Sweetie Belle galloped away from the bakery all the way to her and her sister's home, known as The Carousel Boutique. It was a dress-maker's shop that her sister, Rarity, owned and operated. She made beautiful dresses and lovely gowns of different varieties and styles.
As she approached, she opened the door and quickly closed it behind her. Then, she looked out the window of the shop to make sure she wasn't followed. When she was satisfied that she wasn't followed by her fellow Crusaders, she sighed in relief and began heading to the living quarters above the shop.
When she reached the top floor, she turned right down the hallway and made her way to her sister’s work room. When she got there, she saw Rarity, a white unicorn with a lovely purple mane and three diamonds as her Cutie Mark, rushing back and forth; no doubt working on a new outfit or clothing line for a client. Sweetie Belle walked into the room, which Rarity called her "inspiration room", sat on the floor in the corner and watched.
As her sister ran back and forth across the room, Sweetie Belle sighed with relief. One benefit of having a sister who was an important seamstress was that she was always too busy to really listen to her. She could tell her anything at this point, but her attention would be on her work to really listen to her. As a direct result, she felt that she could really talk to her and get some of this off her chest, whatever it was.
"Hey, sis," she said, a small flicker of a smile on her face, "How are you?"
"Hello, Sweetie Belle," said Rarity as she levitated three massive rolls of fabric with her magic, not making eye contact with her, "How was your day with your friends?"
"Fine," Sweetie answered, as she continued to watch her work. She sat and watched in silence for a while, making sure Rarity was really in depth with her work to be really paying attention to her. After several minutes of saying nothing, she was convinced that Rarity was too busy to notice her presence.
"Um, Rarity," she began to say, her heart racing, "Can I ask you something?"
"Of course, darling," Rarity said as she began measuring and cutting a piece of lavender fabric.
"Well, I was wondering if you can help me with something," Sweetie Belle said as she twiddled her forehooves on the ground.
"Okay," Rarity said, still not looking at her.
"I was hanging out with my friends when something happened. Something that I really don't know anything about," she explained, "I've been feeling a bit...strange...and I don't really know why I started feeling this way."
"Uh-huh," said Rarity, as she began putting away some fabric she no longer needed.
"I can't really explain what it is that happened, but my heart begins to race and my cheeks begin to feel really hot," she continued as she rubbed her cheek with a hoof.
At this point, Rarity began operating her sewing machine, carefully stitching a part of her new outfit together. As she began feeding the fabric through, Sweetie Belle began to think about something. She wasn't sure if she should mention anypony's name in this whole ordeal; Celestia forbid that she was actually paying any attention to her.
"Well, it all started when...um...a...a new friend I made...," she fibbed, not sure of how to put it, "They...um...gave me...a...a...a hug, and..."
Sweetie Belle stopped in mid-sentence when she heard a sound she didn't want to hear: the sewing machine turning off. Her heart began racing and sweat began forming around her forehead; Rarity was listening to her, or at least enough to catch her attention.
Rarity had widened eyes and a shocked expression on her face when turned and faced her younger sister. She stood there by her desk, not sure if she had heard Sweetie Belle correctly.
"What did you say, dear?" she asked as she slowly trotted over to her.
A feeling of discomfort began to overflow through the small filly's body as she began backing away from her sister. She backed up into the wall, knowing there was nowhere left to go. Her eyes shifted back and forth, hoping to find some kind of exit. Much to her despair, there was no way of avoiding the older, white unicorn.
"Oh...uh...it's nothing," she fibbed, still looking for a way out of the mess she was in, "It's just small stuff, you know. Besides, I've wasted enough of your time as it is, so I'll just leave you alone and..."
She began bolting for the door, hoping to make it before it was too late. However, using the magic that she possessed, Rarity closed the door, causing Sweetie Belle to knock her head into it. She stood there, slightly disorientated from the impact.
"Not so fast, little sister," said Rarity with a coy look on her face, "Did you say you were 'hugged' by a 'new friend?'"
Sweetie Belle regained her focus as she came face-to-face with her sister. Rarity had a smile on her face and a look in her eyes like she knew something about all this. The very sight of her sister like this sent chills down the filly's spine.
"Well..." she said, crouching down on her legs, "...it's not a big deal...really! It was just a friendly hug, that’s all."
The look never left Rarity's face. "And, did you also say that you felt 'strange feelings' afterward?"
Almost in a defeated manor, the small filly lowered her head and nodded.
"What kind of feelings?" Rarity asked, "Be specific for I might be able to help you."
Sweetie Belle looked down at her hooves and said, "Well...my heart races...my cheeks feel really warm...I become at a loss of words...I'm staring into emptiness...it's almost like time just...stands still...I guess."
When she was finished, Rarity backed off and let out a soft giggle. What part of all this was amusing to her? Did she know what was wrong, or was she just playing around?
"Oh, this is just marvelous, Sweet'ums!" she said, turning her back on her in an attempt to suppress her giggling, "I cannot believe that it's happening so soon! It's just unbelievable!"
Sweetie Belle was able to stand up straight again, but the fear and worry never left. "You know what this is? What is it and how do you know about it?"
"Well, Sweetie," she said, as she turned to look at her sister, "I may be busy with my dresses and latest fashion designs, but there are times when I'm not busy. When they do arise, I do tend to do some light reading. As a result, I know what's happening to you and, although I am a bit jealous, I simply cannot believe it's actually happening! This is absolutely marvelous, dear!"
"What?" asked Sweetie Belle, "What's happening? What is it?"
"Oh, my dear, sweet sister," said Rarity with a huge smile on her face, "It seems you've fallen in love!"
The world came to a perpetual stand-still as the words left her mouth. Everything that Sweetie Belle ever thought was racing through her mind and was flashing before her eyes. Apparently, there were several things wrong with what was happening right now. For starters, she was in love, something she was not used to, aside from family love. Secondly, her sister knew about this and, for some reason that terrified her. Lastly, unknown to Rarity, these feelings were all directed to one pony: Scootaloo.
Unable to make heads or tails on anything else at the moment, Sweetie Belle, feeling very light-headed and dizzy, blacked out and collapsed on the floor.