Looking out the window I could see several lights that pierced the darkness of the night in Ponyville. These lights were not from the stars or the moon; they were blocked off by the thick layer of clouds hanging over town delivering fresh snow that would greet everypony in the morning. The lights I could see where from the houses of other ponies that chose to stay up late tonight, each of them taking part of a tradition many families partake upon this time every year.
You see this is a special night; it is the 24th of December, also known as Hearths Warming eve. On this night many ponies stay up with their friends and family waiting for the clock to strike midnight. When the clock strikes twelve and the bell of Ponyvilles clock tower sounds for all to hear, they will know that Hearths Warming is finally here.
After that they all share a toast celebrating family and togetherness, then they all exchange one gift before going to bed. It’s something that no one would want to miss, and yet here I am, all alone in the Golden Oaks Library. Normally by this time Twilight and I would be in Canterlot visiting her parent for the holidays, but not this year. I can still hear Twilight’s words when I told her that I wasn’t going to Canterlot with her this year.
“But you’ll be alone, Spike. That’s not how you’re supposed to spend Hearths Warming day!”
Twilight had tried to change my mind up until the moment she boarded the train yesterday afternoon. Even after that she still stressed that if I ever got lonely that I shouldn’t hesitate to buy a ticket and go to Canterlot myself. The truth is I started to feel lonely the moment I woke up this morning, but still I stayed. I stayed because I had this strange feeling, something telling me that if I were to leave that I would miss out on something important.
I’m not really sure what that could be though, Twilight was skeptical about it when I told her, and truth be told, I’m still skeptical. What could I possibly miss out on? Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie were also out of town visiting their families. And as for Rarity, well…she has a date tonight with some stallion she met.
Just the thought of her with somepony else tonight made me shiver…actually it might be the fact that it’s freezing in the library right now. I had spent hours looking out the window and didn’t even notice it until now. I let out a sigh and got up making my way to the fire place, after placing a few blocks of wood I used my fire breath to start the flame. It was going to take a while for the library to heat up so I went into the kitchen to make myself some coffee.
I put the coffee to brew and sat down at the kitchen table while I waited for the jug to fill. While I sat I found myself wondering what it would have been like if I were with Twilight and her parents right now. I’m pretty sure if they had seen me now they wouldn’t have recognize me. I had done some growing since the last time they saw me. A couple of month ago, on my birthday to be exact, I woke up to something I didn’t expect. Overnight I had grown, a lot actually, when I had gone to sleep the night before I stood at almost three feet, and when I woke up the next day I found that I stood over six feet tall.
It was one heck of a surprise to me, and the others for that matter. I wasn’t some baby dragon anymore, biologically I was now an adult, and a lot of mares took notice of that. Every now and then I get the occasional whistle and some flirting from mares I pass by. I’ve even gotten some not so subtle hints from Rainbow and Lyra, and while I’m completely sure Rainbow just did it to mess with me, I still find Lyra’s apartment key in my back pocket whenever I see her.
The attention was nice, but I made sure never to let it get to my head. I just enjoyed the fact that I wasn’t treated like a child anymore. But no matter how nice the attention was, I never got it from the one mare that mattered. When I found out that I was by all means an adult I thought that I would finally have a chance with Rarity, but maybe I was a bit too hopeful. Things between us did change since that day, but not for the better.
As time went on after my growths spurt, Rarity and I have been spending less time with one another. At first I shrugged it off; Rarity had a business to run so of course she wouldn’t have a lot of free time on her hands. But soon enough I had to face the facts, Rarity was avoiding me, and I didn’t know why.
It hurt when I came to that conclusion; I thought that it might have been my fault, that I had done something wrong. Why else would Rarity not want to be around me?
Ding!
The bell on the timer went off letting me know that the coffee was done. I let out a sigh and got up to pour myself a cup. I made my way back to the main room of the library; it already felt a lot warmer than before. I didn’t want to look out the window anymore; it would only remind me of what I’m missing out on because I chose to stay, so I decided to sit on the sofa near the fireplace and watch the flames.
Try as I might I couldn’t stop myself from thinking about Rarity again, wondering what she was doing right now. If anything I bet she’s probably at home right now with her date, the two of them sharing a drink in her living room. They’d be staring into each of others eyes slowly drawing closer until-
I had to whack myself on the head to stop the train of thought; I didn’t want to dwell on something like that all night. I had always said that so long as she’s happy then I would be happy, but honestly how can someone be happy when the mare they love is with somepony else?
“Maybe I did make the wrong choice…” I said to myself looking down at my cup of coffee. If feeling down on myself was what I would have missed by leaving for the holidays, then I was better off going with Twilight to Canterlot, at least I wouldn’t be alone right now. I raised my cup to my lips so I could take a sip, but when the cup got within inches I stopped when I heard a sudden knock at the door.
I stared at the door in silence for several seconds; soon enough there was another set of knocking, this time a little more timid than the last. I looked towards the clock hanging on the wall; it was eleven at night, who would be out at this time?
“Coming!” It didn’t matter who it was, I wasn’t going to leave somepony out there in the cold. I got up from the sofa placing my cup on the night stand next to it before making my way to the door. With a click of the lock and a turn of the knob I opened the door, and then my eyes opened wide.
Standing alone in the snow was a mare that was about a foot shorter than I was; she was wearing a black dress that went down to her ankles. Her purple hair was carefully styled, a part of it hang beautifully over her face while the rest ran down her back held together with a black hair barrette with a blue diamond latched on it. Even in the night I could still make out the alabaster fur which glistened from the light of the fire shining through the door.
“Rarity…?” it took a while before Rarity tilted her head upwards to look me in the eyes. From the slight red in them I could tell, she had been crying. Regardless of this Rarity offered me a small smile.
“H-hello…Spike.” she said warmly, a few seconds later she looked back down at the ground. There was another pause before she spoke “May…May I come in?” I was still in shock to see Rarity of all ponies at the door at this time. It wasn’t until I saw her shiver that I finally snapped out of it. Quickly I walked outside and removed my sweater and putting it over Rarity.
“Of course, come in.” I placed my hand gently on Rarity’s shoulder as I lead her inside, she didn’t seem to mind the contact. Once inside I closed the door behind me and lead Rarity to the sofa by the fire so that she could warm up.
“Here, drink this.” I said offering her the still fresh cup of coffee that I left on the night stand. Rarity looked almost surprised when I offered her, but that soon shifted to a smile as she raised her hands and grabbed hold of the cup. While Rarity took a sip from it I sat down next to her, so many questions filled my head right now that I didn’t even know where to start. But for now I just stayed silent and let her warm up.
“I think I may owe you an explanation…showing up at your door this late an hour.” Rarity finally said after probably five minutes of silence. I wouldn’t really say she owed me one, it’s not like I would have left her out in the cold without one. But I did want to know what happened that caused her to be out in the snow all alone at this time of night.
“What happened, didn’t you have a date?” I felt a little awkward bringing that up, but I couldn’t help but feel that it may be part of the reason. After I asked I noticed that Rarity’s mood seemed to damper a bit, she bit her bottom lip a bit before she answered.
“Y-yes, yes I did. Or so I thought.” Rarity said “When I arrived at the restaurant I didn’t see him so I thought he was running late. ‘I can forgive ten minutes’ I told myself, so not wanting to pay it too much attention I simply sat at a table and ordered myself a glass of wine.” I didn’t need to be some kind of mind reader to know where this story was heading, but still I sat in silence and let her continue.
“So I gave him another ten minutes…and then another, and another,” I could hear Rarity’s annoyance grow, but I wasn’t entirely sure it was directed at her ‘date’. “Eventually I found myself with an empty bottle of wine and a date that never showed up.” I could see Rarity’s grip tighten around the cup of coffee.
“Already feeling humiliated I paid for my drinks and left, I was in such a hurry to leave that I forgot my coat.” So that’s what happened, some nutless fool asked Rarity on a date and had the nerve to not show up. And it’s because of him that Rarity ended up all alone outside in the snow.
“But I suppose I deserved it…” my jaw hanged open and I stared at Rarity with wide eyes, how could she say something like that?
“No,” I said sternly “You deserve better than some stallion that stood you up!” Rarity turned her head towards me, a small smile forming at the sides of her lips.
“I thought the same at first; I started to list all the things a real stallion would have done. He would have arrived early at my home with a bouquet of flowers, the two of us would have then walked to the restaurant as I held on to his strong arm. After we arrived he would find a table by the window and pull out my chair, and then he would order for the both of us not allowing me to spend a single bit.
“And then after we had our fill he would walk me home, and I would reward him with a loving kiss.” Rarity paused for a moment; I could see it in her eyes that she was imagining it all in her head as she described it to me. But soon enough the faint smile on her face faded away once again.
“I tried to picture who that stallion would be,” she said “And when I was finally able to piece it together I found that I had known him all along, only…he wasn’t a stallion, but a drake.” I could feel my hear skip a beat when she said that. The two of us sat there in silence staring at one another, every fiber of my being told me that I shouldn’t ask, but if she was trying to say what I think she’s saying…then I had to know.
“Rarity…ever since my growths spurt you’ve been avoiding me,” slowly I raised my hand and placed it over hers “Why?” after I asked Rarity averted her gaze from me, she looked ashamed, as if she had done something wrong. I was going to try to take it back; this was probably not the best time to bring that up, especially after what she had just gone through. But before I could say anything, Rarity placed her other hand on top of mine.
“Because I was a fool,” she said “A fool for being afraid.”
“Of…me?” Rarity shook her head.
“No Spike, I could never be afraid of you.”
“Then what?” I just didn’t understand; what could Rarity have to be afraid of? What was it about my sudden growth that scared her?
“I was afraid you’d change.” Rarity looked back at me; I could see my reflection on her eyes, and the shocked expression on my face. “That the little gentle drake I knew would be gone forever.” There was a small hitch in her throat as she said that, I could see the tears starting to swell in her eyes.
“So that was why, it wasn’t because of something I did?” deep down inside I felt a huge weight lift off of me. But that was a short relief, because now I know that Rarity had been carrying an even heavier one on her. I got the answer to my question, now I had to—no, I want to show her that she had nothing to fear. And I was going to make sure that she did not feel guilty for thinking that I had.
Gently I placed my hand over her cheek and wiped off a tear that had run down it. I moved my hand down under her chin and raised it slightly so that she would be looking me in the eyes when I spoke next. “Spike, I’m so—“I wasn’t going to have any of that, so I placed a finger over her lips and softly shushed her.
“You have nothing to apologize for, you made a small mistake, everypony does from time to time.” I told her “No matter what you do, no matter how many mistakes you make, I can never be mad at you.” this wasn’t something I came up with on the spot, this wasn’t me just saying things to make her feel better, this was me speaking from the heart.
Rarity’s brow furrowed and the tears start to flow again she raised her hand grabbed on to mine moving my finger from her lips. “How?” she asked “I pushed you away, Spike! Instead of confronting you with my fear I just avoided you!” Rarity clenched her teeth as her bottom lip quivered, I had no idea this was hurting her so badly.
“How can you forgive me after what I did to you?!” I furrowed my brows and gave Rarity a sympathetic smile; the answer to her question was simple. Gently I moved her hand towards me and placed it on my chest. I gave her a moment to feel the rhythm of my heart beat; I looked deep into her azure eyes and said.
“Because the Spike you knew is still here,” I hesitated a bit, but I was going to tell her, and I was going to tell her now. “And he would never do anything that would hurt the mare he loves.” Rarity let out a sharp gasp when I said that, her eyes wide in shock; I think I may have even seen a sparkle in them.
After a couple of seconds her shocked expression shifted to a smile, tears were streaming down her face again, only this time I could tell they were tears of joy.
“You’re right.” Rarity moved her hands and placed them to the side of my face and gently pushed me back until I was lying back on the sofa. “The Spike I knew would always do what he can to make me happy.” Rarity moved in closer to me to the point where she was laying on my chest looking down on me. “The Spike I knew would always be there for me no matter what and never ask for anything in return.” Rarity closed the gap between our faces; my heart was beating so fast I started to wonder if she could hear it too.
“But now I think it’s time I show that Spike just how much he means to me.” and with that, our lips became locked with one another. The kiss sent a surge of heat through my whole body; I couldn’t believe what was happening. I had dreamed that something like this could happen for as long as I could remember, but I never imagined it would feel quite like this.
The kiss didn’t go any further than this, but I didn’t care, I just closed my eyes and enjoyed every second of it. I think the kiss would have lasted longer, but we parted when we heard a sound. It took me a second but I recognized it, it was the sound of the bell from the Ponyville clock tower resonating all over town. I looked over to the clock on the wall and saw the time.
“Twelve o’clock midnight…Hearth’s Warming Day.”
Rarity turned her head back to me and shot me a warm, loving smile. “Happy Hearth Warming Day, Spike,” she said “Did you get what you wanted?” I smiled back as her and placed my hand on her cheek.
“Yeah, I think I did.” Rarity let out a small giggle before lowering her head and rested it on my chest.
“I believe I have as well.” Neither of us said anything else, we didn’t have to. I simple wrapped my arms around Rarity and held her closely. The two of us closed our eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep in what will prove to be a night that neither of us would ever forget.