//------------------------------//
// IV// Story: What You Can't Tell Anypony Else, or Rumble's Reluctance// by The Elusive Badgerpony//------------------------------//

There are things that you can shut your eyes to stop seeing, or cover your ears to stop hearing.

Scootaloo couldn’t shut it out.

Her aunt had brought a coltfriend over that weekend.

They did it.

Not in front of her, of course, that would be just weird.

But she saw them.

They did it more than once.

They were both acting weird.

They both smelled like liquor, and it made Scootaloo grimace.

They did it in the kitchen, and her aunt had shooed her out with a few slow, slurred curses when she went in to get a snack.

They did it in the living room, and Scootaloo watched from the staircase, silent, but giggling at her aunt’s obviously fake enjoyment.

Her aunt bounced on top of him, crying out constantly, his length slipping into her constantly, and Scootaloo shook her head in disappointment. Her aunt’s coltfriend was pitiful. Rumble wasn’t even a full-grown colt and he was bigger than he was. There was no way her aunt was enjoying this as much as the outcries and profanity made it out to be. Then again, she smelled like liquor. Her aunt acted so dumb when she smelled like liquor.

Not that she wasn’t dumb already.

There are things that you can shut your eyes to stop seeing, or cover your ears to stop hearing.

Thankfully, Scootaloo was self-sufficient for the most part.

She could feed herself, wash herself, dress herself in situations a pony needed to dress.

She did her homework, and had learned a few ways to check it herself.

She got decent grades.

Rumble.

Poor Rumble was sick on Friday, and Scootaloo couldn’t suppress the guilt that arose from that fact.

He was sick of her.

He was sick because of her.

That hurt.

It hurt more than when she had gone down on him. She hadn’t expected it to feel so incredibly painful. It felt exactly how it looked, Scootaloo stabbing herself with Rumble’s length. Then it started to feel good. Fantastically good. Scootaloo had never felt anything so carnally pleasurable before. The idle rubbing she had undertaken before was nothing in comparison to that adorable colt plunging himself into her, rubbing against her insides again and again. She resolved that she would kiss him next time instead of throwing him out of the clubhouse and threatening him with a beat-down should he tell anyone.

He wouldn’t tell anyone.

He liked it too.

She knew he did.

There are things that you can shut your eyes to stop seeing, or cover your ears to stop hearing.

She certainly hadn’t told anyone.

Social Services would come again if she did.

That useless bastard.

He did come in on occasion. He was what auntie would call “legally obligated” to do a check-up every two months. At which point she would spend the week sobering up, she would clean the house for once, and she would make it look as if she actually cared what Scootaloo did. Then once he left, Scootaloo would hear the familiar gasp of a bottle being opened, and her aunt would once again drown herself in alcohol and her own nothingness.

Scootaloo had one job.

When Social Services asked her questions, she would always say “yes” to the good things, “no” to the bad things, and “Auntie loves me” when appropriate.

Sometimes Social Services would do it with her aunt, especially when she forgot something, or when Scootaloo said the wrong thing.

There are things that you can shut your eyes to stop seeing, or cover your ears to stop hearing.

At least her aunt didn’t get mad at her.

She just didn’t care.

Scootaloo was alone.

Not really.

She had Rumble now.

She had taken Rumble, she had made him hers. She loved him and, by extension, he loved her. It was that little lie that kept her going. Besides, even if he didn’t love her- which he didn’t, he didn’t didn’t love her- he liked her. He thought she was a friend. And even if she didn’t have Rumble, she still had Sweetie Belle and Applebloom, although those two probably wouldn’t like it if she held them down and did it with them.

What if.

It wouldn’t be the same.

There are things that you can shut your eyes to stop seeing, or cover your ears to stop hearing.

Maybe it worked.

Vinyl Scratch had a marefriend.

And Lyra and Bonbon hung out more than friends did.

Though Scootaloo hung out with her friends a lot too, and they never did it.

And she never hung out with Rumble.

Scootaloo decided right then and there that she and Rumble should get together and just hang out. Get to know one another. No doing it. Just being together. Couple stuff. Oddly, the thought didn’t make her retch, as it would have a mere year, no, a mere month ago. A couple in love. Scootaloo sighed.

They would have milkshakes at Sugarcube Corner on Friday.

The colt gave a groan, and Scootaloo’s aunts started shouting slurred swears at him.

There are things that you can shut your eyes to stop seeing, or cover your ears to stop hearing.

Scootaloo couldn’t shut it out.

“You fucking moron,” Auntie cried slowly, methodically. “You came inside. I told ya to pull it out.”

Her coltfriend stammered something about how he was sorry.

Auntie started crying.

Pathetic.

In a few minutes they had fallen asleep, in each other's embrace, smelling of alcohol and tears and love that wasn’t really love. Scootaloo knew what love was. Love was Rumble. Warmth and goodness humility and kindness, with a little bit… Okay, a good amount of sex at the moment, but that would change. She knew it.

If only she could ask Rainbow Dash about it.

Though she heard that Rainbow had a marefriend.

It wouldn’t be the same.

There are things that you can shut your eyes to stop seeing, or cover your ears to stop hearing.

Scootaloo couldn’t shut Rumble out.

Good.

><><

There are things that you can shut your eyes to stop seeing, or cover your ears to stop hearing.

None of those things involved Rainbow Dash.

Her blazing, high and yet gravel-tinted voice seemed to ring out around the hills, the morning winter fog gently wafting around the chromatically unmatched pegasus, her breath coming out rhythmically, made visible by puffs of steam out of her nostrils, as if she was a steam train.

They were running in place.

Rainbow Dash said it was good warmup, good for cardio.

Maybe it was, because Scootaloo’s heart felt like it was going to burst out of her chest, or maybe she had been watching too many sci-fi horror movies late at night.

Scootaloo believed that it was true, because Rainbow Dash had said it, and there was absolutely no reason for her to lie.
Rainbow Dash had told her about the heat cycle. She had blown a small tuft of her multicolored mane away from her face as she spoke. “Scootaloo,” she had said, “there’s a lot of boring stuff about hormones and stuff they tell ya in class, so I’m just gonna say it like it is. Once every three months or so, a mare gets the notion that she’s gotta mate, and that she’s gotta have a baby. So she loses it. She starts acting all weird, like you are right now. Her tail flitters, her marehood winks, she waves her tail at boys and stuff like that. Either she mates, or three weeks later everything balances out again. Promise me you’ll only do the latter, k? Because you’re waaaay too young for the former.”

If only she knew.

There are things that you can shut your eyes to stop seeing, or cover your ears to stop hearing.

Rainbow Dash was smiling as Scootaloo and she ran in place.

Her teeth were like rows of big, white sugarcubes, glistening in the sun even in the cloudy winter weather, practically glowing. Scootaloo returned her look with panting.

She was tired, but she didn’t want to look like it was so.

That wouldn’t look good to Rainbow Dash.

There are things that you can shut your eyes to stop seeing, or cover your ears to stop hearing.

“You look better, kid,” she said.

“Thanks,” Scootaloo quickly noted, the cold air causing the word to take the form of smoke.

“No really. Last week you were pretty much dead on your feet out here, you were so deep in that heat cycle. First one’s always the worst, lemme tell ya that. I’m really surprised you got over it that quick. My parents had to lock me up in my room for a week to keep me from rutting the closest boy. Oh, man, he was a cutie…”

Rainbow Dash was going on a tangent again.

She described the boy.

Light blue Mohawk mane.

Gray coat.

Handsome yellow eyes.

Sounded like Rumble’s brother.

The douchebag.

Rumble.

There are things that you can shut your eyes to stop seeing, or cover your ears to stop hearing.

Scootaloo loved Rumble.

Rumble loved Scootaloo?

“Scootaloo?”

Rainbow Dash’s face became concerned. “Scootaloo? You okay?” Scootaloo nodded her reply, but Dash looked unconvinced. She was brash and forward, Rainbow Dash, but she wasn’t stupid. “You lost your step a bit there.”

“ I'm fine,” Scootaloo replied breathily.

It wasn’t true.

There are things that you can shut your eyes to stop seeing, or cover your ears to stop hearing.

Rumble.

Rumble was incredible. He was adorable and yet hot at the same time, a handsome young colt who clearly didn’t know what he wanted, except for one thing. He wanted Scootaloo. She knew, because he got hard whenever she was around. Or at least, both times when they did it. Her thoughts traveled to the previous day. She wanted to taste him again. It tasted musky, sweaty, loving.

“Kid!”

“What?”

“You’re really slowing down. Are you sure you’re okay? I’m not running ya too hard?”

“No, I’m fine,” Scootaloo breathed out.

“No, you’re not. C’mon, let’s take a break.”

“No-“

“Look, kid, I’m two things,” Rainbow Dash said, her tone far more serious than her average squeaky, tomboyish enthusiasm. “I’m your sister for one, and your trainer for the other. And I’m a pretty damn good trainer, so you should really listen to me when I say stop.”

But they hadn’t even done wing exercises yet.

“But I haven’t even done wing exercises yet,” Scootaloo protested breathily.

“We’ll do ‘em after lunch. C’mon. Clopvers sound good? Get ya some good carbs in the frozen yogurt,” Rainbow Dash posited. Scootaloo nodded unenthusiastically. Yogurt was good, but it was nothing compared to the world’s most adorable colt groaning softly as he released salty love jam into her mouth. She could taste it then, musky, lust-filled, wonderful, and could almost feel it in her tunnel, where he had deposited it the first time they did it. Next time, he’d do that again. But not after they hanged out.

There are things that you can shut your eyes to stop seeing, or cover your ears to stop hearing.

“Maybe you’re not outta heat yet,” Rainbow Dash queried.

“No, no, I’m good,” Scootaloo muttered.

“Ya sure?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright.”

Rainbow Dash took her charge around the shoulders, and began leading her from the hills.

“Ya sure?”

“Yeah, I said I was sure,” Scootaloo snapped, and Rainbow Dash took her hoof away from her shoulders. Scootaloo’s eyes immediately widened as her outburst faded, and she realized who she had just yelled at, and immediately began apologizing, profusely. “I’m sorry,” she said, the fear of losing her hero rising, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry-“

There are things that you can shut your eyes to stop seeing, or cover your ears to stop hearing.

“Kid, it’s okay, seriously, we’re cool.”

“Alright.”

“Just chill out, it’s okay.”

“Alright.”

Rainbow Dash let out a huff.

“Man, walking’s too slow. C’mon, hop up, I’ll fly ya over.”

“Alright.”

Scootaloo didn’t say another word until they reached Clopvers.

><><

There are things that you can shut your eyes to stop seeing, or cover your ears to stop hearing.

“Scootaloo, if somethin’s wrong, you can talk to me about it.”

She sighed.

“You wouldn’t understand.”

There are things that you can shut your eyes to stop seeing, or cover your ears to stop hearing.

Scootaloo picked at the yogurt.

It was chocolate, with sprinkles and candy pieces.

Rainbow Dash had rainbow sherbet.

There are things that you can shut your eyes to stop seeing, or cover your ears to stop hearing.

Subtlety was not a skill of hers.

“Kid, you better spit it out soon, or you’re gonna wear that frown all day, and believe me, I’m just as miserable as you are when you’re miserable.”

“I’m not miserable, Dashie! I’m just…”

There are things that you can shut your eyes to stop seeing, or cover your ears to stop hearing.

“Just what?”

Scootaloo glanced about, feeling cold.

“Kid, you’re sweating. Eat that yogurt, it’ll cool ya down.”

There are things that you can shut your eyes to stop seeing, or cover your ears to stop hearing.

“Dash, I…”

Rainbow Dash gave a small laugh and shook her head.

There are things that you can shut your eyes to stop seeing, or cover your ears to stop hearing.

“Go on, kiddo, I’m listening.”

“I… I think I should tell you later, I mean…”

There are things that you can shut your eyes to stop seeing, or cover your ears to stop hearing.

“Ya gonna ask me about the heat cycle again?”

“I… Sort of…”

There are things that you can shut your eyes to stop seeing, or cover your ears to stop hearing.

“I told you all I know, kid, I swear.”

There are things that you can shut your eyes to stop seeing, or cover your ears to stop hearing.

Scootaloo began to stammer.

There are things that you can shut your eyes to stop seeing, or cover your ears to stop hearing.

“I… I should… I mean, I…”

There are things that you can shut your eyes to stop seeing, or cover your ears to stop hearing.

There are things that you can shut your eyes to stop seeing, or cover your ears to stop hearing.

There are things that you can shut your eyes to stop seeing, or cover your ears to stop hearing.

Shut your eyes to stop seeing, or cover your ears to stop hearing.

Shut your eyes to stop seeing, or cover your ears to stop hearing.

Shut your eyes to stop seeing, or cover your ears to stop hearing.

Shut your eyes, cover your ears.

Shut your eyes, cover your ears.

Shut your eyes, cover your ears.

Eyes.

Rumble’s ice-blue eyes, piercing her breast and peering into her soul with an innocent curiosity, the pupils huge, almost dog-like, a pair of black holes sucking in all of her love and endearment, bringing her closer to him, closer to him, their lips only brushing against one another, she takes the initiative as usual and pushes through their near-kiss towards the ground, his length grinds up against her glistening slit, she raises her hips and plunges down and begins bouncing, bouncing, bouncing, and she’s so full of warmth and pleasure as he spears into her again and again and again, and they climax simultaneously, and she rolls off of him and back into his forelimbs as he holds her close in an eternal embrace, and the entire time, their eyes never leave one another.

There are things that you can shut your eyes to stop seeing, or cover your ears to stop hearing.

“I need to go.”

><><

So she went.

She left the booth she and Dash had sat in and just ran out the door, snow gently falling around her.

Dash followed.

But she didn’t stop her.

She didn’t mean to.

She just followed.

That was worse, because it meant that she didn’t mean to stop her.

She wanted to see where Scootaloo would go.

So she went.

Not home, like she thought she should have originally.

There are things that you can shut your eyes to stop seeing, or cover your ears to stop hearing.

The Everfree.

She could lose her in there.

And then, in a tumble of feathers and rainbow contrails, Rainbow Dash decided that Scootaloo had gone far enough.

She stopped her then.

Scootaloo struggled, but to no avail. Rainbow Dash had her forehooves planted firmly, but not painfully, on her tiny wings, and all that the filly could do was thrash about underneath her. Scootaloo shot her hooves up, striking at the elder pony’s gut and chest, but Rainbow Dash was a tough pony, who had survived several-hundred foot falls and high-speed collisions with nary a scratch. The hooves of a small filly bounced uselessly off of her firm, toned body, and eventually Scootaloo stopped. Rainbow took the opportunity to finally talk.

“Damn, Scoots! What the hell’s gotten into you?”

There are things that you can shut your eyes to stop seeing, or cover your ears to stop hearing.

Scootaloo held back tears.

“I can’t tell you.”

“Why not?”

Scootaloo barely held back tears.

“Because he’s not allowed to tell either.”

“…What?”

Rainbow Dash’s face betrayed no emotion, and Scootaloo felt tears drifting down her cheeks as she mumbled a response.

“Rumble.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Rumble!”

Rainbow Dash winced from the sonic outburst.

Scootaloo sobbed.

“What about…”

Her face fell.

“He didn’t.”

“N-n-no, he didn’t. I… I did-“

“He didn’t, you didn’t, neither of you did, that’s impossible, that’s just…”

Scootaloo nodded, and sobbed again, curling up underneath Rainbow Dash, who released her wings.

“He didn’t.”

It was as if repeating that again and again would have made it true, but Scootaloo nodded.

“He… I… We did.”

Rainbow Dash took a step back, and fell onto her haunches.

“No…”

Scootaloo sobbed.

“…He did?”

“We did.”

“No. No!”

Rainbow Dash shot up, and Scootaloo started to cry in earnest.

“There’s no such fucking thing as we at your age! Holy shit, when I see that kid again-“

“I went down on him!”

Rainbow Dash shook her head.

“Don’t tell yourself that, Scoots, that’s bullshit! I’m gonna have that little motherfucker’s head on a platter for this!”

“It’s true!” Scootaloo cried.

“I said don’t tell yourself that!”

“But it’s true!”

“Scootaloo…”

“It’s true! I gave him a note, and he went over to the clubhouse, and I did it with him there! H-h-he didn’t want to, but I pushed him down and I… I… I just…”

Scootaloo stopped trying to explain and just curled up and kept crying.

Rainbow Dash stopped ranting and looked at Scootaloo with a sad pair of eyes.

There are things that you can shut your eyes to stop seeing, or cover your ears to stop hearing.

“…You swear you’re telling the truth?”

Scootaloo looked up, her face streaked with tears.

“Wh… Wha?”

“You pushed him down? You…”

“Yeah.” Her voice had cracked, and Rainbow closed her eyes and looked away.

“Goddess… Because I told you.”

“Wha?”

“I shoulda just shut my mouth and not told ya anything. It wasn’t my place. Now you… Well, I dunno. Shit… Scoots, I’m so sorry, I really, really gave you the wrong idea…”

“N-no you didn’t, I mean, it hurt at first but-“

“You’re just a kid, Scootaloo! Dammit!”

Scootaloo recoiled.

“Stop being so mad…”

“…Sorry. It’s… I’m not mad at you, Scoots. I’m mad at me.”

“You shouldn’t be…”

“No, I should be, Scoots, I gave you the idea, I’m really sorry, I… Dammit.”

There are things that you can shut your eyes to stop seeing, or cover your ears to stop hearing.

Rainbow Dash crying wasn’t one of these things.
