//------------------------------// // Reading Between The Lines // Story: How We Got Our Big Sisters Together // by TheNewYorkBrony //------------------------------// “So how are we gonna pull this off?” Sweetie Belle asked me, taking a bite out of her cookie. We were up in the clubhouse again. It was just me an’ Sweetie though. Scoots had track practice. “Ah don’t know.” I responded. “Ah ain’t never played God before.” I take a sip of my soda and lean back against the wall. It was really hot today. Well, hot for spring. It was eighty degrees. I had on my usual overalls just with the pants part cut into shorts and Sweetie had on this really flowy white summer dress. It looked good on her. “Yeah, well me neither. I’m not feeling so sure about this anymore...” She told me, her eyes shifting unsurely. Oh sure now she’s thinking about that?! Why didn’t she have second thoughts before she texted me last night?! I was not going to let her drag me into this and then back out! “Oh no, nuh-uh missy. You got me into this mess so you’re stickin’ with it.” I told her, glaring at her. “We have to form a plan. And when we do, that’s when we’ll decide what to do next.” “But I don’t know anything about Rarity! I barely even talk to her because she so busy with Twilight and the others and her stupid dresses!” She had a point. I don’t think either of us knew much about them, seeing how they were always busy with their friends and stuff. That’s when it hit me. “That’s it!” I shouted, pounding my fist into my other hand. “What’s it?” Sweetie asked, her eyebrows knitted. “We go to Twilight and the others to ask them about stuff our sisters like! I mean, who knows them better than their own friends?!” I explained, waving my arms excitedly. “That’s supposed to be us, but it’s not, which is kinda sad.” Sweetie said, flipping some hair away from her face. She packed up her backpack and put her flats back on. Sometimes when we come up to do homework she likes to take her shoes off. It makes her feel more comfortable. I think it’s weird. I packed up my stuff as well, and got up to stretch. “Yea, you’re right. But at least we acknowledge it.” I responded, yawning. We descended the ladder and headed towards the house. I just poked my head in the front door to tell Applejack I was gonna be out for a few. She was busy arguing with Mac over something (probably money related,) so I just left her a note. “Okay, where should we start?” I said, as we walked down the dirt path that lead the way into town. Sweetie Belle skipped beside me, humming some song I once heard before. “I don’t know.” She shrugged. “Maybe we should go to Twilight. She’s smart. She’s probably noticed that they like each other too.” She really didn’t seem too enthusiastic about this anymore. But it was probably the heat gettin’ to her. I was used to it because of the fact that me and Sis and Mac spend so much time outside working on the farm. A little heat wave like this don’t bother me none. “Alright then, let’s head to the library first.” I told her, grabbing her hand. It was a little bit after two by the time we got to the main street in town. It was kind of busy with traffic and stuff but when the light turned red, we ran across the street towards the library once we saw that the sign on the door was flipped to ‘Open’. Sweetie opened the door and the bell above it jingled, announcing our presence. Twilight looked up from behind the check out counter and smiled at us. “Oh, hey girls!” She greeted, pushing her purple glasses up on her face. “What brings you two here?” Sweetie looked to me for help, and honestly? I didn’t know what to say. What could we say? ‘Hey, Twi, we need your help in getting our sisters to hook up?’ She’d probably lecture us about meddling in people’s lives and then go tell Rarity and Applejack. Then we’d never hear the end of it. “We were jus’ wonderin’ if you had any romance novels about uh, girls.” Sweetie gave me an incredulous look, and I could feel my cheeks starting to burn. Yeah, that didn’t sound suspicious at all. “Oh?” Twilight said. “And what do you need these novels for, exactly?” She looked genuinely interested in what we wanted them for. And I’d hate to lie to her, but it was our safest bet right now. “We’re...doing a paper for school.” Sweetie explained. “On same sex couples. Particularly female ones. And we need some media for it. You know, fictional representation and all that stuff.” I was impressed. That was a well thought out lie. But there was no way- “They’re letting you kids do that in school now?! How exciting!” Twilight gushed. I can’t believe it. One of the smartest girls I know fell for a white lie like that. I thought Sweetie would say we were dating or something. That seemed more believable than some stupid paper. She stood up and smiled. “Alrighty! I’ll be back in a few with the books you girls need. So you guys are free to roam around and look for anything else you need!” Twilight gave us a small wave before descending up the steps of the second level of the library. Sweetie pulled me into a row of nearby non-fiction books. “Holy crap I can’t believe that worked! She’s so gullible!” She whispered, I guess to make sure Twilight didn’t overhear us. “Naw, Ah just think she believes anythin’ that has ta do with school.” I corrected her. Either that or she really was a little unsuspecting. Which is something I thought I would see from Fluttershy, not Twilight. “Whatever! At this rate we’ll be having them banging each other in no time!” Sweetie exclaimed, wringing her hands together. Ugh, yeah no thanks. I really rather not have that image in my head. Twilight eventually came back with the books we asked for and checked them out for us. She managed to find two. One was about a couple living in a Romeo and Juliet situation, where one of the girls was an heiress and the other girl was a regular girl. Sweetie said that one was eerily similar. Art imitates life, I guess. The second one was about a pair of lesbian bank robbers in the 1940’s who die in a blaze of bullets. Sounds interesting enough to me. She handed us the books and we headed back to the Acres to read them. By the time we got back, the weather had simmered down, and Sweetie Belle had gained that enthusiastic pep in her step again. “Oh I can’t wait to see the look on Rarity’s face when she finds out we’re helping her find romance!” She squealed, her voice going all squeaky. It was kinda cute when she did that cause her voice was already kinda high. “Yea, about that, you sure she won’t be mad when she finds out?” I asked her as we walked into the house. I opened the screen door and let her walk in first before letting it slam close. (Granny hated when I did that but my hands were kinda full,) “Ah mean, Ah’d be pretty pissed off if Ah find out my younger sister was tryna set me up with one of my closest friends.” Sweetie shrugged, plucking the Romeo and Juliet book out of my hands. “Who knows? I mean, if I were in her place, I wouldn’t mind.” She said, twirling around before sitting at the kitchen table. But she wasn’t in Rarity’s place. And Rarity wasn’t like Sweetie Belle. They may be sisters, but the way that they react to things is completely different. Take me and Sis for instance. She reacts to a lot of things stubbornly and in anger. (She gets that from Pa.) I react to things a little bit more calmly and analyze the situation. (I get that from Mama.) Applejack is all about brute force. I’m not as nearly strong as her and Mac, so I always have to take an analytical approach. Yeah, I know that word. Sue me. “You never know, Sweetie Belle. People react differently to things.” I told her. She waved me off absentmindedly, thanks to her becoming engrossed into her book. How good could a cliche story about lovers with all odds against them be? Like honestly, there’s been so many books and movies about that already! I soon ate my words though, because that 1940’s bank robbery book grabbed my attention the minute I got to the second chapter. By the time I looked up again, the sun was going down over the hills in the orchard. I put the book down, then stretched and yawned. As I did, I heard the front door open. I heard Applejack let out a hearty laugh, and turned around to see her and Rarity entering the house. That was the first really genuine laugh I’ve heard from her in a long time. Possibly since Mama and Daddy died. “I’m tellin’ you!” My sister said to Rarity. “It was one of the weirdest things I’ve ever seen in my life!” I wonder what they were talking about and why it was so funny. Rarity laughed herself. “I know darling, I was there.” She was there?! Where?! Where is this thing that they saw?! And why did they see it together?! Was it on the trips they took with Twilight and the others?! Or was it something they just so happened to see on the way home just now?! “You alright there, Bloom? Ya kinda starin’ into space.” Applejack said to me with a worried look in her eyes. Huh. I guess I must've spaced out. I tend to do that a lot when I’m thinking about something. I used to do it when I was little too. “Huh? Uh, yea, I’m fine. Where are ya’ll coming back from?” I asked, watching Rarity eye the book I had placed on the table. Sweetie Belle hasn’t even looked up yet. Not even once. I don’t think she even knows they’re here. Must be a good book. Maybe I’ll read it when she’s done. “Oh, I took up Rarity on her invitation to coming over to the boutique for a fitting for some work clothes.” Applejack responded, blushing a little. What? Blushing? I think they were doing a little bit more than taking measurements. “It took you guys that long to take measurements?” Sweetie Belle spoke up. I guess she finally put that stupid book down and started paying attention. I glanced at the clock. We had left at a quarter to two and got back at around five. It was seven thirty. Which means we had been reading for two hours and thirty minutes. Which means, if my estimate was correct, Applejack had been at Rarity’s boutique for well over half the day. What the heck were they doing for that long?! “We went out for dinner.” Rarity responded, smiling. Then a concerned look crossed her features. “Um, girls, may I ask why you’re reading lesbian romance novels?” That’s why Rarity was staring at the book! She knew what it was and was making sure she was correct! Oh I knew we should have went up to my room instead of sitting here in the kitchen! “Lesbian romance novels?” Applejack repeated, turning to me. She didn’t even have to say she wanted an explanation. The look she was giving me said it for her. “It’s, for school.” I said, gulping a bit. If we’re caught, then we’d be grounded. For like a month. And I can’t have that! There’s this Sapphire Shores concert coming up and I’m so banking on Applejack to take me! Sweetie Belle better come up with something! “School?” Rarity asked, one of her perfectly trimmed eyebrow arching. “Yeah,” Sweetie backed me up. “We’re doing a paper on lesbians.” Okay, not the best way to word that, but it’ll have to do. “Damned schools. Always forcing kids to learn shit like this when they ain’t ready.” Applejack angrily grumbled, picking up one of the books. I thought for sure we were dead, but then something hit me. “How’d ya know the books were lesbian romance?” I asked Rarity. “Pardon?” She asked me back. “You knew that these books were lesbian romance novels before either of us could tell you.” Sweetie Belle explained, coming to the same realization. “I- I- Well-” Rarity stuttered. I smirked. Hook. Line. And sinker. If that wasn’t a tell that Rarity was into girls, then I don’t know what is. “I had borrowed those two by mistake once.” She explained after she saw Applejack glancing at her in surprise. Wait, wait, was that...was that hope in her eyes?! Was my sister really hoping that Rarity was a lesbian?! And who borrows lesbian romance novels by mistake?! Rarity shifted her weight a bit before sighing, knowing that we could see through her lie. “Okay, okay fine. If you all must know....” She glanced from me, to Sweetie, then finally my sister. Keeping her eyes on Applejack, she confessed, “I am bisexual.” I never saw Applejack’s eyes go so wide before.