Potion Panic

by gaitiem

9 Head in the Clouds

“And over here, you can see the flight camp, with little fillies your age. That right there? That is the start of the race track where I got my cutie mark, and did my first Sonic Rainboom. I told you that story, right?”

“Yes,” Scootaloo answered.

“You feeling okay, Squirt?” Rainbow asked. “You sound like you’re somewhere else right now.”

“Ah, sorry Rainbow Dash. I’ve wanted to come see Cloudsdale with you for so long… I promise I won’t be distracted from now on.”

“Yeah, you talk a big game,” Rainbow commented “but you’ve got to be distracted by something pretty good to be spacing out in Cloudsdale, of all places. Do you feel weird so far away from the ground?”

“No,” Scootaloo answered. After some deliberation, she concluded, “Just somepony I couldn’t bring with me.”

“You miss your friends already?” Dash asked.

“Not just my friend…” Scoots began to trail off before catching herself. “Can you keep a secret?”

“What’s an awesome big sister for?” Rainbow replied. Scootaloo proceeded to tell Rainbow Dash what had happened the day before, about her and Sweetie Belle falling in love due to a potion that was still working its way out of her system as she spoke.

When she was finished she asked Rainbow, “Has anything like that ever happened to you?”

Dash struggled to think of something comparable, and finally settled on “Tank: he’s always hibernating, and it’s hard because I hate being separated from him. I took it really hard our first winter together, but I’ve gotten used to it.”

“Well, yeah, not seeing her is hard,” Scootaloo rebuttled, “but the main thing is that the spell is going to wear off by the time we see each other again. How will I feel when I don’t love her? What if I still love her, but she doesn’t love me?”

“Why do you think you will still love her if the spell is going to wear off?”

“I don’t know, it just feels so real. I don’t see how you could make a potion that makes you feel this much.”

“You really can’t tell the difference?” Dash asked.

“How would I? I mean, I haven’t been in love before,” Scoots said. “I don’t have anything to compare it to.”

“Being ‘in love’ I can’t comment on,” Dash said, “but I think we’ve both loved ponies before, and you have to know what that feels like. Can you name someone?”

“Well, for starters, I love you, Rainbow Dash,” Scootaloo confessed. “You’re so cool, you’re the best flyer ever, and you’re the best big sister I’ve ever had.”

“Okay,” Rainbow fought against her ego to direct the subject, “but that’s just me. Do I and Sweetie Belle have anything in common that you like about both of us?”

After a short pause, Scootaloo concluded, “Not really, no.”

“Okay,” Rainbow tried again, “but do Sweetie and I make you feel the same way?”

“Well,” Scoots replied with some thought. “You both make me feel special, like I really matter. I feel comfortable being close and spending time with you. When I’m not with you, I think about you and wonder how you are. I think about helping you when you’re sick or hurt.” She paused, as though she had run out of things to say. “Oh, but you both have really cute voices.”

“We’re past that part,” Rainbow interrupted. She had started smiling uncontrollably as Scootaloo had been saying all of this. “You really feel all that stuff about me?” she asked.

“Yeah. So do you think that that’s love?” Scoots asked.

“Well, it felt like being told ‘I love you’- to me, at least. Let’s try it on you.” She took Scootaloo under her wing and held her close as she said, “Scootaloo, you make me feel special, like I really matter. I feel comfortable being close and spending time with you. When I’m not with you, I think about you and wonder how you are. I think about helping you when you’re sick or hurt.” She began to give Scootaloo a noogie to break the tension. “And you have a cute little voice too, but don’t get a big head about it or anything.”

“Hey, cut it out,” Scootaloo tried to object through the uncontrollable smile on her face. Scootaloo couldn’t shake the impression that Rainbow Dash had just said “I love you” without saying those words exactly. She had to be quite sure now: she loved Sweetie Belle as much as she loved Rainbow Dash, though not in the same way.

Rainbow stopped noogying after a moment, distracted by the start of a race taking place on the track, and the loud rush of wind that accompanied it. They watched the race together, finally cheering for the victor when she crossed the finish line.

“I hope Sweetie is doing okay,” Scootaloo said, as if to no one. Rainbow turned to hear her, and she turned back saying, “I’m really glad I get to be here with someone I love right now, even if it can’t be Sweetie Belle. I just hope she’s spending time with someone who loves her too, or else…” She trailed off a moment as the second and third place racers started pouring in. “I just hope that she’s taking it alright.”

Author's Note:

Did somebody order cutesy? Who do I think I'm talking to, of course you wanted cutesy! This is My Little Pony, for Pete's sake!

I promised a double upload at some point, so I'm posting this one now before I forget and crash out again.