While Rarity didn't enjoy too much having Sweetie Belle around when busy with something important, this time things were quite different. Armed with needle and thread, she was busy on a certain work that needed to just shine, while her lovely little sister was busy talking about her last shenanigans with the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
“We thought that this time we'd really earn our Cutie Marks...”, said the little filly, head held a bit down, gaze downcast, while Rarity was moving her hoof back ans forth.
“And whose idea was this time, yours, Scootaloo's or Appleboom's?”
“It was Scootaloo's...”
Inside herself, Rarity winced. If there was something she just admired, it was Sweetie's dedication and commitment to the cause, especially when confronted with the ideas of the energetic but... somehow catastrophic pegasus filly.
“So”, Sweetie Bell continued, “ there was this big canister of eels, and we thought that it could be just what we needed. Applebloom remembered to have read somewhere that eels can produce lightning or something like that, so...”
Rarity moved the needle in intricate patterns, stopping just to substitute one or two burned gemstones with new ones, the best she could find, and which she kept in a secret reservoir; she nodded again.
“Was this before or after the accident with the emus, darling?”
Sweetie stood silent for a moment, then, eyes even more downcast if possible, she replied.
“Before... you... you saw that, uh?”
Rarity shook her head gently, while putting needle and thread to the table and taking instead a polisher for the gemstones; they sometimes caught impurities and it was necessary to bring them back to their splendour. She took the small object in one of her hooves and started to work; Sweetie Belle winced a little at the buzzing sound.
“No, “ said Rarity, “I didn't see it, I was thought kindly informed – and in such a thorough way! - by dearest Fluttershy when her cottage was taken over by emus, and she needed a tea or two, or five, to find the courage in herself and kindly go to ask them if they could please get out...”
Sweetie Belle smiled awkwardly.
“Eh...”
Rarity smiled, while passing the polisher on the surface of the gemstones.
“Don't worry. I truly admire your dedication to the cause; I remember that when I was your age, I maybe spent ten hours a day working on gemstones and dresses, and that was after I sort of understood my area of expertise. Once I tried to get a Cutie Mark in...” Rarity got her mouth closer to Sweetie's ear, which twitched in anticipation, “... but don't ever tell this to anyone, dearest... applebucking.”
Sweetie's eyes opened wide, and her voice chirped,
“Really?”
Rarity nodded, smiling again, both to the tone in her sister's voice, and to the sight of polished gemstones, each and every one of them shining bright.
“Really. I think I still have the bruises. Taking apples down form a tree is not a simple work. And after the eels, what happened, darling?”
“Well, we tried to connect them to some sort of generator-thing that Applebloom built, but it didn’t go off and it just buzzed and stank of fish, so Scootaloo had another idea and...”
Rarity checked out another time the gemstones, it looked like everything was right. Time for the next step; but in a few moments, as long as Sweetie had finished her story.
“And that's where the Roc eggs came in. And where I took that hit on my back.”
Rairty nodded again.
“And you did apologize to Mr. Roc, afterwards, didn't you?”
Sweetie Belle winced a bit. That asn't a memory she was particularly fond of.
“Yes. He said that he somehow understood us, having three young himself, but that we had to promise never to try and steal an egg. He was kind, but also big and dark and scary. I'm glad you and Rainbow Dash were there.”
Rarity's smile got a lot wider, and a pleasant warmth, like a can of baked good just took out from Pinkie's oven, spread through her chest.
“You know I will always be there for you, dear. And when I mean always, I mean always.”
With those words, she lightened up her horn and a suffused blue light started to glow between the gemstones; one, two, three, one after the other, they lit up, small arcs of magic crackling between them, until Rarity was satisfied with the work, and she checked that everything was fine.
“Especially when my dear little sister is not feeling well after one of her Crusader adventures.” Rarity concluded. Sweetie Belle smiled back. “You don't have to worry, Sweetie. Whatever you do, I will always be proud of you.”
Sweetie nodded, grateful.
“Now just let me finish this and we can share a big, warm, tight hug.” Rarity said. She checked out one more time that the gemstones were still working properly; she hoped that the thread of enchanted strings would keep them from falling out of their connectors, next time they'd take a hit. She tested the resistance of each and any one of them, and they seemed to resist. Very well. With the smile that comes only from a well-done work, Rarity put back her tools on the table and then proceeded to close down the small hatch on Sweetie's back, with one last glance at the gemstones and clockworks inside, paying attention that the sutures were invisible under the soft white fur, and with a soft click, the hatch came back to be just a part of the back of her little sister.
Then, Sweetie turned on herself, and Rarity hugged her, taking delight in feeling her beating heart and her breath, and the warmth of her body. Each and every one of those sensations were enough for her to keep her going at the darkest moment of her life.
After a moment, Sweetie detached herself from her sister, with a smile.
“I'm fine?” she asked.
Rarity nodded.
“Yes. I believe that the hit on your back disconnected one or two of the gemstones, and the lack of energy made a few of the clockworks go haywire; but now you are fine.”
Sweetie Belle nodded, then, with all the eagerness of a filly, she asked,
“Can I go to meet Applebloom and Scootaloo, now, Sis?”
Rarity smiled and nodded; she got hugged one last time, and then Sweetie Belle cantered out of the door, her small hooves drawing clopping sounds from the floor.
Rarity didn't move her gaze from the place where Sweetie Belle had disappeared for a long time.
She had been so worried when Sweetie had first came home; luckily, the damage in itself was minimal, and easily repaired. Still smiling, she detached her eyes from the door and started to put back all of her working tools and spare parts, scattered around the floor, taking them with her magic.
Oh, Sweetie Belle had always been so time-consuming for her: even before she was born, with all those hours spent in Canterlot signing modules, and the permissions from the Princess, and finding the best components. But in the end, Sweetie Belle had been more – oh so, so much more- than worth it.
Sweetie was the light in the darkness, the motivation that kept her going, her greatest masterpiece; at night, Rarity went asleep feeling grateful to having such a wonderful sister, to not be alone; even when she turned into a disaster machine.
Rarity was still smiling when, passing in front of the great mirror in the Boutique, noticed something that she hadn't before; she went closer, and looked deep into her right eye. With the softest of the whirs, her left eye detached from its socket, showing a small metal ball, black and white and blue, hanging from a thin iron rod, until Rarity's magnified sight could point out what was wrong: the attachment point of her mane was slightly off; a pony with her enhanced sight could have even seen the small holes where it was fixed to her body. Her detached eyed turned on the right and glanced at the table with the repairing tools.
Well, maybe, while she was at it, she could use a bit of work, too...
