Teaching a Sister the Birds and the Bees

The station was rather crowded, all in all. Perhaps a bit too much for Rarity's liking, as so many places in Ponyville nowadays seem.

She sometimes catches herself yearning for those quieter times, back before Twilight became a Princess, the construction of the School of Friendship, and Twilight ultimately becoming the leading ruler of Equestria. Before all that, the town didn't see nearly the hustle-and-bustle it does now on an almost daily basis. Her shops have been flourishing rather nicely, which she certainly didn't mind, but she feels like... the constant noise is starting to have an impact on her creativity. Perhaps she should consider investing in some kind of sound-proof room?

"Yo, Rarity, look alive. Train's coming in!"

Rarity was shook from her musings by a voice coming from above her, and when looking up she saw a very excited pegasus pointing towards the west side of the rails.

Following the direction of the raised hoof, she tried to look over the sea of bodies from her sitting position, spotting the tell-plume of smoke first, before the familiar sounds of a roaring steam engine reached her ears.

The crusaders are almost home again.

"Heh, someone's eager to see them again, huh?" Applejack said to her side, making Rarity nod.

"Quite, but I think we all are, dear." Rarity said, amused at Applejack herself standing on her seat to get a better view.

It'll be good to see them again, Rarity thought, watching the plume get closer and closer until a chimney came in view, even if they've only been gone for three weeks. The boutique has been too quiet lately.

She shook her head, a wry smile on her lips.

No, Rarity, that's not a good thought. They've grown up now, so you can't expect them to stay in Ponyville if they don't want to. If their crusading takes them across Equestria and beyond, then you should support them as much as possible.

As the train started to enter the station, the crowd on the platform started to shift, forming gaps along markings on the ground where the doors of the train would eventually halt. Doing so ensured a smooth transition between the people exiting and entering the train, which has become somewhat of a necessity with how many creatures pass through this station nowadays.

It also helped to give a clear view on anyone exiting the train, which was useful if you happen to await someone's arrival, or three someone's in this case.

Rainbow spotted them first, exiting near the far back end of the train, while they themselves had chosen a seat near the front. Because of the extremely noticeable pegasus hovering in the air waving excitedly towards their direction, the trio too noticed the ponies waiting for them, and waved back. Rarity couldn't help but feel a sense of relief, and started to wave as well.

Rather than go through the hassle of everyone but herself wading through the crowd still waiting to get on to meet them halfway, Rainbow used wing signs to indicate that they should meet up in the main hall instead, which Rarity could see was answered by a nod from the lithe orange pegasus.

Scootaloo turned towards the other two and seemed to mouth something, to which the other two mares nodded, and they quickly headed for the far exit, probably not wanting to slow down the people still getting out behind them.

Satisfied, Rainbow quickly flew down and landed, looking at at her friends, one still standing on her seat. "Alright, let's not keep them waiting, huh?" And with that, she already started to trot to another exit closer by, a happy step in her walking.

As Rarity was getting up, she heard a chuckle from besides her.

"Puts a smile on your face, doesn't it?" Applejack said, herself getting down as well. Rarity decided to humour her.

"Because she's more excited to see her 'sister' than the two ponies with actual sisters?" She said, making the earth mare grin. As they too went to leave for the exit, did Rarity cast one last glance towards the crowd on the platform, seemingly even thicker now than before as people had yet to start getting on.

Yes, a sound-proof room would be nice indeed, should make a mental note of it.

As they entered the main hall, which was thankfully a lot less crowded than the platform, Rarity saw Rainbow had already reached the trio of mares, happily chatting away with them.

She and Applejack went to join them, both eager as well to join in the reunion, though Rarity couldn't help but study them as they were getting closer, a habit from her years of dressmaking, measuring and sizing up all manners of creatures.

Scootaloo, who was standing the closest to Rainbow, had a confident stance. Her small wings did nothing to detract from how agile her body had become, a tall, toned, thin frame accentuated by long, slender but strong legs, all built for speed. Though she may have yet to beat Rainbow in a ground race, she has already soundly beaten some of the top runners throughout Equestria, which she certainly doesn't mind puffing her chest out for.

To her side stood Applebloom, casually and laid back. Though she may not have grown as much as the other two, her years of farm work before and between her crusading duties have more than filled her body out, perhaps even more so than Applejack when she was her age. There was not a muscle visible on her body that didn't look strong and healthy, culminating in an exceptionally well-maintained muscular whole, which while not conventionally as pretty was still a sight to behold on its own.

Last but not least, there stood her own dear sister, Sweetie Belle, closing the small circle. Her appearance was more average when compared to her two fellow crusaders, if not more well-rounded. Neither as muscular nor as lean, she still was visibly as fit as the others, having gained more than enough physical experience throughout their shared adventures.

Though I can't help but think she's gotten a bit heavier while she was away...

When Sweetie noticed the two mares approaching, she turned around and happily waved towards them, alerting the others. Applebloom couldn't hold still, and started running towards Applejack, before jumping forwards, arms stretched outwards. Despite having such a bulky frame, Applejack had no trouble catching her little sister mid-flight, and they shared a tight hug.

Rarity couldn't help but smile at the sight, neither could Rainbow, before the unicorn walked up towards her own sister and gave her a kiss on her forehead. "It's good to see you again, Sweetie Belle."

Sweetie smiled as well, returning the gesture by nuzzling her cheek in her sister's neck, before breaking off. "You too sis. I can't believe it's been three weeks already. Everything went well back here?"

Rainbow Dash cut Rarity off when she wanted to answer, an arm slung around Scootaloo's shoulder. "Oh, just the usual. You know, Equestria-ending threat here, foreign invasion there, nothing the Council couldn't conquer."

"As if there's anything you guys can't overcome!" the orange pegasus brashly said, cocking an eyebrow. Rainbow only shrugged in response, causing everyone to laugh.

"And the clubhouse? Everything alright with the old thing?" came a voice from behind them. Applejack and Applebloom had broken off their hug and joined the group, seemingly satisfied for making up the time they had been separated, the younger sister having voiced the question with no small concern in her voice.

Rarity gave a curt nod. "Of course, I looked after it to the best of my ability, Applejack here can attest to that."

"Thanks for that, sis. Must have been hard on you, once we learned that you had to do it all alone..." Sweetie said.

Rarity shrugged her shoulders. "Oh, it went well enough. Took me the better part of a day, but other than one thing, in the end-"

Applejack interrupted the conversation, having looked at the grand clock hanging in the center off the hall. "Well, there'll be time for that later. Granny Smith's waiting for us back at the Acres, with a feast awaiting the return of the triumphant crusaders!"

Said crusaders were taken off-guard, having not been warned in advance of this. Scootaloo spoke up first, clearly a bit embarrassed, "Oh come on, you didn't have to do that. We didn't do anything that special."

Applejack was having none of it, continuing, "And I heard that Sugar Belle chimed in as well with some sweets of her own, so we best not keep them waiting."

At the mention of Sugar's delectable sweets, three pairs of eyes lighted up, making the yellow mare chuckle. That seemed to silence any opposition they might have had. She started to head towards the main exit, Rarity and Rainbow following along. The three younger mares scrambled to get their luggage's and fell in line, casually walking towards Sweet Apple Acres while amicably chatting in between them and their sisters.

It's good to be home again, Sweetie Belle thought, content to stay silent for a bit and take these familiar surroundings in again, Though... why can't I still help but feel I forgot something important, ever since we left...

She was exhausted when she and Rarity finally arrived at the boutique, moonglow faintly illuminating their approach. The feast, while grand and lavish and filled with familiar faces, also seemed never-ending, dish after dish after dish, each one somehow tastier than the previous one. She was sure it wasn't going to do any wonders for her figure, no doubt about that. And between all the eating and the endless enjoyable conversations she had, she wasn't sure if her lights wouldn't just go out the moment she reached her bed.

Still, thinking back on it, she was thankful that everyone went through the trouble for it, just for them. This was the first time she had been away from Ponyville for more than a few days, and homesickness had eventually started to trouble her near the end of the second week onwards. And while the Kirin had been excellent hosts during their stay there, it was no Ponyville, so the whole thing definitely cheered her up a lot, just as she was sure it did for the other crusaders.

She was eager to retreat to her room for now, saying good night to her sister and leaving the luggage downstairs, as unpacking could wait until tomorrow. Closing the door of the bedroom, she noticed that Rarity had only superficially kept her room clean, for which she was thankful.

Just as Rarity had her lady secrets, so too had Sweetie her maiden ones, and the two sisters had long ago agreed that neither should snoop through the other's room, as a show of respect to each other's privacy. This also meant that the box for the CMCs 'bonding times' from the clubhouse should still be hidden well away in her closet.

She was now happy that she had lost the hoof-wing-horn game that they had held before they left, when deciding who should hide it away, as its contents were in easy reach now.

As grateful as she was for Rarity springing in to clean the clubhouse in their somewhat forced absence, she and her fellow crusaders definitely didn't want her to find that particular box, or more so its contents, as it would certainly lead to a very uncomfortable conversation which Sweetie didn't want to have with anyone, much less her own sister.

Speaking of the clubhouse, didn't Rarity mention there was something with it, back when they met at the station? Sweetie shrugged, putting the thought aside. That could wait until tomorrow, right now she just wanted to blow off some steam before taking a well-deserved rest.

Clopping had been somewhat of an issue during their stay with the Kirin, after all, with how thin the walls of their accommodations were, and she could barely do it a few times there, much less than she regularly does. She was sure that both Applebloom and Scootaloo were enjoying their personal spaces as well at this moment, so why shouldn't she herself?

With that thought, she made for the closet, already a specific toy in mind, and opened the door. Flicking the light switch on, she displaced a few of the clothes laid on top of it, and reached in with her magic to grab... wait, why didn't she feel...

Wait, don't tell me I...

Becoming somewhat frightened, Sweetie suddenly started to realize what had been nagging at her for the past three weeks, and hastily started clearing the closet fully out.

While she was doing so, her dread only started to grow, her mind racing with all kinds of not-fun scenarios. When the bright pink of the box finally started to become visible, her heart sunk, and her worst fears had been confirmed.

How did you manage to take the wrong box with you! she shouted in her mind, almost wanting to slap herself on the forehead. If Rarity was as thorough in her cleaning as she said she was, then she'll definitely have found-

Another part of her mind was quick to stop herself. No, she may have not. And even if she did, you shouldn't let it get to you, not today at least. Regroup with Crusaders when you can, and work out a contingency plan. For now, you're tired and pent up, so just blow that steam off and take a good rest, the rest can wait.

So with a sigh, Sweetie simply took one of her regular toys she kept for home use from another stash, grabbed one of her favourite titillating magazines hidden in between the stack of paperwork she kept on her desk, and went to lie on her bed, keeping the magazine afloat in the air with her magic while her hooves worked the toy.

Though she started with a sigh of frustration at the whole situation, it thankfully didn't take long until the sighs became of a different nature, her worries melting away as she could finally and without reservation drown herself in that pleasure again.