Ponyville Dashers

Chapters

Warm Ups
A New Day
Nostalgia?
The Big Day
Dealing With It
Crusader?
Crusaders!
Play it Safe

Warm Ups

Scootaloo paused, catching her breath. Somehow, her brightly colored blue and red jersey hadn't become thoroughly soaked in sweat yet, despite at least half an hour of laps around the field, and twenty-five minutes of drills before that. Hoof-ball was harder than she thought it was going to be; and they hadn't even played a single game yet. As Scootaloo picked up the pace again, her thoughts began to wander. I wonder how Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle are doing with Applejack...

The piercing sound of the whistle broke Scootaloo's thought, and all the foals on the field stopped dead. A few even collapsed. The cyan-coated mare, the coach, flew up into the middle of the field, just to be sure that the entire team could see her.

"Alright everypony, good work. Now, split up into groups of two and practice passing!" the coach called out, before she sank back onto the ground.

Scootaloo quickly grew an uncontrollable grin, "At least I got the coolest coach in all of Equestria." She mumbled the same statement a few times, slowly trudging into the middle of the field where all the other foals were already practicing. It looked like everypony else already had a partner; all the fillies, all the colts... The team had an even number of participants, didn't it?

A few moments later, she spotted a unicorn colt standing awkwardly alone off to the side of the field. Quickly snatching up a ball from the generous surplus of supplies, she kicked the ball towards the colt. When it rolled into his sight, he quickly jerked his head up. A nervous smile formed across his face as Scootaloo ran towards him.

One week earlier

The three fillies stared up at the poster; half-amazed, half-confused. A black and white ball was being rocketed towards a stallion standing in front of a large net, and the ball was apparently launched by a pegasus mare. In the background was a large stadium, each and every seat filled with ponies. It seemed to glamorous, so heroic, so...

"Awesome..." all three fillies muttered.

Rainbow Dash, noticing the three fillies admiring the poster, flew down and landed perfectly beside them. She wrapped her hooves around the three, and smiled.

"If you're all looking to sign up for hoof-ball, look no further!" Dash said pridefully, pointing a hoof at herself. "The Ponyville Dasher's are still recruiting."

Scootaloo's eyes lit up the moment Dash landed. "Really? I wanna join; where do I sign up!" the filly cried, joyfully bouncing.

Rainbow Dash quickly unrolled a piece of paper, and gave Scootaloo a quill. Without hesitation, Scootaloo had signed her name. Before Sweetie Belle or Apple Bloom had the same chance, however, Applejack had seemingly materialized from out of nowhere.

"Now hold up a minute!" The orange mare called out, stepping between Rainbow Dash and the three fillies. "You don't wanna sign up with her when you can join the Apple Zappers!"

Dash snorted smugly. "Please. The 'Apple Zappers'," Dash raised her hooves, as if quoting Applejack, "Are twenty-percent more lame than the Ponyville Dashers."

Applejack and Rainbow Dash stared each other down, the distance between their eyes decreasing every few seconds. Before either of them realized, they were practically butting heads. Sweetie Belle put her hooves up and made an attempt at pushing the two apart. Not surprisingly, the two mares barely noticed. Rainbow Dash, making a sudden move, snapped her wings open and whisked herself off into the air.

"Whatever; my team will beat yours, anytime." On that note, Dash flew off, taking the sign-up sheet with her.

Apple Bloom scratched her head. "Applejack, what was that all 'bout?"

Applejack shook her head, and smiled at her sister. "Nothing sis; how 'bout you and your friends sign-up for the Apple Zappers?"

Scootaloo took a few steps back, and sighed. "Sorry Applejack, I, uh... Have stuff to do... Yeah, see you!" Quickly, Scootaloo ran off in the general direction that Rainbow Dash flew off towards.

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "What was that?"

Apple Bloom shrugged, "Heck if I know, sis."

The present

Putting on a smile you would normally save for the family reunions, you firmly stamp your hoof on the ball and watch as she starts running towards you. Of course, you'd seen her before; around town, at the first practice. But you'd never actually spoken to her. As a matter of fact, the only fillies you've ever really spoken more than a few words to would be your big sister, Vinyl, and Dinky Doo from down the street. You wouldn't really count your mom as a filly though. That's just weird.

"Hi, I'm Scootaloo." The filly says as she stops a few feet in front of you. Quickly, and relatively quietly, you introduce yourself and kick the ball back to her.

"So, why'd you sign up?" Scootaloo asks, looking towards you as she delivers a particularly powerful kick to the ball. Using what little magic you have at the moment, you manage to curve the ball's path towards you, and send it straight back.

"Uh... My mom told me I should start socializing more. Play with the other foals, you know?" You say back, just a tad nervous that she's going to comment about your mother.

Scootaloo raises her hoof and stops the ball, giving you what appears to be an impressed smile. "How'd you do that, with the ball?"

Your eyes shoot wide open at such a subtle (and slightly random, in your opinion) question. "I just use my horn, focus, and..." within a few seconds, the ball slowly begins to roll towards you.

After another moment, its already right before you. Kicking the ball back, you instinctively ask "What about you?"

The orange pegasus filly shot you a billion-bit, toothy grin, "Rainbow Dash is my hero. I'm gonna be just like her one day."

On the outside, you nod. Its a good an answer as any other. But on the inside, you're a bit impressed. At least she's got her life figured out...

"I'm surprised there's not more unicorns playing hoof-ball; you and my friend Sweetie Belle are the only ones I know who signed up." Scootaloo says in an honest tone, glancing at the ball before she kicks it high, giving it a flying arc.

It takes a moment for you to properly determine the trajectory of the ball, but when you do; you realize you're about to be knocked out. It a panicked fit, you focus all your magic at sending the ball back. Instead of waiting, however, you close your eyes and wish for luck. But when the ball doesn't slam into you, you open one eye, then the other when you see the ball land at Scootaloo's hooves.

You look down at the ground, close your eyes again, and sigh, "Unicorns don't play hoof-ball much because we're not as physical as earth ponies or pegasai. It's just... not our game..."

To your dismay, you find the ball sitting just in front of you when you reopen your eyes. Looking up, you see Scootaloo smiling at you. "That was a nice catch."

A sudden tug at your stomach stops you from speaking... You barely manage to choke out "Thanks" before kicking the ball.

The two of you trade passes for the next few minutes, Scootaloo occasionally pausing to tell you "Nice one!", or something along those lines. Usually, you just return the compliment and continue. Just as your luck goes, however, while you attempt to send a curve-pass to Scootaloo, your hoof scrapes against the ground and you stumble. Within half a second, you get a mouthful of turf.

"Oh, gross!" Scootaloo cries out, taking a few steps back and cringing.

You immediately spit the chunk of grass and dirt out, and struggle to get the taste out of your mouth. For the next two minutes, at least, you find yourself spitting out blades of grass and small specks of dirt. But Scootaloo's incessant giggling made you forget about it a few minutes later.

Yet again, Rainbow Dash flew up above the field and raised her whistle. You have no idea why she loves it so much, when she could just call out instead. The piercing shriek stops all the players on the field, Scootaloo and yourself included.

"Alright everypony, nice work out there!" she calls, smiling proudly at all of you. "Rest up, we'll be working on goals and blocking next practice!"

A loud groan of relief came from the small crowd of foals, you contributing your own voice to it. Following the main mass, you find your bag and happily tug off your jersey, cramming it into the bag. You eagerly take the bottle of water your mother packed you, and open it. You easily down the first half of the bottle, and dump the majority of what's left on your head. Being stored under an extra jersey kept the bottle especially cool for such a hot day.

Scootaloo shoots you one of the strangest looks you've seen (and you've gotten some strange looks before), and she can barely stifle a laugh and hold back her grin. Just as your mother had taught you, you shake the bottle in such a method that makes a certain statement.

"You want some?" You ask quietly.

She shakes her head and lets her full grin show. "No, I'm alright. Thanks though."

Shrugging, the you close up the bottle and throw it back into the bag. Before zipping the bag up, you look at the back of your crumpled up jersey one last time. "11", it says. Number Eleven.

After you finished with the bag, you sit down on the bottom row of the bleachers. Nothing better than watching clouds after a hard day of practice, you silently smile as you lay on your back and look up. Compulsively, you look over towards the field, and notice Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo standing in the center of the field, in what seems to be a relatively interesting discussion. But you're too tired to get up and join the conversation. After all, you're perfectly content with just watching the clouds go by as you wait.

Quite a few minutes go by, and your once-soaked mane is relatively dry now. Every once and a while, you feel compelled to peer over at Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash, "Er... Coach", you correct yourself in your mind. It just seems odd to call her by her name. After the third peek, you feel a sudden sense of dread deep down, and it seemingly has no real reason to be there. The next time you looked over at the two, you notice another participant of the conversation. Vinyl; your older sister. Who just loved to embarrass you. Then you realize the sense of dread was perfectly correct. All three of them; Rainbow Dash, Vinyl Scratch (who is always so over-protective), and Scootaloo, look over at you and the three burst into a short fit of laughter.

That very moment, you rolled off the first bench, right onto the second-tier's footrest, and banged your head off the metal. That isn't what worries you though; you easily pick yourself up, pick up your bag between your teeth, and rush over to the group.

You have no idea what they were talking about, but the moment you came into earshot, you heard all of them laughing again. You drop your bag, and put on a fake smile. Vinyl puts on her usual got-you-now look and grins at you behind her shades.

"Hey little brother, what's going on?" She asks you, with a hint of sarcasm hidden in her voice.

You shoot her the you-are-so-done look, and retort "I could ask you the same."

Vinyl looks back to Rainbow Dash and smiles. "Well, I'll finish the story later. Good seeing you again, Dash."

Rainbow Dash nodded, "Yeah." She glances towards you and stifles a giggle. "Can't wait to hear the rest."

Scootaloo giggles, not attempting to hide it like your coach, and raises her hoof towards you. "See you at practice."

You tap your hoof to hers, and glare at Vinyl, before grabbing your bag and following your sister.

You don't say a word, and neither does Vinyl. Using your magic, you strap your bag onto your back, and jab at your sister's neck. That's what annoys her the most. And you really want to annoy her right now. After the first three jabs, she swats your hoof away. When you persist, she jabs you in the stomach with a grin.

"What story did you tell them?" you ask in the most serious tone you've used in a long time.

"The 'Apple-Sauce' incident." She shoots back, her grin growing twice as wide.

Your mouth hangs open and you stop dead in your tracks. Vinyl prods you with a hoof, and shakes her head.

"Is it really that bad?" she asks, shrugging. "It was just an accident."

"I can NEVER show my face at that diner again!" you shout back.

Vinyl shakes her head at you sarcastically. "Drama queen..." she pauses for a moment, and a grin creeps across her face. The kind of grin that makes it seem like she just discovered the answer to one of pony-kind's greatest mysteries.

"You're crushing on that filly, aren't you?" She asks, using her magic to remove her sunglasses dramatically.

You put on a hurt and shocked expression. "What? No!" Quickly, you look away.

"Awww," She says, emphasizing the sound, "My little bro's first crush! This is so cute!"

"... shut up..." you reply meekly.

Vinyl places a sympathetic hoof on your shoulder. "Don't worry little bro, I promise your secret is safe with me."

A New Day

Vinyl shoots you a big smile, one of the ones that grown-ups put on when they're trying to hide something. You squint at her, and give her a certain look. The kind of look that says "I'm watching you". She dramatically puts a hoof to her heart, and dons a mock-hurt expression.

"Whatever," you say, shaking your head.

Vinyl snorts, "Uh-huh." She bumps you with her hips and laughs. "Cheer up squirt. Today's a good day."

After you catch your balance again, you start to laugh with her. But you don't want to laugh, you're trying to be serious here! Her laughter escalates as you snort, trying to keep a straight face. One jab with her hoof, right into your side, breaks it. You burst out laughing with your sister. Right there, in the middle of the street. Ponies opened their windows to look at you, those on the streets just stared. But you didn't care; that was one important thing Vinyl had taught you. Her exact words were "If they ever laugh at you, laugh harder. If they stare at you, make them laugh. Love your enemies, squirt, it really gets under their skin".

As you both calm down, your thoughts start to drift. After a moment, your mind settles itself on practice. Or more specifically, her. Scootaloo... In your own mind, the name has a nice ring to it. Then, your mind begins to drift again, and you find yourself thinking about all the embarrassing moments you've had to go through. The time at that one filly's birthday party (you hardly knew her, but you still got an invitation... it's seems likely your mother had a hoof in it) when you accidentally flooded the basement. The filly (and all her friends) never spoke to you again. Then there was that one Nightmare Night when a bunch of the other foals tricked you into "mummifying" yourself with toilet paper... That might be one reason you don't socialize as much as you should (despite the best attempts by your mother). And of course, there was the worst one, the Apple-Sauce incident, involving a bowl of applesauce, the waitress, yourself, and a stray puddle of some kind of soft-drink. Needless to say, you needed four baths to get all the sauce out, and... Well, you're never, ever going back to that diner again.

As you walked, Vinyl apparently notice the frown growing on your face, and she jabbed you with her leg. When you glanced at her, she began to whistle a familiar tune. And through her shades, you could see her eyes staring back at you, waiting for you to respond. At first, you resist. But the urge becomes to strong. You manage to control yourself, and only hum along to the tune Vinyl is setting up. She bumps you again, not breaking the steady tune. You give a reluctant sigh, you hum louder. Just a few moments later, the frown on your face disappears and is replaced with a grin.

"I'll put one hoof in front of the other one," You sing aloud, much to Vinyl's pleasure (and amusement).

Despite the strange looks other ponies give you and Vinyl, you persist. "I don't need a new love or a new life, just a better place to lie."

You chuckle in between the verses, and Vinyl smiles at you. "I'll put one hoof in front of the other one, I don't need a new love or a new life, just a better place to lie."

Vinyl stops whistling and sings along with you, "In front of the other one! In front of the other one! Just a better place to lie..."

Both of you burst into laughter, and Vinyl wraps her hoof around your shoulder. From the side of the road, a few ponies laugh with you (or maybe at you, it's hard to tell the difference nowadays), and a smaller group actually applauds you. Vinyl steps ahead of you, and checks the door. Just as it should have been, the door was locked. She quickly unlocked, and went inside. You followed her hoof-steps quickly, and directly into the kitchen.

Vinyl glances at you as she raids the refrigerator, "What'll it be, squirt?"

"Anything." You quickly reply, trotting into the den and dropping your bag in the small pocket of empty space next to the sofa.

While Vinyl continues to dig through the food, you pace over to the stairs and look up. "Mom?" Waiting a few moments for a reply, you call again, "Mom!"

You hear the fridge door close, and Vinyl sets an apple down on the counter. "Sorry squirt, got bad news."

Your heart sinks the moment she says it. You already know what she's going to say, and she knows you know. But she says it anyway.

"She's out on business again. Otherwise she would've come out to get you."

You stare at the wall, refusing to make eye contact. "How long will she be gone?"

"Two weeks; at least."

"What?" You shout, looking straight at Vinyl. "My first game is next week! She can't miss it!"

Vinyl, as normal, clambers over the low counter instead of going around, and sets a hoof on your shoulder. "I know, squirt. She did the same thing to me when I was a filly; she missed all my music recitals. Don't worry though," she begins, rearing up on her hinds legs and placing a hoof on her chest, "The best big sister in all of Equestria will be there to cheer you on to victory."

Vinyl holds the same, proud stance for little more than a few seconds before you tackle her onto the sofa. As you both hit the cushions, you give her the biggest (and one of the roughest) hugs you can manage.

A few minutes later, the heartwarming sibling hug had turned into playful roughhousing, which somehow managed to get both Vinyl and yourself face-first on the hardwood floor. After ten minutes of exhausting (and slightly aggressive) play with Vinyl, you stand up and take a deep breath.

"I won..." you say with a grin.

"No..." Vinyl begins, gasping. "No you didn't!"

You stick your tongue out at Vinyl, and she does the same. Wiping a few beads of sweat from your forehead, you start walking towards the stairs. You feel a tug on your tail, and turn around. Vinyl is holding onto you, her horn glowing a deep blue. You snort at her, and focus. Quickly, you levitate her sunglasses over and place them on your head. You grin at Vinyl, and she scowls at you.

"Hey!" She shouts, "No fair!"

You toss her shades onto the sofa, and she immediately releases you to fetch them. As you trot up the stairs, you hear her call up "You alright squirt?"

"Yeah," You call back, "Just going up to my room."

"Forgot something?"

You stop dead in your tracks, and tilt your head. After a moment of deep thought, you realize. You left your bag downstairs. As you turn to run back down, you see Vinyl at the doorway, levitating your bag up towards you.

"Thanks sis," You say, taking the bag and going back up.

"No prob, squirt."

Vinyl goes off (most likely to the newspaper or some kind of magazine) and you don't hear from her for a while. You go up to your room, toss your bag into your closet, and lay down on your bed. Just a few minutes of staring at the ceiling has you bored out of your mind.

After a moment, you let your eyes wander, and they rest upon a hoof-carved music box. You jump up off your bed, and run over to your dresser, quickly (and carefully) retrieving the music box.

You turn towards the desk, and glance out the window as you pass. Nothing on the streets worth mentioning. You set the music box down, and lift the top. Inside, lay a few metal plates, folded over onto a large circular platform. Tucked away in a cloth pocket beneath the top was a small lever, which you quickly remove and place into the slot on the side of the box. You wind the lever multiple times, before setting it down on the desk.

The two metal plates on the platform unfold, revealing metal cutouts of Princess Celestia and Luna. The platform spun around in a counterclockwise motion, moving the cutouts in a near-majestic manor. The inner workings of the box played a light lullaby, that half-tempted you to fall asleep then and there. As the music gently lulls your thoughts, you hear a sudden racket from outside. Your mind instantly snaps awake. You snatch the lever, put it back, and close the box. The music stops the moment the lid touches the box itself. You leave the box where it is, and quickly run to the window. Without looking, you throw the window open and poke your head outside.

The first thing you see is at least a dozen ponies gathering around what appears to be a pile buckets, which were once stacked. The pile begins to shift, and two fillies poke their heads up from the pile. A pale unicorn filly, and an earth filly. The earth filly's bright red mane is neatly finished off with a bow, while the unicorn filly's mane is two different colors, a light shade of purple and... pink, maybe? They both look at each other, and then start tossing buckets aside like they were looking for something.

Then a pegasus filly climbs out of the mess. Purple mane, bright orange coat; she seemed so familiar. The very moment she starts to turn around, you realize it was her. Those must've been the "super-awesome friends" you heard her talking about. It seemed as though the supposed "exploits" they went on were at least partly true.

The three of them exchange laughter and a few words, before Scootaloo looks up and notices you standing at the window. She smiles, and waves a hoof at you. A bit nervously, you wave back. The unicorn and earth filly both exchange confused glances, and start talking to Scootaloo. She says something back to them, and waves to you again.

"Hey!" Scootaloo shouts, "Come on down! I need to introduce you all!"

Slightly confused, you comply, closing the window and running downstairs. Vinyl, currently sitting on the sofa, hears you running and catches you before you get to the door.

"Where ya goin' squirt?" She asks, wrapping one hoof around your stomach and placing the other atop your head.

"Outside." you retort dully.

Vinyl rubs your head roughly and laughs, "You don't say?"

"Let..." You begin, pulling away, "Go!"

Vinyl releases you, which causes you to stumble forward and trip. She laughs as you pick yourself up, and you snort at her. You trot towards the door, open it, and run across the street. There, the three fillies had already begun picking up the large amount of buckets, and began re-stacking them. Scootaloo perked her head up and smiled.

"Hey, here he is!" Scootaloo whispered loudly, bumping her friends.

All three of them look at you, Scootaloo's friends raise their eyebrows at each other, and Scootaloo smiles.

"This is Sweetie Belle," Scootaloo says, motioning towards the unicorn, "And Apple Bloom." she motioned towards the earth filly.

"Hi there." Sweetie Belle says, waving a hoof.

"Nice to meet ya." Apple Bloom adds in.

"We're the Cutie Mark Crusaders." Scootaloo finished proudly, rearing up on her hind legs and placing a hoof on her chest.

You nod, and nervously add "Glad to meet you both."

The three continue picking up and stacking the buckets, and you give them a helping hoof. Around two minutes later, all the buckets were cleanly stacked. Of course, Vinyl took a peak out the window, and saw you helping the three fillies.

By the time you had finished helping the three, Vinyl was standing at the doorway. And the sun had begun to crest across the horizon. Both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle turned to Scootaloo.

"I gotta get goin' Scootaloo, or Applejack'll be real sore at me." Apple Bloom said, waving as she trotted off.

"Yeah, me too. Bye." Sweetie went off in the opposite direction.

Scootaloo frowned. "Aw..."

Ignoring Vinyl's gaze, you turned to Scootaloo. "You can come over my house for a while."

Scootaloo shook her head. "No, I should probably get going too... Nice seeing you though."

You pause, and glance at Vinyl. "Wait! I'll be back in a second."

You quickly run over to Vinyl and give her your best puppy-dog face. "Can I take a quick walk?"

She sighs, "Alright. But make it quick, Octavia is coming over for a visit tomorrow, so you need to be in bed early."

With one of the biggest grins, you run back to Scootaloo. The grin fades away within a moment, replaced by a slightly embarrassed smile. "Uh.... I can, er... walk with you... I mean..."

Scootaloo nods, "Alright. Let's go."

As you walk, your mind drifts onto Scootaloo's friends. They seemed like an... odd bunch. But then again, you didn't have that much room to talk about that; you and your sister were an odd pair too.

"Your friends are kinda..." You begin, looking for the right word.

"Yeah, I know. Awesome, right?" Scootaloo playfully punches your shoulder. "You know, you might make a good Crusader yourself if you were a bit more adventurous."

You cock your head back and give her a funny look. "Adventurous? How?"

She shakes her head, and looks as though she's in deep thought, "You know... You should explore more. Play outside more. You shouldn't be afraid to get dirty."

You almost take offense, but you can't, "I'm not afraid to get dirty!" You exclaim defensively. "You should know that, with the Apple-Sauce accid-" You begin.

Scootaloo quickly becomes flushed, "Oh, uh... yeah..."

You look at the ground as you walk. "I just don't like going out because I'm clumsy, and well... Unlucky."

Scootaloo looks up at you with a surprised look, "You're not unlucky. You caught that ball perfectly."

You shake your head, "Nah, that's usually not how it works for me."

Scootaloo taps your shoulder, "It's not that bad, I'm sure."

She looks up, and you do too. You see a neat little two-story house, it seems a little outdated but it was in good shape. From inside, you see the flash of a yellow-coated pony inside, and then you hear something.

"Scootaloo, come inside!" a mare's muffled voice called out.

"Coming!" Scootaloo called back. She began towards the door, but turned back to you. "See you at practice, right?"

You nod, and she runs into the house. You begin walking back home with a strange feeling, tugging at your heart and stomach. Maybe it's just hunger, after all, you never got that apple Vinyl gave you. But another part of it seems to have something to do with Scootaloo... You just can't get her out of your mind.

As you walk, the last important thought you have is "Maybe Vinyl and Octavia can help me figure it out..."

Nostalgia?

Note: I'm trying out a new format... Tell me whether I should keep it or not. P.S. - Sorry about the slow updates and short chapter, things haven't been going my way the past week.

"Really?" She asks, perking her head up and smiling warmly at you. "Thanks!"

You give her a nervous smile. But from a couple years of experience, you doubt the smile seems nervous from the outside. You've always been good at hiding stuff like that. You nod meekly, and begin to trot over towards the bleachers, where Vinyl and Octavia were having fits, of laughter - or perhaps spasms. Either would've described the scene nicely.

"Hey!" You interrupt, sending them a sharp and short whistle. "We have company!"

You glared at Vinyl in particular. She had the tendency to embarrass you in front of new friends, and this was a brand new opportunity for her, especially considering that she... Well, knew. Vinyl put her hooves up innocently. The two of you had a quick, non-verbal conversation. Ending with both of you silently snorting at each other and looking away.

"Uh..." Octavia and Scootaloo stutter simultaneously, glancing at each other. "Is something going on?"

"No!" You and Vinyl snort at the same moment. "Stop that!"

Both of you glare at each other. Vinyl blows a lock of her mane out of her face, and starts walking. Octavia follows her. You take after them, lagging behind a few feet. Scootaloo walks next to you.

"Uh, everything alright?" Scootaloo asks.

"Yeah. We just..." You begin, looking for the words. "We get under each other's skin a lot. We'll be over it in two days, tops."

"You sure?" She persists, "She looks pretty steamed."

"She's fine. Vinyl's a drama queen!" You emphasize the last phrase just to get under her skin again.

Vinyl turns her head to look at you, and sticks her tongue out before she keeps walking forward. You stick your tongue out at her and shake your head the moment she's not looking, which provides a few giggles from Scootaloo. You close your mouth again, and you can feel your cheeks getting hot.

The four of you walk in relative silence, spare a few exaggerated sighs from Vinyl. You can tell Octavia is rolling her eyes at Vinyl, and the two have a quick, silent conversation. You only overhear a few words, but you can't manage to piece anything together from it. Vinyl glances back at you and Scootaloo, before she smiles at you both. Her signature shades slide down her snout, and she winks at you. She couldn't have made it anymore obvious, it seemed.

"What was that all about?" Scootaloo glanced at you with a raised eyebrow.

The knot in your stomach comes back, at least twofold. You choke on your own words, but it seems though she didn't notice. You pause for a moment, and then slow your pace. Vinyl and Octavia get at least ten paces ahead, and you turn back to Scootaloo as you start walking again.

"Er..." You begin, quickly glancing around. "Nothing. Vinyl's just... weird like that..."

"Yeah," she replies, stifling a giggle, "I know what you mean. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle say their sisters always do weird stuff, too."

You nod at her with a small smile, and pick up the pace a little, to keep Vinyl and Octavia from disappearing from your sight. With just a few minutes more in silence, you all find yourselves at the front door of your home. Vinyl, obviously eager to get inside, unlocked the door and threw it open. You can practically hear the wood under the hinges groan from the stress.

Vinyl turn to the three of you, and grins. "Home sweet home. Come on in."

Scootaloo took a good look around the moment she set a hoof inside. "Wow. The place looks a lot bigger on the inside." She says, turning to you, "How'd your family afford it?"

The questions comes as a bit of shocker to you. Honestly, of all the things she could've asked you, and of all the questions you were prepping to answer, such as "That's a neat table, where'd it come from?", or "Fancy fridge, what brand is it?", that question wasn't exactly in the list. You take a moment to think.

"My mom is a successful business-mare," You begin, somewhat nervously. "So, we're pretty well off."

"Speaking of your mother," Scootaloo begins quizzically, "Why haven't I seen her around town? You and your sister look a lot alike, so, does she look like either of you?"

You shake your head. "She's usually out on business, in Canterlot or Manehattan."

"Oh..." She begins, nodding as if she's confirming your answer for herself. "Alright then."

"Was that mare I saw at your house your mom?" You ask, attempting to do something the adults called "Small-Talk".

Scootaloo nods. "Yeah. I have an older brother, but he's in the Royal Guard."

You feel a spark inside. The Royal Guard? You've always loved the Royal Guard, how cool their armor is, how the other ponies give them the utmost respect. You always had a small idea of joining them when you grew up, but you weren't the most physical colt, and everypony knew it. Besides, Vinyl had already planned out a career for you. Or so she says.

Both Vinyl and Octavia produce the most annoying sound any foal has ever heard, the dreaded "D'awww!" They turn to each other and smile.

"Remember when we were foals, Octi?" Vinyl said, smiling at you and Scootaloo.

"Yes... I also remember when you got pudding in my mane." Octavia shot back, raising an eyebrow at Vinyl, most likely an attempt to instill some form of guilt. Knowing Vinyl, it wouldn't work.

"Yeah... Good times, those were. Seeing them makes me feel nostalgic." Vinyl replies.

You and Scootaloo exchange confused glances, and she speaks up first, "What's 'nostalgic'?"

Both Vinyl and Octavia looks as if the question had caught them off-guard. They turned to each other, and whispered a few inaudible sentences. A moment later, they turned back.

"Nostalgic, is when you feel something called 'Nostalgia'." Octavia explained.

"Nostalgia?" Both Scootaloo and you blurt at the same time.

Vinyl stepped forward, "Nostalgia is when you remember something that happened a long time ago, something good that happened a long time ago."

Scootaloo looks at you, and shrugged. You return the shrug. A moment later, Vinyl ushers you both to the stairs. Scootaloo, seemingly excited to explore your abode, runs up the stairs. You, however, look at Vinyl with a raised eyebrow.

"Let the grown-ups talk." She says, shooing you up the stairs.

You stick your tongue out at Vinyl as she begins walking away, and make your way up the stairs. As you near the top steps, you see Scootaloo poke her head out from behind the wooden doorway, with a raised eyebrow.

"Sorry." You apologize, rubbing the back of your head. "I had to talk to Vinyl for a sec."

You lead Scootaloo into your room, and glance around for something to do. Not much, really. You were highly doubtful she wanted to play with action-figures, reading was something that wasn't that appeasing at the moment, and you didn't have much else to do. Then, an idea flicked into your mind.

You pace over to the stairs again, and listen carefully. Scootaloo follows you, and she opens her mouth to speak. You raise a hoof, and motion for her to stop and listen. She does, and the two of your overhear Vinyl and Octavia speaking about something involving... pudding, maybe? Either way, they're preoccupied. You go back into your room, and ducked under your bed. When you emerge again, you push a small cardboard box out alongside you.

Scootaloo's interest seemed to have piqued, and she eagerly awaited for you to open the box. Before you do so, you look around and nod.

"What belongs in this box stays between you and me." You say in a serious tone. Scootaloo nods enthusiastically.

You lift the lid, and reveal your stash of some of the most delicious sweets in Ponyville. Sour Bombers, Tangy Tarts, Peanut-Chocolate bars, peanut-butter cups, almost any kind of candy somepony could think of, you had in that box.

You levitate a candy bar over to Scootaloo, and take one for yourself. Scootaloo eagerly digs into the chocolate bar, while you pause, and listen. You can't hear anypony talking downstairs. After a moment of listening, you decide it's safe. You unwrap the candy, and take a bite. After a moment of savoring, you can hear the door slam from downstairs. You freeze up, and your eyes flick towards Scootaloo. She hasn't even noticed yet. Before you can react, you hear Vinyl's hooves coming up the stairs. The moment you move to put the box back, Vinyl was in your doorway.

"Well, well, well..." Vinyl began, grinning at you. "What have we here?"

"Uh..." You begin, attempting to think up a legitimate excuse. You failed. "What's the price?"

"Let me see here..." Vinyl began, rummaging through your stash. She removed a small package of sour gummy candy and a chocolate. "I don't think mom would really want to hear about this..."

"Yeah, yeah. Just go." You say, planting your hoof onto your forehead.

Vinyl walks away, munching on the candy bar. You slide your stash-box back under your bed, and finish off the candy bar. Scootaloo had finished hers halfway through your conversation with Vinyl. There was a ring of chocolate staining her mouth. She didn't seem to notice.

"Uh..." You begin, waving your hoof around your mouth, "You got a little... something..."

Scootaloo licks her lips, and realizes what you're talking about. She becomes flushed as she quickly wipes the chocolate away. You manage to stifle a chuckle, imagining it would be rude to laugh. A moment later, she glances out the window, and a look of panic crosses her face.

"Oh crud!" She said suddenly, "It's raining! I need to get home!" She rushes out of the room, and downstairs.

You follow Scootaloo quickly, and find her at the front door, talking with Vinyl. You quickly approach the two, and join in on the conversation.

"You going already?" Vinyl asked, raising an eyebrow under her shades.

"Yes," Scootaloo replied, "It's raining, and my mom will be worried if I don't come back quick. I really need to go!"

"Squirt," Vinyl says, turning to you. "Walk your guest home."

Scootaloo turns around, and looked at your kind of funny. "Oh, you don't need to..." She begins, blushing.

"Oh..." Vinyl drags out, "He insists!"

Vinyl opens the door, and you see exactly how hard it was raining. Small splashes of mud seemed to be flung up with each drop that fell. Your eyes widened as you saw the ponies running for cover, half of which were covered in mud. Vinyl shoved you out the door, and Scootaloo followed. The door slams behind you. You take a deep breath, and step out from under the cover of the arched doorway.

The Big Day

AN - I haven't received any complaints on the format, so I'm going to keep it. Enjoy.

The ponies in the streets still scatter, some of them duck under trees, others hiding under umbrellas and awnings. You move your hoof to take a step, moving out from under your cover, when the door opens behind you. You turn around, as does Scootaloo, to see Vinyl standing with an umbrella. She silently trades the umbrella off to you, and you eagerly open it... That's when you realize it's a one-pony umbrella. She really did intend to make this tough, and she was doing a good job at it.

"Well..." Scootaloo begins, her voice trailing off a second later.

You take a deep breath and raise the umbrella. Over Scootaloo, though you do your best to at least get your head under it. Scootaloo shoots you a certain look - an unsure, yet grateful look. You wave your hoof, and you both take a step at the same time.

The first drop of rain to hit your body hit you right in between the shoulders, and you unconsciously seized up for a moment. Whoa, that's cold, is the only thought you can process at the moment.

"Are you alright?" Scootaloo ask, staring right at you.

"Yeah..." You manage to mumble, "Let's get going."

Scootaloo gives a nod, and she starts to trot down the street. You quickly follow her, doing your best to hold the umbrella overhead, her head specifically. From the looks of it, only her hooves have gotten wet at the moment. But there were still a couple minutes for that to change.

A few minutes pass by excruciatingly slowly, as the rear half of your body is completely and thoroughly soaked. "Soaked down to the bone", as Vinyl would say. She always was big on exaggerating. You're still plenty ticked-off at her, but what can you do? She's your sister, you'd be lost without her.

Now that you think about it, all the crud she's told you over the years has been cloaked in exaggerations and riddles you've never quite figured out. A few moments later, you realize you've been walking for longer than you thought. You can see what looks like her house, just a bit away.

You mentally scold yourself, "I've got to stop zoning out". Vinyl always said the ability to ignore reality and just think was both a gift and a curse. You could just "get away from it all and contemplate", as Vinyl had put it. But, the same thing could get you into trouble because you might accidentally ignore somepony. Two sides of the coin, so Vinyl would say.

Before you know it, you're standing on her porch, under the safety of a roof. You let the umbrella hit the ground, and shake your coat out. Scootaloo does the same, save for the fact that she spreads her wings and lets them drip-dry.

Something that's always piqued your curiosity... The wings of a pegasus. They look so fragile, so soft and delicate. As if one rough touch could snap it in half. Yet, the same delicate-looking wings can lift a pegasus up into the air, keep them up there, and even lift small items. It just doesn't add up. But like the saying goes, "Don't judge a book by its cover". It's quite an old saying, but it still works to this day.

A moment later, you hear the unmistakable clack of a lock. The door opens wide, revealing a yellow-coated pegasus mare. Her mane is a dazzling electric blue, and her eyes are a warm amber. She takes a step to the side, and ushers you both inside. Despite the fact that you're both soaking wet. As you walk past, you notice the mare's cutie mark, a dark cloud and a magnifying glass.

"Scootaloo..." The mare begins, glancing at you and smiling again. "Who's your friend?"

"Mom!" Scootaloo exaggeratedly groans, "You're embarrassing me."

"Oh, don't be so melodramatic," her mother says, "I just want to know who the colt is."

You quickly introduce yourself, and before you realize it, Scootaloo's Mother had somehow managed to get both of you sitting at the nearest table - on top of towels of course - eating a tray of chocolate-chip cookies. You've got no idea, but all mares with foals seem to have some kind of magical ability to get foals to calm down. It's one of the strangest things ever.

"I really should get going," You say, chewing half of a cookie, "Vinyl's gonna come lookin' for me if I don't show up soon."

You stand up and take a step forward. Before you can take another step, you feel something tug at your hoof. When you look, you see Scootaloo holding your hoof with both of hers.

"Can't you stay a bit longer?" She asks in an almost panicked tone.

Your eyes widen, and you blink. You know you're blushing, but you can't help it. She's holding your hoof. A moment later, she lets go and brings both her hooves up to her mouth. She's blushing too, now. If it's for the same reason, you can't really tell.

"I, uh..." You stutter. "I should go..."

You immediately go out the door. It never phased you at the moment, but you forgot to grab the umbrella. You keep going down the street at a full gallop. The tug in your gut has returned, at least tenfold. Adding to that is the boiling in your stomach. It makes you feel like you're going to...

You veer off the path, and run behind a dumpster. It's the closest thing you can find to cover yourself. The moment you're out of sight, you fall to your knees and your stomach trembles. It's just a moment later you... Get ill.

You trudge along in the rain, completely alone. The streets are completely empty now, and the clouds still blot out the sky. Which is a shame, because a little pinch of sunshine could really improve your day. You still feel sick. You're hungry now, and you feel lightheaded.

The cold rain, once a painful foe, is now a welcomed ally. It washes the "grime of the day" away, leaving you clean and refreshed. For the most part, at least. It's a bracing experience, keeping you from growing too tired. But today has been a long day - your limbs grow heavy and you pick up the pace. All you want to do now is take a shower and go to sleep.

You see a welcomed sight - your house. Just down the street. You trot towards the front door, but stop just outside the door when you hear voices. You silently nod, and note, "Octavia's back". You press your ear to the door, a "nasty-habit" you picked up from Vinyl a while ago.

"I still can't believe it!" You hear Vinyl exclaim. "I'm so excited."

"I know. It seemed like it was just yesterday you were cleaning mud and applesauce from his mane, and here he is." Octavia replies.

"My little bro is in love! I don't know what to do, who to tell... Should I tell my mom?"

"Oh, no, no, no!" Octavia shoots back with a panicked tone, "She'll overreact."

You don't want the conversation to continue, so you open the door and step inside. Both Vinyl and Octavia shoot up to their hooves, and stare at you.

"What the hay happened to you, Squirt?" Vinyl asks, obviously worried.

"Nothing. Got a little wet is all." You reply meekly, marching towards the stairs.

"You look pale. What happened?" Octavia chimed, placing a hoof on your shoulder.

"I got a little sick." You answer, "I'm fine though, really."

Vinyl shakes her head at you, and ushers you towards the stairs. You take a breath of relief, before realizing that Vinyl is instead pushing you towards the bathroom.

"Wash up Squirt," Vinyl instructs, "We'll talk more tomorrow. You look tired."

The whistle is a welcomed sound. Time to go home. You pull your mask off, and trot back to the bleachers. Without a second thought, you do the same thing you've done after each practice. Put away your jersey (and mask, now), lay down on the bleachers, and cool down. Rinse and repeat.

You lay down on the bottom row of the bleachers, the cool metal soothing your weary muscles. That was, undoubtedly, the most intense day of practice to date. You look up to the sky and smile. 'Somehow, I made it through that.' The fact that the rest of the team was kicking harder than usual didn't help at all. You can recall quite a few narrow escapes when the black and white ball nearly took your head off. You swear, sooner or later, the team may rip a hole through the netting in the goal.

You perk your head up, and glance around. The rest of the team has scattered. A few remain, passing the ball back and forth, or taking shots at the goal. You see Rainbow Dash, hovering a couple feet above the ground, scanning the other fields. Like she's looking for something. Then you see the Apple Zappers running extra drills on the field farthest away.

Scootaloo was standing next to - or below - Rainbow Dash. Scootaloo glances in your general direction, and makes momentary eye-contact with you. She immediately looks away. You stare at her for another moment, and you can tell she's looking back from the corner of her eye. She turns away again, and doesn't look back this time.

You sigh, and pick up your bag. Once you have everything set, you start walking off the field. You stop, and look back one last time. Scootaloo is looking back at you. Time seems to stop, but it's cut short. Rainbow Dash taps Scootaloo on her shoulder, and Scootaloo looks away. You start walking again, and slowly make your way back home.

As you open the door, you can hear hooves coming down the stairs. Octavia is sitting on the couch, and Vinyl had just came down the stairs. They both eye you with a certain look.

"How'd practice go, Squirt?" Vinyl asks, walking over to the couch. She sits down next to Octavia.

"Fine." You reply, trotting towards the stairs.

"What happened?" Octavia asks.

"Nothing." On that note, you take off up the stairs.

You stop in the center of your room, and look around. For some reason, it seems smaller than it normally does. Sighing, you drop your bag in the closet, and pace over to the window. The streets are as lively as ever, ponies going back and forth. A certain pegasus catches your eye...

You see Scootaloo, walking alone on the streets. Scootaloo pauses for a moment, and kicks a rock. You can tell she's bored, but, after what happened, you're not sure exactly how either of you should react. All you can do is watch her disappear down the street.

You feel jittery. Like everypony is watching you. The bleachers are full, for once. Dozens of ponies are waiting for the game to start. You can see Vinyl, and Octavia in the front row. Vinyl is wearing a Ponyville Dashers hat, though you don't really know how she acquired it, and she's waving a matching flag about like there was no tomorrow. Octavia was much less enthusiastic about sitting under the sun, and was fanning herself with a cardboard fan. Among the multiple heads, you could see Scootaloo's Mother sitting in the back few rows.

Up in midfield, you see Scootaloo standing by the other offensive-players. You haven't talked to her since the day before yesterday. Not even at practice, not even during the pre-game huddle. It makes you nervous.

The referee blows the whistle. The game starts fast. Before you know it, the only way you can tell each team apart is by the quick flash of the jerseys. It seems like hours before your team has to go on the defensive, with the offensive players being stranded in the other team's half of the field. The midfield players quickly come to assist the defensive players.

The ball flies right at you, but you're ready for it. With a bit of magic, you tug the ball down, and catch it in your hooves. Easy. You send the ball hurdling back to your nearest teammate, and the game takes off again.

This process repeats three or fours times, save for few a slip-ups. Of course, these slip ups cost you three points. However, your team makes four points.

As the game neared its end, you grew tired of the same cycle. Things get a bit more interesting when the ball gets sent back into your territory. And the Cloudy Kickers seem to be trying out a new tactic. They weave the ball back and forth between their players, making it hard to keep track of the ball itself.

The Kicker nearest you has the ball now, and the filly has a fierce look in her eye. The colt opposite her, also a Cloudy Kicker, moves closer as well. The filly steps back, unhindered by your dazed teammates, and sends the ball hurdling at you. Worst of all, you can't figure out the trajectory of the ball.

You decide to act before it's too late, and lunge for the ball. Instead of catching the ball with your hooves, you catch it with your gut. Just a second after you hit the ground, the final whistle rings out. You slap the ball back to the field with your fore-hooves, and move to your knees. You take your mask off, and drop it next to you.

Out of the corner of your eye, you can see movement. You turn to look, and see the Cloudy Kicker colt winding up for a kick. Before you can react, the ball beans you in the left eye. You black out a moment later.

Dealing With It

You're not sure how long it takes you to groggily rise up to an awkward sitting position. You can hear quite a few voices, though you only recognize a few of them. You eventually look around. The majority of your team is sitting down on the bleachers next to you, quite a few of them staring at you. Most of the crowd has dispersed, though a few seemed to stick around to watch something...

Then you notice three things. First off, Vinyl is having a one-sided argument with a stallion. A stallion who has a remarkably similar appearance to the colt who kicked the ball. You decide he's the colt's father. Next, Rainbow Dash is having a heated conversation with the Cloudy Kicker's coach, and the colt who kicked the ball is standing right beside her, looking at the ground. It seems that both coaches agree, because the most heated words were directed to scolding the colt.

The last thing, and arguably, the most significant, you see Scootaloo talking to her mother just a few paces down the bench. Of course, with all the buzz, you can't hear what they're talking about.

"Ow..." You finally groan, "My head..."

A moment later, Vinyl is right beside you, giving you a more thorough checkup than your doctor. She tilts your head upward, looks into your eyes, and even makes you say the alphabet. After that, she gives you a firm pat on the back.

"You got one mean shiner, squirt." Vinyl says, frowning at you.

You groan again. "Oh, yay... How long was I out? Where's Octavia?"

"You were out for five minutes, at least." Vinyl replies, "And Octi's off getting ice for your head. Relax, squirt, you're gonna make it worse."

Heeding Vinyl's advice, you lay back down, take a deep breath, and close your eyes. Time seems to fly while you do this. When you open your eyes a few moments later, you're surprised when all you see is orange and purple. Jumping, you roll off the bench and onto the foot-rest behind you.

"Oops," Scootaloo murmurs, bringing a hoof to her chin, "Sorry."

After gathering your bearings, you pull yourself back onto the bench and sit down. "Don't worry about it... At least I'm awake now."

By this time, the small crowd that had remained was beginning to scatter. Most of the team was leaving or already gone. The colt who had kicked the ball, his father, and the Cloudy Kicker's coach were out of sight. Scootaloo's mother paced over, and took a seat next to Vinyl.

"So..." Scootaloo begins, rubbing the back of her head nervously. "Are we, still... Y'know, friends?" She extends her hoof.

"Wha? I - of course!" You reply, tapping your hoof to hers. "Why wouldn't we be?"

"Well, uh, when you left my house..." Scootaloo says in a low voice, blushing, "I kinda thought that you didn't like me or something."

"No! Of course I like you!" You exclaim, not thinking straight. A moment later, you realize your mistake, and start to blush. You can hear Vinyl snicker, and Scootaloo blushes along with you. "But, uh... I'm not exactly used to having a friend who's a filly."

Scootaloo pauses for a moment, and the red disappears from her cheeks. "Why does it matter if I'm a filly?"

"Well, uh..." You begin, looking away and rubbing the back of your head nervously. You can tell you're blushing even more than a moment ago. "It's just kinda... Uh, weird."

Scootaloo doesn't say anything, but she raises an eyebrow at you. You can tell she doesn't get what you're trying to say. Luckily, Vinyl seems to notice that you're stuck in a rough spot. She gets up, and smiles at Scootaloo's mother.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, and we'd love to have you and your daughter over sometime." Vinyl says with the most polite smile you've ever seen her with. She trots over to you and winks behind her shades. "Say goodbye to your friend, squirt. There's Octi, it's time to go home and rest up."

You look back and notice Octavia walking at a quicker-than-usual pace towards the field with a small bag of what must be ice. You turn back to Scootaloo, still blushing slightly.

"Uh, I gotta, you know..." You begin awkwardly. Scootaloo raises a hoof and cuts you off.

"I know. Here - take this." Scootaloo says, outstretching her hoof. She hands you a small, folded note. "Bye!"

Scootaloo trots back to her mother, and they both wave as they walk in the opposite direction. You and Vinyl just wave back. Octavia is standing beside you a moment later, and you take the ice from her. At first, you're a bit reluctant to put the bag of ice directly on your eye, but Vinyl gives your a firm glare, and you cautiously hold the bag close to your face.

At first, the cold stings at the tender flesh around your eye, but a moment later, it feels five times better. You let out a content sigh, and close your open eye for a moment. Vinyl gives you a pat on the back, and you follow her and Octavia down the street, with Vinyl carrying your bag for you.

"Uh... Thanks for the save, 'sis." You say, looking up to Vinyl. "I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't pulled me out of there."

Vinyl chuckles, and looks back at you behind her sunglasses. "It's my sixth sense, squirt. Whenever my little bro is about to faint, I'm on the scene."

"I was not about to faint!" You argue, though you know it's no use. "I was just getting nervous!"

"Yeah, sure." Vinyl rolls her eyes at you. "And I'm a classy violinist who hangs out with a DJ."

"Hello!" Octavia interrupts, "I resemble that remark!"

Both Vinyl and Octavia burst into laughter. But not you - you don't get it. Isn't the saying 'I resent that remark'? You're half tempted to ask about it, but you decide it's easier to just ignore it. You'll figure it out eventually.

For the moment, your mind sets on that note Scootaloo gave you. You're tempted to read it here and now, but Vinyl and Octavia are too nosy. They'd definitely try to read it, then, of course, they'd start teasing you about it.... It's easier to just wait until you're in the sanctum that is your room.

Your mind wanders off after that. You can't even remember what you were thinking about. Before you know it, you're standing at the front door of your own home. A moment later, you're in the living room, looking around. Everything seems... Different. But that may just be because you're only looking at it through one eye.

You trot upstairs with your bag over your shoulder. You toss the bag inside your closet, set the bag of ice down on the nightstand, and find the note. You're just about to unfold it when you hear hooves on the stairs. Quickly, you stuff the note under your pillow and put on an innocent face. Vinyl emerges from the stairs a moment later.

"Squirt." she says, raising an eyebrow under her glasses. "Bath time. Go wash up. And stop smilin' like that - it's creepy."

You both share a laugh, and Vinyl trots back down the stairs. You roll your eyes, and walk to the bathroom.

After a refreshing shower, and fifteen minutes of a lecture about safety from Vinyl, you finally make it back to your room. You stop by the door, and listen for a moment. Vinyl and Octavia were in the middle of a discussion. Good. You pace over to the head of your bed, and pull the note out from under your pillow. You listen again, and when you're sure the coast is clear, you unfold the note.

Hey, I know this is kind of sudden, but.... Well, you'll see when you get there. Just go to the address I put at the bottom of this note tomorrow at 1 p.m. I'll meet you there! At the bottom of the note was an address... Sweet Apple Acres, it was called? You've seen it before, but never bothered paying attention to it.

You swallow a lump in your throat as you step towards the farm. Somehow, Vinyl knew about the note, which was the only reason she let you go out with a black eye. She didn't know what the note was about, but she must've at least guessed that it involved Scootaloo, because she had a smug grin on.

As you near the fence, you can see the shape of a filly moving along it. It's the earth filly Scootaloo hangs out with - Apple Bloom, her name was. She crawls under the fence, and meets you with a small grin.

"You're Scootaloo's friend, right? Number Eleven?" Apple Bloom asks.

"Yeah, that's me..." You answer, looking past the filly for a moment. "Uh, where is Scootaloo? She said to meet her here and-"

"I know." Apple Bloom interrupts, waving a hoof. "Follow me, she's waiting with Sweetie Belle and a few others in our tree-house."

You pause for a moment. Others? Scootaloo never said anything about other ponies... Then again, she barely said anything on the note. You follow Apple Bloom, eyeing her carefully. She seems to eye you back, but she's got a small grin. One that she doesn't even attempt to hide from you. And the worst part is - you can't even tell what she's grinning about.

Apple Bloom leads you to what is obviously the "Cutie Mark Crusader" tree-house. It didn't look half bad, to be honest. But of course, it looks like it's been fixed up. Fairly well, too. Apple Bloom trotted up the stairs, and into the tree-house. You cautiously followed a moment later.

To your dismay, there's a total of five other ponies, counting Apple Bloom, in the room. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Pipsqueak, and Dinky Doo are all seated around a round table. Taking the only open seat left, you find yourself between Dinky Doo and Scootaloo. Dinky smiles at you.

"Hey! I didn't know you were gonna be here." Dinky says, still smiling.

"I didn't know I was going to be here until yesterday..." You reply with a chuckle.

Strange enough, Dinky was the only filly, besides Vinyl and Octavia, who you can talk to without getting tongue-tied or nervous. Of course, you barely ever hang out or play. She's always busy helping her mother or spending her time with her half-sister, or, so she says.

"Ponies..." Apple Bloom says calmly, looking around at the gathering. "None of you know why you've been called here."

Pipsqueak, and Dinky both nod. You just stare at the filly with a raised eyebrow.

"Well..." Scootaloo begins, nodding. "You've all been chosen."

"To be the newest Cutie Mark Crusaders!" Sweetie Belle finishes excitedly.

Both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo glare at Sweetie belle for a moment, before Apple Bloom adds "Yes. But before we can officially welcome you... You've got to undergo 'Initiation".

You gasp, but Pipsqueak and Dinky don't. Of course, it's completely possible that they don't know exactly what you know. Vinyl has told you about these kinds of things. These supposedly 'secret societies' that make new members undergo some kind of initiation rite before they can get in. But then again, she also said that only the most secret of societies have the 'bad initiations' where they humiliate you, or something like that.

"Initiation?" Dinky asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes. You each have to perform a specific task, given to you by the pony who invited you here..." Apple Bloom answers. "After you complete the task, you'll be a full-fledged Crusader."

Crusader?

Pipsqueak, Dinky, and yourself all exchange unsure glances. It seems you're the first to give in.

"I guess I'm in..." You groan.

"Me too." Dinky adds in a singsong voice.

Pipsqueak shrugs. "Count me in."

The three current Crusaders trade glances, and smile. Apple Bloom claps her hooves together as a grin splits her face. "Dismissed. Let the initiation.... Begin!"

Sweetie Belle nudges Dinky with her elbow, and the two disappear out the door. Apple Bloom and Pipsqueak follow. You nervously glance at Scootaloo, and she shoots you a cheesy grin. She stands, and dashes towards the door, her speed supplemented by a few flaps of her wings. You rise from your seat and give chase, trotting out the door after her. Stopping just out the door, you see she's waiting a few feet away from the stairs. Feeling a sudden sense of bravado, you take a bounding leap and barely manage to clear the stairs, staggering as you land.

Scootaloo shoots you another grin and nudges you with her elbow. "Nice landing. C'mon," she says, waving towards an open field. "I've already got your initiation set up."

You stare after her for a moment, but soon give chase as she trots towards the field. Across the field, you can see a sparse patch of trees, with one tree in particular seizing your interest. Hanging from one of the branches, you can see a rope swing, ending with a wooden plank. As you near the tree, you notice a depression beside it, directly under the swing-branch. And there's water in it. You cast a suspicious glance at Scootaloo as she stops at the trunk of the tree.

"So, here's your initiation," she says, patting the trunk of the tree.

You arch an eyebrow at her, and glance at the small pond. "What?"

"Here's what I had planned..." Scootaloo begins. She turns away and starts climbing up the trunk of the tree, coming to rest upon a branch directly above you, and parallel to the edge of the pond. "Send the swing up, would you?"

You cast a dubious glance at her, but snatch the swing from its rest at the very edge of the pond anyhow, and send it arcing its way to her. She catches the swing as it nears her, and grins. Without a second thought, she wraps both forelegs around the rope and tosses herself from the branch. Your heart pounds to the point you think its going to thud out of your chest, and you take an unconscious step forward and start to call out.

The shout dies in your throat as she releases the swing and cannonballs into the pond, sending a massive splash rippling through the pool. After a moment she surfaces, gasps for breath, and sloshes up and out of the water. She grins at you from underneath her soaking-wet mane, some of which is stuck to her face. Her grins widens as she shakes herself off, splashing you with a surprisingly large amount of water.

"Hey, cut it out!" you call, taking a step back and wiping yourself off.

Scootaloo, ignoring the large portion of her mane in her face, shrugs. "So, what'd ya think, huh?"

"Very... splashy." You say, shrugging back at her. "But, what does that have to do with my initiation?"

Scootaloo's grin returns, twofold of what it once was. "So, I was thinking.... I could make you do some menial tasks," she begins, attempting to flick her wet mane over her shoulder, "I could essentially make you do whatever I wanted..."

You slowly lift a hoof. "Uh.... if this gets too ridiculous, I could always just.... Not join your club-thing."

Scootaloo rolls her eyes at you and smiles. "I wasn't finished! I could do all that stuff.... But I didn't. Instead, I decided it would be so much more awesome if you did something cool, something..." She paused, and her grin grew. "Exciting. So...." She dragged out, "You're going to do what I just did. Simple, yeah?"

You pause for a moment, and glance between the swing and Scootaloo. "Uh... Exactly what you did?"

Scootaloo nods. "Exactly. But feel free to add on, too! You could do a front-flip, ooh, or a quadruple back-flip with a seven-twenty twist! And..." She glances at you, notices the dubious look on your face, and shrugs. "Or not.... So, what do you say?" She extends a hoof towards you. "Do you want to join the Crusaders?"

You cast one last suspicious glance at the rope-swing, before sighing and nodding, tapping your hoof to hers. "Yeah, alright. I'll do it."

Scootaloo lets out a whoop of joy and tugs on your hoof, dragging you to the trunk of the tree. She pats your shoulder, and nods reassuringly. With a deep breath, you work on climbing the tree. You clamber awkwardly up to the same limb Scootaloo had perched herself on, nearly losing your grip on the trunk of the tree once or twice.

Perched upon the branch, the tree seems a whole lot taller than it did from the ground. You close your eyes and shake your head, taking a deep breath to calm yourself. When you open your eyes, you see Scootaloo, about to send the swing up. As the swing arcs upwards to meet you, you feebly catch the rope.

"Don't worry," Scootaloo calls up, "It seems scary at first, but it's so much fun once you're going!"

You take another deep breath to calm your nerves, and set a hoof on the wooden plank. You tightly wrap both fore-hooves around the rope, and push yourself from the branch. The world lurches forward and the ground rushes up to meet you, but just as you fear you're going to break against the hard ground, the rope snaps taut and you begin the arc.

The only trace of Scootaloo you have is an orange and purple blur at the bottom of the arc, and her cheers of glee. You're not too sure if the pounding in your heart is from the thrill of the swing, Scootaloo's cheering, or a mixture of both.

At the top of the arc, you release the rope and push yourself off the plank. You try to curl yourself up into a ball like Scootaloo had done, but you find you're unable to command your legs. Instead of cannon-balling in, you belly-flop into the water, bringing about an intensely painful stinging sensation around your, well, belly, and other frontal areas.

For a moment, the entire world seems to go dark. Then you open your eyes, and see the light of Celestia's sun shining through the water. With all the strength you can muster, you swim towards the surface. After a moment, you find yourself flopping out onto the shore, gasping for breath. In the next moment, you roll onto your back and try to say something. All that emerges from your throat is a raspy groan. You close your eyes and take a deep breath.

The brightness of the sun disappears through your eyelids. Yeah, you think, it's odd, but who cares? I'm alive! You feel what seems like a gust of warm wind across your face. It seems like an almost pleasant breeze. When you feel something brush against your lips, that's when your eyes snap open.

Scootaloo jumps up and back with a sharp gasp. "I thought you were - and I was supposed to - CPR! And, and-!" She takes a small step forward, and cocks her head to the side. There's something about her voice that you can't quite place. "Are.... Are you okay?"

You slowly roll onto your stomach, and rise up to your hooves. You make a show of shaking yourself off. After a moment, you take a deep breath, and look at Scootaloo.

"Yeah.... I'm okay...." You say quietly, rerunning everything - and boy, do you mean everything - through your head. "Maybe... Maybe a bit better than okay..."

Scootaloo shoots you a smile, one you can't exactly place, and nods. "Told you it'd be fun once you were going."

You nod slowly, and run a hoof through your soaked mane. She did tell you. For some reason, you feel somewhat exposed, and draw you legs closer to your body with a shiver. "So, uh..." You hesitate, unsure of what to say, what moment to address. "Um.... What should we do now...?"

There's a long, awkward silence; the kind you're fairly used to. Scootaloo scratches her neck and shrugs. "Well... I think the initiations Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom have planned are going to take a while, so..." She shrugs again. "I dunno."

You scratch at the side of you head and return her shrug. "We should probably..... Dry off, or something, before we do anything else."

Scootaloo nods, and attempts to wring out her mane. "Yeah. So..."

"We could go back to my house," You suggest.

Scootaloo shrugs and lets her mane fall beside her head. "Yeah, sure. Let's go."

After the walk into town and to your home, both of you have dried off a little. You stop at the door and listen carefully for Vinyl, or Octavia, or both of them. When you hear music playing lightly in the background, you decide Vinyl's home alone, and open the door. You make an exaggerated motion for Scootaloo to go in first, and close the door behind yourself.

You both stand silently at the door mat for a moment. When nothing happens, though you're not sure why you expected something to happen anyway, you shrug at Scootaloo.

"Vinyl!" You shout, listening more closely to the music coming from upstairs. You wait a moment. "Vinyl!" When nothing happens, you sigh. You cast a glance back at Scootaloo, "Wait here. I'll be back in a sec."

You take slow, cautious steps, trying not to slip on the hardwood floor, and trying just as hard to not leave puddles on the floor. You slowly and surely make your way towards the stairs. At the first step, you look up and scowl.

"Vinyl!" You call.

After a moment, Vinyl - or her head, at least - appears at the top of the stairs. She squints at you and raises an eyebrow. "What is it, squirt? I thought you and your filly-friend were-" she stops, and gasps. "You're soaking! Stay right there!" She disappears for a moment, before reappearing with a bundle of towels. She hurries down the stairs, and begins to roughly dry you off. "What were you doing? It's not raining, is it? No, it isn't! I thought you and your-"

You pull away quickly and hiss at her, jerking your head towards the door. She turns and looks at Scootaloo, and a small smile creeps onto her face. It falls away just as quickly as she notices that Scootaloo is also soaking wet. She scowls at you.

"Oh, come on!" She groans. She takes a few quick steps towards Scootaloo, and tosses her a towel. She shoves a towel at you, and shakes her head. "What did you two do? I mean, come on!"

You and Scootaloo exchange knowing smiles and burst into laughter.

"We went swimming," You insist.

Vinyl eyes you suspiciously. "Swimming, or swimming?"

You blink. "Uh.... We went swimming. In a pond. You know. With water."

Vinyl's suspicious gaze doesn't waver. "Uh-huh.... You and me are gonna have a little talk later on, got that, squirt?"

You snort at her. "I didn't do anything!"

She raises a hoof to silence you. "Shush-up, squirt. No buts. No arguing. Dry yourselves off, then we're going out for lunch." Vinyl leans close and smirks at you. "You can even bring your filly-friend."

You stick your tongue out at her, and get to work on drying yourself off.

Crusaders!

The three of you move down the street at a leisurely pace. Vinyl walks on your right, and Scootaloo on your left. Vinyl keeps glancing at you with an all too familiar smirk, and every time she does, you glare at her. It seems like an unending cycle, until Scootaloo nudges you with her elbow.

"Hey," She says quietly, "Everything alright?"

You stick your tongue out at Vinyl, and turn to Scootaloo. "Yeah." You glance at Vinyl from the corner of your eye. "It's just... I don't know."

Scootaloo opens her mouth to reply, but she's cut off as Vinyl jabs you with her hoof. You fidget, and stop dead in your tracks. Scootaloo follows just a moment after. Both of you stare up at Vinyl. She dips her shades down her snout, and glances between the two of you.

"Daisy's Place work?" She asks, nodding down the street towards a small cluster of tables outside a two-story building.

You cast a glance at Scootaloo. She shrugs. You shrug at Vinyl. Vinyl rolls her eyes at the two of you and grins. She motions with her hoof, and the two of you follow her towards the restaurant.

"Foals these days...." Vinyl mutters, "so indecisive..."

You roll your eyes and glance at Scootaloo. She shrugs. You return the shrug, and glance at Vinyl. She's looking right back at you, an eyebrow arched behind her shades. A small grin plays across her face. As you near the building, Vinyl motions towards an empty table with seats for four.

As you near the building, you can make out the small sign hung above the propped-open door that reads "Daisy's Place" in big, decorative letters. A local restaurant, visited by many of the ponies of Ponyville, owned by a friendly mare named Daisy. You remember coming here countless times with Vinyl and your mother, so often that Daisy has come to know your family by name.

You circle around the table Vinyl had pointed out, and sit. Vinyl rolls her eyes at you and jabs your shoulder with her hoof.

"Be a gentlecolt, young stallion!" Vinyl scoffs, "A gentlecolt doesn't sit until all the ladies at the table are seated!"

You blink, and awkwardly rise out of your seat, the chair scraping against the cobblestones. Vinyl smirks at you as she sits. Your face warms as you feel your cheeks flush, and you cast a glance at Scootaloo. She hurriedly sits, glancing between Vinyl and yourself. You sit and scoot your chair back in, before you stare at the table for a long moment.

"Oh, lighten up, squirt." Vinyl says. You look up at her, and see a familiar, encouraging smile. "I'm just messin' with ya, after all."

You smile slightly. You're about open your mouth to respond when a waitress, a young unicorn mare, trots over to your table. A small notebook and a pencil levitate before her, three menus tucked under her left foreleg, and she quickly glances between the three of you.

She smiles politely and inclines her head slightly. "Hey, how're you all doin' today?" Before waiting for an answer, she sets the menus down. You wait for Vinyl and Scootaloo to take theirs before you reach out and snatch one up. "What can I get you all to drink?"

Vinyl wastes no time. "Coffee, please."

The waitress scribbles on her notebook, and looks at you. You glance at Scootaloo from the corner of your eye, and see her face scrunched in contemplation. You inwardly shrug. "Water."

Once more, the waitress scribbles, and she looks at Scootaloo. Scootaloo continues to stare at the menu for a moment, before tearing her eyes away to look at the waitress. "Uh... Fruit punch."

The waitress inclines her head, and glances between the three of you again. "Alright.... I'll be back in a few minutes to take your orders." With that, she trots off, inside the building.

You glance up at Vinyl, then to Scootaloo, and your heart sinks somewhat when you find both of them with their noses buried in their menus. Attempting to rid yourself of the feeling, you dig into the menu yourself. It doesn't quite help, considering you already know what you're getting. But you're determined to not be the odd one out, so you do your best to pass the time by looking over the all-too-familiar menu.

After what seems to be an eternity, the waitress returns, a small tray hovering before her with two glasses, a mug, and a tiny white cup, her pencil tucked behind her ear and her notebook under her right foreleg. She stops at your table and flashes a polite smile. The mug and small white cup levitate up and off the tray, landing before Vinyl. The two glasses are set down before Scootaloo and yourself.

The waitress levitates the pencil from behind her ear and the notebook from under her foreleg. "Now, what can I get you all to eat?"

You cast a cursory glance around the table. Vinyl is preoccupied, pouring the milk from the cup into her coffee. Scootaloo's nose is once again buried in the menu. The waitress' eyes settle on you.

"Uh..." You pause awkwardly and scratch at your mane. "I'll have a HBLT."

The waitress nods and scribbles, turning to look at Vinyl. "Hay sandwich, extra cheese. Make the hay extra crispy, too, please." Nod and scribble. She turns to Scootaloo.

"Uh.... I'll have the..." Scootaloo begins, her voice trailing off for a moment as she goes back into the menu. "The Daisy Salad Special..."

Nod and scribble. "Alright, folks." She turns and goes back into the building.

You spare a glance around the table. Vinyl is fairly occupied with her coffee, and Scootaloo idly taps her hoof against the table, her cheek resting on her other hoof. She casts an idly glance in your direction, and you make eye contact for a short moment. She smiles nervously, and limply waves her hoof. You give a small wave in return, and you both break eye contact.

You start at the sound of Vinyl setting down her coffee mug. She glances between Scootaloo and yourself, and a small grin splits her face.

"So..." Vinyl begins, drawling out the word. "Swimming." She stares at you for a moment. You feel your cheeks grow hot, and you look to the side and bring a hoof up to cover your face. "You kids have fun?"

There's a long, awkward, pause. You glance around the table. Vinyl glances between the two of you, her grin growing slightly. "Yeah. If there's no talk for that long, you had fun." From behind her shades, you can feel her eyes bore into your very being. You can tell she wants to say more, but she seems to be biting her tongue for now.

You nod slowly. "Yeah. It was pretty fun."

Vinyl gives a small, almost imperceptible nod. "Good."

You and Vinyl lock eyes. Even from behind her shades, you can tell she's looking right back. From the corner of your eye, Scootaloo seems to shrink back in her chair slightly. You squint at Vinyl, and shake your head. Bored, you cast a glance at the building, idly glancing over the details you've seen a hundred times over. Your eyes catch on your waitress, a tray of food levitating before her.

Scootaloo and Vinyl both seem to take notice, too. The waitress moves quickly to your table, setting the proper dishes down before Scootaloo, Vinyl, and yourself. Your mouth waters as your plate hits the table. Toasted wheat bread, stacked high with fresh lettuce and tomatoes, and, the best feature.... A hearty amount of hay-bacon. Your heart soars as you scoop up the large sandwich and lift it to your mouth,

The waitress scoops up all the dishes, smiling politely as she does so. "Was everything good?"

"Wonderful." Vinyl says, sipping at her coffee. "Just wonderful." All you can do is nod in agreement.

The waitress gives a small nod, and levitates the bill onto the table. Vinyl scoops up the small slip of paper, and shrugs. She glances between Scootaloo and yourself, before giving you a sly grin and a wink behind her shades.

"You kids go ahead back home. I'm gonna pay the bill, then I'll be right behind you." Vinyl says, and without another word, she trots off into the building. You can vaguely hear her call Daisy! once she gets inside, but you shrug it off and stand.

You turn to Scootaloo, and motion down the street. The two of you start walking. You walk side by side in silence for just a few moments. Dozens of ponies hustle and bustle up and down the street. Some ponies stopped to examine items in store windows, while others made idle chitchat. Scootaloo and yourself move along at a leisurely pace.

"It was really nice of your sister to treat us to lunch like that." Scootaloo says, her gaze drifting to a shop window as she moves.

"Yeah, she's pretty cool." You reply, shrugging. "She's done a lot of cool stuff for a whole bunch of ponies."

"Yeah?" She asks, turning back to you. "What does she do for a living?"

"She's a DJ," You say, "you know, for parties and stuff."

Scootaloo's eyes brighten for a moment. "Really? That's cool. It must be exciting. Do you ever go to parties with her?"

You shake your head as the two of you round a corner. "No. I guess her job keeps her up really, really late, because Vinyl's usually asleep all day when she gets big jobs. My mom doesn't really want me going with her, either. Says that 'Vinyl's a great daughter, sister, and all-round mare, but her late-night lifestyle isn't healthy'."

"Hmm." Is all Scootaloo says. You just nod.

After another minute or two, you find yourself on your street. As you near your house, Scootaloo lightly taps your shoulder and gives you a somewhat worried look.

"Hey, we should probably get back to the clubhouse soon," She says, "the other initiations are going to end eventually."

You pause. "Oh, uh, okay. We just gotta wait for Vinyl to get back, then we can get going."

Scootaloo nods her agreement. You stop at your front door, and pause. On a hunch, you turn the doorknob. The door clicks open. Which is strange, since Vinyl locked the door as you left. You slowly open the door.

"Hello?" You call, half-hoping not to get a response.

You nearly jump out of your skin as Octavia pokes her head out from behind a cabinet. "Oh, hello, little ones. I was wondering when you'd get back."

Trying to settle your heart, which was now thudding in your chest, you lean against the door frame. "Oh, uh.... H-hey, Octavia..... H-how did you get in here?"

Octavia smiles knowingly. "Your sister provided me with a key, for emergencies."

You swallow hard and nod. "Oh."

Scootaloo steps inside, and looks at your. "Are you okay?"

You nod, doing your best to shake the feeling away. "Yeah, just.... A little surprised is all."

Octavia, done with whatever she happened to be doing in the kitchen, sets herself down on the large sofa, and shakes her head. "I'm sorry, little one. I didn't mean to scare you."

You shake your head quickly. "I wasn't scared! I was.... surprised..." Turning away from Octavia and Scootaloo, you reach out to close the door. You pull back with a start when your hoof is slapped away.

"There you are, squirt." Vinyl says, grinning from behind her shades. The door is already closed behind her.

You take a few short steps away from Vinyl, snorting at her. "Why's everypony tryin' to sneak up on me?"

Vinyl chuckles, and sets a steadying hoof on your shoulder. "Calm down, squirt."

You take a deep breath, and look up to Vinyl. "Is it alright if Scootaloo and I go back outside?"

Vinyl glances between you two. She seems hesitant for a moment. "Hmm.... No more swimming, alright? We don't have enough towels to keep drying you kids off."

You grin at Vinyl, and step past her to open the door. "Thanks!" With the door open, you move out onto the street, with Scootaloo following after. You glance over your shoulder just in time to see Vinyl lean out and close the door. She winks just as the door slams shut.

Scootaloo nudges you with her elbow, and motions for you to follow. "C'mon! We might be late!"

Everypony sits, gathered around the round table. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo all exchange excited glances. Apple Bloom rises from her seat.

"Has every initiate completed their initiation?" She asks. "Pipsqueak has completed his."

"Dinky Doo has completed hers." Sweetie Belle chimes in.

Suddenly, all eyes settle on you. You shrink down in your seat slightly. Scootaloo grins, nearly jumping from her seat. "You bet he completed his!"

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle exchange quick glances. They both nod. Sweetie Belle picks up a slip of paper from the table, and clears her throat.

"We, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, elect these three ponies to join us as, uh..... Sister and.... brothers.... confidants and confidante, allies..." Sweetie Belle quickly hums what seems to be a few unnecessary words, "blah, blah, blah..."

Apple Bloom glares at Scootaloo. "Weren't you supposed to revise this?" She hisses in a conspiratorial whisper.

Scootaloo slaps her hoof against her forehead. "Crud."

Sweetie Belle continues on. "There it is.... Fellow Cutie Mark Crusaders! You are solemnly sworn in, this day, in witness of your fellow sisters, and, uh.... brothers.... Confidants and confidantes, buddies, pals..."

Apple Bloom rolls her eyes and makes a chopping motion towards Sweetie Belle. Sweetie Belle nods quickly, and sets the paper down. "Congratulations! You three are now full-fledged Cutie Mark Crusaders!"

Dinky Doo, Pipsqueak, and yourself, all exchange unsure glances. "Um.... Thanks?"

"You're welcome," Apple Bloom says, genuinely smiling again. "Now, since y'all are Crusaders, you're gonna have ta show up to meetings when we have 'em. Speaking of which..." Apple Bloom glances around at the original Crusaders. They all nod. "Alright, we're scheduled to have a meetin' today! Why don't y'all just make yourselves comfortable, and we'll get this meeting started."

It takes several, long, boring, moments for the original Crusaders to decide what the meeting is about. They spoke at a conspiratorial whisper, huddled in the corner of the clubhouse. When they return, they all seem as confused as before.

"So, uh..." Apple Bloom begins, scratching the back of her head.

"We don't have anything to meet about. It's usually just us." Scootaloo finishes.

Dinky Doo raises her hoof. Apple Bloom points to her. "Yes, Dinky?"

"I say we adjourn the meeting." She says.

Pipsqueak's hoof shoots up, as does yours. "I second that!"

The three original Crusaders glance at each other, mildly confused and amused at the same time. Apple Bloom shrugs.

"Ah, what the heck? Meeting adjourned."

Play it Safe

You raise a hoof and block the bright beam of sunlight. A moment later, the beam grows even wider. You feel a shove, and then your blanket flies off and you can hear it smack against the wall. You sit up and look around.

"Get up squirt!" Vinyl snapped, "Octi's coming in a few hours!"

You rub your head and manage to get to your hooves, despite how tired you are. "Already?" You ask lazily.

Vinyl nods, and pushes you out the door. "Yeah, already. Come on, brush your teeth, wash your face, all that!"

You groan and roll your eyes. "Yes mother!"

Vinyl jabs you behind your shoulder, and you jump a bit. "Don't get sassy with me squirt."

As Vinyl runs downstairs to do Celestia-knows-what, you go to the bathroom. You only need three things at the moment; your toothbrush, some toothpaste, and the faucet. You apply the bright teal goop to your brush, and scrub diligently. The invigorating tingle of the minty toothpaste is enough you wake you up for the moment being. After a minute or two of brushing, you spit in to the sink and set your toothbrush down. You turn the faucet on, and rinse out your mouth. You shake your head, trying to ignore the unsettling aftertaste of the toothpaste.

After the sink is clear of any and all traces of toothpaste and saliva, you dunk your head under the stream of water. The cold, crisp water works wonders on waking you up. You take a washcloth from the towel rack, and wipe your face off.

As you go down the stairs, you flick your tongue around your mouth, still trying to get rid of the aftertaste. By the time you get to the first floor, Vinyl is in the kitchen preparing... Oatmeal, maybe? It's too early to tell, and you can't smell anything familiar. Squeezing behind Vinyl (she's taking up quite a bit of space after all), you go to the refrigerator and snatch up the carton of orange juice.

With Vinyl's back turned, you open the carton and take a quick swig of the juice. It leaves an even nastier aftertaste than the toothpaste, but after another drink, all you can taste is the orange juice. You move for another drink, when you freeze.

"Hey!" Vinyl snaps, "You're lucky mom ain't here, squirt." Vinyl finished, snatching the carton away from you. She turns around, and shakes her head. Then, she takes a drink straight from the carton.

"Hey!" You shout.

Vinyl smiles at you, "I said, you're lucky mom isn't here." Vinyl takes another drink, "And so am I."

You laugh and shake your head, "Well then... What's for breakfast?"

"Oatmeal." Vinyl replied dully. "With cinnamon."

"Oh, because the cinnamon makes so much of a difference!" You add with a chuckle.

Just a moment later, you hear a knock on the door. Vinyl raises an eyebrow.

"She's not supposed to be here for another hour..." Vinyl begins, "Squirt, get the door."

You scoff at Vinyl as you walk to the door. You hear the knock again as you come closer, and you open the door as soon as you can reach it. Not surprisingly, Octavia is standing at the door. She smiles warmly at you, and pats you on the head.
"Hello little one, is Vinyl here?" Octavia asks, peering over your head.

"Yeah," You reply, stepping aside. "Come on in Octavia."

Scootaloo ran alongside Apple Bloom towards the house, which grew in size with every step they took. Both fillies raced each other silently, both trying to get one step ahead. They both silently grinned at each other, and ran forward. Just as the details of the house came into sight, both fillies stopped, gasping for breath. They had been running for at least three blocks, after all.

"Not bad..." Apple Bloom said, grinning, "For a pegasus..."

Scootaloo jerked her head upward, and her wings snapped open. "Oh, you did not just go there."

Apple Bloom grew a smirk, "What ya gonna do about it?"

Scootaloo squinted at Apple Bloom, and grew a look of determination. "I'm gonna win." She whispered.

Before Apple Bloom could react, Scootaloo had taken off again. By the time Apple Bloom had began to chase, Scootaloo was leaping up the stairs, and onto the wooden porch. Scootaloo flared her wings, and reared up.

"I won! In. Your. Face!" Scootaloo cheered, barely controlling her giggle-fit. She sat down a moment later.

Apple Bloom collapsed on the porch next to Scootaloo, "Fine." She groaned. "You beat me, fair 'n square."

Just a few moments later, the door opened. Sweetie Belle stepped out, wearing her "Apple Zappers" jersey; Number Six. The jersey, contrasting the bright "Ponyville Dashers" jersey, was a dark orange with white lining. Both Scootaloo and Apple Bloom stood up.

"Are you ready for practice today?" Sweetie Belle asked, the question obviously directed at Apple Bloom. "Where's your jersey?"

Apple Bloom nodded. "AJ's bringin' it for me. What about you, Scoots? Where's your jersey?"

"I left my bag at our field, so I don't have to lug it around all the time." Scootaloo replied. "Come on, we might be late if we don't get going."

The three fillies took off, walking towards the park. The three passed the time by kicking stones, playfully jabbing each other, and humming their very own theme-song.

"So..." Apple Bloom began, glancing at Sweetie Belle, and then staring at Scootaloo, "How's that friend of yours, Number Eleven, right?"

Scootaloo paused, "What do you mean? He's fine, as far as I know. I haven't seen him since yesterday when he walked home with me."

Sweetie Belle tapped Apple Bloom's shoulder, and whispered something in her ear. Both fillies broke out laughing.

Scootaloo stepped back and stared, wide-eyed, "What? What's so funny?"

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle turned to Scootaloo. "Nothin' Scoots, just something funny happened at practice yesterday."

Scootaloo squinted at the two, and shook her head. "You're just jealous 'cause my team is awesome."

Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom stared at Scootaloo. Scootaloo turned her head, and looked upward with a proud smile.

A few moments later, the three stopped at the edge of the park. On the edge of two of the hoof-ball fields, Rainbow Dash and Applejack stood, in an apparently heated argument.

"My foals could whoop your team!" Rainbow Dash shouted, shaking her head. "I'd bet my feathers on it!"

"My team could run laps around yours!" Applejack spat back, "I'd bet my hat on it!"

The two mares exchanged heated words for a few minutes before the three fillies stepped in. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom attempted to push Applejack away, while Scootaloo attempted to defuse Rainbow Dash.

Both coaches stepped away. Applejack shooed her two players towards the field opposite where they were, while Rainbow Dash stepped in front of Scootaloo.

"That's it! You're going down! I can't wait for our teams to meet, so we can crush you!" Rainbow Dash called, waving a hoof to dismiss Applejack.

Applejack, and Rainbow Dash, turned to their Crusader players "I don't want you hanging out with them during practice." both mares scolded.

All three Crusaders peered around their coaches, and exchanged sad looks. Before they could say a word, their coaches began pushing them towards the fields.

Scootaloo kicked the turf as she walked, Rainbow Dash had gotten far ahead of her. "I'm not allowed to Crusade on practice days?" she asked herself silently. "That only leaves weekends... Not counting game-days..."

Scootaloo noticed a few of her teammates on the field already, trading passes or just sitting on the bleachers. Then she noticed a few unfamiliar faces in the bleachers; grown-up mares. The white unicorn mare from yesterday, and a dark gray mare sitting next to her... And the Number Eleven, right in-between them. Scootaloo grew a smile; "At least I have one friend I can visit anytime..."

You sit, silently, right in-between Vinyl and Octavia. They've both been talking about things; things you can't understand. Like something called a "date", it must've been some kind of new wagon, because Octavia went on one with a stallion a couple days ago. It must've been fun, because her and Vinyl kept bringing it up. Meanwhile, you just sat awkwardly, trying to understand whatever it was they were talking about.

After they stopped talking about the new wagon (or whatever the hay it was), Octavia looked at you.

"So, how goes hoof-ball?" Octavia asks.

"Good. I made a new friend; her name's Scootaloo." You reply.

Octavia smiles, and raises an eyebrow, "Her?"

Vinyl grins, and leans over you and whispers something into Octavia's ear. Octavia managed to stifle a giggle, while Vinyl openly broke out laughing. Octavia looks at you with a warm smile, and pats your head.

While they discussed whatever the hay it was this time, you notice Rainbow Dash, the Apple Zappers' coach (what was her name, Applejack?), Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle all standing in a group. It seems like Rainbow Dash and Applejack were having a rather heated argument. A few moments later, Rainbow Dash is back over in the field checking the equipment, and Scootaloo is trudging towards the field with one of the saddest looks you've ever seen. After she gets closer, she seems to notice you, and she smiles.

When Scootaloo gets close enough, she calls out "Hey! Wanna practice passing?"

You jump off the bleachers, and trot over to her. While you walk with her, you turn around to stare at Octavia and Vinyl. They're both in a giggle-fit, and staring back at you. Neither of them can control it either.

Scootaloo bumps you, and you look at her, "Who's that with your sister?" she asks.

"Oh, Octavia." You reply, shrugging. "She's kinda-sorta like my aunt; she's my sister's best friend, and she always gives me advice."

Scootaloo looks at the ground. "I wish I had a big sister. My brother is always gone."

You look at her with a puzzled face, "It's not all fun and games though. Since my mom is always out on business, Vinyl's like a substitute mom, too. Octavia is like a second-sister."

Scootaloo perks her head up, and cocks it sideways. "...Do you have a... dad?" She asks, as if the word was painful.

You shake your head. "No. Vinyl says our mom and dad broke up after she was born, but they got back together, and broke up again when I was born. But mom doesn't like to talk about it. What about you?"

Scootaloo shook her head. "No. He's not dead, but I never knew him. Anyway, I think practice is starting; come on."

You follow Scootaloo to the line-up of foals, and take your place. Rainbow Dash paced up and down the line, examining her players.

"As you all know..." Dash begins, still pacing, "Our first game is the day after tomorrow. We're going up against the Cloudy Kickers, a team made up of mostly pegasai. We've worked on everything except blocking and defense. So..."

Rainbow Dash stops in front of you and Scootaloo, and points at you. "You. You're the first goalie. Take this; play it safe."

Dash gives you a face-mask (which is apparently mandatory for little-leagues), and sets you up in the goal. You're nervous, and maintaining balance on your rear hooves is a bit tricky. But you get used to it after a moment.

You slide the face-mask down, and nod. "I'm ready!"

One of the colts steps forward, and kicks a ball right at you. You take a stable stance, and jump to block. The ball flies right through your hooves, and rockets into the net. You stand back up, and shake your head. A filly steps forward, and kicks just like the colt. This time, you're ready for it.

You take another stance, and focus. Before you know it, the ball is sitting right at your hooves. You smile under your mask, and kick the ball back.

"Whoo!" You hear from the side-lines. When you look, you see Vinyl cheering like she normally does, she's over doing it... "That's my brother!"

Two more foals take shots at the goal. Both get blocked. Dash lands beside you, wraps a hoof around you, and smiles.

"I think you're gonna go far kid. Looks like we got ourselves a goalie." Dash says, patting your back.

You toss your mask into your bag, and sigh. The inside of the mask is drenched with sweat, and your face is just as drenched. Even worse, a couple of times the excess sweat rolled down your face and right into your eye. Then, you had to sit out for five minutes, at least, and get it out. Vinyl and Octavia (who were both still giggling like school-fillies) were no help at all. Apparently, you're the team's main goalie now. But on the bright-side, you got the mask for free.

As you tossed your jersey (the collar was soaked far more than the rest of it) into your bag, Scootaloo came up next to you.

"Hey," She said, bumping you, "You're not a half-bad goalie."

"Thanks." You reply, "You're pretty good with offense."

"It's nothing really..." She begins, her face flushed, "Just kick the ball and run."

You zip up your bag, and strap it around your shoulders. As you begin to walk towards Vinyl and Octavia, Scootaloo follows, to your dismay.

"Uh, hey..." She starts, a tad nervously, "Is it alright if I, uh, hang out with you for a bit?"

The question stuns you. You stop in your tracks, and that familiar knot in your insides comes back. Your mind starts screaming at you, "Of course she can! Say yes you idiot!", but one last thought remains, WHY?

"Huh?" is the first thing you manage to choke out, "Uh... Wouldn't your other friends miss you?"

Scootaloo shakes her head meekly. "No... Since they're on the Apple Zappers, I'm not allowed to play with them on practice days."

The knot in your stomach tightens. "Oh, um.... Sure... Vinyl won't mind."