The sun had risen on Ponyville once again, dragged swiftly into the heavens by the unimaginably powerful magic of Equestria’s benevolent Princess Celestia. The bell rang to dismiss the class for recess, and Sweetie scampered out of her seat alongside the other fillies and colts as they rushed to escape the classroom. Even though the party was tomorrow and she’d have to make a decision very soon as to whether or not she would be attending or hiding at the boutique with her sister, Sweetie was feeling much more upbeat than she had been the day before. Diamond Tiara and her underling Silver Spoon had not yet confronted her or even made a single passing remark to her; this was a first. Perhaps Rarity was actually right, even despite the uncharacteristically harsh tone she had used to deliver this comforting wisdom. Her hooves clopped frantically as she pumped her short legs in her mad dash to the door. She reached it, exploding out of the hot schoolroom into the breezy, sunny weather outside.

“Going somewhere, blank flank?” Diamond Tiara’s voice called from behind, before Sweetie was even ten steps out the door. Sweetie’s heart skipped a beat. Her startled legs seized up and held fast to the spot.

“I said: going somewhere, blank flank?” Diamond repeated. She and Silver Spoon stepped out of the shadows behind the doorway, advancing closer with the same confident smirks they always wore whenever the opportunity to mock their inferiors presented itself.

“Um… no?” Sweetie Belle didn’t know what to say. She glanced nervously at the ponies as they walked up to her, then realized that she was also being approached from the front and sides—they had her surrounded!

“Good.”

“They shouldn’t even let you blank flanks come outside,” said Silver Spoon. “You always go walking around, waving your lack of cutie mark in everypony’s face. As if being ¬un-special wasn’t even embarrassing at all!”

“Well that won’t do at all,” Diamond continued. “We’re going to have to teach you a lesson in humility.”

Sweetie backed up nervously, only to run into the wall of fillies that had formed behind her. She was cut off. There was no escape. Diamond and Silver inched closer and closer, tightening the ring. Sweetie felt the walls of the circle closing in on her, growing tighter and tighter as the mean fillies prepared to carry out their “lesson.” All around her they were giggling in twisted enjoyment at the innocent white unicorn’s humiliation.

One of the other fillies passed Diamond a large red marker, and two others grabbed Sweetie Belle and tried to wrestle her to the ground. Sweetie shrieked and bolted, throwing herself into the wall and punching through. There were surprised, pained yelps from the others as Sweetie made her escape, her hooves finding purchase on the other side of the wall and immediately carrying her off across the playground as fast as she could move them. She chanced a glance over her shoulder; Diamond and Silver looked positively furious.

“Don’t let her get away!” Silver commanded, and the crowd immediately broke into pursuit. Sweetie capitalized on her head start, not slowing down from an all-out sprint as she fled the others. Her heart thudded in her chest, her breath coming in fast, frantic gulps. Sweat broke out across her brow from the exertion, and her legs began to cramp up. But Sweetie felt as though she was running for her life; not even a direct order from Princess Celestia herself would convince her to stop now, not if it meant Diamond and her minions would be allowed to catch up.

A strange tingling ran up Sweetie’s tail as it trailed behind her. She realized what was happening too late, and the levitation spell fired. One of the unicorns in Diamond’s group had ensnared her tail in a glowing magical aura, holding it in place and preventing Sweetie’s escape. She fell flat on her face, twisting around immediately to try and dispel the magic with a spell of her own. She didn’t have enough time. The crowd pursuing her caught up, and four of them jumped Sweetie and pinned her down.

“You’re not getting away that easy,” Diamond staid, advancing past the herd and standing over the disabled unicorn. “You blank flanks need to learn your place.”

Sweetie struggled against her attackers, but there was nothing she could do. She felt the cold tip of the marker press against her flank, its red ink staining her beautiful white coat. She squirmed and fought and kicked and yelled, but nopony could hear her over the boisterous laughter of the rest of the playground and the fillies holding her down were too strong to fight against. She was helpless. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes, knowing that there could be no greater humiliation than this.

Diamond finally pulled back after several seconds, and Sweetie was permitted to lift her head to see the single word “BLANK” written in block capital letters where her cutie mark should go.

“How does it feel, blank flank?” Silver asked, adding even further insult. This sparked the assembled herd to begin a slow rhythmic chant, laughing and giggling as they recited the stinging nickname in their shrill voices from all around her as she lay helpless at the center of the circle.

“Blank flank!” Blank flank!” they chanted. Some even raised one of their forelegs and began pumping the air. “Blank flank! Blank flank!”

Sweetie couldn’t stop herself from crying. Tears rolled down her face and she twisted herself into a ball, as if she could compel the earth beneath her to open up and swallow her so she could escape. The chanting never slowed or faded; if anything, it only grew even louder. The laughter accompanying it swelled into a crescendo, drowning out everything else. Sweetie cried, her tears dripping into the dirt. The other ponies only laughed harder at her humiliation. None of the ponies assembled heard the buzzing of young pegasus wings coming until it was too late.

A shadow flashed over the group, and the chanting instantly ceased as the herd looked around for the object that had cast it. A blue scooter landed hard on the ground beside them, skidding sideways to a stop before the orange pegasus filly riding it hopped off and threw her helmet aside. She set her hooves in a wide, challenging stance, leaned her head down close to the ground, and bared her teeth menacingly. She snorted and stamped her hooves at the malicious group following Diamond and Silver.

“Leave her alone!” the filly ordered, her dark, pinkish purple mane flopping in front of her eyes.

“What’s this? Another blank flank?” Diamond turned to face her aggressor.

“That’s right,” said the pegasus. “I’m Scootaloo. And I won’t let you torment that unicorn any longer. Let her go, or you deal with me.”

Diamond Tiara looked back at her handiwork on Sweetie Belle’s flank. She had intended to do the other side, too, but perhaps that was enough humiliation for now. She had a mob of ponies on her side, but something about this pegasus told her she would regret starting a fight.

Though it pained her to do so, Diamond decided it was best to just give up and walk away for now. “Fine. We’ll go back inside. There’s no need for violence. But hear this: I promise you, Scootaloo, I promise you that you will regret this little act of heroism. Come, Silver Spoon.” Diamond led the pack away from Sweetie Belle, Silver Spoon sticking close to her side.

“You okay?” Scootaloo asked the unicorn lying on the ground in tears. “I’m sorry I couldn’t get here sooner.”

“Thank you,” Sweetie managed to speak through her tears. “I didn’t think anypony was going to do anything about them.”

“I didn’t think there were any other blank flanks left,” Scootaloo admitted, helping her stand up again. “What’s your name?”

“Sweetie Belle.”

“Scootaloo.”

“Thanks again, Scootaloo. You really saved me there.”

“Ah, that was nothin’. I couldn’t just sit and let them write all over your pretty white coat like that. Besides, we blank flanks have to stick together! What’s the damage?”

“Just my flank,” Sweetie pointed out, turning so Scootaloo could see. “It’ll probably wash off if I take an extra-long bath tonight.”

“Good thing. You need to look your best for the party tomorrow.”

Sweetie actually laughed. “Do you really think I would go to her party after this?”

“Why not?”Scootaloo shrugged. “What better way to get revenge than to show up at her party and totally trash that place?”

“I don’t think that’s very smart,” Sweetie disagreed. “Then Diamond Tiara will just try to get back at me even worse than today, and you’ll have to come rescue me again so I can get revenge for her revenge.”

“Good point,” Scootaloo conceded. “But you have to do something.”

“Hmm…” Sweetie and Scootaloo both thought for several minutes.

“I know!” Scootaloo spoke up again. “What if we went to the party together, as friends, so that Diamond wouldn’t be able to resist trying to make an example of us. But we’d support each other and never let her get to us. And if they try and grab you again, I’ll fight them off.” Scoot reared up and threw a few mock punches with her forelegs, showing off her fighting skills.

“That could work,” Sweetie agreed, just as the bell rang to signal the end of recess. “Uh-oh, it’s time for class again. Let’s meet up at the party, okay? Tomorrow afternoon at Sugarcube Corner.”

Scootaloo put on her helmet and mounted her scooter. “Don’t worry. I’ll be there.” She buzzed her wings, powering the scooter forward toward the other side of the buildings with the other classrooms. Sweetie glanced one more time at the “blank” Diamond had written on her flank and, with a renewed sense of self-worth brought on by the orange pegasus’s interference, galloped off toward her own class. For the first time since Diamond Tiara’s cutie mark appeared on her flank, Sweetie Belle felt empowered. That beautiful pegasus had chased off the snooty mean fillies and saved her from their sick humor. Her chest felt light and filled with butterflies. Things were finally looking up, thanks to Scootaloo, and Sweetie was now, finally, genuinely excited to go to the party. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon wouldn’t know what hit them.

Next Chapter: Chapter 5 Estimated time remaining: 48 Minutes