//------------------------------// // 14 - In the Wake of the Lake // Story: Sweetie Belle Gains a Soul // by Bad Dragon //------------------------------// The planned crusade was sure to work. It had to! For all I knew, it might have even been how Derpy Hooves got her cutie mark. Maybe the ones we were about to get could look just like hers. It would be so awesome if we were to show her our flanks the next time she’d bump into us. With so many bubbles on all our flanks, it would look as if we all fell into a foam bath. “Sweetie Belle, you’re staring at the air again,” sighed Scootaloo. “Put on your saddlebag already. We’re waiting for you.” I shook my head. “Oh, yeah, of course.” Apple Bloom walked to me, carrying my saddlebag in her mouth. She was already set to go and so was Scootaloo. I grabbed at its belt with my teeth. Apple Bloom let go of her end. “I was going to help you with it.” I swung it onto my back then bowed my head to reach for the harness. “I can do it myself!” The strap was right there, but I couldn’t lean to the side enough. I took a few steps toward it to get myself in mouth’s reach. “Sure you can…” Scootaloo smirked. Apple Bloom facehoofed. “Sweetie Belle, you’re walking in a circle…” I bit at the strap. “I gok ik!” “Say what?” Scootaloo turned back from the doorway, raising an eyebrow. “She’s got it,” Apple Bloom translated my clenched teeth speech. After tightening the strap I lifted my head high to show off, but they already walked down the ramp and didn’t see my triumph. When I caught up with them on the path, Scootaloo broke out with our Cutie Mark Crusaders anthem. Apple Bloom tried herself at choreography. Broken branches left behind on the path testified to her enthusiasm. I kept my distance. A bit for safety reasons but mostly because the incident at school from earlier that day still weighed heavily on me. I really wanted to tell them about the event. It wasn’t nice of me to keep my friends in the dark, but they seemed so happy not knowing. I wished I could just forget about the bad ordeal and join them in their bliss. The cruel trial, Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara had put me through, played in my head over and over again. The event was burned into my brain and I couldn’t shake off the horrible images in my mind. It felt like a stain on my coat that I couldn’t clean no matter how hard I scratched at it. I felt dirty. No, it was even worse. I felt as if I was nothing but dirt myself. Trampled in the ground, only good for getting walked over. My friends needed to know about it. I never hid any secrets from them. Yet, I dreaded the thought of exposing them to the darkness within me. I had no idea how they would react. The last time I’d opened up to them, it had ended really bad for the lyrics I’ve written. Instead of helping me with the song, they’d burned it. How could I trust them after that? I feared to think about what would happen if I told them that I, myself, could use some help. My mere existence felt like a chore. It would be so easy to let somepony else take over and deal with all the pressure. If only I could just hide away and let everything unfold without me. It was too heavy of a burden for me to carry, and I couldn’t even tell anypony about my troubles. I had talked too much already. That’s how it started to begin with. Me and my big mouth. Maybe I even deserved the hoof punishment. “Are we boring you or something?” Scootaloo’s head appeared in front of me as I opened my eyes. “No...” I shied away from her gaze. “You’ve been acting weird all day, Sweetie Belle. First, you ditch us for body-painting.” “I fell on crayons!” I protested and immediately clenched my teeth when the memory of what really happened rushed through my mind. My head bowed. It wasn’t nice to lie to my friends. “And then you dragged yourself behind us the entire way!” Apple Bloom stepped beside Scootaloo. “Is there something wrong, Sweetie Belle?” She leaned closer to me. Her eyes squinted as if she tried to read the answer off my face. “What happened?” “Well”—I slowly raised my eyes to meet with hers—“today at school...” Something shiny sparkled behind Apple Bloom and distracted me. A moment later, a glare shot straight in my face. I blinked and drew back my head. I half-closed my eyes and focused through the beam. It was sunlight, glittering off the lake’s surface. “We’re here!” I yelled and pushed past the fillies. As fast as my legs would carry me, I ran toward the shiny water. There it was: the place that would make all my problems disappear. Getting a cutie mark would fix everything. All I had to do was force the lake to give it up. My grin widened as my gaze drifted across the unsuspecting surface. At the shore, I stood on my hind legs, almost dropping my diving gear. “Prepare yourselves!” I rubbed my forehooves together. “This lake shall unlock our potential for everypony to see. There’s nothing to worry about anymore.” Apple Bloom walked up to me. Her head was tilted, eyebrows narrowed. She gazed at my face. I glanced at her. “And yes, this time I do know for a fact that there is no squid monster living in it!” Well, at least there were no signs at the bank, warning every passing pony of a squid monster in the lake. Even if we stumbled on one, I could put the blame on the lack of markings, which I couldn’t do the last time. She wasn’t reacting to my great motivational speech. Her pose stayed the same. “What happened to you at school?” I had promised myself I wouldn’t tell them, yet there I was, getting them all worked up. They shouldn’t worry about something they couldn’t affect. I’d drag them down with me if I opened up to them. It seemed that I couldn’t trust myself with anything. Everything kept falling apart around me. If just for once I could follow through with what I had set out to do, it would mean the world to me. I’d give anything to get a break from the streak of failures that was my life; let somepony else drag on the wreckage. Yet, I had no choice but to persist. I couldn’t let myself mess up everything even more than it already was. Failure to regain my control could endanger the mission, and we’d all be worse off for it. I tensed up and dropped on all fours. My lips morphed into a fake smile while my teeth kept clenching. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were so happy, and I ruined their joy by whining about my problems. Even if they chose to help, they’d probably just make it worse. There was no use telling them about my troubles. It could have very well been them in my place. I decided that it would be better to keep it all to myself. By telling them the truth, I’d only get them worried. Besides, things were about to get better, anyway. The solution to everything was right there in front of us. We just had to dive in and claim it. “Why don’t you tell us?” Apple Bloom placed a hoof on my withers. My body shook in response to the invasion of my personal space. I gasped and jumped away. The skin on my flanks still stung from the last time I let a hoof touch me. No more! “Sweetie Belle?” “What’s going on with you?” Scootaloo joined the interrogation. “Don’t tell me you wrote another song. I didn’t know we’d need a lighter again. If I did, I’d bring it with us instead of leaving it back in the clubhouse. I could have fit the lighter in my saddlebag if I pounded at it hard enough...” “You left it where‽” Apple Bloom screeched. “Don’t worry about the playhouse,” Scootaloo sighed and dismissively waved a wing in her direction. “It’s a flammable tree house; not a playhouse!” “Either way, I’m pretty sure I turned off the lighter before we left. The tree house’s gonna be fine.” “As fine as Golden Oaks Library, I reckon?” Apple Bloom’s teeth ground together. “Exactly! Wait… No! Not like that. Better! I mean…” Scootaloo straightened her legs and lifted her neck. “We’d already see the smoke if the clubhouse was burning, right?” “I should have posted the ‘No fun allowed!’ poster when I still had the chance.” “Hey!” Scootaloo’s tail tucked between her hind legs. “You know I keep having nightmares about it.” “Not enough of them, apparently.” Apple Bloom struck a hoof on the ground. “You keep doing stuff like this! I hope you get a volcano for your cutie mark.” “That’d be so cool.” Her head turned up as her mouth opened ajar. “Ugh! I can’t deal with you now!” She whipped Scootaloo with what remained of her smoldered tail while she turned to me. “Sweetie Belle, just tell us what you did. I’m sure it can’t be worse than what our pyromancer pulled off.” Scootaloo screeched, “There’s still no smoke!” With a hoof, she caressed the cheek where Apple Bloom’s tail had hit her. I faced away from them as I continued my lying streak. “I fell… on crayons”—I supported my chin with a hoof—“and, um, I still have some in my coat.” I glanced at them and pointed a hoof toward the lake. “We need to go into the water as soon as possible so I can wash off the stains!” “Then why were you dragging behind all the way instead of rushing us here?” asked Scootaloo. “I was, um, saving my strength, so that I could get a cutie mark for sure this time around.” Scootaloo raised her eyebrows as she looked at me. Apple Bloom still tried to read my face. I had to get them on board. Faking a smile again was an option, but I dismissed that idea since Apple Bloom appeared to be immune to it, and getting her stubborn plot on my side was the priority. I stepped to the slowpokes. “Here, I’ll help you!” Rising up on my hind legs I leaned on Apple Bloom’s saddlebag with both forelegs, pushing under the pieces of her swimming gear with my snout to throw them out. With open mouth, she gazed at the flying fins. Talking about my problems wouldn’t get us anywhere. None of us had a cutie mark, and there was only one solution for that problem. We needed to get our cutie marks as soon as possible! The ground was still damp from the recent Rainbow Dash induced rain. The pieces of Apple Bloom’s diving gear made squishy sounds when they shoved themselves into the soft, sandy earth. Scootaloo rolled over and got all her diving gear flying out of her saddlebag in one go. Two fins splashed in the shallow water. Having helped Apple Bloom with her gear, I stepped off her and approached a nearby stone. I turned around and wiggled my tail on the hard surface to clean it up. When I reached with my muzzle toward the diving mask, I briefly glanced at them and grinned. Scootaloo dug her gear out of the mushy sand. Apple Bloom scoured out for her equipment, too. Our crusade was in full swing. I proceeded to unpack the rest of the gear from my saddlebag while avoiding any eye contact with them. It could cause them to ask more pesky questions, and that would only delay us. We were back on our mission and I didn’t want anything ruining it. I had to get a cutie mark before the next day. There wouldn’t be any need for Diamond Tiara to engrave a new one on me if I already had it to begin with. “The water looks cold,” asserted Apple Bloom. That triggered me, and I almost yelled at her. “You can't tell the temperature of the water just by looking at it!” Scootaloo finished putting the last fin on her hind legs. She pushed with both forehooves against the ground. Her wings flapped and hauled her body forward toward the second pair of fins. Two lines formed as her hind legs dragged through the mud. Apple Bloom put the gear gathering on pause and lifted her head. “You know you can still walk even if you have fins on your hooves, right?” We both giggled at Scootaloo, but she was quick to respond to the provocation. “No, my way’s better. You can't trip if you're doing it this wa—” Her foreleg sank into the patch of moist mud. The other foreleg couldn’t bear the load of her body. When it bent, she crumpled on top of it. “—aaa—” Her head splashed on the edge of the lake, snout sinking just below the surface. Caught by surprise, she instinctively inhaled. The introduction of water to her lungs tightened her entire body. She folded her wings and used her neck muscles to launch the muddy head above the surface forming a sea-lion like posture. Sweat broke on my back as I saw her ordeal. She was suffering and I hated it. I didn’t want to witness more hurt. I already experienced way too much of it that day. I stood there trembling. I couldn’t force myself to move. The coughs that followed put more strain on her, and she tumbled back down. The next cough took place underwater. Her whole body shook as more liquid rushed down her windpipe. She twisted her head as much as she could, but only managed to lift half of her snout above the surface. She pushed her lips to the side, trying to sip some air, but her innate reflexes took over again. Her chest twitched. Relentless coughing and burping overlaid one another. A desperate, high-pitched scream drowned out the splashing sounds. “Heeeel—” More water entered her open mouth, flooding the word. Her plea for help broke my paralysis and sprung me to action. I launched myself toward her. Apple Bloom reached her first. She jumped into the fetlock-high water and raised the muddy head above the surface. Scootaloo gargled while gasping for air. Rapid coughs followed in quick succession. I positioned myself behind Scootaloo, anchoring both forehooves on her belly. After leaning back, I pulled as hard as I could. She managed to free the trapped foreleg from under her chest and used it to push herself up. It also sank in the sand. She went into a panic mode, manically flapping her wings. “Take it easy!” I leaned back to avoid getting hit in the face by her slashing feathers. The sand prison gave way. The upward force launched Scootaloo into the air. If I weren’t there to catch her, she would have fallen on her back. She sat in front of me, her head bowed to the ground, tears drifting across her muddy face. She sobbed among her episodes of coughing. Apple Bloom kept her mouth open as she descended on all fours. Her muscles were tense and at the ready. She kept her stare on the sack of misery that lay between us. The whole event had been intense and Scootaloo was obviously shaken, but I knew she was safe and unharmed. It only felt scary as it was happening, but all the while she wasn’t exposed to any real danger. She just inhaled some water. I was glad the traumatic ordeal was over. To break the tension, I smiled at Apple Bloom. She exhaled and smiled back, relaxing her body a little. The flashbacks of Scootaloo’s acrobatics compounded in my mind and the smile grew bigger, still. “Not being able to fly is the least of your problems.” I expressed my thoughts aloud. “You first need to learn how to walk.” My own joke caught me by surprise. I held my mouth shut as I tried to fight it, but it was too much to hold in. A moment later, I broke into an outright laughter. The spasms made me fall on my back. “Did you hear her voice?” Apple Bloom raised both eyebrows as she looked at me. The rest of her face remained flat. “What do you mean?” I imitated Scootaloo, screaming with a high-pitched voice. “Heeeelp—glerk, glok, glark, glub.” Hearing the otherworldly sounds again broke all my restraints. I euphorically thumped both forehooves on the ground at my sides. While my body shook from the giggles, both hind legs tapped at Scootaloo’s shoulders. “You should have seen yourself.” I changed my voice to mimic an overconfident mare. “This is how you walk without falling.” I paused for a second. “Bam!” I sought to catch my breath from the giggles. Both hind legs drifted on Scootaloo’s sides while I tried to relax a bit. She tensed up. My ears perked at the sound of clenching teeth. She growled and shoved my legs off her. I pressed my lips together and put a hoof before my muzzle. It looked like she was about to snap. Scootaloo spread her wings wide as she stood up. With a high-powered kick, she sent her fins flying in the air. Apple Bloom took a step back. When Scootaloo’s body swayed, I imagined her falling again, and a sip of air escaped my muzzle. “Why are you laughing at me?” Scootaloo towered on just two legs. Tears drifted from her reddish eyes even more so than before. I waved a hoof in disregard. “I’m not laughing at you; I’m laughing with you.” “Why ain’t I laughing then?” I shrugged my shoulders. “No sense of humor?” Her body shook as she screamed at me with all her might. “It’s not funny! I almost drowned back there!” She pointed a hoof at the bank. I tried to calm her down. “You are such a drama queen, Scootaloo! You just soaked up some water. And you didn’t even make it to the lake. You were still on the beach.” Apple Bloom thumped a hoof on the ground. “Sweetie Belle!” “What?” I stood up on my four legs. “She was fine. You can’t drown on dry land…” Scootaloo pointed back at me. “And you just stood there! You didn’t even—” “—I helped you, remember!” I cut her off before she could start the blaming game. “You sure took your sweet time with it,” Scootaloo persisted. I bowed my head. She was right. I didn’t want her to be right, but she was. I noticed a yellow patch at her hooves. The wet blot stained the area where Scootaloo had lain. I looked at her. “Did you pee yourself when you fell?” Scootaloo’s body shook, teeth clenched. Both spread out wings folded to her side. The new embarrassment sucked the fight right out of her. She faced away from us, striking a hoof on the ground. “Let’s just go home.”