When I Hear Her Voiceby BrohgueChaptersPrologueNewly Discovered BeautyBreaking DownUncontrollable Emotions PrologueThe three crusaders sat in their clubhouse. Usually, everypony would be taking advantage of such a perfect day outside. Everypony except Button Mash, at least. There was just one problem. Sweetie Belle, normally such a happy little filly, cried uncontrollably in the center of the clubhouse floor. Both of her companions were doing their best to comfort her, but to no avail. Sweetie continued to cry, her arms wrapped around Applebloom. Applebloom rubbed Sweetie’s back gently. “Sweetie, you will git yer mark eventually,” Applebloom stated. “N-no I won’t!” Sweetie tightened her hug around her fellow crusader, sobbing into Applebloom’s chest.“You guys both got yours a year ago! Now I’m the only pony in class without my cutie mark!” Sweetie let go of Applebloom and sat up on her haunches. She held her hind legs with her forelegs and sobbed louder. “Sweetie.” Scootaloo trotted a bit closer to her friend. “You are just a little late. We can help you get your mark!” She gave the unicorn a reassuring smile. Sweetie wiped some of the tears soaking her face off with her hoof. She looked up at her orange friend with tear-filled eyes, still sobbing loudly “Sweetie, you need to be positive!” Scootaloo raised her voice excitedly. “Why don’t we go to the beach and make sand castles or something?” She raised her fore hooves in the air for emphasis. Sweetie stared up at her friend, lifting an eyebrow. “You don’t even like making sand castles,” Sweetie said quietly, wiping more tears off her face. Scootaloo shrugged. She trotted to Sweetie and picked her up off the ground. She stared into her eyes. Her smile lifted further. “You do, though!” This made Sweetie smile; it felt good to know her friends cared. “When you're happy, I’m happy!” She dragged Sweetie by the hoof right out of the clubhouse, Applebloom following behind. *** “Thanks for cheering me up, Scoots! This is fun!” Sweetie cheered as she finished another sand castle. Scootaloo sat, bored, with her hind hooves in the water. She moved her hoof around the inside of the murky beach water, making tiny whirlpools. “Anything for you,” she said, failing to project any enthusiasm. Sweetie frowned and trotted over to Scootaloo. She sat beside her and put her hoof around her shoulder. Sweetie smiled happily. She trotted excitedly in front of Scootaloo and looked into her lazy, purple eyes. “I know what will cheer you up.” Sweetie nudged Scootaloo. Scootaloo stared into Sweetie’s big green eyes and sighed. She gestured Sweetie back to her sand castle and focused her attention back to the miniature whirlpools. “I am not really in the mo—” Scootaloo was cut off when Sweetie put her hoof on Scootaloo’s lips. With growing frustration, Scootaloo lightly brushed her friend’s hoof away. “Of course you are!” Sweetie stood up and took a deep breath. She opened her mouth and began to sing: “We are the Cutie Mark Crusaders...” Scootaloo sighed and turned to her friend. She might as well humor her white friend. “...On a quest to find out who we are...” Several ponies turned their heads, all curious to see who was singing so wonderfully. All eyes fell upon the small filly by the shore of the beach. “...And we will never stop the journey...” Sweetie closed her eyes, now completely lost in song. She started to sway and occasionally spin in place to the beat that played in her head. “...Not until we have our cutie marks...” A crowd started to gather around the crusaders, surprised at how good Sweetie’s voice sounded. The crowd started to dance and sway to her voice. “...We are the Cutie Mark Crusaders...” Applebloom and Scootaloo noticed the large crowd around them start to increase; colts, fillies, mares and stallions all swaying or dancing to the sound of Sweetie’s beautiful singing voice. They both smiled and continued to listen. “...On a quest to find out who we are...” Scootaloo had never noticed how amazing Sweetie’s voice really sounded. She soon joined in with the crowd and started swaying to the five star performer in front of them. This was one of the few things in Equestria that Scootaloo would call beautiful. Even if it was a little cheesy. “...And we will never stop the journey...” Applebloom glanced at Scootaloo and noticed the big goofy grin. She couldn’t help but giggle as she trotted next to Scootaloo and took a seat beside her. “...Not until we have our cutie marks!” Sweetie opened her eyes to see a huge crowd. She squeaked and tried to hide behind her mane. To her surprise, everypony started cheering. Chancing a peek through her mane, everypony was pounding their hooves on the sand as hard as they could. Sweetie stood up straight, smiling as she saw ponies she didn’t even know, cheering! The thing that made her most happy was that the loudest one in the audience was Scootaloo. She bowed and trotted to her friends. The crowd quickly dispersed. Scootaloo was still cheering loudly, clapping her hooves on the ground and yelling.“Woooo! Yeah Sweetie!” Scootaloo quickly trotted to Sweetie and congratulated her. Applebloom gasped loudly once she noticed what adorned Sweetie’s flank. The other two glanced at their fellow crusader in confusion. “Sweetie, ya got yer cutie mark!” Applebloom squealed happily as she hopped in the air. Sweetie’s eyes widened as she heard Scootaloo gasp. She whipped her head around to look at her flank. There it was, a bright golden bell surrounded by quarter and eighth notes. Sweetie stared, speechless in awe at her mark. She squealed happily. She tackled Scootaloo into a massive hug. This was the greatest moment of her life. My entry to the Scootabelle Writing Contest 1. Hope you enjoyed the story! Please rate and comment! I love receiving feedback! Feel free to point out mistakes, I will fix them as quick as possible! T.C.P out Newly Discovered BeautyTwo years after the events of the Prologue. The crusaders are early teenagers. (Thirteen or fourteen) *** “RUN! Get outta here’!” Sweetie and Scootaloo hesitantly started to stand. “GO! If you run then you won’t get in trouble. I’m the one who set the shed on fire!” Sweetie and Scootaloo gulped and galloped away from Sweet Apple Acres. “Where do we go!?” Sweetie started to panic, until a thought came to her like a bullet. “Hurry! We can hide in the clubhouse!” Scootaloo obliged and sprinted down the gravel road, with Sweetie close behind. Surely, they could hide long enough for this to blow over. They approached the worn down wooden structure. They soon reached the ladder and quickly climbed. “I think we’re good,” Scootaloo said between pants. Sweetie, however, was slowly trotting around the clubhouse. Her eyes came upon a large portrait, drawn several years earlier. The portrait was scribbled messily on the canvas it inhabited. Sweetie grinned. “Hey, Scoots. Come take a look at this.” The portrait portrayed two fillies, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. A big red heart hung above them. Even further above that, there was messy writing that said Inseparable Friendship. Scootaloo walked to Sweetie’s side and scanned the picture. She scoffed and returned to her original spot. “You kept that old thing? I still don’t know why you drew that,” Scootaloo teased. Sweetie lifted the picture from the shelf and brought it to her friend. “Oh come on! This is so cute!” Sweetie said, still admiring the poorly drawn picture. Scootaloo sighed and stood on all four hooves, stretching her limbs and back. Sweetie joined her and stood on her hooves, before cantering happily to a large desk in the corner of the elevated room. There, she observed the other crude pictures covering the walls. Scootaloo caught a glimpse of Sweetie’s cutie mark, a golden bell surrounded by musical notes. She had almost forgot Sweetie’s talent was singing, considering she had only heard her sing about six times. She decided to ask something she’d never asked; to hear that beautiful voice once again. Scootaloo approached her friend, placing a hoof on her shoulder when she reached her. Sweetie turned around to see her friend. Scootaloo smiled and started to speak: “Hey, Sweets, I was wondering if you could… y’know.” Sweetie tilted her head in confusion. “Sing a song, for me?” Sweetie was taken aback by the question. She shook her head to regain her thoughts. Sweetie stared down at the floor and ran circles with her hoof. “I don’t know, Scoots. I can get kind of shy.” Scootaloo tried to do her best puppy dog eyes as she knelt down. “Pwease?” Sweetie stared blankly at Scootaloo. She sighed and gave in to her best friend’s request. “Fine,” she sighed. After her victory leap, Scootaloo quickly sat on her haunches. She gazed up at Sweetie with a goofy grin. It looked so adorable. Sweetie smiled and started to hum a tune. “Buh nuh, buh nuh, buh nuh, buh nuh.” Sweetie clear her throat loudly and began to sing: “What if the storm ends, and I don’t see you, Aaas you are now, ever again, The perfect halo, of gold hair and lightning, Seeeets you off against, the planet’s last dance.” Scootaloo stared wide-eyed at her friend. She looked like a goddess in her eyes. So beautiful. Scootaloo felt tears welling up in her eyes as she gazed upon eternal beauty. This was something Scootaloo had never experienced, it was like she’d found something to live by. She’d discovered a new feeling that only Celestia could describe. Her heart was beating quickly, her body felt warm and tingly. It seemed like now she was seeing Sweetie not as a friend, but more than that. Sweetie, however, was completely lost in song. She had regained her love for singing, having forgotten how amazing it felt to sing lyrics. Only one word could describe this experience for both the young fillies. Amazing. “Just for a minute… the silver forked sky, Liiiit you up like a star, that I will follow. Now it’s found us, like how I have found you, I don’t want to run, just overwhelm me. What if the storm ends, and leaves us nothing, Exceeept a memory… a distant echo. I want pinned down, I want unsettled. Raaattle cage after cage, until my blood boils. I want to see you, as you are now, Eeeevery single day, that, I am living.” Scootaloo couldn’t help but let her tears flow freely, her massive smile returning. She gazed at the goddess before her, admiring every single detail, from her beautiful features, to her amazing talent. Scootaloo basked in the breath-taking awesomeness that was Sweetie Belle. “Painted in flames, all peeling thunder, Beeee the lightning in me, that strikes relentless. (Long Pause) What if the storm ends, and I don’t see you, Aaaas you are now, ever again, The perfect halo, of gold hair and lightning, Seeeets you off against, the planet’s last dance. Just for a minute… the silver forked sky, Liiit you up like a star, that I will follow. Now it’s found us... like I’ve found you, I don’t want to run, just overwhelm me.” Sweetie opened her eyes. Scootaloo was sitting mere inches away, with tears flowing like a river. Scootaloo wrapped her in a hug, holding her tight. Sweetie was surprised by the sudden embrace, but she soon returned the gesture. “That was the most...” she paused, “...amazing thing I have ever heard.” Sweetie pulled herself from the crushing bear hug she was in and looked into Scootaloo’s eyes. A look of worry spreaded across her face. “Scoots, are you… alright?” Scootaloo nodded, her smile increasing. “Alright!? I am better than alright!” She leaped into the air. “I am fantastic! That was the best singing I have ever heard.” Scootaloo pulled her into another bear hug. She felt so attached to her friend -- no, her best friend -- NO! Her love. Not as a friend; this love conquered her love for Applebloom. It smothered her love for Rainbow Dash. She did not understand the concept of this new feeling, but one thing was for certain. Scootaloo was in love. Author's Note Hey guys! The second chapter is here! Song used: What If The Storm Ends By: Snow Patrol Thanks once again to Cerulean Voice for his incredible work as an editor! Okay, if anyone would be kind enough to write a review, that would be appreciated. ~T.C.P out Breaking Down“Do it again!” Scootaloo cheered, hopping up and down in excitement. She’d been listening to Sweetie’s singing for hours, not wanting to leave the clubhouse. Scootaloo just relaxed in the wooden structure, enjoying the sweet music flowing through her ears. She actually fell asleep twice; Sweetie woke her from her slumber both times. Sweetie had regained her love for singing, the way she could just let loose and put all her emotion in her songs, but this was beginning to be too much. Even though the praise she was receiving was one of the greatest feelings she had ever experienced. Sweetie frowned and stretched her back. “Scootaloo, that’s the fourteenth time!” She trotted closer to Scootaloo, her frown morphing into a devious smile. She placed her hoof on Scootaloo’s shoulder. “Why don’t you sing me a song? You can sing one of those rap songs you like so much!” Sweetie brightened at the idea. Scootaloo stared at Sweetie with an eyebrow raised. “Sweetie, you don’t even like rap music! You like all that lovey-dovey stuff.” Scootaloo rolled her eyes with a small smile on her face. “I don’t love the genre, but I think I will enjoy it if you sing it.” Before she could answer, Sweetie gave her the most adorable puppy dog eyes in all of Equestria. Scootaloo’s heart melted at the sight of the light green irises. How could she say no to that? Scootaloo gulped. “Uh, I guess I could try…” Sweetie giggled and fell backwards on her rump, creating a slight plop as she hit the wooden floor. She shifted her flank, trying to get comfortable. When she managed to get in a pleasant position, she looked up into Scootaloo’s nervous, violet eyes, staring innocently like she was a young foal. Scootaloo shook her head, attempting to regain her mind from the endless, green seas that were Sweetie’s eyes. A fuzzy feeling rumbled in her belly, as she opened her mouth to sing: “I’ll take you to the candy sho---” Scootaloo stopped when she saw Sweetie pressing both her hooves to her mouth, attempting to suppress the giggles. She glared at Sweetie and cleared her throat. At the sound, Sweetie wiped a few tears from her face as she started to regain her posture, still snickering. “That was good, but I think “50 Bits” sings the song a little better.” Sweetie burst into another fit of giggles. Scootaloo just gave an angry snort and trotted to another section of the clubhouse. Sweetie brought herself to her hooves, still giggling. She walked to her orange friend, who was now gazing out the window with an angry expression on her face. Sweetie nudged her fellow crusader, staring into her eyes with a smug smile plastered on her face. “Come on, Scoots, smile! Y’know you want to.” She kept nudging her friend annoyingly, Scootaloo snickered and playfully pushed Sweetie. “Alright, I’m not the next “Hoofpac”, but I wasn’t that bad.” Scootaloo smiled and noogied her friends mane, making it slightly frizzy. Sweetie smiled sweetly, putting a foreleg around her pegasus friend. Scootaloo melted into her friend’s embrace, leaning her head against Sweetie’s shoulder. Sweetie grinned smugly and glanced at her friend. “I thought you didn’t like all this mushy stuff. Is the great and powerful Scootaloo not ‘too cool for hugs’ anymore?” Scootaloo nuzzled further into her friend’s shoulder, moving her head to gaze in Sweetie’s eyes. Her eyelids descended halfway down her eyes as she answered. “Maybe, but nopony is too cool for you.” “School school school, school school school, OH how I hate school,” Scootaloo sang, the other two crusaders trotting beside her as they reached the school house. Applebloom looked as if she was about to bodyslam Scootaloo, whilst Sweetie smiled, humming a tune for Scootaloo’s song. “OOOOOOOOHHHHHH, school school school, school schoo---” “Will ya shut yer mouth already!?” Applebloom growled, staring daggers at Scootaloo, “you’ve bin singin’ that since we left fer school! Ah also ain’t in the mood, ya know ah got grounded for two months! Just shut up or talk about somethin’ else!” Scootaloo winced. I never noticed how scary Applebloom could be, she thought. The three crusaders came upon the schoolhouse. Just as the bell was ringing for classes to start, they rushed into the building. Classes went on as they usually went, though for Scootaloo, this day stretched out even longer than normal. She couldn’t take her eyes off Sweetie. The enthralling beauty that Sweetie had was, in Scootaloo’s opinion, unbelievable. I am soooo crushing on her, this is nothing like Rumble and I used to have. Now that she thought about it, Rumble was just a really good friend. Sweetie was like a goddess. Even the slightest movement made Scootaloo flinch. When Sweetie sneezed, Scootaloo felt her heart bounce in her chest as she gasped loudly, drawing the attention of her classmates. She sunk back in her chair, embarrassed. Cheerilee was teaching some boring lesson that nopony really paid attention too. At least the other colts and fillies were pretending to pay even the slightest amount of attention. Scootaloo just stared into space, lost in her thoughts. When she wasn’t doing that, she was gazing at her white friend. Listening to her intently when she hummed a tune in boredom or drew a doodle in her scrapbook. A thought came to Scootaloo: Sweetie is a filly! What would her parents think? What would Rainbow Dash think? What would… Sweetie think? She never had a problem with filly foolers, but she knew other ponies did. One of those ponies was her father, a racist and ignorant middle-aged stallion. Scootaloo still loved him, but he wouldn’t take the news very well. Maybe it was just Sweetie. She looked around the class. looking at all the colts and fillies, listing each one as “hot” or “not”. With an exception for Rumble, who she considered “drop dead sexy.” She didn’t list Sweetie, for she was in a different league altogether. She looked at the other fillies, listing four of them as “hot”. Awesome. She thought sarcastically. She frowned to realize she had interest in both genders. Great, another thing to get sad about, she thought Scootaloo’s thoughts were interrupted by the excessively loud ringing of the school bell. “Okay, my little ponies, recess time.” Cheerilee sat down at her desk, shuffling papers. Finally, I can have some time to cool off-- “Oh and Scootaloo, I would like to talk to you for a second.” Darn. The class flooded outside into the sunny day, without a care in the world. Sweetie and Applebloom gave worried glances at their friend, but soon followed the crowd to the playground. Cheerilee had a concerned expression on her face as she trotted to Scootaloo’s desk. She knelt down on one knee, placing a foreleg on Scootaloo’s shoulder. This didn’t do anything to comfort Scootaloo, but she gave a false smile, nonetheless. Cheerilee cleared her throat before speaking. “Scootaloo, is everything alright? You seem distracted, is something bothering you?” Scootaloo desperately wanted to scream: Yes! I want to hook up with my best friend! But with every bit of willpower she stopped herself and instead, shook her head sadly. I don’t want to talk about this! Can’t she take a hint! I just want to be alone. Thought Scootaloo. She hung her head, trying to hide the smallest wave of salty water starting to well up in her eyes. She shook her head again, more violently to stop the depressing feeling she was experiencing, but unfortunately, it didn’t leave. Cheerilee wasn’t convinced. “Scootaloo, I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what's wrong.” Cheerilee wore a sympathetic smile, still rubbing Scootaloo’s shoulder. Scootaloo felt a tear slowly trek down her cheek, despite her efforts to hold back her feelings. Cheerilee wasn’t helping, in Scootaloo’s mind. Cheerilee’s smile faded to a worried expression; she had never seen Scootaloo’s eyes water, let alone see tears from the brash little filly. She seemed more like Sweetie Belle than herself at the moment, quiet and sensitive. Her foreleg stopped rubbing and instead it resorted to small pats on the upper back and neck. Scootaloo wiped her eyes and quickly hopped off the chair, isolating herself from Cheerilee’s so called “comforting”. Scootaloo wanted to get advice from her teacher, she was so caring and understanding. But, despite what she wanted, she couldn’t bring herself to tell her teacher about her interest in fillies, or tell her about her undying love for her best friend. She just needed to be alone, to lose herself in scooter tricks, or look at a picture of Sweetie and rub her-- “Scootaloo?” Scootaloo was brought back to reality by her teacher’s voice. She spinned around to see her teacher looking at her with an expression full of sympathy and worry. Scootaloo clenched her eyes shut, restraining any further tears. She was on the verge of breaking down, this was too much pressure. Scootaloo began to shake as a cold sweat started to form on her forehead. “I…” Scootaloo stuttered. “I’m sorry, I can’t do this.” Scootaloo clenched her eyes tighter. No! Stop Scootaloo! Just hold them back! Rainbow Dash doesn’t cry! Scootaloo hid behind the little bit of hair she had on her head. “Scootaloo, please.” Cheerilee tried to approach her, but Scootaloo back away, avoiding any contact. “NO!” Scootaloo launched into a gallop, she bursted right out the schoolhouse door, knocking down fillies and colts as she headed for the school’s entrance. She turned her head to see Cheerilee following her. She gulped and hopped the school fence, hiding herself from view. Scootaloo quickly scampered to a nearby alleyway, hiding herself in the corner of a dumpster and a stone wall. “Scootaloo! Scootaloo, come back! I promise that you won’t be in trouble, I just want to talk!” Cheerilee shouted. Scootaloo shivered and buried herself further in between the wall and the dumpster shielding her from Cheerilee’s line of sight. She whimpered and curled into a ball. Now nopony could see her cry... Uncontrollable Emotions Uncontrollable Emotions Love is a blessing Love is a curse Love can brighten up the darkest days Or make everything worse Scootaloo could still hear the shouts of Cheerilee echoing throughout the the streets. She was beginning to get dangerously close to the alley Scootaloo was hidden in. Scootaloo held her breath to suppress the small whimpering, hoping she could avoid blowing her cover. She sank further into the dark corner of the alleyway, whilst curling into a tight, orange ball. Scootaloo let the tears flow freely from her eyes. After five minutes of attempting to hold them back, she could see no point in trying to suppress her feelings anymore. When Cheerilee’s constant shouting came to a stop, Scootaloo let out a sigh of relief. She quickly sucked her breath back in when she heard hoofsteps entering the alley. “Scootaloo? Are you in there?” Cheerilee’s voice echoed through the slim opening as her hoofsteps got closer. Each step Cheerilee took in the alley loudly filled the opening. Scootaloo’s face was starting to turn a faint shade of purple as she continued to hold her breath. Time seemed to slow as Cheerilee got closer. Scootaloo did her best to stay as quiet as possible. Eventually the hoofsteps started to clop in the other direction. Scootaloo let her breath loose in tiny gasps, just enough to keep her from making any noise. She felt an unwelcome sensation tickle her nose. To her horror, it started to build rapidly until… “Achoo!” The hoofsteps stopped and Scootaloo’s pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks. The loud -clop- of hooves hitting concrete started their way back towards Scootaloo, faster this time. Scootaloo knew she was caught, but she did her best to curl into a ball and hide, as if Cheerilee was colorblind. Scootaloo peeked through the cracks above her forelegs to see Cheerilee staring down at her. Surprisingly, she didn’t look mad. She had a small smile on her face, but her eyes showed great sympathy for the young pegasus. Scootaloo raised her head over her forelegs to look at her teacher who had now lowered herself on one knee to be eye level with her. Scootaloo wanted to tell Cheerilee everything that happened right then and there, but no matter how much she wanted, she could never bring herself to talk about her secret crush. Or the fact she just found out she was bisexual. The constant bullying she would endure from Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, the disapproval of her father and worst of all, the rejection of Sweetie Belle—all these thoughts flashed through her mind. She was brought back to reality by the sound of Cheerilee’s voice: “Scootaloo, please tell me what’s wrong. If you don’t tell me what’s wrong I can’t help you.” Scootaloo stared at the concrete, looking at nothing in particular. A cold sweat broke out onto her forehead as she started to panic. The pressure was too much for the poor filly; even though Cheerilee was trying to help, Scootaloo felt like she was being cornered by some bully like Diamond Tiara. She began to shake violently as she broke into another fit of sobs. Scootaloo only wanted to talk to one pony. She wanted the white filly to stroke her mane as she sang her a song. She wanted to hug Sweetie Belle and never let go. She wanted to feel Sweetie’s soft lips press against hers. Cheerilee was only making it harder. Scootaloo could hear Cheerilee talking, but she couldn’t make out the words. She felt a hoof rub softly against her mane. This comforted her, but not very much. She stopped shaking, but was still sobbing rather loudly. Through the loud sniffles and saddened moans, she could make out one sentence Cheerilee was saying. “Shh, shh. It’s okay. Do you need anything? Do you want me to get your friends?” Scootaloo lowered the volume on her excessive crying and glanced into Cheerilee’s worried eyes. “Sweetie.” She paused to let out a couple more sobs. “I-I want t-to see Sweetie.” The whole class was talking, mostly about Scootaloo: “Why did she run out like that?” “What is her problem?” Diamond Tiara had already began spreading ridiculous rumors. Silver Spoon stood silently by her friend, wearing a smug smile as Diamond announced her bogus lies to the class. While Applebloom was in a heated argument with Diamond Tiara, trying to defend her friend’s honor, Sweetie Belle was lost in thought. She was not one to speculate, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that something must have happened, something bad. Scootaloo always played the ‘cool pony’ act, always yearning for attention. Part of the reason she was so loveable. She would never just run away like that—she loved attention, but she preferred it to be positive. Instinctively, Sweetie ran the worst possible scenarios through her head. Applebloom sat back down in her seat, a scowl aligning her face. Sweetie Belle leaned to the left, her muzzle only mere inches from Applebloom’s ear. She whispered to her friend, wanting to keep their conversation private. “Do you think shes okay? I’m really worried.” Applebloom sighed and leaned towards the other fillies ear, whispering in return. “Ah don’t know, Scoots is one tough filly, so Ah think she should be fine. But Ah’m still a bit scared somethin’ bad happened. She ain’t never really done anythin’ like that.” Sweetie nodded and decided to catch up on some school work, mostly to help her rid the bad thoughts from her head. The class continued talking for another couple minutes whilst Applebloom and Sweetie Belle stayed silent. The door to the schoolhouse opened; the students quickly hushed. Cheerilee entered the schoolhouse with a distraught look plastered on her face, but when she spoke, her voice had a stern tone to it. “Sweetie Belle, can I talk to you for a minute?” Sweetie quickly nodded, rushing to the front of the classroom faster than she intended. Cheerilee ushered her to a corner of the classroom, where she lowered her voice so only Sweetie could hear. “Sweetie,” Cheerilee sighed sadly, “Scootaloo is very upset. I couldn't get her to really come around.” Sweetie nodded, her gaze trailed to the floor sadly. “Okay,” Sweetie replied, “but why do you need me?” Sweetie’s tone was full of concern, reflecting the sad, innocent expression on her face. “She wants to talk to you, but be careful, she’s a bit worse for wear.” Sweetie sighed in relief—she would be able to see her friend now. “She’s just outside, don’t keep her waiting.” Cheerilee gestured her towards the door of the schoolhouse. Sweetie rushed outside, fast as her tiny legs could carry her. She stood on the steps of the schoolhouse, scanning her surroundings for her orange friend. In the corner of her eye, she spotted a small, furry ball at the far end of the schoolhouse. She sped towards it, hearing the quiet sobbing as she closed in on her fellow crusader. “Scootaloo!” Sweetie quickly embraced her sobbing friend. “What happened? Are you okay?” Sweetie said in a worried tone. She had never seen Scootaloo cry. Oh no! What could have happened!? Did Diamond say something to her? No she wouldn’t cry because of that, Sweetie thought. With a thousand thoughts running through her head, they came to a halt when Scootaloo wrapped her forelegs around Sweetie’s lower back, resulting in a blush from the unicorn. Scootaloo’s hooves were dangerously close to her flank, but Sweetie shook the dirty thoughts from her head when Scootaloo obviously didn’t mean to get so close to her no-no place. Sweetie tightened her embrace around the distraught pegasus, stroking her mane in an attempt to comfort the orange filly. Scootaloo’s sobs started to lose frequency, but still she kept her tight embrace around Sweetie. “Shh, shh, it’s okay.” Sweetie brushed Scootaloo’s mane with her hoof. Scootaloo’s sobs quieted to tiny squeaks and hiccups. “Now tell me what happened.” Sweetie put a hoof on Scootaloo’s cheek and brought her up to eye level. She stared at the wet violet eyes for a moment before regaining her senses. Sweetie smiled warmly at the pegasus, still stroking her mane. “I-I can’t t-tell you.” Scootaloo stuttered. Oh my god, Sweetie stop staring at me like that! It is so cute it hurts! Scootaloo thought. She was using every bit of willpower to not jump on Sweetie and make out with her right here. Those massive green eyes made Scootaloo’s heart melt. What could have happened that was so terrible!? I’ve never seen her in this rough of shape, Sweetie thought to herself. Her pegasus friend stared at the ground, avoiding Sweetie’s mesmerizing gaze. Sweetie scooted closer to her friend and put an arm around her, resulting in a visible blush from the other filly. Then Sweetie did the unthinkable in Scootaloo’s mind—she brought a hoof to Scootaloo’s face and pulled her close, only a few inches separating their muzzles. That was it. Scootaloo lost it. She stared into Sweetie’s adorable eyes and her mind went blank and her body took over. “Listen Scoo-MMMPH!” Sweetie’s eyes widened, her heart started to pound in her chest. She pushed the pegasus away from her in shock and disgust. Scootaloo just kissed her. “Scootaloo!?” The white filly screamed. Stupid stupid stupid! Now she’ll never like you! Scootaloo thought. She got back to her hooves, tears started to flow freely once again. Scootaloo started to approach her but Sweetie Belle backed away two steps every one step the pegasus took. “Sweetie, please! I wasn’t thinking! I’m sorry!” Scootaloo pleaded. Sweetie let a single tear fall from her eye before turning around and galloping away, leaving Scootaloo all alone. Scootaloo’s hiccups turned to tears and she sobbed again. She blew it.
PrologueThe three crusaders sat in their clubhouse. Usually, everypony would be taking advantage of such a perfect day outside. Everypony except Button Mash, at least. There was just one problem. Sweetie Belle, normally such a happy little filly, cried uncontrollably in the center of the clubhouse floor. Both of her companions were doing their best to comfort her, but to no avail. Sweetie continued to cry, her arms wrapped around Applebloom. Applebloom rubbed Sweetie’s back gently. “Sweetie, you will git yer mark eventually,” Applebloom stated. “N-no I won’t!” Sweetie tightened her hug around her fellow crusader, sobbing into Applebloom’s chest.“You guys both got yours a year ago! Now I’m the only pony in class without my cutie mark!” Sweetie let go of Applebloom and sat up on her haunches. She held her hind legs with her forelegs and sobbed louder. “Sweetie.” Scootaloo trotted a bit closer to her friend. “You are just a little late. We can help you get your mark!” She gave the unicorn a reassuring smile. Sweetie wiped some of the tears soaking her face off with her hoof. She looked up at her orange friend with tear-filled eyes, still sobbing loudly “Sweetie, you need to be positive!” Scootaloo raised her voice excitedly. “Why don’t we go to the beach and make sand castles or something?” She raised her fore hooves in the air for emphasis. Sweetie stared up at her friend, lifting an eyebrow. “You don’t even like making sand castles,” Sweetie said quietly, wiping more tears off her face. Scootaloo shrugged. She trotted to Sweetie and picked her up off the ground. She stared into her eyes. Her smile lifted further. “You do, though!” This made Sweetie smile; it felt good to know her friends cared. “When you're happy, I’m happy!” She dragged Sweetie by the hoof right out of the clubhouse, Applebloom following behind. *** “Thanks for cheering me up, Scoots! This is fun!” Sweetie cheered as she finished another sand castle. Scootaloo sat, bored, with her hind hooves in the water. She moved her hoof around the inside of the murky beach water, making tiny whirlpools. “Anything for you,” she said, failing to project any enthusiasm. Sweetie frowned and trotted over to Scootaloo. She sat beside her and put her hoof around her shoulder. Sweetie smiled happily. She trotted excitedly in front of Scootaloo and looked into her lazy, purple eyes. “I know what will cheer you up.” Sweetie nudged Scootaloo. Scootaloo stared into Sweetie’s big green eyes and sighed. She gestured Sweetie back to her sand castle and focused her attention back to the miniature whirlpools. “I am not really in the mo—” Scootaloo was cut off when Sweetie put her hoof on Scootaloo’s lips. With growing frustration, Scootaloo lightly brushed her friend’s hoof away. “Of course you are!” Sweetie stood up and took a deep breath. She opened her mouth and began to sing: “We are the Cutie Mark Crusaders...” Scootaloo sighed and turned to her friend. She might as well humor her white friend. “...On a quest to find out who we are...” Several ponies turned their heads, all curious to see who was singing so wonderfully. All eyes fell upon the small filly by the shore of the beach. “...And we will never stop the journey...” Sweetie closed her eyes, now completely lost in song. She started to sway and occasionally spin in place to the beat that played in her head. “...Not until we have our cutie marks...” A crowd started to gather around the crusaders, surprised at how good Sweetie’s voice sounded. The crowd started to dance and sway to her voice. “...We are the Cutie Mark Crusaders...” Applebloom and Scootaloo noticed the large crowd around them start to increase; colts, fillies, mares and stallions all swaying or dancing to the sound of Sweetie’s beautiful singing voice. They both smiled and continued to listen. “...On a quest to find out who we are...” Scootaloo had never noticed how amazing Sweetie’s voice really sounded. She soon joined in with the crowd and started swaying to the five star performer in front of them. This was one of the few things in Equestria that Scootaloo would call beautiful. Even if it was a little cheesy. “...And we will never stop the journey...” Applebloom glanced at Scootaloo and noticed the big goofy grin. She couldn’t help but giggle as she trotted next to Scootaloo and took a seat beside her. “...Not until we have our cutie marks!” Sweetie opened her eyes to see a huge crowd. She squeaked and tried to hide behind her mane. To her surprise, everypony started cheering. Chancing a peek through her mane, everypony was pounding their hooves on the sand as hard as they could. Sweetie stood up straight, smiling as she saw ponies she didn’t even know, cheering! The thing that made her most happy was that the loudest one in the audience was Scootaloo. She bowed and trotted to her friends. The crowd quickly dispersed. Scootaloo was still cheering loudly, clapping her hooves on the ground and yelling.“Woooo! Yeah Sweetie!” Scootaloo quickly trotted to Sweetie and congratulated her. Applebloom gasped loudly once she noticed what adorned Sweetie’s flank. The other two glanced at their fellow crusader in confusion. “Sweetie, ya got yer cutie mark!” Applebloom squealed happily as she hopped in the air. Sweetie’s eyes widened as she heard Scootaloo gasp. She whipped her head around to look at her flank. There it was, a bright golden bell surrounded by quarter and eighth notes. Sweetie stared, speechless in awe at her mark. She squealed happily. She tackled Scootaloo into a massive hug. This was the greatest moment of her life. My entry to the Scootabelle Writing Contest 1. Hope you enjoyed the story! Please rate and comment! I love receiving feedback! Feel free to point out mistakes, I will fix them as quick as possible! T.C.P out
Newly Discovered BeautyTwo years after the events of the Prologue. The crusaders are early teenagers. (Thirteen or fourteen) *** “RUN! Get outta here’!” Sweetie and Scootaloo hesitantly started to stand. “GO! If you run then you won’t get in trouble. I’m the one who set the shed on fire!” Sweetie and Scootaloo gulped and galloped away from Sweet Apple Acres. “Where do we go!?” Sweetie started to panic, until a thought came to her like a bullet. “Hurry! We can hide in the clubhouse!” Scootaloo obliged and sprinted down the gravel road, with Sweetie close behind. Surely, they could hide long enough for this to blow over. They approached the worn down wooden structure. They soon reached the ladder and quickly climbed. “I think we’re good,” Scootaloo said between pants. Sweetie, however, was slowly trotting around the clubhouse. Her eyes came upon a large portrait, drawn several years earlier. The portrait was scribbled messily on the canvas it inhabited. Sweetie grinned. “Hey, Scoots. Come take a look at this.” The portrait portrayed two fillies, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. A big red heart hung above them. Even further above that, there was messy writing that said Inseparable Friendship. Scootaloo walked to Sweetie’s side and scanned the picture. She scoffed and returned to her original spot. “You kept that old thing? I still don’t know why you drew that,” Scootaloo teased. Sweetie lifted the picture from the shelf and brought it to her friend. “Oh come on! This is so cute!” Sweetie said, still admiring the poorly drawn picture. Scootaloo sighed and stood on all four hooves, stretching her limbs and back. Sweetie joined her and stood on her hooves, before cantering happily to a large desk in the corner of the elevated room. There, she observed the other crude pictures covering the walls. Scootaloo caught a glimpse of Sweetie’s cutie mark, a golden bell surrounded by musical notes. She had almost forgot Sweetie’s talent was singing, considering she had only heard her sing about six times. She decided to ask something she’d never asked; to hear that beautiful voice once again. Scootaloo approached her friend, placing a hoof on her shoulder when she reached her. Sweetie turned around to see her friend. Scootaloo smiled and started to speak: “Hey, Sweets, I was wondering if you could… y’know.” Sweetie tilted her head in confusion. “Sing a song, for me?” Sweetie was taken aback by the question. She shook her head to regain her thoughts. Sweetie stared down at the floor and ran circles with her hoof. “I don’t know, Scoots. I can get kind of shy.” Scootaloo tried to do her best puppy dog eyes as she knelt down. “Pwease?” Sweetie stared blankly at Scootaloo. She sighed and gave in to her best friend’s request. “Fine,” she sighed. After her victory leap, Scootaloo quickly sat on her haunches. She gazed up at Sweetie with a goofy grin. It looked so adorable. Sweetie smiled and started to hum a tune. “Buh nuh, buh nuh, buh nuh, buh nuh.” Sweetie clear her throat loudly and began to sing: “What if the storm ends, and I don’t see you, Aaas you are now, ever again, The perfect halo, of gold hair and lightning, Seeeets you off against, the planet’s last dance.” Scootaloo stared wide-eyed at her friend. She looked like a goddess in her eyes. So beautiful. Scootaloo felt tears welling up in her eyes as she gazed upon eternal beauty. This was something Scootaloo had never experienced, it was like she’d found something to live by. She’d discovered a new feeling that only Celestia could describe. Her heart was beating quickly, her body felt warm and tingly. It seemed like now she was seeing Sweetie not as a friend, but more than that. Sweetie, however, was completely lost in song. She had regained her love for singing, having forgotten how amazing it felt to sing lyrics. Only one word could describe this experience for both the young fillies. Amazing. “Just for a minute… the silver forked sky, Liiiit you up like a star, that I will follow. Now it’s found us, like how I have found you, I don’t want to run, just overwhelm me. What if the storm ends, and leaves us nothing, Exceeept a memory… a distant echo. I want pinned down, I want unsettled. Raaattle cage after cage, until my blood boils. I want to see you, as you are now, Eeeevery single day, that, I am living.” Scootaloo couldn’t help but let her tears flow freely, her massive smile returning. She gazed at the goddess before her, admiring every single detail, from her beautiful features, to her amazing talent. Scootaloo basked in the breath-taking awesomeness that was Sweetie Belle. “Painted in flames, all peeling thunder, Beeee the lightning in me, that strikes relentless. (Long Pause) What if the storm ends, and I don’t see you, Aaaas you are now, ever again, The perfect halo, of gold hair and lightning, Seeeets you off against, the planet’s last dance. Just for a minute… the silver forked sky, Liiit you up like a star, that I will follow. Now it’s found us... like I’ve found you, I don’t want to run, just overwhelm me.” Sweetie opened her eyes. Scootaloo was sitting mere inches away, with tears flowing like a river. Scootaloo wrapped her in a hug, holding her tight. Sweetie was surprised by the sudden embrace, but she soon returned the gesture. “That was the most...” she paused, “...amazing thing I have ever heard.” Sweetie pulled herself from the crushing bear hug she was in and looked into Scootaloo’s eyes. A look of worry spreaded across her face. “Scoots, are you… alright?” Scootaloo nodded, her smile increasing. “Alright!? I am better than alright!” She leaped into the air. “I am fantastic! That was the best singing I have ever heard.” Scootaloo pulled her into another bear hug. She felt so attached to her friend -- no, her best friend -- NO! Her love. Not as a friend; this love conquered her love for Applebloom. It smothered her love for Rainbow Dash. She did not understand the concept of this new feeling, but one thing was for certain. Scootaloo was in love. Author's Note Hey guys! The second chapter is here! Song used: What If The Storm Ends By: Snow Patrol Thanks once again to Cerulean Voice for his incredible work as an editor! Okay, if anyone would be kind enough to write a review, that would be appreciated. ~T.C.P out
Breaking Down“Do it again!” Scootaloo cheered, hopping up and down in excitement. She’d been listening to Sweetie’s singing for hours, not wanting to leave the clubhouse. Scootaloo just relaxed in the wooden structure, enjoying the sweet music flowing through her ears. She actually fell asleep twice; Sweetie woke her from her slumber both times. Sweetie had regained her love for singing, the way she could just let loose and put all her emotion in her songs, but this was beginning to be too much. Even though the praise she was receiving was one of the greatest feelings she had ever experienced. Sweetie frowned and stretched her back. “Scootaloo, that’s the fourteenth time!” She trotted closer to Scootaloo, her frown morphing into a devious smile. She placed her hoof on Scootaloo’s shoulder. “Why don’t you sing me a song? You can sing one of those rap songs you like so much!” Sweetie brightened at the idea. Scootaloo stared at Sweetie with an eyebrow raised. “Sweetie, you don’t even like rap music! You like all that lovey-dovey stuff.” Scootaloo rolled her eyes with a small smile on her face. “I don’t love the genre, but I think I will enjoy it if you sing it.” Before she could answer, Sweetie gave her the most adorable puppy dog eyes in all of Equestria. Scootaloo’s heart melted at the sight of the light green irises. How could she say no to that? Scootaloo gulped. “Uh, I guess I could try…” Sweetie giggled and fell backwards on her rump, creating a slight plop as she hit the wooden floor. She shifted her flank, trying to get comfortable. When she managed to get in a pleasant position, she looked up into Scootaloo’s nervous, violet eyes, staring innocently like she was a young foal. Scootaloo shook her head, attempting to regain her mind from the endless, green seas that were Sweetie’s eyes. A fuzzy feeling rumbled in her belly, as she opened her mouth to sing: “I’ll take you to the candy sho---” Scootaloo stopped when she saw Sweetie pressing both her hooves to her mouth, attempting to suppress the giggles. She glared at Sweetie and cleared her throat. At the sound, Sweetie wiped a few tears from her face as she started to regain her posture, still snickering. “That was good, but I think “50 Bits” sings the song a little better.” Sweetie burst into another fit of giggles. Scootaloo just gave an angry snort and trotted to another section of the clubhouse. Sweetie brought herself to her hooves, still giggling. She walked to her orange friend, who was now gazing out the window with an angry expression on her face. Sweetie nudged her fellow crusader, staring into her eyes with a smug smile plastered on her face. “Come on, Scoots, smile! Y’know you want to.” She kept nudging her friend annoyingly, Scootaloo snickered and playfully pushed Sweetie. “Alright, I’m not the next “Hoofpac”, but I wasn’t that bad.” Scootaloo smiled and noogied her friends mane, making it slightly frizzy. Sweetie smiled sweetly, putting a foreleg around her pegasus friend. Scootaloo melted into her friend’s embrace, leaning her head against Sweetie’s shoulder. Sweetie grinned smugly and glanced at her friend. “I thought you didn’t like all this mushy stuff. Is the great and powerful Scootaloo not ‘too cool for hugs’ anymore?” Scootaloo nuzzled further into her friend’s shoulder, moving her head to gaze in Sweetie’s eyes. Her eyelids descended halfway down her eyes as she answered. “Maybe, but nopony is too cool for you.” “School school school, school school school, OH how I hate school,” Scootaloo sang, the other two crusaders trotting beside her as they reached the school house. Applebloom looked as if she was about to bodyslam Scootaloo, whilst Sweetie smiled, humming a tune for Scootaloo’s song. “OOOOOOOOHHHHHH, school school school, school schoo---” “Will ya shut yer mouth already!?” Applebloom growled, staring daggers at Scootaloo, “you’ve bin singin’ that since we left fer school! Ah also ain’t in the mood, ya know ah got grounded for two months! Just shut up or talk about somethin’ else!” Scootaloo winced. I never noticed how scary Applebloom could be, she thought. The three crusaders came upon the schoolhouse. Just as the bell was ringing for classes to start, they rushed into the building. Classes went on as they usually went, though for Scootaloo, this day stretched out even longer than normal. She couldn’t take her eyes off Sweetie. The enthralling beauty that Sweetie had was, in Scootaloo’s opinion, unbelievable. I am soooo crushing on her, this is nothing like Rumble and I used to have. Now that she thought about it, Rumble was just a really good friend. Sweetie was like a goddess. Even the slightest movement made Scootaloo flinch. When Sweetie sneezed, Scootaloo felt her heart bounce in her chest as she gasped loudly, drawing the attention of her classmates. She sunk back in her chair, embarrassed. Cheerilee was teaching some boring lesson that nopony really paid attention too. At least the other colts and fillies were pretending to pay even the slightest amount of attention. Scootaloo just stared into space, lost in her thoughts. When she wasn’t doing that, she was gazing at her white friend. Listening to her intently when she hummed a tune in boredom or drew a doodle in her scrapbook. A thought came to Scootaloo: Sweetie is a filly! What would her parents think? What would Rainbow Dash think? What would… Sweetie think? She never had a problem with filly foolers, but she knew other ponies did. One of those ponies was her father, a racist and ignorant middle-aged stallion. Scootaloo still loved him, but he wouldn’t take the news very well. Maybe it was just Sweetie. She looked around the class. looking at all the colts and fillies, listing each one as “hot” or “not”. With an exception for Rumble, who she considered “drop dead sexy.” She didn’t list Sweetie, for she was in a different league altogether. She looked at the other fillies, listing four of them as “hot”. Awesome. She thought sarcastically. She frowned to realize she had interest in both genders. Great, another thing to get sad about, she thought Scootaloo’s thoughts were interrupted by the excessively loud ringing of the school bell. “Okay, my little ponies, recess time.” Cheerilee sat down at her desk, shuffling papers. Finally, I can have some time to cool off-- “Oh and Scootaloo, I would like to talk to you for a second.” Darn. The class flooded outside into the sunny day, without a care in the world. Sweetie and Applebloom gave worried glances at their friend, but soon followed the crowd to the playground. Cheerilee had a concerned expression on her face as she trotted to Scootaloo’s desk. She knelt down on one knee, placing a foreleg on Scootaloo’s shoulder. This didn’t do anything to comfort Scootaloo, but she gave a false smile, nonetheless. Cheerilee cleared her throat before speaking. “Scootaloo, is everything alright? You seem distracted, is something bothering you?” Scootaloo desperately wanted to scream: Yes! I want to hook up with my best friend! But with every bit of willpower she stopped herself and instead, shook her head sadly. I don’t want to talk about this! Can’t she take a hint! I just want to be alone. Thought Scootaloo. She hung her head, trying to hide the smallest wave of salty water starting to well up in her eyes. She shook her head again, more violently to stop the depressing feeling she was experiencing, but unfortunately, it didn’t leave. Cheerilee wasn’t convinced. “Scootaloo, I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what's wrong.” Cheerilee wore a sympathetic smile, still rubbing Scootaloo’s shoulder. Scootaloo felt a tear slowly trek down her cheek, despite her efforts to hold back her feelings. Cheerilee wasn’t helping, in Scootaloo’s mind. Cheerilee’s smile faded to a worried expression; she had never seen Scootaloo’s eyes water, let alone see tears from the brash little filly. She seemed more like Sweetie Belle than herself at the moment, quiet and sensitive. Her foreleg stopped rubbing and instead it resorted to small pats on the upper back and neck. Scootaloo wiped her eyes and quickly hopped off the chair, isolating herself from Cheerilee’s so called “comforting”. Scootaloo wanted to get advice from her teacher, she was so caring and understanding. But, despite what she wanted, she couldn’t bring herself to tell her teacher about her interest in fillies, or tell her about her undying love for her best friend. She just needed to be alone, to lose herself in scooter tricks, or look at a picture of Sweetie and rub her-- “Scootaloo?” Scootaloo was brought back to reality by her teacher’s voice. She spinned around to see her teacher looking at her with an expression full of sympathy and worry. Scootaloo clenched her eyes shut, restraining any further tears. She was on the verge of breaking down, this was too much pressure. Scootaloo began to shake as a cold sweat started to form on her forehead. “I…” Scootaloo stuttered. “I’m sorry, I can’t do this.” Scootaloo clenched her eyes tighter. No! Stop Scootaloo! Just hold them back! Rainbow Dash doesn’t cry! Scootaloo hid behind the little bit of hair she had on her head. “Scootaloo, please.” Cheerilee tried to approach her, but Scootaloo back away, avoiding any contact. “NO!” Scootaloo launched into a gallop, she bursted right out the schoolhouse door, knocking down fillies and colts as she headed for the school’s entrance. She turned her head to see Cheerilee following her. She gulped and hopped the school fence, hiding herself from view. Scootaloo quickly scampered to a nearby alleyway, hiding herself in the corner of a dumpster and a stone wall. “Scootaloo! Scootaloo, come back! I promise that you won’t be in trouble, I just want to talk!” Cheerilee shouted. Scootaloo shivered and buried herself further in between the wall and the dumpster shielding her from Cheerilee’s line of sight. She whimpered and curled into a ball. Now nopony could see her cry...
Uncontrollable Emotions Uncontrollable Emotions Love is a blessing Love is a curse Love can brighten up the darkest days Or make everything worse Scootaloo could still hear the shouts of Cheerilee echoing throughout the the streets. She was beginning to get dangerously close to the alley Scootaloo was hidden in. Scootaloo held her breath to suppress the small whimpering, hoping she could avoid blowing her cover. She sank further into the dark corner of the alleyway, whilst curling into a tight, orange ball. Scootaloo let the tears flow freely from her eyes. After five minutes of attempting to hold them back, she could see no point in trying to suppress her feelings anymore. When Cheerilee’s constant shouting came to a stop, Scootaloo let out a sigh of relief. She quickly sucked her breath back in when she heard hoofsteps entering the alley. “Scootaloo? Are you in there?” Cheerilee’s voice echoed through the slim opening as her hoofsteps got closer. Each step Cheerilee took in the alley loudly filled the opening. Scootaloo’s face was starting to turn a faint shade of purple as she continued to hold her breath. Time seemed to slow as Cheerilee got closer. Scootaloo did her best to stay as quiet as possible. Eventually the hoofsteps started to clop in the other direction. Scootaloo let her breath loose in tiny gasps, just enough to keep her from making any noise. She felt an unwelcome sensation tickle her nose. To her horror, it started to build rapidly until… “Achoo!” The hoofsteps stopped and Scootaloo’s pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks. The loud -clop- of hooves hitting concrete started their way back towards Scootaloo, faster this time. Scootaloo knew she was caught, but she did her best to curl into a ball and hide, as if Cheerilee was colorblind. Scootaloo peeked through the cracks above her forelegs to see Cheerilee staring down at her. Surprisingly, she didn’t look mad. She had a small smile on her face, but her eyes showed great sympathy for the young pegasus. Scootaloo raised her head over her forelegs to look at her teacher who had now lowered herself on one knee to be eye level with her. Scootaloo wanted to tell Cheerilee everything that happened right then and there, but no matter how much she wanted, she could never bring herself to talk about her secret crush. Or the fact she just found out she was bisexual. The constant bullying she would endure from Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, the disapproval of her father and worst of all, the rejection of Sweetie Belle—all these thoughts flashed through her mind. She was brought back to reality by the sound of Cheerilee’s voice: “Scootaloo, please tell me what’s wrong. If you don’t tell me what’s wrong I can’t help you.” Scootaloo stared at the concrete, looking at nothing in particular. A cold sweat broke out onto her forehead as she started to panic. The pressure was too much for the poor filly; even though Cheerilee was trying to help, Scootaloo felt like she was being cornered by some bully like Diamond Tiara. She began to shake violently as she broke into another fit of sobs. Scootaloo only wanted to talk to one pony. She wanted the white filly to stroke her mane as she sang her a song. She wanted to hug Sweetie Belle and never let go. She wanted to feel Sweetie’s soft lips press against hers. Cheerilee was only making it harder. Scootaloo could hear Cheerilee talking, but she couldn’t make out the words. She felt a hoof rub softly against her mane. This comforted her, but not very much. She stopped shaking, but was still sobbing rather loudly. Through the loud sniffles and saddened moans, she could make out one sentence Cheerilee was saying. “Shh, shh. It’s okay. Do you need anything? Do you want me to get your friends?” Scootaloo lowered the volume on her excessive crying and glanced into Cheerilee’s worried eyes. “Sweetie.” She paused to let out a couple more sobs. “I-I want t-to see Sweetie.” The whole class was talking, mostly about Scootaloo: “Why did she run out like that?” “What is her problem?” Diamond Tiara had already began spreading ridiculous rumors. Silver Spoon stood silently by her friend, wearing a smug smile as Diamond announced her bogus lies to the class. While Applebloom was in a heated argument with Diamond Tiara, trying to defend her friend’s honor, Sweetie Belle was lost in thought. She was not one to speculate, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that something must have happened, something bad. Scootaloo always played the ‘cool pony’ act, always yearning for attention. Part of the reason she was so loveable. She would never just run away like that—she loved attention, but she preferred it to be positive. Instinctively, Sweetie ran the worst possible scenarios through her head. Applebloom sat back down in her seat, a scowl aligning her face. Sweetie Belle leaned to the left, her muzzle only mere inches from Applebloom’s ear. She whispered to her friend, wanting to keep their conversation private. “Do you think shes okay? I’m really worried.” Applebloom sighed and leaned towards the other fillies ear, whispering in return. “Ah don’t know, Scoots is one tough filly, so Ah think she should be fine. But Ah’m still a bit scared somethin’ bad happened. She ain’t never really done anythin’ like that.” Sweetie nodded and decided to catch up on some school work, mostly to help her rid the bad thoughts from her head. The class continued talking for another couple minutes whilst Applebloom and Sweetie Belle stayed silent. The door to the schoolhouse opened; the students quickly hushed. Cheerilee entered the schoolhouse with a distraught look plastered on her face, but when she spoke, her voice had a stern tone to it. “Sweetie Belle, can I talk to you for a minute?” Sweetie quickly nodded, rushing to the front of the classroom faster than she intended. Cheerilee ushered her to a corner of the classroom, where she lowered her voice so only Sweetie could hear. “Sweetie,” Cheerilee sighed sadly, “Scootaloo is very upset. I couldn't get her to really come around.” Sweetie nodded, her gaze trailed to the floor sadly. “Okay,” Sweetie replied, “but why do you need me?” Sweetie’s tone was full of concern, reflecting the sad, innocent expression on her face. “She wants to talk to you, but be careful, she’s a bit worse for wear.” Sweetie sighed in relief—she would be able to see her friend now. “She’s just outside, don’t keep her waiting.” Cheerilee gestured her towards the door of the schoolhouse. Sweetie rushed outside, fast as her tiny legs could carry her. She stood on the steps of the schoolhouse, scanning her surroundings for her orange friend. In the corner of her eye, she spotted a small, furry ball at the far end of the schoolhouse. She sped towards it, hearing the quiet sobbing as she closed in on her fellow crusader. “Scootaloo!” Sweetie quickly embraced her sobbing friend. “What happened? Are you okay?” Sweetie said in a worried tone. She had never seen Scootaloo cry. Oh no! What could have happened!? Did Diamond say something to her? No she wouldn’t cry because of that, Sweetie thought. With a thousand thoughts running through her head, they came to a halt when Scootaloo wrapped her forelegs around Sweetie’s lower back, resulting in a blush from the unicorn. Scootaloo’s hooves were dangerously close to her flank, but Sweetie shook the dirty thoughts from her head when Scootaloo obviously didn’t mean to get so close to her no-no place. Sweetie tightened her embrace around the distraught pegasus, stroking her mane in an attempt to comfort the orange filly. Scootaloo’s sobs started to lose frequency, but still she kept her tight embrace around Sweetie. “Shh, shh, it’s okay.” Sweetie brushed Scootaloo’s mane with her hoof. Scootaloo’s sobs quieted to tiny squeaks and hiccups. “Now tell me what happened.” Sweetie put a hoof on Scootaloo’s cheek and brought her up to eye level. She stared at the wet violet eyes for a moment before regaining her senses. Sweetie smiled warmly at the pegasus, still stroking her mane. “I-I can’t t-tell you.” Scootaloo stuttered. Oh my god, Sweetie stop staring at me like that! It is so cute it hurts! Scootaloo thought. She was using every bit of willpower to not jump on Sweetie and make out with her right here. Those massive green eyes made Scootaloo’s heart melt. What could have happened that was so terrible!? I’ve never seen her in this rough of shape, Sweetie thought to herself. Her pegasus friend stared at the ground, avoiding Sweetie’s mesmerizing gaze. Sweetie scooted closer to her friend and put an arm around her, resulting in a visible blush from the other filly. Then Sweetie did the unthinkable in Scootaloo’s mind—she brought a hoof to Scootaloo’s face and pulled her close, only a few inches separating their muzzles. That was it. Scootaloo lost it. She stared into Sweetie’s adorable eyes and her mind went blank and her body took over. “Listen Scoo-MMMPH!” Sweetie’s eyes widened, her heart started to pound in her chest. She pushed the pegasus away from her in shock and disgust. Scootaloo just kissed her. “Scootaloo!?” The white filly screamed. Stupid stupid stupid! Now she’ll never like you! Scootaloo thought. She got back to her hooves, tears started to flow freely once again. Scootaloo started to approach her but Sweetie Belle backed away two steps every one step the pegasus took. “Sweetie, please! I wasn’t thinking! I’m sorry!” Scootaloo pleaded. Sweetie let a single tear fall from her eye before turning around and galloping away, leaving Scootaloo all alone. Scootaloo’s hiccups turned to tears and she sobbed again. She blew it.
