//------------------------------// // The Two Invitations // Story: The Sweetest Gem // by The Rarispy //------------------------------// The Fourth Day   “Oh, it’s okay, Rarity,” said Fluttershy as the two of them walked down Ponyville Square together. “I totally understand. And you know that I’m always happy to give my friends some advice.”   “I know you are,” Rarity responded, hoisting up the saddlebags she was carrying. “And that’s why you’re the Element of Kindness, and also my very best friend.” Fluttershy blushed in modesty. “Besides, Sweetie Belle did say she had talked to you already, so I knew I could confide in you without the awkward explanations.”   “Yeah. I felt so sad for her when I saw her looking upset in the park, and she seemed so worried and confused when she came to talk to me,” Fluttershy reflected. “I’m really glad that you’re helping her work it out, though. I thought she was going to be afraid to talk to you.”   “Well she was, and to be honest, she had good reason to be,” said Rarity, a hint of remorse in her eyes. “I still feel so bad that I put her through that pressure…”   “Oh, it wasn’t your fault, Rarity,” Fluttershy assured, putting a hoof to her friend’s shoulder. “We all make mistakes.”   Rarity chuckled, and returned her gesture. “You see? You always have the right things to say. Who can ever remain in doubt around you, Fluttershy?”   “I know…” she replied. She frowned aside to herself, though. There is one pony who still can…   “So, are we still up for the spa?” Fluttershy asked. “I’ve really been looking forward to our get-together. You see, I…”   “Wait a minute,” said Rarity, suddenly whipping around to Fluttershy. “Did I really schedule a get-together at the spa today? But it’s Thursday. I thought we usually met up in the weekends.”   “Yeah, don’t you remember? You told me last week that you had a lot of orders to fill over the week and that we should have a little spa date on Thursday.”   “Oh, dear…” said Rarity, looking down to the ground. She rattled her brain in deep thought. “I’m… sorry, Fluttershy but, I already made some plans this morning. I’m afraid this spa date will have to be cancelled.”   Fluttershy’s face dropped, and her lip began to quiver.   “A-are you sure, Rarity?” she responded, sounding immensely disappointed. “Because… it’s just that this spa date is all I’ve been thinking about the past few days. I was really hoping that I could…” She slowly grew quieter. “…talk to you about… something.”   “Why? Is something wrong?” said Rarity, seriously concerned.   “I… Well, no. Not exactly, it’s just that I— Oh… never mind. It’s alright.” She meekly started to walk the other way, back towards her cottage.   “I’m sorry Fluttershy,” said Rarity. “Maybe another time.”   “Yeah…” she quietly replied.   Rarity watched her leave, still with a look of concern on her face. But then she whipped back around to look at the big clock.   “Oh, heavens! It’s almost eight o’clock. I need to meet Pinkie at the Corner right away!”   She sprinted as fast as she could to the Sugarcube Corner and knocked on the door.   “Pinkie? Are you in there?”   Pinkie Pie suddenly burst open the double doors at the top, startling Rarity.   “Hey, Rarity! You’re just in time! Ready to get started?”   “Oh! Pinkie, please don’t startle me like that again,” said Rarity, clutching her heart. “But yes, I’ve got all the supplies. Shall we start setting things up and getting everything ready?”   Whoo, whoo!   The Ponyville Express proudly chugged down the line as it began to pull in at the train station, carrying in tow several passengers from Equestria’s capital city.   Several citizens of Ponyville gathered at the platform, eagerly waiting for their friends, family, and/or associates that were about to depart from the train.   But amongst them was a small white filly, standing at the back of the crowd and donning one of Rarity’s large and old, unused sunhats that she borrowed from her older sister (this time with her permission). It was mostly light salmon but with a yellow band and a blue rose tucked inside.   She also sported her dark green overcoat, the one she typically wore in the winter. Coupled with the sunhat which she had tipped forward to hide her face, Sweetie Belle was completely unrecognizable from a distance.   The doors to the train opened after it pulled in, and the passengers all began to step out and greet those who were waiting for them there. Many of them were clearly denizens of Canterlot, coming to Ponyville for their own reasons.   But there were also a handful of ponies that were natural residents of Ponyville, coming back from a visit or extended stay at Canterlot. One of them was the small dragon Spike, dragging along his heavy suitcase with considerable effort.   There he is! Sweetie thought.   “Need a hand, there?” said a teenage bellhop, clad in a red uniform. “I could carry that bag all the way over to the library if you’d like.”   “Hmm… sure, why not?” answered Spike. “If Celestia insisted that you come with me on the ride back, I guess I might as well let you do something.”   The bellhop hoisted the bag on his back and staggeringly started to carry it with him on his way out of the station. “No problem… I’ll get this… over there… in a jiff!”   After he was out of sight, Spike went to sit down on a nearby bench and started thinking to himself, as the ponies on the platform all started to scatter.   I wonder if he saw the note yet? Should I go over there and talk to them? Should I tell him it’s from me? Oh… this is all too much pressure! Where’s Rarity when I need her?   But she stopped thinking and drew her attention back to Spike when she noticed him pull out something from his pocket.   It was the note. The simple note that Rarity wrote for her and sent all the way out to him. The note that had just three simple words, written in black cursive ink.   Sweetie gasped when she saw him pull out the note. Then a wide smile stretched across her face and her eyes grew big, when she glimpsed Spike starting to smile as he gazed at the note.   She started jumping up in excitement.   Yes! It worked! He got the note! And he’s smiling!   Now Spike knows that somepony loves him, and I can tell him that it’s me! That I’m the one who loves him! Yes! Yes! Yes!   “YEESSSS!” she shouted into the skies. The whole station grew quiet then. When she looked around her, she realized that everypony was staring at her.   “Are you… alright, little miss?” one of the stallions waiting in line at the ticket gate asked.   “Um… yeah,” she answered awkwardly. Uh-oh. I hope Spike didn’t see that.   She glanced over to Spike. But to her relief, he seemed too invested in the mystery of his special note to have noticed her.   “Thank goodness,” she said quietly, still blushing at having made such a scene. Maybe I should… get out of here.   She proceeded to walk away, but she still flashed a beaming smile and squinted her eyes in absolute giddiness.   Meanwhile, Spike was still looking at the note, and he sighed lovingly.   “I love you too, Rarity…”   The vibrant atmosphere of the Ponyville Market was complimented by the happily bouncing Sweetie Belle, still smiling with a face of absolute satisfaction and euphoria.   She was still wearing Rarity’s salmon sunhat, but she no longer had it tipped over her face, and so she was able to show off her dark and light purple mane, having been glossed that morning with help from Rarity.   Her winter overcoat had been tucked along with a bag of bits from Rarity into her saddlebags, which flew up and down in rhythm with the filly’s bouncing.   “Morning, Bon-Bon!” she called. “How was your Hearts and Hooves Day yesterday?”   “Good morning, Sweetie Belle!” Bon-Bon called back from a table outside the Sugarcube Corner, “It was just splendid, thanks for asking! I’ll tell Lyra you said ‘hi’!”   “Hey, Roseluck! Thanks for the flowers the other day!”   “Oh, no problem, Sweetie Belle!” said Roseluck at her flower stand. “Happy belated Hearts and Hooves Day!”   “How are your carrots today, Golden Harvest?”   “It looks like they’re almost ready to sprout now,” responded Golden Harvest, tending to her carrot garden. “Thanks for asking, Sweetie Belle!”   “I really like your new manestyle, Minuette!”   “Thanks, Sweetie Belle!”   “I just think that we should,” said Apple Bloom. “Just to see if she’s alright.”   “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Scootaloo replied.   The two of them were walking down the road to Carousel Boutique yet again, both looking intimately concerned. However, Sweetie Belle appeared and bounced along behind them.   “Hey, guys! What’s up?”   They both turned around in surprise.   “Sweetie Belle?”   “Hey uh, nice sunhat,” Scootaloo said awkwardly.   “We were just about to come over and see if you were alright. …Are ya?” Apple Bloom asked, sounding a little confused.   “Well, of course I am!” she answered. “Why wouldn’t I be?”   “Well… we weren’t sure what to think after that outburst you made yesterday,” said Scootaloo.   “Oh. …Right,” said Sweetie, remembering now what had happened at school yesterday. “That was— Something happened a few days ago that made me scream like that, but it doesn’t matter anymore. Everything’s fine now!”   “Are ya sure?”   “Yeah, and…” She hesitated for a moment, but then she sighed. “I just wanted to say that, I’m really sorry about the way I’ve been acting the past week. I’ve just been dragging you down ever since we tried to run that paper route, and making you guys worry when I kept getting upset and yelling at everypony.”   Scootaloo and Apple Bloom were both astonished at her apology, as tears started dripping down her eyes.   “I… I wouldn’t be surprised if you guys didn’t want me to be a Cutie Mark Crusader anymore. But, can you at least forgive me and still be my friends?”   But much to her surprise, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom both ran up and hugged her. She lowered her sunhat and smiled as her cheeks flushed again.   “Of course we can forgive you, Sweetie Belle,” said Scootaloo. “You’ll always be our friend, no matter what.”   “And once a Cutie Mark Crusader, always a Cutie Mark Crusader!” Apple Bloom added.   Sweetie Belle returned the hugs and began crying tears of joy.   “Thanks, you girls are the best friends ever!” After they broke away from their hug, Sweetie excitedly piped up again. “So, do you guys want to go out crusading for our Cutie Marks this weekend?”   “Totally!” said Scootaloo. “There’s still a lot of cool ideas I had from our last meeting that we never got to try!”   “Actually, ah was just thinking…” Apple Bloom chimed in. “Now that Sweetie Belle’s back with us, do ya think we should go back to Vinyl Scratch’s studio and try getting our special talents in music again?”   Scootaloo and Sweetie both pondered this suggestion.   “Nah!” Sweetie eventually responded.   “Yeah, what SB said! That just sounds lame. You know what I think we might have a future in? White water rafting!”   The three of them all laughed, finally together as a trio of great friends again.   “Thanks for the help,” said Spike as he opened the library door for the bellhop that had assisted him with the bags.   “Hey, no problem,” he replied. “Well, I gotta catch the train back. See ya around in Canterlot again sometime!”   “Bye!” said Spike, as he watched the bellhop leave. As he did however, he finally noticed something odd in the yard. “Huh? Hey… what’s that over there?”   Curiously, he walked over to the sign in front of the library, and was in for quite a sight.   The blue roses that Sweetie Belle brought with her to the library, and then subsequently crushed in her anger, were still smacked against the sign. The flowers, which had already been beaten up, had long since wilted and were now starting to crumble as Spike peeled them off. The bouquet’s wrapping paper was also starting to erode in the grassy dew, but Spike noticed a small slip of paper still tucked inside of it.   It was crinkled up and the text was splotching, but it was still legible enough that Spike could make out what it said.   “For Spike?” he read aloud, perplexed. He started scratching his head. “Now… who would send me flowers?”   But his mind was pulled away as he noticed Fluttershy walking up towards the library.   “Oh! Hello, Spike,” she said. “I didn’t know you were back in Ponyville already.”   “Uh, yeah,” he replied. “I just got off the train this morning, and I’m about to get settled in again.”   “Oh, how nice. Well… Rarity cancelled out on our spa plans this morning,” she explained, with a hint of sadness in her voice. “So, since I had nothing else to do, I decided to come by the library and make sure Owloysius and Little Peewee were alright again.”   “Well thanks, Fluttershy!” said Spike. “But you don’t need to worry about that. I already checked on both of them while Celestia’s bellhop was bringing my bag in. They’re fine.”   “Oh… okay, then. Well, it’s great to see you back again. Why don’t you come by my cottage later and I’ll fix you some tea?”   “Sounds great,” he responded. “See you later, Fluttershy!” But just as he was about to turn around, he caught sight of the flowers. “Hey, Fluttershy!”   “Yes?”   “Do you know anything about these roses here?” He held up the decaying remains of the roses and the note that came with them.   “Oh, my goodness!” Fluttershy exclaimed, rushing back over. She examined one of the withered flowers in her hoof. “What happened? Who would be so cruel as to crush up these roses and leave them here to rot?”   “Well, I think they came from Roseluck’s flower stand, because this is the kind of note that she always writes on her bouquets, and it says ‘For Spike’. Any idea who might’ve sent them here?”   “Well… not really,” Fluttershy answered meekly. “Sorry.”   “That’s okay...” He drooped his head down in disappointment.   “Although… I think these are actually Rarity’s favorite color of rose.”   Spike’s head shot back up.   Pinkie Pie was humming a soft tune to herself as she laid a tray of muffins into the oven. It was her way of making time fly while she helped the Cakes fill their orders on a busy Thursday.   After she set the time on the oven however, her tune stopped and she began to look somewhat mellow. Giving a sad sigh, she got to work kneading the cookie dough that was already on the counter.   Eventually, Rarity stepped into the living room.   “Alright Pinkie,” she said. “I got the blue flowers all hung up and the loft is looking most excellent. I think this is going to turn out smashing!”   “Huh?” said Pinkie Pie. “Oh. Yeah. That’s… that’s great, Rarity.”   Rarity immediately abandoned her smile. “Pinkie Pie, is something wrong? It isn’t like you to look so down in the muck.”   “I’m fine, Rarity. It’s just… I feel really bad,” Pinkie quietly admitted. “I ruined a friend’s trust. I broke their promise.”   “Whatever do you mean, darling?”   “Sweetie Belle,” she muttered. Rarity’s head perked up in curiosity. “You see… a few days ago, she came to me for advice. She wanted to ask me about Spike and how she had the super hots for him—”   She even thought to go to Pinkie Pie before coming to me? Rarity thought. My word. Just how much was Sweetie Belle afraid of my overreaction that she didn't even consider confiding with me, if at all?   “And then, I was so excited when she finally told me about it, that… that…”   “That what?”   “That I accidentally broke the promise I made to Spike and told her that Spike had a crush on you!” Pinkie finally exclaimed, bawling. “He trusted me and I ruined his secret! I broke my Pinkie Swear!”   Rarity tried to gather what Pinkie had just said. She also looked as if something of interest had caught her eye. “You… made a Pinkie Swear to Spike that you wouldn’t tell anypony he was enamored with me?”   Pinkie’s eyes went wide.   “AAAAAAGGGGHHHHH!”   Rarity was blown to the wall by Pinkie Pie’s sudden scream.   “Pinkie Pie, what in Equestria was that for? Why did you just—“   But before she could finish her sentence, Pinkie ran up to her and grabbed her by the shoulders.   “Don’t you see, Rarity? It just happened again!” Pinkie loudly stated. “I just blabbed out Spike’s secret again, and I wasn’t even thinking about it just like before! And it’s not just that! When I bumped into you at the park! I had to really try not to break the promise I made to Sweetie Belle about not telling anypony that she was all goo-goo, gah-gah for Spike!”   “Why does this keep happening, Rarity? Why am I doing this? I never break my Pinkie promises!” She started shaking Rarity’s shoulders violently. “THIS JUST ISN’T RIGHT!”   “Well…” said Rarity, feeling overwhelmed and slightly dizzy. She pushed Pinkie’s hooves away gently and went back down to all fours. “Yo— you’re right. It is significantly outside of your character to thoughtlessly break a promise or swear you made to a friend in a casual conversation.”   “I suppose… perhaps it’s been a busy week at the Sugarcube Corner and you’re just under a lot of stress? I know I get incredibly racked and start behaving rather oddly when I’ve become too overwhelmed by my commissions.”   “Hmm…” Pinkie responded. “Maybe... Or, maybe somepony else is behind all of this!”   “Now, Pinkie, I really don’t think that—”   “Yes! I bet somepony is lurking in the shadows, pulling the strings so that everything happens according to his or her master plan! Maybe a mysterious new foe is plotting to destroy Ponyville, or… or maybe an old enemy is returning, seeking to plot out his revenge.”   Pinkie made an uncharacteristically evil grin at the end of her rant, one which made Rarity feel inexplicably uneasy.   “P-Pinkie Pie?”   “Nah, that just sounds silly!” said Pinkie Pie, suddenly reverting back to her usually cheery self. “Maybe you’re right, Rarity. Maybe I am just a little pooped out from all the business here. Oh, well!”   She went back to kneading the dough, humming a happy tone once more. Rarity was still against the wall, confused about she had just witnessed.   That was… most odd. It’s not like Pinkie to propose such a dark theory… But that’s not all I’m worried. Maybe it was just my imagination, but back there, when she was talking about Spike’s secret…   Did her eyes turn gray for a second?   “Thanks, come again,” said Roseluck as she handed a bouquet of yellow roses to a customer. He paid his bits and gladly left.   Just then, Spike came running up to her stand.   “Hi, Spike! What’s shaking?”   “Hey… Roseluck…” he said, still trying to catch his breath. “I was just… just wondering something. Has anyone around here asked you for a bouquet of blue roses in the past few days?”   “Hmm, well, a lot of ponies actually, since Hearts and Hooves Day was yesterday,” she answered. “Hang on, let me get my list of orders that were made.” She reached into her shelves and started reading through some sheets of paper.   “Let’s see now…” She started reading off all the names. “Thunderlane…  Blossomforth… I think Heartstrings stopped by wanting to surprise Bon-Bon. I also have orders here from the Maestro, Lemony Snickets, my friend Daisy, Bright Blues, some strange pony with a tie who kept calling himself ‘the Doctor’, Sweetie Belle…”   “Sweetie Belle?”    “And uh… oh yeah! I think Rarity swung by a while ago asking for them too!”   Spike was flustered now.   So… did those flowers come from Sweetie Belle or Rarity?   “I think that’s everyone.”   “So…” Spike hesitated to ask, but finally he pulled up the crumpled note from Sweetie’s bouquet. “So, did any of those customers you mentioned… happened to ask you to write this?”   Roseluck gazed at the note, and reflected on her past customers.   “Hmm… oh, yeah! Now I remember! Blue roses, made out to you? Yup. Those came from Sweetie Belle.” Later that day, Rarity had arrived home from planning at the Sugarcube Corner with Pinkie, and was now sewing a new dress on her machine to help ease her mind.   Sweetie Belle promptly came into the house and went into Rarity’s workroom, still eagerly bouncing up and down. She hung her sunhat on a rack near the door, set her saddlebags down, and ran up to her sister.   “Hi, Rarity!”   “Oh! Goodness, Sweetie Belle, you startled me,” said Rarity. “But that’s alright. How was your day today? Have you done something nice with all the bits I gave you already? Ooh, did you see Spike?”   “Yup!” she answered. “I watched him get off the train this morning! I didn’t talk to him though, because… well, I guess I’m a little nervous. He saw the note though!”   “Excellent! I did figure that you would still be a little nervous,” said Rarity. She flashed a coy smirk. “But I think the answer to your problems might come in three… two… one.”   A knock sounded at the door.   “I’ll get it!”   A huge stream of confetti burst out in front of Rarity and Sweetie Belle when they opened the door. Pinkie Pie was there, adorning the same confetti-popper outfit she wore when she once conducted a singing telegram in front of Applejack.   ♪ Oh, this is your singing telegram For you, for you! You see, I’ve arrived here with a message, For you, for you! ♪   She shot out two identical party invites which Rarity and Sweetie both caught from the air and began to read.   ♪ For there is a party happening, Where else but the Sugarcube Corner? Not a big party really, just a casual soirée   This party is going on tomorrow afternoon, So bring a guest, bring five even! The sky’s the limit! And RSVP and come and be our gueeeeeeesst! ♪   “Wow, a party?” said Sweetie, excitedly looking over the invitation. “Can we go, Rarity? Huh? Can we?”   “Hmm… well, you can certainly attend, Sweetie,” said Rarity, trying to hide a smile. “However… I don’t think I myself will be able to make it. I have an ‘appointment’ at the spa tomorrow afternoon. I’m really sorry, Pinkie.” Unseen to Sweetie, she gave a wink to Pinkie, who then winked back.   “Oh, it’s okay, Rarity!” she cheerfully replied, taking back Rarity’s invite. “I’m inviting all of our friends in Ponyville, so it won’t spoil the fun if one pony can’t make it! You’ll still come though, right, Sweetie Belle?”   “Can I?” Sweetie asked Rarity. She eagerly nodded. “YES!”   “Come on then, Sweetums,” said Rarity, nudging her inside. “You’d best start getting ready for it.”   “Huh?” replied Sweetie, confused. “But I thought Pinkie said it was just a casual party.”   “Oh, of course it is! But still, a lady must keep up her appearances. Just go inside and I’ll be there in a second.”   After Sweetie went back inside, Rarity and Pinkie winked at each other again, and they both giggled.   ♪ So bring a guest, bring five even! The sky’s the limit! And RSVP and come and be our gueeee— ♪   But the last note was ruined by Pinkie’s exasperated coughing. “Wow. That’s a really hard note to recite more than once!”   She handed an invitation to Spike, having just performed her singing telegram at the library’s doorstep.   “A party, huh?” said Spike, reading the invite. “Wait, what did you say the special occasion was?”   “No occasion,” Pinkie responded. “It’s just a casual party for friends. It’s been at least a week since the last time I threw a party, and that’s far too long for anypony to go on without some partying in their lives!”   “Well, I’ll definitely be there,” said Spike. “I just finished tidying up the whole library, and I don’t have any other plans for tomorrow afternoon.”   “Great! See you in party central tomorrow afternoon!”   Spike waved good-bye, but drew a look of confusion when he heard Pinkie softly giggling to herself as she left.   Hmm. Just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie, I guess.   The skies were painted a brilliant orange as Celestia’s sun slowly set over the horizon again. And a lone filly was walking down the meadow path by herself.   “’Spike, I love you.’ No, that won’t work. ‘Hey Spike, we’re really great friends, and… I was just wondering if you wanted to be my special somepony, or… dragon, I mean.’ No! That just sounds lame.”   “Say, Spike? You know that note that you got? Well, guess what? It’s me! I’m the one who…” She let out a loud grunt.   I just don’t know what to say! I’m so nervous about this!   What if he doesn’t like me back? Ohhh, I thought I wasn’t going to be thinking about that anymore! But I just keep thinking it anyway. What if he still likes Rarity instead? What if he rejects me? What if he doesn’t want to be my friend anymore?   Another loud grunt was let out.   “Howdy, Sweetie Belle! Been having some rough times lately, ah heard?”   Sweetie turned around to see that she had been walking past Sweet Apple Acres, and Applejack was there leaning against a fence.   “Oh. Hey, Applejack,” said Sweetie, walking over to the fence. “Um… how much did you hear?”   “Oh, not much,” she responded. “But AB told me yesterday that y’all have been in a real sour mood the past week. Everythin’ okay? You and Rarity ain’t a squallin’ again, are ya?”   “No,” said Sweetie. “But… it’s kind of hard to explain.”   “Go on, then.”   “Well, you see…” She decided to use her old excuse again. “It’s just that one of my friends has this crush on a really handsome dra— I mean, pony. But there’s something wrong, because… because that pony also has a crush on my friend’s sister.”   “Uh, huh.”   “Yeah, and… I’m just not sure. What do you think I— I mean, my friend should do?”   Applejack stopped leaning over the fence and stood on all fours again.   “Well… ah’ve never been one for romance and love and all that junk. However, I know a thing or two about honesty. Because that’s what yer friend needs, SB. She needs to be honest with herself and with the pony she’s a-spotting out, and tell him how she feels. Even if he doesn’t like her back, she can rest assured knowin’ that she spoke with her heart and those two can still be friends.”   Wow…” said Sweetie. “That’s… amazing advice! Honesty. Yeah. Well, I’ll uh… I’ll go tell my ‘friend’ about what you said, and then maybe it’ll work out. Thanks for the advice, Applejack!”   “No problem!” Applejack replied. “Oh, hey Sweetie Belle!”   “Yeah?”   “Honestly, don’t worry yerself so much,” she said, giving a gentle smile. “You just wait and see. Spike’ll come around.”   Sweetie Belle nodded, and continued walking down the path. Yeah. Maybe I should just be honest and tell Spike how I really feel. No matter what, we’ll still be friends, and…   Wait. How did Applejack know it was Spike?   Applejack watched her walk away, and after she was gone, she leaned against the fence again and scoffed to herself.   That’s some gosh darn tootin’ advice there, Applejack.   She caught sight of the pony Caramel, whom was trotting down the path in front of the farm, whistling a small tune. “Evenin’, Applejack!” he called.   Now why can’t y’all use any of that advice yerself?   Sweetie was still walking down the path back to Ponyville when she noticed something in front of her.   Uh-oh! Here comes Spike! Uh… I’d better hide! I still don’t feel ready to talk to him just yet! I haven’t thought about what to say!   She quickly hid in a nearby bush as Spike came walking down the path, clutching the anonymous note in his claw.   He’s still looking at the note! Oh, this is so great!   Wow… I forgot how cute he looks when he’s just walking along like that. Oh, Spike…   “So… you really do love me too, huh Rarity?”   Yes, Spike! Yes I— Wait… what? Rarity?   “At least, I hope this is you. It is your handwriting...”   What? But… But, I— The note— It was supposed— Ohh, man…   Rarity!   She ducked out of the bush, unseen by Spike, running back towards home with an angry look on her face.   “…but, does Sweetie Belle love me back too?” Spike wondered.   “RARITY!”   “Whoa-ohh!”   Sweetie’s sudden yell startled Rarity right out of her chair, and the dress she was stitching was torn apart in the wake.   “Sweetie Belle! Didn’t Mother ever teach you not to sneak up on other ponies like that?” said Rarity. She got up and presented the torn fabric to her sister. “Look what you’ve done to my new garment!”   “Don’t you try to talk your way out of this!” Sweetie snapped, grabbing the fabric and tossing it away. “This was your plan all along, wasn’t it?”   “Just what are you talking about?”   “The note!” she screeched. “That note that you told me to write for Spike, but then asked to write for me? You knew he was going to know it was your hoofwriting, didn’t you?”   “Oh, dear,” Rarity replied. “You mean… Spike believes the note to have been written by me as a gesture of requited feelings? Well, that’s—”   “Don’t act so innocent! I see what’s going on here now!” Sweetie yelled in Rarity’s face. “You love Spike too, and once you found out that I had a crush on him, you tried to make sure that Spike was only going to hear it from you! HOW DARE YOU!”   “Sweetie Belle! That is very unladylike to make such unjustified accusations!”   “You know what else is ‘unladylike’? Tricking your own sister for your own selfish needs!” She was starting to cry. “I trusted you, Rarity! And then you used me! I was your… your… PAWN!”   “Sweetums, you weren’t a pawn. Where did you even learn that word?” asked Rarity, putting a hoof on Sweetie’s shoulder.   “Don’t call me ‘Sweetums’!” snapped Sweetie, swatting her hoof away. “Because guess what, sister? We’re not sisters anymore… again!”   She dashed up to her room as Rarity frantically followed her.   “Sweetie, please!” Rarity pleaded. “It’s not like that! If you would just listen to me—”   “No! I don’t want to talk to you ever again! Good night, UNSISTER!”   And then she slammed the door right in Rarity’s face. Instantly, Rarity started sobbing.   “What have I done? What HAVE I done?”