My Little Princess, Sweetie Belle.

by SneakyKGB

MLP, Sweetie Belle

Thunk!

“... so, as you can see, griffons play a very important role as neighbors of Equestria...”

Thunk!

“... while some aren't a shining example for their species, it's important to remember...”

Thunk!

The impact of the young unicorn's chin against wood resounded throughout the classroom. Each time it struck the table the teacher, Miss Cheerilee, paused in her lesson and gave a look that was half concern and half exasperation. Sweetie Belle had hardly noticed, letting her head rise and fall, barely listening as she glared into the chalkboard behind her teacher. The seats on either side of her -the source of her poor mood- were distinctly empty. The table that usually held the Cutie Mark Crusaders was now home to only one-third of the group.

“Sweetie Belle!”

There was another noise as Sweetie Belle's jaw dropped open to reply. At the same time her lowering head snapped her mouth shut and she bit her tongue. “Ouch! Yes, Miss Cheerilee?” she stammered bashfully.

Cheerilee raised a brow. “There are no studies that link head trauma with alleviating boredom, Sweetie Belle. Can you tell me what topic I was just discussing with the rest of the class?”

“Why griffons make good neighbors?” Sweetie Belle offered earnestly.

Something about Cheerilee's unchanged, unmoving expression told her that wasn't the right answer. Sweetie Belle gave an agitated huff as she sank back into her seat. It was only a moment before the rest of the class broke out into hushed chuckles and taunts, headed by Diamond Tiara of course. It was nothing new for the Cutie Mark Crusaders to deal with ridicule, but Sweetie Belle found it a lot harder to ignore without Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. After Miss Cheerilee brought order back to the class she continued her lesson, Sweetie Belle still couldn't manage to pay attention.

They were soon released into the schoolyard for an early recess. The other foals bounded off to their own little groups. Diamond Tiara passed a trudging Sweetie Belle by flaunting her tail in the depressed filly's face. Left alone, she grumbled to herself and slumped over a picnic table nearby.

“Crusading's not much fun if you have to do it alone...” she squeaked in frustration.

Applejack had called the school earlier that morning, letting Miss Cheerilee know that Apple Bloom was at home with the flu. Scootaloo had been excused on account of a junior flight test. All that meant to Sweetie Belle was that her two best friends were nowhere to be seen. A cursory glance around the schoolyard proved that everyone had their own group to play with, and were in the middle of a variety of games. Briefly she wondered if it would be alright to join them, or if her intrusion would be unwelcome. It just didn't feel the same as crusading, seeking out her life's purpose with her like-minded friends.

Her head swiveled back to a straight-forward position, bottom jaw still resting on the table, and she saw another lonely soul. The colt a few feet away from her didn't seem nearly as melancholy about his lack of friends. He was an earth pony, small for a boy, and his coat was a dark cobalt. The colt's short mane avalanched between his ears and over his forehead, it was a shade of such bright blonde that it looked silver in direct sunlight. Sweetie Belle watched him for a while, more because he happened to be in her line of vision than anything else. At least her sullen drooping eyelids perked up, if only a little, at the idea that she wasn't alone in being, if not lonely, at least alone.

The longer she watched the more her expression shifted to one of confusion. Sweetie Belle was trying to puzzle out what the colt was up to. For a while he stood in one spot, apparently talking to thin air. Moments later his features sharpened fiercely and he bounded a few feet to one side, picking up a stick in his teeth and thrashing his head. Sweetie Belle's head was cocked so far that it was almost sideways by the time the colt knelt on the ground, it looked like he was sobbing.

“Maybe he really is lonely?” she asked aloud.

Glancing to either side, she recalled that she had no one to bounce her theory off of. Sweetie Belle huffed and left the picnic table, approaching the strange colt. She was almost close enough to touch him when she stopped. Although he was trembling she couldn't hear any sort of sobbing or sniffing, which only made her more curious. For a while she just stood there watching, wondering if he would react. Eventually he turned around, about to bound off in the opposite direction, and collided nose-first with Sweetie Bell. Both foals fell to their flanks.

Sweetie Belle let out a high-pitched yell, quickly covering her face with her hooves. The colt jumped backwards before he fell, smacking into the tree he'd been playing by. As he made impact, he yelled something about a cockatrice, causing Sweetie Belle's concern to rise. She got to her hooves and looked around in alarm before remembering what a cockatrice was. As she ducked her head and snapped her eyes shut she felt something whoosh overhead and heard a triumphant yell that was now behind her.

“It's okay, you're safe now.” The voice, just as squeaky as Sweetie's own, had a prideful edge to it.

“Did it go away?” Sweetie Belle asked, struggling to keep her voice in check as she peeked out with one eye.

The colt made an affirming noise. Sweetie Belle stood up, still shaking as she turned to look around. There was nothing out of the ordinary. Her 'hero' stood a few feet away, poking a stick at a point in the air just in front of him. After a moment he gave a satisfied nod and began to walk away. Sweetie Belle's look of confusion returned with a vengeance as she trailed along behind him. None of the other students were even panicking.

“That was a cockatrice, they'll turn you to stone with one look. It's okay now though, I've fought hundreds like him. I'll bet he was my brother's pet.”

“Your brother?” Sweetie Belle looked around, but saw no other ponies nearby, let alone a cockatrice.

The colt gave a nod and replied, “My brother was a terrible sorcerer here in the Everfree, I came here to try and reason with him but he was driven mad by his own power... in the end I-I... had no choice.” he gave an exaggerated sniff and pointed with his stick towards a spot Sweetie recognized as the one where she'd first approached him.

This was getting weird. “So you're telling me your invisible brother has an invisible cockatrice and you came here to stop him?” Sweetie Belle chose to ignore the part about the Everfree Forest.

“Uh-huh. My name's Dreamdrop. I'm a knight of King Art-Fur.” Dreamdrop turned around suddenly, a look somewhere between delight and shock in his eyes, “You must be the princess he captured! How did you escape your cell though?”

It all snapped into place. The Everfree, the cockatrice, the weird way this colt was talking. It was all a game of play pretend. Sweetie Belle hung her head in embarrassment, she probably would've continued being lost if he hadn't mentioned King Artfur, the legendary hero of the Knights of the Round Stables stories. Sweetie Belle wasn't a fan herself, but she'd read the stories with Apple Bloom the one time that they tried to be Cutie Mark Crusader Mythologists. Scootaloo hadn't even made it through the first chapter before deciding to move on to 'Cutie Mark Crusader Legendary Knights', which had ended equally without result.

Maybe she could be a Cutie Mark Crusader role-player? Sweetie Belle rubbed her foreleg anxiously. “... Of course, that's me! I'm Princess Sweetie Belle, and I, umm, rule over the Everfree Forest! A-and I wasn't really trapped anyways, I let the sorcerer capture me so I could... do something?” she already felt like she wasn't very good at this. Maybe she should've made up a more princess-like name.

“Wow! That's really brave, princess!” Dreamdrop replied. The colt stopped and sat down on a large rock before clapping appreciatively.

It made Sweetie Belle beam. Maybe she could pull it off after all. “Yes!” she agreed, “I guess it was. So, umm, do you mind if I play with you for a while?”

Dreamdrop leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, Sweetie tilted her head so she could hear him, “Sure, you can play with me any time,” he turned to walk away, putting on his acting voice again. “I'll travel with you, princess. It's safer if we work together to escape my brother's tower.”

With a twinge of jealousy, she noticed his cutie mark: it looked like a long stick or a staff, with a pointy blue hat balanced on top. The implication made her hop with joy, though. If Dreamdrop could get a cutie mark for playing-pretend she was sure that she could too. Sweetie Belle followed Dreamdrop with a pleasant grin, humming the Cutie Mark Crusader theme song as she went. They played for the rest of recess, escaping through tunnels beneath the sorcerer's tower only to find themselves in a dangerous bog. Princess Sweetie Belle was way better at magic than regular Sweetie Belle, and for a while she felt like an empowered noble pony.

By the time they went back to class Sweetie Belle was unsurprised to see she'd gained no mark for her role as the princess of Everfree Forest. It didn't really matter, she and her friends were used to that particular disappointment. The fact that she'd managed to find a way to pass the time without moping was blessing enough. They trudged back to the schoolhouse together, grudgingly returning to their seats to finish off the school day. They made no appointment to play again at a later date, the thought hadn't even crossed Sweetie Belle's mind. By tomorrow Scootaloo – and hopefully Apple Bloom – would be back, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders would be back on track.

No dice. The first lessons of the day came and went in a blur. Sweetie Belle's desk thanked her for the absence of her now-aching forehead, but she wasn't any less bored or downtrodden by her lack of company. Miss Cheerilee had been eying her again, but hadn't called on her in class. It was probably for the best, Sweetie Belle's mind was filled with the near-constant chimes of imaginary music set to an invisible metronome. It didn't make the time pass any more quickly, but it helped set the mood.

After they were let out to stretch their legs, Sweetie Belle trudged once more towards the picnic table from the previous day. Part of her wanted to be angry at her friends for not showing up, but what good did that do her? In the end all she could accomplish was to blame it on bad luck and wait until the day was over. She was so distracted by her own frustration that she didn't notice Dreamdrop sitting at the bench opposite her as she approached the table. They sat across from each other in utter silence for a moment before their eyes met. Admittedly, Sweetie Belle had almost forgotten about him.

“Hi, princess,” Dreamdrop said, waving enthusiastically. “ready to continue our mission?”

Sweetie Belle thought for a moment, considering how her friends had abandoned her there and dreading the alternative, a day of moping, if she said no. There she was, wanting for a friend, and here was a pony who was perfectly willing to be one. It was too good an offer to turn down, really, even if she knew she wasn't going to get a cutie mark from it. Then Apple Bloom and Scootaloo could return, and she'd be able to say that she hadn't been moping at all without them.

“Yes!” she replied, a little more aggressive than she had intended. “Yes, I am! Let's go, Dreamdrop. We're going to have the best adventures ever!”

Or at least she'd pretend that it was. That day Princess Sweetie Belle and Sir Dreamdrop had a lot to get done. After finally escaping from the sorcerer's tower they were stuck in a bog, supposedly filled with poisonous creatures; the likes of which the real Sweetie Belle couldn't quite imagine. Dreamdrop told her all about the history of the tower, and the plants and animals in the surrounding forest. Sweetie Belle marveled at the way he stored and expressed information, but none of it was making an impression on her. Try as she might, she could only see a grassy schoolyard.

Maybe it was part of being a Cutie Mark Crusader, but Sweetie Belle found it hard to hold her focus on their make-believe. Either going from one task to another in rapid succession had ruined her ability to focus, or she just wasn't cut out for storytelling. The wider Dreamdrop wove the tapestry of his fictional kingdom, the more she only thought him weird. It must've taken up a lot of free-time to devise a world as intricate as the one he was trying to share with her, especially considering she'd only become a part of it just the day prior. Apparently Dreamdrop already had an entire history laid out for the character of Princess Sweetie Belle, and he was sworn to protect her by some sort of divine pact.

They hadn't made it far before Sweetie Belle had begun to lose steam. Dreamdrop had energy to spare, and a supply of ideas that would last them an eternity, but Sweetie Belle was tiring of the extended acting. It made her wonder why he enjoyed it so much that he had played alone like that for so long. It didn't seem like pretending to be someone else forever was really all that fun. Reluctantly, she decided to ask him about it.  

“Dreamdrop...?” Sweetie Belle began, approaching him slowly and trying to think of how to remain tactful. “Why do you make up so many stories?”

The colt jumped, looking startled, genuinely surprised for the first time since they'd met. There was a glint in his eye, something Sweetie Belle was too young to catch or understand. It was akin to sadness, but not quite regret. Dreamdrop dug at the ground, head weighed down under her confused gaze. It was the first time he hadn't come back with an immediate response, and also probably the first time that they hadn't been in-character for more than a few moments. Sweetie Belle shuffled impatiently, not sure why he couldn't just answer her.

Finally, Dreamdrop looked up into her eyes. “I like magic,” he said, bluntly, as if it were something to be ashamed of. Sweetie Belle tilted her head, unsure of the connection, but he continued after a pause. “A while ago I saw a showpony called Trixie here in town... she wasn't very nice, but her act was amazing. I wanted to do magic like that too, but I'm just an earth pony. I'll never be a unicorn, my dad says that's impossible, but I can make up stories that help me imagine what it'd be like to have magic and travel the world.”

Sweetie Belle didn't really understand, she'd heard of Trixie from her sister. A boastful unicorn who'd made herself infamous by flaunting her magic and making up stories about her accomplishments. It didn't make sense that such a pony could've inspired Dreamdrop to start making stories and playing games like the one they were in the middle of. She wanted to protest, but it was true that he was just an earth pony, so what else could she say? It made her feel weird, powerless. Sweetie Belle didn't like it one bit, she gave her head a vigorous shake and hopped to stand in front of Dreamdrop.

“Well.. let's keep playing, okay? You said before that we have to sneak up on those bandits.” Sweetie Belle pointed hopefully at a clump of bushes that she at least thought were the ones he'd indicated before their little break.

Dreamdrop nodded, his jubilation returned immediately. As he slipped into a low crouch and began to make his way towards the shrubs Princess Sweetie followed with her slow tip-toed gait. Still, she couldn't help but feel concerned. Dreamdrop's games came across as foalish to most of the other students, so it wasn't like he had anyone else to play with. Sweetie Belle was already having trouble keeping track of their adventures, and she really just wanted to get back to Crusading... hopefully Scootaloo and Apple Bloom would be back in school by the following day.

Sweetie Belle charged through the door to Rarity's boutique, knocking askew a flowerpot and nearly smashing a small end-table behind the door. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo had made no appearance at school that day, again. Dreamdrop, on the other hand, greeted her as soon as her hooves touched school property. After a whole day of being called 'princess' and being coerced into reluctantly playing along with his game, she'd had enough. Dreamdrop evidently hadn't though. The young colt had materialized just outside the schoolhouse as quickly and mysteriously as Pinkie Pie's famed talent for similarly jarring arrivals. Sweetie Belle had managed to slip away, escaping to her sister's store where she now sat in a heap, barring the entryway. It was a store after all, so there wasn't much else to prevent Dreamdrop from waltzing in.

“Sweetie Belle, please, you've tracked in dirt and you're laying there like a living deadbolt. School can't have been that tiring that you can't even make it to the sofa to lie down.”

Rarity, stunning as always, materialized in front of her. As was usual, she glowered down with just a hint of exasperation, floating in a sea of despair at the state of both her sister and her flooring.

“On second thought,” Rarity added, darting away for a moment and returning with a thin blanket of plastic, which she draped over the sofa. “There, now you may lounge to your heart's content while I finish my work.”

Of course. Work. Sweetie Belle frowned at the word. There were more important matters to deal with than her opinions on Rarity's eternally busy schedule. “Look out the window, is he still there?” she asked, refusing to move.

“He? He who?” Rarity inquired, moving aside a curtain and staring curiously out front. “Sweetie Belle, there's absolutely no one out there. Get away from the door and clean yourself up, do it for your sister's sake?”

Sweetie Belle heaved a sigh of relief as she got up. After a quick peek outside she brushed off her hooves on the doormat and retreated indoors again. Rarity was already fast at work, stitching together a purple ensemble that matched her mane. She paused for a moment, examining a thread closely as if willing it to shift into place. Apparently satisfied that her telepathy had had the intended effect she went back to stitching and Sweetie Belle decided it was safe to approach.

“Rarity, you're popular, right?” she asked. It was a loaded question.

“Sweetie Belle,” Rarity said with a chuckle, staring mirthfully out the corner of her eye. “You're talking to a Ponyville's finest fashion designer. I export my designs to Canterlot, Hoofington, and beyond. And I am a lady of both elegance and class.”

Sweetie Belle blinked silently. “I'll... take that as a yes. What are you supposed to do if people want to hang out with you and you can't tell them to go away?”

Rarity's face scrunched up slightly, be it from her work or the question, Sweetie Belle couldn't tell. Either way, Rarity soon continued both stitching and speaking, “There are times when other ponies may get overzealous, or downright boorish, and I'd like to separate myself from their company. Obviously the best way to escape an... unpleasant pony, is to excuse yourself with dignity,” she paused, thinking before she added, “and an excuse can't hurt, either.”

“That's simple enough,” Sweetie Belle agreed, although looking none too pleased. “I already tried that though, and he followed me anyways.”

“What's this about, Sweetie Belle? Are you being... bullied... for not receiving your cutie mark yet? I've told you, some ponies just don't know how to interact without their rude and uncouth demeanor, you simply can't let them bother you. They're just sad, miserable little ponies trying to-”

“I'm not being bullied though. I played with this boy yesterday, since Apple Bloom and Scootaloo weren't at school, and now he keeps following me.”

Rarity laughed sharply, she realized it was a mistake and stopped breathing altogether as she pressed her nose to the fabric in front of her. After a while she let out a sigh of relief and set aside her work. Finally she gave her full focus to Sweetie Belle, smiling in her most sisterly patronizing way as she spoke, “It sounds to me like you've just made a friend, really it doesn't sound that bad. It's only natural that you would begin to attract the attention of young colts in your class. Why, when I was in school, I knew a number of gentlecolts who delighted in my company. You may be a tad rough around the edges, but you are my sister after all.”

Sweetie Belle tightened her glare before giving a resigned response. “Well I hope there's a cutie mark for being stalked...”

“I'm sure you're exaggerating, he didn't even follow you home. If you simply must be rid of your little friend you should just be honest, and tell him that you don't enjoy his company and would like to be left alone.”

Well she definitely didn't want to be alone, but she couldn't take another nonstop foray into the adventures of 'Princess Sweetie Belle' and 'Sir Dreamdrop of the Round Stables'. Rarity returned to her dressmaking, leaving Sweetie Belle to figure it out on her own. It looked like her sister was going to be busy for a while. Sweetie dragged her hooves along the floor, scuffing it slightly as she made her way towards and up the stairs at the opposite end of the boutique. Left to her own devices, she spent the rest of the day coloring upstairs and contemplating her situation.

“I wonder what Apple Bloom or Scootaloo would do...” she huffed.

Apple Bloom would've probably been friends with Dreamdrop all the same, maybe made him an honorary Cutie Mark Crusader, even though he already had one. That was just a given, with the Apple family hospitality. Sweetie Belle doubted that Scootaloo would've approached the daydreaming colt at all, with how weird he'd been acting. Thinking about her friends just made her even more depressed. The piece of paper she'd been drawing on resembled nothing short of a jumble of scribbles, blue and red primarily. Eventually Rarity called her down, and they spent some time together before dinner. It felt good to have her sister's attention, but she wasn't able to block out her concerns. After dinner she went to bed early.

After a relatively good night's rest, Sweetie Belle's mood wasn't much improved. If she could've fooled Rarity, she would've stayed home from school. Instead, she was up and out the door. Rarity dropped her off at the schoolhouse just before class began. All the students were already inside, which at least saved her an encounter with Dreamdrop. Once she'd trudged through the doors, however, Sweetie Belle's spirits were immediately lifted by the two fillies pleasantly chattering at her table. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo had returned at last. Sweetie Belle hurried to the table without a second glance at the rest of the room.

“Sweetie Belle! How's it going?” Scootaloo chimed.

“Hey, Sweetie Belle, I got a great idea while I was away.” Apple Bloom said brightly.

Sweetie beamed with more joy than she thought possible to muster the night before. “Hey Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, you have no idea how much I missed you two.” her voice cracked multiple times in her excitement.

Apple Bloom continued, “I was lyin' in bed thinkin' it was such a waste of good Crusading time, but I had a thought. What if we could earn a cutie mark for gettin' bed rest?”

Scootaloo rolled her eyes, telling Sweetie Belle that they'd been stuck on this topic for a while. Sweetie Belle couldn't help but give her friend a complacent smile for the absurdity of the idea. There she'd been the day before, wondering if it was possible to get a cutie mark for role-playing and Apple Bloom thought they could get one from being sick. It was a testament to how far each of them were willing to go to find out what their special talent was. Somehow Sweetie Belle would've been perfectly happy to learn laying in bed wasn't her purpose in life.

Before they could continue any further, Miss Cheerilee loomed over their table. The three fillies turned to her with innocent grins, each contemplating what they'd just missed and were about to be scolded for. Instead their teacher smiled fondly at each in turn before settling on Sweetie Belle. Their eyes met, Miss Cheerilee's gaze searching her over. Seemingly unsatisfied, she cleared her throat and asked Sweetie Belle to come with her. They walked just outside the classroom and stopped. Sweetie Belle could only fix her teacher with a heartrendingly lost stare as she was dragged away from her friends towards an unknown fate.

“Is everything alright, Sweetie Belle?” Miss Cheerilee began, “I noticed you haven't been exactly cheery these past few days.”

Sweetie Belle's composure and glee came rushing back instantly. “Yes, ma'am, Miss Cheerilee. I was just sort of depressed Apple Bloom and Scootaloo weren't at class those days.”

Cheerilee hummed, then gave Sweetie Belle another searching gaze, and finally smiled. “I thought that might be the case. You three are together so often, it almost looked strange when I saw you playing with Dreamdrop.”

Internally Sweetie Belle blanched. She'd almost forgotten about her life as a princess. At least now everything could go back to normal.

“Dreamdrop is always so distant, I don't think the other foals can appreciate his stories as much as he does. It was very nice to see you taking some time aside to be his friend.”

Uh-oh. Red flags went up everywhere in Sweetie Belle's mind. Miss Cheerilee had opened up a deep well of guilt. Sweetie thought back to when she'd seen him playing alone, and when she'd felt bad without any friends at recess. It was just the other day, but it felt much longer than that. Dreamdrop hadn't seemed to mind being alone, but was he really going to be okay if she just stopped being his friend? Sweetie considered Rarity's advice on the subject, but she couldn't imagine just nonchalantly telling anypony she didn't want to hang out with them anymore.

They returned to class. Sweetie Belle's head sank onto the table with a familiar thunk. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo stared at her as she wallowed in her own private thoughts. For an absurd moment she wondered if Princess Celestia herself ever felt such a weight from her royal title. The class dragged on until the bell rang, igniting the joyous cries of the other children and only eliciting a small pleading whine from Sweetie Belle. The fillies on either side of her each took a foreleg and proceeded to drag her from the classroom with concerned looks on their faces.

With a multitude of groans and complaints, the two managed to haul Sweetie Belle out into the yard. Once they reached the picnic table she'd sat at when she first spotted Dreamdrop they draped her unceremoniously over one bench and sat opposite her. Sweetie Belle lifted her head just high enough to look across the table at them. Scootaloo's stare was downright accusative, while Apple Bloom merely looked confused.

“What's the big idea?” Scootaloo snapped, beginning the interrogation. “There's no cutie mark for moping around, you know.”

Apple Bloom gave a decisive nod, “Yeah, what'd Miss Cheerilee say that made you so down? You got more dead weight than a sack of boulders.”

Sweetie Belle furrowed her brow and lunged over the table, “It's Dreamdrop! He's a really weird colt, and I played with him while you guys weren't here, but now he won't leave me alone... it's starting to creep me out.”

Scootaloo reeled back as if violently shoved. Betrayal was evident in the filly's tone, “Dreamdrop? Who's that? And what do you mean 'played with him'?”

“Ah know 'im, Ah know 'im!” Apple Bloom chimed, raising her hoof in answer. “Dreamdrop's a super storyteller pony, he comes with his dad to buy apples from us all the time. He's one of the nicest colts I ever met.”

“He's nice alright, too nice. I might throw up if he calls me 'princess' anymore. I don't know how much I can take.”

Apple Bloom paused. The silence hung thick in the air like a plastic curtain between them. Sweetie Belle shuffled uncomfortably. Scootaloo shared a conspiring glance with Apple Bloom and they whispered something to each other. Sweetie Belle got the distinct impression that things hadn't gone the way that she hoped they would.

“Do you think...?” Scootaloo began.

“Could it be...?” Apple Bloom continued.

“Please don't say it...” Sweetie Belle groaned.

“Your very special somepony?” they asked in unison. Apple Bloom had stars in her eyes and a goofy grin to match. Scootaloo looked disgusted and disapproving.

Sweetie Belle leaned back, flailing her hooves in exasperation and nearly falling off the bench. “Great! Now everypony's gone insane... I'm so glad I could rely on my 'friends'.”

Scootaloo waved a hoof dismissively before leaning on the table. “If he bugs you so much just kick him to the curb.”

“I can't do that... it's not like he has any friends, he's super weird. If I stop hanging out with him then he'll get depressed and it'll be all my fault.”

“You could change your name and move to a different town! Maybe he'll just think you were a figment of his imagination.” Apple Bloom offered.

Sweetie Belle stared back in wistful contemplation. Finally she shook her head, “That would never work... and even if it did, he'd still be depressed. I don't want to hurt him, I just don't want to be his princess forever!”

They sat in silence for a moment. No one could think up a good solution. Sweetie Belle wasn't even sure that her friends understood the problem. Scootaloo had already lost interest in any sort of diplomatic plan. Sweetie Belle wondered briefly, with a sigh, whether Dreamdrop could be brainwashed into the life of a normal pony. Is it bad to think like that? She thought. Rarity would probably be alright with brainwashing, if it had any application in the fashion industry.

“Hail, Princess Sweetie Belle!”

Sweetie Belle jumped at the unexpected shout from behind. In the blink of an eye she was cowering beneath the table, staring with wide eyes at Dreamdrop. Uncanny, unfair! He had to be able to read minds, maybe he could even detect betrayal. Sweetie Belle swallowed a lump in her throat and gave a tentative wave, but it was quickly overshadowed. Apple Bloom launched over the table, offering a hoof to shake with Dreamdrop and greeted him pleasantly.

“Hi there, Dreamdrop, um you... weren't listening to us or anythin', right?” she said with a nervous edge to her tone.

“Great job,” Sweetie whispered at her friend's flank. “That wasn't suspicious at all.”

They all watched as Sweetie Belle awkwardly clambered out from her hiding spot beneath the table. She exited on the side of her friends and almost fell face-first into the dirt as she tried to spin into a sitting position. Once comfortably situated between her friends, she propped her forelegs up on the table and rested her chin in her hooves with casual grace. Hoping to negate any questions Apple Bloom's question might have brought to light.

“Why hello, Dreamdrop, it's simply marvelous to see you today.” Sweetie Belle's voice dripped with an exaggerated poshness. Her smile was anything but genuine.

Dreamdrop didn't seem to mind. Crisis averted. The colt was chipper as ever, “Hi, princess, are you well today?”

“What kind of question is that?” Apple Bloom chuckled nervously. Sweetie Belle jabbed her sharply in the ribs.

Scootaloo rolled her eyes at both of them, taking her chance to divert Dreamdrop's attention. Everything about her body language spoke hostility as she asked, “What do you want with us anyways? We've got a lot of crusading to take care of, so if it's all the same to you-”

“No problem! I was just going to ask the princess if she wanted to come over to my house for dinner, it was my dad's idea.”

“Of course, that would be most- wait, what?!” Sweetie Belle mustered all her elegance as she replied, but in her concentration she completely ignore the request itself. Before she knew it Dreamdrop was bounding away in elation. Sweetie stretched a hoof after him as if she could snag the words she'd spoken out of the air. “Why'd you let me do that...?” Sweetie moaned, draping herself over Apple Bloom. “This is worst possible thing...”

Apple Bloom patted her idly on the shoulder, “You've been spendin' a bit too much time with Rarity, haven't ya?”

“Sweetie Belle, don't look so glum. We wouldn't want our hosts to think we don't appreciate their invitation.” Rarity heckled her sister as they walked across Ponyville Square.

It had been like that the whole way. Rarity was practically bouncing down the road whilst Sweetie Belle all but dragged herself. The younger sister didn't bother to mention that Rarity technically hadn't been invited at all, and had come along of her own accord. Maybe Dreamdrop's mother would get offended and throw them both out. Sweetie Belle didn't think it likely, considering her stream of luck lately.

“I don't want to go,” Sweetie Belle complained, “his house is probably really weird.”

Rarity clicked her tongue impatiently, “Don't be cruel, I'm sure it's a splendid home. Besides, your sister has done a little 'social reconnaissance', and it turns out your friend's father is Curtain Call; he's a famous prop and costume manager for almost half the Broadway productions in Equestria,” the unicorn's eyes seemed to glisten like her gem-encrusted dinner gown. “You can't be selfish, Sweetie Belle. This connection could be the deal of a lifetime... even if my fashion ensembles are geared more towards the social elite than theater arts.”

Sweetie Belle huffed, wanting to be happy for Rarity but falling just short. Maybe it would've been better if Rarity hadn't forced her to wear a dress and practically held her down to tie a ribbon in her mane. Maybe I'll get lucky and earn an arranged marriage cutie mark, she thought grimly. Dreamdrop would probably make her move into a castle and pretend to cook dragon for breakfast every morning. All the negativity assaulting Sweetie Belle's emotions was actually beginning to push her past the barrier of resignation. Might as well enjoy the free meal.

“Now,” Rarity started again, “remember, whatever you must do, be sure to show off your dress. I've tailored it with an extra helping of flair, just to grab the eye. I know you're not a fashion model, but with any luck we can use your natural adorable nature to help bring to light the fabulosity of my designs.”

“Rarity, is work all you think about?”

“Of course not, it wouldn't do for a lady to be so easily read and predictable.”

Rarity scowled at the dubious 'uh-huh' that followed. They spent the rest of the walk in silence, having mutually agreed to be as fabulous as possible. At least in the presence of Dreamdrop's father. The residence was on the south end of Ponyville, nearly at the outskirts, but it wasn't too long of a walk. Having brooded off most of her bad mood, Sweetie Belle was actually somewhat excited. It'd been a while since she'd gone to any new places, and she was having a fun time imagining what quirks Dreamdrop's house might have.

They came to the end of a winding residential road and stood before their destination. Sweetie Belle paused, staring at the numbers on the mailbox outside to be sure it was the right address. The little unicorn raised an eyebrow judgmentally at the abode before her, thoroughly disappointed. It was a plain beige cottage, two stories tall with a chimney near the back corner. It was just like every other house on the street, with minor shifts in the placement of the door or the front windows. The yard was bordered by an unpainted wooden fence, sharply pointed at the tip of each board, it looked almost dangerous. The term ‘garden’ was too generous for the loosely defined patch of flowers that speckled the yard. It was hard to tell if the array of plants had grown naturally or were deliberate additions. It looked almost dangerous. Rarity's appraising hum imparted her own disappointment at the shabby venue.

“It's got... character.” Rarity said, finally deciding on a word.

Sweetie glanced from the house to its neighbor and then back. She cocked her head nearly sideways at the building as she replied, “Character?”

“Yes, there's a story to this old hov- I mean home... like... who murdered the gardener?”

A small grin graced Sweetie Belle's face. At least bits of it weren't falling off. The house seemed to be in good condition, if a little neglected in terms of aesthetics. Levity gave her the extra shove required to set down the unevenly laid stepping stones to the front door, hopping from one to the next as her sister daintily strolled across them. Sweetie reached the door first, in spite of her slow well-aimed hops, and waited for her sister before raising a hoof to knock.

No sooner had her hoof touched the not-quite-wood composite of the door than it had swung open. Sweetie Belle watched straight ahead, expecting to see a beaming Dreamdrop before he swept into a bow. Instead she was staring at the shins of a stallion with a near-black coat, and beyond him a stunningly modern—and alarmingly shiny due to an abundance of metal and glass—home. The stallion, presumably Curtain Call, wore a simple brown vest with a white collared shirt. Curtain's blonde hair was wavier than Dreamdrop's, but it fell over his forehead in the same way, albeit slightly neater. Curtain's cutie mark was a gold and silver opera mask.

The stallion was looking straight down at Sweetie Belle, and he'd opened his mouth to speak, however he then caught sight of Rarity. At first confusion struck him, an alarm triggered in Sweetie Belle's mind. She hadn't mentioned that she'd be attending with her sister. What if Curtain Call mistook Rarity for her mother? What if he said it out loud? What if Rarity flew into a rage and destroyed Dreamdrop's house and the family had to move in with Sweetie Belle to make up for the damages while they were having their home repaired?!

In what felt like slow motion, Sweetie Belle leapt back, putting herself between her sister and Curtain. “Don't do it Rarity! You're young and vibrant and lustrous, and we really like your mane, too.”

Rarity's eyes were wide. Curtain's looked like dinner plates. Sweetie Belle stood between them, huffing slightly from her outburst as a band of scarlet bloomed across Rarity's nose and cheeks. An anxious chuckle split from her elder sister's lips as she scooted Sweetie Belle out of the way. She fell back to all fours and looked at the ground, silently cursing her own imagination. Really? As if Rarity would really attack another pony...

“Such a... flatterer, my sister, where are our manners?!” Rarity deflected, still trying to shove Sweetie into the safe confinements of her shadow as the smaller unicorn chewed at the hoof gagging her like a pastel piranha. “This is Sweetie Belle, and I'm her sister, Rarity.” she gave a dazzling smile. Sweetie Belle was forced to avert her eyes from the sheen of her thrice-brushed teeth.

Curtain seemed appeased, his momentary confusion was replaced with an almost giddy twitching. “Welcome, welcome! Dreamdrop told me all about your sister, but he never mentioned that the Rarity would be coming to dinner too.”

“Sorry...” Sweetie Belle muttered, unnecessarily. Apparently he didn't mind an extra unannounced guest.

“Quite alright,” Curtain continued, “I recall meeting briefly in Canterlot. You were quite the talk of the town, at the time.”

“Ooh, haha, you know me?” replied a flustered Rarity, flipping her mane and basking in her own recognition.

Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes and allowed herself into the house as Curtain stepped aside for them. It didn't seem like she needed to be there to make a good impression now that he had revealed himself as a fan of Rarity's work. They'd be talking boots and oversized hats for hours to come.

The amount of fragile-looking objects in the house was astounding, and left Sweetie Belle feeling like she was stumbling through a minefield... blindfolded... with sharp tacks everywhere. There were dozens of glass cases filled with various props from theater productions or movies. It looked as though Curtain was a collector as well as a designer. Some looked mundane, costumes, dining sets, it looked more like a museum from someone's past than a collection of treasures. Sweetie Belle tip-toed past, but she could've sworn she saw one of the cases shudder at the lightest brush from her tail... better make a run for it. Sweetie bolted from the spot and escaped through an archway to her left.

Heaving a deep sigh she turned to examine her surroundings oblivious to the vase that had fallen to the carpet floor with a bass thump in the room behind her. The air smelled like broccoli and cheese, and was rather warm. Sweetie Belle sniffed out the chromed oven and peeked inside at a casserole baking within. There was a bowl of fruit salad on the counter and over the bar she could see into the living room where Rarity and Curtain were discussing stitching techniques. Sweetie Belle dropped back to all fours, not chancing a nibble at the assortment of apples, grapes, and citrus fruit in the bowl.

“Princess!”

The familiar call marked an end to Sweetie Belle's exploration. The unicorn wheeled around to face him, a grin plastered on her face. Dreamdrop stood a few feet away, peeking in through the archway she'd entered from. The colt was giving her a strange look, which caused her to look back over her shoulder as if suddenly interested in the faint bubbling noise of the casserole as she fussed with the neckline of her dress. Suddenly she was wishing she hadn't agreed to it, especially now that she saw Dreamdrop. The colt was never quite a mess, but it was clear his mane hadn't been tamed, and he hadn't bothered to dress for the occasion. In hindsight, wearing formal attire to a friend's house was just a weird concept.

Sweetie Belle blinked, realizing her mind had wandered. “Hi, Dreampdrop.” She coughed, as if that made up for her long pause. “I like your house, it's got tons of... character.”

Dreamdrop snorted, not the response Sweetie Belle expected. The colt went on without pause, “This is just the kitchen. You haven't seen the tower, the dungeon, the Wailing Woods. It's nice to play somewhere different for a change.”

“Dungeons?” Sweetie Belle inquired, her interest easily baited.

“And dragons!” Dreamdrop confirmed.

Part of Sweetie Belle wouldn't have been surprised. It would've made a better conversation piece than a dark and musty basement anyways. Although things might get awkward very quickly if she found out Dreamdrop was holding Twilight's library assistant prisoner in the basement.

Dreamdrop was leading her away, waving a beckoning hoof. “I'll show you everything. Dinner'll be a while anyways.”

The unicorn followed after, smiling a bit at the way Dreamdrop half-skipped through the halls of his own home. As if it were a candy factory... Note to self: cutie mark crusader confectioners? Twist came to mind, and Sweetie Belle filed the idea away for later. The tour had begun. Dreamdrop led her opposite the way she'd come in, bringing them to a narrow hallway lined with portraits. Sweetie Belle spied a number of Dreamdrop in varying ages, a picture of a much younger Curtain call holding an award, and a few pictures of the two of them in a variety of venues. Sweetie Belle propped herself up against the wall to examine one where they appeared backstage at a performance, wires and lighting rigs lining the background. It was a candid photo, Dreamdrop wore a megaphone atop his head and was saying something to his laughing father.

“That's boring!” Dreamdrop cooed, suddenly beside her again. He looked up at the photo nervously.

Sweetie Belle ignored him, peeking at the next photo down the line. A maize-colored mare with a voluminous curly red mane hung around Curtain's neck. This one was on a set too—Sweetie couldn't tell if it was the same one—but Dreamdrop wasn't in it. A thin crack ran along the glass of the picture frame, spreading from a small fracture point near the upper right corner. The mare was pretty, but she didn't look very much like Dreamdrop besides the shape of her eyes. Somewhere beside her the colt in question shuffled, and Sweetie Belle finally acknowledged. The filly dropped to all fours and followed him down the rest of the hallway, only sparing glances at the rest of the photos. The mare - whom she assumed was Dreamdrop's mother - only appeared in them sparingly.

“Look here, Princess.” Dreamdrop beckoned.

They stood in a parlor, surprisingly less modern than the rest of the house. Awards hung on a shelf on the front wall, the back wall beside them was dominated by a large glass window that looked out into the backyard. The rear of the house looked just as unkempt as the front. The cobalt pony led her to a spot beside a large stone fireplace, easily big enough to fit the both of them in, side-by-side. Sweetie Belle waited politely, her host staring at the sooty hollow as if it had some greater meaning.

Finally he explained, “It's an altar to the Old god! Look at the arcane sketchings.”

Sweetie Belle peered closer, placing her hooves on the edge of the fireplace, her white coat was instantly spotted with dark patches of gray. Despite her closest inspection she only saw a handful of crudely drawn chalk lines and wonky symbols. It was probably safe to assume that art had played no part in Dreamdrop's cutie mark acquisition. Nevertheless, she “ooh'd” and “ahh'd” at the discovery. Seemingly satisfied, the colt led her away from it.

“It's nothin' to worry about though. I sealed it off myself ages ago, bad spirits were using it to try and take over Ponyville.”

“What would spirits want with Ponyville?” Sweetie Belle mused aloud.

Dreamdrop sighed in a 'this-will-take-a-while' manner. “It's a long story. Ponyville was started by earth ponies, without any magic, so it was clean land. Magic stuff doesn't play along real well, so the Old gods thought this was a good spot to put their portal.”

“That makes sense.” No, it didn't. Sweetie Belle had never heard anything like that about Ponyville. Whether or not magic cooperated with other magic was a topic she didn't have much evidence to go on. Still, she was willing to play along.

The tour continued down that track. Dreamdrop led her in a circuitous route and paused every so often to point out some mundane thing, casting his unusual viewpoint on it. Sweetie Belle knew better now than to take his teachings as fact, and part of her was annoyed that he presented it as such, but she got the hint that everything was just a little bit different through Dreamdrop's eyes. Decorative props on the walls became his family's coat-of-arms, a scratch in the paint was some sort of tear created by otherworldly creatures attempting to gain entry into their world. They didn't make it to the 'dungeon' before dinner time beckoned them away.

Dreamdrop looked disappointed. “We didn't get to play at all,” he complained. “I got caught up showing you everything.”

“That's okay,” she murmured in reply. Sweetie Belle kept back the fact that 'playing' with Dreamdrop was the one thing that she'd actually dreaded in visiting his home. The experience thus far had been preferable, even if it all just confirmed the colt was clearly insane.

They sat down to eat at a table built for six. Curtain sat at the head, Rarity and Sweetie Belle were side-by-side on his left and Dreamdrop was across from them. Whoever the redhead mare from the photos was, she wasn't present at the dinner table. Sweetie Belle paused awkwardly as the others began to eat, politely awaiting the arrival of Dreamdrop's mother. It became apparent, however, that no one else was going to arrive.

“What have you two been up to?” Curtain inquired, leveling his snout at his son.

“I gave the princess a tour.” Dreamdrop replied, somewhat vaguely. As he picked at his casserole it was evident he was less thrilled by dinner than he was by the fireplace.

Curtain gave a 'hmm' and took a bite before continuing. “Did you show her the back yard?”

Dreamdrop practically winced. Sweetie Belle raised an eyebrow, looking inquisitively at Rarity, but her sister gave no answer. The elder unicorn was eating, slowly and respectfully silent, something told Sweetie that her sister knew something about the colt's reaction. As she contemplated asking about it Sweetie Belle inflated her cheeks, letting out a brief puff of air as she decided against it.

“Nope, I thought it was getting dark.”

“You can take the lantern if you like, it's in the cupboard by the stairs.” Curtain Call seemed to be prodding his son. It made for an awkward listening experience. Dreamdrop gave a noise of confirmation as he picked at his food. Curtain addressed Sweetie next, “So, 'princess', eh?” he chuckled, “You like making stories too?”

Not really. “Dreamdrop's much better than I am,” she deflected.

Curtain gave a snort, an abruptly UN-fabulous noise that brought Rarity's reproachful stare upon him. The stallion went on, “You should see his 'tower'. Dreamdrop is quite the clutter-bug, but he's got dozens of stories. If I didn't know better I'd think he was hiding a horn under that mane, his mouthwriting is impressive.”

They fell onto the haunches of smalltalk, topics encompassing school, the meal itself, the recent weather schedule, and Curtain's recent work. Sweetie Belle enjoyed the food, although conversation was quickly dominated by her and Dreamdrop's respective guardians. Rarity gushed about one play or another that she'd been 'lucky enough' to see, Curtain exchanged the names of contacts and cloth providers who worked with fair prices. The two even had a few of the same suppliers, despite that Curtain worked in a slightly different field than fashion itself. Even Sweetie Belle had to admit that it was boring. Dreamdrop had finished his plate in a flash and was already extracting himself from the table. Sweetie hesitated, looking down at a plate still laden with squishy greens, but quickly followed suit when the topic of Canterlot came up.

“Could you believe every night is like that?” Dreamdrop muttered, waiting for her in the hall outside the dining room.

Although tempted to agree, she replied honestly, “It wasn't that bad. Seemed like a normal dinner to me. Rarity talks about work all the time, so I'm used to it.”

“I know,” he went on. “it's just... boring. I don't get why people are so excited by that stuff. It's too normal.”

Judging by the way he said 'normal', Dreamdrop's idea of dinner conversation was dragons and ancient curses... like everything else. Sweetie Belle shuffled anxiously, unable to deny him without pointing out how strange he was. Everything seemed to come back to that fact. Sweetie Belle had been enjoying the out-of-character experiences they'd had, but it was never destined to last for long.

The colt shrugged. “We can play now though, do you think we should come up with a new idea, since we're in a different place?”

While the idea of establishing a new persona to escape 'Princess Sweetie Belle' held some allure, the little unicorn would rather that they could try an activity that hadn't been burned of all fuel. Dreamdrop already looked disappointed and confused when she didn't respond immediately. It took her a moment further to decide on some sort of acceptable alternative.

Finally, she suggested weakly, “How about we play a board game, like checkers. Something more... conventional.”

“Conventional?” Dreamdrop cocked his head wryly at the word before adding pensively, “Checkers...”

Sweetie Bell could tell his thoughts by the almost pained expression on his face. 'Checkers is so boring though...' competing with ' but she is the princess...'. Sweetie Belle almost shuddered at the thought, and quickly uttered a prayer that Dreamdrop didn't actually think of her as 'the princess' in his own thoughts. Gradually his grimace gave way to a small complacent smile. The cobalt colt gave a stiff nod and bolted to go find the game. As soon as he was gone Sweetie Belle released an exasperated sigh she hadn't realized she was holding in, collapsing onto a nearby chair and smothering herself in the plush pillows.

Eventually he returned with the game. Sweetie Belle relocated to a set of cushions arranged beside a low table. Dreamdrop set up both sides of the board whilst the white unicorn hummed to herself quietly. When it was all ready, he plopped into the cushion opposite her, a somewhat resigned slump in his shoulders. After a moment's hesitation Dreamdrop scooted a red chip forwards and went back to his silent vigil, watching anything but the board. Sweetie Belle shook her head and looked down, focusing intently, before finally moving one of her own pieces out towards him.

Checkers. The Cutie Mark Crusaders had already forayed into the field of board games. It turned out none of them had dormant prodigal skills in any particular game. It also turned out that they were all seriously lacking in attention span. Scootaloo forfeited every other game, and Apple Bloom got a nervous tick in her ears if it ground on for too long. Sweetie Belle fared okay, but she couldn't say she enjoyed them. As the pieces slid back and forth in her game with Dreamdrop, her black pieces were slowly taking over the field, but she'd almost entirely zoned out. The fact that she was winning so easily was testament to how much the daydreamer across from her wanted to end it.

“Can I surrender?” Dreamdrop muttered, taking another piece off the board and crowning Sweetie Bell's fourth king.

The unicorn gave a start, “What? Why?”

“Well you're kicking my flank, I just thought we could finish up and do something else.”

“Something less... boring?” Sweetie Belle offered.

“Yeah, that!” Dreamdrop replied, looking full of energy again.

The little white unicorn rested her horn on the table. Tossing askew some of the pieces on the board with a sudden and unintentional burst of magic. If that didn't paint her frustration, the sigh she let out next did. It was true, she wasn't exactly enthralled by the game either, but there had to be something else they could do besides running around slaying imaginary dragons. Sweetie Belle felt almost responsible to make Dreamdrop see that there was other fun stuff to do besides make-believe.

“Umm,” the colt interrupted her thoughts. “Let's go, princess. We've got an important mission to do.”

“No we don't, I'm tired of being a princess...” Sweetie Belle allowed herself a moment to mope. Dreamdrop's ears flattened against his head as he frowned. “Can't we do more stuff like this?” she gestured half-heartedly at the checkerboard.

Still in-character, Dreamdrop met her stare defiantly. “Don't talk like that, princess! The Everfree Forest needs you, a princess can't just give up on her subjects. You're stronger than that, and I believe in you.”

“I'm not a princess!” she snapped, suddenly at her full height, glowering at the colt with blistering green eyes. “You're not a knight, this isn't a castle, or the Everfree, or some weird tomb. That's all just make-believe, and normally that's fun but...” Sweetie Belle paused, bristling, looking about as she huffed, “... with you it's just weird! Everything is 'too normal' to you.” Another small burst of magic lanced off of her horn, punctuating her statement.

A moment too late she reigned herself in, hanging her head low. There was a long silence, followed by shuffling and the sound of hooves. Sweetie Belle forced herself to look up, her agitated expression washed out by one of concern. Dreamdrop was no longer seated across from her, he'd left the room entirely. The unicorn turned just in time to see his platinum blonde tail sweeping around the corner of the hallway, but she could see a trail of wet splotches on the ground where he had walked. Sweetie Belle shoved a hoof in her mouth as if she could force the words back in, but it was no use. As she sat, alone, engulfed by the plush cushion beneath her, she realized bluntly: I've been a really bad guest... Rarity's going to knit me into a sweater... Sweetie Belle let her head hang again, her heart filled with an empty throb and her stomach transformed into a pit. The little unicorn reached up, wiping away a crystalline tear as she turned to leave Dreamdrop's home.

Depression;
n. 1. The state of being depressed; sadness; gloom; low vitality; dejection.

The word was familiar to Sweetie Belle, but she didn't think she'd ever experienced it. Not for real, anyways. There was sadness when Rarity didn't have time to spend with her, there was shame when she didn't do as well as she'd hoped. There was the sad loneliness she'd felt when Apple Bloom and Scootaloo hadn't come to school. All of those were sad, but not really crippling. In the days following her visit to Dreamdrop's house she'd hardly moved from the spot in Rarity's parlor where she'd slumped herself. There was a well of regret in her stomach that weighed more than enough to keep her small body pinned.

Of course Rarity tried to help. Sweetie Belle had explained her outburst, and Dreamdrop's reaction. The mare's extensive knowledge of social etiquette seemed to have failed her though, as all she could really do was stroke her sister's mane sympathetically. It wasn't like there was any mystery, she knew she had to apologize to Dreamdrop, but how was a big fat question that she didn't know how to answer. Calling someone weird was one thing, but to shout it at them and peg them like some sort of freak wasn't worthy of just apologizing.

Was Dreamdrop faring any better? As much as she hoped so, she knew he wasn't. They both still attended school, so it was inevitable that she'd see him. Except Dreamdrop wasn't hopping on invisible goblins and skewering the ground where they lay with sticks anymore. The colt was more alone than he'd ever been before Sweetie Belle intervened and subsequently tarnished the world he'd built up for himself. No more princess, no more Everfree, no more castles and crusades. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo tried to pry her attention away, or encourage her on methods to apologize. All they'd accomplished was ruling out Cutie Mark Crusader 'friend cheer-er uppers' as a special talent. On top of that, there was always a disapproving stare from Cheerilee to look forward to when they got back to class.

Things were losing color for her. Singing didn't feel like fun anymore. When Rarity offered to let her help put together an ensemble or design one, she only shook her head and scooted across the floor to a darker – and more secluded – corner of the boutique. If nothing else, it made for awkward conversation when customers wandered in and had to step around the small white and pastel lump that lay staring at her own hooves. The fact that she was inconveniencing her sister only made her feel worse. The weight that kept her in place only expanded until she hardly even moved for food unless Rarity placed a plate on the ground in front of her.

“Sweetie Belle... really, you need to talk to Dreamdrop, it's the only way to make yourself feel any better about this...”

Sweetie Belle ignored her. I know that, but he hates me, and he thinks I hate him too. The idea of just walking up to him terrified her. The little unicorn moved her eyes laboriously to pan into view of the plate that Rarity had lain intentionally just out of her reach. The salad upon it smelled enticing. Would it really be so bad to scoot just a few inches closer and take a bite? The muscles in her haunches prepared to make that one minuscule push towards sustenance, but quickly released all tension. The thought of Dreamdrop's bored expression at their dinner wove its way into her guilty conscience. Sweetie Belle continued to stare at the food for the better part of the next hour.

It wasn't long before Rarity had to call in the cavalry. Sweetie Belle was alarmed one afternoon to find herself sitting alongside a pink pony whose blue eyes were bulging towards her. Sweetie Belle squeaked, nearly rolling over in surprise as a dog would when playing dead. The pony beside her let out a grin ear-to-ear, and Sweetie Belle noticed the familiar form of Twilight Sparkle looming behind Pinkie Pie. Both of them stared at her somewhat expectantly. Although there was no judgment in their gazes, Sweetie Belle knew that they'd heard of everything that happened. There was an almost desperate empathy in Twilight's gaze, while Pinkie's was... Pinkie.

“So...” Twilight began, “I heard that you might be having a little bit of a friendship problem.”

A little bit? As far as Sweetie Belle was concerned she'd won the trifecta award for worst friend, worst sister, and worst house guest all in one night. All because she didn't feel like being an imaginary princess anymore. The filly turned her head back towards her outstretched hooves and stared blankly at them, she felt Pinkie Pie scoot closer until there was a warm mass pressed up against her. Sweetie Belle continued to ignore it.

Pinkie frowned. “Looks to me like a great big friendship problem.”

“As long as she hasn't started talking to flour sacks,” Twilight replied, in an attempt to inject some levity. When there was no reply she just sighed, “Listen, Sweetie Belle, I know it feels awful when you hurt a friend, but you can't just shut down like this. You're worrying everypony around you, and I bet Dreamdrop wouldn't feel any better knowing you're this upset. Even if we have ups and downs, friends want friends to be happy.”

Sweetie groaned, “Well he shouldn't. I mean, I called him a weirdo, and all he really wanted was to make believe and have fun. It's not like he was doing anything bad, he took boring stuff and made it really amazing for himself. It's my fault he can't do that anymore.”

Silence. The sound of a clock on the wall was earsplitting. Sweetie Belle wanted Twilight to protest, to lunge forward and give her a hug and say “that's not true at all” but the mare was still. It felt like total confirmation that she'd committed a heinous crime. Twilight Sparkle, the expert on friendship, had dubbed her a bad friend.

“That's not true at all.”

Sweetie Belle lifted her head just slightly, hearing the cultured tones of her sister's voice instead of Twilight. Rarity frowned sternly and Sweetie Belle could almost hear Rarity's eyeballs rolling in their sockets as she took a step closer.

“Sweetie Belle, artistic expression isn't something that can be smothered by a few naysayers. There's not a writer, artist, designer, or actor in the world who hasn't been criticized in every way imaginable. I may not know Dreamdrop very well, but his father regards him as a highly devout author. Even if you may have chosen your words harshly, you can't convince yourself that you've somehow ruined Dreamdrop's life. An artist – a true artist – will always get back on his hooves.” The unicorn nodded sharply.

Twilight leaned her head closer and followed up on Rarity's speech, “You're a smart filly, Sweetie Belle—

“And a great friend!” Pinkie Pie interjected, bumping against Sweetie playfully.

Twilight went on, “When we hurt our friends, the best thing to do is apologize and tell them that we still care.” The purple unicorn finished with a smile, which Sweetie weakly returned.

The filly pondered their words. It was the same stuff that had cascaded through her mind over and over as she moped. Every day she thought, there has to be something I can do. That was exactly the problem. “What if it's not enough?” she mumbled, voice cracking.

“It's still a start,” Twilight replied, nudging the filly's side encouragingly.

Sweetie Belle stood, regarding the tall mares around her. Rarity and her friends had proven how much they cared for each other time and time again. They'd learned and grown all as a result of each others company. Sweetie Belle could recognize a life lesson when she saw one, and the young unicorn quickly turned tail and sprinted for the door. Twilight, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie weren't the ponies that she needed to talk to. They all watched her go with mixed looks of confusion and concern.

Rarity sighed and allowed her legs to fold beneath her. “Thank goodness,” she said. “she hasn't moved an inch since all of this happened. I had to practically drag the poor thing to school each day, and she utterly refuses to go home to mother and father.”

Twilight quirked her ears at the mention, “Come to think of it, why haven't your parents tried talking to her?”

The fashionista waved a hoof, “I... thought I'd try my hoof at sorting things out, after all it’s partially my fault for egging her into going to Dreamdrop’s house against her will.”

Pinkie Pie hummed thoughtfully, “Awuh, cheer up, I bet she’s solved her friendship problem already. They just need some delicious sugary goods to help celebrate.” The baker stood, bouncing out the door to preheat her oven.

“I think Pinkie's got the right idea,” Twilight drew Rarity's skeptical gaze and rushed to correct herself, “I mean about Sweetie Belle being able to handle this. Your sister's not alone in this, it just took her a while to realize that she has ponies she can rely on, even if they weren't the ones who caused the problem. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo wouldn't leave her hanging, and with each other... I'm not sure there's anything that can stop those three little fillies.”

The white unicorn smiled and picked herself up off the ground. Rarity gave her head a light shake, “Being a big sister is worrisome like you can't imagine, Twilight, but you're right. I trust my little sister beyond any shadow of a doubt.”

Far away and not much later, across the rolling hills and populous orchards of Sweet Apple Acres, the Cutie Mark Crusaders held an emergency meeting. Sweetie Belle sat rigidly, her eyes narrowed and her mouth in a tight line, looming over one end of the table while her associates stared across at each other with likewise expressions. They all shook hooves, greeting each other officially before Sweetie Belle clasped her hooves together on the table. The others did the same and watched curiously as her imperious gaze shifted between them. Eventually the unicorn sighed.

“I need help,” she admitted, her composure falling apart.

Apple Bloom blinked. “Well why didn't ya just say so?”

Scootaloo propped her head up on one hoof while the other leg slumped at her side. The illusion of three composed business fillies completely shattered. “Finally. I thought you were never going to stop your mope-fest.”

Sweetie blushed a little and lowered her head beneath the edge of the table. “Yeah, sorry about that.”

“S'alright, Sweetie Belle, Ah figured y'all just have a lot on your plate.”

It was Sweetie's turn to blink. The unicorn cast a look around the clubhouse, “Did you make dinner or something?”

“Ugh,” Scootaloo said, letting her head drop on the table with an all-too-familiar sound. “Just tell us the scoop, Belle.”

“It's Dreamdrop!” she exclaimed. “When I went to his house I got angry with him, and called him a weirdo.”

“I'm not seeing the problem here.” Scoots said, staring bluntly at each of her friends in turn.

Apple Bloom shook her head, “Ah knew it! That's why he's been all down and grey.”

“He's blue!” Scootaloo argued. Sweetie Belle nodded to confirm the fact and Apple Bloom shot the pegasus a look for interrupting, but Scoots went on with a dramatic flail of her hooves, “I don't see the big deal, he was being weird and Sweetie Belle called him out on it. It's not like you guys are best friends or anything.”

The unicorn shuffled in her seat. “I think I'm his only friend,” Sweetie admitted, guiltily. “Now I've hurt his feelings, and I need to fix it.”

“Ah'd be happy to help... uh... if you're sayin' you got some sorta plan.”

Sweetie Belle looked wistfully at the ceiling, wishing she did. The three fillies rested their chins in both of their hooves and stared seriously at one another once more. Thinking mode. Ideas surged between them on some unseen network, allowing instantaneous communication. In truth, they each had no idea what the other one was thinking, but it helped them stay focused for each to assume the others were brainstorming too. Even Scootaloo took it seriously, despite her lack of concern over Dreamdrop's sunken disposition.

“An apology cake!” Apple Bloom declared.

“Tickets to the Wonderbolts!” Scoots suggested, scratching her head as she doubted her own words.

“One of those 'Ah'm sorry' gift cards from Hoofmark!”

Scootaloo banged the table heartily, “Fireworks! Explode it across the sky, 'Sorry, dude!' or whatever you want to say...”

Sweetie Belle deadpanned at the pegasus, “Where in Ponyville am I supposed to find customized apologetic fireworks?”

“Hey, I'm just thinking outside the box. It's better than a cake, right?”

“What pony doesn't like cake?!” Apple Bloom whined, her expression falling fast as her idea was shot down.

Sweetie scratched her chin as she stared at the grooves in the table. “Outside the box,” she mused. “Fireworks...” The little gears in her filly mind churned and ground. They were in need of a good oiling, but they soldiered on. The thought formed in her mind with visible effort on her face as Apple Bloom and Scootaloo exchanged worried looks. A moment later the young unicorn popped up, giving an 'aha!' and standing on her chair with all four hooves as she looked defiantly at the ceiling. “I've got the perfect plan!”

“Hooray!” her friends cheered in synch.

“Oh,” Sweetie Belle added, falling back into her seat, “I need to say I'm sorry first... Twilight said that's a good first step.”

Scootaloo lost some of her enthusiasm as she jabbed an accusing hoof at the white unicorn. “Does this mean we're going to have to hang out with him and play princess all the time?”

Sweetie Belle cringed slightly, but shook her head. “Nope! After this, I'll never have to be Princess Sweetie Belle of the Everfree Forest, ever again!”

“Cutie Mark Crusader Apology Masters are go!” they chimed together.

After a brief pause Sweetie Belle pulled her friends into a hug, yanking them out of their seats. The two fillies dangled reluctantly by the neck, complaining as she held them. It didn't matter, in her mind things were already getting better. It turned out a little help from her friends was all that she needed to be a better friend in her own right. Sweetie Belle wondered for a moment if she should tell her sister to write a letter about all of it after they were done.

Nah, she thought, clinging to her squirming friends a little tighter. I'd rather just enjoy this one.

The schoolyard was practically empty. A bush nearby had two conspicuous tails poking out of one side, one red and the other fuchsia, and a pair of binoculars facing out the front. The presence of her friends only made Sweetie Belle more nervous, given the circumstances. It didn't help that she could hear Scootaloo's grumpy mutterings even from a few feet away. The unicorn stared at the colt across from her, eyes incomprehensibly wide with nerves. Sweetie Belle blinked slowly, waiting for the faint sound of Apple Bloom's reply to Scootaloo to fade away.

“So...” Sweetie Belle began, “You look...”

“Normal?” Dreamdrop offered, bluntly choking on the word.

The unicorn pawed at the grass in front of her, staring at her own hoof like it was some sort of experiment. In a clueless moment she almost agreed. Dreamdrop was more normal than she could have ever imagined. The colt studied quietly, he didn't talk to himself, he didn't sprint across the schoolyard or pretend a picnic table was the lair of a chimera. There were no evil wizards, no dangerous thieves in the bushes – although he kept glancing to the spot where Scootaloo and Apple Bloom hid – and definitely no princess to dote on. There was also no smile on his face, no shine in his eyes, and no life in his voice. Normal wasn't worth that.

She swallowed a lump and forged on seriously, “I was going to go with sad.”

Dreamdrop averted his gaze. “I have a lot of practice, I guess.”

“Yyyeah,” she replied, “Wait, no. You're never sad. I mean, not until I made you sad.”

Was that really true? Sweetie considered all the times that she'd tried to ground Dreamdrop in reality. It always produced a dejected effect. The unicorn didn't have much time to think about it. Dreamdrop's incredulous stare hit her with the weight of a speeding dictionary. Sweetie Belle was abruptly aware that she'd said something incredibly dumb and self-centered. I should probably go back to being catatonic in the boutique now, she thought wryly.

After a lengthy silence she broke under Dreamdrop's stare and stamped her hoof as she began to babble, “I'm not good at this! It's not like I upset ponies every day, I'm 'Sweet'ie Belle for Pete's sake. I didn't mean to insult you, I think it's just a genetic trait, my sister can't help it either; Rarity just blurts insults about anyone whose hat doesn't match their scarf! Do you know what that's like? If I brush my mane even a little out of place she pins me down and restyles the whole thing! Then there was the time-”

Sweetie Belle stopped, though not of her own accord. There was an orange hoof jammed in her mouth while an apologetic cream-colored farm-pony tried to distract Dreamdrop. The colt was now staring off to the side, wide-eyed and seemingly desperate for an escape route, even though he wasn't exactly held hostage in the open field. Sweetie tried not to gag on Scootaloo's hoof, but realized that she'd completely lost track of what she was supposed to be accomplishing.

“Peh!” she exclaimed, spitting out Scootaloo's hoof and rounding on Dreamdrop with pleading intensity. “I'm sorry, okay? I don't like when you frown, or mope in the yard, or take your studying seriously... I mean you should, but not so sadly.”

Apple Bloom slapped a hoof to her face. “Look,” she commandeered the discussion, “She's real sorry an' all. So please forgive her, before she hurts herself tryin' to be all apologetic.”

Dreamdrop looked overwhelmed by the three fillies before him. Halfway between running away, declaring them all insane, and just curling up in a ball and wondering how it came to this. Sweetie Belle, her mouth covered once more, blinked a final silent plea at the colt. The grass around them might've grown a few centimeters as he looked between Sweetie and his own hooves. The pit in Sweetie Belle's stomach was welling up again, and she was prepared to slump back to the floor and wait for Rarity to arrive and drag her back to the boutique.

The colt cast an uncertain look at Apple Bloom. He gave his head a rough shake and looked back at Sweetie Belle before nodding mechanically. “Yeah, sure,” he stammered, “I-I didn't want to stop being your friend anyways, it's really nice.”

Scootaloo jabbed a hoof at him, nodding with emphatic approval, “Awesome! Thanks for coming by, now we've got some serious crusading to catch up on.”

Out of habit Sweetie twisted her head to check her flank... still barren. Oh well. One victory was enough for her. Scootaloo had already begun to walk away, beaming with triumph. Dreamdrop had a look of alarm and confusion on his face, causing Sweetie Belle to abruptly remember the rest of her plan. The unicorn reached out to snag her friend's tail and yanked the pegasus back towards the group.

“Hey! What gives?”

Sweetie pointed at Dreamdrop, “He's coming too, remember?”

“Oh, uh,” Dreamdrop replied, drawing their attention. “I actually have to go home now... I need to check on some stuff, and dad'll be worried.”

“I'll go with you,” Sweetie snapped defiantly. “I still have to make it up to you, so I'll go with you and then we'll meet up with the Crusaders.”

Scootaloo crossed her forelegs and eyed the unicorn suspiciously, “Hold the phone, are we talking like a 'date', because I didn't sign up to be your matchmaker, Sweetie Belle.”

The filly in question groaned and shot a sharp look Scootaloo's way, her cheeks flushing slightly, “No! I'm trying to be repentant and thoughtful.”

Apple Bloom appeared beside Scootaloo in a flash, failing to hide a meaningful stare at the pegasus as she chided, “Come on, Scoot, you an' Ah have ta go do crusadin' stuff.”

“This is the weirdest apology I've ever experienced...” Dreamdrop interjected, still wary of the display taking place before him. Sweetie shrugged helplessly.

“I don't even get what we're supposed to be doing. This plan makes no sense,” Scootaloo complained as she was dragged off by their southern friend.

A light breeze blew past the two remaining ponies. Sweetie Belle winced as she could almost feel one of the curls in her tail coming a little loose. Rarity would be an unrelenting force when she somehow noticed the imperceptible change. Dreamdrop eyed her, uncertain, his gaze flashing away as soon as she caught it. The thought crossed her mind that he hadn't really wanted her to come along. Nevertheless, Dreamdrop coughed pointedly and took off in the direction of home, flicking his tail a little when Sweetie Belle didn't immediately fall in step behind him.

The walk was quiet initially, but Sweetie Belle managed to nudge her companion into conversation after a few tries. It was strange to walk with him and not talk about dragons and ancient caves. Sweetie Belle talked all about the exploits she got up to with the Crusaders, while Dreamdrop expressed an interest in composing. They chatted about school and their other classmates. Sweetie Belle kept continual tabs on the colt's expression, displeased to see that he still wasn't back to his old self. Dreamdrop's replies were distant, and his frown still firmly set. Every now and then she saw the makings of a smile, but it wasn't good enough, he was still sad. Only now she wasn't sure that it was her fault anymore.

“Sweetie Belle?”

“Y-Yeah?” she stumbled a bit, Dreamdrop having caught her staring.

The colt politely ignored her blunder. “I... have sort of a confession. I don't really need to go home, I was just trying to escape.”

Sweetie Belle furrowed her brow in confusion as her heart sank. Of course he was still angry with her. Then again, “Why would you let me come with you if you were trying to escape?” she thought aloud, trying not to make it obvious how stupid the idea had been.

Dreamdrop forced a guilty chuckle, “I guess I changed my mind, but... I want to show you something before we go... wherever you're taking me.”

“Um, is it a surprise?” she asked, suddenly nervous. Dreamdrop had planned something too?

The colt shook his head in reply. The silence only made it worse, but Dreamdrop's jaw was clamped firmly shut. The curve of his frown seemed more severe than before as they plodded along the final stretch towards his home. Sweetie was wondering if she'd missed something along the way when he turned off the path to the door and led her around the back of the house. For a moment she thought he was trying to sneak in, and couldn't fathom why. They fought past the tall grass, some of it clinging to Sweetie's coat, and emerged on a wooden deck. The backyard seemed at least somewhat better tended than the rest of the house. There were a few wooden structures strewn about and a small stone table in the shade of a tree.

“Ta-da...”

Sweetie Belle turned around at the weak sound of Dreamdrop's voice. The would-be playful expression was amplified by his outstretched hoof, pointing at the rear wall of his house. The unicorn's eyes widened as she forgot about her prior observations. The rear of the house was a large flat expanse, and every inch of it was covered in a highly detailed mural. Sweetie Belle could see carefully painted globes for stars, running along the trim of the roof. The painted gloomy clouds almost seemed touchable by their depth. Beneath the sky was a plethora of worlds. Sweetie Belle saw deserts with speck-like figures trekking across the sandy wastes, little bits of painted stone buildings peeked up from beneath the sand that buried them. There was an expansive forest in a larger scale, dominating the right half of the wall. A drainpipe leading from the gutters was painted in the likeness of a tree, and there was a hooded pony painted near the floor, leaning up against it.

Every inch of the wall was covered with a different setting. There were swamps, castles, mountainous tundras, and biomes that Sweetie Belle didn't even know how to describe with glowing moss and fungus that cast an eerie glow on subterranean pools of water. All of it looked real. Sweetie Belle blinked a few times as if she could snap a picture with each motion and save the image for later, but finally she had to tear her head away to look at Dreamdrop. The colt sat beside her, his pose rigid and his expression reverent. Sweetie Belle pounced towards him, a wide smile on her face.

“This is incredible! Why didn't you show me this before? It's way cooler than a fireplace.”

Sweetie Belle was practically yelling in his ear, overcome by her own amazement. The colt reacted as though she hadn't spoken at all. Dreamdrop had his head tilted just-so, and Sweetie Belle mirrored him as she watched his eyes trace back and forth across the mural with practiced speed. It was like he had an entire route already planned out across the tableau of far-off realms. Still, he wasn't smiling. Sweetie Belle nudged him, determined not to let her appreciation of the art go to waste.

“This is... my mom.” Dreamdrop announced, pointedly.

The result was a predictably confused unicorn. Sweetie Belle looked over the mural again. There were a few depictions of mares throughout the paintings, but she didn't see any one that stood out. It took a moment to dawn on her that he meant the entire mural was his mother's. From the gloomy clouds to the sleeping pony beneath the drainpipe tree. It must've been her creation. Sweetie Belle released an appraising whistle, her spirits doubled by this revelation.

The unicorn chirruped again, “That's incredible, your mom's artwork is astounding. They should have a whole gallery for her work.”

“Yeah, well...” Sweetie Belle turned back to her friend in time to see the moisture pool in the corner of his eyes before he snapped them shut. “Someday, there could've been. I-I'm sorry, Sweetie Belle... I shouldn't have...”

Sweetie Belle's words caught in her throat, she tried to force out at least three different questions at once. All that really escaped was a shrill cry of confusion. “What are you talking about? I'm the one who's supposed to be sorry, you didn't do anything. I'm really glad you showed me this, see?” she made a show of pressing the corners of her mouth up into an almost grotesque smile. “Happy! So... why aren't you?”

Dreamdrop was crying now. Shivers wracked his body as he tried to hold it off. Sweetie stood just in front of him, if a little off to the side. The unicorn did all that she could think of, and draped her forelegs around him, but it didn't do anything to suppress the sniffles and the tremors. Sweetie was in a panic, she wanted to run and get Curtain Call, she wanted to fall over and cry too, just wail until her mom came by to give her a hug and explain just what was going on. Sweetie Belle ventured a look back at the mural, the first hints of moisture welling in her eyes as if the prolonged contact with Dreamdrop was transferring his emotions.

“Dreamdrop?” No response. “Dreamdrop! Come on, let's go.”

Sweetie Belle didn't know what she was doing, didn't know what had hurt her friend, or how to make it better. All she knew was that they were both crying, and that wasn't the way things were supposed to go. They still had her plan, the one comfort that she could hide in. As she angrily fought at her own mystery tears she pried at Dreamdrop's hoof, willing him with mind and body to follow her. It was all for nothing if she couldn't get Dreamdrop to feel better.

“Dreamdrop, you've gotta come with me, I have something to show you too. Remember? We have to m-meet with the Crusaders...” Sweetie Belle was nearly choking on her words, but she forced a tinge of authority into her voice as she shoved Dreamdrop into a standing position.

It had to work. The colt was like a statue, still sniffing, tears still streaming down his face. Sweetie Belle clamped her eyes shut, grabbed his foreleg, and bolted. The two small ponies disappeared once more through the tall grass, leaving a trail of sparkling tears slipping off their cheeks as they fled the scene. They made a mad dash past the old fence and down the empty road. Sweetie Belle stumbled and did Dreamdrop no favors either as she tried to run whilst dragging him along. They soon disappeared around the bend, out of sight of the figure in the doorway behind them. Curtain Call wore a weak smile as he watched them go.

“See?” he asked, no companion in sight but the air around him, “It's alright now, he's found a friend... it's alright... just like I said it would be.” Curtain Call cast a look at the darkening sky, watching the clouds drift along with habitual expectations. Prolonging his gaze as long as he dared, the stallion turned and retreated back inside. The door clicked gently shut behind him.

They rushed across Ponyville, making it to the park in no time. Sweetie Belle dragged Dreamdrop across half-a-dozen fields before depositing him alone in the grass. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom were already there, staring with concern as their friend approached with moist cheeks and gracelessly distressed motions. Sweetie's other two-thirds fired off questions in rapid succession, but she didn't have time for it. The plan was going to continue.

“Go, go!” she ordered, “I'll... I'll tell you all about it. Just do like I said before.”

“Uh, Sweetie Belle... are you sure about this? You look kinda... messy.” Apple Bloom tried to put it delicately, but the unicorn was already galloping back up the slope to the spot where she'd left Dreamdrop.

What was she supposed to do now? Sweetie Belle sat beside him, trying in vain to get his attention. The colt didn't seem to be crying anymore, he'd entered a catatonic state that seemed grimly familiar, staring down at the grass in front of him as if he could suddenly see past the world, into some far off dimension. Ironically, that was the effect that Sweetie Belle was hoping to produce, with a little less sniffing and frowning though.

“The show's about to start, you'll miss it.”

“S-show?” Dreamdrop's head lifted a fraction of an inch, enough to see that there was no one around them. Definitely no spectacle to behold.

Sweetie Belle tried to sound enthusiastic. “It'll be amazing, just look up. You'll see it, I know you will.”

“S-Sweetie... I'm sorry I'm like this now.”

The unicorn shushed him with a sharp gesture. It almost felt cruel, but she didn't want him to apologize for anything. The plan was all she had left to cling to. Dreamdrop looked shocked as she cut him off, too shocked to reply until it was already too late. The spectacle had begun. Both ponies looked around as a loud wailing noise erupted from behind a line of trees just in front of them, near the foot of the hill. Sweetie Belle held her breath.

“BANG!”

“This is dumb...”

“WOOOOOOOOO!” a distinctly southern drawl cried out from the foliage.

“Bang...”

“Scootaloo, try an' take this serious!”

“Crackle, crackle!” the voice replied, sarcastically enthused.

Sweetie Belle slapped a hoof to her face. This was the dumbest idea she'd ever come up with.

“WEEEEEEE!” Apple Bloom exclaimed.

“Pow.” Scootaloo finished, her shout barely reaching them on the hill.

The white unicorn inched closer to her seemingly comatose companion, pointing a hoof up at the sky. “L-look, Dreamdrop, that was a, uh, big one! A big green one, did you see it?”

When he looked over at her, Sweetie couldn't tell if Dreamdrop was about to cry or run away. Both seemed likely, given the circumstances. Reluctantly, he turned his head to the sky as well, giving Sweetie Belle just a smidgen of hope that things were still going to be okay. The chorus of badly enacted sound effects continued as they gazed sadly at a space in the air together. Sweetie Belle wondered if she'd just opened old wounds, if Dreamdrop thought that she was mocking him with the reenactment. Slowly, her muzzle began to point towards the ground.

“Sweetie...” he muttered, and she felt a hoof jab her side, “There was an awesome red and gold one. Look... you can... you can still see it falling, right?”

Sweetie looked up, confused. When she saw nothing in the sky her gaze snapped back to Dreamdrop, suddenly annoyed that he'd lied to her until she remembered what was going on. A small smile graced her features as she nodded and hummed in agreement. Before she would have believed it they were witnessing a show that no one else could see. As they began calling out more explosions their sound crew got more into their job. The noises became more and more varied, constant, and noisy. Sweetie Belle imagined a frame around the sky, within it burst shower after shower of gold and blue, white and yellow and purple. Some of the pyrotechnics sizzled out as soon as they got there, some wailed loudly and arced across each other with a rain of golden sparks in their midst. The soft tremble in the ground as each firework went off. The glow across Dreamdrop's face and her own body as the sky was painted for their private enjoyment.

It was a small change, but she saw the corner of Dreamdrop's mouth lift. The expression he held was pensive more than happy, but it wasn't sad. The colt watched the sky in wide-eyed wonder, probably imagining a show that was way more impressive than anything Sweetie Belle could come up with. The unicorn sighed in relief, laying back in the grass and listening to the sound of her two friends making fools of themselves. Two wonderful friends, making fools of themselves for her sake. Sweetie watched the stars twinkle overhead contentedly, at least until she thought about the mural again.

“This is... my mom”

Sweetie Belle thought, threatening to invite a new frown to her face. It hadn't occurred to her that Dreamdrop hadn't been able to force out the whole sentence. The little unicorn tracked back through her lifetime, looking at all the misfortunes that had befallen her. Every mistake, every failing, every argument she'd had with Rarity or her parents. Every time she'd watched someone suffer through painful times. It had never occurred to her that Dreamdrop's problems ran deeper than an aversion to the mundane. It never occurred to her that what Dreamdrop meant was 'This is all I have left.' The idea almost made her cry all over again. Sweetie looked at the colt beside her, oblivious to the world once more. Safe from whatever memories he had.

“Sweetie?”

“Uh-huh!”

Dreamdrop leaned back, a pose that looked uncomfortable at best. “Thanks for this. I'm glad we're still friends and all.”

“I'm just glad it worked,” she admitted. “Can I ask you something...?”

The colt blinked, nodding softly. “Sure, i-if you want.”

What was she supposed to say? Was anything she could say really worth the risk. Dreamdrop was happy, for the time being. Is it really so bad to want a place to hide, just for a little while longer?

“C-can I read your writing some time?”

“Oh!” Dreamdrop turned away before she could see him both flush and exhale in relief. “Yeah, definitely. You're the princess, right? I can't refuse.”

Sweetie chuckled guiltily, “I've been thinking of resigning.”

Dreamdrop smirked.

Just a little while longer, Dreamdrop. Don't worry, I'll still be here when you're ready... and Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, Curtain Call, Rarity and Twilight. No matter how sad you are, we'll bring you back. That's what friends are for... and lots of other things too.

The show was finished. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom emerged from the bushes, panting from the finale and grinning at each other. Sweetie Belle glanced from side to side, wondering if she could get away before they nailed her with questions. In an instant they were on top of her, pouncing on the prone filly in a writhing pony-pile of squeaks and indignant pleas for help. Dreamdrop recoiled from the sudden act, falling over and rolling a ways when he found the edge of the hill. As he recovered he found the Crusaders assembled before him, beaming and discussing their next plans. The sky was dark, no adventures left to be had, still, he got the feeling he wouldn't be playing alone anymore.

The colt sniffled, emotions getting the better of him again.

“What’s up?” Scootaloo inquired. The other two fillies leaned in closely to inspect Dreamdrop, as if he had a giant worm on his face.

Dreamdrop laughed, “Nothin’... just. I’m glad to have friends like you three,” he looked at Sweetie Belle in specific, “Thanks.”

Sweetie Belle smiled, opening her mouth to reply, “I-”

Only to be cut off by Scootaloo’s energetic, yet curt, response, “Don’t mention it. Now let’s get out of here, I think I hear supper calling.”

They chatted about what remained of their day, the three fillies taking the lead as Dreamdrop lagged behind. The blue colt stared up at the sky once more, watched the clouds drift towards the horizon as more and more stars came out. The sound of the Crusaders was beginning to fade away, though they were still only a short distance from him. “I’m...” he muttered, voice failing him at first. This was the first time he’d actually tried it. Dreamdrop looked back at the ground, reconfiguring his expression. Smiling broadly, he looked up once more. “I’m doing okay now... sleep tight, mom.” At last he turned away, hurrying to catch up with his friends as they all made their way home.