Sweetie Belle

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My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Sweetie Belle

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     "Wha-I-the shop-you...SWEETIE BELLE!"

     The young Unicorn looked around at the piles and piles of crumpled silk of various colors around her, a result of her trying to help organize them. Sweetie Belle chuckled and looked from them to her sister Rarity standing in the doorway. "Uh, sorry sis. I was trying to find a good color to match my eyes, when suddenly ideas for lyrics for my new song just popped into my head and I, uh, got distracted I guess."

     Rarity's left eye twitched, and for a moment Sweetie Belle thought she was going to start yelling. But instead Rarity took a deep breath and sighed. "And...what were you wanting a color to match your eyes for, Sweetie?"

     Sweetie Belle smiled and began bouncing in place. "I read in a magazine that Sapphire Shores is holding a contest to choose Equestria's best rising singer and I wanted a new dress to look my best when I audition!"

     Once Sweetie Belle had stopped shouting Rarity rubbed at her ears. She then looked at Sweetie Belle with a proud, yet amused look. "Oh Sweetie Belle, I am so happy that you seem eager to share your talents with everypony else, but you only got your cutie mark two months ago, you're still just too young for something like that. Besides, I will need your help with the new sho..." Rarity paused and looked around at the mess Sweetie Belle had made. "Uh, help with...keeping Apple Bloom and Scootaloo's morale up, while they keep crusading for their cutie marks. The three of you hardly hang out anymore!"

     Sweetie Belle hung her head, looking away from Rarity's gaze. "It's not my fault," Sweetie Belle said, kicking idly at a nearby roll of fabric. "I tried to keep going to the clubhouse, but whenever I show up Scootaloo makes some excuse for her and Apple Bloom to go somewhere else. I think she's jealous of me for getting my cutie mark first..."

     "Oh..." Rarity frowned at this. Walking over to Sweetie Belle she hugged the lanky filly close, nuzzling the top of her head. "Don't worry about it Sweetie, just keep trying. A few of my old friends stopped talking to me for a bit when I got my cutie mark, but they came back eventually. Just keep trying."

     Sweetie Belle sniffled and nodded. "Okay."

     "Good. Now then," Rarity said, walking past Sweetie Belle to the counter of the new Carousel Boutique. "Why don't you go along to the library, Twilight told me she got a new shipment of musical books. And maybe..." Rarity looked back over her shoulder at a curious Sweetie Belle. "I'll reconsider that Sapphire Shores conte-"

     Sweetie Belle was out the door before Rarity could finish. Chuckling, Rarity turned back to the bags she had been carrying and began unloading the groceries. "That filly. Ever since she got her cutie mark she's been dreaming big. Must run in the family."

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     Sweetie Belle trotted down the little cobblestone pathway leading from the front entrance to the Carousel Boutique to the main thoroughfare. There she stopped and looked down the road, where Ponyville lay in the distance. Since her sister Rarity and Big Mac had gotten together, the new Carousel Boutique had been built not in town, but about halfway down the road between the main of Ponyville and Sweet Apple Acres. Business was a bit less, but Sweetie Belle never noticed Rarity complaining.

     The cool morning breeze passed by Sweetie Belle fluttering a few fall leaves with it. She smiled at this and began trotting along the word, a soft humming on her lips that gradually began to build.

                    "Ponyville, it's a little town.
                    Yet is has excitement all aroun'.
                    Little town full of little ponies,
                    Waking up to say..."

     Sweetie Belle calmly stepped out of the way as Carrot Top ran past her, her hair frazzled and her eyes wide, a rabbit of unusual size chasing after her. "Help!"

     At the outskirts of Ponyville Sweetie Belle ducked as Cloudkicker zoomed past her, followed by a swarm of parasprites. "Help!"

                    "Help!"
                    "Help!"
                    "Help!"

     Sweetie Belle spotted Sugarcube Corner and began heading for it, just as Mr. Cake stepped out with a tray full of baked goods gripped in his mouth.

                    "There goes Mr. Cake with his tray like always.
                    The same cupcakes and muffins to sell.
                    Every morning just the same since that morning Pinkie got lame
                    And left this little exciting town."

     Sweetie Belle trotted up to Mr. Cake as he stood at the entrance to Sugarcube Corner, letting the tray of goods cool. He smiled at her as she walked up. "Good morning, Belle!"

     "Good morning Mr. Cake," She responded, leaning in to sniff at the cupcakes in the tray.

     Mr. Cake chuckled and took a yellow-frosting cupcake out, offering it to her. "So where you off to?"

     Sweetie Belle beamed. "The library! I heard Twilight Sparkle got in a new batch of song books, which you know I just-"

     "Th-that's nice," said Mr. Cake, slowly backing away through the bakery door, his eyes on something behind Sweetie Belle. As Sweetie Belle trotted off, munching on her cupcake, Mr. Cake screamed as a giant butterfly tackled him and the sugary cupcakes to the ground. "Honey-bun! The bug spray! Hurry up!"

     Sweetie Belle continued on through town, smiling and waving at Lyra and Bon-Bon as she passed them. The two mares paused in swinging brooms at the flock of birds trying to get at Lyra's sandwich and looked at her, before sharing a look.
                    "Look there goes Sweetie she's off no question.
                    A few bits short can't you tell?"

     Roseluck passed them by and continued.

                    "Of her singing she's rather proud,
                    Yet her head's foggy as a cloud.
                    No denying she's a few bits short, that Belle."

     Sweetie Belle finished up her cupcake and idly tossed her crumbs to the side, inadvertently drawing the birds away from Lyra's sandwich. She continued on, humming to herself and not noticing a thing. As she passed by Mr. Breezy's place he ran out the door, chased by several fans glowing as if brought to life by an errant spell. "Help!"

     Big Mac galloped over from out of nowhere and kicked away at the fans. "I've got it!"

     "Oh thank you kindly!"

     Caramel went shrieking past Sweetie Belle has she passed by Quills & Sofas, chased by a horseless horse-drawn carriage. "Help!"

     From out of nowhere Ditzy crashed into the carriage and began wailing on it. "Muffin valentines!"

     "Is that a knife?!"

     Sweetie Belle had just reached the front steps of the treehouse library when several shouts in the distance caught her attention.

                    "Does that thing have six legs?!"
                    "That's just offensive!"

     Sweetie Belle finally looked around her at all the craziness and danger and sighed. "I remember when we all lived a simple life," she sang, and then went inside.

     The library had changed much in the last several months since the town fire and Spike's death. Some kind of magical spell from Twilight Sparkle had darkened the color of the wood, from a light, lively yellow-brown to a much darker, reddish-brown. The windows had heavy curtains of red and black drawn over them, leaving the building to be lit up by multiple candles placed along the tables and walls. Sweetie Belle wasn't sure if the intended effect was dark solitude or warm closeness. It seemed to change depending on Twilight's mood.

     "Hey Twilight, are you in here?" Sweetie Belle trotted from the door, looking at the surrounding stacks of books for anything new or eye-catching.

     A bit of movement to her right caused Sweetie Belle to look over that way to see a stack of books floating through the doorway to the basement. They were followed a moment later by a purple-cloaked Unicorn, the soft glow of her horn emanating from beneath a hood. The figure set the books down on a table and looked over at Sweetie Belle. "Ah, Belle."

     Sweetie Belle smiled and trotted over. "Good morning! I've come because Rarity told me you got a new shipment of song books in!"

     Twilight Sparkle nodded. "Yes, one moment." Her horn shimmered beneath her hood, and from a box several tables behind and to the right of her three books lifted up and began floating towards the two ponies. At the same time a saddleback floated off a coat rack in the opposite direction and headed towards them. "I notice you don't have any bags on you. Use one of mine, you can return it later."

     "Gee, thanks Twilight!" Sweetie Belle slipped on the saddlebags, watching with some level of awe as the books floated into them. "Wow, you're really good with magic, aren't you?"

     "I'm fine with it, I guess." Twilight turned to go back down into the basement, before stopping. It was hard to tell with the hood up, but Sweetie Belle thought Twilight turned her head slightly back toward her. "If you want I could...teach you a few things. Just flashy stuff, for your shows and...stuff."

     Sweetie Belle gasped, moving forward to pull Twilight into a hug before trotting to the door. "Oh thank you! Thank you very much!"

    Outside the library, Sweetie Belle withdrew one of the books from its place and began to read it as she trotted along to nowhere in particular. As she did she just barely missed it as Rainbow Dash rolled across the road in front of her, wrestling a diamond dog. Blues, Cherry Coke, and Horte Cuisine stopped in their efforts to barricade the café's front door as she passed by it and watched Sweetie Belle.

          "Look there she goes that filly's so peculiar. Mind nowhere deep as a well."
                    With a dreamy far off look
                    Writing songs into a book
                    We hope she'll go far, that Belle."

     In the Ponyville Park, Sweetie Belle hopped up onto the edge of the fountain and sat down. Setting down her book for a moment, she sighed and looked around her. The town was busier than usual that day, she saw, although she had seen it busier. Thinking on this, the young filly considered the days everything had changed, months past.

          "Oh, it's just amazing. Since that night I got my cutie mark, you see.
          Fluttershy disappeared, and then Pinkie's leaving. It was horrible as can be..."

     Depressed by this direction of her thoughts, Sweetie Belle huffed and jumped back to the ground. Grabbing her song book she flipped to a new song and continued on.

     Inside a sandwich shop, Cheerilee looked out the window and noticed Sweetie Belle passing by. She turned back to Nurse Redheart across the table from her.
                    "Now she's developing into quite a beauty,
                     though next to Rarity there's no compare."

     Nurse Redheart nodded to this.
                    "Though behind that cute façade, she seems rather odd.
                    She's definitely a few bits short,
                    No denying she's a few bits short that Belle."

     Through the door of the sandwich shop Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon stepped out. "Wow," gushed Silver Spoon, practically prancing around the other pony. "You got that blank-flank in there to cry without Cheerilee noticing! You're the greatest, prettiest bul-er, demotivational speaker in the whole world!"

     "I know," was Diamond Tiara's simple reply.

     Silver Spoon continued on. "No bit of self-confidence stands a chance against you. Heh, and no blank-flank for that matter."

     "It's true, Silver Spoon." Diamond Tiara began trotting down the road, not doubting a moment the other pony would follow. "However, there's one thing my ability to make blank-flanks cry won't help me with. And that's her!"

     Silver Spoon looked to where Diamond Tiara was pointing and gasped. "What, Sweetie Belle?"

     "That's right, she's the one! The lucky filly I'm going to make my second friend!"

     "But she's-"

     "The most beautiful singer in town!"

     "I know, but-"

     "That makes her the best!" Diamond Tiara bonked Silver Spoon on the head, and then pulled her close. "And don't I deserve the best friends?!"

     "W-well of course, but...no wait, don't tell me you're about to si-"

                    "RIGHT frOm the MOment THAT I saw HeR, heard-"

     Glass all around the two fillies began shattering. Ponies and any wild animals running amuck in the streets instantly began rushing away, holding their ears in pain.
Before another broken line could pass through Diamond Tiara's lips, Sweetie Belle ran over and smacked her upside the head with her song book. The earth pony filly dropped like a sack of potatoes. "NO! I can't in good conscious allow you to continue...whatever you called that! Just...no!"

     Sweetie Belle turned around, huffed, and trotted away. Silver Spoon came out from her hiding place and helped a groaning Diamond Tiara to her hooves. "So...I guess the parody's over then?"

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A/N: Yes, yes it is.