Brave
"WHAT?!" Diamond Tiara burst, her voice echoing through the clubhouse.
"When you say today, do you mean..." Silver Spoon started, her eyes just as wide, "like... today today?!"
The three fillies: Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo, all nodded, though Scootaloo a bit more hesitant.
Silver Spoon pushed her glasses closer to her face. "Are you serious?" She looked to Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. "Shouldn't this be Scootaloo's decision?"
Sweetie Belle giggled. "It was Scootaloo's decision! Well, it was her idea, and she agreed with us that today would be a good day for her to spill her little secret."
Scootaloo nodded, her face flushed. She didn't know what to feel currently. For the past year, she had developed a crush for a colt in her class: Rumble. She loved everything about him. From his windblown mane to his light gray coat to his purple eyes, he has been infesting her thoughts for a very long time.
Now, with the help of Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, she had come up with the idea of telling him her feelings. Today. As in... only a few hours away. She was nervous, but she had confidence in herself. If Rainbow Dash was in this position, she would have told that certain pony how she felt a long time ago!
...Right?
Scootaloo snorted internally. It's Rainbow Dash! When has she ever been awkward?
Now, Scootaloo flashed back into reality. Her fairly new friends, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, were looking at her.
Diamond walked up to Scootaloo. "Scootaloo, you're going to need some training to get this perfect. We don't want you failing at something as important as this!"
Scootaloo nodded. "Yeah. That's why we invited you over here."
Silver Spoon raised an eyebrow. "Why, you made a very good choice, Scootaloo."
Diamond nodded. "I agree." She looked over to Silver, raising her eyebrows. "Silver, do you have any makeup on you by chance?"
Scootaloo's pupils shrunk. "No! Please, no makeup!" She begged.
Silver Spoon giggled. "Relax! I don't have any with me anyway!" She replied, showing Scootaloo her empty hooves.
Sweetie Belle started giggling. "Could you imagine Scootaloo with makeup on? That would be hilarious!" She said as she and everypony else laughed harder besides Scootaloo, whose face was red.
"She would look like the time we performed for that talent show! Do ya'll remember that?" Apple Bloom asked as she started laughing again.
Scootaloo flipped her mane. "Whatever. I know it would be funny, but let's get back on task."
Everypony stopped laughing as Silver Spoon pushed her glasses up. "You're right. We should help you with this."
Diamond Tiara elegantly walked over as well. "I agree with Silver. First, we need to get you into perfect posture. Like this:" Diamond Tiara said as she stood up tall, her head a little high. She added in a dramatic voice: "Oh, Rumble, I am in love with you! Let's-"
"Stop it right there!" Scootaloo cut her off as everypony laughed.
Apple Bloom wiped a tear of laughter from her eye. "Well, ya do need to learn posture."
Scootaloo raised an eyebrow. "Really? I thought Diamond was just joking."
Diamond shook her head. "Of course not! This is very important!" She exclaimed.
Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow at Diamond. "It sounds like ya have some experience with this, Diamond."
Diamond blushed before shrugging it off. "N-no, I don't."
Silver Spoon smiled menacingly at her friend. "But from the red on your cheeks, it's obvious to see you have a crush~!" She teased as Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle giggled.
Diamond's face grew redder. "Shouldn't we be focusing on Scootaloo?!"
Silver put a hoof on her friend's shoulder. "Yeah, but you're gonna have to tell us who has your eye at our sleepover tonight."
Scootaloo raised an eyebrow. "We're having a sleepover?"
Silver nodded. "Yeah! At my place!" She straightened her glasses. "So this way, we can celebrate if it goes well, or, we can cheer you up if it doesn't go well!"
At this, Scootaloo's form deflated.
"Silver Spoon!" Diamond hissed as Silver's eyes widened, realizing what has been implied.
"Eh... sorry." She moved the braid at the side of her head before continuing. "But... let's make sure your confession is perfect!"
Apple Bloom walked a little closer to Scootaloo. "So... where are ya planning to confess?"
Scootaloo blushed. "Uh... yeah... about that..." she paused. "I haven't really thought of anything yet."
Everypony pondered for a moment before Sweetie Belle came up with an idea.
"I know! We can go to Sugarcube Corner!"
Diamond Tiara raised an eyebrow. "And how are we going to get Rumble there?"
Sweetie lowered her eyelids menacingly. "Invite him, of course!"
Scootaloo blushed and turned away. "Sweetie Belle, what if he gets the wrong impression about me inviting him?! He may guess I like him right from the start!"
Sweetie Belle shook her head. "I'm not saying you should do it! I'm saying Diamond Tiara should!"
Diamond cocked her head. "What?"
Sweetie nodded. "Yeah! You and him talk sometimes, right?"
Diamond stared. "Yeah..."
Sweetie smiled. "So, that means you two are friends! That also means that it wouldn't be awkward for you to invite him along with you!"
Diamond raised a hoof in understanding. "Ooh! That makes sense!" She replied as she turned to Scootaloo. "Okay. Now that that's taken care of, how are you going to get him alone?"
Scootaloo thought before her ears perked up. "Well, I can ask Pinkie if she can allow us to go to the kitchen alone! She can probably think of something to lure him! She's Pinkie, after all!"
Silver Spoon pondered this idea. "Well... why not have Pinkie come over to the table and say two of us can go to the back of Sugarcube Corner to taste test something? Then none of us will volunteer, so that will leave just you and Rumble!"
Scootaloo put a hoof on her chin, considering this idea. "I like it..."
Silver nodded, flipping her mane. "Thanks. I know it'll work."
Scootaloo nodded. "Yeah."
Diamond stepped a bit closer, straightening her tiara. "Well... for the time we have left, we must make sure everything's perfect, shall we?" She asked as Scootaloo's wings spread open.
Oh gosh... this will be grueling... She thought as Diamond started to examine her posture.
Scootaloo stood frozen outside the door to Sugarcube Corner, her legs shaking. By this point, Diamond had already rounded up Rumble, and he was ahead of her and already picking out a table. Scootaloo felt like she couldn't move.
She felt a push coming from her back.
"Hey! We don't have all day! It's now or never!" Sweetie Belle said as she started to push her friend inside. Scootaloo jumped forward and started to walk, searching for Pinkie Pie.
It wasn't hard to find the pink ball of energy, however. Scootaloo saw her bringing cupcakes over to another table, smiling bright as always. As Pinkie left the table, Scootaloo approached her, nervous about how Pinkie would react to something like this.
She poked Pinkie's shoulder. "P-Pinkie?" She asked as Pinkie turned around, smiling at Scootaloo.
"Hey, Scoots! You don't look so good. Is everything alright?" She asked as Scootaloo blushed and turned away.
"That's... uh... kind of what I wanted to talk about, Pinkie."
Pinkie's eyes widened. "Wait... you came to me for advice?"
Scootaloo bit her lip. "Well... I wouldn't really call it advice, but..." She paused for a moment. "Can we talk in private?"
Pinkie raised an eyebrow, a bit confused. "Oh! Alright, follow me!" She replied as she bounced over to the kitchen in the back. As Scootaloo reached her destination, she took a look at the many extra baked goods adorning the walls. It seemed like a pleasant place to have a nice conversation.
Pinkie shut the door before trotting over to Scootaloo.
"So... what's on your mind, Scoots?" She asked as Scootaloo nervously twiddled with her hooves, her face turning red.
"Well... you see, Pinkie..." She rubbed the back of her neck. "I... am in love-"
"WHAT?!" Pinkie burst as Scootaloo placed a hoof over her mouth to silence her. She released her hoof as Pinkie brightly smiled and raised her eyebrows. "Go on."
Scootaloo timidly nodded. "Yeah. I'm in love with Rumble, and I want to tell him how I feel."
Pinkie gasped. "Really?! Well, good luck! I'll make a fresh batch of good luck cupcakes for you!" Pinkie replied as she started to get some batter from a cupboard.
Scootaloo walked over to her. "That's not all."
Pinkie looked down to the orange Pegasus. "What do you mean?"
Scootaloo took a breath. "Is it alright if... maybe... I tell him in here? Alone? My friends and I discussed this, and we think you can go over to the table we're sitting at and say that two of us can come back for a free sample of cupcakes. None of my friends will volunteer except me, and then you can egg Rumble on. Then, me and him will be alone in here."
Pinkie put a hoof to her chin, thinking. "That's... a great idea! After I finish this batch, I'll go through with the plan!" She replied as she winked, starting to pour the batter in a pan.
Scootaloo smiled, though her heart was beating quicker than ever. "Okay! Thanks, Pinkie!"
Pinkie nodded. "No problem! Good luck!" She replied as Scootaloo opened the door and left the kitchen. She immediately saw her friends at a nearby table, all laughing at something.
Scootaloo took an empty seat at the table, which, of course, was next to Rumble. I have a feeling they planned this seating arrangement...
Everypony waved to Scootaloo as she sat down. Diamond Tiara looked at her friend, a fake look of confusion on her face.
"Scootaloo! There you are! Where were you?" She asked, pretending to not know about the plan.
Scootaloo's wings flared. "Oh! Well, I was with Pinkie, talking about a new cupcake."
Sweetie Belle smiled brightly, pretending to look interested. "And what kind of cupcakes were they, Scoots?"
Scootaloo scanned everypony's faces, which looked interested. "Well... they were... good luck cupcakes."
At this, the fillies started to giggle, leaving Rumble confused.
"I don't get it." He said as everypony started giggling even louder.
"It's an inside joke," Diamond said as Rumble nodded his head.
At this, everypony saw Pinkie bouncing over. Each step Pinkie took caused Scootaloo's heart to beat even harder. It was time.
When Pinkie reached the table, she gave Scootaloo a quick wink. Everypony's smile brightened.
"Hey, everypony! There are some new cupcakes in the back, and I need two of you to taste test!" She said with a bright smile. Scootaloo timidly raised her hoof as Pinkie gave her a grin.
Diamond poked Rumble, since she was sitting next to him. "Hey, how about you go? We all want to sit here and talk about mare things."
Rumble got out of his seat at this. "That seems like a conversation I wouldn't want to listen to. I'll go." He said as Pinkie smiled brightly before jumping and turning.
"Alright! Let's go! We'll be back!" She remarked before she started to make her way towards the kitchen, Scootaloo and Rumble following. As they walked away, they heard the other four giggling rather loudly.
"I wonder what's so funny," Rumble wondered aloud. At this, Scootaloo's wings shot up.
"Y-yeah! I don't know what they're laughing about at all!" She replied. She wished she could hit herself. That sounded really dumb.
They all reached the kitchen and entered. After they got inside, Pinkie gasped.
"Whoops! I forgot that I need to take some cupcakes to another table!" She gathered a tray full of cupcakes. "The new ones are on the counter!" She said as she walked out of the kitchen, mouthing "good luck" to Scootaloo.
Silence hung over the two for a few seconds. Scootaloo took a breath. "Hey, R-Rumble?"
Rumble looked at her, confused. "Yeah?"
Scootaloo knew her face was burning red. She knew her pupils were dilated. She knew her legs were probably visibly shaking. She knew she was probably going against everything Diamond had taught her the hour she used to get ready. But now, she was just worried about what she would say to Rumble, and how he would react.
"I..." She let her hoof move along the ground. Ugh! I'm making a complete fool of myself!
She gulped, avoiding Rumble's glance. "I... I like you." She finally got out, though her voice was much quieter than normal. She couldn't even believe the small volume of her own voice. Her heart was pumping. She was waiting for him to react. Great... now he's just blankly staring at me. Celestia, I messed everything up!
Rumble blinked. "What do you mean by that?"
Scootaloo internally face-hoofed. Is he really that dense?
She now stared into his eyes. Suddenly, she felt a little less nervous. His glance calmed her in more ways than one.
She took another breath. "I mean that... I... well... see you as... more than a friend."
Rumble processed this, his eyes going wide and his wings spreading. There was also the small hint of a blush on his cheeks.
"...What?"
Scootaloo nodded. "Yeah. I... I love you." She was surprised she could actually say that to him. Heck, she was surprised she didn't just chicken out from the start and not follow Pinkie to the kitchen.
Rumble stood motionless for a second. His eyes couldn't leave Scootaloo's glance.
"Uh..."
Scootaloo's form deflated. "I know, I just messed everything up for us. Our friendship, acquaintanceship, everything. I'm sorry you had to hear that." She said. She could feel a few tears forming in her eyes. Don't cry, don't cry...
Rumble blinked a few times. "You didn't mess anything up, Scootaloo."
Scootaloo's eyes went wide and her wings spread. "What?!"
Rumble nodded, a smile inching its way up his face. "Yeah."
Scootaloo blinked. "Why?"
Rumble inched a bit closer to Scootaloo. "Because... I like you, too."
Scootaloo couldn't believe what she was hearing. Is this real?
Rumble and Scootaloo looked at each other for a second, not knowing what to do.
"So... now that we realized we both have... feelings for each other... what do we do?" Scootaloo asked.
Rumble thought. "Well, when my brother Thunderlane told Cloud Chaser that he liked her, they became more than friends. They then went out on a date the next day."
Scootaloo looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "So...?"
Rumble stood next to Scootaloo, brushing his coat against hers. "Do you want to be... more than friends?"
Scootaloo blushed, though a small smile was present on her face. "Mmhm."
Rumble smiled at her. "I'll ask Thunderlane what we should do next. He'll know."
The two then left the kitchen, bumping into each other on the way out.
Pinkie watched them leave, a smile on her face. "Ah, young love~," she said to herself as she walked into the kitchen. She then turned around to the two walking away. "Hey! You forgot to try the cupcakes!"
Rumble and Scootaloo turned around before Scootaloo made her way to the kitchen. "Well, the first thing we're going to do is eat some awesome cupcakes!" She said as Rumble followed behind her, curious to what awaited his taste buds.