Sweetie Belle

When Rarity got home that night, after she bade farewell to her friends, she limped cautiously into the Carousel Boutique. She really should have known better than to break such an expensive shoe just to avoid having that, that… Rarity couldn't quite put her hoof on just what he was, but he certainly was no Prince. If he truly was related to Celestia of all ponies Rarity would eat her remaining three glass slippers.

Fortunately she had avoided serious injury as there was no blood, but the pain of smashing glass with a hoof could be quite problematic. Rarity just knew she'd gotten some broken flecks of glass in between her horseshoe and hoof. It really wasn't fashionable to wear horseshoes underneath one's special glass slippers, but she hadn't wanted blisters and the invisible metal shod shoes kept her from suffering for fashion's sake.

It was late. Rarity yawned slightly and flipped the sign outside of her door from closed to 'closed until afternoon' as she desperately needed a bath before she could even dream of falling asleep. She'd done a bit of primping in the Canterlot mare's room, but she could still feel the dripping, nasty, disgusting bits of Applejack's cake in her fur.

Not that Applejack's cake was disgusting, far from it, it had actually tasted quite delicious. Unfortunately it just was not a proper fashion accessory for her dress. Or her jewels, or anything else she'd worn to the disaster of disasters that was the Grand Galloping Gala.

Rarity hmphed as she started the tap with her magic, her horn glowing as she stripped off her damaged dress, and returned her jewelry to the small box sitting on the bathroom counter. "I must admit that, that was decidedly not what I was expecting," she said to herself. "After years of hearing how great the Grand Galloping Gala was I had expected there to at least be ponies who understood what it meant to be part of high society." Rarity sighed as she dipped a hoof into the water to test the temperature and then slightly adjusted the hot and cold taps. "Sadly I do believe that I have been mistaken in my understanding of high society myself. OHHHHH! Those dresses, those beautiful dresses I slaved for, practically ruined. And all because Fluttershy can't keep her head when something doesn't go as planned!" Rarity slipped into the warm inviting water with a deeply contented sigh and gingerly washed out the tiny cuts – apparently her hoof had been slightly injured by the shoe she'd broken – the horseshoes she'd slipped off while undressing.

Rarity spent a good thirty minutes just soaking in the tub and scrubbing diligently with brush and cloth to remove every trace element of dirt, icing, crumb and other nasty reminders of her evening from hell. Or wherever it was bad little ponies went upon dieing. As the water cooled her temper she came to a slow realization. "It really can not be helped that Fluttershy went a little, to put it delicately, off her feed. We have all been trying to help her in becoming more assertive and confident, unfortunately I fear that our lessons have taken a little too well for Fluttershy's sake. I really must have a word with her our next spa date about her unhealthy way of dealing with rejection. Celestia alone knows how far she could take it someday." Rarity gasped as she climbed out of the tub and started to towel off. "She might, do something, to some poor pony that rejected her, like burn his or her house down." Rarity paused tilting her head curiously to one side, and then she started to laugh. "Heavens this is Fluttershy we're talking about, I might see that sort of reaction from Pinkie, she has a definite mental condition as it stands, but Fluttershy is just not the type to go around playing with fire. She might get burned."

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After cleaning up the bathroom, as it wouldn't do to allow the towels or tub to go untouched for the evening, Rarity brushed her mane and tail as she went through her nightly routine.

"Seventy-seven, seventy-eight, seventy-nine," Rarity counted each stroke of the brush through her mane even as her horn lit up with telekinesis and she slipped into her nightgown. "Honestly, Applejack can be quite blunt at times with her honesty, I know we don't wear clothes ordinarily, but still it just doesn't do well to have someone of Spike's age range witnessing a lady getting ready for a grand night out. Though I must admit the dream died rather quickly upon meeting that insufferable Prince Blueblood."

Rarity heard a small sound. Frowning slightly she turned to find the source of same.

Standing in her doorway with bleary eyes was Sweetie Belle. Clutched to her side with one leg was a stuffed creature of some kind.

Rarity removed her left false lash. "Sweetie Belle, shouldn't you be in bed?" she asked the young filly.

"I was," Sweetie Belle told her sister with a large yawn. "Momma tucked me in and everything, but when I heard the water running through the pipes earlier I realized you got home." Grinning now as she began to regain her senses Sweetie trotted up to her big sister. "Did you find him?" she wondered her eyes shining with hope.

Rarity frowned. "I'd rather not discuss it, and you should be asleep, it is a school night and I will not have you dozing off in class again," she told Sweetie succinctly.

Sweetie shook her head. "You promised," she whined.

Rarity flinched slightly. "I really shouldn't have started teaching her how to whine properly, no wonder those ruffian Diamond Dogs were so short with me," she muttered under her breath. Smiling slightly she beckoned Sweetie up onto her bed. "Alright, just this once I shall indulge you, Sweetie," she said.

Sweetie cheered and galloped into the bed.

Rarity noticed that the strange stuffed creature she'd been holding onto so tightly was in fact a representation of her. Rather crudely made and with a few stitches in the wrong places, and the fabric choice just was not flattering in the least, it was more an off cream or beige than white. Still Sweetie must have made it when she was allowed to use the sewing machine.

Smiling fondly at the sight she brought her leg around to wrap Sweetie close to her side and then with her horn she drew the covers up tight, it wasn't properly tucked in, but it would suffice. "What do you wish to know first?" Rarity asked.

"Was he handsome?" Sweetie wondered.

Rarity conceded if only in her mind that Prince Blueblood had given the impression of refined elegance. "Yes, quite charming," she said.

"Did he take you in his fore-legs and prance with you?" Sweetie asked with an eager gleam in her eyes.

Rarity frowned slightly. "I'm afraid there wasn't much time for dancing, Sweetie Belle," she said. "But we did walk side by side in the moonlight in the gardens and he did offer me a rose." It was a lie of course, but she couldn't be the one to dash all of Sweetie's hopes at romance as Blueblood had done to her, but then again she had been asking it building him up so high on that shining pedestal.

"Ooooooo, do you still have it?" Sweetie wondered practically bouncing up and down with excitement.

Rarity frowned slightly, now how to put this the right way, aha of course that was the answer. "I'm afraid I can't show it to you, Sweetie, as the rose was lost."

Sweetie gasped. "No!" she said.

"Why yes, a dreadfully sordid tale, there was another seeking his hoof of affection at the Gala," Rarity explained beginning to weave a tale in her mind. "It was really quite dreadful actually, somehow, and I'm not quite even sure how! That insufferable blue coated trollop who attempted to best me once before had been invited to the Gala."

"Huh?" Sweetie said glancing up at her sister in confusion.

"Oh you know, Tryst? Twirl-Dancer? What was her name?" Rarity said faking interest in knowing the real name of the poor fool chosen for this grand deception.

"You mean? The Great and Powerful Trixie?" Sweetie asked with another gasp.

Rarity nodded. "The very same, oh that t…temptress, seductress, she had on a dress almost as fashionable and brilliant and elegant as my own, though not quite in keeping with proper fashion standards. She batted her little eyelashes at the prince and he was… Bewitched!"

Sweetie let out another gasp and clutched her sister's likeness close to her chest. "What did you do?"

Rarity laughed. "I pulled out all the stops!" she stated. "It was only natural, Prince… I mean, he was destined to be mine after all, just as it was always meant to be. I dazzled her with my fine and imported jewelry."

"I thought momma gave them to you?" Sweetie interrupted.

"Yes, but they were imported at some point," Rarity stated not wanting to lose track of her wild story. "I tempted him back towards me with a coy flirtatious smile and the usual methods, pretending to faint almost won his attention back to me, but Trixie was far too cunning and unleashed the. Now what do they call it? Oh yes, the hoofkerchief maneuver!" Rarity declared in a scandalous tone.

Sweetie listened with rapt attention as Rarity continued her tale. She tensed up whenever Trixie seemed to be beating her sister in the art of pitching woo, but silently cheered her on when she managed to turn the tide, soon though she was yawning more often than smiling. And eventually Sweetie held up a hoof. "Rarity, I'm tired," she admitted.

"What? Oh of course, good heavens look at the time, you should have been back to bed hours ago," Rarity stated. "For that matter I need my beauty sleep," she muttered under her breath.

"I wanna stay here," Sweetie said.

Rarity tapped her cheek briefly in troubled thought, but she broke into a winning smile and gently patted her sister's mane. "Very well, Sweetie, good night," she whispered kissing the top of her forehead and using her magic to turn out the lights.

Sweetie cuddled up next to Rarity and soon her breathing grew calm. She had fallen asleep.

Rarity smiled once again with genuine warmth and affection. "Someday perhaps I'll tell you what really happened, but for now every little filly deserves to dream of her prince charming," she whispered. Settling her beauty mask on over her eyes Rarity fell into a dreamless sleep.

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Somewhere in Equestria a blue coated Unicorn suddenly awoke with a terrible sense of impending doom. The hot breath of the nightmare beast from her recent dream still felt cloyingly stuck to her sweat drenched coat.

Stumbling slightly out of bed she made it over to the mirror and splashed a bit of cool water in her face to calm her nerves.

Staring briefly at her reflection The Great and Powerful Trixie frowned. "What was that all about?" she wondered trying to unravel the mystery behind the nightmare she'd experienced. The memory was vague, but for some reason it had involved a white unicorn stallion and a life of wedded bliss. Shuddering slightly the Great and Powerful Trixie made her way back to the meager bed she'd managed to afford after her recent show. "The Great and Powerful Trixie is not amused," she told the night sky. "Princess Luna, if that was your idea of a joke, the Great and Powerful Trixie would appreciate it if you kept well enough alone as the Great and Powerful Trixie has enough problems to deal with now that she must perform in these dives for her next meal," she complained before falling back asleep.

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Prince Blueblood's nightmare…. Was just as terrible. Unfortunately for him he could not escape the egotistical blue mare that had somehow convinced him to marry her. And for some equally strange and baffling reason he kept seeing a large cake being thrown at him over and over again covering him in its sticky remnants. Truly a fate worse than marriage.

The End