//------------------------------// // Chapter 29: New Discoveries // Story: New Discoveries // by Phantom Shadow //------------------------------// The afternoon quickly degenerated into evening, as Celestia’s sun began to set over the town. Even though the clouds were still covering the sky, it was still pretty clear that night was approaching. Because of the layer of gray that covered the sky, it became darker than it usually would when the sun was visible. However, it didn’t really matter that the Pegasus ponies on the Weather Team didn’t begin clearing the sky yet; for Sweetie Belle, all that was on her mind was the sleepover she was going to have with Scootaloo. As she went over to her house, a saddle bag on her back with some things she would need, she couldn’t help but smile to herself. She didn’t know if it was from the anticipation of the night or from how her day had gone, but she was happy, nonetheless. When she got to her friends’ house, she knocked on the door, lightly. She was greeted by her parents and was told that Scootaloo was in the backyard. So, the white filly began making her way through the house and to the backyard, where she saw her Pegasus friend. She was sitting on the back patio of her home, working on her scooter that had been broken for the past few days. Now that her mindset was clear and her thoughts were back on track, she was able to properly disassemble and reassemble her favorite mode of transportation. Curiosity began to overcome Sweetie Belle, as she wondered why Scootaloo was outside working on her scooter when night was quickly falling upon them. When she reached the back door, she opened it and immediately caught the attention of her friend. When she saw it was her, both of them couldn’t help but smile at one another, their cheeks beginning to turn a small shade of red. “Hey, Scoots,” she said, as she closed the door behind her. “Hey,” Scootaloo replied, as she put her socket wrench down. Then, with a flick of her hoof, she spun the wheel she had just replaced, making sure it was securely on where it was supposed to be. “I see you fixed your scooter, finally,” said the white filly, as she sat next to her friend. “Yeah, finally,” she replied, as she leaned the scooter on the ground, “I’ve been meaning to fix it during the storm, but I didn’t get around to doing it, for obvious reasons.” Sweetie Belle smiled nervously, knowing what she was talking about. “Sorry about that.” “It’s no big deal. At least it got done, right?” Scootaloo got up and began putting the scooter away in the shed behind the house. When she came back, she sat next to her friend as she fished for something to say. However, the white filly broke the silence first. “Why are you outside when it’s almost night time?” she asked, a small flicker of a smile on her face. Scootaloo blushed, as she looked up at the sky. “Well, since I was cooped up in the house for the past several days, I decided it would be nice to get a little fresh air. I was hoping to do a little bit of star gazing when I was finished, but the sky hasn’t even begun to clear.” Sweetie Belle smiled, as she said, “That would have been nice.” After that, the two of them sat in silence for a while, both of them a little unsure of what to say next. They sat next to each other, as the sky slowly got darker and darker. The back light quickly came on, startling both fillies for a moment. Having been slightly scared, the two of them couldn’t help but giggle at each other in their own embarrassment. When the laughing had died down, Scootaloo asked Sweetie Belle something, something that she hadn’t expected her to ask, in the moment. “How do you think everypony would react to us and our relationship?” Sweetie Belle looked at her friend, unsure of what to think about the question that was asked. She looked at the ground as she tried to run some scenarios in her mind. However, she couldn’t think of a single one that was good, or at least, better than what she had said before. As a small way of avoiding answering, she asked, “How do you think they’ll react?” The orange filly smiled, knowing that she was reluctant to answer first. Deciding to give in, she said, “I think it’ll be alright, once we tell them. It won’t be a big tragedy or commotion like you’re afraid it will be. They might even be happy for us, or be glad that we’re together.” “How can you be so sure?” the white filly asked, “How do you know that everypony won’t laugh at us or call us names or something? How are you so sure that everything will be alright?” Scootaloo lowered her head in small shame, directing her attention to the ground. It was in that moment that Sweetie Belle took the hint that she had done something, something she prayed she hadn’t. “Did you tell anypony about this, already?” she asked, her eyes widening. Not looking at her friend, she closed her eyes and simply nodded. Then she said, in a voice as quiet as a whisper, “I told Apple Bloom already.” The white filly’s heart began racing as something began stirring up in her stomach. It wasn’t out of anger towards Scootaloo for telling somepony about their relationship, but fear, fear of how the earth pony in question was going to take it. “What...what...how...?” she tried asking, unable to get the words out. Knowing what she was about to ask, Scootaloo said, “I know we agreed that we wouldn’t say anything until the time was right, but she had every right to know.” Finally able to get the words out, the white filly asked, “I don’t mind that you told her. Honestly, I expected that you would, but I was going to ask, how did she take it? How did she react?” As the questions left her mouth, she braced herself for the worst, thinking that their friendship would be over and their trust destroyed. However, Scootaloo couldn’t help but smile, as she said, “I already told you, Sweetie!” Slightly confused, and a little dumbstruck, Sweetie Belle looked at her friend and raised an eyebrow, unsure of what she meant by that. “What do you mean?” she asked, a confused look on her face. “It’s like I said,” Scootaloo began, “It’s not the big commotion that you were afraid it would be! She was actually quite happy that we’re together like this. I admit that she was a little surprised to find out that it was me you had a crush on the whole time, but when I explained to her that you had actually implied it was me from the start, she actually found it quite funny. In short, she took it really well and wished the best for us.” Still a little shaken by the response, Sweetie Belle asked, “When did you tell her?” “Shortly after leaving you, when we entered town. She and Applejack came to town to check up on everypony and see if we were alright. She went to the Boutique, but was surprised when she saw it was closed and nopony was home. She had just come over to my place when I got there and was wondering where you were. It was then that I told her.” Sweetie Belle was at a loss for words. She wasn’t angry at all; quite the contrary, actually. However, what surprised her was the response that she had gotten from their friend, Apple Bloom. She had expected her to go crazy or into some fit of rage when she found out. Never did she expect that she would be so supportive of their decision. Her thoughts were instantly cut-off when she felt something warm rubbing against her neck. Bringing herself back to the present, she was surprised to see that Scootaloo was nuzzling against her neck, a slightly worried look on her face. “I’m sorry I did that, telling her without consulting with you,” she apologized, as she continued to nuzzle her, “I just felt that she, out of everypony, should know about this.” “No, no, it’s alright,” said the white filly, “I’m not mad. It’s just that, I didn’t expect that she would be supportive of this, that’s all. I’m not mad at you, honest!” Scootaloo looked up at her friend and said, “If it helps at all, I told her not to say anything to anypony and that we would tell them when the time was right. That way, we don’t have to worry about anypony else finding out before we’re ready.” Seeing the sorrow in he eyes, the white filly simply smiled and gave her a small kiss on her lips, showing her that it was alright and nothing was wrong. “It’s okay, I forgive you,” she said, a smile on her face, “Like I said, somehow, I knew you were going to do this, so it’s not totally unexpected.” Then, the two fillies placed their lips on each other’s again, this time, for a little bit longer. It might have been just the connection of their lips, like before, but they savored every moment of it, like it was their last day in Equestria. When the two of them released their kiss, they looked into each other’s eyes, both of them smiling and blushing. It was going to take some getting used to, but they knew they’d get used to kissing one another, soon enough. Then, something caught Sweetie Belle’s eyes, directing her attention to the sky. When she did, a smile came across her face, as she said, “Omigosh! Look!” Scootaloo directed her attention to where her friend was looking. When she did, her eyes also went wide, and her smile intensified as well. In the sky, a small patch of the clouds had begun to dissipate, showing a small portion of the sky. Not only did it show some of the stars that were in the sky, but also the moon, in all its glory. If either of them didn’t know any better, they could have sworn that the clouds were forming the shape of a heart, as it slowly got wider and wider. The two of them stared at the sky, both of them with smiles on their faces. There wasn’t any doubt in Sweetie Belle’s mind that the Princess of the Night had done this for them. She couldn’t prove it, but she had a feeling Luna was responsible for the formation. Then, Sweetie Belle leaned into Scootaloo’s neck, lightly nuzzling her like she had done before. As she did, she felt Scootaloo kiss her on her forehead, next to her horn. Then she heard her whisper, “I love you, Sweetie Belle.” Sweetie Belle blushed, as she replied, “I love you, Scootaloo, always and forever.” As the two of them looked up at the sky, the both rested their heads on one another. A feeling of relief had rushed through Sweetie Belle’s body, now that their best friend knew about them and was completely supportive of them. However, there was still a small part of her that lingered with worry. There was still Rarity and everypony else that would find out about them being together. However, she decided not to think about that now, but instead, focus on the moment, the then and now with Scootaloo. Granted, she would have to tell her sister the truth about them, but she didn’t worry herself about it now. As Sweetie Belle rested her head on Scootaloo, she couldn’t help but thank Princess Luna. It was because of her that all of what was happening now had come to be. If she hadn’t talked to her that night, she wouldn’t have been able to find the courage and strength to tell Scootaloo the truth about her feelings. For that, she was thankful. Sweetie Belle had discovered something new, ever since that faithful night with the Alicorn. She discovered that her best friend had the same feelings for her and that telling her how she felt was better than keeping it hidden away and lying to them about it. Also, she discovered that what Princess Luna had said to her that night was also true: As long as she follows her heart, and stays true to the feelings that follow, love will always find a way.