Sweetie Belle woke up early the next morning. Even though she'd hardly gotten any sleep, it was still the day of the Summer harvest festival, and like most ponies, Sweetie Belle loved a good celebration. In the early morning light, she made her way way towards the Carousel Boutique, her sister Rarity's dress shop.
Sweetie Belle walked in silence. She really wanted to believe that the last night had been some bad dream. They weren't really going to use some horrible substance on another pony, were they? Now that it was daylight, the Cutie Mark Crusader's problems seemed easier. There had to be a better solution, didn't there? Maybe they still had enough time to whip together a float, that would allow them to work out Apple Bloom's other plan.
Ahead of her, Sweetie Belle saw the Applejack, Apple Bloom and Babs Seed. Applejack ducked into the carousel boutique, Babs turned to Apple Bloom with a mischievous look in her eye. Sweetie Belle shuddered to think of what the bully was planning, but she didn't have long to wait. As Apple Bloom moved towards Sweetie Belle, Babs stuck out her leg, and tripped her into a nearby mud puddle.
Sweetie Belle ran towards the other pony as fast as she could, but she wasn't looking, and Babs tripped her as well. Sweetie Belle landed on top on Apple Bloom, winding her. The girls collapsed in heap in tears. Meanwhile, Applejack emerged from the boutique. Sweetie Belle studied Applejack, looking for any sign that she'd seen what Babs had done.
Sweetie Belle had wanted to tattle on Babs from the beginning. While the other two crusaders had convinced her that this was a bad idea, Sweetie Belle still thought that it was better then the current plan.
"Girls, did you really have to play in the mud?" Rarity asked from the doorway. "You can't come in, which is a shame because I had made special costumes for you for the parade. They are some of my best work if I do say so myself."
Bab's eyes sparkled, and Sweetie Belle knew what was going to happen next. Sure enough, a few minutes later, Rarity was fitting Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, and Babs into what should have been their costumes. Out in the street, the Crusaders were glaring through the windows.
"No mercy." Scoolaloo growled.
"It's on." Apple Bloom agreed.
Sweetie Belle wasn't so sure, but she went along with it anyway. They'd been hurt enough. Babs wasn't going to be here forever, and if they could get her sick enough that she couldn't hurt them for most of that time, life could settle back to normal, and they could be free again. Sweetie Belle desperately wanted life to return to normal. If this was their best shot at normal, they had to take it.
Sweetie Belle saw Pinkie Pie bouncing down the street. She pointed the her out to Apple Bloom. Sweetie was willing to passively go along with their plan, but she wasn't about to directly cooperate. Sweetie Belle watched, a lump building in her throat as Apple Bloom and Scootaloo explained that Babs was new in town.
Pinkie exploded into action, pulling confetti and streamers and other party favors out of thin air. With a growing sense of dread, Sweetie Belle watched as Apple Bloom pulled the tainted party horn out of her saddle bags. When Babs came out of the Carousel Boutique, she was ambushed by the pink party pony. Sweetie Belle knew that there was no avoiding Pinkie Pie, she was an inexplicable force of nature.
Apple Bloom got in close, and blew her horn into Bab's face. Babs laughed at Pinkie Pie. At first, Pinkie thought that Babs was laughing with her, and then the full horror of what had happened sunk in with the pink pony. Pinkie Pie abandoned her party favors, and ran off down the street.
"Is everypony either lame, nuts, or both in this town?" Babs asked Silver Spoon as she walked off, their ill gotten costumes glistening in the morning sun.
Sweetie Belle eyed her two companions. They were rubbing their hooves in delight. They'd succeeded in their plan. In a few days, Babs would get sick, and then they'd be able to get back to normal.
"We did the right thing. No pony messes with Pinkie." Apple Bloom said, breaking the uneasy silence.
Did we? Sweetie thought to herself. She guessed that they'd done the right thing. It's not like they'd killed Babs or anything serious like that. She'd just get sick for a few days, and then be better when it was time to go back to Manehatten. They'd have their lives back, and Babs would be able to go back where she belonged. It was a win win really.
Sweetie Belle wandered around Ponyville with her friends, soaking in the festival atmosphere, and enjoying the morning sun. The girls had spent a few bits on cupcakes at Sugar Cube corner, and they ate them as the walked. Sweetie Belle was starting to feel more normal. She'd managed to convince herself that there was no way that Babs had actually breathed in any of the powder from inside the horn. Apple Bloom had been too far away, and the grains had been so little. Most of it was probably littering the ground around the Carousel Boutique. Sweetie Belle wondered if it would be possible for any other pony to breathe the dust in off of the ground. It would be awful, she decided if another Pony got sick, while Babs stayed perfectly healthy.
Sweetie Belle couldn't bear to watch the parade, so the Crusaders made some excuse about not feeling well, and went to hide in Sweetie's room. According to the monkey, it would be a few days before Babs started to feel the effects of the Ricin anyway.
"We had to. There wasn't any other way." Scootaloo said.
Sweetie Belle could tell that the Pegasus was waiting for one of them to chime in, and to agree with her. But, Sweetie Belle was having the same doubts. She couldn't be reassuring if she didn't feel reassured herself.
The Crusaders spent the rest of the day at Sweetie's house, hiding from themselves more then any other Pony.