Recruitment
Rarity sighed as she traced a single scale on her dragon's bare chest while she lay beside him beneath the white linen sheets of the hospital bed. The feel of his scales against her fur brought her comfort and warmth. The steady rise and fall of his chest brought her hope that he was going to be alright. Dragons were a tough breed of creature and could take more beatings than any pony could, but even they had their limits.
A pregnant silence permeated the room as Rarity looked around. Sitting beside of their little bed was Twilight, who sat curled around her girlfriend Rainbow Dash. Next to them was Princess Cadence, who was fast asleep. It brought a smile to her face that both his adopted sister and his adopted cousin cared enough for him to sit with her to wait for him to awake.
A soft kissed was placed upon his chin as she buried her head into his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. She found it funny to watch him sleep sometimes, as he would evidently breath out a few plumes of smoke that smelled actually sweet, like the wave of scents that would assault the nose when walking into Sugar Cube Corner.
Since his admittance to the hospital there had been several visitors, all of their friends, Princess Luna, who had said she would promise to visit at least twice a day, and Shining Armor. Princess Celestia was too busy trying to work with her guards and possibly other sources to find out who it was that was shooting at her adopted son.
Celestia's sunlight shimmered into the room in her absence, bathing them in its warm radiant tendrils that seemed to coil around them. It was as if the world eagerly awaited his return, the skies outside the clearest they had been in weeks, the pure unadulterated silence away from the hustle and bustle of Canterlot, and even the link that they now shared was flaring the longer that she lie there beside her dragon.
Another warm smile danced across her lips as the final thought hit her. Her dragon. Six years of waiting to admit her feelings, six years of pain trying to drown it out by dating other ponies, six years of being alone, unwanted, unloved outside of her family, six long years she had been waiting for her special somepony, and now, now he was hers. It made her feel dirty that she was having thoughts of greed about him, but was it really so wrong? She was mated to a dragon after all, shouldn't she feel protective of her mate?
In his sleep Spike rolled over in the bed, turning her with him. Instead of just lying back however, he slowly circulated his arms around her as he pulled her close to his chest, burying his nose in the nape of her neck. He inhaled her scent as though it was the last thing he would ever smell, before he placed a soft kiss upon her mark. “Please don't leave me Rarity...”
The silvery-white mare was almost in tears when she heard the pleading tone in his voice, and when she turned around to look at him, it was like the floodgates had been shattered. A few tears were rolling down his eyes while he was in his deep slumber. She placed a kiss upon his lips before whispering in his ear, “I'll never go anywhere without Spikey-Wikey.”
A soft click drew her attention to the door, watching as first a pink blur phased in, followed by an orange one, a yellow one, and another, lighter orange one. Gathering around the bed were their best friends in the whole world, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Sunset Shimmer. “Are y'all 'right sugar cube?”
Normally Rarity would be more dignified in her manner of speech, but she was so emotionally drained that she didn't even care. “Of course darling. The doctors said that he was fine, just needs to rest now.” A small chuckle escaped her when she thought about when the nurses came in to give him a bath to clean away the blood and she had nearly roasted them with fire. If there was ANYPONY that was going to wash him, to even see him without clothing, it was going to be her and only her.
By now Twilight was starting to stir awake upon hearing the chatter of voices, mainly recognizing them as that of her friends. Rainbow kept a firm grip on her while she stretched in the seat, their fingers soon finding each other and intertwining within a matter of seconds. They shared a quick kiss before turning to watch with the rest of their friends as they conversed.
Applejack tilted her head slightly to get a better look at Rarity's neck. Though it was a little scrunched up from where she was lying on the bed, it was still clearly visible that there was a mark on her neck, seeing as how it was red and slightly swollen. “What happened to ya sugar cube?” Rarity gave her a perplexed expression before it dawned on her where the farmer was looking. All of her friends watched as she twisted her head slightly to display her neck proudly to them, no hesitation in the movement, almost as if it was practiced.
Twilight didn't bother to look, only smile as she saw the shocked expressions on her friends' faces. Each of them in turn looked away, Fluttershy blushing, while the other three were more confused than ever. Applejack however grew more furious than anything when she realized that they looked almost like, fang marks. She was about to grab hold of the dragon until a magical barrier stopped her dead in her tracks. She looked over at Twilight feigning ignorance for a moment, set in hurting the dragon for hurting Rarity. “Applejack, please let her explain before you do something that you will regret.”
With a heavy sigh, the farmer took a step back, watching as the silvery-white mare in question slowly pulled herself a little from the grasp of her dragon. “It was Spike, but I wanted him to.” Applejack was still furious, but now she was as confused as the rest of their friends, except for Twilight of course. “You see, dragons are built differently than we ponies are. In their society, the females have a sort of 'innocence' that their male will take when they... mate.” She paused to gauge the reactions of her friends. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash she could see were understanding where she was going, it seemed that Pinkie, Applejack, and Sunset still needed more explanation. “Well, when dragons mate, there are a series of, courtship rituals that they do, and Spike, being a dragon, knows them by heart. The first of which, is the initial coupling, which usually takes place during the courtship flight, but since he agreed to wait till later for that, we chose to instead do the one thing that could compensate, I let him claim me.”
Applejack started to blush, as did the rest of their group, as they realized what it was that she had just said. “Part of this courtship means that I bare a mark. It means that I am taken, that no other drake or stallion could ever have a glimmer of hope at a chance with me. I gave myself fully to my dragon, and I don't regret it. I've been waiting too long for this.”
The silvery-white mare slid back down into the comforting arms of the dragon. His soft snoring was like a kitten's purrs to her ears, and it seemed to want to lull her to sleep. If not for the fact that she had just woken up only a few hours ago, she would be more than delighted to join her dragon boyfriend in the safety of dreams.
Once more the door to the already small room opened, giving way to a regal princess as she walked in. Her white dress dragged along the floor, the gold trim reflecting the sunlight in the room, making her look like a goddess, while her flowing regal rainbow mane reflected the colors mainly of the open skies above Canterlot. Beside of her walked the beauty of the night, a princess with velvety smooth fur colored a deep blue, with a translucent mane that reminded any of the shimmering night sky, garbed in a regal dress wrought of pure silk dubbed a deep midnight blue and wearing a pair of bracers colored the same, with the royal symbol of the moon engraved into the cuffs.
Behind the royal princesses walked Shining Armor, sporting his most regal royal guard armor, a small smile on his face as he walked steadily towards his wife.
Celestia paused when she reached the foot of the bed, looking down upon her sleeping son and feeling her heart well up with sadness. Her throat constricted as she fought with her voice to say something, anything to her son. In the pit of her stomach she somehow felt that it was her fault that this happened, that if she had been there more, then maybe this wouldn't have happened. She felt that she had failed as a mother, that she didn't know who her son was anymore.
Tears fell from her eyes as she looked away from him, unable to bare the sight anymore. Seeing his torso wrapped up in bandages, a pool of blood coating the bed sheet beneath where he had been on his side, his left wing all wrapped up in a cast, and his eyes closed, seemingly forever. It was all too much for the princess, and she felt her heart starting to shatter just looking at him.
Celestia started as a hand was softly placed upon her shoulder, making her turn around to look once more at her son. Luna smiled as she pointed out to the side of the dragon, where both sister's could see the dragon wrapped protectively around a silvery-white mare, the very same that they had seen him trying to chase for years. Luna watched with interest as the mare seemed to be very lax, as if she were happy to be in his arms.
Princess Celestia was known around Canterlot for many things, she loved to eat cake, she loved all of her subjects, she cared deeply for her family, she was a strong fighter, but nopony had ever seen the celestial mare shed a tear of happiness except for the day that she had adopted Spike as a hatchling. When Rarity shifted to see the two mares who had entered the room, she was shocked at first, but she calmed down when she saw the joy in their eyes. It was more evident when she slightly exposed her neck, and they could see his fangs marks.
Twilight was now standing beside of the bed, one hand on the metal railing lining it, the other hand holding her girlfriend's. She was ready to defend the couple if either his 'mother', or his aunt objected. What happened however, none of them were prepared for. “When were you going to tell me that I was going to be a grandmother?”
Luna was shocked at the bluntness that Celestia displayed, but she let it slide when she saw the radiant smile, and blush, that Rarity sported. “I was waiting to tell him first. Wanted it as a sort of surprise.”
“It's a good thing that he isn't awake yet then.”
“I don't understand Princess, how do you know that she's pregnant?” Twilight wondered as she eyed her former teacher.
“The fang marks around her neck are no longer leaking blood, and look more like scars. If Spike had been awake they would have healed faster, but they look alright so far. Have you asked a doctor to look at it yet?”
“ Well, no. Why would I need to do that your highness?”
Now it was Celestia's turn to eye her former pupil, who simply blushed and backed away a little under her piercing gaze. “It seems that my former student left out some important parts about your newfound life.” Rarity gulped as Celestia cleared her throat. “You see, when a male dragon well, 'mounts', the female, he of course bites her neck. Normally, he coats it in a thick layer of his saliva, which I am willing to bet that he did.” The silvery-white mare blushed again, feeling dirty in front of her best friends as her first and thus far only night with Spike went.
“Um Princess. Could we not talk about, that, here?” She whispered.
Celestia giggled, “Quite right my little pony. As I was saying, the saliva acts as a healing compact, but it also acts as a sort of, coat. It's where his scent comes from on you. Any drake could walk by and smell him all over you, not only from you two being together all the time, but also because of his saliva coating the wound. It also prevents the scar from ever fully healing over, not that it hurts or anything.” She gave a wink to Rarity, who once more shied away from the blush that turned her normally white cheeks a nice tint of rosy red.
Rarity sat up in the bed when the blush faded away. “That doesn't explain how you are able to tell that I may or may not be pregnant.” Silently in her mind she wished that Princess Celestia was only thinking that she was, in her heart however, she knew that it was possibly true. She hadn't heard yet from the doctor when she asked him last night to test for it, and she hoped that he would at some point today.
Celestia smiled as she turned towards Shining Armor who handed her a small slip of paper, which caused all eyes to go wide in shock. Rarity herself forgot her manners and let her jaw drop as the princess cleared her throat. “Pregnancy Test for one Rarity Azure. Final result.... Positive.” All eyes turned towards the silvery-white mare, who couldn't contain both the happiness, and the shock that rocked her body. In one fluid motion, she just lied back on the bed and looked towards her dragon, thinking about how she was going to tell him. On the inside she was leaping around for joy, but she wasn't going to let her friends and future mother-in-law see it.
Luna knew how happy the mare was, for it was the same way that she felt when she found out that she was pregnant with Cadence. Eleven months of pregnancy, eighteen years of raising, and she turned into a very beautiful Princess, and made friends with a wonderful family, which she later became a part of. She, like her sister, was going to be a grandmother in less than ten months.
“Rarity, are you alright?” Her breath caught in her throat as she heard that familiar voice, the very same voice that she had missed for nearly a month. A soft kiss was placed up her cheek, making her jerk her head to look at him. Without even giving much thought to it, she rolled over on top of her dragon and brought him into a deep, passionate kiss. Most of the ponies turned away for a few moments to give the couple their private moment.
After a few minutes they broke apart to look back to their friends. “Mom? Aunt Luna? Twi? Shining?” He glanced around the room as he named off each of his friends, confused as to why they were looking at his like a ghost. Looking around once more, he realized that he was in the hospital. That's when it all came flooding back into his mind, the murder, the shoot out, “Rarity!”
Spike brought the mare into a bear hug, refusing to let her go, even when she was struggling for a breath. “Oh Rarity, tell me that you're alright..”
She finally managed to wiggle out of his grasp, looking at him crossly. “First of all..” She scooted over a little on top of him, letting him feel her heat down below, “Secondly, I'm fine.” She leaned back so that he could see her body, no bandages, no bullet wounds, nothing. He did happen to glance at her neck, smiling when he did so, but also growing perplexed.
“How long was I out?”
Everypony looked everywhere but at him, either trying to seem interested in something else, or in Applejack's case, whistling a tune. “Almost a month.” Shining Armor stepped forward. “Princess, as much as I want to let him recover, we need to ask him what he saw.”
Celestia sighed, “I know Shining, I would think that you would want to spend some time with him before we pursue this line of questioning.”
“Normally I would Princess, but I want to catch the bastards that did this more.” The snow white stallion gritted his teeth as he thought about all the things that he wanted to do to those miserable ponies.
Celestia looked to all of the other ponies that were in the room. “I'm afraid that I have to ask you all to leave us for a while.” With reluctance, the six friends hurried to obey, leaving only Spike, Rarity, Celestia, Shining Armor, Cadence, and Luna.
When the door closed the princess looked to Shining Armor. “Very well, seeing as how you were the lead pony on the case, I'll leave you to your work.” With practiced ease, the princess stepped away from the dragon so that she could assume her royal part as she awaited the pony to finish.
“I'm sorry Spike to rush this, but do you remember anything about the ponies that attacked you.”
Spike sighed as let Rarity slide from his arms, but not his wings, as he sat up in the bed to address his brother, groaning when his aching muscles that hadn't been used in a month finally stretched out. “There was one that I saw, he wasn't a pony. His eyes were slits like mine, and there was a deep, rough edge to his voice that only an older dragon could have. I recognized his voice from somewhere, but I'm not sure where. There was something about him that seemed familiar too, but I couldn't put a claw on it.”
“Do you know who the gryphon was that was killed?”
“No. I saw him, but it was only in glimpses.”
“His name was Wydle, he was the nephew of Chief Adviser Thoreck to King Ragneran of the Gryphon Kingdom. They have agreed to give us seventy-two hours to find out who killed him before they march their own troops in here to dig around.”
Celestia stepped forward, clearing her throat. “Chief Thoreck has agreed to give us more time, if we allow you to spearhead the investigation. His respect for dragons has no bounds, and since you were targeted for witnessing his his nephew's murder...”
“Is he here?”
Almost as if on cue the gryphon stepped into the room. He was a tall gryphon, even by their standards. His eyes were colored a deep amber that seemed to glow both strength and wisdom over years of serving his king. He was garbed in the royal suit of a golden shirt with a blue cape, the back of which was stamped with the king's symbol, and sporting golden trousers that ended in black boots that had silver spikes protruding from the toes. Even in his royal attire he looked menacing. There was no doubt in his mind that if Fluttershy was there she would more than likely be over in a corner shaking.
“Young dragon Prince Spike. It is an honor to meet you at last.” His voice was gruff, but it sounded sweet as well. It was almost like he was trying to hard to put up a front for this occasion.
“The honor is mine.” Spike slipped away from Rarity to stand on his feet, surprising them all when only a minor grunt escaped his pursed lips as he bowed to the gryphon. “I'm sorry that I wasn't able to save your nephew sir. If I could do it over again, I would trade places with him.”
Rarity was about to speak out in protest when the gryphon spoke, “There would be no need for that young dragon. My nephew always lurked around in the wrong places, and though his death is hard on mine family, maybe it was what he had coming.”
“I don't think so sir.” Shining Armor approached the chief. “Wydle was killed execution style. Only the mafia with something to hide would do such a thing.”
The gryphon looked perplexed as he turned to the pony. “What are you saying Commander Armor?”
“I'm saying that your nephew got into something that he wasn't supposed to.”
Sighing, the gryphon turned back to Spike. “What do you think?”
“I don't really know. My brother has spent his life investigating crimes and tracking down missing people, so I trust his judgment in the matter.”
“Would it matter then that he wasn't doing what you think he was?” With that, the gryphon turned tail and left the room, leaving behind nothing but a smug grin as he left the room. Shining Armor was left at a loss for words as he tried to think about what the gryphon has said, but kept drawing a blank.
“Why did you need my friends out of the room mom?” Spike turned to look at his mother, wondering what her real motives for this meeting were.
She sighed, looking at the floor. “Shining Armor proposed a new division of the guard to me a few years back, but I never thought about it until now. We never really needed it, but with something this big, we may not have a choice.”
Finally, the snow white pony was able to regain his barring and look at his younger brother. “What Princess Celestia is talking about is a new undercover unit, whose sole purpose is to go in to become say a gang member, or a drug dealer, or something else to operate outside the law. They are still Canterlot Royal Guards, but they only carry a weapon and badge, nothing more. They would set up a big time drug dealer with his product or something, and then they would arrest them on the act, so to speak.”
“Why me though?”
“We thought that, with you being Celestia's adopted son, that you would have an easier time getting in than say one of my guards. Any members would be happy to have you, and you would be able to help us take them down. Right now, you would be the only member of this new unit, seeing as how you are still young and in high school.”
“Spikey, we are not going to force you to do anything that you don't want to. I just know that you always talked about that when you assumed the throne with me, that you were going to clean up Canterlot and put a stop to crime. This is the first step, one that I think you are more than ready for.”
Spike looked away from his family and back to the mare that had captured his heart. “I'll do, so that we can live in a better Canterlot...”
Luna's moon shone down upon the massive capitol of Equestria, the radiant glow low enough to not keep those who wanted sleep awake, but just bright enough to see a few feet in front of you. For Spike, it wasn't the moon that was the most beautiful thing in the night, it was the stars. As he sat atop the roof of the hospital, all he could think about was Rarity, and what she was doing back home at her Boutique.
His eyes darted from star to star, seemingly as though he knew the exact placement of each one and wanted to make sure that they were all there. He sighed as he leaned back, wishing with all of his heart that Rarity was there with him, but he knew that she had her work to get back too. His mind was plagued more with worry than anything else, thoughts of how safe Rarity was going to be when this all started. There was nothing in the world more important to him that Rarity, and now that they were a mated pair, by dragons standards, he would lay his life down to protect her from even himself. As long as he lived, no harm was ever going to befall her.
For all it was worth however, he knew that he couldn't be everywhere at once, and he couldn't always keep an eye on her. He had to trust that she could take care of herself, lest there be a few less ponies in the world. He chuckled as he mused over how to slowly roast any ponies that decided it would be fun to mess with his girlfriend, his mate.
During his deep comatose state he had dreamed of their wedding. He had dreamed of their many children that he hoped to have. Sometimes he dreamed of nothing but that night that they admitted their feelings for each other and became one. When he woke up, he was so happy to see that she was alright, it was like any fears that he could have thought of just seemed to vanish.
Sitting alone on top of the roof brought him in to a new light. He had already mated with Rarity, so in the world of dragons he was alright, but he still didn't feel alright. He felt like it was all too quick, that any day Rarity would get mad at him, or she would just stop loving him. It hurt to think about, but she wasn't a dragon, she was a pony after all. Though his mother and their friends were accepting of it, he knew that deep down it would cause problems for her in the future. Ponies didn't take too kindly to couples outside of their own. They were more likely to support two mares or two stallions before they supported a dragon and his pony, at least, in Canterlot anyways.
Looking out to the fields beyond the last city gates of Canterlot, down the mountain to where the farmers worked, and even beyond, he was mesmerized at the distant horizon. There stood the small town of Ponyville, where only his dragons eyes had ever been, where his beloved Rarity and the rest of their friends had moved from to attend this prestigious high school when they learned that they were bearers of the elements of harmony. Though they were hailed as heroes on numerous accounts, and his sister was fully inaugurated as a full fledged princess, they were still last weeks news.
The slow creaking of a rusted metal door quickly drew his attention as somepony walked upon the gravel surface of the hospital. He thought it to be another nurse coming to tell him that it was time to come back inside. Instead, his head snapped around as quickly as a viper strike as the slow, steady sweet scent of vanilla wafted into his nose. “Rarity...”
Whirling around, he was met with his mare jumping into his arms and wrapping herself around him. “I missed you too much to leave you alone here all night darling.” She pressed her lips against his, silencing his worries, at present.
When they broke apart he was once again smiling, but she could tell that there was something on his mind by the way that he looked past her and to the distant moon. “Rarity, you know I love you, and I hope that you love me too, but is this going to last?”
“Whatever do you mean Spikey-Wikey?”
“Last month, the night that I almost died, we made love as ponies call it. For me, it meant that we were going to be together forever. I know that we said things, did things so fast, I just want to know that if we slow down, that things will still be the same between us. That even though we are together, we are still going to be best friends. No amount of fighting will ever make you leave me.”
She could hear the hurt in his voice, see the pleading in his eyes to know that tomorrow morning, she was going to be there. Ever so slowly like that of a frozen river, she tilted her head and pulled down the collar of her dress a bit to show him her mark. “If I wasn't going to wake up beside of you everyday, then I wouldn't have let you do this. I know what this means to you Spike.” His smile never faltered as he looked into her eyes, knowing that she was telling nothing but what her heart said. “If I didn't want our child, I would never have let you finish in me.” His eyes went wide as he did a double take.
“W-what?”
Only once had she seen him so shocked, and that was when he accidentally made a fool of himself on his birthday party before her. “You are going to be a father Spikey-Wikey.” Rarity nuzzled into his neck as she let him process what she had said. Now that she had said it, he leaned back a bit to look at her stomach, and he could see that it was slightly swollen.
“Rarity...” She followed his gaze with a soft smile. She gently placed a hand over her stomach, letting him feel the bulge.
“That's our baby Spike. Whether it be a dragon, a pony, or some combination in between, I will love it like I love you. I am proud to be pregnant, with 'your' child.” She placed a kiss upon his lips, which he immediately gave in to. He was a mess of emotions in his mind at the moment, but he could sort them out later. What mattered more than anything was the mare with him, his girlfriend.
Tears were streaming down his face when they finally broke apart, desperate for air. “W-When did...”
“Today, when everypony else found out from your mother.”
A blush crept onto his face. “She only read what he doctor gave her pertaining to my pregnancy, nothing else.” She giggled.
She once more buried her head in his neck. “I'm worried Rarity, about you, about everypony else, and now our baby. This is all happening so fast, I just want it to slow down, at least for a little while.”
“I know Spikey-Wikey, I know.” She rubbed his cheek with her palm. “There's nothing that we can do about it now though darling. All we can do is roll with the punches as they say...”
Prologue
The soft patter of rain splashing against the crystallized windows of Canterlot High School reverberated around the interior of the classroom, effectively serving as a distraction to several students as they yawned while listening to yet, another boring lecture from their teacher. From where he was in the back, he could see the dark silver storm clouds as the swirled around in the evening sky, arcs of bright blue lightning passing between them. Loud claps of thunder would make the bodies of the ponies shudder every time it boomed.
Glancing at the clock only seemed to make him more nervous than he already was. After all, it wasn't everyday that one told their best friend that they were madly in love with them. Somewhere deep down he hoped that she felt the same way, but his mind couldn't help but think of all the things that would go wrong after he told her.
A bead of sweat dripped from his brow as he looked between the clock and the door once more, noticing how the second hand seemed to toy with his mind as each tick became slower and slower as the final bell drew nearer. Like the rest of the students, well the ones that were awake that is, he was steadily getting his footing to launch out of the chair while simultaneously grasping the strap of his bag.
“Remember class, I expect a full thirty page paper on Monday about the importance of the Equestrian Civil War and the impact it had on our nation as a whole. I don't just want to hear about the battles, but of the time between them and what the war brought to the citizens of this nation.” She stopped her lecture to look at one of the sleeping students. With a loud smack, she slammed her book down on her desk, startling those still asleep into full wakefulness as she eyed each of them in turn. “And when I say a thirty page paper, I mean thirty pages front and back, single spaced.”
If anypony looked closely they would swear that she had an evil smirk across her lips as she heard the collective groans from the students. All except from one dragon sitting in the back, trying desperately to act like he was more interested in the teacher than the clock. “As for you Spike, I expect YOU, not your brilliant sister, to write this paper, is that understood?”
Spike gulped as he awkwardly nodded his head, knowing that any other response would likely result in her taking his head off with one swipe of her hand. Before she could utter another word, the dragon was on his feet and out the door with the parade of other students as the final bell echoed in the now empty classroom.
Like a landslide down a rainy hill, the students poured out of the school and into their various modes of transportation home, whether it be their own personal cars, the bus, bike, or to run home. By now the rain was thundering down upon the school, creating small pools of water that some would unintentionally use to splash each other on their mad dash through the downpour.
Albeit all of the mass of chaos that the students had created, and though the rain was coming down with such harshness that he thought the pegasi had it in for him, there still stood five of his best friends, one of which was more like a sister to him than the rest. Twilight Sparkle was her name, and she adorned a soft smile as she watched him make his way through the mass if students over to their group.
As Spike drew nearer he could see that she was resting with her head on her girlfriend's shoulder, who was standing proudly with a cyan colored wing draped around her. Typical Rainbow Dash, he thought as he came to a halt before them. He gave each of them a hug in turn, Twilight, Rainbow, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy. Although he was disappointed to see that Rarity wasn't among them, he just grinned and assumed she was already home working on a project.
No sooner has Spike joined them that the group started to dissipate, Applejack making a dash for her truck to go to work on her family's farm, Fluttershy going with Pinkie Pie back to her car so that they could go to their work, the local kennel and Sugarcube Corner, leaving only Twilight and Rainbow Dash, both of whom were heading back to Twilight's car to escape the rain.
Spike sighed as he started to slowly walk away from the school's parking lot and towards the main streets of Canterlot. He hadn't even taken a step of campus when he felt a hand placed on his shoulder. Whirling around, he wasn't surprised to see Rainbow, “Twilight wanted me to ask you if you wanted a ride?” Normally he would be ecstatic to accept a ride from Twilight, but as of lately he liked to walk home, to fly through the back alleys where nopony could see him, where he could be alone. He shook his head and continued to walk on down the street, turning down a back alley before Rainbow Dash headed back to the parking lot.
It was already starting to get darker by the time that Spike had turned from one alley to another, walking past the one street that has always haunted him. When he was a young dragonling he had learned from his adoptive mother Princess Celestia that this street used to house the most beautiful structures that anypony had ever seen. There was a time when the kindest and warmest of ponies used to live here, but after the War, nopony ventured into the tattered and burned ruins of this part of the city. Some even used to say that it was haunted by those that had died by the hand of Nightmare Moon. Nevertheless, he always used its alley way as a shortcut through the city.
Arriving on the other side of the daunting street he came across Diamond Lane, where at the end in a cul-de-sac was his beloved Rarity's Carousel Boutique. After a short debate that his mind eventually lost, he made his way down the street towards the tall standing snow white structure. He had only taken a few steps when he noticed something odd across the street from him. Walking beneath one of the various streetlights was Rarity, her beautiful coat soaked and matted together, her normally bouncy, curly hair was straight and lying against her soaked clothing. To him she was still the most beautiful pony that ever lived, aside from his mother and aunt of course.
Over the years he had started to date, and more than one pony had caught his interest, but none of them were Rarity, none of them had her heart.
Spike watched as she passed beneath another streetlight before she collapsed to her knees, and it was then that he could hear her quiet sobs above the thunder of the rain. Looking to make sure that no cars were coming, he darted across the street and slid to his knees next to her, quickly embracing her in his warmth. Rarity didn't even need to look up, she just simply turned into the warmth of her best friend and she let loose the tears that she had been holding back ever since that afternoon.
Gently, so as not to disturb her moment, Spike helped the silvery-white mare to her feet, step-by-step escorting her home. Along their trek through the rain neither one spoke a word, he being to afraid to ask and really not wanting her to get upset any more than she already was, and she was too busy crying to say anything.
As they drew closer to her home and business, she finally found her voice to tell the dragon one thing, “Don't leave me Spike. Please.”
Spike almost cried when he heard how she was pleading with him, how she sounded so broken and hollow inside, and it was all she could do to not drop her and just squeeze her there in his arms. Instead, he simply opted to carry her up the steps into her home, where her magic opened the door as quickly as she could so they could escape the bitter cold of the rain.
Whenever Spike had always been inside of her boutique before he was always amazed at how clean it was, of how everything was set up in a semi-specific way, but there was always something out of place. Today however, he could care less of how the furnishing was, all he cared about was the mare whom he had fallen in love with many years ago, and who was breaking his heart to see in her such a state of despair.
He led her over to the couch, where he laid her down so that she could find some towels to dry them off. The rain itself had been a little cold, for her at least, and he knew that with how drenched she was that she was possibly going to go into shock, if she didn't get sick first. As he stepped away, Rarity found the strength to grasp him and together they fell to the floor, but not before Spike managed to catch himself on his knees.
Rarity continued to cry into his shoulder, but now she was trying to cuddle closer to him for warmth. Spike, one not to turn down a friend in need, especially her, laid his wings around her and his arms to share the warmth of his body.
In relative silence, albeit from her quiet sobs, they sat together with nothing but the ticking clock and their beating hearts the only thing to keep them company. Spike alternated between telling her that everything was okay and trying to shush her while using a claw to softly massage her back and shoulders as best he could from their current position.
Some time passed before Rarity finally pulled back so that she could look Spike in the eyes. Using a single claw, he wiped away her remaining tears as he just simply smiled warmly at her. She returned the gesture. “Thank you Spike.”
“I'll never leave a friend in need, especially my best friend.” They retained their smiles as they let the silence once again encompass the room.
“Thunderlane broke up with me today.” The way that she said it so blatenly confused him, it was like all of the crying that she had just done was for naught. When she saw his expression she wanted to smile, but more tears started to form instead. If only you knew how much I loved you Spike.
It was no secret among their friends that Spike had a thing for Rarity, and when they were younger she knew, but recently she had come to assume that he had moved on from her. Only Twilight knew of her feelings for Spike, and she too was the only one who knew when she started dating Thunderlane that it was just her attempt to move on, but after two years of dating the silver pegasus, she knew that it was getting nowhere fast. She was just too in love with Spike to move on, she knew that he was her perfect match, and no stallion nor dragon could ever compare to him.
“It wasn't that he broke up with me that hurt so much Spike. It was what he said about you. He told me to stop being friends with you, told me that I spent more time with you than him, that if we were so close that we didn't need to see each other as much as we did.” She wanted to tell him more, but was unsure of how he would react. Upon seeing the love in his eyes that he had for her, a spark within her heart was rekindled, and she acted upon as quickly as it came. “It was when he said that instead of trying to hurt you anymore by playing with your emotions and feelings for me, that I should just tell a creep like you to find new friends and that I didn't need you....”
Spike placed a finger over her lips, “Forget about what he said. I'm here, and he's not.” He sighed, “I didn't know my friendship meant that much to you Rarity.” That struck the final chord in her heart, and it took control of her body before her mind could. There was no pause as she launched herself forward. Spike was left awestruck as he felt her lips pressing against his, leaving him, with wide eyes that watched her every move from hence forth. When he felt her tongue begging, practically pleading for entrance, he couldn't help but finally melt into the kiss.
After a while his mind finally kicked in and he broke off the kiss, looking at Rarity with a mixture of bitter turmoil. He didn't know whether to be sad, angry, happy, or just disgusted. “Spikey, I'm so sorry for not saying anything before.”
“What do you mean?” It was like a stack of bricks had been laid out before him, without mortar, and he was supposed to make them as strong as they were with the thick paste that normally held them together.
“Spike look at me.” No matter what she could have said to him, he could never hope escape the hold that her sapphire eyes kept him in. In much the same manner, she could never hope, nor want to escape the hold that his emerald slits kept her in. “You've never been just my friend Spike, not for a long time.” He began to understand what she was saying, but he still needed to hear it for himself. “What I am trying to say is that, I love you Spike, I always have.”
Spike's heart raced when he heard her finally admit her love for him, but he was still uncertain as to how sincere she was about it. Ya he could tell she wasn't lying, but he didn't know if this was just her way of dealing with the pain that Thunderlane had put her through. “What about Thunderlane?”
“I was just trying to run away from my feelings for you, I had thought that you moved on.” Rarity didn't know if it was what she said, or if it was a look in her eyes that he had seen, but she wasn't complaining when his lips captured hers once again, and this time his forked tongue slithered into her mouth to wrestle with hers before they could even think about what was happening.
Rarity managed to gain the upper hand and pressed Spike onto his back as they began to roll around on the carpet of her living room, both trying to pin the other. Finally, Spike secured his arms on either side of her as his lips tried to salvage as much of her as he could. His nose ran wild with scents, the smell of lavender in her hair, the sweet, tangy scent of orange and a soothing Shea coconut shampoo for her body, the soft smell of cherries from her perfume, and above all else, the smell of vanilla that came from where their hips were connected.
It was with a great reluctance that Spike broke their kiss, placing a few on her neck before pulling her to her feet, smiling at the fact that he was no longer just Spike, but her was her Spike, her knight, her prince, her lover, and her best friend still. And she was the same to him, neither one was complaining about their new title, in fact, they downright loved it. Spike, just once had to say it aloud, if not to the world then to himself. “Rarity, my Rarity.”
It was hard to believe, but the truth was thrown in his face when she gave him a quick peck. “And I won't let anypony forget it.” When he looked into her eyes he was startled to find that there was a certain hunger that seemed to sparkle in them.
As if by some unforeseen instinct, he followed her as she turned up the stairs at the back of the store, his mind starting to go blank as he continued up the stairs. He was lulled by the alluring scent of vanilla, the very same scent that came from the one place on her body that nopony else had ever seen. And here, in her home, she was going to keep nothing from him.
Neither one noticed where their bodies had taken them until Spike was lying atop Rarity on her bed, holding her hands above her body as he slipped her shirt off. Kisses were laid across her neck, making her moan, her mind turned into mush at his touch, and she only wanted more. “Spike, take me, claim me as yours.”
His mind flickered just like a light switch, and he instantly looked at her with concern and love, not lust or desire, “Are you sure Rarity? I mean, we just...” He was silenced by another kiss, one which told him how bad she needed him.
“The only reason I've never done this before, was because I was waiting for you Spike.”
He felt a little unsure of himself as he looked over her semi-bare body, taking in her figure. It could be his, all his, and somewhere deep down his greed was starting to surface. He wanted, oh how he wanted her, but his mind thought that maybe, just maybe, this was her way to move past Thunderlane.
Spike wanted to continue, and in his heart he knew that she did too, but he didn't want her to be tied down to him. For ponies it was one thing to just, rut, or make love, but for dragons, it wasn't just making love, it was mating. It meant that no female would ever be able to have that male, that the female would be smothered in his scent so that no drake would ever try and mess with her, it meant that she forever belonged to him, in body and heart, and vice versa, that was why there weren't any pony-dragon couples that existed in Equestria.
“Rarity, if we go through with this...” Again a kiss silenced him. Rarity wanted him to just stop talking already and take her. She knew what could come from their coupling, but she knew that a child didn't bother him. What he was wanting from her, was for her to surrender the rest of her life to him, to never think of another male, to know that everyday she needed him, for anything, that he would never leave. He wanted to know that this wouldn't end after today.
“I know the consequences, I know that once we mate we are bonded forever. Spike, I want to be your mate, I want to be claimed by you.” To emphasize her point she did something that only a female dragon would ever do for her drake, she turned her head and displayed her neck for him, a complete show that he was the dominant one, that she truly wanted to be his.
Spike smiled at her, “I love you Rarity, and I promise that I will always love you.”
“I know Spike. I will always love you too...”
Rain splashed down atop his head as he walked back through an alley that curved around and lead away from the main market district of Canterlot. Rats scurried away when they heard the sharp clack of his talons against the cobblestone street. Water dripped from the metal grated fire escapes protruding like little ladders among trees from the many buildings that inhabited the alley way. Dumpsters lined their back doors like guards in the shadows.
Spike paid no heed to anything as he continued on his walk home, thinking the whole while of what had happened back at the Carousel Boutique. After ten minutes he still felt like he wanted to turn back. It wasn't like there was anypony to stop him, but he did know how his sister got when he wasn't home by a certain time. On a night like this, she was sure to be cuddled up with Rainbow Dash back home at their apartment in front of a fire as they talked about, whatever it was they talked about.
Even when his feet splashed into the puddles of water his mind seemed not to take notice. It was if the world around him was turned off so that his body was on autopilot, while his mind was left to recount what had happened, up to when he had left the boutique. Leaving her when she needed him most hurt, but they both knew that it was for the best. No amount of him cuddling her, kissing her, or anything else would help her now. She knew what they had done, and she needed time alone to think over everything that had happened, to sort things out as it were.
There was no going back now, for either of them. Spike was now forever bonded to Rarity, if ever she were to die, he would feel his heart slip away and his life would soon follow. She felt the same way, of that he was sure, otherwise they would have never started the mating ritual. Now all that remained was for him to take her on the courtship flight, which he swore he would wait until they were ready to get married.
A sigh of content escaped him as he turned down another alley, now fully trusting his body in control as he thought less about Rarity, but more about what his sister, or his mother for that fact, would say when they found out what he had done.
Scuffling was heard ahead from behind a row of dumpsters. He ducked behind one of the dumpster to avoid being seen as a group of ponies garbed in only tan trench coats with matching hats emerged from the rear door of a nearby brick building. They grunted as they made their way further into the alley, walking past the drake and throwing something down on the ground with a loud thud. A low grunt was heard as another figure started to crawl away from the three standing ponies, each of which was wearing a mask to protect their identities.
“What should we do wit 'im boss?” The tallest of the three asked, his voice sounding deep, but not very smart.
“Ya boss. Whatcha got planned?” The shortest of the three spoke, his voice coated with a thick Manehatten accent, but sounding sort of nasally as well.
The leader of the three stepped forward, placing a booted foot atop the crawling figure. “I know exactly vhat ve should do vit dis von.” He spoke in a Germain accent. “Za boss vhants him dead. So dead he shall be.” Together, the group pulled out what looked to be small weapons that he had only ever seen on Canterlot Guards. It was what one engineer had called a pistol, it used a trigger to push forth a hammer that would then ignite with a substance called gunpowder to propel a bullet, a small piece of either copper, silver, or lead, that could tear through a pony's body like water through metal grating.
By now Spike was hiding on the other side of the row of dumpsters, laying low in the shadows as he watched the murder take place. Flashes of light ignited the surrounding walls as loud bangs were heard above the rain, all ending with blood starting to splatter along the cobblestone street. Through the flashes he could see the figure that they were shooting at, a gryphon dressed in a fancy shirt and tie, with black trousers.
It was over in a matter of seconds. Spike watched, stunned at what was a quick demise of a pony. He had only seen a pony's life end so quickly when he was visiting the Dragon Kingdom and a pony had killed a dragon. The pony's head was cut clean off, ending their life in the blink of an eye.
The leader of the group turned around, and in the dim light of the light hanging above the rear door to the building, Spike could see the faint glow of scales beneath the eye holes of the mask, and the unmistakable topaz orange slits that seemed to stare straight at him. The masked dragon drew his pistol again, aiming it straight at Spike.
It was now or never. The masked dragon drew closer to his hiding place. The amethyst dragon listened, and waited for the moment to strike. It was swift. Spike lunged out with his leg and slid the dumpster into the dragon, knocking him over and blocking his path as he bolted off in the opposite direction.
“After 'im.” Together the three masked figures gave chase to Spike, each one aiming and failing to hit the dragon as they fired their pistols. After they rounded the first corner and found themselves in the lower market, they knew they had him.
“Go back and grab ze car.” The leader said as he and the taller of the two followed him into the market.
Spike slid beneath one of the stands that were littered in the market's center, thankful that nopony else was around, but also curing the luck that there wasn't. Knowing the lower district though, anypony here would have turned him into the masked figures. Thus he remained hidden and listened as the leader spoke out, “It'll be alright little pony, I promise not to hurt you. Vhat say you come out of hiding? No need for you to die.”
The loud blare of a horn honking could be heard as a car swerved into the market square, knocking over two stands as it slid to a halt. Unfortunately for Spike, one of the stands was the one he hid under. Looking up, he saw one of the masked figures leaning out of the car with what he could only assume was a bigger pistol. He sprinted as fast as his legs would take him as the weapon started to shoot faster than he had ever seen before.
The amethyst drake raced down the market's center, narrowly avoiding some of the ponies that were trying to get home. Meanwhile, the car followed behind him with the masked figures trying to shoot him, managing to only hit the cobblestones. There was a sharp ringing sound as each bullet bounced off of the pavement and ricocheted by his ears.
Turning down an alley that was too tight for the car to fit, Spike doubled his speed, using his wings to aid him as he shot down the alley just as the car pulled up to the other end. Before any of the figures could draw, he was already sliding across the roof and had taken to the skies, until he saw the dragon get out and fly after him, shooting and managing to Spike in the left wing.
He fell to the ground, rolling a bit to absorb the blunt force of the impact, but breaking a few bones in his wing and arm in the process. Now, injured, he got back to his feet and continued down the street until he came to yet another street that led past a string of hotels in the upper district.
By now the dragon had been able to make out who it was they were chasing by the lightning that illuminated the area. His eyes were wide, but his determination seemed to override his common sense, and they continued through their 'safe zone', and passed into the upper district in pursuit. Spike looked back, hoping to see the car veering off, but instead saw it coming at him faster than before. “Help!” He shouted as he continued to run from the car.
He was starting to run out of breath as he slid into another alley, having to take a minute before he got back up and continued his mad dash down the dead end. When he reached the end he awaited his doom, looking back and forth between the smiling masked drake, and the fence that was to his back. Taking his chances, he sprinted at the car as fast as his legs would take him.
Just as the drake was about to shoot him, Spike slid under the door and bit down on the dragon's hand, making him drop the weapon. Without even thinking about it, Spike grasped the weapon and screamed as he shot at the tires and sides of the vehicle. Tossing aside the weapon after only a minute, he jumped atop the car and down the hood to the street to continue.
The masked dragon rose up from where he ducked in cover, gritting his teeth as he drew his pistol and jumped out the window of the car, giving chase once more. His screams of rage were drowned out by the sounds of the pistol firing, the bullets whizzing past the drake's head.
Spike turned down another street, seeing his apartment building in the distance. As he drew closer, he could see his older brother Shining Armor and cousin Princess Cadence, as they started to walk in his direction in the rain. “Shining Armor! Cadence! Help! Help!” Behind them emerged Rainbow Dash and Twilight, slowly following behind the older couple.
Shining Armor squinted his eyes to peer down the street upon hearing a distant voice. When he saw Spike, he smiled as he pointed towards him, having the girls follow him as he ran to meet his younger brother. He faltered however when he saw two masked figure in tan emerge from the street that Spike had, pistols raised and firing at the young drake. Immediately Shining Armor drew his own pistol. “Hang on Spike! Dash, let's go!” Twilight was shocked when she heard shots being fired, but she became scared when she heard Spike's name being called as both her brother and her girlfriend ran off to aid him.
Spike felt the air burning in his lungs as he ran down the street towards his brother, seeing him and Rainbow firing their own pistols at the masked figure that were trying to kill him. Both were starting to gain on the dragon, as he was hard pressed to outrun them before they finally zeroed in on him.
Rainbow yelled out as she fell to her knees and started to shoot as she slid in the rain covered street, ignoring the burn in her legs as she watched one bullet tear through the taller figures leg, spraying blood on the street. Shining too let loose a war cry as he fired back at the ponies. By the time that Spike had passed the two ponies, they were well on their way on advancing on the masked figures, managing to drive them back, but not before the masked drake managed to get a clean shot off.
“SPIKE!!!” Both Twilight and Cadence screamed as he fell to his knees almost instantly, blood pooling on the chest of his shirt. Twilight caught Spike as he fell pivoted on his knees and fell on his back, looking up at his cousin and sister while the rain poured down his face. Through it, he could see their tears as they fell upon his cheeks. “Please no, please no! Spike!”
Shining Armor turned to look back at his little brother, enraged at what the criminals had done. “Mother buckers!” He snarled as whirled back around and caught the masked dragon in his cheek, making him stop to grasp it, and his throat where Rainbow caught him. Finally, the two retreated back the way they had come. As they came to the street corner their car pulled up, which didn't stop as they jumped in and took off down the opposite street.
Spike raised his head a bit as he looked towards his sister, his first friend. “T-Tell Rarity...”
“Shh. Don't talk Spike.”
“Rarity...” With what strength he could muster, he said, “Mates, for life.” Blood pooled beneath them in the street, a deep, dark, crimson red that flowed away towards Rainbow and Shining Armor as they ran back. Both were too busy trying to make it back to the hotel to notice a certain white unicorn mare running down the street towards where Spike was lying.
Cadence managed a wry smile as she knew what it was that Spike was trying to say. He finally got to be with Rarity, if even for a night.
Rarity felt her heart breaking as she made her way over to where the two mares were cuddling Spike close. She had seen the shoot out between Shining Armor and Rainbow Dash from where she was behind a parked car on the street. When Spike went down she screamed his name as loud as she could, hoping to Celestia that he wasn't dead.
She came to her knees next to Twilight, quickly wrapping her arms around Spike, holding him close as she sobbed more than Twilight or Cadence had. Both were shocked to see the mare, but were mortified when they saw the mark on the mare's neck. Twilight knew what Spike had done, and she felt more tears start to form. “You can't leave me Spike, I love you. Please, don't go where I can't follow...”
Together, the mares held the dragon close as the sounds of sirens could be heard drawing near, their flashing lights illuminating the street as they drove down it. Shining Armor returned to put his arms around Cadence, who too was crying with the younger mares, while Rainbow Dash hugged Twilight, letting her own tears fall as she watched the steady rise and fall of Spike's chest. “Hang in there Spike, for all of us...”
