Chapter 6: Dark Sweetie Belle
The white unicorn stared in shock at her little sister. Sweetie Belle was standing on the opposite end of the room with a grin on her face. Just like Gilda, Sweetie Belle's grin wasn't happiness. It was a grin of malice. Rarity was stunned that her own sister could look so evil. the fashionista looked into her sister's eyes and saw that they had been turned to being purple and they no longer had pupils. Sweetie Belle's eyes looked just like Gilda's eyes did when the griffon had been possessed by the Mane-iac.
The younger unicorn grinned evilly at Rarity. Then without even saying a word she attacked. Rarity was caught off guard by her younger sister's ferocious strike and she took the hit. Sweetie Belle struck without mercy until Rarity used her powers to conjure up a shield around herself. Sweetie Belle couldn't break down the barrier so she stood and waited for it to fade. Rarity couldn't keep that shield up forever.
"What's the matter Rarity?" Sweetie Belle asked in a voice that was much unlike her own. "Don't want to fight your precious little sister? Don't want to hurt a hair in the mane of poor Sweetie Belle?"
"Sweetie Belle what has gotten into you?" Rarity asked. "Why would you want to attack me?"
"Maybe because you always neglect me." Sweetie Belle said. "Remember that camping trip? While you relaxed and didn't break a sweat I had to drag all that junk you brought with you. You could have just used your magic to help but no precious Rarity doesn't exert herself."
Rarity was silent as she realized that that had been a very poor decision by her. Sweetie Belle was right. Rarity could have used her magic to make the burden easier to bear.
"I'm sorry Sweetie Belle." Rarity said. "But we had some good times together. Remember the race we were in?"
"You only joined that because you didn't want to feel guilty." Sweetie Belle said. "Besides I thought I was racing with Applejack the whole time didn't I? She's been a better sister to me than you have."
Rarity's magic barrier broke down due to Rarity not being able to keep it up. Sweetie Belle took advantage of this to continue her assault on her older sister.
Meanwhile the other five ponies as well as Gilda watched the fight in shock.
"So let me get this straight." the griffon said. "The Mane-iac is using Sweetie Belle to get at Rarity? She using Rarity's little sister as a weapon?"
The five ponies nodded assurance. This was indeed what was happening. None of them knew what to say. Gilda however summed up the situation quite well.
"That's just sick." the griffon said in disgust.
The group of six watched Rarity get attacked by her little sister. While Rarity would be able to defeat Sweetie Belle quite easily, she was just unable to bring herself to fight the young unicorn. Not only was Sweetie Belle her sister, she was absolutely right about what she had said. Rarity had indeed been a poor sister. The unicorn barely tried to defend herself from the attacks that were delivered to her by Sweetie Belle. The fashionista took hit after hit from her younger sister. She hit the magical wall that kept her from escaping her fight and then she crumpled to the ground.
"Come on Rarity!" Rainbow Dash shouted.
"Ya have ta fight her." Applejack said.
"She's being possessed!" Fluttershy said.
"Just like Gilda." Pinkie Pie added.
"If you don't fight her she'll be stuck serving the Mane-iac forever!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed. "Do you really want that for your little sister?"
Rarity looked at her friends and then at her sister. Her eyes narrowed in resolution.
"No." she said firmly. "I will not let my sister be controlled like this."
With that, she got back up and fought. She used her powers to create a net. She swung the net down and trapped her little sister underneath it. Rarity smiled to herself. Maybe she wouldn't need to fight Sweetie Belle. Now that the young pony was trapped underneath a net, the fashionista might be able to talk some sense into her like Pinkie Pie had done for Gilda. However Sweetie Belle had no intentions of listening to anything Rarity had to say. She chewed at the ropes of the net until they broke away. Now free of the net, Sweetie Belle continued her fight against her older sister. The little pony was determined to keep on fighting.
Rarity used her powers to create a shield. She slid the shield over one of her front hooves and blocked every one of Sweetie Belle's punches. The young unicorn didn't care that she was hitting a shield instead of her sister. She was completely unaffected by her punches being blocked. Her anger was evident to everypony that was watching this fight. Rarity was hurt by just how much rage she could see in her sister's face.
"Please Sweetie Belle." Rarity begged. "Snap out of it. I know I'm not the best sister but I promise you that I will do everything that I can to make you happy."
"Oh please." Sweetie Belle replied harshly. "You don't mean that. The second we get home you'll go right back to your fashion and I'll be stuck by myself."
"I know that I haven't had much time for you." Rarity said in an ashamed tone.
"Not much time?" Sweetie Belle asked. "If I'm lucky I'll hear good morning and good night. Most days you don't have the time to even talk to me."
The two sisters continued their fight as Rarity tried to think of how she could show Sweetie Belle that she cared about her. An idea struck her. But would she be willing to follow it if Sweetie Belle took it as a promise? Rarity looked at her little sister and thought about how lonely she must be. Sweetie Belle didn't deserve that. Sweetie Belle deserved to have a much better sister. Rarity looked the young unicorn in the eyes as she spoke.
"If you really want to spend time with me we can." Rarity said. The unicorn sighed heavily and then spoke the words that she never thought she would be saying. "I'll give up my fashion career if I must."
This announcement shocked every single creature in the room. Rarity lived for fashion. Becoming a famous designer was her life long dream. She had aspired to make a name for herself in the fashion industry for as long as Rainbow Dash had wanted to be a Wonderbolt. But now she was willing to give that up to spend time with her little sister. The pony who was stunned the most was Sweetie Belle.
"You would do that for me?" the young pony asked in a shocked tone. A small portion of her eyes turned from purple to their normal green color. Rarity knew that she was on the right track. If she kept this up she might be able to save her sister from the clutches of the Mane-iac.
"I would." Rarity said firmly. "I've been so caught up with my own dreams that I've neglected my own sister." The unicorn's blue eyes started to tear up as she continued. "I'm sorry that I've been such a terrible sister Sweetie Belle. But I'm determined to make it up to you in any way that I can."
Sweetie Belle's eyes changed even more. Rarity needed just a little bit more before her sister was truly free.
"I will do whatever I need to do to make you happy Sweetie Belle." Rarity said. "I want to be a proper sister. I want to take care of you like I'm supposed to. If I have to give up my fashion career then I will. You mean more to me than that. I love you."
Sweetie Belle's eyes completely changed from purple to green and she fell to her knees. She didn't collapse like Gilda did but she was definitely weakened by the spell that the Mane-iac had cast on her. Rarity rushed over to her sister as the magical barrier fell away. Sweetie Belle looked her older sister in the eyes and spoke.
"I love you too sis." she said.
The two unicorns embraced in a hug as their friends gathered around them. The tears fell out of their eyes but they didn't bother wiping them off.
"I don't want you to give up your dream for me." Sweetie Belle whispered. "I want to be with my sister but I want her to be happy." She looked Rarity in the eyes as she continued. "A miserable big sister isn't any fun."
"I will be here for you Sweetie Belle." Rarity whispered back. "I'm your sister. I should be here for you."
The hug broke apart and the group of eight went up the next flight of stairs. The way back was still blocked so they stuck together for their own safety. Sweetie Belle might not be a fighter but she was safer with the rest of the group than she was by herself. The group of eight entered the next room and yet another magical barrier blocked their path. This one showed three butterflies on it. Fluttershy walked through the force field and gasped at who was waiting there.
"Angel?" she whispered.