Really Bad Fanfics: "Apple Corruption"

Big Mac made good on his promise to get Sweetie Belle signed up to the school’s magic program, and he even hoof stamped the permission forms himself when he arrived to take them home afterschool.

“Magic class is taught by Sea Spray and Sugarberry, and goes for an extra hour afterschool on Maridays and Vendays. There is no specific grading of the foals’ magic development because each unicorn’s pace of learning and growth is so different. Magic class basically is to enhance their learning in magic. We’ll also provide her with a few basic spell books,” Cheerilee explained, “and she is free to study any of the spell books in the school library.”

“Thank you kindly,” Big Mac said with a smile and a look of affection towards the love of his life. They were in the classroom and it was the end of the school day. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle were waiting for him.

“Not at all, however, magic class is about to start in the classroom down the hall. Sweetie Belle, I think you should get going.”

“Yes, Ms. Cheerilee. Thank you, Big Mac.”

“Eyup. Just you do real good in yer magic studies like you do in the rest of yer schoolin’, y’ hear me?”

“Y-yes, sir,”

Big Mac moved aside and Sweetie Belle dashed off to magic class.

• + +

Sweetie Belle felt nervous and afraid the minute she appeared at the door of the classroom. Sea Spray, the unicorn teaching magic class, kindly ushered her in.

The other unicorn foals in the class looked at her with apprehension or indifference. They all knew that she was forbidden from doing magic before.

“Allright, my little sparkies,” Sea Spray sang as she closed the door with her magic, “It’s magic time!”

The foals and fillies quickly sat down, and pulled their notebooks out of their bags, and put on their ‘pen-shoes,’ hoof shoes equipped with pens or pencils.

Sweetie Belle found a seat in the back.

“Allright, class, please take out your spell books, and turn to the page with the blue strip in it please,” Sea Spray chimed.

Sweetie Belle sat, with her extra notebook on her desk. She dared not take magic notes in her other school book because Applejack and Apple Dumpling checked her school books at home. She could at least hide this one at school or ask Sea Spray to hold onto it. She remembered the spell book hidden at the shed and contemplating swiping it during early morning chores and bringing it to school.

“Sweetie Belle? Where’s your spellbook?” Sea Spray called softly.

“Umm, I...I don’t have one...”

“But dear, didn’t your friend Applebloom give it to you?”

Crap. Sweetie Belle thought. She didn’t know the spellbook Big Mac gave her came from Sea Spray. She didn’t know how to respond so out of nervousness, she said ‘no,’

“Very well,” Sea Spray sighed, “It’s your first day. However, I must teach everypony this next lesson. Sun Glimmer, can you please take from the shelf the book called ‘a history of magic,’ and pass it to Sweetie Belle?”

The filly did so and using her hooves, placed it on her desk.

“Th-thanks,” Sweetie Belle said.

“Thank you, Glimmer. Sweetie Belle, feel free to read any part of that book you wish, I will get to you after I’ve finished the lesson.”

“Okay...” and Sweetie Belle opened the book. She felt disappointed about not being able to take part in the lesson. As Sea Spray began talking, Sweetie Belle heard hushed whispers from the other foals.

“She isn’t gonna be able to do magic.”

“I bet she didn’t even get her first spark yet.”

“Sea Spray’s gonna kick her out, she never even sparked once.”

“I heard they tried to chop off her horn.”

“Applejack is mean...”

“They’ll never let her do magic, what is she even doing here?”

Sweetie Belle said nothing and kept her head down. She felt scared. She was surrounded by unicorns but why did she have to be so alienated by them?

Sea Spray read out loud the spell on the page, slowly pronouncing strange tones and words that Sweetie Belle never heard before.

“Now, everypony,” Sea Spray announced, “Today we will look at the basic levitation spell. Levitation is the holding of objects without your hooves or your teeth, but with your magic instead. Today you’ll learn how to hold a small object, such as a pencil or an eraser a few inches off your desks. Before we begin, allow me to demonstrate the full ability of levitation that one day you will all become skilled at.”

Sea Spray walked around the classroom, checking up on each of the foals. “Don’t get upset if nothing happens. Just relax, gaze over the symbols and words like you would if not trying to read them. Imagine yourselves already casting this spell and lifting your pencils with your magic. Just sit back and even close your eyes and picture yourselves levitating any object you want. Or better yet,” Sea Spray chirped, “imagine levitating yourselves in the air, floating, rocking back and forth. Nearly all of unicorns’ abilities come from our imagination, it is partly what drives the magic.”

Sweetie Belle put the book down and leaned back in her chair. She suddenly sat bolt upright, then reminded herself she was not at home, where Applejack would have bashed her upside the head with the soup ladle for slouching in her chair. She felt sleepy, the history book bored her. Sweetie Belle imagined the whole self levitation thing. She somehow pictured levitating herself in her’s and Applebloom’s bedroom at home. Then her eyes snapped wide open and she got the idea.

Oh my gosh, I could FINALLY sneak out of there, go all the way to Canterlot and find Rarity-

“Sweetie Belle, are you--” Sea Spray cut into her thoughts.

“Oh,” Sweetie gasped, grabbing the book in front of her. “Sorry, I- I was just doing the imagination thing.”

Sea Spray chuckled softly. “Don’t be sorry. Imagination is a good exercise when it comes to magic. It stimulates your magic system through your mind.”

Sweetie nodded.

“I got it!” some filly shouted from the front.  She got a series of gasps and ‘oooh’ ‘s in return. The filly, Tootsie Flute, had just begun levitating her pencil. Her horn glowed and emitted a swirling aura of a glowing violet, which then extended from her horn down to the pencil on her desk, swallowed the pencil and as she moved her eyes, which were fixated on the pencil, it rose from the desk and hovered in the air in front of her.

“Well done, Tootsie,” Sea Spray chimed. Throughout the class, several others began casting the same spell. Then they began complaining about being tired or having headaches.

“Now now,” Sea Spray assured them, “Don’t do too much, or you will just give yourselves headaches. Now those of you who figured it out, Do this for a few minutes every day, just don’t make yourselves sick. My, look at the time, it’s getting late. Alright, those of you who have learned the spell, I am very proud of you, now run along home and show your parents.”

The foals began packing their books into their sidebags and galloped out of the classroom and down the hallway.

The few remaining foals were Sun Glimmer, Sweetie Belle, and Dinky Doo. They were the only three who didn’t know the spell, or figure it out yet.

Dinky just stared out the window at some birds in a tree, her eyes pointed in different directions. Sun Glimmer kept skimming through the pages of the book.

“Allright you three, now that everypony has gone home, let’s take a little more time. You too Sweetie Belle.”

“Umm...” Sweetie said nervously, “Miss Sea Spray, I think I need to be home. I missed a lot of chores already,”

“I wouldn’t worry about that, I’m sure the Apples understand.”

Sweetie Belle shivered at the thought.

“Dinky, please look at the page, dear.”

“Oh..okay”

Sun Glimmer looked like she was getting frustrated.

“Sunny, relax, there is no time limit,”

“I know but I hate falling behind.”

“How about this,” Sea Spray suggested, taking the two spell books with her magic and placing them on an unoccupied desk behind her. “Forget the books for now, magic doesn’t all come from books, it comes from each one of you. These spellbooks are written records of unicorns’ imagination, and a means to show to our subconsciousness the action involving the magic. Even just reading the pages over and over again is still some work in your little brains, even if nothing comes from it now.

“I would like the three of you to lean back and relax. Close your eyes if you want. We’re going to imagine casting this spell. Picture yourselves in your favorite place. It could be at home, the park, the woods, Sugarcube Corner, in the clouds, or at the lake. Now look around you and find something you want to pick up, but not with your hooves.

“Now feel yourself casting the spell, make your horns glow, glow with your favorite color, now reach out with the magic and grasp the item of your choice, now lift!”

Sweetie Belle pictured herself in the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ clubhouse, in the center of the typical mess of arts and craft supplies. She pictured herself lifting a crayon.

“Now hold it, and make it rotate in front of you...” Sea Spray said softly.

Sweetie Belle did so, but her imagination wandered, and projections of Applebloom and Scootaloo joined her in the imaginary clubhouse. Then she began to see Rarity- and somepony’s snoring interrupted the whole thing.

“Dinky Doo!” Sea Spray hissed, “Wake up,”

Dinky Doo managed to pass out and began snoring, with a little bubble growing and shrinking from her nose.

“Dinky,” Sea Spray said, gently shaking her with a hoof.

Suddenly Dinky’s eyes snapped open, and she just stared at Sea Spray for a few seconds, then it happened. Her horn lit up like a lightbulb, and the bright yellow aura burst in a flash, forcing Sea Spray and the others to turn away. When Sweetie Belle opened her eyes next, she saw Dinky Doo, bathed in her own magic, hovering upside down three feet above her desk.

“Whoa...”

“Dear sweet Celestia...” Sea Spray gazed.

“What the buck-”

“Sun Glimmer, language!”

Dinky Doo spun slowly, like she was in zero gravity, and she started laughing hysterically over her own feat.

“Whee!”

The others were speechless, then Dinky Doo did the next thing: She looked at other desks, and using her eye sight as some sort of anchor, she hovered around the room, and began doing it quickly.

“Yay! I can fly! Sweetie Belle, look, I can FLY!!!” she laughed, as she levitated herself around erratically.

“Alright, alright, Dinky, slow down!” Sea Spray called.

Dinky ‘landed’ on her hooves on the ceiling, and narrowly avoided falling to the floor when she changed her magic levitation focus from a desk on the floor to the ceiling. Now she was running around upside down on the ceiling. She looked ‘up’ and saw her teacher and class mates. She sat ‘down’ and shouted, “Hi everypony! Cutie Mark Crusaders, ho!”

Then her magic suddenly died, and she fell. Dinky squeaked in terror, but Sea Spray caught the filly in her powerful magic, and gently set her down.

Dinky, feeling like she just screwed up, looked down and a tear came out from her right eye.

Sun Glimmer hugged her. “Don’t be sad, Dinky, you did wonderful, but...this is why I tell you don’t over do it, you’ll hurt yourselves.”

Sweetie Belle and Sun Glimmer nodded.

“Well, I think that wraps up our class for today. Get on home, eat a big supper, and I’ll see you next time,” Sea Spray chirped as she packed her saddle bags, and left the room.

“Good job, Dinky,” Sweetie Belle commented as the three of them walked down the hallway to the door.

“T-thanks!”

“You have to tell us your secret, please!” Sun Glimmer begged her.

“Secret?...I don’t have a secret...” then Dinky quoted her mother, “I...I just don’t know what went wrong. I tried to lift the pencil...”

“Wrong? There’s nothing wrong with your magic, Dinky!” Sun Glimmer jealously argued, “You lifted yourself and you walked on the ceiling! Where did you learn that anti-gravity spell? I need to know!”

“Glimmer, stop it, you’re scaring her,” Sweetie Belle cut in. Sun Glimmer, being an impatient filly yearning to be a big time achiever like her siblings, looked at Dinky Doo and realized Sweetie Belle was right.

Sun Glimmer sighed, “And I don’t suppose you will be doing the same thing next time, Sweetie Belle?”

“Huh?”

“Dinky never even cast a single bit of magic since she started coming to magic class. I thought she never even had her first spark. Now she can defy gravity of all things!”

“Just let it go, Glimmer. If you’re so jealous, then just go through all the spell books you can find, and learn some gnarly impressive spell, and show it off to everypony.”

“I mean you,” Glimmer pointed a hoof to Sweetie Belle, “Did you even have your first spark yet?”

Sweetie reminisced briefly, and realized that was over half a year ago. Felt like much longer.

“Yes, I did.”

“Oh.”

“What about you?”

“I had mine.”

The conversation died as they exited the school building and went their separate ways. Outside, Glimmer trotted off, and Derpy Hooves swooped down to get Dinky Doo.

“Momma! Momma!” Dinky hollered, “I can fly!”

“Fly?” Derpy asked, perplexed.

“Yeah, look!”

Without so much as a thought, Dinky looked at Sweetie Belle, and used her as her focus point, and lifted herself into the air.

“oooh!” Derpy mused, totally impressed. For a long time Dinky had always been upset over not being able to fly like her mother.

Sweetie Belle got a more painful experience out of all this: Her body surged with painful electric tingling as Dinky’s magic coursed through her damaged system and her horn began to hurt alot. She was basically being used as a magical spring board.

“Ow...Dinky stop, you’re hurting me!” Sweetie Belle cried.

“Wha-” Dinky fell, and Derpy caught her in her wings. They both looked shocked when they saw Sweetie Belle holding her head between her hooves, eyes scrunched shut and her breathing heavily.

“Are...are...are you okay?” Derpy asked, slowly approaching her, about to reach out with a wing to comfort her.

“Leave me alone!” Sweetie Belle shouted back and she took off, galloping as fast as she could, to get away from them.

“Wait!” Derpy called after her, but she didn’t stop.

• + +

Sweetie Belle struggled to keep galloping through the streets, barely succeeding in dodging ponies left, right and center. Her whole head throbbed and felt like she just got chopped in half with an axe. When she finally reached the edge of town, Sweetie hid behind a bush and cried.

Her whole body felt like it was on fire, and the pain coming from her horn was almost unbearable. It almost felt worse than all those times the Apple ponies hit her there. But she also felt really hurt by Dinky and Derpy. She felt like she practically used as a tool by Dinky, and she felt a seething resentment for them both. Is that all Sweetie Belle was going to be worth now? Among the unicorns? To be used as a mere tool so they could advance their magic?

She bitterly pictured her life- Rendered unable to perform magic by Applejack, and used and spat on by the rest of the unicorns. She felt anger, and hatred for everypony. It was times like these when Sweetie Belle just wanted to watch the whole world burn.

Would she say something to Dinky? What would she say? Did Dinky do it on purpose? as a show of dominance? Or just without thought at all? Perhaps Dinky didn’t mean any harm, but the act alone pinched too many nerves in Sweetie Belle’s brain and heart. She felt like she had been condemned and pictured what she perceived future magic classes to be like. She thought they’d all use her as some sort of tool or experiment in their magic spells.

She looked out into town and saw the buildings of Ponyville bathed in the reddish sunlight as the sun began to disappear behind the hills to the west.

It was the end of the day, and she was already late. She missed so many chores, and she was sure Applejack would be waiting for her at the gate, ready to pound her some for being so late. How the hell would Sweetie Belle explain this to Applejack. AJ already knew about the magic program; even sports practices didn’t run this late after school.

She looked up and saw Derpy flying above, with Dinky on her back. Sweetie Belle presumed they were looking for her, so she wedged herself under the bush. She didn’t want their choking pity.

Sweetie decided not to take the main road back to Sweet Apple Acres.

• + +

“Yer late!” Big Mac barked when he saw her pass the barn.

“S...sorry Uncle Big Mac,” Sweetie Belle said quietly, “..alot...alot happened. I snuck in because I didn’t want to see Applejack.”

“Damn straight you didn't want to run into her. AJ’s mighty pissed off right now. One o’ them apple orchards caught some sort of bug and the apples are dropping. They ain't even grown yet. Them leaves is all spotty.”

“Sorry I missed my chores.”

Big Mac just grunted, “Just you go an’ wash up fer supper. Them Roundbottom cousins o' yours did yer’ chores fer ya.”

Sweetie Belle obeyed and carefully made her way to the house. Her head and horn didn’t hurt so much now that the sun had set.

• + +

The house had been more packed now that some of the Roundbottom Apple ponies were living at Sweet Apple Acres.

Tonight’s supper was apple-cinnamon wheat stew, with cheese sandwiches.

“Apple Belle!” Applebloom greeted her as she placed her sidebag on the bed.

“Hi,” Sweetie Belle muttered.

“Where ya been all day?”

She didn’t want to say. “I...I had to help Cheerilee with some stuff.”

“what for?” Applebloom asked.

Sweetie Belle grunted in frustration. Applebloom’s nosiness was really starting to irritate the hell out of her now. In the recent months, Applebloom had also changed and she liked her less and less.

“I had homework, and...and...Cheerilee needed help sorting her...desk and the teachers’ lounge.”

“Oh...” Applebloom said, then “What about magic class? You finally in that? Cuz Ah know it was today.”

Sweetie Belle froze and felt like she was just put in check. But then why should she fear Applebloom, the one who risked her neck to get her that spell book? She felt bad for scorning Applebloom, even if she was annoying.

“...yeah, I went. I didn’t know that book was from Miss Sea Spray. Thanks alot.”

“Why didn’t you say so?” Applebloom asked.

Sweetie sighed. She was exhausted and didn’t feel like explaining what Dinky Doo did to her.

“I don’t want Applejack to kill me.”

“Ah, right. Well, did you have fun?”

Sweetie tried to fake it but Applebloom got the hint.

“Come on you two,” Apple Tarty barked, “It’s supper time.”

The Roundbottom Apple mares and stallions all cast hostile glances at Sweetie Belle as she tried to eat. She kept her eyes down but couldn’t shake off the heat of their death glares.

“Well, looks as though you’ve done it this time,” Apple Leaves shunned her.

“I didn’t do anything,” Sweetie Belle said quietly.

“Like hell you ain’t. We lost about 28 trees today. All diseased. Apples no good no more.”

“It wasn’t me I swear.”

After supper, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle were washing the dishes when Applejack and Big Mac entered the kitchen, arguing fiercely with one another. Typically she blamed Sweetie Belle for the diseased trees.

“Dang nab it, AJ, just when are you gonna get it through yer’ thick skull? Sweetie Belle ain’t got nothin’ to do with every single thing that goes wrong around here!” Big Mac grunted.

“Little things my ass!” AJ shouted back. “We’re talking 28 trees and a good few thousand bits worth of apples gone!”

“Trees can be infected too,” Big Mac grunted, “It’s a natural calamity, and you know that real good.”

“It was that unicorn. What’s she done this time? Don’t you get it? Celestia’s punishin’ us!”

Big Mac put a hoof to his face. He was running out of patience. At times he pondered he’d might actually have to face off against his own sister over this.

“She ain’t doing nothing wrong AJ. Maybe you best consider Celestia is punishin’ us fer all of your antics!”

The two of them bickered till Applejack stormed out of the kitchen.