“And you think you can have it done by tomorrow?”

“Of course, darling,” Rarity replied absent-mindedly, sewing the last few stitches into her latest masterpiece.

Apple Jack hesitated. “It isn’t asking too much? I know you’re busy and all… what with the extra responsibilities you have on your hooves.”

“It’s no trouble at all.” Just. One. More. Stitch… Done! Rarity took a step back and admired her tiny work. But… It still wasn’t perfect…

“Well, I know Babs will really appreciate it. She’s been talkin’ non-stop about this cute- ceañera thing since she got her cutie mark. I was a little surprised when she asked to have the party at our farm…”

“Uh-huh,” Rarity nodded along with Apple Jack’s conversation, barely hearing anything the other pony said. The tiny vest she was working on was dark gray with white pinstripes. Rarity thought it was adorable but it needed something more. Perhaps a handkerchief, she thought. Or perhaps a bowtie…

“Okay then. I’ll see you tomorrow. Just come by with the dress and I’ll hang it up in the barn for Babs to try on. See ya!” Apple Jack tipped her hat before trotting out of Rarity’s boutique.

“Right, right,” Rarity nodded, telekinetically guiding over a black bowtie. She attached it to the vest and took another step back. It was perfect! “Magnifique!” she gasped. Ecstatic, Rarity turned to show Apple Jack but was disappointed to see she was no longer there.

“What do you think?” Rarity asked her shadow on the wall. It nodded on its own, showing its approval. Rarity smiled. She normally preferred to work alone but having a silent assistant that always encouraged her to continue was even better. The shadow, a gift from King Sombra during their short time together, was just encouraging enough to push her to her creative limits without being too overbearing. Rarity thought the magic that kept her shadow “sentient” would eventually wear off, but she had been mistaken. It remained her passive, ever-watchful guardian.

Rarity levitated the tiny vest and bowtie off the dress horse and floated it along behind her. She trotted up to her room and opened the door with a wide smile. “Spike! I have a surprise!”

Spike and Sweetie Belle were both in Rarity’s room, hovering over the edge of a baby’s cradle. Spike turned when Rarity entered the room and smiled. “Rarity! Are you done working for the day?”

“Sister!” Sweetie Belle half-sang. “We have so much to tell you! I love foal-sitting! It was so much fun! Can I can by and do it tomorrow? Can I, can I, can I?”

“Of course, darling.” Rarity trotted over and held up the tiny vest and bowtie. “What do you think?”

Spike and Sweetie Belle earnestly admired the craftsmanship. “Wow, this is really good, Rarity!” Spike admitted.

“Only one?” Sweetie Belle asked. “You didn’t make one for Ebony?”

“Obsidian prefers vests and Ebony prefers stockings.” Rarity walked over to the side of the cradle and inspected her two twin foals. Just like the Cakes, she had been lucky enough to have two fraternal twins; one boy and one girl. Obsidian was a white colt with a jet-black mane and tail while Ebony was a dark gray mare with a dark purple mane.

Rarity fastened the vest around Obsidian and straightened the bowtie. He was busy sleeping, barely aware of her loving gestures. She kissed each of her children once on the head before stepping away from the cradle to allow them to sleep.

“Um, Rarity? Do you mind if I talk to you real quick?” Spike asked, nervously shuffling his feet.

“Don’t tell her all the cute stories without me,” Sweetie Belle interjected.

“No, I wasn’t going to talk about that… I just wanted to talk to Rarity. Alone. For a moment. Would you mind watching Obsidian and Ebony for a minute, Sweetie Belle?”

“Would I!?” She jumped with excitement. “Of course I will!”

Rarity nodded to Spike and followed him out of the room.

---

Sweetie Belle watched her sister and Spike leave the room. Once they were gone she turned back to the foals and smiled. Normally Rarity insisted that someone else stay with her while she watched the foals… it was never just Sweetie Belle.

“Hey guys,” she whispered to the sleeping twins. “I know I’m technically you aunt, but I was hoping you guys could call me something different.” Sweetie Belle leaned closer to them and nervously glanced over her shoulder to make sure no pony was listening. “I’m going to tell you guys a secret… Keep it between us, okay? I’ve… always wanted to be a big sister, like my sister Rarity. Maybe you guys can call me big sis from now, okay? And I can pretend to be your big sister? I promise I’ll be the best big sister you guys ever had!”

Sweetie Belle knew it was silly to talk to them now. Neither of the twins had said anything yet, and it might take a few months before that even happened. She just wanted to get in on the ground floor… before they started calling her auntie.

Ebony suddenly yawned and blinked herself awake. The little filly looked up at Sweetie Belle with striking red eyes. For a moment they stared at each other until Ebony suddenly sneezed, sending a wave of uncontrolled unicorn magic washing over Sweetie Belle and her brother, Obsidian.

The wave of magic caused Sweetie Belle’s mane to stand on end and change to a neon green color. Obsidian looked as though he had been coated in blue paint and instantly began to cry.

“Oh no! Please don’t cry! Your big sis is here to comfort you!” Sweetie Belle picked the two foals up into her hooves and began to rock them back and forth. Baby unicorn magic was very unpredictable, but usually harmless. Sweetie Belle was sure the changes to her mane and Obsidian’s body weren’t permanent… Right?

“Go to sleep little baby,” Sweetie Belle began to sing. “Honey on a rock, and the sugar don’t stop! Gonna bring the bottle to the baby! Go to sleep little baby!” The two foals relaxed in her hooves and eventually stopped crying. Sweetie Belle breathed a sigh of relief. She was glad Rarity hadn’t come back into the room and seen this. Oh wait, Sweetie Belle thought. I need to clean this up somehow!

She placed Ebony and Obsidian back in their cradle and immediately began running around the room like an unrestrained lunatic. She had to find something to clean Obsidian with! Grabbing the first rag she saw, she ran back to the cradle and began scrubbing him down. Obsidian frowned and his eyes watered with each scrub.

“I’m sorry,” Sweetie Belle muttered under her breath. “It’ll be over soon! I’m almost done!”

“Sweetie Belle?” Rarity’s voice filled the room.

Startled, Sweetie Belle threw the rag over Obsidian and turned around, keeping her back to the babies. “Yes?” she squeaked.

“Oh, Celestisa!” Rarity gasped in terror.

Sweetie Belle sunk down in fear. “I can explain!”

“What happened to your mane, my dear?”

“Er, my mane?” Sweetie Belle touched her head and remembered she looked crazy as well. “Oh, nothing. I was trying something new… to, uh… entertain the twins.”

Rarity looked at her very suspiciously before slowly backing out of the room. “I… forgot something. I’ll be back once I’m done talking to Spike. Do me a favor… don’t style the foal’s manes while I gone.”

“I won’t!”

Rarity closed the door behind her and disappeared. Sweetie Belle let out a long sigh of relief before turning back to the foals. Obsidian was still under the rag, a sad expression across his face. Ebony, on the other hoof, was laughing at her baby brother, even going so far as to point.

Using her magic, Sweetie Belle quickly cleaned the rest of the magic paint from Obsidian. “There! All done! Don’t you two go telling Rarity.”

Both the foals smiled and waved their hooves at her. She picked them up again and began rocking them back and forth.

“Do you guys want me to sing again?”

They nodded.

“Haha, all right! You asked for it!”

---

“What was it you wanted to talk to me about, Spike?” Rarity asked, circling the downstairs of the boutique. It was messy but she still had to finish Babs Seed’s dress. She wished the little filly could have come to the boutique to try it on, but alas, she wouldn’t be here till the day of the Cute-ceañera due to the fact she lived all the way over in Manehattan.

“I, uh, wanted to talk to you about things,” he vaguely stated.

“Things?” Rarity asked, searching through her varieties of thread, looking for just the right color. The Cute-ceañera will be held in the daytime, she thought. I should pick a color that will stand out well in the sunlight…

“Yeah,” he nervously continued. “About… things. Things like, I dunno… um… us.”

Rarity dropped the spool of thread she had picked and stood silent for a moment. Buying herself thinking time, she slowly picked up her thread. It had been nearly two years when she met King Sombra for the second time and had a hasty, but passionate love affair with the stallion. The entire event had destroyed half of Ponyville, decimated the Everfree Forest, left her with a magical shadow and pregnant with two foals. It had been a very passionate affair.

The thing was… Rarity had shared many core character traits with Sombra and he felt like a pony cut from the same cloth, so to speak. He was regal, proper and dedicated. He had been many things that Rarity often admired… She had yet to feel the same way about anypony, any dragon, since Sombra… died…

“Spike,” she slowly began. “I very much appreciate you being here to help me…”

“I love helping you,” Spike cut her off. “I enjoy every second I’m with you!”

She turned to him and half-smiled. “I enjoy my time with you too, Spike…”

“Just think about! You don’t have to say anything now. I just wanted you to know I think about it…”

Rarity nodded to him and appreciated that he was mature enough to give her space on the matter. Finally the dragon awkwardly shuffled over to the door of the boutique.

“Er, I, uh, just remembered something I need to help Twilight with… I’ll see you later, okay?”

And with that, he was gone. Rarity contemplated whether or not she would work on the dress now or tomorrow. She was feeling… disheartened and somewhat alone. Her shadow stretched over the wall and pointed up to the roof, where her room was. Upstairs she could hear Sweetie Belle’s lovely voice. She was signing to the children.

“You’re right. I should finish the dress while they’re being taken care of,” she said aloud. Placing the dress on the dress horse, Rarity started the long process of finalizing all the minor details. Everything had to be perfect.

Her work was only interrupted by the slight knocking on the door. Rarity trotted over and opened it up, surprised to see Apple Jack standing there.

“Apple Jack? Did you forget something?”

“Who? Me?” Apple Jack stammered. “Er, no… I was coming by to tell you… um… about the Cute-ceañera.”

“You’ve already told me about the Cute-ceañera,” Rarity said with a raised eyebrow. "Don’t you remember? You were just here.”

“Right, right. Sorry. I guess I’ve just been forgetful lately,” Apple Jack muttered with a few forced laughs. Rarity didn’t see how it was funny.

“Well, if you want me to have this dress ready you’re going to have to let me work, darling.”

“Right. Just make sure it’s in Bebs size.”

“Bebs?” Rarity snorted. “Don’t you mean Babs?”

“Er, right. Whatever. Just make sure it’s in her size, okay?” Apple Jack awkwardly turned away from the door and trotted off. She looked over her shoulder more than once as she got further away from the boutique and Rarity couldn’t help but wonder what in the name of Celestia was going on. Had Apple Jack ever forgotten one of her family member’s names? Rarity couldn’t remember a single instance of that happening.

I guess it’s nothing to be concerned about, Rarity comforted herself. I’m sure Apple Jack is just caught up in all this Cute-ceañera planning…