I'll Show them All

As soon as morning came, the Guardians of Harmony, Spike, and his own traveling companions were up and got on the road heading for the location of where Tirek resided. They left town and traveled down the road past a field. As they walked, Twilight and the girls kept a close eye on Spike who was up front leading the way. Even though he only agreed to allow both parties to travel together he wanted to keep it strictly professional. But they were determined to reconnect with Spike after how badly things ended between them years ago thanks to their negligence.

They didn't wanna come off desperately to try to reconnect so they thought it would be best to go at it individually, with Twilight agreeing to go last knowing she was the last person Spike was willing to reconnect with so quickly.

After passing the field they took a breather and stopped close by a creek. As Pinkie pulled out a wide spread of treats for everyone, Spike got up, “I'm gonna go check things out over there.” he walked further ahead.

The girls watched Spike leave, with Rarity getting up, “I'm going in girls.”

“Good luck.” Rainbow said.

“Hold it!” Fleur stood up making Rarity turn to her.

“If you're going to try and stop me from getting close to Spike, then I should warn you I do not want to start anything with you.” the fashion girl warned the extra gorgeous one.

“Actually, I feel it's best if I go with you.” Fleur replied leaving them confused.

“What?” Fluttershy asked in confusion.

Moondancer spoke, “It's obvious you all want to get back on good terms with Spike despite him saying he just wants to keep it business.”

“We do.” Fluttershy confirmed.

“Well, Spike won't let you get so close to him unless one of us goes with.” Wallflower warned them.

“You actually want to help us?” Twilight asked in surprise.

Saffron nodded, “Spike told us how life was for him back when he lived with you, Twilight. How you and your friends made him feel so inadequate and unwanted despite how much he wanted to be part of your lives.”

“Yeah, we know we screwed up. We admit it!” Rainbow snapped in irritation, only for Applejack to pull her back down.

“Look we don't wanna step on anybodies toes,” Gabby continued, “But we also don't want to see Spike hold onto these bitter feelings.”

“We weren't there back then so we can't actually judge based on Spike's story alone.” Fleur noted.

“I know each of us screwed Spike over many times, me especially. But I truly never intended to make him feel like he never mattered to me,” Twilight explained, “Things just happened and we were too caught up in our things to think about him. We know it's no excuse but we really wanted to try to make up for things when I realized leaving him out on our class camping trip was one of many things I held him back from doing.”

“But when we tried to make up for it, things still took a bad turn and only left him feelin' even worse than before.” Applejack said with guilt.

“Girls, we love, Spike,” Rara began, “And he told us he doesn't wanna keep hating you girls for how you neglected him back then, but he won't make it easy.”

The girls felt a bit at ease knowing deep down Spike doesn't wanna be angry at them so much, but the side of him that still has bitterness towards them is keeping him from truly letting go and start a new. And they wanted to help cure him of that leftover resentment.

“Then you will help us?” Rarity asked hopefully.

“We will.” Fleur confirmed.

“Thank you.” Twilight smiled gratefully.

“But whether he forgives or not all depends on him.” Moondancer reminded them.

“Yeah, we'll do what we can, but it'll all come down to his choice.” Gabby added. Rarity nodded, as she walked with Fleur to go to Spike.

As the two walked, Rarity looked to Fleur curiously, “Fleur, darling, if I may. How does someone like you wind up traveling with Spike? I know I'm one to talk, but you look too beautiful to be simply a warrior in an adventurers party.”

Fleur smiled, “True. You might say this is an act of rebellion against my family.”

“Rebellion against your family?”

“Uh-huh,” Fleur nodded and continued, “Before I met Spike I came from a very wealthy upper class family. They always expected me to be a proper lady and one day dutiful wife to my future husband.”

Rarity sighed, “It's amazing there are still people like that these days who want to make their children into their own image. Even though I am a lady, I enjoy the regular fine things in life just as my friends do.”

Fleur nodded, “One time I snuck out to see a movie about warriors and I was so amazed at when they wielded their swords with such bravery and skill. I wanted to be like that. So I secretly trained with one of our best guards who was more than willing to help me. But eventually my parents found out the truth and they reprimanded me for it claiming swordsmanship was not befitting of a proper lady. It was then I finally snapped at them claiming this wasn't the life I wanted because it was their life. Unable to accept I wanted to live my life the way I wanted I left home, much like Spike did.”

“Oh, my.” Rarity gasped seeing the similarities between them.

“As I myself traveled the world I continued to hone my skills and work for pay proving I am capable of pulling my own weight, and yet I never let my beauty go tarnished.” Fleur showed her.

“That is very commendable,” Rarity said in admiration, “Even though I am a Guardian of Harmony I too manage to keep my own beauty in check even after a mission or fight. After all, just because we're ladies doesn't mean we can't get down and dirty too.”

Fleur nodded in agreement, as Rarity wondered, “So how is it you met Spike?”

“Well, I met him right after he met Gabby who was at first his only other traveling companion. We were all dealing with a band of criminals terrorizing a town. We all worked together and defeated them. Awed by my beauty and my skill with the sword he asked if I would like to join him,” she smiled, “Having been tired of traveling alone I did seek to travel with company and took him up on his offer.”

“And how did you react to when you realized Spike didn't have powers like everyone else?” Rarity wondered.

“Naturally I was surprised having never knew anyone alive couldn't be capable of what everyone else was capable of. But even so his skills with the sword rivaled my own and I respected him for that, and not even being powerless made me think less of him. I hated when I heard he told me so many people before always looked down and pitied him for being powerless like he wasn't capable of doing anything.” Rarity sighed knowing she was one of those people unintentional or not.

The two eventually caught Spike who was by the stream gazing at it as if deep in thought. Fleur spoke up bringing him back to reality, “Spike!” The young man shot his head up and looked over.

“Oh, Fleur... And Rarity.” he sighed.

“Spike,” Rarity greeted, before offering him some of the food Pinkie brought, “Here, you need to eat.”

Spike looked at the food, and while part of him was trying to egg him to not accept, he was truthfully hungry and accepted it, “Thanks.”

As Spike ate with the two gorgeous girls sitting at his side enjoying lunch as well there was still silence among them. Finally Rarity spoke up, “Spike, I want you to know what happened before-”

“Stop!” Spike stopped her, “I don't wanna hear about the past. I just wanna live in the present.”

“Spike, I implore you don't avoid and run from it.” Fleur reasoned with him, “You said you wouldn't.”

Spike sighed that she used his words against him before turning to Rarity, “Alright, you wanna talk? Let's talk.”

Rarity felt relieved that he was willing to speak about it, “First off, I know we left on bad terms, but the day after you left the girls and I stopped by your house to see you.”

“To give me pity?” he guessed.

“No. In fact we weren't the only ones who showed up,” Rarity continued, “Sapphire Shores and her whole crew accompanied us.”

Spike looked to her surprised, “They did?”

“Yes. That night after we all got home I talked to Sapphire and we all came up with a way to make up for how you missed out on the after party. First Sapphire made Lockdown write a personal apology to you for his complete idiocy of thinking you weren't part of our group and planned to have him recite it in front of all of us. Then Sapphire and her girls were going to take you out for a day and treat you to a private performance.”

“They were?”

“Yes. I and everyone else felt horrible for what happened that night four years ago and I didn't want you to go to bed another night thinking no one cared about how you felt.” Rarity explained.

Spike was stirred at Rarity's explanation. She really managed to get Sapphire to want to do all that for him because of an incident brought on by her incompetent guard. He started feeling happy about it, before his negative feelings about it took over.

“Appreciate the gesture but it probably would've been all for naught.”

Rarity was taken aback by his response, “What do you mean, darling?”

“For all we know something would've come along and ruin the plans, like a swarm of raging fans would crowd Sapphire Shores and separate her from me thus leaving me by myself. Or that dickwad of a guard would've fucked me over again somehow regardless of whatever apology he had written. So any time Sapphire Shores just happened to be performing at a place I was so conveniently at I didn't bother trying to attend. Didn't wanna risk running into her guard resulting in me doing something impulsive, or Sapphire spotting me and alerting you and the others where I am. That's why I left my phone behind so you wouldn't try to track me. Luckily I got a new phone with a new number with Fleur and the others as pretty much my only contacts.”

“You went through all that trouble to stay under the radar?” Rarity asked.

“Yes. Even if you girls did decide to heed my word about not trying to find me, I couldn't risk the chance of you tracking me through means like the social media.”

“Oh, Spike. I know you feel like no matter how hard you try to have fun something comes along to ruin it. But I really wanted to try and give you the best time ever.” Rarity tried reasoning.

“And why?” Spike crossed his arms.

“Because I cared about you.”

Spike frowned, “Cared? That's rich. You barely showed signs you truly cared about me enough. You remember what I wrote in my goodbye note about you and the girls?”

Rarity looked down sadly remembering how crushed she and the others felt when they read it, “You said you loved us, in your own way.”

“Yeah. I loved you girls. But I especially loved you the most,” Spike said, “All those times you asked me to come with you on your shopping binges? I agreed to do it because I hoped after you'd see how helpful and thoughtful I was you might see me as more than just some gofer. I took the time when you brought me along for stuff like that to get to know you that way I'd know the real you not just the you everyone at the school knew you as. And I did. I knew you better than most anybody. Your favorite ice cream, your favorite tea, where you keep several of your outfit making tools or accesories. How many other boys knew you that much? None.”

Rarity continued to feel dismal at Spike's logic, “True. You did know me best. And I never gave it any thought.”

“You're damn right. But what caused me to lose my hope in love for you was when you were going gaga over this celebrity acting like he was the one for you. Someone who doesn't even know you exist among the billions of other girls in the world. But you just had to say to my face 'Oh, Spike, if only you knew what love was'.”

Rarity remembered that day and she was so caught up in her own blind fantasy to realize what she said hurt Spike more than she realized.

“I know, and that was very unlady-like of me to say.”

“Those words hurt, Rarity. Probably even more than when Twilight called me a nuisance. You don't say those words to anybody, Rarity. No matter who they are.”

Fleur looked to Rarity in surprise, “Not even I would ever say that to anybody and I was raised by pompous upper-class citizens.”

Rarity's guilt continued to pile on, as Spike continued, “But it doesn't matter now. I'm sure you have guys back in the city all lined up wanting to do whatever you ask of them.”

Rarity frowned determined to not be taken by guilt, “You're right. I do, but I don't want them to.”

“Say what?” Spike asked confused.

“Yes, it's true I still have boys around me ready to wait on me hand and foot to cater to my every need. But I don't want that, not since the day you left.”

“They don't live up to your expectations the way I did?”

“Because with them I never felt anything. With you I always felt it was special.” Rarity corrected him.

“Special?” Spike wondered.

“When it was you always following me around and helping me I did enjoy your company not just because you would do anything I said, but because you listened much more than any other boy would,” Rarity sniffled, “You were right. You did try to get to know me while anyone else was only interested in being seen with me. I took you for granted and thought you were just a boy with a crush. But the truth is, I was the one with silly crushes. When you left Spike I felt lonely not having you around to talk to about anything even when it looked like I only kept you around for my own benefit.”

“Rarity.” Spike gasped.

“I'm not asking for forgiveness, Spike. Tartarus knows I don't deserve it or your friendship. But you have to know you did mean something to me even though I never showed it as much as I should've. I am so sorry I led you to leave.” Rarity said, as a tear fell from her eyes.

Spike watching Rarity cry reminded him of when Rarity was ghosted by somebody one day for a date was in tears, and he was there for her all day not wanting to leave her alone. And Rarity showed genuine appreciation for him being by her side.

Spike finally dropped his guard before lifting her chin up to face him and showed a smile, “Come on. Tears don't suit that pretty face of yours.” he started to dry her eyes.

“Spike.” Rarity gasped seeing his smile again. Which put a blush on her face.

Spike let out a sigh, “I was hurt when you acted like you ignored my feelings for you. But if what you said was true. You really did value the time we spent together?”

“Every second of it.” Rarity smiled.

Spike started to shed some tears before hugging Rarity much to her surprise, “I wish I knew that earlier.” he sniffled.

“I wish I made it more clear to you. Oh, my Spikey-Wikey.”

Spike looked up at her smiling, “You know. I actually missed hearing you call me that.”

Rarity smiled, “Spikey-Wikey.”

Fleur watched the two hug smiling and thought, 'He's on the road to recovery.'

Later back at the camp, the girls saw Spike, Fleur, and Rarity approach with Spike smiling and walking closer to Rarity. This made them curious as the three stopped before them.

“Hi, guys.” Pinkie greeted.

“Everything ok?” Gabby wondered.

“Never better.” Fleur answered.

“No problem at all.” Rarity put in still looking happy.

Spike spoke up, “I think we should keep here for the night. Is that ok with all of you?”

“Uh, sure.” Twilight answered.

“Fine with us.” Wallflower replied.

“Good.” Spike smiled, before going to a tree to relax by.

“Rarity, what happened back there?” Fluttershy asked, as the rest of the girls were curious.

“I think I finally got through to Spike.” Rarity said happily.

The girls gasped, “You did?” Rainbow asked hopefully, as Rarity nodded.

“So has he...” Twilight trailed.

“Well, for me at least. You girls will have to do the same on your own time.”

The girls knowing just because he's opened back up to one of them it doesn't mean he will for all of them. The five knew if they wanted to get Spike's forgiveness, they would have to do it on their own terms. And it wouldn't be easy. But they were willing to try.