> New Discoveries
>  by Phantom Shadow
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1: Best Friends
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“Are you sure this is a good idea, Scootaloo?” asked Apple Bloom, a hint of worry in her voice.

“Trust me, this is going to work!” exclaimed the enthusiastic orange Pegasus, “Besides, we’ve tried everything else, so this has got to work!”

“I sure hope you’re right,” said Sweetie Belle, nervousness also evident in her tone.

Scootaloo made sure the harness around her waist was tightly secured.  Next, she placed her helmet on her head and strapped it up snugly.  Then, she made sure the elastic rope attached to the end of her harness was securely wrapped around a tree nearby.

When all the preparations were set, she walked over to the ledge of the cliff face that she and her friends were near.  Scootaloo felt the blood in her tiny veins begin to flow and her heart starting to race; the adrenaline was beginning to rise.  Her tiny orange wings began fluttering with anticipation with what she was about to do as a determined smile came across her face.

“Alright, here goes nothing,” she said as she began to back up.  While she did, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom began biting their lips, worry and fear beginning to kick in.

Then, Scootaloo began running to the ledge with all the strength her little legs could muster.  Right before she reached the ledge, she yelled out, “CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS BUNGEE JUMPERS!”

Scootaloo leaped into the air as far she could.  Then, she looked down and, in the split second that she did, she saw the ground coming at her almost too quickly for comfort.  Before she had any time to think or react, her face went into the ground, causing her nose to be buried into the dirt.  Her flank was raised into the air and her tail swayed to one side.

Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom walked over to the ledge and looked at Scootaloo, who didn't seem to move at all.

“Are you alright, Scootaloo?” asked Apple Bloom in her southern accent.  Scootaloo didn’t answer, nor did she move.

“Maybe we should have made the rope a little bit shorter,” suggested Sweetie Belle.

“Or we should have jumped from a higher ledge,” added Apple Bloom.

Just as the two shrugged, Scootaloo’s body fell flat as she groaned in pain. 





“Ah told ya it wasn’t gonna work,” said Apple Bloom, as she went into a small chest and pulled out a white handkerchief.

The three of them were in their clubhouse now, located in a secluded area of Sweet Apple Acres.  Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom had helped Scootaloo to the clubhouse and were getting ready to mend to their injured friend.

“For Celestia’s sake!” shouted Scootaloo, holding her nose to help stop the bleeding, “I was sure that was going to work!  What's it going to take for us to get a Cutie Mark!  We’ve tried everything we could think of.  No matter what we do, we still keep coming up ‘blank flanks!’  I can’t think of anything else we can do to get our Cutie Marks!”

“Maybe we should try something a little less dangerous,” suggested Sweetie Belle, as she came into the main room with a box of bandages.  Scootaloo had really hurt herself badly for such a short drop distance.

Apple Bloom gave Scootaloo the handkerchief, which she held firmly on her nose.  All the while, Sweetie Belle took up a few bandages and placed them on the newly-cleaned cuts on her forehead.

“Thanks a bunch, guys,” said Scootaloo, as she wiped her nose with the cloth, “It really means a lot to me.”

“No problem, Scoots,” said Apple Bloom, “We are the Cutie Mark Crusaders.  We look after each other no matter what, right Sweetie Belle?”

“Right!” exclaimed the white unicorn, as she leaped up in glee.

“Now then,” said the Pegasus, “What else can we do to earn our Cutie Marks?”

The three of them sat in the clubhouse and thought about it for a while.  They began thinking of things they haven’t tried doing, all the while, keeping their safety and well-being a priority.

“Why don’t we try vegetable gardening!” suggested Apple Bloom.

“Nah, that sounds too boring,” said Scootaloo, “We need to find something more action-packed and exciting, just like Rainbow Dash!  Besides, there are plenty of ponies around Ponyville with some sort of fruit or vegetable on their flanks!  Who needs another?”

They thought in silence some more.

“How about something simpler,” said Sweetie Belle, “Like flower-picking or something?”

“Ugh!” exclaimed Scootaloo, “What part of ‘action-packed and exciting’ didn’t you understand!”

“Alright, then,” said Apple Bloom, “What do you have in mind?”

“Something like demolition or race car driving!” said Scootaloo, as she began jumping around the clubhouse, “You know, something that will really get your heart racing and your body pumped!”

“I think you’ve hit your head a little too hard out there,” said Sweetie Belle, placing her hooves on Scootaloo’s shoulders, “You just injured yourself not even ten minutes ago, and now you want to do it again?”

“Don’t worry about me,” said Scootaloo as a determined look came across her face, “I’m fine.  Besides, I’m not going to let a small injury like this stand in my way from earning my Cutie Mark!”

Sweetie Belle, with a worried look still on her face, let out a soft sigh.  Scootaloo noticed this and smiled again.  Then, she walked over to her and gave her a small hug.  This caused Sweetie Belle to blush uncontrollably.

“I appreciate your concern, Sweetie Belle,” she said, “But you shouldn’t worry about me so much.”

Sweetie Belle said nothing.  All she could do was return the hug to her friend.  All the while, something began to develop deep inside of her.  She didn’t know what it was, but it caused her heart to race and her cheeks to go from bright pink to a small shade of red.  She prayed that neither Scootaloo nor Apple Bloom noticed.

After they released their embrace, Scootaloo said, “Man, all this thinking is making me hungry!  What say you guys to a treat at Sugar Cube Corner?”

“Alright!” said Apple Bloom, “I could go for a cupcake right 'bout now!”

“Okay,” said Scootaloo, “Last one there’s a rotten dragon egg!”

“Yer on!”

As Scootaloo and Apple Bloom raced out the clubhouse door, Sweetie Belle trailed behind them, her cheeks still a shade of bright red.
> Chapter 2: Unusual Behavior
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The Cutie Mark Crusaders ran from their clubhouse, past the main part of Sweet Apple Acres, all the way to the town of Ponyville.  It was clearly a great day, for almost everypony was walking around, a smile on all their faces.  The streets were filled with fillies and colts, mares and stallions, all of them busy doing their daily rounds.  Carts of hay and other assortments were being hauled while other ponies went in and out of stores and shops, tending to their everyday lives.

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo continued to race each other down the road, one trying to outdo the other.  All the while, Sweetie Belle trailed behind, appearing to be lost in her own thoughts.  She didn't know what was happening to her, or why it was happening at all, but something was building up deep inside of her, something that she hadn't felt in her entire life.

Surprisingly enough, Sweetie Belle managed to keep up with her fellow Crusaders, as the three of them entered the doors of Sugar Cube Corner.  Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard her two friends beginning to bicker with one another.

"I totally beat you!" said Scootaloo, as she pointed a hoof at Apple Bloom.

"Yeah, right," said Apple Bloom, "Ah clearly came in before you!"

Glaring at one another, both of them said in unison, "Sweetie Belle, who won?"

"Oh...um...huh?" asked a startled Sweetie Belle.  She hadn't really been paying attention to anything, let alone who won their race.  She hadn't even been paying attention when the two of them asked her the question.

As a result, all Sweetie Belle could say was, "Oh...um...YES!"

Trying to keep her composure, she walked in between the two fillies, her eyes closed and a smile across her face.  As she approached the counter, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom shot each other confused glances.

"Is something wrong with Sweetie Belle?" asked Scootaloo.

"Ah don't know," said Apple Bloom, "Maybe we should ask her."

"Sure, but after we order our treats," said the Pegasus pony, "Because I'm starving."

With that said, the three fillies walked up to the counter and began deciding what they wanted to snack on.  Before any of them could even fathom a thought, they were almost scared to death as a pink pony, seemingly, bounced out of thin air and stood by their sides.

"HI GIRLS!" shouted the pink party pony.

"Oh, uh, hi Pinkie Pie," said a nervous Apple Bloom, "Where did you come from?"

"Duh, I do work here, you know," said Pinkie Pie, a smile on her face, "I'm here all the time, you silly filly!"

Scootaloo rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, what can I get for you and your friends," she asked the three fillies.

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo looked at each other and said, "A dozen cupcakes!"

"Okie-dokie-lokie!  You're in luck, for I just made a fresh batch this morning.  I think you girls are going to like these, especially YOU, Scootaloo!"

With that, Pinkie Pie bounced off behind the counter and into the kitchen.  As Scootaloo and Apple Bloom watched her bounce away, they noticed Sweetie Belle was already sitting at a table, waiting for them.  As the two ponies approached the table, they noticed the Sweetie Belle was staring out the window, a worried expression on her face.

"Hey, Sweetie Belle," said Scootaloo, as she sat down, "Are you alright?"

"Huh?" asked Sweetie Belle, as she was pulled from whatever trance she was in.

"You haven't been yerself since we left the clubhouse," said Apple Bloom "Is somethin' botherin' you?"

"No," said Sweetie Belle, as she smiled a weary smile, "I've just been...well...thinking, that's all."

"What about?" asked Scootaloo.

"Oh, it's nothing important," Sweetie Belle fibbed.

"Come on, Sweetie," said Apple Bloom, "You can tell us!"

Sweetie Belle looked around nervously.  Truth be told, not even she knew what she was thinking about at that moment.  One thing was certain, though: being questioned by her friends wasn't helping at all.  She tried to think of something to get them off her back.  Almost immediately, an idea came to mind.

"I was just thinking of ways to earn our Cutie Marks," she said, smiling nervously, "Yeah, that's it!  Ways to earn our Cutie Marks."

Scootaloo raised an eyebrow.  "How is that 'nothing important'?"

"Well..." began Sweetie Belle.

Before she could answer, and much to Sweetie Belle's relief, Pinkie Pie returned with a plate of cupcakes in her mouth.  She set it on the table and smiled.

"Hope you girls like these," said Pinkie Pie, a wide grin on her face, "I just made them this morning!  Wait, I said that already!"

Scootaloo's eyes widened with surprise and joy as she gazed upon the rainbow cupcakes with rainbow-colored frosting.  Apple Bloom was also taken aback by their beauty.  Sweetie Belle didn't pay much attention to them; she was just relieved that she was able to avoid talking to Scootaloo and Apple Bloom at the moment to notice.

"These look delicious!" said Apple Bloom.

"They almost look like Rainbow Dash!" exclaimed Scootaloo.

Pinkie Pie only stood there, a huge grin still across her face.  They both took the hint that she was waiting for them to try the cupcakes.  Without hesitation, both Scootaloo and Apple Bloom took a cupcake and bit into them.  They tasted positively delicious!

"This is really good!" said Apple Bloom as she took another bite.  Scootaloo only nodded in agreement.

Pinkie, satisfied that her friends were satisfied, bounced off to the kitchen to help the other patrons with their orders.

As the two of them munched on their baked goods, Sweetie Belle only sat and stared at the cupcakes in front of her.  She wasn't hungry, mainly because her thoughts were racing through her head.  Strangely enough, she felt her heart race and the feeling beginning to intensify every time she looked at Scootaloo.  Did she have something to do with it, or was it a strange coincidence?

"Um...Sweetie Belle?" asked Scootaloo, snapping her out of her trance again.  It was only then did Sweetie Belle realize that she had been staring at Scootaloo.  Nervously, she turned her head, trying to hide her blushing cheeks.

"Are you sure everything's alright?" asked Apple Bloom, "It's not like you to be so quiet like this.  If something's botherin' you, you should just tell us!"

"I'm fine, trust me," said the nervous unicorn.  Sweetie Belle thought for a moment.  She needed help, she needed to talk to somepony about this; somepony that she could really trust with something like this.  Fortunately for her, she knew exactly who to talk to.

"Hey, guys," said Sweetie Belle, "I just remembered, I promised my sister that I'd help her with some...um...things...around the Boutique today, so I'll have to catch up with you guys later."

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom shot each other unsure glances and then looked back at Sweetie Belle.  Before anypony could say anything, Sweetie Belle got up and began trotting over to the door.  The two of them watched as she trotted to the door and walked out of the bakery.  However, they noticed that, once she had left the building, her trot became a gallop and had disappeared from sight.

Again, the two of them exchanged unsure glances at one another.

"Something's definitely wrong," whispered Scootaloo, "First of all, Rarity would never ask Sweetie Belle for help around the boutique.  Secondly, why would she just run off like that?"

"Maybe we should check up on her," suggested Apple Bloom, "You know, just to make sure she's okay and all."

"And we will," said Scootaloo, as she shoved another bite of cupcake in her mouth, "But first, let's not let these super delicious cupcakes go to waste!"
> Chapter 3: The Answer
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Sweetie Belle galloped away from the bakery all the way to her and her sister's home, known as The Carousel Boutique. It was a dress-maker's shop that her sister, Rarity, owned and operated. She made beautiful dresses and lovely gowns of different varieties and styles.

As she approached, she opened the door and quickly closed it behind her. Then, she looked out the window of the shop to make sure she wasn't followed. When she was satisfied that she wasn't followed by her fellow Crusaders, she sighed in relief and began heading to the living quarters above the shop.

When she reached the top floor, she turned right down the hallway and made her way to her sister’s work room.  When she got there, she saw Rarity, a white unicorn with a lovely purple mane and three diamonds as her Cutie Mark, rushing back and forth; no doubt working on a new outfit or clothing line for a client. Sweetie Belle walked into the room, which Rarity called her "inspiration room", sat on the floor in the corner and watched.

As her sister ran back and forth across the room, Sweetie Belle sighed with relief. One benefit of having a sister who was an important seamstress was that she was always too busy to really listen to her. She could tell her anything at this point, but her attention would be on her work to really listen to her. As a direct result, she felt that she could really talk to her and get some of this off her chest, whatever it was.

"Hey, sis," she said, a small flicker of a smile on her face, "How are you?"

"Hello, Sweetie Belle," said Rarity as she levitated three massive rolls of fabric with her magic, not making eye contact with her, "How was your day with your friends?"

"Fine," Sweetie answered, as she continued to watch her work. She sat and watched in silence for a while, making sure Rarity was really in depth with her work to be really paying attention to her. After several minutes of saying nothing, she was convinced that Rarity was too busy to notice her presence.

"Um, Rarity," she began to say, her heart racing, "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course, darling," Rarity said as she began measuring and cutting a piece of lavender fabric.

"Well, I was wondering if you can help me with something," Sweetie Belle said as she twiddled her forehooves on the ground.

"Okay," Rarity said, still not looking at her.

"I was hanging out with my friends when something happened. Something that I really don't know anything about," she explained, "I've been feeling a bit...strange...and I don't really know why I started feeling this way."

"Uh-huh," said Rarity, as she began putting away some fabric she no longer needed.

"I can't really explain what it is that happened, but my heart begins to race and my cheeks begin to feel really hot," she continued as she rubbed her cheek with a hoof.

At this point, Rarity began operating her sewing machine, carefully stitching a part of her new outfit together. As she began feeding the fabric through, Sweetie Belle began to think about something. She wasn't sure if she should mention anypony's name in this whole ordeal; Celestia forbid that she was actually paying any attention to her.

"Well, it all started when...um...a...a new friend I made...," she fibbed, not sure of how to put it, "They...um...gave me...a...a...a hug, and..."

Sweetie Belle stopped in mid-sentence when she heard a sound she didn't want to hear: the sewing machine turning off. Her heart began racing and sweat began forming around her forehead; Rarity was listening to her, or at least enough to catch her attention.

Rarity had widened eyes and a shocked expression on her face when turned and faced her younger sister. She stood there by her desk, not sure if she had heard Sweetie Belle correctly.

"What did you say, dear?" she asked as she slowly trotted over to her.

A feeling of discomfort began to overflow through the small filly's body as she began backing away from her sister. She backed up into the wall, knowing there was nowhere left to go. Her eyes shifted back and forth, hoping to find some kind of exit. Much to her despair, there was no way of avoiding the older, white unicorn.

"Oh...uh...it's nothing," she fibbed, still looking for a way out of the mess she was in, "It's just small stuff, you know. Besides, I've wasted enough of your time as it is, so I'll just leave you alone and..."

She began bolting for the door, hoping to make it before it was too late. However, using the magic that she possessed, Rarity closed the door, causing Sweetie Belle to knock her head into it. She stood there, slightly disorientated from the impact.

"Not so fast, little sister," said Rarity with a coy look on her face, "Did you say you were 'hugged' by a 'new friend?'"

Sweetie Belle regained her focus as she came face-to-face with her sister. Rarity had a smile on her face and a look in her eyes like she knew something about all this. The very sight of her sister like this sent chills down the filly's spine.

"Well..." she said, crouching down on her legs, "...it's not a big deal...really! It was just a friendly hug, that’s all."

The look never left Rarity's face. "And, did you also say that you felt 'strange feelings' afterward?"

Almost in a defeated manor, the small filly lowered her head and nodded.

"What kind of feelings?" Rarity asked, "Be specific for I might be able to help you."

Sweetie Belle looked down at her hooves and said, "Well...my heart races...my cheeks feel really warm...I become at a loss of words...I'm staring into emptiness...it's almost like time just...stands still...I guess."

When she was finished, Rarity backed off and let out a soft giggle. What part of all this was amusing to her? Did she know what was wrong, or was she just playing around?

"Oh, this is just marvelous, Sweet'ums!" she said, turning her back on her in an attempt to suppress her giggling, "I cannot believe that it's happening so soon! It's just unbelievable!"

Sweetie Belle was able to stand up straight again, but the fear and worry never left. "You know what this is? What is it and how do you know about it?"

"Well, Sweetie," she said, as she turned to look at her sister, "I may be busy with my dresses and latest fashion designs, but there are times when I'm not busy. When they do arise, I do tend to do some light reading. As a result, I know what's happening to you and, although I am a bit jealous, I simply cannot believe it's actually happening! This is absolutely marvelous, dear!"

"What?" asked Sweetie Belle, "What's happening? What is it?"

"Oh, my dear, sweet sister," said Rarity with a huge smile on her face, "It seems you've fallen in love!"

The world came to a perpetual stand-still as the words left her mouth. Everything that Sweetie Belle ever thought was racing through her mind and was flashing before her eyes. Apparently, there were several things wrong with what was happening right now. For starters, she was in love, something she was not used to, aside from family love. Secondly, her sister knew about this and, for some reason that terrified her. Lastly, unknown to Rarity, these feelings were all directed to one pony: Scootaloo.

Unable to make heads or tails on anything else at the moment, Sweetie Belle, feeling very light-headed and dizzy, blacked out and collapsed on the floor.
> Chapter 4: Sisterly Reassurance
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"Sweetie Belle! Sweetie Belle!" a distant voice called out to her. It sounded very distant, yet so close. However, all she could see at the moment was black. Slowly, she opened her eyes to see the white unicorn standing over her.

Sweetie Belle's eyes fluttered as she slowly began to take in where she was at the moment. Her vision was still blurry and her head was aching like nothing she'd ever felt before. As she sat up, she looked around to see that she was in her own bed.

"What...what happened?" she asked, as she rubbed a hoof on her head where her small horn was protruding.

"Oh, Sweetie Belle! Thank Celestia you're alright!" exclaimed Rarity as she wrapped her hooves around her sister, "You fainted before and I was worried that you wouldn't wake up! I was just about to call Twilight Sparkle for help, but then you started stirring around so I knew you were alright."

Sweetie Belle continued to rub her aching head. "How did I get here? What happened?"

"I brought you here, of course. You fell to the floor after you told me about what had happened to you yesterday."

The realization hit her like a slap in the face as the memories came rushing back to her. Unsure of what to say, she gazed out the window to see Luna's moon hovering overhead.

"How long was I out for?" she asked, not taking her eyes off the moon.

"For a while," said Rarity, "I was really worried about you so I didn't leave your side until I was certain you were alright."

Sweetie Belle rested her head back on the pillow, hoping it'd ease the tension in her head. She started to feel her heart beginning to speed up as the worry she had felt earlier began coming back.

"Thanks for helping me, sis," said Sweetie Belle as she closed her eyes softly.

"It's quite alright, dear," she replied, "Are you hungry? How about I make you something to eat?"

Sweetie Belle only nodded, as Rarity turned and began walking of the room. Before she left, she smiled and said, "I love you."

"I love you, too," she replied, as she turned to her side, "I'll be right down."

"No, no," Rarity said, "I'll bring it to you. I need you to get some rest."

With that, she closed the door over and began making her way to the kitchen. When Sweetie Belle was certain her sister was out of earshot, she let out a loud groan.

"What am I going to do?" she asked, loudly enough for only her to hear, "It just can't be possible, can it? I mean, I've never felt this way about Scootaloo before. Why now, why all of a sudden? There's got to be a reasonable explanation for all this."

Unsure of what else to do, she lied on her back and stared at the ceiling. She began to think back to the events that happened yesterday. She recalled all the times before that, when her and her fellow Crusaders hung out, trying desperately to fit all the pieces of this strange puzzle together. Try as she might, she couldn't think of a single thing to justify her feelings for Scootaloo.

"Maybe Rarity's wrong," she said after a seemingly long moment, "Maybe this isn't love. Maybe it's just our friendship getting stronger or something. I mean, come on! Scootaloo is a filly, I'm a filly! It's just not logical for me to fall in love with-"

Before she could finish her thought, the door slowly crept open and Rarity walked in. Using her magic, she held a tray that consisted of a daffodil and daisy sandwich, a small glass of milk and a shiny red apple. She walked over to her and placed the tray on a bedside table.

"Here you go, Sweet'ums" she said with a smile on her face.

"Thanks," said Sweetie Belle as she picked up the sandwich and took a bite. As she ate, Rarity sat on her haunches, waiting for her to finish. It was apparent that she was really worried about her; either that or she was waiting for her to finish so she could begin some sort of interrogation session. She decided not to worry about the latter of the two; she had had a rough day already and dwelling on negative thoughts wasn't going to help.

When she finished eating, she placed all of her trash on the tray and rested her head on the pillow. She felt a little better now that she ate something, but she knew the brief relief wasn't going to last, even though she hoped it would.

"Alright, Sweetie," said Rarity, "Now I want you to get some rest. We have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow and I want you to be all rested up."

A lump began forming in her stomach. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, I want to know more about this 'new friend' of yours, so we're going to talk about it tomorrow. Maybe you could introduce me to him."

"NO!" shouted Sweetie Belle, feeling the food she just ate ready to return into her mouth.

Rarity was taken aback by her sudden outburst. Quickly, Sweetie Belle decided to try and recover from it.

"I mean, don't you have a dress order you need to work on or something?" asked the nervous filly, "Surely you wouldn't have the time to talk to me and get it done, right?"

"Actually, it's funny that you brought that up," said Rarity, with a smile, "Because I was so worried about you when you fainted, I called the client and postponed the order until a later time."

"WHAT?" her small voice cracked.

"You see, Sweetie," she explained, lowering her head, "Ever since the ‘Sisterhooves Social’ we attended, I've been doing a lot of thinking and I came to a simple conclusion."

Sweetie Belle felt her stomach rumble in a very uncomfortable way.

"I swore to myself that I would never put my work before my family or friends again! You mean more to me than some dress that I can make in no time. Besides, there will always be more clientele at a later time. I mean, it's not like I cancelled the order or anything."

"You're too kind," Sweetie mumbled in a near sarcastic tone. She remembered when she made a big deal about the two of them spending more quality time together. Although she did enjoy spending time with her sister since then, it was only now that she began to regret it.

"I was going to ask you about it now, but given your circumstance, I had a feeling you wouldn't be too apt to talk about it," Rarity said, as she used her magic to levitate the tray, "So, we will talk about it tomorrow. Maybe you can introduce me to your new friend! Of course, if you do go see him, you'll need something presentable to wear, but we'll worry about that tomorrow!"

As she opened the door to the bedroom, she smiled and said, "I'm just so happy that you've fallen in love with somepony. You don't need to worry, dear. I'll do everything in my power to help you through this! Now, get some rest and I'll see you in the morning."

With that, she closed the door behind her, leaving her sister to get some rest. Sweetie Belle looked at the door, her heart racing and a feeling of sickness rushing over her.

"What am I going to do now?" she asked aloud, as she rested her head in her forehooves, "I can't tell her the truth but I can't avoid her either! There's got to be some way I can get out of this!"

Still feeling a bit dizzy from what happened earlier, she rested her head on her pillow and lay on her side. She didn't know what to do to avoid Rarity.

"Maybe she'll forget the whole thing by tomorrow," she said as she let out a soft yawn, "Maybe she'll be too wrapped up in some sort of project to remember."

With nothing else to do, she closed her eyes and drifted off into sleep, praying that she would be able to avoid whatever Rarity had planned for tomorrow.
> Chapter 5: Confrontation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Sweetie Belle's eyes fluttered as the sunlight woke her the next morning. The sun peaked through her window and beamed down on the tiny filly, causing her to wake up. When she was up, she stretched and decided to make her way to the kitchen for some breakfast. However, before she opened her bedroom door, she froze in mid-step.

She remembered what had happened last night and what Rarity had said to her. She wanted to talk to her about the "new friend" she had made up and was very keen on meeting him. Sweetie Belle's heart began to race. The last thing she wanted was to be confronted about all this. There had to be some way to avoid her, slip out the door without Rarity seeing her.

Just then, a thought came to mind. She decided to try and slip out the back door without Rarity knowing she left. Although she didn't want to deceive her sister like that, she knew it was easier to apologize later than explain what happened now.

"Okay, I can do this," she whispered to herself, "She's probably in the kitchen right now, either preparing breakfast or waiting for me. In either case, I just have to slip out the back and I'll be free!"

As she opened the door, her heart froze in an instant as she gasped in surprise. Standing there was Rarity, her hoof raised in the air like she was ready to knock on the door at the same exact moment as she was opening it.

"Oh, good morning, Sweetie," she said as she lowered her hoof and smiled, "I was just about to come get you. Breakfast is waiting for us downstairs."

"Yeah...thanks," she muttered, as she slowly began trotting to the kitchen, her sister trailing behind.

Well, so much for that, she thought, as the two of them entered the kitchen. Still, there has to be a way to avoid talking about it. My best option is to not bring it up. Maybe she forgot all about it!

They both sat at the table and enjoyed their breakfast together. The two of them sat in silence the entire time, hardly making eye contact with each other. Sweetie Belle tried her best to put on a smile, but it was pretty obvious that it was more forced than it was natural.

After breakfast was done, the two unicorns began cleaning up. Sweetie Belle put the dishes in the sink while Rarity began cleaning up the rest. While the older of the two began rinsing the plates, Sweetie Belle began to trot out of the room as quietly and softly as she could, praying all the while that Rarity didn't hear her.

It doesn’t seem like she remembered, she thought as a feeling of victory came across her.  All I have to do is get out of here and I’ll be...

"Not so fast, Sweet'ums" Rarity called in singsong, freezing the filly in her tracks, "We still need to talk, remember?"

"How can I forget?" she mumbled, letting out a sigh of defeat. At this point, any chance of escaping seemed hopeless. She figured that it was best to face her sister now, even though she didn't want to nor did she know how to break it to her.

After she cleaned the plates and the rest of the kitchen, Rarity brought Sweetie Belle to her "inspiration room" again. When they got there, Rarity closed the door and sat on her haunches in front of the small filly.

"So," began Rarity, "Do tell me how you met this colt-friend of yours."

Sweetie's heart beat so hard that she could have sworn it skipped a beat. "Colt-friend? Whoever said it was a colt-friend?"

"Call him whatever you like," she said, "Just tell me how you two met."

Sweetie began shifting her eyes back and forth. She tried to think of a good story, at least one to get her older sister off her back for a while.

"We just met...at...at..." she stammered, fishing her mind for a place. Then, she blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "...at Sugar Cube Corner."

"Really?" asked Rarity, "Such an odd place to meet, but I suppose it's romantic nonetheless."

"Yeah," Sweetie muttered, "Romantic."

"Anyway, does he have his Cutie Mark yet?"

"No." The answer seemed to flow naturally since Scootaloo didn't have her Cutie Mark.

"Aww, how sweet," said Rarity as she closed her eyes in a romantic manor, "You two already have something in common! That's important in any relationship, you know."

The young filly shuttered at the word "relationship". In fact, the way Rarity was making such a big deal about this was causing her to shutter.

"So, do you plan on seeing him again?" Almost immediately, she let out a giggle and face-hoofed. "Why would I even ask a silly question like that? Of course you plan to see him again."

Sweetie Belle shifted her weight in an uncomfortable manor. She tried to look her sister in the eyes but was terrified to do so, mainly because she was afraid that Rarity would see through the lies she was telling.

"Well, if you're going to meet him again, you'll need to wear something presentable!" exclaimed Rarity, "Don't you worry, Sweet'ums. I'll whip you up something proper for your get-together with..."

Rarity stopped in mid-sentence as realization struck. "You know what? You never did tell me his name."

If it wasn't for the fact that she was totally scared and nervous, she probably would have screamed. Her eyes turned into tiny marbles as sweat began drizzling down her face. Out of all the questions she could have asked, this was the heaviest of them all.

"Well," Rarity prompted, "What's the lucky colt's name, dear?"

"Oh...uh...it's...it's...um..." she stammered, her eyes shooting back and forth like bullets. On a normal occasion, she probably would have said the first name she thought of; colt names were not that hard to think of. However, given the circumstances she was in, every time she was about to say a name, her thoughts all drew back to the same name: Scootaloo.

As the filly continued to stammer, Rarity raised an eyebrow and cocked her head. "You DO know his name, don't you, Sweetie?"

"Of course I do. It's...um..."

Her thoughts were just screaming the name over and over again.

"It's..."

Scootaloo

"It's..."

Scootaloo

"It's..."

SCOOTALOO

Unable to say anything, she blurted out the only thing that sounded relatively close, but distant at the same time. However, it came out almost like a question rather than a statement.

"...Scott?"

"Scott?" asked Rarity, her eyebrow still raised.

"Yeah," she quickly replied, "Scott."

Rarity tapped a hoof on her chin, lost in thought. "I didn't know there was a 'Scott' in Ponyville. Is he new to town?"

"Yeah, yeah, that's it!" she exclaimed, "He's not from here! He's from...um...somewhere else, somewhere far away from Ponyville!"

"Well, that's nice, I think," said Rarity, "Anyway, when are you going to introduce me to Scott?"

Sweetie Belle replied, "Soon."

Rarity, quite shocked at her response, asked, "You mean you're not seeing him today?"

"No! I'm going...Crusading today...with...with Apple Bloom and...and..."

Now this was very unusual for her. Just two seconds ago, her mind would have had her shout the name out at the top of her lungs. Now, she couldn't bring herself to say it.

"Scootaloo?" asked Rarity, raising her eyebrow again.

"Yeah," she said, lowering her head.

Unable to do anything, Rarity shrugged and said, "Very well, then."

A feeling of relief rushing over her, Sweetie Belle smiled and began bolting out the door, almost too fast for comfort. Rarity watched as the young filly ran out of the room, down the stairs and out the front door. An unsure look began to grow on her face as she looked out the window, watching her sister run into town.

"I don't feel comfortable about this, Opalescence," she said, talking to her pet cat that was sleeping underneath the window, "I need to know more about this 'Scott' pony, but how?"

She tapped her hoof on her chin again. "Sweetie Belle seems reluctant to talk to me, no doubt feeling uncomfortable about my approval. So, I need to find out from somepony else, somepony who I can trust with this kind of information and who can give me the information I need...and I know just who to ask about this."

With that, she took a saddle bag, put a notebook and a pen inside, placed it on her back and made her way into Ponyville, hoping her 'source' would be able to tell her everything about this mysterious pony named Scott.
> Chapter 6: Searching
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Rarity walked from the Carousel Boutique all the way to Sugar Cube Corner. If anypony that was new arrived to town, Pinkie Pie would be the first one to know about it. First of all, she knew just about everypony in Ponyville. Secondly, if Sweetie Belle met Scott in the bakery like she said she did, she'd be the first to realize it.

Praying that Sweetie hadn't 'Pinkie Promised' the party pony not to say anything, Rarity entered the sweets shop and was immediately greeted by the hyperactive earth pony.

"Hey, Rarity!" she shouted, bouncing up and down in front of her, "How've you been?"

"Just fine, Pinkie, dear," she said, smiling at her, "How's business?"

"Great! Everypony seems to LOVE the new cupcakes I made! Care to try one?"

Before Rarity could even blink, the pink pony disappeared in a blur and reappeared with a tray in her mouth. On it was a single rainbow cupcake with rainbow frosting.  Pinkie Pie set the tray down on a nearby table and smiled widely at the fashionista. Rarity, not really here to try them, decided to be polite and took the pastry with her magic. Noticing the anticipation in Pinkie's face, she took a nibble at the sweet pastry.

"My, my, my," she said, licking some remaining frosting from her lips, "This is simply divine! What did you put in it that made it so delectable?"

"Sorry, trade secret," she said, winking at her, "Glad you like it, though!"

Rarity placed the cupcake down and pulled out the notebook and pen from her saddle bag. "Pinkie, there's a couple of things I need to ask you, if I may."

"Sure thing," Pinkie said, sitting on her haunches.

"Mind if we talk somewhere more private, dear?"

"Okie-dokie-lokie!"

With that, the two of them made their way into the kitchen. Since the shop was nearly empty, save for a few ponies sitting and eating their baked goods, they had some time to talk without any disruptions.

"Pinkie Pie," said Rarity, "You know just about everypony in town, yes?"

"Of course," said Pinkie with a smile.

"Well, I need to know if you know a pony that goes by the name of 'Scott.'"

Pinkie opened her mouth in preparation to say something. However, she stopped and thought for a moment. She began tapping her hoof on her chin, her eyes searching around the room.

"Scott?" she asked, "I don't recall hearing about anypony named 'Scott.'"

"Well, my sister did say that he was new to town," commented Rarity, "Are you sure you've never heard of him. Did you see anypony come in here with my sister recently?"

Pinkie nodded. "I saw her come in here with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo yesterday. Sweetie Belle was there, but she looked a little, you know, 'out-of-it.' She didn't even try my super delicious cupcakes!"

"'Out-of-it?'" Rarity asked, jotting all she was told in her notebook with her magic. "How would you describe her behavior? Try to be specific, please."

"Well," she began, thinking back, "She seemed a little preoccupied, like she wasn't all there. She stared out the window, didn't really say much, hardly made eye contact with anypony, even her own friends! Something just didn't feel right about her. Is she okay?  Is she sick or something?  If she is, do you think we can throw a party for her?  Ohhh, that’s a great idea!  A ‘get-well-soon’ party!  I’m sure that’ll..."

Rarity closed her notebook quickly, the loud sound causing Pinkie Pie to stop her hyper babble.  When she fell silent, Rarity said, "I'll tell you, but you have to promise not to say anything to anypony."

"I promise," she said, reciting her famous promise, "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!"

Rarity looked around the room, making sure no one was there. Then, she said in a low whisper, "Sweetie Belle has fallen in love with somepony named Scott. She said that she met him here. Are you sure you didn't see anypony with her?"

"I'm pretty sure," she replied, "Maybe she met him outside when she left or something. I was too busy inside to notice what happened after she left. Maybe her friends would know! If she told anypony about a friend, especially a love interest, they'd be the first to know!"

"Maybe," said Rarity, "I guess I'll pay a visit to Applejack. Thanks for all the help, Pinkie, dear."

"No problem, Rarity," the pink party pony replied, "Oh, and don't worry; you're secret is safe with me!"

"Thank you," said Rarity, as she made her way to the exit, "By the way, thanks for the cupcake. It was really delectable!" 





"What in tarnation are ya talkin' 'bout?" the orange earth pony asked. She and Rarity were in the fields of Sweet Apple Acres. While Rarity sat on her haunches, the blonde-mane southern workhorse bucked a nearby tree with her hind legs, causing the apples that were in it to fall into neatly placed baskets all around it.

"Please, Applejack," said the white unicorn, holding her notebook out, "You need to tell me everything you know. I'm pretty sure your sister has told you something...anything!"

"Apple Bloom doesn't say anything that her and her friends are up to," said Applejack as she trotted over to another tree, "and ah don't go snoopin' into her business, either! Ah respect her privacy, just like you should respect Sweetie Belle's."

"You don't understand," said Rarity, "I'm just looking out for my sister, that's all. I wouldn't be doing this if I wasn't concerned."

"Beg yer pardon, Rarity," said AJ, "What do ya mean by 'concerned?' She's just gotta crush on somepony. Ain't nothin' to be concerned about, if ya ask me."

Rarity lowered her head in shame. "It is if you're in my position."

Applejack, having just bucked another tree, looked over to see a defeated Rarity. She looked really upset over something, almost like she was ready to cry.

"What do ya mean?" she asked as she stopped bucking the tree and sat next to her.

"Do you remember the Grand Galloping Gala, what happened with me and Prince Blueblood?" she asked, her voice low and soft.

"Of course ah do, sugar cube," she said, "That no good jerk treated you like mud!"

"Exactly!" said Rarity, looking at AJ, "I was heartbroken by a jerk that I hardly even knew! I don't want Sweetie Belle, my own flesh and blood, traveling down that same path! She doesn't deserve to have her little heart broken like mine was, especially at her age."

"That's all well and good, sugar," said Applejack, "but that really doesn't give you the right to snoop into your sister's private business!"

"I know that it's wrong and that I shouldn't be doing it, but it's my responsibility as her sister. I mean, 'generosity' is my element after all, but I digress; this exceeds that. I need to make sure that this 'Scott' pony isn't going to hurt my sister!"

Applejack began feeling sorry for Rarity. Even though her instincts told her it was wrong, deep down, she understood what she was going through; she would have done the same if she and Apple Bloom were in the same position.

"Alright, Rarity," she said, letting out a soft sigh, "Ah'll help you out, even though it's against my better judgment! I'll see what Apple Bloom knows. If she knows anything, I'll let you know."

"Thanks, Applejack," said Rarity, as she smiled and put a hoof around her friend, "I appreciate it."

"Yeah, yeah," said the earth pony. Before she could say anything, Rarity handed her the notebook and the pen. Since Applejack didn't have any magic, she watched as it rested in front of her on the ground.

"What in the wide world of Equestria is this for?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Rarity sighed. "To jot down all that Apple Bloom says to you, of course."

Applejack rolled her eyes and said, "If you say so. She'll be comin' back a little later, around lunchtime. Hopefully, ah'll get this to ya by then!"

"Thank you, darling," she said, as she began trotting off. Applejack, knowing that what she was doing was wrong, only shook her head, picked up the notebook and pen with her mouth and began making her way to the barn.
> Chapter 7: The Moment
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Hey, Sweetie Belle," greeted Scootaloo.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Apple Bloom just face-hoofed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

When they both caught up with the unicorn, they both gasped the moment they saw that she was out cold, bleeding from the nose and had several cuts and bruises on her face.
> Chapter 8: New Feelings
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Sweetie Belle felt that all-too-familiar feeling, the feeling of hearing distant voices and seeing nothing but black. She slowly opened her eyelids to see a light overhead and a silhouette of a pony standing over her. As she slowly came to, her blurry vision becoming clearer and clearer, she noticed that the pony was none other than her sister, Rarity.

As her vision became steady, her memories began coming back. She began recollecting what had happened. The last thing she remembered was Scootaloo, and then the tree, and then nothing but black. She wanted to say something, but she couldn't think of anything to say. What could she say?

"Sweetie Belle? Sweet'ums?" she heard her sister ask. As she blinked two or three more times, she looked around to see where exactly she was.

She saw that she was in a hospital bed. She was hooked up to a heart monitor, which slowly beeped in unison with her heart beat. Sweetie felt there was an air tube hooked to her nose. When she felt the tube with a hoof, she felt that her nose was wrapped in bandaging. When she touched her nose and felt a sharp pain from doing so, she began to feel the other smaller wounds on her face begin to sting. They weren't anything extravagant, just a few cuts and bruises, but they still hurt nonetheless.

"Oh Sweetie," Rarity said with a smile, "I'm so glad you're alright! You had me so worried!"

She felt her arms wrap lightly around her body in an embrace. Slightly disorientated, Sweetie Belle returned the hug, weakly smiling.

"What happened? How did I get here?" she asked, her voice low and soft.

"Well, you were playing with your friends when you accidentally ran into a tree," explained Rarity, "Scootaloo and Apple Bloom told Applejack and they rushed you here. Then, they came and told me what happened. You're nose isn't broken, but you banged it very hard, enough to knock yourself out."

In truth, Sweetie Belle remembered what had happened to her. However, as a way of avoiding any questioning of what happened to cause her to run into the tree in the first place, she pretended like she had forgotten.

After a short moment, Applejack walked in. She, like Rarity, had a smile on her face. Having been the one who rushed her to the hospital, she was just as relieved to see that she was alright as Rarity was.

"Hey, sugar cube," she said, trotting over to her bedside, "The nurse pony just told us you were alright. How ya feelin', sugar?"

"Fine, I guess," Sweetie Belle said, "My head is still throbbing and my nose is aching but I'm alright."

"Good to hear, sugar" said Applejack, as she offered a light hug, "Ya'll had us worried so much. Ah'm just relieved that you're awake and alright."

"Us?" asked Sweetie Belle, mainly to herself rather than Applejack. As if on cue, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo both walked in, both of them with a guilty look on their faces. There wasn't any doubt in Sweetie Belle's mind that the two fillies blamed themselves for what happened. However, she knew that it wasn't their fault; it's not like they made her run into the tree, just unintentionally.

"Hey, Sweetie Belle," said Apple Bloom as she approached her. Her voice was low and soft but a weak smile was on her face. When she was by her side, she gave her a small hug.

"Ah'm really sorry 'bout what happened," she said as she patted her back softly.

"Don't worry about it," said Sweetie Belle, "It wasn't your fault, it was mine."

Then, Scootaloo came up to her side. Her eyes were puffy and red, most likely from the tears she had been shedding. A small wave of guilt came over the unicorn filly; in a way, Scootaloo was the cause of all of this, but she couldn't really blame her for it.  After all, she did try to warn her, but she was too wrapped in her own feelings at the time to realize it.

"I'm so sorry, Sweetie Belle," she said, trying her best not to cry anymore, "It was my fault! I should have stopped you! I should have warned you sooner! I tried to warn you, but by the time I did, it was too late! It's all my fault!"

"It's not your fault," she replied, not able to make eye contact with her, "You did warn me, but I didn't hear you. It's not like you made me..."

She was immediately interrupted when the orange Pegasus wrapped her arms around her in an embrace. However, it wasn't the hug that had stopped her in a heartbeat. What prevented her from speaking was the feeling that overcame her from the filly's embrace.

Coursing through her entire body was a feeling of warmth and compassion, comfort and security. It felt as if everything hurting her at the moment just vanished. Like before, time seemed to halt to a stop, everything but the two of them. Her once rapid heart seemed to calm to normal again. For some reason, she felt as if there was nothing wrong at all. If it wasn't for the beeping of the heart monitor, she might have actually forgotten she was in the hospital.

When she released her embrace, Scootaloo wiped the remaining tears from her eyes. Sweetie Belle tried her best not to look into her eyes, but focused her attention in her direction.

Before anything could be said, the nurse pony came in, a white mare with a light gray mane and a red cross as a Cutie Mark. When she did, all the other ponies backed away, allowing the nurse enough room to work. She checked her vitals and all her tests to make she was alright.

"Well, she has some bruising on her face and slight injury in her nose. She's a very lucky filly," she explained, mainly to Rarity, "We're surprised there's nothing broken or anything. She must have hit the tree pretty hard to knock herself out but managed to sustain no serious injuries. She'll have to stay overnight, just so we're sure there isn't any head trauma, but she'll be able to leave tomorrow afternoon at the earliest."

"Thank you, Nurse Redheart," said Rarity, "I really appreciate it."

With that, the nurse nodded and left to complete her rounds with the other patients. Rarity let out a sigh, relieved to know that her sister was going to be alright and that she'll be leaving soon.

"Well, Sweetie Belle," said Rarity, "Like the nurse said, you're a very lucky filly to have not sustained any major injury."

"Darn right," agreed Applejack, "Must've really been bookin' it to have knocked yerself out like that. Hard to believe it happened all because of a sill ol' race."

"It's alright," said Sweetie Belle. She nervously looked around the room. She didn't know why but she felt the need to be alone for a little while; long enough to help get her thoughts back together. "Um...if you don't mind...I...I'd like to get a little rest. I feel a little dizzy and need to rest my head for a while."

"Okay, Sweet'ums," said Rarity as she gave her another hug, "I'll be right in the waiting room if you need me. I love you."

"I love you, too," said Sweetie Belle, as she returned the hug. She bid the others goodbye until tomorrow, when she got out. She watched as they all left the room, one at a time. Soon, she was alone and able to get her head on straight.

"What's happening to me?" she said aloud, as she rested her head on the pillow, "Why is this happening? Of all the times this could happen, why is it happening now?"

Sweetie Belle looked at the ceiling and let out a deep sigh. At the moment, she felt fear, worried, and scared beyond all belief. She closed her eyes softly and lightly rubbed a hoof on her aching head.

"What was that feeling I felt when she held me?" she asked aloud, "Why did I feel it with her? Why was I so comforted by Scootaloo and not anypony else? Not even Rarity, my own sister, made me feel like that! What is happening to me?"

She opened her eyes and looked at the ceiling again. She felt small droplets of tears began to stream out of the corners of her eyes. She sighed and asked the only questions that scrambled around in her head; the only questions that seemed appropriate and that made any sense to her.

"Is...is this love? Am I really in love...with Scootaloo?"
> Chapter 9: Questions
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	An hour or so later, Applejack and Apple Bloom both walked through the doors of their home in Sweet Apple Acres. They had left the hospital shortly after Sweetie Belle had asked to get some rest; Applejack thought it was best that they left the two sisters alone for a while.

"Boy, Sweetie Belle sure did scare us half to death back there," said Apple Bloom as she entered the kitchen, "Ah was so worried that she wasn't gonna wake up!"

"Me too, sugar cube," said Applejack, as she followed her sister, "Ah'm just glad she didn't seriously hurt herself. By what you described, it sounded like she had broken her nose or somethin'."

"The way she was layin' there, it sure looked like she did!"

Apple Bloom walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of freshly made apple juice. As she did so, Applejack went over to the counter to slice up a few apples for her. When she pulled out an apple slicer, her attention was quickly drawn to the notebook and pen that Rarity had given her earlier that morning. She stared at it for a moment, remembering what the white unicorn had asked of her. The orange earth pony sighed; she didn't want to stick her nose into her sister's business. However, given what had happened to Sweetie Belle, she felt that she owed her this much and, against her better judgment, agreed to herself to do it.

Applejack sliced up a few apples and placed them on a plate. Along with it, she placed a few freshly baked apple fritters, hoping it'd be enough to keep Apple Bloom busy so she can write what she needed in the notebook without her seeing. When she placed the plate of treats on the table, Apple Bloom immediately began munching on the fritters. As she did so, AJ walked over to the notebook, let out one last sigh and cleared her throat.

"Apple Bloom," she began, "Can 'ah ask you something?"

"Sure, sis," the filly said with fritter in her mouth, "What's up?"

"Well, 'ah wanted to talk to you 'bout...well...'bout Sweetie Belle."

Apple Bloom took a sip of her juice.

"Have ya'll noticed anything strange goin’ on with her lately? Ya know, anything outta the ordinary?"

"Now that ya mention it," said Apple Bloom, "She has been actin' a bit differently lately. Ah don't know why but she hasn't been herself lately."

Applejack quickly began jotting the notes in the book with her mouth. When she was done, she placed the pen down and asked, "How would ya describe her behavior?"

"Well, she appears to be...ah don't know...‘out of it’. She stares blankly into space, doesn't really make eye contact, and doesn't talk to me or Scootaloo at all. It's so strange. She's never really like that."

"When did ya'll notice this behavior? Was it recently?" she asked.

"As a matter of fact, it all seemed to begin yesterday," the filly said, "We were crusadin’ when Scoots accidentally hurt herself. After Sweetie and I fixed her up, we all went to Sugar Cube Corner for a treat. It was there that we noticed Sweetie Belle's strange behavior. We tried seeing if there was something wrong but she seemed to want to avoid it. Then, out of nowhere, she said she needed to help Rarity with some things at the Boutique and ran off. We were gonna check on her, but Scootaloo and ah' got into a small argument and sorta forgot about her."

As Apple Bloom put a slice of apple in her mouth, Applejack jotted it down in the notebook. "Has she mentioned anypony to ya? Ya know, any other friends she might have?"

"Other friends?" asked Apple Bloom, "She hasn't really mentioned anypony else! Not to say that she doesn't have any other friends but she hasn't said anythin’ ‘bout them to me or Scootaloo."

Applejack wrote in the notebook as her sister finished her juice. Then she asked, "Just one more thing, if ya don't mind me askin'. What do ya know 'bout a pony named 'Scott’?”

"Scott?" asked Apple Bloom, as she took another fritter, "Ah didn't know there was a pony named 'Scott' in Ponyville. If there is, ah've never heard of him."

"Are ya sure?" asked Applejack, "There isn't a Scott in yer class or somethin'?"

"Not that ah know of."

Letting out a defeated sigh, she took the pen in her mouth and wrote it in the notebook. When she was done, she put the pen inside the notebook and closed it up. All the while, she felt a wave of defeat beginning to overcome her; she'd hoped that she would have had something new to tell Rarity. Unfortunately, she had nothing new to report to her, nothing that wasn't already written in the notebook. She knew Rarity would be disappointed in her for not getting any new information, but anything was better than nothing she told herself.

"Whatcha got there, sis?"

The moment the question was asked, Applejack whipped around to see Apple Bloom standing beside her, her eyes fixated on the notebook before her.

"Oh...ah...it's nothin'" Applejack fibbed as she slid the notebook away from her.

"Is that Rarity's notebook?" she asked, noticing the name on the cover, "What are ya doin' with it? Were ya writing in it?"

"Well...um...not exactly..." she stammered, trying to think of something to say.

Apple Bloom narrowed her eyes at her sister. "Were ya writin' what ah was saying in it? And what's with all the questions all of a sudden? What's goin' on?"

Applejack let out a defeated sigh. She was not good at lying to anypony, let alone her own sister; her element was honesty, after all. By the look on Apple Bloom's face, Applejack knew that she knew she was lying.  She figured it was best to tell her younger sister the truth. After all, she knew Apple Bloom was bound to find out sooner or later.

"Alright, Apple Bloom, ah'll tell ya, but you have to Pinkie Pie Promise not to tell anypony about it, understand?" she asked.

"Ah promise," she said, reciting the creed to her sister, "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

AJ walked over to the table and sat down, her sister following suit. She cleared her throat and said, "As it turns out, Sweetie Belle has a crush on somepony named Scott."

Apple Bloom stared at her, her eyes wide and shock written all across her face.

The orange mare continued. "Rarity wanted me to find out what you and Scootaloo knew 'bout him. That's why ah've been questioning her behavior and all. She wants to make sure that this 'Scott' pony isn't gonna hurt her sister, is all. Apple Bloom, if ya know anything 'bout this, you have to let me know right away, alright?"

"Wow," was all that Apple Bloom could say, "Sweetie Belle has a crush on somepony and she never even told us! That's...that's..."

"Apple Bloom," Applejack said, "Did you understand what ah said?"

All the filly could do was nod. She was at a loss for words at the moment. She was surprised and shocked, not so much that Sweetie Belle had a crush on somepony, but because she never told her or Scootaloo about it. Why would she keep a secret like this from them, her two best friends? The question revolved around her thoughts all the while.

With that, Applejack got up, took the notebook and said, "Ah need to bring this over to Rarity. Stay outta trouble until ah get back, alright?"

"Okay," said Apple Bloom, her eyes still widened. Apparently, she was still taking it all in at the moment.

Before anything more could be said, Applejack made her way out the door and into town. All the while, Apple Bloom sat there, completely lost in thought. Some time had passed before the filly could find her voice and the thoughts to match.

"There's gotta be a reason she'd keep something this big from us," she said aloud, her eyes looking all around the room, "Ah don't know why, but one thing's for sure: Scootaloo needs to know about this."

She let out a sigh; she didn't want to break a "Pinkie Promise," especially one she made to her sister, but she knew that Scootaloo needed to know about this. Besides, how else was she going to let Applejack know what Sweetie Belle was up to without letting Scootaloo in on it?

"Don't you worry, sis," she said, a smile on her face, "Scootaloo and ah will get to the bottom of all this! We'll find out everything we can about this ‘Scott’ pony!"

With that, she got up and went into her room, ready to tell Scootaloo the whole situation first thing after school the next day.
> Chapter 10: Helpers
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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





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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Scootaloo raised an eyebrow in confusion.

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

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

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

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

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

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

With that, the two friends gave each other a high-hoof. Then, Scootaloo went inside her house, put the scooter part on the table and left with Apple Bloom to the Carousel Boutique. As they did, they both had smiles across their faces, knowing that they were going to do anything they could help their friend.
> Chapter 11: Insecurity
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"Come on, Rarity! You can't do this to me! This is so UNFAIR!" Sweetie Belle complained.

The young filly had been released from the hospital earlier that afternoon and was home now. The nurses said she was safe to go home, but they advised that the small unicorn take it easy for a few days; no strenuous activity or anything "too active". They had administered pain medication in case her nose began hurting. Her nose was slightly bandaged, but only on the bridge, allowing her to breathe freely through her nostrils.

Because of the events that had happened, and knowing how "accident-prone" her sister could be at times, especially around her friends, Rarity had placed Sweetie Belle on a temporary "house arrest" for a few days. She had already called and explained the situation to her teacher, Ms. Cheerilee, so she was excused from school for a while. However, the idea of staying cooped up in the Boutique for a few days wasn't settling too well with the young filly.

"Now, I know it seems to be a bit 'unfair,' Sweet'ums, but I'm only doing it because I want your nose to heal properly," Rarity explained, "When you and your friends are together, things tend to get...well...'out-of-hoof,' if you know what I mean."

Sweetie Belle sighed. "I know. I guess I need to be a little more careful, huh?"

"You can say that again," said Rarity with a smile, "Now, I need to work on my latest fashion designs that I had postponed, so, if you need anything, just let me know."

"Okay," the young filly said, "Thanks, Rarity."

With that, Sweetie Belle made her way up the stairs and into her room. When she got there, she closed the door behind her and let out a sigh. She was only in the house for no more than five minutes and she was already annoyed with being there. Having nothing else better to do, she went over to the window and stared out at the busy town.

"Maybe this won't be so bad," she said to herself as she watched all of Ponyville going about their business. Still, she let out a deep sigh and trotted away from the window.

As she thought about it now, being under "house arrest" wasn't such a bad thing after all. For starters, her sister might get so distracted with her outfits that she might actually forget about "Scott." Secondly, she would be able to get her thoughts on Scootaloo in order and where they belonged. Finally, she'd be able to do all of this without having to worry about running into the Pegasus filly in question.

She had spent most of the previous night thinking long and hard about what she had said about Scootaloo. Although the thought of her, falling in love with one of her best friends, had crossed her mind, she hadn't fully accepted the idea. Sweetie Belle, making her way to her bed, tried her best to wrap her mind around all of it. She needed to come to some sort of conclusion and fast!

"Well," she said as she let out one last sigh, "At least it can't get any worse than this."

No sooner did the words leave her mouth that she was startled by the sound of the Boutique's doorbell ringing. Her heart raced as she left her room and made her way downstairs to see who it was.

It's probably just another business pony asking to see one of Rarity's dresses or something.  Still, I better check it out, she thought, as she reached the bottom of the stairs. When she did, she let out a gasp of shock as she froze in an instant.

In the doorway of the Boutique, she saw her sister talking with two small fillies that were standing there. She didn't need to see who they were to know that it was Scootaloo and Apple Bloom. She had forgotten all about what she had said to them, that she would see them when she got out of the hospital.  Immediately, she hid herself as best as she could and listened to what they were saying.

"Hey Rarity," she heard Apple Bloom say, "Is Sweetie Belle home?"

"Well," Rarity said, a hint of nervousness in her voice, "Yes, she is, but..."

"May we see her?" asked Scootaloo, "We were really worried about her and was hoping we could visit with her."

"I don't know about that," the older unicorn said, "She's still healing and I don't think that will be such a good..."

"PLEASE!" the two fillies said in unison, giving the white unicorn puppy-dog eyes, "WE PROMISE WE'LL BE GOOD!"

Rarity sighed and said, "Very well, but you must promise me that you will not roughhouse or cause any problems. She's still recovering."

"We promise!" they both said.  With that, Rarity stepped aside and let them in, an unsure look on her face.

The moment Sweetie Belle saw them running in, she quickly galloped up the stairs and into her bedroom. There, she closed the door and made her way to the bed. Before she could go in it, there was a light knocking on her door. She didn't even have time to answer before it opened, revealing Scootaloo and Apple Bloom standing there, both of them with smiles on their faces.

"Hey, Sweetie Belle," said Apple Bloom, as Scootaloo began to close the door behind them, "How are you feeling?"

"A-alright, I-I guess," she said, trying to avoid looking at them, especially Scootaloo, "I-It still hurts, but not as much as it did before."

"That's good," replied Scootaloo, "At least you're starting to feel better! Don't worry, you'll be fully healed and ready for more Crusading before you know it!"

After Scootaloo closed the door, she trotted over next to Apple Bloom and gave her a sly wink. Since Sweetie Belle was trying to avoid eye contact, she hadn't seen the gesture.

"Well, thanks for visiting, but I...um...err..." said the unicorn filly. She fished her mind, trying to think of something to say. She turned her back on them, trying to figure out some sort of excuse to get them out. Try as she might, she just couldn't think of anything; the surprise and shock was over-clouding her mind.

Before she could even say anything that would be a reasonable excuse, Scootaloo asked her a question, one that stopped her heart in an instant.





Rarity watched, as the two small fillies ran past her and up the stairs, heading towards her younger sister's room. As they galloped up the stairs, Rarity couldn't help but stare with a worried look across her face. She knew what usually happens when the three of them were together, especially in the same room.

"Maybe it'll be alright," she said, trying to reassure herself, "Maybe nothing bad will happen. I really need to stop worrying about them so much."

With that, she began making her way upstairs to her work room to continue working on her latest dress designs. When she reached the top of the stairs, she began to turn right, making her way to her work room. However, she paused and looked to her left in the direction of Sweetie Belle's room. A feeling of doubt began flushing over her; something about the three of them, secluded in one room, especially behind closed doors, just screamed the word trouble.

"Maybe I should check on them," she suggested to herself, "Just to make sure everything is alright. Once I know that they aren't doing anything wrong, maybe my nerves will be at ease."

So, she turned left and headed towards her sister's room. When she was in front of the door, she raised a hoof, ready to knock on the door. However, before her hoof connected with the door, she heard somepony on the other side ask a question that froze her in a heartbeat.

"So, Sweetie Belle, tell us a little bit about Scott."

The moment the question was asked, Rarity's eyes went wide.  She nearly had to put both her hooves in her mouth in an attempt to stop a scream that was ready to come out.  It wasn't out of shock or even disappointment, but of joy and excitement.

If she won't tell me about Scott, she'll definitely tell her friends all about him, she thought to herself. Now I can finally get to know a little bit about him!

With that, she practically held her breath as she leaned her ear against the door and began listening in to their conversation.
> Chapter 12: Song and Dance
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“WHAT?” her little voice squeaked in an extremely high-pitched way, as she spun around to face the two grinning fillies.

Sweetie Belle’s heart was racing the moment the question came out of Scootaloo’s mouth.  She hadn’t expected them to know anything about what was happening nor was she ready for it.  Sweat began forming in the back of her neck as the two fillies began approaching.

Immediately, she turned her back on the two of them again and said nervously, “I...I don’t know...what you’re talking about...”

“Don’t play dumb with us, Sweetie Belle,” said Scootaloo as she stood next to her, “We know all about you and your secret crush!”

Apple Bloom sat on the bed and asked, “Why didn’t ya tell us ‘bout him, Sweetie Belle?”

Unsure of what to do, the unicorn filly slowly got into her bed and tried her best to hide her blushing cheeks.  She didn’t want to talk about this now in the first place, let alone to her two best friends.  They weren’t Rarity; it’d take a LOT more than witty word-play to get these two off her back.

“Well...I...uh...” she stammered as she tried to hide her burning red cheeks from her two friends.  She tried to come up with some sort of answer to the earth pony’s question but only one question that she had kept clouding her mind.  Unable to think straight, she decided to ask it, hoping that it would clear her mind in the very least.  “How did you guys find out?”

Immediately, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom broke out in smiles and giggles.

“So it IS true!  I knew it!  I knew it!” said the orange Pegasus, her small wings fluttering.

“Yer sister told my sister,” said Apple Bloom, answering her question, “Don’t you worry yerself, none!  Scootaloo and ah ‘Pinkie Promised’ not to tell anypony about it!  Now, tell us why you didn’t tell us ‘bout him!”

“Well...” Sweetie Belle stammered, “I...I...I don’t know why...sorry?”

“It’s okay, Sweetie Belle,” said Apple Bloom, “So, do tell us a little bit ‘bout him!  What’s he like?”

“He’s...um...well...” she stammered, trying to think of something, “He’s...very...nice and...um...kind...and...and...sweet?”

“Look at her,” said Apple Bloom, directing her attention to Scootaloo, “She’s so much in love with him that she can hardly talk about him!”

“Aww,” replied Scootaloo, “You’re such a lucky filly!  I wish I had a crush on somepony...or somepony to have a crush on me!  That would be so cool!”

“Yeah...cool.” mumbled Sweetie Belle.  She couldn’t help but slightly chuckle from the irony of the statement.

“So, where’s he from?” asked Scootaloo.

“Oh...uh...he’s from...um...” she said, remembering what she had told Rarity, “Far away from Ponyville.  He’s kind of...new...to town.”

“Well, we knew that!” said the Pegasus filly, “Where’s he from, you know, before he came to Ponyville?”

Sweetie Belle’s eyes darted back and forth, frantically.  She searched her mind for a city that was far away from Ponyville, one where they wouldn’t be able to perform a background check of any kind.

She had thought about Mane-hattan, but she knew Applejack went there as a filly; Apple Bloom would begin questioning her sister about him in an instant.  She had considered saying Canterlot, but since they had made frequent visits to and from there, they would instantly recall nopony named “Scott”.  She even considered Appleoosa, a western town that was far away from Ponyville.  However, since Applejack and her friends went there, and because it was such a small town, they’d know if a “Scott” lived there or not.

Eventually, she came up with a city that was far away from Ponyville, somewhere that nopony, not even Twilight Sparkle or her friends had ever been to yet!

“Los Pegasus,” she said, forcing a huge grin on her face, sweat continuing to form in the back of her neck.

The moment the name was said, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo looked at each other in amazement.  Their eyes were wide with disbelief and surprise while their mouths were widened with huge grins.





Rarity, who was listening in, also had eyes widened in amazement.  Out of all the places she was thinking Scott was from, she never would have guessed there.

“Los Pegasus?” she asked herself in a quiet whisper, “The place where all the famous ponies go, like movie stars, famous actors, producers, and celebrity ponies!”

She took a step back to let out a few shallow breaths.  She was almost hyperventilating, mainly from the fact that Sweetie Belle, her own sister, was in love with a colt from one of the wealthiest and ritziest places in Equestria, even wealthier and ritzier than Canterlot!

“My, my, my,” she continued to whisper to herself, “Sweetie Belle sure knows how to pick them!  I can’t believe it!  This is just...amazing!”

The moment she heard murmuring from the other side of the door, she pressed her ear against it again and continued to listen in.





“So, what are some of his hobbies?” asked Scootaloo, a smile on her face.

Again, Sweetie Belle, not making eye contact with her, fished for an answer.  As she did, an idea came to mind: if Scootaloo and Scott were the same pony, then there would be nothing wrong with making them almost the same, right?

“Oh...uh...he’s really into...” she began, looking in her direction but not directly at her, “Extreme sports and stuff, you know?”

“Really?” asked the orange filly, “Sounds like my kind of guy!  Better be careful, Sweetie Belle!  You might be in for some competition!”

The three fillies laughed at the joke, even though Sweetie Belle’s was more of a forced laugh than a natural one.

“So, does he have his Cutie Mark yet?” asked Apple Bloom, still recovering from her laughter.

“No,” she replied quickly.  Like with Rarity, the answer flowed more naturally, since Scootaloo didn’t have her Cutie Mark yet.

“That’s so cool!  You already have something in common!” said Scootaloo, “That’s important in any relationship, you know!”

The unicorn filly’s heart began to race again; that was the same exact statement Rarity made.  It was uncomfortable when her sister had said it, but now that Scootaloo was saying, the pony that was really the one in question, it made her want to throw up.

“Hey, he should totally join us!” said Apple Bloom, “The Cutie Mark Crusaders could definitely use another member.”

Sweetie Belle’s eyes became pin-points.

“Yeah!  That would be totally awesome!” said Scootaloo, “Maybe he has some ideas on how to get out Cutie Marks, ideas that we haven’t even thought of!”

As Scootaloo and Apple Bloom high-hoofed and laughed, the sweat drizzling down Sweetie Belle’s face began stinging her eyes.  Before she could protest against the action, her two filly friends said, in unison, the only thing that could make her feel worse than she already was.

“You’ve gotta introduce us to him!”

The unicorn filly covered her face with the blanket as much as she could.  Her cheeks were so hot that she was certain the blanket was going to catch on fire.  However, there was a small flicker of relief at their statement, mainly because she had a way out of it.

“Oh, I’d really like to,” she said, not looking at either of them, “But Rarity placed me under ‘house arrest’ for a few days, so I can’t.  Still healing, you know?”

“Oh, right,” they both said, looking down at the blanket before them.  They were so caught up in their excitement that they had forgotten that she had been released from the hospital that afternoon and was still healing.

“Well, when you get outta here, you’ve gotta introduce us to him!” said Apple Bloom, as she turned to look at her, “He sounds like a really interestin’ colt!”

“Totally!” agreed Scootaloo, “He sounds like a cool pony to me!”

“Yeah,” said Sweetie Belle, as she looked down at the blanket.

“Well, we’ll leave you to get some rest,” said Apple Bloom, as she and Scootaloo began making their way to the door, “I can’t wait to meet Scott!”

As the words left her mouth, Scootaloo stopped walking and began tapping her hoof on her chin again.  “I don’t know why, but really feels like I know that name from somewhere.  It sounds very, very familiar.”

Scootaloo shrugged as she and the earth pony opened the door, bid Sweetie Belle goodbye and left.  Finally feeling relief from what had just transpired, Sweetie Belle let out a relieved sigh and rested her head on her pillow.

“I don’t think I can do this for much longer,” she said, loud enough for only her to hear. She stared at the ceiling, her eyes slowly beginning to well up. “I don’t know what to do.  I just don’t know what to do.”

With all that had just happened, Sweetie Belle turned on her side and pulled the covers over her head, as a few small droplets of tears, slowly, streamed down her cheeks.
> Chapter 13: Meddlesome Ponies
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Rarity heard that Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were approaching the door, where she was listening in on them. The moment she heard them nearing the door, she silently trotted away from the door and quickly entered her work room. There, she waited until she heard the two fillies trot down the hallway and head down the stairs. When she was certain they were out of earshot, she let out a tiny squeal of excitement.

"This is simply magnificent," she said aloud, but low enough for only her to hear, "My little sister is in love with somepony from Los Pegasus! I can't seem to wrap my head around it! It's just wonderful!"

Immediately, she galloped over to her desk and pulled out a piece of paper and a drafting pencil. Then, she began sketching; focusing a lot of attention on what she was drawing. As she did so, a small flicker of a smile arose on the corners of her cheeks.

"I'll design the perfect outfit for Sweetie Belle," she said aloud, adding the details where the stitches would go, "It'll sure to impress Scott and, at the same time, bring out the elegance that Sweetie Belle has."

Rarity began pulling out some markers from the drawers of the desk. She began mapping out the colors of the dress, making sure they'd contour well with, not only each other, but with Sweetie Belle's complexion.

"My sister deserves the best," she said as she put the final touches on the sketch, "And with my help, she'll get only the best!

Soon, she began pulling out various pieces of fabric, lace, sequins, and other fancy items she used to make her fabulous dresses. "Don't worry, Sweet'ums! I'll make you the perfect dress, one that is sure to impress your new colt-friend. I don't care if it takes all night! It'll be perfect for you and for Scott!"

With that said, the white unicorn began designing and making the perfect dress for her sister, hoping it'll please both Sweetie Belle and Scott.





"So, whadaya think 'bout him?" asked Apple Bloom as she and Scootaloo left the Boutique.

"I don't know, for sure," she replied, "I mean, he sounds like a nice pony, but it's really hard to say. I guess it's because we haven't actually met him face-to-face."

"Ah know what ya mean," the earth pony said, "Still, ah think it's kinda nice that she found somepony to have a crush on. Ah just wish we knew what Scott looked like, ya know, so we can find him and meet him ourselves!"

"Grrah!" the Pegasus filly groaned as she put both her forehooves on her head, "This is driving me CRAZY! Why does it feel like I know that name from somewhere?"

Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow. "Ah can't imagine how you'd know him. I mean, he lived in Los Pegasus before movin' to Ponyville. Did ya used to live in Los Pegasus or somethin'?"

"No, I haven't," replied Scootaloo, "But still, there's gotta be a reason why I know that name. If we don't meet him soon, with or without Sweetie Belle, I'm gonna go crazy!"

As the two fillies neared the fountain, located in the center of Ponyville, an idea came to Apple Bloom's mind. "Ah know how we can find out more ‘bout Scott, maybe even find him!"

"Really, how?" asked Scootaloo.

"We can check the Ponyville directory!" she replied, "Ya know, from the library! It has all the names and addresses of everypony in Ponyville, even from other cities! His name has gotta be in there, somewhere! We just need to find it!"

"One pony out of thousands and thousands of ponies all across Equestria?" asked the Pegasus filly, "That's gonna be like finding a needle in a haystack!"

"Not across Equestria," corrected the earth pony, "Across Los Pegasus! Now that we know his name and where he used to live, it'd be much easier to find him!"

"Interesting theory," said Scootaloo, "But that doesn't help us with finding him in Ponyville. Remember, he is new to town, like Sweetie Belle said."

"True," said Apple Bloom, her voice sounding a little deflated. However, her moment of sadness was short-lived when another idea came to mind. "But there is another way we can find out more 'bout him!"

"Really?" asked Scootaloo, "How?"

"Well, Princess Celestia is the ruler of all Equestria, right?" asked Apple Bloom.

"Yes..."

"So, that means she knows just 'bout everypony in Equestria, right?"

"I...I guess so..."

"Ergo, Princess Celestia can help us find out where Scott is!"

"But how?" asked the orange filly, "I doubt that she'd put aside her busy royal duties to help us find one pony. Besides, it'd take too long to get all the way to Canterlot and back."

"Maybe so, but it's worth a shot" said the yellow pony, "Now, who do we know that has quick and direct link to the Princess?"





"You want me to do WHAT?" asked Twilight Sparkle. The lavender mare was the head owner and resident of the Ponyville library. She was very studious and took all her studies seriously. However, what made her important to the two fillies before her was that she was Princess Celestia's star pupil; her protégé, of sorts.

"Come on, Twilight," said Scootaloo in a pleading voice, "We just need you to send one teensy-weensy letter to the Princess."

"You want the Princess to help you find an anonymous somepony in Ponyville?" she asked, "Really girls, if this is another one of your silly ways of getting a Cutie Mark..."

"It's nothin' like that at all!" Apple Bloom intervened, "We just need her help, is all."

"To find an anonymous pony that you won't even tell his name or the reason why you need to find him in the first place?" asked Twilight, raising an eyebrow, "I'm sorry girls, but if I'm going to send a letter like that, I'll need to know the name of the pony and the reason why you need to find him."

"Come on, Twi," begged the earth pony, "Please, please, please, PLEASE!"

"I'm really sorry," said the lavender mare, "Not for anything, but the Princess is going to want to know. She's going to want a really good reason for finding a random pony at the drop of a hat."

"Is there anything you can do?" asked Scootaloo, "Even if you can get her to come here to Ponyville..."

"I'd much rather doubt that, Scootaloo," said Twilight, "She is very busy and couldn't take time away from her royal duties to help you find one pony. If you need help finding somepony, you should ask Pinkie Pie! She knows just about everypony in Ponyville! I'm sure she could help you."

"Ah guess we could try that," said Apple Bloom as she glanced over at her friend. The two of them nodded, thanked Twilight for her help and made their way to the exit.

"Oh, girls," called out Twilight, as the two fillies were in the doorway, "Can you do me one little favor?"

"Sure, Twi, what's up?" asked Apple Bloom.

"Well, I heard that a storm was supposed to be coming within the next few days," she explained to them, "I wanted to ask Rainbow Dash about the severity of the storm, you know, how dangerous it's going to be and how careful we need to be. However, I haven't seen her around in a while. If you run into her, can you tell her that I need to talk to her?"

"No problem," said Scootaloo, "Thanks again!"

With that, the two fillies left the library and began making their way to Sugar Cube Corner to have a word with Pinkie Pie.
> Chapter 14: Skepticism
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Scootaloo and Apple Bloom galloped from the library to Sugar Cube Corner, hoping that Pinkie Pie would be able to help them locate Scott.  When they walked through the doors, just like before, they were immediately greeted by the hyperactive pink pony.

“Hi again!” she said, a wide smile on her face, “Did you come back to have more of my super delicious cupcakes?”

“Not today, Pinkie,” said Scootaloo, an unsure look on her face.  She wasn’t fully used to Pinkie’s mannerisms yet; in fact, they sort of scared the little filly.  “We came here because we need to talk to you about something rather important.”

Pinkie raised an eyebrow at the two fillies before her.  She recalled that Rarity had wanted to talk to her about “something important” just yesterday.  Eventually, Pinkie shrugged her shoulders and asked, “Let me guess, you want to talk somewhere private, right?”

The two fillies exchanged unsure looks at one another.  It was almost like the pink party pony was reading their minds.  A little shaken at the question, the two of them simply nodded their heads at her.

Because it was another slow day, Pinkie led the two fillies into the kitchen to talk.  She had a feeling that they were here to talk about the same thing Rarity had wanted to talk about yesterday.  However, because she “Pinkie Promised” not to say anything, she didn’t bring it up.

When they were alone, Apple Bloom asked, “Ah know this is gonna sound a bit strange, but, Pinkie, what do ya know about a pony named ‘Scott?’”

Without thinking, Pinkie said, “What is with everypony, lately?  It seems everypony is trying to find ‘Scott’.  What’s the big deal with this pony, seriously?”

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom gave each other surprised glances.  By what Pinkie had said, it was pretty evident that somepony else was on the search for Scott as well.  They didn’t need to think hard to know that it was probably Rarity who had approached the pink pony already.

Just to be sure, Apple Bloom asked, “Wait, who else asked about Scott?”

Pinkie’s face turned into a look worry.  She turned her back on them and said, “Nopony else.”

“Come on, Pinkie,” said Scootaloo, “You can tell us!  We ‘Pinkie Promise’ we’ll...”

“But I already ‘Pinkie Promised’ that I wouldn’t say anything!” blurted the party pony, “Therefore, I’m not saying anything.”

With that, she pretended to lock her lips with an imaginary lock and threw away the imaginary key.  Then, she crossed her arms and let out a hmph, keen on keeping her promise not to say anything about anypony.

Letting out a sigh, Scootaloo said, “Do you know anything about ‘Scott,’ or not?”

Not saying a word, Pinkie Pie just shook her head back and forth, her poofy mane following suit as she did.  Knowing that they weren’t going to get any more out of her, the two fillies just sighed and left the bakery, defeated looks on their faces.





The two fillies had found themselves sitting in Ponyville’s park on a picnic bench that was nearby.  As they sat, they still had defeated looks on their faces.  They had hoped that Pinkie Pie would have talked a little bit more about Scott, but it seemed Rarity had gotten to her first, making her promise not to talk to anypony about it.

While they sat, Scootaloo had a look on her face; a look that showed that she had something on her mind and that she was concentrating all her thoughts on that one thing.  She was staring down at the table, her eyes shifting back and forth, lost in whatever thought she was having.  Apple Bloom had noticed this but chose not to say anything about it.  Having watched her friend, sitting in the same position for nearly ten minutes straight, she decided to try and snap her out of whatever trance she was in.

“Are ya gonna tell me what’s on yer mind or do ah have ta beg?” asked Apple Bloom, finally snapping Scootaloo out of her thoughts.

“Oh, sorry,” she said, a small smile coming across her face, “I was just thinking, that’s all.”

“Ah know.  You’ve been ‘thinkin’’ for the past ten minutes,” said Apple Bloom, “Now, for the million-bit question: what were ya ‘thinkin’’ ‘bout?”

“I was just thinking about the whole situation so far, and from what I’ve gathered, none of it makes any sense,” explained the Pegasus filly, “There’s not one thing that seems right about all of this.”

“Whadaya mean?” asked the yellow filly.

“Think about it for a moment.  Rarity went to Pinkie Pie to ask about Scott, right?”

“Yeah...”

“Rarity is Sweetie Belle’s sister!  Why doesn’t Rarity already know everything about Scott by now?  Sweetie Belle should have told her everything about him!”

Apple Bloom thought about it for a moment.  Scootaloo did have a valid point.

“Now ask yourself this,” continued the orange filly, “When we were talking with her earlier, it didn’t seem like she wanted to talk about him at all, right?”

“Umm, what does that have to do with anything?” asked Apple Bloom.

“I don’t know about you, but if I had a crush on somepony, whether I was sure I liked him or not, I definitely would want to talk about it and tell everypony about him.”

“Ah guess you’re right, but that doesn’t really...”

“The whole thing seems way too suspicious,” interrupted Scootaloo, waving her small arms in the air, “Why is she so resistant to introduce him to anypony, including her own sister?  Why is it that she’s trying her best to avoid talking about him every time he’s brought up?  I don’t know about you, but something doesn’t add up.”

“So, what are ya sayin’?” asked a confused Apple Bloom.

“What I’m saying is that Sweetie Belle is up to something but the question is what!  She’s hiding something, something she doesn’t want anypony to know.”

There was a moment of silence between the two of them.  Scootaloo kept pondering on the thoughts while Apple Bloom rested her head on the table.  She saw the logic in what Scootaloo was saying, but she couldn’t find a motive to support it.  However, she decided to let Scootaloo handle the whole “Sweetie-Belle-is-up-to-something” thing and not interfere with it.

“So,” she said for lack of anything else to say, “Have ya figured out where ya recall the name ‘Scott’ from yet?”

“Not yet,” mumbled Scootaloo, “I know I’ve heard it somewhere, but I just can’t remember where.  Grrah!  It’s going to grind at my mind until Sweetie Belle introduces us to him, or until we find him ourselves, whichever comes first!”

“How are we gonna find him ourselves?” asked yellow filly, “The only possible lead we had was Pinkie Pie, and she’s been sworn to silence by Rarity, and Twilight isn’t goin’ to have the Princess help us unless we tell her who we need to look for and why!”

“I don’t see why we couldn’t tell Twilight about him in the first place,” argued the orange filly, “She’s bound to find out about it anyway.”

“Think about it,” said Apple Bloom, “Too many ponies already know about it as it is: Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Applejack!   The more ponies who know about it, the worse it’s gonna get!  Besides, we can’t keep ‘Pinkie Promising’ everypony not to tell anypony about it!  It’s gonna arouse suspicion!”

Knowing what Apple Bloom was saying was true, Scootaloo let out a defeated sigh and said, “Still, there’s got to be a reason she’s keeping him a secret from everypony, just like there’s got to be a reason why I know the name.”

“Well, there’s no point in wastin’ our time on it now,” said Apple Bloom, “The only option we have is to wait until Rarity lets Sweetie Belle out of ‘house arrest’ and introduces us to him. Only then will we be able to get to the bottom of all this!”

“I guess you’re right,” said Scootaloo, her voice deflated.

Knowing there was nothing else they could do at this point, the two fillies let out defeated sighs and, eventually, left the park and headed towards their homes.  Like Apple Bloom had said, all they could do now was wait.
> Chapter 15: Heart-to-Heart
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Sweetie Belle's eyes slowly opened as she sat up and rubbed her forehead with a hoof.  She had just woken up from a small nap she had taken; the medication for her nose had a side-effect that made her a bit drowsy.  However, when she looked out her bedroom window, she noticed that it was still night.  Surprised, she looked over at her clock to see that it was a little after 12 now.

Not able to fall back to sleep, she got out of bed and made her way to the kitchen for something to eat and drink.  As she walked out of her bedroom, she saw that the light to Rarity's work room was still on.  However, she didn't hear any noises coming from the room.  A little suspicious, Sweetie Belle walked over to the door and peeked inside.

When she did, she saw that Rarity was asleep on her desk, her glasses that she wore when she worked next to her.  All over the room were different kinds of fabrics and materials she used to make her dresses.  On one of her many mannequins was a dress that she was working on.  It wasn't finished yet but she had to admit to herself: it looked very pretty.

Not wanting to disturb her sister, Sweetie Belle turned off the light and slowly closed the door.  Then, she silently trotted down the stairs to have something light to snack on.  However, before she reached the kitchen, a thought had come across her mind.

She figured that it would be a while before Rarity was confident enough to let her out of the house.  Therefore, she decided to take advantage of this moment and get some fresh air.  So, after having an apple and a glass of water, she slowly opened the back door, stepped outside and closed the door behind her, making sure not to lock it so she can get back in.  Then, she slowly made her way into Ponyville.

As Sweetie Belle made her way into town, she noticed that the city was a lot different at night; there wasn't anypony around and nothing but silence filled the air.  She heard a distant rumble and saw that several storm clouds were approaching on the horizon; no doubt a storm was coming and would probably hit them tomorrow.  However, she didn't think about that now.  All that was on her mind was one thing: Scootaloo.

About five minutes later, she arrived at the fountain in the center of town.  When she got there, she walked over to the ledge of the centerpiece and sat on her haunches, looking at herself in the reflection of the water inside.  As she stared at herself, she couldn't help but let out a deep sigh as the thoughts of the day began rushing through her mind again.

"What am I going to do?" she asked herself in a quiet whisper, "What should I do?  Where do I go from here?"

"I don't know, but one thing's for sure, you shouldn't be here," a voice had answered.

Immediately, Sweetie Belle swung around to confront the voice that had answered her question.  When she did, she was surprised to see that nopony was there.  Her eyes darted back and forth, searching for the pony that had spoken, but saw nothing but an empty town.

"Up here, my little pony," the voice had called, coming from right over her head.

Slowly, Sweetie Belle raised her head up to see who was there.  When she did, she let out a small gasp and immediately bowed her head.

"Princess Luna?" she asked as she looked up at the Alicorn princess above her, "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question," Princess Luna said, "What are you doing out here at this hour, Sweetie Ball?"

Before she could answer the sapphire-blue pony, she said, "Um...princess...my name is Sweetie Belle, not Ball...how do you know my name?"

Luna landed next to the small filly, her wings resting at her side, "Well, being the princess of the night, it is my royal duty to know everypony's name.  Sorry for the mispronunciation, Sweetie Belle.  Being imprisoned on the moon for so long, I'm still trying to memorize the names.  But, you haven't answered my question: what are you doing here?"

Letting out a small sigh, Sweetie Belle lowered her head and said, "I was just...well...I don't know...thinking, I guess."

"What about?" asked the princess.

"It's kind of hard to say," said the filly, "I don't think you'll understand."

Smiling, Luna said, "Try me."

She let another small sigh.  This would be the first time she had spoken to anypony about what had happened since it started.  Because it was the first time, she didn't know how to begin to explain it.  Eventually, she decided to tell the princess like it was, hoping she'd understand and be able to help her.

"Well, you see...I've developed...um...well...'feelings' for one of my friends..." the filly began, "I don't know why they've started but I've never felt this way about them before."

"What kind of 'feelings?'" the princess asked.

"Well, my heart speeds up, I can't look into their eyes, and when I do look into their eyes, it seems like everything around me just stops; nothing else seems to matter except the two of us."

"That sounds like 'love' to me," Luna said, offering a small smile, "How long have you known your friend?"

"A while, I guess," she said, her voice soft, "It was such a long time ago that I can't really remember how long we've been friends.  Is this normal?  Am I supposed to feel this way about my friend?"

"Well, this sort of thing happens every now and then," explained the princess, "Friends who have known each other for a long time often start to develop feelings for each other, especially at a young age like yours.  There's no need to feel so uncomfortable about it."

Sweetie Belle lowered her head in shame. "Well, to be honest, that's not the real reason why I'm uncomfortable about it."

"Really?" Luna asked as she raised an eyebrow, "Then what's the 'real reason?'"

"You see...um...well..." she stammered, not sure if she could bring herself to say it, "My friend...is...is a...a...is a filly."

Small tears began to stroll down her cheeks as the princess looked at her.  She could tell that the little filly was extremely unfamiliar with what was happening to her.  Seeing her in this state, she decided to let her in on something that she felt she should know.

"Well, that's not..." she began to say.

"I KNOW IT'S NOT NORMAL!" she shouted, interrupting the Alicorn.  She began to cry, tears streaming down her face. "I didn't mean for it to happen, but it did!  What makes it worse is that I've been lying to everypony about it, even to her, pretending it's a colt that doesn't even exist!  Now, everypony knows about him and wants to meet him, and there's no way they can meet somepony that I made up!  I don't know what to do, I just don't know!"

Then, she lowered her head into the ground and continued to cry.  The princess was surprised by her sudden outburst and slowly began to comfort the filly.  She wrapped her wing around her small body, hoping it would ease the sadness that she was going through.  Some time had passed before the crying had died down to a low sobbing.

When Luna was confident the filly was done crying, she said in a soft tone, "I wasn't going to say that, you know."

Sweetie Belle looked up at her, disbelief in her eyes.  All she could do was stare at her, unsure of what she meant or what she was going to say.

Luna cleared her throat and said, "What I was going to say was: that's not as uncommon as you may think it is.  That's nothing to feel uncomfortable about either."

The unicorn filly slowly sat up and asked, "Really?"

The princess nodded with a smile on her face, "This sort of thing happens quite often in Equestria; Mares develop feelings for other mares, just like stallions develop feelings for other stallions.  It's completely normal, especially for fillies and colts at a young age.  For example, another mare had a problem just like you...oh, what was her name...Bam Bam, I think it was...the one with the candies as a Cutie Mark..."

Sweetie Belle thought and said, "You mean, Bon Bon?"

"Yes," she said, slightly blushing at her mistake, "You see, she too had developed feelings for her friend and she's a lot older than you are.  She, too, didn't know what to do about her feelings and lied to everypony about it as well.  But you know what I told her to do?"

The filly searched the ground for an answer.  Then, she looked up at the princess and shrugged.

"I told her to simply tell her friend the truth," she answered, "And I advise you do the same with your friend.  Who knows, maybe she has the same feelings about you."

"But what do I say?" she asked, "How do I tell Scootaloo the truth, especially after lying to her about it for the past few days?  How do I break it to her?"

Sighing, the princess lowered her head and answered, "I'm sorry, Sweetie Belle.  I don't have the answer to that one.  All I can say is that you should follow what your heart tells you.  Granted, your friend, Scootaloo, might not appreciate that you lied to her, but in the end, I'm sure she'll forgive you."

"Follow my heart?" she asked, unsure of what that meant.

The Alicorn nodded.  "Your heart will never steer you wrong, my little pony.  If Scootaloo is as close to you as you say, then she will forgive you for lying to her."

With that, the princess stood up and unfurled her wings.  "Now, I must be off," she said, as she began walking away, "I must complete my nightly duties."

"Okay," said Sweetie Belle, "Thanks for listening and understanding.  I feel better now that I've talked to somepony about this mess."

"You're welcome," said Luna, as she hovered over her, "Just remember that love always finds a way.  Just follow your heart and you'll get through it with your friend just fine.  Now get yourself home, young one.  It's way past your bedtime."

With that, Sweetie Belle turned and began making her way back home.  She didn't know when, or even how yet, but one thing was perfectly clear: she needed to tell Scootaloo the truth.
> Chapter 16: Remorsefulness 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Rarity awoke the next morning by the sound of somepony ringing the doorbell of the Boutique.  The loud chime startled the white unicorn to the point where she screamed and fell off the chair, where she had fallen asleep the night before.  Her heart pounding from the sudden awakening, she looked over to the clock on her desk.  When she saw that it was already 10 o’clock, Rarity grabbed her robe with her magic, put it on, and headed downstairs to open the door to the Boutique.

Heading down the stairs, she trotted over to the door and opened it.  When she did, she was surprised to see Applejack standing there.

“Howdy, Rarity,” she said when she opened the door for her, “How’ve ya been?”

“Applejack,” said Rarity, “What a pleasant surprise.  What brings you here?”

“Well, ah came to see how you and Sweetie Belle were doin’ is all.  Ah haven’t seen her in a while and was wonderin’ if she was alright.  May ah come in?”

“Of course,” the unicorn said, moving out of the way for the earth pony, “Forgive me for my appearance, darling.  I fell asleep while working on a new dress and didn’t realize I had slept in for so late.”

“No problem,” said AJ, “How about ah get breakfast started for us while you go pretty yerself up.”

With that, Rarity headed upstairs to clean herself up while Applejack began getting breakfast ready for them.  After a seemingly long moment, Rarity came downstairs to accompany the workhorse.  Whether it was through magic or not, Applejack couldn’t tell, but Rarity looked like she had just been through a big spa treatment.  Her messy mane was back to its curly self again and the rest of her was in tip-top shape.

“So,” said Applejack, as she began cutting up some apples, “How’s Sweetie Belle doin’?”

“She’s alright,” said Rarity, letting out a deep sigh, “A little resistant, but alright.”

“Ah’m not surprised,” commented AJ, “Ah’d be a little ‘resistant’ if ah was under ‘house arrest’ like she is.”

Immediately, Rarity’s ears pricked upwards and her eyes widened with surprise.  “How did you know about that?”

The earth pony let out a sigh as she said, “Well, Apple Bloom told me all ‘bout it.  She also told me some information about Scott, which was the other reason ah came by.”

Rarity walked over to the table and sat down.  Before Applejack said anything, she said, “Please understand that I’m only looking out for her well-being.  I don’t really like keeping her under ‘house arrest’ but if that’s the only way her nose is going to get better, then it’s what has to be.”

“Ah understand and respect that,” said Applejack, as she began making oatmeal for them, “But ah just don’t think it’s fair to Sweetie Belle.  Ah think you should trust her and let her out of this silly Boutique before she begins causing problems.”

Rarity let out a sigh, “I know I should, but I just can’t risk it.  You know how careless she can be sometimes, especially when she and her friends are together.  I had a hard enough time convincing myself to allow them to visit her yesterday.”

“All ah’m sayin’ is that you should consider releasing her sooner than you’d anticipated,” suggested Applejack, “If you think she’s resistant now, try picturin’ her in another day or two.  At least think about it.”

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Rarity nodded her head and said, “I guess I’ll think about it.”

“Well, that’s better than nothin’,” the earth pony mumbled to herself.  She knew how stubborn Rarity could be from time to time, and hearing a response like that was better than her not agreeing to it at all.

Rarity sat in silence as Applejack prepared their breakfast and set it on the table for the two of them.  One thing the earth pony noticed about the white unicorn was that she wasn’t too interested in hearing what she had to say about Scott; the moment she said his name, she was certain she’d be all ears and begging her to tell her everything.  However, even though it was mentioned, Rarity hadn’t said a word about it or even hinted that she wanted to know.  She had a feeling that either Rarity didn’t care about knowing or she already knew about it.

As she sat down at the table, Applejack said, “Alright, Rarity, I can tell that ya already know somethin’ ‘bout Scott.”

Rarity felt her heart beginning to speed up. “Why, whatever do you mean, dear?” she asked as she took a sip of orange juice, trying to play innocent.

“Don’t play that card with me, Rarity,” stated the southern pony, “Not once have ya brought the subject up, even though I made a point in tellin’ you that ah knew somethin’ ‘bout him!  So tell me, what do ya already know and how did ya find out?”

Rarity let out a defeated sigh.  Apparently, Applejack knew her too well and wouldn’t let up until she told the truth.  So, she decided it was best to drop the act and tell her what happened.

“Well, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo came over yesterday to visit with her,” the unicorn explained, “They went upstairs with her and closed the door behind them.  I was worried that they were going to start their shenanigans and decided to check on them.  However, as I was going to knock on the door to see if Sweetie was alright, I kinda...um...well...”

As she fondled one of the curls in her mane, she looked down at the table, guilt beginning to overcome her.  Then, she took a breath and said, “I overheard them talking about Scott and began listening in on them.  I know he’s from Los Pegasus, likes extreme sports and stuff, and is kind, sweet, and nice, according to Sweetie Belle.”

“Rarity!” Applejack said in shock, “Why the hay would you do somethin’ like that, invadin’ your sister’s private business like that?  Ah mean, it’s bad enough you have me snoopin’ around in her business through Apple Bloom, but to listen in on her conversations?  I’m surprised at ya, especially with all that talk about ‘being the element of generosity’ that you gave me the other day!”

“I know, I know,” said Rarity, a hint of guilt in her voice, “I didn’t mean to, but I couldn’t help myself!  Once I heard his name, I knew she’d tell her friends everything.  She keeps me in the dark about this stuff and, as her older sister, I have every right to know about him!”

The unicorn hung her head and sighed.  “I know I shouldn’t have done that, but I just needed to know more about him.  Like I said to you before, I don’t want to see her heart get broken by this pony.  I don’t want to see her going down the same road I went.”

Applejack sighed and said, “I understand that, sugar cube, but ya need to remember that she’s very young and very new to this.  She’ll let ya know when she feels the time is right.  Now, ah’ll let this little mishaps slide, but promise me that you’ll never listen in on anymore of your sister’s private conversations.”

Rarity smiled and said, “I promise.”

With that, the two friends began eating their breakfast together.  However, another thought had come to Applejack’s mind.

“Speaking of which, where is the little filly, anyway?” she asked, noticing that she wasn’t at the breakfast table.

“Oh, she’s upstairs,” said Rarity, as she took a spoonful of oatmeal, “She said she wasn’t hungry at the moment.”

No sooner did the words leave Rarity’s mouth that a distant rumble was heard from outside.  The two ponies looked out the window to see the storm clouds slowly moving in towards Ponyville.

“Looks like it’s gonna be one doozy of a downpour,” said Applejack.

“Yes, it does,” agreed Rarity, “By the looks of it, we’ll only get small rain today, but tomorrow, or even tonight, we’ll get the full impact of the storm.”

“Oh yeah, that reminds me,” said the workhorse, directing her attention to Rarity, “Ah don’t suppose you’ve seen Rainbow Dash around lately.  Ah wanted to ask her if she could make it rain a little more over by the farm to help the apples grow healthier and stronger, but ah haven’t seen her in a while.”

“Come to think of it, I haven’t seen her in quite some time,” said the unicorn.

“Oh horse-feathers,” said the orange pony, “That pony is never around when ya need her!  Probably off somewhere nappin’, as usual!  Well, if ya happen to come across her, can ya tell her that ah need to see her?”

“No problem,” said Rarity, as she used her magic to begin clearing off the table, “Oh and thank you for breakfast.  It was wonderful.”

With that, Applejack got up, bid her friend goodbye and left.  As Rarity began cleaning up, she began to think about what Applejack had said.  The guilt of listening in on her sister’s conversation was still overcoming her.  She knew there’d only be one way she could get the feeling off her chest, but she wasn’t going to like it.

“I know I really shouldn’t,” she said to herself, looking in the direction of her sister’s room, “But it’s for the best.  I just hope I don’t regret this.”

With that, she finished washing the rest of the dishes, put them away, and began making her way up to her sister’s room, hoping that releasing her from ‘house arrest’ wasn’t going to be the biggest mistake of her life.
> Chapter 17: Regretful Actions
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Sweetie Belle paced back and forth in her room, her mind racing faster than it ever had before.  Ever since she woke up that morning, she’d been thinking about what Princess Luna had said to her last night.  She knew she had to tell Scootaloo the truth about her recent feelings for her.  According to the Alicorn princess, Sweetie Belle was in love with her.  Her mind hadn’t fully registered that yet, but the more she thought about it, the more she began to believe it was true.  However, there was only one problem that she was facing now: how was she going to break it to Scootaloo?

She thought back to what Luna had said to her, that she should “follow her heart” and do what she felt was right.  However, she couldn’t think of a single way to break the news to her friend.  It was bad enough that she had been lying to her the whole time about an imaginary pony named “Scott,” but now she had to tell her that she was “Scott” and that she was in love with her the whole time.

“What am I supposed to do?” she asked aloud, as she continued to trot back and forth, “Do I just tell her straight out?  Do I hint at it?  What would she say?  What would I say?”

She stopped pacing and tried to re-enact the scenario to herself.  “Hey, Scootaloo, guess what?  There’s no such pony named ‘Scott’.  I lied to you about it from day one.  By the way, I happen to love you!”

Immediately, she face-hoofed and let out a deep groan.  “When I say it like that, I sound like a total freak.  There’s got to be another way of going about this.  There’s just got to be!”

Before she could fathom anymore thoughts on the matter, she heard a small knocking on her door.  Startled by the sudden noise, Sweetie Belle turned to the door and opened it.  When she did, she saw Rarity standing there, a small smile on her face.

“Hi, Sweetie Belle,” she said, her voice low and soft, “How are you feeling?”

“Hi, sis,” she replied, “Alright, I guess.  My nose still hurts a little, but not as much as before.”

“Do you need some pain medicine?”

“No, thanks.  It doesn’t hurt that much.”

After that, the two unicorn sisters stood there for a moment in silence, both of them feeling very uncomfortable. It was like one was waiting for the other to say something, but nothing was coming out.  They both shifted their weights around, smiling at one another, unsure of who should speak first.

Eventually, Rarity decided to break the silence first.  “Listen, Sweetie, there’s something I need to confess.  You see, when your friends came over to visit yesterday, I kind of...well...”

Sweetie Belle didn’t need her to finish the sentence to know what she was about to say.  A part of her knew that she had overheard what was said, but she couldn’t prove it.  As a result, her reaction wasn’t one of shock or surprise, even though her heart began to race again.

“I couldn’t help but listen in,” continued Rarity, “I know it was wrong of me and that I shouldn’t have done it, but I needed to know more about him.  It’s not right that you keep me out of these things.  I understand that what you’re going through is a new experience, but I am your older sister.  I just want you to know that you can trust me and that I can help you with this.”

“I know,” Sweetie said, hanging her head, “I know I should be telling you these things, but I...well...it’s not that I don’t want you to know about...um...this, but I...well...”

Rarity could see that it was very difficult for Sweetie Belle to explain what she was feeling.  She saw it in her eyes that she didn’t intend to leave her out and knew that she would have told her in time, like Applejack had said.

“It’s okay, Sweet’ums, I understand,” she said, hugging her sister, “Just know that if you ever need to talk about this, I’m right here for you.”

“Thanks, Rarity,” said the filly, returning the hug.  As she did, a small wave of guilt began overcoming her.  A part of her needed to tell Rarity the truth about Scootaloo, about how she lied to her about the whole thing.  Out of everypony who was involved, Rarity was the one who was buying into her lies the most.  However, another part of her just wasn’t ready to tell her yet.  She would tell her eventually, but for right now, Scootaloo needed to know about it first.

“There’s also something else I needed to tell you,” said the older unicorn, snapping the filly from her thoughts, “I’ve decided to release you from this silly ‘house arrest.’”

“R-really?” asked the filly, her eyes widened with surprise.

“Yes.  Granted, I don’t fully approve of doing this, but I trust you enough to take care of yourself and to make sure you don’t get yourself injured again.”

Just as the words left her mouth, they both heard the distant rumbling of the storm clouds outside.  Immediately, Rarity let out a sigh.

“I know what you’re thinking,” she said, looking out the window, “Bad timing, because this storm will keep you inside anyway.  I’m really sorry.”

A small light in Sweetie Belle’s mind flickered the moment she heard the rumbling.  If the storm was going to keep her indoors, she needed to tell Scootaloo the truth now.  She knew that if she waited for the storm would pass to tell her, the anxiety and worry would practically kill her on the inside, maybe even drive her insane.  In short, the more she postponed telling her friend the truth, the worse it was going to be to tell her.

“Actually, it’s not bad timing at all,” she said, looking up at her sister, “I needed to go into town anyway.”

“Really?” asked Rarity, raising an eyebrow, “May I ask why?”

“I need to...well...talk to somepony.  I won’t be gone long, just for a little while...I hope.”  She had whispered the last part of the sentence to herself, hoping that Rarity hadn’t heard it.  Fortunately, the older unicorn didn’t call her out on her statement.

However, Rarity’s face lit up like a light bulb.  “Are you going to see Scott?  If you are, then you simply must where the dress that I made for you.  Actually, it’s not quite finished yet, but if you don’t mind waiting a little while, I can...”

“Actually,” she said, interrupting her, “I’m not going to see...him.  Thank you for making that dress for me, though.  It really looks nice, but it’s not like that.  I’ll be back soon.  Thanks again, sis!”

With that, Rarity watched as her sister gave her a small hug and began galloping out the door and down the stairs.  A suspicious feeling began overcoming the unicorn, as she trotted over to the window to see her sister racing into town.  She felt the need to know where she was going and who she was seeing beginning to rise inside of her; a natural sisterly instinct, she assumed.

“Where are you going off to?” she asked herself aloud, as Sweetie Belle’s gallop slowly turned into a trot, “And why won’t you tell me where you’re going?”

Almost instantly, she turned her back on the window and said, “No, no, Rarity.  You made a promise not to get involved in her private affairs and you’re going to keep that promise.”

She got ready to leave the bedroom, when she couldn’t help but look out the window once more.  She saw that Sweetie was heading in the direction of the schoolhouse.  Was Scott in her class?  Did he live near the school?  She said she wasn’t going to see him, but did Sweetie Belle say that just so she wouldn’t have to introduce him to her?

Rarity began biting down on her arm; the urge to find out the answers to her questions becoming more powerful by the second.  Unfortunately for her, the power had the upper hoof and, as much as she didn’t want, she gave into it.

“It’s just too important,” she said aloud, as she began galloping down the stairs and toward the main entrance to the Boutique, “I really hate to break a promise, Applejack, but I just need to know.”

With that, she exited the Boutique, put a “closed” sign on the door and began galloping in the direction that Sweetie Belle was heading.





“Are ya sure ya don’t know where she is?” asked an annoyed Applejack.

“Of course not,” said the pink party pony, a smile on her face, “Why would I know where Rainbow Dash is?”

“Seriously, if this is another one of your pranks...”

“Oh Applejack, don’t be a silly filly,” she said, hardly able to keep a straight face, “I don’t know where Rainbow Dash is, but I’ll let her know that you’re looking for her if I see her!”

“Alright, then,” said the earth pony, as she began leaving the bakery, “Thanks, Pinkie.”

As she left, the last thing she heard was the sound of Pinkie Pie’s laughter.  She had a feeling she knew where Rainbow was, but was purposely not telling.

“Probably just another prank of theirs,” she said, as she shook her head, “Sometimes, I wonder why Pinkie’s always so giggly and-”

Applejack’s train of thought was immediately interrupted when she saw Sweetie Belle trotting past her.  As she did, a smile came across the earth pony’s face.

“Well bust my buttons!  Looks like Rarity actually listened to me,” she said, as she crossed her forelegs, “Glad to see she’s come to her senses about-”

Again, her train of thoughts was interrupted when she saw Rarity, slowly trotting some distance away from her sister.  By the look on her face and the stance she had, it appeared she was trying her best not to be seen by the small filly.

“Now, what in tarnation are you up to now, Rarity?” she whispered to herself.  She didn’t need to think about it long before the answer became obvious.  “Ah should’ve known that you’d be sneakin’ ‘round in yer sister’s business, even though you promised not to.  Time for me to nip this one in the bud.”  

With that, the angered southern pony began following Rarity, keen on stopping her from interfering with whatever it was Sweetie Belle was up to.
> Chapter 18: Incertitude 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Rarity watched as her sister began making her way towards the schoolhouse.  All the while, she kept her distance, making sure that Sweetie Belle didn’t see her or hear her presence.  The curiosity and suspicion was over-clouding her judgment now; she knew she shouldn’t be doing this, especially after promising that she wouldn’t, but she needed answers and this was the only way she was going to get them.  She was tired of being left in the dark in this whole situation.  As a result, she followed her sister, hoping to get some clarification for all of this.

Soon, Sweetie Belle reached the school.  However, the suspicion in Rarity aroused even more when she saw that she didn’t go to the front door.  Instead, she went to the side of the building and ducked down behind some bushes.  Then, she watched as she waited there, almost like she was expecting somepony to show up.

When she saw that the filly had hidden herself on the side of the school, she decided to keep her distance as much as she could and avoid being seen.  So, Rarity hid herself in the bushes that were several paces away.  Although she felt it was unorthodox to be hiding in bushes from her sister, she knew that it would all be worth; the ends justifies the means, she told herself.

“What are you up to?” she asked herself, loud enough for only her to hear, “Who are you waiting for?  Why are you hiding?  What exactly is going on?”

Knowing the answers were going to come in time, she did the only thing she could do now: wait for whoever Sweetie Belle was waiting for to show up.





“Okay, Sweetie Belle, you can do this,” she said to herself, as she took several deep breaths to try and ease her heart, “Just tell her how you feel and it’ll all be over.”

The entire way to the school, the only thing she had on her mind was thinking of how she was going to tell Scootaloo the truth about her feelings for her.  However, every time she tried to think of a possible way of telling her, all she’d come up with was nothing.  She had no idea how she was going to go about doing this.

“Just remember what Princess Luna said,” she reminded herself, as she continued to breathe heavily, “Just follow what my heart says and everything will be fine.  Love always finds a way.  Just follow my heart.”

She let out a soft sigh and said, “If only my heart would stop pounding long enough to tell me how to do this.”

No sooner did the words leave her mouth that the sound of rumbling came from above.  As she looked up, she saw that the storm clouds were almost over Ponyville.  It was only a matter of time before it would start to rain.  However, she tried not to let that discourage her.  She knew that waiting until the storm passed would be worse than this.  As a result, she took several deep breaths and continued to think of how she was going to tell her friend the truth. 





A few hours had pasted now, and for Sweetie Belle, the anxiety of what she was about to do began to overflow her body.  Her breathing was heavy, her eyesight was dulled and her heart was racing.  Over the course of the few hours, she tried her best to think of a way to tell her friend the truth.  However, even in those few hours she waited, she still came up with nothing.

Maybe this isn’t a good idea, she thought to herself.  Maybe I should just forget the whole thing and wait a little longer to-

Before she could even finish her thought, she was startled when the giant school bell began ringing.  At this point, it was too late to back out now.  There was no turning back; she had to face this now, or let the panic destroy her until the incoming storm passed.  Knowing that the latter of the two was worse, she took one last deep breath and agreed to herself to do this.

It wasn’t long before the fillies and colts began trotting out of the school.  She watched as everypony walked out and dispersed from one another.  Soon, she saw the filly in question, Scootaloo, walking out of the school with Apple Bloom.  When she saw her, she remained hidden, waiting for the two of them to separate from one another.  All the while, her heart was pounding in her chest, hurting her ribcage.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Apple Bloom,” said Scootaloo, as she began trotting over to the other side of the school towards her scooter.

“See ya tomorrow,” the yellow earth pony said, as she began walking away from her friend.

Sweetie Belle watched as Apple Bloom began walking away.  Then, she directed her attention to Scootaloo, who was putting on her helmet and was getting ready to leave via her scooter.  Convinced that the earth pony was out of earshot, she trotted out from the side of the school and approached the Pegasus filly.

“Hey, Scootaloo,” she said, almost in a whisper that she didn’t intend to make.

Immediately, Scootaloo raised her head up and saw the unicorn filly approach her.  As she did, a smile came across her face.

“Hey, Sweetie Belle,” she said, as she got off her scooter, “What are you doing here?  I thought Rarity had you under ‘house arrest’ for a while.  Did you sneak out of or something?”

“She did,” the white unicorn said, her voice still low.  All the while, she tried her best not to maintain eye contact with her, at least not yet.  “And no, I didn’t.  She let me out earlier than she planned to, which is good, I guess.”

“That’s great,” she replied, a smile still on her face, “But, what are you doing here?”

“Well, you see...I...um...” she stammered, directing her attention to her hooves, “I wanted to...um...talk to you about...something...if that’s alright.”

“Um, sure,” said the Pegasus filly, as she raised an eyebrow, “What’s up?”

“Can...can we talk somewhere more...more...private?”

“Okay...” she said, her eyes slightly squinting, “We can go to my house.”

“Actually, can we go somewhere...you know...more private?”

Scootaloo tapped her hoof on her chin.  She didn’t know anywhere more private than her own home.  Before she could fathom another thought on a location, she decided to ask the only question that came to mind.

“Why?” she asked, her eyebrows furrowing, “What’s going on?”

“It’s...it’s private...you know...” the unicorn said, still not looking at her, “I’ll tell you, but...but...we need to be...alone.”

Scootaloo began to feel uncomfortable about the way she was acting.  A part of her was telling her that something was wrong, but she couldn’t pinpoint what it was.  However, she knew the only way she was going to get any answers was to bring her friend somewhere “more private”.

“How about the clubhouse?” she suggested, “We can get Apple Bloom along the way and...”

“The clubhouse is fine,” she interrupted, “But I...I just need to talk to...to you...nopony else...just...just you”

“Okay...sure,” she said, as she got on her scooter, “You want a ride?”

“N-no thanks,” she stammered, her cheeks feeling warm.

Scootaloo shrugged and began riding her scooter alongside of Sweetie Belle, flapping her tiny wings at just the right speed so that she wasn’t going too fast or too slow.

The two of them began making their way down the dirt path toward Sweet Apple Acres.  As they walked in silence, Sweetie Belle decided to try and ease the tension in her heart by starting a basic conversation with Scootaloo.

“So, Scootaloo,” she said, trying her best not to sound nervous, “Did you fix your scooter yet?”

“Not yet,” she replied, turning he attention from the road to the unicorn.

“Then, why are you riding it?”

“Well, with the storm that’s on approach, it seemed much better to ride it broken than risk going home in the rain.”

“Oh,” was the only response Sweetie Belle could say to her.  Unfortunately for her, she didn’t have anything more to say.  What made it even worse was that she felt the weight of Scootaloo’s gaze beating down on her.  It was enough to make any train of thought she had vanish in a second.

With nothing more to say, Scootaloo raised her eyebrow at Sweetie Belle once more before she shrugged her shoulders and focused her attention back on the main road.  All the while, the suspicion she felt continued to flow through her body.  Something didn’t seem right about all this, but she decided to go along with it; maybe she was going to tell her something about Scott, she figured.  Not wanting to get her hopes up just to have them crushed in the end, she rode next to the unicorn filly, silence dawning on the both of them.
> Chapter 19: No Turning Back
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Rarity watched, as the two friends began walking away together.  She remained hidden until she was certain that the two of them were out of earshot.  Then, she slowly crept out of the bushes she was hiding in and looked in the direction they were going.

“What are you two up to?” she asked herself, “Maybe they’re going to meet Apple Bloom and then introduce them to Scott!  Whatever the case may be, I need to follow them.  This may be the only chance I have to meet him!”

Then, she began brushing the debris from the bush off her coat with her hooves.  Then, she began following them again.  However, she only took a few steps forward before she was unable to move.

She tried to go forward, but something had caught onto her tail, preventing her from moving.  Thinking it was a branch from the bush, she tugged on it, hoping that it would break free from its root.  However, no matter how hard she tried, the branch wouldn’t budge.  She stopped trying to tug it free when she began to feel pain in her flank.  Letting out a frustrated groan, she turned her head to her backside, ready to buck at the branch to let her go.  Unfortunately, when she looked behind her, her heart froze and her eyes went wide.

Her tail wasn’t caught on a branch, but instead, was being held down by the orange earth pony that was standing behind her.  Rarity could only stare, as the look on Applejack’s face became one of annoyance and anger.  Her eyebrows were furrowed and there was a frown across her mouth.

Nervously, the unicorn smiled, feeling the sweat drops begin to form on the back of her neck.  Her heart began to race as her mind began fishing for something to say.

Finally, she said with a nervous tone, “Hey Applejack...um...uh...how are you?”

The earth pony said nothing, as her eyebrows furrowed more than they already were.  Disregarding what she said, she asked, “What the hay do ya think your doin’?”

“Oh...uh...nothing,” she said, as she played with a curl in her mane, “I was just...you know...going out for a stroll into town.  Nothing important, you know.”

“Uh-huh, sure,” said Applejack, “And it just so happens you’re following your sister, snoopin’ ‘round in her private business, again?”

“Oh no, no, no, of course not,” she said, trying to force a smile, “I mean, it is convenient that she was heading my way, but...”

“Save it, Rarity,” she interrupted, “Ya’ll been followin’ her since she left the Boutique.  Ah know, ‘cause ah’ve been followin’ you!  Ah saw ya hidin’ in the bushes, watchin’ her like a hawk the whole time!”

Defeated, Rarity hung her head, not saying a word.

“Ya’ll promised me ya wouldn’t do that anymore,” the southern pony continued, “Ah told ya ah’d let the first time slide, but not this time.  You’re gonna go back to the Boutique this instant and leave your sister alone, ya hear?”

Immediately, Rarity said, “I know I promised, and I’m really sorry, but I just need to know!  She just bolted out the door and didn’t even tell me where she was going!  Please, Applejack, at least let me see where she is...”

“Ah’m sorry, but no means no,” she interrupted, “Ah think you’ve done enough snoopin’, miss ‘element-of-generosity.’  Ah told you before, she’ll tell ya when she feels ready.  Now, go home, before ah drag ya there myself.”

Rarity let out a defeated sigh again.  She knew she stood no chance against Applejack this time.  Even though she considered running from her the moment she released her tail, it’d only make the workhorse even madder than she already was, not to mention that she was much faster at running than her; she’d catch up to her in an instant.

“Fine,” she said, annoyance and disappointment in her voice, “I’ll go back to the Boutique.  You can let go of my tail now, Applejack.”

As she lifted her hoof off her tail, Applejack said, “C’mon, I’ll walk you back.”

“You’re too kind,” she mumbled flatly, as the two of them began making their way back to the Boutique.

“Cheer up, sugar cube,” said Applejack, a smile on her face, “Ah’m sure she’ll tell ya all about it when she comes back.  She’s probably just hangin’ out with her friends, is all.”

Rarity said nothing.  She turned her head and looked in the direction that Sweetie Belle was heading.  As much as she wanted to continue following them, she let out one finally defeated sigh, turned her head straight and continued to walk back to the Boutique with Applejack.





Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo continued to make their way down the dirt path together, heading for their clubhouse in Sweet Apple Acres.  All the while, they were silent, not even making eye contact with one another.  Sweetie Belle was quiet, mainly because she was still trying to figure out how she was going to break the news to her friend.  Scootaloo was quiet because she didn’t know what to say or what was going through her friend’s mind at the moment.  Whether it was fear or anticipation, the Pegasus filly couldn’t tell, but she knew it had to be something very important; so important that she needed to talk to her alone about it.

After several moments of silence, the two of them passed the main area of Sweet Apple Acres, continuing to the clubhouse.  Soon, as they were past the barn, Scootaloo decided to try and break the ice.

“Sweetie Belle, you’re really starting to scare me,” she said, as she continued to ride her scooter besides the unicorn filly, “You barely said two words since we left town.  It’s really creeping me out.  What is this all about?”

Sweetie Belle could feel the sweat beginning to form on the back of her neck.  She didn’t want to tell her until they got there, but orange filly seemed intent on finding out now.  She had to think of something, and fast.

“It’s...um...it’s kind of a...a...a secret,” she stammered, not looking at her friend, “You know, just between us.”

“You know something, you’ve been acting really strange lately, especially since this ‘Scott’ pony came into the picture,” she said, hoping to get some kind of response from her, “Does this have something to do with him?”

“I’ll...I’ll tell you when we get there,” she quickly said, directing her attention to the road ahead.  When she did, her already fast heart sped up faster than it ever had before.

The two fillies were just mere moments away from the clubhouse, and Sweetie Belle hadn’t come up with a single way to tell Scootaloo the truth.  The panic and anxiety began kicking in again, as the two of them approached the ramp that led up into their clubhouse.

“Well, here we are, somewhere nice and private,” said Scootaloo, as she took off her helmet, “Now, do you mind telling me what’s so important that you needed to bring me out here in the first place?”

“Yeah...sure...” she stammered, “But, let’s go inside first.”

The two fillies began walking up the ramp together.  However, the unicorn was still not ready to tell her just yet.  She needed to quickly devise a way to buy her more time.  It didn’t take long before a situation presented itself.

As they went up the ramp, Sweetie Belle, coyly and covertly, knocked Scootaloo’s scooter with her hind leg, causing it to fall over.  When they heard the muffled clank of the scooter as it fell onto the grass beneath it, the two of them turned their heads and looked at it.  A few seconds had passed before the Pegasus filly directed her attention to her friend, eyebrows furrowed.  It was pretty obvious that Scootaloo knew that she was the one that cause it to fall.

“Whoops,” said Sweetie Belle, as she forced a smile, “Sorry about that.  You go ahead in and I’ll get that for you.”

Deciding not to question her about anymore of her strange actions, Scootaloo let out a muffled “whatever” and trotted up the ramp, entering the clubhouse.

As she stood the scooter up and leaned it on the tree supporting the clubhouse, Sweetie Belle let out deep, yet shallow breaths, none of it easing her rapid heart.

“I can’t do this,” she whispered to herself, as she put the helmet on one of the handles, “I just can’t do this.  This was a mistake.  I should just call the whole thing off.”

No sooner did the words leave her mouth that the thoughts of what the Alicorn princess had said to her the previous night began flooding into her head again.  As the words she told her echoed in her thoughts, a small ounce of confidence began to rear its head into her mind.

“No, I have to do this,” she whispered, as she began making her way up the ramp, “There’s no turning back now.  I just have to follow my heart and tell her the truth.  I can do this.  I can do this...I hope...”

With that, she gave one last deep breath and entered the clubhouse, where her Pegasus friend awaited her.
> Chapter 20: The Truth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Sweetie Belle entered the clubhouse to see the impatient Scootaloo sitting there.  The Pegasus filly had an annoyed look on her face, as she sat on her haunches, tapping her hoof against the hardwood floor.  When the unicorn filly trotted in, she directed her attention to her, eyebrows furrowed and a frown on her face.

“Alright Sweetie Belle, we’re inside, nopony else around, just the two of us,” she said, a twinge of anger in her voice, “What do you want to tell me that’s so important that it couldn’t wait until after the storm?”

Sweetie Belle slowly made her way in front of Scootaloo, her eyes focused on the ground.  All the while, she searched her heart for the proper way of telling her the truth.  Knowing that there was no way out of it now, she slowly began to let it out.

“Well...you see...it’s...it’s like this...” she began, feeling very hesitant in her words, “I...um...I...I needed to tell you the truth about...about...about something.”

“Okay...” said Scootaloo, raising an eyebrow, “About what?”

Sweetie closed her eyes, feeling the tears beginning to well up.  This was one of the parts that she feared: telling her that she had lied to her about the whole thing.

“I...I kinda...sorta...l-l-” she began to say, before she went against herself and blurted out, “I lied to you about Scott!”

After she spoke the words, she squeezed her eyes shut, thinking that the Pegasus filly was going to say something hurtful to her.  She braced herself for whatever her friend was about to lash out at her.

However, the mood instantly changed when she began to hear small chuckles coming from Scootaloo.  Confused, she slightly opened one eye and saw that she was attempting to hold back laughter.  What part of this was she finding funny?

“Let me guess,” she said, still trying to hide her smile, “There is no such pony named ‘Scott,’ is there?”

Lowering her head in shame, she simply nodded to answer the question.

Immediately, the orange filly, unable to contain herself anymore, broke out in uncontrollable laughter.  As she did so, Sweetie Belle couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow and wonder what she found so funny about this.

“I knew it!  I knew it!” she said, in between laughs, “I just knew that you made the whole thing up!  I just knew it!”

“You...but...I...uh...huh?” the unicorn filly stuttered as she thought to herself, How in Equestria does she know already?  Exactly what DOES she know already?

Eventually, the Pegasus’ laughter calmed enough for her to answer her unasked questions, “The way you’ve been acting, the way you kept on avoiding the topic, how you manage to prevent everypony from meeting him, I just knew that there was something fishy about the whole thing!  Anypony who has a crush on somepony else wouldn’t act the way you did!  It was just too obvious!”

Sweetie Belle sat in silence as Scootaloo tried to compose herself from all the laughing.  After she managed to calm her laughter down, silence dawned on both of them; the only thing that could be heard was the small patting of the raindrops that had begun to fall outside.  Soon, the smile on her face turned to one of a serious look as she decided to ask the most obvious question.

“Why did you make the whole thing up?” she asked, noticing that Sweetie Belle wasn’t looking at her, “Why did you say you had a crush on somepony when you really didn’t?”

Sweetie Belle’s heart began racing, the moment the questions left her friends’ mouth.  This was the other part she feared: telling Scootaloo the truth about her feelings for her.

“Actually,” she said, looking at the ground, “I didn’t make the whole thing up.”

“Huh?” asked the confused Pegasus, “Isn’t that what you just said, that there wasn’t a pony named ‘Scott?’”

“That’s true,” she said, her voice low and soft now, “There is nopony named ‘Scott,’ but I...I...I do have a crush on somepony.”

With an eyebrow raised, Scootaloo cocked her head and said, “Wait, so, what you’re saying is that you have a crush on somepony, but just nopony named ‘Scott’, right?”

Without saying anything, the unicorn filly nodded.  Then, her heart stopped when Scootaloo asked the ultimate question, one that she knew was the heaviest of them all.

“So, if ‘Scott’ was just made up and you do have a crush on somepony, then who do you have a crush on?  And why do you need to tell me all of this in private?  Why not tell me and Apple Bloom?”

It was at that moment that Sweetie Belle did the only thing her heart told her to do.  She slowly looked up at the Pegasus filly before her and looked into her eyes.  The moment that she did, the feeling from before began coursing through her entire body.  The world came to a stand-still as she looked into her friends’ eyes.

Sweetie Belle found herself standing on her legs now, not taking her eyes off her friend.  She could tell that Scootaloo was confused at her strange behavior, but that didn’t matter to her now; all that mattered was what was happening at the moment.  She didn’t know what she was doing nor did she really care.  However, what she did next was something that, not even she, expected to happen.

Before either of them could say anything to each other, Sweetie Belle took a few steps forward, closed her eyes tightly, and placed her lips against Scootaloo’s.  The kiss didn’t go any further than just the connection of their lips; it was more like a butterfly kiss, but not on the cheek.

Seconds turned into centuries for Sweetie Belle as they stayed in that same position, neither of them moving an inch.  Eventually, Sweetie’s tightly closed eyes began to ease themselves; they didn’t open, but they weren’t forced shut.  Her shallow breathing soon eased down to normal and her rapid heart slowed to its normal pace.

Everything about the action was wrong, wrong because they were young, wrong because they were both fillies, wrong because she did it without warning.  However, none of that seemed to matter to the unicorn; to her, it was wrong, but felt so right.  It felt as if they belonged there, in that moment, together.  In truth, she had wanted to release her kiss from her much sooner than now, but she was too wrapped up in the tender kiss to pull herself away.

However, everything that she had felt vanished in a heartbeat.  Soon, she found herself feeling pain in her shoulders.  Then, she felt herself begin forced away from Scootaloo, almost as if somepony was tugging her from behind her.  Finally, she felt pain in both her spine and the back of her head.  The impact on her head sent waves of pain to her nose, causing her to clutch it with her hooves.  It was at that moment that she realized what had just happened: Scootaloo had shoved her away.

She found herself lying on the floor, her head against the wall behind her.  She opened her eyes as best as she could, since the pain in her nose was preventing them from opening all the way.  The second that she did, she wished that she hadn’t.

Scootaloo stood before her, her eyes widened and slightly twitching.  The look on her face was one of horror and disgust, like she was looking at an ugly insect, one that needed to be killed immediately.  Sweetie Belle’s heart slowly sank as the realization began hitting her: the look on her face was directed at her.

“Sweetie Belle!” she practically shouted, “What are you doing?”

Slowly recuperating from her pain, she stood up and said, “Scootaloo, I...”

She stopped in mid-sentence, as she watched the Pegasus filly beginning to back away from her.  All the while, the look never left her face.

“Stay back,” she said, backing up into the wall behind her, “Just stay away from me!”

Tears began welling up inside of the unicorn as she looked into her friends’ eyes.  The feeling that she felt was holding her in the moment, but the look on the Pegasus’ face made her heart sink.  The longer she looked into them, the more it sank into her body, causing the tears to begin to stream from the corners of her eyes.  It was pretty obvious what was happening now.  Although she didn’t want to believe it, she had no choice but accept the obviousness of the truth: Scootaloo was rejecting her.

“I...I...” she started to say, as she slowly crept to the clubhouse doorway, tears streaming from her eyes.  She didn’t know what to do or what to say.  All that she knew was that she needed to get away, run away and never look back.

“What were you thinking?” she asked, her eyes still wide and her heart racing, “How could you do that to me?  Why would...”

The moment Scootaloo saw the tears coming from Sweetie Belle’s eyes, she stopped in midsentence, as it started to become clearer and clearer.  She began piecing together everything that she already knew with what she was just told now.  Sweetie had told her she had a crush on somepony, nopony named ‘Scott,’ but somepony.  She also said that she needed to talk to her in private.  Then, seemingly out of nowhere, she comes over and kissed her.  When Scootaloo put all the pieces together, all she could do was feel guilt, sorrow and confusion.  Because everything was happening all at once, it was hard for her to tell which feeling she felt more.  The look of disgust had vanished completely from Scootaloo’s face.  All that was left was a blank stare, one that clearly meant confusion.

“S-S-Sweetie Belle?” her voice fell into a low whisper, “Are...are you...?  Am...am I...?”

The two of them stared at each other for several seconds.  Tears streamed down Sweetie Belle’s eyes as a Scootaloo began breathing heavily.  Neither of them knew what to say to each other, neither of them knew what to do.  The worst part of it all was that, the longer that they stared at each other, the more the pain and fear rose.

Then Scootaloo took a step forward and said, “Sweetie Belle, I...”

“I’m sorry, Scoots,” the unicorn filly said in a whisper, “I’m so sorry.”

Before the orange filly could say anything more, Sweetie Belle turned to the door of the clubhouse and began running away as fast as her little legs could take her.  Scootaloo quickly ran to the doorway of the clubhouse and began calling out to her, hoping she’d hear her calls.

“SWEETIE BELLE!” she shouted as loud as she could, “SWEETIE BELLE, WAIT!  COME BACK!”

Whether it was because of the distance she had gone, the interference of the rain pouring down, disrupting her hearing, or that she was simply just ignoring her, Sweetie Belle didn’t stop running.  She ran until she was nothing more but a small white blur, fading over the horizon.

“What have I done?” Scootaloo whispered to herself, as tears began streaming from the corners of her eyes, “What have I done?”

With nothing left to say or do, Scootaloo did the only thing she could do: she sat on her haunches in the doorway of the clubhouse, leaned her head against the frame, and continued to cry.
> Chapter 21: Pain
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The rain poured down heavily now, causing the dirt road to become thick mud.  The clouds overhead were darker than regular clouds, making the afternoon appear to be close to nighttime.  However, none of this mattered now.  For Sweetie Belle, the pain in her heart drowned out all that was going on around her, even the rain water hitting her eyes, causing them to sting something fierce.

She had run from Sweet Apple Acres all the way to Ponyville, not stopping to catch her breath, not looking back to see if her friend was following behind.  She could have sworn that she heard Scootaloo calling to her, but she was too ashamed to turn around and face her, not after what she just did.  As she approached the main part of town, the memories of what happened began racing through her mind, causing her to feel slightly disorientated.

I should have seen this coming, she thought to herself as she saw the Carousel Boutique in the distance.  How could I have been so stupid?  Why didn’t I stop and think about her feelings?  Why did I think that she would accept my love for her with arms wide open?  How could I have been such a fool?

Without hesitation, she opened the door of the Boutique and slammed it shut.  The sound had definitely caught Rarity’s attention, she figured.  But with all that was happening now, it didn’t matter to her; in fact, nothing mattered to her anymore, except the pain in her heart.

Rarity, who had been working in her “inspiration room,” heard the loud bang of the front door.  Knowing that it was Sweetie Belle, she stopped her sewing machine that she was working with and made her way to greet her sister.  However, she didn’t even reach the stairs when she saw her sister, all muddy, wet, and dirty, run past her.  She didn’t get to say two words to her before she ran into her bedroom and slammed the door shut behind her.

“Sweetie Belle?” she asked, slightly surprised that she didn’t even notice her.  Curious as to what had just happened, she went over to her sister’s room and, slightly, opened the door.  When she did, she saw that the small filly was lying on her bed with her face buried in her pillow.  By the sounds of her small whimpering, she could tell that she was crying.

“Sweetie Belle, what’s wrong?” she asked, as she trotted into the room and to the bedside, “Is everything alright?  What happened?”

Sweetie Belle tried her best to calm her crying down, even though she knew she couldn’t.  Through tears and sadness, she managed to say, “It’s...nothing...honest...”

Rarity gave a worried look, as she watched her sister cry her eyes out.  Then, her look turned into one of annoyance.  She was tired of being left in the dark about everything that went on.  As a result, she decided to put her hoof down and get to the bottom of all this.

“Alright, that’s it,” she said, stomping one of her forehooves on the ground.  She tried her best to sound serious, but the worry from seeing her so upset prevented her from doing so. “Sweetie Belle, I’m tired of you not telling me things, especially things that are important.  I can clearly see that you’re upset and I want to help you, but you need to tell me what’s wrong, please.”

Sweetie Belle’s crying calmed to a soft sobbing now as her sister finished speaking.  She knew she was right and that she needed to tell her what was happening.  However, given her circumstances, she couldn’t deal with telling Rarity the truth about Scootaloo.  Thinking it was for the best, she decided to play the “Scott” card one last time before breaking the news to her, whenever she decided to break it to her.

“Well,” she said, her voice in a quiet whisper, “I...I mean...well...”

Try as she might, she couldn’t find the right words to say.  Rarity could see this and knew that whatever happened must have been really bad, so bad that it prevented the filly from explaining it.  To help comfort her, she trotted over to her sister’s side and rubbed her muzzle on her neck.

“It’s okay, Sweet’ums” she said, hoping it’d comfort her, “Whatever it is, you can tell me.  I’m here for you and I can help you, no matter what it is.”

Mustering all the strength she could, Sweetie Belle blurted out, “I tried to tell Scott how I felt about him...and he rejected me!”

Rarity’s let out a gasp as her eyes widened in shock and horror.   The filly buried her face into the pillow, trying to hide the fresh tears that began to flow.  Rarity’s heart pounded in her chest, as a feeling began overflowing her, a feeling that she tried desperately to avoid, to prevent from day one of this whole ordeal: failure.

The older unicorn sat on her haunches and watched her sister cry, as the feeling overflowed her body.  She had failed to be there for her sister, to prevent the heartbreak that she didn’t need to go through.  Tears began welling up in Rarity’s eyes, as she tried to put the feeling aside and focus on her sister.  However, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t avoid it.

Not knowing what else to do, she got up and put her arm around her sister, rubbing her back in an attempt to comfort her.

“It’s okay.  It’s going to be okay,” she said softly, “I’m here for you.  It’s going to be alright.”

Then, Sweetie Belle got up from the bed and wrapped her arms around her sister, the tears still flowing from her eyes.  Rarity returned the embrace, feeling the tears from her own eyes beginning to run down her cheeks.  All the while, Sweetie Belle said nothing.  All she did was rest her head on Rarity’s shoulder and continued to cry.  The pain in her heart was more than she could bear; it was even more painful than her nose felt at the moment.  She tightened her embrace as she whispered something in Rarity’s ear.

“What’s wrong with me?” she whispered.

“There’s nothing wrong with you,” she said, as she released their embrace and looked her in the eyes, “You’re a beautiful, innocent, young filly.  Sure, you don’t have your Cutie Mark yet, but that doesn’t mean that there’s something wrong with you.  If anything, there was something wrong with him.  He must not have a taste in beauty to reject a filly like you.”

The compliment made the filly smile, even though, on the inside, she couldn’t help but feel bad, mainly because they were talking about Scootaloo.

Rarity let out a sigh and continued, “If there’s anypony to blame for this, it’s me.  I failed to keep you safe from this.  I didn’t want you to have to go through this, especially at your age.  That’s why I was so keen on finding out more about this pony, so you wouldn’t have to go through the heartbreak.  I went through it before, so I know how you feel right now.  I know that it hurts now; this sort of thing does hurt the first time.  But, come tomorrow, you’ll feel so much better.  I promise.”

Sweetie Belle smiled, knowing that her sister was right.  As a result, she wrapped her hooves around her again and whispered, “Thank you, sis.”

“No need to thank me.  That’s what sisters are for,” Rarity said with a smile on her face.  When they released their embrace, she said “Now, go get yourself cleaned up.  A beautiful filly like you doesn’t need to be dirty and wet.”

“Okay,” she said, as she made her way to the bathroom to clean up.  When she went into the bathroom, she looked at herself in the mirror and sighed.

What am I going to do now? she thought to herself.  Scootaloo is never going to want to see me again, not after what just happened.  What should I do now?

She let out another sigh.  She’s probably going to tell everypony about this now.  First she’ll tell Apple Bloom, who will tell Applejack, who will tell Rarity!  Soon, everypony in Ponyville will know about it!  I’ll never be able to show my face in town ever again!

The moment the thought ran through her mind, she looked back at herself in the mirror.  It was at that moment that she knew what she had to do.  She had no idea how she was going to pull it off, but she knew it had to be done.

As soon as this storm passes, I’ll just have to run away, run away and never come back, she thought, as she lowered her head in shame.  It’s the only option I have, aside from being laughed and criticized out of town for what I did.  I don’t know where I’ll go, or what I’ll do, but all I know is that I can’t stay here.

With nothing left to do but wait, she let out a defeated sigh and proceeded to clean herself off from the mud, water, and shame that she was covered in.
> Chapter 22: Mixed Emotions
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The rain continued to pour as the afternoon quickly turned into evening.  Despite the roads becoming nothing but mud, the rain getting in her eyes, or the growing wind knocking her around, Scootaloo didn’t hurry her pace to get out of the storm.  She continued to walk slowly, her head hung and her eyes focused on the road.  It was almost as if she was letting the storm come down on her, giving her a punishment that she knew she deserved.  She felt she deserved this so much that she didn’t even bother to try and ride her scooter home.  Instead, she carried it in her mouth by the handle bars, her eyes fixated on the muddy road beneath her.  Her thoughts were racing and her emotions were scattered.  In short, she was unsure of what to think, unsure of what to feel.

The winds began to pick up even more as she entered Ponyville.  Even as the strong wind began knocking down branches and blowing them in front of her, she didn’t pick up her pace, she didn’t try to speed up.  To her, everything was obsolete in comparison to what had just happened.  Even with all her emotions running amuck throughout her mind, only one question formed in her mind, the same one that had haunted her ever since she watched one of her best friends runaway from her: what have I done?

Before she knew it, she was in front of her house now.  She laid her scooter on the ground and let out a sigh.  Wiping off the bottom of her hooves on the mat outside, which didn’t do very much since it was already wet, she entered the house and closed the door.  As anypony could have guessed, she was immediately reprimanded by her parents for being out in the middle of a storm instead of coming straight home from school.  However, even her parents’ scolding couldn’t get the thoughts out of her head.  She just sat on her haunches and absorbed what she was told, not really paying much attention to what they were saying to her.

Eventually, Scootaloo was told to go in her room until dinner was ready, which was fine by her, since that’s where she wanted to be anyway.  When she got into her room, Scootaloo slowly closed the door and made her way to the window of her room.  There, she rested her head on the glass, staring blankly at the raindrops that formed on the opposite side.  She didn’t even bother to dry herself off from the excess water that streamed down her face.

Several long minutes had passed now, and Scootaloo didn’t move an inch from the window.  All she could do was stare at the storm brewing outside, seeming to get worse and worse by the minute.  At some point, she found herself staring at the floor, the pain in her heart intensifying with every passing minute.  The longer she sat there, the more the thoughts began to sink in.  The more they sank in, the worse she felt.  Soon, she closed her eyes softly, allowing the tears that were welling up inside of them to fall freely from the corners.

“Sweetie Belle,” she whispered to herself, “Why?”

The question remained unanswered, as she went from the window to her bed.  She slowly crawled into it, the tears still falling from her eyes.  The Pegasus filly stared at the ceiling, allowing the question she asked to sink into her mind.

Her voice still in a quiet whisper, she asked, “Why all of a sudden?  What were you thinking?  What was I thinking?  What do I do now?”

Scootaloo had so many questions but no way of getting any answers to them.  She still hadn’t believed that she was the one Sweetie Belle had a crush on this whole time.  As she thought about it now, she recalled how the unicorn filly had described “Scott.”

“Into extreme sports,” she said flatly, reciting what Sweetie Belle had said, “No Cutie Mark.  She practically told me right then and there, and I was too stupid to figure it out.  ‘Scott,’ only a few letters away from ‘Scoots’, couldn’t look me in the eyes, talking to me in private, how could I have been so blind?”

She turned to her side, eyebrows beginning to furrow a bit, as she felt a wave of anger overcome her.  However, she wasn’t angry at Sweetie Belle, but at herself, not just for being so oblivious to her friends’ feelings, but for how she reacted to her confession.

“She finally gets the courage to tell me the truth and what do I do?” she asked, her breathing beginning to increase as the tears continued to fall, “I go and push her away, hurting her both emotionally and physically!  Then, when she goes and tries to tell me again, I tell her to ‘get away from me,’ like she was some kind of disease.”

As the thoughts of the event began rushing back to her again, the anger slowly dissolved into guilt.  Because of this, Scootaloo closed her eyes and began to cry.  When she did, she buried her face into her pillow, hoping to muffle the sound from her parents; the last thing she wanted was to have to explain to them why she was crying.

When the thought of explanations entered her head, the guilt had turned into fear, as something else had crossed her mind.  However, the tears still streamed down her cheeks and onto her pillow.

“What if she tells Rarity?” she asked quietly, trying to calm herself down from the crying, but to no avail, “What if she tells her that I hurt her?  What if she tells her that I pushed her into a wall and caused her nose to worsen?”

Then, the last question she asked herself caused her heart to speed up, “What if she tells Rarity that I broke her heart?”

Immediately, the fear began coursing through her body, as the scenario in her head became as clear as anything.  She could see Rarity, her eyes engulfed in flames of hatred and an angered face that could scare a Cockatrice into submission.  She could see her staring at her, threatening her to stay away from her sister and never be seen near or around her ever again.  Just the very thought made Scootaloo shiver in fear, causing her heart to skip a beat.

However, the images in her head quickly dissipated as a thought came across her mind, putting her at ease, if only for the moment.  “Sweetie Belle wouldn’t tell her about this.  Knowing her, she’d say it was ‘Scott’ that did it, not me.  She wouldn’t say it was me, not if she hasn’t said it to anypony in all this time.”

Even though her realization put her heart at ease, it didn’t do anything to her mind, which still fished for an answer to the constant question that floated within her.  As a result, she let out a small sigh and rested her head on her pillow, as she stared at the ceiling again.  She didn’t know what to do or what to think.  Everything raced through her mind, but none of it made any sense to her.

She turned her head to the small end table that held her lamp and a few other various things.  Among those things was a small photograph of her and her fellow Crusaders, all piled on top of each other with smiles on their faces.  She took the picture and looked at it, focusing her attention on the unicorn filly of the group.  She rubbed her hoof on the picture, a small flicker of a smile forming at the corners of her mouth.

Scootaloo could remember when she and Sweetie Belle first met, underneath a table at Diamond Tiara’s “Cute-Ceañera.”  She recalled that she was the first friend she had, even before they met Apple Bloom.  As the memories came back, the smile on the Pegasus filly’s face grew wider.  The longer she looked at Sweetie Belle in the picture, the more clearer things started to become.  Soon, she knew what she had to do.

“I know what I have to do,” she said to herself, as she wiped her eyes with her free hoof, “The next time I see her, I have to apologize!  I have to tell her that I didn’t mean to do what I did or say what I said.  I have to tell her...”

She stopped in midsentence as a thought came over her.  Scootaloo was going to say that she needed to tell her that she felt the same way about her.  However, as she lied there, thinking about it, she, herself, didn’t know if she felt the same way about her.

“Do I even feel the same way about her?” she asked herself, as she stared at the ceiling, “Do I love her the same way she loves me?”

She turned on her side and looked out the window.  She saw that the rain was coming down pretty hard.  It looked like the storm was going to be there for a while, preventing her from going anywhere.

“Looks like I’m stuck here until the storm passes,” she told herself, as she placed the picture on the end table, “I guess that’s a good thing.  At least it gives me some time to really think this through.  I don’t know if I love her or not, but one thing’s for sure, I hope Sweetie Belle can find it in her heart to forgive me.”

With that, Scootaloo let out a sigh and rested her head on her pillow.  She wasn’t going anywhere until the storm passed through.  As a result, she did the only thing she could do now: get her thoughts together and find the best way to apologize to Sweetie Belle.  Furthermore, she had to figure out if she felt the same way about her friend, or if she was simply going to ignore it completely.
> Chapter 23: Suspicion
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The storm over Ponyville was one of the harshest ones they had ever experienced.  It was more like a hurricane rather than a basic storm; the winds were much harsher and the rain came down heavier than normal.  What caught the worry to the citizens of Ponyville was that there was no real explanation to why the Weather Team responsible for the weather decided to have a hurricane; they hadn’t missed any scheduled rainstorms in the past several months.  Knowing that there was probably some logical reasoning behind it, nopony really questioned why it was happening, even though they were still a bit worried.

The storm had lasted two whole days before it had begun to die down into a light drizzle.  Debris from the trees and from some of the houses was all over the roads of town.  Surprisingly, there wasn’t any major damage caused from the hurricane, aside from a few window shutters and roof shingles begin torn off.  However, the damages were done and nopony was harmed, which was a miracle in itself.

Among the damaged houses throughout town, the Carousel Boutique was one that suffered the least amount of damage, despite its grand structure.  A few shingles were missing and some of the side panels were slightly broken, but either than that, it remained perfectly intact the entire time.

As the rain slowly drizzled down, Rarity walked out of the Boutique, an umbrella hovering over her head via her magic, and looked at the damages done.  When she saw that there wasn’t much damage done, she let out a sigh of relief.

“Well, at least no major damage was done,” she said to herself as she entered the Boutique, “Now, how does one repair them?”

Unfortunately for her, she didn’t know the proper kind of magic to perform the task of repairing her home.  As a result, Rarity decided to take a trip to the Ponyville library to borrow a book that would teach her how to perform the necessary magic needed.

Rarity walked into the Boutique and hung her umbrella up.  She headed up the stairs to see if her sister was willing to accompany her to the library; being coped up in the Boutique for two whole days must have been taxing on Sweetie Belle, Rarity figured.  So, she figured heading into town would be good for her.

When Rarity reached the top of the stairs, she walked over to her sister’s bedroom and knocked on the door.  However, she didn’t hear a single response from her.  When she knocked again, she faintly heard Sweetie Belle mumble, “Come in.”

The older unicorn entered the bedroom to see her sister, lying on her bed with her back facing her.  The moment she saw this, a worried look came across her face.  Sweetie Belle had been like this, ever since her break-up with Scott.  She hardly left her room and she didn’t really say much when she did.  The only times she came out of the room was to clean herself and to eat.  Then, she was back in her bedroom, lying there like she was on her deathbed.  As a result, Rarity began to feel bad for her, hoping there was something that she could do to help her.

“Um, Sweetie Belle,” she said, forcing a weary smile on her face, “I was going to head into town for a little while and was wondering if you’d like to join me.”

The filly didn’t turn to look at her, as she mumbled softly, “No, thanks.”

“Are you sure,” said Rarity, the smile fading from her face, “Maybe getting some fresh air would be good for you.  I mean, we’ve been stuck here for the past two days and...”

“No, thanks,” said Sweetie Belle again, not changing the tone in her voice nor turning to look at her.

Rarity couldn’t help but let out a sigh, as she approached her sister.  “I know this must be hard for you, Sweet’ums, but we’ll get you through this.  Things are going to get better, I promise.”

The filly said nothing, as Rarity rubbed her back, hoping it would comfort her.  Seeing that Sweetie Belle didn’t want to talk, she let out one last sigh and began heading out to the Ponyville library. 





“Well, that was quite some storm we had,” said Twilight Sparkle.

“Ya’ll can say that again,” said Applejack, “Ah haven’t seen a storm like that in a while.”

The two mares were inside the library, both of them with smiles on their faces.  Applejack had visited the library to see if Twilight and Spike were alright and if there were any damages that she might have needed help repairing.  Seeing that everything was in tip-top shape, the orange earth pony decided to head out and see if there was anypony else that needed help.

“Well, glad ta see you and Spike are alright,” said Applejack, “I figured somepony might need some help, seeing as a certain Pegasus decided to disappear on us.  Speakin’ of which, I don’t suppose you’ve seen Rainbow Dash anywhere.”

“That’s funny,” said the lavender unicorn, “I’ve been looking for her myself.”

“Well, ah’ve been lookin’ for her, high and low, and ah haven’t seen her,” said the orange pony, “Ah’ve asked everypony in town and no one has seen her.”

“Come to think of it, you might want to ask Pinkie Pie,” said Twilight, as she tapped her chin with a hoof, “The last time I saw her was a few days before the storm.  I saw her enter Sugar Cube Corner with Pinkie and...”

Before she could finish her sentence, the door of the library opened, catching the two ponies’ attention.  When they saw Rarity walk in, they both greeted her with a smile.  However, the look on the white unicorn’s face told them both that something was wrong.

“Twilight, dear,” said Rarity, “You wouldn’t happen to have a book that could teach me how to repair shingles and siding, would you?”

“Um, sure, Rarity,” said Twilight, “Hold on.”

Twilight called out to her dragon assistant to help her find the book on Home Improvement Spells for Rarity.  When Spike arrived with the book, Twilight gave it to Rarity, who put it in her saddle bag.  She gave her a small smile, thanked her for the book and left.

“What’s wrong with Rarity?” asked Spike, a worried look on his face.

“I’m not sure,” said Twilight, “Something bad must have happened to make her look like that.”

Applejack had an idea what was wrong with her, but she couldn’t say it out loud and in front of Twilight; if it was about what she thought it was about, she had ‘Pinkie Promised’ not to say anything to anypony.

“Ah’ll go talk to her,” said Applejack as she began heading for the exit.

“Okay,” said Twilight, as she watched the workhorse leave the library.  As she watched her trot to the white unicorn from the window, she let out a small sigh, hoping that Applejack could help her with whatever it was that was bothering her. 





“Rarity!  Rarity!” called out Applejack, as she trotted over to the unicorn.  Rarity had stopped walking to let the earth pony catch up to her.

“Hey, what’s wrong, sugar cube?” she asked, a worried look on her face, “Ya’ll seem upset ‘bout somethin’.  Is everythin’ alright?”

Rarity sighed and said, “Everything’s fine, I guess.  Sweetie Belle’s not doing too well, but I’m sure you already knew that.”

Question marks began forming around Applejack’s head, as she raised an eyebrow and asked, “How in tarnation would ah already know ‘bout somethin’ like that?”

“From Apple Bloom, of course,” she said, sighing again, “I’m sure she told you all about what happened a few days ago, before the storm hit, when she and her friends went to meet Scott.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow at the unicorn, as she said, “Apple Bloom never met Scott.”

“Come now, Applejack.  Surely you jest,” said Rarity, “Sweetie Belle went to Sweet Apple Acres with Scootaloo to meet up with Apple Bloom.  The three of them went to meet Scott and...”

“Apple Bloom did no such thing,” argued the earth pony, “After ah dropped you off at the Boutique, ah went straight home and Apple Bloom was there.  She came straight home after school.”

Now, it was Rarity’s turn to look confused.  “Wait, you mean that she didn’t go with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo that day?”

“Go where?  What the hay are ya talkin’ ‘bout?”

Rarity stared at the workhorse, the look of confusion greater than that of Applejack’s.  Thinking about it now, what Sweetie Belle had said and what Rarity had seen didn’t make any sense.  Something about the two didn’t add up.

“No, no, no, there’s got to be some mistake,” said Rarity, more like she was talking to herself rather than Applejack, “Before you escorted me home, I saw Sweetie Belle walk with Scootaloo towards Sweet Apple Acres.  They went to pick up Apple Bloom, I’m sure of it.”

“Ah just told ya that Apple Bloom didn’t go anywhere,” interrupted Applejack, “Yer not makin’ any sense.”

“That...that’s not possible!” said the unicorn, talking like she was in a trance, “I saw her walking with Scootaloo!  They were heading to Sweet Apple Acres!  When she came home, she was all wet and muddy from the storm that came!  She told me that she was with Scott...”

“RARITY!” shouted Applejack, snapping the unicorn out of her hyper-babbling state, “Back it up a few paces!  What happened to Sweetie Belle?”

Rarity, still a little stunned from Applejack slowly said, “She tried telling Scott how she felt about him and he rejected her.”

The earth pony’s eyes went wide, as a look of sorrow came across her face.  “Oh no, poor Sweetie Belle!  That’s...that’s just terrible!”

“However, she went to the schoolhouse and met up with Scootaloo.  They were heading to Sweet Apple Acres, but that’s when you stopped me!”

Applejack nodded her head, beginning to understand where Rarity was coming from.

“After you dropped me off, some time had passed before Sweetie Belle came running in from the storm, all wet and dirty.  She was upset, so I asked what was wrong.  She told me about her and Scott, that she had gone to see him.”

The workhorse raised an eyebrow and asked, “Hold on a sec.  Ya mean that Sweetie Belle tried to tell Scott how she felt ‘bout him with Scootaloo there?  Why doesn’t that make any sense?  Ah mean, it would be one thing if they had picked up Apple Bloom along the way or if she went by herself, but just the two of them?  Something seems very fishy about her alibi.”

“I don’t understand it either,” said the white unicorn, “But one thing’s for sure, I need to talk to Sweetie Belle about this.  None of what she said is making any sense, and if hadn’t been for you, I wouldn’t have realized it.  Thanks, Applejack.”

Rarity offered the workhorse a light hug before making her way to the Boutique to talk with Sweetie Belle.  Not sure if she should be looking into it more, Applejack just stood there, confused with what had just happened.

A few moments later, Rarity walked through the doors of her home.  Without even taking off her saddle bag, she immediately began making her way up the stairs to talk with her sister.

When she got there, she knocked on the door and said, “Sweetie Belle, I need a word with you right now!”

Much to Rarity’s surprise, there wasn’t a single answer from the other side of the door.  She knocked again, this time a little harder than before.  Panic began to erupt inside the unicorn, as she opened the door to see why Sweetie Belle wasn’t answering her.

“Sweetie Belle,” she said, as she opened the door, “I need to know why you and Scootaloo were...”

Before she could finish her sentence, she let out a loud gasp, as she saw nothing but an empty bedroom.  Panicking, she entered the room and began looking around for the filly, unsure of why she wasn’t there.  As she trotted over to the bed, a small piece of paper had caught her eye.  She looked over at it and levitated it in front of her via her magic.

It was a note, written by Sweetie Belle, on a small piece of paper.  When Rarity read it, her heart sped up, as she let out another gasp.

“Rarity,” it stated, “I needed to leave.  I’m sorry.  Sweetie Belle.”

Not sure of what to do, Rarity did the only thing she could do: she left the Boutique and galloped into town, hoping to find out where her sister might have gone.
> Chapter 24: Escape
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

15 Minutes Earlier

Sweetie Belle waited, as she heard her sister leave her bedroom and head to the main entrance of the Boutique.  When she was sure she was outside, she got up and made her way to the window, making sure she was out of sight but still able to see outside.  She saw Rarity trotting down the road into town, heading towards the library.  The filly knew that she wouldn’t be gone for long, so she had to act fast.

Immediately, Sweetie Belle grabbed her saddle bag in her mouth and began packing things the she knew she might need, even though she had no idea where she was going.  As she began packing some clothing, tears that had been in her eyes the whole time began streaming down her cheeks.  The guilt of what she was about to do was sinking into her subconscious, making her feel like she was some sort of criminal, trying to escape without being caught.

When she thought about it, she knew that running away was a dumb idea, all because of what she did to Scootaloo.  However, Sweetie Belle knew that she would never be able to face her, either that, or Scootaloo would never want to see her again.  Furthermore, the thoughts of everypony already knowing about it and her being mocked and ridiculed for the rest of her life convinced her that she had to do this.

After filling her bag with a few things she felt she might need for wherever she was going, she decided it would be a good idea to pack some food; since she didn’t know where she was going, she had no idea when would be the next time she would eat something.  So, she headed down the stairs, making her way into the kitchen.

When she packed the rest of her bag with some food, her heart began to race as the panic began to rear its ugly head in.  The tears continued to stream down her cheeks, as she decided that it was time for her to leave.  So, she began making her way to the back door, only because it was closer and she needed to leave without risking being seen by Rarity.  However, as the thoughts of her sister ran through her mind, she froze in mid-step.

“Rarity,” she whispered, as she wiped her eyes with a hoof.

The thought of leaving without telling her own sister where she was going and that she wasn’t coming back didn’t settle too well with her.  In fact, thinking about it now, it made her feel even worse than before.  As a result, she decided to leave a note for her; nothing telling her where she was going, but letting her know that she was out.  Unfortunately, Sweetie Belle knew that she would be lying to her again, saying that she was going out but with no intention of ever coming back.  As a direct result, she decided to simply write that she would be leaving, not specifying when she would be back; maybe if she was lucky, Rarity would think that she was going out with her friends and leave well enough alone.

Sweetie Belle turned and galloped back into her room, knowing that time was of the essence.  When she got there, she pulled out a piece of paper from her school book and grabbed the closest pen she could find.  Then, using her mouth, she wrote a short and simple note, the guilt and sadness sinking into her heart with every word.

“Rarity,” she wrote, trying her best to hold back the tears so they wouldn’t get on the paper, “I needed to leave.  I’m sorry.  Sweetie Belle.”

When she was done, she left it on the bed, knowing that it would be the first place that Rarity would come looking for her.  As she put it on the bed, she stared at it for several seconds; the anxiety and panic preventing her from moving.

“Rarity, I am so sorry I have to do this,” she whispered, trying her best not to cry anymore, “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.  I promise I’ll be in touch, wherever I wind up.  I’ll never forget you.”

Then, unable to hold herself from the pain of the situation, she began sobbing uncontrollably as she whispered, “Please forgive me.”

With that, she turned to the door, made her way down the stairs and out the back door of the Boutique.  When she was outside, she closed the door behind her and slowly began backing away, not sure if she could bring herself to do this.

I can’t stay here, she thought, as she wiped her eyes again.  I need to go now, before she comes back.

With that, she turned and began walking away from her former home, knowing that she would never be able to come back again. 





A short time later, Sweetie Belle found herself nearing the edge of Ponyville.  She tried her best to make herself hidden from everypony; the worry of who knew and who didn’t was getting the best of her.  The drizzle kept coming down, small but frequently as she kept her head low to avoid detection.  Although there weren’t that many ponies out and about, she still made sure she wasn’t noticed by anypony that happened to be around.

Just keep walking, Sweetie Belle, she kept reassuring herself.  Nopony is looking at you.  Just keep walking and you’ll be fine.

Even her reassuring thoughts couldn’t help her as she saw that she was passing Scootaloo’s house.  Her heart began to race on overdrive as she tried her best not to look at the house.  Although she was able to prevent herself from looking, the thoughts of the Pegasus filly kept clouding her mind, making her feel worse and worse.  Her stomach began to churn from the anxiety, as the thoughts of her former friend kept racing in her thoughts.

Just don’t think about her, she thought, as she passed the house.  Just keep your mind on the road.  Everything will be alright once I leave town.

After several moments, she found herself on a dirt path leading away from Ponyville.  When she got there, her heart had started to settle; nopony seemed to even notice the filly, which was fortunate for her.  She let out several deep breaths, hoping it would ease the panic and anxiety, but to no avail.

“Where am I even going?” she whispered to herself.  Although nopony was in earshot, she still kept her voice low, just in case somepony was around.

As she kept walking, she began to think about where she was going to go.  She had considered the clubhouse, for now, but immediately rejected the idea; her friends were always there and would spot her in an instant.  Sweetie Belle had thought about taking the Ponyville Train to somewhere far away, but, to her own dismay, she didn’t have any bits to pay for it.  As a result, she found herself walking down a dirt path to nowhere.

“There’s got to be somewhere where nopony will find me,” she said, her voice still low, “But where?  It’s got to be somewhere where nopony will ever think to look.  Somewhere that nopony would dare to go.  Somewhere that...”

As the thoughts crossed her mind, Sweetie Belle thought of the perfect place, sort of.  It was the only place that she knew would be a safe haven from the torment of Scootaloo and the rest of Ponyville, for that matter.  She had always been warned never to go there, but now, it was the best place she could go.

She nodded her head, as her mind was finally made up.  Her heart raced at the very idea of going there, but it was better than nothing at this point; she had no other options.  Besides, she was pretty confident that she could take care of herself for a while, however long she would last.

Soon, she had reached her destination, or at least, she was at the edge of it.  As she looked at the dirt path before her, she knew that there was no turning back.  It was either she left now or suffer for the rest of her life; knowing the latter of the two was a worse fate than anything, Sweetie Belle agreed to herself to leave.

“Well,” she said to herself, as she stared at the murky darkness of the Everfree Forest, “Goodbye, Ponyville.  I’ll miss you.”

With that, she began to slowly walk down the road of the forbidden forest, not even caring about what could be there waiting for her.  However, she had only taken a few steps down the road, when a familiar voice that had called her name, stopped her dead in her tracks.
> Chapter 25: Panicking
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Scootaloo sat in her bedroom with a dull, expressionless look on her face.  She sat on her bed with her scooter, trying to replace the wheel that had been broken for the past several days.  However, with all her thoughts focusing on Sweetie Belle and the events that had transpired, she hadn’t found the time or energy to actually work on it.  Even throughout the storm, the unicorn filly was the only thing that she could think about.  As an attempt to try and clear her mind from the recent events and feelings that she was going through, she decided to work on her broken scooter, hoping it would take her mind off of things for a while.

She let out a sigh as she slowly continued to turn the nut that held the wheel in place with a socket wrench.  As she turned the tool, she tried her best to focus on what she was doing.  As a result, she managed to put herself on some sort of “autopilot,” not really thinking about anything, but just doing what she was doing. 

After several moments of turning, Scootaloo let out another sigh as she looked out the window.  Ever since the storm began, ever since she and Sweetie Belle had their scuffle in the clubhouse, her only thoughts were on what had happened and how she felt about her.  She recalled what she had said before, that she was going to apologize to the unicorn filly the next time that she saw her.  However, she also recalled that she had wanted to tell her that she felt the same way about her.  The only problem was that she didn’t know if she even felt the same way about her.  Should she accept her friend’s love for her and give Sweetie Belle her love in return?  Or, should she accept Sweetie’s love and just ignore it completely, friend-zoning her and telling her that they just weren’t meant to be?

Since her mind had wondered again, she practically jumped out of her fur when the nut finally came loose and the wheel popped off.  Her heart racing and a startled look on her face, Scootaloo took the wheel and got ready to put the replacement one on.  However, before she could get the new wheel, her eye caught a glimpse at the one in her hoof.  The moment it did, she let out a frustrated groan and face-hoofed.

“Wrong wheel,” she muttered, as she began putting the wheel back on.  “Come on, Scootaloo, get it together!  Just focus on this...nothing else, just this!”

With an annoyed look on her face, she began to put the wheel back on the scooter, mentally swearing to herself that she wasn’t going to let her mind wander anymore.  Try as she might, she just couldn’t shake the thoughts of Sweetie Belle out of her mind.  Every time Scootaloo tried to put her focus on the task before her, her mind always seemed to shift back to the events, and the inevitable choice that she was going to have to make.  Annoyed at herself for being in this situation, she groaned out loud, dropped the socket wrench, and lied flat on her bed; at this point, focusing on anything but the unicorn filly seemed impossible.

“What am I going to do?” she asked herself as she stared at the ceiling again, “I’m never going to be alright until I talk to her!  Why did this have to happen now?  Why did this have to happen at all?”

Knowing that she couldn’t answer any of the questions she had asked, she sighed softly and closed her eyes.  It wasn’t her fault that this happened, nor was it Sweetie Belle’s.  However, that didn’t justify anything; it may not have been either of their faults and playing this “blame game” wasn’t going to help.  She needed to tell her friend how she felt, one way or another.

Eventually, she sat up and said, “Maybe my mind will be much more cleared after I eat something.”

She got off her bed and began making her way to the kitchen for a light snack.  However, she didn’t even leave the room when something outside caught her attention.  From the corner of her eye, she saw a familiar white figure walking through town, heading towards the outskirts of Ponyville.  Scootaloo turned her head and looked out the window at the figure.  Immediately, her eyes widened and her heart began to race as she recognized what, or rather who, it was.

“Sweetie Belle?” she asked aloud, as she watched the unicorn filly walking across her house, some distance away.  She would have ducked in cover, trying to hide herself from her friend, but, by the looks of the unicorn filly, she didn’t appear to be paying attention to her or her house.  In fact, it almost appeared like she was trying to avoid making eye contact with the house, trying to ignore it completely.

However, Scootaloo couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow as she noticed something about her friend, something that seemed a little out of place.  Her attention was immediately brought to her filled saddle bag that she was carrying.

“What’s with the saddle bag?” she asked herself, cocking her head to one side, “Where in Equestria are you going, Sweetie Belle?”

It was at that moment something inside of her began telling her what to do.  It told her that this was the opportune moment to talk to her, to tell her how she felt about her and apologize for what she had done.  She didn’t know where she was going, or if she would ever have the opportunity to see her again; no doubt Sweetie Belle was trying her best to avoid her, especially after what had happened between them.

“It’s now or never,” Scootaloo told herself, “I need to talk to her and apologize.  Furthermore, I need to know where she’s going and why!”

With that, Scootaloo told her parents that she needed to head into town for a moment and that she would be right back.  Then, she bolted out the door and began to follow Sweetie Belle.  As she galloped down the dirt path behind her friend, something began to click in her mind.  Although she needed to talk to her, the curiosity of where she was going was overcoming her, causing suspicion to course through her body.

“First, let’s see where she thinks she’s going,” she said, low enough for only her to hear.  So, she stopped galloping and began to walk softly, making sure that Sweetie Belle didn’t hear her.  She also decided to keep her distance from her. That way, she could see where she was going and not have to worry about being spotted or heard.

After several minutes of following her, she saw that she was heading towards the Everfree Forest, in the direction of Fluttershy’s cottage.

“Is she going to see Fluttershy, or something?” she asked, as she continued to follow her, “If she is, then I’ll just have to wait for her to come out.  Then, I’ll talk to her.”

However, her suspicions aroused even more when she saw her friend walking past Fluttershy’s cottage, towards the Everfree Forest’s entrance.  The moment she saw that Sweetie Belle was heading towards the dark and dangerous forest, her suspicion had dissolved into fear and panic.

“Is she going into the Everfree Forest?” she asked, her heart beginning to race and her pace beginning to pick up.  At this point she didn’t care if Sweetie Belle heard her or not; she had to stop her before it was too late.  However, her heart began to ease down, as she saw the filly sit in front of the entrance, not making any move towards the forest itself.

“No, no, she can’t be,” she tried to reassure herself, “She wouldn’t do something like that.  She’s not that crazy!  She wouldn’t...she couldn’t...”

Unfortunately, her heart, as well as her pace, halted to a stop as she watched Sweetie Belle beginning to trot towards the forest, her pace slow and her head hung low.  Immediately, Scootaloo began to gallop at full force towards her; she had to stop her.  She had to know why she was doing this.  She had to prevent her from making a huge mistake.  As she ran, she began flapping her tiny wings, hoping it would give her a boost of speed and catch up to Sweetie Belle in time.

With her current speed, and the slow pace that Sweetie Belle was going, it was pretty clear that she would have caught up with her in no time.  However, something in her gut was telling her that it wasn’t enough; she had to stop her in her tracks at that moment, before it was too late.  Who knew what could be waiting for her within the forbidden forest that everypony feared!

With this thought in her head, she did the only thing she could do.  Although she was out of breath, although her heart was racing faster than her legs and her tiny body was starting to hurt, she did what she had to do: she inhaled as much breath as she could possibly muster and called out her name, praying that it was enough to stop her. 





Rarity came bursting out of the Boutique, her heart racing faster than it ever had before.  Her eyes scanned the city back and forth, searching for any signs of where her sister could have gone.  As she continued galloping into town, her thoughts began to blur as everything she could possibly think began rushing through her mind.

All she knew was that her sister had left, nothing more, nothing less.  As a result, she didn’t know if she should be worried, upset, or even angry at her.  The main cause of all these feelings being jumbled at once had come from how the filly had been acting the past few days; her secretive behavior was beginning to get to Rarity, in more ways than one.

As she galloped into Ponyville, Rarity spotted Applejack, who didn’t seem to move from the spot where she last left her.  The moment the workhorse saw the white unicorn, she stood up from her haunches, a noticeably worried expression on her face.

“Rarity?” she asked, still a little confused from when she first ran off, “What’s wrong now?”

“It’s Sweetie Belle,” said Rarity, as she halted to a stop in front of the earth pony, “She’s gone, Applejack!”

“‘Gone?’” asked AJ, “What do ya mean, ‘gone?’”

“I mean she wasn’t at the Boutique!  All that was left was this note from her!  I don’t know what it means, but all I know is that I have to find her!”

Rarity levitated the note in front of Applejack.  Because she was an earth pony, Rarity held the note while she read it.  When she was done, she cocked her head and raised an eyebrow.

“No offense, sugar cube,” she said with a small smile on her face, “But ah think yer getting’ yerself all worked up over nothin’.”

“NOTHING?” Rarity shouted as her eyebrows furrowed.  Startled that she had raised her voice in an un-ladylike fashion, she cleared her throat to regain her composure and asked, “What do you mean, ‘nothing?’  My sister runs off on me, not telling me where she’s going or when she’s coming back and you think it’s ‘nothing?’”

“What ah’m sayin’ is that yer lookin’ too deep into this, hun,” she said, putting a hoof on her shoulder, “Sure, she didn’t say where she was goin’ or when she was goin’ to come back, but she could have gone with her friends.  Sweetie Belle’s not the type to just leave and not come back, ya know?”

Not even thinking about that, the look on Rarity’s face relaxed, just like her heart.

“Heck, she could be over at Sweet Apple Acres with the other Crusaders as we speak,” said Applejack, “Ya’ll need to stop worryin’ so much ‘bout yer sister and put a little trust in her.”

“You’re...you’re right, Applejack,” said Rarity, taking a few deep breaths, “Do forgive me for my sudden outburst.  It’s just that she’s been so secretive lately that I just feel the need to know what she’s up to.”

“Ah understand, sugar,” said Applejack, “I have a sister, too, remember?  But ya’ll need to let her be from time to time, give her space to breath.  Ah’m sure she’ll be back before it gets too late.  Now, why don’t we go over to Sugar Cube Corner for some lunch?”

Trying her best to calm her nerves, Rarity smiled and nodded.  Applejack was right, she figured; Sweetie Belle had been cooped up in the Boutique for the past two days.  Some time outside would be good for her.

However, she couldn’t help but feel that something was wrong, that her sister was up to something.  Knowing that Applejack was right, and that Sweetie Belle was simply with her friends, she trotted next to the orange pony, praying that she was wrong and that Sweetie Belle was alright. 
> Chapter 26: Confessions
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Sweetie Belle’s heart began to race the moment she heard her name being called.  Although she knew who it was, she didn’t turn around; she didn’t make any gesture to look at her.  All she did was hang her head lower than it already was, her ears seeming to droop and the tears continuing to stream down her face.  She could hear her galloping hoofs on the muddy road becoming louder and louder, a clear indication that she was approaching her.  However, she couldn’t let her stop her from what she was doing.  Sweetie Belle had made up her mind and she was sticking to it, no matter what.

“Sweetie Belle!” Scootaloo called again, as she steadied her gallop into a trot, hoping to catch her breath so she could talk, “What are you doing?”

When she caught up to Sweetie Belle, she stopped and began panting heavily.  She looked at the white filly before her, the small curls in her mane unraveled from the drizzle that came pouring down.  Although her back was to her, she could see that Sweetie Belle was scared and nervous about leaving.  None of that mattered now; all that mattered was stopping Sweetie Belle from making a terrible mistake.

“What does it look like?” the unicorn filly asked.  She tried to make her voice sound cold and flat, but the deepened sadness that she felt prevented it.  “I’m running away.”

“Running away?” asked Scootaloo, her eyes widening with shock and horror, “Why the hay would you be doing that?”

“Why do you care?” she asked coldly, as she continued to walk away.

Now, Scootaloo’s eyebrows furrowed, as she could sense the anger that Sweetie Belle was trying to express.

“Of course I care,” she said, her tone firm, “I wouldn’t be standing here, trying to stop you, if I didn’t care!”

“Yeah, sure you are,” said the unicorn filly, sarcastically, “You’re probably just here to throw it in my face some more or make me feel worse than I already do!”

Now, Scootaloo was angry, “Whoa, whoa, whoa!  Don’t talk to me like this is my fault!  Need I remind you that it was YOU who did this!  YOU were the one who kissed ME, remember?”

Sweetie Belle stopped walking again and let out a soft sigh.  She knew Scootaloo was right, that it wasn’t her fault she was doing this.  However, she knew she needed to do this, whether it was because of her or not.

“It doesn’t matter, anyway,” said Sweetie Belle, “I’ve made up my mind and that’s final.  It’s better for us if I left.  That way, you won’t have to look at me ever again for the rest of your life and I won’t have to worry about being tormented and humiliated for the rest of mine.”

“Tormented?  Humiliated?  Sweetie Belle, what in Equestria are you talking about?” asked the Pegasus filly.

“Like you don’t know,” said Sweetie Belle, feeling the tears beginning to stream from her eyes, “I know you told somepony about what happened.  You probably told Apple Bloom, who will tell Applejack, who will tell Rarity!  Probably all of Ponyville knows what happened by now.  I’m not going to spend the rest of my life being made fun of for what I did.”

“What are you talking about?” asked Scootaloo, “I didn’t tell anypony about what had happened.  First of all, I wouldn’t have done that to a friend!  Secondly, I’ve been stuck indoors because of the passing storm.  Even if I wanted to tell anypony about it, I couldn’t because I didn’t see anypony after you left.  I went straight home!”

Sweetie Belle felt her eyes seem to widen at Scootaloo’s words.  A wave of relief washed over her as she felt the anxiety of everypony knowing about what she did and exiling her from town flush out of her mind.  However, it still didn’t convince her that Scootaloo didn’t want to be her friend anymore, not after what had just happened.

“That doesn’t change anything,” the white filly said as she began to walk again, “I’ve decided to leave and that’s final.  Besides, it’s probably what you would want, too!”

Scootaloo could feel the tears beginning to well up inside, as she watched her friend walking away.  She could only imagine what she was going through right now, and it was far worse than what she, herself, was going through.

“What I would want?” asked Scootaloo, as she began to follow her, “What do you mean by that?  I don’t want you to leave!  What would make you think something like that?”

Again, Sweetie Belle stopped walking, her eyes stinging from the tears that were there.  “I saw the look on your face, Scoots.  I know what you were thinking!  You don’t want me as your friend anymore!  You probably don’t even what to see my face around here ever again.  That’s why I’m going into the Everfree Forest.  Maybe a Manticore will gobble me up, or a Cockatrice will turn me into stone for the rest of my life.  That way, you’ll never have to see me ever again.”

With that, Sweetie Belle continued to walk, still not turning to look at her friend.  However, she only took a few steps forward before she found herself unable to move.  She tried moving forward, but found that something was holding her back.  Her eyebrows furrowed, as it became clear what was happening.  She didn’t have to turn around to know that Scootaloo was holding her tail down with a hoof, preventing her from going anywhere.

Without turning around Sweetie Belle furrowed her eyebrows and said in an annoyed voice, “Let me go.”

“You know I can’t do that,” said the Pegasus filly, her voice almost as annoyed as hers, “Not until we’ve talked about this.”

“There’s nothing to talk about, so just let me go.”

“What do you mean, ‘nothing to talk about’?” Scootaloo shouted, “We have everything to talk about!  I can’t just pretend that none of this ever happened, Sweetie Belle!  I have questions, and you’re the only one who can answer them.  Ergo, you’re not going anywhere until we’ve talked about this!”

Not seeming to listen to her, Sweetie Belle tried desperately to get her tail free by tugging as hard as she could.  She hoped that the mud beneath them would be slick enough to allow her tail to slide out from Scootaloo’s hoof.  However, with every tug and pull, she could feel pain running through her flank.  After several attempts of freeing herself from the orange filly’s grip, she stopped and let out a deep sigh; at this point, she felt it was pointless to try and run away from her, not without telling her what she wanted to know.

“Are you going to cooperate?” asked Scootaloo as she whipped her flattened mane from her eyes.

An annoyed sigh was Sweetie Belle’s only response.

Seeing that Sweetie Belle wasn’t struggling anymore, she lifted her hoof off of her tail.  When she did, she watched as the unicorn filly only lowered her whole body in shame, almost like she didn’t want to talk to her about anything.  However, she knew she had to try and get some clarification from her, whether she was willing to comply or not.

Getting the idea that she wasn’t going anywhere, Scootaloo trotted over to her face, hoping to look her in the eyes as she told her what she needed to hear.  However, when she went over to her, immediately, Sweetie Belle squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head, trying to avoid making eye contact with her.  Scootaloo picked up on this and raised an eyebrow.

“What are you doing?” she asked, as she cocked her head at her friend, “Why aren’t you looking at me?”

“Because I can’t,” she explained, as she squeezed her eyes tighter than she thought she could.

“Why can’t you?”

“Because if I do,” she explained, tears leaking from the corners of her eyes, “The feeling will come back and it’ll happen again!”

Wide-eyed in confusion, Scootaloo asked, “‘Feeling?’  What feeling are you talking about?”

Sweetie Belle let out a small sigh, as she said, “It’s the feeling I’ve felt for you for a while, for the past few days now.  It’s the same feeling that drove me to...to...to kiss you.”

Still confused, Scootaloo asked, “What kind of feeling are we talking about?”

Then, she heard her mumble something.  Because she said it low and her face was turned away from her, it was very difficult to make out what she said.

So, Scootaloo asked, “I’m sorry, but I didn’t hear you.  What did you say?”

Again, Sweetie Belle mumbled something.  This time, it was much lower than it was the first time she said it.  Now, Scootaloo was beginning to get annoyed at her.  She was getting sick and tired of playing this game with Sweetie Belle.  She needed answers, and she was going to do whatever she needed to get them.

“For Celestia’s sake, Sweetie Belle,” said Scootaloo as she stomped her hoof in protest, “I can’t hear a word you’re...”

“IT’S LOVE, OKAY!” Sweetie Belle practically shouted, interrupting her friend.  Then, she lowered her head into the muddy road and began crying, unsure of what Scootaloo would make of it.

Scootaloo stood there at a complete loss for words.  The moment the words left Sweetie Belle’s mouth, her own heart began to race.  She might have understood that she had a crush on her, but the word ‘love’ was a little too much for her to bare.  In fact, she couldn’t see the logic in it; either that or she didn’t want to.

“‘Love?’” she asked, her voice in almost a quiet whisper, “You...you...you...”

Knowing what she was going to say, or what she was trying to say, Sweetie Belle answered in a low voice, “Yes, Scootaloo.  I...I...I’ve fallen in love with you.”

For several moments, the two of them stood there, the light drizzle pouring down on them both.  Neither of them could find the right words to say at this point.  All they could do was stand there.  Scootaloo stared at her unicorn friend, while Sweetie Belle tried her best to hide both her tears and her face from the Pegasus.

Then, Scootaloo asked the only question that she could at that moment, the only one that floated in her mind that was the most sensible, “How?”

Trying her best not to look her in the eyes, Sweetie raised her head ever so slightly and said, “It happened several days ago, when we tried bungee jumping, remember?”

Scootaloo nodded her head, recollecting what had happened in her mind.

“Well, when we were helping you heal your wounds, you...well...you...” she continued, not sure if she could bring herself to finish the sentence.

However, she didn’t need to say anymore, when Scootaloo asked, “When I hugged you?”

Still not making eye contact, the unicorn filly simply nodded and said, “That when the feeling first started.  Ever since then, I’ve been developing feelings for you.”

“What kind of feelings?” asked Scootaloo.

“Well...” said Sweetie Belle, not sure if she could bring herself to say them.  Slowly she began to name the feelings that overcame her whenever she looked at Scootaloo.  From the flushing cheeks to the blank staring, the unicorn filly told her everything.

As she spoke, Scootaloo could only sit on her haunches and stare at her, absorbing everything that she was telling her.  As she did, all the questions that were in her mind seemed to vanish within seconds; it was almost as if there weren’t any questions in the first place.

“The feelings always seem to intensify whenever I look into your eyes.  That’s why I can’t look you in the eyes.  It feels like nothing else in the world matters, except us.”

Scootaloo directed her attention to the tears that began to stream from her friends’ eyes.  As she stood there, the thoughts in her own head began blurring with one another.  She didn’t know what to say or do now.

“At first, I thought that it was our friendship getting stronger or something,” continued Sweetie Belle, bringing Scootaloo out of her own thoughts, “But, the longer I thought about it and the more I felt it, the more I allowed it to sink in until I realized that this is much stronger than friendship.  It’s love, Scootaloo!  I can’t really explain why it happened, but it did!”

“But...” Scootaloo began to say.  However, she couldn’t find any words to say to her.  She had spent the past two days coming up with questions for the unicorn, but now, after hearing what Sweetie Belle was going through and the feelings she had for her, she couldn’t find any of the questions in her memory bank.

Thinking that she knew what Scootaloo was going to ask, Sweetie said, “I made up ‘Scott’ to try and hide my feelings for you.  I was too scared to tell you the truth, to tell you how I really felt about you.  Unfortunately, that only made problems worse, especially when everypony wanted so much to meet him!” 

At this point, Scootaloo focused her gaze on the ground, letting the thoughts sink in.  When she thought about it now, she realized that what Sweetie Belle was going through was extremely difficult.  She had no idea that she was feeling for her in this way, not to this extreme.  If the choice of returning her love to Sweetie Belle wasn’t hard enough to make before, it was definitely hard now.  She didn’t want to break her heart, nor did she want to get involved with something that she really knew nothing about.

“Look, Scoots,” Sweetie Belle said, tears still flowing and her voice still low, “I understand you don’t feel the same way that I feel for you.  I just wanted you to know that I do love you, even though you clearly don’t love me in return.  That’s why I’m running away, so you don’t ever have to worry about seeing my face in town ever again.  I’m really sorry for lying to you and I hope that you can find in yourself to forgive me, but I have to do this, for both of us.”

All Scootaloo could do was watch as Sweetie Belle stood up straight, her eyes fixated on the muddy road.  She slowly began to trot, refusing to look her friend in the eyes.  When she was standing next to her, all she could do was whisper quietly, “Goodbye, Scootaloo.”

With that, Sweetie Belle began walking again, heading into the dark murky forest, not turning back.  As much as she didn’t want to do this, she knew that it was the right thing to do.  It was better for the two of them this way, she kept reassuring herself.  There was no other choice.

As all the thoughts began racing through her mind, with all the feelings she had felt during the storm coming into light, Scootaloo knew what she had to do.  It wasn’t out of guilt or remorse, or even sympathy; it was because she knew it had to be done.  Furthermore, when she really thought about it, she knew that it was true and that it needed to be brought out into the open.

“Wait,” said the Pegasus filly, stopping the unicorn filly in her tracks, “There’s...there’s something I need to tell you.”

Confused and unsure of what she could possibly have to say, Sweetie Belle turned around and looked at Scootaloo, who’s back was facing her.

Wiping the excess tears from her eyes with a hoof, Sweetie Belle asked, “What is it?”

Not turning to face her, Scootaloo said, “I have something to tell you, but you have to do something for me first.”

“Okay...” said the white filly, her heart pounding in her chest, “What do you...”

“You have to look me in the eyes, Sweetie Belle,” said the orange filly, “And really listen to what I have to say.”

Tears began to well up inside her eyes again, as Sweetie Belle said, “I can’t do that, Scoots.  You know what will happen if I...”

“Please, Sweetie Belle,” she interrupted, “Please.”

Slowly and surely, Sweetie Belle began making her way to her friend, her heart racing and tears starting to stream from her eyes.  Soon, she sat next to the Pegasus filly, who was looking down with her eyes closed at the moment.  When Scootaloo knew she was next to her, she turned her head, opened her eyes and looked at her friend.

The moment their eyes connected, both of their hearts raced, as the feeling from before began overflowing within Sweetie Belle.  She was lost in the moment now, the moment where nothing else mattered, except the two of them.  She didn’t know what she was going to do, or what she was going to say, but she had a feeling it wasn’t going to be good.

Then, something unexpected happened that shocked both fillies in a heartbeat.  With no warning or anything, Scootaloo closed her eyes lightly, leaned in, and pressed her lips against Sweetie Belle’s.

Like before, their kiss was nothing more than the connection of their lips.  Sweetie Belle’s eyes were widened in shock, much like Scootaloo’s were the first time they kissed, she assumed.  However, this time, Sweetie felt that it was much more natural than it was before, like this was how it was supposed to be in the first place.  Feeling a sense of comfort and normalcy, she closed her eyes as well, allowing their kiss to last for several long moments.

It felt like an eternity had passed before they released the kiss.  When they did, they both stared into each other’s eyes.  Both fillies appeared to be blushing and trying their best not to smile, even though they both failed at doing so.

“Scootaloo,” Sweetie Belle finally said after several long moments of silence, “Does this mean that you...that you...”

Scootaloo simply nodded as she smiled.  “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking during the storm that just passed, and even more so now.  What I’ve concluded was this: you were my very first friend I had, Sweetie Belle, even before we met Apple Bloom.  I guess, in a way, I’ve always felt the same way about you.  I guess I might have just been a little better at hiding it than you were.”

“Really?” asked the unicorn filly, her tears becoming tears of joy, “Do you really mean that?”

Scootaloo nodded, as she brought Sweetie Belle in for a romantic embrace.  They wrapped their arms around each other, enjoying every moment of it.  Then, Scootaloo whispered something in Sweetie Belle’s ear, something that she, herself, didn’t expect to say.

“I love you, Sweetie Belle.”

As they released their embrace, Sweetie began nudging Scootaloo’s neck as she replied, “I love you, too, Scootaloo.”

When they released their embrace, Scootaloo said, “Now, let’s get back to Ponyville, where we both belong, shall we?”

Sweetie Belle nodded, as she and her friend began making their way back into town.  As they walked, they looked into each other’s eyes, both of them smiling and feeling the same way for each other.  They no longer had to keep their feelings a secret from each other anymore, as they walked side-by-side.

Whether it was from the light drizzle that came down or that they were voluntarily doing it, neither of them could tell.  However, as they both made their way into town, their tails were intertwined with one another as they made their way back home.
> Chapter 27: Keeping Secrets
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle both made their way to Ponyville, both with smiles on their faces.  The drizzling had stopped now, but a blanket of gray clouds still hovered overhead.  As they trotted along the dirt path towards town, the two fillies couldn’t help but giggle to themselves; the thought of the two of them, being together like this was going to take some getting used to.  Since they were both a little new to the idea, they couldn’t help but laugh a little at it.

However, a thought had entered the unicorn filly’s mind, causing the smile that was on her face to slowly dissolve into a look of worry.  As a result of the thought, she had slowed her trot to a crawl, almost as if she didn’t want to go back to town.  Scootaloo noticed the slow in her pace and raised an eyebrow at her, wondering what she was doing.

“Um, Sweetie Belle, what are you doing?” she asked, as she slowed her stride to match the white filly, “Is everything alright?”

The unicorn filly sighed, as she felt her heart beginning to speed up.  She hadn’t thought about something that she feared the most, something that the two of them were going to have to face, eventually.  Thinking about it now, Sweetie Belle began to have a panic attack, her anxiety going through the roof now.

“How...” she began, as she stopped walking altogether now, “How are we going to tell everypony about this...about us?”

Scootaloo, who had stopped walking as well, could just stare at Sweetie Belle.  She sat on her haunches and began looking at the ground, her eyes darting back and forth.  In truth, she hadn’t thought about how they were going to tell anypony about the two of them, either.  As a result, she began fishing her mind, hoping to find an answer for her friend.

“I...I...” she stuttered, as she continued to think.  Unfortunately, she didn’t have an answer for her friend.  Because of this, all she could do was sigh and mutter, “I don’t know.”

Sweetie Belle, also, fished her mind for an answer.  “Rarity...Applejack...Apple Bloom!  We’ll need to tell them somehow, but how and when?  And what will they say?  How will they react?  What will they do?”

With all these questions being asked at the same time, Scootaloo did the only thing she could do.  Whether it was out of annoyance or because she didn’t want her friend to panic about it, she couldn’t tell, but she took her hoof and put it in Sweetie Belle’s mouth, stopping her from asking anymore worrisome questions.

“Relax, will you?” she said, as she took her hoof out of her mouth, causing Sweetie Belle to give her a look of worry, “We’ll figure this out together, but worrying and asking so many questions like that won’t help.”

Knowing she was right, Sweetie Belle let out a deep breath and said, “You’re right.  Sorry, Scoots.”

“Honestly, I don’t see what’s wrong with just telling everypony about this,” said Scootaloo, a reassuring smile on her face, “I mean, it’s not like it’s the end of the world or anything.  This stuff is normal for fillies our age, right?”

“Yeah, it is,” said Sweetie Belle, remembering what Princess Luna had told her about the subject a few nights ago, “But I’m just worried about it, is all.  I mean, I could just see the look on Apple Bloom’s face when we tell her that we’re together like this, and don’t even get me started on Rarity’s reaction!  I can already hear what she’ll say and how she’ll say it!”

Scootaloo couldn’t help but let out a tiny giggle; knowing Sweetie Belle’s sister so well, she too could picture how she’d react.  However, because she could envision it so well, she found it to be more humorous than worrisome.

“I could see it, too,” said Scootaloo, trying to hide her smile, “But they’ll need to know sooner or later, because if we don’t tell them now, they’re going to find out eventually.  Like it or not, we’re going to have to tell them.”

No sooner did the words leave the Pegasus filly’s mouth that a light bulb lit over Sweetie Belle’s head.  She smiled at her friend and said, “Scootaloo, you’re a genius!”

“I am?” she asked, surprised at her friend’s response, “How?”

“We don’t have to tell them now!” she explained to her, “It’s like you said, they’ll find out sooner or later.  We can let them figure it out on their own later!”

Scootaloo raised an eyebrow at her, “So what you’re saying is that we shouldn’t tell them about this...about us?”

“Exactly!” said Sweetie Belle, her voice cracking in excitement, “I mean, we’ll have to tell them eventually, but for now, this will be our little secret.”

The idea didn’t sit too well with the orange filly, as she said, “I don’t think this is such a good idea.  Sure, Rarity and Applejack don’t have to know now, but Apple Bloom is our friend, too, you know!  Out of everypony in town, she’ll be the first to catch on to this.  Don’t you think we should tell her about us?  I mean, we are the Cutie Mark Crusaders, after all, and I think we should let her in on this.”

“I know, I know” said Sweetie Belle, hanging her head, “And I really do want to tell her and I do think she should know, but it’s because she’s our friend that I don’t think we should!  I mean, she might not look at us the same way anymore, or worse, she might not want to be our friend anymore.”

“But lying to her and letting her find out on her own will only make it worse,” argued Scootaloo, as she put her hoof on her shoulder, “If she finds out we’ve been lying to her about this the whole time, she’ll practically hate us for it!  We’ve got to tell her.”

“But this’ll make out friendship much worse if we do!” the white filly stated, “What if she hates us for being together and doesn’t want to be around us anymore?  I don’t think she’ll be able to handle it right now, especially after the whole ‘Scott’ situation!  She’d practically freak when she finds out it was you the whole time!”

“Speaking of ‘freaking,’ how do you suppose Rarity will take it?  I mean, she is your sister and she bought into the whole ‘Scott’ thing more than all of us,” said the orange filly, “Keeping this a secret is only going to cause more harm than good, Sweetie.  You know that just as well as I do!”

Letting out a sigh, Sweetie Belle said, “I know it will, and I really do think we should tell everypony, but I just don’t think they’ll be able to handle it now.  Do you suppose we could tell them at a later time, when we know for sure that they’re ready for this?”

Before she could answer, Scootaloo looked into her friend’s eyes.  She could see the torment that was going through her mind, and it was killing her on the inside.  As a result, she said, “Alright, Sweetie Belle, we’ll wait it out.  But you have to promise me that, when the time is right, we tell them, no matter what.”

Sweetie Belle smiled, as she nuzzled against her friend’s neck.  She knew she would understand how she felt and that she would agree with her on this.

“We’ll tell them when the time is right,” whispered Sweetie Belle, “I promise.”

Scootaloo put her arm around Sweetie Belle, bringing her into an embrace.  Sweetie Belle returned the embrace and lightly kissed the Pegasus on the cheek, causing the two of them to blush.

The two of them began making their way back into town; their cheeks were still a light shade of red.  They both looked into each other’s eyes, sharing the precious moment together.  Nothing else mattered to them now, except for each other.  As a result, all traces of anxiety and panic that they had felt were gone now, almost as if they hadn’t existed in the first place.

“Hey, do you want to come over to my place tonight?” asked Scootaloo, reluctantly direction her attention to the road, her cheeks turning from a light pink to a dark crimson. “We could have a sleepover, just the two of us.”

Sweetie Belle couldn’t help but blush as much as Scootaloo, as she said, “Sure, I’d love to, just the two of us.”

As the two of them entered Ponyville, Sweetie Belle couldn’t resist, but whisper, “I love you, Scootaloo.”

Scootaloo smiled, kissed her on her cheek and whispered, “I love you, too.”
> Chapter 28: Moving On
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Rarity and Applejack walked out of Sugar Cube Corner together.  They both had lunch together and everything was perfect.  However, as the two of them trotted out of the bakery, Rarity had a seemingly upset look upon her face.  Applejack noticed this and couldn’t help but sigh; there was no doubt in her mind that the look on her face had something to do with Sweetie Belle and her sudden disappearance.  As a result, she decided to try and cheer her up, somehow.

“So,” the workhorse started, trying to start up a decent conversation with the unicorn, “That was fun, wasn’t it?”

“Yes,” said Rarity, her voice a low and soft, “It was.  Thank you, Applejack.”

It was at that moment that Applejack decided not to beat around the bush anymore and confront her about her feelings; she knew how resistant she could be at these times and decided it was best to try the direct approach.

“Look, sugar cube, ah know ya must still be upset ‘bout Sweetie Belle, but it’s like ah said before,” said the earth pony, “Ya need to let her be from time to time, that’s all.  You’ll see she’ll be back before ya know it!”

“I know,” said the white mare, “But I just can’t shake off the feeling that something is wrong, that’s all.  I have the feeling that she might be in trouble or something.  I don’t know why, but...”

“Well, bust my buttons,” said Applejack, cutting off Rarity, “Would ya look over there!”

She pointed a hoof in front of Rarity, causing the unicorn to direct her attention to where she was pointing.  When she did, her eyes went wide and smile formed across her mouth.  She saw her sister walking into town, along with Scootaloo.

“Sweetie Belle!” she practically shouted in excitement, “She’s alright!”

“Of course she’s alright,” said Applejack, as the two of them watched the two fillies separate from one another, “Didn’t ah tell ya she’d be alright?”

Rarity let out a small sigh of relief.  She was glad that Applejack was right about her sister.  However, something else about her sister caught her attention and caused her to raise an eyebrow.

“I wonder what’s in that saddle bag she’s carrying,” she said aloud, but mainly to herself, “Sweetie Belle, what are you up to now?”

Before she could take another step in her sister’s direction, Applejack raised a hoof in front of her chest, causing her to stop where she stood.

“Hold on there, now,” she said in her southern accent, “Just where do ya think yer goin’?”

Rarity smiled a sheepish grin as she said, “I was just going to see what she’s doing with that saddle bag, that’s all.”

Applejack let out a sigh of annoyance and said, “Rarity, there’s just no gettin’ through to ya, is there?  Ya’ll have done enough snoopin’ in her private business enough.  Ya’ll need to leave that filly alone.”

Rarity sighed, as she said, “But I’m her sister and I have every right to know what she’s doing and where she’s going.  It’s not right for her to just run out of the house like she did!”

Applejack face-hoofed, as she said, “Rarity, ah’ve been tryin’ my darnedest to keep calm with ya, but apparently, ya’ll are too stubborn for the easy way, so, ah’ll give it to ya straight: LEAVE YOUR SISTER ALONE!”

Rarity went wide-eyed at the workhorse; she was never one to actually raise her voice at her for any reason and doing so caught her off guard.  Seeing the response that she wanted, Applejack cleared her throat and continued.

“Look, ah understand ya care about yer sister so much and that ya want to keep her safe and outta harm’s way, but there are times when ya need to let her be!  Ah mean, ya can’t protect her from everything, sugar cube.”

Rarity lowered her head, absorbing everything Applejack was saying.

“Ah’m not sayin’ that ya shouldn’t be concerned about her whereabouts or what she’s up to or even that she might need help from time to time,” the workhorse continued, “But yer gonna drive yerself insane if ya try to watch her every move and keep an eye on her at all times.  I know, because ah’ve tried that a few times with Apple Bloom and, let me tell ya, it ain’t easy!  Besides, how are ya gonna build yer trust with her if ya can’t even trust her out of the house for more than a few minutes?”

Rarity closed her eyes and sighed, as she said, “You’re right, Applejack.  I know that she needs to be left alone from time to time and that it’ll help build our trust in each other.”

“Promise me that you’ll ease off of her and stop watchin’ and concernin’ yerself with every move she makes,” said Applejack, as she raised a hoof at her.

Rarity smiled, as she raise her own hoof and connected it with the earth pony, “I promise, I will.  And, this time, I’ll keep that promise.”

Applejack smiled, as she said, “We’ll, ah need to get back to the farm, so ah’ll see ya later!”

With that, Rarity waved her friend good-bye and began making her way to the Boutique. 





When Rarity got to the Boutique, she opened the door and began making her way to Sweetie Belle’s bedroom.  When she got there, she lightly knocked on the door.

“Sweetie Belle, are you in there?” she asked, as she waited for a response.

“Come in,” she heard her sister say from the other side.  Rarity opened the door and walked in.  When she did, she was surprised to see that the filly was unpacking the contents of the saddle bag.  All across her bed was a few pieces of clothing that she was beginning to put back into her dresser.  However, she directed her attention back to her sister.

“So, I got your note from earlier,” she said, with a smile on her face.

“Yeah, sorry about that,” the filly said, lowering her head, “I know I should have told you where I was going and when I’d be back, but...”

“Oh, don’t worry about it,” Rarity interrupted, “As long as your safe and sound, it’s quite alright.”

Sweetie Belle had to blink twice, as she put a folded scarf back into one of the drawers.  “You mean, you’re not mad at me or anything?”

“Well, I admit that I was a little worried about where you had gone,” the white mare admitted, “But I trusted that you would be back before long.  No doubt you were probably just with your friends.  It’s no big deal, really.  Just, next time, at least let me know when you’ll be back, so I don’t worry so much, please.”

Sweetie Belle was quite surprised at Rarity’s reaction.  In truth, she had expected her sister to be questioning her and scolding her for not telling where she had gone and when she would be back.  However, she decided not to say anything about the subject; she didn’t want to put the idea in her sister’s head and start what she didn’t want her to.

“Umm, okay,” the filly said, smiling, “Sorry about that.”

With that, Rarity began to leave.  Before she closed the door, Sweetie Belle called out to her, stopping her in her tracks.

“Um, Rarity,” she began her cheeks turning a small shade of red at the question she was about to ask, “Can I sleep over at Scootaloo’s tonight?  She invited me to a sleepover and I really would like to go.”

Rarity smiled, as she said, “Of course, Sweet’ums.”

“YAY!  Thank you, sis,” she exclaimed, as she went over to her and wrapped her arms around her.  Rarity smiled and returned the hug.  However, one small question floated in her mind, as she drew her attention back at the saddle bag.  She knew she shouldn’t ask and snoop, but she figured that it was a reasonable question, one that would only need a simple answer.

“Um, Sweetie Belle,” she said, as the two of them released their embrace, “If you don’t mind me asking, what were you doing with a saddle bag full of clothing?”

Sweetie Belle’s heart raced, as she tried to think of an answer for her.  She tried to think of a good excuse for her, something that wouldn’t arouse too much suspicion.  Then, she said the first thing that popped into her head, something that indirectly involved the filly on her mind.

“Oh, nothing,” she said, slightly blushing again, “Just another way to try and get our Cutie Marks again, that’s all.”

Rarity smiled, sheepishly.  She didn’t know how one would earn a Cutie Mark with a saddle bag full of clothing, but she figured that it was best not to question the logic on the subject.

“If you say so,” she said, as she turned and began walking to her work room, leaving the filly to continue unpacking her things.

As she entered the room, she couldn’t help but smile at her self.  She was happy to see that Sweetie Belle was out of the depression she had been in during the storm.  The once sad and gloomy filly was alive and cheerful again, back to the way she used to be.  The whole ordeal with Scott was over and done with, and the filly had put it all behind her.  She would have said something about it right then and there, but she didn’t want to bring it up and upset the filly again, not after seeing how happy and lively she was

“Way to go, Sweetie Belle,” she said to herself, “I told you it’d be alright.  Glad to see you’ve put it all behind you and moved on.”

With that, she decided to do what she did best; she went over to her desk, manned her sewing machine and began finishing the dress that she had been working on, the dress she made for Sweetie Belle.
> Chapter 29: New Discoveries
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The afternoon quickly degenerated into evening, as Celestia’s sun began to set over the town.  Even though the clouds were still covering the sky, it was still pretty clear that night was approaching.  Because of the layer of gray that covered the sky, it became darker than it usually would when the sun was visible.  However, it didn’t really matter that the Pegasus ponies on the Weather Team didn’t begin clearing the sky yet; for Sweetie Belle, all that was on her mind was the sleepover she was going to have with Scootaloo.

As she went over to her house, a saddle bag on her back with some things she would need, she couldn’t help but smile to herself.  She didn’t know if it was from the anticipation of the night or from how her day had gone, but she was happy, nonetheless.

When she got to her friends’ house, she knocked on the door, lightly.  She was greeted by her parents and was told that Scootaloo was in the backyard.  So, the white filly began making her way through the house and to the backyard, where she saw her Pegasus friend.

She was sitting on the back patio of her home, working on her scooter that had been broken for the past few days.  Now that her mindset was clear and her thoughts were back on track, she was able to properly disassemble and reassemble her favorite mode of transportation.  Curiosity began to overcome Sweetie Belle, as she wondered why Scootaloo was outside working on her scooter when night was quickly falling upon them.

When she reached the back door, she opened it and immediately caught the attention of her friend.  When she saw it was her, both of them couldn’t help but smile at one another, their cheeks beginning to turn a small shade of red.

“Hey, Scoots,” she said, as she closed the door behind her.

“Hey,” Scootaloo replied, as she put her socket wrench down.  Then, with a flick of her hoof, she spun the wheel she had just replaced, making sure it was securely on where it was supposed to be.

“I see you fixed your scooter, finally,” said the white filly, as she sat next to her friend.

“Yeah, finally,” she replied, as she leaned the scooter on the ground, “I’ve been meaning to fix it during the storm, but I didn’t get around to doing it, for obvious reasons.”

Sweetie Belle smiled nervously, knowing what she was talking about.  “Sorry about that.”

“It’s no big deal.  At least it got done, right?”

Scootaloo got up and began putting the scooter away in the shed behind the house.  When she came back, she sat next to her friend as she fished for something to say.  However, the white filly broke the silence first.

“Why are you outside when it’s almost night time?” she asked, a small flicker of a smile on her face.

Scootaloo blushed, as she looked up at the sky.  “Well, since I was cooped up in the house for the past several days, I decided it would be nice to get a little fresh air.  I was hoping to do a little bit of star gazing when I was finished, but the sky hasn’t even begun to clear.”

Sweetie Belle smiled, as she said, “That would have been nice.”

After that, the two of them sat in silence for a while, both of them a little unsure of what to say next.  They sat next to each other, as the sky slowly got darker and darker.  The back light quickly came on, startling both fillies for a moment.  Having been slightly scared, the two of them couldn’t help but giggle at each other in their own embarrassment.

When the laughing had died down, Scootaloo asked Sweetie Belle something, something that she hadn’t expected her to ask, in the moment.

“How do you think everypony would react to us and our relationship?”

Sweetie Belle looked at her friend, unsure of what to think about the question that was asked.  She looked at the ground as she tried to run some scenarios in her mind.  However, she couldn’t think of a single one that was good, or at least, better than what she had said before.

As a small way of avoiding answering, she asked, “How do you think they’ll react?”

The orange filly smiled, knowing that she was reluctant to answer first.  Deciding to give in, she said, “I think it’ll be alright, once we tell them.  It won’t be a big tragedy or commotion like you’re afraid it will be.  They might even be happy for us, or be glad that we’re together.”

“How can you be so sure?” the white filly asked, “How do you know that everypony won’t laugh at us or call us names or something?  How are you so sure that everything will be alright?”

Scootaloo lowered her head in small shame, directing her attention to the ground.  It was in that moment that Sweetie Belle took the hint that she had done something, something she prayed she hadn’t.

“Did you tell anypony about this, already?” she asked, her eyes widening.

Not looking at her friend, she closed her eyes and simply nodded.  Then she said, in a voice as quiet as a whisper, “I told Apple Bloom already.”

The white filly’s heart began racing as something began stirring up in her stomach.  It wasn’t out of anger towards Scootaloo for telling somepony about their relationship, but fear, fear of how the earth pony in question was going to take it.

“What...what...how...?” she tried asking, unable to get the words out.

Knowing what she was about to ask, Scootaloo said, “I know we agreed that we wouldn’t say anything until the time was right, but she had every right to know.”

Finally able to get the words out, the white filly asked, “I don’t mind that you told her.  Honestly, I expected that you would, but I was going to ask, how did she take it?  How did she react?”

As the questions left her mouth, she braced herself for the worst, thinking that their friendship would be over and their trust destroyed.

However, Scootaloo couldn’t help but smile, as she said, “I already told you, Sweetie!”

Slightly confused, and a little dumbstruck, Sweetie Belle looked at her friend and raised an eyebrow, unsure of what she meant by that.

“What do you mean?” she asked, a confused look on her face.

“It’s like I said,” Scootaloo began, “It’s not the big commotion that you were afraid it would be!  She was actually quite happy that we’re together like this.  I admit that she was a little surprised to find out that it was me you had a crush on the whole time, but when I explained to her that you had actually implied it was me from the start, she actually found it quite funny.  In short, she took it really well and wished the best for us.”

Still a little shaken by the response, Sweetie Belle asked, “When did you tell her?”

“Shortly after leaving you, when we entered town.  She and Applejack came to town to check up on everypony and see if we were alright.  She went to the Boutique, but was surprised when she saw it was closed and nopony was home.  She had just come over to my place when I got there and was wondering where you were.  It was then that I told her.”

Sweetie Belle was at a loss for words.  She wasn’t angry at all; quite the contrary, actually.  However, what surprised her was the response that she had gotten from their friend, Apple Bloom.  She had expected her to go crazy or into some fit of rage when she found out.  Never did she expect that she would be so supportive of their decision.

Her thoughts were instantly cut-off when she felt something warm rubbing against her neck.  Bringing herself back to the present, she was surprised to see that Scootaloo was nuzzling against her neck, a slightly worried look on her face.

“I’m sorry I did that, telling her without consulting with you,” she apologized, as she continued to nuzzle her, “I just felt that she, out of everypony, should know about this.”

“No, no, it’s alright,” said the white filly, “I’m not mad.  It’s just that, I didn’t expect that she would be supportive of this, that’s all.  I’m not mad at you, honest!”

Scootaloo looked up at her friend and said, “If it helps at all, I told her not to say anything to anypony and that we would tell them when the time was right.  That way, we don’t have to worry about anypony else finding out before we’re ready.”

Seeing the sorrow in he eyes, the white filly simply smiled and gave her a small kiss on her lips, showing her that it was alright and nothing was wrong.

“It’s okay, I forgive you,” she said, a smile on her face, “Like I said, somehow, I knew you were going to do this, so it’s not totally unexpected.”

Then, the two fillies placed their lips on each other’s again, this time, for a little bit longer.  It might have been just the connection of their lips, like before, but they savored every moment of it, like it was their last day in Equestria.

When the two of them released their kiss, they looked into each other’s eyes, both of them smiling and blushing.  It was going to take some getting used to, but they knew they’d get used to kissing one another, soon enough.

Then, something caught Sweetie Belle’s eyes, directing her attention to the sky.  When she did, a smile came across her face, as she said, “Omigosh!  Look!”

Scootaloo directed her attention to where her friend was looking.  When she did, her eyes also went wide, and her smile intensified as well.

In the sky, a small patch of the clouds had begun to dissipate, showing a small portion of the sky.  Not only did it show some of the stars that were in the sky, but also the moon, in all its glory.  If either of them didn’t know any better, they could have sworn that the clouds were forming the shape of a heart, as it slowly got wider and wider.

The two of them stared at the sky, both of them with smiles on their faces.  There wasn’t any doubt in Sweetie Belle’s mind that the Princess of the Night had done this for them.  She couldn’t prove it, but she had a feeling Luna was responsible for the formation.

Then, Sweetie Belle leaned into Scootaloo’s neck, lightly nuzzling her like she had done before.  As she did, she felt Scootaloo kiss her on her forehead, next to her horn.  Then she heard her whisper, “I love you, Sweetie Belle.”

Sweetie Belle blushed, as she replied, “I love you, Scootaloo, always and forever.”

As the two of them looked up at the sky, the both rested their heads on one another.  A feeling of relief had rushed through Sweetie Belle’s body, now that their best friend knew about them and was completely supportive of them.  However, there was still a small part of her that lingered with worry.  There was still Rarity and everypony else that would find out about them being together.  However, she decided not to think about that now, but instead, focus on the moment, the then and now with Scootaloo.  Granted, she would have to tell her sister the truth about them, but she didn’t worry herself about it now.

As Sweetie Belle rested her head on Scootaloo, she couldn’t help but thank Princess Luna.  It was because of her that all of what was happening now had come to be.  If she hadn’t talked to her that night, she wouldn’t have been able to find the courage and strength to tell Scootaloo the truth about her feelings.  For that, she was thankful.

Sweetie Belle had discovered something new, ever since that faithful night with the Alicorn.  She discovered that her best friend had the same feelings for her and that telling her how she felt was better than keeping it hidden away and lying to them about it.  Also, she discovered that what Princess Luna had said to her that night was also true:

As long as she follows her heart, and stays true to the feelings that follow, love will always find a way.
> Chapter 30: Forgiveness
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two Days Later

“Are you sure this is a good idea, Scootaloo?” asked a worried Sweetie Belle.

“Of course I’m sure.  What’s the worst that could happen?” asked Scootaloo, a reassuring smile across her face.

“I can think of a few things...” she muttered, as she let out a worried sigh.

The two fillies were walking home from school and life had seemingly gone back to normal.  Since the storm had passed, the skies were clearer than they usually were.  The weather was a lot warmer and the air was much crisper than it normally was; the calm after the storm, some assumed.  However, despite the beauty of the day, the two fillies had been discussing something; something that they knew was going to have to come to light sooner or later.

They had only been “together” for a few days now.  Apple Bloom couldn’t have been anymore happier for her friends than before.  And, because this sort of thing happens every now and then, like Princess Luna said, not much of pony society seemed to notice the two of them together as they were; either that or they didn’t really seem to mind or care.

However, the guilt-ridden Sweetie Belle couldn’t help but worry about her older sister.  She had been lied to about the whole situation from the start, believing every word the filly said to be true.  Even though she had managed to put it all in the past and forget about “Scott” and the whole ordeal with him, Sweetie Belle couldn’t help but feel guilty about the whole thing.

Scootaloo understood what she meant and had told her that the only way she’d be able to fully recover from her guilt was to tell Rarity the truth about what had happened.  The white filly was very resistant to the whole thing, but not because of fear of disapproval of them being together.  What made her so resistant was that she had made such a big deal about a pony that didn’t even exist in the first place and Rarity had believed her and felt really bad for her.  Her fear was how she was going to react about being lied to about “Scott” and the mess she had made about him.

“Don’t worry about a thing, Sweetie Belle,” said Scootaloo as they neared the Carousel Boutique, “She might be a little annoyed about the whole thing, but I’m pretty sure she’s going to forgive you for it.  I mean, it’s not the first time you did something like this, right?”

“That’s not the point,” said the white filly, “What if she takes this too hard?  What if she’s so hurt about this that she won’t let me see you anymore?”

“Come on, Sweetie,” said Scootaloo, “You know that she won’t do anything like that.  She’s your sister, after all!”

“Maybe not, but it’s still something to consider, right?”

Scootaloo rolled her eyes as she opened the door of the Boutique for her friend.  As the two fillies walked in, Sweetie Belle’s heart began to race more than it usually did.  They had talked about doing this for a while and when they did, Sweetie Belle was pretty confident that Rarity was willing to forgive her.  Now that it finally came to her saying it to her face-to-face, all her confidence seemed to be in question and doubt began to cloud her judgment.

“Maybe this isn’t a good idea,” she said, trying her best not to make her voice crack, “I’m pretty sure she’s far too busy to talk to us anyway, so maybe we can do this another time.”

“Will you relax!” said Scootaloo, a slightly annoyed look on her face, “She’s not going to do anything to you.  Will she get a little annoyed about it, sure, but she’s not going to disown you or anything.  Besides, I’ll be right there by your side so you’ll have nothing to worry about.”

To help with her reassurance, Scootaloo nuzzled her friends’ neck and softly planted a kiss on her cheek.  This caused the unicorn filly to blush and the Pegasus filly to let out a small giggle; even now, they were still getting used to the whole premise of them being together like this.

“Alright,” said Sweetie Belle, as she let out a small sigh, “Here goes nothing.”

Soon, the two fillies began making their way up the stairs and towards Rarity’s work room, where they assumed she would be.  They didn’t even have to reach the top of the stairs to know that she was there; the sound of her sewing machine being operated signified that she was in there, working on a dress or something of a similar nature.

When they reached the door, Sweetie Belle could feel sweat beginning to form on the back of her neck and her heart starting to pound into her ribs.  She tried her best to compose herself but it was too obvious that something was wrong with her, judging by the look on her face.

Scootaloo noticed this and tried to calm her down by reminding her to take deep breaths and relax.  Although it helped a little, it didn’t get rid of the anxiety of what she was about to do.  Soon, after a few moments of deep breathing, the two fillies opened the door and saw Rarity working on a dress of some kind.  When she heard the door open, she turned her head and looked at her sister and her friend, a smile on her face.

“Hello, girls,” she said as she directed her attention back to her work, “How was school?”

“Good,” said Sweetie Belle as she tried her best not to make her voice crack, “How are you?”

“I’m fine, thank you very much,” she said, offering another smile to them.

Before anything else could transpire between them, Scootaloo nudged Sweetie Belle on the leg.  When she had her attention, she nodded once and gestured her head towards her sister, signaling that it was time to stop with the pleasantries and tell her what she needed to tell.

Knowing very well that she couldn’t avoid this anymore, she took one last breath and said, “Rarity, can I talk to you for a moment?”

The older unicorn turned off the sewing machine and looked at her sister.  Judging by the sound of her voice when she asked her the question, she immediately thought that something was wrong.  So, a worried look was strewn across her face, not sure of what she was going to say.

“What’s wrong, dear?” she asked, as she approached her sister and sat on her haunches in front of her, “Is everything alright?”

“Well, not exactly,” the filly said, almost cowering into submission at her sister’s close proximity.  Scootaloo noticed this and lightly rubbed a hoof on her back, hoping that it would be comforting for her.

“‘Not exactly?’” she asked, her worried expression becoming more obvious, “What do you mean by that?”

“Well...you see...I...um...” she stammered, trying to get the right words out.  Then, she decided to start with the obvious, “Do you remember the whole situation with ‘Scott?’”

“Of course I do, Sweet’ums.  Why would...” Rarity began before stopping herself.  The moment his name was brought up, she began to get on the defensive.  “Tell me he’s not bothering you after what he did to you!  If he is, you tell me right away and I’ll personally deal with him.  The nerve of him; he hurts you and then he begins bothering you like it’s your fault!”

Sweetie Belle shot a scared look at her friend, the fear and doubt beginning to kick in on overdrive.  However, Scootaloo simply nodded and nudged her head towards the older unicorn again.

“Actually,” said the white filly, her voice as almost as quiet as Fluttershy’s, “It’s not that at all.  You see...I...I...um...”

Rarity noticed her sister’s reaction and began to calm herself down.  She was getting herself all worked up before she even knew what Sweetie Belle was going to say.  As a result, she couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed about her sudden outburst.

“Sorry, Sweet’ums,” she said, as she cleared her throat, “I shouldn’t have gone off like that, not without hearing what you had to say first.  Now, what was you wanted to tell me about Scott?”

With everything building up at once, the small filly didn’t even have time to think as she blurted out, “I lied to you about Scott!”

Rarity sat there with a wide-eyed expression.  She didn’t know if she had heard her sister correctly.  So, she asked, “What...what did you say?”

Knowing that there was no turning back now that she said it, Sweetie Belle said, “I...I lied to you about Scott.”

Still not sure of what she meant by this, Rarity asked, “What do you mean by that?”

Letting out a small sigh, she said, “I lied to you about almost everything that happened over the past few days, sis.  There is nopony named Scott from Los Pegasus.  I made up the whole thing and lied to you about it.”

Rarity’s eyebrow rose as she asked, “What do you mean ‘almost everything?’  What are you trying to tell me?”

Sweetie Belle turned her eyes to Scootaloo, who only nodded in response.  Then, Sweetie Belle told her sister everything that had happened.  She told her about how she felt when Scootaloo had hugged her several days ago, how she felt about her, how she tried to hide her feelings for her by making up a colt named “Scott” and trying to convince everypony that he was real.  She even told her about how she tried to run away after she tried to confess her love to Scootaloo the first time.  In short, she told her everything that had transpired from several days ago till now.

As Sweetie Belle finished her story, all Rarity could do was sit there with a stunned gaze on her face.  She found it very easy to absorb everything in, especially with the realization that Sweetie Belle met up with Scootaloo on the day before the storm hit.  With everything being laid to bear, all the puzzle pieces over the past several days began fitting together, making perfect sense.

“So, let me get this straight,” said Rarity, “You told me that there was somepony named ‘Scott’ and that you liked him, but in truth, you were actually talking about Scootaloo?”

Sweetie Belle, still fearful of what her sister might say, simply nodded her head in response.  Her scared face was apparent as she lowered her body into submission, bracing herself as if her sister was ready to pounce on her at any given moment.

“Then, after telling Scootaloo how you felt, and thinking that she rejected you, you tried to run away?” continued Rarity.

“Yes,” answered Scootaloo, who was quiet the entire time.  Seeing how Sweetie Belle was unable to really speak at the moment, she decided to answer the last question for her.  “But I stopped her before she could do anything or go anywhere."

“Is that so?” asked Rarity, as she focused her attention to her little sister, “Well, Sweetie Belle, I can honestly say that I am very disappointed in you for lying to me about this whole situation.”

Sweetie Belle was on the verge of crying as she whispered, “I’m sorry.”

Rarity noticed this and simply smiled.  “However, I am glad that you decided to tell me the truth, instead of having me worry about somepony bothering you that doesn’t even exist in the first place.”

Then, Rarity walked over to her cowering sister and gave her a small hug.  The moment that she did, all the fear and doubt began to leave Sweetie Belle’s body, as she returned the embrace.  Scootaloo couldn’t help but smile as the two sisters shared a tender moment with one another.

“Thank you for understanding,” Sweetie Belle whispered, “Does this mean that you don’t mind me and Scootaloo being...you know...together?”

The moment the question left the filly’s mouth, Rarity released her embrace and stared at the two of them.  In truth, she didn’t know if she was really comfortable about the whole situation: her own sister being with another filly.

Unsure of what else to say, Rarity simply said, “I don’t know.  I’ll need to think about it.”

With that, she simply walked around her sister and left the work room, leaving the two fillies alone.  Unsure of what was going to happen, Sweetie Belle lowered her body in shame as Scootaloo began rubbing her back again, telling her that everything will be alright.
> Chapter 31: Support
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Rarity trotted out of the Boutique, the thoughts in her mind racing on overdrive.  Everything that had just been told to her was a lot to take in.  Most of it she was able to absorb and understand, like how her sister would make up a story about somepony that didn’t exist.  However, the one part about all of it that lingered on her mind was the fact that Sweetie Belle, her own sister, had deep rooted feelings for another filly.  In all honesty, she really didn’t see much of a problem with it but there was something in the back of her head that just screamed that it was wrong.

Unsure of what to do or what to think, she trotted into town; not going anywhere in particular, but just somewhere where she could clear her head.

“Sweetie Belle,” she said in a hushed whisper, as she neared the library.  As she did, she looked at the tree home and decided to seek some advice from somepony that would have an idea about what to do.

“Twilight,” she said to herself as she neared the front door of the library, “If there’s anypony who would have an idea about this, it’d definitely be her!  I’m sure she’s read a few books on the subject and would be more than happy to help me with this predicament!”

Rarity opened the door of the library to see Twilight sitting at a small table, her nose stuck in a book, as it always was.  The moment that she entered the door, the librarian’s attention was immediately drawn to her.  Before she could give her a warm welcome, she saw the look on her face and instantly knew that something was wrong.

“Hi, Rarity.  Is something wrong?” asked Twilight, as she placed a bookmark in the book she was reading and made her way over to the white unicorn.

“Twilight, I need to talk to you about something rather important and need your honest opinion about it,” said Rarity, as she sat on her haunches in front of the lavender mare.

“Okay,” said Twilight, a serious look on her face, “What seems to be the problem?”

After taking a deep breath, Rarity explained the whole situation to her.  She told her about what had happened to her sister, about her feelings towards another filly, and the whole ordeal that was in between.

As she was finishing up her story, Twilight had a look on her face.  However, it wasn’t one of shock or disapproval, but one of deep rooted thought; it looked as if she was really thinking about what Rarity was saying and taking it to heart.

By the time Rarity had finished her story, she said to her, “You see, Twilight, dear, I seem to be caught between a rock and a hard place!  I just don’t know what to do about all this.”

After several seconds of thinking, Twilight looked up at he friend and said, “What exactly are you conflicted about?”

“Well, you see, it’s not that I don’t mind the two of them together like they are nor do I see anything wrong with it,” she explained, “But I don’t want them to be made fun of for this by the rest of Ponyville, or even Equestria, for that matter.  I don’t think everypony would take too kindly to something like this.”

Twilight nodded her head, slightly, and said, “I understand where you’re coming from and your concerns about your sister, but I think that you should let them be...‘together’ like they are.  I admit it might take some getting used to, but I don’t think anypony is really going to ridicule them for something like this.”

“How can you be so sure, Twilight?” asked Rarity, “I mean, how often do you see two mares in a relationship like this?  I just don’t want her, or even Scootaloo, to be made fun of for the rest of their lives.”

“Actually...” said Twilight, focusing her thoughts for a moment, “I see mares together like that quite often, not just here, but back when I lived in Canterlot.  As a filly, I used to ask Shining Armor why two girls were together like that all the time.”

“Really?” she asked, her eyes widening with surprise, “What did your brother say when you asked him that?”

Twilight simply smiled and said, “He told me that he didn’t know why they were, but, as long as they were happy, there was nothing wrong with it.  And now, I think that’s something that you should take to consideration.”

Rarity sat there, her eyes focusing on the unicorn before her.  Seeing this as her cue, Twilight continued to speak.

“You see, two mares, or even two stallions, being together is as common as you may think.  Sometimes, they develop feelings for each other, especially when they’ve known each other for a very long time,” explained Twilight, “Take Sweetie Belle, for example.  She and Scootaloo have known each other for a very long time, haven’t they?”

Rarity simply nodded in response.

“As a result, it’s only natural for them to develop feelings for each other like that, especially at a young age like they are.”

Twilight trotted over to Rarity and placed a hoof on her shoulder, a soft smile on her face.  “I know this is very new for you and that you’re only looking out for your sister, but I think the best thing for you to do is to let them be.”

Finally able to speak, Rarity said, “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

Twilight smiled and said, “Of course I do.  This is just a natural phase of life.  Like I said, it might take some getting used to, but as long as they’re happy, everything will be alright in the end, you’ll see.”

Rarity looked at the ground, her forehoof making small circles on the floor.  The more she thought about what Twilight had said, the more it started to make sense.  

“You’re right, Twilight,” she finally said, looking up at her friend, “There is nothing wrong with the two of them being together like they are.  As her older sister, I should be there to support her, no matter what.  If this is what makes her happy, then who am I to step in the way?”

With that, she offered a small hug to the lavender unicorn and said, “Thank you so much for your help.”

“You’re welcome, Rarity,” said Twilight, “What are friends for, right?  Glad to be of assistance.”

With that, she made her way to the library’s door and left, a smile on her face and her mind made up.  However, she didn’t take two steps out the door before she stopped and had a shocked expression on her face.  Hovering before her was a mare that she didn’t expect to see, who appeared to be entering the library just as she was walking out.

“Rainbow Dash?” she asked out loud, her pupils in pin points.

“‘Sup, Rarity?” said Rainbow Dash, as she flew over to the white unicorn, “Long time, no see!  How’s it been?”

Rarity had to shake her head a few times to get her thoughts together before she could say anything to her.  “Where have you been for the past few days?  Applejack and Twilight were both...”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” moaned the rainbow-mane Pegasus, “I already spoke to Applejack about it and was just getting ready to explain it to Twilight.  I had to leave town for a few days for ‘storm patrol’ in Hoofington.  The storm that had passed went from there all the way to Ponyville.  Since the team captain of Hoofington was sick with the ‘feather flu’, I needed to leave town to take his place!”

“Well,” said Rarity, whipping her mane out of her eyes, “You could have, at least, told somepony that you were leaving.  You had most of us worried!”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” Rainbow chuckled, “It was kind of last minute, so I didn’t have much time to actually say anything to anypony.  Sorry if I had you worried!”

“No, no, it’s quite alright,” she said, smiling, “As long as you’re okay.  Did Fluttershy accompany you with your storm patrol?”

“Yeah, she did,” said Rainbow, as she rolled her eyes, “It took some convincing, but she finally managed to come along.  You know how she is with storms, especially the ones like that one.”

“I see,” said Rarity, “Well, I need to get going.  I’ll see you later, then?”

“No problem.  Catch ya later!” she said, as she landed on her hooves and trotted into the library, no doubt to talk to Twilight about her recent disappearance.

With a smile on her face, Rarity let out a small sigh and began making her way over to the Carousel Boutique, ready to tell her sister and her friend how she felt about the two of them being together.
> Epilogue: Acceptance
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo sat in the lower section of the Carousel Boutique, waiting for Rarity to come back.  While they waited, they sat at the kitchen table.  Sweetie Belle was looking down at the table, her thoughts racing through her mind about what her sister was going to say.  Scootaloo sat across from her, a worried look on her face as she watched her unicorn friend looking worried and doubtful.

“Don’t worry about it, Sweetie Belle,” the Pegasus filly said with a smile, “Everything will be alright, you’ll see.”

“How can you be so sure?” asked Sweetie Belle, “How do you know she’s going to approve of us being together?”

“I just know,” she answered, her reassuring smile on her face, “You need to calm down and stop worrying so much!”

“I’ll try,” she replied, letting out a small sigh of worry.

Before either of them could say anything else to each other, they heard the sound of the front door of the Boutique open.  Hesitantly, Sweetie Belle got up and made her way to see if it was Rarity who had walked in.  However, she didn’t need to walk too far before she was face-to-face with her older sister.

“Oh, hey sis,” she said, worry clearly evident on her face.

Rarity didn’t say anything to her, at least not yet.  The only thing she did say was, “Scootaloo, I’d like a moment alone with my sister.”

Only nodding in response, Scootaloo got up from the table, passed a reassuring smile to Sweetie Belle and headed out the front door of the Boutique.

When they heard the sound of the door opening and closing, the two unicorn siblings made their way to the kitchen table and sat down.  Rarity could see that Sweetie Belle was worried about what she was going to say.  However, the only problem that the older unicorn was facing was how to tell her.

After several moments of silence between them, Rarity let out a small sigh and cleared her throat.  “Sweetie Belle, I’ve been thinking really hard about what you said to me earlier, about you and Scootaloo being ‘together’.”

The filly only lowered her head in response, feeling a bit of shame and guilt rushing over her.  She felt like she wanted to cry, but no tears were in her eyes at the moment.  All the same, her heart raced and her mind could only prepare for the worse.

Rarity sighed again and continued, “I admit that I am a little bit uneasy about you two being together like that, only because you two are still very young and have the rest of your lives ahead of you.”

Sweetie Belle nodded in acknowledgement, finding it really hard to look Rarity in the eyes.

“However, after thinking about it, and after all that has been said and done within the past few days, I feel that I’ve come to a conclusion,” stated Rarity, her voice firm and regal.

Still bracing for the worst, Sweetie Belle scrunched her eyes closed and waited for the response.  However, what she heard come out of her sister surprised her to the point of disbelief.

“I might be your older sister, but it’s not right for me to stand in the way of what makes you truly happy,” she said, a reassuring smile on her face, “If you really feel comfortable being with Scootaloo in this kind of way, then you have my support.”

“Really?” asked Sweetie Belle, her face lighting up like a light bulb.

“Only on two conditions,” said Rarity, looking her sister in the eyes.

This sent an uneasy chill to run down the filly’s spine, not having a single clue as to what “conditions” Rarity had in mind.

“Okay,” she said, her voice becoming low and soft.

“First of all, you have to promise me that you will not lie to me about something like this again,” she said, “I know I don’t have any right to snoop into your private and personal business, but when it comes to something like this, I really should be told the truth.”

The filly nodded as the older mare continued, “The other condition is simple: if you two have any problems, whether it’s somepony at school or from somepony in town, please let me know.  You have my support on this, but if anypony presents a problem about this, let me be the one who handles it.  Well, Sweetie Belle, do we have a deal?”

Rarity extended a hoof to her sister, hoping to shake on their agreement.  However, much to Rarity’s surprise, the little filly got up from her seat and gave her a big, tight hug.  Shocked that she had done this, Rarity simply smiled and returned the hug to her.  She could tell that the filly was happy that she had supported her decision about this.

“Thank you, Rarity,” the filly whispered, “Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome, Sweet’ums,” she replied, feeling tears of happiness beginning to form in the corners of her eyes, “I love you.”

“I love you too, sis,” said Sweetie Belle, as she kissed her sister on the cheek.  Then, she made her way to the front door of the Boutique; no doubt she was going to tell Scootaloo about her decision on the matter, Rarity thought.

Rarity trotted to the front window of the Boutique and looked out the window.  She could see that Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were both pretty happy about what she had said.  Letting out a small sigh of happiness, she smiled to herself and began making her way up the stairs to her work room, ready to finish her dress she was working on and feeling very proud of herself that she made her sister happy. 





“See, Sweetie Belle, I told you there was nothing to worry about,” said Scootaloo with the same reassuring smile on her face, “Now you can stop feeling so guilty about not letting Rarity in about us being together.”

“Yeah, I guess you were right, Scoots,” she said, nudging her friend on the neck, “How could I have ever doubted you?”

“Don’t worry about it,” she replied, “Come on, Sweetie Belle!  We agreed to meet Apple Bloom at the clubhouse today.  She says she has a few new ideas on how we can earn our cutie marks!”

“Okay,” said the unicorn filly with a smile, “Let’s get going.”

With that, the two fillies began making their way to their clubhouse over at Sweet Apple Acres.  As they galloped down the main roads of Ponyville, they couldn’t help but smile at one another every now and then.

They felt very happy with one another, as they made their way down the dirt road towards the farmhouse.  Their best friend was supportive of them, their other friends and family were supportive of them and everypony else didn’t seem to mind that they were together.  They no longer had to worry about keeping their relationship a secret anymore and were free to show their love for one another in public.

Soon, their galloping slowed to a trot, as they were both a little out of breath from running.  As they slowed, Sweetie Belle leaned in and gave Scootaloo a small kiss on the cheek, whispering to her, “I love you, Scootaloo.”

The Pegasus filly returned the kiss and said, “I love you too, Sweetie Belle.”

As they trotted down the dirt path, they both had smiles on their faces, knowing that this was only the beginning of the rest of their lives together.


The End

> Outro (Author's Notes)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Introduction
If you are reading this, then you must have already read [and hopefully enjoyed] my story, “New Discoveries”.  However, I felt that something about this story is left a little incomplete, even several months after the story’s completion.  So, I have decided to create this little outro to put to rest some things about this story, give a few fun facts about it and give most of you a little surprise in the end.  So, here we go!

Inspiration for Writing [In general]
When I became a brony, back in July 2011, I told myself that I wasn’t going to get actively involved with the fandom like I did with other series that I am involved with.  Much like Rainbow Dash and her Cutie Mark, it wasn’t until my first fan-fiction reading in this fandom that I decided that I wanted to create a story that was revolutionary, but believable.  And thus, my writing excursion for MLP: FiM began!

Inspiration for Writing [The Story itself]
The inspiration for “New Discoveries” comes from three different sources:

1) Season 2, Episode 5: “Sisterhooves Social”.  This episode, being the first that didn’t have Twilight in the episode, is where the ideas began.  Having watched this episode, it sparked the idea to do a story that involved Rarity and Sweetie Belle.  However, I decided the main focus of the story was going to be on the latter of the two, just to make it interesting.

2) Story: “The Sweetest Gem” by The Rarispy.  With deciding Sweetie Belle as the main character, the question remained: what am I going to do with her?  I began looking on FanFiction for any story involving her, just so I can get an idea in my head.  It was there that I found the original draft of the story, “The Sweetest Gem”.  It was unique because it was a story was about Sweetie Belle and Spike forming a relationship without being very cliché but believable.  Not wanting to follow the same path, I decided that I was going to do a shipping story involving Sweetie Belle, but not with Spike.  However, the question was: with whom?

3) Season 1, Episode 23: “The Cutie Mark Chronicles”.  Although this episode is one of my least favorite episodes, I must admit that it was this episode that helped with the final piece of the puzzle.  Having watched the episode to try and study my source material, I came across the ending of the episode where Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom go “Awwww!” and Scootaloo goes “Ewwwww!”.  It was then that I decided that the pony that I was going to ship was Scootaloo because, just based on this episode, it showed that the orange filly wasn’t going to be so quick to jump into a relationship of any kind!  So, to involve her in this story would be both romantic and hysterical!  Of course, if Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were going to be in it, then Apple Bloom would have to be in it as well [more hilarity ensues when the three of them are together, after all!]

Problems
One of the major problems I faced when deciding to do a Sweetie Belle x Scootaloo story [respectably called “Scootabelle”] was the fear that no one was going to read it and/or enjoy it.  I did some research on DeviantArt and saw that the shipping was not as popular as the shipping with the Mane 6.  This discouraged me and nearly talked me out of doing this story.  However, much like the first fanfic I read, I was aiming for writing something that would be revolutionary and one that the fandom would remember forever [I don’t think I succeeded, but here’s hoping!]  So, I decided to upload it, regardless if no one was going to read it!

The second problem I faced when writing this was writing a story that involved a “yuri” shipping [or two females in a relationship].  Although I was familiar with writing romance stories, I was treading new grounds when doing a romance story involving two females [who are very young, might I add].  I was worried that I was going to be looked at as being some sort of freak for doing this.  What convinced me to go along with it anyway was that the story was going to be believable.  They might be young, but love knows no boundaries, so long as it isn’t involving “clop” of any kind!

“Cupcakes”, anyone?
As you’ve already seen, I made a constant reference to the grimdark story, “Cupcakes” throughout the entirety of this story.  If you’re wondering why I chose to reference such a story, well it’s simple: “Cupcakes” was the first fan-fiction that I ever read in this fandom!  I heard about it via a youtube comment and was curious as to what it was.  So, I looked it up, found it and read it!  Was it the best story in the world?  No, of course not!  Was it the worse story in the world?  Again, no, it wasn’t!  If there was a word to label this story it’s this: revolutionary!  This story opened the door to many other stories of a similar nature.  Just the mere mention of this story and everyone knows what you’re talking about!  That was the goal with this story [which, again, probably didn’t succeed], to create a story that, just the mention of the name, would catch the memory of everyone!

As a head nod to the story, for being the motivation to write a story in the first place, I made the references in the story that suggested that this story might have taken place in the same universe.  Believe it or not, only three of the references were planned out ahead of time [Chapters 2, 6, and 13].  All the rest were thought up of on the spot and worked into the story on a whim of playing around!

An original epilogue of the story was going to be another play on the story in which it showed Rainbow Dash in the basement of Sugar Cube Corner, but I decided against it because it would have lessened the credibility of the story and totally side-tracked the readers from what the main point of the story was about [if I want to do a “Cupcakes” spin-off, I’ll do one, but not in this story].

Other Fun Facts
In Chapter 21, Rarity begins to have the feeling of failure overcome her for not being able to protect her sister from heart break.  The original plot of this section was going to have Rarity going on a rage-driven spree of insanity, trying her best to find “Scott” and bring him to justice for Sweetie Belle.  However, this was removed because, for Rarity to do something like that [which was labeled “turning Equestria upside-down for just one pony”] seemed a little out-of-character and unnecessary; she needed to be there for her sister, not abandoning her to look for a nonexistent pony!

Fluttershy was originally going to be in the story!  She was going to have a small cameo after the storm, in Twilight’s library with Twilight and Applejack [Chapter 23].  Originally, SHE was going to make the “Cupcakes” reference in that scene, but gets scared when Rarity, still angry and hell-bent on finding “Scott” scares her out of the library.  Because of the alterations made, Fluttershy was removed from the story, save for mentioning her.  [Sorry, Fluttershy!  Next time!]

This story was originally going to be only 20 chapters long, ending when Sweetie Belle ran out of the clubhouse after first kissing Scootaloo.  However, because there was already a story out there that did the same thing, I chose to extend the story by 9 chapters, later by 2 and a half more!

The original ending of the story was Chapter 29 [formally called “New Discoveries”] for many reasons.  For starters, it was meant to have the readers make inferences about the ending, where or not everypony accepted the two of them as being together.  Secondly, the focus of the story was on the two of them coming together, not really about anything else.  However, I decided to extend the story by two and a half chapters to tie those loose ends up; everyone seemed to want a different ending and who was I to deny them?  Furthermore, it was that sudden stop that was killing the story, according to many reviewers.




Sequels

The official sequel can be found here: "New Revelations"





Special Thanks
I would like to thank everyone and anyone who has read this story and decides to read it again in the near [or far] future.  If it wasn’t for your motivation and interest in this story, I probably wouldn’t have continued the story!  Thanks again for everything!

Overall
In the end, although I had my doubts about this story, it turned out to be one of my greatest stories yet [at least for now!]  I am really glad that I went against myself and did this story!  Honestly, I don’t know what would have been if not for my inspirations, but it probably wouldn't have been this!

Thanks for reading!