//------------------------------// // Before the storm // Story: The Prophecy of Sweetest Belle // by FaelaArts //------------------------------// Rarity was busy. She had to make all these clothes in a very short timespan. Luckily for her she had no other projects she was working on, and she managed to complete them in just twenty-four hours. All the while, she had to mentally force herself not to think of her sister, even when reminded of the little things she had done inside the boutique kept her fresh in Rarity’s mind.. The hardest part had been when she had finished the clothes, and realised she would have to wait a few hours for anypony to be up. Rarity found it hard to keep herself from glancing toward the hospital, or reorganising her objects. “Rarity, you in there? The lights are on.” Rarity snapped out of her melancholy, she realised someone had been knocking politely for the past five minutes. Pulling herself together, she walked toward the door and opened it to greet Twilight. “My my, you are certainly up early.” Rarity noticed she and Twilight had matching bags under their eyes and they shared a quick, sad smile. “Listen Rarity… I was wondering if you would allow me to cast a spell on you, as an experiment. It won’t harm you in any way, but I won’t force you to let me use it.” Even in her tired, and sadness filled body, Rarity couldn’t help but notice the guilt enveloping Twilight’s body. Her suspicions are aroused. “Only if you don’t mind telling me what the spell will do beforehand.” Twilight flinched, and Rarity’s suspicion grew. “It’s to…” she trailed off, and then looked Rarity in the eyes. “It’s to help ease some of the burden of what we are about to do.” Rarity felt her suspicions fly out the window, and felt a little silly for suspecting Twilight. She was a good friend, and she didn’t deserve to be looked at under a microscope. And truth be told, she wanted some help to ease this burden they were sharing. She didn’t want her sister to die, there had to be a way around it. If this spell would help her think a little clearer, she would welcome it. “Have you already cast it on the others?” she asked, and Twilight nodded. “You’re the last one, barring myself.” Rarity nodded, as if accepting that. “Alright dear, but on one condition. You cast the spell you just mentioned on yourself too.” Twilight nodded at Rarity’s request, and began charging her horn. Rarity closed her eyes in preparation. As the spell began to take effect she heard Twilight speak and opened her eyes in shock. “Please forgive me Rarity, most of all.” The spell hit, and for a brief moment Rarity realised what the spell was trying to do and tried to fight it, tears streaming down her face. And then Twilight upped the magic, and the spell took full effect. “No…” Rarity whispered as she collapsed as the spell finished. Twilight quickly went around the rooms and levitated anything and everything that was related to Sweetie Belle. Glancing around one more time, she saw the clothes for Rarity’s latest client, and wondered at the peculiar design before heading outside and closing the door behind her. Rarity opened her eyes a second later, and rubbed her head as a fierce migraine hit her. “Oh my, my head hurts,” she muttered, glancing around her Boutique. For some reason it felt a little different from earlier, but she couldn’t quite place it. Heading into the kitchen, she saw a shopping list and frowned. “What a strange list of items, what reason would I have for some rope?” She scrunched it up and tossed it into the bin before making a cup of coffee, and took a gentle sip. She sighed in bliss. “I do not know what it is about today, but I feel as if I’ve forgotten something important. Something sad…” she trailed off and mused on it a little more. Shrugging a bit, she decided to see if she had any orders to fill today. Walking out and up to her room where her list was kept, she passed a completely bare room and frowned. “I could have sworn something was inside there. Oh well, it mustn’t be important.” Trotting by, she levitated the door open and pulled over the list, giving her room a quick once-over to see the current project and what had been recently finished. “Strange, there’s one order here with five circles around it for importance. And the order is already finished even though it was the most recent addition.” Walking over to the order, she noticed how familiar they were and frowned. “The name, the order, the note, the room…Something is missing. Something named…” trying to remember it, she trailed off. Growling, she glanced to the form again, and frowned at the name she was having trouble reading. “Swee—teee—belle?” She mused for a moment over the name, her headache coming on stronger and stronger until, just like that, the wall around her memory shattered. “Sweetie Belle!” All at once her memories rushed back, and so did her grief at the current situation and the knowledge of what the shopping list, clothes, and blank room meant. “Twilight tried to wipe my memory!” Rarity was angry, and conflicted. She knew Twilight had only been trying to help, and she had asked first but the act was self explanatory! And what’s more, she was no closer to finding a solution to her problem. “I’ll...Just have to ask them.” Rarity walked back into the kitchen and retrieved the shopping list and hid it in her saddlebags as she levitated them onto her back. Heading out the door, she made a beeline for Applejack farm. “Howdy Rarity, you sure are up this early normally aren’t ya?” Rarity had found Applejack about to go bucking apples, so she wouldn’t have to go searching the fields, thankfully. “Yes dear, I was wondering if I could ask a question if possible.” After Rarity finished speaking, Applejack put down what she was carrying, and paid full attention to Rarity. “If you had to choose between Apple Bloom and the world, what would you pick?” Applejack paused, and considered it carefully. “That’s a tough one. Well…Honestly the obvious option is the world an’ all. But deep down, I would still pick mah sister.” Applejack seemed uncomfortable about the question, and her own answer. Rarity smiled, and thanked Applejack before leaving. Ever honest, Rarity was starting to understand what choice she would have to make. “Who would I pick? My friends or the world?” Rainbow Dash had been sleeping on a cloud on Rarity’s way to Fluttershy, so it was the perfect chance to ask. “I love the world as much as the next pony, but I would never abandon my friends, never again.” Rarity was puzzled what Rainbow meant by ‘never again’ but chalked it up to something to do with Loyalty. She thanked Rainbow Dash, and continued on. “I-Is there n-no way to choose both?” Fluttershy, ever the optimist was the first to ask that question, and with a heavy heart Rarity shook her head in answer. “We-Well I-I could never chose one or the other. B-But if it was at a-a very dangerous pl-place I wo-would probably go with m-my friends.” Rarity nodded, and comforted Fluttershy, who had started crying at the imagination of having to be in such a situation. Entering Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie Pie was manning the desk and Rarity was glad. “Well Hi! Rarity, what brings you here this early birdy in the morning?” Rarity chuckled, feeling as if she had just drank a whole cup of coffee just from being around Pinkie Pie. “I was wondering if I would ask you a quick question my dear.” Pinkie Pie leapt over the counter and stood barely a millimetre from Rarity. “Oooh, okay! But only if you promise to try my new SUPER DUPER QUADRA CUPCAKE!” Rarity chuckled, and agreed, pulling out her purse in preparation for an expensive answer. “If you had to choose between the world and us, your friends who would you-“ Pinkie Pie cut Rarity off, and answered without hesitation. “My friends of course! the world has lotsa ponies but I could never give up my old friends for the sake of new friends. NOW TRY MY CUPCAKE!” Exiting the store after a long, and expensive, candy binge, Rarity felt a certain acceptance in her heart. She knew what to do. Rarity walked toward the hospital, saddlebags filled with items. She heaved a heart-wrenching sigh, and gazed up at the moon. Tonight was the last chance she would have to speak with her sister before it was time to take her to Celestia. Walking indoors, she reminisced on the times she had had with her sister. “Rarity?” spoke the voice she had been missing all this time, and Rarity forced herself not to try or leap towards her sister in open joy to be seeing her. Instead she approached, casual but not cold. “Sweetie Belle, I want to ask you a question.” Rarity watched her sister close the book she had been reading, and pay full attention to her. “Do you believe Zecora is telling the truth about a way to stop the Prophecy?” Rarity wanted to ensure this was what Sweetie Belle truthfully wanted to do. Sweetie Belle nodded gravely, fierce determination in her eyes. Rarity could see she was not fully recovered yet, but she would walk fine. Rarity felt the tears come again, and closed her eyes before just letting them flow. Reaching behind her she pulled the saddlebags off her back and placed them on the bed beside her sister, before turning away. “Then go, I love you too much to let you die.” It took a few moments for Sweetie Belle to be able to stand, tears of honest joy and sadness flowing from her face. She leapt off the bed, and hugged her sister, who quickly turned to hold her sister one last time. “I love you sis, I’ll find a way to stop the world from dying or whatever this prophecy is saying. Don’t forget about me.” Sweetie Belle wanted to stay there in her sister’s embrace forever, but they both knew they didn’t have nearly enough time to be selfish, not anymore. “Be strong, and come back one day.” They separated at Rarity’s words, and Sweetie Belle put on the saddlebags, a bit too big for her, but enchanted so as to be light enough for her to carry, and also so as to stay on her back. They each embraced one last time, and Sweetie Belle began to head for the door. “I’ll be back Rarity.” Sweetie spared one last look back at Rarity, before walking out of the hospital and towards the woods. Rarity’s legs gave way and she collapsed on to the bed and openly sobbed. The book forgotten on the bedside table. Sweetie Belle cast one final glance over her shoulder before disappearing into the false light of predawn. “Please be safe.”