Her first day at school had gone by without a hitch. All the fillies and colts in her class were pretty nice. Their teacher, the lovely Miss Cheerilee, was just as kind and friendly as her sister had stated. The lessons weren't too hard and during the lunch hour she had even made a few friends. Yes, she had thought, school was going to be a great.
Then came the second day. She had made her way over to her desk, all smiles and ready to take on a brand new day. Miss Cheerilee had been standing up front, smiling as she carefully wrote something across the black board. Once done she took a few steps back, turning the face her class and addressing them in a clear, light hearted voice.
"Stupe-" A blush spread across her face as she released the chalk from between her teeth. An eruption of giggles spread across the class and it took a long, stern look from their beloved teacher for them to clam up.
"Students. We have two new fillies joining our class today! I know you'll treat them with the same kindness and respect you do with each other. Right?"
Eight young voices responded in kind, overly chipper and automated.
"Yes Miss Cheerilee!" Pleased with their answer she ushered in the two new students.
"Why don't you two introduce yourselves?"
The first to speak was a tall, rather rugged colt with a dark tan coat and glaring amber eyes. A single neon streak of red ran through his other wise dull mane. With strength, he spoke.
"Blazed Burn! 'm from Manehatten!"
Beside him was a shorter, more stocky colt. With a shimmering blue coat and a white mane to match he stood out terribly against his companion. The only thing about him that didn't stand out in fact, was a set of dull grey eyes.
Once Blazed Burn was done speaking he cleared his throat, his voice smooth and oddly mature for one his age.
"Smooth Talk. Also from Manehatten."
As the two new students introduced themselves Sweetie Belle stared at them carefully, her usual bright smile fading the longer she did. It was then that she was struck with a single thought: that she was most likely not going to get along with them.
She didn't like the look of them, for starters. Their eyes were cruel and judgemental with gazes that swept among their ranks, resting the longest on their flanks. Silent sneers were sent her way when the pair noticed her lack of cutie mark. An orange pegasus up back received an identical look as well, which she responded to with a sneer of her own.
How rude, Sweetie Belle had thought, it wasn't THEIR fault that they were the only students in the class that didn't have their marks yet.
Still, she had at least tried to get along with them. To prove herself wrong. Maybe those sneers had been failed attempts at smiles? She wasn't one to think the worst of ponies, always trying to find a better reason, a brighter side to every story. Here would not be any different. With that in mind she made a choice.
When the lunch bell rung she trotted out the door, smiling to herself as she saw the new pair sitting with most of the class under a tree. The only ones missing were a green unicorn who had fallen asleep in class and had been left in dreamland and the same orange pegasus that had been sneered at as well. Sweetie Belle shook her head, clearing the memory from her mind. No, now was not a time for negativity. She was here to attempt to befriend the new comers and that was exactly what she was going to do.
"Hey! My name is Sweetie Belle. You're Blazing Burn and Smooth Talk, right? It's nice to meet you guys!" An honest smile followed her greeting, one the pair did not return. Instead twin smirks were sent her her way as they stood, the group around them starting to whisper amongst themselves.
"So, you's the other blank flank, huh? We's were just tellin' the rest of the class 'bout blank flanks, weren't we Smooth?" Blazed Burn puffed out his chest in an act of intimidation. An act that really, he didn't need to perfect, what with his height and all.
The shorter of the pair pushed his mane from his face, eyeing the filly before him as though she were nothing more than trash.
"Yes. Yes we were. We were just telling our new friends about how weird blank flanks are at this age. I mean, a filly in school who HASN'T found their special talent yet? That's just really odd. Why, something is clearly wrong with them. Being friends with someone so odd wouldn't be such a good idea. You'll end up wrong like them. So, I'm sorry to say that we don't find meeting you to be so nice, you FREAK."
Smooth Talk turned swiftly with the ending of his sentence, with Blazed Burn turning clumsily along side him. The group of ponies that she had been friends with just yesterday, who she had played with, laughed with... They now stood against her, having bought the new colts story hook, line and sinker.
Sweetie Belle had never been a tough filly, or one to hide her true emotions. So when everypony had abandoned her, when he had been bullied and excluded, she instantly began to cry. Miss Cheerilee ran out, worried by the sounds of crying. There, sitting alone now with not a single other pony in sight, she found the young unicorn. Not seeing anypony who could have upset the little one she simply nudged her inside. The green filly who had been sleeping in class awoke at the sound, skipping past them to join the group outside. He was instantly accepted, his cutie mark of a spanner saving him from a terrible mocking.
When Sweetie Belle left for home that afternoon she did so without having told Cheerilee just what had upset her so much. No, she wouldn't tell on them, no matter how much she wanted to. Telling on them would mean even more hurt and exclusion and the last thing she wanted was to be hated, even if she was already alone.