Friendship Born in Canterlot

Chapters

The Meeting
A Day in Canterlot
The Final Day and the Farewell
Years Later

The Meeting

“Thanks and have a wonderful day!” The unicorn stallion waved to Spike as he departed from the shop, his arms and laden with quills, ink, and parchment that Twilight had asked (read: begged) for him to pick up. She would have done it herself were it not for the fact that Princess Celestia had just assigned her an important project.

Enter Spike the Dragon.

Having been hatched by Twilight as part of her entrance exam, it had soon be decided that, once she was old enough and had been deemed able to handle the responsibility, she would begin raising him herself. That day had long since come and gone.

Which led them to now.

Spike, having finished all the errands that Twilight had asked him to run, paused as he spotted the large neon colored sign that was the most blatant indication of one of the best eateries in all of Canterlot: Donut Joe’s. He’d wondered for the briefest of seconds whether Twilight would admonish him for spending the leftover bits she’d given him on donuts.

If her previous track record is anything to go by, then donuts and coffee will probably help a lot. Spike thought as he pushed the glass door open and paused to hear the familiar sound of the bell, informing the proprietor that he had a new customer. The stallion grinned at the sight of one of his personal favorite customers laden with supplies. The two struck up a quick conversation as the tall pony filled the small dragon’s order.

“It was good talking with you Joe!” Spike waved as he hefted the boxes in his arms. Joe had offered him a bag, to which the small dragon eagerly accepted. Even for a dragon’s augmented physical strength, Spike could only carry those supplies for so long before he ended up crashing into something by mistake. Nonetheless, that was less of a problem now as he grinned at the lighter load.

With that, the two exchanged goodbyes and Spike was on his merry way.

Or he would have been had he not crashed into something not ten steps after he’d stepped out of the shop.

* * *

Rarity was not a happy filly.

That was a lie. She was a happy filly. After all, it had been something of a fantasy for her to come to Canterlot on vacation so imagine her surprise when her parents told her that they would be going on vacation to Canterlot of all places! It had really been a dream come true.

Unfortunately, that’s where it ended for as soon as they had gotten off the train, Rarity and her little sister, Sweetie Belle, had been separated from her parents thanks to the hustle and bustle that was the Canterlot train station.

It also didn’t help that they hadn’t decided where they were going to be staying while they toured Canterlot.

In summary, the two sisters were lost. Thankfully, Sweetie Belle happened to be asleep in a pouch that Rarity had been allowed to carry on her back. At first, it had seemed like a good idea but now that she was lost in an unfamiliar city with everypony too wrapped up in their own affairs to spare a glance at the lost filly and her baby sister, she was starting to regret that decision.

Lost in her thoughts, Rarity was hardly paying any attention to where she was trotting and ended up crashing into something that felt like cardboard.

* * *

“Ugh,” Spike grimaced as he sat up. He sighed at the sight of the rolls of parchment strewn all over the street and had made to collect them. It was here that he noticed the alabaster unicorn filly, staring at him curiously. He idly noticed her shining white coat and violet mane that reminded him vaguely of Twilight’s but without the pink stripe. The other major difference was how this filly’s mane was done in an elegant curl. The last thing he noticed were the three blue diamonds on her flank.

“Um… sorry,” said Spike sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head. “I didn’t mean to crash into you like that.” He gestured to the parchment scattered across the sidewalk and explained that the parchment had impeded his vision.

“No, it’s also my fault,” Rarity admitted. “I had a lot on my mind and I guess I wasn’t watching where I was going.” Spike nodded sympathetically as he collected all the strewn parchment and quills with Rarity watching Spike in obvious fascination. She shook her head and with her magic, all of Spike’s possessions were back in his bags.

“I’m sorry if I sound crass but might I ask just what are you?” Rarity grimaced at how it sounded; she’d hoped that the wording hadn’t come off as rude. Thankfully, Spike hadn’t seemed to mind the question as she watched him puff out his chest a little bit.

“I’m a dragon!” he explained cheerfully. In retrospect, the scales and his general build had been a rather big hint toward his species. “My name’s Spike!” He held out a claw for her to shake, a bright and enthusiastic smile on his face.

His smile was infectious and Rarity found herself smiling and giggling a little bit as she placed a hoof in his claw and gave it a firm shake as was her intention as an aspiring lady of her station.

The two hadn’t needed to think to strike up a conversation. Spike learned that Rarity was an aspiring fashion designer that was visiting Canterlot on vacation with her family. She’d gone on to tell him more about herself. Her parents were both unicorns as was her sister. She’d even explained how she’d gotten her cutie mark when her magic had gone haywire after questioning whether her dream of being a fashion designer was dissolving in front of her eyes.

“Then my horn began to glow brightly and practically dragged me to this desolate place with this big rocky geode thing!” Rarity explained to a fascinated Spike as they continued their walk to nowhere in particular. “I got so mad that I ended up yelling at my horn! Why, I would have probably have been yelling at it all day were it not for this explosive rainbow ring breaking the rock in half, and you’ll never guess what was inside!” Rarity was grinning excitedly now. It was a nice feeling having somepony… or rather somedragon to talk to. Most ponies only saw her as a fashionista who’d much rather spend her time with her sewing machine and fabric rather than the lonely filly that had longed to have a friend. If it wasn’t already obvious, Rarity wasn’t exactly swimming in friends and practically dove at the chance to make friends with Spike.

Besides, it’s not everyday that a pony got to meet an honest to goodness dragon and live to tell the tale!

Back to Spike and Rarity...

“What was it!?” Spike asked eagerly.

“It was actually filled to the brim with all these beautiful multicolored gems!” Rarity gushed as her eyes shone with the memories of how she’d discovered her special talent. “Oh Spike, you should have seen them! The dresses I made with those gems were probably the best works I’d ever made!”

Spike had been salivating at the thought of those gems but restrained himself for Rarity’s sake. He didn’t want to scare her off, after all. He’d been struggling to make friends in Canterlot since his birth and ponies were only just starting to come around about his dragon lineage. In any case, she had then finished with how she remade the costumes for the play with the newly found gems and was proud to report how much more dazzling they appeared.

Spike wouldn’t have been surprised if those dresses ended up being the highlight of the show.

“So what’s your story Spike?” Rarity asked, genuinely curious. She’d never met a dragon before and wanted to get the chance to know her new friend better. Her unconcealed interest in him had caught the drake off guard. Most ponies were only interested in that he had no intention of setting their homes on fire or simply eating them outright.

But if she wanted to hear his story then who was he to try to dissuade her?

As they walked, Spike explained how he’d been hatched as a result of an entrance exam at Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns.

“Apparently Twilight’s magic had gone crazy during the examination and turned the examiners into plants, while also hatching my egg,” Spike explained. “Princess Celestia told me that I had grown to epic proportions and that once she’d managed to dispel the magic, she invited Twilight to be her personal protege at the school.”

“Her personal student…” said Rarity, genuinely impressed. “That’s impressive but what about you?” She wanted to get to know Spike as well as she could. While Twilight’s story was certainly fascinating and the idea of having ponies turning into plants was amusing to think about, that instance told her little of Spike’s character.

“Well…” Spike admitted that most of his time was spent in the care of Princess Celestia or one of the guards that had agreed to keep an eye on him while he explored Canterlot.

“So I guess that means you know your way around Canterlot then?” Rarity asked. At Spike’s nod, she asked, “Then I don’t suppose you might be willing to show me around some time. This is our first time here and I didn’t know about this trip until the night before.” She paused. “That is if, of course, you don’t have any prior commitments tomorrow.”

“Sure!” Spike agreed readily. As far as he knew, he didn’t have any prior commitments. If his memory served him correctly, Twilight would be in classes for vast majority of tomorrow along with some private lessons with the Princess that evening.

Besides, he was long overdue for some time off as it was.

“So you mean to tell me,” Rarity began as she recalled the conversation Spike had shared about his birth, “that you know Princess Celestia!?”

“Oh yeah,” Spike nodded proudly. “She and I go way back. Like me being born, way back. She took care of me when I was a hatchling until I was able to do stuff on my own.”

Rarity for her part was fascinated as he explained life within the castle. The way he’d described the castle was just like she’d imagined it: rich embroidery, guards in impressive looking armor everywhere, stained glass windows as far as the eye could see among the other glamorous things that awaited in the castle.

Rarity shook her head. She was getting ahead of herself again. She’d only just arrived in Canterlot and while she would have been thrilled at the prospect of meeting Princess Celestia in the flesh, there was still the issue of still needing to find her parents. Plus she still had her sister with her who’d been asleep through the whole interaction. When she explained her situation to Spike, he’d suggested that they go to the castle and ask a member of the staff for help.

It seems like my dream of seeing Canterlot Castle will finally come true! Rarity thought eagerly as she followed Spike into the castle.

…and almost immediately ran into Princess Celestia.

“Princess!” they both bowed to their sovereign. The alabaster alicorn smiled down at her subjects as they beamed up at her.

* * *

“I see, so that’s what has happened,” Princess Celestia sat across from Spike and Rarity after dropping off Twilight’s supplies to her quarters. “I’ll ask my guards to search for them. If you happen to have a picture of them, that would most certainly make things easier for them to track your parents down.”

Rarity nodded as she dug through her saddlebags. Sweetie Belle had been taken to one of the smaller rooms that had, at one point, been a nursery. Rarity had been assured that her little sister would be well taken care of in the meantime.

“I really appreciate your help, Princess,” Rarity smiled brightly.

“Of course,” Princess Celestia replied. “No filly should ever be separated from her parents. With my guards searching, I’m confident that we’ll be able to find them. But in the meantime,” she turned to Spike. “Would you like to show your friend around the castle? It would certainly give you both something to pass the time as Twilight is currently in class.”

“Of course, Princess!” Spike exclaimed, dragging Rarity by the hoof as a smiling Princess Celestia watched on.

* * *

“I always knew that the Royal Gardens were big, but I never would have guessed that they were this big!” Rarity gasped as she took in the vast expanse of flowers, finely trimmed hedges, and the legendary hedge maze. A little further away were the resident animals going about their business.

Their time had been spent simply playing together by exploring the maze. During their exploration, the pair had encountered a few of the animals that lived there. Rarity had marveled at their natural beauty while Spike waved enthusiastically at them.

From there, it had descended into madness. Granted, it was the good kind of madness that often comes when a filly and a young drake playing with animals and with each other.

* * *

The two had just finished a game of tag. Initially, it had been a simple game between the two of them but the resident animals had been intrigued by this curious behavior and decided to join in the fun. In the end, both collapsed on their backs as they managed to avoid the resident bear who’d been playfully chasing them. Rarity had been too busy riding the endorphin high from their games to care much about getting her mane and coat dirty.

“That,” Rarity began in between her bouts of laughter, “was the most fun I’ve had in a long time.”

“Yeah, me too,” Spike quickly agreed. “I’m usually really busy with cooking or helping Twilight with her studies so when I get a day like this, I want to spend as much of it outside as I can.”

“I can certainly understand that,” Rarity nodded while frowning thoughtfully. “Why anypony would want to be inside on a beautiful day like today is beyond me, especially as we get closer to the Running of the Leaves.”

“Yeah! I mean, there’s so much to do!” Spike grinned.

“And so much inspiration to be drawn from the wonders of nature!” Rarity added eagerly as she pulled out a sketchbook from her saddlebags as a new idea for a dress struck her fancy. Spike, for his part, after running around and playing for the better part of the day, was perfectly content with simply relaxing with the soft grass acting as his cushion as he casually watched Rarity sketch.

As Rarity sketched her dress design, she’d found that instead of the dresses that she often spent her time making, it was a smart looking green button down shirt with a black suit jacket with matching top hat.

This looks like something that would fit Spike Rarity mused idly as she cast a sidelong look at the currently oblivious dragon who’d contented himself with staring idly up at the clouds. She had been cast out of her thoughts when Spike pointed to a cloud.

“That one looks like a fish,” Spike pointed to a particular cloud. Intrigued, Rarity laid next to him to get a better look at said cloud before frowning thoughtfully.

“It could also look like those trees that are in the Town Square during Hearth’s Warming,” Rarity pointed out. Spike tilted his head to the side frowned thoughtfully.

“I can see it,” Spike eventually conceded. “I think it’d be easier if there were some lights just like for Hearth’s Warming.”

“I suppose,” Rarity conceded, stifling a small bout of laughter.

The two lapsed into a peaceful silence as they contented themselves with watching the clouds. They would have continued their cloud watching game had they not heard the sound hooves approaching them.

The two sat up to find the guards mare stop short of their spot.

“Miss Rarity, I presume,” the young filly nodded brightly. “We’ve found your parents. They are currently waiting for you along with your sister at the castle entrance.”

Spike smiled as Rarity let out a cheer. The cheer was cut short when he pointed out that her mane and coat was riddled with grass stains and twigs and she was quite sweaty from the games they’d played. The alabaster unicorn panicked as she realized this before Spike pointed out that they could easily use one of the many washrooms to clean up.

After taking care of that, Spike led Rarity back to the stallion and the mare that were her parents with her little sister in tow.

“Thank goodness!” Her father, a burly stallion, exclaimed as he grabbed the elder unicorn filly in his hooves while their mother pulled Sweetie Belle from Rarity’s pouch. “We’ve been looking everywhere for you two!”

“It’s thanks to Spike that I was alright! He and I played together all day!” Rarity explained happily, gesturing to the small dragon who’d waved bashfully at the previously worried parents. He’d soon found himself the recipient of a seemingly endless stream of gratitude as they thanked him for keeping their daughters safe.

“If you hadn’t found them,” the mare began, shuddering at the possible alternatives. “I don’t even want to think of that!”

“It’s no big deal,” Spike replied bashfully in an attempt to stem the flow of gratitude. “I had fun getting to play with somepony and I got to make a friend too!” It was here that he remembered that while Rarity got cleaned up, he’d gone to his room to give something to his new friend.

“So Spike,” Rarity started, smiling at the small violet dragon bashfully. “Would you be willing to spend tomorrow with me tomorrow? Like I told you when we first met, we know next to nothing about Canterlot so you’d most certainly be helping us out in a big way.”

“Of course!” Spike replied brightly before remembering the item he’d gotten from his room.

Rarity watched in interest as he rummaged through his small bag before pulling out a well worn piece of paper and handing it to her. Curious, she took in her magical grasp before unfolding it. It was here that she realized what this was.

A map of Canterlot.

“I’ll meet you here tomorrow morning,” he pointed to the clearly marked Canterlot plaza. Rarity smiled widely as she delicately folded the map before carefully storing it away in her saddlebags before moving back to her parents’ who had been calling for her to hurry. They needed to get back to their hotel so that they could eat dinner.

“I’ll see you then,” Rarity called, waving at him as their carriage arrived to take them to the hotel.

“Bye Rarity!” Spike waved.

“Take care Spike!” Rarity waved as the carriage set off. Spike watched the carriage before it disappeared over the horizon along with the sun as it followed the carriage’s lead and descended over the horizon.

Author's Note

So ends the first chapter. This was an idea that I had pitched in a blog post and I finally got around to writing it. I thought it would be a nice change of pace to try something slightly different from trying to talking bad guys into submission.

A Day in Canterlot

A Day in Canterlot:

Rarity was an excited filly. Not only was she in the city of her dreams but she had just gotten permission from her parents that she could spend the day exploring on her own with the caveat that Spike would act as her escort. Naturally, she could hardly refuse given the scare that they’ve had the previous day.

Besides, the fact that she was friends with him only made her all the more eager to agree to have him as an escort so it was a win-win as far as she was concerned.

But now she found herself in the most curious dilemma:

“What am I going to wear?” Rarity wondered aloud, two hats floating in her light blue magic as she examined them critically. Such was the dilemma of up and coming premier fashionistas everywhere.

* * *

Spike frowned as he found himself in the not entirely unfamiliar position of walking with Princess Celestia as they headed for the ever opulent royal dining room for breakfast. For the past quarter of an hour ever since she’d spotted him after raising the sun, the Princess of the Day and been more than a little enthusiastic about his day with Rarity. It wouldn’t have been a stretch to say that she was just as excited about it as he was!

She’d asked a seemingly endless stream of questions about Rarity and how they’d met and how excited she was for his “date”. Spike didn’t know what a “date” was but he knew that he planned to have a good time with Rarity doing all sorts of fun things.

And then came one question that gave him a pause.

“So what are you going to be doing today?” Celestia asked keenly, casting her magenta eyes toward the small dragon at her side. “I trust that you have an idea of where you’d like to go.”

“Um…” Spike trailed off awkwardly. “That’s kind of the problem: there’s so much in Canterlot that I can show Rarity but I don’t even know where I would even start!”

“Hmm…” Celestia put a hoof to her chin and contemplated the situation after, of course, taking her place at the head of the table and accepting her tea from the ever-vigilant staff member. She would be hard pressed to refute Spike’s point but still believed a solution could be reached. But then her teacher instincts kicked in: why should she be doing the thinking? This was a teaching experience just waiting to happen!

“So tell me Spike,” Celestia started. “What would you say defines Rarity as a pony?”

Spike animatedly recounted every detail of the conversations he and Rarity had the previous day in his excitement. Was it overkill? Perhaps. But if it meant finding the answers to making sure his friend had as much fun as possible while she was here then Spike would readily do so.

Celestia’s smile fell ever so slightly as she realized the position that she found herself in.

Well… this might take a while. Surely Twilight won’t panic if her lesson with me starts a little later than I had planned she couldn’t help but think, equal parts amused and exasperated with the small dragon at her side, munching on a sapphire while staring up at her with green eyes filled with wonder. Those adorable eyes were her achilles heel…

“Well, let’s narrow down our options based on what we know about Rarity…” she started with Spike listening attentively. He’d even gone so far as to pull out a pad of paper and a quill as they bounced ideas off of each other.

* * *

Rarity allowed a smile to cross her face as she stepped out of the hotel. The white sun hat was definitely the better choice for today she mused as her sea blue eyes scanned the immediate area for a small purple dragon. She didn’t have to wait long...

“Rarity!” a familiar voice called out to her. The filly spun around to find Spike rushing toward her. Much like her, he was also wearing a hat. Much unlike her, he favored a fedora with a feather in the cap in stark contrast to her sun hat.

“Spike dear!” she exclaimed enthusiastically. “It’s so good to see you! So what’re we going to be doing today?” she asked eagerly, bouncing up and down with such enthusiasm that Spike would later compare to that of the ever exuberant Pinkie Pie… or Twilight whenever she received a new book from Princess Celestia.

“Oh you’re going to love this!” Spike promised. “I was actually talking to Princess Celestia this morning and she was telling me about this Canterlot Fashion week thing they do every couple of years--”

“That’s today!?” Rarity screeched, her eyes wide equal parts surprise and excitement. “We simply must go! But wait…” her ears droop as she realized something of critical importance. “Isn’t that one of the most exclusive fashion events in all of Equestria? It’s not like we’re going to be able to just find tickets just lying around…” she stared at the mischievous grin on Spike’s forehead.

“You didn’t,” she stated, almost daring to believe him.

“I did,” he replied by way of flashing the two golden tickets that sure enough were passes for Canterlot Fashion week.

“H-How,” Rarity had to choke out in surprise. It was like Spike was her miracle worker or something. It’s almost like he knew her deepest desires and was making all her wildest dreams of reality!

“Well,” Spike trailed off awkwardly but was saved from having to explain by way of the growling belly of the alabaster unicorn next to him.

“Sorry,” Rarity blushed. “I guess I was so excited to see you again and getting to explore Canterlot that I might have forgotten to eat something before I left…”

Spike shook his head in amusement as he led her to a nearby cafe where they were able to grab a bite to eat before heading to the showcase. Once they were inside the gigantic arena where the showcase was set to be held, Rarity had to ask:

“Just how did you come across tickets for this showcase? I’ve always heard that only the most elite of the elite were even contacted for a chance at purchasing tickets?”

“Well…” Spike started. “It started kinda like this…”

* * *

“So Spike,” Princess Celestia started as they methodically sifted through the daily influx of mail. “You mentioned that your friend happened to enjoy fashion in its many splendors, correct?”

“Yeah!” Spike replied enthusiastically. “She told me about how she designed these really amazing costumes for her class’s play! They had all these really shiny gems and everything!” He paused before adding the thought of them made him really hungry.

“Well if that’s the case,” she levitated the parchment down to small dragon. “Perhaps these will serve a better to you than to me.” She watched in faint amusement as Spike struggled to read the document. These kinds of documents were infamous for their unnecessary convoluted vocabulary.

It’s almost as though they don’t know how to get to the point Celestia couldn’t help but think as she stared at the dragon who’d clearly been struggling with some of the longer words.

“To sum it up for you,” Celestia started, “it’s an invitation to the fashion showcase that they hold here in Canterlot. They invite me to attend every year and normally, I enjoy them but unfortunately, I won’t be able to go this year as I’ve found myself becoming increasingly busy especially after having taken Twilight on as my personal student. Truly, her dedication to her studies is something I’ve seen in very few ponies. In any case, I’d hate for these to have to go to waste so why don’t you take them and take your friend to the showcase?”

“Really?!” Spike asked eagerly.

“Yes,” Celestia nodded, smiling at him. “I can tell that you have become good friends with Rarity and this could be something that you two could go see together. Plus,” she added, “I’m well aware of the fact that you’ve been staying up almost as long as Twilight has to help her with her studies for which I can only express my gratitude for taking care of her.”

“It’s not really anything hard,” Spike shrugged. “Most of the time, I just remind Twilight that she hasn’t eaten or slept or help her find her materials so that she can focus.”

“I’ve also heard that you’ve learned how to cook quite well from the kitchen staff,” Celestia added, smiling wryly.

“Um… yeah,” Spike replied uncomfortably. “I know that Twilight has a really bad habit of skipping meals when she gets really into her studies so I thought I should learn. Plus,” he licked his scaly lips here, “I found this book of recipes with all sorts of yummy things that I wanted to try and figured that the staff wouldn’t necessarily make it for me because of my health or something like that…”

Celestia couldn’t help the laughter that erupted from her mouth as she allowed herself the free will to laugh shamelessly. Spike, for his part, seemed mostly unabashed by his admission while Celestia reigned in her laughter which had since been amused to amused chuckling.

“Getting back on track,” Celestia started again, “Consider this a reward for all your hard work ever since you started working as Twilight’s number one assistant.” She paused. “That and this,” she levitated a hefty sack of bits into Spike’s small claws.

“Just remember to not eat them. They’re not gems after all.” That and Celestia didn’t want a repeat of the last time Spike had tried eating a bit. The resulting diarrhea and economic trouble were things that Celestia prefer to forget.

“Thank you so much Princess!” Spike hugged the tall alabaster mare’s forehooves before rushing out of the dining room, leaving Celestia alone with her pile of mail. Celestia smiled to herself as she nodded to one of her assistants as they resumed the ever exciting task of opening envelope after envelope.

* * *

Rarity for her part was grinning as Spike recounted his story. It felt nice to be able to get to know more about his mannerisms as they closed in on the site of the showcase. It was a nice way to direct her excitement as opposed to bouncing up and down excitedly.

Not that there was anything wrong with bouncing up and down excitedly. Rarity just didn’t want to come off as unsophisticated in the crowd of ponies who seemed to inexplicably favor closing their eyes while pointing their heads skyward.

Maybe it’s some sort of coordination exercise? Rarity, for her part, was equal parts confused and impressed with their ability to navigate the giant city without crashing into anything.

The pair stepped into the line where they could see an attendant inspecting tickets and admitting ponies.

“Rarity, I’m just going to say this right now: I’ve got no idea what to expect during this showcase so I’m going to be counting on you explain it to me, okay?”

“Certainly,” Rarity nodded brightly. She’d take any chance that she could get to explain the many wonders of the fashion world. “But in a high class event like this, I really should provide a primer of sorts just so you know what to expect.”

Spike brain’s which had been so used to analytics, science, magic and related subjects found itself struggling to keep up with the artistic explanations that Rarity heaped on him. It wouldn’t have been a stretch to say that his brain had such trouble adapting that the gears in his head had started to catch fire in his head.

Spike’s struggle aside, the pair finally reached the front of the line where the attendant scanned before casting a sidelong look at the pair, while also looking Spike up and down as though he were sizing the dragon up and whether or not he’d be a threat to the other ponies attending. Shaking his head, he nodded and passed the tickets back to the dragon and nodded to the filly who eagerly dragged the dragon’s arm and dragged him inside where they quickly found their seats close to the runway.

“I can’t believe we’re going to be this close to the runway!” Rarity gushed, she leaned onto Spike, offering less-than-quick nuzzle under his chin while holding one of his claws in her forehooves. “I can’t even begin to thank you for bringing me here!”

“It’s really no problem, Rarity,” Spike grinned, both from her enthusiasm and the nuzzling she’d been giving him. Please don’t stop.

They’d stayed that way and had found themselves in a comfortable silence. A silence that quickly died with the following words:

“Never thought we’d see you at place like this, Spike,” said a familiar voice amusedly. Spike jumped before a broad smile stretched across his face.

“Shining Armor!” he grinned at the white stallion. He then spotted the pink mare at his side. “And Cadance!”

“We were surprised to see you here, Spike,” Cadance began. “So we thought we’d come over and say hi.”

“That and our seats just so happened to be right here,” Shining Armor grinned. That wasn’t entirely true. The real truth was that neither had actually planned on being at the showcase but Princess Celestia in her infinite wisdom decided to have a guard posted to Spike, not so much for the dragon’s safety on the account of the fact that he could breathe fire at a moment’s notice, but because she was worried that somepony would try to cause trouble for Spike and ruin his day with his new friend.

Plus, they got tickets to an exclusive event so Shining Armor wasn’t stupid enough to say no since he knew for a fact that Cadance happened to enjoy these kinds of events. At least more so than the galas that the Canterlot Elite often frequented. That and she threatened that there would be no dates for a month and that was simply something Shining wasn’t willing to sacrifice.

“Princess Celestia gave me tickets for me and my friend. She said something about ‘broadening my horizons’ or something like that, and helping my friend have as good a time as she can while she’s here.” It was here that the two ponies caught sight of the nervous unicorn sitting next to their younger brother in all but blood.

Spike, having noticed the stares from his idealized family, promptly began making introductions.

“This is my friend Rarity,” Spike gestured to the unicorn next to him. Any sense of bravado that she may have had fled when she spotted Cadance’s horn and wings. “Rarity, these are my friends: Cadance and Shining Armor! Shining Armor’s the captain of the royal guard and Cadance was Twilight and my foalsitter.”

“I’d prefer to think of us as his brother and sister,” Cadance cut in before Spike could add in anything else. Rarity, for her part, was still shell shocked. She’d never been the most social of ponies; she’d often spent her free time drawing out her designs and then making them a reality rather than socializing. The fact that Spike was her first friend could vouch for this testament. So Rarity was understandably surprised when Spike put her on the spot with two ponies that may as well have been strangers.

“Um… hello…” she said shyly, moving closer to Spike who’d promptly been whisked away by Shining Armor for what looked to be “stallion-talk”; whatever that was.

“So you’re friends with Spike,” Cadance started slowly, a soft smile on her face as her eyes trained on the nervous filly.

“Um… yes?” Rarity replied nervously.

“So what do you think of him thus far?” she asked, casting a sidelong look at the dragon who seemed to be in a similar conversation from where the pink pony was sitting.

“Well…” Rarity wondered how much she ought to reveal on the account that while they were certainly close to Spike, she didn’t feel quite comfortable sharing all the details with someone who was essentially a stranger in Rarity’s eyes. “To be completely honest, I actually just met him yesterday when he helped me when I was lost yesterday when I came here for the very first time. It was really nice of him to help me and was so brave in doing so! From there, he ended up bringing me to the castle where we played in the castle’s courtyard. We even got to meet Princess Celestia herself before my parents came to pick me up! But before we said goodbye, I wanted to spend more time with Spike so I asked him if he could show me around the city and so far I’ve enjoyed myself immensely both from the few sites we’ve seen so far and the stories he’s shared with me!” Cadance didn’t bother hiding her smile as Rarity’s eyes lit up as she spoke praises of her new friend. It was clear to the up and coming princess of love that Spike and Rarity would be very goods friends.

The lights dimmed as the four ponies returned to their respective seats as the MC teleported onto the runway. The four had cheered along with the rest as the MC riled up the crowd. The stage curtain went up and the showcase had started off normally enough. Rarity had enjoyed gushing over the various designs with Cadance who’d been nice enough to run a commentary for the fashion-dead stallion and dragon with them.

What they happened next was something Rarity would have never expected of a fashion showcase. That being the models participating along with their designers were putting those clothes to the test.

After all, what was the point of clothing if they were only a one-time use?

So naturally while designers wanted to make clothing that made ponies look good, they also wanted their models to do something impressive while wearing them. That phase: do something amazing and look good doing it had never been more applicable than it was right then.

“Are they crazy?” Rarity stared as they watched as the models, in groups of three competed for marks in intelligence, baking, coming up with new dresses on the fly, and other admittedly more dangerous events like herding.

“Well you have remember that whoever wins the showcase will get to face off against the reigning Miss Equestria,” Cadance pointed out.

“This was hardly what I was expecting going into this event!” Rarity replied incredulously as she watched as one mare had been able to herd all the cattle toward her section of the larger than life runway. “I thought that this event would be showing off the latest designs that the top designers had created! I didn’t expect them to pull anything like this!” Rarity gestured to the stage with a hoof while simultaneously applauding the participating ponies.

It may have caught her off guard going into it but even so, it was quite the impressive performance.

The four watched in varying degrees of amazement as the number of competing participants dwindled down to the final two in the freestyle performance. The challenge here was simple yet paradoxically complex: make an outfit on the fly and the perform a routine of sorts that not only showed off the true potential of the design but also showcase the friendship between the designer and the model.

It was something Princess Celestia would have no doubt found the whole idea endearing since she preached the magic of friendship almost constantly.

It also didn’t help that they were racing against the clock to not only come up with and create their designs, but at the same time, the models had to come up with a dance routine that would showcase their talents and show off the dresses full capabilities.

“And time!” the MC called as the designers presented their works: one was a lacy white ball gown that Rarity could tell would work well in a dance routine given the way it flared out much like a flower in bloom. The other went for something entirely different: namely a form-fitting suit of sorts that wouldn’t have looked out at a wonderbolts show.

It definitely shows off her physique… Rarity mused as her eyes drifted over both designs. She had to admit that the designers had done a really good job on the outfits. Truth be told, it had only served to widen her spectrum of ideas for what she could make and still be regarded as appropriate among the elite.

After donning the outfits, it had been preemptively decided that Lacy Dress would take the stage first as exhibited with a graceful dance with her partner who seemed to just materialize out of thin air. Spike had made to comment but was quickly shushed in favor of watching the performance with rapt attention. It was here that things got interesting: Lacy Dress's partner's majestic wings flared out as he slowly ascended into the air with his partner grasping at his hooves with all the confidence of a mare who was more than prepared for anything that the situation could throw at her.

It was here that music started to play from out nowhere.

And then they danced.

"How is that even possible," Spike wondered aloud as he watched the pair give dancing on air a whole new and more literal meaning as the audience watched on, slacked jawed. The aerial dance not only showcased the model's natural beauty but that of the dress as well as it practically glowed in the spotlights.

For the finale, the stallion partner had opted for something risky that would surely have the audience eating out of their hooves: a dive bomb not unlike those conducted by the Wonderbolts. The audience watched with bated breath as he held his mare partner and just before they reached the ground, he released her before pulling out of the sharp dive while his partner landed safely onto the stage in a crouch before rising to her full height.

"Finish!" they both cheered, as the stallion landed gracefully on the mare's out stretched hoof, his wings flared out as the crowd stomped their hooves vigorously. They definitely deserved points for maintaining interest.

"And now for our next pair!" With the first pair taking a bow before stepping back toward the stage to allow the second pair to take the spotlight.

Unlike the previous pair featuring a pegasus and an earth pony, this time the pair featured two unicorns. Since magic was fair game in a contest like this, Rarity was interested to see what kind of magic would come into play. Hopefully, whatever magic they do end up using was something that she could potentially incorporate into future designs.

As it turned out, with a simple freeze spell, the pair had turned the entire stage into an ice rink, another spell produced several illusionary clouds gently releasing equally illusionary snow. Unfortunately for the resident dragon, the spell's illusionary effects also made the room feel much colder. Rarity had been quick to notice his predicament and shuffled closer to him and pulling him close with her tail.

"Better?" she asked kindly.

"Much better," Spike nodded, smiling brightly. Cadance and Shining could help the smiles that crossed their faces as their attention split between adorable scene that was Spike and Rarity curled up together and the impressive ice skating that the ponies on stage were performing.

Eventually, they turned back to watch as the pair performed together as one. It was clear that the skintight suit was doing its job if the high speed and high risk maneuvers they were performing were any indication. It certainly brought about the crowd's enthusiasm with the winter wonderland theme. Everyone watched as the skaters span in tandem, initially starting with slow twirls before moving closer together and subsequently began to spin faster.

Quite frankly, it was a miracle neither had vomited from the experience.

Several minutes of jumps, flips, and other related maneuvers that left Spike and Rarity speechless found both the contestants and their respective designers on stage after the winter wonderland hand been dispelled.

"And this is where all of you come into play!" the announcer intoned. "Using the quill and parchment in your seat, please choose which design and performer you liked best at which point we will announce the winners!"

Spike blinked when he suddenly spotted a rolled up piece of parchment, an inkpot, a quill, and small desk in front of him. From his periphery, it seemed Rarity and Shining seemed just as taken aback as he was; Cadance just took the whole thing in stride. Shaking he his head, Spike contemplated the designs and the performances. He had to admit that both were really impressive to watch and both had really nice looking outfits... for what little he knew about fashion.

I guess I'll go with these two... Spike decided uncertainly, jotting down his choices. As he soon as he finished, he recoiled when the parchment, quill, and inkpot burst into flames. He glanced around nervously to find the same thing happen to everyone else with varying degrees of response from the audience members.

Turning back to the stage, he saw that two gauges were floating at the center that were steadily rising as more audiences members submitted their votes. As to keep things fair, neither gauge had been labeled as to avoid bias in voting.

"And the winner is!" The announcer boomed as the last of the votes were submitted and accounted for. From there, a pair of spotlights flickered between the two designers and the models. As everyone watched with bated breath, the lights slowed to a stop toward the aerial dancers and their designers.

"Let's give them a round of applause!" the announcer cheered as everyone applauded both teams for both amazing designs and dance skills. Rarity had been particular enthusiastic. This showcase had, in essence, blown her mind as well as essentially everything she understood about fashion. Far from disillusioned about her prospects as a future trend-setter, the young pony was more fired up than ever and that was to say nothing of the ideas swirling around in her head from just seeing the showcase and seeing some of the best designers working their magic had Rarity itching to get back to her portable sewing machine to get to work.

And I have Spike to thank for all of this Rarity thought, as she followed Spike, Shining Armor, and Princess Cadance out of the theater, only idly noting that the vast majority of the day had since past. Well him AND Princess Celestia.

"Well we should get going," Shining Armor nodded to his marefriend who nodded in kind before turning back to the young dragon and the filly.

"There's still a little bit of time before the sun goes down, Spike. Why don't you pick something from Pony Joe's?" She leaned in closer so that no one else could hear her as she whispered conspiratorially to him. "I'm sure auntie Celestia would appreciate the treat especially with the day that she's had."

Spike was not about to refuse an excuse to go to Pony Joe's; there was a reason the stallion was one of Canterlot's premier bakeries in Spike's opinion. He turned to his companion to see a blushing filly with a hoof to her underbelly. The scene settled it for Spike as he led her away, with Cadance and Shining Armor watching on...

* * *

"Wow..." Rarity breathed as she peered over the numerous selections. Just how was she going to be able to pick just one? In later years, she would have insisted that she didn't want to impose but that wouldn't be for another few years. Presently, Rarity was still a filly so naturally she couldn't help but gravitate toward the pastries on display.

"So Spike, you want your usual right?" Pony Joe asked, his horn halfway lit as he made to select several gem encrusted donuts from the trays on display.

"Not today. We're going to change things up a little bit today," Spike responded brightly. He gestured to his friend who stiffened when he mentioned her name.

"You know, we have free samples that you can try," Rarity's eyes lit up at the prospect and was not disappointed with what she tried. That said, she opted to refrain from simply buying out the story and selected one of a few types that she'd liked the most as Spike paid and led them out. He'd then escorted Rarity back to where she'd been staying.

* * *

"I had a lot of fun today Spike," Rarity smiled, lightly nuzzling his cheek in thanks. "I'm glad I got to spend the day with you and..."

"And..." Spike prompted curiously.

"And I was wondering if you'd be willing to spend more time with me tomorrow!" she blurted out. Spike tapped his chin in thought. As tempting as that sounded, Spike remembered his responsibilities as Twilight's number one assistant and he couldn't have someone else encroaching on his hard earned title.

"As much as I would like to, I can't... or at least not for the whole day," Rarity frowned sadly as she recalled Spike mentioning that he helped Princess Celestia's personal pupil with her studies. She knew that this was important to him and suddenly felt guilty for encroaching.

"I'm sorry," Rarity said sadly, her head bowed.

"No! Rarity, you don't need to apologize!" Spike replied quickly. "I had a lot of fun with you today and I definitely learned a lot from the showcase today! But I also think that since you came here with your family, you should also spend some time with them and your sister, right."

Rarity's eyes widened at the realization.

"Besides, since I showed you around Canterlot earlier, you can show off to your parents a little when you go sightseeing with them tomorrow." Rarity couldn't help the smile that made it's way onto her face at Spike's statement. She supposed that would have to suffice for now.

"Thank you Spike," Rarity smiled as she, in a moment of boldness, planted a small kiss on his cheek. Spike flushed but smiled and waved with Rarity smiling just as brightly in kind as she stepped into the hotel with her package of donuts floating behind her.

Spike was walking in the other direction, a goofy grin on his face, a large package of donuts for himself, Twilight, and the Princess.

He couldn't wait to tell them what happened today!

Author's Note

Sorry this came out so late! A lot of things happened that kept getting in my way.

The Final Day and the Farewell

The next two weeks practically flew by for both Rarity and Spike. At Spike’s suggestion following the showcase, Rarity had shown her parents some of the places Spike had shown her. As it turned out, this had let to more than a few amazed exclamations from her family. Admittedly, given that any noise Sweetie Belle made seemed to amount to some manner of delighted squealing, may have biased things in Rarity’s favor but the filly seemed no less deterred by it. On the days that Spike had been able to join them, the five of them would make tracks to some of Canterlot’s best sights and Spike’s commentary only served to make the trip all the more enjoyable for the visiting family as they got a native’s perspective about the opulent city.

Like all good things in the world, it was all about to come to an end. It was something ponies everywhere not so much feared as it was inevitable but was dreaded because of its inevitability. Of course, this refers to the final vacation day. Admittedly, Rarity hadn’t given the final day much thought in favor of playing things by ear. It had certainly been an effective method to having fun in Canterlot so far but now that the final day was upon her, Rarity found herself at a loss for what to do.

“I wish that I could just live here,” Rarity murmured, staring out at the vast cityscape from her hotel room’s window. “I could spend my time making more of my creations and selling them to ponies who would adore them. But more importantly…” she cast a wistful day toward the distant Canterlot Castle where she knew Spike would be hard at work helping his friend Twilight with her studies.

“I wouldn’t have to leave my friendship with Spike behind…” she murmured sadly as she continued staring wistfully at the castle and then it occurred to her. She still had a full day ahead of her to do as she pleased: her parents had opted for something more low-key and had decided to take Sweetie Belle to the park to spend time with some of the other foals there. They’d wanted Rarity to come along but the older filly had opted to stay behind, stating that she wanted to get all her dress designs down on paper before she forgot about them. What she didn’t tell them was that she also wanted to not only chronicle her impromptu adventures in Canterlot but she also wanted to see Spike at least one last time before she returned home from vacation.

She sighed as she sifted through the many pictures that they’d taken during their time here.

Oh what am I doing? Rarity shook her head to shake herself out of her funk. There’s nothing stopping me from spending time with him at the castle. He’s taken me all around Canterlot; it’s only fair that I meet him where he is at least once. She glanced out the window. If her timing was correct, it was still relatively early in the day from what Spike had told her of his schedule, there was little doubt in the filly’s mind that Twilight would more than likely be occupied with her advanced classes from her professors and from the princess herself, meaning that Spike would more than likely be lounging around the castle or, if he happened to be feeling charitable, volunteering with helping Princess Celestia with some of her work.

Decision made, Rarity stood up and headed for the door. There was a best friend just waiting for her at the castle and a lady shouldn’t keep her friends waiting now should she?

* * *

Spike was a happy young dragon. He’d just finished breakfast with Twilight and Princess Celestia. In an unusual shift in character, Twilight had taken to asking him about his time with Rarity. He could tell that she was genuinely curious about it as she knew full well that he enjoyed helping her with her studies and anything that took away from that was worth noting.

Princess Celestia for her part had been thrilled as she listened attentively to the young dragon’s animated renditions of his impromptu adventures with Rarity. Granted, she was already well aware of his adventures thanks to her guards. It also helped that Shining Armor and Cadance had spent a fair bit of their free time with them.

And that was to say nothing of the background checks alabaster alicorn had run on both the filly and her family. Excessive? Perhaps, but ever since she’d lost her little sister, the Princess of the sun had taken measures to make sure that nothing like this ever happened again. She didn’t want to lose anybody else important to her for easily avoidable reasons.

After all, being alone was never fun no matter how much Twilight might have insisted otherwise.

Getting back on track, Celestia first glanced out the window and then down at the young dragon sitting at her side with a stack of comic books he’d recently acquired just waiting to be read. She could safely say that Spike was a joy to have around. If nothing else, just having him give a running commentary on his day was definitely more interesting to listen to than the scratching of her quill against whatever documents needed her approval.

Celestia smiled down at Spike as he finished the last of his stories of his adventures of the previous day. It had helped that they’d had a few leftover doughnuts to give monarch the sugar needed to get through was sure to be another stressful day.

Another glance out the window told her that it was almost time for Twilight’s personal lessons with her.

“Spike,” she started. “I wanted to let you know in advance that Twilight’s lesson with me will probably take up most of the day and probably stretch well into the evening. Why don’t you take advantage of the nice day?” She smiled brightly, winking at him.

Spike’s eyes lit up as a certain alabaster filly came to mind and was only too happy to agree as he snatched his comic books and rushed out of her study, yelling a ‘thank you!’ over his shoulder as he ran away. Celestia watched, a fond smile on her face before turning back to the final document, signing it with a flourish before standing up and following the small dragon’s lead

Spike had made it halfway to his and Twilight’s room when he heard a voice call out to him. Turning around, he found one of Celestia’s guards, Flash Step if he remembered correctly, and a familiar unicorn standing behind her.

“You have a visitor, Spike,” she said simply and with an incline of her head, Rarity rushed to Spike’s side and grabbed him in a tight but platonic hug.

“It’s so good to see you, Spike dear!” Rarity chirped brightly. “I was hoping to find you here!” She quieted down as the guardsmare cleared her throat before nodding and trotting away. Rarity let go but the broad smile still remained.

Spike blinked. “Where else would I go?”

Rarity shrugged. “Well you certainly have more experience with Canterlot than I do and you could be anywhere.”

Spike shook his head. “Well since you came all this way, wanna explore the castle with me? After all, last time you were here, we only got to check out the castle gardens.”

Rarity’s eyes lit up at the suggestion. It had been something of a dream to be able to explore the castle in its entirety and while she would have been perfectly satisfied with simply exploring the gardens, the offer to explore the entire castle was simply too good to pass up.

* * *

“And finally…” Spike huffed. All the walking around the castle had taken its toll on him and the cursory glance at Rarity told him that she was harboring similar sentiments. That in mind, Spike decided to make things quick. “This room features some of Equestria’s proudest moments.” He nodded to the stained glass windows.

Rarity for her part could only gaze in awe at how far Equestria had come and felt a swell of pride, knowing that some day, she could make just as significant contribution in her life to ultimately make Equestria even better. But that was for later; right now, Rarity had come to spend some time with Spike who then suggested that they play in the castle gardens; it would be just like old times.

If the old times wasn’t a callback to two weeks ago.

Nonetheless, Rarity and Spike still enjoyed the bright and sunny day. The former, who would later attribute this adventurous side of herself to Spike, eagerly suggested that they try to find each other in the maze.

“But wouldn’t it be more fun if more people were playing?” Spike asked, wishing not for the first time that Twilight take a break from reading those dusty old books and come outside and play with him.

It was then that they heard the clopping of hooves nearby from the other side of the neatly trimmed hedges. Curiously, both peered over said hedges to find Princess Celestia lecturing Twilight. It was already clear to Rarity that Twilight would be a brilliant scholar just from her posture. A skill she’d honed thanks her time spent with both Spike and Princess Cadance.

They didn’t know why but both couldn’t help but stay and listen as Princess Celestia explained the nuances and quirks of teleporting to Twilight who’d then been asked to provide an abridged version for a pony not well versed in magic. The sidelong smile she flashed at Rarity held that implicit meeting.

Since you decided come and listen to my lesson, you might as well learn it too.

Truth be told, Rarity wasn’t entirely clear on the instructions but felt no desire to ask their benevolent ruler to repeat the instructions, especially in front of her personal student. Besides, it was nothing short of a miracle that the princess hadn’t called them out for eavesdropping.

But on the other hoof, she had challenged Rarity to try teleporting and truth be told, it sounded really cool. And then Twilight made an almost off-hoof remark about how dangerous it could be and panicked at the prospect of messing it up and had unknowingly put Rarity on edge about trying this.

“You needn’t worry, my faithful student,” Celestia reassured, placing a golden clad hoof over her pupil back, rubbing it gently. “I have every confidence that you will succeed. And even if you don’t succeed, the only major side effect is passing out from magic overuse.”

That did a little to assuage Rarity’s fears. At least it wouldn’t be a lasting issue. Plus, teleporting would definitely save her time when she wanted to get home from school and start working on her designs. And that was to say nothing of how much easier it would be avoid bullies if she could teleport.

Suddenly, Rarity found herself encouraged by the prospect of learning how to teleport for herself as they slipped away to practice.

* * *

“You sure about this?” Spike asked, careful to sound as though he didn’t believe Rarity could pull this off. They’d since found a couple of spellbooks that explained teleportations without all the technical jargon that Twilight often used. “I mean, I’d hate for you to pass out because you put too much magic into it…” he trailed off awkwardly.

“It’s so sweet of you to care Spike,” Rarity replied, giving him a one armed hug. “But the truth is that I’d like to be able to use my magic for more than just making my dresses.”

“But isn’t making awesome looking dresses,” Rarity swelled happily at the praise, “your special talent? How would teleporting help with that?”

“Saving time aside,” Rarity started, “It’d making things much easier if I could simply teleport all the heavy stuff that I’d need to me as opposed to trying to lift it up. I usually need to strain to be able to do that and it ends up hurting a lot afterward so I don’t even get to use it which just makes me so angry!”

Spike actually took a couple steps back as he watched Rarity breathe heavily not unlike some feral animal on a rampage.

“I’m terribly sorry, Spike. I didn’t mean to get so hostile just then. It’s just that back home, there are ponies there that like to make fun of me for wanting design and make dresses. I’d have thought that making the costumes for the Ponyville play would had made them stop… and some of them have stopped but there are still a few ponies who still feel the need to poke fun at it.”

Spike wasn’t sure how he felt. On the one hand, he felt a righteous anger boiling in his stomach from Rarity’s story. He would have loved nothing more than to sneak up behind one such pony and breathe a small amount of fire on them and just watch them scream in terror. He quickly squashed this idea. Burning this bully seemed a bit excessive in the ‘protecting friends’ department.

Plus there was no way in Tartarus that he’d ever get away with it. Celestia might lock him away. Or banish him. Or lock him away to the place where she banishes him to. Would Celestia even have any say in where he’d be locked away if he were banished from Equestria?

“Well, when you show everybody your designs at one of those showcases we went to see,” Spike started. “I’m sure that everybody will be really impressed with your designs and cheer your name!”

Rarity felt her face warm at Spike’s optimism.

“Well,” she said, recovering, “shall we get started?”

Before Spike could respond, there was a loud whip-like crack causing the two to jump in equal parts surprise and fright. However, instead of whatever frightful terror that their minds could produce, they found a filly of a similar size and build to Rarity but with three major differences: her mane, coat, and cutie mark. What immediately caught their attention was her singed mane and coat.

“Twilight! Are you okay?” Spike rushed to his surrogate sister’s side, checking to make sure she was at least breathing after what was clearly a disastrous teleport. Less than thirty seconds later, a second bang was heard and they found Princess Celestia in their midst. They watched in awe as her horn lit up in a golden aura and in an instant, the charred coat and mane were back to how they were before the disastrous teleportation attempt.

Twilight’s eyes lit up at the new spell and immediately insisted that she teach it to her.

“Not so fast my faithful student,” said Celestia gently. “Remember, we still need to practice teleporting.” She paused, surveying the singed grass around Twilight. “Although I will say that was definitely an impressive first attempt but it seemed like you were using too much magic… and your concentration may have slipped a little with all that magic circulating in your horn.”

“You’re right, Princess,” Twilight admitted. “I thought that it would require lots of magic in order to teleport and I lost control.”

“Well, now that we know where things went wrong, we can learn from those mistakes and try again,” she smiled down at the enthusiastic filly who was already charging her horn for her next attempt. She turned to Spike and Rarity. “Would you care to join us?”

Both nodded eagerly as they trailed behind the alabaster alicorn to watch Twilight teleport.

“Remember, Twilight. You’re only teleporting to that statue,” she gestured to the statue labeled as Discord: the spirit of chaos. Nothing else needed to be said as Twilight vanished from their small group before reappearing where Celestia had indicated. From what Spike and Rarity could see, she’d definitely had an easier time of it if the lack of singed fur or mane was any clue.

“Well done, Twilight,” Celestia praised quietly as Twilight danced around her teacher eagerly. The taller mare smiled down at her student before casting her benevolent gaze at Rarity. Twilight followed her teacher’s lead and caught sight of the other pony in the gardens.

“Would you like to try?” Celestia asked kindly. Rarity blinked before casting her gaze between Spike, Princess Celestia, and the spot she indicated. Said spot being the hedges where she and Spike had been watching the lesson progress. “Although I should warn you…”

“Um… Princess?” One look at her student told Celestia everything she needed to know as she conjured a simple metal bucket that she placed in front of her student, rubbing her back gently while they all pointedly looked away from said bucket as Twilight released that morning’s breakfast back into the bucket.

“The first time can be pretty nauseating,” she finished as Twilight pulled her head away and moaned pathetically.

“Um… okay,” Rarity replied uncertainly. She was equal parts excited and apprehensive about this whole experience. After all, there weren’t exactly a whole lot of unicorns in Ponyville.

Face forward. There’s no going back now. Especially not when Princess Celestia is right here. Rarity thought, stepping forward.

“Let me walk you through it once more,” she cast a brief gaze toward her recovering student who’d perked up at the mention of teleporting as Spike made sure she was okay. “First: close your eyes and visualize your destination. The more clearly you can visualize it, the less magic you’ll have to put in to be able teleport to that location.”

Rarity obeyed as she pictured the hedges where she and Spike watched the lesson in fascination. She could recall the smell of freshly cut grass, the crunch of that same grass on her hooves, the gentle breeze wafting through the air, and the voices of Spike, Twilight, and the Princess.

“Do you have the destination clear in your head?” Celestia asked quietly. Rarity gave only a short nod as not to risk breaking her concentration. “Good, now channel your magic into your horn and let it guide you.”

Rarity did just that as she felt her magic practically rushing toward her horn and she vanished with a loud bang. Spike winced as he rushed over to a downed Rarity who’d looked no worse for where aside from the fact that she’d missed her target… and she was green.

Lovely...

“Um… Twilight? I think we’re going to be needing that bucket really soon.” Twilight had been nice enough to banish the contents before passing it over to Spike who rushed back to Rarity’s side as she, in a perfect imitation of Twilight, emptied the contents of her stomach. Twilight watched as Spike patted the white filly’s back gently while wondering if this unicorn happened to attend the school for gifted unicorns.

“I don’t think I want to try that again just yet,” said Rarity once she’d managed to recover what was left of her composure after that. It didn’t help but that she could still feel her stomach churning in protest

“Understandable,” Celestia nodded. “Teleportation is not for everybody but I commend you on your performance.” With that, she gave her student a small smile and an incline of her head, prompting the filly to follow after her. Before she got left the gardens, she turned back to the pair.

“It was nice meeting you, Rarity,” Twilight started. “We should definitely do some magic together later…” Rarity blinked before smiling.

“It was nice to meet you too, Twilight,” Rarity responded. Twilight allowed a small smile to creep onto her face as she waved and then galloped away.

* * *

“Wow Rarity,” Spike remarked as he watched Rarity teleport a plastic ball between two points. “You got a lot better with object teleportation.”

“It certainly helps that you’ve been here, giving me advice, Spike,” Rarity replied enthusiastically. Spike, in turn, simply blushed in embarrassment.

“Shucks, it was nothing,” Spike replied sheepishly. "I just happened to remember some of the stuff Twilight read from her books."

“It most certainly is not!” Rarity protested. “Spike, I can’t even begin to describe how important your friendship is to me especially since it’s my first one!” Spike almost immediately remembered Rarity telling him how it had been tough for her to make friends on the account that no one in her class seemed remotely interested in fashion. Granted, he wasn’t anywhere near as interested in fashion as Rarity was (he was starting to think that that would be impossible for anybody to match).

“W-Well, the feeling’s mutual…” Spike stammered. Both had big fat tears just waiting to fall. A small part of Rarity’s brain couldn’t help but applaud her for deciding to go out sans makeup today. They both had to hold back a sniffle as they threw themselves at each other cried out the various woes that have plagued their lives: namely their struggles in making friends.

They’d intended for their crying session to be brief but crying about one thing had opened the floodgates for all the other struggles outside of their friendship struggles such as societal struggles and how they’d be able to survive in the outside world once they were old enough.

* * *

“Thanks for listening Spike,” Rarity smiled as they trotted out of the gardens after their cathartic crying session. “I feel a lot lighter now that I’ve gotten all that off my back.”

“I know what you mean,” Spike nodded. “I feel the same way now that I’ve gotten all that in the open.”

In the lull of the conversation, Spike idly glanced at the window as they walked or in Rarity’s case, attempting to teleport every few steps with partial success. The young dragon blinked as he’d realized that they essentially spend the entire day practicing teleporting and cutting loose the metaphorical dark clouds that’d been hanging over their heads for the better part of their lives.

“Uh Rarity… not to be rude or anything but shouldn’t you get back to your family?” Rarity paused at this point before turning toward the window and subsequently gasping as she realized how much time she’d spent with Spike. Granted, she didn’t mind. In fact, all in all, Rarity would have considered this a day well spent: not only had she gotten a second chance at meeting Princess Celestia in the flesh, but she’d also learned how to teleport! Or at least a short range teleport. There was little doubt in Rarity’s mind that with enough practice she could teleport almost anywhere she wanted.

Shaking her head and refocusing on getting back to her family, Rarity replied in the affirmative. They had just reached the castle foyer when they spotted three familiar unicorns waiting for them.

“I told you we’d find them here,” they heard Rarity’s mother lightly chide her father who had the decency to look embarrassed. Spike watched with a smile as Rarity ran to her parents and hugged them tightly. She’d then apologized for not telling them where she was going as well as for being out for as long as she had. She’d intended to come back sooner so that she could pack up her things before returned to Ponyville the following morning.

The two friends faced each other, utterances of goodbye on the tips of their tongues.

… And then Princess Celestia stepped into the foyer with fatigued Twilight trailing behind her. It was here that their benevolent ruler invited them to stay for dinner. After all, the Princess of the Sun, in learning about Rarity, was more than a little curious about her family and wanted to get to know them better, background checks aside.

* * *

That evening dinner had started off as a relatively tense affair: the copious amount of silverware had caught them all off guard and more than a little bamboozled in figuring out which to use. Rarity’s father was tempted to disregard etiquette and simply stuff his face but the pointed look from his wife and elder daughter made him reconsider that course of action.

Thankfully, help came in the form of Twilight Sparkle who nodded to Rarity and levitated the necessary silverware for the meal with Rarity following her lead. Her parents had been quick enough to catch on and the awkwardness that was silverware usage was resolved.

Enter the awkwardness silence.

“So Rarity, why don’t you tell us what you did today,” Princess Cadance spoke up from her place between Princess Celestia and Shining Armor. As the up and coming Princess of Love, Cadance was something of an expert of breaking awkward situations and using them to her advantage.

Rarity didn’t even need to think as she rocketed off about all the wonderfully amazing things she got to do that day: the most impressive of which was definitely teleporting.

“You learned how to teleport?” Shining Armor remarked. “Gotta say that’s pretty impressive. I’m pretty sure at least half of members the royal guard couldn’t teleport.” He chuckled as Rarity’s smile widened as she turned to gush happily to her parents.

He thought it best not to mention the fact that the guards tended to lean to earth pony and pegasi on the account of their strength and endurance.

“Yeah, I’m still trying to get the hang of it but I’m sure I’ll get better with more practice,” Rarity nodded. Twilight shot her a smile, offering to trade a few tips she’d learned. The other filly nodded happily as Twilight almost immediately dove into a conversation about it. The others couldn’t quite fight the smiles that stretched across their faces as they watched Rarity, Twilight, and Spike talk animatedly and subsequently jumping from topic to topic when they started getting bored.

In fact, they’d since lost track of time as they talked and ate merrily.

“Oh my!” Rarity’s mother having noticed that darkness had since descended on Canterlot. “It’s gotten quite late hasn’t it.” She turned to a drowsy Rarity and remarking that it was time that they get back. Princess Celestia had offered to let them stay in the palace for the evening. Unfortunately, the parents had to refuse on the account that Rarity still needed to pack her numerous belongings.

Realizing that they were leaving, Rarity had quickly rummaged her saddlebags and let out a whoop of victory as she produced two garments and magically placed the top hat and blazer on Spike while simultaneously wrapping the scarf gently around Twilight’s neck.

“I wanted to give you both something to remember me by,” she explained at their bewildered expressions. “Twilight, I know we’ve just met but I’m glad that I got to meet you. Spike speaks very highly of you.”

Twilight flushed at the compliment. “W-Well, ever since he met you, Spike’s been telling me all about his ‘super awesome’ friend’.” She smiled down at Spike with a warmth that belied years of wisdom that a filly shouldn’t have had. “So in light of that, he and I wanted to make something for you.”

Twilight’s horn lit up in its traditional magenta hue as she produced the gold-plated necklace that she and Spike had acquired courtesy of Princess Cadance and Shining Armor. Rarity’s eyes widened at the sight of it and threatened to burst out of her head when she spotted the ruby placed in the center.

Tears threatening to lead to another crying session, Rarity grabbed Twilight and Spike in a hug and in that moment they made a silent vow to never let their friendship die.

With all three wiping unshed tears from their eyes and none wishing to cry any more than they already had (Spike’s pride had since died when he and Rarity had their crying session).

“Well, we should get going,” Rarity’s father smiled at Twilight and Spike before bowing to Cadance and Celestia who nodded before the four visitors set off for their hotel to pack

“Princess?” Twilight spoke up once the four unicorns were out the door. “Would it be alright if my lessons started a little later tomorrow?”

Celestia didn't even need to think before she gave her answer.

* * *

Rarity sighed as she stared up at the hotel where the family had spent the past few weeks. It had definitely been an incredible experience. Much more invigorating than she would have anticipated and even more so in light of the two friends she’d made since she’d come to Canterlot.

I just wish I didn’t have to say goodbye… Rarity thought sadly as she stared down at the necklace Twilight and Spike gifted unto her. In the few hours that it had been in her possession, Rarity had refused to take it off even when she’d gone to sleep. She wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d been told that she’d snuggled up to it in her sleep. Spike is such a wonderful friend and I hate the fact that I won’t be able to see him anywhere near as much as I like. Nonetheless, she shook her head as the last of their luggage was loaded onto the carriage and she hopped aboard, opting to sit next to her mother who held her in her forehooves in silent support.

What Rarity and her family hadn’t expected when they reached the train station was a whole entourage waiting for them. Even Princess Celestia and Princess Cadance had deigned to appear at the station.

She could see Twilight and her family had decided to come see her off and then she spotted the eyes she wanted to see the most. Spike’s eyes were equal parts happy and sad: she could tell that he was happy that he got to meet her and become such good friends with her in the mere weeks that they’d spent together. Conversely, he was also sad because he had to say goodbye to his friend.

If Rarity was going to be completely honest with herself, she was almost certain that similar sentiments were reflected in her own eyes.

“Normally,” Princess Celestia started in that motherly voice that could somehow break even the most dour of moods with but a single word. “I would give a long winded speech about friendship being magic. However,” she allowed a small smile to cross her face as she gazed down at the two ponies and the lone dragon. “I can tell that this time, I’m spared that inconvenience and in light of that…” Her horn glowed in that golden aura of hers as she conjured two books: one with a picture of Rarity’s cutie mark on the cover and the other with a picture of Spike’s head inside of Twilight’s cutie mark.

“Beautiful friendships such as these shouldn’t have to end just because we have to go our separate ways,” Celestia stated, “so I’m entrusting you with these. They will allow you to talk to each other.”

Their eyes were as wide as the sun in the sky at the thought as Twilight magically produced a quill and inkpot before silently passing it to Spike to write the first message.

‘Best Wishes!’ - Spike and Twilight. There.

Almost immediately, Rarity’s began to vibrate as the alabaster filly flipped the book open and gasped as the message appeared in her own book. Rarity was about to say something but was cut off when they heard trail whistling loudly.

“Last call for the train to Ponyville!” the conductor called as her parents quickly ushered her onto the train.

“Thank you so much!” Rarity cried, waving frantically at the entourage. “Thank you all for everything! I’ll never forget you!” The train had started moving and her frantic waving had only increased as the train picked up speed. She could clearly see that Twilight and Spike were chasing after her with Shining Armor in hot pursuit as they continued to wave with the manic energy that only youth could bestow and it was not long before the train had left the station, leaving the family with only the site of Mt Canterhorn as their companion.

Rarity for her part leaned back against her seat before remembering the journal that Princess Celestia gave her. Her parents seemed to confirm her suspicions of being mind readers as they silently passed her a quill and an inkwell.

Just because she wasn’t home yet didn’t mean she couldn’t keep in touch with her friends.

Author's Note

A short epilogue of sorts is on its way. I'll write a few story notes and link to them once the this story is complete.

Years Later

How long has it been? Rarity couldn’t help but wonder as she stared out the window from Carousel Boutique. Ever since that memorable vacation in Canterlot all those years ago, Rarity had managed to find the confidence in herself to carry on and it had played out all the better for her. Standing up for herself, with the letters from Spike and Twilight supporting her, Rarity managed to face her tormentors head on. Caught off guard by her bravery, the foals had since learned to back off. From there, Rarity had thrown herself into her fashions with an almost manic fervor and when other ponies noticed, and they did notice, they’d come to see it in a new light: a positive light.

After completing her education, her parents had surprised the young mare with her own shop. Naturally from its appearance, she’d dubbed it Carousel Boutique and now Rarity was getting commissions for her work.

And that was to say nothing of the gems that she’d added to her dresses: how they made everything look all the more dazzling. She couldn’t help but picture Spike’s mouthwatering grin as he stared at one such dress, wanting nothing more than to it strip dry of its delicious gem morsels.

Shaking her head to shake away the mental image, Rarity reflected on how far she’d come. As she glanced up at the sky, her heart jumped up into her throat as she realized what time it was.

I’m late! I’m here when I need to be at Town Hall to decorate for the Summer Sun celebration! She panicked as she snatched up all her materials in her magic before rushing out of her shop, slamming the door shut in her haste. I can’t believe I lost track of time! That never happens! I can’t afford to let anybody think that I’m slacking off!

Normal noble etiquette dictated that a trot was the only acceptable pace at which to travel by hoof and normally, Rarity would eat, drink, and breathe by these rules. However, when she was in a hurry, those rules could jump in a lake.

I do hope that the inspector hasn’t arrived yet. It’d be poor taste to let them think that I wasn’t hard at work, making sure the celebration turns out stunning! Rarity’s gallop has since slowed to a brisk trot. A cursory glance at a nearby window told her that she still looked good even after a frantic run.

Breathing a sigh of relief, she stepped inside. There was work to be done after all.

* * *

Twilight scowled as she leaned her head on the side of the chariot as she listened to Spike read Princess Celestia’s letter:

My dear Twilight,

There is more to a young pony’s life than studying, so I’m sending you to supervise the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration in this year’s location: Ponyville. And I have an even more essential task for you to complete: make some friends!

Twilight could just tell that Spike had enjoyed reading that letter just a little too much. She would have loved nothing more than to snap back with some manner of retort but held her tongue. It wasn’t Spike’s fault that things played out the way they had: he was just helping her out as her assistant. Still, there was one silver lining: at least that Ponyville seemed less loud than Canterlot tended to be.

Letting a sigh pass through her nose, a little something Cadance had taught her whenever she lost her cool, Twilight refocused on the letter and brightened at the thought of being able to live in a library. It was a dream come true for Twilight. Even if the library wasn’t anywhere near as extensive as Canterlot’s research library. Still, she’d need to get through the preparations as quickly as she could so that she could go back to do what she loved:

Reading!

“Hold on tight you two! We’re about to land!” The guards informed her as the latched onto each other and to the side of the chariot as the two stallions banked in to land in the center of town.

The two hopped out of the chariot as it slowed to a stop. Twilight uttered a thank you to the stallions who puffed their chests out before taking off back to Canterlot.

“Well…” Twilight sighed as she hefted her saddlebags onto her back before pulling out the checklist with her magic which she she then passed to Spike. “We might as well get started…”

Spike nodded as he accepted the parchment and the quill. As the duo walked leisurely through the town, a thought occurred to him.

Didn’t Rarity mention something about living in Ponyville? He was fairly certain that the topic had come up when she'd visited last. Nonetheless, the thought put a spring in his step as he kept pace with Twilight.

* * *

Rarity had been so focused on getting Town Hall ready that she hadn’t even noticed the door open and two figures walk inside. She’d only vaguely heard something about lists and decorations. Were it not for the fact that she was so focused on making sure everything turned out beautifully, she would have swelled in pride at the compliment of her decorations being labelled as beautiful.

“Yes, the decor is coming along nicely,” she’d heard a feminine voice note approvingly. “This outta be quick. We’ll be at the library in no time.”

“Not just the decorations.” This one struck her as more masculine… and more than a little familiar but the unspoken meaning behind his words was clear. Rarity quickly knotted the ribbon into an elegant knot around the pillar before turning to greet the two visitors.

And almost immediately her jaw dropped to the floor.

“S-Spike!” she stammered out, taken aback. Twilight and Spike were equally taken aback before Spike’s eyes lit up in recognition. While it had been years since that fateful vacation in Canterlot and talking through the journal was all well and good, there was nothing quite like a face to face reunion. This was facilitated as Rarity pulled Spike into a hug before flashing a smile at Twilight.

“It’s so good to see you both!” she gushed enthusiastically. “So what brings you two to Ponyville? You’re just in time for the Summer Sun Celebration!”

“Well that’s the thing, Rarity,” Spike started to explain.

“Princess Celestia asked Spike and I to supervise preparations,” Twilight finished. “And I have to say, the decorations are beautiful.”

Rarity allowed a girlish giggle to pass through her mouth as Spike nodded eagerly in agreement. It was at this point that her giggle turned into a gasp as she caught sight of Twilight’s mane. The lavender unicorn explained her run in with Rainbow Dash while checking on the weather. Rarity patted Twilight’s back sympathetically; she’d lost count of how many times her coat and mane had been ruined because of Rainbow’s antics.

“Why don’t you let me fix it for you?” Twilight was about to protest until she saw that look in her eye. It was scarily similar to one that Princess Celestia used when suggesting that Twilight take a break from her studies.

I’m not negotiating on this.

Far be it for me to refuse. Twilight thought as she fell into step behind Rarity as she led the way back to her boutique. Besides, she cast a look as Rarity and Spike talked animatedly about something or other. They haven’t seen each other in years. It’d been mean of me to not let Spike catch up. I can do the research on my own for a bit.

* * *

As it turned out, the world seemed to take particular pleasure in making Twilight’s life difficult. This was proven by the fact that an hour after Rarity had styled her mane back into her preferred style (after a vehement argument broke out about shaking things up), they were still at the boutique.

Twilight huffed out a sigh as she watched Spike recounting something he’d been doing in Canterlot while she was busy with her lessons with Princess Celestia. She’d blinked at her unfamiliarity with the story but had long since tuned it out in favor of her own musings. How was she going to get any time in to study before the sun went down?

Twilight was genuinely considering simply sneaking out while Rarity was distracted by talking to Spike. As she watched Spike talk with Rarity, it was sounding like a better idea by the minute but there was still a piece of her mind that pointed out that Spike was her responsibility.

Then it occurred to her…

“Spike we still have to check on the music!” Rarity’s front door could not have swung open fast enough as Twilight nearly gave Rarity an unwelcome doorway. Spike and Rarity stared at the open door before glancing at each other.

“Um… I should probably go after her,” Spike sighed, picking up the list.

“Well… if that’s the case, I’ll see you later,” Rarity smiled and hugged him one last time. Before he left, she gave him a suggestion about where to look for the pony in charge of the music.

With a smile and a nod, Spike waved before running down the street.

Making sure that no one else was around, Rarity turned around and called, “Pinkie!”

As though calling her was a means of summoning, the pink mare appeared behind her, catching the mare off guard. The fashionista quickly regained her composure and said, “About that party you were planning at the library…”

* * *

Spike had found Twilight not long after as she watched the lemon coated pegasus conduct her birds in a sort of nature choir. Both the young dragon and the pony were genuinely impressed by her skill and even applauded her, catching her off guard. Twilight had introduced herself to the pegasus by only got a mumbled reply.

However, this quickly changed when she spotted Spike appear from behind the bush. Her eyes lit up excitedly at the sight of him as she began to pelt him with questions. Twilight had been quick to intervene as she led the way back to the library while Spike gave the pegasus, Fluttershy, an abridged version of his life story.

Twilight pointedly ended the conversation when they arrived at the library. She’d explained that they’d be staying there during the celebration and that they wanted to get as much rest as they could before the celebration began. Especially if what few rumors she’d heard about Pinkie Pie were true…

Fluttershy had been understanding and waved goodbye as she flew away.

* * *

It had been a long day… night? Spike didn’t even know anymore as he kneeled down along with the others as Twilight and her new friends took down Nightmare Moon and brought back Princess Luna. They’d watched with bated breath as Princess Celestia returned, silently neck hugging Twilight and nuzzling Spike.

The battle with Nightmare Moon herself had been… actually, it had been more than a little underwhelming actually. Calling it a battle at all was being generous. Like cut off your tail to help a sea serpent level generous. There were the challenges they had to face to reach the Castle of the Two Sisters and those were far more interesting to say the least. While the dark coated mare did everything her power to crush their dreams, even going so far as to destroy the stones that were the elements, Spike decided he could do better.

Having a lot of hot sauce in his system also helped. While she was goading to Twilight about how she would rule with eternal night, Spike snuck behind her, flashed a mischievous grin at Rarity who stared back, wide eyed as it dawned on her what was about to happen.

Almost on command, Spike let out an enormous belch complete with searing green flames. Said green flames made contact with Nightmare Moon’s tail. It was to her credit that she hadn’t even noticed the smell of burning fur or tail until a second after Spike returned to Twilight’s side where she covered him with her tail.

She liked Spike a little too much to let Nightmare Moon imprison him after all.

They all waited a few seconds as they watched Nightmare Moon suddenly realize that something was burning and said something was her. In the time that it took her to realize this, Twilight and the others had the friendship epiphany which allowed them wield their respective elements of harmony.

Spike couldn’t quite help but let out a whoop as Nightmare Moon took a rainbow to the face.

Which brings us to now…

Princess Celestia had extended her hoof out in friendship to her long lost younger sister, Princess Luna, who’d eagerly embraced the opportunity as they watched the two sisters hug.

Which brings us to the party… It was a veritable mash of mayhem. From there, Twilight and Spike surprised everyone, including Princess Celestia when she learned that the pair desired to stay in Ponyville. Rarity had been especially delighted by this news: she’d get to rekindle her friendship with Spike!

The oldest mare in Equestria was silent for a moment but then said, “Spike take a note.”

“I, Princess Celestia, hereby decree that the unicorn Twilight Sparkle and the young dragon Spike shall take on a new mission for Equestria. She must continue to study the magic of friendship and must report to me their findings in their new home in Ponyville.”

Once Spike had finished, Celestia signed and proclaimed in done. There was a loud cheer of ponies as the Summer Sun Celebration commenced.

Rarity looked on with a smile.

Things were looking brighter than ever now.