//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Stretchy Belle // by Muffin_Spectacles //------------------------------// There was silence in the room for a few moments, before Sweetie Belle suddenly broke into whimpering sobs. Soon, her little head was surrounded by her friends, Rarity, and her mother. "I'm sorry," said Twilight. "I wish I could return her to normal, but there's nothing I can do." "Well wait a minute," said Sweetie's father. "Yer an alicorn, right? So, why don'tcha use that there magic of yers to shrink her neck down?" "Of course!" chimed in Scootaloo. "Twilight, why didn't you-" "I already considered it," replied Twilight. "But some things, even magic can't fix." "W-why not?" Sniffed Sweetie. "Sweetie Belle, you're still a growing filly. Using magic on your body at this stage in your life could be very dangerous. If I tried to make your neck normal again, your body might think of it as being...permanent." "Whaddaya mean?" asked Applebloom. "Ah got the cutie pox from one of Zecora's potions, and I haven't had any cutie mark problems since." "But the cutie pox didn't alter parts of your body," continued Twilight. "Let's say I did use magic to make Sweetie's neck normal. Her body might assume that size I shrunk her neck down to, IS normal. As Sweetie grows into a pony, her neck might stay that same size. I'm sorry everypony, but there's too many variables that could cause greater interference with Sweetie Belle's body as she matures." There was silence in the room, punctuated by Sweetie's sobs, before Scootaloo spoke up. "So, what can we do?" she asked. "We can do what friends and family do best," replied Twilight. "We can help Sweetie Belle adjust." "Right," nodded Scootaloo. "You got it," smiled Applebloom. "Don't worry, Sweetie Belle. We're here for you, no matter what." "And I as well, darling," said Rarity, stroking her little sister's hair. "Us too, dear," said her mother. "T-thanks everypony," Sweetie replied, with a few sniffles. The rest of the summer should have been one of fun and games for Sweetie Belle. Instead, she found herself surrounded by family and friends, as she worked to become acclimated to her new lifestyle. Her family reached into their savings, and had a new bed made for her, along with a specially-made pillow that cushioned her head and neck. When it came to Sweetie Belle herself, the first thing that was decided upon, was helping her strengthen her neck muscles to be able to lift her head. The first step of the plan, was to get her to at least lift her head off the ground. The first few days were a struggle, and Sweetie Belle burst into tears several times, feeling like her neck was doomed to be nothing more than a limp noodle. Fortunately, her friends visited her daily to help boost her confidence, and after a week's time, the trio cheered when the white filly's head finally lifted off the floor for a few seconds! The next step, was strengthening the muscles all along her neck. This was achieved by hanging weights over various areas along her neck. The daily workouts in her bedroom were taking up most of the hours in a day, but Sweetie Belle was soon able to control her neck with graceful ease after a month's time. She could lower her head down to the ground, and even hold it aloft without feeling tired. However, given the "low ceilings" in her family's home, she couldn't extend herself fully while indoors. This soon led to her friends trying to get her to go outside. At first, Sweetie claimed she didn't want to for fear that other ponies would see her, but relented when her friends claimed they would be there for her if things got bad. It was quite a big day, as Sweetie took her first steps out of her room after weeks of training. Things got tricky when she tried to go down the stairs. Her birds-eye-view made her a little disoriented, and she came dangerously close to tumbling down the steps several times. Fortunately, her friends were there to help her keep her footing. Once outside, Sweetie Belle was finally able to unfurl her neck, and extend herself up to her full height (which was almost eye-level with her home's second-story window!). "Well, how do ya feel?" asked Applebloom. "...tall," replied Sweetie, looking down at her friends. "Well, come on girls," smiled Scootaloo. "Let's get some exercise. Race you to that tree over there!" The girls took off at a fast trot. The air was filled with the sounds of excited fillies for a few seconds, when suddenly, there was a squeak, and a loud thud! Applebloom and Scootaloo turned to see Sweetie Belle collapsed on the ground, and quickly rushed over to her. "Are you okay?" they asked. "What happened?" "I don't know," said Sweetie. "I was running when suddenly, my legs felt like they got tangled up, and down I went!" "Maybe yer just a lil' rusty," said Applebloom. "Bein' cooped up inside for the last month or so. Let's give it another go." The girls tried to run around a few more times, but each attempt resulted in Sweetie once again crashing to the ground. "I don't understand what's wrong with me," said Sweetie, a look of confusion and sadness spreading across her face. "Don't worry," said Scootaloo. "Let's just walk around the yard for a bit. Maybe you just need to get the hang of walking again, before you can run." Walking turned out to be no problem for the lengthened filly, and after a few trots around the outside of the house, Sweetie felt she was ready to try and run again. Unfortunately, these attempts were no better than the ones before. Shortly after the girls returned to the house, Twilight showed up for Sweetie's daily check-up. The girls took the time to tell her what had happened during their time outdoors, with emphasis on Sweetie Belle's running troubles. "Well," said Twilight, "from what you girls have told me, I think I forgot to mention that given how long her neck is, Sweetie Belle's center-of-gravity has changed." "Say-whut-now?" asked Applebloom. "All of our bodies have a gravitational center, Applebloom. This allows us to keep balanced when we walk, run, and do many other things. Our bodies grow within certain constraints of this, and allow us to stay balanced when we do our daily activities." "But, what does that have to do with my center-of-gravity?" asked Sweetie Belle. "When your neck was stretched Sweetie Belle, it changed your center of gravity. Instead of being balanced around your body like other fillies your age, your center has shifted." "So, what does that mean?" asked Scootaloo. "It means that unfortunately, Sweetie Belle might not be able to run." "WHAT!?" cried the three fillies in unison. "I know it's not what you wanted to hear. I'm afraid it's just one more thing you'll have to adjust to, Sweetie Belle." The little white filly didn't say a word, but just quietly nodded her head. As summer waned, Sweetie Belle continued with her neck exercises, and made daily trips outside with her friends. However, she didn't stray far from home, and was usually not outside for more than an hour. One afternoon, the girls were having a talk, and the subject turned to school, which would be starting soon. However, it was at this point that Sweetie Belle excused herself, and went inside. A few days later while Sweetie was reading a book in her room, there was a knock on the door. She opened it, to find her mother with a brand-new pair of saddle-bags in one hoof. "I saw them at the store, and thought they'd be perfect for the new school year," she smiled. "They're so colorful, and I know how you like fashion stuff like yer big sister-" Thanks, Mom," said Sweetie Belle, burying her head a little deeper in her book. "You can just put them by the door." "Oh but honey, don't you wanna take a look-" "I'll look later, Mom. Can you just, leave me alone?" "Um, okay dear," replied her Mom, before leaving the room. The little pony's quietness became so frequent, that soon Applebloom and Scootaloo sat down and had a talk with their friend about it. It was here that Sweetie Belle admitted that she was having second thoughts about going back to school. "But you can't do that," said Scootaloo. "Ms Cheerilee says all ponies need a good education." "Well, Ms Cheerilee doesn't have to worry about everypony in the class staring at her," said Sweetie Belle. "Actually, she kinda does," noted Applebloom. "She is our teacher, after all." "Oh...well, they're not going to be staring at her neck. Oh, why did I have to go and do something so stupid!?" "Calm down, Sweetie Belle," said Applebloom, stroking her friend's back. "It'll be alright. After all, we're not gonna give up on you, and neither are your family." "Yeah," said Scootaloo. "Besides, once we get past the first day, it's gotta be smooth sailing for the rest of the year, right?" "Welcome to the first day of school, everypony," sang out Ms Cheerilee, as she saw her students take their seats. "I hope you all had a fun summer, but now it's time to get back to learning!" The little schoolhouse was soon filled once again with the usual cacophony of chatter, as the fillies and colts entered and took their seats. Soon, all the seats had been filled...except for one directly between Applebloom and Scootaloo at the front. "Girls," asked Ms Cheerilee, looking at the two of them, "where's Sweetie Belle?" "She's right outside the door, Ms Cheerilee," said Applebloom, "Sweetie Belle's, a little embarrassed to come in." "Really? That doesn't sound like the Sweetie Belle I know." "She kind of had some...things happen to her over the summer," said Scootaloo. "Just trying to get her to come today was rather hard to do, for, a number of reasons." "Oh, I'm sure it's just a little case of post-summer jitters," said Cheerilee. "I'll go have a talk with her, and get this all sorted out." A few moments later, Cheerilee exited the classroom through the front door. Five minutes later, she quietly re-entered the room. "Attention class," she said in her "cheeriest" tone. "It seems our classmate Sweetie Belle has been through some...changes this summer. Now I want you all to be on your best behavior, okay?" Ms Cheerilee opened the door, and hushed murmurs filled the air as the class saw what appeared to be Sweetie Belle's little white body, with a long neck that disappeared behind the top of the doorframe. "Come on in, Sweetie Belle," said Ms Cheerilee. "It's alright." As the room continued to watch, the long neck curled down, and Sweetie Belle's head entered the room, slowly followed by her body. Sweetie could feel everypony's eyes on her, as she slowly walked into the classroom, her head almost brushing the sloped roof of the schoolhouse ceiling. She soon found her desk (which happened to be right in front of Diamond Tiara), and slowly sat down, before magically removing her saddlebags. "Well, I'm glad we're all here and ready to start the necks-I-I mean, the next school year," said Cheerilee, correcting her verbal mistake (but getting some snickering remarks from the class). "Ms Cheerilee," called out Diamond Tiara. "I can't see the board with Sweetie Belle's NECK is in the way!" "Oh dear," said the teacher, looking up at Sweetie's head. "Sweetie Belle, could you, lower your head please?" "Okay," said Sweetie quietly, and the class watched as the long white neck angled forward...placing Sweetie Belle's head right in Ms Cheerilee's face! "Hmmm...well, maybe we should have you, switch desks with somepony." And so, Sweetie Belle found herself sitting at the back of the classroom, while her friends sat up front. As the lesson went on, Sweetie felt several pokes along the lower part of her neck. However, by the time she looped her head down to look, nothing seemed out-of-the-ordinary, as the students around her appeared to be writing away at their desks. One little colt a few seats up made eye-contact with her at one point, and unseen by Ms Cheerilee, revealed a small pony he had made out of putty. As Sweetie watched, he began stretching the putty pony's neck. Sweetie tried to ignore this, but as her eyes soon looked down on Silver Spoon's desk, she saw the grey filly was writing a list of names. She could make out "Taffy Belle," "Stretchy Belle," and several others. "Ms Cheerilee," called out Sweetie, stopping the lesson. "Yes, Sweetie Belle?" came her teacher's response. "Silver Spoon is making fun of me." "Making fun of you?" asked the grey filly. "Why would I do something so ridiculous?" "Must be the air up there," smirked Diamond Tiara. "All musty and dusty up in the rafters." "Don't you talk that way about my friend," retorted Applebloom. "And why not, blank-flank?" chided Diamond. "GIRLS!!" came Cheerilee's voice, silencing the argument, before addressing Sweetie Belle again. "Now everypony, stop whatever misbehaving is going on, and let's get back to the lesson at hand." The class's attention returned to the chalkboard, but Sweetie Belle could still see Silver Spoon, writing even more demeaning names on the piece of paper. When the bell rang for lunch and recess, Applebloom and Scootaloo waited for Sweetie to slowly make her way outside. Soon, they were sitting down at a table, as Sweetie began to slowly consume a sandwich. "So, how are you doin?" asked Applebloom. "Well, aside from Diamond Tiara making a big deal about my neck, Silver Spoon writing mean things about me, and that jerk of a colt making a putty-pony of me, I'm just-" "HELP! HELP!!" The conversation was interrupted as the girls heard a shrieking voice. Looking around, they saw a little filly named Aura, looking up at a ball stuck in a tree. "Aw, not again," said Scootaloo. "She's always throwing that thing up in the tree and getting it stuck. When will she learn?" "Hey, I got a great idea," said Applebloom, "Sweetie Belle, you can show just how useful havin' a long neck can be by helpin' her out!" "Useful? But her ball is all the way up in the-oh, right! Good thinking, Applebloom!" Gulping down the last of her sandwich, Sweetie Belle slowly moved across the playground. As she did so, several of the kids watched her, as she soon came up next to Aura. A small crowd had gathered as Sweetie extended her neck up to it's full length. Her head was slightly higher than the branch the ball was on, but using her magic, she plucked it from it's place in the tree, and lowered it down to the little filly. "There you go," smiled Sweetie Belle, lowering her head down to Aura's eye-level. "Thank you, Sweetie Belle," said the smiling filly. "That was real nice of you." As Aura ran off with her ball, Applebloom and Scootaloo ran up to their friend. "See?" said Applebloom. "Havin' a long neck isn't so bad after all." "Yeah," said Scootaloo. "Besides, long neck or short neck, you're still Sweetie Belle." "Aw, thanks girls," said Sweetie. "You know? It felt real good to-OW!!!"" Sweetie was cut off mid-sentence as a ball hit the middle of her neck at a great speed! The shock of the impact was enough to make the tall filly lose her footing, and tumble onto the ground. Unfortunately, her neck fell in an arc, and her head smacked into the trunk of the tree! "Who threw that!?" demanded Scootaloo, her eyes scanning the playground. "Oops, sorry about that," said Diamond Tiara. "If only, Stretchy Belle there wasn't so tall, it wouldn't have happened." If you were to ask the numerous fillies and colts on the playground that day what happened next, none of them would be able to give you a clear picture of what they witnessed. The one thing they were certain about, was that before recess was over, Sweetie Belle had been taken to the hospital, Ms Cheerilee had had her hooves full breaking up a fight, and several sets of parents and guardians were called in. While Ms Cheerilee had originally decided to suspend Applebloom, Scootaloo, Diamond Tiara, and Silver Spoon from school for a week, both Diamond and Silver's punishments were excused by Diamond's mother, Spoiled Rich. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and even Sweetie Belle's parents attempted to countered this decision, claiming their feelings that the girls had been provoked. Unfortunately, Spoiled Rich claimed her daughter explained to her what really happened, and her word was evidence enough that "dangerous ponies" like Applebloom and Scootaloo, needed to be taught a lesson in manners. "If they're going to get upset over a ball accidentally hitting one of their blank-flank friends, who knows what horrible ponies they'll grow up to be?" Spoiled had told the girl's relations. "I can only hope this punishment will help them become better fillies." In private, Ms Cheerilee informed the girls' relations that she did not agree with Spoiled Rich's decision, but given Spoiled's iron grip over the Ponyville schoolboard, her hooves were tied. Sweetie Belle was let out of the hospital the next day, and found herself in a classroom without her best friends. Though Ms Cheerilee lectured the class to behave themselves, a number of fillies and colts were still quietly making fun of Sweetie every chance they could get. During class, Sweetie still felt strange pokings along her lower neck, but her reaction time was too slow to ever see who was touching her. The day she came back, little Aura (whose ball Sweetie had recovered) had attempted to sit next to her at lunch, but she was blocked from sitting by Diamond and Silver. "So sorry," Silver snorted to the little filly, "this table is reserved for blank-flanks and and other strange ponies." Sweetie watched sadly as the confused filly trotted away, and Silver and Diamond sat next to her. "Speaking of blank-flanks," snorted Diamond, "must be tough not having your little blank-frank friends to sit with." "Leave me alone," mumbled Sweetie, as she laid her neck across the lunch table. "What was that? Mother says it's rude to mumble." "I said, leave, me, a-lone!" said Sweetie, lifting her head and turning it towards the two. "But we're just stating the obvious," smiled Silver. "And by the looks of it, noone wants to sit with a strange, long-necked pony like you anyway." And so it went. Sweetie attempted to ignore the two, and some of the other little fillies and colts they had coraled into making fun of her. She even attempted to tell Ms Cheerilee about what was happening, but all her teacher could do was remind the class once again to behave themselves. Unfortunately, it seemed that Diamond Tiara's knowledge that her tauntings would go unpunished, kept her and Silver Spoon hard at work, irritating Sweetie Belle any chance they could when Ms Cheerilee wasn't looking. It was around Thursday of the first week of school, that during recess, after another round of taunts while trying to eat lunch, that Sweetie Belle quietly got up, and headed off the schoolgrounds towards Ponyville. *DING-A-LING* "Coming," called Rarity, as she exited the backroom in the boutique...only to see her little sister standing in the doorway of her shop, her neck looped down, and huge tears streaming down her cheeks. "Sweetie Belle?" asked Rarity. "Darling, shouldn't you be in school?" "I don't wanna go back to school!" wailed Sweetie, her body twitching in shuddering sobs. "I'm never going back to school ever again!"