To Inspire
Sweetie Belle made her way down the well-worn path to Ponyville Lake. The fiasco that was the Mare-Do-Well parade just ended, and she was killing time before she went home. She needed to think of some new crusading ideas, and she always thought her best thoughts relaxing and gazing out into the water. When she arrived, she saw that she wasn’t the only one who had this idea.
Rainbow Dash laid at the water’s edge, head resting on her hooves staring off across the water. She was just outside of Rainbow’s peripheral vision, but from her angle, Rainbow seemed deep in thought. Whatever she was thinking about wasn’t making her happy, judging by the frown on her face. Sweetie Belle hesitated. Rainbow Dash, obviously, had come here to be alone. She didn’t want to intrude, lest another pony ‘heavily emphasize’ for her to go somewhere else. She could probably guess what had Rainbow down, given the nature of the parade and the events of today.
Despite knowing she should turn around and leave, she moved closer. She moved as quietly as possible, not wanting to get caught and have Rainbow think she was sneaking up on her to spy on her. Unfortunately, she didn’t make it very far before her hoof landed on a twig, snapping it in two.
Rainbow’s head shot up and swiveled around to glare at the filly that was definitely not trying to sneak up on her. Sweetie Belle froze in place at the sound and had the decency to look sheepish. Rainbow glared at her and was about to say something, but suddenly stopped. After a few more moments of uncomfortable staring, she turned back around to once again look out across the lake.
Sweetie Belle, being the smart filly that she was, took that as an invitation. She walked over and sat down next to Rainbow. Minutes passed with nothing being exchanged other than awkward glances between the two.
“I’m sorry,” Sweetie Belle squeaked suddenly, wincing at her own volume.
Rainbow Dash startled by the outburst gave her a confused look. “What?”
“I’m sorry,” Sweetie tried again.
Rainbow still confused finally gave her full attention to the all too subtle filly and rose to a sitting position. “For what?”
“I know,” Sweetie said, making it clear she knew why Rainbow was sad.
“You know what?”
Sweetie Belle huffed “I—I know who it was. Well,I know who they were.”
Sweetie watched Rainbow’s facial expression as it went from confused, to understanding, and then settling on angry.
Rainbow jumped to her hooves and glared down at Sweetie Belle. “So, what, now they’re just going around town telling everypony?”
Sweetie Belle withered under Rainbow’s scrutiny but quickly shook her head. “No. Rarity, um, she talks to herself when she sews.”
Rainbow blinked a few times and snorted in laughter.
Sweetie Belle, being the incredibly intelligent filly that she was, continued to talk. “I’m not sure what I would do if my friends did something like that. Were they still my friends? Did they think I wasn’t good enough? Did they think they could do everything better than me?! Did they—”
“Sweetie Belle!” Sweetie Belle froze, mouth still wide open the words dying on her lips. “Chill.” Her mouth clicked shut.
Rainbow Dash regarded Sweetie for a moment as if debating something. “I get why they did it, and I’m cool with it. That’s not even why I’m here. I thought I knew what it meant to be a hero. To be famous, you know? For other ponies to look up and say, ‘I wish I was her.’ How can I be a Wonderbolt if I can’t even handle being a hero for Ponyville? And—” Rainbow flopped down onto her stomach in defeat and stared back out across the water.”—and I don’t even know why I’m telling you.”
Sweetie Belle considered what Rainbow said. What did it mean to be famous? She knew that there were several ponies she wouldn’t mind trading places with, but to be on the other side and have other ponies wanting to be her and have an entire town throw a parade just for you?
“I don’t think I’d want that.” Rainbow gave her a quizzical look. “If everypony acted like me, would I still be special? That’s like if everypony got the same cutie mark.” Sweetie paused and gave her blank flank a sad look, but she immediately perked back up. “But if I could help other ponies that wouldn’t be so bad.”
“Help them by being famous?” Rainbow asked.
“Well, instead of wanting ponies to ask, ‘why can’t that be me?’ You get them to say, ‘that will be me!’ Show them that they can do great things, too. You just need to show them how. I think that makes sense.”
Sweetie half-expected Rainbow to laugh at her. She couldn’t even help her and her friends get their cutie marks, what did she know about helping other ponies?
“So I don’t want them to be me?”
Sweetie chewed her lip in thought. “Well, would you want everypony to do a Sonic Rainboom or for them to come up with their own awesome trick?”
“Their own awesome trick, huh?” Rainbow hemmed, and after a moment, jumped to her hooves. “You’re pretty smart, kiddo. I’ll catch ya later.” She ruffled Sweetie’s mane and flew up into the sky not giving Sweetie a chance to reply.
Sweetie Belle didn’t think about being famous again until she got her cutie mark. Now that she knew what her special talent was, she knew what she wanted to do in life. To inspire others through her love of singing. And the best way to do that, for her, was to become the greatest singer Equestria had ever seen. And that dream had almost come crashing down all thanks to some stupid essay.
Ms. Cheerilee had assigned everypony to write an essay detailing what they wanted to do when they finished school. It had been fairly easy for Sweetie Belle. After she turned it in, she promptly forgot about it, until a week later.
Sweetie had just gotten home from hanging out with her friends. Rarity was at the ironing board, ironing what looked like Rainbow’s dress uniform for the Wonderbolts. Rainbow Dash was sprawled out across the couch reading some sort of fashion magazine with a bored expression on her face. Rainbow looked up giving her a silly smirk and a wink. She returned it with a smile and a wave.
Sweetie never really talked to Rainbow anymore than she normally did to her sister’s other friends. Though every once in awhile she’d glance towards her, and Rainbow would give her a silly smirk, a sly wink and if she was within reach, a quick rustling of her mane. Sweetie would giggle and wave enthusiastically.
“Sweetie Belle, I spoke to Ms. Cheerilee earlier today,” Rarity said not even looking up from her work.
Sweetie frowned. She was certain she didn’t do anything to get into trouble. She knew her grades were fine, so what did Ms. Cheerilee have to talk to Rarity about? Unless, it was something Scootaloo did, which wouldn’t be the first time she was asked to reprimand her friend.
“Okay?”
“She was telling me about your essay. The one where you had to write about your plans for the future or lack thereof. She was concerned, and I quite agree, that you needed a more realistic goal.”
“What do you mean?” If it was possible for Sweetie to frown more, she would do it.
“While wanting to be a famous singer is an admirable endeavor, you need to start thinking seriously about what kind of career you want to start doing. Have you considered any alternatives?”
Sweetie Belle fell back on her haunches, defeated. Maybe, Rarity was right. She probably wasn’t even that good. She doubted she’d even be allowed to sing for free in Ponyville, let alone have ponies pay to see her somewhere like Canterlot.
“Right. More realistic,” Sweetie Belle acquiesced, staring down at the floor. It was a stupid idea anyway.
“That’s bullshit!”
Sweetie’s head shot up towards the couch where Rainbow was now hovering looking somewhere between pissed and livid. Rarity had gasped, no doubt at the uncouth language, and was looking at Rainbow in shock. Sweetie blinked, and the next thing she knew Rainbow was in Rarity’s face.
“What’s the big idea telling her junk like that? How many times has somepony told you, you should quit or that you would never be a fashion pony or whatever? I don’t see you selling this place and goin’ to work on AJ’s farm! It’s okay for you to follow your dream, but Luna forbid your own sister wants to. I bet she’d be a great singer!”
Sweetie Belle watched in wide-eyed wonder, mouth hanging open in awe as Rainbow went back to the couch, leaving Rarity stunned in silence. She didn’t dare move, for fear of being the one to break the silence. That still didn’t stop her from wondering why Rainbow had so quickly, and rather forcefully, jumped to her defense.
Rarity awkwardly cleared her throat. “Sweetie, dear, I believe I owe you an apology. While she put it rather boorishly, Rainbow is correct. Even Mother and Father didn’t believe I would be the fashion designer I wanted to be. But now I have all this,” she said making a wide gesture to the entire boutique, “and a boutique in Canterlot and Manehatten. If being the greatest singer Equestria has ever seen is what you want to be, then I shall support you; however, even the great Rainbow Dash—“ Rarity glared at Rainbow who just rolled her eyes, ”—needed a job before she was a Wonderbolt. I refuse to allow my sister to become some starving artist.”
Sweetie Belle nodded. That sounded reasonable. She quickly went over and gave her sister a hug. After a moment's hesitation, she ran over and gave Rabinow an even bigger hug.
“You really think I’d be a great singer?”
“Even better than Coloratura.” Rainbow gave her a roguish smirk and winked. “Just remember, never settle and never let anypony tell you you can’t do something. The only pony in the way of your dreams is you. Got it?”
Sweetie nodded eagerly and gave Rainbow another hug.
After that day, there was a fire inside of Sweetie Belle that wasn’t there before. Everything she did now was another step towards her dream. Every day she practiced. She would sing for anypony that would listen: friends, family, or even her classmates in the middle of tests. When she wasn’t singing, she wrote. She wrote lyrics in the margins of her school notes and on napkins at Sugarcube Corner. If she didn’t have anything to write on she wrote on her hoof.
Another big change that happened after that day was Rainbow Dash. She became a huge staple in Sweetie’s life. Whenever she came home from training or a show, she’d give Sweetie a new notebook to fill full of songs. She’d cheer her on when she would perform one of her new songs for her, and she would encourage her when she didn’t feel like she could go on, sometimes literally lifting her up and flying her around town to boost her spirits. She was her inspiration to be the greatest singer she could be. If Rainbow Dash thought she could do it, who was she to say she was wrong?
On her sweet sixteen, Rainbow had merely given her a scrap of paper with an address and a time. She was pretty sure she got a lecture on avoiding situations like this but decided to go anyway. She didn’t recognize the address, but one of the perks of living in Ponyville was that you knew who lived in which house, and as she approached the address, she realized it was the home of Vinyl Scratch and Octavia.
Sweetie hesitated at the door. She wasn’t certain if she should knock or wait for Rainbow Dash. She wasn’t even sure Rainbow was showing up. She could be inside for all she knew. As she contemplated the life-changing decision of whether to knock or not, a hoof came down and poked the top of her head.
“Boo!”
Sweetie shrieked and fell backward. She quickly scanned the area for whatever horrible beast that was about to devour her but only found an obnoxious, blue pegasus hovering in the air, laughing hysterically.
“That wasn’t funny!”
Rainbow, still laughing, didn’t seem to agree with her. Sweetie was reduced to huffing and glaring at her until her laughter petered out.
“Sorry, Sweets,” Rainbow apologized, offering a hoof to help Sweetie up. “You were just staring at the door. I couldn’t resist.”
Sweetie Belle blushed at the nickname. It was just the newest one that Rainbow had started calling her. Though, it was leagues ahead of being called ‘squirt number two.’
Sweetie Belle took the offered hoof and pulled herself up. “You’re a dork,” she jibed, but couldn’t help but smile at Rainbow’s antics. “And I was staring at the door because I still have no idea why I’m here.”
Rainbow gave her that adorable smirk. “To show you the benefits of being friends with the right ponies,” she said, knocking on the door.
Sweetie knit her eyebrows together. She was supposed to watch Rainbow get something from Vinyl or Octavia? Sweetie always believed it was the thought that count, but on a scale of bad birthday gifts this was just a smidge below the usual Wonderbolt tickets Dash seemed to give all her friends when she forgot a birthday.
The door swung open to reveal Vinyl surprisingly without her trademark sunglasses. “Yo, Dash, right on time.” Sweetie glanced over at the clocktower in the middle of town. It was fifteen passed the time they were supposed to meet. This probably was on time for Rainbow.
They were shown inside, and Sweetie stood in the entrance with the usual awkwardness of entering someone else’s house for the first time. She glanced around and was rather amazed at how mundane the interior actually looked. She was expecting gold records framed on the wall and with photos of the pair with celebrities from all over Equestria. There were photos, but it was of the pair with ponies she knew from Ponyville.
Sweetie followed Rainbow and Vinyl into the kitchen where Octavia was sitting nursing a mug of coffee. Rainbow seemed to have no compunctions of being in another’s house and headed immediately to the coffee and poured herself a cup. Rainbow paused, poured another cup, and brought it over to Sweetie.
Sweetie was grateful for the coffee. It gave her something to hide behind as the three other ponies talked and caught up. She felt awkwardly out of place, but every so often, Rainbow would glance her way and give her an encouraging smile.
Much too quickly for Sweetie, the conversation lulled and Octavia was now addressing Sweetie. “Sweetie, we can start whenever you’re ready. Vinyl has the equipment set up.”
Sweetie blinked owlishly. “Ready for what?”
Three sets of eyes turned and stared at Rainbow Dash, who looked extremely guilty. “I—uh, kinda wanted this to be a surprise so I ma~ybe didn’t tell her why she’s here.”
The sound of Octavia’s hoof smacking her face echoed through the kitchen. “Well, as you may or may not know, Vinyl and I, every so often, take a break from our own works and collaborate on an album.” Sweetie nodded. She had gotten their last album a few years ago. “On this album, we decided to do a few things differently. The main thing being vocals. Nothing elaborate, just some harmonizing with the music. However, neither Vinyl nor myself have the voice for it.”
Sweetie Belle’s brain came to a screeching halt. “Y-you want me to sing on your album?”
Octavia quickly held up a hoof. “This is an audition. And if we both feel your voice meshes well with the music then, yes, we’d like you to lend us your voice on a few tracks.”
Sweetie Belle couldn’t believe it. She wasn’t even out of school yet, and here she was auditioning to be on an album. It all seemed too good to be true. Octavia’s voice brought her back to the conversation.
“We are more than happy to help an up and coming musician; however, you should know that our motives are not entirely altruistic. While we will pay you for your time, having you do the vocals is cheaper than hiring a professional. A professional vocalist costs a considerable amount more, and if we can get the same quality for a fraction of the bits, we’ll take it. We won’t worry about the paperwork until later, but if you’re agreeable to that we’ll start whenever you’re ready.”
Sweetie grinned. She was being given the chance to be on Octavia and Vinyl’s next album, and to top it all off she was going to be paid for it. She would have done it for free. “When do we start?”
Sweetie was led deeper into the house to a door that had a large ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign taped to it. Inside was a recording studio, larger than the tiny home had any right to have. The room was cut in half by a wall with a door leading into the other section of the room. Glass took up most of the upper half of the wall. On the side they had entered from, soundboards lined the entire length of the glass. Chairs were strewn about in no particular arrangement. On the other side of the glass were a microphone, a music stand, and a stool with a pair of headphones lying on them.
“Go ahead and get settled and put the headphones on.”
Sweetie did as instructed. She placed the headphones on and sat down on the stool. Her leg bounced nervously, so she decided to stand which didn’t help as her leg continued to tap. The music stand had sheets of music on them. The lyrics she was to sing she figured and began to study them in hopes to ignore her nervous tapping.
“Test, test,” Vinyl’s voice sounded in her head. “Can you hear me?”
“Y—yes,” she spoke into the microphone.
“Great! So here’s what’s gonna go down. I’m gonna play the track a few times with my voice doing the vocals, and you just follow along on the paper so you can get a feel of when to come in. Then we’ll do the real thing. Don’t get too hung up on timing. The important thing is how you sound.”
Sweetie nodded her understanding. She had listened to the song five times when Vinyl told her they were gonna try their first take.
The music started. This was it. She couldn’t mess this up. If she messed this up, then there was no way she could be the star she wanted to be. If she couldn’t make it through a single audition, then there was no way she could perform in front of other ponies. Shouldn’t she have started singing by now? The music stopped.
“Sweetie?” came the voice in her head.
“S—sorry!”
“No problem. Let’s try it again.”
The music started again. She was blowing it. This was her one shot and she was ruining it. Her breathing got heavier. The music had gone far beyond where she should have started to sing. She could see the ponies on the other side exchanging looks. She looked away, ashamed. She should just go and apologize for wasting their time. The pressure from the headphones went away and she looked up to see who had wrenched them off her head.
Rainbow Dash was in her face, rather than the angry or disappointed look she expected, her eyes had nothing but concern.
“You’re freaking out.”
“I’m sorry,” she said looking down. A hoof caught her chin and forced her to look up into those ruby eyes. The concern was gone. Replaced by a fire of determination.
“I got this,” Rainbow said.
“Wha—?”
“Say it!”
“I—I got this.”
“Okay, now actually mean it this time.”
“I got this.”
“Horse-apples, I can’t hear you.”
“I got this!”
Rainbow gave her a smile. “Better?” Sweetie nodded. “Hey, it’s cool. Even I get nervous and freak out. I’m pretty sure everypony in Ponyville remembers my first ‘Bolt show.”
Sweetie, despite how she felt, still managed to giggle.
“Exactly! But you know what I do when I start gettin’ nervous?”
Sweetie shook her head.
“I close my eyes and pretend I’m where I always bring my A-game, ya know? No fans, no crowds, not even the other ‘Bolts are there with me. Just me and the sky. In here, it’s just you and the music. Think you can do that?”
Sweetie took in a deep breath and nodded. “I got this.”
Rainbow nodded back and exited the booth.
Sweetie closed her eyes, took deep, calming breaths, and envisioned the place she sang her best. Her first thought was to picture herself in the shower. There she could belt out any song or ballad without fear of judgment but quickly shook the idea from her mind. There was no way she was going to imagine herself in the shower knowing that other ponies were looking at her.
The music started.
Her next thought took her to the Ponyville lake. That was by far her favorite place to sing. The cool, calm atmosphere often inspired her, and it was far enough away from the hustle and bustle of daily Ponyville life that she wouldn’t be bothered. Despite this, she often had an audience, usually Scootaloo and Apple Bloom. Her favorite audience member, however, was Rainbow Dash. Rainbow often cheered the loudest, going so far as throwing grass as if they were roses and shouting “Encore!” One time, she even brought a poster board with a sign. It was those times when she really performed her best. She would prance about, envisioning herself on a grand stage, and on the warmer days even go into the water, kicking water everywhere. There was something about Rainbow’s presence that made her go all out.
She opened her eyes, looking through the glass at Rainbow, giving her that wonderful smirk. And she sang.
Her heart hammered in her chest. Even as she sang, she never looked away from Rainbow’s own gaze. The pony that told her to follow her dreams, to never give up. The pony that told her to be the best pony she could be and then do more. The smile that threatened to split Rainbow’s face only encouraged Sweetie to pour more into the song. By the end of the song, she had worked up a sweat.
When she finished, Vinyl called her over into the other room. She entered the room with a sense of nervous excitement. Octavia had schooled her face, but Rainbow and Vinyl were both grinning like idiots.
“Sweetie Belle that was—“
“—freakin’ amazing!” Vinyl shouted, cutting off Octavia.
Octavia coughed. “Yes, I think we’re both in agreement that you definitely fit, and you got the part.”
“I do? I did!” Sweetie bounced in place until her joy couldn’t be contained and she hugged both Octavia and Vinyl in a spine-shattering hug.
Thirty minutes of paperwork later, Sweetie Belle and Rainbow Dash exited the house with a CD of songs Sweetie needed to practice and a meeting scheduled for next week to possibly record the first song.
As soon as they were out of the house, Sweetie gave Rainbow her own bone-breaking hug. “I—Thank you, Rainbow. I can’t even begin to say how much this meant to me. Thank you.”
“Hey, all I did was get you here. You did all the rest,” Rainbow said, returning the hug.
“If you hadn’t been there I would have screwed the whole thing up.”
“Does this mean if I don’t go to all your shows you’re gonna have a panic attack?”
“Yup,” Sweetie chirped, making Rainbow laugh.
The two fell into a comfortable silence as they walked down the street together. As they neared the Carousel Boutique, Sweetie remembered something Rainbow had said earlier. She blushed and grinned mischievously. She could finally get revenge for scaring her earlier.
“Hey, Rainbow?”
“Yeah, Sweets.” Sweetie blushed, again. Darn nickname.
“Is this the benefits of being friends with the right ponies?”
“Eeyup.”
“So~o does that make you my friend with benefits?”
Rainbow didn’t just miss a step, she tripped and face-planted into the street. Sweetie took off down the street, her laughter trailing not far behind.
It was a cold and dreary January two years later when Sweetie got the letter. It was from a record label that had heard Vinyl and Octavia’s record and they wanted to sign her. Her! However, the rest of the letter gave her pause. They wanted to meet this Friday all the way in Manehattan. She was fairly sure neither her parents nor Rarity would allow her to skip school, plus Rainbow Dash was gone visiting her parents and would be back too late to take her. But wouldn’t Rainbow be surprised if she came back home and was signed?
With her mind made up, Sweetie, early Friday morning, caught the first train to Manehattan. It had taken her most of the day to get there, then another two hours to find the correct building; she was barely on time.
Sweetie Belle blinked. She suddenly found herself in a too-large conference room, sitting in front of a too large table with a stack of papers that seemed to dwarf the room and table. One entire side of the table was filled with ponies she couldn’t remember the names of, if she had even been told. On the other side, she sat completely alone.
“Well Ms. Belle, all you need to do is sign and your new life as a star can begin,” one of the ponies sitting across from her said. She didn’t know who said it, but every single one of the ponies were smiling at her. Smiles that made the furs on her back stand up on end. It made her feel like she was sitting at a table with timberwolves, and she was their latest morsel.
She looked down at the contract. She wasn't able to read much of it before it had been flipped over to the last page, but from what she saw, she didn't understand a single word. Now, she was staring at the blank space that was waiting for her signature. That was the reason she was here after all.
The pen felt heavy in her magic. As she touched it to the paper, she hesitated. Her gut twisted. This felt wrong. She shouldn’t have come by herself. She wasn’t sure they would let her leave if she asked.
The doors to the conference room slammed open, and a gale swept through the room. Sweetie closed her eyes and quickly brought up a shield of magic to protect herself from the onslaught of wind. The cacophony whirled around her, and she thought it would consume her, but the wind died down just as quickly as it came.
When Sweetie opened her eyes, the conference room was in shambles. Papers were strewn everywhere, somepony's tie was hanging from the ceiling, and a few of the ponies were struggling to stand after falling from their chairs.
She turned to the doors and a wave of relief washed over her. Rainbow Dash stood in the doorway, wings flared and a death stare that would make Nightmare Moon shudder. Rainbow’s gaze slowly swept through the room, and as Sweetie met her eyes, her expression softened. With a single beat of her wings, she was next to Sweetie in an instant.
"Did you sign anything?" Sweetie Belle looked down and was amazed the contract had not budged, except for the last page that was ripped away from under her pen.
Sweetie shook her head, “No.”
Rainbow let out a relieved sigh. She grabbed what remained of the contract and stuffed it into the saddlebags that Sweetie brought with her. “Grab your bags, we’re leaving.” Without waiting for a reply, she turned and began marching towards the door.
One of the ponies on the other side of the table had finally been shaken from their stupor. “Now see here, you can’t just—” Whatever Rainbow couldn’t do died in the stallion's throat as Rainbow turned her head and gave the pony a look that Sweetie was glad to be unable to see.
Sweetie followed closely behind in silence as they made their way to the elevator to take them back down to the ground floor. She cast her eyes down to avoid all the ponies that came out of their offices to gawk at the commotion. Mercifully, the elevator doors shut behind them.
As the doors shut and they began their descent, Rainbow spun around and fully embraced Sweetie. “You’re okay,” she said, barely audible. Before Sweetie could respond, Rainbow said it again. She realized Rainbow wasn’t trying to console her or ask if she was okay. She was saying it to reassure herself.
Sweetie wrapped her hooves around Rainbow’s neck, nuzzling into Rainbow’s cheek. “I’m okay,” she whispered.
Rainbow stiffened and released her. Sweetie, too, pulled back and saw the relief in her eyes. She smiled apologetically. “I’m sorr—”
Rainbow quickly silenced her with a wing to her lips. “Not here. We walk out of here like we own the place with our heads up.”
Sweetie steeled herself and nodded just as the doors opened. Stepping out into the lobby, all the ponies that were milling about all stopped and stared at them. Sweetie didn’t falter and fell into step next to Rainbow with her head raised high. She did, however, rack her brain for how everyone down here even heard the commotion up on the top floor. It only took her a few steps to remember that Rainbow had to come through here to reach her, and who knew what she did when she barged in. A quick glance to the corner of the room where a few muscled earth ponies were nursing bruises and she got her answer. She quickened her pace towards the exit.
Out on the sidewalk and with the doors safely shut behind them, Sweetie let out a sigh that was carried away by the cold winter wind. Rainbow smiled at her, bumping her shoulder. “Come on. Let’s go home.”
Sweetie Belle gaped at Rainbow as she continued down the sidewalk toward the train station. She didn’t yell or scold her for running halfway across Equestria on a harebrained idea.
They walked to the train station in silence. Rainbow seemed content with the silence, but Sweetie still felt the guilt and shame twist in her stomach. She had tried to show everyone that she could do this on her own and that their time hadn’t been wasted in believing in her. And she had acted like a foal, ran off, and needed to be saved. And worst of all, she didn’t even know she was in trouble until it was too late. She bit her lip and forced back the tears; she couldn’t let Rainbow see her cry.
The two reached that train station as the sun was setting, and the moon was just cresting over the horizon. Having already bought a round trip ticket, Sweetie waited until Rainbow had purchased one, and then followed her into the last car. Mercifully for Sweetie, the car was completely empty. They took a seat in the very last bench in the rear of the car. Completely alone, she decided now was the time to start making amends, not to mention she had several questions for Rainbow.
“I’m sorry,” Sweetie said, barely above a whisper.
"Hey, it's okay." Rainbow put a wing on her shoulder, but Sweetie pushed it away.
"It's not okay!” Sweetie slammed her hoof onto the bench. “I made you fly halfway across Equestria, getting in Luna only knows how many fights just to get to me, and all because you had to stop me from making some foal of a mistake! I can’t even imagine how disappointed you are in me.”
The last statement destroyed the dam that Sweetie was barely keeping up and the tears came, followed by painful sobs. She had let Rainbow down. The pony that never stopped believing in her, the one that pushed her to bring nothing but her best, the reason she had even gotten noticed to begin with. She had taken everything Rainbow had given her and threw it away.
Rainbow’s wing came back around her and enveloped her in a cocoon. Sweetie buried her face into Rainbow’s chest, muffling the pained sobs. Rainbow remained silent and let her cry into her, gently stroking her with a hoof. Even now Rainbow remained loyal to her, making Sweetie cry even harder.
Sweetie blinked her blurry eyes open and stretched. She must have cried herself to sleep. She didn’t remember stopping nor falling asleep, but the sun had completely set by now. Rainbow’s wing still encased her in a soft embrace. She had no idea how long she slept, but the train was still moving steadily down the track.
“Mornin’, sleepyhead.” Sweetie poked her head out from under Dash’s wing to be greeted by her grinning face. She blushed and ducked her head.
“How long was I out?”
“Like, an hour or so.” Rainbow gave her an affectionate nuzzle. It wasn’t something she often did, reserved for her closest friends—and Tank, of course. “You feeling better?”
Sweetie shrugged, leaning in and giving her a nuzzle in appreciation. “Not really. I’m still trying to process everything that happened.”
“It might help if you talk it out. At least, that’s what Twilight says. So you got the letter, then what?”
Sweetie narrowed her eyes questioningly. “How’d you know about the letter?”
“I saw it while going through your closet, obviously,” Rainbow said behind a cheshire grin.
Sweetie laughed and swatted playfully at Rainbow. “You brat. No, really.”
Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Rule one of skipping school, tell your friends what you’re doing so they don’t come to your house looking for you.” Sweetie groaned at her lack of insight. Rainbow chuckled as she continued. “I had just gotten home and stopped by Twilight’s when Rarity comes bursting in with the letter you left on the bed.”
Sweetie sighed. “I guess, I’m glad I did leave it out, otherwise—” She trailed off, not wanting to think about what could have happened.
“So after you got the letter?” Rainbow offered.
“Right. The first thing I wanted to do was bring it to you, but you were gone, and I knew Rarity wouldn’t just let me skip school to go to Manehattan.” She shook her head. “Thinking on it now, it seems silly I didn’t just bring Rarity the letter, but I talked myself into thinking how amazing it would be surprising you with a record deal, I thought just going myself was the obvious solution.
“When I got there, everything happened so fast. They kept pushing ponies out of the way saying things like, ‘here comes the next big star,’ and they kept telling me how I was gonna be a star. They even introduced me to some zebra that was some sort of rapper, I think. I was too embarrassed to tell them I had no idea who he was.”
Rainbow chuckled. “‘Cause rap isn’t music—”
“—It’s slam poetry with a beat,” Sweetie finished Dash’s quote, sticking her tongue out. “They showed me an indoor swimming pool and even a buck ball court. Said it could all be mine.” Sweetie paused to collect her thoughts. ”Next thing I knew, I was sitting at that table with the contract in front of me. That was when I knew I shouldn’t have come. The way they were looking at me made my skin crawl, but I didn’t think they would have let me left. I felt trapped.”
“They probably wouldn’t have. Remind me to get Vinyl to tell you about her first ‘deal.’ She nearly died from exhaustion they worked her so hard.” Sweetie gasped. “Yeah, you hear all kinds of horror stories about ponies signing contracts thinking they’re getting their next big break and then their families never see them again.”
Sweetie hadn’t even realized how close she came to never seeing Rainbow or her friends and family again. As Rainbow pulled her closer with a wing, Rainbow’s reaction in the elevator flashed in Sweetie’s mind. Rainbow would probably never admit it, but Sweetie could tell how scared she had been; scared of never seeing Sweetie again. Despite how it happened, the knowledge of how hard Rainbow would fight for her warmed Sweetie.
She wrapped her hooves around Rainbow, nuzzling Dash. “Thank you, Dash,” she whispered, her lips grazing Rainbow’s ears. Letting go, she settled her head underneath Rainbow’s, taking the spot between her hooves. And as she closed her eyes, to drift off for the remainder of the trip she could have sworn she felt something soft and moist touch the back of her neck before feeling Rainbow’s head rest against hers.
The fallout when Sweetie returned home wasn’t as terrible as she thought it was going to be. Everypony was too relieved that she was alright to be angry with her, and she only received a mild scolding from her parents and a more stern scolding from Rarity. She was also grounded for two weeks.
Rainbow Dash had taken the contract to their two resident musicians to look through. When Sweetie heard what was in it, it only made her more grateful for having Rainbow Dash. The contract stipulated that she was to tour immediately, forcing her to drop out of school. She wouldn’t have been able to write her own songs, and the percentages that the company would take would have barely left enough to feed herself. She wouldn’t even have enough time to see her friends or family. Sweetie had taken a certain amount of joy burning the contract.
A few weeks later she received another letter from another label. This time, she made sure to take Rainbow along, who in turn hired an entire team of lawyers to scrutinize every detail of the contract. After only a few minor changes, Sweetie Belle signed.
The day she graduated was the same day her first record released. She could barely walk to Sugarcube Corner without somepony wanting her autograph or wanting a picture with her. She traveled from city to city signing CDs and making appearances to meet and talk to fans about her music. It was all so surreal, but it was worth it when a filly or colt would tell her that she inspired them to follow their dreams too.
She wanted to do something for Rainbow Dash, to let her know what she meant to her. Naturally, she decided to write her a song to perform at her first show. However, she couldn’t sing it without getting another set of eyes on it.
“Hey, Rarity. Do you have a minute?”
Rarity looked up from the outfit she was currently working on for the show “What is it Sweetie Belle? Is it something with your outfits?”
“No, they’re great. I was hoping you could look over a song for me.”
“Oh! I’d love to, darling. Usually, you have Rainbow look at these.”
“That’s the thing. It’s kind of for her.”
“You wrote a song for Rainbow Dash?” Rarity raised an eyebrow.
“Uh-huh, I wanted to do something for her to show her how much I appreciate everything she’s done for me. And well, doing a song just sort of fit. You think it’s too much?”
“Not at all, I think it’s a marvelous idea. Now, let’s take a look.”
Rarity read in silence, her head bobbing to an imaginary beat. Sweetie winced as she watched Rarity’s expression change from a smile to a frown. Was it really that bad?
“Sweetie Belle, why did you write a love song for Rainbow Dash?”
“I did what?!” Sweetie quickly snatched the paper away and scanned it. “I have to change this!” She turned to run back to her room.
“Sweetie, wait.” Sweetie Belle stopped in her tracks at the door. She turned and was surprised to see that Rarity didn’t look scandalized that Sweetie wrote a love song for her best friend. Rather, she looked thoughtful. “Is that how you truly feel?”
Sweetie looked over the paper again. Everything she had written was exactly how she felt. And as realization dawned on her, there was no traumatic war of emotions, nor an existential crisis of how she could ever face Rainbow again. Just a simple “huh” of understanding. Somewhere along the way that led her to this point, she had come to have romantic feelings for Rainbow.
Rarity took that as affirmation. “I see. I can’t say I didn’t see this coming.”
Sweetie Belle blinked. “What?”
“You’ve been enamored with Rainbow for quite some time. Always talking about Rainbow this and Rainbow that. Granted, I thought it was simply a fillyhood crush that you would simply outgrow.”
Sweetie took a hesitant step forward. “And you’re okay with that? It being more than just a crush?”
Rarity sat silently for a moment, chewing on her lip in thought. “I will admit, it is rather strange for me. My sister wanting to pursue one of my best friends. But it’s somewhat comforting to know that it’s somepony I trust. I know she’d never hurt you or take advantage of you.” A sinister smile crept its way onto her face. “Plus, I know where she lives if she does.”
Sweetie Belle giggled. No matter how old she got, she didn’t think Rarity would ever not be overprotective of her. “And here I was hoping we’d have to escape to the Crystal Empire. Cast out of Equestria for our forbidden love, seeking refuge within the aura of the Crystal Heart.” Sweetie pretended to swoon.
Rarity rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless. “She has also been a terrible influence on you. I have half a mind to rescind my approval ”
With a laugh, Sweetie Belle closed the gap between them and hugged her sister.
The night of the concert had come way too fast for Sweetie Belle. She was about to perform for thousands of ponies and then confess her feelings in front of all of Equestria. To say she was nervous would be like saying the ocean was wet. But as she stood in the shadow of the curtains, seconds before they would raise, she looked over to see the reason she was here, giving her that gorgeous smirk and a wink. She knew she was ready.
The crowd had loved her, and she loved them right back. They cheered while she danced in time to the music. They knew all of her songs by heart. And Sweetie Belle gave them the best show she could. And between every song, she would look over to the side of the stage, and Rainbow would be right there—along with the rest of her friends and family—giving her that stupid, sexy smirk and a wink that gave her a rush, not even the crowd could.
As the final song ended, and the crowd was still screaming her name, a piano was rolled out onto the center of the stage. The lights went out with a single spotlight shining down onto the piano. She then spoke about the pony that pushed her to be the best pony she could be, the pony that made her want to always try her best and never ever give up, the pony she fell in love with.
When the song was over, Sweetie had barely waited for the curtain to come down to rush off stage. She made it a point to go the opposite way of where she knew Rainbow was, or where she thought Rainbow was, she didn’t dare look at her during the song. With a quick word to the pony standing watch over the door, she hid away in her dressing room.
She didn’t have to wait long before the knock she knew—she hoped—would come.
“Come in,” Sweetie barely squeaked out
The door opened, then closed.
Silence.
Sweetie Belle watched Rainbow shift her weight nervously. Both hoping the other would speak first.
Rainbow’s mouth moved but no words came out. It took her a few tries until she finally blurted, “A Ballad for Rainbows, seriously?”
Sweetie snorted an unladylike snort and sniggered. “I was more worried about the actual words of the song. And I kinda made up the title five seconds before I sang it.”
“So, like, the song? You mean it? Like, all of it?” Rainbow stammered.
Sweetie moved closer to Rainbow and gave—what she hoped was—her own version of that wonderful smirk that Rainbow always gave her. “You, Rainbow Dash, are the reason I made it this far. Without you, I’d probably be an accountant or something. But you refused to let me give up, and you have always been there when I needed you. You, “she said putting her hoof on Rainbow’s chest,” have inspired me to be the best pony I can be. You’ve been a mentor, a friend, and now—. Now I’m hoping for a little bit more.”
Rainbow smiled. Not her usual smirk, no, this was a different smile. A more caring, tender smile that Sweetie hoped she would see more of.
“You got here ‘cause you’re awesome, and don’t let anypony tell you different, Sweets.” Rainbow’s look turned pensive and laughed like she remembered a funny joke. “At first, I did it ‘cause I remembered how everypony told me that I would never be a ‘Bolt, that I needed a real job. If it hadn’t been for my parents, I would have given up. I saw myself in you. But you grew on me. You have that drive in you that makes you want to be the best, to be everything you can be and more. You were—are important to me. Important enough for me to fly halfway across Equestria in the middle of winter for.” Sweetie gave a self-deprecating smile and blushed.
“You really see yourself in me?” Rainbow nodded. “Then this next part might be a little weird.”
“What par—” Sweetie’s lips captured Rainbow’s. Sweetie may have initiated the kiss, but Rainbow quickly became the aggressor. Quickly, the soft kiss turned searing as both pairs of lips moved hungrily for the other. Sweetie found herself being slowly pushed back until her backside bumped into her vanity. Rainbow reared up, Sweetie following suit, and makeup clattered to the floor as her back was pushed against the mirror.
A knock at the door forced the two apart. “Ms. Belle, is everything alright?”
“Fine!” Sweetie called out, still gasping for breath. She gave Rainbow an apologetic look. “Sorry. He means well.”
Rainbow gave a low chuckle. “It’s cool. Scoots and Apple Bloom are still out there with the rest—” Rainbow’s eyes grew wide. “—of your family. Aw, pony-feathers, Rarity’s gonna kill me.”
Sweetie laughed. She contemplated telling her that Rarity was fine with their relationship, but where was the fun in that? “Aww, is the awesome, cool Wonderbolt afraid of a dressmaker?”
Rainbow scoffed and puffed out her chest. “Like Rarity could hurt this awesomeness.” She looked nervously at the door. “The bodyguard is contracted to protect girlfriends too, right?”
“Don’t worry, I won’t let the mean, ol’ unicorn hurt you,” she teased. Rainbow stuck out her tongue. Sweetie gripped the door handle in her magic and saddled up beside Rainbow. “Now, come on. We have fans to meet and questions to answer.”
Rainbow groaned. “This is gonna be super awkward.”
Sweetie nodded in agreement. “Probably, but we’ll get through it together.”
With one more quick kiss between the two, they left the room to inspire the world.