> Strawberries
>  by Tealove
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The rhythmic breathing of the sleeping foal in her embrace was putting Rarity to sleep. She still had orders to work on, dinner to clean up and be able to take a bath before she crawled into bed herself. But there was something about the preciousness of the rare moment with her baby sister that made it almost impossible for her to move. It had been a long day filled with fun, laughter, and lots of quality time together. Sweetie Belle asked if she could spare an afternoon sometime and Rarity, never forgetting the lesson she learned when Sweetie Belle had temporarily disowned her for Applejack, decided she could afford more than an afternoon.
She spoke with Cheerilee the day before to let the earth pony know that Sweetie Belle would not be in the next day. Upon explaining why, Cheerilee simply smiled and nodded. She told Rarity an entire day with Sweetie Belle would do them both a world of good. So Rarity woke up the next morning before her sister had the chance to and made blueberry pancakes with whipped cream. When Sweetie Belle rushed down the stairs, mane a mess and saddle bags askew and in a panic, all Rarity could do for a minute was giggle. She'd seen that look before except it had been worn by her own reflection in a mirror.
Once Rarity stopped laughing and explained why she hadn't been woken for school, Sweetie Belle took in the breakfast feast with a grin and started filling her plate. On and on she talked about what she was learning in school, the latest escapades she and her two best friends had been through to try and get their cutie marks, and anything else she could possibly think of. All the while Rarity sat, rollers still in her mane and sleeping mask resting against her brow as she sipped her coffee, listening. Now and then she would offer an appropriate reply and encourage Sweetie Belle to continue, but for the most part the unicorn just took her in.
How much she'd grown and changed since she'd come into the world. How much Rarity had changed herself. When she was Sweetie Belle's age she had dreams of being a famous designer, living the fast life in a world of changing faces and places. She wanted, in essence to be like their parents. But thinking on them now only brought forth bitter feelings and today was about anything but.
With a packed picnic basket the two headed through town to make their way to the train station. There they boarded and settled in for a ride to the ocean. Sweetie had never been in all her short years and Rarity decided on a whim to remedy it. The weather was not especially warm but that hardly seemed to matter. Sweetie Belle was so excited that she bounced in her seat, taking turns between gazing out the window and asking Rarity questions about the ocean and the creatures that lived within it. 
When the train came to a stop they were the first ones off. This particular beach was one Rarity had frequented some years prior, after the hardships of her childhood were over and before she had any real friends in Ponyville. As she walked along the sandy path that would take them to the beautiful white shore, Rarity told her sister the tale of the Little Mermare. Sweetie Belle listened with rapt attention, all stars and dreams in her eyes as the story unfolded. “Do you think I'll ever find my prince?” she asked innocently, staring out cross the vast blue waters. Rarity assured her she would and they sat together for a long time, saying nothing, just taking it all in.
After lunch they decided to go shell hunting. Sweetie Belle wanted to collect some for Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, plus have enough to do some kind of craft with. Rarity thought shells would be a nice addition to the summer line she was coming out with soon.
They ran and they laughed. Sweetie Belle chased the waves as they rolled out toward the ocean and they chased her back as she screamed and giggled her way to safety in the protective embrace of her big sister. Once Rarity threatened to throw her in and ran toward the water with Sweetie Belle on her back. The plan was to stop before actually touching the water but her hoof hit a partially hidden rock, sending them both tumbling into the salty waves. This time Sweetie Belle's scream was not one of sheer joy but of utter terror. The waves caught her little body up so fast Rarity could hardly believe it. But she was quick, too, and used her magic to pull Sweetie Belle to safety and held her close while the little filly cried.
As is true of any child she soon longed to be free again and decided to explore on her own. Though this time she kept a healthy distance from the water. Her exploring took her to a partially built sandcastle that had been abandoned. With clear determination in her eyes she sat and started to sculpt. When Rarity offered to help Sweetie refused and tried to block her view. She wanted to make it for her. So with a smile, Rarity left her to go pack up what was left of their picnic and the half ton of seashells they would be carting back to Ponyville. That was when it hit her. The unmistakable scent of wild strawberries on the breeze. And just like that, she was again a filly.
It was the worst day of her life. She had just been told she was going to be a big sister. The announcement had so dismayed her that she ran from the house in tears and didn't stop until her little legs refused to go any further. She found herself in a patch of wild strawberries, now trampled and stuck, staining her coat red in sticky patches. Dramatically she flung herself down and sobbed with her hooves over her eyes. If her life had been different a sister would have been a happy addition. But, being what her life was, a sister only meant more heartache.
Rarity's parents were not the most nurturing of ponies. When she was just a foal they took great care of her, loved her and doted on her. But it only lasted a few months. As soon as she was able to eat more than “mother's milk” her parents became something of an absent presence in her life. Before she was born they were world travelers, flitting from country to country to invest in property, see a collection, meet this pony or that. They had wanderlust and that meant staying in one place too long was like telling a bee it only had one flower to choose from. So Rarity was left with her grandmare to be raised. And as she grew, the resentment toward her parents only intensified.
They sent home letters which she burned, gifts that she either gave away or sold. She was determined to save up enough to start going after her own dream. Even at such a young age she was incredibly driven. It was her grandmare who made her meals, helped her with schoolwork and made sure she did her chores. And it was her grandmare who was there when her magical abilities first came through full force and helped her through it, teaching her and guiding her along the way. And it was her grandmare she wept bitterly for when the old unicorn passed away. That was when her parents finally came home. That was when they told her she was going to be a big sister.
In the strawberry patch she lay, cursing Celestia, cursing the Creator, cursing her parents. But never the foal to come. It wasn't her fault, after all. She was going to be born into a world of horrid disappointment, heartache, and dissatisfaction. She would be another mother and fatherless foal, just as Rarity had been. But this baby wouldn't have a grandmare to teach her anything. It would all be up to Rarity. Young Rarity, who should have been thinking about playdates and homework and colts. No. She had to think then of where she would live, how she would provide for herself and her soon to be there baby sister, and how they would get through it together.
It was that day that she set into motion what would shape her into who she became. From the money saved from selling the gifts her parents had sent she rented what would one day become her boutique and purchased the supplies she would need to sell her first dress. Using her grandmare's old sewing machine she worked hard every day after school, never knowing how often the Cake's looked in on her or how curious the little pink filly staying with them was of her. She didn't find out until years later that they were the ones who brought food by when she was out, or that she was really only paying half the rent and they were paying the rest.
By the time Sweetie Belle was born Rarity had a room for her all set up and a small savings on which she hoped to expand the more she sold. Sweetie Belle was precious, small, and perfect. And for some reason she smelled like...strawberries. And Rarity loved her from the very start. She never knew what it was to care for a pony so much as she did the first moment she met her baby sister. And it only served in making her work harder. She knew she only had so long before her parents were off again and would be leaving Sweetie Belle behind as they had Rarity. They boasted how proud they were of Rarity, how self-sufficient she was, never once realizing how hardened she'd become toward them and how resentful.
As predicted they left again when Sweetie Belle was just five months old. And Rarity was left to finish school, keep her budding business afloat, and raise a child that did not belong to her. Stubbornness made her do it on her own as much as she could, but there were days she needed help and it was always there for her. But as the years went on and both Sweetie and Rarity grew, there became a bond between them that was stronger than that of sisters. Theirs was a bond of mother and daughter.
Her voice broke through Rarity's thoughts, pulling her out of her bitter sweet reverie. Sweetie Belle was waving her hooves, trying to get Rarity's attention. Her castle was finished. It was lopsided, lumpy, and completely uninhabitable even for the sand crabs, but it was beautiful to Rarity. She kissed her sister's cheek and squeezed her in a tight embrace. And then they were on their way home.
Dinner was a light fare of fruit salad and cold iced tea. The sun had worn them both out and Sweetie was ready for bed earlier than usual. Rarity followed her to her room, pulled a book from the nightstand, and crawled into bed with her. She only got through a few pages before the little filly was asleep. With a tender smile Rarity set the book aside and wrapped her hooves around her sister. She listened to her soft breathing and felt her heart swell just as it had on that first day of seeing her. And for once she wasn't bitter about the way life had been for her, for Sweetie Belle.
For once, she couldn't have been more thankful.