Yes, I Said, Love Makes Fools of Us All!
A young unicorn mare with a split pink and lilac mane danced around her sister’s kitchen humming the newest song she wrote as she grabbed a cup of juice. Once, she had been a small filly with a blank flank, but, now, she was a teenager with a musical note ending in a heart shape inside of a crystal to represent her special talent. Sweetie Belle had grown a lot in the last few years; in fact, she was almost as tall as her sister.
Speaking of her sister, Rarity had been kind enough to let her come over and work on her music. Apparently, she understood how, while they might love their parents, they had a knack for being disruptive and distracting. Rarity had seen fit to outfit her old room when she stayed over into a small music studio, complete with a bed when she needed to crash there. Sweetie Belle always admired her sister’s generosity and selflessness, and even her beauty. She was no slouch though, in fact, she had overheard Snips saying that she might be the cutest mare in Ponyville, no small feat in her opinion. Still, Rarity had a natural elegance and charm above the rest.
With those thoughts in mind, she stepped into her sister’s dress studio and caught the end of a rather interesting conversation from the sound of it.
“I’m sorry, Spike. You really are a wonderful friend it’s just-”
The voice on the other side of the doorway tried to be strong but it was clear that the owner was in pain. “It’s fine, Rarity. I guess, deep down, I always kind of knew I wasn’t good enough for someone as talented and special as you.”
“Spike-”
“I’ve wasted enough of your time. Here, keep the roses; I certainly don’t have a use for them. Never did like my veggies.” The joke sounded like its owner’s, but it was apparent that his heart was not in it.
“You have never-”
“Goodbye, Rarity. I’ll see you next week if you still want to go gem hunting.” The light sound of leathery wings beating reached her ears.
“Spike, wait!” But it was for naught. He had either ignored her or was out of range based on how her sister closed the door after starring off in the distance towards the Everfree Forest for a moment.
Sweetie Belle gave her sister a second, taking in her appearance. She still had her pristine white coat, perfectly styled purple mane, and teal triple diamond Cutie Mark, but she was clearly distraught. Even though she had a good idea about what just happened, she figured it would be best to be sure. Maybe then, she could cheer Rarity up. “So, what was that about?”
Still focusing on the door, Rarity replied “How much did you hear?”
“Just the end, from what I could tell.”
Rarity turned around and looked at her. There was a strong front, but Sweetie could tell she was doing everything in her power not to cry. “Well, as I’m sure you realized, I just told Spike that I wouldn’t go out with him. To the point I was clear that it was not bad timing, but simply a no.”
“So, you rejected Spike, basically?” She tried hard to sound sweet and caring, but a fire inside her refused to just yield quietly.
Rarity looked away from her towards the floor. “I tried my best to be kind about it. Breaking his heart… well, let’s just say it was far from the highpoint of my life.”
Shaking her head, Sweetie sighed. “That’s a shame.”
It was like a snake catching sight of its pray when Rarity’s head snapped up and her eyes focused on Sweetie. The mare felt like a filly again, having just gotten into her sister’s special gold fabric, but worse. “What do you mean, ‘That’s a shame’?”
The words were like venom, and she had only been trying to comfort her. “It’s just- never mind.” She moved for the sanctuary the stairs would provide.
Rarity was quick to block her path though. “No you don’t. I want to hear what you have to say.”
Throwing her hooves in the air, Sweetie Belle conceded, “Fine! It’s a shame because… I always liked the idea of the two of you, okay? You were cute together.”
The reaction was priceless, as if Sweetie had managed to back hoof Rarity with her words. “Where would you even get such an idea? Why would you even think about it?”
“I think about it because I care about you.” Rarity stepped back, looking a bit hurt. “Spike- Spike was one of the best things to ever happen in your life. In our lives!”
Moving forward, Rarity tried to place her hoof on Sweetie Belle’s shoulder, but the only thing she touched was air. “Now, Sweetie-”
“I just don’t get it. Do you know, of all those stallions you’ve brought home, not once have any of them given me more than a second thought? Spike cared! He would offer me and the Crusaders ideas, help us out, he even danced with me at Shining Armor and Cadence's wedding when I was bored, and when you were busy and I was over… he would tell me stories. It’s exactly what I imagined having a big brother would be like.”
“I understand that you like to think of Spike as family, and, I must admit, that was very couth and kind of him. But it isn’t that simple.”
Everything was bubbling to the surface. “You don’t get it. The reason I let Spike get close to me was because I saw how he treated you. I thought I saw how you looked at him… but I guess I was wrong. He always put your needs in front of his own. Tell me, sister, how many of your dates ever took an interest in your, ‘passion for fashion’? How many were willing to spend hours at a time helping you in your shop?”
“Well, I mean-” She was searching for the answer, but Sweetie Belle already knew it.
“None. Spike was the only one.” She hung her head. “He gave you that Fire Ruby you keep in the display in your room. You of all ponies should know how long and hard it must have been to age a gem like that, and, yet, he simply gave it to you instead of enjoying it like he planned. And what did he ask in return, nothing. Who does that, beside you? You squealed in delight when you got home with it, practically knocked the door down. I thought it was so special to you because of what it represented and who it was from, but I guess the shine I saw in your eyes was just a reflection of the jewel sparkling.”
“It meant- means the world to me that he did that!” In all her life, Sweetie Belle had only seen Rarity flustered like this once or twice. It was far too real to be anything but.
“I’m sorry… You know, one of my favorite stories Spike told he named, The Beautiful Princess and the Foolish Knight. It was about a knight who had failed to protect his princess from kidnappers, even though he fought valiantly. Defeated and realizing he was outnumbered, he gathered the cavalry to free her. He was terrified for her, for secretly he was infatuated with the beautiful princess and her generous nature. When the knight showed up though, she had managed to escape herself, even bringing some of the kidnappers treasure with her. The knight felt foolish, for all his worry, he had been unnecessary. She had proven capable of taking care of herself, but, even with the new found knowledge and respect, the knight wished to protect his lady as best he could. Spike tells it better, but I recognized it later as what you refer to as, The Diamond Dog Incident. I always imagined that the knight would marry his princess and live happily ever after, but Spike would never tell me if that’s what happened. He said that some stories are still being written. I’ve heard them all, Spike’s Greed Growth, how he saved the Crystal Empire, and everything else. I guess, I just imagined the hero would get the girl in the end.”
“Yes, well, he is a very great dragon, brave, strong, kind, and considerate, and goofy, and sweet, and charming.” Her voice sounded dreamy the further she went, but when she stopped her face contorted back to its sad state.
“Look, I know it’s your life, but at least tell me why you said no?”
“Because… he’s a dragon.” To Sweetie Belle, all she could hear was defeat.
It was entirely unintentional; it just sort of slipped out, “Wow.”
The hornets’ nest had been shaken as Rarity glared at her. “What give you the right to judge me!?”
“I’m just genuinely surprised.” She sounded far more nonchalant than she felt, her insides twisting in knots. “I never thought what Spike was would matter as much as who he was.”
“Well it does! I can’t go around worrying about what having Spike as a… drakefriend, means for my career or what my friends would think or the rest of our family. And having you question me about it isn’t making it any easier.” It almost brought Sweetie Belle to tears seeing her sister so conflicted, but she knew that Rarity was better than that. That she had not just imagined everything between her and Spike.
“I just never thought you were one to let others sway you into not giving someone a chance because of appearances or roots. You once told me when I was trying to get my Cutie Mark that you loved fashion so much because it let you take the beauty inside someone and bring it to the surface for all to see. I thought the lesson was that inside anyone could be a diamond and that you wanted to use your talent for fashion to show the world just how beautiful they were. It’s part of the reason when I got my Cutie Mark I wanted to sing songs that would inspire ponies and resonate with their hearts, not just sound pretty. Seems I’ve been wrong a lot today… over the past three years.” It was easy to put her best disappointed face on, because she was. Rarity was her role model, and this was not the kind of choice the Rarity she knew commmited, not her Rarity, not her sister.
The entire world appeared to have crashed down around Rarity. Sweetie Belle’s gift often required her to see into the hearts of others, and, in what may have been her sister’s darkest personal hour, her vision was perfect. “What have I done? I just rejected the only one that has ever truly cared about me because of some petty, shallow fear of not knowing how others would react.”
“I care about you, mom and dad care about you, and the girls care about you.”
Rarity looked at her sister as if trying to decide if she was messing with her or comforting her. “I mean romantically, darling.”
Smiling lovingly at her sister, Sweetie asked, “So, what are you going to do about it?”
“I’m going to fix this! Sweetie, watch the shop; I have a dragon to find!” She received a kiss on the cheek, “Thanks. I needed a change of perspective and a little tough love it seems,” and Rarity ran out the door.
With no one around, she sang the song she had been humming earlier out loud, “Love makes fools of us all. Yes, I said, love makes fools of us all!”
