Sweetie Belle

Sweetie Belle is a school-aged unicorn filly and Rarity's younger sister. She makes her first major appearance in the episode Call of the Cutie. Sweetie Belle and her friends, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, call themselves the Cutie Mark Crusaders because they are on a quest to discover their cutie marks.

Development
Sweetie Belle shares the name of a character in the third generation of My Little Pony. In her previous incarnation, she has a white body and a purple and pink mane and tail. Her cutie mark is a sparkling pink heart. Mostly in the Core 7 serials, she is the youngest of the group and is portrayed having a big heart, as well as being an expert baker. The current Sweetie Belle's implied singing talent could be a tribute to the third generation Pegasus pony Starsong. Andrea Libman, who is currently the voice actress for Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, voiced the third generation Sweetie Belle. Sweetie Belle's current singing voice is provided by Michelle Creber, who also voices Apple Bloom.

Sweetie Belle's cutie mark in promotional material is the same as her G3/G3.5 counterpart's, and was chosen by layout artist Kat Stenson prior to her work on the show.

Relationship with Rarity, her sister
Sweetie Belle posesses a deep admiration for her older sister, Rarity, and often tries to show her devotion by offering to help with her work and chores. Despite her good intentions, Sweetie Belle's efforts are frequently met with disaster, much to the dismay of Rarity. In the episode Stare Master, she attempts to retrieve some ribbon for one of Rarity's new outfits, which sets off a chain reaction of destruction that wrecks Rarity's bedroom. In the episode Sisterhooves Social, Sweetie Belle is prepared to spend an entire week with Rarity but her burning desire to do something nice for her sister creates tension between them. Sweetie Belle starts by burning a breakfast that she was preparing for her family. Rarity then cleans the kitchen, cooks another meal and lets her sister garnish a plate with a sprig of parsley, but Sweetie Belle loses balance and crashes into the table. Rarity asks her to take some dirty towels to the laundry room, but in her eagerness to help, Sweetie Belle washes a valuable wool sweater that ends up shrinking in the heat of the sun. To make up for it, Sweetie Belle crafts a card using a crate of sapphires, but Rarity becomes extremely upset because the rare gems were meant for an important client's dress. She refuses Sweetie Belle's offer to help find more gems and instructs her to tidy up the stationery. When Rarity returns, Sweetie Belle says that when she saw the "big mess" in Rarity's work room, she thought she'd clean it up for her. However, Rarity calls it "organized chaos" and says that she was just about to finish planning a new fashion line.

Later, Sweetie Belle invites Rarity to take part in the Sisterhooves Special competition with her. Rarity refuses, calling it "uncouth". They have an argument and both agree that they don't need a sister and Sweetie Belle abandons Rarity, preferring to hang out with Applejack instead. Meanwhile, Rarity finds Sweetie Belle's sapphire-encrested card and realizes how much she misses her sister. During the competition, Sweetie Belle thinks she is running the obstacle course with Applejack, but it is actually Rarity who secretly switched places with Applejack in a mud pit. The sisters reconcile and agree that being sisters takes work, but if you compromise and embrace each other's differences, you can have a lot of fun and be close.

In Sleepless in Ponyville, Sweetie Belle invites Rarity to go on a camping trip with Applejack, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Rainbow Dash. At first, Rarity says she despises camping, but Sweetie Belle mentions that Applejack and Apple Bloom are going together, then puts on a pouty puppy-dog face, and Rarity finally agrees. During the trip, Sweetie Belle faithfully lugs Rarity's trunk-laden wagon. Rarity comforts her sister when she is afraid of Rainbow Dash's scary campfire stories. When they arrive at their destination, Winsome Falls, Sweetie Belle suggested that the sister teams would race each other to the falls. Rarity feigns reluctance at first but then happily takes off running with her sister.

When Sweetie Belle appears in Just for Sidekicks, it appears that she is picking up some of her sister's traits, including a fashion sense (saying that she isn't "dressed" for the Crystal Empire), and Rarity's high pitched squeal.

Relationship with the Cutie Mark Crusaders
In the episode Stare Master, Sweetie Belle has to keep the other two on track while they wander through the forest. In the episode Ponyville Confidential, she takes charge of the Crusaders' foray into journalism by inspiring and encouraging the other two fillies. However, Sweetie Belle is also the first to voice her concerns about their slanderous gossip column.

In Hearts and Hooves Day, she directs the brewing of the love potion intended for Cheerilee and Big McIntosh, helps formulate a plan to trick the two into drinking it, and discovers that the love potion has adverse side effects. She and her friends work together to break the spell.

Sweetie Belle is a bit slow on the uptake. She is to the last one to make a comment or understand a situation. On less frequent occasions, she also shares this interaction with her sister Rarity.

Singing
"Why does everypony think I'm gonna sing?"

- Sweetie Belle

In The Show Stoppers, Apple Bloom describes Sweetie Belle's voice as "totally awesome". When the Crusaders are about to go onstage for their performance, Twilight Sparkle is surprised to learn that Sweetie Belle does not have a singing role. However, Sweetie Belle says that she dislikes the idea of singing in front of a crowd. Sweetie Belle's showmanship and powerful voice overpower those of Fluttershy in Stare Master when Sweetie turns Fluttershy's lullaby into a lively gospel-style song. In Hearts and Hooves Day, she leads the The Perfect Stallion song. In One Bad Apple she sings one solo lines of Babs Seed: "everywhere we turn/she's just a step ahead". Strangely, in Sleepless in Ponyville, when she sings a campfire song (99 Buckets of Oats On the Wall) after Scootaloo suggests it in order to stay awake and avoid having nightmares, she sings terribly.

Songwriting
Sweetie Belle writes the basic lyrics for the Cutie Mark Crusaders theme song in The Show Stoppers. Later, when Scootaloo is struggling to come up with additional lyrics, Sweetie comes up with some effortlessly. Scootaloo calls her lyrics "awesome".

Making clothing
In "Stare Master," she gave her fellow Cutie Mark Crusaders matching capes that she made by ruining Rarity's beautiful fabric, forcing Rarity to work more. During "The Show Stoppers," Sweetie Belle struggles with making costumes for the trio and creates a sweater with 5 legs before Apple Bloom suggests she uses the dress form.

Cooking
At the beginning of Sisterhooves Social, Sweetie Belle's mother instructs her in cooking. Rarity awakens to the smell of smoke and rushes downstairs to find that Sweetie Belle had started a fire. She incinerates all of the food she prepares, including juice and liquefied toast. After Rarity remakes the breakfast, Sweetie Belle is allowed to add the garnish to a plate of eggs. She doesn't damage the food but manages to break a table in half. Near the end of the episode, Rarity walks into the kitchen to see that it is a mess again. Sweetie Belle comes out presenting an unburnt pie.

History
Sweetie Belle appears in Friendship is Magic, part 1 as a cameo, scared and huddled next to Apple Bloom and Scootaloo when Night Mare Moon reappears in Princess Celestia's place at the Summer Sun Celebration.

Sweetie Belle makes her first speaking appearance in Call of the Cutie, when she and Scootaloo stand up for Apple Bloom while she is being ridiculed at Diamond Tiara's cute-ceañera. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo reveal to Apple Bloom that they also do not have their cutie marks. The trio become friends and form the Cutie Mark Crusaders for the purposes of finding their hidden talents and earning their cutie marks. Sweetie Belle is not revealed to be Rarity's sister until her next appearance in Stare Master.

Lauren Faust has said she does not live with Rarity at Carousel Boutique. This is shown when her parents drop her off with Rarity while they go off for vacation in Sisterhooves Social, shown again in One Bad Apple, where we see her parents house and Sweetie Belle's room, and also hinted at when Rarity takes a look around Sweetie Belle's room in the German magazine comic Einfach rufus.

Sweetie Belle has not yet been seen to be able to perform magic, though her horn sparks briefly near the beginning of One Bad Apple.

My Little Pony mobile game description
''Rarity's younger sister is known for her singing talent. She's also one of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, along with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo.''

Appearances
Beginning in the episode Lesson Zero, she was added to the remastered intro at the end of the train along with Scootaloo and Apple Bloom.

Promotional material
On October 27, 2012, The Hub's website began offering a PDF file containing seven recipes, each themed to either Littlest Pet Shop or My Little Pony Friendship is Magic, with accompanying illustrations. The "Cutie Mark Crusaders Chocolate Popcorn" recipe's accompanying illustration depicts the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Prior to a revision in early November 2012, a different illustration was used depicting grown-up versions of the Cutie Mark Crusaders with cutie marks, Sweetie Belle's cutie mark being a heart. This illustration was drawn by show layout artist Kat Stenson prior to her work on the show.

Quotes
"Halt, dangerous creature from the Everfree Forest. I am Sweetie Belle, the creature catcher, and I'm here to catch you!"

- Stare Master

"It's not chaos, you dodo!"

- The Return of Harmony Part 1

"I really like her mane!"

- Lesson Zero

"We're gonna have the bestest time two sisters could ever have!"

- Sisterhooves Social

"Oh, COME ON!"

- Hearts and Hooves Day

"I... don't suppose we could borrow that book for a little while, do ya?"

- Hearts and Hooves Day

"If we can write a few more of these Gabby Gums columns, we'll earn our cutie marks for sure!"

- Ponyville Confidential

"And... why does life have to be so ironic?!"

- One Bad Apple