//------------------------------//
// Chapter 10: Helpers 
// Story: New Discoveries 
// by Phantom Shadow 
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	Apple Bloom found herself walking to school with a slight grin across her face. It was the next morning and she was almost at the entrance of the schoolhouse. As she walked, she smiled to herself knowing that she and Scootaloo were going to help her sister find out more about Sweetie Belle's secret love, Scott. However, she needed to tell the Pegasus filly about it first. Although she did "Pinkie Promise" her sister not to tell anypony about, she had devised a way to tell her friend without actually saying it.

As she approached the main door of the school, she stopped and waited on the stairs. Scootaloo would be arriving soon and when she did, she'd let her know that she needed to speak with her ASAPP (as soon as pony possible).

It wasn't long before the orange Pegasus came running down the road, trying to make it to class before the bell rang.

"Hey, Scootaloo," she greeted, "Where's yer scooter? Ah though you use it to get to school."

"Hi, Apple Bloom," she said, slowing her gallop to catch her breath, "My scooter has a broken wheel. I'm going to the shop after school to get another one. Hopefully, I'll be able to use it by tomorrow."

"Great! Say, do ya mind if ah come with ya? Ah'd like to talk to ya about somethin' anyway."

"Oh...uh...sure.  No problem."

With that, the two fillies walked into the school. As they did, the grin slowly crept across Apple Bloom's face again. 





The school day seemed to go by at a snail's pace. Although the fillies and colts loved school, mainly because of their teacher, Ms. Cheerilee, many of them found that today seemed to drag on longer than most days. Eventually, the school bell rang and all the students were grateful.

As all the young fillies and colts left the school, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were the last two to leave the building.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" asked Scootaloo, as the two of them slowly made their way into town. The anticipation had been stirring up inside of her from the moment Apple Bloom mentioned it to her. Now that school had let out, she was anxious to hear what she needed to say.

"Well, ah wanted to talk to ya about Sweetie Belle," said Apple Bloom, a smile coming across her face.

"Okay," she replied, "What about her?"

"First of all, have ya noticed that she's been actin' kinda...different?"

"If you mean 'different' as in 'strange' and 'preoccupied,' then yes, I noticed.  Why do you ask? Do you know why?"

"Ah sure do!" Apple Bloom exclaimed, "Unfortunately, ah can't really tell you, because ah 'Pinkie Promised' that ah wouldn't. But, there's nothin' sayin' that ah can't help ya figure it out. No harm, no foul, right?"

"Um...sure..." said Scootaloo, raising an eyebrow at her.

As the two of them made their way to the store for Scootaloo's scooter part, Apple Bloom tried everything she could think of to help her friend figure out what was up with Sweetie Belle.  She tried using a charade-like manor, pantomiming different ways to suggest a possible colt-filly relationship. She tried using sentence prompts, asking certain questions and helping the orange Pegasus come up with possible answers. She even tried using the "warmer-colder' routine, trying to help Scootaloo inch her way closer to the answer.  However, try as she might, the Pegasus filly just wasn't getting anywhere near the answer. Even as they entered the store, bought the part she needed and left, she just couldn't figure out what it was that Apple Bloom was trying to tell her.

As the two of them were nearing Scootaloo's house, the orange filly was beginning to become tired of the guessing games she had been playing; the agitated look on her face was evidence of this.

"For crying out loud, Apple Bloom!" she had finally said, cutting off the yellow earth pony in mid-sentence, "This is becoming more ridiculous by the second! Would you just tell me, already! I promise I won't say anything to anypony about it!"

Apple Bloom gave her a startled look, mainly because she hadn't expected her to lash out like that. She saw the annoyed look on her face and smiled nervously. She knew it would be best to tell her directly.

"Alright," said Apple Bloom, "But ya have to 'Pinkie Promise' not to tell anypony 'bout this."

"Fine," she replied, rolling her eyes. She never did like saying the creed, but she would do it, so long as it ended the ridiculous games, "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

Apple Bloom looked around, making sure nopony was around to hear them. When she was confident they were alone, she whispered, "Sweetie Belle has a crush on somepony!"

Scootaloo gasped in the same exact way Apple Bloom had when she was first told. Her eyes were wide and a shocked expression was strewn across her face. Several seconds had gone by before she was able to say something to the smiling earth pony.

"Omigosh!" she said, her tiny wings fluttering but taking her nowhere, "Are you serious? Who is it? Who is it?"

"Well, ah don't know for sure what he looks like," Apple Bloom explained, "All ah know is that his name is 'Scott.' Applejack wants me to find out what ah know about him and report it back to her."

"Scott?" asked the Pegasus filly. She tapped her hoof on her chin and furrowed her eyebrows. "Why does that sound so...familiar?"

The yellow filly's eyes lit up. "Do ya know somepony named Scott? If ya do, please tell me!"

"I can't say that I do," she answered, not looking at her friend, "Still, why does it sound so familiar? Furthermore, why wouldn't Sweetie Belle tell us about him? We are her friends, after all. We should have been the first to notice, not to mention the first to be told!"

"Ah know what ya mean," Apple Bloom explained, "Ah was up all night thinking 'bout it when it finally hit me! Ah think she hasn't told us 'bout him 'cause she doesn't know if she really loves him!"

Scootaloo raised an eyebrow in confusion.

Taking the hint, Apple Bloom continued. "What ah mean is that Sweetie Belle likes this ‘Scott’ pony, but she doesn't know if her feelings for him are deeper than that! As a result, she kept it a secret from everypony, at least until she's sure he's the one! If ya ask me, ah think we should help her!"

"Hmmm," said Scootaloo, "How can we help?"

"It's simple! We'll go talk to her and have her tell us everything about Scott. From there, we can determine if he's the right colt for her! If he's a jerk, we'll tell her to drop him like a moldy apple core!"

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" asked the Pegasus filly, "I mean, we shouldn't be interfering with Sweetie Belle's love life, you know?"

We're not interfering," stated Apple Bloom, "We're helping her, seeing if this pony isn't going to hurt our friend! Who knows, maybe we can get out Cutie Marks out of it!"

"Cutie Mark Crusader Lover Doctors?" questioned Scootaloo as a smile came across her face, "Not sure what kind of Cutie Mark that would be, but heck, anything's better than nothing! Count me in!"

With that, the two friends gave each other a high-hoof. Then, Scootaloo went inside her house, put the scooter part on the table and left with Apple Bloom to the Carousel Boutique. As they did, they both had smiles across their faces, knowing that they were going to do anything they could help their friend.