It was a breach of privacy, for sure, but Rarity did her sister a favor in the first place. It had to balance out, right?
The older sister looked down at the piece of paper in her hands. Her brows tensed, wavering slightly as she squinted at the row of letters.
It was Sweetie Belle's report card, and the grades were not good.
A lone "A" sat at the top for her outstanding work in choir. The rest was an army of Cs and Ds and a single damning F. She even got a B in gym for "Lack of participation."
This can't be right. Rarity read the card again. Still the same.
She had to do something. Showing it to her parents was not an option. They would absolutely freak. It was what they did. She would also spare her sister the pointed condescension. Nothing would ever be enough for them, and having actual empirical evidence to use as a weapon was a frightening prospect.
She knew this from experience.
That left confronting Sweetie Belle. It wasn't too late. Her sister was just a freshman, and she could save her grades in the next semester. With good study habits, she could even keep it high for the rest of her high school career.
It was time to be a good older sister. It would take some tough love and an uncomfortable conversation, but it would be worth it in the end.
After all, Sweetie Belle's future was at stake.
Rarity felt guilty.
All sorts of knots twisted in her stomach, and she squirmed in her seat, knowing it was only a matter of time.
"Now, all you have to do is slide out the graphics card, and—"
"No need to explain, Twilight. Just hold onto it for me, would you?"
"Rarity!" squeaked a voice from the other room. The older sister tensed as the footsteps got louder. "What did you do?"
The older sister sat still behind her desk. She met a pair of indignant eyes and refused to look away, remaining steadfast.
"How was school?" Rarity tapped the desk.
"What'd you do to my computer!?" Sweetie Belle marched up to the desk. It was uncharacteristically clean, save for a single slip of paper. She tried to swipe it, only for Rarity to grab it first. "You're not supposed to see that."
"Better me than our parents," Rarity said. "You'll get your graphics thingy back when your grades improve."
"It's not fair!" Sweetie whined, stomping her foot. "It's my computer!"
"It still works." Rarity made sure of it. Twilight had it tested. "It can't run games very well, but you can still do your school work. If you need any help, you—"
"Why are you doing this to me?" Sweetie Belle balled her hands into fists. "It's none of your business!"
"I'm your big sister," Rarity answered. "I'm only looking out for you."
"I hate you," Sweetie Belle spat. She rushed out the room.
The words hurt to hear.