The Life and Times of Spike and Rarity

by Silver Wit

Rating: everyone
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe, Romance, Drama, Spike, Rarity, Starlight Glimmer, Discord, Main 6
Length: 167617

Spike is a dragon who was raised by ponies. Rarity is one of the most successful fashionistas in all of Equestria. This is the story about how a certain drake won the heart of his special lady.

Spike is a dragon who was raised by ponies. Rarity is one of the most successful fashionistas in all of Equestria. This is the story about how a certain drake won the heart of his special lady and the lives they build with each other. Many challenges await our intrepid heroes, from threats to Equestria to the matters of the heart.

(The story will mostly be Sparity, but like a newly opened harbor they'll be more ships in future. Would hate to make anyone feel left out.)

Editing done by the ever reliable Misty Dolphin

Published 2018-11-02 17:40:01 UTC
Last updated 2024-05-29 18:51:08 UTC

Rarity the Huntress

The train from Ponyville was hustling down the iron rails that stretched across all four corners of Equestria, puffing out white clouds of steam and the occasional loud whistle as it continues on its' merry way helping ponies get from point A to B, “Next stop, Canterlot! All passengers for Canterlot! Canterlot next stop!” came a voice in the train cars. Ponies began to hastily gather up their belongings for arrival to the shining capital; a particular white unicorn mare with a perfectly coifed purple mane and tail peaked out from her latest Shadow Spade novel and gazed out the window.

“Oh my, here already? It seems the trip to Canterlot gets shorter and shorter every time I visit,” she placed her book in her saddlebag and went to collect the rest of her things. As the ponies disembarked from the train Rarity stood on the station platform with her cart full of luggage looking at her pocket watch, “Perfect timing, as per usual, now I just need to find-“

“Rarity!” a feminine voice called out over the crowed. A light blue Unicorn mare trotted up to Rarity, she was tall and lean with an orange mane with yellow highlights with a matching tail, wearing a very stylish black dress with golden studs and a golden saddle on her back. Rarity immediately recognized her as her manager and right hoof of Canterlot Carousel.

“Sassy Saddles! So good to see you darling! How are things at the boutique?”

“Couldn’t be better, ever since fashion week your new designs fly off the racks faster than I can put them on! I showed some customers previews of your new line and they could not be more excited.”

“Well as luck would have it” - Rarity motioned to her towering bags - “I’ve brought plenty of stock as well as the new line, oh our customers will just love them! I was so inspired by Applejack and Fluttershy’s stories about the Kirin that I couldn’t even sleep until I finished at least five designs. I’m calling it, Rarity’s Perilous Perfection collection.”

Rarity and Sassy began their walk through the busy streets of Canterlot. Rarity never gets used to this. The sights of the various upscale stores and their perfectly designed displays, the tantalizing smells of the fancy restaurants dancing through the air, the high class ponies dressed for success and the tourists with the same slack-jawed “awe” Rarity had when she first laid eyes on this jewel of a city. Of course Ponyville will always be her home, but she’s always felt like a Canterlot girl at heart, it’s like a wonderland of sorts to the alabaster mare. If you have a dream and a drive you can do amazing things in Canterlot and from there your name will be carried on the wind to all corners of Equestria and be the talk of every elite and royal in the country.

“Thank you so much for meeting me on such short notice Sassy,” said Rarity.

“Oh think nothing of it dear” - Sassy waved her hoof - “it gives me a reason to get out and stretch my legs a bit, and we had quite the crowd this morning so a little break to catch some fresh air and meet a friend is just what I need to get back in the saddle, eh, so to speak.”

“Well I appreciate it none the less. So first stop is the boutique and then I must meet my client as soon as possible.”

“Who is your client if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Fancy Pants, or more specifically Fleur de Lis. She needs a last minute fitting and wanted nopony but me to do it and I simply cannot keep such good customers or friends waiting to look their very best.”

Sassy gasped, “Well taffeta and twill, it’s no wonder you got here as fast as you did,” she knew how important these particular ponies were to Rarity. Fancy Pants is one of the most influential ponies in all of Canterlot. Doing a favor for him or his marefriend Fleur for that matter is something anypony would jump at the chance for.

After a bit more walking and talking Rarity and Sassy made it to Canterlot Carousel. Rarity wasted no time in unpacking her sewing supplies and with Sassy’s help, organized all of the new stock for the boutique. When the new line was made presentable Rarity went over the contents of her saddlebag.

“Ok, needles, thread, scissors, measuring tape, pins and glasses. Alright I think that’s everything,” Rarity placed her saddlebags on her back, a royal blue chapeau with a peacock feather on her head and trotted out of the boutique to meet with Fancy and Fleur. As she was leaving, something caught her eye. A new store, almost directly in front of Canterlot Carousel, but it wasn’t a dress shop, or a shop that sold fine hats or even a haberdashery; it was a comic book store.

Rarity slowly approached the store with raised brow and head tilted. Strange, she thought, where did this come from? If I remember correctly this wasn’t here the last time I visited Canterlot. Then she noticed the window display, it was neatly showing comic books in sealed bags on short stands with a cardboard cutout of a super hero of some kind in the background. I’m sure Spike would know their name, hmm; maybe I’ll come back here later. I think I’ll get dear Spikey Wikey a gift. He’s been working ever so hard lately and not just for me. I’m sure he’d be delighted. Rarity made a mental note and made haste to the upper part of the city.

Uptown Canterlot. Where the most elite of the elite live in gorgeous mansions that are only outdone by Celestia’s palace in terms of beauty and wealth. Perfectly manicured lawns and shrubbery, a fountain in every yard and no establishment was smaller than four stories. Fancy Pants and Fleur’s manor resides in this little piece of Xanadu; and it’s also one of the largest manors there. Rarity’s eyes got wider and wider the closer she got to the front doors of this bastion of high class. She carefully walked up the smooth marble steps and slowly made her way to the doors. Her heart started pounding in her chest as she stared at these enormous doors, she almost forgot how intimidating this lifestyle could be.

“Perhaps I underdressed for this occasion,” Rarity said glancing at the hat on her head. Her horn glowed and magic pulled a red rope by the doors ringing a pair of bells. Almost immediately an older grey earth pony butler with a salt and pepper mane and tail with a fancy tuxedo and a cutie mark of a silver bell on his flank opened the door.

“May I help you?” he said eyeing Rarity cautiously.

“Oh, yes, ahem. Good day, I’m Rarity and I have a meeting with Fancy Pants regarding a last minute fitting for Fleur de Lis,” Rarity recovered from her nervous stumble rather quickly and put on her usual airs of sophistication and confidence. The butler, who seemed to be glaring at Rarity like she was a potential threat to the well being of this house, however, was slowly deflating those airs. She began to sweat and her genuine smile was replaced with one of nervousness and uncertainty. Then the butler reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box, he opened the box and took out a pair of glasses and after a quick buff he placed the glasses over his eyes and his demeanor changed instantly.

“Ah yes! The seamstress, of course! Master Fancy is expecting you, please come right in!” The butler stood to the side to allow Rarity into the mansion and when she took her first step inside she was flabbergasted to say the least. A massive chandelier hung from the celling, illuminating the ivory whites of the columns and the golden accents in the staircase with a massive crimson rug that seemed to stretch from the door to all the way to the back of the mansion. A large bouquet of flowers sat in two white and blue vases on either side of the door offering a delightfully fresh scent to anypony who visits.

“Sweet Celestia. It’s magnificent!” said an awestruck Rarity.

“Why thank you miss, I do try my best to keep the place spotless. Now if you’d be so kind as to follow me, I’m sure master Fancy will be happy to see you,” the butler motioned Rarity to follow him and the two began to traverse the mansion.

“I must apologies for my previous behavior Miss. Rarity. In my old age I’ve been prescribed these glasses much to my dismay and I keep forgetting to actually wear the blasted things,” the butler seemed to huff at his spectacles.

“Oh it’s quite alright darling, everypony makes mistakes. But you might want to start making a habit out of wearing them, I’m sure Fancy Pants wouldn’t want you running into a door or scare away other visitors,” Rarity couldn’t help but let out a little chuckle.

“Ha-ha, too true Miss. Rarity, too true. May I be so bold as to ask what your relationship is with the master?”

“Well a few years ago I accidentally bumped into him and Fleur on the street and one thing led to another and he made me the talk of Canterlot, I dare say it’s thanks to him spreading my name I was able to open my boutique in this fine city and since then he and Fleur have been great customers and good friends.”

“I see. Well it’s always good to have a friend in high places and it’s always good to have a seamstress on call whenever an emergency comes up,” the butler stopped in front of a door and gave it a firm knock. “Master Fancy? Miss. Rarity is here to see you.”

The door opened by a tall unicorn stallion with a blue mane combed at the top to part in the middle with a matching blue moustache. An expensive looking suit, purple bowtie, classy monocle and a cutie mark of three crowns pulled the whole look together. Fancy Pants smiled at the sight of the fashionista, “Ah Rarity, right on time! So good to see you again, I trust your trip here was a fair one?”

“Why yes indeed it was and it’s a pleasure as always to see you again Fancy Pants. Where’s Fleur?”

“Just in here, please come in, don’t be shy,” Fancy stepped back to let Rarity into the room, the butler bowed and excused himself. They walked through what looked like an enormous closet with wall-to-wall racks of gowns, dresses and suits, all of which looked very expensive. In the very back of the room was a platform and a divider for privacy. A slim white unicorn mare with a light pink mane and tail was standing in front of a mirror. She was wearing a long red elegant dress with a white shawl and a slit on her right back leg to show off her cutie mark of the same Fleur de Lis which she shares her name.

“Fleur dear, we have a visitor,” said Fancy Pants.

“Oh my if it isn’t Equestria’s number one designer, how are you Rarity?” Fleur said excitedly.

“I’m doing quite well, thank you for asking. Now what seems to be the problem?” Rarity replied.

“I seem to have lost a bit of weight since last I wore this dress, and I thought who better to fix up a Rarity original than the very seamstress herself?”

“Not a problem darling,” – Rarity set her saddlebags and chapeau down and put on her pair of red reading glasses- “I’ll have that dress fixed up in no time,” she started pulling out all her sewing supplies from her saddlebag and started her work. “By the time I’m finish here you’ll be the talk of the town,” Rarity took out her measuring tape with a flourish.

“Gosh I hope so, I’m making a big announcement tonight and I want to look my absolute best,” Fleur said.

“What announcement might that be?” Rarity asked as she started measuring Fleur's torso.

“Fancy may I tell her? I feel like if I don’t tell somepony I’ll burst.”

“Go right ahead dearest, Rarity is a friend after all,” Fancy Pants replied.

Fleur was blushing and gave a slight giggle, “Fancy and I… are engaged!”

Rarity almost dropped her pin cushion as soon as she heard the E word, “Oh my stars! Congratulations you two! I’m so happy for you, when’s the wedding? Who will cater the event? I know the perfect pony for that as well as the perfect pony to plan your reception, oh dear listen to me gab on and on, I just get so excited for weddings!”

“It’s alright Rarity, I’m so thrilled that you’re thrilled for us, which is why I was hoping you’d design my wedding dress.”

“M-m-me? Design y-your? Yes of course I will, it will be an honor,” Rarity gushed as she added another pin to Fleur's dress.

“We’re actually planning on revealing our engagement tonight at Pish Posh’s garden party,” Fancy said.

Rarity gasped so hard she nearly swallowed her threads, “P-P-Pish Posh? Head editor of Vague magazine, proprietor of Boutique Mystique, and one of the biggest fashion talent scouts in Equestria, that Pish Posh?”

“The very same, I’m hoping this news will take some of the wind out of her sails,” Fleur chuckled smugly.

“Now Fleur we promised to behave. Though I’ll agree that it will be fun to see the look on her face,” Fancy joined Fleur in a chuckle of his own.

Rarity was still in awe of what she just heard involving a pony with her hoof on the very pulse of the fashion world, “Pish Posh. Just imagine what her endorsement could do for my boutique, the fame, the glory, every pony across Equestria will know my name. Oh I wish I could go to a Pish Posh party just once.”

Fleur sighed, “Honestly you’re not missing anything. Posh has a bad habit of needing to be the center of attention and, well, let’s just say she has some very… narrow ideas.”

Maybe it was from the excitement depriving Rarity of oxygen or the concentration that she needed for the end of the fitting, but the fashonista didn’t hear a word Fleur was saying and her mind kept wandering to dreams of meeting one of the biggest names in the industry. Just imagine it, Rarity thought; if I’m noticed by Pish Posh, I’ll be set for life. Every pony will want to wear my cloths. I’ll be big, no, I’ll be huge, a household name, immortalized even,” Rarity snapped out of her musings when she realized she was done with her measurements and pinning. “Alright, I’ve finished here. Not much work needs to be done; I’ll finish the adjustments at the shop tonight and have it to you first thing tomorrow.”

"You're a true life saver Rarity, thank you," Fleur carefully removed her dress and levitated it over to Rarity who gingerly placed it in a garment bag.

"Think nothing of it darling, after all I have a duty to make ponies as beautiful on the outside as they feel on the inside," and with that Rarity said her goodbyes and left.

The next bright and shiny day rolled around and true to her word Rarity finished her work on Fleur’s dress in record time. After going over the dress for the umpteenth time Rarity finally sighed, “Perfection,” and proceeded to place the dress in a garment bag and zipped it up tight. She began to look herself over in her vanity mirror, “I’ll drop off Fleur’s dress, have some time to chat and then I’ll find a gift for Spike and be back in time to catch the train to Ponyville,” Rarity grabbed the garment bag with her magic and made her way to the door of the boutique, “Oh I can’t wait to see the look on Fleur’s face when she sees this dress, she’s going to be so excited!” Rarity opened the door and almost ran right into a pegasus mail pony mid knock, “Oh I’m terribly sorry, I’m afraid I didn’t see you there.”

“It’s alright miss, happens more often than you think-” he reached back into his satchel and pulled out an envelope “- I have a letter for a miss… Rarity, that wouldn’t happen to be you would it?”

“Why yes it is,” the pegasus handed Rarity the envelope. It was snow white with her name spelled out in beautiful, golden calligraphy. On the back was a red wax seal of three crowns. After saying her thanks the pegasus tipped his cap and flew off to his next destination. Rarity carefully opened the letter and began reading,

“Dear Rarity, I neglected to inform you that Fleur and I would be attending an important brunch this morning to discuss plans for the city and what not. It slipped my mind completely and I do apologize for not writing sooner, but we’ll have to delay our meeting until later tonight. Fleur can’t wait to see the dress and neither can I, signed Fancy Pants,” Rarity folded up the letter. “Hmm, I suppose if I don’t have to meet with Fancy Pants right now I can take some time looking for a gift for Spike, I’ll make sure it’s something extra special,” Rarity placed the garment bag in her work room and trotted out the door towards the comic book shop.

The inside of the store was not what Rarity was expecting. Actually since she’s never set hoof in a comic book store she wasn’t sure what to expect, but she still felt out of place, like a stranger in a strange land. On the far end of the store was a huge wall lined with comics under signs saying “new releases” and “released last week,” along the other walls were statues of super heroes in dynamic poses or action figures in boxes. In the middle of the store were tables lined with white boxes filled with dividers separating issues in alphabetical order by series. Ponies would be rummaging through these boxes, looking at the figures or chatting about favorite comic heroes. Rarity was walking around like she stumbled into an alien world where she clearly didn’t belong, but she put up with the awkwardness because she was a mare on a mission. She soon found herself looking at the wall of comics in the back.

“Let’s see. Spider-Stallion, Batpony, Harlequin, Doll Mare, Zombie Champ, ugh, I have no idea what Spike would like. I know he likes Power Ponies but I don’t see any on this rack,” She kept going down the wall till she came across an issue of Astro Colt, “Wait a minute, this seems familiar…”

It was that time of the week for Rarity and Spike’s routine gem hunt. Rarity approached the Castle of Friendship with a skip in her step, humming a merry tune, mind brimming with ideas on her next project and excitement thinking about what she and Spike will discover in the gem cave this time around. As she was coming up the steps, the doors to the castle opened revealing her near and dear purple alicorn friend.

“Oh, why good morning Twilight,” Rarity said cheerily.

“Good morning Rarity, you seem to be in a good mood. Let me guess, time for another gem hunt?” Twilight asked.

“Indeed it is. After Sapphire Shores’ last tour I received a big order from Songbird Serenade and I just can’t wait to get started. Is Spikey around? I can’t go looking for gems without the helpful little dear.”

“Yeah he’s up in his room, have fun and good luck on your hunt,” Twilight said her goodbyes and trotted off towards the School of Friendship. Rarity made her way to the upper floor of the castle and found Spike’s room after about a minute or two.

After a quick knock she heard Spike say, “Come in! Just watch your step!” Rarity carefully opened the door and stepped into his room. Spike was seated in the center of the room surrounded by comic books, organized in neat rows or perfectly balanced piles. Spike didn’t look up from his work.

“Good morning Twilight, do you need me for something?” Spike asked while placing a claw full of comics into a long white box.

“Well yes, we’re supposed to go gem hunting, did you forget?”

Spike looked up from his box and began his typical love struck jitters with a bright blush, “R-R-Rarity! Oh-uh-um, no-no of course I didn’t forget, I just uh, wanted to get some organizing done before we left is all,” Rarity giggled at his frazzled display, seeing Spike get tongue tied never failed to put a little smile on her face, it was rather cute.

“Well you certainly have quite the collection to go through Spikey, do you need a hoof?”

“Uh, y-yeah, that’d be, um, great. Can you bring me those issues over there?” Spike pointed to a row of comics near where Rarity was standing. She used her magic to scoop up each issue one by one, she looked at the issue at the top of the pile, the cover had the title “Astro Colt” in big bold letters and showed a pony with rockets in his back hooves flying through what looked like the rubble of a fallen building, his joints were segmented like a doll’s and he had a stiff looking black mane. She noticed something else; the corner of the comic had the number “2” printed on it.

“Spike, you seem to be missing one of your comics,” Rarity said. Spike’s ear fins drooped a bit and he sighed.

“Yeah, I, uh, don’t have the first issue…”

“Why don’t you just go and find it at the same place you bought these? Seems unlike you to leave a collection unfinished.”

“It’s not that easy, Astro Colt number one is really hard to find. Heck I was lucky enough to find numbers two trough five. I don’t know anypony who’s seen it let alone has it, but I’ll get my claws on it someday,” Rarity wasn’t sure why, but she felt compelled to ask more.

“Spike, I don’t think I’ve ever asked you this but why do you like comics so much?

Spike’s eyes looked off to the side as he fidgeted with his claws, “They’re… They’re a lot of fun to read I guess. And it may sound silly but comics can be just as interesting as a real book.”

Rarity raised one of her delicate brows, “How so?”

Spike seemed to perk up at Rarity’s interest in his hobby, “Well they have all the things that make a great story in a book, heroes, villains, interesting characters, sure a lot of them deal with super powers but that doesn’t make them feel any less real or relatable. They all go through struggles and grow and become better ponies. But I think what I like most is that if I’m having a rough day I can read one of them and feel better. Forget about all my troubles and read something that makes me smile. Oh, sorry Rarity, I hope I didn’t bore you,” Rarity watched him with a soft smile on her lips.

“Not at all darling, I think it’s nice that you have a hobby that you’re so passionate for,” Spike put the last of his comics in their boxes.

“Alright I’m done here, let’s get going, those gems won’t collect themselves-“ Spike bowed and held his arms towards the door “- after you milady.”

Rarity brightened up, “Astro Colt number one! That’s what I should get Spike. Oh he’ll be so happy,” she made her way to the counter where an earth pony stallion with a cutie mark that looked like a round shield with a star in the center. She rang the small service bell to get his attention, the pony turned around with a big smile on his face.

“Hello, welcome to Canterlot Comic Crypt! How may I… wait a minute, are you? Rarity?”

Rarity was taken aback, “Uh, yes. I’m sorry, but do I know you?”

The pony chuckled, “Well not personally, but Spike talks about you all the time.”

“Spike? Spike the Dragon? He comes all the way to Canterlot for comics?”

“Oh no, this is just my Canterlot branch, I’m originally from Ponyville, just like you, I just stop by every once in a while to see how things are going around here. I’m Cover Art, it’s nice to officially meet you Miss Rarity,” Cover Art held out his hoof and Rarity daintily held hers in a hoofshake.

“It’s nice to meet you as well Mr. Cover Art, perhaps since you and Spike are friends you can help me find a gift for him.”

“I’d be happy to, looking for a recommendation? We got a lot to choose from so it might be a bit overwhelming to sort through.”

Rarity shook her head, “Actually I already know what I want to get him. Do you have Astro Colt number one?” Cover Art had a look of disappointment on his face.

“Sorry Miss Rarity, that’s one thing I don’t have.”

“Well can you tell me where I might find one?”

“That’s the other thing, I have no idea. That issue is so rare most ponies think it’s just a rumor. I’ve only seen it once at Rainbow Falls not too long ago, but before I could find out what the owner wanted for it some psycho unicorn hoofball tackled me and traded for it.”

Rarity sighed, “I see, well, thank you for your time Mr. Cover Art,” she started heading towards the door when she paused for a moment and turned around, “Would you mind if you keep this a secret? I wouldn’t want to leak any spoilers to Spike.”

Cover Art raised a brow, “You’re still going to hunt down that comic?”

Rarity tossed her hair in a showy fashion, “Of course I am darling; I made a commitment to get this for Spike and that’s exactly what I intend to do.”

“Heh-heh-heh, I like your attitude Miss Rarity. Good luck, you’re gonna need it.”

Rarity trotted outside and scratched her head, “Hmm, where am I supposed to go now? To another comic store obviously, but I don’t know what other stores there are in Canterlot.”

“Um, pardon me miss, but I think I can help.”

Rarity gave a quick “eep” before turning her head and seeing a tall unicorn stallion with a cool grey coat and dark grey hooves, a royal blue mane and tail, both short and curly. Sporting a black beret with a white sun pattern, glasses and a classy blue and black vest. His cutie mark is a silver fountainpen head drawing out and elegant "S" shape.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” the stallion said apologetically.

“That’s quite alright, but who are you?”

“My name’s Silver Wit, it’s nice to meet you,” he said with a slight bow.

“Nice to meet you too Mr. Wit, my name’s Rarity.”

“Wait, Rarity? Equestria’s famous couturier and the talk of every Manehattan fashion week, not to mention one of ponies that saves the world on a regular basis, that Rarity?”

“Mhmm, that’s certainly me,” Rarity responded with a voice filled with pride.

“Well it’s certainly an honor to meet a celebrity such as yourself.”

“You’re too kind darling, but as I recall, you’re quite the talk of the town as well, being an up and coming writer and everything.”

“Heh, now you’re being too kind, I’m just starting out. But then again, a novice has nowhere to go but up,” Silver Wit said scratching his head.

“No need to be so modest Mr. Wit I think you’re doing a splendid job, now what was it about you helping me?”

“Right, right, right, I couldn’t help but overhear you speaking with the owner of the shop, you’re looking for Astro Colt number one right?”

Rarity’s eyes gleamed, “Yes I am, I’m thinking one of the other comic stores might have it, but I don’t know where I’d even begin looking.”

“Hmm, you sure you want it? It could take you all day to find it, that is if anypony even has it.”

Rarity stood firm in form and voice, “I have to try, it’s for a very dear friend and I want to get him something special.”

Silver Wit then looked directly into Rarity’s eyes and stroked his chin with his hoof; Rarity was starting to get really uncomfortable being scrutinized; is staring you down just a normal thing for Canterlot ponies now or something? After a few more seconds Silver Wit chuckled and clapped his hooves together, “I see the determination in your eyes Miss Rarity; eyes of a true huntress. Yes, I can definitely help you.”

“Wait, eyes of a what?” Rarity said in confusion and concern.

Silver Wit took out a note pad and a fountain pen and began to jot down some notes and in no time he tore out the page and neatly folding it before passing it over to Rarity.

“That’s the name and addresses of the best shops in Canterlot from closest to farthest, I’m sure one of them will have it. Good luck in your hunt Miss Rarity!” and with a flash if his horn the strange unicorn teleported away, leaving behind a very bewildered and baffled fashionista.

“I guess…I should get started.”

Rarity looked up from the note Silver Wit gave her as she approached her first stop, “Cloud Nine comics,” a small building with sky blue paint with a trim that looked like clouds, a little on the nose, but effective decor nonetheless. Rarity stepped inside and heard the little chime on the door ring. A pegasus stallion at the counter turned his head with a smile.

“Welcome to Cloud Nine comics!” He said in a cheery voice.

“Good day to you sir, I was wondering if you had a copy of Astro Colt number one?” Rarity said, cutting to the chase. The pegasus then began laughing uncontrollably, which caused Rarity to raise a brow.

“Astro Colt number one? Maybe you’d like the Lead Wing variant of Power Ponies number forty-eight while you’re at it? Ha-ha-ha!”

“Uh, no just Astro Colt please,” Rarity replied with slight displeasure. Realizing that she didn’t understand his sarcasm the pegasus quickly composed himself.

“Look miss, I hate to break it to you, but what you’re looking for is so rare you have a better shot at asking to have tea with Princess Celestia.”

“I’ve had tea with Princess Celestia, it was just last week.”

The pegasus was momentarily stunned at the fact she just torpedoed his analogy with what he could only tell to be the truth, “My point is, unfortunately I can’t help you. And to be honest I have no idea who can.”

Rarity sighed, “Very well, I’ll just keep looking. Thank you for your time,” and with that Rarity spun on her hooves and left, scanning the note for the next stop.

After a bit of walking Rarity came to her next destination, “Shooting Star comics,” a rather large building painted in purples, blacks and blues, with bright shining stars with a big star with a flashy tail proclaiming the shop’s name, my these shops take their names quite literally don’t they? Rarity thought to herself. She stepped inside the store and was greeted by a dark purple unicorn mare, “Hello! Welcome to Shooting Star, can I help you find something today?” the mare said with a smile.

“I really hope so, I’m looking for a copy of Astro Colt number one,” Rarity formed an annoyed frown when the mare began laughing as hard as the pony from the first store, if not harder.

“Oh is that all? Would you also like a copy of Marvelous number one while you’re at it?” the mare continued her laughing fit, Rarity’s face was starting to tense up.

“No. Just Astro Colt. Please,” she said, frustration tainting each of her words.

The mare began to calm down sensing Rarity’s aggravation “Sorry, but we don’t have that issue, I don’t know any store that does.”

Rarity gave a vexed sigh, “Very well, the search continues,” she turned with a huff and left the store.

The next stop was “Garden Wall comics,” a building cobbled together with stone, cement with an accent of moss and flowers, Ok, keep it together Rarity, third time’s the charm after all, I’m sure this will be our last stop, Rarity hopefully wished to herself. She stepped inside and was greeted by a dark green earth pony stallion behind a counter.

“Can I help you with anything today miss?”

Rarity took a deep breath to compose herself, “Yes. I am looking for Astro Colt number one,” and once again the pony reacted like she just told him one of Pinkie Pie’s best rib tickling jokes, which was finally starting to try her patience.

“Hahaha! That’s a good one, do you also want-“

Rarity cut him off with a sharp and loud, “NO! I am not looking for anything other than Astro Colt! Do you have it or not?!”

The pony could do nothing but shake and utter a scared, “N-no, sorry,” before Rarity stormed out.

Celestia’s sun began painting the sky in vibrant oranges and reds as Rarity crossed out another name from her list. She’d been running around Canterlot all day from store to store and every time was the same answer, a big fat “no” with a laughing fit here and there. Her mane and tail was losing their luster and was frayed from the sweat of a day worth of combing the city. She had to wrap this up soon, comic or no comic she still had to meet with Fancy and Fleur before the day was up.

She approached the last store that was on the list, “Newbie Comics and Sports Cards,” a small wooden two story building overlooking a river at the edge of the city with a green awning that had the name of the store. “Well, this is the last store on the list, here goes nothing,” Rarity sighed and opened the door, just wanting to get the ridicule out of the way so she can get on with her day, or what’s left of it. When she stepped inside however she was a little surprised, there was something about the shop that made her stressors go away, green carpet, board games on display racks, glass cases filled with cards, thick Ogres and Oubliettes manuals and loads of comic books in neat, form fitting bags. It was nothing new to Rarity; she’s seen stuff like this all day long. But whether it was the lighting or something else, Rarity couldn’t help but feel relaxed here, like the store had a very cozy or homey atmosphere.

She trotted up to a tall unicorn behind the counter; he had a light blue coat with a light black mane and tail with a few gray strands in each, he has what looks like fanned out trading cards for his cutie mark and was going over an order list with pen in his magic grasp. He looked up from his work when he heard Rarity walk over the old wood in the floor.

“Oh hello, can I help you with anything?” he asked with a warm smile.

“I don’t know. To be perfectly frank I’ve been all over Canterlot trying to find something and, no offense, but I’m starting to wonder if anypony can help me. But I’ve come this far, so I’ll ask, do you have Astro Colt number one? It’s for a very dear friend of mine and I want to get him something nice,” Rarity braced herself for the same laughing storm she’d faced through out the day. But it never came; instead all she heard was the unicorn humming to himself then give a low whistle.

“He must be a very good friend if you’ve been looking for something like that for him.”

Rarity smiled, “He’s one of my best and dearest friends in all of Equestria. He helps me with my work, he’s always there to cheer me up, he’s a wonderful and willing ear, and he would drop everything he’d been doing just to make sure I’m all right. So to thank him for all he’s done, I wanted to get him something as special as he is and-” Rarity was cut off by the sound of chatter in the back of the store.

“So why couldn’t they just fly the eagles to the volcano? It’d cut out like a third of their trip. What, could they just not afford the insurance or something?” said a familiar voice.

“No, because if they did take the eagles then the ring specters would’ve found them,” said another voice with a Michicolt accent.

“But they’d be flying and it’d be faster than walking not to mention they had Starswirl the flippin’ Bearded with them, he’d be able to fight off the ring specters.”

“Well if you’re so hung up about this why not just ask Starswirl himself?”

“Because it’s not the actual Starswirl, it’s basically a novelization of fan-fiction. Hey do you think Starswirl gets royalties from that or something?”

Out of the back stepped two stallions, one was a beige colored pegasus with glasses and a chestnut colored mane, tail and bearded with what Rarity could only guess was a glow stick with a metal handle for a cutie mark, while the other pony was a very familiar unicorn.

“Silver Wit?” Rarity cocked her head to the side as she stared at the unicorn in confusion.

“Oh hi again Miss Rarity,” Silver Wit replied.

“How did you get here?”

This time Silver Wit cocked his head in confusion, “What do you mean? You saw me teleport.”

“Yes, but I’m just a little confused about what you are doing here? Do you work here?”

“No, no, I don’t work here; I’m here because this is the best comic book store in all of Canterlot, maybe all of Equestria. I always come here to help out and unwind.”

“Is that a fancy way of saying loitering?” chuckled the bearded Michicolt pony.

Silver Wit turned his nose up with a smirk, “Hey I give you guys plenty of business, I convinced Princess Celestia and Luna to buy their magazines here didn’t I? Not to mention how much I buy here on a regular basis,” the older unicorn couldn’t help but chuckle at the two young colt’s bickering, Silver Wit turned back to Rarity.

“Oh where are my manners, Miss Rarity this is” – Wit pointed to the unicorn– “Near Mint, and this” – he then pointed to the pegasus – “is Sky Trotter, these are the best guys in the business, apropos of why you’re here I assume you’re hunt has been unsuccessful?”

Rarity sighed, “You’re right in your assumption Mr. Wit, this was my last chance, not a single store on your list has had Astro Colt number one.”

“Well that’s fine, because we have it,” said Near Mint.

Rarity’s eyes lit up like fireworks, “W-What? Really? You actually have it?” she couldn’t believe her ears.

“Yep we sure do. Give me a moment and I’ll go fetch it,” Near Mint got up and made his way to the second floor of the building, Rarity was giddy at the news that her trial was finally over.

“Oh thank sweet Celestia that I finally found it, now I can go back to the boutique, freshen up, give Fleur her dress and- Wait a minute!” Rarity stomped over to Silver Wit, “You knew the comic I needed was here didn’t you?”

Silver Wit raised his hooves in defense, “What makes you say that?”

“You teleported back here after our meeting and after you gave me a list of what stores to go to, surely you would’ve checked here just to err on the side of caution and since there is a copy here, why didn’t you track me down with the list you gave me just to save me time, energy and furthermore stress?!”

Silver Wit couldn’t help the large genuine grin creeping across his muzzle, “Well, well, well, determined and sharp as a tack, I knew there was something special about you”- Wit struck a dramatic pose –“Yes it’s true! I did know there was a copy of Astro Colt here and that I neglected to tell you, you caught me red hoofed Shadow Spade!”

Rarity was beginning to growl, “And why is that?”

Wit chuckled completely immune to Rarity’s seething, “Oh come on Miss Rarity, what’s the harm in a good natured venture?”

“Good natured venture? Just look at me! My mane and tail are a mess; I’ve been running across all of Canterlot and am sweating like a farmer in summer! And now I find out that you’ve just been lounging about waiting for me instead of making my life easier!”

“So it would’ve been easier if I popped in and brought you here at the drop of a hat?” Wit questioned.

“Of course it would have!”

Wit’s ears drooped slightly, “Aww but where’s the fun in that?”

“Fun?” Rarity was almost floored by his question.

“Yeah, part of the fun in comic hunting is tracking down that one issue you’re missing, the excitement of going through boxes hoping to find that one diamond in the rough and trying your luck elsewhere when all else fails, of course it’d be easy to just go to one spot and find what you’re looking for but there’d be less satisfaction in it, imagine if the gems you used in your lovely winter collection were so common that anypony could dig them up, would you be satisfied with the outcome?”

Rarity felt her stomach churn at the mention of the word common to describe her designs, “No, I suppose it wouldn’t be as special then. If at all.”

“Exactly! Not to mention now you know what it’s like when your special somepony goes out comic hunting.”

Rarity blushed, “H-he’s not my special somepony, he’s just a good friend.”

Wit looked slightly embarrassed, “Oops, sorry, I guess I jumped to conclusions.”

By that time Near Mint was coming back down to the first floor and Wit said a silent prayer to Celestia, thanking her for the end of any awkwardness.

“Here we go, one copy of Astro Colt number one,” he laid it on the counter for Rarity to see, the cover has the same character as Spike’s other issues, standing triumphantly with a shimmering futuristic city in the background, the number “1” shown in the top left corner.

Rarity started laughing, “Ha-ha! That’s it! I’ve finally found it!” she then realized how unladylike she must have appeared right then and there and gave an embarrassed cough, “I’m so relieved you have it, I’ll take it, how much do I owe you good sir?” she said in her more dignified tone. Silver Wit stepped up and waved a hoof.

“This one’s on me Miss Rarity," Wit said. "Think of it as a token of apology for the day you’ve had.”

“Oh darling there’s no need for that, I wouldn’t feel right taking something so valuable for nothing.”

“Well then how about this? If I ever need a fitting or an emergency beret repair, I’ll come see you.”

Rarity smiled, “Deal, thank you ever so much Mr. Wit, even if your way of doing things is…odd, I still appreciate your help. And by the way, you can call me Rarity.”

“Only if you call me Wit.”

Rarity placed the sealed up comic in her saddlebags, said her goodbyes and left the shop, after the front door closed Near Mint trotted up to Wit.

“You sure about this?”

“Of course I am, that was the extra I picked up at Rainbow Falls anyways, I still have my original,” Wit replied.

“Really? Cause you might as well be part dragon for how easily it is for you to let something go from your collection,” Sky Trotter added.

“You guys didn’t see her like I saw her. When I first met her I saw the fire in her eyes, the untapped determination, the drive to finish what she set out to do, trust me when I say that’s a filly who gets what she wants and what she wanted today was something special for somepony special, call it writer’s intuition. Although I hope she can learn to be a bit more patient in the future.”

Outside the shop, Rarity was happily trotting down the sidewalk heading in the direction of the boutique, I can’t believe I actually got it, she thought to herself, I can’t wait for Spike to see this, he’ll flip over the castle and the school for that matter in a single leap, she giggled at the thought of an acrobatic Spike, Though it’s not exactly what I was expecting, I can’t deny this has been quite exhilarating, she paused for a moment when another thought crossed her mind, I wonder if Spike wouldn’t mind letting me join him on his next comic hunt?

Author's Note

Sorry for the delay, I wanted this chapter to be up last week, but no dice, then I wanted it up by Thanksgiving, but that didn't work out, But now it's ready, or as ready as it'll be. Not too comfortable with this chapter to be honest, I think the pacing is all off and that's just the tip of my grips, but I've kept you all waiting long enough and I want to get to chapter 3 before 2019.

Before anyone flames me, yes that is indeed my ponysona, made by a very dear friend of mine which will be my profile picture when she finishes him up and while I find authors putting their personas in fanfic to be a bit faffy I said to myself, "Wait, this is a chapter where Rarity goes out hunting for comic books, this in itself is nothing but faff," plus I find it more faffy and annoying when an authors' persona takes the role of a major character from a major character or just shows up to fist bump (or in this case hoof bump) them, gush and then skips out.

Just a little FYI, I'm REALLY into comic books (no I've never tackled anyone for an issue, but I have thought about it) and I'm a HUGE fan of Osamu Tezuka (if I was being too subtle about the Astro Boy reference I'm sorry), and if the little tidbit in the first chapter referencing "Nightmarity" didn't tip you off I truly adore the MLP comics, they're all great reads and most of this story will either be inspired by or based off of stories in the comics (can't wait to start the :insert name here: arc, I'll have fun writing that).

The store "Newbies" is actually based on an actual comic book store I go to called "Rookies" when I visit my family in Michigan and the two ponies that work there are based on the actual owner and one of his employees, actually the dialogue Wit and Sky Trotter have about the eagles is based on an actual conversation we had once about Lord of the Rings and the topic of Hobbits not being able to afford flight insurance was one of the "points" I brought up.

Dark Chocolate

Spike paced back and forth in the halls of the School of Friendship, he peeked around the corner and spotted Rarity, the light of the midmorning sun made her white coat glow and purple mane shine with an almost surreal beauty. Geez how can somepony be so perfect? Spike thought to himself. He took a deep breath, puffed out his chest, and marched around the corner, Ok Spike, you got this! This is the moment you’ve been waiting for, now go and seize it! Spike was mere feet away from the mare of his dreams, the distance growing shorter and shorter, but Spike’s resolve pushed the butterflies down. Finally he was standing face to face with her, she wore a warm smile, her sapphire eyes lighting up.

“Good morning Spike,” Rarity said in a sweet voice.

“Good morning Rarity. Hey, I want to ask you something.”

“Oh? What is it?”

“Rarity, if I’m being completely honest, I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time. Heck I’ve wanted to do this for years, so I was wondering, would you like to go have lunch with me?”

Rarity smiled even wider than before, “Oh Spike, I’d love to! In fact, I have a confession to make. You see I too have been wanting to say something for some time.”

Spike was taken aback, “R-really? Well, um, what is it?”

“Oh Spike, dearest Spike! I can’t hide this any longer! When I was in Canterlot the only thing I could think of was you! I just couldn’t get you out of my mind,” Rarity’s face inched closer to Spike’s.

“Well… while you were gone, all I could think about is you,” Spike replied as he moved his own face closer.

“Spike, darling. I confess. I think I…”

“Yes?”

“I…”

Their lips were mere centimeters apart. Spike could feel the warmth of her breath, “Yes?”

“I love…”

“Yes?” Spike closed his eyes as he felt her lips brush against his.

BRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNG!!!!!!

The sound of a small brass hammer rapidly striking a bell woke Spike up from his blissful slumber. He groggily reached for the alarm clock and silenced it with an annoyed smack. Darn it, I was so close, Spike mentally and verbally groaned. Spike rolled out of the comfy warmth of his bed and gazed out the window. Celestia’s sun was barely crossing the horizon, the only ponies that’d be up at this hour would be the Apples. Normally the little dragon would want a few more minutes or hours of sleep, especially while healing from flaming rubber projectile injuries, but not today. Today was too important to sleep away. Rarity came back from her trip to Canterlot and Spike was determined to go through with his plan and no amount of sore wings or lack of sleep was going to deter him.

Spike started with his morning routine, making his bed, brushing his teeth and doing some stretches. Next he carefully unwrapped the bandages on his wings, they were still a little swollen and discolored, but they were looking better than before, Spike would have to remember to thank Zecora again for the ointment. He applied the salve to his wings, it had a cool yet warming feeling to it, and wrapped them up in fresh bandages. He looked at his clock, I still have enough time, he thought as he made his way over to his desk and with quill in claw began writing parchment after parchment, remembering to tie them up in color coded ribbon after each completed draft. After finishing the last of the multitude of scrolls he looked up at the clock, perfect timing, he thought as he gathered up the scrolls and placed them in a bag. He made his way downstairs to the castle’s kitchen and began making breakfast for himself, Twilight and Starlight.

A big day needs a big breakfast her concluded and began grabbing all the things he needed for a lavish pancake spread with berries and gems. He started mixing the eggs and flour as the pan heated up, Today’s finally the day! No more chickening out, no more excuses and no more weak knees. This dragon is finally going to get his lady. With his mix thoroughly whipped he started adding his batter to the pan and flipping when necessary, the smell of sweet, sweet pancakes wafting in the air and into the rest of the castle. So when should I ask her? Before classes or after classes? I’m sure she has a busy day ahead of her, I’ll just say I have to ask her something after classes. Bingo! Spike the Dragon, you got this in the bag! He concluded.

“My goodness, somepony is certainly in a good mood, what’s the occasion?” the sound of Twilight Sparkle brought Spike out of his daydreams as he finished off the last of the pancake batter.

“What do you mean Twi?”

“Fancy breakfast, a smile brighter than the sun, if I didn’t know any better I’d think there was something special happening today,” she said with a smirk.

“What this? Nah, this is nothing special, I just thought we could use a nice breakfast is all,” Spike responded.

A loud yawn cut through the room as Starlight took her seat at the table, “Whoa, that looks great Spike! I’m guessing you’re happy Rarity is back in town, huh?”

“W-what? Rarity? I-I just thought we could use a nice energizing breakfast,” Spike hid his blush behind a stack of pancakes.

“Of course you did,” Starlight rolled her eyes.

Magic auras started to glow around patches of pancakes and scoops of berries as Twilight and Starlight helped themselves to breakfast. What followed were some very satisfying sounds coming from both mares.

“Ooh Spike, these are delicious! Perfectly golden, fluffy and is that cinnamon I taste?” Twilight said when she paused to breathe.

“Sure is, I’m trying a new recipe I got from Applejack. It also called for an apple compote, but I didn’t have enough time to make that.”

“Doesn’t matter-“ Starlight took another bite, hummed with delight and swallowed “– these pancakes are out of this world! You’ve really outdone yourself this time Spike.”

“Well when you’ve been cooking for a princess as long as I have, you need to know your way around a kitchen,” Spike said as he popped a bite of pancakes and gems.

“Well it definitely shows, this is one of the best breakfasts I’ve had in a long time,” Twilight said after another serving.

“I’m glad you two like them so much. Hey Twilight can I ask a favor?”

“Sure thing Spike, what’s up?”

“I was wondering if I could have the afternoon off?”

Twilight paused eating, “Spike you know that I wanted your help going over the studying and testing schedule for the students today.”

“Funny you should say that Twilight-“ Spike stood up from his seat and dropped his large bag of parchments next to Twilight “- I already worked it out. I even got it color coded for the beginner classes, intermediate and advanced classes, as well as the times each professor can use for both reviewing and testing.”

Both Twilight and Starlight looked at Spike’s hard work with slack jaws and wide eyes. Twilight sifted through the bag and started inspecting the scrolls with a critical eye. Testing days for Applejack’s honesty honors course, review dates for Fluttershy’s empathy seminar, Rarity’s quilting test (Twilight noticed the little heart dotting the ‘i’ in her name), and even time slots where Starlight could meet with overly stressed students. Twilight looked over each scroll meticulously and came to the only conclusion she could, “It’s…prefect.”

“Soooo? Does that mean I’m off the hook?” Spike asked hopefully.

Twilight sighed, ”Yes Spike, you’re off the hook for the afternoon. But we still have a lot of work to do during school hours so no slacking off till later, deal?”

“Deal!” Spike went back to eating his meal with a renewed vigor, not noticing the two mares whispering to each other about a certain baby dragon and a certain unicorn.

After breakfast Twilight and Starlight headed off to the School of Friendship while Spike finished cleaning up the kitchen. After taking a minute or two to make sure he was clean and presentable he made his way out of the castle doors and towards school. He could barely keep his excitement in check as he skipped down the path, laughing and talking to himself as he went. What was he going to say when he saw her? What was she going to say to him? The images of last night’s dream came flooding back. Images of Rarity in all her glory, a perfectly coiffed mane that shined like amethyst, her coat as white and pristine as freshly fallen snow, and her eyes, oh boy, those eyes like the most incredible, bluest sapphires Spike’s ever seen in his whole life and as deep as the deepest ocean. And her lips, they looked so warm. So warm and-

“Ugh, am I interrupting something?” a voice said from out of thin air. Spike’s face turned an impressive shade of pink as he looked up to see an annoyed Discord looking down at him.

“Honestly I thought jellyfish, chickening out Spike was bad, now that I’m seeing love-struck Spike, ugh, gag me with a spoon,” Discord emphasized his annoyance by coughing up a silver spoon.

“W-what are you doing here Discord?” Spike asked trying his best to get rid of his blush.

“Dearest Fluttershy asked me to help teach her classes today. You know, to show how far a simple act of kindness etc. etc. and all that jazz”- Discord waved his claw dismissively- “and here I foolishly thought I was going to have a nice morning stroll to school. Instead I see a love-sick dragon practically radiating mushy feelings, caught in a daydream about a certain pony.”

“Discord! Not so loud! I-I was just thinking about what I’m going to say to Rarity when I see her,” Spike quickly looked around to see if any of the students overheard anything Discord said.

“My point is, if you’re going to daydream about Rarity can you at least do it in a way that doesn’t make me dry heave? Honestly I’m hoping you become less….this, when you finally ask her out on a date.”

Spike’s blush came back in full force, “IT’S NOT A DATE!” he clapped his claws over his lips as a few students stared from the outburst. Spike just chuckled awkwardly and picked up his pace, Discord close on his heels with a toothy grin.

“I just want to spend some time with her. I haven’t seen her in a while and I want to know what she’s been up to. What happened at Manehattan fashion week, her next clothing line, what she was doing in Canterlot and when our next gem-hunting trip will be.”

“Sounds like a date to me. I wonder how Twilight feels about her wittle dwagon going on his first big date?-” a wig that looked hyper realistically similar to Twilight’s appeared on Discord’s head “-Oh my stars! My Spike is growing up so fast! It seems like only yesterday I was giving him his first bath and he spoke his first words!” he said in his best mock Twilight before dropping the wig on a passing student.

“Cut it out Discord! I don’t need everypony in Ponyville to hear that,” Spike was praying to Celestia that something, anything, would happen to get the Lord of Chaos off his back as they both passed the doors into the school and through the student’s gossip circles.

“Listen can you do me a huge favor? Can you cut down on the chaos today? I don’t want anything ruining my chance at getting to spend time with Rarity.”

“My, my, my, aren’t we being a bit presumptuous? What makes you think I’d have time for chaos with a full day of helping Fluttershy? I’ll be so busy I’ll be lucky if I can turn gravity off for my lunch break,” Discord poofed a thick black book titled “Daily Planner” into his claw and opened it to today’s date showing his entire day was marked with “Helping Flutters with classes,” a little ways after that was “Tea party for two.”

“Also don’t tell anypony about me asking out Rarity. I want it to be a surprise.”

“Spike I think the only 'surprise' ponies will be talking about is the fact that you’re actually going through with this,” Discord said as he rolled his eyes.

“Discord!” a bright voice called out, the next thing either of them knew, Fluttershy made a beeline to Discord and gave him a big hug. Of course Discord gave her a big hug back.

“Oh I’m so glad you agreed to help teach my class, the students have been asking about you all week and you’re a perfect example how important kindness is in helping others,” Fluttershy said excitedly as she hovered around Discord.

“Yes, yes, Fluttershy, we’ve been over this before. Kindness, reformation, friendship is magic, etc., etc., let’s get this show on the road,” to any other pony Discord’s dismissive attitude would seem rude, but not to Fluttershy. She just giggled as he had his little huff over 'sappy crud' as he called it; she enjoyed getting a rise out of the trickster god. “Well I suppose this is where we part ways Spike, cheerio and remember not to overthink things,” and with that both Discord and Fluttershy vanished in a flash.

With what little time he had left, Spike continued his search for Rarity. What did Discord mean by “not to overthink things?” was it Discord being Discord i.e. be super vague to teach him a lesson or was he just giving good advice? Spike thought of the irony of overthinking about Discord’s parting words as he passed by more students and their idle gossip.

“Hey, did you hear the rumors about what’s going down in Canterlot?” said one student.

“Those protesters right? The ones who want Cozy Glow freed from Tartarus?” said another.

“Yeah apparently their leader…uh… Fuzzy Feeling! Yeah that’s her name, got another huge stack of signatures and even more volunteers to help her campaign and are planning a HUGE rally.”

“Ugh, don’t they know that Cozy Glow nearly erased all of the magic in Equestria and tried to overthrow Headmare Twilight? I think Tartarus is too good a place for somepony like her.”

“I don’t know,” chimed a third, “Tartarus is really harsh. I mean that’s where monsters like Tirek and hydras are locked up. You really think Cozy deserved that kind of punishment?”

Spike just rolled his eyes; he had better things to do than think about ridiculous rumors about a megalomaniacal pegasus filly that almost toppled the country in three days. Things like finally spotting Rarity having a conversation with Applejack! Spike hustled over to the fashonista and farmer as fast as he could without crashing into a student, “Rarity!” he called out, her ear swiveled a bit, not entirely sure she heard anything, “Rarity!” he called out again, this time Rarity turned her head, smiled and waved her hoof. Seeing her smile always put Spike in a great mood, how can anypony be as perfect as her?

“Good morning Rarity!”

“Good morning Spike, how are- oh dear! Spike, what in the world happened to your wings?” Rarity gasped.

Spike glanced at one of his bandaged wings, “Eh, rogue buckball accident, no biggie. Hey Rarity, I was wondering i-if it’s not too much trouble would you-“ Spike was cut off by the sound of the first bell, students began rushing around towards their respective classes as did Rarity and Applejack.

“Hold that thought darling, classes are starting. We can talk later!” Rarity waved to Spike as she turned a corner

“Stupid bell,” Spike grumbled. All of a sudden he was wrapped in a violet aura and placed on Twilight’s back.

“There you are Spike, I was looking everywhere for you! Remember I said no slacking off till after classes right? Now come on, history of friendship lessons won’t teach themselves,” as Twilight trotted off towards class Spike glanced back at the corner Rarity went passed. He’ll just have to wait and try again later.

The history of friendship class was one of the more popular courses one could take while attending the school of friendship, it’s mostly a class dedicated to “story time.” Each of the professors would teach it and add their own spin to each topic, which was mostly just recalling one of their adventures they had to save Equestria. Spike found himself on slide projector duty as Twilight told the story of King Sombra and his defeat at the Crystal Empire. Many of the students “oohs” and “aahs” could be heard with each new illustration shown.

“And then I had to make a difficult decision, I had to either spend however much longer trying to figure another way for me to obtain the crystal heart, or allow my faithful assistant to get it. I was so concerned with failing the assignment that Princess Celestia had given me, I almost lost sight of the real problem at hoof, saving the Crystal Empire and stopping Sombra’s return.

“In the end, I gave Spike the responsibility of handling the crystal heart and with the help of Princess Cadence managed to defeat King Sombra and save all the crystal ponies, the Crystal Empire and all of Equestria. And if I didn’t look past my own ego and trusted this to my best friend, we may not be here right now-“ Twilight’s horn glowed and turned the lights back on “- Now are there any questions?“- a sky blue hoof raised up, -“Yes, Ocellus?”

“Um, Headmare Twilight, was Sombra really such a bad guy? Cause I thought he turned good and helped save the Crystal Empire?”

“Right as usual Ocellus. Yes it’s true that King Sombra had a change of heart, but it was all thanks to his best friend Radiant Hope. She helped Sombra realize that his fate wasn’t tied to being a creature of fear and hate, and with Hope’s love, she convinced him to stop the Umbra’s return and was saved from the darkness. She saw the good in him when nopony did and ever since then, Sombra swore to help right all the wrongs he’s done with Radiant Hope right by his side.”

“Oh wow! So, like, true love conquered all? That is soooo romantic! I LOVE this story!” Silverstream exclaimed while placing her clasped claws over her heart.

“I couldn’t have put it any better myself, now will everycreature kindly turn your textbooks to page“- Twilight was cut off by the sound of the bell, -“uh, I guess that’ll be all class, be sure to read chapters five and six by tomorrow and get a jumpstart on your studies for midterms!” Twilight called out as her students filed out of the room.

“Wow, time just flew by didn’t it?” Spike asked.

A perplexed Twilight was nose deep in a scroll, her eyes quickly scanned the scroll from top to bottom once, twice, three times and so on, as if she were studying every individual character. “I could’ve sworn I timed this lesson out perfectly. Roll call, go over chapter four, the story about Sombra, basics of trust building, then the end of class. Did I…miscalculate?”

“Uh Twilight? You ok?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. I guess I just got a little carried away and lost rack of time, heh-heh,” Twilight took a deep breath to settle her nerves and rolled up the scroll. “Alright Spike, let’s head to the track and field. We got “helping Rainbow Dash with her relay race” next.”

Twilight and Spike left the room and hustled down the halls. Along the way Twilight glanced at a clock on the wall, she sighed in relief and felt a weight lifted from her mind when the clock displayed the correct time and concluded that she got a little too carried away in her story time. But if Twilight had looked a bit longer she’d have noticed the minute hand moving slightly faster than normal.

The sun was shining bright on the track field as the students watched their professors and Spike demonstrate the fundamentals of a relay race. Or to be specific, watching Twilight demonstrating said fundamentals as most of the students’ eyes began to glaze over.

“And so, when your partner passes you the baton-“ Spike jogged up to Twilight and gave her the baton which she grabbed with her magic “- you’ll then run as fast as you can to your next partner, who will then run it to the next partner and so on and so on. A great exercise, not just physically, but in strengthening your bonds of trust and camaraderie with each other and learn how to play to your own strengths, further more-“

“UGH, they get it Twilight! Run the baton to the next racer and keep doing that until they win!” a very bored Rainbow Dash cried atop her cloud bed. She rolled off onto the ground and landed in front of Twilight blowing her whistle. “All right everycreature! We’ll be splitting up into three teams! From there decide who’ll be running where! Take a few minutes to talk it out and then take your positions when you’re ready!” Rainbow Dash quickly divided the teams and the students began to decide their placements amongst themselves.

After a few minutes each student took their positions on the track and Spike passed out the batons to the starting racers, Rainbow Dash hovered next to Twilight and took a deep breath. “I love the smell of competition in the morning. It smells like, victory.”

“And sweat,” Twilight commented.

“All right everycreature, remember the rules! No flying and you can only use magic to grab the baton when your partner is close enough to pass it! Ready! Set!”- Rainbow Dash motioned to Twilight who lit her horn and shot out a small ball of energy that then exploded with a loud bang – “GO!”

The starting racers took off; it was a yak a unicorn and an earth pony with the earth pony in the lead followed by the unicorn and the yak trailing last, each with their teammates cheering them on. The earth pony made it to the next racer in record time and passed the baton to a griffon that wasn’t as fast as the earth pony but with the lead he was given it hardly mattered. Next was the unicorn that passed the baton to a pegasus who grasped it with their wing before charging forward and gaining considerable ground, closing he distance and passing the griffon. The yak passed their baton to another unicorn that took off to make up for lost time.

The unicorn caught up with the griffon and was neck and neck with each other as the pegasus passed their baton to a hippogriff and after a few short seconds the unicorn and the griffon passed their batons to a dragon and changeling respectively. The changeling transformed into a cheetah and bolted into second place. The dragon leaned his body forward and sprinted dragging his arms behind him using a smaller wind resistance to their advantage and caught up with the other two racers. All three were giving it their all, as they came closer and closer to the finish line. The dragon was in the lead by a hair until the changeling passed and then the hippogriff. Closer and closer still, the racers kept running; it was going to be a real photo finish, neither one holding back with the end in sight, and then- BRRRRRRRRRIIIIIINNNGGG!!!!!- the school’s bell rang out, the hippogriff flung their wings out in surprise, smacking both the changeling and the dragon in the face, sending all three to the ground and tumbling across the finish line.

Rainbow Dash, Twilight and Spike rushed over to see if they were all right, but aside from a case of dizziness were unharmed. Rainbow blew her whistle, “Alright everycreature! I guess that’s the end of class! Tomorrow’s lesson will be done with obstacle courses so come stretched and raring to go!” the students made their way back to school leaving behind a baffled Twilight and an annoyed Rainbow Dash.

“I-I don’t get it. I was sure to follow my schedule to the letter this time. Where did I mess up?” Twilight asked.

“Maybe around the time you started your whole egghead routine. Dang, I was SO looking forward to seeing the end of that race too. Ugh, guess I’ll just try a relay race again some other time,” still in a huff, Rainbow dashed back to school.

Spike tugged on Twilight’s wing, “C’mon Twilight, we got baking class with Pinkie Pie next so let’s… uh Twi?”

Twilight was just staring at her schedule, unblinking, sweat building up across her brow, mumbling something along the lines of, “Sixty seconds in a minute, sixty minutes in an hour, each class is forty five minutes which is 2,700 seconds, but there’s no way we even made it to the 1,200 seconds mark when Rainbow Dash started the race…”

Spike snapped his claws a few times, “It’s ok Twilight, we’re going to be baking now, nice and simple baking,” he gently started leading Twilight back to the school.

“Will we measure the ingredients?” Twilight asked in a daze.

“Of course we will, in fact they’ll be perfect measurements. You know who loves perfect measurements?”

“Me?”

“That’s right Twilight, you love perfect measurements!”

To say things were tense in Pinkie’s kitchen would be an understatement. It was hard for the class to focus on their fun loving, bouncy, energetic teacher with their anxious, frazzled and stressed out Headmare in the same room. Twilight’s hoof was nervously tapping as she shifted her gaze between her schedule, the loudspeaker and Pinkie going over the recipe for her “super triple chocolate triple cherry super airy cherry bomb cupcakes.” Pinkie bounced around the kitchen happily chirping, “And so we measure our flour, remember to get it as close to the recipe as you can, it doesn’t have to be-“

A measuring cup levitated to the bag or flour and scooped up the first ingredient and dropped it in a bowl. “Perfect! It’s perfectly measured, NEXT!” Twilight announced slightly twitching.

Pinkie raised a brow but shrugged it off, “Next we add our baking powder, salt, softened butter, sugar and eggs.”

“Done, done, done, done and done, NEXT!”

“Uh Twilight are you ok? You seem kindaaaa… edgy.”

Twilight started laughing, “Ha, ha, ha! Oh Pinkie Pie, you’re so funny! 'edgy' because we’re in a kitchen with knives and knives are sharp, aren’t her jokes just the best?” the class began to awkwardly and nervously laugh in hope of appeasing their high strung Headmare.

Pinkie leaned next to Spike, “Is something bothering Twilight?” she whispered.

“You could say that,” Spike answered flatly.

“Alright enough jokes, let’s get back to baking!” Twilight cried.

Pinkie came back to her mixing bowl, trying her best not to make eye contact with the precarious princess. “And then we add our chocolate and our cherries, mix it all up”- the mixing bowl began to glow purple as the contents were mixed at high speed – “…Ok… then we add the batter to the cupcake tins and after pre-heating the oven to-“

“No time!“- Twilight shouted and with a blast of magic turned the batter in the tins into fully baked cupcakes – “Now class what did this lesson teach you about friend-“ – the blaring of the school bell cut Twilight off – “AHA! I knew it!” Twilight dashed out of the classroom. Spike gave a weary sigh and chased after her leaving a bewildered Pinkie with a tray of cupcakes. She sniffed them cautiously, stuck her tongue into one of them and then popped it in her mouth.

“Hmm, not bad.”

After checking the library, courtyard and the school lab, Spike finally tracked Twilight to her office and found her going through the plethora of books she keeps for reference. Some flew off the shelves others were levitated to her desk.

“Uh, Twilight. What are you doing?” Spike asked warily.

“I was counting the seconds in Pinkie’s class, we only made it up to 1,990 seconds, we still had 710 seconds to go to finish up the forty-five minutes needed and that’s when I knew that time was speeding up and messing up my carefully planned schedule!” Twilight shouted from atop her office library, a certain kind of manic on her face.

“Aw come one Twilight, I’m sure there’s a rational explanation for this.”

“Perhaps we’re stuck in a wormhole that’s accelerating the time flow, or maybe somepony got their hooves on the Chronodial! Or worse! I have to figure this out before a terrible snowball effect destroys all of Equestria!” Twilight started searching more frantically . Spike could do nothing other than sigh, faceclaw and wonder how he’s supposed to calm Twilight down.

“Twilight going a little bonkers again?” Starlight Glimmer asked as she entered the office, even though she already knew the answer.

“Yep, she sure is,” Spike replied.

“Does this have anything to do with the bells going off earlier than usual?”

“It might.”

“She does know that it’s not the time stream out of whack right? The system is just broken.”

“How do you know?”

Starlight magicked a pocket watch out and popped it open; it confirmed that the school was quite a few hours ahead of schedule.

“Well I guess that’s one problem solved. Now what are we supposed to do with Twilight?” Spike asked.

“Tell you what, why don’t you break for lunch and in the meantime I’ll see if I can’t talk her off the ceiling and get somepony to fix the clocks and bell.”

“Well I am hungry. Thanks Starlight, I’ll come back and help out afterwards,” Spike walked out of the room and towards the teacher’s lounge. Spike had a feeling he knew who was behind this whole school bell problem, but he was focused on getting something in his stomach first. He still had a few slices of gem pizza in the icebox and wanted nothing more than to kick back, relax and enjoy his lunch and as he stepped through the threshold of the door to the lounge the thought of food made him feel like he was flying. Or rather floating in the air. “Whoa, whoa, what the hay?”

“Oh yeah, watch that first step, it’s a doozy,” said a voice above the airborne dragon. Spike twisted himself as much as he could and spotted Discord at a floating table with Fluttershy. The two had a nice assortment of sandwiches, scones and tea, suspended in the middle of the lounge with all of the other furniture, books and what not floating about for what Spike would only assume to be for ambience.

“Hello Spike, care for some tea?” Fluttershy asked nursing her teacup.

“I highly recommend it, I find that food and tea taste so much better in zero gravity,” Discord added eating a sandwich crust as a sentient teapot poured him another cup.

“Great, first a Twily freak out and now this?” asked a vexed Spike.

“Oooh our illustrious Headmare is going through another meltdown? Are there still seats available to the show or is it standing room only?” Discord asked in amusement.

“Discord! That’s not nice, you shouldn’t laugh at somepony having a rough day,” Fluttershy scolded.

“Dearest Fluttershy, 45% of my enjoyment in life is watching ponies go banana bread nuts, and I’m not planning on changing that anytime soon,” Discord said in a matter of fact way.

“What’s the matter with Twilight, Spike?” Fluttershy asked with concern.

“Can we turn the gravity back on first?” Spike asked while doing a barrel roll.

“Of course, Discord can you please turn the room back to normal?”

“Oh poo, I finally have time for some no gravity lunch and it gets cut short,” with a snap of his fingers Discord set the room straight with all the furniture in its proper place and with the gravity turned back on Spike found himself groaning after belly flopping onto the floor.

“Now, what seems to be troubling our dear Headmare?” Discord asked drumming his fingers together.

Spike stood and dusted himself off, “Alright Discord cut the act, why are you messing with the school’s schedule?”

“I’m afraid I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Really? The school’s schedule was fine until today when you just so happened to show up. And all of a sudden the clocks speed up and I have to keep Twilight from imploding and you’re saying you don’t have anything to do with it?”

“Now Spike, I know Discord can be a bit mischievous, but he hasn’t been causing trouble, he’s been with me all day,” Fluttershy interjected.

“Exactly! Now just fix this and- wait, what?” Spike asked.

“It’s true, I’ve been helping Fluttershy with her classes all day like I told you this morning. Sure I used my magic to conjure a cotton candy cloud here and a monster beaver there, but I set things back to normal right afterwards. Scout’s honor,” he said in a Filly scout uniform.

“Oh… well, sorry for jumping to conclusions Discord,” Spike sheepishly scratched the back of his head.

“No worries, it does sound like something I’d do after all,” Discord sipped his tea.

“So Twilight’s panicking because the school’s time is messed up?” Fluttershy asked.

Spike took a seat at the table with his gem stone pizza slice. “Yeah, but it’s not time that’s messed up, it’s the schools clocks and bell. Starlight is getting somepony to come by and fix it later, but until then just go about classes normally until the last bell I guess.”

“Ooh, a half-day? I like the sound of that, I’m falling behind on some chaos anyways,” Discord said as he munched his teacup.

“Wait a second. A half-day? That means we get out earlier, which means I can have even more time to spend with Rarity! YES!” Spike pumped his small fist into the air as he devoured a slice of his lunch.

“I just hope Twilight feels better soon. I hate seeing her so stressed out,” Fluttershy said worriedly.

“Aw don’t worry about Twilight. Starlight is trying to calm her down and I’ll help out when I’m through here, so I’m sure she’ll be back to normal in no time. Actually if you wouldn’t mind stopping by her office to help too that’d be great.”

“I’d be more than happy too.”

Spike finished off the last of his lunch and stood up to leave, “Well I’ll see you guys later, I got a Twilight talk off the ceiling and some classes to cover.”

“Oh Spike, one more thing. Could you perhaps do me a small favor? Can you keep an eye peeled for my favorite cotton candy cloud? I can’t seem to find him,” Discord said.

“Wait, you lost a cloud? Can’t you just make more of them?”

Discord gasped so hard that he sucked all the air out of the room, “Hold your forked tongue! He has a name, it’s Rodolfo and there may be many like him, but he’s my favorite.”- Discord poofed a milk carton into Spike’s claws showing a picture of a pink cloud with the word “missing” in big bold letters –“I’ve already asked Applejack and Rarity, but they just looked at me like I had two heads.” – Discord’s head then split into two separate heads. The sight made Spike reel back in fright. –“Yeah, that’s the face they made!” said Discords.

“Ok, well I’ll just see you all later, bye!” Spike said in one breath before washing his claws of the whole situation and leaving.

“Oh Flutters, want to bet five bits he doesn’t go through with it?” said one of the Discord heads.

Fluttershy took a sip of her tea and marveled at how the citrusy flavors blended so well with the chamomile scones. She’d have to remember these for the next tea party for sure. They were simply divine. “Make it ten bits and you got a deal.”

Thankfully the rest of the day went by with very little to no resistance. Spike and Starlight took turns covering Twilight’s classes and covering “Twilight duty” and by the end of the day had a mostly normal Headmare again. The sound of the final bell rang out as Spike found himself waiting by the door to Rarity’s last class. He watched as students began filing out and wondered how much longer he’d have to wait. Not to say he was impatient, but the wait was starting to weigh on him. He bided his time and now it’ll just be him and her for the rest of the day. But what if she declines? What if he doesn’t say the right words and she snubs him? What if Princess Celestia sends a message and he accidentally belches in Rarity’s face? What if-?

And remember not to overthink things, he heard Discord’s words from earlier that day. Spike took a deep breath and exhaled, “No, no more thinking of what could go wrong, he thought, We’re only going to think about what can go right, like catching up with Rarity, enjoying each other’s company and maybe, just maybe asking if she’d like to spend even more time together.

Oh good you’re actually listening to my advice, you’ll do just fine, Spike heard Discord’s voice again.

“Would you get lost?”

“I beg your pardon?” said a posh voice. Spike froze when he saw Rarity, her brow raised in confusion at his small outburst.

“R-Rarity! Oh- I-I wasn’t talking to you! There was a bug! Yeah, a really, really, really annoying bug kept buzzing around my ear,” he said in hopes of saving face.

Rude, came Discord’s voice in the back of his head.

“Anyways, how was your day Rarity?”

“It went well, thank you for asking. How’s Twilight? I heard she had a bit of a breakdown, is she alright?”

“She’s doing much better, Starlight and I calmed her down and we got a repair pony to fix the school’s system. And the best part is she stopped worrying about somepony copying Starlight’s time travel spell.”

“Well that’s a relief, are you on your way home now?”

“Uh, actually, I was wondering, since, you know, it’s such a nice day and I haven’t seen you in a while, I was wondering if you’d like to go and maybe grab a late lunch or something? I’d love to hear about what you’re been up to,” on the outside Spike was calm, confident and collected, but on the inside, Oh sweet Celestia! I actually said it! I actually asked her out! No going back now, just gotta wait for her answer, please say yes, please say yes, please say yes…it felt like an eternity since he asked the question that’d been in the back of his mind since he and Twilight first came to Ponyville and laid eyes on the stunning unicorn. His palms were sweating and he did his best to fight the butterflies in his stomach. He was getting more and more nervous as each second passed and the anticipation was in the red.

Rarity rubbed her chin, “Hmm, you know, that sounds like a marvelous idea darling. I am quite hungry, I had to skip lunch because of the state the teacher’s lounge was in and I do have some time on my hooves because of the half day. What do you say you stop by the boutique in about thirty minutes and we’ll go to the café?”

Spike almost lost his jaw on the floor, “Y-yeah that sounds great! I’ll see you then!”

Rarity giggled at his enthusiasm, “See you then Spiky,” and with that Rarity trotted off to the school exit, leaving Spike standing in the hall, with a grin growing wider and wider across his face, his heart was thumping wildly and his whole body was shaking. Spike finally did the one thing he’s wanted to do for years. He couldn’t stop himself from jumping high as he could a screaming, “WOOOHOOO!!!”

“Sorry I couldn’t get here sooner Princess Twilight, I had some repair work at city hall and Mayor Mare wanted a thorough job,” a pegasus with a hard hat set down his tool box and started unscrewing the bolts to a panel in the school’s wall. Twilight was standing behind him sipping some empathy cocoa, with Starlight close by.

“I understand, I can’t believe I didn’t think about the possibility of this being a simple repair job and not some kind of a magical problem that could put the whole town and maybe all of Equestria at risk,” Twilight took another nervous sip of her cocoa.

“Twilight, just because something’s wrong doesn’t always mean Equestria’s in danger,” Starlight said in a calming voice.

“Well I’ll be sure to get this system running as good as new in no time flat.” – the repair pony finished unscrewing the panel and pulled it away from the wall – “Uh, hmm, can’t say I’ve ever seen a problem like this before,” he said scratching his head in bemusement.

“What do you mean?” Twilight approached the panel.

“Take a look for yourself.”

Twilight peered inside and instead of seeing the cogs, belts, and springs of the machinery, she saw a mass of something fluffy. And pink.

“What the hay is this?” Twilight carefully extended a hoof and gently poked it, it was very soft and had a very sweet aroma. After another poke the pink mass spewed a brown liquid into Twilight’s face. She reeled back in surprise and noticed that whatever she was sprayed with smelled and tasted very sweet. Actually it tasted like chocolate milk. Twilight stood ram rod stiff as her eye began to twitch, her teeth clenched and steam started shooting out of her ears.

“DISSSSSSSSSSCOOOOORRRRRRD!!!”

the Ponyville Café was a quaint little eatery where customers can enjoy the sun, some delectable sandwiches and a selection of well made drinks. A great place for dates, friendly meetings or if you just can’t be bothered with cooking; among the patrons were Spike and Rarity, enjoying some sandwiches, sharing stories and laughing.

“So then I’m flying past the open field and I hear Pinkie scream “watch out!” and the next thing I knew, WHAM, a flaming buckball smacks into my back and I crashed into the brush,” Spike finished his tale with smacking his fist into his open palm.

“My goodness that sounds terrible,” Rarity gasped.

“I’m just glad that somepony who’s fire proof got hit and not somepony else. It could’ve been way worse.”

“Are they feeling any better? Your wings I mean.”

“Yeah, Zecora gave me this ointment to help them heal faster and said I should be fine by tomorrow. Now I know how Rainbow Dash felt when she was stuck in the hospital.”

What’s it like?”

“Well it stinks, it takes me WAY longer to get anywhere and-“

“No, no, I meant, what’s it like to fly?”

“Didn’t Twilight give you wings a while ago? You were in the junior flyers competition.”

“Well yes, but they weren’t really a part of me, just some magic and dew. But your wings are a part of you, you get to feel the wind passing over them, you can move them in ways I could never understand. When I had wings, I just used them to garner attention and feed my ego, I didn’t really get to experience or appreciate flying. So I was just wondering what it’s like?”

Spike wasn’t sure how to answer this. What’s it like to fly? He closed his eyes and started thinking of all the times he soared through the skies with Smolder, going through obstacle courses with Rainbow Dash and just getting out to stretch his wings with Twilight after a lengthy re-cataloging session. “Well.. it’s really fun, I mean I see why Rainbow would rather fly than walk and it helps when Twilight needs a book from a high shelf. But I think the best way to describe it is… it’s very, freeing.”

“Freeing?” Rarity asked with her head slightly tilted.

“Well yeah, it’s such a thrill when I’m high above the town, feeling the cool wind in my face, doing flips, spins and I’m super fast now too. It actually feels really weird not being able to fly, heck Twilight had to carry me on her back so we’d be on time for classes and I never thought I’d be doing that again. Once you’ve touched the sky it’s hard to be stuck on the ground. Sorry for rambling.”

Rarity smiled, “Not at all darling, you just told me how you felt and now I know. I just wish I could have experienced it myself.”

“Whoa, so you got to be a judge during fashion week?”

“Mhmm, arrived on Monday, scoped out the competition Tuesday, premiered my latest designs Wednesday, judged some rising stars on Thursday, and gave a special tour to Pistachio on Friday,” Rarity replied to her scaly friend.

“Pistachio?”

“The colt that got Applejack’s Hearts Warming present by accident. I swear, he’s got quite the future ahead of him. Such a keen eye and he has the same awe and excitement as I did when I was his age. He’ll get far in the fashion world, mark my words.”

“Well if somepony as talented as you says so, then it must be true. You’re the best designer in all of Equestria.”

Rarity giggled, “Oh Spike you flatterer you; I’m sure I’m not the best designer.”

“How can you not be? I’ve never seen anypony get so far in the fashion world like you’ve done. You went from having a single store in Ponyville, to opening a boutique in Canterlot and Manehattan. You’ve made the cover of Cosmare magazine more than any other designer I can think of and you always blow ponies away at every competition you enter.”

“Well I’ll admit that I have done very well for myself and I wouldn’t have gotten to where I am without the hard work and creativity that I’m known for, but I see new designs everyday I never even thought possible. I may be a great designer, but I’m not the best.”

“Now you’re just being modest,” Spike smirked.

The waiter came by and dropped the bill on their table Rarity gave it a quick look before Spike put his bits on the check. “This one’s my treat Rarity.”

“Why thank you Spike. Such a gentlecolt.”

The two of them got up and began walking down the street. The two were still engaging in idle chitchat as Spike noticed a gray earth pony and her quartet warming up at the gazebo in the park and he jumped onto his next course of action. “Hey Rarity, want to go to the park? I think I see Octavia and her band.”

“Hmm, well, I do have a bit more time to kill and it would be nice to listen to some music. Yes Spike, I think a stroll through the park would be nice. Plus I get to spend some more time with my favorite dragon.”

Spike grinned from ear fin to ear fin, “Well then, let’s go get our seats. After you my lady.”

The sun was beginning to set as Spike and Rarity walked back to Carousel Boutique, chatting and laughing away as their shadows stretched out and reached for Rarity’s front door. “Oh boy, I thought Octavia was going to go berserk when her cello string snapped!” Spike said, laughing between every other word.

“Octavia? Did you see Lyra? I thought for sure she was going to raze Ponyville to the ground after her lyre was damaged,” Rarity was laughing too, but at a much more controlled volume.

“Well I’m sure Derpy didn’t mean it, it’s just her, you know, usual clumsiness.”

“Well the important thing is that everything was settled in a civilized manner and no pony was hurt.”

“Agreed, and the music was really nice while it lasted too,” Spike was beaming. It was the perfect end to a perfect day. Lunch, music, feeding the ducks in the pond, sharing a bag of cinnamon nuts and just enjoying each other’s company; now all Spike would have to do is walk her to the door, say good night and ask if she’d want to do this again sometime.

As Rarity opened the door to her home, she looked over her shoulder at Spike, “Oh Spiky, would you mind coming in? I have something to show you,” a smirk on Rarity’s lips.

A strong blush rose up on Spike’s face as well as steam. Or she’ll invite me into her place! That’s fine too I guess! “Um- sure thing Rarity.”

The inside of the boutique was spotless, floors free of any dirt, mirrors free of streaks and the displays of her wonderful cloths were all dusted from head to hoof. This wasn’t the first time Spike’s been in Rarity’s home, but this felt different. Different then the times he helped her with the chores, different from the times he volunteered for pin cushion duty, right now Spike felt like a stranger in a strange land. “Now you wait right here, I’ll be back in just a moment,” Rarity ascended the stairs leaving a nervous dragon to be alone with his thoughts.

Oh geez! What could she possibly want to show me? A new dress maybe? But the way she said it, could it be something else? I really wish my heart would slow down so I don’t feel like exploding, the sound of hoofsteps could be heard coming down the stairs, which only made Spike’s heart beat faster.

“Alright Spike close your eyes, I want this to be a surprise,” Rarity called out. Spike did as he was told and closed his eyes, Oh sweet Celestia! She’s almost here! What does she want to show- oh boy her perfume smells so good, like vanilla and fresh cut lavender.

“Ok, open your eyes,” Rarity sounded excited as Spike opened his eyes to see a comic book wrapped in the soft blue light of her magic.

Spike’s eyes grew to the size of dinner plates, “Astro Colt number one! H-how? Where did you get this?”

“Well I had some help from a charming but rather annoying pony in Canterlot. He sent me on a wild goose chase but in the end I was able to find it. I wanted you to have this, as a token of thanks for all the work you’ve done, not just for the school or for Twilight, but for me as well,” Rarity placed the comic into Spike’s claws. Despite the very generous gift, Spike was frowning.

“Rarity, I-I can’t take this. It’s so valuable, I’d feel guilty accepting it. I mean I appreciate the offer but…” Spike was silenced when he felt a pair of hooves wrap around him in a hug; a hug from the pony that’s occupied all his thoughts, heart and love for years.

“Nonsense Spiky, as far as I’m concerned this only partially makes up for the help you’ve given. But if you still feel guilty, can you help me with one itty bitty thing and we’ll call it even?”

“Well…ok. I guess that works, so what can I help you with?”

“One moment dear,” Rarity disappeared behind one of the dividers in her shop and in a few moments stepped out. What Spike saw made his breath catch in his throat and his eyes widen. Rarity was wearing a dark blue formal dress with a ruby red bow tied around her waist. A thin strand of pearls hung around her neck, her mane tied back and only leaving a few purple strands to dangle ever so daintily by her sapphire blue eyes. “Well? What do you think?” Rarity did a twirl to show off every angle of her dress.

“Uh, um… Y-you look… Amazing Rarity,” Spike hid his blush behind his comic book.

“Oh? So you like this ensemble then? Perfect, thank you so much Spike, I knew I could count on you.”

“So what’s the dress for? Don’t tell me, Photo Finish needs you for the next issue of Cosmare.”

“I’m going on a date tonight.”

Spike’s heart stopped beating and plunged into his stomach, “A…A-a date?”

“Yes I met the most marvelous pony on the train ride home. Oh Spiky, he’s just wonderful! Smart, tall, strong and easy on the eyes. I’m so excited it feels like I’ve been walking on clouds all day,” Rarity sighed dreamily.

Spike shifted back and forth on his feet as he started studying the fibers in Rarity’s carpet. His chest felt cold, like there was a window open in the dead of winter where his heart was. The butterflies in his stomach were gone and in their place was indigestion. His head felt like it was stuffed with cotton, unable to feel or think of anything, he just said with a big smile,

“That’s great! I’m so happy for you! Good luck, I’m sure he’s just as excited as you are.”

Rarity nuzzled Spike and gave him a small hug, “Thank you so much for today Spike, now if you’ll excuse me I have to finish getting ready.”

“Of course, thanks again for the comic, I’ll see you later!” Spike waved his claw goodbye as Rarity disappeared upstairs. After a few moments Spike’s claw dropped and his ear fins drooped. He looked forlornly at one of the many mirrors in the boutique and was feeling worse by the second. He saw the baby fat in his cheeks and belly, his short scrawny arms, stubby legs and banged up wings. He wanted to look away but he couldn’t take his eyes off his reflection.

I met the most marvelous pony…

“Marvelous… pony,” Spike sighed and left the boutique, clutching the comic book to his chest, his feet dragging with every step he made. His eyes were glued to the ground as he slowly made his way back to the castle. He decided to go to bed early tonight.

Author's Note

I'M BACK! :derpytongue2:

Let me start by saying how sorry I am for being gone for so long. But at the time I had finals, then Christmas break than some MAJOR family emergency problems, all of which compounded on me to not write as much or as well as I'd like. But I stuck with the two rules I stand by in writeing.

Finish what you start. Granted I was hoping to be at the end of the next arc by this point, but I swear that I'll finish this story, and the sequels that will come after this.

Write at least a page a day, if you don't like it, you can always go back and edit it. This is the rule I live and breath since it's the first advice I got from my absolute favorite writer and even when I was at my lowest point, I still wrote at least a page a day to help with my mood and keep my mind sharp.

Again, I'm so sorry for the delay, I'm working on the next chapter at time of posting this one and will have it out asap.
Thank you for your support!

-Silver Wit

A Dragon's Code of Chivalry

Luna’s moon shone bright in the night sky above Ponyville. Most of the town was quiet with the few exceptions of a few parties, dinner dates or playing games with your friends. Behind the ‘closed’ sign on Carousel Boutique’s show floor, three fillies were standing on multiple stools and each other. On the bottom of the filly tower was a yellow earth pony with a red mane and matching bow, standing on her back was an orange pegasus with a magenta mane, and standing on her back was on off-white unicorn with a two tone purple and pink mane, her horn was glowing and she was in deep concentration.

“Ugh, Scootaloo! Why do Ah hav’ta be on the bottom?” the yellow pony complained.

“Because earth ponies are stronger than pegasi, it’s just a fact,” said Scootaloo as she tried to brace her legs and stay perfectly still to support the unicorn above her.

“Then the least you an’ Sweetie Belle can do is lay off the milkshakes, y’all are heavy!”

“Says the girl who can gallop with a cart full of apples and pies.”

“Ah don’t balance the cart on mah back!”

“Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, will you stop bickering? I’m almost done,” Sweetie Belle said while keeping her eyes glued to her work.

“Hurry up! My back hurts,” Scootaloo whined.

“Your back? Ah’m the one on the bottom!” Apple Bloom shot up.

Almost… there…” Sweetie Belle bit her lip as a nervous sweat began to collect on her forehead. Her magic, which held two playing cards delicately, was carefully placed on top of a surface with several other cards around it. Her magic aura vanished, all three fillies held their breath, the cards stayed in place. Sweetie Belle sighed in relief, “Alright girls, let’s stick to the plan,” she jumped off Scootaloo’s back and onto a pile of pillows. After landing, her horn lit up and carefully lifted Scootaloo off of Apple Bloom and placed her gently on the ground, and then she lifted Apple Bloom from atop the highest stool.

“Geez you need to ease up on the milkshakes too Apple Bloom,” Sweetie groaned.

“Hey! This ‘ere is all muscle!” Apple Bloom said flexing her foreleg.

“Sure it is,” Scootaloo rolled her eyes.

After Apple Bloom was safely on the ground, the three fillies looked up at their creation, the massive quantity of playing cards took up a large portion of the boutique’s space and was nearly as high as the ceiling. They took a deep breath and after a few more seconds of tense silence began cheering.

“We did it! We made an exact replica of Canterlot castle out of playing cards!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed.

“Oh wow! This is sooo cool! Like, like, almost Rainbow Dash levels of cool!” Scootaloo said, fluttering her wings in joy.

“Another victory fer tha Cutie Mark Crusaders!” Apple Bloom hollered before all three fillies hoof bumped each other, cheering a loud “Yeah!”

“You got the camera Scootaloo?” Sweetie Belle asked.

Scootaloo fished out her Polaroid camera from her saddlebags, “You know it! Get into position, I’ll set the timer.”

“Golly! Could y’all imagine if we got our cutie marks fer this? It’s one heck of a castle.” Apple Bloom threw her foreleg around Sweetie’s shoulder.

“Yeah! I bet Rarity will be so surprised that history was made right here in her boutique,” Sweetie adjusted her mane so it wasn’t in her eyes.

“Alright, timer’s set! Everypony put on your happy face!” Scootaloo quickly took her place next to Apple Bloom. “We said we’d do it and we did. All thanks to our teamwork!”

“And our friendship,” Apple bloom added.

“And best of all, we’re going to have our glorious castle immortalized in a picture for others to see. Cutie Mark Crusaders, masters of-“ Sweetie Belle was cut off by a loud, SLAM!

The front door burst open with enough force to shake the entire boutique, the three fillies noticed a growing shadow and looked back just in time to see their creation collapse. A trio of screams rang out as the towering castle of cards came crumbling down on top of them in a cascade of suits. When the dust settled the three fillies popped out of the pile, coughing up cards and eyed the photo the camera spat out of them at the very moment of the disaster, panic and fear immortalized on film.

Sweetie Belle looked at the door and saw Rarity the castle wrecker stomping through the shop. “Rarity, what the hay? You ruined our card castle! Do you have any idea how hard it was to make?”

The glare Rarity shot at Sweetie Belle would make even the scariest manticore head for the hills with it’s stinger between its legs. The kind of glare so scary that it would take the paint off the side of a house. The three fillies flinched and hid in the card pile as Rarity stormed past them, tossing her dress off and levitating her robe on along with a bucket of vanilla and chocolate oat swirl ice cream before flinging herself onto her favorite chaise lounge, mumbling some very angry words and a few obscenities between spoonful’s of ice cream.

“Uh oh, I’m guessing Rarity’s date didn’t go very well,” Scootaloo whispered.

“No way, she went for the extra large bucket, clear sign of something gone wrong,” Sweetie Belle replied.

“Is she gonna be alright?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Um, why don’t you two make some popcorn and then go to my room. I’m going to make sure Rarity’s ok,” Sweetie Belle said.

“Good luck,” both Scootaloo and Apple Bloom said before they scurried off to the kitchen. Sweetie Belle pulled herself out of her card burial and slowly walked over to her emotional sister.

“H-hey Rarity. Uh, how’s it going?” Sweetie’s voice was soothing, like she was trying to calm down the fuse of a bomb.

Rarity pulled her muzzle out of her ice cream and glared at her little sister. “How’s it going? How’s it going!? I’ll tell you how it’s going! That-that-that CAD! He was nothing but a completely insufferable boor! He kept talking on and on about himself, and all the ‘great’ things he’s done! ‘Oh let me tell you about the time I scored the record number of points out of any rookie in the league’s history,’ ‘I put Canterlot’s team on the map you know,’ ‘you should see how many fans I have, stallions, foals and mares.’ He looked down on every pony we met, including me! I’m going to have to apologize profusely to Maud and Mudbriar for his rotten behavior! Do you know what he said about me being in the fashion industry? ‘Oh how cute, I suppose every mare should have a hobby.’

“A hobby!? I’ve worked my hooves to the bone to get to where I am today! And this low-down snob has the gall, the absolute nerve, to scoff at my accomplishments!? UGH! I just can’t believe him, and he seemed so nice too, HA! Nice? He was just another prince charmless masquerading as a gentlecolt!” Rarity finished her rant by shoveling a few more helpings of frozen comfort into her mouth.

Sweetie Belle was well aware of her sister’s date with Heavy Hitter, the polo MVP. Rarity wouldn’t shut up about him ever since she got back to Ponyville and the hour or two leading up to their date. Of course she wished nothing but the best of luck, but deep down, Sweetie had a gut feeling that this guy was just going to be another insensitive jerk to add to the tally.

Sweetie patted her sister’s shoulder, “It’s ok Rarity. This guy may have been a dud, but I’m sure the next stallion will be better. You just gotta put yourself out there and try again.” Sweetie Belle’s cheer had no positive effects on Rarity, if anything it made her shovel her ice cream faster.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Why do I keep falling for these thoughtless stallions? I may have high standards, but I don’t think they’re unreasonable. A true gentlecolt, strong, tall, handsome, somepony who’ll treat me like a princess and support me in my career. Somepony I can share my secrets with and makes me feel safe. Is that really so much to ask?”

"Well… I don’t think so. I mean, I think that’s something everypony wants. You just haven’t found the right guy yet. You just need to find the right pony that sees you for you. Not just a pretty face, but thinks you’re the greatest mare in all of Equestria. I know there’s somepony out there like that. Who knows, he might appear when you least expect it.”

Sweetie Belle’s words finally pulled Rarity out of her ice cream. She gave a soft smile and pulled Sweetie into a hug. “Thank you darling, you really know how to perk a pony up don’t you?”

“All in a days work for a Cutie Mark Crusader and a sister. Feeling any better?”

“I’ll be fine Sweetie Belle, now run along and play with your friends, don’t let my crummy night get in the way of your fun.” Rarity went back to eating her ice cream in a more refined and less aggressive way. As Sweetie Belle left, she gave one last look at her sister. Even thought Rarity gave her a big smile, Sweetie saw the sadness in her eyes. Another hopeful flame has gone out.

“He really said that?” Scootaloo exclaimed, popcorn shards spewing from her mouth.

“Yep, he sure did,” sighed Sweetie Belle.

“Why that no good, gol dern, varmint! If Ah were your sis, Ah’d buck that big galoot into a dumpster for being such a jerk!” Apple Bloom bucked an imaginary pony to emphasize her point.

“But the worst thing about this is that I think Rarity’s starting to lose faith that she’ll find her special somepony,” Sweetie continued.

“Is she going to be ok?” asked Scootlaoo.

“I don’t know. She said she was fine, but you should have seen her. I’ve never seen her eyes like that before. They looked so dim and heartbroken, I just wish there was something I could do…-“ a light lit up in Sweetie as she came to a realization “-Wait a second! What if we helped Rarity find her special some-“ Sweetie was silenced by a yellow hoof on her lips.

“Sweetie Belle, Ah know yer upset and all, but if Ah learned anything from being a Crusader, it’s that we really ought to stay away from the whole ‘matchmaking’ thing. It doesn’t end well.”

Scootaloo stepped forward, “I have to side with Apple Bloom on this one, sure Big Mac and Sugar Belle are happy together, but we really shouldn’t have been meddling as much as we did.”

“An’ you remember how much extra homework Ms. Cheerlie gave us after that whole love potion thing?” Apple Bloom added.

Sweetie Belle shuddered. The memory of the equations, grammar assignments and essays on “why love potions are wrong,” and Ms. Cheerlie making them stay after school so she could go over each of their work to make sure they weren’t copying each other was not a pleasant memory.

Scootaloo put her hoof on Sweetie’s shoulder, “We know you want to help her Sweetie Belle, but maybe the best thing you can do for Rarity is support and encourage her.”

Sweetie sighed, they both had good points. The Cutie Mark Crusaders could do many things, tap dance, juggle, solve mysteries and tame lions to name a few. But the field of love is one they haven’t had any success in. But Sweetie Belle couldn’t take that lying down. She wasn’t going to give up on Rarity. Sweetie had to help, even if she has to do it alone. Don’t worry Rarity. I’ll figure something out.

A battle was being fought in the halls of the Castle of Friendship, the sounds of clashing metal and flashes of light and smoke joined the explosions. Anypony from out of town might have cause for alarm, after all the Princess of Friendship might be in danger. But to the residents of Ponyville, this was just a typical “guys night” thing.

On the make believe battlefield, an army of cardboard monsters surrounded an archer with a long flowing wig and a “unicorn” black knight.

“Behind you, Sir McBiggin!” Discord let loose a volley of arrows that hit a gang of cardboard cut out skeletons. “Are you unharmed Sir McBiggin?”

“Eeyup!” Big Mac said, pounding a hoof on his chest plate.

“Good, here’s the plan. You clear a path through the goblins while I take out the gargoyle sentry. Then Garbuncle will launch his fire spell, destroying the powder kegs and sending General Snide and the rest of his cronies back to the Squizard with their tails between their legs and smelling of burnt toast! Then, after Feather Fall the Quick swipes the key to Snide’s golden hoard, the vault will be ours!”

Big Mac nodded and raised his sword, he shouted a war cry and charged forward, clearing away the cardboard goblins with ease, but the sheer number of goblins was proving difficult for Big Mac to handle. Just when it seemed like he was going to be overrun, Big Mac stomped his hooves into the ground, knocking the goblins off balance. Seizing the opportunity, Big Mac drew his sword and started clearing out the enemy numbers while Discord lined up his sights on the gargoyle sentry that was swooping down, paper sharp talons out, aiming for the black knight’s head. Discord focused his eyes on his target, he only had one shot at this and if he failed, the party wouldn’t stand a chance against the paper craft enemies. He held his breath and let his arrow loose, it soared through the air and struck a direct hit to the gargoyle’s weak point, sending it crashing into the ground like a ton of bricks. A stockpile of powder kegs was in full view.

“Alright Garbuncle, take the shot! …Hit it now Garbuncle! Uh… Garbuncle?” Discord looked around for the pint sized dragon wizard, only to find said wizard drawing doodles in the pseudo dirt sighing sadly into his claw.

Discord slapped a paw against his face and huffed, “Oh for the love of!“- he placed two talons into his mouth and whistled, stopping all the monsters in their tracks “- Alright everypony timeout! Calling timeout, we’ll set up again in five! Gunkwart, great use of acid breath, keep up the good work. Scalpula, please, for the love of Celestia do something about your sword. I swear I’ve stepped on blades of grass that were sharper.” The cardboard baddies dispersed amongst themselves and started doing stretches, chatting around a water cooler, read some magazines and manage their weapons and armor.

“Oh come on!” cried a raspy voice. A pegasus in a thief’s garb flew up to Discord and pulled back her mask and hood to reveal a vibrant rainbow mane. “What the hay Discord? I was this close to swiping General Snide’s key to his gold hoard and you call a time out? There better be a good reason,” Rainbow Dash said. Discord pointed a finger to the melancholy dragon drawing random lines and sad faces with his staff. “Ok, that’s a good reason. Let’s go see what’s wrong.”

In truth they all had a good idea what was wrong. Spike’s been like this for the last few days, they thought that with any luck a nice exciting game of Ogres and Oubliettes would get Spike out of his slump. But since that plan wasn’t working, they tried the next best thing, talking about it. “

"Hey Spike, what’s up?” Rainbow Dash asked.

Spike looked up at Rainbow and then looked back down at the dirt, “I’m fine…”

“You are most certainly not fine, you look absolutely miserable! Now, out with it, what’s wrong?” Discord wasn’t so much asking as he was ordering.

“It’s… nothing. Really, I’m just in a bad mood. I don’t want to talk about it,” Spike said quickly before turning his back on the group.

Big Mac sat next to Spike and put a hoof on his shoulder, “Spike, you an’ Ah both know Ah aint much fer talkin. But Ah know that look, it’s tha look of heartbreak. Ah’ve had that look myself when Ah thought Sugar Belle broke up with me. Ah know how ya feel, but you know what helped me? Havin’ my friends around ta help pick me up an’ straighten everythin’ out with my special lady. But we can’t help ya if ya don’t talk about it. So? What’s wrong buddy?”

Maybe it was Discord’s “concern” or Big Mac’s sincerity, but for the first time in days, Spike had a genuine smile on. Realizing he’s held onto this baggage long enough and that his friends were there to help him out, Spike took a deep breath and began, “Well…remember how we had a ‘half-day’ at school a few days ago?”

“Yeah,” Dash said.

“And that I got to spend the rest of the day with Rarity?”

“You called me an ‘annoying bug,’ of course I remember,” Discord huffed.

“Well, it started out great. We had lunch, caught up and even got to spend some time in the park. She gave me a comic and then… she said she had a date with some guy… I know I was expecting a lot. Like, a lot a lot. But we were having such a great time and I just thought, maybe… I don’t know…” Spike’s ear fins drooped and his gaze fell with them.

“Ya wish she’d gone on that date with you,” Big Mac finished.

“Yeah… I know it’s selfish of me. I should just be happy that Rarity’s happy with whoever she’s with.”

“Pfff, ha-ha-ha! Happy? With that clown?” Rainbow Dash clasped her hooves over her big mouth. Everypony turned and looked at her quizzically.

“Rarity’s date was with a clown?” Spike asked.

“Uh, I, um, n-not exactly, but uhh,” Rainbow Dash was working up a nervous sweat trying to speak.

“Oooooh, Rainbow Dash has some gossip! Please do tell, with excruciating detail! Come on, dish it filly!” Discord sang out from his folding chair with a bag of chips on his lap.

Rainbow Dash bit her lip and rubbed her hoof on her opposite foreleg, debating whether or not to come clean. She started slow, “Uhhh, sooo, you know how Rarity went on a date? I mean, of course you knew, you were there when she, *cough*, anyway, I was hanging with Scootaloo yesterday and she told me that Rarity’s date was a total jerk bag and she wanted to know how I deal with jerky stallions.”

“Pfft, Rainbow Dash giving dating advice? The little filly might as well ask a fish jogging tips,” Discord snickered.

Dash blushed, “I’ve been on dates! Tons of them!” she didn’t sound very convincing. “As I was saying, Scoots was telling me that Rarity took the rejection pretty hard.”

Spike’s claws tightened around his staff, “Rarity’s date was a jerk to her? Why that, that! That jerk! Doesn’t he know how lucky he was to go on a date with somepony so great?”

“Just remember that you didn’t hear this from me. I don’t want anypony to think I’m some kinda gossip. But now that you know, you really ought to see her. If she’s feeling down she’ll need somepony to cheer her up, and if anypony can cheer her up, it’d be you.”

“How should I do that?” Spike asked

“OOH! OOH! Pick me! Pick me!” cried a cheery voice behind a pink waving hoof, in a colorful outfit not the least bit subtle.

“Yes Pinkie?” Rainbow Dash asked.

Pinkie Pie folded her forelegs across her chest with a pout, compressing the puffy costume,” Whooooo?”

Dash smacked her hoof to her forehead in frustration, “Ugh, Magpie the Silly…”

Pinkie gleefully bounced over to Spike and pulled him close with a hoof, “I think what Rarity needs is a night of fun, fun, fun! Garbuncle, next time you see Spike tell him that Pinkie Pie is throwing a party celebrating her 1,000th party, as far as she knows and that he should ask Rarity if she wants to go!”

“A 1,000th party, party? I’d have thought you- that Pinkie had thrown more than that,” Spike said, pressed against the very loud fabric.

“Weeeellll, Pinkie Pie decided to start celebrating every 1,000 parties but she didn’t have her party cave before she became Equestria’s number one party planner, so she didn’t keep a record of those parties, so she decided to throw a party every time she thinks she’s thrown 1,000 parties, because she’s probably thrown 1,000 parties by whenever she thinks she started!”

“I guess that makes sense? But what should I- uh, Spike say? I don’t think he’d want to ask Rarity on a date after a lousy one.”

“Oh silly, silly Garbuncle, that’s the best part! Spike should ask Rarity to go as friends, which should be SUPER easy since they’re already such good friends! That way neither of them will feel pressure about spending time with each other!”

Spike chuckled, “That sounds like a great idea Magpie, I’ll be sure to tell Spike all about it. Now, what was that about sending General Snide and his goons back to the Squizard with their tail between their legs?”

“Well it’s about darn time! I was running out of chips,”- Discord sprung out of his folding chair and whistled again- "ok, ok everypony, get into positions! We’re taking it from ‘Discord lined up his shots on the gargoyle sentry that was swooping down.’ Ready? One, two, three!” Discord let his arrow loose, it soared through the air and struck a direct hit to the gargoyle’s weak point, sending it crashing into the ground like a ton of bricks. “Alright Garbuncle! Do what you do best!” Discord gave a thumbs up to the little fire mage.

Spike smiled, he was lucky to have friends as supportive as they were. To have ponies (and Discord) around to help pick him up and move forward. He gripped his staff in his claws and fired a mighty flame into the pile of powder kegs, blowing the makeshift mountain range up like a fireworks display. The many cardboard baddies were sent scattering to the winds and Spike and the party rejoiced in their victory.

The next day, Spike flew towards Carousel Boutique. He had spent enough time being sad and now he was determined to help Rarity. Even the thought of Rarity being sad upset Spike greatly and he was going to make sure that by the end of the night Rarity would be herself again.

He landed on the welcome mat and knocked on the door, after a few moments he knocked again. “I’m coming!” called out a voice, it wasn’t Rarity; she sounded too young. Sweetie Belle opened the door, “Oh hi Spike, what brings you here?” she asked.

Spike had a nervous quaver in his voice, “Hey Sweetie Belle, I was wondering if Rarity was home. I, uh, wanted to ask her about something.”

The light in Sweetie Belle lit up again, she smiled wide as she came to her conclusion, “Of course, Spike! Uh-I mean- of course Spike, she is here. Just wait and I’ll go get her.” she spun on her hooves and ran to find her sister. “Why didn’t I think of this before? Spike! He’s perfect! He’s kind, supportive, all of those other things Rarity said, he already treats her like a princess, well, more like a goddess. Hmm, he isn’t tall or strong, I hope that’s not a dealbreaker.”

Sweetie Belle entered Rarity’s workroom, the organized chaos that was her creative space was looking just as messy as ever. Rarity was sitting at her sewing machine with her red glasses, focusing on the task at hoof. “Hey Rarity!" In Sweetie Belle’s excitement she neglected to lower the volume of her voice. Rarity was jolted out of her concentration.

“Sweetie Belle! What did I say about knocking and more importantly, what did I say about your inside voice? I nearly jumped out of my fur!” Rarity scolded. She was in no mood for Sweetie’s antics right now. She had important work to do and wanted to keep her mind occupied.

“Sorry Rarity, I didn’t mean it. I just wanted to tell you that Spike’s here and he wants to see you.”

“Really? Well, alright. I’ll be down in a moment. Thank you for telling me.”

“No prob sis!” Sweetie chirped like an excited sparrow. She left Rarity’s workspace and descended the stairs.

Rarity Sighed and placed her glasses next to her sewing machine, perhaps seeing a friend will bring her mood up. She wanted time to herself to try and decompress. It’s not that she wanted to avoid her friends, she just needed some alone time. She found Spike on the show floor, engaging in small talk with a very excited little sister. Sweetie Belle waved Rarity over when she saw her, “Rarity! Here’s Spike, he wants to ask you something!”

Rarity rubbed her temple, “Thank you Sweetie Belle. Hello Spike, how are you today?”

“Great, I’m doing great. And how are you today Rarity?”

“I’m doing well thank you. So, what did you want to ask me about?”

“Um, well, Pinkie Pie is throwing a ‘Pinkie’s 1,000th party, as far as she knows party,’ and I was wondering if you wanted to go? I know you probably have a lot of work to do, but maybe you can take a break tonight and have some fun?”

“Well… I don’t know. I haven’t really been in a party mood and I wouldn’t want to fall behind with my work…”

“I think you should go,” Sweetie cut in. “C’mon Rarity, you’ve been working non-stop for days, you can treat yourself to a break. Plus what’s better than spending time with your favorite dragon? Getting to go to an awesome party with your favorite dragon.”

Rarity took a moment to think. True she had been working hard to take her mind off her recent heartache. Working so hard that she actually forgot what day it was today. Maybe Sweetie Belle had a point.

“Please Rarity? You’ll have a great time, I promise,” said Spike.

Rarity gave a small smile and sighed, “Very well. I suppose I’ve been cooped up in here longer than I realized. A party sounds great, come by the boutique later and we’ll go. Is that ok?”

“Sounds great, I’ll see you tonight,” Spike gave a wave goodbye before flying out of the boutique. As soon as he was gone Sweetie began jumping about.

“Oh this is so great!”

“And why is that?” Rarity asked, eyeing her little sister with suspicion.

“Uh, um, well because, I think that it’s great that you’re going out tonight.”

“Why? Are you and your little Crusader friends planning on causing trouble?”

“No, its just… you seemed so sad after your date and you kept working on projects and not leaving the house. I was just worried about you and I thought this might be what you need to cheer up.”

She wasn’t lying; Sweetie really was worried about her big sister. Every time she came to visit, Rarity always had a smile on, but it wasn’t genuine. She knew her smile was just painted on, nothing short of a façade. But then Spike showed up and Sweetie Belle knew if anypony could make Rarity happy, truly happy, it’d be him. The perfect guy for Rarity was in front of her the whole time. All Sweetie had to do now was start to inch them closer together and a party was a great start.

Rarity pulled Sweetie Belle in for a hug, “It’s very sweet of you to be so worried about me darling, but I don’t want my little sister worrying about my love life. I’m fine, really I am. Perhaps a bit overworked is all.” She let go of Sweetie and went back to her workroom.

Sweetie Belle listened to the whirr of the sewing machine, “I can’t help but worry sis. You deserve to be happy…” she said sadly.

The time for Pinkie’s big bash was drawing near as spike flew up to Rarity’s door. He’d spent the whole day getting ready, making sure his scales were polished, claws trimmed and nerves settled. They were just going to the party as friends, he kept telling himself that, but just thinking about going to any shindig with Rarity always made the butterflies in his stomach swarm. He knocked and in a few moments the door opened and the butterflies were at a crescendo.

“Good evening Spike,” said Rarity.

“H-hello Rarity. You look l-lovely this evening,” Spike wanted to kick himself. One for the nervous stutter and another for saying “lovely this evening.” He was here as a friend, he didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable by saying something that might come off as flirty. And a third kick because she always looked lovely, not just this evening.

Rarity giggled, “Thank you Spike, shall we be going then?”

“Just a sec, I have something for you-“ Spike pulled a red rose from behind his back, he flew close to Rarity’s head and tucked it between her ear and her purple curls, “-it’s just a little something to say thank you for the comic. Do you like it?”

Rarity ducked into the boutique and peeked at a small mirror by the door used for last second inspections to make sure she’s presentable. The rose wasn’t very big, but it didn’t need to be. It complemented her mane color perfectly and was subtle enough that it wasn’t too distracting from the rest of her features. She smiled warmly at Spike and gave him a nuzzle, “It’s wonderful Spiky, thank you.”

Spike blushed, he flew to Rarity’s side and the two of them began heading to Pinkie’s party. The party was taking place at the center of town near city hall. The invitations that literally everypony in Ponyville received said that there’ll be food, punch, a magic show, a wide variety of carnival games and a plethora of other things that got cut off on the invites. Spike and Rarity joined the crowed as Pinkie Pie took to the stage to ring in the party.

Pinkie Tapped the mic, “Thank you, thank you everycreature for coming out to ‘Pinkie Pie’s 1,000th party as far as I know, party!” Aaaannnnnnnd without further ado, LEEEEEEEEEET’S PARTY!!!!” Pinkie pulled the rope on her party cannon and streams of confetti rained down on the crowd as they all cheered and dispersed to partake in the party’s fare.

Spike turned to Rarity, “So what do you want to do first? Bobbing for apples? Throw some balls at the dunk tank? Oh! How about dancing?”

“Actually I’m a little parched, perhaps you could grab us some punch?” Rarity replied.

Spike saluted, “One cup of punch coming up!” Spike flew off to the buffet tables that had everything from multi-layered cakes to hayburgers and fries. Spike found the punchbowl, which was the size of a small pool and scooped up a cup for himself and Rarity. He flew back to where she was and stopped.

He saw Rarity sitting on a bench, she lost the smile she came to the party with, her ears were drooped and her eyes didn’t have the luster that Spike was always hypnotized by. He took a deep breath and put on a confident smile. For Rarity, he thought as he flew and landed softly in front of her. “Here ya go, one cup of punch for the lady.”

Rarity quickly put on her happy façade as the cup in Spike’s claw glowed a familiar blue aura and Rarity levitated it up to her lips. She took a dainty sip of the fruity red liquid and sighed, “Delicious, just the right amount of sweetness.”

Spike took a seat next to her and had a sip from his own cup, “You’re right, it’s really good.” They sat in silence for the next few minutes. Spike was wracking his brain just trying to think of a way to open up a conversation. I probably shouldn’t ask her about her date. At least not yet, I don’t want to upset her. but she doesn’t know I know her date went bad, so should I ask? But since I do know that she had a bad date I don’t want to make her feel bad knowing I know about it.

“I’m glad to see your wings healed up nicely,” Rarity said, finally cutting the silence and Spike’s train of thought.

“Oh thanks! Yep, good as new, I can fly again and it’s nice being able to talk to ponies at eye level,” Spike said cheerily.

“I’m sure it makes Twilight’s chores easier too.”

“Big time, especially chores in the castle library. I can go from top to bottom in no time flat again.”

“Well that’s good.” Silence between the two began again and Spike could see her eyes were still dim.

“He took a deep breath and asked, “Hey Rarity? A-are you ok?”

Rarity’s punch nearly leaked out of the corners of her mouth she smiled so fast and so wide, “W-why what makes you say that?”

“Well it’s just that you seem really sad. And I was wondering if you wanted to talk about it.”

“I’m not sad, I’m just tired. Overworked and tired is all. Maybe a little stressed too, from the work. I’m ok,” Rarity felt Spike’s claws wrap around her hoof.

Spike was blushing at the boldness of his action. He spoke clearly and with resolve, “Rarity, I won’t force you to talk if you don’t want to. But you’re my friend and I just want to help. I’ll always be here to help if I can. If you’ll let me. You sure you don’t want to talk about it?”

Rarity paused as she felt the warmth of Spike’s claw spreading through her body. And the sheer sincerity in his voice felt like it was melting through her walls. She bit her lip, deciding whether or not to actually confide in Spike. Then she saw his eyes. Those emerald pools that held no judgments or criticism just concern. She downed the rest of her punch in one gulp and began slowly, “You… remember my date a few nights ago right?”

“Yeah.”

Well it… it didn’t go very well. I’d dare say it was a downright disaster.”

“What happened?”

“He was an absolute blight! A self-absorbed cur that only cared about himself. Never caring about what I do or what I think! You know what he called my accomplishments in fashion? CUTE! He called my mark in fashion ‘cute’ as if it were a silly little pastime while he kept bragging about how many trophies he’s won or how he’s the best polo player in all of Canterlot! I swear if I never see or hear the name ‘Heavy Hitter’ again, it’ll be too soon!” Rarity finished her rant and huffed to catch her breath.

“I don’t believe that guy! He didn’t care about anything you said?”

“Unless I was praising him or on his looks or his precious accomplishments I might as well have been a ghost.”

“That creep! If I ever see that guy I swear I'll, I’ll… Rarity?” Spike’s anger dissipated when he saw the tears in Rarity’s eyes. Try as she might, she couldn’t hold them back any longer and they fell freely. She quietly sobbed as her tears and mascara fell on the ground.

“What’s wrong with me Spike? Why am I only attracted to shallow, selfish stallions that can’t even be bothered to care about me? Blueblood, Trenderhoof, Heavy Hitter and the stallions I can’t even remember anymore all have one thing in common, I fall for them at first sight and expect them to be my prince charming and every time I’m left disappointed and feel like such a fool for letting myself believe that ‘this one will be different.’ Maybe I should just give up on love and get some more cats…”

Spike was shocked. He had no idea Rarity was holding on to this much anguish from her past relationships. She always seemed fine after a bad date, sure she’d be huffy afterwards, but she always bounced back and was on her hooves in no time, brandishing the confidence the mare was known for. But the Rarity he was seeing before him was as fragile as fine china, full of self-doubt and heartbreak. Spike felt guilty for being so down over the last few days while Rarity was feeling this beaten down. He should have seen her sooner, he should have been there to listen to her plight sooner.

He gathered his thoughts and said, “Don’t give up on love Rarity, so Heavy Hitter wasn’t the right guy for you, to heck with him, it’s his loss not yours.”

“But-“

“No buts. Rarity, you’re one of the most incredible ponies I know. You’re a fashion legend, an element of harmony, a teacher and you’d do anything for a friend in need. You’re clever, beautiful and have overcome so many obstacles and challenges over the years we’ve known each other. How many ponies can say they’ve saved Equestria? Not very many, right? So what if those guys didn’t appreciate you, they’re just missing out on somepony great, not just great, wonderful. Maybe going after those wealthy snobs just isn’t the right match for you. You just need to find the pony who’ll appreciate you for you.”

“You sound like Sweetie Bell. Do you really think the right pony is out there for me?”

“Can’t he be a dragon?” Spike whispered to himself.

“What was that?”

"Nothing! I mean, I’m sure he’s out there, waiting for the mare of his dreams. C’mon Rarity, you’re better than to let some dumb stallion bring you down. You just gotta get back out there and try again. You can do this, I know you can and you know you can.”

Rarity wasn’t sure where this side of Spike was hiding; perhaps being at Twilight’s side helped him pick up on some wisdom. But wherever it came from, Rarity was glad she had a friend like Spike to help snap her out of her insecurities. She dabbed her tears away with a napkin and took a deep breath,” You’re right Spike. Forget those foolish stallions that had a chance with me and blew it. If anything I dodged a cannonball with them.”

“That’s the spirit! So, what do you want to do now?”

Rarity smiled, “I think I see Trixie and Starlight performing their signature trick, let’s go watch.”

“As you wish my lady,” Spike said, happy to see that wonderful smile again.

After hours of dancing, an accordion duet with Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich, bobbing for apples (Applejack was the star of this event to no pony’s surprise), a ferries wheel ride, a cake and pie sampling, carnival games and another dance for good measure, Spike and Rarity left the party and began walking (or in Spike’s case flying) down the street back to Carousel Boutique. The two were sharing a cotton candy cone, though Spike ate most of it.

“You know Spike I really ought to thank you for today. I had a lot of fun,” Rarity said as she nibbled her last piece of cotton candy.

“Aww, it was nothing Rarity. I just did what any friend would do.” Spike tossed the sticky cone into the garbage.

“It was most certainly not nothing. I was wallowing away in my shop until you came by. Thank you for convincing me to go to Pinkie’s party.”

“I think Sweetie Belle deserves some credit for that too. Feeling better?”

“I most certainly am, I’m feeling lighter than air and I got to spend time with a dear friend and the best part is I’ve forgotten all about-“

“Oh there you are Rarity. Where have you been?” A voice seeped with arrogance cut though Spike and Rarity’s conversation like scissors through silk. Rarity glared daggers at the stallion crossing their path. He was a large earth pony, not as big as Big Mac but pretty close with plenty of muscle. He was wearing a short-sleeved collared shirt and had a tan coat with a dirty blond mane and tail with a thin moustache. He was sporting a cutie mark of a mallet hitting a ball.

“Heavy Hitter…” Rarity let the name ooze out of her refined mouth with as much disgust as she could muster.

“I told you that we had another date tonight and you keep me waiting for hours just so you can spend time with this… reptile?”

“His name is Spike! And I told you I’d rather shave my mane than go on another date with you,” Rarity spat.

“Oh Rarity, we both know that’s not true. Now let’s go, I’m sure there’ll be at least one restaurant open at this hour.”

Spike flew between Rarity and Heavy Hitter and glared at the pompous pony, “Hey pal, Rarity said she’s not going anywhere with you. So get lost,” he growled and blew smoke in Heavy Hitter’s face.

Heavy Hitter just looked at Spike with lidded eyes and gave an annoyed groan, “Excuse me junior, but the adults are talking.” He brought up his hoof and swatted Spike out of his face like a pesky fly. Spike smacked into the wall of a house and fell to the ground, down for the count.

“Spike!” Rarity screamed. She tried to rush to his side and make sure he was ok, but Heavy Hitter blocked her.

“Now that that uppity lizard isn’t bothering us anymore, let’s get going,” He approached Rarity and grabbed her foreleg and started dragging her along. She felt so helpless, Spike was hurt and this brutish pony was carting her off.

Somepony! Anypony! Help! Rarity screamed internally.

“S’cuse me pardner,” came a voice.

“Ugh, what is it now?” asked Heavy Hitter. The next thing he knew a pair of orange hooves slammed into him and he was sent flying through the air into an alleyway where he landed in a dumpster with a loud clang.

Applejack stood tall and flicked her hat above her brow in a victory pose, “The lady said ‘no,’ y’alright Rarity?”

Rarity dashed over to Spike, he was still out cold and slumped against the wall. Rarity was softly slapping his cheek, trying to get him to come around, “Spike! Spike darling! Are you ok? Please wake up!”

Spike groaned and slowly opened his eyes. His double vision soon subsided, “Rarity? What happened? Are you ok?”

“Yes, I’m fine. But I’m more worried about you. Are you ok?”

“I’m really sore. Wait? What happened to Heavy Hitter?”

“Ah took care of that slimy varmint. Gave ‘em the ol’ Apple family buck special. You’re… uh, not gonna owe me another life debt again, are ya?" Applejack said that last part nervously.

Spike barely registered anything that was said. His head was killing him and his back was in a similar state. But what hurt the most was Spike’s ego. I…I couldn’t protect her… he thought, I couldn’t protect Rarity and had to be saved by Applejack again!

“Spike darling, what’s the matter?” Rarity asked.

“What? Oh, um, no don’t worry Applejack, you don’t have to worry about a life debt or anything…” Spike stood up and fell after taking his first step. He cried out in pain as he felt an electric current of pain run through him.

“Spike!” Both mares exclaimed.

Applejack carefully picked him up and placed him on her back. "Ah’ll get Spike to a doctor quick like. You go an’ tell Twilight what happened,” Applejack began galloping towards the hospital.

“Right! I’ll see you there!” Rarity called out as she ran towards the castle.

As Applejack ran through town she started hearing sniffling sounds. She thought about slowing down in case somepony was hurt, but realized that the sniffling was coming from her passenger.

“I’m sorry Rarity… I’m sorry…” Spike whispered over and over again.

Applejack’s heart sank hearing the little dragon’s sad words. She picked up the pace, “Don’t worry sugarcube, you’ll be alright.”

Author's Note

Oh. My, GOD! I' can't believe it's been a whole freaking month since my last update. I REALLY wish I was updating every two weeks or so, but being a student trying to graduate kinda sucks up a lot of my time. I swear I'm trying to pump these chapters out faster than this, but I'm kind of a perfectionist, if the chapter isn't good enough I gotta go back and edit, rewrite and get my proofreader on it. I am SO sorry I'm being so slow, please forgive me. I'm actually thinking of doing something about it, maybe dividing my 7,000+ word chapters in half. It'd still be the same story, but told in two chapters instead of one thus quicker releases.

On another note, you guys see the trailer for the final season? Man oh man am I sad that MLP is ending. Also the fact that Sombra comes back kinda throws a wrench in my story, but then I remembered "Oh yeah, I go mostly by comic lore," I mean I made the "Siege of the Crystal Empire" arc canon in this story in the last chapter and I plan on sticking to it. Anyways, I am planning on continuing this story even after the show ends and I really hope you guys will keep reading, because I have a lot of fun writing them and I have a HUGE new world I want to share with you.

See you all next time :raritywink:

Silver Wit

Wants and Needs

I do hope Spike is ok, Rarity thought to herself. Her mind has been like this all morning and it wasn’t getting any better as she made her way to Twilight’s castle. The poor dear has been beaten and battered so much lately. A sweet little dragon like Spike shouldn’t have to endure such things. Rarity entered the castle, her hooves clacking on the crystal floors. “Hello? Spike? Twilight? Anypony home?” Rarity called out to no response. Strange, usually there’d be at least somepony around. If not the castle’s occupants than one of her other friends would be there to greet her. She walked further into the castle past the kitchen, the main library and the map room. There was nopony to be found.

She walked up the stairs to the second floor, where Spike, Twilight and Starlight’s rooms were located. As she turned down the hall she knew something was amiss. There was a vase lying broken on the floor, water pooling around the broken glass and flowers. The table that Rarity assumed held the vase was knocked over and the picture on the wall behind the table was crooked. If her knowledge of Shadow Spade novels had taught her anything it’d be either a struggle took place in the hall or somepony was in quite the rush to leave. She continued down the hall.

She heard a familiar sound of magic being cast and Twilight and Starlight running around in a panic. They were at the end of the hall in one of Twilight’s study rooms, Rarity couldn’t make out the words, but could tell by their tone that they were freaking out about something. Rarity wanted to know what could be worrying her friends this much and walked towards the study, until she heard a sound that grabbed her attention away. She heard soft sobs coming from behind one of the doors in the hall, she realized that it was coming from behind Spike’s door. She approached the door and knocked gently. “Spike? Spike are you in there?”

“R-Rarity? Is that you?” Spike said. At least Rarity thought it was Spike, the voice sounded different. It still sounded like Spike, but it was deeper and a bit gruffer.

“Yes it’s me, are you ok?” Rarity turned the knob to Spike’s door and started opening it.

“NO!” Spike yelled before the door slammed shut, almost hitting Rarity in the nose. She tried to open the door again but it wouldn’t budge. It felt like there was something heavy blocking the door. Like a dresser or something, it reminded Rarity of a filly throwing a tantrum and blocking her own door.

“Spike! That was very rude, what in Equestria has gotten into you?”

There was a moment of silence before Spike spoke. “You… you can’t see me! I-I- don’t want you to see me, I don’t want anypony seeing me like this!” Spike’s voice was quivering like he was seconds away from more tears.

Rarity’s heart ached. Spike sounded so scared and vulnerable. “Spike. Please. I want to know what’s wrong, please let me in,” Rarity spoke with tenderness, hoping Spike would listen to her soft words.

“B-but, you won’t like what you see…”

“Spike! I’m hurt that you’d think I wouldn’t approve of how you look. We’re friends aren’t we?”

“Yeah, but-“

“No buts, darling. I promise you that you have nothing to worry about. Now, are you just going to leave a lady out here to worry her pretty head off or will you let me in?”

After a few seconds Rarity heard the sound of something heavy moving away from the door and a soft, “Ok…” coming from inside the room. She smiled to herself, feeling relieved that Spike listened to her pleas. She took a deep breath, turned the knob and opened the door. She stepped into the darkened room and as the light from the hall fell onto Spike, Rarity’s eyes widened and her jaw went slack.

The only thing Rarity could say was, “Oh my…”

Earlier:

Twilight approached Spike’s door with a bowl of gems in her magic grasp. She knocked, “Spike? Spike are you up yet?” Twilight knocked again and after a few seconds of no replies she turned the doorknob and stepped into the dark room. The only sign that Twilight wasn’t alone was the snoring coming from the direction of Spike’s bed.

Twilight smiled and rolled her eyes, “All right sleepy head, it’s time to get up. It’s almost ten and we’ve got work to do.” Twilight used her magic to pull the blinds on Spike’s windows flooding the room with light. A loud groan was heard and then a mighty yawn.

Spike groggily croaked, “Uhhhh… Five more minutes Twi-” There was a crash of breaking ceramic and a scatter of gems on the ground and Spike sprang awake. “Twilight! What’s wrong? What happened?”

Twilight was standing stiff. Her eyes were at their widest in complete shock and her mouth hung open only emitting random croaks and random nervous sputters one makes when they’ve seen something so unbelievable.

“Twilight? Are you ok? Why do you look so small? Wait. What’s wrong with my voice?-” Spike moved his claws to his throat “-What? What’s wrong with my neck?-“ He pulled his claws back “- My-my claws! Th-they’re HUGE!” Spike leapt out of bed and landed on his two feet and with his large size he began to lose his balance and fell on his back. He sat up and looked over his body. His torso was massive with a broad chest and shoulders. His legs were large and muscular along with his arms and his wingspan was almost double his length. “T-Twilight?”

Twilight promptly entered freak out mode and began pacing around the room. “How did this happen? Spike are you hoarding again?”

“No! I-I’m not-“

“No, you’re room looks the same as yesterday. Was it something you ate? No, aside from gems, we eat the same things. Even if that was a factor why would it happen now?’

“Twilight…”

“Maybe you brushed against some kind of magical artifact that makes you grow? But I don’t own anything like that, there isn’t something like that at the school and Starlight doesn’t have one either as far as I know.”

“Twilight!”

“Space radiation! Maybe a meteor shower triggered something in the atmosphere that caused you to grow? But we haven’t had a meteor shower since-“

“TWILIGHT!” Spike yelled. Twilight stopped pacing.

Spike was trembling; tears were dripping down his face as he held himself in his arms. “Twilight, I’m scared. Am I… losing control like on my birthday? Am I gonna turn into a monster again? I-I don’t want to be a monster! Please help me Twilight. I don’t know what to do!”

Without a second thought Twilight flew up to Spike and hugged his head. She spoke in a soothing voice. “It’s ok Spike. You’re going to be ok. You won’t turn into a monster again, I promise. I just, uh, need to do some research.”
Twilight dashed out the room and collided with a table in the hall as she called out Starlight’s name. Spike closed the door and his blinds and began to cry.

Twilight Sparkle had no shortage of books. As a princess, headmare and a scholar, Twilight had a book for just about everything. Home repair, potions, summoning cosmic horrors (a gift from Discord), tips on being a good student, tips on how to be a good teacher, proper floor waxing technique, hitchhiker’s guide to the multiverse (the words “Don’t Panic” were written on the cover in a relaxing font), dum-dum’s guide to dancing, cook books, what to do when a volcano erupts, and a few dating books (none of which had a very weathered spine). Yes, as a princess, a headmare and a scholar, Twilight had a book for just about every problem. Well, almost every problem.

“Did you find anything yet?” Twilight called out, as a train of books passed her. Eyes darting from top to bottom of the pages that went by.

The study was abuzz with activity as rows and rows of books flew off of shelves and swarmed around Twilight and her protégé. The sound of fluttering paper permeated the room.

“No, nothing in ‘magic anomalies volumes six, twelve or thirty.’ What about you?” Starlight replied as she teleported to another shelf.

“Not a single darn clue. I knew I should’ve done an extra cataloging session, we would’ve found something by now!” Twilight groaned in irritation as she smacked her head against another unhelpful tome.

“Even if you did two extra cataloguing sessions it wouldn’t help. None of these books pertain to dragons let alone random growth spurts.”

“Keep looking! There has to be something, anything! Spike’s counting on us!”

Rarity’s voice cut through the shuffle of Twilight’s research project. “Twilight…”

All of the flying books halted and dropped in the center of the room. “Rarity? What are you doing here?” Starlight asked.

“I wanted to check in on Spike, but truth be told, I wasn’t expecting to see what I saw,” Rarity replied.

“Rarity!-“ Twilight jumped from her spot and grabbed Rarity by the shoulders “- Rarity please! You’re the only one who could know what’s going on! Please, you have to tell me what happened!”

Starlight pulled Twilight off of Rarity and stood between them. “Whoa, whoa, Twilight, take it easy. I know you’re stressed but you have to calm down.”

Twilight took a deep breath and after a few seconds was visibly calm, “I’m sorry Rarity. I’m just so worried about Spike. Is there anything you can tell me that might have happened yesterday that’d make him grow? Anything at all?”

Rarity pondered Twilight’s question for a moment, “I’m not sure. I suppose I could start from the beginning…”

It had been two days since Pinkie Pie’s 1,000th party, party and the run-in with Heavy Hitter and Rarity was trotting up to the Castle of Friendship with her gem harvesting cart in tow. She was elated to hear that not only had Spike made a full recovery but that he also wanted to go looking for gems as soon as possible. Rarity unhooked herself from the cart and walked into the foyer. “Hello? Anypony home?” she called out.

“Rarity?” Spike’s voice called back. The baby dragon flew from the second floor and landed in front of her, wearing the same look of excitement he always wore that comes with another gem hunting trip.

“Good afternoon Spike, how are you feeling?”

Spike started doing some stretches. “Fit as a fiddle! It’s amazing what a doctor and a hot bath can do for a dragon.”

“Are you sure you’re up for this darling? I wouldn’t want you to push yourself too hard.”

“Aw don’t worry about me, I’m fine. I’ve been cooped up in the castle for days and I really want to get out and stretch my legs.”

“Very well, shall we be off?”

Spike bowed, “After you my lady.”

Rarity trotted up to the cart and strapped herself back into the harness. Spike flew to her side, he was sniffing the air curiously.

“Hey, what smells so good?” Spike asked.

Rarity levitated a basket out of the back of the cart. “Oh, Sweetie Belle insisted I bring this picnic lunch for us and said to ‘take our time.’ I swear that filly is up to something, but I’m not sure what.”

“I’m sure she just doesn’t want us to work on empty stomachs.”

“Hmm, perhaps you’re right. I’m just being silly thinking my sister has ulterior motives for something as simple as a picnic. Now, those gems won’t harvest themselves so let’s get this show on the road.”

Rarity and Spike began their trek to the gem cave. Strolling through town they came to the path on the edge of the Everfree forest that they’ve used and known for ages and the fastest way to the mines.

“So how many gems do we need today?” Spike asked.

“Not even a full carts worth. My gem supplies are actually pretty well off, but I have a feeling I’m going to need just a bit more. It’s that time of year where Sapphire Shores needs a whole new wardrobe and I dare say she loves gems almost as much as you do,” Rarity replied.

“Heh, she has good taste if you ask me.”

Spike and Rarity continued on the path and came to a clearing. The mine was about another ten minutes at most. There was a snap of branches and Spike turned his head, ear fins on full alert.

“Did you hear that?” Spike asked cautiously.

“Hear what Spike?”

There was a howl from the forest and pairs of glowing green eyes appeared in the brush. One by one the creatures emerged from the shadows, their wooden bodies rustling with each encroaching step. Steam rose out of their mouth from their heated breath. They could only be one thing.

“Timberwolves? But they never come to this part of the forest! Why are they here now?” Rarity shrieked.

Spike sniffed and looked back at the wagon, the smell of their lunch still hanging in the air. “It’s Sweetie Belle’s lunch! The smell drew them here!”

“Well if they want it they can have it!”

“I don’t think that’ll help, they found something better than just a small basket of food!”

“Well what are we supposed to do? They’re getting closer!”

“I got this,-“ Spike stood protectively in front of Rarity and took a deep breath and breathed out a wave of green fire above the timberwolves’ heads, they leapt back to avoid it and retreated into the brush. “-Easy peasy.” Spike dusted his claws off in triumph.

“Spike look out!” Rarity screamed.

Out of Spike’s blind spot a timber wolf tackled him and pinned him face down on the ground. “Rarity! Run away!” was all Spike could yell before the wolf pushed his head into the dirt.

More and more growling could be heard. Rarity looked around and saw that they were being circled on all sides. The timber wolves had them trapped.

A wolf leapt for Rarity, she screamed, then a rainbow colored flash knocked the wolf back and freed Spike from his captor.
“Hey bark breaths! You aint having my friends for dinner!” Rainbow Dash shouted knocking her forehooves together in defiance.

The wolves charged forward, they weren’t about to let this three coarse meal slip away. But Rainbow Dash put her cloud busting skills to good use and knocked the wolves back with kicks so fast that all anypony could see was a rainbow blur.

“I think it’s time for you guys to blow!” Rainbow Dash started flying in a circle at a very high speed and in no time flat formed a technicolor tornado and launched it at the pack. The wolves got sucked into the vortex and with a choir of yelps were flung into the forest. Dash scooped up Spike and placed him on her back. “C’mon let’s get out of here!”

Rarity didn’t hesitate and ran as fast as she could after the cyan mare down the path and out of the forest. After they were back in Ponyville the three took a moment to catch their breath.

“You guys alright?” Dash asked.

“Yes, thanks to you. Thank Celestia you were there to help,” Rarity replied.

“Good thing I was clearing out some dark clouds near the forest, you two would’ve been in serious trouble if I wasn't around. How about you Spike, are you ok?”

Spike stayed silent. His eyes were downcast and his fins droopy as he finished picking out the last clumps of dirt and grass from his scales.

“Spike? Darling, what’s wrong?” Rarity asked concerned.

“I’m ok.” Spike said quickly, “Just tired. If-if you’ll excuse me I’m going to go back to the castle. Sorry we couldn’t go gem hunting today.”

And without another word Spike flew off towards the castle as fast as he could fly. Rarity and Dash called out for him but he didn’t stop. If anything it just made him fly faster.

"And I’ve been worried about the poor dear ever since,” Rarity finished.

Twilight was taking notes throughout Rarity’s story and read them over. And read them over again, then scratched her head. “This doesn’t make any sense. Timber wolves can’t make things grow in size and as far as I know Rainbow Dash hasn’t come into contact with anything magical, if she did we’d have a huge Dash on our hooves too. So what’s wrong with Spike?”

“Actually darling. I’ve been thinking. Maybe it’s entirely possible that this is a normal growth spurt for Spike.”

“Normal? Rarity you saw him yourself, yesterday he barely came up to my shoulder and now he’s MASSIVE! At least ten times his normal size, how is that normal?”

“I know it sounds totally farfetched, but hear me out. He doesn’t seem to be acting the same way he did on his birthday. He’s not grabby or snarling or motivated by his instincts. He still has his wits about him and seems to be in control. I don’t think there’s a chance that Spike or anypony for that matter is in any real danger.”

“I’m sorry Rarity, but that’s a chance I can’t take. Spike was inconsolable for weeks after that day. I never want to see him like that again but I don’t know what I’m dealing with and I don’t know where else to look or whom to turn to.”

“What about Zecora?”

Starlight shook her head, “I tried that, the note on her hut said that she had gone to visit Mage Meadowbrook and won’t be back for a few days and Zecora was the only dragon specialist we could think of. It’s not like there’s anypony else in Ponyville that’d have an in depth knowledge about dragons and their physiology that’d be able to point us in the right direction. It’s not like we have a…-“ Starlight paused and a look of embarrassed realization crossed her face. She smacked her hoof against her head and gave an aggravated sigh. “-I cannot believe I didn’t think of this sooner! Be right back!" And with that Starlight teleported out of the room.

“As for you Twilight.” Rarity began, “I think you need to be with Spike right now.”

Twilight was already nose deep in another book. “I can’t do that right now Rarity. I need to keep looking for an answer incase Starlight hits a dead end. I need to be absolutely certain that-“

Rarity pushed the book down with her hoof. “Twilight, I know how scared you are for him, but what you really need to do is be by his side. The poor thing is absolutely terrified that something bad is going to happen to him and as his friend, no, as his best friend you need to go in there, comfort him and remind him that he’s still the sweet little dragon from yesterday.”

Twilight closed her eyes and took a deep breath to steady her nerves. “You’re right Rarity. I’ll go see him right now. Thanks for the help.”

“Anytime darling.”

Twilight left the study and after hearing the door to Spike’s room close Rarity took a moment to have a nice freak out.

Oh my word, he’s HUGE! She thought. He’s at least three times bigger than I am and that’s not even counting his tail! What happened to the cute little baby dragon I knew from yesterday? Surely he’s the same Spikey Wikey I’ve known for years, he’s just larger. Oh sweet merciful Celestia I knew I should’ve gone after him yesterday and made sure he was alright.

The sound of a pop and a bright flash drew Rarity out of her panicky thoughts. Starlight was back in the study, but she wasn’t alone. Standing next to Starlight was an orange dragoness with purple spikes, Rarity immediately recognized her as one of her students.

Smolder wobbled on her feet. “Geez, warn me next time you do that professor Starlight. Teleporting is like, super weird,” she said in annoyance.

“Sorry Smolder, I did say it was an emergency,” Starlight replied sheepishly.

“Smolder, of course!” Rarity exclaimed. “Who better to know the problems of a dragon than another dragon?”

“Yeah, Starlight said you guys needed my help with Spike, or something. So where is the lil’ guy?” Smolder asked looking around the study.

Starlight led Smolder out of the library and down the hall towards Spike’s room with Rarity trailing behind them. Starlight knocked on the door, “Come in!” called Twilight’s voice.

Starlight gripped the door knob and turned back to Smolder. “Just so you know, what you see may surprise you.”

Smolder rolled her eyes. “Please. Since I’ve been here I’ve seen evil hedgehogs, haunted castles, spiteful chaos gods, a coltic hero break half of the school, a crazy pegasus who nearly wasted Equestria and my friends, and a magic tree,” – Starlight opened the door and Smolder stepped inside. –“so I’m pretty sure I’m used to whatever this weirdo town can throw at me and-and-and-and- WOW you weren’t kidding!”

Spike was clearly illuminated by the late morning sun through the windows. He was lying on his belly with Twilight sitting by his side, a supportive hoof on his claw. Even lying on the ground Spike dwarfed Twilight in size. Smolder rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn’t seeing things and then she rubbed them again for good measure. “So I guess this is just another weird thing to add to the list,” Smolder said.

“Can you tell what’s wrong with him Smolder?” Twilight asked.

Smolder squinted her eyes, “Hmm… I’ll see what I can do. Stand up Spike.”

Spike attempted to stand on his two legs but lost his balance and after a moment of arm flailing landed promptly on his back with a thud.

“Ok, never mind. Just sit there,” Smolder instructed.

Spike sat up from his spot on the floor and Smolder started hovering around him, examining everything she could on his body. She picked up one of Spike’s claws and flexed his arm. She looked at every ridge of Spike’s spikes from his head to his tail. She held one of his wings open and looked at the span, whistling in amazement. Then she flew up to his head and examined his face, his mouth and nose extended forming a proper snout and his eyes were a bit narrower. Smolder pulled at his lids and examined the eye. “OW! HEY!” Spike protested. Smolder then pulled at his lips and examined his teeth. They were longer, definitely sharper and it seemed like there were more of them. Smolder landed in front of Spike and rubbed her chin.

“Hmm… Ok, I think I know what’s going on.”

“Really? Well what is it? What’s wrong with Spike?” Twilight asked impatiently.

“Nothing,” Smolder responded.

“Nothing? Spike’s like ten times the size he was yesterday! This isn’t normal,” Starlight commented.

“Maybe for ponies, but dragons are different.”

“I’m sorry Smolder, but I don’t understand. Can you please explain?” Twilight asked.

Smolder nodded. “We dragons have magic just like ponies, but instead of being able to zap apples into oranges, our magic affects our bodies. Dragon’s change based on their needs; sometimes it’s because of greed, sometimes it’s because they’re too small and weak to protect themselves or their treasure. It’s not unheard of for a dragon to make a change like this overnight, but it’s pretty uncommon, so I really can’t tell you much else.”

“But why would Spike need to grow in the first place?” Starlight asked.

Smolder shrugged. “Why don’t you just ask Spike?”

All eyes fell onto Spike. Spike looked quizzically at his friends and then his eyes fell on Rarity and he blushed. “H-how should I know? I didn’t want to grow up, I was happy being small.”

“Sure you were,” Smolder said with a smirk.

“Does this mean I’m older now?” Spike asked, hoping nopony would push the “why did he change” question again.

Smolder shook her head. “No, you’re still the same age. But it’s probably easier to say that you’re a ‘mature’ dragon now.”

“And why can’t I stand up anymore?”

Rarity’s trained eye from years of dressmaking and custom designs looked over Spike and his proportions. “Hmm, Spike. Try standing again, but this time stand like a pony.”

Spike was confused but did what Rarity asked and stood on all fours and to everycreature’s surprise; Spike was standing tall and balanced. At his full height it seemed that Spike was tall enough that average sized ponies could walk under him if they ducked their heads. From the center of the room his wings were wide enough that he could almost touch the opposite walls with their tips. Spike bent his limbs and shuffled his claws. “Whoa, this feels… strange.”

“Eh, you’ll get used to it,” Smolder said.

“Smolder,” Twilight gently interjected, “is Spike going to be ok?”

“Spike’s fine. His eyes are clear of greed and as far as I know he won’t be getting any bigger.”

Twilight sighed in relief. “Thank you for your help. It makes me feel better that Spike’s going to be ok. If it’s not too much trouble do you think you can join me in seeing Mayor Mare just to fill her in on Spike’s change? I wouldn’t want the town to panic when they see him.”

“Sure thing. That’s a good idea since you ponies scare so easily.”

Twilight turned to Rarity. “Can you wait here with Spike while we’re out? I don’t want him to be alone.”

Spike blushed. “Twilight, I’m ok, really. I don’t need somepony-“

Rarity cut him off. “Of course I will darling. I wouldn’t dream of leaving Spike alone in such a trying time. We’ll see you when you get back.”

Twilight, Starlight and Smolder left for city hall. Leaving Rarity and a nervous Spike alone. Spike’s eyes darted around the room trying to focus on anything other than the snow-white mare. Under normal circumstances Spike would’ve been delighted to spend time with Rarity. Even more so if it would be just the two of them together. But these were anything but normal circumstances. Spike didn’t want Rarity to figure out why he changed. At least not right now. He realized what triggered his growth when Smolder explained the whole situation to him. But how would Rarity react to “why” if she knew? Would she admire him? Would she shun him? Would she think him ridiculous and never want to talk about it again?

“Spike?” Rarity said.

“Y-yes?”

Rarity spoke slowly and chose her words carefully. Spike didn’t want to talk about why he grew with the others around. But if it was just the two of them then maybe she could get him to talk about it. “What Smolder said about you being too small and weak to protect something. Is that true?”

Spike fidgeted with his claws. “Uh, um, I-I don’t know.”

“Spikey, please. There’s no need to be embarrassed. After all, I think I have a good idea about why you matured.”

Spike gulped. “Y-you do?”

“Yes, I have a very good idea. After all, I was with you when you stood up to Heavy Hitter and the timber wolves so I think it’s obvious.”

Spike rose one of his scaly brows. “Well… are you ok with that?”

“Yes Spike, I am.”

Spike chuckled. “Oh that’s such a relief! And here I thought you’d be upset with me.”

Rarity gasped. “Of course not, why on earth would I be upset with you wanting to protect yourself?”

“Heh-heh, yeah I guess you’re- huh?” Spike tilted his head in confusion.

“You were beaten up pretty badly by the ogre Heavy Hitter and almost eaten by those ghastly wolves. It’s no wonder your body decided to grow. But now the next time some baddies try to hurt you, you’ll be able to give them a good ol’ one, two walloping. I mean look at you”- Rarity turned Spike to face a full length mirror while she walked around him, examining his features “- you’re tall, strong, powerful yet majestic. A truly fine display darling.”

Spike stumbled through his words. “Y-yeah, that’s the reason. I’m sure I changed because I want to protect myself and not any other reason.”

“You know what Spike? I just got an idea. Let’s go out behind the castle and get some walking practice. Twilight will be so surprised when she sees you. Well, not as surprised as she was this morning. But still surprised I’m sure.”

“Sounds, great. I’ll, uh, meet you downstairs.”

Rarity left Spike’s room after a few moments when he was sure he heard Rarity’s hoofsteps round the corner towards the staircase to the first floor, Spike looked at himself in the mirror. He flexed his arms and realized how much muscle he gained. His wings didn’t even fit in the mirror. Spike figured he’d still be able to walk through doors if he just tucked his wings back. His scales looked as thick as armor plating, yet smooth as polished marble. The longer Spike looked at the reflection of himself, the less fear he felt. In fact, Spike was feeling good, great even. He has the size and strength to protect his lady now, and as Celestia as his witness he wasn’t going to let anything hurt her. Spike ran his claw over the spikes on his head, grinned at the dragon in the mirror and left.

Author's Note

Boom! New update in (about) 2 weeks! It's amazing what shaving off a few thousand words can do.

As I was writing this chapter I started thinking about something. Sparity is my absolute favorite ship in the series (hence why my 1st fan fic is about them) but it's not everyone's cup of tea. In my digging I've found that one of the common problems people have with Sparity isn't so much the "he's a dragon, she's a pony" problem, it's the age difference. But I've never really bought that claim, not because of personal bias (ok not just because) but because the age difference isn't really that weird. Allow me to elaborate. It's obvious that Spike is younger than Rarity and the rest of the main 6, but I've always assumed that he was older than the CMC based on the story about when Twilight hatched him at magic school. Let's say for the sake of argument that Twilight hatched Spike when she was four or five that would mean Rarity was also about four or five at the time too and I've always assumed that Sweetie Belle was about seven to eight years younger than Rarity (except in those stories where Rarity is Sweetie's mother which I feel rather icky after reading, but I digress).

As much as I dislike Equestria Girls ( and I really, really, REALLY dislike EG) it did help with one thing. It kind of gave every character an appropriate age range. I never thought that the mane 6 were in their mid to late 20s, I always thought they were in their late teens at most to be closer to the target audience, and Equestria Girls more or less confirmed it. Yeah it's a bit unrealistic that Rarity would have a fashion empire at the age of eighteen or nineteen, but things are different in pony world, heck the CMC run (and as far as I know own) a summer camp and they're only like eleven or twelve, so it's entirely possible that you can become independent and successful in Equestria as soon as you find a way to support yourself.

So let's say Rarity is eighteen, in my head I see Spike as fourteen or fifteen and Sweetie Belle is around eleven. A four year difference between two people isn't weird, or at least not as weird as people may think. (Incidentally in this story the mane 6 are in their early 20s and Spike's in his late teens. Takes place after season 8 after all).

So it's not the species thing or the age thing that bothers me, but what does bother me, and this may be slightly ironic, is baby dragon Spike with Rarity. It leaves me feeling odd in a robbing the cradle sort of way. But there's a secret weapon that writers have to deal with this. That secret weapon? Just make him older or in my case "mature" in the biological sense. Not too hard. In my case I just tied it back with the shows canon of how a dragon can grow out of greed. Not too farfetched to think he'd grow out of a need to protect the one he loves. But of course that's just my opinion. 😅

I actually wanted to post this on Friday, but I got clobbered by the depression bat and it slowed down my rewrite progress.

But what do you think of the whole "shorter chapter quicker updates" model? I personally like it, I'm still telling the same story but I get short breaks to kind of figure out where to take the next chapter to. Speaking of which I'm really excited for the next few chapters because they lead up to the part of the story I'm ACHING to write. I'd love to expand on what I'm excited for, but that would be telling.

Thanks for reading, see you next time :raritywink:

Silver Wit

The New You

“Now, watch me again. One, two, three, four, one, two, three, four,” Rarity said as she walked across the lawn behind the Castle of Friendship, her steps were slow and exaggerated to show every movement in her legs and hooves. Spike watched Rarity’s movement closely, seeing every motion of muscle in her alabaster legs, the way her perfectly polished hooves touched the vibrant green of the grass, her well conditioned mane bouncing with each step and the way her body- Spike turned his head to hide his growing blush.

Rarity spun around to face Spike. “And that’s all there is to it, now you try. Uh, Spike?”

Spike snapped back to attention. “Yes?”

“Were you paying attention to me at all?”

“Oh I was paying attention all right…”

“Good, then try walking again.”

Spike took a deep breath as he took his first step. His early attempts at walking resulted in him slipping, tripping and falling down the stairs. Going from bipedal to a quadruped overnight isn’t an easy change to get used to. But Rarity was determined to help and as Spike took further and further steps her teaching efforts was beginning to show. Spike grew more and more confidant with each step as he put one claw in front of the other.

Rarity walked alongside Spike as he walked forward. “Ok, now try turning.” Spike pivoted on his front claw, pushed off his back claw and made a sharp turn. “Wonderful darling! You’re doing great!”

Spike chuckled. “Heh, I never thought I’d have to learn how to walk again.”

A voice came above Spike’s head, “You know, I can still remember the day you took your first steps-“ Twilight swooped down and landed before Spike, “- it was so cute the way you waddled around my room.”

“Twilight!” Spike cried in embarrassment.

“Welcome back Twilight, how was your meeting with the mayor?” Rarity asked.

Twilight smiled. “Good! Smolder, Starlight and I explained the whole situation to Mayor Mare and she sent out a bulletin to let the rest of the town know what happened to Spike.”

Rarity looked around. “Where is Smolder? And Starlight for that matter?”

“Smolder said she had a study session with her friends and Starlight said she was late for a magic lesson with Trixie. So
it’ll just be the three of us today.”

“So what are we doing today?” Spike asked.

“Well I thought it’d be a good idea to take a walk through town and show ponies the new you. Gives you a chance to get used to your new body and gives ponies a chance to see your growth for themselves,” Twilight said.

Spike nervously fidgeted with his claws and gulped. “Gee, I don’t know about that Twilight. Me around everypony looking like this? It just sounds… bad.”

Twilight placed a hoof on his claw. “You have nothing to worry about. Remember what Smolder said? This isn’t like your birthday; you’re still the same Spike as before. And besides, you won’t be alone, you’ll be walking with me and Rarity.”

“That’s right Spiky, we’ll be right by your side every step of the way. And do you really think the ponies in Ponyville will see you any differently? They’ve lived alongside you for years, I’m sure they can handle a change like this,” Rarity said.

A small smile crept across Spike’s face. “Yeah. Yeah you’re right, I’m just being silly. But, um, you promise you guys will walk around with me right?”

“Of course we will Spike. We’ll be with you for as long as you want,” Twilight said warmly.

“Well alright, let’s go see what’s happening in Ponyville,” Spike said with confidence. With the comforting support of his friends, Spike walked into town with his head held high

The reactions of the ponies in town were a mixed bag. Some stared with wide eyes and open mouths, others rubbed their eyes to make sure they weren’t hallucinating and others just waved and said “hello.” But luckily to Spike’s relief nopony looked scared of him. He strode through town with Twilight and Rarity at his side, waving back at ponies as he passed by. The three turned down a narrow street.

“So? How are you feeling Spike?” Twilight asked.

“Pretty good. I guess I was just overreacting; ponies don’t really seem to mind me. But it is a little weird getting this much attention,” Spike replied.

“You can’t blame them for being curious darling, no need to be shy about it. You’re doing just fine,” Rarity said.

“I am? That’s a relief.” Spike continued walking until he came to an unexpected dip in the road. He stepped in the dip and lost his balance, belly flopping on the ground.

“Spike! Are you ok?” Twilight asked.

“Y-yeah, I’m alright. Just tripped up,” Spike replied. As he got up his tail swung out from behind him, sending barrels flying, ponies ducked and dodged as the barrels smashed into the walls behind them. Spike hearing the commotion turned around. “S-sorry everypony!” Spike’s tail swung out again, this time slamming into a cart full of cabbages, the cart speeded down the road and crashed into a tree. “Sorry again!” Spike said.

Twilight’s magic held Spike’s tail in place. “Maybe we should move somewhere less, uh, cramped.”

They took the nearest exit to the more wide-open parts of town and then spotted the open-air café. Sitting at one of the tables was a familiar yellow Pegasus and a long lanky chaos god.

“Is that Fluttershy and Discord?” Rarity asked.

“I’d say that’s a pretty safe bet,” Twilight responded. “C’mon Spike, let’s go say hi.”

Spike tensed up. “I don’t know… I wouldn’t want to scare Fluttershy.”

Rarity giggled, “Darling, Fluttershy has come a long way since then. Besides, I doubt she’d be scared of you,surprised or startled maybe but not scared. Trust me.”

“Well if you say so.”

The party of three walked to the café to meet with their friends. Fluttershy and Discord were engaged in light conversation, every so often Discord would laugh or Fluttershy would giggle about something the other said and just enjoying each other’s company.

“How’s your cucumber sandwich Fluttershy?” Discord asked.

Fluttershy swallowed a mouth full of sandwich. “Delicious, you were right, it does go well with oolong tea.”

“Would I ever steer you in the wrong direction my dear?” Discord took a sip of his tea and then set his eyes on something coming from behind Fluttershy and cocked an eyebrow.

“What’s wrong Discord?” she asked.

“We have company, Flutters.”

Fluttershy turned around and was greeted by the smiling faces of her friends Twilight and Rarity along with a large dragon. “AHHH! Oh dear, I’m so sorry for screaming Spike. You just surprised me.”

“Told you,” Rarity whispered to Spike.

“You’re not scared of me?” Spike asked.

Fluttershy gasped, “Oh goodness, no! How could I be scared of you? You’re not scary. It’s just, when I heard you grew I thought you’d be as big as Smolder.”

“Believe me darling, it was just as surprising to us as well,” Rarity said

“Well I approve,” Discord chimed in. “You certainly look more dragonish now. Lost all the baby fat, put on some muscle and if we ever need a dungeon boss in Ogres and Oubliettes, we can just use you.”

“I like being a wizard Discord,” Spike huffed.

“Just saying.”

A voice came out of the blue, “No Way!”- Rainbow Dash flew in and landed in front of Spike. –“ I heard you grew, but this is so cool! You’re like a real deal dragon now!”

“I am?” Spike asked.

“Heck yeah you are! And look at those wings, they’re awesome!”

“They are?” Spike asked, puffing up his chest.

“Of course, I’m an expert in awesome and those bad boys are awesome. Hey think I can see them?”

Spike nodded and unfurled his wings. His moment of pride was interrupted by a “thwack!” sound. Spike’s wing hit a waiter in the face, sending him into a table and his order of soup onto the patrons. “Oh geez, I’m sorry! I-I didn’t see- I’m sorry!” Spike said in a panic as the waiter and the soupy customers glared at him.

“Well I guess we should get going,” Twilight said hastily, “Fluttershy, Discord have a wonderful lunch and Rainbow Dash have a great day cloud busting or whatever is on the agenda today. Let’s go Spike.”

“Yeah…”

The marketplace was bustling with activity as ponies bought everything from firewood to rugs and from flowers to jams. A peculiar unicorn was darting from stall to stall with Applejack; at least she looked like a unicorn. She had an off white coat, not a particularly rare color, but she also had green scales on her back, and matching scales on her forehead which went down to the tip of her nose. Her hooves weren’t like normal hooves, they looked like they could’ve been very short claws. She had bright golden eyes with a long majestic rust colored mane with a matching patch of fluff on her chest and back legs as well as on her unusually long tail. Her horn wasn’t a typical unicorn horn; it looked more like a pruned dark red tree branch with bright red bands across it.

She was quickly going from stand to stand, looking at all of the wares the vendors had to offer with a look of pure wonder like she stumbled into a thrilling new world. She even looked at everyday objects like vases with awe, marveled at the fancy fountain pens and practically gushed seeing the variety of flowers Ponyville had to offer.

“OOH, what pretty flowers! They smell so sweet! Do you have foal’s breath? Great cure all if you’re mute. What am I saying? Of course you don’t, they only grow at the Peaks of Peril! Have you ever been? It’s nice there this time of year. Hey if you want I could bring you some foal’s breath, but I’m not sure how I’d do that. Do I just bring you the flower or something? But then again you already have SO many pretty flowers. Of course I could just ask AJ what she’d do if she were to bring you new flowers, but I think she deals more with apples and crops and stuff. Oh, I’m Autumn Blaze by the way, hi!” Autumn Blaze shook the flower mare’s hoof quickly.

“Oh, uh, nice to, uh, meet you Autumn Blaze. You’ve got quite the… spirited friend Applejack,” Said the bewildered florist.

Applejack chuckled, “Heh, heh, yeah she’s a feisty one alright. Dern friendly too.”

“OOH! AJ! AJ! What’s that?” Autumn pointed her hoof at another stall.

“That’s a vegetable stand.”

“Of course! The bell peppers gave it away, let’s check it out.”

Autumn Blaze skipped to the vegetable stand propelled by curiosity. Applejack smiled and rolled her eyes at the happy, chatty kirin and trotted after her. then out of the corner of her eye she spotted Twilight and Rarity, nothing strange about seeing them, they live in the same town after all. But what made Applejack curious is that they both seemed to be talking to somepony that she couldn’t see.

“You go on ahead sugarcube, I’ll catch up.” Applejack said to Autumn Blaze before she left to say hello to her best friends.

“C’mon Spike, don’t be nervous,” Twilight said.

“I-I don’t want to go through the market Twilight. I don’t want to cause another accident or get somepony hurt…” Spike replied.

“Spike, you shouldn’t let a few mishaps deter you from enjoying the day. Trust me darling, all you have to do is go out there with that same confidence you had at the castle and you’ll be right as rain,” Rarity said.

“Also being slightly more aware of your surroundings,” Twilight added.

“Howdy girls! Fancy seein’ you here!" Applejack called out.

“Hey Applejack! Are you working the market today?” Twilight asked.

“Naw, Big Mac is coverin’ fer me since ah’m showin’ a friend ‘round town. Y’all really ought to meet her. Say, who were you talking to before?”

“Oh it’s Spike, he’s just being shy today.”

“Yeah, ah heard he had a lil’ growth spurt.”

Twilight smiled sheepishly. “Ehh, you could say that.”

“Spike, it’s just Applejack. Come out and say hello,” Rarity said trying to coax him out into view.

“Applejack?” Spike asked.

“Yeah it’s me sugarcube. Come ‘ere and let me get a look at the new you,” Applejack said.

“Um, ok, but just so you know, you’ll be surprised.”

After a few seconds Spike stepped out from behind the wall. Applejack’s jaw and eyes went wider and wider and after she saw all of Spike she said, “Well throw me in the fryer and call me Apple Fritter. You’re huge!”

“Is that a bad thing?” Spike asked nervously.

“Well ah’d be lyin’ if ah said ah wasn’t surprised. Aint often somepony is bigger than Big Mac. But that’s not a bad thing.”

Spike smiled. “Wow, thanks Applejack. That’s a relief.”

“Actually, you got one heck of a farmer’s build Spike. Any chance ah can get some help next harvest season? Ah bet we could get done in no time with somepony as strong as you.”

Spike was beaming. “Sure thing! To be honest I’ve always wanted to try applebucking, you and Big Mac make it sound like fun.”

“We’ll be sure to save ya the biggest tree in the orchard. Hey, Ah want y’all to meet a friend o’ mine. She’s been aching to meet you guys ever since she got to Ponyville.”

Applejack walked back towards the marketplace followed by the party of three. As they walked by the various stands, Applejack kept her eyes peeled for her chatty friend. Ponies looked at Spike with curiosity and amazement, they waved and Spike waved back, his previous worries forgotten. Soon Applejack spotted Autumn Blaze at a stand selling candles.

Applejack called out, “Hey Autumn!”

Autumn turned her head and trotted up to Applejack. “AJ! Did you know candles come in scents? That stand is selling one that smells like cinnamon and another that smells like spring rain. How do they make a candle smell like rain?”

Applejack decided to step in before the conversation ran further away. “Uh, hey Autumn ah’d like you to meet my friends. This here is Twilight, Rarity and the big guy is Spike. Fellas this is Autumn Blaze, the kirin who helped me and Fluttershy out at the Peaks of Peril.”

Autumn jumped at Twilight and shook her hoof; Twilight blushed, as their muzzles were inches apart from each other. “Hi! I’m Autumn Blaze! So you’re the Princess of Friendship I’ve heard so much about. AJ told me all about how you and her saved Equestria and that you run your own school. Do you have a theatre? Anyway, it’s so nice to finally meet you!”

Twilight pulled her head away for some breathing room. “W-well it’s uh, nice to… meet you too Autumn.”

Autumn Blaze then shook Rarity’s hoof, again getting a little too close for the unicorn’s liking. “Nice to meet you Rarity, I’m Autumn Blaze! I heard you make really pretty dresses; do you think I’d look good in one of your dresses? I mean I don’t normally wear clothes unless it’s on stage but I’m sure I’d love whatever you make. By the way I love you’re mane, how do you get it to curl like that?”

“Are all kirins like this?” Twilight whispered to Applejack.

“You have no idea,” Applejack whispered back.

Autumn spun around to face Spike. “Whoa! Are you really a dragon? Like, really real?”

Spike looked himself over from his claws and wings to his tail. “Well… yeah.”

Autumn gushed. “Oh WOW! I’ve never seen a dragon before; I’ve only heard stories about them. You look so cool! You’re all big and tough and your scales are so shiny! Is it true that dragons eat gems?”

Spike puffed out his chest and buffed his claws on his scales. “Heh, heh, yeah it’s true. Gems are a dragon’s favorite food. They’re my favorite at least.”

“Wow, that’s crazy awesome! Hey is it also true that dragons can breathe fire?”

“It sure is, I’m a pretty good fire breather if I do say so myself.”

Autumn’s golden eyes glittered with awe. “Oooh can I see?”

Spike rolled his shoulders and a confidant grin graced his face. “Of course, check this out!” Spike took a deep breath.

Twilight gasped, “Wait, Spike, I don’t think that’s the best!-“

FWOOOOOOOOOM! A giant green plume of fire erupted from the dragon’s mouth and covered the sky of the market like an emerald storm cloud bringing with it an immense wave of heat. Ponies screamed and hit the ground with their hooves covering their heads or ducked behind barrels. Spike stopped his fire breathing and he saw the state everypony was in. Soon all eyes in the market were on him and they were all scowls or glares.

Spike started panicking “I-I’m sorry! It was an accident, I didn’t think it’d be- I’m so sorry!”

“Well it was nice to meet you Autumn Blaze,” Twilight said in a rush. “But we need to go… to Sugarcube Corner! Yeah, I could go for a cupcake or two, we’ll see you later Applejack, sorry again everypony!” Twilight ushered Spike out of the market with Rarity following close behind.

“I like your friends AJ,” Autumn Blaze chimed. “They’re neat!”

The walk to Sugarcube Corner was a somber one. Spike dragged his claws and hung his head low trying not to look anypony in the eyes.

Rarity decided to try and break the tension. “Don’t look so morose darling, it was just an accident,” she said in a soothing tone.

“Yeah, everypony makes mistakes. What makes this any different?” Twilight asked.

“Your mistakes didn’t almost burn down the town…” Spike replied sullenly.

“Spike you didn’t almost burn down the town, you just got a little excited is all.”

“Yeah and it freaked everypony out. Look Twi, I know you mean well, but this isn’t working, I should just go home and stay out of everyone’s way.”

“Oh Spiky, I know things are less than ideal but that’s no reason to give up. Let’s take a little break shall we? I’m sure if anypony can put some pep in your step its Pinkie Pie,” Rarity said as she climbed the steps to Sugarcube Corner.

As soon as the three entered the store a silver platter with six cupcakes were presented to them on a bouncy pink mane. “One purple velvet cupcake with candy glitter for Rarity! Two chocolate cupcakes with extra frosting and cherries for Twilight! Aaaaaaannd three emerald key lime cupcakes for Spike!” Pinkie Pie bounced the cupcake platter off her mane and onto a table and gave her friends a wide smile.

“How did?-“ Twilight started.

“Well my Pinkie sense told me that I’d need to make three emerald cupcakes because Spike was gonna be super upset about something and emerald key lime is his favorite so then I thought, ‘I’ll bet Twilight and Rarity will be with him’ so I made a purple velvet and two extra chocolates and wouldn’t ya know it? You guys are with him! WOOHOO! Everypony gets cupcakes!” Pinkie clapped her hooves in glee.

The four of them took seats around the table and Spike made quick work of his three cupcakes. “They’re great Pinkie, thanks…”

“Heeeeeey, why so glum chum? That’s not the face somepony makes when they have cupcakes. They’re more like ‘EEEEEEE’ and you're more like ‘BLEEEEGH.’”

“I’m just not having a great day. I grow up, I cause trouble for ponies in town and I feel worse and worse with every mess up I make,” Spike said with a heavy sigh.

“Honestly darling, you shouldn’t be so hard on yourself. Making a slip up or two isn’t the end of the world, you just need a bit more practice with the new you,” Rarity said between dainty nibbles of her cupcake.

“She’s right, I shouldn’t have made you come to town before you were completely comfortable. I’m sorry Spike,” Twilight said, ears drooping.

Spike wrapped an arm around Twilight. “It’s ok Twilight. You were just trying to help. I guess I just didn’t think about how much this all would affect me.”

“Well that’s no reason to be down silly!” Pinkie said. “It’s like trying a new cupcake recipe, the first time you make them they might not be great, but soon you’ll be making AMAZING cupcakes with enough practice and mistakes! By the way, what’s so bad about being so big and strong? You look like you could beat Big Mac at hoof wrestling, haul three- no, four carts full of gems and catch a flying wagon with your bare claws.”

“A flying what?” Twilight asked.

Pinkie continued, “Just you wait Spike the dragon, soon you’ll see that growing up was the best thing that ever happened to you!” Pinkie finished her pep talk with a shower of confetti.

Spike smiled. “Thanks Pinkie Pie, maybe you’re right; I should see this as an opportunity. I just need to get used to this” – he motioned his claw over his body – “and I’ll be fine. No more runaway carts, no more sending waiters flying and more importantly no more close calls with the fire department.”

“Here, here darling!” Rarity cheered

The sound of giggles and squeals filled the shop as two foals, playing tag, rushed across the floor. A Pegasus colt was chasing a unicorn filly and every time he was inches from tagging her, she’d teleport out of his reach. Pound and Pumpkin Cake played happily as the four friends watched and made their “awws” and “so cute” as the foals darted too and fro. Finally Pound got the drop on his sister and tackled her. they both rolled on the floor giggling and bumped into a wall of purple scales. The Cake twins were curious of the weird purple wall made of something so smooth to the touch. It was like nothing they’ve ever seen before.

Spike laughed at the pair of perplexed foals, “Hey Pound and Pumpkin! You really should be more careful, you could’ve gotten hurt.”

The Cake twins looked at the smiling dragon speaking to them. Spike liked the twins. They were cute, fun, and energetic and they would normally greet him the same way they greet everypony, with happy gurgles and coos. But Spike made the mistake of smiling too widely , exposing his new longer and sharper teeth. Both of the foal’s lips quivered before they burst into scared tears. Spike’s smile broke like fine porcelain.

Pinkie Pie scooped up the foals into her hooves and gently rocked them. “Aww, what’s the matter little Cakes? It’s just Spike, you remember him don’t you?”

Spike clenched his teeth and screwed his eyes shut, anything to stop the surge of emotions from bubbling out. And the only thing he could think of doing was running out of the door at full speed.

“Spike! Spike, wait!” Rarity ran out after him.

“Ohhh… figs!” Twilight cursed before following her friends.

Spike ran through Ponyville like a big purple locomotive, knocking over barrels, trashcans a store sign or two. But he didn’t care, he just wanted to run away. He slowed down when he reached the park and finally stopped when he reached a pond. He sat down at the water’s edge to catch his breath and was greeted by his reflection. The larger body, muscles and claws, the wider wingspan, the mature face, the sharp teeth, all of his new features on display, taunting him, Spike glared at the water and swiped at the surface with his claw, and then he swiped again. And again and again. Water was splashing all around the distraught dragon but he kept slashing at the unwanted figure. Eventually he stopped and just sat on his haunches, sniffling and crying into the choppy pond.

“Spike?”

He’d recognize that voice anywhere. It was Rarity’s. it was Rarity’s sweet and caring voice. The same voice that made his heart sing from the rooftops and soar in the skies.

“Are you ok?”

That was Twilight’s voice. The same supportive and loving tone he’d known since the day he was hatched. The reliable and comforting voice of his big sister.

Spike quickly wiped the tears from his eyes and faced them. “Hey Twi… Hi Rarity…”

Twilight stepped closer. “Spike… what’s wrong?”

Spike didn’t answer. His eyes drifted to the soggy grass beneath Twilight’s hooves.

“Please Spike, talk to us. We just want to help,” Rarity said.

Spike sighed, “You’ve tried to help me all day. And I appreciate it, I really do, but I gotta face the facts. I’m just a nuisance to you and everypony in town…:

Twilight gasped, “Spike! You’re not a nuisance, why in the world would you ever think that?”

Spike had fresh tears in his eyes. “How am I not a nuisance? Ever since I grew up I’ve caused nothing but trouble in town. I smacked that waiter at the café, I almost set the market on fire and now… I’m so scary I make babies cry…”

“You’re not scary darling,” Rarity said. “You just have a new look. You’re still the same Spike everypony in Ponyville knows and loves.”

“You guys keep saying that,” Spike scoffed. “But I don’t see the same Spike that you see. I see something dangerous and scary. Something so terrible that nopony should be near me incase they get hurt. The only thing I see is…-“ Spike looked back at the pond’s surface “- A monster…”

Rarity trotted up to Spike’s side and gazed at the reflections in the calm water. She watched the image of a snow-white mare and a large purple drake ripple in the light breeze. She squinted her eyes before speaking. “Where? Where’s the monster?”

Spike’s brow furrowed. “Where’s the monster? What are you talking about? It’s right there!” Spike pointed to his reflection.

“I don’t see a monster,-“ Rarity turned to Twilight “-Twilight? Do you see a monster?”

A small smile crept up on Twilight’s face as she came closer to the water’s edge. “Nope! I don’t see a single monster!”

“Do you want to know what I see?” Rarity directed at Spike.

Spike slowly nodded.

“I see a dragon. But not just any dragon, I see my favorite dragon, Spike. He’s one of my nearest and dearest friends in the whole wide world. He’s generous and sweet, with a heart as big as Equestria. He’s always helpful and knows just what to say to make me smile. He’s brave and can be a wee bit reckless at times, but he always does what he thinks is right and would do anything for his friends. What do you see Twilight?”

Twilight gazed at their reflections. “I see, Spike, my number one assistant and best friend. No matter what happens I know I can rely on his help and when I go a little… Twily-nannas, he’ll be right by my side to keep me grounded. I can’t imagine being the pony I am today without his help and support. He’s my little brother, the best little brother ever. I love him so much and I’m proud of everything he does. Did I mention he’s a hero?”

Spike couldn’t speak. He just sat there on the bank of the pond with wide eyes, listening to the two most important ponies in his life sing his praises. Qualities that they both valued in him. The qualities that make Spike who he is.

“Do… do you really mean that?” Spike asked.

Rarity nodded. “Of course we do darling. You’ve been so bogged down in all of today’s mishaps that you forgot what makes you so wonderful. Large or small, you’re still the same Spike.”

“You made mistakes today, but nopony hates you for it,” Twilight said. “Because everypony in town knows that you didn’t do them on purpose. They’ve lived alongside you for years and they know you’d never do any harm to anypony.” Twilight hugged Spike around his torso. Twilight giggled, “I can’t even wrap my hooves around you anymore.”

Rarity joined the hug. “Please don’t beat yourself up, precious scales. Everything will be all right, sooner than you think.”

Spike wrapped his arms around Twilight and Rarity and returned their hugs and smiled a wide goofy grin. “Thanks guy,

I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Nicely done Trixie!” Starlight praised as Trixie teleported herself and random objects around her campsite. “Looks like you’ve been practicing.”

Trixie teleported around the site and stopped on her makeshift stage next to Starlight and took a bow. “Practice? Pff, this spell is mere foals play for somepony like Trixie! I need something bigger and bolder for my next performance!” Something that’ll make the audience go ‘oooh! That Trixie is the most spell binding pony in all of Equestria!”

Starlight giggled at her friend’s antics. She couldn’t really explain it, but Trixie always had a special talent of making Starlight’s day. “Well what did you have in mind?”

Trixie grabbed Starlight’s shoulder and pulled her in close, waving her other hoof across the sky as if she were painting on a canvas. “Picture it. A darkened stage, everypony is waiting on bated breath for the greatest magic show around. The curtain rises, the lights flare up and what does the audience see?”

“Uh, you?”

“Yes! But I, the Great and Powerful Trixie will summon a great and powerful wind and shall make her debut in the center of a giant tornado. The audience will be thrilled and chilled at the sight of the magician that can bend the very elements to her whim!”

Starlight scratched her chin in thought. “Hmm, that would be a pretty cool opening for your show.”

“Sooo? Can you teach me a spell to do that?” Trixie asked eagerly like a filly waiting to open her Hearths Warming presents.

“Well there is a spell to do that, but it’s kinda tricky.”

Trixie turned her nose up. “Humph, I’m sure that Trixie, master of the art of teleporting, can handle any spell.”

Starlight rolled her eyes, summoned her spell book and started flipping through the pages. “Let’s see where did I see that Spell? No… that’s not it… not that one either… I’ll have to remember to look at that one… AH HA! Here it is, ‘Tornado in a jar,’ used for wind conjuring in limited space.” Starlight read over the spell a few times before closing the book. She and Trixie walked over to a box of jars and Starlight lined them up in a neat row.

“Are we putting the tornadoes in the jars? Cause that’s not the kind of spectacle I had in mind,” Trixie said with sarcasm leaking from her mouth.

“We’re not putting actual tornadoes in jars Trixie. It’s for practice. Now, what you want to do is picture the breeze blowing against you. Feel the wind across your face, your mane and passing over your hooves. Then, take that wind and bend it in a circle-“ Starlight’s horn began to glow and a small circle of wind began to materialize around the first jar “- now make the wind in that circle spin faster and faster, and when you’ve built up enough energy-“ Starlight’s horn glowed brighter and the jar was thrown into the air by a concentrated updraft and landed a few feet away “-voila! Tornado in a jar!”

Trixie clapped her hooves. “Oooh, me next, me next!” Trixie focused the next jar in the line.

“One more thing Trixie, it’s better to start with a gentle touch and build from there and don’t break your concentration.”

“I got this spell in the bag, watch and be amazed!” Trixie’s horn glowed and soon a small circle of wind formed around the jar.

“Good, just like that. Now give it a little more energy,” Starlight said quietly.

The small circle grew in size and speed as Trixie put more energy into her effort. She smirked and put more energy into her tornado.

“Uh, Trix. That’s a little too much energy, maybe you should dial it back?” Starlight asked nervously.

“Relax Starlight, I got this. I am Trixie! Master of illusion and the elements themselves!” Trixie put even more energy into her tornado and it became so strong that it was blowing strong gusts in every direction. Just as Trixie was about to shoot the jar into the sky, something caught her eye. A skunk was walking towards the open door of Trixie’s wagon. Trixie turned her head and snarled at the woodland creature, “Keep your stinky tail out of my wagon!”

“Trixie no!”

The energy Trixie was building up materialized under her four-wheeled home and with a mighty “WOOOSH!” the caravan was catapulted into the air.

“MY WAGON!” Trixie cried as she ran after the careening carriage.

Starlight facehoofed, grumbled a few choice words and ran off after Trixie.

A soft buzzing could be heard through the streets of Ponyville as a little pegasus filly zoomed past buildings on a scooter, towing her friends in a little red wagon.

“C’mon Scoot! Ya gotta go faster, we’re gonna be late for friendship tutoring!”

“We’re already late Applebloom! It’s not my fault the roads are messy today, I’m doing the best I can!”

The Cutie Mark Crusaders were dashing through the streets of town, dodging random debris and jumping off conveniently placed ramps. Scootaloo turned a sharp corner, nearly throwing her passengers out the back.

“WOAH! Watch it Scootaloo! I’m trying to do something really important,” Sweetie Belle said as she was scribbling in her notebook.

“What are ya workin’ on? Is it a lesson plan or somethin’?” Applebloom asked.

“It’s nothing suspicious! Just a secret project!" Sweetie Belle replied then started mumbling, “Should I try another picnic plan? No, that got Timberwolves involved. Ooh, maybe I can get them to spend time together at the market, shop for fabric followed by a romantic dinner for two.”

“It’s ok guys! We made it to the park, the hard part’s over and we can make up for lost time!” Scootaloo announced as she passed the park gates.

“Well we’ve had a pretty busy day”- Twilight said as she broke the hug –“ What do you say we head back home?”

Spike thought for a moment. “Actually Twi, I think I want to walk around a bit more. I’m feeling better now and I need more practice with the new me”- Spike looked to the sky and sighed –“yep, things are looking up from here on out.”

“That’s the spirit darling!” Rarity cheered.

Spike’s gaze was still fixed on the sky. He placed a claw above his eyes. “Do you guys see that?”

Both Rarity and Twilight looked up to see what Spike was talking about.

Twilight asked, “What is it Spike?”

Spike squinted and tried to focus his eyes on the strange flying object. It had wheels, a roof and a harness to pull it. “Uh, I think it’s a wagon.”

The flying wagon reached the apex of its arc and was plummeting to the ground. "Oh no! It’s gonna crash!” Twilight exclaimed.

The cart came closer and closer to the ground, the three of them spotted a group of three fillies speeding down the road. And was on a direct course for the falling wagon.

“SWEETIE BELLE!!!” Rarity cried out as she galloped towards her little sister.

“Huh? Did you guys hear Rarity?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Uh guys, what the heck is that?” Scootaloo asked with a shaky voice and pointing to the cart falling out of thin air.

“Ah-ah don’t know but it’s headin’ right fer us! Hit the brakes Scootaloo!” Applebloom shouted.

Scootaloo beat her tiny wings as fast as she could to reverse direction. "We’re going too fast! I can’t stop!”

“We have to do something!” Twilight said lighting her horn, then a strong gust of wind and a large shadow passed over Twilight and Rarity. The Cutie Mark Crusaders screamed and held onto each other as if their lives depended on it. All of a sudden Spike was standing in the road, he planted his tail firmly on the ground, rose up on his back legs, braced himself and when it came close enough, he caught the wagon with his bare claws, the force of the wagon pushed him back but his tail kept him from toppling over and his new muscles bulged as he kept the wagon in place. Twilight took this opportunity to quickly teleport, grab the three fillies and teleport them to safety.

After a few moments Spike set the wagon down and took a deep breath. “Sweet Celestia! Did you guys see what the hay just happened? I actually caught a wagon! I knew I was stronger now, but not this strong!” Spike flexed his biceps in amazement.

Rarity pulled Sweetie Belle into a crushing hug. “Oh Sweetie Belle! My one and only sister! Are you ok? Does anything hurt? Please say something!”

“Can’t… breathe…” Sweetie Belle squeaked.

Rarity let Sweetie go. “Oh, um, sorry darling. I’m just so relieved you’re safe.”

“Yeah I’m fine. Thank goodness that dragon was here. We’d have been crushed if it weren’t for him.”

“Sweetie, that dragon was Spike.”

Sweetie Belle’s eyes jumped out of their sockets. “What? Spike? That big, strong dragon was Spike?”

Rarity nodded and walked over to Spike. “Thank you Spike. If you weren’t here… well, I don’t even want to fathom what could’ve happened to Sweetie Belle or the others.”

Spike scratched his head and smiled sheepishly. “Aww, it's no problem Rarity, I’m just happy I could-“

Rarity gave Spike a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you for saving my sister Spiky Wikey.”

The only response Spike could give was a flustered stuttering of incomprehensible gibberish.

Twilight patted Spike’s head. “That was very brave of you Spike. Very brave and very risky and very crazy and when we get back home we’re going to have a long talk about safety and how you almost gave me a heart attack.”

“No way! Spike is that really you?” Scootaloo asked.

“Like, really, really you?” Applebloom asked.

Spike smiled and pointed a thumb at himself. “Yep, this is the new and improved Spike.”

The three fillies broke out in squeals and cheers.

Scootaloo jumped in excitement, fluttering her little wings in glee. “Oh WOW! That was awesome! And you were awesome! You caught a flying wagon!”

“Ah don’t even think Applejack is strong enough to do that. Um, don’t tell ‘er ah said that,” Applebloom said.

“Thank you for saving us Spike. You’re our hero.” Sweetie Belle gave Spike a hug followed by Scootaloo and Applebloom.

The tender moment was broken up by the sound of galloping hooves and gasps for air. Starlight Glimmer and Trixie were running towards them at full speed.

“Is everypony ok?” Starlight asked. her eyes darting around looking for any signs of damage or injury.

“Yes, we’re all fine, thanks to Spike,” Twilight said.

Trixie threw herself at her precious mobile home. “My wagon! Oh my sweet, sweet wagon! You’re ok! I was so worried about you!” Trixie started planting kisses on her wagon’s panels.

“Ahem,” Starlight coughed.

Trixie turned and faced a group of disapproving looks and scowls. “Oh and… nopony was hurt! And I learned a valuable lesson on listening to Starlight more often, all’s well that ends well. Sorry about the whole flying wagon accident.”

“It’s ok Trixie,” Spike said. “Everypony makes mistakes. Hey Twi can you do me a favor?”

“What is it Spike?”

“Think we can grab some gems? Saving the day works up an appetite.”

The sound of collective laughter filled the air as everypony felt the tension evaporate. While the rest of the group was engaged with small talk and questions about Spike, Sweetie Belle sneaked away and rummaged through her saddlebag and fished out her notebook. She started flipping through the pages and stopped on a page titled “What Rarity wants & what Spike has.”

“Big and strong? Check and check! Now Spike is the perfect match for Rarity!” Sweetie chirped.

The next day Rarity found herself trotting up to Twilight’s castle again with gem cart in tow. Just as she was about to reach for the door she heard a voice say, “Rarity!” She looked up and was greeted by a smiling flying dragon.

“Good morning Spike. How are you feeling today?”

“Better than ever! I just went on a morning flight with Smolder. These new wings are something else.” Spike landed next to Rarity, kicking up some dust as he folded his wings.

“Are you sure you want to do this again Spike? I wouldn’t want a repeat from the last time we went gem hunting.”

“Don’t worry Rarity, I have a feeling that today will be different.”

“Very well, shall we be off?”

“After you my lady.”

The two began their walk through the familiar streets to the familiar path of the familiar forest. Spike and Rarity were so invested in their small talk they didn’t even realize that they were walking right into a familiar clearing in the forest.

Spike’s ear fins twitched. “They’re back…”

No sooner did Spike say those words that the sound of growls and howls could be heard in the thick brush. Timberwolves started to slowly stalk out of the forest, their glowing green eyes focused on the two friends.

Rarity started inching herself closer to Spike. “What do we do now?” She asked, terror evident in her voice.

“Cover your ears.”

Rarity did as she was told. Spike took a deep breath and let loose a roar so mighty that it shook the very leaves of the trees. The Timberwolves recoiled from the noise and ran yelping back into the forest.

When the wolves were nowhere to be seen Rarity uncovered her ears. “Bravo, darling. I doubt they’ll be troubling us anytime soon.”

“I had a feeling that would work,” Spike said proudly.

Author's Note

Once again I am SO freaking sorry about the delay. I had a LOT of stress with it being the end of the semester and tests and all the "fun" things that come from finals week. But I hope this chapter makes up for it. I know I said I'd write shorter chapters, but I just kept going with the idea of Spike bumbling around Ponyville in his new body and here we are. And now dear readers I offer you a bit of "Silver Wit wisdom." If you want to write fanfiction (or write anything for that matter) find someone you trust to give you feed back. My proof reader, who I'll call Pastel Pallet, has saved me from multiple errors and bad ideas. I told her my earlier ideas for this chapter (I was thinking that the ponies in town would be afraid of Spike because of the whole birthday thing) and she told me "That doesn't sound right" (she said more than that obviously I'm just paraphrasing) and low and behold I took her advice to heart and made the chapter more about Spike being afraid of himself because of the whole birthday thing. The result is a chapter I'm actually proud of. By the way I'd like to mention that the next chapter is already underway and is much shorter so I'll try to get it done in about a week or so. ALSO someone requested a TwiLuna story from me so I'll be writing that as well in the coming weeks. I apologize profusely for not starting that sooner requester, but I'm a terrible multitasker. However, with summer vacation I can start working on it as well as bring you all more chapters of "Life and Times." I'll be turning up the heat of my slow boil of a story in the coming chapters, the stage has been set and with the mid point of the story on the horizon it's time to pick up the pace. What will that mean for our heroes? I guess you'll have to keep reading to find out.

So, who likes Autumn Blaze? (I do!!!!) I loved writing her part cause I just love Autumn's thought process when she talks and just seems so fascinated with any new thing and her lack of personal space. Also I'm sure she'd call Applejack, AJ more than Applejack. (Wow that sentence is awkward).

And a quick side note, anyone else picture the cover of "Action Comics #1" during the Spike saves the day scene? Cause that's what was running through my head at time of writing.

Thanks for reading, see you next time :raritywink:

Silver Wit

Little Dark Angel

The mid-day sun was shining brightly in Canterlot. Groundskeepers trimming the trees and bushes, salesponies showing off their wares to the buying public, large museums and libraries with marble columns housing knowledge and knowledge seeker alike. Upper class ponies playing lawn games like polo and croquet and the royal guards patrolling the streets to assure everypony that they were safe. The city was always vibrant with daily life of the ponies that lived and visited the shining metropolis of Equestria. And on this particularly lovely day a large group of ponies were assembled in a square outside Canterlot castle. Many of them had picket signs with the words “Free Cozy” and “She didn’t deserve Tartarus” painted in bright bold colors. Standing on a platform with a megaphone in hoof was an earth pony mare. She had a light blue coat and wavy two-toned blue and pink mane. A cutie mark of a red bishop chess piece adorned her flank.

She held the megaphone up and announced, “Thank you everypony for being here today! It warms my heart to know that there are ponies out there who want to stand by a noble cause! To free Cozy Glow from Tartarus!”
The crowd of ponies cheered and stamped their hooves in applause.

“Our numbers have grown!” the mare continued. “And everyday our message is being sent across Equestria to everypony from Appleoosa to Manehattan, that the royal sisters have made a hasty, rash and unfair judgment! My sister Cozy made mistakes, but does that justify the princesses to throw a young and misguided filly into the black void of Tartarus? No I say, no! If changelings and even the Lord of Chaos himself can reform and change for the better of Equestria, why can’t my little sister? So I ask you, are we going to let a young life spoil in a cage like some evil monster?”

“NO!” the crowd yelled.

“Are we going to sit idly by as the royal sisters ignore this injustice?”

“NO!”

“No we are not! What do we want?”

“FREE COZY!”

“When do we want it?”

“NOW!”

The crowds chanting echoed across the city and into Canterlot castle. On a balcony high above the square stood Celestia. Her multi-colored mane and tail flowing in an absent breeze, her golden regalia shined bright and accentuated her pristine white coat, horn, wings and her sun cutie mark. She gazed down at the square, never taking her eyes off of the rabble-rouser running the rally. She exhaled an aggravated sigh and pursed her lips as the chants continued to flood the air.

“Sister?” came a voice behind Celestia. Another alicorn was there. She had a black coat, wings, horn and black and blue regalia. Her mane flowed in the same manner as Celestia’s, but hers was mix of blues and black and resembled the night sky. Her cutie mark was of a crescent moon against a starry sky.

“Yes Luna?” Celestia responded, not taking her eyes off the crowd.

“Are they at it again?” Luna asked, already knowing the answer.

“Yes they are. And it seems Fuzzy Feeling has even more ponies than last time.”

“This is ridiculous. Don’t they know how close Cozy Glow came to destroying Equestria? And they want her released?”

Celestia sighed, “Perhaps they know. But they’ve made their voices heard and something must be done about it.”

“What do you plan to do?”

Celestia narrowed her eyes on the leader of the protesters. Fuzzy Feeling, and after a few moments of thought turned and
walked into her chambers. “I need to write some letters.”

A few days later:

Twilight Sparkle tossed in her bed. Try as she might, she just couldn’t avoid the rogue beam of light peeking through her curtains and focusing on her face. Eventually she gave up and threw her covers aside and stretched. “Ok, ok, I’m up. Geez, can’t a pony get some sleep after grading tests all night?”

Twilight yawned and rubbed the sand from her eyes and after her standard morning ritual of brushing her teeth, mane, shower, etc. she walked downstairs towards the kitchen. She could smell the pungent aroma of fresh coffee and the sweet smell of fruit and cinnamon. Twilight quickened her pace, with the thought of enjoying Spike’s special breakfast of pancakes
and berries.

Twilight entered the kitchen, Spike was hard at work over the stove as he flipped pancake after pancake onto a big silver tray. Starlight was sitting at the table, a wide grin on her muzzle, practically bouncing in her seat, waiting for Spike to finish cooking.

“Good morning everypony!” Twilight greeted.

“Morning Twilight!” both Spike and Starlight responded.

“Any particular reason you’re making special pancakes today, Spike? Need another favor?”

Spike flipped the last of his pancakes onto the tray and using his tail slid the tray onto the table. “Nah, I just thought we’d celebrate the end of testing week with a big breakfast. I made the apple compote this time too.”

Over the last few days Spike’s gotten used to his new body, and now it’s like he’s been this size for years. He even learned how to use his tail as an extra limb.

“I couldn’t care less why,” Starlight commented. “I just want more of those amazing pancakes. Why don’t we have this everyday?”

Spike placed the coffee pot and three mugs on the table. “Well I could, but then they wouldn’t be ‘special pancakes’ anymore.”

Everypony grabbed their helping of pancakes, fruit and coffee and started digging in.

Twilight took a bite and sighed in delight, “Oh yeah… that’s the good stuff. This is just what I needed.”

“Ditto,” Starlight said between bites.

“Heh, glad you guys like it so much. Good thing I remembered to pick up some extra- BURP!” a flaming belch and a
scroll manifested from the fire cut off Spike’s sentence.

Twilight levitated the scroll over to her. “A letter from Princess Celestia?”

“Oh please don’t tell me Equestria’s in danger again!” Starlight groaned. “It’s special pancake day!”

Twilight unrolled the scroll. “I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about. Everything’s been quiet since Cozy tried to take over Equestria. I can’t imagine what could go wrong.” Twilight took a sip of her coffee as her eyes scanned the note from her mentor. Then her eyes widened and she spat her coffee out in surprise.

“Aw heck, did I burn the coffee?” Spike asked.

“Oh no…” Starlight smacked her hoof to her forehead.

Twilight just stared in disbeliefat the coffee stained parchment. “I-I-AH! This can’t- I mean how? EMERGENCY MEETING!”And with that Twilight teleported out of the kitchen leaving a confused Spike and an annoyed Starlight.

“So much for a relaxing breakfast,” Spike said.

“Speak for yourself,” Starlight said loading her plate with more pancakes. “I’m not saving Equestria on an empty stomach.”

Soon all of the elements of harmony were assembled in the map room upon their respective thrones. Spike and Starlight standing on either side of Twilight for much needed emotional support.

“What’s the emergency Twi?” Applejack asked.

“Yeah! You were all like ‘AH! CASTLE! COME NOW!’ and all of the other random noises and heavy breathing you do when you’re Twilighting,” Pinkie said.

Twilight cocked an eyebrow. “Twilighting? You made me into a verb?”

“Twilight, what did Princess Celestia send you that’s gotten you so worked up?” Starlight asked.

Twilight took a deep, calming breath and revealed a coffee stained scroll and began reading.

"Dear Twilight: I’m not sure how to tell you this, so I’ll be frank. Because of the overwhelming support and public outcry as well as weeks of protests, Luna and I have decided to release Cozy Glow from Tartarus to the custody of her sister Fuzzy Feeling. Your presence along with the presence of your friends is needed in Canterlot post haste. Signed, your friend and mentor, Princess Celestia."

Everypony in the room gasped. Not even Pinkie Pie could ease the tension at the news of Cozy’s pardoning.

Rainbow Dash was the first to voice her opinion, “Whoa, whoa, whoa! Release Cozy Glow from Tartarus? Are they nuts? Don’t these ponies know she got us trapped in Tartarus?”

“And nearly erased all magic from Equestria?” Rarity added.

“And took over the school?” Pinkie said.

“And played us all fer suckers?” Applejack said.

Twilight’s ears drooped and she hid her face in her hooves.

“You ok Twilight?” Spike asked.

“No… I’m not. Cozy Glow tried to destroy everything we’ve built together. She nearly ruined our home and I’m the one who was foolish enough to allow her to be my friendship assistant and even more foolish to fall for her trap.”

Spike placed a claw on Twilight’s withers. “Twilight, you were deceived, we all were and you shouldn’t blame yourself for being deceived by a deceiver, it’s what they do.”

Applejack nodded. “Well said sugarcube. Ah don’t know what these varmints are a thinkin’, lettin’ that no good liar out.

Don’ they know what a punishment is? ”

“W-w-what if she’s out for revenge after she’s free?” Fluttershy said hiding in her wings. “Oh dear, I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep at night.”

Rainbow Dash slammed a hoof on the table. “Yeah! Don’t these ponies know how dangerous Cozy Glow is? We can’t let the princesses release her! Uh… right?”

“Actually… I think I agree with Celestia’s decision.”

Every pair of eyes in the room focused on Starlight Glimmer. Jaws hung open out of sheer alarm at the words she spoke so casually.

“Wait. You think Cozy Glow should go free? What the hay Starlight?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“I know I don’t have much of a leg to stand on in this debate. I mean, I did brainwash a town and destroyed Equestria dozens of times by screwing up the past and if it wasn’t for the time line fixing itself and Twilight taking me in I might be where Cozy is now.”

“Starlight, do you know what you’re saying?” Twilight asked solemnly. “She held you prisoner, she threatened the school, put our students in danger and came dangerously close to dooming us all. Do you really want her to be set free?”

Starlight sighed, “Look, maybe Cozy had a change of heart. You yourself taught me the value of forgiveness Twilight, and that ponies can change, I did thanks to you. And I’m not saying Cozy Glow shouldn’t have been punished for what she did, I’m just wondering if sending her to Tartarus was the right thing to do.”

Twilight and her entourage arrived at Canterlot castle after passing through crowds upon crowds of ponies all waiting in anticipation for the rulers of Equestria to make their appearance. The announcement that Princess Celestia and Luna were going to be releasing a prisoner from Tartarus spread like wildfire across Equestria and ponies turned out in drones. Journalists, photographers, royal guards, protesters with signs and curious onlookers flooded the castle grounds.

Twilight and friends made haste through the halls in the direction of the throne room. A door to the throne room swung open and Twilight came to a stop. Out stepped a tall brown cat with vibrant green eyes and blue hair on his head. He wore a black and blue waistcoat; an ascot with a crescent-moon symbol was wrapped around his neck. Twilight and her friends knew this cat very well.

“Capper?” Twilight asked

Capper replied coolly, “Hello, my little ponies. Here to see the princesses? No need to answer, it’s written all over your faces.”

“What the hay are you doing here?”

Capper buffed his claws on his coat. “Oh you haven’t heard? I’m Princess Luna’s right paw now. You know how it goes, I scratch her back in breaking into a goddess of fortune’s casino to reclaim her stolen magic, she scratches my back with a nice, cushy, official job as her advisor. The lady knows quality when she sees it and I have to say, this place sure beats the pants off of Kludge town.”

Starlight whispered in Twilight’s ear, “Trixie did mention a villain dimension where she beat you in a magic duel or something. I just thought she was reading from her fantasy journal.”

Capper took out a small pocket watch and glanced at the face. “Hmm, I hate to cut our reunion short, but the official pardoning will begin soon and I know how badly you want to see the princesses.” Capper spun on his paws and led Twilight and her friends into the throne room.

The royal sisters were sitting on their respective thrones and Capper bowed politely before them, with style the and grace most unbecoming of an ally cat. “Your majesties, Princess Twilight Sparkle and friends have arrived.”

Twilight walked forward. “Princess Celestia… is what you said in your letter true?”

Celestia gave a heavy sigh and nodded. “Yes it’s true. We will be releasing Cozy Glow from Tartarus.”

“Capper, alert the guards and tell the ponies outside that the royal pardoning will begin shortly,” Luna said.

“Right away Luna,” Capper said before strolling out of the throne room.

“But why?” Twilight asked. “I-I don’t want to question your judgment, but it’s just… well…”

“We’re a lil’ curious why y’all are doin’ this,” Applejack finished.

“It was not an easy decision,” Celestia replied. “But after weeks of protests, petitions and countless letters pushing for her release my sister and I decided that for the sake of our public relations, releasing Cozy Glow was the right thing to do. Thanks in part to Fuzzy Feeling, Cozy’s sister. She certainly has a talent for whipping ponies into a frenzy and rallying them behind a cause.”

“Try to understand, our hooves are tied,” Luna continued. “When word got out about how we locked up a filly in Tartarus, the backlash has been ferocious. These ponies don’t even care about her crimes or misdeeds, they just see this as a wrong to be righted.”

“I understand Fuzzy Feeling’s frustrations in losing her sister; I really truly do, and I also understand why she’s been working so hard for Cozy’s release.” Celestia closed her eyes and sighed, “ I suppose I felt sorry for her as well…”

Starlight stepped forward. “Your majesties, for what it’s worth, I think you’re doing the right thing. I believe forgiveness and compassion is what’s going to help Cozy Glow become a better pony. After all, it was thanks to Twilight that I became a better pony, but that wouldn’t have happened if she didn’t give me that second chance.”

Twilight smiled as a feeling of pride swelled up in her. Starlight has come a long way from enslaving ponies to helping them and it was thanks to her efforts that Starlight became one of her closet confidants.

“You speak with much wisdom Starlight Glimmer,” Celestia said. “And your admiration for your friend is commendable.” She turned her attention to Twilight. “Twilight, I’d like to hear youropinion on this matter. Do you think you can forgive Cozy Glow?”

Twilight thought she could answer with, “yes of course” immediately. But when she opened her mouth to say it, nothing came through. The memories of Cozy’s betrayal were still fresh in her mind and she couldn’t shake the uneasy feelings brewing in her heart. She froze up, like she swallowed a hoof full of ice and slush, unable to feel or say anything.

She felt a light pat on her withers. “Twilight? Are you ok?”

It was Starlight. Her number one pupil, friend and her voice of reason. Twilight remembered a time when Starlight wanted nothing more than to destroy the bonds of friendship that Twilight made with her friends and destroy Equestria. And Starlight almost won. But Twilight helped her see the true value of friendship and helped guiding Starlight to become a better pony. If forgiveness helped Starlight, then maybe…

“Princess Celestia,” Twilight said. “Even though I’m still uncertain of how I feel about Cozy’s release, as the Princess of Friendship, I feel that it’s my duty to show everycreature forgiveness and compassion in the hopes of them righting their wrongs and being better than they were before.”

Celestia nodded. “I see. I’d expect nothing less from you Twilight Sparkle. Now if everypony is ready, I believe we have business outside. Luna?”

“Going, see you soon sister,” Luna opened a portal and stepped inside with two guards.

“Are you ready Twilight?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be princess.”

Twilight’s heart started beating as she looked over the sea of ponies, all-waiting on bated breath for the ceremony to begin. Protesters with signs eyed her and everypony next to her with ire and contempt. The constant flashes from the photographers’ cameras and a wall of royal guards with spears at the ready. A small wave of panic came over Twilight, her stomach was tying itself into knots and she found it hard to breath. This was the one part about being a princess she never got used to. All eyes were on her, judging her, looking for even the slightest weakness to exploit and show that she’ll never be a great leader.

A hoof pat brought Twilight back to earth. “Twilight, are you ok?” Starlight said.

Twilight took a deep breath. “I’ll be fine.”

“You’re sure you can do this?”

Twilight nodded. “As the Princess of Friendship it’s important that I show forgiveness and compassion to those who’ve done wrong. Even if I’m not one hundred percent ok with it. I just hope you’re right when you said that maybe Cozy Glow has changed.”

The sound of trumpets filled the air and everypony’s attention was drawn to Celestia. She cleared her throat and spoke when the crowed fell silent.

“Citizens of Equestria! You have made your voices clear and you have been heard! As of today, Cozy Glow is a free pony!”

The sound of cheers claps and stomps roared out from the crowd. Even if Celestia used her royal Canterlot voice she’d only be barely audible.

"You have all shown great determination and drive in this matter! And we have decided to grant you your request! Fuzzy Feeling, would you like to say a few words?”

Fuzzy Feeling trotted onstage as the protesters cheered for their leader. She bowed to the princesses and addressed the crowd. “Thank you everypony! I can’t even begin to tell you how happy I am to have you all here today. This is just as much my victory as it is yours! And thanks to our efforts, my sister is finally free!” The cheers rose up again.

As if on cue, a portal opened up on stage and Luna stepped out, followed by two guards and a pink pegasus filly with a mane of tight blue curls and a rook chess piece cutie mark. Cozy Glow and Fuzzy Feeling locked eyes with each other.

“Fuzzy?” Cozy Glow said in awe.

Fuzzy Feeling’s eyes were flooding with tears. She choked back a sob. “Cozy!” she ran and embraced her little sister, planting kisses on the top of her head. The crowd was stirred into a rejoicing frenzy as cameras flashed to capture the moment of this tender family reunion.

Fuzzy Feeling broke her hug and wiped the tears from her eyes. “I would like to give a special thank you to Princess Celestia, Luna and Twilight-“ Fuzzy bowed “- thank you your majesties. Thank you for giving me my sister back.”

“You’re most welcome Fuzzy Feeling,” Celestia replied.

Cozy trotted up to Twilight. “Um, Headmare Twilight? -“ She nervously drew little circles on the ground with her front hoof “- I’m awful sorry about what I did. It was a huge mistake and I promise from this day forward, I’ll be a better pony. I’ll take all the lessons you taught me and use them to make a difference. Spreading friendship across Equestria and making up for all the bad things I’ve done. So… do you forgive me?” Cozy Glow looked up with wide eyes and sticking out her lower lip. The crowd all gave a collective “aww.”

Twilight shifted her eyes from Cozy Glow to the crowd. She said it was important as the Princess of Friendship to show forgiveness. But could she really forgive Cozy Glow for her betrayal? For trapping her and her friends in Tartarus? For putting her school and students in danger? Isn’t this the same cutesy display that tricked Twilight and everypony around her before? Could she forgive Cozy? If she didn’t the crowed would riot and eat her alive. Her name would be dragged through the mud; she’d be a failure as a princess and a hypocrite to the very ideals that inspired her to open a school to teach the values of friendship.

In the end, Twilight nodded and said with a smile, “Yes Cozy Glow. I forgive you.” Cheers went up as Cozy Glow hugged Twilight.

“Gee wiz, that sure makes me feel a whole lot better!”

“Just promise me you’ll stay out of trouble.”

“Oh you don’t have to worry about that. I got my big sister to keep an eye on me so I’ll stay a good pony.” Cozy Glow flew over to Fuzzy.

Fuzzy Feeling gave another bow to the princesses. “Thank you Princess Twilight. Now if we’re done here, I’d like to take my sister home.”

Celestia nodded. “You are free to go.”

Fuzzy Feeling gave one last farewell to the crowd and she and Cozy Glow left. The sea of ponies parting for the newly reunited siblings and saw them off with cheers, camera flashes and confetti.

“You did a great job Twilight,” Starlight said.

“Then why do I feel so unnerved?”

“ I think you’re just worrying too much. Cozy Glow served her time and I have faith that she’ll be a better pony. You’ll see, I’ll bet you at this moment she’s thinking about all the good she can do.”

Fuzzy Feeling and Cozy Glow were on the outskirts of Canterlot when Cozy looked over her shoulder to make sure they were the only ponies around. “Took you long enough,” she said with a sneer.

Fuzzy Feeling shrunk. “P-please Cozy, I-I tried to get you out sooner, I just-“

“You were supposed to be my back up plan! If something went wrong, you were supposed to bail me out! I was in that stinking pit for months! Do you have any idea what Tartarus is like? Because I have half a mind to show you just a sample of what I had to go through!” Cozy stated flying closer and closer to the earth pony mare.

“Please Cozy I tried my hardest, really!” Fuzzy Feeling said in terror as she started backing away from the little pony. “But I had to get ponies behind me, the royal sisters wouldn’t take me seriously! I know I had to get you out of there, please have mercy!” Fuzzy fell to the ground and covered her head with her hooves.

“Oh well, I guess it’s not all bad,” Cozy said adopting her cute tone. “After all I got to spend some extra quality time with my old pal Tirek and we did some brainstorming on how to exact my revenge.”

“R-Revenge? But wouldn’t revenge on Celestia and Luna-“

“Fool! Celestia and Luna are nothing! Who defeated Nightmare Moon? Who stopped Discord from turning Equestria into his personal playground? Who drained Tirek of his magic and chained him back up in Tartarus? It sure as heck wasn’t Celestia or Luna! It was that obnoxious goody, goody purple princess and her stupid friends! Celestia and Luna are just glorified pencil pushers compared to Twilight Sparkle and her lackeys! But their power is only strong when all six of them are together, if you took one of them out, the rest will fall like dominoes.”

"So… what are you going to do?” Fuzzy asked cautiously, not wanting to set off her sister’s rage again.

“I’m going to make a plan to destroy Twilight Sparkle and after her, the rest of her little friends. And thanks to that performance at my pardoning, I doubt anypony will suspect me of doing anything bad. Nice touch with the tears it made the whole thing really believable.”

Fuzzy timidly pressed her hooves together. “Well… I am happy to see you again Cozy…”

“Ugh, don’t start with all of that sisterly love garbage, it makes me sick. Now let’s go, we have work to do.”

“Wait? W-we?”

“Yes, we! I hate to say it but I’m going to need help and who better to help me than my big sister. A hard working pony like you is exactly the kind of support I’ll be needing. Of course, you could choose not to help me, but I don’t think you’d like what’ll happen if you say ‘no’.”

Fuzzy just gulped and nodded her head.

“Very good. Now try to keep up.”

Cozy Glow took off down the road with Fuzzy Feeling trailing behind her. Fuzzy glanced over her shoulder and gave one last look at Canterlot, whispering apologies as she left.

Author's Note

Ugh, this one was a bit of a chore to write. Why? Because it was too big with conflicting tones. So I basically broke this chapter into two chapters, the next one will be out soon. I feel like a broken record when I say sorry for not posting sooner, I try to get these chapters out asap but life has a way of tripping me up. I suppose it also has something to do with this whole "trial by fire" style of writing I'm doing for this story. It's not that I dislike it per sé, but for my next stories, I'll wait till it's done and well polished before I publish them. I think it'll be better for me and for you.

Have you guys read the mini series "Knightmare Knights"? You should really read it. It's a five issue series about how Luna assembles a crew to help steal her magic back from the goddess of fortune, Eris, in a villain casino. I decided to add Capper into this story because one of the reasons Capper decided to Join Luna was because he made her agree to all of these perks and job opportunities that he wasn't getting from being a motivational speaker at Flim and Flam's resort (that sentence was more fun to write then you think). So Then I thought "Hmm, you know, being Luna's personal advisor sounds like a really cushy job." And the rest is history. I like to think that Capper is grateful to Luna for giving him this job (though he'll never admit it to anyone) so even though he seems aloof and might seem like he's just in it for the power, he actually does take his job seriously, but I also see him kicking back, only really listening to Luna and at times getting a little too comfortable with castle life.

Now I know what you're thinking, "Silver Wit you lump of coal miner's snot, why is there a Twilight chapter in your story about Spike and Rarity?" Well my mucus enthusiast friend, it's because Twilight is an important figure in this story, not as much as our stars and favorite ship, but as Spike's big sister and the pony who practically solo raised him, she's important none the less and I feel like she needs to have a chapter or two for her to grow. And what of Cozy Glow? What future will be in store for her? I suppose you'll have to keep reading and find out.

Thanks for reading, see you next time :raritywink:

Silver Wit

Pearls Before Swine: Part 1

Unbeknownst to anypony in the world, a great battle of wills was happening inside Ponyville’s own Carousel Boutique. A small unicorn filly was in the fight of her life as Sweetie Belle grit her teeth and used all of her resolve to endure the tortures she was being subjective to. It started out simple enough but as the minutes turned into hours, she felt her strength give out and with every second that passed her desire to go on dwindled like a burning match. She couldn’t take it anymore! She had to fight back! Sweetie Belle’s hoof twitched and she slowly lifted it up.

“Don’t move!”

“But Rarity!” Sweetie whined. “My nose is itchy!”

“Sweetie Belle I don’t care if your mane is one fire, just stand still so I can finish my alterations!” Rarity’s words were as sharp as the needle threading and weaving in and out of the dress that Sweetie Belle was wearing.

“This is taking forever! And why isn’t Spike helping you with this?”

“Because, if you haven’t noticed, Spike doesn’t fit into any of my dresses anymore, now I’m almost finished so stop complaining and don’t you dare move a muscle or so help me Celestia-“

There was a knock at the door.

“Who could that be? Don’t move Sweetie.” Rarity pulled herself away from her project and answered the door. On the other side was a mailmare with a grey coat and a yellow mane with a pair of golden eyes.

“Letter for Rarity!” she announced.

“Good morning Derpy.”

Derpy blinked her uneven eyes. “Oh hiiiigh Rarity! I have a letter for you!” Her wing dug into her saddlebag and pulled out a golden envelope with a red seal.

“Thank you darling. Oh just a moment!-“ Rarity summoned a blueberry muffin. “- For your troubles.”

Derpy happily took the muffin and popped the whole baked good in her mouth. She gave Rarity a salute and flew off to continue her route.

Rarity shut the door and inspected the envelope. It was the most impressive piece of stationary Rarity ever laid eyes on, even the invitation to the Grand Galloping Gala paled in comparison to the lustrous beauty the letter received, on top of the gorgeous calligraphy used to spell her name. The back of the envelop was sealed with wax and had what looked like a comb with a bee stamped into the red adhesive.

“What’d you get Rarity?” Sweetie Belle asked, continuing to stand perfectly still.

“A rather beautiful gilded letter. Can’t say I’ve ever seen this seal before, only one way to find out who sent it. “Rarity opened the letter and began reading. As her eyes scanned from top to bottom her jaw slowly dropped and as soon as she was done reading, began to jump around the boutique floor laughing, cheering and crying out, “At last! At last!”

“What’s got you in such a great mood?”

“Sweetie Belle! I got a letter from Pish Posh! The Pish Posh! One of the leading names in fashion has written me a letter!”

“Well what does it say?”

Rarity cleared her throat, “Dear Rarity. First and foremost, I’d like to say how impressed I was by one of your designs. Fleur De Lis told me that your skilled hooves crafted the wonderful dress she was wearing. It was sleek, bold an absolute tour de force and most of all it had a style the likes of which I’ve rarely ever seen in the industry. You simply must attend my next soirée in Canterlot. I’d love to pick your brain and get to know one of the finest seamstresses in Equestria personally. Signed Pish Posh.” Rarity squealed in delight and held the letter to her chest.

“Can you believe it Sweetie Belle? I have a chance to meet with one of the greatest designers in the world! The name ‘Rarity’ will be a household name if I play my cards right!”

A soft fluttering drew Rarity’s attention as two pieces of paper fell to the floor. “What’s this? ‘P.S. here is your ticket to the soirée, as well as one for a guest of your choosing. I’m sure a pony of your talent and statues keeps company as exquisite as the clothes she makes.’”

Sweetie Belle was excited and if she didn’t currently have a number of needles so close to her skin she’d be bouncing up and down. This is PERFECT! “Ooo, Ooo! I know who you can invite!”

Rarity chuckled, “Sweetie, while I appreciate your enthusiasm in wanting to mingle with high society, this is more of a party for grown ups, not fillies and colts.”

Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes. “Not me, Spike.”

Rarity’s pupils turned to pinpricks and a few beads of nervous sweat started to build up on her brow. “Uh… Spike?”

“Yeah! He’s a perfect plus one! He’s funny, he’ll hold the door open for you, compliment you on your dress and he’s fun to talk to. Did I mention he’d compliment you on your dress?”

Rarity was finding it hard to look Sweetie Belle in the eyes so she decided to admire one of her window displays. “Oh, um, heheh, Sweetie Belle, while that is a darling idea, I’m sure Spike has better things to do then attend a party such as this. Best to leave him be.”

“I’m pretty sure if you asked him to go, he’d clear his schedule.”

“This is just so exciting!” Rarity exclaimed, not listening to Sweetie Belle anymore. “And challenging… I need to bring an impeccable guest to introduce to Pish Posh and show the kind of ponies I associate with and the finest dress in my wardrobe. Dress first, guest list later.” Rarity trotted out of the room talking about what dress would be best suited for the party to herself, leaving a hapless Sweetie Belle in an ill-fitting dress impersonating a statue at the Canterlot gardens on the shops' show floor alone.

“Rarity? Rarity!... I need a bathroom break!”

Among the countless trees at Sweet Apple Acres lies a small rose-colored clubhouse with a brick colored roof, with yellow railing and blue-planked ramps leading to the door. This little abode is the headquarters of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Ponyville’s dream team problem solvers supreme.

“Thanks for coming on such short notice girls,” Sweetie Belle said from behind the podium.

“Well you did say it was important,” Scootaloo replied.

“An’ Ah live right over there-“ Applebloom pointed in a vague direction towards the Apple family farm. “-so what’s wrong? We got us another cutie mark problem?”

Sweetie Belle shook her head. “Nope, but it’s super duper important. Maybe one of our most important missions yet! Rarity just got an invitation to a big party in Canterlot.”

Applebloom looked at Sweetie as if she were pulling her leg. “…An’ what do you need us fer?”

“Rarity needs a plus one, so I need your help to finally get her together with-“

“Uhp, uhp, uhp! Stop right there,” Scootaloo interjected. “I thought we agreed on no more matchmaking.”

“Sweetie Belle, Ah know you jus’ wanna help yer big sis, but we really should keep our noses clean outta this.”

Sweetie raised her hooves defensively. “I know, I know, but hear me out. I know the absolute perfect guy for Rarity. He’s kind, funny, tall, strong, handsome, a true gentlecolt, already knows my sister’s likes and dislikes and treats her as if she were an actual princess.”

Applebloom and Scootaloo looked at each other in confusion and then they started laughing like they heard a Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich stand up routine.

After a few seconds Applebloom’s laughter petered out. “Sorry ‘bout laughin’, it’s jus’ Ah never knew there was somepony perfect for Rarity. Uh, no offense.”

Scootaloo wiped a tear from her eye. “If I didn’t know any better Sweetie Belle, I’d think you’re trying to set Rarity up with Spike.”

The only response Sweetie Belle gave as she leaned forward on her podium was a single raised eyebrow and a knowing smirk. Realization finally struck the other two crusaders like a bolt out of the blue and both let out an, “Ooooohhhhhh!”

“Well that makes sense,” Scootaloo said

“Yeah! Spike and Rarity go together like… like apple and cider.”

“Exactly!” Sweetie Belle chirped. “And I think this party is the perfect chance for Rarity to get some one on one time with Spike. They’ll mingle, eat tiny food, drink fancy juice and oooh! Maybe they’ll share a dance! And confess their love for each other under the moonlight.”

“We get it Sweetie Belle, we get it,” Scootaloo said rolling her eyes. “you sure had a lot of time to think about this didn’t you?”

Sweetie Belle’s face resembled an embarrassed rose. “Well… maybe a little bit of time, heh.”

“So what do ya need our help fer?”

“I’m glad you asked Applebloom.-“ Sweetie took out a scroll and unraveled it. “-I copied Rarity’s list of all her potential plus ones. All we have to do is make sure everypony on this list is busy on the night of the party and then she’ll have to ask Spike.”

Scootaloo scratched her head. “But why doesn’t she just ask Spike to go with her?”

“Because she’s too nervous. You should’ve seen Rarity’s face when I suggested taking him. She looked like she’d die from embarrassment if she asked Spike to the party. So I thought we could help her by narrowing down her options and maybe give her the courage to ask him out herself.”

Scootaloo eyed the date scribbled on the scroll. “Hmm… I know Rainbow Dash can’t go. She, Soarin and Spitfire are attending a conference in Canterlot that night.”

Sweetie Belle crossed out Rainbow Dash’s name from her list. “Well that’s one name off the list, thanks Scootaloo.”

“Ah don’ know, Ah still have a bad feelin’ ‘bout this… Buuuuut Ah do wanna go campin’ with Applejack. An’ if she jus’ so happens to pick that day to go, who am Ah to say no?”

“And that’ll be another name off the list. So, does this mean you guys will help me?”

“Well, I still don’t know if this is the right thing to do. But I think I can play matchmaker one more time.”

“Ah’m in! Ah always thought they’d make a great pair!”

Sweetie Belle held her hoof out, with Applebloom and Scootaloo holding out theirs. “Thanks girls, I couldn’t ask for better friends. Let’s start by looking around for any and all events, functions, festivals, try-outs or anything to keep these ponies busy!”

“Sounds good to me, now let’s go get Rarity the dragon of her dreams!”

“One last job fer the Cutie Mark Crusader Matchmakers!”

All three fillies threw their hooves in the air and cheered, then galloped out of the tree house, jumped into their wagon with Scootaloo at the handle of her scooter and took off towards Ponyville on their mission of love.

The next day Rarity stepped out of the boutique and took a deep breath of the fresh morning air and exhaled a content sigh. “Ahh, what a beautiful day.” Rarity was feeling like she was truly at peace. She found the perfect dress and made a list of the best possible candidates to take with her to Pish Posh’s party. She got the right amount of sleep leaving her totally refreshed and full of vigor and her morning coffee was one of the best she’s ever brewed. Yes, today was going to be great, Rarity could feel it from the tip of her horn to the last curl of her tail.

With a spring in her step she trotted off down the road with a list in her magical grasp. “Let’s see, I think I’ll ask Twilight first. I’ll be the talk of the town when I stroll into Pish Posh's abode with the Princess of Friendship of all ponies.”

“Oh my stars! Princess Twilight, it is such an honor to have you here! Rarity I can’t believe you invited the Princess of Friendship to my soirée, I’m oh so impressed, you certainly keep the most exquisite of company.”

“Why thank you Pish Posh, I like to surround myself with only the most upstanding ponies around.”

Rarity giggled to herself as her mind played out her little theatre production. Perhaps it wouldn’t be as grandiose as that, but a mare can dream can’t she?

Rarity walked to the School of Friendship and made a beeline to Twilight’s office. “I’ll have to make the perfect dress for Twilight, her Grand Galloping Gala gown is splendid, but she’ll need something fresh, something bold. Hmm, I wonder if her coronation gown would be a little too perfect.”

Rarity strolled through the doors of Twilight’s office and found the Headmare diligently going through lists and charts, mumbling about budgets and field trips. Much to Rarity’s surprise, you could actually see Twilight instead of a wall of books.

“Good morning Twilight!”

Twilight looked up from her charts and greeted her friend, “Good morning Rarity! How are you doing today?”

“I’m doing well thank you. Twilight do you have moment?”

“Of course I do. What can I help you with?”

Rarity pulled out her extra ticket. “I’m glad you asked darling, I have been invited to the most important soirée in Equestria. And this is my plus one ticket to Pish Posh’s private gathering with Canterlot’s elite and you were the first pony I thought of bringing. Just imagine it darling, you and me in Canterlot high society, rubbing elbows with the biggest names in the fashion world. Oh, can you just imagine the splendor of it all? Can you just imagine it?”

Twilight looked perplexed at her friend’s sales pitch but nodded good-naturedly. “Uhh, sounds great Rarity, I don’t know about all that splendor stuff, but I’m honored that you want to invite me. When’s the party?”

“Next week.”

Twilight’s ears folded back. “Oh, um, sorry Rarity but I can’t go. I already made plans for next week. –“ Twilight levitated a flyer from her desk. “-An antique roadshow is coming to Ponyville and I promised a friend we’d go together.”

Just then the doors to Twilight’s office opened and Flash Sentry trotted in, his eyes were focused on the unfurled scroll in his wing. “Hey Twilight, I made all of the arrangements to have off for the roadshow. You know I’ve never gone antiquing before, not even with my grandparents, but the way you talk about it makes it sound like so much fun.”

Flash looked up from his schedule and noticed that Twilight had company. He quickly hid the scroll in his armor and saluted. “Oh, g-good morning Ms. Rarity! Lovely day isn’t it?”

Rarity looked between the befuddled captain and her rose tinted friend. “Oho, I see,” Rarity said with a mischievous smirk. “Well it’s a shame you can’t go to the party, but have fun antiquing.” She whispered, “Good for you darling.” And gave Twilight a wink.

“Uh, thanks?”

Rarity giggled as she turned away and left, suffice to say she had some juicy gossip to share with the girls later. But she still needed a guest, so with Twilight’s name crossed off the list Rarity moved on to the next potential plus one.

The sweet sounds of chirping birds filled the air as Rarity entered the outskirts of Ponyville proper, taking a path on the edge of the Everfree Forest, which lead to a quaint little cottage where a kindly pegasus calls home.

“Fluttershy may not be a princess, but she’s still an ideal plus one,” Rarity thought aloud. “I’m sure Pish Posh will recognize Fluttershy from her time as a model. And I already have the perfect design for her dress in mind. A soft green, with a train just shy of the floor, perhaps a pearl necklace. Oh so many options!”

“Well I’ll be! You’re Fluttershy are you not? I recognize you from those fabulous pictures from Photo Finish. Rarity I can’t believe you invited such an influential model to my soirée. I’m oh so impressed!”

“Why thank you Pish Posh, I like to surround myself with only the most upstanding ponies around.”

Rarity continued on her path until she came to an empty plot of land. Rarity tilted her head in confusion. Strange, this is where Fluttershy’s cottage was, right? Her ears twitched as she heard the sound of a pair of laughs coming from above her. Fluttershy’s cottage was floating and spinning in the air. There was only one reason why her cottage was so topsy-turvey.

“Typical chaotic tea party I see,” Rarity cleared her throat and called out, “oh Fluttershy! Fluttershy? Do you have a moment darling?”

Fluttershy peeked her head out of her rotating door. “Oh, of course Rarity! I’ll be right down!”

Fluttershy flew down to where Rarity stood, but something was off about the pegasus pony. For one her butter yellow coat was green and she had what looked like a rose bush growing out of her hips. Her hooves were clasped around a butterfly net with a flying sandwich caught in the webbing.

“Oh, uh, hello Fluttershy. I’m not interrupting anything am I?” Rarity asked as she rubbed her eyes and looked over her friend’s strange appearance.

Fluttershy giggled, “Not at all. Discord and I were just in the middle of catching our sandwiches.”

As if on cue, Discord appeared in a flash of light, he was green and had roses on his hips too, but he was also coated in a layer of sticky, amber colored goo. Rarity assumed it was honey. “It’s a great way to work up an appetite,-“ Discord plucked his sandwich from his net and popped it in his mouth. “-and it was Fluttershy’s idea to make things a bit more sporting.”

“It’s much more fun to catch these wonderful cucumber sandwiches in a spinning cottage than one that’s not spinning. So how can I help you Rarity?”

Rarity was still reeling at what she’s seen and heard in the last minute or so but found her voice eventually. “Y-yes, well, I was just wondering if you’d like to accompany me next week as my plus one to the most important parties of the year hosted by the biggest name in the fashion world, Pish Posh!”

"Oh, um, next week? Like, next week, next week?”

Rarity had a bad feeling in her stomach about where this conversation was going. “Yes, next week.”

“I’m so sorry Rarity, but I can’t go. There’s going to be a big tea festival at Rainbow Falls and I already promised Discord I’d go with him.”

Discord nodded eagerly. “Mmhmm, a little pegasus told me about it and I could not pass up a chance for some new blends for our tea party. Personally I’m hoping they have something like black licorice or Camembert cheese tea.”

Rarity sighed in defeat, “Well have fun at the festival you two. Thank you for your time Fluttershy.”

Rarity trotted off back down the path to Ponyville, crossing another name off her list. “And that’s two. But that’s alright, I still have Applejack as a potential guest. I’m sure with her experience with the Manehattan upper class she’ll be a shoe in for a great plus one.”

“Well I say Rarity, your friend here has greatly surprised me. Not only does she know the Hoofingtons by name but she’s also the farmer of the finest apples in all of Equestria. I can’t believe you invited such a hardworking pony with such rich family ties to my soirée. I’m oh so impressed!”

“Why thank you Pish Posh, I like to surround myself with only the most upstanding ponies around.”

“Sorry Rarity, but Ah’m gunna have ta decline.”

Rarity felt her eyes twitch and her purple curls splitting. “What? Are you sure? I mean are you really, really sure you can’t come?”

Applejack nodded. “Ah’m sure. Ah promised Applebloom we’d go campin’ and that jus’ happens to be the day Ah said we’d go out to White Tail Woods.”

“And I get to go too!” Autumn Blaze sang out. She set the bushels of apples she was carrying and trotted up to the pair of ponies and threw a foreleg around Applejack's shoulders. “I’m so excited to go camping! I’ve never done it before, well unless you count that time I was kicked out of my village and I had to live on my own, away from everypony I knew. But that was because I had nowhere else to go, and AJ said that going out and being with nature on a camping trip is meant to be fun and relaxing so I’ll trust her experience and see if it holds up.”

Rarity groaned as she smacked her forehead with her hoof. “Thank you anyway Applejack,” she said through her teeth.

“You ok sugarcube? You look awfully miffed.”

“Miffed? Moi? Not at all darling, what makes you say that? After all, I still have more ponies to ask. They can’t all be busy. Everything is going to be alright.”

“Everything is not alright!” Rarity cried as she flung herself onto her fancy couch.

Sweetie Belle beamed, it looks like her plan had worked perfectly. “Oh no, what’s wrong Rarity? Why so glum?” she asked in feign concern.

Rarity draped a foreleg across her eyes. “Oh Sweetie Belle, this is terrible! Everypony on my list has plans next week! Twilight is going antiquing, Fluttershy is going to a tea festival, Applejack is going camping, Rainbow Dash has a Wonderbolts conference, Starlight is helping Trixie with a magic show, Maud is going with Mud Briar to the petrified forest and Pinkie Pie is applying to the ‘Ministry of Silly Trots!’ What in the name of Celestia is that?!”

“Beats me, but apparently the grant Pinkie can get from them can fund a ton of parties.”

Rarity eyed her sister critically. “And just how do you know that?”

Sweetie Belle’s eyes darted around the room as if trying to find an answer on the wallpaper. “Uh, because I ran into her earlier and we were talking about it.” Which wasn’t a lie.

“What am I going to do?” Rarity asked in dramatic flamboyance. “The party is in a week and all of the best plus ones are busy! I can’t let Pish Posh’s ticket go to waste, if I show up without a guest it would be a grave insult, like this event hosted by one of the biggest designers isn’t good enough for my friends. That’s it I’m finished. The greatest opportunity of a lifetime just flew out the window with not so much as a by your leave all because nopony has an opening in their schedule!”

Rarity summoned a carton of her favorite brand of vanilla oat swirl ice cream and began drowning her sorrows in the creamy confectionary.

“Well I wouldn’t say all of the best plus ones are busy. There’s still one you haven’t asked yet,” Sweetie Belle said with a hint of smugness.

Rarity nearly choked on her ice cream spoon. “W-what? Really? Whom do you know?” she asked in desperation.

“Spike!”

Rarity’s eyes started twitching again. “Eh hehehe, now Sweetie Belle, I thought we discussed this. I can’t invite Spike.”

Sweetie tilted her head. “Why?”

"Because I’m sure Spike’s schedule is booked solid as well. Helping Twilight at the school or the castle is a full time job.”

“Again, I’m pretty sure if you asked him he’d clear his schedule.”

“W-well that may be true, but you see, uh, I don’t think Spike… is used to interacting with high society.”

“But didn’t he and Twilight used to live at the castle with Princess Celestia? He must have interacted with some high society ponies.”

“Uh, yes but-“

“And weren’t you going to invite Applejack?”

“Yes… Yes I was, but Applejack has experience with the Manehattan upper class from when she was a filly. I’m sure she’d have done just fine with a little brushing up on etiquette.”

“Then why don’t you give Spike a brushing up? I’m sure you could give him a few pointers to help him fit in.”

Rarity waved her hoof dismissively. “Oh Sweetie Belle, that’d take far too long. I’d also have to design a new suit for him and I simply don’t have that kind of time.”

“So you can make an entire new wardrobe for Sapphire Shore, but not a single suit for a dragon? I’ve seen you do more with less.”

“Well he’s not as small as he used to be, I’d have to take his measurements and make sure I have enough fabric and-“

Sweetie Belle grabbed Rarity’s ice cream with her magic and looked Rarity in the eyes. “Look Rarity, the way I see it, you have two choices. One, you invite Spike and spend the next few days making him a suit and teach him some lessons in etiquette. Or two, you go to the party without a plus one and see how you fair with Pish Posh’s standards. So. What’s it going to be?”

Rarity bit her lip as she tried to think of another option, another reason or another half–truth. But the more she tried to think of a way out the more she realized just how backed to the wall she was. Surely going to the party with Spike wouldn’t be so bad. And there were certainly worse options than Spike. Like showing up alone.

Rarity hopped off her couch. “Alright Sweetie Belle, I’ll go ask him right now. I’ll be back momentarily.” Rarity left the boutique in a brisk trot.

As soon as the door closed Sweetie Belle pumped her hoof in victory. “YES! I did it! Sorry for pushing you so hard Rarity, but you’ll thank me for this later. Soon you’ll have the special somepony you’ve always deserved.” Sweetie Belle skipped away happily snacking on Rarity’s ice cream.

“Just go to the castle, invite Spike and tell him to be at the shop tomorrow morning, how hard is that?” Rarity said giving herself a last minute pep talk. “Exactly, it’s not hard you silly filly. Why in the name of Equestria would you think that? Just because you’re going with Spike to Pish Posh’s soirée doesn’t mean a thing.”

The Castle of Friendship came into view and Rarity picked up her pace. But as she came closer and closer to her destination, her head started to ache and her thoughts became cloudy like somepony stirred up the mud on the bottom of a pond.

Ugh, Rarity! Why would you ever invite such an uncouth guest to my party?

Rarity shook her head.

What an uncultured and boorish dragon! What kind of pony associates themselves with such poor company?

Rarity shook her head again.

How dare you ruin my soirée with such an immature and ignorant dragon! You’re clearly not the kind of pony I’d ever want to associate with Rarity! Such poor judgment is beyond any and all excuses!

Rarity shook her head so vigorously that she nearly tripped on the first steps to the castle.

“Keep it together darling,” she whispered to herself. “You’re making a mountain out of a molehill. Spike’s your friend, one of your nearest and dearest friends. He wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize your night nor your chances with Pish Posh. You’re being ridiculous.”

Rarity gave her mane a little magical touch up before she opened the door. Inside she found Spike, Discord, Big Macintosh, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie in their full Ogres and Oubliettes gear, with the foyer transformed into their make believe battlefield.

“No Discord,” Spike groaned.

“Oh come on! I have the absolute best campaign to try out! A band of powerful heroes squaring off against the mightiest dragon in the land.”

“And I already told you, I like being a wizard. Plus I just leveled up and I really want to try out my new spells.”

Perhaps I’ve bitten off more than I could chew. No! Everything will be fine. Rarity thought in a slight panic. She collected herself and cleared her throat to grab Spike’s attention.

“Oh hey Rarity!” Spike exclaimed cheerily, but then blushed when he remembered what he was wearing in front of his long time crush. “Uh, um, h-how can I help? You. How can I help you, is what I’m wondering, heheh.”

“Good afternoon Spiky,” Rarity said turning on her best charm. “I’m glad I caught you before your game. Do you have a moment?”

“Sure do, heck I’ll give you two moments if you want.”

“Splendid! You see I’ve been invited to the most important social gathering of my career and I’m in need of a plus one and I was wondering if you’d like to join me?” Rarity finished her sentence by fluttering her alluring lashes.

“A-a-a-a party? With you? W-well I, uh, what I mean is, I-I-I-“

Rainbow Dash flew up and pinned Spike’s stammering mouth closed. “I think what Spike’s trying to say is that he’d love to go with you to the party. Right Spike?”

Rainbow Dash loosened her grip to let Spike speak. “Y-yeah. Yeah I’d love to go!”

“Oh that’s wonderful news Spiky Wikey! Now, we’ll need to go over some dos and don’ts to prepare you for Canterlot high society and you’ll need something to wear. Be at the boutique tomorrow morning and I’ll take your measurements and give you some lessons in etiquette. Have fun with your game and get some rest, we have a big day ahead of us.”

“Can’t wait! See you tomorrow Rarity!” Spike waved enthusiastically as Rarity left the castle and for a few moments the room was totally silent as if everypony forgot how to speak or that their tongues were impishly stolen by Discord. Then Rainbow Dash threw as much of her foreleg around Spike’s neck as she could and put him in a sort of headlock and used her other hoof to give him noogies.

“Hey-hey good for you big guy! This is it! This is the chance you’ve been waiting for!”

Big Mac gave him a firm congratulatory slap on the back. “Eeyup!”

“OOH, OOH! This calls for a celebration! What do you think of a ‘Spike and Rarity are finally going on a date’ party? I’ll make green and purple cupcakes and have a fountain of that sparkly grape juice Rarity likes so much!”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes at the pink bundle of energy. “Uh, that might be too much too soon Pinkie Pie.”

“Fiiiiiiiiiiiiine,” Pinkie huffed. “I’ll put that one on the back burner. For now.”

Spike smiled sheepishly as he pried Rainbow Dash off his head. “Hehe, thanks guys. Oh geez, wow, this is really happening isn’t it? I’ll actually get some one on one time with Rarity! This is great!”

“You got this Spike!” Rainbow Dash spoke like she was coaching a new Wonderbolt recruit. “You’ve been preparing for this moment for ages, now all ya gotta do is sweep her off her hooves. Be smooth, be suave, be charming, but most of all, be yourself! Mares dig that.”

“Right! I’m nervous as all heck and I still think this is a dream, but I can do this! And I swear on my entire comic book collection and my dragon's code of honor that I’ll do whatever it takes to ace Rarity’s etiquette lessons and make her proud!”

Discord dragged his lion paw across his face. “Yes, yes, yes, congrats, good job you lucky son of a hydra, etcetera, etcetera and other generic praises, can we please start this game?”- Discord took the form of a grandfather clock with annoyed eyes.-“ There’s not enough hours in the day for both sentimentality and O&O!-“ Discord poofed back to his normal form and whispered, “- but seriously, nice going.”

Discord poofed onto a nearby rock formation and his golden hair began to bellow in the wind as a bright light illuminated his form. “Now fellow travelers! Let us make haste and foil the plan of the dreaded Squizard! For I have things to do later!”

“Stargazing with Fluttershy,” Spike whispered to the rest of the gang who responded with snickers.

“Cram it!”

Spike was, to say the least, ecstatic. He was so ecstatic he could barely sleep, he was so ecstatic that he woke the next morning full of energy, he was so ecstatic that he inhaled breakfast and ran out the doors and made it to Rarity’s boutique in record breaking time, not wanting to waste a single second spending the day with the mare of his dreams.

After Rarity took his measurements she whipped up a very stylish green bowtie for Spike to wear. It was a snug fit, but not too tight.

“Alright,” Rarity finished jotting down some notes on her yellow pad. “I’ve got your measurements and now it’s time to practice some proper etiquette.”

Spike nodded with a sparkle in his eyes. “I’m ready! Teach away Rarity!”

Well at least he’s determined. There just might be hope for me yet. “Sweetie Belle?” Rarity called out. “Are you ready yet?”

“Hang on!” Sweetie’s voice came from behind one of Rarity’s divides. “I just need to zipper this up, aaaaaaand done!” Sweetie Belle stepped out in a light pink ball gown with puffed shoulders and a train that came right above her fetlocks.

“Oh you look positively darling Sweetie. Now let’s start with a simple greeting. Sweetie Belle will welcome you to her party and Spike, you’ll respond with ‘good evening Ms. Sweetie Belle, thank you for your hospitality.’ And begin.”

Sweetie Belle cleared her throat and held a hoof out. “Good evening Mr. The Dragon,” Sweetie said in a dramatic fashion. “Welcome to my lovely rendezvous. I am ever so glad you could make it.”

Spike took Sweetie Belle’s tiny hoof in his claw and bowed. “Good evening Ms. Sweetie Belle,” Spike mirrored her theatrical delivery. “Thank you for your hospitality.” Sweetie Belle and Spike started laughing good-naturedly at their silly two-pony act. Spike was already having so much fun and there’s still so many hours left in the day.

“NO!” Rarity’s voice boomed, causing both Sweetie Belle and Spike to jump in shock. “Sweetie Belle please say the lines like a normal pony would. And you! Rarity turned to Spike. Her eyes burning with an anger that Spike has never seen before. “This is not one of your silly games! This is the most important party of my career and I will not have you ruin it because you’re too busy making jokes at my expense and making me look foolish! Now, say the lines again but properly this time!”

Spike’s ear fins wilted under Rarity’s scrutiny and he hung his head in shame. “I-I’m sorry Rarity… I’ll do better next time. I promise.”

“Good, now from the top.”

Sweetie Belle gulped down a scared lump in her throat. She wasn’t on the sharp end of the spear like a certain dragon, but she still felt like she was walking on thin ice while wearing bowling balls as shoes. Sweetie Belle figured for her own sake (as well as Spike’s) she should just say her lines in the least offensive way she could.

“Um, g-good evening Mr. Spike. Thank you for coming to my party.”

“Good evening Ms. Sweetie Belle,” Spike’s voice was timid and low. “Th-thank you for your hospitality.”

“Speak up!” Rarity shouted. "First impressions are everything and what do you think will happen when you introduce yourself like a scared foal? Furthermore-“ Rarity levitated a yard stick and lightly swatted Spike’s features. “- square your shoulders! Straighten your back and claws! Don’t slouch! Ponies will think I’ve brought some random vagabond with me at the rate you’re going!"

Spike did everything as he was told, when he was told to do it. As Rarity’s scolding and reprimands continued, Spike took a quick glance at the clock. It was barely passed noon.

After hours and hours of etiquette training, the orange rays of dusk began to settle on Ponyville. Spike stepped out of Carousel Boutique exhausted and drained of all the excitement that fueled him in the early hours. He could still hear Rarity’s criticisms and disapprovals echo in his head. He didn’t realize how poorly he’d fair in high society on his own, but Rarity was willing to help him and this was just her way of teaching him. At least, that’s what Spike kept telling himself.

“Alright, we’ve made some progress,” Rarity’s voice was cold and made Spike shiver as he finished crossing the threshold of her door. “But I expect you to do better than this. Be back here same time tomorrow morning and we’ll continue.”

“Uh, o-ok. Um, goodnight Rari-“ Spike’s farewell was cut off by Rarity’s door closing. Spike lingered there on her doorstep for a few moments before his slow, arduous walk back to the castle. His claws scraped against the ground and his head hung low, not having the energy to lift either, Spike trundled forward towards home to get some early rest. And then repeat this whole day again tomorrow.

She’s just stressed. That’s all it is. I’d be stressed too if I was her. She’ll be fine and we’ll have a great time together. Right? Right…

Back at the boutique Rarity started pulling out bolts of dark fabric in her workroom and referring to her yellow pad for Spike’s measurements. “I swear that dragon will be the end of me. But tomorrow’s a new day and hopefully I can salvage whatever troubles come my way.”

“Um, Rarity?” Sweetie Belle spoke softly. “Don’t you think you were being a bit harsh on Spike today?”

Rarity took out her fabric shears, some needles, chalk and she began to measure out her fabric. “Sweetie Belle, I’m only trying to get Spike ready for a very big and important event.”

“I know you are… but-“

“And I also have to make him a new suit jacket in half the time I’m accustomed to with some of the most extreme measurements I've ever worked with. I don’t push anypony harder than I push myself. Spike’s fine darling, don’t worry about him. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to start working. Goodnight Sweetie Belle.”

“Goodnight Rarity.”

The soft hum of Rarity’s sewing machine soon echoed in the darkened halls of Carousel Boutique. Sweetie Belle closed the door to her room and took out her notebook and turned to the pages devoted to Spike and Rarity. After reading her notes she placed the book on her nightstand, snuggled under her covers and turned off the light.

I thought Rarity was supposed to help Spike be more confidant at a Canterlot party, but she just yelled at him all day. Maybe Applebloom and Scootaloo were right, maybe I shouldn’t have gotten involved. But maybe Rarity’s just under a lot of pressure. I’m sure when they go to the party they’ll have a great time together. Right? Right…

Author's Note

Ugh, I really, really, REALLY hate to keep you folks waiting for as long as I did. So again I offer my apologies for the tardiness of this chapter. Just a quick 'btw.' after this there'll only be TWO CHAPTERS LEFT... Before a quick break. I've been neglecting some other story ideas and progress for some time now and I promised myself that after this and the following two chapters I'd take a quick detour from "The Life and Times of Spike and Rarity" so I can work on them.

See for this story I've been going with a more 'trial by fire' approach to writing (pretty sure I said this last chapter), but with my other stories coming down the line (as well as the sequel to this story when it comes time for it), I'd like them to be done and rewritten a few times before I release them on a weekly basis. Don't get me wrong I enjoy writing this story (there's a certain kind of pride to show your first story with the world) but when I read other stories and I think to myself that maybe if I took a different approach to my writing it'd turn out better. So don't be alarmed, I'm not abandoning this story, I just need to give some attention to my other ones.

Now I know what some of you must be thinking 'Silver Wit you heartless, sushi powered android who walks like a man! How could you paint Rarity in such a negative light? I thought she was your number one absolute favorite character in the whole show and Sparity your number one absolute favorite ship, why on earth would you ever want to sabotage that by making Rarity treat Spike like Oliver Twist asking for another bowl of gruel?' And yes Rarity is my absolute favorite character and Sparity is my favorite ship but I did this for two reasons.

One is because I like there to be challenges between the two seeking a relationship, not necessarily the 'she's a pony he's a dragon' challenge, I mean a challenge with them as characters. Rarity being put under a microscope and judged by the upper class is one that I like personally since it shows that while Rarity is the element of generosity she can be selfish when it comes to her self image as seen in 'Sweet and Elite.' Which by no means makes her bad, just flawed. She's weak to peer pressure and has insecurities about how others view her, it's why I fell in love with the Nightmarity arc in the comics because if any of the mane six would be possessed by the Nightmare, it'd make sense that Rarity would be the primo host and that arc was friggin' sweet.

The second reason is because... well... let's just say I'm drawing from some personal life experience when I'm writing Rarity and that the experience is something I never want to encounter in my life again. So it's just another healing method I suppose, but again it ties into the fact that I like it when there's conflict that then leads to Sparity goodness because the struggle makes it all the sweeter (I have nothing against stories that already have Sparity established and indeed like those too).

Thanks for reading, see you next time :raritywink:

Silver Wit

Oh and happy labour day :)

Pearls Before Swine: Part 2

Spike was tired. Strike that, Spike was dead tired. Dead on his claws, drained of life and energy with nary a drive to get up. After days and days of etiquette training, fittings and Rarity’s ever growing temper, Spike was finding it harder and harder to get out of bed each morning. But today was the day of the party, the very reason Rarity put Spike through the wringer. Rarity… she made Spike’s heart flutter and knees weak, but lately Spike’s heart felt no fluttering and his knees stayed straight. They had to stay straight or Rarity would yell at him on proper posture again and Spike didn’t want that.

Today will be better. Today we’ll have fun.

Spike finally and laboriously crawled out of bed, feeling a huge weight on his back as he strolled into the bathroom and brushed his teeth. Afterwards he’d have to pack his suitcase and meet with Rarity at the station to catch the train to Canterlot. Spike finished brushing his teeth and decided to start packing. He didn’t need to bring much; the most important part was the suit that Rarity made. Spike reached out for the outfit but then retracted his claw. He didn’t make any motion to actually remove it from his closet; he just stared at it with a grimace. It was a beautifully tailored suit, silky smooth to the touch. It was a traditional black, double-breasted suit, but the collar and lapels were a lighter shade of black to give the jacket some dimension to it. The brass buttons were polished so perfectly that they shined like gold. Pleats in the back hid the buttons that opened up the holes where Spike would sport his wings.

It truly was a work of art and anypony would be amazed that Rarity was able to construct a suit that not only looked so stunning but was also made for a dragon of Spike’s size. Yet as Spike’s glazed vision took in all of Rarity’s hard work he felt no amazement or awe. He normally praised all of Rarity’s accomplishments, assuring her that her creation was even better than the last and how floored everypony will be when they see the latest design by the “fashionista supreme Rarity.” But this suit felt hollow to him. In the simplest terms, Spike did not like this suit.

There was a knock at his door. “Spike?” Twilight called from the other side. “May I come in?”

Spike grabbed his suit and placed it in his suitcase. “Sure thing Twi.”

Twilight stepped into Spike’s room, wearing a mischievous grin. “So are you ready for your big date with Rarity?”

“I-it’s not a date Twilight. I’m just… her plus one.”

“Oh come on, you and her in fancy clothes in Canterlot? I may be new to the whole dating thing, but even I can see the sparks flying.”

If you mean the sparks from her gnashing teeth then yeah, Spike groaned internally.

Twilight tilted her head. “Spike? Are you ok I thought you’d be happier, you sure were when you first told me about Rarity inviting you.”

Spike forced a small smile. Why make Twilight worry over his reluctance to be with Rarity? “O-oh I am, I guess I’m just nervous is all,” he added a hearty chuckle to drive the nail further.

“Pssh, you got nothing to worry about Spike, you’ll be great. You’ll be a true gentlecolt- er, gentledrake who’ll wow Rarity and sweep her off her hooves. And do you know why?”

“Why?”

Twilight wrapped her hooves around him in a hug. “Because I raised you to be a kindhearted and respectful dragon. I know you’ll do great. And who knows, you just might make a connection.” Twilight gave Spike a wink.

“Heh thanks Twilight. I’ll give it a shot.” If she’ll let me that is…

Spike’s eyes threatened to jump out of his head when he noticed the time. If the clocks were accurate (and Twilight made darn sure each clock in the castle was 100% accurate) he only had ten minutes to get to the station for the next train to Canterlot.

“Oh no! I’m late, I’m late, I’m late!” Spike grabbed his suitcase, gave Twilight a quick nuzzle and bolted out of his room. Twilight marveled at how somepony as big as Spike could move so fast.

“Good luck!” she called out.

Rarity tapped her hoof impatiently as she glanced at her pocket watch for the umpteenth time. Where in the world is that dragon? The train will be here any moment. A column of smoke rose up in the distance as said train began to rapidly close the distance to the station. Rarity felt a gust of wind blow from behind her and heard a thump like somepony making a landing.

“I’m so sorry for being late!” Spike said hastily. “I-I was just so tired and I overslept. I got here as soon as I could!’ Spike braced for another chewing out by the alabaster mare. After all it wouldn’t be the first time that week.

Rarity sighed in relief. “That’s quite alright darling. I suppose I did overwhelm you over the past few days. But the important thing is that you made it in time. So let’s be on our way, shall we?”

Spike wasn’t expecting this. He was expecting Rarity to tear into him like wrapping paper on Hearth’s Warming. She was so quick to do so when he made even the slightest mistake during her etiquette training. Maybe since he made progress and the party was that night, Rarity was feeling much more relaxed. The train pulled up to the platform and the passengers filed out in an orderly manner.

So I guess it really was just stress. Spike smiled his first genuine smile in a week. “Sure thing! After you, milady.”

The train chugged steadily down the tracks towards the capitol city, cars swaying gently and nudging ponies in their seat. Spike and Rarity were sitting opposite each other on the benches in the center of one of the many passenger cars. A mare came down the aisle with a pleasant smile and a cart full of snacks; Spike waved her down and bought a bag of cinnamon nuts and a packaged cucumber sandwich. He offered them to Rarity and she chose the sandwich over the nuts.

Rarity swallowed her dainty bit of her sandwich. “Just imagine it Spiky, in a few hours we’ll be attending the party of the year, no, of the century! Pish Posh’s grand soirée will be the talk of Canterlot and we’ll be there for all of it and I’ll have the chance of a lifetime to get into Pish Posh’s good graces. No pressure right?”

Spike smiled. “Aw don’t worry about a thing Rarity. You’ll be great, I’m sure you’ll be having Pish Posh eating out of your hoof in no time. I’m just worried I might not be… uh, up to their standards.”

Rarity waved her hoof. “Oh balderdash, you’ve been practicing for this party for days. As long as you adhere to what I’ve taught you about mingling and the proper customs you’ll do fine darling.”

Spike rubbed his neck sheepishly. “Gee, thanks Rarity, that means a lot.”

The rest of the ride was filled with pleasant small talk between the dragon and unicorn. All the while Spike felt an enormous pressure being alleviated from his body as visions of a white mare in pretty dresses calmed his nerves.

Spike wiped the steam from his bathroom mirror and grinned at the handsome dragon looking back at him winking and pointing finger guns. After checking into the hotel, Rarity decided to go to the salon for some last minute pampering and prepping, leaving Spike to his own devices, though Rarity did recommend washing up before leaving, Spike was grateful that the hotel Rarity booked had a shower big enough for a dragon; saves a lot of trouble. He opened his suitcase and hung his suit on an available rack. He scratched his head, something was missing but what could it be? He had his jacket, the matching vest, cuff links, bowtie- Wait… where’s the bowtie? Spike turned his suitcase upside down and shook out its contents. His sleeping cap, toothbrush, some gems and some cologne on loan from Discord, but no bowtie to be found.

“Oh geez! I can’t believe I forgot the bowtie! What am I gonna do?” Spike paced around the room. “Way to go genius, you’re in Canterlot and going to a party with Rarity and you forgot something so simple as an accessory.” Spike groaned and threw his claws in the air. He did not want to get an earful from Rarity again over this; she finally started being nice to him again. But then Spike just shrugged his shoulders.

“Eh, I’m sure Rarity will understand, besides I don’t want to keep her waiting.”

What’s taking him so long? It’s officially the time to be fashionably late. Rarity stood by the gate to the mansion with both invitations in her magical grasp. I’m sure Spike will be here any moment now. He knows how important this night is for me after all. More and more sharply dressed ponies crossed Rarity’s path and entered the stately manor grounds. She took another moment to just admire the exterior of this grand vista through the bars of the gate.

The ivory mansion was enormous and even that word alone wasn’t doing it justice. Rarity was convinced that this abode could easily fit every pony in Ponyville with some room to spare (of course she just might be exaggerating). The topiary lining the sides of the mansion and extended to the front gate were all perfectly trimmed in the shapes of ponies, rabbits, birds and other small animals. The stairs leading to the mansion wrapped around either side of a large and elegant fountain, decorated with gold and silver bands and illuminated by a set of waterproof lights to make the sophisticated figure shine all the brighter all night long.

Just then a gust of wind blew through Rarity’s mane and over her dress and she heard a familiar thump. Spike landed a few yards away from Rarity wearing a snappy jacket and a pleased smile.

“Hey Rarity! I didn’t keep you waiting long did I?”

Rarity giggled, “Well maybe a little, but I think I’ll let you off the hook this one time.”

Spike took in Rarity’s appearance and his heart skipped about two or three beats. The back of her mane was styled in a low bun with her signature curls perfectly conditioned and perfectly framed her face. Her hooves were polished to perfection with a silver bangle on her left foreleg. Her lips had a coat of ruby red lipstick and her dress, oh sweet Celestia that dress. It was royal blue with black lace forming diamond patterns on the sleeves, shoulders, neck and chest and from her flank down to her fetlocks was a layer of lace with the beautiful blue fabric lying underneath. It hugged her torso in a way that was alluring, but not promiscuous. It was truly one of her best dresses.

“You look… amazing Rarity…” Spike said in awe.

“Why thank you Spiky, I knew I could count on you for a few kind words. And you look positively hand-… Spike,” Rarity’s voice suddenly had an edge that could cut stone. “Where is your bowtie?”

Spike gave a nervous chuckle, “W-well, I uh, seemed to have, uh, forgot it. In Ponyville.”

“You WHAT!?” Rarity screeched and Spike recoiled from the outburst. “Spike that bowtie is the centerpiece of your whole ensemble! It’s what pulls your look together and you forgot it!? How could you do something so foolish!?”

“I-I’m sorry Rarity!” he said as the stressors from the previous few days rose up and picked at the back of his mind and he began to fidget with his claws. “I didn’t mean to do it, I was just in a rush and I thought I had it with my jacket but-“

“How am I supposed to show my face at this party with you looking incomplete?” Rarity rubbed her temples as she tried her best to fight off a raging migraine. “Think Rarity, think! How can I salvage this?”

Spike’s ear fins drooped. “I, um… could just go home if you want me to…”

“That’s also out of the question! If I don’t show up with a plus one I’ll-“ Rarity suddenly caught a glimpse of a shop. It was a shop specializing in male attire and accessories with a window display showing the buying public an assortment of suits, hats and… bowties! Rarity made a mad dash to the shop just as the employee was about to flip the ‘open’ sign to ‘closed.’ Rarity burst in crying out about a wardrobe emergency. After a few minutes Rarity emerged from the shop with a bowtie in hoof.

“Crisis averted Spike. Thanks to a stroke of serendipity, I’ve acquired another bowtie for you.”

Spike eyed the accessory curiously, despite not having anywhere near the amount of experience in the fashion industry as Rarity had, he couldn’t help but ask, “Doesn’t it look a bit too small?”

“It was the largest size they had, I’m sure it’ll be alright.” Rarity’s magic snaked the fabric around Spike’s neck and between the folds of his collar. Then in a quick fluid motion tied the two ends together into a neat bow.

“ACK! Um… Rarity, it’s uh, kinda tight…” Spike’s voice sounded like it was being strained through a bottleneck.

“Well I can’t make it any looser, it might come undone. Now come along, we’re late enough as it is.” And without another word Rarity trotted off towards Pish Posh’s mansion with Spike in tow.

As soon as Rarity stepped hoof into the mansion she was overcome with a wave of unbridled glee. The foyer was carpeted in the richest shade of red she’s ever seen and every step she took felt like she was walking on clouds. Well-dressed ponies chatted amongst themselves as waiters served Hors d'Oeuvres on silver trays with practiced ease, professionalism and grace. The light playing off the marble staircases leading to the upper floors of the mansion and the gold statues glowing with an ethereal aura giving the room an almost dreamlike quality, with nary an imperfection in sight.

Rarity was at a loss for words. That is until she caught Spike tugging on his bowtie. “Stop it!” she hissed.

“But… it’s really tight…” Spike croaked.

“If you keep pulling on it you’ll untie it, so leave it be!”

Spike just nodded his head dejectedly.

Rarity caught the attention of one of the passing waiters. “Pardon me sir, but where might I find Pish Posh?”

“Madame Posh? She’s in the ballroom.” The waiter pointed his hoof to a large pair of wooden doors.

“Thank you very much. Come along Spike.” Rarity trotted towards the ballroom. She really wanted to gallop, skip and prance. To cheer, laugh out loud and holler to the world of her joy and excitement and she would have if she were anywhere else. She had an image to maintain of course.

Rarity took her first uneasy, nerve-raked steps into the ballroom and was taken aback by the sights that greeted her. The off white and brown colored floor tiles were perfectly glazed and polished. Tall, wide windows decorated the far wall giving the guests an up close look at the topiary garden through the crystal clear glass. But what stole Rarity’s attention above all else was the most marvelous chandelier she’d ever laid eyes upon. The massive frame was gold, encrusted with vibrant and shimmering streaks of blue metal running down and out forming the array of arms like a waterfall branching off into perfectly molded streams. The light radiating from the from the glass lanterns was bright, but not blinding, like the light of the full moon on a cloudless night, illuminating perfectly to see everything and everypony in the room.

“It’s beautiful!” Rarity gasped. “Isn’t it exquisite Spiky?”

“Uh huh…” Spike said in a tone a colt would have if he were being dragged through a museum exhibit on ships in bottles.

Rarity gave him a glare. “You better drop that attitude of yours mister dragon,” she said tersely. “Ponies will think you're a downer and Pish Posh will-“ Rarity inhaled sharply.

Standing some distance away under the grand chandelier was a unicorn mare with a blond mane tied back in a ponytail. She was wearing a black dress with a yellow shawl with a large broach of the same comb with a bee that sealed Rarity’s golden invitation.

“That’s- that’s her!” Rarity took a deep breath to help keep her from hyperventilating. “That’s Pish Posh! She’s right there!” Rarity coughed awkwardly to snap her back into her prim and proper role.

“Now remember Spike, bow, thank her for inviting you, ask simple questions and give short replies and be on your best behavior.”

“I will… I promise,” Spike wheezed.

Rarity trotted towards the illustrious hostess. Crossing under the glorious chandelier Rarity felt her heart pounding in her chest but her mask of poise and calm never faltered. At that moment all of Rarity’s training and practice for blending into high society was being put to the test. The way she carried herself, the way she gently tossed the curls of her mane and even the control of her breath. She made sure not to move too fast or too slow in approaching Pish Posh. Too fast and she’ll come off as impatient, too slow and she’ll seem embarrassed. But Rarity stayed cool and collected and soon she was a mere forelegs length away from the mare of the hour.

“Good evening Pish Posh,” Rarity said as she gave a slight bow. “It’s truly an honor to finally meet you, I’m-“

“Ah Rarity!” Pish Posh said in a pleased tone. “I was hoping you’d be here, I’ve been waiting for you all night.”

“Y-you have?”

“But of course, it’s not everyday a designer genuinely impresses me. And you my dear are a rare talent, somepony who truly embodies the word ‘rarity.’ I’ve wanted to get to know you for some time.” Pish Posh turned her head towards a unicorn mare with a short orange mane and glasses. “This is Rarity, she’s the one who made that absolutely stunning dress for Fleur De Lis.”

“Oh yes, of course!” said the unicorn mare. “Such a fine display of talent if I do say so myself.”

Rarity couldn’t believe her ears it took her a second or two to find her voice. “Well I’m flattered that you feel that way. I’m surprised somepony as great and as influential as you would think so highly of me.”

“How could I not? When I saw Fleur’s dress I just had to know more about the mare behind the design and I,”- Pish Posh’s brow furrowed. –“And who is this?”

Rarity noticed Spike at her side. “Oh, yes! Um, this is Spike, my plus one. Spike this is Pish Posh.”

After a few moments of silence Rarity jabbed Spike’s arm with her elbow. “O-oh right.” Spike took a deep breath and said in a strained voice, “Good evening Ms. Pish Posh, it’s a pleasure to meet you… thank you for your hospitality.”

Pish Posh’s eyes looked over Spike like she was taking him apart scale by scale with her gaze alone and then responded in a hoity air, “Yes… it’s –cough- to have you here…”

“Likewise,” said the mare at Pish Posh’s side with muted enthusiasm.

Rarity started to feel the first beads of panicked sweat build on her forehead as Pish Posh dissected the dragon and looking none too pleased. “Say Spiky, why don’t you go say hello to some of the guests while I have a chat with Ms. Posh.”

Spike anxiously rubbed his arm. “But… I don’t know anypony here… and I thought I was spending time with you…”

“Well then go and make some new friends, one can’t have too many of those, now off you go.” Rarity waved her hoof to shoo him away like a stray dog.

“Um, ok… Guess I’ll go then…”

“Yes,” Pish Posh responded sharply. “Go and make some new friends. I’m sure there’ll be plenty of ponies that’d love to make your acquaintance.” She said with an underlying edge of disbelief.

The Yes Mare with the orange mane stifled a laugh.

Spike slowly made his way into the sea of upper class ponies.

“I do hope your dragon, uh, friend, trimmed his claws,” Pish Posh said in mild annoyance. “I just had these floors polished and I don’t want him scratching the surface or Celestia forbid tear up the tiles.”

“Oh no need to concern yourself about that darling,” Rarity reassured. “I made sure his claws were clipped and filed, just incase such a situation arose.”

“Good, it’s nice to know that you’ve managed to add some civility to that dragon’s life.”

“Oh you’re so right Posh,” said the Yes Pony. “He should count himself lucky that he was groomed at all.”

Rarity chewed her lip. “Y-yes, very lucky indeed.”

Spike ambled away from Rarity and Pish Posh, his neck making quick, short motions looking around the room, the anxiety building up in his chest making it even more difficult to breath. Who could he possibly talk to? He doesn’t have a single thing in common with anypony here and they all had this uniform "mightier than thou" air about them as they sampled the food on silver platters, holding snooty conversations with other ponies with their noses in the air, as if they’re trying to see who could look the farthest down on the other without looking at the ceiling. Then there were the ponies that gave Spike glances that ranged from basic aversion to downright bafflement. Spike figured that they must have been thinking about how much of an oddity he was to be here.

Spike was starting to wonder why was he here? To spend time with Rarity, time she’d rather spend talking to a snooty, stuck up and rude pony, the biggest leaf in a pretentious forest. Why was Rarity so eager to push Spike away? She asked him to come with her and she didn’t even want to spend time with him? What was the point of all those fittings and those lessons to be accepted at this party if nopony wanted to be around him and the one pony he actually wanted to be with just told him to go away and spend time with other ponies. Who would want to spend time with him?”

“Oh my! Spike? Is that you old boy?”

Spike looked around to see where that aristocratic voice was coming from and was met by Fancy Pants and Fleur De Lis.

“Ah it is you! I thought I saw you and Rarity together earlier. I dare say I almost didn’t recognize you, seems you’ve gone through a bit of a change lately. Fleur, this is Princess Twilight Sparkle’s assistant, Spike. We met a few years ago.”

“A pleasure to meet you Spike,” Fleur said in a kind tone.

Spike smiled. “Hey Fancy Pants! It’s great to-! Oh wait…” Spike coughed. “Um, good evening Fancy Pants… and it’s a pleasure to meet you Fleur De Lis… congratulations on your engagement.”

Fleur and Fancy Pants gave each other perplexed looks. “Dear me, are you quite alright Spike? You sound like you’ve caught a dreadful case of laryngitis,” said Fancy Pants.

“Oh, no… I’m alright, really I am,” Spike gave a nervous laugh and hoped that would be enough to convince them both.

Fleur rubbed her chin with her hoof. “Hmm, I think I see the problem here.” Fleur’s horn glowed and untied Spike’s bowtie/choking hazard. Spike took a few deep breaths, thinking about how he’s taken breathing for granted all these years.

Fleur gave a small gasp, “My goodness Spike, how in the world were you able to tie this around your neck? It’s far too small for somepony like you.”

Fancy Pants nodded. “Indeed, you really aught to be careful my good chap. I’m sure you wouldn’t want Rarity to worry about you passing out on her.”

Spike chuckled and rubbed his sore neck. “Heh, heh, yeah I guess I should’ve bought a larger size. Silly me.” Wait, why did I cover for Rarity? Perhaps it was the lack of oxygen, but Spike’s mind was popping like corn kernels on a hot skillet as he tried to figure out why he didn’t tell Fancy Pants and Fleur the truth.

“Well no harm done. Now Spike perhaps you’ll indulge in this stallion’s curiosity and tell me what you’ve been up to since last we met? Especially where this growth spurt came from.”

Spike grinned. “Well, if you really want to know.”

“So that was the secret of your summer line. And here I thought you were inspired by Hoity Toity’s take on Saddle Arabian robes,” Rarity had been listening to Pish Posh’s tales of fashion triumphs with the same curiosity and laser focus that Twilight shows in her charts and check lists.

Pish Posh gave an amused chuckle, “Very keen eye Rarity, most ponies think I based it on robes of the Crystal Empire, but they’re way off.”

“They’re all so wrong,” said Pish Posh’s Yes Pony. “But can you blame them? They clearly aren’t as clever as Pish Posh. But kudos on being smarter than them Rarity.”

Rarity brushed a stray curl away from her face. “Well I like to think I have an exceptional attention to detail.”

“Speaking of detail,” Pish Posh said quickly, as if she were waiting all night for this opportunity. “Have you seen my new chandelier? I just purchased it for this soirée. Pure gold and blue tinted mithril with glass perfectly crafted by hoof. I’d tell you how much it cost, but it might make your pretty little head spin. It was so heavy I needed a team of earth ponies to lift it off the ground and a team of pegasi to anchor it. They said my ceiling couldn’t support this glorious piece, but you’d be surprised how quickly ‘no’ becomes ‘yes’ when you throw enough bits around.”

“I was admiring it the moment I stepped into the room. It’s magnificent.”

“I know it is, but thank you for your adoration.”

An earth pony waiter passed by and offered Pish Posh Hors d'Oeuvres. Her magic encased a small lemon tart before noticing something out of place.

“What the hay is this?” Pish Posh asked in disgust. “What are these little white specks? Get back to the kitchen and get another tray of tarts!”

The waiter bowed and scurried away.

Pish Posh rolled her eyes. “Earth ponies. Great for manual labor but they have no grace or tact when it comes to something as simple as serving guests. Honestly I wish I hired more unicorns.”

“They have grace and tact,” said the Yes Pony. “But I’m sure you already know that Rarity.”

“Oh. Uh, yes, yes of course I know that, everypony knows that,” Rarity felt like she had to wash her mouth out with soap. What would Applejack or Pinkie Pie think if they heard her say this? But Rarity needed to get into Pish Posh’s good graces so she’d have to play along and treat her earth pony friends to a day at the spa when she returned to Ponyville.

“But enough about my achievements. You simply must tell me more about that lovely little number you’re wearing, it’s absolutely darling. Sophisticated yet alluring. The lace is perfectly weaved in a way that brings out your curves in all the right places.” Pish Posh grabbed a glass of cider from a passing waiter with her magic and took a sip. Her eyes widened and she spat her drink out in revulsion.

“Oh dear, is everything alright? Did the cider spoil?”

Pish Posh’s face held her sour look and seemed to get worse as the seconds wore on. “Rarity you are aware that this is a formal affair, correct?”

“Of course I do!”

“Then would you kindly explain why your dragon is treating this party so casually like this is a barn yard or a quarry or wherever it is dragons like to lollygag?”

Rarity followed Pish Posh’s glare and was greeted to the sight of Spike speaking to a small group of ponies, with Fancy Pants and Fleur De Lis being the most noticeable. Spike was being very animated, motioning his arms and claws to emphasize key points in whatever yarn he was spinning for his audience. Rarity wasn’t exactly sure what Pish Posh was finding fault in. After all, his suit looked clean and pressed with his complementing bowtie… wait, where was his bowtie? Rarity felt a twinge of anger, he knew how important it was to keep his bowtie on and he still untied it, leaving it dangling limply around his collar.

“Please excuse me darling, I’ll go take care of this right away.” Rarity trotted off towards Spike, determined to give him a swift reprimand. How dare he embarrass her and in front of Pish Posh no less. It was time to give that dragon a piece of her mind.

“So there I was, sitting by the pond feeling sorry for myself when all of a sudden a wagon came out of thin air and was hurtling towards three fillies!” Spike’s claw reached up and moved in an arc towards the ground as Fancy Pants, Fleur De Lis and a few random ponies listened on bated breath for what was shaping up to be the climax of this thrilling tale.

“What happened next?” Fleur asked.

“Yes, are the fillies all right? Please tell me they’re all right!” said another pony biting his hooves.

“For a moment it seemed like time was at a crawl,” Spike continued. “But I had to act fast! So I leapt up and flew as fast as I could and was between the fillies and the wooden rocket at a speed that would’ve floored a Wonderbolt! And then…” Spike paused for dramatic effect, drinking in everypony’s anxious expressions from a tall glass.

“And then what?” Fancy Pants asked zealously.

Spike raised his arms over his head and pretended to brace himself against the wagon all over again. "I caught the wagon with my bare claws, which gave Princess Twilight enough time to teleport the fillies to safety!”

Spike’s audience clapped their hooves and stomped on the ground in applause of his heroic tale of might and bravery.

“Bravo!” said one pony.

“Marvelous!” said another.

“By Jove what a jolly good story,” Fancy Pants exclaimed.

Fleur nodded. “Indeed, you’re quite the valiant spectacle Spike. I can see why Fancy holds you in such high regards.”

Spike blushed and scratched his chin timidly. “Aw geez, it’s nothing really, just your everyday Ponyville weirdness. I just did what I thought was right.”

“Give yourself some more credit that that ol’ bean,” Fancy Pants said while firmly patting Spike’s arm. “You’re the reason those fillies are alive and well. Celestia only knows what would’ve happened if you weren’t there to save them and I dread to think about what could’ve happened. You, my good drake, are a hero.”

Pride began to swell up in Spike’s chest. That was the nicest thing he’d heard all night. “Wow… thank you Fancy Pants.”

“Fancy? Is that who I think it is?” Fleur asked looking across the room.

“Why yes, I do believe it is. Well Spike it’s been marvelous catching up, but I fear we must depart. Please let me know the next time you’re in Canterlot, I’d love to hear more about your adventures.”

“Ta-ta for now Spike, it was a pleasure meeting you,” Fleur gave a farewell wave as she, Fancy Pants and the rest of the ponies who listened to Spike’s story went about to converse with others.

“Bye Fancy Pants! Bye Fleur! Have a great night!” Spike waved enthusiastically with a smile. These few ponies actually wanted to listen to the stories of his triumphs and heroism. Spike was convinced that the ponies here wouldn’t give him the time of day, let alone have a full-blown conversation with him. He’ll have to figure out a way to thank Fancy Pants and Fleur for making his night a far more enjoyable experience then what he was having before. I wonder if they like throw pillows.

“SPIKE!”

Spike jumped and felt a shiver run down his spine to the very tip of his tail. Rarity stomped up to Spike with a glare so cold it threatened to freeze him where he stood and from what he could tell she was a few moments away from blowing her top like a firecracker in a teapot. Spike’s claws began to tremble, sweat built up on his face and his heart was racing. What was this feeling? He felt it before, many times before. He felt it when the diamond dogs took Rarity, he felt it when Queen Chrysalis tried to take over Canterlot, he felt it when Tirek left all of Spike’s friends powerless and helpless to his wrath and he felt it when he thought he and Rarity were going to be the timberwolves next meal. Fear. He was actually afraid of Rarity.

When did this happen? When did the mare that Spike fawned over for so many years cause his heart to beat in panic rather than to beat with the warmth and familiar tenderness he had come to associate with the snow-white mare? Where was the feeling of love that came from hearing her voice? Why was Spike seeing Rarity, the same mare he risked his life for on more than one occasion, with the same kind of dread he would feel when squaring up with a thousand year old villain?

“R-Rarity! What’s wrong?” Spike said timidly and laced with trepidation.

“What’s wrong!?” Rarity was practically breathing fire. “I’ll tell you what’s wrong! You’re not wearing your bowtie! It’s just hanging around your neck like some sort of slob!”

“Rarity I can explain-“

“I don’t want to hear it! This is a formal party and you’re not taking this seriously and you’re embarrassing me in front of Pish Posh, not to mention showing yourself to Fancy Pants and Fleur De Lis like this. Do you realize your little stunt might spawn rumors that will damage everything I’ve strived for?!”

“B-but Rarity you don’t understand! Fancy Pants and Fleur are the ones- GAAK!” Rarity’s magic grabbed the ends of the bowtie, constricting it even tighter around Spike’s neck. He didn’t even think it could be any tighter. Spike tried to voice his concerns, but he found that he couldn’t utter a single word aside from the gasps and wheezes in an attempt to breath.

“What I understand is that I expect you to keep that tied for the remainder of the evening, do you understand?”

Spike didn't croak a response, so he nodded instead.

“Good. Now if you’ll excuse me I’m going to try and smooth things over with Pish Posh, you stay out of trouble and don’t say anything unsavory.”

Spike couldn’t even point out the irony.

Rarity spun on her hooves and trotted her way across the polished floor and under the grand chandelier. She resumed her calm, controlled and poised demeanor as she approached the hostess.

“Dearest, do you have dandruff?” said a passing mare.

“What? I don’t have dandruff,” replied a stallion.

Rarity put on her best smile as she resumed conversation with Pish Posh, “I must apologize for Spike’s behavior, I promise it will not happen again.”

“I do hope so,” Pish Posh responded in annoyance. “I can’t have other ponies seeing such uncouth behavior. Honestly I can’t figure out why you invited him of all creatures. I thought it was apparent to everypony that dragons don’t exactly represent elegance and class.”

“Well I did spend the better part of my week trying to teach him the proper way to behave at a party on top of spending time making him his suit jacket so I couldn’t actually instruct him to the best of my abilities.”

“Oh honey,” the Yes Pony sighed. “I’m sure you did the best you could with a creature like him, no reason to put yourself down. After all there’s only so much one can do to educate a dragon, in my opinion.”

Rarity bit her lip. “Oh… well yes I suppose you’re right about that.”

“Of course she is,” Pish Posh replied haughtily. “After all you surely have hooves on experience in dealing with your dragon, uh, Barb?”

“Spike. And what do you mean by experience?”

Pish Posh covered her mouth with a hoof as she laughed. “Come now Rarity. I’m sure this isn’t the first instance of that silly dragon committing such a social faux pas. You must have seen plenty of his blunders.”

“Well… I suppose I have.”

Both Pish Posh and her Yes Pony leaned in closer. “Ooh, now I’m curious. Please Rarity, you simply must tell me more.”

Author's Note

Seriously, I hate the fact that it takes me a whole month to make an update, but sometimes I just keep writing and eventually 2,000 words turns into 6,000 or even 8,000 and it takes me forever to rewrite it. I'm still trying my best to get chapters out quicker I swear. But it's kinda hard since I have only one proof reader and I have to self edit, which I know is not recommended but I don't really have much of a choice. I could go to the editor groups and ask someone for their advice, but I'm paranoid and I'm not very trusting of others and the thought of someone stealing my idea haunts me to no end.

But I like to think I'm making progress, of course I'd love to hear feedback and see what you guys think.

As always, thanks for reading. See you next time :raritywink:

Silver Wit

Pearls Before Swine: Part 3

“Why are we here again?” Rainbow Dash asked in a huff as she, Soarin and Spitfire stepped into the foyer of Pish Posh’s mansion. The three Wonderbolts garnered immediate attention from the ponies around them, despite their bomber jackets not being entirely up to high society standards, they were a more fashionable choice than their flight suits. Of course they still would’ve turned every head in the room, they’re Wonderbolts for crying out loud.

“PR Dash, PR. We’re just here to say hi, shake hooves and hopefully get some sponsors. Never a bad thing to make friends with some excess bits to spare,” replied Spitfire in her normal serious fashion.

“Ugh, this place is way too stuffy for me.”

“Aw don’t sweat it Dash,” Soarin said waving his hoof. “We’ll be in and out before you know it.” Soarin plucked an Hors d'Oeuvres from a passing waiter and popped it into his mouth with a delightful hum. “Plus these cheese and crackers are super tasty so let’s enjoy ourselves.”

“Alright you two,” snapped Spitfire as she trotted ahead. “Let’s try our luck in the ballroom and see what we can find.”

“Yes ma’am!” responded the other two pegasai.

Rainbow Dash was bored. Correction, she was totally bored. She was 110% bored. Her level of boredom was on the same level as her “coolness” level. She was so bored that she’d rather be teaching the new recruits Wonderbolt history and flight theory. As boring as those classes were, they’re nowhere near as boring as this! Rainbow Dash’s eyes began to wander listlessly around the room, only half hearing Spitfire’s conversations with the partygoers and not really paying attention to the amount of cheese and crackers Soarin ate.

After a few more minutes of scanning the room, Dash finally caught a glimpse of something of interest. A big purple dragon in a black suit standing by a window. Wait? What’s Spike doing here? Oh riiiiight, this is the party Rarity was talking about. She smacked herself in the forehead.

With an out in sight Dash tapped Spitfire’s shoulder and whispered, “I’ll be right back, I’m just gonna say hi to a friend.”

“Alright, but be quick about it Dash.”

Rainbow Dash flew off towards her scaly friend and noticed he was alone. She started thinking up any and all ideas on how to tease him about his big date with Rarity. She started laughing to herself when she pictured Spike fumbling with his words and try to explain how it wasn’t a date. Then she started thinking about any last minute pointers she could give Spike to help him win Rarity’s favor. Since he was alone it’d be the perfect time to help him plan his next move.

Spike was more focused on being as close to the open window as possible without either merging with the wall or falling outside into the well manicured shrubbery and didn’t notice Rainbow Dash land nearby. Dash swaggered up to him and gave his arm a nudge. “Hey there Spike! Fancy seein’ you here!”

Spike turned and his deeply flushed face brightened a bit. He didn’t say anything, but he did give a wide smile and a wave.

Rainbow Dash pushed further. “So Romeo, where’s Rarity? Don’t tell me, let me guess, she couldn’t keep her hooves off ya and you needed some breathing room, right?”

Spike’s face dimmed and Dash saw the light in his eyes die out. He opened his mouth and tried to say something, but nothing came out. He tried again with similar results and just resigned to hang his head.

“Spike? What’s wrong?" Dash said worriedly. "Are you ok? Is Rarity ok? Oh wait-“ her eyes narrowed on the bowtie that was wrapped around his neck like a python. “- dude you know that’s way too small on you right?” Rainbow Dash motioned her hooves to undo the tie but Spike swatted her away and placed a claw over the accessory, shaking his head and wearing the same look of fear a foal does when they knock over their mother’s favorite collection of vases.

“What the hay Spike? I’m just trying to help.” Dash tried to pry off Spike’s claw but was met with resistance. For whatever reason Spike didn’t want Rainbow Dash to take off that bowtie which looked about as comfortable as getting tangled up in vines. Dash tried a few vain attempts in getting to Spike’s neck before she had an idea, an old cliché but it’ll do.

“SWEET CELESTIA WHAT IS THAT!?” Rainbow Dash cried out and pointed towards the window and just as she planned/hoped, Spike tore his attention away from Dash and most importantly, his neck and looked at whatever unbelievable thing was out there lurking in the garden. In one swift motion Rainbow Dash lunged for Spike’s neck and undid the bowtie.

Spike inhaled the crisp night air in one big gulp and started coughing. “No! She’ll just make it tighter!” Spike covered his mouth with his claws.

Rainbow Dash’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. “What? Wait… Spike, did Rarity tie that on you?”

Spike couldn’t bring himself to look Rainbow Dash in the eyes.

“Spike,” Dash’s voice was firm. “Tell me, did Rarity tie that on you?”

“It- it was my fault!” he blurted. “I-I-I forgot the bowtie she made for me in Ponyville and she had to buy me another one and she said to keep it on and now I don’t know what she’ll do!”

Rainbow Dash couldn’t believe her ears. Rarity, one of her best friends in the whole world was treating somepony like total scum. Worse yet, she was treating Spike, one of Dash and Rarity’s best friends and the one creature that’d put his entire day on hold to help Rarity with even the most minute of chores like he was scum. Rainbow Dash’s brow furrowed as the news Spike told her churned in her head, building up more and more anger towards the white mare.

Dash quickly swiped Spike’s bowtie and chucked it out the window. “Oh no,” she said disingenuously while dusting her hooves. “Looks like I lost your bowtie, how clumsy of me. Guess I’ll just have to go apologize to Rarity myself.” Rainbow Dash was about to take off to search for the fashionista when she noticed the crestfallen dragon and the look of worry in his eyes. “Don’t worry big guy, you just stay here and catch your breath, I won’t be long.”

And without another word, Rainbow Dash flew off.

"I’m sure you remember the Pony Summit,” Rarity said in a jovial tone. “Spike flooded the venue and destroyed the gem statue that was on display. It was a total disaster and it happened in front of the princesses too.”

Pish Posh, her Yes Pony and a small group of ponies began laughing in that nasally way snooty ponies laugh at the less fortunate.

“Oh Rarity, that is simply hilarious!” Pish Posh said. “What I wouldn’t give to see his face.

“Indeed! That must have been the spectacle of the year,” said the Yes Pony.

“Pfff, ha, ha, ha, ha!” came a raspy laugh from behind Rarity. Rainbow Dash tossed her head back and held her ribs like she heard the funniest joke of the year. “Hoo boy that’s a good one! You know that reminds me of this one time during basic”- Rainbow Dash gasped, -“Rarity? Is that really you?”

Rarity was perplexed and that was putting it lightly. “Rainbow Dash? What in the world are you doing here?”

“Oh you know! Spitfire got some last minutes tickets to find some sponsors, sure is great being a Wonderbolt! Hey can I talk with ya for a bit? We have SO much to catch up on!”

“What the devil are you talking about Rainbow Da-AAAAAAAAAHHHH!” Without warning Rainbow Dash grabbed Rarity and zoomed across the room making multicolored zigzags as she flew and headed for a more secluded part of the room near an empty hallway. After coming to a complete stop Rarity began looking over her dress and used her magic to make sure her mane was still styled.

“Rainbow Dash! I haven’t the foggiest idea what this is all about, but I hope you have a good reason for almost wrinkling my dress and ruining my mane!”

Rainbow Dash’s expression was unreadable. “What do you think you’re doing?” her voice was calm but with an underlying razor edge waiting to lash out.

“Well currently, I’m hoping my dress is still impeccable and I’m wondering why I was just hauled across the room like a hoofball.”

“No Rarity, what do you think you’re doing to Spike?”

“Spike? What happened? What did he do? Did he take his bowtie off again? I swear that dragon will-“

“He didn’t take it off, I did.”

“WHAT!? Why in Equestria would you do that?! That bowtie is absolutely crucial to his attire!”

“Rarity! The guy was choking!” Rainbow Dash’s mask broke out in anger. "You know, he couldn’t breath? Air couldn’t get into his lungs? He looked even more purple than usual! And it’s all because of that stupid thing around his neck!”

“Oh come now Rainbow Dash, I’m sure you’re just overreacting, Spike is fine.”

“No he’s not! You’d know that if you didn’t just up and ditch him! I thought you were supposed to spend time with the ponies you bring to a party, not chuck them to the side like a gum wrapper!”

“I did no such thing! I introduced him to the hostess and allowed Spike an opportunity to mingle with the other guests when it was time to talk business.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “In a room where he doesn’t know anypony? Yeah, you did Spike a big fat favor of pushing him away just so you could talk about him behind his back. Do you have any idea how happy and excited Spike was when you invited him? He was looking forward to spending time with you and he couldn’t believe that you wanted to invite him. I can’t believe you’d go so far as to twist his feelings for you just because you had a ticket burning a hole in your saddlebag!”

Rarity cocked an eyebrow. “What on earth are you talking about?”

“Oh come on Rarity! Did you really not notice Spike’s feelings for you? It’s obvious to everypony that Spike jumps through all those hoops for you to make you happy. All of those shopping sprees where he was just your bag carrier, all those trips to the gem caves where he dug and hauled your gems back to town. Helping you do your chores and being used as a pincushion? Do you really think anypony else would put up with even half of that if they didn’t have feelings for you?”

“Oh please Rainbow Dash, I’m not blind. I could see Spike’s infatuation from a mile away. After all I had similar feelings myself for my foalsitter when I was young, but it’s just a silly little crush, it’ll pass.”

Rainbow Dash looked at Rarity in disbelief. “It’s not ‘just a silly little crush’ to Spike! It’s way more than that! I never thought you of all ponies could be so cold towards somepony’s affections!” she took a deep breath to calm down. She realized Rarity just wasn’t getting the message, so what was the point in dragging this out?

“Look Rarity, I’m not Twilight,” Rainbow Dash said in an even tone. “I’m not gonna stand here and give you a lecture on what you’re doing is wrong and teach you some kind of friendship lesson and have a good natured laugh about it. What you’re doing is really messed up and I don’t want to be here when Spike gets hurt because of you. Enjoy your party, hope it was worth crushing a friend…” she gave Rarity one last look of disapproval before she flew off.

Rarity stood alone in the darkened hall, her gaze gradually lowered to the ground as she rubbed her hoof on her opposite foreleg. Maybe Rainbow Dash is right. Maybe I have been unnecessarily harsh towards Spike tonight. Rarity shook her head to clear her thoughts. No. Spike’s fine. Everything is fine and everything will be fine. Rainbow Dash is just exaggerating. Rarity trotted off to rejoin Pish Posh’s circle.

Meanwhile on the far side of the room Spike was taking deep breaths of precious oxygen, his face was no longer flush and he was feeling elated at having been rid of that horrific piece of clothing. He spotted Rainbow Dash flying across the room towards him and a sense of relief washed over him like the tide. He was never so grateful to have a familiar face around.

“Well I said I was sorry for losing your tie,” Dash said as she hovered before him.

“And… how’d that go?”

Dash waved her hoof non-chelantly. “Oh she was pretty cool with it, no worries.”

“Well that’s good.”

“How are you feeling Spike?”

“Well my neck’s still sore,” Spike gingerly rubbed his tender spots.

Dash shook her head. “No, what I mean is how are you feeling inside. You know, emotions and junk?”

“W-well… um…” Spike’s face fell and his ear fins and spikes became droopy.

Rainbow Dash lifted Spike’s chin and looked him in the eyes. “Spike. Are you having fun?”

Spike let out a sigh, “No… no I’m not. I thought this party would be fun, Rarity made it sound like we were going to have a great time. But… she’s off with Pish Posh and I’m just, well, here.”

“Then why don’t you just leave? You ain’t happy to be here and these ponies are stuffier than the Wonderbolts locker room and… Rarity ditched you…”

Spike winced the way one does when they tear off a bandage. She was right of course and it hurt him to realize that this night was never about him and Rarity having fun together. It was about Rarity and only about Rarity, he was just one of her accessories.

“Dash! Dash where are you? We’re leaving!” Spitfire called out.

“Coming!” Rainbow Dash turned back to Spike. “I gotta go now, but I’ll still be in Canterlot for a while. Why don’t I meet you at Pony Joe’s place and we’ll have some doughnuts, my treat. And when we get back to Ponyville we can organize the biggest most awesome game of Ogres and Oubliettes we’ve ever played.”

Spike gave a small smile. “Thanks Rainbow Dash… that does sound like fun…”

Rainbow Dash’s heart was near breaking point when the normally bright and cheery dragon’s emerald eyes seemed to lose all of its luster and vibrant life. She gave Spike a hug. “Keep your chin up big guy.”

Spike watched as Rainbow Dash flew off to rejoin her team and he gave a dreary sigh as he started walking towards the exit but stopped. Should I tell Rarity I’m leaving? Not that she’d notice or care that I left so I should just go… right? Spike looked to the door and then turned his attention to the center of the room under the grand chandelier where Rarity and Pish Posh would be. Spike himself being pulled in two directions as his brain weighed his options and his heart fought against his sense of logic. Spike thought about the events of the previous week and of that night and started walking back towards the exit, but then he remembered all the smiles and laughs they shared together in Ponyville and his heart pulled him towards the mare. What should I do?

A slew of laughter filled the small radius surrounding Rarity as she finished another story.

“Oh Rarity, that is simply sidesplitting!” Pish Posh wiped a tear from her eye. “That’s even funnier than the story about your dragon ruining the Pony Summit! So he really botched the entire Cloudsdale anthem?”

“I can’t see how anypony could’ve made a mistake that big and at the Equestria games of all places!” said another pony.

“I’ll say,” said Posh’s Yes Pony. “But it’s not as funny as that silly little fantasy game he plays. I’ve never heard of anything so foolish.”

Rarity was unintentionally laughing along side them. “It was excruciating to watch him fumble through the words. I’ve never felt so embarrassed for somepony in my whole life.”

“Rarity,” Pish Posh said with an air of curiosity. “I simply must know why out of anypony you knew, why did you invite that dragon? Surely you realized the gamble of bringing somecreature as uncouth as him to a party such as this?”

“Oh he wasn’t my first choice!” Rarity said hastily. “But everypony else I knew was busy. So in desperation I invited Spike and I spent a week training him in etiquette and making his suit.”

“Training a dragon? Now I have heard everything!’ Pish Posh chuckled. “That must have been quite the ordeal.”

“Oh you don’t know the half of it! He goofed up almost everything I taught him, he could barely stand properly or even speak properly and it was like training a foal. I haven’t been this exhausted dealing with others in Celestia knows how long. If there’s one thing I cannot tolerate it’s incompetence.”

“Rarity?”

Rarity’s body tensed and she felt her heart stop and her blood ran cold as if a wendigo was breathing down her neck. She turned painfully slowly, praying to Celestia, Luna and whoever was listening (even Discord) that the voice she heard wasn’t who she thought it was and was just somepony who sounded like him. Somepony that sounded exactly like him. But all her prayers, bargaining’s and wishes died when she realized that none of her pleas were answered. Standing before her was Spike, his eyes were as wide as dinner plates and his lips were quivering and if Rarity didn’t know any better she could swear his whole body was shaking like a leaf, as if he just awoke from the worst nightmare of his life.

“Is… Is that what you really think of me…?”

“Sss- Sp-Sp-Spike!” Rarity’s mouth was feeling very dry. “I can explain!”

“Explain? Explain what? That you think I’m some kind of idiot who doesn’t know his right from his left? That I’m just some dopey screw up that embarrasses you and everypony in Equestria? That I was your last resort because all of your real friends couldn’t be here?”

“Not to mention turning into a monster and wrecking Ponyville not once but twice,” Pish Posh said as she fanned the flames of this amusing display

Spike’s face fell even further. “What?”

Rarity gulped. “Posh, darling, I-I, uh, didn’t say those exact words.”

“Right, you just said something like it!” Spike snapped.

“Spike please, I’m sure we can just talk about this! Why don’t we just go somewhere quiet and-“

“No Rarity! You can’t talk your way out of this, not this time!” Spike’s eyes were watering up and it took every ounce of strength he had not to cry in front of Rarity. “How could you do this to me? I thought I was your friend, I thought I was special to you!”

“You are my friend Spike! I didn’t mean-“

“So you treat your friends like servants? Like disobedient dogs? I don’t remember you yelling at Twilight because she couldn’t balance a book on her head, I don’t remember you smacking Applejack with a yardstick when she didn’t stand straight and I certainly don’t remember you choking Fluttershy with a stupid tie!”

“I-I’ll admit that was rather harsh, but-“

“But nothing! After everything I’ve done, after everything you’ve put me through you just push me away so you can suck up to some, some, nopony!?”

“I beg your pardon?” Pish Posh spat as her Yes Pony sneered.

“Spike please calm down! We can be civil about this!” Rarity pleaded.

Spike was about to go into another verbal assault when he noticed his surroundings. The entire center of the ballroom was cleared aside from him and Rarity as the other guests, Pish Posh and her Yes Pony stepped back to make a circle around the drama between the unicorn and dragon. A perfect stage for their performance. Spike’s anger dissipated as he looked at all of the ponies around him in the audience. He felt all of their eyes on him, boring right through his scales and piercing his heart. His head began to feel like it was stuffed with cotton as he heard the whispers around him.

“Oh my, how troublesome.”

“What is a brute like him doing here in the first place?”

“ I suppose a dragon in a suit is still a dragon.”

“Poor dear. Nopony deserves to be treated like this.”

Spike screwed his eyes shut trying to drown the voices out as his head continued spinning.

SNAP!

Spike opened his eyes but his face was blank, there wasn’t a single trace of either anger or sadness, he was simply devoid of feeling anything. “I see… I get it…” Spike said flatly. “I know when I’m not wanted… I’m going home… at least I have friends in Ponyville who want me around…” Spike turned away and walked towards the edge of the crowd. He nearly fell when his claw slipped on something white and flaky. Whatever it was Spike just rubbed it off on his well fitting suit. The crowed just looked at Spike without moving until he snarled and showed off his large and sharp teeth and the sea of ponies parted immediately.

Rarity watched in horror as a broken Spike walked away, her heart screamed at her to chase after him and beg forgiveness and she was fighting in a vain attempt to keep her own tears from spilling out. “Spike… Spike wait! Spike please!” Rarity started galloping after the dejected dragon.

“Good riddance to bad rubbish!’ Pish Posh announced.

Rarity stopped in her tracks.

“While it was a fun little experiment I don’t think I’ll be allowing anymore dragons into my future parties, they’re more trouble than they’re worth.”

Rarity’s teeth clenched and her body began to shake.

“But don’t feel bad Rarity, you did the best you could with him, some creatures are just beyond help.”

CRACK!

Rarity spun on her hooves and stormed towards the hostess with a blazing fire in her eyes. “Now see here Pish Posh! I will NOT tolerate anymore of your abhorrent-!”

“RARITY!” Spike yelled. All of a sudden Rarity felt something push against her rump with enough force to send her flying across the floor. After tumbling over and over herself she came to a stop. Her head was tangled in her dress as she desperately tried to straighten herself up and get the blinding fabric out of her eyes.

Spike! That was totally unacceptable! I understand you’re upset but there’s no need for violence. And did you have to touch such a delicate area?

“Oh my… H-help! Somepony help! Is anypony a doctor!?” a stallion cried out.

A doctor? I appreciate your concern but I’m sure it’s just a bump on the head and a bruised flank.

“Somepony call for an ambulance!” a mare hollered.

I certainly don’t need an ambulance darling. Just an ice pack or two.

“What should we do? Is he breathing? I can’t tell if he’s breathing!” another stallion said in a panic.

HE?! Sir I may be indisposed right now, but I can assure you that I am a-!

Rarity finally freed her head from her dress and felt all of the air leave her body. The grand chandelier that bathed the guests in a bright and warm light crashed onto the ballroom floor, white plaster flakes of varying sizes fell from the ceiling like snow. But what Rarity couldn’t tear her gaze from, no matter how hard she tried, was the purple claw sticking out from under the metal arms of the chandelier and the large purple dragon laying motionless between the fallen fixture and the ground.

“Spike…?”

Author's Note

Being abandoned by someone you loved is honestly a pain that I never want any of you to feel. To feel like you're worthless in the eyes of someone you want to see happy and content only for them to sap the happiness out of you and leave you in a ditch while they constantly remind you of not being good enough while having no desire to better themselves as they leech off your kindness and affection. The crushing weight of inadequacy wondering what you're doing wrong and why you're not making them happy when in reality they aren't happy regardless of what you do. I tried to describe my feelings as best as I could from the time spent with my abusive ex, but I don't think I did a good job. whether it be from my inexperience writing fan fiction or my reluctance to go further down this road of the mental miasma she threw me into is unclear but all I know is I didn't do it total justice and I'm left wondering if it's still progress or if I'm still letting my insecurities get the better of me.

I'm sorry that got a little too melancholic so just imagine me blowing a raspberry. (PBTHTHTHTHTHTHTHTHTHTH!)

I bet you weren't expecting another chapter so soon, eh? Well since it's been one whole year since I began writing this story (and other future stories for that matter) I thought it would be a nice little treat to you, my wonderful readers for enjoying my story and sharing your thoughts and feelings since the only way I'll get better is learning what does and doesn't work, so thank you for your support and pointers.

Apologies on this chapter being, for lack of a better or more appropriate word, dark. But I swear that this is a Sparity story, it's just gonna take a bit of effort to get to that goal. Again as I said before I don't mind stories that start off with Rarity and Spike already in a relationship with more or less on the same foundation that they've built up from the beginning, but I didn't want to write that kind of story. Because I like a story where the romantic interests are put through struggles and challenges and come together after seeing each other in a different light and they now share a bond that's even stronger than before. With the sense of "If they can get through this, they can get through anything."

So some bad news, I'll be taking a bit of a break from this story. NOT a hiatus, just a break. But the good news is I'll be writing some new stories for you guys. I still have to finish the TwiLuna story and I have other Sparity stories in mind (what can I say? It's my favorite ship). But I think this is a good point to pause on, cliffhangers normally are if not frustrating. But hopefully I won't keep you waiting for very long in either my new projects or The Life and Times of Spike and Rarity.

Let me know what you guys think of this chapter, I love reading the comments.

As always, thanks for reading. See you next time :raritywink:

Silver Wit

Ps. Happy Halloween/ Nightmare Night everyone! 🎃

Desparity

Rarity anxiously paced a groove into the polished tiled floors at Canterlot Hospital. Every so often she’d stop and eye a pair of metal doors with a red light softly glowing overhead and hear the quiet ticking of the clock on the wall. She lost track of how long she was waiting for news on Spike. She sniffed back her tears. Her make up was ruined with dried black streaks of mascara running down her cheeks. Her dress was in total shambles with rips, wrinkles and missing patches of cloth her glamorous garment was turned into glorified rags. Everything happened so fast. One moment she was at the most important party of her career, the next Spike pushed her out of the way of a falling chandelier.

Spike saved her life.

Even after everything she put him through, everything she said about him, he was still willing to sacrifice his safety to protect her. After that things became blurry. She vaguely remembers ponies cutting the chandelier apart to free Spike. She sort of remembers Spike being loaded onto an ambulance and she kind of recalls Rainbow Dash returning to the party to find out what all of the commotion was about. But what Rarity clearly remembers is sobbing uncontrollably and saying the words “Spike’s hurt! Go find Twilight!” to her cyan friend before galloping after the ambulance.

A few hours later she was in this accursed room. Waiting for an update on Spike with a boulder pressing down on her withers. Rarity wished that this were all just a horrible dream. That Luna was punishing her for her treatment towards Spike. That any second now she’ll wake up and run down the stairs of her home, find Spike and get down on her knees and apologize to him until the sun set. Anything to make up that she was a terrible pony and an even worse friend.

A prismatic streak burst through the doors that connected the room to the hospital’s hallway as Rainbow Dash came to a screeching halt on the sterile floor. She was panting heavily and her mane was a mess. She must have flown at full speed looking everywhere for Twilight and then back to Canterlot.

“Haa… Haa… I found Twilight,” Dash said between gasps. “She’ll be here soon.”

There was a pop and a flash of purple light as Twilight teleported between her two friends in full panic mode; her eyes were moist and breathing shallow.

“Spike!? Spike!?” Twilight grabbed Rarity by the shoulders. “Rarity! What’s going on? Where’s Spike?!”

With a shaky hoof Rarity pointed towards the pair of steel doors with the soft red light above it with the words Operation in Progress in bold letters. Twilight lost all of the strength in her legs and collapsed onto the floor, crying into her hooves. Rainbow Dash wrapped her wings around the weeping princess and pulled her into a hug.

“It’ll be ok Twilight” “Dash said with the most confidence she could muster as she patted her friend’s back. “Spike’s tough, he’ll pull through this with flying colors.”

Twilight let go of her friend as she wiped the tears from her eyes. “I-I know. I know he’s tough,” Twilight said through her tears and sniffles. “But just the thought of Spike being in surgery… I’m terrified that h-he won’t make it…”

“Hey, hey, hey! What kind of talk is that?” Dash’s smile was warm and her voice was uncharacteristically soft. “He’ll make it, heck I wouldn’t be surprised if he was back on his claws by tomorrow. Spike’s real good at bouncing back.”

Twilight nodded and gave a small chuckle. “Thank you Rainbow Dash…. And Rarity, thank you for staying by Spike’s side, you’re a good friend.”

Rarity slowly shook her head. “No… no I’m not a good friend… I’m a horrid friend. This is all my fault.”

“Rarity, you can’t blame yourself for this,” Rainbow Dash placed a supportive hoof on Rarity’s shoulder. “I asked the ponies at the party and they said it was an accident, there’s no way you could’ve known this would happen.”

Twilight nodded. “And I’m sure Spike wouldn’t want you to blame yourself either.”

Rarity removed Dash’s hoof and shook her head as if there was a spider in her mane. “NO! It’s my fault! This is all my fault!” The guilt was overwhelming her like torrential rain. She had to tell Twilight and Rainbow Dash the truth about her treatment towards Spike. Besides, if Rarity didn’t tell them, Spike most certainly will and that’d only make things worse.

“There’s… something you should know.” And so Rarity told Rainbow Dash and Twilight what happened. Everything that happened. From the etiquette lessons and fittings that turned into a rigorous boot camp, to the party where Rarity discarded Spike like an out of date magazine and appeased the host with embarrassing and sensitive stories at the dragon’s expense, to the moment Spike saved her from certain doom and every little detail in between.

“And that’s everything,” Rarity paused to take a deep breath. “I can’t tell you how absolutely repulsed I am with myself. I can’t apologize enough times to make up for this and I’m so ashamed that I let myself get taken in by all of those nasty things Pish Posh said.”

“No Rarity!” Rainbow Dash barked. “Pish Posh didn’t twist your hoof to say those things and push him away, you did it yourself! I can’t believe you did this! I can’t believe you wouldn’t stand up for your friend when he needed you! What the hay is your deal!? And after I warned you about-“

“How…?” The voice was soft but was still able to cut through Rainbow Dash’s shouting. Twilight was in total disbelief as her lips trembled and her eyes threatened release another torrent of tears. “H-how could you…?”

Twilight’s first step was shaky, as if she was afraid of the ground collapsing but her next steps gained strength as she stomped towards the alabaster mare with such force that she threatened to smash the tiles under her hooves. Twilight grit her teeth and her eyes pierced right through Rarity as the Princess of Friendship’s horn gave off crackling sparks of animosity and smoke erupted from her ears. Rarity took tentative steps away from the irate monarch. The fear in her features was unmistakable.

“You heartless-! Do you have any idea how much Spike’s sacrificed for you?! How many nights he came home totally exhausted after working for you!? How many tears he’s cried for you!?”

Twilight kept her aggressive advance like a beast ready to pounce as Rarity continued to make space between them for her own safety until her rump hit a wall and was backed into a literal corner

“He worships the ground you trot on and you treat him like he’s your whipping colt! He went to the moon to rescue you and you throw him away when he’s no longer useful?! Did you even mean any of those words you said to him in the park, or were you just wrapping him tighter around your hoof!? You… You… You!!” Twilight’s horn flared as louder crackles sounded like she was channeling a lighting storm.

Rarity closed her eyes and braced herself for whatever would come next. A slap, a magical blast, or just more harsh words. Either way Rarity was ready to accept Twilight’s judgment. But after a few moments of nothing happening and the sound of magical snaps going quiet Rarity slowly opened her eyes. Twilight was dragging her hooves to the exit. She paused at the door and said without turning, “I’m going to make sure Spike’s as comfortable as possible while he’s here… Rainbow Dash… Find the girls. Tell them what happened. Tell them to come here as soon as possible. Spike needs them. I… I need them…”

Dash nodded her head after recovering from the shock of Twilight’s tirade. “You got it Twi.”

Twilight didn’t respond as she pushed the doors open and left. Rainbow Dash turned to Rarity, her eyes narrowed with pity and laced with disappointment. She flew out of the room in a flash, leaving Rarity alone again with the steel doors with the soft glowing red light and the ticking of the clock. She slid to the floor and held her head in her hooves and quietly sobbed in solitude.

By the time all of Rarity’s friends arrived at the hospital, Spike was out of surgery and Twilight left to see him and converse with the doctors. Rarity figured it would be best to give Twilight as much space as possible. For both their sakes. The energy in the room was awkward to say the least. The events that happened the night before soon became known to everypony and things between the mares became very uncomfortable very fast. Nopony knew how to act around the drama caused by the fashionista, so they stuck with eye aversions or disappointed looks.

“How’re you holding up?”

Rarity raised her head and was greeted by Starlight wearing a half smile.

“Well I’ve certainly been better, “Rarity said glumly. “I assume you know what transpired?”

Starlight nodded uneasily. “Yeah, Rainbow Dash kinda filled me in.”

“Oh Starlight, what am I supposed to do? I’ve never felt so awful in my entire life. I just wish I could go back and stop myself from being so selfish.”

“I wouldn’t recommend messing around with the timeline Rarity. Personal experience.”

“I can’t even begin to think of how I’m supposed to repent for my actions…”

“You could always start with an apology,” Pinkie Pie said as she bounced into the conversation. “I’m sure everypony will feel better after that.”

“I think it’ll take a bit more than that,” Starlight said with a slight eye roll. “But Pinkie’s right, you should really try to talk this out with Spike. The sooner you apologize the sooner you two can take steps in getting things back to normal.”

Rarity gave a strangled sigh, “Normal? There’s no such thing as ‘normal’ anymore.”

Before Starlight could press further a unicorn nurse appeared behind the group. “Um, you’re Princess Twilight’s friends correct? Mr. Spike is ready for visitors now, please follow me.”

The nurse led the girls through the halls of the hospital and with every passing room Rarity felt her anxiety build up more and more like an every growing snowball. The thought of seeing a broken Spike sent her stomach into a tumble. She just prayed that he’d be ok, that he’d make a full recovery. That she could do something, anything to make it up to him.

The nurse stopped before a door, her horn glowed and the knob gave off a magical hue. “Just try to be quiet if you please. He needs his rest.” The nurse opened the door and the girls filed in as quickly and as orderly as possible, Rarity was the last one in and did her best to hide herself behind her friends for fear of igniting Twilight’s anger again.

But what she saw almost made her faint. There was Spike. Lying belly down on a large hospital bed with an EKG machine making occasional beeps. His head was wrapped in gauze and his right claw was in a cast. His right wing was bandaged from the base all the way to the ends of the webbing and held up with wires to keep it as straight as possible. His torso was covered in bandages and gauze and what wasn’t covered in bandages was covered in scratches and bruises.

Twilight was right by his side, her protective wing gently draped over his shoulders. She was in conversation with two stallions in white coats. One was a Pegasus with a light red coat and a short raven colored mane and the other was a salmon colored unicorn with a light brown mane and moustache.

“Girls! Thank you for coming,” Twilight greeted her friends with a tired smile.

Applejack nodded. “Of course sugarcube, how’s he holdin’ up?”

He’s ok, just a little groggy. He’s coming around though.”

Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh thank goodness, I was fearing the worst.”

“Heh, I knew the big guy would pull through,” Rainbow Dash said triumphantly.

A low groan was heard from under Twilight’s wing as Spike’s eyes fluttered open. “Uughhh…”

“Spike!” Twilight retracted her wing and wrapped her hooves around her little brothers neck and nuzzled him. “You’re awake! You scared me to death! How do you feel?”

"Sore… really sore… and I have a killer headache…”

Rainbow Dash turned to the pair of stallions. “Doc? Spike’s gonna be fine right?”

Everypony’s attention fell on the doctors, Twilight gave them both a nod. “They’re my friends doctors. They have a right to know.”

The Pegasus cleared his throat. “Well if the princess says it’s ok. I’m Dr. Hawkeye Pierce I performed the surgery on our large friend here and this is Dr. Honey Cut, he assisted me during the procedure.”

“What happened to him Dr. Hawkeye?” Starlight asked.

“That chandelier did a number on him. Multiple fractures, breaks and soft tissue damage. Primarily in the torso. The scales along his back were damaged pretty badly along with internal bleeding and blunt trauma to the head and extreme trauma to his wings, the worst of which was the base of the right wing. It was practically being held together with string and chewing gum. But as bad as it looks, he’s a very lucky dragon.”

“How is this lucky? He’s more banged up than’a plow inna rocky field,” Applejack said.

“Those scales of his are as tough as armor,” Dr. Honey Cut said. “not to mention his size played a big role in him not getting completely flattened. If he were, say, pony sized, well… we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now.”

Rarity bit her lip so hard she almost drew blood and felt something squeeze her heart as she listened to the doctor’s words from her hiding spot. She felt her skin crawl with every aliment read off of the doctor’s grim checklist and if it wasn’t for Spike she’d be…

“Doc… am I ever going to fly again?” Spike asked with dread.

Dr. Hawkeye raised a confused brow. “Why wouldn’t you be able to fly? You have wings don’t you?”

Spike sighed and relaxed as the doctor’s words washed over him.

“Don’t worry kid, you’re gonna be fine,” Hawkeye said through a chuckle. “Some bed rest and physical therapy and you’ll be back in the skies in no time.”

Rarity’s heart warmed from this news and a relieved smile graced her lips. Knowing that Spike would still be able to touch the sky made her happier than she’d been in days.

“Thank you so much for your work Dr. Hawkeye, Dr. Honey Cut,” Twilight said. “I don’t think even a thousand years would be enough time to repay you for saving Spike.”

“I think a simple ‘thank you’ is just fine princess. We’re just happy we did our duty. Speaking of which, Dr. Honey Cut and I have some more tests to run, if you’ll excuse us.”

Twilight nodded. “Of course, thank you again.”

The two stallions gave a nod and trotted out the door. A soon as they left, the room was filled with cheers and laughter as a sense of levity enveloped everypony.

“Hoowee, that’s a relief! Ah was shakin’ in my hooves for ya Spike,” Applejack chuckled.

“Awwwww yeah! As soon as that wing of yours heals up we are totally flying!” Rainbow Dash pumped her hoof in the air in celebration.

“WOO HOO!” Pinkie Pie whooped as she fired confetti into the air. “Spike’s gonna be ok!”- she jumped and wrapped a foreleg around her alabaster friend. –“Isn’t that great Rarity?!”

And just like that, all of the energy and good cheer was sucked out of the room. The same awkward tension between the friends crept in as everypony focused on the mare in the ruined dress. Spike’s eyes narrowed at Rarity and then turned away. Twilight on the other hoof took a defensive stance and resumed her intense glare that tried to set Rarity on fire or turn her to stone, or, if Twilight preferred, both. The rest of the girls either couldn’t look at her or had disappointment etched on their muzzles.

“Uhhhh, did I say something wrong?” Pinkie Pie scratched her head in total bafflement.

“Hey! I have a great idea!” Starlight announced. “Why don’t we see if hospital food is as bad as everypony says it is? And Pinkie can show us the silly trot she’s been working on!” Starlight began to usher Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Pinkie Pie towards the door. Her horn glowed and Twilight was enveloped in a light blue aura. “You too Twilight.” Starlight said dryly as she levitated Twilight towards the door. Rarity could still feel Twilight’s eyes boring into the back of her head as they all left.

And with the soft click of the door, Rarity was alone with Spike. She searched her innermost thoughts and turned over every idea she had, trying to find anything to say to break the ice. Good luck with that darling. The silence between them was killing her, she’s spent years training herself to never be in this situation. To always have something to talk about, to always get into somepony’s graces by her simple talent of conversation. A talent that has served her well within her clientele and the upper class of Canterlot, but when it came to trying to say something to one of her dearest friends, all of that training dried up and left her without a tongue. She was too tired to point out the irony. Or was it a paradox? Rarity was too tired for that as well.

Rarity decided to just say the first thing that came to mind, so she chewed her lip and said, “… Twilight got you a wonderful room darling. I know she doesn’t like to throw her title of ‘Princess’ around, but she really outdid herself.”

Spike didn’t react.

“It’s… spacious, has a wonderful view of the outside. Plenty of sunlight and you don’t have to share it with anypony…”

Spike remained quiet.

“So… so, how are you feeling?”

Spike turned towards Rarity and growled, eyes retaining that bitter cold.

“R-right! Silly question! Forget I asked that. After all I heard what the doctors said…”

Spike went back to ignoring the mare.

Rarity chewed her lip again. Perhaps she should just dive right into talking things out with Spike like Starlight said.

So throwing caution to the wind, she decided to speak from the heart. “Um, Spike… I… I-I realize I’m not your favorite pony at the moment. But… I just want to say, thank you for saving my life. If it weren’t for your actions I’d most certainly have met a grisly fate. But you risked your own wellbeing to rescue me and it was the most selfless, bravest and heroic act I’ve ever-“

“Why are you still here?” Spike asked flatly.

Rarity flinched like a rubber band hit her right on the muzzle “W-what?”

Spike faced her again. “You just wanted to thank me for saving your life. You did, so why are you still here?”

The way Spike spoke to Rarity was a tone she’d never heard from him before. It was as cold and as harsh as the storms of the Crystal Empire, his words stabbed her like the frozen gales of the far north. Rarity made tiny circles on the tiles with her hoof as she fumbled with her words, “W-well, I, uh, I wanted to say a bit more than just that.”

“Yeah? Well I don’t want to hear it, so just go away.”

“Spike please, just listen to me. I-I realize I’ve made a mistake but-“

“Oh a mistake?” Spike said in mock surprise. “You made a mistake, is that all? I’ve made mistakes before. I made the mistake of filling in for Twilight’s Princess duties and let the power go to my head. I made the mistake in thinking Ember and Thorax wouldn’t get along and would start a war between dragons and changelings and let’s not forget I also made the mistake of giving you the ‘Inspiration Manifestation’ spell that sent you into a power hungry frenzy that took Twilight, Cadence and Luna hours to clean up the mess you left behind. If those are mistakes, what did you do? At least when I screwed up nopony got hurt.”

Rarity winced. “I deserve that. And I can’t tell you how guilty I am for treating you so poorly Spiky Wik-“

“Don’t call me that!” Spike shouted. Rarity pinned her ears to her head to dampen the volume. “Don’t ever call me that again!” Spike grit his teeth and his one good claw curled into a tight, shaky fist. “That name… that stupid name… When you gave me that name it was one of the happiest moments of my life. I thought that name made me special, that I meant something to you, that I really was one of your closest friends. But I was never really your friend was I? I was just another pet to you! A source of cheap labor!”

“Spike that’s not true! You are my friend!”

“Oh am I? Cause what kind of friend breaks you down till they’re miserable? What kind of friend throws you under the carriage just to impress some snooty, spoiled nopony? What kind of friend literally chokes the life out of you to keep them from embarrassing you?” Spike paused to suppress a sob. “Did you ever even care about me at all?”

“Of course I care about you! I just-“

“It was all a game to you wasn’t it? Playing that you liked me, that I was important to you.” Spike couldn’t hold the tears back anymore and they fell freely from his face. “How could you? How could you do this to me? If you hated me so much you should’ve just told me! At least then I wouldn’t have wasted so much time with you!”

“I don’t hate you Spike! Sweet Celestia, I… I’m sorry…” Rarity trotted closer to the bed. She took a deep breath and said in her calmest and assured tone, “I am so terribly sorry Spike. I can’t take back what I said and did, as much as I want to. But don’t say you wasted our time together. You really, truly are one of my nearest and dearest friends. You mean so much to me and I care about you so very deeply.”

“Is that why you kept insulting me!? Why you told your new friends every embarrassing moment of my life behind my back!?” Spike’s voice was thick with venom. “Did you tell them about all the times I’ve been covered in garbage? Did you tell them about all the weird things I went through during my molt? Every clumsy and awkward attempt to impress you? I’m sure you and your new friends had a good long laugh when you told them about that!”

“N-no! I-!”

“How about the time I wanted to pay Applejack back for saving me, huh? Did you hate her too for stealing your precious little dragon butler away?!”

“Spike! You’re not-! I, I would never-!”

“Whatever. I can’t believe I was so stupid to think that you cared for me. I can’t believe…” Spike turned away and whispered, “That I changed for you… that I ever loved you…”

“What was that?” Rarity’s ears burned trying to hear what he mumbled.

“I said get out of my room Rarity!” Spike snapped. “I don’t want to see you… ever again…”

Rarity just stared at the wounded dragon in complete shock. Spike… never wants to see her again? No more visits to the shop? No more excursions to the gem cave? Never to see his smiling face or his shimmering emerald eyes again? Rarity’s heart was crumbling bit by bit as the thought of no longer having Spike in her life filled her with a kind of pain she’d never felt before, like a dark void opened in her chest. She doubted even King Sombra’s magic could conjure a worse fear, a worse agony than being without her Spike. This can’t be happening… Rarity’s eyes began filling to the brim with tears.

She opened and closed her mouth like a fish on dry land, trying to say something. To say anything. “Sp… Spike… You… y-you don’t really mean-“

“LEAVE!!!!!!!!!!” Spike’s roar shook the room.

Through tear filled eyes Rarity saw him. Spike was furious. He towered over her with support from his one good claw, his pupils were slits and looked like he was about to lash out. He bared his razor sharp teeth as green fire escaped the corners of his gaping maw and black smoke rose from his nostrils. This was the first time Rarity has ever seen Spike angry. Truly angry. He’d always be so careful to stay positive around her to keep her happy and content. Always knew what to say to make her smile, was always the first one to ask if there was anything he could do to make her day just a little bit brighter and now, He hates me… I… I made him hate me.

At that moment Rarity searched her mind for anything that could help prove how much he meant to her. Private, sacred moments that would weaken his resolve. But in the end, she couldn’t call on any of them, he was already so far away.

Rarity spun on her hooves and galloped out of the room as fast as she could. She thought she heard Starlight and Pinkie call out for her, but she kept running. She thought she heard a nurse telling her to slow down, but she kept running. She thought she heard a well-dressed pony tell her to watch where she was going, but she kept running with no destination in mind, leaving a trail of mascara stained tears along the streets of Canterlot.

Author's Note

I know I said I was taking a break, but I couldn't help myself. Inspiration struck and who am I to turn her away when she flashes those luscious lashes at me? Sorry for wounding you reader but I just got some new knuckle dusters and I wanted to try them out with a few good ol' punches in the gut. So where do we go from here? Well you know what they say, "when you hit rock bottom the only way to go is up." That is unless you hit rock bottom with a grave digger's spade and have a fascination with geological surveying, but I digress.

Now that I've burnt down the foundation between Spike and Rarity and made snow men from the ashes it's time for Rarity to deal with some uphill struggles, but will she find redemption at the top of the hill or will this just be a Sisyphean task? I guess only the future (and me) will know. (Again, I swear this is a Sparity fic)

Just a little update for those of you who don't read my blog (God that's an ugly word). But I've hit a bit of a snag on writing my TwiLuna request. I have no inspiration and it's hard for me to get the words down. I have a general idea about the plot and how it ends, I just have to figure out the rest of the pieces and how they fall into place. On the flip side though the story I want done by Christmas time is going well, I just need to do some more research before moving on. As for The Life and Times of Spike and Rarity I'll update it as often as I can, but I really want to get these new stories written and published for you to see, but I also want to finish this story as soon as I can. Paradoxical, really.

Let me know what you guys think of this chapter, I love reading the comments.

As always, thanks for reading. See you next time :raritywink:

Silver Wit

What Lies Beneath

The brush was thick on the murky path as a lone unicorn stumbled through the web of branches of nearby trees, growing so close together one would think that they were working as a team in making this gloomy road as hostile and impassible as possible. “There’s just no end to this!” Rarity cried out as she pushed through another bush and narrowly dodged another low hanging bough.

She had been wandering around aimlessly for what felt like hours as the forest became thicker and thicker, the canopy blocking out the light of the moon and the light of her horn being swallowed up by the forest’s black maw, made it impossible for Rarity to tell if she was just going around in circles or if she was making actual progress on getting out of her botanical prison.

Rarity jerked forward as her hoof tripped over a root and was flung out of the forest and down a small hill into a foggy clearing. She wobbled to her hooves and clutched her head as the dizziness wore off. “Owwwww, stupid root! Well, at least I’m out of that wretched forest.”

“You… what are you doing here?” came a familiar voice.

Rarity’s attention was drawn to six mares that stood before her. They were all wearing black and the purple alicorn in the middle had a black veil blocking her eyes with tear stains trailing down her cheeks. The other five mares were glaring at Rarity with a deep seeded anger.

Rarity shivered. “Twilight? Girls? W-what are you doing here? Where are we?”

“You’ve got some nerve coming here!” Twilight growled. “Haven’t you done enough?! Haven’t you caused me and everypony enough pain?!”

“What are you talking about Twilight? I don’t understand!”

Twilight and the rest of Rarity’s friends parted to reveal a large polished stone with a flat surface. On the front of the stone was a carving of a dragon, decorated with emeralds and amethysts. Rarity’s eyes widened in horror as realization struck her, the fog cleared and it was soon apparent where she and her friends were.

A cemetery. And before her was Spike’s…

Rarity slowly shook her head as she took trembling steps away from the grave. “No… No! This- this can’t be right! He’s alive! Spike’s alive! I know he is!”

“You took him away from me!” Twilight screamed. “It’s your fault he’s gone! He was my best friend, my little brother and now he’s gone! Spike should be here by my side! It’s should’ve been you!”

The rest of her friends slowly walked forward chanting, “It should’ve been you. It should’ve been you.”

Rarity backed away from the encroaching mares. “Girls! Girls wait! Spike’s alive! I- we saw him together! It- it wasn’t my fault, it was an accident! I-I didn’t mean for this to happen, I swear it!”

Her friends kept getting closer and closer as the chanting got louder and louder, drowning out Rarity’s pleas. Rarity tripped backwards and slammed into something very hard. She stumbled and turned to see what was behind her. It was another headstone, only this one had a unicorn carved into it.

Decorated with three diamonds that resembled Rarity’s cutie mark.

Rarity gasped in horror and tried to run away but was cut off by the surrounding mares, still chanting, “It should’ve been you! It should’ve been you!”

Rarity covered her ears but she could still hear their words banging against her like a battering ram against a door. Tears flooded her eyes as she tried to drown out her friends and the pounding ache in her head. But she couldn’t fight it. As her pleas fell on deaf ears and as the chanting began to tear her to shreds, Rarity felt herself slip further and further into the void.

“It should’ve been you! It should’ve been you!”

“It should have been me…”

“ENOUGH!” A booming voice called out. The moon appeared and shot a beam of dazzling light at the mares in black, turning them into nothing more than shadowy mist. Rarity slowly lifted her head and was met with a dark colored alicorn with a flowing mane resembling the night sky.

“Princess Luna!” Rarity exclaimed as she jumped off the ground. “Thank heavens you’re here!”

“Apologies Rarity, I arrived as swiftly as I could,” Luna replied.

“Please, you have to help me, these nightmares have been plaguing me all week and they get worse and worse by the day!”

Luna’s horn glowed as she took a defensive stance. “This is no normal nightmare, Rarity.”

“What do you mean?”

Rarity’s attention was drawn to an unnerving chuckle coming from the darkened mist before her. There was one pony still standing after Luna’s blast. Twilight. She removed her veil and Rarity’s breath caught in her throat when she saw Twilight’s eyes. They were blue, the same blue as Rarity’s, but her pupils were diamond shaped, with two more diamonds in her irises. “Oh Luna, you never were one for games.” The voice wasn’t Twilight’s, but it was still familiar to Rarity, painfully familiar.

Twilight’s body was overcome by shadows and began to grow. Her wings disappeared and her legs and horn were longer as well as her mane, which became fuller and flowed in the way of Celestia’s and Luna’s with a white streak running through it. She wore a two-pointed silver tiara with a blue gem at its center and a choker with a diamond in the middle. Her cutie mark looked like a vein of gems against her black coat. Rarity trembled as fear began to override her senses as the dark pony’s metamorphosis became complete. It was a pony Rarity never wanted to see again, Nightmare Rarity.

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t one of my most favorite hosts,” Nightmarity said in a tone of unsettling familiarity, like a long lost friend uses after finally seeing you again.

“It can’t be…” Rarity said in disbelief.

Nightmarity gave a disturbing laugh, “Oh, but it can be! And it is! How long has it been darling? A month? A year? A millennia? Far too long for my taste anyway. I was beginning to wonder if I’d ever see your pretty face again.”

“Why are you here, foul beast?!” Luna demanded.

Nightmarity smirked. “Why because of this filly’s absolutely alluring heart. I haven’t felt anything like it in ages! Guilt, grief, sadness, despair, a true cornucopia of misery.”

“You’re not really here! I mean, you can’t be!” Rarity inched closer to Luna.

“Oh now why is my presence so hard to grasp?” Nightmarity tossed her flowing mane. “You’re only a few steps away from embracing me all over again. Honestly, I don’t know why you don’t just accept me already. Wouldn’t it be divine to have my power at your disposal? To be rid of those pesky emotions and let me take over? Doesn’t that just sound lovely?”

Luna fired a warning blast of magic at Nightmarity’s hooves. “Be gone demon! Lest thou wish to feel mine wrath!”

“You can’t protect her forever Princess,” Nightmarity said smugly. “You know it and I know it. One of these days, she’ll slip back into darkness and nopony will be able to stop me. Not you, not Celestia, not the element bearers and most importantly-“ Nightmarity turned her attention to a cowering Rarity and her smile widened, “-your precious little dragon won’t be able to save you this time.” Nightmarity’s body turned to mist as she vanished from sight, her haunting laughter echoing across the dreamscape.

Rarity sighed in relief as fear slowly subsided, “Thank you princess, I dare not think about what would’ve happened if you weren’t here. You’re a life saver.”

“Rarity, I hate to say this, but she’s right.”

“What do you mean?” Rarity’s fear began to rise again. “T-the Nightmare’s gone now and if she knows that you’ll be here-“

“That’s the thing, I can’t protect you from the Nightmare forever. Eventually you will succumb to her influence and I’m unsure of what would happen next.”

“So… so I’m doomed? My fate is already sealed? I’m going to turn into her again? I don’t want to be controlled by the Nightmare again! Please, you have to help me!”

Luna lifted Rarity’s chin and looked her in the eyes. “Calm yourself Rarity, for all is not lost. You still have a chance to be rid of the Nightmare’s grasp, but you mustn’t let your fear overwhelm you.”

“So what am I supposed to do?”

“You must find peace within your heart. The Nightmare parasitizes on your fears, your insecurities, your guilt, and all the emotions that plunge a pony into the darkness of their own hearts. Once you’re free of these feelings, the Nightmare will no longer have any power over you. You must find peace and make amends.”

The dreamscape began to crumble away as Luna’s image became lost in a blinding light. Rarity sprung awake in a cold sweat. Her sheets were twisted and tangled from her restless slumber and she felt like she just finished the Running of the Leaves marathon. Rarity gripped her head as Luna’s final words played over and over in her mind. Find peace and make amends. Find peace and make amends.

Rarity glanced at the clock on her bedside and untangled herself from her bed, she had things to do and ponies to see.

“Does your pillow need fluffing?”

“No Twilight, it’s fine.”

“Are you sure? I think it looks a bit lumpy.”

The mid morning sun shone brightly into Spike’s private room at Canterlot General Hospital. Over the last few days he received around the clock care, from both the doctors and his sister. Twilight made extra sure that all of Spike’s needs were met and that he was as comfortable as possible, never leaving his side during the day and even staying extra hours at night. Spike was curious if Twilight had gotten any sleep since she arrived in Canterlot. While Spike truly appreciated Twilight’s attentiveness in his recovery, after a few days, he realized that he really didn’t like being babied.

“My pillow’s fine Twilight, I swear.”

“Ok, ok, well how about the sun? Is it too strong? Do you want me to lower the blinds?”

Spike rolled his eyes. “No Twi, leave the blinds be, I actually like the sun light. It’s really warm.”

“Of course, I should’ve figured as much. Is there anything else I can do for you? I can move the flowers around if you like.” Twilight’s magic enveloped the large flower arrangements from Celestia and Luna and swapped places with the arrangement from Fancy Pants and Fleur Dis Lis.

“I’m ok Twilight, really.”

“Oh I almost forgot,-“ Twilight’s horn glowed and a small white box poofed next to Spike’s bed. “-I brought you some comic books. I thought they’d help you relax more and-“

Spike waved his claw. “Twilight, don’t you have a train to catch?”

Twilight’s ears drooped. “Oh… right. Right I have to go…” She wrapped her hooves around Spike’s neck and gently nuzzled him. “I’ll come back and visit whenever I can.”

Spike nuzzled her back. “Thank you Twilight, for everything you’ve done. Don’t worry, the doctors here are great, I’m in good hooves.”

“I know you are. Get well soon Spike.” Twilight gave Spike a kiss on his forehead.

“Aw geez Twi, you don’t gotta get all mushy, I’ll be fine.” Spike gave Twilight the biggest smile he could muster.

“Goodbye Spike, be sure to get some rest.”

“Go on Twilight, or you’ll miss your train.”

Twilight gave one last wave as she stepped out the door. As soon as she was gone Spike’s smile began to falter as he became increasingly aware of the lonesome silence of the room. He lowered his head on his pillow and sighed.

“She’s right. This is a bit lumpy."

“Where could they be? The train won’t wait all day,” Starlight pondered as she glanced at her pocket watch.

Applejack rubbed her chin. “Ah know Twi went ta see Spike, but Ah’m not sure where Rarity’s at. She just up an’ vanished on us fer days.”

“Oh dear, I hope she’s ok,” Fluttershy said. “I’ve been worried about her ever since she ran out of the hospital.”

“I tried to find her,” Pinkie said glumly. “But my Pinkie sense was telling me that she wanted to be left alone.”

Starlight sighed, “After everything that’s happened between her, Twilight and Spike, I don’t blame Rarity for wanting to disappear. She looked really upset.”

“Well good!” Rainbow Dash spat. “After what she pulled on Spike she better be upset.”

“C’mon Dash, Rarity’s our friend,” Applejack scolded. “Don’t cha think we aught’a give her a second chance? She sure did seem sorry fer what she’d done.”

“Maybe. But I’m still mad.” Dash huffed and crossed her forelegs.

“Sorry I’m late!” Twilight called out as she landed on the platform. "Saying goodbye to Spike took longer than I thought it would.”

Applejack waved her hoof. “No need to apologize, sugarcube.”

Fluttershy nodded. “We understand that this is a really hard time for you right now. And having to leave Spike in Canterlot doesn’t help.”

Twilight gave her friends a small smile. “Thanks girls, but I think I’m ok now. So is everypony here?”

Starlight nervously rubbed the back of her neck. “Well not everypony, we’re still missing-“

“RARITY!” Pinkie Pie called out. “Rarity, over here! C’mon we got a train to catch!”

Rarity slowly trotted up the platform to her friends, Twilight shot her a quick glare before turning her back on the white mare.

“Oh good, you’re still here,” Rarity said.

“Whoa are you ok Rarity?” Rainbow Dash asked. “You look awful.”

She wasn’t wrong. Rarity’s normally vibrant and lustrous mane was dull and full of knots. Her snow-white coat was matted and almost looked gray and the bags under her eyes were so dark they looked like they were colored in with marker. The typically well-groomed pony looked more like a shoddy vagabond looking for spare bits.

“I… haven’t been sleeping very well,” Rarity responded.

“Well, let’s go home Rarity, ah’m sure you’ll sleep like a foal in yer own bed. Where’re your bags?” Applejack looked around for Rarity’s normally full cart of luggage.

“In my room.” All of Rarity’s friends eyed her in confusion, Twilight merely swiveled her ear to hear what Rarity had to say. “I’m… I’m not returning to Ponyville yet. I have some business I need to take care of in Canterlot.”

“But Rarity. what about the school? Don’t you have classes to teach?” Pinkie asked.

“It’s fine,” Twilight cut in. “I’ll find somepony to cover your classes till you come back. Take all the time you need.”

Rarity gave a tired smile. “Thank you, Twilight. I can’t tell you how grateful I am.”

Twilight didn’t respond and left to find herself a nice seat on the train.

Rarity turned to her kindly animal loving friend. “Fluttershy, can I ask you to take care of Opal while I’m here? I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone.”

“Of course Rarity, I’ll care for her like she was my own.”

“I know you will, thank you darling.”

“All aboard for Ponyville!” came the conductor’s voice.

“Well, I suppose I’ll see you all later. Have a safe trip back home.”

Starlight placed a hoof on Rarity’s shoulder. “Are you sure you’re ok? I know things are a little tense right now but-“

“I appreciate your concern Starlight,” Rarity patted Starlight’s hoof. “But I’m fine. I just have some important business to take care of and as soon as I’m finished I’ll be on the next train to Ponyville. You have my word.”

“Alright, if you’re sure, then good luck with whatever it is you have to do.”

“Thank you darling.”

Everypony said their goodbyes and soon the train’s doors were closed and Rarity was left alone on the platform, watching the plume of smoke from the engine growing smaller and smaller. She took a deep breath and trotted off.

“I’ll need all the luck I can get my hooves on.”

As the train sped down the tracks, Twilight kept her eyes towards Canterlot, even when the shining capital was hidden behind mountains and hills Twilight never looked away from the window. Nopony could shake the uneasiness in the air. Pinkie Pie tried several knock-knock jokes, stand up routines and a dose of physical comedy that would be the envy of Cheese Sandwich, but they fell flat every time. There was an elephant sitting in the middle of the train car and it fell upon the school counselor to address it.

“Twilight?” Starlight’s voice was soft like she was trying to coax a scared animal out of a tree. “Twilight, is there something you want to talk about?”

Twilight ruffled her feathers but didn’t say anything.

“Twilight, I couldn’t help but notice you didn’t say bye to Rarity.”

Twilight turned away from the window with a scowl. “Yeah? And?”

“It’s just, I- we know you're upset but-“

“Upset?” Twilight cut Starlight off. “I’m well beyond upset,“- Twilight’s eyes began to water and she suppressed a sob, -“I’m furious! Not only is Spike lying all alone in a heap in a hospital far from Ponyville, but Rarity betrayed my trust and even worse than that, she broke Spike’s heart! My little brother is in pain and there’s nothing I can do about it! Applejack, how would you feel if this happened to Applebloom? Or Fluttershy, what if this happened to Zephyr Breeze? And Pinkie Pie, what if this happened to Maud, Lime Stone or Marble? Wouldn’t you be angry?!”

Starlight placed a hoof on Twilight’s withers. “Whoa, whoa, Twilight. Nopony here is saying you shouldn’t be angry. It’s just that…”

“We’re scared if this means you and Rarity aren’t friends anymore…” Fluttershy said fearfully.

A deathly silence filled the car as the five mares waited on bated breath for their purple friend to give them an answer. All eyes were on the Princess of Friendship as Twilight gave a strangled sigh.

“I… I don’t know. Rarity was one of my nearest and dearest friends, but she hurt me, she hurt Spike. I don’t know how we can mend this friendship. I can’t even look at her without feeling my blood boil. I think we need some time apart and if she has business in Canterlot then so be it.”

Starlight hugged her friend and mentor. “Twilight, I think I speak for myself and everypony here when I say that we’ll be here to support you. And if you think that some distance is what you and Rarity need, then we’ll trust your decision and hope for the best.”

The rest of the girls nodded in agreement, though they all had a feeling of dread cross their minds when they thought of Rarity and Twilight not being friends anymore and a collective chill ran down their backs.

Twilight wiped the tears from her eyes. "Thank you everypony. You really are the greatest friends in Equestria.” Twilight turned back to the window and felt her heart ache. “Oh Spike, I miss you so much already.”

Author's Note

Oh dear! What'll be in store for Rarity now that the Nightmare is hunting her? And what will become of Rarity's and Twilight's friendship? Will it be doomed forever more or will Rarity's "business" in Canterlot begin the long and winding road towards forgiveness? But the question that hangs over everyone is what will become of Spike and Rarity's relationship? I guess you'll have to keep reading to find out.

It's been a while hasn't it readers? Sorry for being a no show for a while, I was busy working on another project, a project I wanted to post around Christmas time but didn't because I clearly have a bad habit of underestimating the amount of time and work is needed for each story/update as I'm sure you're all aware of by now.

A few updates for those who don't read my blog (God I hate that word). I'm still working on the story I wanted done by Christmas and I'll post it in its entirety once finished rather than wait till next Christmas which I was debating about. And sing hallelujah and drink an irresponsible amount of cider in thanks because I finally have a "good" idea and framing device for that Twiluna story I've been banging on about. I'll try, try, try to get it done by Valentine's day but again I tend to underestimate the work so it's more like "I hope I have it done by then."

Let me know what you guys think of this chapter, I love reading the comments.

As always, thanks for reading. See you next time :raritywink:

Silver Wit

Right Place at the Wrong Time

"Come on Rarity! You can do this! All that’s really stopping you is a few yards and a door."

It’s been several days since Rarity’s friends returned to Ponyville and in that time she’s been to the hospital every single day to see Spike. At least she’s tried, but as soon as she saw the door to his room, she’d stop dead in her tracks and Rarity would find herself in the same predicament that she was in now. Frozen on the spot. Some of the doctors and nurses would assure her that it would be alright to visit the poor dragon, but Rarity could go no further, and she’d stay there until visiting hours were over and then return to her hotel where another slew of nightmares awaited her.

Their last meeting was still fresh in her mind and she couldn’t shake the fear she felt when Spike roared at her. He actually roared at her… Rarity took a deep breath, lifted her hoof and steeled her resolve to finally visiting Spike. But she stopped and dropped her hoof like a weight as the memory of seeing Spike’s body under the chandelier and him saying he never wanted to see her again paralyzed her.

Why do you even bother? A voice whispered in her ear. This is a fruitless venture.

Rarity turned her head to see who said such callous words. But there wasn’t anypony around. Rarity was alone in the hall.

I wonder what Spike will do to you if he sees you again? The voice continued. Maybe he’ll devour you like those cruel dragons from your foalhood storybooks.

“No…” Rarity mumbled as she held her throbbing head. “Spike wouldn’t do that.”

Oh? Are you so sure about that darling? After what you put him through, I wouldn’t be surprised if he did. You remember them, don’t you? His eyes?

Rarity squeezed her eyes shut. “Please… don’t…” she begged.

They were filled with so much hatred! Hatred towards you! I dare say if Spike saw you again, something down right dreadful might happen.

“No! You’re wrong! Spike would never hurt me! …he wouldn’t…”

You’re only fooling yourself; you know? You’re nothing to this dragon anymore. You’ve lost one of your nearest and dearest friends and it’s all! Your! FAULT!

“Excuse me, but I’m looking for Spike’s room.” Said a small voice.

“Mr. Spike? Go down this hall and he’ll be on your first right,” replied another voice.

“Thank you.”

Rarity recognized that small voice. Even in her sleep deprived state she’d know that voice anywhere. Rarity turned her head; Sweetie Belle was trotting down the hall in Rarity’s direction and as soon as Sweetie laid eyes on her sister, her normally sweet demeanor morphed into an ireful scowl.

Rarity recoiled. “Sweetie Belle? Sweetie Belle, what are you doing here?”

“What?” Sweetie Belle snapped. “Am I not allowed to visit the dragon that saved my life?”

“W-well, no, but how did you get to Canterlot?”

“I’m not stupid Rarity! I know how to read a train schedule!”

Before Rarity could get another word in, Sweetie Belle stormed passed her and entered Spike’s room.

Spike looked up from his issue of ‘Astro Colt’ when he heard the door close. He wasn’t expecting visitors, though he was grateful to see anypony at the moment that wasn’t a doctor or nurse. And he was genuinely surprised that his visitor was a lone filly.

“Oh, hey Sweetie Belle. What are you doing here?”

Sweetie Belle’s ears folded as she gazed at all the bandages and wires that were keeping Spike together. She wanted to look away, it was like something out of her worst nightmare or the most frightening horror story, but she couldn’t. Her eyes began to water as she bit her lip and ran towards Spike and buried her face in the bed linens.

“I’M SORRY! I’M SO, SO SORRY! THIS IS ALL MY FAULT!” Sweetie sobbed uncontrollably.

“Hey, hey, what are you talking about Sweetie Belle?” Spike asked in slight panic, unsure exactly what to say or do to console the crying filly.

Sweetie Belle let out a small-hiccupped sob. “I… I wanted Rarity to invite you to that big party, so I had Apple Bloom and Scootaloo help me make sure that everypony else was busy so you’d go with her. I-I didn’t mean for you to get hurt, I just thought if you and Rarity spent some time together, she’d realize what a great guy you are and maybe she’d give you an honest chance of being her special somepony. I didn’t want to hurt you! Please forgive me Spike, I just wanted you two to be happy!” Sweetie Belle continued staining the sheets with her tears.

Her cries went quiet when she felt Spike’s claw lightly pat her on the head. Sweetie Belle looked up at Spike’s warm smile.

“Sweetie Belle, you have nothing to apologize for. I don’t blame you for any of this.”

You… you don’t?” Sweetie sniffled.

“Of course not. You weren’t the one who got me hurt. I did this to myself. If I didn’t… well…”

“It would’ve been Rarity…”

“Yeah… and I don’t think she would’ve made it.”

“You’re a real hero Spike, you know that don’t you?”

“I was just at the wrong place at the right time. By the way, how did you know I was here?”

Sweetie Belle shrugged and turned her eyes away. “Wrong place at the right time, same as you.”

“Hellooooo? Equestria to Sweetie Belle?”

Sweetie Belle snapped out of her pleasant daydreaming when a yellow hoof waved madly back and forth and was met by an annoyed Apple Bloom as she and the other Crusaders zipped across Ponyville in their wagon.

“Huh-what?”

“Ah jus’ asked, ‘who ‘re we helpin’ today?’ an you just totally spaced out. Are ya ok?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, just thinking about what Rarity’s up to. She and Spike didn’t come back from Canterlot with the rest of their friends.”

“Oh riiiight. Ya think yer plan worked?”

“Like a charm! I bet right now Spike and Rarity are taking an impromptu holiday, spending more and more time with each other, letting their love blossom like a lotus out of a pond and as soon as they come back to Ponyville they’ll be marefriend and colt- er drakefriend! Maybe Pinkie Pie will throw a party! A big ‘congratulations on finally dating’ party!”

Apple Bloom tilted her head from Sweetie’s dizzying gusto. “Improm- what?”

“Fillies and colts,” Scootaloo announced. “We’re now arriving at the School of Friendship, please keep all hooves inside the wagon until we’ve come to a complete stop.”

“Ya sure yer not just gettin’ over excited Sweetie Belle?”

Sweetie blushed. “Maybe I am, but I want to think that’s going to happen. I’m sure they had a great time together and are closer than ever.”

The CMC spent the next few hours doing their duty as friendship tutors. Sweetie Belle in particular was approaching each challenge with an inspiring passion, taking on each student’s workload head on and finishing their tutoring in record time.

“Phew! That was some mighty fine tutorin’ today Sweetie Belle,” Apple Bloom said.

“I’ll say,” Scootaloo said. “You were on fire! A real teachin’ machine!”

Sweetie Belle chuckled, “Guess I’m just on a hot streak in helping everypony out. C’mon, what do you say we grab some milkshakes at Sugar Cube Corner?”

“Ah’m down fer that!”

“Ditto!”

The Crusaders broke out in a gallop towards the school’s entrance, nimbly dodging the student body with the unusual agility one finds when fueled by the allure of a sweet treat. Just as the fillies rounded a corner Sweetie Belle heard, “It’s ok Twilight.” Sweetie Belle stopped in her tracks as her friends sprinted away, leaving her by the ever so slightly ajar door to Starlight’s office. Sweetie knew it wasn’t polite to eavesdrop, but something spurred her curiosity and she couldn’t stop herself from peeking.

“Just take a deep breath, and try to calm down,” Starlight continued.

“How am I supposed to calm down?” Twilight’s voice was cracking as if she was using all of her strength to keep from bursting into tears. “I couldn’t even focus in class today and every time my students asked me what was wrong, I felt my heart break.”

“I’m guessing you’re still torn up about Spike, huh?”

Spike? Sweetie Belle asked herself. What’s wrong with Spike? She was now even more invested than ever, to heck with politeness, her curiosity was burning hotter than Celestia’s sun.

“Of course, I am!” Twilight shouted. “He’s all alone in that hospital and I’m stuck here! I can’t shirk my duties as Head Mare or as a Princess, but I just want to run back to Canterlot and makes sure he’s ok!”

Sweetie Belle had to remind herself not to gasp and give herself away. Spike’s in… the hospital? What happened?

“I know you do Twilight,” Starlight said in a calming tone. “But Spike has the best care in Canterlot, I’m sure he’ll make a full recovery and be back sooner than you think.”

“Starlight, a chandelier fell on top of him!” the cracking in Twilight’s voice was getting worse. “He- he’s not coming back soon! Spike may be in that lonely room for weeks or even moons! What if he never recovers? What if he has to spend the rest of his life in a bed? Strung up by wires and, and, and wrapped in bandages, I can’t imagine the kind of life he’d have. And Rarity…” The name fell out of Twilight’s mouth like acid.

Rarity? Sweetie Belle questioned. What does Rarity have to do with this?

“How could she just throw Spike away? How could she do that to one of her closest friends? She treated him like he was just some cheap accessory! After everything he’s done for her, Rarity pushes him away just so she could cozy up to those, those snooty jerks! And Spike was almost crushed to death because of her!”

“Twilight, I know you’re mad at Rarity,” Starlight said firmly. “But it wasn’t her fault. It really was an accident and Spike saved Rarity’s life.”

Twilight took a deep breath. “I know… I know it’s not her fault. But I can’t help but think it is. If Rarity didn’t invite Spike, none of this would’ve happened. She wouldn’t have humiliated Spike, abandoned him and he wouldn’t have gotten hurt! And I’m still so angry! And… I miss him so much…”

“I know how you feel Twilight.”

“Do you!?” Twilight snapped. “How could you possibly understand how I’m feeling!? You don’t have a brother; you have no idea what I’m going through!”

“Twilight that’s not fair, Spike’s my friend too. We’ve lived together for so long… how can I not feel some kind of closeness towards him?”

Twilight sniffled and gave a few choked hiccups, then she finally broke down. She cried and she cried loudly. Starlight quickly stood up and rushed to her friend and mentor’s side, Twilight wrapped her hooves around her pupil and sobbed into her shoulder.

“I…I miss him so much… Every morning I… wake up and hope that he’ll be downstairs in the kitchen, just waiting for me to join him for breakfast… I wish for that every single day!”

“It’s ok Twilight,” Starlight soothed. “Everything will be ok, Spike will pull through and everything will be fine, you’ll see.”

Sweetie Belle backed away from the door not bearing to hear another word of this, mouth agape, slowly shaking her head in disbelief. It couldn’t be true, it just couldn’t. Spike was hurt? Because he went to the party? Because Sweetie Belle made it so he’d go to the party? It was her fault? It was her fault that Spike got hurt. Sweetie Belle took off like her tail was on fire, sprinting through the halls of the School of Friendship at a speed that would even impress Rainbow Dash.

It’s all my fault! It’s all my fault! It’s all my fault! Sweetie Belle’s mind was racing as fast as her legs, barreling through the doorway and clearing the steps of the entrance in a single leap.

“Oh, there you are,” Scootaloo said as Sweetie came running towards her. “C’mon I’m dying for some-“

Sweetie Belle completely ignored Scootaloo as she sped past her two friends like a bat out of Tartarus.

“Sweetie Belle? Sweetie Belle! Where’a ya goin’!?” Apple Bloom called out, but Sweetie just ran faster and faster into town, never stopping and never slowing, leaving a worried pair of ponies wondering what could’ve happened to their best friend.

“After that, I caught the next train to Canterlot.” Sweetie Belle dabbed the tears in her eyes with a tissue before continuing. “And after a bit of searching, I finally found you.”

“Well I’m glad you didn’t get lost on your way here.”

Sweetie Belle giggled, “Please Spike, I run my own camp and helped plan two elaborate schemes to set Big Mac with a special somepony. I can handle simple directions.”

“Heh, you’re right, guess I forgot that you and your friends are a lot smarter than most ponies give ya credit for.”

Sweetie puffed out her chest. “Darn right we are!”

Spike and Sweetie Belle both shared a good-natured laugh, simply relishing in the warmth and jollity they shared with each other. And for a moment all the gloom disappeared from the room and left Spike feeling a small spark of joy in his heart.

Sweetie Belle wrapped her hooves around Spike as best she could. “I should go now. If I catch the next train back to Ponyville I think I’ll only be grounded for a year.”

Spike returned the hug with his good claw. “Sounds like a good idea. Thanks for visiting Sweetie Belle, it really means a lot to know that you care.”

Sweetie smiled warmly. “Of course, Spike, you’re my friend and my hero. It’s the least I can do.”

“Oh, Sweetie Belle, one more thing. Can you… tell Twilight I’m ok? And that she has nothing to worry about?”

Sweetie Belle nodded. “Consider it done.”

Rarity was still in disbelief over the way Sweetie Belle acted towards her. The normally sweet and chirpy filly reacted to Rarity as if she were some horrid ogre, in fact Rarity couldn’t remember a time when Sweetie Belle was this angry at her, maybe that time the Sisterhooves Social rolled around, but even than Sweetie Belle didn’t seem quite so… hostile. But the Sweetie that entered Spike’s room was like an entirely different pony. What could’ve gotten into her? Rarity’s thoughts were interrupted with the sound of Spike’s door closing and Sweetie Belle trotting past her, completely snubbing the white mare.

As much as Rarity wanted to get to the bottom of why her sister was treating her so coldly, something far more important took precedence. “Sweetie Belle. Sweetie Belle, wait!”

Much to Rarity’s surprise, Sweetie Belle actually stopped. And much to be expected, Sweetie greeted her sister with a sour grimace.

“How… how is Spike doing?”

“Oh, so now you care!?” Sweetie chided.

“Sweetie Belle, of course I care! I’ve been worried sick about him for days.”

“Funny, you didn’t seem to care about him at all at your stupid party!”

Rarity felt her stomach drop, her eyes went wide and she bit her lip, a look where one might see as a tell of guilt. Sweetie Belle found out about Rarity’s greatest disgrace.

“How do you know about that?” Rarity asked shakily.

“Does that really matter Rarity? Who cares how I know!? That doesn’t change the fact that you were a terrible friend and about the worst pony in Equestria!”

“Sweetie Belle, please let me explain-“

“What’s there to explain!? You just used Spike like you always do!”

“That’s- that’s not true!”

Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes so hard they threatened to start spinning in her head like a Ferris wheel. “Yeah right. Spike just runs your errands, acts as your pincushion, carries your things and fans you because he’s bored. You really have no appreciation for how much he does for you!”

Rarity’s ears flattened. “No, I-I do! It’s just, well…”

Sweetie Belle took a deep breath to steady her nerves as she felt her anger come to a boil. She couldn’t let herself get swept up in her emotions, she still had a lot to say. “He worships you and waits on you claw and hoof and you just treat him like a servant! How generous of you. Do you want to know why none of your friends could go with you to the party? It’s because Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and I made sure nopony was available and you had to invite Spike!”

Rarity’s jaw dropped as this truth came to light. “Sweetie Belle… why… did you do that?”

A few tears escaped Sweetie’s eyes. “I felt sorry for you! It hurt me every time I saw you fall for somepony only to get your heart broken or get your hopes up because they weren't as amazing as you thought they were! I thought if you and Spike spent time together, you’d realize how great he is… but… he still wasn’t good enough for you…” Sweetie’s eyes burned with an intense fire as she snarled, “He still wasn’t good enough! He’s everything you’ve ever wanted in a stallion and you just threw him away! Why!? Because he wasn’t a pony!? Because he didn’t fit in with those uptight snobs you try to impress!? How could you be so blind, selfish and cruel to one of your best friends!? Rarity, you… you…” Sweetie Belle drew in a quick breath and shouted, “YOU DESERVE TO BE ALONE!!!!!”

Sweetie Belle ran out of the hall as fast as she could and was out of sight in mere seconds. Rarity stood alone, unmoving with head hung low. A few stray tears found their way down her cheeks and onto the well-polished floor.

“You’re right Sweetie Belle…” Rarity murmured. “You’re absolutely right… and if that is the punishment for my sins… I will accept it…” Rarity gritted her teeth and raised her head high as she wiped her tears away. “But as Celestia as my witness!” she continued with vigor. “I swear I’ll make things right! Even if it takes the rest of my life, I will make things right!”

“Are you sure these numbers are right?”

Rarity’s ear twitched as a familiar voice caught her attention. It sounded like one of the doctors that operated on Spike; Dr. Hawkeye to be specific.

“Yes doctor, they just came back from the lab,” came a female voice, Rarity assumed it was a nurse.

“What’s the matter Hawk?” came a third voice, Rarity recognized it as Dr. Honey Cut.

Hawkeye sighed in annoyance, “I just got the chart for a one Mr. Spike.”

In an instant all of Rarity’s senses focused solely on this conversation. Given the tone from Dr. Hawkeye, it doesn’t sound like Spike’s chart entailed any positive results. Rarity decided to listen further.

“Nothing’s changed since he was first admitted,” Dr. Hawkeye continued. “None of his wounds are healing, white cell count is up, there’s swelling and his scales are discolored around the stitches.”

“Think you missed something during O.R?” Dr. Honey Cut asked.

“I can’t imagine what. I went over his wounds with a fine-tooth comb and sewed him back together with some of my finest stitching to date, but he just isn’t healing.”

“Think him being a dragon might have something to do with it?”

“Maybe… I’ll admit I’m not as familiar with dragons as I am with ponies and I’ve never had a case this bad and I have no idea on whether it’s a problem with his physiology or if this is psychosomatic. But we have to do something otherwise we’ll be dealing with infections. Nurse I want to start him on antibiotics and I want you to change his bandages and clean his wounds twice a day, if anything goes wrong, I want you to come find me immediately.”

“Yes doctor,” the sound of the nurse’s hooves scurried away.

“So, what’s the plan Hawk?”

“Now I see what information I can scrounge up about dragons. Not like we have that here.”

“Know where we can get our hooves on that?”

“I have an idea,” Hawkeye said as if a bulb turned on. “But I’ll have to request an audience with the Princess. Maybe she’ll have a book a scroll, heck I’ll take an anecdote or something that can help.”

“Well that sure beats going to the Dragon Lands.”

"That's plan B."

The sound of two sets of hooves trotted away from Rarity’s hidden corner. She drank in all of the information she learned from the doctors and was filled with dread. Spike was in danger yet again. Bad enough that he was nearly crushed to death by a luminous conversation piece, now he risked a serious infection? Rarity racked her brain trying to think of what she could do with this knowledge, anything at all. She couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. Not anymore.

“Dr. Hawkeye is requesting an audience with Princess Celestia,” She thought aloud. “It’s entirely possible that she might have some sort of key for Spike’s well-being. But who knows how long he will have to wait to see her, and who knows how long Spike can hold on for before things turn for the worst?”

Rarity smiled as an idea popped into her head. “Although. I’m sure if an Element of Harmony were to be in need of seeing the Princess without delay…”

“Your move slick,” a pegasus guard said as he quickly glanced at the cards he was holding in his feathers. Sitting on the polished tiled floor around this improvised poker game were two more fellow guards and a very confident (and ever so smug) looking cat. Capper raised a brow and reached for one of his golden stacks.

“I’ll raise another twenty bits,” replied Capper in his usual cool tone as he tossed some gold coins in the center of an ever-growing pile.

The pegasus’ eyes narrowed on the shifty character. “You’re bluffing.”

Capper matched the stallion’s gaze. “Try me.”

“I’ll call,” said a unicorn as she matched the cat’s bet.

“Too rich for my blood," said an earth pony as he folded.

“I’ll call,” said the Pegasus and his bits joined the pot.

Barely a stone’s throw away from the game, the royal sisters sat on their thrones. Luna was watching this cunning battle of cards and deceit with an enraptured look on her face as she felt the tension from the players like a burning fire. Celestia, however, did not share Luna’s interest in the spectacle of a make-shift gambling den in the throne room.

She watched them play with a puckered brow, dark, heavy bags hanging from her eyes. To Celestia's side was an elegant pot made from the finest china and was ivory and gold in color. She poured herself some coffee into a matching cup and didn’t so much drink it as much as gulped the black liquid in one fell swoop.

“Luna,” Celestia said through clenched teeth. “I’m curious. Does you advisor realize that this is the throne room of the castle?”

“I’m sure he does sister,” Luna said unfazed. “Now hush, I’m about to see who won.”

“This isn’t a casino!” Celestia growled as she poured herself some more coffee. “Honestly, I have no idea what you see in him.”

“He’s fun and I like him.”

“Alright, let’s see ‘em” Capper said to his opponents.

“Three of a kind,” said the unicorn as she revealed her cards.

“Heh, heh, looks like my ship has finally come in,” said the Pegasus as he revealed his own cards. “Ace high straight!”

“Hmm, a straight? Not bad, not bad,” Capper commented as he rubbed his chin. “But last I checked-“ he laid out his cards one at a time. –“a flush, beats a straight.”

The guards groaned and tossed their cards aside.

“He gets a heart flush…” the Pegasus said as his wing dragged down his face.

“Well there goes a week’s pay,” said the unicorn before standing up.

“Looks like it’s a steady diet of bread and water for me,” said the earth pony.

Capper’s opponents sulkily left as he began to pocket his earnings. Celestia scowled at her sister and gave Luna a look that said something along the lines of, ‘Do something about this now or so help me!’ Luna just rolled her eyes.

“Oh Capper!” she called out.

“You rang?” Capper said as he promptly reported to Luna’s side.

“I trust you’ll be returning the guards their money by days end, won’t you?”

Capper clicked his tongue. “Sorry Luna, I have a strict policy about not returning gambling losses.”

Some spots of dark blue magic scurried about Capper’s coat as Luna quickly frisked her feline friend and fished a number of aces from his pockets and began fanning herself with them, cocking an eyebrow at her official.

“Although,” Capper said reluctantly. “I could make an exception, this one time.”

“Good. I’m glad we got that straightened out,” Luna said directing it more towards her grumpy sister than to her advisor. Celestia just blew her lips out.

The loud creak of the throne room doors sounded and a guard trotted up to the diarchs and saluted. “Your highnesses, the Element of Generosity wishes for an audience. She claims it’s of the utmost importance.”

“Is that so?” Luna mused. “Well then we can’t exactly turn her away now, can we sister?”

Celestia gave a tired sigh, “Of course not, please send her in.”

The guard bowed and trotted back to the doors and a few moments later Rarity entered. As she came closer to the royal pair, she couldn’t help but notice how worn out and exhausted Celestia looked. Of course, this was a textbook example of a ‘pot calling the kettle black,’ but it was hard not to notice the normally vibrant and shining Princess of Equestria looking like she ran three marathons and never had a chance to rest.

Rarity bowed. “Good day to you Princess Celestia and Luna.”

“Good day to you as well Rarity,” Luna greeted. “To what do we owe the pleasure? It’s my understanding that you have something important to talk about?”

“Indeed, I’m in dire need of help and only the two of you can provide me with the assistance I require.”

“Oh? And what might that be?”

“Well… as I’m sure you’re aware, Spike was… badly injured recently…”

Celestia’s ears flattened and she turned her gaze elsewhere, quickly wiping her eyes. “Yes… we’re very much aware of his condition…”

Rarity should’ve guessed this would be a sensitive subject for Celestia. After all, she helped raise Spike alongside Twilight and her family, so it’s only natural that she’d be upset.

“Yes, well,” Rarity cleared her throat. “The thing is, Spike’s recovery isn’t progressing as well as it should be. In fact, he hasn’t been making progress at all. I… overheard the doctors saying that his wounds aren’t healing and they’re worried about Spike developing an infection. Spike’s doctor wants to speak with you, but I decided to come in his place. I’m here to ask if you have any knowledge on dragons, a book or some kind of information that can help Spike’s wellness. Not to sound presumptuous, but you must have something in your library. Please, I’m asking, no, begging you. Is there anything you can do to help?”

Celestia’s yawn echoed across the throne room. She gulped another cup of her energizing elixir. “Forgive me Rarity, I’m not even sure where to look and-“

“I’ll help her, sister,” Luna cut in. “You look like you could use a break. So why don’t you lie down for a while and I’ll take care of things here. Capper?”

“Yes Luna?”

“I require your assistance in this matter.”

“As you wish.”

Luna turned to the white unicorn. “Come along now Rarity, we haven’t a moment to lose.”

“Please forgive my sister’s… um… state,” Luna said as she, Rarity and Capper walked the halls of the castle. “Celestia’s been working very hard on some secret project. She refuses any and all help and won’t tell me or anypony else what she’s doing. She hasn’t gotten a full night sleep in weeks, I should know, I can’t remember the last time I saw her dreams. And when Spike received his injuries, she took the news rather hard.”

“Oh no apologies necessary Princess. I certainly understand why Celestia is rather tense. I’m sure things can’t be easy for her right now.”

“Now, on to the task at hoof. I assume you’ve given some thought to our conversation?”

“Yes Princess, I have. After all, it’s why I’m here. Spike saved my life, the very least I can do is help save his.”

“That’s quite noble indeed. But you should know Rarity, there is a very real chance that Spike will still not forgive you. Even with this gesture of kindness.”

Rarity’s lips trembled. “I… I realize that. But even so, I have to make things right. And if the punishment for my actions is losing a very important friend, I have no right to protest.”

The rest of the walk was in silence as the trio passed by the numerous halls, portraits and sculptures that decorated the castle. Eventually they came to a pair of large wooden doors in a more secluded cellar of the palace. They were worn down and in desperate need for a new coat of varnish. A large sign reading ‘Do not enter without permission from the Princesses’ was hung over the archway.

“Well, we’ve arrived,” Luna said as her horn lit up and the doors loudly creaked open scattering dust and evicting several spiders from their webs in the process.

Luna coughed and sneezed. “Goodness, I should really have somepony clean up around here.”

“I’ll get somepony on that ASAP, Luna,” Capper commented as he hid his nose in his coat.

Luna led her companions into the darkened room. Luna’s horn glowed again and the sound of whirling mechanical parts were heard over head. What looked to be large metal shudders pulled back from the ceiling and with every clang, a steady stream of sunshine shone through the skylight until the entire room was illuminated, revealing rows upon rows and entire walls covered in books. Rarity was astonished at the size of the space as she scanned over the plethora of tomes before her and the scent of paper and dust was heavy in the air. Twilight would certainly have a field day if she knew this room existed.

“Welcome to the Royal Archives, Rarity,” Luna said. “ Here is where we house priceless knowledge dating back to the days of old. Starswirl’s manuscripts, Clover the Clever’s drafts of the founding of Equestria and even accounts of Gusty the Great, all in one place.”

“This is truly magnificent Princess Luna,” Rarity said. “But where do we even start? I dare say I’ve never seen so many books in one place before.”

“Ah, for that we turn to the directory.” Luna trotted to a marble column with a very large book resting on a pedestal. Luna’s brow raised in confusion as the book was already opened and turned to Starswirl’s section. She decided to brush her suspicions aside and start here, since it was already opened.

“Let’s see… ‘History of Magic,’ ‘Tales of the Six Pillars,’ ‘Multiverse Theory and Practice,’ ‘Crafting Magical Items,’ AHA! ‘A Study of Creatures,’ section L2, group 223, shelves A through G.” Luna motioned for Rarity and Capper to follow and the three of them dived deeper into the archives.

They continued navigating the towering shelves of the most prized and valuable tomes in the entire history of ponykind. Rarity couldn’t help but feel humbled as she passed by the sheer weight of it all. Here is where the greatest minds stored their wisdom, their experiences and their discoveries and she was being trusted in using this knowledge for the good of her dear friend.

“Here, we are. This section is dedicated to all the studies Starswirl made on the different creatures of Equestria and the surrounding nations. Manticores, hydras, wendigos, yaks, griffons, changelings, hippogriffs and even the eels of Ghastly Gorge. I’m certain he had written something on dragons, we just have to look up there.” Luna’s hoof pointed up, near the very top of the shelf.

Rarity’s eyes widened as she drank in the actual height of the shelf. It was as absurdly high as Twilight’s own shelves with a tall, tall library ladder to navigate the rows. Rarity felt dizzy as she looked up. “Oh my,” she gulped. “That’s certainly… high.”

“Indeed,” Luna’s horn glowed and the rows of books from the top floated down into neat, organized piles on the floor.

“Which is why I’ll save us some time. Now let’s get to work.”

Rarity nodded and cracked open her first book. Don’t worry Spike. I’ll find something to help you, I promise!

Hours passed and the bright light of the sun was beginning to falter. Countless pages of numerous books were read and placed on an ever-growing pile of ‘not helpful’ tomes. Rarity groaned, “This was the last one… I’ve searched every book and there isn’t a single clue.” Rarity began to tear up as she shakily placed her book on the pile. “This was my best chance to help Spike and I came up empty. What am I to do now?”

“I’m terribly sorry Rarity,” Luna said as she closed her own book. “I suppose even the Royal Achieves can lack information.”

“Yeah it’s a real shame,” Capper said from his improvised book-based couch. He casually flipped the page of the hardback he was reading. “Whelp, nopony can say you didn’t try your best. So, what’s next? Excursion to Yakyakistan for a miracle cure?”

Rarity puffed her cheeks out. “Your sarcasm is not welcome here Capper! And what the devil are you reading? You’ve had your mangy paws on that book since we began.”

“I can’t help it, it’s a really good read. Did you know pumice is good for scraping off dead scales? Apparently, it’s the closest thing dragons have to grooming.”

Rarity felt a spark of hope in her chest as she leaped to Capper and inspected the book in his grasp. The title read ‘Dragonology by Starswirl the Bearded.’

“Capper! Why didn't you say something about this book earlier!?”

“You seemed really busy,” replied Capper bluntly.

Rarity’s magic snatched the book from Capper’s paws and began flipping through the pages.

“You might want to try page 305,” he pointed out.

Rarity growled in annoyance at the self-satisfied cat as she turned to the recommended page. “Let’s see, ‘It was the early days of Fall when during my travels I happened upon a drake who was wounded from a nearby rockslide. I offered my assistance in healing him and after bandaging his sprain, he told me of a special gemstone that had the power to boost a dragon’s natural healing factor. After a bit of digging, I presented the stone to the dragon, it shone with every color of the rainbow and emitted a warm glow, he ate the gem and something extraordinary happened, the drake looked fit as a fiddle and was able to walk on his own. I gathered that these stones had some sort of magical properties, the titular stone is called Rainbow Quartz, and is highly regarded as the best cure all for any aliment a dragon may come across.’ This is it! This is the answer I’ve been searching for!” Rarity exclaimed and jumped for joy. She bowed before Luna. “Princess, may I perchance borrow this book? I need to show the doctor this, as well as Spike.”

Luna nodded. “Of course, just be careful with it, it is after all a Starswirl original.”

“I promise I will. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some ponies to see and things to do.” Rarity turned and ran through the archive towards the exit.

“Tell me the truth Capper,” Luna said as her magic organized the many tomes and placed them back in their proper place. “You knew that was the right book the whole time, didn’t you?”

Capper shrugged. “I’m sure I don’t have even the slightest clue what you’re implying Luna. I just so happened to have gotten lucky and found a good book to read. And I guess I could’ve just given it to Rarity, but I wanted to see how far she’d go in helping her dragon friend.”

Luna chuckled, “Well, I’d say she’s plenty dedicated.”

“Right you are, highness.”

Doctor Hawkeye grimaced at his tray of “food” before him. Mashed potatoes, creamed corn and a daisy sandwich. He picked up a spoonful of corn and gave it a sniff. He pulled away and after some consideration he reluctantly took a bite and a look of pure disappointment came over him as he reached for the salt and pepper.

“I’m guessing the cafeteria is continuing their tradition of making food out of mulch and rotten apple cores?” Dr. Honey Cut said as he bit into his own lackluster sandwich and was left with the same discontent as his pegasus friend.

“I think you answered your own question,” Hawkeye responded. “I should write a second letter to the Princess, requesting a transfer for the cook to Tartarus. Or the moon, whatever’s easier for her.”

Honey Cut swiped the salt and pepper from Hawkeye. “Aw c’mon Hawk, it’s not too bad. Sure, the Daises taste like they were picked from a sulfur field but at least I’m not gagging.”

“And I’m not pining for the fjords. Thank Celestia for small miracles.”

“Doctor! Doctor Hawkeye!” Rarity came barreling through the cafeteria and slid to a halt mere inches before the two surgeons. She took a few deep breaths and said, “Thank goodness I found you!”

“Is everything alright miss?” asked Honey Cut.

“Wait, I remember you. You’re Princess Twilight’s friend, right?” Hawkeye asked.

“My name is Rarity and yes, everything is alright, or should I say everything will be alright.”

“Care to elaborate for us a bit?”

“I know how to help Spike! I received this book from Princess Luna and it has information that can help his recovery!” Rarity took the book out of her saddlebag and laid it out before the doctors and turned to the appropriate page. “It says that a stone called rainbow quartz can help boost his healing and can even fight off infections.”

Hawkeye raised a brow. “Rarity, how, exactly, do you know what’s wrong with Spike?”

Rarity blushed. “Oh, well, forgive me doctor, but I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation about Spike’s charts and I decided to help you in finding something to treat him.”

“Hey, hey, this is written by Starswirl!” Honey Cut said in amazement.

“Well that’s all the credentials I need to hear,” Hawkeye looked over what was written on the pages. “Hmm… well I’m not familiar with the healing power of gems, but we are dealing with a dragon.”

“So, does this mean you can save Spike?” Rarity asked.

“Well, yes and no.” Hawkeye ran his feathers through his raven mane before resting them on his forehead. “I’m all for trying this, uh, crystal therapy, since nothing we seem to be doing here is helping. But this isn’t exactly a jewelry store, it’s a hospital. The only rocks we have around here is salt and we have plenty of that because the cooks refuse to use it. On top of that I wouldn’t even know if we could get funding for rainbow quartz.”

“I may have a solution to that problem.”

“Oh?” Honey Cut leaned forward.

Rarity nodded. “I have a supplier for gems here in Canterlot that I use for my dress orders and I know for a fact that they have rainbow quartz. They’re rather expensive, but I’m sure I can get my hooves on as many as Spike needs. With your permission of course.”

Both Hawkeye and Honey Cut glanced at each other and smiled at the mare. “Alright, you got a deal Ms. Rarity,” Hawkeye said shaking Rarity’s hoof.

“I thought I told you I never wanted to see you again!” Spike growled. Rarity couldn’t help but notice the temperature in the hospital room steadily rising as well as the small wisps of smoke trailing from Spike’s nostrils. She fought back her urge to run and stood her ground, she’s here for Spike and she wasn’t leaving until her job is done. So, with a deep breath she pushed back her fears and steeled her resolve.

“I know you did…” Rarity replied

“Then why are you here?” Spike snapped.

“To give you these.” Rarity levitated a large basket onto the small table by Spike’s bed and removed the cloth covering the top, revealing the gems inside. They were cloudy white and at their center was an array of reds, blues, greens, yellows and oranges. The colors seemed to eb and flow and merge like a kaleidoscope.

“Wow, you really do think I’m some kind of idiot,” Spike sneered. “You think you can treat me like trash and then get back on my good side with a few lousy gems? You really think you can just buy me off?”

Rarity felt a twinge of pain in her heart. She certainly couldn’t blame Spike for being skeptical, but it still hurt to hear his accusations. “Of course not. I brought these gems to help you.”

Spike suppressed a laugh. “To help? Yeah right, just go away!”

“Spike, you’re not well!” Rarity trotted closer, much to Spike’s surprise. “Your body isn’t healing and the longer it takes to heal the sicker you’ll be!”

Spike narrowed his eyes on the mare. “How the heck do you know about what’s wrong with me?”

“That doesn’t matter!” Rarity said quickly. “What matters is I went to see the Princesses and Luna gave me this,-“ Rarity levitated the book before Spike and opened it. –“a study of dragons by Starswirl himself. He wrote about a gem with special, almost magical properties that dragons use when they are sick or injured. It’s called rainbow quartz and I, as well as Dr. Hawkeye, think it’s exactly what you need to feel better.”

Spike read over the words on the page before him and glanced between the basket and the book. Eventually he closed Starswirl’s hardcover and rolled his eyes. “Fine. Leave the basket and get out!”

“No.”

Spike’s glare could melt steel. “What do you mean, ‘no'?"

Rarity felt the heat in the room rising again. “How will I know if you really ate those gems? You could just throw them away and say you ate them for all I know. Which is why I’m not leaving until you finish every gem in that basket.”

Spike felt his patience finally give as more smoke poured out of him. He bared his teeth and snarled at Rarity; eyes filled with the same hatred she felt from days ago. But this time, Rarity didn’t run away. This time, Rarity hardened her eyes and locked them with Spike’s. The showdown continued with neither side conceding defeat, Spike’s snarls grew louder and the temperature rose another few degrees, but Rarity didn’t budge. Instead, her horn lit up and a small chair by Spike’s bed moved behind Rarity and she promptly planted herself down while never breaking her gaze with the dragon. Eventually Spike got the message that Rarity wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon and relaxed his body.

“Fine,” Spike huffed. “Give me the stupid gems. But as soon as I’m done, you’re gone.”

“You have my word.”

Spike reached for a gem and held it in his palm. It really was a rather pretty gem, the colors at the core seemed to pulse when the light caught it at just the right angle. He popped the gem into his mouth and felt his face scrunch up and his tongue began to burn. He gagged and was about to spit it out, but a stern look from Rarity quashed that idea, so after a few slow and painful chews, Spike swallowed the gem.

“UGH! What the actual hay Rarity!? That was the nastiest gem I’ve ever had in my life! It tasted like mushrooms and tree bark boiled in swamp water!”

“It’s medicinal darling, it’s not supposed to taste good. Now eat up, you still have a whole basket to get through.”

Rarity tapped the basket and Spike gulped in dread at the fact that he just struggled to eat one of those gems. But that was just a drop in the bucket to how many were left. With much trepidation, Spike reached out and grabbed more gems and did his best to eat as many as he could as fast as he could and after a few more agonizing minutes, Spike was done and drained the water pitcher by his bed.

“There,” Spike spat. “I ate all of your disgusting gems, now leave!”

Rarity stood up and collected her basket. “Very well. A deal’s a deal. Rest well Spike and I’ll see you again tomorrow.”

Spike’s jaw dropped. “W-what!? Tomorrow!?”

“Of course. You didn’t think just these gems would do the trick did you? This is only day one. I’ll be back with gems tomorrow and the next day and so on until you’re cured.” Rarity trotted to the door. “And if you want me to leave afterwards, I’ll have no qualms. Goodnight Spike.” Rarity left and closed the door behind her. She breathed a sigh of relief.

“That went better than expected.”

Author's Note

Boy it's great to finally get this chapter out for you guys in these trying times. And truth be told, I'm rather excited about this chapter. Despite the fact that I'm still not completely satisfied, this is the turning point in the story as Rarity struggles to climb her way out of the pit she got herself into. Of course, it's not going to be easy. Where's the drama and excitement in that? But anything worth its weight is worth fighting for.

I wasn't planing on this chapter being long, but I think it worked out well enough. Of course writing scenes with the doctors and hospital settings is annoying, but that might be because my proofreader's mother was a nurse so she kept nitpicking things and choices I made. Be fair she actually has knowledge on how the medical field operates (no pun indented) and my experience in the medical field is limited to M.A.S.H, Black Jack and to a lesser degree, Diagnosis Murder and Columbo, granted Columbo is a homicide detective but medical things do come up, but I digress. So yes, it's a good thing she's so knowledgable, but the red cards she throws at me are starting to fill up my room and it's hard to get to the door.

Just a friendly reminder to everyone to stay safe amidst the Corona outbreak, wash your hands and stay indoors if possible. I'll do my best to get as many chapters out as I can to keep you entertained and it's not like I've got places to be anytime soon :pinkiecrazy:
So expect the next chapter of "Over the Moon" in about a week or so. Sorry I haven't been working on it as diligently as I would have wanted to, but I really wanted to finish this chapter of Life and Times first.

Let me know what you guys think of this chapter, I love reading the comments.

As always, thanks for reading. See you next time :raritywink:

Silver Wit

Visiting Hours

Early morning in Canterlot is like morning anywhere else in Equestria. Ponies fall out of bed and stretch, greeting (or cursing) Celestia’s sun and preparing for another day. The light casting shadows throughout the city, becoming shorter and shorter as ponies open shops, head off for school or getting a jump on a nice relaxing day of self-reflection and some quiet time to themselves. And at Canterlot General Hospital, the night shift is punching out as the day shift punches in and begin their rounds in caring for the multitude of patients being treated. Morning also rings in the time for ponies to visit and see their loved ones to bring a little comfort and joy during their recovery.

“BLEGH! How can they taste even worse today?!” Spike groaned as he downed another clawfull of rainbow quartz.

“Perhaps you’re not quite used to them yet darling,” Rarity commented from her chair. “I’m sure after a few more days, you’ll be properly acclimated to them and not give those gems even a passing thought.”

“Rarity,” Spike said dryly. “It’s already been days. There’s no way in heck I’ll get used to these, they’re the worst gems I’ve ever tasted. Scratch that, the worst thing I’ve ever tasted.”

“Well you’re almost done. Just a few more to go.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Spike grabbed the last few gems and tossed them in his mouth. After another round of gagging he swallowed repulsive rocks and drank his fill of water. “Ugh, there, I’m done.” Spike pushed the empty basket towards Rarity. “Now leave.”

“Very well Spike,” Rarity collected herself and her basket and stood up. “I’ll see you again tomorrow.”

“I can’t wait…” Spike sneered.

“Good day Spike.”

Spike didn’t say anything further and Rarity decided not to overstay her welcome in pressing him for some kind of proper sendoff, but she couldn’t deny that she’d love to at least hear Spike say “goodbye” to her.

Though, I don’t even deserve that, Rarity thought.

So, without further ado, Rarity left and Spike was alone again. He blew a puff of smoke out of his nostrils towards the door and laid his head back down on his pillow.

“Took her long enough.”

11:00 AM

“Alright Spike, I just need to tie this last bandage off, aaaaaaaaand, done.” The nurse took a step back to briefly admire her work. “How does it feel? Are they too tight?”

“No, they’re fine, thank you.”

The nurse smiled and jotted down a few notes on a clipboard. “I’m sure the doctor will want to see this; it seems to me that you’re on your way to a full recovery. Seems those rainbow quartz’s are doing wonderous things for you.”

“Well I’d give most of the credit to the doctors. Of course, you’re terrific too.”

“No need to flatter me, Mr. Spike. I get enough of that from Dr. Hawkeye, but thank you. I’ll check up on you again in a few hours.”

As the nurse left to continue her rounds, Spike couldn’t help but think about what the nurse told him about the rainbow quartz were doing what Rarity said they would and with flying colors. The same gems Rarity brought to him every morning right as visiting hours began. The very same mare who stayed behind in Canterlot to help take care of him. Spike shook his head to drive the thought out.

“Who cares what Rarity’s doing, and who cares what Rarity did for me? I’m sure the doctors would’ve found out about those gems eventually. She’s up to something, I’m sure of it.”

As aggravated as Spike was, he found it hard to truly believe those words. Rarity, the Element of Generosity, sacrificing her time for Spike just so she could turn on him? Sure, he’d expect that from Queen Chrysalis or Cozy Glow, but Rarity? Spike shook his head again.

“She’s just as selfish as ever.”

Again, he found it hard to believe his own words.

11:30 AM

A knock drew Spike out of his thoughts. “Come in!”

The door swung open and two unicorns entered. One was a mare with a light grey coat and a white and purple mane and tail, the stallion by her side was blue with a darker blue mane and tail. The mare rushed to Spike’s side and wrapped her hooves around him.

“Good morning my little boy! How are you feeling? Any better?” Twilight Velvet asked before kissing Spike on the forehead.

Spike wrapped his good claw around Velvet and returned the hug. “I’m fine mom, getting better every day. Also, I’m not exactly ‘little’ anymore. I’m bigger than Shining Armor now.”

“You were the youngest in our house Spike,” Velvet tutted. “You’ll always be my little boy.”

“Yeah, I figured,” Spike chuckled.

“You’re looking good, Spike,” Night Light said as he trotted closer. “heck of a lot better than when we first saw you. Then again, I’ve seen trees in wood chippers that looked better than-oof!”

Night Light felt Velvet’s elbow make a sharp and precise blow to his ribs. He rubbed his now sore side. “Uh, never mind.”

“Yeah, the doctors here are great,” Spike said. “Wish I could say the same about the food.”

“Speaking of which,”- Velvet sifted through her saddlebag and pulled out a small white cardboard box.- “we brought you a little something from Pony Joe. Hope you have room for red velvet ruby doughnuts.”

Spike’s eyes sparkled like the Ponyville gem caves and his mouth began a wonderful impersonation of a water pump. “Are you kidding? I always have room for those, heck I have room for two dozen of them!”

“Maybe when you’re released, we’ll get you two dozen,” Velvet said in a motherly tone. “But for now, you get five.”

“Five’s fine too, thanks you guys”

“You’re welcome, Spike.”

“Let us know if there’s anything else you need, ok?” Night Light said.

Spike popped a ruby red glazed pastry in his mouth and hummed in delight. “I will, but I gotta tell you, I don’t think anything I ask for will top these doughnuts.”

3:00 PM

“Heya Spike!” Rainbow Dash’s raspy voice called out as the door flew open and entered with Scootaloo in tow. While Dash was sporting her trademark smirk of radiating coolness, Scootaloo on the other hoof, didn’t share in her role model’s enthusiasm and was staring at her hooves with her ears folded over.

Spike smiled and waved. “Hey Rainbow Dash, hey Scootaloo. What brings you to Canterlot?”

“Pfft, to see you big guy, duh! I just wanted to make sure you were doing ok. You’re lookin’ a heck of a lot better than the last time I saw ya, that’s for sure.”

“Well you know. Sleep, eat, and the occasional doctor visit helps. Can’t wait to get out of here. Now I know how you felt when you were stuck in the hospital with that busted wing.”

“Yeah, that was super dull. Until I found Daring Do, which is why”- Dash reached into her saddle bag and pulled out a book- “I thought it’d help you out too. This is one of my favorites, ‘Daring Do and the Curse of the Serpent King.’ You can borrow it as long as you want and when you’re done, I’ll bring you another one.”

Spike took the book and ran his claws over the cover. “Gee, thanks Dash. I’m sure this’ll be a lot of fun, and I have been hankering for something to read besides comics.”

“Heh, no problem Spike. I’m sure you’ll get a kick out of it.”

Spike turned his attention to the orange filly hiding behind Rainbow Dash. Scootaloo kept her eyes glued to the floor as she fidgeted with her hooves.

“You’re awfully quiet Scootaloo,” Spike said in concern. “Is everything alright?”

Scootaloo responded with a whimper.

“C’mon Scoot,” Dash said gently pushing her “sister” forward. “Isn’t there something you wanted to say to Spike?”

Scootaloo looked up with trembling lips. “I’m… I’m” – she took a deep breath – “I’m sorry Spike! I’m really, really sorry! When Sweetie Belle told me and Apple Bloom what happened, I couldn’t stop thinking that it was because of us you got hurt. I knew trying to be matchmakers again was a bad idea and I went with it anyways. I’m so sorry Spike, can you ever forgive me?”

Spike chuckled, “Of course I do Scootaloo. I never blamed you guys for any of this. But I appreciate you apologizing anyway.”

Rainbow Dash laughed and ruffled Scootaloo’s mane. “See? I told you squirt, you got nothing to worry about. Spike’s a great guy, he wouldn’t hold a grudge.”

Spike rubbed the back of his head. “Y-yeah, that’s me. A real forgiving kind of guy.”

7:00 PM

“There you go Spike,” said the nurse as she finished tying off the last bandage. “Nice, clean bandages. Looks like you’re healing very well, I’ll be sure to let the doctor know as soon as I can. Seems like every time I see you; you’re getting better and better.”

“Well I’m feeling better. Nowhere near as sore as I was before and my headache’s gone. How much longer do you think I’ll be here?”

“Unfortunately, I don’t know. You’ll have to take that up with Dr. Hawkeye.”

“I felt my ears burning,” Dr. Hawkeye said as he sauntered into the room with a look of smug confidence. “a lovely mare must’ve said my name. Any idea who that could’ve been?”

The nurse rolled her eyes. “Good evening doctor, I think you’d like to know that Spike is healing nicely.” The nurse gave Hawkeye Spike’s chart.

“Well, well, well so he is. Those gems are quite the miracle cure.”

“I don’t know about that,” Spike cut in. “I think you guys deserve most of the credit.”

“You’re too kind, but you’d be far worse for wear if it wasn’t for that book and your friend. You really ought to thank her.”

“I guess…” Spike said in the same sulky tone one would have when they had to do chores.

“Heck, it’s thanks to that book that you’ll be out of here sooner than I thought. It’s giving me great information for when you start physical therapy.”

“So how much longer do you think I’ll be here doc? Another week? Maybe two?”

“Sorry pal, but you’ll be here for at least a month.”

Spike’s jaw fell through his bed and hit the floor. “A month!? But that’s so long! I’ve already been cooped up in this place for weeks and I have to deal with another month?!”

Hawkeye shrugged. “Hate to say it, but that’s the way it is. You were banged up pretty bad and you’ve only just recently started showing signs of recovery. But think of it this way, you’d be here a heck of a lot longer and even worse shape if it wasn’t for those rainbow quartzes. So being here for more than a month is nothing short of a miracle.”

Spike sighed, “Sorry doc. Guess I should just be grateful I’m getting out at all. I just miss being able to go outside and walk around, you know?”

“Eh, no need to apologize, if it’s any consolation, you’re handling this better than most ponies would. Now, I think I’ve got all the information I need, so I’d get some sleep if I were you.”

“Thanks again doc, see you tomorrow.”

Doctor Hawkeye nodded. “See you tomorrow.”

Both Hawkeye and the nurse left after turning off the lights, leaving Spike alone in the dark yet again. He adjusted his pillow and rested his head. A month. And entire flippin’ month in this hospital. But it could’ve been worse, much worse. And as much as Spike hated to admit it, it was thanks to Rarity for setting him on the road to recovery that he’d be leaving the hospital at all. If it wasn’t for her, he might have… well, something really bad would’ve happened. Spike grunted as he if he was trying to shoo that truth away. Tomorrow Rarity would be back with more gems and the sooner he goes to sleep, the sooner he’d be over and done with her visit.

8:00 AM

A soft knock came from Spike’s door, the same knock he’s heard at the same exact time for over week. He rolled his eyes when he realized that it could only be one pony.

“Yeah?” Spike called out.

Rarity trotted in with her usual smile and her usual basket filled with her usual disgusting gems. “Good morning Spike, how are you feeling today?”

“Better, I guess.”

“Fabulous, darling! You’re making progress every day; why I haven’t a shadow of a doubt you’ll be back on your claws in no time!”

“Just give me the gems already,” Spike said in a sharp tone.

Rarity flinched, placed the basket by Spike’s bed and took her usual seat. “Oh, yes of course… here you are Spike. Let’s hope they don’t taste quite so awful today,” she said, hoping the tone and inflection of her last sentence would help ease some of the tension radiating off the dragon.

“I doubt it.”

Spike mentally prepared himself for another round of self-torture. After a few more moments of psyching himself up, he popped a clawfull of gems in his maw and as expected, they still tasted like rotten lemons and wallpaper paste that was left in a damp, musty cave. Spike swallowed and took panting breaths.

“Sweet Celestia! I’ll be glad when this is over, I never want to eat or see these gems ever again!”

“Well if they are as bad as you say they are, I completely understand. But look at the positives darling, you only have a few more gems to go.”

“Don’t remind me.”

Spike scooped up another helping of rainbow-colored misery and chewed them as fast as he could to end this agony as soon as possible and down all the water in the usual pitcher.

“Done,” Spike said after catching his breath. “now go away.” He tossed the basket at Rarity and she caught it in her magic.

“Very well, I’ll see you again tomorrow. Good day Spike.”

Spike turned his head away. “Whatever… just leave.”

Rarity’s ears flattened and her eyes shifted to the floor. There was an air of gloom about her as she left without saying another word. Spike glared at the door for a brief moment and wondered if maybe, he was a bit harsh. But he tossed that idea into his mental bin and decided to get some extra sleep. The sooner he stops thinking about Rarity, the better.

11:00 AM

“I’m sorry, did that hurt?” Spike’s nurse asked worriedly.

“A little,” replied the dragon. “But my wing doesn’t hurt as much as it did before. So that’s something good, right?”

“Of course, it is,” the nurse said as she finished tying off the bandages on Spike’s injured wing, caring not to touch the cast at the base. “and I wouldn’t be surprised if your next blood test comes back with a smaller white cell count.”

“And that’s good? I thought I wanted white blood cells.”

“Yes, but if the number goes down, then that means you won’t be dealing with an infection. Though at this point, I highly doubt you’ll get one.”

Spike sighed, “Yeah, I’m glad I don’t have to deal with that. Would’ve kept me here longer and to be honest, I’m getting pretty darned sick of this place. No offense.”

The nurse giggled, “None taken. I understand your frustration. Now, I’ll be back later with your lunch. Can I get you anything else in the meantime?”

Spike pondered for a moment. “Um, another pitcher of water? I’m getting pretty thirsty.”

“Coming right up, I’ll get it as soon as I drop off your latest blood sample. Shouldn’t take too long.”

“Thanks a bunch.”

Noon.

All was quiet in the hallowed halls of the temple, but Daring Do knew better than to stop. Silence was unnerving. She glanced around the corner, grateful that the moon’s silver rays couldn’t reach her. The stone path before her was worn and smooth. “No pressure plates or tripwires that I can see,” she said softly.
Daring Do’s wing brushed against her saddle bag and ran the tips over the emerald idol of the first emperor of the cursed kingdom of Serpentia. An artifact of great historical importance and a rarity like no other. Which is why Daring Do couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling building up in her gut. Surely Caballeron, would’ve been hot on her trail by now, but he was nowhere to be seen. Daring Do continued her way through the labyrinth.

“I swear I came this way. Why does it look so unfamiliar?”

Daring Do’s ear twitched at the rustle of something being dragged. That sound multiplied and was joined with the sound of hissing and rattling. Soon the entire temple was vibrating in a cacophony of slithering serpentine sounds. Daring Do’s eyes darted around the hall, her pulse raced when she couldn’t see even a sliver of who or what was around her. Then, a venomous voice cut through the chorus.

“You dare to tressspasss and ssssteal our sssacred treasure! You shall be punished harshly for your crime! Come ssssun rissse your body will turn to sssstone! Ssssuch is the fate of all those foolish to dessssecrate our domain!”
Daring Do’s felt a stiffness in her feathers and horror seized her heart at the sight of her wings slowly turning granite gray. She fought back against the panic and-

There was a knock and Spike placed a marker on the page he was reading. “Come in!” he called out.

The pony visiting him was somepony very special indeed and it was a pony he’s been wanting to see for quite some time. Twilight wasted no time in clearing the distance between herself and her little brother. She wrapped her hooves around Spike and nuzzled him.

“Spike! Oh, Spike, I’ve missed you so much!” Twilight’s voice was quavering relief.

Spike returned the nuzzle and hug. “I’ve missed you too Twilight. I can’t tell you how good it is to see you. This is a great surprise.”

”I’m so sorry I didn’t come sooner; I’ve just had so much to do at the school that I needed to take care of.”

“No need to apologize Twi, I understand.”

“Oh, there you are Twilight,” Flash Sentry trotted in, his armor making a light clanging sound as he walked. “Good thing I ran into that nurse or I might never have caught up to you.”

“Twilight rubbed the back of her neck and smiled sheepishly. “Sorry Flash, I was just so eager to see Spike.”

“I get it, I get it,” Flash chuckled. “But it does make my job of guarding you a bit more difficult.” Flash saluted Spike. “Good afternoon Spike, how are you holding up?”

“I’m fine, but I told you already that you really don’t have to salute me. A simple wave is fine.”

“Eh, sorry, force of habit. Comes with the job.”

“Oh wow!” Twilight gasped. “Spike you look great! A lot better than the last time I saw you. At this rate you’ll be back home in no time.”

If I had a bit for every time, I heard that, Spike thought. “Well don’t get too excited Twilight. I still have to go through physical therapy and who knows how long that’ll take.”

“But you’re making progress and that’s what matters. I can’t tell you how worried I was.”

“Didn’t Sweetie Belle give you my message?”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Yes, and afterwards I gave her a very stern lecture on why eavesdropping is wrong. But after that, I thanked her for coming to see you and telling me you were ok. That still doesn’t mean I wasn’t going to stop worrying over you, I was just worrying a little less.”

“I can vouch for that,” Flash added. “She's been a wreck for a while now. The biggest turn around was when she discovered a gap in her ‘infallible schedule’ to come and see you.”

Twilight giggled, “You’re not wrong.”

Spike laughed, “Wait, the most organized pony in all of Equestria messed up her own schedule? Are you sure you’re Twilight Sparkle?”

“Ha, ha, very funny,” Twilight said sarcastically. “I was under a ton of stress and it just happened alright? Nopony’s perfect.”

Spike smiled. “Well, I’m really glad you messed up this time.”

Twilight blinked a few times, but she couldn’t stop the stray tears rolling down her cheeks. The normally punctual and overly systematized pony couldn’t help but be overjoyed by one of the happiest accidents she’s ever made. She sniffled and gently dapped her eyes before giving Spike another hug.

“Me too.”

3:00 PM

Spike decided to set aside his borrowed Daring Do and re-read some comics. Not that he had anything against Dash’s prized book, but he was going to be in the hospital for a while, might as well make the story last. Spike read his comics a thousand times even before he was admitted so they weren’t anything new, but Spike always found a certain kind of unique calm that only comes when he’s reading those special issues. He opened the small cardboard box and closed his eyes, deciding to pick at random to make things a bit more interesting. His claws nimbly passed over issue after issue until something inside of him said to pull out this one.

Spike removed the comic with the same flourish Trixie uses to pull a rabbit out of her hat and was eager to see what comic fate decreed he read. His excited eyes soon glazed over as he took note of the cover. It was an issue of Power Ponies, which normally would have put Spike in a fantastic mood, but this issue’s story is all about Hum Drum and Radiance, it even has the special cover featuring the two heroes triumphantly standing triumphant in the rising sun, only available at one particular comic book store which Spike spent a long time tracking down. It was Spike’s favorite issue. Every time he read it, he thought back to when he and his friends were sucked into that enchanted comic; though he thought about this every time he read Power Ponies.

But this one was special, because the story in this issue shows how well Hum Drum and Radiance work together. Every time he read it, he just pictured himself and Rarity, fighting alongside each other as they thwarted the evil Maneiac’s plan to foalnap their friends and drain them of their powers. It was one of Spike’s biggest fantasies, for Rarity to see him as a hero and maybe even more than that. Stupid wishes of a stupid dragon. Spike rationalized. He was more then set to just slide this issue back in the box and try picking another. But he didn’t. He felt like reading it. Maybe now he’ll just see Hum Drum and Radiance, two characters within the books’ pages, instead, he was met with the familiar illusion of seeing himself and Rarity.

Spike was relieved when he heard a knock on his door. Thank Celestia, a distraction. He placed his comic back in its plastic sleeve and slipped it back into the white box. “Come in!” he called out.

“Well howdy there Spike! How ya doing pardner?” Applejack greeted in her chipper country drawl. Following close behind was the enthusiastic Autumn Blaze and a morose Apple Bloom, who could barely summon the strength to look up from the floor.

Oh boy, Spike mentally sighed. I have a pretty good idea what’s bringing her down. “Eh, same ol’, same ol’, Applejack. Still in the hospital and stuff.”

Applejack chuckled, “Well yer lookin’ a heck of a lot better since last time Ah came ‘round these parts. Ah reckon ye’ll be back in Ponyville quicker than ya can say ‘apple turnover.’”

“Speaking of apples!” Autumn chimed as she levitated a large bushel to Spike. “I heard ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away,’ so I thought if you got a whole bunch of apples, you’d feel a lot better, sooner!”

She wasn’t kidding. The bushel Autumn Blaze gave to Spike was full to the brim with genuine Sweet Apple Acres apples. A myriad of shiny, glossy reds, greens, yellows as well as some pinks were mixed up in the bountiful basket. The fresh, delightful smell of the orchard wafted up and Spike couldn’t help but be reminded of his home back in Ponyville where this sweet, familiar smell was everywhere, from Sugarcube Corner, to the market and the kitchen at the Castle of Friendship. It warmed Spike’s heart and made him miss home even more.

“Wow, there’s so many. Thanks a lot, I’m feeling better already, knowing I’ll have something to eat besides hospital food. Those cooks have clearly never heard of salt.”

Applejack threw a hoof around her chatty kirin friend. “Hehehe, yeah Autumn was right excited ‘bout gettin’ ya these apples. Harvested ‘em all this mornin’ just before comin’ ‘ere.”

Spike wasted no time in plucking a golden delicious and taking a bite, savoring the sweet snow-white flesh dancing on his tongue and caring not to let any of the juice spill out of his mouth. Spike hummed in delight, “Oooooh yeah, this is the best. I can’t tell you how much I’ve missed this.”

“Mighty kind of ye Spike. Eat as much as ye want, there’s plenty.”

Spike took another satisfying bite, an audible crackle sounded as he bit through the skin as if to remind him of the freshness and the quality that the Apple family take such pride in. Spike swallowed and caught the eyes of the littlest pony in the room.

“Something on your mind Apple Bloom?” Spike asked in concern.

“Uh, um… well…” she squeaked.

“Go on, sugarcube,” Applejack said sternly. “Tell ‘im”

“I… I…”

Spike raised his claw to silence the filly and gave her a smile. “Apple Bloom, before you say anything, I just want you to know that Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were here before and said they were sorry about the whole playing matchmaker thing and I just want you to know, that I don’t blame you or them for any of this.”

Apple Bloom’s mouth hung open for a moment before an enormous weight was pulled off her withers. “Really? Well, Ah am really sorry fer what Ah’ve done.”

“I know you are,-“ Spike patted her head, careful not to displace her signature ribbon. “- and I appreciate it, but you have nothing to be sorry for.”

“That’s awful nice of ya Spike,” Apple Bloom said with her cheeriness restored. “When you get back to Ponyville, we’ll treat ya to the biggest apple buffet ya ever did see!”

“Darn tootin’,” Applejack said. “Ah’ll make sure it’ll be the best shindig since the last Apple family reunion.”

Autumn clapped her hooves. “Ooh, great idea! I’ve been practicing with those apple recipes AJ! I’ll whip up some spiced cider that’ll make you prude- proud, proud.” She corrected.

If Spike had a mane, he’d be hiding behind it in embarrassment. He wasn’t used to ponies making such a big deal out of him before.

“Geez, you don’t have to do all of that for me,” he said shyly. “I’m just in the hospital, you’re acting like you just smeared mud on Princess Celestia’s coat and need to get on her good side.”

“Ah aint takin’ no fer an answer Spike,” Applejack said with a smirk and a wink. “so ye best have one heck of an appetite when ye git released.”

Spike chuckled, “Well, if you insist, how can I refuse?”

“That’s what Ah like to ‘ear!”

7:00 PM

“Then Applejack said that there’s a big rodeo in Appleloosa coming up,” Spike regaled as the nurse continued dressing Spike’s wounds. “and she’s planning on walking away with ‘more blue ribbons than a prize winnin’ hog,’ or something like that.”

“Sounds exciting,” the nurse commented as she finished rubbing balm into Spike’s back. “it’s been ages since I’ve been to a real deal Appleloosa rodeo.”

“You’ve been to the rodeo before?”

“You haven’t?” she asked with a cocked eyebrow.

Spike shrugged. “Can’t say that I have.”

“Oh, they’re wonderful!’ the nurse exclaimed as she wiped her hooves clean and grabbed a roll of gauze. “My roommate from med school was from Appleloosa. And one day she says, ‘let’s go see the rodeo in my hometown!” The nurse carefully began wrapping the gauze where she applied the balm, taking extra care not to disturb his wing. “Naturally, I had no idea what to expect. I was just a filly from Manehattan, the only way I’d ever see a rodeo was if it was a setting in a stage play.” With Spike’s back treated and wrapped, she began working on Spike’s arm and claw. She removed the bandages and clean her hooves before adding another dollop of medicated balm.

“Anyway, since we were on Spring break, I figured, what the hay, sounds like it could be a blast. And if anything, it’d feel good to get out of the library and stretch my legs in a place with lots of fresh air.” The nurse began to massage the balm into the wound. Spike couldn’t help but notice that the balm smelled like something Zecora would make. It had hints of an earthy scent, but still had an underlying antiseptic smell that comes standard in every hospital.

“So, we made the arrangements and the next thing I knew, I was on my way to Appleloosa. It was such a long trip, at a certain point I was wondering if by the time we got there, the rodeo would be over. But when we got there, I was surprised at how lively the town was. Food stands, carnival games and there was a certain excitement in the air, everypony was on pins and needles waiting for the rodeo to start.” The nurse finished with massaging Spike’s arm and claw with the balm and cleaned off her hooves. “But the one thing I could’ve done without was the heat. Sweet Celestia was it hot! At least it was a dry heat, but I digress.

"When we took our seats, I’ll never forget it, the crowd erupted like a thunderstorm into a frenzy of cheers and whistles as the contestants showed off their amazing skills. My personal favorite was Calamity Mane, now there was a mare who knew a thing or two about a lasso. I also got to see Bright Mac leave everypony in the dust at the haybale stacking contest.” The nurse wrapped the remaining gauze around Spike’s arm and claw. “Oh dear, I seemed to have gotten carried away there, didn’t I?”

Spike smiled. “It’s ok. I really enjoyed hearing about the rodeo. Makes me want to go there myself.”

“I hope you do.” The nurse wrote some notes down on a clipboard and hung the chart at the end of Spike’s bed. “Everything seems in order here. Bet you’re happy to have that cast off your arm.”

“Heck yeah, I can finally scratch it again.”

“As long as you’re careful not to disturb your injury, you can scratch as much as you like. At the rate you’re going, I’d say you’d be able to walk around in just a few more days.”

Spike’s eyes lit up and he dropped his jaw in awe. “Really? Oh, wow! That’s great news! I can’t wait to actually get out of bed!”

The nurse held up a hoof to suppress a giggle. “I’m sure you are. Goodnight Spike, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Goodnight, and thanks for the story.”

8:00 AM

Spike awoke to the sound of knocking on his door. He rubbed the remains of eye crust away and yawned, then sulked, as it was time for Rarity to bring him his daily dose of mineral misery. “I guess she really has nothing better to do with her time,” Spike muttered. He turned to the door and called out, “Come in!”

Rarity trotted in, brandishing a wide, cheerful smile and a basket in her aura. “Good morning Spike! How are you feeling today, darling?”

Spike hadn’t the foggiest idea how somepony can be so… jovial this early in the morning. Mornings were never really his thing, he was more of a “noonish” sort of dragon, so Rarity’s attitude was nothing short of baffling, on top of Spike’s general annoyance towards her, whether it was for her insufferable energy this early in the morning, or because Rarity appeared in his room was debatable.

“Fine,” Spike muttered.

“That’s marvelous! With any luck you’ll be out of this room and back In Ponyville in no time flat.”

“It’ll be at least another month, so yeah, I don’t think I’ll be out of here, ‘in no time flat.’ Let’s just get this over with,” Spike said in a tired exasperation that comes from day in and day out of habitual pestering.

Rarity’s face fell as she took her seat and gave her basket to Spike. “Right. Here you go darling.”

Spike took his first clawfull of rainbow quartz and scarfed it down. Still tasted like gutter sludge, wood varnish and beetles, but at least he was getting better at eating them quickly. The trick was to chew as fast as possible without the crushed gems touching his tongue. When the basket was low enough, he turned it upside down and dumped the remaining stones into his mouth. When Spike was finished, he reached for his bushel of apples and tossed a sweet pink and red treat into his maw to try and cleanse his pallet and passed the basket back at Rarity.

Spike swallowed his apple and grumbled, “There. Now we’re done here.”

“Oh my, did Applejack pay you a visit yesterday?” Rarity asked, seemingly eager to start up a conversation.

Spike was instantly regretting his choice of eating Applejack’s gift. The last thing he wanted was for Rarity to stick around any longer than what was necessary. He didn’t want to hear her voice, he didn’t want her near him and most importantly, he didn’t want her to try and open his heart. He swore to keep it shut tight under lock and key and away from her. To never give Rarity another chance of hurting him again.

“How is she doing darling?” Rarity continued. “I’m ashamed to admit I haven’t really been keeping touch with the girls for quite some time now. Except Fluttershy for updates on my precious Opal-Wopal, of course. Did she mention anything about any current evets from Ponyville? I’ve been ‘out of the loop,’ so to speak, for what feels like-“

“I SAID WE’RE DONE!” Spike shouted with enough force for Rarity to flinch and nearly fall out of her chair. Her eyes went wide from the shock and her lips began to tremble. Her jaw moved slowly up and down, trying to get her words out like a musical lead with stage fright. Rarity slowly got up from her chair and with heavy hooves, dragged herself to the door. At that moment, Spike felt a tightness in his chest and he almost caught himself calling out to the mare to… apologize? Spike couldn’t believe he was seriously considering trying to apologize to Rarity of all ponies. The same mare who treated him like a servant and abandoned him. The same pony who stayed behind in Canterlot to make sure he was taken care of and who took time out of every morning to see him. Spike shoved this out of his mind, but his heartache still remained.

“Oof, remind me not to get on your bad side,” said Dr. Hawkeye as he trotted up to Spike’s bed. He was wearing a maroon bathrobe and was in desperate need for a comb as his mane was totally disheveled, complete with heavy bags under his eyes to complete the look.

“Is it normal for doctors to looks so… scruffy? And in a bathrobe?” Spike asked.

Hawkeye yawned loudly, not bothering to place a hoof over his mouth and inspected Spike’s chart. “It is if they spend the majority of the night on cases and decide to sleep in the office. Besides, how can my patients feel comfortable and relaxed when their doctor isn’t? Speaking of relaxing, what’s with all the hot blood this morning? Pretty sure I didn’t diagnose you with a bad case of hostility.”

“Rarity was just here,” Spike grumbled.

“Well that much I knew. What I’m curious about is why she just walked out of here looking like a ghost?”

“She wanted to talk and I told her to leave.”

Hawkeye cocked a brow. “Told?”

“Yeah… well, no. More like yelled, actually.”

“I was wondering why the hallway was shaking.”

“Every day. Every single gosh darn, flippin’ day. She comes in, gives me those gross gems and tries to talk to me. I wish she’d just leave me alone.”

“Oh boy do you have it rough,” Hawkeye said as he rolled his eyes. “A pretty mare visiting you every day? Feeding you and helping us take care of you? And she dares to want to talk with you? Wow, I didn’t think your situation could get any worse, but here we are.”

Spike’s eyes narrowed on the sardonic doctor. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“What I mean is, I think you’re pretty darn lucky to have her help. And even luckier that she wants to spend time with you.”

Spike glowered. “You don’t get it doc! You have no idea what she’s done to me! How awful she was to me!”

“So, you want to hurt her right back? Is that it?”

Spike recoiled. His mind reeling to find some kind of retort, some kind of justification for his actions. But they evaporated into the ether and left Spike in what could only be called a guilty fugue state.

Hawkeye ran his feathers through his mane and sighed, “Look, you’re right,” his tone wasn’t scolding as much as it was sympathetic. “I don’t know. I haven’t the slightest clue what went on between you two, for all I know she could be plotting the downfall of Equestria as we speak. But I’ll tell you something I do know and what I know is that that little lady has been coming to see you every single day for a week and a half straight. Bringing you those gems that saved your neck and put her entire life on hold to make sure you’re being taken care of. I don’t know about you, but frankly, I’ve never seen anypony so generous in my life. I’m not saying you need to forgive her, heck, I’m not even saying you have to like her. But I think that the least you can do is talk to her and not chase her away the first chance you get. If anything, talking with her might just get you some kind of closure because you may think acting this way towards her will make you feel better, but you’ll just regret it in the long run.”

Dr. Hawkeye returned the chart to the foot of Spike’s bed. “However,” he said retaining his modicum of professionalism. “If you really don’t want to see her again, I can talk to Ms. Rarity and ask her to leave the gems with me and you won’t have to see her ever again.” Having said his piece, Hawkeye turned to leave.

Spike was torn. Never having to see Rarity anymore would certainly be a relief. No more visits meant no more small talk, no more early feedings of those Celestia forsaken gems. And no more Rarity. That’s what he wanted, right? But if that’s really what he wanted, then why did his heart hurt so much? Why did the notion of not seeing Rarity’s smile again fill him with grief? Spike didn’t want to accept that he’d actually miss her. As tightly shut as Spike’s heart has become, Rarity still managed to get in. Or perhaps, she was always in there and he didn’t want to admit it.

“Doc!” Spike called out as Hawkeye reached the door. “Wait…”

8:00 AM

Rarity’s next visit was a somber one. After entering, she didn’t have her smile that matched Celestia’s sun in brightness. She didn’t speak a word, no greeting, no comment on his health. Nothing. Rarity slumped into her usual seat and floated the basket over to Spike.

“Here…” she said in a quiet voice. She couldn’t bring herself to look at Spike, as if doing so would be a heinous crime that’d get her sent to the moon. She brought her hoof and nervously held her opposite foreleg and slowly rubbed it.

Spike felt his chest constrict as ice rimmed his heart as he took in the sad mare before him. He broke Rarity. Not to long ago, Spike wanted Rarity to hurt. To make her feel even a fraction of a fraction of the pain he felt because of her when she pushed him away. And he finally did it, he made her feel pain, but he didn’t feel accomplished, or satisfied like he thought he would. He felt terrible. Terrible and guilty.

Spike grabbed his first clawfull of gems and tossed them into his maw. They still tasted like spoiled milk, mud and moldy cupcakes, but he didn’t complain. He kept his tongue in check, as he continued to tell himself to be civil and hold his sarcasm and snide comments back. Maybe Dr. Hawkeye was right. After all the time she’d set aside for him, the least he could do was just listen and not scare her away.

Spike dusted off his last gem and passed the basket back to Rarity. She held it aloft in her magic. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said, barely above a whisper. Rarity stood and began her downtrodden trot for the door.

“Rarity, wait…”

Rarity’s ears perked up and looked over her shoulder, a small gleam in the corner of her eye. Spike took a deep breath and collected his thoughts; he couldn’t figure out why talking to Rarity was so difficult for him right now. Maybe because you were a total jerk and scared her to near death, Spike reprimanded himself. He remembered a time not too long ago where he’d lose his voice because he was just too shy to say anything to Rarity because his heart kept getting in the way. Recently, Spike’s found it easier to talk to her, but he never had anything nice to say. It was just rude comments and ordering her to leave. Now when he actually wants to say something kind or meaningful, he had trouble saying, well, anything. He’d have to ask Dr. Hawkeye if ‘irony’ is terminal.

Spike started slowly, “I’m… I’m sorry. I’m sorry for yelling at you yesterday. You were just trying to be friendly and I got mad for no reason and I took it out on you.”

Rarity turned around. Her gaze fell onto his emerald green eyes. Those vibrant and… soft emerald pools. These eyes are the eyes of a long-lost friend. A version of Spike that Rarity thought she’d never see again.

“Oh, no need to apologize Spike. I really shouldn’t have-“

“No Rarity,” Spike cut in, gently of course. “There’s no excuse for how I acted yesterday. I was wrong and I’m sorry.”

Rarity smiled. “Well… I accept your apology.”

“Here,-“ Spike reached for the bushel by his bedside and pulled out a shiny yellow apple. “- I heard these are your favorite. It’s the last one. I want you to have it.”

Rarity waved her hoof. “Darling, please, I couldn’t. If it’s your last one, then you should have it.”

“Please take it, Rarity. Just think of it as my token of apology. You really deserve it more than I do.”

Rarity’s heart felt like warm coco after a stroll through the snow. She missed this feeling, this cozy feeling that seems to only spring forth when Spike is with her. She realized now, how much she took that warmth for granted.

“Thank you Spike.” Rarity levitated the apple over to her hooves and held it like it was a treasured keepsake. The skin was well polished and smelled just delightful.

“And one more thing. Thanks… for the gems. And for checking up on me every day. It means a lot…”

Rarity swelled, like a gust blowing petals on the wind, or a favorite song playing at just the right volume. An ineffable joy spread through her body and she couldn’t hide it as she smiled sweetly.

“You’re very welcome, darling.”

Noon.

“Come in!” Spike called out. The door opened with a soft click and in trotted Rarity, who was certainly the last pony he was expecting today.

Rarity’s voice was soft and warm, “Good afternoon Spike.”

“Rarity? What are you doing back here so soon?” Spike asked devoid of sarcasm.

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry. Am I intruding?”

“No, no you’re not, but I already ate my rainbow quartz. So… I’m just wondering why you’re here again.”

Rarity trotted closer and lifted one of the embroidered flaps of her saddle bag. Her horn lit up and a flat brown paper bag floated out. And out of the bag came a comic book, it was sealed up in the protective sleeve that all of his comics come in. Spike raised his brow.

“Consider this my token of appreciation for the delectable apple, dear. I’m told this is the latest issue and I was curious if you’d like something new to read?”

There was a time, not too long ago, where Spike would’ve been all a flutter in this particular circumstance. Reading comics with Rarity by his side. Of course, in his fantasy Spike wasn’t in the hospital and Rarity wasn’t holding the comic or turning the pages for him (though Spike Insisted that he was perfectly capable of turning the pages). Every so often Spike would mumble “next” and Rarity would go to the next page. Out of the corner of his eye, Spike noticed that Rarity was focusing on the panels, with the subtle and quick eye movements that led Spike to believe she was reading alongside him. She couldn’t be reading this, Spike thought. Could she? No way. Comics are probably too beneath somepony like her. Spike mentally pushed that thought out of his head. After all, Rarity was trying to make an effort, he should too.

“You know what I don’t understand?” Rarity said.

Spike was jarred out of his musings. “What?”

“This Astro Colt character. I mean, he seems rather indestructible, has the strength of 100,000 stallions, can fly even though he isn’t a Pegasus and can fire magic blasts from his hooves without a horn. I just can’t fathom as to why a protagonist would be so powerful. Doesn’t seem like any villain can best him.”

Spike was about to say something quite off-color, but stopped. Rarity was just asking a question; she wasn’t causing any harm and if Spike didn’t know any better, he could swear there was genuine curiosity in her voice. Spike took a deep breath and mumbled something under his breath.

“What was that darling?”

Spike turned his full attention to Rarity. “It’s because… he’s an allegory.”

Rarity tilted her head. She most certainly wasn’t expecting that as an answer. “An allegory? For what, may I ask?”

Spike started slowly, “He… represents the good that can come from magic. The creator, Tezucolt, saw all the damage and pain creatures like Queen Chrysalis and Tirek caused and wanted to create a hero that used his abilities for the greater good. Not that magic is ‘evil’ per se, but the creator wanted to show how much the good outweighed the bad. Astro is made up of all the strengths and talents of the three pony tribes and uses his powers to protect the world from the villains who want to abuse magic to hurt others, or monsters that threaten the lives of ponies, like hydras and stuff,” Spike finished with passion. Passion? He didn’t realize he even had a shred of that left in him.

“Oh my,” Rarity said in amazement. “I had no idea something so, well, comedic as this could be so serious and… deep.”

“Well,” Spike chuckled. “the creator does call himself a ‘gag mangaka,’ so he likes to throw something silly into his work from time to time. But for the most part, all of his work has some kind of message or, or philosophy based on something he admires. Like Ribbon Knight, the story of a princess who was born with two hearts.”

“Two hearts?” Rarity looked slightly perturbed at the thought of some poor pony with such a defect as that.

“Well, not two actual hearts, more like souls. She has the tender, kind heart of a mare and the strong, courageous heart of a stallion. I know that may sound a little dated, but Tezucolt wrote this out of admiration for the Trotarazuka Revue; an all-female theatre troupe in Neighpon. He was fascinated at how they could seamlessly transition from a feminine role into a masculine role. Heh, I heard that he actually had a chance to interview them and he was never so nervous in his life,” Spike suddenly bit his lip, turned his head away and became very quiet.

“Spike? What’s wrong?” Rarity asked concerned.

Spike clenched his claw. “I… uh, didn’t mean to bore you. I just get excited when I… um, talk about the creator. I-I-I just really, really admire him and w-well-“

A gentle touch calmed Spike’s nerves and relaxed his claw. Rarity’s hoof rested on Spike’s slackened claw. Rarity seemed eager and overjoyed.

“You’re not boring me darling,” Rarity said gaily. “quite the opposite in fact. Can you tell me more? I’d very much like to hear about his other works.”

Spike blinked. And blinked a few more times, before a small warmth spread through his chest and the corners of his mouth began to tug. “Well… I guess if you really want to…”

The rest of the afternoon was filled with tales of princesses battling evil witches, jungle emperors and a bird that grants ever-lasting life. Spike went over even the most minute of details of how the creator drew his character’s eyes and with every second that went by, Rarity saw something in Spike she thought she’d never see again. Joy. The more Spike spoke, the more it seemed the fire in his heart was being stoked and fanned. Rarity listened to every word Spike said, not missing a single facet or fact. Rarity felt a tingling in her legs and butterflies in her belly.

Not once did she take her eyes off of Spike.

Nothing else matters, thought Rarity dreamily.

Author's Note

Been a while hasn't it? Sorry for the HUGE delay but , much like everyone else, the pandemic got me feelin' a certain way. Here I foolishly thought I'd have ALL the time in the world to focus on my art and writing, little did I know that I'd lose motivation to do pretty much anything creative. Isolation does crazy things to you, I swear. But I hope this chapter in some small way makes up for it.

This one's a bit more "slice of life" than the previous chapters, but I really felt like this chapter was necessary for the plot progression, showing the daily life of what Spike goes through and the ponies that visit him. Doesn't hurt to also have Spike and Rarity finally making strides together. It won't be easy, but it's a work in progress for the both of them.

By the way, it took me FOREVER to come up with a pun name for Osamu Tezuka, luckily my proofreader is also my think tank. I have to admit, I'm starting to really groove on using Astro Colt as a recurring "character," since Tezuka's works are an inspiration and Tezuka himself is my biggest idol. Now obviously Astro Boy is much, much more than just an allegory to the good that science, specifically nuclear energy, can do for humanity, but I didn't want to indulge more of my Tezuka knowledge flex on to you, though much like Spike, I can get very excited about talking about Tezuka's work.

On a side note, I want to thank Misty Dolphin for doing the unenviable task of editing my previous chapters. I hope to work with them in future endeavors.

Let me know what you guys think of this chapter, I love reading the comments.

As always, thanks for reading. See you next time :raritywink:

Silver Wit

Dungeons and Deserts: Part 1

Of the many jobs to be done in a hospital none can deny the importance of doctors and nurses. Saving lives and tending to the ill and injured is the life blood (no pun intended) of every hospital. But the most overlooked position, even more so than the janitor and the pony responsible for the tapioca pudding, is the clerk. The pony in charge of scheduling appointments, patient’s files, order forms, etc. Whatever is needed to make the doctor’s jobs easier and the patients well taken care of. And Canterlot General Hospital wouldn’t be able to last a week with the tireless efforts of their clerk.

A young earth pony stallion sat at the reception desk of the main floor. He wore thick glasses and a wool cap covered his brown mane, with a few strands poking out from the edges and a mauve colored coat. With pen in mouth, he filled out the latest requisition forms needed for the printing of more requisition forms. When he finished he spat his pen in the pen holder, making a light clacking sound.

The clerk wiped his forehead. “Phew, all right, I’ll just file that here, and now I’ll file this report for Dr. Hawkeye.”

“Foresight,” a nurse trotted up to the stallion. “I’m looking for-“

“There’s another box of gauze in the supply room on the third floor,” the clerk responded.

“Thanks Foresight!” She said with a wink.

Dr. Hawkeye came up from behind the nurse. “Hey Foresight has that-“

“Shipment of petri dishes come in yet?” Foresight said at the same time as Hawkeye. “Yes sir, I just need a signature from a doctor saying that we got it.” Foresight handed the form to the Pegasus who promptly signed it.

“Much obliged Foresight. With these I’ll be growing cultures in no time. Ever grow something from just a few bits microscopic life?”

“I had sea monkeys once. But my brother fed them to his goldfish.” Foresight said forlornly.

“My condolences. Sorry I missed the funeral.”

“That’s ok sir, I know you didn’t know them very well.”

“Hey, did you also file my report to Director Potter?”

“I was just about to,” Foresight took out a file with a cover letter attached to the front. “I got everything organized from the copies of Starswirl’s notes to the recorded progress with Mr. Spike. I also got some notes from Dr. Honey Cut and a few nurses to help add some more ‘oomph’ to your research.”

Hawkeye patted Foresight’s withers. “Always ten steps ahead of anypony around here. You’ve got a real talent for out thinking ponies, you know?”

Foresight rubbed his neck. “Oh, I don’t know about that sir. I had to repeat 3rd grade like twice. Those darn timetables got me good.”

“Which is why I feel safe knowing you’re behind a desk and not a scalpel.”

“You and me both.”

The doors of the hospital slid open and a frequent visitor of class and grace trotted into the lobby and nopony was happier to see her than Foresight. Over the past few weeks he’s had the pleasure of greeting her on the regular and he couldn’t help but be charmed by her pristine white coat or her lustrous mane.

“Good afternoon Foresight and Dr. Hawkeye,” Rarity said with a smile.

“G-good afternoon, Miss Rarity!” Foresight fumbled.

“Hello again Miss Rarity,” Hawkeye said, in a much more controlled and level headed manner. “What brings you back to our neck of the woods? I thought you already gave Spike his daily dose of vitamin quartz.”

“I did, but as I was out and about for some errands, I stumbled upon a quaint little bakery and I thought I’d get Spike a special treat. Is he available?”

“Oh, sure thing Miss Rarity,” Foresight cleared his throat to keep himself from cracking any further. “He and some of his friends are playing a game.”

“Friends?” Rarity fought against the lump in her stomach. “Um, did you happen to see which friends? What did they look like?”

“One’s a big red pony and the other is a really tall and lanky fella. I ain’t seen anypony like him before. Got a bunch of mismatched parts, I thought he was a patient at first.”

Rarity calmed herself down as the news seeped in. Oh, thank Celestia it’s just Big Mac and Discord. “Ah yes, those friends. Thank you for your time, gentlecolts. I’ll see myself there. Good day Foresight and good day Dr. Hawkeye.”

“See ya later Miss Rarity,” Hawkeye waved.

Rarity disappeared into the elevator, but that didn’t stop Foresight from staring longingly in the direction Rarity left. The young stallion was hopelessly drawn to the alabaster mare. He’d never seen any mare like her before, nopony from his town had her features or her beauty. He stared at the now vacant space with a goofy grin.

“Careful Foresight or somepony is liable to trip on your tongue.”

Foresight blushed. “Oh, uh, sorry sir. I guess I got a little distracted. Hey, you think a guy like me has a chance with somepony like Miss Rarity? Um, just hypothetically.”

“I don’t think so Foresight. You’re cute, but I don’t think you’re her type.”

Foresight’s face fell. “Aww, what’s that supposed to mean?”

Dr. Hawkeye collected his papers from the pouty clerk and shrugged. “Well for one thing, you don’t have scales.”

“Alright travelers!” Spike announced from behind his small cardboard wall. “You find yourselves at the entrance of Castle Squizard, strangely enough the entrance is well lit, as if inviting you to come inside. The tiles are well polished and the torches are burning bright. It would seem that the path before you is safe. Sir McBiggun? What will you do?”

“Hmm…” Big Mac rubbed his chin from his chair sitting opposite Spike at the table the nurse was kind enough to provide. “Armor spell.”

“Ahh, playing it safe I see. And Captain Wuz? What will you do?”

Discord was grinding his teeth and tugging on his face. “CAST A WAKE-UP SPELL!!! Ugh, this version of O&O is soooo dull! At this rate I’ll have to be checked into a bed from slipping into a flippin’ coma!” Discord then appeared in a hospital bed similar to Spike’s with an IV bag filled with black coffee plugged into his arm.

Spike rolled his eyes at Discord’s dramatics. “Oh, come on ,Discord. It’s not that bad. Sometimes it’s nice to go back to basics. Heck, this is how Big Mac and I played before and it was still fun.”

“Eeyup!” Big Mac agreed.

“Well if you ask me,” Discord said as he poofed out of bed and into a floating arm chair. “this is like going from a smart phone back to rotary.” Discord banged his fist on the arm rest of his chair and a pair of hands popped out and began to massage his shoulders while a third one held a glass of chocolate milk with a crazy straw to his lips.

“I’m gonna pretend I know what you’re talking about,” Spike grumbled. “but until I’m out of the hospital, this is the best we can do for our sessions. Unless you can cure me right now?”

“Sorry, but chaos doesn’t heal. You might end up with a second head with one eye and a handle-bar moustache or wind up a tree and let’s not forget the slightest chance of being turned into corn.”

Spike smiled. “So, Ogres and Oubliettes classic it is! Glad you were able to clear that up. Now, Captain Wuz, what will you do?”

Discord grumbled something under his breath before snapping a finger and donning his O&O costume. “I shall use my hawk-shot arrow to scout ahead and try to spot any threats once inside. Least that vile Squizard tries to get the upper hoof on us!”

“And I’ll cast a spell to scan for any and all traps that may be in the floor. Alright, now, Sir McBiggun, will you lead the charge?”

“Eeyup!” Big Mac pumped his hoof in the air.

The door to the room swung open and a sweet voice called out, “Good afternoon Spike!” Rarity trotted in with a small bag in her magic grasp. “I was taking a stroll around town and-“ Rarity paused as she noticed Spike and his friends were in the middle of their game. “Uh, oh! I didn’t realize you were- I didn’t mean to intrude. I can come back later, if you’d prefer.”

“Aw, figs!” Big Mac swore as he looked at an imaginary watch. “Is it that time already?”

Spike’s face grew disappointed. “Gotta go already? Oh right, you got extra work on the farm since Applejack’s going to Appleloosa for the rodeo right?”

Big Mac nodded. “Eeyup.”

Discord rolled up his arm like a sleeve to reveal multiple watches from his wrist to his shoulder. “Hmm, I should be going too. It’s almost time for tea and I’m never late for tea.”

“Say hi to Fluttershy for me,” Spike said smugly.

Discord shot a glare at the dragon. “Nopony likes a smart aleck, Spike.” He then snapped his talon and appeared in an engineer’s uniform on a small train designed in Discord’s likeness. Perfect size for foals, but rather awkward for full grown ponies and chaos gods. “Want an express ride to Ponyville, Big Mac?”

“Eeyup.” Big Mac climbed into the train, though he wasn’t so much riding in it than on it.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaall aboard for the non-stop to Ponyville!” Discord called out as the train made two tooting whistles before speeding off into a portal.

“Wait!” Spike shouted. “You forgot the-!” He shrugged. “Oh, forget it. I’ll just hold onto the game till next time.” Spike began cleaning up the various papers and figurines that littered the table.

Rarity rubbed her hoof on her opposite foreleg. “I… hope they didn’t leave on my account, Spike.”

“Nah, they just have things to do. Kinda bummed we couldn’t play a bit longer, but I know Big Mac is busy and Discord enjoys his Fluttershy time.”

Rarity giggled, “His Fluttershy time?”

Spike chuckled. “Yeah, well, that’s what he calls it at least.”

Rarity’s smile faltered as she bit her lip. She took a few tentative steps towards Spike. “Um, Spike. May I ask you something?”

“Sure thing.”

“Can… you teach me how to play this game?”

Spike dropped the bag he was holding out of shock as some dice escaped their velvet home. He quickly gained his composure and looked a Rarity through lidded eyes. “You want to learn how to play Ogres and Oubliettes? Isn’t this ‘silly game’ beneath somepony like you?”

Rarity took a deep breath. “ I apologize if I insulted you before Spike. It wasn’t right of me to mock your hobby and judge it without any knowledge of it. But perhaps if I learned more about it, I’ll be pleasantly surprised at how interesting it can be. After all, I didn’t think much of Astro Colt until I was proven otherwise. So… can you teach me?”

Spike pursed his lips as he looked over the mare. She sounded genuinely interested and he didn’t think she was trying to trick him or embarrass him. He was still unsure of Rarity’s motives, but he figured that at least he wouldn’t be bored, especially since his campaign with Big Mac and Discord got cut short.

“Alright,” Spike sighed as he began setting the table with his books and figures. “Let’s start with your class and then we can fill out your character sheet.”

Rarity beamed as she took her seat. “My, this is will be so much fun! May I be a seamstress? I wouldn’t mind playing to my strengths.”

Spike rolled his eyes. “It doesn’t really work like that Rarity. I’ll just read off classes and you can tell me which one you like the most.”

“Very well. Oh, just one more thing.” Rarity levitated the small bag she was carrying to Spike. “I brought you a slice of key-lime pie. I strolled by a bakery earlier and it smelled so enticing I just had to get you some. They didn’t have any emeralds though. I hope that’s alright.”

Spike opened the bag and pulled out a perfectly cut slice of his favorite pie. Rarity was right, it did smell enticing. A perfect and subtly blend of sweet and sour with a dollop of whipped cream on top. He couldn’t help but feel a little guilty, thinking that Rarity was up to something or that she was just trying to make fun of him and she just wanted to give him a gesture of generosity and he showed his gratitude with cynicism.

“Uh… thank you Rarity. It looks great.”

“You’re very welcome Spike, now let us begin.”

The screeching wheels on the tracks echoed across the prairie as the Ponyville to Appleloosa express train rushed across the arid land. The tall cacti waving to the ponies on board as the cars passed them by. Various wind blasted rock formations were scattered against the background, their various colors layered one on top of the other. Meanwhile on the train, a window slid open and a head with a rust colored mane poked out. Autumn Blaze beamed at the landscape before her and looked as if she just discovered one of Equestria’s well kept secrets.

“Wow! It’s so big! So, this is a desert, huh? It’s even better than I hoped! Hey AJ, AJ! Are you seeing this?”

Applejack chuckled, “Course Ah am, Ah see it ever’ time Ah come out ‘ere. And it never gets old, Ah tell ye whut.”

“Ah can vouch fer that!” Applebloom added. “Ah can’t wait to get to Appleloosa! We get to see cousin Braeburn, cousin Gala and Auntie Orchard! Thanks, fer bringin’ me along Applejack.”

Applejack mussed the little Apple’s mane. “Well, Ah figured you can use a break. An’ Ah’d feel mighty confident if mah lil’ sis was a cheerin’ me on.”

“Don’t forget about me!” Autumn Blaze shut the window and sat back across from the two Apples. “I can’t wait to see the rodeo! I have no idea what to expect and that makes it so much fun!”

Applejack smiled. “Ah’ll be countin’ on you too Autumn. An if it aint too much trouble, Ah need ya to keep an eye on Applebloom.”

Applebloom rolled her eyes. “Jeez, ya act like Ah’m gonna stir up trouble or somethin’.”

“’Member ol’ Trouble Shoes?”

“Oh, right. But that all turned out fer the best in the end, didn’ it?”

Autumn waved her hoof. “Aw, don’t worry AJ. I’m sure Applebloom will be just fine, but if it makes you feel better I promise I’ll keep one eye on her and one eye on you kicking flank.”

“Appleloosa! Appleloosa next stop, Appleloosa!” the conductor called out as the lone town came into view.

“Ok,” Spike rubbed the back of his head as he turned another page of his O&O manual. “how about a monk? You get high agility, high evade and you don’t need a weapon because you’re proficient in hoof to hoof combat.”

“And get my hooves dirty?” Rarity gasped. “I’d sooner go to the Grand Galloping Gala with Discord. Next.”

“What about a barbarian? Super high strength, can soak up damage and can go into a frenzy mode that’ll help you level any opponent you come across.”

“Bite your tongue!” Rarity scoffed. “I am a lady, not some brash, sweaty, muscle brained berserker. Next”

Spike rolled his eyes so hard he was at risk of blinding himself. He decided about eight pages ago to stop reminding Rarity that “you’re supposed to pretend and it’s more fun to be something you’re not,” so Spike just trundled along hoping to Celestia that something would Peak Rarity’s interest.

“Fine, then how about… hmm.”

“What is it?”

“How about a sorcerer?”

“A sorcerer? I’ve never been much of a spell casting unicorn, not like Starlight or Twilight at least, I don’t think-“

“Before you say no!” Spike said quickly. “Just hear what this class has to offer.”

Rarity sighed, “Oh, very well. I suppose I have to give it a chance.”

“Alright, so, a sorcerer is sort of like a wizard, but they have a natural talent for magic and they cast spells using charisma.”

“Hmm, well I am rather charismatic,” Rarity said as she tossed her mane.

“And sometimes your magic will go, um, a little crazy. But you have a chance of dealing more damage with your abilities, or you might turn yourself or somepony into a potted plant.”

“Ooh, a sense of danger?” Rarity rubbed her hooves together mischievously. “I quite like this ‘sorcerer’ class. Very well, I shall play as a sorcerer!”

Thank merciful Celestia! Spike hailed internally, relieved that the picky unicorn had finally settled on a class. “Next up are your stats. Here, roll these dice to determine how many ability points you get.” Spike passed Rarity four six-sided dice. “Let’s start with your health points.”

Rarity held the dice in her magic before gently tossing them to the table. The dice rolled , spun around and pirouetted away from the edge in a strange kind of empowering dance before they finally settled on a number.

“Oh, four of a kind!” Rarity cheered. “That’s good right?”

Spike was completely gob smacked by what he just witnessed. In all the games of Ogres and Oubliettes he’s played over the years, whether it was with Shining Armor, Big Mac and Discord or Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, he has never in all this time, ever seen a roll like what Rarity got. It almost defied the very laws of probabilities and against all odds, was a feat so legendary, it would be talked about for sessions to come.

Rarity rolled four ones…

The train pulled into the Appleloosa station, kicking up dust and dry earth as it came to a stop. Applejack, Applebloom and Autumn Blaze grabbed their saddlebags and took their first steps onto the platform.

“Oh, boy! It’s good te be back!” Applebloom said as she skipped in place. “Still the same ol’ Appleloosa, Ah sure missed this.”

“Dern right! Applejack commented. “But hooo, doggie! It’s a scorcher out ‘ere today! Hey, ye alright Autumn?”

Said Kirin was rounding her back towards the sun and stretching out her legs. “Ooooohhhhh, this sun feels so nice on my scales! Hey AJ! I love desert weather!”

“Ah think she’s ok,” Applebloom giggled. “Hey, where’s cousin Braeburn? Didn’ he say he was gonna meet us ‘ere?”

“Ah reckon he’s runnin’ late,” Applejack said. “Why don’t we go meet ‘im halfway?”

The three trotted off the platform and into the town proper. Mainstreet was abuzz with activity as ponies were getting everything in place in preparation for the rodeo. Stands selling pies, muffins and other baked goods, along with decorated storefronts complete with bunting and balloons promoting their hoof crafted hats and saddlebags, premium lasso rope and

“the hottest peppers this side of Equestria.” Autumn looked on in awe as she was met with yet another new and exciting experience in her time away from her village.

“Oh wow! AJ look! They have a bakery! And hats! Ooooh, I gotta see what kind of peppers those are!” Autumn wasted no time in galloping off to immerse herself in Appleloosa’s marketplace.

Applejack chuckled, “Always somethin’ with her. Never too much excitement fer Autumn Blaze, is there?”

“Nope, but that’s one of the reasons why she’s so fun!” Applebloom replied.

“Yep, she sure is.”

“Well howdy there Applejack! Howdy Applebloom!” An earth pony stallion trotted up to meet the Apple sisters. He was well built, with a yellow coat and a brown bane with dark yellow highlights. He was wearing a brown vest and matching ten-gallon hat and he was sporting a shiny red apple for his cutie mark.

“Well tan mah hide, if it ain’t Braeburn!” Applejack gave her cousin a hug, followed closely by Applebloom. “How ya been?”

“Been busy as a dang ol’ bee. Sorry Ah’m late, Ah got caught up settin’ up our apple stands an’ Ah plum lost track o’ time.”

“No need to apologize, ain’t like we never been ‘ere before.”

“Golly, the town sure seems lively,” Applebloom said trying to wedge herself into the conversation. “Ah ain’t never seen Appleloosa so busy ‘fore, even fer the rodeo.”

Braeburn chuckled, “Right you are, Applebloom. This year’s rodeo is a special one, we got more ponies competin’ than ever!”

“Ah’ll be,” Applejack said in amazement. “no wonder this here town’s jumpin’ like a jittery frog. Ah had no idea the rodeo was gettin’ so popular.”

Braeburn rubbed his neck sheepishly. “Ah’m not to sure ‘bout that. Ah think it has more to do with them plans of building that new-fangled Buckball museum an’ stadium. But Ah happen ta know that we did attract some stiff competition fer ya this year, Applejack. Hey, weren’t there suppose’ ta be three’ve ya?”

“Oh right,” Applejack turned to her sister. “Think ya can track down Autumn, Applebloom? I think it’s high time we mosey on to the farm and unwind.”

“Ah’m on it! Ah think I saw her by the pepper stand, be right back!” Applebloom trotted off to find the energetic Kirin.

“So, what’s this Ah hear ‘bout ‘stiff competition?’ Think ya can take me on?” Applejack asked as she nudged her cousin.

“Braeburn laughed, “Aw c’mon Applejack! Ah do alright fer myself, but Ah can’t hold a candle to ya. Naw, Ah’m talkin’ ‘bout Filly the Kid and Sarsaparilla Slim.”

Applejack raised a brow. “The Filly the Kid and Sarsaparilla Slim? Ah didn’t think they bothered with rodeos.”

“They didn’t till they heard you were reigning champ. Said they’d love to see just how tough ye are. Heck, Sarsaparilla Slim was a legendary rodeo star, the whole town is aching ta see him perform.”

Applejack held her head high and confidant look graced her features. “Well if they want a rodeo fer the ages, Ah’ll be sure to give ‘em one.”

“Ah’m sure you’ll give ‘em a run fer their bits. After all, ain’t nopony better at the rodeo in all of Equestria than-“ Braeburn suddenly fell silent as his jaw dropped and his eyes became the size of dinner plates. Trotting next to Applebloom was one of the most unique and exotic mares he’s ever seen. She had cloven hooves and a rust colored mane with a matching fluff of fur on her chest. She had scales of a rich green from her forehead to the bridge of her nose and a horn resembling a branching bough. Her tail was long and unlike any tail Braeburn had ever seen on any creature, but what drew the farm colt in more than anything it was her eyes. Two golden orbs that Braeburn couldn’t help but get lost in. She was quite the beautiful mare.

“Oh, there you are Autumn,” Applejack said. “C’mere, Ah want to introduce ya to somepony.”

“Hey AJ! I just bought some great looking peppers to use in a new recipe I’ve been working on.” Autumn turned her attention to the mesmerized stallion. “Oh, hello. Who’s this?”

“Autumn Blaze, allow me ta introduce ya ta mah cousin-“

“Braeburn!” said the infatuated stallion while taking off his hat and bowing. “At yer service, ma’am! And may Ah say it’s a right pleasure to meet ya Miss Autumn! Let me be the first ta welcome ya ta Appleloosa! If there’s anything Ah can do fer ya, jus’ say the word and it’s done!”

Autumn smiled. “Well I’ll certainly keep that in mind. It’s nice to meet you too Braeburn. AJ’s told me so much about you, I feel like I’ve met you already! Oh, by the way, thanks so much for letting us stay at your farm.”

Braeburn stood up and posed in a way to show off his chest. “She-oot, Ah ain’t about ta let family sleep anywhere else! Ah hope it’ll be te yer liking Miss Autumn.”

Well, if it’s anything like AJ’s farm, I’m sure I’ll love it. And you can just call me Autumn, no need to be so formal, we’re all friends here- OOH, look over there! I think I see another stand! What’s root beer? Forget it, I’ll find out for myself!” Autumn dashed off yet again.

“Wait up! Ah want some too!” Called Applebloom as she trailed behind the Kirin.

“Is she always this spirited?” Braeburn inquired.

Applejack smirked. “You have no idea.”

“How about, Rarity the Glamorous?”

“Again, you’re not supposed to use your real name,” Spike sighed. “the point is to immerse yourself in a new character. Not yourself.”

Rarity turned her nose up. “Well, after those abysmal dice results rendering me with such poor attributes, you’d think I’d be entitled to a smidge of leniency.”

Spike shrugged. “Sorry Rarity, but the dice giveth and the dice taketh away. You’ll just have to be smart and careful with how you play. Now, let’s get back to naming your character and let’s try one that isn’t your real name.”

Rarity tapped her hoof to her chin as the cogs began to turn in her head. “She gave a low hum as she mulled over the ideas swirling about. “Hmm… how about… Clarity? Clarity the Radiant.”

Spike was taken aback. “Uh… yeah. Yeah, that works really well. Good idea.”

Rarity held her head high. “But of course! I do consider myself a creative after all. It’s no surprise I could come up with a good character name.”

Spike couldn’t hold back a chuckle, “After almost an hour of throwing names at a wall.”

“Oh, hush you,” Rarity said with flustery pink in her cheeks. “These things take time.”

“So, Ah gotta ask,” Braeburn said as he and Applejack trailed after Autumn and Applebloom. “How did you meet Autumn? She don’t look like the kinda mare ya find in Ponyville.”

“Well, a while back Fluttershy and I were dealin’ wit’ a friendship problem at a place called the Peaks o’ Peril. Ah met Autumn there and she helped us out. After that we wrote a few letters and she asked if she could visit me in Ponyville.” Applejack smiled. “Funniest thing is, Autumn was only suppose’ te stay fer only a couple o’ days. Then a couple o’ days turned into a couple o’ weeks and, well here we are almost two months later.”

“She’s been wit’ ya fer that long? Dang, Ah’d ‘ave thought she’d skedaddle back home by now.” Braeburn then narrowed his eyes on his cousin. “She wasn’t… freeloadin’ was she?”

Applejack looked offended. “Course not! Ye really think Ah’d let somepony lollygag ‘round the farm fer over a month? She’s been working an’ helping out ever since she came te Ponyville. She’s some of the best help we’ve ever ‘ad.” A soft blush rose up from her cheeks as memories of farm life with Autumn played back in her head. “An’ besides, Ah like havin’ her ‘round. It’s real nice te have somepony te talk te on them long days in the field. Celestia knows Ah ain’t gettin’ a conversation outta Big Mac anytime soon.”

Just then the Apple cousins noticed Autumn collide into a pony, sending both of them to the dusty road. Autumn was the first to get up with help from Applebloom. “Oh my gosh! I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean- I didn’t see- are you ok?”

“Dag gummit! Watch where yer goin’ ya clumsy klutz! Ah can’t afford te get bruised up ‘fore the rodeo!” said the mare as she got back to her hooves. Said mare wasn’t very tall, she was noticeably shorter than Autumn with a short cut strawberry blond mane hiding under a straw hat. Het coat was yellow with a lasso cutie mark.

“You two alright?” Applejack said as she got closer.

“Yeah, I’m fine AJ,” Autumn replied.

“Ah guess Ah ain’t banged up neither,” said the mare. Just then, her eyes locked onto Applejack. “Wait a cotton pickin’ second. AJ? As in Applejack?”

“That’s me,” Applejack tipped her hat. “An’ you are?”

“Filly. Filly the Kid.” Filly strutted up to the Apples and looked up to the farm girl. Despite the height disparity Filly seemed to carry an aura that made her as tall as Applejack, if not taller. “Ah’m also the pony that’s gonna whup a certain rodeo star into applesauce.”

Applejack smirked. “Well it’s mighty fine ta meet ya, Filly. Ah heard lots ‘bout you.”

“Likewise. Ain’t nopony from ‘ere ta Bad Lands that haven’t heard about the famous Applejack. You might be hot stuff where ye come from, but Ah ain’t ‘bout ta let ye walk away wit’ outta fight.”

“Well, you seem to be in rare form today, Filly. What’s gotten under your hat this time?” Came the voice of a stallion from behind the sore mare.

“Ain’t no business of yers Sarsaparilla Slim,” Filly snapped at the stallion.

The name “Slim” was clearly being used ironically. The stallion stood tall and anypony could see the muscular build he was hiding underneath his corduroy collard shirt. He was sporting a similar Stetson to Applejack’s but with a more upturned brim. He had a tan coat with a dark brown mane, but his most distinguished feature was his face. He had a jawline seemingly chiseled from marble and eyes as blue as the sky itself. His cutiemark was a pair of longhorns. Following close behind him was a colt, not much older than Applebloom.

“Well, Ah don’t think we’ve been properly acquainted,” Applejack tipped her hat. “Ah’m Applejack. This ‘ere is mah cousin Braeburn, mah little sister Applebloom and mah good friend Autumn Blaze.”

Slim tipped his hat. “How do, ma’am. Name’s Sarsaparilla Slim and this here is my boy, Sassafras.”

The colt stepped forward and tipped his hat. “Pleased to meet you ma’am. Everypony.” Sassafras was certainly his father’s son. He had a coat like Slim’s but his mane was a lighter brown. He was wearing a hat similar to his dad’s with a blue button-down and a brown vest. His cutiemark was of a wagon wheel with a hammer and nail.

“Well Ah’ll be,” Applejack chuckled. “Guess Ah got mah work cut out fer me this time ‘round.”

“Sure do,” Sassafras said proudly. “My pa’s the finest rancher this side of Equestria! Tough as nails and a darn good rodeo star to boot. He’ll break that hay stacking record for sure!”

Slim’s hoof patted his son’s withers. “Now Sass, what have I told you about bragging?”

“Sorry sir.”

“No harm, son. Now why don’t you head on back to the hotel. I’ll catch up in a bit.”

“Sure, thing pa!” Sassafras waved goodbye and trotted off.

“And Ah need te grab some grub,” proclaimed Filly. “Ah need all the strength Ah can get if Ah’m gonna run you two through the wringer. See y’all tomorrow.” Filly left to find the nearest restaurant or food stand.

Don’t mind Filly,” Slim said. “She likes to talk big, but I can tell she’s just as itching for the rodeo as we are. Well, best of luck to you Ms. Applejack.”

“Same te you Sarsaparilla Slim. Here’s to a great rodeo.”

Slim tipped his hat and trotted off in the same direction Sassafras left. Applejack was looking forward to this rodeo now more than ever as a surge of excitement shocked her body at the thought of squaring off against two of the most challenging contestants was just the kind of motivation she’d need to go above and beyond her limits. Applejack could feel it in her bones, this was gonna be a rodeo to remember.

“Rarity. Seriously. You don’t have to spend this much time in the shop. For crying out loud, I gave you a list of what you should buy,” Spike said as he was now regretting every choice in life that led him to this moment in time. But to be honest, how would this have ended in any other way? As soon as Rarity learned that she had to buy starting equipment, she went over every. Single. Item available in the shop.

“Spike, a lady must be sure that she has everything she needs before setting off on a trip. How is this any different?”

“Because your class can’t use more than half the items in the shop!” Spike groaned. “The equipment I told you to buy is the best for your character and your budget. Just buy those.”

“Oh, very well,” Rarity said reluctantly. “I suppose I’ll start with the cloak.”

“Great!” Spike said, silently thanking Celestia for Rarity finally getting a move on in the game. “That’ll be 100 gold pieces.”

“That seems rather expensive for such a shabby cloak,” Rarity commented. “I mean, it doesn’t even have embroidered edges. Any chance I can purchase it for 75 gold pieces instead?”

Spike felt his eye twitch as his migraine came back in full force.

The sun was beginning to set in Appleloosa as vendors began to pack up their stalls and call it quits for the night and get as much shut eye as they could before the main event the following morning. Autumn and the Apples were casting long, dark shadows on the ground as they passed the archway of the Appleloosa farm. The sun and the many, many apple trees created a patchwork of shadows across the paths.

“Well, ‘ere we are,” Braeburn announced to everypony, but mostly Autumn. “Welcome to the Appleloosa farm, the heart an’ soul of the whole town! Unlike Sweet Apple Acres, this ‘ere is a community run farm. ‘Course the Apples call the shots an’ mah old pa is the foreman, but this ‘ere farm is everypony’s responsibility.”

“Wooooooooow!” Autumn said in amazement. “A whole community works here? I bet you get done harvesting in no time. Not that I mind the way we harvest back in Ponyville, but this way sounds super-efficient. Oh, which reminds me, I need apples for dinner tonight.”

“Aww, come off it Ms. Autumn. Yer our guest, ain’t no reason fer ya te cook dinner.”

“No, no, I insist,” Autumn replied shaking her head. “It’s the least I could do for letting me stay with you. Besides, I really want to try a new recipe I’ve been working on.”

“Ah insist too!” Applebloom chimed in. “Autumn’s a great cook!”

“Eh, comes with living on your own.”

Braeburn chuckled, “Well if it’s apples ye want, we got plenty te choose from. Any one in particular?”

“Hmm…” Autumn started inspecting each tree around her. “Too sour. Not sweet enough. Way too sweet…”

“Golly, she sure knows ‘er apples,” Braeburn whispered to Applejack.

“Well she did learn from the best,” Applejack said proudly. “But ye ain’t seen nothin’ yet.”

“Ah ha!!” Autumn cried. “Galas are perfect!”

Braeburn trotted up to the tree Autumn picked out and stretched out his hind legs. “All righty, now just step back an’ Ah’ll get those apples in a jiffy.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Autumn said as she waved a hoof and adjusted the placement of the baskets on the ground. “I got it." Without another word Autumn leapt into the tree, leaving a very, very perplexed Braeburn scratching his head.

“Wait, how’s she gonna-?”

Applejack held up a hoof. “Wait fer it.”

Just then, the branches and boughs of the tree began to shake wildly as Autumn jumped quickly around the crown, dislodging the apples and sending them right into the baskets below with pin-point accuracy. Braeburn just marveled at the Kirin’s technique with wide eyes and an unhinged jaw.

“Ah know it ain’t exactly traditional,” Applejack said as she nudged her cousin. “But Ah reckon it gets the job done.”

Autumn poked her head out of the foliage. “Alright! I think that’s more than enough for dinner.” She jumped out of the tree and levitated the baskets in her magic. “Get ready, cause I’m going to make something that’ll knock your horseshoes off.”

A mare after mah own heart Braeburn thought as a goofy grin crossed his features.

“You come to the Rolled Oats Tavern, a quaint little building in the heart of the town of Anvil Wood,” Spike said from behind his cardboard wall. “you’re overcome by the cozy atmosphere as the scent of grilled carrots, sautéed broccoli with roasted garlic and sparkling cider fill your senses. The patrons are gathered around the tables, chatting with their fellow adventurers and some are playing darts on the far side of the room.”

Rarity giggled, “My, it sounds like a lovely little canteen.”

“It’s time to accept your first quest!” Spike continued. “You come to the dragon running the tavern as he polishes his cider mugs behind the bar,” Spike cleared his throat, “Good day traveler!” Spike said in what he thought was a Trottingham accent, “What can I do for you? Food? Drink? Mayhap you’re seeking a quest?”

“Yes, I would like a quest my good fellow. Something for a fledgling sorceress like myself to really show off what I can accomplish. So, what quests are available for moi?”

“I’ve got just the thing for you!” Spike replied. “A farmer the next town over is having trouble with their crops. Turns out there’s a parasprite swarm ‘anging ‘round those parts and they need somepony to clear ’em out.”

Rarity frowned. “Parasprites? Ick, those nasty little, gluttonous things? I’d rather not associate myself with those bugs. Isn’t there any other-“

“Your reward for this quest is 1,000 gold pieces and a new cloak,” Spike said quickly before Rarity spent another couple of hours going through each and every quest in his manual.

“A new cloak? With embroidered edges?”

“Eh, sure.”

“Very well, then. I shall go deal with those pesky parasprites and claim my reward!”

A soft knock came from the door and a nurse stepped inside. “I’m sorry Ms. Rarity, but visiting hours are over.”

“Oh, dear me,” Rarity glanced at the clock on the wall. “It’s that late already? My how the time just flew by.”

Maybe for you, Spike inwardly groaned.

“I suppose we’ll have to pick up again later Spike. Sorry we didn’t get very far.”

“That’s ok, I have to plan out your quest anyway. Night Rarity.”

“Good night darling, I’ll see you tomorrow, bright and early.”

Luna’s moon crested the eastern horizon as Celestia’s sun was laid to rest in the west. Applejack, Autumn Blaze, Applebloom and Braeburn came to a farm house at the heart of the orchard and standing out on the porch was an earth pony mare. She wore a plaid bandana over her red mane and had a honey colored coat. Her cutie mark looked like three apples trees.

“It’s ‘bout time y’all got here,” she said in a cheery tune. “Ah’ve been wondering what was taken so long. Get lost or somthin’?”

Braeburn rubbed the back of his head. “Heh, heh, sorry Auntie. We kinda got sidetracked by all the excitement. Oh, where are mah manners. Autumn Blaze, Ah’d like ya te meet Auntie Orchard. She runs things ‘round there here parts when my folks are outta town.”

Autumn gave her best smile. “Nice to meet you Auntie Orchard. Thank you so much for letting me stay here.”

Auntie Orchard returned the smile. “No need te thank me, pumpkin. Any friend of Applejack’s is more than welcome te stay ‘ere. Now, Ah’m sure the your trip worked up one heapin’ heck of an appetite. Ah was just ‘bout to get started on supper.”

“Ooh, ooh!” Autumn called out like an eager student. “Can I help? I really want to try out this recipe I’ve been working on.”

“An’ she can cook? My oh my, Ah knew Ah liked you! You can help out as much as ya want, sugarcube.”

“Mama! Is cousin Applejack and Applebloom ‘ere yet?” said a small voice from behind Auntie Orchard.

“They sure have, Dumplin’! Come on out an’ say hello!”

A little filly burst out of the house and leaped at Applejack for a hug. “Applejack, Applebloom! I missed y’all so much!”

Applejack chuckled, “Heh, heh, Nice te see ya too Apple Dumplin’. Well Ah’ll be! I reckon you shot up like a dang ol’ weed since last Ah saw ya.”

“Mmhmm! And look, I already lost mah first tooth!” Dumpling said as she pointed to the hole in her smile. Dumpling was on the small side. She was younger than Applebloom and she didn’t have a cutiemark yet. She had a honey colored mane and a green coat. She broke off from Applejack when she got a glimpse at the newest face. “Woah! Who’re you?”

“I’m Autumn Blaze, it’s nice to meet you Apple Dumpling.”

“Oh wooooow!” Dumpling ran around Autumn, inspecting her from head to hoof. “Ah’ve never seen a pony like you ‘fore! Ye got a horn and scales! Are ya a super special unicorn or somthin’?”

Autumn shook her head and giggled. “Nope, I’m a Kirin.”

“A Kirin? Cool! Ah’ve never met a Kirin! Ah didn’t even know what a Kirin was.”

“All right y’all, Ah think that’s plenty of excitement,” Auntie Orchard said as she clapped her hooves. “The sooner we start cookin’, the sooner we eat.”

Applejack, Applebloom, Braeburn and Apple Dumpling sat at the dinner table, wondering what dish Autumn was cooking up. Whatever it was, it smelled delicious. The scent of spices filled the dining room along with the sweetness of apples, the combination was enough to make each mouth in the room water and anticipation to rise like a thermometer in the desert.

“Gosh, whatever Autumn’s makin’, it sure smells good,” Braeburn said.

“Autumn’s cookin’ is the best!” Applebloom said. “No offense to Applejack or Granny, it’s jus’ Autumn always makes somethin’ new an’ excitin’.”

Applejack patted her sister’s head. “No offense taken sugarcube, Ah look forward te when it’s Autumn’s turn to cook too. Ah reckon we aint had anythin’ like Autumn’s cookin’ ‘fore she came along.”

Braeburn had a dreamy look in his eyes as he sighed, “Ah sure like a gal that can cook. Autumn sure is special, aint she?”

Applejack smiled and said in a low voice, “Eeyup, she sure is.”

“Alright everypony!” Autumn called out as she and Auntie Orchard passed through the double doors leading to the dining room. “Dinner, is served!” Autumn’s magic passed dishes and spoons around the tables and what was presented was a surprise to everypony. It was rice, topped with a dark, thick sauce with a strong scent of fiery peppers, sliced carrots, potatoes and onions. Each plate was garnished with apple slices, arranged in such a way that they looked like blooming flowers.

“I present to you, apple curry!” I’ve had this idea for a while, and the peppers I picked up in town were perfect for the recipe.”

“Ah hope y’all are hungry,” Auntie Orchard said as she took her seat. “There’s plenty te go ‘round. An’ just a heads up, this stuff will knock the saddles off yer backs.”

“Which reminds me,” Autumn levitated a smaller plate before Apple Dumpling. Her curry looked a lot lighter in color and the apple slices were arranged into a smiley face. “I made a special batch for you Dumpling. It’s a lot milder. I hope you like it.”

The Apple siblings/cousins grabbed their spoons and scooped up some of Autumn’s concoction. After a moment to take in the heart radiating off the sauce, each of them took a bite.

“Soooooo,” Autumn asked nervously. “How is it?”

“Hooooweee! Now that’s some serious flavor! And one heck of a kick!” Applejack cried as she went for another bite.

“it’s real’ spicy, but also sweet, Ah love it!” Applebloom said as she took a drink of water to cool her pallet.

Dumpling hummed, “Mmmmm, this is super yummy! Ah wish Ah could ‘ave it fer supper every night!”

Braeburn was dumbstruck. He never in his wildest fantasies would’ve ever thought that a dish like this would ever work. The rice was cooked to perfection and fluffy. The sauce was spicy and left a warm, tingly feeling on his tongue and the fresh picked apples complimented the peppers in a strange, yet delectable way that made him want more.

Braeburn finally found his voice, “Autumn. This… this is amazin’! Ah ‘eard you were a good cook, but this is one of the best meals Ah ever had!”

Autumn blushed and sheepishly scratched her cheek. “Aw, geez. You’re too kind Braeburn. It’s nothing that special, just an idea I had.”

“Don’t be so modest sugarcube,” Applejack said. “This is one fer the family recipe book! Ah wish Granny and Big Mac were ‘ere te try this. Think ye can whip this up again when we get back to Ponyville?”

Autumn beamed. “I’d love to! Now, let’s dig in, I’m starved.”

Dinner was wrapped up and after putting Dumpling to bed, the Apples and Autumn were relaxing in the den, where the sound of laughter and the clinking of cider mugs could be heard throughout the house as Applejack regailed stories from Ponyville.

“An’ so, Big Mac went out wit’ Sugar Belle fer a picnic under the trees on the farm. An’ just as he took out the apple pie fer the two of ‘em, Autumn pops out of a tree! Big Mac was so startled he accidently threw the pie into his own face!” Everypony erupted into laughter again as Applejack delivered the punchline. After a moment to catch her breath, she asked,

“What was it you asked him again?”

Autumn wiped the tear from her eye. “I said- I said, ‘Hey, Big Mac! Did Sugar Belle like the pie?”

The den laughed out loud again and cider threatened to shoot out of at least three noses in the room.

“Well Ah’ll be an apple turnover,” Braeburn said as his laughter died down. “that’s one heckuva story.”

Auntie Orchard giggled, “Ah’ll say. Ah wish I coulda been there te see on Big Mac’s face.”

Applebloom yawned. “Yeah, Ah bet it was priceless…”

“Ah think it’s ‘bout time fer ya te head on off te bed, sugarcube,” Applejack said nudging her sister. “Ah’ll need ye bright eyed and bushy tailed fer tomorrow.”

“Yer probably right Applejack,” Applebloom yawned again. “Ah’m awful sleepy. G’night everypony.” The older ponies said their goodnights as the little Apple hopped off the couch and trotted to the stairs leading to the upper floors.

“So, whatcha think of Appleloosa so far, Autumn?” Auntie Orchard asked.

“It’s really nice! I mean, I’m used to more forests and greenery, but the desert is nice too. The sun feels really good on my back, there’s a great selection of peppers, everypony is super friendly and they talk like AJ- actually, can I have another mug of this cider? This stuff is delicious!”

Auntie Orchard couldn’t hold back her laugh, “Course ye can, pumpkin. Have as much as ye like, we got plenty.”

Autumn grabbed her mug and trotted to the kitchen.

Braeburn scratched his head, slightly dumbstruck. “Golly, Ah had no idea Autumn could say so much, so fast. She’s pretty chatty.”

“Ah think she’s makin’ up fer lost time,” Applejack replied. The hint of sadness was not unnoticed by the others.

“What does that mean?”

“Autumn an’ the rest of the Kirin were plum mute fer years. Then one day, she stumbled on a cure and got her voice back. But not long after, Autumn’s village banished her. Had nopony to talk to till Ah found her.”

Auntie Orchard gasped and held her hoof to her chest. “Oh my! That’s just awful!”

Braeburn’s ears flattened. “Gosh, Ah’m sorry Applejack. Ah must’a sounded right foolish there.”

“Ain’t yer fault Braeburn,” Applejack replied. “Not like ye knew what she’s been through. Ah’m just glad I was able te help ‘er. And honestly, Ah don’t mind her talkin’ as much as she does. Ah kinda like it.” The rose tint returned to Applejack’s cheeks.

“Yeah,” Braeburn said with a starry-eyed expression. “Ah kinda like it too.”

Autumn loved this/ This feeling of warmth and coziness that came over her when she was spending time with Applejack and her family. Their bond was certainly something to admire. And if Autumn was being honest, she was envious of it. All the stories she’s heard, whether it was from Granny Smith or Applejack herself, wove an intricate and strong connection with each member of their family. And it was times like these that Autumn truly felt like she was home. She blushed with that thought as she finished refilling her mug and trotted out of the kitchen.

Auntie Orchard stood and clapped her hooves. “Alright, everypony. It’s getting’ late, an’ Ah think it’s time to quiet down.”

Autumn stopped in her tracks as she felt something weigh down over her. She looked at the hall leading back towards the den and the weight became heavier. She bit her lip as her eyes began to dart around her space. Her pulse quickened. Her breath became shallow. And she made a dash for the upstairs.

“We all got a big day tomorrow,” Auntie Orchard continued. “we’ll need all the sleep we can get.”

“Ah reckon it is gettin’ late,” Applejack said as she stretched her legs. “guess now’s a good a time as any te turn in. G’night y’all.”

“Oh, Applejack, jus’ one more thing. Thank you ever so much fer invitin’ Autumn out ‘ere. She’s just about one of the nicest ponies Ah ever did meet. Ah think Ah speak fer myself and everypony ‘ere when Ah say that filly’s brought so much life an’ energy to this dusty lil’ town. Rodeo or no rodeo.”

Applejack chuckled, “Heh, heh, well Ah thought y’all an’ Autumn would hit. Glad te ‘ear y’all like her so much. Ah’ll be sure te tell her later.”

The Apples all said their goodnights before and Applejack climbed the stairs to the room she was sharing with Autumn, taking care not to step on any squeaky floorboards. The dim candle light shining on generations of family photos with an amber glow. Applejack opened the door to her room; the lamp was on, the window was open, letting the cool night air in, and nestled on a cot was Autumn Blaze. Applejack smiled as she approached her sleeping friend.

“Ah, guess even you can get tuckered out huh?” Applejack pulled Autumn’s blanket up and tucked the tired Kirin into bed before hanging her hat and crawling into her own cot. “G’night Autumn. See ya tomorrow.”

The farm was hushed as Luna’s moon raised higher in the sky. The only sound was coming from the soft billowing of the wind across the prairie and the occasional rustle of leaves. All over Appleloosa, lights began to go out quickly. Leaving the dark town and its citizens in a silent slumber.

After some time, and a few more minutes of hearing Applejack’s light snoring, Autumn Blaze opened her eyes.

Applejack’s ear twitched. It twitched again towards the window and she scrunched her face as she slowly came out of a sound sleep. She could hear… something. She wasn’t sure what it was, but it sounded like a conversation. There was an awkward pause as Applejack debated on whether she should just ignore the noise. She turned towards the window and noticed that Autumn wasn’t in her cot. Applejack abandoned sleep quickly as she rose out of bed and looked out the window. It was difficult to see, but in the shadows of the trees she could make out what looked like Autumn out in the yard by the orchard. Not like anypony else would have such a unique silhouette as a Kirin’s.

Applejack sighed. “Uh huh, Ah thought so.” She grabbed her hat and went to see what her friend was up to.

“I know that’s not what she meant,” Autumn said to a sack of apples before her with a drawn-on smile and wearing a crude straw hat. “and it totally doesn’t bother me.”

“Are ya sure ‘bout that? Cause Ah think it’s botherin’ you somethin’ fierce,” Autumn replied as the sack in a country drawl.

“Yes! Of course, I am! Duh!” Autumn huffed. “It was just a misunderstanding is all! It had to be… right?”

“Ah hope Ah ain’t interuptin’ anything.”

Autumn jumped as Applejack’s voice came from behind her. “AJ! Um, hi! I-I-I was just, uh, thinking about stuff and I… didn’t want to wake you up. So, I thought I’d have a word with… uh… Japple Sak!” Autumn patted the sack of apples while giving Applejack an uneven smile.

“Oh?” Applejack took a seat beside Autumn and her burlap companion. “An’ what did Japple Sak say?”

“Well… she… she said that ‘there ain’t no short cuts when harvest comes ‘round.’ And that I shouldn’t bother dealing with Flim and Flam, no matter how incredible their offer is.”

Applejack nodded. “Is that right? Well she certainly sounds like one smart apple. Did she also tell ya how important it is te be honest?”

Autumn wanted to look anywhere but at Applejack. “W-what do you mean?”

Applejack grinned. “Ah mean, are ya gonna tell me what’s really botherin’ you or aren’t ya?”

Autumn’s ears flattened as her face fell. “Heh, you can see right through me AJ…”

“Well ye gotta git up pretty early in the mornin’ to pull the wool over mah eyes. And it doesn’t help that yer almost as bad a liar as me.”

Autumn gave a small smile. “I can’t argue with that…”

Applejack placed a hoof on Autumn’s withers. “Autumn. What’s wrong? Ye know ye can tell me anythin’ right sugarcube?”

Autumn nodded.

“Then tell me what’s eatin’ ya.”

Autumn chewed her lip as her inner voice was arguing whether to tell Applejack the truth or not. Though eventually, Autumn closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I… kinda panicked again…”

“Well that much Ah figured. But what was it over?”

“Well… when Auntie Orchard said to quiet down.”

“Aw, Autumn, she didn’t mean no harm. And she wasn’t sayin’ it te you personally.”

“I know. I know she wasn’t. But… I couldn’t help but notice how quiet it is out here. Back on the farm in Ponyville, there was always something at night to listen to. The crickets in the grass, the owl in the barn, passing rainstorms, Winona barking at the moon or chasing her own tail,” Autumn laughed at the memory of catching the chipper farm dog’s late-night escapades. “and sometimes I hear Big Mac and Sugar Belle’s chats on the porch.

“But out here…” Autumn tensed. “It’s too quiet… it’s so, so quiet. I… I can’t hear anything and I can’t help but think back to when I was banished… when Chief Rain Shine… my village… my friends… my family…” A single tear escaped her eyes and her voice began to crack. “They just abandoned me!” Autumn’s eyes turned white as her lashes ignited and her teeth became long and sharp. Fire began to manifest like kindling around her legs.

Without thinking and with no hesitation, Applejack threw her forelegs around the fiery Kirin. “Autumn! Autumn!” she hugged tight. “It’s all right! It’s all right sugarcube. Ah’m ‘ere. Jus’ simmer down, yer fine, yer safe.”

The fire left Autumn’s eyes, mind and body as Applejack smothered the flames and brought her out of her inferno of emotions. She returned Applejack’s hug as more and more tears fell from her eyes. “AJ… I’m sorry! I’m so, so sorry!” Autumn sobbed. “It’s just… I… when I think about what my village did, I can’t help it. I just get so angry! And sad, and confused… how could they do that to me? All I wanted was to talk again, to have emotions again, to feel something after being numb for so long. And they… just kick me out! I couldn’t go back to being mute, to feeling nothing. I just couldn’t!”

“Shhh, Ah know. Ah know,” Applejack soothed as she rubbed Autumn’s back, taking notice at how smooth her scales were. “Ah understand. Ah can’t even think o’ what Ah’d feel if mah family gave me the boot. But Autumn? It that why ye ain’t gone back te yer village?”

Autumn buried her face in the crook of Applejack’s neck. A perfect cover for her growing blush. “Well… it’s one of the reasons…”

“Sugarcube, Ah know yer hurtin’ and Ah hate te see ya like this. But ye’ll have te face yer village someday. ‘Cause this is eating ya up inside and this feelin’ ain’t gonna go ‘way by runnin’ from it.”

Autumn looked at Applejack with a hint of fear. “Are… are you saying I have to leave?”

“Course not!” Applejack said quickly. “Autumn Blaze, yer more than welcome te stay on the farm as long as ye want. Ye’ll always have a home at Sweet Apple Acres. All Ah’m sayin’ is that ye got a lot of pain in yer heart darlin’. You gotta face it, or ye’ll be scared yer whole life.”

“I know…” Autumn sniffled. “But… what do I say?”

Applejack’s smile was as soft as her eyes. “Jus’ be honest wit’ ‘em. Ye gotta be honest wit’ everypony. Let ‘em know yer hurtin’, let ‘em know yer angry and sad at how they treated ye. It’s the only way ye’ll heal. And when all’s said an’ done, y’all feel a lot better ‘bout it.”

“Really?”

“Cross mah heart.”

The two shared another hug, both feeling a weight being lifted from their withers and enjoying each-other’s embrace. As they pulled away, Applejack couldn’t help but be mesmerized by Autumn’s eyes. Those exotic golden orbs of hers were glowing in the moonlight, like lanterns and Applejack couldn’t tear herself away. She always thought Autumn’s eyes were pretty, but right now, even after all her tears, they were gorgeous. Like light reflecting off a field of wheat or the Fall leaves after the rain. The farmgirl’s heart felt… strange. Like she just ran from Appleloosa back to Ponyville while staying still and the longer she looked at the Kirin, the stranger she felt. It was unfamiliar, but not necessarily unpleasant.

Applejack coughed. “Well, uh, it’s gettin’ mighty late. An’ we really need te be getting te bed.”

“Y-yeah,” Autumn said sheepishly. “Especially you. But… I don’t know if I can sleep.”

Applejack’s ears perked up as a bulb went off. “Ah got a great idea. If yer havin’ trouble sleepin’, why don’t Ah tell ya some stories? Always worked fer me when Ah was young. Maybe it’ll help ye too.”

Autumn brightened up. “Really? I’d love to hear some stories. Can you tell some of them in those voices you’ve been practicing for the school announcements?”

Applejack giggled, “Sure thing. Jus’ as long as ye don’t laugh too much.”

“I promise. And… you’ll tell me stories until I’m asleep, right?”

“Ah won’t stop till yer sawin’ logs.”

“Thanks AJ, this really means a lot.”

“No need te thank me sugarcube. Now let’s git along. It’s time fer bed.”

As Applejack lead Autumn back into the house, she couldn’t help but feel odd. She couldn’t quite put her hoof on it, but all of a sudden, nothing else mattered more than helping Autumn. Even the rodeo, the event she’s been training for months for seemed to take a back seat to the well-being of this one Kirin. No, not ‘this one Kirin.’ Autumn Blaze. The very same Autumn she’s lived with for nearly two months, the same Autumn that kept Applejack company on the farm and in turn she helped Autumn heal through the years of pain she endured. The Apple’s heart was beating faster again at the memories she’s shared with Autumn. Going to the Peaks of Peril, the letters they sent each other, the meals they’ve shared, stargazing on crystal clear nights and the funny little moments Autumn shared with the rest of her family.

After the story of the Apples and the Pears, the Apple family road trip and the first Hearth’s Warming celebrated with the Pie family, Autumn was finally out like a light. And after a quick pillow fluff, Applejack snuggled under her covers and followed the Kirin’s example. Tomorrow was going to be the roughest, toughest rodeo in ages. Applejack could feel it in her bones.

Author's Note

Well, here we are again. How long has it been readers? Far to long for my tastes. I know I say that every time I post, but it doesn't get any less true. I really hope this chapter is to your liking, I worked hard on it and with any luck it'll show. So, a little bit about this chapter. I was debating whether or not to add another character from M.A.S.H but then my proof reader was like, "you need something to let the readers know it's later in the day." And thus Foresight (Radar O'Riley) was added. Geez, every time I write something, I always get bogged down by my inability to paint a picture with my writing. Some of my favorite writers (Irrespective for example) can paint a beautiful scene on a canvas, that puts you right there as you see, touch and smell the room or environment they're in. While my scenes look more like sneezing a snot web on a piece of cardboard. I'm trying to improve, but I always seem to write like I'm writing a script for a comic book. I feel like I have a good grasp of insight about the internal struggles of the characters, but beautiful scenery still eludes me. :pinkiesad2: If any of you out there have any tips on how I can improve, please let me know, I'd appreciate it very, very much.

Now I know what you're thinking, "Silver Wit you oblivious, single cell organism! Why isn't Rarity playing as Princess Shmarity? You know she already has an O&O persona, right?" To be honest, at time of writing I almost just had Rarity play as Shmarity. But then it hit me, Shmarity is the embodiment of how Spike views Rarity. A perfect, lovely, beautiful princess who can do no wrong and is forever untarnished. However, After recent events in the story, it isn't so farfetched to think that Spike would completely scrap Shmarity, whether out of spite or just to separate Rarity from his favorite pass time. So I decided that Rarity has to start from scratch, both in the game and Spike's trust.

The O&O segments were a bit of a pain to write, since I don't really like D&D. No offense to anyone who likes it, but after a bad first experience of being so bored I felt like I had to stick bamboo splints under my nails just to keep me awake, I figured I had better things to do with my time and I moved on to greener fields. But my proofreader (Pastel Pallet) loves D&D so I had her give me some pointers on how you start a campaign. Although, there must've been some miscommunication, cause when I first asked her about starting a campaign she told me to watch the first episode of "Critical Roll" to get an understanding of the game. Naturally I thought, "Ok, I can spare 15-20 minutes of my time for research." I look up Critical Roll episode 1 and it was three hours long... Three. Hours. LONG! And the next two episodes were just as long, so that's when I said "No! Not this time D&D! You're not gonna waste another second of my time, let alone three hours!" So I binned that idea and just winged it and decided that I'd rather let my proofreader lord over me for my screw ups for an entire day then sit through three hours of people playing D&D.

So fun fact about me, I love westerns, specifically TV westerns. There's something to admire in the rugged, rough and tumble men who fought for what was right and protected what was important to them. My favorite western show of all is the "Rifleman" and my character Sarsaparilla Slim is based off the protagonist, Lucas McCain and his son Sassafras is based on his son, Mark McCain. I couldn't really figure out what kind of cutiemark to give them, since a rifle was out of the question so I just came up with a generic rancher mark. Lucas is a rancher, so... whatever, I guess it works.

So I suppose you lot have realized my heavy shipping between Applejack and Autumn Blaze, right? Truth be told, I love, love, love this ship, easily in my top five ships ever, I certainly love it more than AppleDash. No offense to AppleDash shippers (geez first I insult D&D players and now AppleDash shippers, I better make sure no one's planning to throw rocks at my house) but I never really understood the whole AppleDash ship. Mainly because I don't see the chemistry between characters who can be outright hostile towards each other. Yes, yes, I'm sure someone will have the argument "Oh, but they're just trying to one-up each other to impress the other one," but I never really bought that. Maybe it's because Applejack and Rainbow Dash both metaphorically and literally butt heads so often that I'm shocked they've never given themselves concussions. Wait, where was I? Oh right, AppleBlaze being one of my favorite ships. But There isn't much AppleBlaze stories around, so I figured I'd try and change that. My proofreader actually liked the AppleBlaze bits so much she posed the idea of writing a spin-off story of Autumn's time in Ponyville during the events of "Life and Times." I'm not against to idea, but I need to clear my plate first before I take up another project.

Speaking of projects I have some bad news. The bad news is, I'm taking a step back from this story. However, it's so I can focus on putting out the next chapter of my TwiLuna story and the Christmas story that I put on the back burner for some time now. However, during this time I'll also be writing down my plan for future chapters in hopes that I won't be flying by the seat of my pants anymore and I can give you more consistent updates. But yeah, be on the look out for a holiday story written by yours truly.

Phew, that was a lot to go through, but I really look forward to the author's notes segments just to give you all an update on me, and my plans for future content.

Let me know what you guys think of this chapter, I love reading the comments.

As always, thanks for reading. See you next time :raritywink:

Silver Wit

Dungeons and Deserts: Part 2

It was a typical mid-morning in Canterlot as ponies strolled about enjoying the sun and the goings on of the capitol city. Rarity was practically skipping as she held her basket of gems and a cup of coffee in her magic. She sipped her black elixir. “Ahh, nothing quite like espresso to give you that extra pep in your step. I hope I haven’t kept Spiky waiting too long; I should probably pick up the pace.”

“Oh there you are Rarity! I’m so happy I found you!”

Rarity stopped dead in her tracks as the voice calling her sent a shiver down her spine and a twisting feeling inside. She slowly turned to address the last pony she wanted to see today or any other day.

“Pish Posh…” Rarity said dryly. “How… nice it is to see you.”

Pish Posh strutted up to Rarity from her group of stuffy looking ponies as if she owned the entire street and wanted everypony to know about it. “I was just telling my friends here about the wonderful entertainment you and that dragon performed at my little party. But then I thought, how great would it be to have none other than you yourself show them. Why don’t you give me an encore performance of what you said about that dragon?”

“I’d sooner dye my coat in polka-dots!” Rarity snapped. “I don’t have time for this, I have places to be!” Rarity spun on her hooves and trotted away.

“Excusez moi!?” Pish Posh sneered. “I said, ‘give me an encore’! So do it this instant!”

“I will do no such thing! And if you think for even a second I’d-!”

Just then Rarity realized something. She wasn’t moving. She was moving her legs, but her body was not. She looked down at her hooves, she was floating! But that wasn’t what shocked Rarity the most. Her legs were jointed like a doll and there were strings going from her hooves to the sky.

“What in Celestia’s name is-?!” Rarity shut her eyes as a blinding light assaulted her. As she adjusted to the brightness, she noticed that she was no longer on the streets of Canterlot, she was on a stage. The lime lights focused solely on her. She looked out at the audience and saw numerous, faceless, unmoving ponies and at the center of them all, on a very cushy looking throne, sat Pish Posh. She raised a megaphone to her mouth.

“That’s more like it!” She announced. “Now, as I was saying, I demand an encore!”

The scenery changed as the curtain behind Rarity rose to reveal a ballroom set. Painted guests and windows in the background, plastic food sat on silver trays carried by more faceless ponies. And most notably, was the large chandelier that hung above the stage. In an instant, Rarity felt her breath leave her body. She tried to run, but she was merely flailing her strings. Pish Posh began to clap, the sound of clapping followed shortly after from the still unmoving faceless audience.

“Now!” Pish Posh said. “Let’s start the scene!”

The lights now focused on two spots. At stage right was Rarity, now wearing the same dress she wore to Pish Posh’s party and at stage left, stood a tall statue of glass. It was purple and green and…Spike?

Rarity’s lips quivered as tears welled up in her eyes. “No… no… please don’t do this! I’m begging you!”

“Action!” Pish Posh called out.

“No! I don’t want this! Please I- can’t stand that worthless dragon!” Rarity clasped her wooden hooves over her mouth. She didn’t say that… did she? A loud crack could be heard from the statue. Rarity looked up and saw a gigantic pony. She was holding a puppet control in her light blue magic and she had the most vile, sadistic, and unpleasant smile stretched across her alabaster face. As if she craved the anguish playing out before her.

“What in the world- is wrong with him?!” Rarity clasped her mouth again, but her hooves felt heavy all of a sudden. “How can anypony be so annoying and simple minded?! Honestly, I can’t believe I thought he’d make it in high society, he was doomed from the start and I’ve never been so embarrassed. But I suppose that’s the price I pay for being associated with some incompetent, filthy, uncultured beast!” More cracks could be seen and heard from the statue. Rarity’s eyes screamed in horror; tears fell freely from her face as her own voice continued to tear her heart and soul to shreds.

“It’s bad enough he has those ridiculous hobbies,” the snow-white marionette continued. “has the sheer audacity to think I’m his friend and has more in common with dirt, but he’s also a foolish, barbaric monster who thinks he could- please stop it!- ever be loved by anypony!” And with one final crack, the statue shattered into countless pieces that rained onto the stage. Rarity sobbed as the effigy scattered glass across the floor and off the stage. The crowd roared in applause and laughs, with Pish Posh’s being the loudest.

“Ah, ha, ha, ha, ha! Oh my goodness, this is too rich!” the pompous pony cried as she held her stomach. “Now that’s what I call entertainment! Did you see the look on her face?! It was priceless! Ha, ha, ha!”

Rarity tried to reach out for one of the shards, but her hooves remained where they were. “Spike…” she said through a strangled sob. “I’m sorry… I’m so, so sorry…”

Pish Posh’s laughter died down and was seamlessly replaced with a yawn. “Well that was fun and all, but I’m bored now. Show’s over everypony!”

On cue, a huge pair of scissors appeared, enveloped in the same light blue aura that held the puppet control and with a few snips, Rarity’s strings were cut and she collapsed onto the stage. She tried to get up, tried to run, but she couldn’t move a single inch. Her eyes fixed to the ceiling, as the scissors slowly opened, the sliding metal was as ominous and foreboding as a requiem. The blades poised on either side of the chain of the enormous chandelier hanging overhead like a guillotine.

“Strike the set!” Posh called out.

In one fluid motion, the scissor blades cut through the metal chain as easily as they cut string, and the chandelier plummeted towards Rarity, a loud cackling boomed from the rafters as a pair of eyes with diamond irises looked down on the helpless mare, who could only watch as her doom came crashing down on top of her.

Rarity screamed as she was ripped out of her nightmare and shot up in bed. Her heart was moving so fast she felt each beat in her ears, her breathing was short and uneven, and she could feel sweat from her head to her hooves. She quickly looked around her hotel room; no, not her hotel room. That’s right, Rarity remembered now. She checked out of the hotel yesterday, this was her spare apartment above Canterlot Carousel. The one she used for her long overnights. Rarity’s breath was calmer now. She was awake. She was safe. The mare breathed one last sigh of relief as the familiarity of her surroundings sank in. The morning sun outlined her shades and with the slightest tug of magic, the shade sprung open and chased away the rest of the shadows in the room.

Needless to say the first thing Rarity had to take care of was the sweat she was practically swimming in, so a shower was in order and a change of sheets. Rarity entered her bathroom and after a few seconds of fiddling with the knobs, a steady stream of hot water burst from the showerhead and Rarity reveled in the warming embrace. With her shower finished, Rarity moved to the bathroom mirror, wiped away the steam from the glass and was greeted by an all too familiar sight. Her eyes were red and puffy with dark bags underneath. Her face was lacking her natural beauty and was replaced by droopiness and fatigue. Rarity sighed before brushing her teeth. Afterwards came the most important part of her new routine. She levitated various creams, serums and eye drops before her and set about to mask her various blemishes. And after a few minutes her skin was tight, fur softened, dark bags gone and her eyes sparkled with her long lashes complementing them perfectly. She threw a few containers into the trash and made a mental note to buy more product while she was out.

All she needed now was the strongest espresso in Canterlot and the illusion would be complete. She grabbed her saddlebag and her basket of rainbow quartz for Spike before giving herself one last look over before departing for the café.

Even in the early morning hours, Appleloosa was abuzz with activity as the various vendors and coordinators prepared themselves for the main event. Yes, it was finally the day of the Appleloosa rodeo. And at the Apple family orchard one competitor was taking every moment she could to psych herself up.

“148, 149, 150!” Applejack grunted as she thrusted herself up and down.

“AJ, don’t go too hard,” Autumn said. “You don’t want to tire yourself out before the rodeo.”

“Don’t you worry none sugarcube, push-ups ain’t nothin’ but a warm up! 178, 179, 180!”

The door to Applejack and Autumn’s room swung open and not a moment later did Applebloom trot in. “Gooooood mornin’ everypony! Who’s ready fer- Oh! Ah’m sorry Ah didn’t know you were warmin’ up.”

“No harm done Applebloom, Ah’m jus’ about done ‘ere! 198, 199, 200!” Applejack sprung up from the floor and rolled her shoulders and cracked her neck. “Hoowee! Nothin’ like push-ups te start yer day out right! Bit’ o’ stretchin’ and Ah’ll be ready fer anythin’!”

Autumn chuckled, “Honestly, I still have no idea where you get your energy from.”

Applejack smirked. “Ah could ask you the same thing.”

Applebloom rolled her eyes. “Well, y’all ain’t goin’ nowhere without eatin’, now come on, auntie Orchard made flapjacks and Braeburn said he ain’t waitin’ up fer any latecomers.”

The mid-morning sun shone brightly on the citizens of Canterlot, as Ponies made their way from shop to shop, gossip was exchanged between parents as their foals played, workers pruning the tops of the trees that lined the streets like well disciplined guards. Rarity trotted along the sidewalk as she bid good morning to any and all familiar faces she crossed as she sipped her morning coffee.

“Mmmm, best and strongest in the city,” she hummed. “I must remember to give an extra word of thanks to the owner for such a marvelous recipe. Oh dear, I hope I haven’t kept Spike waiting. I’m eager to see what he has planned for me, or rather for Clarity the Radiant,” Rarity giggled as the thought of her other persona as she began to wonder what exactly was waiting in store for her at the hospital. She decided to pick up the pace to satisfy her own excitement and curiosity.

“Oh, there you are Rarity! I was hoping to run into you again!”

Rarity stopped in her tracks as a familiar voice sent her stomach into knots and made her skin crawl. She turned to see the last pony she wanted to encounter today. Or any other day for that matter.

“Posh…” Rarity said dryly. “How nice…”

Pish Posh strutted up to Rarity from her small group of unicorns with their noses pressed to the sky with a kind of energy that shouted to everypony that she owned the street, with her Yes Pony not far behind her. “Thank goodness I found you! I was starting to worry I wouldn’t have another chance to see you, what with that unsavory business at my little soiree. I had no idea that dragon belonged to Princess Twilight.”

“Spike,” Rarity corrected. “Doesn’t belong to Twilight, he's her little brother.”

“Brother?” the Yes Pony asked.

Pish Posh cocked her brow before smirking and letting out a small chuckle. “How cute. She sees the dragon as family. That’s the same way I saw my puppy when I was a foal. It’s rather adorable that Princess Twilight still has that sense of wonderment and naiveite. Ridiculous, but adorable. Anyway, I do hope you could do me one small favor? Please tell the princess or anypony for that matter that the little incident at my soiree was completely out of my control.”

“Out of your control?” Rarity was in disbelief. “But it was in your control! You said that-“

“I said,” Posh cut in. “that was a very expensive chandelier and that I took every and all precautions that it was installed safely and the fact that it fell was a one in a million chance of it ever happening.”

“I heard that too, word for word,” the Yes Pony chimed in.

“So,” Posh continued. “if anypony asks, particularly any police, insurance agents or princesses, that is the whole story.”

Rarity’s body began to vibrate like an unsupervised pressure cooker.

“Thank you so much in advance, Rarity. I hope to see you around Canterlot more often. Perhaps we could even do a collaboration toget-“

“That! Is! It!” Rarity’s voice shook the entire street as Pish Posh and everypony in the area seemed to freeze in the presence of the mare’s ire. “You, Pish Posh are without a doubt, the most selfish, rude, insensitive, self-centered, egotistical and down right callous pony I’ve ever met! Spike’s lying in the hospital because of your negligence! You were told that chandelier was too heavy and you just used your bits to shut everypony up and now you’re more concerned for your self-image than the well-being of another? Is it because he’s not a unicorn? And while we’re on the subject, you talk down to any pony who isn’t a unicorn! Why? Because you think that unicorns are so much better than earth ponies or pegasai? I’ll have you know some of my best friends are earth ponies and pegasai and they’re not as dim witted and clumsy as you believe they are, in fact they’re infinitely better than you!

“One of the biggest mistakes of my life was ever wanting to be accepted by some nopony like you! I wish for nothing more than for all of Equestria to see who you really are, just a low life social climber without even a shred of decency!” Rarity spun on her hooves and trotted off with her nose in the air. “Oh, and Posh? Just one more thing.” Rarity looked over her shoulder. “That coat you premiered in Trottingham was one of the ugliest pieces of clothing I’ve ever seen! Who in their right mind would ever want to look like a giant yellow highlighter?” and with one last “humph!” Rarity left a stunned Pish Posh in a sea of murmuring ponies.

“She said what about earth ponies?”

“Hey, my grandma’s a Pegasus!”

“You know, she’s right. That coat was ugly.”

“Wait, I think I remember that dragon getting hurt. That was Pish Posh’s fault?”

And among the chattering ponies, a pair of gold clad royal guards were talking amongst themselves.

“Did you hear that?” asked the unicorn guard.

“Aye,” replied the earth pony. “Cannae believe it meself. Me woife’s a big fan o’ ‘ers too. Neve’ knew Pish Posh ‘ad a side like that. Ye think Princess Celestia would like te ‘ear ‘bout this?”

“You know she would. C’mon, we got a lot to report.”

The multitude of ponies seemed to grow and grow as the sun rose higher in the Appleloosen sky as the final preparations began for the rodeo. Vendors selling drinks and snacks, bookies taking bets, and the talking about their favorite to win was heard from every nook and cranny.

“I got my bits on Applejack,” said one stallion. “That mare’s got a heck of a lotta spunk, and spunk nets you ribbons.”

“If ya want spunk, than Filly the Kid gots my bet,” said another. “She’s feisty and ain’t ‘fraid o’ nothin’.”

“Oh please,” said a mare. “anypony with eyes can see that Sarsaparilla Slim will be the winner this year. Tall, strong, and handsome? How could he not be best in show?” she swooned.

The attendees were filling the stands as the competitors waited on anxious breath for the rodeo to officially begin. Applejack was staring down the other contenders as Autumn massaged her shoulders. Specifically, the country mare was eyeing the two ponies she felt would give her the biggest issue. Filly the Kid was busy punching and kicking a big bag of sand as she seemed to glide across the ground whenever she moved. Sarsaparilla Slim was sitting on a bench, drinking coffee from a tin cup. Applejack knew it was coffee because she could smell it from across the ring over the fried foods and the many patrons around her. For all she knew, Slim’s brew could power the Ponyville express for moons.

“AJ?”

Autumn’s voice broke through Applejack’s concentration, though she still didn’t take her eyes off of the two ponies. “Hm? What’s up sugarcube?”

“Are you alright? You seem really tense.” Autumn applied a bit more pressure to Applejack’s shoulders to emphasize her point.

“Ah’m fine, jus’ a little antsy is all. Can’t say Ah’ve had competition like this before. That Filly gal might be as ornery as a whole hornet’s nest, but Ah can tell she’ll be a tough opponent. And Slim? Ah’ve never seen anypony so calm before the rodeo, like he ain’t got nothin’ te fear. Even mah pop got the ‘jitters’ as he called it before each event, but Slim? He don’t look like he got a care in the world.”

Autumn left Applejack’s shoulders and circled around till she was looking the farm girl in the face. “You’ve got nothing to worry about AJ! The way I saw you practicing back in Ponyville, all those hours you spent bucking hay bales, running obstacles, and tying up pigs, if anypony should be antsy it’s them,”- Autumn pointed over to Filly and Slim. “- cause they don’t know what they’re getting themselves into.”

Applejack realized that the excitable Kirin had a point. This year Applejack put in extra hours into her training and Autumn was there for most of it. Actually, she was there for all of it. Keeping time, cheering Applejack on, coming up with new training methods and untying hogs. Autumn had complete and total faith in Applejack’s abilities to win, it was time that a certain farmer put some faith in herself. Just then, Applejack’s cheeks flushed a red that matched her cutie mark as she noticed just how close her friend was to her face.

“Uh, um, Autumn?”

“Hm?” Autumn blinked, realized what Applejack was flustered over and took a quick step back. “O-oh right! Personal space, um, sorry AJ! I just got a little excited is all,” she said with a pink lady blush of her own.

“Th-that’s ok!” Applejack said quickly. “No harm done! But, um, it’s ‘bout time fer the openin’ c ceremony. So, uh, ya might wanna take yer seat… in the stands.”

“Right! The stands! I’ll see you later AJ! Good luck, I’ll be rootin’ for you!” Autumn said as she and Applejack exchanged a goodbye wave before she disappeared in the crowd.

Applejack took a deep breath and steadied her heartbeat. Not much longer till show time and she needed to get her head in the game. She looked over her competition, the announcers taking their seats in the booth, the patrons lining the bleachers with Autumn taking her seat next to Applebloom. Applejack smiled and rolled her shoulders. “This is the year…” she murmured. “Ah’m breaking pop’s record fer sure.”

“Aaaaaand that’s the last of ‘em,” Dr. Hawkeye said as his forceps placed the last of the staples into a shallow silver tray filled with iodine. “Now you won’t set off any metal detectors if you go to a buckball game.”

“Feels good to have those staples out,” Spike said as a nurse covered his wounds with fresh bandages. “means I’m getting closer to getting out of here, right?”

Dr, Hawkeye wore a grin. “That’s right! Soon you’ll be outta here and be back enjoying the finer things in life. Like walking on the beach, flying through the skies and eating food that hasn’t committed any war crimes.”

Spike shrugged. “Eh, the food’s not so bad. Once you get used to it.”

The smile Hawkeye was sporting faltered. “Sweet Celestia he’s liking the food. I think that’s a clear sign of Stockholm syndrome.”

There was a light knocking on the door after a second or two, Rarity peeked in. “Good morning Spike, how are-? Oh, I’m sorry, is this a bad time?”

Hawkeye waved Rarity over. “Not at all, just finished giving our pal Spike a little touch up. And since we’re done here, we’ll leave you kids be.” Hawkeye nodded at the nurse and after a quick clean-up of her hooves, followed suite. Leaving Spike and Rarity amongst themselves.

Rarity walked closer and took her usual seat next to Spike’s bed. “How are you feeling today Spike?”

“Uh, pretty good I guess. The doc just took my staples out and-“

Rarity nearly choked on her espresso. “Staples? W-what staples?”

Spike paused for a moment to try and think of a more gingerly way of saying it to the mare. “Oh, um, well… some of my injuries were a bit too severe for regular stiches so they needed to uh… close some parts up with staples.”

That lump was back and doing somersaults in Rarity’s stomach. She thought she’d be used to the extent of Spike’s injuries by now, but hearing this, that he needed to be held together with metal like some kind of pulp fiction horror character was a new burden for her mind to bare. Rarity felt her coffee coming back up, but she forced it back down and took another sip of her drink, making sure above all else that Spike doesn’t notice her discomfort. After all, it wasn’t her lying in a hospital bed.

“Is… is that right? My, that’s… rather interesting. I had no idea that staples could be used in that manner.”

Spike nodded. “Yeah, it was pretty new to me too. But the good news is, I’m getting closer to a full recovery. Dr. Hawkeye even said that my bandages and cast can come off soon.”

“Oh, speaking of ‘recovery’,-“ Rarity levitated her basket onto the small table by Spike and removed the cloth cover, revealing the rainbow quartz. “it’s time to take your medicine! Eat up Spike.”

Spike grimaced as he grabbed his first clawfull of gems. “Ugh. Hospital food is better than this…”

“Come, come now,” Rarity encouraged. “The sooner you finish your gems, the sooner we can start playing your game.”

Spike’s normally disgusted expressions while eating his medicinal gems gave way to bafflement. “You… still want to play?”

“Of course I do! Are you not ready yet? Do you need more time to prepare?”

Spike swallowed his next helping of gems. “N-no, I have everything ready, it’s just… I didn’t think you wanted to keep playing after yesterday is all,” he said those last few words with an air that seemed to be both optimistic and relieving, but wasn’t brave enough to get their hopes up, since Rarity seemed to have had some… difficulties with making her character and getting immersed.

“I do Spike, really. And after all the work that went into making ‘Clarity the Radiant,’ I’d like to be able to play her. If it’s all the same to you. Besides, it’d be a shame if she went to waste.”

Spike dusted off the last of the gems and washed it down with a water pitcher. “Sure thing! We can start whenever you’re ready.”

“I’m ready now.”

Spike smiled. “Then let’s get started! I’ll just set up a few things and we can play!”

Rarity giggled as Spike enthusiastically reached for all the tools he needed to guide Rarity through the world of Ogres and Oubliettes. For a brief moment, Rarity could feel a small spark coming from Spike when he smiled. It was a smile similar to the one he’d wear while helping her around the shop. Happy simply because he was spending time with her. Rarity missed that smile. She never realized until recently just how special that particular smile was to her, it reminded Rarity that she always had Spike’s support. Just another thing that Rarity took for granted…

Thank Celestia… she thought. I got to see that smile again…

Author's Note

Geez, how long has it been? About two years apparently. I really didn't want to be away from this story for that long, but let's just say I was going through some rough patches and I just couldn't bring myself to work on this story, but I'm back and hopefully I can give you more regular updates. I know not too many people were thrilled with the Apple storyline, but I can't exactly leave it be. This chapter was going to be longer, but I wanted to get this chapter out, so expect a part 3 and after that I hope I can "wow" you all with what I have planned next.

Not to toot my own horn, but I'm really glad with how the nightmare scene came out. I really love the concept of a nightmare, a fear that's custom made for you and is one of the scariest things you can experience because you're being haunted by something only you can see. And I had fun blasting Pish Posh, but that's because she had it coming.

And fun fact, the coat that Rarity brought up when she was yelling at Posh was based on an actual coat I saw. I was strolling through the mall with my best friend and I was absolutely gobsmacked at how ugly this particular coat was. I suppose it was made with the fashion forward road worker in mind, but that's a very niche cliental at best.

Let me know what you guys think of this chapter, I love reading the comments.

As always, thanks for reading. See you next time :raritywink:

Silver Wit

Dungeons and Deserts: Part 3

After many hours, a lone unicorn emerged from the forest on the outskirts of Anvil Wood. Haven been given her quest, Clarity the Radiant set about to rid the farmlands of their parasprite problem.

“Hmm, I suppose the first thing to do would be to gather intel on those nasty little buggers,” the sorceress said. As she set off on the dirt road before her. Not long after, Clarity noticed large open fields, but not a single crop to be found. It was safe to assume that Clarity found her destination.

“Well howdy stranger,” came a rustic voice. “What brings ye ‘round these here parts?”

He was a middle-aged earth pony, with a large brimmed straw hat and tired eyes. She could tell just by looking at his hooves that he’s been a farmer since the day he could hold a spade.

“Good day sir,” Clarity greeted. "I’m here because I’ve heard rumors that your farms needed some assistance.”

The farmer perked up. “Well land’s sake! Yer here te help take care of them dang ol’ parasprites! Them little varmints done ate up almost every crop we got!”

“Well not to worry my good, stallion, I’ll take care of those pests right quick. All I need to do is play some music and-“

“Woah time out!”

“Aww,” Rarity groaned. “What did I do wrong this time?”

“You’re meta-gaming Rarity,” Spike replied.

“Meta what?”

“Meta-gaming,” Spike repeated. “You’re using real world knowledge to give yourself an edge in the game.”

“I’m sorry, I’m afraid I don’t follow.”

“See, somethings you’re allowed to know because it’s common sense. Like fire is hot, water is wet and grab a spear by the non ouchie part. But bringing the real-world solution to the game is generally a no, no. You know that parasprites are attracted to music because of Pinkie Pie. But Clarity doesn’t. As far as you know, this is the first time she’s ever dealing with them. So you have to gather any and all clues on how to deal with parasprites without knowing their weakness.”

Rarity sighed, “Oh very well. I suppose it wouldn’t be much of a game if the solution was so blatantly obvious. Hmm… Let me try something else.”

Clarity cleared her throat. “My good stallion, tell me, did you happen to notice anything… peculiar about the parasprites? When did they first arrive?”

The farmer scratched his chin. “Hmm, les see. Ah reckon them lil’ blighters came ‘round ‘ere ‘bout two weeks ago. Didn’t think nuthin’ much at the time, just seemed like them bugs were just passin’ through. But then about a day or two later, they came back and there was a sorta frenzy about them. They wiped out almost all of our crops, what few acres of land we’re protectin’ won’t last fer long. Thas why we called fer help, and here ya are. Please, help us save our crops.”

Clarity nodded. “I’ll do everything in my power good sir.”

“Gooooooood mornin’ everypony!” Came a voice over the arena’s loudspeakers. “Are y’all ready fer some rough an’ tumble action!?” the crowds in the stands all let out a roar of excitement in response. “Then let’s git this here show on the road! It’s time fer the world famous Appleloosa rodeo!”

“Our first event is barrel racing!” a second voice said over the loudspeakers. “And the first contestant up is a regular in these parts! All the way from Ponyville, give it up for Applejack!”

Cheers and whistles rose up from the stands as the element of honesty took to the field, waving at the fans and stoking their spirits. Applejack rolled her shoulders and cracked her neck. She eyed the three barrels in a triangle arrangement with deadly focus.

“Right side first,” she murmured. “Ain’t nuthin’ to it.”

“On yer marks!” said the announcer. “Git set! GO!” The sound of the air horn blasted as Applejack broke into a sprint. She ran between the first two barrels and took a hard right, springing off her fetlocks and running towards the first barrel. She ran around it and sprinted to the leftmost barrel, circling around the edge, and then dashing to the furthest barrel. She circled it, but lost her footing and a bit of speed. But Applejack recovered and sprinted to the starting line. Applejack came to a stop and the crowd cheered as she tipped her hat.

“Wow wee!” said the second announcer. “What a rush that was! Applejack is a surefire example of Ponyville tenacity! And Applejack’s time… is thirteen point three seconds!”

The crowd roared again as Applejack waved and trotted off the field. “Not bad,” the country pony remarked. “Fumbled a bit, but it ain’t too bad.”

“Up next is a local folks!” the first announcer boomed. “The fire cracker of Appleloosa, let’s hear it fer Filly the Kid!”

Said pony spat out the piece of straw she was chewing on as she took her position at the starting line. She tucked her strawberry blond mane behind her ears, adjusted her hat and smirked as the crowd applauded her entrance. A quick stretch and Filly readied herself, patiently waiting for her moment. The horn blared and Filly bolted from the starting line. Despite being one of the shorter (if not the shortest) competitors, her speed was unlike anything Applejack has seen in another earth pony. Filly was able to turn on a bit and pivot her whole weight without losing an ounce of speed. She cleared the first two barrels easily and in a flash rounded the furthest barrel and practically flew back to the finish line. Filly shot Applejack a confidant (and slightly smug) grin as the fans showered her with praise and cheers.

“Ah- Ah can’t believe!” the announcer said. “Y’all saw it ‘ere folks! Filly the Kid ran the barrel race like her tails was on fire! And her time… holy smokes! Eight point two seconds!”

Applejack finished collecting her jaw off the ground. “Well Ah’ll be tarred an’ feathered…”

Clarity the radiant held aloft her lantern as she took another uneasy step through the swamp, taking special caution to avoid the murky waters. Goodness knows what lurks under the surface and the sorceress was none too keen on finding out. The moonlight struggled to clear the thick canopy above and the sound of chattering critters slinking through the rot and grime were her only company.

“Ok,” Clarity said to herself as she pulled out a worn and weathered map. “The elder said that I need to find the shrine of the guardian spirit and ring the bell three times. But where the devil is this shrine? I can’t make heads or tails of this map and I can barely see past my own nose…” Just then, Clarity fell face first into a mud puddle. She picked herself up and glared daggers at the vine entangling her hoof. “And I swear this whole swamp is out to get me!” Her horn glowed and the vine burnt to ash; another glow and her face was cleared of everything slimy and gross. Clarity collected her lantern and held it up, she shrieked as the light shone on an unfamiliar face peering out from the darkness. She held her chest as her chest thumped wildly, only to realize the face in question was part of a statue of a large frog.

Clarity pulled out her map. “Aha! I am going in the right direction! This statue is here, so the temple is…” Clarity scanned the area with her lantern until she found a few stones leading to a cobbled path. “That way!”

The sorceress made haste down the path and after a few minutes of trekking, came to a grand stone archway, while worn, weathered and slightly vine covered, this was certainly the place Clarity was searching for. She stepped into the atrium and noticed the torches along the walls, guiding her and encouraging her to move forward. Clarity proceeded with caution but was also overcome by a certain calmness as she passed through the hallowed hall. Soon her path lead her to a grand shrine and at the center of which sat a large golden frog statue, its lustrous hue playing off the moonlight as candles flicked and bowed at the base of the grand figure. Clarity approached the alter before the guardian frog.

“Well, this is quite the centerpiece,” Clarity marveled. “But, no time to sight see. I have to ring the bell and-“ Just then the sorceress noticed something amiss. “The bell? Where’s the bell!?” Clarity searched around the alter, under the alter, on the statue, even in the used candle wax around the floor. But no matter where she looked…

“The bell is gone…”

A flurry of trumpets sounded in Spike’s room as the door flung open revealing Discord with several other Discords throwing confetti. He was in his O&O outfit, his blond wig flowing in the “breeze,” and behind him was Big Mac, looking rather sheepish amidst Discord’s flair.

“Salutations Garbunkle!” the lord of chaos announced. “I and Sir McBiggun have returned for yet another rousing session of O and!- oh hello Rarity, didn’t see you there.”

“Good day Discord,” Rarity replied. “We were just-“

“Oh ho, ho!” Discord said in his flighty tone as he poofed between Spike and Rarity. “What’s this? Could it be that you’ve been bitten by the Ogres and Oubliettes bug too?”

“Well I don’t know about that,” Spike said as he rubbed his neck. “Rarity was curious and wanted to try it out.”

“But I am rather enjoying myself,” Rarity said. “A little stumbling here and there but it is quite fun.”

“Well then don’t mind us!” Discord said as he pulled Big Mac onto a floating couch that hovered over Spike and Rarity’s game. “You two keep playing, just pretend like we’re not here.” Discord snapped his paw and snacks and refreshments were placed on either side of the couch.

“You guys sure?” Spike asked.

Big Mac nodded. “Eeyup.”

“So,” Rarity said eagerly. “What’s the next step? I still have to find the bell, correct?”

Spike chuckled, “Yep. Upon further inspection of the room, you notice scratches on the floor and by the looks of it, they were made recently…”

“Let’s ‘ear it fer deputy Tin Star and his impressive rope work!” The announcer said as the crowd’s cheers died down. “As soon as the judges have tallied his score, we’ll move on te our next contender!”

“Boy howdy!” Applebloom said after swallowing another mouthful of caramel corn. “Ah knew he’d do well! Ya gotta be good with a rope if yer a deputy an’ such. What’cha think of that Autumn? Autumn?”

Said Kirin seemed to be entirely detached from the conversation as she chewed on her bottom lip and tapped her back hoof on the bleachers, eyes darting between the current standings and Applejack.

“Helloooo?” Applebloom waved a hoof in front of Autumn’s face. “Equestria to Autumn, come in Autumn.”

“Hm? Oh, sorry Applebloom,” Autumn finally said. “What did you say?”

“Is somethin’ the matter? Ye’ve had that look on yer face fer a while now.”

Autumn’s ears drooped. “I’m… just worried about AJ. She’s barely ahead of the competition and… I don’t know… I just sorta feel like she’s in trouble-” Autumn placed a hoof on her chest. “-something in here is pulling me… telling me to see if she’s ok or something…”

Applebloom raised her brows at Autumn’s words. She gave a low hum and gave her own words some serious consideration. “Autumn. Ah know it’s tough te feel like ye can’t help Applejack out. Heck, Ah feel it here an’ there too an’ Ah’m her sister. But if there’s one thing we Apples got, it’s faith in our family. Applejack’s on her own out there, but she ain’t alone. She’s got me an’ the rest of the family and we believe she’ll make us proud.-“ Applebloom held out her bag of caramel corn to Autumn. “You believe in her too. Just as much as Ah do, don’cha?”

Autumn smiled and levitated a serving of caramel corn. “Yeah. I really, really do. Thanks Applebloom, I needed that.”

“Alright folks!” The announcer called out. “Next up in the lasso lacing contest is none other than Applejack of Ponyville!”

Applejack trotted out onto the center of the field and waved to the cheering crowd. The arena had fences and hedges dotted about with a pile of small sandbags in the center ring. The Farmgirl’s nerves were ablaze with anticipation for the sound of the horn, this time for sure, she’ll blow the competition away.

“Git ready everypony!” said the other announcer. “Cause we’re goin in, three, two, one!” the sound of the air horn blared and from behind the scattered hedges and fences rose up a number of targets. Applejack wrapped her lasso around one of the multiple sandbags at her hooves and flung it at the closest target, shattering it into splinters with a satisfying “ding” sounding. She roped another bag and shot it at the next target, another hit. She spun on her hooves and flung another bag, missing the target by a hair, but Applejack quickly roped another bag and smashed her mark to pieces. Applejack kept this pace up and landed a few more shots. She flung her last bag, nicking the target before the airhorn blared again.

“Ah don’t know ‘bout you folks, but that was some dern impressive lasso work from Applejack!’ There was a ruffling sound over the speakers before the other announcer took the mic.

“And Applejack finishes with a score of twenty out of twenty-five! Let’s give her a big round of applause!”

The crowd did just that as Applejack humbly trotted off the field.

“Up next! Is our rodeo veteran! Let’s hear is for Sarsaparilla Slim!”

Slim trotted onto the field and gave a small wave to the crowd, sending most of the mares into a frenzy. He took his position at the center of the ring, with the provided sandbags close at hoof. He took a deep breath and steadied his rope. Just then, Applejack saw something change in Slim. It was like he was an entirely different stallion. His eyes hardened, his muscles tensed and his hooves were as steady as rocks. Like a wound-up rattle snake, ready to strike any second. It was in that moment Applejack realized just how much of a gap in experience there was between Slim and every other pony here.

The very second the horn sounded, Slim sprang into action and launched a sandbag at a blinding speed. A direct hit! The splinters from his first target barely tapped against the dirt before Slim shot another sandbag at the same speed. Another direct hit! Slims eyes narrowed and with a quick flick, fired off another bag, destroying three targets in a row.

Hit!

Hit!

Hit!

Hit!

As the final bell rang out, signifying the last target had been struck down and the horn ending the round, the rest of the rodeo was dead silent. The audience couldn’t find their voice and several buckets of popcorn slipped out from shocked hooves. Filly the Kid mumbled something unsavory under her breath. Finally the crowd erupted, and cheered with the force of a hurricane!

“Un… unbelievable!” Came one of the announcers voice. “You-you saw it here everypony! Sarsaparilla Slim cleared out every target with a speed I’ve only seen from the Wonder Bolts!”

“Ah ain’t seen nuthin’ like it ‘fore!” said the other announcer. “An’ if Ah didn’t see it wit’ mah own eyes, Ah’d never have believed it!”

Off to the sidelines, Applejack still couldn’t speak. She could only watch as Slim tipped his hat to the raving audience before trotting off. Applejack tried to process what she just saw. She knew Slim was a challenge, but to see him in action like this? The farmer’s legs gave out as the weight was too much to bare, eyes unblinking and voice lost to the void.

In the stands, Autumn looked down at her friend, biting her hoof, reminding herself that, at least for the time being, Applejack was on her own.

“The jig is up, Captain Baa’d!” Clarity announced as she tore off the mop she was using as an impromptu wig. She pointed a dramatic hoof at the glowering sheep. “I’ve successfully infiltrated your beauty pageant, and discovered your diabolical plan to use the parasprites to eat all the crops not controlled by the Squizard so he can monopolize produce! Surrender yourself and the guardian bell this instant!”

Captain Baa’d grinded a hoof on the model runway as the ewe’s wool seemed to curl in anger. “Impossible!” she cried. “You were in the taffy warehouse when I set it on fire!”

“Was I?” Clarity asked smugly. “Or was it?-“ a second Clarity appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. “A simple trick of the eye?” both sorceresses said before one of them vanished.

“An illusion?! Bah! How could I fall for suck an obvious ruse!?” Captain Baa’d’s wool looked close to igniting from rage before her demeanor changed in an instant. “It doesn’t matter, I suppose I’ve been bested. Very well, the guardian bell is right over there.” She pointed to the award platform where sat the first-place trophy, with the guardian bell affixed to the top.

“That’s more like it,” Clarity said as she happily trotted off to collect her prize. As soon as there was enough distance between the two, Captain Baa’d revealed a secret button on the stage and pressed it. The whole area began to shake and rattle as whirrs and clunks could be heard before the award platform rose up and in a matter of seconds the trophy was five stories above a massive structure. “What the devil?”

“Oh did I forget to mention you have to climb for it? Silly me!” Captain Baa’d mocked. “And, just one more thing.” Suddenly there was a loud bang, then another and another. The standing atop the tower next to Clarity’s goal, was a giant gorilla. “Mr. Kong here doesn’t take too kindly to creatures that want to steal shiny things away from him. Get her Mr. Kong!”

Clarity looked up at the massive beast. He had a wide smile, but his eyes gave away his hostility towards the mare. He picked up a nearby barrel and chucked it towards the sorceress.

“Oh dear…”

The rodeo clowns took to the field to give the competitors a chance to catch their breath and stretch for the final event. The clowns were doing a great job at keeping the crowd entertained, though the one who got the most laughs was Troubleshoes, who expertly tripped, bounced between barrels like a pinball and bellyflopped into a mud puddle with such perfect comedic timing that even Pinkie Pie would be taking notes. But not every pony was enjoying the show…

“AJ, you gotta snap out of it!” Autumn said as she shook her friend.

“Yeah Applejack, what’s got ya so spooked?” Applebloom asked. “Ah ain’t never seen ya like this.”

“And Ah ain’t never seen anything like Filly and Slim!” Applejack blurted. “Barrel racing, hog tying, lasso lacing, steer wrestlin’, bucking fer distance? Ah- Ah never felt like such an amateur in all mah life!”

“You’re being way too hard on yourself AJ. You did great out there! Not to mention you earned enough points to make it to the final event.”

“Barely,” Applejack spat.

“But ya still made it!” Applebloom chimed. “Now ya got a real chance te win and beat pa’s record.”

“How am Ah supposed te compete with them two!? It’s like all that trainin’ and practice meant diddly! Ah just keep getting left in the dust!”

Autumn grabbed either side of Applejack’s face and gave her a stern glare. “Now you listen and you listen good Applejack! All of that practice was never for ‘diddly!’ I watched you every day as you poured your heart, soul and sweat into this contest and now that things are hard you’re just gonna throw in the towel? Nuh-uh! Not on my watch you’re not! Now get out there and show those ponies just how determined you are!”

“But-“

“No buts! You can do this AJ, Applebloom believe in you and I believe in you too. But this is something only you can do and I know you know that you can win this. Just remember I- we’ve got your back, alright?”

Applejack took a moment to drink in everything Autumn said. The chatty Kirin did have a knack for saying the honest to goodness truth and lighting a fire under you. It was so easy for Applejack to lose sight of her goal and forget her progress, but Autumn had a special talent of reminding the farm girl of what’s important. And right now, what’s important is getting her head back in the game. She made it to the final round, this was Applejack’s time to shine! She placed a hoof on Autumn’s.

“Thanks sugarcube,” she said confidently. “Ah needed a right kick in the keester. Sorry fer worryin’ ya, Ah’m ok now.”

Autumn let go of Applejack’s face with a fleeting blush. “N-no problem AJ. I’m just happy I could help.”

Applebloom gave her sister a hug. “You’ve got this Applejack. And Ah know ma and pa are rootin’ fer ya too… wherever they are.”

Applejack returned the hug. “Gee, Ah hope so. Ah want pa te see me break his dern record once and fer all!”

“That’s what I like to hear!” Autumn cheered.

A slight whine aired over the PA system before one of the announcer’s spoke. “Would the qualifying contestants for the final event, please report to the field! I repeat-!”

“Well, I guess that’s our cue. We’ll be cheering you on in the stands AJ.”

“Knock’em dead sis!”

Applejack nodded and trotted to the field. Heh, jus’ watch me!

“Eeep!” Clarity ducked as another barrel came flying towards her from the ramps of the tower and Mr. Kong showed no signs of slowing down as he picked up another barrel from his seemingly infinite supply.

“If this keeps up, I’ll be dodging barrels for the rest of my life! I need a plan.” Clarity looked around the structure, the only way up was via the ramps that the barrels came down from, with the odd ladder here and there, but she was nowhere near those, so she needed another option. Just then, Clarity had an idea.

“What I need is a way to clear out these barrels. Perhaps some kind of weapon? I might have just the thing!” Her horn glowed and a large ball of energy formed and after a fizz, pop and a bang, a large mallet formed. “Let’s see what I can do with this!”

Clarity leapt into action. Smashing each barrel that came her way, every once in a while slamming her mallet against the structure. She climbed the ladders and smashed her way through more barrels, before finally coming face to face with Mr. Kong.

“Ha! What do you plan on doing now Clarity the Radiant?!” Captain Baa’d called out. “Do you really think you can beat Mr. Kong!?”

“Probably not!” Clarity responded. “But I don’t plan on fighting him at all!”

“Spike,” Rarity said. “Is it possible to smash the platform causing Mr. Kong to fall to the ground?”

“Ah, so that’s why you were attacking the tower,” Spike said. “You were weakening it’s structural integrity. Very clever. But I warn you, even after the work you did, you may not succeed.”

“Give me the die,” Rarity said with a cocky smirk.

Big Mac and Discord watched with great anticipation. Big Mac gulped and Discord was chewing his nails (as in he was literally chewing on iron nails from a burlap sack).

Rarity took the die in her hoof and blew a gentle puff of air on it. She shook it about and dropped it in the felt tray. All eyes were glued as the die bounced around the walls and spun. Then the die finally landed on…

“Twenty!” Rarity cried in joy. “I finally got a perfect roll!”

A shower of confetti and celebratory music began to play out of thin air. “Bravo Rarity!” Discord cheered. “That was some idea you had!”

“Eeyup!” Big Mac said.

Spike finished collecting his jaw off the ground. “Well I’ll be…” Spike cleared his throat. “Heh, alrighty then! You raise your mallet and all of a sudden you feel a rush of energy…”

“HAAAAA!!!” Clarity’s war cry was almost as loud as her mallet smashing onto Mr. Kong’s platform. There was a rumbling and the sound of metal buckling and violent snaps as the platform gave out, then gravity took over, sending the gorilla down, down, down and crashing onto the ground below. Clarity couldn't relish in her victory for long though, the whole tower began to wobble; in a split second, the sorceress ripped the bell from the top of the trophy and leapt from the peak of the tower, grabbing onto one of the banisters of the stage and swinging off to a very graceful and stylish landing on the catwalk before Captain Baa’d.

“Y-you cheated!” Baa’d’s wool was practically smoking. “There’s no way you could’ve won against Kong!”

Clarity smirked. “Don’t be a sore loser darling, it’s not very dignified. Now, if you’re quite done fuming, I have a village to save.”

“I don’t think so,” Captain Baa’d pulled out a strange whistle and blew into it. An odd and eerie sound resonated from the instrument and soon the room was flooded with parasprites. Their eyes were red and the buzzing of their little wings could only be described as “hostile.”

“I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to return that bell. You don’t want to deal with a swarm of hungry parasprites.”

Clarity held the guardian bell up. “Haven’t you learned? I don’t have to fight you directly!” she rang the bell three times and things became silent. Then there was a rumbling, a thud and then the ceiling collapsed and the dust settled, revealing a giant frog. The frog spotted the swarm of parasprites and let out a mighty bellowing croak. The swarm’s hostility died as each and every parasprite turned white and flew as fast as they could away from the amphibious titan.

“NO! Get back here you stupid bugs! Obey me!” Captain Baa’d barked. She furiously blew into the whistle to no effect. At that moment, the ewe felt like something was eyeing her. She looked up at the enormous frog, she could see her own terrified expression reflect back in its eyes. The frog threw his tongue out, capturing the sheep and pulled her into its mouth. After about a second, the frog inhaled and spat Captain Baa’d out through the roof.

“I’ll get you for this Clarity!!!” the slime covered villain cried as her form disappeared over the horizon.

“Wait,” Rarity said. “Does this mean… I won?”

Spike chuckled, “Yep! The day is saved and it’s all thanks to you.”

“I won!” Rarity exclaimed. “I won, I won, I won!” Oh dear, that was rather exciting.”

“Glad you had fun Rarity,” Spike said as he gave Rarity a small golf clap.

“Sooooo, now that Rarity is done with her little ‘training quest’,” Discord said as he poofed himself and Big Mac on either side of the mare. “Can we get back to our game now?”

“Um, would it be alright if I played as well?” Rarity asked meekly.

Discord rolled his eyes. “Well obviously! Looks to me like you can handle yourself in O&O, but now you’re playing with the pros. I hope you can keep up.”

Big Mac nodded. “Eeyup!”

“Get comfortable Rarity,” Spike said as he took out his other notes. “You’ll be here for a while.”

“I’m ready!” Rarity said eagerly.

“I hope so,” Spike said as he narrowed his eyes on the three adventurers before him. “Cause I’ve got the perfect idea to test your mettle…”

It was time for the final event of the Appleloosa rodeo. The haybale stacking contest. Applejack trotted to her position next to a large cart full of bales, joining her was deputy Tin Star, Filly the Kid and Sarsaparilla Slim. She took a breath. This is what she’s been training for. She was going to beat her pa’s record, and nopony was going to stand in her way.

“Now remember folks!’ the announcer said. “Win or lose, these here ponies are the best of the best! And should be dern proud of how far they came! Now, y’all know the rules! When the timer starts, each pony will stack as many haybales as they can, the one with the most bales by the end of the round wins!”

“Will this be the year that somepony finally breaks the record set by Bright Macintosh?” said the other announcer. “With these contestants, anything is possible! Now, let’s stack!”

The four ponies in the arena readied themselves. There was a moment of silence as the onlooker’s cheers died out, save for the whistling of the wind as it carefully threaded the tension in the air. The horn blared and the contestants were off. As Applejack expected, Slim was just as capable at this as he was at every other event and made easy work of his haybales. Tin Star was keeping up with the element of honesty as he fired off bale after bale. Filly the Kid on the other hoof was falling behind. Her lack in height helped her in the speed and agility courses, but was proving to be a pretty sizeable handicap here. Applejack gritted her teeth. She had to focus, had to keep a good pace going, had to remember technique even as the fatigue set in. Her haybale stack was getting higher and higher, but it was still falling short of Slim’s; as it seemed for every bale Applejack kicked, Slim kicked two.

Her breathing became labored as the fatigue became too great and lack of energy became more and more taxing on the mare. Gotta keep goin’! gotta keep goin’! she chanted in her mind, she had to keep up with Slim, she had to beat him, she had to break the record. The crowd roared like a thunderstorm, but Applejack couldn’t hear it. In fact, she was having trouble hearing anything. There was a ringing in her ears before she collapsed on the dirt. Applejack’s vision blurred as her whole world began to spin and warp around her. Time slowed down as the mare tried to get up. She couldn’t lose, she couldn’t… but Applejack couldn’t go on. She lost the fight…

“AJ!”

Applejack jolted as something finally broke through the incessant ringing. Her vision began to clear up as well.

“Get up AJ!”

Applejack looked up. Over by the sidelines was Autumn. Somehow her voice was carrying over the chaos with crystal clarity.

“You have to get up!” the Kirin cried. “You can’t stop now! You have to keep going! I know you can do this AJ! Please get up!”

Was it magic? Some kind of divine intervention? Whatever it was, Applejack found herself pushing off the ground and with a deep breath and a quick slap to the cheeks, she was back in the game. Applejack began to kick her bales with a vigor she never felt before. To heck with pacing and technique, what she needed was power and luckily she had that in spades. She fired off her legs like cannons, sweat poured with every grunt and huff but she kept kicking. She was catching up, she closed the gap passing Filly, passing Tin Star! One last hurdle to jump, one last challenger to beat! She was close, she’ll pass Slim, she’ll break the record, victory was within a foreleg’s reach as long as she pushed further and further passed her limits, she’ll make it!

The air horn blared over the speakers. The final haybales landed on their respective piles. Applejack stumbled, her lungs felt like they were on fire and her breath erratically wheezed in and out. Her whole body felt like it was struck by lightning and she was having trouble seeing straight. The ringing in her ears was back as the adrenaline coursed through her veins.

But Applejack was still standing.

“Well Ah’ll be covered in cookin’ oil an’ thrown te the manticores!” said one of the announcers. “Ah never did see anything like it folks! Ah don’t know ‘bout you, but Ah know Ah’ll remember this day fer years!”

There was a short whine over the speakers as the mic was passed over. “We’ve tallied the results everypony!” said the other announcer. “Filly the Kid, bucked a grand total thirty-four bales! Tallying up her previous points, lands her in third place!” The announcer waited for the crowd to die down before reading off the next name. “Deputy Tin Star, with a total of forty bales! Tallying up his previous points, lands him in fourth place!” The crowd’s cheers rose up again. “And, bucking a total of fifty-three bales!” Everypony within hearing range was as quiet as could be as they waited for the top two with overwhelming anticipation. “With the title of runner up!” the only sounds came from the creaking of the stands as the entire audience was on the literal edge of their seat… “Is Applejack! Which means, in first place is Sarsaparilla Slim with a grand total of fifty-five bales, just shy of the sixty-four-bale record, and this year’s rodeo champion!” The crowd’s hoots and hollers hit a crescendo, one so loud one would think it could be heard n Canterlot.

Slim waved to the audience and bowed, while Filly puffed out her cheeks and gave the campion a sour look. The news of the placements was enough to shake Applejack out of her fugue. She covered her eyes with her hat, sighed and raised her head and smiled.

“Heh. You got one more year pa…”

“AJ!” Autumn ran onto the field and wrapped Applejack in a tight bearhug. “You were great out there! I mean, I’m sorry you didn’t win, but you looked amazing out there! I’ve never seen you move like that! Where’d ya learn it? Oh, it doesn’t matter, what matters is you did amazingly well and nopony can say you didn’t give it your all!”

Applejack was able to catch a breath of air. “Thanks sugar cube. Ah didn’t know Ah had it in me neither.”

“You were so cool!” Applebloom chirped as she joined the hug. “Ah wish Big Mac and Granny were here te see this! You would’a knocked’em off their hooves!”

Applejack chuckled, “That’d be a sight wouldn’t it?”

“Hey, Apple!”

Trotting up to Applejack was Filly the Kid, though her trademark scowl seemed to be absent from her features.

“Oh, uh, howdy Filly,” Applejack greeted nervously. “What can Ah-“

In an instant Filly grabbed Applejack’s hoof and started shaking it vigorously. “That was one heck o’va challenge! Ah ain’t been backed inta a corner like that fer ages! You gots guts Applejack and Ah can respect a pony with guts.”

Applejack was grateful that the shaking was bringing some feeling back into her foreleg. “Well, uh, no problem. You were mighty impressive yerself Filly.”

“Cobbler.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s actually Peach Cobbler,” said the short mare. “But you can call me ‘Peaches.’ Jus’ don’t tell nopony, got it?”

Applejack drew her hoof over her smile. “Mah lips’re sealed Peaches.”

“Good!” Peaches turned and trotted off. She stopped and turned to look over her shoulder. “Ah better see ya here next year Applejack! Gotta have somethin’ te look forward te.” Peaches took her leave, and Applejack couldn’t help but notice the little spring in her step.

“Huh. Guess there’s more to her than meets the eye,” Autumn commented.

“Jus’ a little too competitive,” Applejack said. “Can’t say Ah’ve never been like that before.”

“Well, the rodeo was fun an’ all,” Applebloom said. “But Ah’m getting’ hungry and Auntie Orchard said she’d make a big dinner fer us.”

“Sounds good to me!” Autumn replied. “Let’s go get some grub.”

“Y’all go on ahead,” Applejack said. “Ah’m jus’ gonna stay here fer a while.”

“Everything ok AJ?” Autumn asked with concern. “If this is about not winning or breaking the record-“

“Ha! Are ye kiddin’? this was the best Ah’ve ever done! Ah didn’t break pop’s record, but Ah’m getting’ there. Naw, Ah just need te catch mah breath is all.”

“Well alright,” Applebloom said as she trotted away. “But don’t be cryin’ when there ain’t nothin’ left.”

“See you later AJ.” Autumn gave Applejack one last hug before catching up with Applebloom and the pair left.

Applejack sat herself down in the dirt and let out a deep sigh. She gazed up at the stacks of haybales and a feeling of pride began to well up from her heart. She thought back to all the days of training. All the sweat and soreness were worth it. She was a few steps closer to her goal. Just have to make sure nopony beats her to it. The stands were emptying out as the crowd moved on to enjoy the rest of what Appleloosa has to offer. Not that Applejack noticed them, or the pony trotting up behind her.

“That was some mighty fine work you did out there Applejack.”

Applejack flinched in surprise and turned her head. Sarsaparilla Slim tipped his hat and gave Applejack a small smile.

“Howdy Slim. Congrats on yer win.”

“Thank you. But I have to admit, you certainly gave me a scare at the end. I haven’t seen a pony make a comeback like that in a long time.”

Applejack chuckled. “Ah gotta be honest Slim, Ah have no idea where that energy came from. One-minute Ah’m about te tap out, next thing Ah know, somethin’ inside me kicked me right in the flank and I was able te pull myself up.”

“Hmm…” Slim took a seat next to the mare. “Applejack, I want to tell you a story. It was many, many moons ago, when I was about your age. I entered the rodeo and I thought for sure that I was a shoo-in for the title champion that year. But. There was one stallion who seemed to always be one step behind me. A fella by the name of Bright Mac.”

Applejack’s eyes widened and looked at Slim in disbelief.

Slim smirked. “Maybe you’ve heard of him? Anyways, I was dominating the rest of the competition, but that Bright Mac made darn sure that I didn’t have a runaway lead. If I scored twenty points, he’d get nineteen. If my time in barrel racing was 12.2, he’d beat it in 10 seconds flat. This kept goin’ all day, until the haybale contest. I was in the lead and it looked like Bright Mac had finally met his match. I had such a sizable gap over him, I thought for sure he was going to be left in the dust. But then something happened, Bright Mac started flinging haybales like a stallion possessed. I never saw anything like it before. He not only cleared the gap between us, but went so far and so hard that he set a record.

“After the match, I asked him how he did it. How did he go from trailing behind me to winning the whole event ? He said, ‘I heard my Buttercup cheering. I had to make her proud.” -Slim patted Applejack’s shoulder. –“I know you’ll go far kid; you’ve got so much potential. You got your father’s spirit and his stubbornness and someday you’ll break his record. Not this year and maybe not the next, but you will someday.” Slim stood up and took a moment to help Applejack up as well. “Till then, keep workin’ hard. I’m sure your father wants you to break his record too after all. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I promised Sassafras I’d get him some ice cream. See you around Applejack.”

Applejack tipped her hat. “See you around Slim… and thanks.”

Slim waved goodbye before trotting off. After a few moments, Applejack gave one last look around. The hoofmarks in the arena, the empty stands with an occasional forgotten popcorn bucket or cider mug, the sun reflecting off the glass of the announcer booth and the towering haybales. She took a deep breath and released a satisfying hum. Her head was held high as she left the grounds.

“And on that note,” Spike said as he closed his O&O manual. “I think we’ll call it a day.”

“My goodness that was a thrilling adventure!” Discord said as he stretched his limbs.

“Eeyup!” Big Mac agreed.

Rarity giggled, “Indeed. I thought for sure we’d be trounced by that hydra.”

“But it was your idea to distract it with a sparkly mini-skirt,” Spike added. “Can’t say I’ve seen that before.”

Rarity grinned. “Never underestimate the power of the mini-skirt darling. It can make or break you.”

Discord took out a clock in his own image. “Hmm, looks like I still have time for some late tea. So I’ll be off now.”

“Say hi to Fluttershy for me,” Spike said waggling his brows, much to Discord’s annoyance.

“Good day Discord,” Rarity said.

Discord snapped his claw, then he and Big Mac were standing in what looked like a great glass elevator, Discord sporting a brown top hat, purple coat, and ivory pants. While Big Mac wore a very uncomfortable grimace on his muzzle as he dreaded what Discord had planned.

“Toodle-oo you two,” Discord said. “Up and out, next stop Ponyville!” Discord pressed a large red button and the glass pod began to shake before shooting up, phased through the ceiling, and was gone from sight. Though a few Canterlot citizens could swear they heard the faint cries of a stallion.

“I suppose I should take my leave as well,” Rarity said as she collected her things. “Visiting hours are almost over and I have an order to fill. Good day Spike.”

Spike scratched his cheek as he tried to put words together. “Hey Rarity…”

“Yes darling?”

“Thanks… for today… I… I really enjoyed playing with you.”

Rarity smiled, which seemed to put Spike at ease. “The pleasure was mine dear. I have to admit, this was much more fun than I was anticipating. We should do it again sometime.”

Spike was filled with excitement. “Y-yeah! Sure thing Rarity! Um, I’ll let you know the next time we’re playing and maybe you can join us.”

“I’d like that very much. See you tomorrow Spike.”

“See you tomorrow Rarity.”

As Rarity trotted down the halls of the hospital wing, she dug into her saddlebag and pulled out a small figurine. It was of her, well more specifically of Clarity the Radiant, in full wardrobe and looking very confidant. A small gift from Discord to welcome her into their game. Truth be told, while Rarity did have fun playing the game, she was happier that she got to share this time with Spike. He looked more excited and jovial then she remembered him being in a long time.

Rarity had a light blush on her cheeks as she tucked her figure back into her bag and practically skipped all the way back to the boutique.

As the sun began its decent, Applejack trotted back to Auntie Orchard’s farm, the fading light casting long shadows of the path and giving the trees a warm glow. As the farmhouse came into view, something else caught Applejack’s attention. Atop a hill that rose over the trees was a lone Kirin, staring out into the wasteland. Applejack was drawn to her friend, she couldn’t put her hoof on how, but she could feel that something was eating at Autumn and the honest Apple felt determined to see what was the matter. It took Applejack longer to climb the hill than she realized; but after the day she had, that was to be expected.

“Howdy Autumn,” Applejack said as she finally reached the top. “Mind if Ah join ya?”

Autumn shook her head. “Not at all AJ. Take a seat, the view is amazing.”

Applejack sat next to the chatty Kirin, her hoof brushed against Autumn’s and she drew it back and adjusted herself so that they weren’t so close to each other.

Though if Applejack was being honest, the Kirin’s hoof felt nice.

“Somethin’ on yer mind sugarcube?”

“Not really… well, yeah. Actually I’ve had a lot on my mind recently. I thought I’d take a minute to clear my head and wouldn’t you know it? This hill is the perfect spot to watch the sunset.”

“Yeppers, this ‘ere’s a mighty fine spot. Y’all can see all the way to the horizon.”

“The way the sun’s light sets the earth aglow and the skies awash in such beautiful oranges and purples, as if nature herself is sharing with us her most glorious painting. And as the desert gives its final moment of life before being swallowed by night, I can’t help but feel as if it were made specially for me and I’m ever grateful for this gift.”

Applejack blinked a few times before she absorbed everything Autumn said. “Ah was gonna say, it’s pretty. But yeah, that.”

Silence followed as the two friends enjoyed each other’s company. Both mares stared out to the sea of colors as a gentle breeze caressed their faces.

“AJ…” Autumn finally broke the silence, but kept watching the sunset. “I’m.. I’m going home… back to my village.”

Applejack felt a jolt run through her as she turned to face Autumn. “Wha-? Yer… yer leavin’? But Ah thought we’d be going back te Ponyville and-“

Autumn giggled, “it won’t be forever. AJ. I’ve just been giving what you told me a lot of thought and decided that I have a few long heart to hearts to have. Chief Rainshine, my folks, my neighbors… I need to tell them what I’m feeling, how it felt to be banished… I don’t want to carry this weight around anymore and I don’t want to ruin any relationships I have. But… I have to get these emotions off my chest.” Autumn finally turned to face Applejack, and the Apple’s heart skipped a few beats as the setting sun caused the gold in Autumn’s eyes to sparkle and glow, perfectly complementing her sweet smile. –“And as soon as I’m done, I’ll be right back in Ponyville.”

Applejack smiled back and took her hat off and plopped it onto Autumn’s head. She laughed, “Ha, ha! Ye better come back! We’ve got a big harvest comin’ up and we’ll need everypony te pitch in!”

Autumn tilted her hat. “Heh! I wouldn’t miss it for the world AJ!”

A lone pony was trotting on the path from the farmhouse. Braeburn walked with an apple in hoof, looking rather nervous. “Miss Autumn, Ah want ya te have- no, no. Um, Autumn, it’s been a real pleasure meetin’ ya and… Ah want ya te have this apple. Ah picked it fresh jus’ fer you an’… Braeburn’s voice caught in his throat as he caught a glimpse of the two ponies on the hill. He saw his cousin and the pretty Ms. Autumn laughing and sharing a special kind of closeness as they watched the last flickers of light. Braeburn’s jaw dropped as realization struck him. His ears wilted and his eyes were glued to the darkened dirt path. After a few moments, he raised his head, shrugged his shoulders, and sighed. He looked up at the hill and took a bite of the apple in his hoof.

Braeburn chuckled, “Right. Like Ah can compete with her.”

Author's Note

Goodness this took a lot of time! But it's finally done! Finally finished the Dungeons and Deserts saga! (que fanfare). Anyways, just a quick FYI for those of you who didn't see my blog post, while I was scratching my head on what to do with this chapter, I actually wrote the next two chapters since I know what I wanted to happen in them and minor spoiler warning, this arc is coming to a close very soon. I gotta tell you I've been feeling really motivated as of late and I'm not sure what it is. Maybe it's the fact I found a really good workout routine and in the best shape of my life. Maybe it's the self help books that taught me that I can't wait for inspiration to come, I have to seek out inspiration and to work everyday even if what I write/draw is terrible. Maybe it's the fact that I'm actually on a path to the career of my dreams. Maybe it's from Pompo the Cinephile aka the best movie I've seen all year motivating me to go forward. Or maybe it's all of the above? Either way, I'm really happy with where I am in life right now. :pinkiehappy:

Any-hoo! One of the hardest things to write was Rarity's O&O game. Bare in mind, that since Dungeons and Deserts part one, I actually started playing D&D (my bestie asked and I was like "Ok") and while my opinion of it has improved, but I still don't like it very much. I think it might be because I utterly despise the combat. I'll be having fun roleplaying with my friends and getting into some mischief when we visit a town, but the second combat starts I think to myself, "Oh boy. Here's to another hour and a half of this. What'll we be facing this time? A skeleton? A zombie? A dragon? A dragon zombie skeleton?" But I digress. Eventually I kinda came to the conclusion that D&D is basically a really complex point and click adventure game and point and click stories tend to be on the more absurd side. Like a mission starts off with getting a cat out of your neighbor's tree and somehow ends with you helping an Egyptian mummy winning a spelling bee or something. So when I was having trouble with where to take Rarity's adventure I basically threw up my hands, blew a raspberry and decided to take a hard right onto Bonkersburg AVE. So I'm activating my "It's a parody of D&D," trap card and calling it a day. And for the record my bestie is obsessed with D&D and she loved the campiness, so that's all I really needed to go ahead.

Let me know what you guys think of this chapter, I love reading the comments.

As always, thanks for reading. See you next time :raritywink:

Silver Wit

Shortcut Through the Facts

Let’s see. List of supplies. Balloons, confetti, potting soil, beakers… Twilight wrote out on a piece of parchment as she walked through the halls of the School of Friendship. I need to check the budget, but I’d love to pour more resources into the theatre department. Just need to find a good teacher. Another problem for another day.

“Geez, I still can’t wrap my mind around you Twilight,” said her Captain of the Guard.

“Hm?” Twilight pulled her head out of her list. “Did you say something Flash?”

“I’m just impressed,” Flash chuckled. “Since leaving the castle, you somehow avoided three puddles, two low hanging branches, five students and a slug. You’re something else.”

Twilight giggled, “Gotta be a good multitasker when you’re Celestia’s top student. Guess I don’t even really think about it anymore.”

Just then Flash’s wing sprung out and deflected a rogue ball flying right for Twilight.

“Nice reflexes…” Twilight said with a blush.

“Heh, comes with the job.”

After a slap on the fetlocks to the students practicing Buckball indoors, Twilight and Flash neared the Headmare’s office.

“Thanks for walking with me Flash, but I think I can take it from here.”

“Are you sure Twilight? You have been working harder than you usually do. Maybe I should-“

“I’m fine,” Twilight said quickly. “Really, I am. I just like keeping busy is all. Got to stay focused and not let my mind wander.”

Flash sighed, “Twilight you can’t keep pushing yourself like this. You’re libel to burn out.”

Twilight rested her hoof on the door to her office. “Flash, I appreciate the concern, I truly do. But I’m ok. I can’t be a crying mess day in and day out. So I’ll keep working for now.”

Twilight opened the door and was surprised to see it abuzz with activity as Starlight Glimmer seemed to have made herself quite comfortable in Twilight’s chair and was signing papers and going over itineraries.

“Hey Starlight!” Pinkie Pie said as she bounced in place. “I need’ja to sign this order of coconut cream pies for today’s slapstick class!”

Starlight quickly grabbed Pinkie’s forms and signed off on them. “There you go Pinkie, be sure to clean up the mess. Fluttershy, did your class hand in their permission slips for the animal sanctuary tour?”

The kindly Pegasus nodded. “Yes, I have them right here.” Fluttershy passed a folder to Starlight and she quickly went over them.

“Ok, I’ll get these filed asap, have fun! Hang on, who do we have covering for generosity 101 today?”

“Maud’s covering today,” Rainbow Dash said. “I can run over the lesson plan to her if you want.”

“That’d be great, thanks Dash,” Starlight held up the necessary forms and in a blink were out the window with Rainbow Dash.

“Um, what’s going on here?” Twilight finally said as she approached her counselor.

“Ah, there you are Twilight! I was wondering when you’d get in. Take a seat, we have something to talk about.”

“We do?” Twilight asked as she took a seat opposite Starlight.

“Yes we do,” Starlight’s tone took a turn to serious. “I’m giving you the day off Twilight. To settle some… unfinished business you have.”

“Oh no!”- Twilight slapped her forehead. -“I messed up the inventory of the new math books didn’t I? Don’t worry, I’ll get right to it and-!“

“That’s not what I’m talking about Twilight,” Starlight said rolling her eyes. “I’m talking about the business you have with a certain somepony.”

Twilight got the hint, but still didn’t want to admit it. “I… I don’t know who you mean.”

Starlight sighed, “Rarity, Twilight. I mean Rarity. I think it’s time you have an actual talk with her.”

Twilight’s body tensed up. “And… why do you say that?”

“Because she hurt you Twilight,” Starlight said bluntly. “And I don’t think you’ll be able to move forward until you talk it out with her. Even if Spike were to show up on your doorstep today completely healed, you’d still be carrying this baggage with you. And I know you’ve been trying to ignore it with work, but how long can you really keep this up?”

She was right. As much as Twilight didn’t want to admit it, but both Flash and Starlight were absolutely right. How long had it been since that day? The last time she saw the snow-white mare was… funny, Twilight honestly couldn’t remember. Was it the stress? The workload? Maybe time just ran away from her without much notice.

“But…” Twilight said quietly. “But what am I supposed to say?”

“Take a page from Applejack and try some honesty. Tell her what’s really on your mind, how you really feel and don’t sugarcoat anything.”

“And… what if…” Twilight’s voice froze for a moment. “What if we aren’t friends anymore?”

Starlight’s ears drooped. She paused as if she were sifting through all the possible responses she could give to her mentor and friend on such a heavy question. “I think… that lies solely on you. Whether you’re still friends with her or not, will be based on what the two of you say and what you decide to do. I can’t guarantee anything, but I truly believe you need this for your own peace of mind.”

Twilight massaged her temples and took a breath. “Ok, ok. You’ve made your point. I’ll… I’ll go see Rarity. Are you sure you have everything under control here?”

Starlight waved a hoof. “Oh don’t worry Twilight. I got this whole headmare thing in the bag. Forms signed, orders made and I got Trixie to cover my counselor duties.”

“Trixie?” Twilight gawked.

Starlight smiled. “Yep! She can give really good advice when she wants to.”

Twilight stood up and gave her pupil a grateful smile. “Well, at least I know the school is in good hooves. Thank you Starlight.”

“No problem Twilight. Now shoo, go, and get some closure.”

“Alright,” Flash said. “Let’s get to the station, I think the next train is-“ He was cut off by Twilight’s gentle hoof on his shoulder.

“Thanks Flash, but I have to do this on my own. I’ll see you when I get back.”

The determination in Twilight’s voice was unmistakable. Flash nodded and rested his hoof on hers. “Good luck Twilight.”

32 to the left, 10 to the right, 24 to the left, and 3 to the right. The safe made a soft “ker-thunk” and the door swung open, revealing piles of bits. Rarity’s magic scooped up a few stacks and placed them into a small bag, she tied the string into a stylish knot and placed it in her saddlebag.

“Alright, that should be enough for another order of quartz. Speaking of, where did I leave my basket?”

As Rarity searched around the room, Sassy Saddles stood in the doorway, looking quite perturbed. She forced a smile as her eyes took turns twitching. She cleared her throat to announce her presence. “Rarity,” she said through strained teeth. “May I have a word with you?”

“Hm? Oh, yes! What can I do for you Sassy?” Rarity asked as she continued her search.

“Rarity,” Sassy began, holding her smile up with pins and needles. “As your friend, I have total confidence in your business and I trust your judgement in how you run and operate it. But as manager of Canterlot Carousel, I feel that it’s my responsibility and duty to bring up some… concerns that I’ve had as of late.”

“I see,” Rarity said as she turned over some boxes. “And what has you concerned darling?”

Several hairs split on Sassy’s already frazzled mane. “You… you haven’t been making dresses… lately… at all actually… You’ve, um, you’ve just been buying gems and not using them for dresses. Did I mention that you haven’t been making dresses?”

“You have darling,” Rarity said unfazed as she peeked inside a closet. “And I understand your concerns, but I can’t design anything at the moment, I have… other responsibilities right now, not to mention I just haven’t had inspiration for moons.”

“Other responsibilities? Inspiration?” Sassy was teetering on a knife’s edge of sanity and a total meltdown. ”What in satin’s sake could be more important than your responsibilities here!?”

Rarity turned to Sassy with a grave expression. “I… I can’t tell you. But I promise as soon as I’m finished I’ll be right back to work, I promise. Oh! Now I remember, I left it by the entrance!” Rarity trotted to the front of the shop and sure enough there was her basket of rainbow quartz. She turned back to Sassy. “I’ll see if I can get some dresses shipped from home. Don’t fret Sassy, everything will be fine.” I hope…

Rarity left her shop and headed in the direction of her gem supplier. Turning a corner she was shocked to see a very long line of angry ponies with dress bags, waiting outside of a boutique. Rarity recognized the name, “Pony Posh,” with a sign in the window that read “50% OFF!”. A pony trotted out of the store with a bag of bits and another followed suite. The sign in the window was quickly taken down and replaced with one that read, “75% OFF!” in hastily drawn red ink.

Rarity turned her nose up. “Hmph! Serves her right!”

After a pop and a flash, Twilight was standing before Canterlot Carousel. As much as she was psyching herself up for this, she found her hooves glued to the sidewalk. She kept telling herself that it wasn’t a big deal, she just wanted to talk. She’s done that countless times before with Rarity, and Applejack, Pinkie Pie, heck with all of her friends. But none of those talks had the potential to end a friendship… Not that Twilight was hoping to end it, but could she really forgive Rarity for what she’s done to Spike? And if Twilight did choose to cut her ties with Rarity, what would happen to the rest of their friends? Would they choose sides? Would the Elements of Harmony be lost when Equestria needs them most?

Twilight shook her head. “No. Don’t fall into that hole Twilight,” she said to herself. “You’re just here to talk. Start with that first and we’ll go from there.” Twilight finally drummed up the courage and trotted up to the door and pushed it open. The bell chimed and announced her presence to anypony inside.

“Welcome to Canterlot Carousel!” the strained voice of Sassy Saddles called out as she greeted her customer. “How can I- OH MY GOSH PRINCESS TWILIGHT THANK THE STARS!!”- Sassy grabbed Twilight by the shoulders. -“YOU HAVE TO HELP ME!!”

“S-Sassy?” Twilight asked worriedly. “Help you with what? What in the world is going on?”

“It’s Rarity!” a dam finally seemed to break as Sassy let out a deluge of all her recent stressors in one fluid motion. “She- she’s not making any dresses!“ Sassy turned Twilight so she could get a better look of the store. Needless to say, there were only a few dresses left. “We’re literally thread bare! I’ve had to dig out and display dresses from two seasons ago, and this one isn’t even finished! Business is plummeting and all Rarity can think of is blowing all her money on gems! If this keeps up, I’ll be out of a job again! I can’t lose this job Twilight, it’s the best I’ve ever had!”

“Gems?” Twilight’s voice suddenly had a cold edge to it. “What kind of gems?”

Twilight’s tone was strong enough to snap Sassy out of her panic. “I-I don’t know. They’re very pretty and very expensive, but she isn’t using them to make anything. No dresses, no suits, not even a hat or a scarf. She just takes her basket of gems and goes off to Celestia knows where.”

Twilight tried her best to keep her composure. Rarity would never be so brazen. Would she? Deep down, Twilight didn’t want to believe it. But with everything that’s happened between the two of them and after what Sassy had said…The Princess of Friendship turned and made her way back to the street. “I’ll see what I can do,” she muttered.

Twilight didn’t waste any time and soon she was hastily moving through the halls of Canterlot General Hospital. She hoped for Rarity’s sake that the fashionista was nowhere near her little brother. She finally arrived at Spike’s room and just to add more fuel to Twilight’s fire, she heard a very familiar voice.

“Alright Spike,” Rarity said cheerily. “this is the last one.”

“Of course you save the biggest one for last,” Spike’s eye roll was practically audible.

Twilight couldn’t take it for another second, her horn flared to life and the door burst open with a powerful thud. Both Rarity and Spike jumped. All of a sudden neither of them could move. The anger and malice from the Princess of Friendship could be felt like an oppressive heat. “What are you doing here?” she hissed.

“T-Twilight,” Spike’s voice was meek. “It’s not what yo- GAGH!”

Rarity’s magic shoved the last gem in Spike’s mouth as she stared her mortality in the face. “Oh goodness me, look at the time!” She said as fast as she could. “I must be going now, goodbye Spike, feel better!” She knocked over her chair as she bolted for the exit, at a speed that Rarity prayed would be quick enough to escape her execution.

Twilight turned her attention back to Spike, stomped over with her horn a glow. “Get that out of your mouth!” she yanked the gem out of Spike’s mouth as if he were a hatchling who had a whole box of crayons between his teeth. “I can’t believe you let Rarity just buy you off like that! I swear when I get my hooves on her I’ll-!”

Spike raised a claw. “Woah, woah, woah, slow down Twilight. It’s not what you think.”

“What!?” Twilight scoffed. “You expect me to believe Rarity wasn’t just buttering you up with gems after she put you in the hospital in the first place!?”

“Twilight calm down. Rarity isn’t ‘buying me off,’ give me a bit more credit. And trust me, nopony could ever buy a dragon off with these gems,” he plucked the quartz from Twilight’s magic and popped it in his mouth. After an agonizing crunch he downed the contents of a nearby pitcher. “Ugh, they taste terrible…”

“Then why are you eating them!?”

“Because they’re helping me recover,” Spike said plainly.

Twilight’s anger broke and was replaced with bafflement. “Helping you recover? What are you talking about?”

Spike was relieved that something got through to his sister. “Those gems, they’re called ‘rainbow quartz’ and they’re supposed to help dragons heal from any ailment. Rarity got a book from Princess Luna by Starswirl and he wrote all about these things. They taste worse than dirt, but I’m feeling better every day. And it’s thanks to Rarity and those gems that I’m doing as well as I am now.”

“Starswirl?” Twilight almost choked on her disbelief. “That can’t be right! I’ve studied Starswirl for years, ever since I was a foal and I’ve never read anything about rainbow quartz or magic gems for dragons.”

“Twi, if you don’t believe it, go ask Dr. Hawkeye. He’s the one who gave Rarity the ‘go ahead’ in the first place.”

“it’s exactly as Spike said, Princess Twilight,” Hawkeye said as he finished pouring himself a cup of coffee. “Those gems are as real a life saver as any form of medicine. I’ve seen the results with my own eyes.”

Twilight sipped her own coffee and fidgeted in her seat at Hawkeye’s desk. “And… it was Rarity who suggested it?”

Hawkeye took his seat across from Twilight. “Weird, I would’ve thought you’d know it was her idea in the first place.”

“We, um, haven’t seen each other in a while…”

“Oh, that explains it,”- Hawkeye opened a drawer and pulled out the old tome in question and flipped to the appropriate page. –“Here it is, one Starswirl original with the key to Spike’s health from the princesses themselves. I gotta tell ya, I was wracking my brain for hours trying to figure out how to help Spike. At first he just wasn’t healing at all and I even considered sending word to Dragonlord Ember herself to ask for any information. Next thing I know, Ms. Rarity gives me this book and a chance to save a life.”

Twilight went over the text very carefully. It was an authentic Starswirl alright, the penmanship and calligraphy are spot on. Either that or Twilight found the best forgery she’s ever seen in her life, but how could it be a forgery if it came from the royal sisters themselves?

“And Rarity’s been the one supplying you with gems? Why can’t you get those gems yourself?”

“I’d love nothing more,” Hawkeye said as he ran his feathers through his raven mane. “However I can’t just spend hospital money on anything that hasn’t been proven effective, even if it’s by Starswirl. And according to Rarity, they’re pretty pricey. But there is a silver lining to this.” Hawkeye pulled out a file and laid its contents before Twilight. It was a collection of charts, notes, recordings, and quotations from the book marked off on certain diagrams. “Thanks to Rarity’s efforts, I have everything I need for my presentation. All this evidence will show the director how important these gems will be in the future. We can officially use hospital funds to purchase rainbow quartz. We can help dragons as well as ponies and it’s all thanks to that plucky little mare. I should write myself a reminder to get this book back to the princesses as soon as I can.”

Twilight needed to clear her head and put everything that just happened into perspective. A nice quiet spot in the park was just what she needed. She couldn’t shake this overwhelming torrent of emotions, pushing and pulling at her psyche. She had every right to be angry. After all, she thought her little brother was in trouble and Twilight wasn’t going to let Spike get hurt again. But he wasn’t in danger…

Twilight caught the sounds of laughing in her ears. A pair of foals were playing nearby, the colt was chasing after an older filly. The colt tripped over a rock and landed face first onto the ground, he started to cry and the filly immediately turned around and comforted the colt. She brushed off any and all dirt and gave him a hug. The she placed him on her back and trotted off, with the colt hugging onto the filly with a smile that said he knew he was safe.

Twilight gave an annoyed sigh; she couldn’t believe she showed such an ugly side of herself to Spike. She was just so angry; she couldn’t control herself and the look on Spike’s face… like a monster burst into his room. But it came from a good place, right? Twilight couldn’t help but see the irony in all this. She was worried that Rarity would do something to ruin their friendship, but in the end, it seemed like Twilight was more than willing to burn that bridge on her own.

“Business is plummeting, and all Rarity can think about is blowing all her money on gems!”

“Those gems are as real a life saver as any form of medicine.”

“They’re very pretty and very expensive, but she isn’t using them to make anything.”

“Next thing I know, Ms. Rarity gives me this book and a chance to save a life.”

Echoes from the day played and re-played in her head. Rarity’s willing to risk everything she built. Everything she hoped to achieve. Twilight finally understood, but she couldn’t bring herself to face Rarity. Not now and she wasn’t sure when. Twilight’s horn glowed and in a flash, she was gone. Hoping that Starlight had some time left in the day for a little counseling.

“Canterlot sales are down 67%,” muttered Pish Posh as she looked over her reports. “Manehattan down 73%, Baltimare, 79%, Crystal Empire… ALL THE STAFF QUIT!?” Posh tore up the report and chucked it into the fireplace of her office. She leaned back in her plush chair and swore, “Figs! I don’t even have to see the rest of my sales! I know what they’ll say! How can things get any worse?”

A chime rang out in her office. “Bitsworth! Someponey’s at the door!” the chime rang out again a few moments later. “Bitsworth!” Posh shouted. “Answer the flippin’ door!” Oh. That’s right, Bitsworth isn’t here. Pish Posh had to cut the help’s hours ever since her sales tanked and all those bothersome fines found their way to her. No more night help for the time being. With a grunt of annoyance, Pish Posh rose out of her chair and trotted down the hall. Her hooves tapping on the marble, echoes her only companion on her journey to the foyer, she never really thought how far away the front of her mansion was. With every new chime fueling her anger more and more at the fact that she has to answer her own door like some kind of commoner.

Pish Posh finally came to the door and flung it open. “What!?” she barked.

On the doorstep was a tall cat in a blue coat, with an armored batpony guard flanking him on both sides. “Pish Posh I presume?” Capper asked coolly.

“What of it?” Posh asked. “I don’t have time for strays so peddle your crud elsewhere!”

“Ah, ah, ah, watch that tone,” Capper said unphased as he drew the mare’s attention to the crescent moon on his ascot. “You are speaking to Princess Luna’s personal advisor.”

“The princess?” Pish Posh asked. “What does the princess want with me?”

“I’m glad you asked,“ Capper pulled out a scroll from one of his pockets and unrolled it. He cleared his throat and read, “By order of the Princesses of Equestria, you Pish Posh are to report to court and stand before her majesties Luna and Celestia, for the crimes and accusations listed below. Be sure to arrive promptly at the designated time, failure to do so will be viewed as an act of incrimination and you will be arrested forthwith.”- Capper rolled up the scroll and passed it to Pish Posh. –“Here you go, and trust me, you really don’t want to miss your court date. Both Luna and Celestia are very eager to meet you.”

“Eager to meet me?” Pish Posh questioned. “Wait, could this mean they want to help me get out of this? Of course! I knew the royal sisters would want to hear my side of the story. All I have to do is tell them how this whole debacle isn’t my fault and they’ll let me off the hook and I can wash my hooves of this whole troublesome event!”

Capper smiled. “Oh yes. I’m sure they’d love nothing more than to hear your side of things. Well, good evening Ms. Posh.”

Pish Posh excitedly slammed the door and Capper walked off with his guards trotting a few steps behind him. Capper couldn’t help but chuckle as he left the mansion grounds.

“This is going to be fun!”

Author's Note

I kinda love the idea of Capper sitting right next to Luna with a smug grin as he watches his boss and Celestia chew Pish Posh out. And I'm more than happy to dunk on her any chance I get. This chapter was an interesting one for me, since this was the first chapter that I actually had a bit of a tug of war with my proofreader. For those of you who don't know, my proofreader is my best friend (Pastel Pallet) and I trust her more than anyone else to give me honest feedback (aside from you guys of course). But we kept going back and forth on the issue of Twilight and how she handles what happened in the park. First she was too guilty, and then I felt that she was being too callous, so we butted heads over this for like a whole day until we came to this result.

This might sound like I was annoyed with the process, but I'm really not. See, one of my personal beliefs is that one of the things that can seal an artist's downfall is ego. Ultimately you have the final call, but I think if more artists/writers/directors/etc had someone they could trust to give honest advice and slap their wrists with a ruler to keep them from doing something stupid and nail their feet to the floor, creativity can shine through and they'll create something extraordinary. I feel like all of this can be summed up in the phrase, "art from adversity."

Let me know what you guys think of this chapter, I love reading the comments.

As always, thanks for reading. See you next time :raritywink:

Silver Wit

Hooves of Clay

“ENOUGH OF THIS!” Celestia’s Royal Canterlot voice roared, eyes blazing behind her sleep deprived bags. “I SHALL HEAR NO MORE OF YOUR PATHETIC CLAIMS PISH POSH!”

Pish Posh’s jaw hung open as she was almost thrown from her podium. “B-b-but, I’m innocent in all this! It was a freak accident and-!”

“NAY!” Luna bellowed . “THOU HAST NO EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THINE CLAIM! WHILST MANY A WITNESS AND RECORDS PROVE THY GUILT!”

“I knew this was gonna be fun,” Capper said through a smug grin. “Great use of that Canterlot voice of yours Lulu, really packs some oomph.”

Luna had a slight blush and whispered, “Hush Capper, you’ll throw off my groove.”

Celestia cleared her throat and took a gulp of the nearby cup of coffee. “Pish Posh! This preliminary hearing is over! And with both circumstantial and direct evidence you are hereby indicted, and it is the judgment of this court that you will be brought up on criminal charges and will wait for the appropriate court date! You will also be banned from travel! Any attempt at leaving Canterlot will lead to an arrest and further charges!”

Pish Posh could only stand there and grind her teeth as the princesses ruling sank in. All the while cursing the princesses, cursing whoever sold her out and especially cursing Rarity and that stupid dragon.

“This isn’t over,” Posh muttered to herself. “Not by a long shot.”

It was a typical mid-morning in Canterlot, same hoof traffic going up and down the streets. Same foals playing in the same parks while their parents rehashed the events since they last spoke to one another. But the one thing that was different was a particular pony, who seemed to have the whole world on a string.

“I shan’t be late today!” Rarity sang after sipping her espresso. “I can’t believe Spike’s finally starting physical therapy! Another step towards being discharged and back on his claws! Not sure if he needs the rainbow quartz anymore, but just in case, he’ll have to stomach them a tad longer.”

“You!”

Rarity rolled her eyes and groaned as her excitement took a blow. She recognized that voice and frankly, she had no time for this.

“Stop right there Rarity!” Pish Posh stomped up to Rarity, eyes burning and mane disheveled. Her group of ponies absent and her Yes Pony trailing behind Posh like a foal dragging a balloon.

“Well, hello Pish Posh,” Rarity said with her nose in the air. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Do you have any idea what’s happened to me since that little stunt of yours?” Posh barked.

“No,” Rarity said flatly. “And to be honest, I don’t particularly care.”

Pish Posh cut Rarity off before she had a chance to leave. “I was subpoenaed! The princesses actually brought me to court! Me! And then I was indicted! They didn’t even have the decency to believe my side of the story! My sales are down in every major city in Equestria and my staff just up and quit in the Crystal Empire! And now I have officials snooping around my estate on top of the daily fines, an audit and my business partners pulling plugs left and right! My life is falling apart and it’s all your fault!”

“You brought this on yourself!” Rarity sneered. “You’re the one who hurt Spike, you’re the one who ignored the warnings about your chandelier, you’re the one who thinks anycreature that isn’t a unicorn is dirt beneath your hooves and you’re the one who thinks that every problem can just go away with enough money! Everything that’s happened is by your design!”

Posh opened her mouth for a rebuttal, but then took a breath and held back her rage. “Maybe you’re right,” Posh said through the most painfully forced smile Rarity has ever seen. “But there’s something you can do for me that could make all of this go away.”

“Why should I-?”

“If,” Pish Posh interjected. “You were to tell the princesses that this was all a misunderstanding and what happened to your little dragon friend was an honest to goodness accident, I’d surely be forgiven with all charges dropped. They’d listen to you, you’re an Element of Harmony and personal friends with Princess Twilight. I’m sure the two of you-“

“Are you even listening to yourself!?” Rarity snapped. “Do you really expect me to say any of those dishonest things after what you’ve done!?”

“I’m trying to apologize!”

“No you’re not!” Rarity got right into Pish Posh’s face, and to nopony’s surprise, Posh backed down. “You’re just trying to save your own skin! If you had even the slightest bit of compassion or empathy, you’d apologize for what you did to Spike and face the consequences of your own actions!” Rarity stepped away and adjusted her mane. “Now, if you’ll excuse me,” Rarity said in a much calmer voice. “I have places to be.”

Rarity trotted off with her head held high, not looking back for even a moment. Pish Posh grinded her teeth as a string of growls bubbled out from her throat. “THIS ISN’T OVER!” Posh screamed. “YOU’LL PAY FOR THIS! DO YOU HEAR ME RARITY!? YOU WILL PAY!”

“I never get tired of this,” Dr. Hawkeye said as his scissors cut off another section of bandages. “It’s like unwrapping a present on Hearths Warming morning, but better.”

“I’m with ya doc,” Spike said. “I can’t remember the last time I was this excited for something. You almost done?”

“Almost,” Dr. Honey Cut said as he lit his horn, projecting a concentrated beam of magic. “Just gotta cut this cast of ya and you’ll be good to go.”

“Then physical therapy?”

Dr. Hawkeye tossed another bundle of bandages into the trash. “Yep! And after a bit of therapy you’ll be right as rain and then I’m afraid we’re gonna have to kick you out.”

Spike chuckled, “Hey, no complaints here! I can’t wait to kiss this place goodbye!”

A soft knock was heard at the door and Rarity stepped in a moment later. “Good morning Spike! And to you as well doctors.”

“Hiya Rarity!” Spike said. “You’re just in time, Dr. Hawkeye and Honey Cut are almost done with my cast.”

“Aaaaaand, bingo!” Dr. Honey Cut said as if on cue. “No more cast for you my friend.”

“Oh my, how simply marvelous!” Rarity said. “I’m so happy for you Spike! Just another step towards…”
As Rarity got closer to the hospital bed and the doctors stepped back from their patient, Rarity got a good look at Spike. Her blood ran cold and her words dried up. Spike had a noticeable scar above his right eye and a large scar running up and down his right forearm. But worst of all was Spike’s back and wing. Multiple scars marked his back, as if he was mercilessly clawed by some terrifying beast. And his wing had a scar running from the base to the very tip, the webbing was scarred as well. Rarity was paralyzed as she drank in every inch of every mark on Spike’s body. His scales. His beautiful scales… tarnished, ruined and a physical reminder of Rarity’s transgression.

Her greatest shame.

I…I did this! Rarity’s mind felt impossiblyheavy, as if a thousand lead weights were crushing her. This… this is my fault… my fault! No, no, no, no, no-!

“Rarity?” Spike asked. “Are you ok?”

“Y-yes!” Rarity blurted. “I-I just… need to step out for a moment. I don’t think breakfast is agreeing with my stomach, I’ll be right back.” Rarity quickly left the room, held her hoof up to her mouth and ran to the nearest restroom.

The sound of flushing water echoed off the tiled walls of the ladies restroom as Rarity emerged from the stall panting and holding her stomach.

“Get a hold of yourself Rarity. You knew this would be a possibility; he suffered such terrible injuries. He was bound to… to…” She couldn’t finish her sentence for fear of having to duck back inside the stall. Rarity trotted up to the sink and drank some water, swishing it in her mouth before spitting it out.

What a shame. He always had the most… precious scales.

Rarity held her head as the voice scraped against her mind with iron claws. She looked into the mirror above the faucets and what looked back wasn’t a white mare, but a tall, dark, smirking pony with diamonds in her eyes.

“What do you want?” Rarity snapped at the nightmare before her.

I wouldn’t miss this for anything, replied Nightmarity. Spike’s sullied body was a feast for the eyes, and what better icing than knowing that it was all your fault. I only wish I could have seen the look on your face when you saw your handiwork.

“Shut up!”

I wonder what Twilight will say when she sees what became of her precious little brother, the Nightmare taunted. If she was that mad when she caught you feeding Spike, just imagine what’ll happen when she sees those brutal scars. She just might snap. Wouldn’t that be a sight to see?

“I said shut up!” Rarity cried. “I’m doing everything I can to help Spike! If Twilight hates me, so be it… but Spike-“

Might forgive you? Nightmarity rolled her eyes. Please. Are you really trying to fool me? Who do you think you’re talking to? You know as well as I do that as soon as Spike is released, you’ll be a pariah. No friends in Ponyville, nowhere else to call home. Spike will move on and you’ll be completely alone!

Rarity's lips trembled as a tear rolled down her cheek. In a flash, her horn fired a blast of magic, shattering the mirror into countless pieces. She let out a sob and then slowly composed herself. She turned to leave only to be met by a stunned nurse whose eyes were going back and forth between Rarity and the shattered glass.

“I’m sorry,” Rarity said in her usual grace. “I was trying to swat a fly and I broke the mirror. Tell me who I have to see, and I’ll pay for it.”

Rarity’s hoof hovered over the knob leading to Spike’s room. She breathed deep; she had to remain calm. For Spike’s sake. Nothing can upset him, not today. This was about Spike, not her. So with steeled resolve, Rarity stepped in. The doctors had just moved Spike onto a gurney (he was way too big for any of the wheelchairs).

“There you are Rarity,” Spike said. “You feeling better?”

“Much better,” Rarity replied. “Thank you darling.”

“Thanks again for coming today Rarity. It really means a lot.”

Rarity giggled, “Spike, I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

“Alright, now that we’re all here,” Hawkeye said as he began to Push Spike’s gurney. “Let’s get this show on the road!”

“Hey, doc,” Spike asked tentatively. “Will this hurt at all?”

“Oh it’ll hurt like crazy,” Hawkeye said without skipping a beat. “But it’ll be worth it in the end.”

A roar erupted from the hospital, nearly breaking the surrounding windows. Another one sounded only a few moments later, this time frightening a flock of birds that happened to be flying at the wrong time.

“Alright Spike,” Dr. Hawkeye said. “Give me another! Push with everything you got!”

“RRRRAAAAAAAGGGHHHH!!!!” Spike roared as he lifted his wing up and slowly lowered it. His sweat and tears covering his face, claws clenched so tight they started to turn white.

“C’mon Spike! Give me another!”

“I…I can’t… it’s so painful… so painful…” Spike gasped out.

“You can do this darling!” Rarity cheered. “You’re almost there, one more flap and you’re done!”

Spike gritted his teeth, took a sharp inhale, and raised his wing again, howling in pain. He started to faulter, his wing slowly sinking back down, but then he felt a gentle hoof on his claw. Rarity looked into Spike’s eyes and nodded. Spike felt a surge of energy, he slowly but surely raised his wing and stretched it out as far up as he could before slowly lowering it again.

“Done!” Spike wiped the sweat from his face. “Geez, walking wasn’t even half as painful. That’s it right?”

“Almost,” Dr, Hawkeye said. “All that’s left now is some light stretching.-” Hawkeye trotted up to Spike’s wing and placed his hooves on it. “-This might sting a little,” he warned.

“Please, after all the work I did, I can handle a little sting.” Spike winced as Hawkeye’s hooves gently moved the Dragon’s wing in a clockwise motion.

“I warned ya.”

There was a bit of static before Foresight's voice came over the PA system. “Dr. Hawkeye, you’re wanted in room 407, bed seven! Dr. Hawkeye, please report to room 407, bed seven on the double!”

“Rats,” Hawkeye swore. “I can’t just stop now. Dr. Hawkeye hummed a moment and noticed that Rarity was still resting a hoof on Spike’s claw. “On second thought, this isn’t so bad. Rarity, think you can take over?”

“M-me?” Rarity stammered. “B-but I’m not a doctor! What if something goes wrong?”

Hawkeye chuckled, “It’s not that hard, heck even Foresight can do this and he has three left hooves. C’mere.”

Rarity thought it might be for the best not to argue with the doctor, after all he had duties to perform and Spike still needed help.

“It’s best if you use your hooves,” Hawkeye said as he directed Rarity and guided her hooves to move in the same gentle motion that he was doing. “Gotta feel the tension so you know when to pull and how hard. Perfect, just like that. I’ll check back with you two as soon as I’m done.” Dr. Hawkeye trotted out of the room, leaving Spike and Rarity alone. Not that either of them minded.

Rarity continued her slow and steady strokes, stretching out Spike’s wing, trying her best not to hurt the poor dragon. Or pay too much attention to his scars. Spike flinched every so often, but he had to admit that Rarity had the right touch. Firm yet gentle. Eventually Spike began to relax, and deep down he was actually glad that he and Rarity were alone, he felt a warm sense of comfort being here with her. Just like before…

Spike’s face fell. “Hey, Rarity?”

“Hm? Oh, I’m sorry darling, did I pull too hard?”

“No, no, you’re doing fine. It’s just… well…”

“What’s on your mind Spike?”

Spike took a moment to think about his words. “Um, the thing is… I’m really glad that you came here today. And to be totally honest, I’ve really been enjoying our time together lately. It feels like old times…”

Rarity hummed, “Hm, I’ve enjoyed it as well darling.”

“But… I have to ask,” Spike clenched a claw. “Why…? Why did you treat me the way you did…?”

Rarity froze. It’s not like she wasn’t expecting this question to come up, but it still took her by surprise all the same. After all, it’s not like the mare had to think too hard as to what he was referring to. Rarity bit her lip and continued working on Spike’s wing. “There’s… nothing I can say that won’t make it sound like an excuse. I… I was so obsessed about making a good impression, making sure I brought the perfect companion. Only realizing too late that you were perfect the whole time and I was just a shallow, foolish mare. I’ll never forgive myself for what I’ve done and I wouldn’t blame you for not being able to forgive me as well, but I truly am sorry Spike… I’m so sorry for everything…”

Silence followed as Rarity kept to her work and fought to keep the tears in her eyes.

“Spike?” Rarity asked gently. “May I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

“…Why did you save me…?” Rarity noticed Spike flinch, but whether it was from the stretching or the question wasn’t very clear. “After everything I did to you, you still risked your life to save mine… why?”

Spike turned to look at Rarity, his eyes were soft, but she couldn’t read his emotions. “I didn’t want you to die. Do I need more of a reason?”

Rarity’s heart squeezed in her chest. Spike just can’t help but be a hero, can he? “No. No I suppose you don’t darling.”

Rarity closed the door to her apartment and sighed, it has been a long and turbulent day for the mare, in more ways than one. She wasn’t ready for bed, sometimes Rarity wondered what would be the point if she could hardly ever find peace in her sleep. She set down her basket and saddlebag and out of the corner of her eye, she spotted something on her desk. Paper, pencils, and charcoal. Did Sassy put those there? Or were they always there? Rarity couldn’t remember, but she felt drawn to them. She pulled the chain on the desk light and sat down. Then her magic wrapped around a pencil and she drew. One line, then another, and another, and another, until a dress was visible. Rarity smiled, she set the paper aside and went to work on another design.

Then another, and another.

Author's Note

I love seeing narcissists get torn down. Especially since I picture this happening to my ex-girlfriend or the character I based Pish Posh on. There's just something so satisfying about taking someone who thinks they're above everybody around them, like they're the self-appointed kings and queens of the world and see them get thrown from their cloud and seeing them land smack dab into the dirt.

Funnily enough, I actually wasn't planning on showing the preliminary hearing at first. I was just gonna leave it to the reader's imagination. But my proof reader (and you lot) convinced me other wise, plus it lead me to ideas for content later down the line (I.E. the criminal trial). So yes, I'll be kicking this character in the stomach for quite a while yet. Hope it's to your liking.

We're so close to Spike's full recovery, and I don't think anyone is more excited to see him released than I am. Mainly because I'm getting closer and closer to writing the BIG arc. And I was also happy to have Spike and Rarity hash out their issues. Sometimes you have to have really uncomfortable talks to work through your problems so you can heal.

Let me know what you guys think of this chapter, I love reading the comments.

As always, thanks for reading. See you next time :raritywink:

Silver Wit

Light Through the Leaves

It’s been a long time since Rarity felt this excited. She made sure her mane was perfect, and that her face was free of any signs of exhaustion. She had to look her best today. After so many weeks and so much time devoted care and treatment, today was finally the day for Spike to be discharged from the hospital.

Rarity trotted to the door of her apartment above Canterlot Carousel, making special note of where she set her latest design sketches as well as her gem basket. She’ll have to give it a new purpose in the future. Amazingly, despite yet another restless night, Rarity was feeling so energetic that she decided to forgo her usual trip to the café. Who needs espresso when you already feel like and million bits? Rarity had to keep her composure and resist running to the hospital, can’t ruin her mane before Spike sees her after all.

“Don’t worry Spike, I’ll be there soon.”

"Let’s see,” Dr. Hawkeye said as he went over a chart. “Vitals are normal. Temperature is normal. Blood pressure is normal aaaand no pain to speak of.”

“So?” Spike asked in eagerness of some good news.

Dr. Hawkeye smirked. “Just one last test Spike and you’ll be free as a bird. I gotta see you fly.”

“You got it doc!” Spike said with confidence. “I’ve been aching to get back to flying for Celestia knows how long.”

There was a soft knock on the door and in stepped Rarity. “Good day Spike, doctor. Glad to see I’m on time.”

Spike smiled. “Right on time! Doc says all I have to do is show him I can fly and I’m out.”

“Oh marvelous darling, simply marvelous!”

“Well what are we waiting for?” Hawkeye asked. “Spike get your flank out of bed and get down to the courtyard, on the double!"

Canterlot General Hospital is famous for its excellent care of its patients, but what many don’t know is the lovely courtyard with stunning flowers and perfectly pruned topiary. A nice little slice of calm and respite for patients and doctors alike. Spike stood on a patch of well-manicured grass and was stretching his arms and wings. “Ahh, feels good to be out and about! Gotta love that fresh air!”

“Alright Spike,” Dr. Hawkeye said. “Let’s see what you can do. Remember, a little pain is normal, but if you feel a lot of pain, come right back down.”

“Be sure you’re careful darling,” Rarity added. “One false move and it’s back to eating rainbow quartz.”

Spike felt a chill run through his whole body. “Ok, don’t get carried away, got it.” Spike took a breath and looked up at the sky. Then he slowly started to flap his wings, after feeling confident that he wasn’t in any pain he flapped harder and harder, soon he was off the ground and above the hospital. Spike let out a hoot and began to fly higher up, gliding, doing loop-de-loops and a barrel roll or two for good measure, laughing the entire time. He began his decent back to the same patch of grass he started from. “So doc? What do you think?”

Dr. Hawkeye smiled and scribbled on a form. “As of this moment, you are officially discharged.”

“YES!” Spike pumped his claw in the air.

“That was magnificent darling!” Rarity trotted up and gave the dragon a hug. “I can’t believe it! I saw it with my own eyes and I still can’t believe it! You were a natural up there!”

Spike chuckled, “Heh. Yeah it felt good to fly again. And the view from up there was awesome!”- just then a mischievous smirk crossed Spike’s lips. –“Hmm. Hey Rarity, ever wonder what Canterlot looks like from up there?”

“Well, yes the thought has crossed my mind, but I don’t see what- eep!”

Before Rarity knew what was going on, Spike scooped her up in his arms and quickly gained altitude with a screaming pony.

“Spike!” Rarity shrieked as she smacked Spike in the chest, not that Spike seemed to notice. “Put me down! Put me down this instant!”- Rarity glanced downward and her eyes shrank to pinpricks as the ground grew further and further away. –“AHHH! Don’t let go, don’t let go, don’t let goooo!” she screamed as she clung to Spike as tight as she could.

“I wouldn’t dream of it!” Spike said. “C’mon let’s take a tour!”

The city of Canterlot was a much different sight from the air. Rarity saw the beautiful architecture in an entirely new light. Spike flew over the castle and spotted Princess Luna and Capper roller skating in the garden, and even from this height both Spike and Rarity could tell that the two of them had some moves. The pair also caught a glimpse of Princess Celestia on her balcony, before she ducked back into her room and closed the door and drawing the curtains. Spike then flew to the city limits, wing brushing against a waterfall, sprinkling some rogue drops on the pair.

Rarity couldn’t help but admire the way the water sparkled in the sunlight. Spike flew up quickly and began his return to the city. At that moment, Rarity saw something truly wonderful. Spike was grinning wider than Rarity could remember, and the sun gave him a warm glow. A tint of pink graced the mare’s cheeks which only redden when she realized just how strong Spike’s arms were and how truly close they were. Rarity prayed that Spike didn’t notice her heart thumping like an impatient rabbit. But then, her cheeks returned to a rosy pink and her heartbeat returned to rhythmic calm. She just felt so… safe in Spike’s arms, so well protected. And his scent. A musk like a burning fireplace and just as warm. Rarity couldn’t help resting her cheek to his chest, listening to his heart, wishing this moment could last forever. But then Spike slowly lowered them towards the ground and then were both safely on the grass. Even as Rarity’s hooves touched the earth, her head was still in the clouds.

As the hospital’s doors closed behind him, Spike cried, “Goodbye hospital and helloooooo freedom!” He gave a celebratory jump and a few loud laughs.

“I’m so happy for you darling,” Rarity said. “Perhaps this calls for a celebration?”

“Oh, yeah! Great idea! Maybe we can go to a restaurant and I can eat some real food for once.”

“That sounds marvelous darling! Where would you like to go? My treat.”

“Spike rubbed his neck sheepishly. “You know, I spent all that time dreaming about what I’d do when I finally got out of the hospital and what I’d want to eat first. But now, I can’t decide.”

“Well look who we have here!” came a familiar voice. Spike and Rarity were so lost in conversation that they didn’t even notice that they were crossing paths with Fancy Pants and Fleur De Lis. “I thought that was you flying around Spike,” Fleur continued. “I’m so happy that you’re feeling better. And Rarity! I’ve been meaning to congratulate you on stepping up and putting Pish Posh in her proper place.”

“Yes, quite right,” Fancy said. “I’m glad somepony finally knocked her down a peg or five. I only wish I was there to see you tear her apart myself.”

Rarity smirked. “Please, no praise is necessary. I was happy to do it.”

“And Spike! How jolly good to see you out and about ol’ chap! This calls for a celebration! If there’s anything I can do for you, just ask and I’ll pull some strings.”

Spike waved his claws. “Oh, there’s no need to go through all that trouble Fancy Pants. Rarity and I were just gonna get something to eat and-“

“Nonsense!” Fancy said quickly. “A dragon of your caliber deserves a grand gesture! Now, what to do…” Fancy rubbed his chin as he began to sort through his thoughts.

“Fancy, dear.” Fleur motioned her fiancé to come closer and began whispering in his ear.

“Yes…” Fancy nodded. “Yes… right… right, yes, yes, brilliant love.” Fancy cleared his throat. “Oh no Fleur! Say it isn’t so! You’re sick?” delivering his lines like a novice drama student.

Fleur draped herself across Fancy Pant’s back and held her hoof to her forehead. “Oh, yes Fancy, I have the most dreadful of headaches!”

“Do you have chills?”

“Why is it so cold out here?”

“Fatigue?”

“I’m so, so tired!”

“Memory loss?”

“Excuse me my good stallion, but can you tell me who I am?”

“Dash it all! It would seem I’ll have to rush you straight home and put you right to bed, and we’ll have to cancel our dinner plans.”

Spike looked perplexed. “Um, the hospital’s right over there if you-“

“Ah, Spike and Rarity!” Fancy interrupted. “Would you like to take our reservation at the Golden Stable? I’m afraid Fleur is far too ill to be out.”

“Th-th-the Golden Stable!?” Rarity couldn’t believe her ears. “That’s one of the most illustrious restaurants in Canterlot, if not Equestria! I’ve heard it can take moons to get a reservation!”

“It is a lovely restaurant, I’ll admit,” Fancy said. “But I’ll have to go on a day when Fleur is feeling better. So, what do you say Spike?”

Spike chuckled and smiled when he realized what was going on. ”Well, if you insist. We’d be happy to take you on your offer.”

“Splendid! I’ll make the necessary arrangements, and another reservation while I’m at it. Be sure to be there at seven tonight. Now, come along Fleur, let’s get you some soup and a warm bed.”

“Oh the pain!” Fleur wailed as Fancy supported her trotting. “Oh the anguish!” the wealthy pair rounded a corner and Spike and Rarity could swear they heard chuckling and whispers.

“Goodness gracious,” Rarity marveled. “I can’t believe it! The Golden Stable, I never thought I’d ever dine at such an establishment. I’m sure you’ll love it too darling, and remember, it’s on me tonight.”

“Um, Rarity?” Spike asked nervously.

“Yes? What is it Spike?”

“Is it true? About what Fleur said. Did you really tell Pish Posh off?”

“Yes Spike, it’s all true. And frankly I’d do it again if I could.”

“But… isn’t that gonna… hurt your business?”

Rarity hummed. “Hmm, perhaps. But I don’t particularly care.”

The moon was slowly rising in the sky as Spike and Rarity arrived at the Golden Stable. Tall, well-polished marble columns with gold trim lined the front of the restaurant, with elaborate statues and a glittering, well illuminated walkway.

“Looks like we’re right on time,” Rarity said as she glanced at a clock on the street. “Let’s see if we can find the host.”

Spike pointed. “Is that him over by the podium? And is that… Pish Posh?”

“Ugh,” Rarity groaned. “She’s like a bad rash. Well no matter, let’s get our table shall we?” Spike and Rarity moved towards the entrance of the restaurant and were just in time to see the drama unfold.

“I said,” Pish Posh said through gnashing teeth. “I. Want. A table!”

“And I told you,” the earth pony behind the stand said with his nose up. “That you don’t have a reservation.”

“This is ridiculous! I’ve always been given a table before!”

“Change of policies Ms. Posh. No free rides for anypony. No reservation, no table.”

Posh was about to launch into another tirade of verbal teardowns when she spotted the pony/dragon pair and sneered, “Sorry Rarity. But you’re not allowed to bring pets here. Perhaps the hayburger dive down the street is more your style.”

Rarity growled and opened her mouth to retaliate, but Spike rested a claw on her shoulders and then approached the host. “Hello.”

The host looked up. “Good evening. How may I help you sir?”

“Table for two for Spike and Rarity. It might be under the name-“

“Ah Spike and Rarity!” the host’s attitude did a complete flip. “Yes, yes, of course! Mr. Fancy Pants informed us that you were coming. Please follow me, I’ll take you to your table.”

“Thank you very much sir. C’mon Rarity, let’s eat!”

As Rarity passed a stunned Pish Posh, she gave the pompous pony a smirk and trotted off to catch up with Spike. While Pish Posh yelled through her teeth and stomped on the ground.

The interior of the Golden Stable was even more luxurious than the exterior. Wall to wall plush red carpeting lined the lobby, with a small bridge of an artificial river leading to the actual dining area. On the far walls to the left and right of the room were tall onyx monoliths with a steady stream of water gently falling from the dark waterfall and bubbling into the river below. The soft sounds of a string quartet playing on a small stage carried gently over the patrons like a spring breeze. Eventually the host led Spike and Rarity to their table, pulled out their seats and presented them with their menus.

“A waiter will be by momentarily. Please enjoy yourselves, and if there is anything we can do to make this evening more comfortable, please don’t hesitate to ask.” The host bowed and scurried off back to the front.

“Wow…” Spike said as he adjusted his seat. “This has got to be one of the fanciest places I’ve ever eaten at.”

Rarity raised a brow. “Says the dragon who’s eaten in Canterlot Castle’s dining hall?”

Spike laughed, “Well I guess if we’re comparing this place to the castle, it’s not as fancy. But I lived in the castle, I just saw it as another place to eat. Same with Twilight’s castle too.”

Rarity giggled, “You’ve certainly lived in rather interesting places darling.”

“Good evening,” a Pegasus mare said to the pair, a pen and a pad of paper clutched in her feathers. “I’m Powder Puff and I’ll be your waitress this evening. Can I start you off on something to drink?”

“Oh, hmm…” Spike quickly skimmed the drink menu “I think the sparkling cider sounds good. Is that ok with you Rarity?”

“That does sound rather delightful. One bottle of sparkling cider please.”

Powder Puff scribbled on her pad. “Very good choice. I’ll give you a few more minutes to go over the menu and return with your cider.” The waitress trotted off.

“Dang, look at this menu,” Spike said as he went down the list. “All of this looks good. The toasted almond salad, the sautéed hay sandwich with cranberry sauce, heck even the rose petal dumplings look amazing.”

Rarity scratched her chin. “Hmm, I do remember having some rather impressive dumplings the last time I was in Manehattan. I’d rather like to see how these compare.”

“I think I’m gonna go with the daffodil alfredo pasta. Never had it before, but it sounds great.”

“That it does darling.” Rarity gazed at Spike, but made sure to duck behind her menu when he looked up. Why was she so nervous? It’s not like she hasn’t shared a meal with Spike before. Certainly not in a restaurant as extravagant as this, but the point still stands. Maybe it was the atmosphere. The room had a soft light that complemented the relaxing sound of flowing water around them. It certainly was a romantic setting, definitely something Spike would’ve dreamed of for the two of them, if it wasn’t for her misdeeds and using him for her own personal gains. The unsettling feeling in Rarity’s stomach and chest was back.

“Rarity? Is something wrong?”

Spike’s voice cleared Rarity’s head, though the yucky feeling in her stomach and heart were still there. “What makes you say that darling?”

“Well, I’ve known you for a long time. I can tell when something is bothering you. Do you want to talk about it? It’s ok if you don’t.”

Rarity shook her head. “No, no… I…I think I need to get this off of my chest…” She looked Spike in the eyes, though even doing this made her feel like she was unworthy. “Spike, I need to apologize…”

“Didn’t you already apologize back at the-?”

“No,” Rarity said quickly. “This is different…” Rarity breathed and braced herself. “Spike… I want to apologize for… for taking advantage of your feelings for me…”

Spike blushed but didn’t speak.

“I’ve known… for some time now… about how you feel… how you felt about me. But I disregarded it. I thought it was just a phase, a harmless crush that would fizzle out given time. But that’s no excuse. It was wrong of me to wrap you around my hoof, to use your affection to control you. Spike… I’m so ashamed of myself. I should never have been so cold and inconsiderate of your feelings. Nothing I say could ever make up for it, but I am sorry Spike. I’m sorry I handled your heart so, so poorly…” Rarity quickly wiped the tears from her eyes.

Spike rubbed his neck with a melancholic look on his face. “Rarity… the truth is… there was a time when I thought you were perfect. Beautiful, generous, creative, smart… I saw you as a princess… maybe goddess is the better word. I never thought you could do anything wrong. But you did do wrong and you hurt me bad. And I learned that you’re not a princess and you’re not a goddess. You can be selfish, mean, callous and self-absorbed. Nothing like the pony I thought you were.”

Rarity felt her heart ache. She deserved this, she deserved every bit of Spike’s tongue lashings and anything else Spike said, she’d bare it all.

“But…”

Rarity perked up; she wasn’t expecting “but.”

“But that’s ok. Cause in a weird way, I feel like I got to know the real you and… you also took so much time to take care of me. If it weren’t for you and those gems, I’d still be lying in that hospital bed. You really are the most generous pony in Equestria, and I’m glad I got to see a more authentic you. Flaws and all. You messed up… really bad, but you also did so much good for me too… I guess what I’m trying to say is… I forgive you.”

Rarity couldn’t believe what she just heard. She thought perhaps this was all a dream, the first good dream in ages. But no, this was reality and Rarity was convinced she’d never hear those words from Spike for as long as she lived. She wanted to cry out in joy from the warmth she was feeling… but something was holding Rarity back as if chains were tying her down. She couldn’t help but feel it constricting her, snuffing out what happiness there was.

Rarity’s ears drooped. “You’re… far too kind darling.”

Just then Powder Puff returned with a bottle of sparkling cider in a small bucket of ice. “Our finest bottle of cider,” she said. “With a note. ‘Dear friends, order whatever you wish, it’s on us tonight. Sincerely, your friends, Fancy Pants and Fleur De Lis'.”

“Boy oh boy!” Spike exclaimed as he strolled down the street. I haven’t eaten that good in a loooong time! I almost forgot what food is supposed to taste like!”

“Indeed,” Rarity said. “And it was very kind of Fancy and Fleur to pick up the check. We’ll have to thank them later.”

“Oh totally! I can make them a nice throw pillow, or maybe…” Spike stopped and turned his head side to side, ear fins erect.

“Spike?” Rarity asked. “Is there something wrong darling?”

“Follow me,” Spike replied as he turned down a street.

Rarity did as she was told and the pair strolled off, with Spike leading the way, stopping every so often to look around before continuing his search for… whatever it was. Normally Rarity would’ve been slightly uncomfortable following somepony down random streets, directing her through darkened alleys. But she trusted Spike, and Rarity knew that wherever she was going, Spike would keep her safe.

Eventually Rarity heard something and her ears perked up. The sound of music was being carried over the night air, fast, upbeat and Rarity heard the boisterous crashes and clanks of a big brass band. Spike turned one more corner and the two finally came to their destination, an open-air concert in a public square, with ponies dancing up a storm to the rhythm of a jazzy tune played by (as Rarity guessed) a big brass band.

“Oh my, what fun!” Rarity said clapping her hooves. “And this music really puts some pep in your step.”

“I knew I heard something cool!” Spike said patting himself on the back. “Hey Rarity, let’s dance!”

“Are you sure darling? You’ve just been discharged from the hospital; I wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself.”

Spike rolled his eyes. “Aw c’mon Rarity. I’ve been stuck in bed for moons. I wanna get out there and shake a leg.”

Rarity giggled, “Well, if you insist. Let’s cut a rug!”

“Now you’re talking! Let’s go!”

Spike pulled Rarity onto the square with the many other dancers. It was a lively scene, as the fast tempo jazz kept every pony moving in a chaotic rhythm. Spike and Rarity danced around each other, somehow improvised, yet also in synch with the other. All the while laughing amongst themselves.

“I didn’t know you could move like this Rarity!”

“Well I know more than just ballroom dancing darling!” Rarity replied. “A lady must know how to dance at a multitude of settings and events. Or whenever Pinkie throws an impromptu party!”

“Heh, a lady of many talents!”

The music sped up for a moment before hitting a crescendo and then a gradual slow down before ending with an appropriate burst of sound. Applauses and cheers rang out as the musicians and the conductor bowed.

A pony in a snazzy suit stepped on stage with a microphone in hoof. “Let’s hear it for Brass Tacks and his band!” The audience’s applause rose up again as the band took a bow, before slowly but surely leaving the stage. “And now,” the snazzy pony continued. “For our next guests! Here’s Serene String, Crimson Concerto and Octavia Melody!”

The crowd cheered as the three mares took the stage. The familiar grey earth pony was joined by a pair of cream-colored unicorns. The first had violet eyes and a long blond mane pulled back with a green hairband. She was wearing a green kirtle over a white dress with and orange skirt wrapped around her flank and barrel. She was also wearing a pair of blue earrings with a blue pearl necklace around her neck. The other had violet eyes as well, along with a blond mane, though hers was worn in twin braids. She wore a long red cap and a red dress over a white smock and a pair of blue bracelets over both forehooves. The unicorn in green trotted up to the mic.

“Um, hello everypony,” she said in a shy tone. “I’m Serene String and this is my sister Crimson Concerto.”

Crimson rolled her eyes. “Ugh, they know who we are Serene. Mr. Snazzy already introduced us.”

“Well I like to be polite. Anyways, my sister and I are here tonight to play you a song that’s very near and dear to our hearts. It was written by our ancestor for her one true love, and passed down through our village for generations. And, with the help of our friend Octavia and her chamber orchestra, we’d like to share our love song with you.”

“That’s right, so you better be grateful you lot!” Crimson boasted. “Cause a chance like this doesn’t happen every day!”

“Crimson please!” Serene said flustered. “Let’s be civil.”

“Oh fine. We hope you all enjoy it.”

Serene String pulled out a lyre and Crimson Concerto lifted a flute to her lips. Octavia Melody rose her conductor’s baton and her orchestra waited for their cue. Then, Serene plucked the strings of her lyre as the orchestra’s strings accompanied her, Serene’s playing continued as the orchestra softened and let Crimson’s flute playing take lead with Serene’s gentle plucks joined Crimson in a melodious duet. Then the sounds of a violin could be heard, then the rest of the orchestra began to play. The ponies in the audience paired up with one another and began to dance slowly under the fairy lights of the square to the mellow and uplifting melding of wind and string.

Spike began to sweat. “Uh, um, well th-thanks for dancing with me Rarity. It was fun, b-but maybe it’s time we-“

“Spike?”

“Y-yes?”

Rarity looked into Spike’s impeccable emerald green eyes. “May I… have this dance?”

Spike blushed. “Gosh… I-I don’t know Rarity… I mean, I don’t know how to do this dance and I wouldn’t want to-to, mess up and-“

“It’s not difficult,” she said gently. “I can show you.”

Spike still seemed nervous, but he smiled and nodded his head.

“Ok, so first thing is to get into position.”

Spike looked over the other couples and noticed that they were all dancing with their opposite cheeks touching as they moved slowly in a box step. Despite his height, he was able to lower his head and placed his cheek next to Rarity’s. “Like… like this?”

Rarity’s heart fluttered like a dove as her fur touched Spike’s scales. She prayed that Spike couldn’t feel the heat rising in her face. She took a long breath and whispered, “Y-yes… that’s perfect darling. N-now, I’m going to step forward with my left, and you step back with your right, okay?”

“Got it.”

Spike stepped back as Rarity stepped forward. “Now, step out with your left, perfect now step forward with your right, excellent darling, now step to the right, there you go Spike, I knew you could do it.”

“Y-yeah. It’s not so hard. It’s actually… really nice.”

“I…I think so too darling…”

The unique pair continued to dance and sway to the music. It carried them over the dance floor and guided them as if they were dancing on clouds being pushed by a soothing night breeze. They didn’t notice the other dancers. It was just Spike, Rarity, and the music. Rarity’s heart beat calmly, the heat in her cheeks subsided, she felt at ease. Relaxed. At peace. Even after the last note was played and the crowd paid their respect, hoof and claw were still dancing.

“Well that was a lot of fun,” Spike said as he and Rarity rested on a bench near the music. “Thanks a lot for doing this with me Rarity. Did you have a good time?”

“But of course Spike,” Rarity said. “I haven’t danced like that in ages. But I dare say I am thoroughly worn out.”

“Yeah, I’m gonna sleep well tonight for sure,”- Spike smacked his forehead. –“Aw shoot! Where am I gonna sleep? I was discharged.”

“Well, if you’d like I could find some space in my apartment. Or I could get you a room at the hotel if you’d prefer.”

Spike hummed, “Hmm… actually, I think I know where we can sleep.”

After a bit of walking through the nicest parts of the city, Rarity realized that Spike was leading her to Canterlot Castle. A bit bold, but Spike did grow up here, perhaps his room is still how he left it when he and Twilight moved to Ponyville. As they approached the gates, the two of them noticed a tall cat, leaning on a wall, filing his claws.

Rarity cocked a brow. “Capper?”

Capper pocketed his file and stood to greet the pair. “Good evening Rarity, and to you as well Spike. I’m here to escort you to your rooms for the evening.”

“Huh?” Spike questioned. “How did you know we were going to ask to stay the night?”

“I have my sources,” Capper said coolly as he spun on his dapper paws and began to walk towards the castle. “Now, if you’ll just follow me, we can get you to bed and I can report to Lulu that you made it here safe and sound.”

Spike and Rarity’s eyes met for a second before following after Capper.

“Lulu?” they both whispered.

“And here my dear Rarity,” Capper said as he held his paw out. “Is your room. If there’s anything you need, please don’t hesitate to ask. Not me, one of the help. I have things to do.”

“Thank you Capper, I’m sure everything will be fine,” Rarity said.

“As for your room Spike.”

Spike waved a claw. “Oh, no need. I know where to go. My old room isn’t too far from here.”

Capper barely waited for Spike to finish before he started walking off. “Oh great, that means I can split. Have a good night you two, pleasant dreams.”

“Well he’s in an awful hurry,” Rarity scoffed.

Spike chuckled, “Yeah, he’s a hard one to figure out. But at least he does right by Luna.”

“As far as we know. Well, we should probably get some shut-eye.”

“Hey Rarity?”

“Yes Spike?”

Spike smiled. “I… had a lot of fun tonight. And I’m really glad I got to share it with you. Thank you Rarity.”

Rarity returned the smile. “The pleasure was all mine darling. It was wonderful spending time with you as well Spike.”

“Um, Rarity… you can call me, ‘Spikey Wikey’ if you’d like…” Spike said with a light blush.

Rarity was taken aback, but giggled, “I’d like that very much… Spikey Wikey. Goodnight darling.”

“Goodnight Rarity,” Spike waved and walked off.

In that moment, something felt odd. As the drake left for his room, Rarity could swear she felt a tug in her chest. As if something was pulling her towards Spike. She lifted a hoof as if to appease this force, but then set it back down and shook her head, which seemed to only rile up the butterflies in her stomach. She looked again and caught a glimpse of Spike before he turned a corner and Rarity felt the tug again, but she also felt… relaxed. Rarity wasn’t sure what was going on, she never felt something like this before. She recalls having feelings similar to these, but never this strong. Never so warping as this. Never as… peaceful as this. Like light through the leaves. Rarity smiled and held her chest. She opened the door to her room and trotted in.

Twilight stared up as she laid in bed. She was afraid of this. Not having any work to do. The School of Friendship was closed today, no pressing matters with her friends, students, or the town. She actually did so much work that she ran out of work to work on and take her mind off of Spike. Starlight and Flash both warned that this would happen. Why didn’t Twilight space out her errands and her “to do’s” better? If she had, she wouldn’t be lying in bed right now feeling sorry for herself. Twilight shrugged her blanket off. No reason to mope the day away in bed, she reasoned. She brushed her teeth and began her slow trot down the hall to the kitchen. Can’t be sad on an empty stomach.

Twilight descended the stairs and looked out a window. Bright and sunny, with not a cloud in the sky. A truly beautiful day. Twilight sighed and kept trudging to the kitchen. Then stopped, and sniffed the air and she sniffed again. Twilight’s hooves picked up the pace and ran the rest of the way to the kitchen. She opened the door and froze. There at the stove was Spike, a stack of pancakes and a bowl of fresh fruit waited at the table and coffee percolating on the counter.

Spike turned his head. “Oh, good morning Twilight! I’m almost done with breakfast. I actually made the apple compote this time, I think you’ll love it.”

Twilight was stunned. This couldn’t be real. She dreamed of this so much, for so many nights in a row only to be reminded of the harsh truth upon waking. But at that moment, Twilight didn’t care. She leapt at the dragon and wrapped her hooves around him and squeezed tight, bursting into tears when she realized that what she was holding didn’t vanish into the air, that she was still hugging and feeling Spike. It was Spike! It was really truly him!

Spike wrapped his arms around his sister. “I’m home.”

Twilight looked up, feeling the happiest she’d ever been.

“Welcome home.”

Author's Note

Thus ends the "Hospital arc." Wow that's a terrible name, but I couldn't think what else to call it. You have no idea how excited I am to share this chapter with you all. I've had this chapter in my head for a long, long time and now that I actually wrote it, feels so great. Like climbing a mountain just as the sun is setting fire to the sky and the earth beneath you and they cry, "You did it you mad lad!" I hope you like this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. I wanted to have this done and posted last week to keep the update streak going, but I had to polish this as best I could.

So a quick bit of news. At time of writing, I'll be in Colorado from tomorrow till the 13th, I'm so excited. Going to a concert, seeing my cousin, exploring a new city, all the good stuff. And let's not forget it gives me plenty of time to write and plan out future stories and chapters. I'm planning on writing a number of side stories connecting them to Life and Times. For a few reasons, one, I took to heart the lessons I learned from the rodeo chapters and it'll cut down on the glut of this story, two, one of my biggest goals is to create and share my vision of Equestria and it'll help expand the goings on and lives of the characters In the "Wit verse." "Silver verse?" "Silver Wit verse?" Eh screw it. And three I want to write a featured freaking story and I think firing out some more tales from yours truly will certainly boost those chances. Shallow yes, but I want it to happen at least once.

On a side note, does anyone know who Serene and Crimson are references to? I put enough clues in the chapter and if you figured it out, than congrats you're officially apart of the Cool Kids club, congrats to you. :coolphoto:

Let me know what you guys think of this chapter, I love reading the comments.

As always, thanks for reading. See you next time :raritywink:

Silver Wit

Mixed Nuts

Well, well, well. What have we here? Came a voice from the darkness.

Rarity’s eyes widened as panic began to rise. She held her head as pain threatened to split it open. “No… no! Leave me alone!”

You certainly seem to be enjoying yourself darling. The accursed voice of the nightmare echoed throughout the darkened room. Dinner, dancing and then you start looking at Spike like you’re a hopeless school filly?

Rarity yelped as she felt something graze her hoof. “It’s not like that!”

Lies? Didn’t I tell you that there’s no point in lying? I know you better than anypony, quite possibly more than you know yourself. How strange, you feeling these emotions for somepony you maimed?

Rarity rubbed her eyes as the shadows began to shift around the room. “You shouldn’t be here! Spike! He-he forgave me! Why are you still-?”

Ohhh, Spike forgave you did he? Well, isn’t that nice? But that isn’t enough, now is it? Funny, you maul one of your “dearest friends,” and you think his forgiveness is all you need to be rid of me? Rarity screamed as a thud rang out in the room along with the sound of scratching. No. Oh, no, no, no! You can’t do that, and I won’t let you do that! You see Rarity, you’re stuck with me and I’m afraid you’re going to be stuck with me until the day comes; that wonderful day when you finally crack, when your heart falls to despair and your mind is putty in my hoof! Every day is just one step closer to when you finally break! When you finally…

Rarity could feel the breath on her ear. “Submit to me.”

Rarity screamed. She bolted up so hard and so fast that she fell out of her bed and crashed onto the floor. She gasped and wheezed as she tried to get her breath under control. Her heart was beating harder than she ever felt in her life. Her hooves were shaking and Rarity could still feel the sweat and goosebumps all over her body. She picked herself up and began to cry into her sheets, with the only comfort being that she was back in her room in Ponyville. When she calmed down enough, Rarity opened the curtains and let the sunlight in. Not that it mattered much, Rarity slept with all the lights on, she even went so far as to buy bulbs with higher watts. She couldn’t stand the dark, she was terrified of going down her own hallway at night, like she was back to being a four-year-old filly.

With tears fully spent, Rarity decided to start her day. Perhaps some sun and fresh air will help calm her nerves.

And perhaps Spike was free as well.

Regrettably, strolling into the Castle of Friendship wasn’t really a viable option. After what happened with Twilight at the hospital, Rarity has done everything she could to avoid the princess. Luckily Rarity hasn’t run into her at any point since the fashionista’s return, not even at the school. So Rarity had to wait and see if Twilight left the castle and quickly see if Spike was available or not. Fortunately, Rarity spotted Twilight leaving her home with Flash in tow. Probably going out shopping together, which gave Rarity a perfect window to get inside. After waiting a minute or so longer to make sure Twilight wouldn’t notice her, the snow-white mare quickly, but quietly entered the castle.

Once inside, she wasted no time. She made a beeline for Spike’s room and knocked on his door. “Spike? Spike are you there?”

Rarity knocked again and at this point, curiosity got the better of her and she opened the door. Spike was indeed in his room, he was at his desk, writing something out on a piece of paper, every once in a while erasing something while mumbling something like, “No, not good enough,” or “That’s lame, she deserves better than that.”

Rarity trotted closer. “So sorry to disturb you darling, but I was wondering if you’d like to spend the day together? It’s so lovely outside, perhaps we could take a quick excursion to the gem caves? Or, maybe we can go to the comic book store? I know how much you enjoy it, and I’m sure that will be enjoyable as well.”

But Spike didn’t turn around, still engrossed in whatever he was working on. Rarity decided to trot a bit closer.

“Spikey? What are you working on?”

Spike jumped. “Rarity!-“ he quickly covered the paper with his claws. “-Wh-what are you doing here?”

“I was curious if you wished to spend the day together,” Rarity said as she tried to get a peek of what was written on the paper. “It’s an absolutely gorgeous day and- “

“Gee, I’d love to Rarity!” Spike said as he folded his paper and took nervous steps to the door. “But I have other plans, I’ll talk to you later, bye!” Spike waved and then dashed down the hall.

“I just don’t understand it Pinkie,” Rarity sighed as she strolled through town with her hyperactive friend (though in Pinkie Pie’s case, she was bouncing alongside Rarity). “Spike was behaving so odd. I respect his privacy and all, but there was just something about him that didn’t sit well with me…”

“Aww, I’m sure you’re just overthinking things!” Pinkie Pie assured. “Maybe Spike has a big project for Twilight, or maybe he has an important letter, or maybe- OH MY GOSH!” Pinkie dragged Rarity over to what caught her eye. It was the Ponyville joke and novelty shop, with a banner reading, “Under New Ownership” over the door.

“Well I’ll be,” Rarity said. “I didn’t think the owner would ever sell his business. I’m sure he was running it since I was a filly.”

“I guess Clown Shoes finally decided to retire,” Pinkie said. “I’ll have to remember to stop by to see him, but that’s NOT the issue. The new owner might be new to Ponyville! I have to meet them and find out what kind of cake they like, cause I gotta throw a ‘Welcome to Ponyville party’ asap!”

Pinkie Pie ran into the shop with Rarity following after. Inside the store, everything looked the same, or at the very least standard. Whoopee cushions, chattering wind-up teeth, cans of “peanut brittle,” plastic spiders on poles with strings, googly eyed glasses and rubber chickens. Again, pretty standard.

“Well everything looks the same to me,” Pinkie said as she picked up and giggled at a novelty hat with an arrow running through the crown.

“I’ll take your word for it darling,” Rarity said as she cringed at the sight of earwax flavored gum. “Can’t say I’ve spent much time here myself…” Just then Rarity ran to the window, pressing her hooves on the glass, her jaw dropped and confused croaks could be heard.

“Really?” Pinkie said, somehow not noticing that Rarity had other things on her mind at that moment. “That’s a shame, this is like, the bestest store in Ponyville!”

“Hello, welcome to Ponyville joke and novelty…” a voice lacking any and all enthusiasm said.

“Waaaaaaaait a second! I know that voice! I’d know it even if I was at a huge party with a fishbowl on my head!” Pinkie drew her attention to the counter, where a very familiar long-legged stallion sat. He had a curly chocolate brown mane and a saffron coat, with a yellow collard shirt. Pinkie Pie didn’t even need to see his cutie mark to know that it was-

“Cheese Sandwich! Eeeeeee!” Pinkie was at the counter faster than a blink. “What are you doing here? Why didn’t you tell me you were visiting? Did you buy this shop? What have you been up to?”

“Oh. You know. Stuff…” Cheese said with the same bored monotone he used in his greeting.

“What’s the matter Cheese?” Pinkie’s voice was laced with concern. “You’re not smiling, singing, or laughing and you look all, ‘blegh.’”

Cheese whimpered, “Pinkie Pie, I don’t know how else to say this. But… I lost my laugh!”

Pinkie’s gasp was so big it nearly sucked all the merchandise off the shelves. “WHAT!? But- but, a Cheese Sandwich that can’t laugh is like a cupcake without frosting or a pinata without candy or a cannon without confetti! How did this happen!?”

Cheese sighed, “I don’t know… see, I recently set up a factory to help make all of my supplies. But as I kept working on sillier and sillier gags, eventually I just couldn’t bring myself to laugh at anything. I tried to think of what could’ve happened but nothing came up. Then I remembered you and your letters always mentioning how Ponyville is the best place in Equestria where it’s impossible to be down. So I left the factory in the care of my business partner and came here, and I bought this store in hopes that it’d put the spark back in my laugh, but nothing’s worked.” Cheese’s eyes began to water before faceplanting the counter.

Pinkie grabbed Cheese by the shoulders and lifted him up. “Well don’t you worry Cheese! I, Pinkimina Diane Pie will give you the ultimate Pinkie promise and tell you that I will not rest until your laugh is back! And with Rarity’s help we’ll!”- Pinkie reached out to pull her friend into the conversation, but quickly realized that the only thing she pulled in was empty air. In fact, Pinkie and Cheese were the only ponies in the store

“Rarity?” Pinkie called out. “Rarity! Where’d you go?”

“What the devil are you doing Rarity?” the fashionista said to herself as she ducked behind a barrel. “This is beneath you; it isn’t like you. I can’t believe I’m actually doing this. I should just go back to Pinkie Pie and forget what I saw. After all, it’s not my business.” But Rarity ignored her own reasoning and continued to make her way quickly and quietly down the street, catching up to what caught her eye in the first place.

Spike was strolling around town with a griffon girl. And from what Rarity saw from the novelty shop window, the two of them seemed close.

Rarity watched as the two chatted and laughed as they ate ice cream together. Every once in a while the grey griffon dropped off a package or a letter to somepony. Rarity couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Was Spike… dating this girl? “Wh-who cares?” Rarity whispered. “It’s not my concern who Spike dates. He’s free to date whomever he wishes. Even if it’s not…” Rarity shook her head vigorously and ducked behind a hedge before Spike noticed her.

“I need to investigate.”

Rarity peeked up from the newspaper she’d been “reading,” eyes peered through her thick sunglasses and watched as Spike and the griffon browsed the open-air market, still laughing amongst themselves, still walking a little too close for Rarity’s liking. Just then, Spike and the griffon stopped by the flower stand. Rarity couldn’t hear what they were saying, but Spike motioned to the many bouquets on display with a blush. The griffon rubbed her chin and after a moment or two, she pointed to an arrangement of green and lavender orchids, with a few red roses in the mix. Spike paid Rose Luck and passed the bouquet to the griffon, who giggled and gently placed it in her satchel.

In an instant, Rarity’s newspaper was ripped right down the middle and her jaw tightened. “What just happened?” she growled.

“Well, if I had to guess,” came a voice. “I’d say that Spike just gave that griffon a bunch of flowers.” Rarity let out a small “eep!” before facing the pony. It was Trixie, casually munching on an apple and looking only mildly interested in what she saw.

“T-Trixie!?” Rarity quickly covered her mouth and jumped behind the bench she was sitting on. “How-how long have you been watching?”

“Oh, a little bit before you tore through that paper in a jealous fit.”

“Jealous?” Rarity scoffed. “Pff, that’s ridiculous! A lady does not feel jealousy!’ Rarity crossed her hooves in a huff.

Trixie rolled her eyes. “Uh huh, yeah, Trixie can tell you’re hung up on Spike dating this girl but-“

“So they are dating!?”

“I don’t know, maybe. Trixie just saw the same thing you did. Look what I was trying to say, is that you should just accept that you're jealous over this. And if it makes you feel better, even Trixie has bouts of jealousy, even after burying the hatchet with Twilight.”

Rarity raised a brow. “That’s… a really big confession coming from you.”

The showmare blushed. “W-well! Starlight said that it’s important to admit your issues so you can deal with them, and Trixie agrees! The point is, if you don’t get over this whole jealousy thing, it’ll only get worse. Good luck.” Trixie trotted off and tossed the rest of her apple into her mouth.

Rarity grumbled. There’s no reason for the fashionista to be jealous. Spike’s free to see whomever he pleases. Rarity was just… curious is all. Besides, what if this griffon was bad news and wanted to hurt Spike? Yes, that’s the reason. Rarity jumped up from her hiding spot as she realized that she lost sight of Spike and ran off to look for him.

Nearby, a pony just finished eating a banana and tossed it into the trash, which was quickly scooped up by a pink hoof and placed on the ground.

“Ok Cheese!” Pinkie said. “Just watch this and be sure to hold your sides!” Pinkie Pie took a running start and jumped onto the peel, which slid her over the ground, Pinkie then expertly timed her fall to land face first into a pie, which was placed on a see-saw, which launched a collection of balloons into the air and splattered on Pinkie, covering her in chocolate pudding. “Huh? Huuuuuh?” Pinkie egged.

Unfortunately, Cheese Sandwich just shook his head with a glum expression.

“Aww,” Pinkie whined. “I thought that’d work for sure…”

After a few minutes of chatting and chuckles, Spike and the griffon’s next stop was to a booth, with very fancy and decadent chocolates displayed behind crystal clear glass. Rarity peered out from behind the fence. Taking a moment to make sure her scarf was covering her mane and that her trench coat covered up any other identifying features. Rarity watched with gritted teeth as the griffon sampled some of the chocolates, shaking her head to some, nodding to others. Eventually Spike picked out an assortment of treats, from chocolate dipped strawberries to truffles and a few raspberry sticks. The chocolatier quickly placed all of Spike’s order into a box with a lovely ribbon and passed it to the drake. The griffon made some kind of comment that flustered Spike, as he handed the box to the griffon who smiled and placed the box of chocolates into her satchel.

The sound of splintering wood could be heard under Rarity’s hooves. It wasn’t possible was it? First the ice cream, then the flowers, and now chocolates? And what’s worse, was all the attention Spike was giving to this girl. He truly seemed like he had a connection to her, something well beyond the superficial. And what was worse…

“He used to look at me like that…”

“Like what?” came a voice from behind Rarity.

Again the incognito mare yelped and ducked behind her hiding space, coming face to face with Autumn Blaze. The Kirin sported a small cart behind her and looked quizzically at the unicorn.

“Woah, did you do this to the fence? You’re stronger than I thought Rarity.”

“Autumn!” Rarity peeked through the damaged fence, luckily Spike nor the griffon seemed to notice them. “Don’t you know it’s rude to sneak up on somepony?”

Autumn gasped, “Oh gosh! I didn’t mean to! But, then why are you trying to sneak up on somepony?”

Rarity blushed. “I-I-I wasn’t sneaking up on anypony!”

Autumn tapped a hoof to her chin. “Huh. Maybe there’s a bit of a cultural difference, cause it really looks like you’re sneaking up on Spike and Gabby.”

“Gabby? Wait, you know that griffon?”

The Kirin nodded. “Sure do! She delivers letters to the farm every once in a while and I see her hanging out with Applebloom and her friends. She sure is nice; nicest griffon I’ve ever met, though I’ve only met two so far, but I think that still counts. She sure seems to get along well with Spike, no wonder you seem bent out of shape. You’re jealous, aren’t you?”

“A lady doesn’t get jealous!” Rarity snapped. “I’m just curious is all.”

“Is that why you’re dressed all secretive and stuff?”

“W-well… I thought about starting a new trend is all.”

Autumn’s eyes widened. “Oooooh, really? That sounds cool! I’d love to walk around like a spy! Creeping though the streets and keeping an eye out for shadows; I’ll have to try it out sometime. Maybe I can get AJ to join me. Speaking of which, I gotta get back to Sweet Apple Acres, AJ’s expecting me. She’s so sweet, she said I could bring some plants back from the Peaks of Peril for the farm, but they’re not great in the cold like trees, maybe I can get one of those greenhouses or something, anyways I’ll see you later Rarity! Good luck in getting your new trend off the ground!” Autumn then trotted off, looking as if she didn’t have a care in the world.

Autumn’s words rang in Rarity’s head. Was she jealous of Spike? No, this wasn’t jealousy, this was concern… and maybe curiosity too. Either way, Rarity continued her pursuit, determined to get to the bottom of this mystery.

“Aww, I don’t know what else to do!” Pinkie Pie cried not too far away, dragging her hooves across the ground. “I’ve tried slap-stick, standup, pranks, subversive comedy, over the top antics, puns, and topical humor! I even tried the best knock-knock jokes I’ve ever crafted and nothing’s worked!” Pinkie moped as her mane and mood visibly deflated.

Cheese Sandwich patted Pinkie’s shoulder. “Don’t beat yourself up Pinkie, you did your best. But I just gotta face the facts. If the funniest pony in Equestria can’t make me laugh, I guess I’ll never be able to laugh again. I’m sorry I got you roped into this Pinkie; this whole thing has just been a cost lause…”

There was a sound of a nearby pony stifling a chuckle that made Cheese spin his head.

“Wait. What did you just do?”

Rarity dashed through the streets, keeping her eyes peeled for Spike and Gabby. One little distraction after another and now she was scrambling around Ponyville trying to find them again. Rarity paused to catch her breath. Didn’t she already come down this street before? Either that or there are two antique shops with the same exact name in town.

“Alright…” Rarity gasped. “Think Rarity, think! I came from that direction, then I made the left, and then… aghh! This is maddening!” Just then her ears swiveled as she caught the sounds of a familiar laugh. She sprung up and ran in the direction it came from. She rounded the corner and sure enough, there was Spike and Gabby, only problem was… They’re closer than I thought! Rarity realized too little too late, as Spike heard the clop of running hooves and turned his attention to-

“Rarity?”

Rarity stopped dead in her tracks, nearly tripping over herself. “O-oh! Spike! How, um, nice it is to run into you!”

Uh, yeah. What’s with the get up?”

“The get up? Oh, the get up! Well, you see… I was trying out a new style! Uh… spy couture…?” Rarity fought the urge to slap her own forehead over that ridiculous name.

“Oh, so you’re Rarity!” Gabby said in an overly cheery tone and reached out for Rarity’s hoof with both of her claws and shook it vigorously. “Hi I’m Gabby Griffon! I’ve heard so much about you! It’s nice to finally meet you!”

“Y-yes, it’s nice to meet you too darling. I’ve heard a lot about you as well.”

Gabby giggled, “I hope Spike’s only told you good things about me!”

“Yes he has, well actually, he didn’t. I heard it from Autumn Blaze and-“

“Um, Rarity?” Spike interrupted. “What’s going on?”

“Wh-what do you mean darling?” Rarity said with a smile that she hoped didn’t look suspicious.

“Well. You’re dressed all secretive, you’re out of breath and you seem really flustered. Is everything all right?”

“Wh-whatever do you mean?” the mare stammered. “Secretive? I’m just… uh… I was on my way to...” Rarity sighed. No point in making herself look more foolish than she already does. “Spike, the truth is… I’ve been following you…”

Spike raised a brow. “Huh? Why were you following me?”

Rarity removed her glasses and scarf. “Well… I was curious is all. You were acting strange this morning and then I saw you out and… it looked like you were having so much fun with Gabby, I suppose I… got a little jealous as well. I’m so sorry Spike. I didn’t mean to interrupt your date; it wasn’t and isn’t my business. Can you forgive me?”

The feathers around Gabby’s neck and cheeks puffed out as her eyes widened. “A… d-d-date!?”

Spike blushed furiously. “R-Rarity! We weren’t on a date!”

It was Rarity’s turn to be baffled. “You… you’re not?”

“No, no, no! Gabby and I are just friends. She’s the official messenger of Griffonstone, and she likes to help out around Ponyville delivering letters and stuff. And I help her out sometimes.”

“But… the ice cream?”

“We like to get ice cream when delivering letters. It’s… kinda our thing.”

“What about the flowers and the chocolates?”

“Wow,” Gabby marveled. “You’ve been following us for a while.”

Rarity’s silence and aversion to look Gabby in the eyes was enough of an answer

Spike gulped. “W-well… I needed another girls opinion on what to get… um…”

Gabby reached into her satchel and handed Spike the bouquet and the box of chocolates. Spike seemed to freeze in place, before Gabby gave Spike a firm pat on the back.

“H-here, Rarity. These… these are for you…” Spike passed the gifts to Rarity. It was the very same bouquet of flowers and the same box Rarity saw Spike buying earlier.

“These… these are for me?” Rarity said in disbelief. “What… whatever for?”

“Rarity. I was a real jerk at the hospital… and you still went out of your way to take care of me. I feel like I haven’t really done anything to repay you. So, I asked Gabby if she could help me pick out a gift for you… I know it’s not much, compared to what you did for me, but I hope you like it.”

Rarity couldn’t believe what she just heard. She was running around all day out of some ridiculous jealous fantasy over Spike not wanting to spend time with her, only to discover that Spike wanted to surprise her with a most generous gift. She was really feeling ridiculous.

“Spike… I… I don’t know what to say. It’s lovely, darling… thank you very much. But you really didn’t have to.”

“I… was happy to do it. I’m glad you like it.”

Just then all three heard the sound of pops, bangs and an accordion solo.

“What the devil?” Rarity remarked.

“What’s going on?” Spike said.

“I think it came from over here!” Gabby said as she flew off, with the other two following after her.

Eventually the three of them came to an open section of town where there seemed to be an elaborate song and dance happening. Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich, sporting a stylish yellow suit and matching top hat stood atop a giant three-layer cake, confetti flying freely as the other residents of Ponyville fell in synch with each other.

“Then that’s all I need to do! That’s all I need to see! I thought I needed laughter, but it had to come from me!” Cheese sang.

“Squirting flowers and knobby knees! Rubber chickens and dungarees! If you want laughter, then stick with Cheeeeeeeeeeese!” Sang everypony. The song ended with laughter and cheers. Pinkie clapped her hooves.

“WOOHOO! I’m so, so, so happy you got your laugh back Cheese, this is the best!” then Pinkie’s normally cheery smile fell. “Oh. I guess that means you gotta go right? Back to your factory or back to wandering around Equestria…”

Cheese looked sad for a moment as well, but then smiled. “Well… I’m sure my business partner can handle things on his own if I check on him every once in a while. And as much as I love wandering Equestria, I think it’ll be even more rewarding if I have somepony to party plan with.”

Pinkie Pie gasped, “Wait! Are you saying what I think you’re saying!?”

Cheese nodded. “Yep! I think I’ll make Ponyville my homebase!”

Pinkie’s squeals rang out as she gave Cheese a bear hug.

“Did… did we miss something?” Spike asked.

“I don’t… well, maybe.” Rarity said.

Rarity trotted through her front door and sighed. Today certainly turned out livelier than what she was expecting. She gave her bouquet of flowers a sniff and admired the delicate blooms and sweet fragrance wafting from them. Rarity’s heart fluttered when she remembered that Spike bought them for her. She made her way to the kitchen; Rarity had the perfect vase in mind to display them in. She set her gifts down and set about to find the vase in question. One check in a cupboard later and Rarity found her vase, it was crystal-clear with some intricate designs in the glass. She set it in the sink and began to fill it up with water.

“Rarity?”

Rarity jumped. She couldn’t handle anypony else surprising her, especially not in her own house. Standing in the door frame to the kitchen was one filly she wasn’t expecting.

“Sweetie Belle? What are you doing here?”

Sweetie looked at the floor and sighed, “I was looking for you… but you were out. Can we talk?”

“Of course darling, please, take a seat.” Rarity pulled out the chairs at her table and the sisters sat down. “So… what is it you wished to talk about Sweetie?”

Sweetie Belle still wasn’t looking at Rarity. “I… I heard about Spike… what you did for him…”

“Oh… you did, did you?”

“Yeah… I was wondering why you didn’t come back… you were taking care of Spike this whole time… weren’t you?”

Rarity nodded. “Yes darling, I was. You were right. About everything you said to me at the hospital… I was the worst pony in Equestria and an even worse friend… but I swore, even if it was the last thing I did, I was going to make sure Spike was healed…”

“Rarity… I don’t know if I can forgive you yet… but I don’t want to be angry at you anymore… can we be sisters again?”

“Sweetie Belle. We were always sisters.”

Sweetie Belle got out of her chair and hugged her big sister with misty eyes. “I missed you Rarity…”

Rarity returned the hug and stroked the filly's mane. “I missed you too darling. I know it’ll be some time before you can forgive me, but I’m so glad you’re here. I promise, I’ll never do something so terrible again.”

“You better not,” Sweetie said into Rarity’s chest. “Or else I’ll be really mad.”

After Sweetie Belle’s departure, Rarity returned to the kitchen and centered her vase on the table. She removed the flowers from their wrapping and placed them in their new home. Just as Rarity suspected, it looked superb. Then something caught Rarity’s eye, there was a white envelop on the table, it must’ve fallen out of the wrapping. Perhaps one of Gabby’s letters got mixed up in the bouquet? But it had Rarity’s name written on the front and Rarity could tell that it was in Spike’s script. She opened the top of the envelop and removed the letter within. It was covered in eraser marks and shavings. Was this the letter Spike was writing this morning?

Rarity gently blew the shavings away and began to read.

Dear Rarity.
Words can’t explain how grateful I am for you. I know you couldn’t have asked for a worse patient. And I certainly apologize for that, but I’m writing you this letter as a way, in even the smallest sense, to say thank you for your hard work and generosity. Truth be told, I’m glad that it was you who took care of me. I know I wasn’t at first, but I’m happy that it was you who stood by me. You certainly made things a lot less scary for me back in Canterlot and we even got a great meal and a dance out of it. Thank you for standing by me for as long as you did and thank you for putting up with my stubbornness. You really are the best friend a dragon can ask for.

Sincerely.

Spike.

Rarity smiled as a comforting warmth was felt through her chest. The mare made herself comfortable in her seat and opened her box of sweets. She picked out a raspberry chocolate stick, gave it a small nibble, and hummed in delight. Then Rarity picked Spike’s letter up, and decided to read it again.

And again, and again.

Author's Note

Sorry for the delay on this one folks, I honestly thought I'd have more time to finish it. I was thinking I'd have it done during my trip to Colorado, but there was NO chances of that. I was running around everyday and had an absolute blast! So much so I'm just aching to go back and visit. Now I see what John Denver, Matt Stone and Trey Parker see in it, Colorado's awesome with some of the friendliest people I've ever met. And now I feel like a Rocky Mountain Jehova's Witness, but I digress!

So if you didn't quite catch it, yes, this chapter is basically my own retelling of "Dragon Dropped," with a little "The Last Laugh" thrown in there to get Cheese into the story. The funny thing is, I rewatched Dragon Dropped again to prepare for this chapter to make sure I didn't screw anything up, but if anything (and this MIGHT be hubris talking) it would be dang near impossible to screw up this chapter compared to the actual episode. I kinda hold a grudge against that episode, mainly because an episode that could've reignited the Sparity ship was kneecapped from both Spike AND Rarity being jerks to each other. Though I have nothing against Gabby and I do friend-ship her with Spike, but geez, I don't think I've ever felt so betrayed by an episode in MLP before. In summary I hope you liked my reinterpretation.

Anyhoo, I have a bit of news! I wanted to say that I'll be taking a small break from "Life and Times." But for good reason! I want to take some time to start planning for some side stories tying into the "Sil-verse" (Thank you Pastel for the name) and for the next and final arc which will lead into a sequel story. Also I really want to finish my "Over the Moon" story and I should really be devoting more time to it. I really hope you'll all join me on this upcoming journey and enjoy it as much as I will.

One more thing, am I the only one who thinks "The Last Laugh" is a criminally underrated song? That's a dang good song if I've ever heard one and I'm shocked that Weird Al didn't write it.

Let me know what you guys think of this chapter, I love reading the comments.

As always, thanks for reading. See you next time :raritywink:

Silver Wit

Dragon Dilemma

Rarity sipped her coffee, each drop perking her up like a turnkey in a wind-up toy and sighed, thankful as ever that she was able to sweet talk the recipe for the best espresso in Canterlot out of the café owner. Though despite yet another night of restless sleep, she couldn’t help but feel some kind of serenity. Perhaps it was the coffee, perhaps it was that she was finally able to work on designs for next season or maybe it was the sight of the flowers in her best vase. Spike’s bouquet was still a sight to behold and Rarity did everything in her control to keep the petals as vibrant and lively as she could. Though she still felt like a silly nilly filly for her… unsavory and unladylike envy towards Gabby, she could still take solace in the fact that Spike bought these for her.

Rarity hummed as she nibbled on her plate of eggs and toast. Spike said that it was a thank you gift, but she still wasn’t sure if she was deserving of such praise. Either way, it was a lovely gesture. There was a knock at the door, snapping the fashionista out of her own little world. Rarity got up and trotted out of the kitchen just in time to see several letters be pushed through the mail slot. Rarity scooped them up in her magic and sorted through the junk. She found an urgent letter from Sassy Saddles and decided to sit and read that one first, Celestia knows Rarity put her trusted manager through enough stressful hurdles these past few months. She took another bite of her breakfast before reading.

Dear Rarity.

I hope this letter finds you well, the dresses you’ve sent from Ponyville have been selling better than zap apple jam. But that’s not the reason I’m writing to you, I have the most exciting news to share with you! I’m sure you’re familiar with Blue Suede? Designer and organizer of the most coveted fashion show in Canterlot, the Velvet Room? Well she just so happened to have seen the dresses you sent and wants you to help design the next line of dresses for her next show!

Rarity counted herself lucky she wasn’t drinking her coffee, if she were she’d have spewed it across the table. She took out her glasses to make sure she didn’t misread Sassy’s writing.

You read this right; the Blue Suede has asked you to design a line of dresses for her show! She said that with the ugly truth of Pish Posh coming to light that she needed to work with somepony who truly understands fashion and has chosen you! I sent you the details of the show’s theme as well as Blue Suede’s mailing address. I apologize if I overstepped my bounds, but I told her you’d be more than happy to take her on as a partner which is why I sent you this letter ASAP. I hope to hear from you soon.

Sassy Saddles.

The white mare was at a loss for words. For the longest time, Blue Suede worked exclusively with Pish Posh and now one of the strongest hooves in the fashion world has chosen Rarity to partner with? This is the biggest news of her whole career! Rarity eagerly read through the theme details, mind abuzz with inspiration as she read each and every one of Blue Suede’s hoofwritten words. What she was asking for was daring, bold and nothing short of incredible. The perfect challenge.

Rarity was set to polish off her breakfast and get to work on her latest and greatest designs yet, if it weren’t for another letter that caught her eye. This one had a stamp from Canterlot General Hospital and the name “Hawkeye Pierce” in the top corner. Rarity opened the letter from the good doctor.

Dear Ms. Rarity.

I just wanted to share the most incredible news! The hospital has approved the use of rainbow quartz therapy! I can’t thank you enough for all that you’ve done. Because of you, we’ll be able to treat ponies as well as dragons. Stop by the next time you’re in Canterlot, I’d love to thank you personally and you just might be able to see some of the good you’ve done here.

Your friend.

Dr. Hawkeye Pierce.

Rarity smiled, sure the news about Blue Suede’s partnership was world changing, but knowing that more patients like Spike could be healed filled her with a different kind of joy. A certain beauty was beginning to unfold before her like flowers blooming after a terrible storm. With letters in hoof, Rarity eagerly climbed her stairs; it was time to get to work.

Spike was enjoying the rays of the sun on his scales as he strolled down the street. He never realized how much he took these simple feelings for granted as he waved at passing ponies and breathed in the sweet, sweet air. It was a true-blue kind of day and Spike figured that he’d make the most of it. After all, he couldn’t remember the last time he and Rarity went to the gem caves, perhaps now was as good a time as ever. Spike found himself at the all too familiar door of Carousel Boutique and gave it a firm knock, though for a moment he forgot about how strong he was and the knock was more of a bang. Spike winced, still getting used to the muscles after not really using them for so long. He raised his claw again and gave another knock, and after a moment, he heard the patter of hooves approaching.

The door swung open. “Hello, how may I-“ Rarity said in her most customer friendly voice, but began to trip up when she saw who was there. “O-oh, Spike! What a pleasant surprise! What… what brings you here, darling?”

Spike gave a small wave. “Hi Rarity! I was just wonderin’, if you wanna go to the gem caves. It’s such a beautiful day and I’m sure we can find a bunch of rare ones. I can feel it.”

Yes! Rarity wanted to say yes, so, so badly. A day in the gem caves with Spike sounded as divine as an outing could be. But the fashionista had other responsibilities, a massive order by a very lucrative client took precedence unfortunately.

“I’d love to Spiky, I truly would, but I’m afraid I have a great deal of work before me. I was recently commissioned for a rather large order by one of Canterlot’s premier fashion shows.”

“Oh, really? That’s great to hear,” Spike said.

“Indeed it is,” Rarity remarked proudly. “It’s especially fortunate that I am working with the legendary Blue Suede. A collaboration with her would be just the boon I need to bolster sales and revenue after-“ Rarity cut herself off before she let herself get carried away, though Spike’s quizzical look was forcing her to come up with something. “-my… last seasonal showcase. Sadly, not enough of my pieces sold so I felt the financial hit this time.”

But Spike could see right through her. Rarity meant well, but he knew she was lying about her sales. She spent more time with him in the hospital than anypony else, so how in Celestia’s name would she find the time to make dresses and take care of him? Not even Twilight could be in two places at once.

It’s… because of me, isn’t it?

“But it’s quite alright,” Rarity continued. “After all, it’s nothing I can’t handle, besides I’ve been in tighter pickles than this, and-“

“No worries Rarity,” Spike said. “We can always try again another day, I’ll leave you to your work then… Um, I’ll see you later.” Spike gave a small wave and a smile before flapping his wings and flying off.

A rush of sadness gripped Rarity as she watched Spike fly away, normally hearing that Rarity had a heavy workload would make Spike leap at the chance to offer his assistance. But he didn’t. Perhaps she was expecting too much? Or maybe she truly thought things between them were back to normal and their friendship could pick up again. “Although,” Rarity said glumly. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he no longer wished to help me again…” Rarity had a sharp pain in her head as she closed the door. She took a deep breath. Now was not the time to feel sorry for herself, she had dresses to make. With or without her favorite dragon.

“Hey, um. Thanks for seeing me Starlight,” Spike said as he got comfortable on the beanbag seat in Starlight’s office. Taking a moment to sip his empathy cocoa.

“It’s not a problem at all Spike,” Starlight assured. “I normally deal with a lot of student drama, but you should know I’m totally qualified to help my friends out with their issues too. So, what’s on your mind?”

Spike drummed his claws on his mug for a moment before answering. “Well… Rarity has a really big commission right now.”

“That’s great! I’m sure she can use the work.”

“That’s the thing. I don’t think she can afford to turn this order down; I mean she was at the hospital so often…"

Starlight sipped her own cocoa and thoughtfully nodded. “I see. Do you feel guilty about all the work she couldn’t do?”

“Yeah… I wanted to help Rarity; I really did. But I kinda got scared that I’d just be a reminder of all the time she must’ve wasted on me.”

“Hey, don’t talk like that Spike,” Starlight scolded. “I’m sure I speak for Rarity when I say that nothing was wasted. I don’t know if it was a sense of responsibility or her own guilt, but taking care of you wasn’t a waste of time.”

Spike sighed, “But… I just can’t shake this feeling that I have. It’s like, my insides are tangled up Hearth's Warming lights and no matter how much I think about it, I can’t make any sense of it.”

Starlight hummed, “Hmm… I have an idea Spike, why don’t you ask your other friends about this?”

Spike cocked a brow. “Is… my problem too much for you to handle?”

“Oh no, no, no! Not at all! I could sit here with you all day if I thought it would help, but I think what you need is some differences in opinion. Besides, you haven’t been back in Ponyville for very long, this might be a great chance for you to do some reconnecting and get some insight.”

Spike shrugged. “I guess that makes sense. I think I’ll start right now. How have you been Starlight?”

Starlight giggled, “I’ve been doing well. Went on a trip with Trixie to Saddle Arabia recently.”

“Oh right! You were telling me about that last time I saw you in the hospital. How did that go?”

Starlight’s face became unreadable. “Um… it was… ok. Some ups and downs. Though I really wish Trixie would put some of her stuff into storage or something. It gets cramped in her wagon. But in the end we came to understand each other better so I guess it was a positive trip overall.”

“That’s good. It’s nice to know Trixie has a friend as… patient and supportive as you.”

Starlight blushed and rubbed her neck. “Oh it’s not that big a deal. We just have similar wavelengths is all.”

“Heyup!” Applejack struck her hooves into the side of a tree, causing all the apples to fall neatly into strategically placed wicker baskets. “Phew, making great time. Hey, Autumn! Ye doin’ alright?”

Autumn poked her face out through the leaves. “Doin’ just fine AJ!” Autumn vanished and soon the branches of the tree she was in began to shake. And again, all of the apples plopped out and landed perfectly into their bushels.

“Ah still don’t know how ya do it,” Applejack laughed.

Autumn Blaze leapt out of the tree and landed rather dramatically. Making sure the scarf on her head was secure and taking a moment to pop the collar on her trench coat. “It’s not too hard once you get used to it. Say, how are the boys doing?”

Applejack looked back, spotting Big Mac and Spike. The two of them were gathering apples, but at a much slower pace as it seemed they were having a conversation. Well, a one-sided conversation to say the least.

Spike crossed his fist up to the side of his head and in one swift motion struck the tree with the bottom of his claw, the apples fell very soon after. “And that’s kinda the long and short of it, Big Mac. I just can’t help but feel bad for Rarity. I mean, I know I’d still be laid up or worse if it wasn’t for her, but should she have put all of her work on the back burner for me? I guess this sounds pretty weird, huh?”

“Nope,” Big Mac replied.

“It’s just… I know how important Rarity’s career is. She’s worked for it her whole life, and then she gets roadblocked by me. At least that’s how I see it…”

Big Mac gave a contemplative hum as he bucked his next tree.

“Anyways, how are things between you and Sugar Belle?”

Big Mac had a goofy smile and blushed. “Uhh, pretty dern good.”

Spike smirked. “Oh? That’s good to hear, but what’s with that blush? Got something else to say?”

“Well… Ah’m actually savin’ up fer a ring…”

“Woah! You’re gonna ask her to marry you? Congrats Big Mac!”

“Ah hate te break up the chit-chat you two,” said Applejack as she trotted up with Autumn trailing behind her. “But yer fallin’ behind. We’ll be here till sundown at the rate yer goin’.”

“Sorry sis,” Big Mac said sheepishly.

“Sorry Applejack,” Spike said. “I was just asking Big Mac for some advice. Well, it was more like listening to my problem.”

Applejack rose a curious brow. “Somethin’ on yer mind sugar cube?”

“Yeah. The thing is, Rarity’s really behind on her work and I can’t help but feel like it’s my fault. She was in Canterlot for a long time and now she has to play catch up.”

“Ooh, I know how you feel,” Autumn said sympathetically. “I felt awful for taking AJ away from her farm work when I caught a cold.”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Autumn, it was only fer three days and Ah got mah work done right quick afterwards. But as fer you Spike, Ah don’t rightly know all the details, but it really seems like Rarity knew about what takin’ care of ye was gonna be like and the consequences fer her actions. Can’t say Ah don’t get how ya feel, but it might be best te not git yerself all in a tizzy over this.”

“Eeyup,” Big Mac added.

Spike sighed, “Well I’ll try to at least. By the way, Autumn, what are you wearing?”

Autumn smirked. “Like it? I saw Rarity wearing it a few days ago. She said she was starting a new trend and I thought, ‘woah, I have to get in on being a trendy spy before anypony else.’ I tried to get AJ to join me, but she said her hat was enough.”

Despite becoming an avid flying lover, Spike could never bring himself to soar over the quiet path leading to the outskirts of town and the quaint little cottage at the end. The chirping of birds and the chatter of squirrels brought the dragon to a nice level of calm as he continued his walk. Taking a moment to breathe deep the wildflowers and decaying foliage. Soon Spike was standing on the doorstep of the kindly Pegasus. He knocked gently and patiently waited for a reply. When none came, he knocked again, and when that proved fruitless Spike walked around to the back of the cottage and sure enough he caught sight of a yellow Pegasus and a draconequus in the animal sanctuary. Spike drew closer to the pair.

“I still don’t understand the point of this,-“ Discord said as he reached into a bag of bird seed and flung it on the ground for a family of swallows. “-you know I could get all of this work done with a single snap right?”

Fluttershy gave a few brushstrokes to a baby capybara before turning her attention to her complaining friend. “That’s not the point Discord. I told you; the animals don’t just need food; they need some tender loving care too. Give it time and you’ll see.”

Discord sighed, “Oh, very well. But we could be using this time for an impromptu tea party, you know.”

“Work first,-” Fluttershy said as she sent the little capybara on his way. “-then tea. After you feed the birds, I’ll need you to take care of the frogs.”

“I can help with that, if you want,” Spike said as he entered the sanctuary.

“Why hello Spike,” Fluttershy greeted in a pleasing voice. “It’s so nice to see you again.”

“Yeah, I’ve been meaning to visit, but Twilight’s kept me pretty busy.”

“It’s alright. I’m sure Twilight is just happy to see you again. Oh, and if you want to help, can you grab that jar of flies and open it by the pond? The frogs will really appreciate it.”

Spike nodded and grabbed said jar of flies, set it down by the pond and opened the lid. The flies took their chance to flee, but they couldn’t escape the hungry frogs, as they were gobbled up one by one.

“So what brings you here Spike?” Discord asked. “Just wanted to feed some frogs?”

“Well, not exactly. I’ve got a lot on my mind right now and Starlight suggested I take some time to reconnect with friends, so I’ve kinda been doin’ that.”

“Oh?” the lord of chaos seemed interested. “What’s this? Barely here a week and you’re having issues already? Alright, what is it this time?”

Spike rolled his eyes. “I’ve been feeling guilty. Rarity set so much of her time aside to take care of me when I was in the hospital, I can’t help but feel I set her back with her work.”

“Pff! Are you serious?” Discord snarked. “Why would you feel guilty? Isn’t it her fault you got hurt in the first place? I mean she didn’t lure you under that chandelier and you saved her of your own accord, but if you didn’t go to that dumb party none of this would’ve happened.”

Discord shuddered as he could feel Fluttershy’s glare. The Pegasus then turned to Spike with a softer face. “Spike, I understand what you’re saying, and your feelings are valid,-“ Fluttershy placed a bowl of salad down for Angel, who happily indulged in his meal. –“But maybe you should think of it this way, she was behind in her work because she cared about you, and she cared more about you and what you went through than her own work. Well, that’s what I think at least.”

Spike gave a thoughtful look as he absorbed what Fluttershy said. Then he cracked a smile. “Wow… I guess I never thought of it like that. Thanks Fluttershy.”

“Of course Spike. Always happy to help.”

“Fluttershy!” Discord called out. “Not to alarm you, but is there a reason why this lion is looking at the gazelle this way?”

Fluttershy broke out in a sweat. “Oh dear!”

It was dark when Spike returned home, he volunteered to help out at the sanctuary for the “lion incident” and before he knew it the sun was beginning to set. A pair of guards saluted as he reached the doors, it was still weird to see, but there was a nostalgia that reminded Spike of his days living at Canterlot Castle . He walked through the foyer and turned to take the stairs.

“Spike?”

Spike paused as he heard the voice of his sister as she stepped out of the kitchen with a steaming pot of tea. From where Spike was standing it smelled like chamomile. “Oh, hey Twilight.”

“Hey yourself,” Twilight responded. “So what have you been up to? I haven’t seen you all day.”

Spike paused for a moment. Did he really want to tell Twilight what he was up to? He knows things between Twilight and Rarity have been… tense to say the least. How would she react to Spike’s tangled feelings of guilt towards the white mare? He certainly didn’t want to set Twilight off, he’s been careful not to bring Rarity up in her presence so far, but perhaps Twilight can offer up her own wisdom on the matter. Couldn’t hurt to try.

“Spike?” Twilight asked. “Are you ok?”

Spike ran a claw over his head and sighed, “Well… the thing is… I went to see Rarity today…”

Twilight’s eyes drifted to a spot on the floor. “Oh… you did, did you?”

“Yeah. I thought it’d be nice to go out to the gem caves, but then I found out that Rarity’s really behind on her work, and I can’t help but feel like it’s my fault. I mean she took care of me at the hospital for ages, so I went to talk about it with Starlight and she suggested I should go and reconnect with some friends and get their advice.”

“And? Did you find the answer you were looking for?”

“I don’t know… maybe? Applejack said that she must’ve known about the consequences and did it anyway, Discord was baffled why I’d feel guilty, Fluttershy said that Rarity cared more about me than her work and Big Mac… Well, he was a good listener. They all gave me some pretty good advice, well except Discord, but I still can’t get rid of this nagging feeling. That she’s in deep because of me.”

Twilight’s ears drooped as she listened to her little brother’s woes. Was she really in a position to give Spike advice on Rarity? It’s not like she’s seen the fashionista since the incident at Canterlot General. But she couldn’t leave Spike to feel this way, she had to do something as the Princess of Friendship and as a big sister.

“Spike,” Twilight said cautiously. “even though Rarity and I aren’t on the best of terms right now, I know that she sacrificed a lot of her time and energy for you. Heck, she only just came back from Canterlot after… geez, I don’t know how long. And who really knows how far behind she is in her work. But… maybe you shouldn’t think about what Rarity did because of you, and start thinking about what Rarity did for you. She put you before herself and her career because that’s just how she is. Her generosity wouldn’t let her leave you there in that hospital bed, all alone and in pain.”

Spike gave his sister a small smile and pulled her in for a hug. “Thanks Twilight. You always know what to say when I’m down.”

Twilight returned the hug. “I should hope so. It’s kinda my full-time job.”

“I… think I’m feeling better now,” Spike said as he broke the hug. “But all this thinking has worn me out, I think I’m gonna call it an early night.”

Twilight nodded. “That sounds like a nice idea. Good night Spike, I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Night Twi.”

Spike let out a long, drawn-out yawn as he crossed the threshold of his room and closed the door, wanting nothing more than a few hours of shut eye. He thought back on what Twilight said and that got caught up in a chorus of the advice the rest of his friends gave him till he was hearing their voices talking over each other. If anything, a good night’s sleep will put his mind in order. Spike crawled into his bed and pulled up his blanket. But as tired as he was, he just couldn’t seem to find the sweet spot on his bed. That one special area that would carry him off to dreamland. As he did his best to sleep, his mind started to calm down little by little, till only one thought seemed to be on the forefront.

Rarity.

He really was a heel. The least Spike could’ve done for her was assist Rarity in the shop. He thought back to his time in Canterlot General Hospital and the time he spent with Rarity. The talks they had, the games they played and her help in Spike’s physical therapy. And of course their night of celebration when he was released from the hospital and all the gems she brought him. Heck those lousy gems alone must’ve cost…

Just then Spike sat up as realization struck. Wait… how much did those gems cost? Spike thought. Why didn’t this cross his mind sooner? Sure all the time Rarity spent caring for him would encroach her dress making schedule, but that isn’t the whole story. Rarity brought those gems with her every day; she didn’t get them from the doctors. Which means… Rarity spent her own bits on the medicine that saved Spike’s life… and she did it for… how long was he in the hospital again? Spike finally understood, with no new dresses, her business suffered, and with dwindling revenue, she had to spend money from her own savings on Rainbow Quartz.

Spike got up and opened his bedroom window. He peeked outside and looked in the direction of Carousel Boutique, spotting the ornate building. In that moment, Spike felt something change within him. All the regret and guilt he felt throughout the day just evaporated and was replaced with… gratitude. He closed his window and sat in bed, rubbing his scarred arm.

I’m sure I speak for Rarity when I say nothing was wasted.

Ah don’t rightly know all the details, but it really seems like Rarity knew about what takin’ care of ye was gonna be like and the consequences fer her actions.

She was behind in her work because she cared about you, and she cared more about you and what you went through than her own work.

Maybe you shouldn’t think about what Rarity did because of you, and start thinking about what Rarity did for you.

Spike sighed and laid back down, staring at the ceiling. He placed a claw on his chest, he knew in his heart what Rarity did for him was for him and only him. And now, he was going to return the favor. Spike’s eyelids became heavy as he finally relaxed into his sheets and in mere moments was slumbering soundly.

Rarity sipped her coffee and nibbled on her modest breakfast. She was up late last night, but she made some real progress in her assignment. Her sense of accomplishment and the caffeine was just enough to keep her energy up. But Rarity wasn’t sure how in Celestia's name she was going to finish Blue Velvet’s order at the deadline she set. Though if she were to put her nose to the grindstone and work a few more full days and nights, she might make it. Rarity sighed, it was probably for the best if she wrapped up breakfast quickly and got to work asap. As Rarity placed her washed plate and mug onto the drying rack, there was a knock at the door. Rarity trotted over and opened the door, finding a chipper Spike on the other side.

“Spike!” Rarity said as the butterflies began to flutter. “G-good morning. How may I help you darling?”

“Heya Rarity,” Spike said with a wave. “I was just wondering, since you have that big order and everything, if you’d like some help.”

Rarity smiled and in that moment, felt like the luckiest mare in Equestria. “I’d like that very much Spiky.”

Author's Note

You know, this chapter was harder to write than I originally thought. See, I mostly have everything; or at least the idea of everything that's going to happen in my head and this chapter didn't exist until it was... suggested by a reader. I didn't really have any intention of having a chapter that gave insight to how Spike was feeling emotionally and mentally as I wanted to keep that more ambiguous. But then it occurred to me, it's fine for the characters emotions to be more ambiguous from each other to keep the tension between them, but I shouldn't keep this information hidden from you the readers because when the big moment comes most readers will be like, "Well I guess it's fine that it turned out well, but X really didn't seem to be that into Y, so I don't really buy it." In a "who dunnit?" story letting the audience in on what's going on is what's called, "fair play."

Funnily enough, after I finished the rough draft I was like, "Alrighty! this is lookin' good!" Then a few days later when I read it over for the rewrite I was like, "Oh my God! I am really bored!" So a quick insight into your favorite (?) writer, I abhor repetition. If I read, hear, see or am told something over and over and over again it grates on me more than sandpaper underwear. Originally Spike also seeked help from Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, but I was starting to get tired of reading Spike explaining his situation over and over again so I cut out the above two characters and stuck to the ones in the actually chapter. I like it a lot more.

I also have some big news, starting with the next chapter, this story will be entering its final arc! I'm really excited to bring it to you since I can't stop thinking about it. Just need to draw up the rest of the plan and balance out this story and my Over the Moon story which is also nearing conclusion (though this story will take a bit longer to finish than the other).

Let me know what you guys think of this chapter, I love reading the comments.

As always, thanks for reading. See you next time :raritywink:

Silver Wit

The Looking Glass

Celestia let out a yawn and rubbed her eyes, she lit her horn and levitated a very dusty looking tome to her side. She flipped through the pages and glanced between the book and the multitude of loose papers she had before her at her desk. She crumpled up some papers, tossed them in a bin and dipped her quill in an ink pot before writing down her new calculations and notes. She set the book aside and took a moment to sit back and massage her temple. She sighed. How long has she been at this? Day in and day out calculations, theories, formulas, and enough magical mumbo jumbo to disinterest even the most eager scholar.

Celestia breathed deep, she couldn’t give up, she won’t. I’m so close to a breakthrough, she thought every time the idea of taking a step back from her work or going to sleep came up. The sun princess continued her writing; tired eyes scanning each and every mark on the page, making sure not even the smallest mistake was made. She levitated the old tome to her side again, flipping through the pages to find her next clue. But after a few moments, she snapped the book shut and grumbled. She set it aside and lit her horn, in an instant, Celestia was standing before the directory in the Royal Archive.

The soft pale moonbeams shone through the skylight, casting a haunting glow on the ancient texts. Celestia began reading the directory, her hoof gliding over the pages as her lips kept repeating the same words over and over again until her hoof stopped. The princess had a moment of relief as she set off in search of the next book. Celestia navigated the towering aisles with the efficiency of a veteran librarian and soon tracked down the book she needed. She quickly peeked inside the pages and let out an excited, “Yes!” before teleporting back to her room. She set down her new tome and was about to take a seat at her desk, but something felt... off.

Celestia’s eyes darted around the room, everything seemed just as she left it, but that didn’t stop her from checking if there was anything under her bed; finding nothing. She pulled aside her curtains and checked the doors to her balcony; they were locked and there was nothing outside. She opened her closet door; nothing but dresses and extra regalia. No... there was something here, Celestia was sure of it. Her search was interrupted when she heard a knock at the door.

“Celestia?” the muffled voice of Luna called out. “I know you’re there sister, do you have a moment? I’d like to speak with you.”

Celestia quickly organized her papers and hid them in her desk and placed her tomes under her pillows. “Y-yes Luna! Come in!” The lunar diarch opened the door and entered. “N- now. What is it you’d like to talk about?”

“Sister,” Luna said calmly. “I’m starting to grow... concerned with your behavior as of late.”

Celestia was no stranger to this conversation. It’s been happening a lot, and for quite some time. But even though she knew Luna was coming from a good place, Celestia wasn’t really in the mood for this talk. “I know what you’re going to Say Luna, but I’m fine.”

“No you’re not,” Luna said with a bit of force. “You can’t keep going on like this Celestia, you need rest. I fear if you don’t get some sleep, you’ll have a breakdown of some kind.”

“Luna, I appreciate your concern, really I do. And I swear to you that as soon as my...-“ Celestia let out a rather loud yawn. “-project is done, I’ll get as much sleep as I need and then some. But I can’t stop, I’m so close to a breakthrough.”

Luna rolled her eyes. “That’s exactly what you said last time, word for word. Would you at least let me help you in this endeavor of yours?”

“No!” Celestia was louder than she meant to be. “I’m... sorry Luna, I didn’t mean to snap. I’m just tired. But this project has to work and I really am close to a discovery. Please, just give me a little more time.”

Luna looked at her sister with glazed eyes and sighed, “One more night, after that I’ll put you to bed myself if it means you actually getting some sleep.”

Celestia nodded. “Thank you Luna, goodnight. Oh, and sister, just one more thing,-“ Celestia narrowed her tired eyes. “- tell your thieving cat to stay out of my room!”

Luna tilted her head. “You think Capper’s been in your room? News to me, but if it’ll put your mind at ease, I’ll pass the message along. Goodnight Celestia.” Luna promptly left.

Celestia waited a moment before turning back to her desk and taking out the pages she was working on and the books she was reading. She sat back in her chair and yawned. Maybe Luna had a point, perhaps she was long overdue for some much needed forty winks. But then, a light shone in Celestia’s eye. She looked at the small bonsai on the corner of her desk. Hanging from one of its branches was a shard of mirrored glass and sharing that space was a tag; the word “always” was written in a very lovely script. Celestia pushed aside all of her fatigue as a new vigor rose within her.

“No. No, not yet. I’ll figure this out, I swear it.” Celestia began to write again taking a moment every so often to cross check what was written in the books from the archive.

Please. Just wait a little longer.

Luna trotted on the fine carpet that stretched down the darkened halls, she paused for
a moment as she checked her surroundings.

“I trust you failed in your mission?” she said.

In the shadows of the castle, a pair of sharp green eyes shone bright. Capper stepped out into the pale light of the moon, shrugging his shoulders. “Sorry Lulu, but whatever your sister is working on, she doesn’t want anypony to know about it.”

“Capper, I’m seriously worried about Celestia,” Luna confided in her advisor. “Going as long as she has with little to no sleep is very detrimental to her health, let alone the dangers of this so-called ‘secret project.’ It may indeed hold the fate of all Equestia. Isn’t there anything you can tell me?”

Capper blew out his cheeks as he leaned against Luna’s back like guardrail. “Nothing I could make heads or tails of. Just a bunch of magic mumbo jumbo and calculations. Some dusty books; fairly certain from the royal archive, since they had Star Swirl’s name on them. And her notes all seem to be written in code. I doubt nothing short of a magical genius could crack it.”

“That doesn’t really put my mind at ease you know.”

“I think you’re worrying too much Lulu. Celestia’s a big girl, if she was in actual trouble she’d ask for help. Or at the very least get Twilight Sparkle to fix her problem. But pestering and spying on your sister will just make her more cautious and paranoid. I swear if I was even a second slower leaving her room, I’d either be a charred outline on the floor, or I’d have to do my work from the moon.”

Luna smirked. “Oh? What’s this? Is the great cat burglar’s claws starting to dull from castle life?”

Capper chuckled and pulled out a book from one of his inner coat pockets. It had Luna’s cutie mark on the cover as well as a lock binding the covers shut. “Well, I wouldn’t say that.”

Luna caught sight of what Capper was waving around in his paw and blushed furiously. “AH!” she gasped as Luna abruptly sat on the ground, causing Capper to fall off the moon princess’s back. Luna’s magic snapped the book from Capper’s mitts in the confusion and she held it close to her chest. “”You! Y-y-you lout! If thou hast read even one solitary word of mine diary, I’ll snuff out the rest of thine nine lives!”

If Luna’s threats scared Capper he did a very good job at hiding it. The princess’s royal advisor dusted off his waistcoat and adjusted his ascot, making sure the crescent moon symbol was perfectly centered. “Geez, you ponies are so emotional. Don’t worry, I didn’t read anything; after all, a princess’s thoughts and feelings are hers and hers alone. Anyway, I believe it’s time I turned in. See you tomorrow Lulu.” Capper slipped back into the shadows; his smug laugh echoed off the darkened walls of the castle.

Luna merely glared daggers into the darkness, clutching her diary, and spat out, “Tch! Thieving cat!”

“Please sir, I’ve been to factory after factory! I need to work; I have a wife to think about
and a little one on the way! A young green earth pony said atop the stage at the School of Friendship. “You can’t imagine what life is like for a guy like me! I can’t go back home without good news! I just can’t!”

“Cut!” Autumn Blaze announced before walking center stage. “Great job Matcha; I love that you’re off book, buuuut, let’s see if we can work on your character more.”

Meanwhile, sitting near the audience seating, were Twilight, Applejack and Spike. All three watched Autumn work her magic on stage.

“Ah ‘preciate ya doin’ this fer Autumn, Twilight,” Applejack said. “Ah love having her help ‘round the farm, but Ah could tell she was missin’ the theatre like a Breezie missin’ the wind.”

Twilight waved a nonchalant hoof. “Oh it’s no trouble at all Applejack. I’ve been hoping to find a teacher for our theatre department and as far as I can tell, Autumn Blaze is more than qualified for the position.”

“So I see you chose a more confident attitude for your character, Matcha,” Autumn said to her student as she read over the script. “Which isn’t a bad choice, but I want you to try something. Your character has been looking for work, desperate to provide for his family. He’s been to every factory and shop in town and this is his last shot. So channel that fear of failure, harness that feeling of fleeting hope! And just to make it a little easier to visualize,“- Autumn took out a piece of chalk and drew a straight line; right in front of Matcha’s forehooves. –“I want you to deliver the lines like somepony is about to push you off a cliff.” Autumn’s hoof pressed against the earth pony’s back and gave a small nudge.

Matcha’s eyes shrank and he gulped, feeling the nervous sweat starting to build. “Aaaand, go,” Autumn whispered.

Matcha trembled, a true far cry from his earlier persona. He opened his mouth and shakily said, “Please sir... I-I’ve been to factory after factory... I... need to work. I-I have a wife to think about a-and a little one on the way,” his voice cracked. “You... can’t imagine... what life is like for a guy like me. I can’t... I can’t go back without good news! I... just can’t!”

Jaws were hung open as Matcha finished his monologue. All of a sudden, the other students began to clap and whistle at the performance they witnessed. Autumn clapped her hooves as well.

“Bravo! Now that’s what I call acting!” the Kirin commented, before Matcha sighed and fainted right on stage.

“Perhaps a little overqualified,” Twilight said with a nervous smile.

Spike finished his round of applause. “I think she’s great! Heck, I’m fired up to see what she has planned for a real production. Ooh, I hope she does- BUURRRP!” Spike was interrupted by a flaming belch and a neatly rolled piece of parchment with an ornate ribbon landing in his claws.

“Is that from Princess Celestia?” Applejack asked.

“Sure is,” Spike replied. “I’d recognize that seal anywhere. Here ya go Twilight.” Twilight took the scroll from Spike and unrolled it, eyes scanning from top to bottom. “So?” Spike inquired. “What does it say? Are we in danger again?”

“I... I don’t know,” Twilight said as if she just read a crossword puzzle riddled with spelling errors. “the princess is being really vague. But it does say we’re wanted in Canterlot ‘as soon as possible’. Better tell the girls.”

Rarity let out a content sigh as she placed her last dress in a well packed box. Thanks to Spike’s help, she was able to finish Blue Suede’s order in record time. The fashionista made a mental note to do something to thank Spike properly. Perhaps a nice dinner? Rarity blushed, that sounded an awful lot like a date. Maybe a nice box of gems? Though Rarity liked her dinner idea more. She taped the box shut and wrote out the shipping label. The fashionista felt like she earned a nice treat for her hard work and there is a container of her favorite ice cream in her freezer. Rarity trotted down the stairs, but before she entered the kitchen, she heard a knock at the door, pouting that somepony was getting between her and her sweet reward. She walked over and put on her best customer service face before opening the door.

“Welcome to Carousel Boutique! How may I-? Spike!” Rarity’s breath caught in her throat. “H-hello darling. What are you-? I mean, how can I help you darling?”

“Hey Rarity,” Spike greeted. “I wanted to let you know that Twilight got a letter from the princess and we’re needed in Canterlot asap.”

“Really? I hope everything’s alright. Though given that it’s from the princess, I highly doubt things are going swimmingly.”

Spike chuckled,” Probably not.”

“Thank you for telling me Spikey. I’ll get myself ready and meet you at the station in two shakes of a pony’s tail.”

“Great! I’ll see you there. I gotta go and find Pinkie and Fluttershy now, bye Rarity.” Spike waved and he took off into the sky.

Just then a realization hit Rarity. If she has to go to Canterlot at the request of the princess, then that means Twilight will most certainly be traveling alongside her. Rarity’s heart thumped as memories of Twilight’s rage flashed in the white mare’s head. What was going to happen when the two of them meet again after all this time?

Careful darling. She just might tear you to pieces

Rarity gasped and she looked around the room in a panic. The voice echoed in her mind like a chime of a sinister bell. Rarity took a deep breath and tried to calm down. After a moment or two, she prepared to leave for the station.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to tag along Twilight?” Flash Sentry asked as he walked beside the Princess of Friendship down the halls of the school. “Part of my job is to make sure you’re safe.”

“You know I appreciate your concern Flash,” Twilight responded. “But Princess Celestia said to only bring, ‘the element bearers, Spike and Starlight.’ Whatever she needs our help for must be top secret, and if Ponyville is in danger, I’ll need you and the rest of the guard to protect the town.”

Flash gave a reluctant sigh, “Alright. But off the record, if I find out you’re in danger, I just may disobey orders and come for you.”

Twilight sidled up to her captain. “I wouldn’t expect anything less,” she said with a playful tone.

“Oh Twilight, thank goodness I found you!” Starlight said as she quickly trotted up to the pair.

“Starlight? Shouldn’t you be at the station? Our train will be leaving soon.”

“About that,” Starlight said sheepishly. “I don’t think we’ll be making this train.”

Twilight cocked a brow. “Why ever not?”

“Well, because I think you forgot we have a meeting with some transfer students and their parents. Remember? Orientation?”

Twilight slapped her forehead. “That’s today? Oh figs! I was so wrapped up with the princess’ letter it completely slipped my mind. Alright, Let’s go Starlight, the sooner we have the meeting the sooner we can leave for Canterlot. Flash can you go to the station and let the girls know they have some time to kill. And if you see Spike, tell him he’s needed for the meeting.”

Flash saluted and flew off.

“Spike’s already at the meeting,” Starlight said. “I told him to keep the parents and students company till we got there.”

“Ten steps ahead of me as usual I see. Thanks Starlight, remind me to write the princess that we’ll be a little late.”

The Ponyville express let out a loud whistle as it pulled away from the station platform. The only ones left were four mares. Applejack was busy flicking playing cards into her hat as Rarity and Fluttershy were having a conversation on knitting sweaters for bears while Pinkie Pie took this opportunity to snack on some cinnamon nuts.

“Dang it!” Applejack exclaimed. “Thirty-three! Ah was so close te beatin’ mah record too!” the farm girl grumbled something under her breath as she picked the cards out of her hat and the one that missed the mark and set herself up for another go.

“Well you’ve got plenty of time to practice darling,” Rarity commented as her conversation with Fluttershy wrapped up. “the next train to Canterlot isn’t for another few hours.”

“I hope Twilight’s meeting doesn’t take too long,” Fluttershy said. “We wouldn’t want to keep Princess Celestia waiting.”

“Oh well! Nothin’ much to do about that other than wait and see,” Pinkie said. She downed another hooffull of nuts and looked into the bag. “Ooh, gives me time to stock up on more snacks.”

Just then a bolt of technicolor landed on the platform. “Hey girls, sorry I’m late!” Rainbow Dash said. “I had a few things to wrap up at the Wonderbolts base. How long till the train gets here? Hey, where’s Twilight?”

“Last minute meeting darling,” Rarity said. And the train came and went.”

Rainbow Dash gave Rarity a quick cut of her narrowed eyes before turning her attention to the others. “So we got some time to kill? Great. Rushed here for nothing. Wish Spike was here to chat with.”

“I’m afraid Spike’s at the meeting,” Rarity said trying to be civil. “it was just dropped on him as well.”

Rainbow Dash shot a glare at the fashionista and spat, “Like you dropped that chandelier on his head?”

A painful silence hung in the air after Dash’s jab. Nopony there was sure what to say or even do. Till Rarity took a few steps back, doing her best to avoid eye contact.

“Well, um, I think I’ll... go get something to read.” Rarity trotted away at a quickened pace.

Dash rolled her eyes. “Tch.”

“Rainbow Dash, what in tarnation’s gotten inta you?” Applejack asked.

“What?” Dash asked in genuine confusion.

“it’s just that, well, you were really mean to Rarity,” Fluttershy said.

“Yeah!” Pinkie Pie chimed. “That wasn’t very friendly-ish of you!”

“Mean? Friendly-ish?” Rainbow Dash gawked. “How am I supposed to act around Rarity? Just say, ‘hey Rarity, good to see you again’? No way! Not after what she did to Spike!”

“Dash, Ah think you might be holdin’ that grudge a lil’ too tight,” Applejack said with an edge. “You know Rarity didn’t actually drop that chandelier on Spike.”

“Yeah, I know she didn’t,” Dash said reluctantly, but still retaining her anger. “I just-“

“Then don’t blame ‘er fer somethin’ she didn’t do!”

“You don’t get it Applejack, none of you do. I was there. I saw how hurt he was.”

“We all saw-“

“No.” Dash wasn’t loud, but her word had enough power to silence the farmer. “You don’t get it. I was there... at the party. I saw how badly Rarity hurt Spike, all so she could get on some stuck up nopony’s good side. He was totally destroyed and it was Rarity’s fault.” Rainbow Dash shook her head, as if to throw out the memory before it made her choke up. “How am I supposed to forgive her for that? She treated one of my best friends like dirt and you expect me to play nice?”

A yellow hoof rested on Dash’s shoulder. “Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy said calmly. “we understand how you must be feeling about this. I know you’re angry, but you’re letting it overwhelm you.”

“It’s not overwhelming me; you guys are being too soft on her!”

“It ain’t that simple,” Applejack said. “what Rarity did te Spike was bad, but she’s been workin’ hard as anypony te set things right.”

“Yeah!” Pinkie said. “She’s been super nice to Spike and hasn’t upset Twilight.”

“Not to mention,” Fluttershy said firmly, then brought her volume down as if it were a reflex. “um, she stayed in Canterlot to take care of Spike. I think we owe a lot of his recovery to Rarity. And if she isn’t causing any trouble to Spike or Twilight, it isn’t really our place to meddle.”

“it’s great that you all forgave her,” Rainbow Dash pouted. “But how am I supposed to let this go?”

“Nothin’ quite like an open and honest talk,” Applejack said with a small smile. “Ah know Ah feel better af’er one o’ those.”

“You don’t have to trust Rarity right away,” Fluttershy said. “She did make a big mistake. But you’ll feel better if you just get what you want to say out of your system. Say it so you can move forward. After all, Spike and Twilight seem to be giving Rarity a second chance. Maybe you should trust their judgement.”

“Good friendships start with good communication!” Pinkie said as she pulled out another bag of cinnamon nuts.

Rainbow Dash wanted to retort, wanted to keep her argument going. But in that moment she lost her voice. Was it really worth stubbornly holding onto this anger and resentment? Wouldn’t it be better to try and work through this? Dash sighed. She had quite the weight to get off her chest.

The Ponyville express hustled down the tracks on the road to Canterlot. The orientation went off with only minor hitches; the parents weren’t exactly thrilled that the headmare was going to be absent on their kid’s first day of school, but Twilight was nothing if not an expert in diplomacy and was able to quell their concerns. As of now, said headmare was tapping her hoof impatiently as she watched the scenery zip on by. Twilight sent a letter to the princess to apologize for being tardy, but it didn’t exactly calm her nerves. For all she knew, the meeting closed off a very sensitive time window and now Equestria was doomed. Whether it be from Queen Chrysalis, a Tartarus jailbreak, or some other ancient evil from a thousand years ago ready to wreak havoc.

“Twilight? You ok?” Starlight asked.

“Just a little antsy,” Twilight responded. “I hope everything’s alright.”

“Ah think we’ll be fine Twilight,” Applejack said. “Princess Celestia did say te come when we could. It didn’t sound too urgent.”

“I just have this... feeling. Something weird is going on. I don’t remember the princess giving a letter that felt so... indirect. It was almost as if she was too scared to write down what she needed our help with.”

“I think you’re worrying too much Twi,” Spike said. “If it was an emergency the princess probably would’ve sent a carriage or something for us personally. I don’t think Equestria’s safety is hanging in the balance.”

Twilight sighed, “I...really hope you’re right.”

Spike took a moment to look around the area. Everypony was present except... “Hey, has anypony seen Rarity? It’s like she disappeared.”

Pinkie shrugged. Fluttershy shook her head and Dash flinched.

“I saw her go that way,” Twilight said sheepishly. “She’s probably in the dining car.”

“Oh, thanks. I think I’m gonna go see what she’s up to.” Spike stood up and walked to

the back of the car, all the while a pair of magenta eyes followed the dragon until he was through the car doors. Rainbow Dash sighed and stared out the window, taking in the scenery and putting her thoughts in order.

Rarity tipped her head back as she downed the contents of her glass in one quick motion. “Another,” she said in a hollow tone.

“Are you sure, miss?” said the earth pony in a sharp vest behind the counter. “That’s your third peach lemonade, don’t you think you’ve had enough?”

“I’ll tell you when I’ve had enough!” Rarity barked.

“Y-yes miss! Right away miss!” The bartender quickly refilled Rarity’s glass and gave his patron space. Rarity took another big gulp of her drink and sulked. I shouldn’t be surprised, Rarity thought. I was a fool to think only Twilight wouldn’t forgive and forget. Now I’m stuck on a train with two ponies who think the worst of me. A dark part of her mind told her that this is what she deserved. A ruined friendship or two was fair after what she’d done. If anything, Rarity was surprised Applejack, Fluttershy and Pinkie didn’t chastise her along with Rainbow Dash. The white mare shook her head as in an attempt to uproot those dark thoughts. She still had friends and Spike is all better. She should count herself lucky in that respect.

“Hey Rarity.”

Rarity straightened up like a bolt of static ran through her body. She turned and saw Spike, carrying a sympathetic smile on his face. Rarity scolded herself for how she must look, four lemonades in with a gloomy grey cloud.

“Spike! H-hello darling. Um, what brings you here? Need a snack?”

The dragon shook his head. “Naw, I came to check up on you.” Rarity felt her heart flutter hearing that Spike was worried for her. “You kinda just up and disappeared. Didn’t want to be around Twilight?”

Rarity bit her lip but quickly recovered. “Y-yes. I’d rather not upset her, especially before meeting with Princess Celestia.” Spike needn’t know the other reason she made herself scarce. No need to burden him with that.

Spike rubbed his neck as he took a seat next to the mare. “I don’t blame you. I mean, after what happened at the hospital... even I was scared of Twilight. But if it makes you feel any better, I don’t think she’s mad anymore.”

“That is good news.”

“Oh, I just remembered!” Spike reached into a bag he was carrying and pulled out a small board and deck of cards. “I brought a game to pass the time. Do you want to play?”

Rarity raised a brow. “Cribbage? I didn’t know you played, Spikey.”

“I learned it when I was in the hospital,” Spike began shuffling the deck. “one of the doctors taught me how to play. Seemed really eager when he heard I was Twilight’s brother, and insisted we ‘make it interesting’. But Dr. Hawkeye convinced him to play for fun. Not sure how, but the doctor seemed really sweaty and nervous after his talk.”

Rarity giggled, “Well it is a more interesting game with some stakes. How about...” Rarity spotted a small wicker basket on the counter and brought it over to where they were sitting. “We’ll play for peanuts.”

“Heh, well somepony seems eager.”

“I won’t go easy on you darling,” Rarity said confidently as she split the nuts between them. “I just so happen to adore this game.”

“And that’s another two points for me, Spike,” Rarity snickered as she moved her peg up on the small board.

“It ain’t over yet Rarity,” Spike said. “I’m dealing next and I feel lucky.” Spike shuffled the deck and split it in half, then he turned over the top card. “Three.”

Rarity inspected her cards. “Hmm...” she played a three. “Six. And another two points for me.” She moved her peg up another two spots. “Watch out Spikey, I’m nearly at one hundred and twenty-one.”

Spike smirked and placed a four down. “Ten.”

Rarity played a five. “Fifteen! Another two points.”

Spike played another four. “Nineteen. And two points for me.”

Rarity narrowed her eyes on the dragon. He seemed awfully calm and confident for somepony who’s eighteen points behind and with her so very near the finish line. Rarity played a three. “Twenty- two and six points.”

Spike played yet another four. “Twenty-six. That’s six points for me.”

Rarity was at a loss for words. While Spike was certainly a challenge, he had never gained so many points so quickly in the games they’ve played thus far. There’s no way he has four of a kind I’m so close to the goal. But her hoof didn’t have anything of high value. She played an ace. “Twenty-seven.”

Spike chuckled and played his last card. It was a four. “Thirty-one! And twelve points, plus another two.”

Rarity had just finished picking her jaw off the floor when she noticed that Spike’s peg was one point away from victory. I can still make a comeback. There’s still the crib.

Spike flipped the four face down cards. And ace, a three, a jack and a queen. Rarity gleamed, she had three of a kind and with those six points she was neck and neck with Spike. However...

“Well lookie, lookie,” Spike said with a touch of smugness. “The jack and the starter are both clubs.” Spike moved his peg to the last spot. “And as the dealer, that means I get a point and that’s game.”

Rarity was stunned. Spike came from behind and swooped victory right out from under her. Even so, she couldn’t help but giggle. “Bravo darling. That game was one for the history books. You were certainly taught well.”

Spike grinned. “Well I didn’t have much else to do in the hospital while I was waiting for you.”

“Want to play again Spikey?”

“Actually, I think I need a quick bathroom break.” Rarity pointed a hoof. “In the next car darling.”

“Thanks, be back in a jiffy.”

Spike got up and walked to the next car at a quick pace. Rarity smiled as she tossed some peanuts into her mouth. This trip certainly took an interesting turn allowing her to spend time with Spike. Her heart warmed at that thought. It really did seem like things were slowly going back to normal. Rarity and her favorite dragon working on dresses, playing games, and just enjoying each other’s company. She truly took quality time like this for granted, but now she’ll treasure every minute of it. If only things could be better between Twilight and...

“Hey,” came a raspy voice.

Rarity jumped as Rainbow Dash brought the fashionista out of her thoughts. “Oh, um. Hello.”

Dash took a seat right next to Rarity. The tension between the two was palpable, with Rarity unsure what to say to the cyan Pegasus. Being cordial didn’t seem to work back at the station. Perhaps it’d just be easier if Rarity got up and went to another car for the time being.

“Listen,” Dash sighed. “I...I’m sorry for what happened at the station. But...” Dash took a deep breath. “I couldn’t help it. I’m just so mad... and... disappointed...”

Rarity’s lips slightly parted in surprise as she finally worked up the courage to shift her eyes to the technicolored mare.

“Ya know,” Dash continued. “for the longest time, I thought I had you figured out. Posh, Passionate, a lil’ snooty, but generous and a good friend... a great friend... but that night at the party...” Rainbow Dash gnashed her teeth as if to hold back anything she might regret. “I saw everything. I saw what you did to Spike with my own eyes. You treated him like he was your servant,” she said in a more even tone, though it was still laced with frustration. “No. Even worse than that. You treated my friend like he was beneath you. That he didn’t matter to you at all. You were choking the life out of him and what hurt the most was that you didn’t even care.”

Rarity’s heart ached as is somepony was strangling it with barbed wire. But she didn’t interrupt, just listened.

“I saw an ugly side of you that night I never knew you had. You threw a friend on the tracks just to make a good impression on somepony who only thinks of herself and what she could gain. You broke Spike’s heart that night Rarity, I... I’ve never seen him like that before. He looked like his entire world fell apart...” Rainbow Dash attempted to wipe her eyes as quickly and nonchalantly as she could, but Rarity saw the tears.

"But even after all that; the party, what Spike went through... you still stuck around to help him. He was looking better every time I saw him. I don’t know how you did it, but I have you to thank for his recovery. Rainbow Dash finally turned her head and met Rarity’s eyes. “I’m still mad and I don’t know if I can trust you yet, but I had to be honest and get this off my chest and... try to tell you that I’m willing to be friends again.”

Rarity was silent for a moment. Her eyes drifted to her drink on the counter. “Rainbow Dash... I’ve... I’ve never been more ashamed of myself than on that night. Even if I lived a hundred lifetimes I don’t think I’ll ever make it up to Spike. But I couldn’t just sit back and do nothing; even if Spike never forgave me, I had to make sure he was safe. I just had to...” Rarity took a moment to dab her eye with a cocktail napkin. “But I swear to you, myself and to anypony else in Equestria, I will never repeat my mistakes. I’ll never take Spike for granted again and I’ll never hurt him like that again.”

Rainbow Dash gave a low chuckle and held her hoof out. “You better not. Cause next time I won’t be so nice.”

Rarity smiled and awkwardly bumped Dash’s hoof with her own.

The car door slid open and shut as Spike rejoined his cribbage partner at the bar. “Sorry about the wait, there was a pretty long line. Oh, hey Dash! Want something to drink? I can spot ya.”

Dash gave Spike a playful punch to the arm. “Naw, but thanks for the offer big guy.”

Rarity smiled. “We were just having a little ‘girl talk’ darling. Now, let’s get back to our game. Care to join us Dash?”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Eh, why not. It’s either this or watching Twilight try not to panic.”

As soon as the train pulled into the Grand Central station of Canterlot, Twilight and her
friends wasted no time and hustled their way to the castle. Eventually they came to the entrance to the throne room. Twilight braced herself and opened the doors. “Princess Celestia! We came as soon as we could!”

“Sorry, Celestia isn’t here, come back later,” said Capper in a flippant tone as he focused his attention on filing his claws. He sat comfortably on Luna’s throne, occasionally blowing on his manicured paw. He looked up, “Oh! My mistake. I thought you were another stuffy aristocrat. I’ve been waiting for you, and now it seems like everypony’s here now.”

“Wait, Capper, where’s Princess Celestia?”

Capper shrugged. “Beats me. I haven’t seen Celestia for a couple of days. But Luna said to meet you here and since we’re all present and accounted for, would you kindly follow me.” Capper hopped off his boss’ throne and began walking away.

Twilight sighed, trying to get answers out of the alley cat would probably take longer than just following him. Though Capper didn’t go very far, he reached the back of the room and began tapping the wall. Eventually he pushed on a section of brick and it opened up before him. Capper walked through the passage followed closely by his guests.

“Oooh, super mysterious!” Pinkie said as she passed through.

“I didn’t even know there was a secret passage in the wall,” Twilight marveled.

The other side of the wall wasn’t much to write about. Just a large room with adequate lighting and a few familiar faces.

“Cadence!” Twilight trotted over to her dear sister in-law and gave her a hug.

The princess of love giggled, “Nice to see you too Twilight.”

“Sunburst?” Starlight asked. “What’re you doing here?”

The befuddled stallion adjusted his glasses. “I’m- I’m not sure. Princess Cadence told me I was to join her in Canterlot and here I am.”

Twilight was quick to notice the other stallion in the room. Heck, it’s hard to mistake a beard like that or robes quite so mystical. “Star Swirl? You’re here too?”

The sagely pony nodded. “Indeed. I was continuing my trek across Equestria when the princess sent me her letter. I must say, this castle is rather different from their first, and I would've been lost for a fortnight if it wasn’t for Luna’s Abyssnyan helper.”

“My advisor Starswirl,” a regal voice said.

“Ah, Luna!” Capper said to the lunar ruler as she passed through the secret door. “As you can see, everypony has arrived.”

Luna nodded. “Yes, thank you Capper. Hello everypony, I’m glad you’re all here. Something strange is going on.”

“Is Princess Celestia in trouble!?” Twilight asked in a panic. “Is that why we're meeting in a secret room? Oh no! We were too late!” Starlight patted her mentor’s shoulder and slowly shook her head.

“The thing is, I’m not sure. My sister has been working day and night for ages on some secret project with very little rest. Then a few days ago she tells me that she was finished with her work. Next thing I know, she sent out the letters to call you all here. For what I still don’t know.”

There was a flash of light as Celestia teleported to the center of the room. “Thank goodness,” Celestia said as if she were holding her breath. “I appreciate you all coming on such short notice, but I’m in dire need of your help.”

“Princess! What’s going on? Is Equestria in danger?” Twilight said.

“I am curious as to why we’re here as well,” Star Swirl mentioned.

“I do apologize for the vagueness of the letters,” Celestia said. “I wasn’t sure how to tell you all that... well, perhaps it’s just easier if I show you.” Celestia’s horn lit up and in an instant the group teleported leaving an empty room. Everypony then found themselves in some sort of magical laboratory filled floor to ceiling with books, beakers and various herbs and tonics. And some object with a thick cloth draped over it. “For the last several months,” Celestia announced. “I’ve been working tirelessly, on this. In hopes of saving somepony very precious to me.” Celestia grabbed the cloth and pulled it off, revealing a very large mirror with several cracks scarring the glass.

“Wait. Is that a portal mirror?” Twilight’s questioned. Just then gasps echoed in the lab. Princess Celestia, the high ruler of Equestria, the Mare of the Morn, and one of the most powerful ponies in the world, was bowing so low to her subjects and fellow royals that the tip of her horn was scratching the floor.

“Princess?”

“Sister?” Luna asked in shock.

“I... I have no right to ask you all of this!” Celestia said, eyes squeezed shut and head still bowed. “This is quite possibly the most selfish request I could make! But I don’t have anypony else to turn to. Please! Help me! Help me save my beloved Sombra!”

Author's Note

Dun. Dun! DUUUUUUUNNN! Celestia's secret project has finally been revealed and we enter the final arc of this story! What mysteries and trials wait on the other side of that glass? Wouldn't you like to know, keep reading! Geez this was a long time coming. I wanted this chapter to be around 3k words but then I was like, "Oh I need this, and now I need that and I really need to close the chapter off with the portal to mirror Equestria and... dang it, it's 6k again!" But I'm happy with how it turned out (really hope it was worth the wait.)

I'm actually glad I didn't use Rainbow Dash in my previous chapter, cause if I did it would've made her scenes in this seem bizarre. And it was pointed out to me by my bestie and some very astute readers (you know who you are) that Rainbow Dash would still be mad at Rarity since she was an eye-witness to what happened to Spike and that gave me food for thought and I wrote the scenes. I don't remember where I saw or read this, but I really like the idea of Spike and Dash being buddies. A kind of friendship that's unique to the rest of the mane six, and given Dash's personality, I saw her as the kind of character that would hold a grudge.

And yes, to my fellow comic readers this is indeed the portal to the Equestria of Good King Sombra of the legendary Reflections arc. But to those of you who haven't read it, I'll go over the broad strokes so no one feels left out. By and by if you haven't read the Reflections arc, I highly recommend it. It's the best piece of MLP in the history of G4, and there hasn't been anything like it since. And I say an apology to Andy Price and Katie Cook, though you created the best arc in MLP I shall be manipulating it for my own use.

Fun fact, the theatre scene where Autumn gives her student a tip on getting a stronger performance was based on an actual scene I ran in college. Though my professor's advice was not to pretend that I was being pushed off a cliff, but to pretend someone was holding a gun to my head. Needless to say my performance greatly improved and there were several watery eyes in the house.

The cribbage scene was annoying to write. I looked up rules, gameplay and terminology, but I couldn't seem to picture it in my mind and I probably butchered my description of the turn. But if I can fudge my way through the D&D bit, why not this?

Let me know what you guys think of this chapter, I love reading the comments.

As always, thanks for reading. See you next time :raritywink:

Silver Wit

Whispers of the Heart

As Twilight and her friends were reeling at the sight of a not so menacing Chrysalis, the Changeling Queen couldn’t help but hold her stomach and laugh.

“Oh, ho, ho, ho! You - you should’ve seen the looks on your faces! It was priceless!”

“You’ll have to excuse her, everypony,” Luna said dryly. “Queen Chrysalis likes to introduce herself with a flourish.”

“Yes, I’m sorry for scaring you; especially that sweet little pegasus over there, but I can’t help myself when I meet some new faces. After all, you only get one first impression -“ Chrysalis cleared her throat. “-But now that I’ve gotten the fun part out of the way; I bid you welcome, I'm Chrysalis. Queen of the changelings and ponies alike, and the element bearer of love. It’s so nice to meet you.”

“Um, it’s an honor, your majesty,” Twilight said. “forgive us for staring. It’s just… we weren’t expecting to see… well… you.”

“Yeah!” Pinkie chirped. “I didn’t know Queen Chrysalis could be so nice and cheery!”

“Oh?” Chrysalis hovered closer out of curiosity. “You mean your Equestria’s Chrysalis, yes? What’s she like?”

“She’s a big meanie that steals love from anypony she can get her hooves on!”

Chrysalis gasped hard enough to suck the glasses off her face. “What!? Steal love? What a horrible thing to do! Love isn’t something to steal and hoard. Love is meant to be shared!”- Chrysalis hovered over to Celestia and wrapped her hooves around the sun princess.- “Whether it’s a hug,”- she then hovered over to Luna and rubbed cheek to cheek. – “A friendly nuzzle. Or…”- Chrysalis drew out the word as she hovered over to Spike, and then she pressed her lips to the side of the dragon’s blushing face and pulled back an impish grin.- “A simple peck on the cheek.”

“EXCUSE ME!?” came a voice that roared like a typhoon.

Everypony’s eyes turned to Rarity. The white mare suddenly felt as if somepony shoved her on stage with no lines to read. Rarity did her best to quickly compose herself after her outburst and said in a much more even tone, “I-I, that is to say, we were told that there were other elements. Are they here as well?”

“Oh, not yet,” Chrysalis answered kindly. If Rarity’s shouting offended her, she was doing a masterful job at hiding it. “But they should be arriving soon. My friends are rather punctual when it comes to Equestria’s safety.”

“I’m still confused about something,” Twilight said. “I said I wasn’t expecting to see you, Queen Chrysalis. I don’t mean to offend, but I would’ve thought Princess Cadence would be ruling the Crystal Empire, like in our Equestria.”

A shudder ran through the guards posted in the throne room as well as some hushed murmurs amongst the ranks.

The cheer seemed to drain from Chrysalis’s face as she looked to her guards with sympathetic eyes. “That. Is the very reason Luna called for help. Princess Cadence is the greatest threat to the Crystal Empire and the very enemy we’re banding against.”

“What!? Cadence is the enemy!?” Twilight asked in disbelief.

“No way,” Rainbow Dash said.

“Ah don’t believe it…” Applejack commented.

Fluttershy covered her mouth. “Oh dear…”

“I-I don’t understand,” Twilight continued. “How can-? But Cadence-! Can somepony explain this to me!?”

Celestia placed a calming hoof on her former pupil’s shoulder. “Twilight, calm yourself. I know this is a great shock to you; I’m rather surprised myself. But getting worked up isn’t going to help.”

“You can’t really blame her princess,” Spike said. “Cadence was a huge part of her life. Heck, she was a huge part of my life, too.”

“Not to mention I already had to battle against another version of you and Luna,” Twilight said to Celestia. “Now I have to fight an evil version of my sister in-law?”

“She means a great deal to you, doesn’t she?” Chrysalis asked. “I can tell. Then you deserve an explanation. See, some time ago, Princess Cadence did indeed rule over the Crystal Empire. She wasn’t… the warmest of ponies and could be rather prickly at times, but she was a fair and just ruler who had the empire and every pony in its best interest at heart… but one day things began to change…”

“Please. Allow me to shed some light on the subject,” Luna said sullenly. “Back when my sister and I were… less than kind, we began meeting with Cadence. Tempting her down a darker path to power and control; warping her perspective and morals until she saw the empire as nothing more than a toy box for her to do as she wished.

“And when Sombra sacrificed himself and took away the darkness that engulfed me and my sister, Cadence set to work before the dust settled. shackling the hearts of her citizens to do as she pleased. Luckily, not long after, the Tree of Harmony sprouted in Canterlot, and the element bearers were chosen, leading to Cadence’s defeat and banishment from the empire.”

“I’ve done everything I could to help my poor little ponies here,” Chrysalis said. “Their hearts and minds were so torn and mangled by Cadence’s magic. I can proudly say that I and my changelings have helped heal their wounds and lightened their burdens, but some things will always haunt you, no matter how much time has passed.”

The throne room doors opened again, and a unicorn flanked on either side by a changeling guard trotted in. The unicorn was a wine-colored mare with a magenta tail and was clad in blue armor with gold accents. The changeling to her right was a light green, and the one on her left was black and red. Both of them wore armor similar to the unicorn but with silver accents. The three of them halted before queen Chrysalis; and then they gave a swift salute.

“Captain Fizz reporting, your majesty!” the unicorn said.

Chrysalis nodded. “At ease, captain. I’d like you to meet our guests. Everypony, this is my captain of the royal guard, Fizzlepop Berrytwist. And lieutenants Thorax and Pharynx.”

Captain Fizz removed her helmet. Her mane was neatly cut, falling to one side of her face at a near perfect angle to highlight her piercing eyes. “Ah yes. The visitors from another Equestria. Call me ‘Captain Fizz.’ Please.”

“Ooooh,” Pinkie marveled. She leaned in Twilight’s ear and whispered, “Guess that’s what Tempest looks like when she isn’t a big ol’ grumpy pants.”

Twilight rolled her eyes.

“Your majesty, I’m happy to report that the last of the evacuees are en route to Yakyakistan. They should be rendezvousing with the rest within the hour.” Fizz’s horn glowed, and a small scroll levitated neatly out of a pocket in her armor. “I also have the report from our scouts on Princess Cadence’s forces. Shall I read it?”

“Let’s wait for the other elements to arrive. No sense in repeating yourself,” Chrysalis said. “However, I want to confirm something with you. Does Cadence have an army?”

“Yes your majesty.”

“And King Sombra? Was he spotted as well?”

“None of the scouts could say for sure, your majesty. But given the reports and descriptions, I can’t think of anypony else it could be.”

Princess Celestia’s face grew dim.

“Very well,” Chrysalis sighed. “For the time being, we’ll assume that we’ll have to battle both Cadence and Sombra. And with the numbers they allegedly have, we’ll plan accordingly.”

“Wait!” Twilight said. “Queen Chrysalis, princess Luna, please. Do we really have to fight? Can’t we find a more peaceful way of settling this?”

Fizz narrowed her eyes on Twilight, her voice like steel, “If there was a peaceful way to settle this, you wouldn’t be here.”

“I think it’d be in everypony’s best interest,” Chrysalis interjected. “If we all just take some time to rest; especially you, captain. Lieutenants. Please, friends. Make yourself at home, we’ll reconvene when the remaining Elements of Harmony arrive.”

Captain Fizz and her Lieutenants bowed. “Yes your majesty.” They said in unison.

The room dissolved into small talk and offers of food and drinks from the castle staff. The atmosphere lightened as the visitors in a strange land take some time to acquaint themselves with some new faces. Though captain Fizz looked increasingly uneasy at Pinkie Pie’s insistence to chat about favorite recipes for breakfast cupcakes and ice cream soup.

Rarity was hoping nopony noticed her trying to assimilate with the floor. She still couldn’t believe that she had lost her composure like that. In a flash, she shouted at royalty. Forget about not being “ladylike,” Rarity threatened this entire mission with her outburst. But she couldn’t help it. Seeing Queen Chrysalis kissing Spike’s cheek lit a fuse, and she just ignited the entire firework factory.

“Rarity? Are you ok?”

Rarity flinched. Spike’s concern for her was genuinely appreciated, but it made her want to completely phase through the floor, and with any luck, she’ll end up in a hole in the ground. “S-Spike! Yes, darling, I’m fine,” Rarity answered mechanically.

“Cause you seemed, uh, kinda peeved,” Spike continued. “I just want to say. I mean, I didn’t ask for Queen Chrysalis to just come over and give me a-“

“You’re right!” Rarity said as if she wanted to kill the very next word out of the dragon’s mouth. “I should go and apologize! Great talking with you Spikey, you always have the best ideas!” Rarity quickly trotted away, hoping that she wasn’t as transparent as she thought she was.

“What’s up with Rarity?” Spike asked Applejack casually.

The farmgirl just looked at him through lidded eyes. “Really?”

However, despite Rarity’s heat of the moment decision, she found herself finding it harder and harder to speak to the Changeling Queen. But apologizing is for the best. Can’t have new friendships kick off on the wrong hoof. So as soon as Chrysalis finished signing a form from an official, Rarity made her move.

“Hello your majesty.”

Chrysalis turned her attention to her guest. “Oh hello! Rarity, correct?” she said cheerily.

“Yes. Uh, your majesty, I just wanted to say that… Well, I’m sorry for shouting earlier. I know it reflects poorly on me, my friends, and Princess Celestia. I just hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.”

Much to Rarity’s surprise, Chrysalis tightened her lips, trying to hold a laugh back. But she couldn’t hold it for very long. “Ha, ha, ha! Oh, no apologies are necessary, Rarity. If anything, I deserved it. Luna always says that my flirting would get me into trouble. But your reaction and your dragon friend’s were just too good to pass up. I think I owe you an apology. Sorry about that, I didn’t mean any harm.”

Rarity blinked. “Oh. Well, it’s quite alright.”

“With that being said,” Chrysalis got closer. “Allow me to make it up to you. Let me help you with your troubled heart.”

Rarity looked quizzically at the queen. “P-pardon?”

“Your troubled heart,” Chrysalis repeated as if she were discussing dinner plans. “I noticed it earlier when I kissed your friend-“

“W-what does that have to do with-?”

“Ooh, there it goes again. A changeling can see these things you know. If you’d like, I can help.”

“Help with what?”

Chrysalis rolled her eyes. “Your troubled heart. Geez, pay attention. Changelings are great at untangling emotions. It’s how I was able to help the ponies of the empire after… the ‘incident’.’”

Rarity wasn’t entirely clear on what Chrysalis said. The idea of going into Rarity’s heart to sort out her emotions sounded like total lunacy. Even from a changeling. “Oh, I appreciate the offer, but I wouldn’t want to impose.”

In one swift motion, queen Chrysalis wrapped a hoof around and pulled Rarity closer to her side. “Nonsense! ‘Impose’ she says. I consider it my duty to help those like you. Besides, it might help you in our mission to get a little introspection. Now, come along, there’s lots to do and not a lot of time to do it. Not that it’ll take long, but still.”

“W-well, if you insist,” Rarity said as she was being escorted out of the throne room.

“So tell me Rarity, do you know how long you’ve had these feelings?” Chrysalis asked as the pair continued down the halls of the castle.

Despite it being a touchy subject and one that she only recently acknowledged with Cadence’s secrecy; Rarity felt like she could open up about this to the Changeling Queen. The fact that somepony else was willing to lend an ear and a helping hoof eased some of the fashionista’s burdens. “Oh, dear. I’m not too sure. Maybe for a few moons…” her eyes wandered, and she whispered, “maybe even longer…”

“I see, I see,” Chrysalis said as she waved to a pair of guards, who gave her a salute. “And have you spoken to anypony about how you’ve been feeling?”

“Well, yes. I asked Princess Cad- that is to say, our Princess of Love. She said I needed to be more honest with myself.”

“Ah, advice like that is good, but not quite as simple as one may think. That may very well be your problem, but am I right in saying that perhaps you haven’t really grasped what she meant by that?” Rarity could swear she saw a small flash of green in queen Chrysalis’s eyes.

“Hmm, no. Maybe more like, you’re holding back your emotions out of fear. You’re scared of these feelings, so you lock them up tight. Out of sight, out of mind. Hoping that if you just ignore it, it’ll go away.”

Rarity was at a loss for words. Chrysalis hit the very nail that’s been eating at her right on the head.

Chrysalis gave the mare a self-satisfied grin. “I was right, right? Don’t worry, everything will be made clear soon. And I promise you here and now that everything will be strictly confidential.” Chrysalis stopped at a pair of large doors with one half of a big heart pattern on either side. Chrysalis lit her horn, and the doors parted, revealing a spacious and cozy looking room. The carpet was plush, with cushions big and small strewn about the floor, with soft lights decorating the walls. Heavy red curtains hung by the windows and at the center of the room was a table with a bluish green crystal ball sitting in the middle of it. A relaxing aroma of lavender and vanilla wafted through the room and caressed Rarity’s face.

“What is this place?” Rarity asked.

“This is where I come to relax, as well as help my little ponies with their emotional troubles,” Chrysalis said as she hovered over to the table and made herself comfortable on a cushion. “I call it the ‘Heart Chamber.’ Not the catchiest name in Equestria, but fitting I think. Now, come sit, and let’s get down to business.” Queen Chrysalis fluffed a cushion opposite her and set it at the table.

Rarity took a few uneasy steps across the soft floor. While she wasn’t sure what Chrysalis had in store for her, something compelled her to take a seat on the offered cushion. The crystal ball in the center of the table glowed with a soft, hypnotic pulse. Across from her, queen Chrysalis lit the tip of a stick of incense and gave it a quick blow of air, and soon a steady, wispy stream of smoke rose from it. She placed it in a holder on the table.

“Your majesty, what exactly do you plan to do?” Rarity asked.

“I’m going to show you the inside of your heart, my dear,” Chrysalis said with the warmth of a loving aunt. “We changelings are experts at peering into the hearts of others, but I can help others peer into their own hearts. With any luck, you’ll gain a new perspective into yourself and what feelings are constricting you.”

Rarity cocked a brow. “That… certainly sounds… impossible. Fantastical, to say the least.”

Chrysalis giggled, “If I had a bit for every time somepony said that. Now,-“ Chrysalis’s horn glowed and one by one, pulled the heavy curtains in the room closed, till the only lights were Chrysalis's horn, the smoking tip of the incense and the pulsing crystal ball. The Changeling Queen’s voice was as sweet as honey. “- I want you to close your eyes and imagine your heart like an elegant box. Golden trim, well lacquered, decorated to your exact preferences; such a pretty box, with a strong lock keeping it closed.”

Rarity did as she was told, envisioning the box, and every detail to her preferred color to the tasteful amount of gems decorating the outside. Soon, Rarity felt like her mind and body were separate. Like her consciousness was being gently lifted up with strings, detaching from the world around her and seeing the box in her vision with much clarity.

“Now, I want you to imagine a key. Get a really good picture of it.”

A key slowly manifested itself before Rarity, the head of which was decorated with her cutie mark.

“Good,” Chrysalis said. “Now, I want you to take that key and place it into the lock. It may be sticky, it might resist, but open the lock.”

In her mind, Rarity placed her key in the lock. There was hesitation, and the key felt stuck, but soon the key began to slowly turn, and the lock popped open.

“Perfect. Now, open your eyes.”

Rarity slowly felt herself being pulled back to her body and awakening from her trance. And what she saw took her breath away. Strands and strands of threads, in multiple colors, had emerged from her chest and stretched out into the darkness.

“What in the world-?” Rarity asked in equal parts fascination and fear.

“Don’t be afraid,” Chrysalis said in a calming and reassuring tone. “Those are just your Love Threads.”

“My… Love Threads?”

Chrysalis nodded. “That’s right. You see, Rarity, every pony, every creature makes connections, and some of those connections can leave an impression on one’s own heart. Love comes in many different forms-“ Chrysalis’s horn glowed, and yellow threads emerged. “-like these. They represent the love you have for your friends. You have quite a few of these threads. Many of these bonds are truly unshakable. Although… This one is quite frayed. I deeply hope you can mend this friendship.-“ Chrysalis then made green threads appear. “These are your familial love threads. Oh my, you have the most adorable little sister,” Chrysalis chuckled as she returned the thread with the others. “These pink ones are what I like to call, ‘playful love.’ Nothing serious, just simple crushes and infatuations here and there… Oh my. Well you’ve certainly been smitten by many a handsome face.”

Rarity cringed at that embarrassing reminder. “Forgive me for sounding ungrateful, but what purpose does examining my… less than flattering memories have to do with anything?”

“Nothing really,” Chrysalis said bluntly. “But it does lead into the very reason I called you here. So you can see with your own eyes what your heart is trying to tell you.” The Changeling Queen’s horn glowed, and all of the threads disappeared. Except for one. It was a shimmering red thread. It shined brilliantly, as if it were spun from a ruby or the setting sun. It pulsed with an enchanting rhythm.

“This. Is the red thread of true love. You’re a very lucky mare, Rarity. I don’t see red threads quite as vibrant as this very often. Forged over time, and made manifest with your strong bond. It’s very impressive.” She let out a giggle, “Though Luna’s red thread is impressive as well. As is the one of your princess Celestia, but I digress.”

Rarity couldn’t believe her eyes. How could something so… beautiful and so enchanting come from her own heart? It was unbelievable. “Thread of true love?” Rarity said as if she were waking from a dream. “But… I… who do you see?”

Chrysalis gave the mare a sincere smile. “Touch it and see for yourself.”

Rarity looked to the queen and back to the thread. She had no reason to doubt Chrysalis’s words, but the very idea of touching the thread scared her. If she touched it, her deepest secret; her greatest wish would lay bare before her. Could she handle the truth coming to light? Rarity took a breath, raised her hoof, and rested it against the thread. In an instant, her mind was flooded with sights and sounds.

And memories of one special dragon.

“Am I really your favorite dragon? Aw, geez.”

“Hey pal, Rarity said she’s not going anywhere with you. So get lost.”

“I… had a lot of fun tonight. And I’m really glad I got to share it with you.”

The soft strums of a homemade guitar played. “I’m not gifted at gifting, it’s really pretty sad. I tried to show I care, but it turned out bad. I’m not gifted at gifting, so all that’s left to say is that I really hope my gifting didn’t ruin your holiday.”

The fire ruby came into view. “Here Rarity, you take it. It would mean even more to see you happy than to eat it myself.”

“I didn’t want you to die. Do I need more of a reason?”

Rarity felt a strong rush of wind as she saw Spike flying with all his might, carrying her from the monstrous beak of the giant Roc. Then the wind blew gently, with a soft spray of mist, seeing Spike the same way she did when they flew over Canterlot together. She could even feel the heat in her cheeks and how gently Spike held her close.

The visions streamed like film in a projector, each frame was a tender and precious moment Rarity shared with her favorite dragon. When the visions stopped, Rarity raised a hoof to her face. She wiped a tear away as her emotions continued to bubble over. She felt as if the floodgates were torn open and the weight was slowly being stripped from her withers as the truth she tried so hard to bury took its first steps into the sunlight.

Chrysalis sighed, “Ahh. You’re a very lucky mare indeed, Rarity. Seeing such pure love is a joy in and of itself.”

Rarity gave a small smile. “I… love him… I love Spike. I love him more than anypony I’ve ever met. He’s the most wonderful friend I’ve ever had; believing in me and helping me achieve my dreams. He’s always the first one to make me smile, and I’ve been too blinded to see just how much I need him in my life…-“ Rarity’s smile faded as she felt a chill run down her spine. “- and I just threw him away… I-I was such a shallow and horrid friend. He was nothing but supportive and kind, and I just tossed him aside like trash! I nearly got him killed! I ruined him! I broke his heart, and his body is scarred because of me! I don’t deserve his love! I don’t deserve anypony’s love!”

There was a burst of energy and the red thread vanished; in its place was a sickeningly black vine of brambles that burst from Rarity’s chest, snaking its way around her body, squeezing tighter and tighter. She yelped as the thorns dug deeper into her skin, from her neck to her hooves.

Chrysalis gasped. She lit her horn, tore open the curtain, and the spell was canceled; the room being filled with bright light. Rarity panted as the pain of the brambles slowly began to subside. She ran her hooves over her body, making sure not a single trace of the vine was left. She at least had the small comfort that she was freed from the grasp of the thorns.

“What… what in the world was that!?” Rarity asked when she finally caught her breath.

“I… I don’t know…” Chrysalis said worryingly as she adjusted her glasses. “I’ve never encountered this before. There’s something dark and sinister lurking inside of you, and it has a very strong hold of you.”

Rarity held her head as she felt a familiar pain, and she could’ve sworn she heard an all too familiar cackling. “But… you can help me, right? You’ve seen inside my heart, surely you can free me from this nightmare. Can’t you?”

Chrysalis slowly shook her head. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Rarity. But my powers can only go so far. This is a battle you have to face and ultimately conquer. If you don’t… I fear that whatever this is, will swallow you. Heart and all.”

There was a swift knock on the door before it slowly creaked open. A crystal pony guard entered and saluted. “Sorry to interrupt your majesty. But I thought it important to inform you that the first of the elements has just arrived, and will be here soon.”

Chrysalis nodded. “Thank you. I’ll be in the throne room shortly.”

“Please, Queen Chrysalis,” Rarity pleaded. “I don’t know what to do, I’ve been plagued by these horrible visions and pains for moons. I don’t know how much longer I can tolerate it…”

“You’re a very strong pony, Rarity. If anyone else had this affliction, I daresay they wouldn’t last a week. I’m not sure how you held on for as long as you have -“ Chrysalis rested a hoof on Rarity’s shoulder. “-but I have faith that you’ll see this through and break this curse. And if I’ve learned anything since I was chosen by the elements, it’s that you can do amazing things when you have good friends to rely on.”

The howling winds of the frigid north reverberated through the walls of a certain cave. Deep inside, sheltered from the bitter cold, was a pink alicorn princess. Eyes like frozen daggers, with thick black liner. A black crown sat atop her head, with a long mane of pink, purple and yellow, which grew darker and darker till it was black at the ends. She bore a cutie mark of a broken crystal heart and wore a chain around her neck with a lock resting on her chest. She sat comfortably on an elaborate throne, looking over charts with a sneer.

“Cadence?” called a voice from the shadows.

The sour princess shot her eyes in the direction of her guest. “That’s Princess Cadence to you! And you better have good news for me.”

The shadowy pony tipped her pointy hat. “Of course I do. We’re just about ready for the show to begin. The new recruits are simply waiting for your command. And your armor; courtesy of my expertise, is ready when you are. You should have no trouble reaching the capital. I have a plan that’ll go right under the queen’s nose to make sure you’re on the road of least resistance.”

Cadence’s face softened like broken glass. “I’ll overlook you addressing that maggot as ‘queen’ this time. You’re lucky I’m in a good mood. Now begone, and let your little gang know we’ll be moving out shortly.

“Very well,” the shadow pony turned away, her cape billowing in a satisfying flourish as she left.

Cadence chuckled to herself as a menacing smile crawled across her lips. “Oh, just you wait, Chrysalis! I’ll teach you and your worthless friends what happens to those who steal from me.-“ she turned her attention to a growling corner of the room, a pair for burning red and green eyes staring back. “-Come along my pet. It’s time we take back what’s rightfully mine!”

Author's Note

Good Queen Chrysalis is SO much fun to write! My head canon is that she absolutely adores gossip, not spreading it mind you, but hearing it. Especially when it comes to relationships (Mirror Luna's relationship usually being her number one interest, much to Luna's annoyance). She can be a prankster and loves to push buttons till she gets a reaction. I also see the changelings in this Equestria as therapists, honestly I don't know why I haven't thought of it sooner, changelings would make AMAZING therapists. I also see this Chrysalis as the "Twilight" of these elements, as in the de facto leader, the major source of morale for her friends and the one everypony turns to for answers.

This is another chapter I really wanted to get out as soon as possible. I had the Love Thread scene stuck in my head for AGES and now I can finally share it. But geez, I wrote the word "heart" so many times I felt like I was writing a script for Kingdom Hearts. Just swap some names around and it could pass as one I'm sure.

Let me know what you guys think of this chapter, I love reading the comments.

As always, thanks for reading. See you next time :raritywink:

Silver Wit

Falling Into Place

“All right, troops! Fall in!” Several royal guards promptly lined up in the foyer of the Castle of Friendship at the sound of Flash Sentry’s authority. “Just because Princess Twilight is away in Canterlot, does not mean we can relax! I want patrols around Ponyville and the castle, we need to keep an eye out for anything suspicious and keep the citizens safe! I want this town and castle just as peaceful and safe as how the princess left it! Do I make myself clear?”

All the guards sharply raised their hooves in perfect sync and saluted. “Sir, yes sir!”

“Good! You have your schedules, report for duty at your designated stations and routes! Dismissed!”

The guards dropped their hooves and marched off. However one blue coated soldier with a bishop cutie mark saw her opportunity and broke off from the group, quickly and quietly slinking through the castle and reaching the upper floors, ducking around corners and the first sign of clanking armor. When she was certain she was alone, she quickly went to an empty room, opened the window, and gave a few quick whistles. Soon a small filly flew through the opening and landed behind the guard.

“About time!” Cozy complained. “I thought you got lost or something.”

“N-no I knew where to go,” Fuzzy Feeling said timidly. “I just had to make sure I didn’t cross paths with Captain Sentry. I’m sure he’d be able to tell I’m not a guard if he stopped me.”

Cozy rolled her eyes. “I guess that’s true. Better than you getting captured and the plan going up in smoke. It took long enough for Twilight and her stupid friends to leave town as is.”

“So, um, what are we here for again?”

“Ugh, I told you before! We need to find Twilight’s study. And if my memory’s correct from my time as her ‘number one friendship helper,’ We’re not too far away.” Cozy hovered out of the room with Fuzzy close behind her. Every so often stopping at a corner, keeping a keen eye out for any and all guards on patrol. Eventually, Cozy stopped at a large pair of wooden doors and smirked. “Bingo!”

She quickly opened the door and slipped inside with Fuzzy closing the door behind them. The study’s wall was coated with wall to wall, row upon row of books, manuscripts, and boxes and boxes of parchments. A large table sat in the center, with plenty of quills, ink pots, beakers, and shards of metal. And not too far from the table stood a mirror hooked up to a great machine. Tubes and wires stuck out like the brush of the Everfree Forest.

“Golly,” Fuzzy marveled. “This room is impressive. So this is where Princess Twilight does all her magical tinkering and research?”

“Yep. I did plenty of snooping around here while I was Twilight’s helper. Making sure all the spells Tirek taught me would work before I used them, looking up ways to sabotage annoying do-gooders. That part of the plan didn’t work out too well. But we’re not here to study magic.”

Fuzzy cocked her head. “Then why are we here?”

“I’m getting to it!” Cozy snapped. “While I was poking around, I happened to find a very special book.” – Cozy flew over to a section of wall and ran her hoof across the spines of the books, stopping suddenly, she pulled out a book with an ornate red and yellow sun pattern on the cover. –“This book to be specific, is our key to victory.”

“Oh my, it has such a pretty cover. But how does it help you?”

“Because this book connects directly to another book in another world. This is how Twilight keeps in touch with Celestia’s previous pupil. You write in one, it shows up in the other. And from what I gathered last time I was here; the other side is having an issue with magic, even though magic isn’t supposed to exist.”

“And what do you plan to do? Write to the pony that has the other book?”

“How stupid are you?” Cozy said with contempt. “I have to cover up as much of my tracks as I can! We wouldn’t want anypony asking questions, especially somepony in direct contact with Twilight.”

Fuzzy’s ears flattened. “Oh… I… guess that’s true…”

Cozy started flipping through the pages of the book. “Last time I was here, I noticed that the Twilight from another world was comparing notes with this world's Twilight. Something about building a device to track down sources of magic and magical artifacts. Aha! Here we go. ‘Dear Sunset Shimmer, tell Twilight that her design and specs are perfect, based on the information you sent, I was able to construct a working prototype. Early tests prove promising, I’ll write you the results when I have more data.’ Heh, this is almost too easy,” Cozy said smugly. She turned to Fuzzy. “Well don’t just stand there. Start looking!”

Fuzzy flinched like Cozy smacked her with words alone. “B-but what am I supposed to be looking for?”

“Any clue that points me to the magic tracker.”

Fuzzy made little circles on the floor with her hoof. “Um. Cozy Glow. You know, w-we don’t have to do this…”

“What?” the corner of Cozy’s mouth twitched.

“I… I was just thinking,” Fuzzy continued. “We can just leave. You know. Go back home, and we can put all of this stuff behind us. You’re out of Tartarus and we can just forget about all of this revenge stuff and… just go back…”

Cozy’s face shifted from anger, to annoyance, to her trademark smile. “Gee, that does sound great,” she said in her typical faux sweetness. “But I already put so much time into this plan, I’d hate for it to go to waste.”

“But Cozy-“

Cozy’s expression became harder in an instant, along with her voice, “Maybe we should go over this again. Who am I?”

Fuzzy bit her lip, body becoming rigid. “Um… my… little sister….”

“Right. And you’re my big sister. And big sisters do whatever they can to make sure their little sisters are happy. That’s what mom said, right?”

Fuzzy felt her blood freeze in her veins. “Y-yes… she did…” she said shakily, doing whatever she could to not break down.

“Well. You know what would make me very happy?” Cozy paused for a moment to look directly into Fuzzy’s fear riddled eyes. “What would make me the happiest pony in Equestria, is getting revenge and RUINING TWILIGHT’S LIFE AND THE LIVES OF HER STUPID FRIENDS! And nopony is going to stop me. Not the royal sisters and especially not you. Now. Start looking.”

Fuzzy Feeling hung her head in defeat. Dreams of going home were destroyed in a blink. She just wished Cozy didn’t bring up… Fuzzy dragged her hooves and started searching around for whatever it was that Cozy was looking for. She quickly skimmed over some papers she found but nothing looked promising. She trotted around the edge of the table, her hoof got caught on a chair leg and tripped. As Fuzzy was standing up, she noticed a drawer. She tentatively opened it and inside was a blueprint and a small wooden box with gold trim. She removed the contents of the drawer and inspected the box. There was a latch on the side with a button and with a single press the box sprung open, revealing a compass. The compass began to glow and a beam of blue light shot out from the top. The light fanned out into a grid and manifested a map.

“Cozy,” Fuzzy said dumbfounded. “I think I found it.”

Cozy darted over and snatched the compass from her sister’s hooves. “Well, well, well. Looks like you did something right. Now the question is, how do we get it to work?”

“Maybe this will help,” Fuzzy held out the blueprint. Cozy read it over and mumbled out any key words or features.

“So if this is right, if I push this tab here-“ Cozy pressed down on a small tab and the needle spun wildly under the glass dome of the compass and the projected map became distorted. After a few seconds, the needle stopped and pointed in a direction and the map started projecting a blinking dot. “-we got a lead!” Cozy laughed like she spotted a foal getting their hoof caught in a carriage door.

Fuzzy was sweating. “Uh, Cozy Glow. I-if this map is correct, then it’s leading us to-“

“The Everfree forest,” Cozy said matter of factly. “Heh, didn’t think our first prize would be so close.”

“B-but it’s the Everfree,” Fuzzy stammered. “Isn’t that too dangerous?”

“I don’t care if it takes us to a lava cave in the Dragon Lands,” Cozy spat. “We go wherever this compass tells us to go!”

The Everfree Forest was just as scary as Fuzzy Feeling thought it was. She’d never willingly enter the dangerous wilds of the dark wood, but Cozy can be quite… persuasive. Fuzzy twitched and flinched every time she heard a twig snap, a leaf rustle or saw something slink in the undergrowth.

“The compass says we’re getting close,” Cozy commented as she hovered through the brush.

“Oh thank the stars,” Fuzzy muttered.

Cozy stopped just before a wall of bushes and pressed the tab on the box, the map of light vanished, but the compass needle was focused at a point just beyond the foliage. She held her hoof up to silence her sister and the two peered through the leaves. On the other side was a clearing, there were webs of green goo between the trees. Littering the ground and a few stumps were logs with carvings of what looked like snarling heads of changeling drones. At the center of the clearing was a tall dark creature with holes puncturing her legs and horn, long sinister teeth lined her mouth and green eyes bearing pure hatred.

“One day! You’ll see!” Queen Chrysalis announced to a log. “I will defeat Twilight Sparkle and her friends!- Nyeh ha!” she laughed as if her brain blew a small fuse. “And they will PAY for stealing my kingdom!” Chrysalis lifted another log and burned another drone into the bark. She looked around frantically. She tossed a few more “drones” around and began to twitch. “More. Need more soldiers!- Heh, heh, heh! More wood, more soldiers!” Chrysalis hovered away from the clearing and was out of sight. Cozy and Fuzzy waited a few more seconds and released their breath.

“She is so scary,” Fuzzy said through chattering teeth. “That was the Queen Chrysalis!”

“Yeah, but she didn’t really seem right in the head,” Cozy remarked. “But this is a perfect opportunity to grab whatever the compass is pointing to.”- She looked in the direction dictated by the needle and among the numerous “drones” was a rather peculiar log. It was thinner than the rest and lavender in color. –“Look over there.”

“Oh, I think I see it,” Fuzzy said, squinting. “You think that purple wood is what the compass is pointing at?”

“Only one way to find out. Go and get it.”

Fuzzy started sweating profusely. “B-but, what if Chrysalis comes back? If she spots me, I’m a goner!”

“I can’t believe we’re related,” Cozy said with disdain. “Just run out, grab it, and run back. Even you can handle something that simple.”

Fuzzy gulped as she did her best to stop her legs from shaking. Then without warning, Cozy shoved her sister out of the safety of the bush and into the clearing. Fuzzy yelped, then quickly covered her mouth with her hooves. Nervously searching the area, like a lost lamb fearing a wolf. She mustered up as much courage as she could and darted out for the lavender log, then spun on her hooves and dashed back to the brush at a speed that would’ve rivalid a Wonderbolt.

“That… wasn’t… very… nice… C-Cozy…” Fuzzy panted.

“Oh stop whining, you’re all right,” Cozy said. “And you got this… thing. So it all worked out.” Cozy inspected the piece of wood gripped in Fuzzy’s hoof like a vice. No matter how she looked at it, it was nothing more than just a weirdly colored stick. Even though the compass Cozy was holding begged to differ. The needle spun wildly, every so often pointing directly at the wood before spinning like an excited dog.

Fuzzy took a deep breath. “Well, at least Chrysalis didn’t notice-“

Just then the brush the pony siblings were hiding behind was torn apart as leaves and splinters scattered wildly. Revealing a very livid changeling queen, eyes burning with rage as she pulled her cheeks back and bore her impossibly sharp teeth to the trespassers. In one fell swoop, Chrysalis rushed Cozy and Fuzzy, pinning them to a tree with both her hooves in a death grip. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t drain you both till you’re nothing but husks!” she hissed.

“Uh, I-I really wish you wouldn’t do that?” Fuzzy stammered as she was locked into staring death in the face.

Despite this being a rather… abrupt change in her plans, Cozy was nothing if not a great improviser. She put on her sweetest smile and most disarming eyes and said, “You wouldn’t want to hurt your new friends, would you?”

“New friends?” Chrysalis gawked as if she didn’t understand whatever language the small pink filly was using. “I don’t need friends!”

“Oh pshaw! Everypony needs a friend,-“ Cozy’s eyes narrowed, yet her smile never faulted. “- especially a friend who can… I don’t know, help you get back at Twilight Sparkle?”

Some of the fire was extinguished from the changeling’s eyes, but her grip on the two ponies was still firm. “Why would you want to help me in my revenge?”

“Let’s just say we have a common goal,” Cozy said in a chipper tone. “I’m awful sorry if we took something important to you, but we need to collect magical artifacts for my plan. If you let us have it, I can help you in toppling Twilight, her stupid friends, and get your kingdom back. Easy peasy!”

“And if I refuse?”

“Then you can drain us of love and whatever other emotion you want and go back to ruling over this small patch of dirt and trees. I see you’ve got a few subjects already, but I doubt they’ll help you with much, other than kindling.”

Chrysalis growled and dropped the pony sisters. Fuzzy collapses as soon as her hooves touch the ground, trying her best to keep from passing out.

“You have my attention. Now start talking,” the changeling queen ordered.

The mini-Machiavellian’s charm didn’t falter as she hovered before Chrysalis without a shred of fear. She took the compass out. “See this here? It tracks strong sources of magic. It’s how we found you. All we have to do is continue to collect artifacts and soon we’ll have enough firepower to overwhelm anypony. Even Twilight and her friends.”

“What makes you think I won’t just drain you and take this tracker for myself?”

“Well gosh, I didn’t think of that,” Cozy said innocently.

“You didn’t?” Fuzzy asked in horror.

“I guess you could do that,” Cozy continued, seemingly not hearing a word of Fuzzy’s concern. “But then, what would you even do with it?”

“I’d exact my revenge, obviously!” Chrysalis snarled.

“Yes, but how? Are you just going to go fight Twilight with whatever trinket you found and hope for the best? I think we both know how that’d turn out.”

Chrysalis was thrown. “N-no, of course not! I wouldn’t be that predictable!”

Cozy’s smile shifted; she knew she was mere inches away from capturing a very powerful pawn. “Buuuuuuut, if you were to help me, I could guide us to victory. After all, I came up with this plan with my good pal Tirek.”

Chrysalis cocked a brow. “You know lord Tirek?”

“Well yeah, who do you think helped me drain magic from Equestria?”

The queen’s eyes widened slightly. “Wait, that was you? Even I lost my powers for a time.”

Cozy nodded. “Yep, yep! So, whattaya say? Wanna be friends?” Cozy held out a hoof. Chrysalis glanced at it out of the corner of her eye. She reached out her own hoof, then quickly swiped the lavender log off the ground and held it to her chest.

“I don’t need friends! But I will help you. And this stays with me,” she motioned to the wood in her hooves.

Cozy grinned ear to ear. “Okie dokie! It’s a deal! Now, why don’t we move on to our next stop?” Cozy popped the lid on the compass and pressed a tab. The needle began to spin and the map projected out again. A dot began to flash on the projection after a few more seconds, the compass needle was locked onto a direction. “Heh. Just as I thought.”

“What does it say?”

“When I was princess Twilight’s number one helper, I read about a certain place deep in the Everfree. Where a cache of artifacts could be found. Friends, we’re going to the Castle of the Two Sisters.”

Even with a map, navigating the Everfree was still a fool’s errand. The forest of hidden dangers and beasts; where fables and wives tales are grown, did everything it could to deter the three intruders. The brush and trees were so thick that flying felt like being stuck in a spider web. The swamps and bogs daring anypony to navigate the forest floor without getting trapped in muck and slime. Despite these hurdles and pitfalls, the trio of Cozy Glow, Fuzzy Feeling and Queen Chrysalis forged a path forward.

“This had better be worth the effort!” Chrysalis glowered as her magic tore up another patch of foliage. “I’m the Queen of the Changelings! Not a lawn mower!”

“H-how much longer is it?” Fuzzy whimpered. “another plant just tried to-to eat me!”

Cozy rolled her eyes. “You know you’re the reason this is taking so long. If you were a pegasus, you could fly over the forest like me.”

Fuzzy’s ears flattened. “Um… I-I’m sorry…”

“It doesn’t matter. According to the compass, we’re almost there.”

“About time!” Chrysalis said as she cut down another row of bushes with a blast of sickly green magic. “This is starting to get tiresome!”

No sooner had Chrysalis finished voicing her gripe, did the trio finally stumble out of the forest. Before them laid a rickety rope bridge and beyond the bridge on the other side of the ravine stood a great castle, now weathered and overgrown with ivy and worn down by the winds of time. A sense of relief resonated between the party as they marched onward to the Castle of the Two Sisters. Each of Fuzzy’s steps on the bridge were gentle and cautious, expecting each plank of wood to give out from under her while Cozy and Chrysalis flew safely across.

“Are you absolutely certain we need her around?” the changeling queen whispered. “So far she’s done nothing but whine and slow us down.”

“She’s more useful than you think,” Cozy replied. “She’d do just about anything to make sure her little sister is happy. Honestly, I couldn’t ask for a better family.”

A smirk graced Chrysalis’s lips. “Treating your own blood like a tool? I just might like you yet.”

The ramshackle castle welcomed the three creatures with cold floors and winds echoing through the lonely halls; a hollow greeting to the three trespassers from the ancient fortress and whatever lurked within its walls. The party slowly advanced, every new creak or rustle of fabric putting them on edge; the feeling of fight or flight building up like a shaken bottle of soda. The compass in Cozy’s hoof guides them deeper and deeper into the castle, with Chrysalis lighting the way. The gangrenous magic makes the dark corners ever more haunting and the staircases more horrific.

“So where’s your little toy taking us?” Chrysalis asked. “Keep in mind, I’m still considering draining you both if you’ve wasted my time.”

“Don’t you worry none,” Cozy replied, doing her best to maintain her sweet persona in the face of the queen’s pestering. “the compass is leading us into the right- woah!”

All of a sudden the compass needle began to spin wildly and the projected map broke out in spots, flashing wildly as if on high alert. Cozy closed the lid with a snap and pushed open a door. “I guess we made it. Check to see if there are any lights.”

Fuzzy began to feel around the dim and gloomy room for a torch, a candle, heck even a box of matches would suffice. She groped around, sifting through discarded parchment and rotting books. Until finally she came across an odd-looking switch on the wall. Curiosity and her disdain of the dark got the better of her and she pulled it. Suddenly a current ran through the room, lighting the lamps strewn across the walls, the flames dancing and giving off all the illumination one needed. With a better look, Cozy noticed all of the books and beakers. Strange objects laid about, some on tables, some on shelves, some in old piles of rubbish. But nopony could deny that the filly seemed to have found exactly what she was looking for.

“Looks like a magic lab,” Fuzzy said. “Wow, I wonder what ponies were working on here a thousand years ago.”

“That’s what we’re here to find out,” Cozy said. “Let’s see if we can find anything of value.”

“Wait, I think I found-! Ugh, nope. Just another dead end,” Chrysalis scoffed as she carelessly tossed another book onto the growing mound of failure.

“And these ‘artifacts’ are useless. This one makes your mane change colors. This one plays the sounds of the ocean, and this one-“ Cozy picked up the odd-looking wooden box. She opened the lid, and the box fell apart into nothing but rotting splinters and rusted gears. “- is broken. Great stuff Celestia. Didn’t know you created so much junk! Hey Fuzzy, have you found anything yet?”

Fuzzy poked her head up from behind one of the tables. “Um, I found this pretty locket.” She held out a necklace and dangling on the end was a gilded heart shaped locket. Cozy rushed over and looked it over.

“What does it do? It just looks like a regular necklace”- her hoof pressed on a small button and the locket popped open. She looked inside, but all she could see was herself. –“Ugh, just a mirror. I didn’t know Celestia was so vain. If you want this junk, you can have it Fuzzy.”

“Oh, thank you,” Fuzzy said as she slipped the necklace over her head. She took a moment to inspect the locket’s interior. Strangely enough, she didn’t see her own reflection, she could still see Cozy Glow in the mirror. Perhaps there was more at work here than meets the eye, but Fuzzy liked her prize so she decided to shelf her curiosity and just be happy that she got to keep it. “You know, I was thinking,” Fuzzy said as she polished her new accessory. “Don’t you think it’s kinda weird that we aren’t finding anything? I mean, this is where the Royal Sisters created magical tools all those years ago, and all that’s left is… well nothing special. Maybe Celestia collected all of the better artifacts when she moved to Canterlot.”

“I wouldn’t count on that,” Cozy replied. “If I learned anything from Celestia’s mistakes, there’s always something she had a hoof in ages ago and didn’t foresee coming back to bite her in the flank.”

“Besides, neither princess employs anypony truly competent,” Chrysalis snarked. “Canterlot’s ‘elite’ guards were so easy to dupe, I almost felt sorry for them. Almost. I’m sure they flubbed moving everything important, so some things must have fallen through the cracks.”

“Guess I never thought of that,” Fuzzy ducked back behind the desk and checked a few drawers. Just old papers far too faded to make out anything legible. She pulled out the next drawer and was greeted by a pair of glowing eyes. Fuzzy’s breath froze, then a rat jumped out with a feral hiss. Fuzzy screamed and fell back, slamming against the wall, knocking books off of a nearby shelf, sending a cascade of dust into the air.

“What happened?” Cozy asked, not really caring.

“Rat,” Fuzzy gasped as she supported herself on the wall. “Big. Angry. Hissing-“Just then she heard a light ‘tink’ sound. She looked to her side; a small piece of the wall; cut in a perfect square, had fallen out. She looked at where the piece could’ve fallen, and found a section of the wall with a hidden compartment, and inside was a ring attached to a chain. Curiosity got the better of her and Fuzzy pulled the chain. There was a rumbling sound and the room began to shake, vibrations toppling any loose glass wares to the floor.

“What’s going on!?” Cozy demanded.

“I-I don’t know!” Fuzzy panicked. “I found a chain and pulled it and-!” Before Fuzzy could continue, the wall closest to her began to slowly open, centuries of dust and dirt fell from the ancient door like a rainstorm. After Fuzzy, Cozy and Chrysalis finished coughing and sneezing, they were able to look and see that behind the wall was a wooden door with gold bands covering the top, middle and bottom. Crossing over the door and behind the four corners were thick chains, and connecting the chains together was an ornate lock with a plethora of symbols carved into it.

“What the hay is this?” Chrysalis asked.

A smug grin graced Cozy’s lips. “This must be where Celestia is hiding all the good stuff.”

Fuzzy trotted up to the door. She raised a hoof and touched the lock, quickly pulling it back and shaking her hoof as a powerful shock ran through her body, standing her mane and coat on end. “Ow, ow, ow! I don’t think we’ll be getting in here anytime soon though. Not without a key anyway.”

“Then quit nursing your hoof and help us look for a key!”

Fuzzy gingerly lowered her sore hoof to the ground and trudged around the room, searching around for the way to gain entry to the alluring door.

“With any luck, the answer to all my problems are in there,” Chrysalis said as she turned over a vase. “And then I can exact my revenge on Twilight Sparkle, and that wretched Starlight Glimmer!”

“You got a grudge against Starlight too?” Cozy asked.

“Of course! She’s the one who turned my own drones against me with that ridiculous ‘friendship’ nonsense! Robbing me of my kingdom, and my army! I swear when I get my hooves on her-!”

“Yeah, Starlight is an annoying goody-goody,” Cozy said, shaking another wastebasket down for possible treasure. “I had to deal with her also. Can’t be careless with her though. She’s about as strong as Twilight and twice as clever.”

“Peh!” the royal spat. “When my time comes, I’ll make sure to crush her underhoof till she’s nothing but mulch.”

Fuzzy found no luck in the second or third cabinet she searched. She was about to move on to the adjacent file cabinet when she thought of something. She turned her eyes to the piles of rubbish that littered the room. For whatever reason, she felt like she had to look through it. She trotted over to the nearest pile and sifted through the moldy books, tarnished parchment, broken beakers, and worn-out quills.

“What the hay are you doing?” Cozy asked. “This isn’t the time to be playing with garbage.”

“I just thought-“ Fuzzy Feeling said as she moved on to the next pile, tossing a broken charm over her shoulder. “-maybe, just maybe the key is somewhere that even Celestia was unsure of. That might be the reason why that door is still locked up tight. “There’s a chance she misplaced the key in a less obvious place, like the trash.” She moved on to a third pile and after tossing a few torn-up manuscripts aside, Fuzzy caught a glint of something shiny. She reached out and pulled out a tarnished key, with Celestia’s cutie mark carved into the head. “I think I found it!”

“Well what are you waiting for?” Cozy barked. “Open the door already!”

Fuzzy winched at her little sister’s orders. She trotted back to the door and tentatively approached the lock. Her hoof was shaky as she did her best to aim the key at the lock. She took a deep breath and thrusted the key forward. She breathed a sigh of relief when she didn’t feel a painful shock run through her body. She slowly turned the key, hearing a soft clicking sound, followed by a ‘ka-chack.” The lock popped open, the chains binding the door dissolved magically, and the door swung open.

Cozy and Chrysalis wasted no time in rushing past Fuzzy Feeling and into the vault. They looked around in awe, as pedestals and shelves with objects and books were shown under a soft light in rather good condition, save for the dust, but for artifacts locked away for a millennium, they looked as if they were created yesterday. This was certainly the treasure trove Cozy was looking for.

Said filly couldn’t resist a wicked smile stretching across her face. She chuckled, “Well, well, well. Look at all the fun things we found. Everypony, start looking around for anything that looks promising.”

Chrysalis trotted to a table and spotted a strange obsidian crown with silver accents and a perfectly cut, oval diamond set in the band. Curious, she picked it up and blew away some of the dust. She placed the crown on her head and instantly was overcome with a sense of hyper awareness as her eyes shined as strange symbols appeared around the band and an odd dot appeared in the center of the diamond, darting around the borders of the gem as if it were looking for something.

Chrysalis’ magic seeped out from the crown, as glowing green tendrils to feel around the open air. And the most incredible thing about it, was that the Changeling Queen was conscious of it. She was aware of every tendril's movement and controlled each of them in tandem. Chrysalis reached out with her magic and started searching through books and papers nearby, and she was able to read them all. A multitude of information on multiple subjects of magic poured into her mind like a bubbling spring. Chrysalis removed the crown and rubbed her head.

“My. Isn’t that interesting?” she said with a smirk.

“What did you find?” Cozy asked.

The queen held out the obsidian crown with a smugness of a foal who just nabbed the last toy on the shelf. “This magnificent crown. Goes well with my colors rather fetchingly I’d say. It’s called, ‘The Crown of Many Eyes.’”- Chrysalis put the crown back on, and multiple tendrils emerged, one of which plucked a book off the shelf and tossed it to Cozy. -“It was made to help unicorns use their magic to multitask on different things while still being aware of everything they did.” Chrysalis removed the crown and rubbed her head again, wincing in pain.

Cozy skimmed through the book in her hooves. “Says here, ‘prolonged use is not advised. Subjects experienced migraines, fatigue, and exhaustion. Subjects would need extended rest to replenish their magic.”

“How typical,” Chrysalis scoffed. “Of course something as powerful as this would be wasted on Celestia’s weak and puny subjects. But if somepony as strong as I were to use it…”

Cozy grinned. “You could really put that crown to good use. And you’re right, it looks very fetching on you.”

Fuzzy kept inspecting the books scattered about the vault, most of it written in a language of formula. code and some in old Ponish. She placed another impossibly dense book back to its proper resting place when she noticed something peculiar. She slowly trotted over to a pedestal with a bell-shaped glass cover, protecting a slender object from the outside. As she got closer, Fuzzy noticed that beneath the glass was a dark colored mirror. It looked no different from any other mirror hoof mirror one would use to style their mane in the morning. But the surface was very well polished. She couldn’t put her hoof on it, but something about this mirror felt otherworldly.

“What in the hay?” Fuzzy said curiously. She noticed a small black book lying near the glass bell. Dusty, but still in perfectly good condition. Though there was a prominent red band around the book that did not look like it was part of the decoration. Fuzzy broke the band and started reading the first few pages.

“What’s this?” Cozy said.

Fuzzy jumped. “O-oh, Cozy! Um, I’m not sure yet. This book calls it the ‘New Moon Mirror.’”

“The New Moon Mirror?-” Cozy pulled off the glass bell and picked up the mirror. It was expertly crafted, with an ornate handle of onyx and pearl. The back of the mirror was black and had a large silver crescent symbol. She sat down on the pedestal and gazed into the surface. “-What the heck is so magical about a regular old...?” Just then the glass of the mirror began to glow as if it were being bathed in Moonlight. Cozy couldn’t tear her eyes away as small sparkles of light reached out, as if beckoning the filly . Cozy felt herself falling down at great speed, her screams being swallowed into the dark void. She flapped her wings frantically, but it didn’t seem to matter.

She finally began to slow down, but not through her own efforts, it was as if this world set her down gently in an open space. Cozy looked around. There was nothing. Just her in an inky abyss. Suddenly, strange spheres appeared before her, first a few, then many more. And within these spheres, she saw ponies. Some in fantastical settings, some doing impossible feats, others in totally absurd situations, but none of them seemed aware of each other. Or Cozy for that matter. Suddenly the filly felt herself being pulled back, as if a rope was dragging her up through a pit. She shook her head and found herself back in the vault with a panicked Fuzzy Feeling doting over her.

“Oh thank goodness!-“ Fuzzy wrapped her hooves around her little sister. “-I was so worried! You were just staring into that mirror and I didn’t know if you were ok!”

Cozy brushed Fuzzy off her. “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. But what the hay is that mirror? One minute I’m in a void and the next I was seeing ponies in bubbles or something.”

Fuzzy held out the book she was reading. “That makes sense. I wasn’t sure what to do when you, um, zoned out. So I tried to look up what this mirror actually does and I found this passage Princess Celestia wrote.. ‘…After the tragedy of Nightmare Moon, I felt the need to help my little ponies calm their minds, soothe their dreams, and grant them blissful sleep. The New Moon Mirror sends whoever peers into the glass to the realm of dreams, where one might help to quell nightmares. But I must abandon this project immediately, as the mirror…” Fuzzy trailed off, looking like she just read a work of horror.

“What? What does it do?” Cozy Glow demanded.

“Oh, um, nothing,” Fuzzy blurted. “the writing just ends there, I guess Celestia-“

“You’re lying,” Cozy’s eyes burned into Fuzzy with a glare that could set the entire Everfree ablaze. “Read the rest. Now.”

Fuzzy flinched and reluctantly read, “…As the mirror warps minds. An extremely dangerous drawback causes whoever uses the mirror to have full access to a ponies subconscious, and could very well influence ponies as they sleep… E-effectively brainwashing them…”

Cozy took everything Fuzzy said in. The corners of her mouth began to slowly tug upwards as Fuzzy’s explanation played over and over in her head. Soon Cozy was cackling in a way that even made Queen Chrysalis unnerved. “This is it! This is the key to my whole plan! I never would’ve imagined that I would ever stumble across something so perfect!”- Cozy swiped the mirror and held it close to her chest. –“Grab anything and everything that looks promising.-“ Cozy marveled at the mirror in her hooves. “- I can’t wait to make more ‘friends’ with this.”

Author's Note

Well we had sweet Auntie Chrysi and now we're back to nasty ol' Chrysalis classic. I bet you all thought I forgot about Cozy Glow, but I didn't. It was just never a good time to bring her back until now. What dangers lie ahead of Equestria and our favorite ponies now that Cozy and Chrysalis have teamed up? And what of the New Moon Mirror? That's another tale for another time.

I have to admit that Cozy is a really fun character to write, my proofreader even said that I write her very well. I guess I just find Cozy Glow fascinating. How is it a pony so young can have such a twisted view of the world with little to no empathy? It also helps that I stumbled on Machiavellianism and found it to be a very interesting condition. I always thought that Cozy was more of a sociopath, but she checks more boxes on Machiavellian traits. (I.E. low empathy, goal oriented, uses charm and manipulation to seize power). So that helped in writing this chappy.

I had these last three chapters brewing for some time, I'll try to post more soon as this is my baby, but I have other obligations to fulfill and a side story to work out, so look forward to that.

Let me know what you guys think of this chapter, I love reading the comments.

As always, thanks for reading. See you next time :raritywink:

Silver Wit

Faint Heart never won Fair Lady

It was a red-letter day in Ponyville. Birds were chirping, the sun was shining bright and a gentle breeze blew the sweet smell of spring flowers throughout the town. Ponies were out taking advantage of this glorious day, going to the open-air market, picnics in the park, some friendly games of buckball or just go out and fly a kite. It’s on this fine day that a certain purple dragon was hanging out with Big Macintosh at Sweet Apple Acres and pacing about in front of a mirror, his mind racing with thoughts ranging from "Will she say yes?" to "What the hay are you thinking Spike? She’s WAY out of your league." Taking deep breaths, trying his best to slow his heart rate he stood tall and inspected his reflection.

“Ok, claws are filed and buffed,” Spike inspected his claw.

“Eeyup,” Big Mac commentated.

“Scales polished to a perfect shine,”

“Eeyup.”

“Breath…” He breathed into his claw “Not offensive!”

“Eeyup.”

“Wings? Looking awesome as usual,” flapping his wings a little

“Eeyup.”

“Alright Big Mac, today’s the day!” Spike puffed out his chest and spoke with a new found confidence. “Today’s finally the day I ask Rarity out to lunch!”

“Eeyup!” Big Mac pumped his hoof in excitement

Spike started walking towards the door with a spring in his step. “Alright, The weather is absolutely perfect to eat outside and enjoy a nice conversation, just the two of us at the cafe. I’m just going to go over to the boutique, knock on the door…A-and ask R-R-Rari-t-ty if she…” The spring in his step was replaced with wet noodles as he began to sweat and shake. Big Mac raised an eyebrow as he watched his friend get cold feet.

“You know what Big Mac? Maybe today’s NOT the day. After all, why do today what you can put off till tomorrow right?” Big Mac just stared with him through lidded eyes. “Oh come on, I’ll get around to asking her. I’m just saying that today may not be good. I got a new comic to get through and I’m sure Twilight needs me to help grade some tests or something, maybe reorganize the library-” Big Mac just continued staring at the scaly excuse machine listing off his weak reasoning of not pursuing his dream mare. Then without breaking eye contact he pulled out a small black bag. Spike's eyes widened in fear.

“Uh, Big mac what are you doing with that?”

Big Mac pulled out a single 20-sided die.

“C’mon big guy, let’s not be too hasty!”

He tossed the die in his hoof a few times.

“Big Mac I swear I’ll ask her out another day! So let’s put the die away and-“

Big Mac tossed the die out on to the floor.

“Nooooooo!” Spike made a vain attempt to catch the die, but it bounced off his claws and he face planted on the ground, physical pain to match his wounded ego. The die rolled and came to a stop and all of a sudden a bright flash filled the room and their third party member for Ogres and Oubliettes appeared in full costume.

“Greetings fellow adventurers! Tis’ time we sally forth and slay the foul underlings of the vile Squizard and save yonder realm! Captain Wuz is ready for combat and- oh not again!”

Upon noticing that Spike and Big Mac had none of their materials for their favorite game, Discord immediately formed a scowl and had a glare that could melt steel. “Let me guess, you summoned me for some menial task by tricking me into thinking we were having a rousing game of Ogres and Oubliettes. I get that your lives are nowhere near as fulfilling without me in it, but this is getting old. I am the Lord of Chaos, not some errand colt!”

“Oh no, we didn’t mean to summon you,” Spike said hastily “Big Mac was just showing me his new dice and it just sort of fell out of his bag is all, right Big Mac?”

“Nope.”

“He means 'eeyup!' Sorry again! I promise the next time we summon you it’ll be for guy’s night so see you lat-“ A hoof over his mouth cut off Spike’s farewell.

“Oh fer Celestia’s sake! He’s chickenin’ out askin’ Rarity on a lunch date!” Big Mac confessed, having grown tired of the dragon’s ramblings.

Discord was silent for a moment before bursting out laughing.

“Bwahahahaha! Oh this old chestnut? What does this make it, the fifteenth or twentieth time? I’ve honestly lost count, hahaha!”

Spike suddenly found a great deal of interest in the Apple family’s floor trying to hide an embarrassed blush. “It’s not funny Discord…” he mumbled.

“What do you mean? After all this time I thought this was a running joke. You want to ask Rarity out, you panic and come up with excuses, miss another chance at your dream mare and we have a good laugh at the punchline, comedy comes in threes after all. I mean really, what’s funnier than seeing Spike, the hero of the Crystal Empire, the personal assistant to Princess Twilight Sparkle, who on more than one occasion has helped save Equestria from destruction and above all else, has saved his very dream mare from being possessed by the Nightmare, turn into jelly at the idea of a lunch date.”

Spike was about to argue with the wily Draconequus when something crossed his mind. He creased his brow as he was caught in a moment of thinking. Even though he had saved the Crystal Empire and helped save Equestria enough times to justify a national holiday dedicated to him and his friends, he still couldn’t ask Rarity out? He’d be so full of confidence one minute and feel like he had needles in his gut the next. How many perfect days have gone by without anything to show for it? How many times had he helped Rarity in the boutique or with gem hunting and not ask a simple question? He could’ve even asked to have coffee or something with her between classes at the School of Friendship but he didn’t. “Wait… is, is that true?” He finally asked, disbelief staining his voice.

“Uhh… Eeyup…” Big Mac said nervously rubbing his neck.

“B-but what am I supposed to do?”

Discord answered matter of factually, “Why don’t you just simply ask her out?”

“Ugh, Discord. If it was that simple don’t you think I would’ve done it by now?” Spike’s eyes rolled dismissively.

“Oh but it is that simple my simple friend,” Discord placed a paw on Spike's shoulder and snapped his fingers making another Discord appear in a full-bodied costume that made him look like Rarity… kind of. If Rarity had a serpentine body with sunken red and yellow eyes, actually it was a rather horrifying mascot like costume, as Spike seemed physically ill upon seeing it.

“All you have to do is knock on her door, wait for her to answer and say,” Discord snapped his fingers again and a set of green spikes adorning a large brimmed purple hat appeared on his head and was wearing a purple zoot suit. “Hello Rarity, would you do me the honor of having lunch with me on this beautiful spring day? And she’ll say,

“Why Spike you darling gentlecolt, it would be an honor to go to lunch with you, my absolute favorite dragon,” replied the Rarity imposter in a mock voice. And with a snap of the fingers Discord prime did away with his suit and the pseudo Rarity. “See? Nothing to it.”

After recovering from bizzaro theatre, cogs started to turn in Spike’s head. Discord had a point, all he had to do was just talk to her. No harm in just asking somepony out to lunch, plus how else was he going to move forward in trying to win Rarity’s heart? Not by standing on the sidelines tongue-tied that’s for darn sure. If he could save Equestria, he could do something as simple as this. So Spike clenched his claws and took a deep breath.

“You know what? I’m not going to let another day go by without asking Rarity out, this knight is gonna eat with his lady at the cafe. Thanks for the love advice Discord, it really helped,”

Discord crossed his arms and huffed “Me? Help? The Lord of Chaos doesn’t 'help' anypony and he most certainly doesn’t care for frivolous things like 'love' and emotions.”

“So how are things with you and Fluttershy?” Spike asked with a smug smile

“Oh I’m glad you asked! She loved the ginger snaps I made for her; the secret is a little extra ginger and a light coating of sugar on top to make them-Wait! There’s NOTHING going on between me and Fluttershy, it was just our weekly tea party…for the third time this week.”

“Whatever you say you big softy,” Spike said, confidence returning, “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a lady to see!” And with his new bravado nestled comfortably in his chest he strode out of the Apple house and headed towards the road to Ponyville.

The light of the early noon sun streamed through the apple trees making a series of Rorschach like patterns in the dirt, as Spike strolled down the road he kept rehearsing what he’d say when he reached Carousel Boutique. He didn’t want to be too formal and seem stiff and fake, then again being too informal might cause her to slam the door in his face and call him a “cur” or something along those lines. It had to sound natural, like something he’d say. But how could he do that? Maybe the secret is to not be like everypony else, but be more… Himself? Is that how it works? Couldn’t hurt to try right? Just as Spike was making a major breakthrough, some nearby confrontation brought him out of his moment of self-reflection.

“Now, now, there’s no need to fight. I’m sure we can all talk this out calmly and come to a mutual understanding,” said a yellow soft-spoken Pegasus.

“Look here Fluttershy, Ah’m already late getting these here apples to the market, so the only thing ah 'understand' is that you gotta tell these gophers to vamoose so my cart don’t fall into any more blasted potholes!” replied an ornery orange earth pony. One of the gophers in question began making angry chatters and squeaks while shaking his tiny fist. “What’d that lil’ feller say to me?”

“Oh, um, I don’t think I should repeat so much, um, colorful language,” Fluttershy said nervously putting her hooves together.

“Well Ah got some names fer him too! It starts with 'no good stinkin’ varmint!' And ends with-“ a yellow hoof hushed up any further profanity.

“Applejack, you’re only making things worse,” Fluttershy replied through clenched teeth and uneasy eyes.

“Having trouble with critters Applejack?’ Spike said as he approached the two mares.

“Well howdy there Spike, Ah’m just havin’ problems with these var- (ahem) gophers diggin’ holes all over the road so ah asked Fluttershy to help get ride of them.”

“Applejack! There’s no reason to sound so mean about it. “ Fluttershy chided her country friend.

“Ah ain’t bein’ mean, Ah called them gophers this time.”

“So I’m guessing taking the road is not a good option right now?” Spike interjected

“Only if ya want to end up like my cart,” Applejack pointed to her cart which had two wheels stuck below the surface of the earth and spilling apples.

“But this is the fastest way to town and I have a date-I mean appointment to keep, how am I supposed to get back now?” Both Applejack and Fluttershy just stared at him flatly before Fluttershy pointed to the feathery appendages on her back. “You want to give me a ride? …Oh wait; I have wings now, duh! I sometimes forget I have them, see you later!” he said in an embarrassed hurry before taking off into the sky.

Flying above the treetops in the warm sun Spike focused again at the task at hoof, or claw in this case. Should I open with a joke? He thought to himself. Nah, I’ll save that for the café. Maybe just saying, “Rarity I know how hard you’ve been working, why don’t you take a quick break and we can get something to eat? It’s such a great day we could walk through the park too if you’d like.” Yeah that sounds like a good way to get the ball rolling. Alright Spike let’s do this! Spike was brought out of his thinking by the sound of a whistle and a pegasus in an orange reflective vest.

“Sorry pal this is a ‘no fly zone’,” the pegasus said as he held up a stop sign.

“What? Since when?” Spike asked scratching his head.

“Since the Wonderbolts decided to hold their formation practice in Ponyville.”

Sure enough in a clearing not to far from where they were, the Wonderbolts were all doing rolls, dives and perfect maneuvers in perfect synch. Something caught Spike’s eye and he squinted to see a multi-colored mane leading the squad. Guess they’re doing a routine around Rainbow Dash Spike thought. All of a sudden the rest of the bolts pulled up and Rainbow was picking up more and more speed, then a sharp redirection and she launched her signature sonic rainboom.

“INCOMING!” the pegasus shouted as he flew at a higher altitude, unfortunately Spike didn’t have the speed or reaction time that a pegasus who has been flying for a majority of their life had, so he was caught in the prismatic shockwave of Rainbow Dash’s feat and was hurled screaming through the sky.

“Alright ah may have over reacted a little bit,” said Applejack rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. “Ah’m sorry for gettin’ so hot headed back there and just so there’s no hard feelings ah’ll even give ya one of granny’s famous apple pies,” the gopher made a few chatters and squeaks.

“He said he’s sorry too and that the road will be patched up in no time,” Fluttershy translated with a smile on her face.

“Ah want to apologize to you too Fluttershy. Ah’m sorry my stubbornness got in the way of just talkin’ out my problems,” Applejack rubbed her head sheepishly.

“It’s ok Applejack. You just needed a little help remembering that it’s not just your needs that matter when there’s a disagreement. After all, listening to both sides of a problem and compromising is what friends-“ Applejack and Fluttershy’s weekly revelation was interrupted by the sounds of screams, snapping branches and then a loud thud as Spike slammed into the ground.

“Owwww…” Was the only thing Spike could think to say.

“Oh my goodness!” Fluttershy dashed over with Applejack behind her. “Spike! Are you ok?” Spike’s head felt like it got caught between the tracks and the 12:30 train to Canterlot.

“Not sure…” Spike responded slowly. “Are there three of you?”

“Um, no?”

“Well I guess that’s how I’m doing…” Spike started to get up but took one step and fell over.

“Hold on there sugarcube,” Applejack ran to her now above ground cart. “Ah’ve got just the thing,” she galloped back to Spike with a jug and a small cup, she poured some of the brown liquid in the cup and gave it to Spike. “Here drink this here cider, it’ll make ya feel better.”

Spike reached for the cup and drank it in one gulp, then after a second his face scrunched up and he began coughing. “ACK! That wasn’t cider!”

“Yeah it is; that’s our family’s special apple cider vinegar. Helps with joint aches, head aches, stomachaches, and muscle aches, inflammation, and is darn good to cook with too. You can also wash your mane with it to give a real purty shine,” Applejack stated proudly rehearsing her selling pitch. Spike wasn’t really listening to what she was saying and was more concerned of his tongue being tainted from that weird liquid and wondered if the dirt would help get the taste out of his mouth when he realized something.

“Hey! I can see one Fluttershy again! That stuff really helped, thanks Applejack!”

“No problem lil’ guy. What happened to ya anyway?”

“I got caught in one of Dash's sonic rainbooms.”

“Oh right, the Wonderbolt’s formation thing. Well ya might wanna stick to low flying fer today Spike. You too Fluttershy.”

“Oh that’s ok, I don’t like flying that high anyways.” The timid Pegasus said

“Well I got to get going, thanks again Applejack, see you later Fluttershy!” Spike said as he took off towards town.
As Spike was flying down the road he began to go back to planning his date. Ok, when we get to the café I’ll pull her seat out and then we’ll order our drinks. While looking through the menu, engage in small talk; maybe crack a joke or two. Be sure to ask her questions about herself. Don’t boast, and drown on about yourself. I’m sure she’ll have a great story from Manehattan fashion week, can’t wait to hear it.

“And that every creature, is how you play Buckball. Any questions?” Said a hyper-active pink earth pony. She was addressing a group of six creatures from different backgrounds.

On the ground was Sandbar, a light green earth pony with a two-tone green and sea foam green mane and a cutie mark depicting three sea turtles. Opposite him was Yona, a yak, her hair was done up in loops to keep her from tripping. Above her was Smolder an orange dragon with purple spikes and yellow horns. Opposite her was Silverstream a lavender hippogriff; her mane was a mix of blue and light blue. Behind them was Gallus a blue griffon holding up a wooden bucket with his claws, and opposite him was Ocellus a light blue changeling with a red insect like back and an almost transparent pink “mane,” tail and matching wings holding her bucket with magic.

Yona raised her hoof, “Professor Pink pony, Yona not sure Yona can buck the ball. Can Yona use head instead?”

“Hmmm, as long as your horns don’t pop the ball I don’t see why not. Any other questions?” the students either shrugged their shoulders or gave a simple ‘nah,’ “Alright then, plaaaaayyy ball!” Pinkie bounced the ball between Yona and Sandbar, when the ball came back down Yona head-butt the ball but was intercepted by Silverstream who spiked the ball, zipping by Smolder and into Gallus’ basket.

“Point!” Pinkie called out

“Oh. My. GOSH! Did you see that? I was like 'you’re not getting past me ball' and the ball was like 'OH NO!' this is so much FUN!” Silverstream did a few spins in the air to punctuate her joy.

“Great use of 'rule number one' SIlverstream! Remember every creature, the point of the game is to have fun!” Pinkie popped some confetti at the word “fun.”

“I think winning is pretty darn fun.” Smolder fumed under her breath

“Alright, next round! Aaannnnnnnnd… GO!” Pinkie bounced the ball again and Sandbar was quick on the buck a shot it towards Gallus but Smolder was fast enough to catch the ball and pass it back to Yona who used her brute strength to smash the ball with her head towards Ocellus but Silverstream was quick to intercept and quickly used her pearl shard to transform into a sea pony and whack the ball with her tail, the resulting momentum from Yona and Silverstream sent the ball passed Smolder so fast nopony knew where it even was till Gallus was about a foot or two in the dirt clutching his basket.

“Another point!” Pinkie cried.

Smolder blew fire out of her nose in a frustrated huff. “Professor Pinkie, is that even fair?”

“Aw chillax Smolder, she’s just working with her natural talent.” Sandbar’s mellow tone tried to defuse the dragon’s temper.

“Yeah, I actually think it makes the game a bit more interesting.” Pinkie chirped.

Smolder was about to complain before a thought crossed her mind natural talent? She soon had a mischievous smile growing next to her chin-stroking claw.

Spike was flying by the buck ball fields, as the little six were getting ready for the next buck off.

After lunch I’ll see if she wants to go for a walk in the park. Maybe Octavia and her band will be performing in the square, or maybe Starlight can loan me a kite or two. Does Rarity like kites? I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. Maybe we can talk about our next gem hunt. Better yet see what Rarity is working on now and then scout out the best places to find those gems for when we do go gem hunting. I wonder if Maud will help a dragon out?

“Annnnnnnd… GO!” Pinkie bounced the ball again and Yona butted the ball to Ocellus before being intercepted by Silverstream again who passed the ball to Sandbar, Sandbar bucked the ball and was caught by Smolder.

“Hey Silverstream, bet ya five bits you can’t do that sea pony trick a second time.” Smolder said with a smirk.

“You’re on! I’m feeling the fire of competition coursing through my very being!” Silverstream announced dramatically.

Took the bait hook, line and sinker, thought Smolder smugly.

She passed the ball to Yona who reared back and smashed the ball with all her might, Silverstream used her pearl to transform and again slapped the ball with her tail, but this time Smolder was ready and just before the ball connected with Silverstream’s tail she blew a steady stream of fire onto her claws, as the ball rocketed towards her she put her two flaming claws together and spiked the ball with enough force to cause a small explosion firing the ball towards Ocellus. Ocellus was faced with two options; try to catch this high velocity volatile death projectile or not. The meek little changeling decided to scream in panic and shape shift into a turtle and hide in her shell. The ball sailed passed Ocellus and her abandoned basket and was on a direct course for a certain oblivious dragon.

“SPIKE WATCH OUT!” Pinkie screamed. Hearing his name brought him back to reality for a moment before uttering a brief “Huh?” and getting struck down by the vengeful flaming sphere and crashing into the brush. Every creature ran to the impact site.

“Oh no Spike! Are you ok?” Pinkie pulled a disoriented Spike from the bush.

“I don’t know, I think I am. Geez, what the hay hit me?” Spike said rubbing his arm. Every creature looked at Smolder with accusing eyes.

“Eh, hehe, I uh, may have taken Buckball a bit too far…” She said kicking the dirt.

“I’ll say you did, ow, at least I’m fire proof. That could’ve been way worse.”

“I’m really sorry Spike, I just got angry and didn’t think if I was gonna hurt some creature or not. I guess I-”

“It’s ok Smolder, it was just an accident.” Spike cut Smolder’s lesson off. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a date- I mean appointment to keep.” Spike jumped up and started flapping his wings. “OUCH!” Spike flopped on to the earth. He looked at his wings; they were looking a bit crooked. “What happened to my wings?” Spike asked panicking.

Smolder rushed over and inspected his back. After a few delicate pokes and prods she said in a relieved tone, “They’re just sprained, they’ll be fine after a couple days.” Smolder didn’t realize she was holding her breath until she told him.

“Alright I guess I’m walking then,” Spike picked himself up and started his way to town.

“Spike are you sure you’re ok?” Pinkie called out

“I’m fine, sorry but I really need to go,” He said picking up the pace.

Pinkie turned back to the six friends, “Ok new rule! No fancy transformations and no fire! Let’s try this again!” Smolder took her position, a look of guilt still plastered on her face.

“You think Spike is going to see Professor Rarity?” Sandbar nudged Gallus on their way back to their positions.

“Well yeah, any creature with eyes can see that. It’s funny how he thinks he’s hiding it though,” Replied the snarky griffon.

Spike huffed and puffed down the road as he finally came to the outskirts of town, just recently noticing how bad his running stamina was after getting his wings. “Then after the park we can go to the ice cream parlor or Sugarcube Corner.” He said to himself. “I’m sure after walking around town she’ll want a snack, I know I will.” He then started thinking about Rarity and him sharing an ice cream soda, gazing into each other’s eyes as they enjoyed the sweet treat. He imagined getting whipped cream on his snout only for Rarity to gently whip it off with a loving smile on her face, a goofy love struck grin across his.

“Pleeeaaaase?” A blue unicorn in a wizard hat and cape begged.

“No,” replied a light purple unicorn dryly.

“Pleeeeeeeaaaaassssseeeee?”

“No!”

“Pretty, pretty, please with as many cherries as you want on top?”

“No Trixie! I’m not doing it!”

Trixie threw herself onto the purple unicorn’s hooves. “But Starliiiiight, how am I supposed to try this new trick without my assistant? I promise it’s totally safe!” She whined.

Starlight rubbed her throbbing temples with her hooves, “If it’s so safe then why don’t you get in the cannon?”

“Uh, because this is a two pony trick and I need to be the one not in the cannon,” snapped Trixie.

Spike came over a hill and saw Trixie and Starlight talking about Trixie’s new illusion, or so he assumed. This might be the perfect opportunity to ask Starlight if he could borrow some kites if he needs to. Spike made a beeline for the unicorn.

“Well you’re gonna have to find somepony else to do it cause I’m not getting in that thing,” Starlight crossed her forelegs in defiance.

“Fine I’ll just have to find another test subject,” Trixie huffed.

“Starlight! Hey Starlight!” Spike said running up to the unicorn duo.

“Spike?” Starlight asked quizzically.

“Spike! That’s perfect!” Trixie clapped her hooves together in glee.

“Starlight thank goodness I found you! You would not believe the day I’ve been having. Hey I wanted to ask, do you think I can borrow-“ Spike was cut off by a helmet being strapped to his head and being lifted up by magic.

“Now watch Starlight Glimmer,” Trixie began to use her stage voice, “as the Great and Powerful Trixie astounds you with her ‘disappearing cannonball’ illusion!” Trixie levitated Spike into the cannon barrel.

“Trixie this is really a bad idea!” Said Starlight.

“Yeah, get me out of here!” Spike tried struggling, but couldn’t free himself from the cannon.

“Don’t worry you two, the Great and Powerful Trixie has perfectly measured the right amount of black powder and when Spike flies out of the cannon he’ll reappear in the black box completely unharmed.” Trixie’s horn started glowing.

“No Trix wait!” Starlight tried to stop her but Trixie already fired a beam, hit the fuse and blasted Spike out of the cannon, the last thing they heard was his screams as he sailed further and further towards the horizon. Trixie stared wide eyed at the events that transpired and was brought out of her shock with the sound of a door, she looked at Starlight opening and closing the black box, a scowl directed at the cerulean egotist.

“Hehehe… Ta da…” Trixie said weakly and waved her hoof half-heartedly.

The open market in central Ponyville was still bustling with stands and shoppers alike. Ponies merrily went from stall to stall for flowers, fire wood, pear jam, cakes, veggies and anything else a pony could need. Except for apples. Applejack galloped into town and came to a screeching halt when she reached the spot for her cart.

“Whoa Nelly! That took longer than ah would’ve liked, but now that ah’m finally here,” she kicked her cart with her back leg and the cart sprang open with multiple shelves of assorted apple related goods, “let’s git to sellin’ some apples!” Applejack cleared her throat and began her pitch, “Come an’ git’em ya’ll! Fresh apples from Sweet Apple Acres! Ain’t any better apples in all of Equestria! We also got apple turnovers, apple jam, apple tarts, apple bread and of course, Granny Smith’s famous apple pies!”

As Applejack held up said pie she could’ve sworn she heard a scream but wasn’t sure where exactly it was coming from. All of a sudden she saw a purple blur pass her by, her pie had gone missing and something crashed into the hay bale behind her. Followed by some low groans. She rushed over to see what fell from the sky and that’s when she saw a small purple dragon stumble out, pie crust and apple chunks smeared all over his face.

Applejack rushed to his side, “What in blue blazes? Spike are ya ok?”

“…I think so? Maybe? I don’t know. I mean I just got fired out of a cannon,”he said still in shock. “Oh hey Applejack, guess I can’t be too hurt, I can only see one of you. Well I guess I’ll be on my way.” Spike started limping away when an orange hoof blocked his path.

“Whoa there partner, you shouldn’t be goin’ anywhere but home. This is the second time today ah seen ya fall out of the dang sky and ya’ll lookin’ even worse than the last time ah saw ya. Why are ya pushin’ yerself so hard to make this appointment anyway?” Applejacks voice was full of concern for the banged up dragon, she was surprised his little body could take such a beating.

Spike looked at Applejack with a crestfallen look in his eyes and sighed. “You don’t get it Applejack, today was supposed to be perfect. The sun is shining without a single cloud in the sky and I finally worked up the nerve to go to lunch with Rar- I mean my friend, uh, Rariry, yeah that’s her-I mean his name-” Applejack raised an eyebrow at the obvious slip. “-but from getting hit with a sonic rainboom, falling through trees, getting hit by a Rouge buckball and getting fired out of a cannon into a pie, I’m starting to feel like I shouldn’t even bother,” he sat on the ground dejected and started drawing circles with his claws. Applejack’s face softened and put a hoof on the sad little dragon’s shoulder.

“Look here sugarcube, Ah know it looks like ya should give up. But you went through heck an’ high water just to see this 'friend' of yers. Ah’m worried about ya gettin’ more hurt than ya already are, but ah gotta ask, in yer heart is this friend of yers worth getting hit with a sonic rainboom?”

“Yeah…” Spike mumbled

“Are they worth getting hit with a buckball?”

“Yeah.”

“Are they worth getting shot out of a cannon an’ landing face first into an apple pie?”

“Yeah of course she- he is.” Spike’s voice picked up despite his slip.

Applejack gave Spike a pat on the back, “Then shouldn’t ya see this through to the end? Ah mean yer already in Ponyville, just another hop, skip and jump away till you see 'him.' I think if yer friend is worth going through all this trouble they must be awfully special to ya. And I’m sure if they knew how much ya went through to see ‘em they’d feel pretty lucky to have a friend like you”

Spike looked up at the honest Apple, a smile spread across his face as he shakily stood up and puffed out his aching chest. “You know what? You’re right. I’m already this close, why stop now when I’m at the home stretch?”

“That’s the spirit, but before ya go,” Applejack pulled out a rag and the apple cider vinegar. Dapped some of the vinegar on the rag and started to rub Spike with it, “we’re gonna clean ya up a bit. Ya look like ya got caught in the cider wheel after wrestling in the pig pen.” After a few minutes of rubbing and scrubbing she stepped back and admired how shiny Spike’s scales were. Spike picked up the pie tin and looked at his reflection.

“Wow! I don’t think my scales have ever looked so shiny! That vinegar stuff is awesome, thanks Applejack!”

“Yer welcome sugarcube, now scoot on outta here. Don’t wanna be any later than you already are do ya?”

“No way, I’m a dragon on a mission and I plan on seeing it through to the end,” Spike started walking with a newfound boldness towards Carousel Boutique.

“Hold up a minute Spike!” Applejack called out. As Spike turned around she tossed something at him. He caught a shiny yellow apple. It was pretty big, practically glowed in the sunlight and looked absolutely delicious.

“Ah’m not sure if yer friend 'Rariry' likes apples, but if he does, Ah got a feelin’ that’ll be their favorite kind.” She said with a wink.

Spike got her message loud and clear he was beaming now. He got a great gift for Rarity to help break the ice. After saying his thanks he made his way to the boutique, apple clutched in his claws.

As Rarity’s home/place of business came into view Spike went over the last part of his plan. After lunch (late lunch at this point), a stroll through the park and ice cream, he’d walk Rarity home and then with all his courage he’d ask if she’d want to do it again sometime. It had a bumpy start, but Spike was determined to make this a great day.

“Well, well, well. I didn’t think you’d actually go trough with it.” An all too familiar voice said. Spike turned to his side to see Discord and Big Mac stepping out of a bush. “But seriously bravo on making it to the end Spike, you have truly impressed me.” Big mac tapped Discord on the shoulder.

“Ahem?” He coughed. Discord grumbled, snapped his fingers and some bits appeared in Big Mac’s hoof.

“Even if you cost me five bits.” Discord grumbled.

Spike watched them with a confused look on his scaly face. “Have you guys been following me all day?”

“Eeyup.” Big Mac said, sounding a little bit ashamed for spying on his friend.

“But can you blame us? We were getting so tired of you chickening out that we just wanted to make sure you actually spoke with Rarity this time. I gotta say though, you provided the best entertainment I’ve seen since I turned Ponyville upside down, hahaha! You should’ve seen the look on your face when you got fired out of the cannon, priceless!”

As Discord continued his laughing fit, Spike turned to the boutique and marched up to the door ignoring the jerky Draconequus. He took a deep breath and knocked.

“Rarity! Rarity, it’s me Spike! I have a question for you!” He knocked again and a piece of paper floated from the top of the door onto Spikes face. He grabbed it and began reading, his eyes became wider and wider with each word, “WHAT?! ARRRRGH! YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!” Spike tossed the note in the air in frustration, which was caught by Discord.

“To whomever it may concern-” Discord began to read, “-due to an emergency fitting request from Canterlot I am currently unavailable and will be gone for a day or two. I’m dreadfully sorry for any inconvenience. Signed Rarity. Well I guess this means your date is a bust.” Discord stopped being snarky when he noticed that Spike was trembling.

“Oh hey, I didn’t mean to upset you. No need to cry, I’m sure you’ll get another chance when she gets back.” Then Spike did something Discord wasn’t prepared for, Spike started laughing, “What’s so funny?” Discord asked.

“Hahaha! This- this has- hahaha- been one of the-the worst days ever!” Spike said as he held his stomach with his free claw. Discord raised one of his bushy brows.

“And that’s funny to you? That’s a really strange sense of humor you got, and that’s coming from me.”

“Well look at me, I was put through the wringer three times today and I still had the courage to ask Rarity out. If I can have the guts to ask her after all that, then I can totally try asking her out again.” Spike gazed at the apple in his claw, it still shined bright and looked delicious, then Spike decided to take a bite, after the day he’s had, he deserved it. Plus it wouldn’t have been as fresh when Rarity got back anyways, after all, waste not want not.

“Golly, I see why these are Rarity’s favorite, they’re amazing.” Spike finished the apple in a few more bites and turned to his friends. “You know in a weird way I’m glad Trixie’s cannon misfired, I wouldn’t have had Applejack give me a pick me up without it.”

Discord began twiddling his paw and claw, “Yeah, misfire, of course that’s what happened.”

“Anyway Discord, I just want to thank you.”

“Why? I didn’t mess with the cannon?” He said defensively.

“What? No, I mean if you weren’t such a jerk back at the farm I wouldn’t have worked up the nerve to ask Rarity on a date. So thanks again for helping me out.”

Discord crossed his arms, turned his head away and had a big sulk. “I told you, the Lord of Chaos doesn’t help!” He then looked around to make sure that only Spike and Big mac were near by. “But if he did he might say, 'what are friends for?'”

Spike had his smug smile back again. “I knew Fluttershy was rubbing off on you, you big softy.”

Discord glared at him “Don’t push it kid.”

“Alright, sorry. But can you guys do me a favor?” Spike then collapsed on the ground “Can you take me back to the castle? I’m beat.”

Big Mac picked up the little dragon and placed him on his back “Eeyup.”

As the three friends walked back to the Castle of Friendship Spike couldn’t help but think about what he accomplished today. He finally worked up the courage to ask Rarity out. Even though it didn’t work out in the end, the fact is he was going to do it. Heck he used to think saving the Crystal Empire was easier than doing what he did today. But Spike’s determination paid off, he no longer felt that crippling fear and he felt he could take on the world. Just you wait Rarity, he thought I’ll show you what this dragon's worth.

Author's Note

The first chapter of my first fanfic. Hope you like it. See you in chapter 2

Doki-Doki Princess

Night was falling on Canterlot as the crowd who flocked to the pardoning of Equestria’s latest troublemaker dispersed, having celebrated their victory for justice or got their hooves on the big story for tomorrow’s newspaper. Twilight stood on one of the balconies of the castle and gazed at the night sky. She always found something calming about the night sky. Ever since she was a filly she loved finding the constellations and learning about their history and the tales behind their origin.

But as she watched the twinkling stars, marveled at the bright and beautiful moon and thought that Princess Luna has truly outdone herself this time, she felt no calm or sense of wonder. She felt anxious, uneasy and… scared. Did this have anything to do with Cozy Glow’s release? Twilight didn’t think this would bother her so much. Was she scared of Cozy Glow? She didn’t think she was, but that’s when Cozy was behind bars and a magic door, unable to escape and cause harm to anycreature.

“A bit for your thoughts?” a soft, regal voice asked. Princess Celestia trotted up next to Twilight and looked at her protégé with concern.

“Oh, good evening princess. I, um, just wanted to get some fresh air.”

“Come now Twilight, I know there’s more than that. I’ve known you for a long time and I can tell when something is troubling you. So I’m asking, not as your mentor but as your friend, what’s wrong?”

Twilight sighed in defeat. She should’ve known better than to try and hide her problems from Celestia. “It’s… about Cozy Glow,” she conceded.

Celestia nodded. “I thought so.”

“I know I said I forgave her and that as the Princess of Friendship, I should set an example in forgiving others for their past mistakes. But I can’t shake this nagging feeling that she’s playing us for fools again. I let her get close; I thought I was raising a bright and shining student. But she betrayed my trust and only used me to gain power. I’ve never felt like such a failure as a teacher and now I feel like a failure as a princess for being a total hypocrite and not trusting in Cozy’s promise to be a better pony.”

Celestia draped a wing over Twilight and pulled her into a comforting hug. “You’re not a failure Twilight. You can’t blame yourself for Cozy Glow’s actions, it wasn’t your fault and you shouldn’t feel guilty over something you had no knowledge of. You’ve accomplished so much as a princess, you can’t let this one incident ruin all the faith and confidence you have in yourself.” Celestia motioned Twilight to follow her into the castle.

“I don’t want this to affect my duties as a princess or as a headmare. But I can’t help but feel… nervous that something will happen.”

“For what it’s worth Twilight, what you’re feeling is completely understandable and if I’m being honest, I’ve had similar feelings as well.”

“You too princess?”

“Yes. Even though I want nothing more than for Cozy to turn over a new leaf I can’t help but wonder if she’ll stay on the straight and narrow. After all I think we both remember what happened when Tirek persuaded Discord. But I think I have a solution to help you put your mind at ease.”

“What kind of solution?”

“I’ve been in contact with Princess Cadance over the last several days and we’d like you to consider starting a branch of the Equestrian Royal Guard in Ponyville.”

Twilight was taken aback by her suggestion. “Royal guards? In Ponyville? Princess, with all due respect, my friends and I have protected Ponyville for years and-“

“Don’t misunderstand me Twilight. I have complete self-assurance in you and your friends protecting Ponyville. It’s just a precaution. I’ll station some of my guards from Canterlot and Cadance will station some of hers from the Crystal Empire. Enough to protect your castle and the school in case of emergency.”

“It’s not that I don’t appreciate your offer princess, but I can handle the safety of Ponyville myself. I’ll brush up on more defensive spells and with enough dedication-“

Celestia’s hoof gently lifted Twilight’s chin and looked her in the eyes. “Nopony said you yourself have to shoulder this burden Twilight,” her tone was gentle, yet firm. “And I don’t think anypony wants you to shoulder this burden either. You of all ponies should know how much one can accomplish by working together with others. Though as princesses we wield great magical power, we can’t rule this land and protect everycreature in it by ourselves. We’re not omnipotent and we have our limitations. Even I can’t protect Equestria all on my own, and I don’t really want to try. And if Canterlot would be attacked tomorrow, I’d feel better knowing that my royal guards are fighting tooth and hoof to protect my subjects. Don’t think of this as an admission of weakness Twilight, it's just another way of protecting the ponies you care about.”

Twilight listened to the wisdom in her mentor’s words. Perhaps having some extra security was a good idea. She’s responsible for the safety of Ponyville and her students but even a princess has limits on what she can and can’t do. It was a stubborn idea to think she had to be the almighty guardian princess of Ponyville.

“Very well princess, I accept your proposal.”

“Wonderful, I’ll contact Princess Cadance and we’ll make the arrangements. But for now let’s have dinner. I believe your friends will be waiting for us in the dining hall.”

Two weeks after Cozy Glow’s pardoning, preparations for the newly formed Ponyville Royal Guard were well underway. Celestia’s engineers built barracks outside the castle and her hoof picked soldiers arrived a day before. All that remained was for Cadence’s soldiers to arrive. Twilight and Starlight stood on the platform of the train station waiting for the morning train from the Crystal Empire. Twilight was glancing at a pocket watch every other minute and Starlight was filling out a word puzzle through lidded eyes.

“Any minute now,” Twilight said zealously.

Starlight yawned, “You’ve been saying that for well over an hour now. Why were we here so early? It’s not like the train will be here any sooner.”

“I’m just excited to see Cadance. Even if it’s just a short visit to drop off her guards I wanted to make sure I can optimize my time with her,” Twilight responded, bouncing on her hooves.

“Fourteen across,” Starlight said in a dry tone. “The Cavalla word for ‘ennui.’ P-o-c-o-c-u-r-a-n-t-e.”

A loud whistle screamed though the air as a cloud of smoke rose over a hill in the distance. A train was coming down the tracks and judging from the train’s design, Twilight could tell it was from the Crystal Empire.

“Here she comes!” Twilight exclaimed.

“About time,” Starlight muttered.

The train pulled up to the platform, brakes screeching as it came to a complete stop. The doors to the train cars opened and soldiers clad in well-polished armor marched out and assembled in neat rows. Powerful stallions and mares of all the pony tribes and several crystal ponies too, stood at attention with backs straight and hooves at salute. Twilight waited anxiously for her sister in-law to step off the train.

First they’d do their ceremonial chant, then simple conversation with topics like what the weather is like in the Crystal Empire, how her niece Flurry Heart is doing and if Cadance has any funny stories about Shining Armor. The last passenger exited the train car but it wasn’t the Princess of Love, it was a pegasus stallion with a vermillion coat and a blue mane.

Twilight’s heart started pounding in her chest and felt the heat rise in her cheeks.

The pegasus stallion trotted up to Twilight and saluted. “Captain Flash Sentry reporting for duty Princess Twilight.” His professional demeanor broke into a small smile.

Twilight felt her knees going weak. “Uh, yes! Welcome to Ponyville Captain Sentry.”

Flash’s wing dug into a pouch in his armor and pulled out a scroll. “Princess Cadance regrets to inform you that she couldn’t be here, but she wanted me to give you this.”

Twilight grabbed the scroll with her magic and started reading.

Dear Twilight:
Hope you’re doing well. I’m sorry to say that I can’t come and visit right now but I’m up to my fetlocks in preparations for the next Crystal Fair. Needless to say we’re falling a little behind schedule, but I digress. After Princess Celestia reached out to me I assembled a group of some of the finest soldiers in my service as well as your new captain. Shiny was against stationing Flash Sentry in Ponyville, but what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him (wink). I’m sure you two will have a lot of catching up to do with plenty of time to do it.

XOXO

Your favorite sister in-law

Cadance

P.S.
Just thought I’d give you a quick update. Weather in the Crystal Empire is warm and pleasant. Flurry sneezed and blew out four windows and Shining Armor pulled a muscle in his rump practicing for the jousting competition.

Twilight bit her lower lip as her panic started to flair up. Cadence! Twilight’s thoughts screamed. Why did you do this to me?

“It’s been a long time your highness,” Flash said. “Apologies for speaking so formally, but it’s nice to see you again.”

Twilight threw on a smile to mask her anxiety. “The feeling’s mutual captain. So shall we head for the castle? I’m sure you’ll want to get settled in the barracks.”

“Yes ma’am. Company! Fall in!” The soldiers assembled behind Flash and marched in their neat rows behind Flash as he followed Twilight and Starlight through the streets of Ponyville. Many citizens stopped and stared at the sight of the soldiers in their shiny armor and tough appearance.

“You have a lovely town princess.”

“Yes, this town is very special to me and I’ll do anything to protect it. I’d like to thank you for your service in helping me keep Ponyville safe.”

“No thanks are necessary princess. It’s my duty to keep Equestria’s citizens safe and I’m honored to protect them alongside you.”

“Y-you’re too kind captain.”

Starlight leaned in and whispered, “Why Twilight Sparkle, are you blushing?”

“N-no! Of course not!” Twilight said in a flustered whisper.

Starlight was wearing a smug smile. “Really? Cause your cheeks are giving you away.”

“No they’re not, because I’m not blushing!”

“Your castle is magnificent princess,” Flash said grabbing Twilight’s attention.

“Oh, why thank you. The barracks are just behind the castle, you can’t miss it.”

“Great, the trip was pretty long and I’m sure everypony could use a quick rest, we’ll be on duty afterwards.”

“Of course, please take all the time you need to rest. Uh, dismissed.”

The soldiers headed in the direction of the barracks, as Flash left he gave Twilight another smile. Twilight breathed a sigh of relief when he saw him disappear into his quarters. Her anxiety was gone but her heart was still beating like Pinkie Pie playing the bongos while on a sugar rush. Why was this happening?

“Twilight? Twilight are you there?” Starlight knocked on the door to one of Twilight’s reading rooms. It’s been a few hours since the train from the Crystal Empire arrived and shortly after that Twilight disappeared. Nopony gave it much thought at first, but after a while the guards (Including Flash Sentry) started to get antsy and in order not to cause a panic, Starlight and Spike began searching the castle for the elusive bookworm. Behind the door she knocked on, Starlight heard some books falling over, pages rustling and some magic pops before she heard a soft, “Come in.”

Inside the study, Twilight was sitting in a plush high back chair with a mug of tea on her left and a reading lamp on her right and a book levitating in front of her and the magic mirror portal Twilight kept stood further behind her. She had one of her 'I’m not doing anything suspicious so let’s talk about something else' smiles on as Starlight stepped over the path of fallen books that covered the floor.

“Starlight! What a, um, nice surprise! What brings you here?” Twilight asked with worry lacing her voice.

“Well, looking for you. You just disappeared. The guards started to get fidgety so Spike and I started looking and here we are.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to worry anypony. I just felt like doing some recreational reading and enjoying a nice, calming cup of tea. Nothing to be concerned about, so why don’t you tell Flash- uh, Captain Sentry that I’m here. N-not that I want him to know where I am, I-I mean I do want him to know where I am so he doesn’t worry, b-but I don’t want him to think he needs to see me, t-that is unless he needs to see me-“

Starlight decided to defuse this “Twily meltdown” before it went critical. “So Twilight, what’s that you’re reading? -” Starlight read the text on the large tome that Twilight was using as a fluster proof shield. “-Ah! The Hero With a Thousand Muzzles. That’s a good one.”

Twilight’s poker face was nearly as bad as Applejack’s. “Oh yeah! I just love, looooove this book. And I haven’t read it in ages so I thought I’d give it a look over.”

“You know I find the studies of the monomyth to be truly fascinating. How so many ancient civilizations can have so many varied histories yet still tell stories that are so similar to each other. Did you get up to the part with Sticky Mane? I like that chapter a lot.”

“Yes, yes, I love that chapter! And Sticky Mane is such a great character. I really like his mane… and how sticky it is…”

“But you know what I think is a better book?” Starlight’s horn lit up and a second book hiding behind the large tome Twilight held flew into Starlight’s hooves.

“NO!”

“Ah now this is a good book. How to Catch His Eye? Wait Twilight are you reading a… dating book?”

Twilight was mortified. She wished Celestia would banish her to the moon that very second or that Luna would lock her and the Tantabus together in a curse of eternal sleep. Anything but this! Twilight hid herself in her wings. “Yes… I was reading a dating book…”

Starlight was confused as to why her mentor was hiding from her like a timid foal. “Twilight, what’s wrong? I didn’t mean to embarrass you, I was just curious.”

Twilight lowered her wings. “It’s ok… it’s just… I don’t know what to do. Ever since Flash got here I just had these feelings. My heart’s been pounding and I haven’t been able to get him out of my head all day.”

“Twilight, that’s nothing to be worried about. It’s perfectly normal to have these feelings for another pony. So you like Flash Sentry, that’s no reason to panic and hide away.”

Twilight sighed, “It’s not that simple…” Twilight got up from her chair and trotted over to the magic mirror. The gateway to the other world. The world of Canterlot High. “Starlight… You’ve been to this world. You’ve met… Flash Sentry right?”

“Yeah, Sunset Shimmer introduced me to him. He seemed like a nice guy and I think she used to date him or something?”

“Yes, he is a nice guy. He’s also handsome, kind and a charming gentlecolt. Or should I say, gentleman. And… I had these feelings for him too…”

“So what are you saying?”

“I’m saying I don’t know how I should feel for the Flash Sentry in this world. Do I actually have feelings for him? Or am I just projecting my feelings for that Flash onto this Flash. What is the Flash of our world even like? Is he the same or different? It isn’t fair to Captain Flash Sentry that I only like him for the other Flash Sentry."

Then I remembered that Rarity gave me some books on dating. She said ‘you should really put yourself out there darling’ and I’ve been here ever since, trying to sort my thoughts. But my heart still feels like it’s being pulled in two different directions. -“ Twilight gazed into the mirror and for a single moment she saw her other self, the version of her with hands and feet. “- … What should I do Starlight?”

To say Starlight was shocked was putting it mildly. She had no idea that Flash Sentry being stationed in Ponyville would unearth so many emotions out of Twilight. She only meant to tease her, not stir up her already unstable heart. Starlight decided it was time to break out her guidance counselor chops.

“Well if you want my opinion, I think you should get to know this Flash. So he’s not the original Flash you fell for, he’s still Flash Sentry and from what I could tell he was pret-ty happy to see you,” Starlight said with a wink.

“You think so?”

“Totally, you saw the way he smiled at you right? He sure wasn’t smiling like that for me. Give him a chance, eh?”

Twilight gave a small smile. “I guess you’re right.”

Starlight placed an encouraging hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “A book will only get you so far Twilight. This is something you need hooves on experience with. Take a chance, who knows, you just might make a connection.”

“Thank you Starlight, I’m feeling better now. What say we grab some lunch?”

“Sounds good to me, we should probably tell the guards I found you so they don’t send out a search party.”

The two shared a collective laugh and left the study. As Twilight walked down the hall with her friend and student, she felt a wave of confidence overcome her. She knew right then and there that she had to catch the eyes of a particular stallion

Night came and Twilight found herself fighting against sleep. After a long day of riding a roller coater of feels, she felt all the energy spent from her body. She finished cleaning her study from earlier that day and with the last book in its proper place, she decided to call it a night. She turned off the lights and left. As she rounded a corner she bumped into what felt like a pony made of steel and fell.

Flash held out a hoof. “Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry princess! Are you ok?”

Twilight grabbed his hoof and pulled herself up. "Yes, I’m fine, no need to worry. I should’ve watched where I was going.”

They both had light blushes on their muzzles.

“W-well I’m glad you’re ok,” Flash said trying to hold onto his professionalism. “I can’t imagine what the punishment would be for harming a princess.”

“Dungeon time, Tartarus or being banished to the moon are the first ones that come to mind,” Twilight said in jest.

The two of them chuckled.

“So, are you going on duty?” Twilight asked.

Flash shook his head. “I actually just finished my shift, so I’m heading back to the barracks.”

“Well I don’t want to keep you from getting some well deserved sleep. Goodnight captain.”

“Goodnight princess.”

Flash walked away. Twilight was going to leave until the words Starlight said to her started ringing in her ear. She couldn’t just leave things here, could she? No. She had to make an effort. She decided to go on the offensive.

“Wait! Captain Sentry!”

Flash stopped and turned.

“Will you escort me back to my room?” Twilight was praying to Celestia that the hall was dark enough to hide her blush from her bold request.

“Sure- I mean, yes your majesty.”

The two walked together through the castle. Both unsure of what to say to the other. Twilight bit her lower lip and decided to say the first thing that came to mind.

“So, how do you like the castle? I know it’s nothing special compared to Cadance’s.”

“I like it a lot. It’s not as big or as flashy as the castle in the Crystal Empire, but that’s not a bad thing. It has a certain charm to it and is special in its own way. Kind of like its’ princess.”

“There you go being too kind again.”

“Hey, I’m only telling the truth.”

“So, I know this may sound like a silly question, but what made you want to come all the way to Ponyville? No offence, but this place isn’t as exciting as the Crystal Empire.”

“Well, I volunteered to come here and Princess Cadance was thrilled to give me the assignment.”

“You wanted to be here? Why?”

“I, uh, I just thought I-I could use a change of scenery. And well, I thought it’d be nice to see you again…”

Twilight’s heart fluttered like a dove. “It’s really nice to see you too.”

The two ponies finally reached Twilight’s room. Her horn glowed and the door swung open. “Thank you for walking me to my room. I think I can take it from here.”

“Of course, it was a pleasure to speak with you again.”

“I enjoyed it too. In fact, I would like us to talk again.”

“Really?”

“Definitely. I’d like to know the next time you’re off duty. I’d love to show you around town.”

“I’ll let you know as soon as I can, I promise. Goodnight your majesty.”

“You can call me Twilight.”

Flash was caught off guard by Twilight’s request and blinked a few times just to make extra sure he wasn’t dreaming. “And you can call me Flash.”

“Goodnight Flash.”

“Goodnight Twilight.”

Twilight entered her room and closed the door. She breathed a content sigh and then all of a sudden felt giddy. She started laughing and doing small flips in the air. She did it! She talked to Flash! She fought through her butterflies and got one step closer to knowing the real Flash Sentry. She pulled the covers back on her bed and snuggled under her blankets. The storm of emotions cleared away and all that remained was the beating of her heart.

Author's Note

...Oh don't look at me like that reader, I did say that I split the last chapter into two so this chapter can wrap up this Twilight plot point. Spike and Rarity shall return in the following chapters I promise. After all, the next few chapters will be some of the most important in the entire story and will make me finally earn my "drama" tag.

Now I'd like to take a moment to just reiterate how much I hate Equestria Girls. It's annoying and all the characters lose what makes them awesome and unique (except for Sunset Shimmer, she rocks. Honestly I wish she'd just go back to the sensible pony world and declare bollocks to the whole EG business). With that being said I do find the inclusion of the EG mirror to be useful for the over all events that will play out in the story so I'll let my annoyance with the EG series slide.

And I know what some of you are thinking, "Oh come on Silver Wit, you're going to pair Twilight up with Flash Sentry? He's the most generic love interest and isn't even that interesting as a character.He's like off brand vanilla ice cream on stale wafers." To which I reply, you're right. But to be fair, I don't really care much for any of Twilight's ships cause she doesn't really seem to have any chemistry with them.

Pairings like Spike and Rarity, Fluttershy and Discord (as well as Celestia and Discord), Lyra and Bonbon, Mage Meadowbrook and Rock Hoof (in the comics, they're super cute), Applejack and Autumn Blaze (oh s###, gave that one away), make sense to me because there's some kind of spark between them. And while I don't sense as much chemistry between Rainbow Dash and Soarin, they're both Wonderbolts and have common ground with each other.

But with Twilight I don't really get any sparks. Out of all of her ships I will say that the closest thing that comes to chemistry like baking soda and vinegar, are Flash Sentry, Luna and Tempest Shadow. Everything else is either "Ehhhhhh" or "No, God no!" But the upside to picking Flash Sentry is since he's kinda dull as characters go, you can kinda make your own character for him. Sure I could study his character in EG, but I so cannot be bothered to ask.

I suppose I'll wrap these batch of notes and talk about the next few chapters with some spoiler free details. In my experience I found that writing is a great way to help you work through some issues that came/come up in your life and the next few chapters I'll be trying to work out some of my own personal issues. To bare a part of my heart and soul in order to achieve personal closure at the cost of brief vulnerability is a risk every writer must take. I look forward to writing and presenting to you the next part in the life and times of Spike and Rarity.

Thanks for reading, see you next time :raritywink:

Silver Wit

Mirror, Mirror

A silence hung in the air as nopony so much as dare to even breathe. Princess Celestia’s request was felt by everypony and weighed heavily on their withers. The atmosphere was becoming unbearable, yet not a one had the courage to speak first. Until…

“Waaaaait,” Pinkie said, scratching her noggin. “Are we talking about the Sombra that Twilight and Spike defeated and Radiant Hope redeemed? Or are we talking about the good Sombra from the mirror Equestria that saved the day by taking in the evilness of the other Celestia and Luna?”

“The second one, darling,” Rarity said.

“Ohhhhh! That makes way more sense.”

“Celestia!” Starswirl barked as if he caught a foal trying to sneak out past their bedtime. “Is this true!? You actually returned to that world, even after I strictly forbade you!?”

Celestia rose up but couldn’t bring herself to look into the wizened stallion’s accusing gaze. “Yes. It’s all true…”

“Do you have any idea how much danger you put yourself- nay, all of Equestria in with your selfishness!? Do you have even the slightest clue how lucky you were a paradox factor didn’t just rip the two worlds to cosmic dust!? All because you fancied a stallion!”

Celestia’s face curled into a scowl. “I loved him, Starswirl!” she barked back. “I still do! He needed my help and I couldn’t ignore him! You have no idea how much it pained me… to go so many centuries without seeing him, not even knowing if he was safe or hurt…” Celestia’s scowl slowly broke as tears wore down her mask. “And then… he comes back into my life… only to lose him again… what Sombra did was brave and selfless; I know he had no regrets and he did the right thing… but… I can’t stand the thought of Sombra being in the state he’s in. Cursed to bear the burden of darkness in his heart. There has to be something I can do. I know what I did and what I'm doing is selfish… but I can’t shake this feeling of guilt that I could’ve done more. That’s why I’m asking… begging you to help me make things right. Please…”

The silence returned, guests shifting uncomfortably as the tension between Celestia and Starswirl was practically radiating. Though after a moment more, the old stallion gave an aggravated sigh.

“I suppose… if you’re dead set on doing something so rash, you’ll need expert guidance.”

“I-I can start by analyzing any theorems and formulas you might have,” Sunburst said as he adjusted his glasses.

Starlight shrugged. “Yep, I might as well get to work.”

“Just tell us what to do, princess,” Twilight said.

Celestia was awash with gratitude as the princess’s burdens felt lighter than they’ve been in moons. She took a calming breath and composed herself. “I need help in re-establishing the link between our Equestrias. I was able to make a connection to the other side, but the portal is highly unstable. I fear that if anything living were to pass through, the consequences would be dire.”

“And, um, what would you need my help with?” Fluttershy asked meekly.

“Yeaaaah,” Rainbow Dash added. “This seems like ‘magic egghead’ business to me. Not sure what I can do to help; other than make coffee runs.”

“Rest assured; you all have a part to play in this. As I said before, I was able to make a connection. Afterward, I sent a letter through with instructions to send it back through the portal should it reach its destination. The test was successful. Even better, the Princess Luna of that Equestria promptly wrote back. However, her news was… less than ideal.” Celestia’s horn lit up and lifted a piece of parchment from a table. The parchment had singes around the edges, and the sheet itself seemed to be warped and distorted. Celestia cleared her throat and read aloud.

“Dear Princess Celestia. It is so good to hear from you, I thought I’d never get the chance again. I wish I could send you good tidings from my kingdom, but the truth is, we’re in dire straits. Your experiment couldn’t have come at a better time. If luck is on my side and you receive this letter, my Equestria is in danger, and I ask, nay, plead for your assistance. Please bring the most promising ponies you can offer. I hope to see you in the following days. Signed, Princess Luna of Equestria.”

Starlight rolled her eyes. “So there is an Equestria in danger again. What a shocker.”

“Sounds like the princess is in’a right pickle,” Applejack commented.

Celestia nodded. “Indeed. Which is why I called for you all. If my instincts are correct, this will be a problem that requires all of your talents. Might and magic.”

Spike chuckled, “O-ho? You need some of this, huh?” Spike flexed his arm, muscles bulging and pushing his scales outward in a macho rhythm. An action that did not slip by Rarity, who giggled like a school filly at the sight and hid her blush behind her mane.

“I’m sure you’ll get a chance to show off your strength, Spike,” Celestia said with a good-natured chuckle. “I just pray we’re not too late.”

“Well. What are we waiting for?” Starlight said. “The sooner we get started, the better.”

Starswirl nodded. “Agreed. But we can’t afford to be hasty. Triple check your work and leave no room for error.”

Soon, the room was split in two. On the one side were Celestia, Luna, Twilight, Starlight, Starswirl and Sunburst, consulting books, magical formulas, and spell theory. Speaking in a language totally unrecognizable to the average pony. The rest of the group did their best to kill time in their own way. Pinkie supplied snacks and jokes to anypony who wanted them, and Fluttershy brewed tea. While Capper set up a game of poker; though Princess Luna specifically stated that he was not to gamble with actual bits.

“Ah’ll raise ye,” Applejack said as she placed some colored chips into the pot.

“I’ll raise it too!” Rainbow Dash threw down the same amount of chips.

“I’m in,” Spike said as he added his chips.

“And I am in as well,” Capper said coolly. “And I’ll raise you again.”

“Ah’m in.”

“Me too!”

“Same.”

“All right, I’ll call -“ Capper laid out his cards. “-Full house.”

Applejack broke a sweat and revealed her cards with an air of defeat. “Pair o’ twos…”

“You doubled down on a lousy pair of twos!?” Rainbow Dash gawked.

“Oh yeah? Well what’d you git?”

“Uhh…” Dash gave an apprehended sigh. “Pair of threes… Still better than twos…”

All eyes then shifted to Spike. Nothing in his face gave away whether or not he won, as if he were carved from stone. Then, the dragon gave a low chuckle and laid out his cards. He had a straight.

“Dag gum, Spike,” Applejack said. “Ye sure beat the saddle off ‘a me.”

“Yeah,” Dash added. “I didn’t know you were good at this.”

Spike rubbed his neck sheepishly. “Well I had a lot of downtime in the hospital. Dr. Hawkeye taught me how to play, and I guess he was a good teacher.”

“I’ll say,” Capper replied as he gathered his winnings, then the cards, and did a ruffle shuffle. “Applejack has about the worst poker face I’ve ever seen, and Rainbow Dash is so easy to bait she might as well be called ‘Rainbow Trout.’ But you Spike, you have almost no tell. You’d be a great challenge. Perhaps I can interest you in a poker night with me and the guards?”

“Ahem!” Luna’s stern voice coughed.

“Strictly for fun, of course.” He turned his head and mumbled, “Can’t hide anything from her.”

As Capper shuffled the deck and dealt out the new cards, Rarity looked up from her tea and stole a glance at Spike. For the umpteenth time since the poker game started, from her seat with a nice vantage point. Every little sip of Fluttershy’s brew brought Rarity’s eyes up to the drake like clockwork. She just couldn’t help herself, as if she were pulled by some unknown force. What was it?

Spike just looked so cool, calm, and in control of that game; she was drawn to him as if she had magnets in her eyes. It was a kind of enamor almost alien to her. She doesn’t recall feeling this way in the past. Sure, she was drawn to stallions like Trender Hoof, Heavy Hitter, and even Fancy Pants at one point, not to mention the numerous other handsome ponies she came across. But those feelings passed along with the tide. But this? This was a far stronger, far more resilient emotion.

“Bit for your thoughts?”

Rarity gulped the tea she was savoring as she quickly tore her eyes away from Spike and turned to face Princess Cadence.

“Oh, um, h-hello Cadence! Princess! Is everything alright?”

Cadence giggled with a caring smile, “I could ask you the same thing. What’s gotten you all flustered like this? Nervous about the other Equestria?”

“Well, not exactly…”

Cadence’s eyes quickly checked her surroundings before leaning in and whispering, “Thinking about Spike?”

Rarity burst into a fierce blush like a crimson firework. “W-w-what!?” She stuttered. “What do you mean? I-I was doing no such thing. It was nothing of the sort, I just-“

Cadence gave the fashionista a smirk. “Woah, easy there. I can’t remember the last time somepony got so nervous over ‘nothing.’ Maybe Twilight, but to be fair, not having enough color-coded files is mostly a Twily problem.”

Rarity gave a half smile. “That does sound like her.”

Cadence sat down next to the white mare. “Rarity, I hate to call you out of the blue like this. But you do seem to be in some… well… emotional trouble. I just thought I’d give you a helpful ear.”

“At a time like this?”

Cadence shrugged. “You never know if this might affect you on your mission. Plus it’s kind of my duty as the Princess of Love.”

The blush returned to Rarity’s face. “L-love?”

Cadence scratched her cheek sheepishly. “Ok, Ok, umm… why don’t we go with, ‘Princess of Complicated Feelings’ for now. Though it’s interesting how you blushed at a simple four-letter word. Want to talk about it?”

Rarity’s ears flattened as gloom set in. “I… it’s… I’m not sure what there is to talk about…”

“C’mon Rarity,” Cadence prodded. “I saw how you were looking at Spike. And I definitely noticed how you were looking at him when he was flexing. I had the same look on my face years ago when I watched Shiny train for the royal guard.”

“I-I was just admiring his- uh, that is to say, amazed at- no, imagining-,” Rarity clamped her hooves over her mouth before she dug her hole any deeper.

Cadence tapped her chin. “Maybe I should be a little blunter. Why aren’t you being more honest? If not with me, then yourself?”

Rarity was silent for a time. Her eyes seemed to dull, as if all hope completely left her body as she pondered Cadence’s question. She slowly mumbled something.

“What was that?” asked the princess.

“I... don’t…” Rarity trembled as if she was about to break.

Wasting no time, Cadence’s horn flashed, and the pair vanished from the room, and the next thing Rarity knew, they were in the middle of the royal garden. “It’s ok, Rarity. It’s just us now.”

Rarity’s face wrinkled. She gave a choked sob and said, “I don’t deserve him… I’m a horrid, shallow, and cruel mare… He was one of my nearest and dearest friends and I… I scarred him for life…” Rarity felt a sharp pain in her head, as if something was sticking pins in her mind, pushing them deeper with every word of self-loathing.

“That’s not true, Rarity,” Cadence reassured. “You’re a good pony. You just made a mistake.”

“Mistake?” Rarity scoffed. “Spilling my tea when my hoof slips is a mistake. Leaving my sister alone with the stove is a mistake. What I did was malicious. You saw him when he was hospitalized didn’t you? Aren’t you the least bit angry at me?”

Cadence’s ear flattened. “I did. And I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t angry at first. He is my brother-in-law, and I’ve known him for as long as I’ve known Twilight and Shining Armor. I visited Spike with Shiny and Flurry a few times, and every time we saw him, he was looking better and better. You helped him heal, and he forgave you, didn’t he? I trust his judgment. But you can’t keep torturing yourself like this Rarity. I know Spike wouldn’t want that either.”

Rarity gave a few more sobs as she dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief, noting that she’d have to re-apply her makeup. “I know he wouldn’t. That’s just like him, worrying over others long before he worries about himself.”

Cadence placed a sincere hoof on Rarity’s shoulder. “You really, truly care about him, don’t you?”

“I do.”

The princess smiled. “Well, that’s certainly a start. Sorry for pushing you as hard as I did.”

“It’s quite alright. I daresay I needed it.”

Cadence’s horn glowed, and before Rarity knew it, they were both back in the planning room.

“Hey Rarity, Cadence. Where’d you go?”

Rarity’s chest thumped as soon as she heard Spike’s voice. The dragon eyed the mares with curiosity, and his concern grew hastily.

“Wait Rarity, are you ok? Your eyes are all puffy.”

“S-Spike! It’s nothing darling, Cadence and I were merely-“

“I was asking Rarity for recommendations on romance novels,” Cadence said. “I’ve read mine more times than I can count, and I wanted Rarity’s advice on what to read. And she couldn’t help but get teary-eyed when she told me her favorite one.” Cadence quickly gave Rarity a sly wink.

Rarity cleared her throat. “Yes, that’s right. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do, darling.”

Spike smiled as his worries dissolved. “Alrighty, as long as everything’s ok.” Spike walked back to the poker game, and Capper dealt him in.

“Thank you for the quick-thinking princess.”

Cadence nodded. “I figured you might not be ready to talk to Spike at the moment. This buys you a little more time. By the way, I would like a romance recommendation when you have the time.” With that, the Princess of Love rejoined the magic theory side of the room.

Rarity thought back on what Cadence said. Perhaps she really should come to terms with these feelings. Stop running away and finally just admit…

Rarity clutched her head as the feeling of needles came back and with them a deluge of horrific memories that streaked across her mind like the swipe of a manticore’s claw.

It should’ve been you!

Enjoy your party. I hope it was worth crushing a friend.

YOU DESERVE TO BE ALONE!

Do you know how much he sacrificed for you? How much he cried over you?

So you treat your friends like servants? Like disobedient dogs?

Is that what you… really think of me?

LEAVE!!!

The cacophony not unlike the wails of lost souls swelled as Rarity tried her best to drown out the voices. But then, one voice appeared that was the loudest and made Rarity’s blood run cold.

Such a pathetic mare. Love… will never be within reach. The Nightmare’s voice silenced the noise, and Rarity felt the pain finally subsided. Nopony seemed to notice her distress. And to be frank, she would rather have it that way.

“So, maybe if we apply Starswirl’s ‘theory of time streams,’ with the laws of ‘Hoofton’s Apple,’ we might be able to establish an anchor to this world, and form a stronger base for a connection to the other Equestria,” Sunburst concluded as he looked up from his notes.

“But that doesn’t account for the paradox factor,” Celestia replied. “Hoofton’s Apple has no real relevance in cross dimensional rifts as fragile as this.”

“And even if we establish an anchor in this world, we’d still have to make the connection to an anchor in the other world, and I still don’t know how we’re going to do that. Let alone have the connection be safe enough for us to travel,” Starswirl said as he looked over his equations on a chalkboard.

“Ugh!” Starlight dropped her head on the table. “One step forward, five steps back. No matter how you look at it, this is impossible!”

Just then Twilight’s eyes lit up, and a smile grew on her face like it usually does when she finally has her “A-HA” moment. “I know it looks tough Starlight, but luckily for us we just so happen to know somepony who can make the impossible, possible,” Twilight said as she looked over at Fluttersy enjoying her tea and one of Pinkie’s muffins.

“So, what’s the good word Twilight?” Spike asked.

Twilight rubbed her neck sheepishly. “Well you see, we’re kinda stuck between a rock and a hard place.”

“That’s putting it mildly,” Starlight added. “It sounded simple enough on paper. Connect the two points, reestablish the path, presto. But we’re in way over our heads with this one.”

“How hard cann‘it be if not even y’all can figure it out?” Applejack asked.

“It’s like trying to reconnect a severed piece of rope,” Celestia said. “No matter what you try, the fibers won’t connect the same way again. And I dread to think what’d happen if a living being tried to use the portal as it stands.”

“So it’s impossible,” Rainbow dash huffed, rolling her eyes at the fact she spent hours waiting for an adventure with no payoff.

Twilight grinned. "Well yes, but it just so happens, we know somepony who can handle ‘impossible.’” Twilight nodded at Fluttershy, and the kindly pony nodded back.

Fluttershy cleared her throat and sang out, “Oh Discooooooorrrd!”

Just then, there was a puff of smoke, and Fluttershy was scooped up in a pair of mismatched arms and hugged tightly against her draqonequis friend.

“Why hello dear Flutters!” Discord said in his usual mirth when he was with the buttery Pegasus. “Are we having an early tea party? If so, I found the most delicious blend of-“ Discord paused as he realized that it wasn’t just him and Fluttershy in the room. He coughed and set Fluttershy down on the floor. “O-oh, well… um. Never mind. What brings everypony here?”

Fluttershy flew up and hovered to meet the Lord of Chaos’ eyes. “Discord, I need you to do me a favor. If you wouldn’t mind, could you please help Princess Celestia with her portal? It’d mean a lot to her, and you’re the only one who can help.”

Discord grabbed his heart as disappointment drew over his features. “Oh Fluttershy, not you too. I understand Spike and Big Mac summoning me to fix their problems since they’re so helpless.”

“Hey!” Spike protested.

“But you? I can’t help but feel a little taken for granted.”

“Aww Discord,” Fluttershy said softly. “you know it’s not like that. I would love nothing more than to spend time with you, but this is really important. If we can’t fix the portal, we can’t help the other Equestria.”

Discord crossed his arms, turned away, and sulked like a foal being told he can’t have dessert before dinner.

“If you do this for me, I’ll be sure to bake those scones you love so much for our next tea party.”

Discord’s ears perked up. He bent backward to look into Fluttershy’s eyes. “The ginger honey ones?”

Fluttershy nodded. “As many as you’d like.”

In a flash, Discord changed into a blue pinstripe suit with a red tie, a pair of high-tops, and 3D glasses with red and blue lenses. “Well when you put it like that, how can I say no?”

“Thank you, Discord!” Fluttershy said as she hugged his neck and rubbed her cheek with his.

Twilight stepped forward. “Alright, now Discord, after going over as many formulas and equations as we could, we decided that if we combine Starswirl’s theory of space and paradoxes, along with-“

Discord rolled his eyes and opened and closed his claw mockingly. “Yeah, yeah, magical mumbo jumbo, blah, blah, blah. Just use your pony magic on the portal, and I’ll fill in the rest. Simple as that.”

The Princess of Friendship gave an annoyed sigh, but assumed that Discord knew what he was doing. Then Twilight, Celestia, Luna, Cadence, Starswirl, Starlight, and Discord took their positions before the mirror. Horns began to glow and build until all six shot a steady stream of magic at the portal. The looking glass pulsed with energy, each second passing growing brighter and brighter, emanating noise like a gurgle and the sound one makes when their hoof steps in mud. Discord flipped on his 3D glasses on and took out what looked like a metal wand. He pressed a button, and the wand began to hum a strange frequency. Then, with a snap of his claw, the mirror sent out a shockwave of energy that pushed away everypony in the room.

“Did it work?” Celestia asked eagerly.

Much to her delight, the mirror looked to be completely repaired. The glass was polished to a brilliant sheen and the cracks non-existent.

“This is the best I could do,” Discord huffed, more annoyed with himself than anything. “I connected the two Equestrias, but I don’t know how long the portal will stay open for. There are limits to even my power.”

“Thank you, Discord,” Celestia said. “I can’t begin to tell you how much this means to me. I’ll never forget this.”

“Just be sure to take care of whatever it is you need to do and come back as quick as you can. The pathway is so fragile that this is a one-shot deal.”

The Princess of the Sun nodded. “Very well. I’ll go first.”

“Are you sure, sister?” Luna asked.

“This was all my doing,” Celestia said sternly as she approached the mirror. “I called everypony here, I should be the first one to see if it works.” Celestia stood before the portal, gazing at her reflection for a moment before raising a hoof and touching the glass. The surface rippled like a stone being dropped in a pond. She pulled her hoof back quickly, and then a light began to dance before her with an eerie hum. She took a deep breath, steeled her resolve, and jumped into the mirror.

“You know, if I weren’t so evolved, I might think she didn’t have any faith in my abilities,” Discord said with his nose in the air.

“Alright, it’s our turn,” Twilight said with uncertainty coating her voice. “Girls. Spike. Let’s go.”

“I think I’m gonna hang back here, Twilight,” Starlight said. “Just in case if something goes wrong, I can try to get you back safely.”

“Not to mention it might be wise to send as few of us as possible,” Sunburst added. “If the pathway is as delicate as Discord says it is, we can’t put too much of a strain on it.”

“That’s… probably for the best,” Twilight said. “Then, I guess we’ll see you soon.”

“Safe travels everypony, and good luck!” Starswirl said.

One by one, Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Spike stepped through the portal. The room let go of their collective breath as the mirror’s light grew dim.

“Come back soon, everypony,” Cadence said wishfully.

The journey through the portal was far more turbulent than anypony could remember. As if they were on a rampant rollercoaster or tossed into white water rapids. Lights and shrieks filled the infinite space of pathways, as everypony felt their bodies stretch, shrink, tighten, and spin around the countless possibilities of the cosmos. There was a rumbling and a crack until finally the party was spat out from the side of a stone statue and landed on a hard marble floor.

Applejack rubbed her head. “Oww, what in tarnation was that?”

“Urp, I don’t remember portals being so rough on a pony,” Dash said as she struggled to stand on shaky hooves. “I think I got motion sickness. Me! Motion sick!”

“Well Discord did say it wasn’t perfect,” Twilight said as the bells stopped ringing in her head.

“Is it gonna be like that going home?” Pinkie said as her eyes continued spinning. “Cause that… was the BEST ride I’ve ever been on!”

“Oh, Twilight! Thank goodness you all arrived safely!” Celestia greeted.

“That certainly depends on how you define ‘safely’,” Rarity muttered.

As soon as everypony was able to stand they turned their attention to Celestia and the pony next to her. She looked exactly like Luna; except she was adorned with a silken toga and her mane was pulled back and held with a band, with an elaborate bun at the top and a loose braid trailing down her neck. She was also wearing a blue choker, with what looked like a silver carving of a fish skeleton as its centerpiece.

“Thank you all for coming,” Luna stated.

“Princess Luna? Where are we?” Twilight asked.

“The Crystal Empire,” Luna responded. “I had the statue this portal was tied to moved here since time is of the essence. Please follow me, I’ll explain as much as I can.”

The group followed Celestia and Luna down the familiar halls of the Crystal Castle. Everything looked the same. Save for a few plants and statues. The floors were still covered in fancy rugs and fine art hung on the walls, the things that all good castles have. Though Twilight and her friends could swear they heard buzzing. It was almost like there was a beehive hidden in the walls.

“I’m so grateful you arrived as timely as you did everypony,” Luna said. “Now all we have to do is wait for the other elements to arrive.”

“Other elements?” Celestia questioned.

“Wait, there are other elements besides us?” Dash asked.

“Indeed,” continued Luna. “After Equestria was saved from… well, me and my sister, a Tree of Harmony sprouted in Canterlot; perhaps a parting gift from your world. I had only heard of the tree from tales told to me by Celestia and Starswirl. But soon after Sombra’s sacrifice, the tree chose element bearers and they’ve been working together on protecting Equestria however they can.”

“Their help will certainly be welcomed if the situation is as dire as you claimed, Luna,” Celestia said.

“It is dire. I have Celestia- well, my sister watching Canterlot in my stead. I had to make sure the Crystal Empire had as much support as it needed and more, so here I am. And with you and your element bearers, we should be able to fight back.”

“I’m here too,” Spike said.

“And of course you as well Spike. If anything, our battle will hinge on you and your strength.”

“Heh, I like the sound of that,” Spike said with an air of machismo.

“Wait, fight back? And a battle?” Rarity asked. “Princess Luna, what exactly are we to expect?”

“While I don’t have all the details yet, our scouts have reported a large army at the empire’s border… and… I’m sorry to say that; while not confirmed, the scouts claimed to have seen King Sombra among them.”

Celestia gasped, “What? Sombra is with- this is his army?”

“Well, not exactly,” Luna responded. “but he very well could be collaborating with-“

“Her majesty will see you now!”

The group was before a pair of crystal ponies guarding a large double door. The pair opened the doors with a creak giving away the door’s age and the rest trotted inside. Though, something was off. For starters, the throne room was dark, save for a few candles lighting the corners of the room. The buzzing noise returned louder than before. It seemed to slink through the black, waiting for a chance to strike.

“Eep!” Fluttershy jumped. “S-something moved!”

“AH! Our guests have arrived!” A regal voice rang out. Though light was at a minimum, the party could see something scurrying in the dark and then the sound of something hovering, making the ever-present buzzing noise.

All of a sudden heavy curtains were pulled back, brilliantly lighting the crystal room. The figure before them was hovering by the throne, with a wide, cheery smile showing off her sharp teeth. The figure flew higher and exclaimed with glee, “Welcome friends! To the Crystal Empire!”

The greeter was very familiar. Her mane was light green and bouncy, with hairs so fine it was as if it were silken thread. Her coat was dark gray, but it wasn’t really a coat per sé. It was more chitinous, smooth, and unblemished with segments at different points on her body. A black crown tipped with pink hearts rested comfortably on her head. She wore a purple shawl, fastened with a cute, heart-shaped brooch, with finely polished shoes matching her shawl. Her horn resembled a well-tempered blade and she had green eyes behind a pair of thin rimmed glasses. The more everypony looked at her, the more and more she looked like-

“Queen Chrysalis!?” Twilight and her friends exclaimed.

Author's Note

Boy oh boy how long I've wanted to show you this chapter. We're finally taking our first steps into the Reflections Equestria. Everypony get your betting slips out on who you think our new elements are. Or just guess, you can do that too. Yes after a WAY LONGER BREAK THAN I HAD HOPED later, I'm finally feeling the creativity juices overflow and I'm ready to take advantage of it. I have a few more chapters lined up for this story, on my way to completing Over The Moon AND a fun side story for one of my favorite characters in this story.

As stated many moons ago, this arc is HUGELY based on the comic series, but my job is to make sure that even non-comic readers will be like, "oh, ok, I see what's going on," and not just a parade of fan service. But honestly any reason to include good King Sombra in a story is a noble one as far as I can tell.

Let me know what you guys think of this chapter, I love reading the comments.

As always, thanks for reading. See you next time :raritywink:

Silver Wit