She's A Rebelby TLCChapters1. Like A Bat Outta Tartarus...2. The Minority3. Fashion Statements and Turnstiles 4. "Kick Me"1. Like A Bat Outta Tartarus... "Oh, I just can't wait!" Rarity said with anticipating finishing off the last dish in her kitchen and levitating it into the cupboard. She turned away from the sink and made her way into her living room. It was a sunny afternoon. The resident fashionista of Ponyville had spent the day tidying up her shop and home, The Carousel Boutique and just finished up. She brushed her mane and exited the boutique, making her way down to wait at the train station with a smile on her face. Awaiting the arrival of her little sister Sweetie Belle, who had been off visiting their parents up in Manehattan. She was happily excited of course, not having seen nor heard of her sister in the period she'd been gone. No obnoxious distractions during her working periods, nor the constant lingering fear of what her little sister could be doing with her friends and fellow crusaders. Even though she was able to admit it was always nice to be free of such factors, she could not help but also admit there was a void in her everyday without her sister. A train whistle brought an even bigger smile to her face, her eyes fixated on the approaching train which held her returning sister. She tapped her hooves in excitement, she wondered what the filly did in the big city. Did she shop? Oh, how Rarity loved the shops up in Manehattan. All of the best fashions she heard end up in the Big Apple. As the doors opened and ponies started crowding the platform, Rarity thought of the many malls and attractions her younger sister must have visited. All the interesting ponies she and her parents ran into, all the building's she saw. Ponies began to fan out around her as she fantasized of the cityscape at night, viewing all from the top suite of a hotel. As a lone white unicorn horn poke out from within the crowd, Rarity's smile faltered. Now, it was no secret Rarity was a mare of the fancier things. Of course, everyone knew that. She liked the finest food, the finest music, the finest dresses. Now...If there was something that could turn the mare sour was one of two things-The first being the color green...she'd rather not explain her reason for disliking the color. The second, uncouth-ness. Brash, rowdy, chaotic and senseless. Clashing and outrageous in behavior and in appearance, was not Rarity's cup of tea. And thus, Like a universal record scratch turning heads as Rarity's eyes became mere pinpricks, a white filly stood out from the crowded platform. Her green eyes young with a halo of black around them, her lips curled into a smile at the sight of seeing her big sister after so long. Her pristine white fur hidden beneath a beaten leather vest. Her saddle bags bounced as she skipped her way towards Rarity with excitement, her hooves wrapped in black leather, studded bracelets. Rarity's heart was beating in fragments, standing like a statue even as she was wrapped up in a tight hug from her young sister. But in her defense, you have to assume it to be a difficult task to return the embrace when eye to eye with the unholy mess upon Sweetie Belle's head, and the the red mass of what used to be her tail trailing behind her. Nudging Rarity in the muzzle as her hooves shakily snaked around her sister to return the hug, was the remnants of what once was Sweetie's cute curly mane. Shaved to tiny curls on the side and the remains of this murder of fashion sticking straight up from the front and leading down her neck, resembling that of a certain zebra's mane style. Flashbacks of brushing and combing and assisting in maintaining it's form shot through Rarity's mind, while Pagliacci rang out in a chorus of shattering glass. "Oh it's so good to see you again, Rarity!" Sweetie's cheering voice muffled against Rarity's chest, oblivious to the horrid look on not only her sister's face but the ponies amongst them. Rarity's eyes quickly shifted between her sister and the bystanders with them at the station, all scratching their heads and giving odd looks at the filly's display. Looks of disapproval soon followed, other fillies and colts had their mother's and father's hooves blocking their vision to the Sweetie's...questionable look and attire. Without a second thought, the distraught mare swept up Sweetie Belle and dashed out of the train station. The boutique's front door slammed opened with the force so great, the door's impact on the wall echoed throughout the entire building and every window shook. As quickly as it opened, it shut as Rarity carried the struggling filly in her magical grip, ignoring her younger sister's shouts and resisting. "R-Rarity!" Sweetie shouted, kicking and flipping around in the blue magical prison that bounded her. "What are you doing?! Put me down!" Rarity rushed over to the bathroom door and pushed it open, levitating her sister into the bath tub. "My poor sister, this will only take a second!" She said, as with the help of her magic she stripped Sweetie of the atrocity of an outfit from her. "Hey! Give those back!" Sweetie screamed at her sister as her armbands and studs were pulled from her hooves. "What are you-Hey!" Sweetie cried out as the shower head spouted lukewarm water over her rebelled head, her hawked mane falling sideways over one side of her face as a shampoo bottle levitated over her head. Rarity bit her lip in absolute panic mode, she had never such a mixture of disasters all on one specimen. Her own sister, no less! She had to fix this, in an effort to save her sister. The shampoo bottles was squeezed in Rarity's magical grip and the curing substance piled on Sweetie's mane, much to the filly's discomfort. Rarity scrubbed hard at the mane, the crimson color staining her sister's mane not coming out or fading despite how hard she worked,. "Rarity! S-Stop!" Sweetie groaned. "That hurts!" "It's not coming out..." Rarity began to panic. "It's not coming out!" "Duh!" Sweetie glared, forcing her sister's hooves off her head. "Of course not, it's dyed!" Rarity's jaw hit the floor in gasp. "Dyed?! Oh that does it!" "Spike!" "Ahh!" Spike screamed, standing atop a ladder and holding three books in one claw while grabbing at the top shelf of books. He let out a sigh of relief, having survived his job to fall to his death another day. Re-re-arranging books on the highest shelf was not the highest on his personal list of ways to die, believe it or not. "Spike, have you seen my brush?" Twilight, dripping wet and fresh out the shower called out to her assistant. "It's not in the bathroom!" "A little busy at the moment, Twilight!" Spike groaned, looking between the books he held and the distance between him and the hardwood floors of the library at the moment. "Are you sure it's not just in the medicine cabinet again?" Twilight huffed. "Of course not! I've checked there at least three-" She paused, disappearing behind the door for a few moments before reappearing at the door again. "-four times already!" Spike rolled his eyes. "Well unless you want 'The Scientist's Cookbook' shelved with 'Apples: The Book', you might just have to deal." Twilight pouted, stomping her hooves weakly. "Spike-" "Rarity! Stop it!" "What the- AHH!" Spike turned too fast towards the door way and tumbled off the ladder. His life, though as short as it was seemed to have past through his vision like movie, before his momentum with lost and he froze mid-air within a lavender bubble. Twilight stood at the bottom of the stairs, her mane wrapped up in a towel along with her waist. At the front of the library, Rarity huffed and puffed with a mostly dry but entirely disgruntled Sweetie Belle, her once proud standing crimson Mohawk now hanging in thick curls at the side of her head. "Rarity?" Twilight said, stepping closer. "Are you...okay, Sweetie Belle what happened with your mane...and your tail?" Sweetie stomped, crossing her hooves and turning away from her sister as a long damp red curl fell over her muzzle. "Hmph! Rarity went and messed it up! It used to be tall and cool!" Rarity rushed over to her friend and grabbed her by the shoulders, looking her directly in the eyes. "Twilight! Something's horribly wrong with Sweetie Belle!" "W-What?!" Twilight yelped in response. "This morning I was cleaning up the boutique and I left to go meet Sweetie Belle at the train station, but when I got there she was all wrapped up this dreadful outfit with black leather and spikes and pins and Eye liner and her mane is just so- Mmph!" Twilight stared wide eyed back at her friend, her hoof placed over her mouth and slowly pushing her back a few steps. "Okay, okay. Slow down, let's start from the beginning. Rarity took a deep breath. "Sweetie Belle's...become a ruffian!" "A muffin?" Spike scratched his head. "A miscreant, a thug! She hopped onto that train all those months ago a sweet innocent little filly and now..." She buried her face into her hooves. "...she's been transformed and I just don't understand how!" Sweetie Belle pouted, her bottom lip quivering. "Now hold just a minute, Rarity." Twilight said, sitting besides her crestfallen friend and laying a wing to her back. "There hasn't been sort of transformation! I mean, sure the mane thing would kinda catch me off guard too..." She shot an apologetic look towards the filly before turning back the fashionista. "But she's still Sweetie Belle." Rarity sniffled. "You didn't see it, Twilight. The leather, the bands around her hooves! You didn't see the looks everyone on the platform were giving her, likes she's one of those bad rebel ponies you'd see in theater dramas!" "Rebel?" Sweetie furrowed her brow, then turning to Spike. "There's nothing with how I look now, is there Spike?" Spike looked a the filly up and down, slightly dazed. "I...I don't think so." He said, almost in a trance. "It's actually...kinda hot." "Spike!" Twilight snapped at her young assistant, her eyes waving to the distraught unicorn. While Sweetie went silent, and simply blushed in reply. Rarity shook her head, then turned it to her sister. "I...I need a moment." She then stood up from the floor and made way towards the front door. Once it opened, she stepped outside and shut it behind her. "Whoa, I've never seen Rarity so shaken up before." Spike said, but his pondering was dashed he heard sniffling from behind him. Twilight too turned to the only other pony in the room, who too began to cry softly. Spike and Twilight made there way over and comforted the young unicorn, Twilight wrapping her wings around them as Sweetie wrapped her hooves around Spike as she sobbed. "Shh. It's alright, Sweetie Belle." Twilight said to the young unicorn. Sweetie only whimpered into Spike's shoulder. "So um...I like the color of your mane. Cherry red or raspberry?" "Spike, not now." 2. The MinorityRarity's eventual return brought with it an awkward silence, wrapping the afternoon up nicely with the quartet sitting in the living room of the library. Twilight and Spike sat side by side, with Sweetie Belle sitting in the lone chair, along Rarity by herself as well. Twilight hadn't planned out her day to lead to her playing councilor, and by the way Spike stared between the fashion mare and the now rugged filly, having to lecture Spike on timing. "Ahem," Twilight began, "so now that we're all calmed and collected, I feel you should hear what Sweetie Belle has to say." Rarity glanced in her sister's direction. Part of her had already blocked out and forgotten what she had done to her mane, the red menace atop her naive head a mess and clomp of dry unconditioned...She took a deep breath, and nodded. Sweetie sighed, crossing her hooves turning her gaze to the floor. "Rarity, you hurt my feelings." Rarity whimpered. "Back on the platform...it took alot to step off the train and approach you like I did, I was happy when I saw my big sister waiting for me when I came home." Her voice grew more stern. "I wanted to think that you of all ponies wouldn't totally flip out and treat me like I joined a cult of pony eating griffons." Spike and Twilight watched as the filly uncrossed her hooves to grip the sides of her chair. "When I was in Manehattan, I found something that I really clicked with. When I asked mom and dad about it, they encouraged me." Sweetie tore her gaze from the floor and her once sad eyes drew daggers on the crystal irises of her sister. "Why can't you?!" Rarity jumped in her seat, biting her lip and trying to conjure up the right words. "Sweetie Belle I...you can't just-" "What?!" Sweetie was shouting now. "Can't I make a choice? I've got almost nothing else that I can identify myself as, why not let me find myself in a way that won't hurt me, cause property damage or cause you to stress for once?" Spike kicked his feet up on the table. "She's gotta point." Twilight rolled her eyes at the young dragon, before grabbing his feet in her magic and removing them from the table. "What she's holds some merit, Rarity. As...um, a little outrageous and out-there this path Sweetie has taken is, it sure is an alternative to setting a fire and attempting to put it out for a firefighting cutie mark isn't it?" Sweetie's eyes shifted. "Yeah, um...'setting the fire' is kind of speculation-" "I suppose it is, Twilight." Rarity sighed, turning to look at her sister. "but I'm worried this...alternative is opening doors to a new set of problems. What about the other ponies, foals, teachers and parents?" "Buck em'." "Spike!" Twilight snapped at the dragon, an appalled expression on her's and Rarity's faces while Sweetie Belle stifled a giggle. "What has gotten into you?" "No Twi, I'm on to something!" Spike defended, standing up from the couch. "Look, I have a little more experience in being in the minority than you alright?" He turned to Rarity. "I know what it's like to be the one and only blank in town, and it's not easy. Hay, I don't even get to sing in the spontaneous songs." Twilight bit her lip. "You could've if you wanted to..." Spike rolled his eyes. "Anyway, but it builds character. If Sweetie wants to discover who she is through a Mohawk, some eyeliner, and a biker jacket then go for it! And if anyone wants to put her down for it, treat her like a rebel-" He turned to Sweetie. "-then wear it like a cutie mark and own it. No one can ever have the power to make you feel out sided." Speechless, the duo of mares and one filly watched as Spike turned and picked up the books he had dropped before and made his way up stairs, whistling a tune along the way. "I...I had no idea Spike was so outspoken." Rarity stared off in awe. Sweetie's lips curled into a dreamy grin, her cheeks' temperature rising. "Yeah...so cool." Twilight deadpanned. "So...are we all okay now?" The two remained silent, still staring off after where the dragon vanished. Twilight face hoofed. "Please leave so I may finish my shower." The boutique door opened once more that late afternoon, with Rarity and Sweetie Belle entering it side by side and both relieved the day had nearly come to an end. "You know, despite being dragged in here against my will and practically being baptized, it's good to be home." Sweetie Belle smiled, walking towards the stairs to her room. Rarity shut the door, sighing. "Oh, I said I was sorry." "No you didn't!" Sweetie called down from the stairs, sticking her tongue out at her sister. She then saw a mischievous grin on Rarity's lips, and a feeling of horror came to her. She let out a yelp and ran up the stairs as her big sister playfully charged after her. She rushed to her bedroom door and grabbed the door handle with both hooves , turning it as Rarity rounded the corner of the stairs. Sweetie fell into the door as it flew opened, which lead her into tumbling in and turning just in time to be lifted up into a hug. "Ah!" Sweetie Belle laughed as her sister hugged her tight before placing her on her bed. "Apology mostly accepted." Rarity grinned. "Mostly accepted, are we?" She turned to the corner of the room, where Sweetie Belle's luggage sat. "What did you bring back from Manehattan?" Sweetie rolled her eyes, avoiding eye contact and giggling. "Oh, nothing much. Just some stuff here, souvenirs there." "Souvenirs?" Rarity asked. Sweetie tutted, hopping off the bed. "You're no fun. Yes, you have a gift!" She approached her bag and zipped it opened, reaching in and pulling out a purple box with a cyan bow wrapped around it. Only as the filly turned away from the bag, a square plastic case fell out and hit the floor with a light 'clack'. Rarity furrowed her brow. "What is that?" Sweetie Belle froze, the gift wrapped present still in her muzzle. "Mumfng!" The plastic case was then levitated into the air and flew up in front of Rarity, in which she read the cover aloud. "Teenage Retirement?" She turned to her sister. "Is this a CD?" The case was then snatched out of her magic and into Sweetie's. "Okay! Well, I'm tired so you should probably leave so I can get some sleep, you know long day traveling!" "B-But wait! Don't you want me to open your gift?" Rarity asked, as she was forcibly pushed out of her sister's room. "Of course!" Sweetie Belle said, turning to grab the box in her muzzle and tossing to Rarity once she was outside the room. "Gladtobebackloveyounight!" The bedroom door shut in Rarity's confused face, leaving her alone in the dim lighted hallway. "Well, alright then. Love you, too." She chuckled, turning away with the present in her magic. Rarity later laid in bed late into the night, wrapped in her silk covers. Her bedroom only being lit by her bedside lamp as she held her favorite story in her hooves. A red pair of reading glasses on the edge of her muzzle. She turned to the clock on the far side of the room, it then reading fifteen minutes past ten. With that, she removed her glasses and placed them with the book atop her nightstand. As she went to turn out the light however, she stopped at a familiar sight on the edge of her bed. The gift box Sweetie gave her. The events of the whole day came back to her, shaking her and filling with worry at the same time. Of course, the love she held for her sister could conquer any disagreement between them, but that wasn't what unnerved her. It was for Sweetie's sake Rarity worried, she would be putting herself out on the spot. She had enough problems around town as it was since coming to live with her, with Applebloom and Scootaloo alone with those fillies they always seem to out it with from time to time. She just didn't want anymore reason for her parents to... "Buck em'." "...If Sweetie wants to discover who she is through a Mohawk, some eyeliner, and a biker jacket then go for it! No one can ever have the power to make you feel out sided." "...Can't I make a choice? I've got almost nothing else that I can identify myself as, why not let me find myself in a way that won't hurt me, cause property damage or cause you to stress for once?" The cyan ribbon unfurled and fell away from the box and the lid lifted away to reveal something Rarity found most humorous. A regal purple collar...meant for a pony. It was decorated with spikes and a tag for one Miss Generous... "Ah. Well..." Rarity giggled to herself. "Then it appears I have nothing to worry about." 3. Fashion Statements and Turnstiles 3. Fashion Statements and Turnstiles "Sweetie!" It was nighttime in Manehattan, the vibrations of the bass and drums shook the small club. "Sweetie Belle!" Bodies mashing together in crazed motions, legs and heads swinging dangerously close together. Eardrums introduced to near damaging levels of distortion, and ponies throwing caution to the wind as they slammed into one another. A scene that was all brand new to Sweetie Belle. She stared wide eyed, a look of awe as a local band busted out hard, loud and fast tunes. Music, she had no outside knowledge in, only what she would hear back in Ponyville. But this was different, much different. The look, the aggression. These weren't sing-alongs by most ponies standards, but when the chorus came whizzing by in the club everyone knew the words. The moment exude a feeling, an emotion everyone shared. A feeling Sweetie wanted. "Sweetie Belle, it's time for school!" Rarity's voice called through the door to Sweetie's room. The slumbering filly flinched in her sleep, tossing and turning in her bed in a last ditch attempt to fall back asleep, but her rising consciousness was winning the fight. "Mmhlright..." She mumbled, her eyes pinched close from the brightness of the room. Her bedroom window allowing the sun a perfect angle to shoot its rays in helping the filly rise upright in her bed like a flower in the ground. Though this flower's petals have seen better days, knotted and messy after having her scalp forcibly scrubbed minutes after returning. Due to how 'drastic' and 'outrageous' the appearance of her mane and tail was to her sister and even Twilight. Sweetie Belle scoffed, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She got out of bed and stretched her limbs, turning to walk over to her bag. She pulled out a black plastic bag with a illustration of a smiling pony with X's for eyes before leaving her bedroom. "Morning, Sweetie Belle!" Rarity said, rushing by with mannequins and different color fabrics floating behind her. "Don't take too much time getting ready, you sleeping has cost you some time." Sweetie grumbled, Rarity hurrying downstairs as the bedridden filly dragged her hooves into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. "Now that I'm safe in here..." She stood in front of the mirror, a grin on her lips as she held the bag. "...let's get ready." Rarity had gotten back to work right as she woke up, one cup of coffee beside her and her glasses on the ridge of her muzzle. Rolls of fabric dolled out sheets in a factory fashion in this fashion factory, Rarity sewing machines lined up beside each other, and a note pad with designs and colors in her hooves. "Now with just a few gems to the collar on this shirt, it will look positively fabulous with the rest of the suit!" She smiled at her progress. Rarity looked off to the far side of the room to the clock, it reading ten minutes to eight. "Oh no!" Rarity stopped, turning to the stairs. "Sweetie Belle, you're going to be late!" "No, I'm not!" Her little sister shouted back. "Scootaloo's giving me a ride!" Rarity cringed, turning back to her work. "Um, on her scooter? Didn't she crash the last time?" She heard hoof steps coming down the stairs and turned back, only drop everything as Sweetie Belle ascended down the final step. Her mane was restored to its upright position, save for a pair of curls she allowed to hang around her horn like upside down demon horns. Her eyes were once again lined in black and she wore her leather vest, Rarity could see now it used to have sleeves due to the tears and frays around the shoulders. Rarity looked down to her hooves, seeing one wrapped in leather straps and buckles while the other fore leg dawn a long black leather brace with little studs lined up in threes. "Well..." Sweetie smiled, waving a hoof like a magician who presented a trick. "What do you think?" "W-What do I think?" Rarity near stammered, her eyes shifted up and down at her sister. "Yeah." Sweetie said, kicking at the floor. "I mean, no matter what you say I'm not changing...but I still wanna know what you think." She turned back to Rarity. "You are a fashionista, right?" This, caused Rarity to chuckle, the awkwardness leaving her a bit. "Well..." She walked over to get a closer look, eyeing the eye liner. "You certainly did a good job with your make up, but..." Sweetie frowned. "What?" Rarity shook her head. "I simply cannot allow you to use this brand. It's too thick and doesn't hi-light your eyes as eye liner is supposed to do." Rarity explained. "It's Liner, makes your eyes pop. And your mane-" "I'm not changing the color-" Sweetie started, Rarity interrupted. "It's not centered." She explained, placing her hooves on Sweetie's head and tilting it forward. "Hmm, I don't know where or who did this but they obviously didn't attend a class or barber training." She took a step back and eyed the rest. "As for everything else...at least it matches, though the leather has scratches and the frays need to be taken care of." Sweetie stood there in awe. Rarity continued as she walked over to the roll of fabric. "While you're at school, I can see about fetching some proper products to fix your mane. Maybe some decent eye liner, but after school you give that vest to me and I'll tend to the frays." She turned and smiled. "Now run along, I've work to do and you're going to be late." Sweetie Belle was frozen for a moment, before smiling bright and glomping her sister, wrapping her hooves around her Rarity neck and holding tight. Rarity was taken by surprise, but then happily returned the hug. "Thank you." Sweetie whispered. "No need to thank me, Sweetie." Rarity responded, pulling away. "Whatever makes you happy, now please. You can still make it if Scootaloo shows." As she said that, three quick knocks erupted at the front door. "That's her!" Sweetie said, before turning and hugging her sister again. "Bye, Rarity!" Sweetie Belle rushed over to the front door and opened it. "Have a good day at school!" Rarity called back, before turning back to her work, a warm smile setting in on her face. "And that's what matters." Scootaloo was propped up on her scooter, her helmet sliding forward and covering her eyes as she barely clung to consciousness. Sweetie stepped outside and shut the door behind her, waking the pegasus from her light slumber who faced away from her. "Morning, Scootaloo!" She said, walking over to prod the filly's helmet. "Still tired?" Scootaloo grumbled. "Eh, maybe a little." She started to turn to Sweetie Belle. "I don't know how you manage to wake up in the-WHA?!" Sweetie smiled bright at the pegasi's reaction, giggling when her friend almost tripped off her scooter. "Like the look, Scoot?" Scootaloo eyed her up and down, with her gaze ascending from the straps to the crimson mane, her look changed from startled to impressed. "Like it? You look sick! Did you do this all when you were in Manehattan?" Sweetie Belle grinned, crossing her hooves. "Yup!" Scootaloo smirked. "What did your sister think?" In the distance, both fillies heard the school bell ring across town, and Scootaloo hopped back on the scooter. "Ya know what, save it! We have to hurry!" Sweetie hopped on behind her friend and grabbed Scoot's shoulder. "Right! Let's go!" The two then sped away from the Carousel Boutique, leaving a dust cloud in a rush to reach the the school fast enough. At least enough so that Miss Cheerlie wouldn't have a cow. As the dust settled, through the front window, Rarity watched with a worrisome expression as her sister and her friend disappeared from sight. "Snips?" "Here!" "Twist?" Miss Cheerile read out the student roll call, sitting behind her desk and checking off the names on her list. "Here!" "Alright..." She checked off the peppermint filly and looked up to confirm she was present before reading off the next name. "Scootaloo?" She glanced up once, and then again and spotted one seat empty. "No Scootaloo?" "She told me that she's pickin' up Sweetie Belle!" Applebloom piped in. "They're probably on their way!" But Miss Cheerile frowned. "Now Applebloom, I understand what you're doing but if neither Scootaloo or Sweetie Belle are in their seats by the time I start to do roll call, they're tardy." She said, looking back down at the list. "But, can't we wait at least ten seconds?" Applebloom pouted. "Pleeease?" "Ugh, nobody cares if those two blank-flanks are tardy or not." A very snobby Diamond Tiara remarked from Applebloom's right. "Just mark them late and get this over with!" "Yeah!" Silver Spoon added. "I'm not going to have my education tarnished because some ponies can't be bothered to arrive on time." Miss Cheerile glared, Her inner self wanting to tell those two off not as a teacher. However she knew until the final bell rung and she sat at the front of the class, she was forbidden. She turned to Applebloom. "Ten seconds. Not a second more, alright?" Applebloom cheered, turning to smirk at Diamond and Silver who returned it with a grimace. The foals and Miss Cheerile all stared up at the clock above the doorway, watching as it ticked down from ten seconds, to nine seconds. And then eight, seven, six... "Face it, Appleblank!" Diamond teased. "They're toast!" "3...2..." Applebloom counted. That's when the front door blew opened and a white and orange blur shot into the class room, knocking over half of the front row of desks. All the students, save for Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, cheered as Scootaloo stood up from the wreckage with hooves above her head. Applebloom hopped out of her chair and rushed over to hug her friend. "You made it!" Applebloom said. "AH did what ya said, and it worked!" Scootaloo sheepishly grinned, rubbing the back of her head. "Heh, well what did I tell ya? Ten seconds flat." Applebloom pulled away to meet Sweetie Belle. "And it's good tah have ya back, Sweetie Be-HOLY APPLESAUCE!" The classroom went silent as Sweetie Belle stood up from the floor, eyes all wide as spotlights as she were on a stage for all to see. She straightened her Mohawk and smiled. "H-Hi, Applebloom." 4. "Kick Me" The universal record player had scratched to a halt for the second time, for everyone besides Sweetie anyway. Surrounded by her classmates stunned by her bombarding entrance and outrageous, by a small town like Ponyville's standards, appearance. Even Applebloom, one of her closest friends and fellow cutie mark crusader, stood before her with wide eyes and mouth agape. "And just what are you supposed to be?" Diamond Tiara asked, quizzically eyeing Sweetie Belle. The rest of her classmates remained silently still, eyes fixated on the unicorn filly. Miss Cheerile, while also slightly taken back at the site of Sweetie Belle, was more focused on the ruckus made by the tardy fillies. "Scootaloo!" Miss Cheerilee rushed to stand before her students. "I don't know how many times I have to tell you about riding your scooter in the classroom!" Scootaloo shrugged, paying more attention to her now sore side after colliding with a desk. "Hehe...I'm here, Miss Cheerile." Sweetie sheepishly waved towards her teacher, dusting herself off from the crash. "Sorry Scootaloo and I were late, I was still pretty tired from traveling and had slept in." Miss Cheerile raised a hoof to speak, but words failed her. She sighed and simply nodded. With that, Sweetie and Scootaloo, with help from Applebloom, cleaned the mess they made and walked over to their seats. Whispers and mutterings when on as Sweetie made her way to her seat, awkwardly sitting down and crossing her hooves while not being able to help feeling the many eyes focusing on her. "Okay..." Miss Cheerilee said, "Well now that everyone is here, let's get started shall we?" As the lesson began, Sweetie soon felt the tension fill the air as her teacher wrote problems down on the chalk board, the clacking of chalk hitting the board not enough to drown out her presence amongst the others. Out the corner of her eye, she spotted Scootaloo already with her head propped up on her hoof and dozing off. With a little smirk, she looked to the side and spotted Applebloom, but was unsettled by her look. The farmer filly dawn an awkward expression, her eyes fixated, on what she may have intended the board, the spot where Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo crashed now cleaned up. Sweetie's smirk fell and she turned her attention to her desk with a sigh, unaware that Applebloom's eyes had shifted to the rebel filly. As the lesson went on, Sweetie Belle could tell there was even something odd about her teacher. Whenever Miss Cheerile would turn to face the class and ask a question, it was almost like she would purposely not make any sort of acknowledgement towards her. Her eyes would scan the class then quickly pass over Sweetie's direction. Sweetie's hooves kicked out under her seat anxiously, her heart beat speeding up and her hooves tapping atop her desk. She felt nervous, worried even. Though she stood her ground in her heart, her mind fought against her about her change. The attention might be too much. It fed dread into her chest as she eyes the leather wrapped around her hoof. Then suddenly, Sweetie Belle felt a tapping at her shoulder. She turned around to find none other than Twist. "Thweetie!" She whispered. "I love what you've done with her mane!" Sweetie's skipped for a moment, taken off guard by the complement but then smiled. "Oh, thank you." She whispered back. She turned to her left when she felt another tapping on her desk. "Where did you get your outfit?" Dinky whispered, only for Snips from behind her interrupt. "Yeah! And your vest is so cool, did you get it while you were out of town?" Sweetie Belle smiled bright, scratching her head. "O-Oh, yeah. I got it at this one store in Manehattan-" "Does everypony dress like that there?" Another student asked asked, sitting in front of her. "My dad's been there like a million times and he's never talked about ponies who dress as cool as that." Sweetie shook her head. "Really, guys. It's not all that-" Pipsqueak whispered from beside the now out slumbering Scootaloo. "You're dressed just like a rockstar! Did you meet anyone like that in Manehattan?" "Yeah!" Another entered to the press. "Did ya, Sweetie?" "No-I mean, I saw a few ponies who might have-I don't-" "There's no way anypony famous would be caught dead with some weirdo like Weenie Blank." Diamond interrupted, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, it's nice you even showed up today, otherwise I wouldn't have known the circus was in town." Silver Spoon smirked, earning a chuckle from Diamond Tiara. "W-What do you mean?" Sweetie stammered, in an attempt to hold her own against the rotten duo. Diamond shook her head. "It's like she's trying to earn her cutie mark in Nightmare Night costumes. By the by, you're a few months off." Scootaloo glared. "Why don't you put pick on somepony else and leave her alone?" "Yeah, she ain't done anythin'." Sweetie turned to see Applebloom crossing her hooves, glaring at the two. "Ahem!" The class fell silent as Miss Cheerilee's stare swept over the classroom. "Now, I understand that it's been a pretty exciting morning, what with Sweetie being back and..." She closed her eyes and shook her head, "Anyhow, it's still a school day, now pay attention and no talking." "Yes, Miss Cheerilee." The students said in unison, followed by a sigh of relief from Sweetie. "Ah can't believe Miss Cheerile gave us such a hard time, Sweetie." Scootaloo said, walking besides her fellow crusaders at lunch time. "Well, ya did crash into class." Applebloom mused. "And Ah keep tellin' ya that scooter's gonna getcha in trouble." Sweetie Belle sighed. "It's fine, Scootaloo." The pegasus pouted. "No it isn't! She need's to lay off us once in awhile. Just because we've made some pretty big messes in the past-" Applebloom stopped before Scootaloo. "Some?" The pegasus filly shrugged. "Some of them I still see as victories." "Right." Sweetie Belle sat down in the grass outside the school, lowering her gaze. "Do you guys think I'm over doing it?" Scootaloo furrowed her brow. "What?" She said, sitting besides her Sweetie followed by Applebloom. Sweetie extended her hooves, looking down at herself. "This! I feel like since I got back everypony has been looking at me differently." Applebloom remained silent as Scootaloo eyed the unicorn, holding a hoof to her chin. "Hmm..." She stared for a few moments, before waving a hoof. "Nah. It's awesome, let it go." Sweetie giggled, before turning to Applebloom. "Applebloom?" The yellow filly turned to her friend, shifting her hooves where she sat in the grass. "What do ah think? W-Well, uh..." Sweetie watched as her friend struggled to keep her eyes on herself and felt a pit in her stomach, lowering her gaze once more. "It's okay if you don't like it, Applebloom. You can tell me." "T-That's not it!" Applebloom shouted, startling the other two fillies before covering her muzzle. A red hue grew over her muzzle as she silent cursed herself. "Ah mean, I like it...a lot." Scootaloo found herself giggling at the earth filly's reaction, while Sweetie smiled in earnest. "Thanks, Applebloom." "See, I told you!" The three fillies turned to see the rotten duo of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, smirking as the approached. Sweetie sighed, knowing this routine fairly well and especially aware that Diamond was undoubtedly armed to the cheap plastic on her head with bitter judgement and insults towards herself and her friends. "Oh great." Scootaloo crossed her hooves. "What do we owe the pleasure of your company?" "Shut it, Chicken Little." Diamond glared to the pegasus. "We aren't here to bother with you." Silver Spoon nodded. "Yeah, you or the Appla-loser. We just came to Sweetie Belle for fashion tips." Sweetie cocked her head. "R-Really?" Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon moved to stand besides the confused unicorn, eyeing her from her mane to the leather vest. "Oh, yes. You must tell us exactly which dumpster you snatched this top from!" Silver Spoon snickered. Diamond joined in. "Yes, and how hard it was to cut your mane this way while blindfolded!" She said, poking at the Mohawk and watching as it waved back and forth atop Sweetie's head. Sweetie only sat there, physically shutting down and baring her teeth with eyes shut. Scootaloo stood to her hooves and rushed to stand before the two fillies, her eyes like sharpened daggers. "Leave her alone!" She shouted, her glare bright against the rotten duo. Diamond rolled her eyes. "Or what, and for what? We're just asking how she could've walked out into the daylight like this." Applebloom too then stood to her hooves. "That's enough!" "Keep out of this, Appleblank." Silver Spoon eyed the farmer filly. While the four traded verbal blows, the topic of the discussion fought against her shattering resolve. Something in her kept her sitting still; a weight keeping her from standing up for herself and making herself known. She's been through this many times before, so why was this so much worse than the times before. It was then she felt something in her chest, a warm sensation spreading out from her heart. The embarrassment and shame she felt soon turned to bitterness, then anger. And finally, something clicked inside her. Something...stronger. Something...angrier. Diamond was about to retort against a comment against Scootaloo when she jumped back as a red faced Sweetie Belle stood before her and her partner. She saw something different in her however, something wrong. Sweetie's eyes burned, she swallowed the lump forming in her throat and the burning turn to focus. The focus formed daggers, daggers that caught fire. "And just who are you to judge how I choose to dress?" The rebel spoke, her voice taking a rough edge. Diamond mocked gasped. "Oh, is somepony getting a widdle upset?" "Hey! I wasn't done with you-" Scootaloo said, standing in front of Sweetie Belle, but was then pushed aside as Sweetie walked past her and stand before Diamond Tiara. "And who do you think you are to judge me?" She asked the fillies. Silver Spoon furrowed her brow. "Your betters, of course." Diamond nodded, standing closer to eye the red maned filly down. "Fillies who have their cutie marks, the top of the food chain compared to the likes of you blank flanks." "According to who?" She spat, taking another step forward with her eyes narrowing and her horn's point aimed to her bully. "You think you're better because you got a cutie mark before anyone else in class did, so what? Because you found your special talent?" Diamond's glare began to falter. As the space between her and the ranting filly shrinking dramatically, she found herself stepping back as the rage in Sweetie boiled over. "What's your talent then, hmm? What's that crown on your flank mean anyway? You're not a princess, like Princess Celestia or Miss Twilight! You're not any kind of royalty I know, so what does it mean? Are you daddy's little princess? Is that it? Did daddy buy that crown on your head?" Scootaloo started to grin, she turned to Applebloom. "She's really getting in diamond's face!" Silver Spoon moved to stand beside her friend. "Hey! Step back, Blanky!" Sweetie switched her lock on to Silver Spoon, who instantly shrunk under the sparking daggers aimed in her direction. "And you! What does the spoon mean? Is your talent...cereal? Do you like cereal? Soup? Oatmeal?" As she went on, the play yard soon took notice of the shouts of Sweetie and ran to catch the display. A semi circle formed around the fillies, Scootaloo and Applebloom now only bystanders to the role reversal between Sweetie Belle and the two bullying fillies. "Or is it because you're spoiled? Rotten and greedy, both of you!" She shouted, the colts and fillies surrounding her now cheering her on. Inside the rage burned with a new found pride, and she no longer yelled for just herself. "All you've ever done is put the rest of us, ALL of us down just cause we don't have our cutie marks yet! Well I don't know about you, but I think I can speak for the rest of us blank flanks when I say I'd rather be the last pony in Equestria without a cutie mark than to have one that is meaningless!" Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon both gasped, their egos deflating before the entire class as Sweetie's crumbled resolve formed back a metal shielding. "You jab at us, pick at us! Kick us while we're down almost everyday in every scenario, cross the line and hurt our feelings because it's just so funny isn't it? But I guess it's easy to tear into a small little defense filly like me and make me feel like I'm wrong and pathetic and insignificant when you don't know one bucking thing about me!!" The yard fell silent, jaws open and eyes wide before the rebellious filly huffed and puffed. Her hooves planted firmly in the dirt, flames roaring in her eyes with her teeth clenched tight and horn sparking. The fillies she burned might as well have been mere scorch marks on the ground, as they sat holding each other with tears brimming in their eyes. "Ahem!" All heads turned slowly to find one fairly ticked Cheerilee, her sights set on one filly alone. Sweetie soon turned, the rebel retreating back into herself as she found herself face to face with her teacher. "Sweetie Belle. Classroom, now!"
1. Like A Bat Outta Tartarus... "Oh, I just can't wait!" Rarity said with anticipating finishing off the last dish in her kitchen and levitating it into the cupboard. She turned away from the sink and made her way into her living room. It was a sunny afternoon. The resident fashionista of Ponyville had spent the day tidying up her shop and home, The Carousel Boutique and just finished up. She brushed her mane and exited the boutique, making her way down to wait at the train station with a smile on her face. Awaiting the arrival of her little sister Sweetie Belle, who had been off visiting their parents up in Manehattan. She was happily excited of course, not having seen nor heard of her sister in the period she'd been gone. No obnoxious distractions during her working periods, nor the constant lingering fear of what her little sister could be doing with her friends and fellow crusaders. Even though she was able to admit it was always nice to be free of such factors, she could not help but also admit there was a void in her everyday without her sister. A train whistle brought an even bigger smile to her face, her eyes fixated on the approaching train which held her returning sister. She tapped her hooves in excitement, she wondered what the filly did in the big city. Did she shop? Oh, how Rarity loved the shops up in Manehattan. All of the best fashions she heard end up in the Big Apple. As the doors opened and ponies started crowding the platform, Rarity thought of the many malls and attractions her younger sister must have visited. All the interesting ponies she and her parents ran into, all the building's she saw. Ponies began to fan out around her as she fantasized of the cityscape at night, viewing all from the top suite of a hotel. As a lone white unicorn horn poke out from within the crowd, Rarity's smile faltered. Now, it was no secret Rarity was a mare of the fancier things. Of course, everyone knew that. She liked the finest food, the finest music, the finest dresses. Now...If there was something that could turn the mare sour was one of two things-The first being the color green...she'd rather not explain her reason for disliking the color. The second, uncouth-ness. Brash, rowdy, chaotic and senseless. Clashing and outrageous in behavior and in appearance, was not Rarity's cup of tea. And thus, Like a universal record scratch turning heads as Rarity's eyes became mere pinpricks, a white filly stood out from the crowded platform. Her green eyes young with a halo of black around them, her lips curled into a smile at the sight of seeing her big sister after so long. Her pristine white fur hidden beneath a beaten leather vest. Her saddle bags bounced as she skipped her way towards Rarity with excitement, her hooves wrapped in black leather, studded bracelets. Rarity's heart was beating in fragments, standing like a statue even as she was wrapped up in a tight hug from her young sister. But in her defense, you have to assume it to be a difficult task to return the embrace when eye to eye with the unholy mess upon Sweetie Belle's head, and the the red mass of what used to be her tail trailing behind her. Nudging Rarity in the muzzle as her hooves shakily snaked around her sister to return the hug, was the remnants of what once was Sweetie's cute curly mane. Shaved to tiny curls on the side and the remains of this murder of fashion sticking straight up from the front and leading down her neck, resembling that of a certain zebra's mane style. Flashbacks of brushing and combing and assisting in maintaining it's form shot through Rarity's mind, while Pagliacci rang out in a chorus of shattering glass. "Oh it's so good to see you again, Rarity!" Sweetie's cheering voice muffled against Rarity's chest, oblivious to the horrid look on not only her sister's face but the ponies amongst them. Rarity's eyes quickly shifted between her sister and the bystanders with them at the station, all scratching their heads and giving odd looks at the filly's display. Looks of disapproval soon followed, other fillies and colts had their mother's and father's hooves blocking their vision to the Sweetie's...questionable look and attire. Without a second thought, the distraught mare swept up Sweetie Belle and dashed out of the train station. The boutique's front door slammed opened with the force so great, the door's impact on the wall echoed throughout the entire building and every window shook. As quickly as it opened, it shut as Rarity carried the struggling filly in her magical grip, ignoring her younger sister's shouts and resisting. "R-Rarity!" Sweetie shouted, kicking and flipping around in the blue magical prison that bounded her. "What are you doing?! Put me down!" Rarity rushed over to the bathroom door and pushed it open, levitating her sister into the bath tub. "My poor sister, this will only take a second!" She said, as with the help of her magic she stripped Sweetie of the atrocity of an outfit from her. "Hey! Give those back!" Sweetie screamed at her sister as her armbands and studs were pulled from her hooves. "What are you-Hey!" Sweetie cried out as the shower head spouted lukewarm water over her rebelled head, her hawked mane falling sideways over one side of her face as a shampoo bottle levitated over her head. Rarity bit her lip in absolute panic mode, she had never such a mixture of disasters all on one specimen. Her own sister, no less! She had to fix this, in an effort to save her sister. The shampoo bottles was squeezed in Rarity's magical grip and the curing substance piled on Sweetie's mane, much to the filly's discomfort. Rarity scrubbed hard at the mane, the crimson color staining her sister's mane not coming out or fading despite how hard she worked,. "Rarity! S-Stop!" Sweetie groaned. "That hurts!" "It's not coming out..." Rarity began to panic. "It's not coming out!" "Duh!" Sweetie glared, forcing her sister's hooves off her head. "Of course not, it's dyed!" Rarity's jaw hit the floor in gasp. "Dyed?! Oh that does it!" "Spike!" "Ahh!" Spike screamed, standing atop a ladder and holding three books in one claw while grabbing at the top shelf of books. He let out a sigh of relief, having survived his job to fall to his death another day. Re-re-arranging books on the highest shelf was not the highest on his personal list of ways to die, believe it or not. "Spike, have you seen my brush?" Twilight, dripping wet and fresh out the shower called out to her assistant. "It's not in the bathroom!" "A little busy at the moment, Twilight!" Spike groaned, looking between the books he held and the distance between him and the hardwood floors of the library at the moment. "Are you sure it's not just in the medicine cabinet again?" Twilight huffed. "Of course not! I've checked there at least three-" She paused, disappearing behind the door for a few moments before reappearing at the door again. "-four times already!" Spike rolled his eyes. "Well unless you want 'The Scientist's Cookbook' shelved with 'Apples: The Book', you might just have to deal." Twilight pouted, stomping her hooves weakly. "Spike-" "Rarity! Stop it!" "What the- AHH!" Spike turned too fast towards the door way and tumbled off the ladder. His life, though as short as it was seemed to have past through his vision like movie, before his momentum with lost and he froze mid-air within a lavender bubble. Twilight stood at the bottom of the stairs, her mane wrapped up in a towel along with her waist. At the front of the library, Rarity huffed and puffed with a mostly dry but entirely disgruntled Sweetie Belle, her once proud standing crimson Mohawk now hanging in thick curls at the side of her head. "Rarity?" Twilight said, stepping closer. "Are you...okay, Sweetie Belle what happened with your mane...and your tail?" Sweetie stomped, crossing her hooves and turning away from her sister as a long damp red curl fell over her muzzle. "Hmph! Rarity went and messed it up! It used to be tall and cool!" Rarity rushed over to her friend and grabbed her by the shoulders, looking her directly in the eyes. "Twilight! Something's horribly wrong with Sweetie Belle!" "W-What?!" Twilight yelped in response. "This morning I was cleaning up the boutique and I left to go meet Sweetie Belle at the train station, but when I got there she was all wrapped up this dreadful outfit with black leather and spikes and pins and Eye liner and her mane is just so- Mmph!" Twilight stared wide eyed back at her friend, her hoof placed over her mouth and slowly pushing her back a few steps. "Okay, okay. Slow down, let's start from the beginning. Rarity took a deep breath. "Sweetie Belle's...become a ruffian!" "A muffin?" Spike scratched his head. "A miscreant, a thug! She hopped onto that train all those months ago a sweet innocent little filly and now..." She buried her face into her hooves. "...she's been transformed and I just don't understand how!" Sweetie Belle pouted, her bottom lip quivering. "Now hold just a minute, Rarity." Twilight said, sitting besides her crestfallen friend and laying a wing to her back. "There hasn't been sort of transformation! I mean, sure the mane thing would kinda catch me off guard too..." She shot an apologetic look towards the filly before turning back the fashionista. "But she's still Sweetie Belle." Rarity sniffled. "You didn't see it, Twilight. The leather, the bands around her hooves! You didn't see the looks everyone on the platform were giving her, likes she's one of those bad rebel ponies you'd see in theater dramas!" "Rebel?" Sweetie furrowed her brow, then turning to Spike. "There's nothing with how I look now, is there Spike?" Spike looked a the filly up and down, slightly dazed. "I...I don't think so." He said, almost in a trance. "It's actually...kinda hot." "Spike!" Twilight snapped at her young assistant, her eyes waving to the distraught unicorn. While Sweetie went silent, and simply blushed in reply. Rarity shook her head, then turned it to her sister. "I...I need a moment." She then stood up from the floor and made way towards the front door. Once it opened, she stepped outside and shut it behind her. "Whoa, I've never seen Rarity so shaken up before." Spike said, but his pondering was dashed he heard sniffling from behind him. Twilight too turned to the only other pony in the room, who too began to cry softly. Spike and Twilight made there way over and comforted the young unicorn, Twilight wrapping her wings around them as Sweetie wrapped her hooves around Spike as she sobbed. "Shh. It's alright, Sweetie Belle." Twilight said to the young unicorn. Sweetie only whimpered into Spike's shoulder. "So um...I like the color of your mane. Cherry red or raspberry?" "Spike, not now."
2. The MinorityRarity's eventual return brought with it an awkward silence, wrapping the afternoon up nicely with the quartet sitting in the living room of the library. Twilight and Spike sat side by side, with Sweetie Belle sitting in the lone chair, along Rarity by herself as well. Twilight hadn't planned out her day to lead to her playing councilor, and by the way Spike stared between the fashion mare and the now rugged filly, having to lecture Spike on timing. "Ahem," Twilight began, "so now that we're all calmed and collected, I feel you should hear what Sweetie Belle has to say." Rarity glanced in her sister's direction. Part of her had already blocked out and forgotten what she had done to her mane, the red menace atop her naive head a mess and clomp of dry unconditioned...She took a deep breath, and nodded. Sweetie sighed, crossing her hooves turning her gaze to the floor. "Rarity, you hurt my feelings." Rarity whimpered. "Back on the platform...it took alot to step off the train and approach you like I did, I was happy when I saw my big sister waiting for me when I came home." Her voice grew more stern. "I wanted to think that you of all ponies wouldn't totally flip out and treat me like I joined a cult of pony eating griffons." Spike and Twilight watched as the filly uncrossed her hooves to grip the sides of her chair. "When I was in Manehattan, I found something that I really clicked with. When I asked mom and dad about it, they encouraged me." Sweetie tore her gaze from the floor and her once sad eyes drew daggers on the crystal irises of her sister. "Why can't you?!" Rarity jumped in her seat, biting her lip and trying to conjure up the right words. "Sweetie Belle I...you can't just-" "What?!" Sweetie was shouting now. "Can't I make a choice? I've got almost nothing else that I can identify myself as, why not let me find myself in a way that won't hurt me, cause property damage or cause you to stress for once?" Spike kicked his feet up on the table. "She's gotta point." Twilight rolled her eyes at the young dragon, before grabbing his feet in her magic and removing them from the table. "What she's holds some merit, Rarity. As...um, a little outrageous and out-there this path Sweetie has taken is, it sure is an alternative to setting a fire and attempting to put it out for a firefighting cutie mark isn't it?" Sweetie's eyes shifted. "Yeah, um...'setting the fire' is kind of speculation-" "I suppose it is, Twilight." Rarity sighed, turning to look at her sister. "but I'm worried this...alternative is opening doors to a new set of problems. What about the other ponies, foals, teachers and parents?" "Buck em'." "Spike!" Twilight snapped at the dragon, an appalled expression on her's and Rarity's faces while Sweetie Belle stifled a giggle. "What has gotten into you?" "No Twi, I'm on to something!" Spike defended, standing up from the couch. "Look, I have a little more experience in being in the minority than you alright?" He turned to Rarity. "I know what it's like to be the one and only blank in town, and it's not easy. Hay, I don't even get to sing in the spontaneous songs." Twilight bit her lip. "You could've if you wanted to..." Spike rolled his eyes. "Anyway, but it builds character. If Sweetie wants to discover who she is through a Mohawk, some eyeliner, and a biker jacket then go for it! And if anyone wants to put her down for it, treat her like a rebel-" He turned to Sweetie. "-then wear it like a cutie mark and own it. No one can ever have the power to make you feel out sided." Speechless, the duo of mares and one filly watched as Spike turned and picked up the books he had dropped before and made his way up stairs, whistling a tune along the way. "I...I had no idea Spike was so outspoken." Rarity stared off in awe. Sweetie's lips curled into a dreamy grin, her cheeks' temperature rising. "Yeah...so cool." Twilight deadpanned. "So...are we all okay now?" The two remained silent, still staring off after where the dragon vanished. Twilight face hoofed. "Please leave so I may finish my shower." The boutique door opened once more that late afternoon, with Rarity and Sweetie Belle entering it side by side and both relieved the day had nearly come to an end. "You know, despite being dragged in here against my will and practically being baptized, it's good to be home." Sweetie Belle smiled, walking towards the stairs to her room. Rarity shut the door, sighing. "Oh, I said I was sorry." "No you didn't!" Sweetie called down from the stairs, sticking her tongue out at her sister. She then saw a mischievous grin on Rarity's lips, and a feeling of horror came to her. She let out a yelp and ran up the stairs as her big sister playfully charged after her. She rushed to her bedroom door and grabbed the door handle with both hooves , turning it as Rarity rounded the corner of the stairs. Sweetie fell into the door as it flew opened, which lead her into tumbling in and turning just in time to be lifted up into a hug. "Ah!" Sweetie Belle laughed as her sister hugged her tight before placing her on her bed. "Apology mostly accepted." Rarity grinned. "Mostly accepted, are we?" She turned to the corner of the room, where Sweetie Belle's luggage sat. "What did you bring back from Manehattan?" Sweetie rolled her eyes, avoiding eye contact and giggling. "Oh, nothing much. Just some stuff here, souvenirs there." "Souvenirs?" Rarity asked. Sweetie tutted, hopping off the bed. "You're no fun. Yes, you have a gift!" She approached her bag and zipped it opened, reaching in and pulling out a purple box with a cyan bow wrapped around it. Only as the filly turned away from the bag, a square plastic case fell out and hit the floor with a light 'clack'. Rarity furrowed her brow. "What is that?" Sweetie Belle froze, the gift wrapped present still in her muzzle. "Mumfng!" The plastic case was then levitated into the air and flew up in front of Rarity, in which she read the cover aloud. "Teenage Retirement?" She turned to her sister. "Is this a CD?" The case was then snatched out of her magic and into Sweetie's. "Okay! Well, I'm tired so you should probably leave so I can get some sleep, you know long day traveling!" "B-But wait! Don't you want me to open your gift?" Rarity asked, as she was forcibly pushed out of her sister's room. "Of course!" Sweetie Belle said, turning to grab the box in her muzzle and tossing to Rarity once she was outside the room. "Gladtobebackloveyounight!" The bedroom door shut in Rarity's confused face, leaving her alone in the dim lighted hallway. "Well, alright then. Love you, too." She chuckled, turning away with the present in her magic. Rarity later laid in bed late into the night, wrapped in her silk covers. Her bedroom only being lit by her bedside lamp as she held her favorite story in her hooves. A red pair of reading glasses on the edge of her muzzle. She turned to the clock on the far side of the room, it then reading fifteen minutes past ten. With that, she removed her glasses and placed them with the book atop her nightstand. As she went to turn out the light however, she stopped at a familiar sight on the edge of her bed. The gift box Sweetie gave her. The events of the whole day came back to her, shaking her and filling with worry at the same time. Of course, the love she held for her sister could conquer any disagreement between them, but that wasn't what unnerved her. It was for Sweetie's sake Rarity worried, she would be putting herself out on the spot. She had enough problems around town as it was since coming to live with her, with Applebloom and Scootaloo alone with those fillies they always seem to out it with from time to time. She just didn't want anymore reason for her parents to... "Buck em'." "...If Sweetie wants to discover who she is through a Mohawk, some eyeliner, and a biker jacket then go for it! No one can ever have the power to make you feel out sided." "...Can't I make a choice? I've got almost nothing else that I can identify myself as, why not let me find myself in a way that won't hurt me, cause property damage or cause you to stress for once?" The cyan ribbon unfurled and fell away from the box and the lid lifted away to reveal something Rarity found most humorous. A regal purple collar...meant for a pony. It was decorated with spikes and a tag for one Miss Generous... "Ah. Well..." Rarity giggled to herself. "Then it appears I have nothing to worry about."
3. Fashion Statements and Turnstiles 3. Fashion Statements and Turnstiles "Sweetie!" It was nighttime in Manehattan, the vibrations of the bass and drums shook the small club. "Sweetie Belle!" Bodies mashing together in crazed motions, legs and heads swinging dangerously close together. Eardrums introduced to near damaging levels of distortion, and ponies throwing caution to the wind as they slammed into one another. A scene that was all brand new to Sweetie Belle. She stared wide eyed, a look of awe as a local band busted out hard, loud and fast tunes. Music, she had no outside knowledge in, only what she would hear back in Ponyville. But this was different, much different. The look, the aggression. These weren't sing-alongs by most ponies standards, but when the chorus came whizzing by in the club everyone knew the words. The moment exude a feeling, an emotion everyone shared. A feeling Sweetie wanted. "Sweetie Belle, it's time for school!" Rarity's voice called through the door to Sweetie's room. The slumbering filly flinched in her sleep, tossing and turning in her bed in a last ditch attempt to fall back asleep, but her rising consciousness was winning the fight. "Mmhlright..." She mumbled, her eyes pinched close from the brightness of the room. Her bedroom window allowing the sun a perfect angle to shoot its rays in helping the filly rise upright in her bed like a flower in the ground. Though this flower's petals have seen better days, knotted and messy after having her scalp forcibly scrubbed minutes after returning. Due to how 'drastic' and 'outrageous' the appearance of her mane and tail was to her sister and even Twilight. Sweetie Belle scoffed, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She got out of bed and stretched her limbs, turning to walk over to her bag. She pulled out a black plastic bag with a illustration of a smiling pony with X's for eyes before leaving her bedroom. "Morning, Sweetie Belle!" Rarity said, rushing by with mannequins and different color fabrics floating behind her. "Don't take too much time getting ready, you sleeping has cost you some time." Sweetie grumbled, Rarity hurrying downstairs as the bedridden filly dragged her hooves into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. "Now that I'm safe in here..." She stood in front of the mirror, a grin on her lips as she held the bag. "...let's get ready." Rarity had gotten back to work right as she woke up, one cup of coffee beside her and her glasses on the ridge of her muzzle. Rolls of fabric dolled out sheets in a factory fashion in this fashion factory, Rarity sewing machines lined up beside each other, and a note pad with designs and colors in her hooves. "Now with just a few gems to the collar on this shirt, it will look positively fabulous with the rest of the suit!" She smiled at her progress. Rarity looked off to the far side of the room to the clock, it reading ten minutes to eight. "Oh no!" Rarity stopped, turning to the stairs. "Sweetie Belle, you're going to be late!" "No, I'm not!" Her little sister shouted back. "Scootaloo's giving me a ride!" Rarity cringed, turning back to her work. "Um, on her scooter? Didn't she crash the last time?" She heard hoof steps coming down the stairs and turned back, only drop everything as Sweetie Belle ascended down the final step. Her mane was restored to its upright position, save for a pair of curls she allowed to hang around her horn like upside down demon horns. Her eyes were once again lined in black and she wore her leather vest, Rarity could see now it used to have sleeves due to the tears and frays around the shoulders. Rarity looked down to her hooves, seeing one wrapped in leather straps and buckles while the other fore leg dawn a long black leather brace with little studs lined up in threes. "Well..." Sweetie smiled, waving a hoof like a magician who presented a trick. "What do you think?" "W-What do I think?" Rarity near stammered, her eyes shifted up and down at her sister. "Yeah." Sweetie said, kicking at the floor. "I mean, no matter what you say I'm not changing...but I still wanna know what you think." She turned back to Rarity. "You are a fashionista, right?" This, caused Rarity to chuckle, the awkwardness leaving her a bit. "Well..." She walked over to get a closer look, eyeing the eye liner. "You certainly did a good job with your make up, but..." Sweetie frowned. "What?" Rarity shook her head. "I simply cannot allow you to use this brand. It's too thick and doesn't hi-light your eyes as eye liner is supposed to do." Rarity explained. "It's Liner, makes your eyes pop. And your mane-" "I'm not changing the color-" Sweetie started, Rarity interrupted. "It's not centered." She explained, placing her hooves on Sweetie's head and tilting it forward. "Hmm, I don't know where or who did this but they obviously didn't attend a class or barber training." She took a step back and eyed the rest. "As for everything else...at least it matches, though the leather has scratches and the frays need to be taken care of." Sweetie stood there in awe. Rarity continued as she walked over to the roll of fabric. "While you're at school, I can see about fetching some proper products to fix your mane. Maybe some decent eye liner, but after school you give that vest to me and I'll tend to the frays." She turned and smiled. "Now run along, I've work to do and you're going to be late." Sweetie Belle was frozen for a moment, before smiling bright and glomping her sister, wrapping her hooves around her Rarity neck and holding tight. Rarity was taken by surprise, but then happily returned the hug. "Thank you." Sweetie whispered. "No need to thank me, Sweetie." Rarity responded, pulling away. "Whatever makes you happy, now please. You can still make it if Scootaloo shows." As she said that, three quick knocks erupted at the front door. "That's her!" Sweetie said, before turning and hugging her sister again. "Bye, Rarity!" Sweetie Belle rushed over to the front door and opened it. "Have a good day at school!" Rarity called back, before turning back to her work, a warm smile setting in on her face. "And that's what matters." Scootaloo was propped up on her scooter, her helmet sliding forward and covering her eyes as she barely clung to consciousness. Sweetie stepped outside and shut the door behind her, waking the pegasus from her light slumber who faced away from her. "Morning, Scootaloo!" She said, walking over to prod the filly's helmet. "Still tired?" Scootaloo grumbled. "Eh, maybe a little." She started to turn to Sweetie Belle. "I don't know how you manage to wake up in the-WHA?!" Sweetie smiled bright at the pegasi's reaction, giggling when her friend almost tripped off her scooter. "Like the look, Scoot?" Scootaloo eyed her up and down, with her gaze ascending from the straps to the crimson mane, her look changed from startled to impressed. "Like it? You look sick! Did you do this all when you were in Manehattan?" Sweetie Belle grinned, crossing her hooves. "Yup!" Scootaloo smirked. "What did your sister think?" In the distance, both fillies heard the school bell ring across town, and Scootaloo hopped back on the scooter. "Ya know what, save it! We have to hurry!" Sweetie hopped on behind her friend and grabbed Scoot's shoulder. "Right! Let's go!" The two then sped away from the Carousel Boutique, leaving a dust cloud in a rush to reach the the school fast enough. At least enough so that Miss Cheerlie wouldn't have a cow. As the dust settled, through the front window, Rarity watched with a worrisome expression as her sister and her friend disappeared from sight. "Snips?" "Here!" "Twist?" Miss Cheerile read out the student roll call, sitting behind her desk and checking off the names on her list. "Here!" "Alright..." She checked off the peppermint filly and looked up to confirm she was present before reading off the next name. "Scootaloo?" She glanced up once, and then again and spotted one seat empty. "No Scootaloo?" "She told me that she's pickin' up Sweetie Belle!" Applebloom piped in. "They're probably on their way!" But Miss Cheerile frowned. "Now Applebloom, I understand what you're doing but if neither Scootaloo or Sweetie Belle are in their seats by the time I start to do roll call, they're tardy." She said, looking back down at the list. "But, can't we wait at least ten seconds?" Applebloom pouted. "Pleeease?" "Ugh, nobody cares if those two blank-flanks are tardy or not." A very snobby Diamond Tiara remarked from Applebloom's right. "Just mark them late and get this over with!" "Yeah!" Silver Spoon added. "I'm not going to have my education tarnished because some ponies can't be bothered to arrive on time." Miss Cheerile glared, Her inner self wanting to tell those two off not as a teacher. However she knew until the final bell rung and she sat at the front of the class, she was forbidden. She turned to Applebloom. "Ten seconds. Not a second more, alright?" Applebloom cheered, turning to smirk at Diamond and Silver who returned it with a grimace. The foals and Miss Cheerile all stared up at the clock above the doorway, watching as it ticked down from ten seconds, to nine seconds. And then eight, seven, six... "Face it, Appleblank!" Diamond teased. "They're toast!" "3...2..." Applebloom counted. That's when the front door blew opened and a white and orange blur shot into the class room, knocking over half of the front row of desks. All the students, save for Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, cheered as Scootaloo stood up from the wreckage with hooves above her head. Applebloom hopped out of her chair and rushed over to hug her friend. "You made it!" Applebloom said. "AH did what ya said, and it worked!" Scootaloo sheepishly grinned, rubbing the back of her head. "Heh, well what did I tell ya? Ten seconds flat." Applebloom pulled away to meet Sweetie Belle. "And it's good tah have ya back, Sweetie Be-HOLY APPLESAUCE!" The classroom went silent as Sweetie Belle stood up from the floor, eyes all wide as spotlights as she were on a stage for all to see. She straightened her Mohawk and smiled. "H-Hi, Applebloom."
4. "Kick Me" The universal record player had scratched to a halt for the second time, for everyone besides Sweetie anyway. Surrounded by her classmates stunned by her bombarding entrance and outrageous, by a small town like Ponyville's standards, appearance. Even Applebloom, one of her closest friends and fellow cutie mark crusader, stood before her with wide eyes and mouth agape. "And just what are you supposed to be?" Diamond Tiara asked, quizzically eyeing Sweetie Belle. The rest of her classmates remained silently still, eyes fixated on the unicorn filly. Miss Cheerile, while also slightly taken back at the site of Sweetie Belle, was more focused on the ruckus made by the tardy fillies. "Scootaloo!" Miss Cheerilee rushed to stand before her students. "I don't know how many times I have to tell you about riding your scooter in the classroom!" Scootaloo shrugged, paying more attention to her now sore side after colliding with a desk. "Hehe...I'm here, Miss Cheerile." Sweetie sheepishly waved towards her teacher, dusting herself off from the crash. "Sorry Scootaloo and I were late, I was still pretty tired from traveling and had slept in." Miss Cheerile raised a hoof to speak, but words failed her. She sighed and simply nodded. With that, Sweetie and Scootaloo, with help from Applebloom, cleaned the mess they made and walked over to their seats. Whispers and mutterings when on as Sweetie made her way to her seat, awkwardly sitting down and crossing her hooves while not being able to help feeling the many eyes focusing on her. "Okay..." Miss Cheerilee said, "Well now that everyone is here, let's get started shall we?" As the lesson began, Sweetie soon felt the tension fill the air as her teacher wrote problems down on the chalk board, the clacking of chalk hitting the board not enough to drown out her presence amongst the others. Out the corner of her eye, she spotted Scootaloo already with her head propped up on her hoof and dozing off. With a little smirk, she looked to the side and spotted Applebloom, but was unsettled by her look. The farmer filly dawn an awkward expression, her eyes fixated, on what she may have intended the board, the spot where Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo crashed now cleaned up. Sweetie's smirk fell and she turned her attention to her desk with a sigh, unaware that Applebloom's eyes had shifted to the rebel filly. As the lesson went on, Sweetie Belle could tell there was even something odd about her teacher. Whenever Miss Cheerile would turn to face the class and ask a question, it was almost like she would purposely not make any sort of acknowledgement towards her. Her eyes would scan the class then quickly pass over Sweetie's direction. Sweetie's hooves kicked out under her seat anxiously, her heart beat speeding up and her hooves tapping atop her desk. She felt nervous, worried even. Though she stood her ground in her heart, her mind fought against her about her change. The attention might be too much. It fed dread into her chest as she eyes the leather wrapped around her hoof. Then suddenly, Sweetie Belle felt a tapping at her shoulder. She turned around to find none other than Twist. "Thweetie!" She whispered. "I love what you've done with her mane!" Sweetie's skipped for a moment, taken off guard by the complement but then smiled. "Oh, thank you." She whispered back. She turned to her left when she felt another tapping on her desk. "Where did you get your outfit?" Dinky whispered, only for Snips from behind her interrupt. "Yeah! And your vest is so cool, did you get it while you were out of town?" Sweetie Belle smiled bright, scratching her head. "O-Oh, yeah. I got it at this one store in Manehattan-" "Does everypony dress like that there?" Another student asked asked, sitting in front of her. "My dad's been there like a million times and he's never talked about ponies who dress as cool as that." Sweetie shook her head. "Really, guys. It's not all that-" Pipsqueak whispered from beside the now out slumbering Scootaloo. "You're dressed just like a rockstar! Did you meet anyone like that in Manehattan?" "Yeah!" Another entered to the press. "Did ya, Sweetie?" "No-I mean, I saw a few ponies who might have-I don't-" "There's no way anypony famous would be caught dead with some weirdo like Weenie Blank." Diamond interrupted, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, it's nice you even showed up today, otherwise I wouldn't have known the circus was in town." Silver Spoon smirked, earning a chuckle from Diamond Tiara. "W-What do you mean?" Sweetie stammered, in an attempt to hold her own against the rotten duo. Diamond shook her head. "It's like she's trying to earn her cutie mark in Nightmare Night costumes. By the by, you're a few months off." Scootaloo glared. "Why don't you put pick on somepony else and leave her alone?" "Yeah, she ain't done anythin'." Sweetie turned to see Applebloom crossing her hooves, glaring at the two. "Ahem!" The class fell silent as Miss Cheerilee's stare swept over the classroom. "Now, I understand that it's been a pretty exciting morning, what with Sweetie being back and..." She closed her eyes and shook her head, "Anyhow, it's still a school day, now pay attention and no talking." "Yes, Miss Cheerilee." The students said in unison, followed by a sigh of relief from Sweetie. "Ah can't believe Miss Cheerile gave us such a hard time, Sweetie." Scootaloo said, walking besides her fellow crusaders at lunch time. "Well, ya did crash into class." Applebloom mused. "And Ah keep tellin' ya that scooter's gonna getcha in trouble." Sweetie Belle sighed. "It's fine, Scootaloo." The pegasus pouted. "No it isn't! She need's to lay off us once in awhile. Just because we've made some pretty big messes in the past-" Applebloom stopped before Scootaloo. "Some?" The pegasus filly shrugged. "Some of them I still see as victories." "Right." Sweetie Belle sat down in the grass outside the school, lowering her gaze. "Do you guys think I'm over doing it?" Scootaloo furrowed her brow. "What?" She said, sitting besides her Sweetie followed by Applebloom. Sweetie extended her hooves, looking down at herself. "This! I feel like since I got back everypony has been looking at me differently." Applebloom remained silent as Scootaloo eyed the unicorn, holding a hoof to her chin. "Hmm..." She stared for a few moments, before waving a hoof. "Nah. It's awesome, let it go." Sweetie giggled, before turning to Applebloom. "Applebloom?" The yellow filly turned to her friend, shifting her hooves where she sat in the grass. "What do ah think? W-Well, uh..." Sweetie watched as her friend struggled to keep her eyes on herself and felt a pit in her stomach, lowering her gaze once more. "It's okay if you don't like it, Applebloom. You can tell me." "T-That's not it!" Applebloom shouted, startling the other two fillies before covering her muzzle. A red hue grew over her muzzle as she silent cursed herself. "Ah mean, I like it...a lot." Scootaloo found herself giggling at the earth filly's reaction, while Sweetie smiled in earnest. "Thanks, Applebloom." "See, I told you!" The three fillies turned to see the rotten duo of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, smirking as the approached. Sweetie sighed, knowing this routine fairly well and especially aware that Diamond was undoubtedly armed to the cheap plastic on her head with bitter judgement and insults towards herself and her friends. "Oh great." Scootaloo crossed her hooves. "What do we owe the pleasure of your company?" "Shut it, Chicken Little." Diamond glared to the pegasus. "We aren't here to bother with you." Silver Spoon nodded. "Yeah, you or the Appla-loser. We just came to Sweetie Belle for fashion tips." Sweetie cocked her head. "R-Really?" Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon moved to stand besides the confused unicorn, eyeing her from her mane to the leather vest. "Oh, yes. You must tell us exactly which dumpster you snatched this top from!" Silver Spoon snickered. Diamond joined in. "Yes, and how hard it was to cut your mane this way while blindfolded!" She said, poking at the Mohawk and watching as it waved back and forth atop Sweetie's head. Sweetie only sat there, physically shutting down and baring her teeth with eyes shut. Scootaloo stood to her hooves and rushed to stand before the two fillies, her eyes like sharpened daggers. "Leave her alone!" She shouted, her glare bright against the rotten duo. Diamond rolled her eyes. "Or what, and for what? We're just asking how she could've walked out into the daylight like this." Applebloom too then stood to her hooves. "That's enough!" "Keep out of this, Appleblank." Silver Spoon eyed the farmer filly. While the four traded verbal blows, the topic of the discussion fought against her shattering resolve. Something in her kept her sitting still; a weight keeping her from standing up for herself and making herself known. She's been through this many times before, so why was this so much worse than the times before. It was then she felt something in her chest, a warm sensation spreading out from her heart. The embarrassment and shame she felt soon turned to bitterness, then anger. And finally, something clicked inside her. Something...stronger. Something...angrier. Diamond was about to retort against a comment against Scootaloo when she jumped back as a red faced Sweetie Belle stood before her and her partner. She saw something different in her however, something wrong. Sweetie's eyes burned, she swallowed the lump forming in her throat and the burning turn to focus. The focus formed daggers, daggers that caught fire. "And just who are you to judge how I choose to dress?" The rebel spoke, her voice taking a rough edge. Diamond mocked gasped. "Oh, is somepony getting a widdle upset?" "Hey! I wasn't done with you-" Scootaloo said, standing in front of Sweetie Belle, but was then pushed aside as Sweetie walked past her and stand before Diamond Tiara. "And who do you think you are to judge me?" She asked the fillies. Silver Spoon furrowed her brow. "Your betters, of course." Diamond nodded, standing closer to eye the red maned filly down. "Fillies who have their cutie marks, the top of the food chain compared to the likes of you blank flanks." "According to who?" She spat, taking another step forward with her eyes narrowing and her horn's point aimed to her bully. "You think you're better because you got a cutie mark before anyone else in class did, so what? Because you found your special talent?" Diamond's glare began to falter. As the space between her and the ranting filly shrinking dramatically, she found herself stepping back as the rage in Sweetie boiled over. "What's your talent then, hmm? What's that crown on your flank mean anyway? You're not a princess, like Princess Celestia or Miss Twilight! You're not any kind of royalty I know, so what does it mean? Are you daddy's little princess? Is that it? Did daddy buy that crown on your head?" Scootaloo started to grin, she turned to Applebloom. "She's really getting in diamond's face!" Silver Spoon moved to stand beside her friend. "Hey! Step back, Blanky!" Sweetie switched her lock on to Silver Spoon, who instantly shrunk under the sparking daggers aimed in her direction. "And you! What does the spoon mean? Is your talent...cereal? Do you like cereal? Soup? Oatmeal?" As she went on, the play yard soon took notice of the shouts of Sweetie and ran to catch the display. A semi circle formed around the fillies, Scootaloo and Applebloom now only bystanders to the role reversal between Sweetie Belle and the two bullying fillies. "Or is it because you're spoiled? Rotten and greedy, both of you!" She shouted, the colts and fillies surrounding her now cheering her on. Inside the rage burned with a new found pride, and she no longer yelled for just herself. "All you've ever done is put the rest of us, ALL of us down just cause we don't have our cutie marks yet! Well I don't know about you, but I think I can speak for the rest of us blank flanks when I say I'd rather be the last pony in Equestria without a cutie mark than to have one that is meaningless!" Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon both gasped, their egos deflating before the entire class as Sweetie's crumbled resolve formed back a metal shielding. "You jab at us, pick at us! Kick us while we're down almost everyday in every scenario, cross the line and hurt our feelings because it's just so funny isn't it? But I guess it's easy to tear into a small little defense filly like me and make me feel like I'm wrong and pathetic and insignificant when you don't know one bucking thing about me!!" The yard fell silent, jaws open and eyes wide before the rebellious filly huffed and puffed. Her hooves planted firmly in the dirt, flames roaring in her eyes with her teeth clenched tight and horn sparking. The fillies she burned might as well have been mere scorch marks on the ground, as they sat holding each other with tears brimming in their eyes. "Ahem!" All heads turned slowly to find one fairly ticked Cheerilee, her sights set on one filly alone. Sweetie soon turned, the rebel retreating back into herself as she found herself face to face with her teacher. "Sweetie Belle. Classroom, now!"
