Twails Drabble 2

"MITH CHEERILEE!!!" Twist screamed at the sight of the large snail moving across her desk. "Mith Cheerilee, thomepony put a thnail on my dethk!"
Cheerilee rolled her eyes. "I thought we had a talk about how bullying other ponies is something I will not tolerate in the classroom. Who's responsible?"
Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were both snickering, but they shook their heads. "Wasn't us..."
Tootsie Flute craned her head, then noticed a familiar face hurrying past the window. "Why don't you ask Snails? He's about to go downstairs."
Cheerilee quickly poked her head outside the door. "Snails, get in here, now." Within seconds the gangly orange colt arrived in the main-floor classroom. Cheerilee pointed at the snail on Twist's desk. "Snails... care to tell me what that is?"
Snails walked over to Twist's desk. "I know what a snail is, it's my cutie mark, innit?" Several foals began laughing.
Cheerilee sighed. "What's it doing on Twist's desk?"
"Nothin'... just minding its own business." Snails replied. The class laughed harder.
"Don't joke around, young colt." Cheerilee frowned. "Did you put the snail there or not?"
"...Yeah, I did. It was me."
"Thank you for telling the truth. I want you to take the snail outside--"
"It's mine, I brought it from home." Snails levitated a small glass jar out of his saddlebag and coaxed the snail inside. He then screwed on a lid with holes in it on, and put it back into his saddlebag.
Twist looked hurt. "You brought a thnail from your houthe JUTH'T to put on my dethk?!" She was used to getting teased, but she didn't imagine for a second one of them would take this sort of effort to embarrass her in front of everypony. And one of the older colts too...
"Snails... I want you to apologize to Twist and mean it," Cheerilee said. "Then clean off whatever residue is left on her desk with this." She gave him a small damp rag. "Class starts in five minutes, so don't take too much time."
Snails started wiping off her desk, then turned to Twist and let out an awkward "Hi~"
"Why'd you do that?" Twist asked.
"'Cuz it's one of my favorite snails. It's real purty... I wanted you to see it." Snails grinned.
"You didn't have to put it on my dethk, Thnailth..."
"It reminded me of you though. 'Cuz you're purty too." He finished off and gave the rag back to Cheerilee. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry, Twist." He left the main-floor classroom just as the bell rang.
Twist's ears drooped as she touched her desk to make sure it was clean. She wasn't sure if Snails was just being funny like usual or if that was an insult in disguise. 

Later that day at lunch, Twist sat down with Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. She was still hurt about what happened this morning.
"Aww, cheer up, Twist," Apple Bloom patted her back. "Ah don't understand why Snails does what he does anyway. He's always hangin' around with that friend of his and actin' weird."
"I know, but what get'th me ith that he'th older than me. It'th ethpecially bad when thomepony thinkth it'th funny to prank a younger--"
"Hiiiiiiiii, Twiiiiiiissst."
The four fillies turned around to see Snails standing behind them, a goofy smile on his face. "Oh great. What do you want?!" Scootaloo frowned.
"Aw, come on, I just wanna talk to Twist." Snails tilted his head.
"From what Twist has told us, I think you've done enough already." Sweetie Belle stood in front of Twist. "Go back to your own spot."
Twist sighed. "It'th okay, guyth. Let him talk." She patted the area of grass next to her, then looked up at Snails as he sat next to her. "There'th thomething I need to athk you..."
"Lemme guess, you wanna make sure I was apologizing for real, eh?" Snails asked her.
"Actually... there'th thomething elthe I wanted to know... why did you thay the thnail reminded you of me becauthe it wath pretty?"
"'Cuz ya are," Snails said, smiling. Except this time it wasn't his usual dorky grin, but an actual smile.
Twist's eyes widened. "Are you theriouth...?"
"Actually..." Snails' ears flicked. "I've had a crush on you for a while."
Twist was speechless, but the Cutie Mark Crusaders could barely keep from giggling...
"Oh my gosh, I can't believe what I'm seeing..." Sweetie Belle whispered. "Is he for real?"
"You're real cute, I love how your mane bounces when you're happy, and your smile's as sweet as the candy canes on your flank," Snails continued.
Twist let out a squeak, her face turning red. No colt had ever approached her before, much less called her 'cute'. She'd become more accustomed to the foals calling her a nerd and saying they couldn't understand a thing she said due to her heavy lisp. She was about to say something when the two of them were interrupted.
"Didja hear that, Silver Spoon?" Diamond Tiara smirked. "I didn't think anypony could call Twist 'cute'."
"It makes me wonder..." Silver Spoon raised an eyebrow. "Were you dared to say that, Snails?"
"Hey, you two, that ain't funny," Apple Bloom said. "Snails sounded like he meant it."
Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. Snails barely can think straight anyway, so I'm not surprised he got the bright idea to ask this nerdy filly out. ...Get it, Silver Spoon? 'Bright'?" She giggled.
"Yeah, Diamond, I got it." Silver Spoon let out a small giggle.
Snails made a face, then looked over at Twist. "You gonna take this?"
Twist shrugged sheepishly. "I'm... uthed to getting called thtuff like thith."
Snails rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Hey, could you two maybe not tease her like that?"
Silver Spoon got a confused look on her face. "You actually care about her...?"
"I'm having a hard time believing it," Diamond Tiara said, not quite swayed.
"To you she may not be 'cute' but I think she is," Snails retorted. "So stop teasing her, eh?"
Diamond Tiara just scoffed, but the two fillies went completely silent when Snails stood up. Despite him not being that much older than the other colts, he was much taller than them. It was suspected that he was an early bloomer, since he was only ten. "Umm..." Diamond Tiara's eyes shifted around.
Snails leaned down to their level. "So, are you going to stop teasing her or do I have to remind you a second time?" He raised an eyebrow at them.
Silver Spoon was quick to back off. "Sorry, Snails..." She trotted back to her spot where she and Diamond Tiara were having their lunch.
Diamond Tiara shifted her hooves around. Even she knew better to start something with a pony that was at least a head and a half taller than her. "All right, I'll leave her alone..." She sighed and joined Silver Spoon.
Twist stared wide-eyed at Snails, and a huge smile spread across her face. "Wow, Thnailth... you actually got them to back off..."
Snails sat back down next to Twist. "I don't think they'll bother you for a while," he said, smiling and patting her mane. He was taken aback when she suddenly hugged him tightly.
"No colt'th ever done anything like that for me before, ever!" Twist squealed. "You're the firth't and you meant it!"
"'Course I meant it." Snails let out a small laugh. "So here's another question... wanna go out sometime?"
Twist nodded, her mane bouncing. "Yeth! I'd love to!" She nuzzled against him. "...Juth't no more putting thnailth on my dethk."
"Huhuhuhh... okay. Pinkie Promise." Snails smiled down at her.