“All good things must come to an end.” Even though it was an evident truth, it didn’t change the fact that it was a trainwreck to Rarity’s life.
She sat at her desk, the morning light filtering as much as it could through nearly-closed curtains. Rarity had a million and one things to do, all due by that following weekend, but the awful feeling overtook all. She felt sick to her stomach as she turned the heart-shaped ruby in her hooves, framed in gold. She had always kept this secret, but looking back on it now, she didn’t know why. Anypony who was anypony would already know that she was crushed, inside and out, by the recent happenings. A few months ago, or even a few weeks ago, she wouldn’t have anticipated feeling this way now, but the time was finally here, and she couldn’t help it no matter how hard she tried.
She desperately wanted to rid herself of this feeling. Anypony would. But some sick part of her wanted to cleave to it, and try in desperation to get Spike’s attention again. The thought of him, now fully grown, complete with majestic wings and everything made once dried tears moist again. Spike was different now, different from what her Spikey-Wikey was just months before. The change would’ve been more welcome, she thought, if he didn’t advert his gaze from me… for her.
Time had gone fast for her, and it was getting faster and faster. She remembered Sweetie Belle as a filly, going on ambitious misadventures to try to find her talent, though the answer was in front of her face all along. Maybe a year ago, she finally achieved her Cutie Mark, and that was such a triumphant day for her. Now, a year later, she’d grown so much, Rarity could hardly believe it. She was a mare that caught every colt’s eye, basking in her beauty, a beauty that even Rarity herself didn’t think she could match. In all honesty, Rarity envied her. But such a feeling was resolvable, and Rarity had gotten over that want months ago.
However, when the two growing creature’s eyes met, to see their new bodies, a new thing blossomed. Something that Rarity had grown to hate. Somewhere along the line, Spike had been visiting the Carousel Boutique more and more often, seeing both Rarity and her sister. Before the change of being a baby dragon into a more or less full grown dragon, these visitations were exclusively for Rarity. At first it was a slight annoyance. However, as time went on, Rarity had warmed up to him, him and his idiocy and cleverness. She’d considered him a good friend for years on end.
But when the time came for the transition from baby to adult, Rarity knew that things wouldn’t be the same between the both of them. During puberty, dragons who weren’t born with wings, like the breed Spike is, would grow wings around their sixteenth year. When Rarity first heard about this news from Twilight, she was excited for him, excited that he was going to be all grown up, to be a dependable dragon unlike his baby self.
But, when Twilight further elaborated, Rarity’s excitement turned into sour concern. Because of the process of natural selection among dragons, if the egg survived outside the womb, and hatched into a viable offspring, a new wave of selection would take place during the growing process. If medically unattended, scales on his back would start shedding, revealing raw, sensitive skin. His new wings would develop under this skin, and, similar to a growing tooth, would grow in when they were ready. However, unlike a tooth, this new appendage would burst out violently from his back. In the process, dragons of this breed would lose a majority of their blood. The build of these dragons could last about a week on low blood supply; about the time where a sufficient amount of blood would be created.
Unfortunately, Spike wasn’t that type of dragon. He’d been sheltered all his life as a part of pony kind, exempt from all the developmental processes dragons undertook in their own societies to prepare themselves for this event. Because of this, there was no way Spike could survive going through this process on his own. Hearing about this made Rarity’s mind reel with concern, in a new degree than ever before. Over the seven years they’d known each other, Rarity had only considered Spike as a good friend. But then, in that moment, she discovered something that surprised her. Her thoughts could not be rid of Spike, how he was doing, and if he would survive the wings growing in even with surgical help. Through this, she discovered that Spike was no mere friend. She’d been blind to his one-sided love for all that time. But now, she was recognizing it, more than ever before, and found in her heart the answer to her preoccupied thoughts: she loved him back.
Rarity flinched, nearly dropping the ruby heart. There I go again, she thought, gulping a lump down her throat. A love that had potential, but never could be. Had she acted sooner, Spike would be in her hooves rather than the cold jewel, snuggling, kissing, and loving each other’s problems away. But she hesitated. She waited too long. Before she knew it, Spike the dragon, wings and all, had fallen for her younger sister, Sweetie Belle. Reflecting on this, Rarity could understand why. Her sister was a beautiful and quite attractive pony. No colt or even mares could stop looking at her. This did not change the fact, however, that she still wanted his love, his company, his attention.
Rarity hugged the jewel closer to her chest, filling it with her warmth. It was the next best thing to his presence, the bauble that she anticipated carrying into future years. With a single tear dropping from her eye, she looked down and kissed the ruby heart’s golden frame, and swore, for a moment, it pulsated with the love of the past.
Author's Note
I don't know if I want to continue this or not, simply because of the resolution, and how Sweetie Belle, Spike, and Rarity would react to it. One of them would have to live with the outcome and very possibly be miserable, which wouldn't make the story feel complete. There would arise conflict after conflict, something that I'd have to write and write about until a proper resolution comes to pass. So, at the very least, I ask you this: who do you think deserves Spike's love more, Rarity or Sweetie Belle? This doesn't really prepare an argument well, because, well, it's a work of fiction! There's really only one side of the argument that I can stick to. And I somehow know that I'm going to cause an all out shipping war. This is the internet, after all. Even without this love triangle, it's bound to happen.
But anyways, thanks for reading. Let me know in the comments below if I should continue this or not; I will gladly do so if you guys want it, because, frick, writing is fun. It would just take a little more dedication.
