Different

It was a grim, dark afternoon. The sun was almost unrecognizable as it remained hidden behind thick walls of grey clouds. It was a quiet day. Children were in school, and grownups were currently either at home or work, but no matter the age difference both adults and children gave their work their personal best no matter what task was given to them.

In the boutique, or what had once been Ponyville's most favored clothing boutique in town, had recently been transformed into an ordinary household for the full grown mare and her younger sibling Sweetie Belle. Rarity had given up her passion and love of fashion for a brand new life of Robotics and technology.

The busy working mare had slowly begun to construct a brand new invention that was especially designed for her indifferent sibling. This invention would aide the young filly in trying to better understand the culture of unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies.  Rarity fully understood that raising Sweetie Belle was never going to be a simple task, because her sister was like no other; she was a robot, or at least part robot, but Rarity preferred using the term droid prior to "robot".

Her noisy, old fashioned telephone rang loudly from downstairs. It caused quite a nuisance and Rarity's attention was automatically directed towards the inanimate object. 'Who could be calling her at a time like this?' She thought as she gradually moved from her bedroom and into the hallway that lead towards her metallic staircase.

She moved briskly and soon arrived at the bottom of her staircase with no struggle at all.

"Hello-" She said as she answered the telephone, but the caller did not give her a chance to complete the remainder of her short greeting.

"Ms. Rarity! Ms. B-Belle has gotten into a f-fight with young Tiara!" The young stallion shouted through the telephone. His voice sounded worried and came out slightly stuttered. "Please c-come pick her up s-soon!"

With that Rarity swallowed. She closed her eyes gently and inhaled carefully.  It took the mature mare only a second for her to collect her thoughts. "Alright." She answered with a calm, emotionless tone. Before the young professor could continue their conversation Rarity hung up briskly.

She slammed her phone onto the countertop of her wooden desk. Tears exploded from her eyes and trickled down her face, but she quickly wiped them away with the sleeve of her white coat.

"What am I doing?" She laughed as she levitated her thin glasses off from her eyes. "What is a fully matured mare doing crying like a child." She remarked as she dried the thin glass with a small towel.

Once the glass looked spotless, and unstained, she placed the material back on her face, and carefully adjusted them comfortably. She sighed uneasily and grabbed a heavy coat and exited her home heading towards the new school house...

"Ms. Scootaloo c-could you not-"

"Shut it dumb professor!" A mare with a long purple, and white mane shouted. Her coat color was pink, her eyes were a light blue, and her cutiemark was a diamond tiara.

Her tiara came flying off when an orange hoof knocked it off with one, hard blow.

"Damn you Scootaloser!" She shouted through gritted teeth, her voice sounded quite professional yet the mare spoke like a furious child.

A mare with a mane that barely passed her shoulders flew a few feet above the mare Diamond Tiara. The pegasus taunted her by flying around with Diamond Tiara's beloved tiara.

"Scootaloser! Give me my tiara or you'll see me in court!" She shrieked aloud, causing the mare, Scootaloo, to immediately toss the crown towards the earth pony.

Diamond Tiara gasped as she ran towards the direction of her crown that was leading towards a mud puddle. The mare was frightened by closed her eyes as she ran forward, catching the tiara in her mouth.

"Ha ha! I caught it-"

Scootaloo smirked and pointed a hoof at the ground below Diamond Tiara.

"What is it Scootaloser!" She yelled in a tone that sounded as if it had become annoyed.

"Uh. You sorta ran into a pile of mud.. Hehe." Her voice was deep, and slightly scratchy, but still sounded the same as when she was a child.

"Damn you Scootaloo...." She muttered softly, but not loud enough for the mare to hear.

"Huh? Didn't quite catch the last part..." Scootaloo said as she put a hoof behind her ear.

"Lean in and I'll tell you..." Diamond Tiara said with a devious smile as a small strand of her white and purple mane covered her grin.

"Uh sure..." Scootaloo hovered slightly above the mud puddle and leant in closely towards the mare.

Diamond Tiara pulled out a blade and laughed maniacally.

Sweetie Belle's instincts automatically responded and she came charging towards the two mares. Diamond Tiara brought the blade upwards, and aimed it into Scootaloo's exposed neck. She plunged it forward, but something stopped her.

Scootaloo and Diamond Tiara both blinked and stared at Sweetie Belle, who stood in between the both of them. She was breathing quickly, and her hooves were shaking. The knife was in Sweetie Belle's shoulder, but the odd thing was that there wasn't ant blood, but instead sparks came flying.

Scootaloo had wide eyes, and slowly landed beside her injured friend. Her mouth was agape and she tried to look for the words, but nothing came out.  Sweetie Belle was still panting loudly, her eyes felt moist, but the tears wouldn't come out... Instead her face was painted with a look of horror.

"Sweetie Belle!" A familiar voice gasped, it was her sister.

"Rarity..."

The filly looked up towards her sister that was practically racing her way, which was a site the small filly never saw...

The white colored unicorn raised a hoof to slap Scootaloo, but a hoof stopped her.  Scootaloo and Rarity both had shocked expressions on their faces, Sweetie Belle's tiny hoof somehow manage to stop Rarity's with the remaining strength in her body.

"Rarity..." She began, slightly out of breath... "What... am I...?"

"A freak-" Before Diamond Tiara could finish, Scootaloo forked mud into the mare's mouth. "Eww! Mud!!" Cried Tiara as she began to wipe the substance off her tongue imeadiately.

"Sweetie Belle. Let's go home and-"

"NO! You always say that! Now it's my turn to talk!!!" Her eyes were angrily glaring daggers towards her sister.

"What am I!" She sobbed, but tears didn't come out.

"You're my sister darling-" Rarity tried to bring a comforting hoof around her filly sister, but it was slapped away.

"Why am I so young, and why... w-why are there sparks coming out from my arm!"

"Sweetie Belle..."

"I knew I wasn't normal! I was a freak, and you're ashamed of me!! Admit it! You never loved me-"

"SWEETIE BELLE!" Rarity screamed bringing almost the majority of the school's attention towards the both of them. "I am not ashamed of my little sister! And I never have! I am proud of who you are, and even though you aren't like any other filly, you're special."

"But that means I'm different.... It makes me an outcast..." Sweetie Belle looked away, and felt a warm wing wrap around her in a comforting way.

"Hey. You're my friend, and you'll never be an outcast..." Scootaloo said as she kissed the top of Sweetie Belle's head, causing the filly to smile sheepishly.

Rarity nodded towards Scootaloo, who just turned to Sweetie Belle and said. "I'll just let you two sort this out..." She waved goodbye as she ran back towards the mud puddle and outstretched a hoof towards the mare who was sulking in the deep, filthy pile of moist dirt.

"Sweetie Belle. If I didn't love you, why would I offer to take you into my custody... You are a robot filly, or a droid. I am so sorry I never told you, but I didn't want to hurt you or crush any dreams you might have had..." Rarity blinked away tears as she brought her sister into a warm, affectionate hug.

"Sweetie Belle it's okay to be different. In fact you're an unique filly, which makes you that much more admirable..."

Sweetie Belle smiled weakly in the embrace, her sister patted her back softly. And in the distance Sweetie Belle saw Diamond Tiara and Scootaloo walking in their direction.

"I'm sorry for calling you a freak..." She said sheepishly as she rubbed her arm with a foreleg. "But don't let this apology get to your head!" Diamond Tiara screamed as her cheeks grew a dark hue of red.

Sweetie Belle laughed as she smiled back at Diamond Tiara, who shockingly smiled back.

After all that happened Tiara was sentenced five years in Ponyville's slammer, and had to do pay off her crime with community service and was forced to go to therapy everyday after that. But Scootaloo still visits her along with Silver Spoon, but Diamond Tiara always treats her like dirt, even though deep down inside she appreciates having those two and Sweetie Belle as a friend..

Was it really okay to be different...? If being different is what makes you special then I never want to be ordinary again."