"Please, Rarity?"
"I'm sorry Sweetie Belle, but I simply cannot spend time today playing." Rarity trotted frantically around Carousel Boutique, her horn aglow, magic grabbing at the materials that she needed for her latest project and spinning them around her to create a halo of sewing supplies.
Sweetie Belle stared in awe as her sister sped throughout the store, gathering things seemingly at random. She couldn't begin to wonder how all the materials were supposed to fit together to make the dresses that Rarity was known for. She was still unable to use magic, but Rarity seemed to be able to handle dozens of tasks at the same time with no trouble at all. She couldn't wait until she was able to do that.
Rarity paused, slightly out of breath, and turned apologetically toward Sweetie Belle. "I told you, I have an order for Hoity Toity that I must finish by tonight, and I am running behind as it is! Not to mention the two other clients who need dresses tomorrow!"
"But I only have two days to spend with you while Mom and Dad are gone!"
The older unicorn picked up a spool of ribbon from underneath a bolt of deep blue fabric. "Yes, well, that was a very sudden emergency that forced them to go to Manehatten, and I didn't have enough time to alter my schedule. I am sorry Sweetie, but this order must be completed by tomorrow morning, or my career could be ruined!"
She walked up to the gilded chest where she kept her most extravagant jewels. Whenever she came back from her gem hunting expeditions, she took a special note of the most flawless stones and placed them in this chest to save for the most important of dresses. An order for somepony as prestigious as Hoity Toity absolutely qualified the use of these stones; the resulting dress would be breathtaking. Rarity could already picture the glimmer of opals, the sheen of diamonds, and the luster of amethysts on her creation. It would be spectacular!
Rarity's eyes awaited the glory of sight they were about to see as she opened the lid to the chest. Inside were nestled pristine samples of lapis lazuli, but nothing else. "Oh dear! I can't complete my dresses with these! They're practically useless for my plan! Where are the sapphires, the emeralds, the rubies? Oh what to do, what to do…"
Sweetie Belle tilted her head, not understanding her sister's predicament. "Can't you just find some more like you always do?"
"Sweetie, dear, finding gems and bringing them back takes hours and I simply don't have the time! The only way I would possibly be able to do it quickly enough is if I have somepony helping me! Oh what am I to do?"
Sweetie Belle's eyes lit up as she started bouncing up and down. "Oh oh oh! I can help you Rarity!"
"No Sweetie, I need to do this quickly and I'm sure your…assistance would only prolong the trip."
The white filly stopped abruptly and hung her head, "I said I was sorry last time…"
"Not to worry," Rarity said, though sounding unsure, "I'll just have to go ask Spike if he can come! He does so well with gems, and I'm sure I will be able to make it back on time with his help!" Rarity started walking toward the door, not wanting to waste another moment.
Sweetie Belle ran to catch up with her. "But what will I do?"
"Can't you play with your friends?"
"No. Apple Bloom is busy helping Applejack on the farm, and Scootaloo is off practicing some new moves on her scooter."
Rarity sighed, "Well, we will just have to see if we can find somepony to watch you for a few hours, I shouldn't be gone past dinnertime."
The fashonista opened the door, and set out for the library in hopes that Spike would be able to help her. The two made their way through Ponyville, Rarity walking briskly while Sweetie Belle skipped after her, trying to keep up. The unicorns reached the giant tree in the middle of town and Rarity knocked on the door. After a moment, the door swung open and the lavender librarian walked into the doorway, blinking slightly in the light.
"Oh, hello Rarity! Can I help you with something?" asked Twilight Sparkle.
"Hello Twilight. I was actually wondering if Spike was around, I could really use his help today."
Upon hearing his name spoken by the unicorn, the baby dragon ran up to the door, hearts in his eyes. "You needed me for something Rarity?"
"Yes Spike, I was wondering if you would be a dear and help me get some more gemstones for my boutique this afternoon." She batted her eyes at him.
"Sure Rarity, I'd be glad to do anything for yo- to help out!" Spike blushed.
Rarity's eyes glittered and she smiled gratefully. "Oh thank you so much! I knew I could count on my Spikey Wikey!"
The dragon's face grew even darker and he turned to get his things before the ponies noticed his embarassment.
"But what about me?" Sweetie Belle asked from behind her sister.
Rarity looked over, "We'll see if Fluttershy will be able to keep an eye on you."
"Actually Rarity," said Twilight, "Fluttershy is over at Froggy Bottom Bog, there was another overpopulation issue, and she's helping transfer some more frogs."
Rarity frowned. "Oh my, well I suppose we can ask Applejack..."
"But she and Apple Bloom are harvesting apples!" whined Sweetie Belle.
Twilight looked back and forth between the two, accessing the situation. She spoke up, "You know, Rarity, I just finished my studying early. I could watch Sweetie Belle for you until you get back."
Rarity looked at Twilight, shaking her head vigorously. "Oh no no no, I couldn't impose like that!"
Twilight put a hoof up. "It's no imposition, really! Besides, I just finished reading about filly psychology, I'm sure she won't be a problem!"
Rarity noticed that the sun was already past noon, "Well if you're sure it's okay Twilight…" she turned to her sister, "You don't mind do you Sweetie Belle?"
The forlorn filly sighed. "No..."
"Oh thank you ever so much Twilight, you have no idea how much this helps!" She called out, "Spike, are you ready to go?"
The dragon ran back to the entrance and stood at attention. "Yes m'lady!"
Rarity thanked Twilight again as she left. Spike trailed behind her already pulling the red wagon to carry the gems.
Twilight stepped to the side of the door and looked down at Sweetie Belle. "Would you like to come in?"
The filly turned away from the departing figure of her sister. "Fine." She went into the library.
The older unicorn gave her a sidelong glance as the moping pony walked past her. "Is something wrong Sweetie Belle?"
She looked up at Twilight with sad eyes. "My parents are in Manehatten for two days, and I thought that I would finally get to spend some time with Rarity. But she's too busy with her shop to spend any time with me!" She muttered under her breath, "She always has something more important to do than spend time with me…"
Twilight shifted awkwardly. She certainly hadn't expected to have to deal with a scorned pony this afternoon. There were very few texts she had read about familial issues, and she thought that the topic was well outside of her knowledge. Still, there had to be something she could say to make the filly more amiable. "Well, I'm sure Rarity would have wanted to spend time with you if she knew you were coming before--."
Sweetie Belle harrumphed and sat down. She didn't go into the library very often, there wasn't anything very interesting in there, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders never had any adventures that involved sorting things. Besides, there was a general rule about speaking softly in this place that didn't agree with the Crusaders at all. Stacks upon stacks of books circled the circumference of the hollow tree. Books on every subject Sweetie Belle knew, and even some she didn't. Reading so many books would take a lifetime! She wondered how many Twilight still hadn't read. She started looking around to see if there was anything that wasn't a book in the library. On a table there was a globe with maps, on another level of the tree there was the telescope Twilight used for her stargazing, and on a lower shelf sat Smarty Pants.
I really like her mane! thought Sweetie Belle and gave a mental start, Why did I think that?! That's the ugliest doll I've ever seen!
"Well, is there something in particular you want to do?" asked Twilight, walking up to Sweetie Belle. Maybe getting her mind off Rarity would improve her mood.
The white unicorn spoke without enthusiasm, "Not really. What were you doing before we came here?"
Twilight made her way over to the desk that she used to write and picked up an enormous book that was sitting on it. It was huge, over a thousand pages long, with yellowed and warped parchment. It looked like it weighed half as much as Sweetie Belle and practically oozed a feeling of boredom. The librarian flipped through pages in the book, idly scanning over their contents as she replied. "Well I finished studying, so I was reading a little bit of poetry."
Sweetie Belle cocked her head to the side. "Poetry? You read that for fun?"
Twilight smiled. "Sure! It's a great way to pass the time and sometimes you'll read one that really makes you think."
"Cheerilee made us read some poetry once. It was so boring half the fillies were asleep by the end and we still didn't understand what it was about!"
Twilight snickered, "It's true some poetry can be a little dusty, but there are also some light and upbeat poems too! It can also be fun to write some of your own!"
"But what's the point?"
The purple pony put on an explanatory tone, "Poetry is a form of expression. While some artists convey their thoughts and feelings through visual arts like painting, drawing, or sculpture, others turn to language and write poems. The many different types of poems further help to convey the messages of their authors."
"That sounds boring to me."
"Trust me, some poems can be fun to read. Take haikus for example."
"Hai… what?"
"Haiku, it's a short poem with specific rules. It has three lines: the first must have only five syllables, the second line has to have seven, and the third has to have five as well. It is commonly referred to as the five-seven-five rule."
"What's so fun about that?"
Twilight riffled through the book's pages again, this time searching for a specific poem. "It's all about what the author wants to say. Aha! Here's a famous one!"
Haikus are easy
But sometimes they don't make sense
Refrigerator
The filly creased her eyebrows in confusion. "Refrigerator? That doesn't make any sense!"
Twilight looked at her expectantly.
Suddenly, Sweetie Belle's eyes grew wide and she starting giggling, "Oh, it does make sense!"
Twilight laughed along and continued reading haikus, each one making Sweetie Belle smile, and sometimes even laugh.
"See?" said Twilight, "Poetry can be fun! Why don't you try thinking of one?"
"Me? I can't come up with poetry."
"Sure you can, anypony can!"
"Okay…," Sweetie Belle said hesitantly. She thought for a few minutes, tapping her hoof on the floor as if counting. Finally, she spoke up:
It is the goal of
The Cutie Mark Crusaders
To find our talents?
Twilight clopped her hooves together in encouragement, "That works! See it's easy!"
Sweetie Belle brightened, "Yeah! What other kinds of poetry are there?"
Twilight paused, "Well, there are haikus, and limericks, and sonnets, and free form, pretty much as many kinds as you can think of with as many structures! In fact, the way Zecora even talks is always a poem!"
"Are they all funny?"
"No. For the most part, poems try to convey an important idea or emotion that the author is feeling. Usually, those feeling aren't light-hearted, but they can be the most beautiful."
"I want to hear one that's not light-hearted."
Twilight paused. "Really? I have a feeling you wouldn't enjoy those very much."
Regardless of her warning, Sweetie Belle nodded.
Twilight considered as she skimmed through the book. Most of the material was written in such a way that it was hard to understand, or didn't have an engaging rhythm to the words. She wanted to choose one that would at least interest Sweetie Belle. She finally found one:
It's often said, through things we've read, that happiness is key to life
Yet though we strive to live good lives, regrets and mistakes remain rife
When we were foals it was our goal to finally be an adult
But now we're here, it does appear our fixation was a fault
We strove so hard with disregard to the days through which we went
To grow up fast, but here at last, we see they weren't well spent
We focused upon moving on for being young we did abhor
Now lacking cheer, it's crystal clear we wish we were young once more.
Twilight looked up from her reading and looked at Sweetie Belle. The filly stood with a frown on her face. Perhaps the reading had been too serious for the filly, but she had asked for a poem that contained a sort of meaning.
Sweetie Belle just sat there in the middle of the library, looking down at the floor and mulling over what she had just heard. That poem had a completely different tone than the others Twilight read. Those had been light, silly poems meant to entertain. This one was different; it made her feel...less. It was as if the more Twilight read, the colder the room became. Not because there was less heat, but because the sad words drained the library of anything that would make seem bright and warm. Somehow, the words she heard had affected her very perception of happiness. Sweetie Belle understood that that was the point of the poem, but she didn't know why anypony would want to do that to somepony.
She decided to ask Twilight. "What is the meaning behind that poem? To make ponies feel sad? Why would anypony write something like that?"
Twilight looked past Sweetie Belle, a contemplative look crossing her face. "The poem was about perspective. We go through our lives always wanting to be older, and have responsibilities, but once you are older, you find that you miss the days when you were young."
"But why write about it? Wouldn't you want to try to make ponies who are reading it happy?"
The librarian shrugged. "Poetry is open to interpretation. Nopony can know for sure why the author wrote their poem. All they can do is use the poem to guide their thoughts. What do you think the message was?"
Sweetie Belle mulled over the poem. It seemed to be saying that being older wasn't as good as being young. At least, it said younger ponies wanted to be older while older ponies wanted to be younger. Yet, isn't that what they were doing as the Cutie Mark Crusaders? Every day they came up with a new plan that would help them get their cutie marks. Everypony else told them that they needed to wait, and they would find their talents in time, but the Crusaders charged ahead, trying to earn their cutie marks instead of waiting for them to appear. Could that be what the poem was about? Was it telling her that the Crusaders were spending too much time trying to be older instead of enjoying what they had now, as fillies?
"I think they were saying that, even though we want to be older now, when we are older we will see this as wasted time."
Twilight nodded. "That is a very good interpretation. What did you think about the poem as a whole?"
"I didn't like it. I don't like the way it makes me feel."
Twilight smiled. "You aren't supposed to. I think the author was trying to encourage people to live in the present, instead of obsessing on what you will - or did - have. Anyway, there are other types of poems that have different meanings, most of them more enjoyable."
"I think any other poem would be more enjoyable than that one."
The librarian laughed. "You're probably right, and most of them are. For example, even songs are poems that are just put to music."
Sweetie Belle lightened up. "Really? I come up with songs every day! Even Scootaloo says I'm good at that!"
Twilight smiled. "Well, would you like to write a poem until Rarity comes back? Who knows, poetry might even turn out to be your special talent!"
"You think so!?" Sweetie Belle thought a moment. She did come up with songs pretty often, and she knew more words than any other filly she knew; especially Scootaloo and Apple Bloom. ”Sure, I can try it! CUTIE MARK CRUSADER POET!"
Twilight winced and covered her ears at the sudden shriek. Apparently the message of the last poem was quickly forgotten by the young Crusader. She opened her desk and brought out a stack of blank paper, levitating them over to Sweetie Belle. "Okay, here's some parchment and a quill. I'll be over here reading so feel free to ask me anything if you need help."
Sweetie Belle looked down at the paper and pondered how she should begin. Sure, saying she would write was one thing, but how was she supposed to get started? She stared at the table. What was she supposed to write about? The weather? Ponyville? The Cutie Mark Crusaders? Twilight said poetry was a form of expression, but what did she want to express? She glanced over to a clock on the wall. Already past three-thirty. She sighed internally. Already, Rarity would have spent over three hours looking for gemstones. She should be getting back in a little bit.
Sweetie Belle's face fell. "Even when she does get back, all she'll do is continue with her dresses. I won't even be able to help because I just mess everything up for her. Tomorrow she's going to be busy making more dresses and I won't be able to spend any time with her! Ever since the Sisterhooves Social, she's been trying to do things I like, but even then she doesn't spend much time with me. She always has some problem with what I want to do or is too busy with her boutique. Applejack is always busy but she finds time to spend with Apple Bloom! Of course, Applejack also lets her help with the work. Rarity never lets me touch her dresses because she thinks I'll mess them up, or get something out of place. It's not fair! Why do I always have to come second? Doesn't she like spending time with me? Doesn't she want to spend time with me?"
The more she thought, the more upset she became. "Fine, if Rarity doesn't need me, I can find some other things to do without her. I'll make her see that I have more fun without her, and then she'll want to spend more time with me!" She looked at the parchment again. "'Poetry is a form of expression.' Well, I have something to express!"
And then, Sweetie Belle began to write:
My sister thinks she is so great
But that is not the truth
The only thing she does is berate
And call ponies "Uncouth"
She always likes to work all day
And get beauty sleep all night
Then back to working all she may
It clearly isn't right!...
The white unicorn groaned and scribbled out what she had written. She wanted to express her thoughts, but they just came out sounding flat. Twilight had told her that some poems didn't rhyme, but Sweetie Belle didn't want to do that. After coming up with songs almost every day, rhyming was a part of what she did, and she didn't want to lose that aspect of her creativity. But trying to convey her thoughts while being restricted by making the poem rhyme made her poem lose its meaning. It was much more difficult than she thought it would be.
She looked at the page in front of her. The eight lines of the poem were illegible, covered in ink from her scribbling. What she had written was unsalvageable, corrupted by her frustration. Sweetie Belle sighed and crumpled up the old sheet of paper, tossing it to the side. She took a new sheet and started from scratch.
_________________________________________
A knock came at the door, and Rarity and Spike walked into the library.
"…You're sure Rarity?"
"Of course Spike! You were such a big help today, you deserve the best gem as a reward! There is no way I could have completed this order without your help!"
Spike walked in with a piece of topaz the size of his fists while Rarity addressed Twilight. "I cannot thank you enough for watching Sweetie Belle, Twilight! She wasn't too much trouble, I hope!"
"Not at all! We actually had a good time, and then she started a project on her own! I think…"
The two ponies glanced over to where Sweetie Belle was, she had just crumpled another piece of parchment and threw it onto an overflowing wastebasket, frustrated tears in her emerald eyes. She bent her head onto the diminished stack of fresh papers and sat there motionless, defeated.
"It's no use Twilight," Sweetie Belle muttered, "I guess poetry isn't my special talent after all…"
"Poetry?!" exclaimed Rarity, "How in Equestria did you get her to spend all afternoon doing poetry? I've tried to get her to do something, anything, even remotely refined, but she simply finds a way to get dirty in the process!"
Twilight shrugged. "I guess she just took a natural liking to it." She turned to Sweetie Belle. "Don't get too discouraged, my little pony, sometimes it's hard to put what you think onto paper."
The filly just responded with a groan.
Rarity looked at the clock and started. "Oh my goodness! I am truly sorry to leave so abruptly, Twilight Sparkle, but even with Spike's wonderful assistance, I am behind schedule! Come on, Sweetie Belle, get your things!"
"Oh, I understand completely," said Twilight, walking the unicorns to the door, "and if you need any more help, don't hesitate to ask me."
"I do appreciate it ever so much! I don't know how I can ever make it up to you."
"Don’t worry about it! Good luck on completing your order in time!"
"Thank you again Twilight, and you too Spike!" The dragon looked up from his gem just in time to wave goodbye before they were out of sight. He went back staring at the gem, his mouth beginning to water.
________________________________________
Sweetie Belle lay outside Rarity's workspace door. The older unicorn had made it clear that there were to be "No interruptions or unruly behavior to distract from my work." The filly sighed and looked around for something to do. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a stack of paper with a pencil. She had spent an exhaustive afternoon trying to make a poem that she was happy with and all attempts had failed. The words always seemed inadequate, as if what she was really feeling was beyond words. How did poets do it? Somehow they managed, not only to convey what they were feeling, but make other ponies feel it too.
Perhaps she was trying to portray the wrong feelings? Sweetie Belle glanced at the door to the room where Rarity was working. It seemed like she never stopped working, and never gave time to Sweetie Belle, especially today. Of course, her arrival had been unexpected, so she couldn't fault her sister for being unprepared for her visit. Still, surely Rarity could have taken some time out of the day to be with Sweetie Belle. She was her sister after all! Rarity was always busy, and Sweetie Belle didn't get to spend nearly as much time with her as she wanted.
Of course, Rarity did spend time with her on other occasions. After the Sisterhooves Social they had gone to the spa (Rarity's idea), ate lunches together, played in the park, and generally tried to do things that the other would enjoy. If Rarity had been able to be with her those days, why couldn't she do the same now? Suddenly, a thought occurred to Sweetie Belle: Rarity was always busy. What if on all those other occasions, Rarity had been as busy as she was today, but had sacrificed her time? Maybe Rarity didn't place her work above Sweetie Belle, she placed Sweetie Belle above any free time she had for herself! Perhaps Rarity really did want to spend time with her!
Sweetie Belle looked at the stack of papers again and shook her head wearily. Standing, she walked over to the paper and looked at the blank face of the top page. It looked inviting, as if the parchment was simply waiting to be filled. Rarity used them for drawing designs, but Sweetie Belle was certain she wouldn't miss a few. The little filly grabbed a piece and resumed her attempts at earning her cutie mark.
________________________________________
Rarity walked out of her workshop, bags under her eyes and hair slightly frazzled. She had been up late into the night, but she finally finished the order in time. She yawned as she closed the door, thinking fondly of her soft bed. It would be wonderful to get a few hours of sleep before continuing her work. She looked over to the sofa and saw Sweetie Belle sleeping softly under a blanket. Rarity smiled at the sight. "It really is too bad I didn't get any time to spend with her, but I have to keep up my reputation as a fashionista in order to get more business." As she walked past her sister to get to her room, Rarity noticed a paper lying on the floor.
She picked it up, wondering what design she forgot to put away, when she noticed it was covered, not in fashion ideas, but with words. She started to read:
My sister fashions dresses
That's all that she lives for
But now she always stresses
And it's something of a chore
I always try to help her work
But end up getting in the way
Her responsibilities she cannot shirk
And she does them every day
I want her to spend time with me
And she tries most times, I guess
But there aren't many opportunities
And we spend time together less
I want her to be glad
But she is always busy too
Because it seems that she has had
An endless stream of orders due
I do not often get the chance
To spend quality time with her
But when I do I feel I could dance
Though she just feels like a chauffeur
Spending time with my sis
Is how I want to live
Everypony says she's generous
But she has no time to give
My sister always tries her best
And the emotions in me stir
For I know that I am truly blessed
To have someone like her
There is a bond that has been made
Between my sis and me
And it's one that I would never trade
Because I love you, Rarity
A tear landed on the poem as Rarity neatly folded it into fourths, smiling softly. She carefully placed the poem inside of her inspiration drawer and walked back over to Sweetie Belle, pulling up the blanket and softly nuzzling her sister, so as not to wake her.
She walked back into her studio and looked around at the beginnings of her next projects. Had she really placed such importance on them? Customers would come and go, as was their nature. Make a dress one day, and they were gone the next. But a sister, a sister was forever. Someone who loved you unconditionally, who was there to help you through anything. And she had ignored Sweetie in order to make a deadline? What kind of pony did that?
Her sister was still a filly, and didn't have much in common with Rarity, but that was no excuse for not spending time with her. The day would come, and Rarity knew it would be sooner rather than late, when Sweetie would become a mare and make something of herself. She might move to a different city and not be able to spend time with her anymore. Would Rarity be able justify that future with the knowledge that she had kept a few paying clients instead of spending time with her only sister when she had the chance? She had Sweetie Belle now, but she wouldn't for much longer. It would be much better to take advantage of the time they had together now than to squander it for things that wouldn't matter in the future. And what could possibly be more valuable than spending time with your little sister?
Rarity turned away from her work and locked the door. She glanced back at the sleeping form breathing softly on the sofa and smiled. Tomorrow, she was Sweetie Belle's; her clients would simply have to wait.
