Pedestal of Stone

by Zontan

Rating: everyone
Tags: Scootaloo, Slice of Life, Sweetie Belle, Sad, Apple Bloom, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Cutie Mark Crusaders
Length: 5482

The Cutie Mark Crusaders were supposed to be forever.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders are a team. Even now that they're adults, their friendship has never wavered.

So when something arises to threaten that friendship, Sweetie Belle will do everything in her power to protect it. No matter what.

Written as a Christmas gift for Wish, who has been trying to force me to write Sweetie Belle for years.

Published 2022-01-09 17:30:00 UTC
Last updated 2022-01-09 17:30:00 UTC

Pedestal of Stone

The bell rang.

“Alright, see you all tomorrow!” Sweetie Belle said with a smile as her students began to put away their things and head for the door. “Remember, I expect you to be able to report on one friendship activity you did this week in the morning, so if you haven’t done that yet, tonight’s the time.”

There was a half-mumbled chorus from most of the students who spent all their time at each other’s houses anyway, and at least one flash of panic from a student who had forgotten, despite it having happened every week for the entire school year. Sweetie pretended not to see it.

She spent a few moments erasing the blackboard and tidying the classroom, putting the inevitable forgotten notepad in the shelves at the back of the classroom, where it would be waiting for its owner tomorrow. And then once she was satisfied, she headed for the staffroom, giving a brief hello to Trixie as she passed her in the hallway.

Scootaloo was already there when she arrived, flopped onto the couch and flipping channels on the tiny TV like Ponyville had more than six stations.

“Hey Scoots,” Sweetie said as she walked in, getting a brief wave in return. She sat at one of the long tables that took up the middle of the room, pulling a collection of essays out of her bag. She’d told herself she’d have them marked by Monday, and didn’t particularly want to still be doing it over the weekend. “Anything exciting happen today?”

Scootaloo didn’t look up from the TV as she answered. “Not really. I mean, Crumble got into another spat with Pumpkin Cake today, because he’s a big scary dragon and Celestia forbid he admit to anycreature that he likes her, but at this point that’s a normal Thursday.” She raised her head slightly. “Oh, actually, I started a pool with Trixie during lunch on whether she gives up on him before he finally gets over himself and talks about his feelings, you want in?”

“So that’s what you two were conspiring about,” Sweetie said with a grin. “I’ll pass. Crumble’s a sweet kid when he lets his guard down, I’m sure he’ll come around. Maybe there’ll even be a song.”

Scootaloo nodded. “I’ll put you down in the Crumble feelings camp, then. Losing side buys the winner’s supplies for next year.”

“What—that’s not what I said!”

Scootaloo was saved from having to defend herself by Apple Bloom walking in. “Hi Sweetie, hi Scoots,” she mumbled, before sinking down into a chair and laying her head on the table.

“Long day?” Sweetie asked.

Apple Bloom nodded without raising her head. “Tipps is running me ragged. Can’t sit still for more than two minutes and has a question for every thought that pops into his head. I know he’s just happy to be here, but I can barely get a word in edgewise, nevermind teaching the rest of the class. It’s exhausting.”

Scootaloo glanced up again. “That’s the new Abyssinian, right? You want me to try taking him for a day or two? I could use a challenge, and even a cat should have a hard time running circles around me.”

“I thought you were already dealing with Crumble and Pumpkin,” Sweetie quipped.

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “That’s not a challenge, it’s a soap opera. They’ll be great together once they stop acting like sixteen-year-olds.”

“They are sixteen-year-olds. What did you expect?”

Apple Bloom actually laughed at that, sitting up once more. “You two always know how to cheer me up.” She beamed at them, then shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. It’ll take more than one rowdy student to keep me down, I’m an Apple. I’ll take this over harvest season any day.”

A chorus of laughter passed between them. Sweetie reached out to take Apple Bloom’s hoof. “Nothing we can’t handle together, right? Cutie Mark Crusaders forever.”

Apple Bloom smiled back. “Cutie Mark Crusaders forever.”

Sweetie nodded, and went back to her essays. So long as they had each other, they could conquer anything, and that was never going to change.

The next day Sweetie rose with the sun, and took no time at all getting ready. Her morning routine had never been extensive, not when she generally slept through Rarity’s first three calls to get up or be late for school. If you’d told her younger self that she’d still be worried about being late for school nearly two decades later, she probably wouldn’t have believed you.

The morning passed quickly. The weekly friendship reports she made her class give every Friday were important, yes, but they were also easy and set the tone for the last day of the week. Nobody wanted to be working too hard when they could taste the weekend ahead of them, and Sweetie saw no reason to force them. Also, she was still Rarity’s sister, and forcing her students into a mandatory gossip hour was fun. How else would she know what was going on in the other classes when she wasn’t around?

It was just before lunch when Sweetie heard motion in the hall. Hoofsteps, and ponies talking in hushed tones. She frowned and checked the clock, but it was still at least twenty minutes before even Scootaloo could justify releasing her class. No one should be in the hall except perhaps Starlight, and she wasn’t one to whisper.

She got up from her desk, and gave her class a reassuring smile. “Carry on, please. I just need to check on something for one moment.”

Opening the door, she expected to find a guilty group of students. Instead, she found a huddle of adults: Starlight, Apple Bloom, and for some reason, Big Mac. They were standing outside Apple Bloom’s classroom just down the hall, and talking quietly enough that she couldn’t pick up any words. Big Mac’s face was stoic and unreadable, but as she watched, Apple Bloom raised a hoof to brush away tears. What was going on?

Closing her door quietly behind her, she approached, clearing her throat to let them know she was coming. Their conversation stopped immediately, and suddenly Sweetie felt like she was interrupting. “Is everything alright?” she asked meekly.

No one answered. Instead, Starlight spoke up. “Sweetie Belle. We were just on our way to talk to you. Would you mind watching Apple Bloom’s class for the rest of the day? She has to step out for a bit, family emergency, and I don’t know if we can find a sub on such short notice.”

Sweetie blinked. “What? I mean, of course I can, anything I can do to help. What’s wrong? Is everypony okay?”

Apple Bloom and Big Mac looked at each other, and Apple Bloom gave the tiniest nod.

“No,” Big Mac said, and it was so flat and sudden that Sweetie actually took a step back.

“Sugar Belle’s in the hospital,” Apple Bloom added quietly, when it seemed like Big Mac wasn’t going to say anything more.

“Sugar Belle? But she’s—” Sweetie started, then caught herself.

Big Mac nodded.

“Oh Celestia. I’m so sorry. Of course. Go, go, I’ll take care of everything.”

Sweetie didn’t remember much of the rest of the school day. Tipps immediately took over her classroom, and she didn’t do anything to stop it. Most of her students had never really had a chance to meet an Abyssinian, and he was happy to talk the ear off of anyone who would listen. She assigned them a reading and then the rest of the school day was a blur.

As soon as classes were over, she found Scootaloo, who hadn’t even been given the news, and they dropped everything to head straight to the hospital.

When they arrived, they found Apple Bloom in the waiting area, along with Cardamom Apple, her nephew. He was sitting quietly in a corner building something out of blocks, and didn’t look up when they came in. Apple Bloom stood, a little wobbly, and sank gratefully into the group hug they swept her into.

“How’s she doing?” Sweetie murmured as soon as they separated several minutes later.

Apple Bloom shook her head. “The doctors say she ain’t gettin’ any worse, but that’s all the good news.”

“Do they know what’s wrong?” Scootaloo added.

“Some kind o’ sickness. Working too hard, I guess. Big Mac says she just collapsed.”

Sweetie Belle didn’t want to ask it, but as the silence grew deeper, she felt like she had to. “...and the foal? Is it alright?”

Apple Bloom’s expression grew even graver. “I don’ know.”

Sweetie hugged her again. “Whatever you need, you know we’ll be there, right? Anything at all. We’ll get through this.”

The bell rang.

“Alright, that’s all for today,” Sweetie Belle said. “Have a good weekend, everycreature.”

When she stepped out of her classroom, she couldn’t help but glance down the hall at Apple Bloom’s door. A light green pegasus mare was locking it behind her as she left. Clear Path was a good substitute, and she’d been very polite in the conversations they’d had, but she wasn’t Apple Bloom, and seeing her come out of that door every day hurt more every time it happened.

Sweetie turned and headed for the teacher’s lounge. Scootaloo was there when she arrived, as usual. She always let her class out a little before the bell, and her room was closer to the lounge on top of it. But Sweetie wondered if sometimes Scootaloo went out of her way to look like she’d already been lounging for hours by the time anypony else walked in.

It wasn’t long before Scootaloo spoke up. “Hey, Sweetie, were you still planning on visiting Apple Bloom tomorrow?”

Sweetie looked up, frowning at the question. “Of course. Why wouldn’t we?”

“Well, it’s just… Rainbow invited me to a Wonderbolts pre-show exhibition. Kind of a private practice thing, said it’d be right up my alley, and I figured we could skip—”

“Scoots, we go see Apple Bloom every weekend,” Sweetie interrupted. “We need to be there for her.”

“I know, but it’s been months. I’m sure Big Mac is sick of us by now, and besides, all those cousins from out of town are there to help with the farm. She’ll be fine if we’re not there one weekend.”

“How can you know that?” Sweetie demanded, suddenly heated. “Sugar Belle is due any day now, and she’s still not back on her hooves. What if she needs us and we’re not there?”

“Come on, she’s got a dozen family members to keep an eye on her, and we’re usually here anyway. We’re hardly her first line of defense.”

“Well I’m going to be there for her. You can abandon her if you want to—”

“Hey!” Scootaloo was suddenly up, standing with her front hooves on the back of the couch, wings flared in indignation. “That’s not fair! I’m asking for one weekend off to do something fun, I’m not abandoning anypony!”

“You’d rather be at a show when our best friend’s sister-in-law could be dying—”

“What has gotten into you?” Scootaloo snapped.“Have you forgotten what it’s like to have a life? I’m not going to let you guilt me over wanting to think about anything but Sugar Belle just once in months! I know it sucks! You don’t have to tell me that we should be sad! But I don’t want to spend who knows how long just being sad all the time just for Apple Bloom’s sake!”

“We said we’d be in this together,” Sweetie Belle hissed.

Scootaloo glared back. “We are. And when Apple Bloom needs me, I’ll be there. Not when you think she does.” She hopped over the couch and grabbed her saddlebags, slinging them roughly over her back. “If you’re so sure she needs you, why don’t you ask her about it when you’re there. Tell me what she says.”

Before Sweetie could pick her jaw back up off the floor, Scootaloo was out the door.

Sweetie walked to Sweet Apple Acres alone. She tried not to think about Scootaloo, but normally they would be walking together, which made it much harder to think about anything else.

Scootaloo couldn’t possibly be right. Of course Apple Bloom needed her. They were Crusaders. They were a team. Even if Scootaloo didn’t understand what that meant sometimes.

Sweetie Belle knocked on the door to the Apple family house, and it took only a moment for Applejack to open it. “Ah, hello Sweetie. Apple Bloom’s upstairs with Sugar Belle.” She looked behind Sweetie and frowned. “Is Scootaloo not coming today?”

Sweetie huffed. “No. She has other plans.”

Applejack smiled. “Well, good for her.” She held the door open, and then vanished into the kitchen as soon as Sweetie stepped inside.

Sweetie put her saddlebags by the door, and then took the stairs two at a time as she traced the familiar path to Sugar Belle’s room. It had been the guest room before she’d gotten sick, but she’d been moved there the first time she returned from the hospital. It had the space she needed, not only for herself, but for the equipment that had made the trip home with her.

When Sweetie quietly crept into the room, Apple Bloom was curled up in a chair with a book, while Sugar Belle slept in the massive bed. Her mane had lost most of its luster, and there was a breathing tube in her nostrils that made her breath rattle. Even with the number of blankets she was covered in, it was easy to see the curve of her heavily pregnant belly.

“How’s she doing?” Sweetie whispered.

Apple Bloom looked up. “She’s doing okay. Been sleeping more, which the doctors say is a good thing. Conserves her energy for the baby.”

Sweetie nodded. “That’s good. What about you? How are you holding up?”

“I’m alright. I guess I’ve sort of gotten used to it all. It all feels… normal now, I guess. Keeping an eye on Sugar, taking care of Cardamom, it’s kind of… nice.” Apple Bloom shook her head. “I don’t know how to describe it. I want Sugar to get better, but I haven’t spent this much time with my family in years. I guess I’m just feeling grateful for what I have, even if the situation could be better.”

“No, I get it,” Sweetie assured her. “Spending time together is important. She needs you, and it feels nice to be there.” She waved a hoof to encompass the whole room. “It’s, y’know. Teamwork.”

That got a smile out of Apple Bloom. “Yeah, I guess.” Her gaze switched briefly to the door, and then back to Sweetie. “Where’s Scoots? Did AJ rope her into something?”

Sweetie’s good mood disappeared like a light. “She’s at a Wonderbolts show,” she seethed. “With Rainbow.”

“Oh,” Apple Bloom blinked in surprise, but the expression quickly vanished. “That sounds like fun.”

“She should be here.”

“It’s not a big deal,” Apple Bloom said quickly, reassurance in her voice. “I’m glad she’s having fun. She deserves it, and we’ve got plenty of able hooves here.”

“That’s not the point,” Sweetie objected. “This is more important than her show.”

“Sweetie, it’s alright, really. I’m sure she’ll have some great stories when she comes back, and it’d be nice to hear them. It’s been ages since any of us have had a chance to get out of Ponyville. And she’s been working just as hard as any of us, you know?”

Sweetie paused, opening her mouth but finding no words. For a moment, the question Scootaloo had wanted her to ask lingered on her tongue. If you don’t need her here, does that mean you don’t need me?

But she couldn’t ask it. She didn’t want to know the answer.

Eventually, Big Mac showed up to relieve Apple Bloom of her vigil and pass Cardamom off to her. The conversation had drifted to less dangerous topics than Scootaloo by that point, and Cardamom was easy to entertain, especially once Applejack came out to announce that lunch was ready.

That brought in Apple Cobbler and Fiddlesticks from the fields where they had been helping to pick up the harvest slack, and for a while everyone could pretend it was just an extended family lunch. Conversation and laughter flowed, and for a time it felt like nothing was wrong. And then Applejack made a plate and excused herself to go bring a serving up to Big Mac and Sugar Belle. There was a brief lull in the conversation as suddenly everyone present remembered why they were there, before it started up again, more subdued.

The next thing anypony knew, there was a sound like thunder coming down the stairs, and Big Mac burst into the room. “It’s time!” he bellowed, his eyes wild. “It’s time, fetch the doctor, it’s happening now.”

Apple Cobbler was the first one out of her seat. “On it. Be back in a tick!” And then she was out the door at a speed that would have put Rainbow Dash to shame.

Cardamom looked between the door and Big Mac. “Mom?” he asked, suddenly out of his chair. “Is mom alright?”

Fiddlesticks scooped him up. “Your mama’s perfectly alright, little one. But we need to give her some space while she has your little sibling, alright?”

Cardamom hesitated, but didn’t pull away.

“I’ll take care of him,” Fiddlesticks assured Big Mac. “Come on, Cardi, let’s go play outside, alright?”

Big Mac was back up the stairs before she’d finished her sentence, and Apple Bloom scrambled after him. Before Sweetie knew it, she was alone in the kitchen. “W-wait!” she yelped. “Wait for me!”

When she arrived at Sugar Belle’s room, the door was wide open and Applejack was squeezing Sugar Belle’s hoof as she took deep, gasping breaths. “Bloom, grab the towels, spread them there,” she directed. “Mac, you sent someone to fetch the doctor?”

“Yep.”

“That’s great, but you’re gonna need to stay out of my way, now. Can’t have you hovering.” When Big Mac looked about to object, she glared. “Mac, I’ve delivered a foal or two in my day, and I ain’t once seen a use for the father hoverin’.”

Big Mac backed off, and Sweetie stepped up. “I’m here too,” she announced, anxious. “What can I do to help?’

“Sweetie, I appreciate it, but I already got Bloom and there’s only so many ponies that can fit around this bed. Best way for you to help is to stay out of the way.”

“But—”

Sweetie didn’t get any farther, because Big Mac stepped in front of her. “Nope,” he said, his voice dark. “If I haveta listen to AJ, so do you. Let’s go.”

Sweetie shook her head. “But I can help! Apple Bloom needs me.”

Big Mac ignored her. Instead, he simply picked her up, stepped out of the room, and closed the door behind him. “You don’t get to make that call,” he said, once he put her down. “Now you can sit quietly, or you can go home.”

Sweetie fumed. “I’m not trying to—”

“Sweetie Belle.”

The firmness in his voice was enough to stop her dead, and she nodded meekly and retreated.

When the doctor arrived a few minutes later she followed him back upstairs, but Big Mac gave her such a withering look that she didn’t even set hoof in the hallway.

She spent the next half hour fretting outside with Apple Cobbler and Fiddlesticks, and giving a halfhearted attempt to keep Cardamom entertained.

None of the other Apples nor the doctor emerged from the house, and as the minutes ticked by, the hope that the birth would be relatively easy after everything that had happened slipped away. Finally, after the third time that Fiddlesticks gently suggested she go home and get some rest, she took the hint.

When Sweetie Belle showed up at the house again the next day, Applejack told her only that the birth had been a success, her niece seemed healthy, and Sugar Belle needed rest. And then she wouldn’t let Sweetie past the door.

“I don’t know what to do,” Sweetie said morosely, idly stirring the tea she wasn’t drinking. “It’s like she doesn’t even want to see me anymore.”

Rarity made a noncommittal noise from the kitchen counter, where she was pouring her own cup. “It sounds like she’s just under a lot of stress, dear. I doubt it’s on purpose.”

“That’s what I thought at first, too,” Sweetie replied. “But it’s been weeks since Sugar Belle gave birth, and she’s still not back at work. Applejack said that Sugar Belle needed ‘space’ and that I had to check with her before visiting, but now she’s gone off on ‘Element business’ so I can’t even do that! I mean, if Applejack thinks it’s okay to go halfway across Equestria for work, can’t Apple Bloom manage to get across town to see her friends?”

“Well, it’s very hard to tell Twilight ‘no’ when she says the future of Equestria is at stake,” Rarity said, putting her teacup on the table and sitting down across from Sweetie. “We’ve all gotten used to it over the years. Twilight is rarely wrong about these things.”

“Well, could you tell her to tell Apple Bloom to come back to school? I thought the School of Friendship was important for Equestria’s future too.”

“That’s not how it works, I’m afraid. Can’t you arrange a time to see her outside of work?”

“No,” Sweetie huffed. “She’s always busy. Says she has to watch Cinnamon and Cardamom.”

Rarity nodded slowly, sipping her tea. “Perhaps you should consider finding some new ponies to spend your free time with? At least for a while, until Cinnamon is older—”

“They wouldn’t be Crusaders,” Sweetie insisted. “It’s Cutie Mark Crusaders forever, not just until your brother has a kid. We made an oath.”

“Sweetie…” Rarity murmured. “Are you sure that’s really what’s important right now? I know you were all inseparable as fillies, but… ponies change. When Pinkie had her foal, things had to adjust for a while, and we all adapted. It didn’t mean Pinkie wasn’t still our friend, just because she couldn’t spend as much time with us.”

“But it’s not her foal!”

Rarity shook her head. “It sounds like it may as well be. If Sugar Belle needs the help and Apple Bloom is willing to give it, and it seems she is… there’s nothing you can do to change that.”

Sweetie didn’t respond immediately, twisting her hooves together and staring down into her tea. “I don’t want to lose her,” she finally whispered.

“Oh, Sweetie,” Rarity murmured, her voice full of emotion. She stood and pulled Sweetie into a hug. “So long as you leave the door open for her, you haven’t lost her. But friendships require effort from both ends, and you can’t force her to focus on you. But this doesn’t have to be the end of the world. You can grow past this.”

“No, I can’t,” Sweetie whispered, burying her face in Rarity’s mane.

“Of course you can. You did it with… shoot, what was her name? That other filly you used to hang out with before you formed the Crusaders.”

Sweetie frowned. “Twist?”

“Yes, Twist. That’s the one. When was the last time you saw her?”

Sweetie shrugged. “Not since elementary school. But I was just a filly—”

“You were a filly when you met Apple Bloom, too. Sweetie… the only thing you can change is how you feel and react to this. Don’t be so quick to give up.”

“...I’ll try.”

The bell rang.

“That’s it for today,” Sweetie said, glancing up at the clock. “Make sure you all at least take a look at your review sheets. Finals are in two weeks and I expect you all to be ready. I’m going to have extended office hours next week, so please come see me if you feel you need to.”

Once the students had filed out, Sweetie sighed and pulled the latest batch of paperwork from her saddlebags. She was already working on the curriculum for next year, and the lounge would only be a distraction. Besides, Starlight had scheduled a staff-wide meeting in half an hour, so there wouldn’t be much point.

Half an hour passed by before she knew it, and she left her paperwork on her desk as she headed to the auditorium. She scanned the assembled faculty and briefly met Scootaloo’s gaze, but the tiny part of her that had hoped that the meeting was announcing Apple Bloom’s return was quickly dashed by her absence.

Starlight’s speech was standard fare about how proud she was of everyone for another successful school year, which mostly went in one ear and out the other. But Sweetie perked up when she heard Apple Bloom’s name.

“As you know, Apple Bloom had to go on family medical leave earlier this year. I am sad to announce the news that she has now officially resigned her teaching position here. I know we all wish her the best in her future endeavors, and she wanted me to convey to you how happy she was to have worked here with all of you. Clear Path has generously agreed to stay on in a permanent role for next year…”

Sweetie wasn’t listening anymore. Apple Bloom had quit? Permanently? Without telling her? That couldn’t be right. Apple Bloom would never quit. The School of Friendship was her dream role. She was the one who had wanted to help others find their way, all those years ago on the day they got their cutie marks. How could she quit?

Sweetie didn’t hear anything else Starlight said. As soon as the meeting was over, she headed straight to Sweet Apple Acres. She was almost surprised to find Scootaloo following her, but that spurred her on. She and Scootaloo hadn’t been on the same page much recently, but this she was sure about.

“I’m real sorry, y’all,” Apple Bloom said, still not looking at them.

Apple Bloom had actually answered the door, for once, and immediately known why they were there. For the first time in a while, she’d asked Big Mac to watch the baby instead of the fields, so she could explain herself.

“I know I shoulda told you first, but it just never felt like the right time, or I didn’t know when I could get both of y’all together, and then before I knew it the school year was almost over. Starlight showed up to talk to me about next year, and I’d already been thinking about it for a while, and it just… made sense.”

“Made sense?” Sweetie demanded. “How does this make sense? You loved teaching. More than any of us!”

Apple Bloom smiled. “And I still do. It’s just, I have two more personal students now. This feels… right.”

Scootaloo nodded. “You have to do what’s right for you. Family first, right?”

“It’s more than that. I never really thought about being a mom, because I thought my students were kind of the same thing. But it’s just… different. And I know I’m really just their aunt, but Sugar Belle’s been real great about the whole thing, and… well, it all worked out in the end.” She gestured with one hoof to her cutie mark. “I’ll still be a Crusader at heart, but I think there’s a reason we’ve all got our own personal touch. This is what I was meant to be doing, I can feel it.”

She pointed to both of them. “You’ve got your own individual pieces too, and maybe we shouldn’ta been ignoring those for so long. There’s more to being us than just crusadin’.”

Scootaloo was looking thoughtful, but Sweetie shook her head. “But we can’t do it without you,” she pleaded. “We’re a trio. That’s the whole point.”

“Sure you can,” Apple Bloom said gently. “You can still teach with me here at the farm, and you don’t need my help to know how to guide ponies to where they’re supposed to be. You both know how to do that already. And it’s not like I’m going away, I just… got some new priorities.”

“Yeah,” Scootaloo said. “You’re right. You’re gonna be the best aunt ever, I can tell.”

Sweetie couldn’t believe her ears. The rock that she had thought would never break, the foundation upon which she’d built her entire life was crumbling.

The Crusaders were supposed to be forever.

The lounge felt empty this close to the end of the year. Many of the personal effects, from photos to the nice coffee maker, had been taken home for the summer by the teachers who actually owned them. More importantly, it felt empty simply because of the knowledge that Apple Bloom would never be back.

“Hey,” Scootaloo said as Sweetie walked in the door. She was on the couch as usual, but for once the TV was off. The remote was still in her hoof, even though she wasn’t using it. Perhaps it was simply habit, but Sweetie suspected it was comforting somehow.

Scootaloo sat up, and as soon as Sweetie met her gaze, she knew. But she didn’t say it, and neither did Scootaloo.

“You won the pool,” Scootaloo said quietly. “Crumble asked Pumpkin out today. It was a whole thing, the entire class got in on it.”

“I thought I told you I wasn’t entering it.”

Scootaloo gave a half-shrug. “Yeah, but somebody’s gotta win it, and at this point it’s just you.”

Sweetie frowned. “I thought you and Trixie were in, too,” she said, her voice still carefully neutral.

“Well…” Scootaloo looked away. “Trixie lost. And I… won’t be needing the prize.”

“You won’t.” It didn’t feel like a question.

“I’m not coming back. Rainbow pulled some strings and got me a tryout for a hoofball team in Fillydelphia. Big league stuff, and they’re willing to give me a shot. That’s an opportunity I can’t pass up.”

Sweetie nodded. She’d seen it coming. Scootaloo wasn’t very good at hiding these things, and the gears had been turning ever since their conversation with Apple Bloom. She’d expected to be sad, but the rock that was the Crusaders was gone. All she felt was numb.

“Well… good luck, then.”

“Thanks.”

Scootaloo still wasn’t looking at her, and the awkward silence stretched on uncomfortably. Finally, Scootaloo went to grab her bags and head for the door. “I guess… I’ll see you tomorrow, then? First day of finals and all.”

“Yeah. See you.”

And then she left.

Sweetie walked slowly through her empty classroom. The school year was over, and it was time to go. She lingered at her desk, where the framed photograph showed the three Crusaders, all beaming, on their first day of teaching. There on the wall behind her was a picture of them graduating from the School of Friendship. Below it, a tiny framed ballot: Pip’s winning vote. A piece of paper that didn’t mean anything to her students, but everything to the Crusaders.

Every piece of her, linked to her two best friends. No photos without them present. No memorabilia they didn’t help her get.

And now they were gone.

Sweetie paused, lingering on that thought. It felt like they were already forever beyond her reach. Even though Apple Bloom was at a farm twenty minutes away. Even though Scootaloo’s train didn’t leave until tomorrow. The Crusaders were gone, and that was what mattered.

She still didn’t know what to do. A piece of her was missing, and it had set her adrift. Did she just keep teaching, like nothing was wrong? Scootaloo seemed to think so. She had the promise of free supplies, at least.

Everypony in her life seemed to think she would just keep going. Dependable, predictable Sweetie Belle. Where the Crusaders led, she followed. She didn’t have big ideas like Apple Bloom, or take risks like Scootaloo. She just did what was sensible, expected, reasonable.

She stopped walking, and twisted to look down at her cutie mark. For perhaps the first time, she focused on the foreground, instead of the shield. A star and a music note. Those didn’t seem like a way to represent doing the same thing when everything in her entire world had changed.

She turned and went to the cabinet at the back of the room. Opened it up, and knelt down to the bottom shelf. Reached all the way to the back, where things went to be forgotten.

A microphone rolled into her hoof. Left over from the last school talent show, which had gone a fair bit better than all the ones they’d entered as teens.

Maybe she could find a new foundation after all.