//------------------------------// // Chapter 9 - Idol Threats // Story: One or the Other // by Blind Alley //------------------------------// I soared high around the outskirts of Ponyville in one long circle. Well, more of a blob. Ponyville isn't exactly round and I was not feeling up to risking the borders of the Everfree. With my luck, I'd probably find poison joke, or some crazy, evil lake that spits out copies of your worst fears. Facing down an army of angry Sweetie Belles and Apple Blooms was the last thing I needed. Timberwolves weren't high on the list either. I had nowhere to be but flying helps me think. I told AB that once a few months back. She'd laughed and said that explained why I never did much thinking when we were little. We ended up in a wresting match over that. She technically won, but that was only because she'd got me in a headlock with my face shoved into one of her boobs (as usual) and I wasn't in any hurry to get out of that (as usual). No way I was gonna get away with that anymore. I groaned and banked into a lazy turn over the White Tail Woods towards Sweet Apple Acres. Lap four. Maybe if I flew long enough I'd be able to forget about what happened. Or at least stop feeling sick about it. Honestly, I'd be good with “not constantly ready to barf everywhere”. If I'd actually stuck around for breakfast I probably would've lost it fast. Why couldn't I have just kept my big dumb mouth shut? Had it really been so bad before? Was it really worth ruining everything? So I'd gotten to make out with them. Big stupid deal! I'd been fine with the way things were! Okay, so that was probably a lie, but I was holding it together, right? Sure I was miserable and lonely and I kept having to work out my frustrations alone at night and spent every day tortured by the ponies I wanted most being right there and not being able to tell them, but… Okay, maybe I really HAD needed to do something. The way I did it was still dumb. Maybe I'd be lucky and find out that Sweetie took it well, or that she'd been ready to forget the whole thing too. Apple Bloom sure as Tartarus was. “Hey, squirt!” I snapped out of my thoughts at the familiar call. A blur of rainbow blazed past me from below right in front of my face, looped around above me at dizzying speeds, then slowed enough to fall into formation beside me. Rainbow Dash. Even after all the years I've known her she's still everything I want to be. Tough, strong, heroic, and brave, Rainbow is a lean, mean, flying machine. The fastest thing on two wings and still the only one who can pull off a Sonic Rainboom. I even dress like her, unless anypony was asking, then it's totally just because shorts and tank tops are practical for stunt flying. Any other day I would have been thrilled at the chance to hang out with my honorary big sister. “Oh, hey, Rainbow Dash.” Rainbow stared, bewildered, for all of two seconds before she hitched her carefree attitude back in place. “So, where you headed, kiddo?” “I 'unno.” “Yeah, I'm kicking back myself.” Rainbow did a lazy roll onto her back, keeping pace with me even after putting her hands behind her head and casually crossing her legs. “You know how hard it is to get a day off these days? Just thought I'd come check in on my awesome little sister. See if she felt like, I dunno, a race?” “Not really.” “Okay, that's it.” I had to pull up hard into a hover to keep from plowing straight into Rainbow when she was just suddenly there in front of me. I hadn't even seen her move. “What's going on with you, Scoot? One, you're not basking in my awesomeness. Two, you didn't even blink when I called you my sister, and three,” she looked me up and down, “you look like you slept on a couch last night. Oh, and four? Why aren't you with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle? Y'know, big Crusader party? That you three wouldn't stop talking about all week?” My stomach lurched. I needed an excuse yesterday. “I'm, uhh, just… stretching my wings! AB and Sweetie can't fly?” Rainbow planted her fists on her hips. “You call that flying? You're like a depressed lead balloon! It's actually the best soaring I've ever seen you pull off, but it's toootally not like you. You've been flying totally lame for months now, and I wanna know why.” “It's no big deal,” I said, a little defensive at my flying being called lame. “I'm just… tired, okay?” I turned and swooped to Rainbow's right. She was soaring at my side again in an instant. “Yeah, the circles under your eyes kinda told me that already. Believe me, I know what it's like to stay up waaay too late with friends, and I've seen how you fly after doing it. This ain't it.” “Just leave me alone, Rainbow.” “Not happening, kiddo. Not 'til you spill it.” I grit my teeth. “It's nothing.” “It got anything to do with why Apple Bloom is turning Ponyville inside out looking for you?” I missed a wingbeat and the unexpected drop jolted my already cramping stomach. I clapped a hand to my mouth as something started to rise up. I needed to get ground side fast. I tucked my wings and dove, guts knotted and eyes stinging. Too late I realized my angle was too steep and my speed was too high. Pegasus magic or not, this landing was gonna hurt. I flared out hard to slow down and pull up. Wind ripped through my wings but the ground was still coming up fast. Hands clamped onto my waist, instantly cutting my speed in half. The warm rush of another pegasus' magic, the same magic that lets us haul chariots through the sky and snatch falling ponies out of the air, washed over me. “Gotcha!” We sank to the grassy ground at the edge of the orchard. I swallowed hard to force the stinging acid back down along the way. The moment my feet hit the grass I tore away from Rainbow, and staggered towards the trees so I could brace myself against a sturdy one. My breaths came deep and shaky, each one just about setting off my stomach again. There was only one reason Apple Bloom would be tearing up Ponyville to find me: Sweetie took it badly. And that meant that I'd messed up. I'd messed up bad. AB was going to kill me. Rarity was going to kill me. Half of Ponyville was going to take turns killing me. Pinkie was gonna throw a “killing Scootaloo” party. They'd set up a waiting area, and get Discord to revive me after each turn so that everypony got a chance. Or maybe turn me into a living pinata, hang me in the schoolhouse, and hand out sticks. “What's going on, Scootaloo?” “I--” I winced at how my voice rasped through my burning throat and swallowed again. Could I tell her? Sweetie was scared to let anypony know about her, she'd said as much, hadn't she? I couldn't betray her trust. Y'know, some more. “I can't tell you.” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Look, squirt, if you made a Pinkie Promise that's getting you and your friends hurt, it's not worth it. Trust me on that.” “I didn't.” “Then spill.” “I can't.” I turned around and leaned back against the tree to take some weight off my shaking legs. “I don't have to make a promise to keep my friend's privacy.” Rainbow facepalmed. “If you weren't totally being dumb right now, I'd be proud of your loyalty. I can keep a secret, Scootaloo. Besides, I think I got a preeetty good guess what's going on.” “You don't,” I grumbled. “You really, really don't.” Rainbow threw up her hands in a shrug. “Okay, have it your way. Word of advice? Try wiping the lipstick off your face after you mess around with your friends.” “Hah! Shows what you know! Sweetie and AB weren't wearing lipstick when we made ou--” My eyes went round as plates when I finally caught the smug smile Rainbow was wearing. “Oh HORSEAPPLES!” I slid down the tree and buried my face in my hands, wings and ears limp. “Yeah, you kinda walked right into that one.” “How? How did--?” Rainbow sat down next to me and clapped a hand on my shoulder. “Kiddo, there are only a few ways to get one of your friends that sorta mad. Plus, I already know you've got the hots for them, remember?” I flattened out my ears and hunched my shoulders even tighter. That stupid beach trip was gonna haunt me for the rest of my life. “And, come on, three young mares, alone and unsupervised at somepony's eighteenth birthday party? We've all heard THAT one before. One of you brought a salt lick and things kinda went from there, right?” “Apple Bloom had one.” “Huh.” Rainbow cocked her head and scratched the back of her neck with her free hand. “I kinda figured it'd be you.” I peeked at my idol through my fingers. “So… you got into this same mess at my age?” “Pft, hay no! My eighteenth birthday party had Fluttershy as a guest. D'you honestly think she'd have stayed in the same room as a hard salt lick?” I almost laughed. “Yeah, not really.” “Y'know, I still don't think she's tried one. She'd rather hang with Discord on his own turf than touch hard salt. How crazy is that?” This time I did laugh, weakly, but still. “So, no, I've never gotten into the mess you're in. Heard about it with other ponies but never been there. I can tell you one thing though: the longer you hide from them, the worse it's gonna be. That's just basic friendship, squirt.” I groaned and thumped the back of my head against the tree. “I'm serious. This is the sorta thing that can wreck friendships.” “Greaaaat. I feel sooo much better now.” “Hey,” Dash jostled my arm gently, “Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle are pretty cool ponies. Not as cool as me, but pretty cool. Whatever you did to mess things up, they'll forgive you. As long as you're sorry. You sorry, kiddo?” I swallowed roughly and nodded. “Then get your tail back over there and tell 'em.” Rainbow gave me one last shove then got up and dusted herself off. “I gotta go. Me 'n Pinkie are planning out a lesson on pranks for next week and it is gonna be awe-some~! You gotta go too, right?” “Yeah. Yeah, I just…” I gingerly rubbed my queasy stomach. “I need to chill for a few minutes first. Plus,” I held out my left wing to check my feathers, “these things are gonna need some preening.” “Minutes, squirt. I better not find you here in an hour.” Rainbow opened her wings and bent her knees but hesitated just before making her first flap. “Oh, and Scootaloo?” I looked up from my ruffled feathers to meet my honorary sister's suddenly not-so-friendly face. “You know I don't give a flying feather if you're gay or not, and I don't care whose idea it was. DON'T play around with their feelings. If you're not prepared to go all in, then get out now. If you try your best and it doesn't work out, that's a whole other thing but… Look, play around with somepony else, not your best friends, or it's not just their families you'll have to deal with. Got it?” Then she was gone in a blazing streak of rainbow.