A year ago, when Spike had told Rarity that he’d started dating Gabby the griffon, the white unicorn gave him a simple “good for you, Spike” before closing the door on him. Given that she spent most of her evenings at Sweet Apple Acres, Rarity had little to say about his very first relationship. And then, after Gallus graduated from the School of Friendship, Gabby moved into Ponyville with Spike in their new home. Spike would live in Ponyville some weeks and in Canterlot on other weeks, tending to his role as Twilight’s royal advisor.
Spike woke up one morning beside the stormy grey griffon, his wings had grown longer as well as his legs. The lanky dragon rested one of his claws over Gabby’s beak, slowly moving it downward until her eyes fluttered open.
“Morning, Spike,” Gabby pressed her beak to his forehead as her tail swished beneath the covers. “Happy anniversary.”
“Happy anniversary indeed,” Spike jumped out of the covers. “Bacon?”
“That’d be wonderful,” Gabby grinned.
Spike nodded, smiling from ear scale to ear scale as he walked into their small kitchen and took out a pan and some strips of bacon. He threw several strips onto the pan before popping a stray gem into his mouth, flinching as he heard a loud knock on the door.
“Coming!” Spike shouted, walking over to the door and opening it. Rarity stood before him, her sapphire eyes narrowed. “Hey, Rarity. Can I help you?”
Rarity’s expression didn’t budge for several seconds. Then, her ears perked up and her smile appeared as she leaned forward.
“Oh, Spikey-Wikey!” Rarity threw a hoof through her mane. “The orders this week have been outrageous, darling! I really could use your help bringing packages to the post office.”
“What about Yona and Sandbar?” Spike asked.
“Psh! Those two haven’t even returned from their business trip,” Rarity rolled her eyes. “Please, Spike. Celestia forbid that customers start asking for refunds, I need these orders out today.”
“I’m sorry, Rarity,” Spike frowned. “But today is my one year anniversary with Gabby, I’m hoping to...y’know.”
Rarity tilted her head, silent for a few moments, before she spoke up.
“You don’t mean…” Rarity whispered.
“I do,” Spike smiled as he said those two words. “I’ll see what I can do tomorrow, okay?”
“No need!” Rarity turned around, waving a hoof as she walked away. “I shall ask the others!”
“O...kay?” Spike shrugged before walking back inside, blowing a spurt of green fire underneath the pan. Pulling up a chair, he shook the pan a little before dropping the bacon strips onto a plate. Glancing at the pouch on the counter, Spike grinned as he thought over the day’s plans.
“Oh Spike, this is amazing,”
Gabby leaned against Spike’s shoulder, her left wing extending behind his back and pulling him closer as they looked at the sunset from the hill. Spreads of rusty red collided with the dark pink in the yellow sky.
“Not as amazing as you,” Spike smirked, bopping Gabby’s beak before standing up. “Gabby, before you came into my life, I was but a lost drake, with only ponies to guide me. Some led me in directions to improve my life, and some only used me for their benefit. But now? I’m with a creature that’s better than anypony in Equestria. Gabby…”
Spike jumped out of Gabby’s embrace, walking around until he was facing his griffonfriend, the colorful sunset behind him. Getting down on one knee, Spike presented a diamond ring from a tiny black box.
“Will you marry me?” Spike asked.
“Oh, Spike...of course I will!” Gabby squealed, lunging for her fiancee and knocking him to the ground. Her talons around his cheeks, Gabby pressed her beak to Spike’s muzzle while Spike gently moved one of her talons away, pushing the diamond ring onto it. Feeling her crotch rubbing against his sheath, Spike growled as he tossed the black box to the side.
By the time they were done, Gabby rolled off the dragon and stared at the starry night sky as Spike explained the constellations away.
“You gotta tell Pinkie, she’ll throw the best engagement party ever,” Gabby whispered.
“She already knows,” Spike winked, running one of his claws down her cheek.
“Do you hear something?” Gabby frowned, standing up on her four legs, looking over her shoulder.
In the flowing grass, she saw nothing. Blinking, she stared at the tint of purple that entered her vision before it faded away.
Gabby popped a chicken-flavored cupcake into her mouth, savoring the frosting and bacon bits as Pinkie jumped away in the background. Spike, along with a handful of the pink pony’s friends, laughed and grinned at her. In the corner, Rarity stood by the punch bowl, her eyes narrowed as she stared at the griffon.
“Hey Rarity!”
“Ah! Oh, it’s only my Spikey-Wikey,” Rarity purred, leaning towards the dragon. “How are you enjoying the party, dear?”
“How are you enjoying it?” Spike asked, tilting his head. “I’m doing fine, you want to come join us?”
“That bird is over there, digging into meat cupcakes,” Rarity stuck out her tongue. “I’d rather not.”
Spike’s jaw dropped as he stared at Rarity, her nose sticking up as she glared in Gabby’s direction. He couldn’t bring himself to do anything besides turn away and walk towards Applejack, who was in another corner of the room, cradling a bottle of apple cider.
“Applejack? Have you noticed anything off about Rarity?” Spike asked.
Applejack flinched, staring down at her bottle as a tear rolled down her face.
“She broke up with me,” Applejack sniffed. “I asked her to marry me, and she laughed, telling me that it was silly to expect her to spend the rest of her life with a farm animal.”
Spike felt a coldness rushing through his scales, trying to make sense of Applejack’s story combined with Rarity’s behavior. What had happened? Just a few months ago, Rarity and Applejack could never be seen apart. Rarity would follow the farm pony to Sweet Apple Acres, and Applejack would follow her to her boutique. Was it him?
“Hey!”
Spike jumped and turned around to see Rarity glaring right in Gabby’s face, a smashed cupcake on the floor.
“Did you really expect me to sit on my ass while you marry mySpikey-Wikey?!” Rarity snarled. “I’m done with settling with some dyke affair in a barn. I want your beastly self out of Ponyville, or so help me, I’ll-”
“Rarity!”
Rarity’s ears perked and her glare disappeared as her eyes met Spike’s.
“Darling, I-”
“You. Me. Outside. Now.”
Rarity nodded, wide-eyed, before exiting Sugarcube Corner.
Gabby glanced at Spike over her shoulder, tears streaming down her face. Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash surrounded Gabby and hugged her while Spike followed the white unicorn.
Slamming the door shut, Spike glared at Rarity as she stood before him.
“Can I talk now?” Rarity asked. “I deserve to be heard.”
“I don’t know what you could possibly say,” Spike growled, shrugging his shoulders.
“Darling, I apologize for acting so unbecoming in front of you,” Rarity stepped closer. “But I can no longer stand to see you falling in love with another, not with what we had so long ago. You...you saved me when no one else believed in me, I don’t know if you remember that.”
“Rarity, I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about,” Spike responded. “But this has to stop. Gabby is the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. All you did was send me around, doing your work. Don’t bother coming to my wedding. In fact, don’t bother talking to me anymore.”
Rarity flinched as a sharp breath of green fire escaped Spike’s nose before he turned away, stepping back into Sugarcube Corner. Fluttershy was the only one still with Gabby, rubbing her hoof through Gabby’s feathers.
“Sorry Gabby,” Spike whispered, pressing his lips to her forehead.
“I just want to leave,” Gabby whimpered.
“Well, the party’s practically over, so if-”
“That’s not what I mean, Spike.”
Spike stared at Gabby’s teary turquoise eyes, his heart dropping.
“I...I need to go home,” Gabby broke away from Fluttershy’s touch, pushing the door open and flying into the night.
“Gabby, wait!” Spike shouted, running after her. As he stepped out into the cold, silent town of Ponyville, he didn’t see Gabby anywhere in sight. Spreading his wings out, Spike flew in the direction of their home, feeling the icy wind underneath his wings.
The only sound being the flaps of the dragon’s wings, Spike kept going until he heard a loud, ear-splitting scream. Crashing against somepony’s house, Spike fell onto the ground, moaning as he rubbed his head.
More rough, loud sobbing broke through the night, snapping Spike out of his daze. He ran past the house, freezing as silence returned to Ponyville once more. He saw Rarity, her back turned to him as she stood over a pool of crimson blood, slowly moving towards his feet.
Spike’s arms were shaking against his sides as he managed to look down at the approaching blood pool, staring at the grey feather resting in the blood. He felt a hoof pressing his chin up, meeting Rarity’s blank expression. Staring past her, he saw four legs resting in different areas in the blood pool. Flinching, he looked down at the griffon-head pressing against his leg with empty sockets and a widely-opened beak.
“I said I deserve to be heard,” Rarity whispered, glaring at Spike.
“HELP!” Spike screamed, flying away from Rarity’s touch. Speeding past the houses, Spike nearly collided into Twilight and her friends outside of the Sugarcube Corner. “Rarity...Gabby...blood everywhere…”
“That bitch,” Twilight growled underneath her breath. “Applejack, Fluttershy, stay with Spike. Me and Rainbow Dash got this.”
Spike collapsed onto the ground, burying his face in his claws as a sob escaped him. Fluttershy sat between the wide-eyed farm pony and the sobbing dragon, wrapping her wings around both of them.
Twilight flew past the bloody hoofprints, kicking the boutique door open to see Rarity. Before her and Rainbow Dash, Rarity’s form disappeared, revealing a familiar blue changeling.
“Ocellus?” Dash whispered.
Ocellus shrieked and attempted to fly past the two of them, when Dash caught her in a tight grip.
“N-No! This isn’t-”
Twilight’s horn ignited, and Ocellus’ neck snapped the other direction. Dash dropped the changeling corpse and flew further into the boutique. Twilight followed her down the basement, and saw Rarity tied up with a ring over her horn.
“Twilight, please tell me that’s really you!” Rarity cried. “I can’t deal with her taunting me anymore!”
“Ocellus won’t be able to hurt any of us anymore,” Twilight told Rarity, removing the horn ring and untying her with her magic. “You can breathe now, we’re both here.”
“Spike?” Rarity asked.
“No, it’s just me,” Rainbow Dash joined Twilight’s side, smirking. “Even better though, right?”
“What did she do?” Rarity stared into Twilight’s eyes. “What in Equestria’s name even happened out there?”
“She killed…” Twilight choked up. “She killed Gabby.”
“She was always talking about how badly she wanted Spike,” Rarity sighed. “Is Applejack okay?”
“She’s alive, but she thinks you two aren’t together anymore,” Dash explained. “Ocellus really did a number on that relationship.”
“Oh for Celestia’s sake,” Rarity gasped, running past the two mares.
“We better go with her,” Twilight whispered, flying after Rarity.
“Spike! It wasn’t Rarity, it was Ocellus!”
Spike lifted his face out of his claws, seeing Twilight and Rainbow Dash flying above Rarity, who was running towards Applejack. The white unicorn tackled Applejack, sobbing into her shoulder.
“Oh Applejack!” Rarity wailed. “Please don’t believe a word of what that monster said, I will always love you!”
“You’re okay, you’re okay,” Applejack whispered, tears rolling down her face as she patted Rarity’s back.
Spike saw as Rarity looked up from Applejack’s shoulder, staring at him.
“Darling, Celestia knows I’m sorry for what she did,” Rarity whispered. “If only I knew she wanted you, I would’ve warned you, or something-”
“You couldn’t have known,” Spike sighed. “I’m glad to have you back, Rarity.”
“We all are,” Twilight whispered, wrapping her longer wings around Rarity and Applejack. Fluttershy pressed against Twilight’s side, extending her wing around Dash as they all formed a group hug.
“Goodnight, everypony,” Spike broke away from the hug, walking back to the place that was only his now, ignoring his friends' attempts to call him back over.
Staring at the blood pool, Spike stomped his foot and flew past all of it. Why Ocellus? Why Gabby?
Why him?
It had been a whole month since Spike lost his fiancee that very night, and he was walking towards Rarity’s boutique. Knocking on the door, Spike stood there as Rarity opened it right away.
“You needed to talk to me?” Spike asked.
“Yes, darling! Please, do come in!” Rarity grinned, beckoning him forward with her hoof. Closing the door behind him, Spike stepped forward.
“What is this about?” Spike followed Rarity.
“Y’see dear, ever since Applejack and I were reunited, something changed between us,” Rarity explained. “Applejack found it quite difficult to move past the ‘Rarity’ that tore up her heart, and our relationship has been on thin ice.”
“What’s this got to do with me?” Spike entered Rarity’s room as she turned around, smirking at him.
“Well, sometimes I think about what could’ve been,” Rarity admitted. “Between you and I, darling. I didn’t pursue you before, you were but a baby dragon. But now?”
Rarity pressed her nose against Spike’s nose, batting her eyelashes at him.
“I think now’s a better time than any,” Rarity whispered, before kissing him. Before she could wrap her hooves around him, Spike stumbled out of her kiss, waving his claws.
“Rarity, I don’t feel that way anymore,” Spike stepped back. “I can help you and Applejack work stuff out, but I don’t want to be with anyone right now. In fact...I think Gabby was the one.”
Rarity stared at Spike like a deer in the headlights for several seconds, before her ears flattened and she gritted her teeth. Rushing forward, Rarity spinned around and clocked Spike in the head with her back hooves.
Spike hit the ground as everything went black.
Opening his eyes, Spike found himself facing the window in Rarity’s room. Feeling a ball gag shoved into his mouth, Spike glanced down at the ropes keeping his arms and wings pressed against his body within the black bag he was in. Eye holes were cut out in the bag, allowing him to see the ponies walking around town. Walking amongst them, was a purple and green dragon, identical to him.
Is...is that me? But how?
The “Spike” outside the window was licking his lips, staring at Bon Bon as she walked past the boutique. Without waiting another moment, he lunged, sinking his teeth into the earth pony’s side.
“MMPH!” Spike screamed through his ball gag, green fire escaping from the sides as all of his limbs attempted to push out of the ropes. The green fire escaped from the eye holes as he saw “Spike” swallowing a chunk of pony meat, ponies running and screaming behind him. Turning tail, “Spike” flew off, as Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie stood over Bon Bon’s corpse.
“But...I…” Fluttershy stammered before sobbing into Rainbow Dash’s shoulder. Pinkie’s mane flattened as she stared at the chunks of body missing from Bon Bon’s body. Applejack stood up and ran over out of view.
“Lyra, you don’t wanna see this…”
Spike had to sit there as Lyra sobbed, screamed, and demanded that Spike be executed. Spike had to sit there as Derpy prepared a note to send to Twilight in Canterlot. Spike had to sit there as the sun fell and the moon rose into the dark blue sky.
The door opened, and Spike felt his body being rolled over till he was facing Rarity.
“Darling~” Rarity purred. “Look what you’ve done! None of these ponies are going to trust you now. We can’t possibly stay here, not with your life in jeopardy.”
Spike thrashed and struggled within the bag, staring daggers at Rarity.
“Oh honey, Rarity’s been gone a long time,” Rarity chuckled. “But I’m guessing you already knew that. A shame, to use that changeling of mine as bait, I kind of liked having her around. But you understand, don’t you? I wasn’t going to compete with those two, not when I love you to the hive and back. My apologies, let me seal up these holes in the bag.”
Spike saw the eye holes disappear, leaving him in pitch black darkness, only the flicker of green flames visible.
“Fireproof material,” Rarity snickered. Spike heard a door opening. “Oh thank you Pharynx, please take Rarity’s form for the time being. I must bring my new lover back to the hive.”
The puzzle pieces clicked in Spike’s head as a magical light was visible through the bag, a familiar voice spoke near him. Spike turned his head away, a whimper escaping his ball gag as tears rolled down his face.
“You saved me, Spike,” the voice purred. “Now it’s time for me to repay the favor.”
