//------------------------------//
// Tails 
// Story: Tails 
// by BronyWriter 
//------------------------------//

Sweetie Belle quietly exhaled and wiped a bead of sweat from her brow as she tip-hooved ever closer to her slumbering sister. Rarity was laid out on the couch, lying on her belly with a romance novel of some sort dropped next to the hoof hanging over the edge of the sofa. Good, she would need Rarity to be asleep for what was about to come. 

Sweetie Belle reached the couch and slowly opened up her saddlebag, pulling out a pair of long, sharp scissors. They would serve her well for her plans, provided that they could cut well enough for the job. Rumors floated around Ponyville that Rarity had so many products in her mane and tail that nothing short of a sea serpent's scale would slice through them. Sweetie Belle doubted the validity of the statement, but remembered that somepony had said that all rumors had a little basis in fact. 

Sweetie Belle ignited her horn to bring the scissors closer to Rarity, and froze when the noise of the magic flowing through her horn caused Rarity to shift where she laid. Sweetie Belle heard her mutter something that she couldn't quite make out about some stallion. However, her sister did not wake up. Sweetie Belle let out a breath that she didn't know that she was holding in, and turned her attention to her sister's tail. There it was. Perfectly curled and styled as always. Sweetie Belle brought the scissors towards the tail and, when the hairs were positioned where the two blades of the scissors met, she snapped them shut. 

The rumors were exaggerated, it seemed. Either that or the scissors were in top form. Rarity's tail was neatly severed by the scissors, prompting a nod from Sweetie Belle. She put the scissors back into her saddlebag before gently lifting the tail off of Rarity's hind leg and walking out of the room. That had gone about as well as could be hoped, but it was only the first stage of the plan. Now all she could do was wait until her comrades had completed their tasks and arrived at the boutique. Then stage two could begin. 

Sweetie Belle did not have to wait long. She walked over to the window next to the door and saw Apple Bloom and Scootaloo trotting towards the boutique, each with a large plastic bag in their mouths. Sweetie Belle opened up the front door as quietly as she could, stepping aside to let the other two in.

"You did it," she said once they were all inside. "Did anything go wrong?"

Both Crusaders shook their heads and put the plastic bags on the floor. "Nope," Scootaloo said. "It took a little bit of energy to fly high enough and push a cloud next to the one she was sleeping on, but once I did that it was a piece of cake." Scootaloo smirked and buffed a hoof on her chest. "Once she's asleep, nothing short of Pinkie Pie wakes her up."

"Ah didn't have any problems either," Apple Bloom confirmed. "Once AJ is done on the farm and takes her afternoon nap, nothin's gonna wake her up."

"Good. Hopefully this is gonna be easy." Sweetie Belle pointed to Rarity's tail. "I was thinking we could give that to Applejack so Rainbow Dash could get hers."

"Sounds good ta me, but we need ta make sure the spell works first." 

"It will." Sweetie Belle pulled the bag Scootaloo had brought over closer and opened it up, smiling when she saw the rainbow tail within. "It will. I remember when Rarity told me about how she did the spell for the sea serpent in the Everfree Forest when they found the Elements. I've been practicing with strands of my mane."

"Awesome." Scootaloo looked towards Rarity. "So what's say we do this?"

"Yeah." Sweetie Belle ignited her horn and lifted the rainbow tail out of the bag. "Let's do this."

Sweetie Belle walked back over towards her sister, her friends walking behind her, each with a wide grin on their faces. Now came the more delicate part of the operation. If this failed, though Sweetie Belle had no reason to believe that it would, then they would have quite a bit of explaining to do. Sweetie Belle pushed those thoughts out of her mind and brought the tail closer to the remaining strands that used to be Rarity's tail. As gently as she could, Sweetie Belle connected the two parts and pushed more magic through her horn to create the spell that she had been practicing. She bit her lip as a light green glow enveloped both sides, and the magic within began fusing the hairs together. 

Just a few more seconds. Just a little more magic and this would all be worth it. She held her breath as more of the strands began to fuse together, attaching what was once Rainbow Dash's tail to her sister. 

Then it was done. 

Sweetie Belle exhaled and powered down her horn, each of the three staring at Rarity's new prismatic tail. Unless one knew better, or had a basic understanding that a pony with a solid purple mane does not tend to grow a rainbow tail, they couldn't see that it was not supposed to be like that. 

"It worked," Sweetie Belle whispered. 

"Well you were the one who said that you've been trying it with your mane." Scootaloo beckoned the other two back towards the front door. "Just two more to go, girls."

Sweetie Belle opened up the door to the boutique as Apple Bloom put Rarity's tail inside the bag that Scootaloo had brought Rainbow Dash's tail in. "Alright, who next? Mah sister?"

Sweetie Belle nodded and put the bag with Rarity's tail on her back. "Sounds good to me."


*  *  *  *


"Ah thought fer sure she was gonna wake up when yer horn went out fer a moment there." 

Sweetie Belle leaned against one of the walls in the Cutie Mark Crusaders' clubhouse, an ice pack on her head near her horn. She smirked at Apple Bloom and adjusted the ice pack. "Well I was kinda almost out of magic by that point. I didn't realize that attaching three tails to three ponies would be so much work! I only got good at levitation a few months ago."

"Well, I think it was a real success, girls," Scootaloo said, getting to her hooves and raising one foreleg into the air. "Cutie Mark Crusaders Frankenpony Creators!" Apple Bloom high-hooved Scootaloo, while Sweetie Belle lazily raised one of her own hooves. "Alright, girls, we just gotta wait until Sweetie Belle has her magic back, then we can switch the tails and nopony will be the wiser! We'll get our cutie marks from this for sure!"

"Ah can't wait ta see what our cutie marks look like! Maybe we can be plastic surgeons or somethin' like that!" Apple Bloom giggled and clapped her hooves. "All kinds of possibilities with bein' able ta switch stuff around on ponies!"

"We'll have to make a list once we get our cutie marks in it," Scootaloo said before looking over to Sweetie Belle. "How about it, Sweetie Belle? Are you ready to go switch their tails back, or do you still need a few minutes?"

Sweetie Belle shook her head and shifted the ice pack to the other side of her horn. "No, I think I still need a few more minutes. My headache hasn't quite gone away yet."

"Well it had better go away soon." Scootaloo glanced out of the clubhouse window. "Our sisters aren't going to sleep forever, you know."

"Aw, we can give her a few more minutes. Besides, Applejack usually stays asleep until dinnertime, so we've still got a few hours with her."

"If Rainbow Dash doesn't get called by the weather team we should be good with her too." Scootaloo shrugged and walked over to the window. "Still, she's not going to be asleep all day, and she is out in the open. I'm just glad nopony saw me."

"I'll be ready in a few minutes, girls. I'm as ready to get our cutie marks as you are!" Sweetie Belle took the ice pack off of her head and rubbed the base of her horn. "I'm about ready to go. Just make sure we have all of our supplies ready, okay?"

"You've got it!" Apple Bloom said as she walked back over to Sweetie Belle's saddlebag. 


*  *  *  *


Applejack was awoken by a pounding on her door that caused her to raise her head and open one eye with a groan. "Big Mac, what did Ah say about wakin' me up before dinnertime?"

"It's not Big Mac," Rainbow Dash's voice said from the other side of the door. "It's me and Rarity."

"Rainbow 'n Rarity?" Applejack sat up and yawned. "What are y'all doin' here? Somethin' happen?"

"Something did indeed happen, Applejack. It happened to the both of us and I guarantee that it happened to you as well," Rarity said. "If you could open the door we can explain."

"Happened ta me too, huh?" Applejack sniffled and scratched her chest before sliding out of bed and walking towards the door. "What, did Pinkie Pie do put sugar in the town's water supply or some--"

Applejack's words were cut off when she opened the door and saw a grimacing Rainbow Dash and a carefully blank Rarity on the other side of the door. This in of itself was not cause for concern as much as the fact that both seemed to have tails that were... not their own. All trace of fatigue was gone from Applejack, and she gasped when she saw that Rainbow Dash's new tail seemed rather familiar. 

"No," she whispered. "No Ah..." Applejack turned her head to look at where her tail was and, sure enough, instead of the straw blonde one she liked so much, there was a meticulously styled curly purple tail. She blinked once before turning her head back to her friends. "Oh... well... uh..."

"It was our sisters," Rainbow Dash muttered. "I was flying over to Rarity's to talk to her about..." She motioned to her tail. "This, and Berry Punch said that she saw Scootaloo pushing a cloud to me with a pair of scissors in her mouth." Applejack raised an eyebrow in surprise when she saw a hint of a smirk appear on Rainbow Dash's face. "I gotta say, though, as far as pranks go, this one is kinda awesome."

"Er... Ah'm not so sure 'bout that." Applejack turned her attention to Rarity. "Rares y'all don't seem quite so mad. Ah thought that you'd be blowin' a gasket."

"On the contrary, Applejack, I am quite as livid as you would expect. I am merely waiting until I am in the privacy of my own home to flay Sweetie Belle alive." Rarity's tail flicked in annoyance, something that caused a hint of a grimace to appear on her face. "I assume that the offenders are in their clubhouse?"

Applejack shrugged. "Ah would guess so. That's where they usually hang out."

"Well then, let us make haste to their clubhouse, then." Rarity turned around and began walking down the stairs, her friends quickly following. "I for one am considering burning the wretched place down. To. The. Ground."


*  *  *  *


"Okay, I think I'm ready." Sweetie Belle tossed the ice pack onto a table in the corner of their clubhouse and got to their hooves. "We have everything?"

"Well, our supplies were just scissors and yer horn, so if yer ready then Ah think so," Apple Bloom said. 

"Cool." Scootaloo walked over to the bags and pulled one over to herself. "Let's just hope they're all still sleeping."

"They should be," Sweetie Belle said, levitating her saddlebag and putting it on her back. "But we'd better hurry just in ca--"

As she was speaking, all three Crusaders turned around, causing Sweetie Belle's words to die in her throat when she saw what was behind her. Or rather who was behind her. Three someponies to be exact. Three sisters, if one wanted to be more exact. 

Rainbow Dash and Applejack were both staring directly at their sisters, Applejack scowling, and Rainbow Dash subtly smirking, but it was Rarity's expression that unnerved Sweetie Belle. Rather, the fact that there was no expression on her face. She just fixed Sweetie Belle in her unblinking gaze. 

After a few moments of total silence, Rarity gently cleared her throat and blinked once. "Sweetie Belle. My dearest sister Sweetie Belle. Did you wake up this morning and say to yourself 'I wonder what it would be like to die young' and then planned out the most likely chain of events that would lead to that particular outcome?"

"Uh..." Sweetie Belle blushed and flattened her ears. "I guess that thinking of a cutie mark idea based on a horror movie we weren't allowed to see in the first place might not have been in the best idea."

"Indeed." Rarity stepped inside the clubhouse and ignited her horn to lift Sweetie Belle's saddlebag off of her back. "Yes, I do not suppose that your idea was a wise one, Sweetie Belle, because this..." Rarity turned to show Sweetie Belle her new tail. "Does not make me very happy. It makes me quite cross, if you want to hear the truth."

"Yeah, I know, but we were going to switch them back!" Sweetie Belle pointed to her saddlebag. "We were just going to wait until my magic came back then we were going to do it right away!"

"Well then, I'm glad we could save you the trip." Rarity pulled the scissors out of Sweetie Belle's bag and brandished them at her sister. "You are going to change our tails back this instant or so help me, I will forbid you from seeing your friends for the next millennium!" 

"That goes for you too, AB!" Applejack growled. "What in Equestria possessed you?!"

"And you, Scoots, you really thought of this?" Scootaloo whimpered and wilted under Rainbow Dash's gaze. "You came up with the idea to switch our tails around?"

"We thought that if we switched them back before you woke up then nopony would get hurt and we'd get our cutie marks." Scootaloo flattened her ears and looked down at the clubhouse floor. "We're sorry, Rainbow Dash."

"Oh don't apologize, this was brilliant!" Rainbow Dash's smirk grew into a full blown grin, and she scooped Scootaloo up in her forelegs and gave her a noogie. "Switching our tails around? Wow, I wish I had thought of that!"

Rainbow Dash's smile fell when she heard the two other mares clear their throats and her ears flattened when she saw the two of them glaring at her. She gave a weak chuckle and scratched the back of her neck. "Yeah, okay, I guess she should have asked us first, or something."

"Yes, they should have." Rarity turned her glare from Rainbow Dash to her sister. "Well, we'll see about your punishments, but for now..." Rarity pushed the scissors towards Sweetie Belle. "You have some work to do, young lady."

Sweetie Belle gulped, but took the scissors out of her sister's magical grasp. She walked up to her sister and, with one quick snip, severed the tail that she had put on. Within a few seconds, she had done the same for Rainbow Dash and Applejack. She was just as prompt in putting the tails back on, though by the end, her horn had started to hurt again. Finally, though, she re-attached Applejack's tail, putting everything back to the way it had been before. When she was done, she backed up and smiled sheepishly at the adults. 

"Well, I suppose you did as well of a job as you could have, Sweetie Belle," Rarity said as she examined her returned tail. "Of course you are still going to be punished quite thoroughly for this, but at least our tails are back."

"Yeah, you too, Apple Bloom." Applejack stopped brushing her tail long enough to turn her attention back to her sister. "Y'all had better believe that Big Mac, Granny Smith and Ah are gonna have a long talk about what ta do with you." Applejack scowled and mumbled under her breath, "once Big Mac stops laughin', that is."

"And you, Squirt..." Rainbow Dash put a hoof on Scootaloo's shoulder. "Next time if you want to switch something of mine ask first. Don't give me Applejack's tail. I think Pinkie Pie's would be funnier."

Applejack turned her scowl to Rainbow Dash and gave her a little shove, which Rainbow returned with a smirk. "Don't worry, AJ, I'm going to be talking with her parents."

"Aw..." Scootaloo sat down on the floor, her ears flat again. She glanced over at Sweetie Belle. "Looks like we need..." Scootaloo's words were cut off with a gasp, and she shot to her hooves, pointing a hoof at Sweetie Belle. "Sweetie Belle! You got your cutie mark!"

Sweetie Belle gasped and looked down at her flank where, sure enough, a picture of a pair of scissors cutting a tail that looked like her own had just appeared. 

"It worked!" Sweetie Belle squeaked as she jumped up and down. "It worked, it worked, it worked!"

"You got your cutie mark!" Scootaloo squeed. "You can be a barber now, or something like that!"

Rarity, rather than be elated that her sister had finally achieved her dream, merely stared at her new cutie mark for a few moments before groaning and facehooving. 

"Oh Celestia dammit, Sweetie Belle."