The Wish of a Filly

by BronyDad

A Daring Plan

Chapter 3

A Daring Plan

As she reached the bottom of the stairs, Sweetie Belle slowly came to a halt and looked around the shop.

This is all my fault, she thought to herself as her eyes scanned over the disordered room. I can't just cry about it and go home. I have to make this right somehow.

Dejectedly, Sweetie Belle sat at one of the tables and stared at the various bottles of perfume for several moments before she glimpsed a magazine that featured the Wonderbolts on its cover. As she recalled Scootaloo telling her that the Wonderbolts were scheduled to perform in Canterlot later tonight, Sweetie Belle suddenly formed a plan.

She rushed back upstairs and entered Rarity's room, shouting, "I know how we can fix this!"

With a cry, Rarity sat up in bed, holding a hoof to her heart. "Sweetie! Stop startling me like that!"

Realizing that she should have knocked, Sweetie Belle smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."

Rarity flipped her disheveled mane indignantly. "Now, whatever do you mean you know how to fix this?"

Practically vibrating with excitement, Sweetie Belle explained, "The Wonderbolts are performing tonight in Canterlot, and since all those celebrities you mentioned were in town two days ago for that photo shoot, I'm sure that most of them are sticking around for the show!"

Rarity gazed at her little sister in confusion. "And how, pray tell, does that help me?"

"We can get on the next train to Canterlot and go prove to them all that you are still a top fashionista!"

Rarity blinked. "How? I don't have time to create any new dresses."

"You don't need to! You have, like, a hundred dresses already made downstairs, and they're all gorgeous!"

"Oh, Sweetie, those dresses won't impress anypony," Rarity stated as she lay back on the bed and pulled the pillow back over her head. In a muffled voice, she concluded, "It's hopeless, just leave me be."

Sweetie Belle stomped a hoof in anger. "You know what the one thing is that I can't stand about you?"

Surprised, Rarity lifted the pillow and stared at her.

"You always give up right away," Sweetie Belle accused. "Like the time the dresses you made for your friends didn't impress Hoity Toity. You just locked yourself in your room until they managed to solve your problem for you."

"W-what a horrible thing to say..." Rarity began.

"NO!" Sweetie Belle shouted in a high pitched squeak. "What's horrible is that I wanted to be just like you! But how could I ever want to be somepony who just lies down and dies as soon as things stop going her way?!"

Furious, Sweetie Belle raced out of the room and down the stairs as tears poured down her face.

"Sweetie Belle!" Rarity called, chasing the filly downstairs. "Sweetie, come back! I'm sorry!"

Sweetie Belle stopped with her hoof on the doorknob. "You are?" she asked hesitantly. When Rarity nodded, she sniffled, "Then, you'll go to Canterlot and try to clear your name?"

Rarity hugged her little sister fiercely. "Yes. But only if you come with me."

Grinning as she wiped away her tears, Sweetie Belle announced, "It's a deal!"

With a sparkle in her eye, Rarity said, "Good. Now help me pick out some dresses that will wow the horseshoes off of those celebrities."

***

As the train slowed to a stop at the Canterlot station later that evening, an absolutely stunning Rarity pranced confidently through the aisle and descended the steps.

Every stallion that she passed as she made her exit stared at her with adoration, to the frustration of several of the mares that were accompanying them. Sweetie Belle giggled as one particular mare slapped her coltfriend, then turned away and refused to meet his gaze.

As they stepped off the train, they turned to meet the train attendant that was carefully lowering the rack of dresses off of the back car.

"Here you go, Ma'am," he said as he wheeled the rack over to them.

"Thank you ever so much," Rarity replied with a beautiful smile. "You've been a doll."

She lifted his foreleg and dropped several bits onto his hoof. Smiling stupidly, the attendant seemed unaware that the bits slipped from his hoof and fell to the ground as he watched the gorgeous mare trot away.

"You really do look beautiful, Rarity," Sweetie Belle observed as she matched her sister's stride.

Rarity winked at her little sister. "I do my best."

Her big sister really had pulled out all the stops in preparing herself for her trip to Canterlot. What had impressed Sweetie Belle even more was how fast she had done it. Excited by the prospect of clearing her name, Rarity had managed to get ready in only half the time it normally took her.

After that, they had painstakingly gone through all of Rarity's dresses until they had filled a rack with some of the best work she had ever done.

As they trotted down the glamorous streets among the elegant buildings and the alluring rivers and lakes, Sweetie Belle and Rarity made their way toward the center of the city.

When she noticed that the streets were beginning to grow more crowded, Sweetie Belle glanced around and saw that most ponies were carrying tickets. Just as she was about to point this out to Rarity, a large stallion wearing a uniform suddenly held out a hoof to stop them.

"Excuse me, Ma'am, but do you have a ticket?" the security guard asked politely.

"Well, I...um, no," Rarity stammered.

"I'm sorry, but nopony passes this point without a ticket," he stated firmly. "Please head back the way you came."

"Please let us pass, sir," Sweetie Belle pleaded. "We're not here for the show. I messed up and ruined my sister's fashion career, and we need to reach Hoity Toity and the other celebrities so she can clear her name."

The guard eyed the rack of dresses behind them before commenting, "Those do look nice." Then he turned his attention to Rarity. "I believe your little sister, really I do, but I can't let you pass. I'm under strict orders to let nopony pass without a ticket. I could lose my job."

Rarity sighed. "I understand."

Raising the rack of clothes high into the air, Rarity led the way back against the flow of traffic and sat under a large tree.

Sweetie Belle watched her sister hang her head as the rack of clothes landed gently beside her. "You're not giving up, are you?"

"What else can we do?" Rarity replied. "They won't let us any closer without tickets."

"Lift me up. Maybe I'll be able to see them."

Rarity shook her head. "Oh, Sweetie, what's the point? We sh-"

"Would you stop feeling sorry for yourself for one second and lift me up?!" Sweetie Belle snapped.

Scowling, Rarity relented. "Fine, but only for a moment. You know I get a headache if I hold you up for too long."

Suddenly feeling as though she were as light as a feather, Sweetie Belle floated up into the air. Once she was high enough, she began scanning the crowd for any sign of the celebrities.

After several minutes, Rarity called, "I'm bringing you back down now."

"Wait, give me one more minute!"

Searching the throng of ponies with more urgency, Sweetie Belle finally caught sight of Photo Finish and several of her models, and then she saw Trenderhoof and Fancy Pants mingling with them.

"I see them, Rarity!" Sweetie Belle shouted excitedly. "They're right over there!"

Rarity lightly set her on the ground. "But however are we going to get over there?"

Sweetie Belle studied the tree, then shifted her gaze over to the rooftops as a plan quickly formed in her head.

Wordlessly, Sweetie Belle suddenly jumped up and caught hold of a branch. As she pulled herself up, she heard Rarity exclaim, "Sweetie Belle, get down from there this instant! You could get hurt!" Ignoring her sister, she continued to climb as Rarity began to yell. "Sweetie Belle?! SWEETIE BELLE!"

"What is she doing up there?" the security guard asked as he rushed over to Rarity. "Tell her to come back down."

Flipping her mane indignantly, Rarity retorted, "She won't listen to me. I'm her sister, not her mother."

With a growl of frustration, the guard began climbing the tree as Sweetie Belle reached the top and leaped onto a nearby roof. Carefully approaching the edge, she took a moment to locate the small group of celebrities, then hurried off.

Hopping over a small gap between roofs, Sweetie Belle glanced back and found the guard charging straight for her. She cried out in fright and galloped across the rooftops, but it wasn't long before the much bigger stallion caught her by the tail.

"You've got to get down from here before you hurt yourself," the guard began. "Come with-"

Suddenly, the Wonderbolts soared by directly overhead, causing the guard to flinch and release her tail. Racing away, Sweetie Belle watched them as they preformed a couple aerial stunts and then landed on a raised wooden platform on the other side of the street.

"That's where I need to get," Sweetie Belle mumbled to herself as the Wonderbolts began waving to the sound of thunderous applause.

As she searched for a way to cross the street, her eyes landed on a large banner depicting the Wonderbolt's symbol that spanned the gap. Wondering if it would hold her weight, she started toward it.

"Wait kid, stop!" the guard shouted from behind.

Just then, the shingles broke lose under their combined weight and started sliding off the roof.

Running in place as the shingles continued to slide out from beneath him, the guard tripped and fell from the roof and landed awkwardly in a large bush.

Knowing that she was about to tumble over the edge as well, Sweetie Belle leaped toward the banner and desperately clung to it.

Without warning, the wire holding the banner in place snapped, and Sweetie Belle swung across the courtyard.

Gripping the banner for dear life, Sweetie Belle screamed as she crashed through a tree, and emerged with a terrified squirrel clinging to her face. Blinded, she slammed into the side of a building with a loud grunt, and watched the squirrel hop onto a windowsill. It chattered excessively, its tiny fist waving angrily at her as she climbed down the banner and dropped to the ground.

Sweetie Belle pushed her way through the crowd toward the raised platform, and quickly clambered up the ladder. As she reached the top, she heard several shouts of confusion from the throng of ponies below, and glancing up, saw the quizzical looks of the Wonderbolts.

Spitfire cocked an eyebrow. "You lost?"

"I'm very sorry to interrupt your show," Sweetie Belle said apologetically, "but there is something that I have to set right."

Just then, the security guard pulled himself up onto the platform. With dirt smudges all over his uniform, and a twig stuck in his mane, he saluted Spitfire. "I'm very sorry for this intrusion, Ma'am. I will remove this foal at once."

Sweetie Belle backed away from the guard and hurriedly explained herself. "I ruined my sister's business and I have to fix it. I have to. Because she's the best sister ever, and I love her, and I would do anything for her!"

As the guard advanced, Soarin suddenly stepped forward and stopped him with a hoof. "She's gone through an awful lot of trouble to get up here." Looking at Spitfire, he stated, "I think we should hear her out."

Nodding, Spitfire smiled at her. "Go ahead, kid."

She turned and gazed out at all the confused faces staring up at her and felt a panic begin to rise within her. As she began to tremble, her eyes landed on Rarity, still standing under the tree.

I have to do this, Sweetie Belle told herself. For Rarity, I WILL do this.

Her resolve hardened, she looked straight at the group of celebrities below and began. "Two days ago, Photo Finish hosted a photo shoot that featured dresses made by my sister, Rarity. During the shoot, the dresses split at the seams, and all of you have withdrawn your orders. My sister worked really hard to make it this far, and win your approval. Would you please, please, give her another chance?"

"I, Photo Finish, have never been so humiliated in all my life," Photo Finish declared resentfully. "Why should a designer as negligent as your sister be given another chance?"

As the other celebrities began nodding and mumbling their agreement, Sweetie Belle proclaimed, "Because it wasn't her fault!"

"Oh, I see!" retorted Hoity Toity. "Then it must be the fault of the models. Perhaps the dresses were unable to withstand their level of pizzazz!"

At his words, laughter broke out among the crowd.

Dread knotting in her stomach, Sweetie Belle desperately tried to think of something to say.

Suddenly, she felt a hoof on her shoulder. "Sorry, kid," Soarin said gently. "I think it's time you got off the stage."

"No!" Sweetie Belle yelled, shrugging off his hoof and glaring at the celebrities. "It was my fault!"

With a collective gasp, the laughter died. Stepping forward, Fancy Pants asked, "You...sabotaged her?"

"Well, no..." Sweetie Belle hesitated. She tried to think of a way to make them understand, but then decided to just tell them the truth. "I found a magical flower called the Wishing Flower, and I made a wish. I was angry at my sister for not having any time to spend with me, so I wished that she could find some time." Hanging her head in shame, she concluded. "The dresses falling apart and all of you withdrawing your orders made my wish come true. All of this is my fault."

"That's preposterous!" Hoity Toity exclaimed. "There's no such thing as a Wishing Flower!"

"Actually," came a voice from above. "There is."

Glancing up, Sweetie Belle was shocked to discover Princess Celestia swooping down to land beside her.

"Princess Celestia!" somepony in the crowd cried, and then everypony in the courtyard hurriedly bowed.

Her mouth hanging open in disbelief, Sweetie Belle stared at the princess stupidly. "P-Princess Celestia, w-what are you doing here?"

Seemingly oblivious to the fact that she wasn't bowing, Princess Celestia smiled pleasantly. "I just happened to be flying along, and saw you running across the rooftops. Since seeing little fillies on roofs isn't a very common sight here in Canterlot, I thought I should take a closer look."

Before she could respond, Princess Celestia turned toward the crowd. "The Wishing Flower is an extremely rare flower that can grant any wish. However, it only allows itself to be found by somepony deemed worthy." Glancing down at Sweetie Belle, she winked. "And who is more worthy than a filly that could stand to learn a valuable lesson."

Grinning ear to ear, Sweetie Belle replied, "You're right, I did learn a valuable lesson. I learned that-"

Gently placing a hoof to Sweetie Belle's mouth, Princess Celestia suggested, "Why don't you tell your sister instead?" Turning her gaze to Rarity, she called, "Won't you join us?"

The crowd parted as Rarity trotted toward the platform. With the rack of clothing following closely behind her, she beamed up at her little sister.

Princess Celestia lowered her head and urged, "Now, my little pony, tell your sister what you have learned."

"I learned that it doesn't matter how much time I get to spend with my sister. What's important is that we're always there for each other." Smiling lovingly at Rarity, she concluded. "I would do anything for her, and I know that she would do anything for me. And that means more to me than a hundred sleepovers."

Hugging the little filly to herself, Princess Celestia jumped off the stage and landed elegantly on the ground. Turning her gaze upon the group of celebrities, the princess asked, "What do you say? Since Rarity was undone by magic, can you find it within yourselves to give her a second chance?"

As the celebrities voiced their affirmation, Rarity hugged Sweetie Belle tightly. "That was the single most stupid thing I've ever seen anypony do," she said sternly, but then smiled. "And I will never forget that you did it for me."

Once Rarity had released her, Sweetie Belle asked, "Princess Celestia, how did you know what had happened?"

"Oh, I received a letter the other day from Twilight telling me that you had found the Wishing Flower and made a wish." Her eyes sparkling, she added, "I knew that I would be hearing from you. Although, I must admit I thought it would be through a letter and not a personal audience."

"Excuse me, Rarity," somepony said from behind.

Turning around, they found Fleetfoot holding a dress. "Are these for sale?"

Rarity grinned broadly. "They most certainly are."

"That's great!" Fleetfoot replied. "This dress is amazing. It's so aerodynamic, it wouldn't even slow me down."

"Yes, my friend Rainbow Dash inspired me to create a whole line of dresses that are stylish and chic without hindering flight performance," Rarity stated, glowing with pride. "I'll let it go for ten bits."

"Whoa! That's a steal!" Fleetfoot exclaimed. "I'll take it!"

Sweetie Belle glanced away from the two and noticed the security guard looking over the dresses, the twig still stuck in his mane. Giggling, she told him, "You got something in your hair." As he pulled the twig free, she apologized, "I'm sorry I put you through so much."

The guard shrugged. "It's all right, you were doing what you thought was right. I can't fault you for that." Holding up a dress, he asked, "What do you think about this one? I think my wife would look lovely in it."

"It's beautiful!" Sweetie Belle agreed. Suddenly getting an idea, she turned to Rarity and yelled, "Hey, Sis, can he have this dress for free?"

Rarity laughed. "I think we owe it to him, look at the dreadful state his uniform is in!"

As the satisfied guard walked off with the dress, Rarity pulled her sister close. "I love you, Sweetie."

Happy that everything had worked out in the end, Sweetie Belle sighed contently. "I love you too, Rarity."

The End

Comments

[NocturneD85]

meh... was alright conclusion but i was kind of hoping the business would go under a bit longer to see some actual damage other than Rarity crying for a day saying she's ruined.

[Sea_Swirl]

so... so sweet but so cute! and so awesome!

[BronyDad]

4576504 Well, she did mention that everyone cancelled their orders, which would be really damaging to a business. Something I didn't think of until your comment is that I could have had the CMC happen upon a magazine article that mentioned Rarity's fall from grace instead of just having Junebug ask them about it. That would have added the sense of damage that you feel was lacking. Maybe I'll go through chapter 2 and change it a little to include that....

Anyway, the main reason I didn't go too much into the damage was because I wanted to keep the focus on the relationship between the sisters. But you do make a good point. Thanks for the input!

[gamexpert1990]

Well, now that I've managed to read this, let me just say that this was rather touching and adorable.

I really don't know exactly why, but for some reason, the scene where Sweetie is running on the roofs reminds me a little bit of Disney's "Aladdin."

I know I'm commenting on this rather late, but I agree with Vengeful Spirit - we DO need more stories exploring the sisterly relationship between Rarity and Sweetie Belle. That is actually one of the reasons "For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils" is one of my favorite episodes. (Side note: that episode also has the single most adorable Sweetie moment - "I prefer showtunes.")

Anyway, thanks for writing!

p.s. Since this makes at least three stories of yours that I really enjoyed, you have received another follower.

[Alchemystudent]

4786742

that episode also has the single most adorable Sweetie moment - "I prefer showtunes.")

Personally, I think that her giggle at the beginning was the most adorable thing.

Anyway, very excellent story. Sweet and cute and just way too show accurate to be true. Admit it! You are a show writer in disguise!

[HaloEssence111]

Nicely done!

[Bluegrass Brooke]

Really cute story. I loved the relationship exploration throughout, and the resolution was just great.

[RoyalBardofCanterlot]

Nice.

[RT Garbage Esq]

I really enjoyed this! The way it was structured made it feel pretty much exactly like a real episode I could imagine seeing, which not many stories can do. Well done!

[BronyDad]

10530377
Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[new55]

That was a good story.