Chapter 9: Love is in Bloom
As the sun slowly began to set, Thunderlane flew down to Ponyville, Rainbow Dash close to his side. The two of them had landed in front of the Carousel Boutique, making the charcoal stallion stare in awe at its beauty.
“Whoa,” he said, raising his head to see the top of the building.
“It’s really something, huh?” asked Rainbow, a crooked smile on her face.
“Yeah, it’s something alright. Thanks for showing me where it is. I don’t think I would have found this place on my own.”
“No problem, Thunderlane.”
The cyan Pegasus offered the stallion another hoof-bump. Smiling, he returned the gesture and began walking towards the building. However, he took only two steps before a thought came to his mind, making him turn and face the Pegasus mare again.
“Hey, Rainbow,” he said, feeling relieved that he had caught her before she flew away.
“What’s up?” she asked as she hovered in front of him.
Thunderlane looked back at the building, then back at Rainbow Dash, a nervous smile on his face. “Rarity is one of your good friends, right?”
“Yeah,” she said, landing on the ground, “Why?”
“Well, I was wondering,” the charcoal stallion hesitated, shuffling his hoof on the ground, “How would you go about thanking her for a favor?”
“Rarity? Ha! That’s easy! You see, she really likes...” She stopped in midsentence as the question sunk into her head. Then, a sly smile came onto her face. “Wait a minute. Why are you asking?”
Immediately, Thunderlane’s cheeks went red. “Well, I asked her to foal-sit Rumble while I was on weather duties and I wanted to thank her for it, that’s all.”
Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow, her face looking like she was trying to hold back laughter. “Is that right? You wouldn’t happen to have a thing for Rarity, would you? Like a crush, perhaps?”
“What? No, no, no, of course not. I just want to thank her for her generosity, honest!”
“Uh-huh.”
“Seriously, I barely know her! I don’t have a crush on her!”
Silence fell between the two of them for a few seconds. Shifting his eyes back and forth, Thunderlane leaned in closer and asked in a hushed tone, “Why? She doesn’t have a special-somepony already, does she?”
That did it. Unable to hold back any longer, Rainbow Dash broke out into laughter, falling on her back as she did. As she tried to calm herself down, Thunderlane lowered his head in embarrassment, his cheeks turning a darker shade of red. Several moments went by before the cyan mare began to calm down, standing up as she did.
“No, she doesn’t,” Rainbow said, wiping the tears that had formed from her laughter, “This is too rich! I can just see it now, you and Rarity, together!”
“Come on, RD,” said the stallion, “Stop fooling around. I need to pick up my brother, you know.”
“Sorry about that,” said the mare as she patted his back with a hoof, “Anyway, if you want to thank her, I would suggest you ask her out somewhere. She really likes going places, like those fancy-shmancy restaurants and stuff.”
“Really?” he asked, tapping his chin with a hoof.
“You bet,” she said, unfurling her wings and taking to the sky, “Just don’t be surprised if she plays ‘hard-to-get’. Good luck, Thunderlane.”
With that, the rainbow-mane Pegasus took off, leaving the stallion alone in front of the Boutique. Turning to face the grand structure, he trotted up to the front door and cleared his throat, stoking his mane back with a hoof. Then, he got ready to push the door open when he instantly froze, a thought coming across his mind.
Do I knock on the door or just walk in? The stallion asked himself, mentally debating his options. This is a place of business, so I could just walk in, but this is also her home. Wouldn’t it be more polite to knock first?
He began shifting his weight around as he fished his mind for the proper way to go about the situation. His heart beat seemed to intensify the longer he waited for an answer. After a moment, he decided to go with the latter and knock on the door. However, on the second knock, the door seemed to push open a little bit before resting on his hoof. A small gold bell above the door chimed as the door hit it, clearly making his presence known. His decision being made for him, Thunderlane took one last breath before he pushed opened the door and entered the Carousel Boutique.
Inside, he saw that the whole building was sparkling clean. Everything was neatly folded and put away where it was supposed to be. To his right, he saw that Sweetie Belle and Rumble were sitting at a small table with a stack of papers and crayons, the two of them drawing and coloring together. A little further back, he saw Rarity standing next to a pony mannequin, putting an assortment of sparkling gems on a yellow dress that rested on it.
As he trotted inside, the three of them looked up from what they were doing, all of them smiling at his presence.
“Hello, Thunderlane,” said Rarity, trotting over to him with a smile.
“Hey, Thunder!” said Rumble, standing up as he spoke.
“Hello,” said Thunderlane, “Sorry about the door. I didn’t know if I should knock first or just walk in. It’s hard to decide when your home is a place of business, I guess.”
“Oh, that’s alright,” said Rarity.
He turned to his younger kin. “Rumble, why don’t you go and get your things?”
“Okay,” said the colt as he made his way to the kitchen to get his saddlebags. As he made sure all his belongings were inside, he let out a sigh of relief. Thank Celestia this day is over. Now I can go home and try to forget all about it...hopefully.
As he waited for his younger brother to come out, Thunderlane trotted about the Boutique, looking at the store from the floor up. However, his eyes kept going back to the outfit that Rarity was working on before he arrived; the sparkling of the gemstones seemed to glimmer in the corner of his eyes, making him look at it. Going against himself, he turned to face the ensemble, trotting over to it with a wide-eyed expression.
Rarity saw that he was going towards her latest creation and began to follow him, her eyes not leaving him for a second. When he was in front of the dress, Rarity smiled and cleared her throat.
“Do you like it?” she asked, “I’ve been working on it for quite some time now.”
“Yeah, I do,” he asked, turning to look at her, “It looks...very...”
He trailed off at the end of his sentence as his eyes locked onto hers. She looked right back at him, a smile on her face that made his heart speed up. Thunderlane gave her a smile, his cheeks burning against his face. She must have been feeling the same, he figured, since she smiled back, her cheeks turning pink against her alabaster coat.
“...beautiful,” he said softly, finishing his sentence. They stared into each other’s eyes for a few seconds more before Rarity turned her head away from her, trying to suppress a giggle.
“Yes, it is, isn’t it?” she asked.
The charcoal Pegasus was about to say something in response when Rumble came into the room, his saddlebags on his back.
“Ready when you are,” he said, his tone sounding like he was eager to get home.
“Right,” he answered him. Then, he said to the mare, “Thanks again for watching Rumble while I was gone. I hope he didn’t cause too much trouble while I was gone.”
“No need to thank me,” she said, her tone as soft as silk, “It was my pleasure. Your brother is an absolute gem.”
Nervously, he scratched the back of his neck with a hoof. “You know, I was thinking, maybe you’ll let me make it up to you.”
Rarity said, “There’s no need for that, darling. It was no trouble at all.”
“I know, but I would like to make it up to you, if you’ll allow me.”
Silence dawned on them for a few seconds.
Thunderlane cleared his throat and said, “Well, I was thinking, if it’s all the same to you, how about I take you out to dinner tomorrow night...just to show you how grateful I am.”
The alabaster mare tapped a hoof against her chin as she looked up to the ceiling. Unbeknownst to him, she was actually thrilled to have him ask her to dinner and wanted to agree to it right away. However, she didn’t want say ‘yes’ to his offer too quickly, so she decided to pretend like she had to think about it.
“I don’t know,” she finally said, “I might be a tad busy tomorrow night, working on this dress order and all.”
“Well, how about tomorrow afternoon, then? I mean, you gotta eat some time, right?” he interjected, forcing out a laugh when he finished speaking.
“Well...” she said, turning her head away from him, pretending to be in deep thought again. She had to admire his persistence; it made him look that much cuter than before. However, the thought of pretending to be busy left her mind as she looked at the two foals in front of her. Rumble was standing behind his brother, looking around for a bit, while Sweetie Belle sat and continued working on her drawing.
Instantly, her mind flashed back to what she saw in the kitchen earlier that day; the way the two of them acted around each other, the way they looked into each other’s eyes for several seconds. Shifting her eyes from Sweetie Belle to Rumble and back to Sweetie Belle, a coy thought came to her mind, making her smile.
Hmmm... I wonder..., she thought to herself. Then, she turned back to the stallion and said, “Maybe I can make some free time tomorrow afternoon. How does lunch at Sugar Cube Corner sound?”
“Really?” he asked, a smile on his face, “That would be great. What time would you like me to come by?”
“How about three o’clock?” she asked, batting her eyelashes at him.
His smile immediately dropped. “Um, okay...but...what about the foals?”
Rarity let out a small giggle. “Silly, we can take them with us!”
“WHAT!?” Sweetie Belle and Rumble shouted in unison, both of them looking directly at the two of them. Unfortunately, neither of the adults turned to acknowledge the two of them, nor did they turn to look at each other.
I told her that I was meeting Scootaloo tomorrow, Sweetie thought to herself, a defeated look on her face. How could she forget that?
Please say ‘no’. Please say ‘no’. Please say ‘no’, Rumble kept thinking to himself, his breathing become more and more shallow.
It was Thunderlane’s turn to be lost in thought. As much as he wanted to decline taking the foals with them, he remembered what Rainbow Dash had said. She might be playing ‘hard-to-get’, seeing how I would react in this situation, he thought to himself. I should just accept. As much as I wanted us to be alone, anything’s better than nothing. I’m lucky she said ‘yes’ in the first place, so I better strike when the iron’s hot, as they say.
With that thought is his head, turned to her with a smile and said, “That would be fantastic.”
Sweetie Belle’s eyes turned into pin-points; this would mean she would have to cancel her meet with Scootaloo again. Meanwhile, Rumble’s heart sped up so fast that he was convinced it stopped beating. He has survived this day with Sweetie Belle; he wasn’t sure he would make it through another one.
“Great,” said Rarity, “We’ll see you tomorrow, Thunderlane.”
“See you tomorrow,” the stallion said. He turned to his frozen brother and said, “Come on, Rumble. Let’s go home.”
The young colt could barely feel his hooves lift off the ground as he turned to the door and began trotting away. Sweetie Belle, who regained her composure much quicker than he did, said her goodbyes to the two of them as they trotted towards the door. Rarity trotted ahead of them and held the door open with her magic, Thunderlane flashing a toothy grin as he walked by. Rarity began blushing as she smiled back, closing the door behind them when they were outside.
The moment the door closed behind them, Rumble let his breath go; like before, he didn’t remember when he started holding his breath, but somehow, he did. As the two of them made their way to the inn, Thunderlane still had a grin across his face.
“Well, that went way better than I thought,” he said, “Honestly, I was worried she was going to say no.”
The grey colt remained silent. He just kept his eyes on the road, only nodding his head in response.
“So, did you have a good time with Rarity and...uh...what’s her sister’s name again?”
“Sweetie Belle,” the colt said, his chest feeling like it was caving in on itself.
“That’s right. I gotta try and remember that. Still, did you have a good time with her?”
Again, Rumble didn’t answer him. All he did was lower his head, his cheeks getting warmer at the thought of what had happened earlier. Not hearing a response, Thunderlane looked at him with concern.
“Hey, are you alright?” he asked.
The Pegasus colt flinched; the question catching him off guard. He looked at his brother and quickly turned away, hoping to hide his blood-filled cheeks. “Yeah, I’m fine,” he said.
The charcoal stallion raised an eyebrow at him. He didn’t know why, but Rumble was acting very strange all of a sudden. He noticed this behavior earlier when he told him about the foal-sitting arrangements, but he shrugged it off then, thinking that it was a result of nervousness. Now, he wasn’t sure why he was still acting this way. There was one thing he was certain of: he only acted this way when Sweetie Belle was brought up.
I wonder..., the thought to himself as the two of them approached the inn. As he held the door open for his younger brother, Thunderlane looked at him and noticed the redness in his cheeks. He knew that something was definitely up, but he needed to confirm his suspicion before calling him out on it.
The two of them trotted up the stairs and into their room. As Rumble placed his saddlebags down on the floor as Thunderlane cleared his throat.
“So, are you excited to see Sweetie Belle again?” he asked, paying close attention to his response.
“What?” he said, being caught off guard once again. Brushing the top of his mane with a hoof, he said nervously, “Oh...uh...yeah, of course. I...I can’t wait.”
With a nervous smile, the colt quickly trotted to his room, closing the door behind him. It was then that everything started to become perfectly clear
I think I know what’s going on, he thought to himself, a knowing smile on his face. He then let out a scoff. Who would’ve thought?
Rarity closed the door behind the two brothers, her cheeks still an interesting shade of red. The moment the door was closed, she let out a tiny squeal of excitement, her smile growing wider than she ever thought possible.
I can’t believe he asked me out, she thought as she turned to continue working on her latest fashion creation. This is simply amazing!
“Rarity!” Sweetie Belle called, snapping the mare out of her thoughts. Immediately, Rarity stopped trotting and looked at her.
“Yes, Sweet’ums?” she asked.
“Do I have to go?” she asked, “I told you I was supposed to meet up with Scootaloo tomorrow!”
Uh-oh. Better think fast, she thought as she forced a smile on her face. “Well...I was just thinking...since they were new to town...it’d be a good idea to make them feel comfortable, is all.”
“But...” Sweetie began before she was cut off by her sister.
“No ‘buts’, Sweetie Belle,” said Rarity. Her response caused the filly to lower her head, a look of sadness coming across her face. Guilt began coursing through the fashionista as she trotted over to her sister, rubbing a hoof on her back. “I know you were supposed to go with Scootaloo tomorrow, but you see her all the time. Thunderlane and Rumble don’t have too many friends in town. Would it be so bad to spend just one afternoon with them?”
“Well, when you put it that way,” said the filly, “I guess I can always see Scootaloo another time.”
“Well, there you go,” she said with a smile, “I promise you can spend time with her the day after tomorrow.”
“Okay,” she said as she got up. Then, she trotted up the stairs to her room. When she was out of sight, Rarity let out a sigh through her nostrils.
I’m sorry to do this to you, Sweet’ums, she thought. But I need to be sure that he’s the one. Who knows? If he is the one, you might thank me for bringing you along.
The white filly went into her bedroom, closing the door behind her and letting out a sigh.
“Great,” she said flatly, “What am I going to tell Scootaloo now? She’s going to be pretty mad at me for cancelling on her again!”
She trotted over to her bed and lied down, resting her head on her pillow. “Maybe she won’t be so mad when I explain to her why I needed to cancel. I mean, Rarity’s right; Thunderlane and Rumble are new to town and...”
Sweetie Belle stopped in mid sentence as her thoughts went back to earlier. She recalled how she and Rumble stared into each other’s eyes and how she felt when they did. Then, the feeling came to her mind, making her blush a little bit. She could have sworn that she recognized the feeling from somewhere, but she just couldn’t put her hoof on when.
Shaking her head, Sweetie Belle focused her attention back on the problem at hoof: telling Scootaloo that she wasn’t going to be able to make it tomorrow. How would she react? Will she be accepting and understanding of the situation, or would she be upset and angry with her? As much as she considered the possibility of the orange filly getting angry with her, she knew that it wouldn’t be for very long. They were together, so Scootaloo would be more understanding and forgiving. Besides, it was like Rarity had said: she always hung out with Scootaloo. It wouldn’t be so bad to go with Rumble and Thunderlane for just one afternoon.
“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” she said out loud, “I just have to explain the situation to her and everything will be okay.”
The unicorn filly got off of her bed and trotted over to her window, a small smile on her face, “It’s just one more afternoon. How bad can that be? Besides, I’m sure Scootaloo will understand.”
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No, Sweetie, she won't understand.
Hm, while I loved the original fic, this one just hasn't done much to catch my attention. I'm just not all that invested in the story being told, and I just find Rumble annoying, and Rarity unlikable. While I hope to read more stories from you, I think I'm done with this one. Have a nice day, and keep on writing, you're good at it, and others seem to love the story you're weaving. Farewell, for now!
3475121
No problem. At least you're honest and considerate. Hope whatever story I pull out of my ass next will be more relevant to your interests. Later on, mate!
i can't wait untill scootaloo gets her heart ripped out and stabbed a million time it will be sooo funny!!!!!
3480802
Actually, she is meddlesome.
3480842
Its either that you like Sweetie and Rumble as a couple or you like seeing Scoots in pain. Whatever the case may be, glad you're enjoying the story [I think?]
3480802 i've read the story and the way she she just sticks her face into everything ticks me off so much
I really don't like the Rarity in this story, it's just not enough to get me to stop reading.
3483044
That's a bad thing, right?
3483239
What's bad? That I don't like Rarity in this story or that I'm reading it anyway?
3483308
That you're reading it anyway.
3483327
I would say it's a good thing. The rest of the story is good enough to make up for that dislike. Unless you think that's a bad thing, then that means it's a bad thing to you.
3483332
I have a screwed up mindset. To me, you dislike that part of the story and you're only reading it to dislike it more. This is why I asked. Good to know you're enjoying 2/3 of the story, though.
3483443
I don't have time for that sort of thing.
If I disliked it that much, I'd just thumbs down it and leave it at that.
3573719
seriously. i'd like this fic more if they could explore what they are, and not just "EVERYONE MUST FIX SWEETIE SHE'S GAY!" Leave her the buck alone and let her be happy.
3573719>>3575412
I can see that both of you really don't like this fic. To be honest, I don't give a crap anymore.
You don't like it, don't read it. All I can say is that this fic is a LOT more than "Sweetie Belle's in love with another filly. Let's make her normal."
Have a nice day.
This is my third re-read of the story, and I'm starting to pick up on things that I missed the other times.
On a scale of 1 to 10, what is the probability that the reason Rarity is so uncomfortable with her sister being with Scootaloo is because she actually likes Applejack, which she finally realises after dating Thunderlane for a bit?
This would be an interesting twist and great character development. Rarijack is also one of my favourite ships.
3616612
[Again, these fics are hardly worth the first read, but I digress]
As far as your theory goes, it would have to be 0. However, there maybe be a reason for Rarity to not want Sweetie Belle to be with Scootaloo...
Really enjoying this fic! Don't be so hard on yourself -- this is really well done!