//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Ruining the trip. // Story: Whom The Belle Tolls // by Clockwork Corn //------------------------------// The air was warm, the sun was shining, and every filly in Ponyville had gathered for a special field trip to visit the coastal ruins of Mytologisk. Most of the classmates were eagerly sitting around Cheerilee as she explained the history and significance of the ruin. But three little fillies had other ideas. After all who cared about silly old ancient history when you still had cutie mark talents to discover! “Hey look at this!” Applebloom said discreetly while pressing two stones together, carefully trying not draw attention to herself over Cheerilee’s lesson. “Look at me build! I’ll get a building cutie mark for sure!” “I think building takes more than just shoving things randomly together Applebloom.” Sweetie Belle interjected. Those stones will just fall apart.” “This won’t fall apart though! Look at this!” exclaimed an excited Scootaloo as she waved around a colourful mesh of…something. “Erm, what is it?” Belle inquired. “It’s art! I’m an artist!” Scootaloo proudly replied. Belle examined the crude mishmash of crayon and awkward shiny objects plastered onto dirty rags. “That’s… Art? If my sister was here, she would burn that insult to beauty.” Sweetie Belle didn’t mean offence but Scootaloo was visibly very disheartened and upset. For a moment she looked like she was about to cry but instead turned to anger. “Well what have you done that’s so much better then?” Scootaloo stated each word with passive aggressive vemon. Applebloom quickly stood by Scootaloo’s side and agreed “Yeah! It seems your special talent is just sitting back and judging ours! Why don’t you attempt something yourself!?” Belle was quite taken aback by the accusatory attitude and worse still, she couldn’t think of anything to try. She hoped improvisation would be her special talent as she responded. “Well I… I err… I think I have a special talent down! I can… Use…” Sweetie Belle quickly glanced around to look for something, anything to help her but couldn’t see a thing that would be useful. “I can use…. My horn!...to… do magic!” Belle quickly realized that every unicorn can do that and it was hardly a special talent! Starting to panic now she had to think fast and say something quickly. “New magic! That I invented myself! I can summon bees!” Belle immediately regretted saying that. ‘Bees!?’ she thought to herself. Where did that even come from, her and her big mouth. Applebloom and Scootaloo looked on with perplexed expressions. Curious as to what Belle was talking about. “Bees?” They both said simultaneously. Belle could barely do even the simplest of spells, few unicorns her age could. She wanted to back out now but she couldn’t bring herself too. With desperate hope that a miracle may occur she closed her eyes and focused as hard as she could on her horn. Belle felt energy pass through her horn. She had done something but she couldn’t bare to open and her eyes and see what. There was a loud noise and a bright light… followed by a thump and a lot of commotion. When she opened her eyes the entire class staring at her. Except for Twist who was shaking in fear next to a fallen chunk of one of the ruin’s many broken walls. “Sweetie Belle!” Cheerilee shouted angrily. ‘Uh-oh’ Belle thought to herself. She must have accidently blasted a patch of the wall off and nearly crushed Twist. “I’m so glad you find important history so boring that you pull pranks on your classmates!” Cheerilee spitted out bitterly in the way only teachers can manage. “Nono no! I don’t find this at all boring Cheerilee! I didn’t mean to do anything! Really!” Belle protested in earnest but Cheerilee was unimpressed. “Oh, is that so? Then can you tell everyone why the Griffins abandoned this outpost over a century ago? Seeing as I just explained it to the class.” Belle was caught out here and she knew it. She looked down to avoid Cheerilee’s gaze and kicked at the ground softly. “Because…It… was too… cold?” The other fillies chuckled loudly at Belle but Cheerilee just frowned. “I’m very disappointed in you Sweetie Belle. And I’m going to have a word with your sister when we get back. Anyway class, follow me. Let’s go see the remains of what once was the hatchery.” Cheerilee lead the class further into the ruin and up some old broken stairs. The entire class followed eargly expect Sweetie Belle who intentionally lagged behind. “Hey Belle! You comin’ or what?” Applebloom shouted merrily. She had already stopped caring about the whole escapade but Belle hadn’t. “I’ll catch up later.” Belle whimpered in little more than a whisper. “Okay suit yourself! I’m going to see if hatching is my special talent!” Applebloom exclaimed joyfully. “But the actual hatchery’s been gone for over a century silly! She just said so!” Scootaloo interjected. “Well… Maybe rebuilding it is my talent! I haven’t given up on my builders cutie mark!” Applebloom replied. Their voices got quieter as they walked away until eventually Belle couldn’t hear them at all. Then once she was all alond she turned around and left the ruins to walk down the coast alone. “It’s not fair.” She said to herself, as she sulked. “They all have cutie marks or ideas of how to get cutie marks. While I do is get into trouble and feel dumb...” Then she looked up saw something that caught her eye. A small boat was floating very close by, loosely hitched to one single post. A smile appeared on Sweetie Belle’s face as she suddenly thought of a new idea.