Shining Time

It was a cool evening over Equestria, the last of the suns rays dissipated on the tips of the hills and the small town of Ponyville was plunged in to a soothing darkness. The street lights had just started to shine, when there was  a shuffling sound and none other than Spike the small purple and green scaled baby dragon walked out of the town, he started up the hill, the grass brushing lightly against his purple scales, 'what a long day, first I turn from a baby to an nearly fully grown adult then I almost destroy Ponyville, If Rarity hadn't been there to remind me of who I was, I might have destroyed everything'. Spike thought to himself silently as he reached the top of the hill. He turned around to survey the once beautiful town.

Suddenly Spike was struck by remorse so strong he almost fell as he looked over at the huge hole in the roof of carousel boutique. A lone tear fell down his cheek and into the grass as he thought of the White pony with her glorious purple mane, the familiar feeling of his love returned whenever he thought of her, which only increased his feeling of guilt. This is so lame, I mean no matter what I do I'm growing up right now, nothing but time is stopping me from turning in to that monster again, I can’t be around my friends knowing that I might one day ravage the town again, I have to leave so this place and my love will be in peace, he thought and turned around to leave, regretting that he would never see Rarity again.

But it was for the best at least he had confessed his feelings for her before he left and they weren't rejected. he was unsure how Rarity felt. “Forgive me Twilight” he said aloud “I won’t be able to help you any more” Spike said aloud as he walked away faster,  CRASH, Spike walked in to something or someone and landed on the soft grass, looking up  he saw an outline of a massive pony bigger than big Mac himself.

“WAHH PLEASE DON’T HURT ME IM SORRY” said Spike the dark figure moved forward, Spike shut his eyes and curled in to a ball defensively, he was expecting an attack but instead soft arms embraced him and he was lifted off the floor and a soft voice filled his ears, “shhh don’t worry its ok i won't hurt you, don’t worry everything’s fine” he stopped shaking and looked up, there wasn't any monster trying to get him, but the kind face of princess Luna holding him in her arms her dark blue fur almost matched the colour of the night but they where now bathed in moonlight so he could see her dark flickering mane and tail moving slowly in the nightlight.

She slowly lowered him to the ground “most are asleep during my night so I couldn’t fail to notice you walking about. why are you running from Ponyville?” asked Luna.  no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t bring himself to lie to the kind princess so he explained the whole story to her …  “ I thought ponyville looked different, so that was you Spike”. “yes” he replied tearfully “I cant bear to stay, looking at every body fixing what I did” he said  “I don’t want you to leave, it would defiantly cause more harm that good, think of your friends they would never know what happened to you” said Luna.

“I know but I just can’t stay when the town is like that” said Spike, Luna thought desperately for a moment 'I cant let him walk away it will hurt all his friends and maybe the elements of harmony that they represent' she thought to herself, spike had started walking away from Ponyville again, “wait... if all the buildings where fixed then would you stay?” asked Luna. Desperately Spike thought for a moment,  with the main source of  awkwardness gone it would be much easier  to stay,

“yes, yes I would stay then, the main reason for me leaving is the damage” said Spike.   “in that case I think I can help you” replied Luna confidently.   “how?" asked spike, "that wouild be incredible” said Spike

“The magic of an alicorn is much more powerful than you might think, if I can move the moon then I can fix this town” she concluded.   Luna walked over to the top of the hill and stood straight and tall.

The tip of her horn began to glow with an eerie blue light and all the damaged pieces of the buildings began to levitate until they where high above Ponyville, then they began to sort themselves into the right piles and once again lowered to the ground, Luna looked tired from using so much magic, after a quick break she once again lifted the different piles of broken rooves, walls, and streets lamps and moved them back to their original positions.  When every thing was in place she took a deep breath and her horn glowed brighter then ever and as the broken parts fused them selves back into place,  the town was whole once again.

Princess Luna shuddered, breathing hard, she lay down on the hill.  “You did too much at once princess, I've seen it happen to Twilight before, you need to get some sleep, I’ll send for Twi,, she’ll help get you to the library you can stay there tonight” said Spike, Luna began to protest but he didn't listen, “you just helped me so much the least I can do is give you a warm bed for the night” he said to her he pulled out the paper and quill he always carried with him and began to write an urgent letter to Twilight telling her where they were. Once he had finished he rolled it up and focused on her, then breathed a small mass of green fire on the scroll dematerialising it as the smoke and ash raced toward the library.

                                                                                    meanwhile at the library

“SPIKE where are you its time for bed” said Twilight sparkle, the purple unicorn with her black, purple and pink striped main had looked every where for her dragon assistant. Now where is that Little guy? he's normally in bed before me, she thought to herself as she trotted around the library, shivering slightly, it was a lot colder than usual because of the large hole in the doorway with chunks of the wall and door littered all over the place.

When suddenly all the broken pieces began rise up from the ground and heaped them selves into large piles, curious but slightly scared she walked over and poked the pile of rubble with a hoof, and it began to move again, and she jumped back with a squeak, and the pile of rubble rearranged its self back to its original position, and fused back into place, the library was fixed once again.

Twilight knew it was magic, but who could be strong enough to put the whole town back together?  She noticed out the window that Ponyville was fixed again. She didn't have long to think though, as a cloud of ash appeared in the room and materialized into a scroll with a green flash, “why is Celesita sending a letter this late I wonder” mused Twilight.  She moved toward the scroll and lifted it with magic, and after reading a few lines she gasped and ran out the door.

Spike moved over to princess Luna and helped her to stand, she swayed and threatened to fall but held, which was good as  Spike was only big enough to hold up one of her legs.  “Why did you fix every thing for me I don’t understand? did you do this just to get me to stay?” asked Spike worriedly“.  I did what I did because you can't leave because of hasty decisions.   You need your friends to help you though rough spots in life, I didn't want you to make the same mistake I made all those years ago.  Please promise me Spike that you won't abandon your friends just when you need them the most” said Luna shakily.  After a moment of thought Spike made up his mind “of course princess, you have my word, now lets try to get down the hill”.  They slowly started moving down the hill when a very out of breath Twilight sparkle appeared.

“Princess” she bowed.   “Don’t waste time with that now Twilight, help me she’s heavy” said Spike heatedly.

“Of course we'll get you to a place where you can rest” replied Twilight her purple horn glowing,  Spike felt the weight of Luna lift off him, she was suspended a few feet off the ground.   “Lets go, I don’t know how long I can hold you up there princess” said Twilight they moved down the hill and into the town.

“it’s a good thing the library is close” said Twilight the strain evident in her voice “princess, why did you fix the whole of Ponyville at once, we could have done it ourselves over time” said Twilight,  Spike started to panic he didn't want Twi to know of his former plan to leave.

“I just couldn't stand to see this beautiful town the way it was, so I thought I would save you all the trouble, but I under estimated the energy it would take.  I,m very lucky spike was walking nearby or I might have been in real trouble” replied Luna sheepishly, Spike started to calmed down.

  Twilight spoke again “ I was just going to ask why you where there and not back home” she said suspiciously. Spike started to panic again and thought wildly for an explanation.

“well considering what happened to me today I needed time to think, when was the last time you went from a baby to a grown up! it was very confusing” Spike muttered defensively.  It seemed to work as Twilight's expression changed, “ you're right Spike I don’t have any clue how that would feel I'm sorry” replied Twilight sincerely.

“Ah good I thought we never make it home” said Spike.

  He pushed open the newly repaired door and the three of them entered, he closed the door behind them.   “Quick up stairs i don’t know how much longer i can hold you” said Twilight desperately,  They ran up to the bedroom and Twilight quickly deposited Luna on the guest bed, she mumbled a thanks then settled down to sleep.   Twilight who was equally tired, also went to bed.

It had been an extremely long day and Spike also wanted nothing more than to curl up in his basket and sleep till dawn.  He was half way there when the familiar sensation in his stomach told him that there was a letter, he spat it out in a gust of green flame, “now who could that be this late?"

He tiredly opened the letter, then came fully awake when he read who it was from, the letter had been sent by no other than Rarity, he quickly read the rest.  “Dear Spike, we need to talk, come by my boutique tomorrow" from Rarity.   His Heart was hammering as he remembered his confession and her undecided reaction.

Whether she knew it or not, her reaction could shape the future of the young dragon.   He once again breathed a small plume of fire, burning the note so Twilight wouldn't find it.  Then, stepping into his basket, he wrapped himself with his blanket and went to sleep, with thoughts of the pony he loved drifting into his dreams.

“Get up Spike its almost twelve” said Twilight.  He opened his eyes blearily and yawned loudly,  what Twilight had said suddenly hit him, “wait twelve, you should have woken me ages ago, where is Luna, is she alright” he said in a panic.

“C,alm down she left for Canterlot about an hour ago, shes' fine.  I let you sleep longer because you looked like you needed it.” replied Twilight softly.   “Oh ok then, I guess I'd better get started on my late chores,” Spike said.

And with that he began the usual process of cleaning the books and rearranging them in to the right places.   “Spike what’s the rush," asked Twilight, " I've never seen you work this hard, is there some where you need to be soon?”

“What no. of course not, I don’t have anywhere else to be” said Spike with a fake smile,“you're going to bother Rarity again aren't you” said Twilight sternly.

“What why would you think that?” replied Spike with a large stack of books in his arms.  “Because that’s where you always go when you work this fast, and you're blushing bright red” said Twilight with a smirk.  “I am not” replied Spike.  “Don’t think that I’m trying to hurt you Spike, just try not to get your hopes to high” said Twilight softly.   “And just what’s is that suppose to mean” Spike shot back angrily.   “Well" said Twilight, choosing her words with care, "since we first came here you've been trying to catch her eye, and from the time we’ve been here has she given you any reason to think she feels the same?”

“Yes she has.  Yesterday when we where falling I told her how I felt.” He said bravely.   “ And how did she react, did she say yes” asked Twilight quizzically.

“Well no, she didn't really say anything, she was crying but smiling too, and she sent me a letter asking me to come over” he finished.  After a moments thought Twilight said once again “don’t get you hopes to high Spike”.  After finishing all the tasks’ he had to do today, Spike left Twilight in the library and went to find his destiny.

He walked through the newly repaired town, smiling at the surprised looks on everyponys face, he also heard whispering “Wasn’t this place trashed last night”,

And cries of joy... “Awesome now I don’t have so spend ages rebuilding”  but he paid little attention to them as he walked toward Rarity’s boutique.  The pink and white building was the same as it had been last time he was here, with no sign of damage, he paused by the door to think.

'I hope this goes well, I don’t know what I’ll do if I’m rejected, he thought to himself.  Then lifted one of his clawed hands and knocked.   “Come in”  a musical voice called through the door.  He pushed it open and entered.  Rarity stood with her back to him, staring at a manikin with an almost finnished dress draped on it.  The dress was made out of purple silk, with green feathers on the edges.

It suddenly struck him that the colors where the same as his scales,  “Just a moment please, I'm almost done with my newest masterpiece” she said.  This made Spike blush, she made a dress the same as me, and called it a masterpiece, he thought to himself.

'One more thing, it needs only one more thing' Rarity thought to herself,  She used her horn to levitate the large heart shaped ruby necklace that Spike had given her and placed it on the manikin, “There perfect”. She turned around  to see the customer, and gasped as she saw Spike.  Then she promptly hid her newest creation behind the curtains, 'how could I have been so thoughtless now that he’s seen my new dress it will only make this harder' she thought to herself.

“Hello Rarity” he said.  “Well Spike, I was starting to wonder if you where ever going to come over” she replied.

“Sorry, Twilight made me do extra chores” he said.  “ I swear that pony works you half to death with all the jobs she has you doing” she said.   “Awww its not that bad, when you get used to it” he mumbled, “so is this why you called me over?”

Her happy face dimmed somewhat “no Spike I wanted to talk to you about yesterday”

At last here it is, the moment of truth, the decision between one path and another. “I am honored to be the object of your affection, and I know how much you've done for me, how generous you are to me. But it wouldn't work out between us” she said sadly.

“So after all this time I've  pursued you, you don’t feel the same way” asked Spike with a tear in his scaled eye.

Then he was knocked on to the floor as Rarity hugged him tightly, “oh Spike, of course I feel the same.  But you’re a dragon, that means you will never grow old, while I will wither away.  And you’ll grow much bigger than this house, as much as I love you I can't put both of us though that it would be equally cruel ” she replied with tears in her eyes.

“If I could I would grow old with you, and stay the same size” he said softly in her ear.   “I know” replied Rarity and kissed him gently on the cheek, “its good that you understand, I'm sorry that it has to be like this” she let go of spike with a gasp, “what’s wrong?” he said surprised as she pushed him towards the mirror, and he saw himself standing in the large mirror, except the Spike in the mirror had two large bumps on his back scales.

“I didn't hurt you when I hugged you did I?” said Rarity.  “No they don’t feel painful, what’s happening to me now !!” he looked around the boutique and only saw the White unicorn  next to him.   “I'm sorry it had to be this way Rarity, i will always love you no matter what but I have to find out what this is about”,

“I understand” she said with more tears dripping on to the floor as he ran out of the door.

'That was so poorly handled, why did it have to be this way she thought to herself.  A desperate longing filled her heart, if only I could live forever then I could spend every second with him.  Sighing she went back to her masterpiece based on her true love.

Twilight, who had just started a fresh book and was about open it, was surprised to see Spike running towards the library door, assuming everything had gone wrong with Rarity, she opened it for him.  As he ran through the doorway she used her magic to close it again, “So what happened, did she say yes?” asked Twilight hesitantly. “Yes, well sort of but I’ll tell you later, right now some thing strange is happening to me. there are these weird lumps on my back” said Spike in a panic.

“Not again, can't we go two days without something about your physiology changing” sighed Twilight.