Belle of the Ball and the Night of the Glowing Sun

by KingdaKa

Anticipation

She ran as fast as her slender legs would carry her, movement given excess strength by the overload of joy that now currently consumed her. Those who saw her rush by at such a lightning pace would ponder in amusement buoyed by curiosity; she’d been so determined to act like a lady ever since her entry into the teenage years, to follow in the steps of refinement and grace that saw to a dignified pace through life’s moments. What had been so powerful as to transport this girl into such a wildly jubilant state? Judging by the rush of giggles that streamed from her lips, it was no ordinary thing.

Sweetie Belle paid the rest of the world no heed, their stares and small spates of laughter unable to pierce through the bubble of happiness that now surrounded her. She was ecstatic, she was elated, she was- was- she didn’t know quite the word to use! Just that this combination of happiness and excitement was unlike anything she’d ever felt in all her life; validation, sweet and wonderful, was here at last!

Through the village did she race until the sight of the comfortable little cottage home that was to be their hangout spot for the morning, in so desperate of a need to share the news that it was akin to a pain in her chest. Oh, what if they hadn’t received an invitation also? Would it be considered bragging if she mentioned it, boastful gloating? No, surely they’d be happy for her nonetheless; they were her friends, they wouldn’t burst her bubble like that!

A series of hurried raps on the door and Sweetie was delighted to see the face of Scootaloo there on the other side to greet her- and upon her strong features was a look of anticipation! Her eyes recognized the glow of delight in her lovely friend and knew something truly magnificent had to have transpired. The very same sort of thing that might have just happened to her…

“Scoots- hi, by the way- umm.” She was trying to catch her breath and assemble her thoughts all at the same time, a tall order when there was so much racing through her at once. Where did she start? Did she compose herself first and then make known her good fortune or just ask outright? Goodness, this was difficult! “Look at what I go- Twilight talked to me, and- did you get one, too?”

“Yeah! It just came in the mail today!” Scootaloo replied, ushering her friend indoors and feeding off the aura of excitement that Sweetie radiated. “I mean, I’ve been before with Rainbow, but not as- you know, a guest!”

“Me, too! Twilight gave it to me herself, look at it!” Sweetie held aloft the ornate invitation as though it were a priceless treasure for them both to behold, too awed by its beauty to open the envelope and read its contents just yet. She needed to savor it, celebrate it alongside her friends! And when footsteps came from down the hall and Apple Bloom revealed herself, she soon had a new companion with whom to share the news.

“You’re going, too! You’re going, too!” Apple Bloom cried, rushing over and giving her friend a hug. “I got mine today, same as Scoots!”

“Oh my gosh, I can’t believe it! This is going to be so much fun!” Sweetie raved. “We’ll have to ask Rarity if she can make something for us to wear, we’ll be dressed up all night-”

“Twilight’s in charge of the event this year, she told me. So apparently she’s trying to make it the best one yet!”

“And apparently Luna and Cadance wanted to make sure there was a ton of different kinds of music, so we’ll be able to dance, like, all night long! It’s gonna be a blast!” Scootaloo added. “And Donut Joe’s going to stay open all night so we can go there and hang out once we’re done-”

“Can you believe it? We’re actually going!” Sweetie said. She was beside herself with the delight of it; even though it was an event she had attended before as a young child, she had gone as her sister’s plus-one. To go as an invited guest, her name printed upon ink in gold lettering that flowed, was another matter entirely. She was awaited, expected, anticipated at the most prestigious night of the year and she was going to be there with her best friends! “We got invited to the Gala!”

Sweetie Belle so dearly had wanted to grow up. With one so refined as Rarity as her sister, what else was she supposed to think? Adulthood seemed to offer the best of everything, with all the fine things in life there for her to enjoy. The world of playing games and youthful silliness wasn’t meant for her once she’d begun to come of age- for the nightlife was hers to eventually claim, filled with a world that had always held such allure. Art galleries and cafés, parties of all kinds, high societies and simple things were all for the adult world with no inhibitions. To be a child, or even a teenager, meant that someone was always going to be looking down on you because of your age; adulthood saw that vanish entirely. Never again did she wish to be mistaken for the little girl she’d once been, but seen as the woman she knew herself to be.

When she’d entered high school, the young singer had been determined to leave that part of her life behind; Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were still her closest friends, but what interested her was forcibly change. Perhaps some of this shift in taste was of her sister’s influence, but her time began to be filled by things that carried a more refined aura. While Apple Bloom spent time in the soil and world of things that grow, while Scootaloo tinkered and learned to create things of might and metal, so Sweetie turned to softer things filled with word and sound. Older novels that had once been dreadfully boring seemed to find new appeal, films of black-and-white filled with dialogue stood out in her mind as masterpieces. More time was spent indoors now; there were songs to practice, her mind filled with ritzy stages as she gently crooned beautiful love ballads of an age gone by. She wanted to be amidst the glitz and glamour of fashionable society, a silver-screen starlet with an angel’s voice to match. Only a woman of true refinement could achieve such a thing.

High school had been enjoyable, yet wearisome all the same. Sweetie had spent so much of it looking forward to the future, waiting for the inevitable day she would enter the world of adulthood. Reaching her eighteenth birthday had felt like the end of a marathon that had seemed to offer no finish line; finally, she was an adult in her own eyes as well as the rest of the world! The opportunities that now presented themselves were of every style and flavor she’d dreamed of, so long as they were something she could achieve. She just needed to be seen as a lady by someone who could offer her the chance to shine- and this invitation to the Gala was going to be the best chance she’d ever get.

But that was a month away- to spend time daydreaming or planning was rather pointless right now, especially when she had friends to celebrate with! They allowed themselves to be gleeful, girly messes in their own way until the pent-up energy was able to be extinguished and they could at last bask in the afterglow. There was so much to discuss and talk about, and that meant company.

Sweetie took a slow sip of tea, still tentative as her face was warmed by the steam that wafted from the freshly-brewed mix. Though the seat she currently occupied was a comfortable one, she could help but feel a tinge awkward; after all, she was the only one sitting properly- and in an actual seat. Scootaloo was leaning against the couch and pounding down energy drinks at a disturbing pace, while Apple Bloom held a mug of black coffee and waited for it to cool. She’d been invited to join them, but the pleated skirt of her dress probably wasn’t meant to be rubbing against carpet; better to just sit a tinge higher than they for now.

“It’s weird to think about, you know?” Apple Bloom remarked. Torn between the contents of her mug and the conversation at hand, every new sentence that spewed from her mouth was of a new topic. “The last time we went to the Gala was almost ten years ago. Like, we were still in grade school!”

“I know. I feel like everyone let us off the hook for being idiots just because we were kids,” Scootaloo said gaily. “I mean, I’ve loved Rainbow Dash to death for years, but honestly she was the best for putting up with me when I was like that. Can you imagine willingly spending an entire night with someone who behaved like that sort of an idiot?”

“You weren’t all that bad,” Sweetie countered, and meaning every word. Considering her own behavior, she wasn’t at all keen at condemning her friends for childhood faults in the slightest. “You seemed to usually be in a good mood and you never made Rainbow mad. I think you were probably the happiest of us by a mile.”

“Oh yeah? So who was the worst of us, then?”

The challenge was a difficult thing to match. “Umm…”

Laughter came in response to her current stupor, a sound she did not enjoy but tolerated all the same. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were mocking her for something that was unknown to her, so she had to be the butt of the joke. What a horrible thing to do!

“So you know she’s thinking it was herself. Has she ever said anything good about herself when we were kids?” Scootaloo remarked.

“Not since she became Miss Prissy for some reason,” Apple Bloom said, and the scowl that arose on Sweetie Belle’s features only incited them to further laughter. If the jab weren’t of a true nature, then there would be no bite- but oh, how fanciful she’d become to allow the mockery to ring clear. “Oh, don’t get so mad, Sweetie Belle, we’re just teasin’ ya. It’s all in good fun!”

“It doesn’t feel very fun to me,” Sweetie said surly, trying to sip upon her tea a bit further. If only she could be like her sister and retain some measure of dignity within this beastliness!

“But we’re just kidding you! We wouldn’t hang out with you if you were a pain in the butt,” Scootaloo said. “Come on, relax a little. You used to be able to do the same sort of thing with us, you know. Why do you need to take everything so seriously?”

“I- well.” She was a bit stumped by that. “A- a lady should always mean what she says, and…”

“Oh, just because you take everything seriously doesn’t mean you should, you know. Try and have some fun with us again! You’ve been all prim and proper for so long now, shouldn’t you try cutting loose a little? We’re going to the Gala, that’s the best reason for it.”

It was a fair remark, much as she didn’t wish to consider it. She had taken her ‘ladylike behavior’ a bit too far every now and then. Maybe loosening up and enjoying an evening with her friends was the best opportunity for her to act like a true adult- albeit with a bit of dignity involved. There would be fine drinks available, high society all about them; she couldn’t completely act the fool.

“Well… I guess it wouldn’t be too difficult to enjoy ourselves, would it?” Sweetie mused. “Now, I find myself wondering… do we want to wear matching outfits since we’ll be going together? The same color? Or do we all want to do our own thing?”

She could have heard the record scratch even if she hadn’t caught sight of her friends’ faces. Upon both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo was a painful grimace, shared between one another and not at all pleasant to behold. With only a moment to spare, they’d allowed a semblance of an explanation to be shared to their friend and leaving her discomforted; there was an important tidbit of info that she lacked.

“Umm… so, is that a no? I thought we’d go together as friends,” Sweetie said.

“Well…” Scootaloo bit her lip, trying to buy time so as to see her words assembled. “Well, I kinda- I wasn’t planning on going alone, you see. Umm, since Rumble didn’t get an invite and all, I was looking at-”

“Rumble?” Scootaloo’s boyfriend; what did he have to do with the Gala? “What about him?”

“Uh, Sweetie, did you not read your invitation yet?” Apple Bloom seemed prepared for a worst-case scenario, shame-faced as she caught wind of her friend’s obliviousness. “Ooh, you… you might want to read that real quick…”

They weren’t dropping hints and she wasn’t going to find out the truth otherwise. With nowhere else to turn, Sweetie ripped open her ornate envelope and delved through the contents of her invitation as thoroughly as she could manage. Grand Galloping Gala, night of the year, formally invited, can bring a plus-one along for the night-

Oh. A plus-one. As in a date, a desirable, a person with whom to spend the night. Sweetie suddenly felt very much in the splotlight and not at all pleased because of it. “So you’re bringing your significant others with you,” Sweetie surmised.

“I went by Silver Spoon’s soon as I got the invite and she said yes,” Apple Bloom admitted. “So we were gonna go together, yeah.”

“And I’m gonna ask Rumble to go with me,” Scootaloo added. “Umm… I mean, we can still all hang out, that’s not an issue-”

“It’s OK.” Sweetie Belle knew her answer was to be influenced by her sister’s romanticism and she wouldn’t have it any other way. The Gala was a special night, meant for intimate feelings and wondrous love; she would not interrupt such a thing for her friends in all the world! “You guys- you guys should have fun, and be silly with you girlfriend- boyfriend- you know what I mean,” she said. “I’ll figure something out.”

“What? No way, come on,” Apple Bloom insisted. “We’re still friends, we can have a good time. Just because we’re bringing dates doesn’t mean you need to go off and hide in a corner or something.”

“Yeah, we’ll all sit together and have a good time. Don’t try to be all melodramatic and stupid,” Scootaloo said.

“And if I get in the way?” Sweetie countered. “Or you all feel like dancing? That makes it a little awkward, don’t you think?”

“I think pretending to ignore you would be way more awkward than that,” came the reply. “Sweetie, we’ll- we’ll have a good time no matter what, I promise. If… if it makes you feel that bad, we can just go together and we’ll-”

“Not a chance.” She loved the romance novels of old, and the Gala presented her friends the best opportunity to see such momentous occasions come to life. “We’ll… have fun together, yeah. Don’t worry about it!”

Her companions seemed cheered by the remark, but Sweetie found her mind racing on at a million miles an hour; what sort of solution was she supposed to find in a predicament such as this? Heaven knew she hadn’t considered that her friends’ romantic lives might actually interfere with a good time. And she was happy for them! Apple Bloom had struggled early on in her dating life before finally becoming comfortable with Silver Spoon; Scootaloo and Rumble had been sweet on each other since they were kids. Who was she to ruin that sort of intimacy, even if no one loved her the same way?

But then again… what was she supposed to do?

If there was one thing her growing span of years had gifted her, it was the joys of a sibling relationship becoming that of friends. The rivalries of old that could come between the young, or the angst and coldness that so easily arose were a thing of the past. An older sister was a friend and confidant as well as a good advisor; with Rarity having a wealth of experience to provide in a number of matters, she would be a trusted source of wisdom that would also keep her secret. After all, this was a genuine matter. How awful it would be if she treated it with little respect.

“Hmm… so you’re worried about being a third wheel to your friends,” Rarity surmised. Having offered her younger sibling a calming cuppa to help ease the mood, their friendly chat had avoided any unnecessary drama that could so easily make a problem appear all the worse. “Perfectly understandable. High-profile events like the Gala do have the tendency to magnify the powers of romantic feeling. It would be easy to feel like you’d be in the way.”

“Am I just being stupid about all of it?” Sweetie asked bluntly. She’d been called a drama queen a fair few times over her high school years and she dreaded holding on to such a childish habit. “Like I’m not just… dying a thousand deaths over something trivial?”

“It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if you went without a date,” her elder sister counseled. “After all, you all know one another well. It can be a gathering of friends that so happens to include couples. Hardly the first time such a thing has happened, and it won’t be the last.”

“And when the dancing starts?” Was the dry counter. “Or they feel the need to… you know, go off on their own for a bit?”

Rarity pulled a face as the fair point hit home. “Yes, that would… it could be an issue to be clearly on your own, if such things arose. But- well, besides dancing- actually, do your friends even dance? I genuinely don’t know.”

“Apple Bloom and Silver are actually pretty good together,” Sweetie said, though her lips broke into a smile at the last time she’d witnessed Scootaloo and Rumble ‘dancing’ at prom. “And, well, Scoots and Rumble are real close, so I think they’d want some time together. Alone, without everyone else over their shoulder.”

The fashionista gave a raised look. “That close. Are they planning on getting married?”

“I kinda think he’s gonna ask her at the Gala, honestly. It’d be a good night for it.” The two sisters were of a romantic mind, and for a time the women were bound by the clouded memories of imagination as each conjured the scene in hand. Yes, the two were a rough-and-tumble pair and lacked any sort of romantic refinement, but they were happy and could be at ease together; it was a sweetness of a different kind that suited them alone.

“Well, if that is the case,” Rarity continued, “Do you have anyone you’d like to ask to go with you? Surely there’s someone.”

“I mean… there’s no one I’d like to ask,” Sweetie said. An honest answer, though an unhappy one; there were plenty of people she wouldn’t have minded going with, but there was the particular problem that none of them were available. She’d had a crush on Rainbow through high school, but the magnificent woman of colors was a little entangled with a certain farmer; Twist was still dating Featherweight, Cheerilee was Twilight’s open secret that she continuously denied, and Diamond- well. “I’m not sure what to do. Is it going to be really weird if I just go alone?”

Rarity pondered the thought for a good while, giving her sister’s concerns a genuine look-over. She herself would have been petrified of the very same issue if she was in Sweetie’s shoes. Come to think of it, how was Sweetie single? She was so naturally lovely, all her efforts at maturity and loveliness an unnecessary addition. Long hair that fell in silken curls down to her waist, soft features and warm eyes, demure lips that seemed so keen on smiling, not to mention a pleasant figure. She knew full well that there had been more than one person in town who considered her younger sibling attractive- more than even her older sister. Had that growth spurt into adulthood really transformed her into something so intimidating that none would dare ask for her hand? Rarity was the one brimming with glitz and glamour; Sweetie was the gentle-hearted girl next door. Such a mystery. Someone’s going to get lucky one day, if they have any sense.

“You don’t have to go, if you don’t wish,” the beautiful seamstress said slowly. “If it would be that much of a detriment to your enjoyment, it’s likely best that you don’t put yourself through such misery. There’s no point in going if you don’t have fun.”

Not an option Sweetie hadn’t considered, but she’d hesitated to say it aloud all the same. If she chose to decline the invitation, she would miss out on something she’d dreamed of doing all her life: her first true event as a grown woman, a sign she really had become an adult! And then if her friends accepted –and found out she hadn’t- they’d know full well why. It would be horrible to have her friends feel bad on her account because it would just ruin their fun. Neither option felt particular pleasant, but which one would be worse was difficult for her to tell. Maybe rather than spend so much time trying to decide, it would be best if she just chose one and stuck with it.

“No, I’ll- I’ll go,” the young beauty finally decided, though there was a sorrowed sigh evident in her voice. “I can still have fun, right? And I’ll know a lot of people there, so it’ll be a chance to catch up and say hello.”

Rarity’s eyes gleamed with pride; her sister had been dedicated towards being a grown woman for so long now, yet occasionally her behavior spoke to her youth. It was wonderful to see her be the genuine article, and at a far faster pace than what she’d managed. “Now that is the mark of a lady,” Rarity said. “Of course, so many people will be happy to see you. And I’m sure we’ll have time to chat while I’m there.”

Now that was a magnificently bold-faced lie and Sweetie knew it. “Really. Like you and Diamond won’t be running off to make out somewhere thirty minutes after you show up.”

Their romance was a torrid thing for certain, but Rarity had yet to feel any sort of shame in having been romanced by such a brilliantly beautiful paramour; so what that the rich heiress had approached her only a month after graduation? She was a delight of all kinds. “I surely don’t know what you’re talking about,” the elder sibling replied proudly, rising to her feet and signaling an end to that sort of talk. “Now, of course I’ll see you adorned in something wonderful. Do you have any requests, any sort of specific style?”

Sweetie had learned long ago that such specifics were usually insignificant in comparison to her sister’s imaginations, so a shake of the head was her best option. “Surprise me,” she said.

“Lovely. Now, I’m thinking- I know blue is so often your color, but how do you feel about purple? It’s such a regal color, and fits the elegance of the night perfectly. You’d have everyone’s eye in a heartbeat!”

There was so much planning ahead before the long-awaited night came to pass, and two sisters had plenty of time to discuss and laugh and enjoy one another’s company. What worries there were to be found could wait a little while longer.

Comments

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

Ooh, this is a good surprise! I wonder who she'll take, if anyone.