To Find a Rainbow

Chapters

Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 18
Epilogue
Bonus Chapter: And Life Goes On...
Chapter 1
Chapter 4
Chapter 17

Chapter 2

The second I got home from my shift at the Carousel Boutique I started cleaning up my cottage. It wasn’t really messy, per se, but with company coming over, I wanted it to look nice. I resolutely didn’t think about the fact that I never bothered when Rainbow came over before, especially since she gave even less of a shit about it than I did. And that’s saying something, because I’m pretty far from a neat-freak. Rather, I quite enjoy some organized chaos in my life. If everything’s too orderly, I feel like I’m at work or school or something, not at home.

Despite that, by the time I sat down on my couch, my living room was practically spotless. Almost like a hurricane had come through and decided to tidy up the place instead of wrecking it.

And not a moment too soon, as there was a knock at my door. Checking the clock on the wall, it was indeed shortly after four, which meant my visitor could be only one pony. I bolted over to the door, but just before I threw it open, I paused. I didn’t want to seem over-eager or anything. After taking a couple quick breaths, I finally opened the door.

Before me stood Rainbow, minus her exercise outfit this time but with two pizza boxes balanced precariously on her back, supported by her slightly extended wings. Next to her was an orange pegasus filly I didn’t really recognize. She had a short purple mane that was mostly unruly but had a cute cowlick in the front. She had the jittery look of someone who was excited about something but was still nervous about it, too. Despite that, she looked up at me with a sort of youthful innocence in her smile.

When Rainbow had told me that Scootaloo was a filly, I’d imagined grade school age, but this filly didn’t strike me as much younger than Rainbow was. Scootaloo stood only a few inches shorter than her big sister, though she was more on the lanky side and lacked Rainbow’s athletic body, giving her the look of someone who’d just grown several inches recently and hadn’t filled out to match yet. Beyond that, I couldn’t exactly judge how old she was.

“Hey, Will,” Rainbow said, nodding her head since she couldn’t wave a wing like she normally would. She then gestured toward Scootaloo. “Will, this is the Squirt. Squirt, this is Will. Don’t mind him if he says something lame, he’s not as cool as he thinks he is.”

I harrumphed. “You know what, Rainbow? Some guest you are! I invite you into my house to watch Daring Do, and you insult me to my face before you even walk in the door!”

She shrugged. “First of all, you didn’t invite me over; Movie Night was my idea. Second, I brought food; that at least gives me right to come in. Third, I brought pizza. That’s worth double.”

Without waiting for a response, she slipped past my legs and went inside. I was left awkwardly at the door with Scootaloo, who seemed less willing to come in uninvited. I gave her a put-upon sigh and waved her in, to which she complied and followed after Rainbow.

“Nice to meet you, Scootaloo. Come on in,” I said as she passed. As Rainbow darted into the kitchen, likely to raid my fridge for something to drink, Scootaloo stood by the couch, taking the room in. It wasn’t exactly the most extravagant living room ever, but everything was likely bigger than she was used to. “Feel free to make yourself at home. Any friend of Rainbow’s is a friend of mine.”

She had barely nodded before Rainbow came bouncing back in, one of two six-packs of hard apple cider I’d bought on the way home from work clutched between her teeth and a bottle of soda balanced on her head. She dropped the cider on the table and, with a nod of her head, propelled the soda into the air and caught it with her hooves. With a grin, she offered it to Scootaloo, who took it and placed it on the table as well.

“Well, what’re we waiting for?! Time’s wastin’, let’s get this party started!” Rainbow cheered, leaping onto the edge of the couch and throwing the top pizza box open. The tantalizing smell of melted cheese and grease filled the room almost instantly and my stomach growled.

Somehow, Rainbow was able to grab a slice directly with her hoof. I’ll never understand how ponies can pick up things without any visible means of holding them, but as most things in Equestria can be summed up: it’s magic, son. Regardless, she began gorging herself without even waiting for Scootaloo or I to sit down. Laughing, Scootaloo climbed up beside her, struggling a little with the height, and once she was settled grabbed some pizza for herself. Realizing I was the only one without greasy limbs, I guessed it was up to me to start the movie.

“Sapphire Stone is the first one, right?” I asked, looking through the stack of movie cases in front of my TV. I was amazed to find that Equestria had movies, though the discs were made out of thin pieces of crystal rather than plastic.

“Yeah, that’s the one. Hurry up!” Rainbow said.

Rolling my eyes, I popped it out and put it in the player. Soon enough, the opening credits began rolling. I stepped back around the table, grabbing a slice of pizza for myself before I crashed down on the couch with the others. We were sitting with me against one arm, Scootaloo sitting surprisingly prim against the other, and Rainbow sprawled out across the space between.

Before us, the opening scenes began to play. Our hero, Daring Do, a tannish-yellow pegasus with a black and grey striped mane, stood before what looked to be a college classroom. She was giving a lecture about some tribe of ponies living deep in the rainforests of Zebrica, showing off a series of artefacts including small statues and even some cobbled-together weapons and shields they used. The class seemed enraptured with everything she said, but as the bell signaling the end of the period rang, Daring Do gave a weary sigh and rubbed at the space between her eyes.

“I almost forgot she used to be a professor,” Rainbow said through a mouthful of pizza. After swallowing she continued, her eyes never leaving the screen. “She hated it so much. I’m glad she quit at the end.”

“Thanks for spoiling,” I said, clipping her ear. “But I hear that. She doesn’t seem to care for it. Working a job you can’t stand sucks.”

“Yeah?” Scootaloo suddenly asked. “What do you do?”

“Mostly I work with Carrot Top on her farm. Don’t get me wrong, Carrot Top’s great; she has a good sense of humor and she’s fun to work with. But working on a farm is so not me.”

Scootaloo laughed, a loud throaty chuckle. “Yeah, right? My friend Apple Bloom roped me into helping out bucking trees over at Sweet Apple Acres once. Once. Never again.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at the way she said it. “I tried helping out at Sweet Apple Acres once, too. I nearly broke my foot on the first tree! But oh no, it would’ve been ‘how we do things ‘round these parts’ if I’d picked them instead. Such sticklers for tradition, them Apples.”

“Will you two quit yammering?” Rainbow cut in, glaring between us angrily. “You’re missing the whole movie!”

As Rainbow turned her attention back to the movie, Scootaloo and I shared chagrined smiles over her head. Rainbow was right, though; I’d missed a few minutes of the movie and from there spent a little bit trying to catch back up to what was going on. At least after that point, Scootaloo seemed to have lost what remained of her nerves. As the movie went on, she reclined onto the couch more comfortably and began laughing more openly and loudly, as well. It was good to see she wasn’t nervous. I’d have hated for her to not have fun the one night she gets to hang out with Rainbow.

I found out as we watched that Scootaloo had never read the books either, so Rainbow filled us both in on little facts that we would have otherwise missed out on. Though Scootaloo had seen the movies before, so she was able to quote several memorable lines as they were being said, something she and Rainbow both found infinitely amusing. Even I found it funny, if only because her attempt at the antagonist’s Germane accent was laughably bad.

Soon enough, the first movie’s ending credits were already rolling and Rainbow was groaning about how the ending was so much better in the book. Something about how Daring Do would never have kissed her handsome stallion assistant because she totally isn’t into him and whatever. I barely paid her any attention as I got up to put in the next one.

“Aw man, my bottle’s empty,” Rainbow said, and a clatter sounded behind me, likely her apparently empty bottle dropping onto my coffee table. We must have been all out of our six-pack because next thing I knew she was slipping past me into the kitchen. Moments later as I was sitting back down, she returned with another six-pack, the only other one I had and had been hoping to save for next week. Oh well, I could always pick up more later, and I had to admit I was still pretty thirsty, too.

She swept the first cider box, now empty, off to the floor to make room for the other, and once she’d sat it down, she turned to me.

“Hey, do you have any more soda around here? There weren’t any more in the fridge,” she said.

“Everything I had was in the fridge, so I’m out. Sorry, but I don’t drink a lot of it, so I don’t keep it around much,” I said. Beside me, Scootaloo waved a forehoof.

“Don’t worry about it. I can just drink water,” she said. Then it was my turn to wave her off.

“Nah, don’t do that. Just have a cider; it’s cool.”

“Woah, I don’t think so,” Rainbow said, giving me a serious death glare. Like I’d told Scootaloo to jump off a cliff or something. “She’s way too young to drink!”

“I’ll be eighteen in three more months, Rainbow Dash,” Scootaloo said, a hint of tired resignation in her tone and face. It sounded like they’d had this conversation before.

“Exactly my point, Squirt. You’re not eighteen, so you’re way too young!”

“Oh come on, Rainbow,” I said, trying to ease her rising temper, “let her have just one. It won’t hurt her!”

“Yeah, but her dad might hurt me when he finds out! I’m supposed to be responsible and stuff, and you’re supposed to be on my side,” she said, poking me hard in the chest.

“My dad will be in bed by the time I get home,” Scootaloo cut in, shrugging her shoulders. “He usually expects me to crash at your place, Rainbow, so he doesn’t wait up for me. Unless you tell him, he’ll never know.”

“See?” I asked. I motioned for a fistbump to Scootaloo, and she grinned as her hoof met my knuckles. “Everything will be fine! You’re worrying over nothing. When did you become such a stickler for rules, anyway?”

Rainbow actually flinched at that one, turning to look at Scootaloo like she was searching for a sign that said, ‘Hey, look at me! I’m mature enough to handle one cider!’ After a moment, she gave out a long sigh.

“Fine, you can have one. But only one until we see how it’ll affect you. I’m not taking you home drunk,” she said, pointing a hoof at Scootaloo with a stare that left no room for negotiation. I thought that was the end of it until she fixed that same look on me. “And you owe me after this, you got me?”

Feeling just the slightest bit intimidated despite her miniscule size, I wisely decided to remain silent and simply nod. When in doubt when dealing with women, human or otherwise, I’ve found that just nodding and agreeing is for the best. It’s saved me many headaches, let me tell you.

“Wait…” Scootaloo said, her brow furrowed as she glanced between Rainbow and myself. “Why does he owe you? What does he owe you?”

“Uh… Don’t you worry about that, Squirt,” Rainbow said.

She reached over and grabbed one of the few remaining cider bottles and passed it off to Scootaloo who hesitated, eyeing it for only a moment before screwing the cap off and lifting it to her lips. She paused once again, but this time to tentatively sniff it and, deciding it was safe, took a large swig.

Everything seemed fine for all of five seconds, at which point she screwed her eyes shut and sputtered, spitting nearly half her mouthful back out and all over my couch. She managed to swallow before a coughing fit overtook her. Rainbow thumped her on the back until she managed to recover.

“Wow, that was way stronger than I expected!” Scootaloo said, her voice still hoarse. Getting daring, she took another large mouthful and forced it down without making a mess this time. I reached across Rainbow to clap her on the back.

“So how ya feelin’, Scootaloo? How’s the first taste of adulthood?” I asked.

She took a moment to consider the bottle in her hoof, swirling it around a few times before answering.

“Just like overripe apples,” she said, sticking her tongue out.

“That one is so awesome!” Rainbow said as the credits of Griffon’s Goblet began rolling. She had her hooves on either side of her muzzle while her hindlegs kicked gleefully in the air. Since at some point during the movie she’d taken up residence across my lap, I leaned my head back a little as her hard hooves came a little too close for comfort to my nose. “Don’t you just love how she swoops in, grabbing the goblet right out of Ahuizotl’s mitts AND saves Grizelda at the same time?! Isn’t it just the most awesome thing ever?”

“Yeah, it was pretty great, Rainbow,” I said, scratching her belly like I’d been doing for the last half-hour. I didn’t think Daring’s rescue was quite the most awesome thing ever, after all, it was nothing like Luke rescuing his friends from Jabba, but I wasn’t about to tell her that. Not only would she have no idea what I was talking about, but she’d disagree on principle anyway.

“What’d you think, Squirt?” she asked, looking over her stomach toward where Scootaloo was now laying half-draped on top of the armrest of my couch. One of her wings stuck up against the back of the couch while the other was wrapped around her almost like a blanket. All four of her legs were pulled up beneath her, like she was trying to curl up into a pegasus ball. It was actually pretty cute.

Rainbow groaned. “Guess that’s it for Daring Do tonight.”

“I was about ready for a break, anyway. I’ll give it to you: you sure called it. Daring Do is pretty awesome. But even I have to draw the line at six hours back to back.”

“Pansy,” she said before sticking her tongue out at me. A grin flashed across her face as though she were daring me to deny it. Rather than indulge her, I stuck out my tongue right back.

She laughed, loud enough I was sure for a moment she’d wake Scootaloo, before she sprawled back out across my lap. Her wings spread wide; well, one of them did as the other was pinned against my stomach. Her forelegs stretched up above her while her hindlegs went the other way, leaving her back arched and her perfectly-toned stomach curved upward. As she gave a yawn so tremendous it left her shivering, I couldn’t keep my eyes off of her midriff, or more specifically, the two dark-blue nubs of her nipples just a ways below her navel.

On humans, I had never considered myself terribly attracted to breasts. Don’t get me wrong, I think they’re great, but they were never something I particularly focused on. But ever since coming to Equestria, where boobs as I knew them simply don’t exist, I’ve come to find that I miss them much more than I ever would have thought.

Ponies have nipples, of course, but to be honest? They’re much more akin to what an Earth horse’s probably looks like, low on the underside and almost completely flat against the body. No delicious curves to ogle or fondle around these parts.

Not that I’ve ever seen a horse’s underside. I’ve never seen a real life horse at all, actually. You know, just pictures or in movies or whatever.

“See something you like?”

Rainbow’s voice cut through my thoughts, making me realize that for the last several moments I’d been staring at her body. However much I wanted to be cool, to my shame I could feel my cheeks heating up in what I knew must be a horrible blush. Despite that, I managed to grin.

“How’s this? Any better?” she asked, and before I could say a word, she brought her hindlegs up towards her head in a manner that would have required a great deal of flexibility for a human woman. She grabbed her hindhooves with her fronts and spread her legs wide, leaving her flushed marehood on clear display.

She was already somewhat aroused, the barest trace of wetness sparkling in the dim light still coming from the television, though she wasn’t yet doing that winking thing ponies do. I guessed it only happened when they were more than a little turned on.

She held the pose just long enough for the sight to sink in before she relaxed again, falling back into the nominally carefree state from a moment ago though she still had me fixed with that damned arrogant grin.

“Are all humans this easy to rile up? How do you make it through the day if even looking at a mare gets you ready to go?” Rainbow asked, her voice slurred somewhat. She wasn’t quite drunk, but like I had, she’d probably had a little more cider than she might usually partake in. I couldn’t help pulling a face at her.

“Well humans don’t usually let their junk hang in the breeze. We wear clothes all the time, remember?”

Rainbow snorted, blearily rubbing a hoof across her eyes. “Humans are just… uh, whassa word? Twilight would know it. Where, like, you don’t do as much as you should? Constrained? No-no, restrained? Re-somethin’. Regressed?”

She fell apart into a string of barely coherent mumbles before eventually petering out and falling silent. Hearing her try to discuss semantics is funny even when she’s sober, especially since Rainbow isn’t exactly known for her extensive vocabulary, but tipsy it’s downright hilarious.

Or maybe I just find it extra funny since I’m not completely sober either.

With great effort, I managed to hold in my laughter and the silence continued between us unbroken. The only sound in the room beyond Scootaloo’s barely audible snores was the static of the TV, our movie long since ended and forgotten, neither of us finding the motivation to get up and turn it off.

My hand found its way back to her stomach almost of its own accord. Just as much as she loved me scratching her body, I liked the feel of her soft coat against my fingertips, so I’m always willing to oblige. Even when she doesn’t ask first.

A few times while I wasn’t paying attention to where my hand was wandering, my fingertips brushed the pert skin of her nipples. Despite what happened between us last night, and her insistence she wanted to do such things again, a brief flash of panic coursed through me. If she even cared that I had touched her, she gave no indication. She gave no reaction at all.

Or at least, no reaction to my hands. With her body laid so bare before me and memories of what we’d done last night so fresh in my mind, I couldn’t help but find myself starting to become aroused. A fact that didn’t escape her either, if the way she began squirming around, rolling her back into my lap in an effort either to amuse herself or fluster me.

Or both.

“Geez, I was just joking, but you really are ready to go,” she said.

“Yeah, like you’re much better,” I replied.

Before she could respond, I decided to brave a risky move. No doubt the cider helped with that decision. But I slipped my hand between her legs and ran my middle finger along her soaked slit. She shivered at the touch, and no surprise why. She was every bit as wet as she looked earlier, and even the barest graze left a slick of juice on my skin.

She tried to clamp her legs shut, whether to shield herself from me or to lock my hand against her I don’t know, but I was long gone by then. I held my finger in front of her face, showing her exactly how big a hypocrite she is.

“Watch where those hands are goin’, buster,” she growled, though the scowl she wore was undermined by a smile she couldn’t quite force into a frown. I began walking my fingers down her stomach, but she batted my hand away before I reached her belly button.

“No, I mean it,” she said, looking more serious now. “Not tonight. Scoots’s right over there for pony’s sake!”

She paused long enough to point over at Scootaloo, as though I’d somehow forgotten the filly was with us. Then she sighed and flopped back so far she could probably see the floor.

“Speaking of, we should prob’ly get going. Iss’late, and I need to get her home,” she said, struggling to right herself and stand up. She managed to sit upright on my lap, her forehooves digging painfully into my thigh at one point, before I placed my hand on her back to hold her up.

“Oh, why don’t you two just stay the night? She already said her dad wasn’t expecting her back, and I have plenty of room here. There’s no reason to wake her up,” I said.

She gave me a coy grin. “Heheh, you just wanna get me back to your bedroom, don’t you?”

I felt my face beginning to blush, but that didn’t stop my confident nod or shit-eating grin. “Yes.”

For her part, Rainbow let out a loud bark of a laugh before she remembered she was supposed to be quiet and clapped a hoof over her mouth. We both looked over to Scootaloo, whose ear flicked, but she gave no further sign of waking up. Rainbow let out a brief relieved sigh.

“Ugh, I wanna stay, too. But aren’t I supposed to be responsible? I’m supposed to make sure she… she walks the line and follows all the rules. I’m supposed to make sure she gets home on time and doesn’t get in trouble, right? Izzn’t that what a big sister does?” she asked.

Now, I’d like to impress that I’m no stranger to being around people in various states of drunkenness. I know a lot of drunks can have the attention span of an ADD housefly and can change topics and moods faster than they can blink.

But Rainbow wasn’t quite far gone enough I would have expected sheer randomness to spew out of her mouth, and so the dramatic shift between her earlier joviality and her current somberness left me momentarily speechless. As I struggled to get my brain in gear, Rainbow simply stared at Scootaloo’s sleeping form, her eyes locked on the filly but her gaze a thousand miles away.

“Well…” I started slowly, not completely sure what I was going to say. “I think you’re already being a responsible big sister.” She turned and looked at me blankly, so I continued. “One day, whether with us or her friends or even on her own, she was going to try alcohol. And when she did, she may not have had someone there looking out for her like she did tonight.

“You made sure she didn’t have more than she could handle, and also that she didn’t go and do something she’d regret tomorrow. Except maybe a hangover. But she only had a couple, so she’ll be fine.”

I took a breath, searching for something more to say.

“And I don’t think not taking her home makes you a bad sister, either. Like I said, what’s more important is that you’re making sure she’s safe. And she’ll be safe here. She’s not gonna go home with some stranger who’ll do God-knows-what to her, she’s not going to go do something stupid and get herself in trouble. And I’m sure that’s all her Dad really cares about.”

She seemed to mull that over. “Well, I guess when you put it like that…”

“See, you’re already a good big sister! I wish I’d had someone like you when I was her age.”

“Oh, fine, fine!” she said, batting at me like she was trying to shoo away a fly. “You’ve convinced me. We’ll stay the night.” To show her displeasure at being convinced to change her mind, though, she stuck her tongue out at me again.

“Well, you know where the bed is. You go on ahead; I’m gonna grab a blanket for Scootaloo first.

“Aw, aren’t you so sweet!” she cooed, her voice saturated with sappiness. She gave me a peck on the cheek to punctuate her point before awkwardly stumbling off my lap and to the floor. I made to catch her, thinking she was about to fall, but she knocked my hands away with her wings. She began to canter away, but stopped just as she reached the hallway leading towards my bedroom. She looked back at me, her eyes half-lidded in a sultry gaze.

“Don’t make me wait too long, though,” she said, then with a pointed flick of her tail, she trotted away and was gone.

It took me only a moment to process her meaning before I bolted upright and to the hallway closet. Grabbing the first blanket I saw, I haphazardly tossed it over the sleeping filly before hightailing it back to my room.

I’m not sure what I was expecting Rainbow to have accomplished in the few seconds we were apart. Maybe I fantasized about lit candles, or rose petals strewn about or something, maybe even just her doing a sexy pose on my bed, however ridiculous any of that might be. Okay, except the posing; she might do that. But whatever I’d thought, I didn’t expect to see her in the middle of my bed, sprawled out on her stomach and propped up by both of my pillows, reading a book before her that took me a moment to recognize.

Her ear had flicked toward me when I opened the door, but she didn’t take her eyes away from the pages as she spoke. “I didn’t know you kept a photo album. I mean, I remember you taking some of these, but I didn’t know you were keeping them all together like this. Did you make this?”

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose while she wasn’t looking. I had hidden that book in the drawer of my nightstand specifically so that no one would find it, but leave it to Rainbow to go snooping where her nose doesn’t belong.

“Y-yeah, I did,” I said, walking over and taking a seat beside her. Looking over her shoulder, I looked at one of the earlier pages, bearing a picture of myself and Spike, Princess Twilight’s assistant/some kind of family that I can’t really define, sitting around reading comic books together and debating their merits. Princess Twilight had taken the picture while neither of us were paying attention, and in it Spike had his arms wide in a sweeping gesture as he said that all superheroes were lame compared to the Power Ponies, while I was sarcastically joking back that he wouldn’t be saying that if he’d ever heard of Batman.

It’s funny, looking back, how easily I can remember that afternoon. It wasn’t terribly special; Spike and I had had many such afternoons in the few weeks I lived in his and Princess Twilight’s castle. And yet I vividly recall how he listened with rapt attention as described the Justice League and the Avengers, as well as his confusion as to why the two groups couldn’t work together.

It was a great day, just hanging out with Spike. He’d been the first person I’d met after following Princess Twilight to Ponyville, and having another guy around certainly made getting out to socialize a little less intimidating. I don’t think the two of us were ever as close as I was with Rainbow, but considering where that was going, perhaps it was for the best. Spike’s a great little drake, but I’m just not into him that way.

“My dad use’ta keep a scrapbook when I was little. I can’t remember why he stopped…” she trailed off. Her tone was distant, like she was talking more to her memories than me. Absently, she turned the page and came upon what was probably one of my favorite pictures. She laughed as her face lit up in recognition.

“I remember this day!” she said. “You’d moved to Ponyville, what…? A week or two before? You came out to watch my flight practice!”

“I came out for the picnic with all the girls. You just decided to turn it into an airshow,” I deadpanned.

“Pffft, then you got for free what most ponies would pay for!”

I ignored her boasting as I looked at the picture in question. All of Princess Twilight’s friends were huddled together on a picnic blanket on a sunny hillside in the Ponyville community park. I was on one side next to Rainbow, who I had met for the first time that day. Almost immediately, I had loved her carefree nature and the boundless energy with which she applied to her passion: flying. All of Princess Twilight’s friends had been great, and I even began working for Rarity shortly afterward, but no doubt Rainbow was the only one besides Spike that I’d really consider a friend.

So lost in my own thoughts, I didn’t notice at first Rainbow moving until I felt her nuzzling my neck. She was sitting upright at my side, though as she pushed herself closer, she rested a forehoof on my lap to hold herself up. I buried my nose in the top of her head, breathing in the faint smell of rain and ozone, hiding behind the crisper veil of cider. A blast of hot, humid breath flashed across my throat as she bit down, her blunt teeth digging into my skin painlessly. She dragged her lips across my cheek as she lifted her mouth to my ear.

“Speaking of things ponies would pay for…” she whispered. Then she began nibbling on my earlobe with a seductive growl.

The quick shift in her mood made me imagine the alcohol must be working its way through her system, a fact further supported by how quickly she gave up at my ear and backed away, laughing. She began circling around the middle of my bed in the way a cat might while searching for the perfect spot to sleep, stumbling only once until she found her spot. She crashed down in a heap so hard she bounced, laughing all the while.

After she settled, she was still for only a moment before squirming onto her stomach. Then she started pawing at the covers, looking like a dog digging a hole, until she managed to pull them down far enough she could wriggle underneath, becoming nothing more than a moving lump under the blankets. I briefly considered tickling her before her head popped back out and she finally fell still.

“Well, aren’t you coming to bed?” she purred, tossing me a wink.

I didn’t need any further incentive to throw off my shirt and pants. I flicked the switch on my lamp, letting the room fade to pitch blackness before I made to climb under the covers, settling myself in beside her. Her back was warm and her feathers tickled my bare stomach. I draped my arm over her and pulled her close, and she returned the gesture by hugging my arm to her chest. As we cuddled close on the pillow, the smell of her mane filled my nose again. It was a far cry from stale sweat.

Which I have to admit, I kinda-sorta miss.

“You smell nice,” I whispered in her ear.

“Yeah, well… you smell like cider. Dork,” she added, almost as an afterthought.

“No, that’s your breath you’re smelling.”

She chuckled, quietly enough I felt the vibrations through her chest more so than heard it. “Maybe…” she muttered. After a moment’s silence, she grunted and with a gargantuan effort, picked herself up and turned around so that she was facing me. Her mane tickled my neck as she nuzzled into my shoulder, forgoing the pillow completely. Under the covers, a single wing draped itself across my chest, just as my arm wrapped around her back.

Together, we lay there utterly still and completely at peace. Her breath, slowing as sleep began to approach, played gently across my skin as I delicately brushed the fur between her wings.

“Will?” Rainbow whispered. I hmmed to let her know I was listening. “Do you really think I’m a good big sister?”

The question surprised me, and I lifted my head slightly to look at her. She was staring intently at the wall, her rose eyes dull in the encompassing darkness around us.

“Yeah, I really do. You’re an amazing person, Rainbow, and Scootaloo seems to love you. You’re an awesome big sister.”

Even in the dark, I could see her eyes light up just the tiniest bit as she broke into a small smile. “Thanks, Will.”

She closed her eyes and snuggled into my chest, her entire body relaxed and loose against mine. I thought that was the end of it and made to try to fall asleep myself, but her voice broke the quiet again, mumbling and barely coherent.

“Don’t ever leave me, Will…”

My breath caught. I wanted to believe that it was the alcohol talking, making her sentimental and embellishing her emotions to the point she wasn’t sure what she was saying. But there was something in her tone, some weight that spoke of some greater meaning that I couldn’t begin to comprehend. Had she lost someone in the past? I was reminded in an instant how little I knew about her.

“I won’t, Rainbow. I promise. I’ll always be here for you,” I said. I brushed my fingers through her mane, feeling its pristine softness regardless of the knots and tangles that came from the lack of regular brushing. Despite the gesture, she didn’t move or speak further. She was already fast asleep.

In spite of the heavy feeling in my chest, I put her words out of my mind. I was sure that, come the morning, everything would be fine again. A single thing, said through the haze of emotion and drink, was hardly worth worrying myself over.

After a time, Rainbow’s gentle snoring lulled me to sleep.

Chapter 3

I woke slowly, the gentle dawn light filtering through even the heavy curtains of my window, finding I was pleasantly warm despite the blankets only half-covering me. I have the tendency to toss and turn at night, so waking up with the covers all over the floor isn’t exactly unheard of. I only hoped it hadn’t bothered Rainbow too much.

It was with that stray thought that memories of the night prior echoed back in my mind’s eye, bring a smile to my face. Rainbow’s sleeping form held tight to mine had led to one of the best nights of sleep I’d had in years. Sleeping with someone else always had that effect on me, but it had been so long since the last time I hadn’t been alone that I’d nearly forgotten.

I hate sleeping alone.

Relishing an attempt to delay the coming day even a little longer, I reached to the other side of the bed with intention of pulling Rainbow in for a little cuddling, but my arm only found cold, empty sheets. I opened my eyes, only to find the blankets roughly turned down on her side and the room devoid of any traces of her.

I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed at her absence. I was really hoping for the two of us to have some time alone as we hadn’t gotten the chance since last week. I wasn’t really sure where the two of us were going, and if there’s one thing that drives me crazy, it’s uncertainty.

But then again as I mulled over the idea of my empty bed, tough-girl Rainbow ‘Danger’ Dash never struck me as the type to like mushy stuff like cuddling, so it was entirely possible she had simply gotten up already. For all I knew, she was just using the bathroom or getting breakfast or the like. And with the notion of breakfast entering my mind, my stomach gave its two cents on the conversation as well.

With incentive enough to get me up and out of bed achieved, I threw the covers back and staggered upright. Just because I’d had an excellent night’s sleep doesn’t mean that I was bright eyed and bushy-tailed, mind you. I had to stop and flex to relieve a sharp ache from my lower spine.

Back problems at my age. Heh, maybe Rainbow’s right and I should exercise a little more.

Or it could just be from bending over picking carrots all day, four days a week.

Returning to the moment from my little mental rabbit-chasing, I eyed my clothes still scattered across the floor from the night previous, but in the end I didn’t bother redressing. If Rainbow really had left, then I was the only one in the house and there was no need to be dressed, especially given I had no work for the day. And if Rainbow was still here then it was nothing she hadn’t already seen before.

On my way up the hall, the entire house was silent. No clanking of pots and pans from the kitchen, nor were there the frustrated mutterings that always came with Rainbow’s attempts at cooking. No sounds of those over-the-top action movies she loved to watch coming from the living room. Just the usual sleepy quiet that pervaded my cottage every morning.

And so it was only with a bit of disappointment that I entered my kitchen and set about making some breakfast. Any kind of meat was right out the window when the only sources were Betty and Mabel down on the farm.

I mean really, it was awkward enough drinking their milk.

So instead I was left with more utilitarian options, like scrambled eggs. With a generous helping of cheese on top, of course. I mean, how else can you eat scrambled eggs? On a whim, I decided to fix waffles as well, whipping out the waffle iron Pinkie of all ponies had bought me as a house warming gift. I had never told her that I liked waffles, but when I asked she just giggled and said something about her ‘pinkie sense’ told her I’d need one soon.

Whatever that means.

Regardless, I was happy to have it, and soon enough I had a small stack ready to go. Just as I finished filling a plate –one of the few I had left; I’d need to do some dishes soon– the door suddenly opened behind me, followed by the sound of hooves clattering slowly on the tiled floor. Pleasantly surprised, I couldn’t hold back a smile as I went ahead and set about making some more waffle batter.

“Mornin’, Sexy. I thought you’d already taken off!” I said over my shoulder.

“Uh… I’m sorry?” came her reply. Her voice, though, sounded strangely high-pitched, despite being thick from just waking up. In an instant, the truth dawned on me, filling my stomach with dread. I turned, and sure enough, there stood Scootaloo.

She had one wing pushing the door open, a hoof rubbing across her bleary eyes. She was still suffering from a serious case of bed-mane, random tufts sticking out comically in every direction but despite looking nearly dead on her hooves, her face was contorted in a grimace of confusion.

I laughed to myself, trying to diffuse the awkwardness. I couldn’t believe that I’d forgotten she’d stayed the night. I really regretted not getting dressed. I mean, I was only standing in front of a young girl I’d just met last night in nothing but my boxers.

“Sorry, I uh… thought you were Rainbow there for a minute.” Needing something to change the topic to, I saw the waffle batter out of the corner of my eye and turned to fix a few more. “You want some breakfast? I have eggs and waffles!”

But wouldn’t you know it, she zeroed in on one of the only things I didn’t want to discuss. “You call Rainbow ‘Sexy?’”

It was my turn to grimace. It was too early to deal with this crap. At least it wasn’t how I was dressed. “Fine. Have your laugh, but don’t think I’m sharing my waffles with you.”

“No, no! I’m done, I swear!” she said, suddenly sounding a little livelier. On trudging hooves, she made her way to the table and sat down. While a second batch of waffles were going, I decided to be a good host and let her have the plate I’d already made, moving half of the eggs to another plate for myself. I’d made enough that even half was still a nice enough portion, especially when paired with the waffles.

As I turned to take her the plate, I found her face-first on the table, her wings and legs splayed out lazily around the cushion she’d sat upon; she was the very picture of run-down exhaustion. For the first time, I wondered if Rainbow and I shouldn’t have let her drink last night. She’d only had one bottle of fairly weak cider, nowhere near enough to get her hung over, but she had the signs.

“You feeling alright? Headache? Dry, scratchy throat maybe?” I asked as I sat the plate before her.

“No, I’m not hungover. Mornings just suck,” she mumbled, her voice barely recognizable through the table. After a moment she must have smelled food as she looked up and, spotting her plate, pulled it close and began to dig in.

I let out a relieved sigh. The last thing I wanted to do was take care of a hungover filly. I mean, I would have done it, even if it wasn’t Rainbow’s little sister, but I wouldn’t have been happy about it.

But then a thought occurred to me. “And how do you know what being hungover feels like? You’re not sneaking drinks when Big Sis isn’t looking, are you? Don’t worry, I won’t tell. I’m no narc. Scout’s honor,” I said, even doing the gesture, not that she would get it. Regardless, I got a laugh out of her.

“No, nothing like that,” she said through a mouthful of waffles, syrup matting the fur around her mouth. After swallowing, she continued, “But some friends of mine at school told me what it feels like. ‘Bout the headaches and nausea and stuff. Sounds lame, but don’t worry, I’m fine. Like I said, mornings are just the worst.”

“Heh, I won’t argue that,” I said.

By then, the second batch of waffles was thankfully done and soon enough I was joining Scootaloo at the table with a plate of my own. I tried to ignore how exposed I still felt in only my boxers as I poured some syrup for my waffles, albeit not half as much as Scootaloo had used. I was surprised to find she had quite the sweet-tooth; I had expected her to dislike sugary stuff as much as Rainbow does. Rainbow usually didn’t indulge in anything that meant she’d have more carbs to work off later. Unless Pinkie Pie was around, of course.

Nopony refused sweets in Pinkie Pie’s presence.

As silence fell over the room, bar the scraping of our forks on ceramic, I began to feel uncomfortable. I felt like I needed to say something, but the words wouldn’t come to mind.

With Rainbow, I knew a lull in conversation between us was fine. It didn’t matter that we weren’t saying anything. But I didn’t know Scootaloo that well. In fact, as I sat thinking about how to bridge the gap between us, I realized I barely knew the first thing about her. The night before we’d talked of little outside the movies, and so she might as well have been a stranger before me.

I guess that could have been fine. She was just a friend of a friend; soon enough she’d be leaving and we’d probably never spend time together again. After all, if I hadn’t told Rainbow to invite her over, we probably would have never even met.

But thinking of Rainbow made me reconsider. This was a chance for me to get to know a part of Rainbow’s family, and get a better look at her life. I couldn’t just pass that up because of a little awkwardness.

“So, uh…” I started, completely unsure of what to say. Unfortunately, I let my mind jump to the first thing it thought of. “Is it any good?”

“Hmm?” she asked through her stuffed mouth. I gestured towards her plate and after a moment my meaning dawned on her. After she managed to swallow, she said, “Oh yeah, it’s really good! Way better than anything I can make. Thanks!”

I smiled. “Don’t worry about it. I’m glad you liked it.”

Once again, silence began to fall back over us. Scootaloo wasn’t eating as quickly now, instead using her fork to push her eggs around between bites. Occasionally her eyes would flick up to meet mine, or look about the kitchen before dropping right back to her plate. If it had been Rainbow sitting across from me acting like that, I would have known in a second that she had something on her mind, but with Scootaloo? I didn’t know. Maybe she wanted to say something, or maybe she just felt as awkward as I did in the moment.

But I wasn’t about to let the chance to make a new friend pass me by. When half the ponies in town look at you funny every time you step out your door, you need every friend you can get.

“So Daring Do last night was fun,” I prompted. That seemed like it might do the trick, as her eyes lit up and she sat a little straighter.

“Yeah, it was pretty awesome!” she said. “Those movies are great, even if Rainbow complains about them not being as good as the books. I’m really glad we came over; they’re even better with friends!”

Her voice suddenly became a little softer and she glanced down at the table, brushing a hoof across her shoulder. “Also, uh… thank you for talking to her about the whole cider thing. Rainbow, heh… She still treats me like a baby sometimes.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, well, that’s a big sister for you.”

“Oh, do you have a big sister, too?” she asked.

Immediately I felt my throat tighten. Flashes of memories flitted through my mind, and I had to shake my head to focus on the filly in front of me. Clearing my throat to force the words out, I eventually managed to say, “I used to.”

“What do you…?” she started to ask, but then with a gasp she fell silent. Fear and regret fought for dominance across her expression as her eyes fell to the table and her ears folded back. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to… say something stupid. Uh… Did something happen to her or…? I mean, if you don’t want to talk about it, that’s cool. I understand.”

“No, it’s just… She was fine last I saw her at least. But well, she’s back on Earth.”

“Earth, that’s where you came from, right?” she asked. Her voice had fallen barely above a whisper, letting a somber air settle about our shoulders like a strangling shawl. I only nodded. “But I thought Rainbow told me once that Twilight was still trying to find a way to get you back home.”

“She uh… she is working on it. But she was very clear when she said it was a long shot.”

“But Will! I don’t know if you know this, but Twilight’s like, the best ever at magic! She’s like, the Rainbow Dash of unicorns! If anypony could ever find you a way home, it’ll be her.” As she spoke, her voice continued to rise in pitch and fever. By the end she was practically shouting at me.

Finding myself suddenly full, I stood and took my plate to the counter, putting it aside to wash later. I couldn’t bring myself to look at Scootaloo, though I could feel her eyes boring into my back, waiting for a response. “I know Twilight’s great. I’ve seen some things she can do with magic, but I’m not about to get my hopes up.”

“But…! But Twilight said she would find you a way home. And Twilight’s never let anypony down. She will find you a way home, and you will see your family again. So you can’t give up!” she shouted.

Out of nowhere, there was an exceedingly loud clack! behind me. The sharp noise scared the shit out of me, my heart beating a mile a minute as I spun around to face her. She had both of her hooves on the table, her purple eyes blazing in anger, and the glare she gave me could have killed a lesser man. To be honest, I feel like I lost a decade or two off the end of my life as it was.

But as quickly as that wicked passion had overtaken her it fled, leaving behind a tired-looking filly staring at the table in embarrassment.

“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to freak out like that,” she whispered.

“No, it’s fine,” I said automatically. Truth be told, I was too stunned to really be sure what to say. Her outburst had come so far out of left field that I was still reeling, even as I made my way back to the table and sat down across from her.

I ended up putting my hand on her shoulder. I wasn’t sure if I should, or if it would even help her feel better, but she looked so dejected I couldn’t just not do something. It seemed to work as she gave a sad smile and briefly nuzzled my arm.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I just… I hate seeing ponies –er, well, people give up. I know you’ll get to go home again someday,” she said. She fixed me with a pair of adorable pleading eyes. “Please don’t give up yet, alright?”

There was no way in hell I could have brought myself to say no to that look.

“I’ll try. I promise.”

That seemed to satisfy her and we both fell silent again. After how much it had blown up in my face last time, I was much more hesitant to attempt conversation again, regardless of how much I’d like to know more about Rainbow’s life and friends. After a few minutes with neither of us saying anything, Scootaloo finally sighed and slowly stood.

“Look, I uh… I’m sorry I made things weird. I should just go. I’ve made enough of a fool of myself for one day,” she said. With that, she turned and began trotting for the door, her head hanging low.

I couldn’t let her walk out like that, just like I couldn’t not try to comfort her earlier. Call me a sucker for an upset girl, I guess.

“No, don’t go. It’s really not a big deal,” I called out, stopping her right at the door. “I don’t think you’ve made a fool of yourself. You’re a really nice filly, Scootaloo; if anything, I’m honored you care so much.” Maybe it was coming on a bit strong, but I genuinely meant it, and I tried to get that across to her. I’m pretty sure I did when she smiled.

“Yeah well,” she said, blushing and looking at the floor. When she looked back up to me, she wore a smirk eerily similar to her sister’s. “Any friend of Rainbow Dash is a friend of mine.”

Now there was a sentiment I could get behind. “Yeah, same here,” I said, reaching a fist out toward her, which she bumped with her hoof.

Another short silence fell over us, but this time it lacked the acute discomfort that had plagued the prior ones. A new sense of peace blossomed, and though I wouldn’t go so far as to call us fast friends, I could say we were no longer strangers, at least.

But eventually Scootaloo looked away, rubbing a hoof through her mane again. Suddenly she gave a start, her wings fluttering in agitation.

“Well, I guess I can hang around for a bit but, uh… Would you mind if I took a shower first?” she asked.

I was struck by the oddity of the question, mostly since Rainbow wouldn’t have even bothered asking, she would have just helped herself. But Scootaloo had proven a somewhat more polite houseguest, and after our somewhat rocky morning, no doubt she didn’t want to push her luck. Thankfully I was able to prevent myself laughing, as I doubt it would have helped things.

“Yeah,” I said, pointing towards the hall. “It’s the only door on your right. Help yourself to whatever you want. I don’t have much, but you’re welcome to it.”

“Thanks,” she said, offering one last smile before her tail whipped around the doorframe and she was gone.

As soon as I heard the bathroom door close, I darted back to my bedroom to find some clothes to wear. Seriously, having a tough conversation was bad enough, doing it in only my underwear sucked, and I wasn’t about to spend another second around Scootaloo undressed.

Properly attired, I moved to the living room as I contemplated what to do with myself. I had no plans for the day and nowhere to be. I guessed I could be productive and do those dishes I was putting off, or clean up the mess we’d made during the movie marathon last night, but screw that. Being productive is for losers.

Instead I flopped onto the couch, kicking my feet up onto the coffee table and knocking a pizza box off to the floor. My poor living room had looked so nice yesterday, and now it was already spiraling back into a mess. Oh well, Rainbow wasn’t here and probably wouldn’t be until next weekend.

I don’t know if it says anything about me that I only worry about my house looking presentable when the woman I sleep with could show up. But I bet a lot of guys can relate to that, right?

But I decided I probably shouldn’t spend all day being a lazy bum. And so while I waited for Scootaloo to finish up in the bathroom, I got a list of groceries I needed together. The market was usually pretty busy on the weekends, what with most ponies being off of work, and so I didn’t like making the trip. What with all the stares and everything.

But going on the weekends did have one advantage. There was one particular vendor that only came to town on Saturdays, a griffin chick whose name I didn’t know, but who had quickly become one of my favorite faces in these harrowing days in Equestria.

For you see, this griffin sold fish.

Glorious trout and salmon and tuna and a plethora of other species that I didn’t know the names of but had come to love. I had never much enjoyed the taste of fish, or really seafood in general, but when it became the sole source of my animal proteins, it had quickly grown on me. And though her prices were higher than I’d like, it was worth if for no other reason than to have something other than salad.

Soon enough, however, I was putting the finishing touches on my list and I heard the bathroom door open again. Scootaloo came trotting out and joined me in the living room where she flopped down in the middle of the floor. Her coat was matted though mostly dry, but her mane and tail still dripped the occasional droplet and I was thankful she didn’t sit on the couch.

“You mind if I preen here?” she asked. I told her I didn’t and she set about ruffling through her feathers, starting with the outside working in, giving each a tug before aligning it with the others. It was a slow process it seemed, having to move to every single feather individually, though she worked with a practiced diligence that showed it was something she had done many times before.

“Need any help?” I asked. She looked up from her wings, confused.

“With what?”

“Preening. I’ve never seen a pony preen before, so I don’t know the first thing about it, but I’d be happy to help if I can.”

She recoiled like I had slapped her, staring at me with eyes wide as a brilliant blush bloomed across her face. I knew in an instant that I had said something very, very wrong.

“What!? N-no! I-uh, I totally got it. T-thanks anyway,” she said, her voice louder and higher-pitched than I’d ever heard it. Immediately she set right back to her wings, though her careful movements from before had become rash and twitchy and she staunchly looked anywhere but at me.

“Oh, uh… alright,” I said, more to myself than her.

Another silence, broken only by the rasp of Scootaloo’s teeth against her feathers. So many silences this morning, some awkward, some nice, but yet here was another taking residence.

And I was getting tired of them. Tired of pussyfooting around conversation with her, tired of feeling like there was some insurmountable wall between the two of us that made it so hard to just be real.

“I said something stupid, didn’t I?”

I wasn’t even aware that I had said it aloud. But even as it fled my lips and entered the vulnerable air between us, I didn’t regret it. Whether it was because I was still addled from waking up or I was just yearning for some genuine connection I couldn’t be sure, but the words had already been spoken, so I supposed it didn’t really matter.

And once I’d started, more words just kept pouring out.

“I do that a lot, you know? I’ll say or do something I think is completely innocuous just to find out it’s some huge taboo. Like, I remember this one time when I was still living in Princess Twilight’s castle. We were sitting together, just doing some reading by lantern-light out on her balcony. It had been a really hot day, so we were enjoying some cool air.

“I was still really new in Equestria, and the idea of little ponies that can talk and fly and do magic was still mind-boggling to me. And I wasn’t thinking, and as I always did when I had a small furry animal next to me, I started scratching behind her ears.

“Never once did I stop to think about whether or not she’d want me to do that, or if it would be appropriate. I just did it. But I guess she didn’t mind because she didn’t say anything. But then curiosity began to kick in, and I touched her horn.”

“Oooh, that’s not good,” Scootaloo said, wincing. While I had talked, she had stopped her preening, instead focusing on me with an unreadable expression. As she spoke, though, a look of understanding overcame her.

“Yeah, I found that out soon enough. I was just curious, because I had never actually seen a horned creature– er, being up close before. But to find out that even touching it was basically considered foreplay? Heh, Twilight couldn’t look at me without blushing for weeks.”

Scootaloo suddenly laughed; a light, quiet thing in the hushed air. “If it makes you feel any better, that happened to me once.”

I gave her a look begging for more, and she rolled her eyes. “One of my best friends growing up was a unicorn named Sweetie Belle.”

“Rarity’s little sister?” I asked. I had seen the filly a few times around Rarity’s Boutique when I worked there on Fridays.

Scootaloo nodded. “Yeah, that’s her. A long while back we were having a sleepover at our other friend Apple Bloom’s house. Sweetie Belle used to be really ticklish, so at one point AB and I started tickling her. Just goofing off like foals do, you know? Just picking on and teasing each other. Well, I didn’t know hardly anything about unicorns back then, and even less about sex, so I started tickling her horn, because why not, right?”

I nodded, having some idea of where the story was going from there. Especially after the lecture Princess Twilight had given me after our little incident.

“Anyway, let’s just say I took it a bit too far and things suddenly got really awkward. None of us really understood what had happened, but well… We didn’t really gang up on Sweetie Belle as much after that. But that’s all in the past now. Heh, Sweetie Belle still likes to bring it up every now and then, just to embarrass me. You know how best friends are; you never get to live anything down.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Hell no you don’t. But what else are friends for if not to make you miserable, right?”

“Here, here!” she cheered.

We both shared a quick laugh after that. When we both calmed, Scootaloo scootched closer to where I sat and gently shoved my shoulder.

“My point is that you shouldn’t sweat the small stuff. Mistakes happen, so who cares? I’m sure Twilight eventually forgot all about it, didn’t she?” she asked.

“Yeah. Even at the time she was really cool about it, but at the very least she didn’t ever bring it up again,” I said. “But so I don’t do it again, exactly how bad was the whole ‘asking to help you preen’ thing?”

A little bit of her fading blush came back at that, but she didn’t lose her grin. “Wings are pretty special to a pegasus. Letting somepony else touch them takes a lot of trust. You might as well have asked to give me a sexy massage or… make out or something.”

I could only laugh at my bad luck. “Well, I guess it could have been a lot worse. At least it wasn’t like… a marriage proposal or something.”

“Heh, yeah the ‘horn’ thing is way worse. Some pegasi are more uptight about it than others, but like you said, it could have been a whole lot worse.”

We both shared another smile with each other. It was like all the tension in the room had immediately cleared, and a pressure in my stomach I hadn’t even realized existed just melted away. It felt like it was so rare to have a conversation with someone where I wasn’t always trying to watch what I said or worry about what they thought of me.

In fact, the only other pony I felt that way with was Rainbow. But even then, I found myself often wanting to impress her.

I was really going to like Scootaloo. I could feel it. I was glad Rainbow finally introduced us.

We talked mostly of small things after that as Scootaloo finished preening her wings. I don’t even remember what any of it was, but we laughed and joked like we’d been friends for years. But in the blink of an eye, she was finished and headed for the door where she stopped halfway through, leaning against the doorframe.

“So, that was… weird,” she said, chuckling.

“Yeah, not exactly the smoothest morning ever. I hope it wasn’t too awful.”

She waved me off with a hoof. “Nah, it may have been kinda rocky, but… it was good, too. We’re still on for next week, right? We still have a bunch more Daring Do to get through!”

I smiled. “Hell yeah, we are! I’m really glad you came over, Scootaloo, it was nice meeting you.” Once more, I held out a fist, which she happily bumped with her hoof.

“Same here. Well, I should probably get going. My dad’s probably wondering where I am.”

“That’s cool. Catch you later!” I said, and with a wave she began trotting down the cobblestone walkway toward the street. I was about to close the door when I heard her call out. She turned and sped back.

“Hey, I don’t know if Rainbow told you, but we get together in the park sometimes during the week to practice flying together. We’re meeting this next Wednesday, if you want to stop by. You know, just if you’re free or whatever,” she said, scuffing a hoof across the ground. It was the same nonchalant attitude Rainbow used when she wanted something, but didn’t want to look like she wanted it. I found it adorable that Scootaloo did it, too.

“That sounds like fun. Rainbow’s always pretty awesome in the air, and I wouldn’t mind seeing what you can do, too!”

She smirked and looked at her hooves. “Well, I’m nowhere near as cool as Rainbow, and it’s usually just us doing drills and stuff, so don’t expect anything too exciting. But having an audience always makes practice a little more fun!”

“Alright, I’ll definitely be there,” I said. She smiled, and once again waved as she began to trot off. I waited until she disappeared around the corner this time before I closed my door, leaving me alone in the quiet of my living room.

Despite how badly parts of the morning had gone, I was glad it happened. So much about Scootaloo reminded me of Rainbow; I felt that same loyalty, determination and passion that I loved so much about her in the younger filly. I couldn’t wait for the chance to hang out with the both of them again.

Hopefully next Wednesday would be a little less stressful, though. I already felt like I needed to go back to bed.

Chapter 5

I was surprised to find as I walked up the little cobblestone path to my cottage that the front door was ajar. As I believe most humans would assume, my first thought was that someone had broken in, but as I thought about it, that seemed unlikely. Crime is practically nonexistent in Equestria. I was the only resident in town that even bothered to lock my door as far as I knew, parents allowed their foals to wander the town unsupervised and even vendors in the marketplace would sometimes leave their stalls unattended while out to lunch. It was just that safe.

Besides, Rainbow had said she was going to meet me here and she knew where I kept my spare key. It was entirely possible that even with stopping by her cloud home she’d beaten me here. And so it was only with a small amount of lingering doubt that I let myself inside. My worries were proven to be completely in vain only moments later.

Rainbow stood in the center of my living room prancing in place, her eyes scrunched closed. She was making an honest-to-goodness squee-ing noise, and I knew she had yet to notice my presence. Before her on the coffee table was a ripped envelop under a sheet of folded paper. I could just barely make out a broken wax seal and what looked like a hoofprint in ink but little else.

“Good news?” I asked.

What Rainbow did next honestly surprised me. I expected her to be shocked and immediately try to look cool and uncaring in an effort to save face or something. As though being adorable somehow made her less cool, I don’t know. But instead, if anything she got even more excited. She threw herself through the air, wrapping her forelegs around my neck in a bone-crushing hug. She continued to squee and bounce in my arms as I returned the embrace.

“Better than good! Better than awesome!” she shouted. She pulled away and darted to the table, snatching up the letter and bringing it over. She shoved it into my hands, grinning madly. I was starting to get pretty excited myself as I smoothed out the letter and read.

Dear Ms. Rainbow Dash

We at the Wonderbolts Academy cordially invite you to audition for a place amongst the Wonderbolts Performance Team. This is your chance to show your skill before our recruitment agents as well as the Wonderbolts Captain, Major Spitfire...

“Rainbow, this is…”

“I know!” she cheered. “A chance to join the Wonderbolts! This could be it! This could finally be my chance!”

As unmanly as it is, I’ll admit I made a squee of my own as I grabbed Rainbow back in my arms and together we danced around my living room, laughing and cheering incomprehensibly. It was pure delight and celebration without aim or control but damn was it perfect. At some point we eventually ended up winded and panting on the couch, side by side with my arm around her and her hooves on my chest.

“Rainbow, this is amazing, really. I’m so happy for you; I know you’re going to do great!” I said. She nuzzled my cheek, a gesture I tried hard to return despite how unfamiliar it was. It was a pony favorite after all, and I figured I should probably get used to it.

“Thanks, Will. I’m not going to be the only one competing, though. It’s going to be open to a lot of the Reserves by the sound of it, and it’s only a month away. I don’t have a lot of time to prepare…”

“You’re like… the best flier I’ve ever seen! There’s not another pony in Equestria like you! They’d be stupid not to recruit you.”

She gave me a stare with one eyebrow raised. “Will? I could probably count on my hooves how many fliers you’ve seen. Besides me and the Squirt, how many real fliers have you watched perform?”

She kind of had me there. Most pegasi in town… well, I wouldn’t say they were bad fliers by any means, but I hadn’t seen anypony do anything like what Rainbow could do.

“I saw a stallion in the park once that wasn’t bad. Dark grey coat, teal mohawk? He was with a younger pegasus colt who might have been around Scootaloo’s age? I don’t know, I still have trouble telling,” I said rather lamely.

“You’ve watched Thunderbutt fly?”

“I wouldn’t really say ‘watch.’ I was in the park to find Rose because I was running deliveries for Carrot Top. I just happened to see the two of them as I was heading through.”

“Hmm. Yeah, he’s a member of the Wonderbolts Reserve, too. One of only three in town, along with me and one of his marefriends. Cloudchaser? Dunno if you ever met her…” I shook my head and she shrugged. “Anyway, the colt he was with was probably his little brother Rumble, and yeah, he’s about Scootaloo’s age. I wouldn’t be surprised if Rumble joined the Reserves one day, either. He was flying at an adult level by the time he was ten. Dunno how good he is nowadays, though.”

“Not as good as you, I’d wager,” I said. “I have to ask, though. ‘One of his marefriends?'”

“Yeah. He, Cloudchaser and her twin sister Flitter are a thing, apparently. I only know because they all work on the weather team with me.”

I let out an impressed sigh at that. I mean, what guy hasn’t at least idly imagined going home with twins? But I’d never known anyone who had actually done it. “So, he’s in a relationship with the both of them? How in the hell did he pull that off? Do they know he’s seeing them both?”

“Pretty sure they know they’re together, considering I saw them almost making out in public last week.”

“All three of them?!” I asked.

She looked at me, confused. “No, Cloudchaser and Flitter. Maybe I wasn’t clear. They aren’t two mares sharing a stallion, they’re a herd.” My own bafflement must have shown, as she clarified. “You know, a herd? Multiple ponies in a relationship together?”

“Ponies do that? I thought you guys got married, like the Cakes or Princess Twilight’s brother… What’s his name?”

“Shining Armor. By the way, why do you always call Twilight by her title? You know it really irritates her, don’t you?”

“Really? She never seemed to care back when I lived in the palace with her. I mean, Spike gave me some weird looks at times, but…”

“Yeah, she hates ponies treating her different just because she’s a princess. You stayed with her for what? Almost a month? Did she really never say anything?” she asked.

I thought back, trying to remember. I honestly couldn’t remember her ever seeming upset by it or anything. I felt a little guilty, though. I had never meant to upset her or make her uncomfortable, but what was I supposed to do?

“I think she asked me once or twice but I thought she was just trying to make me feel welcome or something. I mean, I was living with her. I figured she just wanted to make things a little more informal. But… she is a princess. One of the rulers of an entire nation! How am I not supposed to use her title?”

Real anger flashed through her eyes as she glared at me. “Because she’s a pony like any other? And maybe she deserves not to feel different from everypony else?”

“I’m sorry, Rainbow. I didn’t mean to upset you! I just thought it would be disrespectful if I just called her Twilight. And with everything I owe her, that’s the last thing I wanted.”

“So what do you think about me and the other girls just using her name? Do you think we’re being disrespectful?”

“No! That’s not what I meant at all! I only meant that I shouldn’t, not you or the rest of your friends.”

The hard edge left her eyes, replaced by confusion. “But why? Why only you?”

“Because I’m not one of her best friends,” I said. Rainbow seemed completely stunned by my answer, her look of confusion deepening and leaving me feeling like I needed to elaborate. “I’m just another citizen of Equestria. I’m not one of her friends, or family, or anyone who would have the right to treat her like that. But you and everyone else? You do. I mean, I’ve only known you guys for a while, but just seeing you together; I know there’s something special between you guys. The way you all act, you may as well all be family.”

The look of bemusement remained on her face long enough that I began to wonder whether I still hadn’t gotten through to her. Then she smiled and started shaking her head before devolving into a flurry of mad giggles.

“You are such a dork!” she cried between gasps for air. Her voice grew remarkably softer. “You remember that Twilight’s the Princess of Friendship, right? Everypony in Equestria is her friend, or may as well be! That’s why everypony has the right to call her by her name! And even if they weren’t her friend, she still wouldn’t care. She’s not one of those high and mighty unicorns from Canterlot with their horns shoved up their tails.”

I had to admit she had a good point. Princess Twilight, in all the –admittedly short– time I knew her always struck me as an incredibly humble and down-to-earth mare, if occasionally a little scatterbrained. It made sense that she would be the type to not like being treated special. But the little voice in the back of my head wouldn’t stop saying that just calling her Twilight wouldn’t be right. It would have been no better than walking up to the President and calling them by their name.

While I debated internally, I nearly missed Rainbow still speaking.

“And besides, you are one of Twilight’s friends. And if she were here, I know she’d be telling you the same thing. All the girls like you; even Fluttershy, and that’s saying something! I mean, I know she’s incapable of actually disliking somepony, but remember when we first met at that picnic? She said an entire sentence to you! That’s a lot for her. And didn’t she once ask you to help her put in a new cat door when the old one broke?”

I laughed to myself at the memory of the shy pegasus stumbling to ask me for help. “Yeah, I remember that. I was in the market when she asked me. She said that she had asked Applejack first but she was too busy to get to it in time. I thought it was weird that she asked me at all, considering I’d never told her that I had a little handiwork experience. In fact, the only pony I told was…” I trailed off as recognition dawned on me. “…Twilight.”

Rainbow gave a smug smile. “The same pony who got you your job at Carrot Top’s. And who introduced you to Rarity, who you also now work for.”

“Alright, alright; I get it! She’s been doing nice things for me ever since I first arrived here. She wants to be my friend. But I just…” I sighed, realizing I was losing this argument no matter what I said. Rainbow was not one to give in, no matter how much she insisted Applejack was the stubborn one. “I’ll talk to Pri-… Twilight about it sometime. Okay?”

“Good,” Rainbow said, bearing a cat-like grin. “Because arguing about Twilight is dumb and I’m pretty sure we both had something else in mind when we came back here. Actually, how’d we even get on that topic, anyway?”

“Uh… I don’t even remember. We were talking about herds, I think. Oh, you didn’t answer my question, by the way. Is that something ponies do?” I asked.

She squirmed around until she was lying on her back across my lap. “Some do. Thunderbutt and them are the only ones I know, but I remember reading Spitfire was in one once. It’s really not a big deal. Spitfire’s the Captain of the Wonderbolts, by the way,” she clarified. “Why, you interested? I’m sure we could find at least one other pony in town that’s willing to have some fun. Pinkie’s always up for a good time.”

The image of Rainbow and I on this very couch that night came to mind, only this time with Pinkie along with us. Now, I’d never really thought about Pinkie like that before, but between that curvy body of hers and that boundless enthusiasm and cheer, I couldn't deny the prospect was appealing.

I shook it from my head, though. I’d had a reason for inviting her over and I couldn't lose sight of it now.

“Actually Rainbow, that reminds me of something I wanted to ask you about. I think we need to talk. Uh, about the other night.”

Rainbow’s body tensed, her eyes flicking to the wall and away from me. “Do we really have to?”

Her hesitance scared me. A flash of panic rushed through me at the thought that I’d completely misunderstood what was happening between us. Was I reading into it something that wasn’t there? But how could I really misread sex? It wasn’t like we’d accidentally kissed or something. She’d even said she wanted to do it again.

“It all happened kind of fast. One minute we were just friends hanging out and then we were getting each other off! I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page. About what’s going on between us, you know?”

“I don’t think there’s a whole lot to talk about, is there? We fooled around. It was fun and felt pretty good. I’d like to do it again sometime. What else is there to say?”

“How about, are we… together? Are you wanting commitment or is this just sex? Or maybe, are we telling ponies about us or are we keeping it a secret? I just want to know what you want, Rainbow. I don’t want us futzing this up because we’re both expecting something different.”

With a sigh, the tension melted away from her body, but her eyes remained locked on the wall. “Alright, I guess I get ya. I just hate talking about stuff like this, you know? Like mushy stuff. I’m more of a doer rather than thinker. But look, I’m not expecting romance or anything like that. We aren’t a thing, we aren’t special someponies, and we’re definitely not committed. You’re free to see anypony you want. I just don’t want this to stop being fun, you know?”

And there it was. All those thoughts of us together just washing down the drain. So much for dinners or walks under the stars or whatever nonsense I would have enjoyed but Rainbow would have been bored to tears by.

I hated that it bothered me as much as it did. I hadn’t even considered dating Rainbow until only a few days ago and it wasn’t like I was in love with her. And yet all I could feel was disappointment. The first several months I’d lived in Ponyville, ninety percent of the town barely considered me more than an odd animal living amongst them. Even as I started socializing more and making a name for myself around town, I certainly wasn’t attracting a lot of attention from the mares. At one point I began to think that no pony would ever be interested in something as different from them as me. And then Rainbow came along and made me see it was possible.

And how lonely I was.

But I shouldn’t complain. Rainbow still found me attractive; at least enough so to want to sleep with me. So what if she didn’t want a relationship? She was still my best friend. She still cared about me, if not in the way I’d begun to hope for. And there were plenty of other mares in town. If one could find me attractive, surely another could as well?

Maybe it was time to get out again. Get myself back on the market.

But there was no reason Rainbow and I couldn’t scratch each other’s backs in the meantime, right?

A hoof suddenly touched my chest, making me realize I’d fallen silent. Rainbow looked up at me, her brow wrinkled in concern as she touched a hoof to my chest. She must have thought I was taking it badly.

“Hey, look; don’t get me wrong. It’s not that I don’t like you or anything. I do! I think you’re really cool, Will. I’m just not interesting in dating right now. And I know that totally sounds like one of those lame cop-outs, but it’s the truth. Like, Soarin’ of the Wonderbolts could walk through that door right now and ask me on a date and I’d say no. Uh, I mean… It’s not like I like Soarin’ or anything. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a nice enough guy if a bit of a goofball, but he’s so not my type. Besides, I think he and Spitfire might have been a thing…” she trailed off, grimacing as she realized her example probably didn’t work the way she wanted. “This is why I hate talking about this stuff. I always say something stupid. Anyway, you know what I mean.

“The point is, I’m just not doing the relationship thing right now. You’re… you’re cool with that, right?” she asked.

I had to carefully hide a smirk behind my hand as a truly devious idea struck me. I gave a long sigh, letting my shoulders slump like the weight of the world had fallen on me. Rainbow sat up in my lap, her bony hindlegs diggings painfully into my legs, but I think she interpreted the wince I gave as from her ‘rejecting’ me.

“Rainbow, I just thought… I thought we had something special! W-we had sex! We were supposed to get married and spend the rest of our lives together!” I said, trying my hardest to sound on the verge of sobbing. I tried to channel my old high school theatre experience, but it was really, really hard to not burst out laughing.

She gasped. “W-what?! Oh, nonono, I can’t get married! Why would having sex once lead to marriage?! Wait, is that a human thing? Is that how you do it? No wonder you’re so repressed!”

“But Rainbow, we’ve bonded our lives together!” I announced, grabbing her hooves and looking her in the eyes. “Our souls are supposed to live on as one until the end of time!”

She was beginning to breath fast and shallowly, looking to be on the verge of hyperventilating, and if her eyes got any bigger they were going to burst right out of her skull. It was probably time to put her out of her misery.

“Wha- really?!” she shouted, her voice reaching a pitch that would give even Rarity’s sister Sweetie Belle a run for her money.

“No. I’m just fucking with you,” I said. I dropped her hooves and leaned back on the couch again, watching her face.

Her brain somewhere along the line must have shut down and was in the process of rebooting as she remained staring at me in fear and shock for several moments. Long enough I considered waving a hand in front of her face to see if she was even still awake. But then within the span of half a second, several emotions flashed across her face: confusion, shock again, confusion again, anger and finally settled on an exasperated smirk. Then her right hoof collided with my chest, knocking the wind from me.

“You are such a dick!” she shouted as she punched me in the chest again, right in the same spot.

“Ow! Knock it off!” I batted her hoof away, rubbing at what was going to be a wicked bruise tomorrow.

“No! Not while you’re being a dick!” she continued ranting, trying to punch me again. I was ready that time and caught it on the arm. “I can’t believe you did that! You scared the shit outta me!”

“Yeah but it was funny, though.”

In the following minute, Rainbow and I had a staring contest. Her furious glower squared off against my self-accomplished smirk. Then there was a twitch in her left eye. A wrinkle over her nose. The slightest quiver in her bottom lip.

The dam finally broke when she snorted. We both lost it, her laughter fueling mine and mine fueling hers. I have no idea how long we sat there, giggling like lunatics, every few seconds looking at each other and starting all over again, but eventually we found ourselves breathless and panting as the moment began to pass. As she finally calmed, Rainbow stood –which was where I found out her hooves were just as bony as her legs– and braced herself with her forelegs on my shoulders.

“You are still a colossal dick, but I gotta give it to ya. That was a damn good one,” she said before leaning in to plant her lips against mine.

Right away she pushed hard against me, her every movement hungry and intense as she exerted her control over me. I didn’t fight back as I opened my mouth, allowing her tongue entry. It was a curious sensation, given pony tongues seemed to be broader than human ones. She alternated tracing the tips of my teeth and wrestling against my own tongue.

She pulled away, but not before I nibbled at her bottom lip, letting it slide between my teeth with a small pop.

“That’s another thing we’ll have to get Pinkie in on: pranking! Think how awesome that’d be!” She leaned her head down towards my lap, making me think she was going for something different until she took the hem of my shirt in her mouth. I sat up from the couch so that she could pull it over my shoulders. She continued to speak as she did, her voice coming out muffled through the fabric. “But t’at can wait t’later! I wanna have ya to m’self for now!”

With a flick of her neck, my shirt went sailing off into the room, lost to sight. She bit her lip as her hooves and eyes both slid down my chest, coming to rest at the waistband of my jeans. She paused as she considered how to get them off before doing what Rainbow Dash does when she faces an obstacle: force her way through. She bit onto the front, yanking and pulling in an effort to get the button undone and having little success. I tried to reach down to help her, but she swatted my hand away.

With a few more twists and tugs that I was half-worried would tear the button off instead of undo it, she finally managed to pop it free, only to come face to face with my zipper. One growl of frustration and several more moments of frantic struggle and my pants were sliding to the floor, leaving me in just my boxers. When Rainbow saw that, her eye twitched in a somewhat frightening manner.

“What the hay is with all these layers?!”

I shrugged while hiding another grin. “Well Rainbow, humans are like onions…” I love making references that ponies don’t get, even in spite of the weird looks they give me. Hell, sometimes I think I make them just for the weird look. Rainbow didn’t take the bait, though.

“You sure smell like one!”

“Very nice, Rainbow. Real original. Not to mention mature.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m awesome!” she said, preening herself under the ‘praise.’ A small shove while her eyes were closed sent her sprawling head over hooves onto the couch. She righted herself almost instantly and sprung back up with her wings flared. “Oh, it is on! I’ll show you mature!”

She launched herself at me, slamming me sideways onto the couch until she was hovering over me, pinning me down with a hoof on each shoulder. As well, her mouth was upon mine again before I even had time to process what had happened. She pressed into me with a mad intensity, working her lips and tongue against mine in a frenzied dance that I had no hope of keeping up with.

Which meant I just needed to even the playing field.

Of course, I knew next to nothing about pony erogenous zones. Well, beyond horns for unicorns to some degree, but that wasn’t exactly applicable here. I knew touching a pegasus’s wings had some special meaning, but as to whether it felt good or not I didn’t know. Then there were the ears and tail. Rainbow kind of liked it when I scratched behind her ears, but who knew if that was the sexy kind of good or not.

I felt completely lost, like I needed a map or something. But the last thing I wanted to do was stop Rainbow and ask what to do. I would figure something out; simple as that. And when in doubt: stick to the old standbys.

My hands went to her ass, palming those cutie marks like it was going out of style. A moan vibrated through her mouth into mine, telling me that I was off to a good start, at least. I continued digging my fingers into her squishy-yet-tough flanks, running down the red lightning bolt of her cutie mark and back up the blue. Though I wasn’t able to notice it before, she had still worked up a sweat from flying earlier, and my fingers came away with the slightest dampness.

Damn was I starting to find that hot.

Growing more bold and wanting to explore Rainbow’s body, I moved my right hand up to her wing. I hadn’t the faintest if any of it was terribly sensitive to touch, but I did know one thing. Flying as often as Rainbow did had to leave some muscles tired. And what feels better to tired muscles than a nice massage?

Now, I may not be a trained masseur like Aloe and Lotus at the Ponyville Spa, but I was pretty sure I could manage something good enough for sexy-times with Rainbow. Particularly since she didn’t go to the spa often and probably had little experience with what a professional massage would feel like. And besides, I was sure she’d like mine better anyway. The ones at the spa were far less likely to end with an orgasm or three.

I’d hope, anyway.

I’ve been missing out on the few times Rarity’s dragged me there otherwise.

I started under Rainbow’s wing with light and cautious strokes from her front to her tail. She moaned again, soft enough I felt it more than heard it, but it was there. She also lifted her wing a little, allowing me easier access. Figuring I wasn’t screwing things up too bad so far, I kept going, digging my fingers in a little deeper.

The effect was immediate, she broke our kiss and threw her head back, groaning. “Nnng, damn that’s good! Can… can you get both sides?”

No sooner had I nodded than she was all over me again. I wasted no time in paying attention to her other wing as well, even though I regretted that it meant letting go of her magnificent tail end. But if she liked it, I guess I could deal for a little while.

And liked it she did. I rubbed up and down, left to right, circles; anything and everything I could think to relieve the tension in her flight muscles. She didn’t feel particularly pent up as far as I could tell, but to be fair she did her fair share of stretches after every work out to loosen up, so it shouldn’t come as any surprise. But I did my best to make her feel as good as possible.

While I worked, her wings began to unfurl, lying limply from her sides like they were melting. As well, her tail was whipping back and forth, brushing maddeningly across my thighs. She suddenly broke away again but stayed hovering within inches of my face.

“H-hoo! Why are those fingers so cool?” she whispered. Her eyes were clenched shut and she was panting heavily. The wing massage was definitely a good idea. I was going to have to whip it out again sometime. Wondering what else might feel good for her, I reached for her tail, got a good grip of those silken strands, and gave a firm tug. Light enough I was pretty sure it wouldn’t hurt, but enough she’d feel it.

She yelped, a high-pitched thing and a massive shiver ran down her entire body. When she regained control of herself, she met me with the same determined stare she would wear right before she attempted one of her crazy flying tricks.

“Alright, no more waiting. I want this and I want it now.”

With a powerful thrust of her wings, she lifted herself into the air, dragging one of my hands with her clutched between her forelegs. Exhibiting her monumental strength for something so small, she literally pulled me up and led me down the hall towards my bedroom. Luckily I managed to get my feet under me or otherwise I might have ended up with some pretty bad carpet burns. Sure, it would have been a small price to pay for sleeping with Rainbow, but I’ll still avoid pain where I can, thank you very much.

Upon reaching my room and throwing the door open, she wasted no time in tossing me towards the bed. I was starting to feel like a ragdoll, something that wasn’t helped when she threw herself on top of me and began trying to rip my boxers off with her teeth. I figured she’d want to do it herself again, but after several minutes of failure, even she deigned to let me help.

I was naked as the day I was born, and Rainbow wasted no time in taking advantage of the fact. She flopped onto the bed by my side, wrapping her forelegs across my body and burying her muzzle into my crotch. Once again, her tongue laid into my dick fast and heavy with no semblance of pretext or easing into things. She apparently wanted to go right there and now, screw the foreplay. Sure enough, less than ten seconds of licking later found her pulling away and moving to stand next to me. She pointed her haunches at me, waving her tail end back and forth teasingly while smirking from between her legs.

“Well? You aren’t gonna leave me hangin’, are ya?” she taunted.

I didn’t need to be told twice. I got up on my knees and arranged myself behind her, taking just a moment to line things up. She was just a hair too tall for things to line up perfectly, but a pat on her ass got her attention and she bent her legs a little. I held fast just shy of touching her as I leaned down until my face was next to hers and I had to prop myself up with a hand on the mattress. I could feel waves of heat rolling off both her ends as her feathers tickled my stomach.

“Now Rainbow, I may not be the Element of Loyalty, but I’d never leave a friend hanging!” I said as I closed the distance between us and brushed my length along the sensitive flesh under her tail. She inhaled sharply at the touch, biting her lip as her body shivered again.

“You talk a big game! Why don’t you put your dick where your mouth is!” she said between gasps.

I… don’t think that came out the way she meant it. At least, I hoped she hadn’t meant that. I certainly wasn’t that flexible.

“But Rainbow, your mouth is so much better!” I said, kissing her cheek. “You’re far better with your tongue than I am with mine.”

She looked confused for a moment, until what she had said dawned on her. With a laugh, she said, “Don’t you know it! Rainbow Dash is the best at everything! Now would you hurry up and do me?!” She punctuated her demand by shoving her haunches backwards, jamming her hips against mine.

Well, I couldn’t exactly deny her when she made such an eloquent argument. I gripped her tail, thumbing her dock as I did, and pulled it aside. It took a second to line myself up; pony mares are just a little different down there than human women and I’d only had up-close experience the once. One good wink, however, might as well have been landing lights for me. With my free hand I gave her clit a tease before beginning the push in.

I vividly –and painfully– remembered Rainbow saying that I was a little smaller than the average stallion, but all the same I was a little worried about fitting. Ponies are small. Fucking small. Like, I could pick Rainbow up with one arm and carry her around if I was so inclined. And the idea of sticking a part of myself inside of her worried me even in spite of her assurances.

It was in vain, however, as beyond being damn tight, I had no problem getting in. She was wet enough that even the slight bit of teasing before had gotten me plenty lubricated. Her walls, squeezing me from all sides like a damn glove were velvety soft, pulling and undulating in an attempt to draw me ever further in until I was fully hilted, and even then her body begged for more. My balls came to rest against her, and another wink sent her clit grazing against my flesh.

Neither of us could hold back a shudder.

I did my best to slide back out through the vice grip she had on me until only my head remained inside. I paused, drawing out the moment, making her wait for it. An impatient snort, then a hoof pawing at the bed, then wiggling hips searching for just the slightest bit of stimulation. Until finally, a small whine at the back of her throat that I’m sure she didn’t want me to hear.

I slammed back in, catching her off-guard and causing her forelegs to collapse and her front end to crash into the mattress. Even as she tried to get back up, I didn’t relent, pulling back out and ramming back in twice as hard. One thrust, two, three… I refused to let up and finally she gave in and remained on the bed, gripping the covers for leverage in the crook of a forehoof.

“A-ah! Shit!” she cried out between long, low moans.

As I continued to move in and out of her, I began to notice a problem. With our position, I was having a hard time getting as deep into her as I would like. On top of that, having to crouch over her like I was, my arm and back were starting to hurt. Either I was even more out of shape than I’d thought, or spending every day working on a farm was leaving my body sore and tired.

Maybe I should take Rarity up on her spa offers more often.

Regardless, I needed to change things up. Rainbow was practically putty in my hands as I rolled her to her side, never pulling out. I could then hold one of her hindlegs against my chest and sit upright. It was far more comfortable, and by the sound of the high-pitched yelp she gave as I thrust back in, she liked me being able to reach deeper.

Another benefit of the position was that I had a free hand that I could use to further tease her. Her little nipples were just sitting there, begging to be played with, which is exactly what I did. I licked my thumb and index finger for a little lube before pinching one of those blue little nubs. I just wish there was a little more substance to them, you know? Some flesh to grope and knead. I may still really miss breasts despite not particularly caring for them much while on Earth, but I’d live. And besides, wings and tails were turning out to be pretty fun in their own right. It was also cool that I could play with Rainbow’s breasts –teats? I’d have to ask about that– and her clit simultaneously with one hand.

Try doing that for a human woman.

Eventually –far too soon for my taste– I found myself drawing closer to the point of no return. Rainbow seemed to be right behind me, but it looked like she was going to need a little more to finish. And I would be damned if I was going to get off without returning the favor.

Taking my hand off her hindleg, I shoved it back under her right wing, teasing, scratching and groping just about anything I could. I didn’t know if it would actually do any good at the moment, but it seemed to do the trick. Her wing clamped down on my hand to the point I couldn’t so much as wiggle my fingers and her hindlegs crossed above her body. A shudder ran down her walls before they suddenly clenched upon me so tightly I couldn’t have hoped to pull out had my life depended on it. But the increased tightness combined with her marehood’s continued massaging of my length was enough to throw me over the edge as well.

Rainbow’s lithe body milked me for everything I had to offer and, exhausted, I fell to her side. She seemed every bit as drained as I felt as she lied next to me, panting for breath. A rosy blush adorned her cheeks, perfectly complimenting her eyes. I took her hoof in hand, and for just a moment, we were quiet. There was no need for words, no need for any confirmation or equivocation. We simply lied there, watching each other breathe and wind down from the blissful high.

But Rainbow’s not one for enjoying a moment. “That was awesome. I knew this would be a good idea.”

I chuckled at the simplicity at which she could describe things. “What can I say? I gotta give it to you; it was a damn good idea.”

“Well, what else would you expect from t-the Rainbow Dash?” she said, still struggling to catch her breath.

Her narcissism knew no bounds, I supposed. Not that that surprised me in the slightest. “Never change, Rainbow.”

She blew a raspberry at me. “No chance of that happening. Can’t improve on perfection, you know!”

We both fell silent. Rainbow had this big goofy grin on her face like a total dork. I was really, really tempted to get my camera and take a picture of her, but… I just couldn’t. Even ignoring the fact Rainbow would never stay still once she realized what I was doing, taking a picture of how she looked right now would have… I don’t know, cheapened it or something. Like, it was a look that was meant to be enjoyed in the moment only. Trying to record it would just ruin what made it so special.

Rainbow only let her guard down so often. And I just had to enjoy those moments while I could.

Eventually we managed to get ourselves rearranged so that we were lying the right direction in the bed and under the covers with Rainbow’s back pressed pleasantly against my chest. Her tail was still twitching occasionally, tickling my stomach but I didn’t have the heart to do anything about it. I would gladly put up with it for the chance to hold her this close.

Excluding last Friday, it had been a long time since I’d shared a bed with someone. I forgot how amazing it feels to just have someone nearby. Their warmth, their touch… I wanted that back. I never wanted to go to sleep alone again. More than ever, I wanted to find a relationship.

“Rainbow? Can I ask you something?”

She gave a grunt to let me know she was listening.

“About what you said earlier. About us not being committed. Did you really mean that?” I asked.

Instead of answering right away, Rainbow was ominously silent. For a moment I thought she’d fallen asleep on me, but then she slowly rolled over and looked at me with sleepy, half-lidded eyes.

“That’s what I said, wasn’t it? You aren’t having second thoughts, are you?” she asked.

I realized then how what I’d asked must have sounded like. Like I was going for one last attempt at changing her mind while we were both riding the high of sex. That would have been pretty low, but I guess I can’t blame her for thinking that was what I was going for.

“No, I just wanted to make sure you were okay with it. ‘Cause I… I think I do want to start dating,” I said. Once upon a time, talking to a girl about my love life would have been pretty awkward, especially if said girl was someone I was sleeping with. Like I was talking about all my other options… It would have felt rude, at least. But with Rainbow… I don’t know, it was just comfortable. I’ve never really felt like I couldn’t tell her something. I was glad to find that didn’t change even after sleeping with her.

“…Yeah?” she asked, looking more interested. “Anypony particular in mind? Maybe I could be your wingmare.”

“No, nothing like that. I just… this thing between us got me thinking. When I first came to Equestria, I kinda thought… I was going to be alone. Maybe even for the rest of my life. I kept asking myself, ‘how could any pony ever be interested in something like me?’ A lot of ponies couldn’t even see me in town without looking afraid. Like they thought I might go crazy and hurt them or something. But then you showed me I was wrong. That there is still a chance for me. I just have to get out there and take it. So, in a way… you gave me hope again Rainbow. I owe you a lot. More than I could probably ever tell you.

So… Thank you, Rainbow.”

Okay, so it was a lot sappier than I had really planned on saying, but I think it still got my point across. Rainbow looked towards the ceiling, blushing and with a dopey grin on her face. It was the closest I imagine I’d ever get to a genuine emotional reaction from her. She was too cool to be emotional.

“Yeah well… It’s not that big of deal. ‘S not like I’m not getting anything out of it. But uh… you’re welcome, I guess. I know you’ll find somepony. And like I said, you need a wingmare or anything and I’m there, okay?”

“Thanks Rainbow. I know I can always count on you. All that loyalty and whatnot. And same to you; if you ever decide to get out there, you let me know and I’ll do whatever I can, okay?”

She stifled a laugh behind a hoof. “You’ll be my wingmare?”

I stifled a groan. “You know what I meant.”

With a chuckle, Rainbow rolled back around and settled herself against me once again. Silence fell, and just as I thought we were about to go to sleep, I felt her lift her head off the pillow.

“Will? Whoever you start seeing? She needs to be okay with us still hanging out, okay?”

I smiled. “Wouldn’t have it any other way, Rainbow.”

The next morning came far too early, but that’s what I get for working on a farm. Gotta get up with the sun or… things would fall apart, I guess. Whatever reason Carrot Top would feel like giving that day, at least. And so it was with some reluctance that I inhaled a deep breath of the still morning air and felt the mattress next to me, only to find…

Nothing.

The covers weren’t turned back, there were no sounds echoing throughout the empty house. Just… nothing. For the second time, I found myself waking to an empty bed.

I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised. We weren’t dating. We’d made that very clear. She had to get up for work just as early as I did, and there just wasn’t any obligation for her to stay. I sighed, throwing back the covers and sitting up, feeling sticky and somewhat grimy, but mostly satisfied.

Then the cold morning air hit and I shivered.

Chapter 6

The next week passed in a blur of activity. Not to say that I was leading a particularly busy life as I actually only did anything a couple of nights during that time, but compared to the sedate pace I’d been living before, it was still a bit of an adjustment. Friday saw Rainbow, Scootaloo and I meeting back up at my cottage to finish the Daring Do movies, during which both Scootaloo remained awake and Rainbow remained sober. After they were over, we spent a few hours laughing and joking about how bad they were. While it was a ton of fun to watch them with the girls, I had to agree with Rainbow: the first one was the only good one. By the time we’d finished, it was nearly midnight and Scootaloo left for home. I hated letting her wander about town so late at night, but Ponyville was about as safe as they come. I knew she’d make it home just fine.

Rainbow, of course, stayed the night.

And also of course she was gone again in the morning. I’d expected it, though. Hazards of sleeping with someone who has to get up early for work and all.

I didn’t do much of anything until Wednesday besides dropping off a few rolls of film to Shutterbug’s. She was a kindly middle-aged pegasus mare that owned the only photo gallery in town. She had a son that I hazarded to guess was around Scootaloo’s age –though I never asked to confirm– named Featherweight, who was kind enough to always get my photos developed fast. He was a nice kid, if a little on the dorky side, and I liked to stop and chat with him for a bit whenever I went in.

Wednesday afternoon saw us all back in the park again for another flight practice. It went much the same as last time, though I decided to take a few more pictures anyway, just because. It took some coaxing, but Rainbow and I managed to convince Scootaloo to let me take a picture of the three of us together. It came out really well despite Scootaloo claiming to look awful –I really have no idea what she was talking about; she looked amazing– and I couldn’t wait to add it to my scrapbook.

Rainbow came over a couple other times during the week. When she was free, at least. We would laugh and joke and banter before making dinner and, after realizing neither of us could cook very well, ended up ordering pizza. As the night drew on, one of us would eventually start snuggling closer to the other and before we knew it we were in the bedroom again and the rest of the night was lost to a haze of passion and lust.

While I knew that sex alone wasn’t exactly what I was looking for I still loved every night we spent together. In the months before Rainbow and I decided to change our relationship, I hadn’t realized how… isolated I felt. Even though I had several really great friends in Rarity, Carrot Top and, most of all, Rainbow, being the only human in the world left me completely separated from everything around me. I was so alone, but I guess the feeling just got lost in the midst of everything else I was dealing with after losing the only home I’d ever known.

But now… I felt wanted again. Just knowing that there was even a single pony out there that could see past how I looked, at how different I was… It made the world a tiny bit less cold. Just having Rainbow at my side made even the uncertain prospect of dating seem just that little bit more doable.

And so it was that during the time I wasn’t at work or hanging out with Rainbow and Scootaloo that I started looking around town for things to do. If I was going to meet new ponies, the only thing to do was get out more. Ponyville may not have the multitude of prospects that a larger city might have, but there were more than a couple of nice hang-outs. Sugarcube Corner had a regular string of parties being held thanks to Pinkie Pie, the park often held impromptu concerts from the few musicians that lived in town, and there was even a small bar on the outskirts ran by a one Berry Punch, a mulberry earth pony mare that I’d seen around town a few times but had never gotten the chance to meet. If bars in Equestria were anything like the ones back home, I didn’t have high hopes of meeting the type of pony I’d be interested in there, but it couldn’t hurt to check it out, either.

If nothing else, it would give me something to do when Rainbow and Scootaloo were busy.

But that was something for another time, as it was Thursday afternoon: the day I’d promised I’d watch Scootaloo show me what she can do on her scooter. I had just gotten off work at Carrot Top’s and after heading home long enough to take a quick shower, I grabbed my camera case and made a detour to Shutterbug’s to see if my photos were finished. Luckily they had been, and once I’d given my thanks to Featherweight, I set course for Scootaloo’s.

Her house wasn’t a lot different from my own cottage, built with the same beige walls and thatched roofing, though it was a little bigger to account for more residents inside. I had been surprised to find that houses in Equestria are designed for ease of renovation, allowing new additions or even relocation to be done with a minimum of fuss or complication. So easy, in fact, that if I ever wanted for some reason, I could literally hire a team of ponies to drag my home to the other side of Ponyville.

I was also glad that Scootaloo lived in a groundside cottage instead of a cloudhouse like Rainbow. It wasn’t too odd, I suppose, considering Rainbow’s about the only pegasus in town with one. It certainly made visiting her about a million times harder than necessary. I would love to get the chance to see inside Rainbow’s place, but I would have to get a unicorn to cast a cloud-walking spell on me or something and pray it didn’t decide to fail since I’m not a pony. Having the spell just completely not work, or even worse, give out half-way would be exactly my luck. And even if it did work, Rainbow would still have to fly me up there, and while she’s incredibly strong for her size, she’s still about half my body weight. I don’t exactly want to test how much she can handle while flying.

I let myself through the gate in the white picket fence out front and followed the dirt pathway to the door. Following an odd occurrence I’d noted about Ponyville, the door came just shy of being able to accommodate my height, and I’d only need to bow my head slightly to get through. Why ponies needed such high ceilings I’d never understand, but I wasn’t about to complain. Having to constantly duck anytime I went into a building would be a pain in the back, quite literally.

I knocked and had to wait only a few moments before heavy hoofsteps sounded on the other side. The door opened to reveal an earth pony stallion with a slate-grey coat and a dark purple mane. He had slight bags under his eyes, giving him a somewhat tired look that did nothing to detract from the measured stare he gave me. His cutie mark was a small flaming wheel.

Even through the hard look as he sized me up, I noticed his eyes were a very familiar shade of purple.

To his credit, he didn’t so much as flinch when he saw me. I only make that distinction since a lot of ponies do the first time. Scootaloo had probably given him a heads up that I was coming over.

“Uh… Hi. I take it you’re Scootaloo’s dad?” I asked. I was struck with the sudden realization that I didn’t even know his name.

From the look he was giving me, I felt like I was a teenager visiting a girl’s house for the first time all over again.

“My name’s Mr. Trick. You must be the Will I’ve heard so much about,” he drawled in a flat, bored tone.

“I am, though I hope you haven’t heard too much. I’d hate to not live up to it all,” I said, chuckling at my own joke. Awkwardly, I suppose, as he didn’t join in.

“Who said any of what I heard was good?” he asked.

At that I probably should have let the issue drop. I think I’m socially conscious enough to know he didn’t like me and pushing the issue any further would just be likely to upset him.

But…

“Well, I doubt Scootaloo would have invited me over if she were going around talking bad about me.”

Maybe I still need some work on letting things slide.

He huffed. “Maybe she just wanted to spare your feelings.”

My hands clenched but I tried to ignore them. “Nah, Scootaloo’s not the sort of pony to lie. As her father, I would think you’d know that.”

He took a sudden step forward, narrowing his eyes at me. “Excuse me?!”

Before I had any chance to decide whether to say something or prepare to defend myself, the sound of hooves came again. Scootaloo rounded the corner into the living room, already speaking.

“Daddy, was that the door…? Will!” she shouted, spotting me. She barreled past her dad, and I couldn’t help but smile a little when he stumbled. She reared up onto her hindlegs, using her wings for balance as she offered me her hoof, which I bumped with a fist. When she settled back down, she turned to her dad, who was trying and failing to look like we hadn’t just butted heads.

“Dad, this is my friend Will. Will, this is my dad, Flip Trick,” she said. She looked excitedly between us, obviously expecting some kind of greeting. I couldn’t bring myself to disappoint her. With more than a smidgeon of reluctance, I offered a fist to him and after a moment’s hesitation, he returned the gesture.

“Anyway, I was going to show him some tricks on my scooter. We’ll be in the backyard!” she said.

With that, she bit down on my jeans and began dragging me through her house; thankfully I remembered to duck at the last moment before my head collided with the doorframe. I was almost surprised that Scootaloo’s dad didn’t try to deny me entrance after our little back and forth, but I guess he didn’t want to make a scene in front of his daughter.

I didn’t get much chance to look at their house as she led me through the living room and kitchen to their backyard. What I did get to see had the piecemeal design that looked like they had bought everything from a thrift store. None of the furniture or décor matched –what little of it existed, at least; their home was surprisingly Spartan– and it all looked rather old and shabby. Not to say the place looked unpleasant, it was perhaps just a little rough around the edges. Likely the result of a single jerkass father and a notorious tomboy living together. I doubted either had any great love of interior decorating.

Eventually she led me out a sliding glass door into her back yard.

It was… even more impressive than she’d described. Behind her house might as well have been a legitimate skate park. Ramps, inclines, some with rails, some without; the only thing missing was a giant half-pipe. At least, I think that’s what that thing is called. I was far too uncoordinated to get into skating or anything when I was younger, though there had been a number of students into it all back in my high school. I’d never been good friends with any of them, but I still picked a few things up. Like ‘half-pipe’, or ‘ollie.’

I have no idea what an ‘ollie’ actually is, of course, but it had something to do with skateboarding.

I think.

I’m not old, I swear.

Similarly to how I knew little about extreme sports, I also knew very little about construction and for much the same reason. But even I could tell that all the fixtures Scootaloo was showing me were well-built, sturdy things seemingly hand—er… hoof-crafted from lumber and plywood and every one of them had stickers and paint covering every square inch of their surfaces. Even to someone who knew nothing about what he was seeing, I could tell hours of love and passion went into every single nail and staple.

“So, what do you think? Totally cool, right?” she chirped. Scootaloo was looking at me with those huge, sparkling purple eyes of hers, and I knew she was hanging on tenterhooks waiting for my response. She was clearly proud of it all.

“Yeah, this is pretty nuts! Did you make all these?” I asked, taking a closer look at the one closest to me. There were number of scuff marks across its surface, telling me that it saw a lot of use. There was a partially worn-away sticker clinging to life on the framework under a rail that I could just make out. A familiar flaming wheel sped across a logo saying ‘Flip’s Boards and Tricks.’ It looked like the brand image for a store or something.

Surprisingly, Scootaloo laughed. “No way! I’m useless at building stuff. No, my dad made all these.”

“Your dad, really?” I couldn’t bring myself to believe that. Old Mr. Fuddy-Duddy in there built these?

“Yup,” she said. She turned to look at each ramp in turn, smiling fondly. “He’s been working on them since before I was born. I helped on a few, though.” She trotted over to another nearby before hopping up onto a rail. She perched there, using her wings to help her balance. “Like this one. And also the wave ramp there in the back.”

“They look like skateboard ramps. Can you ride one of those? Actually, do ponies even have skateboards?” I asked.

She laughed again. “Of course we do! And I can a little, but I’ve never been as good on one as I am on my scooter. Speaking of!” She hopped off her perch with a flutter and zipped behind me. I followed her to see a blue four-wheeled scooter leaning against the house with a purple helmet hanging off its handlebar. She buckled it on before pushing her scooter forward.

“Good looking wheels, Scootaloo. You gonna show me what you can do?” I asked. She did a little hop and pumped a forehoof.

“Hay yeah!” she cheered.

Rather than just take off like I’d expected, she grabbed the handlebars of her scooter in the crook of her forehooves and took to the air with a few heavy flaps of her wings. She fluttered up to the top of… not a half-pipe but a quarter-pipe, maybe? It was half a half-pipe, anyway.

She settled herself on the lip of the curved ramp with all but the tail end of her scooter hanging off in the air. All her weight rested on a single hindhoof while her forehooves tested her grip on the handlebars. Her wings spread wide for balance as her eyes stared down the drop before her.

“You ready to see something awesome?” she called out.

I had just about enough time to start getting my camera out of its case when she leaned forward and fell.

She plummeted downward, her scooter’s wheels clacking uproariously against the wood as she careened directly for another incline. At its peak, she caught enough air to completely clear its flat top and went down the other side. No sooner had she landed it seemed that she was tearing up another, launching into the air again, this time long enough to kick either hindleg out to the side, leaving her clinging to the handlebars and nothing more.

The next second, she was flying around what she’d called the wave ramp before. It was sort of like a quarter of a circular swimming pool. She sped straight up one side, spinning the deck of the scooter around its handle three whole times before landing on the ramp again and speeding away like she hadn’t just done something completely amazing.

I could barely keep up with her. She zipped around the small park so fast she was little more than an orange blur, shooting into the air one moment and slamming back down a half-second later. Her scooter spun, flipped and snapped in a million different directions with such crisp control it looked more like an extra limb than a separate thing.

She had more grace in her every movement while hurtling through the air at who-knows-how-many miles per hour than I will ever manage just walking.

I was reminded of the first time I saw Rainbow fly on that afternoon when we’d met. That burning determination, the joy… the lust for what they were doing… There was something about watching someone who, while not necessarily a master, was so incredibly passionate about what they were doing that they were putting every ounce of their heart and soul into it.

It’s humbling. And awe-inspiring. For a brief moment, I wondered what in the hell I was doing with my life when there were such talented, larger-than-life people out there. The stories my piddly little photos told paled in comparison to the tale Scootaloo was weaving before my eyes.

Hell, I felt her excitement so acutely I wanted to get out there on a skateboard and join her, and I hate everything that requires me to have more coordination than a three-legged newborn giraffe!

In the rush, I almost forgot to actually get any pictures.

Almost.

I was already prepared to believe that Scootaloo was the Rainbow Dash of scooter…-ing as she managed to grind a ten-foot rail on only her rear axle backwards but she decided that just wasn’t good enough. She landed off the rail still going in reverse, and with only a pump from her hindlegs, she hopped into the air and spun herself around so that she was rolling forward again and aimed herself back towards the quarter-pipe thing she started on. Pushing herself with a combination of her hindlegs and wings, she sped forward faster than ever, sending her straight to the top, which was almost twice my height.

Rather than do a flip or two and let gravity take its toll, she instead planted a forehoof at the lip of the wall and let her momentum carry the scooter up and over her head. She perched there, upside down and balancing only on a single hoof. For nearly ten seconds she remained unmoving before finally giving in to gravity and falling, twisting herself around so that she and her scooter both landed back on top of the ramp right where she started.

She stepped off her scooter, steadying herself as she gazed out upon her dad’s little park. For a moment she must have forgotten I was there as she reveled in her accomplishment until her eyes fell on me and she blushed, grinning embarrassedly.

“Well, uh… What’d you think?” she asked.

“Holy shit, Scootaloo! That was so cool!” I shouted. I sprinted across the yard towards her, nearly dropping my camera in my haste. By the time I reached her, she had laid down with just her face and forehooves visible over the structure’s lip. She was beaming even as she panted and the sweat dripped down her muzzle.

“You really think so?” she asked.

“Hell yeah! The way you flipped the board around on that one trick and then whoosh! you did that Superman thing!” I continued to babble, using my hands to try to illustrate what I didn’t have the words for.

I realized after a few minutes that I was acting like Pinkie Pie on three cups of coffee and a sugar rush and cut off my rambling. At Scootaloo’s amused giggle, I felt my cheeks heat up.

“Was I really that good?” she asked. Her words were quiet and reserved as she stared at her hooves, refusing to meet my gaze.

“As good as Rainbow is at flying.”

For a split-second, her eyes flicked to mine before a crimson blush bloomed across her cheeks. She sputtered and stammered, unable to formulate a response as the moments dragged on silently. Eventually she swallowed, looking at her hooves again as she mumbled, “Thanks…”

“You’re very welcome, Scootaloo. That was really something to see.”

She smiled and opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by a sound behind us. We turned to see her dad leaning out the kitchen door.

“Scoots, supper’s about ready. Why don’t you go get cleaned up. Your… friend can join us, if he wants,” he called. To my surprise, he managed to sound mostly civil besides the slight stumble. He was probably just trying to be nice in front of his daughter, but I could play along if he could.

Besides, I’m always up for free food.

“Well, if you’re offering,” I said. He nodded and wordlessly disappeared back inside.

“Cool. Come on, let’s go. I’m starving,” Scootaloo said.

She fluttered down with her scooter and began rolling towards the house. She must have worn herself out, as she was stumbling along more slowly and with less coordination than usual. She dropped her scooter and helmet back by the door before letting us both inside.

As I closed the door behind us, Mr. Trick was standing by the stove, stirring a steaming pot of something that smelled surprisingly delicious with a wooden spoon held between his teeth. Next to him, another pot had boiling fettuccini noodles in it. Scootaloo stopped to sniff the air and sigh contentedly before twitching her wings and rolling her shoulders.

“Okay, I need to take a shower real quick.” She turned to me, and in a far-too-casual voice asked, “Will, wanna join me?”

“I–uh… what?”

She frowned in confusion. “A shower. Would you like to take one with me?” she asked slowly, like she was talking to a particularly dense child.

Now, I wouldn’t have put it past Rainbow to try to say something like that to me a few weeks ago as a prank, but Scootaloo hadn’t struck me as the type to joke about that sort of thing. That combined with the completely honest expression of confusion on her face and in her voice led me to believe she was being serious.

My only question was ‘why?’ Why did she think asking me to take a shower with her was a good idea? Why did she even want me there?

Wait. Did she like me? No, that couldn’t be it. There would be blushing, stammering, hesitation; something. She was too calm, too collected. Besides, me of all people? Yeah, right.

Was that just a normal pony thing, then? Ponies do all kinds of things that don’t quite make sense to me. Like the ritual the Apples go through to make their Zap Apples grow. Or the ‘herd’ thing that Rainbow had told me those three pegasi whose names I couldn’t remember were in. Was bathing together something they just did?

But Rainbow had never asked me that before, and we were way closer than Scootaloo and I were. Though Rainbow and I had had more than a few conversations over the months about how humans and ponies were different. Maybe she’d never asked because she figured it would make me uncomfortable?

Ah, yeah! We’d talked several times about how I didn’t like being unclothed around others. She understood; something that couldn’t be said for Scootaloo. We’d never had that conversation before. That had to be it.

I was thinking too much about it anyway. After all, Scootaloo was standing there waiting for an answer so that she could get ready for dinner. The dinner her father was making…

The room’s temperature seemed to jump up ten degrees, leaving me sweating as I hazarded a glance at Scootaloo’s father, standing not even ten feet away. Rather than looking utterly pissed like I’d feared, he was only watching with mild interest out of the corner of his eye.

Did he not care, or was he just so furious that he couldn’t express it? The former would go along with my guess about it being a cultural thing, but the latter was much more in line with how my luck ran. In the end, I decided to play it safe.

“I-I, uh… No, I t-think I’m good, Scootaloo. Had one right before I came over. Thanks anyway,” I managed to mumble, my voice sounding a little high-pitched even to me.

Scootaloo looked at me, her frown deepening, but thankfully she shrugged and turned away, giving me a chance to let out a relieved sigh. “Dad? You wanna join me?”

Mr. Trick dropped his spoon to answer. “I gotta keep stirring the alfredo sauce or it’ll burn. You go on ahead, I’ll take one later.”

Scootaloo huffed in mock irritation before trotting out of the room, leaving me alone with her dad. As if there wasn’t enough tension in the room already.

As I stood there, a heavy silence blanketing the kitchen, I pondered what to do. Mr. Trick had gone back to focusing on dinner and seemed content to ignore me. That was good, I guess; at least it was better than us sniping at each other. I could either just sit in silence until Scootaloo got back or I could make an effort to try to smooth things over. I didn’t have high hopes that it would work, but it was worth a shot, for Scootaloo’s sake if for nothing else.

And besides, I needed something to distract me from the mental image of Scootaloo showering.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” I asked.

He didn’t answer long enough for me to start to think he was ignoring me until he pointed to the boiling pot next to him. “Can you drain those?” he asked around the spoon in his mouth.

I nodded, moving towards the sink I saw a strainer already sitting prepared. The pot thankfully had a pretty normal handle, though I couldn’t help but wince when I grabbed it and felt it was wet. I shouldn’t have been surprised. Non-unicorns have to manipulate almost everything with their mouths, so saliva gets on just about everything. Earth ponies have it the worst since they don’t have wings, either. I was mostly used to it after as much time around Carrot Top as I’d spent, but it still catches me off-guard every now and then, especially with ponies I’ve just met.

Mr. Trick didn’t seem to notice my discomfort as I drained the water from the pot and shook the noodles around in the strainer. “Do I need to rinse these?” I asked.

He shook his head. “Divvy it out onto the plates,” he said, pointing his hoof to a cupboard above his head.

I opened it to find plates and glasses. I grabbed three of both before doing as he said and dividing the noodles up. I left them on the counter as I took the glasses to the table. I also checked random drawers until I found the silverware and brought over some forks. They were the sort designed for non-unicorns with little Velcro straps on the base to fasten them around a hoof. I usually used the strapless unicorn utensils, but for one night it wouldn’t bother me.

By the time the table was made, Mr. Trick was already spreading sauce on each plate. When he was done, he sat the sauce pot aside and grabbed a plate between his teeth and brought it to the table. Realizing he could only get one at a time, I grabbed the other two and brought them over. He nodded to me as I sat them down.

“There’s a pitcher of sweet tea in the fridge. Mind getting it?” he asked. While I got it, he said, “There’s also water, if you prefer. May be some apple juice in there…”

“No, tea’s fine by me,” I said. I went ahead and poured some into our glasses as he took a seat at the head of the table. He’d set the other plates on either side of him and after a moment’s hesitation, I took the spot to his right.

I hesitated before starting in on my pasta, not wanting to begin eating without Scootaloo. Her dad seemed to have the same idea as he toyed idly with his fork.

“I’m sorry, by the way,” he suddenly said, not looking up. “For how I acted earlier. I may have been somewhat… confrontational.”

I certainly wasn’t expecting that. Silent disapproval or gradual acceptance maybe, but certainly not an apology.

“Well, I understand. You were just looking out for your little girl. I would’ve done the same, I think. If anything, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have risen to the bait.”

He actually cracked a grin and finally met my eye again. The expression was eerily similar to Scootaloo’s. She really was a dead ringer for him, minus the coat color. “Nah, I can’t hold that against ya. I’m not the type to let things slide either. Never have been. Used to get into a lot of stupid fights I didn’t need to for that exact reason when I was younger.” His smile faltered and he sighed. “You’re right, though. I’m just lookin’ out for my filly. She’s never brought a colt home before and… Well, you aren’t what I expected.”

“Yeah, I bet not… But look, Scootaloo and I… We aren’t—“

I didn’t get to finish my thought as hoofsteps came thundering up behind us and Scootaloo burst into the kitchen, her fur matted and still dripping in places as she rushed to her seat.

“Mmmm, I’m so hungry! I could smell it all the way upstairs and it was driving me nuts! Let’s eat!” she said. Without missing a beat, she grabbed her fork, fastened it in place and dug in. Mr. Trick and I couldn’t help but laugh at her enthusiasm before joining her in eating.

To my surprise, Mr. Trick’s fettuccini alfredo was every bit as delicious as it had smelled. I couldn’t cook to save my life, though I guess being a single parent gives you a good motivation to learn. Or maybe he just really liked cooking. Regardless, it was tasty enough that none of us felt like talking much until our plates were empty.

“That was great, Dad,” Scootaloo said, rubbing her full belly. She still had a smear of alfredo sauce on her muzzle, but it was too amusing to ruin by saying anything. Her dad must have agreed since he kept quiet, too.

“Yeah, thank you, Mr. Trick,” I said. “It was really good.”

Scootaloo snorted, hiding a smile behind her hoof. “Wow, Mr. Trick? Really?”

Even Mr. Trick looked uneasy. “Yeah, Flip will be fine. But thank you; it was pretty good, wasn’t it?”

He stood and started carrying the dirty plates to the counter and I got up to give him a hand. While we cleaned up, Scootaloo spotted my camera case next to my seat where I’d left it.

“Oh, Will! Did you get those pictures developed? The ones of me and Rainbow Dash?!”

“Pictures?” Flip asked.

“Scootaloo and Rainbow invited me to their last flight practice and I took a couple of shots. And yes,” I said, turning to Scootaloo, “I got them in there. I haven’t gotten to look through them yet, though.”

“Let’s go to my room! We can look at them there and I can show you some others of me and Rainbow Dash together!”

I felt like I shouldn’t go to her room. I mean, she was a lot younger than me, and while nothing was going to happen, it still seemed like a bad idea. Coming over to her house and meeting her dad might already look bad enough to someone who didn't know Scootaloo and I were just friends. Luckily, I had an excuse handy.

“What about the dishes? We should probably help out.”

“Nah, I got them,” Flip said. “You kids go have fun. I’ve got everything under control down here.”

I was a bit miffed about being called a kid, but the small smile on his face said it was probably in good fun. I was still wary about being alone with Scootaloo, but it looked like I had no choice. Besides, nothing inappropriate was going to happen. It was just two friends hanging out. And if her dad didn’t have a problem with it, then I guessed it was okay.

“Well, alright. If you’re sure…” I said.

“Sweet!” Scootaloo chirped, snatching up the strap of my camera case in her mouth. “C’mon!”

She turned and led me out of the kitchen and back into the living room. There was a hallway to our immediate right that I’d missed before on our quick journey through to the backyard that she turned down. We passed one door on our left and stopped at the second, directly across the hall from a third. She threw the door open and trotted inside. As I made to follow her through, a voice called out from the kitchen.

“You two make sure to leave that door open, you hear me?”

Scootaloo spluttered, dropping my camera case on the bed before rushing back into the hall.

“D-Dad! Shut up!” she shouted, stamping a hoof. She was blushing wildly as she stormed back inside to the sound of her dad’s faint laughter.

“I’m so sorry about him. I don’t know why he has to be so lame sometimes!”

I laughed awkwardly, trying to push down those feelings that I was doing something wrong while still finding Scootaloo’s misery pretty funny.

“Heh. I’m pretty sure it’s in the parent job description to be embarrassing,” I said.

“Yeah, I hear that,” she said, shaking her head. “He’s always doing stuff like that. Or calling me his ‘little featherbutt’ when Rainbow Dash or the girls are around. Or trying to talk all ‘mondo tubular’ like they did way back in his day in the Stone Age.”

“Come on, I’m sure it’s not so bad. Besides, ‘little featherbutt’ is an adorable name.”

She clapped both of her forehooves over her eyes and groaned. “Why did I tell you that?”

I plopped down on the floor next to her, leaning my back against her bed as I tapped a fist against her shoulder. “You must love being teased, I guess, ‘cuz I’m never letting you forget this one.”

“Of course you aren’t. Rainbow Dash isn’t either. I must be a glutton for punishment or something,” she said before sighing. “Alright, have we humiliated me enough for one night? Can we get to the pictures now?”

“Aww, no fun. But fine, I’ll spare you this time,” I said. I reached behind me to grab my camera case off the bed while she settled onto her haunches next to me.

For the first time since coming in, I got a chance to actually take in her bedroom. It was… a lot like a train had run through it. A stack of books sat next to a cluttered nightstand, all Daring Do from what I could see. A couple skateboards in various states of disrepair sat in a corner along with a few spare parts and tools scattered about.

Every square inch of the walls were plastered with all kinds of things. Wonderbolt posters; pictures of herself, Rainbow Dash and her two friends, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom; posters of what I assumed were rock bands; even a life-sized image of a yellow pegasus mare with a mane that looked like living fire on the wall above her bed. She wore a Wonderbolt uniform but had the hood down and her goggles around her neck, baring a cocky grin.

A wing nudged my side, pulling me out of my thoughts. I took the envelope of photos out and handed it to Scootaloo. While she dumped the pictures out before us, I tossed the case aside.

In Equestria, photos are printed on much thicker stock than on Earth. It makes sense with ponies having to use their hooves or mouth to hold them; they need to be more durable. Scootaloo began sifting through them, occasionally dragging one out and commenting on it. She was generally pretty happy with all of them, agreeing that she and Rainbow looked pretty cool together. All except for one, that is, in which I’d somehow managed to catch only their butts in frame while they were on the ground stretching. She laughed and punched my shoulder for that one.

I honestly have no idea how it possibly could have happened.

She tossed the picture aside and smirked. “You’re definitely a colt, alright.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” I asked with mock indignation.

She shrugged her wings, looking aside as she looked for the words. When she spoke, her words came out low and slow. “When Rainbow first told me about you, she said that even though you looked really different, you were a lot like a pony. Like, in the way you acted and stuff. And I kinda saw that when we were watching Daring Do at your house, but… I guess it’s nice to get a reminder that you aren’t really so different, you know? Like, that’s something any colt in my class would do if they had the chance. If any of that makes any sense.”

“So, you’re happy that I took the chance to do something really immature?” I asked, grinning at her. She was not as amused by my joke as I was, so I waved off her glare. “No, I think I get what you mean.” I sighed and leaned back to get more comfortable. “I remember when I first got here, I was really worried about fitting in. Everything was so different from what I was used to; I was the only human in the entire world… I thought I was never going to fit in. But thanks to ponies like Pr– I mean, Twilight and Rainbow, it got easier. After I got used to the physical differences, I found that being around them felt just like being around any human.”

“That must’ve been pretty rough,” she said. She leaned against my side and after a moment’s hesitation wrapped her wing around my back. “I woulda been terrified if I was all alone in some weird place like that. I don’t think I would have kept it together as well as you have.”

“Well, I didn’t always have it together. I had more than a few long nights in the first couple of weeks. It took a little while to sink in. It got easier over time, though.”

“But you still miss home, don’t you?” she asked. There was the faintest hint of something like accusation in her tone and a sudden pang of guilt left me unable to meet her gaze. Her wing gave me a squeeze. “I noticed you didn’t answer when Rainbow Dash asked about your sister last week at lunch.”

“I haven’t given up,” I said. “I promise I haven’t. It’s just… hard. It hurts to think about her. About any of my family.”

“But sometimes the things we need to do most aren’t the easiest,” she said. “Do you really want to keep living pretending that they don’t exist?”

Something about the way she said it got under my skin. Like she was implying that I hadn’t even tried. Like I was just taking the coward’s way out when it was so easy to do the right thing, whatever that was. “Why do you even care, anyway?” I snapped.

She flinched at my outburst, but to her credit she didn’t move from my side or take her wing off my back. “Because I know what it’s like to not talk about something that’s really bothering you. Keeping things bottled up like that isn’t good for you, and I know you aren’t talking about it with Rainbow Dash. She didn’t even know you had a sister. You don’t have to talk about it with me, but you should with somepony. You’ll feel better after; I know it.”

I wasn’t sure what to say to her. If I had to be honest with myself, I knew deep down that she was right. Keeping it all to myself… wasn’t getting me anywhere. If I was going to be stuck in Equestria forever, never to see my family again, did I really want to never be able to think about them, either? Being able to share my memories of them with Rainbow and Scootaloo did sound nice, but…

It just wasn't that simple.

And so I sat in silence, unsure of what I wanted and no words coming to mind to break the sudden awkwardness between us. After a while, Scootaloo sighed.

“Did Rainbow ever tell you that I used to have a lot of trouble flying?”

I was glad for the change in topic and nodded my head. “She told me once you were a bit of a late bloomer, but not much more than that.”

She gave a sad laugh. “’Late bloomer’ is putting it nicely. I could barely even flutter off the ground until she started teaching me when I was twelve. Most foals are flying solo by the time they’re nine. So I was more than a little late. But even then I was always a really weak flier, even though my wings were pretty strong from riding on my scooter. Nopony knows why. Maybe my pegasus magic is just bad or something.”

It was my turn to return her gesture and I laid an arm across her withers. “It’s okay. I’ve gotten a lot better since then thanks to all the help Rainbow Dash’s given me and… sure, I’ll never be a Wonderbolt, but I can at least get around. I could fly myself to Canterlot or Cloudsdale if I ever needed to so I’ve got more than I’ll ever really need.

“But back then? I got pretty discouraged really often. I just felt like I was a failure, you know? Like, I didn’t have the strength of an earth pony, I couldn’t use magic like a unicorn, and the only thing I did have: my wings? They were practically useless. There were a lot of times it got pretty hard… I felt like I was nothing.”

“Did you ever tell somepony? About how you felt?” I asked, already kind of knowing the answer.

She shook her head. “Not at first. I was too ashamed, I guess… I didn’t want anypony to know how much trouble I was having, let alone how much it bothered me.

“I remember one night a few weeks before my twelfth birthday. Rainbow Dash and I had been working all day on take-offs. You see, at the time, I could only hover if she helped me get in the air. And after weeks of practice, we’d gotten nowhere. So she decided to take an entire day just for the two of us to work on everything: wing positions, running tips, strength-building exercises; we did it all.

“But as the day went on, I started getting the feeling that Rainbow Dash was getting impatient with me. Frustrated at how I wasn’t improving. Feeling like she was wasting her time with a hopeless case like me…”

Her voice faltered at the end, and she stopped to sniff and rub a hoof roughly across her eyes. “By the time Rainbow Dash called it quits for the day, I hadn’t improved at all. I’d never been so embarrassed. Not even the time Diamond Tiara lied and told our class that I had a crush on Rumble,” she said, trying and failing to give a chuckle.

I ran my fingers through her short coat as I considered what she’d told me because something didn’t seem right. But after she had opened up so much to me, I was afraid of ruining it by doubting her, so I tried to think of the most diplomatic way to voice my thoughts.

“I… haven’t known Rainbow for very long, but that doesn’t exactly sound like her. She may not be the most patient pony ever, but I can’t see her never wanting to see you again just because you were having some trouble.”

Scootaloo managed a much more genuine laugh at that, even looking up at me with a small smile. “That’s exactly what Dad said after I got home. I’d tried to lock myself in my room, but of course he was all ‘scared’ and ‘concerned’ about me. Who does he think he is, my dad?” she said, laughing again and more loudly this time. “After I told him what happened, he basically ordered me to go talk to Rainbow Dash and tell her how I felt. Told me that it was just a misunderstanding and that there’s no way she would ever think that about me and stuff. I wanted to believe him, but… I was still pretty scared.”

“That you were right? You couldn’t really have believed she’d be like that to you of all ponies, did you?” I asked.

“I was eleven! I had no self-confidence and I couldn’t understand for the life of me why a pony as cool as Rainbow Dash would ever want to hang out with me, let alone actually care about me. But it wasn’t just that I was scared that I might be right. I was also pretty scared that I was wrong.”

She read my unasked question and sighed. “Hearing Dad talk about Rainbow Dash made me realize I was being stupid. She's way too cool for that, but I’d thought the worst of her. She may not have known what I was thinking, but that didn’t change that I had. She deserved better.”

“I’m assuming she forgave you, though. You did talk to her, right?” I asked.

“Yeah, of course she did. We had a big, long talk the next day. About how she thought it was completely understandable that I was feeling discouraged, and how she didn’t hate me or think I was a disappointment or anything. In fact, she said she was proud of how hard I worked despite the fact it wasn’t easy. She said that my not giving up was what made her want to stick around all day to teach me. If some little filly was willing to put in whatever effort was needed, then she certainly could, too.”

She paused, taking another breath and exhaling slowly, like she was letting out all the stress and anguish she had gone through back then. “She forgave me for not trusting her, too. Even that she didn’t blame me, since she knew she could be pretty impatient at times. She’s always been cool like that; forgiving others even when they hurt her. Now that I think about it, it was the first time we’d hung out just for the two of us. Just to spend time together, you know? We started our Friday sister nights after that.”

“Sounds like everything worked out pretty well, then,” I said. She nodded.

“Yeah, it really did. It got better after that. It still took a lot of work to get to where I should have been with my flying, but having Rainbow Dash and Dad understanding at least made me feel a lot better. She really went out of her way to make sure I wasn’t being too hard on myself when things weren’t working out,” she said. She paused to look at the pile of skateboard parts and smiled fondly. “Dad couldn’t help much with my flying, but he started teaching me more about skating. Making and fixing boards, tricks; you name it.”

“You learned all that stuff from him?” I asked, amazed. The last thing I think of when I looked at her dad was skateboarder, but I guessed it would explain his cutie mark.

“Not all of it, but most. I made up a few things myself, too. But yeah, he used to ride a lot back before I was born. He was a professional; went to all kinds of tournaments and stuff. He was pretty well known, too, but he had to give it up to take care of me. He still owns a skateboard production company: Flip’s Boards and Tricks. Nopony makes better boards than my dad! Though he mostly just does the new designs nowadays. He has other ponies to handle most of the actual business stuff.”

Damn. I guess you shouldn’t judge a book by their cover. I hated to admit it, but Flip actually sounded like he was cool once upon a time.

“Anyway,” Scootaloo said, hesitating a moment before continuing. “My point was–“

“That I’ll feel better if I talk about it?” I asked.

She nodded, smiling hopefully. I could tell she wanted so badly to help. For just a moment, I felt… like I did when I was with Rainbow. I was with someone who actually cared about me. Not in the ‘I feel responsible for you and have to look out for you’ way, but in the ‘you’re my friend and you matter to me’ way.

I knew it wasn’t going to be a good idea, but I spoke before I could have the chance to change my mind.

“A-alright. I’ll tell you about her.”

Chapter 7

A paper-thin silence fell across the room. I almost didn’t want to breathe for fear of breaking it. Instead, I searched across the discarded skateboard parts, the posters on the walls, the photos scattered at my feet; looking for any scrap of something to give me the courage to find the words.

I jumped when Scootaloo’s nose nudged my cheek.

“How ‘bout you just start with her name?” she whispered.

Right. I was freaking out over nothing. We were just going to talk a little. And it was Scootaloo. She would understand. Or at the very least, she wouldn’t judge. Everything was going to be okay.

I took a breath to steady myself.

“It, uh… Sarah. Her name was… Sarah,” I said, letting out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. I’d expected pain or regret or… something. But there was nothing. Maybe Scootaloo was right and I would feel better after I talked about it.

“You must have been close,” she said.

I laughed weakly at that. “Not really. We fought all the time growing up. She always knew exactly what to say and do to get on my nerves… There were so many times I thought I hated her. It got better as we got older, especially once we both moved out of our parents’ house. Of course, after that we didn’t talk much at all.”

“No? Why not?”

“Several reasons,” I said, sighing. “She went to college, for one. I was still in high school when she left and I think we were both just happy to be away from each other for a while. And then she got busy with friends and college life and well, I was still a stubborn teenager that didn’t think he needed anybody but himself. I was a bit of an arrogant jerk back then. Like that one old friend of Rainbow’s; the griffin. I forget her name.”

Scootaloo laughed at the comparison. “I’m sure you weren’t as bad as Gilda. She was a piece of work.”

“I was, though!” I said, laughing as well. “I got in trouble all the time for mouthing off to my teachers and I didn’t have a whole lot of friends. And the ones I did have were the same kind of punk that I was. Looking back, I think we only tolerated each other because no one else would.”

Scootaloo let out a sudden barking chuckle. “I can just see you in a black leather jacket and with one of those dumb bandages on your nose! Maybe with a black eye from your latest fight. What a little tough-guy!”

I gave her an unamused glare. “Ha. Ha.” I couldn’t bring myself to admit it, but she was a lot closer than I cared to admit. Minus the jacket, she was actually spot on. Well, and the tough part, too. I was a wuss.

“So… Is that why you fought with your sister so much? Were you unhappy or something?” she asked.

“It probably didn’t help. And really, I didn’t have any good reason for being unhappy, either. I had two supportive parents, an older sister that was actually pretty cool despite what I thought at the time and I had just about every opportunity that I could have wanted. We weren’t exactly rich or anything, but our parents could mostly manage to provide us with whatever we wanted. I was just one of those stupid, selfish kids that feels like the world’s out to get him and no one understands.”

“A lot of ponies go through that. I know a lot of the foals in my class did. Hell, I did, too!” Scootaloo said.

“Really?” I asked, unbelieving. “You went through the spoiled brat stage?”

“Well, yeah! That whole time I was struggling so much with learning to fly? Well… let’s just say I didn’t handle it as well as I could have. My dad and I fought a ton back then, even though none of it was his fault. He was just doing his best to look out for me and I gave him nothing but a hard time. And yeah, things are better now, but he still didn’t deserve how I treated him.”

“I’m sure he understood. He really loves you; I doubt he held it against you,” I said. Neither of us said anything for a moment as we simply leaned into each other. Afraid of losing the momentum we’d built, I asked, “So, did you wear a leather jacket? ‘Cuz that would have been cute as hell.”

She laughed aloud. “No, I didn’t. I wore way worse.” She hesitated, her eyes flicking to mine and searching me over before she groaned and clapped both forehooves across her face. “Oh, what the hay. I’ve already given you enough things to make fun of tonight; what’s one more?”

She hopped up and weaved her way around skateboard parts to her closet. Throwing open the door, she began rummaging around inside until, apparently finding what she was looking for, she turned and trotted back over. With a flick of her neck, she tossed whatever she’d found at me.

It was a worn and slightly-dusty black collar. It was made of the typical faux-leather that was used in Equestria –I’d become familiar with it after working with Rarity for as long as I had– and had several small silver studs uniformly spaced along it.

It took every ounce of my willpower not to laugh as I looked the thing over. “Y-you, uh… You wore this? In public? You’re… far braver than I am.”

She buried her face in her hooves again as she returned to her spot at my side. “Urgh, I know! It was cool at the time!” She fell silent for just a moment. “Okay, it wasn’t cool even at the time, but a lot of foals in my class were wearing that kind of thing!”

“Well, don’t feel too bad,” I said, condescendingly patting her shoulder. “Everyone followed stupid fashion trends when they were younger. At least you grew out of it sooner than I did. I was still a few years older than you before I realized how much of an asshole I was. But now,” I said, putting a sense of importance in my words, “there is something we have to do. I need you to let me get a picture of you with this on.”

She paused to look at the collar I held out to her before springing away, her eyes wide and hooves waving frantically. “Oh, I don’t think so! There is no way I’m putting that thing on again!”

“Aww, c’mon! I gotta see this!”

“No!”

“But I never got to see you back then! Please? I’ll do anything!” I begged.

“I, uh… But it’s so embarrassing! Urgh!” she wailed. Finally she went quiet, giving me a piercing stare. “Alright, fine! But on a few conditions! One: you have to do any one thing I say, whenever I want. Two: you can take a picture, but nopony ever sees it. Not Dad, not Rainbow Dash, nopony! Even if Princess Celestia herself asks to see it, you better not. As a matter of fact, protect that photo with your life, do you understand?”

I didn’t even have to think about it. Having to do one favor for her sometime in the future was nothing compared to missing out on seeing her in that collar.

“Alright, yes; I get it! Nopony ever sees it, I swear on my life. Anything else?”

She nodded. “No laughing,” she mumbled.

I swore I wouldn’t and with another groan, she swiped the collar from my hands. After fussing with the buckle to make it a little longer, she eventually managed to get it on and snap the button to fasten it in place. She stood and took a few steps forward before turning to face me and striking a dour pose. Even her mane and tail seemed to droop along with her ears.

“There, happy?” she grumbled.

She struck the most hilarious sight; this tiny, orange-coated pony with huge violet eyes wearing a black, silver-studded collar. She just needed some thick mascara and black eyeliner and the picture would be perfect.

Thankfully, I restrained myself from laughing as I grabbed my camera and took a couple of shots. It was funny enough, but she was wearing a frown that could freeze the blood of a lesser man.

“Don’t be like that! It’s just a picture. Can’t you give me a smile?” I asked, purposefully teasing her a little.

She proceeded to give me a ridiculously over the top toothy smile that looked more like a deranged grin that I managed to snag a shot of before she burst out with a round of giggles. While she was distracted, she finally let slip a genuine smile that, dare I say… was actually pretty beautiful.

It was definitely going in the scrapbook.

“Now see, it’s not so bad. Actually, it’s a good look for you!” I said, putting the camera aside.

She tried to glower, but the corners of her mouth kept bouncing back up. “Yeah, well… Don’t get used to it.”

I was about to open my mouth to make… some other joke at her expense when another voice spoke up.

“Huh. Never thought I’d see that old thing again.”

We both jumped as Flip leaned against the doorframe. He quirked an eyebrow at Scootaloo while not even bothering to hide a tired grin. “It’s like you’re thirteen all over again. Need me to pick up your heat suppressants from the drug store like I used to?”

“Wha–! Shut up, Dad!” Scootaloo shouted, blushing crimson.

“What about if I get you some of those gummi bears you used to love so much? Or a nice strawberry milk? You used to beg me to bring you home a bottle every time I went out shopping.”

Scootaloo finally broke, her body deflating as she gave her dad a dull look. “Really, Dad? Do you really have to embarrass me in front of all of my friends?”

He laughed. “Yup. Life’s tough; get a helmet. I just wanted to see if you kids needed anything. Like, something to drink or… maybe a snack or something.”

“Dad, we’re not five. We don’t need you to bring us snacks.” A knowing look came over her. “You’re just checking up on us because you think we’re—“ She trailed off, glancing uneasily at me.

Flip gave a breathless chuckle. “You’ll have to forgive an old stallion for worrying after his flighty scamp of a daughter. Once you become a parent, it seems all you can do is worry. You’ll understand one day.” He paused to give Scootaloo a stern frown. “One day far in the future, am I understood?”

“Dad, please…” Scootaloo whined.

“Alright, alright; I’ll leave you two be. Let me know if you need anything.”

He lingered for just a moment, glancing between Scootaloo and myself before nodding slowly and leaving. Scootaloo sighed once he was gone and rubbed her temple.

“Why do I get the feeling he’s going to keep bothering us all night?” she asked.

“Because he loves you and is scared of the fact you have a boy in your bedroom?” I punctuated my question by poking her side just under her wing. She squeaked and hopped upward, puffing herself up like a bird and swatting my hand away.

Oh, it looked like somepony was ticklish. I was going to have to remember that.

Scootaloo, meanwhile, seemed content to ignore her little outburst. “Well, he needs to get used to it! I’m allowed to have colt friends if I want!” She blinked. “W-wait! I meant friends that are colts! ‘Colt friends’, not coltfriends! Of course, since… that’s what we are. Friends, that is! Yes.”

“Well, wait. Now I’m confused. Are we friends or coltfriends? ‘Cuz if it’s the latter, that only brings a few more questions to mind.”

My wisecrack earned me a playful shove. “Oh, shut up! You think you’re so funny, don’t you? You’re just trying to get out of talking about your sis—“ She cut off as her expression fell.

The levity in the air died out as reality crashed back in. That’s right; we were talking about my family. Joy.

“I, uh… I’m sorry,” she mumbled. Her ears drooped pitifully as she scratched her cheek with a wing.

“Don’t be. We did get pretty off-track. Where were we?”

“Something about you being some kind of wannabe punk when you were younger. Which I’m still not certain I believe, by the way. You’re too nice for that. Too… non-threatening.”

I laughed. “Well, I never said I was very good at it.”

“You also said her name was Sarah,” she said.

“Right…” I said, suddenly breathless. I tried to swallow the lump in my throat while I searched for the words I needed. Nothing came to mind. How are you supposed to sum up the most important person in your life in just a few words? Every good memory I had of her fought for space in my mind’s eye with ever bad one.

“Hey, why don’t we go for a walk?” Scootaloo suddenly asked. I fought to speak as my mind struggled to switch gears.

“Uh, what? Why?” I managed to splutter out.

“A nice walk always works great to clear my head. Well, usually I go for a fly nowadays, but before I could fly I would go for a walk around town. Besides, it’s nice out and at this time of day, most ponies are already heading home so the town’ll mostly be deserted.” She cast a surreptitious glance at the door. “We can talk without anypony bothering us.”

The thought of Flip coming back in the middle of talking about Sarah… well, I wasn’t sure I could keep going if I got interrupted. This wasn’t something I wanted to think about any more than I had to, and I really didn’t want to have him be part of the conversation. Besides, a chance to clear my head would be great. I still wasn’t sure how I was going to explain the whole mess to her.

“You know what? A walk sounds great. Lead the way, Scootaloo.”

We told Flip that we were heading out for a while, and after a quip about having Scootaloo back before midnight, we were out in the pleasantly cool evening air and weaving our way between streets and houses towards a destination I wasn’t privy to.

She led us through the nearly-deserted town, not to the park like I’d half-expected, but seemingly on just a random road leading out of town-limits. We waved to the few friendly faces we saw, but for the most part we were left uninterrupted.

Eventually we came to a bridge passing over the river that curved along the border between Ponyville and the Whitetail Woods. She hopped up onto the stone railing and sat down. Wondering why she had brought us there, I took a spot next to her, leaning my chest against the cool stone and propping myself up with my elbows.

The spot she had chosen gave us a great view of the sun slowly making its descent towards the horizon over the hills and trees. With picturesque Ponvyille laid out to our right, a beautiful late day sky above us and forest birds singing their songs to our left, it really was a nice spot.

“What do you think?” Scootaloo chirped. “Not too bad, huh? This road only leads to the Woods, so almost nopony ever comes out this way. It’s quiet, ‘cept for the birds, but that’s kinda nice. I like to come out here when I need to get away from everypony.”

“Do you come here often?” I asked.

She shrugged. “Not as much as I used to. Just when I have a bad day or when I’m not feeling good. I like to watch the sun set sometimes. It’s… there’s something kinda soothing about it, you know?”

“Yeah. Sarah and I used to watch the sunset together when we were younger. There’s this lake about ten minutes away from my parents’ house, and we used to go swimming there a lot. There was this huge rock outcropping along one side that was great for diving off of, but if we were there ‘til sundown, we’d sit at the top and watch it go down over the trees.”

I jumped when something grazed my arm, only to find it was Scootaloo’s feathers. I scooted closer to allow her easier reach, savoring her touch. I’ve never been a touchy-feely kind of person before, but I’ve grown rather fond of such casual contact lately. Maybe I’m just changing as I get older.

“What was she like? Tell me about her,” she whispered. “You can start small, if you need to.”

“O-okay. Umm… Well, she has curly brown hair… a few shades lighter than mine. She’s a little shorter than me. ‘Bout one head shorter, but I’m kinda on the tall side for humans, so… What else…? She’s a teacher. Elementary art. She always loved working with kids. I never understood how she had the patience,” I said, trying to chuckle but instead letting out a breathless whimper.

Scootaloo’s wing rubbed up and down my arm consolingly. I took a breath to steady myself and rearrange my thoughts.

“She used to babysit a lot when she was younger, and she even volunteered at this youth center in our town teaching arts and crafts to younger kids. You should have heard her brag about every little thing ‘her children’ made. You’d have thought each one of them were the next Warhol or something. Talk about annoying!”

To my surprise, I actually found myself chuckling at the memory of Sarah glowing in pride as she ranted and raved about how well her class had gone while shoving the pictures her students had made for her under my nose.

“She had this photo album… Every drawing and painting or whatever she was given she put in there. Kept it going the whole time she worked there. She had a pretty big collection by the time she left.”

“Sounds like she really liked it. Why’d she leave?” Scootaloo asked.

“College. I think she was ready to be a teacher after her first day of classes, so it wasn’t a surprise when she dual-majored education and art. Talk about another thing I wouldn’t have patience for. I barely made it through one major, let alone two.”

Scootaloo perked up beside me. “You went to college? Huh.”

“Yeah, I went to college. What’re you trying to say?”

“Just that I’m amazed they let you in. Colleges on Earth must not have any standards,” she said with a smarmy grin. Rolling my eyes only got me laughed at. “No, I just forget you're Rainbow Dash’s age sometimes. Talking to you feels like talking to Apple Bloom or Sweetie Belle. You don’t talk down to me or treat me like I’m stupid or anything. It’s nice.”

“Who treats you like you’re stupid?” I asked, worried. I couldn’t imagine anyone actually thinking that about her. Sure, she was a little headstrong and excitable, but she was far from stupid.

“Most adults still treat me like I’m a little filly. They talk to me like I can’t possibly understand adult things. Like my dad!” she said, stomping her stone perch. “He thinks I can’t even look at a colt without jumping his bones!” The fervor in her gesture faltered as she realized what she said. She didn’t lose her steam, but a blush did grace her cheeks. “Or Rarity and Applejack always treating me like nothing more than their little sisters’ tomcolt friend. Like, just because I don’t like fashion I must not like art or anything like that. Or just because I don’t like manual labor like the Apples I must be some kind of lazy delinquent!”

I had more than a little difficulty imagining either Rarity or Applejack acting like that. Sure, Rarity thought the current trends were what made the world turn and Applejack valued a hard day’s work a little more than was probably healthy, but neither struck me as the sort to go to that extreme. Even the few times they’d mentioned Scootaloo in passing to me was always done very fondly. But I couldn’t deny she’d known them longer than I had. Maybe she saw a side to them that I didn’t. And the last thing I wanted to do was upset Scootaloo by implying I didn’t believe her.

In the end, I decided to be cautiously neutral.

“I’m sure they don’t mean to make you feel like that. When you’ve known someone for a long time, especially from when they were young, it’s hard to realize how they’ve grown up on you.”

Scootaloo just rolled her eyes. “Yeah, but…” She paused before tsk-ing and deflating somewhat. “You’re right. I know they don’t mean to. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t get annoying. I may not like dressing up or any of that fancy-schmancy stuff, but I like cultured things. I like music and concerts. I’d like to go to a play someday. Miss Cheerilee taught us about some based on the ancient pegasi clans that sounded really interesting.”

“Well, Rarity always has an ear on what’s going on in the bigger cities. I’m sure if we asked, she could find out when the next production of one of those plays was being put on. Give me time to get the bits together and we can go, if you’d like.”

Rather than the over-excited acceptance I’d been expecting, Scootaloo instead gave me a calculating stare.

“You’d really want to go with me?” she asked.

“Well, yeah. I went to a few plays put on by the theatre department at my old college and I really liked them. And I’d love to learn more about the old pegasi clans. I’ve heard they were pretty militaristic; I’d bet that’d make for a pretty exciting play. We could take a whole weekend and look around whatever city we go to for it. Sounds like it could be a lot of fun.”

She considered that for a moment but ultimately shook her head.

“No way. I mean, I’d love to go with you, but you’re not paying. I’ve looked into it before. Between the train fare, the show tickets themselves and a hotel room it’s going to run us almost two-hundred bits at least. I’m not having you pay all that by yourself. I graduate in a few more months and then I’ll be working full-time. Once I can get my share of bits together, then we’ll talk.” She paused to look out at the horizon and laughed. “Can you imagine me telling my dad I want to spend an entire weekend miles away and with a colt? All unsupervised? He’d have a conniption!”

I couldn’t help but join her in laughing at the thought. “I could move to the Crystal Empire and I doubt I’d be safe from him.”

“Heehee, yeah! Even Princess Celestia herself couldn’t protect you. You’re just doomed, I guess!”

I shrugged. “Eh, I’ve lived a good life. Never got to meet the Wonderbolts, though. That sucks.”

She cocked her head in confusion. “I didn’t think you were that big of fan of the ‘Bolts.”

“Oh, I’m not. But have you seen those flight suits they wear? Leaves nothing to the imagination!” I said, waggling my eyebrows. She rolled her eyes and turned to face away from me, but I caught a peek at her smile before she did. I elbowed her playfully. “Speaking of, I saw that poster of that one Wonderbolt you have. Whatsername? The one Rainbow Dash loves so much…” I wracked my memories but I just couldn’t think of her name. I remembered it was something that I always thought was obvious in hindsight…

“Captain Spitfire,” Scootaloo said hesitantly. Oh yeah, duh. Fiery mane and personality, Spitfire; you’d think I could remember that. “Rainbow Dash bought me that poster when I was fourteen. What about it?”

“Well, I just figured you’d want one of the vice-captain. The pretty-boy stallion. Looks like he could be a model. You know who I’m talking about.”

She groaned. “Soarin? You know, I can have a poster of somepony who I think is cool and not just because I think they’re hot. Maybe I just think Captain Spitfire is an inspiration! And a good role model! Maybe I keep that poster up to remind me of the kind of pony I want to be one day.”

Her voice rose in volume and passion as she spoke, and by the time she was done I half-thought I’d actually upset her. But then she turned to me with a small, guilty smile and rosy cheeks.

“And as for Soarin? Maybe I have a particular issue of the Swimsuit Edition of Wonderbolts Weekly under my mattress.”

Moments passed as I processed what she said and she waited tensely for my reaction. It started with a snort, then a snicker, and soon we were both falling apart with unbridled hysterics. We laughed at the ridiculous topic we’d managed to wander onto, we laughed about how odd the night had gone after getting so serious, we laughed at the tension melting away between us but most of all: we laughed at each other. Just as one of us would begin to wind down, the giggles of the other proved infectious and it would start over.

By the time we were breathless and reality reasserted itself, we found ourselves pressed together, her back against my chest, and my chin atop her head. My arms were wrapped around her body with her wings making a blanket on top, shielding my skin from the cooling evening air. I had no intention of pulling away, and apparently she agreed as she only snuggled deeper against me.

We stood there, silently watching the orange sky begin to turn purple as the sun continued its descent behind the horizon. Soon, the stars began poking out one by one and the crickets chirped their lullabies to the day.

“You know, you still haven’t told me the rest of the story,” Scootaloo suddenly whispered.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“You told me a little about Sarah, but you never got to the important part. The only part that matters, really. Not that I didn’t like hearing about her, but none of that’s why you’re really upset.”

Suddenly the cold pierced through the protective embrace of her wings. I should’ve known she’d see right through me. I just prayed she wouldn’t go where I thought she was going.

“You never told me why you felt so guilty,” she said.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about…” I tried to say, but she shook her head, cutting me off.

“You miss her; yeah, I’ll buy that. Of course you do. And I don’t doubt that hurts a lot. I can only imagine how much it’d suck if I suddenly lost my dad or Apple Bloom or Sweetie Belle. But you aren’t just missing her.”

She paused, humming as she put her thoughts in order. I couldn’t bring myself to look at her and see her expression. I didn’t trust myself to not give away any more than I already had.

“I didn’t notice it when I brought it up the first time, but when Rainbow asked at lunch I did. You were more than just missing your family. You were scared. Scared to tell us whatever was bothering you. That says it was something really big. And despite what you think about yourself, you’re a sweet colt. A really sweet colt. So I figure for something to bother you this bad, you must feel like you hurt someone else. Someone close to you. Someone like your sister.”

It felt like the wind had been knocked out of my chest. I was starting to shake, and though I tried to calm myself, I could tell it was a losing battle. Scootaloo starting murmuring quiet comforts as her wings rubbed my arms.

“Shh, it’s okay. Just tell me what happened,” she said.

I took a deep breath and coughed to clear my throat. “J-just before I came to Equestria, the whole family had gathered at my parents’ house. First time outside of holidays in three years. My sister, my aunt and uncle, their two kids… and Sarah’s fiancé. Y-you see, she was getting married.”

Scootaloo’s small hoof suddenly found its way into my hand and I held on for dear life. The world felt like it could drop from underneath me any second and I needed something solid to cling to.

“It was a week before the wedding. We’d… been fighting. Just stresses of getting all the details worked out at the last minute piling up. I… thought I’d take some time out to get away. Let things cool off before either of us really got into it, you know? Thought I’d take a swim in the old lake like we used to. Turns out that was the one day the portal was open.

“There was this flash of light as I dove in. I saw all these swirling colors, and I felt like I was falling for hours. It’s all kinda blurry and I don’t remember a lot of it. Next thing I knew I was waking up in a freezing pool in the crystal caves below Canterlot. And, well… you know the rest.

“Twilight says there are all kinds of portals to different worlds all over Equestria. They only stay open for so long, and nopony knows when they’ll open again. Could be ten minutes from now, could be a thousand years. I know I swam in that lake hundreds of times in the nearly twenty years I lived with my parents. I could be another twenty years before it opens again. It could be even longer. For all I know, it may never open again.

“And I missed Sarah’s wedding, lost my family, friends and everything I’ve ever known… because I had one stupid fight with my sister!”

The dam I had built up over the last several months started to rupture and a few tears dropped onto the top of Scootaloo’s head. I needed to believe that she didn’t notice, but I knew she did. I hate crying in front of others. I haven’t since I was kid, and there was nothing that made me feel more pathetic. In turn, the shame then did little to make me feel any better.

I was thankful that while I tried to get myself back under control, Scootaloo said nothing. She just hummed some tuneless melody and squeezed my hand in the crook of her hoof.

“Sorry about that,” I said as soon as I could, my voice audibly thick even to me.

She squirmed around until she was facing me and I noticed her eyes were misted over, too. I fought the urge to shy away from her sight as she wrapped her forelegs around my neck and hugged me tightly.

“Don’t be,” she murmured in my ear. “If anything, I should be sorry. I really thought talking about it would help you feel better. I knew you had to be hurting but… I didn’t realize it was that bad. You do realize it wasn’t your fault, right?”

I couldn’t bring myself to tell her I disagreed.

“It’s not your fault. You can’t blame yourself for having an argument. You said it yourself; you were both stressed out. Getting away for a while was probably the right thing to do. There was no way you could have known what was going to happen.”

“I know, it’s just… N-no, you’re right. I know it’s not. Doesn’t stop me feeling guilty anyway.”

She blinked in surprise, likely not expecting me to agree so quickly.

“Well, you’re right it’s not but I guess I can understand how you feel. Have you just been dealing with this on your own this whole time? You’ve really not told anypony else?”

I tried to give a care-free smirk, but I doubt it came out as more than a grimace. “I’m not a fan of asking for help.”

“Not even Rainbow Dash?” My silence was answer enough for her and she sighed. “I guess I can’t judge you or anything. I do the same thing sometimes. But you don’t have to shoulder things alone. Anytime you want to talk about your family or whatever… Or if you just want to hang out, you just let me know, okay? I’m not gonna judge or think you’re weak or whatever you’re afraid of. I just don’t want you stewing in it all alone, okay? Besides,” she said, pulling back a little and smiling. “I like hanging out with you, so it’s not exactly a hassle.”

I’ll admit I felt a little bit lighter at her words. I wasn’t better, all the crap wasn’t suddenly gone, but… it didn’t seem so heavy, at least. I wasn’t sure my pride would ever let me actually take her up on her offer, but just knowing it was there helped. Enough that I could actually return her smile.

“Even when I’m being a whiny bitch?” I asked. She laughed.

“I prefer fun-loving Will, but I’ll settle for mopey Will if he needs me to. What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t?”

“Still a pretty good one. I’m damn lucky to know you, Scoots. I’m really glad Rainbow brought you over that day.”

“Heh. Yeah, me too.”

We watched the sun sink the last few inches before it disappeared behind the trees and the moon took its place in the sky. Majestic purples gave way to navy blues and silvery wisps of stardust painted the night in a brilliant tapestry. Scoots and I stayed on that little bridge until it was too cold for comfort, and only then did we reluctantly begin the trek back to her house. We stopped just outside her door to turn to each other.

“I meant it, you know,” she said, looking up at me. “Anytime you need somepony, come find me, okay?”

I gave her a scratch behind the ears. “Only if you do the same.”

“Deal!”

We both fell silent, neither of us knowing what to say but not ready to let the night be over. We both settled for watching the stars twinkle for just a few moments longer. But nothing can last forever, and eventually it was time to part.

Instead of heading inside, Scoots lifted herself into the air and for a brief second pressed her lips to my cheek. I unconsciously pressed my fingers to the spot as she lighted back down.

“What was that for?” I asked.

“You looked like you needed it. But don’t tell anypony, okay? I do have a reputation to maintain after all.” She paused to give me a cock-sure grin that barely hid her sarcasm. It faded and was replaced by a small, if genuine, smile. “Keep your chin up, Will. Don’t give up.”

“I won’t, I promise,” I said, holding out a fist for a hoofbump that she gladly gave. “Night, Scoots.”

“Night, Will.”

Our eyes met, and for one final moment we just stood there looking at each other before she finally turned and disappeared inside. Only once she was out of sight did I finally exhale, suddenly overcome by how exhausted I felt. I’d gone over to her house expecting to watch some scootering and maybe have an awkward dinner with her and her dad. I never imagined I’d tell her all the things I did.

With only a desire for a hot bath and then bed in mind, I began the long trudge back to my cottage. The night was cold and silent, everypony having long disappeared into their homes and leaving the day behind. It left me with little to think about but what had happened.

Memories of my family had been eating me up inside for so long, I almost believed I would have a full-on breakdown if I had to talk about them. And though thinking about them still just reminded me that I may never see any of them again, I at least knew that I could share my memories of them without losing it. More than ever, I was thankful that of all the worlds that I could have fallen into it had been this one.

After I got home and soaked in the bath, I realized that I’d left my camera and all of my pictures in Scoots’s room. Oh well, I’d get them back eventually. If anything, I took solace in the fact that it would give me an excuse to see her again.

As I got into bed, I was filled with a special sort of ache. A lot like the kind that comes after a long workout that tells you that you did something worthwhile.

Though I did feel guilty I hadn’t told her the full truth. If she’d known what Sarah and I’d really fought about, she wouldn’t have been so quick to say it wasn’t my fault. I couldn’t deal with that. Not yet. It was too soon. Maybe one day when the pain had dulled a little I could tell her. She’d understand.

I hoped.

But that was a worry for another day. I’d lived with what I’d done for months. I could live with it a while longer. Tomorrow was Friday, which meant a morning of running errands around town for Rarity. It was easy work, but more importantly it was something I could focus on without leaving me a ton of time to think about much else. I could use the distraction. After that would just be an entire weekend off to recharge.

I felt like I was going to need it.

Author's Note

I'll admit, I don't think this is my finest chapter. I had a lot of struggle with it, sometimes feeling like I was going over the top and other times playing the emotions too lightly. I certainly don't think it's perfect, but it needed to happen and I think that was as good as I can get it. If you liked it, awesome; if not, well at least we're past it and hopefully the quality will pick up again.

So thanks for reading everyone! See you with the next chapter.

Chapter 8

The next couple of weeks passed pretty uneventfully. I kept going to work during the day and hung out with Rainbow most nights. Scoots joined us on Fridays, which were quickly becoming a hangout night for all three of us instead of just a sister night. I felt a little bad about inserting myself into the time they set aside to be with each other, but they always seemed to have just as much fun as I did, so I couldn’t bring myself to get too torn up. And I had to admit, those evenings were becoming the highlight of my week. Even the nights where it was just Rainbow and me seemed just a little less fun. It really wasn’t the same without all three of us there.

Especially since Rainbow was getting more and more tense as the weeks passed. Her audition for the Wonderbolts was coming up in one more week and I could tell she was getting nervous even though she tried to hide it. I couldn’t blame her. It was a chance to make her dreams come true; hell, I’d be freaking out a lot worse than she was.

But it was Friday afternoon, and I was getting my house ready for my two favorite mares to come over. I was comfortable enough having them over that I didn’t feel the need to make my house spotless anymore, though I still liked things to look at least somewhat presentable. My cottage may be an obvious bachelor pad, but it didn’t have to look like one. At the very least I could get rid of the mountain of garbage around the trashcan.

I had no sooner returned from tossing a disturbingly large bag out when the front door opened behind me. Rainbow strutted in, surprisingly alone, and made herself at home on my couch. She flopped onto it upside down, stretching out pathetically as she panted for breath. It was only as I looked closer at her that she looked completely exhausted. She was once again dripping with sweat and her wings twitched occasionally in the way that particularly worn-out muscles will do.

“Hey…” she mumbled, breathless.

I sat down next to her and absently scratched her stomach though it got no reaction from her. The stale musk of sweat was coming thick off of her, but I was too used to the smell by now to care. If anything, it just reminded me of that first night we had together. “Sup, Rainbow. You feeling okay? You also kinda smell.”

“I’ve been… practicing my routine… all day! It’s gonna be the best… ever! But I can’t feel my wings,” she gasped. Despite her words, she glowed with pride and managed to lift her head enough to beam up at me. After, she bent further to sniff her body and recoiled. “Yeah, I could use a shower…”

I silently agreed as she struggled to lift herself back off the couch. She barely managed to roll halfway over before wincing and falling back. “Okay, I’m gonna have to rest a minute. ‘Less you wouldn’t mind carrying me?”

From the wide grin on her face, I couldn’t tell how much she was putting me on. I knew it was at least a little given Rainbow’s laziness knew no bounds when it came to anything not related to flying, but she did look pretty tired. And even if she was just trying to get me to carry her around, she weighs almost nothing so it wasn’t exactly the worst thing in the world.

“Alright, ya lazybones. Come here,” I said, carefully scooping her up in my arms so as to not stress her flight muscles.

“Aww, what a pal! Thanks, Will,” she said as we made our way to the bathroom. I threw back the shower curtain and gently sat her down inside. She looked almost comically small in it, seeing as how I’d had it custom-made larger to fit me.

“Alright, you gonna be fine on your own?” I asked. She assured me she would and I made to leave but a thought struck me. I turned back as she was fiddling with the knobs. “Do you mind if I ask you something real quick?”

“Sure.”

“Do ponies sometimes bathe together? Like, friends and family together? Is that a thing ponies do?” I asked. She cocked her head to the side in confusion.

“Yeah, it is. A lot of ponies do it. Hooves don’t reach the back too well, you know?” she asked, proving her point by trying to bend her legs backward. “Usually only close friends or family do it. I mean, it has to be somepony you feel cool with getting that close to. Why do you ask?”

“Oh, well…” I wasn’t sure if I should say anything about Scoots asking me to join her when I went over to her house or not. Even knowing it was something entirely platonic, I still couldn’t shake the weird feeling. But I decided to take the chance; Rainbow had always been pretty understanding about most things. “Scoots asked if I wanted to join her in the shower when I went over to watch her on her scooter. A human wouldn’t normally do that with a friend, so I was just wondering if it was one of those things that were different between us, you know?”

“Huh, I didn’t know she liked you that much. But yeah, it’s pretty normal. Hell, I would have asked you by now if I didn’t know how much you hate taking your clothes off.”

“Well, do you mind if I join you then?” I asked. She blinked in shock before laughing.

“Like you have to ask! You can help me with my wings. But are you sure you’re okay with that? You kinda have to be naked to take a bath.”

“Rainbow,” I said, giving her a deadpan stare. “I have ejaculated in your mouth. There’s no shame between us anymore.”

She snorted as I started undressing. Even as I pulled off my boxers and slid into the tub behind her she was still giggling. The water was blazing hot, though not quite enough to be uncomfortable and felt pretty good on my sore muscles as well. With working on a farm near every day, I should probably take better care of myself.

“It’s not that you’re wrong,” she said, trying to regain control of herself, “’cuz you’re right. You have done that. It’s that you actually said it out loud. You get along too well with Rarity to say something so ‘crass’ and ‘barbaric’ or whatever she’d call it. Can you imagine her face if you said that in front of her?”

“It’d probably be almost as bad as telling you there won’t be any more Daring Do books,” I quipped. She spun around as fast as her tired body would allow and fixed me with a murderous scowl.

“Don’t even joke about such things!” she growled, turning around and leaning back against me. Her wet feathers tickled my stomach as she got comfortable. “You know, I should go see her again. It’s been too long,” she mumbled, more to herself than me.

“Don’t tell me you actually know the author. I’ll buy you know the princesses and all the life or death adventures you went on, but you being friends with a world famous author? Come on, there’s only so much I can take!”

She hummed, sending small vibrations through my chest. “Okay, look. This is supposed to be a secret, but… yeah, I know A.K. Yearling. She lives in this little cabin out in the middle of nowhere so that she can write in peace. And the truth is, she actually is Daring Do. All her novels really happened!” She sounded completely serious, but I couldn’t help but be skeptical.

“You’re pulling my leg. You have to be! There’s no way those stories are actually real!”

Rainbow looked up at me with her big rose-colored eyes; they were shining with the same excitement with which she talked about anything cool or awesome. “They are! I met her once and even went on an adventure with her! You can ask any of the girls; we all went together! Hay, if it wasn’t for us, she wouldn’t have made it through alive.”

I pondered on that for a few minutes. It wouldn’t be that far removed from Rainbow to make some big claim for the sake of making herself sound cool or even to pull a prank, but she actually sounded sincere. Rainbow loves joking around, but she’s not great at selling a story that didn’t happen. She goes too over the top to be believable. For what it was, the fact that she was being relatively subdued left me pretty inclined to believe her.

“Like I said, you can’t tell anypony, okay? She lives off on her own specifically so ponies don’t bother her and I kinda promised I’d keep her secret. I trust you, though.”

“Alright, I promise. It’s not like I have anypony to tell, anyway. The only ponies I really talk to are you and Scoots. Speaking of, where is she? Is she not joining us tonight?”

“Oh, she had some homework or something to do with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. They were going to go finish it and then she’d be over afterward. Now, mind helping me with my wings?”

I proceeded to wash her wings, thankful for her step by step instructions as I worked. Turns out you don’t have to do anything particularly special. You just have to scrub with the grain so that they don’t get bent or unnecessarily ruffled and then wash the soap out a little more thoroughly than normal so that no residue gets left behind. Usually she would use a special kind of soap that doesn’t leave behind anything, but regular soap is fine every now and then as long as you’re careful.

Once I’d finished rinsing, I decided on a whim to massage her wing joints. I knew they were a particularly sensitive spot as it was, and I figured it would feel pretty good for her while they were tired from her workout. She groaned in pleasure the second my thumbs touched her back. I worked my hands in small circles, digging deep without being too rough and soon felt her tense muscles begin to loosen. Her entire body began to relax against mine, making it more and more difficult to reach her back as I went. Eventually it got too much.

“Hold on,” I said. She shakily leaned up, curious as to what I was doing as I let my butt slide forward. I was nearly lying down in the tub by the time I stopped. I helped Rainbow spin herself around so that she was lying on top of me, stomach to stomach. “There, much better, huh?”

As I asked, I pressed my thumbs hard into her side, immediately under her wing. Whatever response she’d tried for died in a large, shuddering exhale before she fell apart into incoherent murmurs. While I worked her wings began to extend, slowly opening and stretching outward but never becoming fully upright. Probably because her muscles were too relaxed to hold them up that much.

When her pleased cooing began to die down, I instead began running my hands along the rest of her body. From her shoulders to her haunches and back up again. She shivered every time I grazed by her tail and whined every time I didn’t go underneath. I loved teasing her, from the little noises she made to how her body would twitch and shake each time I denied her what she so dearly wanted.

With the silken wetness of her coat pressing into me from above and her twitching tail thrashing between my legs, it wasn’t long before I was nearly as aroused as she was. My length was sandwiched between our bodies; the feeling of her taut stomach rubbing against it was nearly heaven. And despite how much I loved working her up into a lustful frenzy, my plan was backfiring and I was getting close to my limits as well.

“Oh, come on!” Rainbow grunted, lifting herself up from off of me. The loss of her fur against me was disappointing, but I couldn’t complain when it was replaced by the searing heat of her marehood coming to rest upon my length. She gyrated her hips, running her folds up and down me, sending bolts of pleasure up my spine. We both shivered simultaneously.

“We don’t have all day,” she said between gasps for air. “Scoots’ll be here soon. If we’re going to do this we need to get it done. And you are so not leaving me with stiff wings!”

She lifted her rump and began awkwardly trying to line herself up. Realizing it was a pretty strange position for her, I carefully sat back up, using a hand on her back to hold her up and the other to move my member into position for her. I shuddered as my tip brushed her dripping lips. She lunged forward, locking her lips with mine. Her tongue wasted no time in infiltrating my mouth, brushing against and dancing with mine, occasionally taking time to run along the points of my teeth.

We broke apart as she lowered herself down, taking me in inch by inch. She hissed as our hips met, her tail swirling about in the water between my legs. Occasionally the soft hairs would graze my inner thighs, both tickling and teasing me in an agonizing euphoria.

Pausing there to savor the connection of our bodies, we both took a breath. Then her lips found their way to my collar, alternating between quick pecks and small nips as she worked back towards my neck and jaw. Finally our lips reconnected and her hips began moving.

She started by lifting herself almost all the way back off me until only my head was still inside her. Then she let gravity take over and force her back down in an instant.

“Damn!” she gasped. Letting her shivers subside, she lifted up and did it again. The next time she didn’t wait and started building up a jerky rhythm. “Hey… can you do the thing… with your fingers?”

“You mean… this?” I asked playfully, reaching between our bodies and brushing my finger across her clit.

Her hips bucked against me out of rhythm and she let out a cry before biting down on my shoulder. The pain only served to fuel the overwhelming barrage of sensations coursing through me. My other hand was still on her back, and realizing it was missing out on pleasuring the mare on my lap, I dipped it lower.

I brushed the base of her tail, massaging it between my palm and my thumb. Meanwhile, my fingers wrapped around underneath, exploring her dock and the crevasse underneath. She moaned into my neck, though whether from that or the continued attention to her clit I couldn’t tell. She wasn’t telling me to stop, though, so I didn’t.

I did hesitate slightly when I went a bit too low and brushed her tailhole. I was struck with an idea, but I wasn’t sure if I should act on it or not. Rainbow and I hadn’t exactly done anything involving that before, but I couldn’t deny I was interested. I loved every part of Rainbow’s body, and I wanted nothing more than to explore it all.

Tentatively, I circled the outside of the small mound, barely tracing around its edges as though asking if it was okay. Her body tensed in my lap, but she said nothing. After a moment, she lifted her tail higher. Recognizing permission when I saw it, I wasn’t afraid to continue.

The tip of my finger came to rest right in the middle of her tailhole, pressing gently, testing the resistance. She didn’t give way easily, her hole tight and unrelenting. Struck by a sudden good idea, I fished around for the bar of soap that we’d almost completely forgotten about and found it down by my knees. With one corner, I smeared it around until I had a sufficient amount of suds.

Rainbow, for her part, was squirming and grunting with every touch. Her hips were still slowly pumping up and down, letting her take her time and enjoy the feeling.

“I-I’ve… never done that before. Go easy on me, okay?” she mumbled.

“I haven’t either,” I managed, tossing the soap aside and massaging her hole again. “Just really wanted to try it. ‘Specially with you.”

She laughed. “C-can’t blame ya. My tail is pretty awesome! One of the… best around!” I was impressed she was actually capable of bragging while half out of her mind with lust. She was definitely more composed that I was feeling at the moment.

Slowly so as to not hurt her, I slid my finger inside her. I had barely made it past the nail when she let out an audible moan. At the same moment, she slammed her hips down and squirmed side to side, sending bolts of pleasure up my body. I fought not to lose it right there. With the sudden movement, though, I lost track of what I was doing and ended up ramming my finger inside her up to the knuckle. Her ass squeezed around me so tight it almost felt like my finger was losing circulation.

“Ugh! Shit…” she said, letting out a long exhale. “I’m… I’m close! Just a little more…”

I redoubled my efforts, stroking and prodding every inch of her insides that I could reach while my other hand worked faster than ever against her little nub. Her breathing was coming in near-hyperventilating gasps and her hips were swinging wildly, having long lost her measured pace as the pressure built.

Finally, with one last massive slam, she drove herself home upon my length and froze. Her marehood gripped me like a vice, her walls undulating, trying to simultaneously draw me and milk me dry. She let out a moan that reverberated against the bathroom walls, sounding far louder than it probably was.

As she slowly wound down from her blissful high, I was amazed I had managed to hold out and not cum as well. She certainly hadn’t made it easy. And though I was aching for my own release, I waited patiently for her to recover, occupying myself with cleaning off her backside in the meantime. Eventually she managed to sit up and fix me with a tired, if satisfied, grin.

“Damn, I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of those fingers of yours! Dunno how much I liked the tail thing, but I guess it wasn’t so bad.”

“So you wouldn’t mind trying it again sometime?” I asked hopefully. “Maybe trying a few other things like that?”

“Maybe next time. It still feels kinda weird; I think I’ve had enough for one day,” she said.

“Well, alright,” I said. I couldn’t blame her if it wasn’t her favorite. “But would you mind helping me out? I kinda didn’t finish.”

“Aww, you poor guy,” she said, waggling her eyebrows. It amazed me how quickly she could recover her cocky personality after something like that. “Don’t you worry; I’ll take care of ya!”

She lifted herself off me on shaking legs and moved herself down to bring her face-to-head with my member. No sooner had she opened her mouth was there a knock on the door.

“Hey, are you two in there?” called a familiar voice.

“Oh shit, Scootaloo!” we both said.

“Uh… Yeah! Just a second, Squirt!” Rainbow called out. Then she turned to me, her voice dropping to a whisper. “What’re we gonna do?”

“We can’t let her in!” I whispered back.

“Do you want to be the one to tell her you’re okay bathing with me and not her? How is that going to make her feel?”

I hated that she had a point. “But I’m still not wearing anything!”

“Are you guys alive in there?” Scoots called out. “What’s going on? Can I come in?”

“Just one more sec!” Rainbow shouted. “Will, it’s just Scootaloo. Is it really that big of deal that you’re naked?”

“Yes! Not to mention, I still have an erection!”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Stallions get erections in the bath all the time! Hay, she’s probably seen her dad’s! It’s not going to kill her or you. But fine, whatever! You’re going to be the one to explain it to her, though.”

We both groaned in frustration with each other. How could I tell Scoots that I was okay with bathing with Rainbow but not with her? I’d have to tell her that Rainbow and I were sleeping together, but something in me desperately didn’t want to tell her that. And not just because Rainbow didn’t want to either. It wasn’t that I was ashamed of what we have together, as it’s quite the opposite. I was proud of my relationship with her, even if we weren’t a committed couple. I loved spending time with her and I didn’t care who knew it.

Except Scoots, for some reason. I suddenly felt like I was sneaking around as the thought struck me. It was absurd, of course, since Scoots and I were just friends. And I hadn’t even met her until after I started sleeping with Rainbow. But something in me just didn’t feel right about things, regardless.

I shook my head to clear the thoughts away. I didn’t have time to think about it. I needed to decide what to do.

Without telling Scoots about Rainbow and I, anything I told her about humans and the nudity taboo would seem hypocritical. And not explaining it at all would just make her feel like I didn’t like her and trust her as much as Rainbow, which wasn’t true. I couldn’t bring myself to hurt her feelings like that, but I couldn’t just let her see me naked, either. It didn’t really matter that she wouldn’t care, because I would care.

And so, stuck between a rock and a hard place, I needed to find a compromise. The idea that came to me was hardly a great one, but it was the best I could come up with.

“Alright, fine. But on one condition: you have to stay right where you are. No moving at all,” I told her. Where she was at between my legs, if she sat close enough to me then Scootaloo would have to sit on Rainbow’s other side if she wanted to join us. From there, she shouldn’t be able to see any of my lower body. And even if she didn’t want to join us, which I wasn’t expecting to happen, she wouldn’t be able to see anything over the edge of the tub. It wasn’t a perfect plan, but it’d do.

“Okay, I can do that,” she said. Her voice dropped, as did her eyes. When she spoke again, she didn’t sound as frantic as she had, instead taking on a more apologetic tone. “Look, I know you aren’t comfortable with this and I’m sorry. I just can’t have that conversation with her yet. She’s my little sister and I’m supposed to be setting a good example for her, you know? I promise I’ll make this up to you.”

“It’s alright, Rainbow. Don’t worry about it,” I said, trying to reassure her as much as myself.

“Okay, you can come in, Squirt!” Rainbow called out.

My heart was hammering as the door opened and Scoots’s head poked through. I clutched Rainbow a little tighter to me without meaning to, but if either she or Scoots noticed, they didn’t say anything. Actually, Scoots just looked a little concerned.

“You two sure you’re okay?” she asked.

“Yep, we’re just fine,” I said. It came out incredibly high-pitched, something Scoots seemed to notice as she quirked an eyebrow. I coughed to clear my throat before I continued. “So, you finished your homework?”

She looked for a moment like she would press the issue but thought better of it. “Yeah, it was just some chemistry stuff that we didn’t finish in class. Apple Bloom’s great at it though, so it didn’t take very long.”

“That’s great, Squirt!” Rainbow blurted out. “Hey, why don’t you head into the living room and we’ll be out in just a minute?”

“Oh, I was hoping I could rinse off while you already had some water run. It’s been kind of a long day,” she said. “Besides, I really need to wash my mane. Mind helping me out, Rainbow Dash?”

I guessed it was too much to ask that she would just leave without fuss. I bit back a sigh as Rainbow turned to look at me. Wordlessly giving her my permission with a nod, she looked back to Scoots.

“Sure thing, Squirt. Hop in.”

She trotted over and scrambled over the edge of the tub, placing herself on Rainbow’s other side like I thought she would. It didn’t stop me from trying to cover my lap with my hands, though. She paid little attention to me, however, and immediately proceeded to dunk herself under the water. When she came back up, her spikey mane was plastered down to her face and neck and she giggled as she brushed it out of her eyes.

Meanwhile, Rainbow grabbed a bottle of shampoo from a shelf on the wall and, after giving Scoots a thorough noogie-ing, started scrubbing a hoofful into her mane. As she sat the bottle aside, I picked it up and started doing the same for her. I needed something to distract me from how painfully unsatisfied I felt. I knew it was just poor luck that Scoots arrived when she did, but I couldn’t help but curse the fact Rainbow had gotten off and I hadn’t.

Okay, I needed something more.

“So, you have Apple Bloom help you with chemistry homework? Not your favorite subject, I take it?” I asked.

“Hay no! All those abbreviations and prefixes and compound naming conventions! It sucks. A.B.’s great at it, though. She’s been studying potions with Zecora for years now, so she’s picked a lot of stuff up. Me and Sweetie both have to ask her for help.”

“Heh, I never even took chemistry,” Rainbow said. She scrubbed extra hard on Scoots’s head, making her yelp and playfully fight her off. “I dropped out of Flight School before we got that far. So you’re already doing better than I did!”

That caught me by surprise. I’d known she’d dropped out of Flight School, but I figured it had been in her last year or something. I mean, she was the captain of the Ponyville weather team. It may be a small town, but being the boss is still a fairly prestigious position.

“How old were you when you dropped out?” I asked.

Rainbow went silent for a moment. She had a contemplative look on her face while she continued to work her hooves into Scoots’s head.

“Fifteen; as soon as you can legally drop out. I was young and headstrong and thought they were just holding me back. We spent so much time studying all this book stuff when I thought we could be flying, instead. So I left to go my own way. I thought the more time I had to fly, the sooner I’d join the Wonderbolts. Pretty dumb of me, but I didn’t know any better back then.”

“Wow…” Scoots said. “I can’t imagine dropping out like that. I mean, part of me has wanted to before, but I’ve never actually considered it. My dad would kill me if I did. How did your parents not freak?”

“Oh, they did,” Rainbow said, chuckling hollowly. “They were pissed! But they couldn’t technically force me to go back if I didn’t want to, not that they didn’t try. I swear, every time we talked for the next month turned into them trying to convince me to go back. I got so fed up with it that I moved out to Ponyville.”

“I thought you moved to Ponyville because Fluttershy lived here?” Scoots asked.

“Yeah, that was why I moved to Ponyville. I decided to move out because I couldn’t stand my parents nagging me every day. I know now they only did it because they were worried about my future but like I said, I was pretty selfish at the time. I only thought about what I wanted, and not about how my parents might just want what’s best for me.”

She pulled Scoots into a headlock, making her squeak in surprise, and gave her another noogie. When she was done, instead of pulling away she rested her chin on top of Scoots’s head and sighed wistfully. I forgot about washing her mane as she leaned away from me and rinsed my hands off in the water.

“Don’t be like me, okay, Squirt? Finish school and get your diploma at least. You’re too smart to spend your life being any less than the best you can be.”

Despite looking just as confused as I felt about Rainbow’s sudden bout of mushiness, Scoots just leaned into Rainbow’s embrace and nuzzled her neck.

“O-okay, Rainbow Dash. I will,” she mumbled back, hesitantly.

Slowly, Rainbow pulled away, leaving a trail of bubbly suds on her chin. She smiled warmly down at Scoots before clapping her on the back.

“Alright. Yeah, that’s good. Yeah.” She paused to glance around, like she was looking for inspiration. I was a little worried if there was something up with her. Rainbow always wore her emotions on her sleeve, but being so openly compassionate and, dare I say, nurturing was a first. Scoots seemed to agree, if the questioning look she gave her was anything to judge by.

Rainbow cleared her throat. “Alright, yeah. Anyway, one more things, Squirt. Close your eyes.” She barely gave Scoots time to think before she dunked her under the water.

Scoots came back up spluttering and gasping, her legs flailing around as she spat water out. Her mane was once again plastered over her face, dripping but not completely free of suds. She swiped a hoof across her face so she could see and, with a playful growl, lunged at Rainbow and tackled her into the water.

I backed up until I was against the wall as the two mares wrestled and splashed each other in the water. As they burned through that extra energy that all pegasi seem to have, I just sat back and watched. Normally a little playful wrestling with Rainbow would be a ton of fun, but I was still naked and I didn’t want to have that sort of wrestling with Scootaloo involved. Besides, it was fun in its own right just witnessing their joy in being together. It was clear how much they loved each other, and just being able to be present as they expressed that love was… almost touching. Maybe that’s a bit melodramatic, but it was how I felt regardless.

After a while they settled down, coming to rest side-by-side in the middle of the tub, each with a foreleg wrapped around the other’s shoulders. I realized with a start that Rainbow was no longer shielding my body from view and I placed my hands over my lap again before Scoots noticed. Luckily things had… calmed down south.

I told myself it was fine. Like Rainbow said, ponies are used to nudity. There was nothing inappropriate happening and everything was going to be alright. We were all adults simply sharing a bath together. Not what I was used to, but there was nothing wrong with that.

Yes. It was all fine.

Next to me, Scoots was out of breath and still chuckling as she said, “Alright, alright! You win, Rainbow Dash.”

“Of course I won,” Rainbow bragged. “I always win! Now somepony wash my tail, I’m ready to get out. My hooves are starting to wrinkle.”

“You could say please, you know,” I said. I was rewarded with a wet tail being whipped at my chest.

“Yeahyeahyeah, wash my tail, please,” she said.

Sighing, I grabbed the shampoo bottle again and set about it. Rainbow stood with her hindquarters hovering over my lap as I ran my fingers through her tail. She lifted it up to give me easier access, revealing her still-glistening marehood, though I did my best to ignore it. I had to guess I was going to be on a hair-trigger for a few days after missing out on getting off earlier, and I didn’t need to take any chances.

It didn’t help that Scoots asked Rainbow to wash her tail as well. Rainbow had to move to sit on my lap to free her forelegs up and, after Scoots turned and offered her tail, took it between her hooves. I was left with the sight of Scoots with her tail raised and nothing to cover what lied beneath it.

There’s a big difference between getting brief glances at something and then getting a completely unguarded view of it. When ponies walk around with their goods on display save for their tail usually hanging over it, you see your fair share of random strangers’ junk. Everypony. Mares, stallions, even the foals. It didn’t even matter if you tried to look or not because eventually you were going to see it anyway.

But to have it just be suddenly sitting there in front of me? Well, I was taken by surprise enough that I couldn’t stop myself from taking in the details. The first thing I noticed was that Scoots’s marehood was almost identical to Rainbow’s, the only pony’s that I’m particularly familiar with. That may sound obvious since genitals don’t vary a whole lot, but it was still the first thing that went through my mind. Also like Rainbow’s, her coat gave way somewhat to her skin, which was a slightly darker shade of orange.

The last thing I couldn’t help but notice was that she was wet. From the water in the tub, sure, but still…

I didn’t need that image. I didn’t want to be thinking about that for who-knows-how-long.

I felt like a creep as I tore my eyes away and tried to refocus on Rainbow’s tail. Not only was it just rude to Scoots, but it was betraying Rainbow’s trust as well. This was her little sister, and she was expecting me to treat her with respect, not ogle her like a piece of meat! Not to mention it was probably in very poor taste to turn bathing together into something so perverted, especially when it seemed like an entirely platonic pony custom.

Well, at least when it involved family. What Rainbow and I were doing before didn’t count.

Rainbow suddenly whipped her tail, making me jump. “Yo, Will. Mind actually washing my tail? I wasn’t joking about my hooves wrinkling.”

“Uh… right. Sorry, Rainbow,” I said, realizing I had slowed down to doing practically nothing in my musing.

Thankful for the interruption, I was able to mostly focus on the task at hand until I was done without taking any inappropriate glances where my eyes didn’t belong. Without getting distracted like I had, Rainbow had already finished and scrambled out to grab some towels from the cabinet under the sink. She even threw an extra one on the floor to mop up the water she spilled everywhere. She and Scoots helped dry each other off while I got myself. Last thing I needed right then was for either of them to try rubbing me down.

As Rainbow tossed their towels into the hamper, she turned to Scoots. “Hey, why don’t you go pick out a movie or something? After he gets dressed we’ll get something to eat.”

Scootaloo agreed and took off. I tied my towel around my waist as Rainbow and I went back to my room. As I dug clothes out of my dresser, she closed the door behind us.

“Hey, how’re you doing?” she asked.

“I’m fine,” I lied as I pulled my boxers on. I was perfectly okay with not talking about what just happened, but Rainbow didn’t seem to feel the same.

“Come on, I know that had to have been weird for you. I just wanted to make sure you were alright.”

I finished pulling on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt before answering. “No, it’s really okay,” I said, sitting on the edge of my bed with a sigh. She trotted over and reared up to rest her forelegs on my thigh. I scratched behind her ear and she hummed contentedly. “It was pretty weird, but it actually wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. I think it helps that it was Scoots. I don’t think I would have been as comfortable had it been anypony else. She’s my closest friend outside of you.”

She smiled sweetly, practically glowing even through her ruffled mane and matted coat. “I’m glad you two are getting along. It would have sucked if you didn’t like each other.” She stopped to nuzzle my chest. “And I am really sorry we got interrupted. I hate not returning the favor. I promise I’m going to make that up to you!”

I smiled and gave her a hug. “Don’t worry about it, Rainbow. It was just poor timing; you didn’t do it on purpose. But I will take you up on your offer, if you don’t mind.”

She laughed. “That’s cool. Just you wait, I’m gonna come up with the most radical, most amazing, most awesome-est idea ever!”

I couldn’t help but find her bravado infectious. “Well, don’t make it too awesome. I might not be able to one-up you next time!”

“Please, like you could ever one-up me anyway. You’re just not awesome enough.” Her expression softened. “But I guess you’re close enough.”

“Thanks, babe,” I said without thinking. I was worried if that was going a bit too far, but she just quirked an eyebrow and grimaced.

“Yeah, let’s not do pet names. Those’re lame. Anyway, we should probably be getting up front. Scoots is probably wondering what we’re up to.”

I was glad she didn’t seem to have taken it badly. I wasn’t even sure where it had come from. I’d never come close to calling her anything like that before. I mean, who would call their friends that? Even if that friend was a girl that you slept with. After all, it wasn’t like I wanted to be more than that or anything.

Did I…?

Oh, no. I’m stopping that train of thought right there. There is no way I like Rainbow Dash like that, I thought. She was my best friend and that was all. Nothing more.

Besides, even if I wanted more, she didn’t. So it didn’t matter anyway.

“Come on,” Rainbow said, sliding off of me and trotting for the door. “I promised Scoots food and I’m pretty hungry myself. What do you got?”

Together, we headed up for the kitchen where I caught a glimpse of Scoots in the living room looking over my movie collection. Most of them had been gifts or random buys for the sake of having anything to watch so I hadn’t gotten around to seeing a lot of them yet. Whatever she picked would likely be new to me.

Between the two of us, Rainbow and I were able to throw together a fairly simple supper of some leftover spinach casserole I’d tried making the night before and some apple juice since I was all out of cider. After quickly warming it up, we carried it all into the living room, where Scoots was reclining on the couch. She perked up as we entered.

“So, what’re we watching?” I asked as we divvied out the food.

Scoots excitedly held up a case showing an earth pony mare shrouded in shadow while hovering eerily a foot off the ground. “My favorite! Supernatural Activity!”

Rainbow’s wings drooped and she lost some pep in her step. “Oh. That’s… great. Love that one.” A little more sluggishly than she’d been moving before, she crawled up onto the couch next to her sister while I sat on the floor. It was surprisingly comfortable as I leaned back against the couch’s foot between them.

Contrary to Rainbow’s obvious reluctance, I love horror flicks and I hadn’t seen any pony ones yet, so I was pretty excited. Scoots wasted no time in turning it on as soon as we were all settled.

The plot was… well, it was nothing ground-breaking. A newlywed couple was moving into a new house and ghostly stuff started happening. Lights flickering on and off, doors closing on their own; pretty standard fare. The coolest moment was when the mare on the cover left the living room to answer the door only to find nopony there. But when she returned to the living room, she found all of her furniture gone. She stared in disbelief for a moment before, with a giant crash, everything that had been in the room fell from the ceiling. She let out a piercing scream at the same time that a yelp sounded behind me, nearly scaring the crap out of me, too.

I turned to find not Scoots, but Rainbow trembling and biting her hooves, her eyes as wide as saucers. When another scare happened on screen, she lunged forward and wrapped her hooves around my neck.

“Aww, scared of the ghosties, Rainbow?” I asked, reaching to scratch behind her ears. “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you!”

“Shut up, you!” she grumbled. The hostility in her tone was undermined greatly by how much her voice was shaking.

“No, wait,” Scoots cut in. “You love scary stories! Hay, some of your stories were so good they gave me nightmares when I was little! How can this stupid movie scare you?”

“Because it’s different when you can see it! The way stuff just moves with nopony touching it! It’s creepy, alright? That doesn’t make me a scaredy-cat or anything! I’m still one of the bravest, most adventurous ponies around!”

“Aww, don’t worry, Rainbow. Neither of us thinks any less of you, right Scoots?”

“No, of course not! Everypony has something that they’re scared of. Like Will said, we’ll protect you from all those spooky, scary ghosties!”

“Screw both of you!” Rainbow shouted, jumping up and retreating to the corner of the couch where she crossed her forelegs over her chest and pouted.

Scoots and I looked at each other and smiled but in the end we backed off and left Rainbow alone. Instead, we just turned our attention back to the movie. Before long, Rainbow’s grumpiness wore off and she rejoined us in the middle.

The rest of the movie went pretty smoothly barring a few more jumps from Rainbow that Scoots and I pretended not to notice and before we knew it the credits were rolling. After shutting the TV off and putting the movie away, I went to refill everyone’s glasses. While I was in the kitchen, I found myself craving something sweet, so I grabbed a bag of toffees that I’d picked up from a local confectionary. Yeah, Ponyville has its own local confectionary called Bon Bon’s Bon Bons.

What a mouthful.

But with the bag and glasses in tow, I returned to the living room. Seeing what I brought with me, both mares joined me on the floor and soon we were sharing in the sugary goodness. We went around in turns, opening candies and passing them to each other. Rainbow and Scoots made a bit of a game of it, tossing candies up in the air for the other to catch with her mouth. Rainbow was, of course, fantastic at it, but Scoots held her own fair enough. I found myself mostly preparing the candies for them, since fingers make opening wrappers far easier.

As the girls wound down, Rainbow came to rest on her back next to me with her head on my thigh while Scoots was on the opposite side with her head on my knee.

“So, did you guys like the movie?” Scoots asked, bouncing a toffee between her hooves on the floor.

“I loved it,” I said. I unwrapped another candy and offered it to Rainbow, who bit it in half. Shrugging, I ate the other half. “It’s my favorite kind of movie: cheesy horror. The goofier the better in my opinion.”

“Yeah, right?” Scoots beamed. “I loved how you could still see the glow of the unicorn’s magic in some of the effects! Oh! We should watch The Night Mare of Maple Street next! Have you seen it? It’s a classic!”

“Sounds good to me!” I said.

Rainbow groaned. “Can’t we go back to Daring Do?”

Taking pity on her, I reached over to scratch at her exposed belly. She sighed contentedly and squirmed until I got a particular spot on her side before relaxing back.

“Hey Rainbow Dash, can I ask you something?” Scoots suddenly asked. Rainbow stretched to look at her upside down across my lap and nodded. “Is everything… okay?”

Rainbow just looked confused. “Of course it is. Why wouldn’t it be? Wait, is this about the movie? I told you guys, I wasn’t that scared! I just thought it was creepy!”

“No, that’s not what I meant. I was talking about before. In the bath. You’ve never talked like that before; it wasn’t like you. I just wanted to make sure everything was okay.” Scoots’s voice was low and halting as she asked, and her ears were folded back against her head.

Rainbow jolted, turning away from her and staring fixatedly at the ceiling. She cleared her throat and when she spoke, her tone was terse. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Everything’s fine.”

Scoots deflated and looked away. “Oh… okay.”

“No, I was wondering that, too,” I said, drawing both their attention. “Scoots is right. You were… unusually emotional for you. I was going to ask when we had a moment alone, but… Is everything alright?”

This time it was Rainbow’s ears that folded back, and she rolled further until she was facing away from me as well. Scoots’s look of concern likely mirrored my own.

“I said everything was fine, alright?” she barked.

I placed my hand on her shoulder just at the moment Scoots did the same with her hoof. Rainbow jerked, and for a second I thought she would shake us both off, but instead she just relaxed into our touch.

“I’ve just been kind of stressed, I guess,” she mumbled. It was so quiet I almost didn’t hear her.

“About what?” Scoots asked.

“It’s… it’s really nothing you need to worry about, Squirt,” Rainbow said, trying to sound cheerful again but instead just sounding tired. “It’s just stupid adult stuff, anyway. I’ll be fine.”

Scoots narrowed her eyes and scowled. It was the maddest I’d ever seen her, and for a second I thought she was going to start yelling. But then she instead just turned away from Rainbow with a huff and tucked her face under her wing. I recalled our conversation about how she felt when her dad or her friends’ sisters treated her like a little filly and my heart went out to her. I was sure Rainbow hadn’t intended to make her feel like that, but it had clearly upset her regardless.

“Rainbow,” I mumbled, nudging her back. She didn’t react at first, so I did it again, harder. Finally she rolled over to face me and I glanced pointedly at Scoots. “Will you please talk to us? We’re worried about you.”

She looked back and forth between us incredulously before shaking her head. “Look, it’s really not a big deal! I’m just a little nervous about the auditions next week. It’s just pre-game jitters, you know?”

“Then why not talk to us about it?!” Scoots asked, bolting back upright. “What, do you think I can’t understand ‘cuz I’m just a little filly?”

“That’s not it at all! I… just don’t want to talk about it!”

“But…!”

“Alright, come on, ladies,” I said, placing a hand each on their shoulder. “Let’s calm down and take a breath, alright?” I waited to see if either would argue, but neither did. “Okay. Now Scoots, if she doesn’t want to talk about it, forcing her isn’t going to help things. It’ll just make her feel like we’re ganging up on her.”

“But you felt better after we talked!” she said. Rainbow’s ears perked up. I hadn’t told her about my conversation with Scoots, nor had I any intention to anytime soon. Regardless, I pressed on.

“Be that as it may, we still shouldn’t pry. How would you feel if she kept pestering you over something you didn’t want to talk about?”

She rolled her eyes. “Oh, save it. I understand. If she doesn’t want to talk about it, then whatever.”

“Thanks,” Rainbow said, her voice softer than it had been.

“Hold on,” I said. “I also want you to remember, Rainbow: we’re only asking because we care about you and we just want to help.”

“Yeah, I know,” Rainbow mumbled, her ears folded as her gaze fell. Scoots leaned across to bridge the gap and nuzzled her cheek.

“It was pretty nice of you to be looking out for me, I guess,” she said, laughing quietly. “Even though I was already planning on doing what you said anyway. It was just kinda weird. We don’t normally talk about stuff like that. I wouldn’t mind if we did more often, though.”

“Yeah, I’m… not very good at the whole ‘talking about my feelings’ thing, am I?” She sighed and slowly crawled onto my lap. Surprised, I automatically placed a hand on her back to hold her up as she held out a leg to Scoots, who joined her in a tight hug. I couldn’t help but join them. Rainbow continued to hold onto her little sister as she spoke in a low voice.

“It really is just nerves about the auditions. Will, I’ve never told you, but this isn’t the first time I’ve tried out for the team. I’ve had a lot of chances, actually, and I was never good enough. Too young, too headstrong, not enough of a team player, yadda yadda.

“I’ve spent my whole life doing everything I could to train myself to be good enough to join the ‘Bolts. I dropped out of school, missing out on a huge chunk of my education, and for what? To never achieve what I set out to do. Hay, if I’d gotten my diploma, I could be working in Cloudsdale managing the weather across Equestria instead of just in some little country town.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m damn proud of where my life’s gone. I’ve got a bunch of amazing friends, an awesome little sister” –she gave Scoots a loving nuzzle– “and a pretty good job for somepony who never finished school. Actually, a pretty good job for anypony, period.

“But when I think about where I might be if I’d done things differently?” She sighed. “I just don’t want you making the same mistakes I did, Squirt.”

She sniffed and rubbed her eyes. Her voice came out extra-scratchy when she claimed, “I’m not crying, by the way. I just have something in my eyes.”

“Y-yeah, well…” Scoots mumbled, her voice sounding pretty thick as well. “I’d be proud to end up like you, Rainbow Dash. You’re one of the coolest ponies I’ve ever known. You’re going to do awesome at the auditions. And even if you don’t get the spot, you’re still the best flier in Equestria, and it’s their loss if they can’t see it. I can’t think of anyone I’d rather be like.”

“I can,” I said. They both looked up, but neither let go of each other. I moved my hand from around Scoos and placed it on her head. “I’d rather you be like you. You’re pretty awesome, too.” She just beamed and wiped her eyes before nodding.

Rainbow gave a wet laugh and cleared her throat. When she finished, a look of relief had come over her, like a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. And the smile on her face shone like the stars on a crystal clear summer night.

“Oh Celestia, that was too much. We’re getting way too sappy! Let’s turn it down a notch, huh?” She cleared her throat one more time while Scoots and I just laughed. “Hey, how ‘bout we put in another movie? Will, do you have that Night Mare whatever-whatever the Squirt was talking about?”

“I think so…” I said, looking to Scoots for confirmation, who nodded.

“Then let’s put it in!”

I clicked the power button on the remote and placed it on the coffee table, throwing the room into darkness as the TV turned off. During the movie, all three of us had migrated from the floor to the couch, where we all were cuddled up tightly to fit. I was lying along the back, squashed into place with Rainbow along my chest and Scoots along hers. Scoots was already out like a light and had been for the last twenty minutes at least while Rainbow gently stroked her mane.

“She’s a really good filly, you know?” she whispered.

“She’s a really good mare,” I corrected. “She’s growing up, you know.”

She sighed wistfully. “I know. I just forget sometimes.” I couldn’t think of anything to say to that, so I just stayed silent. “Thank you, by the way.”

“For what?” I asked.

“For listening. For using your crazy reverse psychology stuff to get me to talk.” She laughed quietly so as to not wake Scoots. “I know I’m really bad about talking about feelings and stuff. But I’m glad I did. I feel a lot better, now.”

“I’m not sure that exactly counted as reverse psychology, but I’m glad it helped, regardless. You don’t have to try to be perfect around us; you know that, right? You can tell us if you’re nervous or scared or anything. We aren’t going to think less of you.”

“I know, it’s just hard. Even with the girls I’m just not that kind of pony.” She turned to face me, though in the darkness I could barely make out the glint of moonlight against her eyes. “But you know that you can always come to me if you need it, right? Just because I don’t like to talk about my stuff doesn’t mean we can’t talk about yours, okay? So if you ever need to talk, you just let me know, alright?”

“Yeah, I know you’ve always got my back, Rainbow,” I said. I punctuated it by burying my face in her mane and kissing the top of her head. “Just try and remember I’ve got yours, too.”

I couldn’t see it in the darkness, but I could feel her smile. “I will. I promise.”

And there, in the quiet dark of my living room, cuddling on the couch with the two mares that mean more to me that anypony else in the world, she kissed me. It wasn’t hungry, it wasn’t lustful; it was just a simple pressing of her lips to mine. But in it there was a passion and caring that I’d never felt from her before.

When we broke apart, there were neither fireworks nor any breathless gasps as we tried to recover. Instead, we simply exchanged goodnights and allowed ourselves to be lulled to sleep by the rhythm of our hearts and the sounds of our tranquil breathing.

By the time I woke in the morning, I for some reason wasn’t surprised to find Rainbow and Scoots both exactly where they had been the night before. Scoots was still wrapped protectively in her sister’s forelegs, her own hindlegs kicking occasionally as she dreamed some faraway dream. And despite the stiffness in my shoulders from sleeping scrunched up on the couch all night and the rumbling in my stomach demanding breakfast, I realized I’d never felt so in place in all my life. Nothing had ever felt so right as it did to wake up next to Rainbow and Scoots, my two best friends.

No, that wasn’t enough. Whatever they were to me now, ‘best friend’ didn’t come close to describing how important they’d become over such a few short weeks. As I looked over them both, only one thing came to mind. Just three little words I whispered aloud before my brain had a chance to wrap around them and muddle it by over-thinking.

“I love you.”

Author's Note

Fun bit of trivia for this chapter: I went through about four different versions, each one ranging from about 2k-5k words before realizing it wasn't working and having to start over. The problem was I knew what I wanted to accomplish, but couldn't figure out a good way to make it there, so I came up with three or four different scenes that I'll probably never use before realizing I needed to just cut to the chase and get to what needed to happen.

In short, plan out where you're going to go before you start writing, kids. Not after. Save yourself the headache.

Chapter 9

To say I panicked after that was like saying the sun is a little warm.

The second what I’d said registered in my head, it felt like a rock dropped into my stomach. I bolted upright, at least as much as I could do with my arm trapped under both of their heads, and looked them both over as my thoughts ran wild.

Why did I say that? I don’t have feelings for either of them. Rainbow is my best friend. My bro! …who I occasionally sleep with, sure, but that doesn’t mean I love her! And I can’t love Scoots. I mean, it’s Scoots for fuck’s sake! Rainbow would kill me for even thinking about it!

I just… love them as dear friends, right?

Scoots chose that exact moment to give a whimper. She scrunched her eyes up and gave a little kick of her hindlegs, like she was having a nightmare and trying to run away. It happened again, and this time Rainbow let out a groan and wrapped her forelegs tighter around her. Scoots instantly calmed back down as Rainbow settled around her. I found myself smiling at the sight. My hand was halfway to brushing the mane from Rainbow’s face when I stopped.

Oh god, I’m in trouble.

I needed to get out. I had to go do… something, anything to clear my head. As gently as I could, I slid my arm out from underneath them, shaking it to subside the numbness and got up. After getting dressed, I left a note telling them I had to run out and that I’d be back soon and took off.

I barely paid any heed to the early morning sun as I walked the streets of Ponyville and even less to where I was going. I just picked turns at random, letting my legs wander while my mind was lost in a flurry of thoughts.

My surroundings only asserted themselves on my conscious mind once again when I sat down. To my surprise, I found myself on the little hill that Carrot Top’s house sat on, leaning against the tree that overlooked her farm as well as Sweet Apple Acres and the majority of town. With the beautiful view, it made a perfect spot to zone out and think, which at the moment was exactly what I needed. I wondered what Carrot Top would think of me being on her property without her knowledge, but in the end I didn’t leave. I needed somewhere to be for a while, and I was sure she’d forgive me.

So, Rainbow and Scoots. My two, and really only, best friends. Where should I even start?

I couldn’t –I couldn’t– have feelings for Scoots. Yes, she was fun to be around; yes, I always felt comfortable talking to her; yes, I think she’s awesome and exciting and she makes me feel good, but I couldn’t love her. She’s too young for me. What would other ponies think? What would Rainbow think? Sneaking around with her sister –her little sister– I would be betraying her and the trust she has in me! Once she’d finished killing me, Scoots’s dad would find some way to bring me back to life so he could kill me, too.

And having feelings for Rainbow was hardly a better alternative. She’d already made it clear that she wasn’t interested in dating me. Trying to push the issue would just drive her away, wouldn’t it? At the very least we’d have to stop seeing each other, but what if she wanted to stop hanging out altogether? The very idea sent a wave of ice through my veins.

No, I needed Rainbow in my life. But that didn’t mean I loved her, did it?

“I love Rainbow Dash,” I said. An annoying flock of butterflies started flapping in my stomach before I even got to her name. I shook my head to clear them out.

“I love Scoot–”

The sound of a door slamming made me jump nearly out of my skin. Carrot Top came trotting down from the front porch before turning in my direction. As she approached, I noticed her bushy mane looked like it hadn’t been brushed, leaving her with a serious case of bedhead. I waved as she stopped in front of me.

“I’m not paying you to sit around and look pretty,” she said, scanning me with narrowed eyes.

“It’s Saturday. You aren’t paying me anyway.”

“Damn right I’m not.” She searched me up and down. “So what are you doing on my land?”

“Sorry. I just needed somewhere to think for a while and stopped here. I kinda thought you’d still be in bed.”

“So you were trying to sneak around?”

I looked up to her, ready to apologize when I saw she sported a small grin. I wondered if it strained her face to show so much emotion at once. But then it disappeared and her bored frown was back as she trudged over to me and sat by my side.

“So, I was thinking next week we’d be working in the south field,” she said. Together, we glanced toward the field in question. From my amateur estimation, it did look like it was about ready for picking. “I’ll probably get started on it this weekend, though. ‘Bout… three or so tomorrow afternoon they’ll be ready.”

“You can guess down to the hour?”

She turned to me with a half-grin, squinting in the sun. “Wouldn’t you love to know?”

I shouldn’t have expected a straight answer out of her. Even worse, I wasn’t sure if she was actually pulling my leg or not. When it came to ponies and the weird stuff they could do with their magic, very little surprised me anymore.

“Do you like strawberries?” she suddenly asked.

“Uh… They’re okay, I guess,” I said.

“I was thinking about growing some. It’s a little late to start them, and they’re annoying to grow out of season, but I bet I could pull it off. I’ve never done it before, but Writty really likes them.”

“That’s… great,” I said. I wasn’t really sure why she was telling me this. “I guess that’s as good a’ reason to grow them as any. I didn’t think it was possible to grow things out of season, though. I thought you needed certain amounts of sun and temperatures, or something.”

“Maybe for some namby-pamby unicorn or airheaded pegasus,” she scoffed. “They don’t know how to feel the soil under their own hooves. They can’t breathe life into it and get it to yield when it shouldn’t. Even Writty, the poor fool…” She trailed off, looking wistfully towards the house. “He’s always walking around with his head in the clouds. Maybe he has some pegasus in his family somewhere. He has no mind for growing things. I can do it, though. So I will.”

“Nice of you to do that for him.”

She shrugged. “The happier he is, the less he nags me. Oh, and the more sex he gives me. That’s always nice.”

I could only roll my eyes at her incorrigible attitude. Every time I talk to her, I can’t tell if we’re having a genuine moment or if she’s just messing with me. It’s infuriating, and yet every time she… yup, she gives me that wry little grin right on cue and I can’t hold it against her.

The sound of the house’s front door opening drew our attention. Written Script came ambling out, a tray loaded with breakfast balanced precariously on his back while his green magic helped hold it in place. He was wrapped in a light purple bathrobe with a fuzzy collar and matching slippers. His mane was in a similarly disheveled state to match his wife’s.

“Good morning, Will!” he said jovially as he approached. He lifted the tray off his back and placed it on the ground before taking a seat on Carrot Top’s other side. “Care to join us for breakfast? I made plenty!”

Sure enough, a third plate fit to spill over with hash browns, scrambled eggs and toast lay on the tray, and I took it happily. There was also a steaming coffee pot as well as an extra mug. I thanked him for it all, and before long we were all eating.

“Oh!” Written Script suddenly said through a mouthful of hash browns. Swallowing, he looked to Carrot Top. “Did you tell him the good news?” She just shrugged and he sighed exasperatedly. Turning to me, he said, “We’re going to be having a foal!”

He was practically glowing with pride and shaking with excitement as he said it. It was like Princess Celestia herself had come down from the heavens to tell him that he’d won the lottery; that’s how happy he looked. And I couldn’t help but feel happy for them.

“Aww guys, that’s amazing! Congratulations! How far along are you? Do you know if it’s a filly or a colt yet?”

“Almost five months! And no, we’re going to let the gender be a surprise. We don’t really care about that, do we, sweetie?” he practically sang, leaning over to nuzzle Carrot Top. To my amazement, and I swear I’m not messing with you, she was actually blushing. Her attention was still focused on her plate and otherwise she betrayed no emotion, but she couldn’t hide the cherry-red on her cheeks.

“That’s really great, guys. I’m really happy for you!” I said. I really meant it. I just had a feeling they were going to be awesome parents. “Have you been trying for long or…?”

“Always trying to pry into our sex life,” Carrot Top said over her coffee mug. She waggled her eyebrows suggestively. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were interested in joining us.”

“Yeah, you wish,” I said at the same time Written Script said, “Sweetie, please…”

“What?” she asked, looking at her husband. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had two stallions double-teaming me. Don’t tell me you haven’t missed it, too.”

“Sweetie! Now is not the time!” Written Script exclaimed, aghast.

“Oh, he’s obviously fine, Writty! He can take a little teasing!”

“You know that’s not what I meant,” he mumbled, rubbing his brow. But my mind was elsewhere.

“What do you mean? Of course, I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?” I asked.

“Uh… well, you see…” Written Script stuttered nervously. Carrot Top just sighed.

“This worrywart over here saw you moping under the tree and assumed something was wrong. I told him you were fine, but you know how he is; he made me come out here to check on you.”

“Sweetie, you were the one that wanted to have breakfast outside this morning,” Written Script said, glaring at her. His expression softened. “But I suppose that’s not important. As long as you’re okay, that’s what matters. It’s just that it’s not every day we wake up to find someone sitting in our yard.”

Wow, putting it like that made me realize how creepy it was. “Sorry. I needed somewhere to think for a bit and kinda just… found myself here. Didn’t mean to worry you.”

“Anything you’d like to talk about? We’re quite good listeners! Of course, I’d understand if you didn’t. We are just your bosses…”

“Technically, I’m his boss,” Carrot Top interrupted.

“The point is that just because you’re our employee doesn’t mean we don’t consider you our friend. If we can help, we’d like to.”

Once confronted, I’d expected all that panic from earlier to come flooding back. But it didn’t. Somewhere between discussions of strawberries, breakfast and babies, I had actually calmed down quite a bit. Yeah, I was still worried, but it didn’t seem like the end of the world anymore. Maybe it was the distraction, maybe it was Written Script’s earnest kindness, or maybe it was even Carrot Top’s teasing. I couldn’t tell, but whatever it was, it had me actually feeling a little better.

“Just some relationship troubles. I had a realization this morning that I might have feelings for not one, but two of my friends. I don’t know; I haven’t really figured it out yet. I don’t know if I just really like their friendship or if I want something more or… Well, even if I did, it doesn’t matter. One isn’t interested, and the other… I can’t have a relationship with her.”

“Why couldn’t you?” Written Script asked.

“Well, she’s… kind of my best friend’s little sister. Even if she were okay with that… Well, she’s quite a bit younger than me. I don’t know if I’m even okay with the idea of having feelings for her, let alone a relationship.”

Looking back, that may have not been the best way to word things. Any pony other than those two might not have taken it quite so well. Written Script was the only one of them to even react, and to his credit, he looked more cautious than morally enraged. So, that was a plus.

“When you say, ‘younger than you,’ how old exactly are we talking…?” he asked slowly.

“She’ll be eighteen in… two months, I think?” I said.

He let out a massive sigh of relief, smiling as he wiped his brow. “Oh, okay. When you said young, I’ll admit you had me somewhat worried!”

“You don’t think it’s wrong?” I asked.

“Of course not! She’s practically an adult; she can make her own decisions about who she wants to be with. It’s not like another two months is going to suddenly make her more mature or capable of handling a relationship. If the two of you want to be together, then that’s all that matters.”

“That’s hardly all that matters,” Carrot Top cut in. She was idly inspecting a hoof as she mused aloud. “First there’s the fact that she is still underage. Morality aside, it’s still illegal. At the very least you should wait the two months before making your move. And that’s not even getting into what other ponies will think. What do you think everypony in town will say? What will her family say? What would Rainbow Dash think?”

I had to admit that she had a point. While I wasn’t exactly ostracized from town, I wasn’t a pillar of the community. If rumor got around town that I was into foals or something, it would destroy what little trust they have in me. Just the thought of ponies thinking that about me made me sick to my stomach. And of course, Flip would kill me, as would…

“Wait. Who said anything about Rainbow Dash?” I asked, trying to hide the sudden unease I felt. I was fairly certain Carrot Top wasn’t psychic, but who knows with her.

“She’s the only pony you ever talk about while we work. It’s kind of annoying, actually. So when you say you have feelings for a friend, it can only be her. Which means the sister you’re talking about is Scootaloo.”

“Oh, she’s a charming young mare,” Written Script said. “I remember when she and her little friends used to cause such havoc in town. What did they call themselves…? Right, the Cutie Mark Crusaders. They were such darling fillies.”

“They weren’t so darling when they ruined an entire crop from my south field trying to get pyrotechnics marks,” Carrot Top groused.

Written Script leaned in to lovingly nuzzle her. “Oh, sweetie. It was an honest mistake. Nopony could have known that rogue firework would fly halfway across town! And we only lost one field’s profits. We recovered.”

Carrot Top just gave a noncommittal grunt. Written Script’s expression fell as he turned back to me, though.

“She does make a point, I’m afraid. If you decide you have feelings for her and want to act on them, you’d have to keep all that in mind. You said you may also have feelings for her sister?”

“Yeah,” I said, looking down. “Rainbow was one of the first ponies that gave me a chance. From the very beginning, she treated me just like she did any pony. And I like being with her. Every time we’re apart, all I can think about is what we’re going to do next time we’re together… Or about that dumb smirk she’s always wearing; the one that says she thinks she’s the coolest person in the world and you know it. And then when we’re alone and she actually lets her guard down a little…” I realized I was rambling and blushed.

“Well, those sound like feelings if I’ve ever heard them,” Written Script said, leaning over to smile warmly at me.

“Celestia, he sounds just like you when we first started dating,” Carrot Top grumbled, rolling her eyes. “Will, tell me you’re not going to start writing her poetry. Please!”

Written Script looked like she’d slapped him in the face. “I thought you liked my poetry…”

“They were sappy nonsense! ‘Your eyes smolder like emeralds in a forge,’ or ‘even the Dawn’s light pales before your golden radiance.’ It was quite overdone.”

His head drooped like his whole world had been shattered. But then he looked back up at her in confusion. “Wait… I wrote that for you nearly thirteen years ago. You still have it memorized?”

She pointedly ignored him and turned to me. “So what are you going to do?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I have to figure out what I want before I can do anything else. Then once I get my shit in order, I’ll have to talk to them. Find out what they want and go from there.”

“Not much of a plan,” Carrot Top said.

“But probably the sensible thing to do,” Written Script said. “Worrying over flights of romance and displays of affection will do little good if they don’t return his feelings. And even if they don’t, I’m sure if they’re half as good of friends as you say they are then things will work out.”

“Does that actually work? Do things really go back to normal between friends after something like that happens?” Carrot Top asked him.

“I like to think so. Love, even the love between friends, will always win out in the end,” he said. I could tell by the look on her face that Carrot Top shared my skepticism at his idealistic outlook. In the end, though, I didn’t argue. Maybe I didn’t want to be rude after they were both being so nice to me, or maybe I just really wanted to believe that he was right. I don’t know.

“Next week is when you’re taking off to go to Cloudsdale, right?” he suddenly asked.

“Yeah. Rainbow, Scoots and I are all heading up to her parents’ place Friday night. The auditions are on Saturday, but we’re going to stay the whole weekend. Give Rainbow some time with her parents and maybe do some sightseeing.”

“Ugh. An entire city up in the sky,” Carrot Top said, shuddering.

“I think it sounds like fun,” Written Script said. “And it will give you plenty of time to spend with them. Maybe help you figure things out. Good luck, Will. Let us know if there's anything we can do, okay?”

Carrot Top murmured something indecipherable that I decided to take as agreement and gave them my thanks. We started packing away the remains of our breakfast and Written Script left to take them back inside. Carrot Top and I both stood, but we didn’t seem to want to leave yet and remained standing side-by-side, staring out over Ponyville.

“Sounds like you got a big weekend coming up,” she mused. “Better not screw it up. I’m not giving you time off work if you go and get your heart broken.”

I laughed at her deadpan delivery. “Alright. I’ll try to keep that in mind while I’m trying to keep my life from blowing up in my face.”

“Good.”

A moment of silence passed. She huffed impatiently and pawed at the ground but made no move to leave and I was enjoying the company too much to either.

“Carrot Top, congratulations about the foal. Are you excited?” I asked.

“Pffft. Am I excited to squeeze a six-to-ten pound crying, poop-factory out of my vagina? What do you think?”

I smiled. “You’re going to be a great mom, Carrot Top.”

“Whatever,” she said, shrugging. “Writty’s going to be doing the parenting. Speaking of, he’s going to be worrying all weekend about how things are going for you now. You better be ready to tell him all about it on Monday.”

“Sorry to worry him. But thanks for the warning. I sure hope he doesn’t make you listen to all the details, afterwards. I’d hate to bore you,” I said.

“Oh, don’t worry, he will. He’s an incorrigible gossip, you know.”

“I’ll try to make sure something interesting happens, then. How does that sound?”

She pursed her lips and hummed in thought. Finally she shrugged. “That’ll do, I suppose.” Then, without another word she turned and trotted off after her husband.

“Later, Carrot Top,” I called out and she waved over her shoulder before disappearing inside.

As I made my way back towards town, I thought it all over. Things had definitely gotten complicated between Rainbow, Scoots and myself. I couldn’t believe that I’d said ‘I love you’ for nothing. But that still didn’t answer the question of ‘who.’ And however much I didn’t want it to be true, I knew it was because I’d said it to both of them.

They were both fun. They made me feel good to be around. And I knew I could rely on either of them for anything. If I were in trouble or depressed or anything, there was no one else I would turn to before either of them. What more could I want than someone who made me happy and would support me?

Though, did that mean I wanted a relationship with either of them? Talking to Rainbow about her emotions was like pulling teeth. Would we have to fight like we did last night every time we needed to talk about something important? And what if she made it onto the Wonderbolts? Would we be walking right into a long-distance relationship?

As for Scoots… Well, part of me still wondered if she was ready for an adult relationship. Yeah, she was fairly mature for someone her age. She’d been far more understanding and comforting than I’d expected when we talked about Sarah. But I didn’t know if she had the world-experience necessary for a long-term relationship. I didn’t even know what she wanted to do after she got out of school. Would she be ready to settle down anytime soon? Get married? Start a family?

And by the time she was ready for something like that, would she still even want to be with me?

I had to stop myself there. It was really a moot point since I wasn’t even sure if I wanted that yet. I did want a family eventually, but it’s not like I was ready to run out and adopt tomorrow.

I should probably worry about dating before long-term commitment.

But how was I supposed to pick between them? It’s not like I could just turn off my feelings for one of them so that I could see the other. Nor did I particularly like the idea of seeing both of them, even assuming they would be okay with something like that. I don’t want to be bouncing back and forth between two different relationships. I wanted something that could last; something that I could maybe one day build a life around.

So I hadn’t come to any concrete answers, but that didn’t surprise me. If it were going to be that easy, I doubt I would have freaked out in the first place. At least I wasn’t panicking anymore. And I had plenty of time to take it slow and think things over. Maybe Written Script would prove right and the time away in Cloudsdale would be just what I needed. If nothing else, I could at least worry about everything after we got back.

I decided to stop by Sugarcube Corner before I went home to pick up some doughnuts and coffee. I probably had two hungry mares waiting for me, anyway. As I made my way home, I was left with a most peculiar thought that just wouldn’t leave me alone.

I had the strangest urge to plant some strawberries.

Chapter 10

“Okay… okay… Let’s see here. I’ve got my uniform, flight goggles, train ticket…”

And there she went freaking out again. I had just gotten her calmed down ten minutes ago.

“…bits for the trip, the Squirt’s train ticket…” she kept rambling.

“Rainbow,” I said.

“You have your ticket, right?!” she blurted, looking up at me in a panic.

“Yes, Rainbow. Now would you please–”

“Oh, good!” She breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay… Tank’s with Fluttershy… I think I have everything then. Wait! Did Scootaloo make sure her dad knew where she was going to be this weekend?! If she didn’t tell him we’re taking her to Cloudsdale, he might think we foalnapped her!”

“Rainbow!” I shouted, grabbing her cheeks and forcing her to look at me. Her eyes widened as she went silent. “Yes. He knows where she’s going to be. Yes, you have everything packed. We’ve been over it all three times now. Everything’s going to be fine. You’re going to go be awesome and show the Wonderbolts everything you can do and they’re going to be blown away that they haven’t recruited you before now.”

She took a long, deep breath to steady herself. “You’re right. I just have to go be myself. They’ll never know what hit ‘em. I can do this!” She took one more deep breath before smiling. “Okay… Thanks, Will.”

“Anytime, dork,” I said, releasing her face and tousling her mane. She scowled playfully as she fixed it back into its windswept state. Together, we leaned back against the fence surrounding the Ponyville schoolyard.

The schoolhouse in Ponyville is one of those one-room type affairs, where foals of different ages all learned together or something. It was a warm cherry-red, welcoming and cozy in appearance along with its pitched roof and decorated gables. A small bell tower perched upon its top while a flagpole stood proud in the yard.

I couldn’t wrap my mind around how such a school worked. I grew up with twenty or more students in a single class and I couldn’t imagine one teacher trying to wrangle high schoolers alongside elementary kids. But however they did things it apparently worked since that’s how they’ve been doing it for generations.

Rainbow and I had been waiting for nearly ten minutes because somepony had been so anxious to make sure everything was together that she’d dragged us out of my house half an hour earlier than we should have. I’d talked her into swinging by Sugarcube Corner for some muffins, of which we’d saved a few for Scoots, but even that had still left us standing around outside the school.

Thankfully for Rainbow’s nerves we didn’t have to wait much longer. The front door burst open and a sea of foals surged out. Several of them looked to be about Scoots’s age though just as many were noticeably younger, too. I only vaguely recognized some of them from about town, until three very familiar young mares came out towards the end.

Scoots was flanked on either side by her two other mares about her age. I knew one of them as Sweetie Belle, Rarity’s little sister. She was white-coated as well, though her curly-bob of a mane was swirled with pastel purple and pink, the latter of which matched the heart-shaped musical note of her cutie mark.

The other mare was one I knew far less. I think I’d seen her the one time I’d tried to help out on Applejack’s farm, leading me to believe they were sisters as well. She was a butter-yellow earth pony with a five-petal apple blossom for a cutie mark. Like Applejack, her mane was long and pulled into a loose ponytail, though hers was apple-red and tied with a pink bow at the end.

They were talking about something amongst themselves until Scoots spotted us and she lit up in excitement. She nudged her friends before hurriedly bounding over and skidding to a stop before us.

“Hey, Will! Hey, Rainbow!” she said. She turned to look at her friends who were both coming over at a more normal pace. “AB, Sweetie, this is Will.”

“Nice ta meet’cha!” Apple Bloom said, offering a hoof. As I returned the bump, I thought her accent was a dead ringer for her siblings’, if perhaps a bit less pronounced.

“We’ve already met. Nice to see you again, Will,” Sweetie said. She delicately offered a hoof, which I gently shook instead. She was a lady like her big sister, after all. At least, that’s what she tells me. I wasn’t quite sure I believed her yet.

Another round of hellos was exchanged to Rainbow before Scoots started bouncing in place. “Are we ready to go?! I can’t wait to see Cloudsdale again!”

“We’ve noticed,” Apple Bloom said dully. “It’s all you’ve talked about for the last month.”

“Well, not all she’s talked about…” Sweetie Belle said, leaning towards Apple Bloom and smiling knowingly.

Apple Bloom laughed like it was some sort of in-joke between them. “Heh, ain’t that the truth.”

“What are you girls talking about?” Scoots asked, glancing nervously between the two. “What have I been talking about?”

“Not exactly a something…” Apple Bloom said under her breath.

“Don’t you worry about it, Scootaloo,” Sweetie Belle cooed, sidling up to Scoots and nuzzling her. “We just want to tease you a little bit before you go and have fun without us all weekend.”

“Wait,” Rainbow cut in, “I thought Rarity and AJ said you were both coming up with them on Saturday?”

“We are,” Sweetie Belle said. “But we’ll have to come back right after the auditions with everypony else. Rarity says she needs my help with some orders.”

“And Ah have chores,” Apple Bloom said.

“So Scootaloo’s going to get to see the city without us! But that’s okay,” Sweetie Belle said. She turned back to Scootaloo and smiled. “You just worry about having fun with Rainbow Dash… and Will.”

The way she’d said my name left me feeling like the butt of a joke I didn’t get. Rainbow and Scoots looked as confused as I felt, though the latter wore a small blush as well. Undaunted, Sweetie Belle strolled away from her, letting her tail drag along Scoots’s side before stopping next to Apple Bloom and leaning against her. Apple Bloom rolled her eyes but didn’t pull away.

“Uh… yeah, I will, Sweetie. Thanks…” Scoots mumbled.

“Anytime!” she chirped, giving a bright, toothy smile. “We’ll see you tomorrow, Scoots!” She turned to leave with Apple Bloom soon following in her wake.

“See ya later, Scoots!” Apple Bloom called back.

“That was… different,” I said. I’d never seen Sweetie Belle act quite like that. Normally she was like a less uptight version of her sister. Kind, caring and classy, yet reserved a somewhat more respective of personal boundaries than most ponies. “What was up with Sweetie Belle?”

“Huh…?” Scoots asked blankly before clearing her head with a shake. “Oh, she’s always being touchy-feely like that around me and AB. Spike, too, of course. It’s just how she is. She normally doesn’t do stuff like that with ponies she doesn’t know very well, though, so you probably wouldn’t have seen her like that.”

Well, if she said so I guessed I could take her word for it. She was right, at least; I didn’t know Sweetie Belle very well, so that’s fair enough. Everyone acts a little different with their friends than with strangers.

Still, something about the whole thing left a sour taste in my mouth. Like all along she knew something I hadn’t. I didn’t get long to think about it, however, as Rainbow soon reminded us that we had somewhere to be and hurried us along to the station.

Ponyville’s train station was a small affair with only a single platform. It usually only saw freighters passing through from Baltimare or Manehattan in the east to Las Pegasus on the west or vice versa since Ponvyille was conveniently in the center of Equestria. Passenger trains were much less frequent, so it was lucky one was coming through today that we could take, otherwise getting me up in the clouds would have been significantly more difficult.

It dawned on me that I had no idea how we were actually going to get to Cloudsdale. I knew we were taking a train, but I couldn’t see one going up into the clouds. Unless the rails were made of clouds, but then how did the train stay on them? Was it enchanted like the necklace Prin¬– er… Twilight had given me? And that just brought back another latent worry I had.

The idea of entrusting my safety to a single necklace, even knowing how powerful of unicorn Twilight was, terrifying. One little scrap of silver and crystal would be the only thing preventing me from plummeting to a swift and brief reunion with the ground. But she had assured me that it would last for no less than a week, and as long as I wore it I could walk on the clouds as well as any pegasus. Rainbow promised too that many places in Cloudsdale were permanently enchanted as well, specifically to help non-pegasi tourists get around but it did little to make me feel better.

In just a few short hours, I would be standing on clouds. Pure water vapor.

I was roughly somewhere between exhilaration of being the first human to ever do something and pissing my pants in fear.

But that was neither here nor there as I was going anyway. No force on earth… or Equestria, I suppose, could keep me from seeing a city in the sky. And so I decided to focus on more practical things as Rainbow led us to a bench we could sit on while we waited.

“So Rainbow, I was wondering,” I started as I sat down and wheeled my suitcase in front of me. “How exactly are we getting up to Cloudsdale? I can’t see an entire train going up into the sky.”

The ludicrous image at least got her to smile through her jitters. “Nah, the train will stop at a station under the city. There’s a shuttle service that can carry ground-bounders up. Squirt and I took it the first time I brought her there.”

“They’re pretty cool!” Scoots said excitedly. “They have these big roofless carriages that they just fly straight up to the lower level of the city. And on the way up, there are all these rainbow falls spilling off the clouds, and sometimes they’ll fly through them if you ask nicely! Do you think they will this time, Rainbow Dash?”

“Will better hope they don’t, unless he wants all of his clothes dyed!” Rainbow sniggered. The idea of all my clothes getting tie-dyed made me dearly wish I’d packed a coat. Or a poncho.

I need a poncho. For some reason that strikes me as a good thing to own if I plan to continue spending significant amounts of time with Rainbow. The likelihood of her following me around with a raincloud was too high to not have one.

We continued chatting about this and that until our train finally arrived. Then, once the conductor starting calling the ‘all aboard,’ we got on and found ourselves an empty compartment.

The ride itself was pretty uneventful. Rainbow mostly spent her time staring out the window, all the while fidgeting uncomfortably in her seat, leaving Scoots and I to talk amongst ourselves to pass the time. The trip only took about an hour and a half before we were pulling into the Cloudsdale Shuttle Station, the conductor called it.

The station wasn’t a huge affair. After getting off the platform, we were facing a large warehouse with a smaller office-looking building to the side. Other than that, there was nothing to see for miles around besides the terraced city of Canterlot on the side of its mountain to the east. It was the closest I’d been back to it since I’d left there all that while ago.

Cloudsdale was right above us, though from the ground it didn’t look like much. Just one gargantuan white cloud that seemed to take up the entire sky. But like Scoots had said, rainbows were spilling off the sides or in gaps of the cloud like waterfalls all over the place. They dissipated long before they reached us on the ground, but it made for a beautiful sight nonetheless. Each one looked like something you could actually reach out and touch, however crazy that sounds. Like they were made of liquid instead of light.

A tugging on my pants leg brought me back to reality, only for me to see Rainbow halfway to the office building. Scoots relinquished her grip on me and together we followed her inside.

Inside was a moderately well-furnished office. The walls were covered with the sort of bland beige wallpaper you see in such professional environments that don’t want to accidently offend someone by being interesting, though much of it was hidden behind several filing cabinets, some of which were so stuffed that papers were sticking out between the gaps in the drawers. A few plastic potted plants sat on top, complimenting the bland landscape painting of a lakeside above them.

Two large desks took up the majority of the floor space, both laden with a myriad of papers and folders to the point of being a disaster zone, though only one of which was occupied. Its resident was a middle-aged pearl-pink pegasus mare. Her indigo and muted green mane was done up in a sloppy bun, held in place by a single chopstick as she looked up at us over the top of her horn-rimmed glasses. To my surprise, she gave little more than a raised eyebrow at me.

“Good afternoon,” she drawled. “Shuttle for three? Do you have your pass?”

“Oh, yeah!” Rainbow said, digging through her saddlebags until she found it and gave it over. The mare glanced it over before making a note in a ledger on her desk and passed it back.

“Alright, we’ll have one ready for you in just a moment. Someone will meet you outside.” No sooner had she finished than her attention was already back to her ledger. Rainbow hesitated a moment before shrugging and leading us back outside.

“She was kinda rude,” Scoots said once the door had closed behind us.

“I would be too if all I did was paperwork all day,” Rainbow said, shuddering.

I was about to disagree, since that didn’t seem like the worst job in the world to me, but found myself unable to do so. Only a few years back, I did a lot of customer service work to help pay the bills during college, much of which was simply answering the phone and doing paperwork. And it hadn’t been that bad. At least, for customer service. But now, I don’t know if I could do it anymore. I’d gotten used to working outside every day, and while it was tiring most of the time… okay, all the time, it was still nice to feel the sun and wind on my face while I worked.

What was I going to do when I went home?

…

Okay, I couldn’t think about that.

I let myself be distracted by Scoots humming some song I couldn’t recognize until the sound of metal grating together came from behind us. We turned to see one of the large garage doors on the warehouse raise up, revealing what must have been the shuttle.

Like Scoots had said, it looked like a large roofless carriage with four horizontal posts jutting out where there should have been wheels. It was made of wood, by the looks of it, and painted a dark blue with gold trimming. To each post, a pegasus was strapped in place with a leather harness that wrapped about their chest and torsos, carefully weaving around their wings to leave them unhindered. They trotted forward in unison, drawing along the carriage as though it weighed no more than a feather.

They stopped before us, and the pegasus closest to us, a mare, nodded. She, along with the others, cast a wary gaze my way, but said nothing. That was a little closer to the reaction I’d been expecting. The citizens of Ponyville may be used to seeing me around, but nopony else in Equestria was. I could only imagine the scene I might make in Cloudsdale.

I hoped I wouldn’t embarrass Rainbow or Scoots.

Undaunted or unnoticing of the mare’s hesitation, Rainbow led us to the carriage’s side, pulling open a door to allow herself easier access inside. The entire thing barely came up above my waist, so getting inside wasn’t difficult.

Unfortunately, the seats inside weren’t designed to fit someone my size, and I ended up having to sit on the floor. At least the seats were cushioned, and so I could lean against them comfortably. Even from where I was, I could just see over the side if I sat up straight.

With a sudden start that made the entire carriage shudder and made me wish that I had a seatbelt, the pegasi took off, pulling us straight up into the air. Scoots leaned over the side like a dog out a car window, anxiously looking across the slowly falling world. Watching the ground get smaller and smaller frighteningly fast made me feel rather faint, making me decide to keep my eyes fixed on the inside of the carriage. Unconsciously, I started fingering the necklace under my shirt.

As we neared the cloud layer, a pair of hooves suddenly wrapped across my eyes, throwing the world into darkness.

“Come on,” Rainbow said as I started to fight her off, causing me to hold up. “It has to be a surprise. You’re going to love it, I promise!”

“She did it to me, too, the first time I came up,” Scoots said. “It’ll be worth it.”

Against my better judgment, I decided to trust the two. After only a few more moments, I felt the carriage’s momentum slow until we finally came to a stop. Rainbow then spun me around until I was facing the right direction for what she wanted me to see.

“Alright… now,” she said, removing her hooves from my face.

Before me, Canterlot’s mountain stood monolithic, piercing the sky on the horizon. Canterlot itself looked like a model, a child’s plaything left out after bedtime. I could see for miles and miles, Ponyville and the surrounding towns barely more than mottled dots of color on endless plains of green. Rivers cut across the land like blue ribbons on velvet. Even the smattering of other clouds below me were barely more than cotton balls in my eyes. The very majesty threatened to steal my breath away.

It would have been the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen, had it not made me so dizzy.

I clenched my eyes and rubbed my temples, willing the nausea in my stomach to settle. I had never been particularly afraid of heights growing up, and yet now I couldn’t shake the feeling I was about to throw up. Wouldn’t that just be the way to commemorate this event?

I wonder if Neil Armstrong felt like this?

“Hey, you okay?” Scoots asked, propping her forehooves up on my lap.

“I’m not sure clouds agree with me,” I choked out.

“How ‘bout this?” Rainbow asked, turning my head again. It did little to help my stomach, but what she wanted me to look at actually did.

She had turned me to look away from the cloud edge and towards the city proper. It was… amazing. Buildings, taller than any I had seen anywhere else, even in Canterlot, lined the narrow streets as far as the eye could see. Each floor of them had their own balcony, and many had signs or lights around the outside to differentiate it from everything around them.

The most remarkable thing was that everything that should have been made of metal or concrete was just cloud. Puffy, white and sometimes blue clouds everywhere.

The city was broken up into floating islands, terraced around and over each other in a giant cluster that I could only see a small portion of from where we stood. Little colored dots flitted to and fro between level and building and terrace in a swarm of activity that reminded me of a beehive with its simple complexity.

Cloudsdale was huge. Far bigger than I was used to, even back on earth. And I felt remarkably small.

“I think he likes it, Rainbow Dash,” Scoots said smugly.

“Totally,” Rainbow replied, and I heard the sound of hooves bumping.

Nearby, someone cleared their throat. We all turned to look at the mare attached to the front of the carriage.

“I’m sorry, but we need to be getting back to the ground,” she said.

Feeling remarkably embarrassed at how much of a tourist I must have looked like, I stood on shaky legs and let Rainbow and Scoots climb out first. They settled down on the cloud below like it was nothing, but I couldn’t help but hesitate. I still trusted Twilight’s enchanted necklace to work, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t still weirded out.

Steeling myself, I closed my eyes and stepped out into the air. I suffered a half-second of panic until my foot collided quite solidly with something that held my weight easily. Stepping the rest of the way out, I opened my eyes to find myself successfully standing on the clouds.

I hadn’t known going into it what it would feel like. Clouds don’t have a solid form, so would they be as soft and squishy as a water bed? Or would it be like standing on a cotton ball? Somewhat giving, but firmer than you’d imagine just by looking at it?

It turned out to be a lot like standing on a mattress. It had some give; enough that my shoes sunk an inch or so into it, but it was firm enough that I felt walking on it wouldn’t be difficult in the slightest. In fact, I bounced my weight back and forth between my feet to test it. It was odd, but not to the point it would make getting around hard.

While I was getting acquainted with the new floor, Rainbow dragged my suitcase out of the carriage and brought it over to me. I took the handle and, hesitantly, took a step forward. When I didn’t immediately plummet through the floor, my overwhelming anxiety began to calm somewhat.

“Yo, Will! You coming or not?” Rainbow called. She and Scoots had both taken to the air and were hovering several feet ahead of me. Desperately forcing myself to not think about falling to my death, I put one foot in front of the other and followed after them.

Rainbow and Scoots led me down one ‘street,’ for lack of better word, after another. In truth, they weren’t so much streets as they were small gaps between buildings. Each one was about as wide as a two-lane highway would have been back home, though there were no carts or wagons or any such thing moving along them. In fact, we seemed to be the only people taking the ground paths. The roads were practically deserted, but that’s only because everypony was flying around over our heads.

The lower levels of the buildings didn’t even seem to have anything to attract people inside. There were no signs, no billboards, almost nothing to signify what building had what inside. Instead, all that seemed to be located three to four stories above us, and I had to crane my neck to see any of it.

No wonder there were so few non-pegasi living here. This city was not designed with them in mind. I wondered if a non-flyer even could live comfortably up here.

I just had to dig my camera out of my suitcase as we made our way through the city. There were just so many sights that I couldn’t possibly pass up! The swirling mass of colors in the city’s populace as everypony made their way about their days, the tower cloud skyscrapers, the occasional river of rainbows…

Yeah, rivers of rainbows! They just flow through grooves in the town like water! I have no idea why, they just do! It’s amazing!

There was even one point where we had to cross between terraces. Rainbow explained we were in the business district, and the next level up was the residential district where her parents lived. Just as I wondered how we were going to get up there, we turned onto another block and a giant cloud bridge came into view.

It looked like an old stone bridge, the sort you’d see out in rural Europe or something. Real old-timey thing. Except, you know, it was made of fluffy white clouds and curved up about twenty feet to a higher terrace of the city. Even the hand railings as we made our way up were barely solid and wisps burst away as I ran my hands along them.

As we made our way into the residential district, there was a marked change in the architecture of the city. Whereas everything had been towering and blocky, full of hard edges and straight lines, here they couldn’t be more different. The buildings, which were all obviously houses, were stacked maybe two or three high at most with soft lines, swooping curves and a lot more flair and decoration. Circular windows, asymmetric designs, and Corinthian columns were everywhere. As well, almost every residence had a yard, and many had the usual upper-middle class suburban trappings, like children’s toys, basketball hoops or swing sets. It was exactly like any suburb I had seen on Earth.

Except, a little more pretentious. I mean, Corinthian columns, really?

After about twenty minutes of walking through various neighborhoods, Rainbow turned into the yard of a particular two story home. In the yard was what looked like a several year old swing set with two foals scampering about on and around it. They looked a little younger than the Cake’s twins, so I figured they must have been around five or six at most. One, a dark blue filly, gasped when she saw us –or more specifically, me– and her eyes went as wide as dinner plates. The other, a pale pink colt, looked up at the noise, and though a look of abject fear came over him, he moved to stand in between us and the filly. Though a part of me was angry that they just assumed I was something to be afraid of, the bigger part of me couldn’t blame them. They were just kids, and I was a big weird thing they’d never seen before. I just felt bad that I scared them.

In an effort to not make things worse, I tried to pay them no heed, but Rainbow didn’t seem to think the same. She scowled darkly at them, causing them both to jump and flee for the house. Even as they slammed the door behind them, Rainbow still had a nasty glare on her face and she huffed as she stalked towards the side of the house. I managed to catch Scoots’s eye as we made to follow, and she offered me a sad smile.

“Rainbow Dash, that wasn’t very nice,” she said, shaking her head.

“They weren’t very nice!” Rainbow barked back.

“Rainbow, they were just little foals,” I said diplomatically. “Is that something you want to be? Someone who scares little kids that don’t know any better?”

She whirled around to face me, her ears drooping. She looked more cowed than I’d intended, but at least my point seemed to have been made. “That’s…!” She sighed. “You’re right. That was a jerk thing to do. It just pisses me off when ponies treat you different just because of how you look.”

I still didn’t think it justified her response to them, but I wasn’t going to push the issue anymore and upset her further. Instead, I stayed quiet as she took us around the corner, where what looked like a fire escape led up to the second story. She and Scoots flew straight to the top, leaving me to climb the stairs on my own. While doing so, it dawned on me that it wasn’t a fire escape, it was just a way to get to the second level without flying, likely for non-pegasi visitors or for foals that hadn’t learned to fly yet. I also realized that with two different homes stacked on top of each other, they both had to share one yard. I don’t know if I’d be okay with doing that. At least they didn’t have to decide who would mow the lawn, I guess.

The stairs led onto what was basically an elevated porch. I followed it around to the front where Rainbow and Scoots were waiting before the door. Rainbow didn’t hesitate a moment before throwing it open and heading inside with Scoots right behind her.

I followed them both into a comfortable-looking living room. Everything was still constructed of clouds in shades of white and blue, but that was more than compensated for with a myriad of decorations around the room bringing it color. Some fake fruit in a bowl on the coffee table, a dark green couch –seemingly made of wood and upholstery like any other– and a number of what looked like sports pennant flags pinned to the walls.

The most notable feature of the room, though, was directly across from the door, almost like it was specifically placed there to be the first thing you saw when you walked in. A curio cabinet almost as tall as myself housed a number of trophies, medals, plaques and photographs, very little of which I could make out from so far away. Each shelf had a small lightbulb, providing illumination to the treasures stored within.

As Rainbow and Scoots shucked off their saddlebags by the couch, I took a step closer to the cabinet to get a better look. The vast majority of the awards inside seemed to be Wonderbolts related; a trophy for first place at the Wonderbolts Derby here, a medal for Exemplary Conduct from the Wonderbolts Academy there, all of which were given to somepony named Firefly. Several were accompanied by photographs of a young mare I guessed was around Rainbow’s age, though she had a vivid pink coat and a light blue mane.

Several shelves in the middle, however, were devoted to Rainbow instead. There was a hoofball trophy from the Cloudsdale Elementary Whirlwinds, a 1st place medal for the Summer Flight Camp Sprint along with a few others. Along with them were several pictures of a young Rainbow, whose tiny, scrawny form looked even spunkier than she did now. She wore a huge, toothy grin in each one, and I couldn’t get over how cute she was! With her spiky, unbrushed mane and big rose-colored eyes. I could just hear the squeak of her voice cracking with every other excited word.

Most interestingly, however, were a number of framed newspaper articles along with Rainbow’s things. I recognized a few of them as reports of some of the adventures they’d gone on, like the Nightmare Moon incident where they recovered the Elements of Harmony, or the return of the Crystal Empire. There was even one about the Sonic Rainboom she’d performed at Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadance’s wedding.

The whole thing was like a memorial to the two mares and everything they’d accomplished over the years.

“Impressive, isn’t it?” a voice said to my left.

In the doorway leading into a hall stood a stallion that could only be Rainbow’s dad. They had the exact same rainbow-patterned mane even if his was shorter and better groomed, and even their coat color was similar. His was only a few shades more purple than Rainbow’s blue.

Only their eyes were different. Whereas Rainbow’s were sharp and rose-colored, his were rounder and yellow-gold. He also had a number of grey hairs finding their way into his mane and tail, and even a few around his chin. It did little to mar his fairly good looks; if anything, it just made him look more distinguished.

His resemblance to Rainbow was really uncanny. It might have weirded me out had he not had this… presence about him. There was a kindness in his eyes that just put you at ease. It’s that same feeling you get around your mom; that no matter what happens, you just feel like you’re going to be okay.

“Dad!” Rainbow cheered, darting over to pull her father into a bone-crushing hug.

“Hey, Dashie. It’s good to see you!” he said. Then he threw one of his forelegs wide. “And why isn’t my other daughter over here? C’mon, Scootaloo; join us!”

Scoots rolled her eyes but grinned. “Sure thing, pops.”

I began to feel the slightest bit uncomfortable, standing awkwardly aside while they hugged. Like I was intruding on a family moment and not at all because I was standing before the father of the woman I was sleeping with, not to mention was kind of-sort of-maybe wanting a relationship with. No, that wasn’t a factor at all.

The jolt that went through my stomach when they broke apart and he turned his attention to me did little to help my point. But he smiled disarmingly and offered a hoof which I shook.

“You must be the friend Dashie mentioned in her letter. The name’s Prism Bolt. Always a pleasure to meet one of her friends!” he said.

“Yeah, my name’s Will. It’s nice to meet you, too,” I said. Be polite and act normal, I thought. “I appreciate you letting me stay this weekend, Mr. Bolt.”

He snorted and waved a hoof at me. “Please, no need for that! Any friend of Dashie’s is always welcome here. And just Prism will be fine.”

At least he seemed fairly approachable. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad, provided her mom was the same. “Sure thing, Prism.”

“Great!” he said, grinning. “Well, make yourselves at home. I’ll have some dinner ready soon. No doubt these two scraps of skin and bones are about starving!”

“You know it, Dad!” Rainbow said.

“It has been too long since I’ve had some of your cooking, Pops. My dad has nothing on you,” Scoots said.

“Well, Firefly was never any use in the kitchen, bless her. And Dashie was quite the fussy eater when she was younger, so I had to learn quite a bit over the years,” he said, throwing a smug glance at Rainbow, who looked away with a pout on her face.

“Was not,” she grumbled.

“Whatever you say, dear,” he said, turning back towards the hall. “Why don’t you all take your things up to Dashie’s room and I’ll see what I can do to move supper along?”

“Sounds good!” Rainbow said. She took to the air and followed her dad to the hall. Whereas he turned right into a kitchen, she took us left and down to the end of the hall where there was a door on either side. She opened the one on the left and led us inside.

Her room was… a teenager’s room through and through. Posters plastered every inch of the walls, the vast majority of which were of course of the Wonderbolts, though there were a number of rock bands as well. There were also some sports team memorabilia, including pennants and signed photographs, of the Cloudsdale Hurricanes, what looked to be a baseball team.

There were a couple of shelves on one wall that held a number of odds and ends, mostly Wonderbolt figurines, cds, and what looked like sports trading cards.

Mixed in with all that were several photographs of a young Rainbow, with all her fiery attitude in display on each. In many of them she was accompanied by others, like her dad or that pink mare I’d seen in the curio cabinet up front, whom I assumed must have been her mom. In most of them, though, she was with friends, like Fluttershy or filly I recognized as the mailmare in Ponyville. I didn’t know her name, but the slightly crossed golden eyes were unmistakable. I didn’t even know she and Rainbow were friends.

There was also a young griffin chick in several others. I’d heard a little about Gilda, an ex-friend that Rainbow used to be particularly close to. Before she’d moved to Ponyville and met Twilight and became an Element of Harmony, Gilda had been her closest friend in the world. But then they’d had some sort of falling out, the specifics of which Rainbow had never really gone into and they broke things off. The most she’d ever said was that Gilda had insulted her new friends and refused to make amends.

Rainbow didn’t seem to regret losing Gilda as a friend, but the fact that she still had all those pictures hung up made me wonder. Then again, she could have just never come back to remove them.

“So, I was thinking,” Rainbow said, tossing her saddlebags onto the bed. Soon, Scoots’s joined hers. “Squirt, would you mind joining me on the couch so Will can have the bed? I don’t think it’s long enough for him to stretch out on.”

“Sure, I don’t mind.”

“Now, wait a second,” I said. Sure, the couch might have been a bit small, but I wasn’t about to make them both sleep on it. “It makes more sense for one person to take the couch. I’ll be fine out there.”

“Fine. This is my house so I say you get the bed,” Rainbow said.

“Technically it’s your parents’ house, so unless they say otherwise, I’ll sleep where I want! I’ll take the couch!”

“Ugh, will you two grow up?” Scoots interrupted. We both turned to see her staring at us all sardonic-like. “We’ll share the bed. There’s more than enough room for all three of us.”

Rainbow and I exchanged a brief glance. Likely she was thinking the same thing I was. Us crashing on the couch together was one thing, but a bed was something else entirely. It implied different things.

Wait, was I over-thinking? It was just sleeping next to each other. Nothing was going to happen.

I wanted to slap myself; I never used to worry like this before.

“You’d be okay with that?” Rainbow asked Scoots.

“Sure, why not?” Scoots asked in return. “We sleep together on Will’s couch all the time.”

I really wished she hadn’t worded it like that, even if it was true. It brought to mind images of Rainbow and Scoots… together which, given my rather confused feelings at the moment, was not something I needed to be thinking about.

“Eh, fair enough,” Rainbow said. “That okay with you, too, Will?”

Sleeping in a bed next to each other was functionally the same as doing so on a couch, I suppose. And they both seemed fine with it, so…

“Fine with me,” I said.

“Cool. Now that that’s settled, let’s go hurry Dad along! I’m starving!” Rainbow said, licking her lips. With one flap of her wings, she darted out the door fast enough to leave a rainbow trail in her wake. Used to such occurrences, Scoots and I both laughed and followed her.

In the kitchen, Prism was standing before the oven, peering inside through the glass window on the front while Rainbow hovered in the air over him. The smell of onion and garlic hung heavy in the air mixed with several other smells that I couldn’t quite identify to create a delicious aroma that set my mouth to watering.

“Yes, Dashie, I’m making your favorite,” Prism said teasingly, rolling his eyes at her.

“Yes!” she cheered, pumping a hoof in the air. “I’ll make the table!”

Scoots and I fell in beside her, setting plates and utensils out as she brought them over.

“Should we set an extra place for Mom? Is she here?” Scoots asked.

“Would you?” Prism asked. “She’s coming home early tonight, so she should be here before too long.”

Once we had everything set up Rainbow, Scoots and I all sat down at their small table and soon enough, a timer was going off signaling food was done. Prism opened the oven and reached inside with a sort of oven mitt meant to be held in the mouth and pulled out a simmering pan of what looked like whole tomatoes. The amazing smell only got stronger as he sat it down in the middle of the table.

“Ever had yemista, Will?” he asked.

“Can’t say I have. Smell’s fantastic, though! What’s in it?” I asked.

“Why thank you! The outsides are hollowed-out tomatoes, while the insides are stuffed with rice, onions, garlic, parmesan cheese and chopped pine nuts. Also some parsley and spearmint for flavor. It’s an old family recipe.”

“Passed down from the times of the old pegasi clans, right?” Rainbow asked.

“Sure was! Like I said, it’s an old family recipe,” he said.

“Well, should we wait for Mom?” Scoots asked.

“Oh, no,” Prism said. “She said she would be home early, but there’s no telling when she’ll actually get here. We should eat while it’s hot.”

Dinner, it turns out, is a remarkably informal affair at Rainbow’s house. Everyone just sort of digs in and helps themselves to whatever they want, which is understandable seeing as how Prism’s food was every bit as delicious as it smelled and then some. If they ate like that every day, I’d be eager to fight for my fair share, too. Talk and laughter is abound as they ask about each other’s day and whatever they’ve been up to lately. And despite everyone sitting together at the table, maintaining the best table manners isn’t required. But maybe I should have expected that from the family that raised Rainbow. Loud burps, elbows on the table, fighting over who gets a particular tomato regardless of the fact there’s plenty more; you name it, they do it. Well, Prism mostly sits back and watches in amusement, but even he isn’t completely immune.

Shown when he soundly beat the other two for who could burp the longest, at nearly eight full seconds.

At least I suddenly felt much more at home.

In between bouts of uncouthness, Prism and I talked a little, getting to know one another. I told him a little about working with Carrot Top and Rarity, the latter of whom he already knew, and in return he told me about his work at the Cloudsdale weather factory. In one building, they manufactured all the clouds used throughout all of Equestria. Like Rainbow, he was a manager and spent most of his time coordinating the ponies working under him. Together, they lamented all the paperwork they had to do.

We were probably a little over halfway through our meal when I heard the sound of the front door opening. A mare I recognized from the photographs in the curio cabinet soon joined us in the kitchen, though there were a few differences between how she looked in them and now.

She was noticeably older, though I couldn’t say how old for sure. She wore a dark blue military jacket with a number of badges on the front and a Wonderbolts logo pin on her collar and a white dress shirt underneath. There were slight bags under her eyes that spoke of long-term strain and not missing one night of sleep, and her mane and coat didn’t seem quite as vibrant as they used to. Despite that, her familiar shade of rose-colored eyes burned with a determination and energy that also reminded me of a certain other pegasus.

Her wings were hanging listlessly from her sides as she came in, but once she saw Rainbow some life came back into her.

“Dashie!” she cried, cantering over and pulling her daughter into a hug. Before she pulled away, she gave Rainbow a fierce noogie that had her struggling to get away.

“Aw, Mom! Cut it out!”

“So happy to see you, too, dear,” the mare deadpanned. Smiling again, she repeated the entire gesture to Scoots and kissed Prism before taking the empty seat next to him.

“I’m Firefly, Dashie’s mother,” she said to me as she filled her plate with food. “Nice to finally meet you, William.”

“Oh, well,” I said, somewhat surprised. “Nice to meet you, too, ma’am. I wasn’t aware Rainbow had told you much about me.”

“Oh, she didn’t,” Firefly said, eyes on her plate. “Dashie wouldn’t know how to write and tell her poor old parents what’s going on or how she’s doing if her life depended on it.”

“Sorry, Mom,” Rainbow said, in a tone that reeked of having had that conversation before.

“But then… how do you know me?” I asked.

“Princess Celestia sent out a briefing about you when you first arrived, detailing your name, physical description and the basics of your circumstances,” she stated matter-of-factly.

That was news to me. I wasn’t under the impression my appearance had been announced in any way. Not that I thought she was trying to keep my presence a secret, but I didn’t think she wanted to make a big deal about it.

“I thought Rainbow said you were an instructor at the Academy? Princess Celestia briefed the Wonderbolts?” I asked.

“Well, of course she did! Why wouldn’t she?” Firefly asked, her brow wrinkling in irritation. “She briefed the whole military about you. Why wouldn’t she tell us, too?”

“Mom, he probably doesn’t know the Wonderbolts are part of the military,” Scoots said.

I couldn’t believe that. The way Rainbow had always described them, I thought they were more like a sports team than an army outfit. “I never knew that. But I still wonder, why did the Princess need to tell the whole military about me?”

“Celestia doesn’t think he’s dangerous or something, does she?” Scoots asked indignantly. “Will doesn’t have a dangerous bone in his body!”

Deciding to take that as a compliment instead of an attack to my machismo, I couldn’t help but feel somewhat disappointed anyway. The one time I’d talked with Princess Celestia, she’d seemed a completely sincere and magnanimous individual. And it was partially by her grace that I was being allowed to live in Equestria as a citizen instead of a prisoner. I had technically been an illegal alien when I was teleported here, after all. Thankfully my fears were soon eliminated.

“No, of course she doesn’t! Do you think Princess Celestia would allow something she thought was dangerous to live amongst the population freely?” Firefly asked, her pointed tone making Scoots grin apologetically. “She briefed us for his benefit more than anything.”

“I don’t get it. How does that help him?” Rainbow asked. I had to admit, I wasn’t following either.

Firefly sighed. “Imagine this. You’re walking down the street in Ponyville and you see some strange creature you’ve never seen before in town. It’s a lot bigger than you and you have no idea if it’s just an animal or a monster or what have you. What would you do?”

“I’d go get Twilight and have her tell me what it is! Then kick it’s butt if it’s dangerous!” Rainbow barked back confidently.

Firefly dropped her fork mid-bite to rub the bridge of her nose. “And what if you weren’t best friends with a Princess or magical prodigy?”

Rainbow made to say something, likely another boast about her bravery or butt-kicking capabilities, but Scoots cut her off. “You’d call the guard.”

“Exactly,” Firefly said, pointing her fork at Scoots. “And what if the guard didn’t know what the creature was either? They’d have to assume it was dangerous until they could ascertain what it is. And would you want to deal with fully-trained soldiers that think you may be dangerous?” She asked the question to me, specifically.

“Hell, no. I’m scared of Rainbow enough when she gets pissed. I’ll definitely not tangle with the guys with armor, thank you very much.”

Firefly nodded, turning back to her plate. “That’s what I thought. This way, if somepony freaks and calls the guards on you, they at least know about you and won’t jump to conclusions.”

I was fairly blown away. I had always been rather thankful to the Princesses, but it seemed like they were doing even more for me than I had realized. I also felt like quite the selfish prick. I hadn’t even talked to Celestia since I arrived here. Maybe I should send her a letter. Just a little one to say my thanks or something. Spike would probably send it for me.

“Well, that was perhaps a somewhat… heavier topic than I would prefer during our first dinner together,” Prism said. “How was your day, Lightning Bug?”

“Long,” Firefly mumbled through a mouthful of stuffed tomato. “Spitfire had to take off to get things ready for the auditions tomorrow so I had to take over a few of her drills and classes. And I have a mess of paperwork to do before Monday. But that can wait until later. It’s not every day Mommy gets to see her foals! And we have so much to catch up on! How’s school been, dear?” She reached across the table to ruffle Scoots’s mane.

“Pretty good,” Scoots said. “I think I’m actually going to pass Chemistry with something better than a ‘D’ this semester! Apple Bloom’s been giving me and Sweetie a lot of help.”

“We didn’t even have Chemistry in high school when I was your age,” Prism said, shaking his head. “Though I did take it as my college science credit. I’ll admit it came rather naturally to me; science was always my best subject. Too bad it wasn’t the same for my lab partner.”

“Don’t remind me,” Firefly groused.

“You two were lab partners?” I asked.

Prism smiled, leaning over to nuzzle his wife. “That’s how we met. She asked me out once she saw how big my brain was.”

Firefly returned his loving look with a sarcastic smirk. “Oh, don’t flatter yourself. Even back then I thought your intellect left a little to be desired.”

His expression was unaffected by her words, but his tone became deadpan. “Oh, Lightning Butt, you always know how to make a stallion feel special.”

“Get a room, guys; geez!” Rainbow snickered.

A look of deep thought came over Firefly as she tapped her chin. “You know, we haven’t used the bedroom in a while! Good idea, Dashie!”

“What have you been using?” Rainbow asked, eyeing the table hesitantly.

“What haven’t we?” Firefly giggled.

“Too much information!” Scoots shouted, gagging.

After a round of laughter at Scoots’s expense, the conversation soon turned back to more mundane matters, including a recap of a lot of what I’d told Prism earlier. I quickly found that Firefly was a lot like Rainbow, rough and somewhat abrasive on the outside, but actually really caring and laid-back on the inside. By the time everyone had eaten their fill, I couldn’t believe that I was ever intimidated by the idea of meeting them. We stayed sitting around talking for a while, until Firefly noticed the sun had set through the window and stood.

“Well, I’d better get this cleaned up. I want to knock out some work before bed,” she said.

“Here, let me help,” I offered, stacking up my plate with Rainbow’s and Scoots’s before Prism took them from me.

“No, I’ll help. You all must be tired after your trip. Why don’t you have a nice, hot bath? Relax a while!” he said. I made to argue, but he held up a hoof. “I insist!”

“Not one to turn down hospitality, I agreed and excused myself to get some pyjamas –which mostly consisted of a plain t-shirt and boxers– out of my suitcase and headed for the bathroom where I met Scoots.

“Mind if I join you?” she asked. I felt a brief moment of reluctance before remembering that it had gone just fine last time. I gave her my okay and she turned to look at Rainbow, who was looking out the window in the living room. “You coming, too, Rainbow Dash?”

A flick of her ear was the only indication she even heard the invitation for a few seconds. Finally she tore her gaze away and shook her head. “Nah, I think I’m going to go out for a quick night flight. I don’t want to go all day without getting some practice in.”

Scoots’s face fell. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, you two go on ahead. I’ll be back in a bit. Don’t wait up,” she said, and before either of us could say a word, she was out the door. Scoots’s worried eyes followed her forlornly.

“Something’s wrong. You think we should talk to her when she gets back?” she asked.

I frowned in thought. “It’s probably just her nerves again. I’ll talk to her when she gets back.”

“We’ll talk to her,” she corrected. I smiled and ruffled her mane, causing her to growl playfully and nip at my hand.

“Fine, together.”

After that, Scoots triumphantly led the way into a reasonably-sized bathroom. Everything was a bit smaller than the minotaur-sized facilities I had in my cottage, but not too small that it would be unusable. The bathtub in particular would barely fit all three of us if either Rainbow or Scoots sat on my lap, so it was actually pretty lucky Rainbow wasn’t there. I may have been somewhat more adjusted to being naked around Scoots, but I wasn’t ready to have her on my lap like that. I don’t know if I could handle it without things getting… awkward, if you catch my drift.

Speaking of, the bath actually was fairly normal. It was still a little weird being unclothed around Scoots, and there was still a part of me that expected guards to burst in at any moment to arrest me, but it wasn’t as bad as the first time. We took turns washing each other’s hair/mane and tail, though Scoots had to stand on her hindlegs to reach the top of my head, and even then I still had to bow down a little. Getting her tail was the hardest part, since it put my hands and attention far closer to a part of her I wanted to ignore, but even then it was over before I knew it. And if Scoots noticed anything amiss, she didn’t acknowledge it. Hell, by the end, I almost felt like we were just sitting around on my couch shooting the shit.

I even let her help dry me off, though she could only reach my lower legs when I stood up. I returned the favor by wrapping her up in her towel like a burrito and tickling her until she was gasping for breath.

After I’d gotten dressed, we reconvened on the couch, surprised to find that Rainbow was still gone. We bumped into Prism and Firefly on the way, who bid us a good night, leaving us on our own while we waited for Rainbow to return.

It was about half an hour before the door opened and she came inside, the tips of her wings shivering from the cold night air. She stopped in shock when she saw us on the couch.

“I thought I told you not to wait up…” she mumbled.

“We decided not to listen,” Scoots said, flashing a shit-eating grin. Rainbow scoffed in mock exaggeration before trudging over and settling between us. Even with inches between us, I could feel how cold she was and I wrapped my arm around her to help warm her up. On her other side, Scoots moved closer.

“Thanks,” Rainbow said. We sat in silence until her shivers began to subside, at which she let out a great sigh. “Let me guess, you both want to talk about what’s wrong, because you’re worried about me, huh?” she asked mockingly but without any real conviction.

“Are we that obvious?” I asked. She laughed in return.

“As subtle as a lightning bolt to the flank,” she said. She looked down to the couch and began rubbing her hooves across it, brushing the fabric against the grain and back. “It’s just nerves about tomorrow.”

“Anything you want to talk about?” I asked.

“Don’t think there’s much to say,” she said sullenly. “Tomorrow will be the sixth official audition I’ve had. And this is the first time that I don’t feel like I’m ready.”

“Not ready? But you’re as good as you’ve ever been!” Scoots said.

“Yeah and that’s never been good enough!” Rainbow barked. When Scoots flinched away, her expression softened. “I’m sorry. I’m just tired of getting my hopes up and being disappointed. I’m…” Her voice became a little hoarser. “I’m twenty-seven. I only have a few years of my prime left! What if… what if I don’t make it?”

“Rainbow, you have plenty of time left before you’re past your prime! Twenty-seven is not that old!” I said.

“Most Wonderbolts retire or are switched out by the time their thirty-six! Hay, Spitfire’s the longest-running captain in almost a century, and she’s only thirty-six! Even if I get in this time, I may only have a few years on the team.”

“But isn’t a few years on the team better than none?” Scoots asked hopefully, nudging Rainbow’s shoulder with her muzzle.

“If I even get a few years…” Rainbow mumbled.

“Rainbow, you’re going to do great,” I said, giving her a little shake. “You’re going to go out there and show them how amazing you are. And they’re going to love you, I know it!”

“Hay yeah, they are!” Scoots cheered. Rainbow gave a half-smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“And even if they don’t,” I said, scratching behind her ears, “we still think you’re the coolest pony ever, don’t we, Scoots?”

“Yeah!” she agreed. “And there’ll always be more chances! It’s like you always told me when you were teaching me to fly: ‘You can’t give up just because things get hard! You’ll never get what you want if you don’t fight for it!’”

For a moment, Rainbow’s gaze became distant, like she was looking at the world of her memories instead of the one in front of her. I let her have a moment, hoping she could snap herself out of the funk she was in, until she suddenly started speaking, so low I almost couldn’t hear her. And even then, I couldn’t tell if she was talking to us or to herself.

“But what if what you want…” she started before trailing off. She closed her eyes and sighed before giving us a small smile. “No, it doesn’t matter. You guys are right. I know, I just need to keep doing even better than last time.”

“And don’t forget, you’ll have us cheering you on this time!” Scoots added.

“Me, Scoots, all your friends from Ponyville; we all believe in you, Rainbow,” I said, pulling her close and resting my chin on top of her head. “As long as you get out there and do your best, we’ll all be proud of you; no matter how it goes.”

A blue wing snaked its way across my back just as another one pulled Scoots closer, too. Rainbow chuckled weakly. “Yeah, thanks guys.”

“Anytime,” I said. “What are friends for, right?” Scoots nodded her agreement next to me.

“Are you sure you’re okay, though?” she asked. “I kinda wasn’t expecting you to give in that easily.”

“Would you rather me keep arguing?” Rainbow asked. The grin she shot Scoots had regained some of her arrogant charm. “I guess I just don’t see the point. You guys always seem to win in the end.”

“Well, we’re not wrong. You’re gonna do great,” I said. Scoots showed her agreement by offering me a hoofbump.

“Yeah, I’ll do my best,” Rainbow said. With seemingly nothing more to say on the matter, we sat in silence for a few moments before her hesitant voice popped up again. “Hey Will, you mind if I ask you something? While we’re talking about… you know, more serious stuff?”

“Of course you can. What’s on your mind?”

“Uh…” she started, her eyes shifting to Scoots for a second like she was reconsidering. “How’s the whole ‘dating thing’ going? We talked about it that one time and then you never brought it back up. I figure while we’re talking about stuff I’d ask.”

I felt my cheeks heating up. That hadn’t been what I expected her to ask, and I wasn’t sure it was something I really wanted to discuss at the moment. How was I supposed to tell them that I was thinking about dating, and that the ponies I was considering was them? Obviously I couldn’t. Not until I figured things out and knew for sure what I wanted.

“Dating? Dating who?” Scoots asked, pulling away from Rainbow slightly to look at me.

“No one in particular! I’m just getting a little tired of being single. Thought I might start getting out a little and seeing who I could meet, you know?”

“Oh. Oh, yeah! I know what you mean, of course,” she said, waving a hoof nonchalantly. “Sweetie’s always talking about how great it is to have a coltfriend.”

I jumped at the chance to change the subject. “Sweetie Belle has a coltfriend?”

“Yeah, or well, maybe a drakefriend? Whatever, she started seeing Spike a couple weeks ago.”

I hadn’t known that. But it had been a month at least since I’d seen Spike and Sweetie Belle rarely says more than a ‘Hi, how are you?’ to me, so I guess it made sense.

“Guess he got over Rarity, then,” Rainbow mused. Then she elbowed Scoots. “What about you, Squirt? Got your eye on anypony special?”

Scoots blushed a brilliant crimson and made a sound not unlike a dying cat. “N-no! Heheh, no. Most of the colts in my class are pretty lame. Rumble can be pretty cool sometimes, and Featherweight’s pretty nice, but I’m so not interested in them like that.”

“What about fillies? There’s gotta be a least a few nice ones, right? Isn’t Derpy’s filly in your class? Dinky?” Rainbow asked.

Scoots sunk into the couch like she’d rather be anywhere else in the world. “Dinky’s great. She’s nice and all, but I’m not really into other fillies.” Rainbow rubbed her back consolingly with her wing.

“Aw, come on, Squirt. A lot of ponies don’t go both ways. There’s nothing wrong with that. Neither is liking somepony! You can tell us; we won’t make fun of you or anything!” Rainbow said. She paused to blink and then smirked. “Okay, I’m gonna have to tease you a little. Big sister privilege!”

“T-there’s really not!” Scoots said, giggling nervously. “I just haven’t met that right pony yet! Anyway, if you’re doing okay, I think I might head on to bed!” She gave a loud, obviously fake yawn. “Oh, my! Yup, I’m really tired. Night, guys!”

She hopped up from the couch and practically sprinted from the room, Rainbow laughing in her wake. Once she’d settled down, she turned to me.

“Oh yeah, she’s crushing on somepony hard! I wonder who it is?” she asked. I found myself rather interested as well, and though I told myself it was only because Scoots is my friend and I care about what’s going on in her life, I couldn’t help but darkly think I had more selfish intentions in mind.

“Well, whatever. Maybe I can get the dirt from Apple Bloom or Sweetie Belle tomorrow,” she said. “Anyway… So, are you ready to talk now?”

“Me?” I asked, confused. “What do you mean?”

She looked at me, unimpressed. “You changed the subject pretty fast there when I asked about dating. I thought maybe you didn’t want to talk about it around the Squirt. Unless you didn’t want to talk about it with me either.” She stood up to put her face inches from mine, scrutinizing me closely. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“Nothing! I-it’s nothing,” I said, unable to look her in the eye. I’m awful at lying, and right then I was wishing I wasn’t.

“Come on, Will!” she pleaded. “What was that you were saying last week about ‘only asking because we care and want to help’ yadda yadda yadda?”

“This is different. That was something you were upset about, not something that doesn’t matter.”

“But that just makes it even weirder! If it doesn’t matter, why don’t you want to talk about it?!” she asked indignantly.

I sighed. Once she’d dug in, she wasn’t going to give up without a fight, and that would be almost as bad as just telling her. “Look, Rainbow… It’s not something I really want to talk about yet. Not tonight with your audition tomorrow. It’s nothing big, I just don’t want you worrying about me when you should be concentrating on your flying.”

“Well, now don’t you think that’s all I’m going to be thinking about?” she huffed. “Good plan there! Tell me not to worry, which only means there’s something to worry about!”

I groaned in exasperation. Of course she would insist on talking the one time I don’t want to. And she wasn’t going to let it go. So should I tell her that I kinda-sorta-maybe have feelings for her and risk upsetting her before what could be the most important day of her life or let her think I don’t want to talk to her and risk upsetting her before what could be the most important day of her life? Either way, I was pretty boned. And that’s not even getting into my maybe-maybe not feelings for Scoots. God only knows how that conversation would go.

I’m not a huge fan of lying. My father taught me that the truth will always out, and even when it hurts it’s still preferable to a lie. I wanted to believe in that. I had to believe that if I was just open and honest with Rainbow, hopefully things would work out.

Of course, it didn’t help the feeling that I was standing on the edge of a bottomless pit.

“Alright, fine… I’ve been wondering if this whatever-we-have is really what I want. Like, if I want more than just sex.”

She finally got out of my face, returning to her seat on the couch. The irritated glare in her eye was gone, though she’d replaced it with an expression I couldn’t quite read. Regardless, she remained silent, waiting for me to continue.

“And I don’t know. Kind of? I love spending time with you. You’re funny; you’re passionate and determined. You make life fun and adventurous! I wouldn’t mind… seeing what it would be like going on a date with you. I think we’d make a good couple.”

She turned to look away, but I caught a grimace on her face just before she did. “Oh, Celestia… Will, w-we talked about this…”

“And you don’t want a relationship, I know. That’s a big part of why I didn’t want to say anything. At least not right now while you have your audition to worry about. I thought once we got back to Ponyville, then maybe we could talk things over, but…”

“There’s not much to talk about,” she said with an air of finality. “I can’t do a relationship right now. I’m sorry, but it’s just not… what I want.” Her ears drooped and the tiniest tremor ran through her lip as she finished, but her tone was resolute.

“I know. I understand,” I said. Already the sting of disappointment was settling into my stomach, but I wasn’t going to add that guilt to Rainbow’s burden by showing it. “And that’s fine! Seriously, I’m okay with that. As long as we’re still friends, I’m good.”

Even with her looking away from me, I could still see her roll her eyes. “Of course we’re still friends! I didn’t get to be the Element of Loyalty for nothin’!” She gave a weak chuckle. “But uh… is that really it? You’re cool, just like that? No trying to convince me that we’re perfect for each other or I’m your soulmate or anything? That seemed way too easy.”

Despite how things were going, I found myself laughing. “It’s not like I’m in love with you or anything, Rainbow! I’m a little disappointed, sure, but it’s not the end of the world. This isn’t some cheesy romance novel, after all.”

“Yeah… I guess it’s not,” she said wistfully. “So… that’s it? We’re really cool?”

“Yes. We’re really cool.” To prove my point, I playfully slugged her in the shoulder, which she repaid twofold. Laughing together as I rubbed my shoulder, we enjoyed the quiet of the house side by side. As our mirth slowly died down, so too did the smiles begin to fade from our faces.

“We uh… we’re not good, are we?” she asked quietly.

I cringed, but neither could I lie to her now. “...No.”

Chapter 11

Breakfast the next morning was a subdued affair.

Scoots looked nearly dead on her hooves at the table, her head bobbing as she nibbled on some syrup-laden pancakes. Firefly looked much the same, minus the pancakes and with a steaming mug of coffee between her hooves that she looked to be meditating over.

And Rainbow…

She was barely there. She stared into her plate like it contained all the secrets of the world, her hooves and ears trembling in the still morning air. I knew she was nervous. I knew I should say something… Anything to calm her down and help her feel more confident but I couldn’t. After our conversation ended so abruptly last night, neither of us knew what to say. We promised that we’d sort things out once we got back home, but until then… I don’t know. The words just wouldn’t come.

So instead I sat and watched her suffer like a coward.

Only Prism made any attempt at conversation. He wished everyone a good morning as they trudged in and sat down, and even as we quietly ate, he kept trying. Asking Rainbow and Scoots if they were looking forward to the day, me if I’d ever been to the Colloseum, or Firefly if she’d make it to see any of the tryouts. After a series of one-word answers –yes, no and maybe– he didn’t seem to lose any of his early-morning cheer, but he did look between us all questioningly. I couldn’t meet his gaze when he got to me, but thankfully he didn’t press the issue.

By the time we were finished and Rainbow left to get a saddlebag packed with the things she’d need for the day, her parents both had to leave for work. At least Firefly promised that if she could, she’d drop by after the class she had to teach to see how things were going.

As they headed out, Scoots and I were left alone in the living room waiting for Rainbow. She seemed to have woken up greatly after getting her belly filled with sugar, and was giving me a weird look.

“Why’d you sleep out here last night? I thought we were all cool with sharing Rainbow Dash’s bed?” she asked as she hopped up next to me on the couch.

My brain began running through all the different things I could tell her. That I just wanted to be nice and give them the extra space or that I had fallen asleep on the couch by accident. Or even telling her that Rainbow and I’d had a little disagreement and I thought we could use the time apart. But every option I came up with I had a reason to know wouldn’t work, either.

She wouldn’t buy me giving them space because we’d never minded cuddling up together before. And falling asleep on the couch accidentally wouldn’t explain the blanket I’d gotten out of the hallway closet to sleep with. And just telling her the truth would only lead her to asking what it was Rainbow and I had disagreed about, and I did not want to have that conversation yet.

It was even worse that I wasn’t sure how Rainbow and I were really doing. We were still friends, of course. I wasn’t going to cut ties with her just because she didn’t want to date me and I couldn’t see her doing that either. There was a reason, after all, that she was the Element of Loyalty.

At the very least, I assumed we weren’t going to be sleeping together anymore. That was sort of a given. And even after we get the chance to talk things over, I can’t see that changing. I’m not going to try to convince her to go on a date with me if she didn’t want to. We were just going to have to give things time to get back to normal; like how they were before this mess started.

Of course, I couldn’t fool myself into thinking we wouldn’t have to tell Scoots at least part of what happened. She was going to notice that something was different between Rainbow and I. There was no stopping that. And the second she did, she was going to demand to know what was going on. I couldn’t put it off forever. But at the least I could try to tell her when it was just the two of us. As little as I wanted to talk to Scoots about it, I wanted to talk to Rainbow even less at the moment. Emotions were a little high on both sides, and I didn’t want it to become an argument.

“Look, Scoots… It’s kind of a long story. I’ll tell you later, alright? I really don’t want to talk about it right now,” I said gently. It seemed to do little to calm her, instead only making her wrinkle her brow in doubt.

“Did something happen? Is that why you two were so grumpy at breakfast?”

“I was not grumpy,” I said. Was I…?

“You barely said anything every time Pops tried to talk to you,” she countered. “Mornings are evil and I don’t see how anyone could ever be happy during them, but you’re usually more talkative than that.”

I didn’t know what to say, so I closed my trap and said nothing. After a few moments of silence she gave in with a sigh and scooted closer to me to nuzzle my shoulder. While the gesture did little to make me feel better, it wasn’t exactly unwelcome, and I paid her back by idly scratching behind her ear.

She dreamily hummed in pleasure. “I think I’ve said this before, but I really like hands. That feels so good!”

“You haven’t felt nothin’ yet,” Rainbow’s voice whispered in my head. It made me chuckle before I remembered she only said that a few weeks ago. Back then, the idea of her saying something like that around Scoots had scandalized me, and now here I was actually considering if I had feelings for her, too.

I wondered what had changed. Did Scoots get older? Had I underestimated her back then? Or was I just so lonely that I didn’t care if the person who showed me affection was barely more than a teenager?

Maybe I should just ask her out when we get back to Ponyville. What did it matter, anyway? I didn’t owe commitment to Rainbow, and anypony who didn’t approve could go screw themselves.

And if Scoots didn’t want a relationship either? There were plenty more mares in Ponyville. I thought I remembered Rainbow saying Pinkie Pie was always up for a good time once. Maybe I could see if she wanted to do anything. And there was always Carrot Top’s offer to hook up with her and Written Script. I don’t know how much I’d like there being another male there, but he’s really nice so who knows? It could be fun in its own way. I’ll try anything once. Assuming she was serious about the offer. It’s kind of hard to tell when it comes to Carrot Top, but I got the feeling she was.

So what if things didn’t go the way I’d wanted with Rainbow? We’d work things out and be friends again and I’d move on. Everything would be fine, I told myself.

Everything would be fine.

“Alright, everypony!” a voice called up the hall. Soon Rainbow rounded the corner, saddlebag in tow. “You guys ready to…” She trailed off when her eyes landed on Scoots and I. She quickly glanced between us, Scoots mid-nuzzle on my shoulder and my fingers behind her ear, before shaking her head and acting like nothing had happened. “You ready to take off? We need to be leaving soon if we’re walking.”

I wanted to ask what that look had been about, but in the end I didn’t. Scoots and I both were ready to go, so we set out into the city.

Rainbow led us back out into the street –the foals from the night before nowhere to be seen– and took us on a straight shot towards the northeast. The suburbs lasted throughout the entirety of the Residential District until we came upon a bridge not unlike the one we’d taken from the Business District yesterday though it led even further up.

“The Heights,” Rainbow said proudly as we reached the next tier of Cloudsdale. In a way it was a lot like the Business District, full of near skyscraper sized buildings, though mixed in were a number of more familiarly-designed ones, too. Even a lot of signs and billboards were closer to the floor, allowing me to see what we were passing by. A bar here, and fast food place there; this district seemed more about entertainment and recreation. As we walked by a small cinema, I wondered if there was a theatre hall somewhere in the city. Maybe Scoots and I could come here whenever we went to see that play.

After it felt like we’d walked halfway across the city, the Colloseum finally came into view. It was a gargantuan oval-shaped stadium, its walls sloping outward slightly as it rose to an enclosed dome. The outside was made of thousands of small arches, leaving much of the inner workings open to the air. Ponies were already milling about, likely trying to reach the higher seats from which to watch the show about to unfold.

A grand entrance stood to the front on the floor-level, though I doubted it saw much use. Everypony probably just flew straight to the level they wanted. That was, I assume, the same reason that the walls were so open, so as to prevent a line forming at the front door. Though I could imagine that would make checking tickets of everypony trying to get in a nightmare.

As we made our way across the massive courtyard outside, I spotted a group of familiar ponies waiting together a short ways away from the front door. All of Rainbow and Scoots’s friends were there, and they all waved as we approached.

“Hello, everyone!” Twilight said, awkwardly adjusting her gold filigree crown. I was amazed to see her wearing it today since she normally hated to. Beside her, Spike stood tall on his hindlegs, a claw resting idly on a grinning Sweetie Belle leaning against his side. With his free claw, he casually shook my hand while Sweetie Belle greeted Scootaloo with a nuzzle. On Scoots’s other side, Apple Bloom gave her a hoofbump.

“Howdy, y’all,” Applejack greeted, tipping her old Stetson.

“Oh, um… uh—” Fluttershy mumbled, hiding behind her mane while she stared frightfully at any pony that walked within spitting distance of us. “Hello.”

As Rarity stepped forward to say her own greeting, I was startled by a pink face suddenly appearing in my peripheral vision. I jumped just as Pinkie Pie shouted “Hi, Will!” joyously in my ear. Somehow, she had managed to hop up onto my back like I was giving her a piggyback ride without me noticing. Even stranger was that I was already holding onto her hindlegs to keep her up.

But trying to figure out how Pinkie Pie does the impossible things she does is more likely to give you a headache than any answers, so for my own mental health I let it go with a laugh and a smile. Moving my forearm under her rump to hold her up better, I used my free arm to scratch under her chin, eliciting a questionable moan and causing her to slump into my grasp.

“Hi to you, too, Pinkie,” I said.

At some point, Rarity had stepped in front of me while I was distracted by the Pink One and was giving her a miffed frown. “Pinkie Pie, that is hardly an appropriate noise for a lady to make in public.”

“But it’s soooo good!” Pinkie groaned.

“I’ll take your word for it,” Rarity deadpanned. Daintily clearing her throat, she continued. “Darling, if you carry on like that, you could give other ponies the wrong idea, you understand.”

“Aww, c’mon, Rares,” Applejack cut in, throwing a foreleg around Rarity’s withers. “Not ev’rypony cares about what others think. And she ain’t hurtin’ nopony!”

“Applejack, that is hardly the point!”

“So, Rainbow!” Twilight interrupted, casually stepping in front of the bickering couple. “Are you ready for today?”

Rainbow hoofed at the ground uneasily as she gave a trying-too-hard cocky grin. “Heh, y-you know it, Twi! I’m gonna knock ‘em dead!”

“You shouldn’t do that, Dashie! That would be very rude,” Pinkie chided seriously. “You should try to impress them instead! That way they’d still be alive to let you in their team!” She froze, letting out a loud gasp. “Unless they could come back as The Zombiebolts! The fastest undead fliers in Equestria!”

“Pinkie, zombies aren’t real,” Twilight said.

“Well, duh! Everypony knows that,” Pinkie chirped. “You know, you can be really silly sometimes, Twilight!”

Twilight’s left eye started to twitch until Spike laid a comforting claw on her back. A couple of deep breaths later and she was smiling again.

“Anyway… I’ll admit I don’t know much about how these tryouts will work. I imagine you’ll at least get the opportunity to show off some of your own stunts to whoever’s judging. Do you have anything new planned?” she asked.

“Yeah, I got a couple’a new tricks up my sleeve! Gonna hit ‘em with the Filly Flash 2.0 and the Spiral Blast! That one’s like a smaller sonic rainboom while I’m flying in a corkscrew! It’s the greatest thing ever!” she cheered. At least bragging about her skills seemed to give her a little of her confidence back.

“I don’t know when you’ve found the time to practice lately,” Applejack drawled. “I used to see yer little rainbow trails zippin’ around the sky all the time while I was out workin’ the fields, but the last few weeks I ain’t seen hide nor hair of ya! You find someplace new to practice?”

Twilight gasped. “Rainbow, you aren’t skipping out on practice, are you? You need to be at your best for today!”

“It’s not like that! I’ve been practicing!” Rainbow said. I barely noticed her eyes flick in my direction before she continued. “I’ve just been a little busy. But don’t worry! I’m ready for this.”

Nopony seemed to have noticed her little aside glance, at least as far as I could tell, though Rarity did give a little hum that she hid behind a hoof.

“While Rainbow Dash may have the tendency for afternoon naps, I, for one, can’t see her skimping on practice when something like this is on the horizon,” she said, stepping forward and smiling brightly.

“Um…” a small voice said from somewhere, barely loud enough to be heard. While I wondered where it came from, everypony else immediately turned to Fluttershy. I could only guess that they were intimately familiar with that noise after spending so much time with her.

For her part, Fluttershy actually flinched as everyone’s attention turned to her, though after a moment she remembered it was only her friends and she relaxed somewhat.

“Sorry to interrupt, but I was wondering…” she mumbled, looking at Rainbow with one eye hidden behind her long pink mane. “How were your parents? I haven’t visited with them in so long; I feel just awful!”

Rarity gave an affronted gasp. “Oh, how rude of us! We didn’t ask how your trip was at all!”

I was happy to stay mostly silent as Rainbow caught everypony up on our trip and how her parents were doing. Applejack asked me how I felt about the shuttle ride up, sounding doubtful when I told her it was a fascinating experience. She confided that she never had any love of having her hooves off the ground, a sentiment I couldn’t help but agree with.

In return, they told us about their trip up on Twilight’s hot air balloon, and how they’d had to leave it in a nearby park.

“I hope it’s safe out there,” Twilight worried. “It’s technically on loan from the palace in Canterlot and I’d hate for something to happen to it.”

I would have sympathized more with her had I not been so preoccupied wondering what a park would look like up here. It’s not like you could have flowers or trees growing out of clouds.

Could you…?

My attention was distracted by a pair of pegasi flying toward us from the Colloseum. They were dressed in blue full-body spandex suits, though the hoods were down and flapping gently behind them as they landed down just a few feet from us.

One was a mare with a yellow coat and a fiery-orange mane. A pair of goggles covered her bronze eyes until she slid them off and let them hang around her neck. She shook her windswept mane to let it hang on either side of her face nearly to her chin.

The other was a stallion with a blue coat so light it looked nearly white and a dark blue mane. His green eyes had slight bags under them, leading me to think he either needed more sleep or was more than a couple years older than us.

I realized they were both Wonderbolts from the number of pictures Rainbow had shown me of them. They both seemed friendly enough as they approached our group.

“Hey, Rainbow Dash!” the mare said heartily. “Long time no see!”

“How’s our Best Young Flier been doing?” the stallion asked, wearing a teasing smirk.

“Soarin’, that competition was years ago,” Rainbow grumbled. “Besides, I’m going to be the Best Flier period after today!”

“Whatever you say, Dash,” the mare said, rolling her eyes. Regardless, she pulled Rainbow in for a tight hug. When she let go, Soarin’ gave her one, too.

To my surprise, no sooner had they pulled apart did Applejack approach and pull Soarin’ into her own hug. He chuckled breathlessly as she squeezed him tight. I was confused to say the least. I could understand Rainbow knowing the Wonderbolts well enough to hug them, but Applejack? Rainbow at least had met them and spent time with them on a few occasions in the past. How in the world did a farmer get that familiar with a nation-wide celebrity?

“Howdy, pardner!” she hollered, clapping Soarin’s back.

“Hello to you, too, AJ. I figured you’d be here. How’s the family been down your way?” he asked.

“Doin’ right fine! Gettin’ almost time for cider season, so things are ‘bout to get real busy around the farm, but we’ll handle things alright. Shouldn’t need any extra help this year.”

“Good,” he said, sighing in relief. “I’m not built for applebucking. I don’t know how y’all do it.”

“’Y’all?’ Really, Soarin’?” the mare whose name I still didn’t know asked. “Sounds like they’re going to work some country into you yet!”

“Heheh, we’re tryin’!” Applejack said, giving a laugh straight from the belly as she pulled away from Soarin’.

“So, what’re you guys doing here? Shouldn’t you be getting things ready?” Rainbow asked.

The mare shook her head. “Nah, we’ve got ponies handling that so we’ve got some free time before the games begin!” She chuckled. “Besides, we knew you were going to be here today and Firefly told me you were bringing some friends so we had to come out and say hi! I know most of you, but there are a couple new faces.”

“Oh, duh!” Rainbow said, bopping her forehead. “I didn’t think to introduce you! Everypony, this is Captain Spitfire and Vice-Captain Soarin’.” She turned to point to the younger members of our group. “This is Apple Bloom, AJ’s little sister, though I guess you already know her, Soarin’. Then we have Rarity’s little sister, Sweetie Belle and my little sister, Scootaloo.” At Scoots’s name, she threw a foreleg around her withers and hugged her tight. Last, she half-turned to me, all while avoiding actually looking at me. “And Mom said you guys already know about Will?”

“Yep. Got the brief months ago,” Spitfire said casually. She offered a hoof that I bumped. “Nice to actually meet you. Not every day Equestria sees an entirely new species.”

I still wasn’t sure how to feel about so many random ponies knowing all about me. At least they both were being nice and polite instead of cowering in terror. That felt good. Soarin’ took a step forward, and I made to bump his hoof thinking that was what he wanted until I noticed that he was looking at Scoots instead.

“You’re Rainbow Dash’s little sister?” he asked. “When I heard ‘little’ sister, I thought, you know…” He held his hoof about a foot or two off the ground. “Little sister. I even brought you something, but you’re probably a little too old to want it…”

He turned his head to pick up something I hadn’t noticed before off his back. It was a small plushie of a generic Wonderbolt in suit and goggles. It was a cute little thing, something I’m sure a younger foal would have loved, and he looked disappointed as he held it out.

“N-no, it’s great!” Scoots said, a bit too excitedly as she lunged out to take it from him. He had been holding it by the wing, and when she grabbed a leg, her muzzle nearly brushed against his in her haste. “I love it! Thanks,” she mumbled through clenched teeth.

As she returned to standing by Rainbow’s side, I noticed a tension in her posture that hadn’t been there before. As well, though she was smiling widely, it was a little more on the manic side than out of actual happiness.

Meanwhile, Soarin’ nor anypony else seemed to notice. Instead, he just smiled in surprise. “Yeah? You really like it? Great!”

“Soarin’ was really looking forward to giving you that. He’s always hoofing out free stuff to the younger fans,” Spitfire said, nudging him with her flank. “It’s just as well he likes foals, too, considering! Have you told Dash the news yet?”

Soarin’ smiled ruefully at Rainbow’s questioning look while to the side Applejack laughed.

“Not yet,” he said. “We wanted to know more of the details before we started telling too many ponies…”

Rainbow looked back and forth between them, clearly agitated that they were keeping something from her. “Well? What is it? What’s the news?”

Suddenly, Spitfire looked at her bare ankle like she was checking a watch. “Would you look at the time! We need to be going soon, Soarin’! I guess we’ll just have to tell Rainbow after she blows us away during the tryouts!”

Rainbow’s mouth was hanging open in shock. “Oh, come on! You can’t just say something like that and then not tell me!”

Spitfire just gave her a smug grin and winked. “That’s exactly what we’re gonna do! Think of it this way: it’ll just give you something to work extra hard for!”

Soarin’ decided to cut her a break. “I promise I’ll tell you all about it later. Actually, we were hoping we could meet up and do something tonight if you’re free.”

“There’s this fantastic nightclub a few blocks from here that we like to chill at after practice,” Spitfire said, stepping forward and gesturing vaguely back towards the city with her wing. “We’ve even got our own little room so nopony bothers us. You should join us, it’ll be great!”

“I don’t know, I was kinda hoping to hang out with my friends tonight…” Rainbow said half-heartedly.

“Well, most of us are returning to Ponyville after the auditions are over anyway,” Twilight said.

“Yes, so sorry I can’t stay, darling,” Rarity chimed in. “Orders to get to, you know.”

“Work to do,” Applejack added.

“Parties to plan!”

“I’d hate to leave Angel in charge of all my little animal friends for too long. It’s so much for one little bunny to take care of.”

“Well, whoever’s staying’s free to come along, too!” Spitfire offered. “The more the merrier!”

Rainbow looked to me, asking without words if it was okay. As if I was going to say no to spending a night at a bar with a couple of celebrities. I nodded eagerly and she turned to Scoots, who gave a jerk of her head that I think was supposed to be agreement.

“Well, alright then! Sure, we’ll join you!” Rainbow said. She casually brushed her hoof against her coat and looked at it like she was inspecting it for dirt. “Sounds like it could be fun.”

Spitfire and Soarin’ both grinned at Rainbow’s transparent attempt to look aloof and the former rolled her eyes. “So glad you could find the time to hang with us,” she drawled. “But we should get going. Catch you later, everypony!”

They turned to leave, and the second they were out of earshot Rainbow started prancing in place in a little victory dance while squealing like a hyperactive little filly.

“We’re gonna hang out with the Wonderbolts! We’re gonna hang out with the Wonderbolts!” she started singing, dancing in a circle and dragging a stunned Scoots along for the ride.

“Lan’sakes, Rainbow,” Applejack said exasperatedly. “Y’all act like you ain’t never spent time with ‘em before! Haven’t you been friends with them for years now?”

“Applejack, darling, it’s hardly the same,” Rarity said. She sidled over to her side so close their coats were almost brushing. “It’s one thing to simply be acquainted with somepony and another entirely for them to seek to spend time with you. Imagine if that one singer you’re always having me listen to suddenly invited you out for a drink. Wouldn’t you be rather excited?”

“Who, Prancy Travis? Of course, I’d be excited! But I don’t know him like she knows those two,” Applejack argued.

“That was not my point, darling,” Rarity started, but at that moment I noticed a middle-aged pegasus stallion coming out the front entrance of the Colloseum with a megaphone. It crackled to life as he waved to get everypony’s attention.

“The Wonderbolts Performance Team auditions are about to begin. Anypony here to try out, please report at the desk inside. They will direct you to the locker rooms where you can prepare and receive further instructions. I repeat…”

As he droned on again, Rainbow turned to the rest of the group with a shaky smile. “A-alright, guys, guess that’s me! Make sure to find somewhere great to watch from! You don’t want to miss any of my awesomeness!”

“We will,” Twilight said. “You just go out there and do your best, alright? We’re all going to be rooting for you, Rainbow Dash!”

“Yes, darling! Try not to psych yourself out, will you?” Rarity asked gently, offering Rainbow a small nuzzle. “We all know you can do it!”

Everypony gathered around to each take a turn giving Rainbow their praises and well-wishes, ending with Scoots offering only a confident grin and a hoofbump. I thought it best to just hang back, unsure if Rainbow really wanted to talk to me at the moment. Just as her friends stepped back, she looked like she was about to head inside when she stopped and turned to me instead. Her eyes met mine for only a moment before they flicked away. She opened her mouth and then closed it again, not sure what to say.

“Good luck, Rainbow,” I said, trying to give her as genuine of smile as I could manage. “Not that you need it, right?”

She gave what looked like a relieved half-smirk and nodded. “Hay yeah! I’m too cool for luck.” Her expression relaxed as she gave us a small wave and then she was off, flying to join the crowd making their way through the front doors. As I watched her go, something gently leaned against my side. I looked down to see Scoots, watching Rainbow as well, and I let my hand rest on her head.

“Well, I suppose we should head inside and find some seats,” Twilight said. She began leading the rest of the group towards the entrance as well, with Scoots and I bringing up the rear. I set a slow pace, letting the others get a little ahead of us and luckily Scoots stayed back with me.

When we were far enough back to get a little privacy, I quietly asked her, “Is everything alright?”

She looked up at me and blinked. “Huh? What do you mean?” she asked after she moved her stuffed Wonderbolt to between her wings.

“You looked a little… uneasy back there. Little star-struck at meeting the ‘Bolts?”

She groaned and looked away as she trudged along. “It’s not that exactly… It’s really embarrassing, but… Okay, you remember that time you came over to my house and I told you about…” she trailed off, clearing her throat awkwardly, “that magazine I keep under my mattress?”

I started to put two and two together. “The one that allegedly has a picture of Soarin’ in a swim suit?”

She clenched her eyes shut in a pained grimace. “That’s the one! Oh Celestia, I never thought I’d actually meet him! He was just a cute colt in a picture!”

“So, you… you know,” I said, pointing down south, making a vague gesture with my finger. She blushed crimson and buried her face behind a hoof, muttering something that I couldn’t make out. “What was that?”

“Why do you think I keep it under the mattress?” she grumbled.

I bit back a laugh at her angry retort. However much I sympathized, I couldn’t help but grin at her misfortune. Instead of saying anything, I just lightly scratched behind her ear as we caught up to the rest of the group.

As we drew in closer to the small crowd making their way inside, I garnered more than a few stares. Most just seemed apprehensive, but a couple here and there looked actually scared. I tried to just ignore them, and I guess it was good that Rainbow wasn’t there to glare at them. I didn’t want to cause more of a scene than I already was.

The lobby, once we’d made it inside, didn’t have a lot to look at. Two stairways leading up were on either side of the room with a rather nondescript door leading somewhere in-between. There was a folding table set up a little ways in front of it with two ponies checking in the participants, most of whom seemed to already have moved through. The last couple disappeared through the door in the back after their invitations were checked, so it probably led down to the locker rooms.

We took the left stairway up a winding path to the fifth floor before Twilight led us away and down a hall a short distance. Like I’d seen from the ground, the outer wall of the Colloseum was open to the air, and by now we had a fantastic view of the city. The breeze was blowing against us, and I carefully inched a little closer to the safe inner wall. The one that didn’t open to a several story drop to an unforgiving cloud floor.

Actually, would falling that far onto cloud hurt? I mean, they’re pretty soft…

I didn’t want to find out. Just in case.

We turned through an opening that led directly out onto row after row of bleachers overlooking the stadium. It was easily as big as a football field, if not more, though the ground had no markings or anything. It was all white, though, compared to the seating and walls which were a deeper blue to more easily differentiate them. Running along the circumference of the ceiling below the dome were gigantic frames of lights, flooding the entire area with enough illumination to drive away the dark.

The stands were mostly empty, barring a few scattered clumps of ponies here and there. To my surprise, I actually recognized another group seated just a little ways away from where we finally sat down as a couple of pegasi I’d seen around Ponyville. One was a lavender mare with a teal mane tied with a pink bow and the other was a younger stallion, probably around Scoots’s age, with a grey coat and black mane.

“That’s Flitter and Rumble. He’s in my class,” Scoots said, following my gaze. Something about the names was familiar, and it took me a moment to remember.

“Are they the ones in the herd?” I asked.

She nodded. “Flitter, her twin sister, Cloudchaser, and Rumble’s big brother, Thunderlane are. Rumble’s not, though. At least as far as I know,” she said, shrugging. “He says they’ve always been like big sisters to him.”

“Have they been together for a while, then?” I asked.

“Maybe? Rumble and I don’t hang out a lot. Back when we used to play hoofball at recess, he would brag about how he played with his brother and Cloudchaser a lot. Actually thinking about it, he sounded a lot like I probably did when I talked about Rainbow Dash.”

“Sounds like everyone here had a great relationship with their siblings growing up,” I said morosely. I didn’t even realize until after I said it that I was really throwing a pity party today. Seriously, one little rejection and I start getting all mopey. I wanted to slap myself.

“I didn’t!” a squeaky voice chirped next to me, causing me to jump. I turned to find Sweetie Belle on my other side with Spike plopping down next to her. She was grinning toothily, and I wondered how long she’d been sitting there listening. “Rarity and I are fine now, but we didn’t get along at all when I was younger.”

“I’ll admit I was rather impatient with her and her enthusiasm for ‘helping’ me around the Boutique,” Rarity said from the row behind us. Applejack was sitting next to her watching, but said nothing. Meanwhile, Apple Bloom took a spot on Scoots’s other side.

“So see? Not everypony has great relationships with their siblings,” Sweetie Belle concluded. “Why? Do you have a sibling you don’t get along with?”

“Sweetie!” Scoots said direly, shaking her head. After a moment, Sweetie gave a little ‘Oh!’ of understanding while Spike gave me a questioning glace that I ignored.

“Well, anyway…” Sweetie said, conspicuously looking around for a change of subject. She got one as a line of pegasi started filing out onto the field. Even from the distance, Rainbow’s mane made her instantly recognizable. “Hey, look! They’re about to begin!”

Spitfire was in the lead as she brought all the participants out onto the field, breaking them up into three rows of ten. All but two or three were dressed in the Wonderbolts Reserves uniform, which looked like half of the Performance Team’s flight suit, only covering the upper body and neck. Spitfire paced back and forth in front of them, and it looked like she was shouting something but her voice didn’t carry up to us.

“What do you think she’s saying?” Scoots asked.

“Probably telling them how the auditions are going to work. Guess we’ll just have to figure it out as they go,” Spike surmised.

Spitfire continued marching back and forth before them not unlike a drill instructor before she gave a short blast on a whistle and the auditioners rushed forward to the side of the field. They lined up again, this time in rows of five sideways like they were lining up on a race track. Spitfire trotted a short distance ahead of the front line and a little to the side and kicked her hoof into the ground.

A series of small clouds about the size of basketballs burst from the floor and flew up about fifteen feet in the air where they stopped and simply hovered there. This continued across the field until they formed a floating circle all the way around the outer wall. No sooner had they stopped did the participants all drop into a ready stance, muscles tensed to spring at a moment’s notice.

Spitfire gave a short breeet! on her whistle and the field exploded.

The racers took off like there was no tomorrow, even leaving little swirls of cloud dissipating in their wake. The entire group was nearly a quarter of the way down the first length before I even realized what had happened. Rainbow was vying for position with three others in the front of the pack, weaving in and out between them so fast I couldn’t tell who was first from who was fourth.

Rainbow held her place towards the front the entire way around the first turn and as they made to pass us by. The flock of bodies buzzed by so fast it left a torrent of wind whipping against us and a roar of flapping wings ringing in our ears. It was a rush just to watch; I couldn’t imagine how Rainbow must have felt to be up there. We all let out our loudest cheers as she passed, even though I doubted she could hear us.

As they rounded the second turn and moved to finish the lap, I noticed that Rainbow was flying far slower than I knew she could. She’d gone faster during some of the times she flew with Scoots, and even then she was hardly ever giving it her all. If she’d wanted, she could have been half the track in front of the group, but she was holding back.

“She’s pacing herself,” Scoots said when I voiced my thoughts. “They probably have to do several laps, and this way she can save her energy for a huge burst at the end.”

She seemed to be right as the race continued. Throughout the next several laps, Rainbow easily held her place towards the front even as several others began to slow and fall behind. By the time they were coming around the last turn on the ninth lap, only she and two others remained at the front.

Surprisingly, they were two more ponies I recognized from Ponyville. One was a lavender-coated mare with cool-looking, spikey silver mane that was pulled back into a lazy bun, probably to cut down on wind resistance or something. The other was a stallion with a dark coat and a teal-ish mohawk. Both were wearing the same Wonderbolts Reserves suits.

“Thunderlane and Cloudchaser,” Scoots clarified, having somehow read my mind. “I had no idea they were that fast!”

True enough, the three of them had a good two or three second lead on the rest of the group, and they had been cutting a steady pace throughout, their speed never once faltering. All that changed, though, the moment they crossed the starting line to start the tenth lap.

Each one put on a sudden burst of speed like someone had lit their tails on fire. Up until then, anypony might have guessed the three were evenly matched, but in that moment it became clear who was going to win.

Thunderlane was in last and though he put on a valiant show of speed, he couldn’t begin to catch up to the other two. Cloudchaser was putting up much more of a fight, managing to stay just a few body lengths behind Rainbow throughout the first turn and halfway towards the second. It was then that Rainbow put on yet another burst of speed and zipped away from her.

Rainbow was little more than a highly-chromatic blur as she blazed past us and barreled along the last turn. By the time she’d crossed the finish line and slowed to hover in place, the rest of the group had barely finished the first turn.

In the stands, we all jumped to our feet (or hooves) and cheered at the top of our lungs. Even Rarity was jumping and yelling along with the best of us, earning a chuckle from Applejack.

“It ain’t often I hear ya carrying on like that!” she said, nudging her with a hoof. “Why, ‘bout the only time I can think of is when I start—” She stopped short as Rarity gave her a sudden dark glower.

“You will not finish that sentence, darling,” she said in a deathly serious whisper.

Applejack didn’t seem too intimidated as she laughed off Rarity’s threat. Silently, Apple Bloom rolled her eyes while Sweetie Belle giggled. They obviously knew something I didn’t.

“Did you see that?!” Scoots shouted at me, bouncing up and down in her seat, nearly losing the plushie balanced precariously between her wings. “They didn’t stand a chance against Rainbow Dash! But I guess nopony could hope to beat the fastest flier in Equestria.”

After everypony else finished, Spitfire flew out to greet them and likely get them started on the next round of tests. While she talked, several pegasi dressed in blue and yellow jackets flew out onto the field in several places and repeated the same hoof-stomp gesture Spitfire had made to set up the ring of clouds for the track.

Suddenly, the beginnings of what looked like an obstacle course began to form. It started with a few horizontal pole-shaped clouds that they’d have to slalom over and under before leading into a series of rings at varying heights. After that was what looked like open space. I was confused as to what was supposed to be there until I noticed on the field was what looked suspiciously like a bunch of cannons pointed in that direction. They weren’t planning to shoot stuff at them, were they?! I know they want to find the best, but holy shit!

If that weren’t enough, a rumbling black thunderhead took the next place. Every few seconds, a crack of lightning would burst out followed by a roll of thunder. I had no idea what they were supposed to do with that. Rainbow said that working with thunder clouds was sometimes a part of her weather work, but that monster just looked dangerous.

I soon found out what they were supposed to do when Spitfire lined the group up at the beginning of the course and started sending them through one by one. Another stallion, grey-coated and wearing a blue army dress jacket, stood nearby with a stopwatch to time them and recorded it on a clipboard on the ground before him.

The first one up was Thunderlane, the poor guy. I would’ve been quaking in my boots if I had to be the first one to go at it. Regardless, the second Spitfire blasted her whistle he took off like a rocket. He swooped over and under the poles expertly, leaving a dark trail behind him like a thread being sewn through the sky.

He handled the rings just as easily, making it through each one without so much as a wingtip brushing the edge. He even managed a little spinning flourish as he came out of the last one without losing any speed and darted out into the open air.

I never would have believed it had I not seen it, but a loud series of booms shook the stadium as the cannons erupted. Clouds the size of soccer balls burst out of each one, tearing though the sky faster than I could blink. I could barely even keep up with them as Thunderlane whipped and weaved through the air, dodging every one. He had to come to a full stop towards the end as one ripped by right in front of him, missing his chin by inches. It was so close, I nearly jumped up and cheered again as he made it through.

I may want Rainbow to win, but that didn’t mean I still couldn’t root for a fellow Ponyvillian to do his best. If somepony had to take it besides Rainbow, I’d want it to be Thunderlane or Cloudchaser.

After making it through the veritable minefield, he dove headlong into the thunderhead like it wasn’t even there. Silence fell upon the stadium as we all waited with bated breath to see what would happen.

Seconds passed and nothing.

As each agonizing moment dragged on with nothing happening, I started bouncing my knee. “C’mon, c’mon… What’s taking him so long?” I was sure as a professional weather pony, he knew how to handle flying through storm clouds, but I was starting to get worried. What if something had happened to him?

Out of nowhere, something exploded out the other end of the cloud. I wasn’t the only person jumping up from their seat and cheering as Thunderlane spun in the air for a moment, shaking his head to orient himself before he darted upward and landed upon a cloud that I suppose signified the end of the course. He stopped for a minute to catch his breath before giving a wave to the crowd and slowly began to flutter back down to the floor. The second he was out of the way, Spitfire blasted her whistle again and the next pony took off.

“My word! I never knew Thunderlane could move like that! I daresay he’s even more agile than Rainbow Dash!” Rarity said in awe.

Next to her, Applejack just sneered. “He may be able ta move, but he couldn’t even come close to matchin’ Rainbow’s speed. I bet he can’t do half the tricks she can, neither!”

“Yeah, he’s good,” Scoots mumbled quietly enough even I could barely hear her. “But he’s got nothing on Rainbow Dash. They’ll see.”

“If they have any brains they will,” I whispered in her ear, eliciting a chuckle from her.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sweetie Belle’s head leaning conspicuously close to me as she looked at us. She sat there, quietly staring just long enough for me to start to feel a little self-conscious when she smiled disarmingly. Or perhaps sinisterly. I couldn’t tell with her.

“So, Scootaloo’s told us a lot about you, Will,” she said. “She said you met through Rainbow Dash?”

“Well… yeah. Rainbow and I were going to watch the Daring Do movies together and she knew Scoots really liked them, too, so she brought her along.”

“She said you even went over to her house to watch her on her scooter. She’s really good, isn’t she?” Sweetie asked.

“Hell yeah, she is!” I said, turning to Scoots to tousle her mane. “I’ve never seen moves like what she could do! She’s awesome, just like her big sister.” I teasingly bumped her with my elbow and she swatted me away, laughing.

My good cheer faltered a little as I turned back to see Sweetie grinning like the Cheshire Cat. “So… I guess since you and Scoots are so close and all, she must have told you that Rumble asked her out last week, right?”

“What?!” I asked. Realizing I’d said it quite a bit louder than what might have been socially acceptable, I cleared my throat before I continued. “I mean, no, she hadn’t told me that.”

“He sure did!” Sweetie said, completely unfazed by my outburst. “He was so cute! I thought she’d say yes for sure, but nope!”

“Sweetie!” Scoots grumbled. “I’m just not interested in Rumble like that.”

“But don’t you think you’d make a good couple? You’re both into sports and flying, and he’s really sweet! He’s smart, and I heard he’s applying to the Cloudsdale School of Weather to get his Associate’s in Weather Management,” Sweetie rambled, ignoring the frustration growing on Scoots’s face. Next to her, even Spike looked confused. I was glad I wasn’t the only one.

“So all I’m saying is he’d be quite the catch!” Sweetie concluded. “Any filly would be pretty crazy to turn him down. Unless, of course, she had her eye on someone else…”

“Sweetie!” Scoots suddenly shouted, bursting up from her seat. “Can we talk? In private?” She shoved her stuffed Wonderbolt into Apple Bloom’s chest and stormed over to Sweetie, nudging her up from her seat.

Rather than look cowed by Scoots’s rage, Sweetie only smiled brighter. “Sure! I need to use the little filly’s room, anyway. Spike, keep track of what happens while I’m gone, okay?” She managed to give him a quick peck to the cheek before Scoots all but dragged her off and out of sight.

“What in the world was that about?” he asked, summing up my thoughts quite succinctly.

Well, I had an idea of what might be going on. But that was probably me mixing up what was really happening for what I wanted to happen.

“I wouldn’t worry about it,” Apple Bloom said. She readjusted Scoots’s toy to hold it between her front legs. “Once Sweetie gets an idea in her head, she ain’t gonna let nothin’ stop her.”

Spike chuckled. “Don’t I know that!”

With nothing else to distract us, our attention went back to the auditions taking place. With this round going one at a time, they were making slower progress and were only a little over halfway through. And though it was exciting to watch, we were all really there to see Rainbow perform. Since she was near the end of the line, most of us were only half-paying attention until it was her turn.

After a minute or two, Spike turned back to me. “So, haven’t seen you around the castle for a while. How’ve you been?”

“Pretty good,” I said. I tried to remember the last time I’d gone by to see him and Twilight and suddenly felt pretty bad when I couldn’t. “I’ve been really busy, actually. Seems like every day I’m hanging out with either Rainbow or Scoots. Don’t get much time to myself anymore, not that I mind too much.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean!” he said, laughing. “I’ve been the same since Sweetie and I started going out. She’s been joining Twi and I for dinner a lot; it’s been a while since the castle’s been that lively!”

“It’s a pretty big place for just two people to live,” I agreed.

“Yeah,” he said wistfully. “I keep hoping Twi will find herself somepony, but…”

“I’m sure she will. When she’s ready. If she’s happy being single, that’s what matters, right?”

He nodded. “Yeah, I guess so.” He suddenly laughed. “She has this pen pal, right? A traveling magician she met years ago. They like to compare notes on spells they’ve made or found or whatever. Sometimes, Twi will go on for days after getting a new letter about everything she had to say. I keep thinking, maybe someday…” he trailed off before sighing. “Oh well. Like you said, as long as she’s happy.”

He sounded like he genuinely meant it as his gaze swept back out across the field. I was struck by a sudden rush of both affection and guilt. Ever since I’d moved out of the castle and into my own cottage, I’d visited him and Twilight maybe a handful of times. And once Rainbow and I started hanging out, I made even less time for him. He was a great guy, and I’d been a pretty lousy friend. I promised myself I’d do better from then on.

Only two more auditioners made it through the obstacle course before Scoots and Sweetie returned. They must have had a good talk in the filly’s room, as Scoots was looking remarkably calmer. They were both smiling and trotting along bouncily as they reclaimed their seats on either side of me. I was glad that Scoots looked better, but damn I was curious as to what they talked about.

“Feel better?” I asked her quietly as she sat down. She gave a rueful chuckle as she scratched the back of her head.

“Yeah… Sorry ‘bout that. Don’t, uh… Don’t listen to Sweetie. She loves to hear herself talk and doesn’t always know when to shut up.”

“Ain’t that the truth!” Apple Bloom heartily agreed.

“Hey!” Sweetie Belle cried.

“Girls,” Spike chided. “You’re about to miss Cloudchaser!”

He was right; Cloudchaser was crouched and ready to go, and she took off the second Spitfire’s whistle sounded. She made it around the bars almost as fast as Thunderlane but struggled a little more on the rings. She seemed to have trouble changing directions quickly, and so the limited space between each ring made her have to pause for half a second. She still made good time, but not as good as Thunderlane had.

The cannon range gave her even more trouble. She’d shown a good flight speed in the race, but it did little to help her when constantly dodging clouds wouldn’t let her really get going. She bobbed and weaved between them, several barely missing her and a few even grazing her sides. Just as she neared the end, a stray cloud must have come up on her blind side as it struck her hard in the spot where her hindleg connected to her belly.

The blow sent her spinning head over hooves in the air. The very sight sent a stab of sympathetic pain through my groin. I had no idea how hard those clouds were, but as fast as they were moving, I’m sure it packed a hell of a punch.

Regardless, she had only completed three tumbles and lost about five feet of air before she recovered and continued on like nothing had happened. She dove into the thundercloud and careened out the other side in half the time it’d taken Thunderlane.

Even from as far away as we were, I could see she was panting as she finally landed upon the end of the course and she had to stop for a moment before she began the slow descent down. Two ponies wearing paramedic jackets and black saddlebags flew up to meet her, as did Thunderlane, who pulled her foreleg around his shoulders and half-assisted her, half-carried her down to the field. She tried to shoo away the paramedics with one forehoof while clutching the spot she’d been hit with the other. It was only after they touched down and she took a few stiff steps to prove she could walk that they left her be. Thunderlane, however, remained at her side, crouching down to inspect her stomach while also prodding her flank with a hoof.

“Lan’sakes that looked like it hurt!” Apple Bloom hissed, rubbing a hoof across her own pelvis.

“I guess if the medics think she’s okay then she must be, but they should at least look at her!” Scoots said.

“I don’t know, it looks like Thunderlane’s taking good care of her!” Sweetie cooed. “Look at how sweet he is! Spike, if I got hurt would you take care of me like that?” She leaned against his shoulder and looked up at him, fluttering her long eyelashes.

His blush was noticeable even through his purple scales as he laughed nervously. “O-of course I would! But I’d try to find you a doctor, too… I don’t know much about first aid!”

“Aww, you’re such a sweet drake, Spike!” Sweetie said sappily, earning an eye-roll from Scoots and a nauseated gag from Apple Bloom. Personally, I found their antics cute, but I guess I could see it getting old if I had to put up with it all the time.

Down on the field, there were only a handful of ponies to go before Rainbow’s turn. I watched them for a while, but none really seemed to stand out like Thunderlane or Cloudchaser did. One stallion got knocked out of the air by a cannon before a mare got spit out of the thunderhead like a bad loogie, her tail singed and smoking, but the paramedics tended to her and she was walking it off in no time.

Eventually I was distracted by the noise of Scoots muttering under her breath next to me. “…just like Sweetie Belle said. It’ll be easy. Just ask,” was about all I made out.

“What was that?” I asked her. She must have been concentrating, as she jumped at the sound and turned to me with wide eyes.

“Huh? O-oh, it’s nothing!” she awkwardly laughed. She brushed a hoof through the back of her mane as she seemed to think about something. Finally, she took a deep breath and looked at me again with a smile. “Hey, Will? I w-was wondering something.”

“Yeah? What’s up?”

“I was thinking maybe when we got back to Ponyville, we could… Maybe we could do something sometime? You know, j-just the two of us or whatever,” she said, her casual tone made questionable by the stuttering and stammering.

I couldn’t quite process it for a moment as my head ran wild with possibilities. ‘Just the two of us’ she’d said. Did that mean what I thought it meant? Was that just the two of us hanging out like the time at her house, or the two of us as in a date? That’s what people usually mean when they specify like that, right?

But if I was misinterpreting, I could make things weird between us like I’d just done with Rainbow. I had to be sure.

“Scoots, are you…?” was as much as I got to ask when Spike pointed out to the field.

“Look! Rainbow’s up!” he shouted.

Of all the damn times...

I was torn between watching Rainbow perform and continuing the conversation with Scoots, but she had already excitedly turned back to the field. Cursing under my breath, I did as well; after coming all the way here, I couldn’t miss actually seeing her.

Rainbow was barely more than a blur the second the whistle sounded. She weaved around the bars almost as fast as Thunderlane had managed and tore through the rings like they weren’t even there. I shook my head when she tried to replicate his little spinning flourish out of the last one and clipped her hoof on it, sending her spin off-kilter.

Our group collectively groaned as the blunder cost her a few seconds as she recovered. I couldn’t make out the look on her face from the distance, but I could picture in my mind the unwavering determination I was sure she was feeling as she shook her head and got back into the game.

She blasted across the cannon range so fast that most flew harmlessly several feet behind her. A couple managed to hit closer to home as she rolled sideways to dodge one and then immediately back again for another. After that, though, she was free and rushed for the storm cloud. She dipped inside and was gone for what seemed the blink of an eye before she was out again, doing a backstroke in the air.

I couldn’t be sure how long she’d taken, but it was definitely faster than almost everypony else. The fumble in the rings might have cost her some points in however they were judging this thing, but I was sure her time had to be enough to make up for it.

Next to me, Scoots was bouncing up and down in her seat. “She’s done it! She’s got it in the bag!”

“I wouldn’t get too excited yet,” Rarity warned from behind us. “It is entirely possible the Wonderbolts don’t only look for speed in their recruits, and I doubt the auditions are over yet. They haven’t gotten to show off any sort of stunts. Surely that’s something they’ll do, don’t you think?” She directed the question to the group at large, even though none of us had an answer for her.

“Guess we’ll just have to wait ‘n see,” Applejack said.

“She’s still got it in the bag,” Scoots grumbled so that Rarity wouldn’t hear. I grinned and elbowed her, which only caused her to laugh and mockingly punch me back. I hoped she was right.

Once the last few auditioners ran through (none as well as Rainbow, of course), there was another break as Spitfire lined them up again and started pacing up and down the first row. She looked to be explaining another round, making it seem that Rarity was right. With nothing in particular to watch, though, I had a perfect opportunity to talk to Scoots.

“Hey,” I whispered, leaning over to her. “Can we talk for a moment?”

She looked at me, somewhere between confused and even a little fearful and nodded. She cleared her throat and said, “We’re going to go see if we can find some drinks. Anypony want anything?”

Everypony but Sweetie shook their head. “Just a water, if you would,” she said, grinning at Scoots again.

I was certain in an instant that she knew. She knew all about Scoots asking me out. Was she egging her on? Was that what they talked about? It made sense. Sweetie had just implied Scoots might have a crush on someone and what did Scoots do? She freaked out and dragged Sweetie away before she could say anything else. Could something actually be about to go my way this weekend?

But then again, did I really want it to?

This was an awful time for it to happen. I just told Rainbow I had feelings for her last night! Would she thought that I was just playing around with their feelings? And what would Scoots say when I told her that I didn’t just have feelings for her? I had already promised we would talk about what happened between Rainbow and I; there was no getting out of it now.

This was just another disaster waiting to happen, wasn’t it?

And so I was feeling rather reluctant as Scoots led the way back into the hall outside the stadium proper. She took us a little ways away to a nearby bench and, after checking to make sure the hall was clear, she turned to me with a hesitant smile.

“So, uh… what’s up?” she asked. “We don’t want to be gone too long. We might miss whatever Rainbow Dash’s doing next!”

“I was just wondering about what you said before,” I started cautiously. He tentatively raised an eyebrow but said nothing. “About us doing something together. What… exactly did you have in mind?”

“Oh, i-is that all? I don’t know… Maybe we could go to Sugarcube Corner and get some milkshakes–er, coffee! I meant coffee! Or we could get dinner or something, if you wanted. That’d be cool, too! Sweetie told me about this café on Golden Street that she really liked…” She was babbling erratically, just as uncomfortable about the affair as I was. I’ll admit it made me feel the tiniest bit better that I wasn’t the only one worrying about stuff. But her answer did little to tell me what I really wanted to know. I was going to have to just bite the bullet and ask straight out.

“Scoots, I may be completely off-base here but… are you asking me on a date?” I asked in as casual tone as I could manage. I didn’t want to make her any more self-conscious than she already looked, though I’m not sure how much I succeeded as smile became a little more forced.

“W-well, it doesn’t have to be…” she started before falling silent. She took a deep breath. “Yes. Yes I am. I like you, Will, and I want to go on a date with you sometime.”

I was simultaneously elated, disbelieving and terrified at her blunt explanation. Of course, leave it to Scoots to not beat around the bush.

“Oh, Scoots… I–uh…” I mumbled, trying to parse my thoughts together and finding the words not coming. Scoots must have taken my hesitation as rejection, though, as her expression fell.

“Y-you know what? Forget I said anything!” she said, trying to force a brittle laugh. “It w-was a dumb idea anyway!”

“No, it’s not that!” I said quickly, unfortunately in my haste making her jump. I tried to measure my tone a little before I continued. “I wasn’t saying no, Scoots. I would love to go out with you when we get back!”

“You would?” she asked, a spark of hope coming back into her eye.

“Yeah! You’re really cool, Scoots and… I like being with you,” I said. But I still had to deliver the bad news. “It’s just that I think there’s something you should know before we do.”

And there she went right back to cautiously hesitant. Great.

“Like what?” she asked.

“It’s about Rainbow and I,” I said. I debated whether I should just tell her that I have feelings for her big sister or that I was sleeping with her, too. I wasn’t committed to Scoots any more than I was to Rainbow; she didn’t need to know every detail about my sex life. But if the secret came out would she think I was lying to her?

“I don’t know how to put this so I’ll just come out and say it. Rainbow and I have been… well, we’ve been sleeping together. For a while now. Since before I met you, actually.”

All I got in return for my admission was a wide-eyed stare and stunned silence. Feeling the need to salvage things, I hurriedly went on. “We’re not a couple or anything. She made that abundantly clear, but I won’t lie to you. I do have some feelings for her.”

“I… but you… Wow,” Scoots spluttered. “I don’t even know what to say.”

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I know you probably didn’t want to hear that about your sister –God knows I wouldn’t– but… I would rather you know up front than find out later and think I lied to you or something. I’m not one to get into things under false pretenses.”

“No, that’s okay,” she said. “I mean, it’s not like she’s actually my sister or anything, so it’s not so bad. And I do appreciate you telling me the truth. But… if you have feelings for her, why did you agree to a date with me?”

“Because I really do want to. Scoots,” I said, sighing. My mind went back to the conversation I’d had with Written Script and Carrot Top. “I’ve been thinking a lot about us lately. Me, you and Rainbow. I’ve been… reconsidering my relationship with both of you. Started thinking I wouldn’t mind being more. I talked to Rainbow, but…”

“Is that what you two argued about last night?” she asked as recognition dawned. Her voice dropped, becoming gentler. “I take it she said no?”

I didn’t need to say anything. My face must have said it all as she leaned against me and sighed. “I’m sorry. Rejection always sucks.”

A moment of quiet passed as she nuzzled my shoulder. Her touch was comforting; I had been so worried that we were going to have a problem just like I did with Rainbow. But eventually she pulled away and gave a dramatic, if mocking, huff.

“So. You’ve been sleeping with my sister, have feelings for her, and are going on a date with me when we get back home. Anything else I should know?”

I had to admit, it sounded even worse when she spelled it out so simply like that, but the tone she used got me to laugh anyway. “Yes. I am also a monkey’s uncle.”

She half-groaned, half-laughed at my pitiful attempt at a joke and playfully shoved me, even though she may as well have been trying to move a mountain for all the good it did. One advantage I had over ponies was my size.

Well, in height at least.

“Was that everything, then?” she asked. “’Cuz if it is, we should probably be getting back. Everypony’s probably wondering where we are.”

“Oh, yeah, probably. It’s a shame we didn’t find that water for Sweetie Belle,” I said.

“Heh, I doubt she even really wanted one,” Scoots said shyly. “She’s been kind of, uh… encouraging me to ask you out. I really thought she was going to give it away for a little bit there earlier.”

“That when you two went off together?”

“Yeah. I was gonna tell her to knock it off, but then she started in saying that I should just tell you because if I didn’t somepony else might and how when she was trying to work up the nerve to talk to Spike, she found worrying over it ended up being way worse than actually doing it. And, I don’t know… I thought maybe she’d be right.”

“And was she?”

She laughed. “Celestia no! When you said you wanted to talk I thought I was going to piss myself!”

Chapter 12

Scoots and I made it back just in time, if Sweetie Belle’s chiding rebuke was to be believed. As we took our seats and Scoots reclaimed her stuffed Wonderbolt from Apple Bloom, all the auditioners were in the air again. They were flying in groups of five, with one leading the rest in a ‘v’-shaped formation. The six groups were evenly spaced across the stadium, giving each a little room to maneuver. They seemed to simply be flying in circles at the watch of a suited Wonderbolt with a whistle, and at the sound they would stop the circle and do a loop-de-loop before continuing. It took me a moment to find Rainbow’s group, and when I did I saw that she was in the lead position under Soarin’s command, if I wasn’t mistaken.

They continued in their little orbits for a little while, keeping a sedate, steady pace that I was sure had to be boring Rainbow. Finally my curiosity got the better of me. “What are they doing?”

“Formation flying, I think,” Twilight said from next to Applejack and Rarity. “From what I can gather, they appear to be judging the participants’ ability to fly in sync with others, as well as giving each member a chance to take the lead position. The second stallion on Rainbow’s right led their group first, for instance, before she took over.”

“Since they always fly in teams, I reckon it makes sense they need ponies that can work with others,” Applejack mused.

After a few more minutes of going through the same routine, Soarin’ gave two sharp bursts on his whistle and Rainbow moved aside, letting the next pony take the lead. They went through the same motions with each of the remaining members of the group, letting each pony lead them through the loop-de-loops in turn. It was probably a very necessary test for team like the Wonderbolts, but it didn’t exactly make for the most riveting experience to watch. Eventually, though, everypony had gotten a chance to be leader and the auditioners were all brought back down to the field where they formed three rows of ten, much like they had when they first came out. Spitfire resumed her pacing in front of them while the other Wonderbolts flew over to a private box on the other side of the arena.

“Alright, here we go!” Scoots said excitedly. “They have to be moving on to individual stunts now, right? What else could they want to test?”

“I don’t know about that…” Twilight said as the auditioners broke formation and began filing back towards the entrance to the locker rooms.

“N-no! They can’t be done!” Scoots shouted. “She didn’t even get to show them any of her cool moves! How can that be it?!”

“I can’t imagine Rainbow’s happy right about now,” Applejack said somberly. “We’d better go and see what’s goin’ on.”

We all joined the crowd moving through the halls and reconvened in the lobby, where our little group stood to one side as we waited for Rainbow to come out of the locker rooms. Near us, Flitter and Rumble stopped and stared anxiously at the locker room door. When it opened to reveal a slightly limping Cloudchaser still being carried by Thunderlane, both dripping from a post-workout shower, Flitter and Rumble rushed over to meet them. By the time Rainbow finally appeared, Cloudchaser was being dragged along on both sides by her herd with Rumble trotting at his brother’s side. I was glad that despite looking a little worse for wear, it seemed like she was going to be fine.

I couldn’t help but think of how happy they were. They looked like they all just… belonged together.

I also couldn’t hold back an envious sigh as I turned back to my own little world.

Rainbow was wearing a dejected frown as she dried her mane with a towel until she saw us, where she tried to replace it with a cocky grin. “Hey, everypony! How’d I look?”

“You looked great, Rainbow!” Twilight said, pulling her into a hug. “But I don’t think anypony’s surprised about that.”

Rainbow chuckled as they pulled apart before striking a confident pose. “Could I ever not look awesome?”

I guess Scoots couldn’t take it anymore and darted forward, stopping in front of Rainbow and stamping her hoof. “The auditions can’t be over! You didn’t do a single one of your tricks! What in the hay is going on?!” The sight of her that angry might have been intimidating had it not been diminished somewhat by the stuffed Wonderbolt balanced on her back.

“I don’t know either, Squirt,” she said. “They’ve had solo flights every time I’ve auditioned before, so you’re guess is as good as mine. But I sure plan to find out.” A trace of irritation slipped through her otherwise calm demeanor.

“Well, uh…” Twilight said, glancing nervously between the frustrated mares. “I’m sure they had their reasons for structuring the auditions as they did. Maybe they were looking for something specific in a new recruit this year, and this was the easiest way to find it?”

Rainbow seemed to think it over for a moment before shrugging. “I guess. I’m still gonna ask Spitfire when we hang out tonight.”

“Actually, what are the plans for tonight? Are we meeting them here or what?” I asked. Rainbow’s posture became just the slightest bit tenser as I spoke; I suppose she was still thinking about last night.

“Oh, uh…” she mumbled as she ducked her head into her saddlebag and withdrew a piece of paper. “They left this note with the address and time pinned to my bag. We’re supposed to meet them there tonight at six.”

Rarity cleared her throat to get our attention. “Well, I had expected the auditions to take longer than they did. What does everypony say to getting some lunch before we head back? I would love to try some more Cloudsdale cuisine!”

Everypony and myself agreed, with Pinkie Pie getting the last word in. “Oh, oh! Can we go somewhere that has cupcakes? Or nachos? NO! Someplace with cupcakes and nachos!”

Rainbow laughed at her friend’s antics. “I know someplace even better!”

‘Someplace even better’ was apparently a rundown, hole-in-the-wall pizzeria on the outskirts of the Heights closest to the Residential District. We were greeted at the counter by an aging mare with a bushy white mane and pince-nez glasses who graciously allowed us to move three tables together so we could all fit. She brought us three larges for a fairly good price, especially since we split the bill between us. Sweetie Belle gave Spike a sappy kiss on the cheek when he covered her portion, to which Apple Bloom and Twilight just rolled their eyes to everyone else’s amusement.

While we ate, Scoots spent most of her time talking with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, and judging by the excited squeal the latter gave, I think Scoots told her that I’d said yes to her date. I got a few surreptitious looks from the three of them for a while after that, but I tried to ignore it.

Instead, I focused on Rarity. As one of the only other people that somewhat kept up with her work, she was using the opportunity to talk over the orders she was working on and what she’d need me to do next Friday. I think she mostly wanted a soundboard, but I tried to chip in as best as I could. When she starts talking about accentuating and seasonal accessorizing, I was completely lost. At least Applejack, the only other dragged into the conversation, looked as nonplussed as I felt.

And Rainbow… well, she was engrossed in discussing the Daring Do books with Twilight while Fluttershy listened patiently. She didn’t strike me as being terribly fond of such adventurous books, but Rainbow loved talking about them and I couldn’t see Fluttershy having it in her to interrupt.

That only left Pinkie, but she was too busy gorging herself on pizza, getting cheese and tomato sauce all over her cheeks and chin.

Once we’d all had our fill, we walked together back to the park to see everyone off home. It turns out that the Cloudsdale idea of a park is a mass of small clouds floating in random intervals throughout the sky over an open field on the edge of the city. Most were just big enough for two or three ponies to sit together comfortably though a few bigger ones were interspersed. On the floor level, there was even a small playground with several foals playing merrily. The same rainbows that weaved through the rest of the city were here as well, many falling amongst the floating clouds like waterfalls. All in all, it made for a very pretty sight.

As we approached Twilight’s hot air balloon, Applejack in particular seemed hesitant to get inside despite having ridden in it many times in the past, but a loving nuzzle and a quick peck from Rarity was enough to soothe her nerves. Once they’d settled inside, Applejack swiped the hat off of her head and plopped it on Rarity’s, and though the latter complained about how her mane was going to be ruined, she didn’t so much as lift a hoof to remove the offending article.

Scoots shared her own goodbyes with her friends while I gave Spike a fistbump and a promise that I’d come around more often.

Once everypony was settled and Spike had the balloon ready, they lifted off and were soon gone, leaving Rainbow, Scoots and myself alone.

Before an uncomfortable silence could set in, I cleared my throat. “So, uh… We both thought you looked amazing out there, Rainbow,” I said, giving a look to Scoots who nodded in turn. “How do you feel?”

She put on a mostly-convincing grin and opened her mouth to speak, but her façade fell apart before she could say anything. “I don’t know how to feel. I think I did pretty good, but I’ve always thought that after an audition and I’ve never gotten the spot, obviously. And I didn’t even get to show them any of the tricks I’ve been working on!”

“I know!” Scoots shouted, scowling. “Nopony would have stood a chance against you then! You would have gotten it for sure!”

Despite her fervor, Scoots’s words seemed to do little good. Rainbow just gave a sad smile and pulled her in for a half-hearted noogie. “Thanks, Squirt. I’m glad you believe in me.”

“I’m not the only one,” Scoots said. Both of them looked to me with smiles, one brimming with hope and the other tinged with sadness and regret.

“Yeah… you’re right,” Rainbow said. For half a second, she looked like she was going to say something more but then she shook her head. “Anyway, we have a few hours before we need to meet Spitfire and Soarin’. Why don’t we head back to Mom and Dad’s place to drop off our stuff?”

“Sounds good to me,” Scoots said. “However nice of Soarin’ it was to give me this” –she bounced the stuffed Wonderbolt on her back– “but I don’t really want to take it to a club.”

We spent the following hours taking it easy at Rainbow’s parents’ house, watching a couple of movies until her parents got home. Firefly apologized for not being able to make it to the auditions; there had been a crash in her Advanced Flying Tactics class and she’d had to escort the student to the infirmary which took far longer than she would have liked. Rainbow was happy to retell the whole audition from start to finish, embellishing a few parts here and there as she’s wont to do, but the knowing smiles on her parents’ faces showed they could see through it.

After a fast and light supper, we took off again for the Heights where Rainbow led us several blocks in, until I was completely lost. I knew we were getting closer to our destination, though, as the street she took us onto was bustling even on the floor level. Spotlights shone down from overhead in a kaleidoscope of colors, combining with the dull roar of a thousand voices shouting and laughing to fill the air with thrumming life. It was like the beating heart of the city was here on display.

We had to fight our way through the crowd, a prospect that would have been daunting had I not had the innate ability to repel ponies that aren’t used to me. Even with that benefit, however, it wasn’t easy as the sheer amount of activity going on made even me stand out a little less.

The building we finally entered didn’t look like much from the outside, but the inside held a sea of bodies writhing and grinding to the basslines thudding from a live DJ’s turntable on the far side of the room. A burly-looking stallion stood just beyond the door, eyeing each pony trying to come inside. He held out a wing to stop us.

“No minors,” he said, pointedly looking at Scoots. Rainbow stepped in between them.

“The name’s Rainbow Dash. We’re meeting somepony here.”

“Rainbow Dash, you say?” he asked, unimpressed. Regardless, he checked a clipboard on the small table next to him and, clicking his tongue, nodded. “Alright, you can go in. Your… hosts are already upstairs waiting.” He took the time to lazily point to a set of stairs behind him before losing interest in us and turning to the next pony in line. Rainbow scowled but acquiesced to let it go.

The stairs led to a walkway overlooking the floor below. Now that I had a better vantage point, I saw the club was packed from wall to wall, leaving everypony rubbing shoulders not only on the dancefloor but at the bar where only two ponies tried to keep up with the flow of drunk customers demanding drinks.

The walkway led only to a door with a plaque on the front that read simply ‘Private’. Another bouncer, this one a stern-looking mare with mirrored sunglasses, stood to block our progress, but Rainbow cut her off by telling her who we were. She gave three sharp raps on the door before sitting back down. Only a few seconds later, the door opened and Spitfire’s head poked out.

“Rainbow! Glad you could make it, come on in!” she said, waving us inside.

The interior of the Wonderbolts Private room was simpler than I’d have imagined. It was comfortable enough; two couches sat in an ‘L’ around a low coffee table while a mini-fridge was tucked into a corner next to a folding card table and the droning music from outside was now a barely-noticeable hum. All in all, it looked more like a lounge than something I thought I’d see in a nightclub.

Soarin’ was reclining on one end of the couch facing away from us, and he peered over the back as we came in. “Hey! About time you guys got here. Spits was going to start the party without you!”

Spitfire scowled as she grabbed a bottle from the mini-fridge and hopped onto the seat beside him. “Soarin’, must you use that nickname around every new pony we meet?”

“But Spits, how else will they know that you’re my best friend and I love you?” he asked.

“And that you love to tease me mercilessly?” she asked rhetorically, rolling her eyes. Then she turned to us. “Anyways, make yourselves comfortable! Help yourselves to anything in the fridge, and if what you want isn’t there we can have it brought up. The staff here’s pretty great.”

Scoots and I both went for the fridge. There was quite the selection inside, ranging from beers to ciders to even some soda, of which Scoots took one. I selected a nice-looking wheat beer. I was about to ask Rainbow what she wanted when I noticed that she hadn’t followed us over. She was still standing by the door, staring at the floor while she tapped a hoof impatiently.

“So, it was cool of you to let us come chill here with you,” she started softly, but then her voice suddenly jumped in volume. “But what the hay was up with today?!”

A deathly silence fell over the room. I held my breath, waiting to see how Spitfire and Soarin’ would take her outburst. I knew she was aggravated, but did she have to blow up at the people who invited us out? She couldn’t have been even a little more tactful?

Oh wait; this is Rainbow I’m talking about. Never mind.

For their part, Spitfire and Soarin’ exchanged a wordless glance. Spitfire frowned and gave a deep sigh. Just when I thought they were about to toss us out on our asses, Soarin’ grinned and started laughing, soon setting Spitfire off as well.

“Dammit!” she said, rubbing a temple. “I thought you’d hold out for a little longer at least! Now I owe this loser twenty bits.”

“You never should have underestimated Rainbow’s propensity for having a one-track mind!” Soarin’ replied.

Rainbow glanced back and forth between them, her mouth hanging open. She seemed unable to formulate any kind of response, so Spitfire must have taken pity on her.

“We knew you were going to be pissed about the auditions today. I take it you aren’t happy you didn’t get to show off… what was it going to be this year, the Buccaneer Blaze 2.0 or something?”

Rainbow grumbled something under her breath along the lines of “Filly Flash 2.0…”

Spitfire laughed. “Well, I’m sure it’s really impressive and would have blown us all away. But we’ve had a few problems with the way we used to run auditions and I thought we needed to try something a little different this year.”

“What kind of problems?” Rainbow asked.

Spitfire took a long swig of her drink before sighing. “The last few times we recruited somepony, we were looking for somepony who looked like they could impress a crowd. And letting everypony have a chance to show off what they could do on their own was a great way to do that. But then we’d find out that they couldn’t fly in tight group formations, or they couldn’t get along with the rest of the team, or whatever else. A few times, we accepted a pony onto the team only to have to let them go and find somepony else.

“We need ponies that are capable of flying in a group. So I got the idea that maybe the reason we weren’t getting the ponies we needed was because we were looking for them in the wrong way. I came up with the new regimen for this year hoping it would help us refine our criteria. It’s a prototype, I guess, and if it works this year we plan to use it from here out.”

Rainbow was speechless for a moment, her eyes flicking across the floor like she was searching for inspiration for a way to refute Spitfire’s words. “I guess that makes sense… I guess you couldn’t have told me this before the audition, huh?”

“And risk giving you an unfair advantage over everypony else? I don’t think so,” Spitfire said. “I want you to get the spot, Dash, but not at the expense of somepony else if they deserve it more.”

“Nopony deserves to be on the Wonderbolts more than Rainbow Dash!” Scoots suddenly snarled. “She’s been working for it for years! Training every day! What more could she possibly do to deserve it more?!”

“I didn’t mean to imply she didn’t deserve it,” Spitfire started, her voice strained, but Rainbow held up a wing to silence her.

“Scoots, she’s saying that she has to pick who’s best for the team. If somepony did better than me today, then they deserve the spot. Nothing else to it.” The tension left her body as she sidled over to us and grabbed a cider from the fridge before taking a spot on the empty couch where she gave a sly grin. “Besides, it’s good that she didn’t tell me. If I’d known something they hadn’t, it wouldn’t be as fun when I beat them!”

Soarin’ laughed and clinked his bottle against Rainbow’s. “Now there’s the Rainbow Dash spirit we know and love!”

As the unpleasant heaviness in the air subsided, Scoots and I joined Rainbow on the surprisingly comfortable couch. Scoots wore a rueful frown as she settled in the middle between us, though nopony else seemed to notice as the conversation continued.

“Well, I’m glad you understand, Dash,” Spitfire said. “I’m sure you weren’t the only one who was a little upset over today, but like you said, I had to do what I thought was best for the team. But I’m tired of talking about work! Let’s talk about something else. How’s life in Ponyville been treating you? I haven’t been out that way since the last Apple Family Reunion!”

I’d heard of the famous Apple Family Reunions. Every one hundred moons, the entire family gathered from around Equestria to celebrate with each other. Every time they went to a different family branch’s home, usually a farm with a lot of space (it’s a very large family, after all), with the last one taking place at Sweet Apple Acres in Ponyville.

“Wait, so you’re related to the Apples?” I asked.

“I’m not, but he is,” Spitfire said, pointing to Soarin’. In turn, he just shrugged.

“My partner’s an Apple,” he said simply. “We have our own little orchard out in a little town called Appleloosa.”

The name sounded vaguely familiar. Applejack had probably mentioned the place before if she had family out that way. “Oh? What’s her name?” I probably didn’t know her, of course, but I thought I might at least recognize the name.

However, my question was met with a snort from Spitfire and a smaller chuckle from Soarin’. Then the latter spoke.

“Braeburn. His name’s Braeburn.”

No wonder they were laughing. I must look pretty funny with my foot in my mouth. At least I did faintly recall the name as one of Applejack’s numerous cousins, not that it made me feel much better.

“Heh, sorry! Shouldn’t have assumed,” I said.

But Soarin’ just played it off with a casual wave of his wing. “Don’t worry about it! You couldn’t have known. But that reminds me of the news I was supposed to tell you all about. The news that was supposed to be a secret until somepony decided to open her big, fat mouth!” he said, glaring at an innocently whistling Spitfire.

“Oh yeah, I nearly forgot!” Rainbow said, sitting up a little straighter. “What’s going on?”

“Well, Brae and I have decided that we’re ready to have foals,” he said, a small smile lighting up his face in pride. “We been thinking it over for a while now, going through all our options and everything and we think it’s time.”

To my surprise, Rainbow seemed to have nothing to say. She was just sitting there, her brow wrinkled in confusion. Soarin’ looked around, obviously expecting some kind of reaction, so I spoke up to not be rude.

“That’s great! Have you decided how you’re going to go about it? Foster parenting? Adoption?”

“Surrogacy, actually,” he said. “Family is really important to Brae, so he wanted the foal to be one of ours if it was possible. And he knew just who he wanted to ask to carry it: his ‘favorite cousin in the world,’ Applejack.”

“Waitwaitwait, hold on!” Rainbow finally spoke up. “Applejack’s having your baby?! Applejack? One of my best friends. She’s having a baby? W-what?! How has she not told me?!”

Soarin’ recoiled at her outburst. “Well, we asked her to not say anything yet. There’re a lot of hoops you have to jump through to get a surrogacy going. Physicals to make sure she’s healthy enough to carry as well as psychological screening to make sure she won’t have a problem giving up the foal afterward, plus STI testing for me and a flank-load of paperwork we all have to look over and sign. There are so many things that could stop us from moving forward, and we didn’t want word spreading before we were surer it was going to happen.”

Instead of looking pacified, Rainbow just frowned at the floor. “I still can’t believe it… But you’re a Wonderbolt! How in Equestria do you have time for a relationship, let alone a foal? Don’t either of those things need, like… all your attention?”

“Wonderbolts can have lives, too, you know,” Soarin’ said. “Sure, we don’t get as much time home as we’d like. Sometimes we’re away for weeks at a time, but those are the exceptions rather than the rule.”

“Rapidfire’s been seeing a mare for what? Seven years now?” Spitfire asked aloud. “I know Misty’s got two stallions back home, and hay! Fleetfoot’s got two foals.”

“And Brae and I’ll manage, just like we always have,” Soarin’ concluded. “Just because you’re a Wonderbolt doesn’t mean you can’t have a family or a life. It may not be easy, but nothing worth having usually is.”

Rainbow slumped back onto the couch, a thoughtful look in her eyes. She fell into an uneasy silence, long enough that Soarin’ and Spitfire both seemed to pick up on it, sharing a concerned look.

“Dash, are you okay?” Spitfire asked.

Rainbow snapped out of her thoughts and refocused her attention on Spitfire, blinking. “What do you mean? I’m fine.”

“You’ve just seemed a little… different tonight; like you’re on edge or something. You sure everything’s cool?”

Rainbow suddenly reeled back and gave a loud, forced laugh. She scratched the back of her head abashedly while she waved off Spitfire’s words. “I’m fine! I’ve just been… uh… a little stressed about today lately. Yeah, that’s all! Actually…” she trailed off before turning to look instead at me. As she continued, her voice became softer and lost its disingenuous air. “I’ve probably been kind of a jerk lately. I’m sorry about that. I’ll try to be better, okay?”

I was too confused by the sudden shift to say anything. What was she apologizing to me for? Did she regret turning me down, or for even sleeping with me in the first place? Was she just sorry for the poor way we handled last night?

“Well, if you need help de-stressing, I know just the thing!” Spitfire said. “Why don’t we get another round of drinks in us and then do something fun? Anypony like poker?”

Whether she had noticed anything between Rainbow and I or was just trying to change the subject to something more light-hearted I couldn’t tell. I was too wrapped up in my own thoughts to have been paying attention, trying to ascertain what in the world was going through Rainbow’s head. I suddenly couldn’t wait for this weekend to just be over so I could go home and start getting things back in order in my life.

Until then, some poker with some new friends would make for a good distraction.

It’s amazing how just a little bit of alcohol can really loosen a group up. We were all gathered around that small folding table I had seen earlier, scrunched up close enough that we were practically rubbing elbows and Scoots was nearly in my lap, but nopony seemed to mind as we swapped stories and jokes.

“So, this one time at school our teacher asked my friend Apple Bloom to fix the air conditioner since it went out and she’s pretty good with machines and stuff, right?” Scoots said as she hauled in the chips she’d won quite soundly in the last round. “She takes it apart and finds that the filter is so clogged with dust and dirt that no air’s getting through. But we don’t have a vacuum or anything to clean it out with, right?”

We all nodded to show we were listening as Soarin’ shuffled the deck and dealt out the next round.

“So Apple Bloom tells Ms. Cheerilee that she isn’t sure how to clean it. Now, Ms. Cheerilee was already irritated because it had been a long day in a blazing hot schoolroom, so she snaps at AB to ‘Just blow it out yourself, then!’”

Rainbow and Soarin’ both snickered while I bit back a snort. Spitfire gave an amused sigh as she said, “Not the best way to have worded it to a class of teenagers.”

Scoots just grinned even wider. “It gets even better! One of the colts, Snails, had been sleeping at his desk all day, but he chose that moment to wake up and say ‘That’s what she said!’” She paused in her story while we all burst out laughing. Even if I hadn’t been a little tipsier than what was probably wise, her imitation of Snail’s thick accent was priceless. “I swear, I have never seen Ms. Cheerilee so embarrassed! She couldn’t even look at any of us for the rest of the day!”

Spitfire cracked up so bad she had to put her hand down and wipe her eyes with a hoof. “Did he get in trouble at all?”

“Nope!” Scoots said, beaming. “She’s always been really cool about stuff like that. As long as it doesn’t get out of hoof or distracting, she lets us joke around and stuff. Keeps things from being too uptight and boring, you know?”

“Shit, any of our teachers back in the day would have had a fit if we said something like that!” Spitfire said. “Soarin’, you remember old Mrs. Melody?”

“Celestia do I!” he scowled. “I lost count of how many detentions she put us in. She’d have burst a vessel if either of us had said something like that.”

“Yeah, but we were a couple of little shits back then,” Spitfire said, grinning conspiratorially. “You remember the time we broke into her office and –”

“And completely rearranged everything?” Soarin’ finished for her, shaking his head. He faced the rest of us. “She hated anypony touching her things. Seriously, she’d freak out if you so much as bumped her desk. Looking back, she might have been OCD or something. Anyway, we got into her office after school one day and flipped everything around so that it was facing the opposite way.”

“Damn, that is mean!” I said, laughing at the thought. “What did she do?”

“Nothing!” Spitfire barked. “All that work and she said nothing! The next day she was the same cranky old crone she always was.”

“She did have a serious twitch in her eye, though,” Soarin’ said. He gave a wistful look to her. “We had some pretty crazy times back then. Those were the days, huh?”

“You two sound like you were really close,” I said.

Spitfire smiled and sighed as she tossed in her ante. I realized with a start that I hadn’t even checked my hand yet. A three and a five in different colors was all I had to work with as she reminisced. “We sure were. I was unlucky enough to meet this dork on my first day of Primary. Five and a half years old and I didn’t know any better, so when I said ‘hi’ to the colt sitting next to me, I had no idea I’d be stuck with him for the rest of my life!”

“I seem to remember you chasing me down during recess that day and demanding I play with you,” Soarin’ countered as he laid out the flop. A queen, a ten and a two; a whole lot of nothing for me. I cursed inwardly as I tossed in my ante, too.

“I only asked you to play because I knew you’d be all alone without me,” Spitfire said, sticking her tongue out. “But yeah, we’ve been best friends ever since. Or partners in crime if you believed our teachers!”

When we had all put in our antes, Soarin’ dealt a fourth card, another queen. At least I had two-of-a-kind, so I wasn’t completely out of the game. We took turns around the table; Scoots, Soarin’ and I checked while Spitfire and Rainbow both made a small bet and raise respectively. After the chips were down, Soarin’ dropped a three as the final card, giving me a two pair. I had a chance to win this hand after all!

“I never would have pictured you guys as troublemakers,” Scoots said.

I made a bet of my own which Spitfire confidently met as she raised an eyebrow to Scoots. “Why do you say that?”

“I don’t know,” Scoots quickly said. “I guess… It’s just that you’ve always been these famous Wonderbolts for as long as I can remember. It’s hard to imagine you guys being school foals…”

“Damn, filly,” Spitfire said without looking up from her cards. “You sure know how to make a mare feel old.”

The completely casual way Spitfire said it seemed to confuse Scoots, as it took a moment for her to react. She bolted upright, her eyes wide and her ears folded back. “N-no! That’s not what I meant! I, uh… I’ve always looked up to you and all! Well, not always, of course! I mean–”

“Woah, slow down filly!” Spitfire said, holding up a hoof and smiling disarmingly. “I’m just messing with you.”

Scoots let out a breath and awkwardly rubbed her shoulder. “Heh… Right. Sorry!”

“Aww, cut her a break, Spits,” Soarin’ said. “Everypony gets a little nervous around their first celebrity.”

“Since when are there celebrities here? I’d love to meet them,” I teased.

“Now see, that’s what I like!” Spitfire said, pointing a hoof at me and laughing. “I’m so glad Dash dragged you two along. You’re both alright! Now show what you got, bitches.”

She went first, laying down a two pair in queens and twos. Rainbow groaned with only the queens, the same as Soarin’. I confidently laid down my own two pair and reached to take the pot when Scoots brushed my shoulder with a wing, a smug, shit-eating grin on her little muzzle.

“Read ‘em and weep, losers!” she said, laying down a queen and a ten, giving the little punk a full house. We all watched in horror as she gleefully scooped up the winnings, leaving her with over half of all the chips on the table stacked up in piles nearly large enough for her to hide behind.

“I never would have guessed such an innocent-looking filly could be such a cardshark!” Spitfire complained. She tried to take a drink from her bottle only to find it empty. She got up and trotted to the fridge, the barest trace of a wobble in her stance, and rifled through before giving up with a huff. “You know what? I can only lose so many rounds of poker before I get bored. Who wants to go downstairs and dance with me?”

“I thought the point of the private room was so that nopony knew you were here?” Rainbow asked.

Spitfire shook her head and came back over to nudge Soarin’ up and out of his seat. “Well yeah, but it’s getting late. By now, everypony down there will be too drunk to recognize us. And I like dancing! Find some hunky stallion or pretty filly to brush your coat against and get down to the beat; what’s not to love?”

“I hear that!” Rainbow said knowingly. “Well, I’m game. Will, Scoots?”

Scoots gave a half-hearted but by no means unexcited shrug. “Dancing can be fun, I guess. Sounds good to me!”

If I were to be honest, I was a lot more hesitant. I’d never been a particularly talented dancer, usually barely managing to not embarrass myself whenever the tunes started, but I didn’t really want to be a party pooper, either, so in the end I agreed and we all made our way downstairs.

No sooner had we opened the door to our private suite did the roar of sound in the club reassert itself. Some song I couldn’t really recognize was playing, filling the air with rumbling bass, electronic sounds and some mare singing about drinking and getting laid. Typical club fare.

True to Spitfire’s word, nopony seemed to really pay them any undue attention; even I got only a couple of passing looks. Between the colored spotlights revolving around the floor being the only illumination in the dark hall and the general level of drunkenness in the club’s patrons, none of us must have stood out much.

It was still as packed as it had been earlier, but with the practiced ease of somepony who’d done it a thousand times before, Spitfire led us to one side of the floor, not too close nor too far from the blasting speakers and spread her wings to usher everypony aside and clear a small space for us.

She wasted no time in diving into a sort of two-step, swaying her hips and bobbing her head side to side. Soarin’ laughed and fell into place beside her, mimicking her motions while occasionally making a peace sign with his wings and waving it in front of his face goofily.

When nopony else immediately jumped in with them, Spitfire rolled her eyes and threw a wing around Scoots, dragging her over. She ran through the motions slowly to let Scoots catch up, but it wasn’t needed. She picked them up almost instantly, and within moments she was dancing like she’d been practicing it for years.

With a laugh and a shrug, Rainbow grabbed my pant leg with her mouth and dragged me into place as well. We formed a small circle with Scoots and Rainbow on either side of me. The moves were obviously designed for ponies, but I did my best to adapt them for me. I probably looked ridiculous as I shook my hips and rolled my shoulders, but we were all having too much fun for me to care.

We lost ourselves to the beat and the moment. All I could hear was the music, all I could see was the swirling lights and the sea of bodies swinging and churning about. Every now and then a face would come into view before dissipating back into the shapeless crowd. All around me was fur and feathers and sweat and bodies and heat and they were all pressing into me and becoming one big mass of sensory overload.

And it was brilliant.

At some point we had rearranged. Scoots and Soarin’ were face to face, beaming competitively as they circled around each other like predators sizing the other up. Spitfire was in the air, grinding her back into my chest as my hands explored her body and my cheek nuzzled her neck. Her spicy scent lulled my mind into a haze as in front of us I could barely recognize Rainbow dancing with some mare I doubt she even knew.

As the song switched to a more up-tempo-almost-funk song, I found myself with Scoots. She was standing on her hindlegs, her forehooves in my hands to help her balance as we danced in a style that was almost swing. She was laughing and trying to shout something to me but the words couldn’t reach me and were lost in the jumble of the night.

I couldn’t tell you how long we were at it. Constantly changing styles and partners as the mood struck us as the night went on. At one point I even ended up with Soarin’ in my arms, and had I been a little more sober or a little less high on the party, I might have found it weird to be holding another dude, but as it was it was fun and we enjoyed every minute of it.

I knew it was getting late after a while as the crowd started to thin and we were all getting tired. Spitfire had left to escort Scoots to the bathroom while Soarin’ went to the bar to get some shots and rest his hooves for a while, leaving just Rainbow and I still on the floor. A slower song came on, giving us the chance to move a little closer and even hear each other now that we weren’t fighting a hundred other voices.

“Some night, huh?” she asked into my ear. She had deigned to let me hold her for this dance, as my back was hurting from having to bend over to reach the tiny ponies. And so we swayed with her in one of my arms and the other between her wings while both of her hooves were around my neck.

“Yeah. This has been really great. I’m glad you know ponies cooler than you,” I said mockingly, to which she gave a mock scowl. “What time do you think it is?”

“Who cares?” she said wildly. She leaned back until she was practically looking upside-down at everypony behind her with me struggling to not drop her from the sudden move. It was the most relaxed I’d seen her all day, though whether it was from the drinks or just having the auditions done and over with I couldn’t know.

She suddenly reeled back, gracelessly bumping her chest into mine and slumping her chin onto my shoulder.

Okay yep, it was probably the drinks.

“Do you like Cloudsdale?” she quietly asked, her voice barely a whisper above what remained of the crowd. “I grew up here, you know. It’s all so… so different from what I remember. But not really. After school, I used to go to that pizza place every day with Gilda or Fluttershy. Well, sometimes with Fluttershy. Her parents didn’t like me.”

“Uh… why do you think that?” I asked, confused by the sudden shift in her demeanor.

“They said I’d be a bad influence on her. Get her into trouble,” she sighed. “They were probably right.”

I rubbed her back comfortingly. “Rainbow, are you okay?”

She gave a tired, slurred ‘hmmm?’, sounding like she had just woken up. “Wha…? Oh, yeah, I’m fine.” A pause. “No, I’m not. I don’t know anymore. I’m sorry about last night.

“I’ve been thinking about it all day. You deserved a lot more than just ‘I don’t do relationships.’”

I cursed inwardly. I really didn’t want to have this conversation all over again, especially tonight after we’d been having so much fun. Did she really need to go through the specifics of why she didn’t want to date me, now?

“Look Rainbow, I get it. You don’t want to date me; that’s fine. Yeah, we probably have a lot to talk through, but we can figure things out. Can’t we just have fun tonight?”

“It’s not like that!” Rainbow snapped. She lifted herself off my shoulder to glare at me. “Y-you’re right, we do haf’ta talk! But it’s not… it’s not easy, you know? You always wanna talk and I don’t… I don’t know the words and…”

She trailed off and fell silent before, with a painful hoof to my chest, shoved herself away from me. She nearly tumbled as I let go, but she caught herself in the air with several powerful, if uneven, flaps of her wings. Even drunk she could handle herself as she hovered in front on my face.

“After… after everything, you deserved more!” she said. “And I-I’m trying, but…”

“Rainbow, woah, slow down,” I said gently. She hung her head, shaking it as her mane hid her face from my view.

After angrily rubbing her eyes with a hoof, she said, “’M’sorry. This izzn’t the time, I know. I don’t even know why I’m saying all this.” Her voice was slurring and she looked around the dance floor like she didn’t even know where she was. “There’s just… so much I wanna say and I don’t know how…”

Her eyes flicked past me and her expression darkened. “Shit…” she mumbled under her breath.

I turned to see Spitfire and Scoots making a beeline across the floor towards us. Just before they got within earshot, Rainbow brushed by me, whispering, “We’ll talk later.” She waved to get Spitfire’s attention. “Yo, I need another drink! Buy me a shot of… something, I don’t know.”

Scoots watched them walk away with concern before she turned back to me. “What’s up with Rainbow? You two didn’t fight again, did you?”

I didn’t think so, did we…?

Scoots got my attention by slinking around me, rubbing herself against my leg not unlike a cat would. The opening notes of a slower song started up, which struck me as strange choice of music for a nightclub, but as I looked around I saw that the crowd had thinned somewhat and everypony that remained were pairing off like it was completely normal.

“Last call, folks. Enjoy one last drink while you have a song for the road,” a voice spoke over the speakers, and I looked over to the turntables to see the DJ holding a microphone under his wing.

“C-can I have this dance?” Scoots asked. She looked up at me with this hopelessly adorable-yet-terrified smile that washed all other thoughts from my head. Nodding, I leaned down and extended my hand for her hoof.

She took it, surprising me when she stood back up on her hindlegs and leaned against me. Wrapping her free foreleg around my thigh, she stood just tall enough to rest her cheek against my stomach. Amused at the slight absurdity of the situation, I did my best to reach her back (only managing her shoulder) and together we started to rock to the music.

At first, I couldn’t help but look around us nervously, expecting disapproving stares to be pointed my way. Now that there was no one else from our little group around, it was just me and a seventeen year old filly. I guess I half-expected somepony to burst down the door and take me away, but…

Nopony was even looking at us. There were couples all over the place; mares and stallions in all kinds of pairings all wrapped up in their own lives. We didn’t even register to them.

For all the souls moving around us…

…we may as well have been alone.

And with that thought solace fell over me. Nothing mattered anymore beyond the hoof in my hand, the breath billowing my shirt, the warmth against my navel and her body against me.

I pulled away from her ever so slightly, earning the ghost of a hurt frown until I swept her small body up in my arms. I held her against my chest, one arm under her rump all it took to bear the burden of her being. The silken soft of her mane was under my chin and between my fingers as I clutched her tight. Her wings fluttered in alarm until she recognized the safety of my embrace and melted against me.

Somewhere above us in the darkness, a light blossomed forth. The rest of the club faded into a void, leaving only Scoots and myself to bear witness to the moment. The music carried my feet across the floor without my heed and I allowed myself to be its thrall. Somewhere further still humming graced the melody, lilting and flowing between the bars like leaves on the September wind.

Scoots lifted her head to nuzzle against my cheek. Her coat, her warm, velvety coat glowing like fire under the light. She was humming, a small, subtle thing. Quiet; just for us.

One step forward, one to the left; spin, one step back, one forward again. Her lips against my neck. Spin, one step forward, one to the left. Her breath against my ear. Spin, one step back, one forward.

“Will…”

Her face was in front of mine then. Her eyes, deep and purple and shining. Her lips, parted, leaning closer to mine. Her hoof, grasping my neck as if holding on for dear life.

Suddenly, the music was gone and the spotlights overhead were stars; thousands of twinkling stars bathing us in their gentle glow.

And under the light of a thousand stars…

We kissed.

Even after she pulled away, pressing her forehead against mine, I could still taste her on my lips. The sugary sweetness of the soda she’d been drinking, her salty sweat, and oh the taste of her lips themselves.

Her eyes could barely stand to meet mine, a large and dopey smile on her face as her chest expanded with every panting breath she took. She gave me one more quick peck before sighing and laying her head back on my shoulder.

“That was awesome,” she whispered.

At the moment, I couldn’t bring myself to laugh at her choice of words. Instead, I simply pressed my cheek against her head, filling my senses with the smell and feel of her mane. “We’ll have to do this again sometime.”

“Mhm. Maybe when we go on that date? We could go to the park and dance under the moon.”

“I’d like that.”

As the world began to reassert itself back onto us, I realized the music had long since stopped and the floor was much emptier than it had been before. A few tired-looking staffers were ushering the drunker ponies out the door and the DJ was packing up his gear. Not feeling like letting go of Scoots, I continued holding her as I turned to look for the door.

And instead found Rainbow.

Alone on the floor. Her wings drooped to the ground. Staring at us.

“Will? What’s w–” Scoots began to ask, but stopped as she saw her sister. Her hooves wrapped tighter about my neck as the realization dawned.

Rainbow had seen.

And now she knew.

She was silent. Her lips slack like she wanted to say something. Her mouth working and nothing coming out.

Her eyes didn’t mist over, nor did she start to cry. Instead, she looked around, for what I couldn’t know, before shrugging.

And without a word, she turned and walked away.

Chapter 13

I felt like I could have heard a pin drop in the wake of Rainbow’s departure. She strode to the door but as her tail flicked out of sight I felt nothing.

A dull, cold nothing.

“Rainbow Dash, wait!” Scoots cried as she scrambled from my arms and slipped to the floor. She stumbled as she hit but was on her hooves again in a flash and bolted towards the door, leaving me alone.

Suddenly, I was sober again. The rush of the alcohol and party was gone, and I realized what I’d done. I’d kissed Scoots. Rainbow Dash’s little sister. My best friend’s little sister.

And I’d done it the night after I’d told Rainbow I wanted to be with her.

The weight of my fuck up hit me like a ton of bricks crashing down on my head. I reeled as the entire world fell off its axis.

I had to fix this. Now.

I took off after the two of them, bumping sharply into somepony as I sped by but I paid them no mind. All I cared about was catching Rainbow and Scoots before they got too far ahead of me. I tore open the front door and burst out onto the street.

Only to find Scoots.

Sitting alone on the cloud floor.

Shaking.

I looked around, scanning the street and the sky above, but there was no sign of her. Across the city, night had fallen and the only illumination was from the stars above. Everything was dark, with no rainbows in sight.

Giving a sigh of defeat, I sat down next to Scoots and let her lean her small body against mine. She was shivering, and though I knew it wasn’t from the cold, I wrapped my arm around her anyway.

“I-I couldn’t… I couldn’t catch her. I’ve never b-been the best flier,” she muttered.

“Nopony could catch Rainbow if she didn’t want them to,” I said quietly.

“What do we do now?”

“We should probably find Spitfire and Soarin’. Tell them we’re taking off.”

“No,” she snapped. “I mean what are we going to do about Rainbow Dash?”

What could we do? We’d have to find her before we could talk to her, but she could be anywhere in the city by now. And even when we did find her, what would I say? You told me no so I moved on? Yeah, that was really going to make her want me.

But… Did I even want her to?

I had Scoots, right? She was interested in me. She trusted me enough to tell me what she was feeling. She let me in; shared herself with me. She didn’t keep everything bottled up so that I never knew what she was thinking. What did I need Rainbow for?

Instantly I remembered all the days spent whiling away the time at my cottage or the park, always with a blue pegasus at my side. Her rainbow mane blowing in the breeze; her rose-colored eyes burning with excitement as she regaled me a tale of her and her friends’ heroic deeds. Months flashed by in my mind, every other day spent with only a single other pony: the only one that ever chose to be with me. My friend. My truest, most steadfast friend.

She had turned me down, yes. But it wasn’t over. I knew we hadn’t settled the matter. There was still so much to say, but instead of waiting to let things come out, I had jumped at the first bit of affection shown to me.

I didn’t regret agreeing to that date with Scoots, nor kissing her. But then again, maybe I did.

I didn’t know how to feel. And maybe that’s why I just felt cold.

“We’re going to find Spitfire and Soarin’,” I repeated. “And then we’re going to go home.”

“But we have to do something about Rainbow Dash!” Scoots pressed. She was glaring as she shoved my arm away and stood up. “We hafta… we hafta find her! We gotta tell her–”

“Yeah? And where exactly are we going to find her?” I snapped. “And what should we tell her? ‘Hey Rainbow, sorry I totally made out with your baby sister. My bad!’ Oh yeah, that’ll make her feel better!”

“I’m not a baby!” she shouted. She rounded on me, crouching down like she was about to charge. “I can make my own decisions and I chose to kiss you!”

“That’s not what I meant and you know it!” I said without thinking. It wasn’t until Scoots flinched away from me, her eyes wide in alarm, that I realized I was shouting, too.

I wanted to hit myself. I took a deep breath, trying to release the tension in my gut and slow the beat of my heart before tentatively touching her shoulder. It seemed to work, and she glumly returned to my side.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean to yell. Especially at you. But I didn’t mean that I think you’re a baby, Scoots–”

“Just that Rainbow Dash does?” she interrupted. “Yeah, trust me; I know.” She puffed herself up into what I guessed was supposed to be an imitation of Rainbow’s larger-than-life presence. “’No, Scootaloo, you can’t have any cider because one drop will get you so drunk you’ll make a fool of yourself and make me look bad!’ ‘Scootaloo, I’m going to tell you not to drop out of school even though you weren’t even thinking about doing that because I know sooo much more than you about everything!’ ‘No, Scootaloo, I’m not going to tell you that I’m sleeping with the colt you have a crush on, because why would you need to know something like that?!’”

Throughout her tirade, her voice continued to rise in pitch and volume until she was practically screeching. The moment she was done she let out a frustrated sob and stomped her hoof on the ground.

She looked so upset that I had to do something, so I picked her up in my arms and cradled her against my chest. She didn’t nothing to stop me, if anything she barely even seemed to register it as she continued to fume with the barest traces of wetness in the corners of her eyes.

And in spite of everything that had happened, of everything I was feeling, I found myself talking.

“Scoots, you… You know Rainbow only acts like that because she worries about you, right?” I asked.

“She doesn’t need to worry about me. I can take care of myself.”

I found myself smiling. “Yeah, but that’d be like telling your dad to not worry about you. How do you think he’d take that?”

She looked away from me and grumbled. “Probably just make him worry more.”

“Exactly,” I said lightly. “Rainbow loves you. And I know she can be really bad at… at expressing that. She has a hard time saying things sometimes… Especially when those things are important. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t feel them. That she doesn’t care. She’s just… Rainbow.”

I realized it as I was speaking, like a forgotten memory bubbling to the surface. Suddenly, so much seemed to make sense. Why she had been acting the way she was. Why she had been trying to talk to me. Why she took off.

Why are things so obvious only in hindsight?

“You really do love her, don’t you?” Scoots asked.

That snapped me out of my thoughts. Scoots, though, didn’t look upset like I’d have imagined. If anything, she was completely expressionless. That is, until she gave a small giggle.

“I’m not mad. I knew you liked her before,” she said. She gave a long weary sigh and settled back against my arms with a small smile on her face. “Though I didn’t know you loved her. Heh, to be honest… I, of all ponies, can’t blame you for that.”

“I don’t love her,” I said. “I like her, yes; I even would have liked to be with her. But it’s not love.”

Rainbow’s been my best friend for months. I cared about her more than I would ever be able to tell her, but that didn’t mean I loved her.

And yet for some reason even to my own ears it didn’t sound convincing.

It took a moment, but eventually the last thing Scoots had said hit me. “Wait, what do you mean ‘you, of all ponies?’”

A tinge of bashfulness crept into her smile as she rolled her eyes. “It’s… kind of a long story. Why don’t we start heading back? It’s cold out here.”

As soon as she said it I shivered. She was right, with the sun having gone down, it was understandably cold up in the clouds. I suddenly regretted not bringing a jacket with me.

Regardless I agreed and we got up together. I sadly let her down to the ground so she could walk for herself as we made our way back to the club’s door. Inside we were met by the grouchy-looking bouncer from before who denied us entry. Thankfully Spitfire and Soarin’ were on their way out so we left together. After quickly explaining what happened –leaving out why Rainbow had taken off so suddenly– and promising we’d make sure Rainbow was okay, we set off back towards her parents’ house.

We had passed through a few dark, empty blocks before I brought the conversation back up. Scoots sighed as she fluttered in the air beside me.

“So… You probably know that I really looked up to Rainbow Dash when I was younger?”

“She said it was a little more than ‘looking up’ to her. She made it sound like you idolized her.”

She somehow laughed and cringed at the same time. “Even ‘idolized’ might not be quite enough. I may have been the founding member and president of the Ponyville Rainbow Dash fanclub…”

“A… a fanclub?” I asked, not completely able to believe what I was hearing.

“I know, it’s so lame!” Scoots cried. “But I thought she was so cool! I was… okay, I was obsessed. And when she actually wanted to be my big sister? I was so excited I thought I could die! It was like a dream come true. And then once we started spending time together, it was even better than I’d imagined.”

She paused to take a long breath. “Well, about that time, everypony in my class was starting to, you know… get their first crushes and stuff, right? Sweetie was talking all the time about some singer she liked and AB even went on a ‘date’” –she made air quotes with her hooves– “with Featherweight, which was really just them getting milkshakes at Sugarcube Corner while pretending to do homework together.

“But while they were thinking about colts, I sorta… I might have had a massive crush on Rainbow Dash!”

She used a hoof to hide her face from my view, probably thinking I was going to laugh at her sudden admission. But while the rushed way she’d said it might have been a little funny, I wasn’t about to do something like that.

“Aww, Scoots, there’s nothing wrong with having a crush on someone you look up to that much, particularly when you’re that age. You have all these weird new feelings happening and none of it makes sense. But… I thought you said you weren’t really into fillies?”

“I’m not! Well, not really… I mean, there were a few times when I was in heat and thought…” She trailed off with a shake of her head. “Rainbow Dash is the only other filly I’ve ever had those kind of thoughts about. So, I’m not into fillies, but maybe I’m into Rainbow Dash?”

“Not ‘used to be’ into her?” I asked.

“I don’t know… It’s not like I want to, you know, be with her or anything. But I guess I think she’s good looking.”

I hadn’t seen that coming. I knew that Rainbow liked it both ways but I wouldn’t have imagined that Scoots did too, even if it was only for one pony. “Why didn’t you say anything before? Like when I was telling you I had feelings for her?”

She shrugged. “Didn’t think it mattered. Do you really want to talk about every crush we’ve ever had?”

That was fair enough, I supposed. It was just one little crush from forever ago. It’s not like it meant she didn’t want to be with me now. It was harmless and I should really just let it go. Jealousy is not attractive.

I cursed silently. Tonight just really wasn’t my night.

Thankfully it wasn’t long before the Residential District came into view. The streets there were just as empty as the Heights had been and in no time we were letting ourselves into the unlocked front door to Prism and Firefly’s house. Only the light of the curio cabinet-slash-shrine was on, leaving the living room cast in a sleepy dimness. A quick check of the clock showed the reason why: it was nearly 2:30 in the morning. They were probably both asleep.

Scoots trotted off towards Rainbow’s room while I got the couch ready for bed. Fishing some clothes out of my bag I went to the bathroom to change and by the time I got back, Scoots was sitting next to my pillow looking downcast.

“Her door was locked and she wouldn’t answer me,” she mumbled in response to my unasked question.

“Looks like you’re stuck with me tonight,” I said, trying to cheer her up as I sat down by her.

“I thought she’d at least let me in…” she said quietly.

I shook her shoulders comfortingly. “Maybe by morning everyone will have calmed down a little and we can talk about things? We should probably just get some sleep.”

“Yeah, I guess…” she said. She wasted no time curling up into a ball against the pillow with her muzzle under her wing while I settled around her against the couch’s back. Her warmth was welcome against my chest as I rubbed her back softly until we both fell asleep.

I awoke the next morning to a hoof insistently shaking my shoulder. After clearing the sleep out of my eyes I was greeted with the frowning face of Firefly. She gave a curt nod of her head towards the kitchen and strode away without another word.

It took me a moment to realize she wanted me to follow her. After very carefully extracting myself from Scoots, who at some point during the night had decided my arm would make a better pillow than a real one, I made my way into the kitchen to find Firefly sitting at the table and Prism fixing coffee. He placed a mug before each of us before taking a seat himself.

When he was done, Firefly fixed me with a stern glare. “So Rainbow wasn’t in her room this morning,” she said.

“What?” I asked, alarmed. “Where is she?”

Her only answer to my question was to slide a piece of paper across the table to me. I grabbed it up to find Rainbow’s mouth-writing.

Mom and Dad,

Had to jet back to Ponyville. Sorry I couldn’t say goodbye.

Dash

I looked up, dazed at the idea. Rainbow had really just… ditched us and ran off home? I knew she wasn’t going to stop being pissed after one night, but damn. I never expected this.

“Care to fill me in on what’s going on here?” Firefly barked.

I hung my head and cursed under my breath. I did not want to have to talk about this shit with them. My love life was not up for discussion, particularly with the parents of somepony involved therein.

But there were understandably worried about their daughter. It’s not like I was getting out of telling them something.

“I don’t know,” I tried. That only seemed to incense Firefly more.

“What do you mean ‘you don’t know’?!” she pressed. “She was just fine before you all went out last night. What the hay happened?”

“Look, I don’t know what to say, alright?!” I snapped.

“How about the damn truth?!”

“I kissed him!” a small voice said behind us.

We all turned to see Scoots standing in the door to the living room, her mane in uneven, wild spikes and several feathers out of place but wearing a determined frown all the same.

“I kissed him and Rainbow got pissed,” she said. “It’s my fault she left.”

Dammit. Why did she have to tell them that? I knew she was just trying to protect me, but they were never going to believe that she was the instigator. Something that was almost instantly proven true.

“You did what?!” Firefly asked direly, rounding on me again.

Prism reached over and put a hoof on her shoulder, gently holding her back. “Lightning bug, let’s hear them out, okay?”

After a moment, Firefly relented and settled back into her chair, affixing me with the brunt of her bad mood while Scoots hopped up into the chair next to me. I took a long drink of my coffee before offering her the mug. She took it slowly, sticking her tongue out in a grimace after getting a taste.

“You kissed my daughter,” Firefly stated.

“I told you: I kissed him, Mom!” Scoots said.

“So he didn’t kiss you back at all?”

“N-no…”

“I thought as much.” She pointed an accusing hoof at me. “What in the hay were you thinking?! You come into my house and think you can kiss my baby filly?!”

Suddenly Prism stood from the table. “Alright, everypony calm down.”

Firefly turned her glare on him, but he didn’t so much as flinch. Instead, he calmly picked up his mug and took it over to the sink where he dumped it out before heading for the fridge. He took out two green glass bottles in the crook of his hoof and walked towards the living room door.

“I have an idea. Will, how about you join me outside for a beer?” he asked.

I’ll say I was… uneasy at the prospect. Being offered a beer was not what I’d been expecting, and unless I was greatly mistaken, it sounded like a very, very bad thing.

But the way I saw it, prospect of dealing with an angry parent was better with alcohol than without.

I caught Scoots’s eye before I got up, and after getting a nod, I followed Prism through the living room and out the front door onto the balcony.

He offered me a bottle before rearing up onto the railing, leaning his chest against it as he gazed out upon Cloudsdale. The sun was just beginning to come up over the horizon, its light reflecting off of every cloud surface in sight. The normally white and blue city was suddenly a thousand brilliant shades of gold.

Showing some remarkable dexterity, he managed to twist off the cap to his bottle with a hoof and tossed it aside. Following his example, I braced the cap of my own bottle against the railing and gave it a sharp tap, sending it spiraling through the air. He gave a laugh as I joined him on the railing.

The beer was a surprisingly good citrus ale, at the perfect chilled temperature and with just the right balance of bitter and sweet. I downed nearly half the bottle in the first swig, if for no other reason than to not have to say anything for a moment longer.

Prism, meanwhile, was taking more measured sips, simply watching the city wake up around us. I couldn’t begin to imagine what was going through his mind. He wasn’t yelling. His brow wasn’t furrowed with burning rage. He wasn’t even frowning. Instead, he was completely expressionless. He wore a neutral mask like behind that bottle he was contemplating the secrets of the world.

Or what the weather was going to be like today. It was really that hard to tell.

As I approached the bottom of my glass, I was beginning to get restless. The curiosity of whether he was pissed at me or not was like a prickling sensation on the back of your neck that you can’t quite scratch. It just kept eating away at me, festering and throwing more fuel on the fire boiling my blood. Finally, it got to be too much and I snapped under the pressure.

“Alright, I kissed Scoots! Is that what you want to hear?” I said.

He said nothing, nor did his expression change in the slightest as he took another drink. As he put his glass back down, he thoughtfully licked his lips and gestured towards my bottle.

“You want another one?” he asked.

“I– what?”

“Do you want another beer?” he asked again. “I can go get another if you’d like.”

I couldn’t figure out if it was some sort of ruse; a trap to lull me into a false sense of security or something. Treat me to a couple of beers so that he could… what? Yell at me? Hit me? The latter didn’t seem like him and I was pretty sure I could take the former. I guess the worst he could do was turn me into the guard for taking a minor to a nightclub, but even assuming that was illegal he’d just be getting Rainbow in trouble too.

Regardless, I still didn’t want a second beer so early in the morning, so I politely turned him down.

“Suit yourself,” was all he said.

Once again, he returned to his bottle like that was his only care in the world.

“So… that’s it?” I asked, unbelieving. “We’re not going to talk about Scoots or Rainbow?”

He pondered that for a moment before saying, “You can give a pony water, but you can’t make her drink it. Figured that might hold true for humans, too.”

“So that’s it? Get me a couple of beers and I’ll tell you whatever you want?” I asked.

He shrugged. “I can’t make you talk if you don’t want to.”

In a fit of petulance at such a pathetic attempt at manipulation, I drained my bottle, set it down on the railing next to him and turned to walk away. I had barely made it a couple of steps when he sighed.

“Fine. Would you please stay and talk to me?” he asked. Something in the tone of his voice caused me to stop and listen. “Dashie’s my little filly. Ever since she was a tiny little scamp she’s always been trying to take care of herself. Fight her own battles, you know? But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to try to help when I can.

“And I know something else is going on here. Besides whatever you did with Scootaloo last night.”

Now that… was better. Worrying about a family member was something I could certainly understand. “What do you mean? Why would there be something else?” I asked.

“Rainbow is probably one of the only ponies more protective of Scootaloo than Firefly is. If she thought you were doing something you shouldn’t be, she’d have never left the two of you alone. That tells me that something else is bugging her.

“Now, it’s been more than a few years since I was her age, but I remember what it’s like. You think Firefly and I wouldn’t be a little suspicious about Dashie bringing home a new friend?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said cautiously, to which he just laughed.

“How long have you been seeing my daughter?” he asked.

A sudden chill rushed through me at his words until I realized he didn’t sound angry. In fact, he was smiling.

“I figured as much,” he said smugly, like he had solved a riddle.

“Rainbow and I are not seeing each other,” I said.

“But one of you wants to be, don’t you?” he countered. The fact that I couldn’t think of what to say back must have been confirmation enough for him. “It’s none of my business, of course. Dashie’s an adult, even if she doesn’t act like it sometimes. But she can make her own decisions and I’m not going to butt in.”

“Then what’s all this?” I asked, throwing my arms wide and gesturing around. “Seems like a lot of butting in to me.”

“Because Scootaloo is not an adult,” he said sharply. Suddenly his carefree grin was gone and was replaced with a dark glower pointed in my direction.

“We kissed; nothing more!”

“So what is it, then?” he asked. “Hook up with Dashie’s sister when she turns you down? Or do you just like them young?”

“Fuck you,” I said. I didn’t know where this sudden attitude of his was coming from, but I didn’t need this shit. He didn’t know the first thing about me and he wanted to judge me like that? He could go to hell.

I stormed towards the door with every intention of tearing it off its hinges just to get the hell out of there, but my hand had barely grasped the knob when I heard him speak again.

“Wait!” he called. Even through the blinding red of rage I was seeing through at the moment, there was something in his voice that actually managed to make me hold short.

“Please,” he said, quieter. Barely above a mumble. “She’s… Scootaloo may not be mine and Firefly’s, but she’s every bit our daughter just like Rainbow is. If you’re just toying around with her…”

“I would never do that to her!” I shouted. Finally, it was too much. Everything that had been building up came bursting out in a torrent of words that I couldn’t begin to control. “Scoots is one of the most important ponies in my life and I would never hurt her! And it is not my damn fault that Rainbow didn’t want what I did! If she didn’t want me moving on, she should have told me what she wanted when she had the chance! I didn’t ask to like her! I didn’t ask to want to be more than just her friend! And I sure didn’t ever ask to get stuck in this godforsaken world!

“But I’m doing the best I can, alright? And if you or anypony else doesn’t like it, then too damn bad. Because I don’t care anymore. I’m done.”

And with that, all of the burning anger and hurt evaporated like water on a summer day, leaving only the cold condensation trickling down into the depths of my stomach. With a shaky hand, I wiped at my suddenly wet eyes. I don’t know when it started, but I wasn’t going to let it continue. Clearing my throat, I made to stare down the target of my tirade, only for a furry body to slam into me.

Only to pull me into a hug.

Two strong, blue forelegs wrapped about my neck and a close-but-not-familiar rainbow mane concealed my vision. Feeling the need to hold something close, I clung to Prism’s body like it might disappear at any second. Thoughts of how his forelegs suddenly felt a bit like my father’s arms only added to the empty hole growing in my chest.

“I’m sorry,” I choked.

“Don’t be,” he whispered. “It’s okay. Everything will be okay.”

“I didn’t mean to hurt Rainbow.”

“I know you didn’t.”

“I will never hurt Scoots.”

“… I know.”

Scoots and I didn’t hang around long after that.

Once I’d pulled myself back together and stopped being such a little bitch, Prism and I went back inside to find Scoots and Firefly on the couch. They were hugging and must have finished their talk as well as Firefly silently nodded at me and didn’t look like she wanted to kill me anymore. She said nothing as Scoots and I got our things together.

“Oh, wait,” Prism called just before we were about to leave. He hoofed us our train tickets and a shuttle pass. “Rainbow left these with her note.”

Well, at least she wasn’t so mad that she’d leave us stranded. Though I wouldn’t have been surprised if that was more for Scoots’s benefit than mine. I tucked them away in my bag and we finally left.

Luckily Scoots knew where the shuttle station was and led the way there. The trip back down wasn’t quite as exciting as the way up had been as a heavy cloud seemed to be hanging over us the entire time. Even as we boarded our train, neither of us had much we wanted to say.

It wasn’t until our train pulled into the Ponyville station that we were finally forced to speak. No matter where you are in the small town, you can’t miss the majestic cloud mansion hovering over everything like a king on high. Scoots and I both stopped in our tracks as we saw it.

“Do you… do you think I should go talk to her?” Scoots asked, fluttering her wings. For a moment I thought about telling her to go; after all, one of us needed to talk to her and it wasn’t like I could fly up there. But in the end I shook my head.

“We should probably give her some space for a while. Let her cool off.”

Her wings drooped pitifully. “Oh yeah… you’re probably right.”

“Hey, it’ll be okay,” I tried to say consolingly, but I’m not sure how confident I sounded. “Once everyone has some time to calm down, we’ll all sit down and work things out.”

“Do you really believe that?” she asked dully.

I couldn’t say anything in return. So instead I hitched my bag higher on my shoulder and cleared my throat.

“We should probably be getting home. Want me to walk you?” I asked.

She shook her head. “Actually, would you mind if I came over for a while? There was something I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Oh, well… Sure, I don’t mind.”

Together, we slowly made the trek across Ponyville to my little cottage. It felt nice to finally be going home after the weekend I’d had, but I couldn’t notice that it seemed autumn had set in while we were gone. There was a surprising chill in the air, not enough to need a coat but enough to set goosebumps rising along my arms. Even the streets of the sleepy town, normally at least somewhat busy with ponies coming and going about their days were nearly empty as everypony hid inside the comfort of their homes.

My cottage was a welcome sight as we walked up the cobblestone path out front. After unlocking the door, I let us both inside where Scoots went about turning on the lights while I got a small fire going in the living room’s fireplace.

By the time I’d finished, Scoots came back with two steaming mugs of hot chocolate, and together we warmed our bodies and partook in its sugary goodness. Scoots had used a few too many marshmallows in hers, leaving her with an adorable white mustache that I gently wiped away with a thumb.

“It’s nice to be home,” she said, to which I couldn’t have agreed more.

“Aww, I’m so glad you consider my house home, Scoots!” I said teasingly, causing her to bat my elbow with her wing.

“You know what I mean!” she said, laughing.

“Yeah, I know,” I said. “Speaking of, your dad might be wondering where you are. You sure you shouldn’t go check in with him?”

“Nah, he can wait just a little bit.”

I guessed I couldn’t put it off much longer. “So what was it you wanted to talk about?”

Her laughter died out as her expression dropped. She paused, staring down at the marshmallows floating in her mug like she was looking for inspiration. Finally, she spoke.

“I was just kinda wondering about… us. About that date. I know you said you wanted to, but… Well, a lot’s changed since then. If you didn’t want to anymore, I’d understand.”

“I…”

I didn’t know what to say. Did I still want to go out with her? Rainbow was mad enough as it was about the kiss, how pissed would she be after a date? I didn’t know how I was going to win my friend back as it was. Making things any worse could destroy our friendship for good.

But…

Did I really want to live my life by what made Rainbow happy or not? What happened with the next mare that I wanted to be intimate with? Was she going to get pissed then, too? Was I supposed to just keep waiting around forever for her to make up her mind?

No, this wasn’t about Rainbow anymore. This was about what I wanted. I needed to think about what would make me happy.

And once I’d done that, my answer to Scoots was clear.

“What are you doing this weekend?” I asked. She just blinked at me in confusion so I clarified. “Saturday night? You have anything planned?”

“Uh… no.”

“Then we’ll go to dinner. Is there anywhere in particular you’d like to go?” I asked.

She perked up, the hint of a smiling trying to take over her expression but she held it back. “You really want to?”

“Hell yeah, I do,” I said. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“But what about Rainbow Dash? You don’t think we should wait a while?” she asked.

“Scoots,” I said seriously, trying to find the words in my mug of hot chocolate like she had done only moments ago. “I like you. I like being with you. And so I want to go on a date with you and I don’t care who doesn’t like it.”

“I like you, too,” she said quietly, toying with a lock of her short mane as she smiled at the floor. “I just don’t want to make things even worse. Rainbow’s never been this mad at me before…”

I put my mug down before lying on my side next to her, propping myself up on an elbow. “Scoots, I don’t think for a second that Rainbow is mad at you. At all. I’m the one that fucked up, not you.”

“It’s not your fault she turned you down! If anything, I’m at fault for asking out the colt I knew was involved with my sister!”

I sighed in frustration, already seeing this conversation going in circles. And I was tired of debating the same thing over and over.

“Look, Scoots. How about this: forget everything but us. Forget Rainbow, forget the drama, forget it all. Do you want to go out with me?”

She didn’t hesitate for even a second. “Yes.”

I smiled. “And I want to go out with you, too. So what else matters?”

She beamed back at me. “You’re right! Alright, this Saturday. Do you… think we could go to… Haute Cuisine?” she asked tentatively, like she was afraid to make the suggestion. I’d never heard of it before, but I was sure I could afford one night at even one of Ponyville’s nicer places. If it was the sort of place that needed reservations then one week may not be enough time, but I was willing to bet Rarity could help me out. She was in pretty tight with a lot of the more high-brow places around town. In the end, I couldn’t see a downside to Scoots’s proposition.

“Sure, it sounds great to me,” I said.

“Sweet!” Scoots cheered, pumping a forehoof. She grinned abashedly after she calmed back down. “Sweetie’s always told me she wanted to be taken there on a date, so… I thought it might be worth checking out.”

“You just want to rub it in her face that you went there first, don’t you?” I teased.

“Maybe just a little,” she admitted, sticking her tongue out at me. Then she got serious again. “Hey, Will, can I ask you one more thing?”

“Shoot,” I said.

She pawed at the floor, suddenly blushing. “Can… Can we k-kiss again?”

I didn’t say anything. Instead, I gently reached out and placed my hand behind her head, making her jump at the contact. Slowly, painfully slowly, I leaned towards her, her eyes fluttering closed as the inches between us melted.

And our lips touched.

Scoots is… not the most experienced kisser. Half the time she doesn’t seem to know if she should move at all and the other she’s practically trying to eat my lips, but what she lacked in expertise she made up for in eagerness. She threw herself into it, pushing against me even harder than I did to her and taking the lead. Her hoof slid up to my cheek, caressing and teasing as the world melted away around us.

Her mouth tasted like strawberries dipped in chocolate, sultry yet sweet in all the right ways. I drew her closer, savoring every drop between us. The traces of a lively scent I could only imagine was perfume filled my head like a fog, oranges and flowers I couldn’t hope to name blocking out any thought that wasn’t about the mare in my arms.

It was amazing.

Until hot chocolate splashed onto the floor.

While our attention had been elsewhere, her mug had slipped from her hoof and crashed to the floor, spilling her drink all across the carpet. We both jumped away as the hot liquid hit us, and she gave a horrified yelp when she saw the mess.

“Oh no, I’m so sorry!” she cried, hopping up and taking off for the kitchen. I had barely had the chance to even blink before she was back with a rag between her teeth which she used to start mopping things up. All the while she was still babbling apologies a mile a minute, looking like she might start crying at any moment.

“Scoots,” I said, firm enough to get her attention but gentle enough to not upset her more. I put on a disarming smile and rubbed her back, between her wings. “Hey, it’s just a stain, don’t worry about it. I’m sure Rarity knows a way to get them no problem. I’ll ask her later.”

She gave a half-hearted smile and chuckled. “Heh, sorry. We really need to figure out how to k-kiss without something going wrong, huh?”

This time, I laughed, something it felt like I hadn’t truly done in a long time. After a moment, I couldn’t get myself to stop. Out of the corner of my scrunched eyes, I managed to catch Scoots giving me a weird look before, unable to help herself either, she gave in as well.

By the time our mirth had run dry, we were reclining against each other on the floor, our foreheads pressed together. Every now and again, she’d give a small giggle while her large purple eyes struggled to meet mine without looking away. I paused to gently wipe away a single tear threatening to fall from her smiling eyes.

“Yeah, we don’t have a great track record for kisses, do we?” I asked. “But you know what we can do about that?”

She shook her head.

I grinned as I answered. “We practice until we get it right.”

Chapter 14

The ensuing week was one of the slowest in my life.

Every day seemed to drag out to absurd lengths as I waited for Saturday night. Monday was the worst, as I was greeted at the front gate of Carrot Top’s farm by a gleeful-looking Written eagerly waiting to hear all about how amazing our trip to Cloudsdale had gone.

And of course I had to shatter his dreams. At least the admission that Scoots and I had a date planned seemed to cheer him up a little. After getting a consoling pat to my knee, he let me go to find Carrot Top and see what she wanted me to do for the day. I found her in the small shed behind her house organizing her tools. I had to recount the story again, but at least she let me simply give her the cliffs notes version. An unemotional ‘I told you so’ later and I was out in the fields picking carrots like always.

It was a little bit of a shock, being knee-deep out in the dirt again. It felt like nearly a lifetime ago that I’d been there simply doing my job without any worries about relationships or losing friends. And when it dawned on me it had only been a few days before…

Regardless, the simplicity of it was as fascinating as it was refreshing and I threw myself into the mindless busywork. A lively breeze drifted through the air, cutting through the overbearing sun beating down upon my back. Summer may have been on its way out the door, but that didn’t mean that eight plus hours outside didn’t work up a sweat.

By the time the end of my shift rolled around, my shirt was practically glued to my chest with sweat and a blissful ache filled my every limb. Things were looking up. Things were getting back to normal.

And damn did it feel good to be home.

The next several days after that were much the same; go to work, get exhausted, go home and rest. On Tuesday night I went out to find Haute Cuisine, a very high-scale restaurant for such a small, backwoods town, but it didn’t seem too grandiose. It didn’t look like a suit and tie sort of affair and I figured a nice dress shirt would suffice.

Scoots popped in on Wednesday night to hang out for a while but she spent most of it catching up on homework she hadn’t done over the weekend while I napped. It was a little hard to actually get any sleep while she was constantly muttering about variables and equations, but the warmth of her body against my side and the wing draped across my stomach definitely helped.

But eventually Saturday managed to roll around. I’d spent the better half of the day trying to get myself ready, both physically and mentally. I showered, shaved and even broke out some fancier cologne for the occasion. It was a woody thing with a Prench name I couldn’t begin to pronounce but Rarity had given it to me as a gift once and I’d never had the chance to use it. I found it was actually pretty nice; I’d need to pick up more if I could find it.

I also had to ready myself for what the night was bound to include. I had found that when it was just the two of us, I was more comfortable being with Scoots than I had previously expected, but I couldn’t begin to imagine that everypony in town was going to feel the same. I didn’t know if it would stop at dirty looks or if somepony might actually confront us, but I dearly hoped not. I had a sneaking suspicion Scoots was going to be nervous about everything enough as it was, and I wanted her to have a good time.

Once I’d checked my reflection in the mirror one too many times to count I gave in and headed toward the Carousel Boutique, where I knew Scoots would be waiting. She’d insisted on having Sweetie Belle help her prepare for dinner as she told me she didn’t know the first thing about putting on makeup or styling her mane. I couldn’t begin to imagine what Scoots was going to look like gussied up like an actual girl but I couldn’t deny either that I was looking forward to seeing it.

Even before I reached the Carousel Boutique I was the butt of a few stares. Then again, I normally wore ratty, mud-stained t-shirts and jeans around town and not starched white dress shirts and khaki slacks. Nor had I had any less than at least some stubble on my face since… I moved to Ponyville, I think. That realization suddenly made a few of those stares more understandable.

And I’ll admit it felt pretty good when a shocked look melted to a flirty smile on one rose-maned mare I passed. I didn’t know her name, but at least I felt a little more reassured that I would be looking good for Scoots.

Finally I found myself outside the Carousel Boutique. The entire building looks like one of those French parcels that ludicrously expensive clothes come in. Its gleaming blue façade is accentuated with pastel pink and purple roofing and round gallery windows that show off all of its owner’s recent designs. On the smaller second floor, the signature horse mannequins dance forever in their little circle of poles around the building’s circumference. It is single-handedly the most opulent sight Ponyville has to offer, a surprise to no one who’s spent more than ten minutes in the presence of its owner.

I let myself in the front door, a tinny bell tinkling overhead as I found myself in the Boutique’s large, circular showroom. A row of pony-shaped mannequins lined the walls on each side with a gap for a small stage lined with three tall mirrors. She often used it for taking measurements for custom orders and to allow customers to try on their finished products, using the adjustable mirrors to show off what it looked like from every angle. To the front, right next to the door, was a counter with the register and shelves showing off a number of smaller items such as perfumes and shampoos that Rarity occasionally tried to push as last minute additions. Lastly to the back was a couple of dressing rooms, though what ponies needed them for I couldn’t begin to understand even in spite of Rarity’s frequent attempts to justify.

I mean really, when you walk around naked all day, why do you care if someone watches you put on clothes?

Anyway, I let myself through a door near the dressing rooms that led into the back part of the Boutique. The entire building was divided into the ‘store’ part and the ‘home’ part, seeing as Rarity lived as well as worked there and she understandably wanted some privacy.

The hallway I found myself in led me around to a door to the Boutique’s storeroom and a little further to another that led into the kitchen.

Rarity’s kitchen, much like the rest of her house from what I’d seen, could only be described as decadent. Fine lace doilies on the table, an exquisite glass vase in the middle with exotic flowers lightening up the room. Finely-wrought silver utensils with china plates sat in an antique cabinet to one side of the room. Everything was done up in blues and purples and whites; clean and soothing and pleasant. It was a remarkably relaxing room, and I always felt the tiniest bit calmer as I stepped inside.

Rarity was there, standing before the sink and washing a few dishes with the gentle glow of her cerulean magic. She had her back to me, humming some melody while she worked, her body bouncing slightly with the beat as she tapped her hooves on the floor. I had a split-second to consider sneaking up on her and scaring her, but the sound of the door opening had caught her attention and she turned to face me.

“Good evening, William!” she said brightly, putting away the last plate before trotting over to offer a hoof, which I knew by now to gently shake. I’d once tried to give her a hoofbump like most other ponies would expect.

I never did that again.

She simpered into her hoof after I let go. “My, my, don’t you look rather fetching tonight!”

I grinned at the salaciousness in her tone. “Good evening to you, too, Rarity. And thank you very much; you’re far too kind.”

“Oh, nonsense, darling; you look quite handsome! Enough so for a wonderful first date, I imagine!” she said, raising an eyebrow and grinning mischievously.

I wasn’t surprised she already knew. With Scoots coming over here for help getting ready, there was no way Rarity was going to imagine we were just going out to a friendly dinner. But I couldn’t deny I wasn’t nervous about how she’d react. I took it as a good sign that she was smiling. And had no visible kitchen knives at the ready. That was a plus.

“Well, looking nice was the intention,” I said uncomfortably. “I take it Scoots is already here?”

“Oh, she’s here, alright,” she tittered, fanning the air with a hoof. “Sweetie Belle swept her upstairs over an hour ago, dreadfully upset that she wasn’t going to have the time to do everything she wanted. And I can’t say I blame her; I mean, really, how in Equestria is one hour supposed to be enough to prepare for a first date?”

“Oh, I can’t imagine,” I droned. Rarity couldn’t have missed the sarcasm dripping from my tone, so she must have chosen to ignore it instead as the next thing I knew she was ushering me over to the table where she took a seat across from me.

“So, you simply must give me the details,” she said, propping her chin up daintily on both forehooves and giving me her full attention. She also affixed me with those huge, sparkling blue eyes just begging for every juicy detail that had my willpower quickly crumbling.

But not enough to not have a little fun with her first.

“I guess I could spill the details if you were to do the same. A little… tit for tat, shall we say?” I asked, earning a confused frown. “I might have heard a little secret something you and Applejack are up to.” I gave an exaggerated glance around the room to make sure we were alone. “Something about a bun in the oven?”

Rarity recoiled, blinking in surprise. She turned to stare out a window, humming distractedly. She probably could have come up with something better if I hadn’t caught her so offguard, but as it was she was a terrible liar.

“I haven’t the faintest what you mean, darling. Nor do I care for your insinuations. After all, how would she and I have a ‘bun in the oven’ as you put it, unless you were trying to imply that one of us had been unfaithful?”

Manufactured venom dripped from her voice as she spoke and I smiled disarmingly.

“Quite the contrary; I was trying to imply you were doing something incredibly selfless for a family member,” I countered. “Say, a ‘favorite cousin?’”

Her jaw fell open in an unladylike fashion while her eyes went wide. “How do you…?” she asked in awe.

“Soarin’ told us about it in Cloudsdale,” I said simply.

Over the next few seconds, Rarity shifted through a series of emotions so quickly I barely had time to register them all. She was already at shock, but somehow managed to stuff in fear, panic, irritation and finally settled for amused exasperation. She deflated on herself, moving one forehoof up to rub her forehead as she gave a strained laugh.

“I-ah… I’m quite surprised that he told you. I was under the impression we were keeping it within the family, so to say,” she mused idly. Eventually she settled more calmly back in her chair, returning to her inquisitive pose with her hooves folded beneath her chin. “I supposed if you already know there’s no sense in being coy. Yes, Applejack has agreed to be a surrogate mother for Braeburn and Soarin’s foal. I trust you will keep this information to yourself?”

“Rarity, I’m offended!” I said dramatically. “What do you think I am, some sort of gossip?”

She raised an eyebrow sardonically. “Says the stallion who just offered to reveal the details of his date tonight for secrets about Applejack’s family affairs?”

“Semantics,” I said, waving my hand through the air. “Besides, you’re one to talk. Don’t tell me you aren’t dying to know what Scoots and I are doing tonight.”

She huffed and stuck her nose in the air like she was offended. Her pouting is always so cute. But it didn’t last long before she cracked and fixed me with a haughty glare.

“Fine. I’ll admit that yes, I am rather intrigued by this, erm… ‘friendship’ you have built with Scootaloo. After all, I have known her for several years now and I’ve never considered her as a romantic partner.”

I wasn’t sure whether or not she was trying to be condescending. On the one hand, her words seemed reproachful, but I couldn’t think that she’d have let us have such a relaxed conversation if she were upset. She would have gone straight into chewing me out.

“Maybe you’ve just been too hung up on Applejack to consider it,” I tried to joke.

“Ha. Ha,” she deadpanned. To my relief, she then broke into a smile. “I’ll have you know there was once a time that I couldn’t stand Applejack.”

“You not liking somepony that works outside in the dirt and mud all day? No way!”

“Oh ho! Someone thinks they’re funny tonight, don’t they?” she laughed. “Do you want to know about Applejack or not?”

I acquiesced and gestured for her to continue.

“Thank you, darling,” she said, nodding. “Unfortunately there isn’t much of a story to tell. Braeburn and Soarin’ sent Applejack a letter a couple of months back making their request. She and I took a little trip to Appleloosa soon afterward to discuss things with them.”

“That must have been a hell of a shock,” I said.

“William, language!” she chided gently while I rolled my eyes. “But yes, it certainly was. I was completely taken aback when Applejack wanted to agree, but after we talked about it I realized I shouldn’t have been. She and Braeburn have always been so close, you see; from the way she talks he might as well have been a second brother to her growing up. And you know how Applejack is about family.”

Anyone who had spent even a smidgeon of time with the Apple Clan knew the lengths they would go to for family.

“So are you looking forward to being a momma?” I asked. She spluttered in response.

“Don’t even joke about such things! I wouldn’t have time for a foal right now; I have too much work to do,” she said. “Though I do fear Applejack might want one of her own after all of this is over.” She paused to give a theatric sigh before humming to herself in thought. Eventually a warm smile spread across her features. “Applejack would make a wonderful mother though, wouldn’t she?”

She mused on that for a moment and with the sappy look on her face I couldn’t bring myself to disturb her thoughts. With a sudden, brief shake of her head, however, she refocused on me with a shrewdly neutral face.

“But enough about all that. You simply must tell me how in Equestria you and a filly like Scootaloo have come to be dating!”

It was my turn to sigh as I thought about how to recap everything that had happened. I really didn’t want to say anything about Rainbow or all the stuff happening between us so it wasn’t easy.

“Rainbow and I hang out a lot and several weeks ago she brought Scoots over to watch some movies with us. We started hanging out and one thing led to another. Not the most exciting story, but…”

“Oh no, no, no! There has got to be more to it than that! I mean, William…” she trailed off and leaned towards me, letting her voice fall to barely above a whisper. “she’s a teenaged filly! Whatever made you think this was a good idea?”

I felt myself bristling but didn’t give in to it. However, when I spoke I might have been harsher than I’d intended. “I like being with her. She really cares about me, and it’s nice to be with someone that likes being with you!”

“But William, there are a lot of ponies that care about you…”

“But not like she does,” I cut her off. “She was there for me at a time I really needed someone and she’s the only pony that hasn’t let me down since. And so yes, I’d like to see where things go between us. I know she’s young, but we’ll take things slow.”

She leaned away subtly and held up a placating hoof. “I didn’t mean to imply anything, darling. I just worry about her is all. She’s been such a dear friend to Sweetie for so many years; I’d hate to see her get hurt. But I worry about you, too!”

She paused to reach out her hoof to my hand on the table. “Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s wonderful to see you looking for a special somepony in your life. But William, we’re not exactly teenagers anymore! How much do you think you’d really have in common with her? And what will everypony think? What will her father think? What will Rainbow Dash think?”

“I don’t care much what anypony will think,” I spat, making her recoil.

“But darling,” she started, but was cut off by the sound of hooves coming towards the kitchen door.

At first I was thankful for the distraction as the door opened and two fillies stepped inside but as my eyes fell upon Scoots my mind went blank.

Her mane was straightened for the first time I’d ever seen, pulled over the right side of her face where it hung in flowing waves that didn’t quite reach her chin. A pair of diamond stud earrings glittered in the light and matched a simple golden necklace around her neck. She was wearing a purple saddle with an attached skirt that covered the top half of her butterfly cutie mark and matching slippers on each hoof.

If Scoots in clothes was an unbelievable sight, then the fact she was wearing makeup as well had me thinking I was dreaming. Pale pink lipstick, mascara and eye shadow all masterfully applied, leaving her radiant and myself speechless.

I barely heard Rarity speaking next to me. “My word, Scootaloo… Look at you! You look positively fabulous!”

Scoots hoofed at the floor, smiling bashfully. “Th-thanks, Rarity.”

I had completely forgotten Sweetie Belle was there until she leaned against Scoots and pulled her into a tight hug. “And what do you think, Will?”

Scoots looked like she was about to shove her friend off until she heard her question, at which point she turned her attention to me.

“I, uh… I think you look beautiful, Scoots,” I said. She blushed and her eyes fell to the floor as she mumbled something I assumed was a ‘Thanks’ but it was impossible to tell over Sweetie Belle.

She hopped onto her hindlegs, pumping a hoof in the air as she cheered, “Yes!” She turned to Scoots after she calmed down and bumped their flanks together. “Told you I knew what I was doing!”

“I simply must agree,” Rarity said. “Sweetie, you did a wonderful job! I daresay I couldn’t have done it better myself. Oh, Scootaloo, I do so wish you’d let us style your mane more often; it looks divine like that!”

“No!” Scoots shouted suddenly. “Er, uh… no, thanks! W-we should probably get going, though; right, Will?”

I checked my watch and saw we still had plenty of time to make it to Haute Cuisine, but I knew Scoots was looking for a way out of hanging around the Boutique so I gave a mock gasp.

“You’re right!” I said. “We should head out before we’re late.”

Scoots looked relieved until Sweetie Belle leaned over to whisper what was probably some last minute words of encouragement as I made to stand. I stopped as Rarity’s hoof found my hand again.

“I’m sorry for what I may have implied earlier, darling,” she whispered somberly. “I do hope you have fun. After everything, you deserve it. Just please promise me you’ll treat her as she deserves?”

I gave her hoof atop my hand a reassuring pat. “I will, Rarity. I promise.”

She smiled and gave a small nod before releasing my hand. I barely had time to blink before Scoots grabbed my pants and began dragging me towards the door, much to Rarity and Sweetie Belle’s amusement.

Once we were outside and away from their scrutiny, Scoots gave a long sigh before gently fixing her mane and adjusting her saddle. “Sorry about them. Sweetie’s been really excited for today. Almost more than I am, I think.”

“She seemed pretty excited,” I said. “How bad was it letting her doll you up?”

Scoots tried to give a disturbed shudder, but she couldn’t hide the blush lingering on her face. “It was awful! She kept fussing over every little thing and asking me all these questions like ‘Do you like salmon or fuchsia better?’ or ‘Does Will like fruity or spicy perfumes better?’ As though I know what any of that girly crap is.”

“Aww, and here I thought you were all about that kind of stuff!” I teased, earning a punch to the shin for my trouble. Thankfully her hard hoof was padded somewhat by the slipper she wore or otherwise it might have left a bruise and everypony would know my girlfriend beat me!

My girlfriend…? I laughed at the thought. It was way too early to be calling each other stuff like that.

Regardless, it was all I could seem to think about as we made our way across town, even in spite of Scoots’s constant chatter about the tortures Sweetie put her through.

“…and then she tried to put these curler things in my mane and that was where I had to draw the line!” she said as we arrived.

From the outside it looked little different from any other building in the ‘downtown’ part of Ponyville. It had a fairly modern-looking flat roof and a charming red-brick face that was broken up by large glass windows along the front. A tall hedge speckled with white roses segmented off a private outdoors dining area and faint traces of light dinner music traveled through the air. It was a light thing, the sort that was meant only to provide some background noise and not really to be listened to; a piano accompanied by maybe a violin or some other string instrument I couldn’t decipher.

I approached the door first and pulled it open, giving a flourishing bow and gesturing Scoots inside. She rolled her eyes, gave an exaggerated curtsy and trotted past me, laughing. She stopped, however, once she’d gotten inside. After following her inside, I saw why.

When I had come to Haute Cuisine earlier in the week to set up our reservations, it had been early in the afternoon and only a few ponies had been there. It had also been slow, and several of the lights had been off to allow the sunlight come in through the windows. It had looked like a very nice place, but the room we saw now looked like a completely different place.

A sparkling chandelier hung over every table, little crystals shaped like water droplets hanging down amidst the flickering candles, reflecting their light in faint, shimmering rainbows about the room. The floor was lined with gleaming mother-of-pearl tiling that was so spotless it looked like it was polished daily. The room was divided into three long segments with decorative partitions that had (what I assumed was) plastic ivy climbing up their length. Each table was round and covered in lacy white tablecloths that draped nearly to the floor with cream-colored cushions for seats.

The entire place was radiant and exuded high class, not helped by the fact that the music was even more distinct inside, though I couldn’t see where it was playing from. There wasn’t a band and I couldn’t see any sort of speaker system, but it could have been done with magic or something, I figured.

“Ah-hem,” a voice said, drawing my attention to a young earth pony mare sitting at a podium before us.

She wore nothing but her pale grey coat and a pair of black wire-frame glasses. Her long burgundy mane fell in thick curls about her face as she smiled at us.

“Hello! Welcome to Haute Cuisine’s! Do you have a reservation?” she asked brightly.

“Uh, yes,” I said. “Under William Harkin.”

As she looked down at her list, Scoots chuckled. “Huh. I forgot you had a second name.”

“I have three names,” I said, winking at her. “A lot of humans do, especially where I come from.”

She stared at me in shock. “What in Equestria could you need three names for? And what’s your other name?”

“William Johnathan Harkin. Named after…” I faltered for a moment as I realized what I was about to say. “After my father.”

Strangely, it was easier to say than I expected. There was a pang of sadness but none of that panic that I had felt only a few weeks ago when I thought about my family. Maybe I was starting to cope with things? A bubbly feeling welled up in my chest at the thought.

And so I was in high spirits as the hostess found my name and, after grabbing a couple menus, led us into the dining room. I watched Scoots as we walked; she couldn’t begin to drag her gaze away from the lights and the sparkling finery and the ponies moving here and there unless it was to stare in awe at something else that caught her eye. I don’t think she even noticed we were heading for the outdoor dining area until the cool evening air hit her again.

“Wow…” she whispered.

The delicate tiling inside gave way to a sturdier-looking faux-marble though the white tables were the same. Instead of chandeliers, strands of softly glowing crystals hung above, stretching from the hedge to a pole in the center of the dining area. They provided just enough light to leave each table in an intimate semi-darkness.

By the time we’d been seated at a table in the corner and I saw the golden cutlery, I was thinking I might have misjudged exactly how ritzy the place was. Scoots as well looked a little taken aback as she settled onto a cushion across from me. She cleared her throat after our hostess gave us our menus and left.

“So…” she said quietly as she looked around. “It’s, uh… it’s…”

“Stuffy?” I offered.

She snorted before realizing what she’d done and clapping her hooves over her mouth. When she pulled them away she was smirking as her eyes continued to look around, more calmly now. “No! I was going to say… okay, yeah, it’s a little stuffy. I didn’t realize it was this fancy of place.”

“It’s not so bad, is it?” I asked. “I think it’s nice to go somewhere nice every now and again.”

“No, I didn’t mean it was bad!” she said, a hint of panic in her tone. “It just wasn’t quite what I was picturing. And yeah, it is nice! Once the stars come out, I bet it’s really pretty out here.”

“Yeah, I figured it’d be worth it to ask for an outside table,” I said.

She just smiled in response and then we both picked up our menus and began peering through them. Thankfully they weren’t written in Prench or something. Eventually a waitress, a young unicorn filly that Scoots seemed to know named Dinky, came to take our orders. As she left, she took our menus with her and left us alone.

Scoots seemed content to simply look around at the lights or the flowers on the hedge or anything but me as she awkwardly tapped her forehooves on the table. Following her example, I glanced around as well, but I saw nothing about the décor I hadn’t noticed on the way in.

Instead I looked at the ponies sitting at the tables around us. Most seemed to be here as couples much like we were; an older mare and stallion at one of the tables next to us and a middle-aged pair at the other. Across the room there were a few other ponies that were probably close to my age though Scoots by far was the youngest pony there. It made sense; Haute Cuisine didn’t strike me as the kind of place ponies her age went often.

By accident I managed to catch the older mare’s eye as I was looking around. I tried to give a polite smile but was taken aback when all she gave me in return was a disgusted sneer. She leaned across her table to whisper something to the stallion she was with, after which he turned to look my way as well. He seemed merely uninterested until he noticed Scoots, at which point his face contorted into a scowl as well. I pointedly ignored them and returned my attention to Scoots, who thankfully was facing the other way and couldn’t see their stares.

It wasn’t until our waitress returned with our drinks (tea for me and water for Scoots) that I realized a rather uncomfortable silence had fallen between us. I cast about for something to talk about, settling on the first thing that came to mind.

“So, how’s school been?” I asked.

“Oh!” she said, jumping. “Um… Pretty good, I guess. I have a biology test on Monday I’m not looking forward to.”

“You don’t like biology?”

She shrugged. “It’s not that I don’t like it. Learning about animals and stuff is kind of fun, and the weather chapters were really cool! Though, that might be because it let me understand what Rainbow Dash does every day a little better…”

We both deflated at her name.

“You haven’t…” Scoots started unsurely. “You haven’t heard from her, have you?”

“No, I haven’t,” I said, letting out a sigh. I’d barely so much as seen her rainbow trail in the sky over the last week, let alone talked to her.

Scoots began idly prodding her glass with a listless hoof. “I went to the park yesterday hoping Rainbow would be there, you know, for sister night and all, but she wasn’t. That’s the first time she’s ever just… not showed up.”

“I’m sorry, Scoots–”

“No, don’t be,” she said, shaking her head fervently. “It’s not your fault any more than it is mine. I’m just scared that… You know what?” she suddenly asked, sitting up straighter. She furrowed her eyebrows in determination and gave an arrogant grin. “Forget all that! Tonight’s about us; not her. So, instead I’ll ask, ‘How have you been, Will?’”

The simple bluntness of her question, combined with the sudden change of conversation was so jarring I couldn’t help but laugh. Amused by her earnestness, I humored her.

“I’ve been very good, Scoots,” I said, trying to match her geniality. “Carrot Top and I just about finished up the south field this week, so it’ll be time for the next batch before long. We’ll be starting up on the west field before then, of course.”

“Of course,” Scoots agreed heartily.

“Though with autumn right around the corner, I don’t know if we’ll have time to grow another batch. Carrot says she’ll make it work, though. She seems to think she can grow anything, regardless if it’s in season or not. Though fall does have its own benefits.”

“Oh? And what would those be?”

“So many things! The fresh breezes bringing an end to the blistering heat of summer! The promise of fall-time foods like pumpkins! And of course there’s Thanksgiving to look forward to!”

Her act faltered for a moment to reveal a confused frown. “What’s Thanksgiving?”

“Oh,” I said. I hadn’t even thought about her not knowing what that was, not that it surprised me she didn’t. “It’s a human holiday. About getting together with family and friends and being thankful for all the good things you have. It’s mostly an excuse to gather together and eat a ton of food.”

“Haha! That sounds like something Apple Bloom would love! I’ll have to tell her about it sometime. Which reminds me, actually!” she said, suddenly looking serious. “I feel it is my obligation to warn you. Sweetie Belle has gotten it in her mind that we should go on a double date with her and Spike. I think I’ve talked her out of it, but if she corners you at some point, just play dead. It’ll confuse her and give you time to escape.”

So seriously had she said it all that it took me a minute to realize she was joking. I burst out laughing with her soon following, and together we were lost to a fit of hysterics that lasted until we were interrupted by our waitress bringing out our meals. She smiled warmly as she gave us our plates (a berry-laden summer salad for Scoots and a fettuccini alfredo for me) and as she walked away, even the dirty looks coming from the old couple at the next table couldn’t dampen my mood.

With food in front of us the conversation slowed somewhat, but Scoots still regaled me about everything that was going on in school and among her friends as we ate. I tried to chip in as much as I could, but I’ll admit my news was far less interesting. After all, I doubt many people would care that Carrot and I had to change to a different brand of fertilizer to cut back on expenses. I know I really didn’t. Regardless, the chat was nice and light until she mentioned her latest writing homework, of which the point was to write about their future career choices.

“I know it’s just busy work and doesn’t really matter,” she said with a sigh, “but it still sucks.”

I was kind of taken aback by her melancholy attitude regarding the subject. “Aww, why’s that? I would have thought you’d love an assignment like that!”

“What? Why would you think that?”

“Well, you could write all about how you want to be a professional skater! About the exciting tournaments and stuff you’re going to compete in and all the fame and fortune you’re going to have!”

“That’s… not what I’m going to do after school,” she said hesitantly.

“W-what? Why not? You love that stuff!”

“Yeah, but… I don’t think I want to make a career out of it,” she said quietly. She dropped her fork to her plate and sighed before I could even ask the question on my mind. “Did I ever tell you my dad used to be a professional skateboarder?”

"You mentioned it, yeah," I said, remembering our conversation at her place. Even if I still couldn't picture it.

“He used to tell me stories about it when I was younger. Months of touring, going all around Equestria and even the world a few times, seeing all these places and meeting all kinds of ponies. He would talk for hours about all the exciting tournaments he was in and how close and intense some of them got. He was pretty good, you know. Won a lot of them. He was so good, he was one of the most sought-after professionals for sponsors. He got to name his own terms on their deals! He could ask for whatever he wanted and get it, cuz if one sponsor wouldn’t, another would!”

“That sounds pretty amazing!” I said. I couldn’t even imagine Flip young, let alone this nation-wide star with companies clamoring over his image for their products. “Why’d he stop?”

“I was born,” she said simply. A silence fell over us, the sounds of everypony around us fading away until it was simply the two of us and nothing else. You could have heard a pin drop. “I don’t know much about it; my dad’s never liked to talk about my mom. But I know she was somepony he grew up with here in Ponyville. I guess he wanted to be around for me, because all the competitions, and the traveling, it all stopped at the same time I was born. He had already started Flip’s Boards and Tricks by then, but he really took over the company at that point. He began designing every new board they produced and overseeing the direction the company went. But I wonder… if he’d still be performing if I hadn’t been born.”

“I… don’t know your father very well,” I started slowly, getting her to look up at me. “But I’d be willing to bet there’s not a single part of him that regrets having you.”

She gave a sad smile. “I know. I mean, there was a time a few years ago when I thought… But that’s not important. I just don’t want to live like that, you know? It sounds like so much fun, but I want to be able to come home every night. I want to be able to see my family and friends. I want…” she trailed off as she guarded herself behind a foreleg. She wore an embarrassed smile and her voice dropped to barely above a whisper. “I want a family of my own someday. Not anytime soon, of course! But… one day. And I want to be there for them every night like my dad was for me. And shut up!” she suddenly said, pointing an accusing hoof at me. “You’re not allowed to laugh at that!”

I held up a hand placatingly. “I wasn’t going to! I think it’s cute!” My comment earned a growl and I smiled. “I’m just joking! I think it’s great. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to have a family someday. Hell, I do, too. Uh… someday. But if not scootering, what do you plan to do after school? Isn’t following their special talent what ponies do?”

“Not all the time,” she said. “Do you think Mayor Mare became mayor as soon as she graduated?”

I couldn’t deny she had a point; though the mental image of Mayor Mare as an awkward teenager trying to lead the town was both hilarious and adorable.

“So what are you going to do then?” I asked.

“I’ve already got a job lined up, actually,” she said, returning to her food. She took a bite before talking with her mouth full. “’M gonna work at th’ post office.”

“Oh yeah? When did that happen?” I asked.

“I applied a few weeks ago. Do you know Derpy Hooves?” she asked.

“Grey pegasus, works as a mailmare?”

“Yeah, that’s her. She’s been a good friend of… of Rainbow Dash for a long time and she helped me get a job there. I’m going to be working in the back, cleaning and sorting mostly, until they can get a route for me. I think I’d like that better; being able to get out and move and see ponies around town. I don’t know. It’s not my dream job, but it’ll help me pay the bills for now.”

That was a sentiment I could certainly understand. I’d never imagined that I would one day be working on a farm, let alone find myself enjoying it.

“It’s my turn to ask you something, though,” she continued. “Why work with Carrot Top? How come you never tried to work at Shutterbug’s gallery, since you like taking pictures so much?”

“Well, I did, actually,” I said. “But that was back when I was still really new to Ponyville and a lot of ponies… didn’t trust me. Twilight and I talked to Shutterbug, but she was afraid that, since so many of her customers come in with their foals, that they’d be too afraid to be around me. Eventually Twilight managed to convince Carrot Top to hire me and… I just never tried at Shutterbug’s again. I like working with Carrot Top. There’s something really rewarding about working so hard every day. I get to go home feeling like I’ve accomplished something.”

She leaned forward, propping her chin up on a hoof. “So, you don’t ever want to do anything with photography?”

“Well, maybe someday,” I conceded. I spotted her free hoof lying on the table next to her food. On a whim, I placed my hand on top of it and rubbed her fetlock gently with a thumb. “I don’t know. I’m pretty happy with where I am at the moment.”

She smiled shyly. “Y-yeah. I am, too.”

A comfortable silence fell over us after that. Scoots continued to shoot conspicuous glances my way as we ate, and every so often our eyes would meet and she’d blush and look down at her salad. As she slowly made her way to the bottom, I noticed a large chunk of strawberry that she hadn’t gotten to yet. Reaching across the table, I speared it with my fork, earning a faux-hurt frown. That is, until I offered it to her.

It took her a second to realize what I wanted, and even after her eyes went wide in recognition, she still hesitated a moment before reaching out and taking a small bite from it. I made to pull it back to finish it off but she grabbed my hand to stop me. She carefully took the fork from me and repeated the gesture, holding it out as far as she could reach towards me. Smiling at the gesture, I leaned forward and let her feed me.

I had never tasted so sweet a strawberry.

“Awww!” said a high-pitched voice next to us. My fork clattered to the table from Scoots’s hoof as we both jumped and turned to see our waitress next to the table. Her blonde mane bobbed up and down as she bounced in place, a large, dopey grin on her face. “I’m so sorry to interrupt! I was just going to get your plates if you were done, but I can come back!”

“N-no, it’s okay, Dinky!” Scoots said hurriedly. She placed her fork back into her mostly-finished salad and nudged it forward, where Dinky lifted it onto a tray on her back with the golden glow of her magic. I was finished with mine as well, so I let her take my plate, too. She was still smiling and giggling as she slid the check towards me and trotted away.

Scoots groaned and hid her face behind her hooves as I checked our total. My amusement at her pain was diminished somewhat when I saw that our meal had cost nearly as much as I made in a week, but that was okay. I had enough to cover it, and in the end, Scoots having a good time was worth the cost.

After leaving the bits on the table, plus a decent tip for our waitress, we got up and made our way back outside, where Scoots’s good mood seemed to return.

“So, that was really fun, Will,” she said. She scuffed a slippered hoof across the ground as she seemed to cast around for something else to say.

“Oh, we’re not done quite yet,” I said. I still had one more surprise lined up for us. “Come with me, my dear!”

I made to comically hold my arm out for her to take until I remembered that Sweetie had told her not to fly, at which point I awkwardly pulled back while Scoots laughed at me. Regardless, we fell into step together as I led us towards our next destination.

She leaned against my leg as we walked side by side, and even though it made it slightly harder to walk, I enjoyed her touch. The town had gone to sleep, it seemed, as we ate, as darkness had fallen and the streets were deserted. Flickering street lamps here and there were the only light we had as we made our way to the park.

Scoots suddenly trotted ahead as we passed the entrance gate, frolicking along the main path happily as I struggled to keep up.

“So, the park, huh? What’re we gonna do here?” she turned around to ask me, walking backwards as she did.

“It should be just a little further ahead,” I said.

Right on cue, the opening notes of a song began playing; strings gracefully-plucked filling the air with a beautiful, lilting melody. Scoots rushed ahead and around a hill where a small clearing came into view.

The clearing was surrounded on all sides by rose bushes and flower beds, with every petal practically glowing under the silver light of the moon. The ground underneath our feet was cobblestone, lending a rustic feel to the private little nook of the park we found ourselves in.

To one side of the clearing was a stone bench, upon which sat a mint-green unicorn mare wearing a long white silk dress with golden accentuations. She held a gold lyre in one outstretched foreleg while the other gently brushed across its strings, bringing to life the angelic music that had not only Scoots and I, but a small crowd of ponies humbled by its charm.

Sitting next to the unicorn was an earth pony mare I knew as the titular owner of Bon Bon’s Bon Bons, Ponyville’s own confectionary. Bon Bon was wearing a dress as well; a dark blue thing with pink highlights that matched her curly mane perfectly. In her mane was a lily of some kind, though unlike any I’d ever seen before, it was the color of dancing flames.

They leaned against one another peacefully as the unicorn played her song, seemingly completely ignorant of the presence of the other ponies gathered around listening. Every now and again, Bon Bon would whisper some small thing to her partner that I couldn’t hope to hear from so far away and the unicorn would quietly laugh and whisper something back.

I stayed to the back, not wanting to disturb the sweet scene. There was another bench nearby, so I took a seat there, and only moments later Scoots hopped up next to me. She leaned her head against my shoulder as I wrapped my arm around her.

“How’d you know this was happening tonight?” Scoots whispered.

“I asked her to perform for us tonight.”

“What? No you didn’t!”

I couldn’t hold back a quiet laugh. “No, I didn’t. Bon Bon told me about it last time I went into her shop to buy some candy.”

“You’re a dork,” she chuckled.

“Yeah? Well, you’re cute,” I countered.

We fell silent, listening to the music and the sound of our breathing. Feeling each other’s body. Watching the stars glimmer overhead.

At some point, some of the other ponies watching started dancing. Just rocking back and forth together, but Scoots and I didn’t join them. We didn’t need to. We were happy just being together.

By the time Bon Bon’s marefriend had finished playing and everypony else had gone home, Scoots and I were left alone on our bench. As the night had gone on, she had climbed onto my lap and snuggled against my chest. With the night finally coming to an end, we were left with nothing to do but go home.

After I realized she had no intention of getting up, I took her in my arms and lifted her with me as I stood. Then, with her in my arms, I carried her back along the path towards Ponyville proper. The hour was late as I rounded the corner towards the Carousel Boutique, where Scoots said she was staying that night.

We stopped just outside the back door and stood in the small porch light where neither of us made to move further.

“I had a really great time tonight, Will,” Scoots whispered. Her hoof was fiddling with one of the buttons on my shirt as she stared anywhere but at my face. I used a finger to gently lift her chin until our eyes met.

“I had a really good time, too,” I said. Then I leaned down and gave her a soft kiss on her forehead.

Before I could pull away, her hoof grabbed my cheek and, with a surprising show of strength for the small mare, she pulled me closer and guided our lips together.

And so I stood, under the dim little porch light outside the back of the Carousel Boutique, holding close one of the most amazing mares I’d ever had the fortune to meet. And in that moment, there was nowhere in the world I would have rather been.

But eventually I had to set her down and we had to say good night. She disappeared inside, likely to recount the entire night to a bouncing and excited Sweetie Belle while I began the long walk home.

I barely paid any attention to my surroundings, and before I knew it I was in my bedroom, sitting on my bed as I pulled off my nice clothes and tossed them into the hamper to wash later. It was late, and though I was still riding the high from such an amazing night, I was too tired to try and stay up doing anything. Once I was ready for bed, I threw back the covers and slipped inside, only to feel something sharp poke my leg. I fished around amidst the sheets until I found the mystery object and pulled it out into the light.

In my hand was a single blue feather.

I couldn’t believe it. I could have recognized one of Rainbow’s feathers anywhere, and so I knew it was undoubtedly one of hers. But I couldn’t imagine how it got there. The last time she’d stayed the night had been over a week ago, a few days before we left for Cloudsdale. It must have been there all that time and I hadn’t noticed.

I wasn’t sure what to do with it. Pegasus feathers fall out all the time, usually when they preened but sometimes they just get old and come loose, too. It wasn’t anything special, and so it wasn’t like I needed to return it to her. Hell, she usually just tossed her feathers in the trash when she preened. I guessed that I should do the same.

And so I got up and carried it to the trash can in the kitchen. I just had to drop it inside. It was just a worthless blue feather. I had no use or need for it and so it would just be taking up space if I kept it.

And yet…

I couldn’t seem to let go.

Instead, I held it closer, running my fingers across its smooth surface, feeling the downy bits of fluff at the base and up either side to the tip. All I could think about was every time I’d felt those feathers, whether they had been tickling me or draped across my back in a hug. Of the times I’d held her close. Of the times we’d made love.

It was stupid. It was just a worthless, if beautiful, feather. And I knew I should just toss it out.

And yet I didn’t.

Sighing, I carried the tiny thing back to my room where I sat it on my bedside table, next to my alarm. Maybe…

Maybe in the morning I’d know what to do with it.

Author's Note

Another chapter I had to rush out a little as it was getting late and I really wanted to get it posted. The editing on this chapter was even laxer than usual, so please do point out any flubs or errors I missed. Regardless, we're pulling ever closer to the end of TFaR, folks! Where might things end? How will Will and Scoots fare? And whatever will happen to Rainbow Dash?!

Find out next time on Rainbow Feather Z: Rainbow Defeated!

Chapter 15

“So. Dinner at one of Ponyville’s fanciest eateries and a private concert under the stars in the park. Sounds pretty romantic,” Carrot Top said, pausing to toss a freshly-pulled carrot into her bucket. “You slept with her yet?”

I groaned in response as I tossed aside my own handful of carrots and stopped to wipe away the sweat dripping down my brow. After a week of nice weather we suddenly had no wind to soothe the heat of the sun above and Carrot Top and I had been suffering for it all day. We had just started the harvest of the west field, a task that would probably take us all of next week as well to finish up.

While we toiled, Written Script sat at his usual place at the shaded table nearby, poring over a stack of papers with a quill held in the grip of his green magic. Tiny splotches of ink littered his hooves and lips where he sometimes nibbled on his quill, and every time he took a drink from the iced tea next to him a little more would smear around his mouth. The lucky bastard had it good over there.

And so I may not have had as much patience as I usually would for Carrot Top’s quips.

“I’m not in the mood, Carrot Top,” I said.

She huffed and bent down to grab another carrot stem. With a sharp yank, she pulled it free in a small shower of dirt and spat it into the bucket. “You know, I don’t know if I like New Will or not.”

“’New Will?’” I asked.

“Yes. Old Will got lost in Cloudsdale,” she said, rolling her eyes. “He would’ve either been afraid that I was upset with him or have recognized a joke and said one back. New Will is just kind of a dick.”

I knew that she was right. Over the last several days I’d been constantly bordering on the edge of frustration and I wish I could say I didn’t know why, but I did. And I felt even worse for taking it out on people that didn’t deserve it.

“Sorry,” I muttered.

“So what crawled up your tail and died?” Carrot Top asked, undeterred.

“But I don’t have a tail!” I said lamely, earning nothing more than an unamused frown for my pathetic excuse for a joke. “It’s been almost two weeks since Cloudsdale and I still haven’t seen her once.”

“Well, that’s what happens when you sleep with a mare’s little sister.”

“I haven’t slept with her!” I snapped. To her credit, Carrot Top didn’t so much as flinch, though Written Script looked up from his writing long enough to glance our way. I dropped my voice back to more reasonable levels. “We just went to dinner. It was nice and in no way inappropriate.”

“Uh-huh, keep telling yourself that,” she drawled. She plucked one more carrot from the ground before she collapsed onto her haunches, pulling her green bandana from her head and wiping her brow. “So, you going to see her again?”

Guessing it was time for a break, I sat back as well and pulled my gloves off. “Of course. We had a good time. Why wouldn’t we go out again?”

“Because you said you had a good time, and yet you’ve still been pissy ever since. I figured you were lying.”

The image of a blue feather lying on my bedside table came to mind.

I said nothing.

“Well, whatever,” she huffed, obviously upset at not getting any juicy gossip from me. “I have an errand I need you to run anyway.” She pointed to a small cart filled with several burlap sacks. “Those are this week’s deliveries. I need you to take care of them.”

“I thought you did those on the weekend?” I asked.

“I’m going to be busy this weekend reseeding the south field now that it’s ready. And since your useless butt can’t help, I have to do it on my own.”

“I would gladly help if you’d let me,” I said. But I had scarcely finished before she scoffed.

“You don’t have the earth pony charm to make the seeds sprout this time of year. You’re nearly as useless as Writty!”

I almost considered arguing further but didn’t; I just wasn’t in the mood to deal with her at the moment. Instead, I stood and stalked past her towards the cart. As I searched for the delivery list, I heard her harrumph as she got back to work.

After finding the clipboard against the side of the cart, I glanced over who all had deliveries this week. It wasn’t terribly long; only seven names, the majority of which were various restaurants or cafes in town. I was thankful at least the trip wouldn’t take too long.

Now, pony carts aren’t exactly designed to be pulled around by humans, surprisingly enough. I couldn’t exactly buckle myself into the harness, even had I wanted to try such a thing, as the shafts to which it was attached only came up to my thighs. If I tilted the cart up that high I’d just end up dumping my cargo all over the ground. However, the harness itself made a decent handle, and I could use it to simply drag the cart along behind me easily enough.

Testing the weight proved it wouldn’t be too tiring of a trip so, deciding not to waste any time, I set off for town.

The first several stops were uneventful. Hand over the bag/s, take the bits, move on. Sugarcube Corner was always a nice place to stop by, if only because the owners, Mr. and Mrs. Cake, were some of the most pleasant, genial ponies around. And their two young twins, Pound and Pumpkin, were a riot when they weren’t sticking their noses where they didn’t belong. I was forever thankful that Pinkie intervened when I told them that humans don’t get cutie marks as they had been insisting I show them to prove it.

Though I couldn’t bring myself to hold that against them. As I made to move on from Sugarcube Corner to my next delivery, I pocketed a Pumpkin-drawn crayon picture of what I’m pretty sure was supposed to be me with her and her brother. Her drawing skills are a little… unpolished so I was judging by the fact that the peach-colored blob was a lot taller than the yellow-and-cream-colored ones.

It had to go up on the fridge when I got home.

But before then I had more stops to make.

It was nearing mid-afternoon by the time I’d finished and was back on the path out of town. The sky overhead was almost entirely free of clouds, with only a couple lingering here and there. Every now and again the endless blue would be broken by a colorful speck of a pegasus fluttering by. I started watching them as I walked. I recognized a few even if I didn’t know any of their names.

It took me a minute to realize what I was doing. I grunted angrily as I forced my eyes back to the ground. Even if I were to spot her, she wasn’t going to come down. She’d been avoiding me too long. And even if she did, what would I say? ‘Sorry I’m dating your sister? Allow me to just break her heart to make you feel better!’ Yeah right.

I still would have liked to say something, though, even if I didn’t know what it was.

I sighed as I continued my trudge down the path to Carrot Top’s farm. At least, until I heard the familiar sounds of hooves landing down on the ground behind me. I stopped and turned, not believing that it could possibly be her.

But it seemed the universe had a sense of humor.

She stood there before me in all her rainbow-colored glory. Well, not so much ‘glory’ as ‘death warmed over.’ Her coat, never the most delicately-maintained thing as it was, was messier than usual, like it hadn’t been brushed. Her eyes had dark bags under them like she hadn’t slept in days. I wondered if I looked as bad as she did.

Probably.

“Hey,” she said simply.

“Hey,” I replied.

Somewhere, I’m sure I heard a cricket chirping. Neither of us had any idea what to say it seemed. I was dying to know what Rainbow wanted; it must have been something or she wouldn’t have stopped me. And yet there she stood, just as silent as I was while she hoofed at the ground like she was digging for gold.

Just before my patience could take no more, she cleared her throat and spoke.

“I’m sorry,” she said. And that was it. Just those two words, as if that somehow wrapped up everything in a nice little bow and nothing else needed to be said. As though it could undo her walking out on me or ignoring me for the last half a month.

“I’m sorry, too,” I sighed. “But that doesn’t fix anything, Rainbow. We need to actually talk about things!”

She growled and stomped her hoof against the ground hard enough to kick up a cloud of dust. “That’s all you ever want to do! Talk!”

“That’s what friends do, Rainbow! They talk about stuff!” I shouted. “How else am I supposed to know what’s going on in that thick skull of yours?!”

“Did you ever think I didn’t want to talk about some things?! Maybe it’s not as easy for me as it is for you!” Even as her face was contorted in the fiercest scowl I’d ever seen her eyes began to glitter in the corners. Her voice started to crack as it rose to a fevered pitch. “M-maybe there are things that I just don’t know how to say! L-like how I’m afraid I’m losing one of my best friends and my little sister and it’s t-too late to do anything about it! A-and maybe there’s a reason I couldn’t be with you but I didn’t know how to tell you until you were already kiss–”

Her tirade broke along with her voice and she fell down onto her haunches, rubbing furiously at her eyes with a hoof. Her chest heaved with sobs she wouldn’t allow out. She pulled her wings around her like a cocoon as her entire body began to shake.

“I’m not… I’m not gonna cry!” she grunted, sniffling even as she steeled herself. She gave a wet cough to clear her throat, and afterward she looked remarkably calmer, even if her eyes were still red.

“I know it’s hard, Rainbow,” I said softly before kneeling down to put us closer to eye-level. I was trying as hard as I could to not sound accusatory. “But I can’t know what you’re thinking unless you tell me. And when you told me no, I found somepony who did want to be with me.”

“It sure didn’t take you long,” she spat.

I gave up. “I don’t know what you want me to say.”

All at once, every ounce of fight she still had fled her, leaving her slumped and defeated. She hung her head and from under the curtain of her unruly rainbow mane, a single drop of water fell to the ground. “I just want my friend back.”

For some reason I couldn’t fathom, that hurt more than it would have had she punched me in the chest. I wanted to say something comforting or put my hand on her shoulder or even hug her; anything I could do just to see her smile again. To take us back to how things used to be.

But I couldn’t.

Instead, I merely mumbled, “Me too.”

After that we were at an impasse. I’m not sure how long we both sat there on that dirty little path, looking at everything and nothing but each other, but it felt like an eternity before she slowly stood, wiping her eyes one last time.

“So now what?” she muttered.

“Well… We both still want to be friends, right? Let’s do something together next week. Lunch or whatever,” I suggested.

“Y-yeah, maybe…” From the way she said it, I could tell it may as well have been a no. I hoped she just wasn’t ready yet.

She started to turn away but stopped at the last moment. “Could you… Could you tell the Squirt I’m sorry for missing sister night last week? I had my head up my tail and didn’t make it. Oh, and that I’m sorry for missing it tomorrow, too? I’ll make it up to her.”

“What are you doing tomorrow?” I asked, knowing Scoots would want to know.

“Gotta head back to Cloudsdale for some… weather business. Can’t get out of it,” she said, shaking her head.

I nodded shallowly. “Yeah, I’ll tell her.”

She returned my nod and turned ever so slightly away before she paused. In that moment, I was struck by the most curious feeling. It was like she was slipping away, and if I let her go I may never get her back. A blue feather flashed in my mind again and a dull chill fell over me like a cool breeze whipping through my soul.

And then…

I let her go.

Leaving me with only one last look at her rose-colored eyes, she took flight and was gone.

A haunting cloud hung over me for the rest of the day and I didn’t feel much better even as I woke up the next morning. Being Friday, I at least had my weekly errands for Rarity to distract myself with. I stopped by to grab the list of what she needed from around town, carefully dodging her less-than-subtle inquiries into how my date with Scoots had gone all the while, and set about a day of what was essentially gofer work. At least Rarity was nice enough to offer me a lunch of daisy sandwiches, blueberry scones and tea after I was done.

After I returned to my cottage for the day, I had a sneaking suspicion I’d be seeing a certain young mare come around before the night was done, and so I mostly just puttered around waiting for her to show up. I read for a little while and looked through some photos I hadn’t sorted yet, and sure enough about an hour before dinner time the front door swung open.

Scoots trudged in with a noticeable lack of spring in her step, and I thought she really mirrored how I’d been feeling. She had her school saddlebags on as she joined me on the couch, and I helped unbuckle her as she nuzzled my chin.

“Hey, Scoots,” I said as I dropped her saddlebags to the floor. “Got homework this weekend?”

“Hey, Will! Yeah, just a bunch of worksheets, though,” she said, shrugging. “Nothing major.”

With her saddlebags out of the way I stretched out across the couch, propping my feet up on one arm and my head on the other. Scoots climbed on top of me the second I was situated and laid on her belly along my chest, crossing her forelegs before her and resting her chin on them. I felt a brief flash of déjà vu but shoved it aside and focused on the scrap of cute peering sweetly up at me.

“So, anything exciting happen for you today?” I asked.

“At school? Yeah right!” she said incredulously. “The most exciting thing to happen all month was the time Pipsqueak was writing a love letter to Princess Luna during class and Miss Cheerilee made him read it out loud.”

“Somepony in your class is writing love letters to Princess Luna?” I asked, impressed. “What a little Casanova!”

She tilted her head to one side. “What’s a ‘Casanova?’”

“It’s a… human joke; nevermind,” I said.

To prevent the argument I knew was coming, I reached up and started scratching behind her ear. It worked perfectly; she exhaled and let her eyes close.

“Mmmm…” she cooed appreciatively as she leaned into my touch. “What about you?”

“Not much; just picking and hauling carrots like usual. I did this week’s deliveries around town yesterday, I guess. Saw the Cakes, got a lovely piece of art that I’m going to frame and hang on the wall someday!” I said jokingly. But then I remembered the other thing that happened, and I realized Scoots and I would need to talk about it and my meager attempt to laugh died off. “I, uh… I ran into Rainbow yesterday.”

Her eyes snapped open as she sat bolt upright.

“You did? What’d she say? Did you two fight again?” she asked in a rush. I took offense to her immediate assumption that we might have fought, but I decided not to press the issue.

“No, we just talked.”

She leaned subtly away from me, scratching the back of her head in what I think was supposed to be a nonchalant gesture. “Talked? Oh, okay. Uh… a-about what?”

“Not enough,” I muttered. Haltingly, I retold our conversation as best as I could recall. By the time I’d finished, Scoots had cuddled up closer to me and was nuzzling my neck.

“She thinks she’s losing us?” Scoots asked fearfully. “B-but she’s the one not talking to us!”

“I don’t know, Scoots,” I said, moving my hand to her back. There was something about touching her; about scratching my fingers through her coat that I found relaxing. “But she said she wants to make up missing sister night, so maybe next week you’ll get to talk to her. I’m sure you’ll work things out.”

“Well yeah, but… What about you?” she asked. “You two can’t work things out if you never try!”

“I know. And we will. But not tonight!” I said, trying to usher up a little more cheer. “Because tonight it’s me and you! How about we make some dinner?”

I was sure even she saw my pathetic excuse to change the subject for what it was, but at least she didn’t say anything. She just hopped off of me and slid to the floor while I convinced my old body to get up from the comfort of the couch.

Suddenly Scoots gasped. She darted over to her saddlebags and withdrew a white plastic bag. It looked and sounded like there were multiple somethings inside, but I couldn’t see what any of them were. “I picked up something from Barnyard Bargains for later. I thought we could have it as dessert or something.”

“Oh yeah? What is it?”

Rather than answer, she covered the bag with a foreleg and, strangely, blushed. “I-it’s a surprise! But it needs to be refrigerated until we’re ready for it. No peeking while it’s in there!”

“Fine, fine!” I mockingly groused, throwing my hands up in surrender. I’m not sure she got the gesture, but she laughed anyway and together we went into the kitchen in search of edible food for the night.

As I looked through my depressingly-empty pantry, Scoots shoved her mystery treat, bag and all, to the back of the lowest shelf of my fridge. She even threw a suspicious glance over her shoulder to see if I was looking and, upon catching my eye, gave a playful scowl.

Regardless, looking through the pantry provided little more than a fairly fresh loaf of bread and some cans of soup. Nothing I could make a decent meal of for the two of us. Why couldn’t I have picked up some vegetables and pasta from the market? I could have made something kind of nice from that…

Not that I was really in the mood to fix something special, still being tired from working all week, but I wasn’t exactly going to serve Scoots bland soup from a can. I guessed I could go out and bring something home, but it’d be late by the time I actually fixed anything. We could’ve gone out to eat again. I didn’t have the bits to take us to somewhere like Haute Cuisine again but there were other fairly nice places around Ponyville. Daisy’s was good that time we went there for lunch…

Before I could open my mouth to suggest it, Scoots nudged past me and grabbed the bread. I followed her back to the counter where she was throwing together two sandwiches with daisies, tomatoes, mayonnaise and cheddar cheese.

When she was done, she retied the bread bag and left it on the counter. She bit one of the plates and put it on her back and picked up the other before offering it to me.

“Is… is this all you want?” I asked as I took the plate from her. It looked like a good enough sandwich even if daisies weren’t my favorite, but it was still just a sandwich. Hardly fine eating.

Still, she just smiled brightly and nodded before heading back towards the living room. “Yep!”

It wasn’t until she disappeared around the corner, as happy as could be with only a meager little dinner that it dawned on me who I was dealing with. Scoots wasn’t somepony like Rarity. She didn’t expect fancy dinners or formal dates, our dinner at Haute Cuisine’s aside. She was Scoots. Practical. Simple. Fun.

I chuckled to myself at how silly I was being before I followed her. She was already sitting on the floor in front of the couch, using it as a backrest while she ate. Her plate was on the coffee table which she had pulled closer, as was a magazine on what looked like skateboards and the like. She must have brought it with her.

I took a seat next to her and passively read over her head as she flipped through it. I still didn’t know the first thing about any of it even after she’d tried to explain some of it to me. It mostly looked like a catalogue for new gear, but there were also a few articles detailing interviews with famous skaters or on tournaments that had recently happened. After a while, though, she got bored and set it aside.

It wasn’t the most exciting evening ever, sitting on the floor of my living room eating sandwiches. But I was sitting on my living room floor eating sandwiches with Scoots. My kinda-sorta-maybe girlfriend.

There was nowhere else I’d rather be.

And it was the best sandwich I’d ever eaten, by the way.

After we were both finished eating, she offered to take our plates into the kitchen so that she could get her surprise at the same time. She had the bag in her mouth as she reappeared and sat it on the coffee table before us. Rather than open it immediately, though, she just stared at it for a moment.

“So okay, maybe this was a dumb idea,” she said.

“Why do you say that?” I said, trying not to laugh. I reached out to see what this ‘dumb idea’ was, but she threw her forelegs over the bag to stop me. I tried to reach around her leg but she blocked me again, giving me a frown.

For several minutes we wrestled over the bag, nearly upending it several times but she managed to fend me off. Eventually I got a good idea and reached around to her other side and began tickling under her foreleg. The instant my fingers touched her, she bolted away from my hand, inadvertently pushing her back against my chest, and laughed out loud.

Finding success, I continued my assault, poking her body and wriggling my fingers through her coat as she devolved into a violently-squirming ball of giggles. I had to hold her in place with my arm just to keep her from getting away.

“S-stop! Hahaha, stop! I– heehee, I can’t breathe!” she managed between gasps for air and flurries of uncontrolled laughter. I finally relented and let go, after which she immediately jumped up and bolted towards the bathroom, her tail clamped tight between her hindlegs.

We were both still out of breath by the time she returned and she was trying hard to hide her lingering giggles behind a frown. I just smirked back at her.

“Jerk,” she said, sitting down next to me again. I ruffled her mane only for her to playfully shove me away, giggling again.

“So, come on,” I said. “What’s in the bag? I wanna see what you brought.”

Her shyness returned as she blushed. “Alright, fine! Here,” she said, pulling the bag over and passing it to me.

I opened it up to reveal a plastic container of mixed fruit: blueberries, strawberries, grapes and an assortment of other sweet things. Along with it was a spray canister of whipped cream. While I thought it would make a sweet little snack, it certainly wasn’t what I was expecting.

“You bought… fruit and whipped cream?” I asked, confused at her choice of dessert. She raised her wing to scratch at her cheek, subtly moving it between us so that I couldn’t see her mouth.

“Well… I just thought,” she stammered. Then she screwed her eyes shut and swallowed. “Sweetie said she and Spike did something like this after a date and it was really romantic and I thought it sounded really cool and I wanted to try it but now I realize it’s just dumb and I wish I’d never brought it up!”

My heart utterly melted at the note of panicked despair in her voice. Without a word, I patted her gently on the back before standing. Her eyes were still shut as I stood and went to the hallway closet to grab a little something before turning to the living room. I shut off all the lights and drew the curtains, leaving the room in near-blackness before setting a couple of candles on the table and lighting them. Opening the plastic container, I plucked out a nice, plump strawberry and squirted a dollop of whipped cream on the tip before hovering it in front of her face.

The sound of the spraying can caught her attention and made her finally open her eyes. She blinked in confusion, looking back and forth between the strawberry and myself. When I said nothing, she finally took a hesitant bite, getting a little cream on either side of her mouth. While she chewed, shyly looking at me, I wiped the mess away with a thumb and licked it clean.

“Y-you don’t think it’s lame?” she asked after swallowing her bite.

“I think,” I said, readying and offering her the rest of the strawberry, “that it’s terribly sweet of you.”

“Was that a pun?” she asked before accepting, her lips brushing against my fingers. I brushed her chin lovingly before I let my hand fall.

“Maybe a little,” I said quietly. “But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t true.”

She just gave an embarrassed little grin before taking the whipped cream can from me. Her head dove into the plastic bag and withdrew a plastic fork I hadn’t noticed before and she used it to spear an apple slice. Using both hooves, she gave it a liberal spray of cream and, like I had done for her, held it out to me.

I leaned forward, taking the apple slice into my mouth, but instead of biting it off I held there for a moment. I stared into her purple eyes, our faces inches apart, long enough for her to lose her nerve and glance away before finally taking the bite.

We passed the can back and forth, feeding each other as we cuddled together in the soft candlelight. Every time I offered her something, her lips seemed to linger a little longer on my fingers and she moved a tiny bit closer.

Between the closeness, the sweet treats, the touching of our bodies and the dim, flickering candlelight, it was all surprisingly intimate. A few weeks ago, I’d have never imagined that I’d be here, doing something like this. And yet there I was, in one of the most romantic moments of my life with a mare that I cared for so strongly; more than I could have ever put into words.

By the time we reached the bottom of the container, she was on my lap, licking the last few flecks of cream from my hand. My free hand scratched gently at the base of her head, running through her wild, spiky mane.

Once my hand was clean, I made to pull it away but she grabbed my wrist with both hooves to stop me. She held my hand close, laying small and slow kisses on my thumb and fingertips, hitting each one in turn. She stopped on my index finger, holding it against her lips for several seconds. I leaned down to return a kiss to the top of her head.

She turned then, until she was straddling my lap with her hindhooves on the floor to either side of me and her forehooves lightly pressing against my chest. They rubbed in small circles as she reached up to kiss my lips.

I was lost to everything but her velvet lips and her cashmere tongue. I wanted nothing but for her to never pull away, and my hand cradled the back of her head. Her hot breath blasted sweetly across my face as her tongue danced against my own and brushed the points of my teeth.

“Will,” she gasped, pulling away and bumping her forehead against mine.

“Y-yeah?” I asked through the haze of lust clouding my head.

“I want…” she said softly, seeming to lose her confidence. With a small whine, she screwed up her courage. “I want to stay here tonight.”

I knew in an instant what she really meant by saying that; it was clear by the way her hips were softly grinding against my lap and how her lips didn’t seem to want to move more than a few inches from mine. I also knew I should tell her no.

It was too soon. She was too young. She was far too young to even be dating someone like me, let alone spending the night. But the feeling of her body against mine, her smell, her taste were making it so hard…

“Y-you really shouldn’t,” I said. “We shouldn’t.”

“Will, please!” she begged. “R-remember what you said to me after we got back from Cloudsdale? ‘Forget about everything but us. Forget my age, forget what anypony will think. Forget it all.’ Do you want this or not?”

I wanted to kick myself even as I uttered, “Yes.” Not that I needed to, I don’t think; I’m sure she could’ve felt the answer already through my pants.

She looked me dead in the eyes. “Then what else matters?”

I answered her with another kiss.

Scoots felt like she weighed barely more than a feather in my arms as I carried her back to my bedroom. She laid peacefully in my grasp, clutching my shirt in the crook of her hoof as she nuzzled my chest. I barely even paid any attention to my surroundings as I approached the bed and gently set her down.

She stayed on her back, pushing herself up until her head came to rest on my pillow. I ripped my shirt off before climbing onto the bed and towering over her.

I dove into her, pulling her head close and kissing her again. She returned it in kind as her hooves began exploring my body. Her forehooves grasped at my neck and chest while her hinds trailed along my side and tugged at the hem of my jeans.

The hand that wasn’t grabbing at her mane dug under her back, rubbing down her bony spine and along her slowly-unfolding wings until it came to rest just above her tail. I groped at her scrawny flanks, massaging the flesh under her butterfly cutie mark. She had almost nothing in the way of chub there, and lacked the rigidity of muscle, but it was so undeniably her. She groaned with every squeeze.

A sudden pop sounded as my jeans button gave away. I didn’t stop her as she continued to push at them, eventually managing to undo the zipper as well. Soon they were at my knees, as far as they could go without me getting up, and one of her hind hooves found my thigh.

It trailed up slowly, past the bottom of my boxers and higher still until it came to rest right next to my awakening length. She hesitated for only a moment before reaching out and brushing it gently; just a feather-light touch to the side that was still enough to send a jolt of pleasure up my spine.

I nearly gasped, and she must have caught how much I liked it as she took to it with newfound eagerness. She rubbed generously up and down the top side of my member, using the soft underside of her hoof and being careful not to touch me with the hard outer wall. As I continued to tend to her cutie marks as best as I could, it didn’t take long before I could feel a wet spot building up on the front of my boxers.

Finally it got too much to take and I pulled away from her, awkwardly tugging my pants down as quickly as I could without standing up. Once they were off I hastily tossed them aside and grabbed the waistband of my boxers with every intention of having them join the rest of my clothes.

“Wait,” she said, causing me to pause. To my frustration, she had rolled onto her side with her tail blocking her lower body from my sight. She lifted a forehoof to point at my lap. “C-can I…?”

I could only nod dumbly as she rose and slowly crawled over. Her eyes were fixated on my impossible-to-miss tent, leaving me feeling rather self-conscious all of a sudden. Slowly, she leaned forward, her mouth closing in on my waist. I nearly jumped as her breath touched my skin. Finally her teeth grabbed my waistband and after only a brief hesitation, she began to pull downward.

My member bopped her nose as it sprang free from its prison, eliciting a startled squeak. At the same moment, she let go of my boxers and fell back onto her haunches, staring cross-eyed at her nose and rubbing it with a hoof. I couldn’t help but laugh at her face as I pulled my boxers the rest of the way off and sat back.

She gave me a frown and readied a sarcastic retort that never made it out. The moment her eyes fell upon my lap, they both went as wide as dinner plates and she blushed hard enough to be visible even in the darkness around us. For half a second, I worried that she was having second thoughts, but then, with halting, unsure movements, she took a step forward.

“I-I’ve never… seen a… a thing all” –she pointed at me– “like that before. Can I… touch it?”

My member twitched just at her words. “Scoots, you can do whatever you want.”

She took a few more cautious steps forward, biting her lip as she came to rest between my knees. A tentative hoof came up to lightly brush against me. She ran her fetlock up my entire length, accidentally wiping away a little pre at my tip. Noticing it, she stared at the small drop for a moment before bringing it to her mouth and licking it up.

My entire body shivered at the sight.

After realizing what she’d done, her eyes went wide again and her ears snapped back against her skull. She looked up to meet my gaze and giggled awkwardly while forcing a smile.

Unable to resist any longer, I lunged forward and pulled her back into a kiss. She squeaked again as our lips touched, but soon enough she melted into my embrace. I gently pushed back until she was once again on her back and I was over her.

I wasted no time pulling away from her lips. One kiss against her cheek, another against her jaw, a third to her chin. Down lower and lower I went; her neck, her collar, her chest. I rubbed the miniscule swell of her stomach around her belly button, pulling forth a couple cute giggles that I couldn’t help but hear again. Once I was satisfied, I stopped tickling at her navel and slid my hands down to her hips.

Her nipples were already begging for attention as I thumbed over them. Two little nubs, a few shades darker than her coat, just demanding to be touched and showered with affection. She gasped and jumped the instant I made contact with one, wrapping her hindlegs around my head to prevent me from pulling away. As though I’d ever want to.

I continued to lay a kiss every inch down her body as I left her navel and continued south. Each touch made her shiver and, once I reached the top of her teats, a moan as well.

“Ahh!” she gasped as my lips clamped around her nipple. Her hips writhed against my face as I grazed my teeth gently across her skin. I tasted the salty sweetness of her sweat as I pinched and rolled her sensitive flesh. Without letting go, I buried my nose into her coat and breathed deep, taking in the lingering traces of her fruity perfume and her own natural scent. Hanging heavy in the background, however, was the overwhelming musk of a pony that was not a filly, but a mare.

“W-Will, uh…” she grunted between panting breaths. Her forehooves found the top of my head and, assuming she wanted me to move on, I continued on my path south.

I resumed my trail of kisses along her pelvis and up the swell of her mound, but at the last moment I swerved to the left and moved to her thigh. She kicked her leg at my touch and let out a surprised yelp. I was lost in my own world as I peppered kisses up her thigh to nearly her knee and back down before doing the same to the other side.

Finally, after all the teasing and all the stalling, I figured she was ready as I trailed back down towards her burning nethers. I could feel her heat against my chin as I pulled close. One last touch, right at the inside of her hip, and I let my eyes feast upon the sight before me.

It shouldn’t have been any different than the time I’d seen her body in the bathtub. She had the same slit, the same puckered hole beneath it, even the same darker skin where her coat gave way, though it was more flushed than it had been then. But even beyond that, it was an entirely different sight. Back then, she hadn’t been heaving for breath, her body trembling with pent up anticipation. Her slit hadn’t been winking, teasing me with glimpses of her pink little nub. Nor had she been so aroused, her juices running thick and fast down her haunches and pooling on the sheets around her tail.

Nor… had there been the glimmer of metal down there?

It took me a moment to realize what I was looking at. Two little silver balls the size of beads glinted on either side of her tail, right at the base where her coat gave way to the longer purple hairs. Idly I poked at the tiny things, realizing they were a single curved barbell piercing.

“I didn’t know you had this,” I mused. I’d never been the biggest fan of girls with piercings before, but I wasn’t disinclined to them, either. On Scoots, however, I found it just the cutest thing. My little rebel with her piercings and that collar. I wondered if I could get her to wear it again sometime.

“I, hah… I-I got it a w-while ago,” she gasped. She was lying with her forelegs crossed over her chest, looking away from me and towards the wall. “O-on my last birthday.”

I waited a moment to see if she would continue but she didn’t. Instead she continued to stare at the wall, softly biting her lip again.

As I tried to meet her eyes, she was no longer trembling with anticipation, she was shaking. She wasn’t feeling her chest; she was clutching herself like she was clinging to a lifeline.

She wasn’t meeting my gaze because she couldn’t.

“Scoots? Is everything alright?” I asked, reaching out and gently brushing her hoof. She didn’t react beyond screwing her eyes shut.

I moved up to lie next to her, all other thoughts but her forgotten. I pulled her into a hug and she buried her face in my neck.

“Hey, hey! It’s alright,” I whispered. “It’s okay! We don’t have to do anything you aren’t ready for, okay? Come on, it’s alright!”

“But I do want to!” she said. She pulled back enough to look me in the eye again, even though hers were now glittering at the corners. “I want this! I want you to see I’m not…!”

“What? That you’re not what, Scoots?” I asked.

She took a deep breath to steady herself. “I know you and Rainbow did… this stuff.” She hiccupped. “And if she can do it, so can I!”

“No,” I said firmly, cutting her off. “We are not doing this just because you want to be like her.”

“It’s not just that!” she shouted. “I don’t just want to be like her. I…” She trailed off briefly, and when she started again her voice was calmer and more distant. “The other fillies in my class sometimes talk about how great it is to… you know, do it with somepony you like. But I’ve never met a colt before that I liked in that way. At least, until…”

She looked up and our eyes met.

“I want this, Will,” she stated calmly. “I’ve thought about what it would be like for a while now. And it started so good! Everything was perfect! But then you were kissing me and… I’ve never had anypony touch me like that before. A-and it felt amazing! But it was just… it happened so fast…”

“Scootaloo, I’m so sorry,” I said softly. “I got caught up in the moment. I never stopped to think that it was your first time. I should have taken things slower.”

“No, don’t be sorry!” she begged. “If anything, I’m sorry. I’m the one being a dumb foal and freaking out over nothing.”

“Oh, Scoots!” I said. I grabbed the back of my silly little marefriend’s head and kissed her crown. “There’s nothing wrong with not being ready for sex and you’re not being a dumb foal. Quite the opposite, it’s the adult thing to do to admit that you aren’t ready.”

“Oh please,” she said, giving a few weak, wet chuckles. “Trying to tell me how ‘adult’ I’m being only makes me feel worse.” Despite her words, she was at least smiling again and I felt immeasurably better.

“Sorry, but I mean it,” I laughed as I ruffled her mane again. “I’m glad you said something. If I’d kept going when you didn’t want me to? I… I don’t know what I’d do. Never forgive myself at the very least.”

She nuzzled my chin comfortingly.

“You know I’d never do that, right? I’d never make you do anything you weren’t comfortable with.”

“I know you wouldn’t,” she said with a peck to my chin.

“Good,” I said, giving her shoulders a squeeze. “So, you feeling better?”

“Yeah,” she said, giving a small nod. She struggled out of my hug and crawled onto my chest where she laid on her belly facing me. Gently, she started kneading her hooves against my chest like a cat. “So, can we… pick up where we left off?”

“What?” I asked, shocked. “Scoots, I don’t think that’s a good idea. If you aren’t ready, we shouldn’t push things. We can always do this again whenever you are.”

“Will, I am ready! I want this. It was just… a little too much too fast! Can we just take it a little slower?” she asked.

I was torn. I really believed she was being honest about wanting to continue, but the last thing I wanted was a repeat of what just happened. Granted I really, really wanted her, but not at the expense of hurting her.

“Look… If you really want, we can keep going. But you have to promise me something,” I said. I tried to impress upon her with my tone how serious I was. “If you get uncomfortable again or anything, please say so. I do not want to be doing anything you aren’t okay with.”

She rolled her eyes but grinned. “Alright, alright, I promise. Can we go now?” She paused, blushing slightly as I felt her hips squirm over my stomach. “I was kinda… close before, if you know what I mean.”

I laughed. “Yeah, I know what you mean. Actually, I have an idea! Hop up a second.”

She did as I asked and I sat upright, resting my back against the headboard and sitting cross-legged. Her eyes were once again locked on my crotch, though I couldn’t blame her for that. If our roles were reversed I’d probably be the same.

Once I’d settled, I got her attention and beckoned her with my finger. She crawled hesitantly closer until she was within arm’s reach and I scooped her up. She playfully squirmed in my grasp until she came to rest against my chest and I pulled her into a kiss. I only needed one hand to hold her up, so I used the other to stroke myself in the meantime. After the brief scare, I’d gone flaccid again and needed to get things warmed back up before the show could proceed.

Scoots lightly nipped at my lip before she pulled away and slithered out of my grip. She slid down my stomach until her hips collided with my lap. Her blazing hot, dripping folds landed right on top of my half-mast, drawing forth a high-pitched yelp of surprise. Once it dawned on her what had happened, she laughed and smirked at me before she started slowly rocking her hips back and forth.

The feeling of her sex working against mine was far more efficient than my hand at returning my length to its full size. Before I knew it I was buried between her legs with my tip under her tail, feeling the slight chill of her piercing.

“H-hey, can I ask you something?” I managed between the waves of pleasure rolling through my body. I almost didn’t catch her nod. “Why’d you get that piercing?”

She laughed before responding. “This filly in my class, Diamond Tiara? She said once that colts really like that kind of stuff, and… I don’t know, I thought it was cool. And kinda s-sexy,” she stuttered shyly.

“It’s… sexy, alright.” It was getting harder and harder to focus on what we were saying. Her hips were gyrating and rolling rhythmically, driving me wild. “S-Scoots…”

“You ready for more?” she teased. She lost a little of the confidence in her voice. “Okay, let’s see here…”

She leaned back, trying to move her hips into position. She tried several times to line us up, and at one point she was standing up on her hindlegs straight enough I was afraid she’d fall over backward. Deciding to lend her a hand (or two) I braced her back and guided my length so that it finally met her folds.

“Okay, take it slow…” she mumbled to herself as she bent her knees and began to let herself slide down.

Scoots’s pliable lips spread around my tip and, inch by agonizing inch, she took my length inside her.

“Haaa…” she moaned aloud as soon as my head had popped inside. “S-slowly…” she intoned again as she continued down.

Her velvety, rippling inner walls gave way as she continued to take more of me inside her. After what felt like an eternity, her haunches finally came to rest on my hips and she let out a long exhale, resting her forehead against my chest. I rubbed her back comfortingly as she shuddered around my member.

“How ya feeling?” I asked once she seemed to have adjusted.

“G-good,” she said, straining to force the words out. “It feels even bigger than it looked.”

I gave what was probably a goofy smile as my confidence swelled. It was certainly a nicer thing to say than other things I’ve heard before.

Scoots shivered again as she wriggled her hips, causing her oh-so-tight walls to clench around me. “AB told me once, whew… that it can hurt if you go too fast. But that wasn’t so bad.”

“Good…” I was barely able to mumble through the sensations she was putting me through.

“I-is this how humans do it?” she asked suddenly. “I’ve never heard anypony doing it like this before. D-do you start or…?”

“Uh… no,” I muttered, trying to gather my thoughts enough to answer her questions. It wasn’t easy. “Humans do it a lot of different ways, but… I figured this one would be good since you’re on top. You can control how fast we go. I actually can’t do a whole lot, so whenever you’re ready…”

“O-oh! Okay…” she said.

She lifted herself up on trembling legs until only the barest tip of my length remained inside of her. Then, just as slowly, she lowered herself back down until our hips softly bumped together. I could barely hold in a curse; her wet walls were unbearably warm and welcoming as they clamped me like a vice. I could feel them undulating; squeezing in waves down my length as she tried already to milk me for everything I was worth.

Scoots barely gave herself time to give a long, pleasured sigh before lifting herself and doing it again and again. With each motion she got faster and faster until she was bouncing on my lap like an excited filly on Christmas morning. Her breathing grew rapid and labored as she built up her momentum.

At first, I could do very little for her in return. I couldn’t thrust very well sitting like I was, though I did as much as I could, but I needed to do more to give her back some of the pleasure I was feeling.

I was already holding her back to help keep her upright, but then I started rubbing gently between her wing joints. Using my thumb and forefinger, I massaged either side of her left wing, digging as deep into her flight muscles as I could without hurting her. She moaned out loud at the first touch and continued to coo at the back of her throat as I tended to her wings.

As she continued to piston herself on me, I tried to meet her head at the top of each bounce for a kiss to her sweat-slicked mane. I was getting close. Far closer than I liked considering I was sure she hadn’t finished yet. I moved one of my hands to her stomach, brushing lightly against her coat as I moved south. Following the curve of her mound with a fingertip, I made it to her slit and grazed across her clit mid-wink.

“Ahh!” she cried out as her entire body shivered, causing her to give my length a tight squeeze. “W-Will? My t-tail…” She trailed off, breathless.

“You want me to pull it?” I’d heard before that some mares really liked that. I even let go of her wing to grab ahold of her silken purple tail.

“N-no,” she said, causing me to stop. “My dock, uh… by my piercing. Can you… rub there? Please?”

“Uh… like this?” I asked as I moved to where I thought she meant. There was only a small area of muscle on the underside of her tail, and figuring that’s what she meant I gently stroked along its length with my index finger. I rubbed between either bead on her piercing with each pass. She subtly leaned her haunches back towards my touch, I guessed that she wanted more. I reached further back, including the crevasse just above her round tailhole into my ministrations.

Between the attention to her clit and her dock, her bouncing became erratic and unsteady. Her moans had reached a fevered pitch to the point she was nearly screaming, her voice echoing shrilly against my bedroom walls.

“Oh, W-Will, I’m…!” She couldn’t even finish her thought as she came; hard. I could tell both from the ear-shattering shriek she let out and from the way her depths locked down upon me. She didn’t let up her bouncing for a moment, even as her marehood refused to let me go.

The extra tightness and the rush of fluids splattering my lap proved too much. Unable to hold out for even a second longer, I hunched over her and buried my face in the top of her head as I went over the edge. It felt like it lasted for years as I released into her. She was already small enough that I barely fit inside her, and so it seemed as early as the second burst my seed was spilling out and pooling around my crotch.

Ages past as we both wound down from our respective climaxes. Scoots’s legs had given out at some point and she was resting heavy and limp against me. She was gasping for breath as her wings laid listlessly out to the sides, her feathers tickling against my thighs.

She was either unwilling or incapable of moving, and so it was up to me to carefully pick her up. As I slid out of her I was rewarded with another gush of our sticky combination of fluids. I barely even noticed it as I laid us down with our heads on the pillows and her small body against my chest. I found the edge of the blanket and carefully pulled it over us, being careful not to disturb her too much. Despite my efforts, she rolled over to face my and nuzzled into my neck.

“That was… the most… amazing… thing ever!” she panted, grinning brightly. She was flushed and her eyes were bleary and unfocused, and even her mane was a bit of a mess, but in that moment? She’d never looked more beautiful. “The way you… with my dock? That was great! I usually… use a pillow, but your hands are way better!”

“You do that while looking at that magazine?” I asked teasingly, causing her to roll her eyes and smile shyly. It was as good as a yes. “You’ll have to show me it sometime.”

“Oh, fine,” she huffed. “There’s a few pictures of… Spitfire and Fleetfoot you’d probably like.” She fell silent for a moment as she settled more comfortably against me, ending up with her back against my chest. “Hey Will?”

“Yeah, babe?” I asked without thinking as I continued to gently rub her side and stomach. She didn’t seem to mind the nickname, though.

“There’s something I want to tell you. Ever since we met, I’ve… I don’t know, I’ve felt something around you,” she said slowly. At first she had been looking away from me towards the wall, but then she turned and cautiously met my eye. “You treat me different than other ponies do. I don’t feel like… like I’m some stupid little foal. You take me seriously. You listen to me! I feel like… like I can tell you things that I couldn’t tell anypony else; not even Apple Bloom or Sweetie Belle!

“I don’t care that you’re not a pony. I don’t care that you’re older than me. I don’t care what anypony else thinks. All I know is that when I’m with you, I’m happy. Even when there’s all kinds of drama happening,” she said, stopping to laugh. She took a deep breath before she continued. “I know we’ve only been together a really short time. And I know it’s way too early to say this, but… I think I love you, Will. I understand, though, if… if you don’t feel like that, but…”

“You’re probably right,” I said, cutting her off. I brushed aside a stray lock of her mane to more clearly see her eyes. “It’s probably way too early. But I’ve had feelings for you for a while now. Long before you asked me on that date,” I paused as we shared a smile. “I think… I think I love you, too.”

I would never have imagined that a tear-streaked smile could look so happy, but there she was, beaming even as the tears flowed down her cheeks. She gave a half-sob as she lunged at me for one last kiss. Not lustful, not hungry or forceful, but sweet. Gentle and loving and caring but with more passion than any I’d ever had before.

For what felt like the first time in my life, I fell asleep embracing some I loved and who loved me in return.

I jolted awake at some point during the night.

I had no idea what time it was nor why I had so suddenly awoken, but my first instinct was to check on Scoots. Thankfully she was still in bed with me, curled into a small ball under the covers with her muzzle tucked under her wing. With memories of what we’d just shared flooding my mind, I smiled as I lovingly brushed her mane while she slept.

Since she was still safe and sound and the house was silent, I figured it must have been nothing and settled back down beside her. No sooner had I pulled her closer and prepared to go back to sleep did I hear the sound of something hard slamming into wood.

It was loud enough to echo throughout my cottage and I bolted upright. This time, Scoots woke as well.

“W-what was that?” she asked.

“It was the front door,” I said, recognizing the sound. I threw the covers back and got up to find my boxers and some pants. After getting dressed, I leaned down and kissed the top of Scoots’s head. “Stay here. I’ll go see what’s going on.”

The living room was pitch black as I entered; the candles I’d forgotten about must have burned out while we were busy. I flicked on a light before unlocking the door and throwing it open, ready to chew out whoever was waking me up at God-knows-what-o’clock.

To my utter shock, Twilight stood at my door. Her mane was in disarray like she’d woken just as quickly as I had and she had deep bags under her eyes. For half a second I panicked, thinking she knew about what I’d just done with Scoots but that was crazy. There was no way she could have known already.

Right…?

I shook the thought from my head. “Twilight? What are you doing here? What time is it?”

It was then that I noticed the dire frown she wore. “Will, it’s the portal! It’s just opened!”

Chapter 16

“W-what?” I asked.

Twilight said… something as she stomped her hoof and stalked inside. I didn’t really hear her. I was too busy reeling from the idea that the portal had opened. My way back to Earth. To my old home. To my family and…

To Sarah.

It was… open?

“Will!” Twilight shouted, snapping me out of my thoughts. “Are you even listening to me? There’s no time! You need to get ready; we have to leave now!”

“Uh… right,” I said blankly as I turned towards my bedroom.

I wasn’t paying any attention to my surroundings as I made my way back. How could the portal have opened? I hadn’t let myself to believe that it would since… hell, the first couple of weeks here. Months ago! And yet now it was open? And it had to pick now of all times?!

“Will!” I heard for the second time in as many minutes. My open closet snapped into focus in front of me, and I realized I was just staring at it. Scoots was standing on her hindlegs, beating one of her forehooves against my stomach to get my attention. Her brow was furrowed in concern. “Will, what’s wrong? Who was at the door?”

Shit.

Scoots was here and Twilight was up front. Princess Twilight. When she found out Scoots had stayed the night…

Shit.

I was in trouble.

“Scoots, look– uh…” I was stammering and stalling; my thoughts grinding gears and unable to gain any traction. Absently, I grabbed the first pair of jeans my eyes found in my closet and began trying to slip them on around Scoots’s bids for my attention.

“Will, what’s going on?” Twilight’s voice was calling from beyond the door. She was coming closer. Before either Scoots or I had a chance to so much as move a muscle the door opened. “I thought I heard… voices…”

Silence fell across the room as Twilight froze in the doorway. None of us knew what to say as we looked back and forth between each other. Twilight was the first to recover.

“Scootaloo? W-what are you doing here? It’s the middle of the night…” She trailed off as she looked at us, but we were both too stunned to come up with anything.

Our lack of response probably told Twilight everything she needed to know. Her eyes went from Scoots’s ruffled mane to the askew bedsheets to my shirt still lying on the floor and widened as the realization struck. A sniff of the air was all it seemed to take to be sure and she fixed me with a dark scowl.

“Will, we need to get going,” she said, her voice as hard as stone. “Get dressed.”

Without another word or waiting for a response, she turned and stalked out, slamming the door behind her. The silence rang in my ears in her wake.

“Sh-she knows…” Scoots whispered. “Oh Celestia, Will, she knows! What’re we going to do?!”

I sighed and continued getting dressed, grabbing out a shirt and throwing it on. “Look, Scoots, there’s something more important than that.”

“What?!” she cried, stumbling for a moment as I stepped away from her to get some socks from my dresser. “What’s going on? Where are you going?”

“It’s the portal!” I said, causing her to fall to her haunches before me. She stared up at me, wordless and with wide eyes. “It… opened, Scoots. The portal back to Earth is finally open… I could go home.”

I lost myself to my thoughts again as I stood and vacantly scanned the room. There was nothing I’d need to take with me, even if I could somehow carry anything through. I made for the door until a small noise stopped me with my hand on the knob.

“You’re… leaving?”

Those two words knocked the breath from my lungs. Was I going back? My family was waiting for me on the other side. Missing me. Probably spent the last several months thinking I was dead. How much pain had they endured while I had been here? My parents, my cousins…

Sarah…

But could I just leave? What about Carrot Top and Written Script? They depended on me. And my friends! Rarity, Twilight –even though I was sure she was at least pissed at me at the moment– not to mention Rainbow. We still had so much to work out! There was no way I could leave things as they were between us.

And Scoots. Scoots… After the weeks of uncertainty, the dates… last night. We had something. Something beautiful and warm and I didn’t want to let it go. Could I really just walk away from her after what we’d shared? Now, of all times?

But could I stay here just for her? In a world I didn’t belong in, surrounded by beings that I would never fit in with? I would always be the only human. I would always be the ‘other,’ the piece of the puzzle that didn’t connect to the rest. Even if I stayed, could we really work out? Or would what he had one day fail, just like it did with Rainbow?

I opened my mouth to respond but Scoots beat me to it. She stood and wiped a wing across her eyes. When she pulled it away her jaw was set in determination. “Alright. Yeah, you… you finally get to go home! Th-this is great! You can see your sister again! W-we should g-go. We don’t want to keep Twilight waiting!”

“But, wait. I don’t even know…” I started, but she was already out the door and gone, leaving me no choice but to follow.

Twilight was by the couch looking out the window as we entered the living room. Noticing us, she cleared her throat imperiously. “Right. Spike’s going around to gather up the girls; I know they’ll want to see you before you... go. We’ll meet them at the castle and I’ll teleport us all to Canterlot. Are you ready to go?”

“I…” I mumbled, looking down to Scoots. She sat to my side, facing the floor with her mane falling across her eyes. Her wings hung limp at her sides. “Y-yeah, I guess…”

“Good; let’s go, then,” Twilight said. She led us to the door and outside into the cold night air. Only the moon and stars above gave us any light as we walked to the end of the little cobblestone path outside my cottage. The cottage I had called home for the last several months. With its finicky living room window and thatched roofing that sometimes leaked into the kitchen when it rained too hard.

The cottage I may be walking away from for the last time.

The thought stabbed like a knife into my heart as I closed the little gate behind me.

“Hey,” Scoots said. She was standing just a ways away from me with her head low and her wings spread. She was clenching her jaw in a desperate effort to stop her lip trembling. “I’ll meet you guys at the castle. I’m gonna get Carrot Top. She’ll want to see you off.”

“Scoots, wait!” I said, but she was already flapping her wings. She took off into the air and was soon lost amidst the darkness.

“It’s for the best,” Twilight said, brushing against my side. She nodded in the direction of the castle silhouetted in the distance. “We need to talk.” She gestured with a wing for me to continue walking, but I couldn’t help but look back for Scoots one more time. Unfortunately, she was long gone, so I had no choice but to follow Twilight.

She set a measured course through the deserted night streets of Ponyville. I was reminded of the last time I’d wandered the streets at night. Scoots had been so beautiful in that dress.

“Will, please tell me that wasn’t what it looked like,” Twilight suddenly said, snapping me from my thoughts. Her voice was soft and pleading. “Please tell me you didn’t… sleep with Scootaloo.”

I couldn’t bring myself to lie to her.

She sighed sadly at my silence. “Will, how could you? She’s just a filly!”

“She’s not!” I snapped. I was getting so sick of everypony saying that to me. It was as though just because she was young everypony thought she was stupid. “She’s not a filly. She can make her own decisions.”

“Not in the eye of the law!” Twilight countered. “She’s still a minor. Do you realize how much trouble you could be in?! If her father wanted to press charges, you could face fines, probation, jail time! Have you thought about any of that?”

I sighed. No, I hadn’t really thought about that. I’d just gone with the moment without thinking, like I always did. And once again I’d fucked things up.

“So, what?” I asked. “You going to turn me in?”

She just stared at me in disbelief for a moment before groaning loudly and stomping the ground. “I’m a princess, Will! It’s my duty to report something like this! But…” She trailed off as her voice lost its fire and she looked to the ground dejectedly. “I can’t. I don’t believe for a second that you did… that without Scootaloo’s consent.”

“Of course I didn’t!” I barked.

She held up a gentle wing in protest. “I know! I know you’d never do something like that. It doesn’t mean what you did wasn’t still wrong, but… I’ll pretend I didn’t see anything. It doesn’t even matter, I suppose, now that the portal’s open. You’re going to be back home in no time.”

She offered a small, sad smile that I think was supposed to be reassuring before she resumed her trek towards the castle. After only a slight hesitation, I followed after her.

“Yeah, ‘home…’” I whispered.

I’d never seen the old Houston First Baptist church done up so fancifully. Bunches of white roses and trailing lace ribbons were fastened around the end of each pew along the center aisle, matching the floral arch set up over the altar. Sheer silk sashes hung in graceful waves between the banners overhead, reflecting the creamy-gold of the ceiling in all its majesty. The light streaming through the stained glass windows complimented the candles set upon tall white candlesticks in measured spaces around the perimeter of the room well.

It was a beautiful sight, but that wasn’t surprising. There was no way Mom and Dad would give us any less than the best they could manage. Though with as much as they’d sunk into this, I figured I should probably wait a while before I decided to settle down. Give their bank account a little time to recover!

I was going around the church, snapping a few pictures of everything and making sure everything looked nice for the big day tomorrow. Everybody had been working nonstop all day to put the finishing touches on the décor, and we all wanted it to be perfect. Though it was too bad Mom’s definition of ‘perfect’ didn’t include ‘anything not done by her.’ Thankfully Dad had somehow convinced her to stop for dinner an hour ago and left the rest of us in peace.

Once I was sure the nave was ready, I found myself out in the vestibule. With it being rather late in the evening and most of the work already done, only a few of my cousins were still lingering around. As such, an almost eerie silence hung in the air as I came to stop in front of the display we had just before the doors.

An overflowing array of roses and lilies and other flowers I couldn’t begin to name took up the majority of the table, leaving only enough room for a guest book and a large photograph of the soon-to-be newlyweds. I couldn’t stop myself picking up the gold-and-silver-inlaid frame and looked it over. Sarah looked as happy and lively as ever and… well, he looked exactly like what he was.

An ass.

I set the picture down –perhaps less gently than I should have– and turned for the door, ready to leave. Distracted with trying to shove my camera into its satchel, I didn’t notice that I was about to run into someone until they called out to me.

“Will!”

“Will!”

The shout drew me out of my thoughts. I had been sitting in the throne room of Twilight’s castle while we waited for Spike and the rest of the girls to arrive. Twilight had been mostly quiet after our little talk on the way over, leaving me plenty of time to think about everything and nothing as I sat upon Pinkie’s throne. I figured she wouldn’t mind if I just borrowed it for a bit.

And Pinkie was of course the first one to arrive, bursting into the room like one of her party cannons going off. I didn’t even have time to flinch at the sound of the doors crashing open before I was wrapped in the iron vice of her forelegs while cartoonish fountains of tears spilled from her eyes.

“Oh Will! Spike said that the portal to your old world opened up and you’d be going back and I thought I’d never see you again and you can’t leave because you’re one of my bestest friends and I’ll miss you and there’s still so many more parties we have to have together like the one I’m going to throw for Pound and Pumpkin on the Cakes’ anniversary to keep them busy so Mr. and Mrs. Cake can have the night alone and your ‘Happy Eight Months in Equestria!’ party and Scootaloo’s 18th birthday party and–!”

Pinkie was cut off from her never-ending tirade by the glow of blue magic surrounding her and dragging her bodily off of me. While my vision had been clouded by a mass of strangely-straight instead of bushy pink mane, the rest of Twilight’s friends had arrived with Rarity in the front setting Pinkie down on the floor. Applejack, Fluttershy and Spike stood at Rarity’s side though they were all quick to gather around me in a small circle. Surprisingly, even Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had come along.

“Please calm down, Pinkie Pie dear,” Rarity gently scolded. “I know you’ll miss him, darling. We all will. But let’s not suffocate him, hmm?”

“Yeah, it’d be a shame if we did him in right before he gets to go home, huh?” Applejack said amidst deep chuckles straight from her belly. She stepped forward to punch my shoulder good-naturedly, though with her strength I was sure it would leave a bruise. But then her voice took on a warmer tone. “I’m sure you’re about ready to see your family again, ain’tcha?”

“Uh… yeah, I sure am,” I said quietly. Applejack must not have heard the hesitation in my voice as she smiled and patted my shoulder before she stepped away, but Rarity had a shrewd frown on her face.

“I’m so happy for you,” Fluttershy whispered, smiling more sweetly than I thought it was possible to do. “Nobody deserves to be separated from those they love for so long. Oh, just thinking about not seeing Angel or any of you girls for that long makes me want to cry!” Her eyes suddenly widened. “Oh no, please don’t think you have to stay just because I’ll miss you! Not that I don’t want you to stay, but I’d just feel so guilty if you never got to see your family again because you stayed just for me! Not that you’d do that, but… Oh, I’m such a loudmouth!”

I found myself smiling in spite of myself. “It’s okay, Fluttershy; I know what you mean.” I reached out to cautiously and gently scratch her chin with a finger. She seemed to appreciate the gesture and her lip stopped quivering as her smile returned.

“But!” a squeaky voice suddenly shouted. Sweetie Belle cowered somewhat as the group’s collective gaze fell upon her, but she stood her ground. She fixed me with a piercing stare as she asked, “W-what about Scootaloo?”

Apple Bloom hip-checked her to shut her up, but it was too late and the damage was done. Figuring that Rarity would never be able to keep a juicy piece of gossip to herself, I assumed that at least Applejack would know Scoots and I were dating. And Scoots would have told Apple Bloom and Sweetie all about it. But to my surprise, only Fluttershy looked confused.

“Umm, not that Scootaloo isn’t a wonderful little filly, but what about her?” she asked.

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes at Sweetie Belle while Applejack and Rarity both just looked uncomfortable. Pinkie Pie was willing to break the silence, though.

“Don’t you know, silly? He and Scootsie are dating!” she cheered, looking a little like her old self as she made a series of childish kissing sounds. Then, with the sound of a balloon deflating, her body and expression did just that. “Oh no! That means when you leave she’s going to be all sad!”

“You’re dating Scootaloo?” Fluttershy asked, confused. “But I thought you were with R–” She cut herself off, her eyes wide. “Umm… n-nevermind.”

“With whom, darling?” Rarity gently asked her.

Fluttershy took a step back, letting her mane fall across her face as she hunched in on herself. “I-it’s nothing! Just a m-misunderstanding.”

“Everypony, we’re getting off-topic,” Twilight suddenly said, standing from her own throne and joining the circle. “The portal could close any minute. We need to get going and we’re still missing ponies. Where’s Rainbow Dash?”

Spike tapped his claws together nervously. “I sent Fluttershy up to check her house while I got AJ.”

Fluttershy, already upset over what she’d almost said a moment ago dropped to the floor with a piteous whine and covered her face with her hooves. “She wasn’t home! Her whole house was empty except for Tank, and he didn’t even know where she was! I checked everywhere and I just couldn’t find her!”

Rarity bent down to comfort her while I swore under my breath.

“I completely forgot; Rainbow told me she had to go back to Cloudsdale for the weekend. Something about weather business.”

“Cloudsdale?” Twilight asked. “She didn’t say anything about that to me. She tell anypony else?”

Everyone shrugged or shook their heads. Rainbow had just left town without telling any of her friends?

“That doesn’t sound like Dashie at all,” Pinkie said morosely.

Twilight shook her head. “Cloudsdale’s a huge city. Even if I teleported there, I’d never find her in time. We’ll just have to go without her.”

“We couldn’t do that!” Rarity gasped. “She’d be crushed if she couldn’t be there for him at a time like this!”

“How much time do we have, exactly?” Applejack asked Twilight.

“Judging by the rate of decay of the arcanic resonance, my closest estimate is roughly 3.47…5 hours, give or take a standard deviation of 0.23,” she said.

At the nonplussed looks of everyone in attendance, Spike cleared his throat. “She means the magic will run out in about three and quarter hours or so.”

Twilight groaned in frustration. “That’s exactly what I said. But that’s only if this portal behaves like one cast by a unicorn, which it may not. It’s a naturally-occuring portal! There is almost no formal research on how they behave. I’m essentially making guesses at this point! It could last for days or it could close in two seconds. That’s why we have to leave now!”

“But Scootaloo’s not here either!” Sweetie Belle cried. “Will can’t leave without her here! He just can’t!”

“Don’t worry, I’m here!”

Scoots flew through the open door, a breathless and panting Carrot Top and Written Script close behind her. Carrot Top stayed towards the back of the gathered crowd while Written Script fell into place by Fluttershy who flinched away from him. Scoots, on the other hand, flew over everyone’s head and perched on the armrest of Pinkie’s throne. She had my camera case strapped around her neck for some reason, but I barely paid that any attention as she spoke.

“Hey, how’re you doing?” she whispered as she nuzzled my cheek. Her touch felt so good that in that moment I didn’t care who was watching; I placed my hand on the back of her head and returned her nuzzle.

“I’ll let you know when I find out. What about you?” I knew it was a dumb question but I didn’t know what else to say.

Regardless, she put on a brave face as her eyes met mine. “I-I’m fine, don’t worry about me.”

I was about to argue when Written Script spoke up first.

“Where’s Rainbow Dash?” he asked. Meanwhile, Sweetie Belle reared up onto her hindlegs, using the armrest for support as she nuzzled Scoots.

“She’s not coming,” Twilight snapped. “And now that we’re all here, we need to go. Or am I the only one concerned about getting him home before the portal closes?”

Sweetie Belle rounded on her, stamping a forehoof on the crystal floor with a loud clack! “I haven’t even heard him say he wants to go home! What if he wants to stay here?”

“Why would he want to stay here?” Twilight asked, taken aback. She blinked several times rapidly. “He has his home, his family… h-his life to return to.”

“But he has a life here!” Sweetie Belle pressed. “He has a job, he has friends!” She gestured a forehoof to everypony gathered. “He even has a special somepony!”

“Sweetie Belle!” Rarity scolded. The authority in her tone caused her sister to flinch and back down. “You make a good point, but let’s not talk about William as though he weren’t here, shall we?” She turned to me. “It is true that you haven’t said what you want, though, darling.”

The overbearing weight of everyone’s eyes bore down on me. Unfortunately, I had no answer ready for them.

The only thing I missed from Earth was my family. I had no friends that I really missed, I didn’t have a nice house or a good job. I had nothing waiting for me back there that I couldn’t live without. Even the thought of never seeing another human again didn’t bother me. I knew it should have, but it just didn’t. Living among the ponies was difficult at times and sometimes got a little isolating, but if there was anything I’d learned over the last few months, it was that I had friends. Twilight, Spike and all their friends, Carrot Top and Written Script; hell, I bet even Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom would consider themselves my friends! Not to even mention Scoots.

But at the same time, could I give up ever seeing my family again just for them?

“I don’t know what I want,” I mumbled.

A stunned silence fell across the castle throne room. Spike was still clicking his claws together looking at Twilight while Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom’s attention was on Scoots. Everyone else was still staring at me.

“I’m sorry, Will,” Twilight suddenly said. “I wasn’t trying to send you away, I just… didn’t actually think that you might want to stay. But I’m afraid that doesn’t change things. The portal could still close any moment and you need to decide as quickly as possible.”

“How am I supposed to choose?” I asked. “How am I supposed to choose between my family and all of you? I have a life here and friends and…” I trailed off, hazarding a glance at Scoots. Her resolute expression was starting to crack; her lip was starting to tremble even though she tried to hide it.

“You can’t stay…” she pleaded softly. “You can’t give up your home j-just for me!”

“What if he didn’t have to?” Spike mused. Everypony turned to look at him and he gave an embarrassed smile. “I mean, uh… Twilight, what about a tracer?”

She was gobsmacked, her wings flared as her mouth hung open. “Why didn’t I think of that?!” With a sudden burst of her red-pink magic, she teleported away, leaving the rest of us flabbergasted in her haste.

“What’s a ‘tracer,’ Spikie?” Sweetie Belle asked. Behind her where she couldn’t see, Apple Bloom pretended to gag.

“It’s kind of a… um…” he stalled, waving his claws in a vague circular motion. “It’s a spell that makes something locatable anywhere it goes. You cast it on an object like a book or a pencil or whatever and no matter where it goes, you can always find it!”

“I don’t get it,” Apple Bloom said. “How’s that supposed to help Will?”

Spike scratched the back of his head as he tried to explain himself. “Well, I just thought if Twilight cast it on something small, we could toss it through the portal–”

“And see where it goes!” Scoots shouted excitedly, cutting him off. “If Twilight could track it to the other side, could she open a portal there herself?!”

“Uh… maybe?” Spike said. “There are a lot of variables when you’re dealing with stuff like that. But she’ll probably know after she sends the tracer through!”

I bit back the urge to curse. Even that wasn’t a surefire thing. But at least it was better than my other options.

We waited only a few more minutes before Twilight teleported back. She was levitating a book which she quickly dropped onto her throne and a small golden necklace. As she floated it over to me, I recognized it as the same one she’d cast the cloud-walking spell on when Rainbow, Scoots and I went to Cloudsdale. Just looking at it reminded me of everything that happened and sent a small barb of guilt through my stomach.

“Will, hold on to that. If it works, I should be able to trace it–” she started, but Spike cut her off.

“I already explained what it does, Twilight.”

“Oh,” she said, ruffling her feathers in surprise. “Well, alright then. There’s no time to lose, then. Gather up, everypony, and I’ll teleport us to the portal.”

We all did as she said except for Carrot Top, who remained where she was standing. She had a hesitant wrinkle in her brow and held a forehoof raised like Rarity might when looking at a speck of mud.

“Is there… an express train or something?” she asked.

Written Script sighed and trotted over to offer her a nuzzle. “It’s okay, sweetie. Teleporting’s not bad at all! Just a little poof and you’re done! You barely feel a thing.”

“You know how I feel about magic,” she grumbled.

He nodded. “Oh yes, I certainly do. I also know how much you like certain things I do with my magic.”

She rolled her eyes and looked away in a huff. Meanwhile, Applejack tried to cover Apple Bloom’s ears, only to have her hoof batted away with a scowl. After a little more coaxing, Carrot Top finally joined us and Twilight charged up her magic. With a bright red-pink flash and a soft, lingering chime, the world disappeared.

Within the blink of an eye we were deep underground in the caves beneath Canterlot. The change was so quick and seamless that I jumped more from the sudden chill in the air than I did from the teleport. Seriously, it was cold. Probably only ten or fifteen degrees above freezing.

I knew exactly where we were, though, as I looked around. I’d remember these caves for the rest of my life, even if they weren’t as distinctive as they were. My first day in Equestria, I’d woken up in these caves, floundering and freezing in a pool of water. I only had on my boxers, as that’s what I’d been swimming in in the lake near my parents’ house. I had wondered these twisting corridors for what felt like hours before I was found, soaked and on the verge of hypothermia, by Princess Twilight and a troop of Royal Guards. My memory fails me after that, and the next thing I remembered was waking up in the hospital with a hundred wires and tubes attached to my body.

The walls were all solid crystal, mirror-like and all shades of blue and purple and even some pinks here and there. The red-pink glow of Twilight’s horn reflected off of every surface, spreading even that meager light into the halls beyond and out of sight. I remembered that, even without a unicorn’s magic, these caves still seemed to glow with a diffused light that seemed to come from nowhere. For all I knew, it was sunlight from the surface that managed to reflect all the way down to where we were.

Twilight wasted no time in leading us forward and around a few bends before we came upon a chamber as large as Twilight’s castle’s throne room. A massive pool of water sat in the center, glowing a brilliant blue that wavered all across the walls in rippling patterns. It was bright enough that Twilight extinguished the light from her horn.

To the side of the pool was a long folding table laden with all manner of strange devices. Small white gems of various sizes lied on the table while more were affixed along the circumference of vertical wire circles on a plastic stand; all around which was a flood of paperwork, quills and half-full ink bottles.

Two ponies in white lab coats covered in dirt and splotches of ink stood at the table, poring over all their equipment. Both were unicorns; one was a slightly pudgy blue mare while the other was a gangly pink stallion with a pair of thick glasses. A guard stood at attention a short distance away from them. He was a dark grey unicorn stallion, but instead of the golden armor that Princess Celestia’s Royal Guard wore, his was a shiny purple with dark navy trimming. He saluted as Twilight approached the table.

“How’s the portal doing?” Twilight asked the two scientists, absently returning the guard’s salute.

“No change since you left, Princess,” the mare said. She started and gave a quick, clumsy bow. Next to her, the stallion did the same, but Twilight was too busy looking over their notes to notice.

“The rate of the arcanic resonance decay has held steady at 0.0158 thaums-per-second. Still on track for depletion in 3.13 hours, Princess,” he said while adjusting his glasses.

“Good; hopefully it’ll hold for the full potential window,” she mused. Looking up from their paperwork, she smiled gratefully and nodded. “You’re both doing excellent! Keep up the good work.”

The two looked like star-struck little girls at Twilight’s praise. “Sure thing, Princess!” the stallion said.

Turning away, Twilight gestured for the guard to follow her and together they rejoined us. With a burst of magic she conjured a piece of parchment and a quill from thin air and began scrawling a note. When she was done, she rolled the parchment up and presented it to the guard, letting the quill dissipate into a cloud of red sparkles.

“Sergeant Ascalon,” she said, addressing the guard. “Report to Captain Ironside immediately. I need him to send a team of pegasi to Cloudsdale to find Rainbow Dash and give her this message. Then, the team is to show her the way here. She was last thought to be at the Cloudsdale Weather Administration, but she may also be staying with her parents. She must receive this message as soon as possible. Is that understood?”

“Yes, my Princess,” Sergeant Ascalon said, saluting again.

“Then you’re dismissed.”

Pausing only to nod, he lit his horn and disappeared in a flash of blue. As Twilight turned back to us, Rarity tittered behind a hoof.

“My, my, Twilight! So authoritative! I do believe you handled that just like Princess Celestia would have!”

Twilight frowned in response until Pinkie materialized at her side and gave her a sudden noogie-ing. “Heehee! She’s right, Twilight! For somepony who says they don’t like Princessy stuff, you sure are good at it!”

“I’m more int’rested in why you’re sendin’ for Rainbow,” Applejack said. “I thought you said we’d never find her in time?”

“I can’t imagine we will,” Twilight said, glancing at me guiltily. “But she deserves to know what’s going on. I’m so sorry, Will. If I’d known she was in Cloudsdale, I… well, I don’t know what else I could have done. I’m sorry.”

She looked so genuinely disheartened that I couldn’t help but feel touched. She gave a squawk of surprise as I bent down to pull her into a hug, but after a moment she relaxed and returned it. Soon enough, several other bodies piled around us until we all made one big cuddle puddle. Even Carrot Top joined in reluctantly, but I think that was only because Written Script dragged her in. Regardless, I didn’t miss the almost-motherly pat she laid atop Sweetie Belle’s head.

I realized that I wouldn’t be here to see her foal if I went back now. How many other things was I going to miss?

“Will?” Twilight asked cautiously as we all started to pull away. “It’s time to decide.”

Scoots, who had somehow wormed her way into the group hug to be at my side, wrapped her foreleg around my arm a little tighter.

“Yeah, you’re right,” I said quietly. “So how’s this tracer thing supposed to work?”

Twilight cleared her throat and stood a little straighter, taking on her infamous ‘lecture voice’.

“A tracer is a type of spell that can be cast on almost any inanimate object that allows the caster to locate said object no matter where in the world it goes. It might be possible to track an object across separate universes as well, though this has never been tested in any fashion. The spell could fail the moment it goes through the portal and become useless or, assuming it works, I may be unable to create a portal to your universe. It may require more energy than any pony is capable of generating or even be impossible altogether.”

“B-but if this tracer thing works,” Scoots cut in desperately, “you might be able to open a portal to his world anytime? It’s possible?”

Twilight sighed and rubbed her muzzle in exasperation. “It’s ‘possible’ in the same sense that it’s ‘possible’ that this portal could close today and reopen tomorrow.”

“You can’t give us any kinda chances or nothing?” Applejack asked.

“I don’t have the kind of data I’d need to even start calculating success chances.”

“Well, why don’t we just toss the tracer into the portal?” Spike asked. “We can see if the spell holds and figure out where to go from there.”

“That would be a very bad idea, Spike!” Twilight reprimanded. “When Will first arrived here, the portal was long gone by the time we found him. Judging by how little residual magic remained in the air at the time, I estimate that the portal disappeared almost as soon as he came through. It’s entirely possible that this portal only allows one thing through it. If we send the tracer through without Will and the spell fails, we’ll have wasted what could be his only chance for who knows how long!”

“So, I either go home and hope that this thing works” –I gripped the necklace in my hand tighter– “or I stay here and hope that this thing works. No matter what I do, I risk losing people I love.”

“Sometimes…” Twilight said, looking down to the floor sadly, “the choices we’re presented aren’t fair. That doesn’t mean you don’t still have to make them. I’m sorry, Will.”

“We’re all here for you, darling,” Rarity said, placing a comforting hoof on my shoulder. “We can’t choose for you, but I’m sure I speak for everypony when I say we’ll support your choice either way.”

“Speak for yourself,” Carrot Top groused. “I’m going to be out a worker if he leaves. He’s the only semi-competent employee I’ve ever had!”

“Dear, this may not be the time,” Written Script admonished. “Besides, he’s the only employee we’ve ever had.”

“I was including you,” she snapped back before turning her nose up at him.

Rarity bristled at the exchange. “Miss Carrot Top, I really don’t believe now is the time to be guilt-tripping him. I’m sure this is difficult enough as it is without any of us making it worse.”

Carrot Top looked like she was about to retort but I held up a hand between them. “No, it’s okay, Rarity, I think I know what she’s trying to say.” I’d known Carrot Top long enough to read between the lines every now and then. I could still be wrong, but I was willing to take the chance. “I’d miss you, too.”

She silently looked between the ground and me for a moment before she nodded. Next to her, Written Script smiled and nuzzled her cheek gently.

“He’s starting to catch on, dear!”

She only shrugged in return before retreating to the back of the group. Whether it was from the embarrassment of everyone’s attention on her or from frustration at Rarity I couldn’t be certain. I wasn’t that fluent in Carrot Top-ese yet.

Before I could let myself get the warm fuzzies over Carrot Top’s rare show of affection, I was strangled by a pair of pink hooves wrapping about my neck.

“Hey, Will?” Pinkie asked directly into my ear. “If you leave I’m really going to miss you! I’ll never get to see you come into Sugarcube Corner and talk to the Cakes or come to my parties or see you around town and say hi or anything! I know I won’t miss you as much as Carrot Top or Rainbow or Scootsie but I’ll still miss you a whole, whole lot, okay? But I know that you must want to go back home, too. I know I’d be really, really sad if I could never see my sisters or my mom and dad ever again. So… I really want you to stay, but I promise I won’t cry too much if you go home.”

Oh, just when I thought my heart couldn’t take anymore Pinkie had to go and make me think about her crying. Just what I needed to make this choice any easier. I did my best to keep a straight face as Rarity gently levitated the pink bundle of emotions off of me.

“Okay, somepony has to say it, so I guess it’ll be me!” Sweetie Belle snapped. Her face was contorted in a dark glower as she bore down on me. “Will, you can’t leave now!”

“Sweetie Belle,” Scoots said dangerously low, as though in warning.

“No! If you aren’t going to say anything, I will!” Sweetie retorted. “Will, Scootaloo really likes you! I’ve never seen her like this before in all the years I’ve known her! You’re all she ever talks about and every day at school all she does is think about you and what the two of you are going to do next time you see each other!”

“It’s kinda annoyin’, really,” Apple Bloom chipped in, grinning smugly. Applejack’s disapproving frown did nothing to deter her.

Sweetie Belle continued unabated. “You’re going to break her heart if you leave!”

“Sweetie Belle, shut up!” Scoots shouted. She was seething against me, staring at Sweetie Belle with an anger I’d never seen in her. “He needs to go home! I’ll be fine, so just… stop. Please?”

“But–!” Sweetie Belle started, but Rarity cut her off by placing a hoof on her shoulder.

“Sweetie, dear,” she said gently, giving a minute shake of her head. “As a matter of fact, I believe this is something they need to talk about alone. Why don’t we give them a moment, everypony?”

With a number of sad smiles and nods, the group moved away to give us some space. Only Sweetie Belle wanted to argue further and Rarity had to practically drag her away, but eventually we were left alone.

Scoots was still clutching my arm, though her eyes were on the ground and her wings were listless at her sides. I tried to brush the curls in the front of her mane out of her eyes but she didn’t even respond to my touch. So instead I cupped my fingers under her chin and softly lifted until she was looking at me.

“I don’t know what to do, Scoots,” I said. “Whether I stay or go… I’m losing someone.”

“Then the choice is obvious, isn’t it?” she countered, surprisingly calm. Her face finally broke into a small smile, the brightest I’d seen her since last night, but it was a bittersweet thing. “You have to go back home. To your family.”

“But what about us?” I asked. “We’re just getting started! We have a lot of dates to go on still! I never… I never got to take you to one of those plays. And last night…”

Her smile got just a little bigger as she wiped away a tear about to fall. “Last night was amazing. I don’t think it could have been better! Sweetie told me once that your first time should be special. Something that you’ll remember for the rest of your life. I didn’t really believe her, but… I think I understand now. I will remember last night forever.

“I’m glad we did it. Even if I… never see you again, I’ll still have that and our date to remember.” She paused to give a fragile laugh that threatened to die with the wind. “Somepony else is going to have a tough act to follow!”

The very idea of her with someone else was like a kick to the gut.

“So don’t worry about me, okay?” she continued. “I’m tough! I’ll be okay. Besides, I know Sweetie and AB will stop me from getting too mopey. You just make sure Sarah does the same for you, you hear me?”

At my sister’s name I felt myself starting to lose it. I barely managed to turn a sob into a cough before it left my throat but the tears starting to fall told the story anyway. I don’t know whether Scoots hugged me or I her, but the next thing I knew we were embracing each other like the world was about to fall apart.

“B-but what about–” I tried to start but choked on the words.

Scoots understood, though.

“You know Rainbow Dash would want you to go, too,” she whispered.

Hearing it said aloud drove the final nail home. However much it hurt, however much I knew I would regret it, I had made my choice.

“I’ll miss you,” I said feebly. She let out a noise somewhere between a chuckle and a choke.

“Yeah, I’ll miss you, too.” She pulled away from me and wiped her eyes one last time. With a look of renewed determination, she slid my camera satchel off of her back and offered it to me. Once I’d taken it, she said, “I figured you might want that. I, uh… I grabbed some of the pictures out of your photo album; the ones I thought you’d like to have the most. I might have… kept a few for myself, too.”

I opened it up to indeed find a sizable stack of photos wedged into the side. My camera was also perfectly packed away as well, though I doubted I would be able to do much with it Earthside. What with not having the magic needed to develop the film, but I would appreciate having it regardless.

“Thanks. No one will ever believe me, though; even with these.”

“Well, at least you’ll know!” she said. She scuffed a hoof across the ground uncomfortably. “Will, I love you, okay? So, I want you to go and be happy. I mean it; you’re not allowed to mope around!”

I gave a weak laugh at her attempt to be scolding. “Yes, ma’am,” I said, giving a mocking salute. In a softer voice I whispered, “I love you, too.”

Then I pulled her into one deep, final kiss. There were so many things I still wanted to tell her. So many things we hadn’t done and now never would. I had no words that could tell her how I felt and I knew a single kiss, no matter how great, nor matter how passionate or long-lasting, would ever be enough either.

And yet, it was all I could do. I just had to pray it was enough.

She was crying again as I pulled away.

Slowly, I stood up. Scoots gave a loving nuzzle against my leg before, together, we walked back to the rest of the group. I fastened my satchel securely around my side and held the necklace so tight in my hand I could feel the metal digging into my skin.

I didn’t need to say it. The look on everyone’s face said they all knew. I went around, one by one, saying my goodbyes and accepting hugs and final hoofbumps. Only Sweetie Belle turned away when I got around to her, though I couldn’t blame her that. She instead went to comfort Scoots with gentle nuzzles.

I was in a daze throughout it all. I don’t know when it started, but by the time I let Twilight go I was crying again. Nopony said anything, though. Not even Carrot Top, though she did use a hoof to brush a few away before I stood up.

With all of my closest friends around me, it was finally time.

I stood at the edge of the pool, watching its rippling surface as it glowed its eerie blue glow.

I turned one last time to look around at everypony. Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Spike huddled close. Carrot Top and Written Script, standing strong together. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, supporting their best friend.

Scootaloo, smiling proudly in spite of her tears…

Only one face was missing. The hallway we’d come in through was empty as I looked down it. I don’t know if I expected her to come barreling through at the last minute, but if I had been I was disappointed. There was nothing there. No trace of her.

I sighed.

“Goodbye, everypony,” I said simply.

With the image of all their smiling faces burning in my mind–

I took a step forward–

And the world disappeared.

I awoke underwater, floundering and flailing until my head finally burst through the surface and I breathed deep the fresh night air.

As I wiped the water from my eyes, I recognized my surroundings. It was the lake in the woods near my parents’ house. The same crystal-clear waters, the same deciduous trees grew right up to the lakeshore, the same rock outcropping we used to use as a diving board on the north end.

It was all there.

I was back on Earth.

I was… home.

Elation. Overwhelming, exhilarating elation was all I felt as I splashed around in those old waters I knew so well, under the big, silver moon and the millions of glittering stars. I couldn’t contain my excitement as I paddled and sloshed my way to the shore and stood dripping on the dirt.

I laughed aloud. “I’m home!” I shouted, turning to look about me…

…only to find no one.

My good cheer died as a rock even colder than the water soaking my clothes dropped into my stomach. I was just alone and freezing in the night air.

I sighed.

Realizing there was no point staying there, I double-checked my camera and the necklace Twilight had given me. Both were still fine as far as I could tell; though I didn’t know the first thing about magic stuff. For all I knew the spell had died and all I held was a worthless gold chain. Regardless I put it on and began the long trek through the words in the direction I knew my parents’ house was in.

Of all the times I’d made the trip before, never had it felt as long as it did that night. The woods were darker and more menacing than I remembered them being, and every snapping twig or hoot of an owl sent shivers down my spine.

But I finally made it through. I took to a sprint as the end of the maze of trees came in sight, and as I burst out into my old backyard, it was like waking from a nightmare. Relief flooded over me even as the jittery twinges of remaining adrenaline coursed through me.

I drank in the image of my childhood home. An old country home with charming stone walling and redbrick accentuations. I knew the front had its quaint little porch, all in white-painted wood and with faux-Corinthian columns to give it an air of elegance but really just came across a bit tacky. The back had a massive porch spanning the entire length of the building, painted white to match the front, and with several doors leading inside. One was to my old room and another was to Sarah’s. We would sometimes meet outside when we were supposed to be asleep but couldn’t and watch the stars together. It looked like the same patio furniture was still out there.

I wasted no time climbing up the stairs. Sure enough, it was all exactly as I remembered. I trailed my hand along the railing as I walked, letting my fingers remember the old, hand-sanded wood. It was still as smooth as a baby’s bottom after all these years.

The sliding glass door to the kitchen was to my right. I could see that all the lights were out inside, unsurprising given what hour it must have been. The door opened easily at my touch; my parents never bothered to lock anything, living out in the country like they did.

I flicked on a light switch as I closed the door and the room washed over me.

The massive oak table my father had built himself when he was my age. The fading wallpaper that had been up since before I was born, bearing images of little cartoon sunrises. The hardwood counter where my mother would cook for us every night after she got off of work. Even the same little knickknack kittens my mother used to collect. They covered every bit of empty shelf space as well as the tops of every cabinet on the wall. It was like someone had just taken a box of cats and dumped them all over the place willy-nilly.

It was all exactly the same.

I was so overtaken by the nostalgia that I almost didn’t hear footsteps running into the room. I turned and the world came crashing down on me.

The one person I never thought I’d see again.

The one person I never let myself think I’d see again.

“Sarah?”

Author's Note

So that whole thing I said about there only being two chapters yet? I lied.

Not purposefully, though. I just didn't think about the fact that a lot needed to happen before Will could actually go through the portal. So, there's still two more chapters to go after this and an epilogue.

Cheers, everyone! As always, all comments are greatly appreciated! Especially pointing out errors and whatnot that I missed while looking over it.

Chapter 18

It was a simple matter for Twilight to teleport us all back to Ponyville. Our small group arrived in the castle’s throne room, exhausted, and we were quick to say our goodnights and goodbyes. Twilight and Spike were going to return to Canterlot to continue examining the remnants of the now-closed portal, though the latter was going to walk Sweetie Belle home first. She still seemed rather miffed at me, if the silent stink-eye she had fixed on me said anything, but at least she didn’t look like she was about to kick my ass. I guess returning to Scoots earned me back a few points in her book. Though it had been a pretty big gamble on my part, so I couldn’t hold it against her.

After parting ways with Apple Bloom, Scoots and I were left alone with Rainbow. And though we’d just had a nice little reunion, the awkwardness was already starting to creep back in. Rainbow was trying to hold a polite, if forced, smile, though she couldn’t seem to look at either of us for more than a few seconds before she diverted her attention to something else. Scoots was trying to do the same, though every time her big sister looked away from her, her smile faded a little more.

We couldn’t have arrived back at my little cottage soon enough. Scoots and Rainbow went on ahead as I stopped at the gate. I ran my fingers along the smooth wood and just-starting-to-chip paint. Under my feet, pebbles crunched in the cobblestone path leading up to the front door that was just a hair shorter than I would have liked it to be. I was always afraid that I was going to bump my head every time I went through, even though I never had. Overhead, the quaint thatched-roofing was growing a little thin over the living room. I’d need to get it redone before the next big rainstorm or I might get some leaks.

My beautiful little ramshackle cottage.

“Will? You coming?” Scoots asked suddenly, snapping me from my thoughts.

“Yeah. Just feels good to be home,” I said.

She frowned in confusion for a moment before my meaning dawned on her. “Yeah, it really is.”

Together we went inside to find Rainbow already taking her usual place right in the middle of the couch. Scoots soon hopped up to her right, leaving me my usual place to Rainbow’s left.

“Do either of you want anything?” I asked, gesturing towards the kitchen. “Something to drink? Eat? Anything?” I knew I was just stalling, but… It wouldn’t do to be a poor host, right?

“Umm… Maybe some water?” Rainbow asked bashfully. It was clear she was feeling a little uncomfortable too, and I was glad I wasn’t the only nervous one.

“Sure thing. Scoots?” I asked, but she just shook her head. I was about to leave when Rainbow sat up again.

“Uh, actually… Can I use your bathroom? The guards woke me up at my parents’ place and I sorta flew straight from there to Canterlot, so…” she asked, looking away embarrassedly. Between that and the way she vaguely gestured with her hoof cut an adorable image.

Before I could tell her to make herself at home, Scoots spoke up first.

“Since when do you ask before you help yourself?” she asked, a suspicious undertone of accusation evident in her words. Rainbow must have heard it too, as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

“I just thought I’d be polite, you know?” she muttered.

“Who are you and what did you do with Rainbow Dash?” Scoots asked teasingly. Rainbow just scowled in response before sticking her tongue out and hopping back off the couch. As she stalked off towards the bathroom, Scoots tried and failed to stifle a giggle, and Rainbow’s feathers ruffled dangerously as she disappeared into the hall.

I stepped closer to Scoots and dropped my voice to barely more than a whisper. “What are you doing? This is going to be hard enough as it is, pissing her off is only going to make things worse.”

Scoots just shook her head. “I’m not trying to upset her. She’s nervous, right? Unless she relaxes a little, she’s never going to be able to talk about anything! She needs to remember that it’s just us and that we can still joke around and have fun.”

“But that’s… That’s a really good point,” I admitted, amazed at her reasoning. I was so caught up in thinking about how important tonight could be that I never would have thought of that. “Alright, yeah, I think you’re right. We’ll try to keep everything low-key and everything will work out. …Right?”

She smiled sympathetically and stood up on the couch’s arm to give me a quick peck on the lips. “Will, everything’s going to be fine, alright? We’ll get this straightened out and this time next week we’ll laugh about how dumb this all was. I promise.”

I wanted to argue that things couldn’t possibly go so easily. My luck never let things go that well. But she sounded so sure that I couldn’t bring myself to disagree.

Or maybe some part of me just wanted to believe her.

Regardless, I didn’t say anything further and went to get Rainbow that water. Once I got to the fridge, though, I had thought again and grabbed a few ciders instead. She always liked those more. Maybe it would help make things feel a little more like normal. Not to mention I could use one myself. It had been a long night already and was looking to be even longer.

Once I’d rejoined Scoots in the living room, we didn’t have long to wait before Rainbow returned. She hesitated only a moment when she saw the two of us waiting for her before taking her spot again. She accepted the bottle of cider gratefully, grinning as she popped the cap off using the corner of the coffee table. As Scoots tried to imitate her, getting it right after a couple of tries, Rainbow eyed the bottle in her hoof warily but said nothing. I wondered if I shouldn’t have given Scoots a cider, but it was too late to do anything about it now.

“So, uh… yeah,” Rainbow said lamely.

Unfortunately, I didn’t know what to say any more than she did. Should I make a joke? Might seem too lighthearted, like I wasn’t taking things seriously. Tease her about something? If I said something too harsh, she might get upset. And if I picked something too lame she’d know I was going easy on her and that’d piss her off. Maybe just launch right into things? But would that be too much too soon? I guessed I could–

“Okay, you guys are being dumb.”

We both looked at Scoots in shock. That little mare was giving us the most disappointed frown I’d ever seen, rivalling the ones my Mom used to give me when I did something I shouldn’t have when I was a kid.

“You guys aren’t going to settle things if you don’t just talk about it. So talk!” she said dramatically.

“It’s not that simple, Squirt,” Rainbow said. Her gaze flicked in my direction for a fraction of a second before she looked at the floor instead. “Where are we supposed to start?”

Scoots rolled her eyes. “How about with what’s most important?” she asked like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “If there’s one thing you want each other to know, what would it be?”

“I’m sorry,” Rainbow and I said at the same time.

“Wait, why are you sorry?” we said together again.

“You first.”

“No, you–”

“Okay, stop!” Scoots said, interrupting us at last. She had an exasperated grin on her face as she shook her head. She held up a hoof to keep us quiet as she paused to take a swig from her cider, and once she’d finished she put it on the table. “Now, one at a time. Will, how about you first?”

I half-expected Rainbow to argue over not getting to go first but surprisingly she remained quiet as she hesitantly turned her attention to me. She still seemed uncomfortable looking directly at me, but then our eyes met. In those shining rose eyes I felt something. Something I hadn’t felt in a while but remembered distinctly. Something I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed.

The feeling of having my best friend at my side. Even doing something as simple as sharing a pair of ciders while being lazy sacks of crap on my living room couch. Nothing to do or worry about, no qualms or drama; just the two of us staring down the towering vista of life together and feeling no fear over what may lie ahead.

Suddenly it was like everything fell into perspective. Yeah, I’d done something to hurt her. Yeah, I’d been hurting myself and acted before I thought things out. And yeah, things had gotten bad between us. But this was Rainbow Dash! Equestria’s fastest flier and most loyal pony!

But she was also my best friend and I wanted her back.

“Rainbow, I’m sorry. For Cloudsdale, for not talking to you until now… For a lot of things, really,” I said, falling introspective. I didn’t really have anything planned out to say, so I just spoke as the words came to me. “Even before everything that happened in Cloudsdale, I don’t think things have been right between us. What we were doing… I don’t think it was what either of us really wanted. Maybe we didn’t realize it at the time, but I think it’s true. I’d been thinking about the two of us being more for a while, but I never said anything. I’d told myself it was just a passing thought. That us being in a relationship would be fun but I could live without it, but I was just lying to myself. I really did want it. And then I chose the worst time to finally admit it.”

“But that’s not–!“ Rainbow started, but Scoots cut her off.

“Rainbow Dash, you’ll get your turn. Let him talk.”

Rainbow looked like she might argue, but after a moment she let out a strangled exhale and nodded sadly.

After reordering my thoughts from the interruption, I said, “But that’s not all. I knew things weren’t really resolved between us. We were both frustrated and we needed time to figure things out. But then we went to that nightclub and I…” I trailed off, looking at Scoots. She must have known what I was thinking as she frowned sadly and looked away. I was unable to say it though. The words just wouldn’t come out.

Rainbow didn’t have that problem. “You kissed my little sister.” She said it simply; without anger or disgust. Not even with any sadness or betrayal. Almost emotionless. Only a slightest hint of tiredness pervaded her tone.

“Y-yeah…” I admitted. “Do you, uh… know about us?” I asked.

Rainbow nodded. “Rarity told me you guys went on a date. Haute Cuisine’s, yeah? Fancy place.” She turned to Scoots and gave her a light, playful punch to the shoulder. “Didn’t know you liked that sort of thing.”

Scoots blushed faintly at being caught liking something ‘uncool,’ but smiled at her sister anyway. “Yeah, I guess. You aren’t mad though?”

Rainbow’s expression fell and she looked to the floor again. “I’m not sure how I feel about it. Will and I were… Well, since you seem to know a lot about what’s going on I guess he told you? We were… sleeping together,” she eeked out. It was obviously still tough for her to talk about that kind of thing with Scoots. “And now he’s going on fancy dates with my baby sister? Where do I start?”

The indignant reaction from Scoots I was expecting never came. Instead, she huffed quietly and shook her head, letting it slide this time. In the meantime, Rainbow continued unaware.

“I don’t know if I should be more worried about you or pissed at him. But then I think that he’s a pretty good stallion and he’ll treat you well, so you could have picked someone way worse even if he’s practically an old fogey compared to you.

“And another part of me is hurt that he found somepony else so easily, even if it was an awesome filly like you. But that’s not fair because I was the one that sent him away! If I had just talked about things instead of clamming up like an idiot then none of this would have happened!”

She slammed an angry hoof down on the couch to punctuate her words. Seeing how ineffectual her gesture was, however, let the frustration flood out of her and she slumped. “This has all been my fault.”

“No, it’s not,” I said. Without stopping to think if it’d be a good idea or not, I grabbed Rainbow up and gave her the tightest hug I could without hurting her. On her other side, Scoots joined in with a nuzzle. “I didn’t speak up about how I felt either. And then I rushed into something else without thinking about what anybody but myself wanted.” Realizing how what I was saying might have sounded, I glanced warily at Scoots, but she was still focused on Rainbow. “I can’t say I regret the decision, but I am sorry that it hurt you.”

“Thanks, Will,” Rainbow said, chuckling weakly. “So you two are happy together then?”

“I know I am,” I said. Both of them looked up to me, and under the combined pressure of both their attention I felt myself feeling suddenly self-conscious. To my embarrassment, I could feel myself blushing. “You were right about one thing, Rainbow. Scoots is pretty awesome. But you were wrong, too. She’s a mare; not a filly anymore. She got me to face things I never thought I could. Things that were too painful to even think about.”

“Your sister?” Rainbow asked quietly. “You mentioned her once a while back. How come you never told me about her? Or any of the rest of your family?”

“Because it was easier not to think about it. Remembering what I thought I’d lost hurt too much, so I didn’t. It was the only way I could make it through most days.”

“But then why did you tell me?” Scoots suddenly asked.

“You wouldn’t let me get out of it!” I said dramatically, flicking her ear with a finger. “And you all say Applejack’s the stubborn one.”

She laughed abashedly and smiled. “Sorry about that… I didn’t realize what I was digging into back then.”

“Don’t worry about it,” I said, reaching over to ruffle her mane.

“Now I feel even worse,” Rainbow muttered. “All that time I knew you weren’t okay. How could you be? You’d been separated from your home and, like… everything! But I thought if you didn’t want to talk about it I shouldn’t push you. I thought it’d just make things worse.”

“No, don’t you worry about it either!” I said, huffing in exasperation. “Honestly, I think you both were exactly what I needed when I needed it. A friend that would just be there for me and make things easier while I got adjusted to living here. And then another to help me start dealing with things. You were both amazing and… I don’t think I’d be doing half as well as I am if it weren’t for both of you. So please, neither of you feel bad about that, alright?”

From on my lap, Rainbow gave my shoulder a light headbutt. “I will if you won’t feel bad about moving on, how does that sound? I was the one that said ‘no;’ you had every right to look for somepony else.”

I closed my eyes, smiling in defeat. “Alright. I guess that sounds fair enough.”

Rainbow nodded, flashing that cocky smirk of hers. The one that said she was the coolest, most awesome pony alive and she knew it. It felt like it had been ages since I’d seen it, and it was like a drop of water in the desert. I playfully nudged her shoulder, to which she laughed and headbutted my chest. I responded by pulling her into a headlock and noogying her furiously, and in return she nipped at my arm.

We went back and forth for a while, poking and prodding and teasing each other in turn. It felt amazing to just be so carefree with her again. For the first time since everything started, I could actually see Rainbow and I fixing things. I actually believed it was going to happen.

As our burst of liveliness wore off, Rainbow and I moved together to share a quick hug. Nothing passionate or romantic, just a reaffirmation, I think. A symbol to prove that things were getting back between us and that we didn’t have to be afraid of each other anymore. Scoots even joined in after a moment, worming herself in next to us so that Rainbow’s forelegs wrapped around her neck in a bone-crushing embrace.

Once we all pulled apart, smiling giddily, I ruffled Scoots’s mane again and we all settled back into our spots.

Rainbow fiddled with her bottle, swirling the remaining cider as she stared into it. “So… we’re cool, then? For real this time? No more, ‘we’re cool but not really?’”

I smirked ruefully, remembering the last time she’d asked if we were cool. “Yeah, Rainbow. We’re completely, honestly cool this time.”

A blue hoof suddenly appeared in front of my face and knowing what she wanted, I tapped my fist against it.

“See? Once you two got your heads out of your tails it was easy, wasn’t it?” Scoots bragged as though she was the one that had accomplished something here. Then again, maybe in getting us to sit down together and talk like this was a feat with bragging about.

“The question remains, though,” I said slowly, fearing upsetting the nice mood we had going on. “Where do we go from here?”

Like I’d feared, Rainbow’s smirk faltered as she fell silent. Afraid to let the momentum of our conversation drop, I continued.

“Rainbow, back at the club in Cloudsdale… I might be crazy, but there was a moment when it looked like maybe… Maybe you’d rethought things between us. Is there any part of you that still wants something between us?”

She shifted slightly, turning minutely away from me and swirling her cider again. “Does it really matter if I did? You’re with Squirt now, right?”

“Yeah, I am. And maybe you’re right; maybe it doesn’t matter,” I admitted. “But this all got so messed up because we weren’t being honest with each other. Don’t you think it’s better we talk about it as not?”

Rainbow was quiet as she seemed to think it over. Then, with a long, drawn-out sigh, she nodded. “I guess if I was gonna be honest then… yeah. We had something really cool and then I–… Well, we already talked about that. We both made mistakes, not just me, blah blah blah.

“Don’t get me wrong; I’m not like Rarity. I don’t need romance or anything like that. Give me a bottle of cider and some crappy movies here over a fancy-schmancy dinner anyday. But I don’t know… I’d been wondering what it might have been like to try the whole relationship thing. Hay, I was probably thinking about it as long as you’d been.”

“You were?” I asked, disbelieving. Until that night at the club, she’d seemed very adamant about not wanting more.

“Well… yeah, of course I was! You’re pretty cool. You know, when you’re not being a dick that is. And you’re not as cool as me!” she barked, crossing her forelegs over her chest and smirking arrogantly. Scoots and I shared an eye-roll while she wasn’t looking. “But then again, almost nopony is. But you were always fun to hang out with! You’re funny and you’re cool with your pictures and stuff and… Okay, maybe you don’t believe me, but talking to you was easier than it’s ever been with anypony else. I know I’m still crap at it, but… it’s true. I know I couldn’t say these kinds of things to anypony else. Okay, maybe the other girls,” she admitted before shrugging it off. “But we’ve been through so much together, they don’t count.”

She sighed and deflated into her seat. “The point is I like you. There, I admitted it, okay? But I’m not gonna break you two up, okay?” She looked between Scoots and I, frowning seriously. “I still don’t know how I feel about you being together, but I’m not gonna come between you. You both deserve to be happy, so I hope you can do that for each other. But you hear me,” she said, her voice suddenly going deep and menacing as she shoved her face inches from mine. She wore a murderous glower as she waggled a hoof at me. “Don’t you dare break her heart. She’s my baby sister, and I don’t care how much I like you. If you do anything to hurt her, Celestia help me I will end you. Do you understand me?”

I recoiled only to give us a little space and not because the tiny pony was in any way intimidating. But seriously, why was everypony giving me so much shit over dating Scoots? I mean, she’s only a minor that everypony has known since she was a child…

Alright fine, I get it. But still! Can’t somepony have a little faith in me?

“I’ll treat her right, Rainbow. I promise.”

She continued to stare deep into my eyes, waggling her hoof menacingly a few more times before nodding. “Good. ‘Cuz I’d hate to have to rough you up now that you just came back!”

We all laughed, admittedly rather awkwardly, but at least it was laughing. I’d take that over more hurt feelings.

“There’s still one thing I don’t get, though,” Scoots spoke up after a moment passed. “If you liked Will, why did you turn him down?”

Rainbow let her gaze fall to study the couch cushion below her. “I guess I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to try things out or not. Look, this is… hard. I don’t really know how to explain it…”

“Just try,” Scoots said gently. She placed a hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder and rubbed comfortingly. “We’ll listen, I promise.”

“I-I know, I just… Be patient with me, alright? I’m not great at this,” Rainbow said, swallowing nervously. After getting her thoughts together and steeling herself, she continued. “It’s like… Okay, my whole life I’ve wanted to be a Wonderbolt, right? I grew up hearing all about them from my mom and watching their shows. She and Dad would always tell me that if I wanted to be one, I would have to devote myself to it. And I did.

“And so, uh… I lived my life doing whatever it took to get myself ahead with my flying, cutting out anything that slowed me down or held me back. I quit school, moved out of my parents’ house when I was sixteen… Hay, I moved to Ponyville, a town I’d never heard of or been to before because I only knew one pony there! Fluttershy!”

She let out a tired sigh as her wings drooped miserably. “I wanted to live someplace where I didn’t know anypony. I had no family here, and only one friend. Back then, I knew the Wonderbolts would recruit me someday. Because I was the best, because I wasn’t going to give up until they did. There was no other option for me but the ‘Bolts. But that’s why I couldn’t settle down and have friends or relationships.”

She fell silent, so Scoots and I let her have a moment to collect her thoughts. After a while, though, we realized that Rainbow seemed to be done, as if that meager ‘explanation’ had explained anything at all.

“Wait, I don’t get it,” Scoots said, beating me to it. “What does wanting to be on the Wonderbolts have to do with making friends?”

Rainbow grunted in frustration as her brow twisted in thought. I couldn’t tell if she was upset at us not understanding or herself for not knowing how to explain it.

“Because… Alright, like, what do you think would happen if I got accepted onto the team?” she asked shortly.

“…All your dreams would come true?” Scoots asked hopefully.

Rainbow facehoofed. “Yes but no, Squirt. Yeah, it’d be awesome and I’d have been super excited. But I’d also have to leave for pre-team training. The Wonderbolts Reserves gets you ready physically to join the team if they need a member. But you still need to learn their stunts, their routines, and just how they go about things. That training period usually takes a month or so; maybe less if you do nothing but train the whole time and take no time off to, like, sleep or anything.

“So, I’d be gone for a month minimum while I got ready to join the team. And even after that, I’d have the time off to come home maybe… on the weekends? Maybe a night or two a week? And that’s if all our shows were in Equestria. Sometimes the ‘Bolts do tours outside of Equestria. Those can take weeks or even months!”

Her voice was rising as she spoke and she took a moment to calm herself before she went on. “The point is that I could be gone for a while. I’d never have the time to see any friends I made. I’d never get to just hang out with them like I do with you guys or with the other girls. And now I know that’s not so bad, ‘cuz you’d all still be here when I got back, but… A relationship? I don’t want to do the whole ‘long-distance’ thing. Never getting to see each other except for a couple hours here and there? I didn’t want to have to worry about what was going on here while I was supposed to be out living my dream!”

She fell into an angry silence, though where it was directed I couldn’t be sure. But I felt like she could use a little comforting, and so as she sat and fumed I moved closer until our sides were pressed together. As I wrapped an arm around her shoulders, I found a second body held fast to her other side and pulled Scoots in close as well.

“So, you didn’t want to get tied down to something you might not be able to stick around for?” Scoots asked.

“Well yeah, but it’s more than that, too,” Rainbow said. “After living like that for so long it was like… It was like having a special somepony would be giving up.”

“What do you mean? Giving up on what?” I asked.

“It’s like… Hay, I don’t know how to explain this! Like, okay, I said I didn’t have a lot of friends in Ponyville at first, right?”

“Yeah. Just Fluttershy until Twilight came along, right?” Scoots asked.

“Right. Well, I wanted it that way so that I wouldn’t have a lot to leave behind when I got recruited, right?” She paused and waited for us to nod to signal we were keeping up. “I never wanted Ponvyille to… I don’t know, feel like a home? I didn’t plan on spending the rest of my life here! I was just going to live here until I got recruited and then I’d leave it behind just like I did with Cloudsdale.

“But then I met Twilight and the other girls and next thing I knew I had friends! The kind of friends that I never wanted to leave behind. Like, I want them in my life forever, no matter where I go!”

“And they will be!” Scoots cut in excitedly. “You girls are like me and the other Crusaders. We’ll always be friends!”

Rainbow smiled down at her and gave her a lazy noogie. “Yeah, exactly. But in a way, that was kind of the problem. I had things tying me down to Ponyville all of a sudden. Friends that were going to make it a lot harder to leave than I ever wanted it to be. But that would be fine, because they were worth it. And then I met you, Squirt, and we started hanging out all the time and… Yeah, I decided you were worth it, too.”

She stopped to nuzzle the top of Scoots’s head and, to my surprise, planted a gentle kiss between her ears as well. “I’m proud to be your sister. And no matter what happens, that’ll never change, alright? I love you, Squirt.”

Scoots blushed as a wide smile broke out across her face. “Yeah, I love you, too, Dash!”

A pleasant warmth exuded from Rainbow in that moment. All the stress, all the hurt; for just a moment it flooded away and left only the love she felt for her little sister. I wondered if I’d looked the same only a short while ago.

“So friends and family were fine, but relationships weren’t?” I asked quietly.

Rainbow frowned at being brought back to reality. “Yeah, I guess. Relationships just felt more… permanent, you know? I guess that’s why they call it commitment. It just felt like too much. Like I was giving in too much. Seeing somepony would be like saying that I never planned to leave Ponyville. And I couldn’t stay in Ponyville and leave to join the ‘Bolts, so…”

“It’d be like giving up on your dream,” I finished for her. I couldn’t say I agreed with her logic, but I did understand where she was coming from. And if she’d been thinking like that the whole time… “No wonder you only wanted to keep it to sex.”

“Could you not put it like that?” Rainbow asked, covering her sister’s ears while Scoots tried to fight her off.

“Dash, I know what sex is,” Scoots deadpanned once she’d managed to free herself. “I’m not a filly anymore. We can talk about this.”

I tried not to think about how much Scoots knew about sex while Rainbow grinned wryly. “Yeah, maybe you’re ready to talk about sex, but I’m not. Especially since our love lives are starting to overlap.” She glanced surreptitiously my way and shuddered. “It’s going to take me a while to get used the idea of you two dating.”

“I’m glad you’re taking it so well, Rainbow,” I said gratefully. “Not everypony’s been so okay with it.”

She gave a barking laugh. “Well, I was doing a lot stupider stuff than that by the time I was her age, so I can’t judge too much. ‘S long as you treat her right, we’re good.”

“He is, Dash,” Scoots chipped in impatiently. “I wouldn’t be with him if I didn’t like it. But…” she trailed off, biting her lip. She clacked her hooves together nervously. “Now I feel bad. You both wanted to be together and would have if I hadn’t gotten in the middle of things…”

“Hey, don’t talk like that!” Rainbow admonished, wrapping a protective wing around her. “We had our chance and I didn’t take it. Never be sorry for going after what you want. And you two are happy together, right?” She looked between us, looking for confirmation.

“Yes,” I said without a moment’s hesitation.

“I am, too,” Scoots agreed, but she was not to be deterred so easily. “But you both still like each other, don’t you?”

Rainbow’s eyes fell away from Scoots’s, no longer able to meet them. So instead Scoots turned her attention to me, and similarly I found it hard to look at her.

I was happy with Scoots. Sure, we were just getting started; still exploring things and seeing where we could go. But it was good! I didn’t want to lose what we had for anything!

But…

Did some part of me still want to be with Rainbow? I wanted her back in my life, sure. She was one of the most important people in my life, pony or otherwise. That cocky persona, her normally laid-back, fun-loving attitude. I wanted it back. I wanted to be with her every second of every day. I wanted to wake up next to her in the morning and hold her every night.

I wanted her more than anything.

Anything except for Scoots.

I couldn’t give her up. I didn’t want to go back to how things were before. Scoots understood more than anypony else why I needed to go back to Earth and even supported me despite how much it hurt her. She was so strong and selfless and I was honored that someone as amazing as her was interested in me.

When I thought about it like that, the choice was pretty obvious.

“Rainbow…” I stated slowly, knowing what I needed to say but still finding it harder than I would have liked. “Yes. A part of me still does care for you. You were the first pony I ever considered a friend. The only one who ever treated me like I wasn’t some kind of outsider that didn’t belong. For a while, you were the only thing that made it possible for me to just make it through the day. I wouldn’t be surprised if that part of me always loved you, if only for how much I owe you. But…

“I can’t be with you.”

The sentence fell upon the room like a bomb; the silence it left in its wake more deafening than any explosion. I barely even wanted to breathe for fear of what either of them would have to say. I half-expected Rainbow to get upset like she had at the night club again and Scoots, despite her claims to the contrary, to be pissed that I still had feelings for her sister.

After everything that’s happened over the last year, I’d begun to expect the worst of things.

My fears weren’t exactly allayed as Rainbow gave a shallow, mirthless chuckle. “You say that like I expected you to.”

“Rainbow?” I asked tentatively.

She shrugged. “I figured you would have been sick of me after this whole mess, so I was never expecting us to be anything after tonight. Hay, that’s why I didn’t want to talk about this. It doesn’t really matter if we want to be together or not, ‘cuz even if we did I wouldn’t take you away from Squirt. Heh, I’ve always been willing to do a lot to get what I want, but I won’t do that.”

The blue wing still wrapped around Scoots gave a gentle squeeze. “Just promise me the three of us can still hang out sometimes, okay?”

“Of course we can still hang out, Dash!” Scoots said happily, shoving Rainbow’s affections away. “It’s not the same without all three of us together! But that’s sort of why I asked…”

“What do you mean, Scoots?” I asked.

“Well, I was just thinking…” she mumbled, her hooves tapping together nervously once again. “What if… and I mean, it’s probably a dumb idea anyway and I doubt either of you’d like it, but… umm…”

“But what? Spit it out, Squirt!” Rainbow barked.

“I-I just thought if Will wanted to be with both of us and we both want to be with him, then… well…”

“Woah, no! Let me stop you there,” Rainbow said sharply, waving her forelegs in the air in front of her. She even pulled away from Scoots, rounding on her until she was backed into the corner of the couch. “You are not saying what I think you’re saying!”

“W-well, why not?!” Scoots snapped back, finding a little fire of her own that made even Rainbow’s stony demeanor falter slightly. “Wasn’t it always the most fun when we were all hanging out together? And we all like each other, so why shouldn’t we do it?”

Scoots’s sudden comeback didn’t derail Rainbow for long. In a flash she was back up to full steam. “Because we don’t all like each other! We–” she pointed a hoof back and forth between herself and Scoots “–both like him! There can’t be one pony in the center like that. It never works and somepony always ends up sad and hurt. Even I know that!”

“Rainbow, that’s enough,” I said, trying to pull them apart. I couldn’t begin to understand where… whatever this was came from, but I wasn’t going to sit around and let them go at each other like that. I eventually succeeded in pulling Rainbow back to the center of the couch and tried to keep a calming hand on her shoulder, but Scoots bounded forward in the interim, digging herself into a low pose like she was about to charge.

“Well, maybe I don’t just like him!” she shouted. Furious tears began to sparkle in the corners of her eyes as she helplessly stomped the couch cushion beneath her. “Maybe there’s another reason I’d want us to be together; did you ever think of that?!

“Maybe I like you, too, okay?”

For the second time that night the room went deathly quiet. I couldn’t even hear Rainbow’s breathing over Scoots’s panting and the pounding of my heart. I knew she had entertained a small crush on Rainbow for a while, but I had no idea she felt this strongly about it.

Scoots sniffled and wiped a hoof across her eyes. “I was five when you first moved to Ponyville, so I’ve looked up to you for almost as long as I can remember. I idolized you. Wished every night that I could be like you. I obsessed over you, I know! But I thought you were the coolest pony ever! And when we actually started hanging out? I got to know the real you instead of the picture I had in my head. But you know what? I liked the real you even more!

“How could I not like the awesomest pony in Equestria? Fastest flier that ever lived and future star of the Wonderbolts?”

“Scoots, I… I don’t–” Rainbow started, her eyes wide in shock at what was unfolding before her.

“Don’t!” Scoots snarled. Just as quickly as that flash of anger overtook her, it fled, leaving her just looking tired and on the verge of tears. “I know you’ve never seen me as anything other than a little filly! Neither has anypony else in town! That’s why everypony’s given Will crap for dating me. I guess I just hoped that after everything that happened… maybe you would give me a chance. Pretty stupid of me, I guess.”

Rainbow lifted a hoof a fraction of an inch, like it was moving of its own volition to comfort the filly she loved so much. “Y-you… How long have you felt like that?” she whispered, almost as if she were talking to herself.

“A while, I guess,” Scoots muttered. “I had a really bad crush on you a few years ago, and I thought I’d get over it eventually, but… Well, I didn’t. So, I’d really like it if we could try things. Just give it one shot, Rainbow Dash! Please? One dinner or something! Hay, we could just chill here and watch a movie!”

“N-no,” Rainbow said weakly, still in shock. “W-we can’t…”

“Okay, girls, wait,” I cut in. I just couldn’t take it anymore. “I’m lost. What’re you talking about?”

“She’s talking about–”

“A herd!” Scoots interrupted. “We could be a herd like Thunderlane and Cloudchaser and Flitter! And that one Wonderbolt Spitfire mentioned; Misty? It would be just like old times but, you know… we’d be, uh… together.”

A herd?

She wanted… a herd? Rainbow, Scoots and I all in one relationship? Could we really do that? Not having to lose one of them would be amazing, certainly. But a part of me couldn’t help but feel like it wasn’t right. Seeing two different people at the same time, even if they were willing just felt… wrong.

But that sort of thing was okay here. Accepted enough that world-renowned celebrities and small-town ponies alike did it. But how would it work? Would we get married? Could herds do that? How would we raise a family? I may not have wanted any of that anytime soon, but I did eventually.

And what would my family think? Bringing home one pony girl would be hard enough. But bringing home two? I know they wouldn’t be okay with that.

“Look Scoots, I don’t know…” I said, unsure.

“Well, I do!” Rainbow snapped. “I won’t do it!” She tsked and her voice dropped to a gentler tone. “Okay, maybe you’re right, Squirt. Maybe I’ve treated you like a filly for too long. I know I can be overprotective and I try to look out for you even when you may not need it. I’ll give you that. But Squirt… I can’t do this! I look at you and sometimes I still see that eight year-old little filly trailing after me on her scooter begging me to show her some tricks! I know you aren’t that anymore, but…

“Squirt, herds need everypony involved to want to be together. Two out of the three liking things just isn’t enough! I can’t have… I can’t do herd stuff with you. I love you, Scootaloo, but not like that. I’m sorry…”

Scoots’s head dropped, and a soft pit-pat filled the air as two drops fell. “Y-yeah…”

“Hey now,” Rainbow said gently, crawling forward to pull her into a tight, loving hug. “C’mon, no waterworks. I’m still your big sister and I always will be. And you’re still gonna be the most important filly… mare in my life. And the three of us–” she gave a nod of her head in my direction and I realized she wanted me to join them. As I pulled them both close, she continued. “We’re going to be best friends forever. So you two be happy together, alright? ‘Cuz I’m gonna be fine. Actually, I’m gonna be more than fine.”

“W-what do you mean?” Scoots asked amidst lingering sniffles.

“I wasn’t really in Cloudsdale this weekend for weather stuff. Heh, they’d never do anything on the weekend if they didn’t have to,” she said, chuckling ruefully at her little dig. “I was really there because I got a letter from the Wonderbolts. I, uh… I got the position.”

“The position…?” I asked, not understanding right away. But then it clicked. “On the flight team?! You got it?!”

“Heheheh, yup. Meeting with Spitfire to fill out the paperwork and hash out the details tomorrow. I should start my pre-team training in a few weeks.”

“Rainbow Dash, t-that’s amazing!” Scoots cheered. Her voice was still hoarse and a little thick, but her enthusiasm was genuine as could be. “Why didn’t you say anything sooner?”

“I was a little more worried about never seeing Will again,” she said, scratching the back of her head. “And then we were talking and… whatever! The point is I got it! Finally!”

“Rainbow, I’m so happy for you! I knew you would do it!” I said.

“Me, too!” Scoots said. “You’ve wanted it for so long; it’s about time they saw you were meant for the team!”

Rainbow laughed aloud. “Yeah, right? I moved to Ponyville thinking I’d be here a couple of months before I got recruited. Only took them twelve years longer than I thought it would! But seriously… thank you, guys. I couldn’t have done it without you and everypony else backing me up.”

“What are best friends for?” I said, punching her shoulder mockingly.

“Teasing the shit out of each other?” Rainbow suggested.

“Knowing all your dirty secrets and never letting you live them down?” Scoots offered.

“Drinking all your cider and never buying any herself?” I asked, pointedly eyeing Rainbow.

“Giving cider to minors!” Rainbow said, returning my look full-force.

Our staring contest lasted only a moment before we both started to crack. First a snort, then watering eyes and soon we were both laughing aloud. We laughed for so long and so hard that my stomach and face started to hurt and still I couldn’t stop. Or wouldn’t stop, I don’t know.

It was over. We were back.

And it felt just…

Perfect.

“Well, I should probably get going…” Rainbow said wistfully as she looked at the clock. Just shy of six in the morning. We’d been up just about all night catching up with each other. It was amazing to think that less than a day ago I was fearing that everything was over between us and our friendship was ruined. It may not have been completely fixed yet, but I knew it would be with a little bit of time.

“Yeah, you still have to fly all the way to Cloudsdale, don’t you?” I asked.

“Sorry we kept you up,” Scoots said from on my lap. She’d curled up at my side at some point while we talked and had her chin resting on my thigh.

“Don’t be!” she impressed. “I’ll just sleep it off later today at my parents’ place.”

“Do you want to get lunch tomorrow, then?” I asked suddenly as the thought struck me. “All three of us. We can go to Daisy’s again.”

Rainbow gave a wide grin while nodding enthusiastically. “Hay yeah! You’re paying, though,” she said confidently. Her arrogant claim was broken a moment later when she stuck her tongue out at me like a child.

I just rolled my eyes and gave a put upon sigh while Scoots giggled at us.

“Sounds like a plan, though,” Rainbow said, sitting up and hopping down to the floor. She trotted to the door where, with one hoof on the handle, she paused. Her strong presence faltered as she glanced back at us. “Hey, guys? I, uh… I’m glad we did this. I was really gonna miss hanging out with you both.”

By then, I think I was fluent enough in Rainbow-ese to know what she was really trying to say.

“Yeah, I was really scared of losing you, too, Rainbow,” I said. She gave an adorably fake little scowl and kicked at the floor. I shit you not, though, as she looked away I swore I saw a faint little blush on her cheeks, but by the time she looked back up at us it was gone.

“Y-yeah, whatever,” she grumbled. She threw open the door and was about to slip through when one more thing came to mind.

“Hey Rainbow!” I shouted and she stopped again. “I love you. You know that, right?” I placed a hand on Scoots’s back. “We both do.”

Now there was no doubt Rainbow was blushing and I adamantly wished I could get a picture without her smashing my camera.

“Yeah, I know. But it’s good to hear it, too. I, uh… I love you, too. Both of you,” she said quietly. But then she shook herself and her normal persona returned. “But enough of the mushy stuff! I gotta get flying. You two behave while I’m gone, okay? Catch ya later!”

We barely had time for a round of goodbyes before she took off with a single powerful thrust of her wings. Soon enough, she was little more than a black dot amidst the golden rays of dawn’s light. Seeing as she couldn’t be bothered to close the door behind her, I got up to do it. When I turned back, Scoots had moved to rest her chin on the couch’s arm, where she lied looking up at me.

I crouched down in front of her and lovingly scratched behind her ear. “Sorry the herd thing didn’t work out. You really wanted it, didn’t you?”

She looked away and shrugged. “It would’ve been nice. You aren’t mad I suggested it without asking, are you?”

“Of course not.”

Seconds passed as I continued to play with her coat and moved to brush her mane with my fingers while she hummed in pleasure. Her eyes fluttered closed and only the occasional flick of her ear disturbed the still.

After a moment I stood and kicked off my shoes and jeans and lied down beside her. As I pulled her small, feathery body close to mine she rolled over to face me. She lifted her head at the same moment I leaned down and our lips brushed together.

“You know I love you, right?” she whispered. “Even though I wanted the herd, I–”

I cut her off by pulling her into another kiss. After we pulled apart, I brushed her cheek with my thumb.

“I know. I love you, too.”

In her eyes –those shining, beautiful, breath-taking purple eyes– I saw it. And in the beating of her heart against my own, I felt it. And in the radiance of her content little smile, I knew it.

I finally had it. Everything I had been searching for. Everything I had wanted and never knew.

I was home.

And as the birds started singing the arrival of a brand new day, our breathing slowed and a blissful peace fell over us. And I was finally happy.

Epilogue

*Two Weeks Later*

“I can’t believe that worked,” as I stepped off onto the clouds Rainbow’s house was built upon. Granted, her house was made of clouds as well, but there was just enough of a flat landing for us to touch down on.

“I told you it would work, Will!” Scoots said, kicking away the cloud she’d carried me up on. It was about the size of a beanbag chair and had felt half as stable. As I clutched the new cloudwalking amulet Twilight had given me, Scoots headbutted my hip. “You need to start trusting me more!”

“I trust you plenty, babe. I just don’t trust clouds,” I grumbled as she led the way up to the front door. Rainbow’s house was exactly what I imagine the ancient Greeks’ houses would have looked like if they could have made them out of clouds. Swooping curls and spirals, columns everywhere, and like Cloudsdale she even had rainbows falling like waterfalls among the different levels where it dissipated into the air.

Though I’d seen her home several times before –there’s almost nowhere in Ponyville you can’t see it– I’d never been inside. This was a special occasion, though, so we didn’t feel bad asking Twilight for another cloudwalking enchantment.

While I’d been appreciating the architecture, Scoots had gone on ahead and let herself inside, so I hurried to catch up. Instead of leading into a living room like most peoples’ house would, Rainbow’s seemed to lead straight into a show room. Trophies, medals and statuettes lined shelves on the walls amidst posters and pennants and other Wonderbolts paraphernalia.

“Yo, Rainbow! You here?” Scoots called out while leaning over the railing on the stairs leading up to the second floor.

“Yeah! Be down in a sec!” came Rainbow’s voice back from upstairs.

Scoots nodded to herself and turned back towards the room. She clicked her tongue in thought as she trotted back over to me and leaned against my leg. In return, I reached down to scratch behind her ear and she hummed in delight.

It didn’t take long for Rainbow to blaze down the stairs. Part of me wondered why she even had them as I doubted she’d ever even used them. She landed in a small puff of cloud before us, a loaded pair of saddlebags on her back. She huffed as she laid them down next to her.

“Hey guys,” she said, hoofbumping both of us in turn. “Thanks for coming.”

“Like we weren’t going to see you off!” I said. “Not every day somepony leaves to go fulfill their dreams.”

Rainbow smirked and gave a weak laugh. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“You’re gonna be great, Rainbow Dash!” Scoots cheered. “You have to tell us when your first show is so we can be there!”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world!” I agreed.

Rainbow’s smirk grew a little warmer and she nodded. “Yeah. Wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“So, need any help getting packed or are you all set?” I asked.

“Nah, I pretty much got everything,” Rainbow said, kicking her bag. “But I, uh… wanted to ask you both a favor, if you don’t mind?”

“Of course not,” I said. “What is it?”

“Scoots, could you… take care of Tank while I’m gone?” she asked, gesturing to one side. I followed her gaze to see what looked like a cat bed tucked to one side of the room with a large green turtle shell sticking out the top. “I was going to have Fluttershy do it, but I wanted… I thought he might like… I know you can do it. Do you mind? And Will, would you help her out?”

In a flash, Scoots threw her forelegs around Rainbow’s neck. “Of course I will! I promise, Rainbow Dash, I won’t let you down! I’ll take the best care of him!”

“We both will,” I chipped in.

Scoots trotted off towards Tank as Rainbow raised an eyebrow at me. “I appreciate it, but… ‘you both will?’”

I let out an embarrassed chuckle and crouched down so that we were a little closer. Dropping my voice so that it wouldn't carry to Scoots who was chatting happily with Tank, I said, “Scoots will be eighteen in two weeks.”

“Yeah. I promise I’ll be back for the party.”

“We know. But two months after that she’ll be graduating. I told her if she wanted to… she could move in with me afterward. She said yes.”

“Moving in together already?” Rainbow asked cautiously. “Isn’t that a bit fast?”

I shrugged. “Yeah, probably. But if there’s one thing I know, it’s that I’m tired of being passive. I’m not letting the things I want slip me by anymore.”

She smiled mockingly like I’d just done something silly. With a little laugh, she leaned forward and bumped her forehead against mine. “Just don’t beat yourself up anymore, alright?” she whispered.

“I won’t if you won’t.”

She laughed again, a little louder than before. “Yeah, I’ll try not to. Hey, listen… you’re my best friend, okay? But don’t tell any of the girls I said that. They’ll get all jealous.”

She lifted a hoof, expecting another bump, but instead I grabbed it. Then, hand and hoof still clasped between us, I pulled her into a hug.

“You’re my best friend, too. And I’ll never let anything come between us like that ever again.”

She let out an amused sigh right into my ear but returned the hug full-force. Before she pulled away, she placed her lips on my cheek. I hadn’t felt her kiss in ages. Even when we were sleeping together, she’d never been overly fond of it. But spurred by the sudden affection, so long deprived of it I’d been, I returned one to the top of her head, relishing in the smell of ozone and fresh rain hanging about her mane.

“Ah-hem.”

We both jumped apart when Scoots cleared her throat, but to my relief she was grinning knowingly. She sidled up to us and stopped to nuzzle Rainbow before leaning against my side. “It’s not gonna be the same without you.”

“Aww, c’mon Squirt, what’d I say about those waterworks? It’s all gonna be fine! I’ll be off having fun with the ‘Bolts and you two will have each other!”

“Y-yeah…” Scoots said, hanging her head.

“Oh, c’mere,” Rainbow said, pulling them into a hug. “Look, can you do me another favor? Will has the tendency to laze about and not do anything fun if you don’t make him. So make sure he gets out every now and then, alright? Take care of him for me.”

Despite herself, Scoots giggled. “Alright. I promise!”

“Good! So buck up!” With her signature cocky grin, Rainbow backed away and tapped Scoots on the chin with her wingtip. Then she picked up her bag and shouldered it once again.

Soon enough we were all outside once again; Scoots and I by the cloud I’d rode up on with Tank whirring nearby with his helicopter thing while Rainbow stared off into the distance.

“Guess this is it,” I said.

In return, Rainbow only shrugged. As she stood there before us, her wind-ruffled mane flowing in the breeze and the sun shining around her like a golden halo, I didn’t feel sad. I knew I’d miss her, yes, but she was off to better things. Off to do exactly what she was meant to do. Fly high and fast while the adoring cheers of her fans sounded around her. And though she was flying out of my life, I knew it wasn’t forever.

So what need had I to be sad?

Instead I grinned.

“Catch you later, Rainbow.”

Then she turned that cocky grin on me and for the first time it wasn’t an act. No trace of bravado or the façade she so dearly loved to put up. It was her in her most bare, most unmasked. It was like seeing her for the first time.

“Catch you later, Will. Squirt.”

And with only a single wave of her hoof she took off and was gone once again. My little rainbow, coming and going as the moment demanded. It may not have been perfect, but it was exactly as things were meant to be.

As Scoots shouted her goodbyes to the winds, I patted Tank’s shell and watched Rainbow disappear into the distance.

A home. Friends. Love. Maybe even my family one day. I had all these things and more now.

And in that, I had everything.

Because finally, the storm had passed, and I had found my rainbow.

Author's Note

That's it, folks. It's been a long ride, but it's finally come to a close. I only have one last thing to say.

Thank you all so much. I couldn't have done this without you.

Bonus Chapter: And Life Goes On...

*Six Months Later*

The doors of the Ponyville general hospital burst open like a shot as I rushed through. I had run all the way here from my cottage, a decent ten minute hike normally, though today I'd made it in five. I had just been eating some breakfast when Applejack came by to tell me the news and, panicked and worrying, I wasted no time in hurrying over.

Everypony turned to stare in shock as the doors closed behind me but I paid them no heed as I made for the front desk. A white-coated earth pony mare wearing a small nurse's cap had been filling in paperwork on a clipboard before her, though she looked up to give me an unimpressed stare as I skidded to a halt.

"Nurse Redheart, where is she?! How's she doing?!" I asked breathlessly. It never even occurred to me that she might not have known who I was talking about. But either Nurse Redheart was psychic or she was simply very astute as to who knew who around our small town as she didn't need to ask.

She flicked through a second clipboard on the desk for just a moment before finding what she was looking for. In her eternally worn-out voice, she said, "She's doing just fine, Mr. Harkin. She's already been moved up to room 218. You may visit her, if you like."

I barely remembered to shout my thanks over my shoulder as I tore off down the hallway, barely paying any attention to anything or anyone around me. Walls, gurneys and ponies flew by me as I rushed down one hall after another and then up the stairs. Finally, I came upon the right room and I skidded to a halt once more.

Afraid to disturb things inside, I knocked as quietly as I could before letting myself inside.

The lights were off, leaving the room illuminated only by the faint bits of sunlight coming through the drawn curtains. I could barely take my eyes off the mare sleeping on the bed as I inched inside, hardly daring to breathe. She was lying on her side with only her back and flanks covered by the blanket over her. Her breath came in slow and shallow, each rise and fall of her chest seeming to take longer than it should have.

It was unreal seeing her like that. Normally so full of vim and vigor, her listless, prone form was almost like something out of a nightmare.

"Hey, Will," muttered an exhausted voice.

I nearly jumped at the sudden noise. It was only then that I noticed a second pony in the room: a stallion sitting on a less-than-comfortable-looking armchair next to the bed. He had deep bags under his eyes and his voice was hoarse like he'd been up for days, yet his voice carried a quiet pride that in itself allayed most of my fears.

"Hey, Written," I whispered, taking a few more cautious steps into the room. "How's she doing?"

He smirked as he shook his head. "Why don't you ask her yourself?"

I glanced down only to see that the mare I'd thought was sleeping was very much awake, even though her eyelids were fluttering like she could barely keep them open. She was wearing that same indifferent frown she always had, even if it rang a little hollow with how weak she looked at the moment.

"What're you doin'... not workin'?" she mumbled so quietly I almost didn't hear it. It was almost adorable how much more pronounced her accent became when she was too tired to try to hide it.

I kneeled down beside the bed, both so I could hear her better and also so that she wouldn't have to look up at me. "It's Saturday. You don't pay me to work on Saturdays."

"Damn straight..." she grumbled, though a grin broke out on her face as she did. "You here to... ogle my body as I... feed my daughter?"

"I-what...?"

With a noticeable effort, she lifted a hoof and lazily pointed down the bed where I finally noticed a small pink blanket bundled next to her belly.

"Is that...?" I asked, half in awe.

"That's her," Written spoke up, his expression and tone shining in the dim room. "Will, we'd like you to meet our daughter, Marigold."

A soft green glow lit the immediate area and lifted away a corner of the blanket, revealing a golden mane like sunflowers in summer. Her coat was the paler yellow of wheat. She was lying along Carrot’s belly with her eyes closed, nursing away contentedly. Through the curls of mane she had obviously inherited from her mother, I could see the tiny nub of a rounded horn.

“Oh guys, she’s beautiful!” I cooed quietly. She was one of the most adorable things I’d ever seen; resting so peacefully with her tiny hooves brushing her mother’s coat.

Carrot couldn’t stop a tired smile even as she rolled her eyes. “Y-you’re such a sap…” she trailed off with a deep yawn. As she finished, she nestled her head deeper into her pillow and let her eyes close. “But yeah… she is pretty special, isn’t she? She’s got her daddy’s eyes, you know.”

“But her momma’s coat and mane,” Written whispered, leaning down to kiss Carrot’s temple. She just grinned and let out a happy sigh as he sat back up. Then he turned to me. “Would you like to hold her?”

A flash of panic went through me at the thought. “O-oh no,” I stammered. “I… I’d hate to interrupt her eating!”

“She actually stopped eating a while ago…” Carrot mumbled, already only half-awake. “She’s just been suckling for a while.”

“A-are you sure? I don’t know if I should… What if I scare her?” I muttered. Why in the world would anyone trust me with their baby? The huge weird alien thing.

Written wasn’t about to take no for an answer, however. "Nonsense! She'll love you." With another flash of his magic he lifted her up and towards me. I reached out to take her instinctively, and before I could have even processed what happened, she was in my arms.

The first thing I noticed was how light she was. Barely larger than a newborn puppy, she couldn’t have weighed more than a couple of pounds. Just the effort of holding her up felt like enough to break her, yet she continued to snooze away without a care in the world.

“She’s so beautiful,” I said again. There was no other word to describe how breathtakingly amazing she was. This tiny little pony was Carrot and Written’s daughter. They were parents now. It was a very alien thought.

She suddenly squirmed in my arms and gave a tiny, high-pitched whine. I struggled to readjust her to better support her and she calmed back down. Her little forehooves stuck out the front of the blanket and hugged it close, and I brushed a finger against them, feeling the silky softness of her coat.

“She takes after her mother,” Written stage-whispered, leaning in closer to me but looking out of the corners of his eyes at Carrot. “She needs plenty of support and has to be tended to just so or she’ll complain your ear off.” Carrot’s ear flicked and she gave a half-hearted displeased groan, but said nothing. She must really have been exhausted.

“Well, she’s amazing. Congratulations, guys,” I said. “But I should probably go, let you all get some rest.”

I made to hand the baby back over, Written just smiled and pointed down. At the same moment, something grasped my finger. “I dunno, I think she likes you, Will.”

When I looked down, two small yellow hooves had wrapped around my finger, clasping it close. It was so weak, I should have had no trouble prying my hand away and giving her back to her parents and yet…

I just wasn’t strong enough to break that grip. This baby; this tiny, fragile, wonderful baby had me by the finger and I didn’t care.

“M-maybe I could hold her just a couple more minutes,” I said.

Carrot let out a throaty giggle as the sound of racing hooves started coming up the hall. “She’s already got you wrapped around her hoof… If you spoil her, you’re fired.”

“Like you guys aren’t going to spoil her enough,” I countered as Written leaned down to fuss over Carrot’s mane again.

“Dear, you should be trying to sleep. You need your rest,” he admonished, to which she just harrumphed.

She might have come up with a more witty reply had the door not suddenly slammed open. The loud noise startled the baby out of her napping and she started to fuss. I did my best to calm her as I turned to see a young pegasus mare in the doorway. Her face was stricken with panic as she galloped over to slide into place by my side.

“Is Carrot Top okay?! How’s the baby?!” she asked, not even shouting and yet a thousand times too loud. Marigold started crying aloud and I gently bounced her in my arms, murmuring quiet nothings until she started to calm. At the same time, Written spoke.

“Scootaloo, please try to keep it down, alright?” he reproached. “They’re both doing just fine.”

Scoots clapped a hoof over her mouth as her eyes went wide in realization of how loud she’d been. She shrunk into herself as she mumbled, “Sorry! I was just worried about them.”

Written’s expression softened. He wasn’t the type to stay mad at anypony for long. “It’s quite alright, Scootaloo. So what do you think of her? Looks just like her mom, doesn’t she?”

I think it was only then that Scoots even noticed what I was holding. She went deathly quiet, peering into the bundle of blanket in my arms like she thought it might explode at any moment. She inched closer, a half-step at a time, until her nose was hovering just inches over Marigold’s hooves, until a sleepy shift made her jump. Written and I tried to stifle our laughter as best we could, though Scoots still glared at us in return.

“She’s so awesome!” she cooed as she turned back to the baby. “What’s her name?”

“Marigold,” Written said proudly.

“Aww, that’s pretty,” Scoots said. “I like it. It fits her. And she’s a unicorn! Are you excited to get to teach her magic someday?”

“I would have loved her no matter what she was,” he said with every bit of sincerity. I didn’t doubt him for a moment. But then he leaned forward slyly. “Though I’ll admit, I am rather excited!”

Giggling, Scoots raised a hoof to play with Marigold’s like I had done. “Yeah… If I ever have foals, I hope I have a pegasus.”

“Making plans a bit early, are we?” Written asked, looking between Scoots and I with a knowing grin.

“W-what?! No!”

“Scoots. Shh,” I warned.

“Sorry! But no, we’re not planning anything like that! It’s way too early! I just meant, you know… someday. In the future. The distant future!”

“Alright, alright, I get what you mean,” Written said, grinning as he held up a placating hoof. “But would you like to hold her?”

“I, uh… wha-”

I didn’t even give her time to finish the thought before I all but shoved the baby into her forelegs. Scoots went rigid, her back going straight as a board and her limbs almost trembling with the strain of staying still. She looked like she thought Marigold was going to fall apart at any second.

“Here, support her head more,” Written said, using his magic to carefully adjust Scoots’s hooves. “That’s better.”

“And relax!” I whispered in her ear as I reached out to rub her shoulders. “You’re not going to hurt her.”

“R-right,” she said, slowly rolling her shoulders and letting the tension melt out. After a moment she even smiled.

“Hi there, Marigold,” she whispered warmly. “My name’s Scootaloo. I’m your uncle Will’s mare friend. You’re a lucky filly, you know? You have a bunch of really cool people looking out for you.”

At that exact moment, Marigold gave a little whine and lifted her hooves upward, groping around for something or other. Written sat up like he was going to take her back, but before he could do anything, Scoots leaned down to bump her muzzle against the searching hooves. Marigold latched on to Scoots’s nose, her whimpering immediately dying off as eagerly accepted her nuzzles.

“That was good. You’re a natural at this, babe,” I whispered to her.

“I just thought she wanted to know somepony was nearby,” she mumbled as she carefully withdrew her face. The way she smiled down at the precious bundle in her hooves left her positively glowing. “She’s adorable. Heh, I almost don’t want to let her go.”

Written grinned as he lied back in his chair, trying to find a comfortable spot. No doubt the exhaustion was catching up to him. “You can hold her a little longer, if you’d like.”

And hold her she did. By the time I thought we were about to overstay our welcome, I practically had to drag Marigold out of her hooves. But after I laid her down beside her sleeping mother, we bid our goodbyes and saw ourselves out. It was at a much more sedate pace that we made our way back through the hospital hallways, side by side with her head leaning against my thigh. Once we’d stepped out into the light of day, she sighed dreamily and fluttered up to peck my cheek.

“Hey, Will? Can I ask you something?”

“Sure. What’s up?”

Still hovering in the air, she leaned so close I could feel her breath ticking my ear. “Someday... Can we have one?”

A pleasant warmth flooded through me at the thought. Pausing only to give her a kiss in return, I whispered so that only she could hear. "I'd love nothing more."

Chapter 1

Wouldn’t you know, it was the exact moment that I laid down on my couch for a nap that I heard a thunderous knocking on the front door of my little Ponyville cottage. I had been working out in the fields with Carrot Top, and all day I had wanted nothing more than to come home, kick off my boots, change into some comfy sweatpants, and sleep until the next ice age. I had managed to make it to the sweatpants step, but the universe seemed determined to keep me from the last.

My name is William Harkin. But please, Will is fine. I used to live on Earth like any other human, but then I fell through this portal disguised as a lake in a forest near where I grew up. Apparently the portal only opens every few decades, so I found myself stuck here for the foreseeable future.

Yeah, if it hadn’t happened to me, I wouldn’t have believed it either.

But I won’t get into that too much. The Princesses of Equestria told me that I’m far from the first human to find their way here, even though I’m the only one here now, so chances are you’ve probably already heard a story similar to mine. Long story short, I was accepted into the nation’s populace fairly quickly despite being such a different species from them, and was invited to live among them. I chose Ponyville to be my place of residence not because I particularly liked the area or anything, but merely because it was the home of one of the few ponies I’d met at the time: Princess Twilight Sparkle.

Since then, she’d really helped me settle in, even gotten me to make a few friends. She was the one who talked Carrot Top into letting me help out on her farm, too. It’s not the best paying job in the world, but it gets me enough to get by. Crazy low cost of living in Equestria, don’tcha know.

Back to my interrupted nap, however. I briefly entertained the idea of ignoring whoever it was at the door and going to sleep anyway, but another round of raucous knocking, even louder than before, threw that plan out the window. I still wasn’t getting up, though.

“It’s open!” I shouted.

The door opened, and it was none other than Rainbow Dash, the speediest blue blur in the sky. She strutted in like she owned the place, cocksure as she always is, but stopped short when she saw me lying down.

Oddly, it was the first time I’d seen her with clothes on. She was wearing what looked like something you’d go jogging in, with a white tank top and red cotton short-shorts with just a hint of her taut blue midriff showing in between. The look was topped off by sweatbands around the fetlocks of her forelegs and a white ribbon wrapped around the base of her tail. It was a functional thing, in no way decorated or styled, though its presence at all was unusual for her. I think Rarity once told me ponies used them to help keep their tail neat and straight during sports and stuff. Rainbow was far from the type to care about her appearance beyond ‘looking awesome’ so maybe it absorbs perspiration or something, who knows.

Speaking of, she was practically dripping with sweat. Her already tight clothes were plastered to her body; her fur matted and slick from what must have been an intense workout. While that in and of itself wasn’t strange in the slightest, as she often came over to bug me after practicing her tricks all day, this was the first time where she was breathing heavily and there was a noticeable tremor in her legs. As often as she practiced and how toned her body was, her normal flight practices barely left her winded.

“Uh… what are you doing?” she asked.

“I was about to take a nap, before I was interrupted,” I said, making no attempt to hide my grumpiness. If she was going to keep me up, I was going to make sure she knew I didn’t like it. “What are you doing?”

“Duh, it’s Thursday night. Don’t tell me you forgot!”

“I have no idea what you’re on about, Rainbow,” I said. I proceeded to roll to face away from her, hoping she’d get the hint. I couldn’t be that lucky, though.

“Will, it’s Movie Night. We were gonna marathon the Daring Do movies! Quest for the Sapphire Stone, The Griffon’s Goblet! I mean, I know they’re not as cool as the books, but… You’re not bailing on me, are you?”

I groaned. Of course that was tonight. How could I have forgotten? I cracked an eye open to peer over my shoulder at her.

“Rainbow, I’m not bailing, I just… Look, I’ve been ripping carrots out of the ground with Carrot Top all day. My hands and feet are killing me, I can’t even feel my back and I really need a nap.”

“But… but Daring Do…”

“I know, Rainbow, you really wanted to watch them. But even if we put one in, I’m not gonna make it twenty minutes. Can’t we do the marathon tomorrow night? I have nothing planned all weekend.”

“I… alright, I guess we can do that,” she said, sighing dejectedly. “I’m pretty beat, too, so a nap doesn’t sound too bad.”

“Yeah, are you okay? You do look pretty exhausted.”

“I’m training for the Running of the Leaves! I don’t do a whole lot of exercising my legs, so I need to get in shape. I’m not tying again this year. I’m going to take first, because only the best is good enough for Rainbow Dash!” she shouted excitedly, rearing onto her hindlegs in a victorious pose.

“Sure you will, Rainbow. I was wondering what was with that get-up.”

She groaned, looking down at herself with a grimace. “Rarity said that the extra layers would make me sweat and burn more water weight. I guess she was right, but I don’t feel like I got a better work-out. I just feel ridiculous.”

I only managed an affirmative grunt in response. I just couldn’t stay awake anymore.

“Well, I guess I’ll get outta here,” she said, trailing off. I vaguely heard her begin moving for the door, but then she stopped. “Urgh, my legs are about to give out. I was hoping to rest while we watched Daring Do. Can I just crash here for a while?”

“Sure,” I said. I was willing to do whatever she wanted as long as she’d let me sleep.

The house was mercifully silent at last. I began to slip into unconsciousness when, with a single powerful flap of her wings, Rainbow plopped herself right down on top of me like I was her own personal pillow. She sprawled out half on top of my stomach and half on the couch between me and the back. Her forelegs hung limply off my side, mirrored on either side of her by her wings.

I wanted to shove her away, or at least tell her to piss off. I mean, I was getting drenched in pegasus sweat, not to mention she was uncomfortably warm from her workout still. But she settled in quickly enough, and I figured it’d be a much greater hassle to get her up than it would be to just deal with it. Whatever, it finally meant I could get some rest.

We had both passed out not even ten minutes later.

I awoke to a most peculiar sensation. There was something heavy rubbing gently against my chest. Whatever it was slid up and down my body, pushing against me at the top of each cycle. Every few seconds, something also tickled my nose. Even in my half-asleep state, I was able to put two and two together and arrive at the obvious conclusion. Someone was napping with me.

Now normally waking up to someone cuddling me isn’t exactly an unpleasant experience. Quite the opposite. And I’d usually pull them closer and try to go back to sleep.

But the cool, damp feeling across my chest wasn’t so pleasant. I could have ignored that fact, however, had one other thought not suddenly occurred to me.

I live in Equestria now. Where I haven’t had anyone to bring home to my bed in months. Kinda hard to when you’re the only member of your species in the world.

So what in the world was on top of me?

My eyes flew open, and all I could see was a shock of rainbow-colored hair. In an instant, everything came back to me. Rainbow had stayed because she was too tired to head back to her own house, and had chosen me as her pillow.

I batted her hair out of my face. My living room was dark, only a few scattered shafts of moonlight through the window over the couch keeping it from being pitch black. Except for the occasional snore and throaty groan, the night was silent. The tangy scent of pony sweat hung thick in the air, with a growing muskiness hiding beneath it, the source of which I couldn’t put my finger on. It was far from unpleasant, unlike human odor, so I didn’t mind too much, even if I’d have to open the windows in the morning to let my house air out.

At some point while we slept, Rainbow had somehow ended up completely on top of me. What I had thought was her mane was in fact her tail, and after I had pushed it away, all I could see was her butt on my chest. Her round, muscled butt straining against the cotton of her red exercise shorts.

Which meant…

My guess was proven correct when, with another slow thrust of her hips, her rear end rubbed along my chest, working the dampness into my shirt even further. As she moved back closer to my head, she let out a noise somewhere between a sigh and a moan.

It dawned on me. For some reason, the Rainbow Dash, fastest pegasus in Equestria, national hero and the biggest tomboy in town, was humping my chest.

Well then. That was a thing.

“Uh, Rainbow…?” I mumbled. I said it without thinking. Some part of me just instinctively wanted to wake her up. Friends, a small voice in the back of my head warned, just don’t do this sort of thing together.

Even though a much larger part of me didn’t want her to stop in the slightest. I was already more turned on than I had been in months. Since before I’d found myself in this lame pastel horse land. I hadn’t gotten any in even longer than that and seeing Rainbow like that was like a glass of water in the middle of a drought.

Even better was seeing the enormous wet spot on her shorts under her tail.

“Rainbow?” I tried one more time. Still no response as she continued pleasuring herself against me.

Was she… was she dreaming?

She continued going, back and forth, her powerful haunches clenching and releasing in a lazy, irregular rhythm. Her tail would flick every few passes, and I had to keep pushing it aside to keep it out of my face.

As I watched, I became painfully aware of my own growing arousal. I wanted to reach around her, but there was no way I could do anything without waking her up. I also realized that with her butt facing me, her head was on my stomach, only a few inches away from the unmistakable tent in my sweatpants. So either the movement from jerking off or the resulting mess would give me away when she woke up.

I was facing the imminent reality of watching her get off while I could do nothing for myself. The universe sucks sometimes. Sighing, I figured it would at least give me a pleasant memory I could make use of later.

Over me, Rainbow’s thrusting was becoming more erratic. Her soft moans became anxious whimpers, and she shoved her crotch against me all the harder. Warmth radiated from under her tail, her feminine musk wafting out and overpowering even the pungent scent of her sweaty body. Her wings fluttered agitatedly, and she was mumbling something, but I couldn’t make any of it out.

Her breath and her thrusting hips both were coming in shorter bursts. It was getting harder and harder to not do something. Her ass was right there, just begging to have my face buried between those round haunches. From the times she’d insisted I give her piggy-back rides, I knew they were as soft as pillows despite the thick layers of muscle underneath her sky blue coat. I wanted to slap those cutie marks until her butt was pinker than Pinkie’s.

I want to taste the rainbow, I thought, laughing at my own horrible pun.

I also vaguely thought that friends don’t have these sorts of thoughts about each other, but… Well, it’s Rainbow Dash. She’s attractive. And I’m only a guy.

Suddenly, her wings flared and I felt her bury her face into my stomach. With a muffled wordless cry, she thrust her hips a couple more times before holding in place. Her haunches shook nonstop from the sheer force of her orgasm, trembling like jello in an earthquake. Her tail flagged, giving me an even clearer look at the twitching and flexing of her marehood under her shorts, an extra gush of fluids glinting through the fabric against the pale moonlight.

For what felt like ages she held like that above me, tense as a tightly bound spring waiting to pop. Then, with a long, drawn-out sigh, her entire body went limp and flumped down atop me again.

I held my breath, hoping that she’d go back to sleep. She nuzzled her face against my stomach, and I think she must have drooled on me at one point because I felt wet there, too. Seconds passed, and just when I thought I was home free, her head bolted upright, glancing wildly around the room before she looked back at me and our eyes locked.

“Uh…” she said, her eyes unfocused from just waking up yet wide in shock.

“Pleasant dream?” I asked, unsure what else to say to break the tension. In the darkness, I could just barely see her cheeks flush as she gave me a furious glower.

“That… that wasn’t what it looked like! It was… it was… Urrrgh!” she shouted and, with a slap of her hoof on the back of the couch, she turned away and put her chin back on my stomach, likely in an effort to not look at me. She also clamped her tail tightly between her legs.

“Look,” she said, still pointedly not looking at me. “You. Saw. Nothing. Got it?”

“Yup, I gotcha. Loud and clear,” I said.

Silence overcame the both of us following that. Rainbow, surprisingly after everything that’d happened, seemed uninterested in getting up, and I wasn’t sure what to say. Should I even say anything? Or would that have just made things weirder?

It didn’t help that I was still very, very hard, and Rainbow was uncomfortably close to it. Maybe if I was careful, she wouldn’t notice.

After a little while passed, I started to wonder if Rainbow had gone back to sleep. She was still, but Rainbow always snored uproariously when she slept. It had been a long while since a silence between us had been so awkward.

“Hey, Will,” she suddenly whispered. “You still awake?”

“…Yeah.”

“I’m sorry, okay?” she said quietly. “I didn’t mean to snap at you.”

“It’s cool, Rainbow. Don’t worry about it,” I said. I reached out into the dark, finding her withers and giving her a friendly shake.

“Thanks,” she said, turning to face me again though with her eyes downcast. “It’s just kinda… been a while, you know what I mean? And I was having such a good dream, and… Oh wow, this is really embarrassing.”

I couldn’t help a few quiet chuckles at her expense. “Like I said, it’s cool, Rainbow. You spend enough time with your friends, at least one weird thing is bound to happen eventually. In the morning we can pretend it never even happened, if you want.”

“Yeah, that would be awesome; thanks!” she said, finally smiling and chuckling lightly, too. “Anyway, I should still probably go, before I do anything else uncool.”

She started to get up, lifting her body off of me and reaching down to the floor with her left foreleg. The cool night air hit my damp torso like a truck, making me shiver. As she swung her right foreleg over me, however, her hoof brushed against my lap and, more noticeably, my erection.

I nearly gasped in pleasure from even the slight contact against my overly-sensitive member.

“What the…?” she mumbled, and to my horror, she took a closer look at what she had hit.

“Oh… Huh,” was all she said. Then she laughed. “Guess I wasn’t the only one enjoying myself!”

“Yeah, well…” I grumbled. “Can you really blame me?”

“No, I guess not. You did have the awesomest pony in Ponyville on top of you having a– uh…” Her voice faltered. I couldn’t help taking one last dig at her.

“Having a wet dream, you mean?”

“Ha. Ha,” she deadpanned. “Yeah, yeah; you’ve had your fun. Whatever.”

“Great. Now, would you mind getting off me? I need to… use the bathroom,” I said, gently trying to shoo her off. She whipped me playfully with her tail.

“’Use the bathroom?’ Suuure. Alright, I’ll leave you to it. Have fun!” She made to move off me, but with a flick of her ear, she stopped short again. “Although, I could help you out, if you wanted.”

…’help me out?’ She couldn’t possibly mean what that sounded like, could she?

“What do you mean?” I asked.

She barked out another laugh. “Come on, you’re not stupid. You know what I mean.”

And then she pointedly ran her hoof along my groin.

Okay, yep. Point absolutely made.

But that just raised so many more questions. Rainbow and I had been like bros ever since I wound up in this crazy place, playing hoofball together, chilling out with a few ciders after a hard day’s work, even talking about mares on occasion. I’d never once gotten the impression she might have been into me.

“But… What?! Rainbow, we’ve been friends for months, where is this coming from?” I asked.

“What? It’s the least I can do after… you know, the whole dream thing just now. Don’t you want it? Sure looks like you do,” once again brushing her hoof against me.

“Yes,” I said before I realized it. She smirked.

“Good. Then sit back and enjoy.”

With a dexterity I’m still amazed ponies can demonstrate, she hooked her hooves under the hem of my shirt and pulled it up to my navel. She gazed upon the waistband of my pants for only a moment before trying to slip the tip of her hoof underneath. It took her a few tries, but she eventually managed to slide it down a few inches before the crook of my hip prevented it going any further. She groaned in frustration.

“A little help here?” she asked, throwing a glance back at me.

My hips shot into the air like someone had lit a fire under my ass and together we slipped my sweatpants down. I was so hard it hurt as I popped free, bobbing in time with my racing pulse in the air before her face. She proceeded to stare at it, unmoving, just long enough that I began to worry that she was already reconsidering.

“It’s smaller than I expected,” she said.

“Oh. Well. That’s… great. Thanks, Rainbow.”

“What?” she asked, distracted. After another moment she jerked upright, staring back at me with wide eyes. “That’s not what I meant! I mean, like… I-It’s not much smaller than a pony’s, so it’s cool, I just thought… You know, as tall as you are, I thought it’d be, like, monstrous or something.”

“I guess that’s a little better…”

“Heh, yeah… My bad.” She smirked deviously. “You won’t hold it against me, will you?”

As soon as she said it, she also ran the soft underside of her hoof along my length, all the way from the base to the tip. I think I groaned as pleasure flared through my spine like lightning; it was hard to be sure. Whatever hurt feelings I still had were gone in an instant.

She could talk bad about me all she wanted, as long as she kept touching me like that.

“Heheh, I thought not,” she whispered.

As I was recovering from the shock of her sudden touch, she surprised me even further. One second she was looking down at me – smirking that arrogant little smirk she does, like she’s just won some sort of competition between the two of us – and the next her face was between my thighs and her tongue was ravishing my erection.

She was focused on the spot right at the base of my penis, layering lick after lick on my sensitive underside. Her breath came in bursts from her nose, hot and humid across my balls. It tickled, but not in a bad way. Her forelegs, meanwhile, hooked between my thighs, slightly pulling my legs apart to give her easier access. Occasionally, her hooves would slide up halfway to my knees before making their way back down in a gentle, teasing massage.

My hips began lifting of their own accord to meet her, desperately searching for any more attention my body could find. I heard her giggling at me, but even more I could feel her giggling against me, each vibration sending another shock of sensation through me.

Her tongue, hot and wet, slid along my length before returning to the head and, on the next trip down, moved side to side in a zigzagging path. Then she returned to the tip and placed several short, fast licks just to the head before doing it all over again. As she went again and again, her breathing got heavier and heavier, until soon she was panting as loudly as I was.

I started feeling selfish, lying there receiving all this attention while she got nothing. Her tailend was too far away to reach with my mouth, so instead I placed both of my hands on her shoulders. She jumped at my touch, but didn’t stop what she was doing.

I trailed my hands down her sides, feeling her damp fur through her white shirt. The cotton was rough and thoroughly soaked through, but I didn’t care. When I reached the hem, my hands slid underneath and back up her sides, alternating between massaging and lightly scratching across her ribs and under her wings. Wherever I could reach, I gave it my attention. She cooed every time I brushed across her flight muscles, a sensation I felt as well reverberating throughout my body.

I felt myself getting ever closer to release, and I knew I needed to move things along if I was going to get Rainbow off, too. She whined as I pried my hands out from under her wings, but as I clapped them both to her fine haunches with a resounding smack!, her tune changed. I felt her laugh again, and she pulled away from her tongue lashing just long enough to throw me a wink.

My fingers snaked under the waistband on her shorts, and I held fast to savor the sight. Her ass was fine; perfectly sculpted with just enough muscle to be firm and defined while being soft enough to be deliciously slappable. That dark wet spot was still glaringly obvious, spreading all the way from her tail to my chest and to each side far enough to reach her legs. It was a sight I wanted to fix in my memory forever.

When I had my fill, or at least enough that I was sure I’d never forget, I finally dragged those shorts away, only to be surprised at what I found underneath. A pair of pink cotton panties, wrapped snuggly about her flanks. They were so tight that everything, from the cleft of her vulva, to the bulge of her puckered tailhole, was so obviously outlined that she may as well have been wearing nothing.

“Nice, Rainbow. Never expected you to be a pink kind of girl,” I said, trying desperately not to laugh. On any other pony, I probably wouldn’t have even registered the color, but seeing the Rainbow Dash wear something so… girly was too hilarious not to tease her about.

“Shut up!” she growled. “It was part of the outfit Rarity gave me. I wasn’t gonna put them on, but… Well, I didn’t think anypony would see them. There, happy? Do you want me to continue or not?”

“Fine, fine. No need to be so defensive. I think it looks cute on you,” I said.

She mumbled something that sounded vaguely like ‘I’m not cute!’ before she moved back to my lap, though before she resumed her licking, she placed a single kiss to the tip of my head. After even such a brief respite, her first touch was like a livewire straight to the pleasure center of my brain, sending shivers down my spine.

I considered removing her panties as well, but the image of her cumming in her shorts came back to me. It was so hot, and I really wanted to see it again.

My mind made up, I slapped my right hand to the bottom of her haunch, getting a muffled yelp out of her. Sliding it slowly upwards, I caught her tail between my index and middle finger, pulling it out of the way, perhaps a bit more roughly than I would have otherwise. She seemed to like that, too, if her throaty moan was anything to go by. My other hand began to massage her haunch, gently squeezing and kneading her supple flesh.

She was already winking, her folds twitching in welcome of the touch I had yet to even give her. She was just as into it as I was. And with her having been so patient so far, I didn’t have it in me to tease her any longer.

She opened, and my thumb found its way between her lips, pressing the cotton of her panties in with it. She was so wet that her panties became almost entirely see-through, showing off where her sky blue coat gave way to darker blue skin. I slid my thumb along her slit, never pushing any further in than I already was, caressing the surface of her marehood.

“Fuck,” she mumbled, stopping what she was doing once again and mashing her face into my stomach. “Come on, I’m not teasing you! Care to return the favor?!”

“What? Like this?” I asked, jamming my thumb onto the small nub just barely visible at the bottom of her slit. She gave a sharp intake of breath mixed with a whine at the back of her throat and arched her back, thrusting her hips into my hands.

She was like putty in my hands as I continued to circle my thumb around her clit, teasing it and flicking it interspersed with stroking up and back down her slit. Her hips continued in a dance before me, rhythmically swaying back and forth to a beat we both knew instinctually. She was getting closer, but as she went back to work on me, I feared I wouldn’t last long enough. Her workings were like heaven, and she had a big head-start over me.

I tried to ignore her tongue gliding along my length like she was dying of thirst and it was an ice-cold popsicle. I tried to ignore her muzzle poking and prodding all about my thighs and groin blasting those snorts of hot breath everywhere. I tried to focus on pleasing that little love-button under her panties, but it was all becoming too much. I could feel the pressure building deep within, and I knew I wasn’t lasting much longer.

“Rainbow, you… you’re too good at this,” I managed to gasp out. “I’m close!”

She redoubled her efforts, laying into me faster and harder than ever. Her strong, velvet soft tongue focused its attention on the underside of my member, just a little less than halfway along its length. It proved to be too much, and the dam finally broke.

I practically exploded, pleasure so intense it was nearly painful wracking my entire body. I came, hard; rope after rope of the thickest cum I’ve ever made shot out, splattering against her chest and my stomach, tying the two together with the sticky, messy strands. All the while, she continued lapping away, gently now, lovingly cleaning away the mess I was continuously making.

“Shit…” I groaned, letting the overwhelming sensation of my mind-blowing orgasm take hold of me. As long as it’d been since my last time with a woman, I was beyond pent up. My balls already felt a few pounds lighter.

As the high began to fade and my brain began somewhat working again, I felt Rainbow grinding against me, switching between grunting in frustration and whimpering with desperation. I realized that I had neglected her as I came.

I wanted to pay her back. I removed my left hand from her haunch, sliding it under the hem of her panties. My fingers quickly found her winking slit. She was so dripping wet that her body offered no resistance as I slid my middle finger inside. She was tight; far more so than I would have guessed even given her size. It felt like I was being sucked through a straw.

One that was constantly being massaged from the outside.

She was trying to draw me in, but I was already up to the joint. She was blazing hot, like her very blood was on fire as I began thrusting in and out as quickly as she’d allow. Meanwhile, my thumb continued caressing her clit.

“Ugh… Don’t stop! I’m c-close!” she moaned into my stomach. Her hindlegs kicked into the couch and her wings twitched wildly. Her whole body was restless with need, she just needed one last little push to go over the edge.

Without so much as a word of warning, I shoved a second finger into her velvet folds. I wasn’t sure it would fit at first, as tight as she was, but she welcomed it gratefully. I also started searching each side of her walls, trying to find that one special spot. I wasn’t sure if ponies even had one, but when I brushed the top of her vagina, just a couple of inches in, she gasped and her entire body shook. Knowing I had found it, I focused all my attention there.

“Ooooooooh!” she shouted. Her entire body tensed, like she was about to take off. Her marehood clamped down upon my hand so tightly that I couldn’t pull my fingers out had I wanted to, leaving me with no choice but to keep wriggling my fingertips against her g-spot.

She let out a high-pitched squeal and, had she not already been lying on top of me, she would have collapsed as the strength fled her legs. Her hips continued to spasm as her second orgasm of the night crashed into her like a tidal wave.

Fluids gushed over my fingers, dripping through her panties and pooling on my chest. I had a throw-away thought that her clothes were pretty much ruined by now and I laughed at the idea of Rarity taking them back.

When she relaxed enough that she was no longer trying to milk my fingers, I slid them out as gingerly as I could, trying not to hurt her likely oversensitive skin. With my other hand, I fixed her panties in place and pulled her shorts back up. I then gave her a pat on the bum for good measure, earning me another yelp and a tail to the face.

For Rainbow’s part, she seemed nearly dead on her hooves, figuratively speaking. She was panting even more heavily than she was when she first came over after her workout, and all her limbs were trembling.

After several minutes, she rose on shaky hooves and slowly turned herself around to face me before flopping back down. She had a dopey smile on her face, while her eyes were bleary and half-lidded.

“I can’t feel my ass,” she said, giggling stupidly. Then she gave a satisfied sigh. “Oh, it has been way too long since I’ve had my feathers ruffled. That hit the spot!”

“I hear that! Damn you’re good, Rainbow,” I said, resting back onto the couch myself, but not breaking eye contact. “By the way, is that how pony’s do blowjobs? Just licking? Not that I’m complaining or anything; just curious.”

“Well, yeah,” she said. No blushing or stammering this time. Guess once you get off on someone’s face there’s no need for embarrassment anymore. “I mean, what else is there?”

“Well, you know… You could suck it. That’s usually how humans do it. Licking is usually the build-up.”

She quirked an eyebrow at me incredulously. “How in the world does it fit?” She looked down at my shrinking member again. “Oh yeah, the size… thing. Nevermind.”

“Heh, don’t worry about it Rainbow. Like I said, I’m sure as hell not complaining. It was still great!”

“You were pretty good, yourself,” she said, smirking up at me. “That thing you did with your fingers? I’ve never felt anything that like before! Those things are the best!”

I held up my hand to the moonlight, letting it reflect off of the slick juices it was still coated in. On a whim, I took a finger into my mouth, tasting the salty muskiness of her sex. It was… actually kind of good. Sweeter than I would have expected.

Fuckin’ ponies and their weird anatomy.

I was about to take the other when she grabbed my wrist with a forehoof.

“Wait,” she said, pulling my hand closer.

She took my other wet finger within her mouth and began licking it clean. My brain skipped another beat as her tongue caressed another part of my body, though this time it was shorter lived. When my finger was clean, she released my wrist, frowning slightly.

“Eh, not bad, I guess. I like yours better,” she said.

I chuckled as I pulled her closer, idly scratching between her wings as we basked in the warmth and comfort of our bodies pressed together. She, meanwhile, traced a forehoof in small circles on my chest. It found a particularly wet patch and, after inspecting what she touched, she laughed.

“Guess I made a pretty big mess, huh?” she asked.

“Rainbow, you are welcome to make this kind of mess on me anytime,” I said and we both laughed this time. When our mirth died down, though, Rainbow regretfully began to rise.

“Well, I should get going. I have to get up early for work, and I’ve already stayed way later than I meant to.”

“Oh, come on,” I begged, wrapping an arm about her neck to keep her next to me. “You can stay here tonight. It’s not like it’ll take you any longer to get to work from here.”

“No, I really can’t,” she said, slipping out of my grasp and climbing down to the floor. I rolled to watch her, already missing her. “I left my weather schedule at home and I have to submit it tomorrow. Besides, I don’t like leaving Tank alone without letting him know where I am.”

“You have to check in with your turtle?” I asked. She picked up on my mocking tone and scowled playfully.

“Tank’s a tortoise, not a turtle, and he… doesn’t like staying alone,” she finished, mumbling.

“Alright, alright. If you have to. We’re still on for tomorrow, right? Daring Do marathon?”

“Hay yeah! I’m always up for Daring Do! I just have work and then… Oh no, tomorrow’s Friday, isn’t it?!” she asked, smacking a hoof to her forehead. “I completely forgot tomorrow was Friday. I always hang out with Scootaloo since I got off work early. Have some sister time, you know?”

“She likes Daring Do, too, right? Why not bring her along? We can all enjoy it together!”

She looked pensive, scuffing a hoof against the carpet. “I don’t know… It does sound fun, but the whole point of us hanging out is for some one-on-one time, you know? She really looks forward to it just being the two of us.”

She sighed.

“I’ll talk to her, I guess. See if she wants to hang out. I can’t make any promises, though.”

Despite my disappointment that we might not get to hang out, I wasn’t about to butt in between those two. Rainbow loves to pretend that she’s too cool to care about ponies, but that filly really means the world to her. “Well, alright, I understand. She barely knows me, and she doesn’t get much time with you. I couldn’t blame her wanting to keep you to herself.”

She smiled. “Yeah, I am pretty awesome, I know! Anyway, if she wants to hang out, we’ll be by at about four-ish. Need to get an early start if we’re going to watch them all! We’ll even bring pizza!”

“Alright, sounds like a plan! Hopefully I’ll see you tomorrow, then,” I said.

She gave me a wink and, without another word, started making for the door. About halfway there, she stopped and looked back at me.

“I think it goes without saying, but just in case: we can’t do anything while Scootaloo’s here tomorrow, okay? She’s just a filly, and I’m not running the risk of her catching us going at it,” she said.

“You mean… you want to do it again?” I asked, unbelieving.

“Hay yeah! Didn’t I tell you how good that was? Of course I wanna do it again! Besides, I wanna see what else you can do with those fingers!” she said, waggling her eyebrows suggestively. It was underscored a little by her huge eager grin, but it was flattering anyway.

“Alright, I guess I can hold off for one day,” I said, trying to sound exaggeratedly dejected. It was a little easier than I expected.

“Good,” she said.

She finished her trot to the door, and at one point I had to pull myself up onto the couch’s arm, as my eyes refused to leave her backside. I think she noticed, because as she opened the door, she gave a little wiggle that whipped her tail to the side.

“Heh, see ya later, Will!” she said, kicking the door closed behind her as she took off into the night sky.

“Night, Rainbow,” I said, even though she was long gone.

With a sigh, I plopped back onto the couch. I already felt a little bored without her around livening things up. Tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough. As I lied awake, unable to sleep, I wondered if I really would be able to make it the whole night playing nice while Scootaloo was here.

I shook it off. Rainbow and I had spent a ton of times together in the past without things being weird. Just because we’d fooled around tonight doesn’t mean we couldn’t be cool again. And besides, this was just the start. She and I had plenty of time to do whatever we wanted later.

As I lied there, thinking over everything that had just happened, and eagerly fantasizing about what the future was going to hold, I was happy that tomorrow was Friday. Carrot Top ran her market stall on Fridays, so I instead spent my time helping out around the Carousel Boutique, a local fashion shop. It was busy work, keeping me constantly moving about fetching things and dealing with customers, but it wasn’t anywhere near as physically taxing. It was a good thing, as with everything on my mind, I was going to be a while before I conked out again.

But first? I needed to change my clothes.

I stank of sex.

And stale pegasus sweat.

Chapter 4

Soft candlelight, sending flickering shadows dancing and playing on the walls.

Curtains pulled, blocking out all but the barest traces of silver moonlight.

A solemn silence, the sounds of our own breathing all but ignored as I gazed into the deep pools of a certain pair of rose-colored eyes.

I took a long draw from the wine glass in my hand, its sinfully sweet aroma gracing my senses as its gratifying warmth seeped across my abdomen. My belly was full of delicious homemade lasagna, as close to the recipe my mother used as I grew up as I could remember, minus the meat, of course. Tofu didn’t sit quite as well as I would have liked, but it was a concession I was willing to make for the mare sitting across from me.

She was dressed in a slinky black number that sparkled in the dim light which served to accentuate her brilliantly chromatic mane and set it alight. Speaking of, she even had her mane styled, primmed and pampered until it fell full and thick across her right shoulder, several strands falling sultrily across her eye. The look was topped off by a pair of sheer black stockings on her hind legs.

It was a rare sight to see Rainbow Dash dressed up, but damn could she look drop dead sexy when she wanted to.

Like I was, she sat nursing a half-full glass of wine, over whose rim she stared at me from across the small table between us. Even the span of just a few feet felt like they may as well have been miles. I could just barely make out her perfume: a light and airy thing, but with a cutting edge of something spicy hidden just under the surface.

She smiled an impish smile but said nothing to break the tranquil air between us. She didn’t need to. We’d had a lovely dinner, currently had lovely company, and would likely have a lovely evening before us. But Rainbow was not one to let things sit at ‘lovely’ when they could be ‘awesome’ or ‘radical’ instead.

With a single throaty chuckle, she stood, her hooves clacking on the tiled flooring. She cradled her glass carefully in the crook of her forehoof and sashayed around the table until she was by my side then, in a gracefully fluid motion I didn’t think her capable of, she slid herself onto my lap. Automatically, my hand went to her back to steady her as her free foreleg draped itself across my shoulders.

There she sat, her eyes locked with mine as her hindlegs crossed about my lap. She was so close I could almost taste the wine on her breath as she leaned in and nuzzled my cheek.

“Tonight was pretty great,” she whispered. Then she lightly nipped my ear.

“It wouldn’t have been half as great without you,” I whispered back.

That got her to laugh, something I felt through the rumble of her chest more than heard. But then she flashed me the ghost of that arrogant grin that looks so damn good on her. “Don’t you know it.”

She paused long enough to drain what was left in her glass. Considering it was still a quarter full, it was quite the feat. Her cheeks were flushed even through her beautifully blue coat as she turned back to me and gave a half-lidded stare.

“What do you say we make tonight even greater?” she purred.

I gasped as her hindhooves began teasing against my leg, one trailing circles around my thigh as the other wandered further north. By the time it reached the zipper of my pants my lips were locked with hers, her tongue fighting for control over mine and not gaining quarter. My entire world was filled with soft lips and the taste of strawberries and alcohol and so many other amazing things that I couldn’t begin to categorize but it didn’t matter because all that was really important was the mare in my arms and never losing the feel of her against me.

But neither of us could hold our breath forever and eventually we had to break apart, gasping for air and our chests were heaving together and her coat was brushing against my skin so wonderfully and yet it wasn’t enough. Her legs had long stopped their teasing and had gone to full-on stroking of my length through my pants while my hands, of their own instinct –or perhaps brilliance, it’s hard to tell– had found their way under her dress and tail.

“Will…” Rainbow whispered in between nips at my lips and gulps of air.

“Yes?” was all my addled brain could get out.

“Will,” she said more forcefully, yet without her hungry expression changing at all.

Why were we still in the kitchen? Why was she still trying to talk when we had a perfectly empty bedroom just waiting for the two of us to make use of it? It was almost painful trying to focus long enough to formulate any kind of response.

“What is it…? Rainbow?”

“William!”

My eyes snapped open as a sudden shout woke me, my arms and legs flailing to grab onto something to maintain my balance until I realized I was already sitting down. I was in the shade of a grand old oak tree that I often liked to use for napping during my breaks at Carrot Top’s farm. I tried to take in my surroundings as the hammering in my chest struggled to slow.

It was a bright and sun-shiney day, probably still early in the afternoon judging by the sun’s location with not a single cloud in sight. The weather team was really on the ball today, considering we’d had a storm last night and even this morning it had been overcast as I made my way to work.

Carrot Top’s quaint old barnhouse stood before me, with small flower beds lining every window and blooming red rose bushes to either side of the front porch. It was on top of a hill, as was the oak tree I was sitting against, and so it overlooked the entire farm from on high, as well as having a great view of Sweet Apple Acres to the southwest and Ponyville to the north. To my right should have been the field of carrots I had been working on that day, but the sight was blocked by a yellow earth pony mare glaring down at me.

Carrot Top, at first glance, looked like a very approachable pony. Her yellow coat was pleasant to look at and her bushy orange mane, often held down like it was today with a pale green bandana, was downright homely. However, her primary expression of bored indifference, backed up by her oftentimes prickly demeanor easily made her come across as quite antisocial and difficult to spend time with. Certainly, I had believed it the first couple weeks of working for her.

“Napping on the job, huh? Didn’t realize I had given you so little to do today,” she quipped.

Any frustration I had at being awoken from such a good dream quickly evaporated as it dawned on me that I was late getting back to my work shift. As well, I could still feel the after-effects of the dream; my pants were almost painfully tight. And as close as she was, I couldn’t hope to stand up without her noticing. Damn those ponies being waist-height. It was all I could do to shift uncomfortably, put my arm over my lap and hope that she wouldn’t notice.

It was the perfect storm of circumstances that I really didn’t want to deal with at the moment.

“Uh… heh. Sorry about that, Carrot Top, I must have dozed off after lunch. Am I too late? What time is it?”

“Oh, just a quarter ‘till four. So yeah, you’re a little late,” she deadpanned.

I felt my jaw drop. I was supposed to be back to work by one. I’d never been that late for anything before. “Shit! Carrot Top, I’m so sorry! I’ll– uh… I’ll stay late! I’ll work extra hours tonight to make up for it!” I winced inside even as I said it. Today was the day that I was supposed to be meeting Rainbow and Scootaloo in the park, and I didn’t look forward to missing it. But even Rainbow would agree –I hope– that keeping my job is more important than one flight practice.

“Please Carrot Top, I promise it’ll never happen again!” I pleaded.

She finally held up a hoof, waving my words away but still looking at me with that bored look that made it impossible to know what she was thinking. “Don’t worry about it,” she said with the same nonchalance one would use to discuss the weather. “I’ll let you off the hook this time.”

“Y-yeah?”

“Sure. I was actually coming out to send you home anyway. The Missus and I,” she said, pausing to turn towards the house and point to a small patio table next to the porch. It was the sort with a large umbrella built-in to shade to those sitting at it, which was currently being enjoyed by Carrot Top’s husband, a light grey unicorn stallion with a burgundy mane named Written Script. He was currently absorbed in his own world, poring over a stack of papers that was likely the next play script he was working on. He had the tendency to become completely oblivious to the world around him while he wrote, but he was a nice enough guy. Sweet, naïve and a little bumbling, but always well-meaning. How he’d gotten involved with the often dour Carrot Top I’ll never know.

I turned back to Carrot Top just as she continued speaking. “We’re going out to dinner tonight so we’re turning in early today. I need time to do my mane and… whatever it is mares do to get ready for going out.”

With the prospect of losing my job becoming less likely, I started to relax. “Is today a special occasion or something?”

She shrugged. “Just our anniversary.”

“Really? Congratulations! Which one is it?”

“The fifth,” she said, finally cracking a wry smile. I think it was as close as she could get to looking truly happy. “Anyway, you have any plans for the day?”

“Meeting some friends in the park here in a bit. Why?”

She shrugged again. “Just making sure you aren’t being a lazy sack of crap.”

“No offense, but why do you care how lazy I am? …Outside of work, at least,” I amended.

“None taken. But Writty keeps telling me I should take more interest in my employees’ lives or whatever. And by employees I mean you, since you’re my only one. I guess I’m supposed to care about you or something.”

“Since when do you do anything he tells you to do?”

“I listen to him all the time,” she said, turning her nose up at me.

“Didn’t you tell me you once spent a week on the couch because you wouldn’t apologize for throwing out his favorite tie?”

She sniffed. “It was a hideous tie.”

“Totally missing the point,” I said.

“Or just skillfully evading it,” she said, grinning. “But fine, do whatever you want after work. See if I care.”

Without so much as a ‘how do you do’ she turned and began walking away. It was so abrupt that even as I opened my mouth to speak, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to say. Carrot Top, however, managed to still beat me to it. She stopped, looking back over her shoulder.

“You’re welcome for not firing you. I’ll just dock your pay for the afternoon. And yes, I’ll tell Writty you said we should have fun tonight. That’s something you would say, right? Though, I’m also going to be telling him you meant it sexually.”

“But wait! I didn’t even-!” I tried to interject, but she was already walking away again. She trotted up to the door of her house, and just before stepping inside, I swear I saw an amused smirk on her face.

Well, I’m glad she found it funny, because I just felt sick to my stomach.

The noise of the door closing finally caused Written Script to stir, and as he looked around our eyes met. He gave me a smile and a wave which I awkwardly returned. Thankfully he went back to work without feeling the need to speak to me and make me feel uncomfortable, too.

I don’t need this stress right now.

And so with my job still secure but my life at risk from jealous husbands, I felt it was time to hightail it out of there. At least as soon as I could stand without having an embarrassing bulge in my pants. With Carrot Top gone, the remaining traces of my dream came back to the forefront of my mind. I’d never had a dream like that before, leastways not about a pony and certainly not Rainbow Dash, but now I was finding myself strangely interested in it.

I wondered what an actual date with Rainbow would be like. Who knows? Maybe it was time to find out.

A short half-hour later found me standing outside the gates to the Ponyville Community Park. I had swung by my cottage after leaving Carrot Top’s just long enough to shower and change into a pair of clothes that didn’t smell like stale sweat. I’d also remembered to grab the clunky old camera I’d borrowed from Princess Twilight. I figured watching Rainbow and Scootaloo flying was going to present at least a few opportunities for some good shots.

But being very much an indoor kind of person, I had found very little reason to ever visit the park. I knew where it was, of course –the town wasn’t that big– but I’d only gone inside a couple of times, including the day we had the picnic where I met Rainbow for the first time.

What that meant was that as soon as I got to there, I had no idea whereabouts one might go to practice their flying. Granted, it wasn’t exactly the sort of park that you could actually get lost in, so I figured I’d just walk around until I saw a familiar flash of blue or orange.

Eventually my ‘plan’ worked out as I saw the two mares I was looking for congregated under an old willow tree atop a hill, the same place we’d had that picnic all that time ago. They didn’t appear to be doing any practice yet, instead they were just standing around and laughing about something. Rainbow was leaning casually against the tree trunk trying to look cool while Scootaloo stood leaning slightly forward, hanging off of Rainbow’s every word. Even from here I could see the star-struck look on her face, and I imagined Rainbow telling some likely exaggerated tale of her past accomplishments.

As I began the trek up the hill to them, Rainbow finally noticed me and gave a nonchalant wave of her wing. Following her gaze, Scootaloo caught sight of me as well, though unlike her sister, she didn’t reign in her excitement. She broke out in a beaming smile and waved to me both with a wing and a foreleg.

“Hey girls,” I said as I finally reached them.

“Hi, Will!” Scootaloo said. Rainbow settled for an aloof, ‘Yo.’

“You ready to watch us tear up the skies?” Scootaloo asked.

I couldn’t help but laugh at how excited she sounded. “Hell yeah I am!”

“Good,” Rainbow suddenly barked, standing upright and marching away from the tree. “’Cuz we’re already getting a late start ‘cuz of you.”

Her harsh words were undermined by the smirk on her face and the hipcheck she gave me as she passed.

“Sorry,” I said, sticking my tongue out at her behind her back. Scootaloo caught me and laughed, causing Rainbow to whirl around, glaring at me suspiciously, but I had already resumed a neutral expression. Rainbow searched me for a moment, looking for signs of my betrayal before hmmphing and striding away, her nose in the air. As she and Scootaloo took up positions a little way away to give them room to stretch and move, I took a seat against the tree trunk. I’d have to move once they got in the air if I wanted to get any good pictures of them, but for now at least I could relax.

They started with simple aerobics, the kind any sort of athlete might do to warm-up, though most involved use of their wings instead of their legs. Jumping jacks, push-ups and standard stretches designed to loosen up the muscles, but all done with their wings. It was pretty cool to watch, just seeing the differences between how a human would limber up and how a pegasus does. But of course, a pegasus has different needs than a human, so it shouldn’t have been surprising.

All the while as they were stretching, they bantered back and forth, sometimes simply killing the time, other times prodding each other onward and sometimes still just teasing each other. I couldn’t hear a lot of what they were saying as far away as they were, but I could hear their bouts of laughter and see the grins they supported.

After they’d stretched, they both rose and stood side by side. Then they began angling their wings out, one up and the other down, then both level, then the reverse. Every time, however, they were always in sync. It took me a moment, but I eventually realized they were probably going through different wing positions they would use for various air conditions or something like that. Struck by the sight, I decided to grab a few pictures, just for the sake of it.

It didn’t hurt that Rainbow had stood with her haunches to me. And the way she was positioned with her head held low like that? It made for quite the sight.

Just when staring at even Rainbow’s beautiful behind began to bore me, they finally broke away from each other and got into take off position. Wings extended, heads down and hooves pawing at the ground for traction, the two mares stared each other down. On Rainbow’s count of three, they both took off and finally, tore into the sky.

Rainbow led the way, wasting no time in taking them both through their paces. Loop-de-loops, spirals, dead falls; every cool thing I could imagine seeing a pegasus do in the air and then some were woven before me like a beautiful tapestry. And that’s what it was, really.

Watching Rainbow in the air is like watching a painter at his easel. Each movement: every minute adjustment to her wings, every contortion of her body, every flick of her legs is all carefully measured to pull off her stunts exactly as she wants. Each rainbow trail she leaves in her wake is like the stroke on some giant painting that from the ground I only see a tiny fraction of. But what I do manage to see?

It’s a masterpiece.

But there was something different in the way she was flying today. Her movements were… hesitant, unsure. There was a cautiousness in her demeanor that I had never seen in her before. It was safe. And if I were perfectly honest? It wasn’t very exciting. Don’t get me wrong, it was still more impressive than what I’d seen from any other pegasus in town, but compared to how Rainbow flew solo? It didn’t quite hold up.

Rather than a Picasso, she was creating one of those anonymous things you’d see on the wall of a hospital. Not unpleasant, but lacking in anything that could make it great.

Shortly after they began, I rose from my seat and walked out from under the tree branches so that I could be ready to catch some good shots. I doubted anything today would be as memorable as that first time I watched her fly, but it was my first chance to get her and Scootaloo together. I snapped a few pictures of some of the more interesting stunts, like the two of them back-to-belly only inches apart as they both did a loop-de-loop and another where they did a dead fall together hoof-in-hoof.

It was only as they began a sprint from one cloud to another that the reason for Rainbow’s strange behavior dawned on me. Halfway there, she turned in midair and started flying backwards, yelling something I doubt I could have heard even if I were right next to her back to Scootaloo, who I only noticed then was struggling to keep up. It must have been a joke or a tease or something, as both laughed and Scootaloo put on an extra burst of speed, putting them on the cloud together at the same time.

Rainbow had been slowing down for Scootaloo.

I don’t know why that came as such a shock to me. Rainbow was supposed to be training Scootaloo how to fly, so of course she’d go at the pace that she could handle. Yet, still I was left feeling… off about the whole thing. The idea of the headstrong, arrogant, ‘nothing can stop me because I’m so amazing’ Rainbow Dash willingly going at a pace less than her best just felt wrong.

Yet, she was doing it for her little sister. Sacrificing her own enjoyment, her own chance to push herself to new heights to include another who couldn’t manage what she could. All to spend time with a pony she loved.

But that wasn’t really it either, was it? Rainbow was laughing and doing the thing she loved most with the pony she loved most. I could see the burning glimmer of happiness in her eyes even from way down on the ground. She wasn’t sacrificing anything at all.

Just when I thought I had her figured out, she still surprises me.

I came out of my musing just in time to see the perfect moment. Rainbow and Scootaloo, both panting and sweating –though the latter noticeably more than the former– basking in the adrenaline of a successful training lesson, pulled one another close and hugged. They hovered there, wings flapping in sync as they held each other.

Rainbow was grinning like a fool all the while, and as they parted, she pulled Scootaloo into a headlock and gave her a thorough noogey-ing. I could hear her bravado calling for the need to break the mushiness from here.

I’m just glad I managed to get a picture of both. Now those would be keepers.

So maybe it wasn’t a Picasso, but it was a pretty solid Kincaid, I think.

But eventually they alighted down about ten feet from me, laughing out loud about something or other. Just as they came to a stop, Rainbow shoved Scootaloo, sending the filly tumbling to the ground where she ended up a sprawled pile of giggles and feathers, still gasping for breath after the hard work-out.

“Alright Squirt, time for cool-down stretches. C’mon, up on your hooves ya layabout,” Rainbow said as I approached, trying to pull a suddenly lethargic Scootaloo to her hooves. When she finally made it to her hooves, they fell in line next to each other and repeated their stretches from earlier.

“So, how’d we look? Awesome? Radical? Radical-awesome?” Rainbow asked, waggling her eyebrows.

“Amazingly radical-awesome of mindbending super-coolness?” Scootaloo chipped in.

Rainbow paused in her stretches long enough to tap her chin in thought.

“Nah, trying too hard. You’ve gotta brush up on your ‘coolness’ vocab, Squirt.”

Rainbow and I both chuckled while Scootaloo gave an overdramatic groan.

“Well, regardless of what you want to call it, you both looked pretty great up there!” I said. “It looks like Rainbow’s teaching you right; you’re really good, Scootaloo!” A little harmless flattery never hurt anyone.

She waved off my praise, quite the feat with wings that were shaking and twitching like they were straining to even stay up. “Heh, you must not watch pegasi fly very often then. I suck.”

“Hey, that’s not true!” Rainbow said, rounding on Scootaloo with narrowed eyes. “You’ve made tons of progress since we started! And you get better every week! Hell, you’re already better than most of the lazy pegasi in this town!”

“You really think so, Rainbow Dash?”

“Hay yeah, I do!” Rainbow said, regaining her boisterousness. “You’re faster than any of the ponies on the weather team, barring Thunderlane and Cloudchaser. And they’re Wonderbolt Reserves like me! You’re plenty good, Squirt. Don’t beat yourself up for nothin’.”

Scootaloo cracked a grin. “Thanks, Rainbow Dash.”

As they both fell silent, I realized it was my chance to ask Rainbow if she wanted to do something together. A rumbling in my stomach made me decide lunch would be a good idea. But I couldn’t figure any way to ask Rainbow while Scootaloo was still there. I didn’t want to say it was a date since I didn’t even know if she and I were dating, but inviting Rainbow and not Scootaloo would be rude. I’d just have to deal with it and hope for a chance to talk to her on her own afterward.

“So Will, do you want to get some lunch or something? I’m starving,” Rainbow asked, cutting through my thoughts.

I blinked.

Well, fine. That’s how today was going to be, I guessed.

“Sure Rainbow, I was just about to ask you the same thing,” I said.

“Oh, do you mind if I tag along?” Scootaloo asked, smiling back and forth between us with the kind of adorable puppy I would have expected more from Sweetie Belle. “I haven’t eaten yet, either.”

Rainbow gave a slight flutter of her wings as she looked at the filly. She must have been as taken by those eyes as I was. She gave a slight shake of her head before answering. “Aw, of course you can, Squirt. You’re always welcome to tag along!”

For half a second, I thought there was the smallest falter in Scootaloo’s smile at Rainbow’s words, but then it was back and so bright and happy that I questioned whether I’d even seen anything. I must have still been somewhat groggy from sleeping all afternoon. Why would Scootaloo ask to join us and then be less than happy when we said yes?

When Rainbow didn’t seem to notice anything amiss either, I knew I was just seeing things.

Eventually, Rainbow had us settled outside some little café I’d never gone to before, and from where we sat at an outside table on what may as well have been kindergarten chairs didn’t seem to have a name. At least the building had no billboard or anything of the sort on its front. It actually looked hardly different than any of the cottages in the town, mine included. I wondered if it was just somepony’s home who made and sold food. It made sense seeing as how there were only four tables outside.

Rainbow and Scootaloo had led us straight to one of the tables, still chatting about their flight practice, and just when I wondered if we needed to find a waiter, an apron-dressed earth pony mare sidled up to us, pulling out three menus from her apron pocket with her mouth and passing one to each of us. She was somepony I’d seen around town before, but I’d never had the chance to meet her or learn her name. She had a bright pink coat and a lime green mane with a pair of white flowers for a cutie mark.

“Afternoon everypony, welcome to Daisy’s. Can I get you something to drink while you look at the menus?” she asked.

Rainbow and I ordered non-alcoholic ciders while Scootaloo got a grape soda. By the time our waitress brought them out, we were ready to order. A berry summer salad for me, a lettuce and tomato sandwich for Rainbow, and an order of chili cheese hayfries for Scootaloo. When she left to place them, I turned to my companions.

“So, how was your days?” I asked.

“Boring and lame!” Rainbow said, dramatically flopping to the table. “I spent all day doing paperwork because somepony in the Cloudsdale HQ decided to completely wreck the schedule I’d made for next month.”

“Ouch, that sucks. What happened?” Scootaloo asked.

“The Weather Factory in Cloudsdale can only put out so many stormclouds within a certain time period, right? So if too many are requested at once, the schedules have to be shifted around. Well, the Manehattan team needs a flash flood like, right now because their manager screwed up their schedule and they’ve been having a drought the last few weeks.

“It’s going to use almost everything Cloudsdale has on hoof, which normally wouldn’t be too bad, but immediately after that’s taken care of, Canterlot needs the rest for a big storm they have scheduled. Which means the light shower I had planned for next weekend is going to have to be put off for at least two weeks.

“By then, the farms are going to be running pretty dry and so I had to increase it from a light shower to a moderate rainstorm. Which of course then meant I had to rewrite the next few weeks after that to even things out. Writing the schedule once is enough of a headache on its own, having to rewrite it is the worst.”

“Damn,” I said, reaching across the table and patting her hoof. She lifted it to return the gesture but kept her forehead to the table. “So what about the other guy? Did he get canned or reprimanded or something?”

She looked up at that. “Who, the manager? Nah, it was just a mistake. They happen. Hay, I’ve screwed up my schedules a few times. It can be pretty challenging to get right. So no, just because she made an annoying mistake doesn’t mean that she deserved to get punished or anything.”

I wasn’t convinced. “Still, causing that much extra work for so many ponies sounds like it warranted something. Maybe a ‘stern talking to,’” I said, doing a crude imitation of my old man. I’m not sure why I did it considering neither of them had met or would ever meet my dad, but it amused me at least. And apparently it amused Scootaloo, too, as she laughed aloud.

“My dad’s always saying that. ‘Now you listen here young lady!’” she said, trying to look stern through her amused giggles as her voice went deeper in what I assume was an imitation of her own. “’If you don’t make it back by curfew, I’ll be giving you a stern talking to!’ Half the time, I don’t even know if he’s being for real or not. It’s just too goofy to take seriously.”

Rainbow barked a laugh despite herself. “That’s nothin’. My dad always said that if I didn’t follow the rules he’d tell my mom. Now that was when things got scary!” She paused, rubbing the top of her muzzle with a hoof while her shoulders shook with silent mirth. “I remember for my eighth birthday, my dad had bought me a replica Wonderbolts uniform. But h-he made me promise not to wear it until the weekend when my mom would be home, right? So he’s standing there, giving me the tenth degree when, wouldn’t you know it, Mom walks in the front door. Somehow he didn’t notice and asked if I promised not to wear it. Out of nowhere, Mom barks, ‘Prism! Promise not to wear what?’”

She had to stop for a moment because she was losing it so hard. “Turns out, he had promised her that he wouldn’t tell me what my present was until the weekend so they could give it to me together! When he heard her voice behind him, I swear! I have never seen Dad so close to pissing himself!” Another round of laughter burst out there, this time with Scootaloo and I joining in. By the time we calmed, Rainbow had to wipe tears from her eyes. “He was always doing stuff like that. Buying me things, randomly taking me out for ice cream; you know, just trying to spoil me. I think he did it because Mom wasn’t around very often.”

“Oh? Why wasn’t she around?” I asked. Scootaloo seemed to deflate a little as I asked, but Rainbow seemed unaffected, giving a shrug.

“She was a drill instructor at the Wonderbolts Academy, so she had to spend a lot of time on the campus, training new recruits, keeping the grounds working smoothly, stuff like that. It’s not like she was gone for weeks at a time or anything, but there were a lot of times she wouldn’t make it back before my bedtime.”

Scootaloo snickered. “The idea of you having a bedtime is great!”

A playful shove nearly sent her toppling off her seat. “Shut up! Even I was little once!”

“I can just imagine a little Rainbow, dressed in little footie pajamas and clutching a big teddy bear being tucked into bed by Daddy! Aww, she woulda been so cute!” I cooed dramatically, earning a scowl from across the table. It was all fun and games until her hoof collided with my knee hard enough to send a shock down to my toes. Scootaloo laughed harder than ever as I rubbed my aching leg, the traitor.

“So what about you, huh jerk?” Rainbow asked. “I bet you’ve got some embarrassing family stories!”

“Oh!” Scootaloo gasped, snapping out of her uncontrolled laughter. “Will, you should tell us about your family! Give us a story about your sister!”

My breath caught. Across from me, Scootaloo was giving me this huge hopeful smile, like there really was nothing in the world she’d like more than to hear about my family. About some woman she’d never meet. Even Rainbow looked vaguely interested, but the look was diminished by a brow wrinkled in confusion.

“You have a sister? How did I not know that? And how did you?” she asked, rounding on Scootaloo, who shrank in her seat.

“He just mentioned her last Saturday before I went home. I just thought it would be cool to hear some stories about growing up with a big sister. You know, since… Since I didn’t have one, before…”

Suddenly, Scootaloo’s interest made much more sense. She was just a girl that found her big sister so late in life, and wanted nothing more than to make up for lost time. It was adorable and a big part of me just wanted to give in and tell her everything she could ever want to know just to make her happy. But another part of me…

How could she expect me to want to remember?

But then her words from that morning came back to me. About how I shouldn’t give up. The fervor she spoke with. Was that what I was doing? Was trying to avoid a little bit of pain really giving up? I just didn’t know if I could stand it.

I was scared.

Rainbow and Scootaloo were both looking at each other, the big sister ruffling the little sister’s mane with a hoof. They weren’t going to be distracted forever. Any moment, they were going to expect me to say something. Sure enough, they both turned back, giving me their full attention and any words I had in mind vanished. A half-second of silence passed, and Rainbow’s smile began to falter.

She knew something was up. She was going to ask. Her mouth opened and she took in a breath…

“Alright, everypony!” came an unfamiliar voice from my left.

I nearly jumped out of my seat as our waitress seemed to materialize next to our table, a tray laden with food balanced upon her back. In no time, she had each of our plates before us and after making sure we didn’t need anything else, she excused herself and left us again.

As soon as she left I started in on my salad. The blueberries were deliciously sweet and went well with the cheese and what I think were chopped walnuts. There were even daisy petals in it –something that shouldn’t have been surprising from a place called Daisy’s– which, to my surprise, I quite liked. I don’t know what Earth daisies taste like, but these were sweet, almost like honey.

I didn’t bother looking up until after a couple of minutes had passed, and luckily enough, Rainbow and Scootaloo had both forgotten about what we were talking about and had dug in as well. Though a large part of me was relieved at having dodged the conversation all together, another part of me felt guilty. I couldn’t help but feel like I’d let Scootaloo down, even if she didn’t seem to think anything was amiss, the way she was gorging herself. She had managed to get specks of cheese and chili all around her lips and even some on her nose. It smelled delicious, though I doubted my stomach would appreciate me eating hay.

As I reached to take a drink from my cider, Rainbow’s brow furrowed. “Hey Will, you alright?”

I almost froze again, unable to look her in the eye. “Uh, yeah… I’m fine. Why?”

“Your hand’s shaking,” she said, pointing at the offending limb. Sure enough, my hand was shaking bad enough to even rattle the ice in my glass. I willed it to stop, but it was too late. Rainbow was still looking me over. “You’re pale, too. Was it something you ate? Do you need me to go get a doctor?!”

Her hooves hit the table and her wings flared out behind her. She seriously looked like she was about to take off and head straight for the hospital. I shook my head and waved my hands, trying to get her to sit back down.

“Rainbow, I’m fine. I promise! I just… I didn’t sleep very well last night and I hadn’t eaten anything today. I just felt a little faint for a moment. Once I get some more food in me, I’ll be right as rain!”

To punctuate my words, I made a show of taking another big bite of my salad. She looked me over for a moment before apparently deciding I was right and, with a shrug, returned to her food as well. Unfortunately for me, however, Scootaloo wore a frown and had a knowing look in her eyes, and I knew that she had seen right through me. I thought she would say something, but instead she just gave a nod and went back to her food as well.

Thankfully, the air between us didn’t seem to suffer because as our plates began to empty, the chatter picked up again. Rainbow complained more about work and Scootaloo mentioned doing particularly badly on a recent language test, prompting scolding from her big sister. Scootaloo, however, immediately countered by bringing up how Rainbow had talked about doing poorly in school as well, quickly shutting her up. The good natured teasing quickly had me feeling much better, and by the time we were finishing up, I was joining in with quips of my own.

In a show of near-omniscient timing, our waitress strode back outside exactly as we were putting aside our empty plates. She gathered them all back up on her tray and after ensuring everything was to our satisfaction, promised to bring out our check. Rainbow insisted we split it to Scootaloo’s frustration. She wanted to pay for her share, but considering she was the only one without a job, neither Rainbow nor I would have it.

After leaving our bits on the table, we stood a walked a short ways away and come to stop, standing around and looking at each other. We were at that point where it was time to part, but none of us were quite ready. Especially since I still really wanted to talk to Rainbow alone. I hoped I’d get the chance after Scootaloo left.

“So, it was pretty cool you came out to watch us today, Will. You should come along more often!” Scootaloo said, ruffling her wings. She almost looked like she wanted to get back in the air already.

“Yeah, I will have to! You two are pretty cool in the air together. I’d love to join you again,” I said. On a whim, I decided to poke her forehead, sending her cross-eyed for a moment before she brushed a hoof across her face and laughed.

Suddenly, her eyes went wide and she broke into a huge grin, her entire body practically vibrating in excitement.

“Oh, Will, I know what you need to do! If you think watching me fly was cool, you haven’t seen nothin’ yet! You have to come watch me ride my scooter sometime! I can do all kinds of cool tricks and jumps and stuff, and I even have some ramps set up in my backyard that let me get some sick air! It’ll be so cool, you have to come see!”

While she babbled, she began hopping in place in front of me, her wings flapping so fast they made an audible buzzing sound. Next to me, Rainbow had a hoof across her mouth, her shoulders shaking with restrained laughter, but eventually the dam broke and a snort got out. Somehow, Scootaloo managed to pause in mid-air, her eyes wide in shock. She immediately scrabbled to stand in a more casual pose, nonchalantly inspecting a hoof.

“You know; if you want to, that is. Just sometime you’re free or whatever.”

“She is pretty good, you know,” Rainbow said. “Of course, it’s her special talent for a reason.”

Scootaloo’s face flushed under the praise and wasn’t able to stop a smile breaking through her act. She turned slightly, giving a proud look back to the cutie mark on her flank. It looked like something halfway between a butterfly and a wasp, its maroon body ending in a sharp point with beautiful yellow wings elegantly fluttering behind it. I’d not paid a huge amount of attention to it before, what with cutie marks sometimes being really abstract. Like Rainbow’s, for instance. I would have guessed a lightning bolt meant her special talent had to do with weather, not flying.

“Oh, is that your special talent? Cool, then it’s all the more reason I’ll have to see you perform sometime! Maybe I can show off some of the pictures I took today,” I said.

Scootaloo blinked. “You were taking pictures?”

“Pffft, he’s always taking pictures. Can’t take him anywhere without him bringing that camera along. Speaking of, did you get any good shots?” Rainbow asked.

The image of Rainbow and Scootaloo, floating in the air hugging came to mind. “Eh, I got a couple decent ones.”

“Oh, you got something good, didn’t you?” Rainbow asked. “It was totally me during that last deadfall, wasn’t it? Or at the top of that backwards-spiraling loop-de-loop? That one was pretty awesome!”

“I didn’t look dumb in any of them did I?” Scootaloo asked. “I never take good pictures…”

The way she looked up at me with those big purple eyes and her ears laid back made her look downright pitiful. I couldn’t resist reaching over to scratch behind her ears. It was something that I had done before with Rainbow and she always seemed to enjoy it. Scootaloo did as well, if the way she leaned into my hand and gave a happy groan was anything to judge by.

“Nah, you looked totally cool in all of them, I promise. You both did. Once I get them all developed, I’ll give you guys copies if you want any.”

“Cool. Wouldn’t mind having a couple more of me and the Squirt,” Rainbow said.

Scootaloo was still too busy enjoying my fingers running through her mane. “Now those are cool. It’s like a brush, only waaay better!”

“You haven’t felt nothin’ yet,” Rainbow said under her breath. I glared at her, to which she only stuck her tongue out, but luckily Scootaloo didn’t seem to hear.

It was only as I pulled my hand back that Scootaloo seemed to join us back in reality with an embarrassed grin.

“Well, anyway… I kinda promised Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom that I would hang out with them today, so I should probably be going. When do you think you’ll be free, Will?” she asked.

I scratched my chin, thinking through my schedule for the next several days. Thankfully it was pretty empty. “Well, I’ll have to take these photos to Shutterbug’s on Monday, and it usually takes a couple of days to get them back, but I’m pretty much free any time after that. I don’t have a lot going on.”

“How about Thursday? You can come over to my place and see the sweet set-up I have! And you can meet my dad. He’s actually pretty cool as far as parents go; I’m sure you’ll like him!”

Even if I’d had anything planned, I doubt I could have found it in myself to turn her down. She just looked too damn excited. “Thursday night it is, then.”

“Cool! I’ll see you then, I guess. Well, I should head out so… I’ll see you guys later!” she said. With a wave of her wing, she turned and trotted off with a noticeable bounce in her gait. I watched her go, a swelling feeling in my chest growing at the thought of how happy she’d looked. I wouldn’t say I was an antisocial person back on Earth, but having a friend that was that excited just to spend time with me was a pretty fantastic feeling.

A weight suddenly smashed into my leg, nearly knocking me over. As I regained my balance, Rainbow hovered in the air in front of me, an evil smile plastered across her smug face.

“Aww, isn’t that adorable! She’s already taking you home to meet Daddy! Looks like the Squirt’s got a crush!” she sang, making sappy kissy-faces in the air. I responded to such childish behavior by poking her on the nose.

“Come on, leave her alone, Rainbow. She’s just excited to have a new friend to show off to. Just like another pegasus I happen to know was when we first met.”

She looked nonplussed. “You know other pegasi in town?”

I rolled my eyes as laughed at her little joke. She thinks she’s much funnier than she actually is.

“So, Rainbow, I was wondering… Do you have any plans for the rest of the day?” I asked once she’d calmed down.

“Nope. Did you have something in mind?”

“I thought we could go to my place. Just hang out a while.”

“Sure. I have nothing better to do,” she said, shrugging. “I kinda need to fly home real quick, though. I need to check my mail and stuff. You know. Oh, I should probably check on Tank, too, and make sure he has enough food to last until tomorrow afternoon. I won’t get the chance tomorrow morning.”

“Oh? Why’s that?”

“I don’t plan on going home tonight,” she said simply. Then with merely a waggle of her eyebrows, she took off into the sky. Just before she was out of earshot she called back. “Go on ahead, I’ll meet you there!”

I was left in a stunned silence as she disappeared into the sky. With a chuckle, I began the lonely walk back to my cottage. I wasn’t annoyed that Rainbow had essentially invited herself to stay the night.

I hadn’t planned on making her leave, anyway.

Chapter 17

”Will!” Sarah said as she bounced through the door. She looked to be in good spirits as she took in the decorations around the church’s vestibule, if also somewhat tired. Her long brown hair was pulled into a lazy ponytail with a red scrunchie and she was dressed for comfort rather than fashion. She wore an oversized sweater with our old high school mascot, the Houston Tigers, roaring on the front and a faded and patchy pair of jeans. I felt myself bristle at the sight of that old sweater. I’d seen him wearing it plenty of times in the past.

“Everything’s looking great!” she exclaimed, coming to stand before me. She stood rocking on her heels like a kid that knew a secret I didn’t and was dying to rub it in. I just thought she spent too much time around her students. “Sooo, how was Mom after we left?”

I laughed ruefully. “Oh, you know… Just being Mom.”

She winced but didn’t lose her knowing grin. “Ouch, that bad?”

“Eh, she could have been worse. She and Aunt Ruth spent most of the day arguing over whether the napkins should be… what was it? Single pocket folded or French pleat folded? I have no idea what either even fucking means. At least it she left me alone to handle the flower arrangements on the pews.”

“William Harkin!” she suddenly scolded, wagging a finger in my face like Mom used to when we were younger. “We’re in a church! What would Mr. Mosier say?”

“What’s he going to do, send me back to Sunday School again?” I asked mockingly. I put on my best impression of our curmudgeonly old pastor. “Now you see here, Mr. Harkin! When I was a young man, we had respect for things! We had character and integrity! Why, I had to walk to school every day fifteen miles through the snow, uphill both ways!”

She was trying to hide her giggles behind her hand by the time I finished. “Will, that’s not very nice,” she tried to admonish, but it fell a little short when she found it just as funny.

Once our mirth had run its course, she sighed and took another awed look around the room before her eyes settled on the framed photograph on the table behind me. As she reached out to pick it up I noticed she had her fingernails painted; a rich, luxurious pattern in two-tone blue with a gold filigree band dividing each nail horizontally. It was a far cry from the simplistic single colors she usually wore. She never cared enough about her appearance to pay for a professional makeover before. But I guess your wedding’s a good time to splurge.

“So, you ready for tomorrow?” I asked as she smiled dopily down at the photograph.

She gave a wry grin and rolled her eyes. “I’m ready for all this to be over,” she said, gesturing around. “I’m happy the entire family could make it out just for me, but between you and me? I hate big to-dos like this! I mean, I feel like I haven’t gotten to just stop and talk to anyone since I got here last week! Like you,” she said a little more softly as she leaned against my side. “I heard you lost your job with the Houston Times. I’m sorry; I know you really liked it.”

I shrugged noncommittally and turned to fuss with my camera satchel so that I didn’t have to look at her. Truth be told I had liked it a lot, even if it had been incredibly unstable. “Getting paid on commission to take pictures in a town where nothing newsworthy happens makes for a shitty job. And an empty bank account.”

I felt her shoulders slump. “I know it wasn’t exactly getting your photos in an art gallery or something but… I know you still liked it. At least more than–”

“Than working the checkout line at the grocery store? Yeah, I did.”

“I’m sorry,” she said again. “How are you doing? Do you need anything? Help with bills or whatever?”

I wanted to be thankful for her offer, but I was too busy being irritated that she thought I needed it. Even if I kind of did. “Thanks anyway, but I can manage. Besides, isn’t today supposed to be about you? Mom said you’re moving after the honeymoon?”

My attempt to change the subject only got me another hip-check for my trouble. Sarah set the picture back down and stepped away before leaning back against the table.

“Stubborn as always,” she admonished. “No wonder you and mom can never get along. But fine. Yes, Jack and I are moving to St. Louis next month. I got hired on at an elementary school there; I’ll be teaching fourth grade!” She gave a happy little clap of her hands. Only she could be so excited to work with kids every day. I’d go mad. “I’ll miss teaching art, but working with a smaller group of students means I’ll get to be able to know them better! I think it’ll be amazing to watch them grow over the year!”

“That’s awesome, Sarah,” I said, trying to sound happier for her than I really felt. It was hard, though, considering her life was going so perfectly. And mine just…

Wasn’t.

“What about Jackie-boy, though?” I asked. “He got something lined up, or is he just going to bum off you?”

She huffed and rolled her eyes. “He hasn’t found anything yet,” she admitted waspishly. “But he’s called several places already and we’re hoping to hear back soon. There’s gotta be at least one garage in all of St. Louis that needs a mechanic.”

“Yeah,” I said, grinning to myself. “I’m sure there’s someone dumb enough to take him in!”

“Why do you have to be like that?” she asked, her voice dropping to barely above a whisper.

“W-what? Be like what?”

“You’ve been acting like a jerk ever since Jack and I got here!” she snapped. She paused and surreptitiously looked around us, reminding me that we weren’t alone. Sure enough, the few of our cousins still hanging around were now starting at us. Suddenly her hand grabbed my elbow.

“Come on,” she urged, dragging me out of the vestibule and into an antechamber, which looked to be an office. She threw me roughly into the room and closed the door behind her to give us some privacy. My hip collided painfully with an ancient-looking oak desk, which I leaned against as I rubbed my leg.

“What’s your deal, Sarah?” I spat.

“My deal is that I’m getting married tomorrow, Will! And I’d really like my little brother to support me!”

“Hey, I’m here, aren’t I?!” I yelled back. “I’ve been doing everything you’ve asked of me to make sure tomorrow goes off without a hitch! I’ve been here all day fixing those stupid flower arrangements and listening to Mom prattle on about damn napkins like any of it even matters. So please, tell me what more I can do to support you!”

“How about not treat Jack like you hate him? He said you’ve been avoiding him all week. Hell, you wouldn’t even look at him last night at dinner! I know this is all really sudden but–”

“Sudden?!” I interrupted. “Two months! You decided to tell me you’re getting married two months before your wedding! Yeah, it’s a little sudden!”

“Well can you blame me?!” She thrust her face within inches of mine, her eyes blazing as she stared me down. “You’ve never approved of me dating him! Of course, I was scared to tell you!”

“And that fact I didn’t approve wasn’t even the slightest warning sign? You didn’t even wonder if maybe you were making the biggest mistake of your life?”

“I’m not going to live my life just to make you happy, Will! I love him! I want to spend the rest of my life with him! Why can’t you just be happy for me?!”

“Because all I can think about is how miserable he’s going to leave you!” I froze when I saw her flinch away from me and I realized how loud and upset I was getting. How could I have gotten so angry at her? It wasn’t like she was doing this just to hurt me. She just… didn’t realize what she was getting into.

I took a deep breath to calm myself before I continued at a more reasonable volume. “Sarah, Jack was the closest thing I had to a best friend back in high school. I know all the shit he got up to. I know what kind of man he is, and I know he is going to do nothing but drag you down.”

“What did he do that was so bad?”

“Where do I start?” I asked sarcastically. “Maybe how he nearly dropped out of high school? How about how he was drinking more at sixteen than I do now? Oh, I know! How about the three times he was driving drunk and wrecked his truck? He’s a loser, Sarah!”

“Will, high school was ten years ago! Believe it or not he’s changed since then!” she sighed exasperatedly. “Besides, I seem to remember him saying you were involved in more than a few of those little stunts! Not to mention all the things you pulled on your own! You don’t exactly have a lot of room to talk!”

My temper flared again. She had no right to compare me to him!

“Will,” she suddenly said. Her voice had gone soft, almost pleading, as she placed her hand on my arm. “This isn’t really what this is all about, is it? Some stupid things you did years ago?”

“Look, Sarah…” I said, feeling the exhaustion weighing me down like a ton of bricks on my shoulders. “I’ve done everything I could to help make sure things go great tomorrow. I’m even going to show up at the ceremony and smile and pretend that everything’s okay. But if you want someone to hold your hand and tell you how happy they are for you?”

I hesitated, shaking my head.

“Find somebody else.”

Without another word, I turned and stalked out. Neither her broken voice calling out my name nor the stares of the few people remaining at the church was enough to stop me as I made my way out to my car in the parking lot. I heard a few more voices calling my name, but I didn’t even register who they were until I pulled out and saw my Uncle Robert and… Jack staring after me in confusion.

Through the sour taste in my mouth and the icy pit in my stomach, I couldn’t believe what I’d just done. I felt like I was going to be sick.

I needed to get away.

Anything to not be around everyone when word got out. I could already see Dad’s disappointed face and hear Mom’s bitching.

I needed a drink. Or something to help me relax and pass the time. But there was only one bar in this podunk town, and it’d be the first place anyone would look for me. I needed somewhere out of the way.

Hell, maybe I’d take a six pack out to that old lake in the woods. Hanging out down there always made me feel better when I was younger. And at least I doubted anyone would look for me out there. I hadn’t been there since I was a teen…

Everything stopped.

Time.

My breath.

Every little noise of the night that dared creep into existence amidst the quiet.

It all died as we stared at each other in the dark little kitchen of our childhood home. We were both frozen in our tracks, looking at one another but not believing our eyes.

Sarah looked like a mess. Her curly brown hair was lying in a bushy nest about her shoulders instead of its usual ponytail and it looked like it hadn’t been brushed lately. She had dark, heavy bags under her eyes that even the thickest makeup couldn’t have hidden; not that she was wearing any. Even her long bathrobe looked shabby and drab on her.

Maybe it was because I hadn’t seen her in a while, but I was stricken by how much she looked like Mom now. They had the same round face, same five-foot-nothing body. But unlike Mom whose larger than life presence outshone her frame, Sarah looked small. It was like the weight of the world had crashed down upon her, breaking her spirit just as it had her strong back and left her a shriveled shadow of herself.

And even still, having her before me again was one of the sweetest sights I’d ever seen.

“Sarah!” I shouted happily. “Sarah, it’s really you!” A little of my happiness died when she took a faltering half-step away from me.

“W-Will?” she whispered. Even across the silence of the kitchen I could barely hear her. “It can’t be…”

I took a step forward only for her to take another back. I shouldn’t have been surprised. I’d been gone for months; I couldn’t expect this to be like saying ‘hi’ on the weekend. I couldn’t have expected this to be any easier for her than it was for me. At least I knew I was safe. There’s no telling what she and the rest of my family had been thinking all this time.

“It’s me, Sarah… I promise it’s me.”

What happened next I couldn’t quite be certain. Whether she ran to me or I to her I couldn’t say, not that it mattered anyway. All I knew was that we were in each other’s arms and we were both crying out eyes out. Well, she was bawling. For some reason, I found myself laughing despite the tears streaming down my cheeks.

It was her.

Really, truly her! I was finally home.

No you’re not, a voice whispered at the back of my mind. I fought to shove the thought away as Sarah pulled away enough to look at me, her face somewhere between complete disbelief and righteous fury. Her hands went to my cheeks, and I realized I hadn’t been as adamant about shaving lately as I used to be. I probably looked a lot different.

“Where the fuck have you been?! Why’d you disappear?! Why are you just… back out of nowhere?! We’ve been looking for you for months!”

Throughout her tirade, her flash of anger was burning out and giving way to the raw hurt beneath as the shock wore off. She only stopped, I think, because she was interrupted by a loud, choking sob and she pulled me into a tight hug once again.

We stayed there for God-knows-how-long as she cried onto my shoulder and I pathetically tried to comfort her with pats to her shoulders and meaningless whispered nothings. I felt useless standing right there, holding her in my arms and yet unable to think of anything beyond the pain she and our family had gone through.

But after a time her tears began to slow and her breathing calmed, though her grip on my body didn’t give so much as an inch.

“I’ve dreamed about you coming back before,” she whispered. “Please tell me I’m not this time.”

Another fresh knife of guilt in my gut. “You’re not, I promise.”

She finally pulled back and wiped her tear-streaked cheeks. “But then where have you been? You aren’t hurt, are you? And why are you all wet?” She paused to sniff the air. “And why do you smell like a barn?”

Her question made me realize I was still dripping and, after walking through the woods for several minutes in the dead of night, freezing to the bone. The ridiculousness of my situation hit me as well; standing in the kitchen of my childhood home as an adult with my sister, soaking wet from a midnight swim in a lake after spending over half a year in an alternate dimension populated by talking, miniature candy-colored horses. It was all so bizarre, so abjectly strange and impossible that there was only one thing my feeble mind could think to do.

I started laughing. Loud and uncontrollably. I laughed until I had as many tears streaming down my cheeks as Sarah had.

Speaking of Sarah, I don’t think she took my fit very well. As I tried vainly to get ahold of myself, she was giving me the sort of look one might give a particularly unstable mental patient. Especially one you were afraid might become violent at any moment. Understandable, I suppose, given how it must have looked from her point of view.

“I’m sorry,” I said, finally succeeding in calming. She still looked wary as I led her to the table and gestured for her to sit. “I’m going to go change to some dry clothes first, if I have any in my old room that still fit me. Could you put on some coffee? This is going to be a long story, and you’re not going to believe a word of it.”

She nodded reluctantly, probably as displeased with having me out of her sight as I was to her, but it was a short trip to my room. It looked like it always had, minus a layer of dust on everything. Mom obviously cleaned it better than I ever did. I couldn’t help but cringe at some of the posters I still had hanging up, though. I had terrible taste in music back in high school.

Luckily I was able to find a shirt that just managed to fit as well as a baggy pair of hand-me-down jeans from my dad and rejoined Sarah in the kitchen. She was watching the coffee percolate, looking for all the world like she wasn’t actually seeing it. She must not have heard me enter as she jumped violently when I pulled back a chair to sit down at the table.

I wasn’t sure what to say as she soon joined me with two steaming mugs. I mean, how are you supposed to tell someone that you fell through a magic portal into another world without sounding like you were absolutely bonkers? There was no way I could just tell her everything and expect her to believe it.

Unless…

I tore off my camera satchel and unzipped it. Thankfully the insides were somehow still dry. Twilight had given it to me along with the camera only a couple of weeks after I arrived in Equestria; it was entirely possible she had put some kind of enchantment on it to keep its contents safe. Could that have meant the magic held after coming through the portal…?

Then again, it could have just been designed to be waterproof. I couldn’t get ahead of myself.

That was neither here nor there, though, as I pulled out the hastily-stored stack of photos that Scoots had left me. My throat suddenly constricted and I coughed to clear it.

I dropped the entire stack in front of Sarah. She stared at them questioningly before slowly reaching out and picking up the first. She looked it over before she turned back to me.

“A… castle?”

“You’re never going to believe what happened to me unless you see some of it first,” I said. Her eyes narrowed dangerously and she looked like she was about to argue so I headed her off before she started. “Please, just look through them. I’ll explain after.”

She huffed and rolled her eyes before acquiescing. One by one, she flipped through the pictures, looking at few of them for longer than a moment before tossing it aside. She was less than a quarter of the way through when her temper broke and she slammed the rest down.

“Will, what the hell is this? Some kind of damn joke? Because it’s not funny!” she snarled, glaring at me with equal parts rage and hurt. Her clenched fist was trembling on the tabletop and it looked like she was about to start crying again at any moment.

“They’re all real,” I said solemnly.

She scoffed. “Don’t give me that shit! It’s ridiculous, Will!”

I stood up and stood next to her, spreading the pictures out before us. I pointed to the first one I saw.

“This is the castle I stayed in the first month I was gone. It’s called the ‘Castle of Friendship;’ yeah, stupid name, I know. It’s in a town called Ponyville,” I said, pointing to another picture. “This was the view I had outside of my guest bedroom. I woke up every day to the sun rolling up over those mountains; this beautiful golden light reflecting all across the sky. And the walls of the castle were made of this purple crystal-like stuff that just… radiated light throughout the entire building. There was never any need for candles or lightbulbs or anything because it just… glowed all the time!”

“Will…”

“And this is Twilight Sparkle!” I said, pointing to another. “She’s a Princess! One of the Princesses of an entire nation just let me live in her castle. Like I was her friend or family! She sure treated me like one.”

“Will!”

“And this one! This is Spike, Twilight’s assistant– or, uh… little brother… or son maybe? I don’t know exactly what they are to each other. I don’t think they do either, but it doesn’t matter because they’re still family. And yes, he’s a dragon! An actual, real life dragon, Sarah!”

“Will, stop it!” she shouted, shoving herself away from the table. She stood and stormed away from me, stopping with her arms crossed once she’d put some distance between us. “Just stop it! I don’t want some story o-or some pictures you made on a computer or whatever! Do you think this is some kind of joke?! Do you have any idea how worried we’ve been?!”

“I’m not–” I started to protest but stopped as I realized how futile it was. I wasn’t going to convince her that easily. I needed something special. Something big. Something she couldn’t deny. The camera itself looked too much like one from Earth; it’d never convince her. Nor would the necklace Twilight had given me. It may have had a spell on it, but you couldn’t see that.

No, it had to be the pictures. And there was only one that might do it.

I began frantically searching through the scattered photos, spilling several off the table and to the floor in the process. I was just beginning to think that Scoots hadn’t included it when I finally found it.

“Here, look at this one!” I said, holding it out to her.

“I’m not looking at anymore of those stupid pictures, Will! Just tell me what’s going on!” she screamed.

“Please, just one more!” I begged her, following her and shoving the picture in her face. “I’m not joking around. I know it’s impossible to believe, but… Sarah, please, I need you to trust me.”

She stared at me for several seconds, her brow narrowed and her lips pressed into a thin frown. As she stood unwavering, I honestly thought she wouldn’t give me a chance. Not that I had the highest hopes of convincing her even if she did, but I had to try. I breathed a sigh of relief when her expression broke and she gave a limp nod.

She took the photo from me and sighed as she looked it over, but her reluctance was short-lived as she quickly frowned in confusion. “I… don’t understand. This is you, but these… animals look…”

“Real?” I finished for her. I took a deep breath to ready myself. “That’s because they are, Sarah. They call themselves ponies, though they’re nothing like how we know them. The wings and horns are pretty obvious, and the colors, too; but there’s other differences. They can talk, for one. They have families, and jobs a-and… they pay their bills and taxes and all the same bullshit we do.”

Sarah gave no response. Instead, she continued to stare slack-jawed at the picture in her hands.

“That was the first picture I took of all of us together. It was about two weeks or so after I arrived in Equestria. That’s the name of their country, by the way: Equestria? Umm…” I struggled to think what to say next. There were so many things vying to be voiced that I didn’t know where to begin.

“The uh… the orange one with the hat? Her name’s Applejack. She and her brother, Big Macintosh, co-own their family’s apple orchard, Sweet Apple Acres. They grow the sweetest apples you have ever tasted. I mean it, there’s nothing like them here.

“The white one next to her is Rarity. She’s a unicorn, though you could probably tell that from her horn… She’s a world-renowned fashion designer. I know none of them are wearing anything in that shot, but clothing’s more of a ‘formal occasion’ kind of thing there. I worked for her a little, by the way. Mostly just running errands around town or helping her clean up around her shop. She’s a bit of a drama queen, but she’s really fun to work with.

“You can probably guess which one Pinkie Pie is. She’s a great mare; lives only to make other ponies smile. You can always count on her for a laugh when you’re feeling down. The bakery she works at is owned by two really nice ponies, too. Mr. and Mrs. Cake. They have these two foals that love to pester me with stories about Earth when I came in.

“The yellow one with the long pink mane is Fluttershy. She’s like… like a veterinarian. She takes care of all the wild critters and stuff that live near town. I’ll admit I don’t know her as well as the other’s; she’s pretty timid around people she doesn’t know so we haven’t ever spent much time together. I can tell you she’s one of the sweetest people you’d ever meet, though. I mean like, she would literally not hurt a fly.”

I stumbled in my excited babbling when I realized there was only one pony left in the picture. The one sitting next to me, her wing cocked up behind my head to give me bunny-ears while she gave that damned arrogant smirk that I couldn’t help but love. How in the world was I supposed to sum that mare up in a single little description? How was I going to explain what she meant to me?

While I pondered in silence, Sarah began to recover. She flipped the photo over like she was expecting the back to have ‘It’s all a joke!’ written on it before turning it back and studying it again. After a moment she sighed and shrugged.

“Will, I just don’t understand what you’re trying to do here. Ponies? Dragons? Ponies being princesses and owning apple orchards and designing fashion? Can you just start at the beginning?”

“It’s another world, Sarah,” I said, gripping her shoulders and looking her straight in the eyes. I needed to impress how serious I was. She had to see I was telling the truth. “Call it another dimension, another universe… whatever you want, it doesn’t matter. The point is: I saw it! I lived there! It’s all real!”

“Another… world?” she asked quietly. She looked deep into my eyes like she was searching for any hint of a lie. A fruitless endeavor, it would seem, when she closed her eyes and shook her head tersely. I was about to protest but she had anticipated that and held up a hand to stop me. “Okay. Alright. You were in another dimension living with ponies that can talk and have jobs. This is going to be a long night; I can already feel a migraine coming on. Let’s go into the living room so we can at least be comfortable while you give me the whole story.”

“Y-you believe me?” I asked, stunned.

“Of course not!” she snapped. She jerked out of my grasp and fixed me with a dark glower. “Other worlds? Talking horses? It’s fucking ridiculous, Will! Which means you’re either trying to pull some really hurtful, really stupid stunt or you’ve gone completely off the deep end. And I don’t even know which one I’m hoping for more. But…” She trailed off, looking again at the picture in her hand for a brief second. “I don’t know what else to do but listen.”

For the first time, it looked like I might have even the smallest chance of convincing her and relief flooded through me. “Thanks, Sarah.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” she said shortly.

She allowed me to gather up all the pictures while she grabbed our coffee mugs and together we went into the living room. Like the kitchen, it was exactly as I remembered. Two plush recliners sat next to each other in front of the stone fireplace that we hardly ever used outside of the Christmas season. They were angled so that they just barely faced each other with an end table in between but also so that you could easily see the widescreen TV on the other side of the room. Matching leather couches sat on either side of the room, leaving the middle of the room open for Mom’s aerobics on the weekends. Every Saturday morning she’d be in there doing her thing for as long as I could remember. Meanwhile, Dad would be out in the garage working on whatever project he’d have going on at the time. Woodworking, repairs, tinkering on the car; you name it and he did it. Half the time I think he just couldn’t stand not working on something. All the while I took any chance to not work.

Nostalgia rolled over me as I took in all the little things that had never mattered before but suddenly felt so important. The old painting of the Lake of the Ozarks on the wall that Mom had probably bought from a flea market before I was born. The last school pictures of Sarah and me on the wall along with a portrait of Uncle Robert, Aunt Ruth and their three kids. I didn’t recognize the last; they must have taken a new one while I was gone. But their smiling faces were the same as ever. Even the dumb plastic flower bouquet Dad had bought Mom for their anniversary five years ago was still in its vase near the window.

I was shocked by how much I’d missed it all as I joined Sarah on the couch. After dumping all the pictures between us and accepting my coffee, I just sat there for a time and drank it all in. Sarah, however, wasn’t willing to wait forever.

And so it was I started the long, arduous process of retelling the story. About going for the swim that led me to fall through the portal. About Twilight finding me in the crystal caves. I told her about how I lived with her in Ponyville until I had the bits together to afford my own cottage. I even told her a little about working with Carrot Top. I thought I’d earn a laugh at the idea of me willingly doing physical labor, but I got nothing instead.

She was completely silent throughout, rifling through the pictures and looking at them all in vacant disbelief. When she gave almost no reaction to anything I was saying, I couldn’t begin to tell what she was thinking.

I told her about anything and everything that came to mind. Like how Princesses Celestia and Luna raised the sun and moon every day and night or how unicorns could cast magic from their horns or how pegasi could fly. I told her that they could, and did, control the weather by pushing around the clouds with their bare hooves. I even told her I got to stand on the clouds once and even that didn’t get anything from her! But eventually I brought my story to a close.

“And that’s about it. Twilight came by earlier to tell me that the way was open again and… well, here I am,” I finished lamely. Sarah was still looking over the photos one by one; she currently had one of Carrot Top in a rare moment of affection as she nuzzled Written Script. I had sneaked the photo while she was distracted but the flash had gotten her attention and I nearly lost my camera for my alleged treachery.

After a moment, she spoke slowly, not taking her eyes off of Carrot Top. “So… a magic portal… took you to a land of tiny talking horses–”

“Ponies,” I corrected.

“–where you lived with the princess of the tiny talking horses–”

“’A’ princess. There’s more than one.”

“–and you worked for another tiny talking horse picking carrots all day. And some can cast magic and some can fly. Did I miss anything?”

Truth be told, she’d missed a lot, but I really didn’t feel like being nit-picky at the moment. “N-no, that’s about the long and the short of it. So, uh… yeah. What do you think?”

“That I must be going crazy too, if I’m even considering believing you,” she said simply.

“Sarah…” I started exasperatedly. I knew it was impossible to believe, but I was running out of ideas.

“Don’t you ‘Sarah’ me!” she snapped, looking up to glare at me. “I don’t know what you’re expecting, Will! You’re asking me to believe this… absurd story that can’t possibly be real! But the only other explanation is that you’re completely insane and have been off indulging in some delusion for the last seven months, and that wouldn’t explain these pictures!”

She threw the photo down in a fit and hid her face behind her hands. Her shoulders began trembling and when I tried to rub her shoulder to comfort her, she leaned against my side. I stayed quiet, letting her have a moment to calm down.

“So… you don’t think I’m playing a prank on you anymore?” I asked hopefully. Even that would be welcome at this point.

She let out a loud sniff. “No. Even you wouldn’t do that.”

“’Even me?’” I asked, mocking hurt. “What are you trying to imply?”

“That you can be a complete ass sometimes!” she quipped, trying to smile and even managing a wry laugh. “Especially when you don’t get your way. But not this. You’d never do something like this.” She let out a breath as her expression softened. She pulled me into another tight hug, though this one full of love instead of fear. “I’m so glad to see you again, you know? I love you, Will.”

I eagerly returned the gesture. “Yeah, I know what you mean… I love you, too.”

When we finally let go of each other, she wiped her eyes and rolled her shoulders to stretch them out. “Oh man, you’ve been gone so long! We’ve all missed you so much…” She trailed off as her eyes shot open. “Oh God! Will, we have to tell Mom and Dad!”

She leapt up off the couch so fast I could’ve thought something had bit her. Instead of running to the hall, though, she instead dashed to the side of the couch, where I only just noticed her purse was sitting on the floor. She tore it open and a moment later withdrew her cell phone.

“What are you doing?” I asked. She froze with her eyes wide.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you! Mom and Dad left this afternoon to stay with Uncle Bob and Aunt Ruth for the week. Give Dad some time with his brother, you know? He… hasn’t been doing very well since you disappeared,” she said sadly. “I’ve been coming by to visit as often as I can but I don’t know how much it’s helping. I was gonna head back to St. Louis in the morning.”

It felt like the pit of my stomach dropped out. They weren’t even home? After months of waiting to see them again, after the agonizing over whether I should even come back, after turning my back on Equestria and my friends and Rainbow and Scoots, they weren’t even home…

I tried to fight the feeling down.

“You moved, then?” I asked, trying to sound normal, and she nodded. “I wasn’t sure if you would or not with… Well, I’m glad you did. I know you were looking forward to the new job. Did, uh… Did Jack come with you?”

“No, he had to work this weekend, and he just started so he can’t afford to take off right now. I’m sure you’re happy to hear that,” she said smugly. But then she shook her head and regained some measure of cheer. “But we’ll call everyone! We can get the whole family rounded up in just a couple of hours!”

Only a phone call away. One little call and I could see everyone again! It would just be a little bit longer. I’d waited months; I could wait two more hours, right?

Two hours. I wanted to laugh even though I didn’t find it funny in the slightest. It was too bad I probably didn’t have that long.

“Sarah, don’t,” I said quietly. She looked up in confusion.

“What? Why?” she asked, her thumb twitching over the dial button.

I tried to think of what to tell her. The first thing that came to mind was something I’d wanted to say for months. I supposed now was as good of time as any.

“There was something I wanted to talk to you about first. Can you just… wait a little bit before you call them?” I asked.

“But can’t we talk while they’re on the way?” she countered. “Will, they’re dying to know you’re okay!”

“I know but… Please, it’s important.”

For a moment I thought she’d argue, but then with a sigh she closed her phone and listlessly tossed it onto the couch and flopped back down like a ragdoll. She pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them.

“Alright. What did you want to talk about? More horses?” she asked.

“’Ponies,’ but no,” I said. “Sarah, when I first went through the portal and arrived in Equestria, I was… in shock. Not surprising, I think, considering what I was surrounded by. This alien world full of things I didn’t know and couldn’t understand. Lost and alone. I think I handled things about as well as anyone could have at first, but… it took a while for things to sink in.”

I sighed. “For a while, I spent every minute of the day just waiting for Twilight to tell me she’d figured out how to open the portal back up and that I could go home. And so being stuck on my own there wasn’t so bad, because it could be any minute that I’d get to go back.

“But then the weeks started to pass, and I was working for Carrot Top every day and… the next thing I know Twilight’s helping me move into my own house and it hits me. It was not only possible, but likely that I’d never be going home. That I’d never see you or anyone else here ever again.”

An icy chill swept over me as I remembered those early days after moving out of Twilight’s castle. Even the comforting hand Sarah placed on my shoulder did little to make me feel better. “It hurt so bad… I could barely convince myself to get up in the mornings. Even when I did I didn’t do anything other than go to work and come back straight after. I didn’t want to go out, I didn’t want to make friends. I was miserable.

“After a while, I realized it was easier to ignore it all than dwell on things I couldn’t change. Because when I pretended that I didn’t have family or a life here waiting for me, it didn’t hurt so much. The worst thing is it worked. I started smiling again. Started laughing and even having fun. I… made a friend. A damn good friend.

“Completely by accident, she made me realize how much I was letting slip by. She helped me see that… even if I was stuck in a world that wasn’t mine, I still had a life to live. That I could still have things that I wanted and even be happy. If it weren’t for her… I don’t even want to think about it. I owe her everything, Sarah.”

I suddenly found myself pulled into another bone-crushing hug. I was beginning to lose track of how many that was. “I’m sorry, Will. I was thinking about everything we went through, I never stopped to think how horrible that must have been for you, too.”

“No, Sarah, you shouldn’t be sorry!” I said firmly. “I at least knew I was safe! I can’t even begin to imagine what you went through. But that’s not what I was getting at. The reason it was so hard was… all I could think about was that the last thing I did here was the worst thing I’ve ever done. I had my head shoved so far up my own ass that I couldn’t even support my own sister in what should have been the happiest moment of her life.”

Her touch became just the slightest bit more perfunctory and her expression was downcast as she pulled away. She began wringing her hands, fiddling with a diamond ring on her finger that I only just noticed she was wearing.

“When you didn’t show up, I’ll admit I thought you were just being selfish,” she said, wincing in obvious shame. “But when no one knew where you were the next day and you weren’t answering your phone we all started getting worried. When the police found your car abandoned out by the lake…”

She coughed and wiped a hand across her eyes. “All I could think about was how you could be out there somewhere, hurt or d-dead and the last thing I’d done was complain you weren’t being supportive enough!”

This was it. The moment I’d been waiting months for.

“Sarah, you had every reason to be pissed at me. I can’t believe how horrible I was being to you. I know I can be a jerk, especially when I get upset and stop thinking but… that was awful. Family shouldn’t ever turn on each other like that.”

“Can I ask what Jack did that made you hate him so much?” she asked quietly. “I just can’t get how you went from best friends to… whatever that was.”

“I could tell you that I know him better, but that’s not true. You’ve been dating him for, what? Four years now? I’ve barely so much as said ‘hello’ to him since high school. And yeah, he got up to a lot of trouble back in the day, but so did I. For all I know, he’s not that person anymore. I have no right to hate him, in all honesty.”

“But then, why…?”

“Because I actually don’t,” I said simply. At her nonplussed expression, I tried to manage a wry grin but it probably just came out as a grimace. “Even when we argued back at the church, I didn’t hate him. It was just easier to blame him than accept the truth.”

She just looked at me, wordlessly begging me to continue.

“I only realized it recently. Just like me, I only figured out what was going on when it was too late to do anything about it. The truth is I was jealous of you, Sarah. You always seemed to know exactly what you wanted and how to get it. You had a job you loved, and someone you loved even more. And meanwhile I had no friends and a job I hated. Two years out of college and I was back to working the checkout line! I felt like I was going nowhere.”

“I knew you were frustrated,” Sarah muttered, “but I didn’t know it was that bad.”

I smiled ruefully. “Well, it wasn’t exactly something I wanted to talk about! I hadn’t learned you sometimes need a little help yet,” I said and Scoots’s beautiful face came to mind. She gave a confident little smirk as the words ‘Don’t give up!’ rang in my ears. I smiled at the thought. “I’m tired of running from my problems, though. I need to face them if they’re ever going to get better. And the one I want to start with is you.”

I turned to look her dead in the eyes. “So I’m sorry, Sarah. For the things I said, for how I acted… For taking my frustration at how my life turned out on you. I was being selfish and lashing out purely because you were happier than me; nothing more. But I want you to know I’m not that person anymore. I will not be that person anymore,” I said, promising myself just as much as her. I let out a deep breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. “If you can’t forgive me that easily, though, I’d understand–”

“I do,” she said simply. I blinked in surprise and she playfully nudged my shoulder. “Will, you idiot! You’re my baby brother! I’m always going to forgive you! Even when you’re being a colossal dick… I still love you. You big dork.”

“Th-that’s it?” I asked incredulously. “That’s all you need?”

The minutia of happiness fled from her face as her voice softened. “I just spent the last seven months wondering if you were even still alive! Do you really think I care that we had one dumb argument anymore? Besides, I can kind of see what you mean. You’ve changed, Will. I’ve only just noticed it, but… there is something about you that was never there before. This ‘Equestria’ or whatever was good for you, I think. Or maybe it was this friend you mentioned. Is she that blue pegasus with the rainbow-colored hair? Or the orange one with the purple hair?”

“Wha–? How did you know about them?” I asked.

“Duh,” she said, picking up a couple of the photos scattered between us and handing them to me. “Those two are in more of these than all of the others put together. Figured it had to be one of them.”

Looking at the two pictures she gave me, I couldn’t help but laugh. The first had been taken one night the three of us were up late hanging out. Rainbow’d had a little too much cider and passed out early, to which Scoots and I showed her the hazards of doing that around your friends. We were smiling in front of her sleeping body on the couch, a penis freshly-drawn in marker on Rainbow’s cheek.

Fur-friendly marker, of course; washes right off. We’re not that mean.

The second was the one I’d taken during the first of their flight practices that I’d attended, in which Rainbow and Scoots were embracing mid-air after a flawless performance. The sheer exuberance and overflowing love written across their faces was striking, and I took it in for a moment, finding myself tracing a finger across their manes in turn.

“Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo,” I said, pointing to each. “They’re sisters. Rainbow was there for me from the beginning, always treating me just like she did anypony else. It was like she really didn’t see a difference between us. She’s loud and brash and sometimes she thinks way too much of herself, but you couldn’t ask for a more steadfast friend. Heh, now that I think about it, you two have a little in common. Even when she’s pissed, she’s still willing to forgive you. She may need a little time to cool off, but she always comes around.”

“It sounds like you learned that the hard way,” Sarah said somberly.

“Would I do it any other way?” I asked. Boy had I learned it the hard way. Friendship with benefits turned ‘it’s complicated’ turned sleeping with her little sister. Did I really want to explain any of that to Sarah? Sure, she’d probably sympathize with a relationship that wasn’t working out; she’d had a few of her own. But a relationship with a non-human? Would she think it disgusting? I sure would have before Equestria. And even with all my stories of them, I doubted she had the context to really understand. In the end, I decided not to drop that bombshell. She’d had enough to absorb tonight as it was.

“It’s sort of a long, complicated story,” I started, earning a disbelieving stare that I ignored, “but the short version is that something I really wanted to do ended up with her getting hurt. I don’t regret doing it but… I don’t know, I could have had better timing, maybe. We tried to set things right a couple of days ago but neither of us were quite ready yet.”

“Oh… I’m sorry you two didn’t get to set things right before you came back,” Sarah said, suddenly sounding unsure. “But the portal was only going to be open for so long, right? You had to come back when you did. If she’s half the friend you make her sound like, she’ll understand that you couldn’t stick around just to patch things up.”

“Careful,” I said in mock seriousness, punctuating it by sticking out my tongue at her. “You’re starting to sound like you actually believe me!”

“I don’t know what I believe,” she sighed dramatically. “These pictures are either the best CGI I’ve ever seen or they’re real. But all these names and details and… I don’t know, the way you talk about them. You really believe all this. I guess I’m starting to, too.”

“Thank God,” I said, breathing out. Hearing that even a part of her wanted to think I wasn’t a lunatic was an enormous weight off my shoulders. Too bad it didn’t make the next part any easier. “I’m glad, Sarah. But there’s something you should know. I meant it when I said that I’m not running away from my problems anymore. I can’t leave things as they are in Equestria. I just can’t walk away.”

“W-what do you mean? Will, what are you saying?” she demanded.

“It’s the same reason I didn’t want you to call Mom and Dad yet,” I admitted. Here went nothing. “I may not still be here by the time they get back.”

With a burst of energy, Sarah bolted upright, wheeling about and stomping the floor. “Y-you can’t! You just got back, you are not leaving again!”

I didn’t have the strength to rise with her. I was resolute, though. I knew what I needed to do, even if she didn’t like it. I just had to hope she could understand. “I have to. Sarah, I came back tonight because I needed to see you again. I wanted even one chance to let you know what had happened and that I was okay. That I’ve missed you all so much…” I coughed to clear a sudden tightness from my throat.

“And I also needed you to understand why I acted like that back then. I guess it does seem like a stupid thing to worry about now but… I want to be a better person, and it starts with setting things right.”

“But what about us?!” she screamed. “What about your family?! Aren’t you just walking away from us?”

“It’s not the same! You got married even when I disapproved, didn’t you?” I said, pointing to the ring on her finger. She looked momentarily confused but nodded regardless. “And why’d you do that?”

“Because I love him,” she said, still not seeing where I was going.

“Exactly,” I said. She continued to look at me for a moment before apprehension dawned and the fervor left her. With a sigh, I stood and moved before her. As I placed my hands gently on her shoulder, I was struck by how small she seemed. I’d always been taller, but I had never forgotten that she was my big sister. But she didn’t look it now as her lip trembled and she leaned against me and wrapped her arms around me again. “I’m sorry, but I have a life in Equestria. I have friends and a job and yes, even love. That Scootaloo; Rainbow’s little sister? She’s an awesome girl and I wish you could have met her. You’d love each other so much. But I have to go. The portal is only going to be open for” –I checked the time– “another hour or so, if it hasn’t closed already. I have to take it while I can.”

Her grip tightened as her shoulders started to shake. “I-is it bad that I hope it has closed?”

I shook my head and rested my chin on top of her head. “Nah, I’ll miss you, too.”

A moment passed.

“Could I ask you a favor?” I asked. She nodded without pulling away. “I would be in sooo much trouble if I didn’t bring back a picture of you…”

The water of the old lake behind my parents’ house sparkled in the moonlight as we sat on the rock outcropping overlooking it. Sarah had put on a thick wool cardigan to keep the night’s chill at bay and I had borrowed one of my dad’s old coats. I hoped I wouldn’t need it for long.

We were both silent; simply enjoying what could very well be our last few minutes together for quite a while. When an idea suddenly struck me, I slipped off the necklace I was wearing and handed it to her.

“I need you to look after this for me. It doesn’t look like much, but it could be my key to coming back. Just imagine, if that thing works, I could come back and visit whenever I wanted! Maybe… maybe you could even come visit Equestria.”

“I won’t let it out of my sight,” she said quietly, putting it on and slipping it under her collar. “Maybe I could even meet this girl of yours. Or would it be ‘mare’?” She shuddered. “Eww. That’s going to take some getting used to.”

“Spend five minutes with her and I bet you’ll change your tune,” I teased. We shared a small laugh before quiet fell again. After a moment, Sarah pulled her phone out of her pocket and held it out to me.

“Are you sure you don’t want to call Mom and Dad before you leave?”

I hung my head. “I don’t have the time to explain everything all over again. And it’s going to be hard enough leaving again as it is, I can’t take Mom freaking out, too. You know how she gets.” I tried to turn the last part into a joke to lighten the mood but even to my ears it fell flat.

She completely ignored it. “If you don’t want to leave you don’t have to. I know you were unhappy before, but we can help! We can just–”

“No,” I said, interrupting her. “Equestria’s where I want to be, Sarah. With Scoots and Rainbow. With my friends. I’m just going to miss you all.”

“Yeah, we’ll miss you, too,” she whispered. Her hand went to the necklace. “You better tell that Twilight or whatever her name was to get this portal working full-time soon! Seven months is too long to go without seeing my baby bro.”

“I’ll tell her to get right on that,” I said, rolling my eyes. “But, uh… I should probably be going.”

She nodded weakly. “This Scootaloo better be worth it.”

“She is,” I said. And she’s not the only one worth it, I thought. “I know Twilight will get the portal open again someday. I’ll be back as soon as I can, I promise.”

“We’ll be waiting,” she said simply. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” I said in return. I stood, the pebbles crunching under my feet as I slid Dad’s coat off and look down to the water below. It was so innocuous. A thought struck me and I laughed. “You know, this is going to be really anti-climactic if the portal’s already closed.”

But I knew it wasn’t. It couldn’t be. The portal first opened at the exact moment I needed a change in my life. And even though it was something I never could have expected, I found the one place I truly belonged and the people I wanted to surround myself with. Then, when things were getting tough and I was making a thousand mistakes, it opened again and gave me the chance to settle things here.

I had to believe it wasn’t just chance.

And so, with one last smile to my sister and check of my satchel, I stepped forward, and for the second time that night, I hit the water and the world disappeared.

I broke through the water’s surface like a dolphin, only without all the grace as I crashed onto my ass in the ankle-deep shallows. As I wiped the water clear from my eyes I half-expected to see the woods again and I was so surprised it took me a moment to recognize the blue crystals in front of me.

The crystal caves; I’d recognize them anywhere.

It worked! I was home!

I couldn’t stop myself letting out a whoop of joy. The relief that the portal was still open flooded through me and the excitement left me jittery. I scrambled to my feet just in time to get bowled back over by a lump of orange fur and feathers.

“Will!” a beautifully-familiar voice said as a fuzzy face nuzzled my cheek. “W-what are you doing back?! Did the portal not work?”

Seeing Scoots felt like finding a drop of water in the desert. I pulled that little mare close and hugged her like I never had before, to the point it was her turn to gasp for breath for a moment. Even after we were done, I kept her held against me just so I could feel her body.

“No, Scoots, the portal worked just fine,” I said. “I just came back.”

“But why?”

Instead of say anything, I simply kissed her. With every ounce of love and passion I could muster I kissed her. The cold, my wet clothes, even the fact that it was the middle of the night and I was physically and emotionally exhausted; none of it mattered in that moment. It was just me and her and the feel of her lips.

When she pulled away, breathless and flushed, she didn’t seem to be able to formulate a thought, let alone words.

“That’s why,” I whispered. “Because I love you, Scoots. And I want to be with you, no matter what that means. Because I love Equestria and I want to live here with you and our friends. This is my home now, not Earth. This is where I finally belong.”

“But…” she whimpered. Her lip quivered as her eyes started to water. With a lunge, she buried her face into my chest and thick, heavy tears dampened my already-soaked shirt. “I didn’t want you to leave! Th-the second you left I missed you so much but I d-didn’t want you to stay just for me!”

“Well, I’m not,” I said as I comfortingly rubbed her back between her wings. “I’m back because I want to be here. I’m glad I went, though. I, uh… I got to see Sarah.”

She pulled away and wiped her eyes with a hoof. “You did? Was everything okay? How was she? Are you okay?”

I waved off her concern. “I’m fine and so was she. We got to talk for a while. I think we settled things! It was… It was really good, Scoots. I feel so much better! Oh! I also got a little something for you,” I said, gesturing to my camera satchel. “I need to get it developed first, but… How’d you like to see her?”

A wide, teary smile broke through on her face. “I’d love that!”

We shared a smile as I ruffled her scruffy mane, to which she playfully nipped at my fingers. Taking turns, we poked and prodded and tickled each other, just enjoying be with each other again.

That is, until a small ah-hem sounded nearby. With that one noise, it dawned on me that we might not be alone. I turned to look about the cavern and saw a much smaller crowd than was gathered earlier. Sweetie Belle, Spike and Apple Bloom stood cautiously nearby, the former glaring murderously in my direction with wet eyes. Spike was wringing a handkerchief in his claws nervously. No doubt Sweetie Belle had been using it only moments before.

Twilight’s assistants were still behind their table, pretending to focus on their notes while shooting not-so-surreptitious glances our way. The guard was still nowhere to be found; he must still be trying to find Rainbow in Cloudsdale.

The only other pony in attendance was Twilight herself. She was standing only a few feet away, just beyond the shallows of the pool. Her mane was frazzled and a single hair was standing up on the top of her head, though the look she was giving me was mostly comforting.

“Sorry to interrupt, but I just wanted to make sure everything was alright,” she said. “Would you mind I give you a once over? Make sure you don’t have any lingering residual magical effects on you?”

Feeling rather embarrassed, we stood and waded out of the pool where Twilight took us aside. When Scoots followed, Twilight gave her a meaningful look. In return, Scoots stood resolutely by my side while returning a look that said in no uncertain terms ‘Try and make me leave if you dare.’

Realizing she was going to be fighting a losing battle, Twilight gave up and lit her horn in defeat. A magenta glow started passing over various parts of my body, feeling like a light breeze against my skin. It might have been a pleasant feeling had it not driven the chill deeper into my bones.

“So, how are you feeling? Any nausea, disorientation, dizziness? What about anxiety or other odd, unexplained sensations?” she asked.

“No, I’m feeling fine, Twilight,” I said.

“Why?” Scoots cut in. “Could he be hurt? Was the portal dangerous?!”

“No, he’s fine,” Twilight said, shaking her head as she cut off the flow of her magic. The reprieve was nice. “The portal had no ill-effects on him last time but it never hurts to check.”

Twilight looked like she wanted to say something else, but her sideways glance she was giving Scoots told me it wasn’t coming yet. Feeling an awkward silence about to set in, I said the first thing that came to mind.

“So, where is everypony? They all head home?”

“Yes, I teleported them all back to Ponyville a while ago,” Twilight said, eager for the change in subject from what I knew she was thinking about. “We didn’t think you’d be coming back. I decided to stay when the portal didn’t close behind you, just to monitor things but there wasn’t any need for everypony else to stay. But of course, Spike and the Crusaders all wanted to stay.”

Scoots bristled at her words. “I told you I wasn’t going to leave until the portal closed, and this is exactly why! If he came back ‘cuz something happened and I wasn’t here…”

“Scootaloo, that’s not what I was saying,” Twilight said, facehoofing in exasperation. “I was just afraid you were getting your hopes up in vain–” She trailed off with a sigh. “Look, I don’t want to argue. I’m very happy you’re back, Will, even though I hate that you had to give up so much to do it.”

“Oh, but good news!” Scoots chimed in, looking suddenly much happier. “Twilight said the tracer worked!”

“It did?!” I asked, turning to Twilight.

She nodded, smiling tiredly. “There’s some… anomalies in the location coordinates, not surprising considering it’s in a different universe. But I’m confident I’ll be able to open the way given some time to study and experiment.”

“How long we talking?” Scoots asked.

Twilight’s gaze became distant as she twiddled her wingtips in the way someone might do with their fingers while counting. After a moment, she said, “I’d be surprised if it took me more than two or three months. And even that’s assuming I’ll have to write my own spell formula to compensate for the differences between inter- and intra-spatial teleportation, which will be the most complicated step by far since I can’t rely on Clover the Clever’s standardized one.”

Scoots and I shared nonplussed looks. To prevent an explanation that would probably just end up leaving me confused and with a killer headache, I smiled and nodded. “That sounds great, Twilight. Thank you so much!”

“Don’t mention it,” she said sweetly. Surprisingly, she moved forward and pulled me into a one-winged hug, and after only a moment’s hesitation pulled Scoots in with the other. “What else are friends for, right?”

Scoots and I both returned her hug, Scoots more reluctantly than myself, but even she seemed to enjoy it. Just before Twilight made to pull away, she whispered just loud enough for both of us to hear.

“By the way, I know about what you two did last night. I expect it not to happen again until somepony has a birthday. Do I make myself clear?”

I cleared the awkward lump in my throat. “Yes, ma’am. Understood.”

We pulled apart from one another, Scoots nonchalantly polishing a hoof in an effort to look cool after such a not-cool display of emotion. I was about to further assure Twilight that Scoots and I wouldn’t be doing anything else inappropriate when a commotion sounded from the tunnel from which we’d come earlier on our way in.

“What in the world is that?” Twilight said. But we’d barely had time to register it when something moving impossibly fast flew into the chamber and made a beeline towards me.

For the second time that night, a furry lump slammed into my chest –the likes of which was likely going to be painfully bruised in the morning– however this one was not only much heavier but moving at somewhere around lightspeed. Had whatever it was not caught me and somehow held me up, I would have crashed right back to the ground.

“Oh Celestia, Will!” was all I heard through the mass of rainbow-colored hair obscuring my vision. “I’m so sorry, please don’t leave! I don’t care that things didn’t work out between us, I don’t care that you’re seeing the Squirt, just please don’t leave!”

I was released from the vice-grip she had me in until her glistening rose eyes were focused on mine. “Please, you’re one of my best friends! And I’m sorry I never told you that but you know how much I suck at talking about things! I know that’s no excuse, but–”

A flash of magenta magic pried Rainbow away from me and set her on the ground.

“Rainbow, please!” Twilight admonished. “He’s just come back through the portal and he doesn’t need any more stress right now. He needs to rest and take it easy for a while.”

“Back?” Rainbow asked in confusion. “But Twilight’s letter said you were leaving! When I read that I thought I’d never see you again… I flew straight here from Cloudsdale! Even left those slowpoke guards behind! I didn’t think I was going to make it in time. I was so scared…” Her voice faltered and she fell silent.

Scoots stepped towards her and gave her a comforting nuzzle. “Yeah, I know what you mean.”

Rainbow gave her a warm smile. “Thanks, Squirt.” She turned back to me, a familiar determined hardness in her expression. It was the same look she wore when she was about to try a new, unpracticed stunt.

And then she said something I was not expecting.

“Will, things haven’t been right between us for a while now. But I’m tired of it. I want to fix this. You’re one of my best friends, and I don’t want something this stupid coming between us. And I know part of that is my fault, so… I’m ready to talk. About us, about you and Squirt, anything. Everything; I don’t care! Whatever it takes for us to be good again.”

“Do you really mean that?” I asked.

“Yes!” she said and I knew she was telling the truth. I knew as well that, no matter what or how long it took, we were going to put things right. I wasn’t walking away this time. I wasn’t giving up. And neither was she.

But…

“Rainbow, I think Scoots has a part to say in this conversation. She needs to be there,” I said. Rather than argue, however, Rainbow simply nodded tiredly.

“Yeah, I think you’re right. She’s just as much a part of this as we are now.”

I smiled and nodded. “Rainbow, Scoots?” I asked, placing a hand on each of their shoulders in turn. “Why don’t we go home?”

Author's Note

Sorry for the delay on this chapter, folks! I had some things come up that prevented me from having the time to work on it like I usually do.

Also, I wanted to mention that we're still on track for one more chapter and an epilogue. I'm going to try to finish them both by next week so that they can be posted at the same time.