Double Date
The pegasus filly Scootaloo zoomed on her scooter towards the Cutie Mark Crusaders' clubhouse. Along the way, she performed some stunts: sliding, jumps, wheelies, the usual.
'Enough of the warm-ups.' Scootaloo thought. 'Time for something big!'
Gripping the handlebars tightly, Scootaloo started flapping her wings as hard and fast as she could. Then, with one quick jerk, she pulled the scooter spinning into the air. As she moved towards a perfect landing, a chipmunk suddenly scampered into the path of the scooter.
"Whoa!" Scootaloo screamed, pulling the scooter out of the way.
The scooter veered away, colliding with a small boulder. The wooden back wheel snapped on impact. After the fall, the relatively unharmed Scootaloo spotted the broken wheel.
"Aw, horsefeathers!" She groaned.
"Are you alright, Scootaloo?" Asked Apple Bloom, trotting in from the direction of the clubhouse. "Ah saw whut happened. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Scootaloo sighed. "But my scooter isn't."
Apple Bloom inspected the damage.
"Well, this ain't no problem!" She declared cheerily. "Ah kin fix this easy!"
"You can?!" Scootaloo beamed.
"Eeyup." Apple Bloom mimicked her older brother. "Just need a block a' wood, a corkscrew, an' a chisel!"
The pair trotted over to Sweet Apple Acres, where they could find the tools Apple Bloom needed. It took scarsely ten minutes for Apple Bloom to fashion a new wheel for Scootaloo's scooter.
"Whoa, good as new!" Scootaloo cheered, giving the new wheel a big spin. "Great work, AB!"
"Ain't nuthin' to it." Apple Bloom said modestly.
"'Nuthin'?" Scootaloo repeated. "Try ev'rythin'! I owe you big time! If you ever need anything from me, it's yours, I swear!"
"Anything?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Anything." Scootaloo nodded.
"Well, there is this one thing..." Apple Bloom blushed. "Ya know Pipsqueak?"
"The little spotted colt?" Scootaloo asked. "Trottingham accent? Pirate fixation?"
"Eeyup." Apple Bloom nodded. "We got to talkin' yesterday, after school, and, well... Ah asked him for a date."
"A date?!" Scootaloo scowled. "With Pipsqueak?!"
"Whut's wrong with Pipsqueak?" Apple Bloom asked indignantly. "He's kind, sweet, and has the cutest li'l acksent..."
"It's not there's anything wrong with Pipsqueak." Scootaloo shrugged. "It's just the whole 'dating' thing that doesn't sit well with me. Anyways, what does all this have to do with me?"
"Well, Pip said he'd love ta go on a date with me." Apple Bloom beamed. "But he also said he wanted me ta ask you ta pair up with Featherweight. Ya know, a double date."
"Me?!" Scootaloo gasped "With Featherweight?! Why?"
"Well, they're real good friends, and Pip don't want him feeling left out." Apple Bloom shrugged. "At least, that's what he told me. Ah'd've asked Sweetie Belle to go, but with her off visitin' her cousin Sparkler for the week..."
"No way." Scootaloo folded her forelegs. "No way am I going on a date with Featherweight!"
"He's a real nice colt." Apple Bloom said.
"That's not the point!" Scootaloo protested. "I am not going on any dates, period!"
"Ah thought you owed me big time." Apple Bloom said calmly. "You said if'in Ah ever needed anythin'..."
"I know, I know." Scootaloo groaned, trapped by her own words. "Fine, I'll do it. But just the one date, and never again. There's no way I'm gonna be making a habit of this."
"Great!" Apple Bloom hugged Scootaloo. "We'll meet the boys tomorrow, right after school. It's gonna be great, you'll see!"
"Yeah, sure." Scootaloo rolled her eyes.
After a restless night, Scootaloo woke up the next morning full of trepidation. On the walk to school, she crossed paths with Featherweight, who gave her a small, gap-toothed smile, causing her to cringe in embarassment. Cleary, he had been informed of the "arrangement", and assumed Scootaloo was actually looking forward to it, which only made her feel worse. In class, Scootaloo couldn't shake the feeling that Featherweight was staring at her when she wasn't looking, which only increased her sense of foreboding about the coming event.
It wasn't that Featherweight was a bad colt: Like Apple Bloom said, he was nice, and friendly. However, Scootaloo found him a little too quiet for her taste, not to mention his gangly physique.
All too soon, the end of school bell rang, and Scootaloo, with the air of a pony marching to death row, trotted to the exit.
'May as well get this over with.' She thought glumly.
Apple Bloom, Pipsqueak and Featherweight were waiting the school's steps.
"Hey, Scootaloo." Apple Bloom smiled. "You ready?"
"As I'll ever be." Scootaloo plastered a fake smile on her face.
"Then let's go." Pipsqueak grinned. "After you, m'lady."
The little colt bowed to Apple Bloom, causing her to giggle and blush. Featherweight did the same, but Scootaloo's only reaction was a bored "Whatever."
The four made their way to Sugarcube Corner. To Scootaloo's relief, Pinkie Pie wasn't in at the moment. The pink-coated chatterbox would most likely have blabbed to all and sundry that Scootaloo was on a date with Featherweight.
"What can I get you dearies?" Mrs. Cake asked.
"Four strawberry shakes, please." Pip smiled.
Mr. and Mrs. Cake filled the order and placed it on the kids' chosen table. The four young ponies took their seats, colts on one side, fillies on the other. Apple Bloom and Pip smiled dreamily at each other, while Scootaloo rubbed her knee, and Featherweight looked at the table top in shyness.
"So... you still take pictures?" Scootaloo asked, in an awkward attemptto make conversation.
"Yeah." Featherweight replied, in a surprisingly soft voice. Scootaloo had never actually heard Featherweight talk before, so she was slightly taken aback. "Why, just last week, I got a picture of you doing that awesome flipping stunt on your scooter."
To emphasise his point, Featherweight pulled the photo in question from out of his satchel.
"You carry it around with you?" Scootaloo asked increduously
"Uhh..." Featherweight mumbled.
Pip facehoofed.
"Hey Pip, why don't we go an' get some cupcakes?" Apple Bloom asked, jerking her head towards Scootaloo and Featherweight.
"Sounds good." Pipsqueak nodded. "You two stay here and get acquainted."
The two left the table, leaving Scootaloo and Featherweight.
"Sorry." Featherweight mumbled.
"Huh?" Scootaloo asked.
"I know you're not exactly thrilled to be here." Featherweight sighed. "It was all Pipsqueak's idea. He suggested Apple Bloom go for a double date because he knew Sweetie Belle was out of town, and you would be her only choice."
"So he wanted me to go on this date?" Scootaloo asked. "Why?"
"Because..." Featherweight tapped his hooves nervously. "Because I... like you."
"You do?" Scootaloo asked, dismayed. "Well, that explains a lot... like the photo."
"I don't have lots of photos of you, if that's what you think." Featherweight interjected. "I just have a few of you doing those awesome stunts."
"Awesome, huh?" Scootaloo couldn't help smiling.
"Yeah, like that one you pulled a couple of days ago." Featherweight smiled. "That spin you did was incredible."
"It was, wasn't it?" Scootaloo smirked.
"But that's not the reason I like you." Featherweight continued. "It's because I think you're... pretty."
"Pretty?" Scootaloo asked. "Me?"
Nopony but her parents had ever called Scootaloo "pretty" before.
"Yeah." Featherweight blushed. "Especially your eyes. You have really pretty eyes."
Scootaloo felt herself blushing.
"Uh, thanks." She shrugged. The tomboyish filly had never been treated this way by a colt before.
It was then that Scootaloo looked directly into Featherweight's eyes. They were a kind, warm brown. Just looking at them gave her a funny feeling.
At that moment, Apple Bloom and Pipsqueak returned with four cupcakes, one for each of them.
"Hungry, guys?" Pipsqueak asked.
"Dig in, ev'rypony." Apple Bloom grinned.
Throwing off her newfound feelings, Scootaloo had the cherry atop hers first.
"Mmm." She sighed.
"You like cherries?" Featherweight asked.
"Love 'em." Scootaloo grinned.
"Here, take mine." Featherweight offered. "I don't really like them much, to be honest."
"Thanks, 'Weight." Scootaloo accepted the sweet red orb, touched by the young colt's generosity.
'Guess Apple Bloom wasn't kiddin' about the "nice" part.' She thought to herself. 'And I guess he is kinda cute. Scrawny, but cute.'
Once the cupcakes were eaten, the four got up to leave.
"Well, that was fun." Pipsqueak smiled.
"Sho' wuz." Apple Bloom. "We should do this again sometime... Me an' Pip, Ah mean. Don't worry, Scootaloo. Ah won't ask ya to come on another double date. Like we agreed, it's one an' done."
"Now hold on a second." Scootaloo stood. "I never actually agreed to that."
"But you said 'never again'." Apple Bloom reminded her.
"'Never again', but not 'never ever again." Scootaloo smirked. "I could be tempted to go on another double date... with the right company, of course."
Scootaloo winked at Featherweight, causing him to blush.
"Great!" Pipsqueak gushed. "How about saturday, at one?"
"Fine with me." Apple Bloom smiled.
"Me, too." Scootaloo smiled wider. "It'll give us a chance to get to know each other better. That okay with you, 'Weight?"
Scootaloo gave Featherweight another wink.
"Absolutely." Featherweight stuttered, flashing another gap-toothed smile. "If it's okay with with you, I can bring along my photos of you on your scooter."
"Play your cards right, and maybe I'll even let you ride it." Scootaloo tapped him on the shoulder.
As the four left Sugarcube Corner, Apple Bloom whispered to Pipsqueak "Looks like 'mission accomplished' tah me."
"This looks like the beginning of a beautiful relationship." Pipsqueak whispered back.
"Yah really think they'll get it together?" Apple Bloom asked.
"I wasn't talking about them." Pipsqueak gave Apple Bloom a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Oh, Pip..." Apple Bloom blushed. "Walk me to school tomorrow?"
"You know it." Pipsqueak grinned.
The two young lovers walked together, followed by Scootaloo and Featherweight, whose relationship wasn't nearly that intimate... yet. Only time would tell for sure if true romance would blossom between the young pegasi...
The End.