Chapter 107: Sisterhood
The sun had risen high into the sky, and the birds began to chirp outside Carousel Boutique as Rarity was still snoozing peacefully in her bed, wearing a green sleeping mask. She was mumbling in her sleep as some smells started floating in her bedroom.
"Oh... Are those sweet... carrot... pancakes I smell?" Rarity mumbled in her sleep and then gasped, "Mmm, how divine, num num num num. The aroma... spiced warm apple cider..." As Rarity continued to enjoy the smells, the aroma had become darker wisps of smoke that started to fill her bedroom.
"Ahh, and the smell of... smoke..." sniffed Rarity as it clicked in her head, "smoke? Smoke?!" Rarity woke up with a start. She screamed as she tumbled out of bed with her blanket still stuck on her back end, and the sound of the smoke alarm went off. The girl charged out of her bedroom so quickly she tumbled down the stairs.
"Rarity!" exclaimed Sweetie Belle, "Rrgh, you ruined the surprise! I was gonna serve you breakfast in bed!" Rarity just sighed to herself.
Rarity wasted no time pulling off her sleeping mask, causing it to go flying above Sweetie Belle's head. The little marshmallow girl was still fuming when Rarity marched up to her, ready to give her little sister a piece of her mind over the mess in the kitchen.
"Hey, Rares. I got the stuff you ordered me... What the hell happened in here?!" said Storm as he entered through the door and saw what lay before him.
After that... mess. Rarity had Storm put away the supplies and materials he brought over while she and Sweetie Belle began to head to the kitchen.
"Now, let's get that kitchen all cleaned up," said Rarity.
"Cleaned up?" Sweetie Belle protested, "But we haven't even eaten yet."
"Well now, Sweetie Belle," said the fashionista as she looked at the burnt food on the table, "I appreciate the gesture, but we can't eat this breakfast; it's burnt."
"It's not that burnt," said Sweetie Belle.
"Never fear, my dear," said Rarity as she headed over to the stove with Sweetie Belle behind her, "I'll get a proper breakfast going."
"Need a hand?" asked Storm as he peeked inside as Sweetie Belle smiled.
"Don't you have stuff to put away for me?" Rarity asked, not turning around.
"They're done," said Storm.
"What about getting me the materials I need for the orders I'm doing today?!"
"You never said anything about that?" said Storm skeptically.
"Well, I am now," said Rarity regally, "Now, hop to it."
Storm snorted as he left.
"Can I help?" asked Sweetie Belle, making Rarity freeze and look at her.
"Oh, er, of course, er, in one moment, Sweetie Belle," Rarity stuttered, trying to think of what to say and then thought of an idea, "Let me just get things started."
Sweetie Belle just sat quietly and waited... and waited... and waited. Rarity didn't just get things started. She made it her mission to finish everything herself, from the cooking to the cleaning and even setting up the dining table. Storm tried again to help himself or give Sweetie Belle something to do, but Rarity dismissed him. Storm just glared at her before walking away.
"Rarity!" complained the girl, "I thought you said I was gonna help!" The older marshmallow girl flinched as she was mixing something in a bowl.
"You are!" said the teen as she struggled to come up with something, "You... can... put the garnish on the plates."
"You mean this parsley?" Sweetie Belle asked as she eyeballed the tiny leaf skeptically before grabbing it and heading toward the table. Standing on a stool chair, she leaned over a plate of eggs.
"Okay, now, easy!" Rarity injected rather frantically, "It has to be just right! No need to rush. No! That's too slow. Careful! Back up! Looking for perfection here..."
All the while, poor Sweetie Belle was flustered; her body shook slightly from feeling so stressed, and sweat fell down her forehead. She nearly fell into the table but managed to lean back and save herself, but Rarity's fussing made her wobble a second time.
"Whoa, whoa!" cried Sweetie Belle as she fell into the table, knocking everything off, minus the tablecloth. Rarity just looked annoyingly until the garnish floated gently on the plate of eggs. Apparently, they had survived the crash when Sweetie Belle stood up.
"Not... bad," said Rarity as Sweetie Belle eyed the plate blankly. Storm had seen everything happen as he formed some thoughts.
No wonder Sweetie Belle messes up so much. It's like Rarity wants her to fail.
It wasn't long before the sisters finished eating, and Rarity cleaned up... alone. She had just finished when she saw what time it was and gasped.
"There are some things I must attend to," said Rarity as she headed out of the kitchen toward Sweetie Belle, who was washing the floor with a bucket of soapy water and a small brush in the corner of the main room, "Can you take the dirty towels to the laundry room?"
Sweetie Belle looked up as the towels were dumped on top of her.
"No problem, I'll make myself useful!" said the girl as she pushed the basket into the laundry room.
"I can give you a hand, Sweetie-"
"Actually, Storm," Rarity interrupted as she shoved a long list in his face, "I need these things from town, and I need them now!"
Storm discreetly rolled his eyes before rolling up the list and heading out of the house without another word. Meanwhile, Sweetie Belle had just entered the laundry room, found a sweater sitting above the wash bin, and got an idea.
As the sun was high in the sky, Rarity stepped outside her boutique and found Sweetie Belle hanging laundry to dry. Then she gasped at what she saw hanging with the laundry.
"Sweetie Belle!" Rarity exclaimed as Sweetie Belle was putting up some more laundry to dry.
"I told you I'd make myself useful," said the girl proudly, "Surprised?"
Rarity was surprised, but not in the way Sweetie Belle had hoped.
"Am I?" stated the older girl as she pushed past her sister, "You washed my incredibly expensive one-of-a-kind designer crocheted wool sweater! Do you know how hard these things are to come by?"
"What's the big deal?" asked Sweetie Belle as she followed her sister to where the sweater hung.
"The big deal is that in the heat of the sun, wool..." as if by Rarity's command, the sweater became a tiny sweater, "...shrinks."
"Oh. Sorry," said Sweetie Belle sadly.
"Nng..." Rarity grunted as she turned away, feeling her temper start to boil, but managed to keep it together and maintain her composure, "Well. Back to work. I must create!" Rarity stepped into the bucket of water that was nearby.
"Sorry?" said Sweetie Belle as Rarity glared at her.
"Huh. Stay out of trouble, okay? Please?" Rarity told her, taking a step forward and glaring at her again before walking inside without another word.
"I just wanted to do something nice for my sister," mumbled Sweetie Belle to herself.
The girl picked up the bucket as she headed inside. Later, Sweetie Belle was sitting on a chair, rubbing her foot on the floor. Rarity had been quite busy, and Storm still had yet to return from his long list of errands.
"Raargh, I'm so bored!" said Sweetie Belle as she walked back and forth, "When is Rarity gonna finish her work? And when is Storm gonna return? Assuming Rarity doesn't give him something else to do today! I wonder why she doesn't like me hanging out with him! He's sweet, caring, and listens to me... (gasp). I bet she's jealous, but she certainly doesn't act as if she likes him... UGH... I gotta do something before my head explodes!" It was then she made a thought bubble appear with Rarity in it.
"Stay out of trouble, okay?" said Rarity before her thought bubble popped.
Sweetie Belle was quiet for a moment before she noticed some sheets of paper and crayons on a table.
"I never got in trouble for drawing," said the smaller girl as she picked up a crayon and began to draw something, "Hmm. This needs something..." Sweetie Belle then noticed a chest filled with blue gems in it. She got an idea as she smiled; Rarity came downstairs holding some fabric when Sweetie Belle finished her project.
"Hi, Rarity!" said Sweetie Belle excitedly as she pushed her art project in the face of her older sibling, "I made a special drawing for y—"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!" screamed Rarity before heading over to the empty chest, "Oh no! Did you use these gems?!" It was at that moment Storm returned.
"Well, yes, but I know you have more in your workroom," said Sweetie Belle, making herself small as she saw that Rarity was upset.
"But, but these are extremely rare baby blue sapphires! They are expensive! Twilight's family was generous enough to give me some!" said Rarity. "I needed them for an outfit for an extremely important client!"
"Oh. Sorry," said Sweetie Belle sadly.
"Sweetie Belle, what am I going to do with you?" sighed Rarity as Storm stood nearby with an indignant look.
"Oh!" said Sweetie Belle as she hopped around the teens, "We could paint together, we could ride bikes, play chess, sing a song, catch frogs, pillow fight-"
"That's not what I meant!" Rarity snapped as she walked away.
"Oh," said the younger sibling, looking rather disappointed.
"In all respects, Rares," said Storm, "This chest is set up specifically for unneeded excess gems. They were free picking to anyone who wanted to use them! If you wanted them for your projects, you should have taken them out and... MMPH!" Storm was cut off when Rarity her hands into his mouth.
"Be quiet! We need to get more!" said the fashionista.
"I'll go with you and help!" said Sweetie Belle, taking a few steps forward.
"No!" Rarity snapped, making her sister stop in her tracks, "No, thank you. You can help by picking up these papers and stacking them neatly. Put the pens and pencils back exactly where you found them, and please find something to do that doesn't create a large mess for me to clean up!" the girl then turned to the Jedi Knight, "Storm, quite wasting time and come along. We need to visit Twilight." The boy spat out his mouth once Rarity removed her hands.
"Geez Louise, can't I do anything right?" muttered Sweetie Belle as she stomped away.
"You can," said Storm before glaring at the door, "just little miss prissy won't let you. Don't worry, Sweetie Belle. When I get a chance, I'll talk to Rarity." The teen winked before exiting the shop.
Sweetie Belle smiled for a moment before sadly walking towards another room. She peeked inside to find the room an absolute mess. Sweetie Belle smiled as she got an idea.
A couple of hours later, Rarity and Storm arrived at the boutique with a box full of more blue sapphires. While Twilight was willing to help her friend by giving some more priceless gems, true to the fashionista's word, they were expensive; even for the royal family, it was a hefty price to pay. So much so that the next shipment the royal family would get for blue sapphires wouldn't arrive until next week.
While Rarity had a pleasing look, Storm looked very irritated. Not only had he failed to find a moment to speak to Rarity regarding Sweetie Belle, but Rarity had made it her mission to complain about the girl during their gem hunt.
"Sweetie Belle! I'm back!" said Rarity as she received no response, "Sweetie Belle?" Rarity began to look around, peeked into her workroom, and gasped as she jumped into the air. Everything had been cleaned up, so the place was now sparkling. Storm peeked inside as well.
"Hey, it's about time this place got cleaned up!" remarked the Jedi.
"Surprise!" exclaimed Sweetie Belle as she jumped out from one of the mannequins.
"My— ee— bleh— My inspiration room!" exclaimed Rarity in disbelief, flinching twice as she looked around, "What did you do? What did you do?!" Rarity didn't hesitate to get into Sweetie Belle's face.
"When I saw the big mess in your room, I thought I'd clean it up for you," explained Sweetie Belle.
"This wasn't a mess!" Rarity protested in a panic, "It was organized chaos!"
"Yeah, right!" remarked Storm, "Do you know how many times I came in here to find you crying on your sofa 'cause you couldn't find anything in here? I say Sweetie Belle did you a favor!"
"I was just about finished planning my new fashion line," Rarity continued to complain, ignoring what Storm said, "and, and you, you, you went and, and you— and you put everything away!"
"But every time I make a mess, you get upset!" Sweetie Belle protested. Storm nodded in agreement with a stern look.
"But this was my mess in my house! And now I have to start from scratch!" said the fashionista.
"But, I thought it would make you happy!" said Sweetie Belle, trying to explain herself. That seemed to be the final straw in Rarity's temper.
"Happy?! Happy?!" Rarity exclaimed, getting in Sweetie Belle's face twice and grinding her teeth.
Storm walked up to Sweetie and stomped a foot in between them. The Jedi gave the fashionista a glare that meant one thing: say one more word, and he would use his powers on her. A few seconds later, Rarity managed to compose herself.
"I just need some time alone," Rarity said quietly, turning her back on her sister. The younger girl walked sadly away, feeling worse as Rarity huffed at her as she left.
Outside, Sweetie Belle was moping about until she noticed a pink flyer held by a familiar yellow girl with cute yellow eyes and red hair.
"Howdy, Sweetie Belle. How are you and Rarity's doin'?" asked the farm girl cheerfully. Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes and pouted for a moment.
"Why it's smashing!" imitated the girl of her older sister before walking away pouting.
"Huh?" Applebloom was puzzled as Sweetie Belle climbed onto the base of a statue and sat down.
"I wish we could do something special together that didn't include me goofing anything up," said Sweetie Belle. Applebloom went up to her and showed her the flyer again.
"The Sisterhood Social! Applejack an' I do it every year! You an' Rarity can compete against other sister teams in all these neat events!" explained Applebloom as it seemed to lift Sweetie Belle's spirits a bit.
"That sounds like the perfect way for us to hang out! Rarity will think it's an excellent idea," said Sweetie Belle excitedly.
"What a ridiculous idea," said Rarity, instantly turning her sister's smile upside, "A contest at Sweet Apple Acres? It doesn't sound... very... clean," Rarity made a face as she grabbed something from her desk. Storm, now in a very bad mood, rolled his eyes at the fashionista.
"So, what, now you're back to hating messes?" Sweetie Belle snapped angrily.
"Sweetie Belle, watch your tone!" said Rarity snootily, "I am still your big sister."
"Then start acting like one!" retorted Storm angrily.
"Right!" added Sweetie Belle, in agreement with both their comments, "And any sister who cares about her sister goes!"
"Sweetie Belle...! Honestly!" protested Rarity, "Playing silly little games in the dirt is just... uncouth! With or without a sister." The fashionista walked away from her little sister, who was on the verge of tears, but she felt something more than disappointment...
... it was anger.
"Well then! Maybe, maybe I'll try the Sisterhood Social without a sister!" retorted Sweetie Belle, trying to stand her ground and not cry, "In fact, I think I'll try the rest of my life without a sister!" Sweetie Belle's voice gave a definitive squeak as she jumped into the air to make her point. Rarity gasped.
"Oh, I'm the one who's ruining your life?! Really?!" Rarity shot back angrily, "Have you looked around this place? I'm the one who'd be better off with no sister!"
"Well, it looks like we finally agree on something!" Sweetie Belle yelled as the two sisters glared at each other, "Neither of us needs a sister!"
"Deal!" shouted Rarity.
"Deal!" shouted Sweetie Belle back, "Goodbye, un-sister!" Sweetie Belle stomped out of the room as Rarity watched her leave before turning away with a huff.
Storm stayed put for a moment, giving Rarity a very stern look.
"Rares..." spoke the boy.
"Storm, I'm not in the mood to..."
"QUIET!" the boy snapped as the girl turned back in shock.
"I beg your pardon?!" Rarity exclaimed, taken aback by his harsh tone. Her hands glowed faintly with magic.
"Forgive my disrespect, Rares. We're friends. But this is something that needs to be said," the Jedi Knight told her sternly, "you've done plenty of selfish things over the time I've known you, but this is the worst!"
"Excuse me?" said Rarity, looking a bit offended by the remark.
"I'm talking about how you treat Sweetie Belle," said Storm, "I see how you unjustly treat her. At first, I stayed out of it, but that little girl is more to me than just some fangirl now. She's a dear friend of mine. I love her just as much as I love you. But whenever she's here, you set her aside like one of last year's fashions!"
"Well, have you seen what she does when she tries to help?" protested Rarity angrily.
"That only happens because you don't get her a chance!" responded the boy, "I saw how you acted when she tried to set that garnish! She only toppled the table because you stressed her out! I can't tell you how often I made a mess because I tried to be helpful, but all they would do was complain and criticize me."
"Well, I'm sorry you felt that way, Storm," said Rarity dismissively, "But this is a completely different situation!"
"Exactly!" said the Jedi, "You shouldn't have to be treated that way by your family! I know nobody ever treated you that way, so I don't know what gives you the right to treat Sweetie Belle in such a manner!"
"Then you don't know me at all," the girl recalled some past memories.
"Look, I might be used to your fussy nature, but that doesn't mean Sweetie Belle should be forced to put up with it. She needs room to grow and time to learn how to do things correctly and become a refined young lady. If you keep shunning, pressuring, and criticizing her, those accidents will never stop, and she could lose all self-confidence. How can she learn from her mistakes and get better at being helpful when you don't let her learn? I give her room to breathe and learn, and she never has a problem working with me. And she's quite confident in her abilities because I actually encourage her! We haven't had any major accidents or incidents when we work together."
"So just take her then!" Rarity shouted, letting her temper slip, "if you want her for a sister, then you are more than welcome to take her out of my life!"
Storm had a calm expression as he heard what his friend said.
"I'm not sure if it's even possible for someone like me to adopt Sweetie Belle..." said the boy as he knew his duty as a Jedi came first above all else, "... but... I'll see what I can do."
The boy left to give his friend some space.
Sweetie Belle had made her way to Sweet Apple Acres. She was lying on a haystack as Big Mac and Applejack pushed them about. The girl had told Aj what Rarity had told her.
"'Uncouth'?" expressed Applejack as she stopped pushing the cart, "She said the Sisterhood Social was 'uncouth'?" Aj hopped over her haystack to approach the girl as Applebloom popped out of a basket of apples.
"Yeah! Uncouth?" said Applebloom as she ate her apple and belched afterward, "Wait. What's uncouth?"
"It's not just the Social. She thinks I'm uncouth," stated Sweetie Belle.
"Honey, Rarity thinks everything's uncouth," said Applejack sympathetically.
"What's uncouth?" asked Applebloom again with a mouthful of apple.
"It means uncivil," explained Applejack, "Y'know, bad-mannered?"
Applebloom merely let out a loud belch.
"Exactly," answered Aj, "Sweetie Belle, just give Rarity some time. She'll come around. Sisters always do." Applejack and Applebloom smiled and cuddled each other.
"Not sisters like Rarity," Sweetie Belle remarked bitterly as she looked away, "Even Storm tried to defend me, but she wouldn't listen to him either. In fact, she tries to keep us apart whenever I'm around. It's not fair!" That did worry Applejack a bit, but she knew Sweetie Belle needed more help at the moment.
"Come on, now," said Aj, "Applebloom and I got some chores to finish up. Maybe you can help!"
"You sure you want me to help?" asked Sweetie Belle, "I just mess everything up!"
"Oh, come on, that's just stinkin' thinkin'," stated Applejack, "Storm says you help him out all the time. He never says you mess things up." The farm girl picked up a bad apple with a worm. "Watch!"
Applebloom grabbed a bucket; Aj then tossed the bad apple toward the yellow girl, who caught it inside her bucket. Applejack sent another apple to her sister, and she caught it again. They both started to laugh and chuckle happily with each other as Applebloom continued to catch apple after apple in her bucket.
"Good catch there, Apple Bloom! Whoo!" Applejack cheered as they continued to laugh some more and enjoy themselves. Sweetie Belle looked at the two with confusion written all over her face.
"This is a chore?" asked Sweetie Belle.
"Since we can't sell the bruised apples," explained Applejack as she bucked another apple to Applebloom, "we gotta collect them all for the pigs to eat."
"It's a lot of work," added Applebloom as she set her bucket down and used her hind to rebound an apple into it, "so we make a game of it. Wanna try?"
"Um, okay," said Sweetie Belle timidly as she stood near a bucket. Applejack bucked an apple toward her. The apple ended up smacking Sweetie Belle hard in the face.
"Ow!" groaned the girl as she rubbed her head, "You're right; it is hard work."
"That's why we do it..." Applebloom began.
"Together!" said both farm girls as the older apple sibling held, the younger one closer to her. Sweetie Belle couldn't help but feel a little jealous.
"Huh, Rarity never wants to do chores together," muttered Sweetie Belle.
Back at the boutique, Rarity was still fuming about her workroom as Opal slept quietly on the floor.
"Ugh, all that work ruined," Rarity continued complaining, "thanks to Sweetie Belle." She then walked over to the drawer and found everything in order and easy to find.
"Oh my. It's usually a big mess in here," said Rarity, then gasped, "Id-ee-a!" Within a few minutes, Rarity had easily completed a collection of outfits and displayed them on the mannequins. Each outfit was the color of the rainbow.
"This is genius! I shall call it 'full spectrum fashions'! If Sweetie Belle hadn't", Rarity suddenly stopped herself from letting Sweetie Belle have any credit and cleared her throat, "Well, no matter. She still shouldn't have touched my things without permission." The fashionista pulled off the outfits.
A thought bubble appeared above her head, with Storm glaring at her.
"Sweetie Belle did you a favor, and you know it!" the Storm in her thought bubble told her.
"Oh!" Rarity snorted as she popped her thought bubble and gave a loud hmph as she returned to work.
Meanwhile, Applejack was placing some clusters of grapes inside a wooden container.
"Apple Bloom! You're up!" Applejack called as the yellow girl bounced over and hopped onto her sister's back. Sweetie Belle watched as Applejack launched Applebloom high into the air, so the girl landed inside the wooden container. Applebloom then began to stomp about, allowing her to fill up a jar under the pipe.
"You're... making... grape juice?" Sweetie Belle asked, puzzled, and then gasped, "Rarity would call the fashion police on me if I got grape juice near her precious outfits."
"Well, that's silly!" said Applebloom as she dived into the grapes., causing a glop to splatter all over Applejack.
"Apple Bloom..." Applejack said under her breath.
"Please, Applejack," said Sweetie Belle, raising her arms in Applebloom's defense to try and block the orange girl, "she didn't mean—" But Applejack went around the marshmallow girl. Sweetie Belle watched with worry as Applejack dived at Applebloom.
"Whoa!" Applebloom cried out as she and Applejack tumbled into the grapes with a splat. Then Applebloom started laughing as Sweetie Belle looked inside.
"How d'you like them grapes, y'little whippersnapper!" Applejack teased as she gave her little sister a noogie on the head. Both were covered in grape juice.
"That tickles!" Applebloom protested as she laughed. Sweetie Belle just smiled as the two played in the grapes together.
At the boutique, Rarity had taken her new outfits into the laundry room.
"Now to get these fabrics washed for my fabulous new line," said Rarity when she noticed her now shrunken wool sweater and huffed, "Ooh, my favorite sweater... I just can't believe that Sweetie Belle..." Rarity's train of thought was interrupted as Opal gave a very loud cat yowl. She had apparently stepped on the cat's tail. Rarity then got an idea as she grabbed the shrunken sweater and put it on the white cat.
"Oh, Opal-wopal!" Rarity told her cat in baby talk, making the cat glare at her, "It's as if Sweetie Belle knew the sweater was perfect for you." Rarity then went back to being indignant.
"And Sweetie Belle should consider herself perfectly lucky that this thoughtless mishap turned out all right," huffed the fashionista. It was then another thought bubble appeared with Storm inside it.
"She was only trying to help you with the laundry," Storm said in her thought bubble, "It was an honest mistake, and you still managed to make the best of it."
"Get out of my head!" snapped Rarity as she swatted the thought bubble away and stomped off with a huff. "To think I had a crush on you."
Back at Sweet Apple Acres, sheep were baaing as they stampeded through the farming grounds. Applejack and Applebloom were working together to keep the herd together.
"Apple Bloom!" called out Applejack.
"Got it, sis!" said Applebloom as she bumped a sheep back in line. It wasn't long before they easily made the herd run into their pen. Sweetie Belle was most impressed.
"Wow. It's as if they were just one person," said Sweetie Belle.
"Yee-haw!" exclaimed both Apple siblings as they high-fived each other.
"Way to corral some critters, sis!" remarked Applejack.
"You coulda just a-a-a-asked," spoke a sheep in sheep talk when translated as Applejack shut the gate with her legs. Sweetie Belle watched them walk away with a frown on her face.
"Rarity never high-fives me," said Sweetie Belle to herself.
Rarity was working on one of her new outfits at the boutique, placing blue sapphires on it.
"Perfect!" Rarity told herself as she examined her work, "Just one more, and this ensemble is fini!" She noticed the box she and Storm had brought was empty, which reminded the fashionista why they had to go get more.
"Sweetie Belle!" Rarity groaned loudly, "Where's her silly little arts and crafts project?"
Rarity soon found it and was willing to tear off the gems glued to it until she saw the picture. Rarity gasped as she placed a hand to her mouth and her eyes began to water. There before her was a drawing of herself and Sweetie Belle surrounded by a beautifully crafted heart coated with blue sapphires. At that very moment, Rarity suddenly realized how awful she had been acting all day. What she had said to Storm earlier began to haunt her mind.
So just take her then! If you want a sister, then you are more than welcome to take her out of my life!
Rarity had never felt so guilty in her entire life. It was then Storm had finally returned. He had with him a document as he set it next to the project. Rarity looked at the document with devasted eyes.
"Well, here it is. I found a way to handle your Sweetie Belle problem. Just sign on the dotted line, and she will be out of your hair forever." said Storm as he offered the fashionista a pen.
Rarity only looked at the document for a second before she grabbed it, ripped it into tiny pieces, and tossed the scraps behind her.
"What the hell, Rarity?" said the Jedi.
"Oh, Sweetie Belle! My one and only sister! What have I done?" lamented Rarity as she leaned over the arts and craft project, "All the time I could have spent with you was wasted complaining and wishing you were gone! Woe is me!" Rarity then crouched on the floor and began to cry dramatically, but she stopped crying before Storm could comfort her.
"No! I must get her back! I must!" said Rarity as she stood tall and determined, "I shall never be sisterless again!" Her moment was interrupted as she heard someone chuckling.
"And what might I ask is so funny?" Rarity asked indignantly. Storm just smiled.
"I was hoping you'd finally realized how you were acting," said Storm, "I really believe that you never wanted Sweetie Belle out of your life for good." Rarity just lowered her head sadly.
"I... didn't..." said Rarity quietly, "I never wanted to... I didn't mean... oh, Storm; you were right about everything. I did shun her out, criticize her, and I did take her for granted. I didn't take the time to help her learn things and expected her to figure things out... like I did. I have been destroying her self-confidence. I really am a selfish person."
"You may have acted like one," said Storm gently, "but you're not a selfish person. You are known to be the Element of Generosity. You just got a little too caught up in your work that you forgot what is really important, which is friends and family."
"I guess I did," said Rarity, "And Storm, if I might say something to you…."
"Rarity, trust me," interrupted the boy, "I never wanted to be mean to you. It was only because I saw you doing something wrong, and you kept cutting me off."
"Fair enough," said Rarity, grateful that the issue had been addressed and settled quickly, "but… I wanted to apologize for trying to keep you and Sweetie Belle apart."
"Are you really worried I'm gonna hurt her? I already told her straight up that we're just friends and that I can't fall in love because I'm a Jedi."
"I bet I would have known how much we have in common if… I had spent more time with her. But my point is that I pushed both of you apart because I was jealous. You two seemed to work together so well and never have mishaps like I have with her and… I guess I just wish Sweetie and I could work together like that… just as I wished you and I were together." muttered the last part said by the girl.
Storm heard what Rarity said at the tail end as he sighed. While the fashionista may have told him when he found her crying in the store's back room that she would move on from her feelings for him. It seemed that the girl still harbored secret feelings for the Jedi Knight.
"You just got to give her a chance," said Storm, "and remember, no one can create perfection the first time around. Perfection and fabulousness…."
"… comes with time, persistence, and trial and error," Rarity finished, realizing she had been taught that when she began to follow her passion, "I just got to set things right. After all, persistence is my middle name."
"I thought it was Tabitha?" asked Storm.
"No, no darling, Tabitha is just a dear friend of mine and makes delicious cookies," Rarity replied, "but we're getting off-topic. Will you help me find Sweetie Belle so I can set things right?" Storm smiled.
"I am at your service, m'lady," replied the Jedi as Rarity smiled. However, it was already nightfall before they found Sweetie Belle. Apparently, she was sitting with Applejack and Applebloom as they roasted marshmallows over a campfire. Rarity gasped when she saw her little sister with them.
"Sweetie Belle!" said Rarity as she walked up to the little girl, "Oh, Storm and I have been galloping all over looking for you. I—"Rarity was then taken aback as Sweetie Belle turned her head away and snubbed the older girl. Applejack and Applebloom just exchanged worried glances with each other.
"Oh, hello, un-sister. What are you doing here? Better be careful; you might get some dust on you," said Sweetie Belle.
Rarity was still rather stunned by her remark as Applejack and Applebloom looked at each other again. Rarity glanced over toward Storm, who just waved a hand, encouraging her to speak up.
"Oh, Sweetie Belle," said Rarity sadly, "I want to apologize. I am not better off without a sister."
"I'm not better off without a sister either," replied the younger girl, keeping a stern look on her face, "Spending the day with Applejack and Apple Bloom made me realize that."
"Oh, Sweetie," said Rarity as she put a hand on her younger sibling, "you don't know how happy I am to hear—"Rarity was then cut off when Sweetie swatted away her hand.
"And that's why I'm adopting Applejack as my big sister!" announced Sweetie Belle.
"What?!" exclaimed Rarity dramatically.
"What?!" said Applejack in stunned.
"What?!" repeated Applebloom in disbelief.
"Wag?" Storm added, feeling taken aback by the announcement himself as Sweetie Belle rushed toward the orange girl and hugged one of her sides.
"A sister is someone who loves and takes care of another sister," explained the girl, "Applejack's a real sister." Rarity was agape before narrowing her eyes at Applejack. The farm girl looked rather sheepish in reply.
"Easy Rares," Storm said as he gently placed a hand on her back, "remember, if a person wants to be loved and can't find it from one person, they will look for it elsewhere." Rarity's expression softened, but she still felt rather upset at the idea of Sweetie Belle replacing her, even if she had given the girl every reason to do so.
"H-Hold on, Sweetie Belle. Don't get ahead of yourself here," said Aj.
"Besides, she's my big sister!" protested Applebloom as she held Applejack's other side.
"Yeah, um—"Applejack stuttered as the two girls started a tug of war over her.
"Or maybe," suggested Sweetie Belle to Rarity, "she should be your sister, so she could teach you what a good sister is supposed to be!" Rarity began to stare Applejack down again. The country gal was growing more uncomfortable by the second.
"Heh, um, actually, I—"Applejack continued to stutter as Applebloom looked rather indignant. At this point, she was hoping something would happen to make Storm fall into her and touch her breasts; at least, that was something she could deal with.
"But I don't need lessons on being a good sister," Rarity protested as she knelt before Sweetie Belle in a pleading position, "I-I promise! Listen! I'll show you how to cook my favorite quiche! Or, or, I'll show you the proper way to beautify your mane. Won't that be fun? Hm?" Sweetie Belle just glared.
"Hm! You want me to go home with you, so we can do what you wanna do?" retorted Sweetie Belle as she walked at Rarity, making the older marshmallow girl back up a bit.
"Uh... yes?" answered Rarity with a sheepish tone.
"God damn it…." groaned Storm as he face-palmed his face.
"Just forget it!" snapped Sweetie Belle before stomping away. Both Apple sisters watched the girl walk off before Applebloom turned to her sister.
"We're still sisters, right?" asked Applebloom for reassurance. Applejack nodded before the yellow girl walked away as well. Rarity just walked up to Applejack feeling rather upset with Storm at her side.
"Well, that apology went swimmingly," said the fashionista sarcastically, "Applejack, why do you have to be so good and make me look so bad?"
"Oh, Rarity," said Applejack, poking her with a finger, "once again, you're thinkin' about yourself. Bein' sisters is a give-and-take. You've been doin' a whole lotta takin', but you haven't been doin' a whole lotta givin'." Rarity just looked away for a moment.
"But of course I give. I give lessons. Reasonable demands." retorted the teen.
"We're not!" protested Storm sternly, getting a death glare from the girl.
"Easy there, Storm. I got this. Why don't you see how the girls are doing?" Applejack said.
The Jedi nodded and left the two girls to talk things out.
"As I said before being interrupted, I do give," continued Rarity.
"But ya never give in," said Applejack, poking her again, "Bein' sisters is like... apple pie. You can have amazin' apples, and you can have a wonderfully crispy crust, but only together can you have a perfect apple pie."
"But apart, all we are is just a pile of mush and some crumbly dry mess..." said Rarity as she began to understand what Applejack was getting at and gasped, "I know what I need to do! I just hope it isn't too late!"
The rest of the night was busy ironing out the minor details of the plan, but Rarity was confident that their plan would work.
The day of the Sisterhood Social had finally arrived as a pair of balloons floated above the grounds for the big event. Applejack, Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle had just arrived. The apple siblings wore handkerchiefs around their necks as even Storm was with them.
Sweetie Belle noticed some people at a pie-eating contest. A pair of sisters had finished their pies before the other team, earning a blue ribbon. The winning team was very happy, while the losing team looked rather sad.
"Well, I guess it's a good thing Rarity isn't here," said Sweetie Belle before mimicking the teen, "Do I see 'uncouth' written all over this contest?" Applejack, Applebloom, and Storm looked at her sadly until they reached a nearby pig pen.
"Look at the size of that pig!" exclaimed Applebloom as she pointed out the two pigs with blue ribbons.
"He sure is a cutie," remarked Applejack.
"That's the last word Rarity would use," said Sweetie Belle as she mimicked the fashionista again, "Oh my, what a repulsive monstrosity! This thing needs a head-to-toe makeover!" Sweetie Belle brushed one of her curls to emphasize her impersonation fully. The two Apple siblings and Storm exchanged worried looks until they heard the sound of a horn rooted in the distance.
"It's almost time!" said Applejack excitedly.
"Well, you two have fun," said Sweetie Belle, "Sure wish I had a sister to run the race with."
"Sorry about that, Sweetie Belle," said Storm as he hugged her, "I tried to see if they would let me participate for your sake, but… they wouldn't allow it." Storm gave Applejack a discreet wink. Then Applejack placed a handkerchief around Sweetie Belle's neck and plopped her Stenson hat on the marshmallow girl's head.
"Huh?" said Sweetie Belle in surprise.
"You do now!" said Applebloom excitedly as Aj smiled.
"AB and I figured since we do this every year..." Applejack began.
"I'd let you borrow my sis so you can give it a try!" Applebloom finished.
"Sister for a day," said Aj.
"No way!" said Sweetie Belle excitedly as a checkered patterned cloth with apples on it appeared behind her.
"One. Day," Applebloom reminded her sternly, poking Sweetie Belle with a finger to bring her to reality. Sweetie Belle then rushed over to give Applejack a happy hug.
"One. Day," Applebloom repeated. Storm hugged Applebloom close to calm her down when they all heard a microphone screeching.
"Is this thing on?" Granny Smith asked Big Mac as she was fidgeting with the microphone while sitting in her rocking chair, even turning the thing around, so she was speaking out of the wrong end, "I don't think this thing is on. Hello!" Big Mac then whispered into Granny Smith's ear.
"What is the— e— oh!" Granny Smith mumbled, "You have to say so. Confangled modern doohickeys." Granny then smacked the megaphone so she could speak into it correctly.
"Now, the event you've all been waiting fer! The Sister Soci— The Socialhood—"Granny Smith struggled to say the event's name as the other people looked at her puzzled. It was also time Applejack, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Storm were walking by, "Oh, dabnabbit, you know, the big race! We have five teams this year fer the event! So y'all head on up to the finish line, y'hear?" Big Mac then pulled the older woman's rocking chair back and whispered into her ear again.
"Eh?" she said before realizing her mistake and speaking into the microphone again, "The start line! That's what I said."
"That's us," said Sweetie Belle excitedly as she and Applejack approached the starting line. Applebloom quickly startled Sweetie Belle by getting into her face again.
"One. Day," Applebloom said again sternly before saying in a peppier tone, "Good luck!" The yellow girl then zipped back to Storm, who looked skeptical.
"Was that really necessary?" asked the Jedi Knight.
"Wishin' 'em good luck?" Applebloom said, puzzled until Storm raised an eyebrow at her. The girl just sighed.
"Guess I just don't want to lose my sister," said Applebloom.
Storm smiled as he pulled her close for a hug.
"You won't. Besides, in exchange, you get me for the day. So… not a bad trade-off." said the boy.
"But I thought you were Sweetie Belle's prince?" asked Applebloom, failing to hide the jealousy in her tone.
"We're just friends, Applebloom. Just like us. She's not the only little girl who I consider a friend and care, you know. There's plenty of love to share." said the teen to the slightly younger girl. Applebloom felt better and snuggled his side as the other sister pairs got ready for the race.
"And may the best sisters win!" said Granny Smith as she rocked back and forth on her chair. The other racers knelt forward to get ready, "On your marks... get set..." Then Granny hit the megaphone, so the mouthpiece poked her eye, "Gooooo!"
And they were off! The first obstacle was a shallow patch of mud. Most of the other competitors leaped over the mud while Sweetie Belle hippy hopped across cutely. Applejack mistimed her jump and yelped as she fell into the mud.
"You okay, Applejack?" said Sweetie Belle worried as the girl, now completely coated in mud, jumped out, and they continued down the course.
The second obstacle was some stepping buckets. Other people tried to walk through them one foot at a time. One person fell forward and knocked down a bucket, making some spectators cringe. As Applejack and Sweetie Belle arrived, Aj used one foot at a time for each bucket as Sweetie Belle moved from bucket to bucket with ease.
The third obstacle was three hay stacks set up with two stacked rows. The other racers had no problem jumping up to the top row and then jumping off. Applejack could do the same, but Sweetie Belle wasn't as good a jumper and was dangling from the edge of the bottom row.
"Applejack, help!" called out Sweetie Belle. Aj wasted no time, reaching out to the girl. After some stretching, the mud-covered girl managed to toss Sweetie Belle over the haystacks, and they were able to keep going.
Next was the pie eating. One pair of sisters were already munching away as Applejack and Sweetie Belle stopped, flipped the pies out of their tins and into the air, gobbling them up in one bite, and then took off.
Then came pushing a haystack over a designated distance. One pair of sisters were hard at working, pushing as hard as they could as Applejack and Sweetie Belle easily scooted the haystack over the line and headed toward the next challenge, which was filling a jar of juice. One pair of sisters was still busy filling their wooden container when Applejack and Sweetie Belle arrived. Applejack tossed all the grapes into the wooden container and helped Sweetie Belle enter. Sweetie Bell stopped about, quickly filling up their jar with the juice before they placed it at the drop-off point and went on the way.
Next was the apple tossing task. One sister was busy tossing one apple at a time toward her younger sister as they caught them in the bucket. Sweetie Belle quickly grabbed the bucket and charged off as Applejack launched all the apples. Sweetie Belle looked back and smiled as she easily caught all the apples into the bucket, except for one. But that last one was easily recovered as Sweetie Belle perfectly mimicked Applebloom's rebound trick.
"You can do it, sister!" Sweetie Belle shouted as Applejack charged forward without a word, and Sweetie Belle was right behind her.
The final task involved the racers carrying an egg toward a basket using their noses. One pair of sisters struggled to keep their eggs balanced. They ended up bumping into each other and dropping them. Applejack and Sweetie Belle decided to carry a single egg together and easily deposited it into the basket and headed on their way. They only needed to get one egg dropped off, and not two. They then began to hippy-hop away until another pair of sisters zoomed passed them, causing Applejack and Sweetie Belle to spin about. They quickly recovered and took off the catch up to the other pair of sisters as they cleared a wooden hurdle. The finish line was fast approaching, with only one more hurdle to jump over. The four racers were side-by-side as they launched into the air, landing and creating a large dust cloud. When the cloud cleared, Applejack and Sweetie Belle had landed just short of the finish line, and the other sisters had managed to cross over the other side. They were quickly given the blue ribbon and carried off by the spectators; Applejack and Sweetie Belle were still smiling despite not winning. However, why were Applejack's eyes suddenly blue?
"Ooh, so close!" said Applebloom as she came up to them, "You almost won!"
"Second place isn't bad for your first run, Sweetie Belle. Well done!" added Storm.
"Thank you, Applejack!" said Sweetie Belle happily, "You were amazing! I don't even care that we didn't win. This was so much fun!" She jumped at her to give a muddy heartfelt hug, but as she did so, Applejack's hat fell off, and underneath… was a strand of curly purple hair.
"Huh?" said Sweetie Belle as "Applejack" began to remove the mud to reveal more of the familiar purple hair.
"Rarity?!" Sweetie Belle said in shock, "Wait, where's Applejack?" Sweetie Belle wondered until a deep breath was heard near the patch of mud as the real Applejack surfaced.
"I don't get it," said the girl in complete confusion. Aj chuckled as she joined the group.
"We switched places over at the very first mudhole," explained the farm girl as she shook the mud off her own skin.
" So, we did the whole competition... together?" Sweetie Belle figured it out.
"That we did, little sister. Well, except for the start line, said Rarity as the younger girl noticed that everyone else was smiling.
"You mean... you were all in on it?" Sweetie Belle asked as the four individuals nodded.
"You did this for me?" Sweetie Belle remarked, deeply touched as her eyes watered.
"Us," corrected Rarity, "I did it for us."
"While Rarity may act a bit high-maintenance, she is more athletic than she is given credit for. With you as her motivation, she was able to master all of Applejack's tricks in just one morning," said Storm.
"Wow…" said Sweetie Belle in amazement.
"You see?" said Rarity as she hugged Sweetie Belle, "We are apple pie!"
"Huh?" replied Sweetie Belle.
"Uh, I'll explain later," responded Rarity.
"She means that you two can cooperate and work together," Storm said.
"Exactly. It's… also why I was trying to keep you and Storm apart. I was jealous of how well you two worked together and had fun with each other. I realized that I was the reason why we struggled to work together and why you seemed to keep making all those mistakes. I'm sorry, Sweetie Belle."
"Well, if you wanted to spend time with us, you could just said so," pointed out Sweetie Belle, "I spend more time with Storm because he takes the time to acknowledge and listen to what's on my mind. You always seemed, in your words, too in the zone to want to listen to me."
"Well, I'll make sure we can come up with a compromise so you won't feel so ignored anymore," said Rarity, "in fact, Storm, you said you helped Twilight reorganize her schedule so she didn't feel so stressed out. Think you can help me do the same so I can have more time for my little sister?"
The boy smiled.
"I'll see what I can do," stated the Jedi Knight, "as a wise fashionista once taught me, no matter how successful you become, nothing is more valuable than your family." Rarity and the others nodded in agreement.
"For now, I think we deserve a celebration!" said Rarity.
"Yeah!" said Aj, Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle.
"Where?" asked Sweetie Belle.
"The spa, of course," answered the fashionista.
"Oh, Rarity!" Sweetie Belle chuckled as she and the apple siblings were on their backs laughing.
"No, I-I-I'm serious," retorted Rarity but just got glares at all the laughter.
"Rares, you just spent a good hour getting a free, organic, all-natural mud bath. You don't need a spa treatment. Your skin and hair are looking better than ever." said Storm.
"Seriously?" asked the teen as Storm smiled and nodded. Rarity glared but then chuckled.
"Either you need glasses, or you're a very sweet boy, Storm," Rarity said quietly with an eye roll but still smiled. "No wonder I had a crush on you." spoke the girl, with that final statement being for her ears only.
He's just that sweet," Sweetie Belle replied, "Why else do you think I like him?" Rarity giggled in agreement.
"Twilight, you better come to your senses and realize how wonderful Storm is and how lucky you are to have him, or you're going to hear it from both Sweetie Belle and me!" But Rarity said that to herself.
Author's Note: For those that know, Rarity's voice actor is Tabitha St. Germain. Hence the joke of Rarity's middle name. The cookie joke actually comes from a 2012 Brony-Con where Claire Corlett, Sweetie Belle's voice actor, said that Tabitha would bring cookies when she and the other CMC actors did their voice recording sessions. A little knowledge drop for those that didn't know. As always leave a review expressing your thoughts and comments.