Crusader Ponies (Romance of the Six Counties)

by swirlstar

Intermission 4: Carousel Boutique

Carousel Boutique

Tears were welling up in Sweetie Belle's eyes. "Sis'."

Rarity gave a comforting smile, drawing her sister close to her again. "Sweetie Belle."

"Please don't go, Sis'." Both unicorns knew that this was an impossible request.

Rarity stroked that pink and violet mane, slowly, deliberately enjoying every strand, every touch, every moment. "I will try to come back as much as possible. You know I will try."

Sweetie Belle sniffed.

"Just take it as a new adventure. A new adventure, Sweetie!" Rarity made an effort to sound upbeat. "You and Scootaloo, running the shop together. You'll stay in Ponyville, and you'll have a family, and you'll see them grow up, and," the white unicorn herself began to feel warm tears emerging in her eyes. "and I'll come back one day, and see you all, and we'll talk and laugh and exchange stories, and it'll be like so, every day, forever and ever. The End."

Her sister couldn't help but exude a bitter chuckle. "I'll miss your stories. They always had a happy ending."

"One should always hope for happy endings: what can you possibly achieve, when you know your fate is all blood and tears?"

Rarity's words seemed to have the opposite effect on Sweetie Belle, who buried her face into the highbrow unicorn's chest, refusing to let go. "I'm afraid, big Sis, I'm afraid; I don't want this story to end badly... "

"Nonsense!" Rarity forced out a smile and playfully rapped her sister on the head. "Your new life is going to be simply amazing!"

"B-but it wouldn't be the same without you!" Sweetie Belle bawled out, pushing her face deeper into Rarity's body. "I want you, Big Sis'; I need you; I can't bear this life without you... " She slowly descended into unintelligible mumbling, Rarity patiently waiting on her little sister, slowly mulling over her thoughts.

Perhaps I should- but, given her state now, it's too- "Sweetie," Rarity said, kneeling down until she was level with the young pony.

Sweetie Belle was in a bad state. Her eyes were swollen red. Grey streaks of damp fur lined her cheeks. Her beautiful mane - a mane which Rarity had so slowly cultivated - was littered with loose hairs and unsightly knots.

"Sweetie Belle," Rarity said again.

Her sister nodded. "Yes?"

Rarity took her sister's left hoof, caressing it gently. "Sweetie Belle. Let Scootaloo- "

"Scootaloo isn't you," Sweetie Belle interjected. "Scootaloo can never be you."

"I know, darling," Rarity said, choosing her words carefully. "But she'll be the closest one to you when I'm... Sweetie,"

Her little sister sniffed again.

"Sweetie Belle, promise me this," Rarity slowly brushed her hoof up Sweetie Belle's left foreleg, reaching the femur and then - one, two, three, four, five, six taps - the secret hoofshake for promises. "Promise me."

The young unicorn returned the sign nervously. "What's the promise?"

Rarity drew back and tut-tutted. "Now, now, Sweetie Belle!" she admonished cheekily, drawing a giggle from her sister. "No peeking!"

Sweetie Belle kept her smile. "All right, Sis'. I promise."

Rarity took Sweetie Belle's right foreleg and tapped her femur once. "Promise that you'll try to write every week, and at least every month," she said silently.

"I promise."

Now, two taps on the tibia. "Promise that you won't mope around and you'll live life to the full, here in Ponyville. Oh, and also take care of Opal for me."

Sweetie Belle drew in breath. "I promise."

Three taps on the metatarsal. "And finally, Sweetie Belle, promise me this," Rarity breathed, once again meeting her sister's gaze. "Promise me, Sweetie Belle... "

Sweetie Belle held her breath and closed her eyes, not daring to anticipate what the next words were.

"Promise me, if I don't return, you'll- "

Rarity stopped. Tears were again forcing themselves from the young unicorn's eyes. The highbrow mare took the Cutie Mark Crusader into a tender embrace, once again stroking Sweetie Belle's mane.

"Promise me, if I don't return, you'll- "

"Those ponies... " Sweetie Belle muttered out.

"Beg your pardon?"

"Those ponies. W-who go to the Outer Lands." Sweetie Belle tried her best to make coherent sentences. "Those ponies. They d-don't re-return."

Rarity slowly breathed out, saying nothing, simply savoring every brush she made. How could she possibly describe, to a juvenile no less, that bitterness of war, that horror of war, that unstoppable, grinding machine of war, which so quickly assumes its own life and soul...

"I will return," the older unicorn whispered into Sweetie Belle's ear.

Sweetie Belle said nothing and did nothing, her body pulsating up and down in an emotionless hulk.

Rarity gently rubbed against her sister's neck. "But Sweetie, promise me this: if I don't return, you'll continue on."

Sweetie Belle wept. Rarity also found herself overwhelmed with melancholy. Slowly, sadly, involuntarily, she let Sweetie Belle down. "Sweetie Belle - little sister - I'm sorry if I ever did wrong to you. To us."

No response. Rarity shimmied over to the inside curve of Sweetie's body. And there she curled up, Sweetie Belle's foreleg on her tummy - just as the Sweetie Belle had, innumerable times, curled up in Rarity's warm body.

Sweetie Belle turned her head, smiled, and began stroking the older unicorn's tummy, just like Rarity had done, innumerable times.

Rarity closed her eyes and allowed herself a moment of bliss.

"Sweetie Belle."

"Sis'."

"Life isn't a fairy tale."

"I know."

"Life will sometimes hurt."

"I know."

"And sometimes, that's just what fate has in store for us," Rarity mused sadly. "And... and... that's it."

Sweetie Belle said nothing, her hoof slowly going over Rarity' neck.

"And if something does happen... " Rarity said, resisting the urge to just sob her heart out. "...I just hope... one day, you'll be able to open that photo book on the bookshelf corner... you'll be able to look that those pictures of you and me, eating, sewing, fighting... you'll reread that article in the Foal Free Press... you'll flip through page after page, page after page... and you'll no longer remember who that other pony was -"

"Big Sis'... I'll never forget you!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed, her dried eyes fast refilling.

Rarity looked up, her own eyes betraying her inner despair. She wiped away, in vain, the droplets on her sister's eyes. "You'll stay in Ponyville... and you'll have a family... and you'll see them grow up... and- "

"Rarity!" Sweetie Belle burst into tears, forelegs instinctively locking around her sister.

Rarity smiled and slowly put her hoof up to her sister's lips. Sweetie Belle inhaled, head trembling as she slowly regained control of herself. Those forelegs loosened their grip.

Again, slowly, deliberately, as if this were the last action of her existence, Rarity drew her hoof over Sweetie Belle's eyelids. One by one, each protruding teardrop melted into the highbrow pony's hoof. One by one by one by one... and finally, after an eternity, there were no more teardrops left.

"Little Sister, " Big Sister said, softly, gently. "I love you."

"Big Sister," Little Sister responded, softly, mournfully. "I love you."

Big Sister drew Little Sister's foreleg back across herself. There she stayed, all curled up, just listening to Little Sister sniffle... until, Luna's Moon descending through the sky, Sweetie Belle sniffled no more.

Comments

[Sparrow9612]

Rarity and Sweetie have their moments, but they truly love each other as all good siblings should.