Sweetie Belle stared at the two girls as they did the same, no one being brave enough to break the silence. “You… you think I’m… going to kill myself?”
“Sweetie, we really need to talk about this habit you’re developing.” Rarity said mostly to herself. “But… yes.”
“Why?”
“What do you mean why? You never come out of your room!”
“Not leaving your room constitutes suicide?”
“Ok.” Sunset stood up, getting the attention of both girls. “I’d rather not repeat what happened with Scootaloo. So, Sweetie, how about you take my seat.” She gestured to where she was sitting. Sweetie Belle hesitated but walked in and sat down, eyeing Rarity. Sunset then grabbed Rarity’s computer chair, pulled it closer, and sat close to them. “Now, let’s talk about this like mature, emotionally well adjusted people. No punching little sisters in the face.”
“I am emotionally well adjusted!” Sweetie Belle protested.
“Fantastic, make sure to act like it.” Sunset snarked. “Now, Sweetie. How about you go first? Tell Rarity what you think of her concern, and Rarity you respond.”
Sweetie Belle turned to her sister, both girls quiet for a long moment. “I… just don’t understand why you think I’d kill myself. Like, do I really spend that much time in my room?”
“You spend all your time in your room.” Rarity frowned.
“No I don’t!”
“Yeah? Name when you’re out of your room these days. School and breakfast don’t count.”
“Dinner, getting ready for bed, bathroom and… and…” Sweetie Belle looks down, racking her brain for other times she’s out of her room.
“That’s what I thought.” Rarity sighed. “And… and it scares me. I don’t know what’s going on in there or what you’re doing. I’ve… I've barely seen you since you confessed, and you’re always so sad when I do. Whenever I bother you I just want to make sure that you’re still breathing.”
“Ok, maybe I spend a little too much time in my room, but that doesn’t make me suicidal.”
“Sweetie, you’re miserable! You don’t want to do anything, you’re terrified to go to school, and you just mope in your room all day. That’s all you’ve been doing for a whole month.”
“How do you know what I do in my room?” Sweetie Belle said a little too aggressively.
“Sweetie, Rarity’s just sharing her viewpoint and concerns. Getting snippy with her won’t help anything.” Sunset interjected.
Sweetie Belle looked guilty. “I’m sorry, Rarity.” She cleared her throat. “I just didn’t like being confronted like that. But I suppose you have a point.” Sweetie Belle looks up. “But I’m still not sure why you jumped to the conclusion I’m suicidal.”
Rarity sighed. “I was worried about you and I did some research. You’re acting too close to what i've read about people who are suicidal.”
Sweetie Belle looked to her sister sympathetically. “Rarity, do you think that maybe you’re seeing things that aren’t there?”
Rarity was quiet. “I hope so.”
Sweetie Belle's face softened and she scooted closer. She opens her mouth to speak but stops, looking towards Sunset who gestures for her to continue. “What do I do specifically that scares you?”
“Other than staying in your room? Refusing to try and do anything, refusing to socialize with me or your friends, and I guess just acting so sad all the time.” Rarity said, looking away and hugging herself. “I know there’s more to depression then that, but it’s close enough to scare me.”
“Rarity, I… I don’t know how to convince you, but I promise I’m not suicidal.” Rarity looked at Sweetie Belle. “Yeah, I’m miserable right now, but I’m not going to kill myself. I feel guilty for what I did, school sucks, and I miss Button, but I’m not miserable enough to consider suicide or anything, it never even crossed my mind.” Both girls were quiet, Rarity not looking convinced. “How about I try to leave my room more? Will that convince you I’m ok?”
“I’m not sure I’m ever going to be convinced. Not unless you’re going to therapy. That way I know you’re getting help.”
“Well, we can talk to mom and dad about it. I wouldn’t be opposed to getting therapy.” Sweetie Belle looked away. “I’m surprised you care though.”
Rarity recoiled. “What? Of course I care, you’re my baby sister.”
“It’s just you never seem to want me around.” Sweetie Belle looked sad. “You’re always so mean to me. I can’t even be in the same room as you without you getting annoyed. Did I do something wrong before Anon?”
“No.” Rarity lifted Sweetie Belle's face to look at her. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Then… then why are you always so mean?” Sweetie Belle's eyes teared up. “You weren’t like that before. We’d fight, but you weren’t so mean to me all the time.”
“It’s why you initially joined Anon, correct?” Sweetie Belle nodded her head at Sunset's question. “How did you feel when Rarity kicked you out of her room that night?”
“Angry, hurt, a little annoyed. I was just talking to your friends and they seemed to enjoy talking to me too, then you just came in and pushed me out the door. I didn’t even do anything wrong, you were just embarrassed I was interacting with your friends, like my very existence is embarrassing.” Sweetie Belle frowned. “At the time, I couldn’t believe you were being nicer to Sunset of all people than your own sister.”
Rarity sighed. “You’re right, I have been too mean to you. It’s wrong of me to treat you like that.”
“Then why? Why are you acting like this? I want my big sister back.”
“There’s… no good explanation.” Rarity said with shame. “There’s no singular reason or event to point to. I guess it’s just my personality.”
“It’s your personality to be mean to me?”
“That’s not what I meant.” Rarity sighed. “It's Just that I'm older now and I get… moody. Or I want to fit in and don’t want you ruining it. Or I have a lot of stress and I take it out on you.” Rarity was quiet for a long moment. “But I think the most likely reason is that I take you for granted. You’ve been in my life for as long as I can remember, you’ve always been there and growing, and you don’t appreciate what you have till it’s gone.”
“But why be mean?”
“Like I said, there’s no good explanation. I don’t even know why I’m so mean to you, I didn’t even realize.” Rarity’s face fell. “Please, tell me how it makes you feel, I deserve to hear it. I want to hear it.”
Sweetie Belle was quiet for a moment. “I’m not entirely sure how it makes me feel, but I often get jealous of Bloom when she talks about Applejack. They never have fights and they’re always having fun, nothing like us... Sometimes, I wish I could replace you with Applejack.”
“If I may?” Sunset interjected when she saw Rarity look hurt, Sweetie Belle Looking over. “Applejack and Apple Bloom aren’t as perfect as you think, Anon only proved that. They also have much different personalities then the two of you, grew up differently, and have a much different context to their relationship. You can’t compare their relationship to yours with Rarity.”
“Yeah, I know, and I’d never actually want to replace you, I love you.” Sweetie Belle turned back to Rarity. “Just whenever I’m mad at you or sad because you did something hurtful… I guess Anon was my way of getting revenge.”
“I know.” Rarity nodded. “It broke my heart when I learned you joined Anon-A-Miss because you just wanted me to be nice to you.”
“Well, technically I first joined Anon to humiliate you.”
“Regardless, I was the reason you joined, so in a way, I’m partially responsible for everything that happened with Anon.” Rarity rubbed the back of her head awkwardly. “Sweetie, I know I don’t show or say it as much as I should, but I do love you. You’re my little sister, I love you more than anything. Never doubt that.” Rarity held Sweetie Belle's hands and gave them a small squeeze. “If I lost you, I… I-I don’t think I’d ever get over it. I’m not sure what I’d do with myself. Losing you would destroy me.”
Sweetie Belle suddenly broke down and Rarity pulled her into a hug, rubbing the younger girls back. “I-I’m sorry. I d-didn’t mean to s-start crying.”
“No, don’t apologize. This is healthy.” Sunset couldn’t help but smirk as Rarity got tears eyed as well. “Though, if you don’t stop, Rarity’s going to drown us in tears.”
“Oh stop.” Rarity said with an amused smirk as she wiped her eyes, smudging her mascara. “We didn’t ask for smart ass jokes from the peanut gallery.”
“Yeah! Stop commenting on our beautiful sister moment, Sunset!” Sweetie Belle joined in with a smile, even as tears continued to fall from her eyes.
“Wow, and after everything I’ve done for this family.” Sunset crossed her arms with an exaggerated pout.
Both sisters shared a short laugh and pulled away. “How about from now on, I’ll be nicer and do more with you and you stay out of your room more and get therapy?”
“Deal.” Sweetie Belle said with a wide smile, hugging Rarity again. She pulled away after a moment and got off the bed. “I should be going, I don't want to get between you two.”
“You sure? We’d love it if you stayed.” Rarity offered.
“No thanks, I know you two have your own problems to talk through. I’ll come by when Sunset leaves.” Sweetie Belle suddenly stopped and stood awkwardly for a moment before turning around. “Uh, Sunset?”
“Yeah?”
“Uh… thanks for this, it means a lot.” She cleared her throat. “And I really am sorry for what happened with Anon-A-Miss. it was wrong of me.”
Sunset's face fell lightly and she looked away for a moment. “I know you are. Thank you for your apology.”
“I hope you can forgive me one day.” She gave a small wave. “You two have fun.”
With that, Sweetie Belle turned and walked out the room, leaving Rarity and Sunset alone. “Well, for once Sweetie's bad habit led to something good.” Rarity looked at Sunset. “Didn’t expect you’d be a therapist.”
“I’m not, I’ve just recently learned the importance of open communication, which you two desperately seem to lack.” Sunset got up and sat down next to Rarity. “You were serious about what you said, right? You really will be nicer to her?”
“I will, I’m going to put the work in to change my habits. I probably won’t be winning sister of the year awards, but being scared my sister will kill herself put things into perspective.” Rarity smiled at Sunset. “Thanks Sunset, you’re a good friend.”
“So good you’ll give me a discount for my dress?”
“No.”
“Worth a shot.”
Apple Bloom sighed as she watched Scootaloo's ride leave, shaking her head at the disaster she knew her friend's plan will cause.
She watched as the car disappeared, turning around and jumping when she saw Granny Smith right behind her. “H-hi Granny. Yer so quiet.”
“It’s a skill yah pickup when yah spend half yer youth tryin’ to catch the Seedlin’.” Granny responds. “Now, Ah heard what yah two youngins’ were talking about, Ah Can hear better then a blind bat yah know.”
Apple Bloom grew pale. “A-Ah never agreed to join her plan-”
“Ah know that, that’s not the problem. The problem is yer friends plan itself.”
“Yeah, Ah know.” Apple Bloom placed a hand on the back of her neck. “But what can Ah do?”
“Snitch.”
“Ah’m sorry?”
“Snitch on her.”
“But Granny, she's my friend, Ah can’t just-”
“And a good friend wouldn’t let their friend do somethin’ stupid. Yah would’ve wanted her to snitch on you for what yah pulled Saturday wouldn’t yah?”
“Well, yes-”
“Then yah need to tell both girls what she’s plannin’.”
“She’ll know it was me and she’ll be really mad.”
“Better she be mad then hurt that Rainbow gals feelings and make things more complicated than it needs to be.”
“Ah don’t know Granny…”
The two were quiet for a moment. “Ah can’t make yah do it, but Ah think yah know it’s the right thing to do.”
“Do Ah? Keep seeming to screw up these days.”
“That’s ‘cause yer young, and it’s the nature of youth to be stupid and make mistakes. It’s damn near a requirement. But what matters is that yah learn from yer mistakes so yah don’t make it again and can prevent others from makin’ the same mistake, much like yah can with Scootaloo.”
Apple Bloom remained quiet, absorbing Granny’s words. “Ah guess yah make a point. Ah’ll go and tell Sunset tomorrow.” She moved to leave but stopped when Granny held up her hand.
“Did Ah dismiss yah?”
Apple Bloom dutifully stood in place, wondering just what else they had to talk about. Neither party said anything for a long time. “AJ told me yah admitted yer gay.”
“Y-yeah.” Apple Bloom looked down. “She said everyone already knew.”
“We did, thought yah were testin’ the waters, tryin’ to avoid havin’ an awkward talk.”
“Ah guess Ah was just coming to terms with it.” Apple Bloom looked back up, studying her grandma's expression. “Am Ah… am Ah in trouble?”
“No, yer not in trouble.” Granny said sincerely. “Ah think it’s a sin, but what do Ah know? Ah’m an old woman, set in my ways, and people's sins are between them and God. Ah may not agree with yer sexuality, but it doesn’t mean Ah love or support yah any less. When yah get married, to whoever it may be, Ah’ll be right there in the front row grinnin’ till my dentures fall out.”
Apple Bloom smiled lightly, only for it to disappear. “And God?”
“Of course he loves yah, God loves everyone, from the worst person to the best. Nothin’ yah do or don’t do will make him stop lovin’ yah, despite any sins or imperfections yah may have.”
Apple Bloom breathed a small sigh of relief. “Thanks Granny, Ah love yah.”
“Ah love yah too.” Granny ruffled Apple Bloom's hair. “Now, skedaddle, yah still have some chores to do.”
Apple Bloom nodded and ran off, a wide smile on her face.