• Published 17th Aug 2012
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Sweetie and the Scientist - TheDorkside99



A naturally curious filly, Sweetie embarks on a life-changing discovery about the world of science.

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Sweetie's Surprise

“Get up, sleepy head,” said Sweetie Belle bursting through the bedroom door.

The sun had not even risen above the clouds when a slumbering Rarity was yanked out of bed like a blanket and rushed to the kitchen. By the time the sleepiness seeped out of her bed crusted eyes, she was assaulted with a hastily prepared breakfast of burnt toast and a mysterious looking bowl of goop.

“W-What on earth is this?” she asked.

“Breakfast,” Sweetie replied, strapping her saddle bag around her tiny waist. She turned her attention to adjusting her scarf. “Now hurry up and eat, I have something special I wanna show you before we get to school.”

The cautious unicorn dipped the head of her elegantly fashioned spoon into the sludgy mess and watched with fear as it disappeared forever. “I will ask again. What on Celestia’s green earth is this?”

Sweetie sighed and looked at the bowl. “It’s oatmeal.”

“It’s an abomination!” She screamed as the rest of her spoon sunk to its dissolving doom.

“Whatever, just hurry up and eat so we can go.”

Rarity got up from the table and scooted backwards towards the refrigerator, keeping a close eye on the oatmeal. “Not until I get a proper breakfast. A breakfast that won’t eat my insides like a ruthless monster from a late night flick would be wonderful.”

Sweetie reached for the front door. She groaned at the sight of her carefully preparing a cup of fruit-filled yogurt. “What’re you doing? I already made you breakfast so we could leave as soon as possible.”

“Sweetie, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. You cannot function throughout the day properly without it. The only exception being that Frankenstein-like creation you made in that bowl!”

“I ate it and I feel fine.”

“Dear Luna,” she said, dipping a new spoon into her yogurt and breathing a sigh of relief when she pulled it out unscathed. “Let’s just hope you don’t have to visit the school nurse today.”

Sweetie rolled her eyes. “Whatever.” She looked up at the clock. “Okay, you got your breakfast. Now let’s go, please!”

“Okay, no need to get your mane in a frizzle. Speaking of which, did you comb your mane?”

“Yes.”

“Did you brush your teeth?”

“Yes,” with a groan.

“Did you shake out the kinks in your tail?”

“Yes,” with a groan and a rolling of the eyes.

“Did you use the bathroom?”

“Rarity!”

“I’m sorry Sweetie Belle, but I am not going to set out on the long walk to the schoolhouse knowing that halfway through I will have to hear you complain that you have to go really, really bad.”

Sweetie Belle opened the door and pointed to the schoolhouse. “It only takes five minutes to get there! What are you, lazy?”

Rarity gasped. “Sweetie, how could you say such a thing? Of course I’m not lazy! I was going to start a rigorous workout regimen this Monday.”

“Today is Monday,” Sweetie replied flatly.

“Then I’ll start after I drop you off at school.” She cleared her throat. “Let’s go.”

“Finally!”

Before the mare set one hoof in front of the other, she was pushed from behind by Sweetie. As soon as they were outside, her vision was suddenly blocked by a soft, woolly material. “Hey!”

“Sorry Rarity, but since it’s a surprise I need to keep you from seeing it.”

“B-But you’ll catch a cold! What’s the point of surprising me if you put yourself in that kind of risk?”

“Come on sis, it only the first day of fall. It still feels like summer.”

“That is no excuse! You know how the Pegasi like to change the weather unannounced. Why it could rain, or even snow and you could catch double pneumonia or…”

The rest of her lecture went through one ear and out the other while Sweetie assured the effectiveness of the blindfold by making silly faces and mocking the prissy pony’s movements. She was satisfied with the results and continued to push her older sister down the street. They blasted through the town of Ponyville past the sleepy houses, but they wouldn’t remain sleepy much longer as Rarity parted the stillness with her shrieks of terror. Groggy heads with unkempt manes popped out of every door and window they passed, often accompanied by groans of complaint about the complimentary wakeup call.

Out of the town square, the sisters found themselves walking on dirt as the wide cobblestone road narrowed and became grittier. This made the rushed pace a little more strenuous on the filly’s tiny leg muscles and scuffed the mare’s manicured hooves. They decided that Rarity would follow Sweetie’s voice guiding her the rest of the way. After another two minutes or so of stumbling and bumbling, they reached a small hill of low green grass. Atop the hill was an old crackling tree. Slowly, Sweetie led her sister to the top of the hill to one of the twisty branches. A little too close it turned out.

“Owuh!” yelled Rarity.

“Sorry sis,” Sweetie replied, trying to hold back a giggle but failing. She pulled the scarf from around her sister’s eyes. “Ta-da! Do you see it?”

Rarity blinked several times before focusing where her sister pointed. “What.”

“The thing I wanted to show you. Don’t you see it?”

Rarity squinted hard but still couldn’t find what she was supposed to marvel at. “Sweetie Belle, I don’t know what you’re talking about. All I see is the morning sky.”

“No, silly. The surprise is right next to you!”

Rarity looked and spotted the previously invisible branch. She was little more than underwhelmed at the sight of the old tree and she turned to give her sister’s wide grin a disappointed scowl. “Sweetie Belle, of all the worthless things you could’ve possibly shown me you chose this old tree?”

Sweetie groaned. “No, you dummy! Look at what’s on the tree hanging from the branch right there.” She pointed directly at the hanging object.

“Okay, you don’t have to be such a flank hurt,” her sister said. She neared her head to the object that hung lightly from the branch. It swung from side to side from the gentle breathing coming from her nostrils. The leaf-like exterior looked breakable to the touch. “What is it?”

Sweetie Belle walked up to her and whispered, “It’s a cocoon.”

“A cocoon?”

“Yeah, isn’t it great? It’s gonna be a butterfly pretty soon. I’m not sure how long it’ll take but I don’t think it should take long, do you?”

Rarity didn’t say anything, her eyes fixed on the cocoon.

“Uh, Rarity?”

Rarity finally broke from her gaze and turned to address her excited sister, prefacing her words with a troubled sigh. “Sweetie, while I admire your fascination with…nature, I am finding it hard to believe that you would go through all this trouble just to show me this.”

“What’re you talking about?”

“Sweetie, don’t you think that waking me from my beauty sleep, cooking me Celestia knows what for breakfast, then tearing across the town waking everypony up from their sleep counts as even the smallest of inconveniences?”

“I don’t even know what ‘inconveniences’ means.”

“What I’m trying to say is this cocoon was not worth all the trouble you put us through. It’s nice, but definitely not that important.”

“It’s important to me,” Sweetie replied, dropping her head.

Rarity knelt on the grass and lifted her sister’s head. “Hey, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. I just want to make sure that next time you want to share one of your ‘surprises’ with me you let me know beforehoof.”

“But why? Isn’t that the point of surprises? To surprise you?” she asked raising her voice.

“Sweetie, I am a very busy mare with tons of orders to fill. Today I’m going to be very busy finalizing a few details on a large order of dresses that needs to be shipped to Manehatten tomorrow morning. I simply can’t have any small inconveniences getting in the way.”

“There’s that word again. What does ‘inconvenience’ even mean?”

Rarity cleared her throat. “Well, an inconvenience is like a distraction. It’s something that gets in your way keeping you from accomplishing your goals. Like a problem.”

“Oh,” Sweetie said in a low voice.

“Sweetie.”

The repentant unicorn put her hooves around her little sister, but was rejected.

“Come on Rarity, I don’t wanna keep you from your goals today.”


“Rarity! Sweetie Belle! How’re ya’ll doin’ this fine mornin’?” Applejack waved at the sisters from the schoolyard.

Rarity waved back wildly in the air and shouted a greeting, but was masked by the morning bell for which Sweetie Belle was glad. The sound of dashing hoofsteps and smooching kisses filled the autumn air. Even the normally rugged Applejack accepted a quick peck on the cheek from Apple Bloom with smiling eyes.

“Now you have wonderful day at school, okay sugarcube?”

“Love ya sis,” and off the filly sprinted with the others.

Rarity couldn’t help but admire the tenderness of the moment, a soft hoof perching against her slow and steadied heart. She turned to Sweetie Belle with the warmest of intentions and lowered her face to give her sister the sweet kiss of departure. Little did she know that when she paused her steps to swoon at the farm sisters’ show of affection she inadvertently set herself up to plant her lips right on her sister’s flank.

“Rarity!” Sweetie protested.

Rarity retracted like a measuring tape and flashed an apologetic grin to her embarrassed sister. “S-Sorry, Sweetie Belle. Will you allow me to give you a small goodbye kiss on your cheek?” She cleared her throat. “I mean, on your face?”

“Make it quick,” she responded flatly.

While the kiss was quick, it was anything but small. Her moist lips squashed against the filly’s face like a water balloon. She offered to wipe it off with a handkerchief, but Sweetie refused choosing instead to swipe her own hoof across the area.

The filly trotted slowly off to class hardly acknowledging her sister’s cries of farewell and good luck. She was the last one in before the doors were closed and all the parents left the yard bare and lifeless. Only two mares stood side by side staring at the wooden schoolhouse together.

The farm pony broke the silence. “Crazy, huh?”

“I don’t understand.”

“Wasn’t too long ago we were in that schoolhouse, roused up an’ all for the first day. And now seein’ baby Apple Bloom all grown up and eager to learn everything she can about anything is like a fresh reminder of what I used to be like.” She paused to let out a sigh. “Those were the days.”

“Applejack,” said Rarity, changing the subject. “I was wondering if you could do me a huge favor today.”

“Sure,” said a revamped farm pony. “You know ah like helpin’ out the pony folk.”

“Great! You see, I have a huge order to fill for a Manehatten client that needs to be sent out tomorrow morning and I need all the concentration I can get. Would you mind taking Sweetie Belle to Sweet Apple Acres with you after school? I can pick her up as soon as seven o’clock. That should give me enough time to finish up the order.”

“Rarity, ya’ll don’ need to ask all formal-like. Sweetie’s always welcome at Sweet Apple Acres. In fact, it’ll be an honor to have her over.”

Rarity sighed with relief. “Oh Applejack, you don’t know how much this means to me and my business. I promise to pay you back somehow.” She inspected her friend’s hat. “How about a few touches here and there?”

Applejack jerked her head. “Well now, that won’t be necessary. Like ah said: it would be an honor to have your lil’ sister over.”

Rarity’s eyes narrowed a little, but the look was accompanied by a playful smile. “Very well then, I must be off. See you at seven, Applejack. And thank you again.”

“Don’t mention it! See ya at seven, Rarity!”


“Oh mah gosh,” exclaimed Apple Bloom. “Check out this new saddle bag my sister made for me!”

“That’s so cool,” said Scootaloo, admiring the carefully crafted apple buttons that kept the tough brown knapsack shut. She reached into her saddle bag and pulled out a set of three shiny new erasers. “Take a look at these!”

Apple Bloom smiled. “Neato! Hey, each of them is the same color as we are.”

“That’s the best part,” replied Scootaloo, opening the package and handing the cream-colored eraser to her farm filly friend. “I got these especially for us so we can all start off the year with new erasers.”

“That’s mighty kind of you, Scoots!”

“And here’s yours, Sweetie Belle.”

The cheery filly held out the white eraser for her friend, but she was completely ignored. Ever since the fillies claimed a spot where they could sit together, the glum Cutie Mark Crusader hadn’t moved her head off the desk.

“Hey Sweetie, are you alright?”

“Yeah,” added Apple Bloom. “Do you have a headache or somethin’?”

Sweetie Belle sighed and lifted her head. “No. I’m just a little sad because of what happened this morning with Rarity.”

“What did she do this time?” asked Scootaloo, rolling her eyes.

“Well, I woke her up extra early and made her breakfast so I could show her a surprise before getting to school. But all she said about it was that it was an ‘inconvenience’.”

“An incon-wha?” asked Apple Bloom.

“Inconvenience,” began Sweetie. “It means something that gets in the way of your goals. Like a problem.”

“Well that wasn’t very nice.”

“What was the surprise you showed her?” asked Scootaloo.

“It was a cocoon I found yesterday hanging off that old tree by the path we take to get to school.”

“Really? And she didn’t think that was cool?”

“I guess not if she called it an inconvenience.” Sweetie rammed her face into the desk.

“I wouldn’t worry ‘bout it too much, Sweetie,” reassured Apple Bloom putting a hoof on her friend’s shoulder. “All grown-ups think we’re an inconvenience. Besides, we don’t think your surprise is an inconvenience. Right Scoots?”

“Heck yeah,” she said. “Cocoons are awesome.”

“Thanks guys,” replied Sweetie, sitting up. “Maybe after school I can go show you the cocoon. It really does look pretty neat.”

“You said it!” cried her two friends.

Just then the door to the classroom swung open with a dignified elegance and inside stepped two arrogant fillies, much to the Crusaders’ chagrin.

“Like, sorry we’re fashionably late,” announced Silver Spoon to the class.

“Uh, no we’re not,” added Diamond Tiara. The two fillies bumped flanks and giggled.

“Talk about an inconvenience,” said Apple Bloom.

“Yeah, one on each flank,” added Scootaloo.

Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara walked up to where the Crusaders sat and eyed Apple Bloom’s new backpack with disgust.

“So like, how many burlap sacks went into making that trash bag, huh?” joked Silver Spoon.

The farm filly met the rude comment with a distasteful smirk.

The girls turned their attention to Scootaloo. “So like,” began Diamond Tiara. “It’s the first day of school and all you got was a pack of some lame erasers?”

“Oh yeah,” she struck back. “I don’t see you with any new erasers.”

“Well duh, that’s because I never make any mistakes you flightless failure.”

Scootaloo fumed in her seat.

“Like, at least those two losers brought something of some value,” said Silver Spoon staring at Sweetie Belle’s empty desk. “The only thing she brought to school was her stupid face!”

Sweetie charged up from her seat and stuck her face into the bully’s. “I don’t have a stupid face. You do!”

“You wish I had a stupid face, but alas looking like you would be too much of a…inconvenience.”

“Huh?”

Sweetie’s challenger grinned. “I saw your pathetic attempt to show your sister that ‘cocoon’ earlier this morning on the way to school. You know, it’s such a shame that such an amazing and beautiful fashion designer like Rarity got stuck with you for a sister. I bet she wished she had a prettier filly for a sister that cared about her fashion like me.”

“You better shut up, Silver Spoon,” snarled Sweetie through gritted teeth.

“Or what? You know it’s true. She just doesn’t care about grimy little bugs like you.”

The final bell rang and the two bullies left to their seats, laughing the whole way. Sweetie Belle cringed with anger before falling into her seat, her depression reenergized by Silver Spoon’s heartless words.

“Don’t pay any attention to that mean ol’ Silver Spoon,” said Apple Bloom rubbing her friend’s slumped back.

“Yeah, she’s just a snooty bag of wind just like Diamond Tiara,” added Scootaloo.

“But what they said is true,” said Sweetie. “My sister doesn’t care about what I like.”

“You wanna talk to Miss Cheerilee ‘bout it?” suggested Apple Bloom.

“Speaking of Miss Cheerilee,” said Scootaloo looking around the classroom. “Where is she?”

Just then, a loud crack of the ruler echoed in the room, seemingly triggered by Scootaloo’s question. All eyes darted over to the schoolmaster’s desk where a kinky orange mane slowly ascended from behind. The students looked on with horror as the unrecognizable mane was followed by a pair of equally bright orange glasses and a stethoscope.

“Good morning my young group of Equus Caballus,” he said. “Are you ready for a fun-filled day of exploring?”