Rebuilding a Rainbow

"Earlier this morning, i was up finishing a suit for a very important client," Rarity began, but stopped when a certain cyan mare yawned. "Rainbow, you could at least act a little interested in my story!" She complained, shooting the mentioned mare an aggravated glare.

"I'm listening, i'm just tired," the mare responded, glancing at Rarity with no real expression on her face, just tired features.

"It is eight in the morning. By now you should have plenty of rest," Rarity said flatly as she glared at the mare, but her attention was grabbed by one of the other mares in the room who let out a yawn themselves. This yawn was a lot more distracting than the first one because it had come from Pinkie Pie.

"I hear ya, Dashie! I'm exhausted myself and it's WAY to earlier for important meeting stuff!" The party pony said in a rather loud voice.

"But, Pinkie this is important and it is never too early for important things," Twilight corrected, Rarity nodding in agreement beside her.

"It's not even early, you two are just bein dramatic," Apple Jack added, looking over at Pinkie and then back to Rainbow to get her point across better.

Rainbow's expression grew angry and she was just about to get to her hooves when a butter colored hoof stopped her. "Can we please stop fighting? We never get anywhere when this happens and i have to get back to feed my animals, i-if you don't mind," Fluttershy said, her last words coaxed in attitude, simply because her animals took priority in her mind and they were in need of food while she was wasting time here, watching her friends fight.

Yeah, Fluttershy's right! Now will you guys keep it down, i'm trying to sleep!" Spike complained from the top of the stars, a claw running at one of his tired eyes. Their arguing had woken the sleeping dragon up and he was not happy about it.

"Sorry Spike," the mares apologized at the same time. He then nodded and went back to his bed.

"Alright, now where were you Rarity?" Twilight asked, glancing back to the fashionista. The rest of the mares followed her gaze and the mentioned mare smiled, happy to have all eyes on her once again.

"Well, like i said, i was up finishing a suit for an important client when i heard something fall from upstairs. I glanced from my work and up to where the sound had come from and yelled at Sweetie. She denied making the noise, but i didn't believe her because she was the only one upstairs and it had to be her or so i thought. I headed up stairs to see if she had broken anything of importance to me and found her laid in bed, the covers pulled over her face, she was clearly sleeping when i yelled and woke her up. I apologized for accusing her of making the noise and then headed into my room to see if the noise had come from there and indeed it had. On my floor was a broken open jewelry box, the one i kept my necklaces locked in. The lock was still intact, but the front of it had been pounded in, so immediately i thought it was a burglar and tried to make a list of the items that were missing, but strangely none of the expensive jewelry was missing, the only thing that was was my element. But, the pony hadn't been very careful and left some black fur on the jewelry box, which made me believe it was not a burglar, but Chrysalis. So, i left Sweetie a note and came here quickly to tell you the news," Rarity said, a sad expression on her face as she finished up her little explanation.

"You lost your element?" Twilight asked, with a shocked expression.

"No, Chrysalis took it," Rarity corrected.

"See you guys! I told you i saw Chrysalis! She's been watching us," Pinkie added.

"Rarity, are ya sure ya didn't just loose yer element?" Apple Jack asked. She didn't want to believe that one of the elements was stolen.

"I did not misplace it. It was taken, by Chrysalis!" Rarity responded, a bit aggravated with the questions she was getting. She didn't think that anypony actually believed her story, besides Pinkie of course and was not pleased at that.

"U-um h-how are we going to stop her without Rarity's element?" Fluttershy asked quietly, though she seemed to have been heard by at least one pony.

"I don't know, Fluttershy," Twilight said with a sigh.

"We don't have to stop her because she isn't after us!" Rainbow said, finally speaking up.

"Yes she is Dashie! Duh! Haven't you been paying attention, you silly filly!" Pinkie chuckled, wrapping a forearm around  Dash's shoulders and messing with her mane.

"No she isn't! There are lots of ponies with black fur, one of them probably did it!" Rainbow responded, pulling Pinkie's arm off of her. "Like that stupid paparazzi pony that's been following me around," she huffed, not too happy about that either.

"No, Rainbow. If one of them had done it they would have taken everything while they could, not just the element!" Rarity corrected, but Rainbow only shook her head at her and continued to deny it all.

"The element looks more expensive than that jewelry, so they probably figured they'd get enough for it and didn't need the rest!" She argued.

"Have you seen my jewelry?! It is fit for the princesses themselves to wear, anypony would have snatched them up as well, unlike that ugly thunderbolt hanging from your neck. It merely looks like a toy, something a filly would play with!" She huffed, which angered Rainbow even more, just because of how much she liked her elements appearance and didn't appreciate it being compared to a filly's toy or that it was held at a lesser value than Rarity's element and necklaces. She was just about to open her mouth and argue on when a purple hoof found it's way into her mouth.

"Would you two stop it, i am trying to figure this whole thing out and your arguing is not helping me at all!" Twilight began, frustratedly. "Rainbow, I know your tired because you usually are up much later than this, so your irritable and Rarity, your just mad that the element you admired so much is now gone, but could you two please not fight with each other!" She pleaded, looking back and fourth from the arguing ponies, but unfortunately their angry expression did not change, meaning they were not going to stop.

"Well maybe if Rainbow wasn't up with Soarin all night she wouldn't be so tired and cranky!" Rarity hissed, making Rainbow grow even madder, where as the others, except for Pinkie, had shocked expressions, because unlike Rarity and Rainbow they didn't feel like that sort of thing was right before marriage. Pinkie on the other hoof really didn't have a side on the whole thing, since she really could careless about it.

"Well at least i have somepony to stay up with all night!" Rainbow hissed back, making Rarity's expression turn shocked.

"How dare you go there!" Rarity yelled.

"How dare YOU go there!" Rainbow yelled back and then the two were separated by Apple Jack and Twilight.

"I reckon you'll should go home, cause' your causin' nothin but trouble!" Apple Jack yelled over the two, blocking off Rainbow's view of Rarity.

"I agree. We aren't going to get anything figured out with you two arguing like this, so go home, we'll figure this out better without you!" Twilight yelled over them, while blocking Rarity's view of Rainbow.

"I don't want to stay here anyway!" Rainbow huffed and took to the air, flying out the window and away to sulk.

"Neither do i!" Rarity added, storming out of the house through the front door, slamming it behind her with her magic.

Once they were gone, Pinkie, Twilight and Apple Jack went back to trying to figure the whole thing out, not thinking much of why the two missing friends had been fighting, but Fluttershy was still thinking about it. It was usual for Rarity to get mad at Apple Jack and have an argument or Rainbow to get tired of Pinkie's antics and get mad, but it was very unusual for them to be mad at each other, which is why she was so stuck on the situation. There had to be a deeper reason to why the two were so angry at each other, but she couldn't quite put her hoof on it. She dwelled on it quietly while the others discussed the situation.

In the end, they decided to tell Celestia. The princess took the whole thing quite seriously, going to such extremes as flying them all down to the castle and assigning them a royal guard to protect them. She ordered them to stay there while the whole situation was investigated, which would have been fine if Twilight hadn't left out the whole Rarity and Rainbow are ready to rip each others mane's off thing. If she had told her Celestia wouldn't have given them neighboring rooms, worsening their relationship with each other as the days went on and making everypony's stay there horrible.

Two Weeks Later

Fluttershy had gotten the group together again and now five of them were sitting at a table in Sugarcube Conner, no pony, but Fluttershy knew the reason why they were there, so they were questioning it. Unfortunately, the shy pony was not revealing the reason why they were all here because anytime she went to talk some pony talked over her and she was going to talk over them and be impolite.

"I don't care why we're here, but i wish primadonna would just hurry up already! I'm supposed to be getting ready for practice!" Rainbow said madly, contributing to the conversation the others had been having. She and Rarity still held a grudge over each other about the whole situation and things had only been getting worse because of little things that had happened through-out the last few weeks.

The two of them had been getting into stupid verbal fights, which were usually broken up by the guards Celestia had assigned each of the girls for protection from Chrysalis. The fights were usually about the stupidest things, simply because they were mad at each other, but their had also been a few which were started because of the strange things that had been going on with Rarity.

Lately, her things had been going missing and showing up either in Rainbow's room or in her possession, which made her believe the cyan pony had been stealing things from her, when she really hadn't. So, since Rainbow denied ever doing so, Rarity thought she was lying to her and their argument had gotten even worse.

Last night, Rarity had taken off without a guard, since hers had probably fallen asleep earlier in the night shift. Rainbow had noticed this during one of her late night flights that she snuck away from her sleeping guard to take. Her first instinct was to stop or at least follow the mare, because even after all that had been going on they were still friends and friends didn't let their friends walk off into danger, especially when that danger came in the form of Chrysalis. But, she had changed her mind and went back to her room, no longer concerned about the mare and apparently that had been the last time anypony had seen her, according to the other's conversation.

"Rainbow, what if Chrysalis took her, would your practice be more important then?" Twilight asked with an angry face. She was not happy about the two of them acting as if they didn't care about each other anymore.

Rainbow opened her mouth to speak, but closed it just as quickly and looked away, not really sure what her answer would be anymore, instead Fluttershy decided to speak, taking advantage of the silence.

"That's exactly what i think happened. That's why i called you all here," the shy pony said, bring everypony's attention to her, which made her hide behind her mane a bit.

"Why?" Pinkie asked, jumping closer to the mare, tilting her head and batting her eyes while she waited for the answer.

Fluttershy hid even farther behind her mane and spoke softer once Pinkie had done this, but she still answered the question. "W-well s-she didn't show up for our spa day a-and i saw her guard later, who asked me if i'd seen her because he couldn't find her," she explained, which some how the others had managed to hear.

"Did ya tell Celestia?" Apple Jack asked, getting a shake of the butter colored mare's head as a response. "We should tell'er then," she continued, looking to Twilight who nodded in agreement.

"So, the meetings done?" Rainbow asked, angering Apple Jack this time with her insensitive question.

"No, Rainbow it ain't over, but it is fer you. If yer gonna be so ignorant ya might as well leave and go to yer stupid practice. So, go!" The farmer snapped, glaring at Rainbow.

"Fine, if you don't want me here i'll leave!" Rainbow snapped back, glaring at Apple Jack for a second before she stormed out of the room, her guard following behind her.

After practice Rainbow decided not to head back to the castle where she could practically feel the tension between herself and the others, but to stay at the academy. She found herself in the break room once again, laid out on the couch, staring up at the ceiling. She laid there quietly, listening to the pegasi flying around outside. She had been there for a few hours now, uninterrupted when Soarin decided to stop in for one of his snacks. He grabbed one for himself and her as well then sat on the end of the couch, tossing one to her. She caught the snack and sat up when he sat down so he'd have more room , then mumbled, "Thanks," as she placed it down, not interested in it.

"What's up?" He asked, as he opened the snack and glanced over at her once he began eating it..

"Stupid Rarity. She made everypony mad at me because she could show up on time for a stupid meeting," she replied, an angry expression coming over her face as she spoke.

"Well where was she?" He asked, motioning for her to scoot closer to him with his hoof. When she waved his request off he wrapped a wing around her and pulled her closer to him. She sighed, but didn't move, instead she answered his question.

" I don't know," she responded, glancing over at him. " I don't even know if she ever came back and i don't care," she added with attitude.

"Where could she have gone?" He asked, ignoring how angry she clearly was about the whole situation.

"I don't know!" she huffed.

This time, he decided not to push her anymore and instead planted a kiss on her mouth. "Well, if you don't know, what use are you at that stupid meeting anyway," he said with a chuckle, which made her scowl disappear and her mouth twitch like it wanted to smile along with him, but was stopped.

"Your right," she said, resting her head against his shoulder. It didn't stay there for long because he finished his snack and pulled away from her. "Where are you going?" She asked.

"Another rehearsal, but after that i'm done for the day, so we can meet up after at my place," he said, trying to look on the brought side, no matter how sick he was of all the practicing when he knew the routines by heart.

"Can't meeting with Celestia," she sighed, leaning back against the arm of the couch while looking at him.

He sighed and said,"Then, i guess i'll see you in a couple days."

She nodded and said, "In a couple days it is."

"Do i get a good luck kiss?" He asked with a smirk.

"You don'y need good luck," she replied with a smirk.

"So, i don't get a kiss?" He asked, his smirk falling.

"Of course," she chuckled, getting up to give him one. "I gotta get going anyway, i'm bet that guard's about ready to tell Celestia i'm missing too," she chuckled on and then followed him out of the door, splitting ways after that.

Once they arrived at the castle, Rainbow decided to storm off to her room, still wanting to be away from the rest of the girls. She started down the hall to her room, but was stopped by Pinkie who shouted, "We found Rarity, look!" She then pointed into the open doorway where the others were getting Rarity's story on where she had been all this time. Rainbow looked in quickly and was going to continue on her way to her room when Fluttershy happened to look up and spot her,

"Oh, Rainbow your back. We were all starting to get a little worried about you, even Rarity, since your practice ended a couple hours ago," she said with a smile.

Rarity then looked up and nodded, "Yes, i was worried and i want to say sorry for everything that has been going on lately," She began, but was interrupted when Rainbow huffed, apparently not accepting the apology at all.. "I figured you wouldn't except that, so i wanted to go on a walk and get a little more in dept with this apology. Hopefully, we will come back friends again. So, what do you say, want to take a walk with me?" She asked, smiling back at the cyan mare.

Rainbow huffed again and turned to storm off when she was met with Fluttershy's stare. She tried to look away, but couldn't and she knew the butter colored mare wouldn't let go of her until she got what she wanted, which was Rainbow to go on that walk. "Fine, i'll go," she mumbled, making Fluttershy smile and release her from the hold her stare had on her.

"Oh, good! I'll just grab my hat and we can get on our way!" Rarity said, a little too excited about the opportunity to make up with the cyan mare.

"You do that," Rainbow grumbled, flashing Fluttershy an aggravated expression before she took off down the hallway. "I'm going to grab dinner quickly," she called behind herself, figuring if she had to deal with Rarity now, she might as well do it on a full stomach. After all, she was a lot easier to deal with when she wasn't hungry.

"Girls, do you find it as weird as i do that the guard claims he looked for Rarity here earlier and didn't find her?" Twilight asked, once Rarity and Rainbow had left.

"Maybe she just slipped out for a snack and missed her," Pinkie suggested, which the others seemed to agree with.

"Your probably right, Pinkie" Twilight said, since the others believed it, she figured she aught to as well. "I feel bad for the poor stallion though, Celestia didn't seem to happy with him for having lost Rarity in a place as simple as her room," she added with a shrug.

"Well, i'm hungry! Lets go find a bakery and get some cupcakes!" Pinkie suggested, apparently Rainbow's mention of food had brought her to the conclusion that she too was hungry. The others laughed then nodded, feeling the same way as Pinkie after a long day. The party pony then bounced out the door, followed by AJ, Twilight and the guards.

Fluttershy on the other hoof stopped her phony laughter and walked after where Rarity had just taken off, her guard gone with the others, figuring she had gone as well, since she nodded and not really bothering to check for her.  She had been waiting to get the fashionista alone since she was found and now she finally had her chance. She turned the corner, leading her from the doorway they had all been gathered in earlier and to where the bed was. She spotted Rarity immediately, using her magic to pull a hat from the closet, but there was something very different about the way she was doing this action than the many other times Fluttershy had seen her do it before. It took a moment for her to realize exactly what it was, but when she did her body tensed up, despite her mind's instruction and she let out a scared squeak. "Oh, Fluttershy, i thought you left dear," Rarity began, turning to face where the squeak had come from as the hat she had picked was placed perfectly on her head, with her magic. "Why do you look so scared, it's just me," she continued with a chuckle, approaching the pegasus to comfort her.

Fluttershy was shaking as Rarity came closer, but her body still refused to budge and now a white hoof was resting on her shoulder. "Fluttershy, it's just me, your friend, Rarity," the owner of said hoof said, hoping to relax the shy pony a bit, but she only angered her.

"Your not Rarity! Your Chrysalis!" She shouted, her words so close together that it sounded like one big word, but the other pony clearly understood, in fact she was laughing.

"So, your the one who figured it out, huh? You know, that surprises me i thought for sure that the purple one, Twilight is it? Or does she go by Princess now?" The other pony began. "And, i thought she'd figure it out before i impersonated this weak pony," she said, shaking her back legs with disgust. "I figured she would figure it out when the real Rarity was here, your know, back when i was snatching her stuff and hiding it on short-tempered on Rainbow, right?" Fluttershy nodded slowly at this sentance. "Oh, good, i never was very interested in that one, she's far too hard to get through to, well me being a mare and all," she began again. "That's why i had my son do it, about a year ago, too bad i didn't realize how big of a fan of hers he was," she huffed, rolling her eyes. "So, that plan failed because i wasn't going to sit and let him get involved with a filly fooler," she continued with a distasteful look on her face.

Fluttershy's expression softened at her last words and her fear was pushed aside as she stood strongly, ready to defend her friend, knowing how sensitive she was to those words. "She isn't a filly fooler!" She shouted, a stern look on her face.

"Sure, and i'm Rarity," Chrysalis chuckled, pushing the pegasus down with her right forehoof. "Now, be a good little prisoner and don't give my guard a hard time," she added with a smile as the guard who was supposed to be watching the real Rarity stepped forward, changing into his real form, that of a changeling. Fluttershy, opened her mouth to shout for help and a zipper appeared over  it. "I said be good, but obviously you don't know what that means," Chyrsalis said with a roll of her eyes as she shut the zipper she had put there with her magic. Suddenly, a knock came from the door and Chrysalis' expression became mad, "Stupid pony," she mumbled, letting go of her magical grip on Fluttershy's mouth zipper. She then instructed the changeling to hide her in the closet, while she dealt with Rainbow. Once he had obeyed her instruction she went to the door and greeted Rainbow.

"Ready to go?" The cyan mare asked, not bothering to greet who she thought was Rarity back.

"Actually, it's quite late and i'm exhausted from working on my designs all day," she began, tying her excuse for being missing all day into her words. "I thought i was up to going for a walk, but i have realized i am far too tired for that now, but we can talk over breakfast tomorrow, in my room," she suggested.

"How about my room," Rainbow suggested, not wanting to leave Rarity's room and end up blamed for stealing something again tomorrow. Rarity opened her mouth to argue, but noticed Rainbow's annoyed expression and figured she wouldn't agree to meeting at all if she started another little argument, so she closed it, found new words and spoke.

"Fine, we'll meet there, goodnight," she said and went to close the door when another guard appeared at Rainbow's side. This guard wasn't hers, but Fluttershy's.

"Have any of you seen Mrs.Fluttershy?" He asked, Rainbow shook her head and Rarity went to shake hers as well, but stopped herself as an idea came to her mind.

"Actually i have, she's inside. She just wanted to make sure i was okay, but if you wait here, i'll grab her for you," Rarity said with a smile. Closing the door and walking back inside. Rainbow stayed outside with the guard waiting to see if Fluttershy was really there, but also trying to figure out why Rarity left them here when she usually would have invited them inside.

"Alright, for now your Fluttershy," she whispered to the changeling. "I'll grab the one trained to play her when i drop her off later tonight, but for now just be quiet, she's good at that anyway," she finished as he changed his form into that of Fluttershy's and started towards the door. She followed, leaving the real Fluttershy shaking and crying quietly in the closet.

"Here she is," Rarity began with a smile, standing in the doorway once again. Fluttershy smiled and then took off down the hallway without saying a word, her guard in tow. "Now, as i was saying, goodnight Rainbow," Rarity said.

Rainbow nodded to Rarity, not bothering to look at her. She was in stead watching Fluttershy walk off, finding her behavior strange. Usually, the shy pony would have at least said goodbye to her and Rarity before taking off, but this time she hadn't. She turned to ask Rarity about it, but found a closed door instead and then took off towards her room, figuring it it had struck Rarity as strange then she was just over examining things.

Meanwhile, Rarity's in poster was listening for everypony's hoof steps to disappear so that she could hide Fluttershy in a bag of some sort and take off to where she was keeping Rarity. There she would leave her locked away, retrieve the one who was supposed to play Fluttershy, switch that changeling out with the one currently playing her and go back to her room, to do some thinking. Tonight she was supposed to take Rainbow, not Fluttershy, but things had gone another way, and now she had to think of how to adjust her plan to that change, so that it still went through smoothly.