Twitch Plays Sweetie Belle
Rarity hummed her favourite – and only – number from the Pony Tones as she worked her magic around the kitchen preparing breakfast for herself and her sister, who had stayed at her house the previous night for some ‘quality sister time’.
As Rarity finished the song for the fifth time that morning and placed the two plates of toast down onto the kitchen table, a thought occurred to her. “We should really write some new songs.” Clearing her throat, Rarity approached the stairs leading upstairs to call her sister down. “Sweetie Belle! Breakfast is ready!”
Rarity returned to the table as she heard hoofsteps approaching from upstairs. She poured a glass of orange juice for her sister and flipped the switch on her kettle with her magic. She turned around to find her sister at the bottom of the stairs, simply standing in place with a blank look on her face. “Come now, Sweetie Belle. Eat now before it gets cold.”
Sweetie Belle took a step forward… and then stopped. She took another step and then turned right, and then left, and then right again. She took two steps forward and then turned back to her sister. Rarity raised an eyebrow.
“Sweetie Belle, what are you doing?” Rarity asked as Sweetie Belle took a few more steps forward and then spun around on the spot. “Sweetie Belle.” The little filly turned to her left and walked into a couch. “Sweetie Belle, stop.” Sweetie Belle continued walking into the couch, stopped for a few seconds, and then turned back to her sister and took a few steps, almost reaching the table.
But then she turned and took a step away from the table. “Sweetie Belle, stop this nonsense and eat your breakfast.”
Sweetie Belle spun around a couple more times before taking a seat at the table. She climbed out and then back in. She drank her orange juice and then left her chair again.
“Sweetie Belle!” Rarity shouted, her patience slipping as the filly neared the front door. “Get back here and eat this breakfast that I prepared for you!” Sweetie Belle ignored her sister’s orders as she walked into a wall for a few seconds, before leaving through the front door.
Rarity simply stared in silence, before sighing and pouring herself a cup of hot tea. Taking a sip of her relaxing drink, Rarity turned her attention to the stairs with a suspicious look. “She stayed up all night playing video games again, didn’t she?” ‘Well, at least she hasn’t relapsed into her ‘Hitmare’ phase…’
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were walking to school together as usual, both carrying their saddlebags with their lunches and exercise books and both talking about what they would try next to get their cutie marks. All seemed right the world and it seemed like any other day.
But then they reached Sweetie Belle’s house, and found their friend standing in the middle of the street, staring blankly into space. “Good mornin’, Sweetie-” Apple Bloom’s greeting was interrupted as Sweetie Belle suddenly turned around and walked back towards her house. “D-Did ya forget somethin’?”
Sweetie Belle turned back and walked towards her friends. She then turned towards a shop and took a step forward, then turned back to her house and finally back to her friends.
“What are you doing?” Scootaloo asked. Her only response was Sweetie Belle reaching into her abg for a moment before closing it again and taking another step forward. “Oh no… she’s being weird again.”
“Sweetie Belle, what game’re ya playin’ now?” Apple Bloom asked. Sweetie Belle simply walked off without answering, slowly making her way down the street as she occasionally stopped to spin on the spot, check her bag and pull out textbooks momentarily, or walk into walls.
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo kept their distance so as not to become associated with the strange filly as passerbys gave her strange looks and walked around her.
“Ah hope she snaps out of it before class,” Apple Bloom said. “Miss Cheerilee doesn’t like it when she gets like this.”
“Sweetie Belle, class has started,” Cheerilee said as calmly as she could manage. “Please take your seat so that we can begin.”
Sweetie Belle walked two paces to her left and opened her bag. She closed it quickly and then turned towards the wall beside her, walking into it a few times before spinning many times. Whilst the foals around her laughed and giggled at the filly’s actions, Cheerilee’s temper was coming to a steady boil. “Sweetie Belle, take your seat, now!”
“It’s no use,” Apple Bloom sighed. “There’s no gettin’ ta her when she’s like this.”
“I suppose you’re right,” Cheerilee said. “We’ll have to call in him.”
“Already on it. Scootaloo’s gone ta fetch him. She should be here soon.”
At that time, the door burst open, revealing Scootaloo standing proudly at the door with a panting colt quickly running behind her.
“Can’t… breath…” the colt said as he stopped at the doorway. “Why… couldn’t we… have taken… the scooter?”
“Ah, quit complainin’! You need some exercise anyway,” Scootaloo said as she patted the colt hard on the back.
“Button Mash,” Cheerilee addressed the colt, “Could you please return Sweetie Belle back to normal so that we can begin our lesson?”
After taking a few moments to catch his breath, Button Mash nodded and turned his attention towards the filly. “What’s she playing today?”
“Dunno,” Apple Bloom said.”She jus’ keeps walkin’ slowly an’ turning on the spot.”
“And bumping into walls,” Scootaloo added. “And checking her bag for no reason.”
Button Mash nodded as he listened and observed Sweetie Belle’s actions. “Right, I think I got this. Democracy!”
The class fell silent as they stared at Sweetie Belle. She was now standing perfectly still at the back of the classroom. “D-Did it work?” Apple Bloom asked.
“She’s now in ‘democracy mode’,” Button explained. “Now she’ll only make a move that receives the most votes. Sweetie Belle, take your seat!”
A few seconds passed with no activity, before Sweetie Belle turned around and walked towards her seat, placing her bag to the side and sitting down.
“You did it!” Scootaloo exclaimed.
“Wow, it really worked!” Apple Bloom cheered.
Button Mash held his head high and chuckled proudly. “It’s all in a day’s work, ladies,” he said with a wink. “Sweetie Belle, take our your Math book.”
“We’re doing English,” Cheerilee said.
“Roll over!”
The class’ attention turn to the source of the new command: Diamond Tiara. She and Silver Spoon were giggling to themselves in their seats. “Roll over!” Silver Spoon shouted.
Button’s eyes widened. “Somepony else vote!” he shouted quickly. “She’ll do whatever action gets the most votes!”
“Take out yer Math book!” Apple Bloom cried frantically.
“Take out your book!” Scootaloo said.
“Roll over!”
The Crusaders turned to the two colts sitting together in the corner of the classroom with big grins on their faces. “What’re ya doin’?!” Apple Bloom shouted.
“What?” Snips asked. “It sounds fun!”
“More fun than doing Math,” Snails added.
“We’re doing English,” Cheerilee corrected once again.
“Somepony vote, quick!” Button Mash pleaded.
“Take out your Math book!”
“Roll over!”
“Roll over!”
“Take out your book!”
“Roll over!”
“Book!”
As the classroom became lost in the cries of foals shouting various demands, and Sweetie Belle performing said demands that garnered the most popularity, Cheerilee simply fell down into her chair, hoof pressed against her forehead, and sighed.
“Kids today… why can’t they just play foursquare in the yard like the old days?”
