The Greatest Show of Generosity

by pokerninja2


Chapter 2 - The Talk

Celestia's sun rose into the morning sky, its rays beaming through the nearby window and onto Rarity. When her eyes fluttered open, she noticed Sweetie Belle was still clinging to her like a stuffed animal, her face buried in her mane. That was when she remembered last night's events. It was a miracle they actually managed to get some sleep. Rarity looked past the sleeping filly and at her clock on the wall. 7:32 AM.

Not very much sleep...

Doing her best to not wake Sweetie up, she got out of her sister's grip and stepped off the bed. The first thing running through her mind was going to the bathroom and look in the mirror, knowing full well she must have been a wreck after last night. Slowly, she trotted across the hall and into the bathroom, looking into her reflection.

To say she was a mess would be an understatement. Her normally elegant and tidy mane was frizzled and tangled. Her eyes looked like they were carrying two-ton bags under them. Her face was ruined, with makeup running down her cheeks, her eyes bloodshot, and her nose looking like it was running. To top it all off, her white coat was stained all over, and parts of her fur were clumping from the dried tears, giving her a pretty hideous gray coloration.

If she had the will to do so, she would do all she could to clean herself up. But all she could muster was a sigh. The absolute most she could do right now was try to wipe off the running makeup. As she turned on the sink faucet, her horn glowed. A piece of paper towel was torn off a nearby roll, was levitated into the running water to make it wet, and dabbed around her face to try and get the stains off of it. After tossing it away, she took another glance at the mirror.

Not that much better...

A knock came from the door. She cursed herself for not making sure the sign said "Closed". She was not going to be able to get work done under these conditions. Rarity gave her mane a few quick brushes to make her look as presentable as possible... not that she looked good in her current state. Another knock was heard.

"C-Coming," she said. Rarity took one last look at her reflection. Her eyes were still bloodshot and her mane stuck out in certain places, but she figured this was as good as it was going to be for now. She ran to the door to open it, and on the other side was a magenta earth pony mare with white, curly mane. Her cutie mark was a peculiar group of shapes: two large circles and a small square underneath them. Or was it a rectangle? Rarity couldn't bring herself to care.

"I'm terribly sorry," Rarity said, doing her best to sound professional. "But we're closed today. If you need I could schedule a future date for-"

"Are you Ms. Rarity Belle?" the mare interrupted.

"Y-Yes, that's me," Rarity answered.

"My name is Maternal Flower, and I'm affiliated with the Ponyville Foal Protection Service," she explained. "If you would be so kind as to let me in, I have some things to discuss about your sister... Sweetie Belle I believe?"

Rarity could see where this was going from a mile away. "Oh, yes, of course, come in!"

Maternal Flower stepped inside. The white unicorn immediately rushed to the kitchen. "Would you care for something to drink?"

"Don't trouble yourself," Maternal Flower replied. "I can tell you've been through a lot."

You aren't lying...

Rarity took a seat at the kitchen table, with Maternal Flower sitting opposite to her. She took out a couple papers from the saddlebag she was carrying and spread them across the table.

"So to clarify, you are the eldest daughter of Cookie Crumbles and Hondo Flanks?" she asked.

"Y-Yes," Rarity answered.

"Alright, I'm gonna level with you," Maternal Flower said. "The passing of one's parents can be tragic and life-changing, especially for a filly such as Sweetie Belle. I assume she knows what happened?"

"I told her last night," Rarity said.

"Good, you're already on the right track," Maternal Flower said. "Both you and I want what's best for her. We want to make sure that Sweetie Belle is in a safe living environment, right?"

"Of course," Rarity said.

"Now, it is my understanding that you have foalsat Sweetie Belle while your parents went travelling," Maternal Flower went on. "How old are you?"

"19," Rarity answered. She couldn't bring herself to say anything more than what needed to be said.

"Then one option is for you to become her legal guardian," Maternal Flower said. "Adopt her as your own, in other words. You're just old enough."

Rarity simply nodded, but there was obvious concern over her face. It was true that she watched over Sweetie while their parents were away, but was she really prepared to take care of her permanently? The prospect of her juggling watching her sister and running her business didn't do anything to ease her mood.

"Another option would be for her to stay with another relative who can take care of her," she said.

"The nearest relative would be my aunt," Rarity said. "But she lives all the way up in Manehattan."

"She would have to move out of Ponyville if she were to stay with her then," Maternal Flower said. She could see the look of worry on Rarity's face, and understood it completely.

"There is also a third option, where she could stay at the Ponyville orphanage," she continued. "She will be taken care of and remain safe, and then another family could adopt her as their own." She could see Rarity wasn't fond of that idea, so she got out of her seat and put a hoof over her shoulder.

"Listen," she said. "I know this is all happening fast. Like I said, a tragedy like this can be life-changing. But Sweetie Belle's safety is our top priority... we just want to make sure we do what's best for her."

"I understand," Rarity nodded.

"You don't have to make a decision right away," Maternal Flower said. "I suggest you talk things out with Sweetie Belle, reach an agreement, and then reach out to me when you've made a decision."

Rarity nodded. Maternal Flower gave a heartful smile.

"Just... think about it, OK?" she said. She put all of her papers away and saw herself out, leaving Rarity alone in the kitchen. There was definitely a lot to think about.

So she can live with me, move to Manehattan, or go stay in the orphanage.

Well she is absolutely not staying in the orphanage. Out of the question! I will not let her be alone.

So that leaves her staying with me or my aunt.

Think about how distraught she would be if she were to move away from Ponyville! She would be leaving behind her friends... her school... the Crusaders...

But... am I really ready to raise her as my own? I'm still a teenager! I run a business! Having a foal around full-time would throw my entire schedule out of order, and in times like this I cannot afford to let my fashion tank.

Listen to how selfish you're sounding! You would rather put your job as a fashion designer ahead of your sister, your own flesh and blood!

I know I've foalsat her from time to time-

ALL the time!

But I don't think I can handle the responsibilities of adopting her. Especially in my current state. Maybe sending her with Aunt Cobalt is the best course of action... she already has two foals of her own, so she has experience in parenting.

Sending her to Manehattan would crush her life! Think of how you're betraying her for your own sake!

Before the argument could go any further, she heard soft hoofsteps come into the room. She turned around and saw Sweetie Belle, who looked absolutely miserable. Her eyes were puffy and red, her beautiful white coat was stained and grayed, and her mane was flying all over the place. She looked up at Rarity, sniffing a bit, and it tore her heart in two to see her this way.

"Who was at the door?" Sweetie asked.

"It was somepony of the Foal Protection Service," Rarity answered. "She came over to talk to me about... where you'll be staying from here on out..."

Sweetie gasped in response, and more tears started welling. "A-Am I b-being sent away!? I don't wanna be away from y-you R-Rarity! Please d-d-don't let me go!"

Seeing that mentioning it was a bad idea, the mare scrambled to explain.

"W-We haven't decided what will happen yet," Rarity said. "We have two options. I become your legal guardian, or you move to Manehattan to live with Aunt Cobalt."

"So wh-why are you e-even talking about this?" Sweetie asked. "Let me live here then! You're old enough!"

"Sweetie, we have to think about what's best for you!" Rarity explained. "I've only foalsat you for two weeks at a time at most. I don't know if I'm ready to be a mother."

"S-S-So that's it then?" Sweetie said, sniffling some more. "I'm g-gonna move to M-Manehattan and l-l-leave everything in P-Ponyville behind?"

"I'm not fond of the idea either, believe me," Rarity tried to console her. "But I have a business to run! I can't just-"

Rarity stopped herself and covered her mouth, but the damage had already been done. Sweetie's mouth was held agape, and she stepped away. Her light tears quickly became full-on sobbing. She messed up. Big time.

"I-I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU!" Sweetie shouted. "Y-YOU C-CARE AB-B-BOUT M-MAKING THESE STUPID DRESSES MORE THAN ME!"

"I... I didn't mean-" Rarity tried to say before being interrupted.

"No, that's EXACTLY what you meant!" she continued yelling. She tried to say more, but just let out one final grunt and ran back upstairs in tears. Rarity was once again left alone with her thoughts.

Good show, Rarity. Sweetie hates you now.

I know... I can't even be mad at her for acting out of line... I think I may need some help.