• Published 4th Apr 2015
  • 21,545 Views, 320 Comments

Sweetie Belle and the Quest for Knowledge - CheshireTwilight



Sweetie Belle trys to return to normal life, but after everything she's been through, will she want to? Meanwhile, Lyra aims to get to the bottom of these "precursors" one way or another. Book II of III

  • ...
10
 320
 21,545

Chapter 5 - Twilight Time

Spitting out the bland pencil from her mouth, Sweetie Belle could finally relax; she had finished the test. Unfortunately, now the waiting would begin; she was one of the first to finish.

It used to be that Miss Cheerilee would let students go outside and play in the yard if they had finished early. That was before the CMC though. Sweetie Belle had this great idea to use such “valuable” free time to crusade for their Cutie Marks. Sweetie Belle already tried and failed to get a business Cutie Mark so she could be more like her sister, but Apple Bloom had overheard Applejack saying that being a door-to-door salespony was the easiest job in Equestria, and that was pretty much the same thing in her mind. So while Cheerilee was distracted with the other students taking the test, Sweetie Belle figured they had a shot at getting that Cutie Mark. It turns out that when three underage fillies wander around Ponyville unattended—peddling goods to ponies and telling them sad stories to manipulate them into buying their products—the teacher responsible for them gets a lot of criticism.

As such, Sweetie Belle was forced to stay in her seat, her mind wandering to all the drama that had occurred over the course of the day. ‘So,’ she thought absentmindedly, ‘Rarity is convinced that I’m going to hurt myself with my crusading, Apple Bloom is probably thinking that I’m going to blackmail anypony to get my way, and Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are probably going to get back at me somehow for all the stuff I told them.’

She sighed, sitting up at her desk to briefly stretch—she had been sitting in it for a while. ‘Well, ignoring Rarity—since Sis is pretty stubborn about this sort of thing—I can probably convince Apple Bloom once I talk to her. If I control the conversation, state my case, and promise to avoid threats of social humiliation to get the desired outcome…even if it is really effective, then she’ll definitely forgive me.

‘The real question is Diamond Tiara; what comes next is up to her, I guess? Apart from ‘raising the stakes,’ anything else she could possibly do would probably be beneficial. That was whole point. It was doubtful the situation would get worse, but there is good chance things could get better. So if that’s true, the only preparation I need is if she makes things worse. In that case, do I make matters even worse in return?

‘It may seem silly to think about, but if I’m more patient than she is, or if I can escalate the conflict too high for her to handle, then she is unlikely to ever bother us again. It’s just like what the Tablet taught me: *A legitimate threat of rapid escalation of conflict that outweighs the reward the aggressive party would gain from initiating said conflict will likely prevent aggressor action.* It’s straightforward—if not blunt—geopolitical theory. The problem is that what Diamond Tiara sees as ‘too much’ is probably too much for my friends too. Is she really so annoying that I’d risk doing it alone, and how far would she go? How far will I need to go?’

She thought on that for a moment, but realized quickly that it was too complex to think about purely in her head. She took out a piece of paper and began to scribble a rough list. On it, she wrote her options for socially undermining her rival as well as the various things she could do to get them back should Diamond Tiara try anything crazy. Steal her tiara and hide it, falsifying letters to her dad confessing to bad things, or even having a mix up with her dad’s shop and having them ship a few tons of supplies to their house instead of the store.

She also wrote down Diamond Tiara’s behavior, mannerisms, the types of responses she had to similar situations, as well as the environment around her that could reinforce or hinder any final decision she might make. The result was an incredibly complex web of associations which Sweetie Belle attempted to weight for a decision matrix. Sweetie Belle hoped to use a similar algorithm that the Tablet had in order to give a probabilistic view of Diamond’s decisions.

Ultimately, Sweetie Belle simply couldn’t get a clear picture. Unlike the trivial calculations done for decision matrices in engineering reports or economic analysis, the more she added, the more she realized that too many factors were either beyond her control or simply unknown. She groaned in frustration. *Decisions were so easier when there was a non-deterministic self-learning heuristic-driven machine aiding in the decision-making process,* she thought, *How do ponies live with themselves when every decision is made with such a vague understanding of the outcomes?*

Realizing that the decision matrix wasn’t going to give her the “objective” result she wanted, she quickly scribbled on it in frustration, crumpled the paper up, and stuffed it in her desk. She would just have to come to terms with this idea of “uncertain responsibility.” After all, she had already made a decision that helped her friend get her Cutie Mark; she would probably need to make a lot more than that to get her own. The world wouldn’t get any more straightforward.

These pensive thoughts were finally ended when Cheerilee called for the end of class. “Alright, everypony,” she gleefully exclaimed in her typical cheerful tone, “that’s it, the test is finished! I’m afraid you don’t have any more time, so make sure to circle any last minute answers before I come to collect them!”

At that, many of the students who had been done for some time tried to hand their tests in right away so that they could get home as-soon-as-possible. “Everypony settle down!” Miss Cheerilee asserted, “You will remain in your seats while I collect the test. We have Scootaloo’s presentation, remember?”

As Cheerilee said this, she nodded her head at the newly marked filly who beamed back in pride. Not wasting any time, Scootaloo quickly strutted her way to the front, not squandering the opportunity to smirk haughtily at Diamond Tiara—who scowled in return—as she went by. When Scootaloo reached the end of the room, she spun around quickly on her hind legs, faking to clear her throat in order to get everypony’s attention. Despite her serious face, however, the rapid fluttering of her tiny wings was a dead giveaway of her nervous excitement.

With great enthusiasm, Scootaloo began her presentation, “Alright, everypony, prepare yourselves for the awesomest Cutie Mark story you have ever heard!”


Regrettably for Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo’s presentation skills were clearly adapted from Rainbow Dash’s self-indulgence. If Sweetie Belle hadn’t heard the same story told at least ten times from Scootaloo the night before, she might have paid attention to the whole thing, but as it was, it was one of the most boring things she sat through her entire life.

That wasn’t to say that the presentation was awful—on the contrary, like her idol, Scootaloo had great charisma and could certainly grab a pony’s attention. That being said, she was pretty bad at trying to teach things and she was prone to random tangents like how awesome certain flying patterns were. It got to the point that the other fillies were groaning constantly from the tediousness of her speech on aerodynamics or the inane subtle differences between a pegasus and the glider’s flight. Still, with her expressive description of the feelings and emotions she felt, the story was pretty empathetic. Most of her audience definitely paid close attention at these other, more interesting sections.

Luckily, it wasn’t long before the speech was over. As much as Scootaloo reveled in talking about herself, it was plain on the faces of her fellow students that they wanted to leave. So with a few final words from Miss Cheerilee reminding everypony about their homework due on Friday, the three fillies were finally able to leave the schoolhouse behind, grateful that the test and school was finally over.

“So, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, how was the test?” Scootaloo groaned, not really expecting an answer. “I already know you both did better than me, again.”

“Whatever you say,” Sweetie Belle replied as she rolled her eyes, “it isn’t like you always beat me at these tests every time or anything.”

Scootaloo shook her head, “Maybe last year, but you’re like a super-genius now! How can I beat that?! Not to mention that Apple Bloom’s memorization skills are like the best ever.”

Sweetie Belle sighed, “Just because I know a lot more then I used to, doesn’t mean I know everything. I definitely got near-perfect on the math, science, and Equish parts, but everything else was all fuzzy. I’m not sure if it was the Tablet or what, but I definitely didn’t remember any of that stuff from last year.”

Apple Bloom—who until now had been looking left and right for something—had finally found what she was looking for. “Hey, girls,” she said, pointing a hoof to their right, “we should probably apologize to them before we head off ta Twilight’s place.”

They all turned to see where she was pointing. Scootaloo raised an eyebrow in confusion, “You mean, behind Diamond Tiara?”

Apple Bloom hit her friend in the barrel, “No, doofus, Ah am pointing at Diamond Tiara! Silver Spoon too! We really should apologize for what we said to them this morning.”

Scootaloo yelped from the suddenness of her friend’s attack, but was quick to groan in response; both at the minor pain, and at the suggestion. “Are you still on about that?” she questioned, “It isn’t like they ever asked us to forgive them for all the stuff they did!”

“Well…maybe, but it still ain’t right,” Apple Bloom responded in a huff. “Ma Sis always says that ya have ta ‘treat ponies like ya want ta be treated’ and Ah’d want an apology.”

Sweetie Belle decided to get in between the two before things got worse. “You’re both right. Scoots, you don’t need to say anything, it was my fault it all happened anyway. Still, it isn’t like it’d hurt to tell them sorry; hopefully they’ll leave us alone like before.”

They both seemed mollified at that. Sweetie Belle took this opportunity to leave her friends behind and run after the two bullies before they left the schoolyard.

“Hey Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon!” Sweetie Belle yelled as she made her way over to them. Just as the two noticed her coming, Diamond put away a crumpled piece of paper that they were looking at into her saddlebags.

“Oh? Well if it isn’t little ‘Miss Blackmail’ herself!” Diamond Tiara snapped. “Don’t think that we’ll come beg for your forgiveness just because you pulled that stunt this morning.”

“Yeah!” Silver Spoon agreed. “It doesn’t matter what you say, we know you’re just full of hot air like your friend.”

Sweetie Belle—clearly still taking umbrage with the two—gave each of them a sharp, angry stare. Instead of snapping back, however, she stood up straight, took a deep breath, and calmed down before saying, “Look, I’m not asking you to say sorry. In fact, I wanted to apologize for what I said today. I didn’t mean to—”

“Didn’t mean to?!” Silver Spoon said with a look of disgust. “How can you even say that when—”

Diamond Tiara nudged her friend with a hoof, interrupting Silver Spoon before she could continue herself, “Ha, just listen to yourself, Sweetie Belle. I’ve never heard such an ungrateful apology since that one banker my father had to deal with. You know what? We won’t accept your stupid apology and both Silver Spoon and I are going to prove—once-and-for-all—that we are better than you. Just you wait!”

With that, the two of them turned around and galloped off, leaving a very stunned Sweetie Belle in their wake.‘What just happened?’ she thought as she turned around and slowly trotted back to her friends. ‘I knew that there was a chance that they might want to make things worse, but I never thought they would do so because of an apology. It’s true that it wasn’t the most sincere apology in the world, but that’s only because they were making fun of Scootaloo and me just before I said it. Are they really that sensitive? That the slightest insincerity or insult gets them this riled up? Well, if that’s the case, the path going forward is pretty clear.’

“So, how did it go?” Apple Bloom asked just as Sweetie Belle joined her and Scootaloo at the road in front of the school.

“Yeah, it looked like they left pretty quickly,” Scootaloo added. “Did they even care or did they just say something dumb like usual.”

“Actually…” Sweetie Belle confided, “not only did they not accept the apology, but they said that they were going to get back at me for it; well not ‘it’ as in the apology, but because of what I said this morning.”

“What?!” Apple Bloom replied, “Why would they do that?! Ah mean, what ya said wasn’t very nice and all, but it was hours ago. Ya said sorry and everything, right? What more do they want?”

“I don’t know why you’re surprised,” Scootaloo maintained with a shrug, “they’re the biggest jerks I know. Of course they would ignore an apology and try to get back at us. What else would they do?”

Sweetie Belle sighed, ‘If I’d known it would turn out like this…’ she thought dejectedly. “What’s done is done,” she lamented, “let’s talk about something else.”

Apple Bloom was still upset though. “Still, Sweetie Belle, they were probably going to ignore us until you said all that stuff this morning. Ah don’t exactly blame ya for sayin’ all that stuff to them—and it is their fault for bein’ jerks—but Ah can’t be friends with a pony who goes around blackmailin’ ponies into doin’ what they want. Even if ya weren’t actually gonna do it, it’s still wrong.”

Sweetie Belle looked away for a moment, not out of guilt, but rather because she had to quickly think what to do next. ‘Why did you have to bring that up now Apple Bloom?’ she thought. “Listen, Apple Bloom, I’m really sorry it happened but I weighed the possibilities, honest! They seem to care a lot about appearances and I thought that they would step down rather than fight back. From there, it—what?” Apple Bloom was shaking her head, causing Sweetie Belle to cut short.

“It doesn’t matter why ya did it,” Apple Bloom said, “what’s wrong is wrong. You said sorry, and Ah’m glad ya did—even if it didn’t turn out so great—but ya gotta promise me that ya won’t go around doin’ stuff like that again.”

‘I wish she wouldn’t say ‘stuff’ like that, I feel like I’m going to be walking on eggshells around her forever,’ she thought apprehensively. “Alright, I promise that I won’t try to blackmail them and I’ll try to hold back, but I’m not going to just let them do whatever they want.”

Apple Bloom sighed, “Ah can agree ta that, Ah guess.” She then turned to Scootaloo with a frown, “Well, besides that, there is still one more thing Ah wanted to clear up, what did ya mean when ya said ‘Ah wasn’t sure Ah was a Crusader no more’ in class today?”

Scootaloo’s eyes widened and she immediately looked to Sweetie Belle to support. Seeing that her friend wasn’t going to say anything that could possibly damage her pride, Sweetie Belle stepped in. “Oh, she was just asking—since she got her Cutie Mark—if she was still a Crusader or not.”

Scootaloo looked at Sweetie Belle with betrayal in her eyes as Apple Bloom shook her head, “Scootaloo, you know that—”

“I wouldn’t be so hard on her, Apple Bloom,” Sweetie Belle continued with a smirk, “it isn’t like we shared somepony’s dream about that very issue or anything, right?”

Apple Bloom shut up pretty quickly at that. It might have happened several months ago, but it wasn’t every day that you shared a lucid dream with your friends.

Scootaloo gave Sweetie Belle a quick smile when Apple Bloom wasn’t looking, both in gratitude and in a wordless thanks.

“Well, it looks like everything is all wrapped up, then,” Sweetie Belle concluded, grabbing her friends in a group hug; hoping to give positive reinforcement to her promise and get everypony back on track. “Well, why don’t we all head off to Twilight Time then. Hey Scootaloo, I’m sure that Twilight would love to hear what you want to do now that you have your Cutie Mark!”

Scootaloo grimaced. “Well, you see…actually, I was hoping to fly again with Rainbow Dash today. She said that she could get off early from managing the weather today, so…”

Sweetie Belle looked at Apple Bloom for a moment before the corners of their mouths turned up in an unspoken agreement.

“Well, Ah guess that’s okay,” Apple Bloom conceded with an exaggerated sigh, “it ain’t like we could fit that overgrown pile of wood inta the castle, anyway.”

“Yeah,” Sweetie Belle giggled, “and if it’s anything like that presentation you gave, Twilight would probably fall asleep before we could get a turn. How would she teach us anything then?”

“Hey!” Scootaloo glowered; however, as soon as her friends started giggling, she quickly joined in. “Well, alright then.” She then got a little emotional, quickly rubbing her eyes before saying, “Thanks, girls, I mean it. If it wasn’t for you…well I probably wouldn’t have my Cutie Mark at all.”

“Don’t let Rainbow Dash see that face, then,” Sweetie Belle quipped, pointing at the redness that had formed around her eyes.

Scootaloo looked like she was about to give a snappy comeback, but instead simply smiled and let out one last chuckle before heading off to Sweet Apple Acres and her glider.

“Ah don’t know ‘bout you, Sweetie Belle, but do ya think that Scootaloo’s gotten a bit more…level-headed since her Cutie Mark?” Apple Bloom asked, a quizzical expression on her face as she watched Scootaloo leave.

Sweetie Belle put a hoof to her chin in thought but quickly shook her head. “No, I bet if Rainbow asked her to go into a crazy nosedive only to pull out at the last second or something with the glider, she’d probably do it.” She looked out into the distance, seeing their friend giving a little skip every few steps as she trotted to the farm. “I think it’s more that there’s nothing holding her back anymore. Remember how she said that she was worried about her wings but never told us?”

“Yeah?”

“Well, I don’t think the old Scootaloo would ever tell us that; she’d be too proud, right?”

“But Ah thought that Scootaloo never cared about what anypony thought.”

“I think she does, or at least she did. It’s like she’s more free or mature? Urghh, it’s too hard to explain.” Sweetie Belle scratched her head in confusion, trying to find the right words to say.

Apple Bloom looked on in sadness for a moment, thinking about what that implied about past-Scootaloo before she shook her head and grinned. “Well, whatever it is, what she’s got now sounds pretty awesome to me.”

“Yeah! So what are we waiting for?” Sweetie Belle said as she reared back before coming back down on all fours with a giddy hop. “Let’s get to Twilight’s, get our Cutie Marks, and get some of that for ourselves!”

“Yeah!”

As they both raced off towards the castle, Sweetie Belle’s eyes narrowed into a look of determination. ‘That’s right,’ she thought, ‘nothing’s holding Scootaloo back now, and I won’t be held back either. Soon, I’ll find my destiny and be free of this indecision, just like her.’


“Hi Sweetie Belle, hi Apple Bloom,” Princess Twilight Sparkle called out as the two fillies came into view. It looked to the two of them as though Twilight had been waiting there for some time as she had been sitting down next to the door until this point.

“Hi Twilight,” Apple Bloom responded immediately.

“Hey Twilight…” Sweetie Belle responded in a far more reserved tone then her friend. ‘That’s can’t be good,’ she thought, ‘Twilight never greets us at the front door of the castle; she’s usually too busy with something or another. What does she want…’

“Apple Bloom,” Twilight entreated the filly nervously, “why don’t you go on in and set up your alchemy set and lay out your reagents. I have to talk to Sweetie Belle for a bit.”

“Oh, okay…” Apple Bloom agreed, ultimately not seeing any reason to disagree and getting a confirmation from Sweetie Belle that it was alright.

“So, Twilight,” Sweetie Belle inquired, “if I were to guess what you want, does it have to do with what I told Sis this morning?”

Twilight sighed and looked the filly in the eye for a moment, a flash of concern on her face before she answered the question, “Yes. Rarity voiced some concerns about your most recent ‘crusade.’ Your sister wanted me to talk to you about what we’re going to do from here on out.”

“Look, Twilight, it’s as I said to her,” Sweetie Belle asserted, “I’m not going to stop just because there are risks. There’s always going to be risks and I can’t have my sis babying me like a foal. If I’m to find my destiny, I’m not going to find it crusading for basket-weaving Cutie Marks. I need to try everything I’m good at in all the ways it can be done. Scootaloo wanted to fly and was good at putting things together, so we put together a flying machine. It worked. Apple Bloom and I are going to do the same things.”

“Yes but—”

“Also, remember when you got your Cutie Mark? I remember the story; you turned your parents into plants! Or Rainbow Dash; any other pony flying that fast would be in the hospital at best! Not everypony can just be magically pulled to a rock like my sister. I’ve literally tried everything to—”

“I agree!” Twilight finally got out in a lull between words, interrupting Sweetie Belle of her rant.

“Huh? What?”

“I said I agree, Sweetie Belle.” She sighed, looking away wistfully. “You’re right. For me to realize my destiny, I had to make a mistake. I needed to realize that I wasn’t powerful enough and that only with the help of my friends—even ones I hadn’t met yet, tens of kilometers away—to fill me with the magic I needed to realize my potential.”

She turned back to Sweetie Belle with a serious look on her face. “None of that would have come without opportunity. I entered Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns two years before the average and if I had been a minute later, it wouldn’t have happened. No, Sweetie Belle, I didn’t want to talk to you so that you could stop your Crusades.” Twilight rolled her eyes, “Unlike your sister, I remember all the times you went into the Everfree for your Cutie Marks.” Sweetie Belle at least had the courtesy to look embarrassed at that fact. “The Cutie Mark Crusaders have gotten themselves into plenty of trouble in the past and this change to more…fulfilling pursuits is a good one.

“Rarity is just worried. If this was before the…incident, I bet she would let you do what you want, but now? I think she blames herself because of what happened two months ago. Now you are doing things she doesn’t understand and she assumes the worst. She knows that the Everfree Forest is dangerous and you should be forbidden from going in. She knows that certain things like bungee jumping should have a pony there to supervise, but building a flying machine is different. Rarity doesn’t have any reference for how dangerous those things are.”

“Then what can I do?” Sweetie Belle asked in a pleading tone, “There’s no way I could teach her about every little thing.”

“That’s right, but there is a way around that; to control the risks and keep your sister happy.”

“I’ll do anything,” Sweetie Belle begged, realizing Twilight was likely trying to find some compromise she missed. “The way my sister sounded though, she probably wants me to be with somepony all the time. Rarity doesn’t seem to mind Twilight Time, but there’s no way I can get my Cutie Mark by coming over only a few hours a week, I’ll never find my special talent at that rate!”

Twilight smiled, “That’s what I hoped was the problem. In that case, the solution is simple. Neither me, nor Rarity wants to limit the things you can do, but we also don’t want you to put yourself in needless danger either. In that case, I decided to make you and Apple Bloom my newest lab assistants!”

“Lab assistant?” Sweetie Belle asked rhetorically. “You have a lab in the castle? I remember that you used to have one in the basement of the library, but I don’t remember what you did. What does that even mean?”

Twilight smiled, “Always asking the right questions. There was a lot of extra room in the castle so I just decided to dedicate one to science!”

“You can do that?”

Twilight just stared at her for a moment before nervously pawing at the ground with a forehoof. “Oh…um, well probably; I’m a princess after all.” She quickly teleported a scroll and quill to herself and jotted something down, then causing it to disappear as quickly as it appeared. “Well, either way, I’m sure that I can expedite the rezoning documents to within a day or two.”

Quickly moving back to the topic at hoof, she continued, “As for your other question, you and Apple Bloom will be conducting experiments with a few more lab assistants I plan on inviting to work in the castle with me. Although officially I’m the Princess of Friendship, you know how the old saying goes, friendship is magic—”

“Actually, I think you are the one who said that first,” Sweetie Belle interrupted.

Twilight looked a bit sheepish at that, “Ah, right. Well anyway, just because my career has changed, doesn’t mean my Cutie Mark has. Between all these new ‘table’ adventures, dealing with the new bureaucracy, and still finding time for my friends, I don’t have as much time doing what I’m really passionate about: magical research! Even if I can’t do it personally most of the time, I can at least promote it and help other ponies do their own.”

Sweetie Belle thought about that for a bit, “So what you’re saying is that Apple Bloom and I would be able to do what we wanted in your lab so long as we let you in on what we’re doing every once-in-a-while?”

“Right!” Twilight exclaimed while hopping up and down in excitement. “Oh it will be so great, you’ll see! I haven’t got the lab set up quite yet, and you will need to go through some classes on lab safety, and I still need to hire some other assistants to watch over you and—”

“I get it Twilight, there is still some work to do,” Sweetie Belle chipped in, rolling her eyes.

“Hey!” Apple Bloom’s voice yelled out from inside the castle, “Are you two gonna stand outside the castle all day or are we gonna actually get some Twilight Time today!”

Twilight, having only now realized she had been talking to Sweetie Belle for the last five minutes grimaced. “Sorry Apple Bloom, we’ll be there in a second!” she yelled back. Turning to Sweetie Belle, she said, “Well, this will affect Apple Bloom too. It would probably be a good idea to finish this discussion with her.”


“Alright, so let me get this straight,” Apple Bloom said, having just heard from Twilight regarding the new position, “We would be able ta use this new lab whenever we want, for whatever we want, and all we would have ta do is let ya in on the research?”

“Within reason,” Twilight affirmed, “as long as it is original research and I approve of it first then it is fine. Just think of it as extended Twilight Time you can use to find your Cutie Marks.”

“Why didn’t ya offer this before now?” Apple Bloom asked. Sweetie Belle wondered the same thing.

“I didn't want to split you girls up,” Twilight replied. “I had always considered you for this, Apple Bloom. You are far enough along with Herbal and Structural Alchemy that you could really benefit from having time for yourself to really progress, but I couldn’t see Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle here doing anything that would warrant a lab. Even with Sweetie Belle learning magic, it was more of a practical nature. Now that Sweetie Belle has shown a significant interest in the more theoretical aspects of Thaumaturgy and Scootaloo is going to be busy refining her glider and flying, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to get you in on this without potentially sacrificing the great friendship you three have for eachother.”

“Aww shucks, Twilight,” Apple Bloom smiled, “that’s mighty kind of you. Ah don’t know about Sweetie Belle, but that sounds perfect! Zecora’s been tryin’ ta teach me the more advanced things in Zebra Potion-makin’ but it’s almost entirely just memorization. I really want to try doing something new rather than just copyin’ some old zebra’s recipe, but Twilight Time is just too short to make anythin' important.”

“Yeah, that does sound like a pretty good deal,” Sweetie Belle agreed, before sighing. “Still, just doing research might not get me my Cutie Mark…but I guess I’ve never really tried it before either. I bet it would be something I’m pretty good at.” Sweetie Belle nodded her head. “I can’t say it will work, but I suppose I can promise you and Rarity that I won’t do anything dangerous outside this new lab until I’m sure it won’t.”

“Oh that’s just great!” Twilight exclaimed, “I know that you two will be perfect for lab work and I’ll make sure you have plenty of fun too! We’ll get you started with Lab Safety at the end of the week! Now then, why don’t you two show me what you have been working on this past week…”


“Hmm,” Twilight thought aloud, “I don’t think I’ve ever heard anypony prove a theory that the Aetheric Field is comprised of invisible particles, Sweetie Belle.” Twilight giggled, “Next thing you’ll be saying that gravity is made up of particles too. While your math seems sound, you have to actually prove it or it's just an idea. Still, this is exactly why I think this lab arrangement is perfect. You fillies have such new and interesting ideas.”

She turned to Apple Bloom. “That being said, while it was a good effort, your potion to quickly decompose plant waste into soil could use more work. It was smart idea, I’ll admit—combining Zecora’s plant growth potion with acid to rapidly absorb and break down the compost—but please try using smaller quantities first. You used a mild acid so you should have known better than to use the full-strength plant growth potion. It’s going to take a lot of work cleaning the castle with all these vines growing everywhere. Thankfully we tested in this empty room rather than the library.” Twilight shuddered at the thought.

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes, “Then maybe ya should have given me the stronger acid. It’s really hard ta change Zebrican potions. Lots of the ingredients don’t make a lick of sense. You would think that removing Arborea Bark from the recipe wouldn’t change anything but it ends up causing the growth potion to burn things instead. Seriously, just using a stronger acid would be a lot easier.”

Twilight sighed, “Well, that will be something to think about asking for once the lab is ready, but science can't be done when you don't understand the things that are going on, Apple Bloom. In the meantime, I would recommend that you talk to Zecora about teaching you why the reagents are in the potion instead of just learning about them.” Twilight looked at the clock above the door. “Oh, would you look at the time, I think it is time for you fillies to head home for dinner.”

Apple Bloom sulked for a bit in the knowledge that she made so little progress in the past two hours but quickly shrugged it off. “Alright, well I’ll see you later Sweetie Belle, goodbye Twilight.”

They both waved as she left through the door.

“Well Sweetie Belle? Aren’t you going to leave too?” Twilight asked, her tone betraying her need to get to her other—no doubt important—business.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Sweetie Belle asked, pointing a hoof to her horn.

“Your horn?” Twilight pondered before her eyes widened in realization, “Oh my goodness, your therapy! I’m so sorry Sweetie Belle, I completely forgot! We’ll do that right away; it should only take a minute.”

Twilight scrambled out the door yelling to Spike—who had been enjoying himself with a comic in the library—to quickly get all the equipment necessary to monitor Sweetie Belle’s condition and help with any therapy that needed to be done. When Twilight and Spike returned, they had a thaumometer, a small rubber ball, thaumic-circulation machine and a bunch of scrolls and quills.

“Alright, Spike, put the machines over there,” Twilight said, pointing to an open spot next to Sweetie Belle. “Now, Sweetie, I’ll quickly take your measurements, run a circulation test, and test your magical strength.”

“So the usual, then,” Sweetie Belle replied sharply.

“Right,” Twilight continued, although she didn’t miss the clear irritation Sweetie Belle was showing for the procedure. “From what Rarity told me, you and Doctor Goodwill never were on good speaking terms. I met him myself once at a conference and I can understand why; he isn’t the friendliest of ponies. That doesn’t mean we have to be too. Why don’t you tell me about your research, the one you showed me yesterday.”

“Twilight,” Sweetie Belle sighed, “it’s fine. You really don’t—”

“I know, Sweetie, but I can appreciate how uncomfortable this therapy can be, and I don’t want to make it any more uncomfortable. Besides, I actually want to know more about your crystal research.”

“Crystal research?” Spike piped up, although it was more with his stomach than his brain.

Twilight giggled, “Yes, although not the edible kind, Spike,” Twilight then put a hoof to her chin, “although, maybe—”

Sweetie Belle groaned, “Don’t give him ideas, Twilight,” she turned to Spike, “it is just for crystals that can generate thaumaturgic fields, that’s all. I doubt you would find them tasty like gems.”

“Oh…” Spike pouted involuntarily. Seeing that they weren't going to talk about anything interesting, he decided that now was the perfect time to leave.

“Thanks for the help Spike. Now, that being said, Sweetie,” Twilight said, bringing the thaumometer to Sweetie’s horn, “why don’t you tell me why you did that research while I take these measurements.”

Sweetie Belle didn’t really need to think about it, “Well it’s pretty obvious, it’s because I want to do magic. I mean, my horn isn’t improving so I just figured that I could make something that would fix it.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow, as she jotted down some of the readings. “But I don’t see how making a magic crystal would get around the issue. They don’t exactly have a lot of uses. Wouldn’t doing something to cure the problem—your Prefrontal Thaumaturgic Ganglia—be better?”

“Yeah, maybe, but I researched into any kind of biological solution and couldn’t get anywhere. Anything short of nanotechnology could only fix some of the scarring since you can’t cure it with magic. Obviously with the Aether the way it is, creating something small like nanites are next to impossible.”

“Nan-what?” Twilight asked.

“Small robots,” Sweetie Belle waved off, “it doesn’t matter, it was a dumb idea. I also thought about making an artificial horn. If I could bypass the ganglia and create an artificial failsafe, I thought that maybe I could channel magic through that. It wouldn’t be perfect but I would be able to do most things.”

Twilight was surprised at the filly’s ingenuity. Although she knew Sweetie Belle had somehow grown smarter, it was clear that she also possessed the ability to “think outside the box” too. “So what was wrong with that idea?“ Twilight asked curiously, “If that worked, we might also see earth ponies or pegasi doing magic like unicorns can!”

“Yeah, that was the problem,” Sweetie Belle elaborated, “there is already a lot of research done into it. Anypony who wants to do magic like unicorns have tried to make an artificial horn. Unless we can solve the magical erosion that breaks down materials when exposed to magic, the only way to make a horn is to have it heal itself somehow, so that’s out.”

“Then why thaumic crystals?” Twilight asked, putting the thaumometer away and beginning the circulation test by taking the ring off of Sweetie Belle’s horn and replacing it with the one on the machine. “You might be right that those other ideas won’t work, but at least they could work. Apart from certain special motors, thaumic crystals aren’t very useful.”

Sweetie Belle knew what to do and tried focusing her magic while Twilight performed the test. “Well, it might not work now but there is something that the Tablet told to me; that the Aetheric Field is made up of particles: Exotic Hole Quasiparticles.”

“So that is where that idea earlier came from,” Twilight noted. “While the idea isn't unheard of, every mage who has tried has failed. I mean, the idea is as old as magic theory itself, but Starswirl the Bearded clearly laid out a proof which fundamentally contradicts that idea.”

“I know,” Sweetie Belle acknowledged, “or at least, I figured that was the case—since it was so hard to find anypony else who had asked the question—but everything else the Tablet told me is true! It won’t be too hard to prove either. I have this idea of creating a device that can store and amplify thaumic energy that relies on the principle. If I can do that, then maybe I can store and amplify the magic in my horn.”

Twilight shook her head. ‘The idea is crazy,’ Twilight thought, ‘but if it was true, then it might start a new Golden Age of Magic. Every magical device can only take other forms of energy like from the Ponyville Dam and transmit it over magical lines to power magical devices. If she could find some way to better use that magic power, then there might be more practical artificial uses than just to turn street lights on or make the wheels in this thaumic-circulation machine turn.’

“Well, it does sound like a good plan, Sweetie Belle,” Twilight ultimately concluded, “but it all sounds so far fetched. I just don’t want you to get your hopes up in case—”

“SWEETIE BELLE! WHERE ARE YOU!” a voice boomed from outside the castle.

“That sounds like Sis…” Sweetie Belle sighed. “I guess I should probably get going.”

Twilight looked at the filly in concern, “But I still haven’t finished your therapy.”

“The circulation test is done, right?”

“Yes, I just finished, but—”

“Well I should leave then. There isn’t much more to do; I can tell you for certain that my horn hasn’t gotten any better. It would be pretty pointless to do the magical strength tests.”

“Oh Sweetie Belle, don't think like that! You don’t have to—”

“SWEETIE BELLE! ARE YOU IN THERE?!”

“Let’s tell Rarity the news before she gets any more frustrated,” Sweetie Belle half-joked, quickly running out the door before Twilight could form a rebuttal.

She made her way to the entrance where her sister was being placated by Spike.

“See, Rarity,” Spike exasperated in relief, “there’s Sweetie Belle.” Spike had clearly been taking the full force of Rarity’s concern.

Rarity—upon seeing her sister—pounced the poor filly in a stranglehold, causing Sweetie Belle to struggle uselessly in an attempt to get away.

“Air…please…” Sweetie Belle barely got out as she felt herself slowly lose consciousness from the current bone-shattering hug.

“Oh, right,” Rarity faltered, immediately dropping her sister to the floor, “sorry, Sweetie. I guess I get a little carried away sometimes.”

‘A little,’ Sweetie Belle thought, gasping for the sweet, cool air around her. “It’s…fine. We…were a little late in…getting my therapy done, but we can go home now.”

It was at this point that Twilight finally caught up with Sweetie Belle. She had to pack up and carry all the therapy equipment with her so she had taken a little longer to get there. “Here, Spike,” Twilight declared before unceremoniously dumping all the equipment in front of the dragon’s feat. “Can you take this back into the storage room, please?”

“Are you sure that you can’t—” Spike started.

“Yes, Spike. I’m sorry, but I need to speak to Rarity before she and Sweetie Belle head home.”

“Alright,” he agreed, reluctantly taking the entire heap in a comical pile over his head before slowly waddling down one of the castle’s hallways.

“So,” Rarity stated, bringing Sweetie Belle and Twilight’s attention back to her, “how did the little ‘discussion’ we talked about go, Twilight?”

“Fine, great even,” Twilight assured, “Sweetie Belle has agreed that—until she explores all the avenues of research my lab can provide—she will be my lab assistant.”

“Alright,” Rarity acknowledged, although it was clear on her face that it still wasn’t an arrangement she entirely agreed with.

“Rarity, it will be fine, I promise you that.”

“But how can you know for cert—”

“Rarity, it will be fine,” Twilight implored, “there will always be trained scientists with her, I will personally train her how to use all the equipment, and there will be guards posted in this castle at all times, for pony’s sake.”

“I—I know, Twilight,” Rarity lamented, “it’s just hard letting go. I mean, when she was in the hospital I knew what she was doing. She was safe and I could see her, but now—”

“I know, Rarity, I know,” Twilight reassured, comforting her friend with a hug.

This scene unfolding in front of her was making Sweetie Belle feel very awkward. ‘I knew Sis was being protective, but was she always feeling this bad? I don’t even want to think about what she would be like without Twilight and the others helping her.’

“Alright, Sweetie Belle,” Twilight said, breaking out of her hug with Rarity, “you should go home now. I’m sure there are still plenty of things you and Rarity need to get done before you can begin your new destiny here, right? Still, just imagine how much all of Equestria will benefit!”

“Yeah, well anyway,” Sweetie Belle segued back on track, “I may not like it, but if it will keep everypony happy I guess it is alright.” She pointedly looked at her sister when saying that last part.

Rarity looked away, “I’m only doing it for your own safety, Sweetie Belle. Twilight convinced me that this is the best way, and it is certainly better than the alternatives, right?”

Sweetie Belle remembered their conversation that morning and shuddered. The idea of being forced to do terrible Cutie Mark Crusade ideas and never getting her Cutie Mark was currently her worst nightmare imaginable. Deciding that no further words were needed, Sweetie Belle pulled her sister on out of castle and back home.

“Well goodbye, Rarity, Sweetie Belle,” Twilight called out as they left the castle, “I’ll be sure to let you know when the lab is ready and if there needs to be an adjustment in the therapy schedule.”

“Alright, Twilight,” Rarity smiled back, “you take care.”


Unseen by either of the three ponies, a shadowy figure emerged from the bushes outside the castle.

Lyra had only woken up a few hours earlier—for she had to work very late on weekends—and missed out on stalking watching the three fillies at school. As such, she didn’t know where they were until she followed Sweetie Belle’s sister when she suddenly left her boutique, crying out her sister’s name. There was no way that Lyra would miss such an obvious opportunity for new knowledge like that.

Lyra had been stalking watching the three fillies all last week as they built their flying machine, and she now had all the information she needed to understand what had happened that eventful week two months ago. She knew about the Tablet, the government cover-up, Sweetie Belle’s newfound intelligence, the precursors, and that some giant crystal had threatened everypony. What she didn’t know was all this new information she had just overheard being spoken in Princess Twilight’s castle’s lounge.

‘This is insane,’ Lyra thought, looking on the figures of Sweetie Belle and Rarity rapidly fading in the distance, ‘how could Twilight do such a thing! A ‘therapy session’ which clearly caused Sweetie Belle discomfort and then the little filly is suddenly the Princess’ personal lab assistant?! And then there was Rarity. It was obvious that she didn’t like the arrangement but Twilight was clearly using their friendship to manipulate the poor mare’s feelings! Is this how our newest Princess treats her friends, manipulating everypony because of ‘the benefits for Equestria?!’ I thought I might have had more time but at this rate, it might already be too late!’

Lyra started to get worried. ‘What can I do? I can’t just tell a newspaper about what I know. Even if they believe me, the government would just shut it down. I can’t even record their conversation with a phonograph; everypony knows how to magically edit those things nowadays; it isn’t good enough proof. What could I—’

And then she realized it. One method that could prove definitively that she wasn’t making everything up.

‘It’s going to be very risky, but it’s my only shot. I think it’s time that I finally get my hooves dirty and bring this whole conspiracy to light! Or my name isn’t Lyra Heartstrings!’