To Find a Rainbow

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!”