Two Choices, One Path

Sweetie Belle winced aloud as she leaned against Scootaloo to support her weight due to the pain making it very hard to walk as the two made their way back to Rarity's house. "H-How did you know where I was?" The unicorn asked weakly as the two made a turn at the corner of a street.

Scootaloo winced softly to herself, determined to hide how much pain she was in."I didn't. After I got done talking to Applebloom, I went to see you and apologize for being a featherhead only Applejack told me you said you wanted to go home." She explained and winced loudly almost faltering as she stumbled slightly under Sweetie Belle's added weight.

"Scootaloo, you're more hurt than you let on. You shouldn't be carrying me when you're in just as bad shape as I am." Sweetie Belle remarked aloud and attempted to ease her weight from the Pegasus only for Scootaloo to non-verbally insist on continuing to support her weight by forcing her hoof back over the back of her neck with a gentle shove against the unicorn.

"I-I'm fine, really! Besides, you're too important to me to let my pain stop me from helping you get home as safely as possible." Scootaloo insisted as she continued to carry the unicorn's weight. "Anyways, like I was saying. I went to Rarity's only you weren't there. That got me worried so-"

"Let me guess, you checked the cliff again." Sweetie Belle said morbidly, cutting the pegasus off.

"No, the first place I checked was the clubhouse then I searched the streets for you." Scootaloo corrected the unicorn much to Sweetie Belle's surprise. "Come on, Belle. I've got more faith in you than that." She added with a smile though Sweetie Belle couldn't see it.

"Anyways, I was walking past the park when I saw those two…" Scootaloo began to say only to trail off at which point Sweetie Belle felt Scootaloo's muscles tense under her. "Can't really tell you what happened after that because I only saw red for the next ten minutes or so I'd say. Once I snapped back to reality, I immediately went to check on you and make sure you were okay."

"That's about the time I regained consciousness, I'd assume." Sweetie Belle deduced aloud.

"You got it. Anyways, we're almost to your house." Scootaloo replied in a mildly pained tone as the two walked up the muddy path towards Carousel Boutique.

The two were silent for a time as they approached the door however just as the Pegasus reached for the door, Sweetie Belle spoke.

"Thanks… This makes the second time you've saved my life." She said with a mild blush and nuzzled the back of filly's head with her cheek.

This act of affection didn't go unnoticed by Scootaloo whom internally swooned before she spoke. "Don't sweat it, Belle." She said modestly with a smirk as she reached forward and opened the front door.

Rarity was walking by the foreway as Scootaloo opened the front door as she levitated a ruby encrusted vase and noticed the two. "There you are, Sweetie Belle I was wondering where-" Rarity lectured the teenage filly until both fillies appearances fully registered with the mare.

*KER-SHATTER!!!*

The loud sound of the vase hitting the floor and shattering to fragments could be seen and heard as Rarity rushed over to Sweetie Belle's side and put her head down to allow Sweetie Belle to use her as a crutch and help her over to the nearest chair.

Once the unicorn was sitting relatively comfortably, Rarity looked over her little sister with deep concern. "Sweetie Belle, what happened to you?!" Rarity asked in a frantic tone as she looked over the various injuries on Sweetie Belle's body.

Scootaloo limped over towards Rarity and Sweetie Belle only to be levitated in a lavender magic aura and carried over to a chair across from Sweetie Belle and Rarity. "I'd like to know what happened to you as well, Scootaloo." Twilight added as she looked over the Pegasus.

"Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon happened." Scootaloo stated calmly but with a pissed off expression on her facial features as she spoke the two bullies names.

This caused Rarity and Twilight to exchange worried glances before they looked back at the teenage fillies. "You got into a fight with them?" Rarity asked in a much calmer tone now as she levitated medicine from a cabinet a crossed the room from them and applied it to Sweetie Belle's nose which caused the unicorn wince loudly as it stung fiercely at first then dissolve into a mild burning sensation.

"I did. Sweetie Belle here got the magic beat out of her and then some before I even arrived on the scene." Scootaloo explained only to yelp as Twilight examined her limp wing.

"Your left wing is fractured, Scootaloo. I need to reset it otherwise it won't heal properly." Twilight stated matter-of-factly.

The Pegasus gave a fearful glance to her wing, sighed, and closed her eyes. "D-Do it." She stuttered slightly and braced herself for the incoming pain.

"I'll try to make this as painless as possible, okay?" Twilight said in a comforting tone, narrowed her eyes at the wing, and channeled magic into her horn which caused Scootaloo's left wing to become encased in its lavender aura. In the next moment, a loud cracking sound could be heard followed by the teenage Pegasus giving a high-pitched pained cry as fresh tears streamed from her eyes which she quickly wiped away with her right hoof as Twilight wrapped her wing in a bandage.

"Are you okay, Scootaloo?" Sweetie Belle asked with a worried look which caused the pegasus to look at Sweetie Belle and force a cocky grin onto her face.

"J-Just fine! It'll take more than a lame broken wing to make me cry." Scootaloo boasted though her voice cracked as she spoke as if she was struggling to hold back tears.

"Oh, quit acting like nothing's wrong you silly filly! Even Rainbow Dash isn't afraid to cry when she's in as much pain as you are." Rarity stated plainly as she handed the Alicorn the medicine which Twilight began to immediately apply to Scootaloo's injuries. "I take it the bullies fared little better than you two. At least, i hope they didn't." She added much to Twilight's shock whom gawked at her.

"Oh don't give me that look, Twilight Sparkle. I saw how you reacted when Shining Armor's horn was cursed by King Sombra. If not for the urgency of the situation, I'd wager you would have walked out into that blizzard and gave us a show we wouldn't see again for one thousand years." Rarity stated plainly.

"Be that as it may, resorting to violence is never the answer." Twilight stated sternly as she looked at Rarity.

"I blacked out once I saw what they had done to Sweetie Belle but I know we left the two mules knocked out in the park." Scootaloo stated almost pridefully.

Upon hearing this, Twilight placed a hoof on her forehead and sighed. "This is going to be a nightmare to clean up and I can't very well exercise my royal authority without cause on this matter either." The Alicorn said aloud dismally as she rubbed her temple with her left hoof and sighed once more.

It was then that something caught Rarity's eye. A small black band was around Sweetie Belle's horn. "Sweetie Belle, what's this?" Rarity asked curiously as she used her magic to levitate the black band off Sweetie Belle's horn and managed to but with great difficulty.

Sweetie Belle looked at the small black band, puzzled for a time as to what it could be when it suddenly dawned on her. "That must be that magic dampener that Diamond Tiara said she put on my horn!" She exclaimed in revelation.

"Let me see that." Twilight said as Rarity handed her the band and the Alicorn immediately went to examining it. "It's crudely crafted and with materials you could find in a supermarket but it's definitely a magic dampener." Twilight surmised as her gaze met Rarity's.

"I believe we have found cause to exercise your royal authority, don't you, Twilight?" Rarity stated with a stern expression.

"Yes we have." Twilight confirmed as she stood up and walked down the halls of the crystal castle.

"Where's she going?" Scootaloo asked with a bewildered expression.

"To make a few calls, I expect." Rarity answered with a deviously satisfied grin.

Filthy Rich stood in the police department tapping his front right hoof impatiently. "I don't have all day! I requested a police escort to Carousel Boutique over a half hour ago!" Filthy Rich stated as he glared at police ponies only to notice Twilight Sparkle herself walking towards him, accompanied by two royal guards.

"Ah, the princess of friendship herself, while unexpected, this is much better than a mere police escort!" He said with a smile as he walked up to Twilight. "Princess, I assume you know of the fact that my daughter has been assaulted by that Pegasus you occasionally tutor. I demand she is detained immediately and given the strictest punishment known to equestrian law!" He stated in a prim and proper tone though Twilight's expression didn't falter as she looked at him.

"Oh, somepony will be punished all right, but it's not Scootaloo." Twilight said simply as her horn glowed and the earth pony found himself in cuffs much to his shock.

"What's the meaning of this?!" He exclaimed in outrage.

"Filthy Rich, you are under arrest." Twilight stated plainly and with some satisfaction.

"On what charges?!" Filthy Rich demanded.

"Possession of an illegal magic inhibitor." The Alicorn replied.

"But I have no such thing!" Filthy Rich exclaimed defensively.

"Then would you care to explain how your daughter had this?" Twilight asked as she levitated the plastic bag into view of the stallion. "Your daughter's hoofprints are all over this." She stated in a matter of fact tone. This however was a lie since Silver Spoon's hoofprints were the only ones on the band but Filthy Rich didn't need to know that.

In fact, this entire arrest was a ruse devised by the Alicorn and Rarity less than three hours ago. Her target wasn't Filthy Rich but rather Diamond Tiara and by extension, Silver Spoon.

She could easily get Silver Spoon for this but Twilight knew full well that Diamond Tiara was not innocent in the slightest. In fact, based on what she had learned from Sweetie Belle, she was the ringleader of this entire blackmail.

However, she was smart… too smart. The spoiled filly knew where and how to keep her hooves clean so nothing could be connected to her. She also knew that Silver Spoon would gladly take the fall for her.

Twilight knew to get Diamond Tiara, she had to go for the one pony in Equestria that she knew could squeeze the truth out of the spoiled filly… her father.

Twilight knew however that he would defend his daughter as innocent to his last breath due to choosing to act blind to his daughter's actions. The only time he wouldn't turn a blind eye to his daughter was when his own reputation or livelihood was threatened.

"I assure you, princess. I had no idea my daughter had such a thing!" Filthy Rich replied with a nervous expression.

"Then I'm sure you wouldn't mind us asking her a few questions with you present." Twilight replied with a victorious grin.

"O-Of course not!" The stallion replied with a nervous smile.

The following weeks were trying for Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Twilight. Diamond Tiara as Twilight figured, was very clever and used nearly every avenue she had at her disposal to avoid telling the truth, even with her father present.

The entire thing eventually went to court and all four teenage fillies were put on the stand at one point or another. It was especially nerve-racking for Sweetie Belle as she wasn't allowed to cast her cloaking spell when entering the Ponyville courthouse.

Thankfully, she could wear formal attire and thus wear a dress Rarity had hoof-stitched herself which allowed her to conceal her addition. Scootaloo's unrelenting support was also a big help in suppressing her insecurities.

However as much as Twilight tried, she couldn't get the spoiled filly to crack. By the end of the three-week period, Silver Spoon, as Twilight predicted, openly admitted to owning the magic dampener and with no solid evidence to connect Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon was put into a juvenile prison while Diamond Tiara walked out of the courtroom, scott free.

"You'll have to do better than that… Princess." The spoiled filly whispered to the Alicorn as she passed her with a victorious sneer and left the courthouse.

"I swear to Celestia, she's going to create the first Equestrian Mafia one day." Twilight remarked aloud with a scowl much to the confusion of Sweetie Belle, Rarity, and Scootaloo.

"What's a… Maf-e-a?" Scootaloo asked as she struggled to sound out the word properly.

Twilight's ears flattened in mild embarrassment as she rubbed the back of my head. "Oh, um, just something I read about at Canterlot High eh, heh..." The Alicorn remarked sheepishly.

It was a hollow victory for the four but a victory none-the-less as they traveled back to Rarity's house and stepped inside.

"I can't believe that mule got off without so much as a slap on the hoof!" Scootaloo fumed aloud as she stomped the ground angrily with her left front hoof.

"I guess she wasn't joking when she called herself a professional." Sweetie Belle remarked aloud dismally and sighed.

"I must agree with Scootaloo on this matter. A filly with the criminal smarts she has is dangerous, Twilight." Rarity remarked aloud with a worried expression to the Alicorn.

"I know but there's little we can do about it. At the least we got Silver Spoon who was her right-hoof filly, right?" Twilight remarked aloud with a half smile as Sweetie Belle used her magic to carefully remove the dress.

"Until she convinces her daddy to bribe the judge to let her out on good behavior." Scootaloo remarked morbidly. "I give her a week before that mule's cunt-buddy is right at her side again." She added.

"Scootaloo! Watch your tongue young filly!" Twilight censured the teenage pegasus.

"Yes and try to calm yourself. While I can empathise with your feelings towards the outcome of the court trial, it's best for a lady to compose herself in a dignified manner whenever possible." Rarity chimed in with a stern expression.

"Easy for you to say! You don't have to worry about seeing that sniveling, snot-nosed, mu-" Scootaloo began to say only for the completely unexpected to occur.

Twilight's face adorned a beat red blush while Rarity averted her gaze with a blush of her own as Sweetie Belle locked lips with the Pegasus, cutting her off mid-sentence.

Scootaloo, to say the least was rendered speechless, even after Sweetie Belle had removed her lips from her mouth. The teenage filly stared forward like a deer caught in the headlights for a full ten seconds until Sweetie Belle giggled which snapped her out of her blank stare.

"Wha...wha…" Scootaloo tried to ask yet she still couldn't fully construct a proper sentence still due to the shock of the unicorn's action still in effect.

"What brought that about?" Sweetie Belle asked, hoping she was on target with the question the Pegasus was attempting to ask.

"Y-Yeah." Scootaloo replied, the shock still in effect but quickly wearing off as she looked into Sweetie Belle's eyes whom stood less than a foot from her still.

"Lets just say that your support was a big help during the past three weeks. I've never left the house without casting my cloaking spell before and it made me a nervous wreck! If it wasn't for you reassuring me and comforting me as much as you had... Well, I doubt I would have been able to do as well as I did on the stand during court." Sweetie Belle explained with a warm blush as she looked away slightly from the Pegasus.

"Does that mean…?" Scootaloo asked, the hope in her voice a dead give-away to her not-so-secret desire to finally enter a solid relationship with the unicorn.

Upon hearing this, Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes though she still smiled as she did so and sighed. "You're hopeless, you know that?" She asked with a smirk though when she noticed the Pegasus's crestfallen expression appear she looked away and bit her lip nervously as if internally debating on something.

"Ahem! Twilight, could you help me in the kitchen? I believe I could use assistance in making daffodil sandwiches." Rarity said with a non-verbal jerk of her head towards the kitchen hoping the Alicorn would pick up on the subtle hint.

This caused the Alicorn to look at Rarity with a confused look. "Why would you need my help with-Waah!" Twilight began to ask only for Rarity to slam a hoof on her forehead, groan, channel magic into her horn, and drag the Alicorn into the kitchen, leaving the two teenage fillies alone.

(Play "love" Now!)

Sweetie Belle made a subconscious note to thank her big sister for the privacy later before she looked at Scootaloo who still had a glint of hope in her saddened eyes as she looked at the unicorn.

She hadn't thought this fully through nor did she fully consider the implications she would imply with that simple kiss. A peck on the cheek? Sure, she could pass that off as an affectionate gesture of gratitude but a kiss on the lips? That was a whole level above simple affectionate gestures.

Taking into account Scootaloo's crush on her which hasn't been a secret for nearly a month now and that kiss may as well have been a holy hand grenade if she meant nothing by it.

Sensing the unicorn's inner conflict, Scootaloo put on a fake smile. "Hey, don't sweat it. You were just thanking for me being so supportive, I get it." The Pegasus said casually and began to trot past her.

Somehow, the teenage filly knew that now, at this very moment, her and Scootaloo's relationship was at a crossroad with her holding the reins. She had to make the choice now. The seconds were ticking by now and her window to decide was closing fast as Scootaloo's flank past her if she allowed Scootaloo to leave the room, the choice would be made for her.

Sweetie Belle took a deep breath…

"Scootaloo, wait!"

She exclaimed though her voice cracked as she exclaimed these words though horsley.

As if lightning struck the Pegasus, she turned to face Sweetie Belle almost instantly. "Y-Yes?" She stuttered out.

"I-I'm still not sure about how I feel about this… about us but…" Sweetie Belle said though she trailed off as she trotted up to Scootaloo and placed a hoof on the Pegasus's cheek. "It's not fair of me to lead you on like that." She continued as she ran a hoof along Scootaloo's cheek affectionately.

"What are you saying, Belle?" Scootaloo asked softly, as she looked into Sweetie Belle's eyes longingly.

The unicorn bit her lip nervously for a moment before she took yet another deep breath and let it out. "The truth is… I'm scared." Sweetie Belle said as she looked away and bit her lower lip once more.

Much to Sweetie Belle's surprise however, Scootaloo gently placed a hoof on her right cheek and gently turned her face to look her in the eyes once more. "I would never do anything to hurt you, Sweetie Belle." The Pegasus said with the most serious and sincere expression the unicorn had ever seen on her friend's face.

Sweetie Belle's pupils darted to the lower right corners of her eyes, towards Scootaloo's hoof as she felt herself filled with uncertainty, worry, and fear. In the next moment that all melted away as Scootaloo leaned in and locked lips with the filly, kissing her passionately.

The unicorn felt weak in the knees as she melted into the kiss, closing her eyes, and putting her hooves around Scootaloo's neck. Much too soon for the filly's liking, the moment of bliss ended as Scootaloo leaned back and looked into her eyes, a warm smile adorned on her face as she stroked Sweetie Belle's mane affectionately.

"Guess this is it, huh? No turning back now, I suppose." Sweetie Belle remarked aloud with a nervous smile.

"We'll take it slowly, I don't want to overwhelm you. Last thing I need is you consulting a dating book." Scootaloo said with a smirk.

"H-Hey! I'm not as sheltered as Twilight you know!" Sweetie Belle retorted with a smirk knowing Scootaloo was only half serious.

"I heard that!" Twilight's voice exclaimed from within the kitchen much to the amusement of both fillies whom burst out laughing in response to this.

Author's Note

For those of you who don't get the Holy Hand-Grenade reference:

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