The Fire Burns
Requested by me, written by pepper.
Rarity squirmed in her bed and coughed. She rolled over, but continued to choke, and the stench of smoke burned in her nostrils. Reluctantly, she sat up, and her eyes adjusted to the lighting. She saw black clouds billowing in, sparks jumping beneath them. Fire. Get up, Rarity. Fire. This isn't right. Fire. You need to run. FIRE!!! A voice screamed inside her head. Rarity obeyed, and jumped up, running for the exit. She dashed through the hallways, down the stairs, and out the door, grabbing five dresses with her magic as she passed. She was coughing, wheezing, and her hair and nightgown were stained with char and soot, but she was otherwise unharmed. All she could do was stand there and watch in horror as her home and place of business burned down in flames...
She sprinted down the street, looking for the first pony that came to mind; Rainbow Dash. She was soon standing under her cloud home, and she screamed as loud as she could. "RAINBOW DASH!!! MY BOUTIQUE IS ON FIRE!!! HELP!!" She screeched, hoping desperately that Rainbow would awaken and hear her. She felt a wave of relief rush over her as she saw a streak of color fly out of the house without a word. She quickly followed RD back to the Carousel Boutique, and waited in front of it for the cyan Pegasus to return. Dashie soon arrived, pushing a storm cloud. She kicked it, and it began to pour rain down onto the fire. Several other Pegasi arrived behind her, also carrying clouds. Soon a full downpour was pounding down on the blaze, and Rarity unfortunately was caught in the crossfire, and ended up drenched.
Once every last tiny spark had been extinguished, Rainbow flew to Rarity's side. The sopping wet Unicorn was now sitting on the ground, looking quite devastated and pathetic. Dashie put an arm around Rarity's shoulders, trying to comfort her distressed friend. "You gonna be okay Rare? Where are you gonna go?" She asked, concerned.
"I... I don't know. I have no idea what to do now..." She murmured quietly in response.
"I'd invite you to stay with me, but..." Rainbow flapped her wings, pointing out that Rarity couldn't get up there, and even if Rainbow carried her there, she'd just fall through the clouds. "Sorry."
"Well, I suppose there's somewhere I can stay..."
"How about Sweet Apple Acres? There's plenty of room, and I'm sure AJ wouldn't mind..." RD suggested.
"Oh, I don't know... It might just be a bit too much to ask, and I can't just barge in wanting to live there in the middle of the night! It's a bit rude..." She objected. Rainbow snickered.
"That's Rarity for ya! Always worrying about being polite, even right after a crisis... C'mon, I'll go with ya, and I'll help you find somewhere else if you can't stay there, okay?"
"I suppose..." Rarity reluctantly agreed.
"Great. No time to lose!" Rainbow exclaimed, and picked up Rarity by her arms. She flew off, and they arrived at Applejack's barn in no time. She carefully placed Rarity on the ground, and landed next to her. They walked up to the house, and Dash knocked on the door. A light flicked on upstairs, and in about a minute, a very tired-looking Applejack opened the door.
"Urf, what's goin' on ya'll? It's three AM, what could ya possibly need at this time ah night? And why is Rarity soakin' wet!?" Applejack grumpily demanded. Rainbow proceeded to explain the events that took place just a few minutes ago, and AJ's expression softened to one of empathy and understanding. "Why, of course you can stay here Rarity. Why would there be any doubt?" She said, and held the door wide open. "Come right on in."
Rarity stepped inside, glad to finally have a roof over her head once more. Rainbow Dash flew off, and Rarity sighed. AJ left briefly and returned with a towel, handing it to the white unicorn. She dried herself off as well as she could, and Applejack then took the towel from her. She then left the room once more, and returned without the towel.
"So, uh, make yourself at home..." She invited awkwardly.
"Where will I be sleeping?" Rarity asked curiously.
"Good question..." Applejack replied. "Maybe Ah could grab some blankets and a pillow, and you could sleep on the couch?"
"Good enough for me, I suppose." Rarity agreed. Applejack then, yet again, left and returned with a pillow and a few blankets. She set the pillow on the couch, and Rarity laid down. She tucked herself in, and smiled gratefully. "Thank you Applejack.. I'll see you in the morning. Well, later in the morning." She added wiht a small giggle.
"G'night." Applejack replied simply, and yawned. She walked back up the stairs to her room. Rarity soon fell asleep, uncertain as she was of what was coming next.