Scootaloo yawned as she lay in the shade of the tree in the school yard recess grounds. Despite her shade from the sun, the temperature was at that right amount of heat to not be uncomfortable, but just enough to make somepony want to just sleep it away till it got cooler.

Peeking from under her eyes over to her friends Applebloom and Sweetie Belle, who were busy in their own states of boredom as they laid on the ground. It was a state they all shared in recent days; now that they finally had their cutie marks.

Scootaloo traced her hoof down her side and to a point on her flank. Despite the shorts she wore, she felt she could feel the cutie mark that now lay under the fabric. She smiled, feeling that same surge of pride she felt when she had first acquired the mark she had worked so long to get her entire life. She could still remember the look of pride on her mother and aunts faces when she showed them. She only wished that Valen had been there to share the moment.

Scootaloo chuckled, thinking on how Valen got so easily flustered and while it was no big deal to show your cutie mark to somepony you were comfortable with, it wasn't a big deal. But if she showed Valen, she was sure he would probably get a nose bleed or something. Strangely enough, Scootaloo found that image funny.

'I bet he'd like what he see.' Scootaloo thought, blushing but at the same time giggling.

"What are ya giggling about Scoots?" Applebloom asked, looking over at her.

"Oh nothing." Scootaloo said, putting her hooves behind her head and smiling nonchalantly

"Yeah right," Sweetie Belle said with a smirk, "I bet you were thinking about your coltfriend, that human Valen."

"He's not my coltfriend!" Scootaloo shouted in defense, thought she felt her face heat up a bit. Geez, did Sweetie Belle have to say it out for everypony to hear.

"Ah come on Scoots, you can be honest with us," Applebloom said, "Ah mean we both seen ya when ya are around that boy when he is visiting."

Scootaloo choked, blushing and looked away.

"Aww come on, don't be bashful," Sweetie Belle said smiling, patting Scoots shoulder, "I think you two look cute together."

Scootaloo blushed even harder now. Geez, did every pony know? Still, a part of her was glad her friends approved.

"Yeah. He's kinda cute in a human way." Applebloom said.

Scootaloo just looked away, blushing. It was made worse when Sweetie Belle and Applebloom started giggling.

"Am I interrupting?"

Scootaloo looked over, and Sweetie Belle and Applebloom both stopped giggling. The three of them looked over at Tiara, who stood before them with her hooves crossed; behind her was Silver Spoon who smiled and gave them a wave.

"Hi girls." Silver Spoon said.

"Hi Silver Spoon. Tiara." Applebloom said, smiling and giving a return wave.

Scootaloo didn't say anything, instead just looked at Tiara. Ever since they gotten their cutie marks, the dynamic between the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Tiara and even Silver Spoon, had completely changed. Where they had once been sworn enemies, taking jabs and bites at each other whenever they could, now they were friends.

Of course, that did not mean everything was all water under the bridge. When it came to the concerns of a certain human, things were still a tense conflict. And that is what surprised Scootaloo a lot more.

Tiara had always been a player, using her looks and figure to manipulate the school colts, and even some fillies, to get what she wanted. In fact, for awhile she must have gone through at least two coltfriends every month, and at least one fillyfriend every two weeks. So when they had finally returned to school after the war had ended, she had figured that whatever infatuation Tiara had with Valen would have been forgotten.

But it had not. In fact, while Tiara still used her looks and figure to manipulate the colts in the school, word in the school was that every time a colt or filly tried to ask Tiara out she just rejected them. Normally, such a thing Scootaloo wouldn't care about, but for her it was something she worried about.

Considering that, while Tiara was not paying attention to anypony in school now, there was one pony that Tiara gave full attention too. And more importantly that pony wasn't a pony. But a human.

Valen.

Scootaloo felt a flutter in her heart thinking on the boy that had saved her life. In the time after the war, he had kept his promise to visit and every time Scootaloo spent as much time with him as she could, even dragging him with her when she and her friends went looking for their cutie marks. Though like in all of their adventures looking for their marks, it had usually ended with them covered in tree sap or on one occasion getting stuck together by super adhesive glue.

But while it had all been fun and games, and maybe a few moments of innocent flirting and even one time seeing if she could make him get a nose bleed, there had been one little obstacle in it all. Tiara.

Tiara would somehow always appear when Valen showed up, sometimes even dragging Valen away from her and forcing her to look for him. Not too many times had she found her pushing Valen against a wall and using those balloons on her chest to keep him pinned with a red face. When that happened it took all her nerve not to kill Tiara then and there.

And so, even after becoming friends, Scootaloo still felt that things between her and Tiara were not all said and done. The look that Tiara gave her in turn made it clear that whatever Tiara was here for, it was going to involve her. Scootaloo felt that feeling she got whenever a competition was about to start rear up.

"If it is alright, I would like to talk to Scootaloo alone." Tiara said, never taking her eyes off Scootaloo.

"Uh, sure," Applebloom said hesitantly looking between Scootaloo and Tiara, "We'll just go over there."

Scootaloo didn't watch as Sweetie Belle, Applebloom and Silver Spoon all stepped back, whispering with each other. Scootaloo stood up, and Tiara approached her. The two of them kept their eyes on each other and anyone watching might see instead of two fillies, see a dragon and a tiger.

Tiara took a moment too look her up and down, "How are you doing?"

Scootaloo blinked, Uh...fine. You?"

"Well enough." Tiara responded.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Scootaloo asked.

"Look, I don't want to beat around the bush. Valen. We need to talk about him." Tiara said.

Scootaloo scowled, "I thought this might come up."

"Look, I know we never got along a lot in the past, but I like to think that now we are friends." Tiara said, frowning slightly.

Scootaloo frowned in kind and nodded, "Yeah. We are, I guess. We did only start all over a few months ago."

"I owe you girls a lot. Thanks to you, I figured out a lot about myself and what I can do, and not just act like how my mother said I should. So, I want to clear the air between us completely."

"How so?" Scootaloo asked.

"Our friendship is important to me, and I don't want it to be damaged because we are fighting over the same colt." Tiara said.

Scootaloo frowned, "Yeah. I mean, we have only been friends for a short while, but I don't want something to come between it as well. So....what do we do?"

"Well," Tiara started, "We could....make a herd."

Scootaloo blinked, and blushed slightly, "A-A herd?"

Scootaloo never thought this type of conversation would happen in her life. Or right now, while she was still in school, it was slightly embarrassing. By the look of the blush on Tiara's face, she seemed to feel the same way.

In Equestria, the population ratio between mares and stallions was for every one stallion there was at least four mares. It was a common cultural practice for ponies to form what are called herds, that usually consisted of multiple mares and maybe one or two stallions. Herds could range from any size from three ponies to the largest recorded in the Equestrian World Record Book of seventy two mares and twenty four stallions.

But to form a herd, that was a big thing. You had to really trust and like the ponies you were forming it with. And that wasn't even getting into the more intimate levels of being part of a herd. The sheer thought made Scootaloo blush further.

"C-can I uh...think on it?" Scootaloo asked. Shocking was that she meant it.

"Okay. Sure." Tiara said, "Uh, we should get back to class. Recess is over."

"Right." Scootaloo said, standing up just as the bell rang.

For the remainder of class, Scootaloo found it difficult to focus on her studies. Not that was a problem, frankly she found some of her lessons to be utterly boring.

Though frankly she wished she could focus on her lessons. But the discussion she and Tiara had had, was simply the forefront of her mind. Ever so often, she casted glances to Tiara in class, before looking back at her desk and tapping her hoof on it.

'It wouldn't be so bad I guess,' Scootaloo thought, 'I mean, she is a friend....well now anyway. But would Valen accept it? I mean, he is a human. They do things backward a lot.'

'What would mom think? Or Aunt brick?' She thought, thinking onto her family.

She knew that things were tense between her family and Valen. It was often clear from the look she saw in her aunt or mother's eyes that they did not completely agree with her choice of possible coltfriend; though they never did come out right and tell her to stop. Would that change if she created a herd with Valen?

Then there was Tiara's family. She did not really know much about Tiara's dad, but her mother. Ugh, Scootaloo did not want to think what Tiara's mother would do or how she would react.

All these worries, thoughts, questions and uncertainties were so distracting that it was only by the ringing of the last bell that Scootaloo came back to reality, and realized she had missed an entire lecture without taking a single note.

'Guess I will have to ask Sweetie Belle for her notes. Again.' Scootaloo thought.

Walking out of the school, Scootaloo barely noticed Applebloom and Sweetie Belle sliding up beside her.

"Hey Scoots, ya okay?" Applebloom asked.

"Huh?" Scootaloo said, looking to her friend.

"Are you okay? You seem distracted. Does it involve whatever Tiara wanted to talk to you about?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"No. Well," Scootaloo scratched the back of her head, "yeah. Kinda. Look, it's private."

"Oh, well if you need ta talk ya know we are here fer ya." Applebloom said, offering a friendly supportive smile.

Scootaloo smiled back, "Thanks, but if possible I need just some privacy right now."

Scootaloo of course did not want to say that. She would have liked to have her friends nearby to talk to with about all this. But inside, she felt that this was a decision she needed to think on her own and make on her own.

Sweetie Belle and Applebloom nodded, staying only long enough to set up their meeting at their clubhouse. And so it was that Scootaloo found herself sitting on the fence near the school, again deep in thought.

'What if it doesn't work out? Will we still be friends? What if Valen doesn't like it? What if...' Scootaloo grabbed her head and screamed.

"Agh! Why can't anything be easy!?" She shouted, pulling on her mane.

"Geez, can you yell any louder?"

Scootaloo turned her head and saw Tiara standing to her left. Tiara rubbed her ears, wincing.

"I guess you are still thinking about it?" Tiara asked.

Scootaloo frowned, "Yeah."

Tiara frowned, "Look, I know it is a lot I threw at you."

"You have no idea," Scootaloo deadpanned, rubbing her forehead.

The two were silent for a moment, looking at each other or at the ground.

"Look, it is not that I don't want too," Scootaloo started, finding the silence uncomfortable, "But...I'm just worried."

"Well then we are in the same boat." Tiara said, sitting on the fence beside Scootaloo.

Scootaloo smiled, "Well, glad to know. You didn't show it much."

"Years of beauty pageants have given me an amazing poker face." Tiara said, pushing her chest out in pride with a smile.

The two shared a laugh, before that uncomfortable silence appeared again.

"Look, " Scootaloo started, "I just...don't know if I'm ready to start a herd. I mean, we are still somewhat unfamiliar with each other in a friendly way."

Tiara nodded, "That is true. Well, maybe we can start a practice herd."

"A practice herd?" Scootaloo asked.

"We don't make it an official herd. We see how things work, between you and me and with Valen. And if it works out well, we make it official." Tiara said, doing her best to describe her idea though it was clear she was slightly unsure of it.

"And if it doesn't work out?" Scootaloo asked.

"Then we just go back as we were. You and me as friends. Though...I guess one of us would have to let Valen go." Tiara said, frowning.

Scootaloo frowned as well.

"Welll....alright. I guess we can try." She said, giving Tiara a smile of reassurance.

Tiara smiled back, "Great. So uh...any idea how we start?"

"I thought you knew." Scootaloo said.

Tiara shook her head, and Scootaloo couldn't help but laugh. Even better, Tiara soon joined in and the two of them began laughing.

"Well, " Scootaloo said as she fought her chuckles, "I guess we should decide who the Head Mare is."

"Well obviously it should be me." Tiara said.

Scootaloo frowned, "Why not me?"

"Well being the Head Mare is being the leader of the herd. Leadership and control are my special talent." Tiara said, simply stating a fact.

"Yeah, but I'm older then you." Scootaloo said.

"By one day." Tiara said in retort.

The two of them now looked at each other with challenging eyes, until someone spoke up.

"What are you two fighting about this time?"

The two girls looked over, and walking down the road to them and the school was the one they both held affection for.

Valen.

The young stallion, or man as he was called in human terms, was wearing a completely different outfit. Where he once wore hide and fur, now he wore woven fabric, gold color with a white outer edging. The shirt itself was a button up, but the buttons were all undone and so his chest was visably shown. The muscles in his chest making Tiara lick her lips as she looked at them. The pants he wore were a pair of dark blue jeans. At his shoulders were a pair of metal shoulder guards and he had metal armguards on his forearms. His feet were bare, and it was clear that the new clothes made him uncomfortable as he often fidgeted, pulling on the fabrics and readjusting his pants.

"Valen? Wow. You look..." Scootaloo started, trying to think of a word.

"Hunky." Tiara breathed.

"Uh....thanks...I guess," Valen said, blushing a bit at Tiara's words or perhaps how she said it, "Though I feel odd. This....what is this stuff called again? It is not like good fur or hide. I'd prefer my old leather tunics, but the Fi-I mean Ambassador Castus, suggested I wear it."

"But why the shoulder guards? Or the arm guards?" Scootaloo asked.

"Well I am the ambassador's bodyguard. Even if I must wear these strange clothes, I should still have something like normal clothes on." Valen said.

Scootaloo and Tiara looked at each other then laughed. Leave it to Valen to think that armor was normal clothing. Valen merely looked at them confused.

"Why are you here Valen? School is over." Tiara asked.

"I came to greet you as you left. Escort you home if you allowed it. Castus did not need my presence as he is spending the day with the lady Fluttershy and her friends." Valen said.

"Awww, that is nice but you are kinda late. School got out like ten minutes ago. Everypony is gone, well except us." Scootaloo said with a smile.

Valen blinked, and pulled a pocket watch from his pants pocket and looked at it confused.

"This thing was suppose to help me track time. But all it seems to do is make me late." Valen scowled at the watch.

Tiara and Scootaloo laughed again, and both walked over to Valen and grabbed his arms.

"Come on big boy, you can walk us home since we are still here." Tiara giggled.

"Yeah, besides we could use your help." Scootaloo said, earning a look from Tiara.

"If I can help, let me know. I will do whatever you ask of me." Valen said.

"Well, we were wondering if you wanted to start a herd with us?" Scootaloo asked.

Valen looked between them, confusion evident on his face.

"Herd? Like herd of Cleft Hooves?" Valen asked.

Tiara and Scootaloo blinked, looked at each other, and face hoofed. This might be harder then they thought.

Author's Notes:

These will be small side stories to address things in between the main fics. There is no order, and at times the chapters won't connect. Hope you enjoy this.

Anything in particular you might want to have addressed?