Holding the Beautiful Things
She moved like a ballerina. Ever since he had been able to crawl, he had learned the art of dance. He also knew how to play the piano, how to write clear, beautiful letters, and even how to sing. Well, as much as any dragon could sing. His race tended to keep spoken language within the domain of feral roars and brutal insults, with the occasional bellowed fiat. He was a living rock by nature, but nurture urged him to pursue harmony rather than a horde. He had watched ballerinas twist and leap almost since he was old enough to remember, and she was more beautiful than any of them.
The downfall of the ballerina was that she produced nothing as she danced. The beauty of her performance ended as soon as her hooves stilled and her head bowed. As soon as he could hold a book in his little claws, he had tried to be useful to the unicorn who had sparked his egg into hatching. She had been a child just like he, but in his heart the little dragon had known his purpose was to help her. He found happiness in carving his name into the world, or helping another do what they were put here to do. That was one of the reasons he so greatly revered this mare, for when she stopped dancing the beauty of her performance carried on.
"Spike, would you move those rolls of fabric over by the window? I'm not about to commit to a color for Princess Celestia until I've seen it in the sunlight." The seamstress asked with a wave of her hoof. Her eyes darted back and forth between three hovering designs, and after a long moment of indecision she pulsed her horn. One drew closer, the other two flew away to a shelf. Without looking away from her choice, the mare stepped to one side to let the dragon pass.
Spike had two hefty spools of cloth in his arms and a third in a coil of his tail. The fabrics were almost as large as he had once been, but dragons were adaptive creatures. He had desired to be stronger, to better exert control over his domain, and he had adapted. Digging gemstones, lugging books, cooking, cleaning, and taking care of a neurotic librarian with enough magical ability to level the town was hard work.
In his blood was a call to war, to greed and carnage for the glory of his own name. It was the way of dragons, just as pegasi flew or unicorns bent the laws of physics. That was why Celestia had raised him in an environment of kindness and culture, for Twilight had been far too young to take on the full responsibility of a newly hatched dragon. He had been raised to know what love was, for he was born knowing how to hate. That was why he was in this mare's shop, carrying her cloth into the sunlight, instead of carrying her away to a dark cave to be chained up as the centerpiece of a stolen horde.
She turned around and squinted at him over the top of her red-rimmed glasses. "Hmm..." With a glow of her horn she pulled the curtains as wide as they would go. "Oh," the seamstress stamped her hoof. "She's such a beast to design for, white and a rainbow mane, how am I supposed to top that? I could go with a yellow... oh, that would look horrible." She shifted her gaze and stared into the dragon's eyes for a long moment. "She wears gold so well, a strong metal, whatever I create has to radiate strength."
Spike raised an eyebrow. "Gold's soft, Rarity." Mmmm. Gold. Light on the palate, but not very nutritious to him.
She slapped her fetlocks over her cheeks. "Ah, you're right, what am I thinking! She's the kind, wise ruler, not a metalbound tyrant."
Metalbound Tyrant would be an awesome name for an album. Ever since he had stumbled across Big Macintosh playing a guitar in the shade of the apple trees next to the Ponyville railroad track, he had been dying to get a real band together.
"Hmm... well, even if I used gold cloth instead of bands..." The seamstress paced back and forth, muttering to herself. "Mmph, but that's not sturdy enough on its own, she has wings, one little rip during a flight and ohhhhhhhh..." the mare wailed.
Spike rolled his shoulders. Yes, the cloth was heavy, but he had been pumping iron for a long time. If anything good had come of that day when greed took control, it was that he knew he could be anything he wanted to. Princess Celestia had always whispered that to him when she was his caretaker. So, he had sought out Big Macintosh and asked him how a young boy might build muscle mass the honest way.
"Hmmm... if I was to use the gold as an underlayer, though, I'd put it with... that green, yes." She pointed to the roll of cloth on his right shoulder. "Yes... oh, but no pattern. Too distracting." Rarity shook her head, and Spike's eyes followed the bouncing curls of her mane. "Must draw the eye to her, not some stitching on her train. That would be like leopard-print on a spring hat." A shiver passed down her spine.
The dragon smiled, and let the roll of cloth float away from him. He reached up and set the other two atop a nearby cabinet that was stuffed with everything from feathers to sequins. It was good to be strong. Applejack's brother had put him through the wringer on the farm, and then handed him off to some friends at the fitness center. When the shy red earth pony had finally worked up the courage to propose to a certain schoolteacher, after her many promptings, Spike had feared that the days of Big Macintosh carrying his guitar in a gunnysack were numbered. He would have to get all civilized and respectable, be a good influence on her students, and spend all his time either working on the farm or catering to his wife.
"Oh dear. No," the unicorn held two small squares of differently colored fabric under the sunbeam, "this is just too dark. Spike, would you-"
"Eyup." The purple dragon hefted another three rolls of cloth and stepped back into the light. As it turned out, Cheerilee had been quite the party pony in her youth. With age had come wisdom, not regret. Instead of losing his lead guitar, he got a pretty good vocalist. Spike had learned the bass guitar, not entirely by his own choice. When Vinyl Scratch caught wind that he was forming a band, she had "arranged" for him to get private lessons.
"Oooh, that Harlequin green is so lively. I daren't err to close to blue, she and Princess Luna mustn't blend into one another... oh, but they are co-rulers..." Rarity held up her design again and nibbled on her lower lip. "Spike, do you think I have enough of that color, or... I'll order more, what am I saying!" The mare lept to her notebook and scribbled down an order. "She wanted three of the same pattern, if she likes this one, I'll certainly need more fabric, can't order it until then. Must balance the colors well though, if I do it wrong..."
The band just needed a drummer. Oh, Pinkie Pie was happy to fill in whenever they needed her, but who would have thought it would be so hard to find a pony who could really thrash it out on a double-kick kit? Scootaloo might be interested... in a few years. The dragon yawned. If it was meant to be, the stars would align. He could afford to play it cool. Some things in life you had to grab by the throat, and some you had to let bloom. Rarity levitated another two rolls toward him, and with some creative balancing the dragon was able to show off all five.
"Hmm... Am I on the right track, Spike? Is green too... natural?" She stroked her chin. "I wonder, perhaps a shade of pink..." the mare winced. "No, no, she is definitely not a pink kind of Princess. Not for this gown. Green and gold, oh, and perhaps a touch of silver! Yes, yes, that's it, emphasize her mane with a bit of metallic grey." Rarity twirled back to her design table and took a quill in the glow of her horn. "Spike, the silver fabrics are-"
"Metallics, S-3," the dragon finished as he set the four rejected fabrics on a nearby table. "Except you forgot to put them back from that new suit for Twilight's dad three weeks ago so they're still," he yanked open a drawer, "in with your blacks."
She blushed as her quill scribbled across the page. "I'm sorry, Spike... I-"
"Am not as organized as an obsessive-compulsive librarian who is mentored by the Princess of the Sun?" He chuckled. "Rarity, when I come over here, it's like a vacation. At least when you misplace something, you don't... actually, probably better I didn't tell you that story." He scratched one side of his chin as he pulled the silver rolls out and carried them back to where they belong. All but two went into the S-3 bin, and a moment later he was standing by the window again, letting the sunlight fall across the green and silver cloth.
"I really do appreciate this." The mare said with a smile as she turned back to him. Her steps were graceful as she avoided the balls of yarn, misplaced measures, and fallen scraps of fabric that littered the floor. "Sweetie Belle has always tried so hard... but..."
The dragon smiled wide, a vaguely threatening gesture given how many rock-crushing teeth it revealed. "She has too much imagination, and energy." That girl was gonna be a heartbreaker. She already had the adorable eyes, and that honestly naive personality with a cunning undercurrent. Spike would gladly admit he found her cute, but she was a few years younger than him just as he was a few years younger than her big sister. That did not matter as much to the dragon as the fact that Sweetie Belle, for all her charms, was not the mare standing in front of him, with her purple tail swishing back and forth and her majestic blue eyes appraising the colors he held. The living rock shifted subtly into a pose more befitting of a marble statue.
"Well, I certainly know why Twilight values your aid." The unicorn smiled warmly, then closed one eye and leaned her head to the side. "That one is simply wrong." With a glow of her horn she took it from him and tossed it back in its bin. "Hmm... but that other is not quite right." Rarity stepped deftly to the open drawer and looked inside. With a huff, she slammed it shut. "No, no, no, it just... Spike, hold this with them, would you?" She levitated a square of thin gold cloth toward the dragon, and pulled her glasses down. The designer shut her eyes for a long moment, emptied her lungs before slowly refilling them, then looked on the materials with fresh perspective.
"Oh, my. Yes... yes..." she stepped closer to the dragon. "Yes, they do go well together, the green and the gold will set each other off nicely with that silvery grey woven in. Ahh... but the gold will still be too brittle for her needs. This isn't a simple party dress, this is for Princess Celestia. She deserves something that will endure just as she has!" the unicorn said confidently. Then she sighed, and lowered her head. "Oh, what am I saying... I should have known from the start I was biting off more than I could chew with this."
Spike's claws and tail were full, otherwise he would have reached down to touch her cheek. Well, first he would need a minute to work up his courage, but he would totally do it. Rarity started murmuring something to herself about one change or another, which quickly spiraled into a litany of second guessing. The dragon glanced from side to side nervously, trying to decide if he should dare.
Would it be too forward? Too flashy? He was here to help her, but what if she took it the wrong way? What if she thought he was implying that she was too stupid to do this on her own, that she needed him just to function, that she could not overcome her fears on her own? What if she said she hated him and never wanted to see him again, and she moved to Canterlot and started dating a member of the Wonderbolts and... and...
"Spike? Spiiike?" The mare clapped her front hooves together. "Spikey-wikey?"
His cheeks turned crimson as he returned to reality. "I... uh..." He swallowed. "Yeah?"
She reached up and touched the claw that held the silver cloth. "Oh, dear, I'm so sorry. We should have eaten an hour ago, I had a large breakfast this morning, but if you-"
"No! No, I'm fine." He smiled widely. "I uh... had a big breakfast too, just... thinking!"
"Oh?" her eyes brightened with interest, this might be the spark of inspiration she needed! "About what?"
Ponyfeathers. He said the first thing that came to mind. "Gold!"
The ivory mare blinked. "Gold? Why, I don't know what more there is to think about it, I'll simply have to redesign without the gold, as I was just saying." She paused, in the distance behind Spike was the Golden Oaks Public Library. A forgotten bit of technomagical trivia popped into her mind. "There is some new process with atomized gold and plasma... they coat actual cloth with the gold instead of just spinning the fabric with gold threads. It keeps the cloth fully flexible, and durable, but I've never worked with it before."
Spike nodded slowly. He was here to help her. She trusted him. With a deep breath, he forced down a figment of fear that still lurked in his mind from that vision in the Crystal Empire long ago. Twilight had not cast him out, and neither would Rarity. That was his greatest fear, for he had been raised to know love. If love not only turned away but reviled him, what was left for a dragon but greed and carnage? He knew what that felt like, too, and never wanted to feel it again. He would reach out and remind her that he had confidence in her.
"No," she hissed to herself, and turned away just as he started to shift his burdens. The mare quickly began to pace back and forth across the floor, her tail flicking from side to side as she thought. It was actually a habit she had picked up from him, but neither of them had ever mentioned it. "No, no completely out of the question, it would be far too expensive."
Spike coughed, and held the materials a little tighter. "Her Majesty did say cost was not a concern." The royal title felt perfectly natural to his tongue, but not to his heart. He had not called Celestia by any maternal phrase since he was old enough to know better, but... he could. She was the one who had cared for him as a mother should, and she would not refute that title. Twilight and her family had enough on their hooves already when he was hatched, the Princess had never even implied that they would be expected to care for an infant they hardly knew anything about. Nopony else could claim to have been raised by her the way he could, not even the ponies who paraded about with noble titles and upturned noses. But he had never leaned on that honor. It was in part because he respected her, and in part because he wanted to earn his own place. Spike the Dragon did not have to hide behind Celestia's name, his own was waiting to be forged.
Even so, everypony should have somepony to call mommy. As he looked down at the pacing mare, he remembered the time he had stumbled into one of the vaults and eaten three ingots of pure gold before the guards caught him. Spoiled his supper and gave him stomach aches for a week, but the scolding from Celestia had been worse. "And Rarity, if you're ever gonna send somepony a bill with a long bottom line, this is the client, y'know?"
"Well... I suppose it would be worth a look..." The mare rubbed her front hooves together. "Oh, but what if I start a trend? It's horridly pricey, what if other ponies want to look just as fabulous but just can't afford-"
Spike laughed. "Rarity, that's the way everything new is. It's expensive, then it gets popular, and somepony figures out how to do it cheaper and better."
"Would it be too gaudy?" she asked, glancing back at her design. "Oh, but what if the economy takes a downturn and ponies whisper that Princess Celestia is dressing in fancy gold clothes while others starve!"
The dragon sighed. "I-"
"No, no, you're right." The unicorn answered herself, then stepped back to her designing table. "I'll have to get some samples in of that cloth, Her Majesty deserves the best. If ponies will talk, then ponies will talk. I cannot please everypony, but I can please my client." With effort, Rarity shrugged and shook out her front legs to dislodge some of the nervous tension.
Spike nodded, somewhat used to the ivory mare's rolling madness. Twilight was far worse in some respects. Spike! I need that report in triplicate, not duplicate!
"There," the seamstress finished writing a note to herself. "And I'll take those, thank you." The materials levitated out of his grasp and settled on her sewing table. She heaved a long sigh. "Well, that's all I can do for now. I'll have to send a letter to that company... oh, I do hope they'll give a small town designer like me the time of day."
The dragon growled, and flexed his empty arms. A sly grin spread across his face. He had taken to watching film reels from the library's archives. On a dress form nearby sat a white fedora with a jaunty red feather sticking from its black bow. Spike picked it up with a talon, spun it atop his head, and said in a rough cinema mobster's voice, "ya want me ta go give 'em the talk, eh boss? I'll go make 'em an offer they can't refuse."
Rarity glanced over her shoulder and giggled, "oh, Spikey-wikey, I'm sure it won't be any trouble. I've worked with suppliers like that in the past, you just have to include your client list in the envelope." She stepped to the side and drew a copy of that list from a drawer. "Fancypants, Hoity Toity, several prominent businessmares, the Astral Princesses, a bit of contract work for the leader of the Crystal Empire, and last but certainly not least the Elements of Harmony."
"An' that's just the first page!" the dragon affirmed as he dropped the hat back atop the dress form's head.
"Mmm, quite." She set the list with the note and mentally filed it away as something to do tomorrow. "Well, that's that. Three orders finished and another prototyped. Really, Spike, I'm quite ahead of schedule thanks to you." She held up a hoof. "Oh, don't give me that humble, "I just hold things" line." The mare batted her eyes at him. "You hold them with such style, such sagacity, and such well-defined muscles, that I may as well give you partial credit."
The boy's tongue was somehow stuck to the roof of his mouth, and his jaw had fallen slightly open. However, his brain still tried to respond. "Uhhhh..." It was the universal tone of a male mind stuck in neutral gear.
Rarity laughed, a warm and reassuring sound, as she turned back to her design board. Her horn glowed bright as she set aside the plans for Celestia's dress and pulled out the sketches for another. The dragon shook his head, dropped down to all fours, and stretched out a kink in his spine. He was almost larger than she, and the compliment had been hard-earned. Dragons' thick scales hid muscle mass well, so he had to work extra hard to develop what a pony's thin skin and fur coat would easily show. Fortunately, the dragon had taken a liking to the feeling of blood pounding through his body after an intense workout, it triggered his primal instincts.
Those instincts were not always well-intentioned. In fact, a soft whisper in one corner of his mind was even now suggesting that he claim all he desired by force. He was a dragon, the adoptive son of this land's ruler, why should he not be the unrivaled tyrant-lizard-king of all he surveyed? Why should he deny himself, when he was immortal and these ponies so temporary? Why not right here, right now, the dawning of a new empire?
Because he loved her. He always had. She had to choose if she loved him of her own free will. Anything less would taste bitter. Celestia had raised him to love life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, to respect those values both for himself and those around him. It was up to each pony to decide what she wanted to make of the world, and then to try with all her heart to do it. That was why this Sisters Astral had rebelled against Discord, and why the Elements of Harmony continued to protect this land. If he trampled on that beautiful ideal just so he could satisfy his greed, he would become the very monsters he despised. That was what he told himself as she slid back and forth, tail twitching and mane bouncing, humming some soft tune. He was master of his own mind, architect of his own fate, and if he could not rule himself how could he be worthy to rule others?
Rarity, happily oblivious to the dragon's internal struggle, turned about with a smile and held up another design. "Now, I'm waiting on a visit from Princess Luna to get her measurements, since she insisted that it would be easier for her to come here than for I to go to Canterlot." She sighed, and curled a lock of her mane with a hoof. "So, would you mind terribly having a look at a design for our friendly neighborhood Princess Twilight?"
The seamstress stepped toward him, placing her hoof just to the side of a spool of thread. "I imagine you do enough for her already, and I've already kept you for far longer than either of us expected." She had a wonderfully disarming pout on her muzzle, as though annoyed with herself for not considering that Spike might have other things to do sooner.
He rubbed the back of his neck. "Actually, Twilight wanted me out of the library today. She's..." he twiddled his thumbs. "She's hammering away at something big, but she wouldn't say what it was." The dragon knew she had not kicked him out, she just needed to focus. He had cooked her breakfast, brought it up to her research lab. She had asked him to vacate the premises, and hang the Closed for your safety sign on his way out. They had hugged, she had remarked again about how big he had grown, and then he had set out to find something to do. Twilight was the only other real family he had. However, the call of love had pulled him to the fashionista's door, and she had been only too happy to put him to work.
Rarity saw the sad look in his eyes, and decided the best course of action was to be blunt. "I've been thinking that she's been wearing too much frills and lace."
"Especially since you didn't design said frills and lace?" Spike chuckled.
"I'll have you know I hold my colleagues in Canterlot in the highest esteem," she replied with an indignant stomp. Then a smile crossed her face. "Even if they did mummify a poor librarian in one of the most overdone outfits I've seen in years." The unicorn held up the design and waved him closer. "You see, I took that simple yellow dress I threw together for her birthday all those years ago-"
"Hasn't been that long since you met Fancypants," the dragon interrupted as he slid next to her, then looked down and batted a ball of yarn out from under a claw.
"Fashion years, dearie, fashion years. They go by like a leaf upon the wind, and all you can do is watch them soar." She sighed wistfully, then tapped the hovering sheet of paper. "I took that dress and reworked it with higher-quality fabrics, enclosed the tail to make it a proper dress for royalty. The biggest change is..." she smiled, and tapped a few curious geometric shapes on the design. "Crystals, Spike. Direct from the Crystal Empire. The scientific community has been simply buzzing about them ever since their discovery. Well, rediscovery, technically. I ordered some for a necklace that will be replacing that pink ribbon, and also to stud the centers of the stylized cutie marks on each side of the dress."
He whistled softly. "You wanna talk expensive-"
"They were free, actually." The designer smiled wide. "A goodwill gift from Princess Cadence... on the condition that I come up and make her a similar dress." She looked up into his eyes, searching for approval. "The rumor is that they can increase magical strength, but that's never been proven. Regardless, they are beautiful, and quite fitting for the gown of a scientist-Princess."
"And we both know who really saved the Crystal Empire." The dragon sighed. "All I did was fall off a-"
Rarity suddenly had a hoof over his mouth. "Don't," she whispered. "Don't you ever say you were not part of that, Spike." She still remembered what he looked like, falling through the air, but she had been too much of a coward to watch. She had covered her eyes, missed the moment he had been snatched from the jaws of death, and so in her memory he would always be falling. "You risked your life, Spike, and without you Twilight wouldn't have made it that far. Don't ever belittle that."
The dragon looked away. "I should have been stronger. I shouldn't have needed saving, I should have been coming down like a kiloton of pain, screaming something heroic. That would have been worth a stained glass window." That was what a mighty warrior would have done. Looks like it's down to you and me, you red-horned freak!
The seamstress set her design on a nearby table. "Spike."
He continued staring out the window. She was trying to comfort him, tell him he was worth something to somepony. Yeah, it was nice, but he just needed a minute-
"You believed in me when I had lost all faith. You were there for me when I needed you." Not many knew that she and Luna had much in common, in particular they had both played hostess for the eldritch miasma of Nightmares.
Spike swallowed hard, looked back to the ivory mare, and for a moment felt himself drowning in those deep blue eyes. "You pulled me back from the edge too, remember?"
She poked his chest. "Was that all? Was it just payback?"
"You think a greedy old beast like me is gonna let you slip through his claws?" He chuckled softly, and with a deep sigh let those old fears slip off his back again. He was strong when they needed him to be, because there were different kinds of strength. The boy looked back into her blue eyes and smiled wide. "Thanks. The, uh, dress looks good. I think Twi will love it."
The designer bit her lip. She had decided long ago that she cared about this dragon very deeply. Her actions had demonstrated that, and she had even taken the risk of writing Celestia herself to see if a pony could truly love a dragon. Since she had received the reply, she had been waiting for the right moment. Rarity reached out and gently touched his light green scales again.
"What I'm... trying to say, is that you are a hero, Spike. To me." She smiled up at him. "And we do work well together." Their heads were close. Her work was done, thanks to him. This was far from the first time they had stood close together in the lower level of her boutique, and that gave the moment a soothing sense of familiarity.
"You're the one who keeps saving Equestria, Rarity." He murmured softly. His heart was pounding so loud he was sure Celestia could hear it all the way in Canterlot. "I'm just the sidekick."
"No, Spike. To Twilight you are a dutiful page, but to me," she winked, "you are a knight."
The purple dragon broke out into a goofy smile. After a few seconds, he lifted a claw to his mouth and bit down. "Ow!"
She leaned back in alarm. "Why under Celestia's sun would you do that?"
"The last time you said something nice like that, it turned out to be a dream." He blushed, and flexed the uninjured talon. "S-sorry."
The unicorn gently patted him on the cheek, and pressed her other front hoof against his chest for the third time. She finally felt that lub-dub she had been searching for. "You're nervous."
"I'm terrified."
The unicorn smiled sweetly. "So am I, my knight. But I'm not terrified of you, it is the rest of the world I fear." She looked down. "But I think you and I are stronger than them."
"Uh-huh," he nodded.
"I've... thought that for a very long time, but one must always measure twice and cut once." Rarity slowly curled a lock of her mane.
"Yeah, because it's got to be more than just a feeling, y'know?" He felt a little lightheaded. "You've gotta be sure."
"And I am. You're a blessing to me, Spike, and I'm not a burden to you."
"You're beautiful, Rarity. You've got the prettiest heart I've ever seen." He wrapped a claw around her extended hoof, and held it tight against his scales. "And you're more than just style, you've got substance under all that. You run this whole boutique, and ship clothes all over Equestria, and... and you still have time for me."
"You're the noblest dragon I could ever hope to meet, Spike." She let a little smirk creep across her muzzle. "And I'm not just saying that because all the other ones we've run across are completely without couth."
"I still remember that night we went dancing." He said softly. "It was the best gift I've ever gotten." She had taken him to one of DJ P0N3's concerts up in Vanhoover. The designer had invited Twilight on a power-shopping trip. He had come along to haul their plunder and keep them safe. His reward had been a VIP pass to the best night ever. "Just you and me."
"Well, Twilight preferred to get a good night's rest and organize her expenditure report." The mare rolled her eyes. "I only had the two passes anyway." He might have figured out that the entire expedition was staged just so she could have that night with him, but she would keep the mystique to her grave. "I had a wonderful time as well, Spike."
The dragon balled up his courage again, and shifted closer to her until bare centimeters separated their noses. "Rarity... I..." he swallowed hard. Once again, the words were refusing to come. Determined to say something, anything, he managed, "I have a confession to make."
"No," she gently patted his cheek. "Spikey-wikey, you're speaking with your head," she poked him in the chest again, "not your heart. Tell me what is in the heart of a dragon."
Spike blinked. "Yuh... uh..."
"Tell me." The mare commanded gently, "Tell me, tell me, tell me!"
Her words sparked his mind into action. He reached out, slipped a claw just under her chin, and forced her to look him in the eye. "I want you, Rarity."
"Forever?" she asked as though it were an off the cuff remark rather than a question that burned in her heart.
"Forever isn't long enough." He growled in response. One too many reels of film, perhaps, but it did fit the moment.
"Even when I'm old, and grey, and useless, and you're still young, and fresh, and beautiful?" Her lower lip trembled ever so slightly. All her life was dedicated to making beautiful things. The knowledge that one day she would not only be too feeble to do that, but also worn and stripped of any beauty of her own, was a hard thing to accept. "Even then?"
"Yeah," he nodded. "Even then. Because what's on the inside isn't gonna change, it's solid as diamond."
"And will you be mine, Spike? My knight, my refuge, my closest confident and truest friend?" She knew he was strong enough to be all that and more. Strange that long ago she had set her sights on a Prince, presuming that they handed such virtues out with the title. Well, live and learn...
"I will, Rarity."
She beamed up at him. "Do you need to bite your talon again?"
"You remember that fire ruby necklace?" He asked with a suspicious slant of his eyes
"Upstairs, in the safe, next to a stack of paper." The seamstress glanced down, licked her lips with a quick darting of her tongue, and then raised her head again. A hint of fear flickered in her eyes. "There's... there's a letter there, sealed. If something ever happens... oh, Opal will know what to do." She paused, then laughed quietly at the absurdity of the world they fought in, that two young lovers would need to test one another's identity even after spending a morning together. "We can check, if you'd like."
"What shape's the ruby?"
"A heart, my knight, but it's not half as awe-inspiring as yours."
Spike felt his cheeks redden as he shrugged. "Good enough for me." He pulled her close, reaching out with his tail to encompass the mare. She hugged him tight, and kissed him on the cheek. He turned his head, cupped the back of hers with a claw that had crushed solid rock, and just as their lips touched the two felt the ground rumble. Neither wanted to admit that it was real, both wished to attribute it to some misconception of the moment, but two pairs of eyes still turned to the window. From outside, a plume of black smoke rose from the Golden Oaks library.
Spike ran his talons through her mane and whispered softly, "if we're under attack, I'm going to rend them limb from limb."
"Get thyself in line behind me, my knight." Rarity pecked his cheek again, then wiggled out of his embrace. "Oh my, that's worse than when Granny Smith started the bonfire at Sweet Apple Acres with rocket fuel." She raised a hoof to her mouth and thought quickly. "Binoculars... no, I don't have a pair of those, but..." she quickly crossed the room and began rooting about in a chest.
The purple dragon stood at the window, squinting out into the sky. He saw a mob of four-legged colors gathering around the library, but they seemed to be curious rather than concerned. Part of him wanted to tear out through the door and barrel straight into the library, plunge into the flames, and leap out through a window with Twilight's soot-covered body in his arms. That was what a hero would do. A cold sliver of intellect held him back from that. This was either an accident or enemy action. He needed to know whether to be a hero, or to rally the real heroes. Twilight knew how to teleport.
"Aha!" The ivory mare was at his side again, holding up a pair of bronze opera glasses. "Only Galilean binoculars, but they'll do." She peered through them for a moment. "Ah... oh, my." A soft chuckle rose from her, and she levitated the opera glasses between them, then peered again through just one side.
Spike felt the warmth of her cheek against his as he looked through the other lens. He saw a purple mare fluttering in the air next to the column of smoke with her head in her front hooves. Floating next to her was a grey pegasus with a letter in her mouth, and a guilty expression on her face. "Oh. It's just the mailmare."
"Poor dear," Rarity sighed. "They don't look hurt, thank goodness." The librarian slowly spiraled down to the ground, and the mailmare followed with a sorrowful slump in her neck.
"Just Twilight's nerves," the dragon confirmed. "I think I know what happened."
"Nothing stops the mail?" she chuckled softly. "The same thing happened to me, well, almost. It was before the shop opened, I had the front door locked, and I was right in the middle of a careful cut when tap-tap-tap at the window." The seamstress smiled. "All the same... better that than one of those couriers who just throws the box at the stoop without breaking stride."
"Yeah." Spike tried to think of some way to put off what was coming next. "I... guess it's better to have a mailmare who's good at the job... even if she is kinda clumsy."
The peered through the opera glasses for a moment longer. Spike knew in his heart the real reason he had not gone tearing out the door the moment he saw the smoke. He was torn between his duty and his heart. Twilight was almost a part of him, her magic had hatched his egg and her needs had been his chores for so very long. Though he might be a dragon, he could not be in two places at once. He had to choose between his heart and his commitments. Reluctantly, he moved away from the ivory mare.
She lowered the opera glasses and looked up at him. He glanced back at the messy floor, still not wanting to leave. Twilight was safe, he did not have to go... but she would need him soon. With a sigh, he began, "thanks for letting me help you, but..."
"Spike," Rarity said firmly.
He turned his head toward her, and felt something soft press against his mouth. It was the lightest of touches, but the dragon felt as though he had been hit by a train. His muscles slackened, and he slumped against her with a happy smile on his face. Rarity winced at how heavy he was, but it was a weight she gladly bore. She was not one of those limp-legged Canterlot mares, Rarity the Unicorn worked for a living.
"I... Rarity, I-"
"Suush, I know, Spikey-wikey," she cooed softly. "I know. I know she needs you, too." The seamstress nuzzled his cheek. "Go to her."
His tail wrapped around her fetlocks. "Are you sure?"
"Of course I'm sure," she laughed. "You are hers, Spikey-wikey, she still needs you. You're not like other boys, you are a knight with obligations. If I can't let you fulfill your duty, what kind of Element of Generosity am I?"
He leaned back onto his claws and looked at her carefully. "That's this time... what about the next? Or the time after that? What if I have to drop everything and go help her?"
The unicorn teased her mane with a hoof. "I never said it would be easy, Spike. I said it was your duty, and... and I'll just have to make do with what I can." Her eyes brightened. "That's the best thing a designer can learn, how to make do with what she has, and how to know when to order more."
"I still remember when you made a hat out of three pieces of hay and a straw." The dragon chuckled.
Rarity put on a confident smile. "We'll make do, Spike. You have a duty, and I would be in the wrong to jerk your heartstrings and pull you away from it." The mare reached out and tapped his nose. "But... when your duty's done, and Equestria is safe, and you're standing strong on your own... come find me, and be mine, and mine alone."
"Forever?" he asked with a nervous lacing of his front claws.
"Oh, Spikey-wikey," the unicorn gave him her number-two dazzling smile. She did not wish to blind the dear boy, not yet. "Forever is not long enough."
Spike reached out and wrapped her in a powerful hug, his tail twisting through hers. The mare nuzzled against his front, feeling the steady hammering of his heart. It was like the pounding of a blacksmith's hammer, something she had heard more than enough of on one of their many adventures together. Instead of that sharp, skull-splitting clang, Spike's pulse was a soothing low-frequency throb that teased her imagination. It was almost hypnotic... she quickly poked him in the chest before things got out of hoof.
He let her go and stepped back. "Rarity, you really are beautiful on the inside."
"Spike," she took a very deep breath and tried to will the blush away. "Focus."
"Right, right." He barreled for the door, but paused with his claw on the handle. "Uh... Rarity? Will you be here when I get done?"
She had trotted into the kitchen, and answered him with a quick, "no."
The dragon glanced down at the floor. She was a busy mare too. She had a life, a business, a client list as long as his arm. He had written it out for her many times. "Oh." He would have to make sacrifices too, and be generous. As much as the feral beast inside him wanted her all for himself, the civilized boy knew that the foundation of the social compact was trust. The sacrifice of savage freedom for civilized liberty brought more worthy rewards. He breathed in slowly, and rolled his shoulders, determined to be a noble dragon. Even if the thought of her in glimmering golden chains, feeding him rubies one at a time while he sat atop a horde of loot with a mighty warhammer in his claws... a happy shiver ran down his spine.
No. She would not be happy there. He wanted to see her happy, see her smile, see her flourish and be all that a mare could be. So, he straightened his back, set his jaw, and wiped something from his eyes. "All right," he turned back toward the kitchen to be sure she heard him. "I'll see you when... I... Ah?" His jaw hung open.
"Iced tea," she held a little tray in the glow of her horn as she pulled on a dashing yellow hat. "But on a day like today that'll do her better than something hot."
He raised a claw and blinked hard. "I... but..."
"Be a dear and carry my parasol, would you?" She levitated the cloth umbrella toward him. "Oh, and this pail of sandwiches. I made them up for Sweetie Belle and her friends, but the current crisis seems deserving enough." She glanced at herself in the mirror. "If I know Twilight, she'll have forgotten all about lunch."
Spike took the pail with a confused look on his face. "But... you said you wouldn't be here?"
Satisfied with her appearance, the fashionista stepped up to the door and smiled at the dragon. "No, my knight." She glanced back over her shoulder and levitated a picnic blanket out of a drawer. "I'm coming with you."
"I... Rarity," he sighed happily, and leaned closer to her. "I'm not worthy."
"Well, I'm flattered, really, but you know I don't like to rub it in." The unicorn nodded toward the door. "Would you get that for me, Spike?"
"Just a second," he passed the parasol to his tail, but instead of opening the door he gently cupped the back of her head and kissed her full on the lips. Time seemed to stop, especially when she leaned into it. The soft glow of her magic remained constant, holding the tray of iced tea and glasses a meter off the floor, and her horn cast an odd glow against his closed eyelids. Finally, he eased back, and ran his tongue over his lips.
Rarity smiled at him, then glanced at a nearby mirror to make sure her makeup was intact. "Shall we?"
He pulled open the door and waved her through. "After you, m'lady."
After the door was closed again, and the boutique fell silent, a small white creature crept down the stairs. She yawned, having recently descended from the realm of dreams, and stepped into the kitchen in search of milk. Alas, it was not in the dish, forcing the cat to burgle the refrigerator. Once her tummy was full, she stepped into the main room, pushed a chair up to the window, and flipped the "open" sign to "closed". For all their uses, lesser creatures could be so forgetful sometimes. Still, if that kiss she had seen meant anything at all, her owner was finally starting to wise up. This was good news to Opalescence, as dragons were excellent cat-minders. Then again, she had always possessed a soft spot for reptiles.
While at the window, she saw a purple dragon and a white mare hurrying toward the crowd around the library. The fireponies had not yet arrived, but the smoke was already thinning. Opal hefted a pair of opera glasses that had been carelessly left out, confirmed that everything seemed to be in order, and then lept back down and climbed the stairs again. Perhaps now that those two were out of the house, a cat could get a real nap.
Author's Note
When Rarity mentions what she and Luna have in common, she is referring to the Friendship is Magic comic series. On one of those adventures, she is possessed by the same Nightmare entity that Luna allowed to take over her mind a thousand years earlier. The other members of the Mane Six and Spike have quite the time getting her back, but ultimately the little dragon's love plays a key part in her recovery. Also, he is tempted by the Nightmare entity with the promise of being Rarity's "king" but turns her down when she doesn't recognize the fire ruby, rightly deciding that she isn't really the girl he loves!
This story is a followup to Love Is Its Own Reward, and I hope that if you enjoy one, you'll like the other as well. If you really enjoyed this story, let a friend know, leave a comment, or add it to an appropriate group!
Finally, yes that is a Firefly reference. I am a leaf on the wind, watch me soar!
As always, thanks for reading.
