“Sweetie, would you come take a seat with me?” Rarity asked. Sweetie Belle, her sister, had woken up in the middle of the night craving a snack. The emptiness of her stomach had quickly turned into a black hole as Sweetie turned to look at her sister. Her hoof was currently raised half-way in between a step towards the pantry. A horrible foreboding feeling encompassed her soul.
At the end of the dark hall, in the living quarters of the Boutique, her sister was sitting on a red love sofa, the back facing Sweetie. The fireplace in front of her was lit, illuminating her features in a harsh flickering orange glow. Her muzzle created a shadow that covered half her face, her purple mane spiraling down and covering the majority of the other half. To say Sweetie suddenly wanted nothing to do with her sister right now was the understatement of the century.
Sweetie took a glance at the clock adjourning the archway leading towards the living room. It was currently two in the morning… as far as Sweetie was concerned, Rarity had no reason to stay up this late. If she had dress orders to fill, Sweetie wouldn’t have heard the end of it until the dresses were done. No, the reasoning behind her late voyage was unknown.
But Sweetie trusted her sister.
Sweetie trusted her sister with her life. She owed it to her.
If nothing else, Rarity would be disappointed if she did something wrong. She would never be mad. She wasn’t that kind of sister. Against her better instincts, Sweetie placed her still hovering hoof on the ground in front of her, changing her posture to walk towards her sister. As she approached, her legs started feeling like wet noodles as her sister continued to stare.
It wasn’t an angry stare. Or a sad stare. More of a stare that had somepony thinking of what to do next. A thousand yard stare. Her sister was probably conflicted about something, something that she was not sure about just yet.
Her gaze softened slightly when Sweetie came into the fire light. Her gaze diverted towards the letter currently sitting on the coffee table in front of her. Sweetie was a filly. She was barely tall enough to see over the table, and what she saw pumped confusion into her brain all the more.
It was a simple letter. Not a letter from the princesses, because the paper looked to old. Not a letter from the court, because the paper’s edges were slightly frayed. Not a report card, the paper was too loose. It genuinely looked like a simple letter. A letter from a friend, perhaps? Just a simple letter. What did Sweetie do that warranted this gaze… Warranted this cold half of her sister?
Sweetie tried to think back to the past day- past week- past month. Nothing came up. Not once did Sweetie do something she knew she shouldn’t have. She was too goody-two-shoes for that. This raised all the more concern in Sweetie’s mind. Just what could have she done?
Sweetie clambered onto the red chair directly across from Rarity. To an outsider, the two sisters were split down the middle by a fire. Sweetie on the left, Rarity on the right, letter in the middle.
“Before we start, I want you to know you did nothing wrong.” She said. Sweetie audibly let out a sigh of relief. “Nopony is coming to take you, and everything is okay.” Now she had her attention again. Why would she even say something like that? Unless- Unless the court was rethinking their decision..? No. It wouldn’t come to that. It couldn’t come to that.
Just like that, a black hole started forming in her stomach. Her heart was surrounded by ice, freezing it to it’s core.
“Sweetie, do you remember your parents?”
It had only been three years ago. It was a cruel question to ask. Of course she still remembered her parents. The black hole that had been slowly increasing in her stomach had suddenly swelled three times too large. Her gaze fixated onto the letter on the table. A sudden nauseating wave of anxiety filled her head with helium as she stared, trying to read the contents upside down.
Her memories of her parents were far and few between. Mostly due to them not being around, and the past few years of her life being more fulfilling and fun than anything her parents had to offer her for her first six years. But those memories were always just so- lonely.
Sweetie suddenly put a hoof to her eye, wiping away the tear that was forming. Rarity’s gaze softened, realizing perhaps she had gone a bit too far.
“T-They’re not back, are they?” Sweetie asked frightfully. Rarity noticed Sweetie’s gaze was still on the letter.
“Oh, no.” Rarity shook her head. “This isn’t from them. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” She said with upmost sympathy. That was truly not her intention.
“Then why bring them up?” She asked. Rarity took a moment to look upwards towards the ceiling. The popcorn white ceiling didn’t hold the answers Rarity was looking for, but if she started long and hard enough, maybe it would.
“Do you remember how they treated you?” Rarity asked, looking back at her sister. Sweetie’s eyes closed slowly, half reminiscing on days-gone-by, and half out of trying to fight back tears. She didn’t like being reminded of her parents, and Rarity knew this better than anypony else. But Sweetie still trusted her sister. She had a reason to bring this up.
“I- I do.” She finally said, her eyes still closed. “They were always away… When they were home, they- they acted like I wasn’t there.” Sweetie, again, raised a hoof to wipe away a tear. She had barely noticed it forming, but Rarity sure did. Rarity started feeling bad, her ears slightly drooping. “I- I guess I didn’t realize how bad it was until you came to visit that day.”
“I remember my surprise.” Rarity said. “Are you happy now?” She asked, knowing the answer. The tears forming on Sweetie’s face halted as a smile graced her features.
“Are you kidding? I’m living the dream, Rarity.” She said honestly. Rarity smiled back, the tension in the room easing slightly. Nopony was coming to take Sweetie away. She was still safe. But suddenly, Rarity looked back down at the letter, her smile vanishing again. The stoic features were back again, much to Sweetie’s dismay.
Rarity cleared her throat.
“There’s another filly who had it worse.”
“Worse?” Sweetie’s breath was caught in her throat. “How could’ve it been worse?”
“Sweetie- You always had a safe home, right?”
“Y-Yeah.” She said. The gears were slowly turning, and Sweetie slowly started figuring out where this was going before she had even said it. Rarity picked up the letter in her magic, reading it over for the third time in complete silence. Eventually, she spoke again.
“What if you didn’t? What if your parents came home, and you were scared. What if you were scared of a bully living in your house. A bully you couldn’t escape from.” Sweetie’s mouth was open from Rarity’s bluntness on the topic. “What if you couldn’t escape?” She repeated, even slower. Sweetie started forming new tears along her eyes, the familiar dams re-opening.
“I-”
“Sweetie… There’s a filly who needs our help.” She finally said. “She grew up like that, and she’s different for it. Her fa- She was broken. But she was put back together, not quite the same way. She needs us to help fill in the gaps.”
Sweetie could only stare in abstract horror. Her sister was being dead serious. A pony like that actually existed. And a filly, no less. Sweetie’s time with her parents were long gone. If she was lucky, she wouldn’t have to see them for the rest of her life. But that didn’t stop her parents from earning a permanent spot burned into her brain for the rest of time.
Her parents were never mean to her. But she was always ignored and thrown to the side. Thrown to the side because Rarity was planned, and she was not.
Rarity usually doesn’t talk about it. Tonight was an exception to that rule, but Sweetie could still faintly remember seeing her sister for the first time. It was late in the night and she showed up for an unexpected visit. Her parents weren’t prepared. Rarity saw Sweetie. To this day, Rarity doesn’t talk about it. But Sweetie was almost completely convinced that up until that moment, Rarity had no idea she had a sister.
Sweetie has Rarity to thank for the life given to her. Rarity provided the same choices she had been given at that age. She was more of a mother than her real mom had ever been to her.
But what if Rarity wasn’t there that night? What if she decided to skip her parents house that day?
What if Rarity stayed in the dark about Sweetie’s existence? Where would she be right now? Who would Sweetie be right now if not the rambunctious little filly that terrorizes the town?
…
Would Sweetie be like the nameless filly described by her sister?
No. It was a thought too terrible to bear. She pushed it out of her brain and into the trash bin. But a filly did need their help. That was certain.
“What’s her name?” Sweetie asked, slowly getting her breathing back under control. Rarity showed a momentary face full of surprise.
“Her name is Scootaloo.” She said after consulting the letter. “She’s a year younger than you. She’s a pegasus with an orange coat and purple mane.” She looked back at the letter a fifth time. “And she doesn’t have a cutiemark either.”
“Well-” She rolled her haunches. “What can we do to help her?”
Now it was Rarity to start tearing up. She tried to speak, but only found formless syllables escaping her throat. A blockade forced it’s way. A blockade of tears. She swallowed it down, trying her best not to show her weakness. She gave Sweetie a genuine smile.
“You are my sister, you know that?” She said. Sweetie hid her smile behind a carefully placed hoof.
“I’m just looking out for her.”
“Well.” Rarity pretended not to notice the smile. “We can start by meeting her. Perhaps tomorrow? Fluttershy and I have our weekly spa appointment. I was quite frustrated when she missed two in a row, but at least now I know the reason.”
“Whoa whoa whoa, wait-” Sweetie waved her hooves. “Fluttershy?”
“Oh, yes dear.” She smiled. “Fluttershy. Fluttershy’s foal. Scootaloo was adopted by her.”
“Oh my gosh.” Sweetie placed both her hooves on her face. “Does this mean Fluttershy is the first one of your friends to become a mom?” To this, Rarity became unusually flustered.
“Well- I- I think it’s more of a guardianship than- than a real mother-daughter… It’s not like that, I don’t think. At least not yet, anyway!” She curtly responded. Sweetie raised an eyebrow, wondering why Rarity responded the way she did. “It’s more like us, actually.” She said. Then, it clicked for Sweetie. It clicked for why Rarity was so touchy.
Because it was exactly like them.
Rarity was Sweetie’s guardian. The court said so two-and-three-quarters years ago. The same decision must’ve been ruled between Fluttershy and Scootaloo.
“Oh, okay.” Sweetie said, still smiling. “Am I dismissed?” She asked sarcastically.
“Of course, dear. Go on up to bed, you’ve got a friend to meet tomorrow.” Rarity said. Sweetie wordlessly hopped off the chair and started marching off to her room. But she stopped when she was about to leave the living room. She was under the archway, and Rarity also looked back in confusion on her suddenly frozen position.
It felt wrong. It felt wrong to leave like this. She had to do something.
So, Sweetie quickly galloped to Rarity and threw her hooves around her neck into a hug.
“Oh!” Rarity said, looking at the unicorn nestled in the groove of her neck. “Oh, alright.” Rarity wrapped her hooves around her as well. Sweetie smiled. Rarity smiled. Like one happy family.
Sweetie quickly let go, and rushed out of the room without having to look at Rarity in the eyes after what she considered to be an incredibly awkward hug. Rarity couldn’t think of anything sweeter. But Sweetie sure could.
“Goodnight… I love you.” Sweetie called back, now marching up the stairs.
“I love you too, Sweetie.” Rarity said. Truth be told, that wasn’t all Sweetie was going to say. Sweetie wanted to say more, but even in this heartfelt moment she thought it too soon. No. Tonight wasn’t the right time. Tomorrow, maybe? The day after tomorrow? No. When the time was right, she would know.
Rarity smiled at the small unicorn galloping up the stairs. She stole a look at the clock above the archway. It was two-thirty. She involuntarily jumped, surprised at the time. When did the clock do that? Whatever. It was time to get ready for bed. And after their conversation, the soft mattress couldn’t be any more appealing.
Author's Note
Just a short chapter. I don't know when I'll post the main story, but I can't post chapters as I get done with them. I rewrite my chapters a hundred times before I'm happy with them, and a lot of the times I'll go back and rewrite old chapters. I'm about 30k words deep, and this chapter stood out to me as a really good one that I'm already happy with. See you soon.
