From Rumble With Love

by Locomotion

Rating: everyone
Tags: Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Rainbow Dash, Comedy, Romance, Scootaloo, Rumble, Slice of Life
Length: 24928

So far, Scootaloo has never been all that interested in love. Can a grey-coated young Pegasus colt change that?

Apple Bloom's latest idea for the Cutie Mark Crusaders leads to a row between her and Scootaloo, during which she unintentionally makes a harsh remark about the Pegasus filly's poor flying capabilities. Ashamed and angry, Scootaloo turns her back on the Crusaders; but shortly after their dispute, she bumps into a two-tone grey Pegasus colt named Rumble, who instantly feels sorry for her after hearing how bad she is at flying, and the two Pegasi strike up an immediate friendship.

As time goes on, Scootaloo starts to wonder if maybe her feelings for Rumble run far deeper - something that the other Cutie Mark Crusaders have noticed too, and soon, they begin making plans to bring them together. But when Apple Bloom decides to take it to the extreme, she accidentally lands Rumble in mortal danger. Will Scootaloo be able to save him?

Published 2014-01-01 01:10:07 UTC
Last updated 2014-01-01 01:10:07 UTC

Chapter 1: Chance Meeting

Apple Bloom carefully browsed through the list that lay in front of her, trying to work out her next big activity with her friends. It was never an easy job trying to work out what they hadn't tried yet, but as the self-appointed leader of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, it was something that had to be done no matter what. After all, the chief objective of the group was just that – to realise their destinies and gain their very own Cutie Marks. But even though she had been up at the clubhouse since breakfast, nothing so far had actually come to her.

The group had first come into being a few years ago, thanks largely to a cute-ceañera that had been thrown for her snobbish schoolmate Diamond Tiara, the bane of Apple Bloom's life; she and her friend Silver Spoon, who mocked her to no end about being a so-called “blank-flank”, had goaded her and several other foals into coming along so that she could gloat about her new Cutie Mark. However, their derision was swiftly nipped in the bud when two other blank-flanks, who later introduced themselves as Sweetie-Belle and Scootaloo, came to Apple Bloom's defence and threw both fillies' rude remarks back in their faces.

After that, the three of them became firm friends, and even joined together to seek out their Cutie Marks and the talents they signified, and although they constantly seemed to fail spectacularly, the group had gradually expanded beyond the three fillies to include a great many others who hadn't yet gained theirs. Her cousin Babs Seed had even started a Cutie Mark Crusaders branch in the city of Manehattan, and even now was trying to attract potential new members to the group.

As Apple Bloom was reading through the list, a greyish purple unicorn filly with a blonde mane and tail entered the clubhouse. “Hi, Apple Bloom,” she called.

Apple Bloom looked up briefly. “Oh, hey, Dinky,” she muttered absent-mindedly.

Dinky Doo was one of the newer members of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, having joined the group less than four months ago. She never seemed to spend that much time participating in their activities at first, but after Pipsqueak, a mottled colt from Trottingham, had joined the group a week or two later, she had become a lot more confident about attending on a regular basis – though not unlike Sweetie-Belle, she tended to be rather uncertain about their more dangerous activities.

But right now, she was more concerned about what Apple Bloom was up to. “So what are we up to today?” she asked curiously.

“Well, that's just it, Dinky – Ah dunno what,” admitted Apple Bloom. “Ah've been lookin' through the options fo' hours on end, an' there doesn't seem to be a thing we've already tried. It's as if we're a' destined ta be blank-flanks!” and she thumped a hoof hard against the floor in frustration.

“Oh,” said Dinky, disappointed. “Does that mean our Crusaders meeting is off then?”

“Not on mah watch!” insisted Apple Bloom defiantly. “We're gonna get our Cutie Marks yet – we just need ta work out how!”

“Yes, but when?” protested Dinky. “The way we're going at the moment, several of us will have been dating before we actually get them.”

Apple Bloom looked thoughtful. “Dating, huh?” She paused for a moment, mulling it over – and then her face lit up. “Of course! Why din' Ah think o' that before? We could get our Cutie Marks in dating! Dinky, yo' a genius!”

Dinky blushed with pride.

A quarter of an hour, all the other Crusaders turned up for their meeting. Aside from Apple Bloom, Dinky, Sweetie-Belle and Scootaloo, the other members of the group included Dinky's best friend Tootsie Flute, an aqua-coated unicorn filly with a purple mane and tail; a light grey Pegasus filly named Tornado Bolt; Noi, a rather naïve golden-furred Earth pony filly; and of course Pipsqueak, their newest member. As soon as they were all assembled, Apple Bloom called for their attention.

“Okay, Crusaders,” she announced as soon as they had all quietened down, “Ah've been lookin' through the list of activities we haven't tried yet that might gain us our Cutie Marks. Ah haven't come across anything yet...”

There was a noticeable air of disappointment among the other members.

“...but,” continued Apple Bloom, “thanks to Dinky Doo, Ah've still managed ta work out a solution. Cutie Mark Crusaders, we're gonna try gettin' our Cutie Marks in...” She paused impressively. “...dating!”

The other Crusaders chattered eagerly; but Scootaloo didn't look the least bit impressed.

“That's the lousiest idea for a Cutie Mark I've ever heard!” she claimed huffily. “Me, get a Cutie Mark in dating? You guys are going way too soft in the head, thinking our special talent is something so namby-pamby.”

Dinky looked hurt. “Well it seemed like a good idea at the time,” she murmured sadly.

“Come on, Scootaloo,” chided Tootsie Flute, “everypony gets a fillyfriend or a coltfriend at some point in their lives. It may not necessarily gain us our Cutie Marks, but it's part of life.”

“What, hanging out with some colt and acting all lovey-dovey and kissy-kissy and all that sappy garbage?!” retorted Scootaloo, puffing out her chest. “Don't make me laugh; you'd never catch me being so mushy in public!”

Noi tilted her head. “I don't see anything mushy about it.”

“Yeah, I think it's really sweet,” added Dinky. “I know because I've often seen Mommy hanging out with that brown stallion who calls himself 'the Doctor', and it always makes me feel...”

“You would!” interrupted Scootaloo rudely. “You never seem to spend a second out of your Mom's company! Anyway, nopony's not gonna get me hooked up with some half-wit colt; it was bad enough when I had Spike trying to go out with me,” she added, ignoring the offended look on Pipsqueak's face.

Sweetie-Belle narrowed her eyes and glared at Scootaloo. “Yeah, and even worse for my big sister,” she added sternly. “She still hasn't forgiven you yet, you know, Scoot.”

“Well what's the big deal?! It's not as if I asked Spike to come out and...”

“No, you're not understanding!” groaned Sweetie-Belle, frustrated. “You were the reason he nearly took his own life! You could have just let him down gently like the rest of us and bought Rarity some more time to express her own feelings to him – but you didn't! You just turned around and exploded in his face before storming off!”

“Then maybe he should have thought of that before he tried going out with me!” argued Scootaloo coldly.

Apple Bloom slapped a hoof to her face, exasperated. “Scootaloo, y'all are impossible!” she growled crossly. “Every time we suggest a way of gettin' our Cutie Marks, yo' never happy with it unless it's cool or sporty or involves puttin' our lives at risk!”

“Yeah? Well you can't talk!” reproached Scootaloo. “You keep getting all crabby every time we fail to get our Cutie Marks! If you really think we're gonna get 'em in such yucky stuff as dating, you're outta your mind!”

“Well at least Ah try an' find ways ta get our Cutie Marks! The way y'all are goin', Scoot, we've less chance at getting' 'em than y'all do at learnin' ta fly! Seriously, what is it with y'all an' Cutie Marks?!”

Apple Bloom's angry words had a horrifically crushing effect on the orange Pegasus filly. Her own reply suddenly stuck in her throat as she realised just how right Apple Bloom was; after all this time, she should have learned how to use her wings properly just like the other Pegasi at her school, and yet the best she could normally manage was a few seconds' worth of hovering. The only instance where she had actually managed to take off was when she once jumped an overturned cart, but otherwise her flying skills left a lot to be desired, something she was extremely sensitive about.

“Well don't just stand there!!” burst out Apple Bloom impatiently. “Say somethin', y'all!”

But Scootaloo barely seemed to acknowledge Apple Bloom's demand. She was so hard hit by her remark about her flying skills that she was on the brink of tears. “You know what,” she muttered, trying hard not to cry in front of the other foals, “just forget it. I don't care about that stupid Cutie Mark anyway.”

“What?!” Apple Bloom was taken aback. “Are you chicken or somethin'?” she exclaimed, not realising what she had just blurted out until too late.

“I SAID FORGET IT!!!” stormed Scootaloo, unable to control herself any longer. “IF ALL YOU CAN BE BOTHERED TO DO ABOUT YOUR CUTIE MARKS IS TO TRY GETTING THEM IN SOMETHING AS SAPPY AS DATING, I DON'T WANT MINE! AND STOP CALLING ME CHICKEN!!!!”

Sweetie-Belle was equally shocked to hear this. Gaining a Cutie Mark was the most important thing in the world to anypony, not just the Crusaders – and yet Scootaloo was saying she didn't want hers. “But...but Scootaloo...,” she began.

“DON'T SPEAK TO ME!!” thundered Scootaloo, and ran out of the clubhouse, twin streams of tears practically pouring out of her eyes. Once she was out in the open, she grabbed her scooter and raced away towards the town, sobbing uncontrollably. It was bad enough that somepony should have brought up the subject of her inability to fly in the first place, but for that very same somepony to rub it in by comparing her to any kind of flightless bird – well, it may as well have been Diamond Tiara or Silver Spoon making such a harsh remark. And to think that it had to come from one of her best friends too.

“That Apple Bloom!” she cursed through gritted teeth. “Poking fun at my feeble wings like that! Try all you want, but don't come crying to me if you never get a Cutie Mark – you don't deserve one after what you said to me!” She looked down at the handlebars of her scooter, choking back further tears. “Still, she's probably right to laugh at me; I must be the worst flyer in all of Equestria.”

Such was Scootaloo's distress that she forgot to look where she was going. Without warning, she bumped into something and was flung from her scooter, landing on a hillside only a few yards away. But instead of getting up and checking for broken bones or any other injury, she just buried her face in her forelegs and continued to cry her eyes out; today really wasn't her lucky day, she thought.

“Oh my gosh! Are you okay?”

Briefly looking up, Scootaloo noticed a light grey Pegasus colt standing next to her. By the looks of the bruise on his left elbow and his slightly dishevelled dark grey mane, this must be what she had inadvertently crashed into. His purple eyes were scanning her all over, presumably for any injuries that she may have sustained, but she couldn't care less. “Yeah, I'm fine!” she faltered sarcastically. “I'm a Pegasus who can't fly, and I've been knocked out of the air before I can even take off – no big deal.”

The colt was most dismayed. “Can't you? Oh, that's terrible,” he sympathised.

“I know, I know – I'm the most useless Pegasus who's ever lived,” muttered Scootaloo, still shedding tears. “You go ahead and make as much fun of me as you want; I don't care.”

“Why would I want to do that?” objected the colt, taken aback. “Just because you can't fly – yet – doesn't mean you're useless. In fact, you were putting your wings to good use with that scooter of yours.”

Now it was Scootaloo's turn to be surprised. “You really think so?” she asked, lifting her head and looking up at the colt in amazement.

“Yeah,” replied the colt. “It took me a while to realise that us Pegasi could use our wings to propel ourselves like that, but from the speed you were doing, you looked as though you'd mastered it pretty well.”

“You saw me coming? But why didn't you move out of the way?”

The colt looked away, visibly embarrassed. “Sorry about that,” he apologised meekly, placing a hoof against the back of his head. “I was so preoccupied with how fast you were going and how distressed you seemed that I didn't realise you were coming my way until too late.”

Scootaloo looked down at the ground. “Nah, my bad,” she replied gloomily. “I should have looked where I was going. I was just so angry with my friend Apple Bloom for...”

“One of the Cutie Mark Crusaders?” interrupted the colt. “Ah, you must be Scootaloo then.”

“You know my name?” asked Scootaloo, bewildered.

“I sure do. My classmates talk about you and Sweetie-Belle and Apple Bloom a lot – and particularly those cool stunts you do with your scooter. But yeah, what had Apple Bloom done to make you so upset?”

“We got into an argument at the clubhouse because she wanted us to get our Cutie Marks in dating of all things,” explained Scootaloo, scrunching up her nose in disdain at the word “dating”, “and she made all sorts of remarks about me being useless at flying and so on – and I may have just stormed out of the clubhouse in the end.”

The colt stared in disbelief. “She really made you that mad? But I thought you three were best friends!”

“Well, yeah, we are, but sometimes those two do rather get up my nose,” confided Scootaloo unhappily. “It doesn't happen that often, but when it does, I just feel like I don't have any real friends at all,” and she brushed away another few tears from her eyes.

Now that Scootaloo had explained why she was in such a low mood, the colt felt deeply sorry for her. Realising that what she really needed right now was some form of comfort, he rested a gentle hoof on her shoulder. “Scootaloo,” he offered softly, “would you like it if I became your friend? I promise I'll never say anything mean about your wings.”

Scootaloo looked up again and gazed into the colt's eyes. Even though the earlier suggestion by Dinky and Apple Bloom that they get their Cutie Marks in dating still played on her mind, there nevertheless seemed to be something about him that made her feel warm and safe inside, something that she couldn't quite describe. It was as if she could tell him anything and he'd easily understand. “What's your name?” she asked in an uncharacteristically shy tone.

“I'm Rumble.”

“Yeah, er...thanks, Rumble,” replied Scootaloo, blushing slightly. She paused for a moment, and finally nodded; “Yes, I'd love to have you as a friend.”

Chapter 2: Withered Wings and Broken Dreams

Having ascertained that neither pony had sustained any major injury, the two Pegasi spent the next half-hour underneath the shade of a nearby tree, talking about their personal interests and generally getting to know each other better. At first, Scootaloo didn't say very much about herself, but after learning how Rumble seemed to admire her stunt-riding talents, she gradually opened up to him, and they were soon chatting like old friends.

“So when did you first start scooter-riding then?” asked Rumble.

“Since I was about four years old, I think,” replied Scootaloo. “When I first heard of the Wonderbolts, I wanted to be just like them, but I couldn't work out how to use my wings properly. Riding on a scooter turned out to be the next best thing though, but I still like to imagine I'm flying with the Wonderbolts every time I perform stunts on it.”

Rumble looked a little surprised. At first he had thought Scootaloo's lacking flying skills were all down to some sort of disability, and yet now she was saying it was merely because she hadn't got the hang of it. “How come your parents never taught you?”

“Well......they can't really spare any time for all that,” said Scootaloo in a rather off-hoof manner.

“That can't be right. So perhaps some parents may be pretty busy a lot of the time, but surely you would have thought yours might have made some time for you,” remarked Rumble, confused. “My Mom and Dad certainly do, so why not yours?”

Scootaloo looked away, visibly ashamed. “I don't wanna talk about it,” she muttered unhappily.

Rumble opened his mouth to ask what upset her so, but thought better of it and decided to change the subject. “Is there anypony teaching you how to fly?” he inquired, still more than a little concerned.

Only then did the smile return to Scootaloo's face. “There is, now you come to mention it. I've got the coolest pony in all of Equestria training me – none other than Rainbow Dash!” she gushed enthusiastically. “She once made a really nice compliment of my scooter stunts when I actually managed to take to the air for once, and then we went on a camping trip to Winsome Falls with Applejack, Apple Bloom, Sweetie-Belle and Rarity. During that time, she told all these ghost stories round the camp-fire, and I kept getting horrible nightmares,” she went on, noticeably embarrassed. “At one point, my fears got the better of me, and when I heard what I thought was the Headless Horse, I grabbed my scooter and ran off to try and get away from it. But then I ended up in a river and was nearly killed going over a waterfall; but Rainbow Dash swooped in and only just saved my life. After that, she agreed to take me under her wing, teach me everything she knew and become like my big sister.”

Rumble stared in awe. “You've got Ponyville's former chief weather pony as your mentor?” he exclaimed, visibly impressed. “Wow, Scootaloo, you are one lucky filly! My brother Thunderlane often used to work under her, and I sometimes volunteered to help with the weather jobs myself, but to have her teaching you how to fly must be like meeting Princess Celestia herself!”

“Wait – does that mean you've met her?”

“Yeah, but only when they needed an extra pair of wings up there,” answered Rumble, “such as that time when Ponyville was selected to lift the water to the weather factory in Cloudsdale.”

“Lucky!” muttered Scootaloo with an envious smirk.

Rumble chuckled ruefully. “But I'm still only a colt, so I tend to get tired very easily from moving clouds around,” he added, “so usually when I'm up in the air, I'm improving on my own flying skills more than anything else. But yeah, you're far luckier than me, having Rainbow Dash teach you all that; she is one awesome pony, and no mistake.”

“She sure is,” agreed Scootaloo. But then her face fell; “Mind you, I haven't been able to get that much time with her since she enrolled in the Wonderbolt Academy. She's been able to spend the weekends with me, and I have been known to come up to her house for the odd sleepover, but other than that, her hooves are tied.”

“That's a shame,” sympathised Rumble. “I can only imagine how tough it must be for anypony to not be able to hang out with their idol.”

“Yeah, and even worse for me because I don't have anyone else teaching me how to fly,” agreed Scootaloo morosely.

Rumble gazed thoughtfully up at the sky, imagining himself soaring expertly left and right, back and forth, up and down, performing stunts while the orange Pegasus filly sat on the ground and stared longingly. He had been such a natural at flying from a young age, thanks largely to his big brother Thunderlane, but while he may have been proud of it in the past, the fact that his new friend was by no means as capable, and didn't have a full-time tutor to show her the way, made him feel deeply ashamed. “Well......you don't have to go it alone,” he said softly. “If you want, I can lend a few hours of my time and teach you.”

Scootaloo looked up again, her wings buzzing with anticipation. “Really?” she asked hopefully.

“Of course,” smiled Rumble. “Other fillies and colts have often joked that, as a flyer, I'd make a great teacher; but looking back, I reckon they may have a point. So how about it, Scootaloo? Want me to be your other personal trainer?”

“Why, sure,” replied Scootaloo. “If you're up to it, that is.”

“Well, being such an accomplished flyer and all, I could well be,” asserted Rumble. “So yeah, when are you next available?”

Scootaloo paused, trying to remember what she had planned that week. “Well...how about Monday after school?”

“That sounds fine,” agreed Rumble. “Right – so we have ourselves a da...um, I mean session! Sorry!” he finished sheepishly, chuckling with mild embarrassment and turning his head away to avoid what he thought would be a death-glare from Scootaloo.

The orange Pegasus filly gave Rumble an odd look for a moment, but eventually this gave way to an amused smirk. “Do you actually need to look like that, Rumble?” she quipped. “You've managed to fix a date with me, what more could you ask for?”

“Um...nothing.” Rumble quickly relaxed, though the word “date” seemed to have a strange effect on him. The moment that word came out of Scootaloo's mouth, his face turned a barely noticeable pink shade, and his heartbeat seemed to speed up. “Anyway, I'd better be off; it's nearly lunchtime, and Dad's gonna wonder where I am. See you on Monday, Scootaloo,” and he spread his wings ready to fly away.

“Okay, Rumble,” began Scootaloo. “See you r...” but she quickly broke off as Rumble let out a slight gasp of pain. His left wing didn't appear to be flexing as easily as it should have been. “You okay?”

“Not quite,” admitted Rumble, sitting back down and inspecting his wing. “I think I might have bruised my wing pretty bad when you crashed into me.”

“Oh, nuts!” groaned Scootaloo, slapping a hoof to her face in annoyance. “I knew I should have looked where I was going. I'm really sorry, Rumble.”

“It's okay, Scootaloo; I should have moved aside when I saw you coming my way. Now I'm gonna be late getting home for lunch.”

Scootaloo glanced unhappily towards her scooter, still mentally berating herself for how she had injured her new friend – until an idea flew into her head. “Tell you what, Rumble,” she offered, “how about I give you a ride home?”

“Really?” asked Rumble, looking up in amazement. “You ride me home? On your own scooter?”

“Well yeah; I can easily manage with a bit of extra weight.”

At first, Rumble didn't know what to think. It had been a while since he had last ridden a scooter, so it almost felt like a new experience – but add the fact that it was being driven by a budding stunt-riding superstar, and it felt so much like a foalhood fantasy that he almost thought he was dreaming. “Um......sure,” he stammered, still unable to believe what he was hearing.

“Then hop aboard and hold tight,” replied Scootaloo, who was now getting well into her stride, “'cause this'll be an experience like no other!”

Quietly assuring himself that this was no dream, Rumble carefully mounted the scooter behind the orange Pegasus filly and wrapped his forelegs tightly around her waist. Upon feeling his strong grip, Scootaloo couldn't help blushing; but she quickly snapped herself out of it and, after checking that Rumble was safely aboard, began to flap her wings at a tremendous rate.

Within seconds, they were practically motoring through Ponyville at an almost unbelievable speed. For Scootaloo, it was just another spin on her trusty scooter; but to Rumble, it didn't feel like a normal scooter ride as much as a supersonic flight high up in the sky. The wind whipped through his dark grey mane as shops, houses, townsponies and various other objects flashed by, some of them almost brushing against him as Scootaloo steered expertly to one side just a fraction of a second before hitting them. Such was Rumble's excitement that he let out a loud, joyous cheer and clung harder to the orange Pegasus; it was worth having a bruised wing to savour this experience, and already he was beginning to wish it would never end.

But his excitement suddenly turned to fear as he noticed an overturned cart blocking their path. “Scootaloo, look out!” he shrieked.

“What...” began Scootaloo, looking ahead. She then caught sight of the cart rapidly approaching them, and turned her head back; “Hang on, Rumble!” she shouted above the noise of the wind. “I'm taking evasive action!”

Before Rumble could ask what she was about to do, Scootaloo jumped upwards, taking Rumble and her scooter with her. With just a few inches of clearance between the cart and their wheels, they sailed over it and touched down a short distance away before zooming onwards. Rumble gazed back over his shoulder in amazement, barely able to believe what had just transpired.

But all too soon, the fun was over. Catching a glimpse of Rumble's house up ahead, Scootaloo gradually slowed her wings down, allowing them to coast to a halt just outside the front door. “How about that for a fast run up to your house, huh, Rumble?!” she chortled as they dismounted her scooter.

“That was brilliant, Scootaloo!” answered Rumble, still laughing gleefully. “You're way better on that scooter than I realised!”

“Ah, nothing really,” said Scootaloo modestly. “Anypony can pull off all those cool stunts – just takes practice is all.”

Rumble smiled and knocked at the door. Shortly after, it opened up to reveal a bluish-grey Pegasus stallion with golden mane and tail, whom Scootaloo immediately realised must be Rumble's father.

“Hullo, Rumble,” remarked the stallion. “You're back pretty early.”

Rumble could hardly believe his ears. “Am I?”

“Yeah, you said you'd be back about half-twelve, but it's just gone quarter-past.”

“Fifteen minutes early?! Wow!” exclaimed Rumble. “I never expected us to be back that quick!”

The stallion chuckled, and looked down towards Scootaloo. “Is this a new friend of yours?” he asked, interested.

“She sure is,” affirmed Rumble. “Scootaloo, this is my Dad, Blue Finch; Dad, Scootaloo.”

“Pleasure,” said Scootaloo, shaking hooves with the stallion.

“So you're Scootaloo, huh?” remarked Blue Finch. “Well, this sure is a pleasant surprise; Rumble talks about you all the time, but it's nice to finally meet you. Pardon me for being nosy about this, Rumble, but how did you come to meet her?”

“Ah......um, about that; I accidentally crashed into him while I was making my way across town on my scooter,” explained Scootaloo meekly. “I was in a bit of a state, and...”

“It was my fault, Dad,” interrupted Rumble. “I was so preoccupied with how good she was with her scooter that I didn't realise I was in her way until too late, and I came out of it with a bruised wing; but Scootaloo offered me a ride home.” He held up his left wing to show the injury that he had incurred, wincing slightly from the soreness of the bruising.

Blue Finch inspected Rumble's wing carefully. “Ooh dear me, that looks bad,” he mused. “I'll see if I can find something for that bruise. You two come on in and take a seat.” He then turned and made his way upstairs while Scootaloo followed Rumble into the living room.

As the two foals entered, Scootaloo surveyed her surroundings with interest. The room was built in a somewhat dated but nevertheless cosy half-timbered style like an old Equestrian cottage, with a stone fireplace on the far side. A stunning painting of Cloudsdale hung above it, and the mantelpiece featured a small collection of trophies in addition to the various other ornaments that stood either side of them. In the middle of the room stood a sofa, two armchairs and a small coffee table.

“You've sure got a nice house here, Rumble,” she observed. “It feels so......homely.”

Rumble smiled warmly. “Glad you like it, Scootaloo,” he replied, settling down on the sofa. “This place used to be pretty dank before we moved in when I was three, but Mom and Dad did such a good job of redecorating it that you'd hardly have known it had ever been so crummy.”

“Your parents refurbished this place themselves?!” asked Scootaloo, more than a little surprised.

“Not really, but my Mom's a brilliant interior designer,” explained Rumble. “Some of her designs even met the approval of the Princesses, and she's earned this family a lot of money. Most parents would have turned their back on such a run-down place as this used to be, but between her design skills and our bank balance she easily managed to restore this house within a few months.”

Scootaloo was most impressed. “And she's sure done a good job of it too,” she remarked. “What about your Dad, what does he do for a living?”

“Oh, he's a well-known athlete,” answered Rumble proudly. “He's won around five gold medals, six silver and two bronze in various Pegasus derbies over the years, and even represented Ponyville for the Equestria Games once.”

“Wow, Rumble!” said Scootaloo, intrigued. “You have a world-class athlete for a father? You really are a lucky colt.” She turned her attention to the mantelpiece; “Are those trophies all his then?”

“Actually, no. Most of them are awards that Mom won for her designs; only that big golden one in the middle and that tall, thin one next to it belong to him. The smaller one was given to him at the Junior Speedsters' Award Ceremony when he was only a colt, and the other was his prize for winning the annual Best Young Flyers' Competition at the age of sixteen. He does have his medals framed in this very room though,” went on Rumble, and pointed to the wall behind them, where all his father's medals hung in a small display cabinet.

Scootaloo marvelled at the lovingly polished medals. “That sure is an impressive collection there,” she mused. “I can see now where you and Thunderlane get your flying skills from.”

Rumble chuckled. “Yeah, it runs in the family...except for a cousin of mine from Trottingham; her wings are pretty frail, so she can't stay in the air more than about a minute or so.” His face fell as he thought about his unfortunate cousin. “The sad part is that she's unable to live her own dream of becoming a Wonderbolt, like Rainbow Dash might well do soon enough.”

“That's a shame,” sympathised Scootaloo. “I can imagine how that must feel. How did she get that way anyhow?”

But almost immediately the orange Pegasus filly regretted asking that question. Rumble looked down upon one of the cushions with a mournful frown on his face. “She had been that way since birth,” he confided. “She seemed pretty healthy at first, but just after she was born, the doctor discovered that her wings were badly underdeveloped. Her mother was really heartbroken when she heard the bad news, and I myself feel like such a snob every time she comes to visit.” A small tear trickled down his cheek and was soaked up by the soft fabric. “Sometimes I just wish I could trade my strong, healthy wings for her broken ones and let her fulfil her dreams in my place.”

Scootaloo was only just managing to fight back tears herself after hearing Rumble's sad tale. Her heart went out to him and his disabled cousin as she imagined a distressed young mare surrounded by Wonderbolts posters and other merchandise, crying her eyes out while scores other of Pegasi in Wonderbolt flying overalls soared and swooped all around her.

Leaning forward, she gently rested a hoof on Rumble's shoulder. “I'm so sorry about your cousin, Rumble,” she said softly. “I can understand not being able to fly at a young age, but that's really, really sad.”

Rumble was so touched by Scootaloo's unusually kind words that he didn't know how to respond. Unable to restrain himself any longer, he flung his forelegs around the orange Pegasus filly and buried his face in her shoulder, moistening it with warm tears. At any other time, her gut reaction to what was going on right now would have been “mushy”, but on this occasion, she couldn't care less. Instead, she simply returned the embrace and stroked his dark grey mane soothingly.

“You needn't beat yourself up about it though,” she went on. “I can see she means a lot to you, but how do you think she would react if one of her own family tree had sacrificed his own flying capabilities just so she could fulfil her dream? So perhaps we Pegasi take our wings for granted, but you're really, really lucky to be able to fly so well yourself – and that's something you should be grateful for.”

“Really?” asked Rumble, looking into her eyes.

“Of course,” affirmed Scootaloo. “You're a great flyer and an equally good friend; no-one could ask for more out of you.”

Another few tears trickled out of Rumble's eyes. “Thanks, Scootaloo,” he whispered warmly. “That means so much to me.”

“Sorry, was I interrupting anything?”

Both Pegasi sprang apart, startled, as Blue Finch walked into the room with a bottle of Aloe Vera in one hoof.

“Um...no, Dad, I was just telling Scootaloo about my cousin, but I got a bit, um...emotional about it,” replied Rumble sheepishly.

Blue Finch nodded solemnly, remembering the number of times he had caught Rumble alone in his room, mourning over his cousin's inability to fly. “I know, it's most unfortunate,” he sympathised. “It must have taken a fair bit of gut to reveal that to Scootaloo.”

“Well, I can understand how she feels, Mr Finch,” observed Scootaloo. “I'm useless at flying so far, and that was why Rumble had offered to teach me.”

“My word, Rumble, that's very thoughtful of you,” remarked Blue Finch kindly. “Seems those other foals may be right about you becoming a good flight teacher – but that's not going to happen unless your wing is in better condition, so let's get you fixed up.”

“Okay, Dad,” and Rumble held out his left wing. Blue Finch poured a small amount of the Aloe onto a cotton pad and gently rubbed it into the bruise on his son's wing. Though it stung a little at first, Rumble soon felt the soreness slowly dissipate.

“There you go, son. That should heal up by tomorrow morning, but remember not to flex it in any way until then,” advised Blue Finch as he finally finished.

Rumble smiled and nuzzled his father. “Thanks, Dad,” he said.

“No problem, son. It's what I'm here for,” chuckled Blue Finch. He then turned his attention to Scootaloo; “How about some lunch then?” he offered.

Scootaloo blinked in bewilderment. “Wait just a minute – you're asking me if I wanna have lunch with you guys after I slammed into your son?!” she spluttered in disbelief.

Blue Finch laughed heartily. “Well, why not?” he retorted. “You didn't mean to crash into him, and besides, you made up for it by bringing him home after you found out about his bruised wing.”

“Yeah, I suppose there is that,” agreed Scootaloo thoughtfully. “Okay, Mr Finch, I'm sold.”

Chapter 3: Lucky in Love?

The three ponies' lunch was only a simple affair of marigold sandwiches and hay fries, but Scootaloo enjoyed getting to know Rumble and his father better all the same. Blue Finch was quite a jolly stallion with a good sense of humour, and spoke fondly of all the races he had won so far as well as a great many other athletes he had befriended. When Scootaloo mentioned how Rainbow Dash had taken her under her wing, he was most intrigued.

“You're being tutored by Ponyville's top athlete? By Princess Celestia, you're definitely a lucky filly, Scootaloo,” he admired.

Scootaloo chuckled. “Yeah, you're telling me,” she agreed. “I had always wanted a big sister, but I'm pretty much an only child in my family. When I first heard of Rainbow Dash, I instantly thought her the best pony in all Equestria, and kept wishing I had her as a big sister; but it took a camping trip and a few nightmares for that to happen,” and she told Blue Finch about her trip to Winsome Falls.

“You certainly know how to pick 'em, Scootaloo,” smiled Blue Finch. “I tell you what, though, I'm surprised you didn't become as good a flyer as my Rumble overnight.”

“Well, she's enrolled in the Wonderbolt Academy, so she doesn't have that much free time right now,” confessed Scootaloo sadly. “She can only spare the weekends to spend time with me, and even then she's usually too tired to give me more than about a few hours of flight training. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm really happy that she's living her dream at last, but I miss her dreadfully.”

Blue Finch nodded in solemn agreement. “I know what you mean,” he sympathised. “My eldest son Thunderlane went to Wonderbolt Academy at the same time as her, and he's so busy with his training that he can never even find time to write home.” He sighed heavily, glancing wistfully at a photograph of himself, his wife and both their sons. “It was difficult for Rumble, but even more so for me and Memphis Belle; I kept missing out on training to the extent that I lost a race at the Canterlot Racecourse at one point, and even when I did train, I would arrive home to find her crying in the living room with a photo of Thunderlane in her lap. It took over a month for things to get back to normal.”

Rumble, who hadn't said a word during the conversation between his father and Scootaloo thus far, finally spoke up; “Thunderlane and I had always meant a great deal to each other, and him leaving for his first day at the Academy was almost as if he had passed away. My only consolation was that Flitter, one of my two favourite foalsitters along with her twin sister Cloudchaser, was there to help me through it, not least because her sister was undergoing Wonderbolt training too.”

“Why just Cloudchaser?” wondered Scootaloo.

“Flitter just didn't feel she was ready yet, and took up a job in the Ponyville Weather Team instead so she could gain a bit of experience,” explained Rumble. “It was a hard choice for them both, but Mom, Dad and their own parents helped them through it; and whenever Flitter came to foalsit, I too did my best to reassure her that she was still a great flyer just like her sister. She too hopes to join the Wonderbolts one day, but only when she feels the time is right.”

Blue Finch stifled a chuckle at this point, causing Scootaloo to raise a confused eyebrow. “Hopefully it should make things easy for Thunderlane,” he quipped. “He's always had a pretty close attraction to both of them since they first started foalsitting Rumble, but he's always found it difficult to choose between one or the other – and it certainly didn't help that both were making......'advances' towards him, if you take my meaning.”

Scootaloo smirked cheekily. “Might as well have just gone the whole hog and married them both!”

“That's what I keep thinking,” mused Blue Finch, “but I'd only fluster my son if I told him that, so best if we just let him work it out for himself.”

Both Scootaloo and Rumble could only agree.

All three Pegasi were sorry when it was time for Scootaloo to leave. Rumble thanked her for bringing him home, and Blue Finch told the orange Pegasus that she was welcome at their house any time she wanted to visit. With that in mind, Scootaloo bid them farewell and thanked them for letting her stay for lunch before heading off aboard her scooter.

But for some strange reason, she didn't seem to feel like performing any stunts as she made her way through town. Instead, she just cruised sluggishly along, deep in thought, as the time she had spent with Rumble that day played over and over again in her head. While Sweetie-Belle and Apple Bloom may have been her best friends, neither of them had been capable of helping her learn how to fly, and most of the other Pegasi in her class at school weren't much better either. Featherweight, the scrawny buff-coated colt who worked for the Foal Free Press, was one of the few exceptions along with Tornado Bolt; but his duties as Editor-in-Chief kept him so busy that he never had the time, and although Tornado Bolt did, she didn't have the confidence.

Looking back over what had happened that day, she was unusually humbled by how lucky she was to find somepony who had the time, the ability, the motivation and above all the kind heart to train her whenever Rainbow Dash was unavailable. He hadn't even taken it as a mere excuse to flaunt his own talents, nor had he put her down in any way for having such feeble wings – he had been full of praise for her gift at stunt-riding as well as sympathy for her inept flying capabilities.

“Rumble sure is a nice colt,” she murmured dreamily.

Meanwhile, at Sugarcube Corner, the other Cutie Mark Crusaders were by no means as contented as Scootaloo. They had been sitting around for quite some time, trying to make the most of their day, but by the end of the afternoon, some of the Crusaders' “dates” still hadn't turned up, and none of them had their Cutie Marks.

Dinky looked down from her glass of cranberry punch at her right flank. “Still nothing,” she muttered unhappily. “So much for getting our Cutie Marks in dating.”

“Ah, never mind,” soothed Pipsqueak's soft Cockney tone. “I still enjoy hangin' out with ya – a lot.” He turned his head away, blushing shyly.

Tornado Bolt, who was at another table sharing cupcakes with a deep red unicorn colt, seemed rather bored as she nibbled at hers. She was resting her head on one hoof while the other traced non-existent patterns on the table, occasionally pausing to pick up her cupcake so she could take another bite out of it. “Is it just me,” she mumbled, “or does it feel like there's something missing?”

“Well, we've not got Scootaloo around here right now, that's for sure,” agreed Tootsie Flute thoughtfully as she returned from the counter with a milkshake each for herself, Apple Bloom and Sweetie-Belle. “I tell you what, it does seem a little quiet without her around.”

Apple Bloom was still cross. “Who needs her?” she scowled. “It's bad enough that our Cutie Marks are takin' so long to appear, but ta have somepony la'k her hinderin' us all the time by sayin' we're bein' too sappy an' that is just ridiculous! Ah can't understand how Ah thought some feather-brained Pegasus would be of any use ta this club!”

“Excuse me?!” burst out Tornado Bolt, offended. “I happen to be a Pegasus too, Apple Bloom!”

“Yeah, Apple Bloom!” added Tootsie Flute severely. “Leave Tornado Bolt out of it, will you!”

Sweetie-Belle took a demure sip of her milkshake before turning to face the yellow filly. “Come on, Apple Bloom,” she said reasonably, “there's no need to go so hard on Scootaloo just because she didn't think much of a Cutie Mark in dating. Besides, we've been here for hours and not got any; she may well have had a point after all.”

“Well perhaps one of us might if our other dates actually bothered ta turn up!” retorted Apple Bloom impatiently.

Tootsie Flute rolled her eyes. “Maybe yours would have if you hadn't been overly assertive with him,” she reproached. “I'd have thought you'd have remembered just how skittish Chip Mint tends to be, but no – you just had to march up to him and go 'you – me – Sugarcube Corner – three o'clock – today' and leave it at that!”

“You should have been more gentle with him, just like I was with Lickety-Split,” put in Sweetie-Belle, indicating towards the chocolate-brown Earth pony colt sitting between her and Tootsie Flute.

“They're both right, Apple Bloom,” agreed Lickety-Split, looking up from his bowl of ice cream. “It's okay to be assertive when dating, but you shouldn't take it to the point of aggression – it just doesn't work that way. True, I've been going out with Sweetie-Belle for some time before now, but all the same...”

“Alright! Alright! Ah admit it – Ah've messed up big time!” snapped a frustrated Apple Bloom. She turned back to her milkshake, downed the last of it in one go and stomped a hoof on the table; “Right, so maybe Scootaloo was right about dating not bein' a sensible option...”

“Maybe?” interjected Noi innocently.

“...but we are still gonna get our Cutie Marks one way or another,” continued Apple Bloom, ignoring Noi completely. “C'mon, Crusaders, we've gotta go work out a new plan,” and she dashed towards the door.

“But Apple Bloom, I haven't finished my...” began Sweetie-Belle; but it was no use. Apple Bloom was already out of the bakery and on her way towards the clubhouse.

Dinky simply shrugged her off. “Let's just get back to our dates,” she said nonchalantly to the rest of the Crusaders. “We've got time enough for Crusading tomorrow.”

The others heartily agreed, and continued to hang out in Sugarcube Corner for the rest of the day.

Chapter 4: Sister Talk

Another calm, quiet night came and went, and Scootaloo was now waiting patiently on a rock near where Rainbow Dash had said they were going to meet, with her scooter resting against it. She had had a good sleep that night, but somehow she didn't feel as enthusiastic as she normally did when meeting up with her idol; in fact, her mind was barely on the cyan-coated, rainbow-maned Pegasus at all. Ever since she had met Rumble the previous day, she couldn't seem to get him out of her head – even while she had been asleep she kept dreaming about him, and what really unnerved her was that she hadn't for one moment acted or sounded like the tomboy she usually was.

The orange filly rolled onto her back and gazed into the sky. “I don't get it,” she thought to herself. “How was it that I managed to become all sappy when I was with Rumble yesterday? I could have spent the whole day telling him about my stunt-riding skills, and I just had to act like a complete softie in his presence. Some stunt-rider he must think me!” and she slapped an exasperated hoof to her face.

But then she remembered how ecstatic Rumble had been when she had given him that exhilarating ride home; his delighted whooping still rang joyously in her ears, and she couldn't help but smile fondly at the memory. “On the other hoof, he did seem to like the way I jumped that cart, and he sure seemed to think my stunts pretty awesome. Even when I told him about my wings, he didn't seem to think any less of me – but then why can't I stop thinking about that colt when I hardly even know him?”

Her thoughts were promptly interrupted as she noticed a rainbow-coloured blur rapidly approaching in the distance. Trying her best to look cheerful, Scootaloo got up and waved a friendly hoof at Rainbow Dash as she swooped down towards the ground, landing just a short distance away from the orange filly to whom she had grown so close.

“Hey, Scootaloo,” called Rainbow Dash. “How's it going, squirt?”

“Not bad, Rainbow Dash,” smiled Scootaloo. “Still haven't got my Cutie Mark yet, but we're working on it. Apple Bloom suggested we tried dating of all things!”

Rainbow Dash laughed heartily. “Well, I can understand that some ponies may get into dating – heck, even I've managed to get myself a coltfriend, but a dating Cutie Mark? How's that supposed to work?”

Scootaloo blinked. “Wait – you have managed to get yourself a coltfriend?! I thought you were above that sort of thing!” she exclaimed, thoroughly taken aback.

“Wrong again,” chuckled Rainbow Dash. “I used to think that, but since I met Soarin, one of the Wonderbolts whose lives I'd saved at the Best Young Flyers' Competition, that gradually changed. You remember when the girls and I went to the Grand Galloping Gala a few years ago?”

“Yeah, I remember,” affirmed Scootaloo. “You said your night with the Wonderbolts didn't go all that well, though.”

“True, but it was all worth it in the end,” went on Rainbow Dash. “I can still remember how it all happened like it was yesterday; I was just about to go and say hello to them when I noticed Soarin drop an apple pie he had just bought off Applejack, so I dived forward and only just managed to save it. I stood up to hold it out for him, and that – that was when our eyes met, and somehow I could already tell that he was way more grateful than he was letting on.

“Then after things went all pear-shaped and ended with Fluttershy going all crazy at those animals for not hanging out with her, he came to see me in Doughnut Joe's place and said he was sorry that he and the other Wonderbolts hadn't taken much notice of me. At first I wasn't sure whether to forgive him or slap him round the face, but then Spitfire came in and said he had put in a good word to her on my behalf, and she had arranged for me to meet up with the Wonderbolts again later that month. I could have squeezed the air out of Soarin I was so delighted!”

“Well that was good of him,” observed Scootaloo.

“Yeah, but I didn't fully realise my feelings for him until about a month into my Wonderbolt training – with him as my mentor, would you believe?”

Scootaloo cocked her head, perplexed. “Why Soarin? I thought that was Spitfire's job.”

“Only for the first week; Spitfire's a great trainer, but she's usually got her hooves full with office work and stuff, so once the selection process was over, she handed the reins of the Wonderbolt Academy back to Soarin – and that's when I started to realise that he was so much more to me than just an idol.” Rainbow Dash stared into the sky, her eyes glistening as she became lost in her reverie. “He and I would hang out with each other for hours on end after training, and he always seemed full of praise for my talents as a flyer – 'no wonder you became Cadet Leader so quickly,' he once told me.

“But as time went on, I found myself feeling rather empty whenever we were apart. There was one time when he went down with the feather flu and was unable to make it to training; not only did I miss having him around, but I was so worried for him that I was pretty sloppy that day. In the end, Spitfire insisted that I take a day off to recover.”

Scootaloo gave her idol a look of sorrow. “That's way too bad,” she sympathised.

“When he got back, I might have gotten all clingy with him,” continued Rainbow Dash, blushing heavily. “I dunno what had come over me, but I just couldn't bear to be away from him any longer. When he asked what was wrong, I said that he was the reason I had done so well in Wonderbolt Academy; just by being there, he had boosted my confidence and spurred me on to push myself harder. He then told me something I'll never, ever forget.”

“What was that?”

“He said that up until that Best Young Flyers' Competition, he had never shown much of an interest in mares or dating; but since I saved his life along with Rarity's and Spitfire's, all his dreams had been about me, and he had felt as though he owed me a life-debt. That time I saved his pie at the Gala had somehow reminded him of the hero he saw in me, and the dance we had had together at the Royal Wedding was one of the best moments he had ever experienced. Finally, he said that after all we had been through together, he had fallen for me, and would readily give up his Wonderbolt career for me if he had to – he even locked lips with me to prove it. I'd never felt joy like that in all my life,” finished Rainbow Dash, closing her eyes in fond remembrance of her first kiss.

By now, Scootaloo was gazing at Rainbow Dash with a wide-eyed expression of astonishment. So what if all that she had just said usually sounded rather mushy for her tastes, she thought to herself; even though her very own idol could be as brash and boastful as her, she had still managed to bag herself a coltfriend of her very own. Perhaps the mention of a kiss might have been a bit much, but the little filly felt a deep joy for the older Pegasus mare nonetheless.

“That's...that was a great story, Rainbow Dash,” she said at last. “I really, really hope it goes well for you and Soarin.”

“Thanks, Scoot,” smiled Rainbow Dash, nuzzling against the orange Pegasus filly gratefully. “So how did the whole dating thing go? Any new Cutie Marks appeared?”

Scootaloo placed a hoof against the back of her head. “I never really found out,” she admitted. “Apple Bloom and I got into a row after she suggested dating as a means of getting our Cutie Marks, but then she made this horrible remark about my wings, so I just legged it out – I mean, scooted it out of the clubhouse. That's when I bumped into a colt named Rumble – you know him?”

“Yeah, I know him alright,” affirmed Rainbow Dash. “He sometimes volunteered to help with the weather jobs before I left for the Academy.”

“Just what he told me too,” smiled Scootaloo. “I was still angry and upset with Apple Bloom, and at first I didn't take much notice of Rumble. But when I let slip of my naff flying skills to him, he didn't even laugh at me – I later learned he has a cousin who has a similar problem, and even if I was unable to fly, he thought I was awesome on the scooter. He even offered to teach me how to fly, just like you had been doing since you took me under your wing.” She broke off as she noticed Rainbow Dash stifling a chuckle. “What's so funny, Dash?”

“Oh...nothing,” replied Rainbow Dash coyly. “Just pleased to see he's still the kind and considerate young colt that Thunderlane had for a brother. I tell you what,” she added, “it was sure nice of him to coach you like that.”

“Just what I thought when he made that offer,” agreed Scootaloo. “I mean, don't get me wrong, I still see you as like a big sister, but to have Rumble training me when you're not here, that's – I just feel like I can take on the world!”

Rainbow Dash assumed an expression of disappointment. “Guess you won't need me around anymore then,” she muttered, feigning hurt feelings, and spread her wings as if she was about to fly away.

“What?! No – I mean, yes, I do...” spluttered Scootaloo in horror.

But the young orange filly's fears turned to confusion as Rainbow Dash burst into hearty laughter again. “Nah, don't worry, squirt,” she chortled, pulling herself together, “I was just playing with your head. No way would I leave my number one fan hanging – you know that.”

Scootaloo merely rolled her eyes, an amused smirk on her face.

Naturally, Rainbow Dash didn't feel up to flying with Scootaloo or showing off any new tricks after how arduous her latest week's worth of Wonderbolt training had been, so the two Pegasi simply hung out with each other in Ponyville Market Square. As they sat outside Sugarcube Corner trying out a new flavour of cupcake that the ever-imaginative Pinkie Pie had thought up, the rainbow-maned mare told Scootaloo all about what she had been up to at the Wonderbolt Academy that week.

Scootaloo gazed at her idol in amazement. “Twelve-hoof gaps between clouds – at high speed? That must have been real tough!”

“Yeah, even I was surprised by how hard it was,” agreed Rainbow Dash. “I had to go at it five times before I could pass between those clouds without hitting the sides. Still, at least I didn't do too bad; Soarin told me there were cadets who failed at it at least forty times before they got it right!”

“Forty?!” exclaimed Scootaloo, her voice full of bewilderment. “How could anypony have even succeeded after forty failures?! That figure sounds just about right for them to be kicked out of the Academy!”

“That's what I thought too; but after training I learned from Soarin that one of the younger Wonderbolts had to go at it seventy-six times until she got the hang of it,” Rainbow Dash went on. “She very nearly lost her spot in the Wonderbolts as a result, but her skills at high-speed turns more than made up for it. Mind you, Spitfire wouldn't let her out to any major air shows until she felt she was ready for it.”

Scootaloo chuckled. “She must be really jealous of how far you've risen over the last few months.”

“Nah, Tsunami and I are cool. Okay, so perhaps she might try and get ahead of herself from time to time, but she's not obsessed with vengeance like Trixie and that Sunset Shimmer maniac used to be towards Twilight; we do tease each other sometimes, but she's still a good friend.”

“Just hope she doesn't end up going down the same flight path as that Lightning Dust show-off you told me about!” quipped Scootaloo.

Rainbow Dash gave a weak smile in reply. She could still remember how Lightning Dust's thoughtless actions had nearly cost her five best friends their lives; the two of them had struck up an immediate friendship on their first day, and it still cut her to the core that the very Pegasus who seemed to have so much in common with her had turned out to be reckless, cocky and thoroughly irresponsible.

Seeing how disheartening the mention of Lightning Dust seemed to have been towards her idol, Scootaloo tactfully decided to change the subject; “So how long had you known Rumble?” she asked curiously.

“Since he was just a baby,” replied Rainbow Dash. “He was one of my first real fans, the others being you, Lemon Daze and a colt who's since moved out of town named Razor Wing, which might have been why he trained so hard at his own flying skills. Back then, his brother was only an apprentice rather than a full-time weather pony, but I soon became good friends with them both. There was one time I heard Rumble say he wished I was his and Thunderlane's big sister.”

“I bet they all did,” murmured Scootaloo.

“Well...yes, they did,” affirmed Rainbow Dash, “but I'd always been too busy seeing to the weather or saving the world, etc. to spend any real time with my fans – either that or I never set any time aside for them. With you, though, it was rather different; Rumble may have looked up to me, but there was something about you that made me wish we really had been blood relatives all along.” She turned her head away, blushing mildly. “Never thought I'd sound this mushy,” she muttered ruefully.

Scootaloo laughed heartily. “What's so mushy about that?” she countered. “I know I was glad when you said you'd take me under your wing, but to know you'd actually thought about it before I asked you is just...there aren't enough words to describe how I feel about that.”

Rainbow Dash smiled fondly upon the little filly. “Come 'ere, you!” she chuckled, wrapping a foreleg around her number one fan and playfully ruffling her mane with her free hoof.

At that very same moment, Noi, who had arranged to hang out at the bakery with Dinky and Tootsie Flute that morning, noticed the two Pegasi hanging out and trotted over to their table. She had been feeling rather worried for Scootaloo's feelings after the dispute between her and Apple Bloom the day before, and was relieved to find that she was alright. “Hey, Scootaloo,” she chirped, “how's it going with Rainbow Dash?”

“Oh, not bad,” answered Scootaloo. “How about you?”

“Um......seems that dating wasn't our special talent after all,” admitted Noi, scuffing a hoof against the ground. “Only half our dates showed up, and none of us got our Cutie Marks in the end. Seems you were right about the whole dating thing.”

Scootaloo smiled weakly. Even though her dispute with Apple Bloom the day before still played on her mind, she couldn't help feeling sorry for the other Crusaders. “Ah, don't worry about it,” she soothed, patting Noi's shoulder in encouragement. “There's always other stuff out there that'll earn us our Cutie Marks, right?”

Noi smiled wryly. “Yeah, I suppose so,” she conceded. “Anyway, I'd better head inside; Dinky and Tootsie Flute are waiting for me.”

“Okay, see you later.”

Noi found Tootsie Flute and Dinky seated over by the window on the far side of the bakery, Dinky munching away at a chocolate muffin while Tootsie Flute sipped at a blackcurrant smoothie. Having bought herself a freshly baked cream horn, the golden-furred filly went to join the two unicorns.

Tootsie Flute barely seemed to notice as Noi took a seat next to her. “I can't understand this,” she sighed wearily. “First Apple Bloom won't stop griping about Scootaloo and now she's so busy trying to work out new ways of getting our Cutie Marks that she won't talk to anypony.”

“What's wrong with that?” asked Noi, confused.

“Well, it just feels as if she's trying to get hers for no other reason than out of spite,” explained Dinky gravely. “I get that she's still annoyed with her, but that's just selfish. I kinda feel sorry for Scoot, really.”

“Yeah, me too,” agreed Noi. “Come to think of it, she was just outside the bakery as I came in, so I thought I'd see how she was doing.”

“Not that well, I'm guessing,” murmured Tootsie Flute.

“Well, actually she seemed quite cheerful. She even told me not to worry about not getting our Cutie Marks in dating, and said there were plenty of other...”

“Hang on, hang on!” interrupted Tootsie Flute, startled. “You're telling us that Scootaloo of all ponies comforted you about dating?!”

“Yeah – what's the big deal?” quizzed a visibly perplexed Noi.

Dinky and Tootsie Flute exchanged bewildered glances. Normally, whenever they failed at something so sappy, Scootaloo was usually the least sympathetic about it – and yet from what Noi had just said, she had been uncharacteristically understanding this time around.

“That doesn't sound like Scootaloo at all,” mused Dinky.

“Are you sure you heard her right, Noi?” asked Tootsie Flute, secretly wondering if the golden filly's mind had simply drifted during that conversation.

Noi looked a little hurt. “Of course I did!” she protested. “She said, 'don't worry about it, there's always other stuff out there that'll earn us our Cutie Marks, right?' And she meant it too!”

Tootsie Flute glanced out of the window, quietly mulling it over as she watched Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash stroll away towards the library. She couldn't help noticing a dreamy look on Scootaloo's face, which bewildered her even further; she may not have known the orange Pegasus filly that well, but she had never seen a look like that on her face before, not even when she had spoken of Rainbow Dash or the Wonderbolts – nor, for that matter, had she ever known her to be so laid back about something as sappy as dating all of a sudden.

“Something strange is definitely going on,” she remarked suspiciously to Dinky. “This isn't the Scootaloo we know.”

“Could it have something to do with what happened yesterday?” wondered Dinky.

Tootsie Flute nodded thoughtfully. “Could well do,” she agreed, “but I can't really see it being anything to do with what Apple Bloom had said. Whatever's gotten her behaving the way she is now must have happened after she stormed out of the clubhouse, but I can't quite put my hoof on it.”

“What should we do about it then?” asked Noi.

“We need to find out what's been going on,” explained Tootsie Flute simply. “When school ends on Monday, I'm gonna shadow her and see what she gets up to...”

Chapter 5: Cutie Mark Crusader Matchmakers

All in all, Scootaloo enjoyed her weekend with Rainbow Dash, but for some reason it didn't feel quite the same as the last few times they had hung out with each other. Even when Rainbow Dash flew her up a nearby mountain and back the following day, she couldn't help feeling sorry that Rumble couldn't be with them.

Strangely, Rainbow Dash appeared to take this very much in her stride, and whenever Scootaloo seemed distant, bored or even lonesome (despite the fact that she was with the one pony she ever wanted to spend time with, ironically!), she simply kept her thoughts to herself. Only when she was about to leave for the Academy that evening did she finally say anything about it.

“See you round, Scoot,” she said, patting Scootaloo's back in a sisterly way. “Hope your training sessions go well, and don't be afraid to show any feelings you may have about him.”

“Sure thing, Rainbow Dash – so long,” smiled Scootaloo, and watched as her idol flew off into the sunset. She remained where she was for another few minutes, thinking about everything they had done together over the last two days – but that was when Rainbow Dash's words started to sink in, planting a few seeds of confusion and unease in her head. It wasn't to do with her training session though; the way she had said it, she seemed to have a fair bit of faith in Rumble. If anything, it was more to do with what she had said about showing feelings – but what kind of feelings was Rainbow Dash talking about? And why would she be afraid of showing them in the first place? It wasn't as if there was anything to be afraid of, was it?

The orange filly shivered, remembering how Rainbow Dash had unintentionally traumatised her with those ghost stories during the Winsome Falls trip; only after her close call with the waterfall and her subsequent bond with Rainbow Dash had she finally managed to get over the nightmares she had experienced as a result. She still couldn't quite understand how her feelings about Rumble were supposed to make her feel scared, but she didn't like the idea of them becoming as bad as to induce further nightmares.

“Come on, Scootaloo, snap out of it!” she scolded herself. “Rainbow Dash is just having another joke with you – there's nothing to worry about!”

She slipped her helmet on, mounted her scooter and raced away at top speed, trying to clear her head with a good fast run across town. But the faster she went, the more Rumble's voice echoed in her head, cheering and laughing heartily just like he had been two days earlier as she had whisked him back home. She could even feel his forelegs wrapped tightly around her waist, even though there was actually nopony behind her.

Scootaloo screwed up her eyes and folded her wings again, letting herself coast along. “Why can't I get that colt outta my head?!” she muttered through clenched teeth. “Why does my chest seem to burn when I think about him?! What the hay is wrong with me?”

But the answer never came – just more excited whooping from inside her head as if Rumble was still riding with her.

When Monday morning came, Scootaloo was so tired that she nearly arrived late for school. She had lain awake for hours, thinking about Rumble and trying to work out why he had stuck in her mind, but only succeeded in ruining her attention span in class; once or twice, she fell asleep at her desk and earned herself a reprimand from Cheerilee. At recess, she hoped that none of the other foals would say anything about it, but it wasn't her lucky day.

“Class getting too boring for you?” asked an obnoxious voice from nearby.

Scootaloo didn't even bother to look up from her Zap-Apple fritter; she knew exactly who that was. “Lay off, Diamond Tiara,” she grumbled. “I'm not in the mood right now.”

“No wonder Miss Cheerilee must think of you as the worst student in her class – if not the whole of Equestria,” smirked Diamond Tiara, ignoring Scootaloo altogether. “There are chickens who are better at learning than you are.”

“Yeah, it's bad enough that you're useless with those wings, but now you're making out as if your mind's as blank as your flank?” added Silver Spoon smugly.

Scootaloo gritted her teeth, trying to fight the urge to punch one or other of the two fillies in the eye. But before any of them could say anything else, they were cut off by the almost explosive sound of thunder, and a lightning bolt struck the ground between Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. Looking up, they noticed Rumble hovering overhead on a dark cloud, glaring fiercely at them.

“Hey!” he snapped. “You leave Scootaloo alone, you snobs!”

Silver Spoon backed away nervously, but Diamond Tiara was trying her best not to look perturbed. “What's this, Scootaloo?” she mocked. “I didn't realise you had a coltfriend.”

“I do not!”

Rumble glared even harder. “Are you listening to me?!” he shouted. “I said leave Scootaloo alone – now beat it unless you want me to use this thunder-head again!”

“More like 'dunderhead',” sneered Diamond Tiara. “No snotty little Pegasus colt like you would dare use that thing on a lady like me.”

But this turned out to be a mistake. Before Rumble could slam his hooves down the cloud, Scootaloo leaned in towards Diamond Tiara, her face livid with rage. “YOU DARE CALL RUMBLE A SNOTTY DUNDERHEAD!” she stormed, shaking an angry hoof at her. “HE'S THE NICEST COLT IN ALL EQUESTRIA, SO YOU LEAVE HIM BE, OR YOU'LL BE SORRY!”

Diamond Tiara cowered upon seeing the deadly expression on Scootaloo's face. She hadn't been expecting the orange Pegasus filly to be so furious, and for once she was beginning to regret making fun of her or Rumble in the first place. Reluctantly, she turned and ran off towards the other side of the playground, never once looking back at the two Pegasi. Silver Spoon followed closely, and Scootaloo and Rumble were left in peace again.

Rumble touched down next to Scootaloo, taking care not to land too close in case she suddenly lashed out at him. “Are you okay, Scootaloo?” he asked softly.

“Yeah, I'm fine,” replied Scootaloo, still glowering at Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. “I can't believe that those two had to be so stupid as to pick on you like this.”

“Oh, it's nothing,” countered Rumble. “I can take a bit of mockery from other colts or fillies every now and again. Normally it's when they make fun of my friends that I get really ticked off with them – especially if they're putting them down for weak wings or blindness or whatever,” he added feelingly. “Those......twerps don't know what they're talking about; just because you can't fly now doesn't mean you never will, and even if you don't, you're still a better stunt-rider than they could ever imagine.”

Once again, Rumble's praise and encouragement of her stunt-riding skills made Scootaloo feel a lot better about herself. In addition, his angry words against Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara, along with how he had leapt to her defence against them both, touched her so deeply that she could barely hold back her tears.

“What's wrong, Scootaloo?” asked Rumble anxiously.

Scootaloo didn't respond immediately. She simply sat and stared into Rumble's eyes, unable to work out what to say. Then, before the grey colt could even think of anything else, she wrapped her forelegs around him and hugged him tightly. Rumble was taken by surprise, but he very soon relaxed and returned the hug.

“Thanks for sticking up for me, Rumble,” whispered Scootaloo warmly, nuzzling affectionately against Rumble's neck.

“You're welcome, Scootaloo,” answered Rumble kindly.

But what neither pony realised was that Tootsie Flute had been spying on them from across the playground. The moment she saw the two embracing, she realised exactly what might have happened three days ago.

“Well, of all the ironic...!” she exclaimed.

Sweetie-Belle looked up from her sandwich, confused. “Of all the what now?” she asked blankly.

“You know I said Scootaloo had been acting rather weird a couple of days back? Well, the reason's over by the schoolhouse,” Tootsie Flute clarified, pointing towards the two Pegasi.

“Huh?” Sweetie-Belle glanced in the direction Tootsie Flute was pointing – and nearly dropped her sandwich in her surprise. The last thing she had expected was to see Scootaloo cuddling with some random colt she hadn't met before, especially after what had happened at the clubhouse, and yet there it was, plain as daylight! Whereas normally she would have been overjoyed to see something as sweet as this, she was now utterly speechless.

Dinky, on the other hoof, found it most heart-warming. “Scootaloo's got herself a coltfriend? Aww, that's so cute,” she cooed, holding both her front hooves close to her chest in adoration.

Only then did Sweetie-Belle find her voice. “Cute?!” she spluttered. “It's......unbelievable is what it is! I didn't realise Scootaloo had it in her!”

“What's going on, girls?” Tornado Bolt had overheard the commotion and come over to see what the fuss was all about.

“We've just found out why Scootaloo's been acting so out of character,” explained Tootsie Flute, pointing back towards Scootaloo and Rumble. “She appears to have a crush on that grey Pegasus colt.”

Tornado Bolt blinked and raised an eyebrow. “I wondered why she seemed so dreamy last Saturday,” she mused. “To think just a few days ago she was complaining about how sappy dating was to her – and now she's starting to like Rumble?”

“Rumble?” repeated Dinky. “What's 'Rumble'?”

“That's his name. He and I often go to the Friday after-school club, and we've become pretty good friends.”

“So you know him well, huh?” asked Tootsie Flute.

“Oh yeah,” affirmed Tornado Bolt. “He and I do get a bit competitive with each other though, so I have been known to get into races with him.”

By now, Sweetie-Belle had finally managed to come to terms with what she had seen, and was starting to see the cute side of it at last. As she watched the two Pegasi hanging out with each other, an idea flew into her head, causing her to break into a wide and palpably eager toothy grin which she directed towards her two fellow Crusaders.

“Um......something on your mind, Sweetie-Belle?” asked Tornado Bolt, confused.

“Don't you realise it yet?” squeaked Sweetie-Belle enthusiastically. “Those two are perfect for one another – if we bring them together, that could well earn us our Cutie Marks!”

Tootsie Flute brightened up at once. “Of course!” she burst out. “Matchmaking Cutie Marks – why didn't we think of it before?! Wait until we tell Apple Bloom about this!”

“That'd be totally awesome!” agreed Tornado Bolt.

But Dinky wasn't so sure. “Are you sure about this, girls? The last time any of us tried matchmaking was when Sweetie-Belle, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo tried to hook Miss Cheerilee up with Big Macintosh,” she said uneasily, “and we all know how that turned out.”

Sweetie-Belle laughed and brushed off Dinky's observation. “Ah, c'mon, Dinky,” she retorted, “there's no way we're using the love poison again. We've just gotta get them in a romantic enough setting for one to ask the other to be their very special somepony.”

“Yeah, lightning's not gonna strike twice on this plain, Dinky,” chimed in Tornado Bolt, “so pony up and stop worrying.”

Dinky was about to protest further, but at that same moment the school bell rang, so she decided against it. Instead, she followed her classmates into the schoolhouse, still brooding over their matchmaking plan.

Over the course of the day, Sweetie-Belle and Tootsie Flute spread the word to Apple Bloom, Noi and Pipsqueak that they were to meet at the Cutie Mark Crusaders' clubhouse immediately after school. Wisely, neither filly explained why in case Scootaloo should overhear, and once school had finished, they all headed over to Sweet Apple Acres as quickly as they could, leaving Scootaloo and Rumble to their own devices.

When they arrived, Tootsie Flute explained to the others what she, Dinky, Sweetie-Belle and Tornado Bolt had seen during recess, and the suggestion that Sweetie-Belle had subsequently put forward. Noi and Pipsqueak were wholly in favour of the plan, but Apple Bloom was still annoyed with Scootaloo.

“So now she admits that she was wrong about dating, does she?” she said huffily. “Well guess what, Scoot, yo' on yer own, 'cause Ah'm not bailin' y'all outta any problems y'all end up with!”

“Come on, Apple Bloom,” protested Tornado Bolt, “the whole reason you three formed this club was so we could help each other get our Cutie Marks, so why not our own coltfriends – or fillyfriends in the case of Pipsqueak, for example?”

“Well, maybe Ah would if Scootaloo would only apologise fo' bein' so impossible last week!”

“You were the one who offended her about her flying skills,” objected Tootsie Flute. “I don't think it fair that you should be the one demanding an apology off of Scootaloo, and besides, she was right all along about dating not getting us our Cutie Marks, however rude she was about it.”

Apple Bloom slapped a hoof to her face. “Whose side are y'all on?!” she burst out, frustrated.

“I'm just stating a fact, Apple Bloom. Now either you help us get Scootaloo and Rumble together, or we're all voting for Sweetie-Belle to take over as Cutie Mark Crusaders leader.”

“What?! But...”

“But nothing, Apple Bloom,” stated Tootsie Flute firmly. “You need to let it go, or you'll just end up losing more friends than just Scootaloo.”

Apple Bloom sighed heavily. “Ugh, fine,” she grumbled reluctantly. “Ah'll help y'all get Scootaloo an' Rumble together – but only 'cause y'all want me to.”

With that, the Cutie Mark Crusaders all hoof-bumped to a cheer of “Cutie Mark Crusader Matchmakers – YAY!”

Chapter 6: Let the Matchmaking Begin!

While the remainder of the Cutie Mark Crusaders were making plans at the clubhouse, Scootaloo was now undergoing a number of different wing-exercises under Rumble's supervision. It turned out to be very little different to when Rainbow Dash was training her, although Rumble was rather concerned about how hard she was pushing herself.

“How am I doing so far?” she panted, midway through the wing push-ups she was currently doing.

Rumble hesitated. “Um...not bad,” he answered, trying his best to sound tactful, “but you don't really want to overdo it. If you really want to improve your wings, it's better to work up to it gradually, otherwise you might hurt yourself.”

Scootaloo gave a muffled grunt of dismissal. “I'll be fine,” she retorted. “I've done about 40 push-ups so far; I can easily beat that.”

“25 would have been a safer number at this stage,” advised Rumble. “You shouldn't push yourself too hard, or you'll...” but he was cut off by a sudden pained yelp from Scootaloo. Her wings caved in, and she flopped onto her belly, panting heavily and grimacing in discomfort. “What is it?”

Scootaloo sat up and held her right wing. “I think I've just pulled a wing muscle,” she groaned, gingerly rubbing a particularly sore patch.

Rumble shook his head gravely. “I did warn you, Scootaloo.”

“Great, now I'm gonna have to walk it back home!” lamented Scootaloo unhappily. “No way will I be able to propel my scooter properly with just one wing.”

This made Rumble feel a little ashamed of himself for what he had just said. He wanted Scootaloo to be able to fly better, but the last thing he had wanted out of it was for her to sustain a similar injury to his when they had first met. Cautiously, he looked left and right before turning his attention back to her.

“Don't worry, Scootaloo,” he soothed. “Just lay down again and hold still. This might hurt a little.”

“What are you gonna do?”

“Just trust me.”

Scootaloo was still rather confused, but did as she was told. Once she had laid herself flat again, Rumble carefully took her wing in his hooves and gently began to massage it. The orange filly inhaled sharply, but soon began to enjoy the feeling of Rumble's firm hooves slowly running through her feathers, and let out a moan of pleasure as the pain gradually faded away. By the time he had finished, her wing felt as refreshed as if she had never sprained it in the first place.

“Wow, Rumble, that felt surprisingly nice,” remarked Scootaloo, standing up. “Where did you learn how to massage that well?”

Rumble blushed and placed a hoof against the back of his head. “Just a knack, I guess,” he replied. “I gotta ask, though, how often do you preen your wings?”

“What's preening got to do with it – and more to the point, what does that involve?”

“It's like when a pony brushes his or her mane every morning to keep it clear of knots and tangles,” explained Rumble. “Pegasi generally tend to fly better if their feathers are nice and smooth, so it's very important for them to sort of 'iron' them out every so often. Yours didn't feel as though they'd been preened at all.”

Scootaloo looked away sheepishly. “I never realised I actually needed to smooth my feathers out every once in a while,” she muttered.

“Well, more like once a day at least. I myself tend to use a special feather-preening brush set like most other ponies; it's not nearly as effective as using your mouth like most Pegasi used to do, but that sort of thing is frowned upon in public nowadays,” Rumble pointed out. “I found that out the hard way one Sports Day when I realised I hadn't preened my wings before I had gone out. I was due to take part in a race that afternoon and I didn't want to lose, so in desperation I went behind a bush and tried to smooth my feathers out without anypony noticing – but of course that didn't happen. Silver Spoon happened to be nearby, and she caught me with part of my right wing in my mouth as she passed by.” He blushed again, this time so heavily that his whole face was as red as an apple.

“I gather it didn't end well for you,” remarked Scootaloo.

“It sure didn't. I easily won the race, but at the cost of being humiliated not just by Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara, but by three colts in my class. All they ever spoke about after that was the colt who kept licking himself!” Rumble glanced down at the ground, scowling with hurt and anger. “It was so embarrassing that I just locked myself away in my room and didn't come out for days, and after Dad got home from his latest race and I told him what had been going on earlier, he explained that oral wing-preening in public was considered uncouth. I felt like such an idiot – if only I'd learned it sooner, I would have been a bit more careful.”

Disturbed though she was about the notion of Rumble preening his wings in such a fashion, Scootaloo nevertheless felt sorry for what he had had to go through. She noticed a few angry tears glistening in his eyes, and rested a hoof on his shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. “Never mind, Rumble,” she soothed. “It's all in the past now. Besides, surely you got your own back on them at some point?”

“Now you come to mention it, yes I did,” replied Rumble, grinning smugly. “Even though Dad had to explain why what I had been doing was wrong, he promised to speak with Miss Cheerilee about it – and get this, when I came in on Monday, she made all five of them apologise to me in front of my class! The look on their faces was priceless!”

“Just like the time her dad forced her to help us sing to the water for the next Zap-Apple season, huh?!” laughed Scootaloo.

“Kinda like that,” affirmed Rumble. “But one of the three colts was so stubborn that he refused to say anything of the sort to me, so in the end he was given about an hour's detention. None of them said anything so horrible about me for a long time after that.”

Scootaloo chortled at the thought of Diamond Tiara trying her hardest to keep what remained of her dignity intact as she apologised to a distraught Rumble, while Cheerilee stood behind with a stern look on her face. She could almost hear her and Rumble's schoolmates laughing and pointing at the humiliated pink filly.

“Anyway, I reckon that's enough training for today,” finished Rumble. “You got anything else planned, Scootaloo?”

“Not really,” admitted Scootaloo, “but I could do with a snack from Sugarcube Corner after all that. Wanna come with?”

Rumble smiled and nodded in reply, but secretly he was a little taken aback. Had Scootaloo really just asked him out, he wondered?

“Hop aboard then,” offered Scootaloo, slipping her helmet on and mounting her scooter.

At that very same moment, the rest of the Cutie Mark Crusaders were at the bakery discussing possible plans for bringing Scootaloo and Rumble together. Dinky hadn't said more than two words about it thus far, but in any event, her worries were compounded by the fact that Apple Bloom, rather tastelessly, seemed to have chosen to use their matchmaking antics as a means of getting her own back on Scootaloo.

Sweetie-Belle had noticed this too, but she wasn't as much worried as annoyed with how persistent the yellow farm filly was being. “Suck it up, Apple Bloom!” she urged crossly. “Just because Scootaloo was being so difficult earlier doesn't mean you have to be too!”

“Ah don't care!” scowled Apple Bloom. “That shrunken ostrich has crossed the line once too often – Ah'm not lettin' her off of the hook this time!”

“Look, you're just gonna put her off dating with Rumble if you carry on the way you are! Besides, I thought you said you'd help us bring them together!”

“Only so Ah could teach Scootaloo a lesson in...”

“GUYS! We've got company!” squeaked Noi suddenly.

The Crusaders glanced towards the window. Sure enough, Scootaloo was motoring towards the bakery on her scooter, with Rumble clinging on behind her. Realising that their chance had come, Tootsie Flute quickly whispered something to the others before galloping over to the counter...

Scootaloo coasted gently to a halt just outside the bakery door, and once she and Rumble had dismounted, she propped it against the wall and hung her helmet on one of the handlebars before following him inside. Not surprisingly, she noted, there were plenty of fillies and colts hanging out here, but strangely the Cutie Mark Crusaders seemed to be spread out among different tables, rather than just the one as was normally the case. Dinky and Pipsqueak were sat at the one by the window while Sweetie-Belle was chatting up a pleasantly surprised Lickety-Split at another.

As the two Pegasi approached the counter, Pinkie Pie bounced into view. “Hey, Scootaloo, how's it going with the Crusaders?” she chirped in her usual jolly manner. “Been up to much lately?”

“Um...this and that,” replied Scootaloo absent-mindedly. “Got any of those nice cupcakes Rainbow Dash and I were trying out the other day?”

“You're in luck, Scoot; those cupcakes were such a big hit that we're down to the last of them right now. How does that even make sense though, a cake hitting a pony? They can't even fly unless they're butterfly cakes – but hang on, butterfly cakes can't fly either...what about fairy cakes? Do fairy cakes have...no, wait, I forgot they don't have wings...maybe if they were angel cakes they might...nah, they don't have any wings either – what's with that?”

The two Pegasi laughed as they listened to Pinkie Pie rambling on about how cakes couldn't fly. They were used to the pink party pony's antics, even if she sometimes caught them by surprise.

“Well, if they can't fly, then why don't you bring a couple over here then?” interrupted Scootaloo after a while.

“Okey-dokey-lokey!” replied Pinkie Pie cheerfully, and dived underneath the counter. Just half a second afterwards, the kitchen door opened, and she emerged with two cupcakes balanced on a tray on her back. The two young Pegasi could only stare in disbelief.

“There you go – two scrum-diddly-umptious apple drizzle cupcakes! That'll be two bits and fifty cents.”

“Thanks, Pinkie,” said Scootaloo, handing over two gold coins and a larger silver one.

“Same for mine?” asked Rumble, digging through his satchel in search of some change.

“Nope – apple drizzle cupcakes are one-twenty-five each.”

“Oh – in that case, I'll see if I can pay you back the cost of mine.”

Scootaloo stifled a chuckle and rolled her eyes. “You don't owe me anything, Rumble,” she insisted. “It's only been our first session, and already you've taught me a great deal about flying that I never knew before, not even when Rainbow Dash was training me. I thought I'd pay for yours as a way of thanking you.”

Rumble smiled gratefully in reply. “Aw, Scootaloo – you didn't need to do that for me.”

“Well...I wanted to,” rejoined Scootaloo, blushing slightly. “That's how good a friend you are.”

The two Pegasus foals stood and gazed into each other's eyes for a few moments, during which time everything else around them seemed to fade from existence, leaving just the two of them on their own. In the distance, they thought they could hear a lonely violin playing a soft, romantic tune...

Wait, what?! A violin? Rumble snapped out of his trance and looked over his shoulder. It turned out that the violin music was coming from a gramophone over in the far corner of the room; but the emotions that it had stirred up between him and Scootaloo were overshadowed by the many eyes he could feel watching them.

“Um......Scootaloo,” he ventured, “how do you feel about having to sit and listen to Beethoofen?”

Scootaloo stuck her tongue out disdainfully. “Not really my thing, Rumble,” she admitted. “Let's just take our cupcakes outside; it's way too crowded in here anyway.”

With that, each of them carefully balanced a cupcake on their wing and trotted over to an empty table just outside the door. Scootaloo felt a great sense of relief as they sat down, but before she could take the first bite of her cupcake, they heard a disappointed yell of “OH, COME ON!!” from inside the bakery. Both she and Rumble stared towards the doorway in confusion.

Sweetie-Belle slammed her head against the table, still frustrated after her outburst. “How could I have forgotten that Scootaloo dislikes classical music?!” she growled angrily. “Great suggestion that turned out to be – not!”

Tootsie Flute sighed heavily. “Not your fault, Sweetie-Belle,” she said unhappily. “We should have planned all this well in advance instead of just taking it as it came – seems that success from Beethoofen music alone was way too much to hope for.”

“Wouldn't it be better to just let their relationship develop naturally?” asked Lickety-Split reasonably. “You guys might end up putting them off if you overcrowd them.”

“No way!” snapped Apple Bloom. “If that Scootaloo thinks she can trump me with that stupid claim o' hers that she'd never be caught dead datin', then she's got another thing comin'! We're getting' Scoot an' Rumble together if it's the last thing we do!”

This turned out to be much easier said than done though. They tried all sorts of tricks, but nothing worked; Dinky tried suspending what she thought was a bough of mistletoe above Scootaloo and Rumble, but it turned out to be sycamore, so neither Pegasus paid it any attention. Tornado Bolt tried to form cloud trails in the sky in the shape of a heart, with the letters “I” and “U” either side and Scootaloo's name underneath, but her trails dispersed as fast as she could fly. Even when Apple Bloom tried to sneak a box of chocolates into Rumble's hoof as a gift for Scootaloo while the two Pegasi were out walking with each other (she would have gone for flowers, but knowing the tomboyish Pegasus filly, chocolates were the better bet), she couldn't even get close without appearing too conspicuous, and eventually had to give up. By the following Saturday, the Cutie Mark Crusaders felt exhausted.

“This really takes the biscuit for tough Cutie Mark Crusader missions, and no mistake,” remarked Pipsqueak wearily. “Whoever could've known that matchmaking was so demanding?”

“I'll say,” agreed Dinky. “The amount of sleep I lost trying to think up some way of getting Scootaloo and Rumble together you wouldn't believe – Mommy was really worried to see me so tired this morning.”

Apple Bloom gritted her teeth angrily. “That Scootaloo's playin' with our heads! Ah just know it!” she growled. “We're gonna have ta really step up our game if we wanna get our Cutie Marks in matchmakin'!”

“Maybe, but there's no need to get on your high horse about it,” Sweetie-Belle tried to reason. “Lickety-Split could well be right about letting those two take their time over it, you know. If we gain Cutie Marks in matchmaking, so much the better, but if it doesn't work out, we just need to accept it and move on.”

“An' let 'er carry on in the same way as before?! Forget it!” huffed Apple Bloom sharply. “What that Scootaloo needs is a taste of 'er own medicine – an' she's gonna get it whether she likes it or not!”

Noi directed a worried glance towards Tornado Bolt. “I don't like this, Tornado,” she murmured. “Apple Bloom just seems so...what's the word...vengeful.”

“You're right there. The way she's talking, she might as well have been plotting something way, way worse – something like murder,” put in Tootsie Flute. “I sure hope one of us can sort her out before somepony gets hurt. Perhaps I'd better see if Twilight can help us with this whole matchmaking malarkey; she's bound to have a book on the subject,” and she trotted out of the clubhouse.

Chapter 7: These Feelings Within

Over in another part of Sweet Apple Acres, Scootaloo was anxiously pacing back and forth under the shade of one of the apple trees, muttering indistinctly to herself. She should have met up with Rainbow Dash here that morning, but after a whole hour of waiting, the rainbow-maned Pegasus mare still hadn't turned up. As time went by, the orange filly became increasingly restless.

“What's keeping her so long?” she wondered out loud. “Not like Rainbow Dash to be this late.”

She directed a hesitant glance at her scooter for the umpteenth time, wondering if she should go and perform a few stunts to pass the time. But her mind was so heavily burdened with thoughts about Rumble that, strangely, she didn't quite feel up to it; she didn't feel tired by any means, having rested quite nicely after all her training, but the idea of stunt-riding just didn't seem to appeal to Scootaloo in the slightest.

As the young Pegasus filly continued to try and pace the time away, Big Macintosh came trotting past with a heavy cartload of apples. “Mornin', li'l Scootaloo,” he greeted in his usual laid-back tone.

Scootaloo merely nodded in reply – but that was when it hit her; if indeed Rainbow Dash had been detained for any reason, she might well have informed her friends. If so, Big Macintosh was certain to know what was holding her up.

“Hey, Big Mac!” she called. “Any idea where Rainbow Dash is?”

Big Macintosh stopped his cart. “What's that?”

“Rainbow Dash said she and I were to meet up here at Sweet Apple Acres,” replied Scootaloo, “but I haven't seen her all morning. Do you know what's keeping her?”

“Eeyup – sprained wing, Ah'm afraid,” said Big Macintosh gravely. “Applejack says she's okay, but she won't be able ta make it home fo' the weekend. Ah'm sorry, li'l 'un.”

Scootaloo was most dismayed. “Oh, well......thanks anyway,” she responded morosely. “I'll see you round,” and she plodded sadly back to her scooter, deeply disappointed. Understandably, Big Macintosh was rather concerned by her downtrodden demeanour, but kept his thoughts to himself as he continued on his way.

Just as she was mounting her scooter, however, a thought popped into Scootaloo's head; “Maybe Rumble might wanna hang out again,” she thought aloud. “I'll go ask him.”

Flapping her wings vigorously, she set her scooter into motion and headed for the other side of town.

But Scootaloo was in for a big disappointment when at last she arrived at Rumble's house. She got off her scooter, made her way to the front door, and was just about to knock when it slowly swung open to reveal Blue Finch and a silvery grey Pegasus mare with a two-tone cyan mane and tail. The mare looked important but nevertheless kind, and her Cutie Mark consisted of a pencil and a pair of compasses against a paint-soaked brush, giving away her profession as an interior designer. Scootaloo immediately realised that this had to be Rumble's mother, Memphis Belle.

“Can we help you?” inquired the mare in a soft, polite voice.

“Um...yeah, I just wanted to ask Rumble if he wanted to hang out,” replied Scootaloo. “You know if he's in?”

“Ah, I see. You must be his new friend then – Scuderia, was it?”

“Actually, no; it's Scootaloo.”

“Oh, I'm so sorry,” apologised Memphis Belle, “I'm not that good with names. No, I'm afraid he's not here right now.”

“He's visiting his grandmother for the weekend,” explained Blue Finch gravely. “He'd not long left by the time you turned up. Sorry.”

Scootaloo simply nodded in reply before trudging back to her scooter, leaving Blue Finch and Memphis Belle to go about their business. It had been bad enough that Rainbow Dash wouldn't be able to spend time with her, but now that it was very much the same story with Rumble, she suddenly felt incredibly lonely and depressed, even though there were so many other ponies out and about that morning; it was almost as she'd been abandoned in the middle of a desert island.

Indeed, the orange Pegasus filly was so hard hit by the news of Rumble's absence that she didn't even think about using her wings this time. Instead, she just kicked herself along as most other fillies and colts did, and trundled wearily and sluggishly through town, frowning sadly at her handlebars as she felt a burning sensation in her chest. Normally a good stunt routine would have cheered her up, but right now she just wanted to cry. If only Rainbow Dash had still been able to come home despite her injury, she lamented – or at least if Rumble hadn't had to go at such short notice...

The burning in her chest intensified as the name ran through her head, and she raised a hoof to her heart, trying to massage the pain away, but it still wouldn't peter out. Only then did she begin to realise that maybe it wasn't Rainbow Dash whose absence was causing her so much pain and sorrow – but why? What did Rumble have that the greatest flyer in Equestria didn't? Why had she become so lethargic over him taking just a short vacation? And even more confusingly, the same question that had been plaguing her for several days – why couldn't she get him out of her head? Morosely, she decided to head over to the library; hopefully there would be something in there that would take her mind off everything that seemed to be bothering her right now.

Because she was in such a low mood, it took Scootaloo nearly five times as long to reach the Golden Oak Library as she normally did, and it was nearly midday by the time she arrived. Only Spike appeared to be in the library at that moment, but he merely shot the orange filly a cold stare before resuming with the letter he was in the middle of writing. Scootaloo ignored him and made her way over to the Fiction section.

“Hullo, Scootaloo. I didn't expect to see you here.”

Scootaloo looked over her shoulder to see Twilight walking towards her. “Oh, hey, Twilight. Got the latest copy of Daring Do yet?” she asked, trying to sound cheerful.

“Funny you should mention that,” chuckled Twilight. “I only just took delivery of it this morning.” She levitated a brown book down from the shelf and hovered it in front of Scootaloo so that she could have a look. On its cover was a picture of a khaki Pegasus mare overflying a somewhat barren mountain range, bordered above and below by the title of “DARING DO AND THE UNICORN TALISMAN”.

“Aw, thanks, Twilight,” said Scootaloo. “I can't wait to see what Daring gets up to this time.”

Twilight chuckled again as the young Pegasus trotted over to the reading pit to get started on the new book; but she couldn't help noticing a slight tone of discontent in the filly's voice. It was as if she was trying to hide something, though she couldn't quite fathom what it might be. Quietly assuring herself that Scootaloo would tell her what the matter was when she was ready, the young alicorn went about her business as if nothing was amiss.

Predictably, considering how unhappy she sounded despite her best attempts to appear genial, Scootaloo seemed to lose interest just a few pages into the book. She sat on one of the sofas lining the pit, gazing vacantly at the words on each page with her eyes half-closed and a bored expression plastered onto her face, while Twilight reorganised a section of library immediately behind her.

“Doesn't seem half as fun without Rainbow Dash here,” muttered the little orange filly, fighting off a yawn.

Twilight nodded solemnly. “Yes, it's a pity she couldn't get back for the weekend,” she agreed sympathetically. “Still, it's nothing serious if the medic at the Academy is anypony to go by; she should be back to full health by Tuesday.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” sighed Scootaloo resignedly. She then glanced out of the window, her expression turning sombre. “I sure hope she's okay right now.”

“Well that's a first,” grumbled Spike sarcastically. “I suppose you're gonna chew me out for teaching you a lesson in compassion too, huh?!”

Scootaloo cringed. Spike just had to bring that up now, didn't he? “I never meant for you to throw yourself over the edge of the cliff like that!” she protested. “I was just so flustered!”

Spike snorted crossly in reply. “You really expect me to believe that? Honestly, the way you spoke to me two months back, you might as well have strangled me on the spot – and now you're telling me that you never meant for anything of the sort! Well guess what; I could do without some irritating chicken-brain trying to make excuses for being so harsh to me!”

“Spike!” chided Twilight severely. “That wasn't very nice now, was it?!”

“Hark at the misshapen ostrich!” retorted Spike. “I happened to be stuck between a rock and a hard place, and she never gave a flying feather about my feelings!”

“That's no reason to go calling her names. Now you mind what you say in front of her, or that gem I promised you for lunch is going up for sale!”

Spike goggled in horror. “You wouldn't!”

“I would then,” said Twilight firmly, “so you behave yourself, Spike, or no gems.”

Reluctantly, Spike turned and headed for the other side of the library to begin sweeping. Scootaloo looked down at the floor, a small tear welling up in her eye as Apple Bloom's insult from the previous week echoed in her head.

“What was I thinking?” she faltered. “The one time Spike needed that little bit of reassurance from me and my friends, and I just had to break him! I guess he's right; I am nothing but an irritating chicken-brain.”

“Now that'll do, Scootaloo,” soothed Twilight, resting a gentle hoof on her shoulder. “I can understand why Spike is so angry with you, but that doesn't give him the right to put you down like this. He'll forgive you when he's ready, but even if he doesn't, you mustn't go so hard on yourself, or you'll make yourself ill.”

Scootaloo nodded sadly. “I hope he does forgive me soon enough. I mean, I did say to him and Rarity I was sorry; why can't he just let it go and move on?”

Twilight patted her shoulder reassuringly. “Well it's good to see you understand the consequences of your actions. I wouldn't worry about Spike though; he'll forgive you when he's ready, and I'm sure it'll be the same with Rarity,” she answered. “But that's obviously not what's bothering you right now. I can tell.”

“You're right, Twilight, it isn't.”

There was a long pause.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Scootaloo considered this. “Well...only if you Pinkie Promise not to tell anypony.”

Twilight nodded kindly, tracing a cross on her chest with her hoof and placing it over her eye. That was all the response Scootaloo needed.

“Last week, I bumped into...literally bumped into this colt while I was riding my scooter through town. I ended up bruising his wing, but he didn't seem to mind; in fact, he even offered to give me flying lessons whenever Rainbow Dash wasn't here. We've even started hanging out together, me and him, and I...he seems to be becoming almost as special to me as Dash – maybe more!”

The lavender alicorn stared in amazement as Scootaloo became lost in her description of what had been going on with the as yet unnamed colt.

“But lately I've been getting all sorts of problems; I can never seem to stop thinking about him, I get some weird ache in my chest whenever I do, and I feel so lonely if he's not around,” finished Scootaloo. “You don't happen to know what's wrong with me, do you, Twilight?”

At that point, Twilight could only grin broadly in amusement. “There's nothing wrong with you, Scootaloo,” she smiled. “Everypony goes through this sort of emotion at some point in their lives, whether they realise it or not.”

“Realise what?”

“To put it simply, Scootaloo, it may sound rather unlikely, but you're actually falling in love,” replied Twilight gently.

Scootaloo looked startled. “I'm what?” she stammered. “But how can I be? That's just ridiculous, especially at my age!”

“Maybe, but 'young love' has been known to happen sometimes. It may sound crazy, but it is true,” said Twilight sagely. “You did say that you were constantly thinking about this colt you met last week, didn't you?”

“Well, yeah, but I don't...” but Scootaloo was too confused to finish her sentence. Her head was swimming in an ocean of emotions, and wherever there seemed to be a shore, there was Rumble standing at the water's edge, smiling fondly upon her. She quickly snapped herself out of it and glanced back to Twilight questioningly.

“Well let's just have a think about this; firstly, what's the first thing you think of when you wake up then?” asked Twilight.

Scootaloo put a hoof to her chin, thinking it through. “Well...I keep thinking he's in the same bed as me, and I roll over to say good morning only to find that the other side of my bed is empty.”

“And what do you think about while you're riding your scooter?”

Once again, Scootaloo paused. “I imagine him clinging to my back, cheering loudly as I give him the ride of his life,” she answered at last. “It just brought so much joy to my ears the first time I heard it that it's stayed with me ever since.”

“What about when you and Rainbow Dash met up last weekend? Do you still think about him then?”

“Hmm......actually, yes I did,” observed Scootaloo. “I kept wishing he would turn up and join us for flight training, and even when Rainbow Dash got here, all I seemed to talk about was Rumble this and Rumble that.”

“Oh, so it's Thunderlane's little brother, is it?” remarked Twilight.

“Um...yeah,” affirmed Scootaloo, blushing deeply.

“Do you always blush when you think about him then?”

“Dunno – never actually noticed that before,” admitted Scootaloo. “I know my cheeks kept getting hot for some reason, but I didn't think it was blushing.”

“Well, that's what a blush normally feels like. One more thing, do you ever dream about him at night?”

Scootaloo sighed dreamily. “Yeah – a lot. Some are good, some are bad, some are kind of in between, but they always include him.” Her eyes widened again as she realised just how right Twilight was. Rumble may not have been the charismatic daredevil that Rainbow Dash was, but over the course of the last week, he had become as valuable a tutor, confidante and friend as her idol. But now that she had had the chance to fully analyse her feelings, she realised that he was far more than that. “I've got it real bad, haven't I?” she murmured sheepishly.

“Without a doubt,” affirmed Twilight, “but it's nothing to be ashamed of. I for one think it really sweet that you two are getting on so well together, and Rainbow Dash had been saying the same thing when you two visited last week.”

“She knows about my crush on Rumble?”

“All the signs were there,” chuckled Twilight. “She could see it from a mile away – as could your fellow Crusaders, I suspect,” she added. “Tootsie Flute was in here earlier asking for a book on matchmaking, but she wouldn't say why other than a few hushed whispers about Rumble.”

Scootaloo's amazement gave way to a look of suspicion. “Wait just a minute – you're telling me the Cutie Mark Crusaders are trying to hook me and Rumble?” she asked in a wary tone.

“That's about the size of it. She never mentioned your name, but now you've mentioned your budding relationship with Rumble...”

“So that's it, huh – they're trying to meddle in our 'relationship'?! That's just stupid!” scowled Scootaloo crossly. “They might as well have tried getting me in a pink tutu and making me dance in front of Princess Celestia! Well, you know what, I'm not falling for any of their mushy matchmaking gags; those Cutie Mark Crusaders can just give up and go home!”

But unbeknownst to both of them, Tootsie Flute of all ponies was sitting just outside the library. She had happened to overhear the whole conversation while she was leafing through the book she had borrowed, and when she realised that their matchmaking plans hadn't gone unnoticed by either Scootaloo or Twilight, she couldn't help worrying.

“Well, so much for asking Twilight about this whole matchmaking thing,” she thought aloud. “Now what are we going to do?”

“What's up, Tootsie?” Dinky happened to be passing by at the same moment, and upon glimpsing the anxious look on Tootsie Flute's face she immediately realised that something wasn't right.

Tootsie Flute gave her best friend a grave look. “I'm afraid our plan may have gone a bit pear-shaped,” she admitted. “I heard Scootaloo talking to Twilight just a moment or two ago, and I think she might be onto us. I heard them talking about us, Rumble and our plans.”

Dinky stared in disbelief. “How in Equestria did she find out?”

“I think Twilight must have guessed it when I asked for that book on matchmaking,” replied Tootsie Flute. “I mean, on the plus side, Scootaloo now knows and accepts that she has a crush on Rumble, but still, how are we going to bring those two together if she knows what we're up to?”

“I don't know, but we'd better tell Apple Bloom at least...”

Chapter 8: Drastic Action

Apple Bloom was hopping mad when she heard the news. “Great!” she stormed angrily. “It just had ta be Twilight, din' it?!”

“I'm really sorry, Apple Bloom,” apologised Tootsie Flute meekly. “It was my fault for not swearing her to secrecy. But I think she and Lickety-Split are right; if we don't let it develop naturally, we'll never get them together.”

“Well, Ah'm not beaten yet!” said Apple Bloom defiantly. “Scootaloo can mess with mah plans all she wants...”

“Your plans?” repeated Dinky dubiously.

“...but we're gettin' her an' Rumble together no matter what! It's time fo' drastic action...”

That afternoon, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were holding an emergency meeting to discuss their new plans. Apple Bloom had a map of Ponyville and its surrounding area laid out in the centre of the clubhouse, and the other foals were all sat in a circle around it, watching intently as the yellow farm filly explained what they were about to do.

“Okay, Crusaders, now here's the deal. Tomorrow afternoon, Rumble arrives home from his grandma; we'll give him until the followin' mornin' ta rest himself up, an' then we'll put our plan into action. At ten o'clock, Tornado Bolt, y'all go an' challenge him to a race around Ponyville. Ah'll be waitin' with Tootsie Flute, Sweetie-Belle, Dinky an' Noi at Chevalier's Bluff, here.” Apple Bloom pointed towards what appeared to be a small cliff on the western side of town, not far from the reservoir. “Leave that until close ta the end o' yo' race so as ta buy us some time ta prepare ourselves.”

“Sure thing, Apple Bloom, but what do you intend to do?” asked Tornado Bolt.

“Ah'll come ta that in a minute,” replied Apple Bloom patiently. “Now Pipsqueak, while Tornado Bolt's at it, y'all go an' tell Scootaloo you've found some sort'a treasure near Chevalier's Bluff, an' make sure ya bring her there ta see fo' herself. Once she gets there, we'll stage a fake dragon attack usin' that crazy costume Rarity has left over. Sweetie-Belle, Dinky, Tootsie Flute, y'all play the part o' the 'dragon'.”

“But how do we fool them both into thinking that Scootaloo's really being attacked?” objected Sweetie-Belle. “That dragon costume isn't very convincing; Scootaloo might easily see through it.”

“No she won't,” retorted Apple Bloom, grinning slyly, “'cause as soon as she sees the 'treasure', that'll be the last thing she'll remember before she wakes up.”

Dinky gasped and stared at Apple Bloom in a state of shock. “You're not planning on knocking her out, are you?”

“Unless y'all can think of a better way o' makin' it look la'k a real dragon attack, yes Ah am.”

“Now hang on, Apple Bloom,” burst out Tootsie Flute sharply, “that's taking it too far...”

“Look, do y'all wanna bring Scootaloo an' Rumble together, or do ya want our plan ta fail 'cause she realised it was a fake?!”

Tootsie Flute opened her mouth to protest further, but she couldn't think of anything to say.

“Ah rest mah case,” said Apple Bloom triumphantly, and resumed her briefing; “Once Ah've done that, Noi will come out with a bottle o' ketchup, an' we'll smear it over Scootaloo ta make it look la'k she's been brutally attacked by the 'dragon'. By that time, Tornado Bolt should be overflying the area with Rumble, an' that's when Dinky, Tootsie Flute an' Sweetie-Belle will come out an' 'attack'. Make sure Dinky's as near the mouth as possible so she can make it look as if it's breathin' fire. We can then leave it to Rumble ta do the rest. Any questions?”

“Yeah, what should I use for this 'treasure'?” inquired Pipsqueak.

Apple Bloom shook her head resignedly. “Anything y'all can think of, as long as it looks convincing,” she replied simply. “Any other points Ah've missed out?”

The Cutie Mark Crusaders exchanged glances, trying to work out whether they had any other questions. Eventually, Tornado Bolt spoke up; “Not that we can think of, Apple Bloom.”

“Good – but remember; ten o'clock on Monday mornin',” Apple Bloom reiterated. “We can't afford any slip-ups, is that clear?”

“As clear as it'll ever get,” affirmed Tootsie Flute, and the other Crusaders murmured their agreement. Secretly, the aqua-coated filly was still uneasy about all this, but she knew it was no good arguing.

For the rest of the day and throughout the next, the Cutie Mark Crusaders went about their business as normal, and not a word was spoken about their big plans for Monday. On occasion, one or other of them happened to cross paths with Scootaloo, but they never gave even the slightest hint of what was about to happen to her. Not that she cared, of course; whatever plan they intended to throw at her, the orange Pegasus filly thought, she would be ready for them.

Rumble returned late the following evening. He had enjoyed spending time with his grandmother, and cheerfully spoke about it with his parents throughout the evening before it was time for him to turn in for the night. But when he woke up the next morning, his mood seemed to have dipped quite heavily; his hoof-steps were slow and measured, and his face appeared weary and uncertain. He barely even touched his food at breakfast he was so distracted, and needless to say both Blue Finch and Memphis Belle were deeply concerned for him.

“What's wrong, son?” asked Blue Finch gently. “You seem rather quiet today.”

Rumble looked into his bowl of porridge for the umpteenth time. “I'm not really sure, Dad,” he admitted. “I've been having all sorts of weird emotions lately; I don't know why, but I just can't seem to stop thinking about Scootaloo. You probably don't know her, Mom...”

Memphis Belle chuckled. “Actually, Rumble, I met her just after you left to see your grandmother,” she replied. “She was asking if you were available for the weekend, but we had to tell her you weren't for obvious reasons. She seemed pretty disappointed when we did, though.”

“You say you can't stop thinking about her, Rumble?”

“Yeah, I kept wishing she could have come with me that day – even if her own parents may have been a bit wary,” went on Rumble. “She's always been a great stunt-rider, especially in my eyes, but I've come to realise she's way more than that; you remember when I told her about my cousin? Well, if it'd been any other pony, Celestia only knows what they would have said – heck, if it had been Diamond Tiara or Silver Spoon, they would have gallivanted over to Trottingham just to mock the living daylights out of her – but not Scootaloo. I can still feel the hug she gave me that day.”

Blue Finch smiled fondly. “I remember that,” he observed. “I never said anything that day for fear of embarrassing you, but I thought you looked really cute together.”

Rumble blushed heavily as he remembered how his father had walked in on them. “Me and Scootaloo – c-cute?” he stammered. “That's the last word Scootaloo would want to use!”

“Well, that's what I thought at the time,” chortled Blue Finch.

“It sounds like you really care for her,” remarked Memphis Belle thoughtfully.

“Well, yeah, but it's what friends do for each other,” objected Rumble. The moment he said that, however, he suddenly felt a deep sense of guilt burning away at his heart and soul; was that all she really was, his conscience asked him? Just a friend? He fidgeted uncomfortably, feeling like a complete idiot.

“What, like massaging each other's wings and giving them advice on how to preen their feathers properly?”

“I...that is...” but Rumble tailed off, unable to finish his sentence. Right now he was in emotional turmoil, and the only response he could manage was to push his bowl aside and bury his face in his forelegs. Blue Finch suddenly felt rather foolish for having embarrassed him the way he had, and rested a hoof on his son's shoulder.

“Hey, it's okay, Rumble,” he soothed. “I didn't mean to upset you like this. It's just that your behaviour patterns ring a similar bell to when your mother and I first met.”

“What do you mean?” asked Rumble, cautiously lifting his head.

“Back when she and I were in high school, she kept following me round like a sheep,” explained Blue Finch, “and as you can imagine, I soon found that rather irritating. I told my own parents about this, but they never did a thing about it. It wasn't that they didn't care for me – far from it, in fact – they just thought it was really cute what was going on between us. In the end, I stayed indoors throughout recess in the hopes of avoiding her altogether. At first I was quite glad when I got to stay in Canterlot for a fortnight to see the Wonderbolts, because that meant I didn't have to put up with her; but as the weeks crawled by, I found myself feeling rather low, and I may have even cried a few times.

“Once again, I asked my parents about it, and they basically said I was getting a crush. I didn't know what to think at first, but then I realised I hadn't stopped thinking about her since we left. I felt like such a moron for having ignored her this whole time, and when I got back, the first thing I did was apologise for shunning her so much. After that, one thing led to another, and although we did have a few other ups and downs, we quickly grew inseparable, and I eventually proposed to her after winning that Best Young Flyers' Competition.”

Rumble gazed at Blue Finch, and then at Memphis Belle. “You mean you two had been foalhood sweethearts? That's amazing!” he gasped. Then his eyes widened in realisation. “You think the same thing could be true of me and Scootaloo?”

“Quite likely, dear,” affirmed Memphis Belle. “I mean, think about it; what do you think about whenever Scootaloo pops into your head?”

The grey colt paused, mulling it over. “I think about how brilliant she is on the scooter, and all the stunts she does while she's riding it,” he replied, as if on automatic. “I often wonder how she's doing, how good a flyer she thinks I am, whether she feels about me the same way I do her...I guess you could be right. I guess I do like Scootaloo. I just wish I knew what to tell her.”

“The truth, son,” advised Blue Finch simply. “If you love Scoot – sorry, I mean like her, then it's best to get it off of your chest, or else it could eat away at your soul forever. It's hard, I know – why, I felt just as nervous about confessing my love to your mother – but the sooner she knows, the better.”

Rumble nodded in agreement. “You're right, Dad. As soon as I see her next, I'm not holding back. As soon as I see her next, I'm gonna tell her how I feel – and hope she doesn't reject me.”

“Good boy, Rumble,” encouraged his father, patting him on his shoulder. “You're a very brave colt.”

Rumble smiled gratefully, but before he could reply, they heard a knock at the front door. Secretly rather puzzled as to who it could be, the grey colt got up and went to answer. When he opened it, he found Tornado Bolt standing outside.

“Hey, Rumble,” she said cheerfully. “How did your visit to your grandma's go?”

“It was okay, thanks,” answered Rumble. “What brings you here, anyway?”

Tornado Bolt grinned broadly, trying to hide her anxiety with an expression of excitement. “Oh, I just wanted to see how much I'd improved on my flying skills over the last week. I was gonna put them to the test against Featherweight, but I'm feeling extra speedy today, so I thought we could maybe have a race against each other around the outskirts of Ponyville and through the Whitetail Woods. That okay with you?”

“I dunno. I had planned to go and see Dad racing at...”

“Ah, c'mon, Rumble,” goaded Tornado Bolt before he could finish, “you see your Dad running races all the time. Surely it wouldn't hurt to miss this one?”

Rumble mulled it over. He always enjoyed a good excuse to get out and stretch his wings, but he wasn't sure he wanted to miss seeing his father running this particular race. Eventually, after a great deal of consideration and a little more pressure from Tornado Bolt, he turned and called back into the dining room; “Dad, is it okay if I go race with Tornado Bolt?”

“I thought you wanted to come and watch me race,” Blue Finch's voice called back.

“I'll try to make it back in time to see you finish, Dad, I promise.”

There was a short pause.

“Okay, Rumble, but take care; we wouldn't want you getting hurt now.”

“Will do, Dad,” replied Rumble. He then turned to Tornado Bolt. “Okay, Tornado, you're on.”

Tornado Bolt gave the most competitive smirk she could manage in response. “Right then, Rumble,” she said hurriedly, “on your marks, get set, GO!!!” and before Rumble could prepare himself, she took off. The grey Pegasus colt quickly launched himself into the air in hot pursuit, berating her for jumping the gun and yelling for her to slow down. As soon as the two Pegasi were out of sight, Pipsqueak emerged from behind the bushes where he had been hiding, and galloped off to find Scootaloo.

It didn't take very long for the mottled Earth pony colt to find who he was looking for. Scootaloo was relaxing underneath the shade of a tree near the town square, thinking about her feelings for Rumble and how she would admit them to him. She barely even noticed Pipsqueak scampering up to her.

“Hey, Scoot!” he called enthusiastically. “You'll never guess what I found at Chevalier's Bluff this morning!”

Scootaloo cracked an eye open, uninterested. “News to me that there was anything to be found there,” she murmured in a bored voice.

“Well, there is!” replied Pipsqueak. “I noticed something gold and shiny as I was walking past the bluff – I dunno what it is, but I think it could be a doubloon or summink!”

“Wait – a doubloon?!” repeated Scootaloo, leaping to her hooves with a start. “As in...pirate treasure?”

“Yeah!”

“Wow!” remarked Scootaloo. “This I must see!” She climbed onto her scooter and raced away towards Chevalier's Bluff, while Pipsqueak darted along behind her as fast as his little legs could propel him.

Chapter 9: Thunder-Scoots Are Go!

Fifteen minutes later they arrived at the bluff, and Scootaloo stopped to let a breathless Pipsqueak catch up. “Where exactly is this doubloon you found then?” she asked.

Pipsqueak came alongside her, panting heavily as he stopped to catch his breath. He pointed towards the very foot of the bluff; “Over...there!” was all he managed to say.

Without a moment's thought as to what she was about to get herself into, Scootaloo leaped off her scooter and cantered towards where the “doubloon” supposedly was. Just as she reached it, however, two things happened; firstly, she noticed that it wasn't a real doubloon – just an ordinary one-bit coin. Secondly, a startled yelp caught her attention, and she turned around to find Apple Bloom racing towards her, brandishing a frying pan between her teeth. The yellow filly swung it hard as she closed in on the orange Pegasus, but Scootaloo only just dodged her in time to avoid being slugged over the back of her head.

“What the hay, Apple Bloom?!” she burst out angrily. “Have you gone crazy or something?!”

Apple Bloom wasn't listening. She turned back towards the bushes with an equally angry scowl on her face; “Noi!” she bellowed. “What part o' 'keep outta mah way' do ya have trouble understandin'? You've gone an' blown our cover now!”

“I-I-I didn't mean to,” stammered Noi meekly.

Scootaloo glared hard at Apple Bloom, her eyes narrowing. “I might have guessed you'd be setting me up,” she hissed, her voice laced with venom. “This is all part of your stupid matchmaking plot, isn't it?”

“What......how did...” spluttered Apple Bloom indignantly.

“I'm onto you, Apple Bloom!” snarled Scootaloo, pressing her face threateningly against Apple Bloom's. “You think you can mess me and Rumble around, you've got another thing coming!”

“Oh yeah?!” snapped Apple Bloom, pushing back. “Well look who's talkin', chicken! Ya fall for a handsome young colt la'k Rumble, an' the last thing y'all admit is that y'all were wrong an' Ah was right!”

“Call me a chicken again, and I'll punch you so hard you'll be acting like one yourself for a month!”

The two fillies continued to stare each other down, hyperventilating in fury and ready to start a fight. Pipsqueak and Noi watched nervously, hoping to goodness it wouldn't happen...

“APPLE BLOOM!!!”

Both Earth pony and Pegasus broke apart and stared up at the sky. “What are y'all doin' 'ere, Tornado Bolt?!” demanded Apple Bloom. “Ah told ya ta stay away from Chevalier's Bluff until y'all an' Rumble 'ad nearly finished the race!”

“Forget the race, Apple Bloom, we've got a problem!” shouted Tornado Bolt desperately. “Rumble's gone and crashed in the Whitetail Woods! He's trapped under a branch!”

“WHAT?!!?” The horror in Scootaloo's voice literally spoke volumes for itself. “YOU TOOK RUMBLE ON......WH-......Y......ARE YOU OUTTA YOUR MIND?!”

“What's all the panic about?” quizzed Apple Bloom huffily. “It's just a race.”

But this turned out to be a big mistake. Scootaloo's temper finally snapped, and she punched Apple Bloom hard in the eye, knocking her onto her side in the process. “YOU'VE REALLY GONE AND DONE IT THIS TIME, APPLE BLOOM!!!” she screamed, her eyes popping in helpless fury. “RUMBLE'S IN DANGER, AND IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!!!! I HOPE YOU'RE PLEASED WITH YOURSELF...”

“Why is he in danger?” asked Noi, tilting her head.

“DON'T YOU GET IT?!!” thundered Scootaloo, grabbing Noi by her shoulders and shaking her so violently that she thought her neck would snap in half. “THE RUNNING OF THE LEAVES IS TODAY! THOSE RACERS COULD TRAMPLE RUMBLE TO DEATH!!!!”

The Cutie Mark Crusaders were horrified. In an instant, Sweetie-Belle, Tootsie Flute and Dinky leaped out of the dragon costume and were by Scootaloo's side. “We had to stage all this on the same day as the Running of the Leaves?! How could we have been so stupid!” wailed Dinky frantically.

Apple Bloom's eye was horribly blackened and throbbing, but in her alarm she barely felt the pain. “Oh no!” she groaned. “Of a' the ponies who could've messed up, it had ta be me!”

“WELL DON'T JUST STAND THERE!!!” roared Scootaloo at the top of her voice. “GO BACK TO SWEET APPLE ACRES AND GET HELP!!”

Fearing what Scootaloo might do to her if Rumble didn't survive the inevitable stampede, Apple Bloom quickly forgot about their quarrel and galloped off towards the orchard.

“What can we do?” asked Tornado Bolt anxiously.

Scootaloo thought quickly. There was still a slim chance of saving Rumble before the racers came through the forest, she reckoned, but they had to work fast if they were to get him out of harm's way in time. “Dinky, you're the only one here who can use magic; you and Tornado go back to Rumble and try lifting the branch again,” she ordered. “I'll scoot ahead and see if I can't move it myself.”

“Okay, Scoot,” conceded Tornado Bolt, “but we can't make any promises.” Gripping Dinky as tightly as she could with her forelegs, she flew away towards the woods with her unicorn payload while Scootaloo leaped back onto her scooter and donned her helmet. Flapping her little wings harder than she had ever done in her life, she set the scooter into motion and raced along the path, with Noi, Pipsqueak, Sweetie-Belle and Tootsie Flute following as closely as they could.

Over in the Whitetail Woods, Rumble could do nothing more than scan his surroundings again and again. By now, he was becoming desperate; the tree limb he had broken on impact had brought him down over part of the Running of the Leaves course, in which race his father happened to be competing, and he knew as well as Scootaloo that he wouldn't stand a chance beneath the hundreds of hooves that would soon come stomping down on top of him.

“Come on, Tornado!” he whimpered, shaking in fear. “Those racers will be here any minute!”

Not too far away, Scootaloo, Tornado Bolt and Dinky were rapidly approaching the woods. The speed Scootaloo was doing was far greater than she could ever have dreamed of, almost enough to make Rainbow Dash's jaw drop in disbelief – indeed, she was opening up such a lead over Tornado Bolt that she and Dinky could very nearly have been as far behind as the others. The orange filly's wings were becoming increasingly sore, and part of her left one felt as though she had pulled another muscle, but she refused to tire; she had to reach Rumble, or he would be done for.

“Hang on, Rumble!” she thought aloud, her teeth clenched with fear and determination. “I'm almost there!” and shutting her eyes, she willed her wings to flap even faster.

The closer she got to the woods, the more she became aware that the weight on her rear hooves was beginning to slacken – and then, almost before she realised it, it had cancelled itself out altogether. At any other time, Scootaloo would have been overjoyed by what was going on – at long last she was actually managing to fly! How she was doing it, she couldn't quite comprehend, but in any case, now wasn't the time for celebration. Tearing off her helmet and ditching her scooter, she flung her forelegs forward straight ahead of her and slowly started to gain what little altitude she could.

Far behind, Tornado Bolt was so amazed that she nearly dropped out of the air. “Whoa!” she gasped. “Would you look at that?!”

“Scootaloo's flying? I don't believe it!” squeaked Dinky, awestruck.

The two fillies glanced at each other in astonishment – and then raised a cheer for the orange Pegasus. “Go it, Scootaloo!” they shouted in encouragement. “Go it!”

Even if they were within earshot, Scootaloo wouldn't have taken any notice. She could see the racers closing in on where Tornado Bolt had said that Rumble would be, and was now in a desperate rush to get to him before they did. Her wings were in agony by this point, and her lungs felt like they were on fire, but she didn't care – all she cared about was saving Rumble.

Some way down the path, Rumble could hear a faint thundering of hooves rapidly approaching. He wriggled and strained frantically, calling out for help as he tried to pull himself free, but it was no use; the branch held him down securely, and none of the racers, least of all Blue Finch, could hear him over the thunderous stomping. A cloud of dust slowly began to appear over the horizon.

“Oh no!” he cried, covering his eyes with his forelegs. “This is it! I'm done for!”

Suddenly, he heard a yell over the sound of the racers – “I'M COMING, RUMBLE!!!”

The grey Pegasus colt cautiously opened his eyes, and goggled in amazement at what he saw. There, rocketing towards him like an equine missile, was none other than Scootaloo, and not on her scooter either – no, she was flying! Scootaloo was actually flying! Only a few feet above the ground, but she was definitely flying towards him! Rumble was so flabbergasted that he almost forgot about the danger he was in, and stared in disbelief, wondering if this was all just a dream.

But Scootaloo wasn't finished yet. Carefully angling herself round in mid-flight, she aimed her right hind leg for the branch and, yelling a warning of “HEADS UP!!” as she did so, gave it a powerful, well-placed kick, knocking it clean off of Rumble's back. Quickly coming into land, she ran back towards Rumble and sent them both into a barrel roll away from the path and down the hill, just half a second before the racers came thundering past.

The two Pegasi came to rest at the bottom of the hill, badly shaken but grateful to be alive. Only then did Scootaloo finally stop to catch her breath, while Rumble just lay where he was, his jaw quivering like a fish out of water as he struggled to speak.

“Scootaloo......I...” he stammered, but never finished. Before he could even think of anything else to say, Scootaloo tackled him in a great bear hug and slammed her lips onto his, tears streaming down her cheeks. Rumble's eyes widened in shock, but he quickly relaxed and melted into his and Scootaloo's first kiss, wrapping his arms tightly around her. They remained that way for a few more minutes before Scootaloo finally broke the kiss, pulled back from the hug and stared down at the ground, deeply ashamed.

“I'm sorry, Rumble,” she faltered. “I didn't mean to......I was just so frightened for you when I heard what had happened.”

Rumble continued to stare at Scootaloo in his bewilderment, once again wondering if he was dreaming it all – but if indeed he was, he definitely didn't want to wake up at this point. “But......why?” was all he could say.

For a while, Scootaloo didn't answer. She felt like the most pathetic creature on the planet, and could barely hold back the tears that were welling up in her eyes. Rumble started to wonder whether it was something to do with what he had just said, but his fears were quickly swept aside by what she had to say next.

“I love you!” burst out Scootaloo, her face becoming practically drenched as she began to cry her eyes out. “I never realised it at first, but you've come to mean the whole world to me – you've understood my problems, you've tried to help me through them, and you've even stood up for me against my enemies! The thought of losing you the way I almost did was way too much for me to bear; I don't think I could ever live with myself if I had!” Hanging her head with guilt and sorrow, she slowly got up and turned towards the now empty path. “I understand if you don't want to speak with me again, or......or even give me any more flight lessons after this, but I just had to get it off my chest. I'll go now.”

As the orange filly plodded sadly away, Rumble felt lost in a sea of emotions. Hard though it may have been for him to believe, he definitely, definitely wasn't dreaming – by the tone of Scootaloo's voice, he realised in an instant that she really meant what she had said. This brought a few small tears to his own eyes, and at first he didn't know whether to laugh, cheer, gasp or cry. But he knew one thing; after what had transpired that morning, he was absolutely certain that he felt the same way towards her as she did to him.

“Wait!” he called, extending a plaintive foreleg as if to reach out for her. Scootaloo stopped and turned back to face him, her eyes still moist with tears. “Please don't go, Scootaloo. You've done nothing wrong – matter of fact, if it weren't for you, I would have been horse-meat.”

This had precious little effect on Scootaloo though. She merely sat and gazed at the ground, too embarrassed to look at him. Limping badly from the injury that had been caused to his back by the fallen tree limb, Rumble came up close and nuzzled her reassuringly. That did the trick; Scootaloo's eyes widened, and she slowly lifted her head to meet his gaze again.

“I'm actually quite glad you confessed your feelings just now,” he went on softly, “because just before Tornado Bolt challenged me to that race...” he checked left and right, in case anypony was eavesdropping on what he was about to say, “...I realised that I love you too.”

Scootaloo could hardly believe her ears. “But...but why me?” she stammered. “I'm the worst flyer ever – that moment where I took off from my scooter before the woods was just a fluke, and on top of that, I made a complete monkey of myself with what I just said to you! I must be the stupidest pony who's ever lived.”

“Who says flying skills were what I looked for in a friend?” objected Rumble. “You may have been lacking in that respect, but your stunt-riding skills make flying look boring, and besides, part of the reason I became friends with you was because I wanted to help you learn how to fly. I wouldn't say you're 'stupid' either; just thinking about my disabled cousin tends to reduce me to tears, but you really touched me with what you said about her. Not only that, but you defended my honour against Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara just the same as I tried to do for you, and above all, you saved my life. How could I not love you after all that?”

“So......you're not mad at me for my sudden confession?” asked Scootaloo hopefully.

Rumble smiled kindly. “If I had been, my response would have been way different to what it was just now,” he assured her.

The two Pegasi gazed fondly into each other's eyes, the warmth of their new-found love radiating all around them. Scootaloo had never felt so happy in all her life; it was as if gaining her Cutie Mark would be no more of a joy than receiving a set of horseshoes as a birthday present. Blinking away further tears from her glistening eyes, she plucked up courage and asked another question that had been bugging her since her talk with Twilight; “Rumble,” she whispered, “will you be my very special somepony?”

“Oh, Scootaloo.” Rumble nuzzled her cheek affectionately. “You didn't need to ask – of course I'll be your very special somepony,” and he pulled back slightly before leaning into another kiss.

Epilogue

The following day, Blue Finch, Memphis Belle and the Cutie Mark Crusaders held a big party for Scootaloo at Sugarcube Corner. Rumble's back had been so badly injured that he had to use a wheelchair until it was fully healed, but it didn't stop him from joining his parents and his new fillyfriend at the bakery. He spent a great deal of time getting to know the other Crusaders, and telling them of how Scootaloo had saved him from being flattened.

“Wow, Scootaloo! You actually managed to fly?!” gushed Sweetie-Belle. “That's so cool!”

“I'll say,” chimed in Tootsie Flute. “Looks like Rumble's advice has made all the difference – not to mention his training.”

“Keep it up, and you could well give Mare-Do-Well a run for her money!” joked Pipsqueak.

Scootaloo laughed heartily. “Yeah, I suppose so,” she mused. “I'd still have to give it a few years, according to Rumble, but if I do improve on my flying skills as much as I'm hoping to, I'll totally rock!”

“If you improve?!” chuckled Tornado Bolt. “Correction, Scoot – when you improve! No way are there gonna be any half-measures while Rumble's around!”

“And it's all because of your bravery and determination that he still is, Scootaloo,” added Blue Finch kindly. “Memphis Belle and I would both like to thank you for saving our son's life.”

Scootaloo blushed with pride. “It was nothing really.”

“You're too modest, Scootaloo,” smiled Memphis Belle. “Blue Finch may have gained an awful shock from hearing that Rumble had been brought down into his path, but it was nothing compared to what we would have felt if we realised he and the other racers had killed his own son. What you did yesterday was truly heroic, and we're eternally grateful for your bravery.”

“Aw, thanks, Memphis Belle,” beamed Scootaloo.

“No – thank you, Scootaloo,” interjected Rumble softly. “I owe you my life after yesterday.” He leaned over the side of his wheelchair and wrapped his forelegs around her as much as he could manage. Scootaloo nuzzled fondly against his neck as she returned his embrace.

At this point, Apple Bloom came over to the young couple looking deeply ashamed of herself. “Scoot...Ah'm awful sorry about what Ah nearly did to Rumble yesterday,” she apologised meekly. “Ah din' mean to put him in danger la'k that; Ah was just so annoyed with how selfish Ah thought y'all were bein' that Ah became obsessed with gettin' mah own back.” She looked at the floorboards, ruefully scraping a hoof against them. “Seems Ah was the selfish one, lettin' mah vengefulness get the better of me...”

“Vengefulness?” interrupted Sweetie-Belle doubtfully. “Is that even a word?”

Scootaloo smirked broadly in amusement. “What are you, a dictionary?!” she joked, and everypony else laughed. Sweetie-Belle just rolled her eyes.

“Ah dunno if y'all can find it in yo' hearts to forgive me,” finished Apple Bloom glumly, “but if not, then Ah understand – it's not as if Ah deserved it anyway. It's just...life won't be the same without Scootaloo back in the Cutie Mark Crusaders.”

There was a long silence. Scootaloo and Rumble exchanged doubtful glances, and the other Crusaders eyed all three of them anxiously, wondering what the orange Pegasus filly's answer would be. Apple Bloom simply sat on her haunches next to Scootaloo, still afraid to even look at her.

Eventually, Scootaloo spoke up; “Well, granted I'm still annoyed at you for how Rumble nearly lost his life...”

Apple Bloom hung her head guiltily.

“...but you and Tootsie Flute were right all along. You've all opened my eyes to how......magical love can be, and I would never have gained such a cute and loyal coltfriend as Rumble if it weren't for you guys – and that includes you, Apple Bloom, even if you did go about it the wrong way,” Scootaloo went on.

Apple Bloom looked up to see Scootaloo smiling gratefully at her – there was still a twinge of annoyance in her expression, but she could now see that it was greatly overshadowed by her gratitude for bringing her and Rumble together. Even though she had been sorely opposed to it a few days ago, the tomboyish Pegasus filly couldn't be gladder of the outcome, and the young farm filly felt all the more humbled by it.

“So...will y'all be part o' the Cutie Mark Crusaders again?” she asked hopefully.

Scootaloo grinned broadly. “Oh, you bet I will, Apple Bloom – on one condition.”

“What's that?”

“That Rumble's allowed to join as well.”

Apple Bloom didn't need to be asked twice. “Done an' done!” she conceded heartily. She then turned to the rest of the group; “Cutie Mark Crusaders, let's hear it fo' Scootaloo, the hero of the day!”

The seven fillies and two colts stood up on their hind legs and bumped their hooves together, letting out a huge cheer for Scootaloo – but the loudest of all came from none other than Rumble, the newest member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders.