Diamond in the Flames

Sweetie had been true to her word.

Things had gotten better and worse after the incident at the Cistern. As she'd promised, Sweetie had indeed arranged her schedule so that her concerts coincided with Rarity's business trips, which meant that they no longer needed to be parted from one another.

Since then, Sweetie had been a complete angel, trying to make up for her earlier perfidies. She's done her best to make sure that Rarity's every need was met, fetching her meals for her, carrying her things, and even bathing her every single night, though the latter tended to end with them becoming distracted and then having to bathe again.

Not that Rarity minded, certainly.

Coming home every day to Sweetie smiling and offering to help her hang up her clothes did wonders for Rarity's soul, soothing away the restlessness that had plagued her for far too long. Having her beloved sister by her side at all times to express her devotion had been lovely for Rarity's self-confidence as well. Not that Rarity needed help with that, but it was always nice to be appreciated.

The problem, of course, was that Sweetie's attentions had also added fuel to the speculations about the nature of their relationship. The two of them had decided to approach the story with a refusal to comment and to feign offense at the thought that they might have been together, but that did little to stop the rampant gossip.

Which was how Rarity had ended up dancing around the subject now with Hoity Toity at Fancy Pants' garden party.

"You know, Rarity, none of us are getting any younger," he said as they both sipped lightly from their champagne flutes. "You don't strike me as the type who wants to be a bachelorette your whole life."

"I simply have not found the right pony yet," Rarity replied, biting back a retort at how uncouth Hoity was being. "And my work keeps me quite busy." That part was true, at least. If a relationship hadn't essentially fallen into her lap, Rarity would likely never have ended up in one. It was so hard to find time to date and to run a successful fashion empire at once.

"Your sister too, I would imagine." Well, it seemed that subtlety had gone out the window after the fifth glass of wine. "She does seem like quite the hooffull."

"She can be," Rarity replied very carefully. "It's been somewhat of a bother trying to rein her in, but family is family. So long as I can keep Sweetie away from any more harmful substances, I can hopefully ground her in reality long enough to help her achieve all the things I believe she is capable of."

Hoity took the hint. "Well, I wish you best of luck. Sweetie Belle is lucky to have a sister who cares for her so much."

It was clear he still held his suspicions, but there was only so much Rarity could do. "Thank you," she said politely. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm quite famished. Take care of yourself, Hoity." With that excuse, she made her leave, heading over towards the buffet table where a pair of friendly faces were waiting for her.

"Ah, Rarity, so good to see you," Fancy Pants said, giving her a polite wave. "I hope you've been enjoying yourself as best you can?"

"As best I can, yes," Rarity replied, floating over one of the hors d'oeuvres and nibbling delicately on it.

"The rumours about you and your sisters are simply terrible." Fleur shot her a sympathetic smile as she trotted over to stand beside her husband. "To think that you would take advantage of poor Sweetie in such a way." She shook her head. "I am very sorry that you are going through this right now, mon amie."

Rarity shrugged. "It is what it is. The public eye will find something else to fixate on eventually, as it always does." Though, it hurt knowing that she couldn't share the secret of her love with even close friends like these two, for fear of their judgement.

"Pardon me for interjecting myself into your personal life, but I couldn't help but notice that having Sweetie continually following you has been prolonging this particular scandal," Fancy said. "Perhaps it might be best if you found somepony else to care for her while she moves past this trying time?"

The advice was given with the best of intentions, Rarity knew, but she still tensed at the suggestion that she should be parted from her beloved. "I don't know that I can trust anypony else not to take advantage of her, unfortunately," she replied coolly.

"Understandable." Fancy glanced around the garden. "We're all sharks looking out for blood, are we not? Though, if you wish, I could see if there might be any eligible bachelors or bachelorettes of Sweetie's age that might be a good match. Having her date somepony publicly could do wonders for shutting down these rumours."

"I don't think that would be best for her," Rarity said shortly, skirting the edge of politeness.

The couple seemed to take the hint, as Fleur cut in smoothly. "I have no doubt that you will find a way to weather this storm, and the two of you will grow stronger for it." She downed the rest of her champagne and set it down on the table. "Now, I see that the polo game is about to begin. Shall we watch?"

Rarity took the olive branch gratefully, and the three of them did not discuss Sweetie for the rest of the night. That didn't stop the others from trying to probe her for juicy gossip, but Rarity had played this game enough times to be able to dance around their attempts.

By the time she bid farewell to her gracious hosts and began making her way back home, Rarity was feeling quite good about her progress. She would probably look like an overbearing, controlling sister at the end of this, but that was far better than the alternative. As long as nothing else jeopardized the situation, she was sure that it would all pass in time.

Though, that didn't mean it wasn't unpleasant walking past a newsstand and seeing a tabloid article openly speculating as to what sordid activities she and Sweetie had gotten up to in the Palace bathrooms during the Grand Galloping Gala. Of course, they hadn't been stupid enough to do anything exciting beyond a few shared glances, but she supposed it made for a good narrative nonetheless. It would have been good fun to steal a kiss in the alcoves, she had to admit.

Rarity shook her head, clearing her head of such foolish thoughts. She'd made peace with the fact that they'd have to hide their love for the rest of their lives, and as much as she detested it, she had accepted that reality.

And of course, it was much easier to live with the deception when she knew who she had waiting at home for her. Rarity waved to the security guards near the entrance to their house before making her way to the porch. She opened the door, and for the first time since the Cistern, Sweetie wasn't there to greet her. "I'm home!" she called out as she removed her dress and hung it up.

"I'm in the bedroom!" Sweetie called back. Rarity shrugged and made her way upstairs. So Sweetie had moved on from being present whenever she came home, which was fine, even if Rarity would miss the warm welcome.

The bedroom door was ajar, and Rarity pushed it open. Her breath caught in her throat as she gazed upon the sight that awaited her.

"Hey Rarity, did you miss me?" Sweetie lifted up one leg as she winked at Rarity, showing off her stocking-clad legs that perfectly framed the lace panties covering her nethers. A little bow was tied around her dock, lifting it up out of the way so that Rarity could see the straps of the garter belts she was wearing. "Because I definitely missed you." Her horn glowed and she pulled her panties to the side so that Rarity could see how wet her slit was.

"Oh my." Rarity trotted up to her beloved, running a hoof down her stockings and marvelling at the feel of the silk beneath her hoof. "What an exquisite ensemble. I don't recall seeing this in our wardrobe before."

Sweetie grinned. "I snuck out in disguise this morning and bought it."

Rarity wanted to admonish her for taking such a risk, but her mind was far too enraptured by the salacious sights before her eyes. "I suppose as long as nopony recognized you, it should be fine." Her hoof trailed upwards to play with the straps of the garter belt, snapping one of them against Sweetie's flanks. "And I can hardly complain about the results."

"You wanna unwrap your present?" Sweetie wiggled her rump suggestively, her voice filled with restrained lust.

"I would love nothing more, darling." Rarity bent down to press a light kiss against Sweetie's nethers, taking a deep breath as she let Sweetie's scent fill her soul. She let the worries of the world flow away from her as she found that peace in her heart that was always present when she could be alone with Sweetie.

Nothing mattered now except for the little song that Sweetie sang with her moans and gasps as Rarity teased her with tongue, hoof, and magic, driving her lust up to a fever pitch as she slowly undressed her beloved. Her own loins were burning with desire as well, but that could wait.

"Please, Rarity," Sweetie begged, gasping for breath as Rarity swirled her tongue around her folds. "I need you, right now."

Rarity could never deny Sweetie, and so she dove in, making Sweetie scream in pleasure as she found all of her most sensitive points and played her sister like an instrument. The rising crescendo peaked with a crashing orgasm as Sweetie cried out, her legs shaking as Rarity drank her fill of her lover's nectar, a satisfaction seeping into her heart that eclipsed that of any physical relief.

Of course, Sweetie would also never leave her marefriend in such a state as well, so that physical relief came quickly after she'd recovered her wits. The moment her sister's tongue touched her folds, Rarity was lost, allowing herself to fall into an ocean of sensation as she grabbed Sweetie's head and pushed it deeper.

Sweetie dutifully continued to pleasure her, and it felt oh so very right. In that moment, Rarity knew this was where they were meant to be, joined as one and sharing in an ecstasy that transcended the physical realm.

With a cry of love, Rarity came, clamping her legs against Sweetie's head and holding them together, never to be parted again.

Some time later, the two of them lay in bed, holding onto one another, refusing to let go for even a moment. "This is perfect," Sweetie said, nuzzling Rarity's neck. "You're all I need to be happy, Rarity."

"Mhm." Rarity smiled. "It's quite peaceful here in the eye of the storm, as it were, and I'm quite glad that your flirtation with scandal seems to have come to an end."

"Now that I'm with you all the time, I don't feel like I'm going crazy anymore," Sweetie replied.

"I'm glad to hear that." Rarity buried her muzzle in Sweetie's mane, letting the soft hairs tickle her nose. "So, how goes the songwriting? It's been some time since you last spoke of your creative pursuits."

Sweetie shrugged. "It's going I guess. Can't force art sometimes, you know?"

Rarity snorted. "Inspiration is a practiced skill, as you very well know."

"Don't worry about it. I've got it under control." Admittedly, it was hard to worry when Sweetie was pressing kisses against her jaw.

Rarity sighed. "Very well." She shivered as she felt a cold breeze blow past them, making her coat hairs stand on end. "Did we leave a window open?"

Sweetie paused in her ministrations to look around. "Oh!" Her horn glowed, and Rarity followed her sister's gaze to see the offending window being shut. "Huh, when did that get open?"

"It's no matter." Rarity pulled Sweetie back into a tight hug. After a few more moments, she released her sister reluctantly. "Unfortunately, I do have some designs I need to work on. Duty calls, as it always does. Will you be engaging in your daily practice as well?" Sweetie had taken to doing her vocal practices in Rarity's workshop, which Rarity always welcomed.

"Oh, I guess. We need to shower first, though." Sweetie grinned. "Wanna do that together?" Her voice dropped low once again as she gave Rarity a half-lidded smoulder.

"Unfortunately, I do have to make some progress on this dress, so I must decline." At Sweetie's pout, Rarity leaned over to press a kiss against her lips. "Do not fret, darling. We'll have plenty of time this weekend to enjoy ourselves. How about we start hanging up the Nightmare Night decorations? It's a tad early, but given our schedules, it's hard to know when we'll next have a chance to do so."

"As long as I get to be with you, I'm happy." Sweetie hopped off the bed, giving Rarity a wink before sauntering off towards the bathroom.

Rarity stretched and let out a sigh of contentment. Yes, things were turbulent outside, and they still had to tread carefully to hide their relationship, but Rarity had never been happier, and Sweetie seemed to feel the same way.

And she knew that together, they'd be able to weather this storm and come out even stronger than before.