Farmers Market, 1958
Sweetie Belle squinted at her shopping list to make sure not to forget anything.
"Milk, eggs, bread," She began to read out loud, "I still need to get honey."
Sweetie tucked the list into her saddle bags and began walking towards the bee farm…no, wait…what had the teacher called it? Apiary. She felt out of her depth as of late. Sweetie hadn't seen Rarity in several days, she hadn't even come home to say if she was okay…or where she was going to be.
But, due to her being alone and technically orphaned she had to take care of herself, and that meant having to buy food. The filly didn't have a lot of money to spend, she could only scrounge up what little she could find by digging around in Rarity's room.
Which was an absolute wreck.
All the mirrors were broken, the mattress was pressed against the wall and had a picture of Sander Cohen stuck to it with a kitchen knife. And several other kitchen utensils peppered the mattress as well. All of her sister’s clothes had been ripped off the hangers and piled up in the corner. But, the most frightening thing to Sweetie Belle was, on her large window had Rarity’s name written in lipstick.
The further to the bottom of the window, the worse her spelling got. The very last attempt was an "R" followed by four "V's".
Sweetie Belle was nearly brought to tears thinking back on it. Her sister had truly gone off the deep end. She had to be tough—there was no telling if Rarity was ever coming back.
She was on her own now. The filly was going to have to be a big girl. She had no idea where to get food after she spent the money.
She’d need to get a job, but hadn't the slightest on what to do for work. Sweetie Belle finally reached the Apiary and stood outside was a sign.
Insect Swarm
"People bugging you, shoo them away with Insect Swarm!"
After Ryan Industries seized all of Frank Fontaine's assets the plasmid business got a huge upgrade. No longer were there only two plasmids to choose from, Ryan had his engineers manufacture truckloads more. Sweetie Belle returned to the task at hand, making sure she would have enough to purchase the honey.
Seventy-five cents left, just enough for a small jar.
Sweetie Belle put the money back in her saddle bag and entered the shop.
Sinclair Deluxe, 1958
Sweetie Belle took the elevator up to the fourth floor, but couldn't shake the feeling of being followed. She had this feeling ever since she left the Apiary. But, every time she turned around, no one was even within a hundred yards. Sweetie was sure it was just because she was alone in such a big place.
The elevator stopped and opened to her floor. She stepped out of it and began walking to her room. As her door grew into sight, she noticed a pink note taped to it.
Oh, no.
The lone crusader pulled the note off the door, her fears confirmed.
It was a final notice for rent. She felt as if her entire world was falling down around her. Sweetie Belle had no idea what to do. How could Rarity just leave her alone like this? Prior sadness for her sister morphed to anger. She couldn't believe Rarity would just vanish on her like this, with no regard to what was going to happen. Sweetie Belle crumpled up the notice and tossed it into the waste bin before entering the apartment.
Closing the door behind her she walked into the kitchen nook to set her groceries down. She then walked back into the sitting room, and plopped down on the sofa. She rubbed her temples when she caught a blinking red light in her peripheral. It was the answering machine.
Probably more eviction notices.
Sweetie Belle pressed the play button and the message began.
"Hi, Rarity, it's Mrs. Tenenbaum from Rapture Learning Center, calling about Sweetie Belle," the voice began, "she hasn't been to class in several days and I was just wondering if she would be returning. Call me back when you get a chance."
The filly frowned. Rapture Learning Center. She was never going back to that place.
Something was not right about it. A week after they had received they're new textbooks none of the colt students returned to the class and the previous teacher was replaced with Mrs. Tenenbaum. The students were also instructed to not discuss to anyone outside of class about what they were learning. Sweetie Belle wasn't quite sure what was going on, but what she did know was that she didn't like it. She laid back against the sofa, closed her eyes, and drifted off to sleep.
Sweetie wasn't exactly sure on how long she was out, but was awoken by whispered talking directly outside her door.
Oh no, they're here to evict me!
Sweetie Belle jolted up and ran over to the door, ready to plead her case. She was just about to open it when she caught something one of them was saying.
"Look, we have to take her to the facility," a stallion spoke with an oriental accent, "she knows too much. We can't risk being exposed."
Sweetie Belle's ears perked up, surely they couldn't be talking about her? She pressed an ear to the door and listened.
"But, Dr. Suchong, how much could she possibly know? She's just a little filly after all," the other voice responded.
Sweetie Belle recognized this voice. Mrs. Tenenbaum.
"She may know more than you think," Suchong answered, "why else would she flee the learning center? She has found us out. We must act now before we’re exposed to the rest of Rapture."
Fear struck the small filly. They were here for her! Her heart was pounding, she needed to hide. The door knob began to shake. They were trying to get in. Sweetie Belle darted for Rarity's room, silently closing the door behind her.
Just as she did so, a loud crash came from the sitting room. They had broken the door down. Acting fast, she glanced around the room—her gaze fell on the clothes piled in the corner. Diving in, making sure every bit of herself was covered up.
Sweetie could barely hear them searching, over the sound of her pulsating heart. What will they do to me? She quietly swallowed the lump forming her throat. Trying desperately to control her breathing, but she was just too terrified. They were going to find her, she just knew it. Suddenly, she heard Rarity's door squeak open. Sweetie Belle's entire body tensed up as she held her breath.
"Maybe she isn't home," Tenenbaum said entering the room.
"Just keep looking to be safe," Suchong respond.
Sweetie Belle listened as they walked through. She heard the squeak of the mattress as they turned it over and the sliding of closet doors. There was a moment of pause. That’s it, she thought, they've found me, only one place left to look.
"See I told you she wasn't home Doctor," Tenenbaum stated.
"Well, we need to find her—phone missing ponies when we get back to the lab," Suchong said, "maybe someone reported her missing..."
Sweetie heard the clop of hoofsteps, then the squeak of the door as it closed. She paused for a moment before popping her head out, wanting to be sure. The filly seemed to wait for hours; finally she poked her head up. And a pair of hooves wrapped around her muzzle with a bit of cloth. The door opened and Mrs. Tenenbaum entered with a blank expression on her face as everything faded to black.