Diamond in the Flames

"The bridge is crossed, so stand and watch it burn..."

Sweetie sang softly to herself as she watched Brass Ring tackle Echo Flare to the ground, intent on strangling him with her own bare hooves. Echo had banned his ex from all his events for exactly this reason, but he'd also made some very rude comments about Sweetie's relationship with her sister.

And so, Sweetie had used her plus-one for this party to spice things up a bit and teach him a lesson.

"We've passed the point of no return..."

A wide grin spread out across Sweetie's muzzle as she watched all the bystanders step away to give the loving couple ample space to express their passion, instead of trying to intervene. How predictable. They saw a spectacle brewing and they all wanted to see the show.

And now Sweetie was no different from the rest of them.

"You bastard!" Brass screamed as she tried her level best to wring Echo's scrawny neck. "How could you cheat on me with her!"

"I..." Echo struggled to get his words out, but eventually managed to push her off for a moment. "I had to get my rocks off somehow, you frigid bitch!"

"I'll cut those damn rocks right off!" With an animalistic roar, Brass was on him again.

To her left, Sweetie saw Sugar Note sidling up to her. "So, I heard you're the one who brought Brass here," she said conspiratorially, as if Sweetie hadn't literally walked in with the mare by her side.

Still, Sweetie allowed herself a mysterious smirk. "Echo talked shit about my sister, so now he's eating shit."

Vapid and stupid as she was, Sugar still got the message behind Sweetie's words. "Well, I guess he deserved it, then," she said, sparing her a fearful glance.

"He did," Sweetie confirmed. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll have another drink." With that, she made her leave, knowing that Sugar Note would spread the word, and Sweetie's reputation would grow.

She'd made a promise the day she'd left Rarity's house in Canterlot with a broken heart and a soul filled with anger. By making anyone who crossed her pay, she'd make sure that nopony dared speak a word about her relationship with Rarity, and then they could be happy together again, just like they were before, but without having to hide their true selves anymore.

"I'm doing this for us," she muttered to herself, idly swirling the wine in her glass around. This was one of those fancy events, or it had been until the brawl, at least, and so the wine was quite a good vintage. Rarity would have appreciated it.

Rarity. Even now, Sweetie couldn't stop thinking about her, couldn't stop trying to please her, even when her sister didn't know what was best for them. That was okay. Eventually, Rarity would see the error of her ways, and come to ask Sweetie for forgiveness. Sweetie would graciously grant it to her, and then Rarity could take over this endeavour and continue to keep Sweete safe and protected.

At some point, the cops had been called, and things had gotten a bit complicated, so Sweetie stepped out and headed back towards her apartment. After all, she'd done nothing wrong. She'd just brought an old friend to a party who had reacted badly to seeing her ex there.

"Down once more to the dungeons of my black despair..."

Well, okay, that was a bit dramatic, Sweetie thought to herself as she continued her song in the carriage home. Still, her apartment did feel very empty without Rarity there, and she really hoped that her plan would pay off sooner rather than later. Rarity had to come to her senses soon, right?

"Down we plunge to the prison of my mind..."

And if Rarity wasn't here, then Sweetie would have to provide the dramatics herself.

The carriage arrived, and Sweetie thanked the driver before stepping off into the cool Manehattan night once again.

"Down that path into darkness deep below!"

Okay, technically she was going up, but Sweetie could take some artistic license if she wanted. Who was going to tell her no, anyways?

"Hey, Sweetie!" A familiar voice pulled her out of her reveries, and she glanced towards the entrance to see her two oldest friends waving at her.

"Apple Bloom? Scootaloo?" Without thinking, Sweetie rushed forward towards them, ecstatic to see her Crusaders once again after spending so many months apart. "I'm so glad to see you two! I didn't know you were coming, though."

"Well, it was kinda short notice," Apple Bloom said, shifting awkwardly on her hooves. "We came as soon as we could."

Scootaloo snorted. "Yeah, I had to arrange for a substitute and stuff first. Turns out I can't drop everything to rush over here just because my best friend is fucking her sister."

Her words stopped Sweetie in her tracks. "Oh," she said awkwardly. "Right, you're here about that, huh?" She should have known that they weren't here just to surprise her for some fun nights out.

"No shit." Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "Also, we aren't we on your guest list? The guards wouldn't let us in."

"They're not supposed to let anyone in unless I tell them to first," Sweetie said. "Well, except for Rarity, because, uhh..." She trailed off, feeling a flash of embarrassment, followed immediately by anger at the world for making her embarrassed to talk about her love.

"Right, we gotta talk about that, and all the other shit you've been pulling," Scootaloo said with all her usual tact.

"Aren't teachers supposed to be nurturing and understanding and stuff?" Sweetie asked.

"With our students, yeah," Scootaloo replied. "But you're not one of my students, you're my friend, and right now you're being an idiot too."

"Lay off her, Scoots," Apple Bloom placed a hoof on Scootaloo's shoulder. "Can't you see she's going through a lot at the moment?"

"Actually, I feel great." Forcing a smile, Sweetie trotted over towards them. "I finally get to do all the things I've always wanted to do, and I'm sure Rarity will come back to me soon. She always does."

Scootaloo took a step back. "Sweetie, do you have any idea how messed up all of this is?"

"Why? Because I finally found someone who actually loves me?" Sweetie sighed. "Look, I know you two might not understand, but can you at least try to be happy for me?"

"I... this is a lot, Sweetie," Apple Bloom said. "We wanna be happy for you, we really do, but it don't look like the most healthy thing from the outside, y'know? Especially since we've been reading the papers, and boy howdy, those headlines after you broke up with her sure are somethin'."

Sweetie waved a dismissive hoof. "Oh, don't worry about that. I'm just making sure that nopony ever messes with us ever again." She smirked. "I found something even better than punching somepony's lights out."

"What the hay, Sweetie?" Scootaloo said as she glared at her. "What happened to you?"

It was getting a little tiring having this conversation over and over again. "I finally figured out that I can make ponies do whatever I want, so I'm taking advantage of that."

"Sweetie, yer starting to sound a bit like Diamond Tiara before she realized what her cutie mark actually meant." Apple Bloom looked really worried, which was also annoying. Why couldn't they all see that Sweetie was fine?

"Yeah, and Diamond Tiara basically ran our school for a long time," Sweetie replied. "She knew how things really worked."

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom shared a helpless glance. "We're supposed to be the good guys," Scootaloo said. "Maybe you should come back with us to Ponyville for a little bit until things calm down."

This time, it was Sweetie's turn to step back as Scootaloo reached out a hoof towards her. "Thanks, but I'm where I'm supposed to be. Besides, I have to be here for the grand finale." She grinned. "Rarity will have to come over after that!"

"Grand finale?" Another worried glance between Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. "What exactly are ya planning?"

Oh, this was so much fun. "You'll see," Sweetie said sweetly. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I gotta get ready."

"Sweetie, you're scaring us," Scootaloo said.

For a moment, Sweetie almost relented. There was genuine fear in Scootaloo's eyes, and seeing the brave pegasus so scared sent a shock of revulsion through Sweetie's body. This was wrong, everything about this was wrong.

But if everything was wrong, then what did it matter? Sure, Sweetie shouldn't have been forced into this position, but she was trapped, now. Trapped by the revelation of her relationship to the world. And if she was just doing what she had to do, then why not enjoy it along the way?

Sweetie's grin widened. "You should be scared of me." And with that, she stepped into the apartment building, leaving her two oldest friends behind staring at her in shock.