Chapters It's the End of the World as We Know It
Sweetie Belle was disturbed by the images that transmitted from the television, but darn it all if she was not so curious to know what happens next. She quivered in the dark, the sights and sounds of the late-night movie becoming more vivid and clear. The screaming, the bloodied ponies lying motionless on the street, the fire falling from the sky, a massive tidal wave washing away great cities, the earth cracking open and the poor unfortunate souls that fallen into the abyss. Whenever Sweetie tried to look away, her eyes always took a little peek at the next scene.
“Sweetie Belle,” a voice said from the hallway. Acting on instinct, the filly yelped and hid behind the couch. “Sweetie Belle, I know you’re behind there,” the feminine voice said again. It belonged to her older sister, Rarity. “Why are you up so late? It’s past your bedtime.”
“Just five more minutes,” stammered Sweetie Belle. Rarity took note of the movie Sweetie was watching. On the television was a large city, with ponies running in a frenzy from what appeared to be an asteroid from the sky.
“Sweetie Belle, I don’t think you should be watching this anymore,” said Rarity. Her magic captured the remote control and she turned off the TV. “Scary movies like these will give you nightmares.”
“No they won’t,” Sweetie protested weakly. She emerged from behind the couch with frightened eyes.
“Yes they will. Now let’s skidaddle up those stairs and tuck yourself into bed, you have a full day of school in the morning.”
Sweetie did as she was told, and ascending into the top floor with each baby step she took. The hallway was dimly lit, and she was not sure if she could make it to her bedroom without going into a terror-induced fit. As Sweetie Belle ascended to the top floor, the movie continued to play in her head. Like a music video, she saw a series of images that flash one after another. The horrible disasters and the terrified ponies made her whimper.
After struggling to travel through the dark hallway, Sweetie Belle was finally safe in her own bed. However, she could not make herself fall asleep. Her room was almost pitch black, the only light coming from the street lamps and the moon. Everything was silent, which made her uneasy than she was before.
“It’s only a movie,” she said to herself. “It’s only a movie. Disasters like that can’t happen in real life. Even if they did, Princess Celestia and Luna can handle it. I hope.” With no way to put herself to sleep, Sweetie had to choose the only option available. She began to count imaginary sheep jumping over her head. “1… 2… 3… 4…”
… Sweetie Belle had no memory of how she got here, but the only thought on her mind was finding a way out. She found her in the center of a destroyed city. Fire was everywhere, and the sky was as red as blood. There was no possible sign of life anywhere.
“Hello,” she called out, “is there anypony here?” No response was given, so she had to search for help on her own. Sweetie turned her head at every direction, not sure of where she was going. As long as she walked through the apocalyptic city, the buildings grew dark and ominous. A sudden noise from a pile of debris grabbed her attention, and she prepared herself for whatever it was that was hiding. “Hello? Who’s there? Please don’t hurt me!” The debris pile dismantled itself, revealing an injured stallion.
“...Help… me,” the stallion pleaded. Sweetie Belle ran to him and struggle to remove the remaining debris that was crushing him.
“Don’t worry sir, I’ll get you out! Just hold…” The ground shook underneath them. Sweetie was knocked from her legs into the ground. The earthquake intensified, and around her the buildings crumbled and collapsed. Sweetie was surprised to see ponies out of nowhere running for their lives. Her heart stopped beating when the earth under her legs split opened and the poor stallion fell in.
The earthquake made it difficult for Sweetie to stand on her legs. Once she was on her hooves, she took advantage of the opportunity to run. She outran the other ponies, looking around her surroundings for any imminent disaster. Behind her, what sounded like waves crashing was heard. Her pupils shrinked when she learned the horrible truth - a tidal wave was covering the city with water. Tears streamed from her eyes while she increased her speed. On the direction where she was running, a giant ball of fire was descending from the red sky.
“What’s happening?” Sweetie screamed to herself. She ran aimlessly around the city along with the other ponies looking for shelter. To her dismay she entered a dead end. She was cornered by the oncoming tsunami and the fireball from the sky. Sweetie Belle watched as the two elemental disasters collided with her…
… Sweetie Belle’s screamed herself out of bed. She panted heavily and her heart was pumping blood at an alarming rate. Her hooves were sweating, as was herself. The light of the morning sun was beaming from her window into her room.
“Sweetie Belle,” Rarity called from the other side of the door, “are you alright, darling?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Sweetie said through her panting.
“That’s good to hear. Well, it’s time to get ready, you don’t want to be late for school.” Sweetie Belle climbed out of bed and opened her window. The sky was blue complete with puffy white clouds, and the ponies outside had smiles on their faces.
“It was just a dream,” she said. “A really terrible dream.”
Sweetie Belle stood at the intersection while she waited for Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. The dream was still fresh in her mind. Looking up at the sky she feared that any minute, the sun will disappear and the peaceful blue will turn into rageful red. Worst of all, no matter how many smiling ponies were outside, she only saw them running from an earthquake, or a tidal wave, or a tornado, or any kind of horrible disaster.
“I knew I shouldn’t have watched that movie last night,” she said. “Why couldn’t I watched something else, like the Powerpuff Ponies?” She felt a small object hit her head. Sweetie shrieked and ran for cover and curled in the fetal position.
“Sweetie Belle, are you alright?” a familiar voice asked. She looked up and saw Apple Bloom and Scootaloo standing over her. “What are you doing down there?” asked Scootaloo.
“I’m trying to protect my head!” Sweetie answered.
“From an acorn?” Apple Bloom asked. Sweetie look at the ground and she saw an acorn on the spot where she was standing. A lone squirrel climbed down from a tree to retrieve it, not before giving Sweetie Belle an apologetic shrug. “What’s wrong with ya, Sweetie Belle?” Apple Bloom asked. “You look like you hadn’t had a good night's rest.”
“I don’t know. I was watching this scary movie last night that was about about the world coming to an end because of all these crazy disasters. Then I had a dream last night that I was in the movie.”
“Whoa. Maybe you shouldn’t watch that movie again,” Scootaloo said.
“That’s what Rarity said.”
“Why were you watching that?” asked Apple Bloom, “I thought you hated scary movies.”
“I thought I did too, but I got bored so I decided to watch it,” said Sweetie. “I didn’t know it was going to be that scary.”
“Well, the important thing is that the world ain’t coming to an end anytime soon,” Apple Bloom said. “Come on girls, let’s get to school.”
Scootaloo and Apple Bloom had a conversation about what they did last night, while Sweetie remained silent. She tried to push the images of the movie and the dream out of her mind, but everything she saw reminds her of at least one aspect of both of them. To her left, she saw a billboard being displayed by a pegasus that said “THE END IS NEAR--” Sweetie gasped and turned her eyes away. If only she had looked a little longer, Sweetie would have realized the billboard actually said “THE END IS NEAR, SALE ENDS MAY 10!” To her right, she saw a teenage pony on a skateboard listening to a boombox. It was loud enough for Sweetie to hear the words, “Possible Tornado Warning--” If only the teenager had not sped away so quickly, Sweetie would have learn that “Possible Tornado Warning” was the new hit song from that popular rock band.
“Sweetie Belle, you’ve been quiet all this time,” Apple Bloom said. “What’s the matter?”
“Um, girls,” Sweetie Belle said. “Do you ever get the feeling that the whole world is out to get you?”
“That’s it, Sweetie Belle. No more scary movies for you,” Apple Bloom said. “They can really mess with your head. I can see why Applejack hates those things.”
Every colt and filly sat at their desks once the schoolbell ranged. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo took their usual seats on a row across from each other. Sweetie kept her eyes at the window, making sure nothing out of the ordinary would disrupt her school day. She was wondering why there was a film projector in the middle of the classroom.
“Okay class, settle down,” Miss Cheerilee said as cheerful as she could ever be. “I hope all of you had a nice weekend, because we have so much to talk about.” She grabbed a piece of chalk and wrote on the blackboard. “I believe today would be a great day to talk about the Universe!”
Scootaloo raised her arm and said, “The universe? Like astronomy and stuff?”
“Absolutely, Scootaloo,” Cheerilee said. “Yesterday, I was watching Science Channel and they were having a marathon of Professor Cosmos, and I thought it would be a great opportunity to learn about the wonders of outer space.”
“Outer space?” Sweetie Belle whispered to herself. Immediately, she was reminded of the giant asteroid approaching earth from the movie last night.
Miss Cheerilee pulled down a white screen in front of the blackboard and had one of her students dim the lights. “Today we are going to watch a film about astronomy, but play very close attention, because we’re going to have an intelligent discussion about it afterwards.”
The room was in total darkness and Miss Cheerilee switched on the projector. The class was introduced to stunning visuals of planets, stars, galaxies, and finally, earth. “Welcome to An Adventure Across the Stars,” the announcer said, “with your host, Professor Cosmos.”
A blue unicorn stallion appeared on the screen. He had a black mane, and wore a tan suit jacket with a white turtleneck. This was Professor Cosmos. “Since the dawn of civilization, ponykind had always looked up at the stars and wonder,” he said. “How did we get here? Where did all began? How is it going to end?” Sweetie Belle bit her lip when she heard that last question. “Come with me as travel billions and billions of years from the birth of the universe, to its inevitable end…”
As the film continued, Sweetie Belle waited anxiously for the end. It was worse than the movie she was watching last night. Professor Cosmos spent the entire last half of the film explaining the possible ways the universe could cease to exist. What made it frightening than the movie was that those were scientific theories.
“Although largely dismissed, astronomers believe a black hole could put an end to all life on earth,” Professor Cosmos said, followed by a quick animation of a black hole swallowing the earth like a vacuum. “Rogue black holes could be found anywhere in space, however it is unlikely one would enter our solar system.”
Sweetie Belle whimpered like a puppy when Professor Cosmos filled her head with more possible end of the world scenarios.
“Finally, the most widely accepted fate of the universe by astronomers everywhere is the Big Crunch. The Big Crunch is the Big Bang’s somewhat evil twin - whereas the Big Bang is the expansion of matter from a singularity, the metric expansion of the universe eventually reverses and the universe recollapse, ultimately ending as a black hole singularity.”
Sweetie Belle could not believe what she was hearing. How could anything of this be true, she thought to herself. She felt a hole inside her stomach and she did not feel too good.
“That’s all the time we have for today,” Professor Cosmos said. “Remember, our journey is not over yet. Keep watching the stars.”
The film ended and the classroom was filled with light again, however some of the students had to avert their eyes because the brightness burned their retinas. On the other hoof, Sweetie looked as though she had seen a ghost.
“That was a very informative film,” Miss Cheerilee said. “Can anypony tell me what they have learned?”
Apple Bloom raised her arm and said, “I learned that universe began around 13.82 billion years ago from the Big Bang.”
“Very good, Apple Bloom,” Cheerilee responded. She picked up a piece of chalk and wrote on the blackboard, while saying, “According to the Big Bang theory, the universe was contained in a single point, which expanded from its dense and hot state and continues to expand to this day. Anypony else?”
While the students were busy answering Miss Cheerilee’s questions, Sweetie Belle was in a daze. She stared blankly at the window to her side, thinking about how small ponykind is in the grand scheme of things, so insignificantly small that tomorrow morning they would all be wiped off the face of the earth and the universe would not notice.
The students were released when they heard the sound of the last bell that afternoon. Amidst the crowd of happy colts and fillies there was a distraught little unicorn, not sure of what to do with the new information given to her.
“You know, class was actually pretty fun,” Scootaloo said. “How come we don’t do things like that more often?”
“I don’t know. I can’t even remember half of the things we learn most of time,” said Apple Bloom.
While they were talking to each other, Sweetie Belle gasped in horror as a black hole entered the atmosphere. Nothing escaped from its strong gravitational pull, not even light. She saw trees, houses, buildings, mountains, and horrifyingly enough, other ponies disintegrate into tiny pieces as they were all caught up by the black hole’s gravity. The blue sky itself turned black. Sweetie Belle grabbed a lamp post and held on for dear life.
“Sweetie Belle, help us!” Scootaloo and Apple Bloom screamed, but it was too late. They were gone to the point of no return.
“Don’t take me!” Sweetie screamed. “Don’t take me!”
“... Take you where?” Apple Bloom asked. Sweetie Belle returned to reality and found herself gripping to a lamp post. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom gave each other confused glances. “Sweetie Belle, what the heck is wrong with you? You’re acting crazier than a rattlesnake on Taco Tuesday.”
“I… I don’t know,” answered Sweetie Belle.
“Then maybe you should go home and get some rest,” said Apple Bloom, “I don’t think today is a great day for crusading.”
“No, I can still do some crusading with you guys. I just need a glass of water, that’s all.”
“I think Apple Bloom’s right,” added Scootaloo. “You’ve been acting weird all day. We can go crusading some other time.”
“Sweetie Belle, there you are,” Rarity called out. She came from the other side of the street, carrying five paper bags with her magic. “I was doing some much needed shopping for my new fashion project when I found you. How was school?”
“School was fine,” Sweetie said.
“We learned about space, gravity, the Big Bang and all that other stuff,” Scootaloo said. “I’m surprised we haven’t talked about that before.”
“Interesting. Well, I don’t want to disturb your time with your little friends. I will see you at home Sweetie Belle.”
“That’s okay, Miss Rarity,” said Apple Bloom, “We were just thinking about resting for today.”
“But Apple Bloom,” Sweetie protested, but Apple Bloom was quick to stop her from saying anything else.
“We felt tired from all of the learning we did today, and we decided to take the rest of the day off.”
“Yeah, learning about the universe can give you a massive brain fuse,” Scootaloo added. “In fact, I never knew how big it was until now. I feel so small.”
“Oh… Now that you’ve mentioned it, I do need quite a bit of help with my new clothing line. Since you girls aren’t doing anything, do you mind if I take Sweetie Belle with me?”
“Of course you can,” Apple Bloom said. “She’s your sister.”
“Apple Bloom, I--” Sweetie began to say, but her body was already enveloped by magic before she could say anything else.
“Come along, Sweetie Belle. We have much to do today,” Rarity said. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo watched as Rarity carried her young sister back to their home. Scootaloo felt a twinge of guilt just as Sweetie’s face formed a sad frown.
“You think we did the right thing?” Scootaloo asked.
“Of course we’ve done the right thing,” answered Apple Bloom. “You saw how Sweetie was acting today, didn’t you? We’re doing her a favor, and by tomorrow morning she’ll be as right as rain.”
“Okay… Apple Bloom, what does crazier than a rattlesnake on Taco Tuesday mean?”
Sweetie Belle was holding a large pile of fabrics other materials. She watched Rarity working at her desk, drawing sketches, measuring ponnequins, and sewing clothes together. She was even talking to herself while she was working. The large pile Sweetie was holding was weighing her down, so she placed them on the floor gently so they would not fall over.
“Rarity, how long is this going to take?” asked Sweetie.
“It won’t take long, darling. I just have to cut a few pieces here, sew a few places there, and make some measurements for…” Rarity stopped mid-sentence, her attention now back to her dresses. She drew a quick sketch then gather some materials to put together. Sweetie groaned and decided to leave the room. It was apparent Rarity had no more use for her.
Sweetie Belle slumped on the living couch, levitated the remote control to her hooves and began to channel surf the TV.
“Sweetie Belle, are you in there?” Rarity called from the other room.
“Yes.”
“When you get a chance, could you retrieve that box of sapphire rubies I have in my room? I need it for this white dress. Thank you darling.”
“Okay.” Sweetie continued to jump from channel to channel, finding nothing interesting on television. Then, something in her mind told her to go back a few channels.
“Welcome back to Doomsday Prophecies, on the Pseudo History Network,” the announcer said. Sweetie Belle was vaguely aware of the channel’s fascination of the end of the world. She really did not want to watch this one, but her curiosity got the better of her. She figured that she will only watch a few minutes of it, then move on with her day. “Many cultures have their own end times prophecies, from Equestrians to the Griffons and the Buffalo,” the narrator said. “In this program, we will examine and dissect each popular end of the world scenario from each of these unique cultures.”
Sweetie Belle was not prepared for what she was about to see next. The first image she saw was a series of horrifying paintings. On one of the paintings the sky was dark, with thunder and lightning, with terrified ponies on the ground. On the dark sky were four ponies, each one scarier than the last. “Many Equestrians believe that in our lifetime, the Four Horses of Doom will pay a visit to Earth,” the narrator said, “which will signal the End of All Things.”
“The end of all things?” Sweetie repeated.
“Yes. The Holy Text of Borealis has an account of how the All Father will judge all nations of the earth. The souls who have been found impure will be thrown into the Pit of Fire and burn for eternity.” Sweetie wanted to change the channel, but she could not bring herself to watch something appropriate. “Some believe we are living in the End of All Things today. Blaze Magnificent, a scholar for the studies of Starswirl the Bearded, has concluded that the famous wizard himself had a vision of the end of the world before his death. Magnificent has said that his vision was in line in what the Text of Borealis has accounted.”
Sweetie Belle quickly changed the channel, but to her horror another program about the end of the world was on TV. It was a movie of some sorts, but she was already not liking where it was going. The scene was a hospital, thousands of ponies lying in beds in straight rows, many of them looking very sick, in fact, maybe dying.
“The virus is spreading faster than we have determined,” a doctor said. “In a few weeks, the world will be infected.”
“What are we going to do?” a nurse asked.
With hesitation, and no time to think, the doctor sighed in defeat, and said, “There’s nothing we can do… but pray we die faster.”
Sweetie changed the channel once more, and to her surprise the next channel was a little filly holding a flower while trying to count. “1… 2… 3… “ the filly said as she picked off the white petals from the small flower. Sweetie sighed in relief and the tension slowly left her body. It was cute show, she thought, probably in education program…
An ominous voice began a countdown, followed by a zoom-in on the filly’s surprised face. “5. 4. 3. 2. 1.” Everything went black… then there was a fiery explosion. The explosion looked as though it could have taken out an entire city. “These are the stakes!” another voiced said. “To make a world where everypony can live, or to go into the dark! We must either love each other… or we must die…”
“Vote for Old Glory for Canterlot Senate, April 28th.”
Sweetie could not take it anymore. She turned off the television, quickly ran straight upstairs to her room and locked the door. She grabbed her stuffed bear, while hiding under her blanket.
“Sweetie Belle?” Rarity gently knocked Sweetie’s door several times, but she received hardly an answer. “Is everything alright, darling? You’re not feeling sick, are you?”
“I’m fine!” Sweetie said
“... Are you sure? Do you need to get anything for you?”
“I’m okay!”
“Oh. Um, I’m almost done with designing the dresses. Maybe you and I can go to mother and father’s for dinner.” Rarity received no response from her younger sister. The fashionista knew that something was troubling Sweetie, but she decided that now was not the right time. She returned downstairs to finish her work.
Sweetie stayed under the blankets for a while. With her stuffed bear close to her, she closed her eyes. Maybe if she thought about pleasant things, she would not be as afraid. It was not long before she dozed off…
… It was night, and Sweetie Belle and Rarity were taking a stroll under the stars. Fireflies glowed and crickets sang their evening song. Rarity was carrying a picnic blanket while Sweetie Belle carried a basket full of goodies. There have been news that something wonderful was going to happen tonight, and she could not wait to share the experience with her older sister.
Once they were at the top of the hill, Rarity laid down the blanket and she and Sweetie sat down. It was a perfect spot, Sweetie thought, for whatever was happening. Of course, Sweetie Belle never went anywhere without her stuffed bear, Stanley. She held Stanley tight, while the stars reflected in her eyes.
Rarity levitated the snacks and goodies from the basket. Sweetie Belle had a carrot and cheese sandwich and Rarity had small cup of cream of mushroom soup. It was strange that nopony else was outside, especially astronomy enthusiasts like Twilight Sparkle and, recently, Scootaloo. Oh well, at least Sweetie was spending quality with her sister, and that was enough to make any night like this special.
She scanned the starry sky for the amazing thing that was supposed to appear. Nothing was visible for the most part, just the moon in its waxing gibbous phase and some stars that were brighter than others. Sometimes Sweetie wished she took a telescope with her.
Then… she saw it. Both of them saw it. It was the most beautiful thing they had ever seen. The heavenly body was brighter than the moon itself. It rose from the mountains, shining its pale blue light onto the earth. Sweetie leaned close to Rarity with Stanley in her arms. It was like seeing two moons in the sky, both vying for the attention of the earth. When the celestial body was high enough, its incredible light outshone the stars. Sweetie’s face beamed from the most magnificent sight she had ever laid eyes on. It was a spectacle that rivaled Princess Cadence’s wedding.
Then… something felt wrong.
The planet was growing. As it grew, the night sky resembled the daylight. Wait… it was not growing at all. It was moving. It was moving to them. Wonder suddenly turned into fear. She held on to Rarity, who also realized that something was terribly wrong. The cool breeze became a strong gust of wind as the atmosphere changed due to the planet’s appearance. The sky and the earth became brighter and brighter.
Unfortunately, there was no place to hide from the cataclysm. From the size of the planet, it would look like nothing will survive. Rarity and Sweetie felt the force of the planet in their very souls. Sweetie held Stanley close to her heart, while the sisters held each other in their arms, both waiting patiently for their bitter end.
Sweetie gazed with at the planet with tearful eyes before closing them for the last time. Her sister’s grip growing strong while the light grew brighter to the point of blindness….
… She fell off of her bed. Sweetie was on her back, panting heavily, with Stanley still in her arm. She sweated just as the last dream she had. She forced herself on her legs and the first thing that greeted her was the dark blue sky outside. Sweetie checked her clock and was surprised that it read 6:45 P.M. Just as she was about to come to her senses, she heard small knocks on her door.
“Sweetie Belle?” The door opened and Rarity poked her head in. “Did you have a nice nap?”
“Yeah… sort of,” Sweetie answered. “... Are we still going to mom and dad’s.”
“We were, but before I could get ready you suddenly fell asleep. You have must been very tired, so I decided to order a pizza for the two of us.”
“Oh. Sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it, my little belle,” Rarity said with a smile. “We can visit mother and father some other time. I’m sure they won’t mind. The pizza will be waiting for you in the kitchen once you get recuperated.” Rarity gently closed the door, leaving Sweetie alone with her thoughts. She looked out the window and gazed at the stars and the rising moon. They were so beautiful.
Rarity and Sweetie sat at opposite ends of the table with their own slices of pizza. Rarity, like the lady that she was, eat her slice with a knife and fork. Sweetie ate her’s like any child would. Normally, dinner that involved pizza would have be a joyous occasion, but the fashionista noticed that her younger sister did not look she enjoyed her meal.
“Sweetie, you look troubled,” Rarity said. “Is something the matter?”
“What… oh, nothing’s wrong. Just… thinking, that’s all.”
“Hm. None of the kids at school didn’t do anything to upset you, did they?”
“No. Even if they did, I’m used to it at this point.”
Rarity took one last piece of her slice, then set down the knife and fork. “Sweetie Belle… I know I haven’t been spending much time with you as you would want me to, but I want to know that…” she paused, choosing her words carefully, “... that as your sister, you can talk to me about anything. You don’t have to be afraid to come to me about your feelings. Is there anything on your mind.”
Sweetie Belle thought about what Rarity said while chewing on her pizza. Will Rarity think she was acting silly if she told her about her fears? Will she scold Sweetie for watching too much of those scary movies? She brought her eyes to the floors as she chose her words.
“... Well…”
“Yes?”
“... I… I’ve been feeling, uh, nervous lately.”
“Nervous about what?”
“Um… you know, I suddenly don’t feel so good,” Sweetie said. She climbed off of her chair and headed upstairs. “I’m going to go to bed now.”
“Already? But it’s still early.”
“I know, but… I feel really tired.”
“Oh. Okay Sweetie, goodnight.” Sweetie ascended to the top floor straight to her bedroom. Rarity heard the door shut from downstairs. Now by herself, she chose the opportunity to finish some personal projects.
Sweetie Belle laid in her bed with the blankets over her body. The only sources of light was the nightlight beside her bed and light from the moon. She turned her body over and gazed at the bright white sphere in the dark sky. She was afraid to fall asleep, the prospect of having another dream about the end of the world. Sweetie turned on her back, her eyes focused on the ceiling.
“Maybe I should have told Rarity,” she said to herself. “She might have had a solution.” Sweetie turned to her side, facing the nightlight, with Stanley in her arms. The longer she dwelled on her situation her eyelids became heavier, until they were closed completely.
“...Sweetie, Sweetie wake up,” Rarity said. Sweetie jumped out of bed, surprised to see her sister standing beside her. “You must have overslept. You don’t want to be late for school.”
“Yeah… school. Thank you.”
“My pleasure,” Rarity said. She closed the door behind her, and Sweetie Belle decided to skip breakfast that morning, her personal hygiene being the most important thing.
Sweetie Belle sat at her usual seat in the classroom. The classroom was gradually being filled with more students before the bell rang. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo came and took their seats as well.
“Hey, Sweetie Belle. You feeling alright?” Scootaloo asked.
“I don’t know, I still feel worse from yesterday. Why did Miss Cheerilee show us that movie?”
“That space movie?” asked Apple Bloom. “Sweetie Belle, you ain’t got nothing to worry about. That pony in the movie said those thing won’t happen until 5 billion years. By that time we will already be dead.” Apple Bloom thought this reasoning would bring Sweetie to her senses, but it only made her lower lip quiver. “That didn’t help at all, did it?”
“Look at it this way,” Scootaloo said, “5 billion years is like… a really long time.”
The bell rang and the students took their seats. All of the children, except for Sweetie, were all in high spirits. Miss Cheerilee was the last pony to enter the classroom, and she was in a particular good mood. Then again, when was she not in a good mood?
“Class, I have a very important announcement that I you will all like,” she said. “Since we began our astronomy lesson, I’m very excited to announce that next Thursday there will be solar eclipse!” The class murmured with enthusiastic tones, some of them mentioning they never seen a real eclipse before. However, Sweetie was thinking back to her dream about the planetary collision with earth. “It will happen at 12:45 P.M. on Thursday, so make sure you bring your sunglasses!”
“Wow, a solar eclipse!” exclaimed Scootaloo. “So is Princess Luna going to raise the moon during the afternoon?”
“Not necessarily, an eclipse happens when the moon passes between the sun and earth during its own orbit. However, some do say that a solar eclipse began as a joke by Princess Luna,” Cheerilee explained.
“Wow, can’t wait! I’m starting to like this astronomy stuff,” Scootaloo said.
“I’m glad you are. You’ll probably be an astrophysicist someday. Alright, today we are going to lunar phases. There are eight phases: New Moon, Waxing crescent, First quarter, Waxing gibbous, Full Moon, Waning gibbous, Last quarter, and Waning crescent…”
While the students listened to Cheerilee’s lecture, Sweetie’s mind was elsewhere. She began to make the connection between her dream from last night and the solar eclipse on Thursday. What if her dream was… actually a vision? A vision of the future?
Worst of all, do the Royal Sisters know about this?
Are they planning to end the world?
“Now let’s talk about the Giant impact hypothesis,” Cheerilee said. “Can anypony explain what the Giant impact hypothesis is?”
Scootaloo raised her hand and answered, “That’s about how the Moon was formed, right? Some planet crashed into the Earth and debris formed the Moon?”
“Very good, Scootaloo!” Scootaloo was feeling really good about herself, until she a fake cough, followed by a faint “nerd.” She turned her head back and saw a giggling Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.
“Hey, this stuff is important! We could be going to space one day!”
Maybe the dream was a warning, Sweetie thought. A planet, or just the moon, was going to collide with earth and obliterate all life. She shivered in her seat, not sure if her mind would able to comprehend the weight of the situation. If a planet was going to collide with Earth on Thursday, and the Royal Sisters were helpless to stop it, then there will be no way to save everypony. She gazed out the window and the sun shining bright. She was determined to make sure these last moments of on Earth will be worth it. She was determined to survive.
But how?
The students were let out for recess by Miss Cheerilee, and they could not have been any happier. The colts and fillies forgot about what they have learned and enjoyed the twenty minutes they had under the bright afternoon sun, playing games and enjoying each other’s company.
All except for Sweetie Belle.
She stood in the center of the schoolyard, her mind dwelling on what was about to come next week - a solar eclipse that will be visible throughout Equestria. What was she supposed to do? How can she ever hope to save her friends and family? More importantly, how will she going to find a way to survive? Immersed in her thoughts, she did not noticed that a white, spherical object was flying to her head.
“Watch out!” somepony yelled. Finally brought back to reality, Sweetie screamed and ran for cover. Fortunately, the soccer ball missed her head by an inch. As Scootaloo went to retrieve the ball, she found Sweetie cowering like a shell-shocked soldier in a battlefield. “Sweetie Belle, I don’t think that’s how you play soccer,” she said.
“But it was coming right at me!” Sweetie shrieked.
“I know… that’s why you’re the goalie.”
“Well… maybe I don’t want to play anymore!” Sweetie stood up and ran elsewhere. Scootaloo glanced back at Apple Bloom, who was just as confused as she was. The two friends decided to cut their soccer game short to check on Sweetie Belle. They found her sitting underneath a tree, in the shaded part away from the sun.
“Sweetie Belle, what the heck is wrong with you?” Scootaloo asked.
“Nothing. I just want to be alone.”
“Is it because you’re not good at soccer?” asked Scootaloo again. “It’s okay, nopony is good at everything.”
“It’s not that!”
“Then what is it?” Apple Bloom asked. “We can’t help you if you don’t tell us what’s wrong.”
“I don’t want to tell you,” said Sweetie, “you’re just going to laugh at me!”
“No we’re not, honest! Sweetie Belle, we are your friends! You can tell us anything,” Apple Bloom said.Sweetie said nothing, and had her back turned to them the entire time, arms crossed on her chest. “Sweetie Belle, please talk to us.” She was not sure if she really wanted to talk to Apple Bloom about her true feelings, but Sweetie could not recall anytime her friends had made fun of her for her fear. She sighed quietly and turned to face her two best friends.
“... I’m scared about the solar eclipse that’s suppose to happen,” Sweetie said.
“You are? Why?” asked Scootaloo.
“Because… I think something really bad is going to happen.” Apple Bloom and Scootaloo looked at each other, then back at Sweetie.
“You can’t be serious,” Apple Bloom said.
“What do you mean?”
“Sweetie, Miss Cheerilee said that a solar eclipse is a normal astronomical event,” Scootaloo explained. “It happens all the time, there’s nothing to be afraid of.”
“But… but I had this dream yesterday about something crashing into the earth,” Sweetie said with fear in her eyes. “It was horrible, and I think it’s going to come true!” She stood on her legs and proclaimed with a loud voice, “The world will end next Thursday!”
Apple Bloom facehoofed herself and marched toward Sweetie. She put her yellow hooves on her shoulders, and replied, “Sweetie, this is what happens when ya watch too much of those disaster movies! You start seeing things and having nightmares!”
Sweetie swiped Apple Bloom’s arms off of her. “Listen to me, we have to warn everypony about this! We have to make shelters, gather all the animals, and store lots of food! We have to survive this!”
“Sweetie Belle, get a hold of yourself!” Apple Bloom said. “You’re in way over your head about all this, and I’m worried.”
“Please guys, help me!” Sweetie pleaded. Apple Bloom backed away and join Scootaloo at her side.
“I don’t think we can,” Apple Bloom said. Sweetie’s heart felt like it was split in two. She slumped on the ground with her head lowered. She picked her head up, and stood firm on her legs, with fire in her eyes.
“I thought we were the Cutie Mark Crusaders,” she said. “I thought we agreed to help each other out during the bad times! I thought we had each other’s back! Sad to see I was completely wrong!”
“Sweetie, what are you talking about?” Apple Bloom asked.
“You all think I’m just stupid, do you?” Sweetie asked accusingly. “You guys are just waiting for the right moment to laugh at me! Well guess what? I’m going to have the last laugh when the world ends!”
“Nopony’s laughing at you!” Scootaloo said. “We just want to help!”
“Too bad! Good riddance to the both of you! I’m going home! See you when the world ends!” Sweetie shoved Apple Bloom and Scootaloo out of her way and marched to an unknown location, leaving Apple Bloom and Scootaloo shocked and stunned.
“... But school’s not even out yet,” Scootaloo said.
Class was back in session and Miss Cheerilee resumed her thoughtful lecture of the wonders of the universe. Most of the students were paying attention, especially Scootaloo, whose fascination with the cosmos intensified. She wrote down every word Cheerilee said into her notebook, which was decorated with stickers of planets, galaxies, and constellations.
However, Sweetie Belle was doodling on a piece of paper. While Cheerilee lectured, the little unicorn drew crude pictures of the upcoming solar eclipse. She drew the moon crossing paths with earth’s orbit, followed by a comic sequence of the moon colliding with the earth. At the bottom of the paper, she wrote in capital letters “THE END?”
The end is near, she thought to herself. If my friends can’t see it, I’m sure what else I can do...
“Next, we’re going to talk about earth’s orbit,” Cheerilee announced. “Does anypony know how it long it takes for the earth to make a complete a revolution around the sun?” Everypony was hesitant to answer her question, or just did not care, until Scootaloo slowly raised her arm.
“A year?”
“Very good! It takes the earth only a year to revolve around the sun,” Cheerilee said. Scootaloo sat back with a smile on her face, finally having fun learning a subject she actually enjoyed.
As the lecture continued, Sweetie continued to draw. She drew herself in an underground shelter with her favorite things - animals, toys, and her sister - while the surface world was obliterated by the moon. She even created plans of survival for herself and Rarity, and left her two friends out of the equation. Sweetie hoped that before Thursday they will come to their senses, but is unlikely that would happen.
The last hour of class came to an end, and Miss Cheerilee released her students for the day. Sweetie Belle climbed out of her seat with and joined the others with an emotionless face. Once she was outside, Sweetie gazed at the ponies enjoying the remainder of the afternoon. She wanted to stand in the middle of the street and warn everypony of the approaching doomsday.
“Hey, Sweetie Belle, can we talk for a minute,” Apple Bloom said. Sweetie glared at her two friends, which made them uneasy. “We just wanna talk with ya about this whole end of the world thing.”
“Are you going to tell me that I’m crazy?” Sweetie asked accusingly.
“No, I just don’t want this to ruin our friendship, that’s all.”
“Why do you even care? You probably think I’m some lunatic! ”
“I don’t think that,” Apple Bloom said. “What I’m actually saying is that I’m just worried about you. You’ve been thinking that the sky is falling for several days now, and it’s giving me the creeps.”
“So you do think I’m crazy!”
“What?”
“Sweetie Belle, can’t you listen to us for one second?” Scootaloo asked.
“I’ll show all of you that I am right! I’ll show everypony that the moon is going to crash into the earth and kill all life! Then we’ll see who has the last laugh!” Sweetie ran away from Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. Both ponies were taken aback by what she had said. Scootaloo scratch her head and said, “I hope she doesn’t hurt herself.”
“We got to show her that the world ain’t gonna end,” Apple Bloom said, “and it’s all just in her imagination.”
“But how?” Scootaloo asked. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo followed Sweetie home undetected, hoping to find out and maybe resolve their friend’s fear of a cosmic-related disaster.
Sweetie Belle marched inside Carousel Boutique unannounced, surprising Rarity while she was filling an order she received earlier today, as well as catching up with her work. “Sweetie, back so soon?” she asked.
“Yeah, I’m back,” Sweetie said in a grumpy tone. She dropped her backpack on the floor and marched upstairs, and not once had she made eye contact with Rarity.
“Is everything alright, darling? Is there anything I can do?” Rarity asked.
“I’m fine,” Sweetie yelled from upstairs. The last thing Rarity heard was the door being slammed shut. Rarity exhaled softly and carried on with her work. Afterward, there was some knocks at the door. Rarity was momentarily called from her work to answer the door.
“Hi Rarity,” Apple Bloom and Scootaloo said.
“Oh. What are you two doing here?” Rarity asked.
“We’re here to see Sweetie Belle, is she home?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Sweetie Belle’s in her room right now, but I don’t think she…” Apple Bloom and Scootaloo let themselves in before Rarity could finish what she had to say. They ascended to the top floor and scanned the halls for Sweetie Belle’s room.
Once they found the Sweetie’s room, Apple Bloom knocked on the door gently. “Sweetie, are ya in there?” she asked.
“What do you want?” Sweetie asked from behind the door.
“We thought about what ya said, and we think yer right, and we want to know if there’s anything we can do to help.”
“We do?” Scootaloo asked. Apple Bloom kicked her leg.
Feeling suspicious, Sweetie opened the door a few inches to see a smiling Apple Bloom and Scootaloo in front of her.
“Really?” Sweetie asked.
“Oh yeah, we realized now that a solar eclipse will absolutely destroy the earth and such,” Apple Bloom answered. “and we figured that you had some plan for survival.”
Sweetie Belle cocked an eyebrow at Apple Bloom, who held on to her smile. Meanwhile, Scootaloo shift her eyes from Apple Bloom to Sweetie Belle, anticipating what will happen next. Sweetie let the door open wide, still glaring at Apple Bloom with suspicious eyes. “So… what do ya say?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Do you think I’m dumb,” Sweetie asked.
“What? No, of course not.”
“I know what you’re trying to do, and it’s not going to work! You’re trying to steal my plans for survival for when the moon crashes into the earth!”
“No, I… wait, what?”
“Well, you’re not going to get them! From now on, it’s everypony for herself! Goodbye!’ With that, she slammed the door on them. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo stood in front of the door for a few minutes before they traveled downstairs.
“So much for that,” Scootaloo said.
Rarity was at her desk when Scootaloo and Apple Bloom headed for the front door. Much to her surprise, their visit lasted much shorter than she had expected. “Girls, where are you going?” she asked.
“We’re going home, bye Rarity,” Apple Bloom said.
“Did anything happen?”
“No, nothing at all.”
“Except that Sweetie Belle has gone nuts,” Scootaloo mumbled. She received another kick to the leg from Apple Bloom. “Ow! What did I say?”
“We wish we could stay, but we gotta get going. See ya, Rarity,” Apple Bloom said. She shoved Scootaloo and herself out the door. However, magic enveloped them and brought them back in front of Rarity, who did not look amused.
“I know something must have happened,” she said. “Sweetie has been acting weird these past few days. Does it have anything to do with you?”
The fillies were hesitant to answer her question, but they knew they were not going anywhere if Rarity wanted something from them. Apple Bloom sighed and began to speak. “Well… Sweetie’s been thinking that the world is about to come to an end when the solar eclipse happens on Thursday. We tried to help her, but she kicked us out of her room.”
“We didn’t even go into her to begin with,” Scootaloo added.
“Do I need to kick ya again?”
“My word! So that is what this is about? I’ve told her those scary movies will give her nightmares,” Rarity said.
“Not only that, our class watched a movie about outer space,” Scootaloo said. “But it was for educational purposes… which reminds me, I gotta make that diorama about the formation of the solar system.”
“...Diamond Tiara was right, you are a nerd,” Apple Bloom commented.
“We prefer to be called Eggheads.”
“That’s even worse.”
“It doesn’t matter! Why, I’m going to have a talk with Sweetie Belle this instant,” Rarity said. She released the fillies from her magic and marched upstairs straight to Sweetie’s bedroom door.
“Should we watch?” Scootaloo asked.
“No we can’t watch! It will be awkward! I rather we just leave now.”
Sweetie Belle was at her desk, with the blinds closed, her room completely shrouded in darkness. She drew step-by-step instructions for herself for what to do when the apocalypse had passed. She figured she would have to store enough food and water to last her until goodness knows how long how many years. She was interrupted from her work when she heard loud knocks on her door.
“Sweetie, may I talk with you for a moment?” Rarity asked. “It’s very important.” Sweetie climbed out of her chair and opened the door. “Sweetie Belle, what is going on with you? You’ve been acting strange lately.”
“... I’m planning,” she replied.
“Planning? Planning for what?”
“... For the solar eclipse on Thursday.”
“Oh yes, I have heard about that. It’s supposed to be really beautiful. The reason why I’m here is because your friends told me that… you believe the world is going to end. That’s not true, is it?”
“The moon is going to crash into the earth and there is nothing we can do about it,” Sweetie said. “The only thing we can do is survive, and hope for the best.”
Rarity let what Sweetie said register in her mind. Then she laughed, and said, “That is the silliest thing I have ever heard. For a minute I thought you were serious.”
“It is true! I had a vision about the whole thing! You and me were sitting on a hill, and the moon was moving toward us!” Sweetie said. “It’s going to happen!”
Rarity stopped laughing when she looked at Sweetie’s worried face, and she put her hoof on her chin. “I’m might not know a lot about astronomy, but I do know for a fact that it’s impossible for the moon to do that. If you’re this worried, why won’t write a letter to Princess Luna?”
“That’s the thing! She’s not going to listen to me! She’s planning to kill her sister and destroy the earth!”
Rarity returned downstairs with a blank expression on her face. She noticed that Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were still here, but she returned to her desk and continued with her work. The fillies slowly approached the silent mare.
“So how did it go?” Apple Bloom asked.
“You girls are right, she is crazy,” Rarity said.
“See? Told you,” Scootaloo said. She was ready to protect herself from Apple Bloom’s physical attack, but none came. She relaxed her body.
“What did you do?” asked Apple Bloom.
“I couldn’t do anything! She really believes the world is going to end, and nothing I can say will convince her otherwise!”
“I wish there was a way to show her how crazy she is,” Apple Bloom said.
“Yeah, it kind of reminds of that show on the Pseudo History Network, Doomsday Ponies,” Scootaloo said.
“The what?”
“It’s this show that has ponies preparing for the end of the world. The build shelters, store weapons, foods, and other stuff. It’s funny and sad at the same time, but mostly stupid. But hey, reality TV.”
“That’s it! We can get a camera and record everything Sweetie Belle does, show it to her, and then she’ll realized how crazy she’s been acting,” Apple Bloom said. “It’s pure genius!”
“I will not allow you to bully my little sister that way,” Rarity scolded. “Shame on you two! The nerve that you could do such a thing to a little filly!”
“Rarity, it’s either this or watching Sweetie carry a sign around that says THE END IS NEAR! REPENT! for the rest of her life,” Apple Bloom said.
“... You have permission to record my sister.”
Sweetie checked her kitten calendar that was hanging on her wall. It was three days until the dreaded solar eclipse. Three days until that moment the Royal Sisters destroy civilization and then kill themselves. In those three days she planned to warn everypony in town about the cataclysm, as she had done the week prior. That is unless Apple Bloom and Scootaloo would stop following her everywhere she went with their video camera.
“Welcome back to another exciting episode of The Sky is Falling! Starring Sweetie Belle!” Apple Bloom announced to an imaginary audience. “Tell us what you’re about to do today, the viewers at home really wanna know!”
“It’s none of your business!” Sweetie said. “And get that camera out of my face! I’ve got a job to do!”
Scootaloo jumped in front of Sweetie with a microphone on her hoof and asked, “What do you have to say about the apocalypse that’s gonna happen on Thursday? Is there any chance for survival for ponykind?”
“Cut it out!” Sweetie yelled, and shoved the microphone away from her. She grabbed a stack of folded paper from her desk and headed out the door in a huff, with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo right on her tail.
“Whatcha got on your hooves there?” Apple Bloom asked while having the having the camera focused on the stack of papers. Sweetie Belle hid them as best as she could under her arm, and gave a nasty look at Apple Bloom. “Is it about the solar eclipse that’s supposed to end the world?”
“Why do you care?”
“It’s for the ratings.”
Sweetie tried to get away from Apple Bloom and Scootaloo by quickening her pace, but no matter what she did they were always one step ahead of her. She momentarily lost her motor skills when she approached the knob to the front door. Sweetie Belle frantically tried to twist it when the two fillies cornered her with their camera. “Where are you going in such a hurry?” Scootaloo asked, “We still got some questions to ask you.”
“Will you leave me alone?” Sweetie screamed. She jumped out of the house and into the street, and became a dot on the horizon, leaving a cloud of dust behind her. Rarity emerged from the other room where she had witness the ordeal. “Girls, I don’t think this is working,” she said. “I think it would be best if we let this sort out on its own.”
“No way Rarity,” Apple Bloom said, “we’re gonna keep bugging her until she comes to her senses, even if it takes us until the end of time… no pun intended.”
“But Sweetie Belle can get overly sensitive about these things,” Rarity warned. “What would happen if she has a nervous breakdown? Oh I’m so worried.”
“Don’t worry about it Rarity,” Scootaloo replied, “we don’t do anything too drastic or cruel. We’re not Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.” Rarity put some thought on what Scootaloo had said. She knew they would never do anything malicious to her little sister, but Rarity feared that they might go a little too far in this effort to help Sweetie Belle. She was unsure of whether she made the right decision to allow Apple Bloom and Scootaloo to do this.
“All I ask is that you do this as an act of compassion, not of cruelty. Do you understand,” Rarity asked.
“We promise,” the two fillies said. They geared up their camera and microphone and dashed out the door to catch up with Sweetie Belle. Rarity stayed behind, feeling that somehow, and someway, the situation is going to get worse.
Sweetie stood next to a stop sign by the intersection, giving pamphlets to random passersby that had information about the apocalypse on Thursday. As each pedestrian were given the pamphlet an unsettling feeling of confusion and anxiety was filling the air.
“Wait a minute,” a pony said, “the world is going to end on Thursday?”
“Yes it is,” Sweetie Belle answered. “It’s going to happen during the solar eclipse.” The pony scratched his head in a quizzical manner, then said, “I don’t think that normally happens during an eclipse.”
“I can prove it!” Sweetie shouted, “I had this vision in my sleep where I was on a hill, and the moon came closer and closer, and them boom! The moon hit the earth!”
“What is that girl talking about?” a mare asked. A crowd of ponies gathered around Sweetie as she was making her observations about the doomsday eclipse. Many were just as confused as the stallion she was talking to. “Little girl, I don’t think you know much about astronomy,” another pony said. “I think you were just imagining things.”
“But the world is really going to end on Thursday! I know it’s true!”
Sweetie was about to stand on her soapbox and preach the message of doomsday, until two familiar fillies shoved their way through the growing crowd. Apple Bloom held her video camera over her face and Scootaloo carried her microphone. “Oh great, we didn’t miss anything,” Apple Bloom said.
“I think Sweetie is about to say something very important,” Scootaloo gleefully commented.
“Not you two!” Sweetie step down from her soapbox and ran off as fast as she could, leaving the crowd in a state of bewilderment. “Wait, tell us about the impending doom!” Scootaloo shouted, but Sweetie pretended that she could not hear them, and ran until she became a speck in the distance. “Wow, I never knew Sweetie was a fast runner.”
Meanwhile, at the Pseudohistory Network, the big network executives sat on each side of their long table and discussed possibilities of future programming and the latest trends that is currently popular among television viewers.
“Alright, on to business,” Big Wig said. He was a short, stout, and tan pony with a short white mane. “How are we doing with Snow Plowers?”
“It’s leading the ratings by 9.0%” Number Cruncher said, “With more than 60% of the population tuning in every Sunday night?”
“Good. How about the leads on our continuous Thrift Store Pirates marathons?”
“Still going strong as we speak,” Sunny Jay replied, “It’s our second highest rated show on the network.”
“Excellent. How are plans for the weekend looking?”
A nicely dressed stallion named Belfort gave Big Wig a villainous smile, and with a smirk he said, “Everything is going as planned. From Friday morning to Sunday evening, we will be running a weekend long marathon of any program that has something to do with the end of the world, the majority will be that of Doomsday Ponies. There is no doubt that End-Times Weekend will be our highest achievement.”
“Good work Belfort,” Big Wig said. “I like the way we run things here. Now, let’s take a moment to laugh in a sinister manner.” Follow his lead, all the executives in the room laughed devilishly, proud of what their network had become. All except for one. “Velvet Cake, what is the meaning of this? Why aren’t you laughing fiendishly like the rest of us?” Big Wig asked.
Velvet Cake, a young mare with glasses and a mane of velvet red, looked down at her notes in shame. However, as more time passed, Velvet knew she had to say something. She raised her head to look at Big Wig and the other executives. “I don’t like what we’re doing,” she said.
“What?”
“I don’t like what this network has become.”
“What in blazes are you talking about?”
“What do you mean?” Velvet asked accusingly. “Look at what you’re doing here! Snow Plowers, Thrift Store Pirates, The End of the World! What connection do they have with history? A long time ago, the Pseudohistory Network used to be called The History Network! We used to air educational and informational programming! We used to air shows about ancient empires, all the wars Equestria have fought, movements and revolutions that forever changed our society, and now we are reduced to producing shows about ponies plowing snow, paranoid ponies who believe civilization will collapse at any moment, and slackers with nothing better to do than to dress like pirates and harass thrift store shoppers! I’m even ashamed that we’re having events like End of the World Weekend! Who cares about the end of the world? We’ll all be dead when all that stuff happens! Look, some of our shows might be at their peak now, but for years we have been losing viewers because of stuff like this! We have to get back to our roots as an educational channel! We have to make changes so ponies can take this network seriously! History, and I mean real history, is one the most important subjects in the world, and we have an obligation to support enlightenment over ignorance!”
Big Wig, as well as his crew of executives, had their lower jaws dropped until they touched the ground. To Velvet it felt as though the entire planet ceased to rotate for that one moment to speak her mind. The feeling was as powerful as it was eerie. Big Wig picked up his jaw and came back to his senses. He gave Velvet a stern look, and said, “Well, I appreciate that you wanted to say your piece about the state of our network. However, it is with a very heavy heart that I must fire you for doing so. Well… goodbye.” Big Wig pressed a red button on his desk, and rocket exhaust appeared on Velvet’s chair. The chair launched her from the executive room until it broke through the glass ceiling, into parts unknown.
“Such a shame… she had a delicious mane, too.”
Another pony entered the room, who was younger than the executives and much slimmer. He held a clipboard with his magic, and announced to the occupants, “You guys aren’t going to believe this, but I found a story about a filly going around town preparing for the end of the world!”
“You have? Where?” Big Wig asked.
“Ponyville! This filly’s name is a… Sweetie Belle, I think, but she’s nuts! She thinks the world is going to end on the day of the solar eclipse!”
“That’s brilliant! She could be part of End of the World Weekend! Everypony, get a camera crew and march down to Ponyville this instant!”
Sweetie navigated herself through the aisles of the grocery store. On her shopping cart was a mountain of canned food such as beans and vegetables. She held a list with her other hoof, to review the items that she would need for the end of all things.
“Grocery shopping I see,” Scootaloo said. Sweetie groaned and acted like she did not noticed them, but Apple Bloom and Scootaloo would not back down. “I see a lot of canned food in your cart. Planning on eating them anytime soon?” Sweetie huffed and walked at a faster pace, but the two fillies were right behind her.
“Aren’t you going to answer our questions?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Leave me alone!” Sweetie Belle said. “I’m busy here!”
“But you still have to answer our questions,” Scootaloo said. She held the microphone close to Sweetie’s mouth but she was quick to push it away.
“No I don’t!” she yelled. “You’re just going to ask stupid questions anyway!”
“I think we have some legitimate concerns,” Apple Bloom said. “Like what are ya gonna do once the apocalypse wipes all of ponykind out.” Sweetie grew frustrated every second, and turned to another direction, already feeling that Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were going to follow her no matter what. Once she turned the corner to another aisle, she saw another camera in front of her face.
“Is everything set?” Belfort asked.
“Yep, the filly came just in time,” the camerapony said.
“Good. Look at her, with her cart full of canned food. I tell you this stuff is just pure gold!” Sweetie wanted to run away, but she was unable to move. Belfort was trying to get the camera close to Sweetie’s face, until her two friends intervene.
“Hey, what are you doing?” Scootaloo asked. “This is our turf! Go find your own!”
“Sorry kid, but my assistant and I are part of a big major television network, and we cannot and will not yield to the likes of you,” Belfort said.
“Oh really?” Apple Bloom said in an ironic manner. “Which big network are ya from?”
“The Pseudohistory Network. Maybe you’ve heard of us.”
“Yeah, we heard of you,” Scootaloo said. “You have shows that have nothing to do with history, and when you do it’s not actual history.”
“That is a fact that we are proud of.” While the fillies were arguing with the television executive, Sweetie Belle seized the opportunity to crawl away from the situation before any of them noticed that she was gone.
“Wait, where did that little filly go?” Belfort asked.
“Ya probably scared her off with all your viewership, ratings, and stockholders mumbo-jumbo,” Apple Bloom said.
“Don’t worry, we’ll find her! This is going to be the Pseudohistory Network’s biggest event as of yet! Come on camerapony, we have a job to do!”
“... I have a name,” Lens Flare said.
“I’m sure you do.”
It was only a day before the dreaded solar eclipse, and now Sweetie Belle had two problems she had to deal with - Apple Bloom and Scootaloo mocking her hysteria while the network executive took advantage of it. There was nowhere to hide and nowhere to run for her, unless she locked herself forever in her room, but even then they will find ways of intruding her privacy.
Not only did Belfort did everything in his power to make sure he and Lens Flare captured every single awkward moment of Sweetie Belle with their expensive camera, they also created merchandise to be sold at the solar eclipse, almost of them were selling like hotcakes. T-shirts, mugs, and other accessories with Sweetie’s face appeared in every store display. In fact, Big Wig was so impressed at the progress Belfort was showing that he decided that the Pseudohistory Network should host a live “End of Civilization” event during the solar eclipse, in which Sweetie Belle would be the star.
However, things were not looking well in the Belle household. When Rarity was working in Carousel Boutiquette, she was startled by a commotion at the front door. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo once again argued with Belfort and his camerapony over who gets to have time with Sweetie Belle. Rarity managed to drive Belfort and Lens Flare out of her shop in order to give Sweetie a chance to run inside her room.
“What on earth is going on here?” Rarity screamed. “Well?”
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were hesitant to answer her. They could see the anger unfurl in her eyes. Not wanting to waste another moment testing the fashionista’s patience, Apple Bloom stepped forward and answered, “You know how we were going to record Sweetie Belle so she can get out of her end of the world phase?”
“Yes.”
“Well… somehow… a major TV network is in town who want a piece of the action.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Some pony from the Pseudohistory Network is giving us a hard time,” Scootaloo added. “He wants to use Sweetie Belle for their end of the world thing they’re doing.”
“Why? She’s only a child!”
“Heck if I know…”
Rarity, her head steaming, marched to the top floor of her shop into Sweetie’s room. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo wanted to follow, but Apple Bloom paused when she was on the first step. She gazed at Scootaloo, and said, “You think we done the right thing?”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s probably our fault those TV guys are making a circus out of Sweetie Belle. She was right, we’re supposed to look out for each other, and look what we caused.”
“Apple Bloom, we only did this to help her,” Scootaloo said. “Those TV ponies are only doing this for themselves.”
“Still… I wish we could’ve found a better way…”
“Sweetie Belle, are you in there?” Rarity asked. She knocked on the door several times before she received “I’m not here!” as an answer. “Sweetie, I know you’re in there! This entire situation has gone far enough! Can you please let me in so I speak with you?” There was silence between the sisters as Rarity patiently waited for the door to open. The bedroom door was opened steadily by Sweetie, whose mane was in a complete mess. In fact, Sweetie did not look well at all. She had bags under her eyes, and her room looked like a tornado had broke through. There was such an unpleasant odor that Rarity had to put a laundry pin on her snout. “Oh my, how dreadful. Oh my goodness, Sweetie Belle what is the meaning of all this?”
“I… I don’t know anymore,” Sweetie said. “This whole solar eclipse thing is bumming me out… and I just want… I just want to…” Sweetie fell face down on the floor and broke into a loud sob. As tears rolled from her eyes, Rarity saw Belfort and Lens Flare behind a window. She used to magic to close the curtain, then she knelt down to comfort her broken sister.
“Sweetie… Sweetie, look at me,” she said. Rarity wiped the tears from Sweetie with a nearby box of tissues. With a soft voice she asked, “Why is all of this happening? I have absolutely no memory of this kind of behavior from you.”
“... I had a dream that you and I were sitting on a hill, and the moon hit the earth,” Sweetie answered as she wiped the remaining mucus with her tissue. “I thought it was vision, and when Miss Cheerilee told about the eclipse on Thursday I got scared.”
“Sweetie that was just a silly dream, not a vision. I’ve seen plenty of solar eclipse in my days and I can assure you nothing terrible happens, and I am certain nothing terrible will happen on this one.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Trust me, I know.”
As Rarity wiped Sweetie’s face clean of tears and snot, she levitated a hairbrush and comb and fixed her mane until it returned to its regular shape. “Sweetie Belle, it hurts me so much when you act like this,” she said. “I know there are things about life and the universe that remain unknown to us, but I never want to see you live in constant fear. You are one of the bravest fillies I have a ever seen, and I am proud to call you my sister.” Rarity pulled her sister in for a hug, and in that moment all of the fears, troubles, and anxieties have vanished. Sweetie felt whole again, and so did Rarity.
“This stuff is gold!” a male voice said. To their surprise, Belfort and Lens Flare found a way into Sweetie’s room. “The audience just eat stuff like this up! This is going the Pseudohistory Network’s highest rated event we ever had!”
“Oh will you two just leave!” Rarity shouted. “How dare you take advantage of a little filly? And for what, just so ponies can watch your idiotic TV channel? You should be ashamed of yourselves!”
“Lady, we’re in the reality TV business. Taking advantage of other ponies’ misery for ratings is what we do, and we do it indiscriminately,” Belfort said. “Lens Flare, get a wide angle shot of those two hugging.”
Her face growing red with rage, Rarity’s magic captured Belfort and Lens Flare, and she cast them out of Sweetie’s room and out of the Carousel Boutiquette. They picked themselves off of the mud and found that Rarity had locked the doors, not before Apple Bloom and Scootaloo blew raspberries at them.
“Serves them right,” Apple Bloom said. She and Scootaloo began to laugh until Sweetie Belle emerged downstairs with a look of distraught. Without saying a word, the three fillies darted their eyes back and forth awkwardly. “Sweetie Belle,” Apple Bloom said. “I’m sorry we caused ya so much trouble. Looking back now, I wish we took things more seriously with you.”
“And I’m sorry too,” Scootaloo said. “I feel so awful about all this. Can you ever forgive us?”
“... I forgive you,” Sweetie said. “And I’m sorry for letting my fear almost ruin our friendship. I don’t know what’s gotten into me.”
“Maybe it’s because of you watching all of those horror films for three weeks,” Rarity said. “I’ve told you those movies will give you nightmares, Sweetie Belle.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Sweetie chuckled.
“Crusaders, let’s vow to always take each other’s problems seriously, no matter how silly it may sound,” Apple Bloom announced.
“And let’s make sure Sweetie Belle doesn’t watch too many scary movies,” Scootaloo added. The Crusaders laughed and giggled, and hoof bumped each other. Rarity looked on with an approving smile, happy that this situation was behind them now. All was well.
The day of the solar eclipse had come. Miss Cheerilee decided that the class was going to spend the remainder of the day outside so they can view and talk about it. Everypony brought with them blankets and sunglasses, also snacks to eat for the occasion. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle sat together on a blanket, as neither of them could hold the excitement for what is about to come.
“I can’t believe it, this is going to out first solar eclipse,” Scootaloo said. “This is going to be awesome!”
“I can’t wait!” Sweetie Belle said.
“The sky is going to get pretty dark soon,” Apple Bloom said. “Ya sure you can handle it?”
“I’m sure,” said Sweetie.
As the bright blue sky grew darker and darker, Miss Cheerilee told the children to put on their sunglasses led them into a countdown. As the numbers decreased, the sun was being blocked by a dark shadow. When the moon finally crossed paths with the earth, the children cried in a joyful noise. The sky was dark blue and sun was no longer visible, save for the halo around the moon. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle said nothing, but watched with wonder and awe for a few moments when noon became evening.
