CHAPTER ONE
Prologue
"My darling little sister has finally found her calling!" Rarity squealed with glee, hanging another banner on the wall of Sugarcube Corner. The whole establishment was full to bursting with various banners, pennants, streamers and balloons — yet every now and again I caught a glimpse of Pinkie Pie adding another one to the mix. Rarity finished affixing the banner to the wall and stood back to admire it. "Perfect. I dare say that yours will be the best cuteceañera in all of Equestria!"
I rolled my eyes. "Thanks, Rarity," I said. "But you didn't have to go to all this trouble, you know. It's not that big a deal."
Rarity recoiled as though I had just confessed to being a member of the Cult of Tirek. "'Not that big a deal?'" she parroted. "But you have found your talent, and begun to pen a whole new chapter in the book of your life! This is a cause for celebration, Sweetie Belle!"
"I'm not going to win this argument, am I?" I asked, to which Rarity grinned and shook her head. "I thought as much. Well, in that case, I'm going to find Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and all the other ponies who are coming. Back in a bit."
I made a swift exit, stepping out into the cool Ponyville air and squinting my eyes to avoid a barrage of sunlight. In the distance, I could make out the silhouettes of several ponies in the park. A smile came to my face as I began trotting over to them, the faint sounds of "Ooh..." and "Ahh..." soon filling my ears.
I entered the park to the sight of Scootaloo whizzing down a ramp, no doubt built by Apple Bloom, and into the air. She did a few three-hundred and sixty degree twists, then finally burst through a cloud before coming back down to the ground. It wasn't her best stunt, she knew that nothing she could do would ever beat jumping over Ghastly Gorge, but it was met with admiration nonetheless.
"Thank you, thank you!" Scootaloo said, tearing her helmet off and dropping it at her hooves. "I'll be here for a long time yet... unless, of course, there are any talent scouts out there looking for a fearless daredevil to do some awesome stunts for them?" She scanned the crowd hopefully, but eventually sighed. "No? Ah, well, I guess it means more time to practice my art."
"That was a mighty fine stunt ya did there, Scoots," Apple Bloom said. "And Ah see that mah ramp held up nice— oh, howdy, Sweetie Belle! When did you get here?"
"Just now," I replied. "And it was a good stunt, Scootaloo, and I just know that any scouts here would be clamouring for your attention." I giggled slightly, while Scootaloo nodded. "Anyway, I just came by to tell everypony that my cuteceañera is about to start at Sugarcube Corner — provided it hasn't floated away, that is, what with the number of balloons Pinkie Pie has put up."
A chorus of chuckles met this statement, and the assembled group began following me back to the bakery. I could see Rumble, Snips, Snails, Pipsqueak, Featherweight, Dinky, Alula and even – for some reason – Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. I put the presence of the last two down to morbid curiosity, acknowledging them with a small nod, and carried on walking.
Excited chatter arose from my former classmates, as they speculated on what they were going to see once we arrived. I wanted to turn around and tell them 'expect everything but the kitchen sink' — but I held my tongue, and soon I was only a few metres away from the front door of the bakery.
I entered to find Pinkie Pie and Rarity standing excitedly in the middle of the bakery, the former even more excited than the latter. She was bouncing on the spot with such ferocity, I was afraid that she would eventually crash through the ceiling.
"She's here!" Pinkie squealed, shooting forwards to give me an insanely bone-crushing hug. "She's here, she's here, she's here! Now we can get the party started! You're gonna love it, trust me!"
"Pinkie, darling," Rarity chimed. "Perhaps Sweetie Belle would enjoy her cuteceañera a lot more if she could actually breathe?" Pinkie looked at her blankly, at which Rarity pointed at my blue face.
"Oops-a-doodle!" Pinkie chuckled, releasing me from her death grip. "Sorry, Sweetie Belle, but you know how much I love planning parties — I tend to get a biiiiiiiiiiit crazy."
"It's okay, Pinkie," I wheezed. "I'm just glad you found the time to do this at such short— wait, what am I saying? You can always find the time to throw parties."
Pinkie winked at me, then turned her attention to the assorted guests now tentatively making their way inside. They blinked in wonder at the various decorations and licked their lips at the vast piles of cakes, courtesy of Pinkie, which were piled atop the tables.
"Hey, everypony!" Pinkie shouted over the noise of many different conversations. "Thanks for coming to Sweetie Belle's cuteceañera! Help yourselves to whatever snacks and drinks you want, and let's all celebrate this splendiferous occasion together!" She rushed over and grabbed a cupcake. "And that includes me! Here's to you, Sweetie!" With that, she devoured – no, demolished – the cupcake in a single, enormous, bite.
After that, the party started in earnest. A lot of ponies came up to congratulate me and ask what I was going to do next — the answer to which I was unsure of. For the most part, though, I spent many happy hours talking with my friends.
Yet all of that happiness was shattered in a heartbeat, with the frantic shout of a single word.
"FIRE!"
Smoke was billowing out the kitchen, the bright orange flames licking mercilessly at the walls. Panic set in at once; ponies fled for the door, parents grabbed their children, and Pinkie had the most horrified expression I've ever seen her wearing.
"But..." she lamented. "I turned the oven off, I'm sure of it!" She stared blankly for a moment before she shook her head, stomped a forehoof into the ground, and turned tail.
Rarity was near the door. "Sweetie Belle!" she shouted. "Come on, we've got to leave!"
"You don't have to tell me twice!" I shouted back.
Thick, acrid, smoke began to enter my lungs. I coughed and wheezed, but carried on regardless. I nodded at Rarity, signalling her to leave, and she nodded back before doing just that. I was so focused on escaping, I wasn't paying attention.
The last things I remember were a loud crack and a crash, followed by the world going black — and an anguished cry from outside.
"SWEETIE BELLE!"
***
"Wake up," a voice said. "You're going to be just fine."
I opened my eyes slowly to find that I was looking at something grey. I could hear talking, as well as what sounded like magic being used — so I assumed that I was alive, but buried under rubble.
But then I realised that of all the colours that made up the bakery, grey wasn't one of them. I sat upright, a gasp of shock leaving my lips, and looked to the source of the voice.
I found myself looking at something that wasn't a pony. It was pale in colour, walked on two legs, was rather short, and had spiky black hair. Its eyes were covered by a pair of green goggles, and it had a concerned look on its face.
"My name is Nevin Twistwrench," he said. "What's yours?"
"S-sweetie Belle," I replied. "My name is Sweetie Belle."
Nevin looked confused for a moment, but nodded regardless. "It's good to meet you, Sweetie Belle," he said, before his expression turned serious. "I don't know how you managed to survive the radiation down here, but most of the others haven't fared so well." His eyes misted over and he bowed his head. "My team is rounding up the survivors, but the radiation-addled leper gnomes are too numerous for us to hold back much longer. They've lost their minds!" He raised one of his forelegs – though I doubt that's what he would call it – and pointed.
I followed his gaze to see a fight taking place between more of these creatures — these so-called 'gnomes.' Some were dressed like Nevin, but others were wearing red suits and helmets which completely covered their faces. The former were using weapons which fired out bolts of magic at the latter, who were falling over and not getting up again — it wouldn't take a genius to work out that they were dead.
"From the way you're dressed, I'd wager that you were a mage before this whole mess started," Nevin continued. "If you are still strong enough to cast a spell, would you help us clear out some of the remaining leper gnomes?"
"You mean... kill them?" I asked, to which Nevin nodded. "B-but... I can't... no, this can't be happening. It's all a dream!"
"I'm afraid it's all quite real," Nevin said sternly. "Now are you going to help us or not? Those leper gnomes are going to overrun our position at any moment!"
I slowly got up on all fours, panting furiously as I stared at the ground — only to notice, with horror, that I had a similar appendage to Nevin. I looked around and saw a puddle of water on the ground, so I rushed over to it and peered at my reflection.
The face that stared back was female — but it had a similar skin colour to Nevin – as well as bright green hair done up in pigtails. I was wearing a blue robe and brown shoes, and on my back I could see a staff like the ones used by the unicorns of old.
Nevin came over and put a hand on my shoulder. "I know this must be hard for you, Sweetie Belle," he said softly. "Light knows I've seen lots of gnomes in your situation. But I will say to you what I say to them — you'll get through this, and you'll have help every step of the way."
I turned to look at him, his smile assuring me of the sincerity behind his words, and eventually I smiled back.
I'll get through this, I thought. I have to.
Foreword (by Sweetie Belle)
SWEETIE BELLE AND THE GREAT AZEROTHIAN ADVENTURE
Foreword (by Sweetie Belle)
My name is Sweetie Belle. I'm sixteen years old, and I live in the town of Ponyville with my sister, Rarity, and my best friends, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo.
I had a good childhood: spending my time with family and friends, hanging out at the park, sleepovers at mine or a friend's house, slurping on a sundae or three at Sugarcube Corner, and trying my best to find my true calling in life — my cutie mark.
Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and myself formed the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and together we did anything and everything we could to get our marks. More often than not, we failed – and often ended up hurting ourselves in some way – but we persevered.
Scootaloo was the first of us to get her cutie mark, a scooter wheel with wings made of fire on either side. She got it after she became the first pony to jump over Ghastly Gorge, and since then has made a name for herself as Equestria's finest daredevil.
Apple Bloom was next, gaining a cutie mark depicting a crossed paintbrush and hammer in front of an apple, earning it after she successfully rebuilt Town Hall all by herself — since nopony else saw the point, as they just assumed Derpy would destroy it again.
This of course means that I was the last one to get my cutie mark. I worked at it for months, but eventually I was pressured by Apple Bloom and Scootaloo into trying my hoof at singing — something I had always avoided due to the fact my voice had a tendency to crack when I raised it. But Scootaloo reminded me, rather curtly in fact, that I had grown out of that. So I gave it a shot, filling in for one of the Pony Tones when she fell ill.
And that's how I earned the microphone in front of a heart which now takes pride of place on my flank. My sister was beside herself with glee, and went on and on about my cuteceañera — though I was just glad I'd got my mark full stop. Sixteen is too late an age to finally discover what it is you're really good at, and I was kicking myself for not having tried singing when I had the chance.
But I digress: the whole point of this story isn't so I can tell you how I finally got my cutie mark. This is a story of magic and adventure in a far-off land, a land I never knew existed. Of good and evil, loyalty and deceit, magic and adventure, war and peace.
It is also the story of how I lost my innocence.
So, please, read on — and allow me to tell you the story of how – in one week – my life was changed forever.
