//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: Alone // by Derpyx0 //------------------------------// The whole time she was at school, Sweetie Belle felt like a zompony. She could hardly hear anything except the ticking of the clock, ever so slowly. As the minutes dragged on, Sweetie felt as if she was aging another year every hour. She didn't pay any attention to the lessons being taught, and instead just stared off into blank space. When her mind wandered, she usually ended up thinking about IT. To get her mind off of things like that, she made up song lyrics, a talent she could perform easily. Although it was one of her musical talents, Sweetie had given up on believing that it was her special talent. It was one of the only things she could do while she was stuck in her room. Sweetie sighed miserably. If she had gotten out and about more in the last few months instead of moping in her room, she would probably already HAVE her cutie mark. If it weren't for- (No Sweetie, don't think about that). Think about...... We are the Cutie Mark Crusaders On a quest to find out who we are And we will never stop the journey Not until we have our cutie marks They all say that you'll get mark When time is really right And you know just what you're supposed to do When your talent comes to light. "Sweetie Belle? Can you answer this question?" Ms. Cheerilee asked, surprising Sweetie Belle. "Umm, I- uh," Sweetie Belle stuttered. 1/4+2/4=? What does it equal? "Umm, 1/2?" Sweetie Belle blurted, knowing that was not the answer. "No, the answer is actually-" "Oh, oh oh oh! I know the answer Ms. Cheerilee!" "Yes, Diamond Tiara?" "The answer is 4/4! Of course, Sweetie Belle wouldn't know that because she's been curled up in her room like a BABY for-" "That is ENOUGH, Diamond Tiara! That was very inappropriate of you to say that! I am sorry, but you will have to stay in during lunch!" Everypony in the class stared at Ms. Cheerilee, dumbfounded. Diamond Tiara opened her mouth, then quickly shut it. "Alright, now that that has been taken care of, the answer is ACTUALLY 3/4," Ms. Cheerilee said as if nothing had happened. The class snickered. Diamond Tiara was fuming. Her face turned bright red. Sweetie Belle smirked; if only Applebloom could see the look on her face! Scootaloo would get a kick out of- We've got hearts, as strong as horses We've got hearts, as strong as horses! Ring! Ring! "Alright class, you may go to lunch," Ms. Cheerilee stated as all the fillies and colts rushed out the door. "Not you, Diamond Tiara." "Humph...." Diamond sighed grumpily. She sat back down in her chair and watched everypony shuffle out the door. "Now, Diamond........" Sweetie Belle heard no more, for Ms. Cheerilee shut the door. Sweetie shuffled outside and sat down. Although none of the other kids were mean to her like Diamond, they still avoided her out of fear that Diamond would make their lives miserable. Not even Twist, a social outcast, would come up to her. All through lunch, she sat on the grass, eating her lunch as she looked at the ground. Although they thought she didn't notice, Sweetie sensed the other students staring at her and whispering about her. Well, this much was to be expected, Sweetie thought. She had been gone for months. What Rarity had not realized, was by making her go to school, she would be seen as even more of an outcast than she already was. At least before IT, she had the other Cutie Mark Crusaders to fall back on. Now, she had nopony. Only Applebloom could understand how she was feeling right now, and Applebloom, well, Applebloom won't come out of her room or talk to anypony. Suddenly, the bell rang and everypony rushed inside. Sweetie shuffled along and followed them to her seat, ready to ignore the rest of the day. The day dragged on, with Sweetie Belle in a trance. She had almost gotten in trouble because of her drifting thoughts, but she had managed to avoid a detention. When the day ended, Sweetie Belle rushed outside with everypony else, happy to hurry home. Just as she was about to head off of school grounds, Diamond Tiara showed up. "Hey! Sweetie Belle! Thanks a lot!" "You're welcome, Diamond," Sweetie replied. "Don't act smart with me, Sweetie Belle," Diamond growled. "You seemed to have forgotten, I rule this school! You will pay for everything you have done! You know what I'm capable of. That Bab Seed taught me a lot." "Right......" Sweetie Belle stammered. Bab Seed had been EVIL! She couldn't handle Bab Tiara on her own. As soon as she thought that thought, she ran off. She couldn't handle Diamond Tiara. Not now, not ever. She realized that without her friends, she was vulnerable. She was worthless. She was helpless. She was nothing without her friends. She was alone. As soon as she opened the boutique's door, Rarity asked, "Good day at school?" "N- Yes Rarity," Sweetie Belle lied. She didn't want to have to explain everything that had happened to her at school, or Diamond Tiara. The last time she was bullied, Rarity had NOT taken it well. She sent a letter of 'disgrace' as she called it to Bab's parents. Sweetie didn't want Rarity to send a letter to Diamond's parents for multiple reasons. For one, Diamond would just bully her more, for Filthy thought his daughter was a little angel. Second, Rarity would lose one of her best customers. Filthy was one of the few ponies who not only wore clothes outside of special occasions, but all the time. Without him, Rarity would lose a lot of bits. "I- I have homework, Rarity. I have to go," Sweetie Belle said to Rarity, desperate for an excuse to get away from her so she could think. "Alright, Sweetie Belle, just finish before dinner!" Rarity replied cheerfully. She watched as Sweetie trudged up the stairs. Rarity could tell Sweetie wasn't feeling as good as she let on, but Rarity had to stay cheerful, for Sweetie Belle. ~~~~~~ Sweetie trudged upstairs and opened the door to her room. She flopped down on her pink bed and screamed into her pillow. She couldn't take any of this! And it was only the first day of her 'new' life (according to Rarity)! She cried for about an hour. When she looked up from her pillow, her eyes wandered, and fell on a photo. It was a picture of her, Applebloom, and Scootaloo drinking milkshakes. Sweetie grew angry. That picture was just a reminder... a reminder of what she used to be. She got up and angrily stormed across her room, up to her closet. She ripped the picture, along with 5 others, off her closet door and threw them in the trash. With her anger sparked, Sweetie angrily went on a rampage in her room. She tore down everything that reminded her of her past life before IT. When she was done, she surveyed her room. The first thought that came to her mind was........ empty. All she had in her room now was an overflowing trash bin, a bright pink bed, and a bare, cream colored nightstand. Sweetie slid down her wall into a crumpled heap on the floor. She sobbed. Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, she thought. I. Am. NOTHING!!!! What was I before I met Scootaloo? A scared, frightened, quiet little filly with no friends? That was what she was now at least. Sweetie felt defeated. She had no purpose in life. No- "Sweetie Belle! Dinner!" Rarity called out from downstairs. "Coming," Sweetie replied halfheartedly. "Just, just let me wash up." Sweetie made her way to the bathroom and turned on the sink. She washed her hooves, then grabbed a washcloth and set it in the sink. Once it was soaked, she scrubbed her tear-stained face. When she was done, she threw the cloth in her bathtub and hurried downstairs. "I'm here, Rarity." "Oh good! You're down! Take a seat!" Sweetie sat down and asked, "How was work?" "Oh, good. Filthy Rich came by today and picked up his new suit." "Oh, cool." "So, how was your day, Sweetie Belle?" "Good." "Good, that's all I get?" "Ummm, we learned.... fractions?" "Was that a question or a comment?" "Ummm, comment?" "Sweetie Belle, you're acting-" "I'm just tired and..... not hungry," Sweetie explained as she pushed her plate away. "Goodnight Rarity!" "Goodnight, Sweetie Belle!" Sweetie scurried upstairs and Rarity sighed. She cleaned up the table and put all the dishes in the sink. While she was washing, she wondered why Sweetie was acting weird. As she scrubbed the last plate, she realized something. It was probably school. It WAS her first day back after all, and she probably didn't have a good time. Rarity sighed in relief. Sweetie was just getting over her first day jitters. She would be fine. ~~~~~~ When Sweetie got into her room, she quickly changed into her nightclothes. As she was brushing her teeth, she tried to think of a way to get Rarity off her case. Her sister was already suspicious of her actions, especially now that she had left dinner in such a rush. Before she hopped into bed, she took off her slippers and put them in the closet. Just before she was about to close the closet door, she spotted a glimmer of shiny, gold fabric. She grabbed the fabric and pulled, revealing a red and gold cape with a little pony stitched into it. Sweetie Belle remembered. This was her Cutie Mark Crusader cape! She remembered all the adventures she had had with this on her back. She wondered why it was back here, stuffed in her closet. She laid the cape on her desk and went to bed with happy memories of her adventures with her friends, for the first time in months. When Rarity came in, she saw a peaceful, asleep Sweetie Belle. Rarity smiled. This was the first night in months that Rarity had seen a Sweetie Belle that looked like she was having a good dream. While she was getting ready for bed, Rarity decided that sending Sweetie to school was the right idea. That night was the first night in forever that neither Rarity or Sweetie Belle woke up during the night.