Sweetie Belle raced through the streets of Ponyville as fast as she could. Left behind at the school, her two friends, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, stared, dumbfounded, after the young white unicorn. "What do ya think is going on with her, Scootaloo?" Apple Bloom asked her pegasus friend.
Scootaloo shrugged, "I don't know Apple Bloom. It kind of looked like she was crying though. Maybe we should go after her."
Apple Bloom nodded, "I think we should. It just ain't right to ignore her if she's upset."
Both young fillies run after their friend, wondering what could have possibly made her get so upset. A couple minutes later they caught sight of Sweetie Belle sitting underneath a tree on the edge of the park. The young unicorn was crying quietly as her two best friends approached. Sitting next to her on the grass, Apple Bloom asked, "Are ya alright Sweetie Belle?"
Sweetie Belle raised her tear-stained face to look at her fellow Cutie Mark Crusaders. She shook her head weakly but refused to say anything. Awkwardly, Scootaloo stepped forward, "Come on Sweetie Belle. We're your friends!"
Sweetie Belle got up and shouted, "And why should you be friends with a fat, ugly pony like me? Just leave me alone!"
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo stared incredulously after their friend as she ran away from them, crying harder than when they had first approached her. In a slightly confused, slightly worried tone, Scootaloo asked, “Do you think we should try to catch up with her? She didn’t seem like she wanted anything to do with us right now.”
Apple Bloom shook her head, “Ah don’t think we should be botherin’ her anymore today. Let’s just wait ‘til school tomorrow.”
Scootaloo sighed, “Yeah, you’re right Apple Bloom. That’s probably what’s best for her and for us keeping our friendship with her.” She cast a quick, sorrowful glance after their unicorn friend, who could still be seen in the distance walking dejectedly towards Carousel Boutique.
Sweetie Belle quickly wiped her tears and took a couple deep breaths before pushing open the door to her sister’s home and walking inside. Her older sister called to her from the kitchen as she came in, “Sweetie Belle! Dinner will be ready in a minute!”
Sweetie Belle called back, “Okay sis! I’ll be right there!”
The young unicorn went into the bathroom and quickly used a tissue to ensure that there was nothing to show that she had been crying her eyes out only a few minutes before. When she felt that her sister would be unable to tell, Sweetie Belle tossed the tissue into the garbage can and walked into the kitchen where she found her sister already seated at the table. Rarity looked up as her little sister sat down across from her. “How was school today, Sweetie Belle?”
Shakily, Sweetie Belle replied, “School was alright I guess. What about you? How was your day?”
Slightly taken aback at her sister’s quick change of topic, Rarity said, “It wasn’t too exciting. I’m afraid that hardly anypony came in to take a look around, and only one pony bought anything.”
“Sorry about that sis,” her sister replied as she played with her food.
“Oh, it’s alright Sweetie Belle. Not every day will be a good day for business unfortunately.”
The two sisters sat in silence for a few more minutes, Rarity eating her meal daintily while Sweetie Belle continued to play around with her food without eating a single bite. Noticing this, Rarity spoke up in a concerned manner, “Sweetie Belle, are you sure you’re alright? You haven’t touched your food, and you usually love my cooking when you’re staying with me. Not that I’d be upset if you don’t like it, I just wish you’d tell me so that I could get you something else to eat instead.”
At this, Sweetie Belle’s pent up emotions from early that day exploded out of her, “I’m just not eating anymore, okay? I’m a stupid, fat, ugly pony! I shouldn’t be allowed near food with how much I eat!”
Rarity gasped, got up, and went over to her sister, “Sweetie Belle! None of that is true at all! Who told you that about yourself?”
Sobbing against Rarity’s chest, Sweetie Belle choked out, “Diamond Tiara! And she’s right too. I’m the fattest, ugliest pony in all of Ponyville. No! In all of Equestria!”
Pulling her little sister into a tight hug, Rarity said, “No, you’re most definitely not darling. You’re my beautiful, amazing little sister who I love more than anypony else in the world. Diamond Tiara is the ugly one, not you.”
Sniffling, Sweetie Belle asked, “Wh-what do you mean? She’s not ugly at all.”
“Here, let me put it this way,” her sister replied, “Before hearing what Diamond Tiara said to you today, were you happy with your life and with who you are?”
Sweetie Belle nodded, “Yeah, I suppose I was. I have two really good friends, awesome parents, and the best sister in Equestria. The only thing I don’t like is still being a blank flank. But mostly, yeah, I was happy.”
Rarity smiled gently, “And the only reason you aren’t happy with yourself now is what Diamond Tiara said, am I right?”
Her little sister nodded again and wiped some of the tears away from her eyes. Rarity smiled a bit more as she continued, “You know why Diamond Tiara said those things to you? Because she’s unhappy with herself and feels the need to bring other ponies down just so she can live with who she is. She called you all of those mean things because she wanted somepony else to feel worse than her.”
Sweetie Belle gasped, “Are you sure that’s why she’s so mean to so many ponies, not just me and my friends?”
Rarity nodded, “I’m sure Sweetie. Bullies pick on other ponies who they see as vulnerable so that they can have power over the way another pony feels. She’s the ugly pony because she has to hurt others to feel good about herself. You are much prettier than her because you like almost everything about your life, except for being a blank flank. In life, Sweetie Belle, beauty isn’t determined by what’s on the surface. Beauty is measured by what’s on the inside, by what is held within a pony’s heart and soul. And happiness is the prettiest thing of all.”
Sweetie Belle smiled slightly at her sister, “I guess I was being kinda silly, wasn’t I?”
Rarity shook her head, “Not all darling. It’s perfectly normal for ponies your age to feel a bit insecure about themselves, especially about their outward image. And yes, while I do value outer beauty, that is nothing compared to the radiance of a pony’s inner beauty. It’s not your fault that Diamond Tiara’s soul is tarnished so that she has to treat others like dirt. You, little sis, are one of the most beautiful ponies I know, inside and out.”
Sweetie Belle hugged her older sister tightly, “Thank you so much sis.”
Rarity returned the hug just as tightly, “You’re very welcome Sweetie Belle.”
“I love you sis.”