Dominant Ideal

The small shape of the sweaty unicorn filly sped up the grassy hill. Her breaths came in ragged, and there was a distinct taste of metal in her mouth. The taste had been completely alien to her only two days before, but not anymore, thanks to Scootaloo. This time it was not because of a nosebleed, but because she had bitten her tongue while running. She didn't even notice — She had somewhere to be.

When she finally crested the hill, Sweetie spied the orange pegasus lying on her back on the grass with the familiar scooter next to her. Scootaloo was looking at the cloudy sky with dreamy eyes, following a rainbow-colored streak speeding around, weaving between clouds with turns that seemed impossibly sharp to perform while flying. The filly's ears perked up when she heard heavy breaths approaching. She lazily turned her head, but when she saw the source of the sounds, the pegasus jumped up onto her feet. Her heart was pounding, making sure her muscles had enough oxygen for anything she might need to do next, either fight or flee.

"What are you doing here!?" she shouted in a surprised voice, which carried undertones of fear and anger in equal amounts.

It took a few moments for the unicorn to catch her breath, but it was long enough for Scootaloo to pick her scooter up and prepare to leave and avoid talking to the other filly.

"I... just wanna talk to you, Scoots." Sweetie Belle's voice was raspy from her sprint, her small frame not fit for such feats of athleticism. Her chest was burning almost as badly as her legs, and she had to use all of her willpower just not to fall down on the ground and pant.

"Well I don't wanna talk to you!" shouted the orange pegasus, but she made no move to immediately kick off, her wings still folded along her sides.

"Please! I just... you hafta listen to me! Please! Don't go!"

"I don't have to do ANYTHING you say, stupid!"

"I didn't mean it like that! Sorry... " The rest of her words were drowned in her gasping, and tears were rolling down her cheeks.

Scootaloo felt a cold numb pain in her chest while looking at Sweetie. The unicorn's mane was ragged, and one of her eyes still had a clear blue ring around it where the pegasus had struck her. The white filly had finally fallen down on the grass. Scootaloo tried to shut the sobs from her ears, to just turn her back and leave, but for some reason her hooves betrayed her and refused to move. She angrily pushed the scooter down and threw her helmet after it.

"What the hay do you want, Sweetie. I was watching Rainbow Dash practice and you had to come and spoil even that! Why can't you just leave me alone?!" the orange pegasus shouted while slowly walking towards the cowering filly.

"Please... Scoots... don't hit me again... "

The quiet words slammed into the pegasus, stopping her in her tracks. The white filly had covered her eyes with her forehooves. Scootaloo noticed that for some reason she was holding her forehoof up, prepared to bring it down on the unicorn's head. The thought still rolled around in her head, calling out for vengeance, for justice... for something other than the constant empty feeling she'd had ever since the day before yesterday. Slowly, the pegasus lowered her shaking hoof, and sat down in front of the unicorn.

"So... you wanna talk. Talk," she said, while trying to sound as uncaring and cold as she could.

"I feel so bad about what I did and I haven't slept well for two nights and I wanted to find you yesterday but my sis didn't let me go out and I know you hate me and never wanna see me again but I wanted to tell you that I'm really, really sorry about it and want you to be my friend again!" Sweetie blurted everything out in a torrent of words and was left wheezing and sobbing, still covering her eyes.

"I... how can you... friends? You think we can be friends after something like that?" The pegasus let out a small laugh to accentuate how ridiculous she found the notion.

"P-please—"

"NO!" Scootaloo shouted, making the white unicorn's ears ring. "I don't want to be your friend! How could I be friends with someone who does... stuff like that?" The pegasus' face was twisted in anger, and she slammed her hoof on the ground, right next to the prone pony.

"I didn't mean to! I went too far and I know it! I should've stopped when you asked to and—" Sweetie's sound was high-pitched, and kept breaking up.

"IT'S NOT ABOUT THAT! YOU... YOU... IDIOT!" The pegasus once again slammed her hoof on the ground. "You... you were my best friend... I thought we could do anything together... I mean... after all the stuff we've done, how COULD YOU?"

"Scootaloo... I'm so sorry! Just... please tell me why you're so angry... "

"You mean you REALLY don't even know that? How THICK are you?" She leaned forward with every word, almost touching the cowering unicorn.

"I'm sorry... " came the quiet answer, followed by several sobs.

"I let you do all that stuff to me, to tie me up, to hit me, to stick stuff into me! Do you know WHY?"

"Cos... cos you wanted to be a better pony?"

"NO! Well... yeah... but... THAT'S NOT THE POINT! It was because YOU said it would make me a better pony. It's... because... I trusted you." All the energy left the orange filly with those last words, and she could feel the hot burn of tears in her eyes. "I really trusted you." She was about to angrily swipe them off and storm away, but couldn't find it in herself anymore. All she did was let her head droop down and feel the tears start rolling down her muzzle.

"It wasn't supposed to be like that. I mean... I DID plan the... pee thing. But... it wasn't supposed to go like that." When the pegasus didn't answer her, she pushed on. "I did it for you. I wanted you to... to feel like a foal again. To be helpless."

"W-what? Why?"

"You told me you had to do everything yourself at home. Cook and stuff. And you were alone. And remember what I said about the dinner? Well I wanted to give you one day where you were the little sister and could be... yourself."

"Myself?"

"Yeah... cos whenever we did the spankings and the other stuff... you were like a little filly.

"But I am a filly? What are you talking about?" The pegasus sounded unsure, and even a bit hurt.

"You're always doing crazy stuff and you told me you did it cos you wanted to be noticed and... I just thought you really wanted to be... you know... not you."

"You're really not making any sense, Sweetie."

"You... looked so cute the first time we talked after i gave you a spanking. Like there was another Scootaloo inside you. And I really like her."

"Me... her... what..?"

The small unicorn let out a long sigh and finally removed her hooves from her eyes. "I messed everything up again, didn't I? You told me you trusted me and I messed it up. It's just like what I do at home. I always try to do everything right, but then something happens and everypony gets angry."

For a while, the only sound on the hilltop was the quiet wind moving in the grass. Sweetie just looked at her friend, not knowing what to say next, while the pegasus seemed to be deep in thought.

"Just... tell me one thing." Scootaloo finally asked.

"Y-yeah?"

"Why did you lie to me? Why didn't you tell me about the book?"

The unicorn didn't answer immediately, but after hesitating for a moment, she said: "I... can't!"

"What?! You expect me to—"

"No... it's not that... it's... I'm scared, Scoots." Sweetie was once again covering her eyes with her hooves, as if to protect herself from the certain anger that was sure to follow.

The pegasus threw her hooves up in exasperation, and then slammed them back on the ground, making the unicorn curl up even more.

"That's it. I'm leaving." The orange filly got up and turned away, when something grabbed her ankle.

"Scootaloo! I'll tell you! Just... promise me you won't hate me." Sweetie Belle was hanging onto her friend's hindhoof desperately with both of her forehooves.

"Any more than I do now?" Scootaloo just shook her hindhoof, making the unicorn lose her grip.

"But... It's so weird! I'M weird! Cos... cos whenever we did stuff... It wasn't all about you. I mean... at first it was but then... The time when I tied you up... I couldn't stop! And the same last time! I knew you wanted to stop but I COULDN'T! And then I got scared you'd find out and I tried to lie about the book so you would think the pee thing was just an accident. And it kinda was cos I was gonna put a bucket under you and scold you about it and then let you go but when I spanked you with the switch I got so hot and I went outside and touched myself for the first time..."

"So... so you actually got wet from... hurting me? I... thought... I—"

"I know I'm sick, and I'm scared! I don't know why it happened but I didn't want you to find out. I mean... what kinda pony would want to hurt others and like it? But all I know is that ever since the first time i tied you up, I haven't thought about anything else but myself hitting your butt, seeing it jiggle and turn red and you shouting and begging me to stop... It's so wrong but I really like your pain!"

"Sweetie... wow... I didn't know—"

"I really wanted to help you become a better pony, and I really did feel awful about the stuff you told me. But I also wanted to..." For a moment she was lost for words. "And the book! The stuff that was in it? I mean... I couldn't sleep when I thought about the things I could do to you. And when we were at the beach, all those ideas came together when we started talking about money. And I wanted to try everything. And I KNEW you'd hate me. And I couldn't stop. I wanted to. But I couldn't..."

"S-sweetie... When... I peed myself, I... I actually thought you'd hate me." Scootaloo's voice was quiet, and shaky. All the adrenaline she'd had just a moment ago was now gone, replaced by cold sweat and shaking muscles. Even talking felt difficult with her teeth rattling together, even though it was the middle of summer. "I... thought you'd never tie me up or spank me againg. Cos... cos I like it! I like being helpless and you doing all those weird things to me. Even... the spankings. And when I peed myself, I thought that was it. That I couldn't even look you in the eyes. But you told me it was okay, and you cleaned it all up and washed me and... did the other thing too. I don't think I've ever felt so good. I mean... I finally felt like I had a big sister who would forgive me for anything and make it all go away. And you told me it was an accident and I was so relieved. And when I found out you'd planned it and lied about it I felt so... used! Like everything I'd felt had been a lie. And you yourself told me you wanted me to feel like that." She took a deep breath. "And THAT'S why I got so angry.

"I'm... sorry. I never meant to betray you. Never! Is... is there anything I can do to make you forgive me? Anything? I mean... I would even let you... spank me... "

"I think... I think that I kinda hurt you enough already. And... I'm sorry for hitting you. That wasn't cool."

"It's okay. I deserved it."

"Thanks." Scootaloo looked at her friend, who was staring back at her with wide eyes full of hope.

"So... does that mean you forgive me too, Scoots?"

"Guess so. But... I think we shouldn't do any of that stuff any more. I mean... at least for a while." The pegasus' voice was no longer trembling, and was now eerily flat.

"Just... as long as we can be friends?"

"Friends? Yeah. Okay."

Sweetie got up from the ground and moved closer to her friend, putting her forehooves around the orange filly. She was about to lower her head on Scootaloo's shoulder when she was abruptly pushed away.

"No."

"W-what's wrong, Scootaloo?" asked the frightened white filly, lying on her back in the grass.

"I don't think I'm ready for hugging and stuff. I... I gotta think about stuff."

"I thought we'd be friends!"

"We are... but I kinda... just give me some time, okay?"

"O-okay."

"And... and I don't wanna call you my big sister any more. It doesn't feel right. "

"Scoots!" Tears were again burning in the white filly's eyes. This wasn't what was supposed to happen. "What are you saying?"

"I guess I mean that I don't trust you. We can be friends and go Crusading and stuff... and maybe some day... I dunno. But I can't trust you just now. I'm sorry."

Sweetie was about to shout at her friend, to beg for her to reconsider and to trust her, but when she looked her friend in the eyes, there was something she had never seen before. A coldness that made her feel unwanted, like she was a nuisance. Her friend's face was so calm, like there was no emotion behind it. The white filly could hardly breathe, and felt the world start to swim.

The orange filly turned away to look at the sky. "So how's the eye?"

"Eye?" Sweetie stammered, shaking her head clear, "Oh yeah... that. Rarity put something cold on it when I went home but I guess it still shows."

"So did you tell her what happened?"

"My sister? I... kinda told her I'd fallen down in the rain and hit my face on a tree stump."

"You lied to your sister?"

"I didn't want you to get into trouble."

"U-huh," was all the pegasus said.

"Did... you tell your mom about what happened?"

"I told her I got into a fight with a friend and hit her in the face. She told me that fillies aren't supposed to do that and that I should play nicer."

They sat on the windy hilltop, silently, right next to each other. Sweetie Belle couldn't help but feel that there was an insurmountable wall between her and her friend.

After a while the pegasus got up and headed for her scooter.

"Well... I'm off. C'ya around, Sweetie."

"Y-yeah. You too, Scoots."

The white unicorn was left alone on the hilltop, watching after her friend's departing back.

She hadn't felt so lonely in her life.

Author's notes: I know I said I wouldn't write an epilogue or sequel after the last chapter. I wanted to end the story in the rain, but several people pointed out to me that it wasn't really an ending, just me stopping to write. I raged about it for a while, almost citing "Suited For Success" and how I'm a great artist and everyone could go buck off. Then I took a nap and read the last chapter again, and I had to admit to myself that it really needed more closure. This chapter is more about tying up the few underlying themes in the story than anything else. It is not supposed to change the ending from the last chapter, or the feelings that I hoped to convey. I really suck at endings. They always make me sad.

There are a few people I'd like to thank for this story, mostly to acknowledge their involvement and inspiration, even though I haven't told them directly before. This story goes out to:

-YourAntagonist, for showing me that there can exist quality fiction involving sex and underage imaginary horses.

-Chuckfinley for being an awesome writer and for awakening my urge to write a BDSM story. Hope you get better soon.

-MrNumbers for kicking some much-needed sense into me without being a dick, which is a real accomplishment if done over the web..