A Visit From Family
On a train heading westward, Boltsinger and Spike had the rare car to themselves. The Pegasus sprawled across an entire seat, while his dragon companion sat on the floor below him, poring over various notes he’d taken on their trip. In his claws was a different notebook than he’d been using thus far, the page filled with words he’d scribbled on in a decidedly lyrical form. He tore the page out, tossing it up and blowing a puff of flame at it. “I… can make… a… promise…” he began, writing the line in the book. “Yeah, that’s a good start.”
“What’s a good start?” Boltsinger chimed, his muzzle directly next to Spike’s ear.
Spike let out a small scream, fumbling with the notebook. “Nothing! Nothing at all!” He caught the notebook, holding it close to his chest. “Aren’t you supposed to be sleeping?”
“Hard to nap with all the scribbling and singing you’re doing.” he smugly stated, shifting his weight to look over the drake’s shoulder. “So, a song, huh? Whatcha got so far?”
With a defeated exhale, Spike opened the notebook again. “It’s not much. I’m not exactly a songwriter, you know.”
“Neither am I, but I bet we could come up with something together.” He crossed his fetlocks, looking out the window in front of him. “Now if you want a great songwriter, look no further than Sweetie Belle.”
The dragon chuckled in agreement, hopping into the seat and leaning against an orange wing. “Yeah, she’s definitely got a knack for it.” He joined the stallion’s gaze, lowering the notebook a little. “I wonder how everypony back home is doing…? I hope they’re all okay.”
Boltsinger’s wing wrapped around the young reptile, pulling him closer. “I’m sure they’re doing fine.”
The Carousel Boutique was quiet, save for the sound of the sewing machine. Sweetie Belle breathed a sigh at the sound, moving through the hall to check on her big sister. Ever since the slumber party, days had been the same. She had smiles to give, yes, but it seemed as if she was only going through the motions. She’d work on a design for a while, meet with any customers that came by, eat a basic meal, then a carton of vanilla oat swirl. She certainly seemed happier than before, but there was something wrong still.
She looked into the vaunted inspiration room, finding exactly what she’d expected. Rarity was hunched over a length of fabric, sewing patterns together with an empty mannequin next to her. “Rarity?” she called out, carefully stepping inside. A miniscule vocalization was the only response she got, prompting another step forward from the filly. “How’s the new design coming?”
The fashionista let out a long sigh. “Oh, it’s coming…”
That’s what you said the last six times I asked… the filly figured, noting a distinct lack of progress on the mannequin. “This is the last piece in the new collection, right?”
“It will be, yes.” Rarity confirmed, taking a forlorn look at the stark statue. "Just give it time. It'll be ready soon…"
“And it’ll be the best dress ever!” Sweetie Belle cheered, running up to give her a quick hug. “I’m going to go see what Apple Bloom and Scootaloo are up to, alright?”
“Yes, that’s fine dear.” She put her foreleg around the filly, lingering a little longer than usual. “Be safe, and tell the girls I said hello.”
Sweetie Belle pulled away with a soft smile. "I will." As she turned to leave, the corners of her mouth turned downward. It's so hard seeing you like this, big sister… I have to do something to get you out of this funk!
"Which is why I propose that we all think of ideas to help Rarity feel like Rarity again!" Sweetie Belle concluded, stomping a forehoof on the clubhouse floor. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo stared at their friend with wide eyes, having just been subjected to a long and involved description of what the couturier's days had been like for the past week. "What do you think?"
"Well, I can tell the slumber party didn't do enough for 'er." Apple Bloom affirmed, looking down at the blank checklist before her. "But I don't really know what all we can do. Seems like she's just gotta take some time."
“Yeah, and she’s got you there to help her out!” Scootaloo added, jingling her pendant with a glint in her eye. “You’re her family, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned a lot lately, it’s that family can make all sorts of things better!”
“Yer darn right!” the Earth Pony declared, her hoof raised high. She paused for a moment, the airborne hoof falling to rub her chin. “Then again, aren’t we all kinda like an extended family? That’s really what friends are in the long run.”
Scootaloo took a similar posture. “I guess so. I mean, Rainbow Dash is still pretty much my big sister, and I don’t know what I would have done if I never had you girls.”
“Aaaawwwww!” The musical Crusader smiled wide, nearly tackling her best friends with her affection. “I feel exactly the same! You two are just as much family to me as Rarity is!” For a moment, what felt like a harmony sounded in her brain, causing an ecstatic squeak to erupt from within. “I’ve got it! I know how I can help Rarity!” She trotted in place, spinning around as the details began to take shape. “Scootaloo, can I borrow your little brother for a few days?”
Scootaloo cocked an eyebrow. “Borrow my brother? What do you--”
“I’ll explain later! See you!” The ivory foal leaped over her comrades, swinging wide the door and shooting off toward the castle.
“Rarity! I’m baaaaaaaack~!”
The bell above the front door rang true once again, momentarily pulling Rarity out of her funk. She trotted to the showroom, rubbing the fatigue from her eyes. “Ah, welcome home, Sweetie Be--AAH!”
“AA!” cried a tiny voice that swiftly flew over and hugged the fabulous mare. Rarity wrapped her legs around the little colt, smiling wider than she had in weeks.
“Darling!!!” she squealed, pressing her hooves to Nova’s cheeks. “Now why are you here, precious boy?” Her cutesy tone pulled a laugh out of the colt, who put an affectionate hoof on her nose. She gave a little giggle, looking over his head at her little sister. “But seriously, why is he here?”
Sweetie Belle rubbed the back of her neck, averting her eyes. “Well, Twilight was super busy, and Scootaloo looked like she was really tired at the clubhouse today. So I thought I’d offer to give them a break.”
Rarity gave her sister a smirk, moving the foal onto her back. “And the fact that you’ve always wanted to babysit this little one by yourself has nothing to do with it?”
The filly’s face flushed considerably. “Maybe a little…” She extended her hoof to tickle Nova’s cheek. “I also thought you’d enjoy a visit from your family. Give you a change of pace, you know?”
"I suppose a change of pace might be welcome." Rarity admitted, looking back to kiss a tiny orange forehead. "And how long are you gonna be with us, little dear?"
Sweetie Belle lit up, raising a hoof. "Three days!"
“Ah, three days, wonderful.” she repeated dismissively, turning around to return to her work. Before she could finish her first step, her eyes snapped open again, turning her head back to the filly. “Wait. Three days?”
"Yup!"
"As in seventy-two hours?"
"That's what I said."
“Well, it’s a good thing we’re going to be doing this together, isn’t it?”
“Except when I’m at school.”
Rarity’s face sank, just barely maintaining her smile. “I see…” She made her way to the kitchen, floating a plate into place on the counter. “Well, at least things will be lively for a while. Did you bring any of his things?”
“Yup!” Sweetie Belle answered. A thud suddenly shook the boutique, forcing the elder sister’s gaze to turn behind her and see a pile of duffle bags that nearly towered over the filly.. “Twilight said this might not be enough, but I couldn’t carry any more.”
“Yes, of course…” Rarity said, letting out an ever-more nervous laugh. “I’m sure we’ll be fine...”
Rarity awoke in an instant as a high-pitched cry assaulted her ears. She threw off her blankets, looking to the crib placed in her room. “Antie’s here, Nova, honey! No--” She raised an eyebrow, finding the crib to be empty. After a brief pause, the crying continued. She burst to a canter down the hall, hoping against hope that the cause for the cries wasn’t what she thought it was.
Unfortunately, the smoke billowing out of the kitchen confirmed her fears. Inside the kitchen was what Rarity could only describe as a disaster area, with lumps of black substances on every plate, fire bursting out of the stove top, and Sweetie Belle covered in splotches of soot. The Crusader in question ran to her sister, looking back at the crying colt. “Thank Celestia you’re here! I was just about to get you!”
“Don’t tell me,” the mare began, her horn already at work in cleaning the kitchen. “You decided it would be a good idea to make a special breakfast for Nova?"
Sweetie Belle nodded. “I thought it would be a nice gesture since we have him here.”
Scanning the room again, the fashionista’s eyes fell on a glass of black muck. “And, let me guess, you even went so far as to make juice?”
“Oh, that?” The filly floated the glass over, letting her sister get a better look at it. “That’s the toast!”
“I… see…” Rarity took the glass and hung it over the sink, the sludge falling out and pooling near the drain. “Well… at least you’re improving.”
“I thought so too!” Sweetie Belle agreed, raising an emphatic hoof. “But as soon as Nova saw it he started crying! And all I wanted was to give him something better than those mashed carrots Scootaloo is always giving him.”
Rarity patted her sister’s back, quickly turning to the younger foal. “And that’s very sweet of you, but Nova hasn’t been taking interest in too many solid foods yet… Besides anything Pinkie Pie makes.” She rubbed her chin for a moment. “Perhaps I could ask her for some recipes later?” She giggled to herself, floating over a simple jar of mashed carrots and placing it in front of the colt. She leaned in close, putting her hoof on his head and giving him a light kiss to the forehead. “Nova, honey, Aunty Rarity has your favorite right here.” Slowly, the little prince opened his eyes, eying the familiar food before him. He pulled it over, burying his tiny muzzle in the jar and gobbling up what he could. With a satisfied flip of her mane, she put a hoof on the table. “Keep an eye on him, would you? Make sure his face is clean and all that.”
“Got it!” Sweetie Belle replied, magically lifting a pile of napkins over. “What are you gonna do?”
“Oh, the usual.” she teased, producing a large number of cleaning supplies. The sisters shared a laugh, each going to their tasks. “And remember, dear, no magic.”
Sweetie Belle stopped for a second, looking at her napkins, then over at Nova. The tiny Alicorn’s face was almost completely covered with the lighter orange of the carrots, with yet more of the meal splattered about the table. Her face scrunched up at the thought of what she now had to do, eventually putting a single napkin in her hoof before setting about her work.
That same morning, the Friendship Express pulled into the furthest town it could in northwestern Equestria. The sky was bright but littered with clouds, and the latest shipment of pear jam was on its way to the store. Spike and Boltsinger stepped onto the platform, shielding their eyes from the sunlight as they took in the sights. “Vanhoover, huh?” Boltsinger said, a tinge of regret in his voice. “Doesn’t get much more ‘west’ than here… I wonder if he’s been to see Brightling?”
“Only one way to find out, right?” Spike suggested, opening his wings. “Besides, I wanna get me some of that pear jam on the way.”
Boltsinger smiled back at the dragon, unfurling his wings in kind. They simultaneously took off, stopping only long enough to procure Spike’s jam as they quickly found their way to the stallion’s foalhood home. When they touched down by the steps, the door flung open with a hazel light. Before he knew it, there was a white-coated foal in front of him, wagging his tail at the sight of his uncle.
“I was wondering when you’d be along.” a tenor stated from within. Boltsinger turned his attention upward to find his brother’s stern face looking back. “Ever since that ‘friend’ of yours came by.”
“So you saw Paradigm?” Spike asked, hovering up to him. “We’ve been looking for him for a while, now!”
Brightling rolled his eyes, pushing the dragon aside to step past. “Figured as much.” He scooped Oathsinger into his wing, turning back to the house. “Come with me. I’ve got some explaining to do.”
Following his brother’s lead, the performance pony headed in. At first glance, nothing had really changed. Everything was where it normally was, with five or six of Oathsinger’s toys scattered about the living room. Despite the familiarity, though, something felt off. He took a seat on the couch, looking at his brother with intrigue. “So, what’s going on? Everything alright?”
“It was for a while. That friend of yours in Manehattan came by for a visit suddenly.” Brightling explained, gazing at a picture on the hearth. “Got to talking with my wife.”
“That’s great news!” Spike exclaimed, hopping into place next to the bluenette. “How is Sparks doing, anyway?”
A gratuitous guffaw came out of the older Pegasus. He lowered Oathsinger to the floor as his forelegs spread wide. “I dunno! She left with him!” He began pacing around the room, wings shaking with frustration. “He just showed up out of nowhere, talking about how he needed her help with something. Then they had some kind of special Unicorn conversation. Or at least that’s what I think it was. They wouldn’t tell me!”
Boltsinger tilted his head. “Special… Unicorn conversation? Not sure I follow you there.” He looked over to his scaled companion.
Spike merely shrugged. “I got nuthin’.”
“All I know is that their horns were lit up and they were looking really closely at each other.” Brightling continued, putting a feather up to his eye. He backed up for a moment as another thought came to him. “Oh yeah, and Paradigm’s horn was doing that lightning-y thing it does sometimes.”
Boltsinger recoiled at the detail, how previous encounters with the pony in question instantly coming to mind. "His horn only does that when…" His eyes went wide as a lump formed in his throat. He swallowed it quickly, shaking his head in disbelief. "No… He can't be…"
"Anyway, I've been here taking care of Oathsinger by myself." Brightling continued, flopping onto the couch. "Can't keep up at work because I'm too stressed out from not knowing where my wife is and having to watch my son, so they ordered me to take some time off." He breathed a loud, heavy sigh, eyes once again drifting to the hearth and the memories atop it. "I just don't know what to do…"
“I just don’t know what to do…” a mare began, looking over the selections at the Carousel Boutique. “This blouse matches my mane perfectly, but that last one was just sooooo comfortable!” She looked curiously over to the proprietor, who was in the middle of a glance back to the hall. “What do you think?”
“Hm?” Rarity pulled her gaze away from the hall. “What is it you needed?”
“Well, first I wanted some advice on these blouses, but now…” A curious smile creased the mare’s face as she stepped closer. “I have got to know what’s so big that you of all ponies gets distracted from fashion!"
Rarity giggled behind her hoof, ending on a small sigh. "Oh, it's nothing, really. I'm just watching a friend's foal for a few days. It was all my sister's idea, really. I'm just keeping an ear out in case--" Before her thought could conclude, a clatter arose from above, sending Rarity rearing with a near-screaming gasp. "Excuse me a moment!" With that, she sped into the depths of the boutique, skidding to a halt before her own bedroom door. "Don't worry, little darling! Aunty's here!"
Through the doorway, all she saw was a pile of blankets with the crib on its side. A muffled whine sounded from under the blankets, a series of bumps moving around frantically. She rushed in, lifting the blankets in a single flick of her horn and sweeping the crying baby off of the floor. “Are you alright, my sweet? Did you have yourself a little tumble?” The foal sniffled and wiped his tears away, burying his face in his gorgeous aunt’s fur. “Why don’t we give you a nice place to play?” She trotted down the hall once more, her thoughts abuzz with what might engage the young royal the most. "Hmm… Perhaps something fabulous to look at?" She stopped short of her primary work room, briefly rearranging everything that she might set Nova in his own little corner. "Here. What do you think of this?" she asked, gesturing to the on-display mannequins. "Complete with plenty of friends to dance around with."
The colt looked upon the gorgeous garments with a sense of wonder to him. He'd seen these kinds of things on ponies before, but never on toys like this. He stepped up to the edge of his makeshift playpen, eyes darting between the outfits as his aunty smiled on.
"Well, it seems like everything is in order here." She leaned in and planted a soft kiss on the little ponies cheek. "I'll be back to check on you soon, my sweet." She took a deep, relieved breath as she turned to the door, heading back to the showroom with a satisfied grin she’d waited weeks to display.
Some time later, another customer stood in the show room, sifting through the stallions' wear as Rarity looked on. Every now and then, his ear would twitch, causing him to raise his head and look around. "Did you hear that?" he asked, finally turning to the proprietor with a raised eyebrow.
"Hear what?" she answered, taking a position beside him. "Is there something I can help you with?"
“Just wondering what that knocking is.” he buried his face in the garments again. “Not like your door’s locked or anything.”
“Oh, it’s probably something happening up…” Her eyes widened with realization, pupils turning toward the hall. “... stairs…” She pulled a dapper-looking suit from the hanger, floating it over with force that nearly shoved the stallion aside. "Honestly darling I think this would look positively smashing on you and you should try it on post haste while I look into that noise!" Her ear twitched as the knocking reached her. "That ever… increasing… noise…" With that, she burst into a gallop through the boutique, the clatter rising further as she closed in.
Finally, she reached her destination.
Nova was aloft, much like he enjoyed in his own room, with every fully-dressed mannequin in the room dancing around. Each and every knock that had sounded seemed to be from the mannequins hitting the walls, causing the higher shelves to shake and rattle. At first, she thought to pay it no mind, until she remembered what was on those shelves. Her horn immediately flared up as she sprang forward. Delicate fabrics floated down, easily snatched up, followed soon after by entire spools of rare threads. She chanced a glance over to Nova, who was blissfully twirling around in the air. With another twist, the mannequins smacked against the shelf again, sending a pack of sewing needles plummeting toward the foal. Beads of sweat rolled down her face as each individual needle spilled out of the package.
“NOVA, LOOK OUT!” She cried, tossing aside the more delicate items and jumping forward with a wave of her horn to catch the needles before they could hit the baby below. The Alicorn’s eyes opened at the sound of his aunty, unconsciously dousing his horn and landing. As soon as the mannequins were freed from the blue auras, they fell with an audible thud that shook the room, causing a pair of scissors to teeter on the edge of the desk. Rarity let out a noise that could only be described as part gasp and part scream, quickly taking the little pony in her forelegs and bucking the scissors hard enough to lodge them into the far wall. Nova let out an oblivious giggle, taking to the air next to the mare and lighting his horn. She sent him a nervous smile, licking her hoof and dousing his magic. “How about we play more later…”
“Can you please keep an eye on Nova today?” Rarity had asked, her tone and expression showing Sweetie Belle just how tired her sister had become after one short day. The younger Unicorn easily acquiesced, putting her hoof on the colt's shoulder and leading him away.
"I don't understand…" she looked down at the petit prince, more than a little befuddled. "Having you here was supposed to make Rarity happy, but now she's just a big ball of stress!" Nova extended a wing to the wall next to him, letting the feathers trail along while he babbled incoherently. "What about having a cute baby here could possibly freak her out that much?" She went into a prance, stopping ahead of Nova and kneeling over. “So, what does an adorable little colt like you want to do?” Nova’s head went into a curious tilt, eyeing the filly’s posture. With a mildly mischievous giggle, he mirrored her stance, hunching over with his tail in the air. With a little wiggle of his hindquarters, he zeroed in on his target, springing forward and tagging her directly on the tip of her horn. From there, he soared over her, laughing and flapping his way down the hall. Sweetie Belle blinked with bewilderment for a few seconds, turning her head with a grin and taking off after him.
The game had begun, with scores of laughter echoing through the boutique accompanied by the clamor of the shelves along the way emptying their contents. From there came a loud meow, followed by yet more laughter. In a moment of what he assumed was cleverness, Nova made a surprise twist in the air, moving into the prettiest room on the bottom floor. He glanced around the frilly room in search of a place to hide, eventually finding one in a rack of dresses. As the filly that followed entered the room, the colt let out a giggle.
“Oh? So we’re in hide and seek now?” she wondered with a smile. “I wonder where little Nova could possibly be?” She began to scan the room, starting on the end furthest from the still-hovering prince. “Is he over here?” she feigned, looking under a table. “Maybe over here?” She peeked behind a mirror, putting her hoof to her chin. “Hmm… Perhaps he’s…” Her eyes fell upon a picture hanging next to a dressing room. It was drawn on old, tattered paper with a heart made of baby blue sapphires. The main feature of the art piece was a pair of stick figure ponies in the middle, holding each other close and smiling. “... here…” She lit her horn, straightening the picture before she moved straight to Nova’s hiding spot. “I found you!” she declared, moving the clothes to reveal a smiling colt. She opened her forelegs for him, allowing him to nearly knock her over in a play tackle. “Do you wanna do something new?”
Rarity had to admit, the silence that had taken hold in the last few hours had her worried. She expected the clatter, the thumps and thuds, the mess, everything. It was Sweetie Belle, after all. But this was strange. She tread through the hall with tense breaths, The sight of a mess like this always made her anxiety skyrocket, but she was already at her usual trot at this point. "I shouldn't have left her with Nova… Shouldn't have agreed to any of this! He's a treasure but he's so much to handle! How could I have possibly been so callous about…" She flung the door to the show room open, searching frantically with her eyes until… "... this?" They fell upon the foals.
There they sat, at the edge of a table, with nothing but crayons and paper. Sweetie Belle was looking over Nova's shoulder, her horn holding the paper in place while a blue aura moved the crayons carefully along the page. "That's it, you're doing such a good job, Nova! Rarity is going to love it!"
Rarity’s heart skipped a beat at the sight. She stepped forward with an “Ahem!” before sitting next to them. “So this is what you’ve been up to!”
Sweetie Belle nearly jumped from the surprise, letting go of the paper and scrambling to cover it up. “You can’t see it yet! It’s not done!” She looked up at her sister with a stubbornly puffed-up face. “You’ve gotta wait until he’s finished, okay?”
The purple-maned mare’s face turned smug. “Oh, that’s fine.” she assured, floating an extra pencil and paper from across the room. “I’ve got all the time in the world.” She started a drawing of her own, keeping a careful eye on her little sister all the while. They kept on in relative quiet for several minutes, frequently looking at one another as if to check in. With one last stroke of the pencil, though, the elder sister stood and stretched, breaking the silence. “Well, then! That was nice, but if you’ve got everything well in hoof, I should get to work on this new design.” She started back to the door, feeling a slight tug at her tail before crossing the threshold. She turned her attention back, seeing a little orange face looking intently up at her.
“Ah!” the colt cried, levitating his project into her field of view. Amid a scribbled night sky of twinkling stars stood simple stick figures. Two of them in white, one with a purple mane and one with pink and violet, with a smaller orange one flying just above them with a messy purple and blue.
It was about as simple as a baby’s drawing could get, but the way he held it up for her sent a pang of emotion through the fashionista. She swiftly lifted Nova in her forehooves, twirling around on one hoof and holding him close. “Thank you, little one…” She floated the picture closer, looking over it at her little sister. “And thank you for putting him up to it.”
Sweetie Belle beamed. “You’re welcome!”
“And for spending the rest of the afternoon cleaning up after yourself.” Rarity finished, putting Nova on her back.
Sweetie Belle’s smile instantly vanished. “Wait, what?” Rarity guided the filly to the hallway, where a menagerie of clutter lay before them. “Oh…” She floated over a nearby broom, getting ready to begin as a ball of fluff knocked her onto the floor from above. She looked to the white ball to find a long-haired feline with opals in her collar. “Sorry Opal…” The cat in question sent her a piercing glare, taking a swipe at the filly before sauntering off.
"Mm-hm." the mare confirmed with a haughty nod. "And while you're at it, I have a question for you."
"Oh? What is it?"
"Why in the world is Twilight so busy that she can't see that Nova is looked after?"
In an instant, Sweetie Belle was silent, sweating, and swallowing a lump that had formed in her throat.
At the end of a long day, Boltsinger, Spike, and Brightling walked down the Vanhoover streets toward the brunette’s home. Their pace was slow, and passersby commented on how they smelled strongly of pears. Brightling looked to his sibling with a mixture of gratitude and confusion. “I appreciate you staying and helping today, but you really didn’t need to.”
“So? I wanted to.” the orange stallion retorted with a happy flutter of his wings. “I haven’t helped out at a farm since we set out on this little quest of ours. Nice to get a taste of home, you know?”
“Really?” Brightling blinked in disbelief, looking over at Spike. “How long have you two been on the road?”
“I dunno.” the dragon answered, nonchalantly shrugging. “I’d give it a couple weeks. Maybe longer. We've spent a lot of time on--" His cheeks began to puff up, claws swiftly covering his mouth. With a familiar belch, green flames spewed forth and transformed into a scroll. "What the…?" He opened the scroll, quickly scanning its contents. “It’s… from Rarity…”
“Rarity?” Boltsinger repeated, moving to get a look at the letter. "She didn't figure out what we were up to, did she?"
Spike cleared his throat, pushing the electric stallion back some. "It's probably better if I just read it…" He stood up straight, preparing his voice for a moment before…
My dear Boltsinger and Spikey-wikey,
The letter began. Rarity put the pen to her lips as the next words came to her. There was a lot on her mind, now, but first and foremost was a simple statement.
Thank you so much for all you've done for me. Going so far out of your way to find a way to make me smile again. I truly couldn't ask for better friends!
But at the same time, I think it's best that you two come home. My little sister has been doing everything in her power, and everything in Nova's, to let me know I'm still loved. And from what I've heard, Twilight is going a little nutty with worry about "her boys".
I'm dreadfully sorry for all the worry I've caused. I can't promise I'm completely okay just yet, but I'm well on my way! Truly, the best way you can help me right now is to show me those smiling faces upon your return!
Your friend, always,
Rarity
Putting the pen down, Rarity turned to the foals behind her with a huff. "I can't believe those two wanted to keep all of that from me." She started into a trot around the room, her brow furrowed to distract from the beginnings of a grin. "Gallivanting all over Equestria just to find one pony to bring home… All just for me?!"
"I know, right?" Sweetie Belle confirmed, turning to follow the mare's pacing. "It's like they were thinking about your feelings! How rude of them!"
"Exactly!" A white hoof pointed at a white filly. "Not like another pony who went out of her way to bring chaos into the house.”
The Crusader’s turning stopped, her eyes falling to the floor. “Oh… Yeah.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “Hadn’t thought of that…”
A giggle erupted from the couturier, who pulled her sister into a tight embrace. “I’m glad you did, Sweetie Belle.” The sisters shared in a loving laugh. “And it helped me figure out the crown jewel of the latest collection!” Rarity lifted her sister up, taking her to the desk holding her drawing from before.
Sweetie Belle’s eyes widened at the image. A flowing white dress with streams of the same colors as the filly’s own mane, complete with a sweet little curl at the ends. Dotted about the skirt were numerous stars and musical notes, reminding her of her own flank. At the collar of the garment sat a silver necklace, lined with what looked like emeralds. "But this is…" She looked up at her sincerely-smiling sister.
"I call it 'the Ivory Crusade'!" Rarity declared, raising a foreleg dramatically.
Sweetie Belle's smile grew wider than she thought possible, with her eyes starting to well up with tears. She jumped into the fabulous mare before her, squeezing as much as a Crusader could. "I love it!" She pulled away, leaving her hooves in her sister's. "Welcome back."
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Steven Universe reference?
Yay, it's back!
You have no idea how happy I was to see this pop up in my notifications. I love this series to bits.
Take care of yourself!
I really liked this, it was quite sweet and a welcome return after quite some time since the last chapter.
Hell yeah! another chapter form one of my favorite stories!