Leave of absenceby StormhoofChaptersMore than a disagreementSorry is not enoughThe replyInk and TearsA week of changeA Simple AnnoyanceMoving forwardThe unreadable letterMore than a disagreement"What do you mean slacking?!" Spike yelled at Twilight sparkle. "Now Spike there is no reason to yell, All I'm saying is you could afford to do more work around here." Said Twilight in a calm tone. "I put books back on the shelves,dust them, clean up every one of your messes, organize your study material, do half of your shopping and you dare say I am SLACKING!" He continued to yell, his face bright red. "Spike, stop yelling. I am not calling you lazy, I am just saying that lately my workload has increased and you need to learn to keep up better" She said, head turned up and eyes closed. Spike began pacing angrily,a small flame would erupt from his nostrils every other breath. He barely had time for himself, all his time was spent keeping up with her, and when he was done he would often help Rarity over at the boutique. Every night for the past few months he would go to sleep two hours later and wake up two hours earlier then normal. Glaring back over at her he began to speak. "If I am such a bad assistant why don't you get a new one? If I am so lazy why haven't you gotten another?!" "Spike, I am NOT calling you lazy. We both have our part to do, I have my studies, while you clean, organize and send my letters to the princess. It should not be too much to ask that you". "So thats all I'm good for, huh? Cleaning and sending letters? I cannot BELIEVE this! Did you forget everything I have done? I help you and all our friends and what do I get? Nothing!"He raised his voice more, and more... "Spike, you need to keep your voice down, the girls will be here in about five minutes, go clean the bedroom if you would, we're having a slumber party and it must—" Again cutting off, he was now two inches from her face. "And you STILL wont listen! Spike do this, Spike do that, Spike send this letter, Spike take a letter, Spike why is this book out of place. I am SICK of it, Twilight, you can clean it all yourself, and good luck getting a new assistant, you obviously don't need me," he yelled, his eyes burning with hate as he walked past her, grabbing a small pack and quickly filling it with his stuff. "What do you think you are doing, Spike? Stop this nonsense and go clean up," she said, doing her best to keep her cool with the stubborn dragon. Turning, she realized he was already at the door when they both heard the knock. Knock Knock "We're here!" Came the voices of Pinkie pie, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, And Fluttershy. *** Spike opened the door and walked past Twilight's friends, all of their eyes on him. "Bye everypony," he said, not looking at a one of them. Not even Rarity. They all looked confused as the dragon walked away. Twilight then said "Don't worry girls, he is just being melodramatic, he will be back before the nights out." she said, putting on a cheerful tone. "Dear are you sure? he seemed awfully angry" Came Raritys voice, deeply concerned. Twilight began again "It was just a small disagreement I assure you" looking over her friends she could already see he was out of sight. quickly letting them in she closed the door. And so the night began, a few hours had past and each of them had stolen a glance at the door wondering if the small purple dragon would return. It was time fore truth or dare, and Rarity was the one to start it off. "Twilight, truth or dare darling?" She said looking to the studious unicorn. Thinking hard she spoke up "I choose truth" She said,looking back. Smiling rarity began to speak "What exactly was that argument between you and spikey wikey about?" "I um...." Twilight started, all eyes on her, how could she tell them? she had no choice "Well I simply asked that he work a bit harder, My workload has increased and he hadn't been keeping up too well...and he got into how I am always bossing him around, I did try to reason with him, He is just stubborn..hehe..." She laughed nervously at the end, rarity,applejack, and rainbow dash were all frowning, pinkiepie and fluttershy seemed to be at a loss of words. Rarity was the first to speak up "Well of course you..apologized to him right?" her voice slightly hopeful. "Well...No, I was in the right and he was the one who was yelling MY ear off...not like he gave me a chance either." Twilight said, and the response did not seem to please rarity... "Well darling you simply must! What if our dear spikey wikey doesn't return? he could get himself hurt or worse!" She said, obviously worried. "Now now rarity... he is going to come back, he just needs time to cool off that's all." Said twilight in a somewhat reassuring voice. "And if he DOESN'T come back? dear keep in mind that he manages to assist everypony here, if he doesn't come back I can't think of anypony as reliable as him to help us." She said again, sounding a little angry adding "And besides...His birthday IS in a few months,Pinkie pie and I have been planning something special." She crossed her legs, tapping a hoof on the floor. "Rarity, if he is not back by morning I will send him a letter apologizing...I promise. now lets continue ok?" she said, her statement was met with an approving nod from each of her friends. Spike walked a small dirt path, he was already on the outskirts of Ponyville, mumbling angrily to himself. He wasn't going terribly fast, but it was a little faster then a brisk walk, he soon approached the Everfree forest. They would never look there, and after the great dragon migration he is quite sure he could handle it. Author note:wanted to do this for awhile, thought I would try it. feedback is appreciated. I will take this chapter by chapter, some will be done as "Journal entries"Others as regular chapters. I know it is off to a rough start, but it will get better I promise. Good news, with the help of Twillale, My this chapter is halfway through editing...:)Iam shorton time however so will finish the additions and such tomorrow. Sorry is not enoughSpike continued through the Everfree forest, thinking back it wasn't all that scary in the later parts of the night. He was still angry though, Twilights words were burned into his mind. He stepped into a clearing, it was almost 3 in the morning and this was the first break He had taken. On the edge of the clearing there was a mass of rocks of various sizes, It would be hard work, but he could make himself a decent sized cave right there, And if he wanted to return... "No...why would I? back to a life of sending letters and basically being a servant?" He said aloud to himself... If he were to make a cave it would definitely be much further away from ponyville... He pondered the idea of making a cave as he sat on a tree stump, it would be bad for him to be out in the elements too much if he kept going...why not stop here? It is rather close to a river, it would only take a few hours to move all the rocks... "Yeah...a cave for me... away from all those...demands..."He said to himself, not realizing he was already in the process of moving some of the rocks. He grinned, rest can wait till later, in the mean time, maybe setting up a cave will settle his anger a bit...maybe... Twilight yawned as she woke up at around 7:00 AM... she was the second one awake, Pinkie Pie was down in the Kitchen cooking up a storm with her normal bouncy mood. She looked down at spike basket, and seen he was not there, she sighed a bit annoyed "Stubborn dragon" She mumbled rather angrily. Rarity stirred in her sleep, waking up moments later to say "Ahh has our Spikey wikey returned?" She said, removing her blindfold. Looking about to see the empty basket she frowned. "Twilight? have you sent dear spikey wikey that letter yet?" She said looking over the the purple unicorn. ` "No I haven't, What should I even say?" said Twilight her voice clearly annoyed Rarity thought for a long moment whilst fixing her hair with magic, "Well darling, you could say 'I am sorry, I was wrong, and I was being completely bullheaded about the entire situation' darling it really is as simple as that." Twilight huffed "Bullheaded? I asked for him to keep pace with me better!" she said in an angry whisper so not to wake the others. "But darling...was that the wording you used? what exactly did you say" Rarity said looking Twilight in the eyes. "Well I...I said since our workload increased it seemed like he was slacking and should pick up the pace" She said, receiving a particularly annoyed look from Rarity. Rarity sighed slightly "darling...you...Actually said slacking? to Spike? The purple dragon who helps Me,You, and all of our friends on a more the regular basis? The little dragon who cleans up Ninety percent of your messes when you almost empty every shelf? Darling surely you know how ridiculous that sounds!" She couldn't help but feel shocked, almost even insulted by Twilights statement. At this moment both Fluttershy and Applejack were waking up, each of them looked rather confused. Each of the two said good morning and Applejack took the opportunity to ask what was going on. "Well dear Twilight and I are discussing what to say in her apology letter to Spike." Said rarity losing her frown. "Ah well, Im gonna go and see what Pinkie is makin up for breakfast, good luck to ya on the letter Sugarcube" said Applejack as she trotted off, leaving a silent but curious looking Fluttershy. "Fluttershy dear, is something on your mind?" Rarity said still silently rolling Twilights words around in her head. "Well its nothing...Just that...I overhead what Twilight said and...Well not that it is my place to say but...I mean... Spike does help out everypony in Ponyville...So maybe...perhaps..." Fluttershy started and turned to Twilight "M-maybe you could have been Nicer...I mean...He has always been more then willing to take care of my animals while I'm away..." she finished, not quite finding the words she needed. Twilight simply sighed and said "I know I didn't exactly word it too well but I never meant to Insult him..." She hovered a quill and parchment and began writing "A short apology should be good until he is back, then I will talk with him I suppose" Both Rarity and Fluttershy gave her a short nod as they went down to Join Applejack and Pinkie Pie. Sighing again she looked over her letter,no...It was more of a note, a small note, but she was sure it would be enough for the small dragon. She tried to remember a spell for individual Object teleportation...Of course dragon fire would make it much easier. She looked at the fire place which had a small flickering flame left. Then it hit her, Spike was the one tat lit the fire, it was a long shot but she had to try it. Just at that moment Rainbow Dash quickly woke up looking around. "Wa-what time is it?"She said urgently looking about. "Its about 7:30 Dash...why?"She asked curious. Dash hopped up quickly saying "I was supposed to help the weather team with an upcoming storm, I gotta go Twi!" And she was off, rushing downstairs she said goodbye to everypony and left. Twilight Shook her head and tossed a dry log on the fire saying to herself "This better work...come on..." she slowly sent some magic into the log, watching as the fire turned green, Quickly she tossed the note in while doing the teleport spell. She watched as the note was enveloped in green fire and the glowing ashes flew out of the nearby window. Sighing in relief she made her way downstairs. Author note:Another update soon.Promise The replyThe fire still glowed green as Twilight paced back and forth. She had only just sent the note but each second seemed to crawl by. Then it hit her...Spike had no way to actually reply, how would they know what his decision was? before the fire could fade she quickly rolled a short scroll of parchment,a quill, and a small ink pot into a neat bundle and tossed it again, doing the spell a second time. Still she was unsure, and just in case any other problems should arise she tossed some light sticks and a heavy log on the fire to sustain it. "A mare can never be too careful" She said to herself as she went downstairs to join her friends for breakfast. Spike sighed, he was exhausted, the small dragon had cleared nearly a ton and a half of stone. But he had himself a cozy little cave, he had even stumbled upon a few gems, which he promptly devoured. He began thinking of how he would last, Rarity had taught him a thing or two about finding gems without magic, and being that it was from her, remembering the information was no hard task, but what does a dragon do when all his purpose is removed? He no longer had chores, or ponies he could help. Perhaps he will just expand his cave, he won't be going on any raids like the brutes during the migration, but a little space never hurt. Suddenly he felt a pressure in his chest and barely a moment later he belched green fire, which he noticed as the flames dissipated contained a small scrap of paper,with a few words,and no seal. Obviously not from the princess, he looked closer to see it signed "Your closest friend, Twilight Sparkle". He growled to himself, "Closest friend" his tail. Sighing again he grabbed the scrap of paper and read it out loud to himself, "Dear Spike, I am sorry for what I said the other night, Please return home soon as we are all worried...your closest friend...Twilight...Sparkle", he sighed, not exactly the worlds best apology. Feeling a pressure in his chest again he belched another green flame revealing blank parchment,an inkpot, and a quill. He looked from the note to the parchment, he was not even sure if he should reply. He will just get more orders, demands, and chores. No, Not today. Taking up the quill he started writing, and writing,and writing. He looked down and reread it in his head a hundred times, hoping his point would be clear, hoping for Celestias sake she would understand. Dear Twilight Sparkle, I hope you do not think that such a menial apology would actually suffice given the circumstances. In fact I personally don't feel that any apology would be enough, I have taken order after order from you, always trying my best to keep up with the workload and never hearing any thanks.Perhaps in the future I may forgive you, but until such a time I request that you refrain from contacting me. Seeing as my work goes unappreciated you obviously will not be noticing The extra workload on yourself. Still angry, Your unneeded assistant, Spike Rolling the parchment up he released a short gout of green fire upon it, Luckily for him, dragon-fire delivery is as simply as knowing who the recipient was. Digging his claws into the dirt he let out another short growl, he was glad he decided to make a cave, he planned on being here awhile. Authors note: Sorry for the short chapter,having trouble out here in the real world. Next update will be nice and ginormous for you Ink and TearsIt was 10:00 AM, Rarity and Twilight were cleaning up the library, as Rarity had offered to stay and help with the clean up, hoping she might be there when Spikes reply arrived. There was not much to do, the library would remain closed for another hour and she had been caught up on all her orders, and besides, even if she had been swamped with them she would still have made time to see as to whether or not er dear Spikey-wikey was returning. Until a reply saying such a thing would come however, she would busy herself with the dishes as Twilight went about putting the rest of the food away. After a few more minutes Twilight heard something up stairs, knowing it must be the reply she had been waiting for she galloped up the stairs to find a rolled up piece of parchment in front of the fireplace. Rarity who had heard the noise as well was right behind her, and practically shoved Twilight forward "Go on...Read it!" Said the white unicorn, her voice urgent. "Oof...Ok ok I am." said Twilight, stumbling over her hooves because of the shove. Levitating the scroll he unraveled it, aware of Rarity peeking over her shoulder. As she read she felt her eyes watering, reading the last words out loud as if it would change the meaning of the letter. "S-still angry...Y-your unn-needed assistant, Spike...I...I don't think he is coming back Rarity...he is still upset" Twilight said, her voice shaky as the realization hit her she continued "W-what have I done? What will I do?I..I messed up Rarity..." Her voice shook more and more as she spoke, a few tears falling down to mix with the ink and stain the parchment. Rarity remained silent, as she took a few steps back. Twilight turned to face her, to see that she was doing nothing but staring at the ground, expression blank. "I...I was planning something special for him...and...and now he's gone..." Rarity said sniffling a bit, turning quietly she said is a quiet voice "If you need me Twilight, I can stop by later, I need to get my Boutique open..." she finished head still drooping as she made her way down the stairs.\ As her friend left Twilight looked back at the letter, the words on the parchment practically burning her eyes as she reread them. She reread it to the point where the very sight of the ink on the page crushed her. Rolling the letter up she placed it on her bed,and made her way down so she might open the Library, It was going to be a long day. The day was busy, There were four new shipments and it seemed that everypony had picked that day to pick up some light reading. Each checkout bore more paperwork, more to write, more to read, she grew sick of the sight of ink of paper. Closing the door, she sighed, the day would not have been nearly as hard with Spikes to help. Sighing she lowered her head sniffling as she made her way up the stairs. A knock could be heard at the door, sighing she trotted over and opened it to see Rarity, wearing a hopeful smile. "Twilight dear, any other news on our dear spikey wikey? did he maybe change his mind?" Came her voice, in a rather depressed, yet hopeful tone. Twilight sighed before replying "no, nothing else...Today was hard, maybe I have taken him for granted, Working the library has never been this difficult. Maybe I should send another letter?" she finished looking up at the white unicorn who simply shook her her head. "Spike has made it clear he would rather not be bothered...we...even though we may be worried we should respect his wishes..." Rarity said smiling weakly before continuing, "Perhaps...you should leave the library closed tomorrow, Pinkie pie,Fluttershy, and I were all going to have a day out at the spa, and you could obviously use some relaxation dear." Raritys voice was gentle, and comforting, which betrayed the sad look in her eyes. Twilight simply nodded tiredly, and Rarity made her way out the door. She trotted upstairs and seen the letter from spike she had lain on her bed. As she laid down she set the letter on her nightstand, her eyes beginning to well up in tears. She was not sure if she could bare to read his words again. crawling under her covers she pressed her face against her pillow, crying quietly till she fell asleep. Spike curled against the flat rock he had made his bed, he knew he shouldn't be this angry...or should he? There was something in the back of his mind, absolutely furious. He knew he should not have gotten so loud, but who could blame him? He donated his time to any pony in town who needed it, and in return he is told he has been slacking. He swung his claws at the stone floor of his new cave, leaving a few deep gouges. His mind drifted until it ran into the mental image of a beautiful white unicorn. Would Rarity understand him? She was one of the ponies he helped the most, and could not be happier to do so. Her Image drifted through his thoughts gracefully. He could still picture each small detail of her form, from her perfect silky coat, to her shining eyes. His clenched claw relaxed, and so did he. Perhaps there would be a reason to return...in time of course. He drifted off to sleep, saying aloud "I miss you Rarity, Don't worry, I'll return..." Rarity awoke with a start, a chill had run down her spine. She looked about her room, the moon shone through her window, its light caught on something gleaming red. She knew what it was, how could she not? It was only the most divinely flawless gem ever to grace her life. lifting it with her telekinesis, she brought the gorgeous fire ruby towards her and laid it on her nightstand, staring at it, lost in its beauty. No outfit,nor dress,nor any project she could ever work on will be as perfect as this gift from Spike. One does not simply give up such a gem because they are asked, no, she knew Spike must truly have deep feelings for her. Sighing she closed her eyes,reluctantly, as she was fascinated ever more by the gem. As she drifted off to sleep Spike stayed in her thoughts. All she could hope for was is safety and a swift return. She would not let him skip out on the birthday present she had planned, it had taken her too long. Her sleep came gently like a summer breeze, leaving her in her dreamland bliss. Authors Note: This chapter I finished early as a small little thank you to my awesome readers. Expect more soon. and by soon I mean whenever the hell I get around to it XD. also its voting time. There is going to be a fight scene in this fic. so... will it be against A.)Garble (red dragon from dragon quest) B.)Wild angry Manticore C.) Iron Will D.)A Hydra. most votes will win ze chapter! Huzzah! A week of changeSpike woke up to the sound of his rumbling stomach, he knew he had to get some food,and fast. Thinking back to what Rarity told him about locating gems he reviewed the techniques he should use in his head *Flashback* "Now spike you must remember,The ground will likely be dense,and if you knock on it hard enough" Rarity said tapping a spot on the ground with her hoof, causing a gentle and hollow 'thunk' sound "It should be hollow, and the dirt on top of the denser earth will be very fine, just try to remember that as well" Spike thought a moment" Ok, dense earth,hollow noise, and fine dust...but...Remind me again why you are teaching me this?" He said looking up at her "Why Spike it is the least I can do, this way even though you can't have your fire ruby you can at least know how to get some gems if other food is scarce." She said looking about the dusty ridge they had climbed to. Clearing her throat she began to speak in a more serious, slightly concerned tone "That point aside, you worried Twilight,Rainbow, and I when you went on that migration. This way you can acquire gems in a survival situation so...Please remember it Spike... None of us know what we would do without you." *End Flashback* Spike smiled, Rarity was right,and now it was time to put it to the test. Leaving his cave he pulled a blanket of moss over the entrance, hoping it would deter any intruders. He walked up a slope to a dirt strewn area and looked around,seeing that much of it had very loose dirt on the top, he had obviously hit the jackpot. Twilight walked into the spa with a weak smile on her face, hoping to herself that none could tell she had been crying that morning or the night before. Fluttershy was talking with Pinkie Pie as they both took a mudbath, and Rarity was getting herself a hooficure by lotus. Waving her hoof she said "Hey girls,how's it going?" doing her best not to sound upset. Rarity was the first to respond "Oh darling we are doing wonderful, Aloe and Lotus have had a slow day so we are getting the royal treatment!" she said Continuing "Please dear come join me, we have a long day of pampering ahead of us and YOU are running behind". Walking over she took the seat opposite to Rarity saying "Yeah, Don't wanna fall behind I guess" Laughing nervously. After about an hour both Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie had rinsed off and joined them. As much as she tried Twilight could not bring herself to relax, Having had almost no sleep and still flooding her mind with ways to make Spike want to come back she simply sighed. "Girls...Maybe I shouldn't have come today...I don't think relaxing will be very possible given everything that has happened lately" Twilight said closing her eyes. Both Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy remained quiet, Rarity however spoke up in an uncharacteristically blunt manner "Darling...either you stay and enjoy the spa, or we all leave with you, Simply put, None of us are idiots and we see how much the extra work at the library is taking a toll on you. I invited you here to relax and you will do just that." she finished turning to Lotus with a smile, "Lotus, could you perhaps see if you have any of that Vanilla-lavendar massage oil back in stock? I believe I will pass on the usual Orchid-clove today" She smiled warmly as Lotus quickly ran out to check, turning back to Twilight. "And crying too much before going to sleep is terribly bad for you, you MUST stop that as well" This time retaining her usual posh tone. Her words set Twilight aback quite a bit as she began to reply. "What!? how did you know!? I...I mean...How would you know if I did?" She stumbled over her words and was met with Raritys warm smile. "Twilight, your eyes are as red as the fireruby Spike gave me, Might I suggest crying in the shower? It makes it so much harder to detect darling" Rarity said calmly, offering another smile. Twilight shrank back a little, and sighed saying "Well...I know I was harsh on Spike and with how busy the library is getting I am getting terribly stressed. I don't think I can run the library much longer if this keeps up...I need help" She finished lowering her head avoiding their gazes. Fluttershy quietly spoke as she looked upon the purple unicorn, her ever-present warm smile upon her "Well, If you want, I could help in the later half of the day...My animals are generally fine as long as I feed them in the morning...So...I could come by to help...If you want that is..." Said the Yellow pegasi, hoping to be of some comfort. "Oh Oh Oh!! And I can help in the mornings! The Cakes found a second babysitter so I will be free allll morning and I could help with just about anything,and-I-do-mean-anything-I-mean-I-can-dust-clean-organise-and-do-all-the-stuff-Spike-did-and-you-would-be-able-to-go-about-yournormalpacewithoutbeingstressed!!!" Pinkie Pie said quickly,so quickly Twilight barely caught any of it,but she managed to pick out the important bits by herself. For the first time since receiving Spikes reply, Twilight managed to smile, she looked at her friends around her,giving each of them a nod, just as Lotus returned from the back room. "Mees Rarity I 'Ave found ze Massage oil you wanted, ve 'ave plenty in stock" Lotus said, Smiling at the four mares before her. Rarity simply gave a nod, and without a moments hesitation Lotus continued the hooficure she had interrupted to go search the back stock. Thankfully for Twilight, she managed to push the thoughts of her missing assistant to the back of her mind long enough to enjoy the rest of the day at the spa. Spike panted heavily, He had been hard at work digging up and hauling gems, filling a small corner of his cave he grabbed a random emerald to snack on. His claws were caked in dirt and were sore. Sitting down on the stone he had been using as a bed he tried to relax, he had enough gems to last him a few days. He looked over to what was left of the parchment twilight sparkle had sent him, curiously eying it. Shaking his head he turned to a bare corner in his cave, He had to keep himself occupied. Standing up he left the cave, setting his mind to a new task. He cave would be no good to him if some angry creature stumbled upon it, So he set about finding branches to weave together to make a door. Of course an obvious door would be a terrible Idea, so he covered the mouth of his cave with a thick blanket of moss. His door was primitive at best, but it gave him something to do that would keep his mind off Ponyville. After finally attaching the door he looked up at the sky to see the sun was about to set. Time had rushed by quickly and his idle tasks of the day had left him exhausted. he found another large rock and tore the moss from its surface, rolling it up for a makeshift pillow. Before he could even think for a moment about the days events, he fell asleep. The rest of the week had flown by, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie would help Twilight when They had the time. But each day had gotten harder. Twilight had been sending her friendship reports with Owlicious since spike had been unavailable. By the end of each day the library would be a mess, and she would spend hours picking books up and putting them in their proper place, almost collapsing by the time she would get to bed. Meanwhile, across the Everfree Forest, Spike was still making additions to his cave, eating piles of gems at a time. He had to go gem hunting 3 times throughout the week, as his appetite had grown immensely. Later in the morning Spike woke up, he felt stiff, and tired. He looked down and could have sworn he was a bit taller. His scales were shedding as well and he was hungry. Reaching over to grab a gem he was shocked when on his first grab he had scratched a small groove into the surface. Grinning to himself he helped himself to the gems, Perhaps an all-gem diet would prove to be a healthy change from grass,flowers and donuts. __________________________________________________________________________________________ Authors note:Terribly sorry for the long wait. this chapter is a little rough But hopefully I will have time to edit later on... Enjoy. I have been dreadfully busy and have not had time to put much work into this, I wanted to make the chapter longer but hopefully this will do. A Simple AnnoyanceRarity walked through town, having just shipped out one of her latest projects she found some extra time on her hooves. In the back of her mind the unicorn wished that Spike could be there, the dragon was always so eager to help her with her shopping, but she sighed, perhaps a few extra trips wouldn't be too bad. That day she had decided to wear her Fire ruby, something that had drawn the eyes of many stallions throughout the marketplace. Though she appreciated it to a degree, she found the new found forwardness of some stallions, rather irritating. Stopping by Sugarcube Corner to get herself something to eat, she yet again turned heads, and why wouldn't she? why, The fire ruby was simply gorgeous. Perhaps she would find herself less annoyed if the ruby was the gem that grasped their attention, rather than the diamonds on her flanks. Trotting up to the counter she ordered herself a slice of raspberry angels-food cake, and not a moment later she heard from a nearby table, "Yeah I got something I can feed ya, you little angel" Ignoring it she simply sat several tables away, eating quietly. It was not the rudest comment she had heard all day, but still, If Spike were here he wouldn't have let that happen, he would have stood up for me She thought to herself. Finishing her food quickly she left, as she had much to buy and little time to do it in. As the day dragged on Rarity had become increasingly tense. A whistle and a wink every now and then was fine, flattering even, but most of the day had been smug comments. As she made her way home she hummed to herself, the day was done, she could have herself a glass of wine with rose salad, and then she could... *SMACK* Her flank stung, turning to her right she saw a grinning pegasus, one of his wings outstretched, as if brandishing an invisible trophy. Rarity was at a loss of words, she quickly made her way home, wanting to get away from the one who slapped her flank. Upon getting home she sniffled as she closed the door, trying to push it to the back of her mind. She prepared her dinner, and drank three times the amount of wine she originally planned. Stumbling up her stairs her sniffling continued, by the time she had reached the top her tears ran free down her face. She laid in bed, constantly reliving the day in her head. Spike would have had a fit had he seen that He wouldn't have stood for the smug comments either... He...He knew how to treat a lady. He wouldn't let such a thing happen... He would have stood up for me... Oh Spike I miss you so much... Her thoughts kept her awake through most of the night, she dared not remove her necklace, it was the only comfort she could find at the moment. Crying quietly she finally found herself tired. Her tears continued another half hour before subsiding, allowing her to drift off to sleep, thinking of her favorite helper, and perhaps the most chivalrous one in Ponyville. Authors note: Just a small little chapter, more to come but though I owed it to my readers to give them something extra before the big ones come. Moving forwardRarity turned in her bed a bit, the morning sun poking through the curtains on the wall. Despite the rough night she somehow had avoided a hangover and, even more impressive, get some sleep. She rolled gently out of bed and trotted over to her day planner. She looked closely at something she must have written in a hurry, as the writing was scrawled. "Hmm...Party...Planning...with...Pinkie Pie?" She read in her head and out loud and then she repeated it "Party planning with Pinkie Pie!!! How could I let myself forget? Spikey Wikeys Birthday is coming up!" She giggled to herself, She had been waiting on an opportunity to plan the events for months and it was finally here. After settling herself down and showering Rarity took a moment to look at the mirror, She did not remember doing anything different with her mane, but there was a glow about her she could feel. She gave her reflection a wink and giggled. "Oh my my my... I feel like a school-filly.. but I do look quite amazing..." she was interrupted by a loud meow from her cat Opalescence and simply replied "Yes Opal... I am sexy and I know it!" Laughing to herself as she finished she made her way downstairs for breakfast, but not without her gorgeous fire-ruby, as of late no day was complete without the gem she held so dear. Every minute she grew happier, as it was a minute close to planning Spikes birthday party. With Pinkie Pie's help it was a sure-fire success, not to mention that she Pinkie-Pie-Swore not to divulge Rarity's little secret, which was indeed helpful. After her breakfast she trotted happily out the door to be met with the face of Twilight Sparkle. "Twilight darling is there something you need? I was on my way to see Pinkie Pie" Rarity said, hoping that the Purple Unicorn had good news. " Well...I know we Agreed upon me not sending Spike any more letters...But...He never said you couldn't...So I was wondering if maybe you...Could?" Twilight said, she was smiling sheepishly, her eyes hopeful. "I would be more than happy...but Could it wait till later dear? I will stop by the library at 3:00 PM sharp, But Right now I must go see Pinkie Pie, It is of the utmost Importance and she will be expecting me." Rarity said Her smile growing wider. Twilight Smiled and nodded in return,Something however was off about her, Something Rarity couldn't quite put her hoof on. Rarity continued her way to Sugarcube corner, Waving goodbye to Twilight. She hoped that a letter from herself might convince Spike to return, She hated to admit it but she was still a little angry at Twilight for letting it happen. Of course Twilight was still her friend, as long as Spike returned all would be well. As she trotted she could not help but admire the clear sky, Rainbow Dash had outdone herself and it seemed the perfect setting for what she hoped would be a great day. As she Approached Sugarcube Corner she suppressed a giggle, the time had finally come for the party planning. "Cup Cake? Might I ask Where Pinkie Pie is? I believe she should be expecting me." Rarity Said to the light Cerulean Mare, Almost beaming. "Why yes, she is upstairs go on up." Said Mrs. Cake, Smiling in return. Rarity Began her way up the stairs, and tapped gently on Pinkies room door. To her surprise the door flew open and she was met with Pinkie Pie's Smiling face. "Hey Rarity I knew you would be by! So I have a BUNCH of ideas that will be PERFECT for Spikes party and I can't wait to talk so comeincomeincomein!!!" Pinkie said with her usual abundance of energy. Stepping in Rarity greeted her friend trying to maintain her usual Calm demeanor. They wasted no time in planning, everything from the punch bowl to the banners had to be perfect. What she would usually find over the top she knew would be genius, subtlety was not necessary at this point and could prove to hinder her plans. They started with the simplest thing there was, the guest list, Rarity wanted everypony possible to be there, Mayor Mare, Zecora, all the unique characters she met around town would have to be there for her plans to go properly. Ponyville Park was the only place Rarity could imagine the party, the library was certainly too small, and the natural moonlight would compliment the music, and more importantly accentuate the outfit she had planned for the evening. As her and Pinkie wrote their ideas down they found themselves taking up several pages with ideas, which only delighted Rarity even further. Pinkie Pie would prepare delicious food, while she would choose, or make if need be, the decorations. As the planning went on the two of them pieced together the perfect celebration, the only thing missing was the guest of honor. It mattered not though, if anypony could change the mind of somebody as stubborn as Spike, it was going to be Rarity, a thought she happily compared to what could be the ending of a good romance novel. Pinkie meanwhile was hard at work, Already working on the Invitations for the party. "Pinkie dear? It has been great spending this time planning the party, but I promised Twilight I would stop by the library in about 15 minutes, could you perhaps carry on without me?" Rarity said smiling at the pink earth pony in front of her. "Oh no problem Rarity, you go on ahead, there is not much left to do anyways. Don't worry, there is no party like a Pinkie-party, I cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye PROMISE Spike will love the party!" Pinkie said bouncing and pantomiming her signature promise to her friend. `Rarity Wave farewell,whether the party went according to plan or not, Rarity did not really care, her only thought was that her dear Spikey Wikey would think it was The...Best...Possible...THING! Author Note: Sorry the update took forever, Hope you all enjoy the chapter, Sorry if it is not on par with my others, been a ridiculously long month..er...last month was that is...Next update will come when I have time The unreadable letterRarity made her way to the library, Happy to have the chance to aid in Spikes return. Her mind was made up, convince Spike to come home, and make sure he has the best birthday possible, nothing else seemed to matter at this point. As the Library came into view Rarity quickened her pace, eager to write the letter. As she entered the library, she seen that Fluttershy was going through and dusting the shelves, while Twilight was busy restocking most of the shelves with the aid of her magic "Hello Girls, Twilight, A promise is a promise, I am here." Rarity said waving to Fluttershy before greeting Twilight in the same manner. Twilight ran over, a smile on her face "Oh thanks for stopping by, I already have quills, ink, and parchment upstairs at my desk, you can start writing whenever your ready" Twilight said, motioning upstairs before saying "Fluttershy and I still have a few more things to organize and we will be right up" The lavender unicorn's voice was steady, but filled with happiness as she spoke. Nodding in acknowledgement Rarity made her way upstairs, and trotted over to the quill and parchment laid out for her. Sitting down, Rarity quietly went over what she should write, taking just a few minutes before levitating the quill and dipping it into the ink pot. My dearest Spikey Wikey, I am writing on behalf of all our friends to tell you one thing, we miss you, all of us do. I know you may Still be upset at Twilight, but it does not change the fact that all of us are having trouble with you being gone. I am sure that Twilight is more than sorry about what she has said and misses you as well. You are perhaps the most selfless, hard working individual I have ever met and it would be an absolute shame if you would not return. Please Spike, return to Ponyville, It would mean very much to all of us, especially me. With great love, Rarity As Rarity set down the quill, she was aware that Twilight and Fluttershy were a few feet behind her. Smiling she rolled up the parchment, and tied it with a royal-purple ribbon. "Well girls, it is done, hopefully this will convince our Spikey Wikey to return." Rarity said, turning and levitating the letter in front of her. "This is great, now, let me have the letter and stand back, I have only used this spell a few times" Twilight said, wrapping the letter with a purple glow, levitating it over near the fireplace. Spike stood back to admire his handy work, after a few hours of digging,hauling, and redistributing rock from his cave, he managed to make a small alcove to put all his gems. Snatching up a handful of random gems he sat down for a well deserved break. Throughout the day the rest of his scales had shed, leaving him with a new set that sparkled bright in the sun. Munching on the gems he suddenly felt a pain in his stomach, and a moment later belched green fire baring a scroll with a purple ribbon. Spike stared intently at what could only be another letter from Twilight. After debating with himself for a few minutes he made a few quick swipes into the wall of stone near him, and set the rolled parchment into the resulting groove. "I don't have time for this" He said to himself, popping the last few gems into his mouth and biting down with an audible crunch. Laying his head against his pillow of moss he sighed to himself, continually rolling the idea of reading the letter around in his head. As he debated it in his mind he felt himself drifting off to sleep. "I'll read it when I wake up...if I feel like it..." He said before closing his eyes and resting. It had been about five hours since Twilight sent the letter, her five friends sat around with her, waiting with her for a reply back. They had all opted for another sleepover since each of them had a relatively easy day, Rarity and Pinkie Pie were whispering back and forth, Twilight only assumed about Spikes birthday party. As the night pressed on and the girls had their fun, it became clear that the reply might not come that night, if at all. Between the pillow fights,smores, makeovers, and story telling they had plenty of fun, but each of them were growing anxious that a reply had yet to come. Throughout all of this, Twilight could not help but feel happy, her and her friends were having fun, and being that the letter was from Rarity, she felt as if Spike had to reply at some point. Twilight's good mood was enough for everypony else to stay happy, seeing has she had not had the easiest of weeks as of late. Continually through the night the fire in the fireplace would pop or crack, falsely alerting each of them, Twilight, in an effort to ensure the green flames do not extinguish, threw a small bundle of sticks, and a small log on the fire, as she was dreading the idea of losing contact with the one she still considered her "Number one assistant". Each of the six ponies amused each other with jokes, pranks (Mainly by the hooves of Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash) and idle conversation. As they began to wear down, they all decided it would be best to go to sleep, and wait for the reply when the morning came. Twilight was still smiling as she laid her head down to sleep, a night with friends was just what the purple unicorn had needed to wind down from all the weeks stress, the only thing that she thought could make the night better,was if her number one assistant could be there to enjoy it with them. In the white walled room of an Ohio apartment the author of this very story grew tired of writing "Author's note" and so he decided that addressing the readers would be more fun if he did it in story format near the end of the chapter. He was gravely sorry that the update had taken forever as he had just gotten a job working 60 hours a week, hopefully his readers would understand his exhaustion and perhaps the delay.
More than a disagreement"What do you mean slacking?!" Spike yelled at Twilight sparkle. "Now Spike there is no reason to yell, All I'm saying is you could afford to do more work around here." Said Twilight in a calm tone. "I put books back on the shelves,dust them, clean up every one of your messes, organize your study material, do half of your shopping and you dare say I am SLACKING!" He continued to yell, his face bright red. "Spike, stop yelling. I am not calling you lazy, I am just saying that lately my workload has increased and you need to learn to keep up better" She said, head turned up and eyes closed. Spike began pacing angrily,a small flame would erupt from his nostrils every other breath. He barely had time for himself, all his time was spent keeping up with her, and when he was done he would often help Rarity over at the boutique. Every night for the past few months he would go to sleep two hours later and wake up two hours earlier then normal. Glaring back over at her he began to speak. "If I am such a bad assistant why don't you get a new one? If I am so lazy why haven't you gotten another?!" "Spike, I am NOT calling you lazy. We both have our part to do, I have my studies, while you clean, organize and send my letters to the princess. It should not be too much to ask that you". "So thats all I'm good for, huh? Cleaning and sending letters? I cannot BELIEVE this! Did you forget everything I have done? I help you and all our friends and what do I get? Nothing!"He raised his voice more, and more... "Spike, you need to keep your voice down, the girls will be here in about five minutes, go clean the bedroom if you would, we're having a slumber party and it must—" Again cutting off, he was now two inches from her face. "And you STILL wont listen! Spike do this, Spike do that, Spike send this letter, Spike take a letter, Spike why is this book out of place. I am SICK of it, Twilight, you can clean it all yourself, and good luck getting a new assistant, you obviously don't need me," he yelled, his eyes burning with hate as he walked past her, grabbing a small pack and quickly filling it with his stuff. "What do you think you are doing, Spike? Stop this nonsense and go clean up," she said, doing her best to keep her cool with the stubborn dragon. Turning, she realized he was already at the door when they both heard the knock. Knock Knock "We're here!" Came the voices of Pinkie pie, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, And Fluttershy. *** Spike opened the door and walked past Twilight's friends, all of their eyes on him. "Bye everypony," he said, not looking at a one of them. Not even Rarity. They all looked confused as the dragon walked away. Twilight then said "Don't worry girls, he is just being melodramatic, he will be back before the nights out." she said, putting on a cheerful tone. "Dear are you sure? he seemed awfully angry" Came Raritys voice, deeply concerned. Twilight began again "It was just a small disagreement I assure you" looking over her friends she could already see he was out of sight. quickly letting them in she closed the door. And so the night began, a few hours had past and each of them had stolen a glance at the door wondering if the small purple dragon would return. It was time fore truth or dare, and Rarity was the one to start it off. "Twilight, truth or dare darling?" She said looking to the studious unicorn. Thinking hard she spoke up "I choose truth" She said,looking back. Smiling rarity began to speak "What exactly was that argument between you and spikey wikey about?" "I um...." Twilight started, all eyes on her, how could she tell them? she had no choice "Well I simply asked that he work a bit harder, My workload has increased and he hadn't been keeping up too well...and he got into how I am always bossing him around, I did try to reason with him, He is just stubborn..hehe..." She laughed nervously at the end, rarity,applejack, and rainbow dash were all frowning, pinkiepie and fluttershy seemed to be at a loss of words. Rarity was the first to speak up "Well of course you..apologized to him right?" her voice slightly hopeful. "Well...No, I was in the right and he was the one who was yelling MY ear off...not like he gave me a chance either." Twilight said, and the response did not seem to please rarity... "Well darling you simply must! What if our dear spikey wikey doesn't return? he could get himself hurt or worse!" She said, obviously worried. "Now now rarity... he is going to come back, he just needs time to cool off that's all." Said twilight in a somewhat reassuring voice. "And if he DOESN'T come back? dear keep in mind that he manages to assist everypony here, if he doesn't come back I can't think of anypony as reliable as him to help us." She said again, sounding a little angry adding "And besides...His birthday IS in a few months,Pinkie pie and I have been planning something special." She crossed her legs, tapping a hoof on the floor. "Rarity, if he is not back by morning I will send him a letter apologizing...I promise. now lets continue ok?" she said, her statement was met with an approving nod from each of her friends. Spike walked a small dirt path, he was already on the outskirts of Ponyville, mumbling angrily to himself. He wasn't going terribly fast, but it was a little faster then a brisk walk, he soon approached the Everfree forest. They would never look there, and after the great dragon migration he is quite sure he could handle it. Author note:wanted to do this for awhile, thought I would try it. feedback is appreciated. I will take this chapter by chapter, some will be done as "Journal entries"Others as regular chapters. I know it is off to a rough start, but it will get better I promise. Good news, with the help of Twillale, My this chapter is halfway through editing...:)Iam shorton time however so will finish the additions and such tomorrow.
Sorry is not enoughSpike continued through the Everfree forest, thinking back it wasn't all that scary in the later parts of the night. He was still angry though, Twilights words were burned into his mind. He stepped into a clearing, it was almost 3 in the morning and this was the first break He had taken. On the edge of the clearing there was a mass of rocks of various sizes, It would be hard work, but he could make himself a decent sized cave right there, And if he wanted to return... "No...why would I? back to a life of sending letters and basically being a servant?" He said aloud to himself... If he were to make a cave it would definitely be much further away from ponyville... He pondered the idea of making a cave as he sat on a tree stump, it would be bad for him to be out in the elements too much if he kept going...why not stop here? It is rather close to a river, it would only take a few hours to move all the rocks... "Yeah...a cave for me... away from all those...demands..."He said to himself, not realizing he was already in the process of moving some of the rocks. He grinned, rest can wait till later, in the mean time, maybe setting up a cave will settle his anger a bit...maybe... Twilight yawned as she woke up at around 7:00 AM... she was the second one awake, Pinkie Pie was down in the Kitchen cooking up a storm with her normal bouncy mood. She looked down at spike basket, and seen he was not there, she sighed a bit annoyed "Stubborn dragon" She mumbled rather angrily. Rarity stirred in her sleep, waking up moments later to say "Ahh has our Spikey wikey returned?" She said, removing her blindfold. Looking about to see the empty basket she frowned. "Twilight? have you sent dear spikey wikey that letter yet?" She said looking over the the purple unicorn. ` "No I haven't, What should I even say?" said Twilight her voice clearly annoyed Rarity thought for a long moment whilst fixing her hair with magic, "Well darling, you could say 'I am sorry, I was wrong, and I was being completely bullheaded about the entire situation' darling it really is as simple as that." Twilight huffed "Bullheaded? I asked for him to keep pace with me better!" she said in an angry whisper so not to wake the others. "But darling...was that the wording you used? what exactly did you say" Rarity said looking Twilight in the eyes. "Well I...I said since our workload increased it seemed like he was slacking and should pick up the pace" She said, receiving a particularly annoyed look from Rarity. Rarity sighed slightly "darling...you...Actually said slacking? to Spike? The purple dragon who helps Me,You, and all of our friends on a more the regular basis? The little dragon who cleans up Ninety percent of your messes when you almost empty every shelf? Darling surely you know how ridiculous that sounds!" She couldn't help but feel shocked, almost even insulted by Twilights statement. At this moment both Fluttershy and Applejack were waking up, each of them looked rather confused. Each of the two said good morning and Applejack took the opportunity to ask what was going on. "Well dear Twilight and I are discussing what to say in her apology letter to Spike." Said rarity losing her frown. "Ah well, Im gonna go and see what Pinkie is makin up for breakfast, good luck to ya on the letter Sugarcube" said Applejack as she trotted off, leaving a silent but curious looking Fluttershy. "Fluttershy dear, is something on your mind?" Rarity said still silently rolling Twilights words around in her head. "Well its nothing...Just that...I overhead what Twilight said and...Well not that it is my place to say but...I mean... Spike does help out everypony in Ponyville...So maybe...perhaps..." Fluttershy started and turned to Twilight "M-maybe you could have been Nicer...I mean...He has always been more then willing to take care of my animals while I'm away..." she finished, not quite finding the words she needed. Twilight simply sighed and said "I know I didn't exactly word it too well but I never meant to Insult him..." She hovered a quill and parchment and began writing "A short apology should be good until he is back, then I will talk with him I suppose" Both Rarity and Fluttershy gave her a short nod as they went down to Join Applejack and Pinkie Pie. Sighing again she looked over her letter,no...It was more of a note, a small note, but she was sure it would be enough for the small dragon. She tried to remember a spell for individual Object teleportation...Of course dragon fire would make it much easier. She looked at the fire place which had a small flickering flame left. Then it hit her, Spike was the one tat lit the fire, it was a long shot but she had to try it. Just at that moment Rainbow Dash quickly woke up looking around. "Wa-what time is it?"She said urgently looking about. "Its about 7:30 Dash...why?"She asked curious. Dash hopped up quickly saying "I was supposed to help the weather team with an upcoming storm, I gotta go Twi!" And she was off, rushing downstairs she said goodbye to everypony and left. Twilight Shook her head and tossed a dry log on the fire saying to herself "This better work...come on..." she slowly sent some magic into the log, watching as the fire turned green, Quickly she tossed the note in while doing the teleport spell. She watched as the note was enveloped in green fire and the glowing ashes flew out of the nearby window. Sighing in relief she made her way downstairs. Author note:Another update soon.Promise
The replyThe fire still glowed green as Twilight paced back and forth. She had only just sent the note but each second seemed to crawl by. Then it hit her...Spike had no way to actually reply, how would they know what his decision was? before the fire could fade she quickly rolled a short scroll of parchment,a quill, and a small ink pot into a neat bundle and tossed it again, doing the spell a second time. Still she was unsure, and just in case any other problems should arise she tossed some light sticks and a heavy log on the fire to sustain it. "A mare can never be too careful" She said to herself as she went downstairs to join her friends for breakfast. Spike sighed, he was exhausted, the small dragon had cleared nearly a ton and a half of stone. But he had himself a cozy little cave, he had even stumbled upon a few gems, which he promptly devoured. He began thinking of how he would last, Rarity had taught him a thing or two about finding gems without magic, and being that it was from her, remembering the information was no hard task, but what does a dragon do when all his purpose is removed? He no longer had chores, or ponies he could help. Perhaps he will just expand his cave, he won't be going on any raids like the brutes during the migration, but a little space never hurt. Suddenly he felt a pressure in his chest and barely a moment later he belched green fire, which he noticed as the flames dissipated contained a small scrap of paper,with a few words,and no seal. Obviously not from the princess, he looked closer to see it signed "Your closest friend, Twilight Sparkle". He growled to himself, "Closest friend" his tail. Sighing again he grabbed the scrap of paper and read it out loud to himself, "Dear Spike, I am sorry for what I said the other night, Please return home soon as we are all worried...your closest friend...Twilight...Sparkle", he sighed, not exactly the worlds best apology. Feeling a pressure in his chest again he belched another green flame revealing blank parchment,an inkpot, and a quill. He looked from the note to the parchment, he was not even sure if he should reply. He will just get more orders, demands, and chores. No, Not today. Taking up the quill he started writing, and writing,and writing. He looked down and reread it in his head a hundred times, hoping his point would be clear, hoping for Celestias sake she would understand. Dear Twilight Sparkle, I hope you do not think that such a menial apology would actually suffice given the circumstances. In fact I personally don't feel that any apology would be enough, I have taken order after order from you, always trying my best to keep up with the workload and never hearing any thanks.Perhaps in the future I may forgive you, but until such a time I request that you refrain from contacting me. Seeing as my work goes unappreciated you obviously will not be noticing The extra workload on yourself. Still angry, Your unneeded assistant, Spike Rolling the parchment up he released a short gout of green fire upon it, Luckily for him, dragon-fire delivery is as simply as knowing who the recipient was. Digging his claws into the dirt he let out another short growl, he was glad he decided to make a cave, he planned on being here awhile. Authors note: Sorry for the short chapter,having trouble out here in the real world. Next update will be nice and ginormous for you
Ink and TearsIt was 10:00 AM, Rarity and Twilight were cleaning up the library, as Rarity had offered to stay and help with the clean up, hoping she might be there when Spikes reply arrived. There was not much to do, the library would remain closed for another hour and she had been caught up on all her orders, and besides, even if she had been swamped with them she would still have made time to see as to whether or not er dear Spikey-wikey was returning. Until a reply saying such a thing would come however, she would busy herself with the dishes as Twilight went about putting the rest of the food away. After a few more minutes Twilight heard something up stairs, knowing it must be the reply she had been waiting for she galloped up the stairs to find a rolled up piece of parchment in front of the fireplace. Rarity who had heard the noise as well was right behind her, and practically shoved Twilight forward "Go on...Read it!" Said the white unicorn, her voice urgent. "Oof...Ok ok I am." said Twilight, stumbling over her hooves because of the shove. Levitating the scroll he unraveled it, aware of Rarity peeking over her shoulder. As she read she felt her eyes watering, reading the last words out loud as if it would change the meaning of the letter. "S-still angry...Y-your unn-needed assistant, Spike...I...I don't think he is coming back Rarity...he is still upset" Twilight said, her voice shaky as the realization hit her she continued "W-what have I done? What will I do?I..I messed up Rarity..." Her voice shook more and more as she spoke, a few tears falling down to mix with the ink and stain the parchment. Rarity remained silent, as she took a few steps back. Twilight turned to face her, to see that she was doing nothing but staring at the ground, expression blank. "I...I was planning something special for him...and...and now he's gone..." Rarity said sniffling a bit, turning quietly she said is a quiet voice "If you need me Twilight, I can stop by later, I need to get my Boutique open..." she finished head still drooping as she made her way down the stairs.\ As her friend left Twilight looked back at the letter, the words on the parchment practically burning her eyes as she reread them. She reread it to the point where the very sight of the ink on the page crushed her. Rolling the letter up she placed it on her bed,and made her way down so she might open the Library, It was going to be a long day. The day was busy, There were four new shipments and it seemed that everypony had picked that day to pick up some light reading. Each checkout bore more paperwork, more to write, more to read, she grew sick of the sight of ink of paper. Closing the door, she sighed, the day would not have been nearly as hard with Spikes to help. Sighing she lowered her head sniffling as she made her way up the stairs. A knock could be heard at the door, sighing she trotted over and opened it to see Rarity, wearing a hopeful smile. "Twilight dear, any other news on our dear spikey wikey? did he maybe change his mind?" Came her voice, in a rather depressed, yet hopeful tone. Twilight sighed before replying "no, nothing else...Today was hard, maybe I have taken him for granted, Working the library has never been this difficult. Maybe I should send another letter?" she finished looking up at the white unicorn who simply shook her her head. "Spike has made it clear he would rather not be bothered...we...even though we may be worried we should respect his wishes..." Rarity said smiling weakly before continuing, "Perhaps...you should leave the library closed tomorrow, Pinkie pie,Fluttershy, and I were all going to have a day out at the spa, and you could obviously use some relaxation dear." Raritys voice was gentle, and comforting, which betrayed the sad look in her eyes. Twilight simply nodded tiredly, and Rarity made her way out the door. She trotted upstairs and seen the letter from spike she had lain on her bed. As she laid down she set the letter on her nightstand, her eyes beginning to well up in tears. She was not sure if she could bare to read his words again. crawling under her covers she pressed her face against her pillow, crying quietly till she fell asleep. Spike curled against the flat rock he had made his bed, he knew he shouldn't be this angry...or should he? There was something in the back of his mind, absolutely furious. He knew he should not have gotten so loud, but who could blame him? He donated his time to any pony in town who needed it, and in return he is told he has been slacking. He swung his claws at the stone floor of his new cave, leaving a few deep gouges. His mind drifted until it ran into the mental image of a beautiful white unicorn. Would Rarity understand him? She was one of the ponies he helped the most, and could not be happier to do so. Her Image drifted through his thoughts gracefully. He could still picture each small detail of her form, from her perfect silky coat, to her shining eyes. His clenched claw relaxed, and so did he. Perhaps there would be a reason to return...in time of course. He drifted off to sleep, saying aloud "I miss you Rarity, Don't worry, I'll return..." Rarity awoke with a start, a chill had run down her spine. She looked about her room, the moon shone through her window, its light caught on something gleaming red. She knew what it was, how could she not? It was only the most divinely flawless gem ever to grace her life. lifting it with her telekinesis, she brought the gorgeous fire ruby towards her and laid it on her nightstand, staring at it, lost in its beauty. No outfit,nor dress,nor any project she could ever work on will be as perfect as this gift from Spike. One does not simply give up such a gem because they are asked, no, she knew Spike must truly have deep feelings for her. Sighing she closed her eyes,reluctantly, as she was fascinated ever more by the gem. As she drifted off to sleep Spike stayed in her thoughts. All she could hope for was is safety and a swift return. She would not let him skip out on the birthday present she had planned, it had taken her too long. Her sleep came gently like a summer breeze, leaving her in her dreamland bliss. Authors Note: This chapter I finished early as a small little thank you to my awesome readers. Expect more soon. and by soon I mean whenever the hell I get around to it XD. also its voting time. There is going to be a fight scene in this fic. so... will it be against A.)Garble (red dragon from dragon quest) B.)Wild angry Manticore C.) Iron Will D.)A Hydra. most votes will win ze chapter! Huzzah!
A week of changeSpike woke up to the sound of his rumbling stomach, he knew he had to get some food,and fast. Thinking back to what Rarity told him about locating gems he reviewed the techniques he should use in his head *Flashback* "Now spike you must remember,The ground will likely be dense,and if you knock on it hard enough" Rarity said tapping a spot on the ground with her hoof, causing a gentle and hollow 'thunk' sound "It should be hollow, and the dirt on top of the denser earth will be very fine, just try to remember that as well" Spike thought a moment" Ok, dense earth,hollow noise, and fine dust...but...Remind me again why you are teaching me this?" He said looking up at her "Why Spike it is the least I can do, this way even though you can't have your fire ruby you can at least know how to get some gems if other food is scarce." She said looking about the dusty ridge they had climbed to. Clearing her throat she began to speak in a more serious, slightly concerned tone "That point aside, you worried Twilight,Rainbow, and I when you went on that migration. This way you can acquire gems in a survival situation so...Please remember it Spike... None of us know what we would do without you." *End Flashback* Spike smiled, Rarity was right,and now it was time to put it to the test. Leaving his cave he pulled a blanket of moss over the entrance, hoping it would deter any intruders. He walked up a slope to a dirt strewn area and looked around,seeing that much of it had very loose dirt on the top, he had obviously hit the jackpot. Twilight walked into the spa with a weak smile on her face, hoping to herself that none could tell she had been crying that morning or the night before. Fluttershy was talking with Pinkie Pie as they both took a mudbath, and Rarity was getting herself a hooficure by lotus. Waving her hoof she said "Hey girls,how's it going?" doing her best not to sound upset. Rarity was the first to respond "Oh darling we are doing wonderful, Aloe and Lotus have had a slow day so we are getting the royal treatment!" she said Continuing "Please dear come join me, we have a long day of pampering ahead of us and YOU are running behind". Walking over she took the seat opposite to Rarity saying "Yeah, Don't wanna fall behind I guess" Laughing nervously. After about an hour both Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie had rinsed off and joined them. As much as she tried Twilight could not bring herself to relax, Having had almost no sleep and still flooding her mind with ways to make Spike want to come back she simply sighed. "Girls...Maybe I shouldn't have come today...I don't think relaxing will be very possible given everything that has happened lately" Twilight said closing her eyes. Both Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy remained quiet, Rarity however spoke up in an uncharacteristically blunt manner "Darling...either you stay and enjoy the spa, or we all leave with you, Simply put, None of us are idiots and we see how much the extra work at the library is taking a toll on you. I invited you here to relax and you will do just that." she finished turning to Lotus with a smile, "Lotus, could you perhaps see if you have any of that Vanilla-lavendar massage oil back in stock? I believe I will pass on the usual Orchid-clove today" She smiled warmly as Lotus quickly ran out to check, turning back to Twilight. "And crying too much before going to sleep is terribly bad for you, you MUST stop that as well" This time retaining her usual posh tone. Her words set Twilight aback quite a bit as she began to reply. "What!? how did you know!? I...I mean...How would you know if I did?" She stumbled over her words and was met with Raritys warm smile. "Twilight, your eyes are as red as the fireruby Spike gave me, Might I suggest crying in the shower? It makes it so much harder to detect darling" Rarity said calmly, offering another smile. Twilight shrank back a little, and sighed saying "Well...I know I was harsh on Spike and with how busy the library is getting I am getting terribly stressed. I don't think I can run the library much longer if this keeps up...I need help" She finished lowering her head avoiding their gazes. Fluttershy quietly spoke as she looked upon the purple unicorn, her ever-present warm smile upon her "Well, If you want, I could help in the later half of the day...My animals are generally fine as long as I feed them in the morning...So...I could come by to help...If you want that is..." Said the Yellow pegasi, hoping to be of some comfort. "Oh Oh Oh!! And I can help in the mornings! The Cakes found a second babysitter so I will be free allll morning and I could help with just about anything,and-I-do-mean-anything-I-mean-I-can-dust-clean-organise-and-do-all-the-stuff-Spike-did-and-you-would-be-able-to-go-about-yournormalpacewithoutbeingstressed!!!" Pinkie Pie said quickly,so quickly Twilight barely caught any of it,but she managed to pick out the important bits by herself. For the first time since receiving Spikes reply, Twilight managed to smile, she looked at her friends around her,giving each of them a nod, just as Lotus returned from the back room. "Mees Rarity I 'Ave found ze Massage oil you wanted, ve 'ave plenty in stock" Lotus said, Smiling at the four mares before her. Rarity simply gave a nod, and without a moments hesitation Lotus continued the hooficure she had interrupted to go search the back stock. Thankfully for Twilight, she managed to push the thoughts of her missing assistant to the back of her mind long enough to enjoy the rest of the day at the spa. Spike panted heavily, He had been hard at work digging up and hauling gems, filling a small corner of his cave he grabbed a random emerald to snack on. His claws were caked in dirt and were sore. Sitting down on the stone he had been using as a bed he tried to relax, he had enough gems to last him a few days. He looked over to what was left of the parchment twilight sparkle had sent him, curiously eying it. Shaking his head he turned to a bare corner in his cave, He had to keep himself occupied. Standing up he left the cave, setting his mind to a new task. He cave would be no good to him if some angry creature stumbled upon it, So he set about finding branches to weave together to make a door. Of course an obvious door would be a terrible Idea, so he covered the mouth of his cave with a thick blanket of moss. His door was primitive at best, but it gave him something to do that would keep his mind off Ponyville. After finally attaching the door he looked up at the sky to see the sun was about to set. Time had rushed by quickly and his idle tasks of the day had left him exhausted. he found another large rock and tore the moss from its surface, rolling it up for a makeshift pillow. Before he could even think for a moment about the days events, he fell asleep. The rest of the week had flown by, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie would help Twilight when They had the time. But each day had gotten harder. Twilight had been sending her friendship reports with Owlicious since spike had been unavailable. By the end of each day the library would be a mess, and she would spend hours picking books up and putting them in their proper place, almost collapsing by the time she would get to bed. Meanwhile, across the Everfree Forest, Spike was still making additions to his cave, eating piles of gems at a time. He had to go gem hunting 3 times throughout the week, as his appetite had grown immensely. Later in the morning Spike woke up, he felt stiff, and tired. He looked down and could have sworn he was a bit taller. His scales were shedding as well and he was hungry. Reaching over to grab a gem he was shocked when on his first grab he had scratched a small groove into the surface. Grinning to himself he helped himself to the gems, Perhaps an all-gem diet would prove to be a healthy change from grass,flowers and donuts. __________________________________________________________________________________________ Authors note:Terribly sorry for the long wait. this chapter is a little rough But hopefully I will have time to edit later on... Enjoy. I have been dreadfully busy and have not had time to put much work into this, I wanted to make the chapter longer but hopefully this will do.
A Simple AnnoyanceRarity walked through town, having just shipped out one of her latest projects she found some extra time on her hooves. In the back of her mind the unicorn wished that Spike could be there, the dragon was always so eager to help her with her shopping, but she sighed, perhaps a few extra trips wouldn't be too bad. That day she had decided to wear her Fire ruby, something that had drawn the eyes of many stallions throughout the marketplace. Though she appreciated it to a degree, she found the new found forwardness of some stallions, rather irritating. Stopping by Sugarcube Corner to get herself something to eat, she yet again turned heads, and why wouldn't she? why, The fire ruby was simply gorgeous. Perhaps she would find herself less annoyed if the ruby was the gem that grasped their attention, rather than the diamonds on her flanks. Trotting up to the counter she ordered herself a slice of raspberry angels-food cake, and not a moment later she heard from a nearby table, "Yeah I got something I can feed ya, you little angel" Ignoring it she simply sat several tables away, eating quietly. It was not the rudest comment she had heard all day, but still, If Spike were here he wouldn't have let that happen, he would have stood up for me She thought to herself. Finishing her food quickly she left, as she had much to buy and little time to do it in. As the day dragged on Rarity had become increasingly tense. A whistle and a wink every now and then was fine, flattering even, but most of the day had been smug comments. As she made her way home she hummed to herself, the day was done, she could have herself a glass of wine with rose salad, and then she could... *SMACK* Her flank stung, turning to her right she saw a grinning pegasus, one of his wings outstretched, as if brandishing an invisible trophy. Rarity was at a loss of words, she quickly made her way home, wanting to get away from the one who slapped her flank. Upon getting home she sniffled as she closed the door, trying to push it to the back of her mind. She prepared her dinner, and drank three times the amount of wine she originally planned. Stumbling up her stairs her sniffling continued, by the time she had reached the top her tears ran free down her face. She laid in bed, constantly reliving the day in her head. Spike would have had a fit had he seen that He wouldn't have stood for the smug comments either... He...He knew how to treat a lady. He wouldn't let such a thing happen... He would have stood up for me... Oh Spike I miss you so much... Her thoughts kept her awake through most of the night, she dared not remove her necklace, it was the only comfort she could find at the moment. Crying quietly she finally found herself tired. Her tears continued another half hour before subsiding, allowing her to drift off to sleep, thinking of her favorite helper, and perhaps the most chivalrous one in Ponyville. Authors note: Just a small little chapter, more to come but though I owed it to my readers to give them something extra before the big ones come.
Moving forwardRarity turned in her bed a bit, the morning sun poking through the curtains on the wall. Despite the rough night she somehow had avoided a hangover and, even more impressive, get some sleep. She rolled gently out of bed and trotted over to her day planner. She looked closely at something she must have written in a hurry, as the writing was scrawled. "Hmm...Party...Planning...with...Pinkie Pie?" She read in her head and out loud and then she repeated it "Party planning with Pinkie Pie!!! How could I let myself forget? Spikey Wikeys Birthday is coming up!" She giggled to herself, She had been waiting on an opportunity to plan the events for months and it was finally here. After settling herself down and showering Rarity took a moment to look at the mirror, She did not remember doing anything different with her mane, but there was a glow about her she could feel. She gave her reflection a wink and giggled. "Oh my my my... I feel like a school-filly.. but I do look quite amazing..." she was interrupted by a loud meow from her cat Opalescence and simply replied "Yes Opal... I am sexy and I know it!" Laughing to herself as she finished she made her way downstairs for breakfast, but not without her gorgeous fire-ruby, as of late no day was complete without the gem she held so dear. Every minute she grew happier, as it was a minute close to planning Spikes birthday party. With Pinkie Pie's help it was a sure-fire success, not to mention that she Pinkie-Pie-Swore not to divulge Rarity's little secret, which was indeed helpful. After her breakfast she trotted happily out the door to be met with the face of Twilight Sparkle. "Twilight darling is there something you need? I was on my way to see Pinkie Pie" Rarity said, hoping that the Purple Unicorn had good news. " Well...I know we Agreed upon me not sending Spike any more letters...But...He never said you couldn't...So I was wondering if maybe you...Could?" Twilight said, she was smiling sheepishly, her eyes hopeful. "I would be more than happy...but Could it wait till later dear? I will stop by the library at 3:00 PM sharp, But Right now I must go see Pinkie Pie, It is of the utmost Importance and she will be expecting me." Rarity said Her smile growing wider. Twilight Smiled and nodded in return,Something however was off about her, Something Rarity couldn't quite put her hoof on. Rarity continued her way to Sugarcube corner, Waving goodbye to Twilight. She hoped that a letter from herself might convince Spike to return, She hated to admit it but she was still a little angry at Twilight for letting it happen. Of course Twilight was still her friend, as long as Spike returned all would be well. As she trotted she could not help but admire the clear sky, Rainbow Dash had outdone herself and it seemed the perfect setting for what she hoped would be a great day. As she Approached Sugarcube Corner she suppressed a giggle, the time had finally come for the party planning. "Cup Cake? Might I ask Where Pinkie Pie is? I believe she should be expecting me." Rarity Said to the light Cerulean Mare, Almost beaming. "Why yes, she is upstairs go on up." Said Mrs. Cake, Smiling in return. Rarity Began her way up the stairs, and tapped gently on Pinkies room door. To her surprise the door flew open and she was met with Pinkie Pie's Smiling face. "Hey Rarity I knew you would be by! So I have a BUNCH of ideas that will be PERFECT for Spikes party and I can't wait to talk so comeincomeincomein!!!" Pinkie said with her usual abundance of energy. Stepping in Rarity greeted her friend trying to maintain her usual Calm demeanor. They wasted no time in planning, everything from the punch bowl to the banners had to be perfect. What she would usually find over the top she knew would be genius, subtlety was not necessary at this point and could prove to hinder her plans. They started with the simplest thing there was, the guest list, Rarity wanted everypony possible to be there, Mayor Mare, Zecora, all the unique characters she met around town would have to be there for her plans to go properly. Ponyville Park was the only place Rarity could imagine the party, the library was certainly too small, and the natural moonlight would compliment the music, and more importantly accentuate the outfit she had planned for the evening. As her and Pinkie wrote their ideas down they found themselves taking up several pages with ideas, which only delighted Rarity even further. Pinkie Pie would prepare delicious food, while she would choose, or make if need be, the decorations. As the planning went on the two of them pieced together the perfect celebration, the only thing missing was the guest of honor. It mattered not though, if anypony could change the mind of somebody as stubborn as Spike, it was going to be Rarity, a thought she happily compared to what could be the ending of a good romance novel. Pinkie meanwhile was hard at work, Already working on the Invitations for the party. "Pinkie dear? It has been great spending this time planning the party, but I promised Twilight I would stop by the library in about 15 minutes, could you perhaps carry on without me?" Rarity said smiling at the pink earth pony in front of her. "Oh no problem Rarity, you go on ahead, there is not much left to do anyways. Don't worry, there is no party like a Pinkie-party, I cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye PROMISE Spike will love the party!" Pinkie said bouncing and pantomiming her signature promise to her friend. `Rarity Wave farewell,whether the party went according to plan or not, Rarity did not really care, her only thought was that her dear Spikey Wikey would think it was The...Best...Possible...THING! Author Note: Sorry the update took forever, Hope you all enjoy the chapter, Sorry if it is not on par with my others, been a ridiculously long month..er...last month was that is...Next update will come when I have time
The unreadable letterRarity made her way to the library, Happy to have the chance to aid in Spikes return. Her mind was made up, convince Spike to come home, and make sure he has the best birthday possible, nothing else seemed to matter at this point. As the Library came into view Rarity quickened her pace, eager to write the letter. As she entered the library, she seen that Fluttershy was going through and dusting the shelves, while Twilight was busy restocking most of the shelves with the aid of her magic "Hello Girls, Twilight, A promise is a promise, I am here." Rarity said waving to Fluttershy before greeting Twilight in the same manner. Twilight ran over, a smile on her face "Oh thanks for stopping by, I already have quills, ink, and parchment upstairs at my desk, you can start writing whenever your ready" Twilight said, motioning upstairs before saying "Fluttershy and I still have a few more things to organize and we will be right up" The lavender unicorn's voice was steady, but filled with happiness as she spoke. Nodding in acknowledgement Rarity made her way upstairs, and trotted over to the quill and parchment laid out for her. Sitting down, Rarity quietly went over what she should write, taking just a few minutes before levitating the quill and dipping it into the ink pot. My dearest Spikey Wikey, I am writing on behalf of all our friends to tell you one thing, we miss you, all of us do. I know you may Still be upset at Twilight, but it does not change the fact that all of us are having trouble with you being gone. I am sure that Twilight is more than sorry about what she has said and misses you as well. You are perhaps the most selfless, hard working individual I have ever met and it would be an absolute shame if you would not return. Please Spike, return to Ponyville, It would mean very much to all of us, especially me. With great love, Rarity As Rarity set down the quill, she was aware that Twilight and Fluttershy were a few feet behind her. Smiling she rolled up the parchment, and tied it with a royal-purple ribbon. "Well girls, it is done, hopefully this will convince our Spikey Wikey to return." Rarity said, turning and levitating the letter in front of her. "This is great, now, let me have the letter and stand back, I have only used this spell a few times" Twilight said, wrapping the letter with a purple glow, levitating it over near the fireplace. Spike stood back to admire his handy work, after a few hours of digging,hauling, and redistributing rock from his cave, he managed to make a small alcove to put all his gems. Snatching up a handful of random gems he sat down for a well deserved break. Throughout the day the rest of his scales had shed, leaving him with a new set that sparkled bright in the sun. Munching on the gems he suddenly felt a pain in his stomach, and a moment later belched green fire baring a scroll with a purple ribbon. Spike stared intently at what could only be another letter from Twilight. After debating with himself for a few minutes he made a few quick swipes into the wall of stone near him, and set the rolled parchment into the resulting groove. "I don't have time for this" He said to himself, popping the last few gems into his mouth and biting down with an audible crunch. Laying his head against his pillow of moss he sighed to himself, continually rolling the idea of reading the letter around in his head. As he debated it in his mind he felt himself drifting off to sleep. "I'll read it when I wake up...if I feel like it..." He said before closing his eyes and resting. It had been about five hours since Twilight sent the letter, her five friends sat around with her, waiting with her for a reply back. They had all opted for another sleepover since each of them had a relatively easy day, Rarity and Pinkie Pie were whispering back and forth, Twilight only assumed about Spikes birthday party. As the night pressed on and the girls had their fun, it became clear that the reply might not come that night, if at all. Between the pillow fights,smores, makeovers, and story telling they had plenty of fun, but each of them were growing anxious that a reply had yet to come. Throughout all of this, Twilight could not help but feel happy, her and her friends were having fun, and being that the letter was from Rarity, she felt as if Spike had to reply at some point. Twilight's good mood was enough for everypony else to stay happy, seeing has she had not had the easiest of weeks as of late. Continually through the night the fire in the fireplace would pop or crack, falsely alerting each of them, Twilight, in an effort to ensure the green flames do not extinguish, threw a small bundle of sticks, and a small log on the fire, as she was dreading the idea of losing contact with the one she still considered her "Number one assistant". Each of the six ponies amused each other with jokes, pranks (Mainly by the hooves of Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash) and idle conversation. As they began to wear down, they all decided it would be best to go to sleep, and wait for the reply when the morning came. Twilight was still smiling as she laid her head down to sleep, a night with friends was just what the purple unicorn had needed to wind down from all the weeks stress, the only thing that she thought could make the night better,was if her number one assistant could be there to enjoy it with them. In the white walled room of an Ohio apartment the author of this very story grew tired of writing "Author's note" and so he decided that addressing the readers would be more fun if he did it in story format near the end of the chapter. He was gravely sorry that the update had taken forever as he had just gotten a job working 60 hours a week, hopefully his readers would understand his exhaustion and perhaps the delay.
