True Feelings

Sweetie Belle trotted down the sidewalk as she left her newfound friends for the day with a feeling of relief but for more than just the knowledge that her secret was still safe. Ponies she barely knew found out her secret but they didn't judge her, they didn't hate her, and in the end she was still the same pony to them no matter what she may have between her hind legs.

This was a whole new feeling for the unicorn, never in her life did she think that somepony other than her closest friends, Applebloom and Scootaloo, would be so open minded or accepting of her. It was as if a great weight had been lifted from her.

This feeling caused the unicorn to walk with a skip in her step, a smile on her face, and greet everypony she saw on the way. However as she greeted a neon green pony to her left, she had no idea that Scootaloo was just around the corner…

*Twhack!*

Both fillies slammed comically into each other and fell to the ground, slightly dazed. Sweetie Belle was the first to recover as she stood up and sighed. "Do you ever watch where you're trotting?" Sweetie Belle asked with a mildly annoyed look at the Pegasus who stood up moments after.

"S-Sweetie Belle! Sorry! I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." Scootaloo apologized as she rubbed the back of her head with a hoof.

"Clearly." Sweetie Belle replied with a smirk."So what brings you out this way?" She asked with a curious look at the pegasus.

"Oh you know, just enjoying the sights." Scootaloo replied with a nervous smile.

It was then that Sweetie Belle noticed some roses on the ground next to the filly and eyed Scootaloo with a smirk. "Just enjoying the sights, huh? So who are the flowers for?" She asked with a knowing look which caused the Pegasus to give a panicked glance at the ground.

"F-Flowers? Oh, uh, me! Yeah, I decided to pack a snack along for my sightseeing trot through town!" She exclaimed in a semi-panicked tone as she leaned down and picked up the flowers with her mouth.

Sweetie Belle cocked her head slightly to the side with a confused look. "Roses? Really? They taste like three week old daisies though. Usually better as a romantic gesture than a snack." She remarked with a mildly disgusted look at the flowers.

"Oh no, I love them!" Scootaloo said through gritted teeth and proceeded to begin to much them down in front of her.

Sweetie Belle watched the Pegasus much down the flowers for a time before she trotted past the filly. "Oh… well I'll see you around then. I gotta head over to Twilight's for a little while." Sweetie Belle said.

"S-Sure! See you later!" She called out as the unicorn made some distance between the two and once she knew she was out of sight… "Puh, teh, bleh!!" Scootaloo exclaimed in disgust as she proceeded to rake her tongue with her hooves in a vain attempt to get the terrible taste out of her mouth for a time before she sighed aloud dejectedly.

"Right in front of me...she was right in front of me and what do I do? I eat the flowers I bought for her! Ugh! Stupid, stupid,stupid!" Scootaloo exclaimed in frustration as she hit the side of her head with her left hoof in sync with each time she said the word "stupid".

"What's up, squirt?" The Pegasus heard a voice she knew all too well ask which caused her to whirl around and gawk in surprise.

"R-Rainbow Dash! I was just-just thought I would go for a…" Scootaloo said only to trail off as her idol's grin grew wider and wider and sighed. "How much did you see and hear?" She finally asked after a short silence between the two.

"Enough to know that you're in need of my awesome advice!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed as she placed a hoof on her chest while striking a pose.

Scootaloo however merely raised her left eyebrow with a skeptical expression.

"What's that look for? You think I'm too awesome to know about mushy stuff?" The cyan blue Pegasus asked with a smirk.

Scootaloo over the years still saw Rainbow Dash as her idol and aspired to be just like her but since Rainbow Dash had become her adopted sister in a sense, she had come to realize a few things that made her idol… less than perfect that she originally thought she was. Sure, she still thought the cyan blue Pegasus was the most awesome pony in Equestria but just like the other elements of harmony, Rainbow Dash's ego and attitude spoke volumes in regards to her many flaws.

One of which was acting like she knew what she was talking about when she really didn't and while Scootaloo wasn't one to pry into her idol's private life, she was pretty sure she never saw her dating a mare or a stallion in all the years she had known her.

"Not really, I mean I'm sure you know loads but I don't think you can help me." Scootaloo said with a fake smile as she began to back away.

Rainbow Dash however roped her into a side hug and chuckled. "Of course I can help you! You've got the hots for Sweetie-Mmmph!" She began to blast out very loudly only for Scootaloo to shove a hoof in her mouth.

"Announce it to the whole town why don't you?!" Scootaloo exclaimed with a heated blush before she removed her hoof from her idol's mouth.

"Wow, now I know how Pinkie feels when I shut her up like that." Rainbow Dash remarked aloud in mild realization before she resumed her smirk. "Okay, got it. You don't want her to know yet." She said only for Scootaloo to gently push her away.

"No, it's the exact opposite! I want her to know so bad that it's driving me nuts but every time I get face to face with her, I freeze up or do something lame!" Scootaloo exasperated as she trotted away a few feet, turned around, and sighed aloud dejectedly again as she lowered her head.

Rainbow Dash looked at the teenage filly and smiled warmly before she walked over and extended a wing over her. "You've got it bad, huh?" she asked calmly, dropping her normally egotistic demoner for a more sisterly side she only showed to Scootaloo.

"She's so smart, she knows tons of a magic, she knows just what to say most of the time to cheer me up, and don't get me started on her looks." Scootaloo said as her blush deepened slightly.

Rainbow Dash was silent for a time before she gently moved the teenage filly away and looked her in the face. "So don't tell her."

Scootaloo blinked at her idol a few times in confusion before she spoke."Uh, I think you may have misheard me. I want her to know!"

"No,no, I mean, show her how you feel! If telling her is too hard, just do something that you know will give her the message!" Rainbow Dash replied with a smirk.

"Hey… that's an awesome idea! Why didn't I think of that?!" Scootaloo said as she jumped and hovered in place for a moment in excitement before she landed on the ground again.

"Of course it's an awesome idea, I thought of it didn't I?" Rainbow Dash said with an egotistical smirk as she struck a pose.

"I gotta go! Thanks for the advice, Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo exclaimed and galloped off down the street.
"Anytime, Squirt!" Rainbow Dash called back as she waved to her before taking off for the skies.

As Sweetie Belle approached the castle, she gave a thoughtful look up at the sky, the sun was just starting to set which meant her time was limited before she would need to head home but this was very important, Twilight had to know.

The filly used her magic to open the large blue doors and entered. "Princess Twilight! I need to speak with you about something!" She called out as she trotted into the library and looked about for her mentor yet she hadn't heard a reply nor saw her anywhere in the library.

"Twilight should know what's wrong with me. After all, me being affected by a female's heat scent isn't possible! I'm female! And all females are immune to other female's heat scents." Sweetie Belle reasoned to herself as she silently waited for Twilight.

A few moments after this, Twilight walked into the library with a confused expression at first but upon seeing the teen filly's worried expression, donned one of her own as she walked over to the unicorn. "Is something the matter?" She asked in a concerned tone.

"Yes. I think something may be seriously wrong with me." Sweetie Belle said in a serious yet worried tone.

"Yes?" Twilight asked expectantly.

"Something's happened to me that shouldn't be possible." She continued only to pause.

"Well, what is it?" Twilight asked almost impatiently.

As if attempting to draw this out for dramatic effect, the filly waited a few more moments before she finally spoke. "I'm… affected by a female's heat scent!" she said in a fearful tone.

Twilight's concerned expression shattered into one of mild annoyance upon hearing this much to the confusion of the unicorn filly. "That's it?" She asked in a dull tone.

"What do you mean, that's it?! I'm female Twilight! I'm not supposed to be affected by a female's heat scent!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed in outrage that her mentor wasn't taking her obviously serious condition seriously.

The Alicorn merely placed a hoof on her forehead and sighed aloud. "She still doesn't get it." Twilight mumbled under her breath before she lowered her hoof and smiled. "Sweetie Belle, this is perfectly normal." She said in a calm manner.

Upon hearing this, the teen filly's expression bordered on crazed."Normal? Normal?!" She exclaimed in a semi-frantic tone and began to pace back and forth. "How is a female being affected by another female's heat scent normal?!" She shouted as she stomped a hoof in outrage towards the Alicorn.

"Calm down, you're getting upset over something so minor that-"

"Minor?!" Sweetie Belle shrieked cutting off her mentor as her left eye twitched erratically.

"If you would just calm down and let me explain-"

"Explain what?! That this is supposedly perfectly normal for a filly my age?! That I'm supposed to be okay with getting a raging hard on when a female in heat wants to jump the nearest colt and risk exposing my secret to the world?!" Sweetie Belle shrieked once more cutting off the Alicorn whom was little rather ticked off at the moment due to being cut off so abruptly twice in a row.

"Sweetie Belle, would you-"

"No! I don't want to hear another bucking lie from you! This isn't normal! I'm a filly, not a colt! A fil-"

"For celestia's sake! You're both!" Twilight erupted suddenly, cutting off Sweetie Belle less than five seconds after being cut off for the third time in a row only to regret using that choice of words once she noticed the stonewalled face on her student.

"Wh-What?" Sweetie Belle breathed, barely able to speak at the moment due to the sheer shock her mentor's words put her in.

Twilight knew she couldn't take these words back now. So instead of attempting to cover her mistake up with a lie, she took a deep breath, and steeled herself to explain in full. "What I mean is that, you have both a colt's penis and a filly's vagina but that's only on the surface. The spell you cast five years again didn't just give you both genitalia, it also made several critical changes to your brain's functions as well." The Alicorn explained in a calm manner.

"Wh-What do you mean?" Sweetie Belle asked her voice stuttering slightly as she spoke.

"What I mean is, your brain contains the functions to make your body go into heat like a filly with the instinctual need to mate and is susceptible to a female's heat scent which induces the same mating instinct in males but in that case, only triggers the male functions of your brain. This is why you most likely had a close call when you passed by a female in heat." Twilight explained took a deep breath and spoke once more. "Let me take a guess and assume you found yourself drawn to the filly's vagina and felt the urge to...well mate with her."

Sweetie Belle's stunned silence was enough of an answer for the Alicorn and sighed heavily knowing this must have come as a great blow. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner but I wasn't even sure if the spell went that far since it was interrupted mid-cast. I was prepared for this but not for how you might take it." She said in a comforting manner as she reached a wing out to embrace the filly only for Sweetie Belle to shove it away rudely.

"You're a real piece of work, Princess." Sweetie Belle said venomously with a glare at the Alicorn.

"Sweetie Belle, I swear, if I had known-"

"Oh no, I get it! You just want me to think I'm half male so I won't have any problems with bucking you when you go into heat!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed her words carrying an air of hatred to them.

This however caused the Alicorn to glare back at the filly. "Now see here, Young Filly! I may not be perfect but a foalfiddler, I am not! How dare you accuse me of such an outrageous thing!" Twilight exclaimed in outrage, feeling her temper rise.

"Then why feed me a horseappling lie like this then?! Huh?! Foalfiddler!" Sweetie Belle roared as she walked out of the library.

"You're so deep in denial that you're drowning in your own lies! Just accept it!" Twilight roared at the teenage filly as she turned the corner and shortly after a loud slamming of the castle doors could be heard.

"Well that could have gone better." Spike remarked as he stepped into the library, carrying a blanket and pillow.

"You're telling me." Twilight replied and sighed dejectedly. "Sorry for waking you."

"No sweat, I just went to bed a few minutes ago. Just wish there was some way we could help Sweetie Belle." He added and sighed.

"Sweetie Belle is having major gender identity issues right now and I'm afraid I'm not helping. She needs an experienced therapist but there's no way in Tartarus she's trust anyone but me." The Alicorn remarked aloud and sighed dejectedly. "And I may have just destroyed what little trust I she had left for me due to my less than tactful statement of her situation." Twilight replied and sighed once more.

"Maybe she just wants to feel like a filly? I mean, she's tried living as a filly for her entire life despite what she has between her hind legs. I mean, these dick problems didn't start happening until she hit puberty, right?" Spike asked with a curious look.

"Hmm…" Twilight remarked aloud as she placed a hoof on her chin in thought until her eyes lit up. "Or maybe she just needs somepony to make her feel like a filly again." Twilight mused aloud with a smirk as she looked at Spike with a look that unnerved the drake slightly. "Or maybe… some dragon." She added with a wry smirk.

"Whoa,whoa! Pull the carriage to a halt, Twilight! I'm not bucking Sweetie Belle!" Spike exclaimed with a panicked waving of her claws only for the Alicorn to slam a hoof onto her forehead and groan.

"Not that you perverted little drake! I mean, take her out on a date!" Twilight retorted with a mild glare.

"You can't be serious!" Spike exclaimed with a blush only to stare at her and sigh. "You're serious." He said and sighed.

"So, while you're trying to get to the bottom of who may be blackmailing Sweetie Belle, ask her out on a date." Twilight instructed with a smile.

"And if she says no?"

"Well, we can't say we didn't try!" Twilight replied with a hopeful smile.

Sweetie Belle awoke the next morning to the sound of her sister knocking on the door. "Sweetie Belle, is it okay if I come in?" Rarity called from behind the door.

The unicorn hesitated for a moment but reasoned that as long as she kept the covers over herself, her sister couldn't see. "Come in." She said calmly as she sat up in bed and stretched as her sister walked into the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed much to the filly's confusion. "Is something the matter?" She asked in a mildly worried tone.

"As a matter of fact, there is." Rarity said with a mildly stern tone to her voice as she spoke. "I spoke with Twilight last night, shortly after you went to bed and she informed me that you made a rather rude accusation which offended her greatly." Rarity said as she looked at her little sister whose expression became guilt ridden.

"L-Look, whatever she may have told you, it's a lot more complicated than you think it is." Sweetie Belle replied doing her best not to speak of the details while still trying to defend her actions, however rude and over the line they may have been.

Rarity looked at her little sister and sighed before she looked away from the filly for a moment. "I know you're going through alot right now, Sweetie Belle but if you ever need to talk to me, I'm here to listen. You may be shocked to learn how understanding I can be." Rarity said in a comforting tone before she stood up and left the bedroom.

"There's no way you could ever understand this…" Sweetie Belle remarked softly as she lifted the covers,looked down at her flaccid member, and sighed depressingly before she threw the covers off and began to channel magic into her horn.

As Sweetie Belle approached Ponyville High School she couldn't help but notice many fillies and colts staring at her strangely. Some even whispering to one another as she passed. Though it made her feel nervous at first, she brushed it off as nothing as she entered the main hall and went to her locker.

"Say Sweetie Belle, why is everypony looking at you funny?" Applebloom asked as she walked up to her locker next to the unicorn and opened it.

"So it's not just me." Sweetie Belle remarked aloud and felt herself grow more nervous by the second as she looked around. "They couldn't have, they wouldn't have!" Sweetie Belle thought to herself in a panicked tone as she looked around taking note of the colts and fillies close by looking at her and whispering to one another.

Scootaloo at this exact moment rushed up to Sweetie Belle with a worried look on her face. "Okay Sweetie Belle, don't panic but I think this might explain why everypony is looking at your funny." Scootaloo said as motioned for the two to follow her to the fillies restroom and tossed a newspaper labeled Foalfree press and flipped to a page which caused Sweetie Belle's eyes to shrink to pin pricks.

"Looks like somepony owns a magic x-ray camera. The good news is that the photo is badly developed so no pony can really tell it's you or not. The bad news is that even though no name is mentioned, everypony seems to be looking at you for some reason." Scootaloo said with a worried look.

"But no pony knows Sweetie Belle's secret except us!" Applebloom pointed out only to look at Sweetie Belle who was hyperventilating by this point. "And she's panickin'." Applebloom said with a mild worry.

"Calm down, Sweetie Belle! You're going to-... Pass out." Scootaloo began to urgently state only to be cut off by Sweetie Belle's eyes rolling into the back of her head and falling to the floor unconscious.

"Scootaloo, get Sweetie Belle to the nurse's office." Applebloom said in a calm manner yet it was obvious by the look on the farm filly's face that she was holding back rage.

"And what are you going to do?" Scootaloo asked curiously.

"Have a little chat with our local photo pony…" Applebloom stated as she left the filly's restroom…

Featherweight barely managed to dodge a hoof to the groin as he dove to the left only to get a swift hoof to the gut which knocked the wind out of him. "Talk! You're the only pony in school who often brags about their special camera!" Applebloom exclaimed as she barreled down on the scrawny Pegasus as he struggled to catch his breath.

"I only do… what I… get paid… to do." Featherweight wheezed as he stood to all fours weakly.

"Only get paid to do? The hay you goin' on about?!" Applebloom exclaimed as she raised a hoof towards the Pegasus again only for him to dodge as the filly's hoof sailed into a desk which put a hole in it.

"I'm not talking so give it up!" Featherweight said in a cocky tone as he made a dash for the door only to fly straight into Scootaloo's hoof as the filly opened the door.

"Sweetie Belle's in the nurse's ward." Scootaloo said in a calm manner before she looked at the Pegasus like a bug that needed squashing.

"My snout! I think you broke my snout!" Featherweight exclaimed as he held his nose as it bleed only to be lifted up by the scruff of his fur by the Pegasus and socked squarely in the nose again which caused him to cry out once more before he was lifted up once again by the scruff of his fur.

"Now talk, you mule! When and how the buck did you take that photo?!" Scootaloo shouted into the Pegasus's face.

"Y-You're so going to get expelled for this!" Featherweight exclaimed only to receive a hoof to the snout once again causing him to cry out as tears began to stream from his eyes due to the amount of pain his nose was in now.

"Do I look like I give a buck?!" Scootaloo exclaimed as she walked up to the Pegasus and slammed her hoof squarely into the Pegasus's gut, knocking the wind out of him.

"Okay, Scoots, Ah think he's had enough." Applebloom said uneasily.

Scootaloo however ignored her friend and once again lifted the Pegasus up by the scruff of his chest fur. "Now, unless you want to join me in the flightless wonder club, I suggest you talk!" Scootaloo exclaimed as she slammed the Pegasus hard against a nearby desk and forcefully extended Featherweight's wing despite his effort to stop her.

"Y-You wouldn't dare!" Featherweight exclaimed fearfully only to get his anwner in the most painful manner as Scootaloo pushed his wing backward over the edge of the desk which caused him to cry out.

"D-Diamond Tiara! It was Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon! They paid me to publish the article of you giving Sweetie Belle a blowjob!" Featherweight choked out in both fear and agony as he felt his wing bones being strained so badly he was sure they would snap if any more force was put on them.

"So that's what they got on her!" Applebloom exclaimed in realization.

Much to Featherweights relief, Scootaloo let up on his wing only to gawk in horror as the Pegasus lifted up his camera, chucked it to the ground and stomped it to pieces in front of him."Th-That was a two thousand bit camera! One of a kind!" Featherweight exclaimed in horror only to recoil in pain as Scootaloo casually trotted by him and slugged him in the nose once more before casually trotting out of the room.

Sweetie Belle's eyes opened up wearily as she looked about her surroundings, she was in the nurse's ward. It was a few moments later she recalled why she had passed out in the first place but instead of panic, she felt only despair. "It's over...my life's over… It's only a matter of time before they figure out the truth." Sweetie Belle thought to herself depressingly.

"There you are!" the last voice Sweetie Belle wanted to hear said as Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara walked into the room.

However, as angry as she was with the two bullies, she couldn't even muster an angry expression as she stared at the two emotionlessly. "Why?" was the only thing she could utter out.

"Why?" Diamond Tiara asked as if the question alone was enough to get her pissed off. "You broke a five hundred bit door! That's why!" Diamond Tiara snapped before she calmed herself and resumed her cock expression. "Consider this punishment for your lack of respect." She added.

"I don't know why you're in here and frankly, we don't care but we have a list of things you are to do today after- H-Hey! Where do you think you're going?!" Diamond Tiara began to say only for the unicorn to step out of bed and trot past them without bothering to reply.

Fillies and colts continued to stare and whisper to one another but Sweetie Belle couldn't will herself to care as she trotted down the hall towards the school's front doors. Something had died inside.

"Hey, Sweetie Belle!" Dinky exclaimed as she and the unicorn's three over friends trotted up to greet the unicorn only to stare in confusion and bewilderment as she trotted past them without so much as a hello in return.

"Uh, Sweetie Belle? Classes are that way." Zipporwhill remarked as she gestured in the other direction yet Sweetie Belle ignored her as she continued to trot towards the door.

"What's up with her?" Coronet asked with a confused look.

"She can't still be mad at me, can she?" Firelock asked with a worried look.

Moments after Sweetie Belle left the school completely, Applebloom and Scootaloo galloped up to the four. "Say Dinky, have you seen Sweetie Belle?" Applebloom asked breathlessly.

"Yeah, she walked past us like we didn't even exist." Firelock remarked aloud which caused both fillies to look at each other worriedly.

"Is something the matter?" Dinky asked curiously.

"So, you four haven't heard the rumors yet?" Scootaloo asked curiously.

"What rumors?" Zipporwhill asked curiously.

Applebloom and Scootaloo looked at each other briefly before the farm filly signaled she'd take this part. "There's some horseappling rumor flyin' about that she's secretly a colt or somethin' thanks to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon and it's got her all depressed but it's nothin' but rumors, trust me." Applebloom explained calmly.

Much to Applebloom and Scootaloo's confusion however, the four fillies exchanged worried glances of their own. "So that explains why she was acting like that!" Zipporwhill said with a worried look towards the school doors.

"This can't be good! The way she was acting…" Dinky added only to trail off.

"And based on how she reacted yesterday when we found out…" Coronet remarked only to trail off as well.

"She was acting like a filly who had given up on living." Firelock said candidly much to the worried looks of everypony else. It was at this point however that Applebloom and the rest realized somepony was missing.

"Where's Scootaloo?" Applebloom asked with a worried expression.

"There's no time to worry about that right now. We need to perform some serious damage control!" Dinky exclaimed in a calm manner as the four huddled. "Zipporwhill, use your connections to the library and teachers to get them to assure everypony the rumors are false." Dinky ordered in a calm but urgent manner.

"Got it!" Zipporwhill said with a saluting gesture before she took off in a whirl of feathers down the hall.

"Coronet, head to the vice principal's office and tell your mother what's going on but leave out the details on Sweetie Belle's...condition. Hopefully she can help a stop to this before it gets out of hoof!" Dinky ordered the earth pony who also saluted to Dinky and galloped down the hall.

"Firelock, use your popularity with the in crowd to squash these rumors flying around with the other students." Dinky ordered.

"Got it but can I say one thing?" Firelock asked curiously.

"Which is?" Dinky asked with a curious look.

"Heat or not, I would love to take that unicorn for a ride." Firelock said with a cheesy grin before she took off down the hall.

Upon hearing this, Applebloom stared slack jawed at the unicorn as she dashed past her. "Ya'll know?! How?!" Applebloom asked in shock to Dinky who looked at her now.

"Long story short, Firelock was in heat yesterday when Sweetie Belle showed up at our club meeting." Dinky said calmly before her eyes lit up. "Say, you know the princess right?" Dinky asked curiously.

"Yeah, why?" Applebloom asked curiously.

"I'd bet my life's savings that she knows as well." Dinky replied.

"Y-Yeah...she does. Your point?" The farm filly asked curiously.

"Duh! Go tell her what's happening!" Dinky said as if the idea was obvious.

"Oh right! Good idea!" Applebloom exclaimed as she began to dash past only to stop. "Say, what are you gonna do?" She asked curiously.

"I'm gonna have a chat with my former BFF." Dinky said with a mild angry glare.

(Play "Sadness and Sorrow" Now!)

Sweetie Belle trotted through apple acres, not a thought in her mind yet at the same time, she knew her destination. It was the same location she had witnessed Scootaloo plummet to her death in the previous timeline. It was seemed like no time at all, she stood in the same spot she witnessed Scootaloo kill herself.

The unicorn approached the cliff with little hesitation, ready to step off the edge no soon she arrived at it but just before she arrived, Scootaloo had landed right in front of her. "S-Scootaloo? How did you find me?" Sweetie Belle asked with a confused look as Scootaloo stared at her with a sorrowful expression.

"You think you're the first pony to consider suicide?" Scootaloo asked solemnly as she down and extended her wings. "Other Pegasus my age are already performing stunts and yet I can barely get a few feet off the ground without getting exhausted in a matter of minutes." Scootaloo said calmly as she glanced towards the cliff edge and looked back at Sweetie Belle. "Trust me when I say it's not worth it."

"How would you know if it's not worth it?! You're life wasn't destroyed by rumors!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed as tears suddenly began to stream from her eyes.

"I know things seem bad but we can fix this! Please, don't do this!" Scootaloo pleaded as Sweetie Belle moved her to the side with her magic and stepped to the edge of the cliff.

"With what? Magic?! That's what led us to this point, Scootaloo!" Sweetie Belle snapped angrily before she looked over the edge once more.

Unknown to Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo's eyes began to brim with tears. "Please...don't do this. I understand what you're going through and it's not worth it!" Scootaloo exclaimed as tears flung from her eyes as she spoke.

This caused Sweetie Belle to snap her gaze to Scootaloo with fury in her eyes. "How can you understand this?! How can you understand the pain, the self-loathing, and confusion I've felt all these years?! You don't know what it's like, knowing that every time you lay down to go to sleep, you have to make sure your own sister doesn't find out you're a freak the next morning!" She shrieked as tears streamed down her cheeks before she lowered her head. "But none of that matters now, it's only a matter of time before the entire town finds out I'm a freak… and that's something I can't live with." Sweetie Belle whispered and wiped her nose with a sniffle as she once again looked over the edge and began to edge a hoof over it.

Yet before she could fully move it over the edge, she felt two wings envelope her accompanied by a heavy sobbing. "Sweetie Belle… Please… You're my world… my life… without you...without you… I can't go on living!" Scootaloo choked out between sobs.

"Wh-What are you saying?" Sweetie Belle uttered out, in mild shock at what she was hearing.

"Sweetie Belle… I-" Scootaloo began to say only for Sweetie Belle's hoof to slide off the edge without her meaning to which sent the two fillies into a freefall.

"Save yourself, Scootaloo! Open your wings!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed as she attempted to buck the Pegasus away so she would leave her to her fate that she had already accepted.

Scootaloo instead held her tightly and whispered the following words into her ear with the ground less than twenty seconds away.

"I love you!"

The moment these words reached her ears, Sweetie Belle's eyes snapped wide as she gasped and as if on impulse, channeled magic into her horn, and teleported both of them to the top of the cliff safely.

It took a few seconds for Scootaloo to realize the two were on safe ground once more though barely a second after she had, she was slugged across the cheek by Sweetie Belle.

"You bucking idiot! Why wouldn't open your wings! Why wouldn't you let me die?!" Sweetie Belle shrieked in outrage.

"Because I love you, Sweetie Belle." Scootaloo said sincerely as she stood up only for the unicorn to began to half-heartedly slam her hooves against the Pegasus's chest.

"Shut up!" Sweetie Belle shrieked as tears streamed from her eyes anew but for different reasons as she continued to hit the Pegasus.

"I love you, Sweetie Belle." Scootaloo said once more which seemed to egg Sweetie Belle on more to beat at her chest though her strikes were becoming weaker now.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up! Don't tell me that!" Sweetie Belle shrieked as she continued to strike at her though her blows were becoming pathetically weak now.

"But it's true. You're my life, my world. I love you, Sweetie Belle." She said once more which seemed to break the unicorn as she fell to the ground at Scootaloo's hooves and sobbed loudly.

"Sh-Shut up… don't tell me that… don't give me a reason… to live." Sweetie Belle said between sobs and continued to sob loudly as Scootaloo kneeled down, wrapped her wings around the unicorn, laid her head against the sobbing filly's neck, and nuzzled it affectionately.

Later that night...

Scootaloo trotted into the carousel boutique with a puffy-eyed Sweetie Belle and was instantly met with Rarity wrapping her hooves around the filly. "Sweetie Belle! Where have you been?! Twilight's had the entire town looking for you!" Rarity exclaimed as she hugged the unicorn tightly.

Sweetie Belle however couldn't manage a response. Despite Scootaloo's words having a profound effect on her, she still felt hollow inside.

"I found her near Apple Acres, We're sorry to have worried you." Scootaloo apologized for the both of them.

"I-I see… well thank you for finding her, Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle is truly lucky to have a friend like you." Rarity said as she began to usher her little sister towards the stairs only for Sweetie Belle to look back at the Pegasus.

Although she felt hollow inside, something about Scootaloo, ever said she said those words. Her presence filled her with a faint warmth inside yet for reasons she couldn't explain but the moment she left Scootaloo's side, she felt that warmth disappear. "C-Can she stay the night?" Sweetie Belle managed to utter out although horsley.

"I suppose though I would like to speak to her alone first if you don't mind." Rarity said in a calm manner to which Sweetie Belle nodded lightly and headed upstairs.

With Sweetie Belle now out of earshot, Rarity turned to Scootaloo. "Where did you find her?" She asked calmly.

Though the Pegasus hesitated at first she thought it was unwise to lie to Sweetie Belle's older sister. "N-Near a cliff on the edge of Apple Acres." Scootaloo answered with a mild nervousness to her voice as she spoke.

Upon hearing this, the unicorn put a hoof to her mouth as tears swelled in her eyes. "You mean she was going to…?" Rarity began to ask only to find herself unable to finish the sentence.

"Y-Yeah but I managed to talk her out of it." Scootaloo said almost proudly.

"How in Equestria did you manage to talk her down?" Twilight's voice asked from behind the Pegasus which caused her to jump with a start and stare at Twilight.

"Wh-When did you get here?" Scootaloo asked nervously.

"I've been standing here since I detected Sweetie Belle's magic here about five minutes ago." Twilight explained calmly. "Now then, how did you manage to talk her down?" She asked again.

"She wouldn't of had to if you had done more to protect her secret, Twilight Sparkle!" Rarity exclaimed in anger towards the Alicorn much to the shock of Scootaloo who whirled around to gawk at Rarity.

"I was trying to get to the bottom of who had blackmailed her, Rarity! I had a feeling somepony had found out and was using her secret against her but I didn't know who and I wasn't about to act until I knew exactly who!" Twilight defended herself.

"Wait, you know?!" Scootaloo asked looking completely floored at this new set of information.

"Of course I know, Scootaloo. I'm her big sister. It's my job to know these things so I can support her in every way possible." Rarity said almost looking offended by the Pegasus's look of disbelief.

"How many others know?" Scootaloo asked as she looked back at Twilight.

The Alicorn hesitated at first but answered. "Anypony that needed to know, knows." Twilight answered cryptically.

"So let me guess, the thing about Applejack getting her memory wiped of the event…"

"A complete lie. I detest lying but it was vital for Sweetie Belle's mental health that she believe that nopony knew except you, Applebloom, and Twilight." Rarity chimed in to answer this question for the Alicorn.

"Does the School know as well?" The Pegasus asked still reeling from this sudden revelation.

"Principle Harshwhinny and the nurse know but nopony else. How else do you think she was able to get into school with a cloaking spell active? The doors are designed to remove all spells and enchantments but at my request they reenchanted the door to ignore her magical aura specifically." Twilight said calmly. "Now back to how you managed to talk her down." The Alicorn added as she looked at the Pegasus expectantly.

Scootaloo blushed heavily as she shuffled her front hoof absentminded. "I-I told her that I… I loved her." She managed to say although she trailed off slightly mid-sentence as she told the two.

The room was awkwardly silent for a time before Rarity finally spoke. "Well, then I suppose you best go join her." Rarity said with a warm smile.

"R-Right." Scootaloo stuttered slightly as she trotted past her.

Once Scootaloo was out of earshot, Rarity looked to Twilight with a concerned expression. "How are we going to fix this Twilight?" Rarity asked calmly.

The Alicorn merely sighed and rubbed the back of her head. "Well, the most we can do is damage control. Reduce the rumors to nothing more than a lie by Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. Sadly, that won't stop ponies from talking and wondering if they are in fact true." Twilight said sadly.

"So it's only a matter of time then?" Rarity asked with a fearful glance upstairs. "Twilight, she tried to kill herself based solely on these rumors alone. Celestia knows how she'll react if the rumors are proven true in some way." Rarity said with a look of pure concern on her facial features now.

"The most we can do is buy her time. Hopefully we can buy her enough time that she can fully accept this part of herself and move on with her life so when and if it does get proven true in some way, she can deal with it on a more reasonable level." Twilight said calmly as she looked up the stairs. "I think Scootaloo is the best thing for her right now." She added with a soft smile.

"Perhaps you're right." Rarity remarked with a thoughtful glance upstairs herself. "Though I would have never imaged my little sister being a filly-fooler." Rarity remarked softly only to look at Twilight oddly as she giggled.

"She's not just a filly Rarity. She's also a colt." The Alicorn remarked wisely with a smirk.

"That she may be but to me, she will always be my little sister. No matter what she may have between her hind legs." Rarity stated proudly as she glanced up the stairs once more.

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle laid on the bed though the unicorn was on one side and Scootaloo on the other. Though the two remained silent, her very presence filled the unicorn with that warmth inside her body seemed to crave at the moment.

"Sc-Scootaloo?" Sweetie Belle uttered out horsley.

"Yes?" Scootaloo replied softly.

"Why would you say such a thing to me and why then?" She asked.

Scootaloo sighed aloud as she scooted closer to the filly. "I've felt this way about you for nearly two years but I every time I tried to bring myself to say it, the words just wouldn't come and I would just end up looking lame." She said calmly.

The two were silent again for a time until Sweetie Belle spoke. "I really don't know what to feel right now… Knowing those rumors are flying around the school, knowing everypony will look at me and wonder if they're true, just makes me want to run back to that cliff and leap off it but I can't bring myself to do that now and I don't know why." Sweetie Belle said softly and sighed.

Scootaloo once again scooted closer to the unicorn until her body was pressed up against hers, leaned over and nuzzled the unicorn. "Don't worry about it right now. Right now you just need to get some rest and don't worry, I'll be here when you wake up." She said as she nuzzled Sweetie Belle's cheek while she spoke.

"I'll try." Sweetie Belle replied and closed her eyes. Though she felt restless, the filly dozed off in a matter of minutes of closing her eyes much to Scootaloo's relief as she snuggled close to her.

"I'm no colt but I'll be your knight in shining armor, Sweetie Belle. I'll do everything in my power to make sure you're happy…"

Author's Note

Like, comment, and upvote if you enjoyed this chapter!

Also, NOT OVER YET!