Aviators: Friendship

by Mitslits

Proposition

A soft knock on the door brought the three mares to their hooves, awkwardly stepping away from each other.

Sweetie Belle fired up her horn, a soft purple matrix of magic dancing around the crystalline white spiral. The door was enveloped as well, and it swung open to reveal a slightly older Cheerilee.

Her mane was shot through with streaks of gray, and her eyes had deep circles underneath them. However, the teacher’s eyes still shone with the glad, uplifting light they had always had. “Hello, girls. I had hoped I might find you here”, she rasped.

Scootaloo stared at her former teacher. “Cheerilee? What are you doing here?”

Apple Bloom trotted up to her, kissing her on the cheek and throwing a hoof over the teacher’s neck. “Hiya, Cheer! How’re things goin’ with Big Mac?”

“They’re just fine, thank you, but that’s not what I came to talk about”, Cheerille laughed, ducking out from underneath AB’s hoof.

The mare moved back, smiling for the first time since she was with her former friends. “Well, what’s it, then, Cheer?”

The schoolteacher looked at each of them, meeting each of their eyes. She reached into her saddlebags, marked with a smiling flower. Cheerilee rooted around in her pack for a while until she pulled out a faded poster. She lay it on the floor of their clubhouse, smoothing it out with one hoof.

Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle all crowded around it for a look. When they did, tears threatened to spill, despite their best efforts.

“I’m sure you all remember that”, Cheerilee laughed, trying to soothe the trio. “But, I have a favor to ask of you.”

Apple Bloom looked up at her. “Anythin’ fer you, Cheer”, she said, voice shaking.

The schoolteacher grimaced. “Please, don’t make promises you might not be able to keep”, she cautioned, holding up a hoof.

Sweetie Belle looked up at that. “No, Mrs. Cheerilee, she meant it. You meant so much to us when we were younger. I wish things could still be as they were, you know things have changed. But one thing that has not changed is our everlasting respect for you”, she concluded.

Cheerilee smiled, touched. “Why, thank you girls. I came to ask you if you three wanted to participate.” She tapped the poster with her hoof. “In this. As special guest stars in the school talent show. You three would be the last act, after everypony else had gone.”

The three mares jerked their heads up, their eyes wide, brimful of tears. “We-we’ll have to think about this”, Scootaloo said. “But thank you for offering.”

Cheerilee nodded, dipping her head to pick up the poster, but she found herself blocked by a pale yellow foreleg.

“Ah’d lahke ta keep that”, Apple Bloom said. “Please.”

The schoolteacher nodded. “Of course, my dear.” She trotted down the ramp, the three mares watching her until their straining eyes could no longer see her.

“I want to”, Sweetie Belle said immediately.

Scootaloo winced. “Sweetie, I’m not sure it would help. It might do more harm than good.”

Apple Bloom nodded in agreement.

The white unicorn stamped her hoof, glaring at the two of them. “I don’t care. If this has even the slightest chance of mending us, which it does, then I will do it! Consequences out the window! It can’t possibly tear us farther apart then we were”, she finished.

Scootaloo closed her eyes, feeling so drained. After everything that had happened…whose fault was it really? Hers and Sweetie’s for not telling Apple Bloom? Or Apple Bloom for what she did next?

Sweetie was hurrying home after school. Rarity had promised to let her help place some of the gems on her new dress. The filly had been delighted when her sister had told her that she could assist her. This was the first time ever! Suddenly, two flanks blocked her way.

The unicorn found herself facing Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara. “So, blank flank”, Silver Spoon began. “Still haven’t found your worthless talent yet?”

Diamond Tiara stepped forwards, getting right up in Sweetie Belle’s face. “Sil’s right, Sweetie. You might be a unicorn, but you’re worthless. You’ll never find a talent.”

“Because you don’t have one!” Silver Spoon finished, laughing in Sweetie’s face. “You’re a pathetic blank flank.”

The two rich fillies started to trot away.

Scootaloo had witnessed the whole thing. She buzzed her wings in anger, racing out in front of the fillies. “Stop right there, you two! You can’t get away with that.”

Silver Spoon stuck a hoof out in front of her, examining it uninterestedly.

“Oh, yeah?” Diamond Tiara asked. “And I guess you’re going to stop us, blank flank, can’t fly.”

Scoots narrowed her eyes. “Oh, real original, Diamond. I’m SO hurt by that.”

Silver rolled her eyes. “Oh, Snips, could you come here for a moment?”

The tiny colt came racing up to her, nearly tripping over his own hooves. “Of course, Silvie. Whatever you want.” Snips was practically drooling.

The rich filly grimaced, backing away from him. “Yeah, just get rid of HER”, she spat contemptuously, pointing at Scootaloo.

The unicorn colt nodded. “Of course!” He menaced the pegasus with his horn, herding her away.

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “Yeah, real scared now.” She began to walk off. “You two losers aren’t worth my time.”

Later that night, Rarity jumped as a small, bedraggled, and very beaten Sweetie Belle dragged herself into the boutique. “Darling, whatever happened to you?” she asked, dashing over to her sister.

“S-Silver Spoon is not as i-innocent as I thought”, the filly sobbed.

It was a few weeks after Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara had attacked Sweetie Belle, that Scootaloo had witnessed it. She was in her favorite dandelion field when she heard Apple Bloom laughing. Creeping through the tall grasses, she snuck up and spied on her friend. She couldn’t keep in the gasp when she saw what was going on. Furious, Scootaloo rammed her hooves into Apple Bloom’s side.

Silver Spoon screamed and scrambled away from the enraged filly.

Apple Bloom glared at Scootaloo. “What are ya doin’?” she shouted.

Purple eyes burned with rage as Scootaloo pinned Apple Bloom to the ground. “No, the better question is what were YOU doing? You know how much she hurt Sweetie Belle!”

“I wanted to hurt ya as much as ya hurt me!” Apple Bloom retorted. “An’ tha only way ta do that was through Sweetie Belle.”

“So you decide to hook up with the same filly that beat Sweetie to a pulp? How could you?” the small orange filly screamed, tears in her eyes. She let AB up, tiny wings buzzing, lifting her off the ground slightly. “I hate you. Forever and always, I will hate you. Never speak to me again.”

Scootaloo winced. Sweetie Belle was right. This might save them, salvage whatever was left of their ruined, broken friendship. She looked up, meeting their eyes. She held out a hoof. “I’m in.”

Comments

[discord7]

did NOT see all that coming!