It was a beautiful evening in Ponyville. The sun had just begun to set on the horizon, stars danced behind the clouds and a soft breeze blew throughout the small town.It looked like a normal night and, yet, it wasn't a normal night, well at least for Sweetie Belle, it wasn´t.
In her mind, a normal night consisted of performing, signing hundreds of autographs, eating in restaurants and sleeping late while being transported to her next show via air balloon.
But, tonight, she was at the Carrousel Boutique sitting in her sister´s desk trying to come with ideas for a dress as many questions came to her.
“Why me?” She sighed “Because I know her better than anyone else.Well, but Why now?” She bit her lip, Twilight had answered that question a few hours ago:
“Just because, noone has control over this, Sweetie Belle.And, when it happens, we must accept it”
That´s what the alicorn had said and Sweetie Belle knew she was right but, at the same time, Wasn't Rarity too young for this?
“Enough distraction!! I have a dress to finish” She glanced at the pencil and the sheet of paper she was levitating.The later was a complete plane blank.The unicorn hit her head against the desk “I´m sorry, sis”
Don't say that!
Her ears perked up at the sound of her voice.Sweetie Belle was confused.It was obvious that her sister wasn´t there but, then Whose voice was she listening to?
You don't have to be sorry, everyone makes mistakes
She then realized the voice was in her head. It was a memory from several years ago, one day when Rarity was teaching her how to improve in her dress making.
But we've been through this for like a million times already! She heard that adorable high pitched voice she used to have back then and smiled. I should know better but, somehow, I don´t……..I………….
And that´s perfectly fine, darling.You WILL make mistakes, dear, even I make one every once in a while.But, you must stay calm, positive and remember why you´re doing this in the first place.You can do it right, I just know it Rarity had put a hoof on the filly´s shoulder
By the time the memory was done, Sweetie Belle was in tears.She could do this, she had to do this.For Rarity.She sat down on the desk as more and more memories came back to her:
Now, Sweetie Belle, the right idea for a dress it´s, usually, very hard to find and, normally, it takes a while for it to come.Rejections, re-drawings, re-re-drawings.But inspiration is like an animal.You must point in the right direction and oh, it´ll go.Remember, to concentrate.
Sweetie Belle carefully bit her hoof and laughed remembering how Rarity used to get mad every time she did it but the truth was it helped her to concentrate.A few hours passed of her not moving until:
“ THAT'S IT! I GOT IT!” She smiled and quickly made the doodle of a skinny unicorn mare wearing a rather short dress.She lacked a face and a mane and yet it was the best looking and more realistic drawing Sweetie Belle had made in a while. “Right! Now to get some fabric!”
She moved to the shelf full of fabric and sat down looking at it.
The best kind of fabric it´s the one that projects both the time and the pony................Well, client.Sometimes, we don't get to know our client enough and, when that does happen, I suggest a fabric that matches her eyes, like that green scarf I made you for your first birthday, Remember?
Sweetie Belle sighed, she was wearing that scarf right now and she had to admit 10-year-old Rarity had made a fine job in it.
Don't, and I repeat, DO NOT! UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES Choose a fabric that matches the client´s coat.It would blend in! Imagine yourself in a white gown.Doesn't look right, Doesn't it?
But What about my wedding? Brides always wear white A very young very naive Sweetie Belle had said.
Well then, you´ll wear a different shade of white.
Shade? The young filly had raised an eyebrow
Yes, darling, shade Her older sister then showed her a sheet of paper with ten white squares, all of them with a caption as if they were pictures. We, for example, are Light Gray.
THEY'RE ALL WHITE!
“Fit the occasion” The young mare quoted “Then some black.Oh! And blue for her eyes, I love her eyes” She frowned “I won't get to see them again, Won´t I?”
She shook her head, trying to avoid such bad thoughts and took her drawing as well as the two fabrics with her to the table with the sewing machine on it
Never give up, always try again!!!! You´ve probably heard it a million times before but, believe me, it works! And I know it´s hard.Actually, I´d be more worried if you thought it was easy! We´re not suposse to underestimate OR estimate or abilities, darling.
CRACK!
Rarity, the machine´s not working!
Huh? Oh, no no no.Not like that. Sweetie was yanked away from the machine by Rarity
WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!
Sorry, you were pulling too hard on it, sweetheart, the machine doesn´t like that! You have to be gentle with it.You must direct, not move.This isn't as physical as She cringed Farm work, so you must be careful with your strength, the little you have.It still takes a lot of effort,concentration and moderation.Guide, not force.
Slowly, the dress came together and, when it did, she made another.It took the entire nigth and some of the day too but Sweetie Belle knew it will be worth it because:
It is ALWAYS worth it.To see the smile on the client´s face, to see how nice he or she looks in it, to know you´ve made something useful or grand SOMETIMES BOTH!!!
Rarity?
Yes,dear?
If........................I do it right............................Then you´ll be proud?
I´m proud of you already, dear, I´ve always been.Thought, I must admit, it WILL be thrilling to see you succeed.
Then I´ll do it.For you
AW
She broke into tears as her alicorn friend entered the boutique.
“Sweetie Belle? How´s the dress doing?” Eventually, she found her standing in front of two full sized mare mannequins: One wearing a short, elegant blue and black dress decorated with baby blue sapphires.The other wearing a long and rather simple pale green one.
The princess noticed the unicorn was crying and put a wing on her back.
“Twilight?”
“Yes?”
“Think she would've been proud?”
The, according to Rarity, dark lavender princess smiled, tears rolling down her cheeks. “Yes,she would” She kissed her in the forehead as a mother would do to her child.As much as they were friends, she was still her elder and Sweetie Belle liked that. “Are you ready?”
The younger mare nodded.She put the green dress on and folded the other one into a box with her magic.No, she wasn't ready, but Why prolong the inevitable?
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They were at the Ponyville town hall and few more than a hundred ponies had showed up and sat down on several lines of chairs.
Twilight, wearing a black and purple dress, was doing a speech that was being recorded by a camera pony:
“Rarity was a fine pony that I´m glad I got to know.Good, generous friend who never judged a book by it´s cover.Well, she did several times but we forgave her.She was a humble, talented celebrity, a supportive companion.A grateful and, dare I say, patient daughter.And most of all, a loving big sister, who did her best to guide her little sister through the crazy path of life even when she knew she didn´t have to.She left an impact in everypony who got lucky enough to talk to her.The strange magical force that controls the Elements of Harmony is probably looking for a replacement right now.But we won't ever be able to replace her.We do, however, have to move on with our lives.She´ll probably want us to do so.” The alicorn paused to wipe her tears away with her wing “Everyone ready?”
The six mares and the young adult dragon sitting on the first line nodded and sit up, each holding a flower.One by one, they placed their flowers in Rarity´s coffin.Sweetie Belle was the last one to do so.She sighed and smiled when she saw her ex-sister wearing the blue and black dress she'd made.A single tear rolled down her cheek
“Bye, sis, I love you”
And, with that, she placed her flower on her whooves, making it eight flowers.
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That night, Sweetie Belle slept on the Carrousel Boutique again, as she had done several times in the past.Her parents loved traveling, there was no doubt about that and she'd been left with tons of foalsitters but her favourite one had always been her sister.And her favorite place to sleep had always been the room she'd made for her in the Carrousel Boutique.
She sighed What was she to do? Did she have to sell this place? If so, To who? She couldn´t just let it how it was now because, if she did, it´ll end up falling down and she couldn´t just sell it to some guy with money, Rarity wouldn´t like that.
How would the store survive without it´s original owner? Wait! There was one solution.She called her agent and cancelled her tour around Equestria, she had a new job now.A job she'd always wanted, a job she'd been dreaming to have.
She was a fashion designer.Like her.