Chapter 1
"Dear Diary,
I have a very, very important secret that I absolutely MUST tell you! But you must swear never to tell anypony. No pony! EVER!
Oh dear what am I doing? A diary can't tell secrets, it's an inanimate object!
Ahem...well...I have been keeping this under wraps for awhile as it's absolutely totally and completely
THE
MOST
EMBARRASSING
THING!!!
I...Rarity...have a crush on...
Applejack..."
I sorta dropped the diary there. Rarity could get a TAD inappropriate when she started talking about crushes and this one was kinda unexpected. Well...not entirely unexpected. They'd been on my "ship list" as Scootaloo calls it for months, but I never expected my big sis to ADMIT it. They were totally different, and most ponies would say that's a big no with romance. But they were just similar enough in their stubborness that *I* thought it could work. Apple Bloom thinks I'm crazy and Scootaloo doesn't care for gushy romantic stuff. But me? I love romance. Like, seriously love it. I've been writing love songs about no one forever. Then I relized, after the Hearts and Hooves Day fiasco, that I could write love songs about other ponies and no one would care! They wouldn't even know it was about them!
Oops...I got off track.
Anyway...this is about Rarity's crush on Applejack and how I, Sweetie Belle, am determined to get her to admit it.
After dropping the diary, I ran out of Rarity's room, looking for my friends. Instead I bumped into the last...um...dragon...I wanted to see at the moment.
"Oww!" Spike groaned as my head hit mine.
"Oof! Oh, hi Spike!" I said.
"Hey Sweetie Belle, what's the rush?" Spike joked. "Is Rarity home?"
I groaned on the inside. I was a terrible liar, and Spike was sure to get Rarity's crush out of me...and then he'd be all heartbroken.
"Um...yeah, she's in her sewing room and totally doesn't have a crush on Applejack!" I blurted. Oh poopy.
Spike stared at me. "Uh...ok...I never thought she did..." Spike said, obviously confused by my totally stupid outburst. Phew.
"Uh, yeah ok, well I gotta get to...um...crusading! See you later Spike!" I rushed off, totally embarrassed by my unableness to keep my mouth shut.
About ten minutes of walking got me to the CMC clubhouse. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were both in there, arguing about something.
"It's too dangerous!" I heard Apple Bloom say. Well, I think that's what she said. Sometimes I can't understand her accent.
"Yeah, which means more fun!" Scootaloo said. I had to take Apple Bloom's side with this one. No dangerous stuff for me.
"Hey guys!" I squeaked. And, yeah, I squeaked. I did that sometimes.
"Hi Sweetie Belle! Whatcha up to?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Um....well...I was reading Rarity's diary..."
"Cool! Anything interesting?" Scootaloo asked, earning a glare from Apple Bloom. We were supposed to not be interested in gossip anymore, but Scootaloo kinda liked it.
"Yeah...actually...um...RaritytotallyhasacrushonApplejack!" I blurted.
The two of them stared at me, Apple Bloom had this look of shock on her face.
"Applejack? As in...mah sister Applejack?" Apple Bloom asked. Scootaloo rolled her eyes.
"Duh. Because there's totally another Applejack in Ponyville, genius," Scootaloo said sarcastically. Then she turned to me. "That's crazy. We gonna play Cutie Mark Crusader Match Makers...again?" she asked.
"Uh...Ah don't think that's such a good idea..." Apple Bloom started. I sorta interrupted...
"Yes! They've been on my ship list for months! and it's better than breaking our necks with whatever you decide to have us do, Scootaloo.
"Hey! My ideas are awesome!" Scootaloo argued. Apple Bloom and I shared a look. Scootaloo's ideas were always dangerous. "What?" Scoot said, noticing our look. "You two are just scardy-ponies!"
"At least we ain't chicken!" Apple Bloom joked earning a glare from Scootaloo. Ever since Apple Bloom had called Scoot a chicken once in the Everfree Forest and I had kinda let it slip that Apple Bloom thought Scootaloo was a chicken, all the fillies and colts had decided Scootaloo was a chicken...she didn't like that much.
"So we gonna match make AJ and Rares or what?" Scootaloo said.
"YES!" I squeaked again. Apple Bloom didn't look so sure.
"No love potion." She demanded. "That was a disaster."
"No love potion," I agreed, since I had a way better idea. "I have a WAY better idea!"
***
"You want to go where?" Rarity asked me.
"Canterlot!" I said. "I want to learn how to be a fabulous city pony like you big sis!" It was always a good idea to play to Rarity's vanity.
"Oh darling, I just don't know! Canterlot? By yourself?"
"No, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo would be going too!"
Well, if they could get permission that is...
"Darling, you simply must not go alone! A more responsible pony simply MUST go with you!"
"Well, you could come!" I said hopefully. "Ooo! And since Apple Bloom is coming Applejack should come too!" It would be a lot easier to enact my plan with the two of them there.
"Oh no no no, I am simply far to busy with my latest order to consider traveling all the way to Canterlot with the three of you! And Applejack has a big harvest coming up, I'll be surprised if she can even spare Apple Bloom!"
Drat.
"Well...what about..." I was interrupted by the doorbell.
"Hello milady!" a familiar boy's voice called. Spike walked into the room, a pile of gemstones in his arms
"Spike! Oh thank goodness you're here!" Yep. Rarity was distracted by the gemstones now....I zoned out of their conversation until I remembered something.
"Spike!" I said excitedly. "Spike can come with us to Canterlot! I know he's not that old, but he goes there on Royal business all the time. So he could watch us!"
"Huh?" Spike said, looking confused.
"Well, as long as it's ok with Twilight..." Rarity said. Clearly she trusted Spike.
"Huh?" Spike said again.
"Yay!!! I shouted. My plan was totally working
Walking over to Sweet Apple Acres with a still confused Spike, I heard an argument in a couple thick country pony accents.
"Absolutely not, AB!" Applejack said. "Not all by yourself!"
"But Ah won't be by mahself!" Apple Bloom whined. "I'll be with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo!"
"Not without a guardian!" Applejack said. Big Macintosh, who apparently was listening to the conversation chimed in with an "Eeyup"
"Well, you could go! And Rarity, since Sweetie Belle is goin'!" Apple Bloom said, trying the same tactic I had. To my glee, Applejack blushed a little.
"No can do, sugarcube," AJ said. "Ah've got a big harvest comin' up and this farm needs all the capable hooves it has. An' Rarity's got a huge dress order comin' up, she cain't spare a moment neither!"
"Drat," Apple Bloom muttered before Spike chimed in.
"Hey Applejack, Apple Bloom. Um, if this is about the Crusader's plan to go to Canterlot, Rarity said they could go with me, since I go there on Royal business all the time!"
Spike was a lifesaver.
"Well, uh," Applejack looked at her big brother, who nodded once. "Ah guess that's ok. 's long as it's ok with Twi."
"Yeah, it should be. She needs me to take a few things to Shining Armor anyway. He apparently left some things at the library when he came to visit. I can't send them with my flames. Too big."
Perfect. Spike needing to see Shining Armor gave me the perfect chance to put my plan into action.
"Well, uh, ok then! If Rares is ok with it, Ah guess I gotta be too."
After picking up Apple Bloom from the farm, we headed over to the clubhouse where Scootaloo had promised to meet us.
"Hey guys!" the orange pegasus in question said. "Got permission to go. I'm still not sure why we're going to Canterlot when Rarity and Applejack are right here..."
"Me neither!" chimed in both a very confused Spike and Apple Bloom. I shot Scootaloo a look. I didn't want Spike to know what we were up to. She didn't notice as she was looking at Spike.
"Uh, hey Spike, going to Canterlot with us?" she said hopefully. I grinned. Also on the ship list.
"Yep. Got conned in to it by Sweetie Belle," he said.
"Now, back to business. We have to be ready to leave for Canterlot ASAP. Now we need to..." I won't make you listen to me rattle off the giant speech I made...it kinda put Apple Bloom and Scoot asleep. Spike was actually taking notes on something, though I don't think it was me. Maybe it was a drawing of my sister's flank...
Anyway, we left for Canterlot the next morning. My plan was just beginning as we got on the train.
"So tell me how goin' ta Canterlot's gonna hook up our sisters?" Apple Bloom asked me. She was really suspicious about the whole thing, mosty because it involved her sister.
"Cadance!" I said simply. Apple Bloom gaped.
"Sweetie Belle...y'all'er either crazy or a genius. That's the best idea y'all've ever had!"
"I know!" I squeaked. The sleeping Scootaloo rolled over in her sleep and mumbled about Rainbow Dash's flankiliciousness. Whatever that meant...
"I still ain't sure about hookin' our sisters up. What if Applejack doesn't feel like Rarity does?"
"Oh she does. I'm certain of it!" I said. Apple Bloom still looked skeptical but she didn't push it.
"All depart for Canterlot!" the conductor announced. Spike and Scootaloo, who were both asleep, woke up with a start.
"Gah!" they both said.
"Come on y'all, that's us!" Apple Bloom said.
"Right coming!" Scootaloo mumbled.
"Oh right, Canterlot with the Cutie Mark Crusaders...how in Tarturus did I wind up with this job?" Spike grumbled.
I said nothing. I had a princess to seek out.
The Canterlot guard didn't seem impressed with the fact that I wanted to see Cadance.
"You can't just see Princess Mi Amore Cadenza without an appointment, little filly. She's a princess and she just got married. She needs her privacy. We're under strict orders from Shining Armor to not let anypony outside close friends and family see her."
"I'm the little sister of the bearer of the Element of Generosity!" I declared in my most Rarity-ish voice. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were scoping out the grounds for a possible sneak in if necessary. Spike apparently had royal business. I'd tried to follow him, but gotten separated from him by the guard in front of me. "I demand an audience with Princess Cadance or I shall tell Twilight Sparkle, one of my sister's best friends, Celestia's favorite student, and Shining Armor's little sister, that I, Sweetie Belle, sister of Rarity, Element of Generosity, that I was refused!"
The guard looked a little nervous about that. He couldn't be sure I was telling the truth, but it wasn't smart to ignore an Element, or even and Element's sibling. Lucky for him, Spike walked up behind him. "Hey Sweetie Belle, didn't you want to see Cadance? Shining Armor says it's ok, she's kinda lonely."
Spike was a lifesaver. Again. I owed him pretty big...'specially since I was trying to hook up the pony he had a ginormous crush on with another pony, and a mare he was close friend's with...
"Well, if Spike says Captain Armor says your allowed, I suppose you're allowed," the guard said, and let me come through.
Cadance's room was amazing. I was decorated like a princess's room should be, but because she was sharing it with Shining Armor, of course, it wasn't so girly he couldn't live there. In short, it was perfect for Cadance.
"Hello?" a sweet voice called. Cadance stepped out of the dressing room, her blond, purple, and pink mane wrapped in a towel. I didn't have to see her mane to know that I really liked her mane. I saw it when I was one of the flower fillies at her wedding.
"Hi Princess," I said, bowing like Rarity taught me too. "I'm..."
"Sweetie Belle, I know," she said, smiling warmly. "I like foals, so don't worry about the title. Just call me Cadance. You're the sister of a friend of my sister-in-law after all, that makes us practically family." She winked.
"Well, I was wondering about something...how do you do love magic?"
Cadance frowned. I was surprised. Usually ponies loved talking about their talents.
"Well, it's not that simple. When I was a little older than you, I thought it was. I would use my magic to make people fall back in love. As long as the feelings were there, it would work. But now that I'm older, I'm more responsible with my power. I use it to maybe give a pony the confidence she needs to ask another pony out, or calm down an arguing couple long enough for them to sort things out, but I can't force two ponies to like each other. That stuff belongs in fairy tales about love potion."
At the mention of love potion, I grimaced. The love poison we'd made for Cheerilee and Big Mac sort of hurt my perception of love potion and even love spells. But what Cadance described was perfect.
"That confidence thing sounds perfect!" I said, my voice squeaking on the 'perfect'.
"Oh?" Cadance said. "Are you going to tell me why?" she asked sternly.
"Oh...right...you see...my sister Rarity has a crush on my friend Apple Bloom's big sister Applejack."
Cadance smiled. "I thought so. The other thing I can do with my magic is pick up on feelings of affection ponies have for one another."
"Really?" I squeaked again.
"Yep, and I thought I got that vibe from Rarity and Applejack at the wedding, but I was too, well, wrapped up in everything that had happened and in my own wedding to be sure."
I knew it. It went both ways. Maybe I could get a love spell cutie mark.
"So could you help me give Rarity the courage to ask Applejack out?"
Cadance frowned slightly then shook her head.
"No, Sweetie, I can't. It's wrong to interfere too much with freewill and unless Rarity comes to me I can't help her."
Drat.
"Well...could you come to Ponyville at least? Maybe confirm their feelings?"
Cadance considered it then nodded.
"I do need to get out of the castle and I don't think my Shining Armor will object to me visiting my sister-in-law and her friends."
Yes!