Chapter 4: Keep It Under Wraps

After leaving the library Rarity led Sweetie to her boutique, where she ran upstairs without saying anything. Sweetie waited downstairs for a few minutes until she returned, a beautiful white fabric that perfectly matched her coat color. Rarity wrapped the fabric around Sweetie's midsection, making sure that her wings were hidden without bothering Sweetie too much.

"What's that for?" Sweetie asked, until she looked back to see that her wings were basically gone, save for the small bumps that were on either side. The fabric had even managed to blend in with her coat enough that unless they stared at her no pony would be able to tell it was even there. Rarity had a victorious smile on her face until the fabric unraveled from Sweetie's wings pushing out on them because she had gotten excited.

"Sweetie, you have to try and control that" Rarity said disapprovingly, looking at Sweetie with an annoyed look, "We can't let anypony find out about this"

"Why not?" Sweetie asked as she picked up the fabric and put it on a chair, "My entire class at school already knows, and I'm sure half the town does by now" Sweetie kicked the ground lightly with her hoof, which caused a hollow click to echo throughout the boutique. Neither of the two sisters spoke until Rarity picked up the fabric again, this time sowing it shut to it wouldn't pop off when Sweetie's wings tried to extend. Out of curiosity Sweetie tried to extend her wings to their full length, but all it did was make her feel constricted and confined.

"It worked this time!" Sweetie shouted happily, her trademark squeak slipping into her voice. Rarity beamed with happiness as she trotted towards the door, motioning with her head for Sweetie to follow her. It was late at night and their parents were sure to be worried that Sweetie wasn't home yet, and Rarity hadn't given them a reason why. As they walked neither of them noticed when the thread Rarity had used to tie the fabric got caught on a twig. When they got to their parents' house the fabric was just barely hanging on, but again neither of them noticed it.

*Knock, Knock*

"Is it them?!" their mother shouted as she ran to the door, her frantic hoofsteps being heard through it. The door opened within the blink of an eye, a very frantic looking mare on the other side, behind her stood a calm and collected stallion. The contrast between their parents was almost ironic, but neither Rarity nor Sweetie laughed at it, knowing that their mother would probably freak if they did.

"Oh where have you been, oh my poor baby!" their mother wailed as she picked Sweetie Belle up to hug her tight, as if letting go would make her disappear forever, "What were you two doing, being out so late at night?!"

"Oh, she was, uh..." Rarity stammered, trying to come up with a believable lie, "Helping me with an order! She was helping me get the sizing right!" Their mother looked at her closely for a few seconds before letting Sweetie go.

"Come on, in you go" she said as she pushed Sweetie inside, "Go wash up and get to bed, okay Sweetie?"

"Uh... Okay!" Sweetie said after giving Rarity a worried look, but the worried look Rarity was giving her was for a far different reason. Once Sweetie was upstairs and in bed their mother let loose on Rarity for not telling them that she was keeping Sweetie Belle later than normal for work, and for using her little sister as a living mannequin. Their father managed to calm her down before she let her more colorful language come out, giving Rarity the chance she needed so she could head home and get some sleep, if she was going to get any at all. Upstairs in Sweetie's room the filly was trying her best to get the fabric off without ripping it so she could sleep better. As soon as it was off she climbed into bed, making sure to not lay directly on her wings.

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The next morning Sweetie was woken up to a loud crash coming from right beside her, causing her to snap up immediately. Looking around everything seemed normal, until she saw her mother's pink hoof twitching to the left of her bed. Sweetie looked over the edge carefully, as though she was looking over the edge of a cliff, and saw her mother with crazy eyes.

"Wings... Sweetie... My baby has wings..." was all Sweetie could understand of her mother's quiet mumbles. It was then when Sweetie jumped off her bed and looked into the mirror, seeing that her wings were fully outstretched, which means that her mother... saw... them...

"Honey, are you okay?!" her father shouted from downstairs, making Sweetie's brain go into full panic mode. Fabric! Where was it?! Where did she put it last night?! Would she be able to get it on before her dad-

"SWEETIE BELLE?!"

"Oh bunny farts..."

"WHY DO YOU HAVE WINGS?!"

"I can explain!"

"You better!" was the last thing her father said before she sat down on her bed, watching Sweetie's every move while he occasionally tapped his wife to see if she was still alive. Sweetie quickly recited everything she had learned the previous night from Celestia, and even went as far as telling him that the reason they didn't see them last night was because Rarity had used a fine fabric to conceal them. He seemed to be believing it, which allowed Sweetie to let out a sigh of relief. The whole reason that Rarity hid her wings was so no pony would find out, not even her parents, for fear of them completely losing it, but her father seemed to be taking it rather well.

"So, what happens now?" her father asked as he bent down to pick up his wife so he could carry her to their bedroom. She hadn't been showing any signs of waking up any time soon, and he definitely couldn't leave her on the floor of Sweetie's room until she did. He wouldn't hear the end of it if he did.

"I don't know..." Sweetie said, remembering what Rarity had told her, "But no pony else should ever know of this" Her father nodded before he picked up his wife, laying her across his back before he headed out the door, trying his best to not whack his head against the frame as he did. Once he was out of the room Sweetie went back to looking for the fabric from last night, finding it just barely sticking out from under her bed.

"Where were you when I needed you!" Sweetie said angrily at the fabric as she looked for a needle and thread she could use to tie it together with. Looking in the mirror she used her new magical ability she was able to sow it up tight, and after a short test of it's strength she trotted towards her parents bedroom, where the two of them were talking quietly.

"Do you think they'll take her away?" her mother asked.

"I don't know, but we have to hope they don't" her father replied.

"But what will happen to her because of it?" her mother asked again, this time sounding as though she was about to cry.

"I don't know honey" her father replied, his voice sounding a bit hoarse.

"I hope she'll be okay" her mother said, choking on her words as she tried not to cry.

"Me too..." her father said before he cleared his throat, hoping it would make the hoarseness go away, but it didn't help. Sweetie could almost feel the sadness coming from their room, so instead of going inside and causing them to break down, she headed downstairs and began to make her own breakfast. As she ate her hoofmade cereal, which was slightly burnt somehow, Sweetie could hear her parents silently sobbing, both of them afraid that they had just lost their youngest daughter. Like they had just lost their baby.

Once her breakfast was finished Sweetie put her bowl in the sink and headed out the front door. She was still a filly, and she still had school to go to, wings or not.