Precious Gem

    It was several weeks before the doctors allowed Rarity to leave, but under the strict instructions that she was not to be left alone. While the stay at the hospital was as comfortable as the doctors could make it, it still felt good for her to be out of there.

    What she didn’t count on was how much she had changed.

    The scars from her branding on her left flank was the most shocking. Her tormenter had seen it fit to burn a circle around her cutie mark, as if to turn it into a target. But whatever his intentions, he had succeeded in making her the object of everyponies stare on her long walk home with her friends.

    “Ignore them hun.” Said Applejack after noticing her friend’s unease. “They just got to get used to seeing you, different.” She hesitated for far too long on that last word to make it any comfort to Rarity.

    The greatest comfort to Rarity was when she finally reached her home. She paused at the doorway for a long while, unsure whether she wanted to see Sweetie Belle so soon. Sweetie Belle had been whisked off to their parents house soon after the incident and had only been recently told what had happened to her sister. Reaching up with her forehoof to knock on her own door she felt rather silly, but as she went to knock the door suddenly swung open, revealing a teary Sweetie Belle who launched herself at her sister.

    “Rarity!” Was all she yelled as she clung desperately to her sisters neck.

    “Never leave again please, I was soo worried!” She sobbed into Rarity’s now short and

spiky mane. “Will you promise me that?”

    I broke Rarity’s heart to not be able to say yes, something so simple, but no matter how hard she tried she just wasn't able to get her mouth to work like it was supposed to.

    Sweetie Belle, realizing Rarity hadn’t said anything, leaned out of her hug and looked at Rarity, tears running down her face, it was killing Rarity seeing her so distraught but unable to say anything.

    “Rarity?” she asked.

    “Sweetie Belle, we need to talk.” Said Twilight gently, “In the other room.”

    Sweetie Belle and Twilight left, headed into the kitchen where they could talk without Rarity overhearing. While at first she had resented that her friends did that to her, but after eavesdropping on one of their meetings, she decided it was better that she didn’t know everything about the crimes done against her.

    Walking into her showroom it surprised her to see that not much had changed in her absence of almost a month, the clothes on the racks were still neatly arranged, awaiting customers to come in and try them on, the stage was still brightly lit, awaiting excellence to grace it once again. Sitting in front of the stage a small wicker basket held a sleeping white cat.

    Rarity walked up to the wicker basket, Opal waking up at the sound of her approach. Giving her a glare as Rarity reached out to her and sunk her claws into her hoof. Holding her claws there for a moment she gave a look that clearly said ‘I don’t approve of your absence’ but after a moment she allowed Rarity to pick her up and carry her over to an overstuffed armchair and pet her.

    Opal was soon purring under the expert hoofs of Rarity, the time spent away hasn't affected her ability to bring pleasure to her little furry friend. Rarity’s friends had spread around the room, looking unsure with themselves. Applejack in particular was taking great lengths not to touch anything, knowing that her nit-picky friend would not like having mud on her outfits.

    “If only I could talk!” He thought to herself bitterly, “I wish I could tell them to relax, them standing around like that is making me nervous.”

    Sweetie Belle came back into the room, uncharastically quiet as she trotted over to Rarity. She jumped into the chair with her and Opal, who barely noticed her.

    There, sitting with Sweetie Belle and Opal, Rarity was finally able to relax, taking the weight off her shoulders for the first time since the incident, and before she knew it she had drifted off into a well deserved slumber.

    Rarity woke from a daze to find herself tied to a vertical pole on a stage.

    “Was that just a happy dream?” she wondered, looking around at her new surroundings.

The blinding lights prevented her from seeing the crowds but she could hear them. There were hundreds of them out there and see could feel all their eyes on her. She tried to escape but the metal cuffs only banged against the pole uselessly, causing waves of laughter from the crowd.

    Behind her she heard a ‘Pssstt’. Looking back there she saw a large earth pony holding Sweetie Belle down on the ground, a knife held in his other forehoof.

    “Dance me little whore, or yer sister becomes tonight's toy!” He laughed evilly.

    Rarity tried to scream her objections only to have the words get caught in her throat. Unable to do anything else, she shoved her shame into the back of her mind.

    “I have to do this” she thought to herself, “For Sweetie Belle!”

    Starting her dance in beat with the music that had been playing in the background, she could not stop the tears of shame from rolling down her face. Judging from the murmurs from the crowd she was putting on the show that they wanted.

    “Yo, ‘Princess’, ain’t good nuff’!” Screamed the earth pony who was holding Sweetie Belle down. Grabbing her around the neck he catapulted her over Rarity, who attempted to catch her, and into the crowd. There was an immediate uproar, followed by the noises of lust. Rarity, straining against the cuffs, was vainly try to get to her sister, screaming silently for them to stop.

    But still completely ignored, still completely helpless His hands.

    Rarity woke up again, curled in a tight ball on the floor. The room was dark save for pillars of light coming through the windows.

    “Rarity! Wake up!, Please!” Begged Sweetie Belle from beside her.

    Looking over at Sweetie Belle, who was crying heavily again, she saw to her immediate joy that she was safe and sound in the boutique. Reaching out, Rarity grabbed her sister suddenly and hugged her with all her might, never wanting to let go.

    “It was a nightmare, wasn’t it?” asked Sweetie Belle as she comforted her older sister.

    Rarity opened her mouth to speak, not remembering she couldn’t, but had to merely settle for nodding into her little sisters mane. Wishing she could tell her sister how glad she was that she was safe, how much she meant to her.

    “It’s okay, let’s get you cleaned up, and don’t worry about the mess, nopony will ever know” Said Sweetie Belle softly as she led Rarity upstairs to the bathroom.

    Once there she started filling the tub with warm water and Rarity’s favorite soaps, something that she hadn’t used in so long. Looking down at herself she saw the multitude of bandages wrapped around her body where he had whipped her, her fur poking out at random spots in uneven length spurts. She also noticed the strong smell of urine, looking harder she found out she had wet herself, something she hadn’t done in o long she couldn't even remember when. Embarrassed she thought briefly of trying to hid it, but she knew that Sweetie Belle already knew.

    “Let me help you out of those.” Said Sweetie Belle, undoing the bandages in the back, letting them fall to the floor.

    Rarity stood there for a moment, more self conscious than she had ever been in her life, feeling as if she was back on the stage as Sweetie Belle gaped at the multitude of gashes that had been stitched up before healed with magic. The scars leaving an odd pattern in her fur. She ran her hoof through her mane, which he had also hacked off, leaving it uneven and spiky in places, and for some reason when Twilight tried a hair growth spell nothing had happened.

    Sweetie Belle, snapping herself back to reality, fought hard to keep Rarity from seeing the tears in her eyes, as she helped her into the tub. She helped her sister bathe herself much like a mother would help a young baby, if a young baby could sit still and follow commands that is. Rarity, still scared from her dream, let the warmth of the water and the loving hoofs of her sister soothe her fears, letting them be momentarily forgotten.

    It wasn’t long before Sweetie Belle’s scrubbing became slower, before finally stopping. Looking at her she had fallen asleep leaning over the side of the tub, looking utterly exhausted. Rarity, grabbing her towel from the rack with her magic, used it to dry herself before she picked up her little sister in her forehoofs. Using a touch of her magic to keep her balance she carried her sister to her room, laying her in her own bed, and tucked her in. Sitting in a chair next to the bed she sat there, watching her little sister sleep, afraid of what the night would do to her if she shifted her gaze for even a moment.

    Rarity was still awake, still protecting her sister when the sun finally broke over the horizon. Knowing she would wake up soon, she pretended to be asleep, knowing she would only cause her little sister to worry unnecessarily if she saw her older sister not sleeping. Soon, with the sun shining directly on her face, Sweetie Belle woke up, and seeing her sister there smiled, still happy to see her home. She reached out to her sister and nudged her slightly, causing Rarity to instantly ‘wake’ up.

    “Theres a new waffle place in town sis, want to go?” she asked, hoping that the fresh air would be good for Rarity.

    Rarity smiled and nodded, and helped her sister from her bed, straightening the tangles out of her hair with a few effective brushes with the help of a nearby comb.

    Sweetie Belle, leading her sister out of the room, happy to have her sister back, did not see Rarity hesitate just before she entered the shadowed hallway, and she definitely didn’t see how much Rarity shook in fear when she did enter the hallway.