//------------------------------//
// New Beginnings 
// Story: A Shadow Hangs Overhead 
// by BronyWriter 
//------------------------------//


Fourteen Years Later


"Now you're sure you'll be alright, Sweetie Belle? I'm not entirely certain this is a good idea."

Sweetie Belle smiled at her sister and patted her shoulder. "Rarity, it's going to be fine. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom will be there with me. It's just a little birthday celebration with them. It's not like we're going to go wild."

A slight frown crossed Rarity's face. "I know. Call me the overprotective sister if you must, but I don't like the idea of you going out to a bar for drinks, especially if you're staying as late as you planned."

Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes. "Come on, Rarity, it's not like any of us are going to let anything happen to anypony else. It's going to be fine." Sweetie Belle smiled at Rarity and put a hoof on her shoulder. "I appreciate that you're being the protective older sister here, but it's going to be okay. We're just going to have a few drinks, catch a movie, then go back to one of our houses. We're thinking Scootaloo's apartment."

"Well you're more then welcome to come back here once you have ended the festivities for the night," Rarity said. "I could make you some snacks or something."

Sweetie Belle shrugged. "Maybe. We'll see how we feel afterwards." 

A knock on the door interrupted Rarity's next thought. Sweetie Belle grinned, rushed over to the door and threw it open. "Hey, girls!" she said to Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. "Ready to party?"

"You know it!" Scootaloo said, throwing a foreleg around Sweetie Belle for a hug. "Remember, though: you're the birthday mare. We're not letting you buy anything."

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. "Come on, Scoots, you were insistin' that you pay fer our dinners on your birthday."

"Yeah, and you stopped me. I saw the error of my ways. Besides... oh, hey, Rarity."

Rarity stopped alongside Sweetie Belle and waved to the other two Crusaders. "Good evening, you two. I trust you will keep my sister safe tonight."

"Oh yeah, don't worry about a thing," Scootaloo said, waving a hoof at Rarity. "We'll make sure nothing bad happens to her. We'll watch her like a hawk."

"And since she ain't allowed to bring her bit bag, we're gonna make sure she doesn't have too many drinks."

"Well if you say so." Rarity put her hoof on Sweetie Belle's shoulder. "Just be careful, alright? I know I'm being a silly mare, but I just want to know that you're safe."

Sweetie Belle pulled Rarity in for a hug and nuzzled her neck. "Of course I'll be safe, Rarity. I have Scoots and Apple Bloom with me. Like I said: we're just going out for a few drinks and a movie or something. No problems. We'll be perfectly safe."

"If you say so." Rarity broke off the hug and smiled lovingly at her sister. "I suppose I'm still getting used to the fact that you're a mare now. Perhaps I'm too much like Mother, but I remember when I held you the day you were born. To see you now..."

"I understand, Rarity," Sweetie Belle said, nuzzling her sister again. "But we'll be fine. I'm not gonna get wasted, or anything. We're probably not going to be out past midnight."

"Yeah, because once we hit midnight your birthday is over and you'll have to start paying for your own drinks and movie tickets," Scootaloo pointed out. 

Sweetie Belle smirked and rolled her eyes. "If that's the way it's going to be, I'm going to milk your bit bags for all they're worth."

"Well then we best get goin'," Apple Bloom pointed out. "Movie theater closes at eleven, so we gotta have a little fun before then!"

"Very well, girls. Go have your fun. Just don't..." Rarity chuckled and shook her head. "You're a mare now. I won't play mother here."

"Don't worry, Rarity, we'll be fine," Scootaloo said. "On that note..." Scootaloo threw the door open and stepped aside to let Sweetie Belle go past her. "Time to hit the road!"

The Cutie Mark Crusaders all cheered and filed out of Rarity's house, rushing down the road in the direction of the nearest bar. Rarity stood in the doorway, watching them go until they disappeared. She sighed and shook her head. They'd be fine. She just had to keep telling herself that. 

Closing the door, Rarity trotted over to her workroom and sat down at her sewing machine. Sweetie Belle's absence meant that she had a little peace and quiet to catch up on her orders. A couple of foal blankets, a comforter, a simple, yet elegant dress for a formal function, the usual. Rarity looked at the half finished orders before deciding on the comforter. It would be the easiest to finish quickly. 

Just as Rarity began work, the pleasant tune of her doorbell rang through the house. She turned off her sewing machine and walked over to her door. She opened it and smiled when she saw Twilight on the other side. 

"Good evening, Twilight." She stepped aside so her friend could come in. "How are you this evening?"

"Oh, I'm doing great, Rarity," Twilight responded. "I'm just popping by to see if you wanted to do anything tonight. The rest of the girls are getting together in an hour or so, so I wanted to see if you'd like to join."

Rarity smiled wistfully. "I wish I could, but I have a few orders that I need to take care of. I'll see what I can get done, then maybe we could grab lunch tomorrow?"

"Sounds good," Twilight said. "Nothing too strenuous, I hope?"

Rarity shook her head. "Oh no, nothing complex at all, but I'd be a poor seamstress if I didn't finish my orders on time. I can still spare a few minutes to talk, if you'd like. Can I get you anything? A drink? Something to snack on?"

"Well we're all going out to dinner, but if you're offering a drink, I'll take you up on that."

"Excellent." Rarity and Twilight went to the kitchen, where Rarity poured Twilight a glass of lemonade from her fridge. She poured one for herself, then sat down at the table opposite Twilight.

"So, how are your studies? Princess Celestia isn't working you too hard, is she?"

Twilight scoffed and waved her hoof. "Not at all. I have a few projects that I'm working on for her right now, but they're enjoyably challenging. It's not too difficult to balance those with maintaining the library."

"Good to hear you have everything under control, then," Rarity said. "I'd hate for you to overwork yourself like poor Applejack did that one time."

"No, not at all. Things are staying fairly simple. Are things going well with you, Rarity? I see that Sweetie Belle is out for the night."

Rarity gave Twilight a small smile and took a sip of her lemonade before responding. "Yes, she just turned twenty-one today. As she is now of legal drinking age, her friends took her out for a night on the town." She sighed and leaned back in her chair. "I know it's just Ponyville, and her friends are with her, but I can't shake the feeling that something will happen."

"They're just going out for a few drinks, right?"

Rarity nodded. "Yes, and then to a movie afterward. Probably some kind of food as well. I don't know, Twilight, it's just... maybe I can't wrap my mind around the fact that my sister is a mare now. I still remember holding her the night she was born." A wry smile crossed Rarity's face. "And not just because it was followed up with being hoofcuffed in the back of a wagon. She's always meant more to me than anything I've ever known. Now she's going to be all grown up and..." Rarity shook her head. "I know I'm being silly. If I'm like this with her, I can't imagine how I'll be if I ever have foals."

"It's not silly, Rarity," Twilight insisted. "Sweetie Belle was the best thing that happened to you when your life was bad. From what you've told me, she was the bright spot in the darkness."

"She was at that." Rarity sighed and looked out the nearby window. "She got to live the life that I never could. She got to have the foalhood that I never did. She had friends growing up. She didn't ever have walls. I suppose what I'm most worried about tonight is that she'll lose some of the innocence she still carries, and that it will affect her life in a negative way. I know she's just going out for a few drinks, but anything can happen."

Twilight gave Rarity a comforting smile and patted Rarity's hoof. "I know it's worrying, watching your sister become an adult, but trust her that she's going to make the right decisions. Even if something did go wrong, you're here to help her through anything. I don't think anything between the two of you is going to change just because you have to face that she's grown up. She'll have her own life, maybe even move out of here someday, but you two are still sisters, and nothing is ever going to change that."

Rarity smiled back and shook her head. "You are, of course, correct, Twilight. I know she has Scootaloo and Apple Bloom with her, so she can't get into too much trouble. She's growing up, but I'd hate for something to happen that made her grow up faster than she needs to. She's an adult now, but that does not mean that she's ready for everything."

"Of course not, but I think she's smart enough to know all of that," Twilight pointed out. "I'm sure that when she gets back, she'll tell you all about the fun time she had with her friends." Twilight chuckled and shook her head. "Then you can get ready for the Pinkie party."

"Yes, I'm almost surprised that Pinkie hasn't thrown her one already, but I think she knows that Sweetie Belle wanted a night with her friends for her birthday. Having said that, I think Pinkie might have snuck a line into the town charter about how every birthday must be celebrated with a party."

"It wouldn't surprise me," Twilight agreed. "Though on that note..." Twilight drained the last of her lemonade, then stood up. "I think it's time for me to head out. You have a good night with your orders, and I'll see you tomorrow."

"That sounds lovely, Twilight," Rarity said, following her to the door. "Thank you for your words about Sweetie Belle. I think I needed to hear that from a third party."

"No problem at all, Rarity." Twilight threw her foreleg around Rarity for a hug. "Let me know if you need anything else, and I'll see you tomorrow."

Twilight broke away from the hug and walked out the door. Rarity watched her go for a few moments, then shut the door and went back to her workroom. Twilight was right. Sweetie Belle would be fine.


*  *  *  *


Rarity jolted awake when she heard her front door open. She lifted up her sleep mask and yawned. Sweetie Belle must be home. She glanced back over to her alarm clock, and her eyes widened. The clock read five-thirty. She tossed her sleep mask aside and rushed down the stairs. She saw the light on in the kitchen and heard the fridge door close. 

"Sweetie Belle, are you al--" 

Rarity stopped in her tracks when she saw her sister. Sweetie Belle was levitating the half empty jug of lemonade beside her as she leaned against the fridge. She glanced up to Rarity, then almost instantly turned her head away.

"Hello, sis," Sweetie Belle whispered. 

"Sweetie Belle, are you okay?" Rarity walked up to her and gingerly put a hoof on her shoulder. "I thought you'd be home hours ago."

Instead of responding, Sweetie Belle took a direct swig from the jug of lemonade and shuffled over to the kitchen table. Rarity could smell the alcohol on her, but she was back, and that's what mattered. She scooted her chair next to Sweetie Belle's and sat down next to her. "Nothing happened, right? You just stayed over at Apple Bloom's in your clubhouse."

Sweetie Belle almost imperceptively shook her head. "No."

"Sweetie Belle, you can look at me. Whatever happened, I promise I won't be angry. I just want to make sure you're alright." She put her hoof around Sweetie Belle's shoulders and drew her in for a hug. "Did anything bad happen?"

"No. I mean... I don't think so. Maybe. I just... didn't think it would. It was loud and everypony was dancing and drinking and lots of ponies wanted to buy me drinks when they heard it was my twenty-first birthday and we all just kind of got... caught up in everything. After a bit I wasn't thinking about what I was doing. None of us were. We were just having fun, and there were stallions our age..."

Rarity's eyes widened. "Did... did you go home with one of them?"

"No, we..." Sweetie Belle sniffled and Rarity felt tears drip on her foreleg. "We went to his motel room."

"I see." Rarity took a deep breath and tightened her hold on her sister. "And where were Apple Bloom and Scootaloo?"

"Probably with the colts they left with." Sweetie Belle finally looked up at Rarity, her eyes red and puffy. "Don't be mad at them. We were all drunk. I wasn't thinking about it either. They're going to feel bad enough as it is."

"As they should," Rarity said through gritted teeth. "I can't believe--"

"I'm the one who made the choice. We snuck out when they weren't looking. I think they might have thought I was still there. It's my fault, Rarity. I..." Sweetie Belle sobbed and squeezed her sister's foreleg. "I did a bad thing."

"No, Sweetie, you mustn't think about it like that. He didn't force himself on you, did he?"

Sweetie Belle shook her head. "No. We both wanted it."

"Well there's that at least." Rarity began stroking her sister's mane. "I'm not going to give you any empty words of wisdom here. I'm just going to be here for you in whatever you need, okay?"

"But Rarity," Sweetie Belle whimpered. "What if I get pregnant?"

"Well then I'll be here for you there, too. I'll take care of you here, and I'm certain that Mother and Father will do their part to make sure everything is the best for you. Besides, ponies around here know you. I don't think anypony is going to look down on you if it comes to that."

"I guess," Sweetie Belle muttered. "But I'm not ready for a foal."

"Well, Mother and Father weren't quite ready for me yet," Rarity pointed out. 

"Yeah, but they got married after Mom got pregnant with you and they had each other for support," Sweetie Belle said. "I don't even know his name."

"As I said: you have plenty of support if it comes to that, which it may not. There's no point in me making any foal clothes yet. " Rarity nuzzled her sister's mane. "I know it's scary right now. You're not quite sure what to do next. For the moment, I'd suggest you get a little sleep. You've had a long night."

"Yeah, I guess." 

"Good, then up you go." Rarity gently nudged Sweetie Belle to her hooves and walked with her up to Sweetie Belle's room. She opened the door for her sister, who instantly went over to her bed and collapsed on it. Rarity pulled the covers out and draped them over her. 

"Good night, Sweetie Belle. Things will be better in the morning, I promise." 

Sweetie Belle tilted her head in a small nod, and Rarity kissed her mane before walking out of the room and shutting the door behind her. 

Once she was alone, Rarity leaned against the nearby wall and stared at nothing in particular.


*  *  *  *


"How's she doing?"

Rarity sighed and poked at her food before responding to Twilight's question. "She's still upset, more with herself than anything. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom are beating themselves up, of course, although I imagine that Granny Smith has taken care of Apple Bloom."

"So..." Twilight hesitated. "Could they all have gotten pregnant?"

Rarity shrugged. "I don't know. I'm more focused on Sweetie Belle right now. The Apples and Scootaloo's parents will take care of the two of them if it comes to that."

"So has Sweetie Belle started... checking? It's been a few weeks now."

Rarity hesitated, rubbing the back of her neck and looking down at the table. "I found a few pregnancy tests in one of the drawers in the bathroom. They weren't open. I don't think she has the nerve right now."

Twilight nodded. "Yeah, I can understand that. Applejack was telling me that Apple Bloom feels the same way."

"I'm sure, though they're going to have to check eventually." Rarity took a sip of her water before continuing. "Maybe we're all being worrywarts here. They'll be fine and take this to heart and do better next time."

"Not that I think there's going to be a next time," Twilight pointed out. "If I know them, they're going to stick to bowling and the movies when they go out again next."

Rarity allowed herself a brief chuckle and nodded. "Yes, I think that might be true. They're young yet, so if they're going to engage in this behavior, it's better that they do it now. However, if Sweetie Belle is indeed pregnant, we must make her understand that what happened is not a mistake. Rather an unexpected but wonderful thing." Rarity smiled and shook her head. "If I know Sweetie Belle, she's going to love that foal more than anything, even if she will be frightened at first."

"If I know you, you're going to love that foal more than anything," Twilight pointed out. "You're the Element of Generosity. I can see you spoiling him or her rotten."

Rarity smirked and rolled her eyes. "Oh please, darling, I'm perfectly capable of showing restraint. Like I said, though, she might not even be pregnant. This could all just be a little scare. Sweetie Belle is upset, of course, but..." Rarity shrugged. "Whatever will be will be. I think she'll be okay regardless of what happens." 

"Me too, Rarity." 

Rarity took the last few bites of her food, then stood up and put enough bits on the table for both of their meals. "Well, I have some more work to do. Thank you for meeting with me for lunch. We should do this again soon."

"Of course, Rarity," Twilight said, standing up for a hug. "Let me know if there's anything I can do for either of you. Even if Sweetie Belle isn't pregnant, I'm sure she'll still need somepony to talk to."

"Yes, she has been rather reserved lately," Rarity said. "I figured that she needed some space, so I haven't been pressing the issue. I think if she finds out she isn't pregnant she'll open up a little more."

"And if she is?"

"If she is then I won't let her lock herself in her room for eleven months until she delivers the foal. She'll know that what happened wasn't a mistake, and we're here for her."

With one final hug, the two mares parted ways. Rarity's smile slowly fell as she ruminated on current events. She hadn't said anything she didn't believe, but she knew things would be hard for Sweetie Belle if it came down to pregnancy. 

Rarity opened the door to her house and walked in. All of the lights were off, so it didn't seem that Sweetie Belle had come out of her room. 

"Sweetie Belle, I'm home," Rarity called out. "Have you eaten yet? I can make you something for lunch if you want."

Sweetie Belle's response was an almost imperceptible moan from the direction of the bathroom. 

"Rarity."

Rarity's eyes widened, and she bolted up the stairs, taking two or three at a time. She nearly shot straight past the bathroom, but regained her balance and threw the door open. Sweetie Belle was leaning against the wall next to the sink, a pregnancy test floating in her magic. Rarity lit her horn and she transferred the test to her own magic. 

"Rarity," Sweetie Belle moaned again, tears streaking down her face. Rarity flipped the test over and instantly spotted the two red lines in the middle. 

"Rarity, I'm sorry! I didn't..." Sweetie Belle's words were marred by her sobs until she couldn't even speak. Rarity threw the test aside and sat down next to Sweetie Belle, throwing her hooves around her shoulders and hugging her close.

"It's okay, Sweetie Belle, you don't have to worry about a thing. Big sister is here for you. For... for both of you." Sweetie Belle's only response was wrapping her forelegs around Rarity's waist and holding onto her like she was the only thing left in the world who could help her. Rarity glanced behind her and saw three more pregnancy tests on the ground, each with the double red lines that left no doubt of the results. 

Rarity didn't say anything more. There was nothing more to say for the moment. All she could do was hold onto her sister and let her cry herself out.