Because I knew you, I have been changed for good.
The Last Curtain Call
It was a simple Springtime evening in Ponyville. The sun had just begun to set on the horizon, stars danced behind the clouds and a soft breeze blew throughout the small town. Like the end of all days, businesses were closing up, and of course, Carousel Boutique was one of those shops.
Rarity let out a sigh of relief and flipped the door's sign to mark the store as closed for the day.
She adjusted her glasses, ran a hoof through her mane and smiled tiredly as she looked back and noticed her work. Extravagant gowns of all sorts, halfway done, but still looking full of potential.
A break was well-deserved.
Making her way upstairs to the residential part of her business, Rarity released a deep breath of satisfaction. Another day done, and a new palette of dresses to work on. Work would be itching at her brain all night, but that didn't mean she couldn't wind down in her own way.
She trotted into the kitchen and switched on the stove to start boiling some water for a pot of tea. She never liked unwinding without a nice cup of chamomile - it was always the ultimate relaxer at the end of a stressful day. And so, as she sat down and waited, she levitated over her sketchbook and began idly doodling whatever little visions her creative mind allowed.
Finally, after a hectic day of endless orders, there was a moment of clarity and peacefulness-
-until the slamming of the door was heard. For a minute, Rarity almost thought that she forgot to lock it until a familiar voice began it's usual screeching.
"Rarity!"
Holding back a groan, Rarity placed down her notepad and looked up as she heard the door open up and there, in the hall, stood the pony whom the voice belonged to.
Rarity tried to give a small smile. "Hello there, Sweetie Belle," she said simply.
"That's all you can say?" Sweetie Belle shot back, as her green eyes seemed to flash with mixed emotion for a moment.
Tilting her head to the side in confusion, Rarity hesitated.
"Sweetie, is something wrong?" she asked.
Letting out a loud huff, Sweetie Belle pouted. "Of course something's wrong!" she argued.
Rarity raised an eyebrow. "And... if I may ask, what is it?" she inquired.
A moment of silence passed between the two sisters, only before Sweetie Belle just let out an loud annoyed groan of exasperation and shuffled off to her room, slamming the door behind her. Not soon afterwards, muffled yells were heard.
Curious, Rarity got up from her seat and gingerly crossed the hall, about to press her ear to the door, when it swung open and Sweetie Belle stormed out, with various papers in her mouth. She walked over to the trash can in the kitchen, and tossed the parchment in the bin, then turned back around, went back into her room and once again - slammed the door.
...and the screaming began again.
Rarity winced, stepping away and deciding to give her sister some space to let off steam of whatever it was that made her so upset.
Shaking her head, Rarity went back to her chair and was about to sit back down when, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed what exactly it was that Sweetie Belle had thrown out.
It was a vibrant yellow poster, with the title - Marespray - written in a retro rainbow font.
This was one of the many posters that decorated Sweetie Belle's room... why would she trash it?
Another one was a soft blue, the title reading Marema Mia! and the border was decorated with faux lace. In addition to that, there was a few more - the signature black poster with a single rose and white mask for The Pony of the Opera, the elegant underwater look for The Little Mermare, the vintage rough and classy Chicoltgo...
...and of course, the vibrant purple and white Eclipse.
These were all posters of Sweetie Belle's favorite Bridleway musicals - why in the world would she get rid of them? After all, it was a well-known fact that she had big dreams in starring one or all of these shows someday-
-and then, Rarity froze.
She backed away from the can, and made her way back to her sister's bedroom door, now listening into the rant that still hadn't seem to end.
"It's just not fair! She doesn't care about anypony but herself! I never ask much, only simple things like this, but what does she do?! She can't even seem to give me that much satisfaction! All I wanted was to see her there, but nooo, Rarity is much too busy for anypony except her stupid business clients!"
One part of Rarity was furious - what did her sister blame her for this time?!
But then again, the other half felt torn - what had she done to make her little sister so upset?
Rarity hesitated, and lifted her hoof, gently knocking on the door. "Sweetie Belle?" she said cautiously. "What's wrong?"
It was quiet for a second or two, when the door swung open, and there stood Sweetie Belle, frowning as she looked up to her big sister. Tears threatened to trickle out of her pretty jade eyes, and she scowled.
"You promised you would be there!" she spat out. "That's what's wrong! Why didn't you show up?!"
"I beg your pardon?" Rarity replied, with a raised eyebrow.
"See?!" Sweetie Belle snapped. "I knew it! I knew you would forget!"
Rarity's expression fell. She began stammering and fumbling over her words, attempting to find something - anything - to say, but coming up with nothing as she soon found the door slammed in her face. Knocking once more, Rarity tried turning the doorknob - and found it locked - just so she could talk to her sister. Oh, how she wished she knew what was wrong.
This was happening far too many times...
"Sweetie Belle, please," she said. "Tell me what's going on."
"Figure it out yourself!" Sweetie Belle called from the other side of the door, her voice cracking.
Releasing a sigh, Rarity shook her head in disbelief.
Wonderful, she thought. What have I done this time?
She walked into the kitchen, and levitated a mug out of the cupboard and onto the counter. She poured her tea and let out a deep breath, thinking hard as she started to stir her drink.
The posters.
"All I wanted was to see her there!" was what Sweetie Belle had said.
For some reason, she also asked about showing up somewhere.
This puzzle seemed a bit hard to decipher at first, but when Rarity looked up and noticed her calender pinned up over by the window, her heart fell into her hooves. There, on today's date, was a little mark drawn. A music note, with a heart, and Sweetie Belle's scrawled yet adorable hoofwriting scribbled out to make a small statement that had two words that made the pieces fall into place with a sickening crack.
Audition - 3:00, it said.
Oh, how could Rarity have forgotten?!
Sweetie Belle had been so ecstatic too...
The day she had come with that notice, practically squealing with joy. The Ponyville Schoolhouse was going to put on a junior production of the hit show Eclipse - Sweetie Belle's absolutely favorite musical - which was the fairytale retelling of Princess Luna's ascension into Nightmare Moon. Sweetie Belle wouldn't stop yammering on and on about it and how excited she was.
And all Rarity had done was smile and nod. She didn't pay attention. She couldn't even remember which role her sister wanted to try out for.
This was just plain irresponsible.
Letting out a shaky breath, Rarity levitated another cup out of the cupboard, and a tray. She poured some tea into the other cup, and placed the two mugs onto the tray. She used her telekinesis to take a small bag of cookies out of a drawer, and put it next to the drinks.
Maybe this would suffice as a bit of a peace offering.
She made her way back to the hall, gently balancing the tray in midair with her magic, and knocked on the door once more.
No response.
"Sweetie Belle?"
Nothing - except a very faint muffled noise.
Rarity pressed her ear to the door and listened carefully. From what she could make out, it almost sounded like...
...crying?
She frowned, and blinked slowly, finding herself sitting on the floor, right beside the door.
Why couldn't she remember something important for her sister? Just for once?
But no, Sweetie Belle had to be correct on the matter. Rarity always seemed to put her business ahead of her little sister - and to be completely fair, it wasn't right at all.
"I'll be right out here, if you want to talk," Rarity muttered.
She leaned up against the wall and breathed deep, closing her eyes, starting to venture through the many passageways and twists and turns of her mind.
Manehatten, she said to herself. The second time I went, I brought Sweetie Belle with me. I took her to a show on Bridleway, and that's when her passion for musicals began.
Rarity could remember that day very easily...
It wasn't that long after her first trip to the city with her friends...
She could recall how much Sweetie Belle's eyes had lit up when she had seen the theater, and when the show began, she looked completely entranced. And Rarity, she loved seeing her little sister so happy, she had somehow scraped up the bits to take Sweetie Belle to a different musical every day they had spent in the city.
(Although, Rarity had to admit, Marema Mia! was a bit scandalous for a filly to see.)
Without a doubt, it was one of the best vacations they had been on.
And it had changed Sweetie Belle's life. Ever since then, she had started reciting show tunes and she practiced her singing more than ever.
Rarity gave a bittersweet smile, and shook her head.
She was a fool.
A click was heard, and as the door lit up with a gentle green glow, it slightly creaked open, alerting Rarity to stand up, and retrieve the tray, carefully stepping into her sister's room... and the sight she saw made her heart shake.
There was Sweetie Belle, sitting on her bed, lightly sniffling and brushing away her tears.
"Ok," she mumbled. "I'm ready to talk now. Are you?"
Rarity bit her lip, trying for a hopeful smile. Instead, she just nodded and stepped closer, seating herself on the bed and gently placing the tray between them both.
She hesitated, and gave a small shrug. "I thought maybe a treat would cheer you up," she said.
Sweetie Belle opened the bag, her expression slightly brightening up as she took out a chocolate chip cookie and bit into it. "I'm sorry, for, y'know, yelling at you like that," she piped up, with a light sigh. "I was just upset."
"You had every right to be," Rarity assured. "I should have been more attentive."
"Yeah, but you're always so busy and-"
"-and you should be one of my top priorities, no exceptions," Rarity continued. "But it's times like this when I'm not a very good sister, am I?"
"Well," Sweetie Belle hesitated, and noticed her sister giving her a nod to urge her on. "I wouldn't say you're a bad sister at all. You are a good sister, you're just older and busier and stuff, so I can't blame you... but I would kinda like it if you were around more often for things I want to do."
Rarity pursed her lips, and levitated up her cup of tea, taking a sip of it.
"I know," she sighed. "And I have been getting better at it, haven't I?"
Sweetie Belle started to smile a little. "Yeah," she said halfheartedly. "You've been letting me help you a lot, and we go to the city sometimes. I really like that, and it's nice when we draw or have tea parties or play dress-up."
Rarity also felt a bittersweet grin tugging at her lips. "I will admit, it is nice to spend time with you," she admitted. "Almost makes me wish I was your age, so I could have more time for you."
A giggle escaped Sweetie Belle, and her eyes sparkled. "I think I like having a crazy older sister, though... no matter how busy she is," she said.
"Still," Rarity sighed. "I bet your audition was wonderful, wasn't it?"
"Miss Cheerilee liked the song I picked and Apple Bloom and Scootaloo said I was good," Sweetie Belle muttered, as she took out another cookie. "But I didn't get the role I wanted. I'm just part of the choir."
Rarity frowned. "Were you aiming for one of the lead roles?" she asked.
Sweetie Belle nodded. "Yeah, but Archer and Diamond Tiara got them both," she confessed. "I kinda high-tailed it out of there after I heard that."
"That's pure nonsense, I'm sure neither of them could ace the vocals like you do," Rarity said.
"But the upside is, at least I'm an understudy for one of the leads," Sweetie Belle pointed out, with her tone of voice slightly perking up with hopefulness. "So maybe I will get a chance to actually have a part."
"Either way," Rarity declared, taking her sister's hoof into her own and holding on it while giving a small smile. "This is one promise I tend to go through with, no matter what role you have, I'll be there on the day of the show, because I know how much this whole theatre business means to you. I was a fool to not keep mind of today's audition, but I would call this my second chance. And believe me when I say that I cannot wait to see you up on stage."
Sweetie Belle raised an eyebrow, and hesitated. "You really mean that?"
Rarity nodded. "Absolutely," she assured.
Now starting to genuinely grin, Sweetie Belle leaned forward and wrapped her forelegs around her sister, pulling her into a hug.
"Thanks," she murmured.
"Anytime," Rarity sighed.
It was a promise she intended to keep. A promise she vowed to remember this time, because cross her heart, she'd see every single spotlight that her little sister stood under. Sweetie Belle suddenly alarmed the moment of serenity, as she let out a surprised gasp, and dashed off of the bed, rushing over to her drawer. Rarity raised an eyebrow, watching Sweetie Belle rummage through various crumpled papers, until she levitated out a folder.
"Want to help me practice the big numbers?" she asked. "I-if you have the time, that is."
Rarity chuckled, and smiled. "Of course I have enough time," she assured.
Sweetie Belle lit up, and took a record out as well. "Race you to the living room!" she said, running out.
Rarity grinned, speeding after her younger sister. And that evening, Carousel Boutique was echoing with show music, and two marvelous voices singing along to irreplaceable tunes; no grand curtains, stage or spotlights needed.
~ la fin ~