“It wouldn’t be the first time you broke a promise.”
Rarity stared at her little sister, one eyebrow raised. “Sweetie Belle, I’m in no mood to catch the attitude you’re throwing at me.” She thrust her hooves up, gesturing to the mounds of fabric and sketches littering her workspace. “Do you see? Do you see how much work I’ve got to complete for this client?”
“You care more about the client than me!” Sweetie snapped, her eyes burning with unshed tears. “It’s always the same story – oh, Sweetie, of course we can hang out this afternoon, I promise you we can do whatever you want! Oh, Sweetie, I’m sorry, but I promised this other pony that I would make them a dress, you understand, don’t you? I promise, I promise, I promise!” Sweetie took a deep breath. “You keep promises with everypony else but me.”
The older pony sighed heavily. “It’s different. I won’t be out of a job if I don’t play with you for one day. I don’t think you understand that I do not exactly have a choice in this matter. It’s my job.”
Sweetie huffed loudly. “Well, then maybe if you were out of a sister, you wouldn’t have too much to worry about!”
“Oh, not this again! How many times do you have to disown me as your sister?”
“This’ll be the last time, I promise.”
The slamming of the door reverberated in the still room. Rarity shook her head and sighed once more, turning her attention to the cloth before her. Sweetie will come around. She always does. Maybe she’ll go back to Applejack and get some sense talked into her. Or maybe she’ll turn to Twilight, who’ll probably lecture her for a few hours.
Why couldn’t she understand? Rarity looked back at her sketches. It’s not like she planned this. Haute Couture was back with another outrageous demand – design four brand new gowns by the end of the deadline...which was in three days. The amount of work that had to be put in these gowns, it was just too much to put off for even an hour.
No, she had to focus. There was no time to ponder who Sweetie was going to claim as her new sister. It’s obviously going to be one of her friends. They’ll do the right thing. They always did.
“...Does Rarity know you’re here?”
“She doesn’t give two shakes of her designer tail!”
“And what exactly did you want again?”
“I wanted to ask you to do something for me.”
Discord tilted his head, looking the young filly up and down. “I suppose you would like me to make it rain a particular flavor of milk? Or would you like your own cotton candy cloud? Celestia knows Pinkie’s in here every other day asking me for those.”
“No, I want something else…”
“...”
“...”
“Well, go on then, spit it out!”
“I was just trying to be dramatic, sorry.” Sweetie puffed her chest out. “I want you to put a spell on Rarity. I want her to never break a promise again.”
Discord put his paw and claw up. “Oh no, nononononono! I’ve put spells on those ponies before, and believe me, I’m not about to screw up everything I’ve worked for. No way.”
“But, Discord, it’s just a small spell!” Sweetie whined. “She never keeps our promises, it’s not fair!”
“No, what’s not fair is dragging me into a narrative I did not ask to be a part of,” Discord replied, pulling out a pair of sunglasses from behind and placing them on his face. “Now leave, petulant child, and don’t let anyone know we spoke.”
“I’ll give you anything!”
“Oh, really? What would a little filly like you have to offer an eons old Lord of Chaos? A new bow? A drawing of us playing under a rainbow?”
“No, this!”
Sweetie nosed open the saddlebag next to her and took a yellow mound of fabric out. “Rarity made little models of her and her friends some time ago. Here’s a Fluttershy one.”
The doll was covered in felt, with a pink mane and tail fashioned out of yarn.
“Psh, you think I don’t already have voodoo dolls of every pony in town?” Discord chuckled, before rolling his eyes at Sweetie’s horrified expression. “I’m joking, geez, the reactions are still the same in every town.”
“Then, what could I offer you?” she asked, eyes wide and pleading. “Can’t you just do it for a few days? A week, at least. I’ll bake you cookies!”
Discord groaned loudly. “I’m gonna get in so much trouble!”
“Fine, just a few hours! Just one day! Please? Pretty please? Pretty please with sugar? Pretty please with sugar and a cherry on top? Pret–”
“Alright, fine, just stop with the pleases,” Discord muttered. He inhaled, closed his eyes, and snapped his talons. “Done. Now begone.”
“Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!” Sweetie rushed over and wrapped her legs around his torso. “It’s gonna be the best day ever!”
She turned and opened the door she came in, blinking at the sudden change in dimensions.
“Did he answer your question, Sweetie Belle?” Fluttershy asked. She had been waiting at Discord’s door for Sweetie to come out.
“Yup, thanks Fluttershy,” Sweetie replied. “It was just a math question, so no need to tell anypony that I was here or ever asked to see him.”
“Oh, um, okay then, I’ll see you around.”
“Thanks again! Woohoo!”
Fluttershy watched Sweetie gallop away. “Must have been quite the math question,” she said to her herself. “I wonder what it was.”
The young unicorn giggled in glee at the prospect of what awaited her at home. Finally, finally, Rarity would have no choice but to spend time with her!
“Rarity? Rarity!” she called out when she reached the boutique. “Where are you?”
“Whaaaat?” Rarity yelled back. “I’m still busy!”
Sweetie opened the door to find Rarity standing near a ponnequin, draping green mesh over the head. “I just wanted to say hi.”
“Well, that tantrum didn’t last long, did it?”
“I just wanted to ask you something…”
“Yes?”
“After you finish this project, do you promise to hang out with me?”
“Oh, Sweetie, yes, I promise I’ll hang out with you when it’s done.”
Sweetie giggled as she inched closer to her sister. “Do you promise we can do anything I want?”
“Yes, yes, I promise, now please let me work.”
“Do you promise to do anything I say now?”
“Didn’t I already say that? Hm, perhaps some yellow to make it pop…”
“I wanna hear you say it.”
“Fine, I promise I’ll…” Rarity’s voice softened as she trailed off. She let the fabric break free of her magic. “I’ll do whatever you say.”
Sweetie gasped excitedly. “Really? Let’s test it...Rarity, sit.”
Rarity sat down on her haunches, eyes trapped in an empty gaze.
“It worked! It worked! Alright, Rarity, let’s have some fun together! What should we do first? I know, you never play Café Disaster with me anymore.” She cleared her throat. “Rarity, play Café Disaster with me.”
“Yes. Would you like to be the waitress or the customer?” Rarity asked.
“I’d like to be the customer,” Sweetie said, grinning from ear to ear. “Okay, okay, let me sit down first. Ahem, oh, what a nice restaurant! I hope nothing bad happens to me while I wait for my waiter to bring my menu!”
Rarity walked towards Sweetie. “Hello, I am your waiter. Would you like to see our menu?”
“Yes, I’d love to. I’d like everything, please.”
“Right away, miss.” Rarity bowed her head and walked away, back straight, legs stiff. She continued walking until she was out of the room.
Sweetie could hear her sister working in the kitchen. “Please put two ice cubes in my water!” she cried out, stifling a giggle.
Rarity came back with a bucket. “Here is your ice water,” Rarity stated.
Sweetie burst into laughter. “No, I only asked for a glass. That’s a whole bucke- eep!”
The bucket tipped over her head, soaking her with the cold water.
“What’s the big idea?” Sweetie yelled, the shock of icy water giving her shivers.
“A friend of mine let me know that you were trying to put a spell on me!” Rarity scolded, placing the bucket down and levitating a letter towards them. “Dear Rarity, I’d just like to inform you that your sister has asked me to put a ‘promise’ spell on you. I, being the kind friend that I am, refused. Don’t say I’ve never helped you. Regards,” Rarity rolled the letter up and smacked her sister on the head with it. “Discord. Care to explain, young lady?”
Sweetie looked down at her hooves. “I just…” She sighed and turned around. “I just wanted you to think I was just as important as those clients.”
“Sweetie, you know that I would be with you if I had the choice. There’s just no way of getting out of this, you know this. Why do you keep insisting that I don’t care about you?”
“This...this always happens...we’re so close to hanging out, and then something pops up. It’s...hard for me to always be pushed away from you.”
She felt a warm towel cover her as Rarity pulled her in close for a hug. “I understand, Sweetie, and believe me when I say it’s hard for me to shut you out. Listen, let’s make a compromise. You help me make these dresses, that way we can both be together.”
“Won’t I just get in the way like I always do?” Sweetie mumbled, pressing her face into Rarity’s chest. “I’ll just go play with other ponies.”
“Not if you promise to listen to me,” Rarity said with a chuckle. “Besides, Haute Couture’s told me that he wanted some whimsical designs...almost….foal-like. Got any ideas for some cool dresses?”
“I could think of a few,” Sweetie mused. “You sure?”
“Absolutely. Come now, we already wasted time with all this Discord nonsense. Let’s get back to work!”
“You’re not angry with me, right?”
“No, honestly, I was amused that you thought Discord was the solution to this. Promise me you won’t go near him without me or one of my friends, promise?”
Sweetie shuddered. “I don’t wanna make any more promises. How about we make a deal?”
Rarity rolled her eyes. “Alright, don’t do stupid things without adult supervision and we can go to Sugarcube Corner in a few hours to get a snack. Deal?”
The sisters embraced.
“Deal.”
