All's Fair

by Equestria Buck Yeah

Chapter 3

It had taken Rarity a little longer than she would have liked when she went around town to briefly visit her friends and tell them she'd be out of town for a little while. She had gotten her packing done relatively early that morning, considering how many bags she was taking, but she kept wanting to kick herself for simply not getting it taken care of the night before. After all, she could easily sleep on the train ride north and catch up on any she would have missed if she would have stayed up a little longer.

Ah well. There wasn't any sense in worrying about it now. Sweetie Belle was in class, arrangements with Applejack had been made to watch her, the store was locked up with everything where it was supposed to be, and Opal was with Fluttershy. Hopefully there was enough room in the luggage car to hold the couple dozen bags she brought as well as everypony else's things.

The mare smiled as she watched her suitcases be taken away by the struggling train station employee and hovered the appropriate number of bits to the teller. After being given her ticket, she stepped aside and pulled the letter from her saddlebag, reading it again carefully. Her mind raced as she tried to piece together who all her parents could be hanging out with, forcing a giggle. Was it somepony she already knew? Was it the editor of a hot magazine or the owner of a chain of painfully expensive and ritzy stores who wanted to sell her stock for her? She had won that fashion show the last time she was in Manehattan. Surely that helped get her name out even more!

She glanced at the clock over the ticket counter – about twelve minutes before she was to depart. Might as well head inside and find a seat, maybe make a stop in dining car. A hot cup of joe would be nice.

As Rarity replaced the letter and trotted inside, a grey stallion and a dusty blue mare – both also relatively new to town – took note of the dressmaker's departure, all the while not breaking their hushed conversation. They watched through the windows and nonchalantly followed her from outside as she elected the next car and sat down at one of the small tables, eventually presented with a steaming mug and a biscuit with jam by presumably one of the waiters. After several minutes, the conductor shouted for all to board. Once the last of the travelers said their goodbyes to their loved ones and hopped on, the train blew its whistle and departed for its hours-long journey northeast – as did Rarity's shadows back into town.

-----

A knock at the door managed to pry High Note's nose out of the book he was mindlessly looking at. Curtain Call stuck her head from the kitchen, her mouth full, just as curious as to who it could be. Leaving the comfort of the couch, the husband opened the door to find two expected visitors. The blue pegasus spoke first.

"She left about a half hour ago."

"Good. I wonder how she'll like the surprise waiting for her?" High Note taunted.

"Did you want us to do anything with the others yet?" the grey earth pony asked.

"Start making friends. Lots of friends. Preferably with ponies who have loved ones, families. Young loved ones in particular will work wonders for you. Tell the rest to follow suit. Might as well be ready to dismantle the pink one when I give the order. But once tonight rolls around, I can't be bothered until she returns. You know that part is inevitable, as much as I would like it not to be. If I have need of one of you for anything, I'll send word around."

"I honestly don't understand why you didn't simply have her killed now that she's going to be away from her friends in a city where that kind of thing happens all the time and she'd just become another statistic," the mare blasted.

"Because the genuine anger and hatred they'll all eventually have for each other will make it that much easier to destroy them when the time comes! That's why I need her alive!" High Note growled. "You and the rest know the basic plan! Now start acting like it!"

The pair exchanged a nervous glance. "Y-yes."

"Of course."

"Excellent. I'll be in touch." High Note closed the door and sighed heavily. "I'm surrounded by idiots."

"How do you think, err...Cottontail is doing right now?" Curtain Call asked from behind.

"Hopefully better than this," the exhausted stallion muttered.

"May I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

The actress walked up and leapt on the couch, stretching out lazily. "What should we do if those brats want to hang out here after school or randomly pay us a visit in the meantime? Might not be a good idea to let them think there's only two of us here."

"Tell them I went out with some friends or draw the curtains and don't answer the door if it's them or something. They're just children. Children are stupid and gullible. Not a bad question though." High Note rubbed his eyes and yawned. "I'm going to go take a nap. Very strange, I honestly didn't think I'd be this bored sitting at home waiting for the time to go by."

"Welcome to the past couple weeks," Curtain Call quipped, receiving a deadpan glare from her husband as he dragged himself toward the bedroom. He didn't get far before his wife spoke up again. "Y'know, you could always go out and do something. See a movie or whatever."

"Ugh, don't even joke about that. The last thing I want is feel like I'm turning into just another drone in this miserable town." The proudly lazy wife smirked angrily; High Note rolled his eyes. "You know what I meant."

"It's better than sitting around here doing nothing all day. Even I went out occasionally. I know making friends isn't what your main goal is, but I've actually met a few ponies. I've been working my way in over the last few days rather nicely."

"Good, good. Keep that up." With a groan, High Note spun and twisted his neck around, feeling some relieving pops. "I'm still taking a nap. I'm going to need my energy for tonight."

-----

Dusk was upon Ponyville before High Note realized it. He'd be up for only a couple hours but was rearing to go. Cottontail had yet to return home, likely out staying busy with the Crusaders. The clock on the wall read 6:40. Approximately nine hours had gone by since things had started to unfold. He reasoned it was enough time.

Curtain Call sat with the evening edition in her hooves, skimming over headlines. Seemed like just another dull day by all accounts. Why couldn't somepony randomly explode or something and stir things up? A better question would have been why Twilight and her friends had to live in such a podunk, backwater town.

High Note marched through the living room and up to the front door, drawing his wife's attention from the day's headlines. "Good luck," she said.

He turned and smirked devilishly. "Luck's not going to have anything to do with it."

As he opened the door, he paused and looked around for any signs of life. A couple ponies here and there were walking to predetermined places but took no notice of his presence. It didn't appear that being sneaky was going to be hard. Choosing his course, he headed on his way, closing the door quietly behind him.

-----

Twilight Sparkle sat in her study, triple-checking the sorting job Spike had done earlier in the day. It still felt so strange to be examining so many brand new manuscripts. While it was generous of Celestia and Luna to provide her with new books and scrolls to occupy her castle, she still wished she had never lost her original works in the first place. Some of them had been irreplaceable. If only she hadn't chosen the treehouse to retreat to.

A distant knocking caught her ear, echoing through the large, crystalline halls. That was one thing in particular she had a hard time getting used to for a while – it almost had a eerie sound to it early on. Pinkie would probably love turning the place into a haunted house on Nightmare Night if she found out about that.

"Spike, could you get that?" she yelled out.

"You got it!" he hollered from the kitchen. He set the pot he was working with down and made his way to the entrance. Sweet Celestia, always during dinner – or at least while he was in the middle of making of it.

Upon opening the door, the most beautiful mare in the world greeted him. His fawning was immediately put down when he got a good look at her. Her mane was partially undone and she had a miserable, worn-down look on her face.

"Rarity?"

"Hello, Spike," she mumbled. "May I come in?"

"Of course." Ever the gentledrake, he took her by the hoof and led her inside, shutting the door behind them. "What happened? I-I thought you were going to be away in Manehattan for a little while."

"Yes, well...not everything went as I had hoped."

Before she could explain, Twilight's hoofsteps could be heard approaching from inside. She was certain she heard Spike say the visitor's name, leaving her just as puzzled as her assistant. "Rarity? You're home already?" she called out from a distance. Eventually, the royal mare saw her face to face and gasped in shock. "Dear Celestia, what happened to you? You're a mess!"

"Good evening, Twilight. I imagine I do look rather unkempt after everything I've been through today."

"Please, come sit down inside. We were about to eat soon, but that can wait. Let me get you something. Water, a cool washcloth, a blanket?" the Princess offered.

"Oh, I'll be alright. I'm just worn out, that's all."

"This looks more than just a little worn out, Rarity," Twilight said.

"What made you come back so soon?" Spike inquired as they walked to the comfort of the study. "Didn't you meet whoever it was you were going to see?"

"No, dearie. I didn't even get that far. Not by a long shot." Rarity sighed as they reached their destination and gingerly sat on a nearby chair. "I was on the way to the hotel my folks told me to go to in their letter to me. On the way, I...these three...bastards came at me with weapons, forced me down this back alley. I couldn't get away thanks to all the luggage I bought with me. I-I thought they were going to...to violate me or worse," she sobbed, tears starting to flow down her cheeks. Sniffling, she continued. "One of them threw something over my face – a rag or something, I think. It smelled funny and whatever was on it made me pass out. When I woke up, my bags were all gone, and so were they. I...don't think they did anything to me physically...but still!"

The scarred fashionista was embraced by two pairs of concerned, loving arms and forelimbs. "Rarity, I...I'm so sorry," Spike whispered. "Did you go the police after you came to?"

"No, I managed to scrounge up a few bits in some places I'd prefer not to think about as quickly as I could and came right back."

"What? Why didn't you go looking for the authorities?"

"I don't know my way around Manehattan, Spike – not really. I wouldn't know where to find them, and when I asked for help from others, they all just pushed me away and told me to get away from them. They probably saw how I looked and thought I was a vagrant or something. I just wanted to get home!" the mare sobbed.

The dragon's purple brow furrowed. If only he could have been there, he would have protected his beloved fashionista, no matter what. "Twilight, there's gotta be something you can do, isn't there? Those punks have to be found! You can, like, make some royal decree or something, right?"

"You know I'll do everything in my power to see that they're brought to justice. You have my word," she said firmly. "Grab something to write on for me." As the little drake obeyed, Twilight took Rarity by the cheek and gazed at her sympathetically, hoping to calm her friend at all. Not only was it not working, things didn't get any easier when the princess asked, "Do you remember anything about your attackers? Their coat color, eyes, anything?"

Twilight produced a handkerchief with her magic and floated it over to Rarity. The designer took it in her hoof and daintily wiped away a few tears and tried to dry her cheeks. Her eyes darted around as she recalled what she could, her mind racing a mile a minute. "Um...th-there were two pegasi, I remember that. One was a unicorn. I...I believe one of the pegasi had...hazel eyes? Maybe grey. He had silver hair, if I remember correctly, and a blue coat like Rainbow Dash's. The unicorn, he had...his coat was off-white...I-I think. Th-the other pegasus, he...um...oh, what did he look like? I just had it and now I can't remember! I don't remember any of their marks either!"

The few memories she could recall left her a sputtering, sobbing mess. Twilight embraced her tightly against her chest, letting her get out all the grief and pain she needed to.

"Shhh, it's okay. You don't have to do this all at once. It's a good start. If you remember anything else at any time, day or night, you let me know, alright? We're not going to let them get away with this."

"Thank you, Twilight."

"I'm here too if you need anything," Spike added.

Sniffling, Rarity smiled weakly and appreciatively rubbed his head. "I know, Spikey-Wikey."

"We should write to Celestia and Luna and inform them of what happened to you too. I'm sure they'd be more than happy to send some guards out there to get started looking for them," Twilight suggested.

"Oh, no, you don't have to do that, dear. Frankly, I'd like to...keep this private if at all possible."

The newest princess scoffed, almost at a loss for words. "What? Why? Celestia and Luna would be more than happy to help us."

Rarity shook her head and sighed. "They have so much else to worry about all day long, Twilight. I-I know this is probably going to sound horrible, but...well, let's be honest, it's not like this is the first time something like this has happened to somepony. They'd probably just leave it to the local authorities to investigate such a thing."

"Considering we helped save Equestria numerous times, I'd think they'd go out of their way to–"

"Twilight, please. If something like this got out...well, who knows how the media would handle it? They'd probably just turn into some overblown circus, and I really don't want to deal with that. I know you wouldn't either if they started bothering you about it too, and you know they would. Let's just keep this...situation amongst our little circle?" Rarity pleaded, her eyes growing big and her lips curving into a pout.

The purple mare went to rebutt her friend again but hesitated. She grunted defiantly, searching for a good counterargument, something to convince her that getting the highest authority in the land involved was a wise move. Still, Rarity did make some sense, and she did just go through some serious trauma.

The alicorn curled her lips, not happy at all with the decision, but she didn't want to argue any further about it. "Well...if that's what you want, alright. But, if you ever change your mind, you let me know. I'll drop whatever it is I'm doing and get in touch with them."

"I-I'll keep it in mind. Thank you."

"Did you talk to anypony else about it when you got back to Ponyville?" Spike inquired.

"No, I came straight here," Rarity answered. "I...I thought a lot about what happened on the train ride home, obviously. I also thought about what would have happened – or would not, in a manner of speaking – if those thugs had done more than just steal my things." Her eyes met with her fellow mare's, still wet from tears, and beamed wistfully. She glanced over at her scaly confidant and took hold of his hand, sniffling once more.

Spike briefly glimpsed at her hoof in his claw, startled at first by her actions, then gazed up at her weary face. Her sweet yet sad smile began to make him tear up as he put together what she was saying to them. A life without Rarity wouldn't have been one he wanted to live, and he quietly thanked his lucky stars she was, for the most part, alright.

"You know how much you mean to me," the unicorn stated. "I wouldn't have been able to see you one last time or...say goodbye."

"Of course we do," Twilight said, fighting not to cry herself.

Rarity sighed heavily, relieved to hear the obvious. Gradually but not completely, her nerves were beginning to calm. They wouldn't be back to normal for a while, but it was a start. "If it's alright, I'd...like to go home now."

"You can stay here for the night if you want, in case you need to talk some more," the princess offered.

"To be honest, I just want to crawl under the sheets of my own bed and forget today ever happened. I hope it's not too much to ask, but...would it be okay if Spike escorted me home?"

Twilight and her assistant caught eyes with each other. It was understandable that Rarity would want somepony beside her on the walk back to the boutique after all that had happened, and who better to make her feel safe than a fire-breathing dragon that would do anything for her? His hopeful look was enough for his surrogate mother to smile. "Sure."

Rarity's grin grew too – though not enough for either of them to really see it. "Thank you, dear. For everything. I'll see you later."

Before she could depart, she found herself wrapped in her friend's comforting limbs once again. "Try and get some rest."

The unicorn stole a look at the young drake beside her – and the hoof that was still his talons. "Yes, I'm...sure I'll be fine. Shall we, Spike?"

With a nod, they got up as one and were led outside by their royal friend, never letting go of each other.

-----

Rarity and Spike were taking their time walking across town though the young bodyguard really didn't mind. He was diligent as they went, scanning their surroundings, making sure nothing was amiss. Spike wasn't about to let somepony else try and hurt her.

Occasionally, their eyes met and they smiled warmly at each other. However, whenever her escort was looking elsewhere, Rarity was making eye contact with others, most of whom would have been unfamiliar to Spike. What finally got her attention was a suddenly nervous dragon remembering he was still holding her hoof and letting go, clearing his throat as he did. Things like that weren't meant for the public to see, and Rarity didn't need to feel awkward on top of how upset she still was over her stop in Manehattan, especially given what he knew about her feelings toward him. Right now, she needed a friend, and he was going to be the most respectable one he could be.

Much to his surprise, she scooped up his claw again without missing a step, gazing at him longingly. "It's okay, Spike. I don't mind." He nearly drowned in her beautiful blue eyes but turned away at the last moment, his cheeks burning red. As much as he enjoyed holding her hoof, given the day's events, why was she acting like this? His anxiousness was easy for the mare to spot. "What's the matter?"

"I, uh...well, you were attacked earlier today and, now, all of a sudden, you're holding my claw and looking at me...that way as we walk back to your place."

"And?"

The baby dragon had a hard time looking at her in the eye. "You've never exactly looked at me like that before."

Rarity blinked in disbelief. "Really? Never?" she whispered to herself.

"Huh?"

With a quick, dismissive shake of her head, she jumped back to the conversation. "I-I mean...I suppose, err, failing to realize how good I have things is sort of a...quirk of mine."

It got a subdued laugh out of the youngster. "You mean like what you went through with Trenderhoof and Prince Blueblood?"

The upper-class pony shifted her eyes about, almost seeming confused at what he was referring to, before responding. "Uh...yes. Exactly." The pair walked in silence for several yards, enjoying the serenity of the evening with the boutique gradually coming into view. As they continued, eventually, so did Rarity. "I hope you understand, Spike, that what I said at the castle to Twilight...was really meant for you."

He very nearly forgot to breathe as a wish he always had suddenly was becoming true. "Really?"

She stopped their journey just before the door, staring soulfully into his eyes. He never felt his heart beating so hard in his life. "Twilight is very special to me too, but if I never got the chance to tell you how much you've always meant to me, it wouldn't have been fair to you – or to me." Before he could react, Rarity wrapped her free foreleg around Spike's head and kissed him passionately, taking him completely by surprise. After accepting his fate, he was putty in her hooves.

As they broke their kiss, she sighed into his ear. "Stay with me tonight. Please?"

The dragon perked up despite not completely understanding what she was hinting at. He glanced off in the direction of the crystal castle he called home, the decision bouncing around in his head. "All night? I-I really don't know if Twilight would let me do something like that. Not yet anyway."

Rarity giggled at his naiveté, a fresh idea already in her mind. "How about just for a little while then?"

He curled his lips and shrugged. "Yeah, I guess I could do that."

"If Twilight asks where you were, just tell her you were spending extra time consoling me."

"What, you mean lie to her?"

"Not exactly. You will be helping console me, so it'll be true in a way."

The wheels in his head continued to turn, and piece by piece, they fell into place. He'd be spending quality time with the pony he loved – and now he knew she loved him back. There wasn't anything wrong with wanting to see the mare he practically worshiped coming to grips with what happened to her and knowing, through the comfort of his presence, that the world wasn't coming to an end because of it. Besides, he'd spent plenty of time with her doing everyday tasks for and with her in the past and Twilight never had a problem with it then.

"Okay, sure. It's still early in the evening."

The beautiful mare kissed him on his soft forehead. "Thank you." She turned her attention to the door. "Now, how am I going to get inside after they took my keys?"

Spike spun and examined the structure while Rarity fiddled with the doorknob with her magic. Melting it with his dragon flame could work, but then it'd cost money to replace, and his love may not have any to spare right now, especially after being robbed. The same went for breaking a window and crawling in that way. Plus, what would stop others from getting in too – pony, bug or otherwise?

That's when Spike noticed the window locks just overhead. While he didn't have magic like unicorns did, he did know that seeing what one wanted to use magic on helped immensely when it came to manipulating it.

"I have an idea," he proudly said. "Why not open the lock to the window and we can get in that way? Won't have to worry about breaking anything if we did that."

"Yes...yes, that could work." As Rarity approached the glass, Spike chuckled to himself, making his angel laugh too. "What is it?"

"You must be exhausted if you're willing to get dirt on your hooves to get to the window," the dragon joked.

Her puzzled blue eyes blinked and glanced toward the small flower garden she had already stepped in. It took a moment, but she eventually backed away from the grime and filth. "Oh! Y-yes, of course. How about I open the window and lift you in with my magic, hm?"

"Sounds good."

The small, swiveling lock turned on its own, allowing the window to be raised without a problem. As it was lifted, Spike noticed something peculiar and cocked his head with a single, curious brow raised. Before he could question it, he found himself hoisted into the air and carefully placed inside the spacious lobby. He shut the window, flicked the lights on and unlocked the front door for his sweetheart, stepping to the side and bowing as she entered. His chivalry made the unicorn smile.

"My hero," Rarity cooed. With a thought, both entrances were re-locked and the lights were turned back off. Only the shadow of a pony and dragon becoming one at the lips could have been seen by any potential passerby. "Shall we go upstairs?" she suggested once they parted.

"What's up there?"

A lust-filled look found her face. "I'll show you."

-----

The moon was already high in the sky when Rarity opened the door and allowed her stumbling, light-as-a-feather suitor back out into Ponyville. It may not have been possible for him to smile any wider – or look more out of it. She gave him one long, final parting kiss for the evening, not caring that her mane was a wreck or that her coat was frazzled.

"Let's not tell Twilight about this just yet. It can be our little secret for the time being," Rarity whispered. "Come back as often as you can, okay?"

"S-s-sure," he mumbled as he wobbled on weak knees. "I'll see you later. Sleep well."

"You too, sweetheart."

The mare waved goodbye as Spike staggered away, practically bounding with each step. She closed the door once he was out of sight, sounding off the bell over her head. Once the jingling ceased, her body convulsed as if she had just been drenched with ice cold water.

"I need a shower," Rarity growled as she began her second journey upstairs. The normally sophisticated mare then suddenly flapped her lips in disgust and spat onto the floor. "And some mouthwash."

Comments

[Pyro The Reader]

Woah. That was a real surprise... Spike just got a variant of raped it seems, these villans sink lower and lower.

[SFaccountant]

Wow. Somebody maxed out their Bluff skill.
Props to that changeling, that was a damn good impersonation. I suspected she was a fake as soon as she kissed him (Spike is never that lucky), but I couldn't be sure until the end. Passing for a pony is one thing, but fooling intimate acquaintances and getting them to help you break into your target's house takes moxie.
Upgraded from tracking to faved :D