> School Belle
>  by Tale Weaver
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> School Belle, Part One
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Sweetie Belle gritted her teeth and growled as she wiped off the kitchen counter top.  It wasn’t the task at hand that put her off, nor was it the strain of using her magic to scrub off a stubborn stain with a sponge.  It was what she heard from the next room.
“Spike, would you be a dear and put these fabrics in my inspiration room?” Rarity asked.  “And if you would be so kind as to take out the trash I think we’ll be about done!”  It wasn’t unusual for Spike to come over and eagerly lend Rarity a claw, but it had been going on all afternoon.  As the afternoon turned into evening, it began to irk Sweetie Belle.  She began to feel that her big sister was taking advantage of the young dragon’s good nature.  But then again, he did volunteer and they were in a hurry.  Rarity did always find a way to make it up to Spike, but Spike would never get from Rarity what he really wanted.  And as unrealistic as it was, it still grated on Sweetie Belle’s nerves.
Spike came through the kitchen with a big smile on his face and a big bag of trash on his back.  He went out the back door and threw it in the dumpster.  But as he walked back in, Sweetie Belle felt she had to say something.  “You know you don’t have to do everything she asks, right?”
“Yeah, but I like helping out!” Spike answered.
“So I’ve noticed,” said Sweetie Belle with a bit of sarcasm in her voice.
“Well, you know,” Said Spike.  “Sometimes I help Applejack on the farm, or the Cakes at Sugar Cube Corner and of course I’m Twilight’s Number One Assistant.”
“Amazing how you can do all that considering how much time you spend here.”
Spike rubbed the back of his neck and stuttered, “Yeah, well…”
“Never mind.”  Putting him on the spot was not her intention, so she let him off the hook.  “But it’s not like my parents would really notice, anyway.”
“What do you mean?” asked Spike.
Sweetie Belle looked down and her ears drooped.  “Let’s just say they have different standards than me and my sister.”
Rarity came into the room.  “It’s not about standards, darling.  It’s about respect for our parents!  We don’t see them that often and we should put our best hoof forward.”  She turned her attention to Spike.  “Oh, Spikie Wikie, I don’t know how we could have cleaned up the boutique and our home without you!  You’ve been such a big help, I promise to make it up to you.”  
Rarity kissed him on the top of his head, which was all the payment he needed.  He staggered a bit as he looked up to Rarity.
Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes, “Oh, brother!”
“But you really should go home now,” continued Rarity.  “It’s getting late and Twilight will be wondering where you are.”
“I’m sure she can figure it out,” Sweetie Belle said under her breath.
As Spike left, Sweetie Belle could swear his pupils had become heart shaped and his brain was leaking out of his ears.
Rarity let him out and closed the door behind him.  She then turned to find Sweetie Belle frowning and glaring up at her.
“What?” she asked.

*     *     *

It was late in the morning when Rarity and Sweetie Belle left Carousel Couture for the train station.  Sweetie Belle had been quiet all morning.  Rarity would have thought she would have been more excited to see their parents again.  It had been months.  She looked at her younger sister.  Her ears were down and she seemed to be avoiding looking back at her.  “Sweetie Belle, is there something on your mind?”
“No.” She wasn’t convincing.
“Are you sure?  You’re usually more excited when mother and father come to visit.”
Sweetie Belle slowed down, then came to a stop in the middle of the road.  She looked up the road, down the road, everywhere except at Rarity.  Now Rarity was concerned.  “Sweetheart, what is it?  You can tell me.”
She finally looked up at her big sister.  “Rarity, you do know Spike has a crush on you, right?”
Rarity sighed.  “Yes, darling, I’m very well aware of his feelings for me.”
“Well, shouldn’t you say something?  I mean, it kind of felt like you were taking advantage of his feelings for you last night.”
“Oh, my,” said Rarity putting a hoof to her chin.  “Did it really seem like that?  I didn’t mean to, really I didn’t.”  
“I know you don’t want to hurt him, but…”
“It’s not as simple as that, darling.”
“Why?”
Rarity hung her head down.  This conversation was making her feel guilty and she could see that it was not easy for Sweetie Belle to bring this up to her.  Sweetie Belle truly felt for Spike and she deserved an explanation.  “Well, it’s not like he’s some love struck school pony I can just pat on the head  and shoo away.  He truly is a friend and I do adore him – just not the way he would like.”
She turned back in the direction they were going and started walking again.  With a tilt of the head, she encouraged Sweetie Belle to do the same.  “This may seem like the coward’s way out, but I’m hoping that he will just get over it like I did.”
“You had a crush on somepony?”
“Oh, yes!  When I was your age I had a crush on my school teacher.  I thought he was the best thing since lock stitching.  I spent many a semester following him around like… well… like Spike does.”
“So how did you get over it?”
“As I grew older I started noticing colts my own age.  Boys I could actually spend time with and do things with.  And then I got interested in sewing and dress making.  So as my interests changed, my feelings changed.  Oh, I do wish he would find a filly friend his own age, or a dragon friend, whatever suits him.”
Sweetie Belle raised an eyebrow in surprise as they crossed the bridge over the stream.  “A filly friend?  So that would be okay?”
“Of course it would, darling, and you mustn’t think otherwise just because you don’t see it here in Ponyville.  I’ve traveled all over Equestria on the fashion circuit and met some lovely couples!  I know a pony married to a donkey, one griffin married to a Pegasus and one married to an earth pony.  And there is this simply lovely couple in Manehatten that own a chain of boutiques.  He is a rather imposing looking minotaur who is the gentlest of souls and his wife is a griffin with a most wicked wit.”  Rarity laughed to herself, recalling some of the comments the griffin had made which were probably not appropriate to repeat to Sweetie Belle.  “One look at them and you could see how much they adore each other!  That’s the kind of marriage I wish to have some day.”  
“So it really is just that you’re too old for him?” asked Sweetie Belle.
“Excuse me, darling, but it’s that he’s too young for me!  There’s a difference.”
Sweetie Belle looked up to her big sister in confusion.  “Huh?”
“You’ll understand when you’re older, but yes.  I suppose I should watch myself around him.  I don’t want to be unfair and you were quite right to bring it to my attention.  Thank you, Sweetie.”
Sweetie Belle smiled at her sister and let out a long breath.  It felt good to get that off her mind.  
Rarity was quiet until the station came into sight.  She occasionally glanced at Sweetie Belle as they walked.  She saw that her little sister was catching her glances and decided to take her into her confidence.  “This is just between you and me, Sweetie.  I wouldn’t want to encourage Spike, but the truth is that if he were older I would be tempted.  He’s quite the gentledragon, he’s honest, trustworthy, intelligent and quite the cook!  Somepony’s going to be very lucky to have him some day.”
Sweetie Belle was astonished by Rarity’s confession.  “You really think so?”
“You don’t know the half of it, darling.” Rarity continued.  “You only know him from around Ponyville.  He’s fought beside us many a time!  There’s good reason the Crystal Empire consider him their hero.  He’s brave and loyal, not only to Twilight, but to all six of us.”
As they reached the station, Rarity procured the services of a Sunshine Cab.  Then they climbed up the stairs to the station platform, sat and waited for the train.  Sweetie Belle stared up at Rarity the whole time in silence.  Her undivided attention finally caught Rarity’s eye.  “Was there something else, Sweetie?”
Sweetie Bell had to bring herself out of her reverie.  “What?  Ah, no.  It’s just that I never knew you thought so much of Spike.”
Rarity looked at her little sister.  She turned Sweetie Belle to face her, leaned in close and gently pressed her right hoof against Sweetie Belle’s chest. “Sweetie Belle, you and I would both do well to find coltfriends as kind and as considerate and thoughtful, brave and loyal as Spike.  In a few years when the suitors come to call, let him be the standard they have to meet!” 
Sweetie Bell was lost in thought, still taking in all Rarity had said about Spike.  But all that changed when the train came into view.  The morning’s conversation was pushed aside as the excitement of seeing her parents again took over.  She started waiving and shouting long before anypony on the train could possible see or hear her.
The train came to a stop a few minutes later.   The sisters scanned the crowd as the passengers disembarked.  Sweetie Belle was the first to spot their parents, Hondo Flanks and Cookie Crumbs, and ran ahead of Rarity to greet them.  Hugs and kisses melted away months of separation.  The platform was nearly empty by the time they were ready to move from the spot where they had met.  
Rarity nudged the family to the baggage pick up area.  “Anything new in Swamp Hollow?” asked Rarity.
“Oh, there’s big new, all right!” said their dad.   “Too big to tell it all here.”
“Well, let’s get you home and you can tell us all about it.”  Rarity scanned the pile of luggage still left on the platform, twice her height and even wider.  “Excuse me, Father, but which bags are yours again?”
He pulled out three suitcases, then pointed to the remaining pile.  “All of these.”
Rarity tried to contain her surprise.  “I see.  And how long did you say you were planning to stay, again?”
“Just three or four days.  That’s why we just packed the essentials.”
Rarity laughed politely.   “Of course.  Sweetie Belle, be a dear and get the cab driver.”

The trip back to Carousel Couture went quickly.  The early afternoon was filled with lunch, talk of school and the new shop in Canterlot.  It wasn’t until lunch was nearly over that the subject of their parent’s home came back up again.  
“So you were saying there was some big news in Swamp Hollow?” asked Rarity.
“Big indeed!” said Hondo.  “We got ourselves a new mayor.”
“Oh, yes,” said Rarity.  “I remember mother writing about the election.  Is he working out?”
“He sure is!” said their father excitedly.  “That Stallion is true to his word – unlike so many other politicians.  He said he’d build a new school for our foals and that’s exactly what he did.  Got us a new school teacher, too.  A proper one, graduate from the University of Phillydelphia.”
“That is wonderful news,” agreed Rarity.  “I’m sure the school ponies will excel in their education.”
“They sure will,” said Hondo.  “Tell them the best part, honey.”
Cookie leaned over and eagerly grabbed Sweetie Belle’s hoof.  “Now that our little town has a big city teacher, we’ve come to take you home with us, Sweetie Belle!”
Sweetie Belle froze, nearly choking on the cookie she was nibbling.  Her mouth went dry and she had to swallow hard to get the crumbs down.  She looked up at her mother, “What?”
Cookie put her arm around Sweetie Belle and hugged her tight.  “You’re coming back home!  We wanted to surprise you.  Are you surprised?”
Sweetie Belle stuttered.  “But…  But I like my school, and all my friends are here.”
“Don’t worry about that,” assured her Dad.  “You’ll make lots of new friends.  They’re a great bunch of foals.”
Rarity had been looking on in shock, unable to speak.  A pleading glance from her little sister forced her to find her words.  “But she’s doing so well at her current school.  I’ve sent you her report cards and Miss Cheerilee is quite a fine teacher.”
“I’m sure she is,” agreed Hondo.  “But the only reason we sent the two of you here was because of the poor school situation.  We missed all of your growing up, Rarity, and now we missed some of Sweetie Belle’s.  But that’s all going to change.”
Cookie jumped in, mussing Sweetie Belle’s mane.  “I know it’s sudden, but don’t worry.  You’ll have all weekend to pack.”
“Pack?”
“I’ll help you,” continued Mom.  “Maybe Rarity can help, too?”
“No,” said Sweetie Belle.
Mom turned her attention to Rarity.  “Oh, I’m sure Rarity can find some time in her busy schedule for her little sister, especially with her leaving and all.”
Out of respect for her parents, Rarity fought back her anger.  “That’s not what she means, Mother.”
“So you will help her pack?” asked Dad.
Rarity was getting frustrated.  “No…”
Dad turned back to Sweetie Belle.  “Well just pack what you can.  We can send for the rest later.”
Rarity spoke through gritted teeth.  “Farther, I really think you need to listen to your daughter.”
“I’m listening, honey.”
Rarity rolled her eyes.  “Not to me, to Sweetie Belle!”
Dad looked to Sweetie Belle.  “I don’t want to pack.  I don’t want to go!”
“I know it’s a lot of work, but you can get through it,” assured Dad.  “Your mother and I got some work to do, too.  We gotta pick up your school records on Monday, get you medical records from your doctor.  There isn’t anything at City Hall we should pick up, is there?  You don’t have a police record, do you, little girl?”  Dad laughed at his own joke.
Sweetie Belle was not laughing.
“Besides,” continued Dad.  “It’s about time we took you off of your sister’s hooves.  She used to write all those letters about how it was a burden to look after you and run a shop, but we are grateful for her patience – and you should be, too.”
Sweetie Belle looked on in shock.  Had Rarity really written that?  She turned to her big sister.
Rarity saw Sweetie Belle’s expression as she looked up to her.  It was no longer the look of pleading, it was the look of one who had been betrayed.  Rarity couldn’t help but turn away, even though she knew it would confirm her little sister’s fears.  Underneath the table she found Sweetie Belle’s hoof and held it tightly with hers, trying to impart assurance.  Finally she turned back to their father, avoiding Sweetie Belle’s eyes.  “That was a long time ago.  We get along just fine now.”
“I’m sure you do,” said their father, brushing the subject off.  “Hey, we should celebrate, Sweetie Belle coming home, you getting your place back to yourself.”
Rarity was about to protest when Cookie jumped in. “That’s a great idea!”
“You pick out a nice restaurant, Rarity, and we’ll take you both to dinner.”  Dad pushed himself away from the table, stretched his hooves over his head and yawned.  “But now I think your mother and I could use a nap.  That was a long train ride.”
Rarity looked away, resigned.  “Yes, of course.”  She got up as they excused themselves.  She watched from the kitchen door as they walked up the stairs and waited until she heard the guest room door close.  “Of all the nerve,” she said indignantly.  “Celebrate?  Celebrate what?  I was under the impression that the only railroading done around here was at the station!  Well, we won’t stand for that, now will we?”
Rarity knew all too well that Sweetie Belle was upset, but the quiet shakiness of her voice caught her off guard.  “Rarity…do you want me to go?”
Rarity spun around.  “Of course I don’t!  Why in all Equestria would you even ask…”  But looking at her little sister, head down and struggling to hold back the tears, she knew why.
“Those letters you wrote to mom and dad, did you really say I was a burden?”
Sweetie Belle’s question stabbed Rarity through the heart.  She hung her head low as she sat back down beside Sweetie Belle.  She wasn’t sure where to start, but she couldn’t leave her sister hanging in the silence.  “I am very much ashamed of what I wrote in those letters, and I am very sorry you had to hear of them.”
Sweetie Belle began to cry.  “So I am a burden to you.”
“No, darling, no!”  She took her little sister’s hooves in hers and squeezed tightly.  “Please let me explain!”  
Sweetie Belle did not return the squeeze.  She faced away from her big sister.
“First of all,” Rarity started.  “Father exaggerates.  It was only two – three letters at the most.  But that does not excuse my guilt.  When my life was starting to shine at its brightest, I was at my darkest.  I had just bought the boutique from Mrs. Button Hook.  I was young, on my own, my career was taking off and… and I was very full of myself.”  Tears of guilt filled Rarity’s eyes as she confessed her sins to her sister.  “So when Mother wrote me that they were sending you to live with me, yes, I did write back that I didn’t want to be burdened.”
Sweetie Belle gasped as the tears ran down her cheeks.  She broke away from Rarity and circled the table to the door back to the boutique.  
With her own tears hitting the floor, Rarity cried out to her sister.  “Sweetie Belle, don’t go!  Please, I beg you, let me finish!”
Sweetie Belle stopped short of the door.  Only for the love of her sister did she sit and listen.
Rarity came from behind Sweetie Belle and placed a hoof on her shoulder.  Sweetie Belle did not react.  “In my hubris I had forgotten what it was to be a part of a family.  What it was to be a big sister.  I’d forgotten the smile on your face when I’d come home from school, or the late nights we’d stay up talking about the future and sharing our lives together.”  She came around and placed a gentle hoof under Sweetie Belle’s chin.   “But having you here brought me out of my darkness.  You taught me what it was to share again.  You can forget the shops, forget the fashions I’ve created and the magazines I’ve been in.  Nothing has brought me more true joy than generously sharing my home, my life and all the opportunities that Ponyville has given to me with you!  We may have started out a bit rough, but that quickly changed, especially after our first Sisterhooves Social.  I don’t jump into a puddle of mud for anypony.   Only for you.  You know this to be true, darling.  Please say you know this to be true!”
Sweetie Belle’s crying subsided.  She wiped her muzzle with one hoof and put the other on her big sister’s arm.  “You were covered in mud from hoof to your horn, weren’t you?”
“I had to be, darling.  I didn’t want you to know it was me until we finished the race together.”
“And you hate mud.”
“But not as much as I love you.”
Sweetie Belle finally looked up to her sister.  “I do know all that’s true, and I’m sorry I doubted you!”  She hugged Rarity tightly.
“I’m the one who’s sorry.  I gave you reason to doubt me.”
“Like you said, Sis, that was a long time ago.”
“I will admit,” continued Rarity.  “I have very selfish reasons to keep you here with me.  But I also truly believe that your education and you future are better served here in Ponyville.  Have no doubt, this is a fight we are in together, and it’s a fight I will not let go of!“
“So what do we do?” asked Sweetie Belle.
Rarity pulled away enough to look Sweetie Belle in the eye.  Determination came back into her voice.  “Well, for starters, we are not going to spend the weekend with this sword of Domiclops hanging over our heads.”  She wiped the tears from Sweetie Belle’s cheeks.  “You know where Miss Cheerilee lives, don’t you?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, freshen yourself up and go see if she’s home.  Explain our situation to her and ask if she would be kind enough to have an emergency parent/teacher meeting with us today.”  Rarity turned back to the door and looked up the stairs.  “Perhaps if they hear it straight from your teacher they’ll change their mind about taking you away!”
Rarity had been in many battles and was ready for this one.  But the whimpering she heard from behind her told her Sweetie Belle was not.  Head down and hooves shivering, she was scared.  Scared that all she knew and loved was about to be torn away from her.  Not by a monster the Elements of Harmony could defeat.  Not by a challenge that the determination and courage of the Cutie Mark Crusaders could overcome.  But by two well-meaning yet misdirected ponies who had legitimate authority over her. It was the type of fear encouraging words and a plan alone could not overcome.
Rarity sat back down in front of her sister, gently took her in her arms and whispered in her ear, “It’s all right, sweetheart.  Cry it out.”

*     *     *

Sweetie Belle had come across Apple Bloom on the way to see Miss Cheerilee.  Now they followed her parents and sister as Rarity extolled the virtues of their teacher.
Apple Bloom whispered to Sweetie Belle.  “Don’t worry, Sweetie Belle.  I’m sure Miss Cheerilee can convince your parents you should stay.”
“If they listen,” Sweetie Belle answered.  “Suddenly, they don’t seem to be very good at it.  I don’t understand!  They taught me and Rarity to listen.”
“Well, they don’t have you or Rarity around anymore.  Maybe they’ve forgotten.  But if anypony can teach them again, it’s Miss Cheerilee.”
Sweetie Belle hung her head down.  “I hope so.  I really hope so.”
They arrived at the schoolhouse in no time.   It was weird being there on a Saturday.  There were no other fillies or colts in sight.  Rarity knocked on the door.
“Come in!” rang out Miss Cheerilee’s voice from inside.
“Good luck,” wished Apple Bloom as Sweetie Belle followed her sister and parents into the building.  She then found a spot near and open window and sat down.  Ears turned, she strained to hear what she could.
Inside, Cheerilee welcomed them all in.  “Hello Hondo Flanks, Cookie Crumbles.  It has been a while, hasn’t it?  I don’t believe we’ve talked since Sweetie Belle enrolled.”
Hondo looked away, a bit embarrassed.  “Yeah, I think you’re right.”
“Don’t worry,” assured Cheerilee.  “I know Rarity’s been keeping you up to date on Sweetie Belle’s progress.  I wish more parents would take an interest like her.  Every time she sees me in town, she always asks how her sister is doing.  We had a wonderfully long conversation just a few weeks ago when she was fitting me for a party dress.”  She took a seat behind her desk and pointed to four chairs in front.  “Why don’t you all have a seat.”
Rarity smiled at Sweetie Belle and winked at her assuringly.
Sweetie Belle started to feel better.  She smiled at Miss. Cheerilee as she sat down.
“Thanks for meeting with us on a Saturday,”  said Hondo.  “Well be able to get a move on a lot faster.”  He turned to Sweetie Belle.  “Why don’t you go out and play with your friend while the big ponies talk.”
“What?”
“That won’t be necessary,” said Miss. Cheerilee.  “There’s nothing I have to say about Sweetie Belle that I wouldn’t want her to hear.  She and her two best friends are some of my best students.”
Sweetie Belle smiled from ear to ear.
“I knew she would be,” said Hondo.  “She’s just as bright as her big sister.”
Rarity thanked her father.  But in light of the situation, the complement seemed hollow.
“Still, we’re just going to be talking about boring old school stuff and records.  So off you go!”
“Dad!”  Sweetie Belle argued.  “You’re going to be talking about my future!  I want to be here.”
Cookie leaned over and admonished her daughter.  “Sweetie Belle!  Don’t argue with your father, especially in front of your teacher!”
“But that’s not fair!” answered Sweetie Belle.
Cheerilee could see that the situation was quickly deteriorating.  From her experience, she knew that some parents could be just as troublesome as an undisciplined student.  She would have to do something quickly if any useful progress was going to be made.
Rarity turned to her parents.  “Mother, Father, I have to agree with Sweetie Belle.  As this concerns her and Miss Cheerilee has no objections, I believe Sweetie Belle does have a right to be here!”
Cheerilee stood up from behind her desk.  “Everypony, please!  There is no need to argue!  This is just a simple parent/teacher meeting.  Now, everypony please calm down.”  She could see that this dynamic was not going to work.  With a heavy heart, she made a tough decision.  “Sweetie Belle, while I have no problem with you staying, you parents seem to have concerns.  Perhaps it would be better if you waited outside.”
Both sisters stared at her in shock.  Miss Cheerilee wanted to say she was sorry, but she knew showing favoritism would only lead to more trouble.
“Mind your teacher, now,” said Hondo.
Rarity put her hoof on her little sister’s.  “It’s all right, darling.  I’ll be your advocate.”  
Reluctantly, Sweetie Belle got up and left.  She didn’t take her eyes off Miss Cheerilee.  For the second time that day she felt betrayed.  But she had also learned to trust those adults she knew had her best interests at heart.  She watched for a sign she was right.
Hondo turned to Rarity.  “You can wait outside, too, if you want.  This shouldn’t take long.”
Rarity sneered.  “Excuse me, Father, but I’m an adult and I have been acting as Sweetie Belle’s guardian.  I shall stay.”
Miss Cheerilee took advantage of their bickering to nod at Sweetie Belle.  Sweetie Belle caught the nod as she walked out the door.   
As soon as the door closed, Hondo spoke up.  “Sorry for the trouble, Miss Cheerilee.  I apologize for my two daughters’ behavior.”
“Do not apologize for me, Father.”
Hondo ignored her.  “We appreciate you coming out on a Saturday.  Now if you’ll give us Sweetie Belle’s school records we’ll be on our way.”
“As long as you’re here,” Miss Cheerilee started.  “Why don’t we go over the school curriculum and how she’s been doing.”
“If you think it’ll help her new teacher,” said Hondo.
For the next hour Miss Cheerilee, went through the curriculum and how Sweetie Belle was progressing.   She held nothing back.  When she hit upon a weak point in Sweetie Belle’s studies, she was quick to point out how she strived to improve her work.  She was trying to impress Hondo and Cookie with her teaching ability as much as Sweetie Belle’s progress.

High above Ponyville, Rainbow Dash had Scootaloo out on flight practice.  Scootaloo stood on Rainbow Dash’s back, opened her wings and tried to catch some air.  She caught some lift, but not quite enough to support all her weight.  Disappointed, she landed back down on Rainbow’s back.  
Rainbow spun around in mid air to face her.  “Not bad, kid!  All you need is a little growth spurt and you’re there!”
“Yeah,” said Scootaloo sadly.  “But when is that going to happen?”
“I know it’s tough breaks, Scoots, but somepony in class has to be last.”
Scootaloo stood hoof-on-hoof with Rainbow Dash as she flew upside down.  “But why does it have to be me?”
“Still, a great workout for both of us,” encouraged Rainbow.  “What say we end it with ice cream at Sugar Cube Corner – my treat.”
Rainbow spun back around and started a turn that brought the school into view.  “Hey, aren’t those your friends at the school?”
Scootaloo squinted in the direction Rainbow was pointing.  “Yeah, but what are they doing at school on a Saturday?”
“Wanna check it out?” asked Rainbow.
Scootaloo nodded and held on as Rainbow Dash descended for landing.  
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle trotted out to meet them as they touched down.  “What are you guys doing here?” ask Scootaloo.
“Are you guys in trouble?” asked Rainbow Dash.  “Is this some sort of detention?  On a Saturday?”  She moved in close and smiled conspiratorially.  “Was it worth it?” 
“Were not in trouble,” said Apple Bloom.  “Well, Sweetie Belle is.  But it’s not what you think.”
The fillies explained the situation to the two Pegasi.  
Scootaloo had her hoof around Sweetie Belle as Rainbow Dash contemplated the school house.  “I bet they’re talking about test scores and book reports and stuff like that.”
“Pretty much,” answered Apple Bloom.
“Maybe I can help,” said Rainbow.  “Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, you guys hang tight.  Scoots, you’re with me.”  They headed for the school.
Rainbow Dash swung open the door and strode right in.  “Hi, Miss Cheerilee.  How’s it goin’?”
Miss. Cheerilee was caught by surprise.  “Oh, hello, Miss. Dash, Scootaloo.”
Rainbow Dash came up to Cookie and Hondo.  “You must be Sweetie Belle’s parents, nice to meet you.”  Scootaloo took a seat in the front row.  Rainbow Dash squeezed into the seat next to her.
Miss. Cheerilee tried to be polite.  “Excuse me, Miss. Dash, but we’re in the middle of a parent/teacher meeting.”
“So I heard,” said Rainbow Dash.  “I thought I could help out.”
Hondo was confused by the multi-colored mane intruder.  “Is she a teacher’s assistant or something?”
“Well, no,” explained Miss. Cheerilee.  “Miss Dash sometimes comes in as a coach, or special instructor or counselor of sorts.”
“Exactly!” agreed Rainbow Dash.  “I know you’re going over grades and test scores and all that, but a good education is a lot more than reading text books.  And believe me, I know all about not reading text books!”
Scootaloo raised an eyebrow and looked at her Pegasus sister, wonder if that was actually a good credential.
Rainbow Dash continued.  “A good education is also about experiences and opportunities.  You may not think it of our little town, but Ponyville has plenty of those for our school ponies.  They’ve had talent shows, harvest festivals, school trips to Canterlot and the castle grounds.  The whole school even had a chance to compete to represent Ponyville in the Equestria Games as the flag wavers.  And guess who won?  Your daughter, Scoots here and Apple Bloom!”
“Yes,” said Cookie.  “Sweetie Belle did write us about that.”
Hondo was getting a bit annoyed at the interruption.
But Rainbow Dash wasn’t finished.  “Now I’m setting up a visit to the Cloudsdale Weather Factory in the winter and a field trip to the Wonder Bolts Academy during their spring training.”
Scootaloo add excitedly.  “Rainbow Dash is a member of their auxiliary team!”
“Yeah, I got connections,” said Rainbow Dash as she leaned back and crossed her hooves behind her head.  “And I like using them to help these guys see things they otherwise wouldn’t have a chance to,” she added, punching Scootaloo in the shoulder.
Hondo wasn’t being impressed.  “Well, that may be nice for the Pegasi in class, but my daughter isn’t a Pegasus, she’ll have to miss out on this trip to Cloudsdale.”
“Not at all!” answered Rainbow Dash.  “Princess Twilight knows this spell that can allow anypony to walk on clouds for three days, so the whole class can go!  It helps that Ponyville has a Princess in its own back yard.”
“And Princess Twilight has come in and done several magic and science demonstrations.  She lectures at Princes Celestia’s School of Magic as well,” added Chreeilee.  “We’re very lucky to have her here in Ponyville.”
“No offense,” said Rainbow Dash.  “But I’m guessing that your little town can’t match all that.”
Hondo crossed his arms.  “Yes, well, our ‘little town’ also can’t match houses spinning in the air when the Lord of Chaos decides to show up!”
Rainbow Dash cringed. “Ahmmm…”
“And weren’t several homes destroyed, and the playground just outside, when Tirek decided to battle the Elements of Harmony in this town!” added Hondo harshly.
“But it’s okay!”  argued Rainbow Dash.  “We defeated him and that’s when Twilight got her castle!”
“It is not ‘okay’ that you terrify everypony in town, including my youngest daughter!”  Hondo was shouting now.  Cookie gently pulled on his arm and tried to calm him down.  “I know who you are, you and my oldest daughter and your four friends.  Seems to me like the Elements of Harmony invite trouble to this town!”
Rainbow Dash’s ire was up. “Yeah?  Well just think what might have happened if we hadn’t been here!”
“I think the better question is would have any of that have happened at all if you weren’t?”
Miss Cheerilee interjected.  “Everypony, please!  Throwing blame around is not going to help anything, especially Sweetie Belle.”
“And wasn’t it here that Princess Luna decided to have her nightmare break down?” added Hondo.  “Again, because the six of you are her friends.”
Rainbow Dash stared accusingly at Rarity.
Rarity shook her head helplessly.
“What?  You don’t think we get the newspaper in Swamp Hollow?  All things considered, I think Sweetie Belle will be a lot safer with her parents back home.”  Hondo turned his attention back to the school teacher.  “I think I’ve made our position quite clear.  Now if you’ll give us our daughter’s records, we’ll be on our way.”
Miss. Cheerilee sighed.  This was the most difficult parent/teacher conference she had ever had.  Not what she expected when it was about one of her best students.  But she had to admit she had a lot invested as well.  She didn’t want to see Sweetie Belle go, either.  “Her original records have to stay with the school.  But I can have copies ready for you Monday after school.”
Hondo stood and held out a hoof to his wife.  “Fine.  We’ll pick them up when we pick up our daughter.”  He shot a glance to Rarity.  They were done here.
Rarity got up, crossing over to Rainbow Dash.  “Thank you for trying.”
Rainbow Dash didn’t reply.  She didn’t even look at Scootaloo who was trying to be of some console.  She was seething.  She didn’t like to lose, especially when some other pony had to pay the price.

Sweetie Belle lay across her bed, her best friends at her side.
“I can’t believe how your dad twisted Rainbow Dash’s words!” grumbled Scootaloo.  “He should be proud Rarity is an Element of Harmony, and grateful that she can protect you.  What a loser!”
“Scootaloo!” Apple Bloom whispered.  “He’s still Sweetie Belle’s father!”  
Scootaloo came down from her tirade.  “Oh, right.  I’m sorry Sweetie Belle.  I didn’t mean to dis your dad.”
“That’s okay,” she sighed.  “I don’t understand any of this either.”  From downstairs, they could hear Rarity and her friends.  They could also hear Spike offering to make tea and something to eat.  Sweetie Belle growled and dug her hooves into the bed.
Apple Bloom looked at her with new concern.  “Y’all okay?”
“It’s just the way Spike always offers to help my sister and how she lets him.  I even told her I thought she was taking advantage of him.”
They listened to the ponies downstairs.  “You’re such a dear, Spike.  Thank you,” said Rarity.  Then she changed her mind.  “Wait, Spike.  I don’t want to take advantage of you.  Do you feel I take advantage of you?  Please be honest.”
“Sounds like you sister listened to you,” said Apple Boom.
From downstairs:  “What?  No, not at all.  I know what you’re going through.”  Spike’s voice dipped down slightly.  “I don’t want her to leave either.”  Sweetie Belle whimpered ever so slightly as Spike’s response.  “I just want to help in any way I can.”
“All right, darling.  If you’re sure it’s all right,” said Rarity.
“But she does it anyway.” said Sweetie Belle. 
“Like any of that’s new.” commented Scootaloo.
“Yeah, but it’s been bothering me a lot lately,” answered Sweetie Belle.
“Why?” asked Apple Bloom.
Sweetie Belle lifted her head to look at her two friends.  She considered giving a long response, but with everything going on, she decided she wasn’t up to it.  She sank back down into the bed.  “It doesn’t matter.  I probably won’t be here to worry about it, anyway!”

Fluttershy had stopped by and was given the whole story.  She turned to Rarity.  “So they just left for dinner without the two of you?”
Rainbow Dash was indignant.  “Can you believe it!  It’s like they don’t even see how upset Rarity and Sweetie Belle are.  Pretty cold, if you ask me!”
Fluttershy was surprised at Rainbow’s outburst.  “Ahm, Rainbow Dash.  They’re still Rarity’s parents, and she can hear you.”
“Don’t care!” answered Rainbow Dash.  “Not when someponys hurts my friends.”
“It’s all right, Fluttershy,” assured Rarity.  “It is not Rainbow Dash’s words I take offense at.  It is, however, their whole attitude that makes me question the kind of home life they intend to give Sweetie Belle.”
“So what are you going to do?” asked Rainbow Dash.
Rarity’s brows furrowed and her voice lowered.  “I’m through playing around.  Tomorrow I’m bringing out the big guns!”

*     *     *

Rarity sat indignant in her throne at the map table, refusing to look at Twilight.
The Princess of Friendship pleaded with her, “Rarity, please understand!”
“Oh, I understand perfectly,” Rarity growled.  “I understand that we have reformed the Prince of Chaos, defeated the Queen of the Changelings, blown away the evil King of the Crystal Empire and thrown Tirek back into Hades.”  She turned, pointing an accusing hoof at Twilight.  “You’ve even gone to another world and a defeated a she-demon, but there’s nothing you can do about my parents!”
Twilight lowered her head.  It pained her greatly to refuse Rarity’s request.  “Those creatures were evil, they had to be stopped!”
“And what my parents want to do isn’t?  Do you have any idea what they’re putting Sweetie Belle through?”
“No!”  Twilight insisted.  “They’re not evil!”
Rarity raised herself out of her throne and stared incredulously at Twilight.
With her ears low, she moved closer to Rarity.  “They’re her parents!  They have a right to decide where she lives and where she goes to school.  Just because we don’t like it doesn’t make it wrong.”
“But…”
“As long as they take care of her and treat her well, provide a decent home, enough food and an education, there is nothing I can do.  There is nothing anypony, not even the two Princesses, should do to interfere.  It’s a family matter and it needs to stay within the family.”
Rarity weakened.   As desperate as she was, she could not disagree with the sanctity of the family.  It was a cornerstone of Equestrian philosophy.  She turned away again, but this time more in shame.  She stared at the map before her.  As an Element of Harmony, she felt sworn to protect Equestria and all its freedoms, even when they didn’t personally suit her.  Tears began to fill her eyes.  “We?  You said, even if we don’t like it.”
“All I know about Swamp Hollow is what you and Sweetie Belle have told me,” Twilight Explained.  “It could be a real nice place.  But you’re parents sent her here for a better education and to build a life. Now that she has, it seems unfair to take all that away from her, but that’s not my decision.”
Rarity lost the battle to hold back the tears.  She felt compelled, for her sister’s sake, to try one more time.  “I don’t suppose you couldn’t make a proclamation – just a tiny one?”
Twilight lowered her head and closed her eyes as she pleaded with her friend.  “Rarity, please, don’t put me in this position.”
Rarity burst out crying.  “You’re right!  I’m so sorry, Twilight.  I shouldn’t ask you to use your royal authority for my selfish desires!”
Twilight lifter her head to meet Rarity’s eyes and put her hoof on hers.  “I meant to have to say ‘no’ to a dear friend.”
Rarity jumped out of her throne to hug Twilight.  “I am sorry, darling.  Please forgive me.  I’m at my wit’s end!”  She wiped her face with a handkerchief Spike had brought her.  “I don’t suppose you could just… talk to them?”
“Talking I can do.”
“I mean, hearing the opinion of one of the four Princesses of Equestria might persuade them.”
“I’d be glad to, Rarity.  Bring them over this afternoon.”
“And I can give them a tour of the castle,” added Spike.  “You know, build up the ‘wow’ factor.”
A glimmer of hope came back to Rarity.  “Oh, yes.  They’ve never been in a castle before!  I’m sure they will find it most exquisite.”  She put her hooves together in a pleading gesture, then pointed to the top of Twilight’s head.  “And I don’t suppose you could wear your crown?”
“I don’t think that’s necessary.”
“Oh, but you look so regal in it!”
“Rarity, I want to speak to them as a friend.  I don’t want them to feel lorded over!”
“Very well, Twilight,” Rarity agreed.  “I shall acquiesce to your wisdom.”  She hugged Twilight again, before returning home. 

Sweetie Belle had been prodding Rarity since she returned from the castle with the invitation.  “What’s Twilight going to do?  Is she going to make some sort of declaration to keep me here?”
“Not exactly,” responded Rarity.  “But she will talk to mother and father.  I’m sure she will impress them with her Princess wisdom.”

Spike brought his tour of the castle to an end by leading the group into the map room.   “If you look above, you’ll see the chandelier made from the root system of our old home, the Golden Oaks Library.  Each of those gems is etched with a memory of our time living there.”  He searched around until he found the purple gem he wanted to point out.  “You can see Sweetie Belle and the Princess in that one.  That’s from one of the many magic lessons Princess Twilight has given her.”  
Hondo stared at the gem, then back at his youngest daughter.  “So you really study with the Princess?”
Sweetie Belle was a bit confused at his reaction.  “Well, yeah, every week.  I wrote you about it.”
“She did, honey.  Remember I read her letters to you?” said Cookie.
“I thought you were in some class held here,” said Hondo.
“Not a class.  Just the three of us.  Twilight teaches me magic, Scootaloo likes learning mechanical stuff and Apple Bloom wants to learn how to grow bigger and better apples.”
“And the Princess teaches you this stuff herself?”
Sweetie Belle was starting to get annoyed.  “Yes, Dad.  That’s what I wrote you.”
Rarity intervened.  “And she can do so much more with her magic than I could to at her age.  All thanks to Princess Twilight.”  She stepped up to Spike.  “Spike, would you mind if I took over the tour from here?”
“Not at all!”
Rarity led them over to the big, round table in the center of the room.  “Of course, the most important part of the room is the cutie-map itself.”
Hondo looked around.  All he saw was a table, fancy chairs and shelves of books.  “Where do you keep it?”
“Allow me to demonstrate.”  She walked around the table to her throne.  When she sat down, the three diamond emblem glowed.  She tapped the table and the map appeared instantly.
Hondo and Cookie marveled at the map.  “How does it work?” Cookie asked.  
“The table projects the map itself,” explained Rarity.  “Don’t be afraid, you can touch it.” 
Hondo tried to touch a mountain range, but his hoof passed through it.  Cookie tried as well.
While they were busy, Spike led Sweetie Belle to Twilight’s throne.  He had her sit down.  He squeezed her hoof in his claw and winked at her.  She smiled, knowing she was surrounded by friends who were trying to help her.  Spike took his place at the table at his throne.
All this did not escape Hondo’s eye.  “I don’t think you kids should be sitting in those chairs.”
“It’s okay,” said Spike.  “This one’s mine and Princess Twilight won’t mind.
Hondo sneered.  He wasn’t convinced.
“it’s quite all right, really,” Rarity assured.
“So what exactly does the map do?” asked Cookie.
“If you look towards the center, you see our six cutie marks hovering over Ponyville,” explained Rarity.  “When there is a friendship problem requiring our assistance, the map moves our cutie marks to wherever we need to be.  Sometimes it’s just two of us, others it’s all six.  Applejack and I were recently called to Manehatten.”
“Right,” said Hondo.  “So you just leave Sweetie Belle home alone.  Just like when you go on your fashion tours.”
“I most certainly do not!” responded Rarity.  “She goes and stays with Apple Bloom on Sweet Apple Acres.”
“But you said Applejack went with you,” argued Hondo.
“There’s still Big Macintosh and Granny Smith on the farm.  And when school breaks allow, Sweetie Belle comes with me on the fashion circuit.”
“I never got this whole fashion thing,” complained Hondo.  “Clothes keep you warm in the winter, clean when you work hard and dry in the rain.  What more to it than that?”
“It’s not just fashon, Father,” Rarity argued.  “I’ve taken Sweetie Belle to museums, concerts and plays in every big city!”
“Remember all the post cards she sent us?” asked Cookie, trying to calm her husband down.
“I especially like the musicals!” added Sweetie Belle.
“That’s nice, honey,” said Hondo.  “But you can listen to them on the records like everypony else.”
Rarity was losing her patience.  “True theater has to be experience live, Father!”
Spike stood up, “Why don’t I go see if the Princess is available now,” he interjected.
Rarity looked to her father, ready to argue.  She then looked to her mother who seemed to be pleading for peace.  She backed down, deciding on the better option.  “Yes, Spike.  You’re quite right.  Do see if the Princess is available.”
Spike left the room.  A moment later he returned, trumpet in hand.  He blew a fanfare and loudly announced, “May I present to you Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship!”
Twilight froze in the doorway, startled by the trumpeting and the announcement.  She was equally surprised to see Spike dressed in a fancy jacket, frilly shirt and bow tie.  She raised an eyebrow at him and whispered through her teeth.  “Don’t overdo it, Spike!”
Spike spoke back in the same manner.  “Just trying to make a good impression, like you.”  He darted his eyes from hers to the crown on her head, making his point.  She had been deliberating with herself about wearing her crown, now she was sure she had made the wrong choice.  
She tried to make amends.  “Please excuse my over zealous assistant.  I don’t usually need a fanfare.  It’s a pleasure to finally meet the two of you.”
With her parents turned away, Rarity silently clapped and pointed to Twilight’s crown.
Hondo and Cookie bowed.  “The pleasure is all ours, Princess!” said Hondo.
“Please, there’s no need for that.  We’re all friends, here.  Call me Twilight.”
Hondo and Cookie hesitated, looking very unsure.
“It’s okay,” Twilight assured.  “Everyone in town does, right Sweetie Belle.”
“Right, Twilight!” said Sweetie Belle, smiling.
The Two parents were shocked to see their younger daughter on such familiar terms with a Princess.  Twilight ruffled her mane and hugged her.
“One of the drawbacks to a castle this size is that some of the room can be cold and imposing,” Twilight continued.  “The kitchen will be a lot more cozy for us to get to know each other.”

Cookie marveled at the delicate flavor of the pastries she was eating.  “These tea cakes are marvelous!  Please complement your royal baker for us.”
“Actually, I don’t have a royal baker,” explained Twilight.  “It’s just me and Spike here.  He’s the one that baked the tea cakes and cookies when he heard you were coming.”
“I didn’t know dragons could cook,” said Hondo.  “Don’t they just eat their food raw?”
“Spike’s no ordinary dragon,” Twilight explained.  “I’ve raised him from a hatching.  He’s been with me his whole life.”
“Spike’s great at baking!” Sweetie Belle said excitedly.  “He sometimes helps the Cakes out at Sugar Cube Corner.  And he can cook…”
“Sweetie, don’t interrupt the Princess,” Hondo admonished.
Sweetie Belle was taken aback.  “But I wasn’t…”
Hondo continued over her.  “Isn’t it unusual for a dragon to live with ponies?”
Rarity glared at her father.  She dropped her elbow on the table and rested her head on her hoof.
Her actions surprised Sweetie Belle.  How many times had her big sister told her, ‘A lady does not put her elbows on the table.’
“His egg was found abandoned in the desert,” explained Twilight.  “We don’t what happened to his parents.  Princess Celestia put him in my charge.”  She held out a hoof to Spike, who grabbed it tightly.  She then turned back to Hondo.  “And Sweetie Belle wasn’t interrupting.  I believe she was about to make a point.”
With a nod from Twilight, Sweetie Belle continued.  “I was just going to say he cooks really well, too.”
“Well, that’s the same thing, honey,” said Hondo.
“Actually, sir, it isn’t,” corrected Spike.  “Cooking and baking are two different culinary disciplines.”
Hondo looked at the young dragon in surprise.  He then turned to Twilight for further explanation, but she just tilted her head back toward Spike.
“I learned baking from a pastry chef named Doughnut Joe and I learned my basic cooking from the Royal chefs at Canterlot.”
“And he continues to learn from the Cakes and a collection of cookbooks the Canterlot chefs send him,” added Twilight.  “He’s made great use of the opportunities here in Ponyville, just like your daughter has.”
Hondo grumbled.  “And I suppose you’re going to tell me she shouldn’t leave, either!”
“There’s a wealth if opportunities for her here, and I do think it would be a shame for her to miss them,” said Twilight.
“And what makes you think she won’t have opportunities in Swamp Hollow?”
“I admit I’m not familiar with your town, but I’ve seen Sweetie Belle’s potential in this one,” Twilight argued.  “I’ve helped her with her magic.  She can levitate practically her own weight now and she can perform complex operations like knitting.  She wants to learn how to teleport and put up a magical barrier.  Those are very complex magical spells, but as she grows up, I believe I can teach her.”
“I really want to learn, Dad,” pleaded Sweetie Belle.  “And Twilight’s the only one who can teach me.”
Hondo turned to his youngest daughter.   “Teleport?  A barrier?  When would you ever use those kinds of things?”  He turned back to Twilight.  “Kids her age don’t know what they want,” he said dismissively.
Twilight paused and bit her lower lip.  She could see what the real problem was, now.  It was their attitude towards Sweetie Belle, specifically Hondo’s.  She looked down at her tea and carefully considered her next words.  “May I speak candidly with you?”
Hondo eyed her suspiciously, but nodded.
“I understand your desire to have Sweetie Belle with you and watch her grow up.  But I think you may have failed to see how much she has already grown.  Just in the time we’ve been here, I’ve seen you dismiss what she had to say twice.  You treat her like the little filly you sent here to live with Rarity, but she’s not that little filly anymore.  She’s a young lady fully capable of knowing what she wants and making decisions for herself.”
Rarity and Sweetie Belle were surprised at Twilight’s straight forwardness, as were Hondo and Cookie.
Twilight continued.  “Plus there’s the issue of her cutie mark.   As a student of magic I have done a lot of research and have found no other record of unrelated ponies simultaneously receiving matching cutie marks.  It’s even rare that identical twins receive their cutie marks at the exact same time.  I have to believe that her destiny is tied with those of her two friends.  I really feel you need to take these things into consideration before you decide to take Sweetie Belle back with you.”
The room fell silent as Twilight concluded.  All looked to Hondo for his response.  He remained silent and stoic for what seemed an eternity before responding.  “I appreciate your candor, Princess, but what I don’t appreciate is everypony trying to tell me what I can and can’t do with my daughter!”
“All those ponies care about her and just want the best for her,” said Twilight.
“Her mother and I will decide what’s best for her.  And that’s to be with her parents, not in a town that attracts disaster.”
“Disaster?”
“Cut to the chase, Princess.  Are you going to make some edict saying we can’t take our daughter with us?”
Twilight was startled.  “What?  No…” 
“Because if you are, Princess, I believe you still have to answer to the Royal Sister, just like Princess Cadance.  How would they feel about you interfering in a family’s private business?”
Twilight fell silent.  She levitated her crown off her head and brought it down to Spike.  “Spike, put this away for me, please.”
Spike’s heart had also fallen.  He slowly took hold of the crown.  “As you wish, my Princess.”
“Spike!” she admonished.
Spike broke the formalities.  “Okay, Twilight.”
“I’m not here to speak as a princess.”  She turned to watch Spike leave the kitchen.  “Spike is much more than my assistant.  He is my ward.  I’ve raised him since his hatching, so I know something about parenting.  We often talk about his love for cooking and the possibility of him going back to Cantelot to enroll in the Royal Canterlot Chef’s Academy.   If he does decide to go, I’ll miss him terribly.  But I won’t stand in the way of his future.  As parents, we all have to make the best decisions for our children, even if it costs us personally.  For us, that decision is in the future.  But I believe you already made that decision for both your daughters when you sent them here.  For Rarity, it was the start of a successful and gratifying career.  Please consider what you might be taking Sweetie Belle away from.”
Rarity and Sweetie Belle looked on silently, holding each other’s hooves.
Cookie slipped her hoof into her husband’s.  For a moment they just looked into each other’s eyes.  The gaze had the effect of calming Hondo down.  His shoulders relaxed and the anger was gone from his voice when he finally addressed the Princess again.  “If Sweetie Belle wants to return to Ponyville when she’s older, that will be her decision.  But for now, we’re not talking about going to an academy or college or university.  We’re talking about a basic education which our town is now equipped to offer.”
Rarity held her little sister close as both their ears sagged.  Was there nothing that would change their parents’ minds?
Hondo stood up from the table.  “We thank you for your time, Princess, and for the tour.  But we should get going.  My daughter has a lot of packing to do.  We’ll be leaving on the morning train tomorrow.”
“What?” exclaimed Rarity.  
“But you said we’d leave Monday afternoon!  I won’t have a chance to said ‘goodbye’ at school!” said Sweetie Belle.
“You’re new school starts Monday morning.  You’re not going to be late.”  
Rarity grasped for any argument she could find to help her sister.  “But… But her school records  and her doctor’s!”
Hondo came muzzle to muzzle with her.  “You can mail those to us.  Along with whatever she can’t pack tonight.”  He headed for the door with Cookie.
Rarity bolted up at that table, aghast.  The look she gave Twilight confused her.  Rarity ran past her father and turned to face him.  “Father!  Etiquette requires that you do not turn your back on royalty.  She has not dismissed you!”
“Royalty?” Hondo snorted.  “I thought we were talking as friends.”  He continued past Rarity out the door, Cookie close behind.
Rarity looked on in shock.  “It’s still rude!”  She put a hoof over her eyes before approaching the Princess.  “Twilight, I do apologize for my parents rude behavior!”  She said the last part loud enough for them to hear from the main hallway.
“It doesn’t matter,” said Twilight.  “I’m the one that’s sorry.  I made things worse!”  She looked past Rarity.  “I’m sorry, Sweetie Belle.  I robbed you of your last day at school!”
Tears ran down Sweetie Belle’s face as she and Spiked hugged, his tears mingling with hers.  There was deep sadness in her eyes, but no blame.  “It’s okay,” she finally managed to say. “I know you tried.”
“It’s not your fault, darling,” Rarity assured.  “None of this is.”
From the hallway, Hondo bellowed out, “Come along, girls!”
Rarity’s face reddened as she growled and gritted her teeth.  Was her father now treating her as a child as well?  If his words were meant to belittle her, it had the opposite effect.  They energized her.  She turned to Sweetie Belle with new conviction.  “Let us go, Sweetie Belle.  This isn’t over!  I am not letting go of this!”

True to her word, Rarity didn’t let it go.  Sweetie Belle and her friends could hear arguing from the guest room throughout the night.  As much as she appreciated her sister fighting for her, she hated the arguing.  “Stop it, already!  Just stop!” she cried out several times as Apple Bloom and Scootaloo tried to comfort her.
It was no surprise that Rarity looked haggard the next morning as they walked to the train station.  She had bags under her eyes and her mane was a mess.  What was more surprising was her reaction when asked about her state.
Big Mac was pulling a cart with Hondo’s and Cookie’s luggage and the few bags Sweetie Belle managed to pack.  Applejack left his side to trot up to Rarity.  “You okay, Rarity?  You’re not looking… yourself.”
“It doesn’t matter how I look.” answered Rarity.  “I failed my sister.  She trusted me and I failed her.  That’s the only thing that matters!”
Applejack trotted on up to Hondo and Cookie who were leading the group.  “Excuse me, Sir.  My name is Applejack.  I’m Apple Bloom’s big sister.”
“Yes, I know who you are,” answered Hondo grumpily.  
“I don’t mean to intrude on your family’s business…”
“Then don’t!” said Hondo curtly.
“Would you just stop for a second and look at what your kin is going through?  Especially your youngest!”
Hondo stopped, but he did not look back.  Cookie, however, did look back.  She saw both her daughters in a terrible state.  There was compassion in her eyes as she spoke.  “This was not suppose to be like this.  We thought she would be happy to be going home with us.”
“Beggin’ your pardon, ma’am, but Ponyville is her home.” 
Cookie put a hoof on Hondo’s shoulder.   She was beginning to question if what they were doing was right.  He looked at her and spoke to her as much as to Applejack.  “This drama will all be over as soon as we get out of this town!”  He turned back to Applejack.  “You’ll excuse me if I’m short with you, but SOMEPONY DIDN’T LET US GET ANY SLEEP LAST NIGHT!”
On the platform, passengers were starting to board the train.  Twilight and Spike stayed back a bit, giving Sweetie Belle a last few minutes with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo and Rarity a last subdued argument with her parents.
Rainbow Dash was not one for subtleties.  She came up beside Rarity and shouted two words, “THIS STINKS!”  Then went back to stand besides Applejack and Fluttershy.
The three Cutie Mark Crusaders huddled together in the last few moments they had.  Apple Bloom looked over her shoulder to Twilight and Spike and finally spoke up.  “Sweetie Belle, I know we don’t have much time left, but if you really want to say something to Spike, this is your last chance.”
Sweetie Belle looked down, watching her tears hit the floor.  She swallowed hard.  She didn’t want to leave her friends, but she couldn’t deny what Apple Bloom was saying.  “You’re right,” she finally said and left the other two.
She approached Twilight and Spike.  She spoke hesitantly.  “Spike, before I go, there’s something I’d like to say.”  The two of them waited.  Sheepishly, she tilted her head toward Twilight.  “Ahm, Twilight, if you don’t mind?”
“Oh,” said Twilight, a bit surprised.  She walked off to stand with Rarity.
Silence hung heavy in the air as Spike stood expectantly.  He could see her cheeks turn red as she had a few false starts.  He gently put a claw on her shoulder.  “It’s okay, we’re friends.  You can tell me anything.”
She felt her heart race as she got up her courage.  “Well, Spike, I know how you feel about my sister and all…”
“Its okay, Sweetie Belle.  I know what you’re going to say.”
“You do?”
“Yeah,” continued Spike.  “You’re going to say that I don’t have a chance with Rarity.”
“Well…”
“Look, I know I’m too young for her.  And she does deserve somepony better than me.  I get it.  I mean, deep down I guess I’ve always known it.  I just didn’t want to face it.  Maybe someday I’ll get over it, but right now, I just can’t help the way I feel.”
Sweetie Belle stood there, not knowing what to say.  What Spike said next surprised her.
“Anyway, thanks Sweetie Belle.  I know that was hard for you to say to me.  Anypony will tell you what you want to hear, but only a true friend will tell you what you need to hear.  Thanks for being that kind of friend.”  He hugged her tightly.
A flood of emotions came over Sweetie Belle, leaving her speechless.  She fought to control her rapid breath as she fought back tears.  Finally she found her voice.  “Well, Spike, that’s all true, and I’m sorry.  But that’s not what I wanted to say.”
“Oh?”
“It’s just that… It’s just…”
“Go ahead,” encouraged Spike.  “It can’t be any worse.”
“Spike, I’m gonna…  I’m really gonna miss…”  She couldn’t bring herself to say it, nor hold back the tears anymore.  
She leaned in and kissed him.
Spike froze.  He stared wide-eyed at the filly who’s lips were pressing against his.
She broke the kiss and turned to leave.  Then, for a moment, turned back.  “I can’t help how I feel, either!”  She ran past Twilight, who had seen the display of affection.
Twilight came back up to Spike who was still staring after Sweetie Belle.
“Twilight, did you see…”
“Well, ah, yes,” she answered awkwardly.  “I mean, I just turned to see if you were done when…  I’m sorry Spike, I didn’t mean to intrude on your privacy.  I just didn’t expect…”
“It’s okay.  I didn’t expect it, either.”
Twilight moved in close to the still frozen dragon.  “Spike, are you okay?”
“To tell you the truth, Twilight, I don’t know how to feel about it.”
She put a hoof around Spike as they both watched Sweetie Belle huddled with her friends.  “She’s a really nice girl, Spike.  I’m sorry you won’t have a chance to figure it out.” 
The conductor shouted out the last call.   It was time to go.  
Sweetie Belle desperately hugged her sister.  “Rarity!”
“This isn’t over, darling!  I will not give up on you!”
Hondo pulled Sweetie Belle away, pushing her to the awaiting car.
Rarity gave Hondo a look no daughter should ever give their father.
Sweetie Belle ran through the cars to the last open car at the end of the train.  There, she found Rarity, hugging her again.
The train whistle blew, the pistons chugged.  The train started to leave.
Rainbow Dash looked at Rarity with concern.  She was not moving.  She put her hooves around Rarity’s shoulders.  “Rarity, the train’s moving!”
Applejack was on her other side.  “Rarity, you have to let go!”
Hoof to hoof with Sweetie Belle, she followed the train.  “I will not let go!  I will not let go!”
Applejack forcefully blocked her from falling off the end of the platform.
Sweetie Belle could only watch as her sister grew smaller in the distance and Ponyville fell into her past.
“Rarityyyyyyy!”
“Sweetie Bellllle!


To be continued…

> School Belle, Part Two
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Previously…

Rarity, Sweetie Belle and their parents sat around the kitchen table.  Their mother leaned over eagerly grabbing Sweetie Belle’s hoof.  “You’re coming back home with us!  We wanted to surprise you.  Are you surprised?
Sweetie Belle looked to her dad.  “I don’t want to pack.  I don’t want to go!”

Rainbow Dash had interrupted the parent/teacher meeting Miss. Cheerilee was having with Sweetie Belle’s parents extolling the advantages of Ponyville.  “No offence, but I’m guessing that your little town can’t match all that.”
Hondo, Sweetie Bell’s father crossed his arms.  “Yes, well, our ‘little town’ also can’t match houses spinning in the air when the Lord of Chaos decides to show up!  Seems like the Element of Harmony invite trouble to this town.  I think Sweetie Belle will be a lot safer with her parents back home.”

Twilight, as well, tried to convince Hondo and Cookie to change their minds.
“I appreciate your candor, Princess,” said Hondo.  “But what I don’t appreciate is everypony trying to tell me what I can and can’t do with my daughter!”

The train whistle blew, the pistons chugged.  The train started to leave.
Sweetie Belle could only watch as her sister grew smaller in the distance and Ponyville fell into her past.
“Rarityyyyyyy!”
“Sweetie Belllllle!”

*     *     *

Sweetie Belle stood in a clearing by the stream.  All it had was a swing set and a couple of seesaws, but it was what passed for a park in the little town of Swamp Hollow.  Her red cape had caught the attention of her new classmates, which gave her the opportunity to tell them about the Cutie Mark Crusaders.  “So what do you say, guys?  Apple Bloom’s cousin, Babs, started a second club in Manehatten.  We could start a third.”
“Sounds like somepony from the big city just wants to start a club so she can be in charge,” said a sullen pony leaning against a tree.  Sweetie Belle hadn’t recognized the dark blue unicorn when she first arrived.  Her name was Autumn Harvest.  She and Sweetie Belle had played together before they were both old enough to go to school, but she had changed so much.  She now dyed her light blue mane and tail a jet black.  She always wore dark cloths like the black vest and leggings she was wearing now.  And she had a gold ring that slipped over the back of her lower lip that looked like a piercing.
“No, that’s not the point!” insisted Sweetie Belle.  “The point is to help each other.  It doesn’t matter who’s in charge.  Nopony even has to be in charge.”
Gator Scale spoke up.  “Well, if it doesn’t matter who’s in charge, I’ll run for president of this new club.  Who wants to vote for me?”  The school ponies all cheered and raised their hooves.  Gator was the class clown, he made everypony laugh.  He was also big for his age, the biggest colt in the class.
“No, you don’t get it!” argued Sweetie Belle.  “My sister, Rarity, is an Element of Harmony.  No pony understands friendship better that her.  She says at the end of the day, all we have is our family and our friends.  Helping each other and being there for each other is all that matters.  Not who’s in charge, not if you got your cutie mark yet or not.”  She sat down, pulling her cape in front of her.  “Not even these capes… that we made together…”  Her ears fell as she drifted off into silence.
Gator broke the silence.  “You gonna cry about your sister again?” he asked.  “Waaa!  Waaa!  I miss my sister, waaa!”
To Sweetie Belle’s surprise, Autumn came to her side and to her defense.  She had been filing her forehooves, now that file magically flew through the air, stopping inched from Gator’s muzzle.  “Shut up, Gator!  Don’t think we forgot how much you cried when your cousin, Tree Moss, moved away!”
“Hey!  Tree Moss and I were close.  He was like my brother!”
“And her sister is like her sister!” Autumn shot back. “Get it?”
Gator did shut up.  He turned away in regret, knowing Autumn was right.  “Yeah, yeah, I get it.”  He turned back to Sweetie Belle.  “Look, Sweetie Belle, I like to poke fun at everypony, but I didn’t mean to be a jerk.  I’m sorry.”
Sweetie Belle sniffled.  “It’s okay, Gator.  Thank you.”  
Autumn turned to Sweetie Belle.  “I remember your sister.  Didn’t know you we so close, though.”
“We became real close ever since I move to Ponyville.  She does a lot for me, teaches me things like sewing.  She even bought me my own sewing machine.  I didn’t even get a chance to pack it.”
“I remember she liked sewing,” said Autumn.  “So what’s she doing now?”
“She’s a fashion designer,” answered Sweetie Belle.
One of the colts in the park spoke up.  “Isn’t that a fancy word for dress maker?”
“It’s a lot more than that,” explained Sweetie Belle.  “She’s been commissioned to create all kinds of dresses for all sorts of big events.  Fancy parties, Princess Twilight’s coronation, the Grand Galloping Gala…”
“Wait,” said Gator.  “Your sister made dresses for the Grand Galloping Gala, the biggest royal ball of the year?”
“What about it?”
“Nothing!  Nothing!”  Gator backed off.
“She made my dress for the Gala, and my friends’ and her friends’!”
Autumn put a hoof on Sweetie Belle’s shoulder.  “Hold on, you’re not saying you went to the Grand Galloping Gala?”
“Yeah.”
Quiet laughter started spreading through the little crowd of school ponies.
Sweetie Belle was confused.  “What?”
Autumn tried to be kind.  “Come on, Sweetie Belle.  Really?”
“Well, yeah.  We went as our sisters’ plus ones,” said Sweetie Belle.  “She’s even made all the costumes for Sapphire Shores’ last two tours!  That’s how she was able to afford to open her second shop in Canterlot.”
Now Gator was laughing as well.  “Wait, wait!  You sister designed costumes for Sapphire Shores?”
“Yeah.”
“How would Sapphire Shores, the biggest pop star from Manehatten even know about your sister in Ponyville?”	
“She saw her work in Clothes Horse Magazine.”  The laughter grew.  “Photo Finish has done several photo articles of her work,” she explained.  
Sweetie Belle suddenly found herself to be the laughing stock of this small group and she couldn’t understand why.
Somepony else piped up, “And she owns a shop in Canterlot?  How can she run two stores so far apart?”
“She has a store manager for the one in Canterlot, Sassy Saddles.”
For some reason, that made everyone laugh harder.
“She’s an entrepreneur!” Sweetie Belle explained.
She looked over to the only pony who seemed to be her friend.  Autumn just closed her eyes and shook her head, sadly.
“So let me get this straight,” somepony shouted out.  “You’re sister’s a fashion designer, she works for Sapphire Shores, she’s got two shops and she’s this… enter manure… thing!”
“And don’t forget,” added Gator.  “She’s also some kind of Power Pony.”
“An Element of Harmony,” yelled Sweetie Belle over the crowd.
Sweetie belle was in tears.  She turned to Autumn.  “Why is everypony laughing?”
Autumn tried to be gentle.  “Sweetie Belle, we know where your sister comes from.”	
Sweetie Belle stared at her blankly.
“Oh, for Celestia’s sake, Sweetie Belle, your parents still live here!”
The laughter died down as the crowd grew tired of this show.
A pony ran up to Gator and saluted.  “So Mr. President, what’s your first order of business?”
Gator gestured animatedly.  “I say we all go down to the swamp and catch frogs.  Whoever catches the most gets to be vice president!”
The little crowd cheered as they ran off.
Sweetie Belle cried to herself.  “No, you still don’t get it.”
All the school ponies had run off.  All but one.  A dark blue hoof handed Sweetie Belle a black handkerchief.  
“Thank you,” she said as she levitated the handkerchief and wiped her cheeks.
Autumn sat down in front of Sweetie Belle.  “So which one is it?” 
“Which one is what?” asked Sweetie Belle.
“You’re sister.  Is she a dress designer?  A shop owner?  Sapphire’s costume maker?  Element of Harmony?”
Sweetie Belle hesitated.  “But…”
“Look, I’m giving you a second chance, here,” said Autumn.  “Even if she’s a dress maker or a seamstress, those are good jobs if you have the talent for it.  I wouldn’t have this vest if it wasn’t for ponies like that!  Celestia knows I can’t run a sewing machine.  So which one is it?”
Sweetie Belle’s shoulders sank.  “But… she’s all of those.”
Autumn scoffed and shook her head.  “Listen, when you act like this, you look desperate for attention – at best.  And at worst, you’re a liar!”
Sweetie Belle was mortified.  She couldn’t think of anything more to say.
Autumn got up and headed the way of the others.  “Well, I guess I given the others enough of a head start.  Nopony catches frogs like me!  You wanna come and watch?”
Sweetie Belle shook her head.
“Suit yourself,” said Autumn over her shoulder.  “Just don’t say I didn’t try to be your friend.”

Sweetie Belle opened the front door and entered her old house.  It would be a long time before she could call it her home again.  She hung up her cape on the coat rack and called out.  “Mom, Dad, I’m home!”
“Hi honey,” called back her mom.  “Did you find your friends at the park?”
“Yeah,” she answered without any enthusiasm.  
“Did you have a good time?”
“Not really.  Where are you guys?”
“Were in the bedroom.  We’ll be right out.  Why don’t you wash up, dinner’s ready.”
“Okay.”  Sweetie Belle trudged to the bathroom and washed her face and hooves.
“So what’s the matter, honey?” her mom asked.
“I tried to explain about the Cutie Mark Crusaders, but they just don’t get it.  The ponies with their cutie marks don’t want to help, and the ones that don’t, don’t seem to care.”
“Well, you can’t hurry a cutie mark,” called out her dad.  “Beside, you already got yours anyway.”
“That’s not the point!”  Sweetie Belle felt like she was repeating herself.
“Don’t worry, little girl,” her dad said cheerfully.  “I’m sure there’s a bunch of other clubs you can join at your new school.”
Sweetie Belle sighed.  “That’s not the point, either,” she said to herself.  She couldn’t help but feel alone as she dried her hooves and face.  She was trying to give them a chance.  Trying to ignore the fact that they had taken her from her home to be a family here in Swamp Hollow, but something was missing, a connection.  Maybe it was just her longing for Carousel Couture, or the time apart from her parents, or just her imagination.  Whatever it was, she just couldn’t help but feel that if she had walked into the boutique feeling half as sad as she was Rarity would have been hugging her by now.
She walked into the kitchen.  A pot of soup was quietly bubbling on the stove, bread and fruit were already on the table.  What caught her attention was the single setting at the dinner table.
Her mother walked into the kitchen.  “Can I help finish setting the table?” asked Sweetie Belle.
“Oh, no,” said her mother cheerfully.   “Your father and I have already eaten.”
Hondo, her dad walked in, wearing his jacked.  Sweetie Belle now noticed that her mother was wearing her jacked as well.  “Are you guys going out again?”
“It’s our bridge night, honey,” said her mom, Cookie.
“But you went out last night!” complained Sweetie Belle.
“That was your father’s poker night.   And us girls get together for a knitting circle while the boys play.”
“But we never spend any time together,” Sweetie Belle whined.
Cookie walked over to the stove to pour a bowl of soup for Sweetie Belle.  “Now, Sweetie, don’t complain.  It takes four ponies to play bridge.  We can’t just leave the Hayfords hanging.  That would be rude.”  She set the bowl on the table.  “We’ll have plenty of time together Saturday.”
“After my lodge meeting,” added Hondo.
“And my book club,” added Cookie.
“Okay,” Sweetie Belle conceded.  “Have a good time.”
“Thanks, honey.  We will,” said Cookie.  “And don’t worry, Mrs. Sweet Waters is here to keep you company.”  She kissed Sweetie Belle on the forehead and left with her husband.
Sweetie Belle sighed.  Did they not even notice she was feeling down?  Or was she just oversensitive because of the day she had at school?  She went over and sat at the table, looking at the steaming bowl of soup.  Using her magic, she picked up her spoon and stirred it a bit to let it cool.  She stopped and looked at the bits of vegetables sitting in the spoon.
How could her mother burn soup?  She thought to herself.  When she was little, this was the norm.  She didn’t know any better.  But now, having lived with Rarity, her tastes had been refined.  She thought of the other dinners she had had since returning.  Everything had been overcooked.  If a baby dragon could learn the basics of cooking, why couldn’t her mother?  She pushed it aside to let it cool.
She looked at the loaf of bread.  It was over baked as well.  Either baked at fifty degrees too high, or fifteen minutes too long from what the Cakes had taught her class on a field trip.
She took an apple from the fruit bowl and bit into it.  Was it just her longing for Ponyville, or was the apple really not that sweet?  It was a red delicious, just like the ones from Sweet Apple Acres, just a bit smaller.   Big Mac had once given her and her friends a long, boring lecture on the care of apple trees and the different kinds of manure.  Could all that really make that much of a difference?  
She finished the apple, not wanting to waste it.  It was the least offensive entree on the menu.  The soup could wait until she was hungry enough to come back for it. 
She left the kitchen for the living room.  “Well, Mrs. Sweet Waters, it’s just you and me…”  She stopped and stared into the living room in wide eyed disbelief.  Mrs. Sweet Waters was asleep on the couch - again.  “Oh, come on!” Exclaimed Sweetie Belle.  
Mrs. Sweet Waters snorted, but otherwise was undisturbed.
Sweetie Belle turned to the front door and shouted.  “Is this what you dragged me away from Ponyville for?”
Teeth grinding and eyes slit, she stomped back into her room, slamming the door behind her.
Mrs. Sweet Waters snorted again.

Rarity had gotten up early, as was her habit.  She liked getting up early and working on her latest creations before customers or the cares of the day would distract her.  On a normal day she would be sewing or sketching until she heard Sweetie Belle’s alarm go off.  She would then go off to the kitchen and prepare breakfast for both of them while her little sister got ready for school.
But this was not a normal day.  Those were gone.  There would be no alarm from upstairs, no water running in the bathroom and no trotting down the stairs to the kitchen.  Her little sister wouldn’t bound into the kitchen and nuzzle her before setting the table.  Later, there would be no rapping at the back door as Scootaloo came by, swiping a slice of toast or an apple.  And Rarity wouldn’t hurry them both out to school before getting back to work.
She was alone.
In her solitude, with no one to distract her, she could not find it in her heart to work.  Fabrics just lay there on her sewing table, refusing to become dresses.  Her multitude of threads and ribbons did not call to her.  And her sketch pads, the first soldiers of creativity, sought not the armament of pen and pencil.  
She moved to her sewing machine.  An unfinished gown lay on it.  But here, as everywhere else, her muse, like her sister, was gone.  Of all the places in this, her favorite room, here is where it hurt the most.  She shut her eyes and let out a whimper as her lower lip quivered.  She couldn’t bear to look to her right where a smaller sewing machine stood.  No matter where her little sister’s destiny took her, sewing was a good skill to have, and Sweetie Belle was an eager learner.  It was on that sewing machine that she had made costumes for herself and her two friends for a school play.  And it was there that the two of them had worked together on three new red capes, each with an embroidered patch of the shield that the three friends shared as part of their cutie marks.
Rarity left the room, leaving her reading glasses on her sewing machine.  She couldn’t see through the tear stains, anyway. 
Though it had been only three days, a new ritual had been started.  She went to the kitchen door and swung open the top half.  She watched as the school colts and fillies hurried off.  Some laughed, some trotted.  She waited, it wouldn’t be long.  A lone school filly can into view, a Pegasus still too young to fly.  She did not share the early morning enthusiasm of her classmates.  Instead, she trudged on slowly with her head hanging low.
Scootaloo stopped in front of Rarity’s kitchen door.  Their eyes met, they nodded to each other, each understanding the other’s loneliness.
Scootaloo would meet Apple Bloom as soon as she reached the school house.  They would have recess together and share lunch together as always.  But it would not be the same.  A stool does not stand on two legs.
Scootaloo continued her trek and Rarity closed the kitchen door.  There was a rapping at the front window of the boutique.  It was definitely too early to be open, and she was sure the “Closed” sign was out.  She went to see who it was.
Outside one of the store front windows was a familiar grey mare, her blond mane gently waving in the breeze.  She rapped at the window again as Rarity came into view.
Rarity opened the door.  “Good morning, Derpy.  Is there something I can do for you?”
The mailmare entered.  “You have some mail, I thought I’d bring it to you.”
“That’s sweet of you, Derpy,” said Rarity.  “But you could just leave it in the mailbox.”
Derpy pulled out a particular letter from the small stack.  “Well, I couldn’t help but notice that this one is from your parents.  I thought you might want to read it right away.”
Rarity perked up, squinting at the envelope.  “Oh!  That was most thoughtful of you!  Thank you!”
Rarity’s horn glowed and her glasses came flying out of her creating room.  She then looked for a piece of cloth to clean them.
“I hope it’s good news.  I’m sure your sister is all right,” said Derpy.
“Well,” replied Rarity, “taken care of at the least.”
“I’ll leave you to your letter.  Have a good day.”
Rarity’s mouth said she would, but her eyes said she wouldn’t.  Derpy stepped back outside to continue her deliveries.  She closed the door slowly, the lock nearly clicking into place.
A blood curdling scream came from within the boutique.  Derpy bolted back inside.

*     *     *

Twilight ran as fast as she could, Spike hanging onto her mane.  As soon as Carousel Couture came into view she teleported them both in.  She screeched to a halt, looking for Rarity.  “I came as soon as I heard.  Is she really missing?”
Rarity floated the letter in front of Twilight.  “Mother says she ran away while she and father  were out.”
“Oh, no!” said Twilight.  “It looks like you got a lot of ponies here to help.  Don’t worry, we’ll find her.”
“That’s not the worst part, darling.”  She floated the envelope up to Twilight.  “This letter was mailed two days ago.  Two days!  She could be anywhere!  Why couldn’t my parents at least send me a telegram?”
“I’ve been through Swamp Hollow sellin’ pies,” said Applejack.  “I’d be surprised if they even had a telegraph!”
“How can I help?” asked Twilight.
A voice from above shouted down.  “I could use another pair of eyes in the sky,” said Rainbow Dash.  Twilight flew up to join her.  “Fluttershy and Derpy are going to fly around town, then start heading toward Swamp Hollow.  You and I are going to fly straight to Swamp Hollow, she if she hasn’t returned, then we’ll start searching from there back up here.”
“Sounds like a good plan,” agreed Twilight.
“Big Mac and Granny will watch out for her at the farm and I’ve pulled Apple Bloom and Scootaloo out of school.  They’ll be at the club house in case she shows up there,” said Applejack.
“And the Cakes will be watching for her at Sugar Cube Corner,” added Pinkie Pie.
“That’s just about everywhere she might show up if she doesn’t come here first,” said Applejack.
The group gathered around a map and planned their search patterns and meeting points.  No one heard the bell ring as front door was opened.  
Sweetie Belle walked in looking tired and hungry.  She walked up to Spike as he watched the group.  “What’s going on?”
“They’re planning a search party for Sweetie Belle,” said Spike.
“A search party?”
“Yeah, she’s been missing…”  He finally turned to see who he was talking to.  “Sweetie Belle!”  He turned to the crowd.  “Hey, everypony, look!”
But no one hear him.  
“Let’s go!” shouted Rainbow Dash.  Twilight magically opened the door and she and the three pegasi flew out.  They were quickly followed by the rest, Rarity being the last one out.  She looked at Spike and Sweetie Belle. “You two stay here in cash she comes home.”  Then she closed the door behind her.
Sweetie Belle looked from the door to Spike and back again.  “Wait, what?  A search party, for me?”
Spike help up a claw.  “Wait for it.”  He rocked back and forth on his feet.  He checked the clock on the wall.  “Three, two, one…”
Rarity burst back into the room, “Sweetie Belle!”  She picked Sweetie Belle up in her hooves and held her tightly.  “Oh, darling!  You look a fright!  Are you all right?  Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine,” Sweetie Belle insisted.
The rest of the search party was coming back in.  Applejack hugged her as well.  “You gave us all a scare, missy.  What do you have to say for yourself?”
Her ears drooped with the guilt of having worried everypony.  “I’m sorry.  How did you all know?”
Rarity floated the letter in front of her.  “Mother wrote me – two days ago!”
“I’m really sorry!”
“Why did it take you so long to get back here?” asked Twilight.
“I didn’t have enough bits for the fare all the way back to Ponyville.  So I had to walk from station to station until the fare was low enough that I could afford it,” explained Sweetie Belle.
“You were out on your own for two days?” said Rarity.
“I walked during the day and slept in the stations at night.  The ticket masters didn’t seemed to mind,” answered Sweetie Belle.
“Darling, you must be exhausted!”  said her sister.
“I am,” said Sweetie Belle.  “And really hungry.  I haven’t had anything since lunch yesterday.”
Spike jumped right in.  “I’m on it!  Rarity, if I may use your kitchen?”
“Of course, sweetheart.  Thank you so much.”
Sweetie Belle watched Spike disappear into the kitchen.  She looked at her big sister, furrowing her brow.
“He’s not doing it for me, he’s doing it for you,” said Rarity to her sister.  “And right now, you need it.  Be grateful.”
“Okay,” said Sweetie Belle, leaning into her sister.
“But why did you run away, darling?” asked Rarity.  “Surly you must have known how difficult the journey would be when you saw you didn’t have enough bits!”
A gentle but firm hoof touched Sweetie Belle’s shoulder.  “Was it really that bad, Sugar Cube?” asked the Element of Honesty.
“You have no idea!  The school ponies, they don’t get what it is to be a Crusader.  And they think I’m lying when I tell them you’re a fashion designer with two shops and an Element of Harmony!”  Sweetie Belle lowered her head with new sadness.  “And Mom and Dad, they say they’ve missed me, but they don’t spend any time with me.  They’re always running off to play cards or something with their friends.  They just leave me with a baby sitter that’s as old as Granny Smith, but sleeps twice as much.”  She leaned her head into Rarity’s neck.  “I just want to be home, sis.  That’s all I want!”
Rarity did not answer.  Her expression was cold and unforgiving.  Her fears for the home life her parents would give her younger sister had been confirmed and she could not allow it.
Twilight read over the letter from their parents.  “Well, your parents want you back.  They insist that Rarity accompany you back to Swamp Hollow if you return to Ponyville.”
“And to Swamp Hollow I shall go!” said Rarity sternly.
“What?” asked a surprised Sweetie Belle.
“Alone!” assured Rarity.  “Perhaps now they will see how desperate you are to stay here!”  She turned to Applejack.  “Can Sweetie Belle stay with you?”
“She’s always welcome on the farm,” answered AJ.
“Then tonight I leave.  This fight has been handed back to me and I shall not let go!”

*     *     *

The sun was now setting over Sweet Apple Acres.  Sweetie Belle had been sleeping all afternoon while Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were down in the kitchen with Granny Smith.  The two fillies felt odd being out of school.  They had been pulled out to watch out for Sweetie Belle, but now that she was back safe, they felt like they were ditching.  Still, they were there if she awoke and needed them, but it had been hours.  Their conflicting guilt kept them indoors.  They didn’t want to have to explain to anypony why they were still out of school when Sweetie Belle was now safe.
It was Rainbow Dash that finally set their conscious straight.  “Forget school!  You friend needs you now.  Trust me, even if she’s asleep, she still knows you’re there for her.”  There were times when Scootaloo felt picked on and didn’t want to go to school.  But Rainbow Dash made it very clear that ditching was something she would not put up with.  This situation was definitely an exception.
The two fillies quietly went upstairs to Apple Bloom’s room.  They slowly opened the door to check on Sweetie Belle.
The young unicorn was still motionless on Apple Bloom’s bed.  “Wow,” whispered Scootaloo.  “She’s been out a long time.”
“She probably didn’t get much sleep at those train stations,” said Apple Bloom.  “Ever try to sleep on one of them benches?”
The two ponies backed out of the room and began to shut the door.  “It’s okay guys, I’m not asleep.”  Sweetie Belle slowly sat up.
Her two friends joined her on the bed.  “How you doin’, Sweetie Belle?” asked Scootaloo.  “You still kind of look awful.”
Apple Bloom elbowed her in the side.
“Well, she does!” argued Scootaloo.
“It’s not like I don’t know it.  I still feel awful,” said Sweetie Belle.
Apple Bloom put a hoof on her shoulder.  “You’re still worried about your parents, aren’t you?”
“I don’t think you have to worry,” assured Scootaloo.  “Didn’t you see how worked up your sister was when we left?  I’m sure she gonna give them Tartarus!”
Apple Bloom turned to Scootaloo.  “Watch you language, my Granny’s downstairs!”
“Rarity’s already given them Tartarus, over and over.”	
“Sweetie Belle!”
“Nothing works!” continued Sweetie Belle.  “They’re just going to come back here and drag me away again.”
“Well,” thought Apple Bloom.  “We got at least a day.  We can think of somethin’.”
Sweetie Belle took in a deep breath and sighed.  “Guys, I’ve been lying her thinking.  There’s something I need to tell you, but first you need to promise me you won’t tell anypony, either of you!”
“What is it?” asked Apple Bloom.
“Promise first,” insisted Sweetie Belle.  “Apple Bloom, you can’t tell your family.  And Scootaloo, you can’t tell your parents either.”
Reluctantly, the fillies agreed.
“I can’t wait here for my sister.  I have to run away.”
“Run away to where?” asked Apple Bloom.
“I don’t know, just away.  I can’t go back to Swamp Hollow.  I just can’t!  Being on my own somewhere has got to be better.  And when I’m old enough, I’ll come back.”  She sniffled and wiped her muzzle on her arm.  “And when I gone, will you guys ask Rarity if she could hold my room for me?   I’ll understand if she can’t, but…”
“Hold on!” interrupted Scootaloo.  “I understand you running away TO Ponyville.  This is where you want to be.  But running away FROM Ponyville?”
“Scootaloo’s right,” agreed Apple Bloom.  “You’re still really upset and I don’t think you got all your apples in the barrel.”
“Look, I just want you to know what I’m doing so I can write you when I get to wherever I’m going.  I’ll address my letter to the clubhouse.  No pony will ever have to know.”  Sweetie Belle was met with silence.  “You guy don’t even have to do anything.  I’ll leave in the middle of the night.  In the morning, you don’t even have to play dumb because you really don’t know where I’m going.”
“Sweetie Belle, for your own good, we can’t let you do this,” said Apple Bloom.  “I’m sorry.”
“But you promised!” argued Sweetie Belle.  “You both did!”
In a huff, Scootaloo turned her back, crossed her arms and stared out the window.
Apple Bloom wasn’t any happier.  She growled as she sneered.  “Next time I’m not promising anything until I know what I’m promising!”
“How you going to get anywhere, anyway?” asked Scootaloo.  “Didn’t you spend your last bits getting back?”
Sweetie Belle signed.  “I’ll just have to walk.”
“And how far do you think you’ll get?” asked Apple Bloom.  “You just spent the entire afternoon asleep and you still look like Tartarus!”
“Hah!  Now you said it!” said Scootaloo.
Apple Bloom punched her in the shoulder – hard.
“Ow!” cried Scootaloo.  Then she laughed.  “It was worth it!”
Apple Bloom turned to Sweetie Belle.  “You’re really going to do this, ain’t ya?”
Sweetie Belle nodded.
Apple Bloom jumped off the bed.
“Apple Bloom, please!  You promised!”
Apple Bloom went over to her dresser, grabbed her piggy bank and came back to the bed.  She pulled the cork from the belly of the porcelain sow and bits spill onto the comforter.  She then split the coins into five piles, three in front of Sweetie Belle, two in front of Scootaloo.  She pointed to the three piles. “This should be enough to get the three of us to Mainhatten.”  Her voice dropped as the reality of what they were planning hit home.   “And this should be enough to get two of us back.”
Scootaloo turned back to her friends.  She looked at the coins and the reality hit her as well.  “You’re really doing this?”
“Wait! What?” said Sweetie Belle.  “You guys can’t do that!”
“Do the Cutie Mark Crusaders really stick together or what?” answered Apple Bloom.  “We’re not going to let you do this alone!  Least I’m not.  You in, Scootaloo?”
The young Pegasus grumbled, rolled her eyes and came muzzle to muzzle with Sweetie Belle.  “Just for the record, I think this is a really bad idea!  But, yeah, I’m not going to let you go it alone, either.”
“But you guys will get in trouble with your folks!  I can’t let you do that!”
“We’ll deal with that later.  Right now, you’re the one that’s in trouble!” said Apple Bloom.
“Hey!” added Scootaloo.  “You’re the one that tricked us into making that promise.  If you want us to keep it, this is the deal!” 
“I don’t know what to say,” said Sweetie Belle.  “You guys are the best!”
“You could say you’ve changed your mind,” suggested Apple Bloom.
Sweetie Belle hung her head low and shook it slowly.
“Fine,” said Apple Bloom.  “Tomorrow’s Saturday.  My sister knows we’re all tired, so she’ll probably just let us sleep in.  If we leave early, we’ll be on our way before she thinks to check on us.”
“So you think I should go to Mainhatten?” asked Sweetie Belle.
“It’s a big city,” replied Apple Bloom.  “You can get lost there if you don’t want your parents to find you.
“Rarity says there are some really bad parts in Mainhatten, and I don’t know which is which.”
“If you get in trouble, you can always run to my cousin, Babs.”
“You know how parents are,” said Sweetie Belle.  “Her parents will just contact my parents.  Besides, I think I’d do better in a smaller town like Ponyville.”
Sweetie Belle stared at the coins, then came up with an idea.  “Just because we buy tickets to Mainhatten, doesn’t mean we have to go all the way to Mainhattan.”
“What do you mean,” asked Scootaloo.
“Think about it.  How many other school ponies are going to buy three tickets to Mainhattan tomorrow morning?  It won’t take our sister long to check the train station and ask the ticket master about us.  But if we get off the train early, we can find a town and they won’t know where I am.
Scootaloo raised an eyebrow.  “That’s really sneaky.”
“But it will work,” countered Sweetie Belle.
“Okay, then.  We leave tomorrow morning,” said Apple Bloom.  “We can fill up our saddle bags with supplies from the cupboard.”
“I got some bits saved up, too,” said Scootaloo.  “I’ll meet you at the station.”  She jumped off the bed and jumped onto the window sill.
“Ah, Scoots?” started Sweetie Belle.
“Yeah, I know.  Don’t tell my parents,” answered Scootaloo.  “And this plan still stinks!”  She jumped out the window and fluttered down to the ground.

It was early afternoon before the three fillies got off at a station three stops short of Manehattan.  They had picked up a map to find a town that met Sweetie Belle’s needs, a secluded one that was not too small.  After walking for a few hours, they came to an unexpected fork in the road.
“This map doesn’t show any fork around here,” said Sweetie Belle. 
Apple Bloom took a close look at the bottom of the map.  “This map’s twenty years old.  The fork must have come after that.”
“So which way do we go?” asked Sweetie Belle.
“When we went camping,” said Scootaloo.  “Rainbow Dash said the road that looks most traveled is the one that probably leads to a town.
The three girls looked down one road, then the other.  Neither one looked very worn.
“Remember that labyrinth in the Castle Gardens in Canterlot?” asked Apple Bloom.
“Yeah,” said Scootaloo.  “I was lost in there for an hour.”
“Exactly,” said Apple Bloom.  “But Twilight said that if you always go to your right, you may take longer to get through, but you will never end up going in circles.  And if we hit a dead end, we just come back up and take the next right.”
“Okay,” agreed Sweetie Belle.  “Right it is.”

The path they chose had still not led them to a town hours later.  It was getting cold and Celestia would be lowering the sun soon.
“Maybe the town has an orphanage,” said Sweetie Belle.  “I could tell them I’m an orphan, maybe they’d take me in.”
Scootaloo glared at her.  “You’d take food and a bed from a real orphan when you got your parents and your sister?”
Sweetie Belle lowered her head.  “You’re right.  I can’t do that, either.”
Apple Bloom interrupted.  “Guys, it’s getting dark and this road just keeps getting narrower.  I think we went the wrong way.”
“Should we go back to the fork?” asked Scootaloo.
“I don’t think we can, not before night fall,” said Apple Bloom.  “I think we need to find a place to camp for the night.”
“But we didn’t bring any camping supplies,” said Sweetie Bloom.
“I don’t like it,” said Scootaloo.   “I keep hearing rustling in the bushes.”
“Like what?” asked Sweetie Belle.
“Oh, I don’t know,” said Scootaloo.  “Lions and tigers and bears?”
“You’re not helping!” complained Apple Bloom.  “Beside, this ain’t a jungle.  There are no lions or tigers!”
“Bears?” asked Scootaloo.
Apple Bloom remained silent.
“And I keep hearing rustling in the trees, like something’s watching us,” added Sweetie Belle.
“Probably just birds, or bats,” said Apple Bloom.
“Vampire fruit bats?”
“Probably not,” said Apple Bloom.  “But even if they were, they’re only interested in Apples.  Applejack says if you leave them be, they’ll leave you be.”
“Don’t we have some apples in our saddlebags?” asked Sweetie Belle.
“We ate them all,” answered Apple Bloom.  The three fillies sighed.
But there was something out in the woods, and it made a low noise.  Barely audible at first, but it grew louder, finally catching the attention of the girls.
“What’s that?” asked Sweetie Belle.
“I don’t know,” said Apple Bloom.
“I don’t like it,” added Scootaloo.
The girls huddled, each looking in a different direction.  The noise was coming loudest from the west, just off the trail.
Shortly, they could see shadows move among the brush.
The noise became clearer, it was growling.
The girls peered into the darkness.  Green eyes peered back at them, several sets.  One of the shadows came into the light…
“Timber wolves!”

*     *     *

The girls ran as fast as they could.  The timber wolves seemed to be everywhere.  They’d run in one direction only to be blocked off.  They’d turn and run in another direction, only to be blocked off again.
“There’s too many of them!” shouted Scootaloo. 
Glowing eyes were appearing all round them.  They were forced to turn again, back the way they came.
“What are they doing?” asked Sweetie Belle.
There was panic in Apple Bloom’s voice.  “I know what they’re doing.  They’re corralling us like me and Applejack do with the chickens on the farm!”
“How do we get out of it?” asked Scootaloo.
“I don’t know!” answered Apple Bloom.
They found themselves facing a rock outcropping too high for them to climb.   They turned, but shortly found another outcropping right in front of them.  Behind them, the outcroppings joined and formed a ravine.  In front of them, they could hear the timber wolves growling in the darkness.  They were out of places to run.
The wolves came out of the darkness and into the moonlight.  They kept low, ready to pounce.
Sweetie Belle started to cry.  “Guys, I’m sorry.  I’m so sorry!”
“Keep it together!” Shouted Apple Bloom.  “Sweetie Belle, get behind us.  Scootaloo, open your wings.  Make yourself look as big as you can!”
Two rows of wolves came closer and closer.  The girls were being backed up into the ravine.
Sweat ran down Apple Bloom’s face as she tried to remember everything Applejack had told her to do if confronted by timber wolves, but there were just too many of them.  “Sweetie Belle, can you put up some kind of shield?”
She answered in a shaky voice.  “I don’t know how to do that yet!”
Apple Bloom was running out of ideas.  The wolves were less than twenty feet away.  “Whatever you do, don’t turn your back.  That’s what they’re waiting for!”
Scootaloo looked up to the sky.  “We could use some air support right about now!”
A blur of blue fell out of the sky and trailed a rainbow of colors as it crossed in front of them.  
“Rainbow Dash?” shouted Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle.  
The blue Pegasus wasted no time in kicking a timber wolf.  She turned and kicked another.  The wolves slowed, but continued to approach.  Soon they were too close together for Rainbow Dash to risk another kick, but she remained calm.  “Guys, back up into that ravine.”
“But there’s no other way out!” protested Apple bloom.  “We’ll be trapped!”
“That’s just what I want them to think.”  She could hear the girls whimpering behind her.  
“Just do it!” shouted Scootaloo.
“Don’t worry,” said Rainbow Dash.  “I got a secret weapon.”
Rainbow Dash waited.  The wolves came closer.  Soon they were shoulder to shoulder.  She shouted out, “Fire in the hole!”
Green flames burst out from the darkness behind the wolves, setting fire to their tails.  They tripped over each other, trying to put out the flames.  They turned in the direction of the fire.  When they did, Rainbow Dash kicked them in the ash.
They turned back to Rainbow Dash and were hit by green fire again.  They ran off, trying to put out their flames.
Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom stared on in amazement.  “How did you…”
Spike ran out from the darkness.  “Good job, kid!”  Rainbow Dash high-hoofed the dragon as he joined the group.
“There’s a lot more out there!”  Spike warned.
“I’m sure those guys are going to come back with their buddies.” said Rainbow Dash.  “We gotta get out of here.  Cover us, Spike.”  Rainbow Dash dipped a shoulder and called out to Scootaloo who jumped onto her back.  
The young dragon blew flames out at the approaching wolves.
Rainbow Dash encircled Sweetie Belle in her left arm and Apple Bloom in her right, then struggled to get airborne.
The wolves were getting closer and Spike started to run out of fire.
“Grab on!” shouted Rainbow Dash to Spike.  He reached up and felt for her tail, but dared not look away from his oncoming targets.  “Hurry!”
Scootaloo held on tight and flapped her wings as fast as she could to take at least her own weight off Rainbow Dash.
Sweetie Belle closed her eyes tight and gritted her teeth.  He horn glowed as she levitated Spike off the ground.  
The wolves snapped at his heels.
“Hurry Spike!  She can’t hold you up much longer!” shouted Apple Bloom. 
Spike looked up long enough to grab onto Rainbow’s tail.  
“Good work, Scoots!” said Rainbow Dash as she flew them up to the top of the jagged outcropping.  Even if the timber wolves could climb it, it would be easily defensible. 
Rainbow let the two girls go and Scootaloo slid off her back.  “Great job, everypony!  Now that’s what I call teamwork.” 
Apple Bloomed hugged Rainbow Dash.  “Oh my gosh, Rainbow Dash!  We’re so lucky you saw us when you did!”
“Yeah!  We’re so…”  Sweetie Belle started, but stopped in mid sentence.  He wide eyed look turned into a scowl as she turned to Scootaloo.  “…lucky.  ‘We could use some air support right now’?”
Scootaloo smiled pridefully, looking much like her mentor.
“You promised not to tell anypony,” continued Sweetie Belle.
“I ain’t complainin’,” said Apple Bloom.
“Actually,” explained Scootaloo.  “You made me promise not to tell my parents.  You didn’t say anything about my sister.”
Sweetie Belle looked from Scootaloo to Apple Bloom.  She had no argument.  “Where did you learn to be so sneaky?”
Scootaloo came face to face with Sweetie Bell.  “From the same pony who taught me to always be loyal to my friends, even when they have really dumb ideas!”
Sweetie Belle’s ears fell.  She began to cry as guilt took her over.  “You’re right.  It was a really dumb idea!  I put us all in danger and I made the two of you come and rescue us.”  Emotion overwhelmed her.  She tried to apologize, but it came out incoherent. 
The four of them gathered around her.  Rainbow Dash put an arm around Sweetie Belle and she cried against her chest.  Spike pressed a handkerchief into her hoof.  As she calmed down, she looked at Spike.  Now she could see what Rarity meant about his bravery and loyalty.
“Listen, Sweetie Belle,” said Rainbow Dash.  “Scoots filled me in on what you were doing.  I know you’re in a bad situation, but no matter how bad it gets, you can’t run away from your problems.  ‘Cause if you do, this happens!”  She waved her hoof in a wide gesture for emphases.  You’ve got Rarity and a lot of others ponies fighting for you.  So I’m going to get you home now, and no more running away, okay?”
“Okay,” Sweetie Belle agreed.
Apple Bloom looked over the edge to the ground far below.  “How are we going to get home?  You think the timber wolves will be gone by morning, then we can walk back to the train station?”
“Well, you could take the train,” said Rainbow Dash.  “But why take the train when you can fly?”
Scootaloo looked up to her big sister.  “But you can’t fly all of us back.”
“I don’t have to,” said Rainbow Dash.  “I can call for backup.”  She pulled off her saddle bags and opened one side, revealing a quill and some parchments.  “Spike, take a letter.”

The arguing had been going on since the CMC had returned to Carousel Couture, so it was no surprise that Apple Bloom didn’t hear the bell over the door ring.  Scootaloo did, just barely, and tapped Apple Bloom on the shoulder.  She turned to see her big sister enter the boutique.
She looked up to AJ with a guilty expression.  “Hi, Applejack.  Are you mad at me?”
Applejack looked down sternly at her little sister.  “Well, I would be if’n Scootaloo hadn’t told Rainbow Dash what was goin’ on.  But you stood by your friend when she needed it the most.  I can’t blame you for that.”  AJ’s eyes softened and she hugged Apple Bloom.  “Next time, just tell me what’s going on, okay.  I would’ve tried to help.  Maybe I could have talked to Sweetie Belle’s parents.”
“I don’t know,” said Apple Bloom.  “Rarity hasn’t had any luck with that.”  They looked over to the center of the boutique where Rarity was arguing with her parents.  Sweetie Belle was trying to get a word in edgewise, but no pony was listening to her.
Finally, Sweetie Belle had had enough.  She stomped her hoof down and screamed out, “Stop it!  Just stop it!  For once would you just listen to me?”
The outburst took her parents and Rarity by surprise.  “Sweetheart, we listen to you,” said her mother.
“No you don’t!  That’s how we all got here!” answered Sweetie Belle.  “Rarity and I don’t always see eye to eye, but at least she listens to me.”
“Oh, honey, we do listen to you,” reassured her dad.
“I have yet to see any evidence of that,” snapped Rarity.
“Stop it!” yelled Sweetie Belle again.  “We’re a family and all we have been doing for the past week is arguing.  I hate it!  I hate even more than having to leave Ponyville!”  The fight drained out of her as her family became silent again.  Ears down and with sadness in her voice, she continued.  “Besides, I don’t want my last memory of Carousel Couture to be full of arguing.”
The room went silent as all eyes turned to her.
Rarity finally spoke up. “Sweetie Belle, what are you saying?”
Sweetie Belle looked over at her sister before stepping up to her parents.  “Mom, Dad, I’ll go with you.  Just stop arguing with Rarity, okay?”
“That’s the spirit,” said her dad.  “It won’t be so bad once you get use to it again.”
But her mom looked at her, really looked at her daughter for the first time and began to have misgivings.
Sweetie Belle didn’t answer her father.  Instead, she went over to her big sister.  The look in her eyes broke Rarity’s heart.  “It’s over, sis.  They’re our parents, but I’m not an adult like you, I have to go with them.  That’s what Twilight really told you, isn’t it?”
Rarity looked away.  “I suppose it was something like that, yes.”
Sweetie Belle buried her head in Rarity’s chest and spoke through the lump in her throat.  “I know you weren’t thrilled when I first came to stay with you.”
“That was a long time ago, sweetheart.”
“I know.  I heard how you fought for me all night, and you even went to Swamp Hollow for me.  That means a lot to me, but you have to let go now.”
Rarity wiped a tear from Sweetie Belle’s cheek as her own ran down her face.  “Never!”
Sweetie Belle backed away from Rarity.  She turned to the stairs.  On her way she hugged Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Applejack and Rainbow Dash.
Unlike the others, Rainbow Dash didn’t hold back her feelings.  She glared at Sweetie Belle’s parents.  “This stinks!”
Applejack tried to calm her. “This is their family business, Rainbow.”
“Don’t care!” shot back Rainbow Dash.
Something about Rainbow Dash’s words struck Sweetie Belle’s father.  His daughter’s friends weren’t just her classmates, but adults as well.  These adults were business ponies and scholars, yet they treated her as an equal.  He had expected them to give her a smile and a pat on the head, not tearful hugs, sad goodbyes and angry words directed at himself.  He was her father, he had a right to take her away.  Why was a little filly so important to these grownups?  Surely they had better things to do than to look after somepony else’s foal?
Sweetie Belle came to Twilight.  “Thanks for all the lessons, Twilight.  Even after you became a Princess, you still made time for me and my friends. I promise to keep up with my studies as best I can.”  She swallowed hard, took a deep breath and stood straight.  She bowed to Twilight.  “I thank you, Princess.”
Twilight turned away in embarrassment.  “You don’t have to…”
“Yeah, I do!” she interrupted, then ran in and hugged Twilight.  
Hondo watched the two.  He compared Sweetie Belle’s height to Twilight’s, to his own. He noticed, really noticed for the first time how big she had grown.  A thought deep in his subconscious scratched and clawed its way to the surface.  It broke through the barriers of stubbornness and reared its head.
Could Twilight be right?  Could his little girl not be his little girl anymore?  
When Sweetie Belle broke the embrace, Spike was there at Twilight’s side.  So many feelings ran through her head, and she didn’t know how to express any of them.  She hugged him tightly, pressing her cheek hard against his.  She couldn’t even try to speak.  But looking in his eyes, she knew she didn’t have to.
The look in both their eyes unsettled Hondo.  No.  She was too young for what he thought he saw.
Her two best friends met her at the bottom of the stairs.  “You guys already know what you mean to me.”  Her CMC cape hung over the railing.  She picked it up and held it out to them.  “Here.  Where I’m going I’m not going to need this.  Just promise me you’ll give it to somepony who understands what being a Crusader stands for.”
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo stared at each other.  Neither one of them wanted to take the cape from Sweetie Belle.
Apple Bloom finally did.  “No, Sweetie Belle, this will always be at the club house waiting for you!”
“Yeah, when you visit,” added Scootaloo.
“Yeah, like that’s going to happen,” answered Sweetie Belle.  “They’ll probably never let me out of their sight again!”
Her words struck at her mom’s heart.  “Sweetie, of course you can visit.  You’re not a prisoner.”
A cold glance over her shoulder told her parents exactly what she thought about that.
She started up the stairs, then paused.  “I’ll be ready for the morning train.  Don’t worry, I won’t try to run away again.  I give up.”
The Cutie Mark Crusaders never give up, thought Applejack.  It was what she admired most about Apple Bloom and her friends.  Despite what AJ had said to Rainbow Dash, she couldn’t hold her tongue any longer.  She took a step toward Sweetie Belle’s parents.  “Well, you done broke her spirit.  Is that really how you wanted this to go?”
Her father met AJ’s glare.  He then turned to his daughter.  “Sweetie Belle, do you really hate us that much?”
She sighed, “I don’t hate you Dad.  I love you and Mom.”  She turned to face her parents.  “Look around you.  I know you don’t get the fashions, or the decor, but you don’t really get me and Rarity either.  This is where my friends are, my school, everypony else I love.  You sent me here to live.  This is my home!  Least, it was.”  She turned and headed for her room.
Her parents looked at each other.  She had reached the top step before her dad spoke again.  “We just thought you’d want to be with us as much as we wanted you back home.”
“You don’t even spend time with me!” she said without turning around.
“You’re right,” said her father.  “I guess we forgot what it’s like to have a child around – sorry, I mean a young lady.”
Cookie put a hoof on Hondo’s.  With sadness in her voice, she told him, “Honey, I think we’ve already missed her growing up.”
He turned to his wife.   In her eyes he saw the reflection of his own mind.  That horrible, nagging thought was free.  He couldn’t deny it any longer.  Cookie was right.
Hondo turned back to his youngest.  With a heavy heart, he made the best decision he could for her, though it cost him personally.  “Sweetie Belle, your mom and I will take the train home tomorrow.  You can stay here.  You’re already home.”
Her ears perked up.  She spun around in surprise.  “What?  Do you mean it?”
“As long as Rarity doesn’t mind.”
“Of course I don’t mind!” shouted Rarity.
Sweetie Belle ran down the stairs and hugged her parents and Rarity.
Twilight put a hoof around Spike. “Now that’s how a family should get along!”
Suddenly Pinkie was in the family hug, “You know what that means!  It’s party time!”
“I’ll bring the cider.” yelled Applejack.
“I want to make the cake.” added Spike.
“You got it, baker boy!” yelled back Pinkie.
“You’re so right, Pinkie!” yelled Rarity.  “Tomorrow, noon, everypony’s welcome!”

Sweetie Belle’s welcome back party was the biggest she had ever had.  Practically everypony she knew from school and around town had stopped by.  When the festivities had died down, she went back up to her room to put away some gifts some ponies had brought her.  She heard a knock on her door frame.  She turned, feeling a little embarrassed when she saw who it was.  “Oh, hi, Spike.  Come on in.”
They both felt awkward.  It was the first chance they really had to talk alone since she came home.  Spike scratched the back of his head nervously.  “Great party, huh?  Everypony’s really glad you’re back.”
“Yeah,” she agreed.  “Everypony was so nice, and it’s really great to know I’ll be staying.”
This was a new feeling for both of them.  They had always been comfortable with each other, but now something unspoken hung between them.  Sweetie Belle couldn’t help but wonder if she had made their whole friendship awkward with the confession of her feelings.  	
Spike finally broke the silence.  He pulled out the flowers from behind his back and handed them to her.  “Here, I brought these for you.”
Sweetie Belle was surprised by the gift.  She could feel her cheeks getting warm.  “Oh my, Spike.”  She said nervously as she took the flowers.  “They’re beautiful.  But you didn’t have to do that.  I mean, you made that cake and all.”
“Yeah, but the cake was for everypony – I mean it was for you, but for everypony – you know what I mean.   I wanted to give you something just for you.”
“That’s really sweet, Spike.”  She could tell there was something Spike wanted to say, but what?  Was he okay with what she said?  Would he just ignore it?  Or would he tell her his heart belonged to her big sister?  She couldn’t stand it anymore and figured she had to say something.  “Ahh, Spike.  About what I said, you know, when I left…”
“Yeah, about that,” Spike interrupted.  “I kind of had something I wanted to ask you.”
Her ears lowered, she prepared herself for the worst.  “Okay…”
Spike shifted on his feet and looked around the room as he got up his courage.  “Well, it’s been a while since lunch.  So I was wondering if you’d like to go with me to Hay Burgers?  You do like Hay Burgers, right?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“Since it’s still early, I figured we could do something else first.”
She put her hoof up to her chin, “Well, we haven’t been bowling for a while…”  Suddenly, she looked at the flowers still in her hoof.  She froze as realization hit her.  Her eyes widened.  “Spike…  Are you asking me out on a date?”
“Well, yeah – if that’s okay?” said Spike.
Her ears shot up and she smiled widely.  Now her heart raced for all the good reasons.  “Just let me go ask my sister!”  She hurried down the stairs, floating the flowers in front of her.

Rarity turned from the sink as Sweetie Belle entered.  “My, those are lovely flowers.”
“Spike just gave them to me,” she answered as she levitated a vase out of the cupboard and put the flowers in it.  “Is it okay if I go to Hay Burgers with him?”
“Of course, Sweetheart, have a nice time.”  Rarity watch as Sweetie Belle put the flowers on the kitchen table and left.  She finished putting the dishes in the sink for later and took off her apron.  
But as she walked back through the boutique’s main showroom something struck her as odd.  Twilight was still seated at the table, Rainbow Dash, Apple Jack, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie were huddled around the front door, but there was no sign of Spike or Sweetie Belle.  She went to the foot of the stairs, but could neither see nor hear anything from the second floor.  “Twilight, where are Sweetie Belle and Spike?”
Twilight looked up from the fashion magazine she’d been perusing.  “They already left.”
“But you’re still here,” said Rarity.
“Yeah, me and the girls,” she pointed at the four mares at the door.
Now oddness turned to puzzlement.  “But Sweetie Belle said she was going with Spike to Hay Burgers.  I assumed she meant you and Spike.”
“Not this time,” shouted Rainbow Dash hovering by the door.  “The kid’s going solo!”
“Girls!”  Twilight admonished.  “Don’t stare, you’ll embarrass them!”
“What do you mean?”  asked Rarity. 
“It’s their first date,” explained Fluttershy.  “Isn’t it romantic?”
“Date?  No, no, no!” Shouted Rarity.  “Spike cannot date Sweetie Belle!”
Fluttershy gasped.  “How can you say that?  After all he’s done for you?  After all we’ve been through together?”
Rainbow turned in mid air and crossed her arms.  She stared down at Rarity, “You suddenly got something against dragons?”
“No, of course not!” Rarity answered.
Now Twilight was concerned and came over to the group.  “Rarity, are you saying you don’t trust Spike with Sweetie Belle?”
“Of course I trust him.  He’s a perfect gentlestallion and a most honorable young dragon.”
“Then what’s the problem?” asked Rainbow.
Rarity stared at her friends in shock.  “How can none of you understand?  Especially you, Applejack!  You, too, Rainbow Dash!”
AJ looked at Rainbow Dash who was looking back down at her.  “I got nothin’.”
“Understand what?” Rainbow finally asked.
Rarity’s horn glowed and her red velvet couch came sliding in just as she fell on it.  “Darlings, one of the worst things that can happen to a girl is to be thrown over for her younger sister!”
Applejack furrowed her brows. “Well, you were never exactly his for him to throw over, were you?”
“That’s not the point!” Rarity snapped back.
“You said yourself you were too old for him.” Added Fluttershy.
“He’s too young for me, thank you very much!  And that’s not the point, either!”
Pinkie Pie was still at the door.  “That’s not Sweetie Belle’s problem!”  She wasn’t helping.
“Seriously, Rarity?” asked Twilight.
Pinkie suddenly appeared at Rarity’s right.  “Face it.  You had your chance.”  Then from above.  “You blew it.”  Then to her left.  “The kid’s move on!”
“That’s not the point, either!”
“Then what is?” Asked a frustrated Rainbow Dash.
Rarity sat up. Her tears welled up in her eyes and her lower lip quivered.  “It’ just that…  He’s my Spikie Wikie!”
The girls had to laugh.