Silver Belles

Chapters

First Day
Second Verse, Same As The First
How Do I Say I Love You?
Can You Keep A Secret?

First Day

The morning sun rose over the horizon and beamed its bright light upon on the peaceful little town of Ponyville. The sky was vibrant with blues and whites dancing across it. The day was just beginning as ponies were starting to get out of bed, ready to take on the day. The same could not be said for a certain white unicorn filly who was still snoozing away under her covers. Though the daylight had pierced through her window and shone upon her, she ignored it by pulling the covers over her face to shield her eyes from its almost blinding rays. It wasn't long before a familiar voice spoke to her, breaking her away from her dream.

"Sweetie Belle, you're going to be late for school." Her sister called to her from downstairs.

Sweetie Belle responded to this by turning over in her bed and groaning loudly. Due to her still being half-asleep, she hadn't fully comprehended what her sister told her. A few moments later, her eyes shot open as the realization hit her like a ton of bricks.

"I'm gonna be late for school!" She exclaimed, clutching the sides of her head with a panicked look on her face.

She quickly leapt out of bed and began to get ready. After taking a quick shower, throwing on a white short-sleeved short dress, grabbing her backpack, and brushing her teeth she zipped down the stairs as quickly as she could. Her big sister was there to greet her as she did.

"Looks like somepony finally got the wake-up call." She said condescendingly with her arms folded in front of her chest.

"Thanks for waking me up." Sweetie Belle said quickly before giving her sister a quick kiss on the cheek and bolting towards the door.

Once she swung the front door open, she jumped back a bit as the sight of her two friends startled her slightly.

"Did ya forgot the first day of school was today?" Apple Bloom asked with a smug grin while leaning against the doorframe.

"Or did you remember and just didn't want to go?" Scootaloo added, shooting Sweetie Belle an arrogant smirk as well.

Sweetie Belle rubbed the back of her head before answering. "A little bit of both actually." She replied with a sheepish smile.

"You don't make sense sometimes." Scootaloo said with a light chuckle.

"Can we please go now before we're even more late?" Sweetie Belle suggested as she walked past them and headed down the road.

Her friends soon followed suit and eventually caught up to her. Sweetie Belle looked them both up and down, analyzing their attire. Apple Bloom was wearing blue overalls with a red shirt underneath. Scootaloo was dressed in a black shirt with a white lightning bolt on the front of it and blue shorts. Sweetie Belle felt a little overdressed since she was the only one in their group who wasn't wearing something casual.

"How do I look?" She asked her friends nervously, hoping their answer wouldn't be too negative.

"Ta be honest, a might frazzled." Apple Bloom replied earnestly.

"Is it really that bad?" Sweetie Belle supplicated, her eyes desperate for the truth.

"Your mane looks messy and unkempt, and your dress is kinda wrinkled." Scootaloo responded with brutal honesty. "Speaking of which, you forgot to zip it up in the back."

Sweetie Belle reached behind herself and felt the back of her dress. Sure enough, she found that the zipper was undone, exposing her bare back to the open world.

"Could one of you two get it for me?" Sweetie Belle entreated her friends.

"Ah gotcha." Apple Bloom said before she zipped up the back of Sweetie Belle's dress.

"Thanks." Sweetie Belle thanked her.

"Anytime." Apple Bloom replied.

Once they arrived at the school building, they couldn't help but stop in front of it and take in the magnitude of the structure.

"This is it girls." Sweetie Belle addressed her companions "The moment we step through those doors, we start our lives as seniors."

"This feels kinda surreal." Apple Bloom stated pensively.

"And here I thought Sweetie Belle was the dictionary of the group." Scootaloo remarked, sounding mildly annoyed since she didn't know what the word surreal meant.

"It's not our faults that we're more educated than you." Sweetie Belle commented with a cocky grin.

Scootaloo responded to this by scoffing and folding her arms in front of her.

"Just like we've done everything else every since we first met each other, let's do this together." Sweetie Belle offered as she held her hands out to her friends, waiting for them to grab them.

"Ah'm with ya." Apple Bloom said as she grabbed Sweetie Belle's right hand.

"Yeah. Crusaders for life!" Scootaloo enthused as she took Sweetie Belle's left hand.

The three of them then ascended the front steps and approached the double doors. But before either of them could open the doors, the left door swung open to reveal a cheerful looking Cheerilie. She smiled warmly as she greeted the three fillies.

"Hello girls. It's so good to see you again." She said kindredly.

"It's good to be back Miss Cheerilie." Sweetie Belle replied.

"I see you girls are closer now more than ever." Cheerilie spoke in uncharacteristically suggestive tone, taking note of the fact that they had joined hands.

The girls quickly let of each other's hands and blushed madly. "It's not like that! We're all just friends!" They all said defensively at the same time.

Cheerilie could barely contain her laughter as she giggled loudly. "I'm just pulling your leg girls. Now hurry along inside, lest you be late to your first class.

They took her advice and ran past her so that they could make it in time.

"Don't forget to stop by the main office to pick up your schedules." Cheerilie called to them.

"We won't." Scootaloo responded as she and the others disappeared down the hall.

In front of the main office was a line of students who were eagerly waiting to get their schedules. The CMC eventually joined the group, only slightly out of breath from running the whole way there. They too stood there in line, ready to pick up their schedules when it was their turn. After 3 minutes had passed, they were finally at the front of the line. The first one to enter the main office was Sweetie Belle, followed by Apple Bloom, and lastly Scootaloo. As soon as they got their schedules, they looked over them curiously to see if they had any classes together.

"Okay, so I got Pre-Algebra with Scootaloo and Art with Applebloom." Sweetie Belle said to her friends.

"I got Biology with Apple Bloom." Scootaloo chimed in.

"So ya mean to tell me that none of us have a class with all 3 of us in it?" Apple Bloom asked with a disappointed expression on her face.

"Looks like it." Scootaloo answered discouragingly. "This bites." She added, kicking a locker that was right next to her.

"Well, well, well. Looks like the cutie mark crybabies don't get to spend time together as a unit." A voice said to them in a mock sad tone.

It turned out to be Diamond Tiara and her lackey Silver Spoon. Once Sweetie Belle saw them, she didn't feel as overdressed as she did earlier since they both wearing formal clothes as well. Diamond Tiara was wearing a violet blazer with a pink shirt underneath, a lilac skirt, and her signature tiara. Silver Spoon was wearing a white dress shirt with a black skirt, and a blue bead necklace. The two bullies stared at the group deviously, silently coming up with ways to get under their skin.

"What do the two of ya'll want?" Apple Bloom asked in an aggressive manner as she eyed them suspiciously.

"We just came by to remind you that just because it's a new school year, doesn't mean that things have changed." Silver Spoon forewarned them. "Tiara and me still run the school, and you fillies are still our punching bags."

"You wanna take this outside." Scootaloo offered as she got into Silver Spoon's face.

"Calm down, penguin. I have no intention of getting physical with you." Silver Spoon replied as she calmly took a step back.

"Penguin? What's that suppose to mean?" Scootaloo asked out of both anger and curiosity.

"I think it's a fitting nickname for the only pegasus who can't fly." Silver Spoon answered in a mocking tone.

"I can too fly!" Scootaloo shot back. "I flew last week actually."

"News flash, feather-brain: floating 6 inches off the ground before falling onto your face isn't flying." Diamond Tiara informed her with a snooty grin.

It took all of Scootaloo's willpower to prevent herself from socking Diamond Tiara in her prissy mug. Instead she stood there, snorting loudly as she balled her fists at her sides. It was then that she felt a hand on her shoulder which caused to turn and see who was touching her. She saw Sweetie Belle looking at her with concern.

"Don't do it, Scoots. It's not worth it." She said in an attempt to calm down her seething friend.

Scootaloo took several deep breaths before she finally calmed down.

"Would you look at that Tiara? They taught the penguin some tricks, such as sitting down like a good girl." Silver Spoon remarked, antagonizing Scootaloo further.

Scootaloo was about to charge at them before Apple Bloom put up her arm to stop and approached the bullies. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon instinctively backed away from her, fearing what she may do if she got her hands on them.

"Ya best leave before me and Scootaloo have to get rough with ya." Apple Bloom advised them as she cracked her knuckles.

"Let's go Silver Spoon." Diamond Tiara suggested, putting on a brave face despite being scared witless. "If we stick around them too long, we might catch their unpopularity." She said as she turned about face and headed in the opposite direction.

"I'm right behind you." Silver Spoon replied as she obediently followed Diamond Tiara.

"I hate those two with a burning passion." Scootaloo stated once they were out of earshot.

"I hear ya." Apple Bloom agreed. "If ah didn't promise Applejack that ah would stay outta trouble for the first week of school, ah woulda knocked their blocks off."

"Ditto." Scootaloo empathized.

"We better get to class." Sweetie Belle reminded them, not wanting to be late on the first day.

The 3 of them went their separate ways and traveled to their respective classes.

Sweetie Belle sprinted down the hall so that she could make to her class as quickly as possible. She came to an abrupt stop in front of the door and knocked on it loudly. While she waited for the teacher to open it, she took the time to fix her hair and straighten out her dress. The door opened halfway, revealing an earth pony stallion with a blue coat, a dark blue mane, dark blue eyes, and a pair of glasses. He looked at the filly with a disapproving stare.

"You're late." He said sternly.

"I know." Sweetie Belle replied apologetically.

"Since it's the first day, I guess I can let it slide." He relented as he opened the door for her.

She entered the room and scanned it for an open seat. She saw a few ponies she recognized in this class, like Pipsqueak and Zipporwhill, as well as some that she didn't. She soon found that there weren't any available seats as far as she could see.

"Ugh, teacher. There doesn't seem to be any open desks." Sweetie Belle said as she looked at the teacher awkwardly.

"Nonsense." The teacher replied. "There's one in the back right next to that filly."

"Okay." Sweetie Belle accepted as she went to the vacant desk.

Her brain froze once she saw who was seated next to her. It was Silver Spoon! She looked at Sweetie Belle contemptuously as she took her seat.

"Now that all my students are here, allow me to introduce myself:" The teacher began. "My name is Leadwing, and I will be your English teacher for the year."

Sweetie Belle was listening to the teacher when Silver Spoon tapped her on the shoulder. She looked over at her to see what she wanted. Silver Spoon held up a piece of paper that had the words "I'm gonna make your life a living hell" on it in big bold letters. She then turned the paper over and the back of it had a drawing of herself beating up Sweetie Belle. Sweetie Belle silently groaned and laid her head down on her desk. She stayed that way until the end of class.

Lunch time had soon arrived as students rushed to the cafeteria to fill their empty stomachs. After trudging through the lunch line, Sweetie Belle and her friends took their seats at the nearest table. Once there, Sweetie Belle told them about what happened with Silver Spoon in class. Needless to say, they were none too pleased with the events that transpired.

"She actually said that!?" Scootaloo asked incredulously.

"Well, wrote it would be more accurate." Sweetie Belle replied before shoveling some spaghetti into her mouth.

"Don't really matter if she said it or wrote it, it's still not okay to do somethin like that." Applebloom stated through a mouthful of garlic bread.

"Applebloom's right." Scootaloo agreed. "You don't have to take that from her. You could easily kick her flank if you wanted."

"Nah, I would never resort to violence to solve my problems." Sweetie Belle said with nobility.

"Sometimes the only way to get through to somepony is by beatin it into their heads." Apple Bloom reasoned after taking a drink from her milk carton.

"You treacherous fiend! How dare you try to seduce the lovely Zipporwhill away from me!" A voice suddenly erupted out of nowhere.

"She doesn't belong to you, peasant! I'm the one she really has feelings for." A second voice said audibly.

The CMC turned their heads in the direction of the voices to see what was going on. Featherweight and Pipsqueak were engaged in a war of words over who deserved Zipporwhill more.

"Blasphemy! She's had her eyes on me for some time now." Featherweight said in loud, unconvincing tone.

"You must be mistaken, git." Pipsqueak replied in an over exaggerated tone. "Her heart yearned for me ever since the day she first layed eyes on me."

The lunch room was completely silent as ponies were left scratching their heads, wondering what the two of them were doing. Zipporwhill blushed with a look of embarrassment on her face as she slid under the table to hide herself.

"If you love her so much, then you must be willing to fight for her." Featherweight challenged, shooting Pipsqueak a sly grin.

"Indeed." Pipsqueak nodded. "Best be prepared, sir. Because I'm going to give you quite the thrashing." He warned while shaking his fist at him.

"Alright, you asked for it." Featherweight said as he charged at Pipsqueak.

They then started throwing slow, weak punches at each other. Featherweight threw a shaky rabbit punch at Pipsqueak, causing him to pretend to double over in pain. He tried to follow it up with a double axe handle to the back, but Pipsqueak countered with a steady uppercut. The impact (or lack there of) caused Featherweight to stagger backwards slightly. Pipsqueak took this opening and gave Featherweight a sluggish tackle into a nearby table. Featherweight cried out in imaginary pain once his back made contact with the table. After shrugging the pain off, he then delivered a soft knee to Pipsqueak's midsection. Pipsqueak dropped to his knees and grunted as he clutched his gut. Without missing a beat, Featherweight grabbed Pipsqueak by his mane and unforcefully threw him to the floor. He then took the time to laugh "evilly" at Pipsqueak's misfortune.

"Ha ha ha." He laughed. "Is this the best you can do? Dueling against an ankle-biter would make for a much more interesting skirmish."

As Featherweight was taking time to gloat, Pipsqueak had gotten to one knee and was desperately trying to get back to his hindhooves.

"There's no rest for the wicked." Featherweight stated as he charged at Pipsqueak again.

This proved to be his undoing as Pipsqueak hit Featherweight with a soft headbutt, forcing him to back up towards a table. Pipsqueak quickly rose to his hindhooves and "ran" towards Featherweight. At the last possible moment, Featherweight grabbed a handful of spaghetti off a random pony's plate and smeared it in Pipsqueak's face.

"Ah! My vision!" Pipsqueak shouted as he covered his eyes with his hands. "You ninny! That was a very underhanded move!" He added as he tried to wipe the marinara sauce and spaghetti noddles off his face.

"'Tis a fight, my formidable foe." Featherweight reminded him. "No rules were spoken of to begin with."

Featherweight then drew his arms back and lightly shoved Pipsqueak to the ground. Before Pipsqueak could get up, Featherweight put his left hindhoof on Pipsqueak's chest and held him down.

"I have been.....defeated." Pipsqueak relentled, intentionally dragging out the pause before his final word.

"Victory is mine!" Featherweight exclaimed, raising his arms in the air triumphantly. "The fair Zipporwhill's heart belongs to me!"

"Please just kill me now." Zipporwhill muttered from under the table.

Featherweight then helped Pipsqueak off the floor and they both took a bow. The cafeteria remained quiet for a few moments before everypony resumed their previous conversations.

"What even was that?" Sweetie Belle asked them.

"That, my lady, was acting." Pipsqueak said courteously.

Sweetie Belle and her friends looked at each other curiously in response to that statement.

"We signed up for drama class, but we wanted to see if we were good enough to act without lessons first." Featherweight explained. "How did we do?"

"Do you want the harsh truth or a friendly lie?" Scootaloo offered.

Without warning, Apple Bloom elbowed Scootaloo hard in her left arm. After yelping loudly, Scootaloo scowled at Apple Bloom while rubbing her arm.

"We want your honest opinion." Pipsqueak replied with a hopeful smile.

The CMC looked around nervously and paused for quite some time. They didn't want to crush Featherweight and Pipsqueak's dreams, so they opted to spare their feelings instead.

"It was really convincing." Sweetie Belle remarked, trying her best to sound as believable as possible. "Right girls?"

"Yeah. Ah think y'all got what it takes to make it in drama class." Apple Bloom followed Sweetie Belle's lead.

"Totally." Scootaloo chimed in. "You guys were so good, I didn't even know you were acting!"

"What can we say." They said in unison. "We're naturals." They finished before leaving the cafeteria.

The CMC all collectively breathed a sign of relief once they left.

"I didn't want to lie to them like that, but it just felt more appropriate." Sweetie Belle proclaimed.

"Ah hear ya." Apple Bloom agreed. "It wouldn't have felt right to crush their dreams before they could even be fully realized."

"I hope we didn't set them up for failure." Scootaloo said with a worried look on her face.

"Anyway, hopefully this whole Silver Spoon thing will blow over eventually." Sweetie Belle stated as she jabbed at one of the meatballs on her plate.

The school day had drawn to a close as kids ran excitedly back to their homes. The CMC were one of the last few to exit the school building. They said their goodbyes and went to their respective homes. Sweetie Belle walked up to the boutique and swung the door open, where she was greeted by her big sister who was working on a dress at that very moment.

"Hello, Sweetie Belle." Rarity greeted. "How was school today?"

"Pretty average." Sweetie Belle responded glumly.

"Is something the matter?" Rarity asked in a caring manner.

"Sort of. I got stuck with Silver Spoon in my English class and she promised to make my life miserable." Sweetie Belle expounded.

"She and Diamond Tiara are still giving you trouble I see." Rarity said comprehensively.

"Yeah, but it's nothing I can't handle though." Sweetie Belle assured her.

"Well then, I'll leave you to it." Rarity commented before turning her attention back to the dress she was making.

Sweetie Belle then ascended the stairs and went to her room, closing the door behind herself as she did.

Second Verse, Same As The First

The next day at school started out as mundane as it did yesterday. Sweetie Belle was desperately trying to keep her eyes open in her English class, but this proved to be incredibly difficult with each passing second. She was never really all that interested in English for she felt that the lessons associated with this course wouldn't be very useful after high school. Sure, knowing a few reading and writing devices here and there may help her if she were to pursue a career as an author or a poet, but they have little to no relevance outside of that job field. She looked around the room at the other students to see if they were paying as much attention as she was. Most of the others students were either falling asleep or already asleep. Pipsqueak was busy passing notes to Zipporwhill. She couldn't tell what the notes said but she was pretty sure that they pertained to asking Zipporwhill out. Even Silver Spoon had tuned out as her eyes scanned over the book she was reading. Not a single pony in class could care less what Leadwing was saying.

"I don't think Mr. Leadwing will mind if I rest my eyes for a little bit." She figured as her eyelids slowly shut.

She used her arms as a pillow while she drifted off into a deep sleep. Pretty soon, she could be heard snoring softly while she slept. A few minutes later, Silver Spoon looked over at her and saw that she was soundly asleep. A crooked smile formed across her face as she came up with a fiendish idea. She closed her book as quietly as she could and raised it in the air. She looked around to make sure the teacher wasn't watching, and fortunately for her he wasn't. She held the book in between Sweetie Belle's desk and her own. After turning her gaze towards the teacher and putting on the most normal disposition she could manage, she released the book from her grip, allowing it to hit the floor loudly. The sound was enough to make Sweetie Belle leap out of her desk and fall onto the floor. Everypony in class (including the teacher) looked at Sweetie Belle once this happened. Once she had recovered from her rude awakening, she sat up and rubbed her aching back. A few students whispered and snickered at Sweetie Belle's incident.

"Miss Belle." Leadwing addressed her. "I hope you have a good reason for interrupting my class."

Sweetie Belle picked up the book that had awoken her and immediately recognized it as Silver Spoon's. She shot a nasty glare at her as she stood up and put the book back on Silver Spoon's desk. Silver Spoon simply just smiled at her innocently.

"I would like an answer today Miss Belle." Leadwing said impatiently.

She took a moment to sift through her mind and find a good excuse. "I thought I saw a spider on my desk and freaked out." She lied while trying to sound as convincing as possible.

"Well, try to keep your freak outs to a minimum next time." He advised her before turning his attention back to the rest of the class.

"Yeah Sweetie Belle." Silver Spoon whispered to her. "Don't act like such a spaz next time."

Sweetie Belle flashed Silver Spoon an angry look as she sat back down in her seat. Silver Spoon silently laughed to herself as Sweetie Belle glared at her.

Sweetie Belle decided not to tell her friends of Silver Spoon's actions for fear that they might do something irrational that might cause them to get detention or even expelled. Plus, she was getting pretty tired of having them fight her battles for her. They were always quick in wanting to wail on Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, not giving her a chance to try and talk things out with them. She wasn't a violent pony and felt that confrontations could be eliminated by simply using words rather than fists. But even the most docile and easy-going of ponies had their limit. And Silver Spoon was getting closer and closer to breaking that limit with every prank she pulled on Sweetie Belle. But she had maintained her cool and brushed off the mishap that occurred earlier that day. She and her friends were moving through the lunch line, waiting to get their food. Sweetie Belle had just gotten her tray and was heading to a table with it when all of a sudden she stepped on something that caused her hindhooves to be swept from underneath her and she ended up falling onto her butt, spilling baked beans and potato salad onto her hair and dress. It turned out to be an orange that she slipped on. The ponies standing behind her in line all burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter. Her friends swiftly knelt down and helped her up.

"What happened, Sweetie Belle?" Apple Bloom asked her sincerely.

"I think I was tripped." She replied cantankerously as she looked out of the corners of her eyes at Silver Spoon, who was standing a few ponies behind her.

"By who?" Scootaloo questioned.

"I think you know the culprit." She said as she pointed behind herself at Silver Spoon.

"Did you do this?" Scootaloo asked Silver Spoon in a threatening tone.

"How could I?" She answered with a question of her own, feigning innocence. "I was standing back here the whole time. There's no way I could've gotten her from back here."

"Yes you could!" Sweetie Belle retorted. "You rolled it in front of me while I wasn't paying attention."

"Me? That's absurd." She said with a gasp. "Why, I would never use such a dirty tactic to cause you displeasure. Right, Tiara?"

"Of course." Diamond Tiara agreed in a mock hurt tone. "I can't believe you would accuse my friend of such deceitful behavior."

"Oh, you two are just cruisin for a bruisin." Scootloo said before she advanced towards them.

She stopped however when Sweetie Belle grabbed her by the back of her shirt.

"It's alright, Scoots." Sweetie Belle affirmed. "No real damage was done."

"Wow Silver Spoon, it must feel great having your own personal doormat." Diamond Tiara stated enviously. "You can just walk all over her and she won't do a thing to stop you."

Scootaloo bared her teeth as her wings flared in anger. The CMC then turned around and went to find a table, leaving Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon to scheme in secret.

"How far are you planning on pushing her?" Diamond Tiara asked mischievously.

"Until I can get a reaction out of her." Silver Spoon confided in her friend.

"You're so good at being sinister." Diamond Tiara complemented with a wicked grin.

"I learned from the best." Silver Spoon replied, returning the compliment.

They both laughed to themselves as they went to take a seat somewhere in the lunch room. Meanwhile, Sweetie Belle and her friends had already taken their seats and were eating their lunch (somewhat) peacefully.

"Those two jerks. What I wouldn't give to knock those shit-eating grins off their faces." Scootaloo remarked indignantly.

"Darn right." Apple Bloom agreed. "Ah'd give mah left hindhoof just to get a few minutes with them alone."

"I may have a lot of self-control, but that doesn't mean that I don't have a breaking point." Sweetie Belle said with a malicious expression as she attempted to wipe the beans and potato salad off of herself.

"How long are you gonna let them get away with this, Belle?" Scootaloo asked.

"I'm going with the 3 strikes: you're out rule." Sweetie Belle informed her. "She's already messed with me twice. So if she does it again by the end of this day, I'll make her sorry."

"And you'd be justified in yer actions too." Apple Bloom concurred. "She started it, and you're endin it."

"Hopefully I won't have see her again for the rest of this day." Sweetie Belle reasoned as she balled up all the napkins she had used to clean herself up and got up to throw them away.

"You gotta be kidding me?"

This was the first thought that ran through Sweetie Belle's mind as she entered the gymnasium. She had picked P.E. as one of her electives this year. The reason for this was that she wanted to stay in shape since she didn't exercise at home. Unfortunately, the school had forgotten to stock up on gym equipment for the year. So it would be a while before they actually got to do something other than basketball or kickball since it would take about a week before more equipment arrived. Regardless, it was the one class that she was sure that she wouldn't possibly see Silver Spoon taking. But lo and behold, who just so happened to be seated in the bleachers but Silver Spoon herself as she talked with two other fillies. Sweetie Belle could feel her blood boiling for fate had blessed her with another opportunity for Silver Spoon to provoke her. But she remembered her 3 strikes rule, and maintained a calm demeanor. She walked over to the bleachers and sat down on the first row. Sweetie Belle didn't even have to look at Silver Spoon since she could feel Silver Spoon's eyes focused on her. She was no doubt jumping for joy on the inside considering that she had yet another chance to bully Sweetie Belle. Despite all this, Sweetie Belle kept her eyes forward and waited patiently for their teacher to arrive. A few minutes later, the gym doors swung open as a pegasus stallion with a dark gray coat, amber eyes, and a blue-silver mane trotted inside.

"Sorry I'm late class. I had to bust a few clouds before I got here." He apologized as he stood before his students.

"Thunderlane!?" Sweetie Belle said with a look of shock upon her face.

"That's Coach Thunderlane to you." He corrected her. "But yes, I'm your gym teacher."

"How?" She asked. "I thought you already had a job as a weather pony."

"Maintaining the weather isn't as lucrative as you would think." He informed her. "So I'm using this part-time teacher gig as a way to help rake in more money."

It was then that he heard a familiar voice call out to him. "Hey big bro." Rumble called to him from the top of the bleachers.

"Hey Rumble." Thunderlane replied as he waved to him.

"So what are we going to be doing today?" Sweetie Belle persisted with another question.

"Well, since we're still waiting on more equipment to come in, you'll have to play basketball and kickball until we get more stuff. So for today, I want all of you to grab a basketball and start playing."

Other than a few groans in response to his request, the students were compliant and went over to the basketball rack and grabbed a basketball. They then scattered all around the gym and began to do their own thing. Some of the students got in a group and started up a game of gotcha/knockout. Others merely chose to just shoot hoops while talking amongst each other. Rumble and a small group of colts started trying to score some trick shots, like turning their backs to the goal and throwing the ball over their head or standing behind the goal and arching the ball over the goal and into the net. Silver Spoon and the same group of fillies she was talking to earlier just dribbled the ball around and pretended to look productive. Sweetie Belle, on the other hand, was working on her shooting as she attempted to score 2 and 3 pointers. As all this went on, Thunderlane just stood off to the side and watched them to make sure they were actually doing something rather than just standing there. Things were going smoothly until Silver Spoon thought up a nasty plan.

"Hey girls, wanna see something funny?" Silver Spoon asked with a villainous smirk.

They thought about it for a minute and then nodded their heads in agreeance.

"Watch this." She instructed them as she pulled out a hand-held mirror.

She waited until Sweetie Belle was about to shoot the ball and used the mirror to reflect the sunlight into her eyes. Sweetie Belle threw the ball at the goal recklessly as she covered her eyes from the sunlight. The ball bounced off the backboard at such an angle, that it was propelled towards the lights that hung high above the gym. The ball then ricocheted off one of the lights, shattering it on impact, and divebombed straight at Thunderlane. Thunderlane heard the light break and immediately looked around the room to find the culprit. This proved effective in distracting him as he didn't even hear the basketball that was speeding towards him.

"Bro, look out!" Rumble attempted to warn him once he saw that the basketball was getting close to landing on his brother.

"Huh?" Thunderlane asked, curious about what his brother was trying to warn him about.

A spilt second later, the basketball found its target as it nailed Thunderlane in his groin. Thunderlane let out a loud "oof" as excruciating pain shot throughout his pelvic region. He soon dropped to his knees while clutching his stallionhood. He lowered his head in hopes that the students wouldn't see him crying (not that anyone would have blamed him considering what just happened). They all gathered around him and looked on with concern.

"Are you okay?" Rumble asked with a worried expression.

"No." Thunderlane shook his head. "I just took a basketball to my basketballs."

All the male students in class cringed for they knew exactly what it felt like to get hit in your downstairs area.

"Who was the one who threw the ball?" He asked stoically, not taking his eyes off the floor.

"It was Sweetie Belle!" Silver Spoon blurted out.

Sweetie Belle turned to Silver Spoon and gaped at her, clearly not expecting Silver Spoon to put her on the spot like that. She was about to argue Silver Spoon's claim when Thunderlane cut her off.

"Well Sweetie Belle, since you made it plainly obvious that you didn't want to play basketball today, then maybe you'd be better off running laps around the gym for the rest of the class period." He suggested belligerently.

"But I didn't do that on purpose." Sweetie Belle averred. "It was Silver Spoon's fault."

"Right. Cause she was the one who threw the ball at such angle, that it would bounce off the backboard, ricochet of one of the lights, and hit him in my nuts." He stated analytically with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

When he said it like that, he did make a fair point. Even if Silver Spoon had sabotaged her mid-shot, the chances of it behaving the way it just did to cause all these events are pretty low. Yet, Sweetie Belle was still 99% certain that this was all Silver Spoon's doing.

"Well get moving Sweetie Belle." Thunderlane commanded, derailing Sweetie Belle's train of thought. "Those laps aren't gonna run themselves."

"Seriously?" She asked with genuine confusion.

"Do I look like I'm joking?!" He asked with hostility plastered across his face.

Sweetie Belle sighed loudly as she got up and started to run around the gym in a clockwise direction. Silver Spoon and her posse laughed at Sweetie Belle's misfortune.

"Your ball control could use some work Sweetie Belle." Silver Spoon jested as she continued to laugh giddily.

Sweetie Belle turned to Silver Spoon and shot her a look of pure hatred. Her anger faded momentarily as she looked at floor and noticed her basketball right next to her hindhooves. She then put on a malevolent smile of her own as she picked up the ball and turned towards the goal she was shooting at earlier. It was time for Silver Spoon to get a taste of her own medicine. After firing up her horn, she shot the ball and used her magic to guide it through the air. It bounced off the backboard at an angle and flew at Silver Spoon. Without warning, the ball slammed hard into the side of Silver Spoon's head, knocking her glasses off her face in the process. They landed on the floor face-down, cracking her left lens as it made contact with the gym floor. Her friends gasped once they saw what happened. After rubbing away the pain in her left temple, she looked in horror at her broken lens. It wasn't necessarily the fact that her one of her lenses broke that pissed her off, it was more the pony who caused it to happen. Silver Spoon shot Sweetie Belle a wrathful look as Sweetie Belle grinned at her wickedly.

"You're right Silver Spoon. I do need to work on my ball control." She said arrogantly as she went back to jogging around the gym.

"You may have won the battle, but the war is far from over." Silver Spoon said to herself profoundly as she put her glasses back on.

"Are you gonna alright?" Rumble asked as he helped his brother up off the gymnasium floor.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." He replied confidently. "After about 10 minutes and an ice pack." He muttered to himself.

After this, the students went back to what they were originally doing before the incident occurred. Thunderlane grabbed a chair and sat down since standing up was proving to be too painful for him. Sweetie Belle continued to run laps around the gym, staring daggers at Silver Spoon each time she passed by her. Silver Spoon returned the angry looks at Sweetie Belle every she went by. They did this up until the end of class.

Sweetie Belle shut the door harder than she wanted to when she entered the boutique. She had quite a day today and wasn't in the mood for any more nonsense. She headed straight for her room so that she could crash on her bed and sleep this horrible day away. Once she got to the base of the stairs, she heard her sister greet her as she did normally.

"How was school today, Sweetie Be-ooooh my goodness!" She said casually but freaked out by the end of her sentence due to her little sister's appearance.

Sweetie Belle's dress was still covered in baked beans and potato salad stains.

"What happened today, darling?" Rarity asked, placing her hands on Sweetie Belle's shoulders.

"Silver Spoon happened." Sweetie Belle replied coldly.

"I may have to step in and intervene because this bullying is starting to get out of hand." Rarity said sternly. "You, Scootaloo, and Applebloom have been butting heads with those two for years now and I think it's finally time to put a stop to it."

"It's okay Rarity, I've got this." Sweetie Belle assured her. "Besides, I'm not a filly anymore. I'm old enough to fight my own battles."

"Well...alright then." Rarity replied. "As long as you have everything under control."

"Thanks for understanding sis." Sweetie Belle said as she hugged her older sister.

She then climbed the stairs and entered her room. Rarity turned around and went into the kitchen so that she could start the preparations for making dinner.

How Do I Say I Love You?

It was another typical school day at Ponyville High as students could be seen making their daily commute to class. Ponies were either on their way to their first class, standing by their lockers conversing with friends, or putting things into their locker. Sweetie Belle was busy getting things out of her locker and putting them in her backpack. Her backpack was stuffed with sheets of homework from her various classes, as well as a few textbooks. She found it a little unfair that this was only their third day of school and she already had a mountain of homework to do. But she knew that things always picked up after the first few days so there was no use complaining. She let out a heavy sigh as she lowered her head.

"Time for another day of torment at the hands of Silver Spoon. Better prep myself for it." She thought to herself bitterly.

She was about to close her locker when she saw Silver Spoon out the corner of her eye.

"Speak of the devil and she shall appear."

Not wanting to meet her gaze, she put her head in her locker and pretended to rummage around for something. Her ears perked up when she heard a second pair of footsteps accompanying Silver Spoon's. She assumed it was most likely Diamond Tiara but she didn't want to look to see if her assumption was right. She continued to hide her face and look busy as Silver Spoon walked past her. Once she had, Sweetie Belle removed her head from her locker and looked in her direction. She saw that it was Diamond Tiara who was walking with her, their arms joined together.

"I knew it." Sweetie Belle muttered to herself.

But then she saw something that left her a bit puzzled. She witnessed them stop in front of a random filly and start a conversation with her. Sweetie Belle was too far away to know exactly what they were saying, but she could tell by their body language that something was amiss. Diamond Tiara did most of the talking while Silver Spoon just stood there, clinging to her arm like a frightened child. She also noticed that Silver Spoon looked very despondent, as if she had something weighing on her mind. Diamond Tiara shared in Silver Spoon's sadness as she too had a crestfallen expression adorning her facial features. Sweetie Belle continued to watch from afar as ponies swerved past her and went about their day. It was then that the filly appeared to ask Silver Spoon about something very personal because it caused Silver Spoon to clutch Diamond Tiara's arm closer to her chest as she looked down at the floor. Diamond Tiara answered for her and the filly nodded as a way of accepting Diamond Tiara's reply.

"What's up with those two today?" Sweetie Belle asked herself silently.

The pair then departed and made their way down the hall with Sweetie Belle following closely behind them. Her curiosity was peaked by what she just saw and she wanted to investigate into this matter a little further. They soon stopped in front of the door to Leadwing's class where Diamond Tiara spoke to Silver Spoon discretely. Luckily, Sweetie Belle had enough distance between herself and them to where she would be able to listen in on them without being too close.

"Do you think you'll okay by yourself for a little while?" She asked in a hushed tone.

"Yeah, I think I can manage." Silver Spoon replied as she let go of Diamond Tiara's arm.

"Alright. I'll see you at lunch." Diamond Tiara remarked before she took her leave.

Silver Spoon knocked on the door and entered the classroom once Leadwing opened the door for her. Sweetie Belle was left scratching her head as she tried to piece together the situation that played out before her just moments ago.

"What was that all about?" She said quietly before walking up to the classroom door and knocking on it loudly.

"Alright class, our first few weeks will be dedicated to covering famous poets." Leadwing announced. "Can anypony name a few famous poets?"

A colt who was seated in the front raised his hand.

"Ah yes. Name one."

"Filly Wap." He responded.

Leadwing gave the colt a look of uncertainty while running a hand through his mane. "Well, technically speaking, musical artists do count as poets in a way." He admitted. "But I'm looking for something more along the lines of a TRADITIONAL poet."

Zipporwhill raised her hand to answer his previous question.

"Zipporwhill." He said as he pointed to her.

"Whinny Whitman." She replied.

"Yes, that's a good one." Leadwing complemented.

Featherweight raised his hand.

"Featherweight." Leadwing called on him.

"Shel Silverstallion." He answered.

"Yes, another great one." Leadwing nodded.

Sweetie Belle raised her hand so that she could give an answer as well.

"Sweetie Belle." Leadwing said as he pointed to her.

"Edgar Allen Pony." She replied.

"Yes. Thank you all for your input because those were all good examples." He praised them.

Sweetie Belle then tuned out what Leadwing was saying as she turned her head to check up on Silver Spoon. Her attention had been focused on the window ever since class started. Upon closer inspection, it turned out that Silver Spoon wasn't simply staring out the window but rather gazing at the sky. She just sat there, barely blinking as she her eyes stayed transfixed on the heavens above. She appeared to have a sort of mournful expression on her face as if she had lost something dear to her. Sweetie Belle could only stare at Silver Spoon with a combination of amazement and bewilderment for this wasn't like Silver Spoon at all. She was usually much more focused and aware. It was starting to make Sweetie Belle worry about her. Her behavior as of late was proving to be quite peculiar. But she shook her head and went back to listening to the teacher, figuring that there was no clause for concern just yet.

The cafeteria was flooded with students as they scampered about and occupied the empty tables. Sweetie Belle and her friends were enjoying their lunch in peace as per usual. Scootaloo used her straw to suck some tomato soup through it. Once it was full, she then pressed her thumb to the end of it to hold the liquid inside. She then proceeded to jab the straw to her throat and released her thumb off the end of the straw, allowing all the soup inside to pour out of it. She then made a loud gurgling sound while letting her tongue droop out the side of her mouth and rolling her eyes into the back of her head as the soup spilled back into her bowl. Apple Bloom broke into a fit of laughter at Scootaloo's joke. Sweetie Belle playfully rolled her eyes and shook her head at this display.

"Geez, Scoots. How old are you?" Sweetie Belle asked with a delightful smirk.

"5 1/2" Scootaloo responded with a cheesy grin.

This caused all 3 of them to burst into hysteric laughter. It had been ages since they had fun like that so it felt very cathartic to them. Once their laughter had died down, Sweetie Belle looked at an adjacent table and noticed that Silver Spoon was barely eating. She looked at her tomato soup sorrowfully as she swirled it around in the bowl with her spoon. Sweetie Belle could feel that sense of worry she had earlier coming back to her swiftly. She was starting to feel bad for her.

"Have you girls noticed that Silver Spoon is acting strange lately?" She asked her friends.

"Strange how?" Apple Bloom replied.

"Well, just look at her." Sweetie Belle said, gesturing to Silver Spoon. "She's been wearing that glum face ever since this morning."

"Why does it matter to you?" Scootaloo questioned.

"Because I'm worried about her." Sweetie Belle responded sincerely. "I know that sounds weird coming from me but it's true."

"I get where yer coming from, Belle." Apple Bloom followed. "Ya got a thing fer worryin bout a pony even if ya don't particularly care fer em."

Sweetie Belle nodded in response. She then looked back at Silver Spoon with a kindred expression. Silver Spoon leaned over and whispered something to Diamond Tiara before she got up from the table and went to go dump her tray.

"I hope she's feeling okay." Sweetie Belle said to herself as she watched Silver Spoon exit the cafeteria.

The gymnasium was live with activity as ponies went about getting their daily exercise for the day. The school had enforced a rule that stated that anypony who had signed up for P.E. was required to wear gym clothes during class. Boys had to wear a white T-shirt and basketball shorts, while girls had to wear a black T-shirt with basketball shorts. But the students didn't mind this because it was only fair since they were going to be active for this period, so they would at least be comfortable while they moved around. They were playing kickball today and students were very thankful for it. The score was 7-4. Rumble's team was taking the lead but Twist's team had an opportunity to make a comeback because it was their turn to kick. Twist took her position behind home plate as she prepared herself to kick the ball. Rumble, being the pitcher, gave her a cocky smile while he bounced the ball a couple of times.

"Don't go easy on me just because I'm a girl." She exhorted with a sly grin.

Rumble merely returned the sentiment with a crafty smile of his own. "I don't plan to." He said before pulling his right arm back and rolling the ball with great force. Twist had anticipated this and was ready to take action. She brought her left hoof back and planted it firmly on the ground. Once the ball was within range, she swung her left hoof forward and kicked the ball with all her might, causing it to soar through the air. Ponies in the back shifted left and right to try and guess where the ball was gonna go. While they did this, Twist took off towards first base. A colt who was in the outfield attempted to catch the ball, but it slipped through his fingers. He then quickly scrambled to recover it. Twist made it to first base but continued to run since they didn't have the ball yet. The colt eventually got his hands on the ball and hiked it to Sweetie Belle, who was playing second base. Twist showed off a surprising amount of agility as she rolled forward in an effort to make it to second base in time. Sweetie Belle caught the ball and went to tag Twist with it, but Twist's right hoof touched the base a split second before Sweetie Belle tagged her with it.

"Safe!" Thunderlane declared.

This was meet with cheers from her teammates and groans from the opposing team members. After capturing second base, Twist got up off the floor and dusted herself off. She then shot Sweetie Belle a toothy grin.

"Close, but no cigar." She stated with an air of confidence.

"Whatever. You made it by the skin of your teeth." Sweetie Belle replied light-heartedly as she threw the ball back to Rumble.

The next one to kick was Sunny Daze. She graciously walked up to the home plate and took an expectant stance. Rumble rolled the ball to her with rapid speed. Sunny Daze kicked the ball forcefully and it trailed high above the other team's heads. It flew over the basketball goal on the other side of the gym and bounced off the wall, signifying a home run. Twist's team jumped for joy as Twist and Sunny Daze rounded the bases. Rumble and his team, on the other hand, were least than pleased with this turn of events. The two girls were congratulated and praised as their teammates high fived them for their accomplishment.

"It's alright team, we're still in the lead." Rumble reminded them as he spun the ball in his hands.

The next pony to kick was Silver Spoon. She made it blatantly obvious that she didn't want to participate as she gingerishly walked up to the home plate and stood as straight as a pole. Rumble noticed her body language and decided to take advantage of it.

"Easy out!" He publicized to his team.

His team members took the hint and moved in slightly. Despite her melancholy attitude, she took offense to that statement and decided to prove them wrong. Rumble rolled the her a fast ball, as he had to her teammates. Silver Spoon brought her left hoof back at the last moment and kicked the ball with all the strength she could muster. She kicked the ball in such a way that it zoomed through the air at a 20 degree angle. Pipsqueak, who was in the outfield, put up his hands to try and catch the ball. Unfortunately, he ended up getting hit in the chest with the ball instead. The impact knocked the wind out of his lungs as he hit the floor with a loud thud. He laid there, sprawled out on the gymnasium floor while greedily sucking air into his lungs. Rumble walked up and grabbed the ball, shaking his head at Pipsqueak while he did.

"Keep your eye on the ball next time." Rumble advised him before running off with the ball in his hands.

"Asshole." Pipsqueak wheezed as he picked himself off the floor.

Silver Spoon had already stolen first base and was nearing second when Rumble coming running towards her with the ball.

"Get her out, Sweetie Belle!" Rumble encouraged as he threw the ball to her.

Sweetie Belle caught the ball when Silver Spoon was a few feet away from the base. She held the ball out in front of her, waiting for Silver Spoon to run into it. She had expected Silver Spoon to either slow down or halt herself completely at the threat of being gotten out. But to her surprise, Silver Spoon didn't slow down. In fact, she seemed to be sprinting at Sweetie Belle faster than she was previously. A couple seconds later, Silver Spoon collided with Sweetie Belle at almost full force, sending them both crashing onto the hard gym floor. The other students, as well as Thunderlane, quickly gathered around them to see if they were okay. Silver Spoon was the first one to recover as she sat up and rubbed the left side of her head. She looked up and noticed that Thunderlane was staring at her sternly. She turned her eyes to the floor and twiddled her fingers for she knew she was in trouble.

"I think we're playing the wrong sport today. We must be since you felt the need to knock Sweetie Belle down like we're playing football." Thunderlane deduced as he folded his arms in front of himself.

"I'm sorry coach." She apologized. "I wasn't paying attention."

"You can't afford to be reckless like that." He informed her. "You could've seriously injured Sweetie Belle if you weren't careful. And the school would hold me accountable for it because it happened under my watch."

Silver Spoon paused for a few moments before she asked Thunderlane a question. "You don't know what today is, do you?" She asked him in a depressed tone.

"I don't believe I do. Care to enlighten me?" He remarked.

Silver Spoon then gestured for him to come closer. Once he did, she whispered what she needed to say into his ear. Upon learning the new set of information, Thunderlane was left with a stunned expression on his face. He couldn't believe what he just heard. He was completely silent for a minute or two before he spoke.

"Head to the locker room. You're done for the day." He instructed as he ran a hand through his mane.

Silver Spoon did as she was told and got up off the floor before heading towards the exit.

"Now, the rest of you, get back to it! Class isn't over yet." He ordered them.

The other students moaned and groaned as they took their positions back on the field. Some them went on to complain about how it was unfair that Silver Spoon got to leave early and they didn't. But the one pony who was actually concerned about her situation was Sweetie Belle. She watched curiously as Silver Spoon entered the locker room. She was certain that something was wrong with Silver Spoon, and she was going to find out exactly what it was.

A faint sniffing sound could be hear coming from deep within the girl's locker room. The source was none other than Silver Spoon as she sat on one of the benches in the room and faced the east wall as she silently sobbed to herself. It was hard to discern the reason for her crying, but it must have been a good one since she wasn't known for shedding tears in public. She preferred to keep her emotions to herself when in the presence of somepony else. But if she's alone or with Diamond Tiara, then she has no problem letting it all out. Since she was still at school, she knew there was always the possibility of somepony walking in and seeing her weep, so she tried her best to cry as quietly as she could. But her efforts were in vain because in the midst of her sobbing, she heard the locker room door open. She quickly straightened up as she lifted up her glasses and wiped her tears away. Once she had composed herself, she turned to see who had come to check up on her. She rolled her eyes upon seeing that it turned out to be Sweetie Belle.

"It's just you." She said dismissively as she turned her head back towards the wall. "What do you want?"

"Answers." Sweetie Belle replied in a bold manner. "Why did you try to mow me down earlier?"

"Ugh. I'm you really wanna know: I thought I saw something out the corner of my eye, but it turned out to be nothing." Silver Spoon answered while giving Sweetie Belle an annoyed look. "By the time I realized that, it was too late to stop myself."

"No, there's more to it than that." Sweetie Belle reasoned. "I know for a fact that there's a bigger reason behind your actions."

"No, there isn't." Silver Spoon denied forcefully.

"Are you sure? Because your tone is leading me to believe that you're clearly upset about something." Sweetie Belle concluded.

"I'm not upset! What's there to be upset about!?" Silver Spoon shouted out of anger.

Sweetie Belle jumped back slightly at Silver Spoon's sudden outburst but continued to try and level with her. "If something is bothering you, you can talk to me about it. I'm more than happy to lend you an ear."

Silver Spoon ran a hand down her face, clearly getting more frustrated the longer this conversation dragged on. "Let me spell this out for you: I. Don't. Want. Your. Help." She stated in an agitated tone.

"I'm just trying to find out what's wrong with you. Why are you being so defensive?" Sweetie Belle remarked in a caring manner.

"Why are you being such a pest?" Silver Spoon answered with a question of her own. "I can deal with this by myself. Besides, it's none of your business anyway."

"I'm only trying to help. I don't know why you're trying so hard to push-"

"I said it's none of your fucking business!" Silver Spoon blurted out, but gasped once she realized what she said.

Sweetie Belle was blown completely away by that remark. She was use to hearing swears from Scootaloo (and occasionally Apple Bloom), but she never thought she would hear such vile words spew from Silver Spoon's mouth. Her outburst left the both of them utterly speechless as they stood there and stared at each other with genuine shock. After about a minute of silence, Sweetie Belle decided to speak up.

"Such vulgarity." She lambasted, mirroring her older sister. "Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?"

"I WOULD IF I HAD ONE!" Silver Spoon screamed at the top of her lungs.

That statement alone was enough to shatter Sweetie Belle's mind. Time seemed to move in slow motion as Sweetie Belle attempted to process what Silver Spoon just said. The words rang loudly through her head as the phrase repeated itself over and over again in her mind. Once her brain had fully repaired itself, she could only clutch her chest as she felt her heart drop into the pit of her stomach. She attempted to talk but when she moved her lips, no words came out; Only hissing breath. Even if she could speak, what would she say? By this point, no amount of comforting words could grant Silver Spoon some solace in this situation. A few moments later, Silver Spoon finally broke down and threw herself on the floor, crying loudly as she did. Now that her secret was out, there was no use hiding behind a facade of bravery. She sobbed freely as her tears fell onto the locker room floor. Sweetie Belle knelt down and attempted to put a hand on Silver Spoon's shoulder, only for Silver Spoon to fling herself at Sweetie Belle and throw her arms around Sweetie Belle's waist, causing them both to fall on the floor. Silver Spoon laid there on top of Sweetie Belle as she held her close, weeping into Sweetie Belle's chest. Sweetie Belle, being a little embarrassed by this form of contact, was about to move Silver Spoon's head down slightly but stopped herself. She figured it best to just let her have this and cry to her hearts content. Silver Spoon continued to cry profusely as Sweetie Belle rubbed her back in an attempt to calm her down some. A few minutes later, her flood of tears had finally ceased.

"Feel better now?" Sweetie asked her warmly.

She sniffled before responding. "A little bit." She nodded.

Sweetie Belle sat upright and scooted towards one of the lockers before gesturing for Silver Spoon to come over. Silver Spoon accepted as she crawled over to Sweetie Belle and sat down on her lap before wrapping her arms Sweetie Belle's waist again. Sweetie returned the gesture as she wrapped her arms around Silver Spoon.

"I'm willing to listen if you're willing to talk about it." She apprised.

"Okay." Silver Spoon nodded. "My parents have been dead for 6 years now. They were killed in a stagecoach accident. The stallion who was driving them had gotten a bit too drunk. He ended up crashing into the side of a house, completely destroying the west wall. This caused the whole house to collapse in on itself and crush the ponies inside. There were no survivors. What was left of my parents and the stallion had to be cleaned up with a mop. I'll never forget that faithful day when the police told me that my parents weren't coming back. I must've cried for 4 days straight. Then Filthy Rich adopted me and let me live with him and Diamond Tiara. That's why I was clinging so closely to Diamond Tiara today. She and Filthy Rich have been helping me cope with my parents death. I don't think I would've been able to make it up the front steps this morning if it weren't for Diamond Tiara supporting me. They've been so good to me these last few years. Taking me in when I had no where else to go and showing me nothing but love and compassion. They're the only ponies that I can call my family. I just don't know what I would do if they passed away too!" She ended her last sentence on a fearful note as she squeezed Sweetie Belle tightly, feeling herself on the verge of tears again.

"It's okay, they're not going anywhere." Sweetie Belle inspirited as she patted Silver Spoon on the back.

"Are you sure?" Silver Spoon choked out, trying desperately to hold back her sobs.

"Positive." Sweetie Belle nodded.

Silver Spoon took off her glasses and wiped her eyes before putting them back on. "Thank you Sweetie Belle. You're an angel."

"Just doing what anypony would've done." Sweetie Belle stated with a shrug.

There was another moment of awkward silence before Silver Spoon spoke.

"We don't hate you, Sweetie Belle." Silver Spoon remarked in a factual tone.

"What?" Sweetie Belle asked, raising an eyebrow at Silver Spoon's odd statement.

"Me and Tiara, we don't hate you or your friends." Silver Spoon elucidated.

"Then why are you two always heckling us?" Sweetie Belle asked while eyeing Silver Spoon suspiciously.

"Because....we're jealous of your friendship." Silver Spoon confessed.

"Jealous of our friendship?" Sweetie Belle repeated, still not getting what Silver Spoon was trying to convey.

"You 3 are so close that you're practically sisters." Silver Spoon began. "Always traveling as a pack, always helping yourselves and anypony else who needs it, always displaying why you're all so inseparable. It made me and Tiara envious of you 3."

"Why though?" Sweetie Belle questioned. "Aren't you and Diamond Tiara pretty close as well."

"Yeah, but we have more of a symbiotic relationship." Silver Spoon revealed. "Filthy Rich allowed me to live with him and Diamond Tiara, so I stick by Diamond Tiara's side and stay loyal to her."

"That sounds kinda harsh." Sweetie Belle commented in an uneasy tone.

"It's actually not as bad as it sounds." Silver Spoon said with an upbeat expression. "Me and Tiara consider each other as equals. Nothing more, nothing less. But it's plain to see that the relationship that you, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom share is mutual. You treat each other like family."

"You've got that right." Sweetie Belle agreed.

"Like I was saying earlier, me and Tiara don't hold any contempt towards you or your friends." Silver Spoon continued her earlier statement. "The reason we pick on you is because we were brought up to believe it as our birthright. See, Me and DT come from a life of luxury. As kids, we were taught that anypony who wasn't rich was below us and considered to be nothing more than a stepping stone. For many years, we've lived by that philosophy. I won't even attempt to try and count how many ponies we bullied because I know it was a lot. I just hope you and the other ponies we've pushed around all these years can find a way to forgive us."

"So if you don't actually hate us, then we do you still keep messing with us?" Sweetie Belle asked, desperately wanting a proper answer.

"When you do something enough times, it tends to become a habit." Silver Spoon stated with a shrug. "But I guess Me and Tiara can get a little carried away occasionally."

"Occasionally?" Sweetie Belle asked with a skeptical look, detecting that Silver Spoon was lying.

"Ok, a lot." Silver Spoon corrected herself. "But it doesn't change the fact that we still like you girls."

"Thanks, I guess." Sweetie Belle remarked with uncertainty.

"Actually, you're my favorite out of the bunch Sweetie Belle." Silver Spoon divulged. "You're the unofficial leader of your group and show it in spades. You're strong, determined, caring, and loyal to your friends. Not to mention the fact that you're not so bad to look at." She finished her sentence with a slight blush.

"What do you mean by that?" Sweetie Belle asked as she blushed slightly as well.

"I mean that you're cute." Silver Spoon clarified with a smile.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I like you Sweetie Belle." Silver Spoon replied.

"As a friend?" Sweetie Belle questioned.

"I like you this much:" Silver Spoon said before she placed her hands on the sides of Sweetie Belle's face and kissed her on the lips.

For a second time that day, Sweetie Belle's mind stopped working for a while. She didn't know how to react to this. Her body froze up completely as if paralyzed by Silver Spoon's lips. She couldn't will her body to move even if she wanted to. She was left sitting there with Silver Spoon on her lap as she kissed her on the lips long and passionately. There was a soft smack as Silver Spoon's lips finally parted from Sweetie Belle's. Silver Spoon had a look of pure satisfaction on her face as she looked deep into Sweetie Belle's eyes. Sweetie Belle still couldn't understand what had just happened even moments after it happened. Silver Spoon giggled at Sweetie Belle's silence.

"I'm going to assume that was your first kiss wasn't it?" Silver Spoon asked with a gleeful smirk.

"Ye-yeah. It was." Sweetie Belle responded.

"I feel special now that I know that I was your first." Silver Spoon enthused as she nuzzled Sweetie Belle's face.

"Yeah." Sweetie Belle nodded.

"Do you feel the same way about me?" Silver Spoon asked abruptly.

Sweetie Belle looked all around the room as she contemplated her answer. She didn't want to hurt Silver Spoon's feelings by saying no, but she also didn't want to lie and say yes. Eventually, she came to a decision.

"Honestly....I....don't feel the same way." Sweetie Belle answered while shaking her head.

"Oh, well alright then." Silver Spoon said in a disappointed tone as she looked at the floor. "Thanks for being honest with me." She added as she got off of Sweetie Belle's lap.

But right as she was about to stand up, Sweetie Belle pulled her back onto her lap.

"Sweetie Belle?"

"You didn't let me finish." Sweetie Belle explained. "I don't feel the same way but I'm willing to give it a try." She said before she planted a kiss on Silver Spoon's cheek.

"You truly are my special somepony." Silver Spoon stated as she layed her head on top of Sweetie Belle's.

"And you're mine." Sweetie Belle replied as she nuzzled Silver Spoon's neck.

They sat there in each other's embrace with complete silence between them until Silver Spoon spoke up.

"Shouldn't we heading back to the gym?" Silver Spoon asked, worried that they could get in trouble for staying in the locker room for too long.

"Nah, it's cool." Sweetie Belle replied as she waved her right hand dismissively. "Thunderlane told me that we could stay in the locker room for as long as we need to."

"Good. Because I'd rather stay here, wrapped in your arms instead of playing kickball anyway." Silver Spoon commented.

They stayed like this until they heard the school bell ring, signaling the end of gym class. They quickly broke away from each other and went to their respective lockers. As they slipped out of their gym clothes and back into their school clothes, they couldn't help look back at each other occasionally and blush, reflecting fondly on their first kiss.

Can You Keep A Secret?

Sweetie Belle was deep in thought about the events that transpired yesterday as she stored some papers and a textbook into her locker. Her mind kept replying the memory of the kiss that she and Silver Spoon shared, and it was starting to make her question herself. Although she told Silver Spoon that she willing to give their relationship a try, she was starting to think that she may have made a rash decision. She wasn't against the idea of dating another filly but she also wasn't completely open to it either. Maybe with time she might be able to get more comfortable around Silver Spoon but for the time being she was nervous about trying anything with her out of fear that she'll freak out and push Silver Spoon away. So her plan for now was to avoid anything other than kissing or holding hands until she had enough courage to go a little further. She hoped Silver Spoon will restrain herself and keep the romance to a minimum. She let these thoughts settle into the back of her mind as she closed her locker only to find Silver Spoon standing behind the door. She took a step back and yelped in surprise at Silver Spoon's sudden appearance.

"Good morning to you too." She jested with a chuckle.

"What are you doing?" Sweetie Belle asked nervously.

This question caused Silver Spoon to put a hand on her hip and give Sweetie Belle a skeptical look. "Is it wrong for a pony to want to say hi to their fillyfriend?"

"It is if they don't want to get found out." Sweetie Belle answered with a knowing expression. "If we don't want ponies to find out about us, we shouldn't speak so casually like this."

"They'll probably just assume that we became friends after we kissed and made up. We certainly did kiss and became friends afterwards." Silver Spoon stated, ending her sentence with a blush.

That comment made Sweetie Belle blush as well. "Look, just try to act how you normally would around me so as to not arouse suspicion."

"Alright." She relentled with a pout.

"Good. I'll see you in class." Sweetie Belle said as she turned away from Silver Spoon.

As Sweetie Belle bent over to pick up her backpack, Silver Spoon walked past her and proceeded toward class. As she went by she flashed Sweetie Belle a fiendish smirk as she grabbed the edge of Sweetie's dress and flung it upwards, briefly showing off her underwear. Sweetie Belle blushed furiously as she felt a slight breeze on her exposed backside. Though it was brief, it still lasted long enough for a few colts who were standing down the hall to get an eyeful of Sweetie Belle's panties. After she stood up and pulled her dress down to cover her bottom, she spun around and shot Silver Spoon a look of shock mixed with malice. Silver Spoon merely giggled and shrugged at Sweetie Belle's glare.

"You said to act normal around you, and that was something I would normally do." Silver Spoon said in a matter-of-fact tone as she made her way to class.

Once Silver Spoon was gone, Sweetie Belle grabbed her backpack and slung it over her shoulder before making her way to class as well.

"If this is her idea of being casual, then I prefer her being overly affectionate." She thought to herself.

She walked past the colts who had seen her underwear and didn't even spare them a passing glance.

"Why don't you give us another show, Sweetie Belle?" One of them asked her with a jubilant smile.

"Yeah, we already know what your panties look like anyway." Another one remarked gleefully.

"Blow it out your ass." She replied spitefully as she stomped towards her English class.

The school bell blared loudly as it signaled the beginning of first period. All the students in Leadwing's class had taken their seats and were graciously waiting for him to take attendance. After he had verified that all of his students were present, he proceeded on with his lesson for the day.

"Alright class." He addressed them. "Continuing with our lesson from yesterday about famous poets, today were gonna be talking about one of the greatest poets to ever grace a stage with his phenomenal plays: William Shakestallion. He's put together some of the most suspenseful and entertaining performances in all of ponykind, such as Hamlet and Macbeth."

It was then that a filly who was seated in the front raised her hoof.

"You have a question?" Leadwing asked as he pointed to her.

"How is moving around and talking on a stage considered poetry?" She questioned. "I thought poems were hoof-written masterpieces.

"While most poems are usually produced on paper, Shakestallion was aiming to delight audiences with a different form of poetry: Poetry in motion." Leadwing answered with a clever smirk. "And by that I mean the art of telling a meaningful story through the use of dialogue and physical interaction. Theatre is truly a glorious means of story telling. It allows the audience to feel like they're actually apart of the story itself by witnessing the events that once occurred on paper being brought to life through method acting. Sure, reading a poem out loud can give viewers a basic idea of what happened in a story, but theatre provides a re-enactment of the events in a story."

"Okay, I think I get it now." She said with a nod.

"But Shakestallion is not only known for his tales of tragedy and murder." Leadwing continued. "He's also credited with creating one of the most well-known love stories in all of history. Romeo and Juliet is considered to be the greatest tale of tragic lovers ever."

Sweetie Belle's focus on the teacher was broken when she felt Silver Spoon poke her with a pencil in order to get her attention.

"We're a lot like Romeo and Juliet aren't we?" Silver Spoon whispered to her.

"How do you figure?" Sweetie Belle whispered back.

"We have to keep our relationship a secret." Silver Spoon explained. "Because if somepony were to find out about us, then our legal guardians would surely go out of their way to keep us apart. Our tale of love, much like theirs, could be considered a tragedy." She finished in a dramatic tone as she covered her eyes with a forearm.

"Oh, it's tragic alright." Sweetie Belle thought to herself.

"By the way, I'm sorry about pulling your dress up earlier." Silver Spoon apologized. "I didn't know what else to do. Besides, I was curious to find out what color your panties were anyway." She said in sultry manner with a slight blush.

Sweetie Belle blushed heavily at that statement. "Well, now you know." She stated before letting out a nervous laugh.

"If it'll make you feel better, I'll show you what mines look like." Silver Spoon said seductively as she began to raise the right side of her skirt ever so slightly.

Right as she was about to lift her skirt up past her thigh, Sweetie Belle put up a hand to stop her, blushing more furiously than she had before.

"That's okay. I'm better off not knowing." She said quickly as she shook her head.

"You're right." Silver Spoon remarked with a chuckle. "We'll be able to know exactly what our underwear looks like when you finally go all the way."

Out of fear of being caught by the teacher, Sweetie Belle had to bite her tongue to prevent herself from shouting in disbelief. She couldn't believe Silver Spoon would even think of saying something like that out loud, during class no less. Thankfully for the both of them, nopony in class had heard them or if they did they didn't vocalize it. Sweetie Belle then breathed a sigh of relief as she laid her down on her desk. For the second time that week, she had to hide her face from the rest of the class. The only difference is that she was doing it out of embarrassment rather than frustration this time.

The gym was as lively as ever for the students were enjoying their activity for the day. Today they were playing volleyball. Sweetie Belle had Silver Spoon, Rumble, and half of the class on her team. Pipsqueak had Twist, Sunny Daze, and the other half of the class on his team. Thunderlane was standing off to the right side of the volleyball net, spectating this match carefully so that he could make the right call. Surprisingly, Pipsqueak and his team had managed to gain a 4 point lead on Sweetie Belle's team. They were going to have to pick up the slack if they hoped to get the victory. Sweetie Belle had the ball and was ready to serve it, but not before she gave her teammates some words of encouragement.

"Come on team, we can win this thing if we just keep trying." She stated enthusiastically.

"Sweetie Belle's right." Rumble agreed. "Let's do this!"

Sweetie Belle tossed the volleyball up and gave it a overhand serve, sending the ball sailing towards the opposing team's side of the net. Sunny Daze quickly jumped up and performed a set that knocked the ball back over on the other side of the net. Rumble scrambled towards the ball and cupped his hands together before hitting it straight into the air. This allowed Silver Spoon to jump up and spike the ball onto the other team's side, scoring a point for her team.

"Alright Silver Spoon. Nice hustle." Thunderlane congratulated her as he clapped.

"That's how we take care of business." Rumble stated pompously as he gave Silver Spoon a high five.

"We might be able to catch up to them if we keep this up." A colt on their team said as he picked up the ball and passed it to Sweetie Belle.

Sweetie Belle caught it and then bounced it a couple of times so that she could prepare herself to serve it again. This time she performed an underhand serve that launched the ball into the center of the opposing team's formation. She was confident that she would earn them a point with this strategy since that wouldn't be able to close the gap in time. But she was proved wrong when Twist lurched forward and smacked the ball with a powerful overhand. The ball came close to hitting the floor until Silver Spoon slid across the gym floor and hit it into the air. This was the opportunity that Rumble needed to spike the ball onto the other team's side. But they had a feeling that Rumble and Silver Spoon would attempt this move again and they were ready to counteract it this time. Right as Rumble was about to slam the ball downward, Pipsqueak came out of nowhere and leaped in the air to try and prevent this. Rumble's right hand had made contact with the ball when Pipsqueak put up his right hand and blocked the spike, causing the ball to land lazily on the opposing team's side. As Pipsqueak's team praised him for his quick thinking, Rumble was left to stand there on the court with a look of utter disbelief on his face. For somepony so small and insignificant to show him up like that and put him in his place made him feel very inadequate.

"Keep your eye on the ball next time." Pipsqueak quoted him in a mocking tone.

That statement angered Rumble as he growled to himself and balled his fists.

"I will. Because next time, I'll make sure it hits you right between your eyes. Rumble thought to himself spitefully.

He then passed the ball under the net to Pipsqueak who threw it to Twist. She spun the ball in her hands for a bit before she bounced it a few times to help set up her serve. Once she felt that she was ready, she tossed the ball into the air and smacked it to other team with another powerful overhand. It was heading in Sweetie Belle's direction so she had to act fast. She decided to pull off another set so that somepony else could get it over the net. Silver Spoon moved in and set the ball herself by hitting it straight into the air. Rumble made the final move by knocking the ball onto Twist's side with a strong overhand of his own. A filly on Pipsqueak's team cupped her hands together and hit the ball into the air as it came her way. Sunny Daze tried to hit the ball over the net but misjudged her jump and ended up tipping it instead. Twist made a last minute save as she slid across the floor on her knees and hit the ball with an underhand, lobbing the ball back onto Sweetie Belle's side. Both Sweetie Belle and Silver Spoon went the ball at the same time and attempted to hit it. They collided into each other and landed on the gym floor in a heap. The ball bounced a few times on their side of the net before it rolled across the floor lazily, earning Pipsqueak's team yet another point. Sweetie Belle rubbed her head as she tried to sit up and shrug the pain off but found that she couldn't sit upright for some reason. She felt like there was something weighing on her that prevented her from standing. Once she opened her eyes, she realized why she couldn't move. Silver Spoon was on top of her and inadvertently held her down. After Silver Spoon opened her eyes and saw what was going on, she couldn't help but blush given the situation. But despite this, she tried her best to put on a haughty demeanor and act natural.

"If we keep bumping into each other like this, ponies are going to think we're dating or something." She stated with an agitated expression.

"Oh please." Sweetie Belle voiced her disagreement as she rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't date you if you were the last filly in Equestria."

"Then we both have something in common after all." Silver Spoon replied in a snobbish manner.

"Could you please get off of me?" Sweetie Belle asked with a hint of annoyance in her tone.

"The question is will I?" Silver Spoon informed her.

"You will if you don't want an F for the day." Thunderlane chimed in an he stood before them with a inpatient glare.

"Yes, Coach Thunderlane." They both said as they picked themselves off the floor.

"Why didn't you give her a kiss while you were on top of her?" Rumble teased as he laughed cheerfully.

He soon found himself to be in trouble as he received a swift slap to the back of the head, courtesy of his big brother.

"Don't you ever let me hear you say something like that again, you hear me?" He warned his little brother sternly.

Rumble sighed before he apologized to Sweetie Belle and Silver Spoon. "I'm sorry."

"Now let's get back to the game. We still have 20 more minutes of class time left." Thunderlane said as he looked at his wristwatch to verify what time it was.

The students then turned their attention back to the game. Before the game got back into full swing, Silver Spoon leaned over to Sweetie Belle and whispered into her ear. "They didn't suspect a thing."

"I know, we covered it up pretty well." Sweetie Belle whispered back. "By the way, nice save back there."

"You did pretty good too." Silver Spoon complemented her.

They soon went back to helping their team score a victory over Pipsqueak's team.

Sweetie Belle closed the front door behind her as she returned home after a long day of school. She stood in place for minute and waited, hoping that her older sister would come rushing in to greet her any minute now. But to her surprise, it didn't happen. Usually her sister would be there to give her a warm welcome the moment she entered the house. This concerned her a little bit. But instead of standing there and worrying about what could have caused her sister's absence, she decided to go look for her. She climbed the stairs and headed towards Rarity's room. It was a safe bet that if she wasn't downstairs, she was most likely in her room. Sweetie Belle pushed the door open slowly and peered inside. There she saw her big sister snoring away at her work table, leaning back in her chair with her head resting on the back part of the chair. She gave the occasional twitch as she slept peacefully. Sweetie Belle opened the door wide enough to where she could squeeze through and tiptoed over to her sister. She then loomed over Rarity as a crooked smile formed across her face. She knew it was wrong to forcibly wake somepony from their sleep, but this was too good of an opportunity to pass up. After leaning in as close to Rarity as she could, Sweetie Belle then got right next to her sister's ear.

"Wake up, sis!" She shouted joyfully.

This caused Rarity to jolt awake while letting out a shout of her own. Sweetie Belle then wrapped her arms around her sister's neck and hugged her tightly. Rarity let of a sigh as she patted Sweetie Belle's forearm.

"What have I told you about scaring somepony awake?" She asked in a motherly tone.

"That it's wrong and I shouldn't do it." Sweetie Belle answered while giving her sister a toothy grin.

"Exactly." Rarity nodded.

After her sister released her, Rarity spun her chair around to face her.

"How was school today?" She asked.

"Interesting....to say the least." Sweetie Belle replied vaguely.

"What made it interesting?" Rarity persisted.

"Well....ya see....the thing is...." Sweetie Belle said hesitantly.

Rarity let out a giggle at Sweetie Belle's reluctance. "I think somepony is in love."

This statement caused Sweetie Belle's face to go from white to red as she blushed furiously. Had her sister already found out about her relationship with Silver Spoon? No, that couldn't be the case because she knew for sure that she and Silver Spoon were the only ponies who knew that they were dating. Still, it was very odd how her sister had guessed correctly about her relationship status merely by coincidence.

"How did you know?" Sweetie Belle inquired.

"A mare's intuition." Rarity responded proudly. "That and the fact that you're blushing quite heavily."

"I am?" Sweetie Belle asked with a panicked expression as she felt her own face.

"You have nothing to fear, Sweetie Belle." Rarity assured her. "There's nothing wrong with having feelings for another pony that you like. It's natural."

"I guess you're right." Sweetie Belle remarked, feeling her fear melt away gradually.

"Of course I'm right." Rarity said confidently. "So what's he like?"

"Huh?"

"Your coltfriend. What's he like?" Rarity repeated her question while looking at her sister with child-like excitement.

Sweetie Belle had to pause and rack her mind in order to come up with an acceptable description of a colt. She was relieved that her sister hadn't found out that she had a fillyfriend, but now she was faced with a new challenge of making up a coltfriend.

"Well, he's an earth pony. He's got a long, silky brown mane. Beautiful brown eyes. A tan coat that looks amazing in the right lighting." Sweetie Belle replied as she counted off specific qualities about her fake coltfriend.

"He sounds like a keeper." Rarity complimented. "I find myself to be a tiny bit jealous."

"That's understandable." Sweetie Belle agreed.

It was then that Rarity stood from her chair, approached her little sister, and placed her hands on Sweetie Belle's shoulders.

"My how you've grown little sis." She began in a sagacious tone. "It seems like just yesterday you were crawling along the floor, cooing and babbling while looking up at me with those bright greens eyes. Now look at you. A full-grown mare. I'm so proud of you. You've shown me that you possess the qualities necessary to do great things. Your leadership skills, hard-working attitude, boundless determination, and all around good nature. I mean, you've practically been raising yourself. You haven't needed my help for quite some time now. And I'm thankful for that because it shows me that you already know how to solve your own problems. To be honest, I'm a little jealous of the fact that you're able to learn important life lessons by yourself. Me and the girls had to figure out life lessons together and report them to Princess Celestia for almost 3 years. In fact, there are still many lessons that I haven't learned yet. And I'm sure that there are many that you have to learn as well. But I believe that with the way you're going right now, you'll be able to tackle them head-on without any issues." She finished as she sniffled and wiped her nose with her sleeve, almost breaking into sobs halfway through her speech.

"But you have helped me sis." Sweetie Belle said informatively. "You're always there for me when I need you. Like that time me, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo wrote all those horrible lies about everypony in the school newspaper and you set me straight. Or the time when I literally disowned you, and yet you still showed up at the Sisterhooves Social and raced alongside me. You may not notice it, but I still need you sis. You helped make me the pony I am today. I couldn't have done it without you. Besides, we're sisters remember?" She paused both due to the fact that she was getting choked up with tears and she wanted Rarity to finish the sentiment.

"And being sisters is like apple pie." Rarity replied as she pulled Sweetie Belle into a tight hug.

They shared a warm embrace as they silently sobbed into each other's shoulder. A few minutes later, they broke their hug.

"Now then, I have some orders I need to finish." Rarity said as she turned her chair back around to face her work table. "But it was nice talking with you Sweetie Belle."

"Likewise, Rarity." Sweetie Belle remarked as she headed for the door.

"One more thing." Rarity added as she turned her head towards her sister.

"Yeah?" Sweetie Belle asked as she spun around to face Rarity.

"If you plan on getting intimate with this coltfriend of yours: do try to be safe about it." Rarity stated in a worried tone.

"I'll try to keep that in mind." Sweetie Belle responded after letting out a nervous laugh, hoping her sister wouldn't see her blush at that statement.

She then exited Rarity's room and closed the door behind her before heading to own room.

"Luckily for Rarity, I don't have to worry about practicing safe sex because the pony I'm with doesn't have a dick." Sweetie Belle thought to herself as she entered her room and shut the door as she went it.

The glow of the moonlight illuminated Sweetie Belle's face as she laid in bed and contemplated her recent life choices. With everything that's been going on lately, she's never really had a chance to just step back and think about what's been happening. She inhaled deeply and let out a loud sigh as she folded her arms on top of her stomach and stared at her ceiling. She let her thoughts run amok in her mind as she relaxed her body after shifting in her bed a few times. Even though her thoughts were scattered all over the place in her head, they were all related to the same topic: her relationship with Silver Spoon. Deep down, she really was starting to like Silver Spoon. Her problem was that she was afraid to show it. Right when felt that she was ready to begin getting closer to Silver Spoon, her fear of them being caught and the repercussions of what may ensue afterwards would come crawling back and prevent her from doing so. She knew that she couldn't dodge Silver Spoon's affections forever. She knew that she would eventually have to return them at some point or risk ruining their relationship. She wanted nothing more than to show Silver Spoon that she was committed, but she wasn't sure of when to do it.

"What am I gonna do? I can't hide my relationship with Silver Spoon forever. Somepony is bound to find out eventually. But I'm gonna try my best to keep it a secret for as long as I can. Honestly, I wasn't expecting things to be this complicated. I also wasn't expecting my first kiss to be so.....awkward. I can't help but feel like I rushed things with her. I mean, all she did was kiss me, and I fell head over hooves for her. I wished we would've taken things a bit more slow and became friends before we became lovers. But I guess that can't be helped now. How am I gonna bring myself to show her that I care about her when I'm too afraid to even talk to her casually in public. Oh how I long to feel her fingers entrapped by mine. The harmonious sound of our hearts beating in a synchronous manner to one another as we hold each other close. The sweet, savory taste of her lips as they caress mines. It's enough to drive a mare insane. Who am I kidding? I could never muster up the courage to be romantic with her when there are other ponies present. Or at least, not at this moment in time. I'm gonna wait until I'm a little more comfortable with her. For now, I'm just gonna go with the flow and see how things develop from here on out. But the one thing that still bothers me is Rarity and the CMC. I can't imagine how they're gonna react to this if they find out. Well, actually, I know exactly how Rarity's gonna react to this. She'll probably look at me with a dumbfounded expression, stutter for a little bit and let her mouth hang agape as she tries to process what she just saw, and then when she finally figures out what I said she'll faint onto her fainting couch. That's just like her to overreact to everything. But I'm not sure how Scootaloo and Apple Bloom would take it. Scoots would probably be a little more understanding since I have a strange feeling that she's secretly gay herself and won't admit it out loud. Apple Bloom on the other hand, she's a mystery. There's no telling what she'll think of me when she finds out. And Celestia help me if Diamond Tiara finds out. I'll never hear the end of it for as long as I live. Plus, she'll probably use it as blackmail in order to make me her bitch. And that's what I don't want to happen. Hopefully for me when they all do find out, enough time will have passed to where they'll accept my decision and let me follow my heart. With time, I'm sure they'll come to understand my feelings for Silver Spoon. If I'm lucky, this will all blow over in no time.

She then grabbed her blanket and pulled it up to her chest before turning onto her right side and drifting off into a much needed slumber.