Heart of Scales

Heart of Scales

Turn 5: Return

Spike began to tense as he and Rarity stepped off the train and searched for their luggage. The station was misty because of the bursts of steam billowing from under the locomotor as it pulled in. The station wasn't too crowded given that there weren't too many ponies that had a reason to go to Ponyville from Canterlot. You would either have to live in Ponyville or have come to take care of some kind of business to have a reason to come this far out into the country. Spike wasn't sure which he was. However, the lack of crowds made it easier for Spike to spot the particular group of ponies that he wasn't sure if he was pleased to see.

Twilight Sparkle along with the usual group of her friends were waiting for them a few cars down. Spike noticed Twilight hovering a newspaper beside her. It was just as Spike dreaded. It was either they had something very important to show Rarity from last week's paper, or they well knew what had went down at the Fashion Show. They looked far from excited to see their friend after a week. Instead they all had the same solemn look on their faces, barely speaking to each other. He glanced at Rarity who was looking their direction but didn't look as if any making any steps to meet them.

Spike told himself that he should have left by now, but as he predicted numerous times, his hooves were stuck to the ground. Spike's insides began to tingle when he saw Twilight looking their direction and point them out to the rest of the group. Most likely, Rarity had also felt a jolt as she pointed them out. Twilight and her friends didn't waste any time. They immediately ran over to their direction.

Twilight stared at Rarity for a moment. She had approached her without thinking about what she was going to ask her first. Spike knew too well that she had many questions, regardless of how much the newspaper might have informed her about what had happened.

"Is this true Rarity?" Twilight asked her, floating the newspaper close so she could see. The others stood behind her, keeping silent and letting Twilight to the talking and asking. Spike noticed that Pinkie Pie would want nothing more than this heavy atmosphere dissolved. Anypony would be able to tell she had tried one too many times to lighten the mood as they waited for them to arrive before either Rainbow Dash or Applejack told her off.

"Yes," Rarity said, "it is all true."

Spike could sit and think for years without coming up with any other response to that question. The way they were being so subtle on why the Fashion Show had been ruined and how. Spike was sure that everypony knew who, or what had done so.

Twilight's lips wavered. Spike knew exactly what she was going through. This was true speechlessness. It wasn't an impenetrable wall, but an unyielding viscous pool that one must trudge through to reach their next words.

"Where's Spike?" Twilight asked first.

"He isn't here." Rarity replied, another short answer that left more questions needed to be asked.

"Then where is he?" The tone of Twilight's voice changed as she learned more about the current situation. "The papers say he's missing. You know more than they do, don't you?"

"I'm afraid I do not," Rarity said, her eyes downcast.

"Why would this happen? Spike wouldn't just..."

Twilight, after much thinking with her brilliant mind, realized an important factor that she had missed. One that was key to piecing together the basic chain of events that led to the disaster. Rarity bit her lip. Spike believed that this was the most difficult thing for her to admit.

"He didn't..." Twilight said. The other ponies weren't sure what she was referring to yet.

Rarity nodded. "Yes he did."

"What did you say to him?" Twilight asked.

"I said no." Rarity said, in the same monotone voice she had used to turn him down. A voice that was short of breath, brittle but sharp.

"I can't believe it. I never would have imagined that Spike would do such a thing."

Spike did not care whether he was blamed for something he didn't willingly do. By now he had accepted that his choices eventually resulted in him losing control of himself. That was why he had no one else to blame.

"So you came back without him?" Applejack asked, affrontingly. "We don't know where he is. What if he's hurt or even..."

"No," Rarity interrupted. "Princess Celestia, she was there. She would never have let anything happen to Spike, not ever. He's fine, wherever he may be. He has to."

"What else did ya say to him?" Applejack asked. "Spike would never lose himself like that. Just what happened back there?"

"Applejack, Rarity's had a long week," Twilight sighed. "She's worked so hard for the Fashion Show. We can only imagine what she's been going through. It's not her fault. It's up to her how she handles Spike."

"And now this," Applejack said, putting some distance between herself and her rest of the group turning her snout away.

"Was he helpful?" Twilight asked, turning to Rarity, trying to lighten the conversation. "How were the dresses?"

"He worked his little heart out," Rarity said, closing her eyes. "They were perfect."

"I'm so proud of you two," Twilight told her. "Where are the dresses? Did you bring them back? I would love to see them."

"They were... burned..." Rarity began to choke up.

Spike felt weak in the knees. He shut his eyes, took deep breaths. If his eyes were open, he'd be seeing the shocked and saddened faces of his friends. Their astonishment and pity was nowhere near what Spike was feeling. This was personal. Not only were his feelings in vain, proof of its existence had now been reduced to ash by his own fire. Sorrow had dissolved whatever traces of ease he had left. Like sugar cubes in boiling hot tea.

"Oh... I see," Twilight said, regretting asking. She thought it was best to avoid talking about anything related to the fashion show. Words wouldn't ever be enough to provide salve. She stepped closer to Rarity and gave her a hug. The other ponies felt it necessary to join in, Applejack had no other choice but to spare them her attention as they hugged without her. Spike tapped the ground with his hoof in frustration, feeling a desperate desire to participate. He mustn't, if these indescribable feelings devour his insides to the point of death, so be it.

"It's good to see you again Rarity, welcome back," Twilight said into her friend's ear.

"It's good to be back," Rarity sighed as the group hug dissipated.

Rarity turned to Spike who was still standing behind her, misty eyed, trying to seem as normal as possible. The group followed her. All of them were looking at him. He wanted to turn away, but he was unable to at the moment.

"This is my good friend," Rarity began to introduce him. It gave Spike a new light, hearing Rarity call him a friend, a good friend at that. However she did not know his name. What in the world was he supposed to call himself now that he had discarded the identity of Spike?

"Oh my, pardon me," Rarity said. "It seems that we have become friends without proper introductions. I am Rarity, from, as you know, Ponyville. You are?"

"Call me," Spike began.

A name, a name, he needed a name.

"Ruby," he said in a tone sounding more like a question than a statement. It was the first thing out of his mouth. So that was it, without even giving it the tiniest bit of thought, he was going to live the rest of his life with the name Ruby. Was this going to be a decision he was going to regret? He could always change it, couldn't he? something gave him the feeling that it was going to be otherwise.

But the word Ruby, it meant something precious to him. It used to be something less than a promise, but more than a thought, priceless above all things, a symbol.

"Ruby?" Rarity said, almost repeating, in the same tone Spike had said it himself. "Strange name for a stallion."

"It's very elegant," Twilight said. "Welcome to Ponyville."

"I met him at the station," Rarity said. "He was loading luggage, helped me with mine. A few moments later was sharing a private car with him. Funny isn't he? A classy work pony."

"Welcome to Ponyville!" Pinkie Pie finally burst out putting a forearm over Spike. "Are you staying here forever?"

"Actually I've come to live here," Spike said, enjoying the feel of Pinkie's coat on his own. He hadn't appreciated it up to this point, but this was enough for him to do so. It was really soft. Spike wanted to take a nap on Pinkie's arm, or the arm of any pony at that. When he had scales, his skin was nowhere near as sensitive as he was now. He could never truly feel the warmth of contact. This, this was pleasant. He was distracted to the point of almost not feeling Pinkie fit a party hat over his head. The sting of the rubber thread as it snapped onto the bottom of his neck was a distant dismissable prickle.

"Wonderful!" Pinkie Pie said. "Where do you live? Can I help you move in?"

"That would be nice, but I don't have a home yet," Spike replied.

"You don't have a home?" Rarity asked. "Then why in the world come?"

"I'm a traveling work pony," Spike lied, following some occupation he had heard about a long time ago. "I do work wherever I can find it, for a place to sleep and some food in exchange."

This way he can make some sort of living, and a place to sleep. If it wasn't with anypony here, he was sure he'd be able to find somepony else in town.

"I'm sorry to say that I'm not planning much work that needs assisting at the moment," Rarity said in thought.

"How about you Twilight?" Rainbow Dash finally spoke as the mood had been lightened to an appropriate degree. "You'll need somepony to fill in for Spike."

"It's alright, I have Owlowiscious," Twilight said. "You don't have to, Ruby."

"Specifically what kind of work do you do, Ruby?" Rarity asked.

"I'm good at anything," Spike replied. It was true, all he had to do was try and he naturally learned. It was that way since he first started assisting. It really came into play when helping Rarity make her dresses.

"A jack of all trades, I see?" Rarity commented.

"Jack?" Pinkie asked turning to the orange pony a little bit away. "The only other jack in town is Applejack and she's the jack of apple trading! Hey! I think she means you!"

"A work pony?" Applejack asked, putting aside her previous coldness, replacing it with one of curiosity at the sudden development. "One from Canterlot?"

Applejack took a close look at Spike, taking note of his build, frame, estimating his potential for manual labor.

"He looks as if he probably knows nothing but parking carriages and polishin' stuff. He won't last buckin' a single acre of my apple trees," Applejack criticized. "Thanks, but no thanks."

"I can too," Spike let out an arrogant chuckle. "I can buck all your apple trees."

Applejack raised her brow. Rainbow Dash had a grin on her face. She seemed to take particular interest wherever competition was involved. The other ponies looked on wanting to see how this was resolved.

"Is that so?" Applejack approached him, inspecting Spike even further. She turned a full circle, pulled his upper lip upwards and checked his teeth, which should be sparkly white and perfect as he had confirmed in the hotel mirror.

She seemed to stop at his eyes, staring deeply into them. Spike began to sweat as she seemed to have stopped moving. The glint Applejack's greenish eyes appeared to be giving off small sparks the harder he looked into them. Eventually he shut his eyes, overwhelmed. At what he wasn't sure, but pressure was incredible. He recalled the night just before he left Ponyville, at the party, when Applejack stared into his eyes just like she was now as she stood over him.

Eventually Applejack abruptly pulled away and walked off back to her spot a small distance away from her group. She stared into the distance in consideration.

"I guess there's some room in the barn for you," Applejack finally said, turning around. "Nopony else is going to take you in."

Spike's eyes widened. He couldn't believe it. He had done it, found a place to live. He didn't have to build a house of straw, twigs, or bricks after all. He secured one all within the few minutes he stepped off the train and onto Ponyville soil.

"Then it's settled," Twilight nodded. "It's getting late, and I must send a letter to the Princess about Spike as soon as I can."

"How are you going to send it?" Rarity asked.

"Owlowiscious I guess. It might take awhile to get back an answer. If Spike were here it'd only take a second, it won't be fun waiting for a reply."

"If you need help with anything, I'll be more than happy to come over when I'm finished with Applejack's work, Twilight," Spike said, feeling a duty to offer her his services.

"Don't count on it," Applejack commented, causing Rainbow Dash to giggle.

If anything hasn't changed, it was the fact that Twilight was still family to him. Deep roots, they never fade do they?

"You hear that Ruby?" Twilight laughed. "Careful not to bite off more than you can chew, okay? Good night everypony."

Twilight gave one last wave and left. The other ponies followed her lead, each after sharing their words of welcome with Rarity. This left Spike, Rarity, and Applejack at the station. Spike felt the tension in the air thicken ever so slightly as he watched the two mares meet eyes but not say a word to each other.

"Are you going to be alright?" Applejack asked, after what seemed to be a moment of deciding what she should say.

"I need to be alone," Rarity said. "I have to get my thoughts together."

"Don't feel too down," Applejack comforted. "Canterlot was definitely not your last fashion show. There are going to be other chances down the road. It's as simple as that."

"That I know," Rarity sighed. "Goodnight."

Rarity left the station levitating her suitcases beside her. The rest of her things were to be delivered to her home the next day or so. Now wasn't the time to be thinking about bags. He was a different kind of work pony now.

"Let's get a move on," Applejack said, trotting towards the station exit.

Stations had somewhat of a neutral air. It's wasn't really the place you came from or the place you have just arrived in. It's not until you leave the station and get a lungful of the new air that really lets you know that you're somewhere else. To Spike it was home. More specifically, his new home. Ponyville was fresh, welcoming, as it weaved in and out clearly through his nostrils, unlike the suffocating Canterlot air, overused, thick with the scent of money, a cocktail of obnoxious perfumes that mix like many colors of paint creating a murky dark hue.

Applejack did not say a word as they traveled the path to her home. She seemed to have much on her mind. Perhaps thinking up ways to work Spike like a dog, more than a dog. Spike had feared he would not be able to fit in naturally with his old friends. He knew too much, and he was a terrible liar as well. One mistake and his secret would no longer be one. However, that didn't seem to be the case. He believed that he could pull it off. There was no anxiety. He felt strangely liberated.

Soon he was standing at the edge of moonlit Sweet Apple Acres. Being a pony, being bigger, it really made no difference in this vast open world. Spike felt as if his surroundings were washing him, purifying his negativity. It was really the opposite of Canterlot, inside the studio. Had it not been for Rarity, had he been the only one making the dresses, without that one light, he would have been flattened by the suffocating pressure. But this farm, this apple orchard, it was safe to feel free, let down his guard. Applejack was just one of the many lights that lit it. The same moon that had loomed over him at the castle softly shed its light. So this is where Applejack draws her optimism.

"Head over to the barn right over there." Applejack pointed to the wooden structure down the path. "I'll be right with ya in a jiffy. Make yourself at home."

Applejack picked up a basket nearby and walked off into the cluster of trees. Spike made his way to the barn, of course, well knowing his way there. He made sure to make a trotting noise with every step he took. The ground felt natural on his hooves. Perhaps this was the attachment earth ponies felt with the ground. Be it fertilized soil in the gardens or the simple dirt path he was walking on, even the dust seemed full of life here.

Spike pulled open the door to the barn and entered. It was dark, except the moonlight that came through the window close to the rafters above, making a patch of white on the soft yellow hay flooring at the end of the barn. Specks drifted around the dark. They gave off small blinks of light, which he soon learn were fireflies. Spike sat close to the patch of moonlight. It was relaxing, although he still wasn't able to completely forget about his worries, he was pretty close to doing so.

Soon, Applejack joined Spike in the barn with a basket of apples. She set them down in front of Spike and also took a seat.

"I thought ya might be a little hungry," she said. "It's too late now to fix anything up, so I hope you're all right with apples. Picked the best I could find."

Spike picked up an apple from the basket. It was heavy, firm, and dense. It gleamed in the moonlight. Applejack had polished it before bringing it to him. Spike could only imagine how. Doing so made him want to take a bite even more.

"The Fashion Show," Applejack said. Spike wasn't surprised. Of course she was going to ask. He had been expecting it. Can he do this without giving away too much?

"Do you know anything about it?" Applejack asked. "Since you're from Canterlot and all, I thought you would know."

"I've heard stories, and read a little about it in the papers. I guess you want to know about the dragon don't you?"

"Well, yes."

"Like I said, I've only read and heard stories. Nothing that you haven't heard before if you're that interested in it."

"It's just that the papers aren't saying too much."

"So who's this Spike? Was he important? Rarity's friend?"

"He was everypony's friend." Applejack said, slightly lowering her eyelids. "That's why we were worried. This might sound crazy, but the dragon at the Fashion Show, It's our dragon, Spike. We didn't want to believe it, but after Rarity came back without him, there's just no denying. Now we want to know, exactly why he did it. It's just hard to believe it would come to what he did."

"You make it sound as if he was a nice dragon, not the kind who would go burning down prestigious fashion events from time to time." Spike stared down at the gleaming apple. He could almost see his reflection in it.

"He was a nice dragon. He never would have lost control of himself because he wanted to. Whatever happened, it wasn't his fault. He just did what he thought was right."

It wasn't my fault? Spike thought. That I just did what I thought was right?

Did he really believe that?

"At times you'd think he wasn't even that many years old by the way he acts. Other times he just might surprise you at how responsible and mature he could be. Oh yeah, he was in love with Rarity."

Applejack chuckled leaning back on the support beam, tipping her hat over her eyes.

"A dragon and a pony? Haven't heard of that before..."

"Something happened at the Fashion to set Spike off. Rarity's not going to tell us from the looks of it. I hope Spike's doing all right, keeping himself together, wherever he is."

Feeling that the conversation had come to a pause, Spike finally bit into the apple. Such a rich bursting sweet flavor filled his senses. His thin dragon tongue would not have had the surface area to enjoy it. It was hard keeping the juices from leaking out of his mouth especially when surprising amounts of saliva was accumulating in his mouth. He remembered Twilight's warning about biting off more than he can chew. Forget chewing, this deceivingly sized bite was overflowing with sweet and tangy nectar as he swallowed as fast as he could. He tried his best to mute his slurps, but that was impossible. Descriptions be descriptions, this was the best apple Spike had ever had.

"How's the apple?" Applejack asked. "Not something you can find in Canterlot is it?"

"This is better," Spike said, wiping his mouth with his hoof, remembering the buffet he had at the hotel. He wasn't sure what it was. Was it because everything including his sense of taste had been ponified or because Applejack's apples were balls of awesome wearing apple skins?

"This is much better."

He had to say something. He remembered at the Gala, when Applejack disliked the party guests preferring the catered foods to her apple treats. Perhaps a Canterlot pony enjoying her goods would be a surprise to her.

"Is that so?" Applejack said, not expecting such an answer. "Of course it is."

She stood up and walked towards the exit.

"Get a good night's rest," she said. "We get to bucking tomorrow."

Spike wasn't too worried about the work load. He was sure he could handle it.

"You know, Ruby? You kind of remind me of Spike."

Spike's eyes widened as he chewed his apple.

"Maybe it's your color. But if I had to guess, you give off a similar atmosphere. G'night!" Applejack said, closing the barn door.

Spike exhaled through his nose. That was close. He still gives off the same atmosphere from what Applejack told him. That's all right isn't it? It wasn't too much of a risk. Perhaps it's something that he needed if he was going to fill in for his old self. What are the chances that a baby dragon turned into a stallion and made it back home without anypony knowing? Astronomical, who could come to that conclusion? It did happen, but those worries seemed miniscule compared to what he had to deal with up to now.

Then he thought about the Princess. If anypony knew what he was, it was most likely her. By the fact that she had saved him and sent him on his way despite knowing what was going on. There couldn't be any other explanation than that she supports, if not encourages this change? That didn't seem too likely. The Princess would definitely be against what he was doing now. She most certainly has her own reasons.

He made it off the tower alive, Rarity was alright and maybe still had a chance to continue her career, he was back in Ponyville and was in a place he felt at home. From here on out it was a life of bucking apples, enjoying time out with his friends, becoming a part of their lives again. His past mistakes, he just had to see them for what they were, past.

Spike finished the last of the apples, hoping to have some more for breakfast in the morning. He stared at the patch of moonlight. It reminded him of how it reflected off of Rarity's coat.

Poets often use many words to say a simple thing.

It takes thought and rhyme to make a poem sing.

With words and with music I've been playing.

For you I have written this song.

To make sure you understand what I'm saying.

I'll translate as I go along…

Fly me to the moon,

And let me play among the stars.

Let me see what spring is like,

On Jupiter and Mars.

In other words, hold my hand.

In other words, darling kiss me

Fill my heart with song,

And let me sing forevermore.

You are all I long for,

All I worship and adore.

In other words, please be true.

In other words, I love you.