Sunlight danced across a clear sky and shone into Sweetie Belle’s eyes. She murmured as she slowly stirred.
"Man, that was a great dream...” she said groggily. Then something hit her. "Wait, why is my voice so high?” She finally awoke, and gave herself a quick check-over.
Sure enough, she was Sweetie Belle. White skin, long pink/purple hair, green eyes, a pink/white T-shirt, a pink jacket, yellow skirt, and pink boots. She could also confirm that her-
-Sweetie Belle immediately dismissed that thought. No way would she undress here! That was most unladylike! "I guess Rarity’s manner must be rubbing off on me,” she sighed. She then stood up, realising she was propped against the portal to Equestria. As a test, she quickly put her hand through, and could see a larger Caucasian one on the other end.
"Well, that’s...weird,” was all she said.
She looked around to see if there was anybody else there. Sure enough, students were milling around, walking between lessons, or simply enjoying the lovely sunny day. But what was on top of the plinth?
She reached up, and grabbed onto the top ledge of the plinth. She tried to pull herself up, but couldn’t quite get herself up there, and her legs flailed as she dangled perilously on one side of the statue.
"Here,” said a male voice. "Let me give you a boost!”
A hand suddenly appeared under her boot, and pushed her upward. She safely reached the top and turned around to see who had helped her.
"Thanks, mister-”
The words froze in her mouth as she saw who was standing there. A boy with brown skin and brown hair, wearing a brown hoodie and grey T-shirt, with blue pants and red shoes. He had a delightful smile on his face, and had a propeller hat upon his head, which never stopped spinning.
Sweetie Belle’s heart immediately turned to mush when she made eye contact. This was Button Mash, the most adorable boy in the school, and indeed in the town of-
"Wait a second!” she thought. "Did the transformation give me her feelings for Button?”
"Hi Sweetie Belle!” he called. "What’re you doing out here?”
"I must have dozed off somehow!” Sweetie Belle explained to him. "Thanks for the boost Button.”
Button grinned. "Anything for the most beautiful girl in the world.”
Sweetie Belle blushed. Actually, that is not an accurate description. Her face went red with the complement.
What was she doing again?
Oh yes. She turned around, to see that there was no statue, and simply a gaping hole where it had once been. "This is after Friendship Games, then,” she thought.
However, it seems she forgot to think it, as Button seemed puzzled. "How do you not know that the Games are in the past?”
Sweetie Belle chuckled. "Just stating the obvious.” She swung down and dropped down onto the ground, next to Button. "So, how are you, my Tender Button?”
"Well,” he admitted, "I was wondering if you wanted to go to Sugarcube Corner this afternoon after school.”
"I’d love to!” Sweetie Belle squealed. Sometimes, she wondered why nobody called her ‘Squeaky Belle’.
Just then, the bell for lessons went.
"For whom the Belle toils,” Button joked.
Sweetie Belle laughed at the awful pun. "Let’s go!”
At least Button’s presence made Mrs. Berry’s history class bearable. Because of how the school schedule was set up, she had two history teachers. Doctor Turner was the better of the two, as he was wonderful, energetic, and kept things genuinely interesting. There was one time where he got incredibly enthusiastic about the history of shoes!
The other was Mrs. Berry, or ‘Mrs. Bearry’, as most people called her. This was because of her habit of going off on random tangents in the middle of a spiel. Today’s lesson was a perfect demonstration of this very problem.
"And today we are looking at the Battle of Gettysburg!” she droned, like a GP38 horn that had got stuck. "I remember when I was at Gettysburg.”
Button elbowed Sweetie Belle. "I didn’t realize she was that old!”
"When I was looking around the battlefield park!” she exclaimed. "I recall that the sun was setting over Little Round Top, and there were cannons lined up where Pickett had charged. A bugler was even playing ‘Ashokan Farewell’ as I left the site and travelled onward to...”
Sweetie Belle sighed. It was very obvious that she was incapable of staying on topic or even divulging relevant information. As Mrs. Berry droned on about the issues of the highway system, Sweetie Belle resorted to using her textbook to learn about the battle. It had detailed maps, and paintings, and actual facts of relevance to the topic, rather than anecdotes about drivers of breakdown lorries.
"Are you even listening?” Mrs. Berry demanded, slamming her hand down on Sweetie Belle’s desk.
"Uh-uh-!” Sweetie Belle stammered, trying to come up with an answer.
"She was reading history!” Button covered. "All due respect, but facts about Sid the Breakdown Crane are not hugely relevant to the defeat of Lee.”
Mrs. Berry sighed. "Kids these days.” She walked back, and changed the slide. "Where was I? Ah yes.”
Onwards she went with the ACTUAL LESSON. "Gettysburg was an attempt by General Lee to outflank the Union Army and break their moral...”
Sweetie Belle shrugged. "I read that 20 minutes ago,” she whispered.
Button just looked at her, wide-eyed, and shrugged.
After the lesson ended, they filed out and ended up going into a Literature lesson on poems that made no sense. The teacher, Mrs. Harshvoice, seemed to think that they were absolute works of genius.
"Look at this particular poem, a masterwork of word association and description,” she said proudly. ’A little monkey goes like a donkey that means to say that means to say that more sighs last goes. Leave with it. A little monkey goes like a donkey.’ "This poem is a telling work on the state and nature of the life of canines and the state of the human condition, as we are eternally condemned to repeat our actions for all of time.”
"And I’m eternally condemned to be bored out of my mind in this class,” Sweetie Belle thought.
One of the other students, Featherweight, spoke up. "Excuse me miss,” he said, "But it just looks like she threw some words onto the page and saw what came out!”
"That,” said Mrs Harshvoice, "is the genius of this work. In the randomness there is order. For it is only through randomness we can make sense of our thoroughly random lives.”
She then looked down. "Miss Belle!” she snapped.
Sweetie Belle’s head snapped up. "Yes, Mrs Harshvoice?” she asked.
"Tell us the meaning of this one,” the dragon said. This was what was posted:
‘Rub her coke’.
Sweetie Belle took a look at it, and snorted. "It is a, uh, reflection on how the process of how making pencils is a violation of, uh, people’s rights and those of trees!”
Mrs. Harshvoice nodded. "Interesting answer,” she said. "I would like you to analyse this one together.” She brought another one up.
Button looked at Sweetie Belle. "Who thought these were a good idea?”
That afternoon, after school, the two of them walked outside and prepared to set off for Sugarcube Corner when a voice called over to them.
"Howdy, y’all!”
Sweetie Belle looked back, and saw Apple Bloom walking over to her. "Hi Apple Bloom!” she called.
"Hey, Button, do ya mind if me and Sweetie Belle talk for a bit?” the apple girl asked.
"Sure, take your time,” Button replied. "And it’s ‘Sweetie Belle and I’!”
Apple Bloom shrugged. "He knows what Ah mean.”
"So, what’s this about Apple Bloom?”
Apple Bloom paused. "You fell outa the portal, right?”
Sweetie Belle gasped. "How did you know?”
"Cause Ah did. Does the name Tom Haddington ring a bell?”
"The brony who vanished at BronyCon? It was on the news!” Sweetie Belle squealed.
"Well, Ah was Haddington. Ah lived as Apple Bloom for months, and Ah’m here for good. Now then, what was yer name originally?”
"Jimmy Hook. But I go by Sweetie Belle now!”
"OK. Look, Ah imagine yer probably scared and confused, but-”
"Are you kidding?” Sweetie Belle interrupted. “This is the best day of my life!”
Apple Bloom looked confused. "Yer sayin’ you wanted to be transformed?”
"Well, Sweetie Belle is my favorite Crusader, and now I AM her! WHOO!” Sweetie Belle punched the air in excitement.
Apple Bloom nodded. "Well, if ya need help with anythin’, know you can call me. Ah’m over at Sweet Apple Acres.”
A loud horn beeped from across the car park. "Apple Bloom!” called Bright Mac.
"Ah gotta go!” Apple Bloom called. "Enjoy yer evenin’, and don’t forget we got some Crusadin’ to do this Sunday!”
"Got it!” Sweetie Belle replied. She then walked back over to Button.
"What was that about?” Button asked.
"She was just checking how I was,” Sweetie Belle casually replied. "Now, how about we get this date started?”
"Your on!” Button laughed, and the two kids raced each other through the streets.