//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 - Sisters // Story: Sweetie of Bot // by wolfdreamer //------------------------------// A few spattering drops of water fell off the edge of the Carosuol Boutique, as high above it, the last of the clouds were being dismantled. Almost all, that is. “Don’t move the cloud to the Old Mares Home, kick them.” Yelled one multi colored manned Pegasus. The gray Pegasus she was yelling at stopped packing the clouds together and looking sheepish said, “Oops, sorry. My bad!” Inside the boutique, a voice rang out. “Sweetie Belle, it’s time to wake up. Breakfast is ready.” Sweetie Belle, rubbing her eyes of sleep frowned. “I wanted to make breakfast for you again. Mommy’s been teaching me how to cook and I hardly set things on fire anymore!” Rariity just blinked and smiled, “How nice, er, maybe tomorrow? Anyways, I have a lot to do today, so let’s get started. Let me get your mane brushed. It is your best feature after all.” And with a harried brushing and only a few, “Ow!. You’re hurting me!!” The two ponies sat down for breakfast. As Sweetie stuffed a piece of toast into her mouth, she mumbled, “Isn’t it great that mommy and daddy both had to go to Mareisota in St. Celestias. I can’t believe Daddy’s bowling league and mommy’s tuppermare convention were meeting in the same city.” Pieces of toast flew out of her mouth in her excitement. “Now we can spend the whole weekend together.” Rarity, who had been sipping her tea set her cup down, and using her horn, picked up her napkin and wiped her mouth. Then rolling her eyes, she said, “Yes, bowling and, ugh, tupermare… However, as much as I’d love to spend time with you, I have a large order I need to finish by tomorrow. You might want to play outside today.” “Noooo!! I want to help. Please!!” Sweetie made her eyes grow large and pouted. “Oh very well, but I think you’ll be rather bored. But first, let’s clean up and get started.” Rarity used her magic to take the dishes to the sink while Sweetie Belle carried the napkins to the cloths basket. As she came back, she looked out the window and watched the last cloud get bucked and the Pegasi fly up to Clouddsdale. Seeing that, reminded her of something. “Hey Rarity!! Wasn’t it loud last night? And didn’t it feel like the ground shook?” Rarity looked behind her, and sighed, “Sweetie, darling it’s called a thunderstorm…” She paused as she blew off a bit of soapsuds that had landed on her nose, “and while I agree that it was a bit louder then usual, and there were quite a few large flashes of light, it was just a thunderstorm.” Rarity’s voice lowered as she mumbled to herself, “Rainbow must have put that gray pony in charge. What was she thinking? Now, if I was in charge of the weather, things like that wouldn’t happen.” Noticing that her sister was staring at her, she quickly stopped talking. “…Err, and were done. Ready to have fun and make some dresses?” “Yes!!” Squeaked Sweetie Belle as she hopped up and down around her sister. “This is going to be fun!” - 2 and ½ hours later - “Bored now.” Mumbled Sweetie, as she sat on the floor watching manipulated pieces of fabric move around on Rarity’s ponyqins. Rarity was oblivious to Sweetie’s sighs and eye rolls. It wasn’t that she was heartless. She was trying to involve Sweetie Belle. In her mouth she was holding a half dozen threaded needles. On her forehooves were several fabrics of different hues and tpes. Even her neck had a tape measure around it, looking like a long thin scarf. However, the heavy fabrics caused the filly’s hooves to shake and she mumbled while trying to talk around the needles. Finally after a few minutes of this, Rarity looked up and saw Sweetie’s discomfort. With a quick swish of her head and the glow of her horn, the items whisked off of Sweetie Belle and flew to various places around the boutique. Finally relieved of the weight of the materials Sweetie Belle collapsed to the floor. Rarity blinked at Sweetie Belle a few times, then turned back to the ponyquins. As she manipulated a bit of silk and lace, she began to absently speak to her sister. “Sweetie Belle, darling, as much as I’ve loved spending time with you and you’ve been such a big help, why don’t you go play now? Later, if you want you can help me sew these together. Wont that be fun?” Sweetie Belle frowned, “Well, maybe. Only….” “In fact,” continued Rarity as she began to put random colorfull feathers around the edge of a dress. “Why don’t you go play with Applebloom?” “I can’t. She and AppleJack are spending the day raising their barn…again!” Squeaked Sweetie as she seemed to sink future in the carpet. “That’s nice. Why don’t you play with Scootallo too?” Said Rarity, as she contemplated two similar hued fabrics before deciding on one. “I can’t play with her either. She’s getting her scooter fixed after running it into the Apples’ barn…AGAIN!” By now, Sweetie almost seemed to meld with the carpet, she was lying completely on the floor with her forehooves in front and her back hooves stretched behind her. She looked like some strange little pony rug. Rarity, now completely engrossed in her creation, just gave non committal, “Mmhmm,” and “That’s nice dear.” Sweetie continued to kick her back hooves and whine “bored, bored still bored.” Rarity, not turning from her dresses made another suggestion. “If you don’t want to play with Scootaloo or AppleBloom, why not play with another filly? How about that Silver Spoon? Or Golden Tiara? They both have such marvelous fashion sense. I’m sure both of them would make excellent playmates and role models.” Sweetie Belle’s mouth opened and a tiny squeak came out, “Golden Tiara, Silver Spoon! What!!” She glared at her older sister who was completely oblivious to her anger. “mmmmhh, That’s nice dear.” Rarity continued to change patterns and styles on her dummy's. After awhile, Sweetie calmed down and decided to act more grown up and mature. She decided the most grown up and mature action she could to was pout. Thrusting out her lower lip, she sat up and turned away from Rarity. She added a few, “hmphs,” and “a-hem’s” for extra measures. She also turned her ears slightly, to quickly catch the moment when Rarity burst into tears, bolted up to her, apologized properly while hoofing her dozens of brightly wrapped apology presents for what she put Sweetie through. Sadly, it was all in vain. Rarity was in the artistic zone and had no idea what was going on around her. In fact her quiet mumblings were turning into full conversations with herself. “…Now if I put that there, and if I add that. No, that won’t do. Maybe this? No, no, no. Something’s missing. But what?” She paused and looked at her different creations. “Think Rarity, think. What’s wrong?” Rarity leaned in closer and tapped her chin with her hoof. Suddenly inspiration seemed to hit. “What if I dyed the bodice? It looks beautiful, but I think it needs a new color. That’s it, a new color.” Glancing at the shelf that contained her dyes, Rarity frowned. “Oh no! I’m out! This! Is! The! Worst! Possible! Thing!” As she finished talking, she raised her forehoof to her head as if she were about to faint. However, before she collapsed, she shook her head back and forth and calmed herself down. “No Rarity, you must be strong. I’ll simply go to Zecora’s after lunch and get the dyes. You can get through this, this travesty. Somehow. In the meantime, I’d better get back to work. Now if I put this here and this gem here…” With that she continued to work on her creation. Sweetie Belle, having forgotten her pouting as she listened to Rarity talk to herself, grew excited. “Zecora. The Everfree forest. An adventure! Maybe a chance to earn my cutie mark!” Sweetie smiled at her own cleverness. “Rarity, I’ll pick up the dyes for you.” She raced around the boutique grabbing her saddlebag, and a juice box for energy. Gathering everything she needed she galloped to the door. Waving her fronthoof goodbye, she trotted out the door and slammed it behind her. Rarity, finally snapped out of her concentration looked around. “Sweetie Belle? Darling, where are you?” Not hearing an answer she shrugged her shoulders and turned back to her dress. “I suppose she went out to play with Applebloom and Scootaloo. In the meantime, what if I put this here…”