> Whispered Words
>  by Ponyzilla
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Whispered Words - Prologue


Ring, ring! The sounds of the bells that hung on the door rang as a grey mare entered the Carousel Boutique. As usual, she had her beautiful silky mane in a lovely braid, wore light blue framed glasses, and her cutie mark was none other than a small but elegant silver spoon.

Sweetie Belle, who was in charge of looking after the boutique and taking orders from customers for the week while her sister was gone, was immersed in a magazine she had found earlier in her sister's bed side drawer. She let out a big bear-like yawn as she flipped through the pages at a sluggish pace, not even bothering to skim the content being presented to her. There was no question that the white mare was very tired and quite exhausted just from spending her entire morning sitting at one of the many tables in the boutique- doing nothing productive with her time. 

Unfortunately for Sweetie Belle, Rarity wasn't the only pony who was out of town. Apple Bloom and Applejack went to Manehatten to visit Babs Seed for a day for some special occasion that Sweetie Belle could not care less about. Rainbow Dash took Scootaloo to see a Wonderbolts show in Canterlot, and Sweetie Belle was surprised to even know where her archnemesis, Diamond Tiara, went. She shuddered at the thought of Diamond Tiara.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders were in high school now. Having discovered their special talents, nopony continued to refer to them as, "blank flanks", ever again, much to their relief. However, Diamond Tiara, as well as Silver Spoon, still managed to find ways to make the Crusaders' lives miserable. In return for their endless torment, there were times where Apple Bloom would 'accidentally' buck Diamond Tiara's face, or occasions where Scootaloo would knock her down with her wings, which constantly led the three mares to detention. Needless to say, they had a reputation of being the loudest and most violent ponies in the entire school.

Sweetie Belle wasn't a big fan of fights though, but yet, she'd always sit around helplessly while her friends clashed with Diamond Tiara. However, much to Sweetie Belle's surprise, she found that Silver Spoon tended to sit out when things got violent as well. 

Eventually, Sweetie Belle found that she couldn't bring herself to think of Silver Spoon in an ill mannered way. She figured that Silver Spoon was actually a sweet and condescending mare when she wasn't around Diamond Tiara. One time, when she wasn't with Diamond Tiara, she accidentally knocked Sweetie Belle over during P.E., which caused her to apologize to Sweetie Belle over and over again before insisting on taking her to the nurse's office to check up on her sprained hoof. The Cutie Mark Crusaders had confused looks on written all over their faces when Silver Spoon performed this gesture, but nevertheless, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were quite satisfied with the bully's abnormal behaviour for once.

Sweetie Belle yawned. Almost everyone in Ponyville knew that Rarity would be gone for a while, so frankly, they all assumed Sweetie Belle was in charge of making dresses, which made them wary of the shop. However, being as cautious as she was, in reality, Rarity simply put Sweetie Belle in charge of looking after the boutique and placing orders for Rarity to fulfill the week after. Only a handful of ponies were aware of this, and they were the only ones who cared to drop by the shop.

Silver Spoon trotted into the store while staring straight ahead at Sweetie Belle, who had yet to notice her. The grey mare rolled her eyes and cleared her throat as loudly as possible. 

"A-hem!" Sweetie Belle jolted up in her seat, startled at the presence of Silver Spoon. She sat there, blinking mindlessly for a moment before finally processing the situation in her head. She immediately bolted to Silver Spoon's side and placed a hoof on both of their foreheads.

"Oh no, Silver Spoon, are you sick?" she asked while taking her temperature. The wealthy pony groaned obnoxiously and backed away from Sweetie Belle, smacking her hoof away. 

"Oh, it's you," Silver Spoon mumbled impolitely. Sweetie Belle instantly felt her mouth start to frown. She had thought that Silver Spoon would be nicer without Diamond Tiara around. "I thought your eloquent older sister would be here."

"Oh, you didn't know? She went to Fillydelphia to pick up some supplies," Sweetie Belle replied, trying her best to ignore the grey mare's rude remark earlier. She ruffled through a desk, looking for an order pad and a pen. "I'm in charge for now, so if you wanna go ahead and place an order, I can--"

"No thanks, I'd rather deal with your sister," Silver Spoon interrupted. 

"But Rarity doesn't get back until next week! Don't you want your order completed sooner than later? It's up to you, I suppose, but it's either place it now, get it in seven days, or place it a week later, and get it fourteen days from today," Sweetie Belle panicked. Silver Spoon thought for a moment. Without saying another word, the grey mare turned around and headed for the door.

Sweetie Belle looked all around the store frantically, seeking ways to get Silver Spoon to stay. She was simply unable to let the bully go. After all, she had planned this moment out last week with her other Crusaders. She desperately wanted to befriend the enemy.



"You want to WHAT?!" Apple Bloom and Scootaloo shouted simultaneously. Sweetie Belle jumped back in her seat in surprise, almost spilling her beverage on herself.

"Geez girls, you make it sound like I'm trying to become best friends with Nightmare Moon or something," Sweetie Belle said calmly while sipping away at the apple juice that Apple Bloom had given her at the start of lunch break.

"No," Apple Bloom started, "she's WORSE than Nightmare Moon! Yer tryna befriend the enemy! Yah've gotten soft, Sweetie Belle... We'll miss you." Apple Bloom pretended to wipe away a tear. Scootaloo gagged at Apple Bloom's over dramatic performance.

"Ignore her," Scootaloo whispered to Sweetie Belle while pointing at the cowpony.

"Hey, ah heard that!" Apple Bloom exclaimed. Scootaloo pretended that she wasn't there.

"First, I'd like to know... Just why do you wanna befriend her anyway?" Scootaloo interrogated the white mare. Sweetie Belle shrugged while still drinking from the juice box. It was almost as if she was purposely keeping her mouth on the straw to avoid speaking. Apple Bloom proceeded to snatch it away from her.

"Ya don't answer the questions, ya ain't gettin' yer apple juice back!" she said. Sweetie Belle pouted, but gave in.

"Fine," she grumbled. "Remember last week, when Diamond Tiara wasn't here, and Silver Spoon knocked me over, apologized and took me to the nurse's office?" The Crusaders nodded, clearly recalling the memory. "Well, I figured that she isn't that bad when Diamond Tiara isn't around, so..."

"Hold on, THAT'S yer excuse?! She coulda been foolin' ya or the teachers or somethin'!"

"Yeah, but..."

"Apple Bloom's right! You can't let the enemy trick you!"

"But--"

"She's only out ta get some information about us or somethin', you know, to use it against us!"

"Yeah! She and Diamond Tiara have always been out to get us ever since we were little fillies!"

"Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, listen to me!" Sweetie Belle hollered, her voice towering over her friends'. The two Crusaders complied. Sweetie Belle heaved a loud sigh. "Look, I know you two don't particularly like Silver Spoon--"

"She's annoying."

"Don't like her one bit."

Sweetie Belle glared at her two best friends, and they shut up immediately.

"But she just seems to have a different side to her that nopony has seen before."

"A mare with two faces? Sweetie Belle, ah really don't see how that's a good thing," Apple Bloom replied. Sweetie Belle took Scootaloo's advice from earlier and ignored her friend.

"Point is, I think I just wanna get to know her better," she finished. Scootaloo stared hard at her friend for a moment. 

"Well, not that I like your idea or anything, but how do you even plan to separate Silver Spoon from Diamond Tiara anyway?" Scootaloo questioned. Sweetie Belle grinned, sending a chill down the orange pegasus pony's spine.

"Easy. I overheard Silver Spoon mentioning stopping by at the Carousel Boutique this weekend. Luckily, Rarity isn't home to ruin everything," she said slyly, rubbing her hoofs together. Apple Bloom gaped at her best friend. She leaned over to Scootaloo, and whispered something in her ear.

"Wait a minute, did she just imply the two of 'em would be--"

"Alone? Yes, yes she did," Scootaloo whispered back. They both looked over at Sweetie Belle, who simply stared back at her friends in confusion. 

"Sweetie Belle, ah didn't know ya liked--"

"Her THAT much," Scootaloo said, finishing Apple Bloom's sentence. Sweetie Belle simply face hoofed herself, and snatched her juice box back from Apple Bloom. 




"W-wait!" Sweetie Belle called out to Silver Spoon, who was ready to head out the door. She turned around to face Sweetie Belle.

"What?" she replied, tapping her hoof on the ground impatiently. Sweetie Belle could feel beads of sweat travelling down the side of her head. 

"U-um... w-would you like to--"

"No," Silver Spoon cut her off. Sweetie Belle's jaw dropped.

"But you didn't even hear the rest of my sentence!" Sweetie Belle fought back, dejected. Silver Spoon sighed.

"Don't think that I don't know what you're up to. You've been trying to get close to me and Diamond Tiara recently to collect information on us, haven't you? Secrets that you'd later spill to your little crusading friends. Well, it's not going to work, so just stay away! I don't need your hospitality!" Silver Spoon shouted as she quickly ran out the exit, not wanting to hear Sweetie Belle's response.

The white mare fell flat on her flank with a grimace on her face. She didn't want to accept it, but her 'great plan' had failed.
> Chapter One - What are friends for?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Whispered Words - Chapter One


At lunch, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were laughing their flanks off like no tomorrow. Sweetie Belle had just told them what happened the day before with Silver Spoon. She turned her head away from her friends, her face blushing furiously in embarrassment. 

"And, and she thought... YOU... were plannin' ta use... HER?" Apple Bloom said in between her laughter, gasping for air. Sweetie Belle nodded silently.

"That's too funny!" said Scootaloo, slapping her hoof on their lunch table. Sweetie Belle simply sighed to herself and stared at the ground as her friends were trying to catch their breaths, but to no avail. Finally, after a few minutes, Scootaloo managed to wipe her tears from laughing too much away.

"Sorry Sweetie Belle. Guess your 'being friends with the enemy' plan just wasn't meant to be," she said as she patted Sweetie Belle on the back. The white mare didn't say a word.

"Aw, Sweetie Belle, don't feel bad," Apple Bloon tried to comfort her friend. "She's not worth it if she's tryna accuse ya for doing somethin' ya weren't even plannin' ta do."

"I can't believe she would think I'd do something like that, though" Sweetie Belle mumbled. She started drawing on the ground with one hoof. 

"Yeah, I know. I mean, come on! You're Sweetie Belle. You'd NEVER be able to pull off something as cool--" Scootaloo was cut off by a nudge from Apple Bloom. "I-I mean, you'd never do something like that!" Scootaloo corrected herself.

"Yeah! It's okay, Sweetie Belle. We're still here for ya!"

"Well yeah, for now. There's still a possibility that one of us may have a change of heart like Sweetie Belle did and--" Apple Bloom shot Scootaloo a death glare. "Never mind," Scootaloo squeaked, cowering in fear.

"Thanks girls," Sweetie Belle said as a soft smile crept upon her face. Apple Bloom grinned and pulled the three crusaders into a tight hug. 

"That's the spirit!"



After class, the three Crusaders decided to stick around on school grounds and discuss their plans. Even after the three discovered their cutie marks, their adventures and "crusading" haven't stopped, though they now do those extreme activities with a different objective: to have fun.

The three mares were sitting on a picnic table in the school's courtyard. They were admiring the pink and yellow butterflies fluttering right before their eyes. Nonetheless, they didn't allow themselves to be distracted by the scenery. They got straight down to business.

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo began discussing plans for the weekend, pranks they could pull, and doing activities that reflect their special talents. However, in truth, there was something else stuck in Sweetie Belle's mind. She couldn't help but think about the events that had happened the day before with Silver Spoon. Although her friends had managed to cheer her up temporarily, she still wasn't quite ready to give up. 

"Equestria to Sweetie Belleeee," said Apple Bloom, who was violently waving her hooves in front of the white mare's face. Sweetie Belle shook her head around, redirecting her attention to her friends.

"I... was listening!" she lied. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo exchanged glances.

"Oh yeah? Then what were we planning to do this weekend?" Scootaloo quizzed Sweetie Belle.

"Uh... orphan... hunting?" Sweetie Belle replied intelligently, though in reality, she had picked the first two words that popped into her mind. Her two best friends groaned in annoyance.

"You can't be serious. You're still stuck on the idea of befriending Silver Spoon, aren't you?" Scootaloo guessed, rolling her eyes. Sweetie Belle smiled nervously at her friend and shrugged. Apple Bloom face hoofed herself. 

"Ah don't get it. She treated ya, and frankly, STILL treats ya terribly, and yer still not givin' up on her?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Well, I guess the fact that she rejected my request kinda makes me wanna... try again. I can't just give up!" Sweetie Belle argued back, determined to defend herself. 

"And why not?" Scootaloo questioned, arching an eyebrow.

"I dunno, I guess... Silver Spoon just seems so... real when she's not with Diamond Tiara." 

"And yer tryna break her shell or somethin'?" 

"Well, I guess..."

"You know, if she has some sort of wall built up, it usually means she doesn't want anypony breaking it, right?"

"Yeah, but at least Diamond Tiara got through to her!"

"She's cruel especially when she's with Diamond Tiara! If ya think she's so nice at heart, then I don't think she's showin' the same treatment even to Diamond Tiara. Face it, Sweetie Belle, I doubt anypony's broken down her wall yet." 

"I don't get why you're specifically going for Silver Spoon. If you want to befriend a bully that badly, why don't you go become friends with somepony else?" Scootaloo suggested.

"Well, I'm friends with you, aren't I?" Sweetie Belle joked, stifling a laughter. Apple Bloom giggled with her. Scootaloo crossed her hooves and shot a menacing glare at Sweetie Belle.

"So... if yer that into her, why don't we change our plans for today into helpin' ya break through her shell?" Apple Bloom offered. Sweetie Belle jumped up in excitement. A grin spread across her face. 

"Really? Thank you, girls!" Sweetie Belle hugged Apple Bloom. The cowpony looked over at Scootaloo, and gestured for her to lean in closer. 

"She didn't even deny that she was into Silver Spoon," Apple Bloom whispered into Scootaloo's ear. The latter pony beamed at her friend, though the moment Apple Bloom turned away from her, Scootaloo's expression suddenly dropped. 



"That must've been HORRIFYING!" Diamond Tiara exclaimed with a sense of disgust in her voice after listening to Silver Spoon's weekend. The grey mare nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, and she seemed so desperate, though I have to admit, she has nice taste. She was willing to turn to us and leave behind her little Crusader friends," Silver Spoon replied. The two mares were sitting on a picnic table, waiting for their parents to pick them up. 

"I can't believe the nerve of that unicorn! Wanting to use you as a ladder to get the latest scoop..." Diamond Tiara said spitefully through her gritted teeth. She turned to Silver Spoon. "If those privacy invading crusaders get to you again, come to me immediately, and I'll have daddy take care of them!" Silver Spoon smiled at her best friend and nodded.

The truth was, Silver Spoon was rather unsure whether or not Sweetie Belle had an ulterior motive or not. However, there was still a part of her that believed the white mare wanted to use her for her money, or maybe she wanted to terrorize her back after being bullied. Either way, Silver Spoon had to admit, she didn't particularly dislike Sweetie Belle. 

"Listen!" Diamond Tiara said, poking Silver Spoon to get her attention. "Do you hear that?" Silver Spoon tried to focus her hearing, and sure enough, she could hear three mares arguing in the background. It didn't take the two wealthy ponies very long to realize that the voices belonged to none other than the Cutie Mark Crusaders. "Why are they still here? I thought they didn't appreciate places with relaxing atmospheres. I mean, they do spend their time playing in mud, after all."

Silver Spoon stared at Diamond Tiara. Her rude remark didn't quite make sense, but then again, the pink pony was still recovering from an illness, so she let it slide. 

The two bullies continued to eavesdrop. Sweetie Belle was the first to speak. "She just seems so... real when Diamond Tiara isn't around." Diamond Tiara scoffed.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" she muttered to herself. She shot Silver Spoon a quick glance, and then turned back to the direction of the voices.

"She's cruel especially when she's with Diamond Tiara! If ya think she's so nice at heart, then I don't think she's showin' the same treatment even to Diamond Tiara. Face it, Sweetie Belle, I doubt anypony's broken down her wall yet."

Showing... what treatment? Silver Spoon's always been nice to me... hasn't she? Diamond Tiara thought to herself. "Wait a minute, if those loser crusaders believe Silver Spoon is nice at heart, doesn't that mean... She gasped.

"Silver Spoon," Diamond Tiara started. The grey mare looked over at her best friend. "So, I heard you were nice to those lo~osers." Silver Spoon's heart skipped a beat. The last thing she wanted was for Diamond Tiara to find out about that little secret.

"W-well... I had no choice!" Silver Spoon lied. Her friend offered her a look of suspicion.

"Oh? So tell me what really happened, then," Diamond Tiara demanded. Silver Spoon gulped, frantically searching for excuses in her brain.

"I-I knocked the unicorn over in P.E., and a teacher was nearby so I apologized to her and took her down to the nurse's office," she explained. Diamond Tiara continued staring at her before sighing and releasing the tension in her shoulders.

"Well good, that's understandable. For a moment there, I thought you were actually warming up to them." 

"No, of course not!" Silver Spoon defended herself. The pink pony pulled her best friend in for a hug.

"Good, but you better watch your back. If they're still talking about you, they're still after you." Silver Spoon nodded, and let go of her friend. "Now let's go, I think our daddies are here," Diamond Tiara said. The two mares walked away from the courtyard. 



The next day, Diamond Tiara was nowhere to be found. She was marked sick once again, which was expected, considering she hadn't even recovered from her first cold. Silver Spoon sighed to herself. Without Diamond Tiara... she knew what was coming next.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders were in the same History and Math class as Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara, much to their chagrin. Coincidentally, Silver Spoon sat right behind Sweetie Belle in both classes while Apple Bloom sat to the right of Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo sat to the left of Silver Spoon. Not only that, but Sweetie Belle was also in Silver Spoon's Foods and Nutritions class.

Apple Bloom elbowed Sweetie Belle, signalling to her that Silver Spoon was now alone for the entire day. Sweetie Belle grinned. She turned around in her seat.

"Hey, Silver Spoon!" Sweetie Belle quietly exclaimed as the teacher proceeded to lecture the class in the background.

Silver Spoon groaned, rubbing her head as if she had a headache. "I thought I said--"

"Yeah yeah, nopony cares what you thought you said, just at least talk to the poor filly!" Scootaloo butted in, taking Sweetie Belle's side. Silver Spoon glared at the pegasus.

"Fine then, what do you want?" she asked Sweetie Belle, reluctantly giving the white mare a chance.

"Why are you assuming that I want something?" Sweetie Belle asked. Silver Spoon was taken aback by this comment.

"If you don't have anything important to say, then I'd prefer it if you left me alone."

"No can do," Apple Bloom interrupted. "This mare's been dyin' ta talk ta ya ever since... well, just last week. Don't just leave her hangin' like this." Silver Spoon rolled her eyes. She waited, expecting Sweetie Belle to say something, but when she didn't, the grey mare spoke up.

"Well?" Silver Spoon demanded. 

"I-I just wanted to ask if you wanted to eat lunch with us," Sweetie Belle offered. Her two crusaders gaped at her.

"WHAT DID SHE JUST SAY?!" Apple Bloom screamed in her head, trying her very best to send the message telepathically to Scootaloo. Somehow, the orange pegasus managed to figure out what the farm pony wanted to scream out loud to the class.

"THAT WAS NOT PART OF OUR PLAN. WE CAN'T LET SILVER SPOON JOIN US FOR LUNCH!" Scootaloo shouted in own her brain.

"PLEASE SAY NO, PLEASE SAY NO, PLEASE SAY NO!" Apple Bloom and Scootaloo silently begged Silver Spoon. The grey mare stared at the two crusaders, who were now on their knees, away from their seats, pleading her for something. Silver Spoon offered the two a puzzled look. Sweetie Belle on the other hand, was pouting like a foal, ready to cry. At first, the wealthy pony wanted to decline, but as soon as her eyes met Sweetie Belle's, she found herself feeling indecisive. Just then, a tear streamed down Sweetie Belle's cheek, and that sealed the deal.

"F-fine," Silver Spoon agreed, "just... just don't cry any more, okay?" Sweetie Belle instantly lit up, dropping her 'crying' act from seconds ago. The two crusaders fell to the ground in defeat, but immediately got back in their seats before the teacher noticed. 



During Math class, Sweetie Belle could feel Scootaloo and Apple Bloom just glaring at her. She gulped, and flashed them a nervous, 'I'm sorry I didn't go by the plan, I just didn't want to waste this opportunity when Diamond Tiara's gone', look, but for some reason, Sweetie Belle had a feeling that her friends didn't quite understand why she made such a weird face at them. 

Just then, Sweetie Belle accidentally dropped her eraser. As she went to go pick it up, the mare beside her, who happened to be wearing high heeled shoes, accidentally stepped on Sweetie Belle's hoof. Sweetie Belle tried not to let out a shriek of pain by biting her lower lip, but she could feel a tear slipping out of her right eye. She proceeded to pick her eraser up and returned to her original position as if nothing had happened. Silver Spoon just stared at the white mare from behind, wondering why she didn't say anything when she was clearly in pain.



At lunch, the Cutie Mark Crusaders led Silver Spoon to their usual eating spot: a picnic table in the courtyard. Silver Spoon thought back to the conversation with her best friend from the day before, but quickly shook it off. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom took a seat on one side while Silver Spoon and Sweetie Belle sat on the other. Sweetie Belle found everypony glaring at her. 

"W-what? Is there something on my face?" Sweetie Belle asked, frantically wiping around her mouth.

"You haven't eaten anything yet, dumbo. There's nothing on your face," Scootaloo responded while rolling her eyes.

"Oh, right..." Sweetie Belle began to slump, but she shook her head around and snapped out of it. "So, what does everypony want to talk about?"

"Stuff that ponies like Diamond Tiara or Silver Spoon shouldn't be hearin'," Apple Bloom said, clearly directing the statement at the grey mare. The rich mare groaned.

"Then why'd you invite me here anyway?" she asked, irritated.

"We didn't," Scootaloo pointed out. "SHE did." Again, everypony glared at Sweetie Belle, who just simply blushed and flashed them yet another nervous smile.

"I'm sorry, I just wanted us to be friends..." Sweetie Belle pouted.

"I already said I don't want to be friends!" Silver Spoon argued.

"Oh yeah? Is our Sweetie Belle not good enough or something?" Scootaloo fought back.

"Well, ah'll let ya know that she's a heck of a lot better than yer Diamond Tiara!" Apple Bloom joined in.

"Don't talk about Diamond like that! You don't even know her!"

"Oh yeah? Watch us!"

"Ah REALLY don't like it when ah see you two go out of yer ways to come and make fun of us! And ya think Sweetie's got the nerve to do that back to y'all? She's not like you two! None of us are!" 

"Yes you are!" Sweetie Belle butted in. Much to everypony's surprise, she was on Silver Spoon's side. "Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, I don't want you guys fighting for my sake! I can fight my own battles. Heck, I don't even want to fight at all! If you think Diamond's so bad for doing everything she can to make fun of us, then what makes you two any better?" 

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo reflected for a moment. Just as the orange pegasus was about to open her mouth to speak up, Sweetie Belle started again.

"I just want us to be friends. Nothing more, nothing less." 

"Well, you're going to have to try harder, because I'm not interested," said Silver Spoon. Sweetie Belle had a dejected look on her face, but nonetheless, accepted it.

"Yeah, I guess I should've seen that coming," the white mare replied as she kicked the ground in defeat.

"But before I go," Silver Spoon started. Sweetie Belle looked up, her eyes gleaming with anticipation. "Why did you let that mare go when she stepped on your hoof? Not to mention she was wearing high heels too, so that must've hurt." Apple Bloom and Scootaloo stared at their best friend in surprise. Sweetie Belle just chuckled nervously.

"It wasn't her fault, and she didn't even know it happened, so it's all good!" she explained.

"All good? If she stepped on your hoof any harder, it would be broken right now!" Silver Spoon exclaimed, not even noticing she was showing concern to Sweetie Belle once again.

"But it didn't break, so that's all that matters," Sweetie Belle replied. Silver Spoon was not convinced.

"Let me see your hoof," she commanded. That's when the two crusaders finally realized that Sweetie Belle had been holding her hoof the entire time. They were too busy focusing on Silver Spoon to even notice their best friend was hurt. Sweetie Belle hesitated for a moment, but reluctantly obeyed Silver Spoon's order. She released her hoof and revealed a bruised hoof that even looked like it was bleeding at one point. 

"Come on girls, it's not that bad," Sweetie Belle said casually.

"Oh yeah? Does this hurt?" Scootaloo challenged. She poked at the purple dot on Sweetie Belle's hoof, and she cringed in pain. 

"N-not at all!" she lied through her teeth. Everypony raised an eyebrow at her. "Okay, maybe a little," she admitted.

"Let's take you to the nurse's office so they can give you some ice for that," Silver Spoon instructed. 

"It's not even that bad. I don't think we need to-- OWWW!" Sweetie Belle was cut off by Scootaloo, who poked her bruise harder this time just to get her to shut up and listen to Silver Spoon. Sweetie Belle passed it off as 'Scootaloo's way of caring for other ponies.' Without another word being spoken, Silver Spoon guided Sweetie Belle to the nurse's office.

"I think this was a job well done," Scootaloo gloated. Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. 

"We're not done yet," the farm pony replied.

"What do you mean?"

"Whaddya mean by, 'what do you mean'? We're Sweetie Belle's friends! It's our job ta snoop on her an' see how she's doin'."

"So does that mean..."

"Yes! Now come on!" 
> Chapter Two - Nurse's Office
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Whispered Words - Chapter Two


"That looks pretty bad. Just remember not to overexert that hoof for a while," instructed the school nurse as she handed Sweetie Belle an ice pack. 

"Thanks," Sweetie Belle replied. 

"Well then, I'll leave you two alone now. I have to go eat my lunch. Take care!" Sweetie Belle waved to the nurse as the latter left the room. She immediately turned her attention over to Silver Spoon.

"So..." she said, trying to strike up a conversation

"What?" Silver Spoon demanded.

"Oh, uh, nothing. I was just wondering... why you were so concerned about my hoof if you said you didn't want to be friends," she answered. Silver Spoon blushed faintly, and looked away.

"It just struck my curiosity as to why you'd let somepony get away with stepping on your hoof, that's all."

"Oh... well, thanks, Silver Spoon!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed, shooting one of her signature smiles at her. "I knew you were a good pony!"

"Excuse me?" the grey mare asked. "You barely know me and you're acting as if you've got me all figured out." Sweetie Belle giggled, much to the bully's surprise. 

"So you're saying you're not a good pony?" 

"I-I never said that!"

"Then does that mean I do have figured you out?" Sweetie Belle joked. Silver Spoon glared at her.

"... Not entirely," she muttered under her breath, but still loud enough for Sweetie Belle to hear. She grinned.

"You know, I really think it'd be a cool idea for all of us to get along, even with Diamond Tiara," said Sweetie Belle as she hopped onto a bed in the room. Silver Spoon immediately froze as she came to a realization. She stared hard at Sweetie Belle, deeply analyzing the words that had just left her mouth.

Wait a minute... I can't believe I almost let my guard down! Silver Spoon thought to herself. If I become friends with her, she'll get more information on us and then make us the laughing stocks of the school! Silver Spoon bit her lower lip, trying to figure out what to do next.

"Silver Spoon?" Sweetie Belle asked. 

"Huh?" Silver Spoon mumbled intelligently. No, wait, she's the enemy!

"What do you think?"

"... About what?" 

"Becoming friends!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed. "We could have parties, sleepovers, we could do all kinds of fun stuff together..." Silver Spoon trailed off into her train of thought amidst Sweetie Belle's ramblings. Don't listen to her! You'll play right into her hooves! Relax, she's an honest pony. She wouldn't even hurt an ant! She'll only hurt you!

"No!" Silver Spoon found herself shouting aloud. Sweetie Belle looked over at the grey mare in confusion. "I-I mean... I don't want to be friends. I don't want to have to repeat myself." 

Sweetie Belle stared at the bully for a moment before offering her a kind, yet dejected smile. Silver Spoon was taken aback by this hollow look. 

"... You're so silly. Of course I know you don't want to be friends. I'm just daydreaming about the fun stuff we'd be able to do if my dream were to come true," said Sweetie Belle. 

"Well, if you know I don't want to be friends with you, then just give up!" Silver Spoon yelled, much to her and Sweetie Belle's surprise. Sweetie Belle looked like she was about to cry, but she held her tears back with all of her effort. 

"If I could, I would," she admitted. "Apple Bloom and Scootaloo told me to give up too, but I think it's too early to. And besides, there's no point in giving up anyway."

"And you think not giving up is any better?" Silver Spoon questioned. "You're not getting anywhere right now anyway." Sweetie Belle sat up on the bed.

"Hey," she giggled. "I got my cutie mark in middle school. I must've been the oldest pony in all of Equestria history to get her cutie mark. I didn't give up then, and I'm not giving up now."

"You're comparing befriending me with getting your cutie mark?" Silver Spoon asked, astonished. She knew how hard Sweetie Belle worked to find her special talent. 

"Sure! I fought hard for my cutie mark, and now I'm fighting for you!" Sweetie Belle replied. Silver Spoon could feel a blush coming on, so she turned and looked away. She sighed.

"What do you want from me?" she asked. Sweetie Belle was confused.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't you want anything from me?" Silver Spoon sounded irritated. Sweetie Belle just smiled.

"No, of course not! Well, besides the fact that I want to be your friend, but nothing else, I promise!" Sweetie Belle replied. She seems pretty honest, but... Silver Spoon thought to herself again.

"I better get going," said the grey mare. The grin on Sweetie Belle's face didn't disappear. The purple maned pony refused to give up, and Silver Spoon knew that. I better be careful from now on. Silver Spoon thought as she exited the room. Or else it won't be long before she wins.

A few minutes after Silver Spoon left, Sweetie Belle collapsed onto the bed. The truth was, her hoof was in a lot of pain. She grasped the injured hoof, along with the ice pack. She cringed in pain, but didn't let out any noise. She could feel the tears she'd been holding in stream down her face. 

She really wanted to befriend Silver Spoon, and she even wanted to start their friendship off really slowly, but the bully didn't give her any significant openings. She didn't know why Silver Spoon was so hostile towards her about becoming friends either. Sweetie Belle heaved a sigh. Just as she was about to close her eyes and fall asleep, she was attacked by something-- or rather, somepony.

"SURPRISE!" Sweetie Belle heard Scootaloo shout. The white mare got up once again as she saw her two fellow crusaders walk into the nurse's office. 

"Apple Bloom? Scootaloo? What are you girls doing here?" Sweetie Belle asked. 

"We're your friends, we're not letting you go anywhere without us snooping on you!" Scootaloo replied with a scoff. Apple Bloom kicked Scootaloo.

"Ya weren't suppose ta tell her that!" the farm pony shouted. The orange pegasus held her leg in pain. 

"Hey, Sweetie Belle, make some room for me on the bed, will you?" Sweetie Belle shifted over to let Scootaloo sit. She decided to take a seat on the pillow, but she jumped up immediately afterwards.

"Whoa! Why's the pillow wet? ... Unless..." she gaped at Sweetie Belle. "You--"

"NONONONONONONONONO!" Sweetie Belle hollered. "NOTHING HAPPENED!" A moment of silence passed by. Each of the cutie mark crusaders were staring at each other, all with their eyes wide open. However, the peace and serenity did not last long. The three mares soon bursted out into laughter. After everypony regained their composure, Apple Bloom looked over at Sweetie Belle.

"Well, if nothin' happened, which we're still not sure of, since you were so defensive, then why's the pillow wet?" Apple Bloom asked. Sweetie Belle looked away.

"I guess I was crying a little bit," Sweetie Belle replied.

"A LITTLE BIT? Sweetie Belle, you are like, waterworks! You can't possibly expect anypony to believe you were only crying a little bit!" Scootaloo shouted. 

"Sweetie Belle, I think you've got a problem with understatin'... well, everythin'! First, the steppin' on yer hoof, now the cryin' on yer pillow..." 

"I know, I know. I guess I just don't want anypony to worry about me."

"What are ya talkin' about? We're BEST FRIENDS! It worries us that there is nothin' to worry about ya!" Apple Bloom argued. Scootaloo nodded in agreement. Sweetie Belle grinned.

"You girls are the best friends ever!" she exclaimed, pulling them in for a hug. Scootaloo pretended to gag, but Apple Bloom just smacked the orange pegasus. 

"Sweetie Belle?" said Apple Bloom.

"Yeah?" the purple maned unicorn replied.

"We know you didn't do anythin', we were watchin' ya." Sweetie Belle glared at the farm pony, who simply smiled at her. 



After lunch came Foods and Nutritions class, the only class that Sweetie Belle was failing because of her inability to not destroy stoves or ovens. The class was assigned to bake a batch of cupcakes, and everypony got down to work. Unfortunately for Silver Spoon, Sweetie Belle was put into her cooking group.

"Sweetie Belle, why are there egg shells in this?" Twist asked.

"Wait, they're not supposed to be in the mixture?" Sweetie Belle responded. The entire group groaned.

"Sweetie Belle, why is the stove on?" her other cooking group mate, Alula, asked. 

"That's the stove?! I thought that was the oven!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed. Everypony shot Sweetie Belle a menacing look.

"Can anypony help with our oven? We think it's broken!" a different group called out for help. Sweetie Belle's eyes lit up.

"Sure, I'll--" 

"NO!" the other group interrupted her. "Anypony besides Sweetie Belle?" The white mare sighed, and returned to her own station, where she was assigned to sit still and do nothing. Silver Spoon stared at Sweetie Belle with a sympathetic look. She knew all the crusader wanted was to be able to help the other ponies, but nobody wanted her.

Why is she even in Foods and Nutrition if she's not good at it? Silver Spoon thought to herself. 

"We're ready to put it into the oven!" Sweetie Belle's group announced. The purple maned pony sat aside and sighed. She obviously disliked being so useless. Silver Spoon caught a glimpse of Sweetie Belle's solemn expression. She looked at the ground for a moment, before deciding to do something she knew she'd soon regret.

She approached Sweetie Belle, and handed her the metal tray carrying the batter. Everypony in the group gasped and shouted at Silver Spoon, trying to get her to rethink her actions.

"Here, make yourself useful and put these in the oven," Silver Spoon instructed, trying her best to sound rude like she usually would. Sweetie Belle lightened up. She nodded like a puppy, took the tray away from Silver Spoon with her uninjured hoof, and ran towards the oven. Before anypony could say anything, Sweetie Belle quickly opened the oven without any safety mitts, and shoved the tray in. However, that didn't work out so well. Being the klutz that she was, Sweetie Belle touched the side of the oven as she was pulling her hoof out. She let out a little squeak, but nothing more. Nopony else in the group seemed to notice. They all sighed in relief after the cupcakes were placed into the oven safely. Silver Spoon, however, saw what happened, and rushed over to her side. 

"Sweetie Belle!" she exclaimed. Sweetie Belle shook her head.

"Just drop it, don't worry about me," she said as coolly as possible, but the pain was unbearable. She dug deep into her lower lip with her teeth just to prevent herself from shrieking and bringing attention to herself. Silver Spoon grabbed Sweetie Belle's bruised hoof as gently as possible, and took her to a sink to put her burnt hoof under cold water.

"The oven was on at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. I highly doubt it didn't hurt," said Silver Spoon. Sweetie Belle was cringing in pain. The cool water was helping, but the pressure of the liquid still hurt. 

"I never said it didn't hurt," Sweetie Belle replied.

"Then why don't you want anypony to worry about you?"

"Because it hurts more to see ponies put on such a sad and worrisome expression!" Sweetie Belle admitted. Silver Spoon gaped at the white mare, but she couldn't bring herself to say anything else. It just wasn't the right moment to continue their conversation. After rinsing Sweetie Belle's burnt hoof, Silver Spoon offered to take her down to the nurse's office again, but Sweetie Belle declined. The grey mare made it obvious that she wouldn't take 'no' for an answer, so she dragged Sweetie Belle to the office anyway. 

"Back again?" the nurse chuckled as she examined the burnt hoof.

"Yeah, you could say I'm a little klutzy," Sweetie Belle said casually. The nurse gave Sweetie Belle another ice pack to put on her bruised hoof. 

"The ice is for your bruised hoof. Just run your burnt hoof under cold water for a while and it'll be fine. Doesn't look like anything serious," said the nurse. 

The unicorn thanked the nurse as the latter left the room once again to give the two mares some privacy. There was a moment of silence in the room, but it didn't last for long.

"Back to what you said earlier, about not wanting other ponies to worry about--"

"Silver Spoon," Sweetie Belle interrupted. "Could I please be left alone? Besides, you have fourth block to catch anyway." The grey mare stood there in shock.

"I thought you wanted to be my friend?" Silver Spoon asked, attempting to use it against Sweetie Belle.

"But you don't want to be mine, so there's no need for you to worry about me." 

"But--"

"And besides, this is something that not even Apple Bloom and Scootaloo know about. I'll tell you girls... when I feel like I'm ready," said Sweetie Belle. "So once again, Silver Spoon, could I please be left alone?" Silver Spoon was speechless, but obeyed the white mare. When Silver Spoon left the room, Sweetie Belle collapsed onto a bed once again, and immediately blacked out the moment her head touched the pillow. 
> Chapter Three - Half of the Truth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Whispered Words - Chapter Three


When classes ended, the first place Silver Spoon thought of going to was the nurse's office, but she was feeling rather unsure about her decision.

She wanted to be left alone... I can't go back. And if I do go back, she'll think I'm succumbing to her persuasion skills... But I still want to see if she's okay. It's the least anypony can do, right? Silver Spoon thought to herself. She shook her head around and sighed. Finally, she decided to listen to her guts and went ahead to visit her anyway.

When she arrived, she noticed a yellow earth pony and an orange pegasus right outside of the door with their backs pressed against it. The grey mare walked up to the crusaders.

"Why are you two 'crusading' in front of the door?" Silver Spoon asked, attempting to make her question sound like an insult. Apple Bloom immediately jumped up and glared at her. She made a face that even scared Silver Spoon. 

"For yer information, I don't see yer flank in there, tryna help her! We tried goin' in, but all she said was, "leave me alone, ah'm fine girls, but I just need some time to think." Just what exactly did ya do to her?!" Apple Bloom couldn't contain her anger. Scootaloo tapped her back, and Apple Bloom stopped glaring, but she still made it obvious she was frustrated. Silver Spoon backed away.

"I did go in there," she replied. She could feel her own anger boiling up inside of her skin. "I did go in there, but she said the same thing to me. Just what do you think you know about me anyway? Do you honestly think I'd leave anypony alone when they're hurt?" 

"YES!" Scootaloo shouted. "You, along with your little, 'Diamond Tiara', are the sole cause of other ponies' pain!" Silver Spoon was taken aback by Scootaloo's argument. Apple Bloom smacked the orange pegasus's head from behind, which knocked her over. "Oww, what was that for?" 

"Yer bein' an idiot. This is no time for fightin'. Sweetie Belle hates it, remember? Ah think we should try goin' in there one more time..."

"Don't", Silver Spoon interrupted. The farm pony looked at her, confused. "She said this was something that even you two don't know about, so don't try to pry it out of her." Apple Bloom stared hard at the wealthy pony.

"Y'know, that doesn't matter to me. If she's hurt, Ah'm gonna go find out what's wrong at all costs. If she gets hurt because of me, then so be it, but it hurts more to see our best friend alone in there, fussin' over something that we don't know about," Apple Bloom stated firmly. "Now if yer so concerned about her, you should come on in as well."

Apple Bloom slowly opened the door. Scootaloo was the first to enter, followed by Apple Bloom. 

"Well?" the cowpony asked Silver Spoon, who was still standing still in one spot. The grey mare made eye contact with Apple Bloom.

"I don't get how you crusaders can be so nice to each other," she admitted. Apple Bloom simply smiled at her. The smile quickly turned into a grin.

"We're all best friends. Ah think bein' nice to each other is the least we can do after the great memories we've forged together. And besides, it never hurts ta show a lil' kindness." she replied as she went ahead and entered the nurse's office. Silver Spoon could feel a smile forming on her face, and she followed suit. 



Sweetie Belle was now awake. She was standing by the windowsill, staring out at Celestia's sun that was slowly setting. Both of her injured hooves were still actively tormenting the weak mare, but she beared with it. She didn't exactly know why herself, but she always felt compelled to make injuries less serious than they seem. 

A few years ago, when she was at a party with her sister, she was punched straight in the stomach by a mischievous stallion, who obviously had way too much to drink that night. She blacked out immediately upon impact, but before losing consciousness, she was glad to see the stallion being taken away. When she woke up, Rarity was by her side, sobbing, asking Celestia to spare Sweetie Belle's life. Although Sweetie Belle was used to seeing Rarity overreact, that night was the one time she felt absolutely pained upon seeing her sister cry. That's when she vowed to never make anypony worry about her. She hated seeing other ponies cry. That was also the night when Sweetie Belle made a pact with herself to stay away from colts and stallions, unbeknownst to her friends, of course.

She could still feel her stomach churning even up to this day. Although she saw the stallion being taken away with her own two eyes, she knew the pony did not stop kicking her until he was completely out of sight. From that night on, her digestive system became noticeably weaker, which impacted her appetite, and as a result, took a toll on her fitness level. She wasn't a chubby mare, not in the slightest bit, but she was, without a doubt, the weakest mare. She didn't have enough room in her stomach to fit the most important meal of the day and in her head, she'd blame her lack of appetite for her clumsiness. 

Despite all of that, she didn't hate herself. She knew she was good at some things at the very least, and her cutie mark was proof of that. She owned an amazing voice. She'd practice her singing near Fluttershy's cottage, and her voice drew many animals in. They all loved hearing her, and she loved performing for them. However, she found it noticeably hard to root her voice without her stomach hurting, but she still insisted on continuing to sing for the animals. Of course, the animals didn't know better, or how much Sweetie Belle was truly hurting on the inside, so they allowed her to proceed, but Fluttershy had heard the incident from Rarity, and having read multiple health related books, she had a pretty good idea of how hard Sweetie Belle was pushing herself. However, being Fluttershy, she was unable to kick Sweetie Belle out, which is why the white mare still has her crowd of animals to sing to even up to this day.

Sweetie Belle sighed to herself. Although she skipped breakfast every morning (and occasionally lunch, and sometimes even dinner, if she can sleep through it), she was still rather energetic. After all, she was able to keep up with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, but only barely. After each day of crusading, she'd always return home, extremely fatigued. She wouldn't even make it to the bed before passing out and collapsing from exhaustion. Rarity constantly advised her to stop overexerting herself, but Sweetie Belle would always claim that she was not overexerting herself, she was simply pushing herself, and that there was a large difference between the two concepts.

Sweetie Belle wasn't sure why, but she found it hard to give up on whatever she starts, unless it was life threatening, of course. She desperately wanted to befriend Silver Spoon at all costs. She wanted to get through to her. She wanted Silver Spoon to get out of her shell and open up to her, but unbeknownst to herself, Sweetie Belle desperately wanted somepony like Silver Spoon to listen to her thoughts. 

"Sweetie Belle?" said a voice. Sweetie Belle quickly turned around, and sure enough, there stood her two best friends and Silver Spoon. 

"Sweetie Belle, if you wanna talk, we're all ears," said the orange pegasus. Sweetie Belle appreciated the fact they wanted to listen, but she just didn't think it was the right time yet.

"Thanks for visiting guys, but really, I'm fine," Sweetie Belle replied, trying to sound as happy as possible, but being her closest friends, Apple Bloom knew there was still something wrong.

"Sweetie Belle, ya gotta stop understatin' everythin'!" said the farm pony.

"I'm not--"

"Dear Celestia, I bet if you were run over by a stampede of buffalo, you'd still say you were okay! "Oh, perfectly fine, why do ya ask? I was only run over by a pack of buffalo! All I have are a few broken bones... kidney damage, y'know, normal stuff."" Apple Bloom imitated Sweetie Belle. 

"All I have is a burnt hoof and a hoof that was stepped on, and Apple Bloom, you were run over by buffalo? Are you okay?!" Sweetie Belle asked, completely oblivious to the fact that Apple Bloom was only impersonating the white mare. The farm pony face hoofed herself. 

"Anypony else wanna argue with this lil' marshmallow?" 

"Hey!" Sweetie Belle shouted defensively. 

"Come on, Sweetie Belle! What's on your mind?" Scootaloo pried. Sweetie Belle pursed her lips. She simply wasn't ready to spill yet. "I thought we were your friends."

Sweetie Belle looked up at the orange pegasus in shock. Did she just play the 'friend card'? the white mare thought to herself. The three mares standing by the door were waiting for an answer.

"Well, if you were my friend, you'd stop prying..." Sweetie Belle replied with an innocent tone in her voice.

"Touche... Silver Spoon, you're up," Scootaloo declared. 

"What?" the grey mare asked, taken by surprise. "I'm not even her friend, I can't..."

"D'ya have ta be a friend to comfort a pony that's hurtin'?" Apple Bloom replied. 

"I said I'm fine!"

"No you're not!'

"Stop tryna fool yerself! Yer in pain, and we all know it!" Apple Bloom hollered.

"GIRLS, what is the meaning of this?" an authoritative voice rumbled the room. The nurse pony had walked into the room. She pointed at Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. "Please leave Sweetie Belle alone. I will not tolerate arguing in my office." The two crusaders obeyed the nurse. Just as Scootaloo was about to exit, she turned around and looked at Sweetie Belle.

"I know it hurts to tell other ponies how you're feeling... but if you can't trust us, your best friends, then who do you trust?" Scootaloo asked. Without waiting for an answer, she left with Apple Bloom. The nurse turned her attention to the injured mare.

"Well then, Sweetie Belle, the school closes in 20 minutes. Unfortunately, you'll have to leave, but I will give you another back of ice to heal that bruised hoof of yours before you leave," said the nurse as she exited the room once again. Sweetie Belle nodded, and thanked the nurse. Afterwards, she turned her attention to Silver Spoon, who was idly standing around.

"Silver Spoon..." Sweetie Belle said weakly. 

"Do you want me to leave too? I can--"

"Wait, don't go! I have a lot to tell you... but you absolutely can't tell anypony else about this!" Silver Spoon nodded. She didn't even know why she was staying by Sweetie Belle's side. She wasn't even her friend, and nor was she intending on becoming her friend. All she knew was that she couldn't stand seeing Sweetie Belle sad. She wanted her to return to her normal smiling self. Deep down, Silver Spoon wanted to help the white mare, friends or not. 

"It never hurts to show a little kindness." The words Apple Bloom spoke from earlier repeated themselves in Silver Spoon's head. She smiled to herself. She shook her head and left her thoughts behind. Right now wasn't the right time to find out why she wanted to be by Sweetie Belle's side. Right now was the time to listen to her. She looked up at the white mare, who was taking several deep breaths to regain her composure. Before long, Sweetie Belle opened her mouth, and began to spill out the feelings that have been bottled up inside of her.

"The truth is..."

> Chapter Four - Feelings for Sweetie Belle?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Whispered Words - Chapter Four


Silver Spoon stared at Sweetie Belle as she heard the latter's story from years ago, how she was beaten up by a drunk stallion and how she hated making other ponies worry. Though, the only part Sweetie Belle left out was how she disliked colts and stallions. She didn't want to get mistaken for a fillyfooler.

"It hurts to sing too, you know. Stupid, right? I can't even perform my special talent correctly," Sweetie Belle said. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes, but she didn't dare to let a single one of them slip, at least, not in front of Silver Spoon. The grey mare looked down onto the ground. She found herself unable to make eye contact with the purple maned unicorn. Suddenly, a question popped into the grey mare's head.

"Why do you push yourself so hard anyway? You never give up on anything either," Silver Spoon asked. Sweetie Belle gave her a sheepish smile.

"I guess I just don't want to be a burden on anypony. I can't do much. I can't cook, I can't sew, I can't buck apples, I'm not even good at using magic, but I don't want to sit around and not do something that I know I can do," the white mare replied. Sweetie Belle could feel a tear almost escaping. She turned away from Silver Spoon and quickly wiped it away.

"So... why'd you pick Foods and Nutrition?" Silver Spoon asked out of the blue. Sweetie Belle giggled.

"So I could get better at cooking, of course! In case you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly the best cook. Rarity's been screaming at me about cooking for as long as I can remember. I nearly burned down the house once! I want to improve, that's all," the white mare said calmly. A smile formed on her face as she brought her good memories back to light. Silver Spoon could feel her cheeks reddening upon seeing the unicorn smile again. 

"Thanks for being here to listen, Silver Spoon. You really are a good friend," said Sweetie Belle. She stretched her legs in the air and yawned.

"I-I'm not your--"

"Friend? I know. Maybe we're not friends now, but I already told you I'm not giving up. I'm not going down without a fight," Sweetie Belle replied with a big grin on her face. Silver Spoon's blush deepened. "I think we better get going now. The school's about to close for the day anyway," said Sweetie Belle as she headed out of the door. Silver Spoon followed suit,  but just before the grey mare left the room, she turned back and stared at a nearby bed.

I get a feeling this won't be the last time I visit this room... Silver Spoon thought to herself. She smiled, and walked out the door. 



"UGGHHH!" Diamond Tiara groaned. She was sitting on her bed with a thermometer in her mouth. She had been trying to reach Silver Spoon all afternoon, wondering if the Cutie Mark Crusaders had gotten to her yet. She dialled and dialled Silver Spoon's home phone, but to no avail.

"What is she doing?! Classes should've ended ages ago. Is she ignoring me on purpose?!" Diamond Tiara expressed her thoughts aloud. She let out yet another groan before dialling Silver Spoon's number again. 

Riiing.

"Pick up..."

Riiiing..

"Pick. Up."

Riiiiing...

"SILVER SPOON. PICK. UP."

Riiiiiing....

"DEAR CELESTIA, YOU GET YOUR HOOVES ON THIS PHONE RIGHT NOW OR I'LL TELL EVERYPONY YOU'RE A FILL--"

"Hello?" a voice came through the phone, much to Diamond Tiara's surprise. 

"Silver Spoon?" the pink pony asked. She was still panting due to frustration, but the tone in her voice sounded rather calm.

"Oh, hi Diamond Tiara. Sorry for picking up so late and not keeping in touch--"

"YOU BETTER BE SORRY!" Diamond Tiara snapped at her best friend. "What were you doing anyway?! Don't tell me you were mingling with those loo~oosers." There was a pause in the conversation, which worried Diamond Tiara. "Wait, you can't--"

"Don't worry, Diamond. I haven't succumbed to their tricks. I was late because the white unicorn burned herself and I took her down to the nurse's office," Silver Spoon replied. Diamond Tiara hesitated before heaving a sigh of relief.

"That unicorn got injured again? Can't she do anything right?" Diamond Tiara scoffed. Silver Spoon kept quiet and didn't respond. "Well, besides that, what did they do this time?"

"They invited me to lunch," Silver Spoon replied. At that moment, the pink mare almost dropped the phone. 

"A-and then...?" Diamond Tiara demanded. She heard the other pony sigh.

"I accepted their invitation," Silver Spoon admitted. This time, Diamond Tiara actually did drop the phone. She could hear Silver Spoon's voice questioning whether she was still there or not. Diamond Tiara didn't know what to say. Finally, when her mind was back in place, she placed the phone to her ear again.

"Silver Spoon, we have to do something about those crusaders!" she demanded. 

"... Like what?"

"I DON'T KNOW, ANYTHING! Anything that'll get them away from you. Can't you see you're weakening your guard?!" 

"It's been one day, DT. I don't think they'll get through to me that easily." 

"Are you kidding? I got through to you in a day!" Diamond Tiara fought back. Suddenly, a pang of realization hit her. 

"If you think she's nice on the inside, then I don't think that even Diamond Tiara got through to her." The words that Apple Bloom spoke the day before rang in the fuchsia pony's ears. Diamond Tiara waited for a minute, but there was no response from her friend.

"Silver Spoon, what is the meaning of this?" she asked. No reply. Diamond Tiara growled. "Silver Spoon, you fillyfoo--"

"Don't," the grey mare replied promptly. "Don't say another word." The crowned pony scoffed.

"Why? Are you embarrassed?" Diamond Tiara teased. "I bet your new little friends don't know about your little secret." 

"They're not my friends!" Silver Spoon shouted through the phone defensively. A sinister grin spread across Diamond Tiara's face as she began having fun with her best friend. 

"Oh, I bet they're not your friends, but the unicorn sure seems like she'll end up being your special somep--"

"DT, what are you doing?" Silver Spoon asked, sounding panicked. 

"Oh, just teaching you a lesson. Don't you ever DARE do something as lame as spending a lunch break with those untalented little freaks." Diamond Tiara threatened with a harsh tone in her voice. The fuchsia pony heard a sigh through the phone.

"Fine, just make sure you show up for school tomorrow," Silver Spoon replied. 

"I'll try. Daddy doesn't want me out of the house when I'm sick, so we'll just have to see," Diamond Tiara responded with the intention of teasing her best friend. She expected a groan or at least a sigh from the grey mare, but none of that came. Instead, she heard something that shocked her.

"Okay, well then, get well soon," Silver Spoon said calmly. 

"THAT'S IT?!" Diamond Tiara hollered through the phone.

"What do you mean?"

"I might be gone for the next day, and all you have to say is, "get well soon"? You realize this means you have to spend another day, WITHOUT me, mind you, with the Loser Crusaders?"  

"Sorry Diamond Tiara, I'm a little tired today. Can we cut the chit-chat?" 

"Cut the chit-chat?! Listen here, anything and everything that comes out of my mouth is important. We're not chit-chatting, we're talking business here, Silver Spoon! ... Silver Spoon?" It took Diamond Tiara a moment to realize that the line was cut. Silver Spoon had hung up on her. She held the phone right in front of her face, and growled at it fiercely. She could feel her temperature rising again, but she didn't care. 

"Oh, you fillyfooler. I'm going to get you AND your little Loser Mark Crusaders..."



Silver Spoon sighed. In truth, she wasn't tired at all, she just didn't want to talk to Diamond Tiara. For some reason, she couldn't bear hearing her friend talk so lowly of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. They had taught her so much in one day about friendship, and all she did in return was cause harm to them.

She jumped onto her bed, but not even two seconds after doing so, her phone rang again. It must be Diamond Tiara, she thought to herself. She answered.

"Hello, Di--"

"Oh, Silver Spoon! It really is you!" said the voice through the phone, who, apparently, was not Diamond Tiara, but instead, Sweetie Belle. The grey mare was astonished.

"How did you get my phone number?" she asked. She heard the other mare giggle.

"Oh, that's a long story that'll have to be saved for another day, but anyway, what's up?" 

"Oh, um, nothing much, I suppose. Why'd you call me?"

"Can't two friends just randomly chit-chat?" 

"We're not--"

"Still stuck on that, I see?" said Sweetie Belle. For some reason, she sounded really happy.

"Excuse me?" Silver Spoon asked, confused.

"Don't worry about it, I'm just kidding around. So anyway, I was wondering if you were busy?"

"You mean... right now?" Silver Spoon replied intelligently. What could she possibly want to do at this hour? the rich mare thought to herself. She glanced over at her clock. It was almost 5 pm. With the season already transitioning into winter, 5 pm was rather late for a mare to be out. 

"Well, any time, really. Generally, I never have anything to do after class anyway, haha." Silver Spoon thought about it for a moment. 

"Just... just the two of us?" she asked. She heard another energetic bout of laughter from the other party.

"Well, if you want. I'm sure if I asked, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo would be more than happy to join us," Sweetie Belle offered. Silver Spoon hesitated. In reality, she didn't want the farm pony or the pegasus to join her, but it would certainly be less awkward with their company. However, the wealthy mare's heart seemed to overrule her mind.

"Maybe... just the two of us would be fine," she replied. "B-but only because it'd be a burden to call for more ponies just for my sake!" she added. Smooth, Silver Spoon, she thought to herself. 

"Okay! In that case, it's a date!" Sweetie Belle announced happily. HUH? Silver Spoon shouted in her head. What did she just say?! 

"A d-date?!" she shouted through the phone. The mare's glasses almost fell off her face due to the sudden shock. 

"Well, yeah! Isn't that what it's called? Two ponies alone together, just enjoying each other's company?" Sweetie Belle asked innocently. Silver Spoon readjusted her glasses. Of course, the way Sweetie Belle described a date was certainly what Silver Spoon was expecting when they do meet up, but that didn't necessarily mean it was one. 

"Um, Sweetie Belle," the grey mare said calmly. "Of course, that's what a date is, but dates are usually between two ponies who have feelings for one another!"

"I do have feelings for you, though," Sweetie Belle replied innocently. The remark made Silver Spoon blush. She could feel her temperature rising. It was as if her body temperature surpassed Diamond Tiara's fever. 

"Um, Sweetie Belle, what do you mean?"

"I have feelings for you the same I have feelings for Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, of course!" Silver Spoon's temperature did not cease to rise. "I want to be really close friends with you!" The grey mare paused for a moment. 

"Wait, Sweetie Belle, just what do you think, 'having feelings for somepony else', means?"

"Isn't it how you feel about a really good friend? I mean, Scootaloo's mentioned having feelings for me multiple times, and we're best friends, so I put two and two together, and I figured she meant she really liked being my friend!" Silver Spoon face hoofed herself. If she was drinking a glass of water, she'd surely do a spit take. 

It came as a great shock to know that the orange pony was in love with Sweetie Belle, but she decided not to pursue the topic of feelings any more. After all, she did value her life, and preferred if it wasn't ended by a certain pegasus who could pack a kick. 

"Well, anyway," the white mare continued, "do you wanna meet up by the hilltop within thirty minutes?" 

Hilltop? Silver Spoon thought to herself. 

"Sure," the grey mare found herself accepting the invitation. She didn't even notice what had left her mouth until after she said it. 

"Great, see you then!" Immediately afterwards, Sweetie Belle hung up and didn't let Silver Spoon take back her offer. The rich mare sighed. 

"Oh, what have I gotten myself into?" 
> Chapter Five - Murphy's Law
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Whispered Words - Chapter Five


Scootaloo paced around her room to no end. She couldn't help but think about her best friend, Sweetie Belle. There were a lot of things on the orange pegasus's mind. For one thing, she couldn't stop thinking about Sweetie Belle's desire to befriend Silver Spoon. Secondly, she kept thinking back to the times when she confessed her feelings to the oblivious mare. Scootaloo slapped herself across the face with her own hoof.

Snap out of it, Scootaloo! Rainbow Dash would hate me if she saw me like this, she thought to herself, but it was no use. She had been wondering all week about what Sweetie Belle saw in Silver Spoon. It aggravated Scootaloo that Sweetie Belle wanted to befriend the enemy, but she let it go because all she wanted was to see her friend happy. 

The pegasus thought back to the last time she had attempted to confess her feelings to the singing mare. 



About eight months ago, right when the Cutie Mark Crusaders entered their first year in high school, Scootaloo realized the depth of her feelings towards one of her best friends, Sweetie Belle. She loved it when the purple maned pony smiled. She loved it when Sweetie Belle sang to her, but most of all, she loved seeing Sweetie Belle happy. For nearly four months, the pegasus thought she was simply deepening her bond with her best friend, but soon realized it couldn't have been that-- she didn't feel the same way about Apple Bloom.

One day, about four months ago, Apple Bloom was away (for once). Scootaloo had the chance to be with Sweetie Belle. She decided that was the day she was going to get the strange warm feeling off of her chest. Sweetie Belle was innocently eating a sandwich Rarity made for her for lunch. The two were sitting at their usual spot-- the picnic table in the courtyard. It was a nice day outside, so Scootaloo thought she'd give it a chance. There was no turning back.

"Hey, Sweetie Belle?" Scootaloo asked. Sweetie Belle looked up. Her mouth was full of her daisy sandwich, but she replied anyway.

"Yeah?" Scootaloo almost bursted out laughing. She had to admit, it was cute seeing Sweetie Belle like that. 

"At least swallow your food first!" Scootaloo joked. Sweetie Belle nodded, and swallowed her sandwich without even chewing. Before long, the white mare found herself choking on bits and pieces of her food. Immediately, Scootaloo kicked her friend in her stomach, and the food shot out of her mouth. The orange pegasus skilfully dodged the slobbered sandwich. "Whoa there, you eager beaver, I meant chew and THEN you swallow."

"Oh." Sweetie Belle blushed. "So... what did you want to tell me?" Scootaloo tensed up. Admittedly, the little choking fiasco did lighten up the mood a little bit. However, the scooter pro was unable to get the words out. Finally, after running the line through her head multiple times, she took a deep breath in, and exhaled.

"Sweetie Belle, what do you think of-- I mean, ABOUT! What do you think about... having feelings for another pony? I mean-- what does it mean to you? Er, no, scratch that! What do you think it means?" Scootaloo asked. 'Good job, Scootaloo. Way to not be nervous!' the pegasus thought to herself. Sweetie Belle thought about it for a moment. She had another mouth full of daisies, and didn't want to speak, so she simply shrugged. Scootaloo face hoofed herself. Finally, she got impatient. She let her feelings speak for themselves. She swallowed the lump in her throat. 'Here goes nothing!'

"The truth is, Sweetie Belle, I-I think I have feelings for you!" the pegasus pony exclaimed. Her eyes were closed shut. She didn't want to make eye contact with the pony she just confessed her feelings to. Sweetie Belle stared at her friend in complete shock. She was so surprised that she even dropped her lunch on the table. The silence pursued for a few minutes until Sweetie Belle found something to say. 

"Scootaloo... I, uh... what... huh?" Sweetie Belle mumbled incoherently. Finally, Scootaloo decided to open one of her eyes and took a peek at Sweetie Belle's face. There was confusion written all over it. The tom-pony heaved a sigh. She was too cowardly to pull through with this. She had to come up with something that could divert Sweetie Belle's thoughts, or at least trick her. 

"Haha, no, wait, Sweetie Belle! Sorry for putting you in the moment there. I just wanted, to uh, heh, prank you?" said Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle's facial expression proved that she knew where Scootaloo was going with her explanation, but still didn't quite understand what she meant. "Okay, I guess I should just come out with it." Sweetie Belle nodded in agreement.

"Well, if you think about it, when you put two and two together... I have feelings for you, and we're best friends... So I'm just expressing my gratitude... You know, thanking you for being my friend all this time," Scootaloo lied. Truthfully, she didn't like lying to her friend, but there was no other way. She wasn't quite ready just yet. 

"Ohhhh!" said Sweetie Belle, who finally caught onto Scootaloo's point. "I get it! Well, if that's the case, then I have feelings for you too, Scoots!" The orange pegasus blushed. Although she knew what Sweetie Belle meant, she couldn't help but think of what she had just said in a different way. Scootaloo grinned at Sweetie Belle, and she smiled back. 

'Yeah... that'll have to do... for now.'



Scootaloo shoved her face into her pillow and screamed into it. She blushed upon remembering the memory. 

Oh man, I was so stupid! Why did I miss out on that chance?! Scootaloo chastised herself. She definitely regretted missing her chance. There was never a moment where Scootaloo was allowed a free moment with Sweetie Belle alone. Apple Bloom was always there, and Scootaloo couldn't even think of telling the farm pony about her feelings. As of late, the situation worsened. Sweetie Belle seemed to express lots of interest in Silver Spoon, much to the orange pony's chagrin. 

Truthfully, Scootaloo didn't mind Silver Spoon. It was the competition she was afraid of. Sweetie Belle showed such a deep desire to befriend the enemy that it felt like her friend had forgotten all about how Scootaloo felt-- though, it wasn't like she even knew how she felt. 

While Scootaloo didn't want Sweetie Belle to get closer to Silver Spoon, at the same time, she wanted her to do so as well. While she wanted Sweetie Belle to herself, she also wanted her to be happy, even if it meant excluding the winged pony from her life. 

Scootaloo envisioned a smiling Sweetie Belle in her head. She then added Silver Spoon to the fantasy world, and Sweetie Belle's smile suddenly turned into one of the biggest grins anypony could ever bear on their faces. It was inevitable; Silver Spoon had already won without even trying. The pegasus pony smiled at the image in her head. If Sweetie Belle was happy, then Scootaloo was happy-- that's what Scootaloo had always thought.

Well, if that's the case, then why can't I stop crying? She slapped herself again, trying to get the emotions out of her system, but once again, violence proved to be no use. I need to go for a walk, she declared in her brain. Scootaloo decided to go to the one place where she'd always run away to whenever she faced emotions that she ultimately could not deal with: the hilltop.



Sweetie Belle had planned a great evening for her and Silver Spoon. She loaded her back with whatever she could carry that wouldn't cause her to collapse on the way to the hilltop, and set off. Rarity was still gone, so nopony was there to tell her she was not allowed to leave the house. 

Sweetie Belle trudged up the hill as best as she could. When she reached the hilltop, she collapsed onto her front, but was relieved to find that she didn't lose consciousness. She panted heavily, trying to catch her breath. She was about fifteen minutes early. She wanted to set everything up beforehand.

About ten minutes later, Sweetie Belle was feeling satisfied about the work she'd done. She stared at the materials she had set up, and grinned. Then, she sat on the grass, waiting for her date to arrive.



Sweetie Belle wasn't the only one with fitness problems. Having being raised in a wealthy environment, Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara never found the need to exercise, so they omitted such activities from their to-do list. However, as she was trudging up the hill, Silver Spoon began regretting opting out yoga or jogging for something as mundane as shopping. At that moment in time, Silver Spoon promised herself that she'd get out more and improve on her fitness level so she could avoid having to spend her days in a hospital. Nevertheless, the grey mare still made her way up the hill. She, like Sweetie Belle, fell onto her stomach due to exhaustion. She was definitely craving something-- anything-- to hydrate her. 

"Here," said a voice. Silver Spoon saw a water bottle being handed to her. Her eyes shifted upwards, and sure enough, she saw a familiar purple maned pony, flashing a wide grin at her. Silver Spoon accepted the water bottle, opened it, and gulped it down. Now feeling refreshed, the wealthy pony was able to get up on her four hooves again. 

"Thanks," she said, wiping away little drops of liquid that had remained on her lips. 

"Any time!" Sweetie Belle replied. 

"So, what did you drag me up here for?" Silver Spoon asked. Without a moment of hesitation, Sweetie Belle moved aside, revealing a picnic blanket and food on top of it. What stood behind the picnic supplies was an amazing view of Ponyville. All of the town's lights were on, including ones that hung from houses to celebrate the upcoming holiday, Hearth's Warming Eve. Above the town was Luna's full and round moon that shone brightly. The night was void of any clouds, which allowed the two mares to enjoy the view of the stars. 

Silver Spoon walked towards the picnic blanket, but her attention was focused on the stars. Everything looked beautiful. The weather was perfect and the view was stellar. She turned and looked at Sweetie Belle, who was staring right back at her. 

"How's this for a first date?" Sweetie Belle asked charmingly. The question caught Silver Spoon off guard. She blushed, and turned back towards the view of the town. The grey mare remained silent for a moment, which worried Sweetie Belle.

"Wait, no, I didn't mean it like--"

"It's fine," Silver Spoon interrupted. "The view is amazing, the food looks fantastic. I can't believe you managed to find a night as perfect as this one in the winter."

"Well, what can I say? I guess I have a knack with this sort of stuff! I've become so much like my sister. I just know when something looks absolutely perfect, and how to take advantage of it," Sweetie Belle replied, smirking. She trotted up right beside Silver Spoon, and took a seat next to her. "Come on, let's eat! Don't want the food that I took ages to find go to waste!" Silver Spoon found herself giggling at Sweetie Belle.

The white mare had put out a jug of tea, two cups, a palette of crackers and cheese, and some hand picked daisies. The two ponies both knew it wasn't much, but Silver Spoon appreciated the gesture. She helped herself to a cupful of tea, and brought it towards her mouth. She blew the steam away, and took a sip. Sweetie Belle, on the other hand, was not so smart with her tea, and instead of blowing the heat away from her cup, she chugged the tea straight away. She immediately dropped the cup, but managed to gulp down the boiling hot beverage.

"A-are you okay?" Silver Spoon asked. Sweetie Belle nodded while coughing at the same time. Her tongue was dangling out of her mouth, trying to cool it off. She had undeniably burned her tongue. Silver Spoon couldn't help but stifle a laughter, but went the white mare's side and attempted to comfort her. "Of course you had to be the living proof of Murphy's Law." Sweetie Belle smiled stupidly at Silver Spoon, which made the latter's heart skip a beat. 

Silver Spoon found herself enjoying Sweetie Belle's company, despite having only spent a day with her; however, the day seemed to go by so slowly. She had felt so many feelings throughout the day that nopony has ever made her feel. She stared at the accident prone pony, and smiled at her, but the happy feeling soon dissipated. Once again, she had been caught off her guard by the innocent unicorn.

"Why are you doing this for me?" the grey mare interrogated. Sweetie Belle answered without even hesitating.

"Because I want to be friends," she declared.

"Yes, well, I know that. You've been talking about that all day." 

"Should there be another reason as to why I want to be your friend?" 

"Well, why don't you have another reason to?" Silver Spoon asked. That was the question that she had wanted to ask ever since Sweetie Belle made it her goal to become friends with her. She stared hard at the unicorn, patiently awaiting her reply. Sweetie Belle grinned.

"I don't want anything from you, Silver Spoon-- besides the fact that I want to be friends, so I guess I want your approval, but besides that, there's really nothing else. I just think you're a nice mare when you're not busy bullying other ponies. Really, anypony that I consider a friend is somepony who I think is really special and amazing. And besides, this picnic scheme doesn't necessarily relate to me, wanting to befriend you. You don't have to be friends with somepony to show them a little kindness. I mean, this place has the best view in all of Ponyville. Coming here relaxes me, and I just wanted to share this special place with you." 

"But--"

"Silver Spoon, believe me. I'd never use you. That's not what friends are for. You can ask for help when you need it, but you don't utilize other ponies as if they were objects. I just want to show you my world of possibilities that you can discover, and maybe later, if you're comfortable, you can share things with me," Sweetie Belle replied. She sounded completely honest, and there was no doubt in the world that she was being absolutely, one hundred percent, sincere. Silver Spoon kept quiet, which worried the purple maned pony. "W-well, you know, it's only been one day, so I don't expect you to--" 

"It's okay," Silver Spoon cut her off. "It's been less than a day, and your efforts have already been paying off. Truth be told, I really don't mind... your company or anything. In fact... I guess... it's not entirely bad having you with me, even though you always seem to find a way to get yourself caught up in life and death situations." 

"Hey! ... You know, if I was still... you know, 'untalented', I think my younger self would think being accident prone was my special talent," Sweetie Belle giggled. Silver Spoon found herself laughing at the white mare's joke as well, much to her surprise. The grey mare paused for a bit. She pursed her lips, and decided to release what was on her mind.

"Sweetie Belle..." she started. The white mare looked over at her. The moonlight illuminated Sweetie Belle's emerald eyes, catching the grey mare off guard. She shook her head and snapped out of it. "I think... I think I wouldn't mind being your friend." Sweetie Belle gaped at Silver Spoon.

"R-really?!" she shouted in excitement. She was jumping up and down, flapping her injured hooves all over the place. She didn't mind the pain, though. In fact, she didn't feel any pain. The happiness that bloomed inside of her washed the negative feelings all away. She went ahead and pounced on her new friend. She gave her the biggest hug anypony could experience, and much to Sweetie Belle's surprise, Silver Spoon hugged back.



Scootaloo stared at the scene from behind a tree. She made sure to keep her distance from the two mares, but was still at a place where she could witness everything. The orange pegasus released a smile. Sweetie Belle was happy. Scootaloo should've felt the same way, but why didn't she feel happy? Instead of feeling joy for her friend, she found that her chest tightened a bit. She had never felt that way before. She turned around. Scootaloo couldn't bear to watch another second of Sweetie Belle and Silver Spoon's hugfest. She slowly sat down on the cold, hard ground with her back leaning against a tree. Her heart pounded, tears welling up. 

And with a blink of an eye, the first teardrop was shed. 
> Interlude
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Whispered Words - Chapter Six


"But daaaaaaaad!" the spoiled, obnoxious fuchsia mare pleaded, "I don't want to go to school today! I'm still not fully healed yet! Take my temperature, watch me sleep! You can do anything that'd prove I'm sick, but I just don't want to go to school today!"

Filthy Rich shook his head. It was clear that Diamond Tiara was obviously well enough to go to school. Filthy Rich wanted her to go to school-- or rather, he was scared if she didn't go to school. Last time he had fallen for the same trick; one second, Diamond Tiara was violently smashing away at her keyboard, and before he knew it, there was a mob of enraged ponies at his doorstep, demanding to know why there were embarrassing pictures of themselves on the front cover of a newspaper. Filthy Rich shuddered in fear at the thought.

"You're not staying home. No means no. You're well enough to pull yourself over to the school, and I want you to get a proper education," he commanded. In truth, Filthy Rich felt guilty at forcing his sick daughter to go to school. As a parent, it pained him to not be able to get Diamond Tiara everything she wanted. The mare groaned. She trudged out of her bed and made her way to the bathroom to get ready. Filthy Rich sighed in relief. 



Sweetie Belle hummed a pleasant tune to herself as she stuffed her saddlebag with her school books. She couldn't get the date with Silver Spoon out of her head. The white mare felt ecstatic knowing she had made another friend. Sweetie Belle packed her lunch, which only consisted of the leftovers from the picnic the night before. After getting everything ready for school, she left the boutique-- skipping breakfast, as usual. 

However, besides fraternizing with Silver Spoon, she was also looking forward to Rarity's return. The fashionista was expected to arrive in Ponyville the next day at 6 pm, sharp. Before Sweetie Belle got too far into her train of thoughts, she saw her two best friends, waiting for her at their usual place: the playground at their elementary school. 

"Hey girls!" Sweetie Belle greeted. It didn't take a while before the white mare realized that Scootaloo didn't look so bright and happy. "Uh, Scootaloo? What's wrong?" Sweetie Belle tried putting a hoof against the pegasus's forehead with the intention of measuring her temperature, but the tom-pony simply pushed the hoof away.

"I'm fine, really," Scootaloo said unconvincingly. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom exchanged glances, but just shrugged it off. After all, they were really in no position to pry. Plus, the two mares believed that Scootaloo had no reason to lie to them, so they believed her.

In reality, Scootaloo felt sick to the stomach-- and not because of anything she ate. She was unable to shake the feeling of jealousy off of her chest. Her eyes still felt swollen from all of the tears she had shed the night before, but that morning, she had ensured her eyes looked perfectly normal before allowing herself to set off to the Crusaders' meeting place.

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were chatting away. Scootaloo was lagging behind, going unnoticed. She had lots on her mind as well, but most of her thoughts revolved around Sweetie Belle. The pegasus stared at Sweetie Belle from behind. She saw nothing but a bubbly unicorn who could make her laugh and smile any day. She heaved a heavy sigh, and tried to release her mind from all of her thoughts. She gave her head a little shake, and ran to catch up with her friends.

Another day like this, she thought.

> Chapter Six - A Deal?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Whispered Words - Chapter Six


It wasn't everyday that Scootaloo would get approached by Diamond Tiara and was able to make it out unscathed. It had surprised the orange pegasus that they'd managed to stand around in the hallway alone for ten minutes without screaming at each other or pulling each other's hairs out. 

"What do you want?" Scootaloo grumbled spitefully as she stared outside of the window. 

"Since when did you get so snarky?" Diamond Tiara scoffed, though she did not sound unpleased. Scootaloo rolled her eyes.

"So, what do you want?" Scootaloo asked again. Diamond Tiara took the pegasus's irritability as a sign to cut to the chase. She smirked to herself, clearly taking a liking to Scootaloo's uncharacteristic behaviour.  

"Let's become allies," Diamond Tiara suggested. 

"Allies for what exactly?" 

"Hmm? Isn't it obvious? I want my best friend back and you want..." Diamond Tiara shuddered, "Sweetie Belle back."

"Whoa whoa, slow down there princess," Scootaloo stopped her. "Don't bunch me up with yourself, okay? I'm fine with Sweetie Belle befriending Silver Spoon, so go take your one-sided feelings elsewhere."

Diamond Tiara remained unfazed, and simply chuckled menacingly. "Oh? And who are you to lecture me about one-sided feelings? You're a dump right now without Sweetie Belle, aren't you? I know for a fact that even you would want to get her back through whatever means necessary." 

"Like I said, don't bunch me-"

"So you're fine with Silver Spoon getting all 'buddy buddy' with her Sweetie?" Diamond Tiara teased. Scootaloo cringed at the thought of having her dear friend Sweetie Belle fall in love with someone they've considered an enemy for almost half a decade. 

No, that wasn't it. Scootaloo knew very well that it didn't matter whether or not Silver Spoon was the enemy. She just couldn't bear with having to part with best friend and first love. 

Scootaloo gave Diamond Tiara's offer a second thought. Although she had always held Sweetie Belle's happiness as her top priority, who was to say Scootaloo couldn't make her happy? 

Diamond Tiara noticed the surrendering look in Scootaloo's eyes. She stuck out a hoof and waited for the pegasus pony to seal the deal. Scootaloo sighed, but reluctantly took the hoof. 

"Scoots? Scoots, where are ya at?" a voice with a familiar country accent called. Apple Bloom turned around the corner at full speed and skidded to a full stop in front of Diamond Tiara and Scootaloo. Without missing a beat, she pressed her snout up against Diamond's, and gave her a menacing scowl.

"You! What are you doing here?" she asked with a growl. Diamond Tiara tried to back away in disgust, but Apple Bloom wouldn't let her close the distance. Diamond Tiara scoffed and prepared herself to put on yet another big act; however, she found her concentration being broken by the intervention of someone else.

"Drop it, Apple Bloom."

Scootaloo separated Apple Bloom from Diamond Tiara and pulled the former aside. Apple Bloom wore an astonished look on her face, but no words came out of her gaping mouth. 

"Diamond Tiara wasn't harassing me. There's nothing for you to worry about. Let's go, Apple Bloom," Scootaloo said swiftly. She dragged her friend across the hall to the nearest exit, but not before passing her own silent scowl to the spoiled mare who stood paralyzed behind her.