//------------------------------// // Day Two // Story: Sweetie and the Scientist // by TheDorkside99 //------------------------------// Sweetie Belle opened her eyes and the morning light blinded her immediately. She rolled out of bed and shut the curtains, then walked out of the room and into the kitchen. She served herself a lazy breakfast of cereal and picked up a banana seemingly hours away from turning into a brown, slimy mess. “Nevermind.” Before taking the first spoonful of cereal, she pulled out the assignment from her backpack still hanging on the back of her chair and read over day two’s instructions. Today’s instructions are simple: Find the answers to your uncircled questions. You may ask anypony or consult any form of media. Books, scrolls, paintings, anything you can think of. Even your personal observations will serve you. Write what you discover on the space provided below. Be sure to label your answers with its corresponding question. “The uncircled ones?” Sweetie brought the paper below the table. “Why not the circled ones?” Her thoughts were suddenly broken by a knock on the front door. “Who could that be?” She left the kitchen to open the door. “Howdy Sweetie Belle,” greeted a chipper Apple Bloom. Sweetie scratched her head. “Uh, hey Apple Bloom. What’re you doing here? Or better yet, how’re you here? I thought you got in trouble with Applejack.” “Are ya talkin’ ‘bout what happened two days ago with that thievin’ Scootaloo?” Her voice changed dramatically to a much darker tone. “Well…” Apple Bloom flashed a smile. “There ain’t nothin’ to worry about, Sweetie. Mah sis an’ I had a good, long talk about things an’ everything’s good now. I got her permission to be here if’n that’s what your meanin’.” “So you and Applejack are good now?” “Eeyup! We’re back to bein’ the best sisters around!” Sweetie smiled weakly. “So, what should we do?” “Well, that’s what ah’m here for. I was wonderin’ if you wanted to go around town askin’ for answers to the questions we wrote for last night’s homework.” “I can’t. I’m grounded.” “What?” Sweetie stomped a hoof on the ground. “Rarity grounded me for the rest of the week because of what happened. Not only that, I have to go with her to Manehatten tomorrow for some stupid business trip with one of her clients.” “Where are yer parents?” “On vacation,” Sweetie sighed. “Again?” Sweetie didn’t respond. Apple Bloom thought for a few moments before suggesting, “Hey, why don’t we just do our homework here at Carousel Boutique together?” “That might work for a little while, but some of the questions I wrote down need to be answered by someone outside. Watch.” Sweetie disappeared inside for a minute and came back with her list of questions. She showed them to Apple Bloom. “See? How can I answer some of these without going outside first?” “Why did you write this one?” she asked, pointing to the second question. Sweetie quickly scanned the question. She gulped. “Well…” “We know why she did it, Sweetie Belle.” “You do?” Apple Bloom turned around. “Yeah, ‘cause she’s a thief. I don’t know what got into her, but what she did was wrong. Only thieves take somethin’ that ain’t theirs.” “Apple Bloom, you don’t think she did it just because, right? There has to be a reason.” “Well, whatever it is, it probably ain’t a good one.” She turned and gave her a reassuring smile to calm her friend’s anxieties. “So, should we just stay here then?” Sweetie thought for a moment then announced, “Well, I do remember my sister saying that if I needed Twilight’s help I could go to the library.” “Hey, that’s a great idea! Plus, we can look through all those books too!” “Okay! Just let me get my backpack and we’ll…” “Hey Sweetie?” “Yeah?” The somber look on Apple Bloom’s face put Sweetie Belle on edge. “Is something wrong, Apple Bloom?” “Ah just don’ want y’all to think that ah hate Scootaloo or anythin’.” “Why would I think that?” “’Cause of what ah said about her earlier.” Sweetie reassured her friend with a smile. “Apple Bloom, of course I don’t think you hate Scootaloo. You’re just mad because of what she did. I still think there’s a reason for what she did, but I’m not sure. Just don’t call her something that we can’t know for sure, like a thief, okay?” “Ah s’pose,” she said, returning the smile with one of her own. “Great! I’ll be right back.” “Of course you can do your homework here!” said Twilight. “Come on in!” The two fillies stepped inside and followed the cheerful librarian into the reading area. Spike stood atop a ladder dusting off some books while Owliscious snoozed silently on Twilight’s desk. They walked up to a large table that was cluttered with all kinds of books. “Please excuse the mess, girls,” she said, magically reshelving the books in order. “I had a late study rush last night and forgot to put these titles back in their place.” When all the books were put away, the fillies scooted some chairs close and hung their backpacks on the backrests. “Thanks for letting us stay, Twi,” said Apple Bloom. “No problem! I’m going to be in the kitchen making breakfast. Just holler if you need me!” “Hey, what am I? Scuffed sapphires?” Spike put his hands on his sides, tipping backwards dangerously. He caught himself just before the fall pulled him down. Twilight giggled and said to the girls, “Or you can ask my number one assistant Spike for help. In fact, he could get you any book that happens to be at the highest parts of the shelves. Right Spike?” “Right!” he said, dusting with one hand while keeping a firm grip on the book shelf with the other. Twilight laughed and made her way into the kitchen. The girls opened their backpacks and pulled out their assignments. Sweetie Belle decided to start on question number three, which read: What exactly happens inside a cocoon when a caterpillar turns into a butterfly? “I wonder if Twilight has any books on butterflies,” she muttered to herself. Not a second later, Spike appeared right next to her holding out a book on butterflies, catching her off guard. “Whoa! Thanks Spike!” “My pleasure! Anything for Rarity’s little sister!” Spike went back to his dusting while Sweetie thumbed through the pages of the book. She found a section on the chrysalis and immediately began to read from the top: A chrysalis is a leaf-like shell where caterpillars begin the butterfly transformation process. After shedding its last exoskeleton, the caterpillar reveals the chrysalis underneath. Though it appears that not much is going on, inside a wonderful and mysterious set of chemical changes are happening to the little caterpillar’s body, which will result in a totally new creature: A butterfly! “Interesting,” she said to herself, writing the answer on her homework assignment. She closed the book and looked over at Apple Bloom putting her homework assignment away. “Giving up?” asked Sweetie Belle. “Ah’m done.” “What!?” “Yeah. Ah only needed to double check one of the answers I wasn't sure about.” Sweetie glanced over her paper and gawked at the thought of having all but one of her questions answered. “But, how did you do it so fast, and so early in the morning?” “Ah was havin’ breakfast when Big Mac showed up an’ asked me why I was up so early. Ah told him ‘bout our assignment an’ he said he wanted to help me.” “So did he?” Apple Bloom’s eyes grew very wide. “It’s amazin’ all the things mah big brother knows. Shoot, he might be the smartest pony in all o’ Ponyville, as far as I can tell.” “That’s so weird. He’s so…quiet most of the time.” Sweetie watched her friend zip her backpack shut. “So what question did you need to double check?” “Why the sky is blue.” “Hey I have that question. It’s…” Sweetie scanned down the list. “…number four. Could I see your paper really quick?” “Ah don’ know. Ain’t that cheatin’?” “I don’t see how it is,” began Sweetie. “The instructions say we can get our answers from anypony or anything. The way I see it, I’m getting the answer to my question from Big Mac through you.” Apple Bloom thought for a moment then reached over the back of her chair for her backpack. “Makes sense to me. It just feels weird since y’all be lookin’ at mah answers an’ stuff.” Sweetie waited until the page was right in front of her before scribbling down the answer. “Well, it’s like the doctor said: Anypony or anything.” Apple Bloom watched as her friend finished off her last sentence. “You’ve been hangin’ around the doctor a lot, haven’t you?” Sweetie Belle passed the page back to her friend and shot her a curious look. “Do you find that odd?” “Oh no! That’s not what ah meant at all! It’s just, well, interestin’ how you get along so well with him. Like, I like Miss Cheerilee an’ all, but ah wouldn’t go outta mah way to be around her, ya know?” “Yeah, I know what you mean. I normally wouldn’t do that either with my teacher, especially with a doctor.” “So, why do you do it?” Sweetie paused to think about her answer. “He’s different. He’s unlike anyone I’ve ever known. He makes everything really interesting and doesn’t take my questions lightly. He’s a very curious pony like me. And whenever I talk to him, it’s not like I’m talking to a teacher or a doctor, but it’s like I’m talking to my grandfather.” “Well, that’s jus’ fine!” said Apple Bloom, putting her assignment away. She looked up from her backpack and spotted a familiar mane of flashy rainbow colors at the door. “Rainbow Dash?” Sweetie Belle turned around and yelled, “Rainbow Dash!” “Hey girls,” she replied, wearing a sheepish grin. “Is Twilight here?” “She’s in the kitchen,” said Apple Bloom. “I can go get her if ya want.” “No, that’s cool, that’s cool,” she said urgently. “I just came to return a book. Tell her that I brought back the latest edition of ‘Daring Do’ for me, okay?” “Sure thing!” Rainbow put the title on a nearby table and turned to leave. Before she could however, Sweetie Belle tagged her on the back. “Uh, yeah?” “Hey Rainbow Dash. I was just wondering if you could help me on a question for my homework.” Rainbow observed the filly flash a pleading grin and gave her one of her own. “Sure thing, sport. What’s the question?” “Where do foals come from?” The fearless flyer shrieked then mumbled a few words. “Rainbow, are you okay?” Sweetie asked. Rainbow sighed. “Look sport, I don’t think you should be knowin’ this kinda stuff yet.” “Why not?” “You’re too young.” “So?” “So…” She struggled to find what to say about the question and grunted, “Sweetie Belle, isn’t there another question I could answer for you that’s not…weird? Why is that question even in your homework?” “Actually, we needed to make a list of ten questions we want to know the answers to. That was one of the questions.” “Oh, I see. That’s pretty cool. So, there must be another question I could help you with, right?” “I suppose.” Sweetie led Rainbow Dash to her work area and scanned through her list. “Okay, how about this? How do you know when to stop watering grass?” “Beats me. Got another one?” “How long can you live without drinking any water?” “Not long I guess.” “That really isn’t the kind of answer I was hoping for, Rainbow Dash.” The stumped pegasus huffed. “Well, I’m not a water-drinking expert you know. Got something I might actually know a thing or two about?” “Hey, how ‘bout that one?” said Apple Bloom, pointing at Sweetie’s paper. Sweetie laughed. “Oh yeah, why didn’t I think of that? Do rainbows ever end somewhere?” “Now that I can answer,” said Rainbow Dash. “There’s only one rainbow that shoots across the sky. It all starts in Cloudsdale. The colors flows out in a stream, high into the sky, then out beyond the horizon to the far stretches of Equestria.” “What’s at the end?” asked Sweetie Belle. “There’s another fountain that collects the rainbow. When it gets full, it shoots back to Cloudsdale after one night.” “That’s really interesting and all, but why have the rainbow in the first place?” “Don’t you remember we went to the edge of a rainbow to get some of it to make that love potion for Cheerilee?” Apple Bloom said. “Yeah, but there has to be a primary reason for having a rainbow shoot across the sky. It can’t just be for potion making.” “Well,” began Rainbow Dash. “Legend has it that thousands of years ago, all of Equestria was under attack by enemies from the North. Then, when all hope seemed lost, a white shining alicorn burst through the dark clouds and cast a rainbow all across the sky. This rainbow fell upon the enemies, burning them alive with its acidic properties. This enabled the ponies to fend of the invaders and reclaim the land for themselves. And so, every day a rainbow shoots from Cloudsdale across the sky, into the fountain and back in honor of that legendary alicorn that saved Equestria.” The fillies stood for a few moments mulling over the story. Sweetie Belle finally asked, “Is that all true?” Rainbow Dash belted out a hearty laugh and said, “Nah. It’s just a myth. The truth is rainbows were invented by Pegasi in Cloudsdale by direct order form the Princess many years ago. She thought the sky could use a little color so she came up with the initial design and presented it to the Pegasi. They figured a water based rainbow would look best given the way light reflects off of it.” “Really, that’s it?” asked Apple Bloom. “Yup.” “So that whole story with the legendary alicorn, why does it exist if it’s not true?” asked Sweetie Belle. “You got me there, sport. Some ponies just believe in things without checkin’ the facts out first. My guess is some pony who forgot to take their medication went out one night and saw one of the Pegasi placing the first rainbow up and mistook it for some supernatural phenomenon. Kinda like how you hear certain things in the dark that in actuality aren’t really scary.” “How do you know so much about this?” “Because,” she said, pointing to her head. “As an extreme athlete, I fly on facts. Ever since I began to take flying seriously, I became an expert on the physics of flying and strength training. All that hard work got me interested in becoming a fact-seeker and not believing just any ol’ namby-pamby story that ponies make up. The truth an’ nothin’ but truth as I always say.” “I’m like that, too!” piped Sweetie Belle. “Then keep on truckin’, sport.” Just then, Twilight emerged from the kitchen carrying a batch of muffins fresh from the oven. “Hey Rainbow Dash! It’s good to see you.” “Hey Twilight! I just came to drop off the latest Daring Do copy. When’s the next one coming out?” “Five months.” “See ya then!” “Well hold on just a minute there,” she said, holding up the muffins. “Would you like to try one? It’s a recipe I learned from Pinkie Pie not too long ago.” “A Pinkie Pie inspired muffin? Count me in!” She zipped across the ceiling and snagged a muffin from Twilight’s grasp. She landed near the door and took a bite of the warm pastry. “Mmm, delicious!” “Thank you! Hey, I couldn’t help but overhear you talking to the girls about Silent Arrow. Is it true you don’t believe in him?” “Oh, that was his name,” she said in between mouthfuls. “Nah, it’s just an’ ol’ mare’s tale.” “That’s funny. I sort of grew up hearing about him a lot.” She shrugged her shoulders and smiled. “Well, I don’t want to keep you from your plans so, have a nice day Rainbow!” “You too! And thanks for the awesome muffin!” And with that, the speedy flier blast through the door, taking off into the sky unbeknownst to her that the hinges of the door were sent flying across the street. Twilight sighed. “I was wondering when that was gonna happen.” She fixed the door using her magic then offered a muffin to the girls. “Want one?” “Thanks!” they said, taking a muffin. Sweetie took a bite then asked, “Hey Twilight, do you believe in the story about that one alicorn?” “You mean Silent Arrow? Well, I remember believing it as a child. My parents basically raised me telling it like it was a fact. Some ponies still believe it today, too. But, I don’t know.” After a brief moment of silence, Twilight grabbed the batch and walked back to the kitchen. “If you girls want more, they’ll be in the kitchen.” “Okay, Twi,” said Apple Bloom. Sweetie Belle ate the last bite of her muffin and continued to finish her homework. It was late in the afternoon and the girls were on their way home. The Carousel Boutique wasn’t too far away as its decorative tower peeked over the hilly street, just to the left. They passed the fountain in the middle of the square and remembered the story of Silent Arrow told to them by Rainbow Dash. “Do you think it’s true?” asked Sweetie Belle. Apple Bloom shrugged. “Ah never heard it before. How ‘bout you?” “I don’t know. I never really heard about it either, but it would be interesting to investigate. Too bad I already have ten questions for the homework.” “Didja get them all done?” “No,” she said, looking over her paper. “I still have two left unanswered.” “Which ones?” “One is about Gummy. And the other is about…” “Hey,” said a frail voice. The two friends stopped and looked to see the speaker. Scootaloo stood before them, not as the confident and strong Pegasus they knew, but ashamedly hiding her neck between her shoulders. “Apple Bloom, c-can we talk?” Apple Bloom swallowed. “Okay. Whatcha wanna talk ‘bout?” “Well, about the chick and stuff. Look, I’m really sorry I lied to you about it. See, I…” Her voice trailed off for a second before she cleared her throat and continued. “I just thought that having the chick would make me feel, you know, safe and not so lonely all the time.” “Why do you feel so lonely all the time, Scoots?” “Because, because I don’t have someone to, you know, look up to and I just thought the chick could help me and I just…” “The chick could help you what?” “Keep me company.” Apple Bloom sighed. “Scoots, you’re not alone. You have us. We’re your friends. We’re the Cutie Mark Crusaders, remember?” “You don’t understand. I can’t explain it. It’s…complicated.” Her voice deescalated and she hung her shoulders low. “I’m sorry. You must think I’m stupid.” Apple Bloom looked at her lonely friend in the eye. “No ah don’t. Ah may not understand why you feel the way you do, but that’s only ‘cause I haven’t learned yet. Can you show me?” Scootaloo looked up and smiled. “It’s okay. As long as you don’t think I’m a thief or something, I won’t mind if you don’t understand.” “But I do want to understand.” Sweetie joined her farm friend. “We both do, Scoots.” Scootaloo couldn’t hold back the tears much longer. “Thank you,” she whispered. The three friends hung a leg around each other and walked together to Carousel Boutique against the light of the setting sun.