Rainbows, Relationships, & Revenge

It had been a little over half an hour since the Mane Six left the hospital, and the sun had finally lowered beneath the horizon. Everypony was relieved to hear that Rainbow Dash was healing nicely and they were all looking forward to her having a full recovery.

Pinkie Pie was so giddy about Rainbow Dash's recovering that she practically bounced back to Sugarcube Corner, giggling like a little filly. Fluttershy, while just as excited, wore a much more subdued smile as fatigue began to overtake her.

Twilight merely said her goodbyes to the group and teleported off back to the castle. She had a lot to think about now that she had been presented with actual tangible evidence to who the attacker could be.

Rarity, being just as happy as the rest of the group, walked back to Carousel Boutique, where her little sister Sweetie Belle would be waiting for her arrival. Once she gets up to the doorsteps of her Boutique, Rarity removes the spare key she keeps hidden in the planter by the window, and quietly unlocks the door before stepping in and shutting the door behind her.

She quietly locks the door and begins her journey up the stairs of the boutique to check on her sister. She opens the door as quietly as she can and peeks inside, seeing the little white lump that makes up her sister, sleeping peacefully in her bed.

With a content smile she shuts the door and crosses the hall to her own bedroom, shutting her door and placing herself in front of the mirror. After a while of staring at herself in the mirror she cant help the sinking feeling making its way into her gut. She shakes it off as nothing and smiles, talking quietly to herself.

"Ooh stop your worrying Rarity...everything is going to be fine. Rainbow Dash is healing up quite nicely, and shes still alive. Everything will work out in the end..."

After her self given peptalk, Rarity opens one of the drawers to her dresser and removes a packet of makeup removal wipes. Taking a few minutes to wipe the makeup from her eyes and face, she nods in satisfaction when she finds no leftover makeup, and throws away the used wipe.

With a tired yawn, Rarity slips under the covers and soon finds herself drifting off into a deep sleep, letting Princess Luna take the reigns of her dreams. Within the next hour, Rarity finds herself backstage of the biggest fashion show she could imagine, the crowd of ponies behind the curtains calling her name, screaming for her to make an appearance. It was all so exhilarating.

With a wide smile, Rarity takes a deep breath and goes to take a step, only to be stopped by a dark blue forehoof grabbing onto her shoulder. Her eyes follow the hoof, up the arm, and soon realizes who it belongs to.

"Oh! Hello Princess Luna! Im surprised to see you here."

Princess Luna could only raise an eyebrow in disbelief.

"Youre surprised to see ME...here...in the DREAMWORLD..."

Realizing how ridiculous she just made herself sound, Rarity blushes and giggles a bit.

"H-Heh...yes well...um...i just mean..." she stutters before Luna herself starts to giggle.

"I know what you mean. Im just here to check up on things. To see if any nightmares need extinguished..."

"Oh. Well...there doesnt seem to be any nightmares at the moment..."

"Quite..."

Rarity turns back around and simply listens to the crowd chanting and calling her name, her smile growing ever so slowly.

"Magnificent isn't it?" Luna asks woth a soft smile.

"It really is magical. Just think. One day I will make it here. This will be me one day. I can just feel it."

Luna nods with a warm smile.

"I don't doubt it for a second."

After what feels like hours of silence, in reality only a couple of minutes, Rarity breaks the silence with a sigh.

"You know...this is one of my biggest dreams. My biggest fantasy. I have faith that this will be where I stand some day. But...I'm scared. Im scared that if I do make it big, that that would require me to move on and leave my friends. I simply couldn't do that to them! They'd be crushed! What would you do?" She asks turning back to the Princess. Luna simply smiles and shakes her head.

"I'm afraid that is a question only you alone can answer. But I'm certain that when the time comes, you will make the right choice."

Rarity stares up at Luna in desperation, but takes a moment to think it over before she smiles.

"You're right...I'm worrying about nothing. Stop worrying about something that hasn't even happened yet..."

But then, like flipping a switch, Luna face contorts from happiness, to one of pure fear. She gasps as her wings start to flare, and moves herself in front of Rarity.

"Somethings happening in the real world...something bad!"

"W-What do you mean, Princess?" She asks with fear laced into her voice.

"It's time to go! Take your sister and get out! NOW!" Luna says urgently, her horn starting to spark.

"M-My sister? Luna, what's ha–"

"No time! Go! Now!" Luna says before she finally lowers her head, her horn touching Rarity's forehead, and everything goes white.

Rarity, being woken from the dreamworld, wakes up with a start, shooting straight up out of bed with a gasp. Or at least...she would gasp if she could breathe. But upon taking her first breath, Rarity nearly chokes to death on what she discovers as black smoke. Fire. Carousel Boutique was on fire!

Rarity could feel her body grow cold with fear, even as the temperature in the building rose. Whipping the blankets off her body, she rolls off the bed and heads for her door, nearly ripping it off the hinges as she rips it open. What she saw on the other side terrified her to the core.

Flames devouring the walls of the building, casting the place in an orange glow that would make anypony feel like they were in Hell. Rarity gulps woth fear as the flames begin to lick the ceiling, so without any time to waste, she runs across the hall and kicks open the door.

Sweetie Belle nearly jumps put of her fur at the sudden bang when the door collides with the wall.

"EEEK! R-Rarity?! What's going on?!"

"Come on Sweetie Belle! We have to go now!"

"Rarity! Whats happening?!"

"The boutique is on fire, Sweetie! We have to go!"

Sweetie Belle lets out a gasp of fear as Rarity scoops her up out of bed and hoists the little filly onto her back. With no time to spare, Rarity turns tail and bolts through the doorway, as the flames start burning through the walls of Sweetie's room.

"Rarity! I-I'm scared!"

"I know Sweetie! Just be brave! We'll make it out of here, I promise!" Rarity says back in attempt to calm the little filly, though she wasn't too sure how true it was herself.

Rarity skids to a stop as she finds that part of the burning ceiling had fallen apart, and blocked the stairs in a fiery inferno, effectively blocking the only safe way out of the building.

"We're doomed!"

"No we're not! We are going to get out of here, Sweetie!"

Rarity spins around and attempts to make her way back to her bedroom, but just before she can make it through the doorway, more parts of the roof collapse and fill the bedroom with burning debris.

Running out of options, Rarity takes a quick moment to think of any other alternative paths she can take to get her and her sister out safely. Her thoughs are soon cut off when she starts to hear Sweetie Belle coughing from lack of oxygen. If she doesnt get out soon, her sister will be dead.

She quickly spins her head back and forth, searching for any possible exits that could get them out safely, but a loud cracking sound breaks her train of thought, causing her to look up. Her eyes shrink in fear as the ceiling above them was starting to crack. Rarity barely had time to act on pure instinct as the ceiling caves and falls on top of them.

Thankfully, due to her quick thinking and trusting her instincts, Rarity sparked her horn just in time to throw up a shield around her and Sweetie Belle, deflecting any debris that would have otherwise crushed them. Not seeing any other option, she looks at the one doorway that had not been touched by the inferno. The bathroom. Rarity carefully removes Sweetie Belle from her back, cupping the fillys face as signs of Carbon Dioxide poisoning were starting to take hold.

"Sweetie! Sweetie look at me! I need you to trust me okay?! Were going to get out of here. I need you to shut your eyes and hold on tight okay?! No matter what happens do NOT open your eyes! Can you do that?!"

Unable to say anything through her tears, Sweetie Belle simply nods and buries her face into Rarity's chest. The alabaster mare once again picks up her little sister and slings her onto her back, backing up as far as she can without touching the fire threatening to swallow everything within seconds. With a burning determination she has never felt before in her life, Rarity fires a beam of magic from her horn powerful enough to knock the door off its' hinges. Grinding her back hooves into the floor, she lets out a snort before taking off in a dead sprint, her eyes fixed on their target. The bathroom window.

'Celestia above, if you're listening, if it's my time take me. But please spare my little sister...'

This is the last thought that goes through Rarity's mind before she levitates Sweetie Belle off her back, and into her hooves as she pushes off the floor with her back hooves. Turning her body so her back is to the window, Rarity covers Sweeties' head with her chin as they both crash through the window, and fall twenty feet straight to the ground. Rarity of course takes the brunt of the impact as it knocks the air clear out of her body, knocking her unconscious.

Sweetie Belle, who had let out an ear piercing scream during the fall, still buried into her sisters chest. Once everything goes still, Sweetie Belle peeks one eye out and realizes she's safe.

"W-We made it! Rarity we made it! Rarity?"

She looks down and sees Raritys' unconscious form, letting out a gasp as she does whatever she can to wake her up.

"Rarity! Rarity wake up! Come on, please!"

"Ugh..."

"R-Rarity? A-Are you okay?"

"I...I think so...Celestia my head hurts..."

Rarity looks back and frowns as her beloved boutique burns to the ground.

"R-Rarity...a-are we homeless?"

Rarity turns back around to meet her sisters tearful gaze, sighing as she touches her forehead to Sweetie's.

"Yes I'm...I'm afraid we are, Sweetie Belle..."

"W-What do we do now?..."

"Rarity!"

Perking up at the familiar voice, Rarity spins her head around in time to see Twilight landing in front of her before trapping her and Sweetie Belle in a hug.

"W-What happened?!"

"I dont know, Darling. Sweetie and I were asleep. I was having the most pleasant dream when Princess Luna came in and said I needed to wake up. Next thing I know is the boutique was on fire..."

Barely able to hold back her tears, Twilight releases the two sisters and looks up at the inferno in front of them.

"I've already contacted the weather ponies. They'll have the fire out soon. The EMT's are on their way as well..."

"T-Thank you, Twilight..."

Twilight gives Rarity a single nod before once again falling into silence. The next twenty minutes is spent with neither of the three ponies uttering a single word, even as the weather ponies come by and put out the fire. Shortly after the fire is snuffed, whats left of the building crumbles to the ground in a cloud of dust and debris.

A short time later the EMT's finally arrive and walk up to the trio. One of them, a blue Earth pony stallion whom they assume is the lead member of the squad, starts asking Rarity and Sweetie Belle a bunch of questions.

"Is there anyone else in there?"

"No." Rarity answers with a shake of her head.

Sweetie Belle lets out a pained gasp as a though finally hits her.

"W-Wait! What about Opal?!"

"Opal is with Fluttershy, Darling. Don't worry."

"Ma'am. Are you hurt?" He asks, eyeing the various cuts all over Raritys' body. Rarity simply shakes her head defiantly.

"No no, I'm fine thank you."

Sweetie Belle lets out a heavy sigh that she had apparently been holding, before she breaks out into a heavy wheezing cough. The stallions eyes go wide before he calls over the other two paramedics.

"We got one injured here! Non fatal! Could possibly have carbon dioxide poisoning!"

"Yes sir!" One of them calls out. Within seconds they have Sweetie Belles' right forehoof wrapped in a vinyl cuff, used to monitor her blood pressure.

"How are you feeling young one?"

"I...I have a headache. A-And I'm really tired..."

"Are you finding it hard to breath?"

"A-A little..."

"Do you know where you are?"

"Carousel Boutique...I think..."

"It's like I thought. She has severe carbon dioxide poisoning. We need to get her to the hospital now!"

"B-But I dont wanna go!"

"Little one, don't you understand?! If we don't get you to the hospital and get you help soon, you'll die!"

Sweetie Belle gulps in fear before she nods and looks back to Rarity.

"Y-You'll come with me won't you? Im scared..."

"Of course I will, Sweetie."

Rarity looks over to Twilight with a pained look in her eyes.

"Im going to the hospital with Sweetie Belle, let everyone else know whats happened, okay?"

"I will Rarity, I promise."

"Thank you Twilight...you're a good friend..."

Rarity takes a deep breath and starts walking away with the EMT's and her sister in tow. Meanwhile, now that she's by herself, Twilight finally lets out a frustrated sigh as tears drip down her face. Shaking her head at the pile of burnt rubble, she turns around and teleports away to break the news to her friends.