Silver Belles

The morning sun rose over the horizon and beamed its bright light upon on the peaceful little town of Ponyville. The sky was vibrant with blues and whites dancing across it. The day was just beginning as ponies were starting to get out of bed, ready to take on the day. The same could not be said for a certain white unicorn filly who was still snoozing away under her covers. Though the daylight had pierced through her window and shone upon her, she ignored it by pulling the covers over her face to shield her eyes from its almost blinding rays. It wasn't long before a familiar voice spoke to her, breaking her away from her dream.

"Sweetie Belle, you're going to be late for school." Her sister called to her from downstairs.

Sweetie Belle responded to this by turning over in her bed and groaning loudly. Due to her still being half-asleep, she hadn't fully comprehended what her sister told her. A few moments later, her eyes shot open as the realization hit her like a ton of bricks.

"I'm gonna be late for school!" She exclaimed, clutching the sides of her head with a panicked look on her face.

She quickly leapt out of bed and began to get ready. After taking a quick shower, throwing on a white short-sleeved short dress, grabbing her backpack, and brushing her teeth she zipped down the stairs as quickly as she could. Her big sister was there to greet her as she did.

"Looks like somepony finally got the wake-up call." She said condescendingly with her arms folded in front of her chest.

"Thanks for waking me up." Sweetie Belle said quickly before giving her sister a quick kiss on the cheek and bolting towards the door.

Once she swung the front door open, she jumped back a bit as the sight of her two friends startled her slightly.

"Did ya forgot the first day of school was today?" Apple Bloom asked with a smug grin while leaning against the doorframe.

"Or did you remember and just didn't want to go?" Scootaloo added, shooting Sweetie Belle an arrogant smirk as well.

Sweetie Belle rubbed the back of her head before answering. "A little bit of both actually." She replied with a sheepish smile.

"You don't make sense sometimes." Scootaloo said with a light chuckle.

"Can we please go now before we're even more late?" Sweetie Belle suggested as she walked past them and headed down the road.

Her friends soon followed suit and eventually caught up to her. Sweetie Belle looked them both up and down, analyzing their attire. Apple Bloom was wearing blue overalls with a red shirt underneath. Scootaloo was dressed in a black shirt with a white lightning bolt on the front of it and blue shorts. Sweetie Belle felt a little overdressed since she was the only one in their group who wasn't wearing something casual.

"How do I look?" She asked her friends nervously, hoping their answer wouldn't be too negative.

"Ta be honest, a might frazzled." Apple Bloom replied earnestly.

"Is it really that bad?" Sweetie Belle supplicated, her eyes desperate for the truth.

"Your mane looks messy and unkempt, and your dress is kinda wrinkled." Scootaloo responded with brutal honesty. "Speaking of which, you forgot to zip it up in the back."

Sweetie Belle reached behind herself and felt the back of her dress. Sure enough, she found that the zipper was undone, exposing her bare back to the open world.

"Could one of you two get it for me?" Sweetie Belle entreated her friends.

"Ah gotcha." Apple Bloom said before she zipped up the back of Sweetie Belle's dress.

"Thanks." Sweetie Belle thanked her.

"Anytime." Apple Bloom replied.

Once they arrived at the school building, they couldn't help but stop in front of it and take in the magnitude of the structure.

"This is it girls." Sweetie Belle addressed her companions "The moment we step through those doors, we start our lives as seniors."

"This feels kinda surreal." Apple Bloom stated pensively.

"And here I thought Sweetie Belle was the dictionary of the group." Scootaloo remarked, sounding mildly annoyed since she didn't know what the word surreal meant.

"It's not our faults that we're more educated than you." Sweetie Belle commented with a cocky grin.

Scootaloo responded to this by scoffing and folding her arms in front of her.

"Just like we've done everything else every since we first met each other, let's do this together." Sweetie Belle offered as she held her hands out to her friends, waiting for them to grab them.

"Ah'm with ya." Apple Bloom said as she grabbed Sweetie Belle's right hand.

"Yeah. Crusaders for life!" Scootaloo enthused as she took Sweetie Belle's left hand.

The three of them then ascended the front steps and approached the double doors. But before either of them could open the doors, the left door swung open to reveal a cheerful looking Cheerilie. She smiled warmly as she greeted the three fillies.

"Hello girls. It's so good to see you again." She said kindredly.

"It's good to be back Miss Cheerilie." Sweetie Belle replied.

"I see you girls are closer now more than ever." Cheerilie spoke in uncharacteristically suggestive tone, taking note of the fact that they had joined hands.

The girls quickly let of each other's hands and blushed madly. "It's not like that! We're all just friends!" They all said defensively at the same time.

Cheerilie could barely contain her laughter as she giggled loudly. "I'm just pulling your leg girls. Now hurry along inside, lest you be late to your first class.

They took her advice and ran past her so that they could make it in time.

"Don't forget to stop by the main office to pick up your schedules." Cheerilie called to them.

"We won't." Scootaloo responded as she and the others disappeared down the hall.

In front of the main office was a line of students who were eagerly waiting to get their schedules. The CMC eventually joined the group, only slightly out of breath from running the whole way there. They too stood there in line, ready to pick up their schedules when it was their turn. After 3 minutes had passed, they were finally at the front of the line. The first one to enter the main office was Sweetie Belle, followed by Apple Bloom, and lastly Scootaloo. As soon as they got their schedules, they looked over them curiously to see if they had any classes together.

"Okay, so I got Pre-Algebra with Scootaloo and Art with Applebloom." Sweetie Belle said to her friends.

"I got Biology with Apple Bloom." Scootaloo chimed in.

"So ya mean to tell me that none of us have a class with all 3 of us in it?" Apple Bloom asked with a disappointed expression on her face.

"Looks like it." Scootaloo answered discouragingly. "This bites." She added, kicking a locker that was right next to her.

"Well, well, well. Looks like the cutie mark crybabies don't get to spend time together as a unit." A voice said to them in a mock sad tone.

It turned out to be Diamond Tiara and her lackey Silver Spoon. Once Sweetie Belle saw them, she didn't feel as overdressed as she did earlier since they both wearing formal clothes as well. Diamond Tiara was wearing a violet blazer with a pink shirt underneath, a lilac skirt, and her signature tiara. Silver Spoon was wearing a white dress shirt with a black skirt, and a blue bead necklace. The two bullies stared at the group deviously, silently coming up with ways to get under their skin.

"What do the two of ya'll want?" Apple Bloom asked in an aggressive manner as she eyed them suspiciously.

"We just came by to remind you that just because it's a new school year, doesn't mean that things have changed." Silver Spoon forewarned them. "Tiara and me still run the school, and you fillies are still our punching bags."

"You wanna take this outside." Scootaloo offered as she got into Silver Spoon's face.

"Calm down, penguin. I have no intention of getting physical with you." Silver Spoon replied as she calmly took a step back.

"Penguin? What's that suppose to mean?" Scootaloo asked out of both anger and curiosity.

"I think it's a fitting nickname for the only pegasus who can't fly." Silver Spoon answered in a mocking tone.

"I can too fly!" Scootaloo shot back. "I flew last week actually."

"News flash, feather-brain: floating 6 inches off the ground before falling onto your face isn't flying." Diamond Tiara informed her with a snooty grin.

It took all of Scootaloo's willpower to prevent herself from socking Diamond Tiara in her prissy mug. Instead she stood there, snorting loudly as she balled her fists at her sides. It was then that she felt a hand on her shoulder which caused to turn and see who was touching her. She saw Sweetie Belle looking at her with concern.

"Don't do it, Scoots. It's not worth it." She said in an attempt to calm down her seething friend.

Scootaloo took several deep breaths before she finally calmed down.

"Would you look at that Tiara? They taught the penguin some tricks, such as sitting down like a good girl." Silver Spoon remarked, antagonizing Scootaloo further.

Scootaloo was about to charge at them before Apple Bloom put up her arm to stop and approached the bullies. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon instinctively backed away from her, fearing what she may do if she got her hands on them.

"Ya best leave before me and Scootaloo have to get rough with ya." Apple Bloom advised them as she cracked her knuckles.

"Let's go Silver Spoon." Diamond Tiara suggested, putting on a brave face despite being scared witless. "If we stick around them too long, we might catch their unpopularity." She said as she turned about face and headed in the opposite direction.

"I'm right behind you." Silver Spoon replied as she obediently followed Diamond Tiara.

"I hate those two with a burning passion." Scootaloo stated once they were out of earshot.

"I hear ya." Apple Bloom agreed. "If ah didn't promise Applejack that ah would stay outta trouble for the first week of school, ah woulda knocked their blocks off."

"Ditto." Scootaloo empathized.

"We better get to class." Sweetie Belle reminded them, not wanting to be late on the first day.

The 3 of them went their separate ways and traveled to their respective classes.

Sweetie Belle sprinted down the hall so that she could make to her class as quickly as possible. She came to an abrupt stop in front of the door and knocked on it loudly. While she waited for the teacher to open it, she took the time to fix her hair and straighten out her dress. The door opened halfway, revealing an earth pony stallion with a blue coat, a dark blue mane, dark blue eyes, and a pair of glasses. He looked at the filly with a disapproving stare.

"You're late." He said sternly.

"I know." Sweetie Belle replied apologetically.

"Since it's the first day, I guess I can let it slide." He relented as he opened the door for her.

She entered the room and scanned it for an open seat. She saw a few ponies she recognized in this class, like Pipsqueak and Zipporwhill, as well as some that she didn't. She soon found that there weren't any available seats as far as she could see.

"Ugh, teacher. There doesn't seem to be any open desks." Sweetie Belle said as she looked at the teacher awkwardly.

"Nonsense." The teacher replied. "There's one in the back right next to that filly."

"Okay." Sweetie Belle accepted as she went to the vacant desk.

Her brain froze once she saw who was seated next to her. It was Silver Spoon! She looked at Sweetie Belle contemptuously as she took her seat.

"Now that all my students are here, allow me to introduce myself:" The teacher began. "My name is Leadwing, and I will be your English teacher for the year."

Sweetie Belle was listening to the teacher when Silver Spoon tapped her on the shoulder. She looked over at her to see what she wanted. Silver Spoon held up a piece of paper that had the words "I'm gonna make your life a living hell" on it in big bold letters. She then turned the paper over and the back of it had a drawing of herself beating up Sweetie Belle. Sweetie Belle silently groaned and laid her head down on her desk. She stayed that way until the end of class.

Lunch time had soon arrived as students rushed to the cafeteria to fill their empty stomachs. After trudging through the lunch line, Sweetie Belle and her friends took their seats at the nearest table. Once there, Sweetie Belle told them about what happened with Silver Spoon in class. Needless to say, they were none too pleased with the events that transpired.

"She actually said that!?" Scootaloo asked incredulously.

"Well, wrote it would be more accurate." Sweetie Belle replied before shoveling some spaghetti into her mouth.

"Don't really matter if she said it or wrote it, it's still not okay to do somethin like that." Applebloom stated through a mouthful of garlic bread.

"Applebloom's right." Scootaloo agreed. "You don't have to take that from her. You could easily kick her flank if you wanted."

"Nah, I would never resort to violence to solve my problems." Sweetie Belle said with nobility.

"Sometimes the only way to get through to somepony is by beatin it into their heads." Apple Bloom reasoned after taking a drink from her milk carton.

"You treacherous fiend! How dare you try to seduce the lovely Zipporwhill away from me!" A voice suddenly erupted out of nowhere.

"She doesn't belong to you, peasant! I'm the one she really has feelings for." A second voice said audibly.

The CMC turned their heads in the direction of the voices to see what was going on. Featherweight and Pipsqueak were engaged in a war of words over who deserved Zipporwhill more.

"Blasphemy! She's had her eyes on me for some time now." Featherweight said in loud, unconvincing tone.

"You must be mistaken, git." Pipsqueak replied in an over exaggerated tone. "Her heart yearned for me ever since the day she first layed eyes on me."

The lunch room was completely silent as ponies were left scratching their heads, wondering what the two of them were doing. Zipporwhill blushed with a look of embarrassment on her face as she slid under the table to hide herself.

"If you love her so much, then you must be willing to fight for her." Featherweight challenged, shooting Pipsqueak a sly grin.

"Indeed." Pipsqueak nodded. "Best be prepared, sir. Because I'm going to give you quite the thrashing." He warned while shaking his fist at him.

"Alright, you asked for it." Featherweight said as he charged at Pipsqueak.

They then started throwing slow, weak punches at each other. Featherweight threw a shaky rabbit punch at Pipsqueak, causing him to pretend to double over in pain. He tried to follow it up with a double axe handle to the back, but Pipsqueak countered with a steady uppercut. The impact (or lack there of) caused Featherweight to stagger backwards slightly. Pipsqueak took this opening and gave Featherweight a sluggish tackle into a nearby table. Featherweight cried out in imaginary pain once his back made contact with the table. After shrugging the pain off, he then delivered a soft knee to Pipsqueak's midsection. Pipsqueak dropped to his knees and grunted as he clutched his gut. Without missing a beat, Featherweight grabbed Pipsqueak by his mane and unforcefully threw him to the floor. He then took the time to laugh "evilly" at Pipsqueak's misfortune.

"Ha ha ha." He laughed. "Is this the best you can do? Dueling against an ankle-biter would make for a much more interesting skirmish."

As Featherweight was taking time to gloat, Pipsqueak had gotten to one knee and was desperately trying to get back to his hindhooves.

"There's no rest for the wicked." Featherweight stated as he charged at Pipsqueak again.

This proved to be his undoing as Pipsqueak hit Featherweight with a soft headbutt, forcing him to back up towards a table. Pipsqueak quickly rose to his hindhooves and "ran" towards Featherweight. At the last possible moment, Featherweight grabbed a handful of spaghetti off a random pony's plate and smeared it in Pipsqueak's face.

"Ah! My vision!" Pipsqueak shouted as he covered his eyes with his hands. "You ninny! That was a very underhanded move!" He added as he tried to wipe the marinara sauce and spaghetti noddles off his face.

"'Tis a fight, my formidable foe." Featherweight reminded him. "No rules were spoken of to begin with."

Featherweight then drew his arms back and lightly shoved Pipsqueak to the ground. Before Pipsqueak could get up, Featherweight put his left hindhoof on Pipsqueak's chest and held him down.

"I have been.....defeated." Pipsqueak relentled, intentionally dragging out the pause before his final word.

"Victory is mine!" Featherweight exclaimed, raising his arms in the air triumphantly. "The fair Zipporwhill's heart belongs to me!"

"Please just kill me now." Zipporwhill muttered from under the table.

Featherweight then helped Pipsqueak off the floor and they both took a bow. The cafeteria remained quiet for a few moments before everypony resumed their previous conversations.

"What even was that?" Sweetie Belle asked them.

"That, my lady, was acting." Pipsqueak said courteously.

Sweetie Belle and her friends looked at each other curiously in response to that statement.

"We signed up for drama class, but we wanted to see if we were good enough to act without lessons first." Featherweight explained. "How did we do?"

"Do you want the harsh truth or a friendly lie?" Scootaloo offered.

Without warning, Apple Bloom elbowed Scootaloo hard in her left arm. After yelping loudly, Scootaloo scowled at Apple Bloom while rubbing her arm.

"We want your honest opinion." Pipsqueak replied with a hopeful smile.

The CMC looked around nervously and paused for quite some time. They didn't want to crush Featherweight and Pipsqueak's dreams, so they opted to spare their feelings instead.

"It was really convincing." Sweetie Belle remarked, trying her best to sound as believable as possible. "Right girls?"

"Yeah. Ah think y'all got what it takes to make it in drama class." Apple Bloom followed Sweetie Belle's lead.

"Totally." Scootaloo chimed in. "You guys were so good, I didn't even know you were acting!"

"What can we say." They said in unison. "We're naturals." They finished before leaving the cafeteria.

The CMC all collectively breathed a sign of relief once they left.

"I didn't want to lie to them like that, but it just felt more appropriate." Sweetie Belle proclaimed.

"Ah hear ya." Apple Bloom agreed. "It wouldn't have felt right to crush their dreams before they could even be fully realized."

"I hope we didn't set them up for failure." Scootaloo said with a worried look on her face.

"Anyway, hopefully this whole Silver Spoon thing will blow over eventually." Sweetie Belle stated as she jabbed at one of the meatballs on her plate.

The school day had drawn to a close as kids ran excitedly back to their homes. The CMC were one of the last few to exit the school building. They said their goodbyes and went to their respective homes. Sweetie Belle walked up to the boutique and swung the door open, where she was greeted by her big sister who was working on a dress at that very moment.

"Hello, Sweetie Belle." Rarity greeted. "How was school today?"

"Pretty average." Sweetie Belle responded glumly.

"Is something the matter?" Rarity asked in a caring manner.

"Sort of. I got stuck with Silver Spoon in my English class and she promised to make my life miserable." Sweetie Belle expounded.

"She and Diamond Tiara are still giving you trouble I see." Rarity said comprehensively.

"Yeah, but it's nothing I can't handle though." Sweetie Belle assured her.

"Well then, I'll leave you to it." Rarity commented before turning her attention back to the dress she was making.

Sweetie Belle then ascended the stairs and went to her room, closing the door behind herself as she did.