Balance within Harmony

It was a lovely day – the sun was out, the sky was clear and it was a school holiday. The three Cutie Mark Crusaders were just playing around on the equipment in Ponyville park playground, having decided to just take a day off from adventuring and relax. Now that one of them had found their cutie marks, the other two thought they couldn't be too far away.

They were of course a little disappointed that they didn't all find their cutie marks at exactly the same time, as the bearers had done. However, given what that meant in terms of destinies, quests and everything their families had been through, perhaps that wasn't a bad thing. Afterall, it’s nice being a special pony, but there’s also something nice to be said for going a month without risking your life or having to come up with a new flashmob every couple of weeks.

As things were fairly normal, Sweetie was moaning about Rarity, so everything was being very normal. Business was in a mid season slowdown, so Rarity had started on her friends wedding dresses, even though no date had yet been set for the weddings. Sweetie therefore had to listen to Rarity continuously talking about it, and even the mental prowess of Twilight were straining not to break at the tiniest details being repeatedly debated outloud by the fashionista.

The friends then started talking about the weddings, and how it was nice that all six bearers had found love in each other. Sweetie Belle found it adorable, whilst Applebloom went into full analyst mode and thought it was efficient as there were only three couples to find in an emergency, rather then six individuals.

Scootaloo, despite loving her mother and father, was a little less caught up in the idea. “So, all six of them ended up engaged to each other? Isn’t that kind of weird?”

“Not at all” Applebloom replied “If you spend enough time around people, love is bound to flow. Plus my brothers awesome and what pony could resist him?”

“And my sisters the most beautiful pony in the whole kingdom, Twilight never stood a chance!”

Applebloom had a bit of a wicked idea “So, what about us? If you had to marry one of the other crusaders, which would it be?”

“What a thing to ask! How could I ever pick between you two!” Sweetie replied

“Applebloom” Scootaloo blurted out almost instantly

“What?” the unicorn squeaked, the noise barely in the audible range.

“Well, she’s a little more active…”

“You mean reckless like you!” Sweetie shouted a little defensively

“What-ever! I mean, I love you and you’re a great friend. But you’re a bit of a dictionary! And having Rarity as a sister and Twilight as a brother, you’re becoming even more of an egghead”

“What a thing to say!” Applebloom suddenly jumped in to defend her friend.

“Okay then Applebloom, who would you marry?” Scootaloo challenged the earth filly with a point of a hoof.

Sweetie Belle looked longingly towards Applebloom

“Well, to be honest…which I kind of have to be as it runs in the family…I would pick Scootaloo” the earth pony sadly admitted

Sweetie Belle instantly ran out of the park crying. The two crusaders started running after her, but the smallest of the group could be surprisingly quick when pushed. The others soon lost her trail, and then started arguing over whose fault it was.

“You started the conversation” Scootaloo reminded the earth filly

“Yeah, but you didn’t have to be so quick to answer…or so mean!”

***

Sweetie Belle found herself wondering alone round the market, all depressed by the rejection from her two friends. Suddenly, three of her classmates come running over to her.

“Hey Sweetie Belle” three young colts greeted her

“Hey Snips, Snails, Pipsqueak” the filly replied despondently.

“Oh, what’s up, you sound very sad” pipsqueak asked

“Nothing…me and the crusaders had a bit of a fight, that’s all”

“So whats new about that?” Snails asked innocently

Sweetie could help but laugh in response “Nothing really I guess!”

“Want to hang out with us for a while? We were off to go exploring round the outskirts of the Everfree Forest” Snips boasted, much to the surprised to his two friends as they were all off to sugarcube corner to eat cupcakes.

“No thanks guys, I just want to be alone for a while” the filly sighed in response “Thanks for the offer though” she added as she walked off, her shoulders slumped. She just wandered around town until she found herself infront of Golden Oaks Library. Ah, my brother will know what to do Sweetie thought to herself, having got used to thinking about Twilight as one of the family.

She entered the library and called out for Twilight. Spike popped his head over one of the piles of books “He’s not here today, but if you want a book…Oh Sweetie Belle, it’s you”

“Hello Spike” Sweetie sighed

“Sweetie, you don’t seem yourself, something wrong?” Spike asked. After a bit of coaxing, he managed to get the unicorn to sit down and she went through the argument they had earlier that morning.

“That’s it?” Spike asked “You’ve had much worse fights than that before! In fact, pretty much every day you'll argue worse than that!”

“This is different, more serious. It’s like everypony else is getting together, and I’m going to be alone”

“Sweetie Belle, I don’t think Scootaloo and Applebloom are actually going to start dating each other ….not that there’s anything wrong with that of course, although they would be a little young. And even if they did, I’m sure you three would still be inseparable."

“I’m not so sure Spike. Now I have my cutie mark, I wonder if my friends don’t like me anymore. Afterall, Apple Bloom barely spoke to twist once she got hers, and they were BFF’s for years” Sweetie Belle started sobbing.

Spike went and got the filly a drink of water and sat next to her. He felt a bit awkward, not just because he wasn't sure what to say, but he was getting feelings for the filly. However, with no one else around to help, he had to do something. He put an arm and claw round the filly and took a deep breath.

“Look Sweetie. I imagine that the girls are just as upset at you. It must be hard for you three to adjust to having cutie marks start to appear; afterall it pretty much defined how you found each other. However, I’ve seen you together and how you lot have changed.”

Sweetie was looking across to him with her beautiful eyes, and the dragon had a struggle to contain himself.

“Just…just look at the three of you at Canterlot recently. For the whole trip you fillies just had fun with each other, nothing to do with being Crusaders’! I’m sure that your friendship goes beyond the time you spent together, much like Twilight and co's relationships. Seeing you three together, I'm sure there's something special there”

“I’m not so sure we’ll ever go back to how we were…” Sweetie sobbed back

***

A few days later, Sweetie still hadn’t spoken to her two former friends and had just been moping around Carousel Boutique with her sister. Of course Rarity found this delightful and had taught her younger sister on the proper way to wallow in pity and to be melodramatic .The younger unicorn had taken to it like a Pegasus to air, well, most pegasi. Spike spent some time trying to cheer up the filly, and Rarity found it amusing to find the dragon hanging around the boutique like during his days of having a crush on her.

But today was going to a bit harder for the filly to avoid her friends, as school term had restarted. Sweetie arrived at school as late as possible to avoid having to speak to her friends, and went into the classroom right away to get a different desk away from her friends. However, Cheerilee didn’t want any arguments from the other students being forced to move around the fillies move, so she was told to sit in her usual seat.

During the morning lessons, Sweetie deliberately never looked over towards her former friends, who equally seemed to be ignoring their previous CMCBFF So this is my life now Sweetie sadly thought as she instead paid attention to Cheerilee talking about complicated math problems At least Twilight would approve of me paying attention in school!

Sweetie sat alone during the break, just looking up at the sky whilst the two crusaders’ were at the other end of the playground. Diamond Tiara had noticed that one of her the three former enemies seemed to have been cast from the herd Sweetie is a unicorn, and got her Cutie Mark in Canterlot…I want her in my gang the snob thought to herself And with her sisters connections to the fashion world, and Twilights connections to Royalty, she is a much more important pony to have a friend than Silver Spoon!

“Hello Sweetie Belle” Diamond Tiara sang in her friendliest possible voice as she and Silver Spoon stalked their new pray “How are things?”

“Not great, but what do you care?”

“Well, you are looking sad and lonely, and special ponies should never be lonely” the pink filly responded

“Special pony, what do you mean?”

“Well, you have an awesome cutie mark, and clearly like us you are bound for greatness!” Silver Spoon replied

“I don’t know about that” Sweetie replied

“I do. I mean, nopony around here knows much about culture or anything, so your life’s bound to involve somewhere better than this dump of a town” Diamond Tiara continued “Afterall, your sister is also set for greatness in one of the big fashion cities, and no doubt you’ll go with her and shine across all of Equestria!”

Sweetie Belle thought about this. True, it was unlikely that Rarity and Twilight were going to stay in Ponyville forever. The Princess would eventually want Twilight back in Canterlot, and Rarity was sure to follow. Sweetie hadn't thought about if she would go with them, or stay here with her parents, but looking down at her cutie mark she knew that Ponyville was unlikely ever need her singing talents.

“Ponies like us have to stick together don’t you know. We’ll make it out of this town when we’re old enough, and then everypony will know about Sweetie, Diamond and Silver!” Silver Spoon continued. The pair could see Sweetie start to smile and thought they were getting through to her

“I mean, no wonder it took you so long to find your cutie mark when you’re in a farming town like this one! Most ponies wouldn't know culture if it bit them. Especially the rough and tumble friends you used to hang out with, stupid blank-flanks” Diamond Tiara laughed at the end.

“Yeah, stupid blank flanks…whatever did they do for me!” Sweetie agreed

Applebloom and Scootaloo had seen the two ponies approach their former friend, and had got closer to ensure that she was okay and not being picked on. When they heard their former friend agreeing to that final mark, their little hearts broke and they started to slink away.

But of course Sweetie Belle had seen the two crusaders coming over, and being smarter than anypony else in the class, was ready to spring her trap. Reaching down to the bottom of her lungs in order to project her voice as loud as possible (something she picked up from the singing and acting books Twilight had made her read), she continued.

“Yeah, I mean it’s not like one of them lent me their brother and their entry into the sisterhoofs social, so I could make up with my sister” she spoke loudly enough so all the class was listening “It’s not like one of them in a single act of kindness brought more joy to a Canterlot family than both of you have brought joy to anypony else in your entire lives! It’s not like we have been friends for years and despite failing so many times in our attempts always having fun doing so. It’s not like we have been on adventures together and were willing to stand and die together to protect our families, and the whole kingdom”

By now almost everypony in the class had gathered round, and much like the two crusaders some were close to tears

“And it’s not like they were there for me when I finally did find my calling in life, which I would never had done if it wasn’t for the friendship we had”

Diamond Tiara was desperately trying to think up a smart response to all of this, but was flummoxed

Sweetie continued, almost in tears “Oh wait, they were there for me, and they did all those things. Because unlike you they aren’t friends with ponies just for what is in it for them…”

Before the unicorn filly could continue she was bowled over by a blur of orange and yellow and found herself in a friend sandwich “Oh Sweetie Belle, we’ve missed you so much!” Scootaloo wept, and the three of them fell into a big hug. Everypony cheered and started running over to the pile of best friends to join them, except the two ponies who found themselves with no response to the power of friendship everypony else seemed to have...

***

Once her students had returned to class after break, Cheerilee was glad to see that the Crusader trio seemed to be friends again. Although what that means for peace and quiet for the town as another issue.

The afternoon was planned to be a sort of show and tell, and each of the students were tasked over the weeks holiday to prepare something on the subject of "Favourite thing from the past year"- either an essay, a picture, or a talk on a object. Cheerilee started at the front of the class and one by one the students presneted.

First up out of the crusaders was Scootaloo, and with a drawing she had done of her, Rairty and Twilight she told the story to the class on how the unicorn taught her how to use her wings, helping her overcome her fears. As she was the only pegasus in the class, anything about flying grabbed everyponys attention.

There were a few other students and then it was Sweetie Belle's turn. She brought in her train tickets and told the class of the Crusaders trip to Canterlot, including the details of the Azure's meeting the Princess, and the city tour but leaving out most of the details regarding the Princesses, or how she got her cutie mark. At the end, Apple Bloom raised her hoof "Sweetie Belle, why did you leave out about your cutie mark?"

"Easy, because this story is about our favourite thing, and the moments spent with you and Scootaloo are by far the best thing in the world!"

This led to the whole class including Cheerilee, except two bitter Earth fillies, letting out a collective awwwwww. It was then Apple Blooms turn for her homework "Well, Ms Cheerilee, I had something planned but I've just thought of something else"

"Oh, what did you have in mind?" the teacher asked "Is it a drawing, I noticed you brought something in with you this morning"

The earth filly went to the back of the class and stood infront of a fairly large box. "Well, I was going to tell my story on the first time I made Zap Apple Jam, and this was going to be a gift for Sweetie Belle. But, if she's willing, I want to show it to the whole class first"

"Oh of course Apple Bloom" Sweetie replied.

The earth filly carried it to the front of the class, and addressed her fellow youngsters. "Well, I made this" she said as she opened up the box and folded down the side, to reveal a wooden carved scene. Not only were there many little carved pony figures, and one dragon, but the 'room' set also had lots of carving and engravings on the dioramas three walls. "Its a scene depicting one of my best friends singing in Canterlot music hall!"

"You carved this all yourself?" Cheerilee asked, amazed at the quality of the craftponyship.

"You betcha - a couple of days ago when I thought I had lost Sweetie as a friend, I just had to make this for her!"

"Wait, two days?...Thats...thats just...amazing" the teacher stammered.

"Really?"

"Yeah!" Pipseak pipped up "Its absolutely beautiful" and this was followed by the rest of the class agreeing. The filly started to blush as she looked over the gift she had mad It is pretty isn't it. Mare, I am good with my hooves! she suddenly realised.

"Wow, this is the best gift ever!" Sweetie gushed as she rushed over and gave her friend into a hug. Suddenly, Apple Bloom felt an unusual twinge on her flank and heard new gasps from the ponies in the room, before a massive cheer went up. The filly guessed what had happened, but still didn't want to let her friend out of the hug

"Apple Bloom, you have to look down...like now" her unicorn friend gasped

"Not until we have finished our hug!" the earth filly responded

"But you've been waiting ages for this!"

"Sweetie Belle, it's not as important as you...but if you want describe it to me"

Sweetie Belle hugged her friend even closer, and was joined in by their pegasus friend "It's a chisel and a hammer...it's totally awesome" Scootaloo squeaked in response.

***

The nine ponies, their dragon friend and seven pets were all having a lovely lunch playdate, when suddenly Spike burped up a scroll

“Do beg my pardon, Ladies” Spike laughed as Rarity gave him a playful scowl, and Twilight grabbed the letter in his Aura. Of course he couldn’t help his postal burps, but doing it in front of a lady just seems wrong. Twilight read the letter, then did something that none of the ponies had seen him do before.

“YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes” Twilight sang as he bounced around his friends like a little filly, or a Pinkie Pie, much to the amusement of the ponies gathered and causing half the pets to start chasing him like it was a game.

“My my darling, what is it?” Rarity could barely talk over the laughter she was holding back. She he seen Twilight happy before, and of course had made each other 'very happy', but she never seen him quite like this.

“My Brother…Shining Armour, is getting married! And not only that, but to Princess Cadence, my old foalsitter!”

Sweetie Belle and Rarity looked at each other, both having the same thought Wait a minute, we’re marrying into a family not only with the Princess Personal Protégé, and the captain of the Royal guards, but also will have a Princess in the extended family? Both of them then proceeded to faint onto two appropriately sized chaises pulled out of hanmerspace.

"Belles hey?" Scootaloo rolled her eyes towards her parents causing them both to laugh.