Scooter and the Bloodied Tiara

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
The Chapter on a Train

Chapter 1

Scooter let out a sigh of relief as he plopped onto his couch. It'd been a few years since he'd not only learned to fly, and quite well, but also since he and his two best friends, Silver Bell and Apple Buck, had all gotten their cutiemarks; even though they were no longer 'crusading,' they never stopped hanging out. After becoming so close through the years, why would they?

Scooter's day hadn't been bad or demanding, but his new training routines were still pretty rough on him, not that he much cared. Actually, all in all, today had been pretty nice. He got up on time, got ready, ate breakfast, and started his training: thirty minutes of skateboarding, two hours of various wing exercises followed immediately by a few short flight sprints, ending with an hour of cooling down with simpler skateboard practice.

Not long after he finished his cool-down, he'd gotten to hang out with his best buds for the rest of the day. As far as he was concerned, nothing could ruin this day.

As he finished settling down, he heard a knock on his door. Curious as to who would be out at this time of night, let alone to see him, he got to his hooves and went to check. As soon as the door opened, his jaw dropped. Only a moment later, he found himself holding up a rather roughed up Diamond Tiara, his eyes still wide in shock.

After the initial surprise faded, his conscience kicked in. He closed the door and helped the mare to the couch, laying her down carefully before grabbing his board and rushing out the door to find somepony he figured he could count on for help.

After a few minutes, Diamond Tiara woke up to hear two voices, seemingly in a heated discussion, though it took a moment for her to hear them clearly.

"So you didn't do that to her? She just showed up at your door all beaten up?"

"Silver, think for a second and look at me. I don't have a scratch or bruise on me, she was beaten up, yeah, but you know that I could have, and would have, done much worse if I were in some kind of rage. Not to mention that I would have had to have been to immediately come find you for help."

Diamond sat up a little, wincing only slightly as her muscles were still sore. She looked herself over and noticed, however, that she hadn't a single bruise or cut on her anymore. She paused after a moment as she realised what Scooter had done, or rather, what he'd convinced Silver Bell to do.

"Why in Equestria did she choose to come by here anyways?"

"Heck if I know! I just sat down, trying to relax and out of nowh--"

"Hold on, she's awake."

Diamond Tiara froze as the two stallions looked at her and walked over. She frowned and looked away. "Th-th-thanks, Silver, and Scooter."

Scooter sighed and knelt down beside the mare, his expression very serious. He spoke calmly. "What happened to you?"

The mare pulled her legs close. "I-I was jumped by some stallions that didn't like one of my dad's business choices. They said that they wanted to send a strong message to him."

Silver and Scooter exchanged glances.

"I'm not lying, okay? Why would I lie about something like that?" She pulled back a little and sighed. "I guess you probably just asked out of pity anyways. You most likely just want me to leave now, huh?"

Scooter sighed and put a hand on Diamond Tiara's shoulder. "Look, what happened in the schoolyard is behind us now. What isn't, at least not yet, is the fact that you really were attacked by something or somepony and it would be better if you stayed here for the night." With that, the pegasus stood up and turned to Silver. "I'm pretty sure you'll be able to make it back to the boutique safely. If you want, though, you know you can stay too."

"As much as I'd love to, I've got to get back. I still have a few things to handle for tomorrow, and I'll need to be up early to make decent time."

Scooter nodded. The two shared a quick hug before Silver left.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Diamond Tiara asked softly.

Scooter sighed and turned to her. "I'm not being 'nice.' I'm just not cruel. You were hurt, so I got Silver and thankfully he remembered that healing spell from a few years back. He healed you because he's not cruel. I'm offering you to stay for the night because it's obviously not safe for you out there." He walked over to his recliner and sat down. "I believe if anything, I should be asking you why you came here of all places."

Diamond looked down. "I'm not really sure. Dad always told me that when you're hurt, or when you need help, you seek out that which comforts you most." She paused for a moment before sighing. "I was really hoping this would be like in those movies where you say something that seems to make no sense to you and somehow everything is so clear. It sounded profound, but I don't know what it has to do with this except that I was hurt, badly, and I knew I needed somepony to help me."

The mare's eyes widened as a hand rested on her shoulder out of the blue. She turned to see Scooter had managed to take a seat beside her without her knowing. He now looked at her almost worriedly. "Look, DT, you've had a rough night. How about you just rest? I'll walk you home in the morning, and you can figure everything out then."

Diamond looked down for a moment before turning back to the stallion. She spoke softly, almost timidly. "Would it maybe be okay if I, you know, slept with you?" Her tone quickly became almost desparate. "Please? I'm just scared."

Scooter coudn't help but blush a little, though if he'd know he was, he couldn't have figured out why. He sighed before offering a tired smile. "Sure. We can share my bed." He stood and motioned towards the hallway. "Come on, the bedroom's this way."

The mare stood and followed him as he made his way to the room.

She stopped after he closed the door and blushed noticeably. "Um, w-would you mind if I got a little more comfortable, of should I sleep in this?"

Scooter cocked his head a bit before leaning his head back slightly and giving an 'Ohhh' of understanding. "That's fine, as long as you don't mind me doing the same."

With that, the pegasus pulled off his hoodie and shirt, with his pants following quickly after, leaving him in only fairly baggy boxers that still showed off a bit of a bulge in the front.

Diamond Tiara hardly noticed it at the time, as she followed his example, shedding her shirt and pants and leaving her body only covered by a bra and panties. Scooter, having already mostly undressed, finally took notice of how well the earth pony mare had filled out her figure. She was slender, but not overly thin. Her hips were fairly wide and her plot was round and seemed quite firm. Her chest filled out very well too as her bra supported two quite ample breasts.

As soon as the mare finished her undressing, she got a good glimpse of Scooter. His training had made his physique athletic and well toned, though not highly muscular. His arms, legs, chest, and core were all well defined, and he was fairly slender. Her eyes found their way to his waist and quickly to the noticeable bulge just under it.

After a moment, their eyes made it up to each other's and they quickly turned away in embarrassment at realizing just how closely they'd been looking at each other.

Scooter let out a nervous chuckle and broke the silence. "So, I guess we should go on and get some sleep, huh?"

Diamond Tiara gave a nod and the two lay on teh bed and pulled the covers over them. They lay on their backs for some time, staring up at the ceiling.

Scooter blinked for a moment as he felt something, or rather, somepony, against his side. He looked to see the light pink mare snuggled against him, her eyes closed and her arms rested against him.

For a moment, he stayed quiet. He wasn't sure how to respond, and less sure why he didn't immediately shoo her away from him. After thinking it over a little, though, he turned to the mare, pulling her against him. She was warm and soft to the touch, her fur and body alike.

The two lay in each others' arms for a time before they both drifted off to sleep, quietly content and blissfully warm.

With the morning came the sun and its warmth. Although, for two ponies in particular, this was hardly the first matter on their minds. To be more exact, they both had the same thing on their minds, nearly screaming it at theselves: 'Did that really just happen?!'

Only moments ago, the two were lying in bed. Scooter was holding Diamond Tiara against him while Diamond contentedly snuggled into his arms. They both awoke, though, neither was awake much beyond basic conscious movement.

Scooter had been the first to break from his dreams and upon seeing the soft, warm mare against him, her color and identity shadowed by the darkness of the room. He'd not remembered who had gotten in his bed the night before, but at the time he felt that they must have been decently close to end up like this.

Diamond Tiara seemed to wake some time in the middle of his thoughts, only to see a strong, warm stallion holding her close, keeping her safe. She didn't know why she liked it or who it was holding her, and she didn't care.

Without a word, the two soon found each other staring into each others' eyes. After a few minutes, they slowly leaned in to each other, their lips locking together softly. They didn't feel any lust in the kiss. There was no craving, no want for each other. It was gentle and familiar, soft and caressing. The kiss lasted for what felt like an hour before the sun broke through the window and illuminated the two ponies.

They broke the kiss with a smile as they both sleepily opened their eyes, wanting to better see just who they'd shared such a kiss with. Their eyes shot open as soon as they recognized one another. They didn't rush from each other's arms, or even move. In fact, they were frozen in place at the realization.

Neither moved or spoke as time seemed to stand still around them. After a time, Scooter broke the silence as he sat up. He cleared his throat and shook off the last of his sleep, not that there was much left to wake in him after that. "So, I uh, I guess we should go ahead and get dressed, huh?"

"Do we have to?" The words left Diamond Tiara's mouth before she could do much to stop them, though she immediately hid her now bright red cheeks.

Scooter blushed as well as he turned to the mare. He had to admit two things about her now: First, she was definitely not the same mean, arrogant little filly that had done her best to make his life Hell back in school. Second, was that she was now very much an attractive mare, and the slight sunlight filtering into the room seemed to flow over her frame, showing every curve and feature of her body quite clearly.

He would have kept looking her over for hours had she not cleared her throat, snapping him out of his trance and bringing his gaze up to her still blushing face, her expression soft as she wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. "Um, i-if you aren't getting up, could you lay back down soon? It's kind of cold."

The pegasus blinked, he'd never thought it was cold in here, save for a bit of a chill at night, but then his build helped him keep warm rather easily. After seeing the earth pony shiver again, though, he could tell that she was getting cold. Something in his head clicked and he laid back down, pulling the covers over them both before gently pulling the mare into his arms again.

As Diamond Tiara's face lit up at this, she heard Scooter speak up. "This help any?" The pegasus spoke softly, holding her firmly against him.

"A lot, actually." the earth pony said as she happily snuggled up against Scooter's chest, nuzzling it lightly without much thought.

As the two lay together once more, the kiss slowly slipped from their minds. They held each other close, their bodies warming one another.

The two would have been content to stay like this all day, but a knock on Scooter's door brought them back. The pegasus leapt up and quickly pulled on a shirt and pants before leaving the bedroom and shutting the door enough to give Diamond privacy enough to get dressed.

Scooter's eyes widened as he looked through the doorway to see a very concerned Filthy Rich standing opposite him.

"Ahem, um, Scooterroll, wasn't it?"

"Uh, S-scooter, sir." The pegasus gulped softly as he quickly realized that this pony woudl have only one reason to be here of all places: he was looking for his daughter.

"My apologies Scooter, but Diamond Tiara didn't come home last night, and I fear she may have been hurt. I have reason to believe that if she is well, then she is most likely here." Even though it seemed an accusation, the stallion in the tuxedo seemed more worried sick and pleading than anything.

Almost as though on cue, the mare in question walked out of the bedroom, dressed and cleaned up quite well, and ran to hug her dad, who immediately returned it.

"Daddy! I'm sorry I didn't come home last night. Some stallions that weren't happy with your last big decision found me." She paused for a moment. "They wanted to send a message by beating me until I could barely move." A tear fell down her cheek as she buried her face in her fathers chest.

The stallion looked to Scooter with a mix between confusion and concern.

The pegasus spoke up. "I don't know much about how, but that's the same story she told me after she got here. I do know that she was in pretty bad shape when she got to my door. I had to go get my friend, Silver Bell, and he-"

The earth pony cut him off with a hand. "So what you're telling me is that my daughter came to your house, beaten and in pain, and you helped her? Well, you and this Silver Bell friend of yours?"

Scooter gave a nod, but wasn't given much chance to respond beyond it.

The stallion looked to his daughter and noticed a few places where the healing spell hadn't been too seemless in fixing the cuts she'd had. He nodded and was about to speak when the mare holding onto him spoke.

"Um, daddy, how did you know I was here?"

The stallion sighed. "I apologize, but when you didn't show up, my first thought was of course that you'd decided to go off and spend the night with Silver Spoon. After a quick call to check on you silenced that idea, I thought over who else you may have been with for the night. When nopony else came to mind, I found and looked through your diary to see if there was some crush or something you'd not told me about. I didn't see much to go on outside of your mentions of this stallion here, so I figured this would be the first place to start."

Both Diamond Tiara and Scooter were slack-jawed and wide-eyed by the time Filthy Rich had finished speaking. Diamond couldn't believe that her dad had just said aloud what she'd had in her diary, while Scooter had trouble understanding exactly what she'd been writing about him in it.

Almost as though attempting to quell his thoughts, The mare spoke up. "Scooter, I swear it wasn't anything bad." She blushed lightly as she hoped that could be all she would have to say.

Scooter was curious, but decided to leave things at that for now. "Well, I guess you two should head on home. I should probably get to my routine today anyways."

Filthy Rich gave a nod and started to walk off. "Come with me Diamond. We've our own things to do."

Diamond sighed lightly and turned to follow Filthy Rich. Scooter seemed to think for a moment before stepping out. "Wait a sec. DT, who were the stallions who attacked you? I don't really expect any names, but do you remember anything about them?"

The mare and her father stopped in their tracks. Diamond Tiara slowly turned around to look at Scooter. "Why do you want to know? You've already done far more for me than I ever did for you or your friends. What would knowing that do for you?"

"I want to know because I think I might know the ponies who did it. I want to make sure though."

The mare blinked and stared for a moment before speaking up. "I remember they were all wearing something like that hooded pullover you were wearing yesterday because they each had his face covered with a hood. From what I do remember, one was white, one was kind of orange, just a bit lighter than yourself. I believe one was blue as well. Aside from that, I don't remember much except the sounds of wheels on the ground when they left."

Scooter's expression barely changed, seeming much more serious now. He gave a slow nod before speaking. "Yeah, I kinda figured that of anypony to attack a mare who didn't deserve it, it'd be those rats." He looked down for a moment. "I think I need to clear my head a little bit before I do something stupid." Without much waiting on a response, the pegasus walked into his house to get his gear.

The two earth ponies stood outside for a time, mildly confused at the whole thing. After a moment, however, they saw Scooter come out of his house and lock the door, now wearing a white hoodie and black fingerless gloves, a skateboard in one hand.

He put his keys in his pocket before turning to the two from before. "I'm sorry, I don't wanna seem rude or anything, but I just know that if I stay still for much longer I'm going to convince myself to make a big mistake."

"What are you talking about, Scooter?"

"Look, I've been told all the time by mares that they don't understand when I try to explain it. I guess it's more my fault since other stallions can usually get them to understand, or at least act like it. Maybe you get it, Filthy Rich, and maybe you can explain it better, but right now I just need to clear out some things."

Diamond Tiara opened her mouth to speak, but was quickly stopped by her father. "I understand. Go on ahead. We need to discuss some things between ourselves anyways."

Scooter nodded and tossed his board down the road before leaping and landing on it with practiced precision before using a hoof and his wings to rush forward with ease.

Diamond Tiara turned to her father with a look of noteworthy confusion. "What was that all about?" She seemed to stop and consider something. "And why were you so calm with him when you found out I was here?"

Filthy Rich smiled softly and looked to her. "For one, I was calm because even though I don't much know the lad, I can tell he's not the kind to take advantage of somepony. He's got something I've been hoping to see in your generation more often, 'character.' One look at him and I could tell he'd seen the darker side of life. Now he's made something of himself. He used where he was to get where he is now, and that does things to a pony, good things. It makes them worthy of trust."

"As for what he meant," the stallion continued, "he's right that it isn't something typically understood by mares. Even mothers don't understand it quite the same. He's protective of anypony he feels wasn't treated right. After all, he was there, wasn't he? Talked down to and mistreated by others? Why would he want anypony else to go through that? The thing here, though, is that he knows who did it, and it's quite likely he's less reserved than I. He is likely still twitching and wanting with every fiber to get back at the stallions who attacked you."

Diamond Tiara seemed utterly taken back by this sentiment. Before then, she was still wondering why Scooter had been so nice to her. She hadn't seen anything he would be gaining from it, but now it made a bit more sense. She still had no idea why he would be so concerned for her now, but the expression her father wore convinced her that he knew what he was talking about, though not exactly why.

The mare looked around to see that the pegasus had already disappeared from her sight. She gave a sigh as she and her father shared a hug before heading back home.

Scooter was agitated, and anypony who knew how he usually went about his routine could tell something was off. He was going much faster then he normally would, and his reactions were sluggish at best compared to his norm. Silver and Apple Buck noticed this as they saw their friend attempt a normally simple trick and fall off his board.

Not noticing in time to catch himself with his wings, Scooter fell onto the hard ground with a grunt and skidded a few short feet from his speed, his board clacking against the ground as it quickly skipped over the surface and stopped within moments.

The two stallions who'd seen this rushed over quickly, Apple Buck being both the first to reach him and first to speak. "You okay, Scoots?"

The two helped their pegasus friend to his hooves, though he winced slightly as he looked down to see a bit of blood seeping into his jeans. The others didn't notice at first, as Scooter's expression seemed much more concerning.

Silver now spoke up, his voice noticeably more worried than the earth pony to speak before him. "What's wrong? You've nailed that trick over a hundred times now without even seeming to try." He paused as his expression grew somewhat dire. "Does this have something to do with Diamind Tiara?"

Apple Buck's eyes grew wide immediately and he nearly stumbled back. "Diamond Tiara? What the hay was she doin' around here?"

Scooter shook his head and groaned before picking up his board and turning to his friends, his face beaming a mix of solemnity and anger. "Yeah, it does, but not anything she did. It's what happened to her." He paused as he sighed. "I know the ponies that attacked her. We used to be friends until about a year ago when they decided to bully a newbie out of the park. He was just a colt still. Hardly in his teens, if even. I've never forgiven them for it, and I never will, but this time they crossed the line."

Though usually the mention of an old bully getting hurt would brighten up most ponies' day to the thought of things catching up to them, neither of Scooter's friends disagreed that it was okay, but Apple Buck, not yet knowing the story, had to ask something. "So, what? Did they just up an' attack 'er fer no reason? Why'd they do it?"

Scooter's gaze never faltered, but his tone changed rather drastically, as before it was tinged with a heated anger, now it gave off a chilling calm and dripped with a venom that refused to freeze. "They attacked her because one of their 'friends' was cut out of something by her dad. They beat her until she could barely drag herself to her hooves to try and send a sick kind of message to her dad."

He paused as his next words lost all the chill, erupting with rage they'd not yet seen from their friend. "They could have killed her because of something she had nothing to do with! There's no telling what might've happened if I'd not been home, if she'd had to crawl from Ponyville all the way to Canterlot!"

The pegasus choked back tears of anger as he tried to calm himself, lashing out and kicking at a nearby rail, putting a decent dent in it, though not without hurting his leg in the process. "Damnit!" He held his leg and tried to take a few deep breaths.

His friends stood, eyes wide, in complete shock. They had never seen this side of Scooter before. They knew he was a bit hotheaded when it came to seeing people mistreated, but this was something else entirely. After a moment, the two slowly walked over and hugged their friend, receiving a strong, almost vice-like embrace in return.

The embrace was rather short-lived, however, as a few snickers were heard from behind Scooter. "Hey, get a room you pansies!" came an all too familiar voice.

The three broke from their embrace, but Scooter didn't turn to face them. "Now look here, y'all just need ta go on. Scoots ain't in no mood to be dealin' with any of ya."

Scooter spoke in a low voice, not needing to look to know that the stallions behind him were the ones Diamond Tiara described. Without looking to them or giving them a chance to respond, he spoke up, his voice eerily calm. "So, you ponies sure must have been busy last night." He turned to them slowly, his eyes not burning with hatred, but seething coldly, daring them to mention what they'd done.

Just as he'd figured, they were indeed the stallions Diamond Tiara had described, and the 'leader' of the group smirked as he responded. "Maybe. What's it matter to you, feather freak?"

Scooter was entirely unfazed by the insult, he'd been called much worse things in his life, and this lowlife wasn't about to get to him through something so petty. "It matters because I had a mare at my door last night that was bruised and bloodied thanks to a few good-for-nothing stallions who couldn't find the guts to say or do anything to her father over his calls. The stallions she described fit you three perfectly."

The three grinned darkly as they held back laughter. "Oh, so you saw our handiwork? Not bad, huh? Let me guess, that cunt fuckin' crawled up to your door, didn't she?"

They laughed, not noticing Scooter stepping towards them, or leaping at the one to speak before laying into his jaw with a hoof and all the force his wings could muster behind it.

The hit connected and sent the stallion sprawling, the others shocked by the suddenness of it all too much to notice Scooter swinging his board at the larger of the two remaining. The board struck the large stallion on the side of the head and knocked him to the ground with a firm 'thunk.'

By this time, the last of the three had recovered enough to react and swung out wildly with his arm, his aim landing the blow on the side of Scooter's back, and barely brought him to flinch before he spun around, delivering his own punch into the earth pony's gut, forcing him to double over before a knee to the side of his head sent him to the ground, groaning in pain.

Silver Bell and Apple Buck stood shocked at their friend, rushing over as they saw him straddling the smaller pony's midsection. Apple Buck managed to catch his arm before he could swing again, only due to Scooter trying to haul off and knock everything he could out of the stallion who attacked a helpless mare.

The stallion sputtered before speaking. "What do you even care about her? She bullied you for years, right? I figured you of anypony would have been happy to see her get what she deserved."

Were it not for Apple Buck and Silver holding him back, Scooter would have swung again, maybe even knocking him out. "I care because she DIDN'T deserve it. A little run of bad luck? Sure, but getting beaten like that for something she couldn't have possibly had control over? Nopony deserves that!"

Finding this position hard to restrain him in, Scooter's friends pulled him up and away from the three stallions he'd just attacked, all of which were slowly climbing to their hooves.

Apple Buck now spoke up, his tone somewhat edgy. "Look here, now. Ah don't think Scoots had a right to attack y'all like that, but he's right. Y'all had no business doin' what you did to DT. Now if ya'll are smart, ya won't stick around and try nothin'. If'n it takes all three of ya ta have a fightin' chance against a mare like Diamond Tiara, then yer better off not tryin'a fight the three of us."

The leader groaned as he rubbed his jaw, wincing slightly as he spoke. "C-come on, guys. We ain't got t-time to deal with these l-losers."

The others silently agreed as they picked up their boards and walked off, the larger two stumbling a little as they left.

A short while after the three were out of sight, Silver and AB let Scooter go. He stretched his shoulders a little as he looked back to his friends. He heaved a hefty sigh as he scratched his mane. "Thanks for holding me back guys. I guess my idea of skating to avoid doing something stupid kinda backfired on me, huh?"

"Scooter, we understand. You were feeling righteous anger."

"More like rage, really."

"Rage, or anger, look, the point is that you very well COULD have done much worse to them. Now I'm not going to say you wouldn't have if we weren't here because I don't think I've ever seen anypony like you were."

Scooters ears fell back as her rubbed his shoulder and turned to collect his board. "Gee, thanks. I feel so much better knowing I lost control that bad." He picked up his board and was about to skate elsewhere when a hand rested on his shoulder.

"Scoots, look. We ain't sayin' nothin' bad aboutcha. Okay? Now, sure, ah think ya coulda handled what they said a bit better, but then again, ah'm not you. I didn't know what was goin' through yer head or what you were feelin' right then, but I know ya wouldn't jus' up and attack anypony like that fer no good reason."

Scooter sighed softly. "Can I be honest with you? I mean, yeah, I know you two are my best friends, but I'm really conflicted on somethin' here."

The two offered a soft smile and walked with their pegasus friend to a bench, sitting on either side of him.

"Scoots, ya can tell us anything. Ah mean anything. What're friends for if not to help each other out?"

"Yeah, we won't judge. You know us better than that."

"I guess you're right." Scooter gave a light chuckle as he took a deep breath. "So, as you know, Silv, DT spent the night at my place last night."

Apple Buck seemed a bit confused, but a casual nod from Silver and any worries he had were set at ease.

Scooter continued. "Well, it was kinda hot last night for me, so I got comfortable how I usually do. No arguments or complaints from Diamond. Seeing as she did the same thing because of what she had to wear, I guess she didn't really have much room to say anything."

The two stallions beside Scooter both had eyes wide in surprise, but Silver, being a gentlecolt quite used to holding tact, managed to keep a quite casual calm in his voice. "So, were you both naked, or were you wearing at least something?"

Scooter shook his head softly. "Nah, we were both covered where it counted. Though, I gotta admit, she didn't look half bad like that. She has a nice figure."

His voice took on almost a dreaming tone as he remembered with almost frightening detail the scene from last night. "She stood there, a little moonlight filtering in through the blinds and accentuating her slight curves. She's thin, or, well, she isn't skinny, per say, she's slender, but in a healthy way. She has fairly wide hips, and I gotta admit it took me a moment to look away from her rear. You can definitely tell she takes pride in her appeal. I know I'm not usually one to look a girl over, but there was just something about it all, I mean even her chest was sizable. I don't even know how long it took me to pull my eyes from her body, but I know that when I did, she was already looking at me."

Silver and Apple Buck had been listening, slack-jawed by the description they'd just heard of a mare who'd mercilessly picked on the stallion speaking for years. They were entirely speechless for a time, and soon Apple Buck was the one to collect himself and speak.

"Wait, so d-did ya'll..."

Scooter hardly waited for him to finish the question before answering. "No. We did not do anything. We slept on my bed, but we only held each other. Nothing more."

The pegasus blushed slightly as he then remembered the morning and what he'd awoken too not long ago. "Though, this morning was a bit of a different story. We woke up, though I can't say I was all too aware of anything. I know I felt a mare in my arms, and that she felt soft. She was warm and it felt, nice. I leaned down and out lips met. It wasn't like passionate or anything. I didn't feel any kind of rush. My wings were as relaxed as ever. It was just, soft, kind, almost loving."

Scooter seemed to drift off into thought as the last words left his mouth. The others would have snapped him out of it, but they were far too shocked by what they'd just heard.

After a moment, Scooter slowly came back and continued. "Then the sun rose and we saw each other. We didn't just dart to opposite sides of the room like you see in those crappy love stories between a reluctant couple. We just stared at each other. We froze. After a little bit, we kinda drifted away from each other and got up. Then her dad knocked on the door, she gave a bit more about what happened, told me what the ponies who hurt her looked like, and I set out for here. You both know the story from there."

Silence surrounded the three for a time before Silver spoke up. "Well, whatever comes out of this, we'll be right behind you."

Scooter looked up to see the unicorn smiling reassuringly at him. Then he heard AB's voice. "Yeah. No matter what, you can count on us. We'll be right here whenever ya need us. Not that ah think ya will, but it doesn't change a thing."

Scooter looked to Apple Buck and saw the same comforting smile. The three shared another hug, this time all of them holding tightly to one another. "Thanks. You guys have no idea good it feels to hear that."

Author's Note

Okay, so I wasn't okay with how I left this one off. It wasn't concluded, and that was my fault. I apologize and hope everypony will reread this and see that I'm not just a lazy writer. I also apologize for my stupid mistake with the last sentence form the leader of the punks. It was silly and I hate not noticing it. Thanks for everypony who's faved this story. It really means a lot that you were able to put up with my entirely amateurish errors. I'm still learning, but I'm trying to learn quickly.

Chapter 2

Scooter took a deep breath as he casually coasted towards his house. After his conversation with his friends, and their departure for their own jobs, the pegasus had gone to his job, clearing the skies.

Weather team was almost an absolute for an able pegasus around Ponyville. With no magic to help with the skies, the pegasi had to work diligently to keep everything running smoothly. It wasn't too tough, really. He had to make sure that the weather patterns needed for the day were up to par, and to make it so in a decent time frame.

The work today was harder than usual, but he liked it. It gave him time to think things over. Since yesterday, it seemed as though everything was happening so quickly. One moment, he was getting settled end for what would have been his most perfect day in weeks, the next, he was rushing to Silver's house as quickly as his hooves and wings would take him in a desperate attempt to help the mare who'd made his life Hell years ago.

Now he was trying to get her out of his head, and for once, not because of something objectively bad. His thoughts were, thankfully, interrupted by the sight of his house just in the distance. He smiled softly as he rounded the last corner, the full house coming into view.

It was about that moment when he noticed something peculiar. He swore he saw a light pink figure near his house, though he was still far enough away that he knew it could be anypony, but as he came closer, his eyes widened in recognition. He'd hoped his eyes were just playing tricks on him. As he grew closer, however, he knew that what he was seeing was actually there.

He came within a few feet of the nearest side of his house and stopped before kicking his skateboard up and grabbing it. He gave the best smile he could, but his expression was obviously nervous as he looked to the very familiar earth pony before him. "Uh, hey, DT. I thought you were going home with your dad. Did you forget something here?"

Diamond Tiara shook her head. She was blushing slightly, though why she was entirely escaped Scooter. She spoke softly, almost hesitantly. "I just, I've been thinking about things, and I felt maybe we should talk about things. If that's okay, that is." She looked around the empty street. "I would prefer if we talked inside."

Scooter seemed a bit confused, but something told him that whatever was going on, she was obviously sincere about wanting to talk. He figured he had plenty to talk with her about and nodded, giving a much more convincing smile as he unlocked his door and opened it for her.

The mare smiled and stepped in with a soft 'Thank you.' Scooter closed and locked the door behind him before setting down his board and taking a seat beside Diamond Tiara on the couch.

"So, what did you want to talk about exactly?"

Diamond sighed and looked to Scooter before looking back down. "I just, I wanted to apologize."

Scooter smiled a bit. "Look, I would've done it for anypony, you weren't any inco-"

The mare stopped him with an upheld hand, but quickly drew it back. "Scooter, I mean for the way I treated you all those years ago."

The pegasus's expression fell a little. He wasn't sure exactly what to expect the talk to be about, but this was definitely not on his list. "What do you mean?"

Diamond Tiara looked to the stallion, her eyes soft, practically pleading. "I mean just what I said. I treated you so badly for so long. I insulted you, I humiliated you at every turn, I did everything I could to make you miserable. I did you so wrongly, but..."

Her voice trailed off for a moment before she started back up. "But nothing. There's no flip side to this. There's no hidden sunshine or siliver lining. I was simply horrid to you. I know I could never make up for what I did and I know that you have no reason to forgive me, but I guess I felt like I owed you so-"

This time it was Scooter to cut Diamond off, though not with a raised hand, but with a hug. Diamond was entirely shocked. She didn't expect anything at all really, maybe a pat on the shoulder and a good bye, but nothing more.

"I forgive you," Scooter said softly, holding the mare tighter.

"Wh-what?" was all Diamond Tiara could manage to say.

"I said, I forgive you. I'm not saying what you did was right, or even okay, but I'm not mad, and I'm not upset. I'm not holding it against you. You're not that same filly you were, and I see that. Yeah, you treated me like crap. Yeah, it hurt, but we all have to move on from the things we did in our youth or we'll never get anywhere."

Scooter pulled away slowly and looked to see the mare tearing up. "Y-you mean, you're r-really not mad at me? Even after I t-treated you like that for so long, y-you can just forgive me?"

The stallion looked at her sternly for a moment, but he quickly softened up. "We were foals, Diamond. If I held all that against you still, I'd be no better than those stallions who attacked you. They couldn't handle themselves against another stallion. That's why they attacked you. That's also why I made sure they knew they'd messed up."

Diamond's eyes grew wide. "What do you mean? What happened?"

Scooter sighed and looked down. "I uh, I kinda bumped into them when I went to meet up with AB and Silv. Good thing they were there too. I screwed up pretty badly, but it could've been much worse."

Without any real thought about her words, Diamond Tiara spoke with great and obvious concern in her voice. "What? Did they hurt you? Are you okay?"

Scooter was taken back a little by this, but kept his tone as casual as possible. "Yeah, I'm fine, Diamond. Are you sure that you're okay?"

The earth pony blushed deep red as she realised how she must've just sounded. She seemed to start thinking up and excuse before apparently giving up. She looked to Scooter and sighed. "I've just, I've honestly always admired you, Scooter."

The pegasus blinked a few times and motioned to clean his ears. "Um, come again?"

The mare spoke more clearly, taking care to make sure it was obvious she knew and meant what she was saying. "I said that I've always admired you. You were one of the last in our class to find your special talent, as well as one of the last of your year to be able to fly. I made your life at school miserable with everything I could, but..."

She took a breath and looked directly into Scooter's eyes. "But no matter what happened, no matter what you had to go through or deal with, you always stayed optimistic. Nothing was ever too much for you to handle. You never gave up on anything. Now look at you. You're on your own, comfortably living in a very nice home, you're an amazing flyer, and even my father seems to look up to you a little bit."

If Scooters eyes weren't as wide as they could get before, they were now. He was completely lost for words at this. He could hardly believe what he'd just heard.

Not sure how to take the stallion's silence, Diamond tried to quickly think up something to do or say. Another one of her father's sayings came to mind: When your mind fails to figure out what's best, listen to your heart; it will always have an answer.

She figured that if they'd helped him enough to be worth telling, then they would be worth giving a shot. Without second thought about it, she let her heart lead her, and it led her straight into a kiss with Scooter.

At first the stallion went rigid. His body tensed merely from the suddenness of the motion. After a few seconds, however, the surprise ebbed and he relaxed. He felt something somewhat familiar. He felt the same thing he had when they kissed that morning. He felt tha familiar touch of her soft lips, he felt the way that the pressed tenderly, invitingly against his.

Without much further hesitation, Scooter wrapped his arms around the mare's waist, tucking his wings in as he fell back onto the couch and pulled Diamond on top of him. He gently returned the kiss, his mind focused now entirely on the lips pressed against his own.

Diamond wasn't sure why she'd kissed Scooter, and definitely not why he'd kissed her back, but what she was absolutely positive of, was that she was happy it happened. Every thought that troubled her before disappeared entirely, leaving her with only the stallion holding her, kissing her, to focus on, and that's just what she did.

Both ponies laid there, lips locked, in silence only broken by the slight, almost nonexistent sounds of their kiss, for what felt to both of them like hours. Upon finally breaking the kiss, however, a quick look outside gave that maybe a few minutes had passed.

The two looked at each other, their cheeks slightly reddened in the aftermath of what they'd just done. Neither knew quite what to say, and so said nothing for a while. After a few moments of silence, Scooter cleared his throat.

"So, does your dad know you're here?"

Diamond nodded. "I told him I felt I needed to talk to you. He said it was fine, and that he didn't really mind when I came back as long as I was with you."

Scooter flushed a bit more at this, but decided to take a chance with it. "In that case, do you think he'd mind if you stayed the night again? He seemed pretty okay with it before."

"He wouldn't mind." The mare spoke the words very matter-of-factly, blushing still, but sounding quite sure of her words.

"Would you like to stay again?"

"I think I would. Should we get to bed then?"

Scooter smiled softly and leaned up to plant a small peck on the mare's lips, making her blush and giggle a little, which only led her to blush worse. Scooter chuckled softly. "Yeah, let's go."

The two rose from the couch and walked together into the bedroom. Once they were both inside, Scooter closed the door behind them and began taking off his hoodie. To his surprise and silent satisfaction, he pulled the hoodie off from over his eyes to see Diamond Tiara undressing to her undergarments again.

So he thought, until the mare removed her shirt enough to show that there was no bra under it, and soon removing her pants to show the same was true for her panties, nothing. His eyes widened as his face lit up.

Diamond turned to face Scooter with a soft smile, to see him removing his shirt, rather slowlywhile it was over his head. "Do you need some help with that?"

Scooter was entirely oblivious to the fact that the mare was steadily walking towards him, as he could neither see nor hear her approach. "Huh? Oh, uh, heheh, nah. I got it, just uh, just stretching my arms a little real quick."

Not long after he'd finished speaking, he felt Diamond against him, more specifically, he felt her warm, soft, bare breasts against him as she reached up and helped him remove his shirt. Upon doing so, she could see the pegasus's cheeks had turned bright red.

Diamond wasn't an innocent little filly, and it didn't take her long to figure out why the usually somewhat cocky pegasus was acting so shy. She smiled a little and kissed his cheek.

"Don't worry, Scooter, I don't bite, and I don't mind you looking at me. Admittedly, I didn't expect to be here right now, but something about you just seems to comfort me and send away all the silly worries I usually have. I don't know what, but that's fine. I'll figure it out."

Scooter was surprised, but not enough to be fazed too much by it all. The surprise of first seeing her bare had all but gone, and somehow what she'd said had eased him up a bit. He put on a soft smile as he pulled her against him and kissed her forehead. "Then I guess I should finish getting comfortable so we can rest, huh?"

Diamond blushed a bit but giggled as she nodded before walking to the bed and sitting on it.

Scooter took off his pants, but chose to leave his boxers on, which seemed to be just fine for Diamond Tiara as her smile never faded. He walked over and took his place in the bed as she followed suit, laying beside him and snuggling close as he pulled the covers over them. This time, Scooter didn't hesitate for a moment to pull her tight against him, holding onto her body and again embracing the soft warmth of her form.

Though there were plenty of thoughts to cross both of their minds, the two were more focused on getting some shut-eye. They happily held on to one another and slipped into the realm of Artemis, the realm of dreams.

Come the next day, the two awoke to see each other smiling softly as they held onto one another. Their eyes met for a moment before closing as the two ponies leaned in for a kiss. Their lips met in the usual, soft fashion. They were fresh from slumber, and looking forward to the same calming, familiar feeling from the two kisses they'd shared before.

There was only one problem, something wasn't the same, and the kiss reflected it. It was subtle at first, barely noticeable, but a strange warmth from the touch of one another's lips grew and grew between them. The first thing to truly tell them both that something was truly different, however, was when Scooter's wings started to twitch behind him.

Both ponies noticed it and the kiss was quickly broken as the looked at each other. For some reason, their minds could not at the moment figure out quite what was going on, but after a minute of silence, Scooter's eye widened and he quickly rose from the best shaking his head in his hands. "Oh no, no, no, no, no, no! This was not supposed to go there!"

Diamond Tiara, apparently sobered entirely from her slight sleepy haze by the sudden movement of the pegasus quickly caught up, recoiling slightly at the thoughts in her head.

Her recoil was apparently physical as well as mental, as Scooter seemed to take notice. "I'm sorry. It's, it's not what you're thinking, I-I think. Ugh! I don't know. I just, I don't know what to say." He was visibly nervous and distraught in the wake of what Diamond Tiara thought was a much more simple matter than he seemed to.

"Scooter. Please, calm down and tell me what YOU think happened. Why are you so upset?" The mare sat up, the covers falling to lay over her waist and legs, thought leaving her chest now exposed.

Scooter barely took notice of them as he took a deep breath and tried to calm down. After a few good breaths and a moment or two with his eyes shut, he seemed to manage it. As he opened them, however, he suddenly found his eyes drawn to Diamond's exposed breasts. He blushed but shook his head a bit as his gaze met hers. He sighed and walked to the bed, taking a seat on the edge of it.

"I don't know to be honest. I guess I just felt that, ya know, since the first two times we kissed, there really wasn't anything like, well, that, that it would stay that way." He heaved another, more exasperated sigh. "Maybe I just feel like I shouldn't feel that way about you. That maybe you're only acting like this because, well, because I helped you out."

Diamond Tiara sat quiet for a moment, which was apparently much too long, as Scooter stood from the bed and walked to his closet before she could speak up. He searched for a pair of jeans and a shirt as he spoke. "Look, I get that you're glad I helped you out and everything. Honestly, I do. Blitz really helped me out, personally. If it weren't for him, there's no way I'd be as good a flyer as I am now. The thing is, though, that you don't owe me anything."

He pulled on a pair of pants and a shirt before picking out a light blue hoodie and sliding it on. After he was dressed, he turned to the still undressed mare. "I just, I think we need to take a few days to get that whole incident out of our heads." Diamond started to object, but Scooter hardly gave her a chance. "I think you need to get dressed and head back home for now. In a week, I'd like to meet back up if you still want to see me. I'll be heading up to Canterlot around then with AB to see Silver perform. So we can meet there or something."

Diamond Tiara again opened her mouth to object, but decided against it. She was, afterall, in his home, and his bed. Not to mention everything he truly had done for her in these two days' past. The least she could do was give him the space he asked for, and she gave a nod before getting up and dressing herself.

Before she left, she turned to the stallion. "Could I get a hug? Just to know this isn't on bad terms?"

Scooter couldn't help but smile slightly. He pulled the mare into a hug, which she returned without hesitation. It was rather quick, and neither pony lingered much after it. Diamond Tiara gave a nod and a small 'thank you' before leaving.

A few moments passed after she left, and Scooter slumped and walked to his couch before falling onto it with a low groan. He looked up at the ceiling and sighed. "What exactly did I just do? I'm pretty sure I just shot myself in the foot." He blinked as he looked down at the slight bulge that had formed in his pants not long ago. "Correction, I think I just basically kicked myself in the balls." He groaned as he lay back and tried to get the thought of Diamond Tiara out of his head, though he soon found his efforts to be in vain. "Great."

Author's Note

Dear Celestia, please let me not have royally screwed this up. I'm not comfortable with this going by too quickly. I want it to take a little time, have some build up. Too much? Not enough? Criticise this! Please?

The Chapter on a Train

Scooter stared out the window during the train ride to Canterlot. His friend Apple Buck was beside him, and apparently concerned.

"Ya okay there, Scoots? Ya ain't said a word since we started movin'."

Scooter snapped from his daydream, placing his hands in his lap, a bit of a reflex he'd built over the past week whenever he daydreamed around anypony else. "Huh? Oh, uh, yeah, AB. I'm fine. Just, uh, just can't wait to see Silv on stage." He gave his best shot at a casual chuckle, and managed a weak, sheepish one.

Apple Buck raised a brow and noticed again how quickly his friend's hands moved when he stopped zoning out. He'd been curious about it for some time, and with nopony else around and still a ways to Canterlot, he figured now was a good time to ask.

"Well, that's all fine and dandy, but why've you been doin' that thing with yer hands lately? It's only been since ya had the incident with DT and those punks."

Scooter's cheeks flushed deep red as he searched for an excuse, any excuse besides the truth and the moment something came to mind that sounded right, he said it, and immediately regretted it. "I, uh, I just, I've been really enjoying you and Silv's company, ya know? Just didn't wanna freak you both out." The moment the last word left his mouth, he wanted to toss himself out of the train car, and was rather tempted to for a moment, but decided against it.

Apple Buck's eyes were wide. "Wh-what? Wait, are you sayin' you like stallions too?" He paused briefly as the full of what Scooter said set in. "Wait, you feel like that with me an' Silver?!"

Scooter wasn't sure what to say, but he knew not thinking it over would just make things worse, unfortunately, he couldn't exactly help it this time. "I told you, I didn't want you guys freaking out. I mean, I wouldn't even know because I've never kissed either of you." 'Open mouth, insert hoof' were the first words to cross his mind after that.

The farmpony blinked a bit, his mind finally settling and a few thoughts crossing his mind as he blushed slightly. "S-so, just outta curiosity, would ya've kissed one of us if you'd've gotten the chance?"

This time it was the pegasus to stare at his friend. He knew from how AB had asked what he did that there was definitely some kind of curiosity there. He took a moment to think and blushed lightly as he came to his answer. "Uh, y-yeah. I guess I would've. Not that it would've happened, though."

"Well, we could find out." The earth pony wasn't sure what possessed him to say that, but he quickly chalked it up to his habits from their years of constant crusading and trying anything for a cutiemark.

Scooter blinked, not entirely sure how to respond. For a moment, he was frozen in place, but soon he found himself leaning in towards his friend. A moment later, Apple Buck began doing the same. The two came muzzle to muzzle for a brief moment before their lips met. It wasn't anything too special, no spark, no fireworks, nothing. Though, it was kind of fun. The two moved closer and held the kiss. It wasn't that they were turned on by it, it just felt nice. They had no want to do more, but they saw no reason to pull away either.

They lost track of time, only breaking the kiss after hearing the announcement that the train was arriving at Canterlot. They both looked to each other with blazing red cheeks. They stared for a while before they felt the car come to a stop. They then quickly gathered their things and set off towards the Canterlot Theater.

The two didn't mention the kiss on the way, mostly because there was nothing to say. They kissed. They liked it, so they kept kissing, and then they stopped. There were no weird feelings to explain, there was no big reveal to go through. They both knew that there wasn't anything more to it, so they didn't make it out for more than it was.

It took the duo a good five minutes to reach the theater. "Hey, uh, AB, how about you go on in. I'll catch up in a sec."

Though normally the earth pony would have asked why, he felt he'd let his curiosity do enough for now and simply nodded before showing his ticket and heading inside.

Scooter sighed and tried to collect his thoughts for a moment, walking to the side of the building to keep anypony walking by from seeing him. He wasn't sure quite why he was so concerned with being seen, but the daydreams from before quickly answered him. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he forced them from his mind.

After a moment more he opened his eye from concentration to see a rather concerned looking mare before him. Another look and he noticed her pink fur, then her two-toned mane. He blinked to make sure he wasn't just seeing things, but before him, in arguably very casual dress, was Diamond Tiara, the mare he'd just managed to push from his thoughts.

She was wearing jeans that seemed taught from her waist to her knees before loosening and hanging on her legs slightly. He couldn't tell what kind of shirt she was wearing under her jacket, and if he didn't know any better, he'd almost be tempted to assume she had nothing on under it.

His cheeks lit up for a moment as he tried to think of something to say, but was stopped by a finger pressed lightly to his lips.

"Scooter, please. Can we just watch your friend perform together? Maybe talk a little after it? I've done a lot of thinking this past week."

The pegasus was silent for a moment, but soon nodded slowly, getting a soft smile from Diamond Tiara before they both turned and walked to the counter, presenting their tickets and walking inside.

It took a moment, but they soon found Apple Buck sitting on the right end of a row, three seats to the left of him open. The two ponies made their way down the aisle and to the row, both passing by the earth pony.

"Wait, Diamond Tiara? What are you doin' here?" Apple Buck asked softly. The two sat down, Scooter beside his friend and Diamond Tiara just beside him.

"AB, it's okay. She's just here for the show."

Apple Buck raised an eyebrow but a sudden hushing from the audience members around them told that the performance was about to begin. The earth pony shook his head and rolled his eyes as he turned his attention to the stage.

The show ended just shy of three hours after it began, and, upon Silver joining them, Apple Buck, Scooter, and Diamond Tiara walked to the train station with smiles on their faces. Silver and Apple Buck were admittedly uncomfortable around the light pink mare, but they knew Scooter saw something in her, and had little problem putting things aside for him.

Upon reaching the station and boarding their ride back, the small group made their way to their rather spacious car for the trip back. Scooter and his friends were rather surprised to see Diamond Tiara in such a low budget car, but considering how casually she was dressed, as well as that she'd seemed quite comfortable with them all on the walk back, they decided not to question it aloud. After a moment of settling in, the group found themselves with Scooter and Diamond Tiara sharing a seat just across from Silver Bell and Apple Buck.

Scooter was quick to pipe up, glad to have kept at least one of his questions saved up to break the ice. "So, Silv, how exactly did you get Green Neigh up there? That must have been, like, super expensive."

Silver gave a chuckle and a warm smile. "Oh, it was simple really, I just had to convince the owners of the theater that sales would balance everything out, and then convince the band that Canterlot was a suitable venue. Quite simple, really, if you have the way with words I do."

Silver's friends chuckled, the farm pony speaking up this time. "Well, ah can't say ya ain't got a way with words, Silv, but it couldn'ta been that easy."

"Yeah, I mean convincing snooty people that a punk band will be worth their time, AND convincing a punk band that a snooty theater hall is a good venue? Even you must've had something else up your sleeve for it."

Diamond Tiara spoke up softly, looking to Scooter and Apple Buck with a hint of confusion. "What do you mean? It really is that simple. If the theater can make more in sales than it costs to put on the performance, then it's usually a sealed call on their end, after all, revenue is revenue. As for the band, most are always looking for an opportunity to get new fans, though many genuinely seem to have less selfish reasons than either the fame or the money associated with it."

The two laughing ponies stopped and looked to the mare, a bit surprised, but Scooter quickly shrugged it off and sat up, stretching his arms and wings a little before relaxing back in the seat. "Well, whatever it took, it was awesome. I just kinda wish we had a rail running back to Ponyville the short way, y'know? I mean, an hour to Canterlot? Not too bad, really. Almost eight hours back? I mean, what the heck? It'll be nearly midnight before we get back."

"I agree they should implement that system one day. It really is rather exhausting having to ride so long just to get back home. Though, I guess it's fine if one needs to catch up on some rest." Almost on cue, the unicorn gave a yawn as he stretched. "Speaking of which, I think I may turn in before long. Anypony coming with me?"

Scooter shrugged. "Hey stallion, look, I'm just fine right where I'm at. I'm not really tired, but I don't mind crashing here if it hits me."

Apple Buck gave a yawn too before rubbing his eyes a bit. "Come ta think of it, ah really haven't been restin' as much as ah need to. Ah think ah'll join ya."

The two gave a look to Diamond Tiara who shook her head politely, looking very much awake. They had a few reasons not to discuss the matter further and decided not to push anything. They stood and waved before crossing the isle to the resting side. It wasn't uncommon for trains to have these kinds of cars for round-trip tickets, as the trips back home were often quite long compared to the initial trip. It was more of a simple courtesy than anything, but it kept the business going, so they saw no reason to change it.

It was a few minutes before Diamond Tiara broke the silence that had fallen on the car, which hadn't been moving for more than half an hour at most. "So, I could tell you really liked the performance."

Scooter raised a brow, but sat up a bit, deciding to play along with what he knew was likely more than just small talk. "Uh, yeah. I always like watching Silv perform. He's like, a natural. Yeah, sure, everypony can sing pretty well, but not everypony can play all the instruments he can while they sing. I actually think most who can play something are pretty much only good with that one thing, really."

Diamond nodded. "I enjoyed it too. Though, I believe we have something to talk about."

Scooter heaved a sigh. He'd been expecting this since a few minutes into the show. He turned to speak, but stopped when he noticed the look in the mare's eyes. She wasn't angry or commanding, but seemed almost to be pleading for a chance to explain. The stallion closed his mouth and gave her the chance, and her expression quickly showed she was thankful.

"I've had plenty of time to think over all of this, and I've spent it doing just that. I believe I know why you wanted space for the week. I looked back at how I was and how I acted that night and that morning, and I can see how I might have been sending some pretty crazy signals. I get that now, but..."

The mare paused for a moment before looking to the pegasus resolutely. "I like you. I don't mean like just some friend, or even like Silver Spoon. I want to be your special somepony. To be completely honest, I've always kinda liked you.

"Like I told you before, when we were at your house, I know you've had it pretty tough, and I know I sure didn't make anything any easier on you, but in spite of everything put in front of you, you never let anything stop you or even slow you down." She shifted a little on her seat as she continued. "One thing I know for sure is that I could never have done what you did, made it through everything you went through, and especially not come out as well as you did. Most ponies couldn't have done it. You had the odds against you for so long, starting so early, and you came out on top, and still so kind. Anypony could respect that."

She stopped for a moment, looking down as he voice drew a softer, more withheld tone. "You're strong. Stronger than me, stronger than anypony I know. You're special."

She sighed and kicked a hoof against the floor of the car. "I guess you could say that I did what I did back then because I knew just how weak I was, and I saw how weak you weren't, and I guess it got to me."

"DT..." The pegasus spoke softly, but it was enough to pull the earth pony beside him from her lament. She looked to Scooter, who quickly pulled her into a hug. She was surprised, to say the least, but it quickly left her and she returned the embrace. They held it for a few moments before Scooter gently pulled away and looked into Diamond Tiara's eyes. "I know that must've taken a lot to get out. Now, while I can't honestly say that I liked you back then, I can definitely say that I've felt something since that day."

Scooter's cheeks flushed red, and Diamond Tiara stayed silent for a moment. She wasn't sure how to respond, since she wasn't sure what would have been appropriate. A hug felt right, but then so did the way she treated the pegasus all those years ago. She knew that the two were entirely different, but it still stood to tell that she didn't always have the best judgement with intuition.

After a few awkward moments passed, the earth pony settled on a response. "Well, what exactly do you mean? I mean, what you've felt since that day."

Scooter scratched his mane as he gathered his thoughts. "Well, it's just that, since that day you've been, ya know, acting different, like, in a good way and all. You've been really nice, and everything. Now today even after we haven't even seen each other for a week, you're still actually nice to me. I mean, I dunno, I guess I just figured you were only nice to ponies with something you wanted, and I don't see what I have that you could want."

"I mean, my house can't be as nice as yours, and I'm not rich, like, at all. I've got enough to eat on, keep my gear up, and have a few little luxuries, but nothing like what you're used to. No matter how I look at it, I have nothing like what I could see you wanting. It's been on my mind the whole week, and it occurred to me that, well, maybe you're not after something so shallow. Maybe you actually did like me. I guess I just wanted to be sure it wasn't just because I helped you, just because I bailed you out, ya know?"

Diamond Tiara gave a slight nod as she reached for Scooter's hand, pleasantly surprised to have him not pull away. "I know what you mean. I talked it over with my father for a good while, and I spent a lot of time thinking. I know you didn't have much reason to trust me. I know you still don't, really. I know you mean well with anything you decide to do, which is why I really tried to wait the full week. I wanted some way to show you I've truly changed."

Scooter looked to Diamond Tiara, his cheeks showing a light blush as he smiled. He slowly turned his hand and gently held hers before pulling her closer and kissing her lips gently, an action that was happily returned by the earth pony.

Silver sat up in his bed, Apple Buck still lying beside him and groaning slightly from the motion. "Aw c'mon Silver, just a few more minutes?"

The unicorn couldn't help but chuckle and smile to the farm pony. "Just a sec, AB. I just thought about something kinda important."

This brought the earth pony to sit up rather quickly. "Somethin' wrong, sugarcube?"

Silver blushed a bit at the pet name. He'd thought he was used to it, but Apple Buck always managed to change that. "Well, we've been like this for a while, and I was just thinking that we haven't told Scooter yet. I feel kind of bad, you know?"

Apple Buck gave the unicorn a playful jab. "Oh that? An' here ya done got me all worried. Scoots won't care or nothin' if that's what's gotcha all stirred up."

"I don't think he'll care, but it's been weeks and we still haven't told him. We need to eventually, dear."

Apple Buck ignored his blush and shook his head before kissing Silver Bell on the cheek. "Look, how 'bout this? We'll tell 'im tomorrow mornin'. Sound good ta you?"

Silver gave the farm pony a gentle hug. "Well, I think I'd feel better telling him now. I mean, don't you think we should?"

Apple Buck chuckled and walked to the door, shifting the blinds enough to see the car across from them, and two very familiar ponies quite involved in a kiss. "Ah think he can wait 'til we get back. He's just a mite busy right now."

Silver walked over and looked through the blinds before smiling. "You have a point." He let out a slight yelp as Apple Buck lifted him and set him back on the bed. "Buck, seriously, I thought we talked abou--" He stopped short as the farm pony kissed him, though the contact was kept brief.

"An' since when have ah ever listened?"

The two laughed a little before settling back into the bed.

Scooter and Diamond Tiara eventually ended their kiss and settled against one another, the pink earth pony held lovingly against the orange pegasus's chest. "Think we should head to the bed side?"

"I don't know, I'm pretty comfortable here. Aren't you?"

Scooter chuckled and gently stroked Diamond's mane. "Yeah, I'm pretty content. Now how about we rest a bit? It's a long ride to Ponyville."

The mare answered with a giggle and a quick peck on Scooter's cheek before snuggling against him. He smiled and kissed her forehead before wrapping her in his arms and wings before they drifted off to sleep.