Equestria Copes

Rarity only just made it back to Sweetie Belle's room before her alarm went off. She didn't make it in time. Sweetie Belle was the last step in her plan. She was going to appear to her in a dream and convince her to do what had to be done, but now she would just have to do the convincing on the way to the kitchen.

Rarity placed her hoof firmly on her shoulder. "Sweetie Belle. Before you go to school, I need you to take the brownies downstairs and go to the front of Barnyard Bargains. Wait for Diamond Tiara, then give them to her. Do not hit her. I promise, I will make it okay."

Sweetie Belle seemed to shiver a bit as she brushed her mane. She'd been tossing and turning all night, and it was a mess. She'd been keeping it clean, anyway, and tried to avoid damage to it, and as she brushed, Rarity stood behind her and guided her hooves, making it feel just a bit easier and flow just a bit smoother.

Sweetie Belle hopped down from her bed and grabbed her cloak. It was still smelly, but she could deal with that. She just didn't want to be seen.

Rarity placed her hoof on the cloak. She needed Sweetie Belle to be seen.

Sweetie Belle tugged until the cloak ripped. The sound was agonising to Rarity, but it had to be done. It was for the best. She may have even felt worse about tearing it if it was kept in better condition, but she couldn't make a new one to replace it. Or could she?

She shook the thought from her head. Now wasn't the time to rush to her boutique and inspire her employees... former employees... to put something together for her sister. She had more important things to do at this particular moment.

Following the frustrated filly downstairs, she directed her attention to the kitchen. There was a box of brownies on the table. It had the SugarCube Corner logo printed on the box. The Cake family had been shouldering a heavy burden, putting off their loss of Pinkie Pie to honour her memory by trying to cheer the town up. To that end, they'd been delivering "Find Your Smile" brownies free of charge, with extra funding from the mayor. It wasn't working as well as they'd hoped, but it was helping a little bit. And perhaps it would even drum up business later.

"Grab a few," urged Rarity. "Take them to Diamond Tiara."

Sweetie Belle had to be pushed a few more times before she walked into the kitchen. Grabbing a paper lunch bag, she stacked four brownies into it and then folded up the top. She muttered under her breath that she must be out of her mind to take these to Diamond Tiara, as there was nopony less deserving of them, but she did it anyway.

She made her way to Barnyard Bargains and sat down on a bench nearby. Diamond Tiara, like most students, was offered time off from school in response to the tragedy. Optional time off, as classes were still going on. Sweetie Belle had taken the first three days, but had broken down in the middle of day four, opting to just pick up her homework and go home to do it on her own time. She didn't want to fall behind, but she didn't want to disrupt the class. Diamond Tiara had also taken the time off, but in Sweetie Belle's eyes, she'd taken it like a vacation.

Before too long, Diamond Tiara walked out of the front door. She'd arrived early with her dad, and now she was going to the park for the day.

Sweetie Belle stood up and approached. She scowled, but Rarity urged her to calm herself, telling her that everything would be okay.

"Well, well," snickered Diamond Tiara as Sweetie Belle approached. "Look at who we have here..."

"It's "whom,"" muttered Sweetie Belle under her breath.

"What was that?"

"I said, "Let's make peace,"" Sweetie Belle said, holding out the bag. "I brought you something."

Diamond Tiara swatted it out of her hooves. "I don't take handouts. What, do I look like one of the poor to you?"

Sweetie Belle started clenching her hoof, but Rarity took hold of it, calming her down. "I said nothing of the sort. You were doing so well, and I want to be friends again. I just thought that--"

Diamond Tiara swiped at her face. "You thought? Leave the thinking to ponies better than you! If I wanted your pity, I'd ask for it!"

It was time. Rarity pushed through the wall. She'd done enough setup, and now it was time to spring her trap. At her urging, Filthy Rich looked down at his wastebasket, and upon seeing that it was full, he opted to take it out. There was a bit of winding to reach that point, but he was out the door and ready to look up, just in time to see his own daughter hit Sweetie Belle in the face.

"Diamond Tiara!"

The sudden bark from her father's lips instilled such an intense fear in the filly's face that she turned white as a sheet. He was angry, and he narrowed his eyes at her.

"H-hi, daddy..."

He stepped to one side. "Both of you, my office, now."

Sweetie Belle picked up the bag and followed Diamond Tiara to the office. She wasn't happy about being blamed for this, but she knew better than to whine about it.

Filthy Rich followed them back to his office and rolled back the security footage. What he saw and heard was very damning for his daughter, but not so much for Sweetie Belle. She seemed to be generously offering Diamond Tiara a brownie to avoid a fight, a fight that she was already losing, judging by her scarring. Thanks to Rarity's interference, Sweetie Belle had not thrown a single punch.

After watching it three times, Filthy Rich asked to see what was in the bag. Four brownies, three of them damaged. One that Sweetie fell on, one soaked in morning dew from hitting the ground, and one that had taken both forms of damage.

He left, telling them both to stay right there, and came back a minute later with a box of cookies, which he placed in front of Sweetie Belle.

"I do not condone what happened out there," he stated plainly. "I cannot take back the damage done to you, and I am embarrassed that it happened in the first place. You were trying to be kind to my daughter, and to give her some brownies. As you are well aware, she's pretty broken up about what happened to Princess Twilight, and also to your sister. Please, take this box of cookies, to compensate you for the brownies lost, and I would appreciate it if we could just forget that any fighting happened. And do you know what would help us forget that it happened?"

Sweetie Belle shook her head.

"If it never happened again. Let us not be reminded of this incident by not living through it a second time."

"Sixth," corrected Sweetie Belle. "I understand what you mean, though."

Rarity nodded. Sweetie Belle had still been struck by Diamond Tiara, but she hadn't struck back. And yet, she had come out the victor. Such was the power held by the spirit of generosity. Perhaps it could even bring Diamond Tiara back from this path she'd fallen back down. Only time and effort would tell.