Sweetiebelle grabbed her bag from her locker and threw it over her back. The bag had a textbook in one pouch and a notebook in the other. Math homework. Sweetiebelle hated math homework just as much as any other pony. Miss Cheerilee made math that night's homework, even though it wasn't scheduled. Sweetiebelle walked slowly towards the front door, "waiting" for Applebloom and Scootaloo. Applebloom and Scootaloo and grabbed their bags and walked slower than Tank without his propeller, glad the school day was over, but down because of the math homework. With the three fillies all standing side by side at the door, they started off back to home. The afternoon was a little cooler than it had been that morning, with no breeze and no cloud in sight. The sun cast it's rays of warmth over Ponyville, which felt nice for all living in Ponyville.
"So, Sweetiebelle? How did that thing stay clean after all those hooves touching it?" Scootaloo asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I don't know, but I'm happy nothing happened to it while everypony was touching it." Sweetiebelle said with a smile on her face.
"I'll say it again," Applebloom chimed in, "If ya bringin' it in, it's gunna get dirtier than Winona rolling around in mud."
"Well, that's IF I let everypony touch it everyday. Or, if I let them borrow this bag." Sweetiebelle reassured the others.
As Applebloom, Sweetiebelle, and Scootaloo walked home, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon stood by the flagpole, glaring at the Cutie Mark Crusaders. The diamonds that were sewn on had reflected some light into Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon's eyes, blinding them for an instant. The feeling of jealousy stormed into Diamond Tiara, causing her to feel a tad bit sad inside. She wanted a bag just like it. But she didn't have one. She looked down at the ground with sad eyes.
"Hey, Diamond Tiara? You okay?" Silver Spoon asked worriedly.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Diamond Tiara fibbed. "Now, how should we send Sweetiebelle's "message"?" Diamond Tiara raised her eyebrows when she said message.
"We could always make fun of her. You know, blank flank?" Silver Spoon suggested.
"No. We need something different than name calling."
"What about making her look like a fool in class, trip her up at times, mean notes, AND still call her names?"
This seemed like a better plan than anything Diamond Tiara could have brewed up. Diamond Tiara thought about that plan. It would work, if everything when the way her and Silver Spoon wanted it to go. A majority of Diamond Tiara told her to go ahead with the plan. But, part of her didn't want to. Diamond Tiara never liked Sweetiebelle or the other two Cutie Mark Crusaders at all. Diamond Tiara fought about how to answer. Yes or no? Yes or no? YES OR NO? Finally, Diamond Tiara looked at Silver Spoon with an evil smirk.
"Let's do it!" Diamond Tiara said evilly.
"Alright. Should we call it 'Plan A'?" Silver Spoon asked.
"Suuuuure. Why not? You came up with the idea, so you can name it."
"Sweet. Well, I gotta get going. My dad will kill me if I'm not home soon." Silver Spoon started to walk away from where her and Diamond Tiara were standing.
"Alright! I'll see you tomorrow!"
Diamond Tiara started in the opposite direction to her house. Being away from Silver Spoon and every other pony, allowed her to have more thinking time to herself. The afternoon was quiet and warm. Three birds were nesting in a tree, chirping their songs. The ground felt smooth under Diamond Tiara;s hooves, causing them to slide a little bit with every other step.
"Now, how can I be better than Sweetiebelle?" Diamond Tiara mumbled to herself. "Passing mean notes won't do a thing. I need something new. I could trip her more than I usually do, but I gotta make it look like an accident. I could do some more name-calling. And maybe I coul-"
"Watch where you're going." A white-coated pony told her, with an annoyed look.
"Sorry."
Diamond Tiara continued on to her house, still thinking about how to crush Sweetiebelle's spirit.
Sweetiebelle arrived at her house, after Applebloom and Scootaloo left her for their houses. She opened the front door and immediately smelled spices. Rarity was in the kitchen, cooking dinner. Sweetiebelle closed the door, letting it slam shut, which startled her because of the force behind the push of the door. Sweetiebelle heard Rarity place something down on the counter and start walking towards the room which Sweetiebelle was standing in.
"Oh, Sweetiebelle! You're home! How was school?" Rarity asked Sweetiebelle in an upbeat tone.
Sweetiebelle could smell the scents of what Rarity used in the kitchen. Spices of sorts, vegetables, fruits, and something else made of hay that Sweetiebelle couldn't identify. Rarity's mane was a little frizzy, probably from her long day of work.
"It was fantastic!" Sweetiebelle exclaimed. "Everypony loved the new book bag you made for me! Even Miss Cheerilee liked it! I love you so MUCH, Rarity!" Sweetiebelle gave her older sister the biggest hug she could give.
"Well, that's just wonderful, Sweetiebelle!" Rarity squeaked out. She felt like Sweetiebelle was choking her. "Dinner is almost ready. Just a few more minutes and we'll eat. Do you have homework?" Rarity questioned, only because she noticed the bag looked bulged.
"Yeah. It's math homework." Sweetiebelle answered with a depressed voice.
"Oh, math isn't that hard." Rarity sympathetically told Sweetiebelle, having her sentence end with the DING of the timer in the kitchen. "I'll help you after we eat. Okay?"
"Alright." Sweetiebelle smiled at her sister and followed her into the kitchen to eat. "Hey, Rarity? Can I ask you something?" Sweetiebelle asked in a low tone.
"Sure Sweetiebelle. What is it?" Rarity's voice had a hint of concern in it.
"Is it bad if other ponies are jealous of you for a bag like this?" Sweetiebelle asked while looking at the bag.
"Well it is bad to be jealous, but no, I wouldn't say it's bad. Why would you think it's bad?"
"I overheard Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon saying that bag is terrible." Sweetiebelle looked down at the floor with a frown and sadness in her eyes.
Rarity put her hoof under Sweetiebelle's chin and gently pushed it up.
"They don't know what they're talking about. They just wished they had a sister as nice as me." Rarity replied in a quiet, comforting tone.
"Thanks, Rarity." Sweetiebelle cracked a smile.
"You're welcome, Sweetie. We should probably eat." Rarity suggested.
Rarity and Sweetiebelle finished their dinner, cleaned up, and finished the math homework. When Rarity helped Sweetiebelle out with her math homework, it seemed a whole lot easier. It was like Rarity created the problems, having the answer sheet right next to her. After Sweetiebelle put the notebook in one pocket and the textbook in the other, she proceeded to room to end the night and to start the next day. Rarity followed behind her. When two reached to door, Rarity opened it for Sweetiebelle, who thanked her with a smile. Sweetiebelle slowly waltzed over to her bed, obviously tired after the day's excitement. Rarity pulled Sweetiebelle's covers down the covers and Sweetiebelle jumped into bed. Rarity pulled the sheets back, right up to Sweetiebelle's chin.
"Good night, Sweetiebelle." Rarity whispered to her sister, kissing her on the forehead.
"Night, Rarity." Sweetiebelle yawned and turned onto her side.
As Rarity walked out of the room, she turned back to Sweetiebelle. Rarity couldn't help but smile. Sweetiebelle looked so cute when she slept, her soft breathing was as relaxing as the spa. Rarity whispered two words to Sweetiebelle,
"Sweet dreams."
And closed the door.
Sweetiebelle woke the morning by Rarity's hoof gently shaking her. Sweeiebelle's eyes opened to see to wall directly in front of her. She rolled over and her eyes met with Rarity's, who sparkled even though it was early in the morning. Rarity stopped shaking Sweetiebelle when their eyes met.
"Come on, Sweetiebelle. You got another school day to start." Rarity told her little sister.
"Alright. I'm coming." Sweetiebelle replied, half-asleep, half-yawning.
Sweetiebelle pushed to sheets off of herself and sat up. She rotated herself to the right and looked at the small mirror that was on her night stand. Her mane was a mess. It looked like a mini tornado touched down on her head, putting bits of her mane in every direction. Sweetiebelle dropped down from her bed, and when she landed on the floor, her hooves make a soft CLOP sound. Sweetiebelle sluggishly walked through her open door and down the hall to the kitchen. As Sweetiebelle entered the kitchen, the smell of hay and apples gave her a shot of energy, but only for about 5 seconds. Rarity was too busy at the sink to notice Sweetiebelle walk in. Rarity only noticed Sweetiebelle when she heard one of the chairs at the table get pushed back and heard a soft yawn. Sweetiebelle was holding head up by one hoof to keep it from slamming into the table.
"What would you like for breakfast, Sweetiebelle?" Rarity asked, walking over to her.
"I don't know. What do we have?" Sweetiebelle asked while yawning.
"Well, we have some apples, bread, and some stuff from last night." Rarity answered to her half-awake sister.
"Um, I'll just have an apple."
"You sure? Just an apple? I don't want you to be hungry all day."
"Yeah, I'm sure."
"Okay." Rarity replied. She took an apple from refrigerator and placed it down in front of Sweetiebelle. Rarity gave Sweetiebelle a "waiter's smile" and walked back to to the sink.
Sweetiebelle looked at the apple that was placed in front of her. The outer red skin of the apple glistened in the morning sun that came through the window. Sweetiebelle could barely see her own reflection in the apple, showing her mane all messed up. Her eyes were drooping from the early morning slumber disturbance. Sweetiebelle lifted the apple and brought it to her mouth, taking a good sized bite out of it. The juices burst out from the apple and over Sweetiebelle's tongue. Chewing slowly, Sweetiebelle enjoyed the flavor which the apple brought to her tongue. Definitely from Sweet Apple Acres. Sweetiebelle continued to takes bite out of the apples, until all that remained was a thin apple core. Sweetiebelle hopped off the chair and took the apple core over the garbage can. She walked back down the hall to the bathroom. Sweetiebelle hopped up on a little stool that was made for her by one of Rarity's friends. It was given to Sweetiebelle because she couldn't reach the sink, due to her size. Sweetiebelle looked at the mirror, which stared back at her with her face. She could see how her mane was all over the place. Bits of hair sticking up, hair knotted, but her mane retained a slight curl in it. Sweetiebelle opened a drawer to the right of her, She pulled out her brush. A light purple brush with a handle with a curl at the end. The curl reminded Sweetiebelle of her own mane with it's light purple curls. Sweetiebelle brought the brush up to her mane, chose a spot to start, and pulled towards the front of her. Every knot in the way of the brush come undone very easily, only a few needed some strength to undone. When Sweetiebelle went back for a another pass with her brush, she ran into a knot that couldn't be undone. No amount of strength could undo it.
"RARITY! I NEED YOU!" Sweetiebelle shouted from the bathroom.
"I'M COMING!" Rarity yelled back, trotting to the bathroom. "Yes, Sweetiebelle? What is it?"
"Can you help me with this one knot?" Sweetiebelle asked.
"Sure. But, this might hurt." Rarity warned.
Rarity grabbed hold of the brush and and looked to see if there was an easier way to undo the knot. Seeing no other option, Rarity tugged at the knot with such force that a very small bit of Sweetiebelle's mane came off.
"There you go." Rarity said, triumphantly.
"Thanks. I'm gunna get going." Sweetiebelle said, jumping down from the stool. "I'll see you after school." Sweetiebelle called from the kitchen.
"Wait!" Rarity shouted. "Do you want me to walk you to school today?" Rarity asked.
"Sure. Let's get going!"
Rarity and Sweetiebelle left out the front door and headed in the direction of the school. The morning was warmer than Sweetiebelle had expected. The sun was hidden behind a cloud, which caused a chill to sweep the land. The sky was a light blue, the grass was a bright green, the birds were chirping away. As Sweetiebelle and Rarity passed Sweet Apple Acres, the two noticed Applebloom walking down the path that lead from the barn. Applebloom looked up and immediately ran towards Rarity and Sweetiebelle. She had a huge smile on her face and her eyes sparkled, which Sweetiebelle thought was from the bag's diamonds. Applebloom soon joined her friends and they continued on for the school.
"Good morning, Applebloom," Rarity said cheerfully. "How are you?"
"I'm fine. How are you, Rarity" Applebloom replied back respectively.
"I'm just great. Thank you." Such respect. Applejack taught her well.
"Sweetiebelle. I love your bag! Can I have it?" Applebloom asked, even though she had already seen it.
"Sorry, Applebloom. Maybe Rarity can make you one." Sweetiebelle looked up to Rarity during the last sentence.
"I don't know. I would have to see if I can." Rarity looked back at Sweetiebelle. "With all the business at the Carousel Boutique, I don't think I'll have the time."
"That's fine." Applebloom answered back.
The school finally appeared in the distance. Sweetiebelle, Applebloom, and Rarity could see all the fillies and colts waiting outside, talking, playing, or just sitting. The school towered over all the students, with it's bright red paint reflecting the sun's light. Scootaloo was already there, just sitting by the door. Sweetiebelle and Applebloom started to move a little faster, and Rarity had to walk faster as well to stay with the fillies. The three reached the path that led to the school house and stopped. Rarity looked at Sweetiebelle and Appelbloom with a smile.
"You two run along. Have a wonderful day at school." Rarity told them.
"We will. Bye, Rarity!" Sweetiebelle replied as Rarity walked away from the school.
Applebloom and Sweetiebelle started up the short path to the school house. A group of fillies were running around, three colts were chatting away, Scootaloo was sitting by the door, and...
Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.
Sweetiebelle just stood there, but Applebloom continued on, leaving her friend by the beginning of the path. Diamond Tiara must've noticed Sweetiebelle because she stopped talking to Silver Spoon and glared. Silver Spoon noticed and looked in the direction of which Diamond Tiara was looking. She too, glared at Sweetiebelle. Applebloom had walked past Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, and sat down next to Scootaloo. They started to talk about last night's homework and other unrelated topics. Scootaloo saw that Sweetiebelle wasn't with Applebloom and looked towards the entrance, to find Sweetiebelle standing there, with a terrified look on her face.
"HEY, SWEETIEBELLE! COME HERE!" Scootaloo shouted while motioning with her hoof for Sweetiebelle to come.
Sweetiebelle started up the path again, with her head down. But, she noticed Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon moved closer to the path's edge. They were standing side by side, with smirks on their faces. Sweetiebelle walked a little quicker to avoid being around Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon to long. As Sweetiebelle passed the two, Diamond Tiara stuck a hoof out, causing Sweetiebelle to trip and fall on the ground with a THUD. Sweetiebelle felt her bag crushing her, so she got up quickly because it felt like she was about to break a rib.
"Hey! What was that for?!" Sweetiebelle angrily shouted at Diamond Tiara.
"Oh, sorry, blank flank. Maybe next time you should watch where you're walking." Daimond Tiara answered sarcastically.
Silver Spoon snickered at Diamond Tiara's sarcasm, which she absolutely loved. They walked away, laughing to themselves. Sweetiebelle brushed the dirt off of her mane and the bag. Sweetiebelle carefully inspected the bag to make sure no diamonds had fallen off or the bag wasn't teared. With no missing diamonds or tears, Sweetiebelle continued back up the path to where her friends were sitting. Applebloom and Scootaloo had looks of concern on their faces.
"You okay?" Scootaloo asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Should we tell Miss Cheerilee?" Applebloom suggested.
"No. It's just their usual shenanigans. Leave them be." Sweetiebelle told Applebloom. "We should just get class."
Applebloom, Sweetiebelle, and Scootaloo proceeded to enter the school house. Something inside Sweetiebelle told her that this was different from Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon had done before. It was like this was something that was part of a plan. Why would they be doing this? It couldn't be the fact that Sweetiebelle was a "blank flank" they already made fun of her for that. Maybe it was the bag? No. That was ridiculous. The others were jealous, but not like "I'm-gunna-trip-you-and-be-mean-to-you-because-you-have-a-better-bag-than-me" kind of jealousy. Sweetiebelle didn't know what it was, so she decided that she didn't have a clue and would go on with her day. Sweetiebelle went over to the lockers and put her bag in and went to sit down. As she started to the back, she realized that she would have to go past Diamond Tiara and she couldn't turn around because it would seem very strange. As Sweetiebelle walked past Diamond Tiara, she prayed she wouldn't be tripped. Too late. As Sweetiebelle was mid-prayer, she tripped over Diamond Tiara's outstretched hoof. Sweetiebelle slammed into the floor, causing the class to laugh hysterically. Miss Cheerilee stopped writing on the chalkboard to see what all the noise was about.
"Class? What's so fu- Oh my! Sweetiebelle! Are you okay?" Miss Cheerilee rushed over to where Sweetiebelle lay. "What happened?"
"I'm fine." Sweetiebelle said, choking back tears. "I just fell."
"Let me check your leg." Miss Cheerilee requested motherly.
Sweetiebelle moved her body so Miss Cheerilee could inspect her injury. The knee of Sweetiebelle's front left leg was scraped up a bit. Sweetiebelle had slight bruising on her cheek. Miss Cheerilee rushed back to her desk to grab the medical supplies from under the desk. Coming back with the medical supplies, Miss Cheerilee pulled out some bandages, some ice, and a bottle of antibiotic solution. Miss Cheerilee took the antibiotic solution and rubbed some on Sweetiebelle's cut. Sweetiebelle winced at stinging feeling where the cut was. Miss Cheerilee gave Sweetiebelle a reassuring smile and applied the bandage, which dulled the stinging. Miss Cheerilee then pulled out a small bag of ice and gave it to Sweetiebelle.
"Just hold the ice over the bruise and it should be better. Okay?" Miss Cheerilee sweetly told Sweetiebelle, kind of like how Rarity talked when Sweetiebelle had got hurt when trying to find her cutie mark with Applebloom and Scootaloo.
Sweetiebelle limped to the back to her desk and sat down, still holding the ice bag. Sweetiebelle noticed Diamond Tiara waving to her. Sweetiebelle looked up to see Diamond Tiara smirking at her, while she was holding a note. Diamond Tiara tossed the note back, which landed right in front of Sweetiebelle. Sweetiebelle looked at the note.
1 Down
2 to go
What did this mean? 1 down? 2 to go? What was Diamond Tiara doing? Sweetiebelle tossed to note in the trash that was behind her.
"Sweetiebelle, if you need more ice, just tell me." Miss Cheerilee said from the front of the classroom.
"Alright, Miss Cheerilee." Sweetiebelle replied.
The rest of the day went on as usual. Learning, doing classwork, eating lunch, getting homework, getting the bags from the lockers, and leaving for the day. The only other time Diamond Tiara bothered Sweetiebelle was when the class was eating lunch. Diamond Tiara had taken Sweetiebelle's drink and poured it all over that ground. Other than that, the day was fine. Sweetiebelle was about to start walking home, when a voice from down the road called out to her.
"Sweetiebelle!"
It sounded like Rarity. Sweetiebelle turned around to see that her assumption was correct Rarity was trotting over to her. Rarity seemed a little worried, even though she was fine this morning.
"Hello, Sweetiebelle. How was school?" Rarity asked.
"It was okay." Sweetiebelle answered in a blue tone.
"Why is that?" Rarity questioned. That's when she spotted Sweetiebelle's injured knee. "Oh my gosh! What happened?"
"I was tripped by Diamond Tiara in class today." Sweetiebelle sadly replied.
"Now, why would she do that? Does her father know? Did Miss Cheerilee see this? What did you do?" Rarity was throwing questions at Sweetiebelle faster than she could answer them.
"I don't know why. She already left. Can we get going?" Sweetiebelle begged.
"Sure, I suppose." Rarity answered.
Sweetiebelle and Rarity started back to their house. Side-by-side. Sweetiebelle was still dawning on the note she had received from Diamond Tiara. What was her deal? Was this a three step plan? Sweetiebelle didn't care. She just wanted to be home, safe from the school, and more importunately, away from Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.
Sweetiebelle limped through her front door, with Rarity following her. Rarity had been nice to take Sweetiebelle's bag off and carry it to take some weight off of Sweetiebelle so she didn't hurt her leg more. As the door closed behind them, Rarity gently put down Sweetiebelle's bag down on the kitchen table. The day had taken a lot out of each pony. Rarity's mane was a little frizzy from the chaos of Carousel Boutique. Twenty-five dresses had been sold, four scarves, and a bunch other accessories. Fifteen of the twenty-five dresses that were sold, were made in the shop. And then running from the Boutique to the school house.
Sweetiebelle was limping down the hallway to her room. She turned left into her room and went over to her mirror that Rarity had given to her from the Carousel Boutique. Sweetiebelle's mane was messy and a tad bit frizzy. Her mane also had a bit of dirt in it from the first trip she had received from Diamond Tiara. Sweetiebelle just stared at herself in the mirror, as if she had three heads. Sweetiebelle could also see her bruise that she had received. It was black and blue, as well as swollen, like a giant pimple. Her eyes started to tear up, which made Sweetiebelle turn away from the mirror and limp over to her bed. She jumped up, buried her face in her pillow, and immediately started crying. Sweetiebelle didn't hold back on the tears and crying. She had held it back all day. There was no way, in all of Equestria, that Sweetiebelle could've held it back. A small moist spot on the pillow had formed from Sweetiebelle's tears.
Rarity had slowly and quietly followed Sweetiebelle to her room and had stopped at her doorway. She wanted to observe Sweetibelle and her injury. When Sweetiebelle started crying, Rarity calmly walked in and when to the side of the bed. She put a hoof and Sweetiebelle's mane and gently, slowly stroked it. Rarity saw down on the bed and picked up Sweetiebelle, putting her on her lap, allowing Sweetiebelle to bury her face in Rarity's shoulder. The amount of tears Sweetiebelle had produced in such short time, surprised Rarity. As Rarity continued to stroke Sweetiebelle's mane, she decided that now would be the best time to comfort Sweetiebelle.
"Shh. Shh. It's okay, Sweetiebelle. Mama Rarity is here for you." Rarity said in a gentle, caring voice.
"NO! IT'S NOT OKAY!" Sweetiebelle wailed from Rarity's shoulder. At this point, Rarity's shoulder had become very wet with Sweetiebelle's salty tears.
Rarity had begun to rock back and forth slowly. This seemed to calm Sweetiebelle down a bit, not much, but a bit. She even started to tear up a bit. Rarity couldn't stand seeing her little sister crying.
"Listen, Sweetiebelle." Rarity's voice felt like it was going to break. "Please stop crying. I want you happy, not like this." Rarity placed her head down on Sweetiebelle's. "I'll talk to Miss Cheerilee tomorrow, okay?" was the only sentence Rarity could come up with.
Sweetiebelle shook her head Yes in agreement. She had calmed down enough to the point where she had stopped crying and was quietly sobbing. Sweetiebelle looked up at Rarity with her, now red, eyes. She spotted a tear rolling down Rarity's face and wiped it away. Rarity opened her eyes and met Sweetiebelle's eyes. Rarity smiled at her sister warmly, being the only way she could thank her. Rarity hopped off the bed and made her way to the door. Rarity caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror out of the corner of her eye. Her mane had lost some its curl. A little fixing-up would do the trick.
Rarity got to the doorway and turned around. "I'll call you when dinner is ready. Okay?"
"Got it." Sweetiebelle replied quietly.
"Do you have any homework tonight?"
"Mmhmm."
"Do you would me to help you?" Rarity offered.
"No thank you." Sweetiebelle politely rejected.
"Okay." Rarity turned down the hallway towards the kitchen. Why was Diamond Tiara acting like this? It wasn't something the she had never done before, at least to Rarity's knowledge she hadn't. Hopefully this was just out of anger from something at home. But more importantly, would this continue? Rarity didn't want to think about it, for it would worry her more than she already was. Nopony should be doing this to Sweetiebelle. She was too sweet to have another filly or colt do this to her. Rarity needed something to take her mind off of Sweetiebelle's problem. Sewing? No, did enough of that. Creating dresses? Not a chance in the world. Make dinner? Perfect.
Rarity walked over to the refrigerator and scanned the contents that lay inside. Apples, hay, celery, some bread, and other fruits and vegetables. Rarity pulled out the bread. The loaf was a foot long, as well as being white bread. Rarity went back to the fridge and pulled out some tomatoes, lettuce leaves, and hay. She put all the ingredients on the counter in separate piles. If there one thing that annoyed Rarity when it to cooking, was having different food items in piles they didn't belong in. With the necessary items in their appropriate piles, Rarity pulled out a knife from the drawer, for the bread. She carefully brought the knife down to the center of the loaf and cut it. The knife went through the bread like nothing was there. With two 6 inch pieces of bread, Rarity cut them in half again, but this doing so lengthwise. She took the lettuce leaves and split so she could lay them down the length of the bread pieces. There was still enough left over to make a salad. Rarity then carefully cut the tomatoes into thin slices, with the juices inside squirting out with every stroke of the knife, and laid them on top of the cabbage leaves. Finally, Rarity took the hay that she had and spread it evenly on top of everything else. Rarity took a step back to admire to work of food she had produced. It wasn't the best pair of sandwiches that Rarity had made, but it worked for the time being. She then took two plates out of the cupboards and placed them next to the sandwiches, and placed them onto the plates. Once more, Rarity stepped back and inspected her works. The lettuce leaves were even on both sandwiches, as well as the tomatoes and the hay. Except, one sandwich was a tad longer than the other.
I'll give the longer one to Sweetiebelle. Just to be nice. Rarity thought to herself. She brought the sandwiches over to the table and called Sweetiebelle to dinner. Rarity heard Sweetiebelle slide off the bed, landing with a soft thud. Sweetiebelle still limped down the hall and into the kitchen, feeling like a dog with a broken leg. When Sweetiebelle reached the table, Rarity pulled her chair out and hoisted her up onto the chair. Rarity pushed Sweetiebelle's chair in and took her place at the other side of the table. As they ate, Rarity noticed that Sweetiebelle had barely touched her sandwich.
"Sweetiebelle, why aren't you eating your dinner?" Rarity asked with concern sprinkled in her voice.
"I'm just not hungry." Sweetiebelle mumbled. Her stomach felt like a balloon about to burst.
"Now, that's silly, Sweetie. You haven't eaten since noon today. How are you not hungry?"
"It's just Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon..." Sweetiebelle's voice trailed off.
"I'm sorry. Could you speak a little louder please?" Rarity requested. "This isn't because of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon is it?" Rarity wanted an answer. Sweetiebelle just shook her head up and down, indicating that Rarity had guessed right.
"Can you please talk to Miss Cheerilee about this tomorrow?" Sweetiebelle begged, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Yes, I will. You don't need to worry. I'll make sure those two are talked to." Rarity said. She couldn't stand seeing her seeing her sister like this. She didn't want Sweetiebelle to be like this. She wanted her to be happy and bright, not gloomy and blue. Rarity knew she had a duty to do when her parents left her with Sweetiebelle. To love and comfort her, to watch her grow up and be there for her along the way. Now, it seemed Rarity would be put to the test.
When they finished their dinner, Rarity put the excess sandwiches in refrigerator for tomorrow. She cleared the table, cleaned the dishes, and left them in the dish rack to dry over night. When that was finished, Rarity carried Sweetiebellie to her room on her back. Sweetiebelle was glad that Rarity carried her to her room, rather that having her limp all the there. Sweetiebelle felt like she would have tripped on her way to her room. They reached Sweetiebelle's room and Rarity slowly walked over to the bed, pulled the blankets back, and place Sweetiebelle down with care, making sure not to hurt her leg anymore than it already was. Rarity pulled the blankets back up to cover every part of Sweetiebelle, except her head.
"Good Night, Sweetiebelle," Rarity whispered, giving Sweetiebelle a peck on the forehead.
"Good night, Rarity. You'll talk to Miss Cheerilee tomorrow?" Sweetiebelle reminded.
"I will. I promise."
"Promise?"
"Yes. And things will get better. Just try to ignore them if you can. Okay?" Rarity was gently brushing Sweetiebelle's mane at this point.
"I'll try." Sweetiebelle replied in a saddened tone. She leaned up and gave Rarity a kiss on her cheek, as a way to make Rarity promise, as well as a show of love for her sister.
Rarity turned and started towards the door. She heard Sweetiebelle turn over in her bed, either to get into a comfortable position, or to hide any tears that she may have produced. Rarity got to the door and turned back to take one last look at Sweetiebelle before morning. Her breathing was slow, indicating that she had fallen asleep. Sweetiebelle looked a little lump under her blankets, rising and falling at a slow and steady pace. Rarity turned her head back around and turned towards her bedroom. On her short walk, Rarity couldn't help but worry about Sweetiebelle and her problem. Was there more to this? Or was this one of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon's usual disturbances? It couldn't have been. Anything they had done Sweetiebelle in the past, never resulted in any injury of any sorts. Only emotional injuries.
Rarity entered her bedroom, and saw Opal sleeping on the bed. Everything from the dresser to the bed, and the mirror to the curtains were all in place. Rarity walked into the bathroom that was attached to her room and stared at herself in the mirror. Her mane was frizzy and knotted, as well as losing it's lust and curl. Rarity looked tired, but under her fake expression was deep concern. She opened up a drawer that had beauty care products strewn about. Rarity moved things around to try and find her brush. She found it and pulled it out. The brush was a light gray, with white bristles. It wasn't exactly the perfect brush, but at this time, it didn't seem to matter. As long as her mane was kept tidy, it would please her. Rarity brought the brush to her mane and started stroking her mane. She counted in her head the number of strokes she was taking.
34, 35, 36, 37, 38
Rarity kept brushing until she reached 50 strokes. When she did, she put the brush back in the drawer, shut the light off and left the bathroom. Rarity continued over to her bed, pulled the blankets up, and climbed under. Opal was disturbed by Rarity's actions, so she jumped down and left the room. Rarity felt alone, like nopony wanted to be with her. She lay there in her bed, under the blankets, her mind gnawing at her over Sweetiebelle's problem. Would this last a long time? Or is this just another bump in the road? It didn't seem like it.
This thoughts kept Rarity awake for another hour, making her toss and turn. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.
The next day started as any other day, Rarity having to wake up Sweetiebelle, Sweetiebelle taking forever to leave her bed and get to the kitchen to eat breakfast, then having Sweetiebelle go to the bathroom to brush her mane. When Sweetiebelle inspected her mane that morning, it seemed less knotted than yesterday. It wasn't possible. She was rolling around a lot in her sleep last night. Maybe she had moved a lot but kept her head up when she did so.
Sweetiebelle reached into the drawer and pulled out her light purple brush. She picked it up and brought it to her mane. The visible knots were very easy to undo, as they put little resistance. There were some knots under the surface of the mane, but those too, came undone with ease. Sweetiebelle inspected herself one more in the mirror. The bruise that had attached itself to Sweetiebelle's face was barely visible, but it was still there. Sweetiebelle brought a hoof to it, sending a small pain throughout the bruise's area. She also checked her knee to find the bandage was still resting on her cut. Sweetiebelle pulled it back to find the cut was no longer there, just a little scar. She took the bandage and threw it in the trash, as it wasn't needed anymore. Sweetiebelle jumped down and started towards the kitchen once more. Rarity had been waiting in the kitchen for Sweetiebelle. Her bag was around Rarity, as Rarity wanted Sweetiebelle to heal up some more.
"All set, Sweetiebelle?" Rarity asked.
"Do I have to go to school?" Sweetiebelle complained. She didn't want to see Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon today.
"Yes, you do. We need to take this problem head on." Rarity replied. "I'll walk with you and talk to Miss Cheerilee. It'll be fine." She reassured. Rarity grabbed hold of Sweetiebelle's hoof, giving her a gentle smile. Sweetiebelle sent a smile back to Rarity, as they started towards the door. Rarity held the door for Sweetiebelle. When the door opened, warm air rushed into the house, mixing with the already existent warm within the house. Nothing too new. They left the house as Rarity closed the door behind her, throwing a slam through the air. Sweetiebelle and Rarity started down the path towards the schoolhouse, hoof-in-hoof. The morning brought a breeze to accompany it's warmth. The wildlife seemed to be enjoying this weather as well. The birds were gliding through the air, while some were in their nests with their young. The squirrels were scurrying up and down trees or collecting nuts. The trees, along with the grass, were in full bloom as they gave off their shades of green, which were made brighter by the sun. The dirt path was warm and a little damp. But that didn't stop it from kicking up debris and Sweetiebelle and Rarity made their way to the schoolhouse.
Soon, they reached the path entrance to the schoolhouse. Rarity kept going, but Sweetiebelle stopped dead in her tracks. She didn't want to go into that area, not with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon afoot. That was the last thing she needed. Rarity turned around to talk to Sweetiebelle.
"Sweetie, listen, you need to go to school. I understand that you don't want to because of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, but I'm here with you." Rarity said in a comforting tone. "I'll talk to Miss Cheerilee while you play with Applebloom and Scootaloo." Sweetiebelle looked over Rarity's shoulder to find that Applebloom and Scootaloo were sitting out, looking over at them. "Please. Do it for me." Rarity begged with a smile.
"Okay. Thanks again for talking to Miss Cheerilee." Sweetiebelle replied. Rarity gave the saddlebag to Sweetiebelle, as it was her's after all.
Rarity and Sweetiebelle went up the path towards the schoolhouse. Sweetiebelle surveyed the schoolyard. As usual, there were groups of students playing in groups, some doing homework at the last second, and Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon glaring at Sweetiebelle. This caused Sweetiebelle to move closer to her big sister. Rarity wrapped a hoof around her to give Sweetiebelle the false sense of security. Diamond Tiara and Silver just turned their noses upwards in disgust. Sweetiebelle just dropped her head down in disgust.
"Sweetie, why don't you go play with Applebloom and Scootaloo while I talk to Miss Cheerilee?" Rarity suggested.
"Okay." Sweetiebelle moped. She trudged over to her friends, who had worried expressions plastered on their faces. They wanted to how Sweetiebelle was doing.
"Howdy, Sweetiebelle! How's it goin'?" Applebloom greeted.
"Oh. It's going. How are you Applebloom?" Sweetiebelle responded.
"Why ya so down?" Scootaloo asked.
"You already know."
"Listen," Scootaloo began, "Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are just jealous because they don't have a bag as nice as your's. And I pretty sure they don't have a sister as awesome as Rarity." Scootaloo reassured her glum friend.
"Yeah," Applebloom added, "Just try to ignore 'em." Sweetiebelle did as she was told and looked away from Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. They were already ignoring Sweetiebelle, so ignoring them wouldn't be too hard.
Meanwhile, Rarity was walking up to the front door of the schoolhouse. The vibrant red of the schoolhouse collected the sun's rays, making it seem brighter than it actually was. Rarity knocked on the door a few times and waited for a response. A couple of seconds later, Miss Cheerilee opened the door, dawning a bright grin.
"Good morning, Rarity!" Miss Cheerilee greeted. "How are you?"
Rarity rubbed the back of her neck. "Oh, a little down. How about yourself?" She asked.
"Just fine."
"That's great." Rarity responded. "Oh, that was something I needed to talk to you about."
Miss Cheerilee raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
"Obviously, you know the situation with Sweetiebelle, Diamond Tiara, and Silver Spoon, right?" Rarity began.
Miss Cheerilee's expression changed into worry. "Yes. Why do ask?"
"Well," Rarity tried to figure how to create the proper sentence. "It's just, with what happened yesterday, Sweetiebelle told me that she didn't want to come to school. She said something about the two tripping her in class." Rarity stated.
"Sweetiebelle told me that she tripped when she banged her knee." Miss Cheerilee immediately grew angered. "Are Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon tri-"
"Tripping Sweetiebelle?" Rarity asked in unison. "It seems so. I also found a note in her bag." She said while pulling out the note. "It says something about '1 down. 2 to go'. I'm really worried about this. Can you talk to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon?"
Miss Cheerilee put a comforting hoof on Rarity's shoulder. "I will. You don't need to worry." Miss Cheerilee looked over Rarity's shoulder. "Behavior like that is unacceptable in my classroom. I told them that at the beginning of the year." She concluded in a stern voice.
"Thank you very much, Cheerilee. And Sweetiebelle wanted you move some seats around." Rarity quoted.
"I will. Now, run along. You got the Carousel Boutique to run."
Rarity's eyes suddenly snapped open. "Oh my gosh! You're right. Thanks for reminding me." Rarity started to run down the path towards the road. "Thanks again!" She called over her shoulder.
"You're welcome!" Miss Cheerilee yelled back. She watched Rarity trot off down the path and then out towards the Carousel Boutique. She turned her head towards the students who were playing. "Alright, everypony! Time for class!" Hearing this, all the students immediately stopped what they were doing and started towards the schoolhouse. Some were walking in with their expression blank, some were finishing up conversation with one another, and some sulked behind. Sweetiebelle was in that last group the Applebloom and Scootaloo. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were right behind them, glaring. Applebloom, Sweetiebelle, Scootaloo walked past Miss Cheerilee, getting the usual, "Good morning." like the all the other students. When Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon walked in front of Miss Cheerilee, she stuck a hoof out to stop them. She gave them a hard, unhappy stare.
"I heard about what you did to Sweetiebelle." Miss Cheerilee said sternly, "I will be keeping you in for recess to talk to the two of you." Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon looked at each other, as if they had no idea what Miss Cheerilee was talking about. They looked down as they entered the classroom. They knew they had it coming. There was no way out of it.
They took their seats, only to be stopped by a blunt voice. They turned to see Miss Cheerilee staring them down. Everypony in the class stopped whatever they were doing to look at what was about to happen. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon looked away from the class sheepishly.
"Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, your seats will be changed today." Miss Cheerilee ordered. "You two will be in the back while Sweetiebelle will be up front today." Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon groaned loudly, obviously displeased with Miss Cheerilee's decision. "Girls, I'm not giving you a choice. Go to the back!" She said stern and loud. The class was dead silent at this point, surprised at the way Miss Cheerilee was speaking. She had talked like this before, but never like this before. Miss Cheerilee believed that yelling at the students isn't the way to teach a class.
Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon slouched as they made their way to the back of the classroom. Diamond Tiara happened to walk by Sweetiebelle on her way to the back. She showed Sweetiebelle how unhappy she was by giving Sweetiebelle a light kick to the leg. Sweetiebelle clutched her leg, glaring at Diamond Tiara. She wanted to tell Miss Cheerilee that Diamond Tiara hit her, but she was too tired to say anything.
Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon took their places in the back of the classroom, sitting at opposite sides. They shot each other looks of anger, disappointment, and guilt. They both knew that they would be chewed out by Miss Cheerilee, and then their parents. They looked towards the front of the classroom, trying to occupy themselves from the inevitable.
The day went as it usually did. Miss Cheerilee teaching math, history, or whatever subject happened to be taught for the morning. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon barely paid any attention to the lesson. Their minds were still on what Miss Cheerilee would talk to them about while the others were at recess. Would she scold them for their actions? Yes. Would she keep them for tomorrow's recess? Maybe. Would they have to apologize to Sweetiebelle when Miss Cheerilee? Without a doubt. They wished they could go back in time to keep Sweetiebelle from getting that saddlebag, or to keep themselves from making that decision. If only, if only.
"Alright everyony, recess!" Miss Cheerilee said gleefully. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon tried to slip out of the classroom undetected, but to no avail. Miss Cheerilee picked them out of the crowd like an owl picking out a white field mouse on the snowy ground. "Except you two, Miss Tiara and Miss Spoon."
As the other students went out to play, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon sat down at two desks right next to each other, in front of Miss Cheerilee. Before they could even sit down, they could feel the negativity radiating throughout the room. Miss Cheerilee took a seat down in front of them, with a look of displeasure and disappointment.
"Girls, do you know why I'm having you staying after right now?" Miss Cheerilee asked.
"Because you need to talk to us?" Diamond Tiara answered nervously.
Silver Spoon 'tried' to think of a response. "Because we did something wrong?"
Miss Cheerilee looked both of the dead center in the eye. "You are both correct. I want to talk to you about what happened to Sweetiebelle." She began. "Tell what happened yesterday."
Diamond Tiara took charge as she was the one closest to Sweetiebelle when it happened. "Well, Sweetiebelle was walking to her sit, when she tripped over the desk leg, I guess." Diamond Tiara's voice was shaky.
"Yeah," Silver Spoon added. "Sweetiebelle is a little klutzy at times."
"Really?" Miss Cheerilee inquired. "That's what happened? When I talked to Rarity this morning, she said something about you, Diamond Tiara, deliberately tripped Sweetiebelle." Miss Cheerilee was holding back her urge to lose it.
"What does 'deliberately' mean?" Silver Spoon asked.
"It means that you meant to do it." Miss Cheerilee answered. "So, did you or did not trip Sweetiebelle?" She wanted answer and she wanted one now.
Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon both gave each other a sinister look. "She just lying! She always wants us to get in trouble!" Diamond Tiara retaliated. "It's not our fault she tripped!" Silver Spoon joined her friend's retaliation.
Miss Cheerilee simply put a hoof up to stop them from saying anything more. "Girls, two things. One: Please try to be a little quieter and Two: I want the honest truth, because I'm getting two stories. One from a pair of fillies and one from a mare." She took in a deep breath to calm herself. "Who do you think would tell the honest truth?"
Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon both gave one another a look of defeat. They knew they were lying, but they didn't want to admit it. They were backed into a corner with no way out. They had to tell the truth to keep themselves from getting anymore punishment.
"Yes. I tripped Sweetiebelle." Diamond Tiara answered depressed.
"Diamond Tiara, I thank you for your honesty, but you shouldn't go around tripping other students because of a bag." Miss Cheerilee was relieved that she didn't have to keep them longer to get an answer.
"But," Diamond Tiara gave Silver Spoon a look of sorrow and of sympathy. "Silver Spoon was the one who provoked me to trip Sweetiebelle." She immediately regretted saying that. She didn't want to drag her friend down with her, but she didn't want Silver Spoon to walk off scot-free.
"WHAT?!" Silver Spoon shouted. She was about ready to choke Diamond Tiara.
"Is this true, Miss Spoon?" Miss Cheerilee asked.
"Yes, it is." Silver Spoon said woefully. She felt that if her friend ratted her out, she should at least admit to it. Miss Cheerilee was shocked. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Two students hurting another. She had never - in all her years of teaching - heard of such a disturbance. She wasn't about to let this slip by the girls parents. Miss Cheerilee would make a personal visit after school, if she had the time.
"Girls, I am extremely disappointed in you two. Your parents will hear about this." Miss Cheerilee could feel her voice starting a slowly increase. She stopped herself and tilted her head back, her eyes closed. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon's eyes were starting to tear up, their eyes burning. They wanted to be anywhere but here. Outside, at home, being sick.
"Now, how are we going to fix this so this doesn't happen again?" Miss Cheerilee asked, staring out the window. "Any suggestions?"
Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon looked at each other, wondering if they could slip out of the room while Cheerilee was looking out the window. Doing so would probably result in them staying inside at recess and after school for the rest of the year. Silver Spoon looked at the clock. Only five more minutes until the class came back in for the remainder of the day. They wanted to end this now.
"We could stay after school or help out Sweetiebelle?" Silver Spoon pitched.
"I wouldn't go that far, but if that's what you want." Miss Cheerilee replied.
"Or maybe we could help you after school, like cleaning the board and the desks." Diamond Tiara threw in. She wanted to try and get on Miss Cheerilee's good side at this point. Miss Cheerilee looked at the clock, her eyes flying over to the door, telling her brain what to do.
"I'll think about it girls. For now, take your seats while I let the class in. And you tell nopony about what we talked about." Miss Cheerilee ordered as she made her way to the door to call the class in. She wanted (or needed) to punish Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon for what they did. Maybe having them stay after school for a week or so may do the trick. Miss Cheerilee wanted to think of a way to punish them that seemed more appropriate for the situation. Nothing to harsh and nothing to soft. She decided that she would think about it until the end of the day. For now, she had the class back in for the remainder of the day. Miss Cheerilee arrived at the door and turned the knob. A satisfying click was heard, allowing Miss Cheerilee to open the door. She was met with a blast of warm air and the sweet smell of the trees and the grass that accompanied it. Miss Cheerilee scanned the area that the students were playing in. Some were sitting down, probably talking about weekend plans. A group of seven students were playing tag, enjoying themselves, along with the warm weather that the day brought with it.
Then Miss Cheerilee spotted Applebloom, Sweetiebelle, and Scootaloo sitting in a little group of there own, away from the other students. From the way Sweetiebelle's shoulders were raising and falling, Miss Cheerilee guessed that she was crying. She could also see Applebloom and Scootaloo patting Sweetiebelle's back, indicating that they were trying their best to comfort her. Miss Cheerilee didn't want to call her class back in. But, she had to. She didn't have a choice.
"Alright, everypony! Recess is over! Time for class!" Miss Cheerilee called out, hiding the disappointment in voice with her upbeat voice. She let out a sigh as the students walked back to the schoolhouse. As the they arrived, Miss Cheerilee slapped her happy face on, greeting each student as the entered the schoolhouse.
That's when Applebloom, Sweetiebelle, and Scootaloo arrived at the door. Miss Cheerilee saw that Sweetiebelle's eyes were as red as Applebloom's mane, showing her guess was correct. She had never seen Sweetiebelle this sad before in all her days of teaching her. Even when Sweetiebelle first started school, she was sad, but it seemed like nothing compared to what Sweetiebelle was like now. Applebloom and Scootaloo gave Miss Cheerilee a look of desperation. A look of need. She gave the two a slight nod, allowing them in, and following behind them. Applebloom, Sweetiebelle, and Scootaloo took their seats, away from Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. They thanked Celestia that Miss Cheerilee switched the seats around for the time being.
Miss Cheerilee took her place at the front of the classroom, watching over her students. "Okay, class. Quiet down. We have some History to get to." Miss Cheerilee's class responded with a quiet groan. She wasn't surprised by this. She too, hated History when she was in school. Hearing about the past with it's laws, bills, and other things made her groan also. The only thing she enjoyed about History was hearing about Princess Luna's banishment to the moon. In high school, she loved hearing about whatever wars had gone on in Equestria's and the world's past.
"But today's a little different, class." Miss Cheerilee replied back. "yes, we will be learning about History, but we'll be talking about conflicts that took place in Ponyville over the years."
The class immediately snapped to attention. This was different of Miss Cheerilee. Maybe she wanted to spice things up. Miss Cheerilee looked at Applebloom, Sweetiebelle, and Scootaloo, to find Sweetiebelle resting her head on her hoof, looking of into space while Applebloom and Scootaloo were comforting her. Miss Cheerilee sat down on her desk, giving her a slight overview of the class.
"So, who can tell me when Ponyville was founded by the Earth ponies, Pegasus ponies, and the Unicorns?"
"And that class, is the school day." Miss Cheerilee said to end the lesson, and more importantly for Sweetiebelle, the school day. "There's no homework tonight," Miss Cheerilee stated. "But, I need Applebloom, Sweetiebelle, Scootaloo, Diamond Tiara, and Silver Spoon to stay here."
A couple students gave a childish, "Oooo." The five being called gave out groans. Applebloom, Sweetiebelle, and Scootaloo didn't need to be with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. They obeyed Miss Cheerilee's request and went over to her. All they wanted was to get this over with and get home. Applebloom, Sweetiebelle, Scootaloo, Diamond Tiara, and Silver Spoon walked over to Miss Cheerilee's front desk, as that was where she was standing, keeping a row of desks in between them. If they were to walk to Miss Cheerilee, they wanted a temporary barrier.
The five reached Miss Cheerilee's front desk, feeling the stillness in the air. They could almost feel the negativity that stretched out from her. Applebloom, Sweetiebelle, Scootaloo, Diamond Tiara, and Silver Spoon suddenly found themselves next to each other again. They shot one another looks of disgust.
"Girls, do you why I called for the five of you?" Miss Cheerilee asked, breaking the silence. "I'll let you guess if you please."
"Is it because of what happened yesterday?" Sweetiebelle whispered, almost afraid to answer the question.
"Yes, Sweetiebelle." Miss Cheerilee replied as if she had massive ears that had wrapped around Sweetiebelle. "Now, explain this to me. Why did you, Miss Tiara, find it a good idea to hurt one of your fellow classmates?"
"Well..." Diamond Tiara scratched the back of her neck, searching for an answer, "... it was Silver Spoon that made me do it."
"You told me this already, Diamond. But you could have said 'No' or just ignored her." Miss Cheerilee shifted her view over to Silver Spoon. "As for you, Miss Spoon, why did you provoke your friend to trip Sweetiebelle?" Silver Spoon could feel her body warming up.
Silver Spoon looked up at the ceiling as if it held the answer. "I didn't tell her to. I said-"
"You told me to trip her when we were plotting what to do a couple days ago!" Diamond Tiara interrupted. "Don't act like you don't know what she's talking about!" Diamond Tiara was about ready to trip Silver Spoon when she started walking.
"Diamond Tiara!" Miss Cheerilee said in a raised tone. "You shouldn't interrupt another student or anypony else in this case. Now, Silver Spoon, what exactly were you and Diamond Tiara talking about a couple days ago? This so called 'plot'?" Miss Cheerilee questioned.
"Basically, what Diamond and I were talking was that we were going to have different 'stages' in the plan." Silver Spoon explained, not believing that she was actually saying the truth about they were doing. "We just hated that bag!" Silver Spoon shot a look at Sweetiebelle, knowing she had the plan in her head meant a new one was to be formulated.
"Thank you for telling me Silver Spoon. But, I'm still very disappointed in you." Miss Cheerilee looked Applebloom, Sweetiebelle, and Scootaloo, who had been standing silently since the beginning. "Do you have anything to add on to this?" The three just shook their heads mutely. "Okay. If there is nothing else to say, you girls are free to go. I don't want to talk to you about this again."
Diamond Tiara and Silver left the room quicker than the other students at the end of the day. They needed to get home before their parents questioned their absence. The air was slightly cooler than it was in the morning. The sun hung lower than it usually had when they left the schoolhouse for the afternoon, giving the sky a hint of orange.
"Okay, we need a new plan." Diamond Tiara said. "We can't stop now."
"Okay. So what to we do?" Silver Spoon wondered. "How will this be different?"
"Well, it'll be the same as before, but we take it a bit further." Diamond Tiara said.
"Go on." Silver Spoon responded, giving interest to her friend's idea.
"By taking it a bit further, what I mean is we get her outside of school." Diamond Tiara explained devilishly. "When she's with her little friends, when she's out and about, or whatever else she's doing." At this point Silver Spoon had scooted to her friend, wanting to absorb every detail in the plan. Silver Spoon realized that she was a little too close to her friend, and backed away.
"Good idea. Well, I gotta run. See you tomorrow." Silver Spoon turned and started her journey towards her home. The slight wind swinging her braid back.
"See ya." Diamond Tiara responded, before turning the opposite way towards her house. She couldn't wait to get home. She could plan all she wanted then tell Silver Spoon tomorrow what else there would be. The only thing Diamond Tiara didn't want her father to question her late arrival. Hopefully he didn't so she had more planning time.
Sweetiebelle arrived home to the warmth and comfort of a place that had familiarity to her. She walked up the stairs to the living part of the Carousel Boutique. The scent of hay cooking from the kitchen gave Sweetiebelle a sense of security, knowing that Rarity was home. She had her way into the kitchen to find Rarity furiously working to make dinner for herself and Sweetiebelle. Sweetiebelle took a deep breath, taking in the stronger scent of the kitchen, causing her stomach to growl. Rarity, upon hearing a suddenly breath from behind her, turned her head around to find Sweetiebelle standing there.
"Oh, Sweetiebelle. You're home." Rarity greeted. "How was your day?"
"Fine." Sweetiebelle replied flatly.
"That's great. Did Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon give you any trouble?" Rarity had stepped away from the stove.
"No. I was kept after by Miss Cheerilee, if you haven't noticed."
"I was just about to ask why you were back later than usual. What did Miss Cheerilee talk to you about?" Rarity inquired.
Sweetiebelle looked down at the floor. "We talked about what their plan thing was about. And what they talked about when it came to tripping me." Sweetiebelle could feel her eyes start to burn. She didn't want to talk about. Rarity took noticed immediately felt a sense of guilt. She didn't mean to ask, she was just concerned for her little sister.
"I'm sorry, Sweetie. I didn't mean to ask." Rarity put a hoof under Sweetiebelle's chin. "Please don't cry. We'll get through this together. You don't need to worry." Rarity assured her sister. Sweetiebelle looked up to find her eyes meeting her sister's.
"It's okay. I just don't want to talk about it right now." Sweetiebelle whispered. She turned away from Rarity to go to her room.
"I'm sorry." Rarity called out. She didn't know what else to say. She felt bad for Sweetiebelle, but couldn't think of anything else to say. "I'll call you when dinner is ready." Rarity's sentence was answered by the closing of Sweetiebelle's bedroom door. Rarity wanted to walk right up to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon and give them a piece of her mind, but that would be too rude or just plain inappropriate. She needed something to distract her mind from this mess. That's when she smelled the hay she had been preparing for dinner. Rarity walked right back over to the stove to continue her cooking. The smell of hay rose from the pan into Rarity nostrils. A smile of pleasure stretched it's way across her face. She was already starting to forget was the problem was.
Sweetiebelle awoke the next morning feeling terrible. She couldn't catch a wink of sleep last night. She kept having nightmares about Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon hurting her and, for some strange reason, they were hurting Applebloom and Scootaloo. When Sweetiebelle had awoken from her dreams, she found herself screaming bloody murder. Rarity had to spend the night in Sweetiebelle's room, comforting her from her terrors and reassuring her that the dreams meant nothing. Sweetiebelle thought otherwise.
Sweetiebelle rolled out of bed, with her mane messier than it had been in a while. Her bed sheets had been kicked around so much, they had become undone and were bunched up at the end of the bed. Sweetiebelle examined her room and it's contents. Everything seemed to be in order. Her nightstand was still in it's spot, her dresser was still standing in it's corner. Nothing seemed different, even though Sweetiebelle's mind said that there was something in her room that was incorrect.
Sweetiebelle turned her head to the door when she held the sound of hooves coming towards her room. She was greeted by the sight of Rarity walking into her room. Her mane had it's elegant curls, it's silky smooth touch, and it's dark shade of purple.
"Good morning, Sweetiebelle. How are you feeling?" Rarity asked in her motherly-like tone.
"Fine, I guess." Sweetiebelle mumbled. "Do I have to go to school?" She whined.
Rarity took in a breath, having enough of Sweetiebelle's nonsense. "Yes, you do. I have breakfast ready for you on the table." Rarity started towards the door, turning her head back to notice that Sweetiebelle was still laying in bed, let out a groan. "Come on, Sweetiebelle." She grunted as she picked up Sweetiebelle with her magic. An aura of light blue light surrounded Sweetiebelle, levitating her a couple feet off of the bed. Sweetiebelle desperately tried to grab onto anything to keep her from being taken away. There was no success as she was taken out of the room and towards the kitchen. Sweetiebelle's nose was instantly bombarded with the scent of the morning breakfast, as well as some sort of perfume. Probably Rarity's. She was plopped down at the table on a chair that was already pulled out for her. On the table was a simple hay sandwich. Nothing too special. Sweetiebelle looked at the sandwich before her. It's bread seemed to mix in with the color of the hay. The hay was placed in a weaving pattern, looking like a neatly woven mat.
"Now," Rarity began after she entered the kitchen. "I want you to eat up. We're running out of room for leftovers."
Sweetiebelle looked down at the table with sadness on her face. "What if I don't want to eat?" She asked. "What if I don't want to eat ever again?!"
"Sweetiebelle!" Rarity exclaimed with disgust. "You need to eat." Rarity went over to Sweetiebelle's side. She wanted to yell at her for the way she was acting, but it would most likely send Sweetiebelle deeper into the pit of sadness she was in. "Just...please eat." Rarity begged.
Sweetiebelle let out a sigh. "Fine." She took the sandwich and grabbed a bite out of it. This isn't that bad, she thought. She took another bite, and another bite. Sweetiebelle went for another nibble to find that her sandwich was missing. It had sadly been ingested by her and she looked up at Rarity, who had been watching the entire time. A smile had been stretched across her face.
"Did you enjoy you breakfast?" Rarity asked politely. Sweetiebelle gave a nod. She had enjoyed it. Maybe the sandwich tasted better because she was tired. Or maybe it was because her stomach was empty up to this point. Either way, the sandwich was good and that was all that mattered.
"Now that you're done with your breakfast, you should probably go get ready for school." Rarity suggested.
"Okay." Sweetiebelle agreed. She jumped down from her chair and made her way to the bathroom. The house was silent that morning, as the day was young and nopony was really out at this time. Sweetiebelle liked this kind of silence, making we feel as if she was the only pony in the world. Going down the short hallway gave her time to think about what today would be like. Would Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon bug her and trip her again? Would they still be sitting in the back of class again? Would Miss Cheerilee keep them in for recess again? Too many questions for the morning. Sweetiebelle's mind needed to wake up some more before she allowed her mind to formulate more questions.
Sweetiebelle arrived in the bathroom to find that it was a tad bit dark. She flipped on the switch, showering herself in a white light, as well as blinding her. She shielded her eyes with her hoof and pulled up her small stool so she could see the reflection of herself in the mirror. Her mane was a mess. It looked like her mane went through a couple sets of cows teeth. It was knotted in more ways than one. Sections were crossing over one another, creating knots tighter than the seal on the blankets on her beds when she slept in winter. The curls that were existing in Sweetiebelle's mane were nowhere to be found.
Sweetiebelle brought the brush up to mane and tried to decide where she would start. In the front where some knots were? Or in the middle where the knot count was greatest? The sides? The back? Sweetiebelle chose to start in the front, so she could pave the way for the middle. The first stroke untangled the knots, leaving the other two strokes to glide through her mane flawlessly. Sweetiebelle brought the brush to the middle, seeing that she may the toughest time trying to untangle it. The first stroke was stopped by a wall of tangles, letting Sweetiebelle go no further. She pulled the brush with all her might, trying to break down the wall of hair. Her efforts were proving fruitless and she needed to undo this knot before school started. She pulled back on the brush and brought it forward with all the might she could muster in the morning. The brush slammed into the the defense of hair, trying to break it down. Suddenly, the brush made it's way through and it came down right in front of her face. She gave a smile as she had finally gotten through the knot in her mane. Sweetiebelle went back through the front a couple more times to make sure she had all the knots undone. She then proceeded to go through the sides, back, and the middle, undoing the knots that were present. Upon undoing them, her curls came back, only they were a tad bit puffy and drooped a bit, like how Applebloom's ribbon did when she was sad. Maybe her curls were indicating something internal. Something Sweetiebelle was yet to realize.
Sweetiebelle took another look in the mirror, making sure that nothing was out of place. Everything seemed to be in it's original spot. She gave a weak smile to mirror and hopped down from the stool, pushing it back so it was out of the way if Rarity needed the bathroom. Sweetiebelle hit the switch, killing the lights. She turned down the hall towards the kitchen, where Rarity was still cleaning off the last of the dishes. She flashed Sweetiebelle a loving smile as she entered the kitchen, grabbing Sweetiebelle's saddlebag form the tabletop. She levitated it over to Sweetiebelle, placing it on her back with care.
"Ready for school?" Rarity asked.
Sweetiebelle looked down at the floor. Tears welled up in eyes. She didn't want to go to school today. Or any day in this case. "No." Sweetiebelle whispered, slamming eyes shut. She wouldn't let the tears slip from her tear ducts. Rarity put a hoof on Sweetiebelle's shoulder, giving a heart-warming smile. Her eyes met her little sister eyes and they could almost feel the emotions beaming from each other's soul into one another eyes.
"Sweetiebelle. You have to go to school." Rarity said, wrapping her up in a hug. "I know this part of your life is rough, but we have to do this together." Rarity could feel her own eyes growing hot. She had never been like this before. This situation was having sort of effect on her. When Sweetiebelle had been sad before, Rarity never found herself crying or even getting close to crying. "I'll walk you to school today. But, I don't know if I'll be able to pick up after school. I'll try though." Rarity reassured her sister. Sweetiebelle forced herself to wrap herself around her sister's neck. The tears started to slowly flow out, onto Rarity's white coat. She didn't mind. It was her sister's tears of desperation and love. That's when Rarity felt a pair of small, soft, warm lips against her neck. She heard the sound of a gentle kiss and looked down the find Sweetiebelle with a smile on her face. Rarity answered by giving Sweetiebelle a kiss on the forehead.
"Everything will be okay. I promise."
Rarity and Sweetiebelle arrived at the school, in complete silence. They barely talked to each other on the way to school, as Sweetiebelle was bottling up her emotions from this morning. She felt that any conversation after the little talk her and Rarity had would've defiantly sent her into a downward spiral of sadness. Sweetiebelle used the silent walk to calm herself down, letting her brain coordinate her feelings for the morning and the rest of the day. Sweetiebelle looked up at the schoolhouse to find Applebloom and Scootaloo facing the schoolhouse, as if talking about something in private. She scanned the rest of the yard. Everything was the same as yesterday, with the same group of students playing tag. She had unfortunately spotted Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon sitting together, talking, and shooting glares at Applebloom and Scootaloo. Sweetiebelle looked away to keep herself from losing it. She looked up at Rarity, who must have seen Sweetiebelle turn away because she had pulled her little sister closer to her. Rarity gave Sweetiebelle a small smile.
"I'll walk up with you if you want." Rarity offered. Sweetiebelle nodded. She wanted (or needed) Rarity to be with her for as long as possible. She wanted to feel the warm security of her sister at all times. They walked up the path towards where Applebloom and Scootaloo were sitting. The other groups of students looked at Sweetiebelle like she had three heads. It was differnet for her, or anypony in this case, to have her sister with her. It was something that no other student had attempted before. Yes, they had their parents walk them to school on somedays, but not walking them up to the schoolhouse.
Sweetiebelle and Rarity continued up the path, ignoring what the other students thought of them. Especially Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, who they had been ignoring since they arrived. The two approached Applebloom and Sweetiebelle who hadn't noticed that they were behind them, as they had there backs turned away from the others. Sweetiebelle and Rarity slowly approached them, wanting to give them a shot of energy for the morning. They snuck of behind them, getting their breathing low and quiet.
"Good morning." Rarity said, causing the girls to jump. They turned around to find Sweetiebelle and Rarity standing over them, the early morning sun casting an orange tint across their faces. Applebloom and Scootaloo looked a little more tired than usual this morning for some strange reason. Maybe they had the same dreams that Sweetiebelle had last night. They both cracked a weak smile.
"Good mornin'." Applebloom said. "How you two doin' this morning?"
"Okay." Rarity responded. "We had a rough night. How about you two?"
"Eh, it was okay." Scootaloo said, scratching the back of her neck. She let out a yawn, rubbing her eyes.
"Ah slept fine." Applebloom responded. "What about you Sweetiebelle?" She asked turning to Sweetiebelle. Sweetiebelle immediately turned away, slamming her eyes shut. She didn't want to cry, not this early in the morning, and definitely not at school, when the others could see her. Applebloom immediately felt bad for even asking Sweetiebelle. Scootaloo gave her a gentle punch in the arm, as if trying to cheer up Sweetiebelle. Rarity a hoof around her little sister's shoulder, pulling her in closer to her.
"Please don't ask Sweetiebelle about that. She isn't very comfortable talking about this." Rarity eyes held a look of despair, which was unnatural for her. Applebloom and Scootaloo obeyed by changing the subject of the conversation.
Applebloom looked up at Rarity. "So, how's uh," Applebloom looked up at the sky, as if to see if it held the answer. "How's the Boutique business workin' for ya?"
"Oh, just swimmingly." Rarity replied. "How's the farm?"
"Fine." She replied. "We are still keepin' care of the trees." Rarity turned her attention to Scootaloo, as she hadn't had much interaction in the conversation.
"How about you, Scootaloo? How have you been?" Rarity asked. She didn't dare ask about her parents. That was territory that she, and just about everypony else needed to stay away from. The reason it was an avoided subject was the fact that no citizen of Ponyville knew Scootaloo's family.
"Fine. I've been around on my scooter." Scootaloo replied in a tired tone. "Seen Rainbow Dash at all?"
Rarity shook her head mutely. Scootaloo seemed somewhat disappointed. That was expected from her, as Rainbow Dash was like a sister to her. Sweetiebelle brought her head back up to join the conversation. Her eyes were red and puffy. Applebloom and Scootaloo didn't care. They weren't going to judge Sweetiebelle because of that. Rarity pulled her sister in closer to her, wrapping her hoof around Sweetiebelle. Rarity could feel the sadness reaching out from Sweetiebelle and into her body. It wasn't something Rarity particularly enjoyed, even when Sweetiebelle was a foal. She rubbed Sweetiebelle's leg to try and comfort her. Her little sister calmed down a bit, knowing that her sister was there to comfort and protect her.
The four sat in silence, letting the day wake itself up. The sun slowly rose, showering the area in its glow. The temperature was still the same as it was half an hour ago. The trees stood silently, their leaves in their usual green, lightly swaying in the breeze. Even the grass was waving ever so slightly. The sound of a door opening broke the silence of morning, causing Applebloom, Sweetiebelle, Scootaloo, and Rarity to turn their head to where the sound was coming from. The sound came from the schoolhouse, showing Miss Cheerilee standing in the door, her gentle smile resting on her mouth.
"Time for class!" Miss Cheerilee called out. The students stopped what they were doing and started towards the schoolhouse. Some with a tired look on their faces, other with a smile that matched Miss Cheerilee's. A few students had a blank expression plastered on their faces. Rarity turned her head back to Sweetiebelle, finding that her sister's head was already looking up.
"Okay Sweetiebelle," Rarity said, "I'll let you get to class." She grinned warmly.
"B-but I don't want you to leave me." Sweetiebelle wrapped herself around Rarity's foreleg, burying her face in the process. Rarity looked to where Applebloom and Scootaloo should have been, only to find they were no longer present. Rarity looked over to the schoolhouse to the two entering the building, with Miss Cheerilee greeting them.
"I know you don't want me to leave," Rarity said softly, "But, you need to be strong." Rarity gave Sweetiebelle a kiss on the forehead. Sweetiebelle looked up, then planted a kiss on Rarity's cheek.
"Okay. I'll do my best. I promise."
Rarity gave a satisfied nod. "No matter what, they can't hurt. Even if they trip or hit you, they cannot bring you down. You are better than them." She reassured, giving Sweetiebelle a hug. Rarity could feel the pressure of Sweetiebelle's own hug against her. It was a lot more than she had expected, almost as if she was trying to cut off circulation to her leg.
"I love you." Sweetiebelle whispered. "Thank yo-"
"Sweetiebelle!" Miss Cheerilee called out. "Time for class." Sweetiebelle looked over at Miss Cheerilee, who still had her smile across her face. She looked back at Rarity, released her grip, and started towards the schoolhouse. Rarity just stood there. Her eyes teared up, knowing that her little sister was going to take her problems head on. Rarity turned away and took her path towards the Carousel Boutique, where she could let her tears of joy out in private.
Sweetiebelle sat down at her desk, letting out a soft creak. She looked around to find Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon in the back of the room, Applebloom and Scootaloo in their seats next to herself. Miss Cheerilee was writing something on the board, the chalk making the occasional squeak after the strokes. Sweetiebelle couldn't tell what it was, as Miss Cheerilee's head was blocking part of it. She could only make out a "W", an "r", an "n", and a "g". Sweetiebelle guessed it was writing. As Miss Cheerilee stepped to reveal that the class was going to do writing from the morning. Sweetiebelle hated writing just as much as the next pony, but Miss Cheerilee told them that had writing properly was needed for when they grew up. A groan came from a few of students, as well as Sweetiebelle as she and class received blank, white paper from Miss Cheerilee. Sweetiebelle rested her head down on her hoof and stared at the paper. It was crisp and looked as if it had just been pulled out of it's packaging. The paper was as empty as Sweetiebelle was, like it was a copy of her. She wished that she was home, safely hiding from everyone.
"Alright, everypony. Take out your pencils." Miss Cheerilee said, interrupting Sweetiebelle thoughts. "Now, I know that Writing isn't your favorite subject, but this will be a quick lesson." She assured. Half the time, a "quick" lesson was a lie and usually ended in the class having to finish that lesson for homework. But there was something in Miss Cheerilee's voice that was something that hadn't been there before. It was like she was sharing Sweetiebelle's sadness and really did want to make this a quick lesson. Sweetiebelle noticed the tone and brought her head up. Now her attention was on Miss Cheerilee, hoping she had more to say.
"Today, we will be writing about important ponies. These ponies can be anything from one of the princesses to your parents. Maybe even one of your friends." Miss Cheerilee said. "And it only has to be five sentences long. And no short ones. Well, I don't want to keep you. Get writing." She concluded, indicating that the students could start. Almost on cue, the student started to write away. The sound of pencils softly striking paper and the gentle scraping on pencils filled the room. Sweetiebelle looked around the room. Everyone was writing about who knows what. Applebloom and Scootaloo were focused on their papers. Sweetiebelle guessed that Applebloom was writing about Applejack and Scootaloo was writing about Rainbow Dash. Sweetiebelle looked back down at her blank paper, which stared back. She let out a sigh and picked up her pencil and joined her classmates in the orchestra of pencil writing.
Sweetiebelle put down her pencil. Her hoof hurt from holding the pencil for so long. She had written more than she expected. A lot more. Most of the students had finished their assignments early. Sweetiebelle on the other side of things, had put a lot of thought into her work, as well as effort. What started of as a few sentences turned into two paragraphs. She looked over her work, tears welling up in her eyes. She took in a breath and hopped down from her seat and brought her paper up. Sweetiebelle could feel the eyes of the eyes tearing holes in her body. She felt like she was being judged for being the last to turn in her paper. Either way, she trudged up the aisle with her paper. She stopped at Miss Cheerilee's desk, which she was sitting on and looked up. The desk looked a thousand times larger than it was, with a teacher that was equally as tall. Miss Cheerilee looked at Sweetiebelle, hoof extended to receive the paper. Sweetiebelle turned it over to her and headed back to her seat. Miss Cheerilee took to paper and placed it in the pile where the other papers lay. She glanced up at the clock. The amount of expected time had been long exceeded, as Sweetiebelle was the last to turn in her paper. It was close to recess, by Miss Cheerilee's standards. She looked back at the students, who were dying of boredom.
"Alright, everypony! Early recess!" Miss Cheerilee announced as the students rushed out the door, chatting among their friends. Miss Cheerilee expected Sweetiebelle to still be sitting at her desk, but found it odd that she was outside, as if she wanted to leave the room. Miss Cheerilee shrugged and looked at the pile of papers stacked on her desk.
I guess now would be a good time to grade these.
Miss Cheerilee picked up Sweetiebelle's paper, as it was on top. She was stunned to find two paragraphs of wording. Every other paper she received met the requirements, but only only going over by maybe one or two sentences. Miss Cheerilee read Sweetiebelle's paper, bracing herself for what she was about to read.
My hero. Who is my hero? It could be anypony, but one pony has stood out from the rest. That somepony is nopony. There isn't one pony who understands the pain I'm in. Applebloom and Scootaloo are comforting, but that isn't enough. Rarity isn't helping that much. She doesn't know my struggles. She tries her best to comfort me and show me that there is light in this. Her efforts aren't enough though.
It's like there is nopony in my life I can call am hero. They either don't exist or they haven't revealed themselves. I need a hero, but I can't find them. Every student here has a hero, only because they found them from whatever walk of life they came from. I need help. Hopefully, my hero gets here in time.
Miss Cheerilee put the paper down. She a look of disbelief stretched across her face. She was speechless. This was something that no student of her's had ever done before. How could Sweetiebelle not have a hero. Everypony had one. Miss Cheerilee remembered her heroes was her own parents. They had always been there for her with love and comfort. The one part of this assignment that was biting at her was the last sentence. What did Sweetiebelle mean by a hero getting there in time? What was she planning? Something tragic? Something crazy? Miss Cheerilee buried her face in her hooves. She wanted to break down and cry on the desk she was sitting at.
Why?
