//------------------------------//
// Part 1: The Unicorn, the Dare and the Shopkeeper 
// Story: Sour Belle 
// by AASBA 
//------------------------------//


Sour Belle


Part 1: The Unicorn, the Dare and the Shopkeeper


Sweetie Belle sat alone at the edge of the woods near the school house. The school yard was filled with the sounds of fillies and colts running around, playing tetherball or hopscotch or whatever else they wanted to. Recess was typically the best part of any given school day for the students at Cheerilee’s school. It was a time for them to take to playground and decompress from all the stress and bore from the first half of the day. Normally it was one of Sweetie Belle’s favorite parts of the day too, but not today.
Applebloom and Scootaloo had come down with bad colds a couple of days ago (as it turns out none of them had white water rafting cutie marks either) and since then Sweetie Belle has been without her circle of friends during recess. And when your friends aren’t there, you become an easy target.
“Oh there you are, Smelly Belle,” a voice called out, drawing the young unicorn’s attention away from watching a trail of ants march off into the forest. Diamond Tiara was making her way up the hill towards Sweetie, Silver Spoon following close behind. “What’s the matter? Doesn’t anypony want to play with you?”
Sweetie Belle did her best to focus on the noise the wind was making as it weaved through the canopy behind her, ignoring her aggressor.
“Of course not. After all, who would want to play with a stupid blank flank like you?”
“Nice one, DT!” Silver Spoon piped up. By this point, the two of them were standing directly over their prey, the sun at their backs making them hard to look at without squinting.
Diamond Tiara laughed as she leaned over and looked straight into Sweetie Belle’s eyes. “What’s the matter, cat got your tongue? Not so brave without your friends around, are ya?”
Sweetie Belle shot to her feet. “I am too brave!” she shouted, her voice cracking slightly as the words rolled off her tongue.
“Oh yeah? Prove it!”
“I will!” Sweetie Belle put on her best brave face and struck a pose. “See?”
Diamond Tiara laughed. “You think that’s all there is to being brave?”
“Uh… yeah?”
Diamond Tiara laughed even harder, Silver Spoon joining in. A few of the ponies closest to the hill looked up. “Oh come ON, you can’t possibly be that dense. If you really want to show how brave you are, you have to take a dare!”
“You want me to take a dare?”
“Yeah, a dare! And it has to be a good one too!” Silver Spoon chimed in. “After all, if we give you an easy dare then it won’t take any bravery at all!”
Diamond Tiara nodded. “That’s right.”
Sweetie Belle considered her options. If she backed down now she wouldn’t have to do anything potentially dangerous but she’d become the laughingstock of the school. On the other hoof if she took the dare and succeeded then all of the other ponies might like her more. “I’ll… I’ll do it.”
A smile spread across Diamond Tiara’s lips. “Excellent. I’ve got just the thing.” She took a deep breath. “I dare you to go and get me a moonblossom flower.”
Silver Spoon gasped. “But DT-“
“Quiet! She has to take it now,” Diamond Tiara returned her attention to Sweetie Belle. “If you don’t, we’ll tell everyone in school about how much of a scaredy-cat you are.”
“I can do it!” Sweetie Belle argued. “But what’s a moonblossom flower?”
“It’s a special kind of flower that only grows at night, but that’s not even the best part.” The smile on Tiara’s face twisted into a wicked grin. “Moonblossom flowers only grow in one place in the world. The Everfree Forest.”
Sweetie Belle tried to swallow but her mouth had gone dry. Sure, she’d been in the Everfree Forest before. But that was with her friends. And even then they were almost turned to stone by an angry cockatrice; even the memory of that incident was nearly enough to petrify her.
“Come on, DT. That’s not funny,” Silver Spoon whispered in her friend’s ear. “What if something happens to her?”
“If she doesn’t want to do it, that’s her choice. But if she wants to prove just how brave she really is, she’ll meet me by the edge of the forest at sunset. Deal?” Diamond Tiara held out her hoof.
Sweetie hesitated only a moment before shaking Tiara’s hoof. “Deal.”
“See you there, Smelly Belle.” Diamond Tiara trotted back down the hill as the bell rang, calling the students back to their seats.
“You… don’t have to do this, you know,” Silver Spoon told the unicorn filly. “I’ll talk to her. Get her to call it off.”
“I can do it,” Sweetie responded. “I’ll be fine, I promise.”


---


As the sun drew low to the horizon, Sweetie Belle walked cautiously towards the edge of the forest. Broad strokes of orange, purple and magenta stretched across the sky above. From beyond the edge of the forest came a choir of insect noises, animal calls and bird song in anticipation of the coming night. Diamond Tiara was already their waiting for her.
“Oh, look who decided to show up,” she snarked. “Ready to find out how brave you REALLY are?”
Sweetie Belle peered as far into the forest as she could but with the sun setting and the thick canopy nearly blocking out any other light she couldn’t see far. “Just tell me where these stupid blossoms are already.”
Diamond Tiara laughed. “Well you’re certainly eager to get this over with. Very well. The flowers grow near a pond deep inside the forest. All you have to do is follow that path,” she pointed to a trail slightly to their right, “and you’ll have no problem getting there… if a manticore doesn’t gobble you up first, of course~.”
Taking a deep breath, Sweetie started down the path.
“Don’t get lost,” Diamond Tiara called out after her. Her voice was dripping with mockery.
As Sweetie followed the path, the sky grew darker and darker. Low roars and grumbles joined in the chorus of night sounds as the stars began peeking through the branches one by one. 
I’m not afraid. I’m not afraid. I’m not afraid, she kept telling herself. Somewhere close a twig snapped and Sweetie Belle nearly jumped out of her skin. Okay, maybe I am scared. Just a little.
The minutes seem to stretch on and on as Sweetie Belle continued on her quest. A mist had rolled in, lending a chill to the air and leaving her wishing she brought her cape. Before longer she began wondering if there was any such thing as moonblossoms at all or if Diamond Tiara had been pulling her hoof all along.
“Achem.”
After all, Apple Bloom had taken her to see Zecora a whole bunch of times and even she had never mentioned some kind of flower that only blooms at night.
“Excuse me?”
What if there wasn’t even a lake? What if Diamond Tiara wanted her to get lost in these woods and eaten by a manticore or a hydra or a basilisk or—
“Pardon me little one, but are you lost?”
Sweetie Belle froze midstride. Slowly raising her head she noticed that she had wandered into some kind of campsite. A big, elaborate red tent sort of like the one her sister owns was erected just a few feet away with a campfire illuminating the small grove. Sitting beside the campfire was a grey stallion dressed in strange clothes.
He wore a domed, golden cap with a raised red brim encircling it alongside a red scarf and brown coat. The coat had many pockets stuffed with bottles, tools and all kinds of miscellanea and you could see the white sleeves of an undershirt extending from the sleeves of the coat. A pair of strange, purple spectacles rested lightly on his muzzle.
“I said are you lost?” The strange stallion got up and walked over to her. “The Everfree is no place for someone as young as yourself, especially at this time of night.”
Sweetie Belle shook her head, backing away slightly from the stranger. “I’m not lost; I was just on my way to get a moonblossom from the pond over there.” She turned to point and froze. The path was gone.
“And what would a pretty young lady such as yourself need with moonblossom?” the stallion asked. “There are many flowers just as beautiful.”
So they do exist! “I’m getting one on a dare,” Sweetie replied. “It’s to prove how brave I am!” She straightened up and tried to muster up her brave face again.
The stallion just chuckled. “Ah, so that’s how it is. A young pony trying to prove how tough and brave she is by taking some silly challenge. The foal that dared you, I take it you know her. A friend?”
Sweetie shook her head.
“Ah, a bully then. They exist in every age even back to the dawn of ponykind.” He settled back down in front of his campfire.
Finally deciding that the strange pony posed no threat to her, Sweetie asked a question. “Uh… if you don’t mind me asking… who are you, mister?”
“Just a humble shopkeep,” the stallion replied. “Nothing special about me, although I do know a thing or two about bullies.”
“Like what?”
“Well,” he began, “like how you should never just do what they tell you to. Learn to stand up for yourself, make them respect you.”
“Easy for you to say,” Sweetie Belle muttered. Having lost track of the path, she resigned herself to spending the night here where she could at least keep warm by the fire. “You don’t know Diamond Tiara.”
The stallion hesitated a moment before reaching into one of his coat pockets. “Here, take this.” He pushed a small, bundled object towards Sweetie Belle. “It may not make this Diamond Tiara go away, but it can help you to deal with her.”
Inching forward, Sweetie Belle carefully took the package and removed the cloth. A sleek black necklace fitted with a large, blood red gemstone fell out. The gem was set into a carving of an alicorn, made from the same material as the rest of the necklace. “It’s a necklace.”
“Hmm, perhaps you’re right. A necklace could be too conspicuous.” The shopkeep waved his hoof over the amulet and it changed before Sweetie’s eyes, shrinking and morphing down into a simple hairpin featuring a black flower with a ruby center. “That ought to do it.”
“What does it do?”
The shopkeep smiled. “Put it on and see.”
Revving up what little magic she could manage, Sweetie Belle lifted the pin and inserted it into her mane just behind her left ear. Almost immediately a surge of power washed over her and she let out a yelp. “W-what is that?”
“An artifact said to bring those that wear it great power,” the shopkeep explained. “Very useful for ponies with bully problems, wouldn’t you say?”
Sweetie Nodded.
“Now, let’s get you back into town.” The stallion stood. “Are you ready?”
“You know the way?”
“Something like that.” He smiled. “Now just close your eyes and…”
Sweetie Belle obediently closed her eyes and a wave of cold washed over her. It was like a massive talon of ice had gripped her round the body and was pulling her through a bowl of pudding. 
Just as suddenly as it had arrived the sensation had gone. Opening her eyes, Sweetie found herself back on the edge of the Everfree Forest, near town. Judging by the moon less than two hours had passed. As she regained her footing, a wonderfully sweet scent reached her nose.
Looking down, she found a pile of sparkling silver and blue flowers lay at her feet.