We Will Never Stop Our Journey

Sweetie Bell faced the audience in front her, clad in a sparkling dress designed by her older sister, her heart thumping in her chest, still wondering exactly how she had found herself in this situation. When her teacher Ms. Cheerilee had cornered her after class, begging her to take an important solo in the class production of their new play, she had pulled every card she could think of to get out of it. She cited obligation to Rarity, total disinterest, the fact that her friends would want the part more and even so much as saying that she was just too scared, but each of the excuses were countered quickly. Finally it had come to Ms. Cheerilee pulling what was, in her mind, a totally unfair trick.
“Sweetie Bell, please. Lyra wrote this song especially with you in mind to sing it; you don’t want to disappoint her, do you?”
It was mean, sneaky, and underhanded, and it worked like a charm. Faced with the potential of actually disappointing someone, Sweetie Bell hesitantly agreed to sing a song. It wasn’t until first rehearsal that she learned that it would amount to the finale of the entire performance.
At rehearsals, Sweetie even tried to pretend she couldn’t do it, but her natural talent at singing wouldn’t let her do so terribly. She’d asked Rarity what to do, and her older sister just told her that she was suffering from stage fright, a totally natural reaction, but that she would be just fine. She then went off into some story about feeling the same way but Sweetie Bell tuned her out. Sure Rarity was very pretty, and designed dresses like no one else could, but her stories could just get so BORING!
Applebloom said that her older sister was the same way.
But it wasn’t stage fright. Sweetie Bell WANTED this. She wanted to get up on stage and sing this song. It was the perfect range for her, well written, and would be beautiful.
And that was the problem. She knew what that kind of desire meant, and where it would lead.
THAT, the potential outcome, was what scared her.
So it was with great trepidation that she raised her muzzle to the microphone as the first notes of “Sun and Moon together again” began. Once she started singing, she managed to lose herself in the song, the swelling of the notes and her own showmanship putting passion into the heartfelt words of the song.
By the time she reached the final bridge, only a few notes left, her heart lifted. She’d done it! The song was almost over and IT hadn’t happened! So lost in the joy she felt that she surrendered herself to the sheer joy of her performance, the feel of the vibrations in her chest, the faces of the audience…
The tingling sensation on her flanks…
Oh no…
The coos and proud whispers among the audience confirmed her suspicions, and as she drew a breath for the last belted note, she chanced a look at Scootaloo and Applebloom, who stared at her, mouths agape, shock and… hurt… clear on their faces.
She could feel tears running down her cheeks as she finished her song, and took a bow to the thunderous applause, her face staying pointed straight ahead, not even glancing back to confirm what she knew just happened. When the house lights rose, she dashed from the room almost as fast as Scootaloo’s idol Rainbow Dash could fly, hot tears coursing down her cheeks. She was fairly certain, as she ran, that no pony had ever cried this hard when they got their cutie mark.
Rarity had been standing towards the back with her close circle of friends, hearts in her eyes as she watched her little sister perform, and a happy gasp escaped her when she saw the marks appearing. Surely Sweetie Bell would be over the moon at… confusion took over as she saw the heartbreak on her sister’s face, and the tears coursing down her face. She turned to glance at her friends who seemed as confused as she was, and then watched eyes wide as Sweetie Bell ran from the room at top speed.
“What in tarnation was that about?” Applejack wondered.
“I don’t know.” Fluttershy replied. “The poor dear looked so hurt. I thought getting her cutie mark was all Sweetie Bell wanted.”
Twilight, for once, managed to hit the nail on the hoof with her thoughtful response. “I think it was getting her cutie mark with her friends” Twilight stressed the word “that she wanted.”
“I think you may be right, Twilight, darling.” Rarity replied. “I should go and find her. Do congratulate the others for me?”
“Sure thing, Rare” Rainbow replied, seeing the other two ‘cutie mark crusaders’ approaching. Rarity didn’t stay any longer to hear what was said, merely turning to the door to go track down her sister.

Sweetie Bell ran as fast as her hooves would allow to the clubhouse where she and her friends spent their days, only stopping when she saw the sign that Applebloom had put up a few weeks before. “Cutie Mark Crusaders! We’ll get our cutie marks TOGETHER!” it said.
The tears were back again as her face slumped to the ground, the sign representing the sum of her fears. She’d gotten her cutie mark… without the others. They’d never speak to her again.
Rarity found her a short while later, having figured that Sweetie Bell would be heading to the clubhouse. She knelt behind her sister and pulled the younger filly into a hug.
“How long did you know?” Rarity said, having guessed what was going on in her sister’s head by that point.
“I didn’t KNOW” Sweetie Bell said, “But… but everypony kept telling me how much they loved my singing, and when I really would let myself go it felt so good… and so right… that… I just figured.” Her face scrunched up. “The others hate me now, don’t then.”
“Oh Sweetie Bell…. No one hates you.”
“Scootaloo and Applebloom will. All we ever wanted was to get our cutie marks together. We’d talk about how cool it would be to get them all at once… that it would connect us like… like…”
“Like Rainbow Dash did with us?”
Sweetie Bell nodded shyly.
“Oh darling, that’s not how it usually works. Even Princess Celestia had never heard of something like that when we told her about it. You get your cutie marks when you are ready, and never before.”
“But… but I wasn’t ready.”
“Weren’t you?”
Sweetie Bell sighed, and for the first time turned back to see the musical notes contained inside a pink heart on her flanks. She smiled then, though her heart still ached.
“I guess I was. But I’m scared of how the others will react.”
Rarity heard noises in the grove around them, and looked up, then nudged her sister’s side. “I think they may surprise you, Sweetie Bell. But you have to face them.”
Sweetie nodded, then looked up seeing the other two girls approaching with the rest of Rarity’s “clique” surrounding them. The older ponies pushed the fillies together and moved to one side to give them some privacy.
“Hey.” Scootaloo said in a voice much thicker than she would usually allow herself to use.
“We’ll leave you alone if you want us to.” Applebloom choked out, “But… but wanted to say… congratulations…”
“Leave me alone? Why would you think I’d want you to leave me alone?” Sweetie asked, the conversation not going at all as expected.
“Cause you’re super cool now, and have your cutie mark. You won’t want to hang out with us Blank Flanks anymore.”
Sweetie Bell blinked before a soft smile graced her face. “Oh you silly fillies! I wouldn’t do that! I was worried you’d kick me out of the club since I got my cutie mark before you.”
“We’d never do that!” Scootaloo exclaimed. “You got a really pretty cutie mark, but you’re still our best friend!”
“An’ Ah was thinkin… maybe now that you’ve got yers… you can help us git ours faster.” Applebloom continued, blushing.
Sweetie’s smile outshone Celestia’s sun at that moment. “You got it! I’m going to make sure you fillies get your cutie marks as fast as you can!”
“CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!” The three fillies cheered, meeting in a high-hoof “ONE DOWN, TWO TO GO!!”