Sweetie Belle turned to Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, saying, “Thanks for coming, you guys.”

Scootaloo looked around the auditorium, watching the ponies walking around buying things. “It’s no problem, Sweetie Belle. We’re happy to help.”

“Yeah,” said Apple Bloom. “This charity fundraiser yer doing for Ponyville Hospital has got a huge turnout.

“Ya seem almost like a different pony these days, Sweetie Belle. Every day after school ya go around and look for ponies to show some kindness and generosity to. I’m glad ya found your destiny and got yer cutie mark, but the Crusaders have sure missed you.”

“Got that right,” said Scootaloo. “It’s just not as fun without the three of us. But… I know we can’t stop you.”

Sweetie Belle looked down at the floor. “I’m sorry, you guys. I haven’t forgotten about you, but I’m not doing this just because I got my cutie mark.”

Apple Bloom put her hoof under Sweetie Belle’s chin, pushing until they were eye to eye. “Buck up, Sweetie Belle. We know. Yer doing it fer yer sister. To honor her memory. Why do you think we haven’t bothered ya about it?”

Tears dripped down her eyes as she hugged her friend. “I’m still sorry. Every day I just feel like I might break at any moment. Taking over where Rarity stopped is the only thing I can think of to get my mind off of the worst time of her life and focus on the best. I’ve never felt so much pain in my life.”

Scootaloo walked over and hugged her. “Come on, Sweetie Belle. Don’t cry. You’re doing great!”

A small grin came to her face at her friend’s unrelenting support. “What do you say tomorrow we hang out like we used to? It’s certainly a generous thing to help my best friends find their own destinies.”

“That’ll work.”

She let out a sigh as her small joy faded. “It’s hard to believe it’s already been a month. My mother hasn’t been feeling well lately. She’s been under a lot of stress. No matter how much pain I’m in I always smile around her so she won’t worry about me too. She’s taking comfort in the fact that I got my cutie mark and have been out helping others in memory of Rarity.

“I’m a bit worried about her baby. If she’s not careful she could lose it from not eating and sleeping.”

“I sure hope that doesn’t happen,” said Scootaloo. “I don’t know if you could handle it.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Sweetie Belle said, trying to sound aloof but not managing it. “Whether she lives or not I can’t stop what I’m doing. Rarity will always live on so long as I’m around to carry out her will.”

Twilight walked over to the group. “Hello, Sweetie Belle.”

She looked over, responding, “Hi, Twilight.”

“This is amazing. I heard that you were the one who set all this up.”

“I had a lot of help. Mayor Mare was the one who gave me permission and her assistants handled all the big stuff. I just went around and asked the Cakes and other ponies I know who are good at baking to donate food and stuff. Once this is all over I’ll count up all the bits and they’ll help me deliver it to the hospital.”

“I see you also got your cutie mark.”

She nodded, and explained its meaning. “Miss Cheerilee told me that Rarity will always be alive so long as there are others who use what they learned from her to better their own lives and the lives of others. I’ve been doing my best to live up to her standard. I don’t care much for dresses and fashion, and I stink at sewing, but being generous is pretty simple.”

Twilight’s eyes faded out for a moment. “A generosity cutie mark...”

Something about the way she said it piqued Sweetie Belle’s interest. “Twilight?”

“Hmm?” She shook her head. “It’s nothing.”

Sweetie Belle shrugged. “Is everyone else here?”

“Just about. Rainbow Dash is busy at her job, but Fluttershy, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie are here.”

“Would you mind helping out with the organization and the money counting? I know you’re good at that.”

“Sure!” Twilight responded with a smile. She started to walk away, but then turned back to the filly. “Sweetie Belle… I’d like to talk with you later.”

She said it with the same tone she had used before, and now Sweetie Belle knew it wasn’t just nothing. “Okay.”

Sweetie Belle felt a lot more comfortable having her friends there to help her out. To no one’s surprise the biggest contributions came from Pinkie Pie, who bought up about a quarter of all the cake’s and goodies by herself.

At the conclusion of the bake sale she met up with Twilight, who had meticulously counted every bit, double and triple and quadruple-checking the figures to make sure it was correct. Following that she and the mayor’s aide’s helped transport it to the hospital.

Sweetie Belle got a lot of praise from everyone for helping out others in need, which made her heart shine with pride, filling her with joy.

After leaving the hospital she went with Twilight back to the library. She tried asking Twilight what she wanted on the way there, but the mare wouldn’t respond to her. Twilight had a strange look on her face. She guessed she was just going to have to wait until they were alone.

When they arrived she asked Sweetie Belle to sit down, offering her a chair. “Okay,” said Sweetie Belle. “We’re here. Now would you please tell me what was so important?” Twilight was still giving her that strange look. “And why do you keep staring at me like that?”

“Sweetie Belle…,” started Twilight, “I… I need to ask you for a favor.”

“Sure. How can I help?”

“No! No, no, no. Don’t just say yes without knowing what it is. This is something huge! Monumental! It can’t just be decided on just like that.”

Sweetie Belle blinked. Twilight seemed unusually worked up. “Okay, then. Tell me what it is and then I’ll decide if I want to do it. Is that better?”

“Yes.” Turning away from the filly she began pacing back and forth. “I… I don’t know myself if this is the right thing to do. It could end up horribly. It might be more than you can handle. But this is a problem that needs to be resolved quickly before it has the chance to cause a great tragedy. And if we’re really lucky it might turn out that you won’t be needed after all.”

Sweetie Belle’s eyebrow went up. She was getting annoyed. “Would you just TELL me what you’re talking about instead of hinting about it?”

Twilight suddenly stopped her pacing, one hoof above the floor. She closed her eyes for a second, taking a deep breath. “Sweetie Belle… you want to take after your sister, do you not?”

“Yes! I already explained that to you. Get to the point already!”

“The fact of the matter is you’re a little too young for this, but at the same time I’d rather rely on someone we already know and we’re close to. That’s the best course. Princess Celestia was the first, but she won’t always be close by. We need someone who lives in Ponyville.” Her horn glowed red as she lifted up a glass case. Lifting her hoof she picked something up that Sweetie Belle couldn’t see from her position.

“Sweetie Belle… you’ve taken on Rarity’s spirit. You’ve gone out of your way to be generous to others, without expecting anything in return but their gratitude. You’re quickly becoming the talk of Ponyville, and you truly honor what Rarity stood for. You’ve now got your cutie mark, and embody the spirit of generosity.” She turned around, levitating the Element of Generosity. “For the good of Equestria… and as Rarity’s little sister who has taken on her will… will you take this Element of Generosity and serve as an Equestrian protector?”

Sweetie Belle blinked again, sure she had misheard that. “W-what did you say?” Her chest felt cold. “You… you didn’t really just… just ask me… ME… to become an element bearer, did you?”

“I understand your reluctance, but as of this time there is no else I can think of to ask. Without the Elements of Harmony we’re defenseless if a powerful magical foe like Nightmare Moon or King Sombra comes about. I know that this is a gigantic responsibility I’m asking for, which is why I know you’ll need time to consider it.”

Sweetie Belle was having trouble breathing. “B-b-but what am I supposed to do in an attack? All of you can fight and fly and do magic. I can’t even use any magic. And I’m just a filly. They’d come after me first just because I’m the weakest. This is crazy!”

“If you’re lucky you’ll only have to use it once. There is one specific thing I’d like you to use it on, and there won’t be any danger at all. It just requires a magical power stronger than we can manage.”

Sweetie Belle lifted her legs, taking the Element in her hooves. She looked uncertainly at it. “Rarity…” Tears came to her eyes as she thought of all the trouble that had arisen from this little piece of jewelry. The thought of wearing the same element her sister had worn, and possibly helping to save all of Equestria was an idea too big for the filly to digest properly. She just couldn’t picture it. She looked up at Twilight, asking, “What do you mean that if I’m lucky I’ll only have to use it once?”

“I can’t explain that to you yet. This is something you have to decide to do of your own free will. If I tell you now it could taint your decision and turn a generous act into one done out of greed. And even if you do decide to do it, there is no guarantee that it will turn out the way I’d like. It might be impossible for the best result to occur. Truth be told… it’s a selfish thing for us to want.”

Sweetie Belle didn’t feel in the mood to argue. “Okay… so, um… what do you want to use the Elements on, anyway?”

“Discord.”

“WHAT?” the filly shouted. “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?” She threw the Element down on the ground as hard as she could. “He killed my sister. He practically blackmailed me in exchange for her life. He brainwashed me. And now you want to release him AGAIN? Nothing doing! He can rot in his stone prison for all I care!” She hopped out of her seat. “Feh! What a waste of my time!”

“Sweetie Belle!” came the sharp voice of Twilight. “Get back here and sit down! I’m not done with you yet!”

She kept walking for a few more steps, then rounded on the mare, ready to unleash a verbal tirade. She stopped when she saw Twilight looked miserable, not angry or confrontational. She hesitated for a few more seconds, then returned back to her seat.

“Sweetie Belle… it wasn’t Discord’s fault that Rarity died. It was ours.”

“What are you talking about?” She gripped the sides of her seat hard.

“Except for Fluttershy, all of us played a role in Discord’s slipping back into his old ways. He showed that simply having a friend was enough to get him to reign in his chaotic behaviors. It was only when Fluttershy genuinely said she ended her friendship that he began getting truly mad. In friendship and your relationships with others you only get what you give. Fluttershy treated him with kindness, and it finally got Discord to respond in kind. We each treated Discord with scorn and distrust, so he felt those same things in regards to us.

"Him and Fluttershy truly enjoyed their friendship with each other, but Discord knew Fluttershy was also friends with us. If it came down to conflicting loyalties he felt pretty sure that she would give in to us pressuring her. Thus, he always felt a fear of being sealed away again. That’s why he wouldn’t just help Rarity, even though he knew it would make Fluttershy sad when she died. When you offered him the Element he was more than willing to make the trade because it would give him an eternal sense of security.”

“That doesn’t make what Discord did right!”

“You’re correct, Sweetie Belle… but what you did wasn’t a shining example of morality either,” she replied with a bit of sternness. “You came within a hair of betraying the world.”

Sweetie Belle averted her eyes, her anger gone. “Well… you’re right… about that.” The same guilt she had had before surfaced.

Twilight felt bad now. Walking over she placed a hoof on Sweetie Belle’s shoulder. “Look, Sweetie Belle. I didn’t say that to hurt you. I just wanted to remind you that we all make mistakes. In the end you changed your mind and tried your hardest to make amends by running away and then swapping out the real Element for a fake one. We forgave you for it and life moved on. Discord made a huge error, and paid for it. But now it’s time to give him another chance.

“You don’t know this, but the other four of us have taken to following Fluttershy’s example. We’re been visiting Discord whenever we have spare time to share with him the events of the day. When the time comes that he is freed again we want to be sure he’s going to be an ally this time. If he doesn’t feel threatened he’ll know he has more wiggle room and won’t have to resort to brainwashing to be friends.

Twilight turned around, pacing a little. “I know that you’re going to need some time to decide. As I said before this is something that we can’t force on you. The Element won’t work if you don’t truly want it too.

“In regards to battles with powerful opponents all of us would do our best to keep you safe and in the back. The opponent, if they don’t know about the Elements power, would simply see you as a weakling unworthy of their attention. They’d come after the adults first, so you shouldn’t be too worried if it comes down to it.

“Again, though… this is a choice only you can make. I can make the request, but if I push you into doing it through bribing or yelling or guilt-tripping or any other means of coercion it wouldn’t do any good. Your heart must be in it. That being said, if you don’t want to do it then you’re free to leave. I don’t mean you have to leave right now if you refuse. I’m saying that I’ll respect your decision whichever way it goes. If you say no then we’ll have to find someone else to wield it, so I don’t want you to feel pressured into accepting, like you’re the only pony in the world who could be the new wielder.”

Sweetie Belle looked down at the Element of Generosity. Conflicting feelings and emotions were running through her. Taking up Rarity’s mantle in regards to doing good deeds for others was one thing, but being expected to save the world was another. Twilight did have a point that she would be the least likely to be attacked, but they could always use her as a hostage as well.

There was something more to this, and she couldn’t figure out what. Twilight had mentioned that, if they were lucky, she’d only have to use the Element once. It made sense. If she freed Discord and he remained friendly they wouldn’t have to use the Elements again to seal him away. And if no other evil villains attacked then they wouldn’t need to use the Elements for that either. It all made perfect sense… but then why wouldn’t Twilight just say that if that was the case?

Twilight was hiding something from her, and she had even admitted that there was something more behind her request than simply letting Discord out of the stone. There had to be something they specifically wanted Discord to do once he was free, but she couldn’t figure out what. The Elements had proven to be stronger than him, so what could he do that the Elements couldn’t? Though she strained her brain she couldn’t think of an explanation.

After a while she got up, handing the Element back to Twilight. “I can’t do it. No… right now I don’t WANT to do it. I’m still mad at Discord for what he did, and I’m not ready to put my life at risk for Equestria. I need more time.”

Twilight simply nodded. “I understand. Take all the time you need. As I told you before I’ll accept whatever decision you make, Sweetie Belle.”

Sweetie Belle returned home in a daze. She still couldn’t believe that Twilight was trying to saddle her with such a gigantic responsibility. She was still in Elementary school! She knew she wasn’t just a kid anymore, either. She wanted to take after Rarity in all the ways she could, but the thought of actually putting on her sister’s Element and protecting all of Equestria… of possibly having a mural in Celestia’s palace on one of her stained glass windows… it was still so far above what she could picture.

She felt like her brain was breaking. Between Rarity’s illness, deciding what to do about Discord’s offer, dealing with her emotions and stress following Rarity’s death, and now Twilight’s offer… she just felt her brain had reached its limit. Her thoughts shut down, and she felt like she teleported when she suddenly was at her house with no recollection of traversing the space in-between.

Walking into her house she went to check up on her mother. She was shaken out of her stupor by the sound of a scream and cries of pain. Her heart began racing immediately as panic clutched her heart. That was definitely her mother. She had lost her sister. She wasn’t going to lose her mother too.

“MOM!” she yelled as she ran into her mother’s room. She saw her mother on her bed, her father right next to her. Her mother’s face was beet red and she was sweating, looking in intense pain.

“Sweetie Belle!” said her dad. “I need you to stay with your mother while I go to the hospital. Your mother’s going into labor.”

That statement brought tears to her eyes. A sense of euphoria she hadn’t felt since before Rarity’s passing overtook her. It was finally time. In a short time she’d finally get to meet her new sister. She felt hope springing forth within her.

Next Chapter: Chapter 11: In memorial Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 56 Minutes