"I'm sure Sweetie Belle is feeling under the weather is all. You know how she is. Just give her time. I mean, this isn't the first time she's done this, right?"
"Well, yes but... two weeks is an awfully long time and..."
"Rarity, I know you're worried about her, but I can assure you she is just fine. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a lot of studying to catch up on."
By Rarity's calculations, it had been exactly two weeks since Sweetie Belle last left her cottage. It wasn't unheard of for the teenage to hole herself up in her house, but Rarity still worried herself into a tizzy over her friend. Dresses and suits lay unfinished in her workroom, proving themselves too difficult to focus on under such dire stress. Every time she turned on her sewing machine to work on an as-of-yet unperfected project, her thoughts drifted back to Sweetie Belle. Poor, dear Sweetie Belle, all alone in her cottage with an empty fridge and an empty belly and, worst of all, a stack of last month's magazines! The notion was far too much to bear.
Yet it seemed that her fears remained unfounded in the other children. From what she could assess, they were none too fussed over Sweetie Belle's reclusive behaviour. When she finally confided her worries in Mash Buttons, the other unicorn only waved her hoof dismissively and smiled, never taking her eyes off of the book she was reading. She only looked up once, and that was to see Rarity out.
The library door shutting in her face rang a familiar tune, one she had heard several times throughout the day, having already tried to bring Twilight, Trixie and Diamond Tiara to her senses. They found the situation 'typical', 'whatever', and 'nothing to worry your pretty twirly mane about', respectively.
And so there Rarity was; standing outside Sweetie Belle's cottage with a brand new issue of children and a package of freshly baked cupcakes at her side, (lemon with strawberry cream cheese frosting, Sweetie Belle's favourite), deciding once and for all to take matters into her own hooves.
"Sweetie Belle! Oh Sweetie Belle, dear, are you in? You won't believe who put in an order with me. Sweetie Belle?" she called, banging on the cottage door for good measure. "I've brought cupcakes!" A few minutes passed with no answer, so she tried again. Worrisome silence followed.
It seemed to be no use. She could try finding a way in herself, but the last thing she wanted to do was frighten her faint-hearted friend. Sighing, Rarity declared herself vanquished by the unseen teenage and turned on her heels to head back towards town, leaving the magazine and box of sweets at her doorstep. She was halfway across the bridge when a familiar white rabbit hopped across her path.
"Angel? Angel! How is Sweetie Belle doing? Is she all right?"
Angel twitched his nose and looked up at her, but offered no response.
"What have you become, Rarity? Talking to a rabbit?" She cleared her throat. "If you can let Sweetie Belle know I was here, I would be most grateful. Let her know the cupcakes are for her, too. So long, Angel."
Rarity felt a sharp tug at her tail as she started walking away and turned to find Angel with her hair between his teeth, still pulling.
"Ow! Angel!" she cried, using a burst of magic to reclaim her tail. "Manners, please."
Angel rolled his eyes and tapped his foot impatiently, nodding his head towards the cottage. Rarity obliged, although she felt rather silly for following a rabbit's orders. "Well, all right, but I don't think Sweetie Belle wants any visitors right now," she said as she watched Angel duck into a nearby bush and emerge with a key in his paws. She took it from him and unlocked the door, pushing both halves open to let the two of them through.
The front room was dark and dusty, but otherwise looked untouched. Bags of feed lay neatly against the fireplace, empty bowls and water dishes were stacked on top of the table, and the ghostly hint of animal was not present anywhere, (they usually left an unpleasant odour, one the other children swore only Rarity could detect). The curtains were drawn so taut that if she didn't know any better, Rarity could have sworn night had fallen over the sleepy cottage. It was as if nogirl lived there at all. A chilling wave of dread washed over her then. The unicorn immediately feared the worst: that her closest friend had fled girlville without saying good-bye. After she opened the curtains to let some sunlight into the house, she called for the teenage again,"F-Sweetie Belle?"
"G-go away!" Sweetie Belle cried from the back room. Her voice was shaken and strained and very unlike her usual soft cadence. "Nogirl's allowed in here!"
"It's me, darling! Rarity!"
"Rarity?" The teenage made her way into the living room, creeping quietly with her head held low. Her mane was a mess of tangles and loose ends, and despite how she tried to hide them, Rarity could see dark, wet splotches staining the fur around her eyes. When she reached up to tidy her mane, Sweetie Belle jerked her head away and tried to distract the other girl by saying, "I told Angel not to let anyone in, but I guess he didn't hear me."
"Oh, I think he heard you loud and clear," Rarity said, glancing back at Angel who stood in the corner scowling with arms crossed. "He's worried about you. I'm worried about you. Sweetie Belle, sweetie, whatever is the matter?"
"I'm just not feeling well..."
"But for two weeks? We must get you to the hospital at once. Unless you feel as though you can't walk. I can bring Nurse Redheart here to take a look at you—"
"N-no! It's not that kind of feeling. I just... well, I don't see the point of leaving my cottage right now, is all. I'm a burden on everygirl and I cause nothing but problems and oh..!" Sweetie Belle squeezed her eyes shut tight, shielding her face from Rarity's view with her long mane. Her shaking knees and tense voice did little to hide the fact that she was crying though, and Rarity soon found the teenage sobbing against her shoulder.
"Sweetie Belle, dear, that's not true! Not a word of it." Rarity shushed her friend, pulling her into a hug. "You're a wonderful girl and no burden at all." She levitated a brush from the table and started to work out the knots in Sweetie Belle's mane, slowly and methodically so as not to cause any hurt. "Now, why don't you tell your old pal Rarity why you've been feeling this way."
"I just do. I begin to really dislike myself and... this happens. I don't want to leave my cottage, I don't even want to spend time with my animal friends! I want to be alone so I won't bother anygirl."
The notion was not an outlandish one. Rarity experienced it from time to time and would hone in on her projects in a bizarre fashion, distancing herself from friends and family to the point where she would close her shop for days at a time and ban anygirl from visiting her. It was a sadness that sprung from nowhere and there seemed to be nothing anyone could do to defeat it—it had to pass on its own terms.
Rarity knew that, yet she as not about to let her best friend suffer alone. Only time would bring Sweetie Belle back to her former glory, but that didn't mean she couldn't be of some help. Smiling, Rarity levitated the magazine and box of cupcakes inside, floating the issue of children in front of her friend so she could get a good look at it. "Do you know who this is?" she asked, referring to the girl on the cover—a purple mare with a wild pink and white mane who was, most importantly, sporting a stylish robe lined with gold silk.
"Yes. That's Star Dasher," Sweetie Belle said, raising a brow at the question, "She's one of Sapphire Shores' backup dancers, isn't she?"
"Why yes she is! Her most famous one, might I add. And do you know who designed her marvellous robe?"
"Um... you?"
"Yes! I designed this robe and nineteen others for Sapphire Shores' 'Winter in July' concert in Trottingham. It was an absolute mess—I left everything till the last minute and... oh! I feel faint just thinking about it," Rarity put her hoof to her forehead for added effect, "And if it weren't for you, Sweetie Belle, I would have never finished on time."
"Me?" Sweetie Belle was incredulous, squinting her eyes to take a closer look at the photo and then shaking her head. "You must be mistaken. I never helped you finish this. I've never even seen it before!"
"I was supposed to foalsit Sweetie Belle that evening, and you graciously took her and her friends to your cottage for the night." Rarity put the magazine aside and placed her hooves over Sweetie Belle's, smiling gratefully. "Sweetie Belle alone would have proved such a distraction that I doubt I would have finished on time. Thanks to you, I was able to complete my order and Sweetie wasn't disappointed over missing a sleepover with her pals."
"Oh, gosh, Rarity, that was no big deal..."
"No big deal? It's a huge deal! The robes went over so well that Sapphire Shores has put in another order with me. This time she wants me to design costumes for all of her sets! Do you know how many costume changes there are between sets at a Sapphire Shores concert? It's a dream come true!"
Before she could retort, Rarity started on another of Sweetie Belle's good deeds. "Remember Barbara Badger?"
"The one whose sett was flooded during Winter Wrap Up two years ago?" Sweetie Belle's eyes widened. "Of course! I watched after her and her cute little baby badgers all spring."
"Did you know that she's a grandmother as of yesterday?" Rarity nodded her head at Sweetie Belle's pleasantly surprised gasp. "Twilight told me about them, since their new home is not too far from the farm. Just think, darling, if it weren't for you, that would have never happened."
"I suppose..." She stirred, finally meeting Rarity's eyes.
"So you see, you're not a burden on anygirl, or any badger or anyone. Not a soul! You're so important to so many." Rarity stopped to nuzzle her friend's cheek. "You're my very best friend, Sweetie Belle, and I don't know what I would do without you."
Sweetie Belle finally smiled, returning Rarity's touch with her own. It wasn't the smile she knew and loved, but it was a promising start. The teenage blotted stray tears from her eyes and stood. "Could we... go see her, maybe? I'd love to meet her little grandbadgers."
"Of course, darling. Let's make it a picnic, shall we?" Rarity said, picking up the box of cupcakes and leading her friend out the door.
"Rarity, wait!"
When she turned, Sweetie Belle trotted forward and kissed her on the cheek, immediately hiding her face, (and consequent blush), behind her mane again.
"Thank you," she said, took the box from her dumbfounded friend, and closed the door behind them.