Silver Spoon and the Flightless Flirt
Author's Note
This was originally a short for my Wheel of Ships collection, but it got away from me and now it's easily four times the size, so I decided to publish it as its own story.
Also, I'd like to give credit to FiMfiction user Sunset_Shimmer83 for suggesting the ship.
Silver Spoon and the Flightless Flirt
On a corner of Sweet Apple Acres, on a small plot of land that was technically still part of the orchard, stood a small group of shacks. At first, it had only been a simple treehouse, which still stood, mostly untouched, but had been joined by a larger gathering hut on ground level and adjacent storage sheds for all kinds of things the three mares in charge had figured might maybe come in useful sometime.
Collectively, these small buildings were the Cutie Mark Crusaders Headquarters. Apple Bloom practically lived there these days, splitting her time between chores on the farm and helping foals explore their interests. Sweetie Belle stopped by regularly for meetings and prep work, while the third founding member was in and out whenever she pleased.
Scootaloo dropped her skateboard in the grass and galloped up the ramp to the clubhouse, excitedly calling for her friends from outside. Her wings were flared and she had to consciously tuck them against her body as she ducked in through the door. As a filly, she could easily just barrel in, but that was before the growth spurts had not only shot up her height but broadened her wingspan as well.
Apple Bloom was sitting behind the podium at the end of the room - another thing that seemed pretty small to them now - while Sweetie Belle had jumped up from her crocheting work at her approach. Both looked up at her expectantly. "What is it, Scoot!? What's going on?"
"I have-- wait." Scootaloo got the helmet off of her head and let it clatter into a corner. She quickly messed with her short mane in a small mirror hanging on the wall before starting her announcement again, proudly putting a hoof to her chest and flaring her wings. "I have a date!"
"Oh my gosh, really!?" Sweetie Belle stomped her hooves excitedly.
"Somepony finally fell for it?" Apple Bloom asked drily, getting up after leaning the sign she'd been working on against the wall.
"Yeah, laugh it up, Blooms. But I didn't even need any pick-up lines this time."
"On whom? Who is it?" the unicorn demanded to know, her curly mane bouncing as she leaned in.
"So what ye're sayin' is it worked in spite of the lines?" the earth pony countered with a smirk, trotting closer to her friends. The spurts had hit her even harder, putting her almost a full head over the other crusaders.
"You just gotta take the wind outta my wings, huh?"
"Just makin' sure ya don't get full o' yerself."
"Ugh, come on!" Sweetie's voice squeaked as she pranced in place. "Who is it!? Tell me already!"
Scootaloo cleared her throat, milking the moment of anticipation. "Silver Spoon."
"Silver Spoon. Really?" Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow. Even Sweetie Belle didn't flip out the way Scootaloo had hoped she would, instead just tapping her hoof to her chin in thought.
"Wait, doesn't Silver have a coltfriend?"
"Not anymore!" Scootaloo said happily, causing her friends to glance at each other with concern.
"Scoots... what did'ya do?"
"What? No, no, not because of me! They broke up last month! It's been an appropriate amount of time! Right?" She looked to Sweetie for support.
"Oh, uh... I think so?"
Scootaloo still felt the excitement sitting in her bones and started pacing in the small room, her tail brushing against the walls when she turned. "I ran into her outside town hall - did you know she's apprenticing there? - and we were just catching up when she started talking about it and how she's looking other places now, so I... kinda..." She slowed down, the stress retroactively catching up with her. "...just asked her out without thinking."
"Wow. Congrats, Scoots!" Sweetie went back to bouncing excitedly.
"Well... darn. Good work then, Ah guess."
"Yeah." Scootaloo laughed nervously. "Good job. Hooking a mare who is... way out of my league!" She took a deep breath. "Who am I kidding, I have no idea what I'm doing!"
"Whoa, calm down, girl." Apple Bloom nudged her side, trotting up next to her. "If she said yes, she's seein' somethin' in ya."
"Yeah? Are you sure?" Scoots started pacing again, out of anxiety this time. "Because I can't think of what."
"Well, I can," Sweetie Belle quickly chimed in, stopping her pacing by putting a hoof on her shoulder. "You're clever and passionate, and reliable."
"But she's way smarter than me! And she's probably used to classy company, and she's so pretty!"
"So are you!" Sweetie lifted the mirror from the wall with her magic, levitating it in front of Scootaloo while playfully nudging her cheek. "Look at this handsome pegasus! Besides, you've been dating lots of ponies."
"Yeah, and I still don't have a marefriend. What does that tell you?"
"Where did ya say ye're takin' her?" Apple Bloom asked, already thinking more practically.
"I dunno. I said I'd pick her up, I... don't actually have a plan." She groaned. "Oh, Celestia, I don't even have a plan!"
"Scootaloo? Really?" Diamond Tiara's snout scrunched up, in the way it always did when she was holding something in.
"Yes. Why not." Silver Spoon pretended not to notice, taking a slow sip of her tea. After putting the cup down, she ran a hoof over her braid. She'd need it redone soon.
"Well, where should I start?" Diamond softly cleared her throat. "Mind you, I like Scootaloo. Well enough. Everything I'm about to say is objective criticism."
"Oh boy." Silver smiled while taking off her glasses and cleaning the lenses with the tablecloth.
"She's been hitting on practically everypony. I've seen her hit on Rarity of all ponies, if you can believe it. I don't think a playpony like her is a good fit for you." She let out a grunt under her breath, at her own phrasing.
"Oh, sure, I heard. But I don't think she was playing around earlier. I like to think I can tell the difference."
"Okay, well... she's... rough. And reckless. And, while I mean no offence, she isn't exactly well-mannered either."
Silver tapped the handle of her teacup, wondering who or what it was even made for. Certainly not hooves. "Maybe that's why. It would be a nice change, I think. And it's not like she's a stranger."
Diamond huffed her surrender. "If it works out, good for you. I just don't see it happening."
"Okay, how about this, then: I think she's cute. And I could use something simpler, I think. And who knows, maybe I'll like 'reckless and rough'."
"Okay, okay, I get it." Diamond waved her hoof dismissively. "I'm not going to stand in your way. But I definitely need to hear how this plays out."
"There." Sweetie put the cap back onto her marker, proudly looking at the brainstormed ideas scrawled across a piece of paper in evocative sketches. It was not unlike the cutie mark earning schemes they used to come up with together. "We have until tomorrow night to think of something super romantic. Starting with... dinner!"
Scootaloo tapped her hoof on the wooden floor. "Well I can't afford any of the classy places. And I don't even eat my own cooking."
"Keep it simple, then," Apple Bloom said right away, "Ya don't hafta make anythin' fancy."
"I can't exactly invite her out and then just serve her a sandwich."
"Hm, okay, let's put a pin in that." Sweetie levitated a sewing pin and stabbed it through the drawing of a filled plate. "How about we start with location instead? I think Diamond said she likes museums."
"Then she's already been to the ones in Ponyville. And I can't afford to take her to anywhere big, remember?"
"Let's forget about spendin' any money, then. Anypony can do that," Apple Bloom pondered.
"I literally just said I can't."
"So don't! What can ya offer her that nopony can just buy her?"
Scootaloo tapped her hoof to her chin, looking up at the ceiling. The moment stretched for several uncomfortable seconds.
"Oookay, well..." Sweetie Belle started awkwardly, wandering over to her friends to sit next to the pegasus, "don't worry, we have plenty of time. We'll think of something together. We always have."
Scoots sighed and spread her wings to lightly rest her feathers on her friends' backs. "Thanks, girls. I dunno what I'd do without you."
"No problem," Apple Bloom said with an encouraging bump to Scootaloo's shoulder. "If Silver's the filly for ya, we wanna make sure ya start this off right."
"Yeah. Better her than my sister," Sweetie muttered darkly.
Silver wasn't overly excited, really. It was kind of strange how casually she thought about the date. It had come out of nowhere and she wasn't sure what to expect from Scootaloo in the first place. But it would be a change of pace from her usual suitors and she knew her well enough that it wouldn't just be all awkward small talk.
When the time drew close, Silver had already gotten her mane washed and braided and all that was left was to find the right accoutrements. She had decided against jewellery beyond her earrings, but she refused to not accessorise at all. So she got a simple silk scarf from her dresser and put on the slimmer frames, leaving her everyday glasses on the table.
Almost right on time, there was a knock on her door. She casually trotted over and opened it, catching the pegasus nervously fixing her mane. "Hello, Scootaloo."
"Hey! Silver!" Scootaloo put her hoof down quickly and straightened herself. "You look great."
"Thank you." Silver casually flipped one of her braids as she stepped outside. "Where are we going?"
"I hope you don't mind a little walk. I, uh... reserved a spot at the edge of town."
Reserved? Maybe she didn't give her enough credit. Still, she couldn't quell a feeling of disappointment that came with the surprise. As they walked, she tried to think of any restaurant Scootaloo might be referring to. Something at the edge of town, not too expensive... not that she wanted to judge her, but she probably couldn't afford any of the classier locations.
Silver glanced at the pony beside her. It had been a long time since they went to school together. Ponyville was relatively small, so they had seen each other often enough, but things definitely had changed for both of them. "So, if it's not strange to ask, why the invitation?"
"I just... felt like it?" Scootaloo nervously fluffed up her wings and settled them again. "I mean, is that bad?"
"No, I was just surprised. I didn't think you would be interested."
Scootaloo was quiet for a moment, casually kicking a small pebble in her path as she looked down. "Why not? You're pretty, and smart..."
Silver giggled softly. The compliments she usually got were a lot more deliberate than these soft mutterings. "We didn't exactly start off the best."
"Oh, pffh, that was when we were foals," Scoots said more confidently, "Sweetie Belle has tea with Diamond Tiara every week and she used to be a lot worse than you. There's no reason we can't be friends."
"Friends?" Silver asked pointedly. "Friends don't usually go on dates."
"Well, yeah." She still didn't look at her, switching between looking down at her hooves and ahead down the path. They were leaving most of the buildings behind now, more trees and fences lining their way. "Friends or dating. No reason not to do either."
"True." Silver tried to remember what was out this way, besides a few farms. Unless one of those farms offered dinner for some reason. "So it was just a spur of the moment?"
"I guess so, yeah. But, I mean, I'm serious about it."
"Oh, are you?" She smiled mischievously. "As serious as you are with all the mares?"
The comment hit home, Scootaloo visibly cringed a little under her gaze. "Look, I know I get around and all, but I wouldn't do that with you."
"Oh? What makes me so different?" she continued to prod.
"Well, we... were friends in school."
"You were also friends with Twist. And I heard something about a lot of flirty sweets-based puns."
"Uh, okay, yeah. You're..." Scootaloo frowned as she stared at the dirt road, then stopped walking and finally looked up at Silver. "I dunno what makes this different. But it is. I'm not just trying to flirt with you."
Silver Spoon stopped a few steps ahead and looked back into her eyes. She was silent for a few seconds, until Scootaloo became visibly nervous again, her eyes briefly darting away. "Then, what do you want?"
"I... I'm not sure. For now, I just... want to spend the night with you." She smiled wryly, before her cheeks suddenly flushed. "Evening! I mean, spend the evening with you! O-on a date, not, you know...!"
Silver tried her best to keep her laugh in, her snout scrunching up and a soft snort escaping her, before she just let out a soft giggle. "Okay, okay. I believe you, don't worry. I'm done drilling you now." She started walking again, giggling one more time when she heard Scootaloo's relieved sigh.
They walked only a few more paces down the road, before Scootaloo turned and headed through a gap in the fence onto the orchard. Silver followed, glancing up at the trees, which surrounded them as tall, dark shapes, though she could still see ripe red apples in the moonlight.
Scootaloo crested a small hill and stopped, looking back at Silver to wait for her. And once she had caught up, a small cluster of lights became visible beyond the hill, settled among a grove of apple trees. The lights were dimmed lanterns, some hung from low branches, the rest weighing down the edges of a picnic blanket, a basket and cushions between them.
Silver Spoon stopped and simply took in the sight for a moment, before looking over at Scootaloo. "This is the spot you reserved? A bit of an understatement, isn't it?"
"Um, maybe?" Scootaloo scraped a hoof through the grass, her wings resettling against her sides restlessly. "Do you like it?"
"It's beautiful." She smiled and started trotting towards the lights. Scootaloo quickly overtook her, getting to the blanket first to take camping cups and a thermos from the basket, pouring tea into the cups as Silver came to sit on one of the cushions.
"Do you think she's having fun? Can you see if she's smiling?" Sweetie Belle hissed, nudging herself closer to the edge of the bushes, trying to see better through the small gaps in the foliage.
"Ah dunno, keep yer head down," Apple Bloom muttered back, prodding Sweetie's side warningly.
"If Scootaloo had messed up already, she wouldn't have followed her all the way out here," Diamond Tiara grumbled from Sweetie's other side.
The three of them were a good distance away from where they had set up the picnic, hidden in the shadows of a wild shrubbery. Apple Bloom was calmly laying down, while Sweetie Belle was hunched, too excited to stay completely still, and Diamond was maintaining as much dignity as she could with twigs stuck in her mane, wearing a fashionable blanket against the chill.
"Ya didn't have ta come," Apple Bloom pointed out with a slight frown, ducking her head to look at Diamond past Sweetie's chin.
"Excuse me, I am Silver Spoon's friend as much as you are Scootaloo's. I have a right to spy on her dates."
"Oh! Oh! They're eating the pie now!" Sweetie whispered excitedly. She leaned forward a bit more, trying to hear what her friends were talking about.
"Ah mean, that's fine, it just seemed like ya were against the idea."
"I just don't think they're a good match. I'm not holding my breath for it to be anything worth writing home about."
"And yet you're here," Sweetie pointed out, letting herself be distracted.
"On the off-chance I might be proven wrong," Diamond said diplomatically. "And I don't want to miss it if it turns into an unmitigated disaster."
"Aww, come on, Tiara, she's really not that bad."
"She hit on your sister," Diamond pointed out flatly. Sweetie's expression soured immediately.
"I told you, I'm over it," she said bitterly.
"Wait," Apple Bloom cut in quickly, pointing a hoof in the direction of the grove. "Silver is... laughin'."
Sweetie and Diamond immediately looked over again, Diamond settling herself a little closer now as well. "At her or with her?"
The others ignored her comment and all three of them sharpened their ears, trying to make out the words as their friends spoke a bit more animatedly.
"They're having fun," Sweetie whispered giddily after snatching up a few, "It's working, they're having a great time!"
Diamond caught a glint out of the corner of her eye and quickly reached a hoof over, pushing Sweetie's head into the dirt. "Sweets, your horn!" she hissed sharply, "Pull yourself together or they'll see us!"
Sweetie Belle quickly put one hoof over her snout and tried to cover her involuntarily sparkling horn with the other somehow, keeping low, while Apple Bloom chuckled softly next to her.
"...and the next day, my wings were so stiff, I couldn't fold them for hours!" Scootaloo finished the story, grinning proudly as it sent Silver Spoon into another fit of crystal clear laughter. "So that's when I figured I really needed a better way to pick up speed, because I sure can't beat them as fast as I used to. Sometimes I wish they had just stayed small."
"I don't know." Silver fought off a last giggle, tilting her glasses a bit so she could wipe the corner of her eye. "They're very pretty, so that would have just been a shame."
"Pretty? You think so?" Scoots extended one of her wings, looking at the long feathers.
"Yes, of course." Silver got up and nudged her cushion closer to sit closer by her. "The colour gradient in your feathers looks great, and you obviously take good care of them."
"Well, of course. I have to. Preening can take forever, though," Scootaloo said casually, making a dismissive motion with her hoof and folding her wing again.
"I don't suppose I can help with that?"
"Sorry, what?" Scoots looked back at Silver, thinking for a moment she must have just misunderstood. "Help with... preening?"
"Is that a no?" Silver smiled patiently.
"Nah, I mean... it can just be kinda..." She shrugged. "sensitive."
"Oh." Silver glanced away, then softly cleared her throat.
"Yeah." Scootaloo glanced down at the dishes and the few remaining bits of food in front of them. As the moment stretched a bit, she extended a wing again, carefully peeking out of the corner of her eye as she went to drape it over Silver's shoulders as casually as possible. But before she could, a shudder went through the feathers, the breeze brushing past the tips. She extended her other wing a little and looked up at the sky, moonlight and stars disappearing behind quickly darkening clouds.
"It's gonna rain," she said suddenly and stood up, looking around at the picnic setup.
"It is?" Silver looked up at her and then also at the dark sky.
"Ugh, I should have checked. I definitely would have found somewhere with a roof if I had known!" Scootaloo quickly extinguished and moved the lanterns so she could bunch up the blanket. Silver caught on and quickly helped with packing the basket and picking up the cushions. Together, they pushed everything under the largest nearby tree where it would stay relatively dry. "It should be fine here, let's hurry!"
They fell into a light gallop, heading back to the road, unaware of the three other ponies quickly scrambling to head towards the farm. Sweet Apple Acres was about as far as the town proper, so the two of them turned towards the sea of lit windows and tried to cover as much distance as they could, though raindrops started falling all too soon.
Scootaloo didn't have a problem with getting wet - her mane could even look its best when it was drenched and windswept - but Silver Spoon almost definitely felt differently about it. So when the rain started falling in earnest, she quickly extended her wings, hovering one over Silver's head as they slowed into a canter, starting to look for proper shelter as they reached more populated roads again.
After a minute of searching, they crammed themselves under the small roof covering the stoop of a closed shop, standing close together as they watched the rain and took a breather.
"Thank you," Silver said after a moment, giggling softly as she looked up at Scoots. "You're pretty soaked now, though."
"Eh, I'm good. I'll just wrap myself in a towel when I get home." She smiled back wryly. "Guess that was kind of a wash, huh?"
"Are you kidding? I had lots of fun."
"Really? You did?" Scootaloo couldn't quite hide her excitement, her smile widening and her wings partially extending, one of them prodding Silver on accident with how close they were standing.
"Of course. I've never been on a picnic date before. I usually get invited to expensive restaurants and the same two expositions I've already been to. But you went through all that effort."
A deep, radiant warmth spread through Scootaloo's chest and she could feel her heart beating harder. "So, do I get a second date?" she asked excitedly.
Silver hummed, scrunching her snout as she pretended to think about it. "Yes. I think you do."
Scootaloo wanted to jump and run, but they were still confined to the stoop, so she instead let out her joy by stomping her hooves and reduced her cheering to giddy giggling. She quickly realised how uncool it was to do that in front of her date and reined herself in again, grounding her hooves and taking a deep breath. "Okay. I mean, cool."
"Yes. Cool." Silver smirked at her but didn't tease her any further.
"We can't stay here all night. Ready for a sprint back to your place?" Scootaloo extended her wing over Silver's head again and got ready to match pace with her. They darted off, heading down the road and only slowing down again when they reached the side streets. Scootaloo kept the protective wing in place until right in front of Silver's door, where she quickly opened up and slipped inside.
"Do you want to come in and dry off?"
"Nah, I'm already drenched, I'll just get it on your carpet. But I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
"Sure." Silver smiled at her through the open door. "Don't get a cold, okay?"
"Of course! See ya!" Scoots quickly turned and darted off down the road again, heading for home.
When she got there, she quickly dried herself off before lying down on her bed, looking out the window and grinning to herself despite the rain pounding on the glass.
Silver Spoon turned in front of her stationary blow-drier, to quickly warm herself up and get rid of the few raindrops that did make it past the shielding feathers, then dried off her tail with a towel. With that done, she found a blanket and draped it over herself as she settled down on her couch. She picked up a book to start reading, but her thoughts kept drifting off after a few paragraphs.
The wing extended over her head kept coming back to mind, almost as if she could still make out the feather tips in her periphery. She looked up from the book and rested her head on her forelegs as she stared at the raindrops racing down the window pane.
It was adorable how excitable she was, too. And the last moments at the door clung to her mind as well. The image of Scootaloo standing in the rain, her drenched mane somehow falling perfectly, with a confident smile despite how uncertain she had been at the start.
"Oh, horseapples," she said softly to herself, "I should have gone for a kiss."
Just a small one, of course. Maybe she'd have the chance again tomorrow.
