Sweetie Belle stood her ground. Silver Spoon was approaching. If she could get past she'd have an advantage, as she could unlock the door and hopefully trap the bully inside the ship. But she was trapped like a rat. Things couldn't possibly get worse. This was the worst possible thing. Worse than Synesthesia. Or being a robot. Or having the front half of her skin burned off. Or losing a leg. Or dying in a horrific scooter accident. Or becoming a mare way too fast. Or developing a phobia of red stallions. Or anything else, really. Even spinach.
Sweetie Belle tried to keep the situation under control. "Hey, Silver..."
"Yeah? You're sorry? It's too bucking late for that, blank flank! I'm just here to whup that oversized butt of yours!"
Silver tackled Sweetie Belle, launching the hapless unicorn into the front of a small cage.
The fight continued, neither side gaining any ground. Hooves and small objects went flying everywhere.
Eventually, though, Silver started taking the lead.
"Have at this!" Silver Spoon made her next attack, swiping Sweetie Belle across the face with both forehooves.
Sweetie Belle felt something strange in her eyes, like something was stuck in them. Shaking her head, it felt like a weight had been lifted.
Looking up at Silver Spoon, she saw the earth pony filly suddenly go aghast. She looked like she'd just seen a ghost.
"Sweetie Belle... Your eyes... What the..."
Sweetie Belle turned toward the mirror. What she saw shocked her to the core.
She was bruised and battered, as bad as she had been after her fight yesterday, if not worse. But that wasn't the surprising part. Looking at her eyes, she almost had a heart attack. In place of the familiar green irises, her left eye (her reflection's right) was a deep blue, matching her sister. Her right eye, however, was a bright shade of pink. Both also retained faint hints of their familiar green. She screamed loud enough to knock a coffee mug off the table. Her eyes were mismatched? And she never even knew? Was this proof she was a robot?
She backed away from the unfamiliar filly in the mirror. In doing so, however, she accidentally hit a big red button on the wall.
Several alarms went off. Lights flashed red. Sweetie Belle tried to make sense of everything, but became confused.
"What have you done, blank flank?" Silver Spoon cried, "What did you press?"
"I have no idea!" Sweetie Belle screamed in panic.
"Well, fix it!"
"I can't! I don't know how!"
She pressed the button again. The alarms only worsened.
"Klomþkato śaifnbarnślori."
A second alarm, different from the first set, suddenly started up. This one sounded even more dire.
"Şuuk. Şuuk. Śaifnbarnślorirulcaahatdoor ŋuvra. Źeŋmoŋ. Utsuhoterco źuðara. Źeŋmoŋ. Śaifndens ŋuvra. Utsuhosaki naolin. Utsuhosaki hri tri, zel, ein..."
Just then, a massive, deafening, fiery roar was heard a moderate distance away. The ground shook violently, knocking both fillies to the floor. Both of them could hear only a faint ringing noise as their vision faded to black amidst flickering lights.
Sirens and alarms blared in the distance. Whatever it was, it seemed dire.
"Follow those alarms!" Wipeout ran ahead.
"Şuuk. Şuuk. Śaifnbarnślorirulcaahatdoor ŋuvra. Źeŋmoŋ. Utsuhoterco źuðara. Źeŋmoŋ. Śaifndens ŋuvra. Utsuhosaki naolin. Utsuhosaki hri tri, zel, ein..."
Just then, a massive, deafening, fiery roar was heard a moderate distance away. The ground shook violently, knocking the group to the ground as a large pillar of light appeared to the north.
As the group reoriented themselves, the alarms and sirens faded.
Wipeout ran towards the rest of the group, "Hey, you guys, I found something!"
The group continued forward along the trail. After a minute or two they reached a clearing featuring what appeared to be a spacecraft of some description, straight out of a science fiction movie.
The group stared at the metallic object in confusion. While there appeared to be an entrance, there was no visible way to open it.
"Silver Spoon is looking at expulsion at this rate." Cheerilee looked down at the ground.
Rarity sighed, "I feel bad about Sweetie Belle. I should've been there for her."
"No, Rarity," a dejected looking Cardio sighed, "It wasn't your fault. Silver Spoon looked like she was out for blood."
Apple Bloom's voice suddenly echoed. "Hey, Ah found somethin'"
The group ran to the north side of the ship, where Apple Bloom was examining a strange machine on the wall.
"What is it, Apple Bloom?" Scootaloo asked.
"Yeah, what is it?" Wipeout also asked.
"Looks like some kind of scanner..." Plot Coupon concluded.
Apple Bloom focused on the device with one eye. Suddenly, she fell back.
"Whoa! That light!"
The machine beeped twice.
"Nercäċuqa tseşiṕra. Ḃuśkr mvaqi mväśtra: 「Mƥlxòyc Mƥlzéñĝè」"
The door slid open.
"Ah got in!" Apple Bloom got up and entered the door. "Whoa! Hey, y'all, come and look at this!"
The group quickly ran towards the door. Inside, Sweetie Belle and Silver Spoon were getting up after what appeared to be another fight.
"Sweetie Belle Thrackerzod Topaz!" Rarity cried, "What were you thinking, running off like that?" She ran over to her sister and helped her up.
As Rarity looked into Sweetie Belle's face, she froze in horror. Her sister's contact lenses had fallen off.
"Sweetie Belle... Your eyes..."
"I know! I know!" Sweetie Belle cried, closing her eyes as tears welled up inside them, "I'm a freak! I'm a blank flank, I taste words, and now this!"
"So..." Plot Coupon interrupted, "You have... Heterochromia?"
"Yes, yes she does," Rarity confirmed, "And it looks horrible, too! Very unpleasant! Our parents paid dearly for magical contact lenses that would stay attached. I guess they didn't pay enough."
"How could you do this to me, Rarity? I'm a robot freak!"
"Sweetie Belle, you are not a robot. I can prove it when we get back home."
The two sisters held each other as the rest watched.
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo approached the two unicorns.
"Hey, Sweetie Belle," Apple Bloom touched a forehoof to one eye, then the other. Scootaloo did the same.
Sweetie Belle looked at her friends. Their eyes... Were different. Apple Bloom's left eye was the same light, golden hazel it had always been, but her right eye was a brilliant green matching her sister's. Scootaloo's left eye was also the same purple hue as before, but her right eye was a strange hybrid of bright gold and a sickening blood red.
"You too..."
Sweetie Belle burst into tears.
Eventually, she calmed down. "I'm so sorry for all this, Rarity," Sweetie Belle choked between sobs, "But Silver Spoon wanted to do something really nasty to me. Even kill me!"
"That's because you saw it!" Silver Spoon snapped from behind a fallen coffee mug, "You saw my secret shame!"
"What?" Wipeout quipped, "Your outie?"
Silver Spoon's jaw dropped. "How dare you!" she screamed, "That's supposed to be a secret! You cheeky little shet! I'll kill everypony in this room if I have to!"
Cardio charged at Silver Spoon and pinned her against the wall. Moving to the side, she revealed Silver Spoon's secret shame: Her outie.
Everypony looked at Silver Spoon. The silver filly burst into tears. Cardio let go and the two returned to the ground.
Cheerilee walked over to Silver Spoon, grabbed her, and escorted her out of the building as the others were walking away. "That's your problem?" Cheerilee scolded her in an uncharacteristically angry tone of voice, "Just because you have an outie? What were you thinking, trying to kill another student? You're looking at expulsion! This is truly unforgivable!"
"I... I wasn't trying to kill her..."
"Save it for the court! This attempted murder won't go unpunished!"
"But... I- It wasn't-"
"I don't care! Silver Spoon Bishop, you are--"
"Expelled?" A familiar voice called out from behind.
Everypony froze as a familiar pink filly emerged from the bushes.
"Diamond Tiara?" half the group all said almost in unison. It was very clearly her. In place of her usual crown was a new one with three raised sections, each featuring a jewel, the middle one featuring a large, round green gem emanating immense power.
"The whole thing was my fault!" the pink filly confessed, "I wanted Silver Spoon to bring Sweetie Belle to me so I could punish her personally!"
"It's true! Really!" Silver Spoon cried between sobs. "We both wanted revenge, and she promised it for me..."
"And now," Diamond Tiara continued, "My moment of revenge is now! Diamond Tiara Dazzle Princess Applesparkle Equestria Silver Nugget Mystic Cutie Mark Merchant will not be stopped!"
Apple Bloom tilted her head in confusion. "Diamond Tiara Dazzle Princess Applesparkle Equestria Silver Nugget Mystic Cutie Mark Merchant? And Ah thought Apple Bloom Appledoor Applepsi Applesparkle Applehoof Appletown Applebell Appletower was excessive."
"No matter. Now, would you please move out of the way? I have business to finish with this runt!"
Scootaloo scoffed, "Huh. That's the first time I've ever seen you even remotely nice!"
Tabula Rasa shivered. "You plan to take her in?"
Diamond Tiara turned to the timid filly. "And you know this how? Tell me!"
"Well, you see--, I can read minds, and..."
"Enough chitchat! I suppose if you know I'll be a good villain and give my monologue."
At this, Scootaloo and Wipeout exchanged winks and skulked off to the sides. Apple Bloom, Plot Coupon and Cardio headed towards back. Cheerilee, Rarity and Tabula Rasa surrounded the crying Sweetie Belle and Silver Spoon.
Diamond Tiara cleared her throat, "Ahem, as I was saying, I'll explain my plans.
"You see, my desire is to rule this filthy mudhole of a planet as its glorious queen! Why, you ask? Because I deserve better! Diamond Dazzle Tiara, Queen of All! Doesn't that sound absolutely glorious? With Silver Spoon as my sidekick and Sweetie Belle as my source of power, I'll conquer this pathetic rock and--"
Suddenly, as if by karma, a fishing net fell out of a nearby tree, trapping Diamond Tiara underneath and dislodging her crown. Apple Bloom, Plot Coupon and Cardio jumped out of the nearby bushes and sat on three corners of the net while Scootaloo and Wipeout dropped a rock on the other corner.
Scootaloo walked up to the trapped bully and snorted.
Sweetie Belle spoke up from behind the adults, "How does it feel, huh?" She, Silver Spoon and Tabula Rasa walked over to Diamond Tiara.
The pink bully scoffed, "Well, I suppose my secrets are coming out of the bag now?"
Sweetie Belle smirked, "Like the fact your accent is fake?"
Diamond Tiara's eyes widened, "Wha-- That's a lie! Don't believe don't believe her words!"
"And I heard she wets the bed and sleeps with a nightlight!"
Diamond Tiara lost it. She broke into tears, buried herself in her fetlocks, and wet herself in sheer terror. "Ah'm scared, Daddy!" True to Sweetie Belle's words, the pink filly spoke with an obvious southern drawl.
Cheeilee and Rarity stood there, jaws dropping.
"A little... Unorthodox, but it worked." Cheerilee sounded like she'd witnessed a murder.
Rarity simply fainted in the fashion of a myotonic goat.
Cheerilee walked up to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. "What am I going to do with you two?" She lamented.
Plot Coupon put a hoof to her chin, "Maybe a special summer camp for the unruly..."
The bullies stared at each other through the net, then at Cheerilee.
"How did she know my secrets?" Diamond Tiara pondered.
Apple Bloom spoke up, "Oh, they're well known now. Not to worry though, Ah wet the bed 'til Ah was nine. Yer just slow. Like us and our cutie marks!"
"But who told you?"
"Take a guess."
Diamond Tiara pondered for a second. Then it hit her.
"BARBARAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"