My Inspiration

by gwg

Dramatic Dialogue with a Dressmaker

The life of a wedding singer, no matter how successful, is not a grand one. A pony sings songs that other ponies wrote to the best of that pony’s ability, and for what; some meaningless bits and some equally meaningless future contracts. The songs aren’t their own; they can’t feel the passion of singing something they created with their own hooves. They feel that they are simply an easily forgotten entertainer.

This was how Sweetie Belle felt after doing this job for three years. She didn’t regret the experience; she got to use her talent to make ponies feel happy, especially on their happiest of days. Without this job she would not have come to work with her cousin Vinyl Scratch and Octavia Melody, her mentors in the musical arts and her closest friends after Scoots and Bloom. The couple would provide the instrumental backup for the singer when they weren’t busy with their own careers. Vee and Octy were the only ponies that knew of Sweetie’s goal; to write her own song before confronting Scootaloo with her feelings. They tried to help her however they could but Octavia had yet to have written her own material and Scratch was more familiar with wubs than she was with lyrics.

No, Sweetie could not regret the experience and the friends she made over the years, but she couldn’t help the emptiness she felt now. Despite the joy she felt when singing for the happy couples, the bliss she felt when the happy couple was her sister with her new wife Applejack, or the pure love she felt whenever she spotted the mare of her affections watching her sing, it was all meaningless; she was no closer to her goal than when she made the accursed vow.

She thought that if she sang professionally, she would eventually write a song and finally be able to be with Scootaloo. She thought she made progress only one time: when Vinyl and Octavia agreed to provide the background for whatever song she wrote. She had been so happy that day; thinking that her goal was within reach and that she was a few steps from being in Scootaloo’s embrace. That all she had to do now was take quill to scroll and her dream will be complete. And so she sat that night, a burning candle to her left, an ink jar to her right, as she stared at a blank scroll for hours. And she repeated this process the next night, and the next night, and the next. She had done this ritual every night for the past three years with nothing to show for it besides melted stubs of candles.

She thought that tonight was going to be the same as all the nights before it, but after leaving Sugarcube Corner she knew it would be different. She left with the goal in mind that she was going to ask her mentors how they got inspiration for the songs they made. She rushed to their apartment full of hope…

…Until she remembered that they were both on tour presently. So she turned around and headed towards the home of another mare whose career depended upon inspiration.

-GWG-

Sweetie Belle didn’t need to knock on the door of Carousel Boutique since it was as much her home as it was Rarity’s and Applejack’s. She had been living with her sister for four years now on a more permanent basis ever since their parents decided that the two should move in together. Rarity was happy to welcome her into her home and Applejack, who had just moved in herself, had no objections. Their only condition was that when they asked her to find something to do outside that she obeyed without question. She had learned the hard way why they wanted her gone, so now whenever they asked her to leave, she complied, albeit with a blush upon her face. A certain song came to mind later that evening as she thought ‘I wasn’t prepared for this.’

As she entered the shop, the bell above the door chimed, alerting the two mares upstairs that they were no longer alone.

“Ah, darling, it appears we have guests,” called a voice from upstairs, the Manehattenite accent sounding nothing like her sister’s usual Canterlot accent; though there was a little southern tint to it.

“Well, why don’t we see who it is, Sugarcube?” came the second voice, butchering a southern twang; sounding foreign compared to the familiar accent of the Apple family.

If what she heard confused the singer, then what she saw next made everything she knew a lie. She had expected that this phenomenon was the work of changelings replacing the couple, and that she was next. What she saw was much more frightening. An orange earth pony mare descended first, her blonde mane and tail done in way similar to Rarity’s; she performed a small curtsey before the other mare arrived. The alabaster unicorn had her mane and tail straightened and tied at the ends, similar in style of a certain apple farmer; upon her head was said farmer’s Stetson, which was tipped in the direction of the guest in greeting.

“Well, howdy Sweetie Belle. How’re y’all doin’?” Rarity asked after readjusting the prized hat.

“Yes and how was your little rendezvous with your friends, darling?” Applejack inquired before standing next to her wife.

Sweetie couldn’t take it anymore. “What the hay is going on?!” she shrieked.

“Well you see dear, your lovely sister and I are in the middle of some friendly competition. We each have to act like the other until one of us submits.” Applejack had a mischievous glint in her eyes as she said this.

“Eeyep, an’ tah loser has to do whatever the winner wants ‘em tah do. No complaints.” Rarity had a sly grin upon her face; Sweetie could tell that her sister was sure she was going to win. The singer knew otherwise.

“Little does my charming wife know that I use this accent all the time whenever I try to strike up contracts with restaurants in the fair city or when I attend soirees held by my beloved aunt and uncle. Whereas I believe that this is the second time Rarity has tried to mimic my preferred accent and is about to break.” Sweetie saw a look she only saw Octavia give Vinyl whenever the DJ fell in one of the cellists witty traps. She never imagined she would see it elsewhere, let alone on Applejack.

“Ah…Ah…I…” Rarity stuttered before sinking her head in defeat, “You win. By Celestia, it was so frustrating talking in such an uncouth way…I-it’s quite charming when you talk like that, though. Hehe,” She quickly corrected herself while Applejack was doing a little victory dance.

“That’s not how Ah talk by the way; Ah know how tah say ‘the’. That was jus’ insultin’.” Rarity was ashamed and was about to apologize when Sweetie interrupted.

“Alright; well, I came here to talk to you, Rarity. It’s important,” Sweetie Belle piped in after they were finished with post-game activities.

Both mares stopped what they were doing to give the singer their full attention.

“What is it, dear? You know I’m here to help you however I can,” Rarity said with concern; her ridiculous appearance countering how serious she was.

Now was the time to get answers, and Sweetie Belle wasn’t going to wait another moment.

“How do you find inspiration?” She finally asked, her eyes burning with determination; she had wasted enough time on this quest.

Rarity pondered for a moment. If she wasn’t aware of the true reason for this question, she would have answered rather vaguely, saying things like ‘inspiration is all around you; you just have to know where to look’. However, she was quite aware of her sister’s true goal and of the mare this was all for; she had known since her wedding about her sister’s vow when Octavia had told her. During a break in the performance the cellist came to Rarity, prompting the bride to look at the wedding singer and her stuntmare friend. The dressmaker knew immediately that the two were in love but could tell something was in the way. Octavia elaborated on that something and said she was doing this to help her pupil and friend find the same love that she and the DJ had. Rarity knew it was her duty as a sister to help in any way she can; with that in mind she knew how to proceed.

“Sweetie, do you remember my fall line for last year?”

“How could I forget? It is your most popular line yet; ponies are still ordering dresses from it and the fashion magazines are saying it will be what everypony who is anypony will be wearing this fall,” the singer replied in excitement.

“Want to know what my inspiration for that was?” Applejack knew what was going to happen next as a smile came to her face.

“Yes, that would help me so much!” at this the farmer drew attention to herself by taking a small bow. Rarity saw that this had the desired effect as Sweetie’s eyes grew to the size of dinner plates.

“That’s right, dear sister, my inspiration for that fantastic line was none other than my lovely wife, though their beauty fails to compare with you, Jackie.” Rarity stated happily, slightly misty eyed as she looked to the farmer.

“How?!” Sweetie needed to know; the dresses didn’t make her think of her sister-in-law whatsoever, there was nothing that screamed “Applejack” in the line. The singer thought it was clear what the inspiration was for a piece of art: be it a painting, a dress, or a song.

“It’s simple really. I thought about how she made me feel throughout the years.” She stood up to go get a magazine which had pictures of all the dresses. She pointed to the first dress in the gallery, “I created this when I thought about the months before we got together. If you remember I would make sure to put on some blush if I knew we were going to meet up in order to hide my real blush. She had the worst poker face whenever Rainbow would accuse her of having the ‘hots’ for me; it was precious. This one I came up with when I remembered when we first started dating; or more importantly, when she confessed she loved me. At that moment I felt the happiest I had ever been in my life and I thought I couldn’t be happier. This dress shows how wrong I was; this represents when she proposed to me years later. I had been suspicious that she was hiding something; like seeing somepony else, that’s how shifty she was being about the whole thing. Here’s the one for the wedding; and there’s the one for the wedding night. I’m not going to tell you about that.

“All I did was think about these events and what they meant to me and it’s almost as if the dresses drew themselves. That is how you know you have your inspiration; it feels like some outside source is guiding your horn as you create. You feel out of control as something else takes hold; unleashes your raw emotion onto the paper. I wasn’t even trying to come up with anything; all I did was think about my Jackie and then inspiration struck. You don’t interfere with it, just let it flow freely; don’t dare stop until it has run its course. Think about how somepony makes you feel and you will understand, and may indeed be struck by this force we artists call inspiration.”

As Rarity was finishing her speech, Sweetie Belle began to wonder. How does Scootaloo make me feel? I know I love her, but why? We’ve been friends for the longest time and we stood up for each other when Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon picked on us all those years ago. We met Apple Bloom together and formed a bond that still exists today. She was instrumental in getting our cutie marks; I don’t think I could ever thank her fully for what she did, I can only hope that my love for her will be enough. She is beyond a doubt the most beautiful mare I have ever seen, and she does it without any makeup. She could have any pony she wants, but, I think she at least likes me more than most. I can work with that. These feelings are tearing me up inside, it hurts to have to hide it all the time. If I can just write this one song, then I can confess my feelings; whether they are returned or not. I know I love her and I want her to know it too.

As Sweetie was in her reverie, she began to hum a tune. To the married couple it was slow paced; sounding sad and yet hopeful. It sounded like it could be a love song. But most importantly, it sounded like a powerful and completely original song.

Rarity was happy, but she had to hold herself back from leaping with joy; she knew something was missing. She has the melody for the song, but she doesn’t have the lyrics. Poor dear, she’s so close. But there is nothing I or anypony else can do for her now. Nopony; except for her heart’s desire. I know Octavia said that at this point Sweetie is just trying to come up with any song; but this, this is powerful stuff. I don’t know how well this song will do, but I know it will be the most important thing to her, just as this line of dresses is the most important thing to me. I know she worries about how her love will receive it, but I saw how Scootaloo looks at Sweetie Belle; it’s identical to how Rainbow looks at Twilight, or how I look at Jackie; knowing that this pony is my soul mate. I know she will love the song, second only to how much she loves Sweetie Belle. Sweetie is composing her Ode to Scootaloo, and I think fireworks will go off if she finishes it tonight.

The sisters were broken out of their own little worlds by a voice with a southern accent. “Would either of ya like somethin’ tah eat? Ah’m just ‘bout tah make some grub; should Ah make enough fer three?”

“That would be lovely dear, thank you,” Rarity responded happily, though inwardly she was cross at the farmer. Sweetie Belle’s flow had been interrupted; it would take something, or somepony, important to get her back into that flow once more.

“I would love some!” shouted Sweetie Belle, her outer enthusiasm hiding her inner turmoil. She knew she was so close; she had a tune for Celestia’s sake; that was more than she ever had towards a new song. So close; she could almost taste Scootaloo’s lips. That thought sent a shiver down her spine; she wanted to kiss that pegasus so badly, it was driving her mental. It was worse when they would hug; their muzzles so close to touching only diverge at the last second to bring their heads to the other’s shoulder. And of course the hug would last too long were it between two friends, but Sweetie always thought that it was not long enough. She hated her younger self for making that vow five years ago; she wished that she never made it or that Scootaloo would force her to break it with her own actions, but alas, despite all the signs that stuntmare liked her back, she took no action towards dating the singer. The flame of determination to take action tonight was now merely burning embers, but it was far from extinguished.

-GWG-

The trio enjoyed a fantastic dinner prepared by Applejack; especially since she was a far better cook than the sisters. The couple still had their manes styled like their partners’ and Rarity still wore the hat for some reason. Sweetie Belle had grabbed her saddle bag with her notebook inside of it and brought it to the table; she wanted to be ready should inspiration strike again. She tried to think about Scootaloo again, to refuel what once was a powerful bonfire in her heart. Her actions only kept her determination alive; she just couldn’t bring it back to its former glory.

Rarity looked at her saddened sister; though she felt her pain, she also felt her hope. She wished that Sweetie would hold onto that hope, because with it Rarity felt that tonight still had potential for great things. There was a general air of importance about tonight; similar to the one felt on the day Applejack proposed.

-GWG-

Two years earlier

It was a day like any other; Applejack wanted to go out for a picnic, which there was nothing unusual about since they went for one every week. However, there was something in the air that day; a feeling that today was going to be special. Rarity had felt this twice before; once when Sweetie got her cutie mark, and the other time was the day Fluttershy informed her friends that she was pregnant; so she knew to listen to it this time as well.

The picnic started like all the ones before it; they found a spot, set up the blanket and food, and began eating. Halfway through the meal, Applejack pointed up to the sky saying, “What is that feather-brain up to?”

Rarity stood up to get a better look before she began her response, “I believe she’s writing something in the clou-,” she halted when she began to see what was being written out. She felt tears form in the corner of her eyes when the sentence was finished, though it was more of a question:

Rarity, will you marry me?-AJ

The tears she held back were let loose when her eyes fell upon her marefriend of four years, kneeling before the unicorn with one hoof clutching her Stetson while the other held a small purple velvet box. Inside was the most beautiful ring she had ever seen; it didn’t matter that it didn’t appear that expensive, or that it wasn’t the largest diamond she had ever seen (nothing could ever compare to Tom). All that she cared about was that it was her Jackie asking for her hoof in marriage; that is what made it all the more beautiful.

“Oh, Jackie. Yes, yes of course I’ll marry you; you’ve made me the happiest mare alive.”

“Not as happy as you made me, Sugarcube.” They shared a tender embrace for some time. When they separated they continued with their picnic, though they were a lot closer than they were before.

“How did you get Rainbow to write the proposal in the sky for you?” Rarity asked after finishing their happily interrupted meal, engagement ring adorning her horn.

“Ah bought her off with a barrel of cider and a promise to never buck her in the chest ever again. She did her job so Ah’ll hold up my end of the bargain.” The engaged couple shared a laugh before they wrapped up their picnic.

-GWG-

The dressmaker was brought out of trip down memory lane by a knock at the door. She was about to rise, but Destiny (Applejack was more for Team Discord) intervened by having Sweetie Belle get up first.

“I’ll get it!” The younger unicorn rushed to the door to turn down the customer who couldn’t read the store hours outside. “I’m sorry but the Boutique is closed for the night. Come back between the hours of eight and six if you want a dr-” She stopped when she opened her eyes expecting to see the confused customer, only to find a face she had been dying to see again since she left the bakery earlier that day. “Scoots?!”

The stuntmare stood at the threshold of the store, smiling sheepishly and scratching the back of her head. She had a slight blush on her cheeks, matching the intensity of the singer’s though less noticeable due to her coat’s color. After a moment of silence she spoke, “Hey, Sweetie Belle, I was going to go practice some tricks tonight and I was wondering if my number one cheerleader wanted to come watch and cheer me on.”

“Sure, let me just grab my things and we’ll head out.” She ran back to the kitchen and grabbed her saddlebag, its only contents being her notebook and a pencil; she knew she was going to need these, she felt it in her gut. Before she left she hugged the couple saying her goodbyes; when she hugged Rarity she whispered into her ear, squeaking with barely contained excitement.

“Wish me luck!”

“Break a leg, dear. You have quite the performance ahead of you,” Rarity whispered back, tears at the ready. She watched as her younger sister left for her date with Destiny; practically skipping to the door in a similar fashion to Pinkie Pie. Rarity sat at the table, looking back and forth between her wife and the door. Finally Applejack sighed.

“Go on, go after her. Ah’ll handle the dishes, you jus’ make sure she doesn’t muck this up; Ah’d rather not owe Big Mac fifty bits.”

“Are you sure? I don’t have to go after them.”

“But ya want to. And Ah ain’t gonna stop ya. Just be back before late; you and Ah have a lot of apple buckin’ to do tomorrah.”

“What?!” Rarity exclaimed in an unladylike manner. She was about to complain when her wife held her hoof up.

“AH, no complainin’ remember the deal?” Applejack stated with a sly grin on her face.

“Damn!” Defeated she headed towards the door. Before she left she turned saying “I’ll see you later tonight with good news.”

“Ah hope so.” The farmer said once her wife was gone. After which she finally remembered that Rarity still had her Stetson.

Author's Note:

That's two down, [redacted] to go. Up next is Scootaloo's talk.

Thanks again to my editor/proofreader/friend Wolfie for her hard work.

I'd like to thank all of you who have favorited my story so far, it really helps in keeping this going. Tell your friends about this story and give an upvote if you like it thus far.

I apologize to anyone from the south or speaks with a southern accent if you are offended by me butchering it here. I know what it is like, being from Boston.