Your Own Personal Sweetie Belle.
Sweetie Belle sat in her room reading a copy of Advanced Magic. Twilight said it was light reading for her next lesson. Light... as if. She was proud she had gotten as good as she did and she wanted to get better, maybe even as good as Twilight. She just wished Twilight wouldn't assign so much reading. Especially something so hard. All the spells in the book were way too complicated for her and she only understood half the words.
"Ugh!" Sweetie Belle slammed the book shut, having had enough. I need a break. I'll read this dumb book later!
Sweetie Belle left her room, making her way downstairs. She was about to open the front door when Rarity called her into her inspiration room. "Oh Sweetie Belle, won't you be a dear and come in here, please." Sweetie Belle smiled brightly as she trotted across the room with her eyes shut.
"Hi Rarity," Sweetie Belle poked her head in the room. "What's up?"
"Come in, come in dear." Rarity sang cheerfully.
Wow she actually wants me in her inspiration room. "Okay!" Sweetie Belle cheerfully walked in the room smiling. Rarity beckoned her over to a workbench smiling at her with glee.
"Well, what do you think?"
Sweetie Belle stared at the bench in confusion. On the bench were a couple bolts of fabric, scissors, a ruler, chalk and a stack of trace paper. "Um... nice workbench?"
"Glad you like it dear because that's your workbench. I have a big order and you are going to help me with this ensemble."
Sweetie Belle grinned from ear to ear. "You mean I get to help you...like for realzies?"
"Yes, Sweetums for reals."
"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! Thank you! Rarity this is going to be so much fun!" Sweetie Belle cheered and jumped around in her excitement. She stopped suddenly, "wait, are you sure? Last time I tried to make something I didn't do so good."
"Of course I'm sure! I can teach you as we go. I never get to spend time with you because of work so, why not have you work with me?"
"Oh my gosh that's genius! Why didn't think of that?" Sweetie Belle shook with excitement. She finally got to spend some quality time with her big sister. What could be better?
The doorbell rang distracting Sweetie Belle's thoughts. "I'll get it!" Sweetie Belle said happily. She bounced out of the room and to the door. She opened it to see Apple Bloom and Scootaloo at the door.
"Sweetie! We are crusading today! Applejack is having a party then we are sleeping over. Come on, we don't want to miss any of the fun!" Scootaloo said rapidly, her wings buzzing all the while.
Sweetie Belle stood with one foot forward, ready to rush out the door after them. The other three stayed firmly planted though, if she went with her friends, she would miss out on time with Rarity. I could help Rarity tomorrow... no she wants to spend time with me and even is letting me help her. I may never get another chance! If only I can be in two places at once... "I can't –" She cut herself off abruptly as an idea struck her. Maybe I can be in two places at once... "Um, I can't come right now. I'll um, meet you guys there."
"Okay but ya best hurry, we are starting soon." Apple Bloom said.
"I'll be there as soon as I can. Just got to – um, finish some reading Twilight gave me." Sweetie Belle said hastily then slammed the door before either Apple Bloom or Scootaloo could respond.
"Who was that deary?" Rarity asked sticking her head out of the room.
"Um, it was nopony, wrong address. I'll be right there. Just got to get something in my room."
"Okay but hurry up or I'm going to start without you."
"Five minutes!" Sweetie Belle rushed up the stairs and into her room at top speed. She flung the book open and read through the index, flipping through the pages with gusto. "Here it is! Page two hundred!" She flipped to the page, reading quickly. "Hmm this looks tricky. What's exponential growth? Does that mean my copy will be bigger? Cool!" She continued to read over the page. "Ah here it is, creates an exact copy of the caster!" She didn't bother to read any further as she lit her horn and focused her magic. Her tongue protruded from her lips as she concentrated with all her might.
There was a flash of green light then an exact copy of Sweetie Belle materialized. "Hi, Sweetie Belle! I'm Sweetie Belle!" She said excitedly. "Yes it worked."
"Hey, were are both Sweetie Belle! That's totally cool. Now you can go help Rarity and I can go get us a cutie mark and go to the sleepover."
"Yay!" Both the Sweetie Belles jumped around cheering.
"This is cool, now I can talk to myself."
"I know right?"
"Wait... we need another Sweetie Belle. We need one to read this book for Twilight."
"You're so right! Gosh I'm smart. Okay you make another, while I go downstairs to help Rarity."
"You got it!" The copy Sweetie Belle said then lit up her horn, also poking her tongue out as she concentrated on the spell.
"Very good Sweetie! You did marvelous for your first time, simply marvelous." Rarity said, standing behind Sweetie Belle as she operated the sewing machine. "Now, make sure to stay on the line. It has to be precisely a six inch seam... good, now reverse it for a second the go forward to knot it... perfect!"
"I did it!" Sweetie Belle cheered, her eyes wide with excitement.
"You did quite good. Now, why don't you go play with your friends. We can do more tomorrow."
"Okay!"
Sweetie Belle left the inspiration room feeling quite pleased with herself. She had actually done something with her sister and nothing broke, shattered, caught on fire and it turned out exactly how it should have. Now I just got to meet other me and find out how the crusading went. Maybe other me got a cutie mark!
It wasn't long after Sweetie Belle left the boutique when she saw herself walking to Sugarcube Corner. Of course other me would go there. It's so delicious. Sweetie Belle decided to follow other Sweetie Belle when she spotted another Sweetie Belle standing by the fountain, rocking side to side while humming a tune to herself. Oh, that must the other other me that was doing the reading.
"Look mom! A Sweetie Belle!" A young colt shouted with excitement. "Oh and another one! Can we keep one? Pleeeease mom?"
"Oh wow, they are cute aren't they? I suppose we can keep one. Now which one do you want?"
"That one! By the fountain... see, the singing one?" The excited colt approached the singing Sweetie Belle by the fountain. She stopped singing and smiled at him.
"Hi, I'm Sweetie Belle and I'm lonely, can I live with you?"
"Hi! You totally can, mom said so!"
"Oh yay!" The young colt rejoined his mother, followed closely by Sweetie Belle.
"Wow, what just happened?" Sweetie Belle sat on her haunches dumbfounded. Just when she thought she had seen the strangest thing, a pegasus swooped down and picked up the other Sweetie Belle.
"Got you! Everypony else has a Sweetie Belle now. I was afraid there wouldn't be enough to go around!"
"Oh, there's plenty of me. Watch this!" Sweetie Belle lit up her horn and a few seconds later another Sweetie Belle was standing next to her.
"Hi Sweetie Belle, I'm Sweetie Belle!"
"Oh my gosh, you mean I can have as many Sweetie Belles as I want? Awesome!" The pegasus scooped up the other Sweetie Belle too and flew away.
Sweetie Belle looked around, there were several ponies eying her. She began to feel panic as ponies started to move in her direction. Oh no, what have I done? Everypony wants me and my copies keep making more copies. This is a nightmare! I hope Twilight can help. Sweetie Belle broke into a canter, running as fast as her feet would carry her.
Skidding to halt, Sweetie Belle pounded on the door, breathing heavily. The door swung open revealing Twilight staring at a panting Sweetie Belle with a perplexed expression. "Oh, Twilight, thank Celestia! I need help. I used a duplicating spell to duplicate myself, except my duplicates are now making duplicates. And what’s worse, ponies are taking them home like they are stray cats. Twilight, you have to help me!"
Twilight frowned at the frantic filly. "I'm not sure I can help..." The door swung open fully revealing, to Sweetie Belle's horror, another Sweetie Belle, sleeping on Twilight's back.
"Oh no, not you too."
"I must say I was quite shocked when I saw at least twenty Sweetie Belles in town. This one here, said she finished the book I had assigned then fell asleep. Naturally I couldn't leave this Sweetie Belle in the street."
"No... no! Tell me how to fix this! How do I get rid of all these Sweetie Belles?"
Twilight shrugged, "this one probably knows. She read the entire book... but I know from experience of waking Spike up early that it would be a bad idea to wake her up."
"No, just wake me – um her up with sweets."
"Sorry, come back later." Twilight slammed the door shut.
"Ugh! Maybe Rarity will help me." Sweetie Belle ran at top speed back to the boutique. She opened the door and skidded to a halt in front of another Sweetie Belle. "You! out!"
"But Rarity said I could live here." The other Sweetie Belle pouted.
"Too bad, I live here. You are just a copy."
"Oh, okay... I guess I can live somewhere else." The other Sweetie Belle hung her head and started to walk toward the door.
Just before she could leave Rarity entered the room. She stopped and stared at the two Sweetie Belles. She stared at the Sweetie Belle with a defiant look, then to the other one, pouting. "Sweetie! Why did you send that other Sweetie out?"
Sweetie Belle's mouth fell open. "But - but Rarity!"
"No buts Sweetie, that Sweetie Belle asked to stay here and helped me clean."
"But Rarity! I live here, she's just a copy. I used a duplicating spell, then the copy Sweetie Belles started using duplicating spells. I'm the real Sweetie Belle, the original, your sister! The one that helped you sew today."
"You got to sew with Rarity? Huuuuugh!" The other Sweetie Belle asked with wide eyes, to which the original Sweetie Belle glared.
"I know darling. This Sweetie Belle explained you didn't want to choose between me and your friends so you made another you! Then each Sweetie Belle didn't want to chose between somepony or something so they made another copy." There was a loud knock on the door. "Excuse me, I'll get that."
Sweetie Belle could see Pinkie Pie in the threshold. "Rarity! Do you have anymore Sweetie Belles? I really need one as a cupcake taster!"
"Oh, well I guess there’s this one here." Rarity grabbed the original Sweetie Belle with her magic. She levitated a red-faced boiling with anger Sweetie Belle to Pinkie Pie. "This one is in a bad mood but cupcakes will cheer her right up." Sweetie Belle was plopped on Pinkie Pie's back. She jumped off the instant Rarity released her magic.
"Oh goodie, cupcakes always cheer me up too!"
"No Rarity, please don't do this! I learned my lesson! Please help me!"
"And what lesson was that Sweetie?" Rarity asked singsong like.
"I learned that sometimes I have to make tough choices, sometimes I'll have to chose between friends and family. Work and play. I can't always have it all."
Rarity beamed at Sweetie Belle. "It seems you learned your lesson. Now I think I can help you out."
"Hey! I want my own personal Sweetie Belle!" Pinkie Pie demanded. "I got cupcakes that need to be eaten!"
"I think Fluttershy has a bunch of Sweetie Belles, why don't you try getting one from her." Rarity replied calmly.
"Okie dokie lokie." Pinkie Pie bounced off.
"Rarity! I thought you were going to help me?"
"Oh I did. I didn't give you away did I?"
Sweetie Belle pinned her ears back glaring at Rarity. "That's not what I meant." She said through her clenched teeth.
"I'm sorry Sweetie, I don't know how to get rid of all the Sweetie Belles but they aren't hurting anything are they?" She asked the other Sweetie Belle who beamed back at her.
Ugh, it seems each copy gets more and more dumb. "But they keep duplicating! They are a copy of me when I didn't want to make a choice. Every time they are given a choice they multiply because they are a copy of me when I didn't want to chose and I decided to make a copy of myself." Sweetie Belle glared at Rarity. "Watch!" She turned to the other Sweetie Belle who was singing happily. "Hey Sweetie Belle, Pinkie Pie needs help at Sugarcube Corner and Rarity needs help with the kitchen."
The other Sweetie Belle’s horn ignited and in a flash of green light there was another Sweetie Belle. "Hi Sweetie Belle, I'm Sweetie Belle."
"Hi!" The newly copied Sweetie Belle responded cheerfully.
"Pinkie Pie needs help but so does Rarity, can you go to Sugar Cube corner for me?"
"Okay!" The other copy cheerfully ran out the door while Sweetie Belle rushed off to the the kitchen.
"See Rarity!" The original Sweetie Belle demanded. "Every time."
"Oh my this could be quite the problem. All the ponies that took a Sweetie Belle home must be overrun by them by now." Just as Rarity came to the realization Rainbow Dash came in with a Sweetie Belle on her back.
"Hey Rarity, can I return this? She's cute and all but I want a Scootaloo instead." Rarity and Sweetie Belle both facehoofed.
"I can find Scootaloo and copy her for you." The Sweetie Belle from Rainbow Dash's back said.
"NO!" Both Rarity and Sweetie Belle shouted together.
"That's all we need, a bunch of Scootaloos running around with the mob of Sweetie Belles." Sweetie Belle said darkly.
"Aw okay, but if you see any Scootaloos running around, let me know." Rainbow Dash took flight again.
No sooner had Rainbow Dash left when Twilight came running in frantically, a Sweetie Belle on her back. "We have to do something, my library is completely overran by Sweetie Belles, twenty of them are cleaning and the other twenty are making a mess! They multiply every time they are presented with a choice. If my calculations are correct, in a few hours Ponyville will be completely covered in Sweetie Belles."
"Yes dear we know, now how do we get rid of all these Sweetie Belles?"
"I don't know but this one does. She's a copy of a copy of a copy that was made a copy to read my book assignment."
"Perfect." Sweetie Belle groaned. "The more they get copied the more dumb they are."
"Actually we are all the same, you just perceive us to be dumb. I realized this when I was watching other Sweetie Belles."
Sweetie Belle shook her head. "Okay, but how do we get rid of all these copies?"
"Easy, just cast the counterspell on the master copy Sweetie Belle, the first one you made. All other copies will vanish after."
"Okay, Rarity, help me round up all the Sweetie Belles. Once we gather them in the town center I will cast the counterspell on them until we find the master copy Sweetie Belle." Twilight said, taking charge. "It's a shame, I always wanted my own Sweetie Belle."
"I'm on it!" Rarity cantered out the door, but returned almost instantly. "Oops, forgot there was one in my kitchen. Sweetie! Come with me to the town center for some fun!"
"Ooh that sounds fun!" Sweetie Belle came bounding out of the kitchen and followed after Rarity.
"Well, this will be something." Sweetie Belle sighed, watching Rarity canter off. "This counterspell... it won't hurt them will it?"
"Nope, we are all just copies of you."
"It's curious that you recognize that one as the original... I'm beginning to think the original Sweetie Belle is the master copy."
"No! The spell will hurt her. It must be cast on the master copy, the first copy." The Sweetie Belle on Twilight's back pleaded with panic.
"I'm not so sure... they are all a copy of this Sweetie Belle making her the master copy, the original. So what would happen if I cast it on you?" Twilight said looking at the Sweetie Belle on her back.
"Um... nothing." Her eyes shifted nervously.
"Nothing hmmm?" Twilight lit up her horn.
"Okay, okay if you hit a copy with the counterspell we multiply by how many copies we each made."
"I was about to cast this randomly on a bunch of copied Sweetie Belles." Twilight said angrily. She turned her head toward the original Sweetie Belle and blasted her with a beam of purple light.
Sweetie Belle let out a loud squeak as she was blasted off her feet and onto her back. Everything around here faded to black.
The Sweetie Belle on Twilight's back shielded her eyes from the purple light before vanishing into puff of green smoke.
As everything came spinning back, Sweetie Belle felt lightheaded and off balance. She noticed the Sweetie Belle from Twilight's back was missing. "Did... did it work?"
"I think so. There's only one way to know for sure though." Twilight left the boutique with Sweetie Belle in tow. She made her way to the town center where Rarity stood with her mouth hanging open.
"Twilight, they are gone. I had at least thirty Sweetie Belles behind me just turn into smoke."
"It seems my Sweetie Belle was a little dishonest and tried to trick me into cloning more but I figured it out." Twilight explained as Rarity shot Sweetie Belle a reproachful look.
"What? I didn't do it, my evil carbon copy did."
Ponies began to fill the streets searching everywhere and talking loudly.
"Have you seen my Sweetie Belle?"
"No, have you seen mine?"
"Mine turned into green smoke."
"Alright everypony!"Twilight shouted at the mob of ponies now entering the town square.
"Look, there's a Sweetie Belle!"
"Dibs!" A mare shouted then charged toward Sweetie Belle at a full gallop.
Sweetie Belle felt herself levitated onto her sister's back. She clung tightly to Rarity's neck.
"There are no more Sweetie Belles! I used the counterspell to get rid of them." Twilight shouted making everypony in the town center stop and shoot her a sad look as if she were a mother that secured the fun.
"Awwww." The crowd replied with disappointment.
"They were so cute!"
"I finally get something Lyra likes and it vanishes into smoke." Bon Bon shouted.
"Mine set my kitchen on fire!" Thunderlane shouted, making everypony burst out laughing.
"Ya'll oughtta be ashamed of yourselves! Sweetie Belle is Rarity's sister and ma best friend. She is not some pet for y'all to keep!" Sweetie Belle's heart filled with happiness. She recognized that voice... that country twang meant it could only be Apple Bloom.
The crowd thinned out as ponies left the town square, returning to their homes. Sweetie Belle could hear many disgruntled murmurs about being tricked by cuteness.
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo approached Sweetie Belle as she slid of Rarity's back. She beamed at them as they rushed forward and hugged her. "I'm so glad the real you is back!"
"Thanks for what you said back there Apple Bloom."
"You bet. Dang ponies snatching y'all left n' right like you was a stray cat."
"How long before you noticed?"
"How long until we noticed that the you that came to the sleepover wasn't you? Your copy said she was a copy right when she got there. She said you didn't want to miss out on a day with your sister. We were cool with it until five more came into the clubhouse. Applejack put them all to work on the farm... us too. She was mad, thought it was another crusading attempt gone horribly wrong." Scootaloo explained as Apple Bloom nodded from time to time confirming the story.
"Well I'm glad everything is back to normal and there’s only one of me."
"Was it just me or were some of those Sweetie Belles really dumb?" Apple Bloom asked.
"That's what I thought! Each copy got more and more dumb." Sweetie Belle said, glad she wasn't the only one to notice.
The three were interrupted by a rainbow blur swooping down on them. "Ah ha! A Scootaloo! My Sweetie Belle vanished but there's a Scootaloo!" Rainbow Dash wrapped her forelegs around Scootaloo's middle then hoisted her up. "You're living with me kid."
Scootaloo beamed, she pumped her foreleg and hissed, "yesss!" Then Rainbow Dash zoomed off at top speed. Leaving Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle staring at each other, mouths hanging open.
"She'll be fine." Apple Bloom waved a hoof through the air nonchalantly. "Ya want to come over?"
Sweetie Belle sighed, it had been a while since the real her had seen her friends but she also felt like she needed peace and quiet. "Maybe tomorrow. It's been a long and very strange day, I think I need to be alone for a little."
"Okay, see you tomorrow."
Sweetie Belle returned to the boutique where Rarity hugged her tightly as soon as she closed the door behind her. "Oh Sweetums, I'm so sorry. I guess we all got a bit carried away. I'm glad to have you and only you, my little sister."
As Sweetie belle prepared for bed she reflected on the strangest day of her life and how crazy everypony acted, even Twilight, the most sensible pony around. Were all the Sweetie Belles that cute that everypony threw every bit of sound judgement out the window? What started it the whole craze? What actually happened when I was working with Rarity?
Figuring some things were best left unanswered, Sweetie Belle laid herself in bed and closed her eyes, glad the day had come to an end.
Except when Sweetie Belle closed her eyes she was awoken abruptly, in a small puddle of drool facedown on her copy of Advanced Magic.
