Forgot the Brakes EditionLast drop:>>41694935Archived threads:https://desuarchive.org/mlp/search/subject/%2Fjdb%2F/>What is this thread about?A place to talk about humanized/EG fillies>Why /jdb/?Based on the very first threads with greens that opened with "Hey anon, just dropped by">Some pastas:https://ponepaste.org/6155 - For Whom the Bell Tollshttps://ponepaste.org/9645 - Love Gameshttps://ponepaste.org/9646 - Icarian Lovehttps://ponepaste.org/9647 - I'll think of a title when I'm done writing (Apple Bloom story)https://ponepaste.org/9648 - Freshmen, Drama, and Promhttps://ponepaste.org/9548 - Silver Spoon Story WIPhttps://ponepaste.org/7980 - The Man Who Fell For Sweetie Bellehttps://ponepaste.org/575 - Soarin's Silver Lininghttps://ponepaste.org/9649 - Of Sweetie Bots and Young Lovehttps://ponepaste.org/7910 - Anon and Sunny Shimmyhttps://ponepaste.org/9650 - Ska Anon x Sweetie Bellehttps://ponepaste.org/2308 - Silver Spoon is an Expensive Friendhttps://ponepaste.org/9653 - Wind Sprint's Daddyhttps://ponepaste.org/9652 - Daddy's Little Scootaloohttps://ponepaste.org/9816 - Raising Scootaloohttps://ponepaste.org/5391 - SS/DT Kidnapping
>>41774522i love the idea that the sports one still doesn't know how to ride a bike on account of no parents. so her friends have to teach her, and shenanigans ensue.
>>41774560That's actually a cute way of retaining her flight handicap in a way that works for >nohooves
>>41774575she also prombambly can't swim
How unusual... Most of the humanized filly art comes from the Japanese and Koreans...
>>41774618how could you possibly tally them up?
>>41774624I'm REALLY good at math.
>>41774522Rest in peace, Scootlaloo. Should've checked your brakes
>>41774522Rest in peace, Scootaloo. Should've had more padding for protection.
>>41774675Scoots in a dress that doesn't fit and keeps slipping down her is the best thing
>>41774735this pleases me greatly
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifcJ1doQDVY
>>41774633>I'm good with calculationOk Dark Knight
What is the best way to correct bad behavior in bad little girls?
>>41774787Be firm but understanding when you're licking them to orgasm and stop before they get there and tell them 'See, if you'd been a good girl, I wouldn't have stopped.'
>>41774787Lots of spankings, but then having a heart-to-heart moment in their room to help them know that you still DEEPLY love them.
>>41774787lots of hugs and kisses and lovemaking
almost 2025 and i am forgottenhttps://files.catbox.moe/qgnye8.png
Surely someone's New Years Resolution is going to be to write more cute and funny greens... Right?
>>41773937And I have the perfect costume for her
I need a cute and funny rump on my face. It's cold.
wait a minute...you're all pedophiles!!
>baseless accusation with no evidenceIt's like I'm really on Twitter or Reddit right now, wow!
>>41775698Anon, there's a whole classification for that, I feel that we need this to be edited with anon and a MLP loli
look at them go!
>>41775698I just think they're cute and funny
>>41775544Her feet are off screen but it doesn't seem like she's wearing shoes, so it works.
>>41776265nice
>>41774748TJpones makes me smiiiile>>41774791this. let them know how much you hate doing it, and how sad it makes you when they misbehavefirst the pain teaches the lesson, then as they mature, the guilt does.
>>41775544a nice cheap halloween costume!!>>41775698er, yeah, we're mostly male.>>41776206of course not, Scoots cares about authenticity. she would, at most, wear sandals. but her only pair is oversized and neon green, so she went without>>41776265see all these human fillies know not to wear those.
>>41735334Just finished reading, good shit
>>41776368tjpones makes me smile too
>>41776674hnng i want to skinny dip with this bloom
>>41776743I feel blessed to have been born in the poverty-stricken Deep South to have experienced numerous little girls (and a sister) exactly like TJPones' interpretation of Apple Bloom.And all of the disasters that come with it.
>>41776759adorable.i had some cousins down there and one of them was cool with changing in front of me. i wish i'd noticed, i wasn't facing her and her sister was raggin on her for it. wish i had been. tried to play it off all cool.
>>41776796My sister got dared to go naked outside and she did it without blinking. My girl cousins followed suit because they didn't want to be called chicken. We were about 10 or so years old. If it wasn't for us being in a small town with a deputy who knows kids are stupid shits and even more stupid and shitty when unsupervised, I'm pretty sure everyone involved would be on the sex registry.
>>41776810awesome. adorable. awesome.>sex registryoh so this wasn't terribly long ago. i was envisioning the 80s or someshit. figured you were a decade older'n me.
>>41776821It was mid-2000s and after 9/11 but before smart phones and social media. Since impoverished areas are 20 years behind culturally it was basically the 80s.
>>41776833yeah i feel like sex offender registries for people walking around naked wasn't a thing yet, even in civilization
>>41776843It shouldn't be a law anyways. If we didn't have modesty laws I guarantee that we'd have a massive reduction of fat people AND a significant drop in wasteful clothing manufacturing. Just don't let people sit down in businesses without clothes because I don't want someone's chocolate ring staining the seats. And also execute the unhygienic who don't bathe regularly.
>>41776865obviously, i'm just sayin. it's important to remember exactly how long shit has been fucked, or you'll get people claiming it was always that way and that supports it.>sit downwell that's why nudists carry towels, but that does seem like a kinda awkward way to handle stuff. i would think restaurants would provide you with nice clean ones themselves and then launder them for each new party.
>>41776885I also want them gone because I'm tired of padded bras and spanx.
>>41776891hahaha chicken buttwell that's another thing. bras have been linked to all kinds of health problems, and panties are unhygienic in a way that's so fucking obvious, you'd think at least one person would have questioned why women never put cloth between their legs for thousands of years.
>>41776898>hurr durr back pain>hurr durr muh leakageI'm tired of how backwater society is. Back pain didn't exist because women used to have back muscles from doing labor around the farmstead or on the manor property. Leakage wasn't an issue because women worse dresses that went down to their ankles. Yet some educated degree-holder thinks the dress was a form of oppression because showing ankle was "scandalous" when, nah you dickhead, it was for modesty for natural biological functions. But they wanna call ME the retard because I speak normal instead of like a TV personality.
>>41776912leakage is a positive thing. we need to start celebrating it. men do it sometimes too! one of the only times i got to hang out naked with a friend, I was weendrooling the whole time.but nevermind back muscles, BREAST muscles will grow, to hold everything together. keep shit from sagging. as long as you get plenty of protein. but then that's a whole other buncha nonsense with women. fuckin salads.. so they're wearing bras, letting the muscles atrophy, and wondering why their tits get saggy. like, look at national geographic for a hot second. see how the starving africans have floppy ones, and the south americans are super perky? the place where there's food running around everywhere and they even eat guinea pigs..
what the fuck is this
>>41776938a discussion of the benefits of nudity or at LEAST going commando under dresses, and how it could apply to apple bloom and her friends.
>>41776963scoots is into it
i want apple bloom to try and kick my ass
>>41777110and fail, right... right?
>>41777124Fun fact: Girls wearing skirts are very happy when you convincingly let them throw you onto your back. They will often stand above you and gloat about their victory.
>>41777134dammit i want to be teased by girls lettin me look up their skirtsi was born at the wrong timeor rather, i was born at the right time, but i never had any relationships, and it is now the wrong time.
>>41777436I've had nieces and neighborhood girls want to show off their gymnastics lessons to me. You see, kids need validation in their early years. They crave it. Most parents don't give kids the validation they need because they're working overtime for less pay. Parents also don't communicate well with their kids, whether it's because they're trying to "protect" their kids from the horrors of the workforce, or because they (the parents) were raised to not show "weakness" by opening up. What ends up happening is that parents stop giving their kids validation, without explaining -why- they're too tired to validate them. So, kids look elsewhere to get the attention they crave. If a kid doesn't get healthy attention in their youth, then they will grow up to believe they aren't -worthy- of attention. I learned that lesson the hard way. For example, as a kid, I was prohibited from having more than three (3) presents on Christmas, because "three was enough for Jesus and we don't want you getting spoiled". What I took from that is that I'm not -worth spoiling-, so even today, I struggle with accepting gifts, even cards, even though I know my refusals of people wanting to do nice things for me is causing them distress.So my nieces and these other girls, they become so happy when I watch them put their feet on the tops of their head, or do handstands in their baggy hand-me-down shirts, or put their ankles behind their necks... even if they end up rolling onto their backs while doing it because they haven't fully found their center of gravity yet. They just want to be validated. If their parents won't do it, well, I suppose I should, because Heaven forbid someone nefarious tries to give them the attention they desire...!!
>>41777463damn right, especially girls.also that is the dumbest rule ever. One of his gifts was fucking GOLD. yeah i'll have 3 gifts if one of them is fucking gold.also he was a -baby-babies don't usually get presents. this was taking zoroastrians out of their natural habitat to have them bear witness to oh shit the real religion it turns out.>gymnasticsfucking cute. you are a good fella. they will never fall into dark places because they will associate kindness with people who didnt get rapey.
imagine a world where all cute and funny art had nude editshttps://files.catbox.moe/r9kd1e.png
>>41777723nudie belle!they really should both be though..
>>41777723Imaginehttps://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/nzbzpz3tw05o69hds4zl9/ADP5OvEZUIKJ-4ZeDzzUzUQ?rlkey=97iynz36w3yam3nkfhxeiygbs&dl=0
>>41777743>[TARGET ADQUIRED]
>>41777723Silver's like: "Girl, get a tan!"
>The Red Queen's hypothesis is a hypothesis in evolutionary biology proposed in 1973, that species must constantly adapt, evolve, and proliferate in order to survive while pitted against ever-evolving opposing species. The hypothesis was intended to explain the constant (age-independent) extinction probability as observed in the paleontological record caused by co-evolution between competing species; however, it has also been suggested that the Red Queen hypothesis explains the advantage of sexual reproduction (as opposed to asexual reproduction) at the level of individuals, and the positive correlation between speciation and extinction rates in most higher taxa.
>>41777906English, Dr. Cunny.
>>41777908Rabbit become faster to escape fox. Fox become faster to catch rabbit. Both become faster because of the other. Remove rabbit, fox become slow. Remove fox, rabbit become slow. Competition (chaos, discord) forces evolution and reproduction. Cooperation (friendship) causes stagnation and extinction.
>>41775714An alicorn?
>>41777463okay but how do you respond when a child starts acting out and breaking things and causing things to disappear without making them feel like there terrible and should go to jail or whatever it is that happens to them
>>41777981i meanyou spank and you tell her if she keeps this up she WILL go to jail. that is reality. you go to your room now so you won't go to a smaller room later.
>>41777981>Trixie refuses to bathe or finish her vegetables!Bam. Time out.>Trixie's time is valuable beyond the limits of your pitiful 'time out'! And furthermore- No, not Trixie's pert and pretty bottom!I'm like, theee last guy to resort to this but you know what, I gotta show some follow through.She'll respect me for it.
okay smart guys, how do you avoid splurging when you're confronted by a little girl trying to sell you something? one thing im worried about is having a daughter who wants clothes, or motorcycles, or a life-sized plushie of shamoo the whale
>>41778030>Oh, isn't that just darling...what's the next badge you girls are working towards?>Rope tying? Acting? You can try both those in my basement, you know?
>>41778030Ah man, I've never wanted to sound like my boomer dad but I could see myself coming off that way.>A what? Motorcycles and a life size plush of Shampoo?>You know what MY parents got me when I was your age? Socks and underwear, and I had to LIKE it, gosh darn it!
>>41778383Hey, what'd I tell you about just kicking those off and undressing where you please?>"..That ah should wait til y'all put on some music and take mah clothes off slower?"
>>41778030I don't have the heart to say no to a little girlLook at them, they look so cute with those uniforms
>>41778388>Dressing up mini wife as a scout, policewoman, or glowieWho says boys don't wanna play with dolls.
>inb4 "once you wipe shit out of your daughter's crack you don't find girls cute anymore"
>>41778835There's already a lesborians thread.
Who asked?
>>41778835>>41778848Just a case of low test then? Noted.
Who are you, even?
>>41778871Fuck you and your dykeshit, nigger.
>>41778859Either a bot or someone schizoposting
>>41778835>>41778871>loli derpyGreens?
how would you go about maintaining a child's innocence and wonder without letting fantasies get in the way of their personal growth and development? it seems like a delicate balancing act
>>41778948Well, for starters: not crush it like Pony Snape did with her.
>>41778385kek. good bloom.>>41778835fatherly instincts are closely related.
>>41778948it really isn't. you let go and mostly let nature take its course, with a strong backbone of morality that nature isn't allowed to cross.
>>41778871Yes young Padawan, I assure you that licking it iis a part of your jedi training
>>41778948can i just tell her that i fell in love with her and want to get married?
>>41779428https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YA4RiyOgaU&t=21s
>>41779248>fatherly instinctsbingo
>>41779548Cool reference
It's so cold outside... why can't it be warm again? I suppose I could go to the southern hemisphere, but do I really want to be one of those kinds of tourists? Visiting the beaches as a foreigner while families are out having a good time?
>>41780221cold is way betteri want to snuggle under a blanket with many human fillies.
>>41780504Warm is better because of sunscreen and aloe vera. It's clear to me that you've not had much experience with this sort of thing, which I suppose, for most people, may be construed as a positive aspect of your character.
>>41780221unf, I want to rape these girls, swimsuits are my fetish
>>41780504>tfw no warmth of smol wife harem
>>41780508but then i'm sweating and can't move and i have a headache from the sunif it's cold, i'm energetic and running around. the girls will be cold but they've got energy
>>41780769>imblying you aren't sweating and can't move (because of a boner) every season of the year
>>41780776Touché
Does anyone else still have leftover Halloween candy? Since I'm getting older I can't eat sugar by the handful (I could only eat one [1] entire cheesecake the other day) so I've got all these leftover confectionaries.
>>41781014heyyyy those aren't candy, that's two girls in ... cowboy-era prostitute costumes.
>>41781014oh wait you were seriousnaw unfortunately it's too much of a pain to hand out candy as a basement-dweller, nothing to do upstairs the whole night. it's too bad, I believe in halloween, it's an excellent institution. i just need to move.
>>41781021Uh excuse you but the term is Saloon girl, thank you.>>41781368Never have any idea what this guy's saying, it's like an AI that was taught to be obtuse and nonsensical as possible.
We don't have enough lore, man.Like, what are some reasons I'd need to marry a young girl, or two, or three?Is there a population shortage and like, now I'm being incentivized to start a family with a pre-teen girl(s)? I mean I can't be the only one to think this, right? Hahaha, right?
https://baraag.net/@Rockset/113732461403665416
>>41781739Handholding?! You degenerates make me sick.
>>41781679A major pill that's hard to swallow in this sterilized modern world is that men were supposed to die in war en masse which would create a male shortage and incentivize women to breed with only the men smart or well-connected enough to know how to avoid war, OR breed with men who survived war and were given massive compensation by the state for their hard work. In other words, women would fuck men who didn't get shipped off to war, and as soon as the war ended, women would fuck men with the most resources, which COULD be some loser with a GI Bill.What I'm saying is that you very well could be obligated to practice polygamy with several women who have at least had their first period following WW3, should the casualty rate be tremendously high.
>>41782027>You WILL take the loli wife harem and LIKE ITUNCLE SAM NO, PLEASE, MERCY!
>>41781739I hear that site is lenient on cunnyposting. I want to do a side account for that, but I don't know where to do it.
>>41782788>empty cuck chair reserved for the viewer
>>41781513saloon girl, thank you.what part of that post didn't you get? the door, where trick-or-treaters show up, is upstairs. if you live in the downstairs, it's inconvenient to hang out all night waiting to hand out candy.
>>41782797>lenientthe word is sane. if it's legal, it's allowed.
>>41782798its for when they both get on their knees to give you a bj
>>41782797Baraag has been strictly artist-only registration for a while now
Do you think you could handle the emotional stress of needing to supervise and keep track of multiple children at the same time? It's easier when they're babies, I think, because babies are stationary. What'll you do when they want to run off to go play in the lake at the park?
>>41783028simple.. you take them somewhere safe but stimulating, so they get tired out, then you can relax at home when they're in low-power mode.if they're MY kids then they will listen to discipline and not get lost.
>>41782931Is it hard to get an account then? From what I've gathered, I think it might be the best environment for the kind of art I want to do.
>>41783028It's actually harder when they're babies because they'll wander around and not know when you're telling them not to do something. When they're a little older, they're more socialized and are at least capable of listening, as opposed to just not wanting to. But even then a bratty little girl isn't gonna just wander into a duck pond and drown while you're trying to stop another one from going over to pet some white lady's pitbaby who thinks it wouldn't hurt a fly.
>>41783471>It's actually harder when they're babiesi read this part then got distracted by my cat and went to open the door while processing your words and i was like "oh right, we're in /jdb/"sorry, my mind wanders to places sometimes
>>41783471pitbulls are adorable good boys and they will keep that girl safe
>>41783456>Is it hard to get an account then?Considering the low effort Paint-tier crap I've seen there, I don't think so
>>41783684
>>41783807>Anon did you know that 13% of ALL crime is- Oh Golly wife you say the darndest things
boop
I'm scared of having a daughter that's as cute as a button and dangerously adventurous because I know I'd have zero willpower and would spoil her rotten, give her whatever she wants, and go out of my way to accommodate her desires.
>>41784570you have to work on ithammer into yourself that if you spoil her, she'll grow up into a miserable old piece of shit once her looks gobut if you raise her right, she can be chief justice of the supreme cour- she can be a good wife for someone. you have to raise the wife you would want, and then help her pick the best guy.
>>41784575That sounds like I'm cuckolding myself, no thanks...!!
>>41784577well, look around youyou see a lotta good wife material? i don'tpeople with that attitude are to blame.
>>41784577your going to make someone's life worse if you don't learn from the mistakes that others have made raising their little angels
>>41784575Pardon you but the best guy for her is me, her older boyfriend-dad.
>"Anon, are you still upset about my parents and sister?">"I'm sorry, I just wanted to present you to my family.">"They really ruined our 5th anniversary"
>>41783516You wouldn't a baby would you?
>>41785376Well, huh... well... I... huh, well... what was the question again?
>>41785203Honey what are you talking about?Robert's just freed up a whole theater for our private screening of Frozen, your favorite!Heheh, thanks again Rob, you're one of the good ones, brother.
>>41785376mayebhttps://files.catbox.moe/9nda14.png
>>41785376
>>41785376No that anon is just confused. /jdb/is for sentient lolis (and occasionally the semen demon)
>>41785663>Daughter-wife's teacher wants a conference>"No, no, Mr. Anonymous, she's not in trouble..I was just curious about her uhh 'creative tendencies'.">'Oh? Is she daydreaming in class again? I'll-'>"Mr. Anonymous, take a look at what she draws..routinely.">'..What're they, tadpoles? OH!..Ohhhh..I see, I see.'
>>41785663>>41785673why is she like this
>>41785847>that throat bulge in the 6th panel…
>>41785847>"It doesn't stop there, Mr. Anonymous..">"Here are some 'airplanes' she drew..">-OH my god. Yeah th-..that's pretty..on the nose.>"And here some trees..which she calls 'Bigwoods'.."
>>41782788Anon, someone have to record it and pinkie isn't the kind of girl that would like to just record it with a cheap cellphone, she would hire someone professional to record every single second of what she gonna to do to Lily.
What do you guys think about the filly thread?
>>41786420What about them.
>>41786420i like it. I always have that thread and this thread pinned.
>>41784965but then she'll be like 50 when you're dead and.. oh yeah she'll have just lost interest in sex. won't need a new man. maybe that is perfect.
>>41785376babies are for raspberries on tummies and carefully cleaning their sensitive areas up so they dont get rashy. they need lots of pets and cuddles and attention and then they grow up into fine people.
How would you encourage your daughter to make friends with other kids that have disparate interests from her own? It's important for her to do what she likes of course, but isn't it also important for her to expand her horizons?
>>41786871That's not as important as people make it out to be. People with similar interests naturally find each other. IRL Rainbow Dash would probably not like being around Fluttershy and say stuff like "it's always the quiet ones". Fluttershys and Twilight Sparkles might hit it off tho, which is the most you should hope for. Pinkie Pies, Rainbow Dashes, and Raritys would all have stuff in common. If your daughter is an Applejack, she'll probably prefer to just be around her siblings instead of any other mane archetype. Or maybe Raritys, since working girls tend to like fashionable shit and pretending to be high society irl.Basically what I'm saying is you shouldn't enforce diversity on a kid, because that's not a natural way to make friends and what interactions they do have will be forced and shallow.
>>41786871no fucking idea. i never got to. and mine will be homeschooled so it's gonna be harder, but at least they won't be little monsters like public school would make them into. or little robots like -any- structured school would. but I fear there are issues and risks.
>>41787046Homeschooling doesn't inhibit socialization as long as the kids and yourself are in active local communities. Intramural sports is a good example, as are religious institutions (most Protestant denominations have Sunday services, a seminary service in the middle of the week, and a charity service on Friday or Saturday).
>>41786871That's a tough one, since, surprise, I was never properly socialized as a kid.Tell her in some current year terms 'fuck dem haters'.
>>41787091you lucky fuck, how'd that happen
Memories are very important, but people tend to remember more bad memories than good ones, which leads to a kind of depression or longing regret. What's a good way to go about convincing your daughter to record her adventures, be it making a journal, recording videos, or something else?
>>41787596I started to write my own "journal" back when I was very young.Mainly names of songs and quotes I didn't wanted to forget. Maybe that would be a good starting point.
>>41787596>journal/recording selfCan be cringe. t. carried around a handheld recorder my freshman year of HSI'd probably just tell her hey there's a world outside your phone and the mall and you're not allowed to talk to any boys.
>>41787969>>41787981>>41787596man you guys have great motivations. my journals were always extremely bland and just statements of what was on my mind at the time.. i never really kept it up long. I'm the kind of person who would do better to scrapbook, and I wish I was taught to as a kid. I would have kept a scrap from every toy package I received, and it'd be a perfect way to just travel back through those moments. Words on a page, not so much. and really hard to like, flip to "oh when did i have that one thought..."
Damn this thread has been jumping, usually we go a few hours without much activity. This time tho we got plenty of discussion
From some of the like-minded souls in the koikatsu breadhttps://u.smutty.horse/miyhgigkvsh.png
>>41788047Oh yeah, I was about to post that here but then I went to go get dinner
How would you make a day celebrating children as special as can be for the lil'uns? Think about it, even if you have plenty of money, that doesn't mean throwing more cash at... whatever you'd splurge on... would make them happy. It has to be something memorable, something that will make them reflect on that moment for the rest of her eyes.
>>41788063I'd have that developing body for dinner, lunch and breakfast.
>>41788008Oh kids and their novelty t-shirtsI swear, if it's not that one she's wearing, its the one that says "Daddy's cumslut" or "Wife-in-training".
Oh no the cute delinquent girl next door misinterpreted your kindness and now she thinks you two are dating
>>41788836Scoots need a father
>>41787038>IRL Rainbow Dash would probably not like being around Fluttershy and say stuff like "it's always the quiet ones".IRL RD probably wouldn't be friends with any of the M6 since her main interest is something they have no way of meaningfully appreciating—she's like a painter whose friends are all legally blind.Her and Twilight have the book thing, and her and Rarity are both technique-focused professionals who want to the the very best in their field like noone ever was, and her and Pinkie love practical jokes, etc., but those are all secondary to RD's Main Thing that it would ruin her life to never be able to do again.
>>41789445I don't know if I can be a dad, but she will surely call me "daddy" by the end.
>>41735334PART 3: GIMME SHELTER>October came as quickly as you predicted.>It'd been five days since you formally reintroduced yourself to Scootaloo, and vise versa.>Five days come and gone.>Five days closer to winter.>As you woke up early on the first day of the month, you marked down another X on your 2023 calendar, and checked your phone after wirelessly charging it.>You still weren't sure if the time was right, but you were confident about the day.>The last five days were spent stress-testing your new bike, trying to figure out how fast it could go with the wagon in tow.>Of course, you spent all of September 27 trying to get it attached in the first place...>A whole round of duct tape later, you had the most ghetto setup you could've ever had, which included taping the handle of the wagon to the base of your bike seat.>Surprisingly, it worked, and you were NOT going to question it.>You rode the bike a few blocks from the college, all the way to Scootaloo's house and back.>Thanks to the flat terrain, what was a 40 minute walk was cut down to a ten minute bike ride. And that was WITH the wagon!>Well, an empty wagon, but now you were gonna be able to cover a much greater distance than on foot.>You paid Scootaloo a visit a couple days later on the 29th, sending her more food as promised. The two of you engaged in small talk, but she didn't seem as interested as before.>It was best not to push it. You figured she was still trying to take in the reality of it all.>But at least your shoddy craftsmanship made her giggle just a bit.>After waking up in the morning on the first of October, you decided to take inventory of your supplies again.>You still had plenty of food to last you quite a while, but it felt like you were starting to burn through it now that Scootaloo was getting a share.>And the fact that you went through two cans of sausage the other day didn't exactly help the matter.>You were getting greedy.>You weren't going to ration Scootaloo's portions, but you were going to limit yourself from now on if you wanted this stock to last the both of you the next couple years.>Food aside, you were good on batteries after the haul from Gamer's Gate with Scootaloo.>However, at best, your current supply would keep your gadgets alive for another couple months. Your phone was the only way to tell the date apart from your calendar, and your Steam Deck was a great way to make things feel normal a little while longer.>But they ate up those fuckers like they were candy.>Maybe not playing games would be a great incentive to get to work, but you still wanted to have a supply on hand, if only for your flashlight.>Having grabbed a new map from the security booth when you got home on Tuesday, you spent a few minutes in the morning marking all the nearest shops that could sell batteries.>You deduced that the closest place to the college that you hadn't yet visited was a gas station half a mile north.
>>41789929>That was inching precariously close to downtown.>But the second-closest shop was Zap Trap which, based off the limited description alone, was a Dollar Store Geek Squad which also sold some relatively cheap electronics.>That store was smack dab in the middle of Canterlot.>You had no idea how bad things could've been in the city, but you opted not to find out anytime soon unless you were desperate.>For now, you'll hit up the gas station, then maybe head west back towards the shopping center.>Maybe even see how Scootaloo is doing...>After loading up your usual supplies, you grab your wagon-bike and began north.>It took you the first day or so after bringing it home to relearn how to ride a bike, but you got the hang of it pretty fast.>But the wagon -did- make it feel bulkier than normal.>Still, it was your only mode of transportation and mobile storage for now.>The trip to the gas station was hardly five minutes by bike.>Every reminder of how much time you were saving now made you a very happy man.>Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for when you approached the front of the store.>Just like the previous one, the front doors had been busted open, and the place had very clearly been looted.>Luckily, there didn't appear to be as much missing. The shelves still had enough food to fill up your duffel bag at least a couple of times—and a surprise for Scoot, to boot—but unfortunately, there were no batteries to spare.>And as luck would have it, what would've been their next shipment was due to arrive on the day after things began to fall apart. So the storage room in the back had nothing more than a couple boxes of chips and Twinkies.>You still took them, but you couldn't help but wonder if this was going to be an increasingly recurring theme the closer to downtown you were.>It wouldn't surprise you if there was nothing left in the city worth taking.>But for now, you decided to stick to the outskirts, and began the trip over to Scootaloo's neighborhood.>You made it to her house in just fifteen minutes with hardly a breath lost.>After evenly dividing the haul of snacks between you and her, you walked up to her front door, set the box down in front of it, and knocked a few times.>You then went back to your wagon-bike and continued west.>But just before you rode too far, you looked back.>And sure enough, there she was, standing at the front door, box in hand, looking over to you.>You just smiled and waved to her.>After a moment, she—albeit awkwardly—waved back with a small smile of her own, before retreating back into her home.>It was a promising sign, at least...!
>>41789937>The next day, October 2, was time to deliver more food to Scootaloo, more than the snacks you brought her the day before. You settled on a three-day schedule.>It became a great excuse to stick around a little longer and keep her company if she felt comfortable with it.>Which, with each passing day, seemed more and more to be the case.>Not only that, but she had slowly been regaining the color in her complexion, and gradually rebuilding her weight, thanks to the food you'd been giving her.>She seemed far healthier now compared to even last week.>She even looked happier, in spite of the circumstances.>When she first answered the door in the early morning hours, she was wearing some of her new clothes. And given her incredibly deep yawn, it was obvious she slept in them too.>"I-It was chilly last night, that's all...">She wasn't wrong. It was getting cold lately.>Sooner than you thought.>But for now, you pushed the worry aside and handed her a plastic bag containing more food.>She looked inside the bag, which contained a couple canned beans, canned corn, and...>"Awesome!" she exclaimed as she pulled out not one, but two cans of macaroni and cheese.>It was a different brand than the one you gave her the first time, but it was equally as good, you reckoned."Surprise~" you say in a sing-song tone, before petting her head.>Like before, Scootaloo recoils from your touch.>But this time, not for lack of trust.>"Hey, quit it!" she giggles softly before "readjusting" her hair.>However, you couldn't help but notice how greasy her hair had felt just from the second of contact alone.>You didn't say anything about it right now, but you made a mental note to look for some shampoo for her later, maybe even collect some water strictly for washing.>Or maybe there's a river nearby...?>"... Thanks, though.">You smile."You're welcome. Sorry I couldn't find the same kind.">Scootaloo just shrugged.>"Eh, it always tastes the same to me.">You chuckled."If you say so.">Suddenly, the cool wind brushed against you, and you let out a shiver as you rubbed your hands together."Mind if I come in?" you ask politely. "Just wanna warm up a little.">The one downside to biking in these cooler temperatures was that you got cold much faster than on foot.>Luckily for you, Scootaloo seemed to understand your current predicament, and actually stepped to the side.>"Alright," she replied softly.>Gifting her a warm smile of your own, you walk past her and entered her house for the first time in three weeks.>You heard Scootaloo close the door slowly behind you, and almost right away, you felt yourself begin to warm up.>It definitely felt cool in here, but the difference between in here and the morning chill outside was blatant.>Taking a gander around the living room, it appeared no different from the last time you were here.
>>41789941>The light coming in was minimal thanks to the cloth covering the windows, but the windows in the kitchen had nothing covering them, allowing some natural light to shine through.>You walked up to the window and almost asked Scootaloo why the back windows weren't covered, but it didn't take long to see why; the fence surrounding her backyard was tall, easily preventing anyone from simply looking over.>Speaking of the kitchen, the smell of rotting food permeated throughout the room, growing in intensity the closer you were to the trash bin.>A quick look inside revealed most of the empty cans of food that you'd given Scootaloo over the last few weeks, their scraps of contents beginning to reek with decay.>The strength of the smell just from opening the trash bin made you shut it immediately.>You'll throw out the bag when you leave.>"What?" you hear Scootaloo say behind you. "It doesn't smell THAT bad.">You simply raise an eyebrow at her...>Then immediately lower it because you realize she's right.>You've smelled far worse..."Well, at least you're eating your veggies..." you mutter to yourself before sitting down at the table.>Not too quiet, evidently enough, as Scootaloo just crosses her arms.>"Well, yeah... I'm not a baby.">Good, because then you'd have much bigger problems.>You were smart enough not to say that aloud; instead, you simply smiled and placed your hands in your pockets to warm them faster."You sleep okay?" you ask her.>Scootaloo, still crossing her arms, paces slowly around the table.>"A little, yeah... it's just been super cold lately.">With another shiver from the cool ambient air, you shift in your seat and tighten your new hoodie."Yeah... I didn't expect fall to get cold this fast," you tell her as you continue warming up.>However, Scootaloo seemed to look at you almost quizzically.>"What? It's not fall yet.">It was your turn to be confused."Yeah, it is...?">"No...? Isn't it still August or something?""... It's October.">That seemed to throw Scootaloo for a loop, who simply told you to hang on before running up the stairs, presumably to her bedroom.>When she returned, she had in her hands a school planner. She opened the planner to you, showing you the contents inside. >"See? Isn't today the 17th?">You tilt your head to the young girl curiously."Here, let me see that for a sec?">Scootaloo hands you the book, crossing her arms again as she watches your eyes comb through her planner, looking at all the dates she had crossed off.>Well, most of them. Many of the days between late March up to early May were either missing or crossed in with pencil.>It was pretty evident that she hadn't been keeping track of time at the start, and you pointed the squares out to her.>She just scrunched her lips and blushed lightly.>"Well, I-I kept forgetting to write down the days, so... I tried doing the math in my head and just kinda wrote what I got."
>>41789945>She glanced coyly back down to the planner in your hands.>"I guess I was off by a lot, huh...?">You simply smiled at her."Well, at least you were trying. Got a pencil?">With a nod, Scootaloo walked over to the small drawer you grabbed a notebook from a few weeks back, and gave you a spare sharpie pen.>You then started marking every single square up to October 1."There. As far as I know, today's the 2nd," you tell her before handing the planner back to her.>She flipped through the pages slowly before closing it and gazing at the cover, which read "SCHOOL PLANNER 2023".>"... Thanks," she said faintly, before sitting down opposite of you at the table.>You watched as she traced her thumb over the "SCHOOL" of the title."You okay?" you ask her.>"Yeah..." she answers slowly, as if she herself wasn't convinced.>You glance down to the planner, then back up to her as you put your hands back in your pockets."Miss school...?" you ask with a little smirk.>"Pfft, what? No!">Scootaloo looks down to the planner.>"I mean, maybe... I mean, like... I just miss everyone FROM school, but that's all.">You figured that was the case."Like who?" you decide to ask, curious.>Scootaloo shrugs.>"Well... I always thought Miss Cheerilee was a pretty cool teacher.""Really? What was she like?">Scootaloo shifted in her seat and set the planner down on the table, trilling her lips.>"Well, she was more of a librarian than a teacher, but she used to teach history sometimes.">She smiles.>"I always liked when she taught us about the Wayne Brothers or those Spitfire planes.""You mean the Wright Brothers?">"Yeah, those guys! The ones who made the first airplane. I must've asked Miss Cheerilee to teach us that part like six times back in fifth grade.">You find yourself chuckling at the idea of this Cheerilee woman teaching the same thing over and over for one kid."So is that why you wanted that Sky Cruisers game? Just to fly the planes?">Scootaloo nodded and grinned at you.>"It's so cool, though. The full game has, like, a hundred planes and you can just go wherever you want, how fast you want, and it was just so fun... you know? The employees let me stay late sometimes just to play, but my friends had to drag me out so my parents didn't ground me.">That got a laugh out of you."I'm surprised they didn't just give you the game for free at that point.">"Pfft, I wish.">Scootaloo giggled to herself, caressing the planner again.>"But... yeah... I miss Miss Cheerilee. I hope she's okay.">You give her a sympathetic smile and rest your elbows on the table."Who else did you like from school?">You then give her a smirk."Any boys...?">Scootaloo quickly knew what you were getting at and peered down at her lap, a blush forming on her cheeks.>"What? No! I mean... I don't know...!">You laugh and wave a hand."Relax, I'm f-I'm messing with you.">Scootaloo seemed to relax, but the blush didn't fade from her cheeks.
>>41789950>"I mean... there was this kid named Rumble in my class. I kinda thought he was cute, I guess. But he already had a crush on someone else, so...">You give her another sad smile."Ah... sorry. I know that feeling.">"Really?" Scootaloo asked you curiously."Yeah, there was this girl I liked back in high school. She was way out of my league, but she was fun to talk to. I asked her out to prom, but... well, her boyfriend didn't like that.">"Ouch... Did he beat the crap out of you?">You chuckled softly."He almost did, yeah, but she stopped him. I don't know what she saw in him, but last I heard, they were still together.">"Do you... think they're dead...?">You felt your breath quietly hike in your throat as you tried to answer. You said to yourself that you already knew the answer."I hope not.">You took your hands out of your pocket and crossed your arms as you gazed out the kitchen window, into the backyard.>There was a small above-ground pool in the center of the yard. It appeared only half-full, with the water looking murky and green after having not been cleaned out for months.>If you could find a way to get it cleaned out and running again, it could be a pretty nice bath for the two of you.>But until then..."Hey," you say, turning back to Scootaloo, "is there a river near here?">Scootaloo raised her eyebrow then let out a soft hum.>"I think near the movie studio, but... that's pretty far out from here. Why?">Clicking your inner cheek, you pull out your copy of the Canterlot map and spread it out on the table. Scootaloo gets up and walks over to see for herself.>Sure enough, there's a movie studio near the edge of town, about a mile south of the college. Just south of that, however, looked to be a pretty wide river, about fifty feet across and spanning for miles until the map cuts it off.>A smile slowly crept upon your face, and you turned back to Scootaloo."You wanna go for a swim?">Scootaloo tilted her head.>"Wait... like, right now...?""Yeah, why not? At least while it's still a little warm?">Scootaloo looked down to the map, then back to you.>Then you watched her comb her hands through her hair, and immediately stop.>And you knew that was all the motivation she needed.__________>A few minutes later, you and Scootaloo were cruising down the street on the way to the Galloping Gail River.>And by you and Scootaloo, you meant you rode the bike while Scootaloo sat snug in the cart.>Thanks to her small figure, she was just able to fit inside.>Thank God she was still at least a little skinny...>... A thought you will forever keep to yourself.>As you pedaled east, you felt the cool breeze blowing against your face and through your hair, and though it definitely felt chilly, you would take it over the blistering summer heat any day of the year.>At least it kept you from sweating too much as you pushed down on the pedals with more emphasis compared to an empty cart.
>>41789955>Eventually, you made it back to the college and then turned south, passing by the metal fence that separated the campus from the road.>"Whoa..." Scootaloo gawked slightly, gazing at the fancy architecture of the college dorms and classrooms.>You chortled to yourself and continued moving.>Before long, you and Scootaloo arrived at the movie studio, and it was your turn to gawk."Wow..." you said to yourself as you stared at the massive warehouses that filled the complex.>It astonished you to know that some of the movies you've watched, loved, or hated were probably made right here.>You rolled by the security booth that welcomed tourists and workers alike. Behind it were empty parking lots and trailers sitting untouched.>You wondered what the last movie was that they finished here, or what the last movie was that made it to the big screen.>But you didn't come here to find that out. Maybe another time.>Continuing past the studio, you eventually came across a dirt path that led into the woods.>You didn't know if this bike, or the cart for that matter, was capable of off-road terrain, but you were not going to try and risk it.>After hiding the bike and cart behind some bushes, away from sight of the road, you and Scootaloo continued down the path on foot, carrying towels and, in your own bag, soap and shampoo.>The further from the road you were, the more wood-like the terrain became. Every step seemed to echo, and every so often there was a crow crying out into the vast abyss of green and red.>You heard Scootaloo shiver, then watched her step just a little closer to you than normal."You good?" you asked her.>"Yep," she said quickly.>A little -too- quickly, you might add...>But you said nothing of it and continued forward, keeping Scootaloo close to you.>After a few minutes of walking, the dirt path gradually began to dissipate.>And just as it did, you could hear the sound of rushing water nearby.>Another fifty feet of walking through bushes and past tall trees, and the two of you made it to your destination.>Galloping Gail didn't look -that- big on a map, but in person, it was a completely different story!>The river spanned at least sixty feet in width, and you figured it was at least ten feet deep in the middle, if not deeper.>Its current appeared slow and calm, but you could easily see a series of angled waterfalls roughly two-hundred feet upstream that the water roared through, and was now at the mercy of inertia.>At least, that's probably what Twilight would've said.>You found a spot nearby to put down your duffel bag, then began to take off your shirt.>You didn't think to return to the campus to grab another set of clothes, and your current outfit was still freshly worn, so you decided you were going to strip to just your boxers and dry them out later.>As you started to unbutton and remove your jeans, you heard Scootaloo let out a soft, awkward hum.>"Um..."
>>41789961>You turned around to see her standing nearby, arms wrapped around her stomach, gazing out at the river almost skittishly."What's wrong?" you call out to her.>She scrunches her lips and glances in your direction.>"I... didn't bring a swimsuit," she says meekly.>Oh. Right.>You didn't think about that.>You looked her up and down, taking a gander at her clothes—a plain black hoodie and some brown cargo shorts."Well... if you want, you can just do what I'm doing," you suggest slowly... a little too slowly.>Let's be honest, there's no right way to tell an eleven-year old girl to take off her clothes.>"W-What? I'm not doing that! Or like, not in front of you! I... like, I mean—">And at least Scootaloo seemed to agree."I mean, you don't -have- to. You can just wear that," you also suggest, motioning a hand towards her getup.>Scootaloo seems unconvinced, looking back to the water as she feels her hoodie, no doubt contemplating her next choice."You wanna head back to the house?" you suggest with a smile. "Grab a swimsuit?">She snorts softly, her eyes unmoving.>"No... I mean, we're already here, so... that'd be kinda sh... crappy to you.""I don't mind," you say, waving off her concern as you pull your pants back up, button in your hand.>You didn't push Scootaloo any further than that; instead, you stood patiently and waited for whatever ideas she had in her head to finish cooking.>After a few silent moments, save for the trickling of the river beside you, Scootaloo took a deep breath and shakily reached for the hem of her hoodie.>"Can you turn around?" Scootaloo asked."Alright," you say with a smile before turning around, your back facing her.>You heard the sound of rustling behind you as Scootaloo undoubtedly began removing her hoodie, followed by the sound of a button being undone.>A few seconds later, you heard footsteps to your left, fading out slightly as they approached the river.>"Brr..." Scootaloo said with a shiver, and although you expected her to jump right back out, you heard her move further and deeper into the water.>Still, you chose not to look until she told you to.>After a minute of staring at the raging waterfalls upstream, you heard Scootaloo clear her throat.>"A-Alright, you can look now!" she called out to you.>You turned back around, facing the river. Scootaloo stood shoulder-deep in the water, sporting a black t-shirt, but the rest of her body was concealed underneath the hazy water.>The spot next to you where she stood instead had her hoodie and shorts sitting on the gravel, but you didn't look at it for too long."How's the water?" you ask her with a little smile.>She shivers again, but she smiles as she does some light paddles, not straying too far from the shore.>"I-It's a little cold! But it's not bad, once you get used to it!">With a little chuckle, you once again take off your jeans and set them aside with your shirt, standing in nothing but your boxers.
>>41789848most friends are pretty circumstantial tho, my only hobby is guns but I know plenty of people who have no real connection hobby, some are into golfing, cars, woodworking etc. but we all somehow met each other and get along despite having only secondary interests or just liking each other's company
>>41789966>With a sigh of your own, you approach the water and dip your toe in.>"Ooh," you utter as you briefly pull back.>It's definitely more than "a little cold.">"C'mon! What are you waiting for? Don't tell me you're scared of a little water!" Scootaloo shouts with a smirk, splashing water in your direction.>... Where was -this- kid sixty seconds ago?>Fuck it, YOLO.>With a confident huff, you quickly step into the water, attempting to brave it."Oh, shit! Shit! Cold! Cold! Shit!" you shout repeatedly with every step you take, feeling the cold river gradually creep up your legs, then your crotch, and everything else above it.>Nothing mattered but the crotch.>You heard Scootaloo giggling her little ass off, trying to stifle her laughter as she paddled.>Amidst your current woe, even you couldn't help but shakily laugh as you got deeper and deeper into the water.>After what felt like agonizingly forever, you finally got shoulder-deep. Being a couple feet taller than Scootaloo, you were slightly further out from her, but still close enough to the shore to touch the bottom.>"Took you long enough," Scootaloo said to you, grinning as she swam over to you."Yeah, "a little cold" my ass," you say in a faux-mocking tone, but can't help but chuckle shakily.>With a smirk, Scootaloo splashes you, smacking you in the face with cold, yet refreshing water.>You sputter and cough, while gasping from the sudden intrusion of cold on your formerly dry face."Oh yeah?" you say with an equally wide smirk as you splash her back. "Like that? Huh?">It's not as effective, given Scootaloo had apparently dipped her head underwater when she first entered.>But she too was left sputtering and coughing, so you still win.>Once she was able to spit out the water, Scootaloo giggled and splashed you again, before paddling to get away from you.>You tried splashing her back, but as soon as she started swimming, the chase was on.>The water was absolutely teeth-chattering at first; even after being in the water for a few minutes and moving about, the current constantly pushing against you always left you feeling cold on one side, ever changing with your direction.>But Scootaloo was right: Eventually, you did start to get used to it. You could feel the water gradually warm up the more you swam around.>The cold of the moving current was still there, but as you swam with Scootaloo, you eventually forgot it was even there.>You were honestly working up a sweat just trying to catch this kid.>A sweat.>In the water.>Scootaloo, on the other hand, was having the time of her life.>Cutting through the water like butter, paddling her feet and splashing at you with her hands, and giggling like a child on Christmas day.>Honest to God, this is probably the happiest you'd ever seen her.>And honest to God... that made you happy too.>Eventually, however, Scootaloo—so young and energetic as she'd proven to be—began to make her way back to the shore.
>>41789974>Even though she was left exhausted from playing and only had enough energy to crawl onto dry land, the smile never left her face.>You kept your eye on her until she was safely out of the water, and it was only then that you saw what she was still wearing.>Apart from her black t-shirt, the only other thing she had on was a pair of dark purple panties. As she crawled up to the shore briefly on her knees, her panties wedged slightly, and—>And you looked away.>She was back on the shore, and you looked away. That was it.>After a few minutes, you too started to feel the onset of exhaustion, so you swam back to the shore and sat down on the gravel next to Scootaloo, catching your breath.>And the only reason it took you longer than her was because you weren't moving around as much as she was. It didn't make catching your breath anymore fun.>You glance over to Scootaloo, who sat on the hem of her shirt, resting her arms on her knees. She was still smiling even as she was still recovering from the exercise."Having fun?" you ask her with a chuckle and a sigh.>Scootaloo giggled weakly in between breaths, fidgeting with her shirt.>"Y-Yeah... I've never swam in a river before. It's kinda cool!">You smile and nod, peering out to the other side of the river."Yeah," you answer, running your hand through your wet hair. "I haven't swam in one since I was, like, six or seven.">"Really?""Yeah! You know that big river that kinda runs through Detrot?">Scootaloo hums and scrunches her lips as she tries to remember.>"Cantina or something...?""Catalina," you correct her with a chuckle, "but yeah, that one. It was pretty much in our backyard, so I used to swim in it all the time as a kid. It was awesome.">"Man... that sounds so cool," Scootaloo snorts and grins, glancing back over to the river and hugging her legs closer to her body. "I've always wanted to swim in here... but the last time I tried that, a cop saw me and took me home, and my parents grounded me for like a week.">You look at her with bewilderment."Wh- For swimming in a river...?" you sputter.>"I mean... it was at night, so...""Ah... makes sense, I guess..."...>"... And I might've been naked, too.">If you were drinking, you would've spit-taked then and there.>Instead, you try—and fail—to cover your mouth as you chortle loudly.>"What?" Scootaloo asked, trying to hide a giggle of her own.>You laughed uncontrollably behind your hand for several moments before taking a few short breaths."I'm sorry, that just came out of nowhere, that's all," you say, still laughing.>Scootaloo looks sheepishly at you before looking back to the river.>"S-Sorry.">You wave your hand with a chuckle."It's fine, it's fine. It's just funny.">After a few more seconds of laughter, you're able to get yourself under control. You let out a deep sigh and watch the river pass you by, a few additional titters escaping you."Well... look on the bright side.">"What?"
>>41789982>You turn to Scootaloo and give her a smirk."No more cops," you say, looking back to the water. "Nobody to stop you doing it again.">Scootaloo snorted and giggled, then let out a quiet hum.>You saw her fidget with the hem of her shirt again, her cheek bulging as she twirled her tongue in her mouth.>Then it hit you."Oh!" you exclaim as you get up and walk over to your duffel bag. "Almost forgot.">"Forgot what?">After rummaging through the bag for a few seconds, you turn back to Scootaloo and hold up two 3-in-1 bottles."Ready for a bath?" you ask her with a cheeky grin and toss her one of the bottles.>She flinches and nearly fumbles, but she's quick to grab it mid-air and inspect it up close.>It's the same as yours: 3-in-1 shampoo, body soap, and conditioner.>You had plenty to spare, thanks to your former neighbors, but you were unable to actually put any of it to use with the water shut off.>"So, do I just... do it here, or...?""Yeah, it'll be easier here," you tell her simply.>Opening your bottle, you spew a sizable dab of it in your hand and proceed to lather it through your hair.>Your greasy, greasy hair.>While you had washed your hair over the months, it was starting to dig into your already limited water supply. After August, you saved whatever you had left solely to drink.>So to say it was actually a pain in the ass to run your hands through your hair and apply some long needed shampoo...>That was putting it lightly.>Your hair wasn't all too matted, but it wasn't seamless, either. You could feel your fingers getting caught on loose strands and wincing every time.>And it looked like Scootaloo wasn't faring any better than you.>The poor kid's hair looked like it hadn't had a good wash since March. Just feeling it earlier in the morning, it was greasier than even yours had been in the last two months.>Not to mention the mats that were now clearly visible thanks to the swim. She clearly wanted to wince as she ran her fingers through the clumped strands, but she tried to brave it every chance she had.>But eventually, like all good things, you and Scootaloo were able to get your hair fully lathered with the bubbly suds, then began to run it down your bodies.>At least, -you- did at first.>"Uh...">Then it hits you again."Oh, right, sorry.">You turn around, facing in the direction of upstream again, and soon after, you heard the sound of Scootaloo running her hands across her body, and the squelching of her wet shirt as she presumably lifted it, no doubt to wash her body underneath.>Speaking of underneath, you tried your best to make washing "down there" as discreet as possible.>"It's okay... I'm not looking.">Apparently, discreet was not your strong suit.>But there was nothing you could do about it now; with a quick glance, you saw that Scootaloo indeed had her back turned to you.>Her hands were drifting down to her butt and...>Washing her body.>Her hands were washing her body. That was it.
>>41789985>You turned away and continued tending to your own body thoroughly.>With every crevice you scrubbed, you felt more disgusted with yourself that you hadn't been putting in more of an effort to stay clean.>But then again, you weren't expecting the world to end.>After a few minutes of silence between the two of you, you finally had most of your body covered in the 3-in-1 wash, as did Scootaloo; the liquid dripped down both your bodies, pooling and seeping into the gravel beneath you.>Without wasting more time, you set down the bottle and returned to the water.>It was already a little cold again after being out for only a few minutes, but your body quickly readjusted.>The body wash quickly dissolved into the river stream, and with that, you dove under the water and let the current pummel you, even if it wasn't that strong.>You ruffled your hair and flailed your body however you could, making sure the water reached every nook and cranny it otherwise couldn't.>When you emerged, you were no longer covered in the stuff, the lukewarm water washing down your face and weighing down your shirt.>You ran your fingers through your long hair with ease—for the first time in two months.>A few seconds later, Scootaloo resurfaced beside you and began to do the very same thing as she caught her breath.>You saw her smile only grow as she no doubt felt just how much smoother her hair was now."Feels good, huh?" you say with a grin.>Scootaloo doesn't say anything back, but she giggles and nods as she plays with her hair.>Her hair was long, trailing down to her shoulders, but with the way she played with it, you could tell she was used to it being shorter.>It didn't stop her from combing it with her hands and basking in its newfound smoothness.>Suddenly, Scootaloo looked up to the sky and let out a girlish squeal.>"Woo! I'm bathing in a river!">You burst into laughter at the antic.>This kid was enjoying herself a little too much.>And you know what? That was perfectly fine with you.>Before long, she was swimming around with newfound vigor and splashing you with equally newfound force.>And the chase was on once again.>The entire time you swam after her, she was just dashing through the water with ease, twisting and turning her body at will, then diving underneath the murky layer in an effort to flank you.>Nine out of ten times, it worked.>It was really hard to believe that this was the same kid that, just three weeks before, was nothing but a pale, bony husk of a child that could hardly stand up straight.>Now she was out-swimming you and hardly breaking a sweat doing it.>"C'mon, slowpoke! I'm not even trying this time!">And again with the sass...!"Oh, it's like that, huh?" you holler with a wide grin on your face.>She stuck her tongue out at you.>"Nyeh!">Oh, so it -WAS- like that!>With all the strength your plus-sized body could muster, you dove forward, arms stretched outward and pushing through the water.
>>41789987>To no one's surprise, you missed her, striking nothing but more water where she used to be.>Scootaloo disappeared beneath you, and by the time you righted yourself, she was already behind you, holding her arms out triumphantly.>You couldn't help but laugh again amid sputtering the water that had accumulated in your lungs.>"Give up yet?" she asked with a smirk, rearing her legs up in front of her, ready to paddle away at a moment's notice.>This kid...>With a stick of your tongue, and with no warning whatsoever, you skimmed your hands on the surface, splashing her in the face.>You leapt for her again.>And yet, when the water settled, she was gone.>Already, she was swimming away, paddling with her feet and looking back at you, her grin ever wider, her giggles ever louder.>"Oh, come on! You can do better than that!" she teased and tittered.>This kid is restless...!>But you weren't one to give up so easily.>Once again, you chased her.>And once again, she was ready.__________>An hour later, exhausted and sore, you and Scootaloo were back on shore.>You turned away again as Scootaloo put her shorts and hoodie back on, while you got back into your jeans.>Your fingers were pruned to hell as you rubbed them together.>It was definitely worth it to feel this clean again.>Once she was dressed, you turned back to Scootaloo as you started putting on your shirt, and you saw her playing with her hair again.>It was still wet, but now also frazzled from her efforts to dry it.>Or maybe that was just all her...?>Scootaloo looked back to the river and beamed.>"Man... that was so cool," she said softly as she tightened the straps on her hoodie, before turning back to you. "Can we do that again tomorrow?">Tomorrow...>You'd become so accustomed to the old schedule, seeing this kid every few days.>But now you could be seeing her every day.>Chatting, keeping her company, keeping YOURSELF company, keeping her happy.>You zipped up your pants and grinned."Yeah, sure! As long as the water doesn't get too cold, at least.">Though, you imagine with it already being fall, that might not last too long...>Still, it's good to take advantage of this while you've got it!>Scootaloo's smile only grew, no doubt already excited for the chance to swim again tomorrow.>You tossed both your and her wet towel into your duffel bag, alongside the shampoo and soap, and fastened the bag around your shoulder.>With a small confident huff, you turned to Scootaloo."Ready to go?">She smiles and nods to you, and with that you began the trip back to the cart.>Though, admittedly, it took a minute for you to remember where the path had ended before you eventually found it.>A calm breeze rustled the trees around you and left you shivering just a bit.>But again, you'd take this over the crippling summer heat any day.>After a couple minutes of silence, you heard Scootaloo meekly clear her throat.
>>41789991>"Hey..." she spoke up.>You motioned your head towards her while continuing to look forward.>"Thanks for taking me out here," she added in a soft tone. >She opened her mouth as if to say more, but nothing came out.>You just smiled."Yeah, of course," you say to her. "I figured we both needed a bath.">You laugh to yourself, and it earns a small giggle from Scootaloo, but her smile quickly fades.>"I-I mean, it's not JUST that... it's...">Scootaloo scrunches her lips, trying to figure out what to say; you simply stay patient while continuing forward through the woods.>"It's just... been a while since I've talked to anyone...">Your own smile fades, but you say nothing.>You let her speak.>"I mean... sure, I have my parents... but they just kept me locked up in the house the whole time... and there wasn't really much to do without the power on.">She paused, but kept walking.>"All we ever did was eat, talk to each other about just boring stuff, and then I just go to sleep and do it all over again the next day. And then when they left...">Scootaloo's face fell.>"I-I didn't know what to do... I was scared of leaving the house. My parents kept telling me not to go outside... so... I didn't.">The girl hugged her arms and sighed quietly to herself as she walked forward."Well... they just wanted to protect you, you know?" you told her with a smile.>Scootaloo nodded to herself.>"Yeah, I know... but I just... I missed talking to people. Anyone that wasn't my mom and dad. I mean, I didn't always just talk to random strangers, but... I don't know, some people around here can be cool.""... True," you say after a moment.>She wasn't exactly wrong...>"I guess I'm just trying to say that... I-I had fun today.">Scootaloo looks over to you and gives you a small smile.>Her eyes look just a little glassy now, but you don't pry at it. Instead, you simply smile back at her."Me too.">You give her a playful nudge and gently rub her shoulder with a hand.>You feel her tense up for just a moment, before her shoulders relax.>She looks ahead of her and smiles again, before eventually pulling away.>Eventually.>A few minutes later, you and Scootaloo made it back to the street, greeted with the familiar sight of abandoned houses and lightly overgrown roads.>Being out of the woods made you realize just how humid it was in there, even in the fall.>You pulled the wagon-bike out from the bush you left it in and pulled it up to the sidewalk, then lowered the kickstand. You then set the duffel bag into the front and stretched your arms upward.>Another chilly breeze sent goosebumps racing up and down your body, and left you shivering.You looked up at the sun and realized it was still early afternoon, at the very least.With that in mind, you twirled your tongue and looked down to Scootaloo, who was already hopping into the cart."Hey," you say to her, getting her attention.>"Yeah?"
>>41789992"So... do you wanna do anything else, or do you want me to just take you home?">Scootaloo tilted her head and looked up at you curiously.>"Like what?">You trilled your lips as you look out to the nearby houses."You wanna go for a little ride around the neighborhood? Maybe talk a little more?" you ask with a sheepish grin.>You didn't really know what you wanted to do today. But the day was still young.>And you were sure the two of you could keep using the company right now.>Scootaloo looked down at her feet and smiled, then looked up to you.>"Sure."__________>Soon after, you were back on the road, wagon—and Scootaloo—in tow as you strolled from avenue to boulevard.>You didn't really have a destination in mind; it was more of an excuse to explore more of the nearby area and, of course, talk to Scootaloo.>You still refrained from entering downtown at all. Not until you had some kind of plan.>Which, right now, wasn't much... but that was a thought for later.>As you rode through the empty neighborhoods closer to downtown, you began to see a collection of vehicles parked on either side of the road, mainly around a series of town-houses that otherwise didn't have garages or driveways.>You heard Scootaloo hum behind you.>"So how come you don't just drive any of these?" she asked, pointing in the cars' general direction.>A soft grunt escaped you as you pushed forward on your pedals; the road you were on now was on a slight incline."*huff* Well, the gas is starting to go bad. I can *huff* probably drive them for a little while, but *huff* it'd probably destroy the fuel tanks or the engine.">You huffed again before your bike finally made it to the top of the slope; you turned right onto a flat stretch of road and peddled just enough to keep moving for a good minute while you gave your legs a rest."One thing I'd really like to find is a *huff* ... an electric car.">You paused to take another breath."Hook some solar panels up to that thing, and you could keep it running forever.">"You know how to do that?""... No.">"Can you -drive-?" Scootaloo asked curiously."Uh-huh," you answer with a huff as you push on the pedals again. "But it's been a while. My parents actually let me drive down here whenever vacation was done, so *huff* ... that was cool.">"Is it hard?">You shook your head."Nah, not really. You just gotta always look where you're going, that's all. You ever drive—">You're a dumbass."Never mind, never mind," you say before laughing awkwardly to yourself.>And yet, Scootaloo gives you an answer anyway.>"Well, I mean, I used to ride on my scooter a lot. My parents kept telling me to watch where I'm going all the time, like whenever I'm crossing the street and stuff.""Right," you say confidently as you lift a hand for emphasis, "so it's kinda the same with a car too. You know, always look forward, yield, and you'll be fine."
>>41788836Misinterpreted?
>>41789996>Though, it's not like the rules of the road really apply as much nowadays..."So," you began, trying to keep the chatter fresh, "where'd you go for school?">"Canterlot High," Scootaloo answered, leaning back in the wagon, only to turn her head left and right. "Hey... I used to ride my scooter down this street all the time in the morning.">You hummed happily to yourself, only to cock your head at what she said."Wait, so you're in -high school-?">"Yep," she answered matter-of-factly. "Well... sixth grade, but yeah.""I didn't know they did that kind of thing down here.">"What thing?""Like, having lower grades in high school. I'm guessing 6 through 12?">"Uh-huh," Scootaloo answered.>You shook your head."Yeah, we didn't do that back in Detrot. It was just middle school 6 through 8, and high school 9 through 12.">"Huh.">You snorted and grinned to yourself."So how far along in school were you? What stuff did you do?">Scootaloo shrugged.>"Not a lot... but Miss Cheerilee -did- start teaching us Calculus after Christmas break.""Calculus?" you ask quizzically. "In sixth grade...?">"Uh-huh," Scootaloo answered almost dreadfully. "It was sooo hard, too!">You just chortle quietly."I can imagine.">Another shiver runs through you again as you continue pedaling eastbound, trying to make your way back towards the college.>The further you got from downtown, the more residential it started to look again, going from town-houses to separate homes.>When you got to the end of the road, a T-shaped intersection, something immediately caught your eye."What the fuck...?" you say to yourself, flabbergasted, just loud enough for Scootaloo to hear you.>"What?">You point over to what you were looking at—a fairly large home on the corner to your right.>It didn't take her long to see what you saw.>"What the fuck? ... Heck?">Scattered across the front lawn, littering the roof of the humble-looking abode, were Christmas decorations.>From Santa and his reindeer on the roof, to a deflated Frosty the Snowman on the front lawn, to all kinds of lighting decorations hanging from the awnings, the home was looking fairly festive for the holiday season.>... Except the outbreak happened in MARCH.>"Oh! I know this place!" Scootaloo suddenly exclaimed excitedly. "That's Mr. Hoover's house!">She turned to you with an adorable grin on her face, then back over to the home."Who's that?" you ask.>"This old guy who ran this vacuum cleaner store downtown. I met him a whole buncha times, but like, mainly whenever we had to get a new vacuum or something.">How dirty was this girl's house...?>"But he always decks out his house for the holidays! Like, last year for Halloween, he had this giant skeleton on the roof that blew smoke at you! It was so awesome!">You actually titter to yourself as you try to imagine a giant skeleton looking down at you."How often did he usually leave his stuff up?" you ask curiously.
>>41789998>"I dunno," she answers with a shrug. "But I know he always left his Christmas stuff up for a couple months because of the snow.">Guess that explains it.>You can easily visualize how everything might've looked with the lights on and all the inflatables blown up.>The electric bill must've been incredible!"Looks cool," you say with a little smile.>Scootaloo continues to gaze at the house in silence.>"... Do you think he's dead...?">You could just feel the sadness in her voice as she pondered the thought to you.>Before you answered, you looked over to his driveway.>No car."Did he have a car?" you ask.>Scootaloo simply nods, scrunching her lips as she looks at you, then back to Mr. Hoover's home.>You do the same as you shrug at the young girl."Well... I don't see a car anywhere. Do you?">"No...">You smile faintly.>"But... I don't... know if he...">Scootaloo was struggling to get the words out. Her eyes never shifted away from the house.>"Can we go?" she asked with a light crack in her tone.>You didn't say anything, just smiled and nodded understandably.>Pushing forward once again, you took a right and started making your way south, passing by the side of the house.>You looked behind you for only a moment, and saw Scootaloo eyeing the home somberly as it grew smaller and smaller from view.>It was obvious that the kid still hadn't adjusted to everything that's happened.>Hell, -you- still weren't fully adjusted to it. For months, you were merely trying to push it off, maybe because you were hoping either things were secretly under control, or maybe you were just having a bad dream.>But seeing the way Scootaloo talked about that old man—it reminded you of an old neighbor, from when you were a kid yourself.>They didn't go all out on their holiday decorations, but it was always such a fun sight to see what they came up with on Christmas or Halloween or even Easter.>Ms. Master. Such a sweet lady, she was.>She passed away when you were in high school, and you remembered how -lifeless- things felt afterward. Everybody mourned her, wept for her, and some of them even decorated their homes in her name, as if to keep her spirit alive.>But in spite of all that, that neighborhood never felt the same.>Like a piece of everybody died with Ms. Master.>Mr. Hoover definitely seemed no different.>The look on Scootaloo's face made you sure of that."Hey," you call softly to Scootaloo as you keep your eyes forward, "you alright?">Scootaloo simply hums and nods.>"Mm-hmm...">It honestly hurt you to see this kid go from happy and joyful to melancholic in a matter of seconds.>Deep down, you knew there was gonna be a lot of that going forward.>But you'd be damned if you were gonna let that go on right now.>The sun still shone fairly high in the sky—enough for a late lunch."Wanna go eat?" you ask her.>She turned to you, cocking her head.>"Eat where...?"
>>41790003"Well, the college is closer, but... if you still aren't comfortable with that, I can just ride us back to your house. Sound good?">Scootaloo nibbled on her inner cheek as she thought about it for a moment.>"I-I kinda wanna go home, if that's alright," she answered sheepishly. "Sorry.">You just chuckled."Fine with me, Scoot.">The remainder of the trip was spent mostly in silence, though you did make small chatter with her every now and again, mostly just asking her her favorite food or type of ice cream.>Any small talk would do, if only to open up to her just a little bit more.>Eventually, you reached the outer rim of Canterlot University, then made a familiar turn onto the road leading to Scootaloo's neighborhood.>The talk and thought of food reminded you that amidst your search for a rideable bicycle, you never actually went into most of these houses, only their garages.>Based on the last few houses you picked, however, they were more likely to have been cleaned out than hold anything useful.>Still, no harm in taking a look when you have the time!>A few minutes later, you pulled up to Scootaloo's home and parked the bike and wagon into the bushes, away from view. You noticed Scootaloo eyeing you inquisitively as you did so, but she said nothing of it.>With your only mode of transportation decently covered by shrubbery, you and the young girl stepped into the -cozy- abode and each let out a respective shiver as the interior warmth washed over you.>To your left was a fireplace, its brick texture decently complimenting the blue wall around it.>Deep down, you -really- wanted to find something to light it with and get a fire going.>There were two things stopping you, however:>One—It wasn't THAT cold yet, and you didn't want to waste any suitable tinder for a light breeze.>Two—You don't know who'll see the smoke coming out of the chimney.>And you don't want to find out.>Besides, both here and your dorm were still warm enough that it wasn't a problem.>In the meantime, lunch!__________>It was now just after two o'clock, if your phone was still somewhat accurate.>You and Scootaloo sat down at the kitchen table and ate some beans out of a can.>Well, YOU ate beans. SHE ate macaroni and cheese.>You keep telling her to save them, but you know kids: They're impossible.>Not even halfway through your can of beans, she finishes her own meal and sets the empty can down on the table.>You smirk at her."Hungry?">Almost like a switch, Scootaloo looks away shyly and gives a shy smile.>"Y-Yeah... I guess.""You know I don't have a lot of mac n' cheese cans left, right?">"Yeah...">You snort silently."Still hungry?">"... A little.">Scooping up a mound of beans, you plop it down into her formerly empty can.>It takes her what you can imagine is a whopping amount of strength not to wince."C'mon, it's not -that- bad," you goad her. "I'm eating it, see?"
>>41790005>For emphasis, you dig into your food again and take another bite of your beans.>They're cold, but the texture is easily forgiven by how filling they are.>"That was in your mouth, though!">You cock your head.>"I mean, like, your spoon. That's gross!">Part of you wanted to tease her so badly right now.>But to be fair, you DID think the same thing when you were her age.>Ugh, you sound like an old man."Please?" you ask her with a smile.>You weren't gonna force her, but you -did- want her to eat something different, kid or not.>She scrunched her lips as she looked at the mac n' cheese can with beans at the bottom.>With a reluctant snort, she reached over to the can, picked up her spoon, and took a bite of the contents inside.>One bite. Two bites. Three bites.>You see a smile forming.>Four bites. Five bites. Six bites.>She notices you looking, and then looks away, her smile gone.>She doesn't stop eating.__________>A few minutes later, you take the empty cans and dump them into the trash bin outside, then return indoors.>You and Scootaloo sit down on the living room couch; you can't help but look around.>The house looks fairly old in spots, primarily the area closest to the fireplace. The rest of the home looked akin to a mix of modern and Victorian era, especially by the stairs.>You didn't notice it the last few times you were in here, but there were a LOT of trophies on the mantle above the fireplace. Many of them were of various animals and other creatures you didn't recognize."What are those?" you ask Scootaloo, pointing to the trophies.>"Hmm?" she hums before realizing what you'd asked. "Oh! Um... well, my parents like to travel a lot, and sometimes they do some really cool stuff. Like, this one time, they managed to wrangle this huge crocodile in my classroom!">Wow, that actually sounds pretty co-wait a sec..."In your... classroom?">"Yeah! I mean, it was kind of an accident... my dad was trying to move it into a bigger cage and it just kinda... ran.""... Huh...">"B-But it's okay! No one got hurt!">You wouldn't think that to be the takeaway from that story, but alright."And the trophies?">"That's mostly my mom's side. She studies all kinds of cool animals and plants and tries to figure out medicines for the poisonous ones.">She points to one of a large leaf.>"Like that! That was for, uh... I forgot what she called it... um... Gaelius or Gaius...?""Gailus?">"Yeah, that's it! She helped do research on that plant to treat its poison!""Really?">Scootaloo, in typical childish fashion, giddily nods at you as she talks about her parents' professions.>You only ever touched a Gailus plant -once- in your life, at the age of seven. After the boiling rash you suffered through for the following month, you stayed far, far away from that part of the Detrot Natural Exhibit.
>>41790007>The trophy in question had the year 2014 written on it, the same year said treatment had been discovered and sold by every pharmaceutical company in Equestria.>But to think the woman who even managed to concoct such a medicine was Scootaloo's MOM?"Wow," you say after a few moments of observing the trophies. "Your folks seem pretty cool.">Scootaloo looks away with a cute little blush and maintains a smile.>"Yeah... they ARE pretty cool. I mean, sometimes I think the stuff they do is pretty scary, like deep sea diving or swimming with stingrays. But every time they came back from some big trip wherever, I -always- wanna hear their stories! I'm always so jealous!">You cock your head lightly to the left as a thought comes to you."Your parents leave often?">"Kinda," she answers with a shrug. "They usually leave for a couple weeks and then come back for the rest of the month.""Well... who takes care of you when they're gone...?">Scootaloo scrunches her lips and looks off to the side.>"My aunts, usually. They're not super far away or anything like that, though, so they're pretty okay with it.""So your parents are just... gone for two weeks?" you ask in as little a judgemental tone as you can muster.>She nods slowly as she looks over at the trophies.>"Pretty much...">Man... this poor kid...>You look over at her and give a hopeful smile."Were they at least there for your birthday?">That got her own grin going again.>"Well, duh. They -always- show up for my birthday! They even stay the whole month too, so I'm always trying to spend time with them before April.">Well, it's not COMPLETELY awful, at least..."Why not go with them?" you ask curiously.>Scootaloo laughs nervously.>"N-No way! I mean, what they do is cool and all, but swimming in deep water or going through a jungle trying to look for pythons that could eat me up? No thanks!">She then shrinks as she looks down at her hands, twiddling her thumbs.>"Plus, I... I-I have friends -here-, you know? School's boring sometimes, but... I like seeing all my classmates and my best friends and hanging out with them after school every day—even Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, when they're not being a pain in the ass...">You're never gonna get used to hearing this kid cuss.>"Well... I HAD friends, but... y-you know..." she finished at a whisper.>It was quiet for a moment. Scootaloo sat at her end of the couch, curled up against herself, maintaining her gaze at her hands, and looking almost as if she was stuck in deep thought.>It was hard enough for YOU to lose everything.>But it was undoubtedly much worse for her, being as young as she was.>You saw her raise a hand to her face, trying to wipe away a tear, hoping you wouldn't see it.>But you did.>For now, you didn't bring it up. >That was her choice."Wanna tell me about them?">Scootaloo raised her head and looked up at you.>"Hmm?"
>>41790011"Your friends. Tell me about them. What were their names again? Apple Blossom and Swibble?">Anything to keep this kid smiling.>And it worked, as she went into a giggling fit.>"Apple BLOOM and SWEETIE BELLE," she corrected with a grin. "And they're the coolest friends anyone could ever have, trust me.""Really?" you asked, leaning back into the couch, ready to listen.>"Uh-huh!">And listen you did.>For an hour, you let her talk about her friends, and you sat there and listened, only raising questions if something piqued your interest... or maybe if it seemed like she was running out of things to talk about.>Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, two young girls about her age. Apple Bloom was a December baby, and Sweetie a September baby.>Apple Bloom would be twelve in December, and Sweetie the same as of just three weeks ago on September 14th, making Scootaloo the youngest of their little trio.>They met in the third grade, anywhere from eight and nine years old. An inseparable bunch, if her stories were anything to go by.>If it weren't for sleep, it sounded like these girls wouldn't go anywhere without each other.>You listened as Scootaloo told the story about how Sweetie Belle, back in fifth grade, stood on the cafeteria table during lunch and proceeded to sing "99 Buckets of Oats" without stopping once—even when the teachers crowded the table demanding her to stop—solely as a dare.>"She and I got detention for that," Scootaloo mentioned, her face contorting into a smirk. "Worth it, though.">Then there was another story where the three of them tried to build their own trebuchet in Apple Bloom's backyard.>"We almost pulled it off, too!" she exclaimed excitedly. "We tried with some basic stuff like stones and hay bales. Those things just went SHOOOM—!">Scootaloo zipped her hand through the air to emphasis the flight of said stones and/or hay bales.>"—through the air and landed in the lake, like, a mile away!">The distance might've been a light over-exaggeration... you hope...>But the fact that three ten year old girls were capable of such a feat... you didn't know whether to be impressed or worried.>"We had to stop though after Winona got snagged in it.""Winona?" you ask.>"Oh, Apple Bloom's dog! She hopped up on it and made it go off, but luckily she didn't go flying or anything, so she was okay! But she -really- wanted to do it again...">Oh, dogs... too pure for their own good...>"What about you?">You look at her, raising an eyebrow."Me?">"Yeah! -Your- friends! Did you have any?">Oof.>"Wait, n-not like that! I meant like—">Before she can correct herself, you laugh and wave it off."It's okay, it's okay," you assure her between huffs of laughter.>You then clear your throat and actually think about her question for a few seconds, until it clicks in your head."Well... I guess I didn't really have that many friends. Not like you and Bloom and Sweetie, at least."
>>41790014>You sit back into the couch and trill your lips."There was this one kid I knew in third grade named Ribbon Stripe. He was pretty cool, but didn't really like talking all that much, but we'd have sleepovers a couple times a month.">"Cool," Scootaloo said with a genuine smile. "What'd you guys do?""Eh, play video games, mostly. But it was always fun hanging out with him. This one time, his mom brought over a whole thing of cookies for us to eat, and we scarfed down the whole thing in probably an ten minutes. I seriously think it was about fifty cookies in that thing.">"Ugh," she said in a playful manner before leaning forward with a brighter smile. "Did you guys get sick?">You simply closed your eyes and silently nodded, as if ashamed to admit it.>Scootaloo simply laughed, taking pleasure in your childhood misfortune.>"So what happened? Do you guys still hang out? ... Did...?""Nah," you say sadly with a shrug. "He moved away when we were your age; he promised we'd hang out online and stuff, but I never got anything from him. I guess he just forgot.">The smile on Scootaloo's face quickly disappeared, replaced with a sorrowful frown.>"Oh... sorry," she said silently.>You shrug again and look at her."It happens. I was always hoping he'd come back and visit, but... well...">After a couple seconds of awkward silence, you cleared your throat and thought again.>And you thought alright. It was a painful thought, but a thought anyhow."Uhh... but I -DID- actually have a friend I met in college, a girl named Twilight Sparkle.">You chuckle."I think she was the first person I actually talked to from around here... it was actually kind of a funny story—">Scootaloo stopped you, her eyes widening slightly.>"Wait, you know Twilight?">You raise your eyebrows at Scootaloo."Yeah. -You- know her?">"Yeah!" she answers with a nod and smile. "She used to go to Canterlot High with us! Then they said she went to college early, but I didn't know where she was going.""'Early'?" you ask, head cocked to the side.>"Yeah, she got a letter super early last year and she decided to go. Like, I don't know her -THAT- much, but I was actually kinda bummed that we didn't see her next semester or anything.""Really?">Scootaloo gives you a sad nod.>Meanwhile, Twilight's "early" letter was news to you!>You always assumed Twilight was around your age, but if she only started college when you did, that must've meant she was at least sixteen when you met her.>Two years younger than you, but you never would've guessed it.>Then again... you never thought to ask her.>"Is she... you know...?">And that was a question you didn't want to answer."... I don't know. I hope not.">Truth be told... that wasn't completely a lie.>You -KNEW- she was sick. You -KNEW- she stayed behind, if only for her parents' sake.>But did you -KNOW- if she lived?>No. At least... not directly.>But somehow, you feel like you'd know if she was.
>>41790017>But you don't.>You never checked the girls' dorm. You never had the courage for it.>You still don't.>Maybe someday.>But deep down, you think you already know.>Time to change the subject."So, Scoot... when you finally get to play Sky Cruisers, what's the first thing you're gonna do?">You shoot a little smirk at the kid, hoping to lighten the mood.>But the sheer mention of Sky Cruisers alone seemed to get the job done.>"Well...">And for the next ten minutes, you listened as Scootaloo went off on an excitable tangent about the possibility of committing enough war crimes to warrant a second Geneighva Convention.>In Sky Cruisers, of course.>But as she went on, you noticed she talked an awful lot more about the flying than anything else about the game. From doing barrel rolls and other fancy tricks, to traveling across the world, Scootaloo seemed more than ready to spend the next ten -HOURS- talking about all the kinds of flying techniques you can do, and places you can fly to.>And honestly... you didn't really mind that.>Hell, this kid could make watching paint dry sound interesting with how she explained everything.>Eventually, she asked you what kind of games -you- liked to play.>You talked to her about the Prince of Persia games—how you played as an unnamed Prince who loved the thrill of adventure, to seek out something new and refreshing in a boring life.>They weren't your -FAVORITE- games in the whole world, but...>You rather you'd tell her that than tell her how much of a fan you were of zombie games.>And from that point on, you and Scootaloo just... talked. Talked and talked about whatever came to mind.>From favorite foods or movies to what you hated, to all the crazy adventures she and her friends had gotten up to, you started to learn more about Scootaloo for the first time since you met her.>It wasn't to say that kids her age couldn't have exciting lives, but for being only eleven years old, her life was far more interesting than yours was at twenty.>You still had friends, but they were few and far between. Many of them were no more than online friends you talked to once in a blue moon.>The rest, you left behind in Detrot for college.>The -only- true friend you had here in Canterlot was Twilight.>And...>And now it was just you.>You and Scootaloo.>And of course, just as you had started getting to know her, the sun started to make its way towards the horizon.>Hours had already passed since you got back to Scootaloo's home. You reckoned it's around 5PM.>Where did the time go?>You stepped out on the front porch, with Scootaloo behind you. You let out a faint shiver, while she hugged her arms and shuddered.>"M-Man," she sighed, "it's freezing.""Yeah..." you hummed, trying not to sound too concerned.>It must've been 50 degrees Fahrenheit right now. That meant tonight was gonna be brutal.
>>41790020>You looked out towards the distant skyline of the city. Before the outbreak, by now there'd be lights turning on in splotches across all of those skyscrapers and apartment buildings.>Today, there was nothing.>It was gonna get real dark soon. Already, the sun was beginning to set.>"Guess you gotta leave now, huh?""Yeah," you say quietly again as you turn to Scootaloo. "You gonna be okay tonight?">Scootaloo nods; hesitantly at first, you could tell, but she remained firm, even as she shivered from the cold.>She then looked out towards the city like you did, chewing on her cheek while continuing to hug herself."... You want me to stay?">It was probably still too soon... but you just needed to be sure, especially for tonight.>Scootaloo shook her head.>"No... not yet.">You didn't push it any further than that; you simply nodded your head and sighed."Alright, well... just try to bundle up as much as you can tonight, alright? You got blankets?">She turned to you.>"Well, duh.""You know what I mean," you say to her with a deadpan gaze, "like a -lot- of blankets.">She chuckled to herself and nodded.>"I got three for Christmas, thanks to my aunts.">You chuckled back, softly."Good, use -all- of them. I don't know how cold it's gonna get.">Scootaloo nodded and chewed on her inner cheek again.>"Hey, Anon?""Yeah?" you say, turning to her.>She looked down to the ground, biting her lip, then looked back up to you with a faint smile.>"T-Thanks for hanging out with me. I had fun today.">You smile back at her and pat her back; she flinches, but quickly calms down."Me too, kid.">"We can still go swimming tomorrow, right?">You chuckle again."Yeah, definitely, as long as it's not too cold.">Seriously, the last thing you need right now, in the -APOCALYPSE-, is her getting sick from the cold.>"Awesome~" Scootaloo says with a beaming grin.>Suddenly, she wraps her arms around you and pulls you into a brief hug.>"You're pretty cool, you know that?">Unsure of what to say, you simply chuckle at the gesture and kindly, yet awkwardly, hug her back."Thanks, Scoot.">After a few moments, Scootaloo pulls away, and the two of you begin to exchange your goodbyes.>Once you're certain she's okay, you grab your bike and wagon from the bushes and hop on.>You wave to her, and she waves to you. You then watch as she walks back into her house, and you wait for her to turn back to you before you start pedaling.>By the time she closes the door, you're gone, already on the way back to Canterlot University.>It takes you the usual ten minutes to get there; by the time you pull up to the boys' dorm, the sun's already disappeared behind the mountains.>The sun's been setting earlier and earlier every day, based off the time on your phone—though that could easily just be a case of de-sync, given it's been roughly six months since the networks went down.
>>41790023>Or maybe the whole idea of Daylight Savings is so cemented in your head that it's just habit to think it's getting dark sooner.>Either way, you hurry back up to your room before it gets too dark.>Once inside, door locked, you unpack your duffel bag and pull out the still-damp towels from your and Scootaloo's "baths" earlier in the day.>You drape them over the chair in the living room area and check to make sure the dampness didn't ruin your map or anything else.>Luckily, everything seemed untouched, so you left your bag open to air it out and went to brush your teeth.>As you did so, you made a mental note to take inventory of how much clean water you still had.>You were down to three gallons of water jugs, and one pack of bottles, from the five gallons and two packs you had a little under a month ago.>It was clear that your occasional supply run to Scootaloo was digging into your resources more than you planned on—not that you were complaining about it, just noting it.>You'd be okay for now, for at least another couple months, maybe more if you somehow stretched them out, but it didn't deter you from the fact that you were still running out of clean drinking water.>There was always the river, but then there was the matter of boiling whatever you collected.>Checking your supplies after brushing your teeth, you found a couple boxes of matches; they weren't from any of your supply runs, so they definitely came from your roommates, and they simply never grabbed them before they left.>Looking through your kitchen cabinets, you found a single large pot that could be used to boil the water in question—enough to hydrate both you and Scootaloo for at least a few days if stored right.>You haven't made a campfire since you were ten, but you knew it was simple enough to make one; you just had to be smart about -where- you started it.>The last thing you need is to burn down half of Canterlot just because you were thirsty.>Or God forbid... someone you don't want seeing the fire, sees it.>As you finished taking inventory, you felt a shiver run down your spine, and you instinctively rubbed your arms.>The sun had finally gone down, and your living room now felt as cold as it did outside when you left Scootaloo's place.>You just hoped she took things seriously enough to use all of her blankets tonight.>If it was already this cold at the beginning of October, you could only imagine what the peak of winter's gonna feel like.>And even with the effort you were going through to learn how to self-sustain, you had to be realistic with yourself:>You had no fucking idea what you were doing, or how long it would take to come anywhere close to self-sustaining.>But you didn't have time to be patient.>If you had any shot of keeping you and Scootaloo alive through the winter, you were gonna have to find anything and everything you could to stay warm and hydrated.
>>41790024>You grabbed the map from your bag and sat down on the couch with your flashlight, looking over the individual points of interests the map so gracefully provided to you.>Sure enough, about three miles to the northeast was a Whinny-Mart; you never visited the one in Detrot, but you remembered that there was an entire hardware section nestled in the back-end of these stores.>There was no doubt in your mind that these stores were likely some of the first to be picked clean during the outbreak...>But given how quickly things happened, you hoped it would be another Woodchuck's situation, only twenty-fold.>You circled the Whinny-Mart on your map and drew a trail from your current spot to the store.>It was a lot farther away than you hoped for, so you'd have to plan the trip at least a day or two in advance.>And you don't think Scootaloo would be willing to travel so far from home—well, farther than she already had gone—until her parents came back.>In other words... you were going alone.>For the remainder of the evening, you sat in your bed and tried reading more of the books you grabbed from the library.>While you didn't have the resources to set up things like solar power or proper compost, it was good to keep it in mind for when you do eventually get around to it.>Speaking of shit...>You made a note to yourself to, at the very least, clean up the trash bags scattered around the dorm.>If there was any chance of Scootaloo staying with you in the near future, you could at least make it look presentable for the time being.>A little after nine o'clock, you decided to turn on the radio and flip from frequency to frequency.>It'd been quiet for the last month. Normally, you'd get a faint broadcast of someone calling for somebody, anybody, to respond to them.>In some rare cases... you'd hear someone die, their last moments spent desperately trying to fight off their attackers before they go silent forever.>But ever since mid-September, it's been -quiet-.>It couldn't have been your radio—you put fresh batteries in just two weeks ago.>You started to assume that many of those who survived the initial panic finally had their luck run out.>And for the last few months, you wondered if the same was coming for -you-.>Maybe you fared the worst of the pandemic, but what were things gonna look like in another year? Five years? Ten years?>Would you live long enough to see ten years?>You had to face it:>You were no survivor.>So the least you could do was try and get started.>You shut off the radio and closed your eyes.>You ran your hand through your hair until you fell asleep, feeling cleaner than you had in a really long time.
>>41790028>The next morning, around ten o'clock, you met up with Scootaloo and returned to the river, just as you had promised, with dry towels and a fresh set of clothes for afterward.>The temperature was thankfully no different from yesterday, at least to you, but you still took a dip test to be sure you or Scootaloo weren't gonna catch hypothermia.>Apart from shivering like a wimp, the water wasn't anymore cold to you than it was yesterday.>Scootaloo jumped in without a second thought, sucking in a breath as she seemingly forgot that, yes, the water was still a little bit cold.>"Agh! Shit!" Scootaloo shouted with a moan as she momentarily struggled to find her footing on the riverbed.>Even though you were ready to jump in if need be, she was okay.>"I-I meant to do that.">Clearly.>Saying nothing, you peeled off your clothes and sat them down on the ground by your duffel bag, leaving yourself once more in your boxers.>You braced yourself and ran into the water, cursing every which way.>And of course, Scootaloo found your pain humorous, giggling like the little twerp she was.>With a smirk, you splashed water at her. She sputtered and coughed, and for a moment you thought you overdid it."Oh shoot, you alri—">Before you could finish, Scootaloo clapped her hands together in the water and shot a jet of cold water right in your face.>This time, -YOU- were the one to sputter and cough; goosebumps ran up and down your body as you sank to chest-level.>You heard Scootaloo snicker before swimming out of range, backstroking circles around you.>After finally wiping the water from your eyes, you set your sights on the young girl and began swimming after her.>She shrieked and giggled before swimming away; despite your size, you managed to almost catch her a couple times, but she would always -just- barely escape your grasp.>At one point, you almost grabbed her, only for her to start backstroking again and repeatedly kick water in your face."You're such a cheater!" you say with a laugh.>"Neh-eh," she said mockingly as she stuck out her tongue, before delivering another powerful kick and sending water your way again.>You used this as the perfect opportunity to dip underneath the water.>The water itself was slightly murky, and to be honest, a little eerie, but you could still see the surface just fine from down here.>That included her.>You saw Scootaloo stop swimming and look around.>"Anon?" you heard her call out, her voice muffled by the water.>You crept slowly behind her, through the water, trying not to make the surface break in any way.>Even as your lungs started to burn, you couldn't help but smile.>/Gotcha/.>With all the strength in your legs, you pushed yourself out of the water, springing up with a blinding spray, and wrapped your arms firmly around Scootaloo's waist.>She screamed what sounded like bloody murder, and it actually hurt your ears. You almost let her go.
>>41790031>But as soon as you heard her start to laugh, you held onto her for dear life.>"NO!" she shrieked with more frantic giggles, thrashing her legs wildly around as she tried to break herself away from you.>Amidst your catching your breath, you let out a ragged laugh; you started swimming backward, pulling Scootaloo along with you, keeping her body firmly close to yours.>She squirmed against your body, trying to find any solid ground to plant her feet down on, but you weren't gonna give her an out that easily.>You kept your grip on her firm and tight.>Then you felt her butt rub against your crotch.>It was far from intentional, from either of you.>But you felt it.>Her butt moved left and right, up and down, pushing back and forth into you, as if to knock you off balance.>You shivered... but you didn't know what for.>You tried playing along as long as you could, keeping your hold on Scootaloo as you continued to swim backward.>Eventually, the girl's efforts only forced her on top of you, her entire weight pushing you down into the water.>But you refused to stand down, refused to give up.>Then you felt it.>You were getting hard.>Immediately, you let go and sank into the water.>All you saw was Scootaloo swim past you from above.>Sitting on the riverbed, you looked down to your boxers.>Sure enough, there was a visible bulge; it was blurry, but it was there.>You felt your body and blood run cold, and yet your chest grew warm.>Was it out of fear? Guilt? Shame?>Oh wait, you were running out of air.>Quickly, you planted your feet on the sand and darted for the surface.>You broke the water and sucked in as much air as possible; you then looked around you for any trace of Scootaloo.>You couldn't see her anywhere, but her clothes still sat on the shoreline.>Did she run off? Was she afraid?>Afraid of y—>A primal scream erupted from behind you, followed by a flurry of water cascading over your topless body."Oh, f—">You felt two small arms wrap around your torso.>Immediately after, you heard laughter.>It was Scootaloo, giving you your just desserts as she held onto your body and refused to let go.>"Aha!" Scootaloo laughed. "Not so tough now, are ya?!">As soon as your heart stopped racing, you began to laugh with her, all while trying to escape her titanic grip.>You pushed yourself forward through the water, hoping she'd lose her grip and slide off, but there was no success.>She was strong!"Hey, Scootaloo?">"Huh?""Barrel roll!!">"No, waitwhAA—">Before she could react, you spun yourself around in the water, flinging Scootaloo to the side; the girl let out a surprised yet excited shrill.>She lost her grip on you and fell into the water, disappearing under the surface.>After only one spin, you had to stop and stand up in the water.>Thankfully, waist deep.>While catching your breath, Scootaloo resurfaced and did the very same.
>>41790033>"You jerk!" she shouted—though she was doing a poor job at hiding her smile.>You simply laughed between breaths.>The laughter was contagious, as the girl began to laugh with you.__________>An hour later, you and Scootaloo were on the way back to her house, squeaky clean and refreshed from your "bath".>You pedaled forward on your bike while Scootaloo sat in the wagon, playing with her hair again."You really like playing with your hair, don't you?" you asked her jokingly.>"W-What? It just feels nice to play with, that's all!" she replies almost defensively. "My hair was gross before... hated touching it.">You chuckle."Fair," you say, running your hand through your hair once before keeping both hands on the handlebars.>Now that it was closer to noon, it was getting a little warm now; the sun was shining higher in the air, albeit lower than it was in the summer.>But the hoodie you wore this morning was now sitting in the wagon with Scootaloo—you actually didn't need it!>It felt like an easy 60 degrees.>Sure, it wasn't gonna last that much longer, but you were gonna enjoy it!"Hey," you say to Scootaloo with a smile, "you wanna ride around the neighborhood again?">Scootaloo smiled back.>"Sure!">[ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYwTLS9r46w ]>Rather than turn left onto the road leading down to her house, you continued forward northbound.>It was more of the same sets of residential houses transitioning into town-houses the closer to downtown you got.>A few abandoned cars were left standing in the middle of the road, tires flattened and doors opened, as if their inhabitants fled in a hurry.>Never anything of value left inside, of course.>You turned in to one of the streets that contained nothing but town-houses on either side. While a couple had their doors busted in, many of them were seemingly untouched, like whoever lived there would just step right outside their front door and start their day.>Very few cars were still parked in their respective lots—meaning their owners were likely still home—in a manner of speaking.>You didn't plan on stopping by any of these houses, at least not for the time being, so you continued forward until you reached the next intersection, after which you turned right and started making your way southbound again.>Funny enough in its own morbid way, amid the loneliness surrounding you... this was honestly pretty calming.>Canterlot was home to sixty-thousand people before the outbreak, and while you only ever went downtown once or twice, you still remembered how packed the streets and the sidewalks were.>How many people were just -there-.>But today, there was nobody. No cars, no people.>Just you and Scootaloo, cruising through an empty metropolis that, one day, never woke up.>You turned your head around just for a moment to glance at Scootaloo. She was zoned out, watching as the scenery slowly passed her by with a smile of childlike curiosity.
>>41790034>Lost in her own little world, and—for now—enjoying every moment of it.>You thought back to earlier, what happened at the river.>She never brought it up, but you couldn't help but think about it, almost guiltily.>Sure, she didn't do it on purpose, and what happened was just something that all guys go through at some point...>But the pit in your stomach never filled itself back up.>You didn't want to ever be having -THAT- kind of reaction around or -FROM- her.>She's just a kid!>Ever since then, you waited for her to bring it up, to question it, to maybe even ask to bring her home.>But she still hasn't said a word about it. Instead, she's still with you, letting you take her on a little joyride with a smile on her face.>Either she felt it and didn't know what was going on...>Or she knew exactly what was going on and didn't want to talk about it, either out of fear or embarrassment.>For now, if she wasn't going to bring it up, then neither were you.>That was her choice to make.>You continued to cruise through the streets that you went through yesterday, using the ride as an excuse to figure out the layout of the immediate area.>It didn't take long to find the road that led to Pickles Court, just two blocks away from the campus grounds, which would take you all the way to the Whinny-Mart.>Assuming the place was still fairly packed with supplies, you could make a whole day out of it, just going back and forth and lugging everything you can carry back to the dorm.>While you could probably do it on your own... having an extra pair of hands would help."Hey, Scootaloo," you call to her, taking her out of her daze.>"Yeah?""How'd you feel about going on a little trip with me in a couple days?">Scootaloo cocks her head cautiously.>"What kind of trip...?""Well, there's this place called Whinny-Mart a couple miles away, and I wanna check it out at some point, see if there's anything good inside. I figured I ask if you'd wanna come and give me a hand if I find anything?">"Like what?" she asked curiously.>You simply shrugged; you were looking for a variety of different things, whether they be batteries or food. But given how big the hardware sections were from what you remember, there was a good chance there could be something to get you through the winter beyond thick clothing."Camping supplies, kinda," you tell her in a half-truth. "Your parents own a generator or anything?">Scootaloo simply shook her head.>That was a little surprising, you thought. Though it seemed like her parents were the kind of people to live off-grid, if it ever came to it."Well, maybe we can find one there. But only if you wanna come with, alright?">Scootaloo looked ahead of you, peering down the winding street that led towards your intended destination.>"Is it gonna take long?">You hummed and tilted your head, looking down the road as well.
>>41790036"Bringing stuff back, yeah. But now that you mention it... we probably -could- just ride around the area, scope it out. That should take ten minutes...">You then turn back to Scootaloo."Sound good?">After a few seconds, Scootaloo looks back to you, gives you a little smile and nods.>She's still a little hesitant, but definitely seems more... inviting might be the better word for it.>Nevertheless, you start peddling once more and begin your way down Pickles Court.>Like the rest, it was more residential homes with overgrown lawns. One of the driveways had a small pickup truck parked by the garage.>About a mile further down, the left side opened up, revealing a gas station of similar size to Parsley's; no abandoned cars around this one, but you immediately made out the "OUT OF GAS" signs that hung over the fuel pumps.>The rest of the journey was uneventful and relatively quiet, apart from the howling wind that started to pick up.>You felt the temperature drop at least a couple degrees, and a heavy shiver forced its way out of you.>Luckily, it was only a blip, and the temperature started to warm up again soon after, but you knew that even with the warm temperatures today, the windchill was gonna be dreadful in a few hours.>Thankfully, the trip to the Whinny-Mart took only around fifteen minutes.>You stopped your bike just across the street from the parking lot, and took in your surroundings.>Across the street stood the Whinny-Mart, a conglomeration of small shops and a "super"center, all packed into what looked like a former strip-mall.>The main building alone was massive, but the parking lot seemed to be double the size. You could easily imagine this place being packed on a busy day.>Today, only a few cars remained in the parking lot, with one parked up to the front entrance. Even though you instinctively ducked down, it was close enough for you to see that the tires were flat, and the windshield had been smashed in, indicating the car had been there since the start.>After a steady breath, you crossed the street with the bike and began riding through the parking lot, getting as close to the plaza as you could. Most of the buildings curved off into a small outdoor shopping center, fitted with a fountain in the center, its pond ripe with moss and other forms of growth.>You parked the bike by the curb and peered through the windows of a few of the smaller shops. Apart from being dark on account of no power, you could see towards the back; most of the shops here were shuttered, thus their supplies were practically untouched.>The same couldn't be said for the front entrance of the main store itself. Trash and other items littered the parking lot, assorted with tossed and crumpled shopping carts.>A small hill of garbage could be seen nearby, charred and ruined like it was used as a bonfire.
>>41790040>You remember hearing about some of the looting and rioting that occurred when it first happened, but you never saw anything like it where you were.>Stepping up to the window of the Whinny-Mart, you looked inside.>It looked almost no different inside from the outside.>Garbage, tossed goods, among other things, littered the floors. One of the aisles had been knocked over, spilling its contents everywhere.>A vague smell seeped its way into your nostrils.>Thankfully, only just the smell of garbage.>"Ugh..." you heard Scootaloo groan softly to herself as she covered her nose, having walked up beside you to look in with you.>You hummed in agreement, while feeling a light pit in your stomach form from what you were seeing.>Many of the shelves, at least those that you could see, didn't look very full. A couple of them were definitely picked clean.>Just how far back that went remained to be seen—literally.>Past the first set of aisles, visibility dropped to near-zero; you couldn't see more than thirty feet from the front doors."Stay here," you say to Scootaloo, before reaching into your duffel bag and pulling out a flashlight.>Scootaloo does as she's told and stays where she is.>Not because she was scared of the dark or anything like that...>You enter through the open frame of the sliding glass doors, their glass panes scattered across the marble floor beneath you.>It was freezing in here, and you didn't want to stick around near the dark longer than you needed to, at least not until you were sure it was clear.>You got as far as the first aisle of shelves and stopped, then lifted your flashlight and shined it out towards the back section of the store.>More empty shelves. Not all of them, but some of them were missing assortments of food or clothing, which made sense.>But you wondered...>You side-stepped your way to the far-right end of the Whinny-Mart, trying to stay as close to the front as you could. Glancing behind you, Scootaloo watched somewhat anxiously, rubbing her fingers as her hands rested on the window frame.>The only thing guiding you through the store were the signs, a couple of which were pointing you in the direction of the hardware section.>Once you reached the far end of the store, you walked slowly down the aisle, listening intently to every sound around you.>Which, for the most part... there was no sound, other than the echoes of your footsteps.>You grew nervous, but continued to push forward, flashlight pointed ahead.>It wasn't as dark as it looked from the outside, but there were still spots where you couldn't see much at all.>The smell was awful in here too, you realized. All that rotting food, from dairy products to moldy bread, only added to the nervous pit in your stomach.>But before long, and before you had a reason to start throwing up your breakfast, you were able to find the hardware section.>And oh boy, did you find it!
>>41790042>Apart from a few empty spots here and there, most of the shelves were hardly touched at all. There was enough wood and nails leftover to fortify every window in the boys' dorm twice over!>Fence spools, empty gas cans, grease guns, sledgehammers, car oil, and so much more.>It seemed the rioters were far more interested in tacky clothes and flat-screens.>You couldn't see any shelves where a generator would be feasibly stored, but you didn't want to keep Scootaloo waiting too long.>There'd be plenty of time to go shopping in a couple days.>For now, you backtracked and started making your way back to the front entrance.>Oh... but not before grabbing a couple extra flashlights on your way out!>You made your way back to the main entrance and stepped back outside, warming up right away as the sun bore down on you.>Scootaloo stepped away from the window frame and walked up to you.>"Did you see anything?" she asked you inquisitively."Uh-huh," you say to Scootaloo with a smirk. "There's a whole bunch of stuff. Don't know what I'm getting, but it's gonna take a few trips, I know that much.">Scootaloo looked out to the empty roads, looking down both ways, as if waiting for someone to roll up to the store."Still worried about cops?" you ask.>"... A little," she answered with a shrug, almost feeling embarrassed to admit it.>You give her a playful nudge."It's alright. We're not gonna get in trouble, I promise.">She simply smiles at you and looks back into the mart.>"Sooo... are we gonna take anything right now?">You look through the open doorway and think about it for a moment as you cross your arms."I suppose we could bring back some extra food. Maybe find some mac n' cheese?">You nudge her again with a grin.>Despite shying away, Scootaloo giggles at the jab."C'mon. Let's see what we can find."__________>About thirty minutes later, you walked out of the store with a few grocery bags' worth of non-perishable foods, from canned goods to snack cakes and the likes.>The food sections fared far worse than the hardware section, but you were still able to find a plethora of food supplies, enough to last you a few months.>Of course, you didn't venture further than the first two aisles; Scootaloo was reluctant to go past the first row.>At the end of the trip, you and the kid had enough food, combined with your Woodchuck's and Parsley's cache, to last you a good couple years, assuming you kept it stored properly.>But the one thing you were happy to find?>WATER.>You found packs of water. PACKS.>Too many to bring home in one go, so you took four of them, two for each of you.>A single pack could keep either one of you -properly- hydrated for at least a week. Ration it, and you could stretch that out to two weeks.>But there was at least enough water in the store—at least, what you found—to get you by for the next several months, at least through the winter.
>>41790044>You even took a few packs of soda; it was spoilage at this point, but you missed having some Cola.>When you finally left the Whinny-Mart, the wagon felt twice as heavy, especially with Scootaloo in the back, making every push against the pedal more of an exercise.>Thankfully, Pickles Court was only winding turns and mostly flat.>You got back to the college in about twenty minutes, the trip overall taking about an hour and a half from when you first left. It was close to two o'clock now, and it was already starting to get chilly again.>At least the extra effort to peddle helped keep you warm.>After putting your jacket back on, you decided to ride Scootaloo back to her place, and continued a bit of small talk with her."So when exactly did you move here?" you ask, your voice lightly raised over the wind.>"When I was seven," she answers, her voice also raised. "My parents wanted me to be closer to my aunts.""And you were okay with it?">Scootaloo shrugged.>"Yeah, I guess... I mean, I didn't really know anyone there and I was still pretty young, so I guess it wasn't that bad...">She trilled her lips.>"I just remember the car ride sucking the whole time. The A/C was broken, and it was in the middle of summer too!""Woof," you say aloud with a chuckle. "I know -that- feeling...">"Do -you- still live in Detrot?" she asks.>You nod."Yeah, I was still living with my parents. I didn't really know what I wanted to do after college, or where I wanted to go. Canterlot seemed pretty nice, though.">"Do you wanna go back home?">It takes you a moment to answer, then you nod again."Yeah... I guess just to see what's left, or if my... my parents are okay...">It got quiet for a moment.>You didn't really think about them very much, your parents.>The last time you talked to your dad was the end of February. The last time you talked to your mother was mid March, the nineteenth—the day before the phone lines went down.>The day before your birthday.>Twenty years old, and you never got to celebrate it.>Never got to call them.>Never got to say goodbye.>"Anon?">You shake yourself out of your stupor, remembering you're still riding your bike. You glance back to Scootaloo for a moment."Huh?">She looks concerned, both in her eyes and her voice.>"Y-You okay?">You give her a sad smile and nod, before turning back to the sidewalk in front of you."Yeah, I'm fine.">Another lie.>You make it back to Scootaloo's house roughly fifteen minutes later, pedaling a little slower than you were used to.>Despite the colder air, you were sweaty and warm, but you couldn't complain for the time being.>You knocked down the kickstand and hopped off the bike. You had Scootaloo pick up some of the grocery bags that were for her, while you grabbed the heavier items like the water cases.>After having one of them nearly slip off the other, you manage to set them down on the coffee table in the living room.
>>41790046>It took a few minutes of going back and forth, but once it was done, Scootaloo had a couple months' worth of food and water sitting in her bedroom, just underneath her bed.>Ten of those canned foods were mac n' cheese, go figure; the rest were boxed and needed to be boiled, but once you can secure a good way to boil things, that shouldn't be a problem.>You still opened a can of carrots and beans for her for lunch.>The taste of the canned carrots, at the very least? That was something you could both agree on.>Not so good, that particular brand.>But you rewarded her with some snack cakes for "dessert".>Like yesterday, the two of you sat in the living room and talked for a bit about whatever came to mind. At some point, Scootaloo went over to the book case near the fireplace and grabbed some of her favorite books, more specifically the Daring Do series.>You only ever read the first book, but just couldn't get into it.>Scootaloo, on the other hand, was ecstatic about the series, talking about all the various stunts and dangerous situations that Daring Do cleverly roped her way out of.>"I -really- wanted to see the movie too!" she exclaimed with a hint of disappointment. "We were gonna go see it before my parents left, but then we had to stay home because of everything that was going on.""Aww," you say with genuine sorrow in your voice. "Was it on DVD or anything like that?">"I dunno," she said, shrugging. "I guess they were gonna at some point...">You click your cheek again, humming as you thought."Maybe I'll stop by a video store, see if I can't find a copy to snag.">"Video store...?">Oh yeah, she's eleven."Or, you know, wherever they had those ClipBox stands, you know what I mean," you say, waving your hands for clarity. "Or maybe that movie studio's got a copy hidden away somewhere.">"You think so?""I'd be surprised if they didn't," you reply with a smile. "What's it called?">"Daring Do and the Temple of the Bat King!" she exclaimed, without skipping a beat. "I've read the whole book front to back, but they always add so much more stuff to the movies!">Scootaloo held one of the older books, Swamp Monster, with a giddy look on her face and flipped to what you could only assume was one of her favorite pages.>"Like this part: "Daring Do opens the chest to find the ail of her troubles—a large medallion, the Chrome Sling, a mythical instrument that wielded unfathomable power. This will come in handy when the time comes to face the Monster himself!"">She turned the book around so it faced you, then pointed at the line she just read.>"They completely changed this part in the movie, so it's a necklace that totally corrupts Daring Do throughout the movie, so when she finally fights the Swamp Monster, she's just as strong as he is, so it's like an equal fight kinda thing. It was so cool seeing it for the first time! And the second... and maybe the third..."
>>41790049>You just laughed softly to yourself as Scootaloo went on and on about the Daring Do series, and you happily listened.>There was very little of the series that you knew, even from Twilight—which just now came as a surprise to you!—but you were sure that if you let her, Scootaloo would spoil the entire series for you before you even read a single line from it!>But just before she got to the juicy parts, she stopped and tried to contain herself.>"Wait, no, you -gotta- read them for yourself!">You chuckled again."Don't wanna spoil it?" you tease her.>Scootaloo's eyes go wide and she slinks into the couch.>"Oh shit-shoot, did I spoil too much of it...?">You hold out your hand reassuringly and laugh."No no, it's alright, don't worry. I'll have to see if I've got a copy lying around somewhere back home. I'll read it, though. Promise.">"Promise...?" Scootaloo holds out her right pinky, essentially asking you to pinky promise.>With a smile, you hold out your pinky and interlock it with hers."Promise."__________>A few hours of conversation and snacking later, it was time to leave yet again.>The sun was starting to set, and the temperature outside was starting to drop.>You and Scootaloo walked out into the front yard, only for you to realize you'd left the bike and wagon full of food and water out in the open.>You winced to yourself, but made sure not to make note of it to Scootaloo.>How could you get careless like that?>Luckily, a quick look at your supplies told you that nothing was taken, and everything was still closed and therefore preserved.>Though, thinking about it, you were certain that the bike and wagon themselves would've been gone if someone -was- here.>As you took inventory of what was left in the wagon, you felt Scootaloo tap you gently on the arm."Huh?" you say instinctively as you turn around.>Scootaloo stood behind you, holding something out to you.>You quickly realized it was her collection of Daring Do books.>"Here," she says with a smile. "In case you wanna read them yourself.">Your eyes opened slightly as you looked down at the stack of books she was ready to give to you.>You wanted to say something, tell her she didn't have to do that.>But the look on her face...>You smiled back and kindly took the books."Thanks, Scoot," you say, before putting the books into your duffel bag. "I'll give them a read tonight.">Her smile only grew as she let out a quiet, yet happy little squeal.>... This kid was adorable."You sure you're gonna be okay tonight? Might get cold again.">Scootaloo nodded assuredly.>"Yep! It wasn't too chilly in my room last night, so I only had to use the one blanket.">You clicked your tongue."If you say so. Just bundle up if you get too cold, okay?">"Well, duh," she said almost in a dismissive, yet playful manner.>You didn't take note about it too much because she seemed to at least be taking the cold seriously enough.
>>41790054>Instead, you held out your hand and ruffled her hair a little bit.>This time, she didn't pull away, only laughing awkwardly."See you tomorrow, okay?">Scootaloo grinned and nodded again.>You hopped back onto your bike and turned it around in the direction of Canterlot University.>As you began to pedal past Scootaloo, she waved at you.>"Bye!">You looked back briefly and waved back with a smile, before retaining focus on the sidewalk ahead.>The next time you looked back a few moments later, Scootaloo was still watching you.>The third time you looked back, she was gone.>To think you'd spent the last week trying to merely get the chance to talk to this kid.>And now, you kinda didn't want to go back to the dorm.>And the way she stood there and watched you leave...>Maybe you were looking too much into it.>Either way, you continued to pedal forward and didn't stop until you were back at the University, wagon in tow.>You wedged the doors to the boys' dorm open and pulled the bike and wagon inside. Once they were hidden away, you started taking the grocery bags upstairs first, as they were light and easy to carry.>With the stairs added to the mix, you had to take a break at the top of each landing when bringing the water up.>Either way, you managed to get everything up to your dorm in less than ten minutes, a record from the last big trip.>You put your supplies away and took inventory of everything once more.>Three packs of water, three jugs, and a shitload of food, about half of it canned.>You'll definitely be going back for the rest, but it brought you nothing but relief that your water troubles were short-lived.>For now, at least.>You wrote down on the map to keep an eye out for the store's pharmacy, assuming that hadn't been looted too.>After celebrating your unplanned supply run with a can of soda and some canned sausages, you dug through your duffel bag and set everything down on the kitchen counter. You hung up the wet towels by the open door to the bathroom, then went back to the kitchen and picked up the collection of books that Scootaloo had given you.>You sat down on your bed and took a look at each cover.>Eternal Flower, Forbidden City of Clouds, Swamp Monster, and even Temple of the Bat King.>You've already read Eternal Flower, so you figured you start on Forbidden City.>With a short sigh, you flipped open the book to the first page.>Chapter 1: The Sky's the Limit...
>>41790057.....>It was late at night.>Scootaloo wasn't sure how late. It could've been only 9PM, or it could've been three in the morning.>She should've asked Anon to help fix her clock before he left.>She woke up in her bed, covered in a light sweat. She was warm, and yet it was freezing in her room.>The girl pulled the blanket closer to her body, as close as it could get; she considered grabbing one of the other blankets, but didn't want to get out of bed.>It was dark outside, like it had been every night for months; tonight, however, was especially dark.>Maybe the moon was hidden behind the clouds, or the moon cycle was different.>Scootaloo didn't like to think about it that much. Instead, she kept her head pressed against her pillow, trying to ignore the quietness of it all.>She wished her Mom and Dad were here.>They've gotta come back soon.>Right?>They WILL come back!>Maybe when they get back, she can introduce them to Anon! She doesn't know how well they'd get along together, but Anon seemed nice enough!>She wondered if he read her books like he promised...>She'll have to ask him in the morning, whenever that was.>As she wiped her eyes and laid her head down, she listened to the sound of chirping crickets off in the distance outside.>She almost fell asleep.>Then she heard something.>It sounded like she came from outside.>And there was faint light coming through the blinds.>Wait...>Is that a car engine?>And it sounds just like...>"Mom? Dad?!" Scoot exclaimed softly to herself.>She knew it! She knew they'd be back!>The young girl flung herself out of bed and ran to the window.>She peered carefully through the blinds and looked down at the street below.>There was a car, parked alongside the curb, its lights flashing forward, but bright enough to partially illuminate Scootaloo's bedroom.>A hopeful smile grew on the young girl's face as she watched the car, waiting for her parents to open the...>The momentary blindness of the light subsided.>That wasn't her parents' car.>That wasn't ANY car she was familiar with.>The driver door opened, then the left-rear door.>Two figures emerged from the car, while two more appeared from around the fence to the left of the house.>There was nothing recognizable, not from where she was.>All she could see was that they had face masks on.>And they had guns.>Suddenly, one of them shone a flashlight at the house, and Scootaloo quickly ducked down.>She didn't hear them say anything of it, but she didn't wait for them to come in.>Trying to keep her breath steady, she crawled over to the bed and dove underneath it, inching her way as far back to the wall as she could, pushing her food and water out of the way.>The pack of water squealed and squeaked as it moved, and Scootaloo froze.>By then, the strangers were already in her home.>"You hear that?" a muffled voice asked from downstairs, an older sounding man.
>>41790060>Scootaloo tried her hardest to stay still, hoping they wouldn't hear her.>"That's just the house settling," another man's voice replied. "Place hasn't been kept up in months.">She heard the men move around downstairs, their lights occasionally moving past the stairs to illuminate it.>Scootaloo covered her mouth and tried to breathe slowly without suffocating herself.>"Looks like someone's been here lately. Trash's got fresher stuff in it.">The cans! Her cans from dinner!>She didn't throw them away!>"Well, let's see what we can find before we dip.">Scootaloo listened as they went through every cupboard, looked under every couch cushion, opened every door, hoping to find a scrap of... whatever it was they were looking for.>Then she heard footsteps on the stairs.>They were coming up.>She held her hand tightly to her mouth and breathed in through her nose.>She saw lights in the hallway.>No more than a moment later, they shone into her bedroom.>Two pairs of thick, black boots stepped into the room, moving around precariously, their flashlights looking all around.>"Some kid's bedroom," one of the figures said, sniffling right after. "-Smells- like they're still here.">The other figure didn't respond, only humming and turning towards the door, while the other rummaged through Scootaloo's closet.>The kid was shaking, watching and waiting for them to leave, hoping they wouldn't hear her, notice her.>Then, after a moment, the figure in her closet turned around and hummed as well.>"Nothing. Just clothing and other shit.">"Figured. Alright, let's check the bathroom.">The figures both began to leave her bedroom.>Until they heard a sound.>Scootaloo whimpering faintly, unable to hold it in.>"You hear that?" one of them asked the other. "Was that the house too?">"I don't think so.">The man who looked in her closet went back inside, checking behind piles of clothes, and behind old shirts hanging from the rack.>The other man inched his way towards the bed.>With tears in her eyes, Scootaloo shut them tight and bit the crook between her thumb and pointer finger.>There was nothing she could do.>Nothing but—>*HONK HOOONK*>The sound of a car horn outside startled both men, who walked over to the window and presumably saw the other half of their group at their vehicle.>Scootaloo didn't care to open her eyes. All she did was listen.>"Oh, guess it was them," one of them deduced about the sound.>"Dammit, I told them to wait," the other said with a groan. "Alright, go meet up with them. I'll see if the bathroom's got anything.">"Right.">And like that, the two men left the room. One went downstairs, while the other went into the bathroom just next to Scootaloo's room.>After a few moments of muffled fumbling, he too went downstairs.>And still, Scootaloo refused to open her eyes.>She listened and listened, waiting for them to come back.>They never did.>They didn't even shut the front door.
>>41790062>She heard their car rev up, and with the screech of tires, the car drove off into the night.>It was dark again.>Still, Scootaloo didn't open her eyes.>She didn't come out from under the bed.>She didn't dare to look outside.>She stayed where it was safest.>She stayed there until she fell asleep.>Safe and sound........
>>41790064>You woke up the next morning with a stretch of your limbs.>You pulled yourself out of bed and sluggishly limped your way up to the window.>The sun was only just starting to peek from behind the mountains, its glare reflecting off the glass of the skyscrapers downtown.>That meant it must've been around seven in the morning.>Birds started to chirp, and a crow cawed near your window again; you wondered if there was a nest nearby or if he was simply curious.>It was still pretty cold when you stepped out onto the balcony, but it wasn't too uninviting.>Still, you wondered if it was gonna be warm enough for you and Scootaloo to take another dip in the river.>She seemed to really enjoy it too, and honestly, so did you!>If only you'd left the dorm sooner, then you would've been able to bathe in much proper summer waters, but for now, you were gonna take advantage of it while you still could.>As you basked in the mix of cold morning air and reflected warmth, you heard a small tapping noise beneath you.>At least, it sounded like tapping.>You looked over the railing, down at the overgrown plant-bed in front of the dorm, but there was no sign of the source.>You looked over to where you'd dug the graves of your former classmates, and still nothing.>Then you looked over to the stairwell double doors and froze.>Someone was standing there, knocking at the doors.>Not just anyone though. It didn't take long for you to recognize her."Scootaloo...?" you say aloud.>The sound of your voice seems to catch her off guard, as she flinches before looking up to your balcony; for a moment, your eyes meet.>"A-Anon...?" she speaks almost pitifully, her voice shaking.>She doesn't look good..."Oh my god... stay right there! I'll be right down!" you holler to her before retreating back into your dorm.>You quickly put on a hoodie over your boxers, and put on your shoes, then quickly make your way to the stairwell. You practically race down the steps to get down to the ground floor as quick as you can.>What the hell was she doing HERE? And so early?>How long was she OUT THERE?>A lot of questions raced through your mind on the way down, but there'd be a time for answers later.>You make it down to the first floor in record time and open the front door. You didn't even realize you'd locked it.>Standing before you, in the cold autumn air, was Scootaloo.>Her hair was disheveled, more than it usually had been. She had a hoodie with the initials CHS on the front, and a pair of cargo pants on.>She had a blanket wrapped around her.>She smelled like... urine.>Her whole body shook, as if she was unfathomably cold.>But the thing you saw right away?>She'd been crying.>She was still crying, her lips quivering as little shivers escaped her.>Scootaloo sniffled and looked up at you, with teary, pleading eyes.>Like a scared little child.>"C-Can I come in...?"END OF PART 3__________Had taken a break for a bit, will get back on it this weekend.
>>41790068Ponepaste: https://ponepaste.org/10560Forgot to add that, oop
>>41790068Sweet. Just finished reading part 2.
https://ponerpics.org/images/7134563You're still wondering how you ended in this situation and why you feel the sensation that someone is watching both. Friendly advice, never accept any drink from Cadance ever again.
>>41789929>Duct tapeRed Green would be proud.>>41789941yeah I was wondering about toiletries.. she got enough buttwipe? also surely the water would stop working once society collapses.. someone has to maintain the city system. anon was shitting in bags after all.>>41789955>>41789961ah yeah see, workin on it. i gotta trust you.>>41789966silly dummy, swimsuits are not for postapocalypses >>41789967i hope you know how lucky you are>>41789974and speaking of lucky, splashfights with an adolescent scoot.>>41789982haaa skinnydippin scoots. and to think, she's saying that was sometime in the past, so she was even younger. what a pioneer.>>41789996hnng driving scoots around while she rides in the cart is so cute.
>>41790512>>41790007aaa Anon is a good caretaker.>>41790023yeah i was wondering if the time update was working. i dunno how reliant those things are on new info from the system.>>41790024funny how much worry there is over being found.. i feel like that's the thing you'd want most. This is not a sustainable situation long-term, surely in this scenario the idea is hold out til the military comes through or something>>41790028aw man it's not a ham radio is it, anon can't answer back. Yeahh this is realistic. see once again you've already thought what i'm thinking.>>41790031wait what is she wearing.. did she find a swimsuit? she must own one..>>41790033those gaming skills paid off. press Z or R twice!>>41790036psh anon has the wrong attitude too. this is a 'pocalypse. age of consent is not a thing anymore, you need to repopulate!
>>41790520>>41790040oh man, fallout feels.. big stores could have anything inside.>>41790046I think soda would survive for quite a few months before going bad. or did you mean he's spoiling himself with treats.>>41790049ohh the movie studio wasn't just there for unlikely flavor, it was foreshadowing!>>41790057oh yeah, fuck.. people need medical stuff too..>>41790060awww fuck>>41790068i was hoping she'd be the one to come over first. and she peed herself, the ultimate vulnerability. Love it. fucking fantastic story. the 4chin would not let me post all of this at once.
>>41790068I've been putting it off, but I finally got a chance to read this. I like the story a lot so far. The way you're handling the relationship is nice and I think the gradual buildup you're doing for them works really well.
>>41790068whoa! that's a big update
>>41788836boobs too big>>41788069what?
>>41790850Japan has a 'children's day'this person doesn't know you can't write in a U-shape like that
Getting this in just before December is over in my time zone.https://files.catbox.moe/xxfzvv.pnghttps://files.catbox.moe/an1pzu.pnghttps://files.catbox.moe/d5dwu3.pnghttps://files.catbox.moe/2g2je9.pnghttps://files.catbox.moe/2g2je9.png
>>41790866Based! Have a great new year, anon!
>>41791087i remember this artist! I think
>>41791141His name is in the picture itself
>>41791176well i remember it by faceyeah see, this one.. same guy. i knew it was.
>>41791141https://twibooru.org/search?q=artist%3Alumineko
how do to approach in park without 9_11??
>>41791323Make a tulpa
>>41791323Make sure to bring plenty of candy have a cute dog with you. Stay stationary so that way kids approach you, rather than you approaching the kids. Wait until their parents approach and ask permission to share the candy rather than freely giving it away. Eat one of the candies yourself so parents don't think they're poisoned. Don't use a pitbull as a "cute dog".
>>41791323that is such a cool design. also he's supremely tall.>>41791415hey pitbulls are super cute! and very protective. the parents will know, if you tried anything, dog would fite you.
>No sudden movements!>Hey bring candy or a pet!If I wasn't posting in the same thread I'd be offering you a seat.
>>41791874you dont bring treats when you walk by a cow pasture and want them to come give you attention? nice cow treats like.. popcorn I should think. and maybe a sugar cube. and then you get to pet cows and they moomoo and they lick your hand a lot. I have never done this outside of a petting zoo but i assume this is how it works. Why not the chilluns? Being nice to people is not a crime. only do nice things.
>>41791877I want to believe you're just pretending to be dumb on purpose right now.
>>41791880bring a dog around so people can see it, that is what neighbors do.
What's the best way to go about making sure your kids don't end up scared and can sleep comfortably in their own beds at night? Good sleep is important for focus and concentration in school, as well as getting to such a location on time.
>>41792183actually the answer is right there. co-sleeping is what humans are built for. every parent knows, getting your kid to sleep alone is ridiculously hard. they cry, they get nightmares, they wet the bed. all they want is to be back in the comforting arms of family, where every animal wants to be.but starting about 140ish years ago, that stopped being the thing to do. You'd be fucking hanged if they found out you all slept together. Because everyone who lived prior to that was a terrible awful person and we should be glad we're finally more enlightened.
Happy 2025, /jdb/!
>>41792477vhhhhh needs to draw them browner, nuder and more barefoot>>41792456cute picture, must be from one of those middle school dance mixers where they get to meet men our age
>>41792618Agreed. Considering they shouldn't wear footwear at all, having flip flop by the poolside is just preposterous.
>>41792477Okay but what if I think they look cuter in their bikinis?
>>41792916Then you find a happy compromise and YOU be the one to take off your trunks instead.
What's the easiest way to motivate your daughter to start a private club with her friends? I want to be clear it's -private- and NOT -exclusionary-. With the former, it allows her to feel special, but with the latter, it may turn her into a bad person.
>>41790232Along she isn't recording you're fine.
>>41792942>Ah call this meeting of the daddy fuckers club to order!Jesus Christ raimi
>>41792942>Platonically grooming your kid to become an irl CMCCan I hang out with them if you’re successful?
>>41792942they should start it over a mutual interest
>>41793936>I am not the mini-princess of anything"
>>41792942If you don't exclude anyone, it's not private. It's not even a club. If you don't have an outgroup, then you don't have a group.
>Wuuohnder Land
>>41794028wetaloo is cute.
>>41790232Fucking unf
>>41794427>Anonymous in Wuuohnder Land>Everything he eats or drinks makes him horny/hornier for the lands cute & funny denizens
>Moe's Tavern, Moe Speaking.>"Hello, I'm looking for an Epstein, first name Iwish-Iwasan.">Ah hold on a sec lemme check..>UHH HEY GUYS; IWISH-IWASAN EPSTEIN? ANYONE? I KNOW ONE OF YOU IS HIM C'MON N-..wait a second..>LISTEN HERE YOU LITTLE CUNNYCHASING CREEP WHEN I CATCH YOU I'M GONNA CRAM AN EASY BAKE OVEN DOWN YOUR PIE HOLE!
>>41795438>every single report say the island was filled with "kids" above 15>island full of hagsNo thanks
>>41795922Yeah. When Cadancegate was happening they tricked us into thinking we were heroes saving the lolis from evil griffons. It’s still evil that they trafficked those girls but it was also a bit of a let down when it came out that the lolis were actually teens who may have come from states and countries where they were legally allowed to make choices for themselves. Sorta made you wonder if they weren’t trafficked at all.
What's the smartest way to convince your daughter to daughter to take her school photos seriously? I know when I was a kid, I thought they were a stupid idea, but now I know that capturing those precious years is very important.
>>41795933i knew it had to be something like thatend news now. get rid of all news and all lawyers.
>>41795964>Sweetie if you keep making that face it'll stay that way.
>>41795964the photo i want of her is the face she wants to make
>9Good age, not so good page.
You wouldn't ACTUALLY have sex with a little girl, right Anon?
>>41797954Uhh the literal second it becomes legal
>>41797954little? no. Mainly because that would rip her in half.Within the bonds of wedlock, with a safe vagina size, at an age my great grandpa probably married my great grandma at? yes.
>>41797954A single one? Nah. Two, though?
>JUST A SMALL TOWN NIGGA>LIVIN' IN A GOY WORLD>SHE TOOK A SHIT GOING ANYWHEREHow would you handle this situation? Keep in mind that Sweetie Belle is the one who's encouraging the others to use the n-word.
>>41798134i'm more concerned with what sounds like very confused antisemitism.we follow the ten commandments in this house young lady, those didn't come out of the bhagavad gita.
>>41798134what a great story, mark
>>41797954No but I would make sweet sweet love to one.
>>41798134I like your funny words, little gal.
The dudes in the koikatsu bread crank out some good stuff every so oftenlook at her badges
>>41798134I would go to the stage and spank their asses in front of everyone
>>41798875I wonder how she earned them.
Would you consider it to be your fault if your daughter and her friends are trying to steal cookies? Wouldn't their acts of theft be a sign that you aren't doing a good enough job as a provider giving them sweet things?
>>41799191I can't blame them, Chewy Chip's Ahoy's are the shit. If it was just sneaking one or two when no ones looking I don't think that even needs to be addressed. NOW, if it's stuff like 'You distract him, while I get blueprints of the house, and you get the bolt cutters & acetylene torch!' Then maybe I'd get involved.You can't helicopter your kids, you know, that's likely how some of us ended up here.
>>41799191i mean this is why you just put them out on the counterif they have too many, they feel shitty. so they never do it again. i've eaten too many cookies maybe four times in my life, that's an average of once a decade and that's acceptable.
>>41799730I disagree because I'm a grown-ass man and I ate an entire cheesecake yesterday (after eating two lunches) even though overeating constantly gives me stomach pains and exhaustion.
>>41799741well that's just called an eating disorderexcept when it's cheesecake. that's just instinctual. you devour all the dairy you can because you've been doing it since you popped out the baby hole.
Enough, lardo's.
>>41799782That's true, growing up I used to go through a gallon of milk within a few days.
>>41799789that's just good for you
Is a trampoline a good present for a daughter? I don't mean one of those above-ground deathtraps where kids can split their skulls open or break their arms by getting them caught in the gaps. I mean one of them expensive ones that blends in perfectly with the ground.
>>41799814forgot pic
>>41799814Outside? Where just any pervy neighbor or passerby can see her over the fence?I'm putting one indoors with a vaulted ceiling, maybe even in my bedroom if she's good.All about safety and practicality, you know.
Up
>>41799814yknow all you have to do with the ones where you can get caught in the gap is just cover the gap.. and it helps if there's a big kinda net-gazebo around it so nobody can go flying too far horizontally.>blends in with the groundthe fuck you say? THAT sounds dangerous.
>>41800425It's supposed to be that even if you fly off horizontally, you're jumping from about ground level so you don't go 15-20 feet in the air and then fall to the ground.
>>41800446honestly this is only like three feet safer than a usual one. you can still bounce full height then land on the grass. i'd say pad it out. put down some shredded foam.
Would you be willing to splurge on sweet drinks for your daughter and her friends? Keep in mind that cafes and shake shops continually raise their prices to gouge customers, so this could easily surpass a $50 bill for high-sugar beverages.
I had a rope swing at one house growing up. Seems safer than a trampoline.
>>41800691For (almost) 50$ we could go to the movies and get the same treats but with a movie. That place is like a county fair or some shit man, it's all overpriced.
>>41800691cafes are a scamwe're going down the street to the slushie hutthen they can play and get rambunctious
>>41792477>Sweetie: purple bikini, purple flip flops>Scoots: Blue bikini, blue flip flops>Bloomy: Cyan bikini... green flip flops?Maybe I'm just autistic but this bothers me way more than it should
>>41801004>Forgot to capitalize the p in purpleI'm going insane WHY DOES THIS SHIT BOTHER ME
>>41801004stolen
>>41801004what if they're each wearing a not-the-same-as-bikini color and you've just guessed who has which. that way at least it's even.also bloomy is poor and can't get matching stuff, it's all handmedowns (Scoots got hers from the salvation army)
'scuse me, just takin' this...!
>>41801439good ol pedobear
>>41801439Hey take a hike, get yours from /a/ or /tv/ lol
>>41801024This is probably the most likely answer, but my pattern recognition brain refuses to believe it. Still sexy as hell though
>>41798134>JUST A SMALL TOWN NIGGA>LIVIN' IN A NIGGA WORLD>SHE TOOK THE MIDNIGHT NIGGA GOING ANYWHERE>JUST A CITY NIGGA> BORN AND RAISED IN NIGGA DETROIT>HE TOOK THE MIDNIGHT NIGGA GOING ANYWHEREFTFY
>>41802191>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0itOCgJtNVU
>>41802191https://youtu.be/fEg4lnTZelo?feature=shared
Would you let your daughter celebrate made-up holidays, or would you try to give her a dose of reality as soon as possible? Keep in mind you -can- still celebrate Bunny Day and make Bunny eggs, and still exchange gifts on Heart's Warming, but you'd do your best to remind your daughter that wendigos don't exist if you choose the latter.
>>41802229>>41802659https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24ybiJk_npg
>>41802744Applejack, we had this talk. We are not making Applebloom say the hard N. The soft one is enough.
>>41802679“Made up” as in made up proper, or made up as in “I’m a Redditor and I’m mad my parents used to make me go to church”?Because yes I would allow my daughter to invent holidays for the family to celebrate. It would be fun. We used to do half birthdays in my family because mom was super into Alice shit.
>>41802940>mom was super into Alice shitIt was inevitable
>>41802940When I was in elementary school there was a fedora-tipper because he thought he was smarter than everyone since his parents, very blatantly, told him there's no Santa Claus and they don't want a kid who believes in lies. Then there's me who let the kiddos believe as long as possible, and then hit them with the Hogfather movie when they get upset by the deception.
>>41802189yeah i'm with you, matching makes more sense. this kinda thing used to drive me batty.>>41802229hehe, 'peckerwoods'
>>41803122My parents told me santa isn't real and christmas is supposed to be about jesus, but santa stuff is just a game people like to play, and i shouldn't spoil it for the other kids because they're enjoying it.personally i think kids need to be taught that st nicholas was a real sweet guy who lived in 4th century Turkey, and he was swell and we should remember the nice stuff he did and follow his example by giving presents.
>>41803736why would you let your daughter wear a choker
>>41803865It's got a tracker in it just in case she gets lost in the woods again.
>>41799191they're my fucking cookiesi bought them for meif i feel generous i may sharebut for the kids they aren't for free
>>41804541>smells like cow shitgross
>>41803896Perfectly opportunity to peak up Sweetie’s skirt
>>41805171Would Sweetie get the expensive ones, or the cheap-o's?
>>41804555that's why you give her a bath.>>41805178skirts?
>>41805242No. Not skirts. I'm asking if she'd go for cotton, silk, or lace.
>>41805247I hope lace
Rarity would do what's right for her sister, easily.
>>41805369Nice
>>41805369This would make for such a good story. Rarity hires Swibbles at first out of necessity, but Swibbles slowly learns to love her new role. Eventually, Rarity is able to hire someone to replace her, but by that point Sweetie doesn't want to quit
>>41806492i think the rest of the image set has sweebs recruiting the rest of the cmc into joining her
>>41805247you're not letting her wear UNDERpants are you?
>>41806761what the fuck are you having her wear, OVERpants?? is she some superhero?
>>41806761She's wearing underpants because I find them cute.
>>41806777>OVERpantsLike chaps or something?
>>41806761Yeah. What're you gonna do 'bout it, ya dummy?
>>41806555Trips are right. There's even an epilogue with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.
>>41806555>>41807425that's the spice
>>41807173chaps are good for girls. they leave the important stuff to air out.
>>41807190Is tugging them off an option? and those socks too>>41806855well they are cute, can't fault you there.
>>41805369>>41807439I'd love these outfits. I'd repeat Makino Tomoyasu's Bakugan set with them.
>>41807896I weep at Scootaloo's.
>>41807905we need more blushybloom when scoots is being inadvertently or reluctantly lewd
You're out on a hike when you come across a smelly homeless girl riding a makeshift scooter manufactured from spare metal and pieces of old wood. She asks you if you know where the end of the trail is, since she got lost and is trying to get back to the streets. What do you do?
>>41808087I don't go hiking so I guess we'd be equally lost and hopeless, I guess I'd share a cig with her if she wanted but other than that I'm at a loss.
>>41808087adopt herokay, in detail, >ask if she lives on the streets>commiserate that child protective services are faggots>tell her the best way to get around that is pal around with an adult so everyone thinks you've got parents>make it feel like she's doing something really cool and mature.>subtly drop that I need someone to help eat all the food i cook, ask if she likes thai foodso easy.
>>41808132haha hey you know a lot about this stuff what else do you know about the topic sir?
>>41807905this one was fun to gen
>>41808281just watch the documentary Sons of Tucscon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMgMVrnOYEw
Impregnate girls.
>>41777723>silver spoon’s impression of an angry asian dry cleaner lady is so racist it causes sweetie belle to involuntarily shed her clothing and also become temporarily nearsighted so that she requires glasses.png
anyone know what's going on with the 2024 antithology? did i miss it or something?
>>41808087No but seriously, I have a little match girl fantasy where I rescue her from the streets and she doesn't freeze to death. Fucked up part is that most normalfags would prefer she freeze to death watching happy people enjoy christmas than be warm, fed, and alive, but alone with someone like me.
>>41809863I should hope everyone sane has that fantasy
>>41809921Munch those sweet buns
>>41809921Get that hag out of the way
>>41810352you need to fuck through the hag to get that juicy cunny
Would Rarity be angry if she found out that you were only spending time with her to get to Sweebs? Or would she encourage you distracting her little sister so she could freely get back to stitching and sewing?
>>41810598Rarity would be fucking livid. Only in a porn universe would she be accepting.
>>41810732maybe if that hag would stop crying and getting fat from ice cream all the goddamn time i'd care for her
>>41810750>and getting fat from ice cream all the goddamn time i'd care for herBut how do you think she got all this cake? >>41809921.I'll give it to you. If she stopped crying about her exes or how much of a game her younger sister has, maybe both would be primo catches rather than Sweetie the First Prize, and Rarity the Consolation Prize.
>>41810732She can always get revenge by fucking [spikeler]Spike[/spikeler]
>>41810732I'm glad I'm in the universe that she enjoy to watch and allow that to happen
>>41810768>SpikeBut he is busy with Ember, Gabby, and Smolder. Thorax if you want some boy x boy action.
>>41810352nice
Why is she so squeaky? Did she damage her throat somehow?
>>41811621that's her squeakstrogen, it flows from her cheeriovaries and gives her the peppy cuteness.
>>41811621Let's just say, her throat got a pounding
>>41811621I may have been squeezing too hard, but she said she liked it
>>41775884>>41776341rapacious Pinkie will never not be funny and also arousing
>>41810732Wait, is Rarity making a burn on Anon or her sister?
>>41812684It's arousing because you know that there's no way to escape Pinkie if she's in the mood.
>>41812684Meh, I'm kinda over yuri. Occasional girl on girl can be nice, but I prefer a bit of testosterone, especially when it comes to lolis.
My future daughter wife has changed her silky blonde hair into ugly brown one by aging up, its so over
>>41813206Why?
How long can one preserve a child's innocence?
>>41813282
>>41813282It’s impossible. Unless you lock them up like Rapunzel they’re gonna become activated. And the worst part is that it’s gonna happen way WAY earlier than you think it will.
>>41813282so cute
>>41813282Until they you give them a phone with access to internet
>>41813844some of us are giving our kids COMPUTERS thank you very much
>>41813282Ugly.
>>41813282Un-ugly.
>>41813282snuggly
CUNNY!
>>41813970anon be a big boy.the word you are looking for is vulva.
>>41777723more cute and funny nude edits, this one was kinda tricky from the op thread imagehttps://files.catbox.moe/ihe5qg.png
>>41814057Oh my goodness. Anon…!!
>>41814003https://youtu.be/3zIPp95GC3E
>>41814057preparing for the nude bike ride yay!
>>41814061She's fine. I mean she's got the helmet on still.
>>41814057Will you put this on the booru so the rest of the world may experience this piece of art?
>>41814470feel free to do so, im just doing this to see if ai edits could work
>>41814478I don't have a booru account, but someone here might be willing to upload it. For their sake, do you want to have a handle credited for making the edit?
>>41814485nah no credit need, i did no actual work but running it through ai
>>41810750>maybe if that hag would stop crying and getting fat from ice cream all the goddamn time i'd care for her
>>41811621she gets squeakier when she is nudehttps://files.catbox.moe/z8t42s.png
>>41814586>Not barefootOtherwise uoooh/10
>>41814592she only has them on so she can be squeaker. those are her squeakers.
>>41814057>>41814586I wish to go to Nudequestria.
>>41813438they told her to keep the sleeveshttps://files.catbox.moe/2h7blc.png
>>41814586Hey that's pretty good. Nips are the perfect shade. I'm the original artist btw
>>41814711you should draw some scootaloo
>>41814636the fuck
>>41814718agreed. good at skinny torsos
>>41814592Stockings are the superior fetishhttps://cdn.twibooru.org/img/view/2020/10/31/2249668.jpeg
>>41814636
>>41814741Nice
I know I'm supposed to raise a man's future wife... but I don't want to do that. I want to keep her my little girl forever.
>>41815102common possessiveness.but think about it this way: how cringey is it when moms do that to sons? fuck that noise. keep that in mind for how she feels
>>41815113Fuck you.t. momma's boy
>>41814741>Wants to tie you up or gag you with themOh no not that please mercy
>>41814586>Jeez I should really oil the beds frame its like a mouse nest in here>…Sorry its me…
What are you gonna do if puberty hits your lil waifu like a ton of bricks and she becomes a big and tall amazon with huge tits?You gonna take the ol' burlap sack to the nearest elementary school and get a new one?
>>41815481You mean I raised my perfect sexual partner into a woman I can make more with? Oh no.
>>41815481obviously i will still love herand tease her about how smol she used to be and how she'll always be a little princess to me
>>41815481That's actually going to happen to my daughter(s). My mom has macromastia and has had a few breast reductions. My mom getting surgery as soon as she could instead of gaining self-confidence and being proud of who she is, is one of the several reasons why we don't talk anymore. If my daughter(s) show signs of the condition, it's we're skipping the judo lessons and going straight to firearm and public speaking training.
>>41816032Plot twist: the reason puberty hit Apple Bloom like a truck was because she and anon have been banging in secret, so the MOMENT she was ready to mature, her body exploded to entice our daddy boy more.
>>41815481given my genes, my daughter is definitely going to end up that way.
>>41816032>>41817068can you stop breaking my immersion please
>>41816032>to whomcan't tell if esl or applejack just trying (poorly) to sound educated, as dumb fucks sometimes do
>>41816032How would each girl tout their tits?>Anon, look! Ah got me some milkers comin' in now!
>>41817401that does kinda sound like a southern sentence where you went into it with one set of plans and came out t'other side with different ones.
>>41817401as an ESL myself, i find it interesting how people of different languages approach English when they're not well accustomed to the grammarlike, i saw a phrase "why are you doing me this" and this construction just smells of Spanish/Portuguese language
>>41817440yep! grammar is something so ingrained into as a kid, since it's basically arbitrary, that even when you learn another language, your brain wants to put the words in the familiar order. It even affects how you think, like as you start a sentence, you might say the subject, another language might start with the verb as he postulates and muses.
>>41817516Probably why western cartoons translated into japanese are easier to understand than native shows. The indie cartoon big top burger has a japanese version and the comment section (last time I checked) was full of japanese learners going like "wow this is the first time I could understand japanese". Kinda made me wonder if the show was translated into japanese by english speakers.
Who cares how goodly you spoke or don't
>>41817628fascinating, I never even thought of that. Everybody knows you watch foreign shows when you're learning a language, but it never occurred to me "Watch foreign dubs OF your own familiar shows"like you'd have a better memory of what that line means when ~Homero~ says it, because you know what Homer said originally.if the translation were indeed being done by english speakers, that would be an hilarious reversal of the state of old videogames where they thought they could put it in english on their own.
I HATE DIFFERING SYNTAX>I HATE DIFFERING SYNTAXI HATE DIFFERING SYNTAX>I HATE DIFFERING SYNTAXI HATE DIFFERING SYNTAX
>>41817701KILL POP>KILL POPKILL POP>KILL POPYou should kill Pop>You should totally kill Pop
>>41817701Are you the artist of these or are you just a fan?
>>41818032I'm just a huge fan of TJPones. He can't do wrong to me because he draws full pubes. But this isn't the thread to talk about pubes. This is the thread to talk about stupid kids being cute and stupid and funny.
>>41818044wait when does he draw pubes. show.also yeah i like the cute antics and silly faces. i don't NEED to see pubes but i wanna see em.
>>41818095hastily edited for your blue board viewing pleasure
>>41818103cute!wait this is edited? it looks like it's on paper. paper doesn't have editing tech yet except erase.
>>41818107i used mspaint yeah
>>41818108wow, seamless.anyway catbox is a good way to send other images on blueboard.man isnt it funny how 'blue' has meant like, bawdy, but 'bluenose' is someone who hates those things.
>>41818126hahahaa. the charm levels are off the charts.
>>41818139I don't know how he does it, but he do.
>>41818182it's gay that he doesn't have NSFW of them, but I guess it makes sense why he wouldn't in this day and age.
>>41818188bah! bah to that. everything they'd crucify you for, they already would based on this.
>>41818188From the outside looking in, his true loves for>no hoovesare Sunset, Sci-Twi, Adagio, and Wallflower. Granted he's drawn other>no hoovescharacters, but they're generally not NSFW when he does. The CMCs, with the notable exception of Apple Bloom because she's "special", are mostly drawn as ponies. I don't know what his fascination with AB is about specifically. That's not to say she's not worthy of fanart, but between the latent abuse undertones for his>no hoovesAB (which are still funny) and his "The Hand That Takes" video, I find myself wondering what's going on there.
>>41818340what's going on there is rednecks are funny
>>41818359FACT: Rednecks are the most powerful race on the planet.
>"Hey Anon, I was looking in your movie collection for the CMC Movie Night and found tthis weird one called "Big Booties 9"?"
Yeah TJ used to be funny when he did the horsewife. I'm not the taste police though.
>>41818411okay wait a minute now
>>41775201now draw her taking it in the butt
>>41818403Oh, I put that in the wrong shelf. Let me check that.>>41818405I miss that peanut butter girl.
>It was in that moment that Mr. Nonny realized he had crossed a boundary, that he had gone too far. When the Crusaders were isolated, when each of them thought they were the only special one, it was fine... but attempting to create a situation between all four of them, with the truth revealed, only caused anger to boil in his students' veins. He had forgotten the first rule: Make them feel unique, and they will keep every secret.
>little sister keeps putting our beds together in minecraft
>>41819844>little sister keeps bringing home adult men to introduce as her boyfriend to you
>>41819849Why would she do that when she has me tho
>>41819925holy guacamole
>>41818403That's a pirate movie, honey. I'm not a butt freak.>>41819844awwww>>41819909who speaks moon runes, i want to know the context here.
>>41819909Apple Bloom needs to figure out how to keep her pants on
What's the next OP pic going to be?
>>41819995all of Bloom's pants will have teflon applied immediately.
>>41820080
>>41819909>Big sis, don‘t just barge into my room!>Sorry>So you're at the age that you're doing things like that (masturbation), eh...? You're so big now...*cry* <ーgoing crazy
>>41820499Thank youis "Gomen yo" like a rednecky way to say it?
>>41820548Gomen is "sorry"
>>41820548No that's the worst part, it's all pretty standard japanese. They could have been cliche and used Osaka dialect, but I guess the assumption that osaka=hillbilly is a completely american idea.https://youtu.be/E0P_ObJf6Ko?si=bq5s57zF9z2WFbsl
>>41820615really? I could have sworn I'd watched nihondubs and they did that same thing.Big Mac at least has a tiny bit of sounding archaic...and Jackie IS using 'atashi' which marks her as a tomboy at least.
>>41820615I thought the Kensei dialect was used for hillbillies... I'm such a BAKA GAIJIN... ;~;
>>41820640nigga did you mean kansai
>>41820651I feel like that was a deliberate malapropism
>>41820640kansai-ben is Osaka-ben, and vice versa.>>41820629That's true but everything AJ and BM say are easy to understand by normal classroom japanese, as opposed to osaka-ben where most people wouldn't just know that "wai ya arahen" meant "watashi ja nai".Also, I forgot how cool Big Mac's japanese voice was haha
>>41820655ohh yeah maybe it's that way for the little kids. the verbal equivalent of furigana.
>>41817701Young lady, where did you learn that filth?
>>41820665I have no idea, because Kero in Cardcaptor Sakura speaks with an Osaka dialect, and I assume that's for little kids too lol
>>41820859kek a celestial guardian beast talks like a bumpkin, I love it.the dub just made him Kurilin.
At what age can you be sure your daughter is going to turn out bratty? Usually kids are bratty simply because they can't articulate their emotions and are extremely needy, so it's not always obvious.
>>41821313what?needy and difficult to articulate girls are the ones who get bullied, not the brats.
>>41820396Best girl
>>41821313Idk, my sister became unusually bitchy from like 14 on when we were kids. Figure it's a little after they start their periods or something.>Daddy, dick NOW.>"You can wait til we get home.">No, NOW!>"Is that back sass, missy? I don't care how red the tide is, that's no reason for forgetting your manners. Clear?"
