//------------------------------//
// Chapter 26: New Revelations 
// Story: New Revelations 
// by Phantom Shadow 
//------------------------------//

	Sweetie Belle's eyes shot open the moment the morning sun peered through her window.  Without any hesitation, she sat up and looked around her bedroom with a look of bewilderment.  After several moments of this, she eventually laid her head back on her pillow and began rubbing her temples with her hooves, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself down.

Everything seemed to happen so fast that certain events were escaping her memory bank.  One moment, she was having the time of her life at the festival.  The next, she was face-to-face with a horrified Rumble, looking at her and Scootaloo like there was something dangerously wrong with them.  After watching him runaway, the rest of the evening didn't even register in Sweetie Belle's mind; she barely remembered coming back to the Boutique, much less what happened at the rest of the festival.

"Rumble," she lightly whispered as she sat up again, the thoughts of the look on his face resurfacing in her mind again.  "We have to talk...we have to explain..."

Sweetie got out of bed and quickly headed for the door as guilt began forming, making her feel physical pain in her chest.  She didn't know what to say, or even how to say it, but she knew something had to be said.  By the look on his face, she could only imagine what was going through the poor colt's mind at the sight of them sharing their kiss like that.

When she reached the bottom of the stairwell, she got ready to gallop as fast as her legs could carry her to the front door when she stopped in fright at what was before her.  Quickly, she ducked out of sight behind the nearest plant, even though she was positive she wasn't seen.  Peeking out from behind it, she stared in shock at what was before her.

Not too far away from the entrance was Rarity, laying on her stomach and sprawled out on her red couch with her gaze focusing into nothingness.  Her eyes had deep circles underneath them and black mascara running from the corners and onto her cheeks; no doubt the results of endless crying and a sleepless night.  Her mane was all frizzed and sticking out in different directions.  The dress that she had worn was still on, except there were many parts of it that were ripped off and scattered on the floor; it was as if she was trying to take it off, ripping it in frustration, and giving up about halfway through.

After the initial shock wore off, only sorrow remained within Sweetie Belle; what could have happened to Rarity that caused her to look like this?  She may not have remembered the rest of the evening, but it was plainly obvious that it couldn't have been anything good if her sister looked like that.  Taking a deep breath, Sweetie slowly moved from behind the plant to talk to Rarity and find out what happened.  Suddenly, a loud bang and the front door flying opened caused her to duck back behind the plant in fear.

Through the leaves, she could see that Applejack trotted in; based on the enraged look on her face, it was obvious she had bucked the door open with zero hesitation.  She watched as she got ready to call out to somepony, but quickly stopped when her eyes fell upon Rarity.  For a brief moment, the angered look on Applejack's face vanished and turned into one of sympathy.

For a brief moment, Applejack felt a wave of sorrow wash over her.  She could plainly see that Rarity was affected by all of this, despite being the one who caused all of it to happen in the first place.  The feeling only worsened when her gaze slowly focused on her, their eyes meeting each other in a painful stare.

It was short-lived as Applejack took a deep breath and straightened her posture as best as she could; she didn't look as angry as she did coming in, but she gave her a stern gaze.  The moment she did, Rarity closed her eyes and buried her face in her hooves.  By the looks of it, she was bracing herself for what was inevitably coming.

"Rarity, you've gotta lot of explainin' ta do," Applejack said, her voice as hard as rocks.  Although there was no response from her, she pressed on.  "It's bad enough ya lied ta me 'bout all this, but ya lied ta that poor colt and his brother.  Ya made both of 'em feel like fools instead of just tellin' 'em the truth."

As Applejack spoke, Rarity continued to hide her face in her hooves; she was too ashamed of herself to look her in the eyes.  All the while, Sweetie Belle sat where she was with a look of confusion on her face.  What lies was she talking about?

"Ah was with Thunderlane last night, after he ran off after Rumble," Applejack continued, her own eyes starting to well up a bit at the thoughts of how he had been.  "Do ya have any idea how much pain ya put him through?  He trusted you and ya let him down!  Ya broke that poor stallion's heart, not ta mention Rumble's too!"

What does she mean by that?  Sweetie Belle thought.  It's not Rarity's fault that Rumble was hurt, it's mine!  I can't let her take the blame for what I did!

Quickly, she got up with the intent of correcting Applejack's mistake.  It was only when she asked Rarity the next question did she freeze where she stood again, the look of horror from before back on her face.

"Why did ya lie 'bout Sweetie Belle by sayin' she wasn't into fillies?"

The words hit Sweetie Belle harder than she ever expected they would, making her slowly back behind the plant again and sit on her haunches.  Before she could make heads or tails of the question, she heard Applejack continue.

"Ya told me that ya told Thunderlane 'bout her and Scootaloo and ya didn't," she said.  "Ya made an innocent colt think he had a chance at findin' true love when it was impossible.  Ya tried yer darnedest ta interfere with Sweetie Belle's relationship by forcin' her ta be with Rumble, which broke Apple Bloom's heart because she had a crush on him the whole time.  Ah imagine that Scootaloo was hurt by all this, too!  All it's been is lies on top of lies on top of lies with you!"

Time seemed to stand still for Sweetie Belle as everything began falling into place.  All the times she had to cancel her plans with Scootaloo, all the times she was made to invite Rumble and break her promises, the fight and break up with Scootaloo, even taking him to the festival, all of it was because of Rarity, her own sister.  The words that Scootaloo said in the clubhouse when they broke up began echoing in her head: "All this time, I thought it was Rarity who was trying to come between us."  With everything Applejack was saying and everything Rarity had been doing for the past couple of weeks, Sweetie Belle came to a dreaded conclusion: Rarity didn't approve of her being with another filly.

Applejack took another deep breath and asked, "Why, Rarity?  Why'd ya do all this?  What could make ya do such an...an...an evil act on everypony who trusted you?"

Sweetie Belle didn't know which she felt more, anger or sadness.  Tears began streaming out of the corners of her eyes at the very thought that her own sister would actively try to sabotage her relationship with Scootaloo, not to mention make her feel like it was her fault that Rumble was now heartbroken about what happened.  However, she was also hyperventilating at the very idea that she was merely a puppet on Rarity's strings, being made to do what she wanted, when she wanted, and how she wanted.  On top of that, Rarity remained silent on her couch, clearly guilty of the crimes she was committing.

I have to tell Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle thought as she wiped her eyes and began heading for the back door.  She has to know that she was right all along, that it was all Rarity's fault!

Starting to get frustrated, Applejack took her hat off and slammed it down on the ground.  "Darn it, Rarity, why won't you answer me?  Why in tarnation did you do all this?"

It was then that Rarity finally spoke.  She shouted her answer at the farm pony as loudly as her vocal chords would allow, if only to get her to stop pressuring her, making her feel worse than she already felt.  However, it wasn't the outburst that caught Applejack by surprise and made Sweetie Belle, once again, stop where she stood; it was the answer that she gave her.

"I WAS SCARED, ALRIGHT!?"

Immediately, she dug her face back into her hooves like she had before.  This time, though, she began to cry uncontrollably, no doubt releasing all of the guilt, pain, and anger that she was keeping bottled up inside.  While she cried, both Sweetie Belle and Applejack remained motionless where they stood, neither of them able to comprehend what she meant.

After her crying had calmed to a soft sob, Applejack asked, "Ah know ya said you were afraid of losin' him, but did ya really think lyin' ta him was the best way ta..."

"No, Applejack," Rarity interrupted in a soft tone.  "That's not what I'm talking about.  What I mean is...I was scared of...of...everything.  I know what I did was wrong, but...but you have to believe me when I say that...that I...I didn't mean for all this to happen...for everything to spiral out of control like it did...I wanted to stop it, I really did...I just...couldn't."

As Applejack sat on her haunches beside Rarity, Sweetie Belle returned to her hiding place.  She sat down on her haunches as well, her eyebrows furrowed and her breathing labored.  Although her insides kept telling her to runaway and scream at the top of her lungs, the filly just sat there, hoping to get some clarity for her sister's actions.

Rubbing a hoof on her back, Applejack said in a calm tone, "C'mon now, Rare's.  Yer gonna hafta do better than that.  Tell me what you were so scared of that made ya go 'round, spreadin' lies and hurtin' everypony."

Sitting up, Rarity wiped the tears from her eyes, freshly wet makeup getting on her hoof.  Then, she sniffled and asked, "Do you remember a few weeks ago, when we were at talking at Sugarcube Corner together, before Thunderlane came to Ponyville?"

Applejack nodded.  "Ya said you were able ta tell that both you and Sweetie Belle were miserable and that things might've been better if she were in love with a colt instead of a filly."

This response made Sweetie Belle flinch; she remembered the question that must have come because of that conversation, whether or not she was happy being with Scootaloo and if she had regretted being with a filly.  With this new information, the reason why she asked those questions in the first place made much more sense.

"Well, the truth of the matter is," Rarity continued, "I was the only one who was miserable.  I was so scared that...that what was happening to her on a daily basis...with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon...I was scared that that would be the rest of Sweetie Belle's life.  She would be ridiculed for being with Scootaloo and that we would have to go through days like those time and time again."

Most of Sweetie's anger had dissipated at this point, leaving only sympathy for her sister; she had been hurt by Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, but she had no idea that Rarity was just as hurt as she was about all of it, too.

"I tried to be supportive, I tried to be there for her, but I just...lost myself," explained Rarity.  "I thought I could look past the dilemma and move on, but things went from bad to worse when Thunderlane and Rumble came to town."

She paused for a moment to wipe her eyes again before continuing.  "When I foal-sat for him, I saw that look in both Rumble and Sweetie Belle's eyes, that look that told me that maybe, the two of them were meant to be.  They looked so happy to be in each other's company that, I thought that maybe, like you had said, her relationship with Scootaloo was just a phase that she would grow out of."

Sweetie Belle's heart began to speed up with every passing second.  She didn't know which she found more shocking: the fact that Rarity had been planting seeds of doubt in her mind or that Applejack thought their relationship was a phase, giving Rarity the idea in the first place.

Applejack scoffed.  "Rarity, ah told ya that because ya'll wanted ta know how ah dealt with the news they were together.  If ya remember, ah told ya that it maybe it was a brief thing she'd grow out of in time!  That didn't mean fer ya ta force her ta do somethin' she didn't wanna do, especially when she wasn't ready!  It didn't give ya the right ta interfere with their relationship!"

'Force her to do something she didn't want to do.'  The words echoed in the filly's mind over and over again as her thoughts instantly flashed back to the dream she had.  She saw the images clearly: the crossroad, Scootaloo and Rumble on different sides, and Rarity dragging her down a path she didn't want to go down.  Silently, Sweetie Belle face-hoofed herself; how could she have misinterpreted that dream by thinking it meant she had to get Apple Bloom and Rumble together?

"I know," Rarity said, snapping Sweetie Belle out of her thoughts.  "I didn't want to meddle in their relationship.  I didn't want to get involved, but...all of that changed when...when..."

A brief moment of silence followed.

"When...?" Applejack prompted.

Rarity lightly sighed.  "When Thunderlane told me that he didn't want to expose Rumble to fillies who loved other fillies."

Silence dawned on the room again as the words sank into both Applejack and Sweetie Belle's minds.  Unbeknownst to each other, they both had their mouths hanging open in surprise for one reason or another.

Shaking her head to get back on track, Applejack asked with a tinge of annoyance, "What the hay did he mean by that?"

"Please, Applejack, it's not his fault!" Rarity responded, her tone shifting to a pleading one.  "You have to understand, he told me his family is going through a rough patch right now and that he didn't know how to talk to Rumble about matters such as these.  He knew he would eventually have to, but when the time was right!"

"So, lemme get this straight," Applejack said as she put a hoof on her head, as if it would help get her thoughts in order.  "Thunderlane told ya he didn't wanna tell Rumble about those types of relationships...yet...because of what his family was goin' through?"

Rarity nodded in confirmation.  "He asked me if Sweetie Belle was into other fillies...and...and I told him..."

"No," Applejack finished.  Rarity hung her head as she lightly nodded.  "Why would ya lie ta him?  Why not just tell him the truth and..."

"I was scared to tell him," Rarity interrupted again.  "He told me that Rumble didn't have many friends in Cloudsdale.  He spoke fondly of Rumble being comfortable with Sweetie Belle and that he had a small crush on her.  I was so afraid that, if I told him the truth, he might not want Rumble to be around Sweetie Belle anymore or...or worse..."

Although Rarity trailed off at the end of her sentence, Applejack was able to hear her.  "'Worse'?  What could be worse than that?"

Again, she took another deep, shaky breath before saying, "I was afraid that...if I told him about Sweetie Belle...he might...he might think of me the same way."

As soon as she finished her thought, she buried her face in her hooves again and turned away from her friend.

A moment or two passed before Applejack said, "You were afraid that Thunderlane would think you loved mares, just because yer sister is love with a filly?"

All Rarity could do was nod her head in response.

"No offense, Rare's, but that don't make a lick of sense.  How could he possibly think that way about you just because of Sweetie Belle?"

"I don't know," Rarity said.  "I don't know how or why, but I just didn't want him to think that way of me.  I didn't want him to think it ran in the family like it was genetic or something.  I...I didn't want him to get the wrong idea about me.  I...I was scared he'd never want to see me again."

"And ya dragged Sweetie Belle and Rumble into all this because...?"

"At first, I wanted Sweetie Belle to see if she truly would be happier with a colt instead of a filly," she said.  "But, the closer Thunderlane and I became...the more I became...selfish.  I was thinking more and more about me and Thunderlane than I was about Sweetie Belle and Rumble.  I purposely set up the two of them together so they could spend more time with each other and see that things might work out if they gave it a chance.  When it finally did, I saw that Sweetie Belle was truly miserable being with Rumble than she ever was with Scootaloo.  I tried so many times to make things right, to tell the truth and put an end to all of it, but I just kept putting it off until...well...you know the rest."

Fresh tears began streaming down her face again.  "I don't know what to do, AJ.  I don't know how to fix everything with everypony!  I don't know how to undo the deceit and pain I bestowed upon everypony involved.  I just...I just don't know."

As Rarity tried her best to hold back her tears, she was taken by surprise when she felt Applejack lightly wrap her arms around her in an embrace.  She returned the gesture by hugging her friend tightly, resting her head on her shoulder as the tears continued to stream down her face.  All the while, Applejack lightly rubbed her back in an attempt to calm her down.

Sweetie Belle lightly sniffled as she wiped a tear from her own eye.  As much as she wanted to remain angry at her for everything she had done, she couldn't help but feel sorry for Rarity.  It was perfectly clear that she was sorry for what she had done and that she had the best intentions at heart, despite the disastrous outcome of it all.  Besides, she knew she played a part in all of this as well, making her just as guilty as she was.

"There, there," Applejack said comfortingly.  "Everythin's gonna be alright."

"How, Applejack?" Rarity asked softly.  "How can everything possibly  be alright after all of this?"

"Fer starters, ya hafta go to everypony ya lied to, explain why ya did it, and apologize.  Ah can't say they'll forgive you right away, or at all, but it's the first step in makin' things right."

"You're right," Rarity responded with a sniffle.  "I just...don't know how to explain it to all of them."

"You don't have to," a voice said, catching the two mares off guard.

They both turned to see the Sweetie Belle was trotting towards them, her own eyes welling up with tears.  Rarity's heart was pounding so hard in her chest that Applejack might have been able to feel it.

Releasing their embrace, Rarity asked, "Sweetie Belle?  How...how long...?"

"I heard everything," she interrupted as she wiped her eyes.

Immediately, she got up, trotted up to her and embraced her younger sister.  Sweetie Belle returned the gesture as her own tears streamed out of the corners of her eyes.

"Oh, Sweetie Belle," Rarity said.  "I'm so, so sorry for all of this, for trying to come between you and Scootaloo, for trying to make you believe your love for her was a phase, for...for everything!  Can you ever forgive me for all of this?"

"Of course I forgive you, Rarity," Sweetie Belle said softly.  "It wasn't just your fault!  It was mine, too!"

"W-What do you mean?" Rarity asked.  "You didn't do anything wrong."

"Yes, I did," she replied softly.  "Scootaloo and I were going to tell Rumble last night, after we made up, that we were together.  But, I decided against it because...he was having such a good time and I didn't want to ruin that for him.  We were going to tell him today, but..."

She didn't have to finish her sentence for Rarity to understand.  All she could do was hold her sister tightly.  The two of them held their embrace for a while as Applejack put her hat back on her head, a soft smile forming at the corners of her mouth.  After a while, the two of them released their embrace, wiping the tears from their own eyes.

"Like I was saying," Sweetie Belle said as calmly as she could muster.  "I can help you, if you want."

"How's do you propose you do that?" asked Rarity.

"I can talk to Rumble, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom about all of this while you talk to Thunderlane.  That way, you don't have to worry about going to everypony.  Besides, I have to say sorry to them for what I did, too."

A smile came to Rarity's face.  "You'd...you'd do that...for me?"

"Of course," Sweetie replied with a smile.  "That's what sisters are for, right?"

The two of them shared a small laugh; it may have been short-lived, but it made all of them feel better than they had all morning.

"Well, you two got yer work cut out fer ya," said Applejack.  "Better get a move on!"

The two sisters nodded as Sweetie Belle began heading for the door.  However, she only took a few steps before she stopped where she stood, a small thought crossing her mind.  In the blink of an eye, she turned around and began heading back to the stairs.

"What's wrong, Sweet'ums?" asked Rarity as Sweetie Belle galloped up the stairs.

"I have to get something, first," she called from the upper floor.

Rarity and Applejack exchanged perplexed glances at each other, the former shrugging one of her shoulders as the two of them looked at the stairwell again.

A moment or two had passed before Sweetie Belle came galloping down the stairs again.  The moment she was within eyeshot, Rarity opened her mouth to say something to her, but was immediately silenced when she saw what the filly was now carrying in her mouth.  She closed her mouth and let out a small sigh as she galloped passed them and headed for the door.

Before leaving the Boutique, she took the item out of her mouth and said, "I'll be back soon.  Don't worry, sis!  You can count on me!"

With that, the filly put the item back in her mouth and left the two mares in the Boutique, the door closing behind her as she galloped into town.  Letting out a deep sigh, Rarity hung her head and turned to Applejack with a look of despair on her face.

"I'm sorry, Applejack," she said in the most sincere manner she could muster.  "It was wrong of me to lie to you like I did.  Could you ever forgive me?"

Applejack focused her gaze to the floor, her eyes shifting back and forth for several moments.  Her eyebrows furrowed as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.  However, she didn't even open her eyes before Rarity spoke up.

"It's okay, you don't have to say anything," she said.  "Your silence is answer enough."

When Applejack opened her eyes, she saw that Rarity was beginning to slowly make her way to the stairs, her head hanging as she began to ascend them.

"Wait," she called out to her, making Rarity stop in her tracks.  When she turned to face her, Applejack said, "Of course ah can forgive ya, Rarity.  Wouldn't be much of a friend if ah didn't."

The response made Rarity smile lightly as she trotted up to Applejack and gave her another small hug.

"Thank you," she said softly.  "You really are the best friend a pony could ask for."

"Think nothin' of it, sugar cube," Applejack replied, returning the gesture.  When they released one another, she said, "Now go and pretty yerself up some.  Ya still have ta talk ta the pony that needs yer apology the most."

Rarity nodded as she headed up the stairs again.  When she entered her bedroom, she closed the door behind her, sat down at her dresser and began trying to salvage what she could of her matted mane.  As she sat in silence, she looked at herself in the mirror and stopped brushing, really paying close attention to the mare that was staring back at her.

The funny thing about mirrors is that staring at one's reflection causes one to reflect.  Staring at her disheveled self, she thought about everything that had lead up to this moment and all the pain and torment she put the ones she loved the most through.  This caused her to place her brush down and hang her head again, deep feelings of sadness and regret beginning to surface once again.

Applejack and Sweetie Belle were able to forgive, she thought with a sniffle.  I just hope the others are able to forgive me, too.