Ponies dashed in a mad frenzy through the ruined buildings of Ponyville. Trees snapped like twigs, buildings demolished, Sugar Cube Corner ripped into pieces like it was a gingerbread house. The amount of destruction was staggering. A loud and terrifying roar of triumph filled the skies, as the destroyer relished in his victory.
"Oh be quiet!" The harsh voice rebuked, managing to silence the roar in a moment of pure audacity. The brilliant white coat of the most audacious unicorn to ever grace Ponyville was clearly visible to any with eyes on the mountain side. Of anypony in all of Equestria, only one would dare have the raw nerve to speak so in her situation. Rarity, the most fashionable, stylish and certainly verbose, pony in all of Ponyville looked at the monstrous creature that held her tightly in it's tail. It would have scared anypony half to death, with all the destruction and harm this creature had caused, but Rarity showed nothing but nerve to this powerful beast as she gave him a good verbal lashing.
"You've got nothing to be proud of! Steal everyponies things, terrorize the town and use me as a weapon against my own friends!" She started, her angry eyes digging into him. The dragon seemed confused by her outburst at first, but quickly lost interest with her incessant rambling. That didn't stop her from speaking for as long as her mouth was free, however.
"...Which as horrible as it is I can almost understand, because you're a dragon and all. But this!" She declared with righteous indignation, tugging off her cape and levitating it before the dragon with her horn. "This is a crime against fashion!" She spoke the words with such malice, such contempt, that one would think the dragon had stepped on some holy relic.
Considering Rarity, that might very well be a good comparison.
The dragon's expression changed almost instantly. And Rarity would admit to being surprised. Her outburst was more to keep her from panicking, looking for a way to get away from this beast. It had just defeated the two best fliers she knew, and the Wonderbolts as well! But if her words would actually give this dragon pause...oh you better get ready for a tongue lashing then! She could berate with the best of them!
It took her a moment longer to notice that the dragon's eyes were not fixated on hers, nor even on her face. She looked down in confusion and realized what her cape had been hiding from the foul creature. The fire ruby...Spikey-Wikey's gift... Her face took on an expression of shock at the realization that this precious gift was going to be this dragon's lunch. Well! What kind of a friend would she be if she let that happen? Spike went through so much effort to prepare that ruby for himself, and then he selflessly gave it away to her! To let this...creature take it away! She'd never be able to forgive herself! She covered it with her hooves, returning her angry gaze to the dragon, but with a bit less venom then before.
"Oooh no, you are not getting this gemstone!" She declared, and she could swear for a moment that the dragon looked confused, as if it were asking her why. She looked down at the gem again, her heart heavy from the memory of what the gem meant. She didn't know why she explained, only that she did.
"This was a present from my dear friend....Spikey-Wikey..." She spoke, as her voice started to crack slightly. "The kindest, sweetest most generous dragon ever..." And in that moment, her thoughts stopped her. Spikey-Wikey...little Spike, who had the most adorable precocious crush on her since he and Twilight first moved to town. The last week had brought...conflicting feelings about the baby dragon. She'd always been willing to look after the little dragon before, she knew all about his attraction to her. But he was a child, it was something innocent and simple then. Last week...changed that. Spike had taken something he had coveted, worked hard to make with love and care for months...and just given it away to make her happy. Maybe he was a child, maybe it was something silly and innocent...but still...
Rarity had never seen anyone else, even herself, give away something they desired that much. Her! As the Element of Generosity! She was so elated with the gift that she hadn't really let the weight of everything sink in until she'd arrive home at the Boutique. Designing the necklace for the ruby, she looked into it's jeweled surface, and was at once disgusted with what she saw. Somepony who took from her friends...who used the emotions of a child to get what she wanted...and took advantage of him. But then...she was stuck at an impasse. If she returned it, Spike would feel horrible that his gift was rejected. If she kept it but refused to use it, Spike would think he'd given it up for nothing. She was locked into her path now, she just had to make sure he knew how much she appreciated it. But this raised...bigger questions.
It would still be tremendously unfair to lead the poor dragon on, to make him think that she reciprocated his feelings, when in truth she just found them very cute. Sort of like what she would feel to see Sweetie Belle trying to flirt with Big McIntosh. The thought had made her giggle at the time. For now...for now she would make sure he knew how important his gift was, but she had to make sure to keep from sending the poor dragon conflicting feelings. She just wanted to let him have his fantasy until he grew out of it, not break his heart by having to tell him how it actually was.
And so came the affectionate nick name, the nuzzling, the showing off of the fire ruby. Telling everypony that asked that it was a gift from the baby dragon. She knew, better then most, that generosity was a hard trait to have sometimes. But that was all the more reason to acknowledge and reward it when it came around!
The feeling of scales around her, rubbing against her mane, brought her back to reality, and to her current situation. She looked up at the dragon with renewed vigor, there was no way she would let it get it's claws on this gift! "And it is too precious to me to give it to a greedy old beast like you!" She shouted defiantly. She turned away from the creature with a huff. She didn't doubt he could take the ruby from her, but she would fight with every ounce of power she had to keep it safe, it was what she owed...
There was no response. No growl, no movement, nothing. Everything was still and quiet, as if waiting for something to happen before time resumed. Finally she heard the sound of the dragon throwing it's head about, though she did not care to look. If it wanted to attack, it had every chance...not like she could stop it. She couldn't fly, she wasn't strong, and her magic wasn't even a fraction as powerful as Twilight's. "Oh what now? I suppose you'll be eating me or something?" She questioned indignantly, hoping her attitude would confuse it long enough for...something to change, she wasn't sure what. Almost instantly, she felt the tail's hold on her start to loosen, and she glanced back towards the beast in surprise.
Surprise was no longer a suitable word for her reaction, as she saw the beast shrinking away, the form becoming far more recognizable. She was barely able to comprehend, but she spoke anyway.
"S..Spike?! You're the rampaging dragon?!" She began, and then he finished assuming his natural form...a form that was nowhere near tall enough to reach the cliff side from where they were. Rarity and Spike were suspended in the air for a split second, she felt certain her eyes would bulge out of their socket's in surprise. It was him...exactly as he should be.
And then gravity spoke up, exerting its hold on them. Rarity shrieked in panic as she and the baby dragon began plummeting through the sky, the wind flying past them. Rarity's eyes locked onto the ground, her teeth chattering in fear as she plummeted in free fall for the second time in recent memory. It was no less terrifying then it was the first time. At least the first time the Wonderbolts and Rainbow Dash were nearby. But they had all been defeated by the dra...by Spike. There was...nopony left.
It was Spike's voice, over the howl of the wind flowing past them, that drew her attention. "Rarity! I need to tell you something, just in case we don't make it!" He started, and instantly her eyes locked on him, though he refused to meet hers. She knew what he was going to say, before he even said it.
"I've always sort of had a crus-" He was stopped by the gentle white hoof on his mouth, and Rarity couldn't help her smile, couldn't help the tears that welled up in her eyes. And at that moment...she knew just how foolish she had been. She had been wrong to treat him like a child...to treat this like some kind of game or fantasy of his. To him...it was serious, it was real, and it was something worth giving anything for. She was the one that didn't really understand, not him.
When the Diamond Dogs abducted her, he did everything in his power to rescue her. Sure he came up short, but results don't take away from the effort inside of it. As their descent to the ground slowed, Rarity couldn't help but think it was her life flashing before her eyes. After all the time, all that the seven of them had been through, she'd treated him like a child with no idea of what was going on. How would she have reacted if some noble stallion did all the things that Spike had done for her? Helping her with her work, going gem hunting with her, giving her a gift so personally precious to them? If Spike could be...this mature, why couldn't she take his affections seriously for what they were? Sure she could blame his age...his species...they were all very good excuses, but did any of that really matter?
She didn't even feel like she was falling anymore, even though they most certainly still were. She found, oddly enough, that the feeling was very similar to flying. Soaring through the sky, she just felt so weightless. Everything just seemed so...silly. Her cape designs, the embarrassment she felt towards being the target of a dragon's affections, everything. Everything she'd put so much stock into seemed pointless now that she was speeding towards her own end. And a small feeling pulled her out of her thoughts, returning her to reality. A claw.
Spike had grasped her hoof in his hands, a smile on his face. Rarity knew how silly it was, the both of them plummeting to their ends, smiling like they knew some secret nopony else did. But she didn't care, she was finally understanding everything, and the chains on her heart that had kept the truth from getting in had fallen away. The only thing that mattered right now was that her friends were safe, and even she and Spike would go out with a smile. She, almost contentedly, closed her eyes as the ground came nearer...
And then, in an instant, everything changed. Direction, speed, feeling, everything. Her eyes were nearly slammed shut by the stress of...whatever that was. She felt something under her...something smooth. Silky, but strong, ah! She'd know that feeling anywhere! She opened her eyes in shock to find both her and Spike held aloft by the remains of her torn cape. She was quite glad she decided to double layer it for durability. Looking up, she saw the unmistakable blue and golden wings of her two pegasi friends, and she almost collapsed in relief. They'd done it...they'd made it. As they were set down on the ground, Fluttershy expressed a similar sentiment to what the unicorn felt. Rarity was still in a bit of a daze herself. Sure, they had been in mortal peril, quite a few times in fact, but it still served to shake her up a little bit.
She took a deep breath and flipped her windswept mane back. All right, that was quite enough of that. She expected to see Twilight run right up to Spike, but the other unicorn held back. Spike had released Rarity's hoof sometime after they'd been caught, and now sat on the edge of the bridge looking absolutely miserable. Rarity walked slowly up to him, and instantly understood why as he held up his own clawed hand, looking about ready to cry. The poor dear...he really was just a child. Yes, just a child, that was right.
Being sure of your own end made things clear, but that same clarity tended to fade quickly once we were no longer in mortal danger. And as Rarity watched Spike, she knew she had to say something to her friend. Still...this didn't seem to best the best time to discuss their...emotional difficulties. Perhaps she should just try to support her friend. Yes! Of course that was a fabulous idea!
"Spike I just have to tell you how absolutely proud I am of you." She spoke happily from behind him, her voice as calm and light as if she'd just walked out of the Boutique, and not plummeted out of the sky in free fall. Spike looked down, as if he didn't believe her, but the sincerity in her voice made him uncertain.
"Proud...of me?" He asked confused.
Rarity smiled and held herself up with dignity. "Yes. It was you who stopped...well...you...from destroying Ponyville." She said with a bright smile, faltering over her choice in words for just a second. She'd berate herself for being crass later. His expression lifted slightly, but she knew that it wasn't enough. Where was all of that well-spoken class when she needed it? She recalled, for a moment, a brief memory of how Spike had come to her rescue in the Diamond Dog's caves...like he was some fairy tale knight...ah!
"You're my hero, Spikey-Wikey." She said, watching his eyes well up with tears as she leaned closer and placed a kiss on his scaled cheek. She felt his body stiffen up at the contact, and tried not to giggle, but he handled it far better than he had back in the library. At least he wasn't out cold on the floor.
It was hours later, when she prepared to sleep back at the Boutique (in a spare room, since her room currently had a hole in it), that she realized what she'd done. She just...kept taking advantage of him...kept leading him along. But why was it leading him? Hadn't she realized she'd been horribly unfair to him before? What was the difference between his affection and a Stallion's affection? Hmmm, this day had been too busy, she needed time to relax and mull this all over. Oooh, and she had to finish those capes she promised for her friends.
And as she lay down to sleep, the chains tightened once again.
Author's Note
So, I'm not a huge fan of this show, but 'Secret of my Excess' was the first episode I ever saw, and I am nothing if not a sappy, helpless romantic. I hope I didn't screw up anything continuity wise, so feel free to let me know if there are any consistency errors. That said, I really liked the idea of impending death making Rarity, the most superficial of the ponies, think on things that really matter. But such changes rarely last, they get buried beneath the cares of the physical world, and pushed aside. Let me know what you think and thanks for reading!
-Lumino
