“Oh Spike, it’s simply amazing,” Rarity had been saying all the way back to their hotel room. “I’m going to live in Canterlot! I get to stay in the school dormitory and live a real Canterlot life. And I’ll get to tell my parents that I did get accepted to a fancy unicorn school. They’ll be so proud. Oh, but only if I manage to pass the exam tomorrow. Do you think I can do it, Spike? I don’t know.”
Spike nodded encouragement. “Absolutely.” He forced a smile.
He wasn’t kidding, either. Spike had known for a while that Rarity was an incredibly talented unicorn. But she’d chosen to focus on fashion instead of arcana. Maybe Future-Rarity hadn’t thought of herself as some ‘powerful wizard’ but Spike had seen enough to know she could be. He had walked in on some of her dressmaking montages and seen fabrics, gems, ribbons and mannequins all flying effortlessly about the room while Rarity sang and lively outfits danced around her. Heck, she’d invented her own spell for finding gems.
She would pass muster. Spike was unfortunately convinced of it.
“And those students are so nice,” Rarity said. “I really think they’re going to appreciate me here. Why, I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited to go to school. Isn’t that strange?”
It was night time when they reached their hotel and got into their room.
“Oh, and that’s to say nothing of the best part,” Rarity went on. She turned to Spike and grinned. “I got my cutiemark!” she cheered, jumping for joy.
“Heh. Yeah,” Spike said. “Big ol’ shiny cutiemark. Wow, that’s just… great.”
Rarity stopped bouncing and calmed her breathing. “Is it…?” She hesitated. “Is it not what you expected, Spike?”
He scolded himself again for his selfishness. “No, no. It’s great! I’m really happy for you. Wow. Canterlot? You’re going to love it here.”
“Spike, don’t be coy with me,” Rarity said. “Is this or is it not the cutiemark you were expecting?”
Spike walked a few paced and slumped onto the floor. “No…” he groaned. “But that’s okay! Really. I’ve seen so many new cutiemarks already. It’s fine.”
Rarity stepped into his field of vision. “So it’s the school that’s bothering you, then.”
“No, I—” Spike sat up. “Well… Maybe a little. But it shouldn’t. I want you to be happy. It’s just…”
“Just?”
“Well… It’s different. Who’s going to look after Sweetie Belle?”
“Spike, she’s a baby. My parents will look after her.”
“But she’ll grow up without you.”
“Well she can come here, then,” Rarity said, “and take the test.”
“She won’t pass,” Spike said. “Sweetie Belle’s magic isn’t very good when she’s your age.”
“Well she can come visit me,” Rarity said. “And you said she’s got her Crusader friends. She’ll do fine.”
“Okay…” Spike said. “And you’ll remember to keep doing fashion?”
Rarity scoffed at him. “Spike. I do not do fashion. I live it.”
“Heh. Yeah…” Spike smiled. “But you’ll go home if the Elements need you, right?”
“I thought you said the Elements weren’t going to work.”
“They still might,” Spike insisted. “So… If they need you.”
“Yes, Spike. I’ll keep an eye out for the other Elements.”
They both suddenly remembered.
“Rainbow Dash,” Spike said. “We forgot to visit her today.”
“Oh, and my exam is tomorrow,” Rarity said. “And then we have to go back to Ponyville. I’m really running out of gems and bits.”
Spike got to his hooves again. “It’s okay, Rarity. You go take your exam. I’ll go see Rainbow Dash by myself.”
“Are you sure?” Rarity asked. “What if you need my help to sneak into restricted areas? Or to fast-talk somepony for information?” She grinned. “Or save you from a giant cake monster.”
Spike chuckled. “I don’t know. I guess I’ll just get covered in cake.”
They both lapsed into blank stares.
“What the hay were those things?” Spike said with a shiver.
“I’ll ask around at the school tomorrow,” Rarity said. “Somepony ought to know by then.”
Spike nodded.
The encroaching conversation loomed uncomfortably.
“Sooo…” Rarity began. She gave a polite cough. “Your, um… armband.”
“Yyyyeah,” Spike said, absentmindedly itched at his left foreleg.
Rarity seated herself in front of him like a guard dog. “Show me,” she said.
Spike winced. “Okay…”
He closed his eyes and willed the image of the green and purple colt to disappear. There was a green flash and he heard Rarity give a sharp intake of breath. Spike opened his eyes. Oh boy was she staring.
“Why didn’t you tell be about all this?” Rarity asked. “It looks infected.”
Spike looked down at the band and was surprised himself to see she black roots and advanced even further up and down his arm now.
“I didn’t know it was this bad…” he said.
“You must have known something,” Rarity accused.
“I did. I—I just didn’t want you to worry. Or… to see me like this.”
“Well,” Rarity relented. “It’s nice to see you again. Spike. I missed my little dragon.”
“Thanks,” he said, but didn’t smile.
“And you can’t just take it off?”
“No. It’s pretty much stuck there. Oh.” Spike pointed to Rarity’s saddlebags. “The potion from Zecora. It’s not for Rainbow Dash. It’s for… this.”
“Then why don’t we use it?” Rarity asked, taking out the orange vial.
“We can’t,” Spike said. “Not yet, anyway. I still need to see Rainbow Dash tomorrow. I still need to find Twilight.”
“Well, yes, I understand, but this mess can’t be good for you, dear.”
“I’ll use the potion after we go home,” Spike said.
“What if it doesn’t work by then?”
“Then I’ll go see Zecora again. We’ll work something out. Really, I’ve got it all under control. Or at least, I won’t let it get too far out of control.”
“You’ve got a magical artefact of unknown origin fused to your arm and it’s growing bigger and stronger every day. I’d say it’s pretty far out of control.”
“Can you just trust me?” Spike huffed.
“Really? After you hid this from me? Trust?”
Spike grit his teeth. “Okay. I deserve that.”
Rarity put a hoof on his right shoulder and looked him in his normal green dragon eyes.
“Okay,” she said. “I don’t like it, but okay. The ‘trust’ needs to start somewhere. So this is me, trusting you. But that also means I’m trusting you to keep me informed.”
Spike’s claws fidgeted together. “Well in that case… there is one more issue.”
Rarity nodded. “Yes?”
Spike closed his eyes and frowned. “I’ve been having weird dreams. Not every night, but… enough.”
“What kind of weird dreams?”
Spike shook his head. “Me. Except, I’m not me. I’m this… other thing. A creature called a changeling. I’m in the changeling nest, surrounded by more of these creatures. Not much happens anymore. Just scurrying around in the dark, but—Well, it’s really starting to get to me. I feel like I am one of them—or all of them—in those moments. Then I wake up and I’m myself again. But it’s really… well… disturbing.”
Rarity’s hoof tightened on his shoulder in reassurance. “I can’t imagine,” she said. “Do you want to take the bed tonight?”
Spike snorted a laugh and opened his eyes. “No. You keep it. You’ve got that big exam tomorrow. I’ll be fine.”
“Well I do insist you sleep at the end of the bed, at least,” Rarity said. “I don’t take up much room. Please, Spike, this carpet is awfully thin.”
He nodded. “Alright.”
Rarity stood back from him and smiled. “Now. What do you think of my new cutiemark? Isn’t it just the best cutiemark?”
“Oh yeah. No question,” Spike agreed happily. “We should get some cake to celebrate.”
“Agh!” Rarity laughed. “I’m perfectly sure that I shall have disturbing dreams now.”
“It came from beyond the library,” Spike said, waving his arms.
“Ahh! Get back, demon!” Rarity seized a pillow with her magic and chased him with it.
They laughed and played until the neighbours rudely reminded them of how paper-thin hotel walls could be and at what time most ponies preferred to sleep.