It was a starry night in Ponyville and Applejack was having dinner with her sister Apple Bloom, Granny Smith and her big brother Big Mac.
“So…?” said Apple Bloom with an impatient tone.
Applejack just keep eating without pay attention.
“So…?” she insisted.
With no options, she swallowed the portion of apple pie to answer her.
“Ah wanted to wait after dinner to bring the good news but Ah can tell you're too impatient for that, sugarcube. Ah got a letter from yer cousin Babs Seed and she says her family is more than glad to receive ya’ and yer friend over and spend the weekend with them.”
Excited, Applebloom leaved the table and rushed to her room leaving a trail of smoke.
“That girl and her friends are a big barrel of energy. Are you sure is a good idea to let her there alone?”
“Don’t worry Granny Smith, Babs’ family knows the city like her own hoof, also they’re gonna be well guarded,” assures Applejack.
Without reproaching, they continued with dinner while the filly packed all her clothes in a giant bag.
“Should ah take my swimsuit and flippers?” asked Applebloom herself outloud. “Nah, it’s just extra load.”
She put them away and tried to close the bag in many ways, after tons of effort she made it.
“Good, now time for some sleep!”
But the bag was too big to move it and, when she tried to grab it with her theets this staggered and fell to the ground, make it to open and explode, covering all the room with her cloth.
“Pack light, Applebloom!” yelled Applejack when she heard the hit.
“Alright,” answered Applebloom getting out of the clothes mound, dressed with a French beret, a sailor uniform, dark glasses and flippers.
Applebloom sighed defeated when she saw the amount of things to clean.
“What would their parents said to the others?”
A scream of joy resounded around carrousel boutique. Ponies walking nearby under the light of the moon were scared and runned away. There was nothing to fear about, it was only Rarity telling the good news to Sweetie Belle.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” exclaimed Sweetie Belle hugging her sister.
“There’s nothing to thank dear, it all was Applejack’s idea, I just asked permission to our parents to let you go alone,” said Rarity while she gently ruffled her little sister’s mane.
The table was a mess now, there was spilled tea all over the finely arranged table.
“Do you want some help, sis?”
“No!” She screamed “I mean, better go pack all you need and get ready for bed, I will take care of this.”
The little one obey and went to her room, excited to pack for her travel of tomorrow.
In a dark room, there was just a glimmer that broke into the darkness. Under a blanket was a pegasus unable to falling asleep. The continued movement of the blanket, the giggle and the sound of the springs that grind with the shake of the mattress in a infinite and repetitive cycle revealed what she was doing.
With a lintern that illumined her hiding place, Scootaloo was brushing her Rainbow Dash’s toy with a brush, laughing for the travel of tomorrow.
“I’m so excited!” whispered to herself and the toy “I’m going to Manehattan for the very first time, it’s gonna be so awesome!”
“Scootaloo, go to sleep now or you’re not going anywhere anytime soon!” Yelled her mother from outside the room.
“Sorry!”
The pegasus accommodated correctly in bed with her Rainbow Dash plushie at her side, ready to fall asleep.
“It will be such a great day tomorrow!”
The next morning, the three fillies met in Ponyville’s train station, excited to begin their travel. As they waited jumping and screaming everywhere; Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow Dash were chatting between them.
The train arrived to the station, multiple ponies arrived and others boarded and took a sit. The Cutie Mark Crusaders said goodbye to their respective sisters.
“Take care Sweetie Belle, remember to clean your hooves when you return from your trips from the city to Babs’ house, the sidewalks there can be such a mess full with germs,” Rarity made a face, sticking her tongue out with a frown.
“Okay Rarity,” said Sweetie with a sigh and hugging her.
“Say hi from me to all the family there sugarcube, and tell them that Granny’s okay!”
“You’re not coming sis? It was your idea after all,” asked Applebloom.
“Ah can’t little sis, there’s a lot of work in the farm, not to mention the chores your brother and I have to do in while ya’ out there. But don’t worry about that and have fun there,” ended Applejack with a hug.
“Hey Scoots, have a awesome time in the big city, and if you can get me a souvenir okay?” Said Rainbow.
“Alright Rainbow, I will!”
“And be careful, it’s said that Manehattan’s streets are insecure,” warned Rainbow adding an ‘ooo’ and Sweetie shivered with a little yelp.
“Rainbow, don’t scare them like that! I’m sure they’ll have a lot of fun,” Applejack assured.
“Alright, fine. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!”
Applejack and Rarity looked at her without caring as the fillies boarded the train and take the sit next to the window, watching her sisters through it.
“All aboard the train bound for Manehattan!” Exclaimed the train guard.
The fillies waved her hooves saying goodbye to her sisters. Rarity let escape a few tears from the moment.
“Rarity… are you crying?” Asked Rainbow.
“It’s just… just…”
She couldn’t finish the sentence and blowed her nose with her pink kerchief.
“You’re gonna miss her, right?” Asked Applejack.
“Is more than that,” the characteristic whistle of the train about to leave interrupted for a second “It’s one of the few weekends that I will have not to take care of her. And that makes me happy.”
Rarity burst into tears of joy and hugged her farmer friend. Applejack and Rainbow rolled their eyes in response.
Meanwhile, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were looking the “sad” scene from the train.
“Look Sweetie Belle, seems like Rarity is gonna miss yah too,” pointed Applebloom.
“She really loves me,” said the little unicorn with a tear in her face.
After that, the train began his ride and the three fillies continued with their chat.
“Okay, now we have to plan what we are gonna do when we get there,” suggested Scootaloo.
“Oh,oh! ah heard about a funfair in the city center, we can go there,” proposed Applebloom.
“I read that Manehattan has the best ice cream shop in all Equestria, we can choke with all the ice cream we want,” opined Sweetie Belle.
“I wanna burn the wheels of my scoot in that extreme skating park,” said Scootaloo waving her hoof imitating a trick.
“We should put them on paper to not forget,” commented Applebloom taking a piece of paper and pen from her saddlebag and writing on them “If somepony came out with more ideas, that’s great, cuz the Cutie Mark Crusaders are going to Manehattan!”
And so, the three fillies jumped and hitted their hooves at the same time the train were disappearing in the horizont. A great adventure was coming to the group.
The sun crowned the midday and the train arrived to Manehattan’s train station. The vehicle stopped, the doors opened, the smoke filled the track and the platform. Sweetie Belle, Applebloom and Scootaloo descended, surprised by the amount of ponies walking in the station.
“Don’t separate and looks to Babs’s butler,” said Applebloom.
But when she finished that sentence, the little farmer realized that her friends were not with her. The nerves take Apple Bloom's mind, but she deep breathing when she saw Scootaloo enter the bathroom.
And while they go to the bathroom, I’m gotta search the butler.
What Applebloom didn’t know is that only Scootaloo went to the bathroom, Sweetie Belle was walking between the crowd of ponies looking for her own. Without notice, two ponies call her attention.
“My lady, over here!”
Innocently, the little unicorn went where the ponies were. One of them with a normal body and the other with a well-built body, with more muscles than Big Mac. Both were wearing a white shirt, tie, coat and a borsalino hat.
“We were waiting for you, my lady. Is time to go,”
“Okay,” answered Sweetie without doubt.
“Let me have your saddlebag my lady,” offered the muscle pony grabbing the saddle with his mouth.
“Thank you,” said Sweetie with joy.
They got into the elegant carriage and the stallions began the ride.
“Hold on a second, we left Applebloom and Scootaloo in the train station!”
“Who?” asked both in unison.
“My friends!”
The scream made the carriage stop suddenly, scaring the occupants.
“Do not worry my lady, your friends are following us in another transport. Now stay calm, we are going to take you in a trip throughout the city,” proposed the mysterious pony trying to convince Sweetie Belle.
“A trip throughout the city? That sounds… wonderful!”
The two ponies sighed in relief. Without lose more time, one of them hit the carriage twice and the ride continued.
“Hey, I didn’t know that Don’s daughter has more friends,” whispered Big Hooves to his accomplice.
“That is not relevant. Now that we finished with her we can go and do our “job”.” answered in a whisper.
Meanwhile in the station, Applebloom found the butler of Babs’s family, he was wearing a suit, well groomed light brown mane ,white fur with and a cutie mark of a pair of white gloves. He greets her kindly and both waited Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle.
"Seems like you found our guide. Excuse me, can you tell me where the skateboard park is?"
"Scootaloo! He's Bab's butler, not our guide... now, where’s Sweetie Belle?"
"I thought she was looking the butler with you,"
"It can be possible, we lost Sweetie Belle!” exclaimed Applebloom scared.
“Chill, maybe she’s in the other side of the train station, split and search,”
They searched unceasingly for her unicorn friend between the sea of ponies remaining in the station, believing that she was still in that place.
Time was ticking fast in the station. After half an hour looking everywhere the fillies met with the butler, defeated. The place was empty except for a few ponies walking around.
“No luck, what about ya’?”
“Me neither,”
“I think the best we can do now is go with Babs and ask for help, she must know this city like her own hoof,” proposed Applebloom.
“You’re right, she must know a good dairy farm,” said Scootaloo.
“What good thing can we get from a bunch of cows and raw milk?”
“Well, we’ll need a good distributor to put sweetie Belle’s photo in a milk carton, don’t you think?”
“Are ya’ crazy?! We are not going to put Sweetie Belle in the list of “Missing Foals”, just imagine how Rarity will react if she finds out. We must search her by ourselves,”
“It won’t be necessary, look!” pointed Scootaloo smiling.
Both saw a unicorn standing near the exit of the station, waiting. With great relief and joy they ran and jumped on her without see it coming, trapping her in a group hug.
“Oh Sweetie Belle, we were so worried!” said Scootaloo.
“Never, never, never do something like that again!” added Applebloom.
But she didn’t answered. There was an awkward silence, which was weird since the fillies were used to hug between them all the time. They undo the hug, the dust that came up after the jump covered the unicorn.
The blurry figure of the filly could be seen through the dust as she get up and fix her mane and fur.
“Sweetie… are ya’ alright?” asked Applebloom.
“Excuse me, but I don’t know who is this “Sweetie” that you are talking about,”
The dust dissipated, revealing a unicorn very similar to Sweetie Belle in almost all the aspects, same white coat, same eyes color and mane. The only real difference at a glance was her straight mane and a mane band. Also she has a notorious Italian accent in her speech.
Both Applebloom and Scootaloo remained open mouthed for the resemblance to her friend.
“We are sorry for jumping up that way, we are just looking for a friend and you really looks like her, what’s your name?”
“My name is Bella Farfalle, and you are?”
“I’m Scootaloo and she is Applebloom, we’re looking a friend that looks like you, have you seen her?”
“Sorry, I have not see someone like me,”
“Now what are we gonna do? How are we gonna find Sweetie?” asked Scootaloo worried.
While they were looking a way to find her friend, something in Bella’s mind put two and two together as she thought the things said by that strangers.
“They are idiots,” expressed Bella outloud with a facehoof.
“What happens?” asked Applebloom.
“So… you said that your friend left suddenly?”
“Yes, you know where she is?
“I think so, actually, I am pretty sure that the incompetents who must pick me up, screwed up and took your friend by mistake,” answered Bella.
Her tone and volume was low, she has an aggressive and serious nature.
“You say that they took the wrong filly? In that case, come with us and we’re gonna help ya to find them,” proposed Applebloom.
With no options, Bella accepted reluctantly the deal and returned with the butler. For her surprise, Babs Seed was there too.
“Cousin!” exclaimed Applebloom and Babs in unison followed by a hug.
“Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle!” welcomes Babs in the same way.
“Not again,” sighed Bella.
“Ehm… Babs…” said Applebloom “she’s not Sweetie Belle.”
“What?”
Invading her personal space, she looked the white unicorn carefully, their noses almost touching. With half closed eyes, Babs analised every detail of her face as Bella was remaining with a serious look.
“Are you done?” asked impatiently.
Babs recoiled realizing that, effectively, she was not the unicorn she knew. But even her voice was similar.
“Who is she? Where is Sweetie Belle?”
“That’s why we’re happy to see you. We need your help to find her,” said Applebloom worried.
“Don’t be worry, I know this city like my own hoof,”
“Ah yeah, and she’s Bella Farfalle, she’ll help us in our quest,” said Scootaloo “And if we do rescue her, maybe we get our cutie marks of resquers,”
“It’s said rescuers,” corrected Bella.
“What are you, a dictionary?”
“Girls, girls! We’ve to focus and start looking.” ordered Applebloom.
All agreed and get on Babs family carriage to start the quest, but something in the name of that white unicorn raised suspicions in Babs.
Manehattan city was very similar to Canterlot in some aspects, big and showy buildings covered the general view; almost all the ponies were dressed with informals shirts and coats, even the most naked ponies usually has a hat gracing their heads. If Canterlot is the place of the royal society in Equestria, Manehattan is the little sister, except this houses the middle class without missing the elite that lives in the higher part of the city.
All of this caught the little Sweetie Belle as she was travelling the city in carriage, but she had no time to keep looking around like tourist when her transport stopped abruptly.
“Why we stopped? Where are we?”
“We arrived to the first place of our trip. We’ll see a staging of a comedy play then we’re going behind the scenes to meet the cast. Do you like that?” asked Sharp Knife.
“I hope that the play might be entertaining, come on or we’ll lose it!” exclaimed Sweetie Belle coming in with her companions.
And to be the first time for Sweetie Belle in the theatre, it was excellent. The play took a few laughs from her yet there was some boring scenes and jokes that she quite didn’t understand.
“Now listen, we are going to to talk with the laid actor in his dressing room, you stay here and don’t move. You can talk with the rest of the cast if you want to,”
“Okay, I’ll wait here.”
Both Sharp Knife and Big Hooves entered further in the theatre and arrived to the dressing room, that had his name in the door, and came in to have a talk.
Meanwhile, Sweetie encourage herself to get closer to the actress that made her laugh a lot.
“Hi…” said shyly.
“Hi dear, what’s your name?” asked the earth pony with beautiful voice.
“My name is Sweetie Belle, I loved your performance, you’re so good doing this,” expressed nervously.
“Oh thanks, I love getting compliments especially from fillies so lovelies and cute as you,”
Sweetie blushed by the words of the actress.
“And tell me little one, it’s the first time you come to the theatre?”
“Yes, actually I’m visiting the city. At first I didn’t have plans to come here but I see now that I was going to lose an awesome acting if I didn’t come,”
“But don’t just thank me, the rest of the cast also deserves credit for this. By the way, do you have any talent related to the showbiz?”
“I don’t even have my cutie mark yet,” pointed Sweetie Belle sad.
“Don’t be sad little fillie, sooner or later you will get one. And if that talent of yours is something related to this,” said the actress looking around, pointing out the rest of the ponies working there “Call me.”
“Thanks, you’re very kind,” said Sweetie taking the card with her mouth.
Suddenly, a loud noise alerted everypony, like a big flower vase made of glass had fallen hard to the flour. All the ponies ran to the place.
Like ninjas coming out from the shadows, Sweetie Belle companions appeared from behind.
“Okay miss, time to go,” said Sharp in a hurry.
And so, the three withdrew from the theatre.
The next place of the trip was the toy store “Little Foals”. Sweetie’s eyes shone for the number of toys in the shelves, waiting for a foal to play with.
“You can pick whatever you want miss, we are going to the manager’s office to talk. When you finish wait for us in the exit.”
And once again the two ponies went to the hearth of the toy store to do their business.
Sweetie Belle started hopping of joy as she was dazzling for every toy she saw, each one better than the last. But one toy caught her attention, a doll, a rag doll to be precise, one very similar to Twilight’s one but with better quality in sewing, cloth and design; it has beige fur, straight light brown mane and tale, no cutie mark and two buttons instead of eyes. One thing Sweetie Belle noticed is that the doll didn’t has a face, but the toy included a water-based marker to draw the facial expression that one wanted and change it in any occasion. The toy has tons of outfits, elegant, casual, old west, disco, detective, and pool party. There was only two left and Sweetie Belle didn’t doubt to take both, one for her and the other to one of her friends, maybe she will make they fight for it.
That last thought made her giggle.
Following the indications, Sweetie Belle waited in the exit. Neither cashier or security guard approached her to reclaim for the unpaid toys. Just see her enter with that ponies was enough for them to know who was she.
As if nothing had happened, the suit ponies returned with Sweetie Belle. They were surprised for the minimum amount of toys she were carrying.
“That is all the toy you wants?” asked Sharp Knife.
“Yes, I’m sure my friends will love it,”
“Okay, then is time to go,”
When they go to the carriage, Big Hooves whispered to his partner again.
“This becomes more and more weird. She used to take a mountain of nice stuff and now look at her,” pointed to the dolls she were carrying.
“Listen, stop making stupid questions, we have a lot of work to do yet,” answered Sharp getting on the carriage with a briefcase.
Her travel continued through the streets of the city, her mind had forgotten Scootaloo and Applebloom.
Next destiny, the restaurant “Silver Spoon”.
You have to be kidding me.
Thought when she saw that the restaurant name was the same that her school bully.
The place was elegant, paintings of famous artist in the walls, a beautiful chandelier hanging in the middle of the dining room, a red carpet on the floor and table very well decorated.
They took a seat and a waiter approached quickly.
“Welcome to the Silver Spoon, what do you want to order?”
“Order whatever you want little one, all is on us,” said Sharp kindly.
“I’m not very hungry but gladly I will eat a slice of pizza,”
“Excellent choice madame, and for the gentlecolts?”
“We want to speak with Mr. Waterfall, tell him we came to a “private dinner of Spaghetti with lot of sauce,” said Big Hooves.
“I will communicate Mr. Waterfall your order,” answered the waiter leaving the table.
In record time, the waiter brought Sweetie Belle’s order with a glass of lemonade.
“Mr. Waterfall will be glad of receiving you in his office, this way gentlecolts,”
“Miss, eat your pizza and wait for us, if you still have hungry order what you want,”
“Okay.” said Sweetie Belle delighting with the scent of the pizza.
And like a lady of high society, she finished her food while she was hearing to the band play a beautiful piece of orchestral music that let her mesmerized.
After a few minutes, Sharp and Big came back from the “meeting” with Mr. Waterfall and returned to the carriage with Sweetie Belle.
“And that red stain in your suit?” asked the unicorn curious.
“It’s just some sauce, in our job is very prone to get dirty this way,” excused Sharp.
“Hey Sharp, since when we call sauce to the blo-? Ouch!”
Big Hooves received a punch for almost say something wrong in front of the unicorn. Understanding the situation, he decided to stay quiet. At the same time the carriage moved, Sharp decided to communicate something to the unicorn.
“I hope you saved space to the dessert because we are going to the best ice cream shop in all Equestria,”
“You mean we’re going to…?!”
“That’s right, “the candy apple”,”
“Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes!” exclaimed Sweetie Belle full of joy.
It wasn’t necessary to clarify that Sharp and Big had their doubts about the behavior of Don’s daughter. Now she was more expressive, curious, warm and cheerful than ever. And they being her personals bodyguards knew her very well but they assume that it was something temporary and decided to not interfere in the matter.
They entered to the ice cream shop. It was stylishly decorated with white tiling as milk, walls painted with soft honey tone, a large merchandiser with all the ice cream flavours and their respectives covers next to the cornets and glasses of different sizes. But what stands in that place was the logo, it was a banana split with six balls of ice cream and, instead of a cherry, an apple in the top.
Sweetie Belle took a seat while her bodyguards were speaking with the employee.
“Listen Bella, order whatever you want from the menu, we will be back soon,” said Sharp a bit hurry.
Maybe her ear failed for a second when she heard another name instead of her own, but soon she forgot it when in front of her a huge variety of desserts made her mouthwatering.
“Excuse me, could you bring me a triple banana split with balls of chocolate, strawberry and vanilla, please?” asked euphoric.
In no time, the great desert was served in Sweetie’s table, with a huge smile she started to eat.
A few blocks from there, the Crusaders and Bella were going to Babs’s house to find a way to bring Sweetie Belle back.
The talk had a lot of topics, but Bella was not interested in any of them, she just looked through the window letting her mind go wild, travelling with the clouds of the sky. But she was aware of certain earth pony who was looking at her.
“So why are you looking me so much?” asked Bella.
“You said your name was Bella, right?”
“Yes,”
“Bella Farfalle… isn’t it?”
“Yes, but why the interrogation?”
“I recognize your name from somewhere, you’re the daugher of-”
“Look, Sweetie Belle!” pointed Applebloom through the window.
The others approached to the window and they gathered in the door pressing cheeks each other. Effectively, they saw her friend get in the ice cream shop with the two ponies which is supposed, should pick Bella in the train station.
“Alfred, stop the carriage!” ordered Babs.
Once stopped, the fillies got out and ran to the ice cream shop four blocks away.
“Madame Babs, wait, you can not run away like this, her family is waiting for you and your friends in the house,” begged Alfred.
“Don’t worry, we’ll goin’ to be fine, we’ll arrive at dinner!” yelled Babs running away from the carriage.
Unfortunately, in the street before the ice cream store a famous band was giving a concert for charity and as they thought, all the area was full of fanatics singing along.
“Now what are we gonna do?” asked Applebloom.
“We have to go around the block,” proposed Babs.
“No, it’ll be a waste of time. My companions generally go in and out quickly,” said Bella.
“Then we have no choice but cross. C’mon girls!” exclaimed Scootaloo.
As they could, the girls started to cross the crowd of ponies. Between “Excuse me”, “Hey!”, “Sorry” and much more, they managed to get out with messy manes.
“Stupid “Coltplay” band and their outdoor concerts,” complained Bella.
Their short break was enough to Sweetie Belle and her bodyguards to return to the carriage and start the march. The girls tried to reach it but it was useless, only getting the dust from it.
They rested while they were analyzing the situation.
“Now what are we gonna do? Sweetie Belle could go anywhere,” said Applebloom.
“Bella, do you know where the carriage go?” asked Babs.
She looked the sign of the ice cream store and answered:
“This was the last place that they was supposed to bring me. After that we’ll return to my house to attend to a party that my father organized,”
Everyone shook. With no options, Scootaloo proposed:
“Hey. What if we call to your house and explain that all this is a huge misunderstood? I’m sure he’ll understand,”
“It can’t be, my father is not in home right now, he never is,” answered Bella with fragile voice and a tear rolling down her face.
They remained stupefied, it was the first time they saw this side of the unicorn. When she realised that, Bella clean the tear and clear her voice.
“Sorry, it’s just that my father is always in his “business”. The few times he is in home, he is still working and working and never has time for me. Not to mention the fools of my classmates that does not want to be my friends because they are afraid of me. I know, I heard them at my back,” her voice broke again, the mask she made long ago fell apart in front of them, a complete strangers.
The information provided for Bella was enough to solve the puzzle in Babs’s mind, who can finally identify her father.
“Bella, your classmates are not afraid of you cuz’ reasons. They fear you ‘cause your father’s job,”
“What are you talking about?”
“Your father is Don Farfalle and is the head of the Farfalle’s mafia. The only mafia that controls Manehattan,”
“Liar!” yelled Bella.
“What’s a mafia?” asked Applebloom.
“A mafia is a criminal group that exerts influence in different political and economical ambits of the city. They use a system of favors where a pony or an organization ask “something” to Farfalle and he does it in exchange of an economic compensation or a future favor, depending of the status quo of the subject,” explained Babs.
“And how do you know all that?” questioned Scootaloo.
“My family is owner of “Candy Apple” store that nowadays has a arrangement with your people. My father told me that Don has a daughter with your name, that’s what you looked suspicious at first, but I don’t wanted to say a thing before being sure,”
All were surprised for the revelation. The silence took the street, completely ignoring Coltplay’s music. Bella couldn’t believe what her father does too doesn’t spend time with her, she felt disappointed, frustrated and sad.
“No… it can’t be… no… he’s a good pony… is my father… I’m his daughter,” sitting in the grounds with both hooves in her head she keep repeating that words over and over again.
“Ah know it’s… shocking, but we have to rescue Sweetie Belle from Bella’s house as soon as possible,” said Applebloom.
Everypony yelled excited and ran away. Except Bella who was still in the ground for the revelation.
“C’mon, you have to guide us,” said Babs biting her tail and drag her all the way.
After running for severals streets, the fillies arrived to the mansion. It looked like a little castle.
In the main entrance, where ponies and carriages goes to the party, a well-built pony watch over it with focused eyes to the possible intruders who wants to come in. Although, he was so focused that he didn’t pay attention to the filles who passed at his side.
The fillies thought they avoided him, they sighed and smiled in victory. However, the big pony suddenly appeared in front of them with a furious look.
“Excuse me little misses, but this is a private and exclusive party, I’ll ask you to leave as soon as possible,”
“But this is my house you idiot! When I tell my father you will end working as a garbage pony!” said Bella angry.
“Nice try girl, but the real Bella Farfalle came to the residence while ago, but I have to admit you look alot like her. You girls have to go now though,” insisted the pony.
“Try it!” challenged Bella.
With a wide smile, the guard approached the fillies.
The four ponies flew away of the main entrance and fell near the garbage.
“And don’t come back!”
“Now what we’re gonna do?” asked Applebloom shaking off the rest of grass of her.
“My birthday is going to be celebrated without me,” said Bella sadly.
“It’s your birthday?” asked Scootaloo.
Bella nodded crestfallen, but a group hug surprised her at the same time that comforted her.
“Happy birthday Bella!” yelled the crusaders.
“T-thanks,”
They keep hugging a few seconds.
“This’s a cute moment, but we’ve to rescue Sweetie Belle. You know what Don will do if he finds out that she is not her daughter?” said Babs.
Everyone shook their head in deny. Bella on the other hand didn’t like how Babs was talking of her father.
“You never saw a mafia movie, didn’t you? Surely he will appear with a machine gun and will say something like “Happy birthday, impostor” and then he will shot several bullets against Sweetie Belle. Then he will stop the fire and say something like “and have a nice party”. Then he will empty the rest of the charger as he laugh macabrely, enjoying the pleasure of turning Sweetie Belle into a strainer with horn,”
“You are wrong! My father will never be able to do something like that!” yelled Bella to the accusation of Babs.
“He’s a gangster, of course he will!”
“Stop you two! We’ve to focus and find out a way to get in the mansion,” said Applebloom.
“And I think I have a plan,” proposed Scootaloo as she watch a carriage at the entrance.
Later in the entrance, the guard pony receives to the pony in her transport.
“Welcome to the gala in honor to Don’s daughter madame, you can come in,”
The carriage slowly get into the mansion, but a strange blanquet drew attention of the guard.
“Wait a second!” ordered.
He approached to the back of the carriage and uncover it, but for his surprise it was just a trunk adorned with diamonds.
“What is going on?” asked the overweight lady.
“It’s nothing. You can pass, enjoy the soirée,” apologised.
When the guard lost sight of the carriage, the fillies jumped of the roof and fell in the grass without getting hurt.
“See? I told you it was a good idea,” expressed Scootaloo with pride.
“Now let’s surround my house to get to my room, there is a way to climb to the window,”.
The fillies started to run, surrounding the building and hidden of the guards in the shrubbery. When they arrived, a climbing plant were under Bella’s window. Without doubt nor fear, Bella started to climb.
“Are you sure about this Bella? It doesn’t look safe enough,” said Applebloom, Babs nodded.
Scootaloo climbed with her.
“C’mon. Or perhaps you are chickens?”
“Look who’s talking about being a chicken you chicken butt,” answered Applebloom.
Scootaloo hide his plot under her tale as the other started to climb.
Meanwhile, Sweetie was in the room, preparing herself for it would be a terrible misunderstanding that she discovered too late. Distressed, she didn’t reveal her true identity because all the problems that could bring, waiting to her friends to coming to rescue her before it was too late.
With a hair comb she brushed her mane. A few seconds later, Bella and Scootaloo reach the window, but when they were about to get in a knoks in the door alerted them. Bella squatted Scootaloo’s head and Sweetie Belle got scared thinking that all had come to the end.
“Little Farfalle, can I come in?” asked a serious and senile voice.
“S-sure,” answered nervous.
The knob turned. The door slowly opened, revealing an unicornio of grey fur, black mane with some white hair in there and green eyes. He was dressed with a dark blue suit with stripes of a clear colour that the suit and a tie of the same colour with white polka dots.
“My piccola Farfalle, happy birthday my daughter,” said Don Farfalle without noticing it.
Sweetie Belle couldn’t believe it. The pony who called her “my daughter” doesn’t seems to recognize that she was another pony. And for make that happen, it must be a great likeness with his daughter.
That and many other thoughts cross her head as the Don looked his daughter intrigued.
“What is going on Farfalle? You look at me if I was a ghost or a stranger. Are you feeling okay my figlia?”
“Y-yes, t-there’s nothing wrong, I’m okay,”
“You look bellissima. Come on, it’s time to go to your party, there is many ponies waiting for you,” said Don taking her “daughter” to the main room.
The italian accent of Don was so much pronounced than his daughter, even he use italians words in his speak. His facial expresions doesn’t change so much even when he was alone with his daughter. Being the head of the mafia made him like that, during his negotiations he must keep a composure that doesn’t reveal his emotions to maintain the control of the situation.
The darkness and loneliness in the room doesn’t hide Bella’s tears after seeing that scene. Her own father didn’t recognize the impostor, she could go away right now from the city and leave Sweetie Belle there and he wouldn’t notice. She could be a farmer or the most famous movie actress and her father wouldn’t notice.
The reality hit her with sadness liquide.
Suddenly, the ground hit her too when the climbing plant gave in and the fillies fell. Lucky for them, no one noticed it.
The crusaders fondle their heads in pain but Bella stayed sitting in the ground. The pain in her heart was bigger than the one in her head.
“What’s going on Bella?” asked Babs.
“She was there… and my father came in…”
The others freaked out thinking all the bad things Don do with her friend.
“And he saw her… and spoke to her… like if she was me… How is possible he didn’t realize it?!”
The crying did not wait. The grass were watered by Bella’s sorrow who practically was left aside by her own father. She drowns in her tears and suffering.
There is anypony in Equestria who truly loved her?
A hoof in her shoulder stopped the cry and saw how Babs and the others looked her kindly. No judying or fearing. Just completely understanding.
Determinated to do her next movement, Bella got up and ran away to the main door, the crusaders followed her, dubious about what her was going to do.
Don hits delicately a cup of cider with a elegant design spoon to call the attention of the guests.
“My guests, friends and others. We are here tonight to celebrate the birthday of my daughter, Bella Farfalle, who becomes each year in a great and beautiful butterfly with the promise of break free someday,” expressed emotionless “And now with us, the reason we all are here, who will dance a beautiful waltz called “danza rosa a fiorire” my daughter, Bella Farfalle,”
The ponies clapped politely as the little Sweetie Belle made her entrance dressed with a elegant gala dress made especially for the occasion and her well looking manestyle who dazzled everypony.
Sweetie Belle approached to Don’s side cautiously, avoiding making eye contact.
“My daughter will say a few words for the occasion,”
Nervous overwhelmed the unicorn who had her mind in blank. Standing there, with all the lurking eyes on her, waiting to any littlest mistake to denounce her. The lights intensified in her mind as if it were reflectors. The sweat running down her forehead.
“So?” asked Don.
Without being able of taking more pression, Sweetie Belle confessed.
“I am sorry sir, but I am not your daughter,”
“Come on Bella, stop joking,”
“She is right! I am the real Bella Farfalle!” shouted Bella from the entrance.
She trotted furiously to her father, her disorderly look hinted that she went from too much to be there.
The crusaders entered running and jumped over the real Sweetie Belle.
“What is going on here?” asked Don indignant.
“You really want to know what is going on? Fine, I will tell you. I was all day following the carriage supposed to pick me because the fools of Sharp and Big Hooves take the wrong pony,”
At the other side of the room, both were sneaking between the crowd to escape from Don.
“I knew something was wrong with her and you didn’t believe me,” said Big Hooves.
“Shut up and move on, we have to get out of here before Don finds us,”
“You know, I expected that pair of incompetents to mistake me with another pony… But you? My own father that is supposed to know me better than nobody?”
The anger of Bella was replaced with frustration, disappointment and sadness.
“B-but, you two are so similar. The only difference between she and you is the hair band you use for several years,” excused Don.
“And still you could not recognize the impostor?!” her voice breaks and the tears shows to the public “And not content with that, you didn’t trust me enough to tell me that you are working as a gangster to not spend time with me,”
None of the ponies in the party surprised for the revelation because all of them were members of the mafia, accompanied of their dates.
“I did not tell you because I wanted to protect you of this world until you were old enough to know. I just wanted to you a normal childhood,”
“Normal childhood? What exactly do you think is a normal childhood? All my classmates fear me for being your daughter, and my only friends are sons of your partners that only wants to like me to be fine with you. All a bunch of liars.”
Without hold her feelings, Bella fell crying a lot. Venting all those years of bitterness she lived.
Everypony were touched for the scene. No one expected to see her cry in her lifetime.
Don Farfalle reasoned the situation and understood what his daughter needed so much. He approached and sited in the floor with both hooves opened.
“I am so sorry,” that words made Bella stop crying and looked him to the eyes, suddenly she remembered the bad things and shifted her gaze “from the bottom of mio cuore. I… did not realize how much pain I did to you trying to protect you. And wanting to secure your future I forgot the present. But you have to understand, although I made a mistake I did it because I always was thinking about you, you sei il più prezioso per me Bella, you always were,”
Bella can’t believe it, his voice wasn’t dully but warm, his face reflected every emotion of his words. Even he let some tears run free from his eyes! And a smile that pray forgiveness from the most important pony in his life.
Understanding the sincere words of her father, she approached her and they fusioned in a family hug never seen in a long time. Everypony clapped riotously. The crusaders whistled and yelled excited.
“Ti voglio bene papà,” said Bella in time with the song.
“Ti amo troppo figlia,” answered Don, happy of fixing his relationship with his daughter.
After the gala, the crusaders, Bella and her father get to her bedroom.
“I appreciate, from the bottom of my hearth, the help you gave to Bella to come back home and I am sorry for all the troubles my partners occasioned to you little Sweetie Belle,”
“Don’t worry. Actually, I had a great time today… that reminds me…”
While Sweetie was looking for something, Don can’t stop looking to Babs.
“Excuse me little one, you are Apple Cream’s daughter?”
“That’s right,”
“In appreciation for helping my daughter, tell to your father that his debt with me is over, he has nothing to worry about,” said Don ruffling Babs’s mane.
“Thank you sir, I’ll tell him,” answered Babs blowing her fringe aside.
“Happy birthday Bella,” said Sweetie Belle giving one of the dolls that she “bought” from the store.
“To me? You did not have to,”
“I know is not as nice as the other toys here but I want you to keep it as a memory, to don’t forget us,”
“Why a fillie that I just met is giving me a toy? I do not get it,”
“It’s not obvious silly? We want you to be our friend.”
That words filled her heart of happiness and a strange heartwarming. With no other words in mind, the fillies joined in a hug. Don let escape a tear of joy.
“Father, How you will do to spend time with me if you are busy all day?” asked Bella.
“Do not worry about that, I have somepony in mind to take care of il lavoro sporco for me. You and I will recover all the lost time my little butterfly.”
At the end, the crusaders once again together started the travel to Babs’s house to spend the night, ready for a new adventure waiting tomorrow. Everypony were in the carriage proportionate by Don, talking about all the things happened in the day and swearing to tell Rarity nothing to avoid the drama.
“Okay girls, we lost a whole day of fun thanks to chase Sweetie Belle but tomorrow we’re gonna travel all the city,” said Scootaloo excited.
“And mah cousin will be our guide. Right Babs?”
“Of course, I know a restaurant named as the odious of Silver Spoon, then we can go to the ice cream shop of my father. His ice creams are the best of Equestria!”
“It’s true, those ice creams are the best,” said Sweetie Belle giggly.
“How do you know that?” asked Babs curious.
“Let’s say that I already had a guide tour by the city,” answered with a wink.
Between laugh and talk, the carriage traveled in the middle of the city in the night, illuminated by the lights that make it a magical city. A city that will remain in the memory of this sleepers fillies known as the Cutie Mark Crusaders, that for sure will count with a new member and friend.
