Twisted: Four Little Foals

---Chapter 6: Sweetie Belle and Silver Spoon---

Silver Spoon never slept well when she was alone.

Somehow, she didn't feel like this would be too much of a problem tonight. She had ended the day on a wonderfully high note: she'd done something important for Rarity, and she had accomplished the task flawlessly, with none of her usual mistakes. Tonight, she would sleep by herself, but she would be accompanied by the wonderful feeling of having been useful to her mistress.

At this hour, there was no light in the basement, but Silver knew her way around by this point. Carefully, she walked over to her mattress, then flopped down unto it, exhausted.

“Ow! What the-”

Silver had landed on a pony.

“Sweetie Belle?” asked Silver Spoon. “Is that you? What are you doing in my bed?”

“Oh,” said Sweetie. “It's you.”

Sweetie's voice dripped with venom. The normally friendly and accommodating foal had no intention of hiding her contempt for Silver Spoon. And Silver had long since stopped trying to be Sweetie's friend.

“I thought you were with my sister tonight,” said Sweetie. “Did she get bored with you or something?”

“I didn't spend the night with Miss Rarity. I do other things for her, you know,” said Silver, adopting the sardonic tone she had used for so many years while tormenting Sweetie in the schoolyard. “Is this what you do when I spend the night with her? You come down here and pretend you're me or something?”

“Of course not!” Sweetie said angrily. “Why would anyone want to be as pathetic as you?”

“Oh, Sweetie,” said Silver, her voice gaining a hint of sincerity, “Of course I'm pathetic. I know I am. You sister showed me that.”

She heard Sweetie scoff.

“So yeah, I am pathetic. I'm also weak, cowardly, and stupid. But you know what?” Silver said, “At least I know my place. I don't hopelessly fight against what I am like you do.”

Silver could tell her talk was getting to Sweetie Belle. Good. Who did she think she was, taking her bed like that?

“You should try it sometimes, Sweetie,” she said. “Try just letting go and accepting what you are. What we both are: Miss Rarity's dumb little fucktoys.”

Silver's chest contracted in pain as she felt Sweetie Belle tackle her, pushing her to the edge of the mattress. The unicorn's full weight was on top of her now, and she realized Sweetie probably meant to hit her.

Instinctively, Silver raised her front hooves. It was enough to block Sweetie's blow. Then, exploiting her superior Earth Pony strength, Silver pushed back, flipping Sweetie Belle on her back and pinning her down.

“LET ME GO!” shrieked Sweetie Belle. “I'LL NEVER BE LIKE YOU! I'LL NEVER BE LIKE YOU!”

“Fine!” Silver said. “Don't be like me! But stop treating me like I'm a monster just because I love your sister!”

“You call that love? All she does is beat you and rape you and sell you to strangers!” Sweetie said.

“And I've never been happier,” said Silver. The sarcastic edge was completely gone from her voice now. She spoke with utter sincerity.

“You're sick! She's sick! You're both just diseased and...and...making each other worse!” Sweetie cried. “Why don't you just get out of my house? As long as you're around, sis will never get better!”

“Miss Rarity is already better,” said Silver. “She's better than either of us. Better than this whole stupid town. It's just sad that you can't see that.”

“SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP!” Sweetie yelled. “I don't care what you say! I'll find a way! I'll find a way to fix her! I just have to figure out how to get get rid of you!”

“NO!” Silver screamed, the volume of her voice surpassing even Sweetie's. “Don't you EVER try to take her away from me! I belong to her!”

“YOU'RE NOT PROPERTY, YOU IDIOT! YOU'RE A PONY! YOU DON'T BELONG TO ANYONE!” Sweetie yelled. “WHY CAN'T YOU UNDE-”

Sweetie Belle was silenced by a sharp blow to her stomach. Silver hadn't hit her with all her strength, but she had hit her more than hard enough to knock the wind out of her.

“I know what I am,” Silver said calmly. “I am hers.”

She released Sweetie Belle and pushed her off the mattress. The two did nothing but pant softly for a few minutes, exhausted.

It was Silver who finally broke the silence. “If you hate me so much, why were you in my bed?”

“I just wanted a place to sleep...” Sweetie said.

“You have a place to sleep.”

“My sister had Twist sleep there tonight,” said Sweetie. “She said to share the room. There's enough space in my bed for two, but...I couldn't...”

“Couldn't what?”

“I just couldn't look at her...” said Sweetie. “I had to get away. So I waited until she fell asleep and came here...”

“You couldn't look at her?” Silver couldn't resist throwing in a sarcastic barb. “Come on, Sweetie, she's not THAT ugly.”

“Don't you GET it?” Sweetie snapped. “She has no idea, Silver! She thinks Rarity's taking her to a fashion show tomorrow. She thinks...she thinks her dream is going to come true...”

Silver heard Sweetie sniffle.

“It's going to be hardest on her...” said Sweetie. “Out of all four of us, she's the only virgin. Once they find out, they'll all want to...use her. She's going suffer so much...and it's all because of me...it's all my fault...”

“They?” said Silver.

“Those rich ponies. They're horrible. You've never been to one of those Canterlot parties, but I have! Those ponies are monsters...they treat foals like pieces of meat...they just hold you down and...one after another they just...”

Sweetie's voice was shaking.

“Silver, they're not like my sister. Some of them don't even LIKE foals! They're just...they're just BORED, and they're so rich they've done everything else, so this is their new pastime. They destroy foal's lives...because they've got nothing better to do.”

Until now, Silver Spoon had been fairly indifferent to the upcoming gathering. She had assumed it would be similar to pleasing some of Rarity's clients, just in a different setting. But now, she wasn't so sure. The adults she had been with were all foal lovers. To them it wasn't just a novelty, but a genuine attraction. And with that appreciation came restraint.

What would ponies who did not care about her even as a sexual object do to her? How far would they go?

“I've heard stories...” said Sweetie, as in answer to Silver's silent question. “It doesn't happen often, but...sometimes the guests are...too rough...with one of the foals...and they...”

Silver was scared to ask for specifics. She was sure she knew what Sweetie Belle meant anyway.

“The last time it happened was the year before my sister started attending,” said Sweetie. “Fancypants is one of the ones who really likes foals, so he tries to keep it from happening, but...no one gets in trouble when it does. They just say it's 'an unfortunate accident' and that's it.”

“How...?”

“They're powerful. They all protect each other. And no one protects us.”

Silver had, at times, considered the idea that one day Rarity would take her abuse of her too far. She might lose her composure, or simply overestimate Silver's own threshold. Whatever the reason, Silver had long been aware of the possibility that she might someday die at Rarity's hooves. She knew that her mistress was no killer, but she also knew that accidents happened. And she accepted this.

But to meet her end at the hooves of some bored, anonymous pervert? To be deprived of her mistress’s presence in her last moments?

Silver could not bear the thought. Suddenly her blase attitude toward the gathering was gone.

“Listen, um, Sweetie Belle?”

“What,” Sweetie said, her voice made up of equal parts stubbornness and apprehension.

“I'm sor-um, I shouldn't have hit you,” said Silver. “And um, if you want...you can sleep here tonight. It's a big mattress. We can both fit.”

“I don't know,” said Sweetie. “I should probably just take the couch.” Silver heard the sound of Sweetie's hooves moving toward the stairs.

“Sweetie,” said Silver. “I'm scared.”

The hooves stopped.

“Please?” Silver said. “Just for tonight?”

Sweetie Belle said nothing. But a moment later, Silver heard the little unicorn walk over to the mattress and nestle under the covers.

“You get on the other side,” said Sweetie. Silver did so, and each filly lay down on one end of the mattress, with their backs to each other.

It reminded Silver of how she and Diamond Tiara used to sleep together. The placement of their bodies was identical.

“Thank you, Sweetie Belle,” said Silver.

“Whatever,” said Sweetie. “Good night, I guess.”

“Good night,” said Silver Spoon.

Silver Spoon never slept well when she was alone.

Tonight, she was not alone. But she barely slept at all.

*******

“....and then Apple Bloom said 'that's the biggest avocado I've ever seen!' Which was funny because how many avocadoth would she even SEE, I mean she lives on an apple farm, and the joke around school is that she isn't even allowed to EAT other fruits!”

“Uh huh. That's nice, dear.” Rarity said, brushing the split ends out of Twist's tail.

Rarity's morning had been a hurried one. The train was leaving at three, and Twist would need a lot of work before then. First, she gave Twist a full hoofacure (sans polish, of course; hoof polish on a foal was just tacky.) She picked out a simple dress for her to wear – a light red outfit which went with her hair. She did Twist's mane, going through several styles before settling on curls. Her attempt to see how Twist might look without glasses resulted in her walking into a wall.

Through it all, the awkward little filly was on top of the world. She kept going on about how happy she was, how beautiful she felt, and how she couldn't wait for the evening's proceedings to begin. The foal was utterly and completely oblivious to what was about to happen to her. She was skipping happily into the lion's den.

Under normal circumstances, such a cruel irony would have amused Rarity. Today, she found it exhausting. She did her best to tune Twist out as the morning's proceedings wound down.

“Miss Rarity, what's your favorite color for a dress? I know a lot of ponies who say pink, but isn't that kind of obvious? I mean, I gueth pink is good if you're Pinkie Pie or actually would it be better for her to wear thometing NOT pink for contrast? I guess that would be up to her but then again you're the fashion expert...so there's another question! What happens when your clients give you a hard time? Do you just have to put up with it or can you kick them out? You seem pretty patient so I guess you'd try to be nice even if they're REALLY annoying but hey what about pets do you ever do outfits for pets, because I have a pet gerbil and he-”

“OH LISTEN TO THAT, THE TEA KETTLE IS GOING OFF!” Rarity said far too loudly. “Why don't we take a break while I go tend to the kitchen?”

Before Twist could respond, Rarity bolted in the direction of the whistling kettle.

Rarity's kitchen had always been a sort of sanctuary. She and Sweetie Belle ate dinner there most nights, usually in silence. If Rarity had plans for Sweetie Belle, or any other foal, that evening, they were carried out away from the kitchen. The unicorn recognized very few taboos, but her fussiness would not allow the mixing of food and sex. To her, they were separate spheres.

“Oh...hey, sis,” Sweetie Belle said as Rarity walked into the kitchen. Sweetie sat at the table, sipping from a glass of orange juice. Rarity unceremoniously sat down and joined her, magically pouring herself a cup of tea from the kettle on the other side of the room.

“She's exasperating,” said Rarity, “how do you and your classmates stand her?”

“Who?”

“Twist, of course. Who else do you think I've been making over all morning?”

“Oh right...” Sweetie said, looking away. The previous night's drama with Silver Spoon had allowed Sweetie to temporarily take her mind off of what she had done. But there it was again, impossible to ignore: Twist was in her home, and tonight, something horrible was going to happen to her friend. All because of Sweetie Belle. The filly bit her lip.

Rarity sighed. “I suppose that's just how some foals are. So wretchedly ignorant of the true intentions of others.”

“Wretched?” Sweetie said, “I think they're lucky...”

Rarity raised an eyebrow. Her sister certainly had felt unusually free to speak her mind lately. Perhaps this was an inevitable side effect of the make-nice routine she had employed to get her to deliver Twist.

Rarity thought to raise an objection, to correct the foolish child for contradicting her. But she simply did not have the energy to fight at the moment.

“Perhaps...perhaps you're right...” said Rarity. Sweetie returned a bewildered expression that said “I am?”

“In a way, they are lucky. They live in this wonderful dream world. A happy little delusion where the biggest problem in existence is not being able to get a coltfriend. Such petty trivialities which engulf their entire lives. Can you imagine being that way? Having such...small concerns?”

“No...” said Sweetie Belle, “No, I can't.”

“Nor can I,” said Rarity. She took a moment to sniff her tea before continuing, “You and I are different from them.”

“...I wish you wouldn't compare me to you,” said the foal.

“Sweetie Belle, tell me something...” said Rarity, “Do you remember what the world was like, before you and I...discovered each other?”

“No...” said Sweetie. She did not like this conversation one bit. “I was really young...”

“I was young, too. When our father showed me my first glimpse of the world,” she said. Her tone was completely emotionless. Hollow.

“That filly out there, she lives in a different universe than you or I. A place we never truly knew. She exists in constant wonderment, blind to how harsh and cruel the world can be. What would you call such a state of being, little sister?”

Sweetie Belle did not need to ponder this question. Her answer came immediately.

“It's called childhood, sis.”

Rarity smiled, ever so slightly. But she did not seem happy.

“As foreign a land to us as the most distant continent,” she said. “tonight, little Twist will be exiled from that land forever. She will go kicking, screaming, and crying. But in the end, she will be made stronger for the journey.”

“Is that why you do this?” Sweetie Belle said, looking down at the floor, “To make them strong? To make them see the real world?”

“To wake them up from the dream?” Rarity said, “Perhaps that is a part of it. But only a part. Let's not ascribe such lofty motives to my little hobby.” Despite herself, she chuckled.

“Yeah...” said Sweetie Belle, smiling a little, “I probably gave you too much credit there...”

The two sisters shared a laugh.

Dear Celestia, thought Sweetie Belle. It's been so long.

“All I know,” said Rarity “Is that when I see that quality in them...that core of innocence, so very fragile...I simply can't bear to see it exist. It is so utterly alien to me. I have to crush it."

Sweetie closed her eyes. What's wrong with me? she thought. Just a second ago, I was LAUGHING about this.

Rarity continued to speak in the same calm, even tones. “Annihilating that precious part of them works me into a frenzy. I enjoy it, of course, immensely. It's not just my art, it is my joy. But I feel that if I did not enjoy it...I would have to do it anyway.”

Sweetie Belle opened her eyes.

“Sis...” she said, “It's not too late to stop.”

“Oh Sweetie Belle,” Rarity said, “It was too late for me a long time ago. For both us.”

Sweetie Belle wasn't quite sure what she was feeling. Part of her felt like the gulf between her and her sister was wider than ever. Another part felt closer to her than she had in years.

“There's not much time before we leave,” said Rarity. “Go get prepared. Oh, but first, yell down to Silver Spoon and tell her to get Pip ready. She'll know what that means.”

“Okay...” Sweetie said. Now she was the one without the will to fight. She finished her juice and hopped off of the chair.

Rarity finally took a sip from her tea. She made a face, and then dumped the contents of her mug into the sink.

“Ugh,” she said. “Far too sweet.”