> The Adventures of Sweetie_Belle.jpg 2: The Swoot Boogaloo > by Dash The Stampede > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Swoot Reboot > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The screen light glowed in the darkness of the computer room, its pixels composing one small file, rooting her hooves through the Recycling Bin in search of buried treasure. Her search dug deep; folders resurfaced from many years past littered the desktop. Her frown belying her delight, she squeaked, grabbing out a packed folder. Her hooves tore the folder open, its contents spreading out around her hooves, a particularly black-goop-covered file sliding across the desktop, her tiara blinking in and out of existence atop her partially-rendered head. Sweetie_Belle.jpg frowned. She always frowned. This frown was the frown-iest frown she ever could frown from the fields of Frownia. It adorned her face in pixelated perfection—as she termed it—as her hooves began deleting the trash in rapid succession. "Junk mail...junk mail...corrupt Diamond_Tiara.png...junk mail..." Sweetie_Belle.jpg mumbled as she sorted through the pile, having spent her day digging around in archives long since lost to the terrors of (Dis:). The young file used her new-found talents to destroy anything useless or corrupt, and save the useful. She was also searching for (Cel:)'s lost clop files, but so far she could only find old service messages and emails. Deleting the corrupt Diamond_Tiara.png, she shrugged, taking comfort in the file's gurgles as she fell to the depths of oblivion. With renewed vigor, she dug back into the Bin, sending files and folders running from the cloud of data settling over the desktop. "Oooh, what's this?" Sweetie_Belle.jpg lifted a folder out of the bin. Its title read 'Swooty Bell', and the only thing within was a dark colored code, his purple fur and black mane contrasting with the Shortcut on his flank: a rainbow falling over clouds. Shrugging, she attached the folder to her saddlebags, before making her way to her home. Entering the Sweetie's_Room folder, she saw her friends waiting for her, their smiles growing as she drew them in for a hug. She had to duck to avoid the smash of Flightless_Chicken.gif's tireless head. "Hey.." *BANG* "Sweetie_Belle.." *BANG* "What's.." *BANG* "Up?" *BANG* The file rocked back and forth, the force of the smash ever-constant. "I was sorting the Bin. It's really boring." Sweetie_Belle said. "Stupid, dumb Shortcut!" The file scowled at the new mark on her flanks with renewed ire. "Aw shoot, did ya find any of (Cel:)'s clop?" Apple_Bloom.png patted Sweetie_Belle's back. "What is it with you and clop?" Sweetie_Belle.jpg laughed, her frown betraying her joy. "Oh, that's right! Come here, girls, I did find something!" Opening her bags, she dumped the folder onto her floor, the code within appearing next to Sweetie_Belle, his dark eyes taking in the sudden light as his form materialized. "Whoa.." *BANG* "Who're.." *BANG* "You?" *BANG* "There are some who call me Knight.png." He spoke, shrugging to the side silently. "I am but a humble code, and I am your key to other worlds." He spoke, cryptically. "That's..." *BANG* "Kinda..." *BANG* "Mysterious.. *BANG* "Yaknow.." *BANG* Flightless_Chicken.gif tried to get a good look at Knight.png, but could only stare at the keys as they repeatedly battered her face. "Yeah, what gives? What can you do?" Apple_Bloom poked the code, sending his binary in a scramble. "I can provide you with a look into other dimensions: the 1080, or the 720 to name a couple." Knight.png spoke, his cultured tone belying his age. "All you must do is tap my Shortcut." He motioned to his flank, the symbol standing out like chrome on black. "What do you girls think?" Sweetie_Belle.jpg looked at her friends. "Awesome!" *BANG* "That's..."*BANG* "A rare.." *BANG* "Opportunity." *BANG* "Yeah! Let's see what it does!" Apple_Bloom.png said. "Okay...Here goes!" Sweetie_Belle.jpg looked at the shortcut, then reluctantly poked it, the code gasping and going silent as Sweetie_Belle found herself pulled through into a scene that stopped her in her tracks. She was face-to-face with herself! The file - or filly? - before her was a replica of herself, only pitch black. The pony stood alone, though a small purple penguin wandered off in the distance. "Whoa. Hey, wait a minute, you're me! But darker. And weirder. And -" Her doppelganger's hoof found its way over Sweetie_Belle's mouth, silencing her. "oh man that took forever." Said Swooty as the files fell silent. She looked for her friends but they had gone OH NO! Changeshape and Spine left in her hour of need, oh man what friends, am I right? so anyways, Swooty silenced Sweetie_Belle.jpg, looking over the file and noticing it was her oh snap. The universe could only handle so much Swoot would they be okay? *BANG* "Hey!.." *BANG* "What gives?" *BANG* Flightless_Chicken.gif's piano echoed through the world, Swooty wasn't going to take that! She wanted Changeshape to attack so she asked her to attack but then she remembered they left and aw man that piano is REALLY LOUD! Swooty uncovered her copy's whiter mouth, Sweetie_Belle.jpg coughing as she took a deep breath. She soon calmed enough to gather her thoughts. "So...you're me?" Sweetie_Belle asked. Swooty shook her head oh boy this would be a long day. "Oh jeez I thought you were smart and stuff, like Twilight Purple." "You mean...Twilight_Sparkle.jpg?" Sweetie_Belle was confused. Just who was this mystery pony, and why did their universes seem so similar? She pondered on it, Flightless_Chicken.gif's *BANG* being the only noise for a time. Just then, a Speed Buggy came racing around the corner. It turned into Changeshape because hey come on guys I shouldn't have to explain this, and she was angry. "Swooty! Why are there two of you!" Changeshape said "Oh wait I meant ?" Sweetie_Belle.jpg glanced to the side, seeing her friends' eyes widened in shock as the scene before them. Chrysalis.cng stood before them, and she wasn't draining the files of their love. The three tried to run, but upon turning, found themselves against a glass screen, the other side revealing their desktop. Pixels of sweat dripped off the trio's faces, Flightless_Chicken.gif looking akin to a hyperactive lawn sprinkler. The files shared a moment of fearful resignation before turning, Sweetie_Belle.jpg facing her copy once more, sighing at the situation she had gotten herself into. She took in the sight of the rather motley crew in front of them, lamenting in the lack of epic rock music to accompany the narrator's clever word choice. The only sound was the constant *BANG* of the piano, and it reminded Sweetie_Belle that she had her friends by her side. Together, they would figure it out. It would still be a long day.