Why Can't We Find Home?by Tyc oonChaptersChapter 1 – Pace of The HeartChapter 2 – To Soldier OnChapter 3 – Diamond in a Coal MineChapter 4 – God is Wearing BlackChapter 5 – Finding HomeChapter 6 – The Grass is Getting Greener Each DayChapter 7 – Marked for DeathChapter 8 – The Gates of HellChapter 9 – Love Ex MachinaEpilogue – One Year LaterChapter 1 – Pace of The HeartThe aggression of hoofsteps pacing in the hallway tripled with the chime of a bell; several textbooks clattered onto the floor, a tragedy in the distance of another's reality, and the harmonics of hinges in activity with lockers banging closed mixed into a permeated cacophony. The atmosphere of the highschool was instantaneously ubiquitous and could be epitomized simply by ‘chaotic,’ as if an impending nuclear threat was announced. Despite the hell that had broken loose behind me, I stepped into my classroom calmly. The assigned novel for the class rested in my saddlebag, and it was accompanied by a perfectly organized notebook. However, I had no plans to use the former of the two. I had read the book before, and already finished re-reading it the night before this class; I had my sights set on different interests. I smiled at my teacher, Mr. Ren, as I trotted past and took my seat. He was professional and respectable with his job, but my skill in the subject he taught had already extended beyond the point of being able to learn anything new here. I drew my notebook with the intention of ignoring the entire lesson and writing elsewhere for the duration of the class. Several minutes later, the bell rang; most of the class had successfully beaten the deadline, while a seat beside me and two more on the other side of the room remained vacant. It was nearly torture as I resisted the temptation to roll my eyes at the sight of two more stallions carelessly trotting in a couple seconds later and going to their seats, but I kept calm, not wanting to offend someone I didn’t know well enough. I waited in patient but apprehensive silence, looking everywhere expect the location that I knew the next source of action would come from. Unfortunately, I didn’t have to wait very long. With several hoof clops on the floor, the mare trotted in with a naughty strut, glancing over the classroom and artificially yawning. “Hello there colts, Chelsea is in the building.” She smirked boldly, cantering and trotting over to her desk beside me with a typically ignominious attitude. I couldn’t hold it in anymore. My forehead hit the desk roughly as I let out a pained sigh and rolled my eyes. I could already foresee the crap I was going to have to tolerate from this mare today. Earlier, I told myself I wouldn’t go one more day beside her, but couldn’t find the confidence or selfishness to request that my seat was changed. In all honesty, I would’ve hated giving my sympathies to whoever would take my seat. To summarize Literature class, I loved the subject and teacher, but hated the companionship. Of all ponies, I ended up being subjected to sitting beside the school’s most notoriously beautiful yet relentlessly cocky mare. The event wasn’t as good as it sounded, and to transfer it to more realistic terms, I was sitting beside an obnoxious pervert that didn’t understand the concept of ‘no.’ Thud. With my head still down, I heard someone slam a book on my desk. If Chelsea had just done that, I was going to be utterly unimpressed, and there was no sense in attempting to hide it on my expression. Knowing my lu- The most irritating voice I’d ever known to exist rang out loudly again. “Why aren’t you checking me out? Like, the hell? Aren’t I just gorgeous? Hey!” As I brought my head up to regard the voice a few feet in front of me, I didn’t have the time to flinch or make an attempt at defending myself. She started to… She was… She… …Kissing me. With quick realization, I hit Chelsea, shoving her back by the shoulders. The entire class was watching with us like some kind of cheap entertainment, and I was instantly furious for a variety of reasons. The least being that no one, the teacher included, was doing anything about this, and the most being this event itself. I stood up, unleashing scorching rage. “What the hell is wrong with you?!” Chelsea smirked again, pleased to be finally receiving my attention, and conjured up a histrionic expression of repulsion. “What’s wrong with me? I’m the most beautiful mare in the school, and I can get any guy I want whenever I want. Do you have a problem with that, you loser?” I stepped forward and closer, looking her in the eyes with genuine disgust. “Yeah, I’ve got a problem!” I shouted, advancing as I slammed a hoof down on the floor, and continued raging. “You’re an immature, incompetent, and dogmatically narcissistic prick with no moral integrity or intellectual standards. You disregard your education, seduce every guy you see, and make a conscious attempt to piss everyone off. While you’re just an exhibitionist, I am a fictional novel writer, environmentalist, pacifist, antivivisectionist, arcane verbalist, and pragmatist. I have a dedicated interest in literature and psychology, I’ve never done drugs, I’m chaste, I have honors in every class, and I have moral standards. You don’t deserve a stallion as virtuous as me, and it’s a freezing cold day in hell if you think you’re going to get me.” The entire group of grade twelve literature ponies gazed at me in utter shock, some looking in impressed awe at the display of rebellion to a dictator, while others didn’t portray a lucidly legible facial expression. I picked up my notebook and copy of the assigned novel with a hoof, trotting over to the door and stopping with my books now in my saddlebags. “I’ve already read this entire book twice through, so I’d rather spend time working on my own. Mr. Ren, expect me to attend on the day of the exam, but honesty, I could be the one teaching this class if I wanted to. Attending it is of no importance to me. Thank you for your effort with me.” I began to take the exit, but a student in the class called out, halting me. “Wait!” The only thing that made me stop was the acknowledgement that the voice belonged to the only pony in the room that I actually had a legitimate amount of respect for. I turned my head towards Taser, but not enough to particularly look at anyone. I did, however, notice Chelsea frozen in place with her muzzle gaping open. “Scatter," He continued you ask. "What you said is all true, but you’ve been confessed to by mares that aren’t like Chelsea; I’m just speculating, but I don’t think you’re rejecting her for the reasons you just listed. I demand to know why you’ve turned down the better mares too!” Another bystander tilted his head curiously. “Hey yeah, I’d like to hear the answer to that too.” Several more whispers and mutters were passed around the room. I turned my head back towards the door, and finally began to leave in peace; there was no point in keeping it a secret anymore, and there would certainly be no going back. Hopefully, I wouldn't regret what I was about to say. “I’m a coltcuddler.” Chapter 2 – To Soldier OnI was rather late for leaving school on account of staying an extra hour and a half to finish some pending homework I had been assigned; it was almost quarter to five o’clock. Usually, the roads of Manehattan were swarming with students and civilians around the time I was used to leaving. It was normality to have to endure the journey away from educational facilities around quarter past three, but today was rather lonely in comparison to that. Almost nopony at all was walking home now. I kicked a stone with my hoof, looking downwards and sighing. Had I done the right thing back there? Honestly, telling off that prissy mare was the most cathartic thing I’d done in a very long time. It certainly made my day… Hell, it made my week. But… should I have admitted I was a coltcuddler? Was that the appropriate thing to do at the time, under the circumstances of the question I was asked and in the wake of rejecting romance from a modern school celebrity? As far as science could prove, sexual orientation was a neurological and genetic characteristic of the pony brain; it simply wasn’t a choice, and even without that fact, I was well aware of that from experience. I couldn’t be turned on by mares, and I’d known that all my life. Surely that fact was common knowledge, and others wouldn’t look down on me. …right? Lost in the stupor of my thoughts, I was completely taken by surprise when I was telekinetically thrown into the alley to my right side. A powerful thrust from somepony’s hind legs sent me tumbling, and I collided with a trash bin. I recovered swiftly, looking up from the ground at my attackers. A unicorn and two earth ponies, one of which I vaguely remembered from my Literature class, were standing boldly a few feet in front of me. A hateful, feminine voice came from the one on the left. “You’ve got some nerve for what you said earlier this morning, Scatter.” The last word was pronounced with a particularly scornful accent. …Chelsea. She chuckled wickedly, mocking my facial expression likely abashed with shock and pain. I suppose that meant my optimistic thoughts about the situation were in vain. “Colts!” she continued with deprecation, “Teach this coltcuddling loser a lesson he won’t forget, and don’t be too gentle about it.” With telekinetic aggression, I felt my body slammed and pinned against the wall beside the trash bin. My expression changed to cold blooded resignation. The earth pony stallion from before trotted up in front of me, and smiled with sadistic elation. He turned around, preparing to buck me. A drop of blood slipped off of the bruised cut from my shoulder where he had first bucked me. This was going to hurt. …A lot. I closed my eyes and cringed, bracing myself. “STOP!” A new voice rang out and my attacker halted instantly, a split second from bucking me. All three of the offenders turned towards the source of the defiance, standing bravely in the entrance to the alleyway. His wings were erected, and he looked utterly pissed with righteous justice. “The Manehatten police are already on their way. You can stand here and wait for them, or you can get the hell out of here. Hurry up and decide.” My attacker ponies looked at each other in trauma and shock. The telekinesis pinning me to the wall imploded, and I fell, slumping onto the ground with my flank against the wall. A few seconds later, they were gone. I sighed, letting my head hang limp, overcome with pure visceral relief. My hero trotted over quickly, kneeling down. “Are you hurt?” He said, moving a hoof to brush part of my mane out of my eyes. The gesture itself was almost… romantic. I stood up as best I could, unselfconsciously grunting as I did so. “Yeah, it’s just a bad scratch.” I replied, lifting my head. “Thanks a lot, I owe…” My words drifted off and lost all meaning as I saw his face for the first time. He was a Pegasus stallion, and he was a very damn cute one at that. He managed to ask what I wanted to before I could properly decide on how to say it. “It’s nearly lunchtime, want to grab a bite with me?” I recovered as best I could, putting forward a genuine smile, and probably looking like an idiot. “Okay, but I’m buying. I owe you for what you did.” *** *** *** “So…” I looked at him, munching on my order of hay fries. “You’re a Pegasus. What were you doing trotting around on the ground? Don’t you live up in the Cloudsdale and whatnot?” My newfound friend, now identified as Soarin’, froze in place at my question. With his gaze still fixated on the recently born shower of rain out the café window, he swallowed hard. “Well, it’s kind of complicated… You see, I’m in exile right now.” He told me, looking depressingly at his apple pie. I lifted an eyebrow curiously, tilting my head and provoking him to go on. “I’m learning about aeronautics in highschool, in twelfth grade right now, and you see, um…” Soarin’ sighed, finally looking turning his head to look back at me. “I’m suspended right now for beating up several other Pegasi.” My eyes went wide for only a second, before my expression changed to a smirk. “Well, I don’t doubt you had a good reason to. Earlier, you scared off some bullies to protect me. Any way you look at it, that was an act of justice, and you should be proud of yourself for being able to pull it off without doing anything more than bluffing.” Soarin’ smiled, soaking up my praise like a sponge. His day clearly hadn’t been going so well, and I was helping him as much as he had helped me. “Thanks man. So, anyway…” I interrupted him, my curiosity still at the forefront of my thoughts. “Wait, you still didn’t tell me why you beat them up.” My friend opened his mouth and raised a hoof to object, several crumbs from his bite of apple pie spilling out, but he changed his mind as quickly as he had decided to speak it. He was clearly debating whether or not he should tell me. “You promise you won’t hate me if I tell you?” He asked quizzically, looking at me with a pseudo mixture of sadness and defeat. I wanted to chuckle, but I knew better than that. Soarin’ was being dead serious with me. “I promise,” I said, looking at him sincerely. “I won’t think any less of you. You have my word.” The pegasus smiled kindly, and nodded. “I beat them out of anger because they were insulting and bullying me relentlessly for several days…” Soarin’ said with a firm tone. “They were bullying me for admitting that I’m a coltcuddler.” Chapter 3 – Diamond in a Coal MineIn the wake of the revelation, I gagged and coughed violently, soaking my new friend’s coat and face in the majority of my mouthful of apple cider. Several feelings raced through my head at once, blending into an ostensible facial expression of chagrin and dumbfounded resignation; Soarin’ was… He was… …A coltcuddler too. He looked back at me, nearly equally stunned for only a moment, but his expression changed again as quickly as it had arrived. Soarin’ turned his head to the window that shielded him from the raindrops, and started to look intensely apprehensive. “…So you hate me too then.” He said depressingly, swallowing hard and continuing to gaze out the window to escape being confrontational. I… felt the exact opposite. Soarin’ had just admitted an incredibly personal characteristic of himself to me, and I had promised him I wouldn’t respond with disapproval. However, that’s precisely how what I had just done would surely look like to him, and no amount of apologising or explaining that I was currently capable of in my shocked stupor would be able to convince him otherwise. I was too overwhelmed with emotion to formulate any vocal words to my thoughts. I stood up abruptly, and did exactly what had enraged me earlier today. I did the only thing I could think of to do right now. I trotted forward aggressively, closing the distance between myself and Soarin’, and I kissed him. Our lips pressed together gently, and I closed my eyes. A warm, comforting sense of romance washed throughout my mind, clearing my pessimism and passionately conveying my strong feelings of empathy, understanding, and… …newly discovered Love? Yes… Love. *** *** *** Soarin’ and I walked side by side in the rain. We were traveling towards my home, as I had unselfconsciously soaked his mane and coat in apple cider, and rightfully owed him a shower. However, I felt more in debt to him than just a shower; he saved my flank from a hell of a beating. Although he told me he didn’t want to impose on me by staying overnight, the thought of letting him sleep out in this rain tonight wouldn’t sit right with my morals. I also, to my sense of justice, despised his family for kicking him out. Surely, my family wouldn’t do something that deplorable to me if they were to find out I was a coltcuddler. …right? If so, it wouldn’t be the first time my optimism was in vain. “On second thought,” Soarin’ announced, shaking his head and spraying me with some of the rainwater in his dark blue mane, “I think I’ll take you up on that offer of a place to stay tonight. Oh, and I probably won’t need that shower after all. I’m getting enough of one right now.” I chuckled despite our unfortunate situation, and my the pegasus joined in the laughter too. “My parents aren’t home tonight.” I said, still smiling from the laughter. “They’re both high-ups in the business world, and they’re down in Las Pegasus for an important company meeting right now. I need to keep the place as clean as they left it. I can trust you to not beat anything up, right?” Soarin’ chuckled again, aware of the joke I was making in regards to him beating others up. Fortunately, I was right in assuming he wouldn’t take any offence. “Yeah, you can count on me Scatter.” He replied, moving to stand a little bit closer and draping one of his wings over my back. Despite my usually enigmatic mannerisms, I blushed hotly, looking downwards to try and hide it. I could see Soarin’ smirking slightly out of the corner of my eye, and instantly turned as red as an apple. It was not the smartest choice, considering he had noticed my first blush too, but I couldn’t hold myself back; I had never experienced romance for myself before. “You know…” Soarin said with a snide grin on his muzzle. “You’re kind of cute when you’re embarrassed. I don’t know if I’m going to be able to control myself tonight.” Thinking it was impossible to blush any harder, I found myself standing utterly corrected. *** *** *** I opened the door to my home, sliding the key back into the secret compartment of the mailbox. Since leaving the café, the onslaught of the storm had significantly died down to a mere drizzle, and we weren’t in any particular rush to get inside. “Wait here; I’ll go grab two towels.” Only a few short moments later, Soarin’ and I had dried off… nearly. “Scatter, I can’t reach my back and wings. Do you think you could… dry them off for me?” I blushed again, my mouth going open a little. How the hell did he keep making me do that? Walking over to him, I picked up the towel in my hooves, and began to dry Soarin’ off. From my previous observations, he had a stern back and his wings were probably powerful, but upon physical prognosis, that was an understatement. Soarin’ was likely a very impressive flyer; his bodily form was muscular and aerodynamically shaped, while his wings were aggressive and powerful. I didn’t know much about Pegasus anatomy, but oddly, his wings were incredibly tense and firm. That probably wasn’t normal, was it? As I extended a hoof hesitantly to rub the towel over Soarin’s wing, he unselfconsciously let out a low, pleasurable moan, and his wing became even stiffer. …Oh. Ohhhhhh. Oh, wow. Wings were rather sensitive? Curiously, I released the towel, letting it drape over Soarin’s back. Raising a hoof to take a hold of one of Soarin’s wings, I moved it closer to my muzzle. Extending my tongue out, I delicately and slowly took one of Soarin’s primaries into my mouth, giving it an experimental lick. A much louder moan escaped Soarin’, and I felt him quiver in pleasure. I released his wing. The stallion turned towards me, advancing until I had backed into the wall. Soarin’ looked me the eyes with vehement passion, and slowly licked his lips. Chapter 4 – God is Wearing BlackA dim and southing light beamed in through cracks in the curtain, hitting me in the eyes. My perspective and sentience slowly faded back as I awoke, still passively drunken with the fog of sleep. I blinked tightly, rubbing one of my eyes with a hoof, and unselfconsciously yawning. I felt the sensation of warm breathing tickling my chest, and it took me longer than it should have to identify the source. Soarin lay beside me, his muzzle open a crack as his head rested near the upper portion of my chest. I had slept with my other forehoof wrapped around him, and from what I could see through the haze of fatigue, he still seemed soundly asleep. We were… lovers now. The events from last night had effectively destroyed any doubts I’d had about what exactly the relationship was between us, and I had no regrets at all. We were coltcuddlers, and we were together; through and through. Yet, for some reason, I still clung to an achingly pessimistic worry about how others would react to that. I took control of my hoof again and gently brushed a thin tuft of the stallion’s dark blue mane out of his eyes, smiling contently. This time, it was my turn to consider him awfully cute. With perfect timing, Soarin’s eyes cracked open. My hoof still rested on the side of his muzzle, and he smirked with the quick realization that I had been holding him passionately. The romantic smirk widened as one of my lover’s hooves slid down to touch a particular spot that he had manipulated earlier last night. Oh merciful Celestia, it was going to take a lot of willpower to get out of bed and to go school. I still needed to cook some breakfast too, and now that I thought about it, we could also both use a shower; last night had been rather sweaty. My eyes met with Soarin’s, and I blushed again intensely. *** *** *** The bell signifying the beginning of lunchtime rang out on meticulous cue. Alongside several other classmates, I picked up my books for philosophy, and put them into my saddlebags, leaving. I had skipped Literature class today. Mr. Ren didn’t track me down or force me to attend class, just as I had predicted. You couldn’t really argue against a perfect mark of 100%, as there were no assignments that counted towards marks between now and exam week, just studying and reviewing. My stomach rumbled and I rolled my eyes, doing my best to ignore my instincts. I hadn’t eaten any breakfast, as I only managed to find time to cook one serving before I needed to leave or I’d be late. Obviously, I had to shove it down Soarin’s throat, but I was more than willing to. I cared more about this stallion’s health that I’d met yesterday than I did for my own. If he had something to say about it, it would probably be a witty remark about how the food wasn’t the only thing I’d shoved down his throat, but… I shook my head, blushing at the thought of him, and entering through the door to the cafeteria. It wouldn’t be smart to have him in the forefront of my thoughts right now, distracting me as I socialized and purchased lunch. As usual, I ordered a fruit salad and an applesauce, tipping the cashier. She gave me an oddly sympathetic look, and then quickly replaced it with a cheery smile. I didn’t want to bother contemplating why, I just knew that I desperately needed to get some food eaten so I could think straight. …The sight of Soarin’ smiling flashed back into my mind. Well, so much for thinking straight. My lovesick thoughts were interrupted as a random unicorn stallion bumped into me roughly. My balance was knocked off, but I managed to keep on my hooves and hold my food. I turned to him quickly in embarrassment and apologized instinctively. “Oh, I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking about where I was…” My words lost ground as I saw the apricot-coloured pony was looking at me with a mixture of disgust and disapproval, and it occurred to me that he may have bumped into me intentionally. But, aside from Chelsea and the ones she manipulated, I didn’t have any enemies. …right? This pony wasn’t one of those attackers, from what I was aware of. He scoffed and turned, trotting away. My gaze lingered on him for a few seconds until I dismissed the issue. Perhaps he just wasn’t having a very good day today. I spotted two of my friends, Grey Skies and Buckskin, sitting together at the end of a table a few feet over, and trotted up to join them. Taking my seat beside Grey calmly, their conversation died mid-sentence, and they both visibly tensed. “Hey guys, how’s it going?” I greeted, taking a bite of my salad. They looked at each other, neither of them answering my question in any physical or verbal way. Buckskin swallowed hard, clearing his throat. This was effectively starting to worry me. “…Guys? Is something wrong? Did you… lose someone?” I asked earnestly, still chewing. Buckskin let go of his spoon, allowing it to rest back in the small container of banana pudding. Something was, quite evidently, wrong. I couldn’t do anything about if it they kept it secret though. “Um, Scatter… is what you said yesterday true?” Oh… that’s what this was about. Anger crept into my mind, and I swallowed my mouthful of salad. Rightfully, I shouldn’t assume that my elementary school friends were willing to think less of me so readily, but there weren’t any other climactic events at school worth mentioning yesterday. They couldn’t be referring to anything else. “Yeah…” I nodded coldly. “Can’t we still be friends despite that?” Buckskin grimaced, looking suddenly hesitant. “Uh, I’ve got to go to the washroom. “ He lied, standing up. “Excuse me.” Grey sighed, looking at his mostly eaten plate of hay. “Scatter, I’m going to be honest with you because I know you’d do the same thing for me if the situation was reversed. I don’t think we should be friends anymore.” The stallion stood up, looking at me bitterly before he turned and trotted out of the cafeteria. I sat there, saying nothing… There was nothing to be said. I just… watched sadly, as my friend walked away discriminatingly. It was macabre; I knew I didn’t want to be friends with bigots, but there was no denying that I had just lost something significant to me. Author's Note "Grey Skies" belongs to http://www.fimfiction.net/user/randomfacts137 "Buckskin" belongs to http://www.fimfiction.net/user/The%20Incognito%20Brony Both OCs used with offered permission. Chapter 5 – Finding HomeI sat on the cushioned chair of the café that I had been to with Soarin’ yesterday. Before going our separate ways–I to school, and Soarin’ to talk with his family–we had agreed on meeting here again at about half past three o’clock. Soarin’ had been suspended from school for getting into a fight with several other Pegasi, and when his parents asked why, he didn’t see any harm in telling them the truth... Upon hearing he was a coltcuddler, they kicked him out for an indefinite period of time. The whole situation, to be honest, frightened me. I didn’t want to believe that my parents would react in the same manner of cold blooded homophobia if they were to find out, but Soarin’s story didn’t have its history written by the winner. There was no reason why my parents couldn’t have the same level of traditionalism and totalitarianism that Soarin’s did. Regardless, I seriously hoped they’d listen to the logic of the golden rule. I wasn’t heterophobic, so they shouldn’t be homophobic. ...right? I was in love with Soarin’, and it only took me the better part of half a day to realize that. I wasn’t dogmatically naïve or willfully blind to it, but rather, I enjoyed it. However, tomorrow was Saturday and my parents would return home, so Soarin’ needed to find a different place to stay. I wasn’t ready to tell them yet, and even if they would accept my sexual orientation, they probably wouldn’t be willing to let Soarin’ reside there overnight. All of that aside, I had other things to worry about. This coming week was exam week, and they were worth a lot of marks that I wanted to keep. Now was a really bad time to be devoting my focus to another pony and achieving less than my healthy amount of sleep. My attention was swiftly stolen by the sight of a cyan pegasus landing with elegant aerodynamic skill and precision at the door to the café. Just based on that display alone, he was, as I had analyzed, an incredible flyer. I rose to my hooves as Soarin’ trotted in the front entrance of the building, panting a little and looking around calmly with an indescribable facial expression. Our eyes met, and I smiled for the first time since leaving him this morning. I took my seat again as he trotted over and sat parallel to me. “Hey Casanova,” I smirked, chuckling. “How’s it going?” Soarin’ returned the smile as best he could. “Well, my parents wouldn’t let me back in for any reason besides retrieving my belongings…” I winced, looking downward a little. I could tell he was hurting inside just by his tone in that line. The pegasus continued. “On the other hoof, my grandmare understands the situation and has offered to let me stay with her. I think she needs the company as much as I need her right now though.” He added, grimacing. “Her husband passed away recently, and she’s been very lonely.” I grimaced myself, and thought about that critically, nodding. “I’m glad you’ve found home then.” I comforted, trying to smile again. “And I’m sorry for the loss. It’s really kind of you to offer her your companionship when she needs it most.” Soarin’ perked up and gave me a light punch on the shoulder. “Hey, thanks. How was school?” My smile gave way to an expression of solemn worry. “A few of my friends found out that… I like colts, so… they’ve decided that they don’t exactly want to be considered my friends anymore.” Soarin winced himself. “That doesn’t… make you want to end our relationship, does it?” I quickly looked back up at him, both taken aback and completely stunned, wondering why he would suggest something that selflessly cruel. Tears began to form in the corner of my eyes; I stood up without a second though. “Of course not!” I shouted ignominiously, ignoring the attention of the café’s other onlookers. A wave of sheer nostalgia hit me; this was the first place that I had kissed Soarin’… This was, in essence, the place that I had fallen in love with him. I needed to be considerate of that. “I’d never let something as spiteful as prejudice affect us, Soarin’. How could you suggest something like that? Don’t you realize that… I care about you?” I looked down and closed my eyes, letting some of my mane drape in front of them; I felt like I had just taken a critical emotional hit, and it would probably leave a scar. It only took the stallion a few seconds to think of how to reply. His strong forehooves wrapped around me compassionately, and he brought one up to touch my mane. He was… hugging me tightly. “You’re right, Scatter. I’m sorry.” He said gently, apologizing. “I wouldn’t want something like that to come between us either.” I slowly returned the hug, sighing with genuine relief. “Thank you for enduring the hatred,” he said supportively. “But, as much as I don't want to admit it, that probably won’t be the end of the discrimination against you as a consequence of loving me.” I smiled to myself, feeling much calmer in his hooves. “Likewise." Chapter 6 – The Grass is Getting Greener Each DayI slid the key into the doorknob gracelessly, twisting to unlock the door. …and found that it wasn’t locked. With passive-aggressive alarm, I glanced to Soarin’ who was a few paces behind me, and gulped; there was no way this could have a good outcome. I slid the key back into the mailbox’s compartment and raised a cautious hoof to the door, clopping it a few times before I opened it and went in. “Oh, hi Scatter.” A familiar face accompanied by a feminine voice greeted me warmly. My parents were home a day early? …of course they were. “Hey guys!” I smiled back. “You’re home early?” My dad trotted into the living room too; he was wearing a light green apron that matched my mom’s coat, and it contrasted oddly with his own mahogany coat. A spatula rested in his hoof. “Oh, who’s your friend?” He asked politely. “I’m not sure I cooked enough for four.” I shut the door behind us with a hoof, my smile no longer forced. “Dad, you usually overdo it and cook enough for twenty.” I stated, glancing at the light blue stallion behind me once again. “Anyway, welcome back. This, here, is Soarin’.” Thinking a moment, I wondered what to do. I had planned to cook for Soarin’ and possibly go out with him somewhere after that, but this certainly changed things. Given the opportunity, it probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to introduce him to my family as my coltfriend. …right? “Soarin’, meet my parents: Jack Rain and Summer Day.” With agility unlike any other unicorn I’d ever seen before, my dad rushed up in front of Soarin’ and grabbed a hoof, shaking it riotously. I rolled my eyes at the incredibly one-sided hoofshake at about the same time my mom did. “Jack Rain!” He shouted, wearing a million bit smile. “Top chef ‘round these parts!” Soarin’ smiled back, his expression a pleasant mixture of chagrin and joy. He seemed almost genuinely interested in the art of cuisine, but not enough to deliberately query about it further. Although my Dad was in the restaurant business, he could certainly cook incredibly himself. “Nice to meet you sir.” Soarin’ said formally, his hoof still shaking even after dad stopped. His eyes met with my mother’s, and they both smiled kindly, sharing a mutual nod of polite recognition. I could tell by intuition that they were going to get along well too. …Aside from that, the dichotomy between the two methods of greeting was phenomenal. “C’mere Scatter, help me cook up some more grub so your buddy’s got enough to eat too.” Soarin’ took a seat on the plush couch next to me as I stood up and began trotting towards the kitchen entrance. My mother sat down on the couch perpendicular to Soarin’, still smiling. “So, Soarin’ was it?” She asked quizzically. “Pegasi don’t come down here too often to hang around for a while. How’d you end up meeting Scatter?” I didn’t get the chance to hear Soarin’s reply lucidly, continuing into the kitchen. My intuitions were probably right; my mother was a hardcore conversationalist, and they’d be friends in no time. My only fear was that they may accidentally step close to the subject of our relationship, and that would be better confessed together with Soarin’ after supper. “TOOOOODAAAAAYYYYY!~” My dad rang out theatrically, boasting and making sure that Soarin’ would be able to hear. “We’re serving Salisbury Melba salad alongside gourmet lobster stroganoff and a side of Pont-l'Évêque diced to .95 degree cubic centimetres!” I dropped my face into the palm of my hoof while simultaneously rolling my eyes. …Soarin’, damn him, had it way too easy. *** *** *** Dinner was, as usual, totally delicious. Dad never failed to live up to his reputation, and it was no wonder whatsoever how he managed command multiple restaurants effortlessly. “Thanks a lot for the meal!” Soarin’ rewarded graciously, smiling. “You sure can cook, Mr. Rain.” Dad opted to elbow me gently. “Scatter helped too.” He replied, winking. The pegasus looked to me curiously, his wings moving ever so slightly while huddled against his coat as if he had flexed them. “Did he now?” Soarin’ asked slyly, smirking. I tried desperately to hold in the blush, but to no avail. “Well…” I said, trying to make it seem like I was blushing from the flattery rather than the subtly romantic gesture of his wings. “You’re welcome.” Presumably, now was as good a time as any to tell my parents the truth about what was between Soarin’ and I… I was about to act when I was halted by the sight of dad telekinetically grabbing the empty plates from around the table, trotting off to the kitchen. Mom looked to us pleasantly. “You two go wash up, okay?” We got up obediently and simultaneously, trotting calmly towards the washroom side by side. ...Several moments later, Soarin’ and I had finished washing our hooves, and were beginning to trot back. “Soarin’...” I said, stopping him. “Should we tell them now about… what’s between us?” He looked back at me pessimistically, grimacing. “I’ve had a bad experience with confessions like that, Scatter, but I think your mom will be fine with it; it’s your dad I’m worried about though, unless you know him a lot better than I perceive.” I tried to smile hopefully. “I think it’ll be all right. Let’s go for it.” I didn’t want to hide it from them, or the façade might crumble at a time we were unprepared for. Admitting it now while we had the opportunity was, emotionally speaking, the smarter course of action. After all, they’re my parents, and they’ve told me multiple times that they’ll love and support me no matter what I did. I had to at least uphold that level of honesty with them. There’s probably nothing to worry about anyway; what’s the worst that could happen? Soarin’ and I entered into the living room almost nervously and we sat beside each other, although I was feeling particularly apprehensive about what we were going to do. “Hey… Mom? Dad? Can you two come out here for a moment?” I swallowed, calling them. Dad was the first in the room, clopping his hooves together as if to clean them off, although he had been using his telekinetic magic for everything involving the cooking anyway. Mom followed behind, keeping a more ladylike pace and smiling at the sight of us sitting cosily together on the couch. They took up the couch across from us, both smiling warmly. “Listen.” I said, looking at them nervously. “We’ve got something important to tell you two.” Dad perked an eyebrow, and mom continued to look at us stagnantly. Soarin’ moved to drape a close wing over my back, glancing at me. This was the moment of truth, and it could either go very well or very incredibly awfully horribly terribly bad… but I needed to remain optimistic nonetheless. Besides, they said they’d love me no matter what. …right? “You see…” I said, returning the glance to the pegasus. “Soarin’ and I are…” “...More than just friends.” Soarin’ finished for me supportively. My mother’s face seemed to change slightly, deciding to add only a hint of genteel surprise. On the other hoof… my father’s jaw dropped open and hit the floor. “On the way home from school two days ago, I was attacked by some ponies. Soarin’ happened to be in the area, and flew to my aid; ever since then, we sort of got together… as a couple.” True to Soarin’s predictions, my mother nodded respectfully, smiling again. She seemed to be perfectly at ease with the idea of us dating. I drooped my head, sighing in total and intense relief, and releasing a breath that I didn’t know I was holding. Unfortunately, that relief had been short lived. With scorching rage, my father stood up. “WHAT?!” Author's Note The name “Jack Rain” belongs to: http://www.fimfiction.net/user/8loodyrain The name “Summer Day” belongs to: http://www.fimfiction.net/user/Scarecrowbrad Both names used with offered permission. Thanks! Chapter 7 – Marked for Death"Y-you, attacked, yo-you're-, wh.. c-colt, Soa- frie.." Dad froze traumatically, looking dumbfounded. He seemed as if he had been hit with a sledgehammer, nigh unable to comprehend the situation at hoof. I’d honestly never seen somepony so debilitated solely by information, despite it being admittedly dramatic and sudden. Supportively, mom stood up, putting one of dad's forehooves around her neck. "Are you okay honey? Take it easy; here, just sit down." "I WILL NOT TAKE IT EASY!" He shouted at us, jumping back up. "Scatter, what the hell is wrong with you?! A-a coltcuddler?! Then no shit you were attacked!" …This was bad; he, quite evidently wasn’t taking the news pleasantly. A slight shock of anger crept into my heart, and it was directed at my own father’s bigotry. He, alongside my mother, had promised to and told me that he’d love me no matter what. In that case, it wasn’t actually anger that I was feeling. Rather, it was betrayal. "Dad!" I shouted, standing up affirmatively. Soarin' quickly followed my lead, standing up too. While we had both been apprehensive, his predictions had unfortunately been correct, and the victory of that was only pyrrhic. He had no reason to be hurt by this reaction any less than I did; it damaged our relationship equally. My mom trotted forward, putting a hoof on my shoulder comfortingly. She was acting perpetually naïve, but not going ignored for it. If anyone, she was certainly the voice of reason here. "Soarin', you should go home please. Scatter, go to your room for now. Your father and I need to talk this out, and it’s best if neither of you are present." I paused, stopping myself before retaliating, and sighed in defeat. I hated having to walk away from this, especially with Soarin' by my side giving us the ability of being able to draw support from one another, but... Mom seemed to be on our side, and I'd never known her to be unable to get her way. Yet, was it even possible to be able to talk the homophobia or discrimination out of somepony? Could mom even convince dad that there was no problem with it? Obediently and wordlessly, Soarin' left to go to his grandpony's house, and I trotted upstairs. *** *** *** For the past hour and fortyfive minutes, the only tone available to me while I worked on writing my novel was the hellish rambling of my parents arguing defiantly. Although the subject I had brought up was somewhat contentious, this was dilemma was becoming ridiculously inordinate. Knock, knock knock... I turned quickly, hearing some hoofbeats on my window. They were the first sound of respite in the endurance of the showdown between my parents, and I needed a break more than I could know. Spitting the pencil out of my muzzle, I trotted over to the window, opening it quickly. "Soarin'!" I whispered at the sight of him, trying not to seem too happy. He was looking particularly enthusiastic, and wore a million bit smile for some strange reason. Although I was happy for him, I couldn’t think of why. “Hey!” He said gleefully. “I’ve got some really good news!” Well, at least one of us was happy. “What’s up?” I asked, forcing a smile. “I got accepted into the Wonderbolts’ training academy dude!” I… honestly didn’t know what that was. Must be a pegasus thing. Soarin’s joyful expression died as he winced, taking in the sound ubiquitously occupying my room through a thin wooden door. “Your parents aren’t taking it well either, huh…” He empathized. I sighed dryly, nodding. “Do you have the time to go for a walk or something? They’ve been going at it for almost two hours now and I don’t know how much longer I can withstand it myself.” The hovering pegasus reached an forehoof in and wrapped it around my back. “Ready?” He questioned oddly. I looked at him and his extended forehoof quizzically. “For wha-!” In stunned resignation, I was yanked out through the window of the second floor of my house without shred of situational awareness left. Instinctually, I wrapped my forehooves around Soarin’, yelping. The experience was mercifully brief; going downwards at a controlled pace was filly’s play for the junior Wonderbolt. “Oh sweet Celestia..” I prayed, hitting the grassy earth gently. “Don’t do that again.” Soarin’ chuckled warmly. “I don’t know… I quite enjoy you hanging onto me tightly for your life.” I double facehoofed, trying to cover up my blushing. “Whatever, let’s just go.” *** *** *** “Yeah, and they totally accepted me! How awesome would it be to actually become a full-fledged Wonderbolt?! You’re basically a celebrity, putting on shows and…” I rolled my eyes, smirking. Soarin’ had been going on about this since we started walking. Evidently, he was well on his way to becoming something he’d only dreamed about as a young filly. It was rather relieving to hear him so exhilarated and overjoyed, and it kept my mind off my own problem, but it was starting to become somewhat annoying. I opened my muzzle, about to tell Soarin’ how awesome I thought that was for what seemed like the tenth time, but my train of thought derailed as I noticed somepony on the other side of the street. The pony’s head turned this way soon too, apparently noticing us back. Although muffled by the darkness, he looked oddly like… “That you, Scatter?” Buckskin called out towards us, pausing. He was walking in the direction where we came from. Buckskin was, as far as I had been able to tell, my ex-friend. When he and Grey Skies found out I was a coltcuddler, they left me at lunchtime last Friday and neither of them spoke to me since. He looked both ways down the rather darkened street before trotting across it to meet us. “Hey, please listen to me Scatter,” He said, looking intensely grim. “I don’t expect you to forgive me so readily, but I’m sorry for disrespecting you just for being a coltcuddler. I feel really bad about it, and it’s been bothering me ever since I heard Chelsea had you attacked, so I was just on my way to your place to apologise.” I paused and took that in, regarding him cryptically for a second until I believed him. Smiling kindly, I placed a hoof on Buckskin’s shoulder. “Hey it’s all right, we’re cool.” Theoretically, this meant there was hope for Dad coming to terms with it too. “I needed to come immediately though… to warn you.” Buckskin continued. “Chelsea’s planning another attack, and she’s got a bigger force than last time. She paid some nerd to write a hell of an inspirational speech about why you needed to go, and how she was gonna do it. I came back during the middle of it at lunch some time after you left.” I looked over at Soarin’, slowly becoming worried. Tomorrow was the start of exam week. Buckskin swallowed hard, finishing. “Scatter, you’ve got a third of the school after your flank tomorrow, and they’re planning to do a lot worse than just blunt force trauma...” Author's Note "Grey Skies" belongs to http://www.fimfiction.net/user/randomfacts137 "Buckskin" belongs to http://www.fimfiction.net/user/The%20Incognito%20Brony Both OCs used with offered permission, as previously used and stated back in Chapter 4. Chapter 8 – The Gates of HellI tapped a hoof over the door to my house and opened it subtly. Anything I could think of wouldn’t do it justice; there was no way to describe the intensity of my anxiety and apprehension. Not only did ambiguous hell wait at school, but based on the noise from in my house, I had other problems too. I came in naively, closing the door behind, and immediately trotted around the corner. Mother sat on the couch, crying in utter anguish. If she had noticed me, she didn’t bother to look up at my arrival. This was, quite literally, the first time in my life I’d ever witnessed her completely defeated and depressed enough to mourn so openly. …and it frightened me even more than what Chelsea was potentially planning. I quickly trotted over and sat next to the sobbing pony, wrapping her in the warmest hug I could, and nuzzled her. To my relief, the crying softened and she hugged me back. Dad? Where was he? What did I miss last night? Did my father hurt Mom? There were lots of question pounding in my head, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask any of them. My mother didn’t deserve to have her thoughts directed right back at what had started this turmoil for her. Uniquely, my curiosity was merciful for her, as even my love for Soarin’ was trumped by my love for my mother. “Oh, Scatter…” Mom said, fighting through her tears. “…I’m so sorry.” I squeezed mom tightly, sniffling. “It’s not your fault.” I whispered, trying my best to south her. She pulled back slightly and turned to look at me in the eyes, giving a much better look at her face; it seemed like she had been crying for more than ten minutes, both completely exhausted and depressed by whatever conclusion was made. “Scatter, your father and I are...” She winced, sniffling as she spoke. “…Divorcing.” *** *** *** For the past fifteen minutes, I sat alone in Student Services, diligently writing my examination for Mathematics class. I didn’t particularly enjoy exams, but when the staff council was willing to rearrange my work settings without even hearing the reason specifically, I couldn’t help but feel a little bit special. It was probably just the perk of being one of the school’s top scoring ponies; we weren’t treated socially better, but we certainly had options that other ponies didn’t. The news about my father left me feeling rightfully depressed, just as it had done to my mother. Having eaten, we both watched a movie together on the couch, and went to sleep earlier than usual. It took a lot of willpower to not end up crying myself to sleep, but I suspected my mother had done so anyway. Unfortunately, she was probably dealing with the situation a lot worse than I was. I had always, for some odd reason, been fonder of my mother than my father. The emotional toll wasn’t as bad for me because I hadn’t lost what was actually the most precious. I cringed suddenly, shaking my head. I needed time to think about these things solemnly and come to a resolution that would sate my anxiety, but during the middle of my examination was definitely an inappropriate time to do so. Perhaps, if there was some serendipity, I cou- “Is Scatter in here?!” A familiar voice interrupted my thoughts, muffled through the door. I turned, standing. That sounded like a very, very worried Buckskin. If he needed to talk to me during my exam, it was probably equally important. “No, I don’t care, damn it!” Another shout echoed. “He aces that shit anyway, now move!” Bang! The door burst open suddenly and violently, and I recoiled, slamming into my desk which had just been less than a foot behind my flank. “Scatter!” Buckskin called, panting as he trotted up and put a forehoof on my shoulder. Impossibly, he looked a lot more worried than I had pictured him. “Follow me and I’ll explain on the way; it’s about your mother!” At his last word, my blood froze. By Luna, if Chelsea had done something to my mother… “Let’s go.” I nodded, picking up a gallop with Buckskin just beside me. As we passed through the door, I noticed the student council pony in charge of watching me knocked out cold. This was definitely a lot more serious than I thought if Buckskin was willing to that. *** *** *** I trotted impatiently a few feet behind Buckskin as he opened the rigged door and led me inside. We had made good time and covered a lot of ground, arriving at the abandoned warehouse quickly. The sight of the building had removed any of my doubts about the legitimacy of the situation; it was totally and predictably just like Chelsea to do something as low as an indirect attack against my family, and if she needed a hideout, this warehouse was the ideal place for her. It was entirely abandoned, out of the view of the street, and still structurally sound with intact walls. I trotted past Buckskin, giving myself a better view of the entirety of the warehouse’s empty internal shell, and immediately noticed the prisoner. In the middle of the room, mother sat on the concrete, completely constrained and gagged by bands and thick rope. “Mom!” I shouted, breaking into a full gallop towards her. Wasting no time, I didn't hesitate to bite down on the restraints until I had completely untied and freed her. Fortunately, whoever had tied her up had done so inexpertly, and it only took a brief moment to unbind her completely “Scatter!” Mom shouted in relief, hugging me tightly. “I’m so glad you’re okay, but we need to get out of here!” I pulled back from the hug reluctantly, looking into her eyes. “Mom, tell me who di-…” My words lost their gravity as several malevolent ponies revealed themselves from behind the various crates and boxes scattered throughout the warehouse. My mother and I stood apprehensively, both of us looking around the room quickly as I saw at least twenty ponies starting to surround us. Shocked, I turned towards Buckskin. Apparently, he had backed away from me a significant distance after I instinctively ran to my mother’s aid. Buckskin... had just deceived me? I looked at him in stunned resignation as a certain mare trotted up next to the stallion and and kissed him on the cheek, smirking devilishly as she placed a forehoof over Buckskin's shoulder. My eyes fell on the mare herself... …Chelsea. Author's Note "Buckskin" belongs to http://www.fimfiction.net/user/The%20Incognito%20Brony OC used with offered permission, as previously used and stated back in Chapter 4 & 7. Chapter 9 – Love Ex Machina“Well, well, well….” Chelsea’s obnoxiously sarcastic voice addressed me as she smirked. “I suspect that the Manehatten police are well on their way, huh Scatter?” Several of the offending stallions chuckled, few understanding and the rest just trying to fit in. “I didn’t make any mistakes this time, coltcuddler.” She bragged, strutting ignominiously. “I’m finally going to get rid of you for good.” A few of the attackers glared, taking an aggressive hoofstep forward; my tenacity kept me trying to think of a way out of this, at least for mother’s sake, but being thoroughly surrounded was nearly impervious. “Uh, babe..?” Buckskin asked, trotting up doubtfully. “What exactly do you plan to do?” Chelsea glared at our traitor sourly, seeming to almost regret kissing him. “Exactly what I said. We’re gonna get rid of him for good and it’ll look like suicide. That’s what the rope there is really for.” Buckskin recoiled in shock at the straightforward version of the plot, and my mother and I began to hold one another even tighter. I had to have the hope that they’d spare my mother; she wasn’t the one they were after, and the rope I had untied from her seemed only long enough to do that once. “But that’s murder!” The stallion choked out, looking astonished. “I won’t let you kill him!” The atmosphere in the room froze as Chelsea’s patience seemed to snap. “Well, fine then.” She smiled like a sociopath, turning to Buckskin. “I’ll deal with you too.” Another stallion near Chelsea spun and bucked my ex-friend onto the ground just a few feet in front of my mother and I, exiling him into the same doom that was approaching. I looked at Buskskin sadly, unable to actually pity him. Just as Chelsea had no remorse for anyone who would side with me, I had no empathy for anyone that would date her and go as far as deceiving a friend for her homophobic cause. I swallowed hard myself, looking back up to analyze our attackers. There were still twenty ponies willing to go through with this Celestia-damned execution, and that was actually a lot less than the third of the school we were to expect. Either Buckskin had lied about the amount, or a modest fraction of the ponies had enough competence to buck this plan out. Either seemed reasonable. “I’m glad that’s out of the way.” Chelsea announced. “Let’s get down to business colts…” All of the hostile ponies in the room smiled wickedly, preparing to spring at us; Buckskin took up a tactically defensive position that put my mother and I in between himself and Chelsea, trying to look intimidating as he crouched. This was it… We are done. I didn’t want to die like this; it left me with several regrets. The least of which was that the novel I had been writing throughout my time in highschool neared completion, and I’d never finish. My father, meanwhile, had abandoned my mother and I with such critical timing. I would pass on bad terms with him, and if he regretted leaving at all, I’d never be fortunate enough to know or forgive him. Finally, my greatest regret would be my inability to die with my lover, Soa- Brrhkkhk! Thunderously, an explosion of loudly splintering wood rang throughout the warehouse, and everypony in the rotting building quickly looked skyward to the source of the sudden noise. With powerful bravado, an elegant cyan pegasus dressed in a fully aerodynamic flight-suit landed in front of me, recoiling from the impact in a crouching prone briefly. He brutishly stood upright, extending a large pair of wings, and looked directly into my eyes with a bright, picturesque smile. ...Soarin'. "Motherbuckers," Soarin' whinnied boldly, opting to stand up on his hind-legs fully. "The Calvary’s arrived!" Just as he finished, another violent cacophony of splintering wood erupted, and at least ten more pegasi wearing elegant flight-suits divebombed into the warehouse, beginning to hover above us in defensive intimidation. Soarin’ spun, looking to the mare leading the attack. “This time, I’m not bluffing.” In terrified synchronization, most of the attacker ponies with the exception of Chelsea bolted towards the primary entrance of the warehouse, attempting to escape with the aerial ponypower now significantly stacked against them. Before any of the cowards managed to reach the building’s exit, the large door opened with a telekinetic sheath encompassing it, and everypony skidded to a halt with the closest one only remaining several meters away. My eyes widened as, fiercely in the way of the door, stood my father. At least thirty chrome spatulas organized in a militaristic fashion hovered behind him telekinetically, and on top of that, several Manehatten police officers were visibly trotting towards us in the distance behind him. Hallelujah. The full-force of the triple Deus Ex Machina came crashing down on our attackers; Soarin’ bolted into Chelsea, tackling the mare and pinning her to the ground with a forehoof on her back. A tidal wave of weaponized, metallic cooking instrument flew around the warehouse in a tornado, bashing most of the offending students in the head and knocking them out. The remaining survivors were hastily upside-down by the agility and power of what I suspected was Soarin’s trainee squad. By the time the Manehatten police arrived at the scene, all of our attackers had been fully neutralized, making easy work for a battalion of authorities to cuff them. Everything unfolded before us in a matter of minutes, mother and I still holding each other. With adrenaline’s agility, my father trotted over to us, remaining silent as he wrapped us in a melancholy embrace; I felt his tears trickling onto my shoulder. We would have certainly have lot of catching up to do. Out of the corner of my sight, I saw Soarin’ leaning against one of the crates at the side of the warehouse, looking perpetually awesome in his flight-suit. He noticed my gaze at him, and I smiled. Soarin’ smiled back at me, adding a subtle wink. I rolled my eyes, not even bothering to try withholding the hot blush surely painted my muzzle. Author's Note The End~ "Buckskin" belongs to http://www.fimfiction.net/user/The%20Incognito%20Brony OC used with offered permission, as previously used and stated back in Chapter 4, 7, & 8. I plan to thoroughly re-read this story for any grammar or terminology errors over the next few days, perfecting it. Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed. -- Tyc oon. Epilogue – One Year LaterThe sunset glowed pleasantly, lingering just above the horizon of the ocean and casting a faintly tinted reflection across it; the scenic landscape of Equestria was particularly calm this evening, save for the occasional tide on the body of saltwater. Soarin’ placed my novel down beside where he rested on the bench, smiling sincerely. “Manehatten Times bestsellers, huh?” He questioned rhetorically, extending a forehoof to lie across my neck. “Congratulations.” I smiled back, reaching to gently massage one of the stallion’s primary wing feathers in an attempt to be soothingly romantic. “Don’t think it beats being a Wonderbolt, though.” I added. The pegasus looked at me, flexing the wing I had just stroked. “I see why you think so, Scatter.” I chuckled, insufficiently trying to restrain my blush, and failed effortlessly. “Oh, shut up.” Soarin' leaned forward as the crack of the sun slid behind the horizon, vanishing. With passionate care, he tilted his head and closed his eyes, finally connecting in a warm, romantic kiss that lasted forever. "Happy anniversary."
Chapter 1 – Pace of The HeartThe aggression of hoofsteps pacing in the hallway tripled with the chime of a bell; several textbooks clattered onto the floor, a tragedy in the distance of another's reality, and the harmonics of hinges in activity with lockers banging closed mixed into a permeated cacophony. The atmosphere of the highschool was instantaneously ubiquitous and could be epitomized simply by ‘chaotic,’ as if an impending nuclear threat was announced. Despite the hell that had broken loose behind me, I stepped into my classroom calmly. The assigned novel for the class rested in my saddlebag, and it was accompanied by a perfectly organized notebook. However, I had no plans to use the former of the two. I had read the book before, and already finished re-reading it the night before this class; I had my sights set on different interests. I smiled at my teacher, Mr. Ren, as I trotted past and took my seat. He was professional and respectable with his job, but my skill in the subject he taught had already extended beyond the point of being able to learn anything new here. I drew my notebook with the intention of ignoring the entire lesson and writing elsewhere for the duration of the class. Several minutes later, the bell rang; most of the class had successfully beaten the deadline, while a seat beside me and two more on the other side of the room remained vacant. It was nearly torture as I resisted the temptation to roll my eyes at the sight of two more stallions carelessly trotting in a couple seconds later and going to their seats, but I kept calm, not wanting to offend someone I didn’t know well enough. I waited in patient but apprehensive silence, looking everywhere expect the location that I knew the next source of action would come from. Unfortunately, I didn’t have to wait very long. With several hoof clops on the floor, the mare trotted in with a naughty strut, glancing over the classroom and artificially yawning. “Hello there colts, Chelsea is in the building.” She smirked boldly, cantering and trotting over to her desk beside me with a typically ignominious attitude. I couldn’t hold it in anymore. My forehead hit the desk roughly as I let out a pained sigh and rolled my eyes. I could already foresee the crap I was going to have to tolerate from this mare today. Earlier, I told myself I wouldn’t go one more day beside her, but couldn’t find the confidence or selfishness to request that my seat was changed. In all honesty, I would’ve hated giving my sympathies to whoever would take my seat. To summarize Literature class, I loved the subject and teacher, but hated the companionship. Of all ponies, I ended up being subjected to sitting beside the school’s most notoriously beautiful yet relentlessly cocky mare. The event wasn’t as good as it sounded, and to transfer it to more realistic terms, I was sitting beside an obnoxious pervert that didn’t understand the concept of ‘no.’ Thud. With my head still down, I heard someone slam a book on my desk. If Chelsea had just done that, I was going to be utterly unimpressed, and there was no sense in attempting to hide it on my expression. Knowing my lu- The most irritating voice I’d ever known to exist rang out loudly again. “Why aren’t you checking me out? Like, the hell? Aren’t I just gorgeous? Hey!” As I brought my head up to regard the voice a few feet in front of me, I didn’t have the time to flinch or make an attempt at defending myself. She started to… She was… She… …Kissing me. With quick realization, I hit Chelsea, shoving her back by the shoulders. The entire class was watching with us like some kind of cheap entertainment, and I was instantly furious for a variety of reasons. The least being that no one, the teacher included, was doing anything about this, and the most being this event itself. I stood up, unleashing scorching rage. “What the hell is wrong with you?!” Chelsea smirked again, pleased to be finally receiving my attention, and conjured up a histrionic expression of repulsion. “What’s wrong with me? I’m the most beautiful mare in the school, and I can get any guy I want whenever I want. Do you have a problem with that, you loser?” I stepped forward and closer, looking her in the eyes with genuine disgust. “Yeah, I’ve got a problem!” I shouted, advancing as I slammed a hoof down on the floor, and continued raging. “You’re an immature, incompetent, and dogmatically narcissistic prick with no moral integrity or intellectual standards. You disregard your education, seduce every guy you see, and make a conscious attempt to piss everyone off. While you’re just an exhibitionist, I am a fictional novel writer, environmentalist, pacifist, antivivisectionist, arcane verbalist, and pragmatist. I have a dedicated interest in literature and psychology, I’ve never done drugs, I’m chaste, I have honors in every class, and I have moral standards. You don’t deserve a stallion as virtuous as me, and it’s a freezing cold day in hell if you think you’re going to get me.” The entire group of grade twelve literature ponies gazed at me in utter shock, some looking in impressed awe at the display of rebellion to a dictator, while others didn’t portray a lucidly legible facial expression. I picked up my notebook and copy of the assigned novel with a hoof, trotting over to the door and stopping with my books now in my saddlebags. “I’ve already read this entire book twice through, so I’d rather spend time working on my own. Mr. Ren, expect me to attend on the day of the exam, but honesty, I could be the one teaching this class if I wanted to. Attending it is of no importance to me. Thank you for your effort with me.” I began to take the exit, but a student in the class called out, halting me. “Wait!” The only thing that made me stop was the acknowledgement that the voice belonged to the only pony in the room that I actually had a legitimate amount of respect for. I turned my head towards Taser, but not enough to particularly look at anyone. I did, however, notice Chelsea frozen in place with her muzzle gaping open. “Scatter," He continued you ask. "What you said is all true, but you’ve been confessed to by mares that aren’t like Chelsea; I’m just speculating, but I don’t think you’re rejecting her for the reasons you just listed. I demand to know why you’ve turned down the better mares too!” Another bystander tilted his head curiously. “Hey yeah, I’d like to hear the answer to that too.” Several more whispers and mutters were passed around the room. I turned my head back towards the door, and finally began to leave in peace; there was no point in keeping it a secret anymore, and there would certainly be no going back. Hopefully, I wouldn't regret what I was about to say. “I’m a coltcuddler.”
Chapter 2 – To Soldier OnI was rather late for leaving school on account of staying an extra hour and a half to finish some pending homework I had been assigned; it was almost quarter to five o’clock. Usually, the roads of Manehattan were swarming with students and civilians around the time I was used to leaving. It was normality to have to endure the journey away from educational facilities around quarter past three, but today was rather lonely in comparison to that. Almost nopony at all was walking home now. I kicked a stone with my hoof, looking downwards and sighing. Had I done the right thing back there? Honestly, telling off that prissy mare was the most cathartic thing I’d done in a very long time. It certainly made my day… Hell, it made my week. But… should I have admitted I was a coltcuddler? Was that the appropriate thing to do at the time, under the circumstances of the question I was asked and in the wake of rejecting romance from a modern school celebrity? As far as science could prove, sexual orientation was a neurological and genetic characteristic of the pony brain; it simply wasn’t a choice, and even without that fact, I was well aware of that from experience. I couldn’t be turned on by mares, and I’d known that all my life. Surely that fact was common knowledge, and others wouldn’t look down on me. …right? Lost in the stupor of my thoughts, I was completely taken by surprise when I was telekinetically thrown into the alley to my right side. A powerful thrust from somepony’s hind legs sent me tumbling, and I collided with a trash bin. I recovered swiftly, looking up from the ground at my attackers. A unicorn and two earth ponies, one of which I vaguely remembered from my Literature class, were standing boldly a few feet in front of me. A hateful, feminine voice came from the one on the left. “You’ve got some nerve for what you said earlier this morning, Scatter.” The last word was pronounced with a particularly scornful accent. …Chelsea. She chuckled wickedly, mocking my facial expression likely abashed with shock and pain. I suppose that meant my optimistic thoughts about the situation were in vain. “Colts!” she continued with deprecation, “Teach this coltcuddling loser a lesson he won’t forget, and don’t be too gentle about it.” With telekinetic aggression, I felt my body slammed and pinned against the wall beside the trash bin. My expression changed to cold blooded resignation. The earth pony stallion from before trotted up in front of me, and smiled with sadistic elation. He turned around, preparing to buck me. A drop of blood slipped off of the bruised cut from my shoulder where he had first bucked me. This was going to hurt. …A lot. I closed my eyes and cringed, bracing myself. “STOP!” A new voice rang out and my attacker halted instantly, a split second from bucking me. All three of the offenders turned towards the source of the defiance, standing bravely in the entrance to the alleyway. His wings were erected, and he looked utterly pissed with righteous justice. “The Manehatten police are already on their way. You can stand here and wait for them, or you can get the hell out of here. Hurry up and decide.” My attacker ponies looked at each other in trauma and shock. The telekinesis pinning me to the wall imploded, and I fell, slumping onto the ground with my flank against the wall. A few seconds later, they were gone. I sighed, letting my head hang limp, overcome with pure visceral relief. My hero trotted over quickly, kneeling down. “Are you hurt?” He said, moving a hoof to brush part of my mane out of my eyes. The gesture itself was almost… romantic. I stood up as best I could, unselfconsciously grunting as I did so. “Yeah, it’s just a bad scratch.” I replied, lifting my head. “Thanks a lot, I owe…” My words drifted off and lost all meaning as I saw his face for the first time. He was a Pegasus stallion, and he was a very damn cute one at that. He managed to ask what I wanted to before I could properly decide on how to say it. “It’s nearly lunchtime, want to grab a bite with me?” I recovered as best I could, putting forward a genuine smile, and probably looking like an idiot. “Okay, but I’m buying. I owe you for what you did.” *** *** *** “So…” I looked at him, munching on my order of hay fries. “You’re a Pegasus. What were you doing trotting around on the ground? Don’t you live up in the Cloudsdale and whatnot?” My newfound friend, now identified as Soarin’, froze in place at my question. With his gaze still fixated on the recently born shower of rain out the café window, he swallowed hard. “Well, it’s kind of complicated… You see, I’m in exile right now.” He told me, looking depressingly at his apple pie. I lifted an eyebrow curiously, tilting my head and provoking him to go on. “I’m learning about aeronautics in highschool, in twelfth grade right now, and you see, um…” Soarin’ sighed, finally looking turning his head to look back at me. “I’m suspended right now for beating up several other Pegasi.” My eyes went wide for only a second, before my expression changed to a smirk. “Well, I don’t doubt you had a good reason to. Earlier, you scared off some bullies to protect me. Any way you look at it, that was an act of justice, and you should be proud of yourself for being able to pull it off without doing anything more than bluffing.” Soarin’ smiled, soaking up my praise like a sponge. His day clearly hadn’t been going so well, and I was helping him as much as he had helped me. “Thanks man. So, anyway…” I interrupted him, my curiosity still at the forefront of my thoughts. “Wait, you still didn’t tell me why you beat them up.” My friend opened his mouth and raised a hoof to object, several crumbs from his bite of apple pie spilling out, but he changed his mind as quickly as he had decided to speak it. He was clearly debating whether or not he should tell me. “You promise you won’t hate me if I tell you?” He asked quizzically, looking at me with a pseudo mixture of sadness and defeat. I wanted to chuckle, but I knew better than that. Soarin’ was being dead serious with me. “I promise,” I said, looking at him sincerely. “I won’t think any less of you. You have my word.” The pegasus smiled kindly, and nodded. “I beat them out of anger because they were insulting and bullying me relentlessly for several days…” Soarin’ said with a firm tone. “They were bullying me for admitting that I’m a coltcuddler.”
Chapter 3 – Diamond in a Coal MineIn the wake of the revelation, I gagged and coughed violently, soaking my new friend’s coat and face in the majority of my mouthful of apple cider. Several feelings raced through my head at once, blending into an ostensible facial expression of chagrin and dumbfounded resignation; Soarin’ was… He was… …A coltcuddler too. He looked back at me, nearly equally stunned for only a moment, but his expression changed again as quickly as it had arrived. Soarin’ turned his head to the window that shielded him from the raindrops, and started to look intensely apprehensive. “…So you hate me too then.” He said depressingly, swallowing hard and continuing to gaze out the window to escape being confrontational. I… felt the exact opposite. Soarin’ had just admitted an incredibly personal characteristic of himself to me, and I had promised him I wouldn’t respond with disapproval. However, that’s precisely how what I had just done would surely look like to him, and no amount of apologising or explaining that I was currently capable of in my shocked stupor would be able to convince him otherwise. I was too overwhelmed with emotion to formulate any vocal words to my thoughts. I stood up abruptly, and did exactly what had enraged me earlier today. I did the only thing I could think of to do right now. I trotted forward aggressively, closing the distance between myself and Soarin’, and I kissed him. Our lips pressed together gently, and I closed my eyes. A warm, comforting sense of romance washed throughout my mind, clearing my pessimism and passionately conveying my strong feelings of empathy, understanding, and… …newly discovered Love? Yes… Love. *** *** *** Soarin’ and I walked side by side in the rain. We were traveling towards my home, as I had unselfconsciously soaked his mane and coat in apple cider, and rightfully owed him a shower. However, I felt more in debt to him than just a shower; he saved my flank from a hell of a beating. Although he told me he didn’t want to impose on me by staying overnight, the thought of letting him sleep out in this rain tonight wouldn’t sit right with my morals. I also, to my sense of justice, despised his family for kicking him out. Surely, my family wouldn’t do something that deplorable to me if they were to find out I was a coltcuddler. …right? If so, it wouldn’t be the first time my optimism was in vain. “On second thought,” Soarin’ announced, shaking his head and spraying me with some of the rainwater in his dark blue mane, “I think I’ll take you up on that offer of a place to stay tonight. Oh, and I probably won’t need that shower after all. I’m getting enough of one right now.” I chuckled despite our unfortunate situation, and my the pegasus joined in the laughter too. “My parents aren’t home tonight.” I said, still smiling from the laughter. “They’re both high-ups in the business world, and they’re down in Las Pegasus for an important company meeting right now. I need to keep the place as clean as they left it. I can trust you to not beat anything up, right?” Soarin’ chuckled again, aware of the joke I was making in regards to him beating others up. Fortunately, I was right in assuming he wouldn’t take any offence. “Yeah, you can count on me Scatter.” He replied, moving to stand a little bit closer and draping one of his wings over my back. Despite my usually enigmatic mannerisms, I blushed hotly, looking downwards to try and hide it. I could see Soarin’ smirking slightly out of the corner of my eye, and instantly turned as red as an apple. It was not the smartest choice, considering he had noticed my first blush too, but I couldn’t hold myself back; I had never experienced romance for myself before. “You know…” Soarin said with a snide grin on his muzzle. “You’re kind of cute when you’re embarrassed. I don’t know if I’m going to be able to control myself tonight.” Thinking it was impossible to blush any harder, I found myself standing utterly corrected. *** *** *** I opened the door to my home, sliding the key back into the secret compartment of the mailbox. Since leaving the café, the onslaught of the storm had significantly died down to a mere drizzle, and we weren’t in any particular rush to get inside. “Wait here; I’ll go grab two towels.” Only a few short moments later, Soarin’ and I had dried off… nearly. “Scatter, I can’t reach my back and wings. Do you think you could… dry them off for me?” I blushed again, my mouth going open a little. How the hell did he keep making me do that? Walking over to him, I picked up the towel in my hooves, and began to dry Soarin’ off. From my previous observations, he had a stern back and his wings were probably powerful, but upon physical prognosis, that was an understatement. Soarin’ was likely a very impressive flyer; his bodily form was muscular and aerodynamically shaped, while his wings were aggressive and powerful. I didn’t know much about Pegasus anatomy, but oddly, his wings were incredibly tense and firm. That probably wasn’t normal, was it? As I extended a hoof hesitantly to rub the towel over Soarin’s wing, he unselfconsciously let out a low, pleasurable moan, and his wing became even stiffer. …Oh. Ohhhhhh. Oh, wow. Wings were rather sensitive? Curiously, I released the towel, letting it drape over Soarin’s back. Raising a hoof to take a hold of one of Soarin’s wings, I moved it closer to my muzzle. Extending my tongue out, I delicately and slowly took one of Soarin’s primaries into my mouth, giving it an experimental lick. A much louder moan escaped Soarin’, and I felt him quiver in pleasure. I released his wing. The stallion turned towards me, advancing until I had backed into the wall. Soarin’ looked me the eyes with vehement passion, and slowly licked his lips.
Chapter 4 – God is Wearing BlackA dim and southing light beamed in through cracks in the curtain, hitting me in the eyes. My perspective and sentience slowly faded back as I awoke, still passively drunken with the fog of sleep. I blinked tightly, rubbing one of my eyes with a hoof, and unselfconsciously yawning. I felt the sensation of warm breathing tickling my chest, and it took me longer than it should have to identify the source. Soarin lay beside me, his muzzle open a crack as his head rested near the upper portion of my chest. I had slept with my other forehoof wrapped around him, and from what I could see through the haze of fatigue, he still seemed soundly asleep. We were… lovers now. The events from last night had effectively destroyed any doubts I’d had about what exactly the relationship was between us, and I had no regrets at all. We were coltcuddlers, and we were together; through and through. Yet, for some reason, I still clung to an achingly pessimistic worry about how others would react to that. I took control of my hoof again and gently brushed a thin tuft of the stallion’s dark blue mane out of his eyes, smiling contently. This time, it was my turn to consider him awfully cute. With perfect timing, Soarin’s eyes cracked open. My hoof still rested on the side of his muzzle, and he smirked with the quick realization that I had been holding him passionately. The romantic smirk widened as one of my lover’s hooves slid down to touch a particular spot that he had manipulated earlier last night. Oh merciful Celestia, it was going to take a lot of willpower to get out of bed and to go school. I still needed to cook some breakfast too, and now that I thought about it, we could also both use a shower; last night had been rather sweaty. My eyes met with Soarin’s, and I blushed again intensely. *** *** *** The bell signifying the beginning of lunchtime rang out on meticulous cue. Alongside several other classmates, I picked up my books for philosophy, and put them into my saddlebags, leaving. I had skipped Literature class today. Mr. Ren didn’t track me down or force me to attend class, just as I had predicted. You couldn’t really argue against a perfect mark of 100%, as there were no assignments that counted towards marks between now and exam week, just studying and reviewing. My stomach rumbled and I rolled my eyes, doing my best to ignore my instincts. I hadn’t eaten any breakfast, as I only managed to find time to cook one serving before I needed to leave or I’d be late. Obviously, I had to shove it down Soarin’s throat, but I was more than willing to. I cared more about this stallion’s health that I’d met yesterday than I did for my own. If he had something to say about it, it would probably be a witty remark about how the food wasn’t the only thing I’d shoved down his throat, but… I shook my head, blushing at the thought of him, and entering through the door to the cafeteria. It wouldn’t be smart to have him in the forefront of my thoughts right now, distracting me as I socialized and purchased lunch. As usual, I ordered a fruit salad and an applesauce, tipping the cashier. She gave me an oddly sympathetic look, and then quickly replaced it with a cheery smile. I didn’t want to bother contemplating why, I just knew that I desperately needed to get some food eaten so I could think straight. …The sight of Soarin’ smiling flashed back into my mind. Well, so much for thinking straight. My lovesick thoughts were interrupted as a random unicorn stallion bumped into me roughly. My balance was knocked off, but I managed to keep on my hooves and hold my food. I turned to him quickly in embarrassment and apologized instinctively. “Oh, I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking about where I was…” My words lost ground as I saw the apricot-coloured pony was looking at me with a mixture of disgust and disapproval, and it occurred to me that he may have bumped into me intentionally. But, aside from Chelsea and the ones she manipulated, I didn’t have any enemies. …right? This pony wasn’t one of those attackers, from what I was aware of. He scoffed and turned, trotting away. My gaze lingered on him for a few seconds until I dismissed the issue. Perhaps he just wasn’t having a very good day today. I spotted two of my friends, Grey Skies and Buckskin, sitting together at the end of a table a few feet over, and trotted up to join them. Taking my seat beside Grey calmly, their conversation died mid-sentence, and they both visibly tensed. “Hey guys, how’s it going?” I greeted, taking a bite of my salad. They looked at each other, neither of them answering my question in any physical or verbal way. Buckskin swallowed hard, clearing his throat. This was effectively starting to worry me. “…Guys? Is something wrong? Did you… lose someone?” I asked earnestly, still chewing. Buckskin let go of his spoon, allowing it to rest back in the small container of banana pudding. Something was, quite evidently, wrong. I couldn’t do anything about if it they kept it secret though. “Um, Scatter… is what you said yesterday true?” Oh… that’s what this was about. Anger crept into my mind, and I swallowed my mouthful of salad. Rightfully, I shouldn’t assume that my elementary school friends were willing to think less of me so readily, but there weren’t any other climactic events at school worth mentioning yesterday. They couldn’t be referring to anything else. “Yeah…” I nodded coldly. “Can’t we still be friends despite that?” Buckskin grimaced, looking suddenly hesitant. “Uh, I’ve got to go to the washroom. “ He lied, standing up. “Excuse me.” Grey sighed, looking at his mostly eaten plate of hay. “Scatter, I’m going to be honest with you because I know you’d do the same thing for me if the situation was reversed. I don’t think we should be friends anymore.” The stallion stood up, looking at me bitterly before he turned and trotted out of the cafeteria. I sat there, saying nothing… There was nothing to be said. I just… watched sadly, as my friend walked away discriminatingly. It was macabre; I knew I didn’t want to be friends with bigots, but there was no denying that I had just lost something significant to me. Author's Note "Grey Skies" belongs to http://www.fimfiction.net/user/randomfacts137 "Buckskin" belongs to http://www.fimfiction.net/user/The%20Incognito%20Brony Both OCs used with offered permission.
Chapter 5 – Finding HomeI sat on the cushioned chair of the café that I had been to with Soarin’ yesterday. Before going our separate ways–I to school, and Soarin’ to talk with his family–we had agreed on meeting here again at about half past three o’clock. Soarin’ had been suspended from school for getting into a fight with several other Pegasi, and when his parents asked why, he didn’t see any harm in telling them the truth... Upon hearing he was a coltcuddler, they kicked him out for an indefinite period of time. The whole situation, to be honest, frightened me. I didn’t want to believe that my parents would react in the same manner of cold blooded homophobia if they were to find out, but Soarin’s story didn’t have its history written by the winner. There was no reason why my parents couldn’t have the same level of traditionalism and totalitarianism that Soarin’s did. Regardless, I seriously hoped they’d listen to the logic of the golden rule. I wasn’t heterophobic, so they shouldn’t be homophobic. ...right? I was in love with Soarin’, and it only took me the better part of half a day to realize that. I wasn’t dogmatically naïve or willfully blind to it, but rather, I enjoyed it. However, tomorrow was Saturday and my parents would return home, so Soarin’ needed to find a different place to stay. I wasn’t ready to tell them yet, and even if they would accept my sexual orientation, they probably wouldn’t be willing to let Soarin’ reside there overnight. All of that aside, I had other things to worry about. This coming week was exam week, and they were worth a lot of marks that I wanted to keep. Now was a really bad time to be devoting my focus to another pony and achieving less than my healthy amount of sleep. My attention was swiftly stolen by the sight of a cyan pegasus landing with elegant aerodynamic skill and precision at the door to the café. Just based on that display alone, he was, as I had analyzed, an incredible flyer. I rose to my hooves as Soarin’ trotted in the front entrance of the building, panting a little and looking around calmly with an indescribable facial expression. Our eyes met, and I smiled for the first time since leaving him this morning. I took my seat again as he trotted over and sat parallel to me. “Hey Casanova,” I smirked, chuckling. “How’s it going?” Soarin’ returned the smile as best he could. “Well, my parents wouldn’t let me back in for any reason besides retrieving my belongings…” I winced, looking downward a little. I could tell he was hurting inside just by his tone in that line. The pegasus continued. “On the other hoof, my grandmare understands the situation and has offered to let me stay with her. I think she needs the company as much as I need her right now though.” He added, grimacing. “Her husband passed away recently, and she’s been very lonely.” I grimaced myself, and thought about that critically, nodding. “I’m glad you’ve found home then.” I comforted, trying to smile again. “And I’m sorry for the loss. It’s really kind of you to offer her your companionship when she needs it most.” Soarin’ perked up and gave me a light punch on the shoulder. “Hey, thanks. How was school?” My smile gave way to an expression of solemn worry. “A few of my friends found out that… I like colts, so… they’ve decided that they don’t exactly want to be considered my friends anymore.” Soarin winced himself. “That doesn’t… make you want to end our relationship, does it?” I quickly looked back up at him, both taken aback and completely stunned, wondering why he would suggest something that selflessly cruel. Tears began to form in the corner of my eyes; I stood up without a second though. “Of course not!” I shouted ignominiously, ignoring the attention of the café’s other onlookers. A wave of sheer nostalgia hit me; this was the first place that I had kissed Soarin’… This was, in essence, the place that I had fallen in love with him. I needed to be considerate of that. “I’d never let something as spiteful as prejudice affect us, Soarin’. How could you suggest something like that? Don’t you realize that… I care about you?” I looked down and closed my eyes, letting some of my mane drape in front of them; I felt like I had just taken a critical emotional hit, and it would probably leave a scar. It only took the stallion a few seconds to think of how to reply. His strong forehooves wrapped around me compassionately, and he brought one up to touch my mane. He was… hugging me tightly. “You’re right, Scatter. I’m sorry.” He said gently, apologizing. “I wouldn’t want something like that to come between us either.” I slowly returned the hug, sighing with genuine relief. “Thank you for enduring the hatred,” he said supportively. “But, as much as I don't want to admit it, that probably won’t be the end of the discrimination against you as a consequence of loving me.” I smiled to myself, feeling much calmer in his hooves. “Likewise."
Chapter 6 – The Grass is Getting Greener Each DayI slid the key into the doorknob gracelessly, twisting to unlock the door. …and found that it wasn’t locked. With passive-aggressive alarm, I glanced to Soarin’ who was a few paces behind me, and gulped; there was no way this could have a good outcome. I slid the key back into the mailbox’s compartment and raised a cautious hoof to the door, clopping it a few times before I opened it and went in. “Oh, hi Scatter.” A familiar face accompanied by a feminine voice greeted me warmly. My parents were home a day early? …of course they were. “Hey guys!” I smiled back. “You’re home early?” My dad trotted into the living room too; he was wearing a light green apron that matched my mom’s coat, and it contrasted oddly with his own mahogany coat. A spatula rested in his hoof. “Oh, who’s your friend?” He asked politely. “I’m not sure I cooked enough for four.” I shut the door behind us with a hoof, my smile no longer forced. “Dad, you usually overdo it and cook enough for twenty.” I stated, glancing at the light blue stallion behind me once again. “Anyway, welcome back. This, here, is Soarin’.” Thinking a moment, I wondered what to do. I had planned to cook for Soarin’ and possibly go out with him somewhere after that, but this certainly changed things. Given the opportunity, it probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to introduce him to my family as my coltfriend. …right? “Soarin’, meet my parents: Jack Rain and Summer Day.” With agility unlike any other unicorn I’d ever seen before, my dad rushed up in front of Soarin’ and grabbed a hoof, shaking it riotously. I rolled my eyes at the incredibly one-sided hoofshake at about the same time my mom did. “Jack Rain!” He shouted, wearing a million bit smile. “Top chef ‘round these parts!” Soarin’ smiled back, his expression a pleasant mixture of chagrin and joy. He seemed almost genuinely interested in the art of cuisine, but not enough to deliberately query about it further. Although my Dad was in the restaurant business, he could certainly cook incredibly himself. “Nice to meet you sir.” Soarin’ said formally, his hoof still shaking even after dad stopped. His eyes met with my mother’s, and they both smiled kindly, sharing a mutual nod of polite recognition. I could tell by intuition that they were going to get along well too. …Aside from that, the dichotomy between the two methods of greeting was phenomenal. “C’mere Scatter, help me cook up some more grub so your buddy’s got enough to eat too.” Soarin’ took a seat on the plush couch next to me as I stood up and began trotting towards the kitchen entrance. My mother sat down on the couch perpendicular to Soarin’, still smiling. “So, Soarin’ was it?” She asked quizzically. “Pegasi don’t come down here too often to hang around for a while. How’d you end up meeting Scatter?” I didn’t get the chance to hear Soarin’s reply lucidly, continuing into the kitchen. My intuitions were probably right; my mother was a hardcore conversationalist, and they’d be friends in no time. My only fear was that they may accidentally step close to the subject of our relationship, and that would be better confessed together with Soarin’ after supper. “TOOOOODAAAAAYYYYY!~” My dad rang out theatrically, boasting and making sure that Soarin’ would be able to hear. “We’re serving Salisbury Melba salad alongside gourmet lobster stroganoff and a side of Pont-l'Évêque diced to .95 degree cubic centimetres!” I dropped my face into the palm of my hoof while simultaneously rolling my eyes. …Soarin’, damn him, had it way too easy. *** *** *** Dinner was, as usual, totally delicious. Dad never failed to live up to his reputation, and it was no wonder whatsoever how he managed command multiple restaurants effortlessly. “Thanks a lot for the meal!” Soarin’ rewarded graciously, smiling. “You sure can cook, Mr. Rain.” Dad opted to elbow me gently. “Scatter helped too.” He replied, winking. The pegasus looked to me curiously, his wings moving ever so slightly while huddled against his coat as if he had flexed them. “Did he now?” Soarin’ asked slyly, smirking. I tried desperately to hold in the blush, but to no avail. “Well…” I said, trying to make it seem like I was blushing from the flattery rather than the subtly romantic gesture of his wings. “You’re welcome.” Presumably, now was as good a time as any to tell my parents the truth about what was between Soarin’ and I… I was about to act when I was halted by the sight of dad telekinetically grabbing the empty plates from around the table, trotting off to the kitchen. Mom looked to us pleasantly. “You two go wash up, okay?” We got up obediently and simultaneously, trotting calmly towards the washroom side by side. ...Several moments later, Soarin’ and I had finished washing our hooves, and were beginning to trot back. “Soarin’...” I said, stopping him. “Should we tell them now about… what’s between us?” He looked back at me pessimistically, grimacing. “I’ve had a bad experience with confessions like that, Scatter, but I think your mom will be fine with it; it’s your dad I’m worried about though, unless you know him a lot better than I perceive.” I tried to smile hopefully. “I think it’ll be all right. Let’s go for it.” I didn’t want to hide it from them, or the façade might crumble at a time we were unprepared for. Admitting it now while we had the opportunity was, emotionally speaking, the smarter course of action. After all, they’re my parents, and they’ve told me multiple times that they’ll love and support me no matter what I did. I had to at least uphold that level of honesty with them. There’s probably nothing to worry about anyway; what’s the worst that could happen? Soarin’ and I entered into the living room almost nervously and we sat beside each other, although I was feeling particularly apprehensive about what we were going to do. “Hey… Mom? Dad? Can you two come out here for a moment?” I swallowed, calling them. Dad was the first in the room, clopping his hooves together as if to clean them off, although he had been using his telekinetic magic for everything involving the cooking anyway. Mom followed behind, keeping a more ladylike pace and smiling at the sight of us sitting cosily together on the couch. They took up the couch across from us, both smiling warmly. “Listen.” I said, looking at them nervously. “We’ve got something important to tell you two.” Dad perked an eyebrow, and mom continued to look at us stagnantly. Soarin’ moved to drape a close wing over my back, glancing at me. This was the moment of truth, and it could either go very well or very incredibly awfully horribly terribly bad… but I needed to remain optimistic nonetheless. Besides, they said they’d love me no matter what. …right? “You see…” I said, returning the glance to the pegasus. “Soarin’ and I are…” “...More than just friends.” Soarin’ finished for me supportively. My mother’s face seemed to change slightly, deciding to add only a hint of genteel surprise. On the other hoof… my father’s jaw dropped open and hit the floor. “On the way home from school two days ago, I was attacked by some ponies. Soarin’ happened to be in the area, and flew to my aid; ever since then, we sort of got together… as a couple.” True to Soarin’s predictions, my mother nodded respectfully, smiling again. She seemed to be perfectly at ease with the idea of us dating. I drooped my head, sighing in total and intense relief, and releasing a breath that I didn’t know I was holding. Unfortunately, that relief had been short lived. With scorching rage, my father stood up. “WHAT?!” Author's Note The name “Jack Rain” belongs to: http://www.fimfiction.net/user/8loodyrain The name “Summer Day” belongs to: http://www.fimfiction.net/user/Scarecrowbrad Both names used with offered permission. Thanks!
Chapter 7 – Marked for Death"Y-you, attacked, yo-you're-, wh.. c-colt, Soa- frie.." Dad froze traumatically, looking dumbfounded. He seemed as if he had been hit with a sledgehammer, nigh unable to comprehend the situation at hoof. I’d honestly never seen somepony so debilitated solely by information, despite it being admittedly dramatic and sudden. Supportively, mom stood up, putting one of dad's forehooves around her neck. "Are you okay honey? Take it easy; here, just sit down." "I WILL NOT TAKE IT EASY!" He shouted at us, jumping back up. "Scatter, what the hell is wrong with you?! A-a coltcuddler?! Then no shit you were attacked!" …This was bad; he, quite evidently wasn’t taking the news pleasantly. A slight shock of anger crept into my heart, and it was directed at my own father’s bigotry. He, alongside my mother, had promised to and told me that he’d love me no matter what. In that case, it wasn’t actually anger that I was feeling. Rather, it was betrayal. "Dad!" I shouted, standing up affirmatively. Soarin' quickly followed my lead, standing up too. While we had both been apprehensive, his predictions had unfortunately been correct, and the victory of that was only pyrrhic. He had no reason to be hurt by this reaction any less than I did; it damaged our relationship equally. My mom trotted forward, putting a hoof on my shoulder comfortingly. She was acting perpetually naïve, but not going ignored for it. If anyone, she was certainly the voice of reason here. "Soarin', you should go home please. Scatter, go to your room for now. Your father and I need to talk this out, and it’s best if neither of you are present." I paused, stopping myself before retaliating, and sighed in defeat. I hated having to walk away from this, especially with Soarin' by my side giving us the ability of being able to draw support from one another, but... Mom seemed to be on our side, and I'd never known her to be unable to get her way. Yet, was it even possible to be able to talk the homophobia or discrimination out of somepony? Could mom even convince dad that there was no problem with it? Obediently and wordlessly, Soarin' left to go to his grandpony's house, and I trotted upstairs. *** *** *** For the past hour and fortyfive minutes, the only tone available to me while I worked on writing my novel was the hellish rambling of my parents arguing defiantly. Although the subject I had brought up was somewhat contentious, this was dilemma was becoming ridiculously inordinate. Knock, knock knock... I turned quickly, hearing some hoofbeats on my window. They were the first sound of respite in the endurance of the showdown between my parents, and I needed a break more than I could know. Spitting the pencil out of my muzzle, I trotted over to the window, opening it quickly. "Soarin'!" I whispered at the sight of him, trying not to seem too happy. He was looking particularly enthusiastic, and wore a million bit smile for some strange reason. Although I was happy for him, I couldn’t think of why. “Hey!” He said gleefully. “I’ve got some really good news!” Well, at least one of us was happy. “What’s up?” I asked, forcing a smile. “I got accepted into the Wonderbolts’ training academy dude!” I… honestly didn’t know what that was. Must be a pegasus thing. Soarin’s joyful expression died as he winced, taking in the sound ubiquitously occupying my room through a thin wooden door. “Your parents aren’t taking it well either, huh…” He empathized. I sighed dryly, nodding. “Do you have the time to go for a walk or something? They’ve been going at it for almost two hours now and I don’t know how much longer I can withstand it myself.” The hovering pegasus reached an forehoof in and wrapped it around my back. “Ready?” He questioned oddly. I looked at him and his extended forehoof quizzically. “For wha-!” In stunned resignation, I was yanked out through the window of the second floor of my house without shred of situational awareness left. Instinctually, I wrapped my forehooves around Soarin’, yelping. The experience was mercifully brief; going downwards at a controlled pace was filly’s play for the junior Wonderbolt. “Oh sweet Celestia..” I prayed, hitting the grassy earth gently. “Don’t do that again.” Soarin’ chuckled warmly. “I don’t know… I quite enjoy you hanging onto me tightly for your life.” I double facehoofed, trying to cover up my blushing. “Whatever, let’s just go.” *** *** *** “Yeah, and they totally accepted me! How awesome would it be to actually become a full-fledged Wonderbolt?! You’re basically a celebrity, putting on shows and…” I rolled my eyes, smirking. Soarin’ had been going on about this since we started walking. Evidently, he was well on his way to becoming something he’d only dreamed about as a young filly. It was rather relieving to hear him so exhilarated and overjoyed, and it kept my mind off my own problem, but it was starting to become somewhat annoying. I opened my muzzle, about to tell Soarin’ how awesome I thought that was for what seemed like the tenth time, but my train of thought derailed as I noticed somepony on the other side of the street. The pony’s head turned this way soon too, apparently noticing us back. Although muffled by the darkness, he looked oddly like… “That you, Scatter?” Buckskin called out towards us, pausing. He was walking in the direction where we came from. Buckskin was, as far as I had been able to tell, my ex-friend. When he and Grey Skies found out I was a coltcuddler, they left me at lunchtime last Friday and neither of them spoke to me since. He looked both ways down the rather darkened street before trotting across it to meet us. “Hey, please listen to me Scatter,” He said, looking intensely grim. “I don’t expect you to forgive me so readily, but I’m sorry for disrespecting you just for being a coltcuddler. I feel really bad about it, and it’s been bothering me ever since I heard Chelsea had you attacked, so I was just on my way to your place to apologise.” I paused and took that in, regarding him cryptically for a second until I believed him. Smiling kindly, I placed a hoof on Buckskin’s shoulder. “Hey it’s all right, we’re cool.” Theoretically, this meant there was hope for Dad coming to terms with it too. “I needed to come immediately though… to warn you.” Buckskin continued. “Chelsea’s planning another attack, and she’s got a bigger force than last time. She paid some nerd to write a hell of an inspirational speech about why you needed to go, and how she was gonna do it. I came back during the middle of it at lunch some time after you left.” I looked over at Soarin’, slowly becoming worried. Tomorrow was the start of exam week. Buckskin swallowed hard, finishing. “Scatter, you’ve got a third of the school after your flank tomorrow, and they’re planning to do a lot worse than just blunt force trauma...” Author's Note "Grey Skies" belongs to http://www.fimfiction.net/user/randomfacts137 "Buckskin" belongs to http://www.fimfiction.net/user/The%20Incognito%20Brony Both OCs used with offered permission, as previously used and stated back in Chapter 4.
Chapter 8 – The Gates of HellI tapped a hoof over the door to my house and opened it subtly. Anything I could think of wouldn’t do it justice; there was no way to describe the intensity of my anxiety and apprehension. Not only did ambiguous hell wait at school, but based on the noise from in my house, I had other problems too. I came in naively, closing the door behind, and immediately trotted around the corner. Mother sat on the couch, crying in utter anguish. If she had noticed me, she didn’t bother to look up at my arrival. This was, quite literally, the first time in my life I’d ever witnessed her completely defeated and depressed enough to mourn so openly. …and it frightened me even more than what Chelsea was potentially planning. I quickly trotted over and sat next to the sobbing pony, wrapping her in the warmest hug I could, and nuzzled her. To my relief, the crying softened and she hugged me back. Dad? Where was he? What did I miss last night? Did my father hurt Mom? There were lots of question pounding in my head, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask any of them. My mother didn’t deserve to have her thoughts directed right back at what had started this turmoil for her. Uniquely, my curiosity was merciful for her, as even my love for Soarin’ was trumped by my love for my mother. “Oh, Scatter…” Mom said, fighting through her tears. “…I’m so sorry.” I squeezed mom tightly, sniffling. “It’s not your fault.” I whispered, trying my best to south her. She pulled back slightly and turned to look at me in the eyes, giving a much better look at her face; it seemed like she had been crying for more than ten minutes, both completely exhausted and depressed by whatever conclusion was made. “Scatter, your father and I are...” She winced, sniffling as she spoke. “…Divorcing.” *** *** *** For the past fifteen minutes, I sat alone in Student Services, diligently writing my examination for Mathematics class. I didn’t particularly enjoy exams, but when the staff council was willing to rearrange my work settings without even hearing the reason specifically, I couldn’t help but feel a little bit special. It was probably just the perk of being one of the school’s top scoring ponies; we weren’t treated socially better, but we certainly had options that other ponies didn’t. The news about my father left me feeling rightfully depressed, just as it had done to my mother. Having eaten, we both watched a movie together on the couch, and went to sleep earlier than usual. It took a lot of willpower to not end up crying myself to sleep, but I suspected my mother had done so anyway. Unfortunately, she was probably dealing with the situation a lot worse than I was. I had always, for some odd reason, been fonder of my mother than my father. The emotional toll wasn’t as bad for me because I hadn’t lost what was actually the most precious. I cringed suddenly, shaking my head. I needed time to think about these things solemnly and come to a resolution that would sate my anxiety, but during the middle of my examination was definitely an inappropriate time to do so. Perhaps, if there was some serendipity, I cou- “Is Scatter in here?!” A familiar voice interrupted my thoughts, muffled through the door. I turned, standing. That sounded like a very, very worried Buckskin. If he needed to talk to me during my exam, it was probably equally important. “No, I don’t care, damn it!” Another shout echoed. “He aces that shit anyway, now move!” Bang! The door burst open suddenly and violently, and I recoiled, slamming into my desk which had just been less than a foot behind my flank. “Scatter!” Buckskin called, panting as he trotted up and put a forehoof on my shoulder. Impossibly, he looked a lot more worried than I had pictured him. “Follow me and I’ll explain on the way; it’s about your mother!” At his last word, my blood froze. By Luna, if Chelsea had done something to my mother… “Let’s go.” I nodded, picking up a gallop with Buckskin just beside me. As we passed through the door, I noticed the student council pony in charge of watching me knocked out cold. This was definitely a lot more serious than I thought if Buckskin was willing to that. *** *** *** I trotted impatiently a few feet behind Buckskin as he opened the rigged door and led me inside. We had made good time and covered a lot of ground, arriving at the abandoned warehouse quickly. The sight of the building had removed any of my doubts about the legitimacy of the situation; it was totally and predictably just like Chelsea to do something as low as an indirect attack against my family, and if she needed a hideout, this warehouse was the ideal place for her. It was entirely abandoned, out of the view of the street, and still structurally sound with intact walls. I trotted past Buckskin, giving myself a better view of the entirety of the warehouse’s empty internal shell, and immediately noticed the prisoner. In the middle of the room, mother sat on the concrete, completely constrained and gagged by bands and thick rope. “Mom!” I shouted, breaking into a full gallop towards her. Wasting no time, I didn't hesitate to bite down on the restraints until I had completely untied and freed her. Fortunately, whoever had tied her up had done so inexpertly, and it only took a brief moment to unbind her completely “Scatter!” Mom shouted in relief, hugging me tightly. “I’m so glad you’re okay, but we need to get out of here!” I pulled back from the hug reluctantly, looking into her eyes. “Mom, tell me who di-…” My words lost their gravity as several malevolent ponies revealed themselves from behind the various crates and boxes scattered throughout the warehouse. My mother and I stood apprehensively, both of us looking around the room quickly as I saw at least twenty ponies starting to surround us. Shocked, I turned towards Buckskin. Apparently, he had backed away from me a significant distance after I instinctively ran to my mother’s aid. Buckskin... had just deceived me? I looked at him in stunned resignation as a certain mare trotted up next to the stallion and and kissed him on the cheek, smirking devilishly as she placed a forehoof over Buckskin's shoulder. My eyes fell on the mare herself... …Chelsea. Author's Note "Buckskin" belongs to http://www.fimfiction.net/user/The%20Incognito%20Brony OC used with offered permission, as previously used and stated back in Chapter 4 & 7.
Chapter 9 – Love Ex Machina“Well, well, well….” Chelsea’s obnoxiously sarcastic voice addressed me as she smirked. “I suspect that the Manehatten police are well on their way, huh Scatter?” Several of the offending stallions chuckled, few understanding and the rest just trying to fit in. “I didn’t make any mistakes this time, coltcuddler.” She bragged, strutting ignominiously. “I’m finally going to get rid of you for good.” A few of the attackers glared, taking an aggressive hoofstep forward; my tenacity kept me trying to think of a way out of this, at least for mother’s sake, but being thoroughly surrounded was nearly impervious. “Uh, babe..?” Buckskin asked, trotting up doubtfully. “What exactly do you plan to do?” Chelsea glared at our traitor sourly, seeming to almost regret kissing him. “Exactly what I said. We’re gonna get rid of him for good and it’ll look like suicide. That’s what the rope there is really for.” Buckskin recoiled in shock at the straightforward version of the plot, and my mother and I began to hold one another even tighter. I had to have the hope that they’d spare my mother; she wasn’t the one they were after, and the rope I had untied from her seemed only long enough to do that once. “But that’s murder!” The stallion choked out, looking astonished. “I won’t let you kill him!” The atmosphere in the room froze as Chelsea’s patience seemed to snap. “Well, fine then.” She smiled like a sociopath, turning to Buckskin. “I’ll deal with you too.” Another stallion near Chelsea spun and bucked my ex-friend onto the ground just a few feet in front of my mother and I, exiling him into the same doom that was approaching. I looked at Buskskin sadly, unable to actually pity him. Just as Chelsea had no remorse for anyone who would side with me, I had no empathy for anyone that would date her and go as far as deceiving a friend for her homophobic cause. I swallowed hard myself, looking back up to analyze our attackers. There were still twenty ponies willing to go through with this Celestia-damned execution, and that was actually a lot less than the third of the school we were to expect. Either Buckskin had lied about the amount, or a modest fraction of the ponies had enough competence to buck this plan out. Either seemed reasonable. “I’m glad that’s out of the way.” Chelsea announced. “Let’s get down to business colts…” All of the hostile ponies in the room smiled wickedly, preparing to spring at us; Buckskin took up a tactically defensive position that put my mother and I in between himself and Chelsea, trying to look intimidating as he crouched. This was it… We are done. I didn’t want to die like this; it left me with several regrets. The least of which was that the novel I had been writing throughout my time in highschool neared completion, and I’d never finish. My father, meanwhile, had abandoned my mother and I with such critical timing. I would pass on bad terms with him, and if he regretted leaving at all, I’d never be fortunate enough to know or forgive him. Finally, my greatest regret would be my inability to die with my lover, Soa- Brrhkkhk! Thunderously, an explosion of loudly splintering wood rang throughout the warehouse, and everypony in the rotting building quickly looked skyward to the source of the sudden noise. With powerful bravado, an elegant cyan pegasus dressed in a fully aerodynamic flight-suit landed in front of me, recoiling from the impact in a crouching prone briefly. He brutishly stood upright, extending a large pair of wings, and looked directly into my eyes with a bright, picturesque smile. ...Soarin'. "Motherbuckers," Soarin' whinnied boldly, opting to stand up on his hind-legs fully. "The Calvary’s arrived!" Just as he finished, another violent cacophony of splintering wood erupted, and at least ten more pegasi wearing elegant flight-suits divebombed into the warehouse, beginning to hover above us in defensive intimidation. Soarin’ spun, looking to the mare leading the attack. “This time, I’m not bluffing.” In terrified synchronization, most of the attacker ponies with the exception of Chelsea bolted towards the primary entrance of the warehouse, attempting to escape with the aerial ponypower now significantly stacked against them. Before any of the cowards managed to reach the building’s exit, the large door opened with a telekinetic sheath encompassing it, and everypony skidded to a halt with the closest one only remaining several meters away. My eyes widened as, fiercely in the way of the door, stood my father. At least thirty chrome spatulas organized in a militaristic fashion hovered behind him telekinetically, and on top of that, several Manehatten police officers were visibly trotting towards us in the distance behind him. Hallelujah. The full-force of the triple Deus Ex Machina came crashing down on our attackers; Soarin’ bolted into Chelsea, tackling the mare and pinning her to the ground with a forehoof on her back. A tidal wave of weaponized, metallic cooking instrument flew around the warehouse in a tornado, bashing most of the offending students in the head and knocking them out. The remaining survivors were hastily upside-down by the agility and power of what I suspected was Soarin’s trainee squad. By the time the Manehatten police arrived at the scene, all of our attackers had been fully neutralized, making easy work for a battalion of authorities to cuff them. Everything unfolded before us in a matter of minutes, mother and I still holding each other. With adrenaline’s agility, my father trotted over to us, remaining silent as he wrapped us in a melancholy embrace; I felt his tears trickling onto my shoulder. We would have certainly have lot of catching up to do. Out of the corner of my sight, I saw Soarin’ leaning against one of the crates at the side of the warehouse, looking perpetually awesome in his flight-suit. He noticed my gaze at him, and I smiled. Soarin’ smiled back at me, adding a subtle wink. I rolled my eyes, not even bothering to try withholding the hot blush surely painted my muzzle. Author's Note The End~ "Buckskin" belongs to http://www.fimfiction.net/user/The%20Incognito%20Brony OC used with offered permission, as previously used and stated back in Chapter 4, 7, & 8. I plan to thoroughly re-read this story for any grammar or terminology errors over the next few days, perfecting it. Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed. -- Tyc oon.
Epilogue – One Year LaterThe sunset glowed pleasantly, lingering just above the horizon of the ocean and casting a faintly tinted reflection across it; the scenic landscape of Equestria was particularly calm this evening, save for the occasional tide on the body of saltwater. Soarin’ placed my novel down beside where he rested on the bench, smiling sincerely. “Manehatten Times bestsellers, huh?” He questioned rhetorically, extending a forehoof to lie across my neck. “Congratulations.” I smiled back, reaching to gently massage one of the stallion’s primary wing feathers in an attempt to be soothingly romantic. “Don’t think it beats being a Wonderbolt, though.” I added. The pegasus looked at me, flexing the wing I had just stroked. “I see why you think so, Scatter.” I chuckled, insufficiently trying to restrain my blush, and failed effortlessly. “Oh, shut up.” Soarin' leaned forward as the crack of the sun slid behind the horizon, vanishing. With passionate care, he tilted his head and closed his eyes, finally connecting in a warm, romantic kiss that lasted forever. "Happy anniversary."
