//------------------------------// // Sibling Rivalry // Story: My Little Pony, Friendship is Out of This World // by Robobrony //------------------------------// Sibling Rivalry Nightmare Night had come and gone and Nova informed Derpy Hooves of the fact that he and his family were aliens from another planet. She was skeptical at first since Nova had his pony disguise on at the time, but when he revealed his true self, she believed. How can you not when you have an alien standing right in front of you? She was accepting, to Nova’s relief and she promised to keep it a secret as well. Nova felt a bit more confident then at letting others know of his secret, but only those he was friends with. He let His other friends know that he told Derpy about it as well. Today was just another Saturday with nothing major going on, so feeling confident about letting others in on his secret, he figured he might as well let the rest of Applejack’s family know too. He and Starburst headed on over with Starburst feeling glad about what they were about to do. They arrived at the apple house and Nova knocked on the door. Applejack answered shortly after and greeted them happily. “Howdy Nova, hey Starburst, what brings you two by?” “Hey Applejack, is your family around?” Nova asked. “Well, Big Mac is around the side taken care of the pigs with Apple Bloom and Granny Smith is nappin right now. Why?” “Applejack, I….I would like to…..um….well…..” Nova was having trouble forming the words, he still felt a little uneasy about this. Starburst, on the other hoof, did not. “We want to let the rest of your family in on our secret.” He blurted out. Nova looked at his little brother first, then hung his head and sighed out. “Yes Applejack, as my little brother pointed out, I think the rest of your family deserves to know as well since you and your sister know.” Applejack smiled at Nova. “Well shoot, aint that nice o’ ya. All right then, come on in and I’ll gather them up.” She stepped aside to let them in. “You two just make yerselves comfortable and I’ll fetch Big Mac and Apple Bloom.” “Ok, thanks Applejack.” Nova said with a smile. The two brothers walked in and took a seat on the couch in the living room. Granny Smith was snoozing away in a rocking chair off to the side. Applejack soon came back with Apple Bloom and Big Mac in tow. Upon seeing Starburst, Apple Bloom lit up. “Hey Starburst, glad you came by.” She said as she ran up to him. Starburst got off the couch and greeted her. “Hey Apple Bloom.” “So what brings ya by?” Apple Bloom asked. “We’ll get to that in a sec Apple Bloom.” Nova said. Applejack walked over to Granny Smith and gently prodded at her to wake her up. “Granny Smith, wake up, we got guests.” “Huh, whuzzat, what? Oh, well howdy Nova, what brings ya by?” Granny Smith asked with a smile. “Well Applejack, what’s all this about?” Big Mac asked. “Nova here has somethin he wants ta tell ya’ll.” Applejack informed. “Whatcha got on yer mind sonny?” Granny asked. Nova and Starburst stood before the apple family and Nova took a deep breath. “All right, I have something very important to tell you all and I want you to promise not to tell any pony else about it. This is very important to me so I would like you all to promise that what I have to say will not go beyond these walls without my permission. Ok?” “Gosh, this sounds serious, what’s goin on Nova?” Granny asked with concern. “Please every pony, promise you won’t repeat what we’re about to say to any pony else.” Starburst begged. Big Mac looked uncertain. “Well, all right, but I don’t like the way this is goin. What is it ya’ll want ta tell us that is so important?” Nova began. “Every pony, me and my family are aliens from another world.” Applejack and Apple Bloom smiled. “Ya mean yer letting ma family in on it now?” Apple Bloom asked happily. “Now hold on, did you just say aliens from another world?” Granny asked. “We sure did.” Starburst informed. He was the first to happily reach his left hoof up and pressed the button on his invisible necklace to deactivate his disguise. “Ta da!” He cheered as he threw his forelegs out. Nova snickered at his little brother’s enthusiasm. He just shook his head. Granny and Big Mac went slack jawed at what they were seeing. Nova finally turned off his disguise as well. “Yes, as you can see, me and Starburst are aliens. We came here looking for a new home.” “Well landsakes, I’m seein it, and I don’t believe it.” Granny said. Apple Bloom took to Starburst’s side. “Come ya’ll, you promised not ta say anythin ta anypony now.” She stated. “Apple Bloom, you knew about this?” Big Mac asked. “Yep. But we didn’t say anything cause Starburst here made me and Applejack promise not to say nothin.” Big Mac then turned to Applejack. “You knew too?” Applejack took to Nova’s side as she answered. “I did, and I made a promise not ta say anything, which is why I didn’t tell ya’ll myself. Besides, so what if these two are aliens, they’re good ponies who just wanted a home to live their lives. Big Mac, you know what a good foal Starburst is. You watched him a few times didn’t you?” Big Mac smiled. “Yeah, you got a point there.” “Well hog tie me and roast me over an open fire. Ain’t this a hoot?” Granny expressed with a smile. Things were going so well as Nova explained to the rest of the apple family about himself and his family. He was starting to feel glad he did this. Once the talk was over, Applejack got a chance to talk with Nova alone a minute while Apple Bloom went off to play with Starburst a bit, Big Mac went back to work, and Granny went back to her chair to catch up on some snoozing. They sat on the couch and spoke. “Nova, we got a bit of an event coming up.” Applejack informed. “Oh, what kind of event?” Nova asked. “It’s called the sibling hooves social. It’s this competition where teams of siblings, brothers and sisters, team up and compete against each other. I’d like it if you and yer little brother could come to it. What do ya say?” She smiled at him in hopes he’d accept. “A….competition? Well…..it does sound interesting.” Nova mused. Applejack nudged him with a hoof. “Come on Nova, I just know Starburst will have fun with it. The little feller will have a blast.” Nova smiled back. “All right, sure, when is it going on?” “We’re hosting it here at Sweet Apple Acres in two days. Trust me, you two are gonna have a lot of fun.” “Great, say Applejack, I don’t have anything going on tomorrow, would you like some help with any farm work?” Nova asked. “You want ta help me with ma farm?” Applejack asked as she raised an eyebrow. “Well, I did want to spend some time with Twilight tomorrow, but she said she has a lot of studying to do, so I figured why not help out a friend instead.” “Well aint that nice o ya ta offer. Sure thing Nova, thanks.” Applejack said as she gave an appreciative smile. The next day, Nova and Starburst made their way to Sweet Apple Acres to help out Applejack on her farm. Applejack wasted no time in giving the youngens a task. “All right Apple Bloom, Starburst, I would like ya’ll to take this here stack of flyers tellin every pony about the sibling hooves social goin on and put em up around town.” “Sure thing sis, you can count on us.” Apple Bloom stated. “Don’t worry Applejack, we got this.” Starburst said. Starburst picked up one half of the stack while Apple Bloom took the other and the two headed out into town to put up flyers. After a while, Apple Bloom had one flyer left. Before she could put it up, they saw Sweetie Bell approaching, hanging her head. Starburst picked up on this and looked a little worried for her. Apple Bloom just smiled and walked up to her with a flyer in her mouth. She set the flyer down to talk. “How’s the sleepover at Rarity’s goin?” She asked happily. At first, Sweetie Belle gave a flat look with a roll of her eyes, then put on a fake smile and spoke. “Why it’s smashing.” She frowned again and walked past Apple Bloom. “Sweetie Belle, what’s wrong? Why are you upset?” Starburst asked. Sweetie Belle walked up to a fountain nearby and sat on the edge. “I just want to do something with my sister that doesn’t include me goofing things up.” Apple Bloom quickly picked up one of the flyers she and Starburst were putting around and rushed over to her. “OH, the sibling hooves social! Applejack and I do it every year. You and Rarity can compete against other sibling teams in all these neat events.” Sweetie Belle lit up at the idea. “That sounds like the perfect way for us to hang out. Rarity will think it’s excellent.” Starburst smiled, glad to see Sweetie Belle happy. “Glad to hear you like it, me and Nova will be competing too.” His smiled softened. “Though, I don’t think Rarity will like it. Knowing how she is, she might not like the idea. But good luck getting her to come anyway.” “Thanks Starburst, I’ll see you two later, I’m gonna go tell Rarity about this.” Sweetie Belle then ran off back to Rarity’s. Apple Bloom turned to Starburst. “Come on Starburst, let’s head back to the farm, we got all the flyers up now.” “Right, let’s help out Applejack and Nova.” The two then took off for the farm to help their older siblings with the chores. Once the two returned, they went right to work helping Nova and Applejack with apple collecting, putting apples in to the buckets that didn’t make it in. Despite Nova letting the apple family in on his secret, Nova felt it best to keep his and his brother’s disguise up just in case some pony came around. Later on, Big Mac came to join them and help out as well. Sweetie Belle ended up showing up at the farm again and flopped herself right on a hay bale. Nova was the first to approach her. “Sweetie Belle, what’s wrong?” He asked with concern. “It’s Rarity, she doesn’t want to take part in the sibling social hooves, she says it’s uncouth.” Sweetie informed. Applejack seemed to take offense to this. “Uncouth? She said the sibling hooves social is uncouth?” Apple Bloom popped out of a nearby bucket of apples eating an apple. “Yeah, uncouth?” She ate the rest of it in one bite then belched out. “Um, what does uncouth mean?” Starburst asked as he took to his brother’s side. “It’s not just the social, she thinks I’m uncouth.” Sweetie Belle said sadly. Nova frowned at this. “Well that isn’t very sisterly of her.” Applejack joined Nova. “Honey, Rarity thinks everything is uncouth.” Apple Bloom came up to her sister with a mouth full and wiped away some drool from her mouth. “What’s uncouth?” She asked. “It’s another word for having bad manners.” Nova informed. Apple Bloom then let out a louder belch. “Exactly.” Applejack exclaimed with a smile. Starburst snickered at Apple Bloom’s display. Nova approached Sweetie Belle and put a comforting hoof on her back. “Sweetie Belle, Rarity may not be the best sister, but all siblings care about their brothers and sisters. It may not be obvious all the time, and they do have their arguments every now and then, but one thing is absolute. Siblings care for one another. Trust me Sweetie, Rarity may not seem like it, but she does care about you, she just doesn’t know how to show it.” “Yeah, what Nova said. I’m sure Rarity is probably starting to feel guilty about any arguments you had before.” Starburst informed. Sweetie Belle looked up to Nova who was giving her a smile. “You really think so?” “She’ll come around Sweetie Belle, sisters always do.” Applejack added. “Now how about you give us a hoof with these chores? Maybe it’ll help take your mind off things.” Nova stated. “You sure you want me to help? I just mess everything up.” Sweetie Belle stated. “Oh that’s just stinkin thinkin, watch.” Applejack said as she trotted to a group of apples on the ground with Apple Bloom. Nova and Starburst did the same. Apple Bloom and Starburst both grabbed a bucket and brought it to the field. Applejack picked up a rotten looking apple and tossed it to Apple Bloom. Apple Bloom quickly picked up the bucket with her head and caught the apple with it. “Good catch there Apple Bloom.” Applejack stated. Starburst zapped up his wings and flew up. Nova picked up another rotten apple with his magic and gave it a toss in the air. “Starburst, incoming!” Nova called. Starburst zipped in and caught it with his hooves, then dropped it in the bucket. All the while, the siblings giggled away. Sweetie Belle watched as they did this. “This is a chore?” She asked. “Can’t tell can ya?” Starburst asked as he caught another apple. Applejack explained. “Since we can’t sell the bruised apples, we gotta collect em for the pigs to eat.” Apple Bloom set the bucket down and bounced another apple off her hip and into the bucket. “It’s a lot of work, so we made a game out of it. We taught it to Nova and Starburst a while ago when they offered ta help us out here yesterday. You wanna try?” Sweetie Belle looked unsure as she stood next to a bucket. “Um, ok.” Applejack bucked an apple at her, it slammed into Sweetie Belle’s forehead and got stuck on her horn. “Ow. You’re right, it is hard work.” “That’s why we do it…” Apple Bloom started, then Applejack spoke with her. “Together.” Sweetie Belle looked to the side with a frown. “Humpf, Rarity never wants to do chores together.” Later in the day, Applejack and Nova had gathered a bunch of grapes and placed them in a large bucket with a faucet on the side. Applejack threw in one more bunch of grapes. “Apple Bloom, Starburst, you two are up!” She called out. Apple Bloom ran up to her sister and jumped on her back. Applejack boosted her sister into the bucket while Starburst flew in to join her. Together, they happily squashed around on the grapes and stomped them into juice. Applejack placed a jar under the faucet and turned the handle. The juice filled the jar before Applejack turned it off. “Your making grape juice?” Sweetie Belle squeaked out. “Rarity would call the fashion police if I got grape juice anywhere near one of her outfits.” Sweetie Belle stated. Starburst and Apple Bloom hung their forelegs over the edge of the container as they listened. “The fashion police?” Starburst questioned. “Well that’s just silly.” Apple Bloom said with a hoof wave. She then grabbed Starburst’s hoof and pulled him with her as she fell back into the bucket and splashed some grape juice all over Applejack and Nova. Applejack looked angry at first. “Apple Bloom.” As did Nova. “Oh, you two are so going to get it.” He said with a smirk. Sweetie Belle feared for her friends. “Please you two, they didn’t mean…” Sweetie Belle didn’t get to finish her sentence as Applejack and Nova dove into the bucket and on top of their younger siblings. Every pony’s ears were filled with laughter as Applejack gave her little sister a playful noogie and Apple Bloom just laughed. “How do you like them grapes you little whipper snapper?” Applejack said. “Get grape juice all over me will you, you little woozle fly.” Nova said with a smile as he tickled his little brother on the belly. “Heh HA, stop it, heh heh, that…that tickles!” Starburst tried to say through fits of laughter. Sweetie Belle smiled at the scene as she watched the four play. They all moved on to the next chore, which was to heard a group of sheep from a pasture to a fenced area. Nova and Starburst worked together in the back to keep the sheep moving while Applejack and Apple Bloom were in the thick of the heard. “Apple Bloom!” Applejack called out. “Got it sis!” Apple Bloom called back. She bumped her side into another sheep that was getting out of line and pushed it back with the heard. “Starburst, on your left!” Nova called out. A sheep was falling behind. “On it bro!” Starburst called out. Starburst got behind the sheep and butted it’s rear to get it to move faster and keep up with the others. The sheep all ran into a pen. “Wow, it’s as if they’re just one pony.” Sweetie Belle commented as she watched. “YEEHAW!” Applejack and Apple Bloom cheered as they high hoofed each other. “Way to coral some critters sis.” Applejack complimented. “You could have just asked.” One of the sheep said. Applejack just bucked the gate closed. Nova and Starburst were surprised by this. “WHOA, um, Applejack, if they can talk, why didn’t we just ask them to get into the pen?” Nova asked. “It’s more fun that way.” Applejack simply stated. “Rarity never high hooves me.” Sweetie Belle said in a huff. Nova heard this and frowned. He approached her in hopes of trying to cheer her up. “Sweetie Belle, you need to stop thinking about whatever argument you two had. It’ll just make you feel worse and worse. What exactly happened between you two anyway?” Sweetie Belle looked at him with sad eyes. “I just wanted to do something nice for her and all I seem to do is mess everything up. She got mad at me when I tried to wash some clothes for her, but apparently, I ended up washing this important wool sweater of hers and it shrank in the sun. Then I tried to make a nice picture of us together for her. I used these gem stones and glued them onto the picture in the shape of a heart around it, but she got mad at me for that too. Then I tried cleaning up her work room for her and she got mad at me for that too. No matter what I try to do for her, I always get in trouble for it.” Sweetie Belle hung her head. “Then, finally, when I went to ask her to go to the sibling hooves social, we had a big argument and we both said we’d be better off without a sister. That’s when I came here.” “Oh Sweetie Belle. It sounds like you really care about Rarity if you tried to do so many things for her, but perhaps you should have asked permission to mess with the things you did that got Rarity mad at you. It was nice of you to try and do those things for her. I’m sure if you give her time, she’ll come around and realize the mistake she made for saying she would be better off without a sister. Siblings are an important thing in life.” Nova explained. He took her in a hug to try and comfort her. “Really?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Of course they are. Hay, if it wasn’t for me having a little brother while we were wandering around in space, I probably would have gone mad with loneliness. Trust me Sweetie Belle, you are lucky to have a big sister, and I think Rarity is even luckier to have you for a little sister.” They broke their hug as Sweetie Belle looked up at Nova with a smile. “Thanks Nova.” She said. Applejack approached them. “Come on ya’ll, to thank ya fer yer help today, why don’t ya’ll join us fer a camp out in the orchard?” Applejack offered. “Camp out?” Starburst asked. “What’s a camp out?” Apple Bloom explained. “It’s when we sleep outside in tents and roast marshmallows in front of a camp fire.” “That sounds like fun.” Starburst said. “Thanks Applejack, we’ll take you up on your offer.” Nova stated. “Come on Sweetie Belle, you can join us too.” Applejack said to Sweetie Belle. Later that evening, they were all gathered around the campfire with tents set up. They were each holding a stick with a marshmallow on it, roasting it over the fire. “Sweetie Belle.” Rarity said as she appeared and trotted up to Sweetie Belle. “Oh, I have been galloping all over looking for you, I…” Rarity was cut off by Sweetie Belle turning her head away and turning her nose up. The four siblings watched with worry at this. “Oh, hello UN-sister, what are you doing here? Better be careful or you might get some dust on you.” Sweetie snarked. “Oh Sweetie Belle, I wanted to apologize. I am not better off without a sister.” Rarity said. Sweetie Belle turned to face Rarity. “I’m not better off without a sister either, spending the day with Applejack, Apple Bloom, Nova, and Starburst made me realize that.” Rarity smiled at this news and reached a hoof over to her. “Oh Sweetie, you have no idea how happy I am to hear you say…” She was cut off as Sweetie Belle whacked Rarity’s hoof away. “And that’s why I’m adopting Applejack and Nova as my big sister and big brother!” Sweetie Belle declared. She rushed over and hugged the two. “WHAT?!” Rarity exclaimed. “WHAT?” All four siblings exclaimed as well. “A sibling is someone who loves and takes care of another sibling. Applejack and Nova are real siblings.” Sweetie Belle said. Rarity glared at the two. They just gave a sheepish smile. Applejack looked down at Sweetie Belle. “Hold on Sweetie Belle, don’t get ahead of yerself here.” She pushed Sweetie back a bit. “Yeah!” Apple Bloom said angrily. “Besides, she’s MY big sister.” She said as she held Applejacks back leg. “Hold on, does that mean Sweetie Belle will be my sister too?” Starburst asked. Nova just looked at his brother, then over to Sweetie Belle. “Sweetie Belle, don’t you think your over reacting. Rarity did say she came here to apologize.” Sweetie Belle didn’t listen. “OR, maybe they could be your brother and sister, so they can teach you what a good sibling is supposed to be.” “Uh, actually….” Applejack tried to say something, but was drawing a blank. Rarity came up to Sweetie Belle low to the ground. “Oh, I don’t need lessons on being a good sister, I promise.” She got up and placed a hoof on Sweetie’s shoulder. “Listen, I’ll show you how to cook my favorite kiesh. Or, I’ll show you the proper way to beautify your mane. Won’t that be fun?” She asked desperately. Sweetie Belle just glared at her as she approached Rarity, causing her to back up a bit. “Let me get this straight. You want me to go home with you so WE can do what YOU want to do?” “Uh, yes.” Rarity answered. Sweetie Belle groaned and walked off in a huff. “Ugh, just forget it.” Starburst watched in worry as she stormed off. “Big brother, do you think I should talk to her? I don’t like seeing her upset like this.” “You can try Starburst.” Nova stated. “She could probably use a good friend right now.” Starburst then trotted off after Sweetie Belle. “We’re still sisters right?” Apple Bloom asked. Applejack nodded. Apple Bloom then just went into the tent she and her sister were going to use. Rarity walked up to Nova and Applejack. “Well that apology went swimmingly. Applejack, Nova, why do you two have to be so good and make me look so bad.” Applejack chuckled. “Oh Rarity, once again, yer thinkin about yourself. Bein sisters is a give and take. You’ve been doin a whole lot of takin, but you haven’t been doin a whole lot of giving.” “Well of course I give. I give lessons, reasonable demands.” Rarity said. Nova then added his voice. “Rarity, if you want to be a good sister for Sweetie Belle, you have to be willing to make compromises. You need to be willing to step out of your comfort zone and do things SHE wants to do. You can’t just be all about you, you need to think about her, and what she wants.” Applejack continued with Nova’s thought. “Bein siblings is like…..apple pie. You can have amazing apples, and you can have a wonderfully crispy crust. But only together can you have a perfect apple pie.” Rarity began to reflect on their words. “But apart, all we are is a pile of mush and some crumbly dry mess. I know what I need to do, I just hope it isn’t too late.” While the adults talked, Starburst found Sweetie Belle sitting alone, looking up at the stars. “Sweetie Belle? Are you ok?” Starburst asked as he approached. Sweetie Belle kept her eyes on the stars as she responded. “Why did I have to get Rarity as a sister?” Starburst came up next to her and sat up on his haunches. “Come on, it can’t be all bad. I mean, she did come here to apologize didn’t she?” Starburst pointed out with a smile. Sweetie Belle looked down. “I guess, but she is just so infuriating.” Starburst frowned as he looked away. He looked up again and placed a comforting hoof on her back. “Hey, she may not be the best sister, but I think she is trying. Sure she can seem stuck up or something, but she is a good pony at heart. And I just know she’ll realize what a great little sister you are and try hard to be a better big sister.” Sweetie Belle looked at Starburst with a frown. “You really think so?” Starburst gave a smile. “Hey, I wouldn’t be surprised if she were asking Nova or Applejack for advice on how to be a better big sister for you right now.” Sweetie Belle smiled. “Thanks Starburst, I doubt what you said is true, but it does make me feel a little better.” “Hey, what are friends for? We are a club after all. Cutie mark crusaders forever right?” He asked with a smile. Sweetie Belle looked away with a smile and a blush. “Right.” Her eyes darted a bit as if in thought. “Um, Starburst?” She said as she slowly looked his way. “Yeah?” He answered back. “Um, well…..thank you for talking with me and trying to cheer me up.” She then gave him a quick peck on the cheek and ran back to the camp sight. The sudden action left starburst a little dumbfounded. He just sat there with a shocked look on his muzzle. “Um, wh….what just happened?” He asked himself. He watched Sweetie Belle gallop back until she was out of sight. He placed a hoof on the cheek she kissed. “Does she….does she LIKE like me?” He asked. Starburst regained his senses and made his way back to the camp. The next day, the sibling hooves social was underway and every pony was having a great time so far, except for Sweetie Belle who was still upset about Rarity. Applejack, Nova, Apple Bloom, and Starburst were wandering around with Sweetie Belle, trying to help her feel better. Starburst was still a little out of it though after that kiss Sweetie Belle gave him. “Well, I guess it’s a good thing Rarity isn’t here. Do I see uncouth written all over this contest?” Sweetie Belle mocked her sister. “Look at the size of that pig.” Apple Bloom stated as she saw some large pigs in a mud pit. She quickly galloped over to get a better look. There were siblings in the pit with the pigs and a pony handing out ribbons for the largest pig. The others followed as well and came up to the fence. “He sure is a cutie.” Applejack agreed. “Sure is.” Nova also agreed. “Look Starburst, ever see a pig that big before?” He asked. Nova noticed Starburst looking down and seemed as if he were deep in thought. He was about to say something when Sweetie Belle said something. “That’s the last word Rarity would use.” Sweetie then proceeded to mock her sister some more. “Oh my, what a repulsive monstrosity. This thing needs a head to toe makeover.” Nova then looked back at his brother who still looked in thought. “Starburst, are you ok? You’ve been rather quiet this whole time. I’d think you’d be zipping all over the place trying to do all the fun things around here.” Starburst seemed to finally snap out of it. “Huh, oh, uh, it’s nothing.” He said. Nova cocked an eyebrow. “Starburst, come on now, you know I know when something is wrong. You can tell me, what has you so quiet?” Starburst looked up at his brother first, then at the girls who were looking at him. “You have been rather quiet Starburst.” Applejack said. “Nova, can we talk in private?” Starburst asked. Nova cocked an eyebrow at his request. “Um, ok, sure.” He then turned to the girls. “Will you girls excuse us for a moment?” “Sure thing Nova, you go talk with Starburst.” Applejack said with a smile. Nova smiled back. He and Starburst then walked off to an area with benches where there weren’t a lot of ponies around. They sat down next to each other to talk. “Ok Starburst, what’s wrong?” Starburst looked down at first in thought. “Well…..something happened last night and I don’t know what to make of it.” “Really? What happened?” Nova asked with concern. “Was it something bad? Did you have a nightmare?” Starburst looked up to his brother. He closed his eyes and shook his head. “No, nothing like that. It was….well….” He was having a little trouble trying to put it into words. “Go on, I’m listening.” Nova said, trying to egg his little brother along. “Last night, after my talk with Sweetie belle, she….well….she….she kissed me.” Starburst finally relented. “Kissed you?” Nova asked. “Mmhmm, on the cheek.” Starburst said as he pointed to the cheek Sweetie kissed. Nova smiled. “Awe, my little brother has a very special someponey.” He teased. “I do not!” Starburst exclaimed as his cheeks turned red with embarrassment. “Whoa, easy there little brother. I’m just messing with you.” Nova stated as he held his front hooves in front of him. “Still, she kissed you on the cheek huh? Did she say she likes you as more than a friend? Or was it just a thank you kiss?” Starburst seemed to calm down. “That’s just it, I don’t know.” “All right, let’s think about it. It could have been just a thank you kiss, OR she likes you as more than a friend.” Nova stated. “You mean….she might LIKE like me?” Starburst asked. “It’s possible, though I wouldn’t be surprised with how good a friend you are with her. You seem to always be there for her when she needs you, you stand up for her, you hang out with her, you do all kinds of things with her.” “Well yeah, but I do that with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo too.” “True, but I think Sweetie Belle is more grateful for all that then the others are. And she may just be getting a crush on you.” Nova said with a smirk. “So, what do I do about it?” Starburst asked. “First, you need to find out what that kiss meant, if it was just a thank you kiss, or if it meant more than that. If it meant more, then you need to figure out if you feel the same way about her.” Nova informed. “The same way, as in, if I like her as more than a friend too?” Starburst looked down in thought. “Yep. So do you?” “Well, she is nice, and I do think she’s pretty. Plus, I do think she has a great singing voice. She’s nice, and fun, and polite.” “And you don’t like to see her upset, do you?” Nova asked. Starburst looked back up at his brother. “Of course not. No friend likes to see their friend upset.” “And you seem to work harder on making sure she’s happy then the others. Which says to me, that you like her as more than a friend too.” “Really?” “So, do you?” “Well…..I…..I guess so. But, how do I tell her?” “You should find out what that kiss meant first before you go about that. Then you tell her how you feel. You need to talk to her about that kiss and ask her what it meant, then go from there.” “And, what if she doesn’t feel the same way about me like I might about her?” “Then….well….it just wasn’t meant to be. If she rejects you, then it may hurt your feelings. But I will be there for you to help how I can. However, this is something you have to do on your own first. If she rejects you, then come to me and I’ll help you feel better, ok?” Starburst didn’t smile. He had a lot to think about now, but at least he got advice he needed. “Ok, thanks Nova.” Nova took his brother into a hug. “Anytime little brother.” Starburst smiled as he hugged back. A horn sounded, signaling the start of the main event. An obstacle course for every pony there. “Uh oh, the race is about to star. Come on Starburst, let’s go.” “You got it, we’ll win this thing for sure.” Starburst said cheerily, his mood high once again. “Guess I’ll talk to Sweetie Belle afterwards.” They met up with Applejack, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle on their way to the start of the track. Sweetie Belle was still looking sad as she spoke. “Well, you four have fun. I just wish I had a sister to run the race with.” Applejack suddenly placed a white and green bandana around her neck and a stetson hat like hers on Sweetie Belle. “Huh?” She asked. “You do now.” Apple Bloom said. Applejack began to explain. “AB and I figured since we do this every year….” Apple Bloom continued. “I’d let you borrow my sis so you can give it a try.” “Sister for a day.” Applejack finished. Sweetie Belle was beaming. “NO WAY!” Apple Bloom pointed a hoof at her. “One day.” She emphasized. Sweetie Belle ran up to Applejack and hugged her. “One day.” Apple Bloom said again. Granny Smith started an announcement using a megaphone from a stand with Big Mac next to her. “Is this thing on?” She touched it and accidently turned it around. “I don’t think this thing is on. Hello!” Big Mac leaned over and whispered into her ear. “Whuzzat? Well if you say so. Confangled modern doohickey.” She glared at it before whacking it and spinning it before it faced the right way again. “Now is the even ya’ll been waitin fer. The sibling social……the social sibling…..oh, dag nabbit, you know, the big race! We have five teams this year for the event. Now ya’ll head on out to the finish line ya hear?” Big Mac whispered in her ear again. “Whazzat? The startin line! Is what I said.” Starburst couldn’t help but laugh a little at Granny Smith for getting things wrong. Nova and Starburst got a place next to Applejack and Sweetie Belle at the starting line. “Best of luck girls.” Nova said with a smile. “You two Nova.” Applejack responded. “This is so exciting.” Sweetie Belle expressed. Apple Bloom zipped up to her again. “One day…good luck.” She said before backing off. “May the best siblings win.” Granny said as she rocked in her chair, speaking in the megaphone. “On yer mark……get set….” On her rock back to the megaphone, her eye hit it and she cried out. “Gooooooooo!” All the sibling teams of big and little brothers and big and little sisters took off. The first obstacle was a mud pit they had to jump over. Nova and Starburst jumped it just fine. They heard Sweetie Belle behind them. “You ok Applejack?” She asked with concern. “All according to plan.” Nova thought to himself. They reached the next obstacle where they had to step in small buckets, they made it past that easy but Applejack and Sweetie Belle were catching up to them. One little filly tripped on the buckets before. The next obstacle was climbing over a tower of boxes. Nova and starburst climbed it easily Enough and went on to the next one with Applejack, who was completely covered in mud, and Sweetie Belle right next to them. Next was pie eating. Nova and Starburst managed to gobble down their pies in just two bites, but Applejack and Sweetie Belle managed to eat theirs in one gulp and moved on. Nova and Starburst were starting to fall behind. “Come on Nova, we can beat them.” Starburst cried as they ran to catch up. The next part was hay bale pushing. Nova and Starburst managed to catch up to their friends and pushed their bale of hay to the finish to move on. They were even now with Applejack and Sweetie Belle. They rounded a bend and got to the next course where they had to stomp grapes into grape juice. Nova and Starburst quickly flung the grapes into the large bucket and Nova boosted Starburst into the bucket to start squishing. In one fluid motion, Applejack flung a pile of grapes into her large bucket and boosted Sweetie Belle into it. One pair of siblings was having trouble, the older was throwing grapes in one at a time, while the younger was having trouble getting into the bucket in the first place. Applejack and Sweetie Belle finished at the same time as Nova and Starburst and moved on to the next part of the course. “You can do it sister!” Sweetie Cheered as Applejack carried a jar of the grape juice to a stool. The next part was flinging apples to your partner while they tried to catch them in a bucket. Applejack and Nova did the same thing and jumped on the bench the apples were on, sending the whole bunch in the air. Both Sweetie Belle and Starburst managed to pick up their bucket and catch the all the apples. Yet another sibling team was having trouble, the older threw the apples one at a time while the other got distracted and an apple hit the little one in the head. The next part, the siblings had to carry an egg without their hooves from a chicken coop to a basket. The two teams had the same idea and picked up one egg between their noses and walked it out slowly. Berry Punch and her sister little sister were trying to carry one egg each on their noses but the younger sibling stopped and caused them both to drop their egg. It was down to the final leg of the race. The two teams looked at each other happily as they went on. Applejack and Sweetie Belle skipped more than ran. Nova gave a wink to Applejack who winked back. Suddenly, Berry punch and her sister zipped past them. Applejack, Sweetie Belle, Nova, and Starburst poured on the speed, not wanting to be outdone. “Come on Starburst, we can win this.” Nova cheered. “We can do it.” Starburst agreed. The finish line was getting closer and the two teams caught up with Berry Punch and her sister. They were practically neck and neck. They all dove for the finish line and landed, kicking up a cloud of dust. The dust cleared and the crowd cheered for the winner. Berry punch and her sister won the race in first place. Applejack and Sweetie Belle came in second and Nova and Starburst in third. “Awe, we almost had it.” Starburst whined. Nova raised Starburst’s chin. “Yeah, but we had fun didn’t we?” He asked. Starburst smiled. “Yeah, we did, it was a lot of fun. I’m glad we did this.” Apple Bloom approached them. “Oh, so close, you almost won.” Sweetie Belle looked to Applejack. “Thank you Applejack, you were amazing. I don’t care that we didn’t win, it was so much fun.” She squeaked as she jumped up and hugged Applejack, knocking off her hat and revealing a white horn. “Huh?” Sweetie said as she noticed the horn. She then wiped the mud off the mysterious pony’s flank and revealed three light blue diamonds. “Rarity?” Sweetie asked in confusion. The pony shook herself and got rid of the mud, revealing that it was indeed Rarity. She had a silver chain necklace around her neck with a small white diamond on it. “Wait, where’s Applejack?” They looked over to the mud pit and Applejack popped out. She walked over to join the others. “I don’t get it.” Sweetie said, still in confusion. Applejack’s front half was now free of mud and was also wearing a silver chain necklace with a small white gemstone around her neck. “We switched places at the very first mud hole.” Sweetie Belle looked to Rarity. “So we did the whole competition together?” Rarity smiled. “That we did little sister. Well, except for the start line.” Apple Bloom popped up between them. “But you finished together.” “You mean, you were all in on it?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Yep, it was Nova’s idea.” Applejack said. Flash back: Night of the camp out: “I know what I must do, I just hope it’s not too late.” Rarity said. Nova came up to her. “So does that mean you’ll take part in the sibling hooves social event?” “Yes, but how can I get Sweetie Belle to agree to let me go with her, she’s so mad at me she’ll never agree.” Rarity said sadly. Applejack raised a hoof in thought. “That is a problem, we need ta either convince her you want ta take part, or find some way ta get you with her without her knowing.” Nova was thinking too. “Applejack, are there any mud pits or something in the race?” “There is a mud pit at the start you have ta jump over.” Applejack informed. “Hmm.” Nova thought. “AHA! I think I have an idea, though it will require Rarity to get in mud. Are you okay with this?” Nova asked Rarity. “If it will get me to be with my little sister, I’ll do it.” Rarity stated confidently. “Ok then, here is my idea. Applejack, you let Sweetie Belle run in the race with you. Rarity, you’ll need to get into the mud when no pony is looking. At the first mud pit, Applejack will fall in and stay there, then Rarity will come out completely covered in mud wearing Applejack’s hat to hide her horn. Then from there, you two can run the race. At the end, that is when you can reveal it was you running with her.” Nova explained. “That’s a great idea Nova.” Applejack said. “And I can make a pair of small crystals to create an air tight bubble around you so you can breath while hiding in the mud. Now we’ll have to get Apple Bloom in on this as well.” Nova stated. End Flashback: Sweetie Belle smiled. “You all did this for me?” Rarity came up to Sweetie Bell. “Us, I did it for us.” Sweetie Belle nuzzled up to Rarity. “You see, we are apple pie.” “Huh?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Uh, never mind, I’ll explain later. For now, I think this deserves a celebration.” Every pony cheered. “Where?” Sweetie Belle asked. “The spa of course.” Rarity answered. Nova rolled his eyes with a smirk while every other pony laughed. “No I’m serious.” Once every pony settled down, Starburst figured now was the time to talk to Sweetie Belle. “Sweetie Belle, can we talk?” Sweetie Belle looked at Starburst. “Sure, what’s up Starburst?” “Um, can we talk in private?” He asked again. Sweetie Belle cocked an eyebrow, but Nova picked up on it. He knew what was going on. “Come on every pony, let’s grab a snack while these two talk about whatever they want to talk about.” “What’s goin on Nova?” Apple Bloom asked. “Something for them to know and us to not know.” Nova answered. “We’ll bring you two something good when you’re done.” He said to the two. “Come on ladies, let’s let them have a moment alone.” Nova led the others away. “So what did you want to talk about?” Sweetie Belle asked. Starburst looked away at first. He gave a side glance as he began. “I…I wanted to ask you…..um.” He rubbed the back of his head as he tried to form the right words. “Well, I wanted to ask you about….that….kiss you gave me last night.” Sweetie Belle blushed. “Oh, that.” Starburst faced forward again. “What….what did it mean?” “What?” Sweetie asked in confusion. “That kiss, the one you gave me last night. What did it mean? Was it just a thank you kiss, or did it mean…………something more?” Sweetie smiled as her blush seemed to intensify. “Well Starburst, I….I really do like how you always seem to be there for me, and you always try to cheer me up when I’m sad. Do you….like me like me?” She asked. “I’m trying to figure out if that’s how you feel about me.” Starburst stated. “Oh, well….I really appreciate everything you do for me. No colt is as nice to me as you are. So, I guess I do.” Sweetie Belle finally relented. “Do you like me like that too?” Starburst was a little stunned at Sweetie Belle’s answer. “Well….that is….I mean…” He couldn’t speak. Sweetie Belle’s blush disappeared and was starting to look worried as Starburst stuttered. “I….I do think your pretty Sweetie Belle, and I think you have a great singing voice. You’re so nice and polite and kind.” Sweetie Belle’s blush returned. “Thank you Starburst.” She said with a smile. “I guess, I guess I do like you the same way.” Starburst said as he smiled. Sweetie Belle smiled bigger. She walked up to him and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before skipping off in the direction the others went. Starburst was once again left dumbfounded, but with a smile on his face. “Wow, wait till Nova hears about this.”