Sweetie Belle's Love Song
"Raaarityyy!" yelled Sweetie Belle as she opened the door to the Carousel Boutique and charged inside. "Big Sis! I need your help!"
The elder unicorn sister gritted her teeth as the sudden interruption caused her hooves to slip, messing up the stitching on a piece of fabric. Closing her eyes, Rarity sighed, taking her foot off the pedal of the sewing machine and letting go of the fabric. She inhaled deeply, then turned to face Sweetie Belle, wearing her sewing glasses, a tape measure around her neck. "Sweetie, what have I told you about knocking before barging into my workspace?"
Sweetie Belle skidded to a halt, plopping into a seated position and looking at the ground. "Oh, Rarity, I'm sorry. I forgot..."
"It's alright, darling." Rarity sighed and smiled. "We all make mistakes now and then." The indigo-haired unicorn filly walked over and shut the door, then returned to her sister. "Just try to remember next time, alright?" She tapped Sweetie's shoulder with a hoof, then proceeded to a couch. "Now, what's wrong?"
Sweetie Belle blinked a few times, then stood and followed her sister to the couch. "Aren't you gonna fix that fabric you were working on?"
"It can wait," said Rarity with a nod. "It sounds like you have a real problem on your hooves. What kind of sister what I be if I didn't try to help as best I could?"
Sweetie smiled brightly. "I dunno, but I know what kind of sister you are -- the best ever!" She leaned up to hug Rarity, then looked down and away as she placed her forehooves back on the couch cushion. "It's a pretty sticky situation, alright. Stickier than tree sap...or that time Scootaloo and Apple Bloom and I all got ourselves stuck together with taffy..." She looked up.
Rarity simply nodded encouragingly. "Go on."
"Well..." Sweetie looked away again and sniffled. "Y'see, the thing is...um...Scootaloo...well, today she told me that she likes me. Like, likes me likes me." Sweetie looked up at Rarity again, a bit of fear in her eyes.
Rarity's gaze softened, but she continued to smile. "I had a hunch. So, what's the matter, dear? Do you not like her that way?"
"No! I mean...yes?" The younger unicorn filly was a bit confused by the multiple negatives. "I mean, it's not that! ...The problem is that I...I think I do like her like that!" Sweetie Belle sniffled, tears coming to the corners of her eyes.
Rarity tilted her head a bit questioningly. "Then, darling, what's wrong...?"
"You know!" Sweetie Belle almost yelled, lifting her forehooves and waving them around frantically. "Mom and Dad always used to tell us that it wasn't 'right' or 'proper' for a filly to have those kind of feelings for another filly! They said the high-society ponies of Canterlot looked down on that kind of thing. And, and..." She sniffled more, starting to cry just a little. "I don't wanna be an embarassment to you, Big Sis! But I wanna be with Scoots! I...I...what should I do?!"
Rarity frowned, her mouth openly slightly. Then she bit her lip, a tear forming at the corner of her own eye. "Oh, Sweetie Belle, my beautiful little sister, I would never be embarassed by you!" She wrapped her forehooves around the little pink-and-purple-haired unicorn and pulled her close. "Never! If you and Scootaloo love each other, you should be together!"
Sweetie Belle blinked through her tears, hugging back, then pushing away a bit to look Rarity in the eyes. "Really? You really feel that way about it?"
"Of course I do, darling!" said the indigo-haired unicorn reassuringly.
"But, Rarity, you don't like other fillies like that..." Sweetie Belle turned away, casting her gaze downward again.
"Yes I do, Sweetie Belle," said Rarity bluntly and matter-of-factly.
"Huh...?" Sweetie asked as she looked back up at her sister wide-eyed, blinking several times in shocked disbelief.
Rarity smiled, wiping the single tear from her cheek with her hoof, then grabbing a tissue and proceeding to clean Sweetie Belle's face. "I've been dating Twilight Sparkle for several months now."
"HUH?!" exclaimed the younger unicorn, eyes going even wider and her mouth dropping open. After a moment, she managed to regain her composure, and her eyes returned to their normal size. She waited for her sister to finish wiping her face before proceeding with the burning question in her mind. "But...didn't you have a date with a stallion at the Grand Galloping Gala? You kept saying you were going to marry a prince, and we would be royalty..."
Rarity chuckled, then coughed, rolling her eyes. "Well, yes, that's true. Remember how I always say that everyone makes mistakes? Well, that 'date' was a mistake that I made. Prince Blueblood, as it turns out, is a stuck-up royal pain, far more of a jerk even than those classmates of yours...oh, what are their names? The ones that are always teasing you and your friends --"
Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes and groaned. "Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon."
"Right, right," said Rarity, continuing, "Sorry for mentioning them. I just wanted to say that Prince Jerk is even more stuck-up and haughty. It was horrible, and the only good part of the night was when I finally got away from him. I was really glad to get back to Twilight and everyone else...but especially Twilight. I really love her, you know. She may not be royalty, but she knows how to treat a lady, and she was very forgiving about the entire situation."
Sweetie Belle tilted her head, looking up curiously. "Hold on a minute. If you were already in love with Twilight, why did you go to the Gala to meet the prince...?"
Rarity smiled and chuckled. "That's a good question. Honestly, in retrospect, I feel like such a silly-filly for even doing it, but Twilight always tells me not to worry about it. I was doing something called 'social posturing,' dear -- that is, I was acting a certain way because I thought it would please certain people..."
"Oh, I get it," said Sweetie Belle with a smile. "It's like when Scoots said 'ewww' after that adorable Cutie Mark story from all of your friends! She probably wanted to sound cool to impress Rainbow Dash."
Rarity blinked a couple of times, her mouth open, and then she laughed heartily. "Exactly, my dear sister." Sometimes Sweetie's sudden intuitive understanding of a concept surprised even Rarity. "The funny thing, though," continued the elder unicorn sister, "is that what Mom and Dad taught us isn't even true. When I told Princess Celestia what a foal I felt like for my behavior, and how I had learned that I shouldn't try to act like somepony I'm not -- she told me that I was absolutely right, and that some of the most eminent couples in Canterlot are mares. Why, even Celestia herself has had a mare for her own princess, several times!"
"Really?" asked Sweetie Belle, smiling. "That's amazing! And great news! You and Twilight can be Canterlot nobility, and -- well, maybe if Rainbow Dash becomes a Wonderbolt, one day Scootaloo will be a Wonderbolt, and I -- we -- can live near you, and..." Sweetie Belle blushed fiercely and slammed a hoof over her mouth as she realized she had been voicing her daydream out loud.
Giggling, Rarity nuzzled her sister's muzzle. "It's alright to dream, darling. That actually sounds rather marvelous..."
Sweetie Belle suddenly went wide-eyed and gasped. "OH NO!"
"What's wrong?" asked Rarity, her expression shifting back to concern. "I thought our little talk had resolved everything."
Sweetie shook her head. "I think I accidentally rejected Scoot! She looked so sad when I left... Now what am I gonna do?!"
Rarity frowned. "I'm sure it's not that bad, dear. However, if you think you need something special to make it up to her..." She got up from the couch and went over to a phonograph, putting a record on it and setting the needle. In moments, the room was filled with the sweet yet sexy, raspy voice of Sapphire Shores. Rarity smiled, lip-synching along to the lyrics as she walked back over to the couch.
"I should...get her a record as a gift?" Sweetie Belle raised an eyebrow.
"No, silly-filly," Rarity said, giggling. "You should sing her a love song!"
Sweetie Belle blushed. "Oh, but I...I'm not that good at singing! I just do it in my spare time, and..."
"And somepony used your lyrics for a certain talent show, did she not?"
"Well, I suppose that's true..." Sweetie smiled and nodded. "Right! Then that's what I'll do. I think I know the perfect one, too... I'll start practicing right away!"
Rarity smirked as Sweetie ran off to get the record, then finally went back to her sewing, humming along with the Sapphire Shores song and thinking of Twilight.
The next day, Scootaloo didn't show up for school. Nopony was truly surprised; it was common for Scootaloo to skip school. Sweetie Belle was a little worried, though, and it obviously showed, because Apple Bloom approached her during recess.
"Hi, Apple Bloom. Do we have a plan for tonight's meeting?" Sweetie asked, trying to divert the subject before her earth pony friend could ask about what happened the night before.
"A-nope, ah don't. Maybe it's none o' mah business, an' y'ken tell me if it's nawt, but it seems mighty coincidental, Scoots skippin' school the day after you two had...whatevur it was you had last night."
"Our first kiss..." whispered Sweetie Belle before she even realized she was speaking audibly. Apple Bloom grinned, and Sweetie Belle gasped, placing a hoof over the yellow filly's mouth. "I didn't mean to say that out loud! Keep your voice down...please..." She looked at Apple Bloom with those adorable begging eyes of hers, and the red-haired earth pony sighed and nodded. "Please don't tell Scoots I told you," said the swirly-haired unicorn filly, whispering again. "I have a plan for tonight. Promise me?"
Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow, then shrugged. "Sure thing, Sweetie, ah won't say a word. But --"
"But...?" questioned Sweetie Belle.
"Naw, never mind," replied Apple Bloom. "You stick ta yer plan. Ah'm sure things'll work out okay." She smiled and nodded, and Sweetie smiled too. She felt the weight of worry lift off her shoulders a bit at her friend's reassurance.
The rest of the school day passed lazily, but eventually, it was time to head to the CMC clubhouse. Sweetie Belle felt her worries returning, thinking to herself, What if she doesn't come? What am I going to do? The white unicorn filly smiled brightly, though, when she and Apple Bloom got to their clubhouse and saw a scooter parked outside.
From the top of the CMC Headquarters, wearing an eyepatch over one eye, Scootaloo yelled down, "Ahoy there, Cutie Mark Crusaders! Today, we're gonna be SKY CAPTAINS!"
Behind the clubhouse, Pinkie Pie popped up in a new invention that looked like an airship out of Final Fantasy. Dread, then excitement crossed Apple Bloom's and Sweetie Belle's faces, then they raced up to the top of the clubhouse to join Scootaloo in boarding the airship.
After landing and removing their helmets, the three friends checked their flanks and each other's for Cutie Marks, as usual. "Ah guess we're nawt Cutie Mark Crusader Sky Captains," said Apple Bloom dejectedly.
"Aw, well, you're bound to find something that suits you soon, girls!" yelled Pinkie as she began to take off in her latest contraption. "Hoist the mane sails!" The pink pony darted faster than the eye could see to another position, pulling a rope to lift a sail with an icon of a mane -- and nothing else -- on it. "Aye-aye, captain Pie!" She darted back to her original position. "Good job, Sailor Pie," she said, continuing with the antics of playing multiple crew members as the airship drifted up and off, out of sight.
"So random," whispered Scootaloo with a chuckle as Pinkie disappeared.
"Um, Scoots?" Sweetie Belle said questioningly as she stepped up next to the orange pegasus pony.
"Yeah, Sweetie?" asked Scoot, seemingly unfazed by yesterday's events. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle both knew she was putting up a front, though.
"Will you come over to my house tonight? I have something I want to show you..."
Scootaloo's heart skipped a beat, and she shuddered, opening her mouth but unable to make anything come out. She closed her mouth, and Apple Bloom looked out at the setting sun. "Hoo-ee, lookit the time! Ah'd better be gettin' back t' th' barn! See y'all tamarrah!" And she trotted off quickly to give Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo their privacy.
Scootaloo blushed fiercely, putting a hoof behind her head, and nodded. "Sure thing, Sweets," she finally managed to say.
Sweetie Belle smiled brightly, and nodded to the scooter, putting her helmet back on. Scootaloo did the same, and was about to get the wheelbarrow, but Sweetie Belle shook her head, smiling. With another fierce blush, Scootaloo stepped up onto her scooter, waiting for Sweetie Belle this time. This time, the white unicorn filly had time to place her hooves firmly around the orange pegasus filly's midsection, holding on just tightly enough without squeezing too hard. Both relished the tender moment, though each was still unsure how the other felt about the situation.
The two travelled to the Carousel Boutique in silence, enjoying each other's company and the adrenaline rush at what was to come, each feeling her own heart beating rapidly, the sound of blood dulling their ears from noticing that the beating of their hearts was entirely synchronized.
When they arrived at Sweetie Belle's home, Sweetie Belle got off the scooter and helped Scootaloo park it, then they assisted each other in removing their helmets, placing them on the handlebars of the scooter. Sweetie Belle gently pushed open the door, holding it for Scootaloo, who was looking around questioningly at Rarity's absence. The older unicorn had secluded herself upstairs on her sister's request. Sweetie Belle shut the door, smiling to Scootaloo and gesturing to a couch, speaking for the first time since the clubhouse -- in a soft, sweet voice, similar to the one she used for the songs she often sang to herself. "Have a seat, I'll be right back."
Scootaloo nodded and obliged, hopping up on the couch. Sweetie set the needle on the phonograph and grabbed a microphone that Rarity had set up for her.
A dance remix of Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart" began to play, and Sweetie Belle began to sing in her raspy, sexy voice she had used for "Hush Now, Quiet Now." Every time the song used a masculine, though, Sweetie used the feminine: "You'll always be the only girl who ever wanted me the way that I am! Every now and then I know there's no one in the universe as magical and wondrous as you!" As she was singing, Sweetie Belle danced around the floor of the shop.
By the time she reached the last couple of lines, Scootaloo was standing and crying softly.
Sweetie Belle finished out the song by belting out, "I really need ya tonight! Forever's gonna start tonight, forever's gonna start to~niiight! Once upon a time, I was fallin' in love, now I'm only fallin' apart...nothin' I can do, a total eclipse of the heaaart... Once upon a time, I was fallin' in love, now I'm only fallin' apart...nothin' I can do, a total eclipse of the heaaart..." Unbeknownst to her, as her eyes were closed, there was a flash of light, her horn lighting up for a moment as her Cutie Mark revealed itself: a bar of music with a couple of notes and a big pink heart in the center.
Scootaloo lifted her forehooves and started pounding the floor of the shop so hard one might think there was a stampede, freely letting her tears roll as she shouted, "Brava, bravissima!" Sweetie Belle opened her eyes, smiling, a couple tears of her own sliding down her bright red blushing cheeks, just as Scootaloo ran over and pounce-tackled her to the ground, kissing her in a blaze of passion. Dropping the microphone, Sweetie wrapped her forehooves around Scoot's neck, returning the kiss with completely equal fervor and no inhibition whatsoever.
When they finally broke the kiss, their eyes still interlocked, Sweetie Belle giggled softly and asked, "So, does this mean we're girlfriends now?"
"Of course it does, silly-filly!" said Scootaloo, smirking softly through her tears. "You may have stolen my heart...but yours is big enough for both of us." And she gently touched Sweetie Belle's newly revealed Cutie Mark with a hoof.
