three weeks later

Sweetie Belle sat in her room in her parents' house looking blankly up at the ceiling. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt an emotion other than sorrow but every now and again she would try.

She had been kept out of school for the past three weeks as her parents didn't feel that interaction with other ponies was a good thing right now. She didn't argue but she missed Apple Bloom and Scootaloo very much.

She hadn't cried about Rarity's death for a week now. She didn't feel that she had any more tears to shed, nor would she for a long while. She suspected that all of the ponies who had known Rarity were feeling something similar. She didn't know how long it would be before any of them began to move on from what had happened. It was just so sudden for all of them. One day Rarity was hanging out with them without a single care in the world and the next they were watching her execution.

At that moment, Sweetie Belle heard a knock on her door. She gave a tiny grunt to show that she was in the room and her parents opened the door. Both looked sadly at her as she stared at the ceiling. She didn't even bother to look towards them when they entered the room.

"Sweetie Belle," said her father. "Your mother and I have decided that you should go back to school today. We want you to try to begin to...to get back to something resembling a normal life if at all possible."

"Is that the reason or do you need me out of the house so you can expand your range a bit when you look for jobs?" asked Sweetie Belle. True to Twilight's assumptions, her parents had indeed been fired when their bosses had discovered that they were the parents of the deadliest serial killer in Equestrian history.

"It's both really," admitted her father.

"Why do you need to?" she asked. "We have Rarity's money, we can live off of that for a long time."

"Actually...we don't," said her father.

"Why not?"

"Well, before Rarity...died, she filled out her will. I know that she told you that she was leaving you everything and that is exactly what she did. We can't access her money and neither can you until you turn 14."

"So it's just going to sit in a bank for six years before I can access it?" said Sweetie Belle. Her father nodded.

"But we're getting a bit off topic here," he said. "We need you to get ready for school right now."

"They'll hate me," said Sweetie Belle. "They'll all hate me."

"You can't know that unless you go," said her mother, trying her best to sound supportive.

"What if they beat me up?" asked Sweetie Belle nervously. "What if...what if I try to fight back and..."

"That's not going to happen!" said Sweetie Belle's father sternly. "You won't get beaten up!"

"What makes you so sure?"

"We talked to Cheerilee before we made our decision about this," said her mother. "She's going to be keeping a close eye on you to make sure that you don't get hurt."

"Okay, I guess that means that they'll just limit it to heavy verbal abuse then," said Sweetie Belle blankly. Sweetie Belle's parents looked at each other helplessly.

"You don't know that," said her mother.

"Don't gimmie that," said Sweetie Belle. "I've heard you two talking to each other about how ponies on the street treat you. We are three of the most reviled ponies in Equestria right now."

It was true. Life for Sweetie Belle and her remaining family members had gone even more downhill once Princess Celestia had made Rarity's deeds public knowledge. It was immediately the scandal of the century. A wielder of an Element of Harmony was secretly the deadliest serial killer in Equestrian history. It was still in the newspapers these days, often consisting of gossip and rumors as well as interviews with the family members of Rarity's victims. Sweetie Belle had largely ignored stuff like that.

Sweetie Belle's father looked sadly at her.

"What do you want to do then?" he asked. Sweetie Belle sat up and got up off her bed. It was 7:00; class would be starting in an hour.

"I'll go," she said.

Sweetie Belle slowed her step as her school came into view. She tried to mentally prepare for the horrors that were to come when the foals in the schoolyard saw her coming up the road. Right now they were at recess and they looked so happy. Sweetie Belle desperately wished that she could have even a small fraction of that happiness and innocence at that moment.

When she approached the school yard, a few fillies saw her coming through the gate. They immediately stopped playing and stared at her. Sweetie Belle glanced up at them but she largely ignored them otherwise. There were only two fillies that she wanted to see right now.

Little by little, the foals playing in the schoolyard saw Sweetie Belle amongst them and they stopped what they were doing and just stared at her. Sweetie Belle heard some of them whispering amongst themselves but she didn't bother to listen in on them. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, she needed to find Apple Bloom and Scootaloo.

She scanned the school yard and finally her eyes caught a flash of orange. She looked in that direction to see Scootaloo and Apple Bloom staring intently at her, just as the rest of them were. She took a deep breath and walked up to them.

"H...hi there Sweetie Belle," said Apple Bloom nervously.

"Hi Apple Bloom," replied Sweetie Belle. "Hi Scootaloo."

Scootaloo didn't return the greeting. She merely stared at Sweetie Belle. She was horrified to see a look of pure contempt on her face.

"Why are you here?" asked Scootaloo. "What gives you the nerve to think that you can just come up to me like nothing has happened?"

"Scootaloo-" began Sweetie Belle but Scootaloo cut her off.

"You know what your butcher of a sister did to me, right?" she asked. Sweetie Belle looked at the ground and nodded.

"I know that she..." Sweetie Belle couldn't find the strength to finish it.

"She killed my parents," said Scootaloo with a nod. "She just waltzed into my home and murdered them!"

"But I didn't-"

"Do you realize what my life has been like because of that? Do you know what I've missed out on? Does it matter to you at all that I had to grow up without parents who cared about me, who loved me more than anything, who would have been there to tuck me in at night or comfort me after a hard day? I SHOULD HAVE HAD THAT BUT BECAUSE OF YOUR SISTER I HAD TO GROW UP IN AN ORPHANAGE!"

Sweetie Belle began shaking but no tears fell.

"But I didn't have anything to do with that!" she said sadly. Scootaloo kept staring angrily at Sweetie Belle, never moving her piercing gaze. She stood up and began walking towards the school entrance.

"Don't ever come near me again," she said bitterly. Sweetie Belle ran up to Scootaloo and blocked her from going any farther.

"Scootaloo! Please don't-"

All of a sudden Sweetie Belle was knocked back as an orange hoof connected with the side of her head. She fell to the ground, blood squirting from her muzzle.

"I said don't come near me ever again," said Scootaloo. With that, Scootaloo ran out of the school yard.

Sweetie Belle sat on the ground with the entire school watching her and blood pouring from her muzzle. She didn't know what to do right now. She had expected Scootaloo to be resentful on some level but that...that was too much for her to bear. She began shaking on the ground, wishing that something would happen to make the pain of Scootaloo's rejection go away.

She looked up to see Apple Bloom looking down sadly at her.

"I suppose you want to tell me the same thing," said Sweetie Belle.

"Oh Sweetie Belle, I would never!" said Apple Bloom. "I'll never blame you for what your sister did."

"You would in Scootaloo's position," said Sweetie Belle sadly. Apple Bloom sighed and put a hoof on Sweetie Belle's shoulder.

"Maybe I would," she said. "But I don't aim to play the 'what if' game right now. I know that ya need me right now so I'm gonna be here for ya. Scootaloo will come around too, just you wait."

"But what if she doesn't?" asked Sweetie Belle. "What if she hates me forever?"

"If I know Scootaloo, she won't." said Apple Bloom. "To be honest, it may take years for her to realize that you didn't have anythin' to do with her parents."

Sweetie Belle sadly nodded and stared at the ground. Apple Bloom looked up and realized that the entire school yard was watching them.

"I don't recall this bein' a freak show!" she said angrily. "You all just go away right now!"

"Why should we?" asked a familiar snide voice in the crowd. "How does she even get the nerve to come here anyway?"

"Diamond Tiara, how could you say a thing like that!" said another familiar voice. Sweetie Belle looked up to see a livid Cheerilee looking at Diamond Tiara.

"'Well I'm right aren't I?" said Diamond Tiara. "Why does she think that she can just waltz back here and pretend like nothing had happened when her sister butchered half of Ponyville?"

"She did not!" said Sweetie Belle angrily.

"She might as well have," retorted Silver Spoon. "My daddy told me all about her little basement. Word on the street is that the royal guards who found it had to take time off to recover from what they saw."

"That is enough you two!" said Cheerilee angrily. "One more word out of you and I swear that I'll ban you from recess for the rest of the school year!" Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon continued to glare at Sweetie Belle but they kept her mouth shut. "Now I want everypony to listen to me right now!" said Cheerilee. "If I find out that any of you have been saying nasty things to or about Sweetie Belle because of what happened recently I will give you the punishment that I just mentioned. Is that clear to everypony?"

The crowd murmured an agreement.

"Good," said Cheerilee with a nod. "Now if everypony could go inside, it's time for class to start."

The crowd of foals muttered to themselves and each other but they filed into the classroom all the same. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom began walking in too, but they were quickly stopped by Cheerilee.

"Can I talk to you for a moment Sweetie Belle?" she asked kindly. Sweetie Belle nodded and the two walked over to her office in a back room of the school. When they were inside, Cheerilee sat down at her desk and pulled a chair up so Sweetie Belle could sit down too. The room was silent for a moment.

"Are you okay?" asked Cheerilee. Sweetie Belle shook her head.

"No," she said bitterly. "I'm pretty far from okay. I haven't been okay since Rarity tucked me in and sang me to sleep mere moments before they arrested her. I don't think that I'll ever be okay ever again."

Cheerilee looked sadly at Sweetie Belle and took a deep breath before responding.

"If you ever need anypony to talk to, think of my office as a safe place you can come," she said. Sweetie Belle nodded.

"You can't protect me though," she said.

"Protect you from what?"

"Hate," said Sweetie Belle simply. "They all hate me and fear me for something my sister did. They'll hate and fear me for the rest of my life! You can't stop that, nopony can stop that!"

"You don't know that!" said Cheerilee.

"Okay then Miss Cheerilee, what do you think is going to happen to me?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"I...I don't know," said Cheerilee sadly. "I don't know what is going to happen to you going forward Sweetie Belle. But I can promise you that as long as I am in charge of this school, you will not endure any hatred while I am watching. You will have Apple Bloom and Scootaloo to help you through this too!"

"No I won't," said Sweetie Belle. Cheerilee cocked her head slightly.

"What makes you say that?" she asked.

"Did you know that Rarity killed Scootaloo's parents?" asked Sweetie Belle. Cheerilee's jaw dropped slightly.

"N...no I didn't," she said.

"I talked to Scootaloo today and she told me to never come near her again. She punched me in the face when I tried to talk to her some more and ran off."

"Oh Sweetie Belle," said Cheerilee softly. Sweetie Belle could tell that she was absolutely heartbroken upon hearing this news.

"She blames me for what Rarity did when we were both tiny fillies!" said Sweetie Belle. "It isn't fair!"

"I don't think she blames you," said Cheerilee.

"She does!" said Sweetie Belle. "You should have seen the look of pure contempt she was giving me this morning! She doesn't want anything to do with me anymore!"

"But you didn't know what Rarity was doing!" said Cheerilee. Sweetie Belle paused for a brief moment. She almost wanted to tell Cheerilee that she knew full well that Rarity was a serial killer long before she was caught. She wanted to tell her that she had been down in Rarity's basement as Rarity sliced Scarlet Tomatoes' ears off before Rarity stabbed her in the leg, severing her femoral artery. Instead she merely remained silent. Cheerilee stood up and walked towards the door.

"I have to get class started for the day. If you want to just go home, you are free to leave."

Sweetie Belle nodded but she stood up and followed Cheerilee back into the classroom.

Class was just like Sweetie Belle remembered it. Cheerilee stood up and lectured to the class about different subjects at different times. It was very much routine for Sweetie Belle. However, she really wasn't paying much attention to anything that Cheerilee said. She merely stared at the wall behind Cheerilee, waiting for class to be over so she could go home for the day and shut herself in her room once more. Apple Bloom had noticed her demeanor and had promised to copy her notes for Sweetie Belle so she wouldn't miss out on anything important.

"...swelling her lips to twice their normal size," said Cheerilee before she glanced at the clock. "Okay class, that's probably a good place to stop for right now. We'll break for recess and be back here in 30 minutes. See you then!"

The foals all stood up from their desks and eagerly filed out of the room, hoping to get outside for a brief window of sweet, sweet freedom from the boring lectures of their teacher. However, Sweetie Belle merely walked to a corner of the school yard and sat down, staring at a small section of the woods that was nearby. Apple Bloom walked up to her and sat down next to her.

"Is there anythin' I can do to help you?" she asked. Sweetie Belle shook her head. "What can I do?"

"I dunno," she said.

"Should I talk to Scootaloo for ya?" she asked.

"Speaking of which, where is Scoots anyway?" asked a familiar voice. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom looked up to see Rainbow Dash perched on a fence post a few feet in front of them.

"She ran off," said Apple Bloom.

"Why?" asked Rainbow Dash quizzically.

"Because she never wants to be near me again," said Sweetie Belle sadly.

"What!? Why not!?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Take a guess," said Sweetie Belle bitterly. Rainbow Dash gave a frustrated groan.

"She blames you for what Rarity did, doesn't she?" Sweetie Belle nodded.

"She told me to never come near her ever again. She punched me in the face when I tried to stop her to talk to her."

"Aww, Scootaloo," said Rainbow Dash quietly.

"Can you go talk to her for us?" asked Apple Bloom.

"Of course I can!" said Rainbow Dash. "I'll get on that right away!"

"Thanks Rainbow Dash," said Sweetie Belle.

"Anytime kid," said Rainbow before she flew off.

"See," said Apple Bloom comfortingly. "Rainbow Dash is gonna go and talk some sense into Scootaloo. She'll begin to heal from this." Sweetie Belle merely shrugged.

"Well, if it isn't the mini psycho here with her hick buddy," said a nasty voice from behind them. The two turned around to see Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara behind them.

"Go away!" said Apple Bloom angrily.

"Or what?" asked Diamond Tiara nastily.

"I'll tell Miss Cheerilee on you!" said Apple Bloom.

"Gonna be the rat?" said Silver Spoon.

"Now look girls, I know that we kind of hate each other, but pickin' on her for this is beyond cruelty! Just leave her alone!" said Apple Bloom.

"Hey Sweetie Belle, is it true that your sister murdered Scootaloo's parents?" said Diamond Tiara.

"Isn't that just tragic?" said Silver Spoon mockingly.

"Shut up," said Sweetie Belle.

"Or what? You gonna follow in your sister's footsteps and drag us down into some basement to cut us up?" said Diamond Tiara.

"SHUT UP!" said Sweetie Belle.

"Face it Sweetie Belle," said Diamond Tiara nastily. "Your sister was the most evil pony in the history of Equestria. I'm glad that she's dead and if you had any sense in you, you would be too!"

That did it. With a snarl of rage that would have frightened Celestia herself, Sweetie Belle tackled Diamond Tiara to the ground and began beating the living daylights out of her. Each blow to Diamond Tiara's head felt...marvelous.

"I'm gonna rip you apart piece by piece!" screeched Sweetie Belle. "You're going to wish that your mother had never given birth to you by the time that I'm through tearing your very soul apart!"

Diamond Tiara was screaming in pain and Silver Spoon had long since run to go get Cheerilee. Apple Bloom rushed over to Sweetie Belle and began trying to pull her off of Diamond Tiara. In her rage, Sweetie Belle pushed Apple Bloom away, knocking her into a fence and knocking the wind out of her. She turned back to Diamond Tiara whose face was almost an unrecognizable mess. She grabbed Diamond Tiara's tiara and snapped it in half before throwing the pieces as far as she could. Diamond Tiara looked up at Sweetie Belle with fear in her eyes, whimpering pathetically.

"SWEETIE BELLE GET OFF OF HER AT ONCE!" said Cheerilee angrily. Sweetie Belle looked up to see Cheerilee walking towards Sweetie Belle with a sobbing Silver Spoon walking behind her.

Sweetie Belle's eyes widened as she came back to her senses. She got off of Diamond Tiara, who promptly stood up and rushed over to Cheerilee and wrapped her forelegs around one of Cheerilee's legs and began sobbing hysterically.

"Oh Luna, what have I done?" whispered Sweetie Belle. She looked over to Apple Bloom who was still trying to catch her breath.

"Sweetie Belle," said Cheerilee crossly. "Would you mind explaining this to me?"

"I...I'm a monster," said Sweetie Belle quietly. Diamond Tiara turned her head to look at Sweetie Belle.

"N-n-n-no d-duh!" she said.

"Diamond Tiara that's enough," said Cheerilee. Diamond Tiara leaned her head against Cheerilee's leg and cried into it.

"Sweetie Belle," said Cheerilee. "Sweetie Belle I need you to look at me." Sweetie Belle looked up at Cheerilee and met her gaze. "What happened?"

"She said that my sister was evil and that she was glad that she was dead and that if I had any sense then I would be glad that Rarity is dead too."

Cheerilee looked down at Diamond Tiara in shock. She pulled her foreleg out of Diamond Tiara's grasp and gave her a look of disgust.

"Is that true?" she asked.

"No Miss Cheerilee, it isn't true!" said Diamond Tiara desperately.

"Yes it is!" said Apple Bloom, who had regained her breath and was walking over to join the conversation. "Why else would she attack her like that?"

"Because she's a psycho, just like her sister!" said Diamond Tiara.

"DIAMOND TIARA THAT IS ENOUGH!" yelled Cheerilee. She looked around at the four frightened fillies and took a deep breath. "I want all four of you to come with me to my office so we can get this straightened out. Now.

The four fillies merely nodded and followed Cheerilee to her office.

When they were inside, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon sat down on the two chairs in front of Cheerilee's desk while Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle stood. Cheerilee sat behind her desk and looked at the four fillies before taking a deep breath.

"Now what happened?" she asked.

"She attacked me!" said Diamond Tiara, pointing an accusatory hoof at Sweetie Belle.

"Why did she attack you?" asked Cheerilee.

"I told you, it's because she's a psychotic nutcase like her sister! She told me that she was going to rip me apart piece by piece!" Cheerilee turned to look at Sweetie Belle.

"Is that true?" she asked. Sweetie Belle paused for a moment before she nodded. "Why did you say that to her?"

"I...I was just so angry," she said sadly. "It was like I couldn't help myself! I'm so sorry for what I said Diamond Tiara!"

"Apology NOT accepted, freak!" spat Diamond Tiara.

"Diamond Tiara I will not allow you to speak that way to one of my students!" said Cheerilee. "Now, why don't you tell me why she attacked you like that!"

'I don't know!" said Diamond Tiara.

"Okay then, let me say this out loud, just to make sure that I have all of the facts straight. Correct the story when I get something wrong. You and Silver Spoon were at recess, minding your own business when Sweetie Belle suddenly dragged you to the corner of the school yard, where mere moments before she had been sitting quietly, and began beating you up?"

"Well-"

"Because the only way that you could have gotten over there was if she dragged you over there herself! She had no reason to go anywhere near you and vice-versa! So who came up to who first?" Diamond Tiara sat in silence, knowing she was caught in her lie. Cheerilee nodded grimly. "Well, I can imagine that you really did say that to Sweetie Belle. What in Equestria possessed you to do that?"

"Because her sister was evil," mumbled Diamond Tiara.

"Why is that Sweetie Belle's fault?" she asked. "Why do you feel the need to exacerbate the insane amount of grief she is going through when you don't even know all of the facts!?" Diamond Tiara sat in silence and Cheerilee shook her head. "Silver Spoon, Diamond Tiara, both of you are banned from recess for the rest of the year. I am also suspending you for a week."

"But Miss Cheerilee-"

"I suggest the two of you go home before you do something else you'll regret later!" said Cheerilee angrily. The two fillies stood up and left the office without another word. Cheerilee looked towards Sweetie Belle with a sad look in her eyes. "I'm sorry Sweetie Belle, but I'm afraid that I'm going to have to give you the same punishment."

"I know," said Sweetie Belle. "I just...I just got so mad when she started disrespecting Rarity like that!"

"Sweetie Belle, you have to understand that the whole town has been deeply affected by this," said Cheerilee gently. "For some ponies that comes out in very nasty ways.

"I do understand," said Sweetie Belle. "But why did she have to say that?"

"Because she's a cruel, spoiled, selfish, narcissistic brat that has probably never been punished for anything she has ever done in her life and as such she didn't expect consequences for saying those things either," said Cheerilee bluntly. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom looked at Cheerilee in shock. "What?" she said. "I'm not an idiot. She's a nasty little filly who frankly deserved what she got."

"But you said violence was never the answer!" said Sweetie Belle.

"And that is still true," said Cheerilee. "I wish you hadn't done it and it was the wrong thing for you to do. I wish that you had simply come and told me what happened."

"I know," said Sweetie Belle sadly. "And I wish that I could take the whole thing back."

"I know you do," said Cheerilee. "And I want you to understand that you are not a monster! You are simply trying your best to deal with an event that almost no one in the history of Equestria has ever had to deal with at a very young age. I don't expect you to be perfect right now."

"Are you sad Miss Cheerilee?" asked Sweetie Belle quietly. Cheerilee nodded.

"I am extremely sad Sweetie Belle," she said quietly. "I was her first friend in school and she was one of mine as well. To know what happened only a few hours after we met and why was...tough, to say the least." Sweetie Belle nodded softly. Cheerilee cleared her throat after a few moments. "Well, I'm sorry Sweetie Belle, but I need you to go home right now. Apple Bloom, you can go back to recess."

The fillies nodded and walked out the office door.

Scootaloo sat under a tree not far from the Crusaders' clubhouse. She knew that Applejack wouldn't be bucking these apple trees for a while so she knew that she would be undisturbed. She looked at the sky above her and remembered the events just a few hours prior.

How in Equestria did Sweetie Belle have the nerve to come near her after what her sister did to her parents? Why did she think that they could still be friends after that!? Did she really understand what it meant for Scootaloo to be an orphan, wondering each day when your next meal would be or where you were going to find a place to sleep? Well Scootaloo did have to experience that and it was all Rarity's fault!

She continued looking up at the sky, wishing desperately that she could fly away from all of this. Maybe she would have better luck in Cloudsdale around Rainbow Dash. Maybe she could get a job at the weather factory or something.

At that moment, a familiar streak of Rainbow came flying across the sky. Scootaloo actually managed a small smile as her idol spotted her and flew down next to her.

"Hey Squirt, how are you doing?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Absolutely terrible," said Scootaloo dryly. "How are you doing?" Rainbow shook her head and held up a hoof.

"I'm not here for small talk," she said. "I'm here to ask you why you abandoned Sweetie Belle." Scootaloo shot Rainbow Dash a glare.

"Because her sister murdered my parents!" she said angrily.

"How is that her fault?" retorted Rainbow Dash. "Why are you punishing her for something that she had nothing to do with?"

"Because every time I look at her I see that butcher she called a sister!" said Scootaloo. Rainbow Dash flinched a bit at the term but recovered quickly.

"But she didn't do anything wrong!" said Rainbow Dash.

"I don't care," said Scootaloo bitterly. "I still feel...betrayed. I mean, don't you?"

"What do you mean?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Don't you feel betrayed because the pony that you thought that you knew so well, that you saw as part of your family, turned out to be a serial killer?" asked Scootaloo. Rainbow Dash looked sadly at the ground before walking over to sit next to Scootaloo.

"Scootaloo...I feel more betrayed than you can possibly imagine," she said. "Sweetie Belle is like a sister to you but in the end, you know full well that she didn't do anything. Well, Rarity was like a sister to me and she did do something. She...she killed one of my best friends in the world and hung her pelt on the wall like some sort of sick trophy!" Scootaloo's eyes widened and Rainbow Dash began crying. "Even if we did have a falling out, she was still one of my best friends. There were a lot of times in my life that I wouldn't have gotten through if it wasn't for the support that Gilda gave me and with one fell swoop Rarity snuffed her life out."

"Do you hate her?" asked Scootaloo. Rainbow Dash shrugged.

"Part of me wants to hate her but another part of me just wants to remember the Rarity that I knew and loved like family. I'm not sure which side is winning to be honest."

"But you're the Element of Loyalty!" said Scootaloo.

"And that's the only reason that there's a battle in the first place," said Rainbow. "If I wasn't such a loyal pony then I would have no problems hating her for the rest of my life." Rainbow Dash had to take a deep breath before continuing. "But I'm not here to talk about that, I'm here to talk about you and Sweetie Belle." Scootaloo looked away from Rainbow Dash and back to the ground.

"Why?" she said blankly.

"Because she needs you!" said Rainbow. "Whatever you are feeling right now, she's feeling it too. She had to watch her sister die in front of her because she was a serial killer. I don't know a single pony that would handle that without serious help from her best buddies in the whole world."

"But her sister killed my parents!"

"The key word being 'sister', Scootaloo," said Rainbow. "It isn't fair to Sweetie Belle if you punish her for something her sister did that she had no control over, especially when she needs you the most!"

"I just don't know how I can bear to look at her," said Scootaloo.

"Scoots, I'm not saying that the scars are gonna heal right away," said Rainbow Dash. "I know that the scars from all of this will take years to heal for all of us, you especially. Me and the others lost a friend, you lost the two ponies who were supposed to help you through these stages of your life."

"But it isn't Sweetie Belle's fault," said Scootaloo. Rainbow Dash nodded.

"Exactly," she said. "She needs you and frankly, you need her right now too. The Cutie Mark Crusaders are going to all need the help of each other if you are going to make it through this."

Scootaloo nodded before her bottom lip began to quiver. Rainbow Dash pulled her into a hug and Scootaloo began softly crying. Rainbow stroked the mane of her #1 fan and did her best to calm her down.

"Shhh," she said soothingly. "It's gonna be okay Scootaloo. I don't know when or how, but I promise you that it'll be okay."