//------------------------------// // Milkshake // Story: Spike the stallion // by Wonder //------------------------------// Rarity and Spike sat by themselves at a small table that had recently been vacated by a excited group of fillies. Spike, being new to the concept of dating sat their in silence, much to Rarity's chagrin. Spike would probably be too nervous to say anything so she took it upon herself to initiate the conversation. "So, darling. While I must say it is nice to go out with a stallion after such a long time, I'd like to know a little more about you. What do you do for a living?" Rarity rested her elbows on the table which was uncharacteristic of her. She thought that perhaps a more informal setting would help Spike relax. "My job? Oh, well I do a bit of organization and the occasional errand. Whatever I'm needed to do." Spike shifted in his seat. "So you are a personal assistant!" Rarity smiled as she rested her head in her hooves. "Not bad. Who is it that employs your services? Perhaps I might know them." Spike stiffened at her question. He couldn't answer her question without revealing who he actually was and Rarity would see straight through any lie she told her. "I-I can't really say too much. They're in a position of power so I'm not even meant to say I work for them." Spike cringed as he spoke. Even he thought that answer was terrible. He doubted Rarity would settle for such an answer either. But her response was far from what she expected. "Oh, I do love a good mystery." Rarity bounced in place, obviously excited. "I have an idea. Let's have a little game. If I can guess your employer, I get one wish. If I lose, you get one wish. Deal?" Rarity looked at Spike innocently and smiled. She was so beautiful and radiant that he found himself agreeing before he could even comprehend what she had said. "Wonderful!" The fashionista clapped her hooves together in delight. "Now let's see. A mysterious stallion appears in my store looking for new clothes but he doesn't know what he wants meaning you most likely do not have much experience when if comes to fashion. From this I am guessing you mustn't be in a position where you get to choose your attire often, if at all. Maybe a workplace with a set uniform." She tapped her chin in thought. She had borrowed many mystery/romance novels from Twilight in the past. Finally all her reading would pay off. She looked to Spike to see if he gave any reactions. Spike stared at Rarity nervously. He doubted she would guess who he really was but there was always a chance. The young ex-dragon mentally punched himself. How was he supposed to enjoy himself when he kept thinking of the negatives. He had to get it together. What were the actually chances of things going wrong. It was with this thought that Spike made a new rule. No matter what, he will not think bad of himself. He had worked hard to get here and he will not let his nervous behavior get the better of him, not like it had at the Equestria games. Spike mentally grabbed all his negative emotions and chucked them in box number thirty-four. If you are not familiar with the box system then here is a little run down. The way a males mind works according to the Males of Equestria Network is that a males mind is separated into boxes and there is a box for everything. There a boxes everywhere. Somewhere in the basement there is even a box for the mother-in-law. The one rule is that each box must never touch and only one box may remain open at any time. So after making sure that box thirty-four was safe and secure, Spike smiled knowing that things could only get better without his negative emotions. "Did you want a hint?" Spike smiled. Rarity frowned at his offer. "No thank you dear. I am quite alright." Rarity suddenly had the feeling that she was going to lose this bet. Why would he offer to help her unless he was sure he would win. Well she wouldn't lose. That wish would be hers one way or another. "I think I'm onto something. You said your employer is in a position of power, correct? Do you work for a noble? Fancy Pants, perhaps?" "No, nopony as fancy as that." Spike chuckled at her guess. "You couldn't be further from the truth." "Well apart from nobles only important business ponies would need personal assistants and unfortunately I know very little about the corporate world." Rarity pouted. "And here I was thinking I'd be getting a free wish." "Oh, what's this about wishes?!" Pinkie bounced over to them with a tray balanced precariously on her back. "Is it a genie, a monkey hand or maybe a... actually I don't know what else grants wishes. Oh, well. I'll figure it out later." With flexibility only owls could accomplish Pinkie twisted her head around and retrieve a single milkshake from the tray on her back before placing it between Rarity and Spike. Rarity waited for a second drink to appear but it never did. The only thing that appeared were two red striped straws. "Say, Pinkie. Didn't I order a second drink?" Rarity noticed a second chocolate milshake on the tray but it looked slightly different. It had an orange tinge to it. How odd. "There. You left it on your back." "Oh, this." Pinkie raised her waist making the tray bounce. "This is Carrot Top's milkshake silly. "You only asked for one milkshake. No refunds!" She yelled. "Pinkie, you honestly can't expect us to share, you." Rarity let out a feminine giggle. "I specifically asked for two milkshakes. You even offered me a discount for them." "Nope, you said and I quote," Pinkie cleared her throat and did the most accurate impression of Rarity Spike had ever heard. "My friend and I would like a chocolate milkshake." If he closed his eyes Spike would have sworn it was Rarity. "Darling, I meant one each." Rarity sigh. Sometimes talking to Pinkie was difficult. "You must have realized that when I asked about the... Oh, I see. I didn't receive a discount, did I?" Rarity slid her hoof down her face and groaned. Pinkie could really test her patience sometimes. "Pinkie could you please make us another shake." "Sorry Rare-rare, no can do. The plot of the story requires that both of you two share a drink. Now, enjoy." With a satisfied grin Pinkie bounced off, completely unaware of the glare that was burning into the back of her head. Before she could blow up, Rarity to a deep breath and recited a calming mantra. It was going to be a long day. Spike had no idea what Rarity was doing. She was breathing heavily and saying something under her breath. Was she about to sneeze? "Hey, Rarity you need a tissue?" Spike asked. "Wah? Oh, not thank you darling." Rarity shook her head. She was fairly certain she had calmed herself sufficiently enough not to get a migraine from dealing with Pinkie. "I am quite alright. I'm not sure what we are going to do about the drink though." "We could share. I don't mind." Spike nudged the drink over to her. Rarity seemed to hesitate for a while but the drink did look incredibly appetizing. "Well, I suppose there is no harm in it." The fashionista admitted. Rarity leaned for and took a look suck on her straw and smiled as she tasted the sugary drink. It had been a while since she had had a milkshake and now she wondered why she didn't have them more often. "Make sure you leave some for me!" Spike joked. Rarity let go of the straw and blushed. "Sorry, darling. The inner child in me couldn't resist." Rarity slid the glass over to Spike. "You have some." Spike obeyed, eager to have a drink. "Wow, this is great." Spike was blown away by the flavour. The chocolate was so rich and sweet that he couldn't help but grin like the child he was. "The food here always tastes amazing." Rarity commented. "It helps that there isn't any competition in town so they can afford to use better ingredients. I'm curious, Spike. I understand you can't tell me who you work for but I just want to know a bit more about you. What are your interests, your likes and dislikes." "That's not really a hard question. I like gems, power ponies and games." "No, darling I mean what do you enjoy." Rarity clarified. "For example, I like walks in the park in the spring, I have a passion for fashion and I have always wanted to be a part of Canterlot society. Try again. Put more personal details in." "Oh, alright. This is going to be tough." Spike tapped his chin and thought, trying to think of anything that set him apart from others. "Well, I've always had an interest in where I come from and who my family are. I never met my parents so it's always grated on me not knowing anything. It just feels wrong if I ignore my past." Rarity put her hoof on her heart and could have sworn he saw her eyes mist over. "Oh, darling. That is so touching. I'm sorry to hear you never met your parents but I hope you manage to learn everything about them." Rarity turned away from Spike and hurriedly wiped the tears from her eyes. "I hope you don't mind me asking but who raised you then?" "I was raised by a noble mare." Spike said, trying not to give any indication of who had actually raised him. He technically wasn't lying either... much. For the first few years of his life Celestia had taken care of him. You couldn't get more noble than a princess. He still had to be careful though. If he said too much she would guess who his real carer was and then he would be screwed. "Oh, so you are part of Canterlot society!" Rarity squealed in excitement. "Why didn't you say so earlier? I myself have recently opened a boutique in Canterlot. Perhaps you have heard of the Canterlot Carousel?" "I think I have. Your store made the 'Princess Dress', right?" Spike had heard all about the story from Twilight. "Oh darling, don't get me started on that horrid thing. I made the mistake of letting my dresses become mass produced. Never again." Rarity shivered at the memory. "But let's not talk about the past. Do you have any aspirations, Spike. I myself want my brand to be seen all across high society. I want the name Rarity to be synonymous with beauty and grace." "Hehe, I haven't got any goals that grand." A thought struck him. "Actually. I've never really thought about my future." "Well, that's not good. You can't expect to be an assistant for the rest of your life." Rarity took a casual sip of the milkshake. "Maybe start a business of some sort." "You said you liked gems. Why not open a mining business. It may not be the most glamorous field of work but gems are worth quite a bit of money, if you can handle the dirt and mess involved." Rarity was obviously repulsed by the idea of digging but she did have a valid point. He could already dig for gems with ease. If he could get Twilight to enchant an object with a gem finding spell he could start a business. Rarity wasn't only beautiful, she was super smart too. "That's... actually a really good suggestion." The purple stallion admitted. "Well of course it is. I suggested it." The alabaster mare flipped her mane over her shoulder. Spike mulled the idea over in his head as he drank from their glass. Could he actually have a job when he was still a child? He wasn't aware of any rules saying otherwise. He might have to ask Twilight about it later. Rarity smiled in content at her inspiring suggestion. She could imagine it now. A booming business empire started from a suggestion made by her. Maybe she could get her brand labeled on it. Rarity's Gem. She deserved another sip of the milkshakes, if she did say so herself. Still stuck in her imagination Rarity leaned forward and took one of the straws in her mouth and took a sip of the sugary concoction. Both Spike and Rarity drank the milkshake together with their own straws, each in their own little world. Neither pony noticed until they looked into each others eyes. Neither of them reacted as the other might expect. Rarity blushed and looked back down at the drink. She was such a sap for roamnce novels and something like this seemed to have been pulled right out of the pages and stuck into her life. She certainly hadn't expected something this cliche to happen but it was just a drink. There was no harm in drinking at the same time. Spike's reaction was pretty much the same but with more blushing and smiling involved. He was sharing a drink with Rarity! As far as he cared half of Ponyville could be destroyed at that moment and he would have noticed. He was in heaven.