Beginnings. Endings. Things in Between
My name is Sweetie Belle and I've been in love with Twilight Sparkle since I was six years old.
Well, okay, "love" is probably the wrong word for it, but she really is an amazing mare that I really looked up to her when I was a filly. And when I grew up, and learned about romance, and all the fun things grown mares could do with each other, and my first thoughts were "I want to do those things with Twilight."
Don't get me wrong, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo are really pretty too, but Twilight is just, whew. Anyways, before I sound completely shallow, I just want to say that it's not about her looks, even if they help.
Twilight Sparkle is an amazing mare. Smart, caring, driven, and so, so resilient. Here's a mare who's been put through the wringer, been forced to face the worst threats that have ever plague Equestria, and now has to carry the nation's burdens on her back as its sole Princess. And yet, she still manages to get out of bed every morning and pretend like she's fine.
I'm so lucky she decided to take the time to tutor me.
She taught me more than magic. Her lessons on life and friendship made me who I am, helped me realize that I was more than just an average filly. She became my role model, and I wanted to become someone she would be proud of.
So I studied hard, and found my calling in music and friendship, and now I'm here, in a small, cozy club, where I trust that you'll all be respectful of my secret.
Thank you for coming to my concert today, Twilight. This song is dedicated to you.
As the last notes of the song drifted away, Sweetie Belle gave the crowd a polite bow, never taking her eyes off of Twilight.
This had been a risk, certainly, but seeing the happy tears in the eyes of the mare she loved was worth everything she'd been through to get here. “Thank you, everypony,” she said. “You’ve been a wonderful audience tonight, as always.”
The audience applauded, and Sweetie smiled and waved at the whole crowd before retreating back to the dressing room, where she waited.
As expected, there was a knocking a few minutes later. “Hi Sweetie,” Twilight Sparkle’s voice sounded out from across the door. “It’s me, Twilight. Can we talk?”
Sweetie Belle walked over and opened the door. "Of course, Twilight. I was hoping you’d come."
"It's hard for me not to after that," Twilight said dryly as she stepped inside. Stars, but she was beautiful, and Sweetie had to fight the urge to get lost in her eyes. "You have your sister's flair for the dramatic."
Sweetie winced at that. "Guess it came with her taste in mares too."
Twilight smiled gently. "Is that why you didn't tell me for so long?" she asked, looking down at Sweetie. Even after all these years, she still felt so much taller than her, and only some of that was from her alicorn growth. Twilight had a presence now that took up the room, demanded that everyone pay attention to her.
"I wasn't going to come between you and Rarity while you were still dating no matter what," Sweetie muttered, blushing as she became increasingly aware that she was now alone with Twilight in a small room for the first time since their tutoring days.
"It's been a few years since we broke up, though," Twilight pointed out, taking a step closer.
Sweetie Belle felt like the walls were closing in on her as the distance between them lessened, but instead of feeling trapped, she instead felt comforted. She knew Twilight would never hurt her, would take care of her no matter how this conversation ended. "Well, first of all, I didn't just want to be your rebound," she explained. "I wanted you to see me as my own mare, not just a lesser copy of Rarity. Which is why I needed time to become that mare too."
Emboldened, Sweetie reached out a hoof towards Twilight. "I still have some ways to go before I'm there, but I'm far enough along to be able to show you the prototype, and I hope that'll be enough for you to take this journey with me."
Twilight hesitated, staring at her hoof. “Are you sure this is what you want? You’re an amazing mare, Sweetie, with such a bright future ahead of you.”
“My future doesn’t matter if you’re not in it,” Sweetie replied. “So, what do you say, Twilight? Do you want a young, hot, brilliant mare as your fillyfriend?”
“Rarity is going to kill me for this,” were the last words that Twilight uttered before rushing in, ignoring Sweetie’s hoof in order to claim her lips in a deep, passionate kiss.
A few minutes and a lot of tongue later, they broke apart, panting and gasping for breath.
“Wow,” Sweetie said, her cheeks on fire (as well as other parts of her). “You’re good at that.”
Twilight smirked. “I study a lot. Turns out there’s some things you can learn from books.”
“I’d rather you teach me instead.” Sweetie wrapped a foreleg around Twilight, pulling her into another kiss.
“I—“ Twilight faltered as she stepped away, looking ashamed.
“What’s wrong?” Sweetie asked, trying to put a comforting hoof on Twilight’s withers but being batted away. “You can talk to me about anything. I’ll accept you no matter what.”
Twilight took a deep, shuddering breath. “You shouldn’t,” she said, shaking her head. “I’ve wanted you for a long time, Sweetie Belle. Way, way longer than I should have.”
“Oh,” Sweetie took a moment to process the implications of that sentence.
And then, she smiled.
Twilight was understandably very confused. "Uhh, Sweetie?" she said, looking worried. "Are you quite sure you understood what I was implying?"
Sweetie nodded. "I am. And that's great, because it means you're not perfect, and also, it means I have a better chance than Rarity did since I'm..." She gestured vaguely towards herself. "Anyways, I'd love nothing more than to finish growing up by your side, if you'll have me."
"Oh, Sweetie Belle." Tears flowed freely from Twilight's eyes as she scooped up the smaller mare in a big a hug. "It would be my honour."
And so, after over a decade of pining, Sweetie Belle found the end of her beginning, and the beginning of the next stage of her life.