The two unicorns were glaring each other down. They had resumed their argument, just as anyone could have expected, with the two sisters furiously snarling at one another like starved lions in a den. Rarity's eye twitched in anger.
“Sweetie Belle, hun, it is not MY fault you took total leave of your senses and acted like a fool,” Rarity sighed, half exasperated, half aggravated as she paced up and down the Boutique's ground floor. A vein was throbbing in her right temple and she was in the process of grinding her molars to a fine powder.
“How many times do I gotta say it was an accident before it gets through your thick skull?!” Sweetie shouted back with a little jump, her voice crackling like lightning as her indignation broke over her.
“Don't you dare take that barbaric tone with me, you scoundrel! Just look at yourself!” Rarity waved an exaggerated hoof in her little sister's direction. “Wrath and dishonesty, to boot! You told me yourself that this was no accident, you nasty little liar. Your behaviour today was completely unjustified and downright UNPALATABLE!”
“Well, SHUCKS!” Sweetie growled, voice dripping with heavy sarcasm as she turned away from Rarity. “You set a FANTASTIC EXAMPLE, shouting at me like a lunatic!” As Sweetie Belle's voice reached a new octave, Rarity could hear it crack.
Biting down on her lip and puffing out her cheeks, Rarity strolled over to one of her mannequins and leaned against it, breathing deeply. If she didn't calm herself down, she was going to waltz back over there and plant her hoof across Sweetie Belle's face. Being unable to distract herself with the frilly green outfit upon the mannequin with pink and gold trimmings, she continued glaring at her sister.
“I am not the only pony in this room shouting!” Rarity closed her eyes, shaking her head back and forth. “You know what? I've had enough. I've heard enough, young lady,” Sweetie Belle wheeled around quickly. Rarity jerked her hoof to the ceiling. “Go upstairs and gather up your things from the guest room, Sweetie Belle. I'm taking you home as soon as I finish the rest of my work.”
Sweetie Belle's eyes widened. “What? Why?!” she asked, a squeak of fear in her voice. “I thought you wanted me to stay with you tonight?”
“I told you back at the clubhouse that I was taking you home. You might have assumed, given your obvious state of delusion as your own ignorance for your personal safety continued to leak out of your head, that I was just bringing you to my home.” Sweetie simply gaped at her, tears beginning to well in those green eyes. “Don't give me that look, it doesn't work. You are going to walk up to Mother and tell her precisely what happened today, and I will stand there to make sure you do!”
“Rarity!” the filly begged, rushing over. “C'mon! Alright, fine, I was dumb as rocks, but... please, don't take me home! I'm gonna get into trouble!”
“Isn't that just a TRAGEDY?” Rarity scoffed with awful sarcasm in her voice, tossing her mane and strolling over to the base of her spiral staircase. “I daresay 'into trouble' isn't the only thing you'll be getting, and it'll be your own fault for being a bratty, obnoxious, stupid, little liar! Now, make sure you're ready to go when I am done!” With a savage, vindictive pleasure pounding in her chest, she left the room, and the sniffling filly, behind.
With the heat still in her face, Rarity arrived on the second floor. Pushing open the door to her workspace and bedroom, she stepped inside, her perception spinning. With her heart beating to the tune of a marcher's drum, Rarity seized a pillow in her aura and screamed into it. She rarely got so worked up. Depositing it on the floor as though this were a perfectly normal thing to do, she let loose another flash from her horn. She levitated a sewing machine over to her desk and moved behind it, rummaging around near the carpet for a roll of orange fabric.
Still fuming, she slapped her ruby-red glasses to her face, deposited the machine on the desk, and unrolled three feet of fabric. Snatching a pair of scissors in her blue-green aura, she snipped off the portion she would work with and positively threw the rest of the roll across the room with a surge of magic. It hit the distant shelf and bounced off, landing on the floor with a thud just in front of Opalescence's basket. The fluffy white cat lifted her head, glaring reproachfully at her owner. Rarity took the look to mean 'what's your problem?'.
Taking a deep breath, Rarity gently laid the scissors down and reached for a dark blue roll on a shelf behind her. “It's that child, Opal! She is driving me positively mad. You would not believe the extent of her juvenile antics today,” Rarity explained, blowing an impatient raspberry and shaking her head. She flipped the switch on the side of the sewing machine and it whirred to life. “Well, my mother will handle her. I do believe I will attempt to salvage my night.” Rarity caught Opalescence leaping lightly onto the desk beside her, meeting her imperious gaze. “Well, the original course of action for this evening, Opal, was for Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and myself to congregate at the farm. However, since the Crusaders' sleepover has been cancelled, I shall find other ways to occupy myself...”
Rarity began stitching the fabrics together, occasionally taking the scissors to it as she went, crafting a beautiful, two-coloured, spiral design. Opal began to purr, curling up on the desk and gazing lazily up at the marshmallow unicorn.
“You see, Fancy Pants is in Ponyville, and if my sources are correct… without that stallion-hoarding scarlet mare, Fleur de Lis,” Rarity continued as she levitated the fabric off of the table. Approaching a mannequin on the other side of the bedroom, she dropped the fabric upon a plainer, dark green dress. Focusing her eyes keenly back upon the sewing machine, she deactivated it with a pulse of magic from her horn and gathered a thread of purple silk and a needle. “I look forward to associating with him at the Gentleponies' Club tonight. I could invite him back to the Carousel Boutique to talk business, show him some finished designs, what magazines I've gotten my work showcased in! Then, later on in the evening...” She gave a happy little shiver. Opal hissed, leaping off the desk and strolling up behind her. “Hush, you!” she scolded the feline, furrowing her brow. “A lady is quite within her rights to enjoy the comfort of the warm, burly embrace of a highly sophisticated, successful, and sensationally sensible stallion. Fancy Pants is a cut above the usual gargoyles who wink at me as I walk through town.”
Rarity's chest swelled as she felt her mood take a definite upswing. Smiling to herself and humming lightly, she continued to stitch the design to the dress.She stood back to admire the effect.
“Not your best, Rarity,” she mumbled, frowning at it. “Perhaps if I scrap the colours and move the design over the chest, with a lighter fabric beneath it... yes, yes, very elegant, very unique...” She gazed at it for another few moments. “What do you think, Opal? Uh, Opal?” She looked around.
Opalescence was sitting upon Rarity's divan, stroking her head against a stitched, lumpy doll of a light grey pony with mulberry and rose ribbons for hair. Low, rumbling purrs continued to escape her. The doll was made by Sweetie Belle herself, in her own likeness, as a gift for Rarity.
“Humph!” Rarity huffed, turning her nose up at the doll and the cat. “I don't know why you're suddenly so fond of her, Opal. I still can't believe that filly's attitude. Can you positively imagine what I went through when Derpy arrived earlier? My poor little sister, in danger! Fraught with worry, Opal! Did she stop to think about what her family would go through? Of course not! She deserves whatever punishment she gets,” Rarity said with a shrug of indifference. Opal continued to brush her face against the doll. Rarity sighed. “Yes, maybe I would feel sorry for condemning my sister to such a fate, but as her elder sibling, it is my duty to look out for her well being! A sore tush would certainly remind her not to be so incredibly blasé with the blessing that is her life. I told her it would be her own fault, and that,” she snapped, moving back to her work desk, “is perfectly true. This is in Mother's hooves now. It is none of my concern.”
Rarity kept up her work for another twenty minutes or so, weaving fabric together carefully and zapping colours to white as often as she replaced them with others. Once satisfied, Rarity threw on a blue-feathered hat and a long, finely-trimmed blue overcoat. Leaving the rest of her work for later, she crossed the room, Opal trailing behind her with her tail in the air.
Once she arrived at the third floor guest bedroom, her eyes fell upon her little sister. Sweetie Belle was sitting on the edge of the bed, chin resting against her front hooves, staring across the room at the dresser. Opal leapt lightly onto the bed and purred as she pressed the side of her head and body against the filly.
“Um, are you ready, darling?” Rarity asked cautiously, trying to sound friendly, rather than use the bad-tempered tone she had adopted since the scene at the clubhouse. “Have you packed your saddlebag?”
“Yeah, I did,” Sweetie replied dully, not taking her gaze off the dresser.
Rarity imitated her and looked over, too. There was an old fashioned gas lamp, which complimented the recent 'antique' look Rarity had carefully crafted for the guest room. Tea-stained documents and photos adorned the walls and there was a very old, but spotlessly clean chamber pot beneath the bed. Just for show, naturally.
Rarity continued to look between her sister and the dresser, unable to fathom why in Equestria Sweetie Belle would be interested in the flickering flame of the lamp. It was only then that she noticed that there was also an expensive, hoof-crafted, silver-backed, gem-encrusted hairbrush beside it. It looked ridiculously out of place.
Of course, she thought. That's obviously what she's looking so dejected about. Well, serves her right. I bet she'll become very acquainted with Pearl's brush this evening. That reminds me, that expensive instrument belongs in my own bedroom... I'll need to request a new one from that shop in town, Crimson's Brushes. Aged oak finish, perhaps some knots in the wood... must maintain the aesthetic, or my efforts are lost!
Rarity held this train of thought for another thirty seconds or so. By the time she realized Sweetie was still sitting on the bed, she shook herself from her revery, cleared her throat significantly, and walked a little closer. Sweetie Belle did not look at her.
“Come, Sweetie Belle,” Rarity spoke, feeling irritation beginning to creep along her body. “If we're early enough, we can satisfying Father's recent request for a sit-down dinner with the whole family...” Still no response. Rarity bit her lip again. “Sweetie, seriously, I really... Sweetie?”
She had only just noticed that the smaller unicorn was crying softly, eyes averted from the dresser. Sweetie Belle was shaking, too. With a little sigh, Rarity approached the bed, standing on her hind legs and crossing her arms over her chest. Now was not the time for that selfish girl to start feeling bad for herself, Rarity reflected mulishly.
“That's enough, missy! No point blubbering over your fate now!” Rarity's voice was crisp and her back was rigid. “You'll have all the time in the world, not to mention reasons, to cry when Pearl is done with you.” She offered a hoof out, to pull Sweetie Belle to her own hooves. Opal glared at her, bounded off the bed, and disappeared out of the room.
“What are you talking... uh, nevermind,” Sweetie mumbled nonchalantly, slightly confused. She allowed herself to be pulled off the bed, a little unsteady on her hooves as she raised one to wipe her eyes. “Is... there, um,” Sweetie continued, swallowing, “any chance of talking you out of telling Mom? Any way to make this worth your while, Rarity?” She hitched a winning smile onto her face.
“I'm not the one who will be telling her, remember?” Rarity replied coldly, taking the moment to reflect that the only way their mother would not find out about this would be if she punished the filly herself. That was out of the question, of course. Rarity would not have herself begrudged by this business any longer. Sweetie was getting dropped off, they'd have dinner, and she, Rarity, was going to salvage her evening. Seizing Sweetie Belle's saddlebag with her levitation magic, she shot another disappointed look at her sister, who was again looking over at the dresser. “Let's go.”
Once out of the Boutique, Rarity took the lead as the sisters began their journey through town. Sweetie's preoccupation had allowed Rarity's mind to drift back upon the earlier events of the day as the two sisters walked down the main drag of Ponyville.
Rarity approached her front door, sighing in exasperation at the insistent pounding of her visitor. “Hold your horses, I'm coming!” She gave a small grin at her own wit. Horses! Scrutinizing the door, she let loose a small spell from her horn, tossing her mane as it the door swung open.
To her great surprise, Derpy Hooves was panting on her doorstep. This was strange, as she had already had her mail delivered. The grey mare placed a hoof against the side of the Carousel Boutique, taking great gasps of breath.
“I, uh, I mean to say, great Heavens... Derpy, my dear!” Rarity ejaculated, so taken aback at the state of her, the sweat on her face, that dishevelled mane. “Whatever can I do for you?”
“Miss Rarity!” Derpy gasped, having found her voice. “Something terrible and scary happened!”
“Oh, my...” Rarity uttered quietly, placing a hoof to her mouth. “You poor thing, please, come in, I must insist...”
“No, no, no!” Derpy cried quickly, shaking her head back and forth. “Not to me, Miss Rarity! The children were trapped, and Rainbow Dash was there, and she broke through the wall of the clubhouse by Sweet Apple Acres, and—”
“Trapped?!” Rarity exclaimed, feeling her knees rattle. In the back of her mind, she knew that Sweetie Belle had to still be in the clubhouse with her two best friends at this hour. “W-whatever do you mean? The clubhouse? I... What happened, dear?! Why did Rainbow—”
“A fire, Miss Rarity,” Derpy interrupted, looking wretched. “There was a fire!”
Rarity let out a scream. “B-but Sweetie was... Oh, no! Heavens, no!” Her insides had turned to ice.
“Come, we must get there fast to make sure they are okay! Rainbow Dash got them out, though!”
Rarity took off at a gallop, not even bothering to close her front door. She barely even registered Derpy's explanation that the Crusaders had gotten out in the rush of fear that had consumed her, the grey pegasus' words taking a long time to penetrate her brain. All that mattered was that she reached the woods as quickly as she possibly could. Horrible images raced one another through her mind as she rushed through the town, toward the outskirts of Sweet Apple Acres. She was quite certain she had left her insides sitting in her doorway.
Throughout the journey, Rarity had probed Derpy Hooves for as much information as she could, asking questions between frenzied breaths. How long ago had this happened? Did she know what caused the fire? How exactly did Rainbow Dash get them out? How did they quell the flames? And, most importantly, were the Crusaders alright? Derpy answered as best as she could as she trailed a few feet behind Rarity.
Into the trees of the woods around the farmland they plunged. Rarity did not care as she cut a neat, direct path toward the clearing, branches whipping her face and twigs getting tangled within her mane. None of it mattered. She had to reach her sister. Dodging around a large trunk, the trees began to thin and the faint smoke of the still smouldering treehouse floated through the air.
Finally, there they were. The moment Rarity caught sight of them, she let out a moan of relief. Stopping within ten feet of Applejack, Rainbow, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders, she gave her mane a tremendous flip and dislodged what looked like the contents of a logging mill's waste disposal storage from her indigo locks. Looking as pristine as though she had travelled here within a stage coach, she bounded forward, snatched up Sweetie Belle with her magic, and pulled her into a bone-crushing embrace. Rarity fought tears as she twisted and turned on the spot, whispering sweet nothings to her little sister, as no words of comfort could match her own feelings of supreme joy at seeing her baby sister safe. Wonderful waves of relief continued to crash upon her. Not a burn on Sweetie Belle, she noticed. In fact, all three of the Cutie Mark Crusaders looked physically fine. Thanking Princess Celestia, she set down the white filly and waited for Derpy to catch up.
“Y'all wanna jes' go wait over yonder?” Applejack requested to the Crusaders with what Rarity felt was a wholly unwonted level of abhorrence in her tone. “Grown'ups gotta talk.”
As soon as the fillies had walked to sit on the grass some twelve or so yards away, Rarity turned to beam at Derpy, whom Applejack was already thanking so passionately for her role in assisting Rainbow Dash with the rescue.
“Derpy, hun, I cannot thank you enough. If you had not seen the fire...” Rarity hesitated, taking a steadying breath. Images of her sister's charred form had already haunted her on the way over; she would not permit any further horrors to sweep across her mind. “Thank you. From the bottom of my heart.” Rarity gave her a swift kiss on both cheeks, causing the grey mare to blush slightly.
As Derpy departed, Rarity proceeded to drown Rainbow in similar throes of gratitude, so powerful that her haunches shook. Rainbow tried to explain that it was nothing, but Rarity would hear none of it.
“No, no, you shall not humbly shake this off! You are a true hero today, Rainbow Dash. I owe you Sweetie's life!”
“Rarity, it's cool!” Dash assured her, grinning. “You shoulda seen the moves I pulled off to get them out, totally nuts, I was just happy to show off, that's all!” It was clear that she was lying. “That's why I saved 'em.”
Rarity smiled warmly. “You're so full of it, Rainbow!” Dash laughed.
“Okay, okay, fine, but I only said that because this was beyond playing the hero. I would've given my life for any of those fillies, and not just because Scoots was in there, either. I'm just as happy as you are that Derpy was able to find me.”
Rarity gave her a swift hug, just as bone-crushing as the embrace she had bestowed upon her little sister.
“Rarity...” Applejack began once the unicorn and pegasus had parted, “there's sommat more...”
There was definitely something strange. Applejack was looking sour. Rainbow Dash was scowling. Evidently, Rarity had to be ignorant of certain attributes to the situation. The blue pegasus raised a hoof and beckoned the Crusaders to rejoin them.
“Well, Sweetie Belle?” Applejack said, her voice stern as the Crusaders made their approach. She was frowning down upon her. “Tell yer sister what happened.”
Rarity continued giving Applejack a confused look before turning her attention back to Sweetie Belle. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Scootaloo sinking low to the grass with her ears drooped as Rainbow Dash positively glared a hole through her. What was going on?
“Rarity...” A sigh escaped the filly and she looked most reluctant to speak. “We caused the fire.”
Rarity could have laughed. Was that honestly what was wrong? Of course they caused the fire! It didn't just wander into the clubhouse and ignite it all on its own, Rarity thought with amusement.
“Sweetie, darling! How can you not guess that I already knew that? Who else could have?” Rarity bent low and stroked Sweetie Belle's face softly. “Accidents can happen sometimes, and nobody can help that. How could you possibly expect me, your sister, who loves you, to be belligerent with you?” Rarity shot a glance at Applejack, who did not look ashamed.
“Uh...” Sweetie mumbled, closing her eyes after staring at the grass. “Probably because we... kinda... sorta did it on purpose.”
“Wait,” Rarity began in a hoarse voice, “you mean to say...” she removed the hoof from her sister's face and stood tall again. An eruption was going off in her chest, “that you girls caused a fire? ON PURPOSE?”
She felt a tap on her flank. Looking around, she saw Rainbow Dash jabbing her hoof at three plastic watering cans, partly melted due to the intensity of the blaze. They were laying in the grass near the tree of the clubhouse.
“I pulled those out of the clubhouse while we were waitin' for you to show up. Went to see if anything could be salvaged... and found those.” Rainbow's voice was bitterly cold as she threw up her arms in a sarcastic gesture, supporting herself with her wings. “'Cutie Mark Crusader Firefighters! Yaaay!'” She lowered her hooves again, positively spitting with rage. “Watering cans! We don't even know how they started the fire, but it doesn't even matter, 'cause it musta been just as stupid as their plan!”
“B-but, Sis...” Scootaloo mumbled, her voice drifting up to them from the safety of the grass. “Water can put out fires, and—”
“Seriously, Scootaloo?!” The older pegasus' voice was fierce. “DID YOU FILLIES REALLY THINK THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA?”
Now that the truth was out, Rarity found herself full of raucous approval for Rainbow Dash's reaction. “I cannot believe my own sister could act so foolish!” Rarity used a puff of magic to grab a firm hold upon her sister's ear. “Just you wait until I get you home, young lady! How could you be so irresponsible? Sweetie Belle, I thought you had faaar more sense than this!” Rarity's voice rose shrilly as she stamped her hooves. “You could have lost your life! You all could have!” she continued storming, eyes shooting between Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, who had so far remained quiet. “You never stopped to think about that, did you? Sweetie, imagine if I had to tell Mother and Father that their little angel had died? Do you have any idea what that would do to them? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOUR DEATH WOULD HAVE DONE TO ME?!”
“But-but...” Apple Bloom mumbled at last, trying to defend Sweetie. “We thought we had it all planned out, honest! It weren't all Sweetie's fault, neither! She said she thought it might be dangerous...”
“Whose idea was it?” Dash snarled, glowering at all three of them.
Scootaloo gave an almost comically loud gulp as she gazed back into Dash's angry eyes. “It w-was... mine.”
“It doesn't matter whose idea it was,” Rarity snapped. “You were all stupid in the extreme! We're going home, Sweetie. I am very disappointed with you!” Moving the field of her magic from the ear to the rest of Sweetie's body, she levitated her up and carried her away from the group. Depositing her none-too-gently upon the grass several feet away, she dispelled the magic. “Get moving, missy!”
Sweetie Belle gave a theatrical sigh and threw a sad look back at her friends. Facing forward again, she started to walk away from the clubhouse, head hanging low, as Rarity marched at a close pace behind her, finding it very difficult to contain her anger. At any moment, she knew her reservation at keeping her composure would break and she would not be able to resist the urge to start shouting at Sweetie Belle. It would not be a pleasant walk home.
The day was quiet for a late afternoon. Rarity could smell the burning wood of an old fashioned wood stove's scent upon the calm wind. Sweetie Belle was shivering once again, but it certainly wasn't all that cold; Rarity was only wearing her overcoat because it was rather fabulous, she thought. Every few minutes, Sweetie would say something to try and persuade her sister from her desire to reach the destination of their parent's cottage. Every time this happened, Rarity would growl or snap in response. Finally, Rarity stopped dead in her tracks, causing her sister to imitate her.
“Sweetie, you can't honestly expect me to keep something as serious as this a secret, can you? You can't seriously be so deathly afraid of punishment that you'd do anything in your power to prevent Mother from learning that you Crusaders came up with the neat little expedient of nearly burning to death to attain ridiculous cutie marks?”
“It's g-got nothing to do with that...” Sweetie Belle mumbled with a slight stutter. “I don't wanna upset Mom, alright?”
Rarity scoffed again. “Yes, of course. That's your reason, is it?” she demanded.
“Yeah, it is!” Sweetie huffed in reply. “I was stupid to lie earlier...”
“Yes, you were,” interjected Rarity.
“But I know I just don't want to see Mom upset. That's all,” she finished with a shrug. “I said it was an accident so you wouldn't tell her. I've been worried about that all day, on top of... other stuff.”
“I think Mother would be far more upset if she found out about your poor judgement from anypony but you, Sweetie Belle. Not saying that I actually believe your nonsense, of course,” Rarity explained, starting to walk again.
“You really know just what to say, don't you, Sis?!” Sweetie spat at her. “I hate you!”
“Stop being so melodramatic and spouting poppycock you don't even mean,” Rarity replied coolly, tossing her tail across Sweetie's snout, causing the filly to growl.
“Shut up! Argh, you're such a JERK ALL THE TIME!” Sweetie yelled, her squeaky voice cracking once again. She was still standing where they had came to a stop earlier.
“So, what 'other stuff' has been bothering you, huh?” Rarity asked, ignoring her sister's indignation. “What other terrible weights have been dragging down your soul? Not afraid of a little spanking, are you? I saw you staring at that hairbrush like it was a noose. I daresay Mother will paint you scarlet, not that you wouldn't deserve it, of course.”
“Wow, what a surprise: you're stupider than you look!” Sweetie retaliated, reluctantly moving forward. “You wouldn't understand what's bothering me, since it's not like you give a damn, anyway.”
“WATCH YOUR TONGUE, YOU FILTHY LITTLE MONSTER!” Rarity screamed, wheeling around and bring her right hoof swiftly across Sweetie Belle's left cheek. It was not an especially hard slap to the face, but it nevertheless caused the filly's head to jerk to the side.
Sweetie staggered to the right a little, wincing and feeling her face. “I... hate... you.” Her voice was icy and hollow. Tears forming at the corners of her eyes, the filly strolled forward and passed her. “S-so much!”
Rarity closed her eyes, praying for patience, head rattling and dizzy as the blood pumped through her veins. Her nostrils were flared. Stamping the ground hard, she ignored the startled looks of a few scattered ponies moving about the street and marched after her sister. The rest of the trip passed in total silence.
At last, they reached the street where Sweetie presently lived with Magnum and Pearl. Parsley Row. The cottages around this part of Ponyville were generally reserved for the well-to-do citizens of the quaint little town, and Rarity's parents were certainly no exception.
Pearl, as a very successful hair dresser, was somewhat well-known, even as far as Canterlot. Magnum, meanwhile, was a star athlete in his youth, an uncommon characteristic for a unicorn. These days, he was known for smart investments in the various ventures of his neighbours, Centenary “Cents” Hornigold and Filthy Rich. Even before his wealth grew, Magnum had given Rarity the money necessary to start her business when she was just a filly. Rarity always considered this generosity an inspiration, and admired her father greatly as a result. He would never accept her bits whenever she tried to pay him back in recent years.
Sweetie Belle slowed down as they neared the cottage. Taking the lead again, Rarity grabbed her sister's arm none-too-gently and lead the filly three-legged up the front steps. Knocking three times upon the door, she opened it and pulled her sister inside.
“Mother! Father!” Rarity called from the spacious porch. “It is Rarity. And... Sweetie Belle,” she added, almost as an afterthought.
“Good gracious!”
The voice of Pearl echoed down the staircase from the upper floor. The plump pink unicorn came into view, face alight with delight as she locked eyes with her first child. Cantering down the stairs, Pearl threw her hooves around Rarity.
“Oh, Rarity! It's so great to see you! Gosh, what a surprise, I'm all of a dither, don'tcha know! I did not expect you, my word...” Pearl stammered, barely even acknowledging Sweetie Belle.
“I certainly hope I am not interrupting anything. Did you have an engagement, Mother?” Rarity asked, hesitating as she made to take off her elegant hat.
“This evening, yes, but I just didn't expect company! This house is a state!” Pearl threw up her hooves in exasperation as Rarity looked around the immediate area, which looked neat and tidy. “Ah well. So good to see you, Rarity! Hello, Sweetie Belle.”
“Hey, Mom!” Sweetie beamed, cuddling into her mother's legs. “We, uh, decided we'd come visit. Yeah. Even though I'm staying over at Rarity's...”
Rarity rolled her eyes as she removed her splendid coat. Did Sweetie Belle honestly think she'd get to go home with her tonight? Rarity hadn't lost sight of her plans to rendezvous with Fancy Pants, if she could.
“I'm visiting. You're staying,” Rarity reminded her in a whisper as their mother turned away.
“Did I hear my Sweetie Butter?”
From the downstairs bathroom came Magnum. The white unicorn with his thick brown mane and eyebrows sprinted into view and made a beeline for his youngest daughter. He scooped her up into his arms and nuzzled her. Sweetie Belle gave a little giggle.
“Daaad, I'm not a foal!” she informed him, unable to remove the smile from her face anyway. “Wait, you're covered in shaving cream! Yuck!”
“Yeah, because I was shaving! Looking for a new look this week. Pearl, do you know where my spare moustaches are?”
“In that box in your closet, dear, where they always are,” Pearl sighed as she moved down the hallway and into the kitchen.
“Right!” Magnum said with a grin, letting go of Sweetie Belle and moving over to Rarity. “Good to see you, honey-bun. What brings you this way?”
“I wanted to have dinner with you and Mother. You finally get your wish, Father.” Rarity smiled, standing up on the tips of her hooves to kiss him. She barely noticed Sweetie Belle take off at a gallop after her mother. Even considering her less than pleased disposition toward the filly, she knew how deeply Sweetie loved Pearl and always followed her around. “I expect Mother's gone to make dinner? You two haven't eaten yet, right? Sorry this is such short notice!”
“I'm honoured to have you here, hun,” Magnum said earnestly. “Pearl can whip up a yummy meal faster than anypony I know, so it doesn't matter! Go make yourself at home, I'll join you in a moment. I've gotta tell you about Cents' latest ideas.”
Rarity nodded. As Magnum made his way back toward the bathroom, Rarity paused before the mirror in the hallway, wiping the shaving cream from her lips. She could hear Sweetie Belle talking non-stop to Pearl and momentarily wondered if she was trying to suck up a little to avoid a harsher punishment when their mother inevitably found out about the fire.
After a few minutes, her father joined her in the combined living room and dining room. And he was off, talking about Cents' plan for using enchanted gold ores to catch thieves and plunderers. While Filthy Rich was more involved with the selling of goods, Hornigold was a stallion with great respect for the law and helped the Manehattan Coastal Services hunt piracy.
“So, you can imagine the bits that this venture can earn, my love,” Magnum concluded, sitting side by side with her on the luxurious couch.
“Yes, Father, that sounds, um, fascinating.” If she were to be honest with him, she wasn't precisely spellbound by his plan. She saw advantages, of course. “Hmm... why, that would be a fantastic way to create a fund for Sweetie Belle's future prospects. Wouldn't you agree?”
Magnum looked confused, leaning back in his seat. “I'm sorry?”
Rarity raised her eyes, a strange squirming sensation twisting her insides. “Her singing career, of course. I mean, come on, you've heard her beautiful voice!”
“I suppose so, yes...”
Rarity felt a small twinge of annoyance. Why did it always seem like her parents took so little interest in Sweetie Belle's future? Sure, they had showered Rarity herself with everything she desired and needed, so it was almost certain that Sweetie would get the same! However, it did seem that Sweetie was rarely noticed whenever Rarity herself was around. The biggest crime was that it was Pearl who took the least interest on these occasions.
Despite this train of thought, the moment Rarity wondered how her parents would even react to the events at the clubhouse, she was reminded of that awful child's attitude. Her sympathy was quickly snuffed out, a candle doused in the cold rain and wind. She trusted her parents, after all, so there was clearly no need to be concerned with Sweetie not getting enough attention.
Almost as though on cue, Sweetie Belle entered the living room, trotting up to her father. Informing Magnum that Pearl needed a hoof wrenching open a jar of olives that her magic was unable to unscrew, he got to his hooves and left the sisters alone. Sweetie Belle took his spot, looking cheerful. As soon as Rarity locked eyes with her, however, both unicorns scowled and glared in opposite directions.
“Whatever were you so happy about?” Rarity asked the bookshelf to the left of the couch.
“What does it matter to you?” Sweetie demanded, an irritable squeak to her voice. Rarity's blood was boiling again.
“You, sweetheart,” Rarity began in clipped tones, laying a delicate emphasis on the word, “are a saucy little whelp today, you know that?” She turned her head to furrow her brow at the filly, who was still looking resolutely in another direction. “Tell me, were you like this the full day, or did you just decide to be unpleasant to everypony around you after you and your little friends decided to risk burning the forest to cinders?”
Sweetie did not answer right away. When she did, her voice sounded restricted, as though she were trying to hold in a hiccup. “Look, just don't talk about it anymore. Please.”
Rarity let out a hiss like an angry goose. “If you think we're just going to pretend it didn't happen—”
“It's not that. Like I told you, you wouldn't understand!” Sweetie sighed grumpily. “I'll tell Mom and Dad what happened at dinner, alright?” Sweetie moved her head to look straight into Rarity's eyes. “I'm almost nine, I'm not afraid of being punished...” She sounded sincere.
“Well, that's just... I mean to say...” Rarity was momentarily stunned by this. What exactly was Sweetie going on about, then, she wondered? “Mm, hmm. Honourable of you, little sis. They have a right to know, I hope you understand that.”
“Of course I do,” Sweetie replied in surprise. “You know, you might have gone around calling me a moron all day, but that doesn't mean it's true.”
Rarity turned her nose up at these words. She did not appreciate such an accusation. However, as her anger continued to ebb away, she felt up to uttering an apology for what had happened during walk to this cottage.
“I'm sorry I hit you. Watch your language in my presence next time, unless you'd like me to wash your mouth out with a bar of soap. You understand me?” Rarity enquired.
Sweetie's eyes widened in mock surprise. “It's amazing what passes as an apology these days. Sure, mix a threat in there, Rarity, it's not like the kid you're talking to will mind! Sweet Celestia, why are you treating me like I'm your worst enemy?!” Despite her respectable attempt at scorn, the tears were once again forming within Sweetie Belle's green eyes.
Sweetie Belle got to her hooves and cantered from the room. Rarity simply gaped after her, unsure of what to think.
By the time 05:30 rolled around, Rarity found herself assisting Pearl with setting the table. Her sour mood was, yet again, beginning to burn out. One thing was certain, however: she couldn't stand another row with Sweetie Belle. Rarity could not even fathom what precisely in Equestria was causing that child to act the way she was acting, or to say the uncharacteristic words she uttered. It was like a beloved pet turning feral and savage, or an evening of some sensual salaciousness being spoiled by a lingering hangover from a previous evening of self-indulgence.
Am I possibly witnessing the loss of the kindness and innocence of my precious Sweetie Belle? Have I failed as a proper big sister? Why has this escalated beyond that weekend that the Sisterhooves Social took place?!
As her mother rounded the corner to return to the kitchen to retrieve the scrumptious and extravagantly prepared casserole, Rarity closed her eyes. With her front hooves pressed against the top of a dining room chair, she allowed herself to become lost in a recollection of a time when her sister was most innocent.
Shivering, Rarity rushed over and bolted the window closed. An especially vicious wind had rattled the sides of the Carousel Boutique and blew the window open, the snow that had built up on the window sill wafting over her carpets.
“Be careful, sweetheart! It's very cold, brrr! You'll get your little hoofies wet, too,” Rarity explained in a very clear voice, moving over to the little foal making her way around the perimeter of the room. As Sweetie Belle walked with short, careful steps, she reached up as high as she could to tape the various objects upon Rarity's shelves. She was naming them as she went, standing awkwardly on her back hooves.
Sweetie Belle was five months into her terrible twos. Potty training was going well, but she was at that tricky stage where if she didn't get off diapers, she'd never learn, and it was too risky to let her waltz around in nothing but fur and her own grit. Rarity briefly wondered if her baby sister would be chilly in nothing but panties, but the foal didn't seem to mind. However, for the advances the foal was making in the bathroom department, she was still a little poor on her hooves and struggling with words. At least, Rarity thought sighing, Sweetie's bursts of magic had finally died down. She was getting tired of taking her sewing needles out of Sweetie's levitation aura every time she foalsat.
“Snip-snip,” Sweetie mumbled, pointing to a pair of scissors Rarity had kept resolutely out of her reach, “tape,” she tapped a roll of measuring tape, which fell off the shelf and rolled across the floor, “goo!”
Rarity looked over at the filly as she turned on her sewing machine, watching a carefully sealed bottle of glue hit the floor. She sighed. “Careful, sweetheart.” Giving the floor a quick scan of her eyes to ensure there was nothing that could be a danger to her sister, she began to mend a rip in a recent project.
“Goo,” Sweetie repeated, still pointing at the glue, one hoof still on the shelf to keep herself standing. She then directed her free hoof at a roll of sapphire silk fabric. “Um… um… boo,” she decided, unable to remember, or even articulate, the word 'fabric'.
“'Blue', Sweetie Belle!” Rarity called out from her desk, thinking that Sweetie could have just called it 'roll'. “Not 'boo'. 'Bluuue'.”
“Booooo,” Sweetie repeated, cocking her head to one side as she stared over at her sister. Rarity smiled and Sweetie resumed her naming game. “Kitty!” She dropped to all four hooves and bent low to pet the three-month-old Opalescence.
The kitten gave a hiss of surprise and bolted for the doorway, leaping over the child-gate and scampering down the stairs. Judging by the echoing bang, the hyper feline had smacked into the wall half-way down. Sweetie stared after her in faint amusement for a moment. Losing interest, she resumed her trek around the room, tapping and pointing and naming everything she could. Eventually, she stopped by a clothes iron.
“Toy?” Sweetie enquired, looking over at Rarity with her hoof extended at the iron.
“N-n-nooo, dear!” Rarity gasped, turning off the machine and hurrying over. “Not a toy, no, no. Hot. You'll get hurt!”
“Not hot…” Sweetie noticed, touching it.
“No, that's not for little fillies,” Rarity said firmly, seizing it in her magic and levitating it out of sight to the very top of one of the shelves. She ensured it was pushed back as far as it would go so that it wouldn't accidentally tip over and fall off. “That's enough of the name game for now, alright?”
Rarity stooped low and gathered her little sister in her front hooves, straightening up and waddling backwards awkwardly on her hind legs until she was leaning against the wall. Smiling at the filly in her arms, she leaned forward and kissed her snout. As she pulled away, Sweetie smacked her hoof against Rarity's own nose.
“Sissy!” Sweetie Belle informed her, closing her eyes as she beamed magnificently.
“You're such a smart little angel! Can you say your name?” Rarity asked her, feeling her heart swell with affection for her sister. She beamed.
“Weedee Belle!” Sweetie supplied, looking very pleased with herself.
“Good girl!” Rarity encouraged, still beaming. “And mine?”
“Sissy!” Sweetie repeated, before pausing and considering. “Um… Wawitty.”
“That's right…” Rarity breathed softly, sitting down on the floor and stroking the filly's mane. “You're so amazing, Sweetie Belle, and your sissy loves you. So very, very much…”
“Wov ooo!” Sweetie responded, speaking after she had already puffed out her lips.
Rarity gave her another kiss. “You're so cute, sweetheart. Let's get you some lunch, okay?” Rarity used her magic to levitate Sweetie so she could scramble back to her own hooves, and walked toward the gate still blocking the stairs.
“Uh… Rarity, are you okay? Hey! Bozo!” Sweetie said as Rarity unlocked the child gate.
“Wha-what?” Rarity blinked and found herself staring down at her little sister. Sweetie was cocking her eyebrow at her.
“You've been standing there for like three minutes,” Sweetie explained, rolling her eyes. “Go help Dad get some forks.”
This evening's tuna casserole was quite as delicious as usual, Rarity decided as she finished her second plate. While ponies generally did not ingest meat of any description, it was an urban legend amongst other races that an equine would sometimes make a rare exception for fish. This was partly true, except only amongst what one would call the 'higher-class'. As Rarity's parents' household seemed to run on 'decadence', and fish was seen as a delicacy, despite the ease to obtain it, it wasn't uncommon for it to be included in their meals at least once a month. As it had been so long since Rarity stayed over for dinner, however, she had been really looking forward to it.
“Mother, this is simply divine! As always, your cherubim cooking has left your daughter practically speechless!” Rarity complimented. “The alfredo sauce was a simply magical touch.”
“Yeah, it was, Mom! I love it!” Sweetie agreed with fervent nods.
“Thank you so much, Rarity,” Pearl said graciously, magicking a napkin to her mouth and dabbing at her chin. “I thought the dried curry powder would be a bit much, but your father didn't even cry!” she concluded with a smirk.
“Pearl loves her little joke,” Magnum said in mock sarcasm, leaning across the table to give her a one-armed hug. “Love it, hun.”
Rarity wiped her own mouth and leaned back in her chair, feeling content with the world. Her eyes and ears were drooped and she felt ready for a good nap, albeit not there at the table. However, as Sweetie cleared her throat, Rarity gazed over to her with one bleary eye.
“Um... Mom?” Sweetie began, looking suddenly nervous. “I've got s-something to tell you...” Pearl looked in her direction. Across from her, Magnum glanced over as well. “Something, uh... pretty bad happened today.”
Magnum put his hooves together, looking concerned as Pearl raised both of her eyebrows in mild surprise. “What happened, Sweetie Butter?” he asked cautiously, throwing a quizzical look over at his wife.
“Well, you see...” Sweetie mumbled, her squeaky voice dropping an octave, “me and my friends... the Crusaders, you know... anyways, we were at the clubhouse this morning, and, uh...”
Rarity was still gaping in surprise at the fact that Sweetie was, in fact, keeping her word. Without a sound, she reached over and placed a hoof, unseen under the table, upon her sister's lap. No matter what Sweetie's recent attitude, Rarity wanted her to know she was there for her. With this wordless encourage, Sweetie Belle's voice grew a little stronger.
“L-look, Mom... Dad... there was a, ah, fire,” she told them bluntly. “We caused the fire ourselves. Trying for cutie marks... You see, um, firefighter marks seemed pretty genius at the time. Not so much after...” she gave a weak grin, but her eyes were starting to water.
Magnum's mouth opened for a moment, closed, opened again and hung there, as though he couldn't remember how to speak. Pearl's hooves were against her own mouth, eyes wide with horror.
“My word, Sweetie Belle! Were you caught inside?” she asked, looking quite dazed.
“Y-yes!” Sweetie whimpered, the tears finally bursting forth through the effort of her confession. “There was f-fire everywhere. It was so... so scary, I thought I was gonna die, but Rainbow Dash managed to get us out, and...” Sweetie Belle trailed off, trying to regain control of herself.
It was at that moment, however, that Rarity remembered something. Something she should have thought about earlier. Sweetie Belle... I'm pretty sure I can remember her displaying signs of a fear of fire in her youth. How could I have forgotten? However, before she could devote much more thought to the matter, her mother spoke up and her words drove the thoughts from Rarity's mind.
“Great Heavens, Sweetie Belle! Well, at least you got out of there, hun. We can all be very thankful for that. At least you're alright.”
And that was it. Pearl wiped her youngest daughter's tears with another napkin, finished off the remains of her meal happily, magicked the plates off of the table, forming them into a small stack, and walked to the kitchen. Rarity stared after her mother. Magnum was frowning, twisting his head back and forth between the kitchen doorway and his 'Sweetie Butter'. However, the frown eventually curved back to a more neutral look as he, too, got up from the table.
Rarity caught Sweetie's eye. Sweetie looked as though she half-expected Rarity to say or do something, but Rarity shook her head and took a sip of her water. If she were honest with herself, she had a feeling this would be an outcome. Gone, it seems, were the days when her parents had an active role in preventing their children from repeating potentially lethal mistakes. Rarity, herself, most certainly would not have found herself off the hook so easily. She slammed the glass back on the table with more force than was strictly necessary, while Sweetie looked confused.
Rarity stood up from the table, pushing her chair back into place, and walked into the hallway. As she glared in the direction of the kitchen, a large part of her wanted to march in there and confront their mother. She wanted to appeal to her father for help. But, with a great sigh, she instead walked back to the living room. The fight went out of her. If her parents were going to act like this, was there even any point in trying to argue?
Within the hour, Rarity found herself standing once more in the hallway, this time at the base of the stairs. Magnum returned from the master bedroom with a brilliant handlebar moustache. He posed at the top of the stairs, turning his head side to side. Rarity gave a nod of approval. She turned around at the touch of a hoof upon her shoulder, finding Pearl behind her.
“Our appointment with the Riches is pretty soon. Thank you, again, for coming over! Made my day, don'tcha know?” she said graciously.
Rarity's 'but I was going on a date...' died in her throat. Breathing in through her nose, she nodded curtly and replied, “Yes, Mother, Sweetie and I were glad to visit. I shall have her back tomorrow. I hope you and Father have a fantastic evening.”
Rarity was beyond annoyed at the indifferent display of attitude from her folks concerning the youngest member of their family. Nevertheless, she didn't want to fight the issue of them taking Sweetie Belle a day early, especially given that did not seem to be bothered by a minor thing like her life being put into jeopardy.
So much for her plans.
Twitch. Twitch. Twitch.
Rarity rubbed a hoof impatiently over her eye. The blood continued to bubble and throb in the vein, making her eyelid twitch over and over. Sweetie Belle was leading the way out of Parsley Row, head held high and occasionally breaking into a little bounce.
What a day, Rarity mused. What a horrible day. The injustice of it all stung her. Rarity was furious. This was too much. Still, despite all of these crimes she had to endure, she was determined to try and salvage that filly's soul.
“Sweetie Belle?” Rarity growled, watching that dual-coloured tail bounce as her sister gave a hop. “We need to have a talk when we get home.”
“Oh? About what?” Sweetie asked in a curious voice. “Gotta say, Rarity, old chap, I'm happy I was just 'visiting' Mom and Dad, like you.”
Gloating? Oh, absolutely, Rarity thought wryly. Pretending not to understand, too! “Don't play stupid with me, Sweetie. You know damn well 'what'!”
“Now who's gotta watch their filthy tongue?” Sweetie snapped, glaring back at her. “You're such a hypocrite!” She placed her hoof deliberately to the cheek Rarity had slapped.
Rarity bit back her retort, and of course, stayed her hoof from repeating the earlier motion. “Rrrregardless,” she stressed, “we are having a chat, young lady. You are not getting out of this so easily.”
They were starting their approach upon the Ponyville square, the main street wrapped around City Hall. Sweetie slowed to a halt next to Sugarcube Corner, tail swishing angrily.
“Right. Listen, Sis, you aren't Mom. Just saying,” Sweetie reminded her. “I don't need to have any 'talk', alright? I know I screwed up. That's that.”
“I don't need to be Pearl to take the necessary precautions for your safety! You strut around as though nothing serious happened today. You ought to have been punished by Moth—”
“Well, I wasn't,” Sweetie interrupted, throwing her mane much like Rarity would.
“—It would have been a proper way for you to learn an important lesson,” Rarity continued remorselessly. “Instead, we will...” Rarity trailed off as the doors to the little sweet shop opened up and a crowd of ponies walked out. Her eyes widened.
“Why, if it isn't the fair Rarity! What a positively fashionable assembly you're wearing. I love the overcoat,” a most familiar stallion exclaimed, holding up his hoof to halt his entourage.
“F-Fancy Pants!” Rarity stammered, feeling sweat beading upon her forehead as he approached her. “What, ah, brings you to this part of town?” She inwardly cursed herself; she knew her face had to be turning red, as evident by Sweetie's knowing smirk.
“Why, I had heard that there was a MOST desirable recipe for hot cocoa utilized by this charming little shop,” he explained, gesturing magisterially back to Sugarcube. “Guilty pleasure.”
“I see. Why, I must, ahem, try it sometime...” She didn't really want to admit how often she stopped in for Pinkie's Choconilla Confusion Solution, even if Fancy himself turned out to be a fan.
“Well, I mustn't keep my dear friends waiting... Hmm, you know, my dearest Rarity, it has been such a long time since our last get together. Would you like to join us in the Colt's Cabana this evening?”
Rarity's mouth fell open. “I...” she murmured, feeling her ears droop, “I'm very sorry, Fancy. I have matters to attend to.” She took a quick look toward Sweetie Belle. “I must keep watch over my charge tonight. I am... very sorry.” She certainly felt it, as her stomach fell from her body.
“Aaah,” Fancy sighed tragically, “unlucky circumstances! Well, Rarity, I shall leave you to it.” He gave her a nod, before facing Sweetie Belle and giving her a little bow. “I daresay you will prove suitable company for Rarity. You are sisters, correct? You look it, but at any rate, you must be just as posh and tasteful as her. Good evening to you both.”
Fancy Pants gave another bow to Rarity and started down the road, his associates moving quickly to follow him. Rarity maintained her smile until he was out of sight. Sweetie Belle seemed to think better of teasing her and said nothing, continuing down the street in the direction of the Carousel Boutique. No chance with Fancy Pants tonight. Her best opportunity, too. What else was going to go wrong before this day was over? Her teeth were on the grind again.
The silence that followed the exchange in front of the sweet shop was the heaviest of the entire day. Rarity practically charged down the street after her sister, mane blowing hither and dither in her distemper. She wanted to scream. This was Sweetie's fault, Rarity knew. It was all Sweetie's fault.
She was involved in that fire. She put Rarity through so much worry and turmoil. She was the one whose sour attitude had enraged Rarity so thoroughly. She and her little friends ruined her initial plans for the evening, and now, having to ensure that Sweetie Belle is in bed good and early has ruined her new plans. When in Equestria was she ever going to get the chance to be invited along to a gathering with Fancy Pants again?
In her temper, Rarity kicked aside a rock as they continued to walk down the street. And another. The feeling of hard stone connecting with her hoof at such a speed and intensity did nothing to dull her trepidation. She was so, so mad that Rarity found herself beyond caring what else happened this night.
Sweetie Belle approached the front door to the Boutique and paused, waiting for Rarity to unlock it. Rarity steamed past her, not breaking step, and with a pulse of magic, disengaged the seal she herself had set upon the lock. Rearing up upon her hind legs, she slammed the door open. Sweetie took a step back.
“Rarity, are you—”
“DO NOT SPEAK TO ME RIGHT NOW, SWEETIE BELLE!” Sweetie's ears snapped back with the speed of a closing bear trap. Supremely unconcerned, Rarity stormed forward, cast her overcoat and hat onto the floor in the middle of her showcase, and wheeled around. “Go upstairs. NOW!”
“Look, didn't you want to talk to me?” Sweetie reminded her, starting to look seriously alarmed now.
Rarity charged forward, seized Sweetie Belle by the arm, and practically threw her toward the stairs. Sweetie Belle stumbled and nearly fell face first to the floor. Little lights were popping up in the mare's vision. Rarity was incensed, furious, beyond reason. The filly made one final attempt to speak, but Rarity let out a bellow like a desperate, wounded beast. She disappeared up the stairs before Rarity said another word.
Silence. The silence stretched on, and on, and on. The outline of the distance steps were blurred, seen as through a veil, while the faint buzzing and ringing in her ears grew louder and louder. The curly, indigo tail dragged across the carpet. The joints along her extremities were sore, as though bound in tourniquets.
Slowly, very slowly, Rarity raised her head, eyes falling shut, the curl of hair at the end of her elegant mane stretching toward the floor. Relax, she thought to herself. You must relax. Rarity's nostrils felt dry as she vacuumed the air through them with such a force that it hurt. Her grit teeth parted company with one another in an exhale, the overburdened lungs releasing their cargo with each passing second. As the seconds stretched to minutes, the ringing died away, the graininess to her vision became more and more focused, and her quickened pulse normalized.
Rarity began to ascend the stairs herself. Around and around in a short spiral she climbed, stopping as she reached her bedroom and workspace. Raking the ceiling with her eyes, she debated going up to the guest bedroom. But, no, she decided. She did not want another row. Instead, back across the room she went, back toward the dress she had been preparing earlier that day, and back to work.
Opalescence let out a faint mew once she had woken up and seen her owner. Purring softly, she leapt lightly onto the desk as Rarity gathered some new materials for a fresh attempt at a design for the outfit.
“Hello, Opal. I see you've decided to speak to me again,” Rarity mumbled. “I know you don't like it when I'm being sour with my sister.” The feline blinked at her. Rarity rolled her eyes. “Yes, I know, but somepony had to be stern with her, because it was most certainly NOT my parents' job, evidently! I don't want to criticize the ponies who have given me everything I have ever required to become such a successful mare, it is true, but their behaviour tonight was almost as shameful as Sweetie Belle's!”
Another reproachful glare. The sewing machine, yet again, whirred to life as Rarity shook her head in exasperation. Before Rarity got started, she had laid out several sheets of fabric before her, in bright and exuberant colours. A red velvet, emerald, pale gold, sapphire, turquoise, gamboge, and lilac. She placed a pale white spiral pattern next to each, trying to judge the effect of which seemed to be the most appealing.
“Stop being so surly with me, Opal,” Rarity chastised the cat, frowning. “I expected Father to say something, but he did not. Pearl just... shrugged off the enormity of Sweetie Belle's crimes as though she had simply stepped upon someone's well-kept grass by mistake!”
Unable to focus, Rarity turned away from her work, crossing over to one of the shelves along her walls and looking around the topmost ones. Spotting the clothes iron she now kept up there out of habit, she levitated it down and studied it closely. Again, she checked the ceiling.
“What happened to her, Opal? Why has she been such an atrocious child today? She used to be so innocent and loving, but her behaviour has just been... ugly...” Opalescence stared her straight in the eyes, as though trying to intimate something to her. Rarity didn't catch it, whatever the cat was trying to tell her. “You might assume that I just wanted Mother to punish Sweetie Belle just to make that child suffer. No, this is not needless vengeance! It is so much more than that... Sweetie took a terrible risk today, and she prances around as though nothing's wrong! She needs to understand the fullest extent her actions could have, both on her family and her own psyche. What if she pulls a stunt like this again, Opal? Will Rainbow Dash be there to save her again?”
The feline evidently had no answer for this. Rarity put the clothes iron back upon the shelf, tracing her eyes along the path her baby sister had once taken when pointing out and naming objects. In her mind's eye, these visions were replaced with an angry looking Sweetie Belle, shouting at her. Accusing her of not 'giving a damn'.
“I don't get it!” Rarity groaned. “Sweetie Belle, Pearl, Magnum! My sister, my parents, it's like NONE OF THEM understand, Opalescence! Am I the lone voice of reason in this entire family? I don't get it, I DO NOT get it, I don't understand how this all went so wrong...” Resentment and outrage were coming to her aid now. “Do I need to take the reigns, Opal?! Do I rid my parents of the responsibility of caring for a child they seem so heartily disinterested in?! I only want the BEST FOR MY BABY SISTER, OPALESCENCE!” Rarity erupted, feeling the angry tears in her eyes. “The best... what's best for her. I want... what's best for her. What's for her own good...”
Rarity slowly turned her head and looked in the direction of her dresser. 'For her own good'. There was the answer, right there. Her eyes widened. This had to be it. She approached the dresser, breathing hard as her heart continued to beat a tattoo against her ribs.
“I know what I must do, Opal...” Her voice was low, gravely. She placed a hoof against the back of a chair standing sentinel by the surface of the dresser, with its tall mirror and various creams and jars of foundation littered about it. “I cannot get Sweetie Belle to see the true repercussions of her actions today on her own... so I will force her to face them myself. She WILL understand PRECISELY how much her STUPID, IGNORANT ACTIONS have put at risk!” She wrenched open the top drawer and scrutinized an object. With a flash of her horn, her cornflower blue aura seized the redwood hairbrush laying upon the jumble of possessions within, and levitated it to her hooves. Opal was hissing, but she ignored her.
“When I am through with her,” Rarity continued in a low, fierce voice, “that brat will never make another stupid decision for as long as she lives... Just because Mother seems too absorbed in her own life to raise another child with the love and guidance she gave me doesn't mean I have no right to take matters into my own hooves! Somepony's got to, and if I'm the only one who cares enough to do the unfortunate business that ABSOLUTELY MUST BE DONE, so be it...” With this hairbrush, and the chair, all she needed now was her sister.
Rarity looked up at her reflection in the mirror. She was standing upright with the brush's handle clasped in her left hoof. She was running her right across the flat, hard back of it in a gently caress. Her eyebrows were so furrowed that they had formed a single, severe line and there was a nasty grin on her face. She held her reflection's gaze for three seconds.
Three, long, seemingly endless seconds. And then, her entire world broke.
The smile faltered, the eyes widened in horror, and the brush fell to the floor with a smack. Rarity staggered back from the image burned into her mind, the mirror's image of an evil, vindictive mare with hatred in her eyes, a mare with an insatiable hunger for justice and a desire to cause her sister pain. An unholy apparition; her own reflection.
Her mouth opened. Rarity did not even know what she was going to say. Immediately, her ears were assaulted by the continued hissing of her beloved pet. Looking over, she saw Opal's white-grey fur on end, her teeth bared. Upon seeing Rarity's expression, the hissing stopped, although the feline continued to back away.
“Opalescence...” Her voice cracked and the cat consented to pause, closing her jaws and hiding those teeth.
She took one final, terrified look at the mirror, at the destroyed pony gazing back at her, and fell onto her haunches. Both hooves shook in front of her as she pressed them to either half of her face, covering it, hiding her shame and her hatred from the world. With a shudder, she began to cry. It was like watching a film playing in her head. She was shouting at Sweetie Belle on the walk home from the clubhouse by Sweet Apple Acres. She was shouting at her downstairs. Her own words made her throat constrict. 'Fool'. 'Moron'. 'Stupid'. 'Ignorant'. Again, and again, she watched Sweetie Belle's head jerk from the force of her slap.
She tried to justify her own actions. As the tears flowed freely from her eyes, staining her fur and running down her arms, she tried to explain away her own disgusting behaviour. But she couldn't. Yes, Sweetie Belle was not acting innocently today, she told herself, but never once did she bother to try to figure out precisely why Sweetie Belle had been acting this way.
Memories of every time her sister had displayed signs of pyrophobia stabbed at Rarity non-stop. Being inside that clubhouse as the fire blazed had to have been the single scariest experience of her sister's young life. And what had Rarity done? Raged at her. Called her terrible things. Struck her in the face. How in Equestria could she possibly blame her sister for acting angry at her in return? Sweetie Belle needed comfort. She never gave her any, only sowed the seeds of fury, contaminated her precious, innocent little Sweetie Belle with her own peevishness.
Rarity's wailing increased and she started pounding her hooves against the floor, gritting her teeth as the tears and snot dripped from her snout in equal measure. “O-Op...” A deep breath against her dry throat. She tried to clear her nose, but was not very successful. “Op-Opal... I'm a m-monster! I called her a filthy monster, but it was me, Opal! I don't d-deserve that wonderful child as a s-sister. I don't even d-deserve to live... I wanted to hurt her, Opal! I wanted to HURT HER!”
Rarity picked up the fallen hairbrush and hurled it with all of her might across the void between where she had fallen and the dresser. It hit the mirror with a terrible, ear-piercing crash. In one, fluid motion, the mirror fractured into a million pieces and cascaded down. Shards rained upon the dresser and the carpet.
Opalescence did not flee in terror. Her cat had already approached her, gazing up into her eyes. Still shaking, Rarity gently stroked the feline, biting her lip so hard that she had drawn blood. After a few seconds, she noticed the thundering of hooves coming down the spiral staircase outside of her room. Her door flew open and banged off the wall. Turning her anguished face toward it, she saw the fear and confusion on her sister's face.
“Rarity!” Sweetie gave a squeaky shriek and made to dash over, but Rarity held up both of her hooves.
“Don't, Sw-Sweetie... there's broken glass...” Despite her condition, her voice was very clear.
Rarity got to her hooves, not caring where she stepped, as her own well-being was of little concern at that moment. Grabbing Opalescence with her magic, she moved the cat safely to the bed and made her way over herself. Sweetie Belle followed, taking the long way around the room to avoid the sharp pieces of mirror that littered the room like shrapnel.
“Rarity, what the heck happened?!” Sweetie Belle demanded, climbing on the bed. “You look like a mess! Were you stupid enough to headbutt the mirror, or something?!”
Rarity looked Sweetie Belle directly in the face and saw the filly's scowl fade. “Yes, Sweetie Belle... I was stupid. Very... very stupid.”
Both of Sweetie's eyebrows were threatening to disappear into her mane. "So you did headbutt the mirror?!" Rarity shook her head.
Rarity gave Opalescence another rub and tried to master herself. She made to wipe her eyes with her hooves, but first checked to make sure there were no small fragments of mirror there. Sweetie rubbed her back gently, still looking bemused and bewildered. Finally, Rarity exhaled, licked the blood from her bottom lip, and spoke at last.
“Sweetie Belle, I'm sorry, Sis... I'm so very, very sorry...” Rarity pulled the wet strands of hair from her eyes and held out an arm, anxious to embrace her little sister. Sweetie shuffled nearer on the bed and allowed Rarity to pull her close. “Today was really, really awful... not just for you, but for me, as well. When Derpy arrived and told me what happened, I was beside myself with worry about you. I was scared, sweetheart, so scared...” Rarity paused a moment, swallowing hard.
The word 'sweetheart' had finally given her the same uplifting feeling it always had when Sweetie Belle was just a foal. It was almost as though there was a special kind of magic to those words, a kind of magic in the innocence of a child's reaction to an affectionate name. As the word slipped through her lips, the relief she had experienced that afternoon broke over her again. Sweetie Belle was here; she was safe, and everything was going to be okay. It took Rarity several moments to recover from the surge of emotion that had hatched in her heart.
There was simply one small detail, an elephant in the room, that prevented her from sinking into her well of love for her sister and becoming lost in euphoria. “I... I screwed up, Sweetie Belle. I completely and entirely made today a lot worse than your rescue had warranted it to be. I should have asked you how you've been coping since that dreadful ordeal. Instead... I was mad at you from the moment I found out that you and your friends started the fire with legitimate intent.”
Sweetie Belle said nothing. She wrapped her hooves around Rarity's torso and pressed her snout against her. Rarity thought she could feel tears. Fighting the urge to spill her own again, she simply stroked her sister's mane until Sweetie pulled herself together.
“I don't hate you, Rarity... I'm sorry I said I did.”
These words went through Rarity like a knife. Despite everything Rarity had said to her, Sweetie Belle still felt the need to apologize for words she had every right to utter. Rarity didn't know what would have been more painful: hearing the apology, or hearing that her own actions and spiteful words had caused the filly to actually hate her.
“It's my fault you said those things, Sweetie Belle. I was not a proper big sister to you. I wasn't kind, nor did I take your feelings into... into account. I wasn't there for you.” Rarity leaned back and gently lifted her sister's chin with her hoof, gazing into her eyes. “Even after I screwed up that weekend of the Social... I had learned nothing. And I can't promise I'm not going to mess up again.” Rarity closed her eyes briefly, feeling a single, fresh tear roll down her face. She had to find a way to master her own behaviour. Unless she was able to control her anger at last, Rarity knew she would not be worthy enough to care for her sister properly. It would be her own private battle with herself, but Sweetie's future would make it all worth the struggle. Otherwise, the filly in her arms would suffer.
Sweetie blinked as she digested all of these words. “We all screw up, Rarity... I forgive you, you know? Just like you always forgive me when I mess up your stuff. I mean... we're sisters! It's kind of our job to make each other miserable!” Sweetie gave a little giggle, stroking Rarity's mane.
“That might be a little sister's job,” Rarity agreed, giving a small smile, “but my job is supposed to concern your well being. As I've told you... I should have asked about your well being. I know you can usually handle fire pretty well, like whenever we've been camping... but after today, and seeing you staring at that gas lamp, I am... ashamed of myself, Sweetie Belle. I'm sorry.”
“It was h-horrible, Rarity...”
“I understand, sweetheart...” Rarity said quietly, nodding. “At least... I do now. Sweetie Belle, it was my intention... to spank you myself.” Sweetie looked shocked, mouth falling open. “I wanted to teach you the exact same lesson that your own fears would have already drilled into your mind by now. It wouldn't have been the right thing to do, not when you've already seen the error of your ways. I know you're sorry for your actions, but... you have to promise me that you're not going to do something so foolish ever again. Please, Sweetie Belle...”
“Of course, Rarity,” Sweetie said quickly, drying her eyes with a hoof. “I know I screwed up today... gosh, I deserve to be punished, you were right, but I promise! I promise that there's not going to be another day where I'm this big,” Sweetie said, stretching out both of her front hooves as far as she could, “of an idiot! Even when I knew it was a bad idea, I never really tried to stop Scootaloo and Apple Bloom. It's just as much my fault as theirs, and... I'm sorry.”
“I believe you,” Rarity assured her, pressing her lips to the filly's forehead.
“I'm not strong enough to go through what happened today twice. I don't wanna be so scared ever again, Sis...” Sweetie Belle confessed in a small voice.
“I trust that you're gonna take better care of both yourself and your best friends, Sweetie Belle. And... I'm going to do my best to look out for you, to keep you from danger... I'll come through for you! I promise you!” Rarity slid off the bed, allowing her resolve to completely overpower her. “I love you, Sis. I completely and truly love you. I'm not saying I won't ever get angry again, because I've proven that I'm not a perfect pony, but I'm never going to allow my rage to consume me like it did today. It's not worth seeing you hurt, and not just physically, but emotionally, as well.”
Opalescence was purring softly, Sweetie Belle was smiling encouragingly, and Rarity knew that tomorrow was going to be a brighter day. Focusing her mind completely, she magicked every single piece of broken mirrors off of the floor and dresser, arranging it into neat stacks and putting what she could in the garbage pin in the corner. As her eyes fell once more upon her sewing machine, an idea struck her; a potentially wonderful idea that she could use to help remind her of what she had nearly lost this day, not just from the fire, but from her own terrible behaviour. Making a mental note of this for later, she turned back to her sister, who was still sitting on the bed with Opalescence.
“Well,” she said, “let's put this day behind us, sweetheart. If I ever find myself tasked with having to punish you... I promise that I'm going to do so properly, and only if it is the absolute best course of action to take. I know that's not exactly good news, but there you are.”
Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes. “Yeeeah, not really fantastic news.”
Rarity gave a laugh. “For your own good, my dear. Today, it wouldn't have been. Again, I'm sorry for how poorly I've treated you.”
“I understand, Rarity,” Sweetie replied earnestly, slipping off the bed. “Sorry for getting mad at you for getting mad at me, or, whatever. You know what I mean!”
Rarity nodded. “Well, I didn't get to spend time with Fancy Pants tonight, and you never got to have that sleepover at Applejack's with your little friends... so, why don't we find something fun to do before bedtime, hmm? I'll fix you anything you want as a snack, as well.”
“Splendid idea, my dearest sister!” Sweetie Belle tossed her hair and imitated Rarity's most pompous manner, but Rarity knew the intent was not malicious. “Lead on!”
As the unicorns left the room, Rarity glanced back at Opalescence, who seemed to give an exaggerated shake of her head at both of them, as though saying “was all of that so hard?” Rarity watched the cat curl up on the bed, ready for a nap. Taking her sister's hoof, Rarity ventured downstairs.
