“Fuck this!” Sweetie Belle said.
Sweetie Belle gnawed on the end of her pencil, willing the words to come out, but the words just weren’t flowing. Timed essays were kind of dumb in general--like Twilight always told her, you can’t write a good essay without proper research--but the prompts Ms Cheerilee had given the class weren’t helping. They were, for lack of a better word, stupid.
Someone cleared their throat in front of her and she looked up to see Cheerilee glaring at her.
“I said that out loud, didn’t I?” Sweetie groaned.
“You did.” Cheerilee rubbed her head, a clear sign she’d be reaching for that alcohol she kept in her desk after this (Sweetie Belle was young, not stupid). She sighed. “You know that I’m going to need to talk to Rarity about this.”
“Yeah…”
Cheerilee grimaced. “Just… Just pack up your things and head home for the day, Sweetie. I’ll figure out your punishment later.”
Sweetie heard a knock on her bedroom door and she groaned. Maybe Rarity would just decide to leave her alone, or this pillow could suffocate her, or--
“Sweetie Belle? Are you in there?”
Sweetie shoved her face deeper into the pillows, hoping that would block out Rarity’s voice. Besides, Rarity knew she was in here, and Rarity knew she knew, and this was really all just a stupid formality, especially since the doors at the boutique had locks.
Rarity opened the door and walked through the room to the bed; Sweetie felt her weight settle down next to her. Rarity rubbed her back in soothing motions and, no matter how hard she tried to hold on to her bad mood, the tension slowly drained from her.
“Now, do you want to talk about what’s bothering you?”
“You already know,” Sweetie grumbled.
Rarity sighed. “I do, but I just thought you might like to say your piece first.” Rarity took her hoof off of Sweetie’s back. “And stop pouting, it is unbecoming of a lady.”
Sweetie whipped her head around. “I am not pouting, and I’m not a lady.” She lifted her hoof up and rubbed her muzzle. She was definitely pouting. “Okay, well, I’m not a lady at the very least.”
Rarity rolled her eyes and smiled. “Sweetie, darling, there are many different ways to be a lady, and yours does not have to be the same as mine.”
“Okay, fine, sure.” Sweetie rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. “Can we just get this over with? It’s still prime sulking hours.”
She heard a sniffle, and she sat up, eyebrows raised. One lowered as she took in Rarity’s prideful smile and the tears welling in her eyes.
“Oh don’t mind me, Sweetie. You’ve just learned so well.”
“I mean, clearly I haven’t, otherwise we wouldn’t even be having this conversation.”
Rarity cleared her throat and regained her composure. “Right. Well, Cheerilee talked with me about how you used ‘inappropriate language’ during class today, but she didn’t give the specifics.”
Sweetie slumped and rested her head on her hooves. “Ugh, so, we were doing this timed essay, which was already stupid, but then the prompts were bad too. And, well, the words just weren’t coming, and I accidentally said ‘fuck this’.”
Rarity nodded. “It’s understandable to be frustrated like that, but some words are not acceptable for use in polite company. That’s why--”
“I shouldn’t use those words, and it’s wrong of me to do so, yada yada yada. I’ve gotten this talk from mom and dad before, Rarity, I know how this goes.”
Rarity closed her eyes and took a deep breath, and when she opened them there was a fire behind them. “I’m trying to think of the proper way to say this, but I think this situation calls for me being blunt, so…
“That’s fucking stupid.”
Sweetie Belle gasped and Rarity giggled. “Like I said, ‘polite company’, and this is not polite company.” Rarity winked and Sweetie giggled. “You know that I love our parents, but sometimes their rules can be… a little bit old-fashioned and impractical.”
Sweetie nodded. “Sure, but, if that rule is stupid, what’s yours?”
“Replace those bad words with acceptable ones. ‘Screw this’, for example.” Rarity smirked. “Use polite society’s rules against them and scrape by on technicalities.”
Sweetie felt like her mind was expanding, this new concept opening up a range of possibilities to her. She hugged her sister and smiled. “You’re the best, Rarity.”
Rarity returned the hug. “I know. You’re still grounded though.”
Sweetie groaned (but she definitely did not pout).