as if she’s been crying. Her eyes are puffy and bloodshot, and she is unable to raise her head to look at us.

“Rumble, I would like an explanation concerning Scootaloo,” Cheerilee demands, “NOW!”

Alright, I officially need a change of underpants; did Scoots tell her? N-Nah, I don’t think she’d care too much if it was just that...

“Rumble, I'm waiting.,” she taps her right hoof, and crosses her arms to emphasize her statement.

“I, uh…” I trip over my words, eventually coming up blank. Okay Rumble, you have no idea why she’s pissed. Time to act like your normal self, and play stupid. “Uh, w-what do you mean, Ms. C-Cheerilee?” I finally manage to choke out.

“Don't act dumb, Rumble. You KNOW what I'm talking about,” she hisses. “I would like an explanation today, not tomorrow.”

I can feel sweat building up in my forehead and my the blood in my hands immediately runs cold. Before I can come up with a relevant excuse, Scootaloo speaks up, “Sis, I can assure you we never did anything wrong!”

“Oh, you are DEFINITELY not going to lie to me young lady. If you did nothing wrong, then why did I find this in the trash this morning?,” Cheerilee coldly replies, pulling out a… a thermometer? Nah, that’s not a thermometer...What the he-

“Oh shit…,” the only words in my mind slip out my mouth, “Sc-Scootaloo,” I walk up beside the orange mare, “Scoots… A-Are you pregnant?” I ask, disregarding whatever Cheerilee was trying to tell us.

“R-Rumble.. I-I… Yeah, I just found out yesterday…,” Scootaloo replies, finally looking up to make eye contact with me. “Y-You are going to take responsibility, right?” She asks, fidgeting around in her seat.

It takes me a minute to process all this information. I-Me? A-A father? Man, I mean of course I’m going to take responsibility, but… Shit, if Flitter and CC weren’t going to kill me before, they sure as hell will now… my thoughts immediately freeze me. I mean, forget Thunderlane, he’ll just make fun of me in some way, but those two… I shudder at the thought of what my two sisters can do. I can think of nothing else, but to kiss Scoots; one, because I know it’ll calm her mind, and deliver my answer, and two, because I can no longer speak; my fear clenching my tongue like there’s no tomorrow.

I pull back from the kiss, and look Scoots in the eyes; I wrap my arms around her, giving her further reassurance, “Rumble… I love you so much…” she breaks down into tears, softly crying into my chest.

Finally, after finding my balls, I speak up, “Scootaloo, you don’t need to cry anymore; I told you, I love you with all my being, and it’s a no brainer I’ll step up and take responsibility for what I did. I wouldn’t be the most awesome guy around if I ran off like a coward.” I let out a small, dry laugh; trying my best to lighten the mood.

“No, Rumble, you won’t be anywhere near my sister. Not ever again,” Ms. Cheerilee replies in the same cold tone she was previously using.

A shiver runs up my spine, as I turn to face the older mare; her voice alone is enough to freeze Tartarus over. “E-Excuse me, but I-I don’t think you have the r-right to say that…” I finally speak up, despite the hostile atmosphere in the room.

Ms. Cheerilee gives me a death glare that nearly sends me to an early death. “I am her sister, Rumble,” the purple school teacher declares, “I have the right to protect my sister.”

“NO! I-I’m tired of you trying to c-conrol my life!” Scootaloo screams, to the dismay of both Cheerilee and me, “I’m not five anymore, I can make my own decisions, Rumble and I are only a year off of being considered full fledged adults!”

Ms. Cherilee's glare intensifies before she lowers her head and frowns. “Scootaloo…” she manages to whisper. “Do you know why I won't let you be with Rumble anymore?” she chokes on the last few words.

“I DON’T CARE! Rumble has always been there for me, and even in the face of a life changing decision, he’s still here!” Scoots continues to yell, visibly making her older sister cower.

“H-Hey, Scoots, calm down. It’s cool, I’m right here… And you should hear your sister out. She cares for you, otherwise she wouldn’t be trying so hard to protect you.” I calmly say, wrapping my arms around her once again.

“Scootaloo… the reason why I won't let you be with Rumble is because…” the school mare lets a tear roll down her cheek. “I… used to have another sister before our parents had adopted you,” Scootaloo's ears fold down. “Her name was Celia. She was almost like you; athletic, caring for others and she even had the dream to become a Wonderbolt!” the purple mare starts to break down as two more tears began to roll off her cheek. “But one day… one day she found coltfriend; the stallion had seemed so normal... Of course, I was happy for her, but I was still overprotective of her. I would sometimes watch them out from afar, observing what they were doing. Everything was going great for her until…” she begins to sob quietly. “Celia married her him; his name was Golden Cinema. They moved away from Ponyville and into Trottingham; Cinema had to move to a place that he deemed ‘dark’ enough to match his artistic side. Once they settled there, he became became completely immersed in his work, like he was completely obsessed with just making films. There was no time for Celia in his daily schedule; each month would drive the two further and further apart. Celia… She had so much love to give… Even as she was robbed of her life, she still loved the stallion who killed her.” Cheerilee completely breaks down, dropping down to her knees, “She was killed because she woke him up for lunch! He simply shrugged off killing her, even saying on TRIAL he did is because he was enjoying his nap too much to have it interrupted, and that it was HER fault!”

Scootaloo and I both sit in complete silence, trying to comprehend what Cheerilee had just told us while also being horrified by the outcome. Before I could realize what I was doing, I get to my feet and walk over to the crying teacher; something within me telling me to embrace her. Not in the same way I had just done to Scootaloo; no, this was a hug that said, ‘It’s terrible what happened, but you don’t need to say anything more’. To my surprise, she didn’t resist, instead responding by burying her face into my shoulder; openly weeping before us.

“I don't want that to happen again,” Ms. Cheerilee sobbed into my shoulder. “I can't bare to endure the same pain again… I just can't.”

“Ms. Cheerilee…” I begin, unsure of what to say. “Whoever this Golden Cinema is or was, he sounds like a complete lunatic. I mean, sure I have my days where I’m just in a bad mood, but I’d never, EVER in a million years dream of hurting Scoots. She means everything to me,” I sincerely confess.

“I can see that very clearly, but I'm afraid that my decision still stands. I cannot risk another loss, It'll just be too much for me to bare. Besides, sometimes love can fail to heal wounds in relationships and could cause the same outcome as my older sister's.”

“Ms. Cherilee, how do I just prove that I will not bring harm to Scootaloo? How I redeem myself worthy to take care of her?” I ask for an answer, any answer as long as I can obtain full support from Cheerilee.

“Rumble… It’s sweet that you’re going as far as you can with this, bu-”

I cut Cheerilee off. “I have an idea, now stay with me here, but…” I hesitate before continuing. Is this a good idea?...Fuck it, it's the only one I have. “Would you go on a date with me? Hell, go out with me for however long it takes for me to prove to you that I won’t hurt Scootaloo. Despite the hell I’m going to catch from my sisters, and *Ahem* Applejack *Cough*. Whatever it takes, I’ll prove myself to you.” I begin to feel fired up; newfound confidence emerging from Celestia knows where. I stand tall, not backing down from my offer. Behind me, I can feel Scootaloo’s gaze both burning a hole in my skull, and looking at me in awe.

“I… don't know, Rumble,” the purple school mare said. “I don't think this is a good idea…”

“Heh, you and the rest of the town know I’m full of bad ideas, but hey, I’m still alive!” I happily beam. “Besides, it would hurt Scootaloo more to not have me around, and even worse having to raise our foal without a father. Plus, Thunderlane will hand me my ass on a silver platter if I don’t take full responsibility…” I trail off, remembering the last time I upset my big bro. Man, I had ponies ask if I was a transfer student for a month… Plus he wouldn’t let me play videogames…

Ms. Cheerilee bites her bottom lip, thinking about the situation at hand. She knew that she couldn't separate Scootaloo and me, even less with the fact that I'll be a father in the upcoming months. “I see, but my decision still stands.” ARGH! Why don't you just let me be with my marefriend!?

“Ms. Cheerilee, when was the last time you went out with a stallion of your own free will?” I ask, knowing the answer very well.

“I… have been on… no dates,” she whispers the last bit to herself.

“I'm sorry, I couldn't quite hear that, could you speak louder please?” I remark.

“I HAVE NEVER BEEN ON A DATE! HAPPY?!?” Ms. Cheerilee explodes with frustration.

“Yes, yes I am very happy with your answer.” I repress an urge to laugh at the older mare, “So, why turn down your only chance at dating before you turn thirty?” I press on, pushing every button I can. Man, I’m a dick, but it’s for the greater good!...I think… Really hope I don’t get slapped...

“Well, because… I… well… you see, I…” she becomes flustered.

“Boy, sis, he sure hit the nail on the head… No wonder you were so pissed when you found that pregnancy test; you’re still a virgin!” Scootaloo fails to stifle her laugh, all the while Cheerilee’s expression changes from embarrased to ‘Holy shit, she’s going to blow!’ anger.

“Why you little!” the purple mare now flushed completely red, smoke flaring out of her nostrils (and I could’ve sworn her ears too). She sighs dejectedly, “You might as well let all of Ponyville know I’m bad with the opposite sex…”

“And sex in general.” Scootaloo nonchalantly adds in.

Great! Make her think we’ve been fucking for years, Scoots… That’s really helping the situation! I deadpan, continuing to stare at the pair in silence. Ms. Cheerilee looks as if she’s about to implode, and before she has the chance to yell, I cut in by asking, “So, Ms. Cheerilee, how about I swing by around eight tonight?”

“You… but… F-Fine...But only because you know my secret! It’s not like I think you’re c-cute or a-anything…” Cheerilee flushes a deep crimson, refusing to keep eye contact with me.

“Oh, come on, Ms. Cheerilee! A date is not that bad. I'll assure you that everything will be fine. Trust me on this,” I said.

“But that's just it!” Ms. Cherilee exclaims. “You are just one of my students that does this over pity, not a stallion that I truelly love and fawn over.”

“I'm not doing this out of pity, Ms. Cherilee. You really do need a date and it'll be fun! Besides, how bad can this date get?” I nonchalantly say, shrugging my shoulders.

Author's Note

What can go wrong?
HINT:everything
Obviously Ms. Cheerilee has never heard the saying expect the worst because only then can things genuinely surprise you. Happy New Year dudes and lady dudes!