Rarity asked no more questions, merely helped Sweetie Belle back on her hooves. Sweetie almost died when she saw that the other three riders on their train car had rushed to her when she collapsed. The stallion seemed especially nervous, but the two mares were at least making an attempt to be supportive. Sweetie didn’t want to need supporting though, she just wanted to be treated normal. Even though she clearly wasn’t. The blue mare even suggested that Sweetie Belle was very lucky for feeling this way, that many mares have to work really hard to do that. The yellow mare said it was strange that she was falling asleep like that and that maybe she’s narcoleftic or something. Sweetie just hid her face, and ended up hiding entirely behind Rarity while her older sister shoed the two off saying that their help was most appreciated and Sweetie needed a little time to herself right now.

At least the stallion understood that without being asked.

In her time to herself on the train and then walking through Ponyville a rather circituous route to the boutique, Sweetie tried to think about what was going on. Princess Luna had never come to Sweetie every night before, and never did anything like this so Sweetie must have just been dreaming of Luna on her own, so she called her the dream princess instead of admitting that the beautiful goddess of night would do something like that to Sweetie Belle. At first it had been of humility, since Sweetie didn’t feel worthy of such lavish attentions by her majesty. But lately Sweetie had been saying dream princess out of consideration for Luna, who hadn’t been scary like that. But who else besides the princess of the night could force somepony to fall asleep?

A ghostly twinge would tickle through Sweetie Belle’s bottom now and again, a ghost of a reminder of what it had done so intensely before. Sweetie Belle wished the dream princess wasn’t so scary, because she loved that feeling! She loved doing that with her bottom, even though it was embarassing and gross. If only she could feel it during the night, and not fall asleep during the day when other ponies could see her doing it. It seemed like it happened every time Sweetie fell asleep now, even if it was only ever when the sun was in the sky.

An idle thought occurred to her whether she really could put anything in there. It didn’t seem like a place for keeping stuff like a handbag though. Plus it got so icky and wet when she did the thing that sometimes it even trickled down her leg, and that would surely ruin anything. Some kind of plastic bag maybe?

And finally she thought about her enigmatic sister Rarity, walking gracefully next to Sweetie Belle’s short quick hoofsteps in that serenity she always carried with her except maybe when she was laying on her fainting couch blubbering and stuffing ice cream in her face. Rarity treated Sweetie so well, better than her parents even. Sweetie loved her parents just fine, but they were pretty clueless at times; her mom almost taught her that you cook food by burning it. But Rarity was just the best sister you could ever possibly have. Her love for Sweetie never seemed to stop coming, and the casual pleasure Sweetie Belle’s parents displayed when Sweetie was around just couldn’t compare. She and Rarity had something... something deeper that Sweetie Belle just couldn’t put her hoof on.

Would Rarity really stop Sweetie Belle from doing this? Rarity had given no indication that she would. She even kissed Sweetie Belle when she was stuck in the middle of doing it! But then why did Sweetie Belle think Rarity would stop her? Could Rarity understand in a way that nopony else seemed to, that this bottom thing was amazing and Sweetie wanted more of it, just, on her own terms? Or would Rarity look at her like Tiara, Miss Cheerilee, and Apple Bloom, telling Sweetie Belle that she was being bad not good? Or would Rarity look at her in the scary way, like the dream princess or Twist.... Just one wrong word and it could be over. Rarity might put Sweetie in a restraint, or lock her bottom away somehow, or or chase away the dream princess. And Sweetie would never feel like that again when she woke up, just groggy and sad that she lost her one chance to feel so special. It could even be her special talent, and telling Rarity would mean Sweetie would never get her cutie mark!

They arrived at the boutique all too soon, and Sweetie walked in with her tail between her legs, which was funny because that’s what she did from feeling so insecure about all this, but it also coincidentally covered her bottom up. It was the opposite of what happened when the dream princess stroked her down there. Sweetie Belle stood in the foyer while Rarity trotted past her saying gayly,

“Alright Sweetie we’re here. Now if you can wait just a second I can brew us up a nice hot cup of tea. Tell me you don’t feel faint again. I simply must know what’s happened to you! These past days you haven’t been able to sleep, this ...ability of yours upon awakening, but oh I’m getting ahead of myself. Just hold tight for one moment, and we can speak about this over tea like civilized mares!”

Rarity vanished into the kitchen, and Sweetie just kind of stood there dumbly for an uncomfortably long time. Sweetie was so tired and groggy during the day, but she didn’t want to sleep or she’d miss out on Rarity’s tea, and Sweetie might collapse again and scare everypony. But even awake she had a hard time reacting quickly, and just slowly plodded her way into the kitchen.

A final thought occurred to Sweetie Belle as Rarity magicked up the lace tablecloth and levitated the steaming teakettle onto the middle of their dining table, placing a cup for her and a proportionally smaller cup bought specially for Sweetie Belle. A thought of what might happen to her if she did something the dream princess didn’t want her to do. The chill Sweetie Belle felt was not soothed by the healing warmth of her cup of herbal tea.