//------------------------------// // It Was All the Fault of Good Intentions // Story: No Love Lost // by Eyvind //------------------------------// “Achilles glared at him and answered, 'Fool, prate not to me about covenants. There can be no covenants between men and lions, wolves and lambs can never be of one mind, but hate each other out and out an through. Therefore there can be no understanding between you and me, nor may there be any covenants between us, till one or other shall fall'" -- Homer, The Iliad ~ ~ ~ "Sweetie Belle." The little unicorn filly rolled over in her bed. She pulled the covers over her head tightly, shunning the light from the morning sun that was now streaming through her bedroom window. "Sweetie Belle," Rarity called once more from downstairs, slightly louder this time. Sweetie grumbled irritably. It was too early for waking up. She snuggled deeper into the covers, hoping that her sister would just give up. "Sweetie Belle!" Rarity nearly shouted, dashing Sweetie's hopes. "Go away." Sweetie belle's muffled reply barely made it past the blanket over her face. The door to her bedroom opened suddenly, revealing a very irritated Rarity. She was panting slightly and her mane was only partially combed, giving her a crazed look. The smell of burnt toast wafted in after her, giving the filly a clear picture of what her breakfast would taste like; not exactly an incentive for her to wake up. "Sweetie Belle, you get out of that bed this instant!" Rarity commanded with all the authority of an older sibling. "Just five more minutes..." Sweetie replied from within her cocoon. "We're already late! Mother and father entrusted me with your care while you're here, and If I don't get you to school on time, they'll... they'll... well, I don't know what they would do, but it will NOT be pleasant!" Rarity dashed out of the room, her hoof beats fading as she ran towards the bathroom to finish her own morning ritual. "So get UP!" she called over her shoulder before closing the bathroom door forcefully. Sweetie belle hesitated for a moment, debating whether or not she should do as told. She realized the wisest course of action soon enough. Turning over, she removed the blanket from her head and squinted towards the ceiling, her eyes taking their sweet time adjusting to the brightness. "Sweetie Belle, are you out of bed yet?" Rarity called out from the bathroom down the hall. "Yeah!" Sweetie lied. She yawned, rubbing the sleep from her eyes with her hoof. She had only been awake for a few minutes, but she was already less than impressed with what the day had to offer. The bright side was that it could only get better. ~ ~ ~ "An F!?" Sweetie Belle and her teacher, Ms. Cheerilee, were alone in the schoolhouse during recess. Sweetie looked down at the paper that Cheerilee had just handed back to her in horror. It was a test on the whole history of Equestria, one of the biggest tests of the year. Sweetie had studied for weeks on end to get a perfect score. She had wanted to bring it home to show Rarity, to make her proud to be her sister. She had even tried to memorize the textbook word for word. "You're answers are the same as in the text book, word for word," Cheerilee said, voicing her thoughts. "The only way you could have done that was by cheating." "I didn't cheat!" Sweetie belle shouted, tears welling up in her eyes. "Calm down, Sweetie Belle," Cheerilee said soothingly. "I don't think you would have cheated on purpose, but maybe you thought it was an open-book test." Sweetie Belle shook her head forcefully. "I didn't look at the book! I swear to Celestia! I just memorized the words, that's all!" Cheerilee looked at her skeptically. "That's a little hard to believe, Sweetie." "It's the truth!" "Alright then." Cheerilee pulled out the text book from her desk drawer and opened it up to a chapter somewhere in the middle. "Start reading from chapter eighteen, 'The Establishment of the Royal Guard'." The Royal Guard... The Royal Guard... Sweetie Belle tried to remember the text, but between her emotional state and the fact that a week had passed since they took the test, she just couldn't. "I... I can't... remember..." The tears started to fall by that point. Cheerilee sighed as she closed the book. "It's alright, Sweetie Belle. I'll just give you a new test next week, so dry those tears. Alright?" All Sweetie Belle could do was nod meekly. ~ ~ ~ Sweetie Belle returned to recess after talking to Ms. Cheerilee, though she didn't feel like playing at all. She just wanted to go home so she could cry without getting laughed at by the putrid pink terror and her grey glasses-wearing shadow. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo could tell she was upset about something, even though she had made sure her tears were dry before exiting the building. The swings creaked as Sweetie Belle gently sung her legs back and forth, eyes never leaving the ground as she told her friends about the test. "Ah can't believe Ms. Cheerilee thinks you cheated," Apple Bloom said sympathetically. "I can't believe you actually memorized that entire book!" Sweetie Belle's head hung even lower, causing Apple Bloom to punch Scootaloo lightly in the shoulder. "Ow! What'd I say?" "It's alright," Sweetie Belle said with a small sigh. "I just wanted to be perfect so I could show Rarity that I'm actually good at something; show her that I'm not just a... waste of space." "Rarity doesn't think you're a waste of space," Apple Bloom assured her, "and you don't need some dumb old test to prove anything, either. Sisters love each other, no matter what." "Yeah," Scootaloo chipped in. "If Rainbow Dash hated me every time I screwed up, she'd never speak to me again." Apple Bloom punched her in the shoulder again. "Ow! Quit it!" Sweetie Belle looked less than convinced. She hopped off the swing and made her way back towards the schoolhouse, head still hanging low in despair. The bell in the steeple rang a moment later, signifying the end of recess. Apple Bloom exchanged a worried glance with Scootaloo before they both followed their friend back inside for the afternoon lessons. ~ ~ ~ The school day ended without any further incident, much to Sweetie Belle's relief. All she wanted was for the day to be over. She said goodbye to Apple Bloom and Scootaloo at the school gate and went straight to Rarity's boutique. The bell above the door rang as Sweetie entered. "Is that you, Sweetie Belle?" Rarity called from the kitchen. "Yeah." Rarity appeared in the doorway a moment later wearing a cold expression. Sweetie's heart dropped right into her stomach at the sight of it. What could she have done wrong this time, she wondered. "I received an interesting letter from your teacher today," Rarity explained in an even tone. Sweetie Belle panicked as she imagined all the things the letter might have said. "Wait, I can explain--" "Explain!?" Rarity cut her off sharply. "You cheated on a test, Sweetie Belle! I thought you had been raised better than that." "But, I didn't--" "NOT another word. Now, you just march straight upstairs, go to your room, and start studying for that make-up test, because you're grounded until you can pass that test with honesty!" Rarity's disappointment was the last straw that broke Sweetie Belle's fragile shell. Her throat locked up, her tears springing forth like a tidal wave, as an immeasurable sadness squeezed every last ounce of joy from her heart. She felt empty as she ran out of the boutique sobbing, her hooves moving of their own accord. She didn't care where they took her; as long as it was far away from here. She could hear Rarity calling her name as she ran, but she ignored her. Eventually her sister's cries faded away to birdsong and the rustling of leaves. Sweetie Belle came to her senses as she looked around her, realizing where she was heading for the first time. She was standing just outside of the Everfree Forest. Why was I running this way? Sweetie Belle wondered. She only hesitated for a moment before continuing down the path that lead into the dense undergrowth of the Forest. Maybe I'll just disappear for a little while. I'm sure Rarity will remember she loves me when she starts to worry about me. As the setting sun cast the shadows of the forest over Sweetie Belle's head, she found it difficult to stop her knees from shaking. I hope she starts to worry soon.