Rarity was surrounded by darkness.. Wherever she looked the blackness was all she could see.. Suddenly a little filly could be heard screaming in the distance.. "Who is there! Where am I!?" The screaming slowly got louder.. "Sweetie Belle!? Is that you!?" Rarity screamed.. The voice now screamed at the top of her lungs.. It was a sound of fear.. of helplessness.. "I can't see you! I want to help you Sweetie!" Rarity yelled.. Suddenly the screaming stopped and a dim light shone down from the sky.. The light revealed Fluttershy slowly walking towards Rarity while carrying a smiling Sweetie Belle on her back.. "Don't worry Rarity.. I'll make everything ok.." The pegasus said with a loving voice as she nuzzled the unicorn..

"Wakey wakey big sister!" a happy voice said.

Rarity slowly opened her eyes to see her little sister standing on the bed with a large grin on her face.

"Sweetie Belle?" Rarity said groaning. "What are you doing? Where is Fluttershy?" She asked.

"I'm right here silly" Fluttershy said standing on the side of the bed with a smile.

"You were still sleeping so we made breakfast. I helped!" Sweetie Belle said.

"Oh dear.. that's very nice and all but.." Rarity said as she thought back at her sisters last cooking attempt.

"Hey! Don't be like that. Fluttershy taught me how to make cinnamon pancakes!" Sweetie said as she pushed a plate in Rarity's direction.

Rarity inspected the food closely. It seemed to be mostly unburned and it sure smelled nice. "Here goes nothing.." Rarity said as she took a bite from the pancakes. Suddenly her eyes lit up. "Sweetie Belle this is amazing!" Rarity exclaimed with a smile on her face.

"Fluttershy did most of the work." The filly said smiling shyly at her sisters compliment.

"N-now now, you were a great help.." Fluttershy said hiding her face behind her mane.

Rarity giggled at the sight of how incredibly adorable the two were together. The three sat atop the bed for a while eating their pancakes. Fluttershy wasn't used to having any guests in her home but she enjoyed every minute of it. Suddenly Rarity's eyes shot open.

"What day is it today!?" she asked hastily.

"I think it's Monday." Fluttershy said. Rarity looked at the large antique clock standing in the room. "Sweetie Belle! You're late for school!"

Sweetie Belle trotted happily over the streets of Ponyville with her big sister on her right side and Fluttershy on the left. "Come on Sweetie Belle! you are late enough as it is." Rarity said. The two ponies left Sweetie Belle at the school building. "Now you behave yourself and tell your teacher your sorry for being late!" Rarity yelled as she waved Sweetie Belle goodbye.

"She is a really great sister.." Fluttershy thought as she looked at Rarity.

After walking for a while the two neared Rarity's old boutique. Rarity paused for a while as she looked at the building. Fluttershy noticed a tear forming in Rarity's eyes. "Come on Rarity, You need to get trough this." Fluttershy said as she put a comforting hoof on her friend's shoulder.

Rarity wiped the tears out of her eyes and looked up at Fluttershy. All she saw inside those big blue eyes was care and love. Suddenly Rarity felt a new-found feeling of confidence. "You're right. I have to be strong right now." she said.

"So.. how should we go about this?" Fluttershy asked softly.

"Well, I'm going to have to find a new place where I can set up my workshop. I won't be able to sell anything in the store but I'll be able to complete orders." Rarity said. "But where?"

Fluttershy looked at the ground for a while before she spoke up. "Why don't you make a space in my living room?" she asked her friend.

"Fluttershy it's enough that you have to share your room with somepony. I would not want to intrude on your privacy even more." Rarity said.

"Oh that would be no problem at all. I spent most of my day outside anyway. You wouldn't be intruding on anything. I insist that you set up your workshop in my home." Fluttershy said with a determined look on her face.

Rarity wanted to object but she knew she wasn't going to be able to talk her friend out of this. She hugged Fluttershy tightly "Thank you so much Fluttershy." She said gratefully.

The smell of vanilla filled Fluttershy's nose as she had her face pressed into Rarity's mane. "She smells so good.." she thought to herself. much to her dismay Fluttershy eventually felt Rarity release her.

They used the rest of the afternoon gathering all the fabric from Rarity's store, Dismantling the mannequins and storing them into bags.

As they neared the school they could see Sweetie Belle saying her goodbyes to Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. The little filly ran up to Rarity and Fluttershy the moment she saw them.

"Are you ready to go home Sweetie?" Rarity asked her little sister. Suddenly a new feeling hit her as she thought about what she just said. "Home.. It does feel like home doesn't it? It's funny.. I have never felt this welcome in someone else's house before." She thought.

"Sure am Rarity!" the little filly said.

After an hour of work Fluttershy and Rarity had set up a small workshop in a corner of the living room. As the two worked Sweetie Belle had been bouncing around them with a smile of happiness that could challenge Pinkie Pie's. The little filly was constantly asking questions to her big sister but the only response she received was "Mhmm"

"That will do nicely." Rarity said as she looked over the whole corner one more time. Suddenly her stomach let out a loud growl. Her face became flushed with embarrassment.

Fluttershy merely giggled at this. "What do you want for dinner Rarity?" She asked laughingly.

"Whatever you were planning on making should be fine." She said still blushing.

"OOH OOH I want some hay fries!" Sweetie Belle yelled.

"Sweetie! Don't be so rude. You will eat whatever Fluttershy cooks for you." Rarity said looking angrily at her sister.

"Oh that's ok Rarity. I think I still have some hay. Just let me start up the frying pan." She said smiling at Sweetie Belle.

"YAY!" Sweetie exclaimed.

It was dark fairly early that day. Winter was around the corner after all. Rarity had just put Sweetie Belle to bed and was walking downstairs. The Living room of the wooden cabin was dimly lit by the light coming from the burning fireplace. Fluttershy sat on the ground near the fire. Warming herself in its glow. She slowly turned her head as she saw Rarity return.

"Is she sound asleep?" Fluttershy asked smiling.

"She protested a bit.. but she gave up after a while. Hopefully she's asleep now." Rarity said with a tone of exhaustion in her voice.

An awkward silence filled the room for a while as the two ponies silently looked each other in the eyes.

"I really admire you Rarity." Fluttershy whispered just loud enough for Rarity to hear. "I mean.. for you to take such good care of you sister.." She said a bit louder.

"I love her dearly but she can be such a handful sometimes.." Rarity said softly.

Fluttershy could hear the concern in her crush's voice.

"Rarity.. how are you? I mean.. how are you really. Not what you tell Sweetie Belle to keep her morale up.." Fluttershy asked with a caring voice.

Rarity let out a large sigh as she sat down next to her friend. "Really? I'm afraid." She could feel a heavy feeling in her throat. "I'm afraid that if my dresses don't become a great success I wont be able to take care of her any more.. I'm afraid that if I stop guarding her she might get hurt.. I'm afraid that if she loses me she won't have anypony left." she said as she tried to fight back her tears.

"I have been trying the best I can to give her the childhood she deserves but it's just.. so.. hard.." Rarity said as she thought about her current situation. "Ever since.. ever since.." Rarity could not get the words to leave her mouth. She bit her lip and looked away from her friend. Closing her eyes as tightly as possible in the hope that whatever tears where forming in her eyes would disappear.

Suddenly she felt Fluttershy's arms around her. Hugging her in a warm embrace. "Rarity.. I can't help you if you can't tell me what's on your mind." she pleaded. As Rarity looked into Fluttershy's eyes she felt a feeling she had missed for far too long. The feeling you get when you know someone cares about you.

"Fluttershy.. Promise me that if I cave in and break and leave myself open to you I won't be making a mistake.." Rarity said as she looked into her friend's eyes.

"I promise.." She whispered in her ear.

The rain poured down upon the head of a teenage filly as she held her even younger sister in a tight embrace. The two fillies looked at the two lonely tombstones sitting in the grass on the hill in front of them. They both placed a single rose atop of the graves.

It had been a month since the first time they stood there. The white teenage filly with a purple mane wiped the tears from her eyes as she walked up to the graves and spoke.

"Hey mom... Hey dad... I found us a place to stay.. hopefully they won't find out we are sleeping in their barn." She said softly. "And don't worry. I have been feeding Sweetie.. I know you don't like it when I steal but I didn't have a choice."

For hours the two fillies just sat there. Looking at the stones with tears in their eyes. The bigger filly noticed her sisters breakdown and grabbed her into a tight hug. The younger filly slowly started smiling at her sister. Suddenly the teenage filly looked up at the stones with a look of purpose in her eyes.

"I promise to you that from now on I will do anything I can to keep her happy." The filly was thinking silently but in her mind she was yelling. As she thought of her little sister crying she slammed her hoof down on the cobblestone floors. "Never again!"

Fluttershy's eyes were wide open. A look of disbelief was stuck on her face as she held the crying unicorn in her arms. "No... that's impossible.. no one should have to go through something like that.." she thought, her eyes filling with tears. She tightened her hold over her friend as much as possible.

"Why did they both have to leave Fluttershy!?" Rarity sobbed. "Why did it have to take them both!?" Fluttershy was lost for words at the situation. All she could think of doing was hugging her friend tightly and telling her everything would be ok.. but those words were insufficient.

No words could ever describe the amount of compassion Fluttershy felt for her friend that night. She wanted to tell the unicorn she loved her. She really did but she didn't know if that would better the situation or worsen it. The pony in her arms had given up her teenage years to take care of her little sister. She had given up on living a good life so that somepony else could. It was the ultimate sign of generosity to Fluttershy.

"I have been taking care of her ever since.." Rarity managed to whisper in between her sobbing.

Fluttershy was overwhelmed with emotions. She wanted to do anything in her might to make this pony feel better. She wanted to hug her at her very soul to tell her just how amazing she was. Fluttershy acted completely on impulse. She closed her eyes. Placed her face right in front of Rarity's and kissed her.

She could feel Rarity shake in shock for a while. Tears still running from her face. She could hear her moan in between her muzzled crying. After a while Fluttershy could feel Rarity calm down. She pulled her in closer as Rarity opened her mouth allowing Fluttershy's tongue to enter.

The two mares sat there in front of the fire for what seemed like an eternity. Enjoying each other's embrace as their tongues intertwined and their hearts melted. Then Fluttershy broke the kiss and spoke up.

"But who's been taking care of you.."