Rarity's Rescue

Much later, Rarity awoke.  She was groggy and her head hurt really bad, but something felt different about where she was, and she could hear voices too.  They were only mumbles at first, but as Rarity came out of her drowsy state they began to grow clearer.  Soon she could make out familiar voices saying, “Look!  She’s awake!” and “Quick!  Get me some water!” and “Somepony go get the nurse!”

Rarity blinked her eyes a few times and allowed her senses to return to her.  Everything seemed like a big blur to her at first, but as she awoke and as her senses finally came about her, the horrible realization of what she had suffered came back to haunt her.  Her eyes shot wide open and she lurched upwards.  Before she could get too far up though, a set of two purple hooves landed on her chest and pushed her back down into the warm bed.  Rarity looked up and saw the familiar face of Twilight Sparkle standing over her.  The purple unicorn smiled softly and used her magic to pull the sheets up over Rarity.  “Take it easy Rarity,” Twilight said softly to her, “relax.  You’ve been through a lot but you’re safe now.  Fluttershy went to get you some water and Rainbow Dash went to find a nurse.”

Rarity was still a little dazed as she tried to sit up once more, only to be put back down by Twilight again, but she was able to mumble a little, “Wh… what happened?”

She coughed several times, her throat as dry as a desert, at which time Fluttershy came dashing in with a cup of water.  “Here you go Rarity,” she said softly as crossed to the foot of Rarity’s bed and then gave her the cup.  She saw how dehydrated Rarity seemed to be, so without having to be told, she instantly turned on her hooves and went to fetch another cup.

Rarity drank the water as though she hadn’t had anything to drink in days, and it only took her a matter of seconds to drain the cup.  Afterwards, she took several deep breaths and propped herself up on the pillow.  “Twilight?” she asked once more, only this time with a little more energy, “What happened to me?”

It seemed as if Twilight was trying to avoid the issue, but she couldn’t seem to keep her eyes from darting over and catching Rarity’s confused stare.  “It… it’s not a pretty story.  Are you sure you want to hear every detail?”  Her throat still a little dry, Rarity only nodded her head a few times and continued to look quietly at Twilight.  Twilight Sparkle sighed and looked over towards the window where she then closed her eyes and told Rarity the full story as she had been told.  “He’s been here the whole time,” Twilight finished and then looked across the room once more.

Rarity followed Twilight’s gaze to the window and soon saw the large white, extremely handsome stallion leaned over against the wall and asleep.  “Is that your brother?” Rarity asked as she looked him over.

Twilight nodded her head and smiled at softly.  “Yep,” she said, “it sure is.  That’s my big brother,” she smiled at the sleeping stallion, “That’s Shining Armor.”

Rarity looked at him for a few more moments but then looked back over at Twilight.  “How long has he been asleep?” she asked.

Twilight looked back over at Shining Armor as she tried to work out the math.  “Not long,” she eventually concluded, “maybe an hour or so.  Like I said, he brought you here late last night and was up well into the morning.  Why do you ask?”

Rarity glanced back over at him and then looked back at Twilight.  She shook her head several times and said, “No reason.  I just wanted to thank him when he gets up, you know… for saving my life and my… and my…” Rarity’s voice started to shake and tears began to well in her eyes.

Before she could finish though, Twilight merely waved her hoof in the air and said, “It’s OK Rarity.  It’s all over now and you don’t have to relive it.”  Rarity looked down towards the sheets and sniffled once, but nodded her head as she tried to take Twilight advice.  Twilight was quiet for a few moments afterwards, but then smiled and said, “Give me a hug?”  Rarity nodded and smiled as Twilight leaned in to hug her.  They embraced for a little while and then Twilight pulled away and then said, “Well, I’m going to pick up the girls some lunch and get a few things from the market.  Is there anything that I can get you?”  Twilight stood up and walked across the room to the door.

Rarity thought for moment but eventually shook her head and said, “No thank you dear, I’ll be fine.”

“OK then,” Twilight said and pushed the door open, “I’ll be back soon.  Fluttershy and Shining Armor will keep you company, and Rainbow Dash too I guess, and Pinkie Pie and Applejack will be here soon.  I’ll see you around I guess,” she went to go out of the door but then turned around and chided, “Oh, and make sure you get lots of rest and tell the nurses if you need anything.”

Rarity chuckled a little and then promised, “I will Twilight.  Now run along, you needn’t worry about me.”

With that, Twilight smiled briefly at Rarity and then exited the hallway and closed the door behind her.  Once alone, Rarity heaved a sigh and allowed her head to fall back down onto the pillow.  She wondered where Fluttershy was with the water and where Rainbow Dash was with the nurse, but didn’t really care as she felt fine anyway.  As a matter of fact, some serene silence and alone time sounded good right about now.  She wasn’t really tired, more so weary; she didn’t feel like her usual self.  She tried to get comfortable and sleep, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn’t get comfortable enough.

As she tried to get comfortable though, Rarity caught sight of Shining Armor, still asleep, across from her.  She flipped over onto her side to face him and then pulled the sheets up over her body just a little more.  All was quiet for a time as Rarity merely laid there and watched him sleep.  I feel so in debt to him.  She continued to watch him sleep and had a blank look on her face as she tried to gather her wits and recollect all that had happened.  She tried as hard as she possibly could to recall all that had happened to her, but she just couldn’t seem to remember anything but little bits.  She remembered that she had been in a cold, dark, and damp cave when her captors had approached her.  She remembered that they had beaten her, made her suffer the ultimate indignity, and of course, had tried to have their way with her.  After that though, all she could remember was everything going dark.

Tears began to well in her eyes and her body began to shake with both anger and fear at her experiences.  Slowly and reluctantly, embarrassed to be doing it in front of another pony, let alone a stallion, she reached her foreleg down and touched her vagina.  She didn’t really know what to feel for, but she just wanted to check and made sure that the dogs didn’t get any further than they already had.  She heaved a sigh as she felt herself over and then pulled her hoof away.  Luckily enough, Rarity didn’t feel anything on her labia as far as scars or anything like that, and it didn’t hurt her, so she supposed that all she had to worry about getting rid of was the mental pain of the indignity that was caused as the result of her being felt up.

Rarity sighed once more and used her magic to get a tissue from a nearby box.  Her magical skills felt weak, she barely had the energy to levitate the tissue towards her, and her horn ached horrible.  All of this pain and difficulty meant that they must have just gotten the cover off of Rarity’s horn.  All unicorns had a magical energy which radiated off from the horn, acting as a sort of generator in a way, and if that radiated energy was cut off or covered up, then a unicorn would completely lose their magical abilities; some could even permanently lose their abilities.  It would hurt to use magic and she wouldn’t be able to cast but the simplest of spells, but it would recover in time, most likely after a few days.

Rarity gasped from exhaustion as the tissue finally came over to her and then she stopped casting her spell.  She watched with weary and bored eyes as the tissue descended down slowly onto her chest.  When it finally landed, she grasped it with her hoof and brought it up to her face where she then began to pat her eyes dry.  Rarity hadn’t seen herself in the mirror for what seemed like an eternity, but she was sure that she still looked like a mess.  She was tempted to get up and walk around the room a little, perhaps look at her reflection in the nearby window too, but she just didn’t have the energy and besides, she didn’t want to wake Shining Armor up.  Rarity was sure that whatever level of exhaustion she felt, Shining Armor had twice the level.  After all, he had been the one to traverse the massive tangle of tunnels throughout the cave, fight off her captors, and then carry her all the way here to the Ponyville Hospital.

As she thought about it once more, Rarity couldn’t help but allow the feeling of how in debt she was to him return.  She looked back over at him and once more continued to watch him sleep in silence.  Eventually though, she broke that silence.  “I know you probably can’t hear me,” she began with a quiet tone, “but thank you.  Thank you very much.  I… I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t come along.”  She looked down at the floor and was quiet for a time, but then looked back up at Shining Armor.  She smiled softly at the sleeping stallion and continued, “Twilight talks a lot about you.  She says that you two are the best of friends and that you’re the captain of the Canterlot Royal Guards too.  Is all of that true?”  Of course, she didn’t expect a response, but she felt that it would be a way for her to pass the time and to perhaps put her mind at ease.  “I was hoping that we could talk when you awake.  I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.  Twilight said that you came to town once, but that I was away whist you were here.”  She was quiet for a moment as the blank look started to return to her face.  “Shame,” she commented quietly and then blinked her eyes a few times.  “You’re very handsome,” Rarity complimented.

Shining Armor shuffled around a little, but was still fast asleep.  Rarity didn’t know this and blushed deeply.  She quickly adjusted herself to look a little more natural and pulled the sheets up over her face, all as she hoped that Shining Armor didn’t hear any of what she had said.  When he stopped moving about though, and a little snore escaped from his mouth, Rarity giggled and then heaved a sigh of relief.  She flipped back over onto her side and pulled the covers up to her muzzle where she continued to watch him sleep.  She had meant what she said; Shining Armor was a very handsome stallion.  She couldn’t be sure as she had never had the opportunity to meet him, but something just told her that he was a very sweet and caring individual.  Also, she wasn’t sure what it was, but there was just something about his mere presence in the room that seemed to comfort her.  Maybe it was the whole “damsel in distress” mental mechanism kicking in, or perhaps it was the debt that she felt she owed to him, but whatever it was, she rather liked it.

Rarity fell back into the blank stare once more as she tried to gather her thoughts, but was eventually shaken out of it as the nurse entered with Rainbow Dash.  Rarity picked her head up and looked towards the door to see who it was and then flipped over with a smile on her face when she saw who it was.  “Hey there sleepyhead!” Rainbow Dash greeted as she entered into the room, “How ya been?” she asked and hovered forward where she leaned in and gave Rarity a hug.

“I could be better Rainbow Dash darling, I could be better,” she said, “But I’m not bad all things considered.”

“Ah,” Rainbow Dash smiled at her and waved her hoof in the air, “You hang out with me too much.  That’s how I know you’re gonna be OK.”  They both chuckled at this and then Rainbow Dash continued, “Sorry it took so long to get the nurse.  I got up there and couldn’t find anypony, and basically just flew around the halls until I eventually ran head first into her.”  Rainbow Dash pointed over to the nurse who was scribbling down some things on a clipboard.  She chuckled and then said, “Sorry about that again.”

The nurse waved her off as she placed the clipboard down and walked towards Rarity’s bed.  “Oh,” she said, “think nothing of it.  You find ponies get excited when you work in this business, so some accidents are to be expected.  But hey, as I said, at least we’re already in a hospital right?”  Everypony in the room smiled at the nurse, partly because of her joke and partly because of her frazzled hair and crooked hat, obviously damage which resulted from the collision.  “Well Miss Rarity,” she said as she came over to the bedside, “if you could, please roll over onto your back for me.”  Rarity did as she was told and laid there as the nurse inspected her even though she was one hundred percent sure that she was fine.  She answered a couple of questions, asked a few questions, talked a little about what didn’t feel normal, and otherwise normal medical procedure.

After that, the nurse left and left Rainbow Dash alone with Rarity.  The two of them had a little conversation beginning with Rainbow Dash sitting down beside Rarity’s bed.  “Does anything hurt?” she asked innocently.

“Not really darling,” Rarity said, “Mostly just my head… and my dignity.”  It ended after that.

Rainbow Dash stopped there; she knew that Rarity didn’t want to talk about it.  “Man,” she said and punched her hooves together, “if only I could have gotten one shot at those dogs…”

Rarity smiled at her friend’s charisma and loyalty, but still she knew that it couldn’t undo what had already been done.  “Hey Rainbow Dash…” Rarity began slowly, a blush starting to spread across her face, “Do you know… do you know if they cleaned me up?”  Rainbow Dash seemed a little confused at first but eventually caught on as Rarity looked away from her and pointed down towards her genitals.  It was likely that Rainbow Dash was the first one here considering that she got the news at the same time the other’s did, so she was sure to be the one to ask about these matter.

“Oh,” Rainbow Dash said and looked away from Rarity entirely, “Yeah… they were doing that when I got in here.  Actually, I went to go get the nurses another bowl of water and soap and some more rags.”  She stopped there and avoided going into any further detail.  To know that such an independent and internally strong mare like Rarity had been pushed and frightened to the point of wetting herself even hurt Rainbow Dash.

They were quiet for a few moments following the question, but they eventually slipped into more innocent and casual conversation.  Rainbow Dash had been out at Cloudsdayle practicing with the Wonderbolts, so she hadn’t been able to speak with Rarity for a time and now was the perfect time for them to catch up.  They each tossed questions at each other and chatted about this and that for a long time.

Eventually, Fluttershy joined up with them and served Rarity her water.  She drank it quicker than the average healthy pony would, but at least she was able to control herself this time.  The timid little mare joined in on the conversation after a while and they all just talked as friends.  Soon enough too, Pinkie Pie and Applejack came racing into the room.  Both of them were short of breath but at the same time they had relieved smiles upon their faces to see that their friend truly was alright.  They embraced her and offered their sympathies and assurances that they would be there for her every step of the way.

Rarity embraced them back, thanked them, and then invited them to keep her company afterwards.  “There isn’t much to do around here,” she pointed out, “so you girls might as well just stay here and keep my boring old self company.”

They all chuckled but then grew silent when they heard a different voice, a voice which did not belong to any of them, pipe up from within the room.  “Miss Rarity,” the voice said slowly, groggily, “if it’s OK that I call you that, while I don’t know all that much about you other than the fact that you’re one durable mare, I can probably infer that you aren’t anywhere near boring.”

They all turned their heads around and looked to see who the voice to belonged to.  There, on the window seat, was Shining Armor stretching out.  He yawned and then climbed up out of the seat and shook himself off.  “I’m sorry if I interrupted you girls,” he smiled warmly at all of them, “but I just wanted to let you know that I’ll be going.  I was hoping that Twily would be here, but could one of you please just tell her that I miss her, I love her, and I’ll be sure to visit before I have to go back to Canterlot?”

“Me!” Pinkie Pie shouted and rose her hoof, only to shake it erratically in the air, “Pick me!  Pick me!” she pleaded with him.

Shining Armor chuckled at the pink mare’s antics and said, “All right, all right Pinkie.  You can do it.”

“Yay!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed and began to skip around the room all while her friends chuckled at her light-heartedness.

“Shining Armor?” Rarity said amidst the skipping and the chuckling just before he turned to go out of the door.

“Yes ma’am?” Shining Armor asked politely.

Rarity blushed at this and said, “I was wondering if I could maybe speak to you?”

Shining Armor turned back into the room at once and smiled at her.  “Of course,” he said and went over to her bedside.

“I hate to be rude,” Rarity turned her head over towards the other girls, “but could me and my savior have a little private time?”

The other four ponies in the room bid their goodbyes, promised they would be back later to see her out, and then left.  As they closed the door behind them and as Rarity watched their shadows leave the glass, all was quiet.  Rarity didn’t know where to begin and she didn’t know what to say.  Luckily enough though, Shining Armor seemed to pick up on this and started things off for her, “Is there something you wanted to ask me or tell me?” he asked so gently.

Rarity’s eyes shot nervously about as she tried to bring the words to voice, but all she could seem to utter was, “Yes.”  She nodded her head.  Afterwards, all became quiet once more.  Shining Armor didn’t seem hurried or anything, just patient and gentle as he waited for what Rarity had to say.

He chuckled quietly under his breath and looked into her eyes.  “What is it you wanted to tell me Rarity?  You don’t have to be nervous.  I don’t bite,” he smiled gently at her.

Rarity smiled back at him, but as she did so, she really got to catch sight of his eyes for herself.  There was just something in them that told her he was telling the truth and something that made her feel at ease.  As if it was the key that unlocked her inner feelings, Rarity finally found the energy (or courage) to say what she wanted to say.

“Shining Armor,” she began slowly, “I’ll be honest with you and say that I don’t quite know how to put this.”  She was quiet for a few moments as she gathered her thoughts.  She twiddled her hooves around and eventually started up once again.  “You saved me.  I don’t know of any other word that could perfectly describe it.  You saved me, and that’s something that I won’t ever forget and is something that I think you need to be repaid for…”  She had to stop there though as Shining Armor stopped her.

“Oh no Miss Rarity,” he said while he shook his hoof and shook his head, “I don’t want to hear any of that.  It is my duty as an officer of the Canterlot Royal Guard to ensure that any and all ponies, whether under my current jurisdiction or not, are safe and able to live peacefully.  I was only doing my job.”

Rarity was persistent though, and she continued to push him.  “I insist that you call upon me for anything that you might need,” she said, “I don’t know if Twilight told you or not, but I run a boutique here in town and I would be glad to provide you with anything you might need free of charge, anytime too.”  Shining Armor only chuckled softly as Rarity continued to name off what she could do for him.  “I could make you anything you wanted, I could maintain and dress all of the Royal Guard uniforms, I could buy you a personal dinner…”

Shining Armor cut her off once more.  “Isn’t that usually the stallion’s job?” he asked and looked at her, apparently scaling her up.

“What?” Rarity asked.  She stopped naming things off and looked up at him.

“Isn’t that usually the stallion’s job?  You know, to pay for a lady’s dinner?” he asked her.

Rarity was quiet for a moment as she tried to figure out what game Shining Armor was playing, but eventually said, “I… I suppose that’s common practice, but if that’s what you would like, I certainly don’t mind to.”

“That’s not what I want,” Shining Armor said softly and shook his head.

Rarity started to grow frustrated with the stallion, but tried to keep her composure.  “Well,” she said, “What can I get for you, do for you?”

Shining Armor lifted his head up and tapped on his chin with his hoof.  “I want…” he said slowly, “I want…” a smile started at the corners of his mouth, “Nothing!” he said and looked back down at her.

Rarity sighed and looked down at her bed sheets.  “Twilight wasn’t lying when she said that you were difficult,” she commented and looked over at him with an annoyed look on her face.

Shining Armor laughed aloud and took a seat on the floor by her bed.  “Yep,” he said and reached up to smooth out some wrinkles in the covers, “That sounds like something little Twily would say.”  He was quiet for a few moments after that, but then stood back up and sighed.  “Look, Miss Rarity, you really don’t have to do anything for me.  I was only doing my job.”

Rarity sighed and persisted, “Yes, I do.  It is common courtesy.”  She huffed and crossed her forelegs.

Shining Armor shook his head several times and a smile spread back across his face.  “Fine Miss Rarity,” he said and looked at her, “if you really want to do something for me, then when you get out of this hospital, come have a drink with me or something.”  Rarity blushed deeply and looked down as she concluded that Shining Armor was asking her out on a date.  He suspected what she was thinking though and said, “No, no, no, not a date of course, but as acquaintances.  I haven’t had the chance to meet you and it would be nice to get to know each other,” he pointed out, “After all, you can never have too many friends.”

Rarity processed what she had been told and then a gentle smile came across her face.  “I would very much enjoy that,” he said, “Very much.”

“Good,” Shining Armor said and nodded his head, “Well, I hate to be a rush, but I’ve got a lot of work to do.  Please though, don’t hesitate to call on me if you need something.  Oh yes, and I’ll be here with Twily later when they release you, so maybe we can make plans then?”  He smiled at her and headed for the door.

“That sounds lovely,” Rarity smiled back at him.

“Great!” he said, “So I guess I’ll see you later?”

“Indeed,” came the response.

With that, Shining Armor smiled one last time at Rarity and then exited out of the room.  He closed the door gently behind him and Rarity listened as hoofsteps clacked off into the distance.

Left all to herself now, Rarity flipped over in her bed to a more comfortable position.  Now, she was really going to try to do as she was told and get some rest.  She closed her eyes, but they would just pop back open every time she tried to get comfortable.  The nurse had brought her back a cup of water and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, so Rarity leaned forward and took a sip of the water and a bite of the sandwich.

After that, she laid back down and tried once more to make herself comfortable.  Finally she succeeded and was able to close her eyes and fall into sleep.  As she did though, images of Shining Armor kept flashing about in her head.  She knew that she had only just met him, but still, there was something about him that she liked very much.  All the while, she tried to deduce just exactly how Shining Armor had rescued her.  Twilight had given her the story, but only a vague explanation of that, and besides, she hardly remembered what she had been told.

Rarity yawned and pulled the sheets up over her just a little more.  She knew that she should be focused on resting and on what the doctors told her, so she tried as best she could to throw all other thoughts out of her mind and put herself at ease.  It took some time, but Rarity was eventually able to fall asleep.  Her mind was clear and she felt at ease, finally safe.  Only, one thought continued to linger in her mind:  Shining Armor.