//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Confession // by Insert Clever Name //------------------------------// Rarity had wondered what she had done to anger the universe in such a way. She was staring out of her window at the clouds above, which were beginning to rumble, their normally white color darkening into a gray. She had told the others to meet her at the Carousel Boutique before it began to rain, but the hours ticked by, and it looked like her completely normal story of confessing to murder was turning into some cliched Nightmare Night story. She sighed, turning away from the window and trotting back into the kitchen. She looked up at the ceiling, noting the slight stain where her tea pot had crashed against it. She examined the stain itself, and noted how it almost seemed to look like some sort of amoeba, the curvatures of it reaching out in rounded appendages. She was stalling. And she didn't even know what for. She sighed again, this time in frustration. "Where are those girls? It's starting to rain!" She said, trotting back to the window. She thought she had heard the drips of rain landing against her window, but she had only imagined it, the clouds an even darker shade of gray, but not yet releasing their payloads. "Ugh, I'm going stir crazy." She said to herself. Before she had even realized it, the front door had opened wide. Her eyes widened in surprise as she rushed to see who it was. "Girls! I-... Oh, hello Sweetie." She greeted, disappointed it wasn't any of her friends, but smiled at the sight of her. "Hey Rarity." She said back, furrowing her brow a bit. "Expecting someone else?" She asked her, smirking a bit as she closed the door behind her. "What gave you that idea?" She said sarcastically, trotting back to the window. "You didn't happen to see any of the girls while you were out?" "Nope." She answered, trotting into the kitchen to grab something to eat. "Well, that's not entirely true. I saw Rainbow Dash flying around. Looked like she was pushing more clouds into place." She explained, grabbing an orange and peeling it. Rarity cursed her bad luck, still staring out of the window for any sight of her friends. Sweetie trotted up next to her, eating her first slice. "Hey Rare... what's this secret you're so nervous to tell the others about?" She asked her, looking a bit concerned. "I told you Sweetie" Rarity began, looking down to her sister with a firm gaze. "Not until you're older." "I know..." Sweetie whined a bit, before adding. "But if it's about trust, I wouldn't tell anypony. Promise!" She said, hoping to convince her. "It's not about trust, deary." She explained, her look softening with sisterly affection. "I know you, you'd never tell a soul. But... It's the kind of secret that changes how you view a pony. It would change how you would view me." She added, rubbing her sisters head. "And I don't want that to happen, not yet." Sweetie furrowed her brow. 'A secret that would change how I look at Rarity? What does that even mean?' She thought to herself, before noticing something in the window. "Hey, there's Twilight!" She pointed out, the purple alicorn trotting down the way to her home. "Oh...Oh no." Rarity said inadvertently, dreading this moment. She turned to her sister, clasping a hoof her shoulder. "Sweetie, could you please go to your room?" She asked her, a silent desperation in her eyes. Sweetie looked up into those blue pools, not finding the strength to fight back. "Okay. Love you, Rarity." She said, giving her sister a hug. Rarity smiled warmly, hugging her back. "I love you too, Sweetie Belle." She said with genuine affection, letting her go. She watched her sister trot up the stairs, shuddering slightly when she heard a knock on the door. "Okay Rarity. Breathing exercises." She said, breathing in through her nose and out through mouth, going to the door and opening it with her magic. "Hey Rarity!" Greeted Twilight, a wide smile on her face as she hugged her dear friend. "Hello, darling." Rarity replied, smiling all the same as she hugged her back, letting her go to let her into her home. "Now, you wouldn't happen to know when the other girls will be showing up, will you?" She asked her, taking a peak out of the window to see if the other girls happened to be close by, frowning slightly when she didn't see them. "I'm afraid not." Answered Twilight, cocking her head a bit at Rarity's peaking. "Antsy for them to get here?" She asked her, a slight smile on her face. "You have no idea." She said, turning back to her. "I asked for them to get here before it started raining. Now it doesn't seem like that will be possible." She added, looking down to the floor a bit. "Don't worry, Rarity!" Said Twilight, trying to cheer her up a bit. "I'm sure they'll get here before you even know it!" Rarity let out a nervous chuckle, the inner turmoil of them showing up vs. them not showing up was strong within her mind. "Well, while we wait for them to come by, would you like some tea?" She asked her, trying to appear less nervous. "That would be great!" She said, happy to have a drink as she trotted to the table. Rarity nodded, making her way into the kitchen and warming up the kettle, placing the ingredients inside. Once she was finished, she trotted back to the table, sitting across from Twilight. "So, how have things been?" She asked her, making idle chatter. "Things have been great!" Said Twilight, happy to go into detail. Twenty minutes had passed by as the two of them made idle chatter, talking about this and that. Every now and then however, Rarity would get distracted by that stain, hanging just above Twilight's head. She couldn't help but examine it as Twilight went on about something or other. She cocked her head to the side, furrowing her brow. It almost looked... familiar. "Rarity?" Twilight called out, trying to grab her attention. She snapped back to attention, looking to Twilight with wide, attentive eyes. "I'm sorry dear, I was distracted for a moment." She explained herself, placing a hoof on her chin and sighing. "It looks like the girls won't be coming over after all." "I'm sorry Rarity. I'm sure they would have come by if they were able too." "No, no. I don't blame them at all." She said, flicking her hoof. "I... guess it just makes this a bit easier to talk about." "What does?" Asked Twilight, looking somewhat confused. "Well, why I asked you here in the first place." She said, nodding as if she was confirming it with herself. "I have a... confession to make to you. And the others if they were here. You see-" Before she could even begin, there was another knock on the door. Rarity sighed in frustration, standing up. "I'm sorry dear, but it will have to wait." She quickly went over to the door, opening it wide. "I'm sorry, but- Oh, hello Rainbow!" She greeted, happy to see her friend, quickly letting her inside. "Hey Rares." Rainbow replied. "Sorry I was so late, the last few clouds needed to be placed... eesh, looks like I'm not only one running late." She said, looking over to Twilight and seeing that she was the only one here. "Yes, but I'm sure they'll arrive before it starts rai-" With the suddenness of a bullet, a lightning bolt had struck, illuminating the whole house as the resulting thunder soon rumbled. "..." She looked over at Dash with a frown, who shrugged a bit guiltily. "Like I said, blame the intern."