//------------------------------// // Chapter IV // Story: Sweetie Crush // by Ceehoff //------------------------------// Sweetie Crush Written and drawn by Ceehoff "No!" "Nuh-uh!" "Yeech!" "Seriously?" "Really? I mean, really?" "Aw, come on!" "No. Too frilly!" "Too brightly colored!" "Too shiny!" "Too orange!" "Too plain!" "No, no, no!" "Next!" Sweetie Belle squeaked as she tossed her head, rejecting the dress. "Sweetie Belle, honestly!" Rarity chided as she tried to fix her haggard mane. "I have thrown every single category of dresses I could throw at you, and none of them please you?" "No, you think?" the little filly rolled her eyes in sarcasm. "Watch your attitude, darling! I'm still your big sister. Second of all, just what is the meaning of all this?" "I just want to look good. What does it look like?" "Yes, of course, but that isn't what I meant entirely. Since when did you grow such a burning desire to wear dresses?" "I just want to look good! I just told you! Stop being so nosy!" "Yes, I know, darling, but what's the real reason? I'm sure it's just more that just that. Changes like this take inspiration. It could be art, it could be a dream you've had, it could be love, it--." Suddenly, Rarity held her hoofs up to her mouth, gasping. Then, her face began to slowly morph into a smile that was as bright as the sun. Oh, Celestia... Sweetie Belle panicked in her thoughts. "Are you in love?" her older sister asked as she lowered her head to the little filly's face. She fluttered her eyelashes in hope. "No!" Rarity could not find out about the filly's crush on Connor. It would lead to disaster if she ever did. However, she did not seem to hear Sweetie Belle's answer. "Oh, my dear, sweet Celestia! My little sister is in looooooove!" Rarity's voice warbled. "No!" "Oh, my darling, little sister is growing up and experiencing her first dose of love! Happy days! Oh, it is just so wonderful! Two young foals in love! EEEEEE-HEE-HEE!! So precious!" "I am not!" Rarity gently pushed a hoof onto her sister's lips. "Oh, shushushushushushush! Do not say another word, little sister, but answer me this." With that, Rarity instantly hopped onto her stomach and rested her head in her front hooves. Her eyesight was plastered onto Sweetie Belle's blushing face. "Who is this fine, handsome, lucky little colt you are in love with?" she asked as she smiled brightly. "NOPONY!" the love-struck filly squeaked loudly. "Oh, please, Sweetie Belle! You can tell me! I won't breathe a word to anypony. I promise! Please?" "No!" "Please?" Rarity's face begged. "No!" "Please??" Her smile grew wider. Was this mare stupid or something? Couldn't she take "no" for an answer? Sweetie Belle turned her cheek towards her sister. "No, I'm not saying anything..." "Please, please, pleasepleaseplease, PLEEEEEEEEEEEEZZE?" "No." "Sweetie Beeeeeeeellllllle!" the purple-maned beauty queen whined. "Whyyyyyyy?" "Even if I told you, you will still blab. It never fails! You are just so into spreading secrets, that not even twenty manticores could stop you." "B-but... I-I will keep it a secret. See? I'm really mean it this time! Pwease, Sweetie Bewwe?" Cue Rarity's "Puppy Eyes", and "Ducky Lips". The little filly only snorted as she whipped her head around, avoiding her big sister's gaze. "Even though you are my big sister, I still can't trust you." Rarity was losing her patience this time. "Ugh! Why are you being so difficult? Why can't you trust me just this once?" "Even if I told you, you still wouldn't understand!" "Of course, I will! I am the oldest, after all. Thus, that means I'm the wisest," Rarity argued as she puffed her chest out. "Pfft! Riiiiight... Like that time when you so carelessly and naïvely assumed that Prince Blueblood was a gentlecolt when it actually turned out that he was a total mule?" An offended "Oh!" escaped the mare's throat. "Now see here!" "Pfft, whatever! Now, can you just stop brutalizing me with all of your begging and help me with makeup here?" Rarity's expression twisted at her little sister. Sweetie Belle sure was acting really strange nowadays. She was not acting like the sweet, little filly who always did cutesy tasks in order to achieve her cutie mark. "Growing up" she mentioned earlier? Rarity really hoped that Sweetie Belle would not grow up to be like what she was now. That would be even worse than having her accidentally mess up her special dresses. "What kind of setup would like?" she reluctantly asked. "Blush, mascara, eye shadow..." her little sister answered as she sat herself on one of the chairs. "Maybe some lipstick." "All right..." She collected her mascara, eye shadow, blush, and tube of lipstick. She turned to her little sister, finding her sitting straight like an obedient puppy. "Now," the white mare spoke. "First, I'll apply the blush, then the eye shadow, the mascara, and finally, the lipstick." "Okay!" Sweetie Belle said in a much happier tone. Weird... She was just acting sour just a few seconds ago, and she suddenly gets back into her happy mood. However, Rarity did not feel like worrying too much. It was not healthy to worry excessively. Plus, it would put bags underneath her eyes, and she wanted to look flawless instead of the other way around. She figured that once she starts applying the makeup, she would feel more relaxed, because making ponies look fabulous was what she did best. As usual, it a long time for the make up to be applied. (Girls, right?) "Well? What do you think?" Rarity asked as she put a mirror up to her little sister's face. Sweetie Belle looked just as pretty as her older sister. She was wearing the exact same shade of eye shadow as her sister's, and her coat looked clean and flawless. Her lipstick was red as cherries, glossy and reflective, yet did not look to obtrusive and pompous. The little unicorn squinted as she took a closer look at her reflection. "On second thought, let's forget the lipstick," she said. "Of course." Wipe, wipe, wipe! "On second thought, I would like lipstick," she said. "Oh! Well, okay." Swish, swish, swish! "Oh, you know what? I think I was right the first time." "Okay..." Wipe, wipe, wipe! "Then again, I'll take that back." Rarity let out an annoyed grunt. Swish, swish, swish! "Actually, I think it would look better removed." "Sweetie Belle..." Wipe, wipe, wipe! "On the other hoof, it--." Knock, knock, knock! "I'LL GET IT!" Sweetie Belle darted to the door. Rarity was breathing into her paper bag for relaxation. The little filly was about to turn the doorknob until she stopped herself. Grabbing a nearby mirror, she made sure there were not any flaws on her face or dress. Nope, she was clean. She began taking fast, deep breaths to calm herself. She looked into the mirror again to test her flirty face. Should she give him a toothy smile, or a small smile? Should she wiggle her eyebrows? Should she flutter her darkened eyelashes quickly or slowly? Knock, knock, knock! The hay with it! She will just have to go for the gusto. Sniffing dignifiedly, she opened the door. As it opened, she shifted herself into a flirtatious pose. She puffed her chest out and she swung her body forward, giving her the dignified and flirtatious lean. She was fluttering her eyelashes, gave a toothy, yet not huge smile, closed her eyes halfway, and looked pretty as a painting painted by Leonardo da Maneci. "Hello, Spike..." she said in a soft voice. Wait... What?? "Oh! Uhhh... Sweetie Belle. Wow!" the young, purple dragon stammered, lost in words. "Do you look...... nice. (Ahem) Anyway, is Rarity home? I was about to give her her--" Frustrated that it was not Connor, Sweetie Belle slammed the door in his face. "Sweetie Belle!" Rarity chided, affronted. "How rude of you to treat a friend like that! Now, step aside!" The mare opened the door. Her knees buckled as she began to apologize. "Spike, I am so sorry about that! Please forgive my sister's rudeness." "Uhhhh... no problem? Well, anyway, here's your package," the young dragon said as she handed a box to her. "I saw Derpy deliver it to your house, but you never came out to retrieve it, so, I thought I would get it for you." "How nice of you! Thank you very much, Spikey! I am so lucky to have such a sweet, little dragon like you to help me." Spike blushed as she brushed his foot over the welcome mat. "Heh heh! It was nothing, really." "Of, but of course it's something! If it were not for you, I would have forgotten this for ages." "No problem! So, anyway, why's Sweetie Belle so... decorated like that? Are you guys gonna go to a fancy party?" "Oh! Oh, Spike, you are not going to believe this! Sweetie Belle is in love!" "I AM NOT!" shrieked her little sister. "Whoops! Guess not! She was just playing dress-up," Rarity giggled, acting coy and playing innocent. "Well, she does look pretty, I have to say," Spike nodded. "It only takes you to make a pony look absolutely stunning." The purple-maned unicorn giggled at his compliments. He was such a sweet gentledragon. "In fact," he spoke again. "With that look, all the little colts in Equestria would be dying to meet her. I guarantee it." Oh, how Sweetie Belle hoped one of those colts would be Connor. She melted in her spot as she heard his name. If she were feeling any warmer, all the makeup on her face would drip off. However, how she was feeling now, she did not make it look obvious. (The dress would give it away, but how on earth would Spike know of her motives?) She knew her older sister was keen and had an eye for the most intricate detail, so she would have to be very careful around her. "Good-bye, Spike! Thank you so much for your consideration!" Rarity called before she closed the door. Just as she turned around, she saw a pair of green eyes glare at her. It was like staring at an angry owl. The grim feeling escaping from the filly's eyes hypnotized the mare into imagining what kind of foul thoughts her little sister was thinking of her now. "What?" the fashion queen asked, even though she exactly knew what she did. "You see what I mean?!" Sweetie Belle shouted. "No matter how much you say that you will keep a secret, you go waltzing up to the next pony you see, and BLAB! This is exactly why I don't trust you! Now Spike is going to think I'm in love... which I'm not." Rarity tossed her mane as she cleared her throat. "Well, now that I have realized my weakness, I will now work harder in correcting it. I swear upon Celestia herself, that I--." "Rarity, I'm home!" said a familiar voice. To Sweetie Belle, it was matter over mind. She instantly and automatically zoomed right up in front of the colt. "Hi, Connor!" she squeaked in joy. "Ohey, Sweetie Belle! What's..." his voice trailed off when he saw her. It was her cue to look ravishing. She swung her body forward, puffed her chest out, tilted her head downward, closed her eyes halfway, and smiled. She fluttered her eyelashes saucily as she asked softly, "How do I look?" Connor's eyes were wide open as he looked upon her in awe with a hint of confusion. He inhaled just before he was going to respond. The filly was squealing and prancing inside in excitement. What would he say? Wonderful? Ravishing? Hot? Adorable? Beautiful? Prettier and more graceful than Fluttershy, that colt-stealing animal lover? Oh, the possibilities! She was getting very desperate on what he has to say. "You look good!" Not what she had in mind, but she took it, no matter what. She nearly lost her composure. "EEE! Thank you!" she squealed. "You're, uhhh, playing dress up?" Connor smiled. "Mayyyyyybe," she replied coyly as she puckered her bottom lip. "Maybe?" "Ohhh, yes! Yes, I am! Oh, silly me," she said, playing innocent. "Cool, cool! That's fun." She did not say anything, but dreamily stared at him. "Say, Sweetie Belle?" Connor asked, blushing a little. "Yes, darling?" she nodded. "Do... do you..." "Yessss? C'mon, darling, don't be shy," the filly gently urged him. "Do you want to go out with me?" he asked shyly. "Yes! Oh, yes, Connor! Oh, yes!" "With Fluttershy?" Wait a second... What?? "Hey, Rarity, I'm going to be leaving again. I've got a date with Fluttershy tonight," Connor said to Rarity. Sweetie Belle shook her mind awake. God bucking dammit! She was daydreaming again. Oh, Lord, what had she been doing for the past few seconds? She felt something wet on her chin. It seemed to trail from her mouth. Oh, NO! She had been drooling from being so lost in her little, lovesick mind. Plus, Connor probably might have seen it and walked away from her in disgust. She dropped to the floor, embarrassed. "Oh, splendid, darling!" Rarity exclaimed. "What are you two going to do tonight?" "Rob banks, commit crime, assault helpless ponies, usurp the throne... The usual stuff." The mare laughed at his joke. "We're just going to have dinner, watch a movie, and junk," the colt laughed. "The usual." "Splendid! Well, have fun, darling!" "See ya! Oh, and uhhhh, Sweetie Belle?" Her little head perked up to look at him. "Well... Later! Have fun with your dress up!" After giving a final wave of his hoof, he shut the door behind him, literally putting a big barrier between the depressed filly and himself. She sighed sadly. Connor did not give her the kind of acknowledgment she wished. It was just a "You look good!" and that was it. Trying to be prettier than Fluttershy was a big fluke. However, that did not stop her. There was another thing that had yet to best: kindness. That was simple. All she had to do was to be an angel. No problem... Her ears perked up, catching something suspicious. She sensed danger and the sound of stifled, delighted squealing. She turned to find Rarity gawk at her with her big, blue, luscious, eager eyes. Her mouth was cracked wide open in a huge, goofy smile. What was going on with her? Sweetie Belle was trying to deduct it, until the terrible truth hit her across the head like a baseball bat. She made it extremely obvious to Rarity that she was in love with Connor. As painful as it felt to Sweetie Belle, it was so adorable and precious to Rarity. The white mare nearly squealed like a dolphin she was so enthralled. "Oh... my... goodness! You are in love with--?" the unicorn said, trying her best to not squeal until Sweetie Belle answered. It was no use arguing anymore. The truth was present and it could not be forgotten. She had to come clean. "Yes, Rarity... I'm in love with Connor..." she reluctantly answered. "Are you happy now?" "EEEEEEEEEE-Hee-hee! Oh, that is just sooooo precious! A little filly like you falling for an older colt like him?? That is just adorable! I have been around a lot of moments of love, but this--!" She was cut off by Sweetie Belle's hoof rudely shoved in her mouth. She menacingly brought her face up to her older sister's. "Yes, now you know my secret, because I was foolish to act the way I did. Now, listen to me and listen good. I don't want anypony to know about this! NOPONY! You hear me?? If you go as far as to blab about this, I will make your life a living TARTARUS! You got that?" Rarity yanked the filly's hoof out of her mouth. "Why is this so important for me to not tell?" "You wouldn't understand, plus I don't feel like telling you anymore than I did. Now... promise me that you will not tell anypony!" The unicorn sighed. "I promise..." "Pinkie Promise??" squeaked Sweetie Belle. "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," Rarity recanted, drawing and "X" on her chest and placing a hoof over her eye. Her little sister continued to glare at her. She was convinced, but she did not make it obvious. She raised her hoof slowly and pointed threateningly at her older sister. "And you better keep that promise sealed... Pinkie Pie would not like it if you broke it. Not... one... bit!" Now, Rarity was nervous. Her adorable little sister suddenly looked really scary. Plus, she remembered the last time the Pinkie Promise was broken. Applejack would have been screwed if she had not found a loophole. The unicorn shuddered at the thought of what would actually happen if cowpony did not find that loophole. "It... will never happen," she reassured her little sister. Sweetie Belle did not respond, except walk away, backwards, not taking her eyes off of the mare. Rarity could not help but worry. Wow, Sweetie Belle was really adamant about keeping her crush a secret. Why was this such a big deal to her? She did not even tell her why. Of course, Rarity would understand. However, the fear that she would not creeped in her mind. Besides, who knows what kind of damage would happen if she did tell? She would lose her little sister forever. She would lose Connor maybe. Maybe her reputation as well. And Pinkie Pie... Oh, dear Celestia... The unicorn puffed out her chest. As hard as it seemed, being an addict for rumor and gossip, she was determined to do her best to keep that secret sealed. ---------- Scriiiiiiiitch! Sweetie Belle drew a large, red line over the word "Looks" with a red pencil. So looking glamorous and beautiful did not work. She worked so hard, too, but it was just not enough. Crud... Maybe she really should have applied lipstick. No, it was too late for that. It was time to move on. She had a battle to win in the war against Fluttershy for Connor's approval. What was the next battle? Kindness. No problem. All she had to do was to be an angel to those in need. Besides, beauty was nothing without kindness. Only the most shallow stallions would go only for looks. So far, Sweetie Belle was feeling pretty confident about this one. She looked cute without make-up anyway, and what would be better than to be cute and kind at the same time? Whoop! It was seven-thirty already! That was the time when Connor ate breakfast. She had to hurry if she wanted him to walk her to school. She darted out of her bed, snatched her book bag, dashed down the stairs, and wolfed down her oatmeal. "Mornin', Sweetie Belle!" said her father. "Whoa! Where's the fire?" "Uh'm guhmna buh latepfh!" Sweetie Belle said with mouth full of oatmeal. "Uh-uh, Sweetie Belle!" her mother scolded. "Swallow your food before you talk. Honestly!" Gnulp! The filly swallowed her oatmeal. "I'm gonna be late, I said! Late for school!" "But, honey, school does not start until eight-forty-five. You can take your time." "I like to be there extremely early... because I want to... read... books," she said, trying to think of something unsuspicious. "Oh! I never knew you were into reading," her father said, raising an impressed eyebrow. "Oh-oh-oh, yes! Yes, I am! It's sooooooooooooo much fun!" "I'm glad you think so," smiled her mother. "I always enjoyed reading when I was a young filly. My favorites were 'Little Mares', 'And Then There Were Some', 'Mother Moose Rhymes', 'Crime and Banishment', those classics." Despite the little filly's enthusiastic nodding, she really thought, Ugh! Those boring, old books?? And I don't even like reading all that much! Then, she jumped down from the chair and slung her book bag over her back. "Well, I'd better go! Thank you for breakfast, Mom! See ya, Dad!" Then, she was gone in an eye blink. Her parents looked at each other in confusion. Outside, Sweetie Belle was pumping her little legs furiously as she ran. She did not want to miss her crush. Also, she wanted to make sure that she wanted to get there before Rarity could blab about her secret. She still did not trust her big sister at that category. She careened past vendors, carts, kiosks, and ponies just to reach Rarity's boutique. So far, so good. No obstacles y--. "Howdy, Sweetie Belle!" Apple Bloom said. "EEP!" the white filly squeaked as she skidded to a stop. "What's up?" Scootaloo asked. "Ummm... Nothing! Just going to school!" The two other fillies looked at each other in confusion. "But," the yellow earth pony stated. "School's that way." She pointed a yellow hoof in the opposite direction. "Oh! Yes, I know, but... I left my books at Rarity's. I was just going to get them." "But you have your books already," the orange pegasus objected. Sweetie Belle's eyes shifted towards her book bag. Indeed, her books were in her bag. All of them. "N-no!" she contradicted. "My spelling workbook is at Rarity's. Plus, that was part of our homework, remember? Filling out one page in the workbook." She felt a lump growing in her throat. Her spelling workbook was in her book bag, and she knew it. She had to come up with an excuse to see Connor. Just to make sure that they never see it peeking out of her bag, she used a smidgen of her magic to shove it in deeper. Luckily, they did not notice. "Oh, yes, of course," Apple Bloom nodded. "Go on an' git yer books. We'll see ya back at school." "Okay!" the white unicorn desperately tried to end the conversation. "Oh, wait!" the country filly stopped her. "Yes?" "So, how's trying to forget yer crush? Is it goin' smoothly?" No. "Yes! Yes, it is. Just give me a few seconds, and I will forget him like he's ancient history." Oh, God, how it nearly killed her to say that. Not her sweet, sweet colt! She would never! "Good! The sooner we get to our cutie marks!" Scootaloo smiled. "Later, Sweetie Belle!" "Later!" Sweetie Belle waved hastily. She turned and immediately darted to Rarity's boutique. After much pumping of her little legs, she had finally made it. She slumped on the welcome mat, trying to catch her breath. That the fastest she had ever run in a long time. When she was finally in rhythm with her breathing, she fixed her mane and tail of any loose strands. She brushed the dust off of her white fur coat. She was about to walk through the door until she remembered that she had forgotten one last thing. Ssssss! Her perfume. It was her favorite kind: Kalvin Klop's Orange Sunday. She made sure nothing was in her teeth by rolling her tongue over them. She was finally ready. Now, she just had to walk in through the door and... Cough! Cough! The hay?? She opened the door so her head could peek in. That cough sounded more masculine. Which meant... "Oh! Sweetie Belle," Rarity exclaimed, hovering a thermometer with her magic. "You're finally here! I guess I will have to walk you to and from school today." "Wh-what? Why can't Connor walk me to school?" the filly asked in shock. "He's not feeling very well today. He's sick." "Wha--? Awww!" she whined as she hung her head. "Yes, I know, the poor thing. He's got quite a fever going on. One-hundred five degrees." "Where is he?" "He's in his bed. Do not disturb him. He needs his rest." "But--!" "No, 'but's, little sister," she said before leaning in to whisper. "I know you want to meet him so badly, but it will just have to wait until he's better." The little unicorn sighed. "All right..." "Now come along, Sweetie Belle. You still have school to go to." "Yeah, I know..." Her little head was slouched down as she walked out of the boutique with Rarity following behind her. Rarity locked the door and caught up with her little sister. All the way over to school, Sweetie Belle never seemed to change out of her glum attitude, which worried her older sister. It could not help, but make her wonder why her little sister was being so unenthusiastic around her lately. She used to be so enthralled whenever she was around her. Maybe ever since Connor rolled into her life, things have been flipped upside down. Was the colt stealing her spotlight by that much? Sure, Rarity saw Sweetie Belle as a pain and would want to avoid her, but she still had feelings for her and tried her best to rekindle that sister-like bond. However, Connor was taking away that chance by accidentally rolling into her little sister's young mind. Plus, she liked the attention she was getting from her, always begging to her play, to converse, to do a lot of things. But, look at her now. Now, Rarity was subtly begging Sweetie Belle to do all sorts of things with her. She began to grow jealous of the colt. If only he were not so brother-like to her, then she would still have the attention. However, she knew that she could not be mad at him because he did not know how Sweetie Belle felt for him. (Plus, how could he not know? It was right in front of his nose the entire time! Was he that oblivious?) Plus, he was not feeling well now. She could not be mad at him. Seeing the school building just a few feet in front of them, Rarity nudged her sister toward the school. "(Ahem) Well, have a good day at school!" she meekly encouraged the filly. "I wouldn't count on it," Sweetie Belle mumbled. Nearby, the other two Cutie Mark Crusaders looked at her from inside the building. They were alarmed and concerned about her status. However, they were not the only ponies who were inspecting her. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon happened to notice as well. It was Sweetie Belle's current attitude that was the pink filly's cup of tea. She knew something was screwing with her mind, and she was more than determined to screw with it even more. ---------- In the midst of all the scholarly commotion, one filly was as silent as a rock. During class, instead of taking notes, Sweetie Belle was drawing doodles in her notebook paper. However, she was very subtle about it. She placed the paper on top of her open workbook. She placed a book underneath the top edge of it, so it would tilt, thus keeping it out of Miss Cheerilee's sight. It was all to convince her that the little filly was actually doing her work, even though she was busy scribbling down doodles instead of notes. Sweetie Belle sighed as she drew pictures of her favorite colt, Connor, and herself together with red and pink hearts hovering around them. She even designed her own cutie mark, which was an arrow stuck through a red heart with pink outlines. She even wrote words that read, "Never will we part". Never will we part. Never... Never! Never! "Sweetie Belle?" Miss Cheerilee asked loudly like she had been asking for her attention about three times. "NEVER!" the filly squeaked the only words that crept in her mind. "Very good, Sweetie Belle! The potato was never a vegetable, but it was always a carbohydrate. Just make sure you answer me the first time, okay?" the school teacher said, giving a forgiving smile. "Y-yes, Miss Cheerilee!" the little unicorn replied, overwhelmed and relieved of what just happened. Whoo, was that a close call! She was damn lucky to weasel out of that situation. She had better pay attention next time. ... Screw it. She decided to keep doodling. From the side of the schoolroom, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo eyed their unicorn friend. What was wrong with her? She had been acting very strange lately. In fact, she was acting just like she was before they even told her to forget about her crush. Either she was working really hard to forget him, tired because she stayed up late doing her homework, or... she was still mentally holding on to her crush. Next to the little, lovesick unicorn, Diamond Tiara was subtly trying to get a peek of Sweetie Belle's "notes". However, the slouching filly and the partly closed book made it all too difficult. She could not make out one bit of it. She huffed in frustration in her breath. BRIIIINNNG! The school bell rung, which immediately caused the young, lovesick filly to dash out of her seat, out the door, and run home. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom looked onward in grim concern. To them, it looked like Sweetie Belle already backed out of her promise. However, they knew that they could not be too sure, unless they had proof. "Hey, Apple Bloom," the pegasus asked her bow-wearing friend. "What was the penalty we discussed if one fails to follow the society regulations?" The country filly scratched her chin. "Hmmm... It depends on tha behavior and/or the number of times one has broken them, but ah'll hafta sayyy..." She continued to scratch her chin until she finally remembered. "Expulsion." "But, don't you think that's a little harsh and cold?" Scootaloo objected. "I mean, she's our best friend!" "Ah know, Scootaloo, ah know," the yellow filly hung her head. "It's darn sad to do such a thing, especially to a good friend, but ya know we can't wait any longer fer our cutie marks. We got a mission ta do, an' we can't have anythin' slowin' us down. It hurts me ta say this, but if she's gonna leave her friends behind, then we'll have no other choice than ta leave her behind..." The orange filly tilted her head down and shut her eyes, remembering all the fun times they had doing things together. Then, they were mixed with the fear they would all perish once they kick her out. "I sure hope that day won't come..." To be continued...