//------------------------------// // Chapter 11 – Love Calls the Dance // Story: Evenfall // by Yinglung //------------------------------// The Winter Wrap-up had been concluded without any major hiccup. As the town of Ponyville returned to the gentle breeze and flowery scent of spring, Rarity looked out of the window in her boutique home and pondered on the lives of her and her friends. So much had changed, and yet so little. They were still living in Ponyville, living their old lives for now. Rarity’s parents were still rarely at home, and she and her sister maintained the household, mostly just she. She was much less dismissive of her sister’s clumsy approach and antics, now knowing that she’s a lonely filly that got bullied at school. She was also strangely glad that the Cutie Mark Crusaders have formed as expected, even knowing that they would cause untold destruction of properties for years to come. Something felt just wrong without the three little rascals muddling things up. Rarity herself was still designing and making clothes for a passable living, though she had benefited from her friends’ increasing fortune. Twilight’s budding enterprise, although so far unnamed and managed by Twilight alone, was co-owned in name by all six mares. The initial profit from selling equipment to the Sweet Apple Acres, plus the trickling income from reselling Zecora’s brewing products, was half distributed towards a fund covering the running costs and future use, and half distributed to each of the mares equally as dividends. Twilight told them that she already used some of the bits in the fund to hire some hooves to look for news of the various villains and troublemakers she wanted to track down, now that she herself was ironically tied down with the bit-making business. At least this was what Twilight told them, the so-called shareholders. It was just a moderate sum of bits, since Twilight herself did not want to expand her business too much, for fear that it would cause concern from Princess Celestia. She clearly did not want too much attention, and was somewhat fearful that the Princess would scold, or even in the worst case scenario, recall her to Canterlot, for focusing on bit-making instead of friendship study. That would be undesirable for all of them really. The extra income should be a comforting matter for Rarity, but it was troubling at heart for her, since she did not think that she did anything substantial to warrant it. Rarity was an industrious mare, and she wanted to earn bits that she thought she deserved. On the other hand, she found it a bit awkwardly… not enough. She was trying her best to be generous and responsive to requests, and it was somewhat embarrassing not to be in a position to share when she was not exactly the most resourceful pony around. It was not just about bits and wealth, which clearly Twilight and Applejack were in a better shape than her. It was also about time and attention. She had devoted a lot of time to Sweetie Belle, and reinforcing the sisterly love, which made her very happy. And in the remaining time she designed clothes and other accessories. These together ate up almost all her time, and she found it incredibly difficult to attend to any other things, even her friends, much less about the grandiose plan that Twilight was slowly pushing through. This also brought her to the issue of Spike. She noticed that Twilight, the one mare who, frankly, created the issue in the first place, wanted to speak up to her, but failed to find suitable words every time. Not that she had no idea what Twilight wanted to talk to her about. The brief mind meld had probably infused some of Twilight in her as well. She felt an inexplicable urge to care for the young dragon ever since. Her rational mind attempted with futility to separate Rarity’s feelings with Twilight’s, as now it was all just hers. What made the current situation much more awkward to her specifically, was that Spike was infatuated with her as a mare. Spike obviously had no idea that all five mares other than Twilight also had a bit of Twilight in themselves. She felt as she had two left hooves every time she thought of Spike’s affection for her. The tugging maternal urge aside, she knew very well what the alternate Rarity had been doing – deliberately keeping a distance in order to have someone fawn over her, as a mean to feel good. It would be impossible to do it to this Spike, because Twilight would probably become mama bear over it. Most importantly, she was unsure about her own feeling. So far, she dutifully played the part of a lovely mare to Spike, who seemed more than glad that the mare of her dream was so responsive to his advances. Of course, she could not be too responsive as it would damage her reputation as a lady. Rarity sighed. Spike was ever so courteous and chivalrous in front of her, which did make her heart tingle. But he and she were, in principle, akin to be held together in an arranged relationship. She did think that she and Spike might be possible, but now didn’t seem to be the time yet. She had not seen Spike for a while as she had avoided him with or without intention. She could not help but think of all these troublesome questions whenever she saw Spike’s adorable lovey-dovey face, which made her lose almost all mental capacity for inspiration and creativity in her design. Other mares told her that Spike was lacking in spirit recently, probably something that had to do with her hiding from him. Rarity bit her lip, regardless of her own mental struggle, she could not let this happen to Spike. No matter what he was, Spike was still very important to her. She had a plan. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rarity took a deep breath and entered the Golden Oak Library. There she saw Twilight frantically flipping over something that looked like an account book. Spike was nearby napping on his basket. She looked to the other side of the library, and to her surprise, found all her other friends sitting around a table. “Whoa girls, what have I missed in here? Is there a meeting that I somehow forgot?” Rarity asked quizzically. “Oh Rarity, you coming today too?” Twilight put down her book and slipped a bookmark into it. “What are the odds that we’re all gathered here, each for different purposes?” Rarity gazed at Twilight’s toothy grin, and asked. “What purposes, exactly?” “Ah just come to see if Twi can possibly use magic or magic crystals in the machines, since our farm is full of hay and woods, storing fuel around is just askin’ for trouble.” Applejack said. “Unfortunately though, magically-driven machines are much more finicky and unreliable in general.” Twilight walked towards the group and said with a sad smile. “I just come here to chat with Spike and borrow some new cake recipe from Canterlot!” Pinkie Pie smiled at Rarity, but Rarity sensed that it was somewhat forced. “But Spikey was asleep so I just settle for the books! And some board games!” “Yeah Rarity, our last game on the mountain wasn’t really finished, was it?” Rainbow Dash grinned. “By the way, I was shocked that Spike was into Daring Do as well.” The cyan mare seemed a bit bashful at admitting she also liked the popular adventure novel. “Um, I am here just because Twilight told me to check on the parasprites again. Also, I do want to borrow a carrot cookbook so Angel would eat it more willingly.” “Uh, that bunny,” Twilight cringed slightly at the thought of the tempered rabbit. “But anyway, Clever Carrot Cooking should be on the top shelf of the second row.” “Thank you, Twilight.” Fluttershy smiled. Twilight then asked Rarity, “So what do you come for, Rarity?” “Well Twilight, I would like to borrow Spike for some time… I’ll need to go on a trip to Canterlot for a fashion show and then inspect a gem mine that I might buy. Spike would be most helpful if he can accompany me.” Rarity slowly explained. Twilight froze in the middle of sitting back down at her desk. She slowly stood back up and trotted towards Rarity quietly. “Have you made up your mind?” Twilight leaned in and whispered. “No, but I hope through this trip I will,” Rarity replied. “By the way, do you know what’s wrong with Pinkie? I swear, her smile towards me just now was a bit... I don’t know, did I just do something that offended her?” Twilight’s face turned a bit green, as she gulped and said with uncertainty, “Um, you better talk to her yourself. Don’t worry, she’s not mad at you or anything. You two can use my room upstairs.” Twilight then trotted towards the pink mare and whispered something into her ears as well. Pinkie Pie’s eyes shot wide, as she frantically said something back to Twilight, but the purple pony would not have it and forcefully pushed Pinkie Pie upstairs. Twilight winked to the white unicorn, and Rarity followed Pinkie Pie upstairs as well. “… Huh, what was that about?” Rainbow observed with incredulity. “Ah have no clue. Do you know what’s up wit ‘em, Fluttershy?” Applejack asked. Fluttershy gulped and thought for a while, then she shook her head, “Um, no. They probably need some private time to talk. We shouldn’t disturb them.” The other two mares frowned slightly, but nodded. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “So Pinkie, why are you acting strange in front of me just now?” Rarity asked. “W—What do you mean, Rarity?” Pinkie Pie offered her best innocent smile. Rarity sighed, “I’m your friend, Pinkie, you don’t need to hide it from me. I just saw your smile, it just looked forced to me. Is there anything that is bothering you?” Pinkie Pie stared at Rarity, and said. “… Do you love Spike?” Rarity was stunned by Pinkie Pie’s straightforwardness. She inhaled deeply and tried to calm herself, then she looked at the pink pony straight in the eyes. “I love him. But I don’t know what I saw him as. As friend, as adopted son, as designated partner, or as lover.” Pinkie Pie smiled sadly, “I see. You are just like me then.” “What do you mean… Oh dear, Pinkie, do you also…?” Rarity was again stunned by Pinkie Pie’s statement. “Just like you, I don’t know. But unlike you, I don’t even know why I have to love Spike. It’s not like that he’s infatuated with me like he does with you. We’ve simply been sharing some joyful time together in the library, sometimes chatting when he’s doing Twi’s study, sometimes playing games that I brought over. Otherwise, we haven’t gone on any big adventures, or had any unforgettable moments, just some normal happy time.” Rarity took some time to process Pinkie Pie’s words, and slowly nodded, “I see. You couldn’t make up your mind about Spike as well.” “… Please forgive me, Rarity, I should know…” Rarity put a hoof to Pinkie Pie’s mouth, “There’s no need to apologize, Pinkie. I have no monopoly on Spike. We are both victims to our feelings. Some of those feelings are so foreign and yet ours. We should just blame Twilight, let’s make her pay next time when we dine out.” Pinkie Pie chuckled. “So, if I really am into Spike somehow…” “We’ll see. If it was just some other colt, I would gladly say that we should have a fair duel and let the best mare win, but it’s Spike. Well, what can I say, it’s simply confusing.” “… Can we share?” Pinkie Pie suddenly asked. Rarity did a double-take at Pinkie Pie’s suggestion, “Pinkie, you… I haven’t even thought about those yet. A—and even if we do, would Spike himself agree?” “Sorry Rarity.” Pinkie Pie smiled bashfully, “I was, uh… just joking. I’m just glad that you’re not mad at me for my irrational feelings. Anyway, are you going on a trip with Spike to make up your mind?” “Yes, Pinkie. Hopefully by the end of the trip, I will know more about what I think about Spike myself. It’s just excruciating to let that uncertainty fester in my heart,” Rarity said, then reassured Pinkie with a smile. “Don’t worry, I won’t steal your dragon away from you. Spike’s not just mine, or even yours. He’s everyone’s dear dragon.” Pinkie Pie smilingly nodded. “Silly Rarity, you would never do something like that. I wish you… and Spike… all the best on your journey.” Rarity embraced the pink pony, and said. “Thank you Pinkie, you’ve been most kind.” “And uh.” Pinkie Pie sheepishly added, “Since you’re going to Canterlot, can you help me buy the newest issue of the Scone Magazine?” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Spike was floored when he heard that Rarity wanted to bring him along on a trip. He had been unhappy that he and Rarity seemed to be unable to see each other or progress beyond the status of good friends. He agreed after some deliberation. He would have agreed much more quickly, but in truth, he would also missed his other friends, like the bubbly cheerful Pinkie, and his tough but loving mentor Twilight. Especially Pinkie, she was seemingly much more reluctant to see Spike go. She cried a river of tears upon his and Rarity’s departure. She hugged the dragon so tightly he couldn’t breathe. Some nagging feeling in Spike’s heart told him that, Pinkie’s affections with him were not quite simple, but he couldn’t help but choose to steer his mind away, as he feared that it would ruin the happy friendship he had with the pink pony. Twilight, on the other hand, was somewhat more at ease with letting Spike go. Her expression was inscrutable, but she bid the white mare and the dragon farewell with a thin smile, not before warning them for possible dangers that they might encounter for the twentieth time. Twilight seriously considered casting a massive protection spell that would take her a few days to prepare, but Rarity talked her out of it and insisted that she and Spike was not going to Tartarus, and they could perfectly defend themselves. At last, the other mares escorted the two to the Ponyville train station. Twilight originally wanted to arrange for a Royal Chariot for them, but Rarity thought that it would be way too blatant for just a casual, private trip into Canterlot, and Twilight herself should not make use of her dispensed favors in the capital so recklessly and quickly. Rarity and Spike boarded the first train to Canterlot in the morning. The train was much slower than the Royal Chariot, and it would take a greater half of a day for them to reach their destination. But Rarity didn’t mind at all, it would just mean more time to chat with Spike, something that she hadn’t done for quite some time. As the train dashed forth in the rolling greens near Ponyville, Rarity turned to Spike. “Spikey-wikey, thank you again for agreeing to come with me on this trip, you will be immensely helpful in my fashion dealings in Canterlot and gem businesses.” “You’re welcome, Rarity,” Spike said. “But I’ve been thinking, what do you want me to help with, exactly?” Rarity thought for a bit, seeking help from Spike was not the main reason of bringing the dragon along, but she guessed it would help in any case. “Um, well. You can act as a critic and commentator for my designs. Besides, there will be a specialty fashion walk coming on, and I want you to be my model, Spike.” “What? Me? Model?” Spike was astounded at Rarity’s last sentence. “Yes, a dragon model. Ever since griffons came in from the east, and with now the trickling zebra and camel visitors, the ponies in the capital have been enamored with non-ponies cultures for a while. They saw these new visitors as something exotic and refreshing. Their admiration was a bit faddish, but was seen as high-minded as well.” “I see. So, uh, are you going to…?” “Why yes, Spikey-wikey, I am going to make a suit for you. It would definitely make you much more handsome-looking and accentuate your special features, like your spines.” Spike beamed, and already dreamed of his charming good look in a suit hoof-designed by his love. He’s going to cherish that suit of his for a long, long time. “Whoa thank you, Rarity, I’ll, um, do my best in the show!” Spike exclaimed. “By the way, I think you also need me for finding gem?” “True, Spikey-wikey. Gems have been an integral part of my design process, and I need a lot of them sometimes just for one dress. But recently, gems have become more expensive, and increasingly hard to buy around Ponyville. Surely you’ve noticed that too, Spike?” Spike nodded with a concerned look. Rarity continued, “If I can just buy and own a gem mine, it would solve a lot of problems. Besides, it’s time that I exercise some of my business skills, seeing that how Twilight and Applejack both become quite successful in this regard. I might consider going into the textile industry later as well.” “Glad to be of help, Rarity. So am I to help you find gems in the mine?” “Partly. As you know, I can find gem with my spells, but your senses for gems would help us determine the quality of the gem lodes quickly. Besides…” Rarity’s words trailed off. “What’s wrong, Rarity?” Spike asked with a bit of worry. “… There might indeed be need to defend ourselves,” Rarity said to the shock of Spike. “The gem mine was originally owned by an earth pony called Shiny Bounty, but it was recently invaded by a ground-dwelling canine race called the diamond dogs. Shiny Bounty cannot dispersed the diamond dogs by himself, so he sold the mine to me at a, hmm, reasonable price.” Rarity grinned, but then immediately frowned. “The diamond dogs are not violent or evil. But they love their gems dearly, and can be slightly bullish regarding gem despite their otherwise expansive nature. Perhaps this is also why they haven’t established relations with ponies yet despite living within our borders.” “Although they might not be very friendly creatures, I fully see how someone really hungry for gems can act.” Spike nodded. Rarity chuckled, “I admire your empathy, Spikey-wikey. That would get you far in life.” Spike sheepishly smiled. “Thanks, Rarity. So what are you going to do with the diamond dogs? Are you going to chase them out of the mines?” “Oh, Spikey-wikey, we won’t do that. If the mine was still owned by Shiny Bounty, we might have no choice but to do so. But since I now own the mine, I don’t want to harm or even upset the diamond dogs.” “Why, Rarity? They forcefully occupied somepony’s mine and ruined his livelihood! Surely that they were in the wrong, huh?” “Yes, they were definitely wrong, and they must be duly… persuaded if need be. Hence why I said we might need to defend ourselves.” Rarity tilted her head to one side, “But diamond dogs were an unfortunate thrall to their own impulsive desire, if we chase them out, they would just go and terrorize another mine, so we must deal with them right there. Hopefully we can reach some sort of understanding, especially…” “Hmm?” “Diamond dogs were master gem miners. If we can persuade them to help us mine gems, we can not only save bits for hiring ponies, the mine can also be much more productive.” Rarity said doubtfully. “But that would not be easy, since we’re basically asking them to give us gems in exchange of bits.” “I’ll try my best to help, Rarity. Don’t worry for now and take a nap, before the train arrives at Canterlot.” Spike nodded. “Thank you. Indeed, a beauty sleep is a lifeline for a lady.” Rarity smiled. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The train crossed the bridge on the Upper Saddle River and slowly climbed on the meandering tracks uphill. It eventually pulled itself into the train station of Canterlot. Despite being the central train hub of Equestria, the station was only somewhat bigger than the one in Ponyville, and didn’t compare to the ones in the cities on the East Coast. Rarity smirked, then immediately gestured Spike to come with her. “Well Spikey-wikey, since this is my first time in Canterlot, would you be a dear and guide me around, before we settle down at the hotel?” Although Rarity knew Canterlot’s streets from Twilight’s inherited experiences, she still decided to let Spike be her little champion for today. Spike brightly grinned. “My pleasure, Rarity! Let’s first go to the Prancing Pony Café, it’s got the best brewed Foal Mountain coffee in the whole Canterlot!” The mare and the dragon set out for their first day of visit in Canterlot. They visited cafés, saloons, boutiques, monuments, and took a stroll in the Canterlot Sculpture Garden. When she passed the statue of Discord, she gave it a cheeky wink. They even sneaked into Twilight’s old quarter in the Ivory Tower, which made Rarity somewhat nostalgic, despite never having been there before. Spike was giving his all in explaining the culture and history of the capital to Rarity, and Rarity was appreciative. Still, she was somewhat unsure whether she saw Spike just as a little dragon, or more than that. Still, she was very thankful for the dragon’s efforts, so at the end of the day, she hugged Spike dearly, and gave him a red ruby as a token of her appreciation. The next day, Spike was awaken by some noises in his room. He rubbed his eyes, and saw Rarity using her sewing machine and magic to sew some black materials together. “Good morning, Spikey-wikey. Sorry for the noises. It’s still a bit early in the morning, you may go back to sleep.” Rarity looked at the still dark sky out of the window, and said somewhat apologetically. “I’ll just go somewhere else to continue my work.” Spike was very tempted to just fall back onto his bed, but he couldn’t possibly do that to Rarity, so he said. “Good morning Rarity. There is no need to move out, where else can you go to work in private anyway?” He let out a yawn. “My sleep can wait.” “Thank you, Spikey-wikey.” Rarity smiled. “The show will be on tomorrow evening, and since I went around Canterlot yesterday and saw a lot of city ponies, I’ve come up with a new design that you might like. So I just tried to wake up early in the morning and finish it up.” Rarity put a hoof on Spike’s little shoulder, “As I only need a few materials to make a suit the size of yours, it should be done relatively quickly. Spikey-wikey, if you can wait just for a while, I can let you try it on and see what you think.” “Gladly!” Spike cheerfully replied. Soon, just as Rarity said, a well-tailored suit the size of Spike was done. It was a primarily black three-piece suit, evocative of a quiet but respect-commanding leader. The vest hit the belt buckle, the fit was perfect, and the single-breasted black jacket and the black tie was subdued, allowing for balance. Some space was left for Spike’s protruding spines, the shapes for which the tight cut emphasized greatly. The centerpiece of the suit was a single red ruby pinned at the top of the left pocket. It was not a suit that stood out by its bright color, but naturally possessed a strong and powerful presence. Spike gulped and his eyes widened. He never saw something like that before. The past designs from Rarity that he had seen were all frilly and vivid. But this suit of his was not at all avant-garde, but solid and sturdy. It made him think that he would look strong by simply wearing it. “How’s the suit? Do you like it, Spikey-wikey?” Rarity asked eagerly. Spike rigorously nodded. “Yes! I like it very much!” “I’m glad you like it, Spikey-wikey. It made all my works worth it.” Rarity smiled. “Now I must take a slight rest. After that, we’ll have a little rehearsal for tomorrow’s walk.” Rarity observed Spike, who was more than a little uneasy. “Don’t worry at all. A day is long enough for us. You’ll get the hang of it very soon.” After Rarity’s small power nap, she and Spike practiced for the fashion walk the next day. Spike’s initial steps were a bit clumsy. He fell over a few times and even almost torn up the jacket by accident, but he eventually became used to walk in the three-piece suit with confidence. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The light again dimmed on the catwalking platform, as the last model walked back into the backstage. Today’s fashion show had been a moderate success. Even the notoriously finicky and demanding judge, Hoity Toity, praised some of the previous designs worn by griffon and camel models, and gave lukewarm responses to the others. Still, there were the occasional unfortunate designs, which were very promptly torn to pieces by the harsh fashion critic. Rarity gently place her hooves on Spike’s shoulder, “It’s your turn, Spike. Go out and just be yourself.” She smiled. Spike swallowed for a bit, then walked out in wide gait with light musical accompaniment. The persistent chatter in the audience suddenly died down, as they watched a small suit-wearing dragon walked on the stage with comfortable wide gaits. Spike purposefully shook the brim of his jacket, causing a brisk wave of ‘whoa’ from the gazing crowd. Hoity Toity removed his glasses and carefully looked at the sharply-dressed dragon. His face remained enigmatic for a moment, until he began to clasp slowly and loudly with his hooves. Then the audience began clapping as well in a wave of applause. As the cheers died down, Hoity Toity said to Rarity, who had trotted to the side of the stage next to the fashion critic, “Very courageous choice of both fabrics and model, um…” “Rarity, from Ponyville.” Rarity replied curtly. “Ah yes, Rarity. This must be the first time I ever see a dragon on a catwalk in my whole life as a professional fashion critic. ‘Tis truly the most exotic of them all. A dragon’s body shape, color and scales made designing clothes for them much more challenging. Fortunately, your simple design has masterfully highlighted the shiny scales and underline the body shape of your model. The red ruby was a brilliant touch, magnifique. It is a very refreshing visual treat.” Rarity sensed that there was more to Hoity Toity’s words. “Yes, Madame Toity?” “… However, your design was a bit lacking in variety and color. It is way too plain, and jarring with the exoticness that drips from some of the previous designs, which fit well with the foreign models so much.” Hoity Toity raised his voice to the audience. “I hereby announce, that today’s winner in the fashion show belongs to Silky Soft’s design, Rising Phoenix! Your winning design will be presented in my boutiques for all the month!” The audience cheered for the winner, who graciously came up and accepted the accolade. Spike walked up towards the white unicorn with some trepidation. “Um… Rarity, I’m…” “Shh, Spike, if there is anypony in the fault, it’s me and me alone.” Rarity interrupted Spike’s apology. It’s a strange feeling for Rarity. She had always wanted to win over the fashion critics in Canterlot with her brilliant designs, so that she would rise above the fray and become one of the best fashion designers in Equestria. But at this very moment, she did not mind for a bit that her design was not favored by Hoity Toity. All she could think of was how Spike said he liked her design, and the handsome and confident look on his face when he walked out onto the stage. Spike was still fretful, and said, “But Rarity, I know that you want the critics to acknowledge you very much.” Rarity’s mind suddenly became clearer. “… Spikey-wikey, do you know why I chose this design for you, but not some more colorful and exotic designs like the others did with their model?” Spike shook his head. “No, I don’t know.” “You know how the ponies here think of the foreign models?” Rarity said wistfully. “They just think of them as some exotic creatures to gawk at. Exotic creatures obviously need to wear over-the-top costumes, in order to satiate the ponies’ need for the new and the strange.” Rarity turned to the purple dragon and smiled. “But you, you are not just some strange dragon. You are my dearest Spikey-wikey. And I didn’t want to make you into one of those caricatures.” Spike simply looked at the white mare with wide-open eyes. Then suddenly, he felt two forceful white hooves surrounding his shoulder, and a low gentle murmur in his ears. Today, even though they didn’t really win anything in the fashion show, Spike still thought that he’s a winner. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The next day, Rarity and Spike left Canterlot and departed for the gem mine, which was located at the vicinity of the Saddle Plains, mid-way from Canterlot to Ponyville. After exchanging paperwork with Shiny Bounty, who was simply thankful for not having to deal with the diamond dogs ever again, they went straight for the mine. They arrived at an entrance of the vertical mine shaft. A rusted ladder led downwards into the mine. Rarity, however, elected to simply elevate she and Spike with her telekinesis, and lower themselves into the mine, for fear that the old ladder might just break in the middle of descent. They landed at a very large cavern with passages towards seemingly numerous places. It seemed that the cave system of this mine was very extensive. A large amount of passages were obviously recently dug with crude tools, showing that the diamond dogs had expanded the mine greatly since seizing it. Rarity and Spike looked at one another, and she promptly casted her gem finding magic. She followed the guidance of her gentle blue magic glow, and soon arrived at a protruding lode of sapphire. Spike’s eyes shone, as he hammered the lode and took a bite on the raw gemstone. “Mm, mm. This one’s good. Not excellent, but acceptable.” “Very well, S—” Rarity’s words were interrupted by a loud howl and a few barks. “Haw haw, look at what we’ve got here. A teeny dragon with another pony.” The imposing grey canine cackled. He was walking on two feet, wearing a gem-studded collar and a grey jacket. Rarity’s eyebrow rose as she heard the word ‘another’, but she decided to remain silent and observe for now. “Hey, I see this pony just using her magic to find gems, Fido!” Another diamond dog hollered. This one was somewhat shorter than the one he called Fido, and his coat was less bluish. “Let’s grab this one as well! We can find even more gems with her!” The third Diamond dog was lankier and taller than the other two, and wearing a red jacket instead. Spike looked at Rarity worriedly, but she smiled at him and trotted forth. “I’m the new official owner of this gem mine, Rarity. May I have the pleasure of knowing your names?” “Blah, we don’t recognize your useless piece of paper, the mine is ours, ours I tell you!” The taller Diamond dog scoffed. “But since you’re polite enough, I will tell you our names. I’m Rover. They’re Fido and Spot. You’ll need to know us anyway, hehe.” “Nice to meet you all.” Rarity greeted despite their transparent intentions. “I know that gems are very important to you. But can we just talk?” “No, you silly pony! You will stay here to help us dig gems as well!” Fido snapped. “Guard, catch her! And her little dragon too!” Rover ordered. Rarity, for some reason, simply stood there and offered no resistance. The guard Diamond dog snatched her up like some sort of trinkets and placed her next to the three smirking diamond dogs. Spike looked on with horror, but also immense anger. The diamond dogs were much bigger than him, and he could not take on them in a fight. He felt so helpless. This made him incredibly angry at himself for not being able to rescue Rarity from them. “Ha! You're our precious little pony now, forever!” Spot chortled. “Now dig! Dig all the gemsss in the mine for us!” Rover said to Rarity, who reluctantly began to dig the ground with her hooves. Spike couldn’t take it anymore. First they stole the entire mine of gems for themselves, then they stole Rarity, now they wanted to keep Rarity for themselves and made her their slave forever? Who did these diamond dogs think they were, just robbing his rightful gems and dear lover away from his paws? The guard went forth and wanted to grab Spike as well, when he noticed something strange was happening to the small dragon. Spike let out a furious roar, totally unlike what a dragon of his size should have produced. His body then emitted a strange purple glow, and became larger and larger. The diamond dogs looked on with shock. And Rarity was even more stunned than they were. “It can’t be… No wait, Spike, don’t!” She yelled. But the dragon seemed not to listen. He roared again and breathed out a trail of green fire, causing the rocks on the cave wall to glow red hot. He continued to grow bigger, and it looked to Rarity that he might eventually cause a cave collapse with his increasing size. She decided it was not time to wait idly anymore. She gritted her teeth and tried to teleport herself next to Spike, but her spell fizzled. Rarity grumbled with an exasperated look. She then flared her horn and launched herself towards Spike instead. She landed on the tip of the nose of the angry Spike. “Spike, calm down now, please. You’ve done well enough.” She gently cooed, and slightly kissed the dragon’s forehead. Spike was suddenly pulled back into reality, and he stopped rampaging through the caves. He then lowered his head to let the mare on the ground. Rarity smiled, and then casted another spell, this time engulfing the whole dragon. Spike’s body responded to the unicorn’s magic as it gradually shrank, but before it could return to the original size, Rarity’s magic abruptly ceased and she collapsed on the ground. “Rarity!” Spike cried out. “It’s… It’s alright, Spikey-wikey, just a little bit magical exhaustion. I can take it with some rest.” Rarity looked at Spike, who was now slightly larger than Rover in size. “We need to fix you up before going back to Ponyville though, or Twilight would be mad at us.” Spike nodded, then asked. “Why did you just let them capture you, Rarity? I was very worried! You could cast magic to defend yourself, right?” “Spikey-wikey, I just don’t want to create meaningless confrontations when mere words can solve the problem. Diamond dogs get a soft ears for words, so if I pester them enough, I figure that they would perhaps listen. I’m sorry for not telling you before, Spike.” Rarity then stood up with struggle and trotted towards the diamond dogs, who were cuddling together in fear. “D—Don’t harm me, I—I will let you go, just go!” Rover said with a trembling voice. Rarity sighed, it would be very difficult to establish mutual relationship when one side was so utterly frightened. But perhaps she could also make use of the current situation. “Don’t worry, Rover. It was but a little accident. Now, I still want to discuss with you regarding matters of this mine, but before that, I must ask you one thing.” Rarity’s gaze turned extremely serious. “Are you keeping another pony here to dig gems for you?” Rover gulped and exhaled profusely at the pressure from the white mare’s threatening expression. “Ju—just one, and just for a few days, I swear!” “Bring us to the pony, at once!” Rarity snapped, to which the diamond dogs nodded vigorously. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Distant echoes of hammering came from the far side of the caves, and it grew louder and louder. In the dark and poorly-lit caverns, Rarity suddenly saw a blue glow. She and Spike immediately dashed forth to locate the source of the glow. What they saw had shocked them to the bone. The blue show-mare, Trixie, whom they met a few months ago, was toiling away in the dark tunnels and digging for gems for the diamond dogs. “Oh my stars!” Rarity froze at the sight and said. “What in Equestria are you doing here, Trixie?!” Spike added. “… Huh?” Trixie turned and said. “Oh dear, it’s you! Twilight’s friend... Rarity's your name, right?” “Y- Yes. But are you alright, Trixie, and did they hurt you?” Rarity asked worriedly, then gritted her teeth. “I originally wanted to go soft on them, but if they dare to…” “Trixie is alright, and no, the diamond dogs did not hurt me,” Trixie sighed weakly. “I got meals and water, and the occasional rests too. It’s just a bit cramped and depressing to work in such a dark place all day.” “How’d they got their paws on you, Trixie? My name’s Spike, by the way, I’m a dragon living in with Twilight.” Spike glared at the diamond dogs behind them and then looked back to Trixie. Although he disliked the pompous and haughty way the show-mare treated others back in Ponyville, she did not deserve to be locked up in dark caves mining for gems. “Well… Trixie went back to Canterlot after leaving Ponyville, where I wanted to make a living in the streets without the acts of claiming to be the most powerful unicorn. But sadly, my new acts did not earn me enough bits to make ends meet.” Trixie’s voice went low. “… So Trixie went hunting for other works. I saw an ad for a job on the rock farm, but um… I, uh, got lost on my way, and the diamond dogs captured me when I fell into one of the mine shafts.” “You’re free now, Trixie.” Rarity smiled. “Trixie thank you, Rarity, Spike. I was afraid that I’d have to spend the rest of my life down here.” Trixie lowered her head. “Now… um, do you want a job in my boutique?” Rarity asked. Trixie’s head shot up. Rarity continued. “I’m having a lot of commitments recently, and I really can use the help of a unicorn that is adept with fine magic control. Besides, if you stay in Ponyville, you can learn magic with Twilight, just as she offered you back then, right? I’ll offer you twenty percent higher than the market pay, plus free meals and recompense for local accommodation.” Trixie thought for a short while and immediately bobbed her head. “Trixie will work hard, Rarity. Thank you very much for offering me this opportunity.” Spike looked on with happiness but also surprise. He almost could not believe that the blue mare in front of him was the same pretentious show-pony he met a few months ago. It seemed that Twilight’s words had a really great impact on Trixie. “Now onto business,” Rarity turned to the diamond dogs, “As I said, I’m the new owner of this gem mine. Although you have intruded upon my property, but I do not intend to expel you yet.” The diamond dog’s eyes lit up. “Is this true, po—um, Rarity?” Rover asked. “Only if you agree to my conditions.” Rarity said. “First, absolutely no abducting of ponies into the mines to help you hunt gems. It is very illegal to kidnap ponies and keep them for menial work in Equestria. And I cannot offer protection to you against law enforcement even if I want to.” The diamond dogs nodded. Rarity then continued. “Second, should you agree to stay in my mine, you must also sign a contract to become my workers. That means, you work for me to mine gems, and in return, you get wages in form of gems and bits.” “What are bits good for? We are diamond dogs, we only want gems.” Spot frowned, “Besides, we can’t use bits anyway, we can only stay underground.” “That brings me to the third point. If you agree to become my workers, I will petition to the Mayor Mare to make you naturalized citizens of Ponyville. This means you can then go into the town and spend your bits. You can buy a lot of things with bits. Gems aside, you can buy yourself comfy clothes, bedding and other amenities that make your life more comfortable. You can make your caves like a royal palace if you have bits, but you can’t do that with just gems.” Fido noticed a finer distinction in Rarity’s words. “You said we can be citizens of Ponyville, why not the whole Equestria then? We want to meet our faraway cousins without getting bothered by you ponies.” Rarity sighed. “I’m sorry, Fido. There’s some ponies, including in the royal court, that are averse to the idea that non-ponies walking among ponies. And these acts of aggression.” Rarity pointed at Trixie. “… certainly don’t help. I fear that any royal petition will be shot down rather quickly, but I’m confident that I can make your lives easier in Ponyville, my hometown.” “Very well. Is there anything else?” Rover asked. “I might hire more ponies to help you out in the future. They will only be paid in bits, so they won’t thin out your share of gems. But if you guys do find any diamond dog brethren who would like to join this operation, they are more than welcome.” Rarity explained. “Also, I will try to arrange for better tools and gears to help you dig more gems out. Since you’ll be paid a portion of the gems you hunt for, the more you mine, the more you get. With the improved equipment, you will definitely get more gems even after you give a portion out.” “This sounds fair enough.” Rover nodded. “What say you, brothers?” The other diamond dogs also affirmed. “Very good. I will visit this mine again after I draft the contracts. Be well in the meantime.” Rarity said. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rarity, Trixie and Spike decided to simply trek back to Ponyville, since the distance from the mine to the town was actually just a few hours’ walk. Rarity thought back to the mines. Perhaps the accident with Spike was not too bad a thing after all. After some observation and confirmation, she found out that diamond dogs recognized leadership by displays of power, and since she ‘subdued’ Spike in front of their eyes, she probably became the alpha mare of their group. This would make future dealings much smoother. Rarity looked to the small dragon, who have been shrunk to his original size by Rarity after some more rest. She thinly smiled when she thought of this trip out with Spike. Now she was much more certain in her mind. Spike and she was possible after all. She had been obsessed with the romantic spark in her relationship, and she had been very nervous at not finding that passion in her relationship with Spike. But she found that she cared deeply for Spike as a dragon on a level she never did with any of her family and friends. She was not sure if that was love, but it was definitely not just friendship. And she was now more than willing to try it out with her Spikey-wikey. There’s a slight problem, though. From the little incident in the gem mine, Rarity also noticed that Spike was seeing her as his. The dragon greed, as Twilight said, made Spike into a dragon with dominating desire for possession. Although Spike was calmed by her words and magic, the root of his greed was still deep in his heart. She wondered if Spike could grow to see her less as an object of his desire, but a mare of her own. She trusted that, for now, Spike can learn to control his greed and learn to be a good lover. But only time would tell. Rarity then turned to Trixie, who was timidly walking beside her. She never would have guessed she would meet Trixie in the mine. Something must have happened in those few months between their meetings as well, as the formerly proud and egotistic show-mare was visibly much more subdued. Her gaze was sometimes fearful even, which made Rarity’s heart ached. She feared that it was poor treatment or humiliation that made Trixie into a depressed mare, although it could also just be Twilight’s words eating at her. She and Trixie hadn’t really talked much back then, so it would be slightly awkward to ask her these questions. Therefore, the trio walked in silence under the setting sun, and they reached Ponyville when the last glimmer of twilight was seen. As they slowly walked towards the Golden Oak Library, Spike suddenly turned to Trixie. “Um, Trixie, where’s your wagon? The one that I saw you pull around last time?” Trixie grimaced. “Trixie took the trinkets out and sold the wagon. I was a bit desperate.” “Oh, I’m sorry…” Spike said. Trixie smiled sadly. “Don’t be, Spike. Perhaps it’s a sign that I should begin anew. Tri—I am even trying not to refer to myself as Trixie all the time.” “You don’t have to do that, Trixie. Just do whatever that makes you comfortable.” Rarity said, to which Spike added his assent. Trixie pondered for a while and replied, “I—eh? We’ve reached the library already?” The tall oak that was illuminated by the orange lights from its windows was already in front of the trio. Spike rushed forth and knocked, “Twilight, we’re back!” Soon enough, Twilight galloped to the door. “Welcome back! Spike, Rarity… Trixie?!” Her eyes bulged in shock. The blue mare sheepishly blushed. “Um, hi?” “Oh my, come in everyone!” Twilight realized that Trixie finally came back for her, and smiled brightly. “You must all be tired. I’ll go brew some tea.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rarity had bid her farewell to Twilight, and Spike went straight to sleep after such a long and tiring journey. The only two ponies remaining in the library were just Twilight and Trixie. The two was sitting on the porch of the upper balcony, gazing at the night sky in the cool night breeze. “… and so I ended up coming back with Rarity and Spike.” Trixie explained. “What a tale.” Twilight said with a sigh. “I’m very sorry for the treatment you endured in the capital. Ponies can be cold sometimes.” “You don’t have to, Twilight. It’s, as you say, a laughable façade anyway.” Trixie chuckled in defeat. “Even though I succeeded at swooning ponies with my tall tales, they are still tall tales. Trixie’s just a failed magician without her blatant lies. Even now, I can’t even shed my silly way of calling myself without fumbling my words.” Twilight was deeply saddened by the self-defeatist attitude of the former show-mare, as she wondered if her words back then were in any way overboard. “Don’t say that! It’s true that bragging is bad. But sometimes, we are forced by circumstances to act like somepony that we aren’t, and that is completely fine. Recognizing that doesn’t mean you should go to another extreme and denounce everything that you were!” “But Trixie…” “No but, Trixie. You are talented in fine magic control, just as Rarity told you. You knew it deep in your heart, didn’t you? How else could you manipulate the magical tools and props so easily back then?” Twilight firmly said, “And while I’m more than glad that you finally come to me, that doesn’t mean you need to abandon your old self completely. You don’t pour the foal out of the tub along with the bath water. For one, it’s fine to refer yourself as Trixie or I. It matters not a bit. What matters is your determination to face your true self. I, Rarity, and all my friends are ready to help you.” Trixie went silent, and then she started to tear up. “Thank you, Twilight…” “Now, before you find a place to live in Ponyville, you can live in with us in the spare bedroom.” Twilight suddenly grinned. “Are you ready to learn, Trixie?” Trixie looked up, wiped her tears and firmly nodded, “Yes! Trixie thank you!” “Good, the first task for you… is to smile.” Twilight embraced the blue mare. Unlike the last time, Trixie broke into a bright smile and returned her hug. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “It’s been some time I’ve written a friendship letter.” Twilight said. “What? The last one was just sent before we left, wasn’t it?” Spike was confused. “Correction. A friendship letter that involves something bigger than fixing somepony’s broken pipe,” Twilight shook her head. “Now, what should I write?” “You’re not going to write about Trixie? She seems so happy and comfortable with herself now.” Spike asked. “Well, I can also write about you and Rarity’s little love trip. Celestia sure would love a juicy gossip about an Element-bearer and her little dragon.” “What?!” Spike exclaimed. “No! I’m not writing that letter for you! If you do that, Twi, I—I will go away and never come back!” Spike expected Twilight to hit him back with a cheeky remark, but he was shocked to see Twilight with a horrified expression. He immediately walked up to the purple mare and reassured, “Um, Twi, I was just joking. I would never just leave like that.” Twilight was calmed a bit by the dragon’s words. “You better not!” She huffed. “So seriously, are you going to write about Trixie?” Spike asked again. “Well, let’s do it. Dear Princess Celestia, Today I’m pleased to see one of my long-gone friends come back from her trip to discover herself. I’ve learnt that even though we sometimes want to begin anew, we are still bound to our past. Our past, even if we look upon it fondly or not, is part of what makes our current self. It would just make us hollow and without aim to attempt to wipe it off completely. At the end, to accept our past is also critical for us to turn a new page in our lives. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle” “Sounds like something about yourself on the surface, but actually for Princess Luna again.” Spike commented. “Hey, clever Spike!” Twilight praised. “Speaking of which, I’ve seldom seen Princess Luna since her return. I should take some time to meet her in person to check up on her… reintegration.”