//------------------------------// // Empathy: Your Property // Story: Mind/Body/Light/Sound... // by SUPERCHARGER2001 //------------------------------// “My home is gone! My work is gone! All my magnificent work is gone, perished in those damn flames! I’ll rip anypony into pieces for whomever had done this to me!” Rarity stomping her muddy hooves over Applejack’s clean floor, Sweetie Belle took a few steps to the side of the kitchen to give her sister some space. Apple Bloom bursts through the kitchen door panting, her legs rundown by the lengthy jog she had just went through. “Sweetie Belle! A-are…ya…oka-okay. Woo that was fun, ah mean…the…run,” Apple Bloom struggled to hold her breath, she placed her forehoof on her friends shoulder, panting and wheezing. She lowered her head and continued to breathe slower, the cramps in her body were becoming unpleasant. “I’m fine. See,” she grabbed her friends head and revealed herself to her, body was fine, and arms, legs, and hooves were fine. Her mane still had that glossed shine that reflected against the sun. “Are you okay? You seem a bit…tired.” She raised a wry eyebrow, and cocked open her ear to make sure she heard everything. “Tired, Ah’m beat. How’s ya sister?” Apple Bloom asked kindly only to see the ugly side of Rarity across the room. “I’m fine! Marvelous, and I’ll tell you something Apple Bloom! When somepony burns down your life and everything in it, come back to me and I will personally give you a life lesson on what I am going through right. This. Minute.” Rarity fumed before disparaging them as noise and faced the other end of the kitchen, forehoof over her face. “A bit harsh, sis,” Sweetie Belle frowned, letting go of her friend before facing her uncontrollable sibling. “Sorry, but when you’ve lost something you worked so hard to maintain, the integrity of that place, our home, our business, our life shall not be left under the rug and forgotten forever. If I seem rather upset, don’t think of it as negativity, think of it as something a mare needs to wallow about before she can begin the healing process.” Rarity responded before muttering under her breath, “the long, droning process of never forgetting…” “Ya know, school’s out now!” Apple Bloom squeaked. “They closed it down and ah reckon it ain’t going be back up for a long time.” Giddy with excitement. “Really?! I can’t believe it, crusading for the rest of our days now!” Sweetie raised her forehoof in the air for a hoof bump. Apple Bloom cheered. “Now all we need is Scootaloo, she should’ve been here by now,” she looked over her shoulder and saw no pony through the open door that resembled her. “You told her?” she asked. “Yep, and ah thought she was right behind me, weird.” Apple Bloom scratched her head, ruffling up the bow that sat on top of her mane. “I heard Sugarcube Corner is gone also?” Sweetie Belle whispered, nudging her friends arm. “Ya, wait, ah thought ya knew already?” Turning to Sweetie Belle. “No I didn’t. Me and my sister got outside of town before the fire engulfed our house with it.” “Oh, well ahm sorry bout’ you’re home, ya can stay here as long as ya like.” Apple Bloom winced, cracking a smile for showmanship. “Thank you Apple Bloom, so, uh, where do we sleep?” she asked. “Ah don’t know, ah’ll have to wait until Granny says who can sleep where, ah think ya’ll be sleeping with me though.” Apple Bloom smiled. “Awe that would be the best! Now with no school, we can have all the sleepovers we want!” boasting all the wonderful dreams that were sure to come. “Sweetie Belle, listen.” Rarity brushed up against her sister, “Did you see Spike anywhere after what happened?” “No, I didn’t. I hope he’s okay, though.” “Was he with ya guys?” Apple Bloom curiously muttered. “Yes, but.” Rarity rubbed her sister’s head before stopping still. “I wouldn’t call Spike off by any means but when we last saw him…” her voice went silent. “He was, weird. Almost indefinitely.” Sweetie chipped in, moving closer to her sister. “Girls,” Rarity kneeled down in front of them. “I have things to take care of in Ponyville, so I won’t be back for some time. You both be good now, alright?” lightly stroking her forehoof over Sweetie’s mane. “We will.” Sweetie replied back. “Okay then, bye girls.” Rarity sounded off before departing out the door. “Bye Rarity!” Apple Bloom hollered out, waving her forehoof. Rarity could still feel the hot air breezing over her white coat as she made her way into town. Despite what happened two days earlier, the events were a bit of sore in her eyes, unsure of who was to blame, undecided on what to do in Ponyville except being there for her friends. She was going to have to cancel all orders and requests now that her only source of income went up in smoke, she didn’t what she was going to do anymore. Maybe ask Celestia for a loan could suffice to her needs but she wasn’t entirely sure about making the deadline, though the alicorn has always been nice and wondrous to Twilight, maybe she can lean a bit of that kindness towards her own needs? Rarity watched up at the fresh baby blue sky spreading as far as the eye can see, gray clouds were intruding on all corners of Ponyville and all she can remember from two days previously was the vivid orange colors flickering around the once tarnished black sky. It was cold that night, the rain had been beating down their roof hard and the shrieking sounds of thunder echoing through the walls was bleak and morbid in its own unique fashion. She can remember the light beaming in the sky, Pegasus ponies zipping around it, trying to contain the fire. The screams became almost consistent with the shouts and curses from afar, they told her to get back to the outskirts where everyone would be safer. She watched as her home, her business, her life was being doused with buckets of water and storm clouds being puffed over it, but the smoke was too much, the clouds thickened and the sky grew dark so every Pegasus tried their best to maintain whatever they can but the fire soon grew to vast and expansive that the town turned into one great, big, ball of flame. It took over a day and a half and almost every Pegasus pony around Equestria to eradicate that flame from spreading. The Ponyville Hospital had an emotionally difficult task to apprehend, daunting task in other words. Rarity stood in front of her once prosperous business. So much memories and so many brilliant moments that went on in that place, memories that even photos can’t achieve with the same level of spark that her walls could. She remembered the many adventures that she and Sweetie use to conquer together, all those magnificent times and all their old bickering issues about work-related things brought a twinkle in her eye and a smile across her young face. The times she had with her friends were among the most splendid moments of her life, her encounters with famous artists and fashion designers throughout her tenure as a shop lady. She now contemplated on where her future was going now, limitless options pranced around her head and all she had to do was choose any particular one, but she was born to be a fashion designer, it was even what her cutie mark desired, and it was something she couldn’t turn her back on. Rarity fixed her posture and raised her head up and took one more look at her home. The smell of burnt wood and the smoldering remains emptied out a single tear down her marshmallow cheek, she blew her mane away from her face and stood their proud of her achievements, proud of what she accomplished at such a young age and proud of the fact that she was able to do the things she did. Before walking off, she took a final glance at her furniture and her pieces of burned clothing hanging on a rack. She remembered the night when she designed those dresses for the girls before they set off into Canterlot for the gala. She wished she saved those before everything went in smoke, she wished for a lot of things that didn’t happen. She actually carried resentment for one of her friends now, something that seemed entirely impossible weeks ago. Rarity went off to visit her friend now.