//------------------------------// // Chapter 36: Little Cakes // Story: The Reader // by GnollReader //------------------------------// Scar carefully crept towards the cloud on all fours. The scent was different from what he remembered, but those colors were unmistakable. He got up and reached out with one of his paws. His fingers closed around the tail. He gave a yank, "Gnoll catches rainbow po..." he got a look at the pony dangling from his paw, "Pink Pie pony?" "Hi Scar!" Pinkie laughed happily as she dangled around. Scar did a double check, she was still pink but her hairs were colored in all the colors of the rainbow. "Why is Pink Pie's hair like rainbow?" he asked as he carefully set her down. "That was fun! Can we do that again?" she bounced up and down. "I made some new special muffins! They color your hair! But I ate a bunch and now I have all different kind of colors! Do you want one too?" she held up a blue muffin. "No, gnoll does not." she made a face, "Scar already ate." he made a note to be careful of her cakes in the future. He looked up at the cloud, "How did Pink Pie sit on cloud? Is no flying pony." "I can't sit on clouds, silly! I'm not a pegasus!" she chuckled, "Gnoll already said. But still, how did..." he decided it was better not to ask, "No matter. Scar is sorry for yanking on tail. Thought Pink Pie was other pony." "That's okay silly, it was fun! Who were you looking for?" Scar raised an eyebrow, was she really that oblivious? He only knew one pony with that many colors. "Scar is looking for rainbow pony. Has debt to settle." "Oh. You mean like a present?" Scar tilted his head, it wasn't exactly a present he was planning to give. "She's over at the Cloudbreaker with Applejack. They always meet for a drink there once a week!" "And Pink Pie does not drink with friends?" "Oh silly, I don't drink when I'm making new muffins. Besides, I just need sugar to sweeten my day!" he wondered how much sugar a pony had to eat to be like her. It would probably be enough to kill him. "Pink Pie, where is Cloudbreaker? Gnoll would like to find rainbow pony." "That's easy, you just go in that direction." she pointed down a road, "It has a sign with a cloud and a lightning bolt on it, you can't miss it! Say hi to them when you meet them!" He thought for a moment, "What other colors does Pink Pie have?" --- A bit later the gnoll gave off a groan of annoyance. He missed it. There was nothing like she had described on this road, he was sure of it, he had walked it up and down two times. The ponies either had a terrible sense of direction or the pink one just had a bad sense of humor. But he wouldn't give up that easily. He put his nose to the ground and concentrated as he paced through Ponyville's street. His nose soon started to fill with different scents. Scar closed his eyes and concentrated. Bug pony and teacher pony. No. Pink pony. "Hi Scar!", he returned her wave. No. Spiked back and purple pony, definitely no. Rainbow pony, but old trail. Wrong. Tiny pony, the orange one. On wheels? Pink pony. Again? "Hi Scar!" he returned her wave again. Purple Haze, relatively fresh, but wrong pony. He continued. Apple pony, finally! If she was really with the rainbow one... he followed the trail. --- "So you made the fella angry 'nough to chase you through Ponyville?" Applejack laughed as Rainbow Dash drowned another mug of cider, "Ah sure would've liked to see that!" "You have no idea AJ, I think I crossed a line. He's gonna kill me when he catches me! What am I going to do?" Dash slumped over the table. "I mean, I didn't mean to make him that angry! Just a bit, enough to make him chase me... I think he hates me now." she said with sadness in her voice. "The most awesome thing to happen in Ponyville after me now hates my guts. Probably wants to eat them too." "Oh sugarcube, Ah bet ya he ain't all that mad 'bout it! Ah don't think he's one to hold a grudge. Just go to him and apologize and I'm sure he'll forgive ya!" "You know what? That's just what I'm going to do! First thing tomorrow morning when I'm sober again I'm heading over there and I'll apologize to him!" Dash replied with a smile, "He probably forgot about it already!" "You... may have to start apologizing a tad bit earlier than that I'm afraid... Ah don't think he forgot..." Applejack said quietly, there was a worried look on her face. "Huh? What do you mean by thURK!!!" a huge hand wrapped itself around her neck and she was lifted out of her chair. "Hello, rainbow pony..." she looked into two red eyes. "Hi Scar... fancy meeting you here... hehe..." sweat started to form on her brow, "Now listen... I know you're probably still angry at me and I totally deserve to be punished for it. But I just want you to know I'm really, really..." "Quiet." he interrupted her. Applejack was starting to worry, she prayed her judgment of the gnoll wasn't wrong. "Now come on Scar, give her a chance to apologize, I'm sure she didn't mean anythin' bad by it. You know how she is." "Gnoll knows very well." he grumbled as he turned his attention back to a sheepishly grinning Rainbow Dash. She was squirming in his grip but his fingers were like steel around her neck. "Open." "Huh?" "Open. Mouth." he said with a stoic voice. She wagered he was probably going to put something icky in her mouth. If that would be her punishment she would live with it. She opened her mouth, hopefully it wouldn't be a worm. To her and Applejack's surprise he brought up something quite different in his other hand. It was a little muffin with decorative icing on top. It looked like a green field of grass with little white flowers in it. He placed it on her tongue, "Eat." She carefully started chewing, it tasted pretty good. "Taste good?" she nodded happily, what was he planning? "Good. Now swallow." she swallowed. "All gone?" she opened her mouth, "Good." he set her down again. "Scar forgives rainbow pony." "Huh? That's it? You're not going to hit me, gnaw on my head or anything else?" Dash wasn't sure if this was her lucky day or if the gnoll had gone insane. She saw him raise an eyebrow, "I mean, not that I'm complaining or anything! I just thought you'd be totally mad at me." "Is all fine. Gnoll is happy little cake tasted good." "Dude, you don't know how much that means to me! I was scared you were gonna kill me or..." there was a gasp and a clonk to her side. Applejack's jaw had just dropped onto the table.