//------------------------------//
// Chapter 7: The Moment 
// Story: New Discoveries 
// by Phantom Shadow 
//------------------------------//

	"Okay, Sweetie Belle, you can do this," the white filly kept repeating to herself. She was only a short distance away from the clubhouse, where she knew her fellow Crusaders were waiting for her. All the while, she wasn't sure if going and seeing Scootaloo right now was the best option she had. However, she decided that it was best to try and face her problem head on. Hopefully, if she really tried hard enough, she'd be able to put the whole mess behind her and pretend like the feelings never existed.

"Just remember what you said earlier," she said, taking deep breaths in an attempt to ease her rapid heart rate, "You're not in love with her, you're just friends, that's all! There's no reason I can't do this. All I need to do is pretend that what happened yesterday didn't happen...here's hoping."

With that, she made her way up the ramp to the clubhouse entrance. As she approached she heard both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo talking with each other. However, every time she heard Scootaloo's voice, her heart would speed up.

"Are ya sure this is gonna work, Scoots?" she heard the southern earth pony ask.

"Of course it will! All we need is a giant slingshot and a few packs of taffy from Sugar Cube Corner and..." Scootaloo began.

"Really, Scoots? Really?" Apple Bloom protested.

"Well, if you have a better idea, then please share!"

Sweetie Belle walked in to see the two of them going over some sort of drawing Scootaloo had made. All the while, her heart kept beating rapidly. She tried her best to smile and pretend like nothing was wrong. However, just like when she tried to smile in front of Rarity, it was pretty obvious that the smile was more forced than it was natural.

"Hey, Sweetie Belle," greeted Scootaloo.

"Howdy!" said Apple Bloom, "How are ya feelin' today?"

"Hi," said Sweetie, her voice sounding uneasy, "I'm fine."

"Good to hear," said the earth pony, "We were both worried 'bout ya! Glad to hear yer feelin' better today, because..."

Scootaloo interrupted. "...because, today, I have a great idea to get us our Cutie Marks! By the way, do you know where we can get a giant slingshot?"

Sweetie Belle shook her head, trying her best not to stare into Scootaloo's eyes. She knew that once their eyes connected, she'd end up staring at her again.

"Oh, for Pete's sakes! Will ya forget the darn slingshot, Scoots!" argued Apple Bloom, "It ain't gonna work! You know it just as well as ah do!"

"Maybe not," said the orange Pegasus, "But it can't hurt to try! What have we got to lose?"

"I agree," said Sweetie Belle, directing her attention to something on the floor, "It's worth a shot, whatever it is you're planning on doing with it."

"See? Sweetie Belle's got the right idea!" Scootaloo boasted, "So, what are we waiting for? Let's go find that slingshot!"

Apple Bloom just face-hoofed.

"So," said the unicorn, turning to look at the ceiling, "Any idea where we can find one?"

Scootaloo tapped her hoof on her chin. "Well, we probably won't find one, so we're going to have to make one. We can go to the supply store and see if they have any giant rubber bands or something."

"Whatever you say, Scootaloo," said Apple Bloom, "Just don't say ah' didn't warn ya when it doesn't won't work!"

With that, the three fillies began making their way into town. Since Scootaloo didn't bring her scooter with her that day, the three of them had to walk. As they left the clubhouse, Sweetie Belle tried her best to act casual. She tried not to maintain eye contact with Scootaloo while, at the same time, trying to act what everypony would call "normal." For the most part, the façade was working, but she feared that it wouldn't last forever.

"Hey you guys! Betcha I can beat you to Ponyville...and I can do it without my wings!" said Scootaloo, a determined look on her face.

"Oh, yeah?" said the earth pony, "Yer on! We can beat you, right Sweetie Belle?"

"Um...okay..." said Sweetie Belle with an uneasy tone in her voice. She wasn't sure if racing was the best thing for her right now, but she figured it was better to try than have them suspect something was wrong.

The three fillies lined up next to each other on the dirt path that led to town. They all got ready to run as fast as they could. While Scootaloo and Apple Bloom exchanged challenging and determined looks at one another, Sweetie kept her eyes forward, mainly to avoid looking at the orange Pegasus filly.

"On yer mark...get set..." said Apple Bloom, "...GO!"

The three of them began galloping as fast as they could down the dirt road towards Ponyville. At the moment, Scootaloo was in the lead, followed closely by Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. Try as the two fillies might, they just couldn't keep up with the orange Pegasus.

"Come on, guys" she called out from the lead with a taunting tone, "Is that all you got?"

Apple Bloom smiled and said, "Come on, Sweetie Belle! Let's show her what we've got! Full speed ahead!"

"Right!" cried Sweetie Belle, as she began to run faster than she ever thought she could.

To Apple Bloom's amazement, Sweetie Belle began running so fast that she ran past the earth pony and was closing in on Scootaloo.

"Go, Sweetie, go!" she yelled in encouragement. The white unicorn just faintly made out what she had said but was too focused on running to really pay attention.

After a few moments, she was neck-and-neck with the Pegasus. All the while, Sweetie Belle kept her eyes focused on what was ahead of her. Although she was doing it well, her eyes tried their best to direct themselves towards Scootaloo.

"Holy cow!" she heard Scootaloo cry, "Way to go, Sweetie Belle! I didn't know you were that fast a runner!"

The moment she heard her voice, her eyes, involuntarily, shifted towards the direction she tried so desperately to avoid. The moment her eyes looked at Scootaloo, she saw that she was staring back with a look of encouragement on her face. Their eyes connected for the first time that day, causing something to happen to the unicorn filly, something that wasn't like what had happened yesterday.

In that moment, it felt as if everything around them disappeared. Nothing else mattered to her. All she could see was Scootaloo, gracefully running beside her. Her rapid heart, beating fast from all the running, seemed to ease down; it felt as if she hadn't been running at all.

Sweetie Belle watched as Scootaloo smiled at her. It was in that instant that her head began to feel light and her mind seemed to race faster than her legs. At some point, she felt herself beginning to drift from the orange filly. When she noticed it, she steadied herself, not taking her eyes off Scootaloo.

All of a sudden, the look on Scootaloo's face changed, as she directed her attention from Sweetie Belle to the road and back to the unicorn. Her eyes were widened in worry and she appeared to mouth something to her. However, she was too lost in the tender moment to make out what she had said.

As much as she didn't want to, she decided to check on where she was going. The moment she turned her head from the filly to the road, her own eyes seemed to widen in shock. At some point, she had drifted from the dirt road to the edge of the forest. Before she had time think, let alone react, she ran at full force into a tree that was directly in front of her.

Both Scootaloo and Apple Bloom skidded to a halt. With worried looks on their faces, the galloped back to where Sweetie Belle was.

"Sweetie Belle!" cried Scootaloo as she ran, "Sweetie Belle, are you alright?"

When they both caught up with the unicorn, they both gasped the moment they saw that she was out cold, bleeding from the nose and had several cuts and bruises on her face.