//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: Conflicts and Resolutions // Story: New Revelations // by Phantom Shadow //------------------------------// The next morning, at around nine or so, Rarity was putting the final touches on a new outfit she was working on. It was similar to the one she was working on the night before, except it had a different assortment of jewels adorning it. She had been working on it for most of the morning, after sending Sweetie Belle off to school. Now that she had finished putting the last of the gemstones on it, she took a few steps back to admire her own creation. When she did, she smiled and let out a contented sigh; in her opinion, this was one of the best and most beautiful ensembles she had created in a long time. After spending a few moments admiring her own work, she used her magic to levitate the red-framed working glasses she wore off of her face and onto her desk. “Excellent, my latest fashion design is complete,” she said aloud in a cheery tone as she placed the glasses down. When she did, her peripheral vision caught a glimpse of the note she had written the night before. Turning her head to look at it, she read what she had written and remembered what she had to do today. Her ears drooped and she repeated in a flat and annoyed tone, “Excellent, my latest fashion design is complete.” Now that she was finished with her work, that meant she had to pay Filthy Rich a visit and talk to him about his daughter’s behavior...AGAIN. When the thought of doing so crossed her mind, she let out a sigh before trotting out of the work room, down the stairs and towards the front entrance of the Boutique. Putting a closed sign on the front door, she began making her way into town. Several moments later, Rarity trotted down the streets of Ponyville, making her way to the store called “Barnyard Bargains”, the business Filthy Rich owned and operated. It was a journey that she could make with her eyes closed, having done it so many times. However, she put that thought aside and continued to make her way through the cobblestone streets. As she entered the main square, where Town Hall stood tall amongst the rest of the suburban houses, Rarity heard a familiar voice call out to her, catching her attention. “Hey, Rarity,” said the southwestern drawl of her good friend Applejack, who was trotting up to her. “Hello, there, Applejack,” said Rarity as she stopped trotting to allow her friend to catch up. “Where are ya heading this mornin’, sugar cube?” the orange workhorse asked. Letting out a small sigh, Rarity said, “Barnyard Bargains.” “Again?” asked Applejack, tilting back her Stetson and looking at the unicorn with a shocked expression. Rarity simply shrugged one shoulder and rolled her eyes. Now, it was Applejack’s turn to let out a sigh. “Is that no good filly botherin’ yer sister again? Ah thought ya dealt with this the last time she pulled this.” “I did,” the alabaster unicorn said softly, “But she’s still bothering Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, so I must talk with her father and put an end to this, though I thought I had done so the last time.” Rarity slowly began to trot away when she stopped and looked at Applejack, a slightly worried look on her face. “Applejack,” she asked, “What am I going to do?” The earth pony shook her head and looked at the ground. “Ah don’t know, sugar cube. Ah guess ya keep talkin’ with her father until...” “That’s not what I mean, darling,” said Rarity, holding up a hoof to silence her friend, “I was talking about Sweetie Belle; what am I going to do with her?” Before either of them could elaborate on what she meant, Rarity’s stomach let out a small growl; having been working all morning, she only now realized that she didn’t eat anything in a while. Having heard the rumble of her friends’ stomach, Applejack let out a small giggle, which she tried to suppress with a hoof. “C’mon, sugar cube,” she said with a smile, “What say we talk about this over breakfast, mah treat?” “Oh, that’s quite alright, Applejack,” she said with a weary smile, “You don’t have to do that.” “Ah insist,” said the orange pony, “Ah was headin’ ta Sugar Cube Corner ta pick up some ingredients anyway, so it’s no big deal. C’mon, you’ll be able ta think straight with a full belly.” Simply nodding her head, Rarity began following Applejack, the two of them heading towards Sugar Cube Corner for some breakfast. A short time later, the two of them entered the local bakery. When they did, a pink blur appeared in front of them, startling both of them. “Hey, girls!” shouted the pink party pony that began bouncing up and down in front of them. “Oh, howdy, Pinkie Pie,” said Applejack, a weary smile on her face. “Hello, Pinkie, dear,” said Rarity, sharing the same look as the workhorse. “Have you two heard the big news?” asked Pinkie Pie, a smile brimming so wide on her face that it was a miracle the rest of her head was able to fit it, “I just heard about it from Twilight this morning!” Applejack and Rarity exchanged an unsure look at one another before facing the pink pony, both of them shrugging at her. Laughing, Pinkie Pie said, “Two new ponies are arriving to town tomorrow and you know what that means!” “A party?” they asked in unison. “YES! How did you two know?” Exchanging a smile at one another, Applejack said, “Lucky guess.” “So, who are the two new ponies and where are they from?” asked Rarity. Pinkie opened her mouth to speak, but froze where she stood. Then, she sat there, tapping her hoof on her chin, eyes looking towards the ceiling. “Huh, I don’t know, actually,” she said, looking back at her friends, “I think Twilight was about to tell me, but I got so excited to throw a welcoming party for them to stay and hear who they are. Still, can you believe it? That means I have enough time to prepare the welcoming party for them!” Before anything more could be said, Pinkie Pie disappeared in a blur, leaving the two ponies speechless where they stood. After several moments went by, the two of them made their way to the counter and ordered their morning pastries and the ingredients Applejack needed for later. As they waited for their order, they decided to wait in one of the many tables in the sweets shop. When the two of them sat down, Rarity couldn’t help but look out the window that was next to them. She couldn’t help but stare at the ponies that were going about town, all smiles and with pep in their trots. Although she saw that some mares were with other mares, she couldn’t help but stare at the mares that were with stallions, both with love in their eyes and smiles to match. Noticing this, Applejack asked softly, “Is everything alright, sugar cube?” Quickly, Rarity directed her attention to Applejack, who had a worried look on her face. Then, she let out a soft sigh and said, “It’s nothing, darling.” “It has ta do with Sweetie Belle, doesn’t it?” Seeing that Applejack knew what was on her mind, she softly said, “I just can’t help but think that our lives would be much simpler if she was with a colt instead of a filly, that’s all.” Applejack raised an eyebrow and asked, “How so?” “I mean, things would go...oh, how should one put this...smoother, I suppose, if she wasn’t with Scootaloo,” she explained, “Don’t get me wrong, dear; I have nothing against Scootaloo or their choice to be together, but it just seems like we’re both becoming more miserable as time goes on.” “Ah understand how you can be miserable, havin’ ta deal with everypony that bothers them and all,” said Applejack, “But how in tarnation do ya know Sweetie Belle is miserable?” “Oh, please, Applejack. I’ve put on enough fashion shows to know when somepony is feigning feelings for the sake of their kin, putting on a façade to ensure that her elders or significant others don’t know their true feelings.” Scratching the back of her head, the orange mare asked, “Come again?” Rolling her eyes, Rarity stated, “What I mean is that Sweetie Belle is only pretending she’s happy, even though she’s not. I can see it in her eyes when she comes home from school. I hear it in the way she tells me about her day or when she and her friends are ‘crusading’ together.” “Uh-huh,” said Applejack as she tried to understand the white unicorn, “What do ya think she’s ‘miserable’ about?” “Being with another filly, darling.” Applejack gave her a flat look. “How do ya know she’s miserable being with another filly? What if she’s just annoyed with bein’ picked on by Diamond Tiara?” Rarity looked at the ground and said, “Call it an older sister’s intuition, if you will.” The orange mare face-hooved and said, “Need ah remind ya that ah have a younger sister as well?” “Yes, but you’re not going through this with Apple Bloom, are you?” Rarity shot back. The two of them sat in silence for a moment, both of them unsure of what to say to the other. The only sounds that could be heard were the entering and exiting of the other patrons, as well as the silent chatter of those who sat around them. Eventually, Rarity looked at her friend and asked, “Applejack, how did you deal with all of this?” “What do you mean?” asked Applejack. Rarity said, “When you were told that Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were ‘together’ like they are, how did you deal with it?” The question caught the workhorse off guard for a moment, causing her to shift her weight in an uncomforting manner. Applejack feared that Rarity would, one day, ask her a question like this. Now that she had, she found herself unable t answer. She didn’t know how to word it, in fear that it might upset or offend her friend. However, she couldn’t lie to her either. “Well...ta be honest...” she said, lowering her voice into a whisper, “Ah...um...ya see, ah...er...well...” Rarity noticed her inability to tell her and asked, “What’s wrong, darling? Can’t you tell me?” Applejack looked at her friend and said, “Ah...ah can, but...ah...ah don’t want ya to feel offended or anything.” Offering a polite and understanding smile, the fashionista said, “It’s okay to tell me, Applejack. I promise I won’t get mad.” Inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly, the orange earth pony said, “Somethin’ tells me that...ya know...this whole thing, Sweetie and Scoots bein’ together and all, is just...just...” “Just what?” Swallowing deeply, Applejack blurted out, “...just a phase.” “Just...” she said softly, a stunned look on her face, “...just a phase? In what way, dear?” Looking at the ground, Applejack said softly, “Well...ah just feel that this whole thing is just a phase in her life. Maybe...maybe, it’s just a brief thing that she’ll grow out of it...in time.” “Could...” she said softly, mostly to herself, “Could that be true? Could all of this...just be a phase...something that she will outgrow in time?” Rarity sat for a moment in silence, letting the words soak into her mind like a dried sponge getting hit with water. In all the time that Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were together, the thought of all of it being a “phase” that she’ll get over never crossed her mind. Now that the seeds of the idea were sown into her mind, she couldn’t stop thinking about them. The more she thought about them, the more she began to believe that it might be true. As she continued to think that it could be true, the more relaxed she began to feel. “Rare’s, ah’m sorry,” said Applejack, bringing her back from her thoughts, “Ah’m sorry if ah offended or made ya mad. Don’t get me wrong, sugar cube; I’m mighty happy that they are together and support them one-hundred percent, but...” Smiling, Rarity said, “Oh, don’t be sorry, Applejack. If anything, you’ve made me feel quite, dare I say, better!” “B-Better?” asked Applejack. “Why, of course, darling. Maybe it’s all just a simple phase of life, one that I’m sure she’ll outgrow in due time. Silly me, why didn’t I think of that before? Thank you so much for your help, dear. You’ve made me feel so much better.” With that, she wrapped her hooves around her friend, who wore a confused look on her face. “Um...” she said, returning the hug in a hesitant manner, “Yer welcome?” However, before either of them could release one another, a pink blur appeared out of nowhere with a wide smile on her face. “GROUP HUG!” she shouted, as she wrapped her hooves around the two of them, bringing them into her forced hug. “Pinkie Pie,” Applejack struggled to say, “What the hay are ya...” Still holding them in a tight hug, Pinkie Pie said, “Oh, I’m sorry. I just saw you two giving a hug to each other and I thought I’d join you!” Both the earth pony and the unicorn rolled their eyes and offered the pink pony a weary smile. Soon, Pinkie Pie released the two of them and trotted behind the counter, leaving the two of them in surprise again. Then, she returned with a plate in her mouth. When she placed it down, they saw that it was the pastries they had ordered. “Here’s your order!” said Pinkie before disappearing behind the counter in a blur. After a few silent moments, Rarity said, “Well, thanks again, Applejack. You’ve really helped me with this.” “If ya say so...” said Applejack as she scratched the back of her head. Without saying another word, Rarity levitated a pastry and took a small nibble out of it. Applejack just sat there, unsure if she was really any help to her unicorn friend. “So...Rarity,” said the orange mare, “What’re ya gonna do now?” Wiping her muzzle with a napkin, Rarity smiled and said, “I’m still going to talk to Filthy Rich about his daughter, but I’m not going to worry about it so much. If what you say is true, and all of this is just a phase, then I have nothing more to worry about.” “If ya say so,” she said hesitantly, as she picked up a pastry in her hooves and biting down on it. With that, the two of them sat and ate their pastries in silence. As the thought of her sister liking another filly only being a phase that she’ll soon overcome continued going through her mind, Rarity let out a contented sigh; the feeling of stress and worry was beginning to be alleviated from her body. Someday, Sweetie will meet a really nice colt, one that will capture her heart much more than any filly could, thought Rarity, as she took another nibble into her delectable delight. When that day comes, she’ll realize that being with a filly was nothing more than a simple phase and will put it all behind her. What’s the worst that could happen?