Chapter 1

A couch is an item of which you can notice, and quite easily too, is a very varied purchase. If you look at milk you will see two main choices, watered down or delicious with spaghetti. If you look at toothbrushes you’ll find even less choices. But couches, as said, are a multifaced beast that is not to be tackled alone. The danger in such a situation will vastly outweigh the need.
A couch of high quality could cost a mare upwards of a thousand bits. I dare say that is a hefty enough sum and yet that’s not the highest price tag out there. These couches display their lofty prices though, in undeniable ways. Their fabric upholstery is the finest ponykind can discover, create, or exploit out of others, their thread count higher than Celestia’s age. Appearances do not leave behind function though and these fine creatures do not lack in durability. Once home from the storm you will find that even the most cake indulgent buttocks, their weight weighty enough to cause you to indulge in some iron worked chairs, will not even crease the fineness. If you asked the elephant in the room what he (or she) was doing there and if he’d fancy a cup of tea, even he (or she!) could not help you break it in properly for a year and one night.
On the other hoof, it doesn’t have to be this way. A good couch could set a mare back as little as a half a bit. Don’t think you don’t realize even a filly without her cutie mark could afford it, they just don’t make a habit of it. A couch is a weighty subject. These couches will have all the same attributes, the high thread count, the same history, and best of all that fancy levers that reveals unto you a pop out and pop up foot rest for all your snoozing needs. All in all, the best of the best of the best with a price that you could say the same for.
And it’s purple!
“No.”
“But Rarity! Just look at it!”
“Sweetie, dear, I am looking at it,” The refined mare with tastes worth a thousand bits coughed, “It’s hard not to.”
“I know,” pause for the internal squee of joy, “Isn’t it so amazing! It’s purple! I’ve never seen a purple couch before!”
“I think there is a reason for that,” Rarity thought to herself before speaking, “Sweetie Belle, this kind of store is not really the kind of-“ Wait, which did she say out loud?

“But Raaaaaaarity you said you wanted a new couch!”

“I-”

“You said yours was soooooo last season.”

“Sweetie!”

“You said it was the worst possible thing!”

“Sweetie Belle! I do not sound like that! Hmph,” Rarity sniffed,”Let’s go Sweetie, there are still others things we have to do while in the city before we return home.”

“But-”

“No buts, Sweetie,” Rarity’s tone made the verdict final in its sentencing, deming Sweetie Belle guilty, charged with grand time wasting. “We still have to hit up the fabric store, I heard they got some fine, new-”

Sweetie Belle tuned out her older sibling as her punishment was voiced out loud. What a pleasant buzzing noise, she mused, almost like the song of a baby hummingbird. She lifted a hoof up, one last good bye stroke would make leaving the couch behind final but...she couldn’t help-

“Sweetie Belle! Come on!”

“Oh, come on!” she whined.

“Mmm, that’s right Sweetie,” For one sister from another, the trait of not listening was carried on, “Maybe we can stop at this delightful, little doughnut shop that Twilight introduced me to on the way to our next stop. Would you like that?”

“I would like-” Cutting each other off could prove to be a pastime among siblings.

“Oh, I just knew you would.”

“You never listen to me!”

As it turns out, throwing up one’s hooves in disgust, in anger, or in sheer frustration is pointless or worse when the only person to listen..doesn’t. Throwing up her hooves did not help Sweetie.

Rarity, however, simply grabbed her hoof without a thought and the couch faded out of view with a blink.

The day passed without event.

“Oh, Sweetie, look at these beads! Such an exquisite swirl of color”

“Dear, you simply must feel this fabric.”

“Oh, you poor stallion, of course we will help you! Sweetie, dear, won’t you be useful?”

And the day ended like so many other trips that Sweetie Belle spent with her sister in the great capital of Equestria.

“Hey Applebloom, I have a question for you,” It was the next day and all was not forgotten, oh no, and neither was it forgiven. Nothing is stronger than the memory of a scorned foal, “Remember when Scootaloo and I covered up for you when you wanted to deliver Applejack’s pie?”

“Why, shoot! Of course I do! I figure that I still owe ya’ll one for that. Made my sis finally realize I was all grown up.”

“I had hoped you would say that,” Sweetie Belle rubber her two hooves together, before realizing that there was a rock caught in her horseshoe, “Ouch! Give me a second!”

The next few minutes were spent with Sweetie Belle digging, poking, prodding and more under the watchful eyes of Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle.

“It’s been a second.” Scootaloo offered helpfully.

“Argh! It’s stuck!”

“Do you want help with that, Sweetie?”

“No! I mean… I need your help with something else...Just give me a second.”

“We already-”

Apple Bloom cut her off with a nudge, “Would you shut your big barn door!”

“I was just trying to be, Apple Bloom, do you have an apple lodge up-”

“So, Sweetie Belle, you said you need help with,” The rock shot out with startling accuracy, hitting the small yellow filly right between the eyes, “...Something? Ow, that did hurt.”

Sweetie Belle had the look of a filly caught in the sheepish act, “Sorry.. I guess my horn was better at digging it out than I thought.” She tried to discreetly move the hoof from her forehead down to the unnatural location behind her back.

“Owwie,” Apple Bloom looked at the hoof that she was using to rub the spot, “It’s fine. What was it ya needed anyways?”

“I was thinking...How’d you like to go to Canterlot with me?”

“Oh! Is Rarity going to another fashion show? Oh, oh! Or are we going to see Sapphire Shores!”

Both Apple Bloom’s and Scootaloo’s eyes lit up at the thought of Sapphire Shore.

“Oooooh, that’d be soooo cool!” They both chorused, “When can we go?”

“Well...We’re not exactly going with Rarity.”

“Not exactly,” Scootaloo asked, her humor now turned serious, “We can still see Sapphire Shores though, right?”

“Okay, not at all. In fact Rarity can not know. At all. And no Sapphire Shores.” The green orbs of Sweetie Belle’s eyes stared into the questioning orbs of her friend’s.

“But then how would we get to Canterlot, Sweetie? It’s not just a hop, skip, and a jump away.”

“But it is a train ride away, and a short one at that,” Sweetie Belle dug into her saddlebag, before pulling out a bag that rattled out its call with every wiggle and waggle, “A train ticket isn’t much and I have my birthday bits.”

“So that’s why you brought your saddlebags out to recess!” Scootaloo exclaimed.

“I was wondering about that.” Apple Bloom piped up.

The three fillies fell silent as the towering shadow of a teacher from one of the older classes walked by. Her purpose was to monitor all in case of an accident, or anything worthy of a three week detention, “I trust that you three are not getting into any trouble?” Not that such angels like Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo would know anything about such an extended span of detention.

“Trouble, Miss Pummel Horse, we don’t know the meaning of the word.”

“Hmph. Very well,” Just then the perfect distraction caused her to look away as a foal fell from his precarious perch on the playground, “I’m coming! Just hold a second!”

The trio of friends rushed over to the red walled schoolhouse, hiding in its shade.

“So, are you two in?”

“You be-” BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.

The bell that was fated to save the day was no different than anyone else fated to save the day as it interrupted the plotters.

“-T we are.”

“I can’t believe you were serious, Sweetie Belle! We’re actually going to Canterlot! We’re actually going to Canterlot!” Scootaloo seemed to be one hoof away from singing her joy out through the window of the train.

“Ah gotta admit, I didn’t think you actually had a plan, but that was pretty genius way to get us on without an adult.”

“It really was!”

“Why thank you, thank you! Now then I’m sure you’re all wondering why I have called you here.”

“Erm, not really, Sweetie. We just assumed it had something to do with Rarity.”

Her teeth grinded against each other, why does everything always have to be about her sister, “Well, it doesn’t!”

A mare in the next seat over shot the group a look as if to say, “Can’t you see I am trying to relax?”

Sweetie Bell hushed down before continuing, ”This has nothing to do with my big sister. I can do things on my own.”

Apple Bloom’s dubious look gave way to dubious words, “Then why did you need our help?”

“To carry the couch!” Like an oh so frustrating reoccurrence of foolery, Sweetie Belle Flung her hooves up, not expecting to hit something in the process.

There was a bang, a clang, and a thundering reply and then all was silent.

“My cabbages!”

Sweetie Belle’s hesitant turn showed her exactly what she feared, the aisle way with her very own mess. Leafy, green heads were rolling every which and way and the cart that they had originally nested on now lay at the owner’s hooves. This is where the hesitance turn to slow dread as her vision slowly travelled up. Tan hooves lead to white sleeves which in turn lead to crisp black fabric covering strong shoulders… And worse, the train’s logo. Sweetie Belle gulped.

“You’re in big trouble, little lady.”

Gulp.

“Please sir! I can pay for it! Just please don’t tell my sister!”

Squeak.

The stallion seems taken aback, “I didn’t say anything about you having to pay for them, a little thing like you simply couldn’t. I am assuming from what you said you’re travelling with your sister?”

Apple Bloom covered Sweetie’s mouth, effectively taking over, “She sure is sir, would you like us to get her for ya? We’ll be right back. I think she went down to the dinin’ car, right Sw- Sweet Treat?” Apple Bloom lifted up her hoof long enough for Sweetie Belle to squeak out an affirmative, “Ya see? We’ll just be right back. Her sis told us all to stick together.”

A quick exit was made by way of an earth pony tugging her two compatriots along, “So what’s this you were saying about a couch?”

“I’m so sorry, Apple Bloom! I just want to do something on my own!”

“Well, you knocked over that pony’s cabbages on your own, didn’t you?” Scootaloo was not new to sarcasm but nevertheless the novelty was still hers to enjoy.
The same could be said for Apple Bloom’s glare.

“It’s fine, Sweetie. That stallion will never see us again,” Apple Bloom was the stable headed one, the one without her head in the clouds and with a little bit of direction typically came comfort, “Now, why don’t you tell us why we’re even on the train. What’s this about a couch?”

“Rarity said…she said we couldn’t get it. She wouldn’t listen to me!”

“You sure this isn’t about your sister?” This could have been spoken by either filly.

“So I’m going to buy it myself!”

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