//------------------------------//
// Epilogue: What Happens Next? 
// Story: New Revelations 
// by Phantom Shadow 
//------------------------------//

	It was a beautiful afternoon in Ponyville; the weather was warm, the sun was shining, the birds were singing, peace was everywhere.  As everypony went about their usual hustle and bustle, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle trotted into town together.

"I don't know about you," Scootaloo said as they made their way towards the main square.  "But these past few weeks have been crazy!"

"You can say that again," Sweetie Belle answered.  "Well, look at the bright side: at least everypony is happy, right?"

"I guess so," Scootaloo responded unsurely.  "Do you think really Apple Bloom and Rumble will be okay?"

"Of course they will, Scoots.  Couldn't you tell by the look on their faces?  She and Rumble are going to be fine."

The two of them fell silent for a little while as they trotted past Sugarcube Corner.  It was only when they passed by the inn did Sweetie Belle let out a small sigh and hung her head.

Seeing this, Scootaloo lightly nudged her and asked, "Hey, are you okay?"

"Hmm?" she answered, snapping her out of her thoughts.  "Oh, yeah, I'm okay.  I was just...thinking about Rarity and Thunderlane.  I hope everything worked out between them."

Scootaloo rolled her eyes.  "I understand you're just looking out for your sister and all, but after everything she put him through, I think it's safe to say that..."

"I know," Sweetie Belle interrupted.  "I just...hope they can still be friends with each other, that's all."

She only nodded in response as the two of them reached Scootaloo's house.  They stood in front of the building for several minutes, one waiting for the other to say something first.  Sweetie Belle dug the tip of her hoof in the ground as Scootaloo rubbed the back of her neck with a sheepish grin on her face.  With everything they had been through at its end, and everything seeming to be back to the way they were, what could one say?

"Well," Scootaloo finally said.  "What's next?"

"I just have to talk to Rarity," Sweetie Belle said.  "After that, I'm not really sure.  I guess...we all just...move on."

"Yeah, I guess so."

Another moment of uneasy silence followed.  It didn't last for too long before Sweetie Belle said, "Thank you, Scootaloo."

Raising an eyebrow, Scootaloo asked, "For what?"

"For everything," she answered with a small smile.  "You've been so understanding and forgiving about all of this.  Not just for what Rarity did, but for all the things I've done."

Her cheeks turning a bright shade of pink, Scootaloo wrapped her arms around her in a warm embrace.  As Sweetie Belle returned the gesture, Scootaloo said softly, "You don't have to thank me for anything, Sweetie.  I love you and, like I told you before, nothing is ever going to change that.  Besides, not everything was your fault.  I shared some blame in what happened, too."

Sweetie Belle felt tears of joy enter her eyes as she said, "I love you too, Scootaloo."

Then, the two of them shared a small kiss with each other.  Like always, it was just a butterfly kiss on the lips, but it was as tender as they hoped it would be.

"Eww, gross," they heard a familiar voice say, causing them to break their kiss a bit earlier than they wanted.  Turning to see Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon trotting passed, she former said, "Get a room, Scoota-Belle.  Do you have to do that in public?"

The two bullies laughed as they trotted away, leaving the two of them to roll their eyes.  However, when Sweetie Belle looked at them from the corner of her eyes, she could have sworn she saw Silver Spoon looking back at them and smile before turning away and following her cohort.

"Well, I guess that's a sign that things are back to normal," Sweetie Belle said as she looked at Scootaloo, who seemed to be smiling contentedly.

"Yeah," Scootaloo said calmly.  "Almost, anyway."

"What do you mean?"

Scootaloo let out a chuckle and said, "To be honest, I think that name is starting to grow on me."

Sweetie Belle's eyes widened a bit.  "Really?"

"Scoota-Belle," she repeated, more like she was talking to herself than Sweetie Belle.  "Has a nice ring to it, don'tcha think?"

They laughed in unison again for a bit before Sweetie Belle said, "Well, I have to get going.  I'll see you tomorrow?"

"You bet," Scootaloo said as they shared one last kiss before going separate ways.

Sweetie Belle quickly trotted towards the Boutique.  When she got to the establishment, she headed straight for Rarity's "inspiration room", where she was confident her sister would be.  Luckily, Rarity was there by the sewing machine, slowly feeding a piece of fabric into it with a blank expression on her face.

"Hey, Rarity," Sweetie Belle said, causing the mare to lift her head to face her.

"Hello, Sweet'ums," she responded, turning off the machine and approaching her.  "How did everything go?"

"Okay.  I spoke to Scootaloo and Rumble about what happened and they both forgave you."

Rarity let out a small sigh of relief, though her face remained the same.  "Well, that's some good news, I suppose."

Despite knowing the answer to the question, Sweetie Belle gave her an optimistic look and asked, "How did everything go with Thunderlane?  Did he forgive you, too?"

She didn't need to say anything to know the answer; Rarity lowering her head and let out a depressed sigh told her everything she needed to know.

"It...went as expected," Rarity said.  "He did forgive me and all, but...he..."

"I'm sorry," Sweetie Belle interrupted.  "Does he...at least...want to be friends?"

Rarity shrugged a shoulder.  "I don't know, Sweetie.  Maybe someday, but for now, it's best we give each other some space and..."

She was cut off midsentence by Sweetie Belle hugging her reassuringly.  "Everything will be alright," she said with a smile.  "You'll see."

In that moment, Rarity felt tears of joy beginning to form in her eyes.  Whether it was because of her optimism, the fact that everypony was willing to forgive her, or just seeing the smile on her face, Rarity couldn't tell.  If there was anything she could tell, it was that Sweetie Belle was much happier now than she had been in the longest time, and that was enough for her to feel rapture in her heart.

Returning the embrace, she responded, "Thank you so much for everything, Sweetie Belle.  I promise I'll do my best to be a better, more supportive sister than before."

The two of them remained in each other's arms for several minutes before they released each other, both of them wiping tears of joy from their eyes.

"Well, I take it you and Scootaloo have plans for today?" Rarity asked.

"Not today, no," Sweetie Belle answered.  "Maybe tomorrow, though."

Rarity nodded in response as she trotted to her sewing machine to get back to her latest creation.  "Well, I must get back to work.  Thank you again for your assistance, Sweet'ums.  I love you."

"I love you too, sis," she said as she trotted for the door.

When she left the room and closed the door behind her, Rarity let out a small sigh and lightly smiled to herself.

Well, that's that, she thought as she got back to work on her outfit.  All the while, she couldn't help but keep the same smile on her face as the optimism from both Applejack and Sweetie Belle kept echoing in her head.  Maybe one day, Thunderlane would come around and be willing to give her a second chance.  Until then, she had to follow her own advice by putting all of this behind her and move on.





"Are you sure about this, Apple Bloom?" Sweetie Belle asked nervously.  "I don't know if I can do this.  I've never done this before."

"Neither have I," said Scootaloo excitedly.  "But this is gonna be so awesome!  I've always wanted to try this since, like, forever!  This has got to be your best idea yet, Apple Bloom."

"Ya bet yer boots it is," Apple Bloom said with enthusiasm.  "Ah just hope it gets us our Cutie Marks."

"Maybe," said Sweetie Belle.  "Even if we don't, at least we'll still have fun together, right?"

"Totally!" answered Scootaloo.

It was the next day when the three fillies trotted from the Carousel Boutique towards town.  It was a warm and sunny day with a few clouds making their way across the sky overhead.  However, it didn't seem to faze the three of them as they trotted in front of Scootaloo's house; they had come up with another idea to get their Cutie Marks and they were all anxious to see if it would work.

As the three of them stopped their trotting, Sweetie Belle asked, "So, do any of you have an extra one?  I don't have one and I don't think my Dad will let me borrow any of his."

"Sorry, Sweetie Belle," Apple Bloom answered first.  "Ah only have one."

"Don't worry," Scootaloo said.  "I have one you can borrow.  My Dad has a lot of them!"

"Thanks, Scoots," Sweetie Belle replied.

"Well, ah need ta go and get mine," Apple Bloom said.  "Why don't the two of you go get yers and ah'll meet ya'll there?"

"Sounds like a plan to me," Sweetie Belle said with a smile as Scootaloo trotted into her house.  "We'll see you there."

Apple Bloom waved at them before turning away and began galloping as fast as she could towards Sweet Apple Acres.  When she was out of eyeshot, Sweetie Belle sat on her haunches as she waited for Scootaloo to come out.  As she waited, she began lightly flexing her forelegs, hoping they would be strong enough to do what she needed them to do.

A while had passed before Scootaloo finally came out of her house with two bags.  One was resting on her back while the other was in front of her, being pushed on the ground until it was in front of Sweetie Belle's hooves.

"Thanks again, Scoots," said Sweetie Belle as she picked up the bag with a hoof.  "Ooh, pretty bag!  I love the floral print!"

"No problem," said Scootaloo.  "Just be careful; it's a bit heavy to carry in your arms all the way there."

"Don't worry about it.  I think I can manage it."

The two of them began trotting towards their destination with their bags in tow.  However, they had only traveled a short distance before Sweetie Belle had to put the bag on the ground.

"You're right," she said as she rubbed the arm that was holding the bag.  "That is heavy."

"Sorry about that," Scootaloo said nervously.  "I would have given you a bag like mine, but that was the only one I had left."

"It's okay," Sweetie replied.  "I just wish I could use my magic.  It would make it so much easier."

Scootaloo let out a small laugh.  "Don't worry, you'll learn to use your magic someday, just like I'll learn to use my wings...someday."

The two of them shared a laugh for a little while.  When they had calmed themselves down, Sweetie Belle wrapped her arms around Scootaloo.  For just a moment, they both thought they could feel each other's heart beat.

"I love you, Scootaloo," Sweetie Belle whispered as she rubbed her head against her neck.

"I love you, too, Sweetie Belle," Scootaloo replied, as she returned the gesture by holding her tightly.

Releasing each other, the two of them kissed each other tenderly.  Like always, it was just the connection of their lips, but it didn't change the fact that the two of them felt whole again.  Despite everything that had happened, the two of them came through together.  Yeah, there would be hardships to deal with down the road, but as long as they faced them together, they didn't have anything to worry about.

Several moments had passed before the two of them released one another, both of them turning red as they noticed a few passing ponies staring at them.

"We better get going," said Scootaloo.  "Apple Bloom is probably waiting for us."

"Okay," Sweetie Belle said softly.  Then, she picked up the bag with her mouth and began trotting with Scootaloo.  Fortunately, the bag didn't feel as heavy in her mouth as it did in her arm.

The two of them trotted side-by-side until they saw Apple Bloom, standing in front of a certain building with a small red ball resting by her hooves.  When she saw the two of them approaching, her face lit up with determination.

"Today's the day, Cutie Mark Crusaders," Apple Bloom said triumphantly.  "Ah can just feel it!"

When the two of them were in front of her, she said with much enthusiasm, "Today's the day we're all gonna get our cutie marks in...BOWLIN'!"

"Whoo-hoo!" Scootaloo exclaimed as she jumped in the air, her wings fluttering in excitement.

Sweetie Belle cheered as well, but it came out as a muffled moan than a cheer because of the bag in her mouth.  After spitting it on the ground, she smiled widely and yelled, "I mean, YAY!"


The End