Sweetie Belle stared out the window of Carousel Boutique, her white fur glinting blue from the snow that softly fell. She was sweaty, and her pelt was slick. And the truth was, she was insanely nervous. Yesterday, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom convinced her to sign up for the Christmas Talent pageant at the last minute. She wouldn't have done it, but Scoots's adorable eyes were begging her. So, she reluctantly agreed, and chose to sing as her act.
"Sweetie Belle, you look positively green, darling!" Rarity exclaimed concernedly, after looking at her presents, as she walked up to the window. "Is everything alright?"
"Oh Rarity, I'm so nervous! I'll mess up! And everypony will laugh at me and I'll be embarrassed for the rest of my life!" Sweetie said dramatically. Rarity rolled her eyes, and sighed.
"Why did you sign up, then? And you're not going to mess up, trust me on this, darling." She gave Sweetie a large smile, then turned to a mirror lying beside the window. "Oh my! Sweetie, you must have something to wear! You will be laughed at if you aren't wearing anything!" She saw the worried look on Sweetie's face, and added, "Well, at least, I won't like it if you're not wearing anything. And my first question, darling? Why did you sign up?"
Sweetie thought of Scootaloo's puppy eyes, just not taking no for an answer. 'Well, it's a long story. But Scoots persuaded me to do it, and so did Apple Bloom. But it was both of them who persuaded me." She mentally slapped herself.
"Why the frustrated face, dear?" Rarity refused to drop the subject. She was getting an answer whether Sweetie wanted to give one or not. And obviously, Sweetie was in no mood to give one. But she also needed to find a good dress out of her pre-made ones. Would Sweetie look good in red? No. Yellow? No. Purple? Hmm. Light purple? Yes! Rarity sprinted over to her clothes hangers and searched through the dresses that were made for little fillies like Sweetie. There was a violet one with a purple sash, but it was too dark. She sorted through the others, too, until she found that right one.
"Well, Scoots had those adorable puppy dog eyes she does when she really wants something, and AB was practically on the floor, begging me." Sweetie sighed. "And err, I wasn't supposed to tell anypony that they had anything to do with it."
"Oh! Darling, it's fine. Of course I'll keep your secret!" Rarity exclaimed. She was pretty trustworthy when it came to keeping secrets that weren't gossip, and she would keep any secret for her sister. She searched through the dresses once more, and found a lavender dress, the color of Scootaloo's eyes. It had white lace all around the edges, layers of lavender, and had been decorated with gold swirls.
Sweetie watched Rarity intently, and her face lit when she saw the dress in cased by Rarity's magical aura. "Oooh! I like that one! You should teach me how to make a dress like that."
Rarity glanced at the clock. "Sweetie, I will if I have time. Do you have your song ready?" She questioned the filly, who had gone back to being nervous and jumpy.
"Yeah, I made it up myself. What time does Twilight open her castle?" Sweetie nodded and got up from her place by the window. Rarity slipped the dress on to her fur. It was comfortably tight, and pressed against her soft foal coat.
"The castle opens at twelve o'clock. It's eleven thirty, so we best start going. I'm sure Twilight will let us in early. And you look simply gorgeous!" Rarity stroked her little sister on the head admiringly. They both went to the door, Rarity gripped the handle with her magic, took a key and opened the door. The outside was white, the houses's rooftops covered in snow, and the ground was too. Rarity closed the door, and locked it. She turned and saw the castle in the distance, the crystal structure towering above every other building in Ponyville.
"Let's go!" Sweetie exclaimed, who seemed more enthusiastic now that the cool air had refreshed her. The sisters set off at a brisk pace, passing by the town hall, the Cake's house, the memorial for the Golden Oaks Library, the one room schoolhouse, the market place, and all the other buildings in Ponyville, until they came to the long dirt path that led to the crystal steps. Sweetie galloped the rest of the way, until she was right against the huge door. Rarity rolled her eyes and teleported to right next to her sister, who raised the knocker. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom-
"That's enough, Sweetie. A single knock would do, her castle is hollow and it echoes very loudly in there." Rarity said disapprovingly to her sister. The door opened.
"Who are our fine guests arriving early today?" A draconequus by the name of Discord appeared. An angry voice was to be then heard behind him.
"Discord! Please kindly move out of the way! I would like to actually see the guests and greet them properly." Princess Twilight Sparkle said, annoyed. Discord rolled his eyes.
"Whatever you say, my princess." He snapped his eagle claws and vanished with a pop. Twilight muttered angrily.
"Hello, Rarity! Merry Christmas! I saw that Sweetie Belle is going to be singing. She does have a pretty voice." Twilight added as an afterthought. "And come in! It's quite chilly out here, and my small living room is much more comfortable, not to mention warm." She beckoned them inside, and they followed. Twilight glided up a set of crystal stairs, with Rarity and Sweetie following closely behind. They stopped at one of the smaller doors in the hallway they had entered, and Twilight opened the door. "Well, here we are. This is my small living room."
"Oh Twilight, darling! We're honestly fine." Rarity glared at Sweetie as she bounced around, admiring the many plush cushions and the huge hearth with a blazing fire in it. Sweetie ignored her, oblivious to Rarity's disapproval. Twilight waved her hoof.
"No, really, you should stay here. It's comfortable, and the pageant doesn't start until twelve thirty. You're welcome to stay here as long as you like." Twilight said. "Feel free to get comfortable."
Rarity nodded reluctantly, and then smiled. "Thank you, Twilight." Twilight smiled at her, and then left the room. Rarity walked over and sat down on the purple couch closest to the fire. Sweetie came and jumped up next to her, and curled up into a white, pink, and purple ball against Rarity's leg. Soon, Rarity found that she was listening to the contented snores of her sister.
"Sweetie Belle. Sweetie?" Rarity whispered in her sister's ear. Sweetie's eyes shot open.
"Oh no! Am I late? Did I miss the show? Did Diamond Tiara make fun of me?" Sweetie rambled worriedly. Rarity pointed to the clock above the fireplace. Twelve twenty. She sighed with relief.
"It might be a good idea to brush your mane, and then we need to get down to the show room. You're the fifth to perform." Rarity brought a mane-brush from the wooden table next to her. Sweetie ran it through her mane, getting out all the tangles. When she was done, they got up, and Rarity opened the door. They went through, and could hear the buzz of chatter below. They trotted down the stairs, and reached the crowd. Rarity noticed a sign that said, 'Back Stage, This Way'. "Sweetie, follow the signs. I'll see you in the stands." Rarity smiled encouragingly at Sweetie, and walked off. Sweetie navigated her way through the crowd, finally finding the entrance to the back stage.
"Howdy, Sweetie Belle! Glad you came." AB appeared after Sweetie pushed her way through the curtains. Scootaloo also came trotting up to them.
"What are you both doing here?" Sweetie asked, confused. "You didn't sign up." It was true. The only one who had signed up to be in the pageant was Sweetie.
"We just wanted to give you some support, since, it's our fault you're here." Scootaloo chirped. "And Miss Cheerilee let us stay back here once we told her that we were just going to give you support. " Suddenly, a microphone echoed throughout the castle.
"Merry Christmas! Welcome to the first Christmas Talent Pageant, hosted by Princess Twilight Sparkle. And first off, I would like to thank all the fillies and colts that came to join us today to show off their talents." Sweetie shivered at the use of words. She didn't want to 'show off' her so called talent, as Miss Cheerilee put it. "And thank you to all the donors that helped fund this event, and Princess Twilight. Now, let the talent show begin! First, is Diamond Tiara, with the dancing act!" There was a roar of stamping hooves and cheering ponies. Sweetie suddenly felt very small.
"It's alright, sugarcube." AB told Sweetie as she noticed her friend cowering in fear. "There ain't nothing ta be afraid of." Sweetie smiled graciously. She was glad her friends were here to help.
"Yeah! Don't let it get to you. You're awesome, and that's what counts!" Scootaloo added. The music started, and Diamond stepped on stage. Suddenly, Sweetie leaned against Scootaloo.
"I don't know where I would be without you guys." Sweetie whispered as her two friends pressed up against her. Time seemed to fly by. Diamond finished, Pipsqueak did his acting, Rumble did his weather act, Twist did her piano act, and it was Sweetie's turn. She shivered.
"Don't worry. No matter what they say, you are amazing, Sweetie! The bestest friend anypony could ask for!" Scootaloo told her.
"Yeah. You're special, and we love ya!" AB comforted. "We'll always be here for ya!!"
"Next up, Sweetie Belle with the singing act!" Cheerilee said into the microphone. Sweetie picked up her dress and and walked on stage. She froze up in fear, as everypony's eyes turned to her. You're awesome and that's what counts! You're special and we love ya! The thoughts ran through her head. She suddenly felt as though her two friends were right beside her, cheering her on. She picked up the microphone, and started to sing.
When you're scared and aloneThere'll always be someoneTo love you through the hard timesYou never feel aloneThey'll keep you safeGet you to do things you'd never doAnd when they've done itThey'll be there until the end
Sweetie sang from the bottom of her heart, her eyes blurry. When she finally stopped singing, the crowd went wild. But she didn't even care anymore. Miss Cheerilee congratulated her on a most excellent performance, and she hurried back into the comfort of the back stage. Her two friends stood there, waiting for her patiently.
"That was so pretty!" Scootaloo exclaimed. "You're amazing!" She didn't even care that she was being mushy. That's what you do for friends.
"Scoots is right. That was one of the prettiest things Ah've ever heard. You didn't let them get to you." AB said as she hugged her friend. The three held on tight to each other. Sweetie had now started crying.
"I would have been a failure if it weren't for you two. You motivated me. I froze up, and then I heard your voices. I love you both." Sweetie said honestly as she held on to her friends.
"We love you too." Said Applebloom and Scootaloo, as they all hugged.
