In a very dimly lit, unused and forgotten boutique, a light gray pony sits in her high chair, almost forgotten by time. Her colourless coat stands out brightly against the dark shadows that fill the depressing room. This is where she stays, as day by day, she is sobbing and thinking, crying in thought, waiting. As she does this, she re-lives all of her past mistakes and regrets all the things she hadn't done, all the opportunities she had missed in ignorance. She’s silently wishing, wishing she could go back and make her past clearer...but not just for her. She wishes she could go back and make things clearer for a certain purple dragon. But one can only wish...
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June 25:
Dear Diary,
I simply cannot wait for tomorrow! Me and my lovely friend Twilight, are going to visit Zecora’s hut in the Everfree forest! I was just telling Twilight about a huge order I had just received, and how I was probably going to end up working all tomorrow night on it. I was in total distress! But then, Twilight told me about a special potion Zacora could make that could give me enough energy to finish it before sundown tomorrow! I’m going with Twilight to Zecora's tomorrow morning. I do hope we do not leave too early though, I need my beauty sleep!
-Rarity
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Spike cautiously leaned over Rarity’s shoulder, glancing secretly at her diary as she wrote. Rarity turned and caught him dead in the act.
“Spike!” she yelled, as if she was surprised he would do such a thing . Spike quickly turned around and whistled innocently, chuckling to himself. Rarity closed her diamond encrusted white diary Sweetie Belle had got her last year, “I mean come on, you’re almost a full grown teenage dragon now, you can’t be doing such childish things!”
Spike smirked, “I’m sorry Rarity. I was just a little curious.” Spike hopped off the side of high Rarity’s chair, “Promise I won’t do it again,” he said. Rarity tucked her diary behind her back and shot Spike a skeptical look. Spike swiftly moved back towards the chair. Even from the ground, he was now tall enough to look at Rarity eye to eye while she was sitting in her high chair. Spike’s face moved closer to Rarity’s as he gently whispered, “I promise.”
Rarity smiled, “Thank you Spikey Wikey,” she said hugging him.
Throughout the years, Rarity and Spike had become a lot closer. On an average night, Spike was always at the boutique, helping Rarity with something or just bringing her company. They had grown quite accustomed to each other.
“Is it not just about time for you to be getting home?” asked Rarity. The sun had long since passed over the peaceful land of Ponyville. “Twilight is going to be worried sick!” she exclaimed.
Spike walked out the door, ducking as he could hardly fit though. Rarity trotted back to her high chair and grabbed her quill. She opened up her diary and neatly scribbled, “P.S. I think I will ask Spike if he wants to come too.” Rarity dotted the “i” in Spike with a heart as she closed the sparkling white tablet, and trotted up the stairs to her room.
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Twilight and Rarity casually walked down the aged path to the Everfree forest. The warm sunlight, sheltering the ponies of Ponyville from bad thoughts, as they happily went about their daily routines.
Twilight was levitating her clipboard in front her, checking off the ingredients she needed to get from Zecora. Rarity was too busy looking out for Spike when she tripped over a rock that was sticking out of the dirt path.
Twilight helped her up, “He should be here soon,” she said, as if reading Rarity’s mind. “He just had to go do some...ah errands.”
Rarity dusted herself off, using her magic to remove the dirt from her coat. “Well I do not want to go through the forest by ourselves,” said Rarity. She looked down the path to the see the towering trees and dark brush, who knew what they would find if they took the wrong path or got lost. The two mares continued trotting as more and more vegetation formed around them until they were entering the Everfree Forest.
Spike still had not caught up and Rarity had began to worry if she was safe in the forest with only her and Twilight. Even the bright sun could hardly be made out from the heavy ceiling of leaves and tree branches. Small streams of light shone down on the ponies, illuminating them from total darkness.
“Twilight...maybe we should just turn around...” whispered Rarity. Rarity valued the many grand results of being a successful dressmaker...but she valued nothing more than her own life. The trees, grimly carved wooden statues, stared down at them, causing Rarity to turn back every minute or two, wondering exactly what she was seeing. Rarity stopped and turned to catch some quick glimpses of green and white among the trees, mostly likely her eyes playing tricks on her.
“Her hut is just down this path up here,” said Twilight, casually trotted and thinking of the work she needed to get down today.
Rarity sighed, she was coming to the conclusion that she was just paranoid. She turned and looked to toward Twilight in relief, but it had seemed her conclusion was false. Twilight was stopped dead in her tracks, staring at the giant in front of her. As Rarity gazed upon the large maroon dragon, she fell backwards in shock. Rarity, quickly turning backwards and crawling, as Twilight slowly stepped, let out a yelp as another dragon came from behind her.
“Well...Well...Well Garble, looks like we got some little ponies.” said the large orange dragon that was staring down at Rarity.
Garble laughed as he shortened the distance between him and Twilight in one sweeping step. “What are a couple of...pretty ponies like you doing out in forest?” he said, grinning.
Rarity was still lying on the ground, scared and motionless. Twilight tried to sound calm, but her voice was quaking in fear, her knees quivering as she looked at Garble. “We...were just--....uhm we’re heading,” she stumbled over her words.
Gable wrapped his large, muscular arm around Twilight, pulling her into him. “Lost?” he said, his eyes piercing through Twilights. She tried to back up again, but the orange dragon was now directly behind her. Rarity laid on the ground, hooves over eyes, crying in fear.
Twilight’s horned glowed as she shot a blast of magic at the orange dragon behind her, knocking him to the ground. He laughed as he got up, “This kitty's got claws.” The dragon grabbed Twilight head, and throw her to the ground, he started to kick her violently as she yelled and cried.
“Woah, Woah, Woah, Snap, you don’t want to tear her body up too bad...yet.” Garble was staring down at Twilight, who was bruised but alright.
Snap gave her one last kick to the head, rendering her unconscious. “Don’t worry,” he cackled. “We still got this beauty,” Snap walked over to the still cowering Rarity and picked her up by her mane.
“Why! Unhand me this instant!” she screamed. “This is not how you treat a lady!” she screamed on.
Garble grabbed Rarity mouth, pushing her cheeks together, “Oh don’t you worry cutie, we know how to treat ladies.” Both the dragons were now laughing as they grabbed at Rarity.
She screamed and cried out with her eyes closed. “HELP! HELP PLEASE!” But the dragons were not phased by the least. Rarity opened her eyes and glared at Snap, she spat in his laughing face.
“Why you!” he yelled, raising his clenched fist. He brought his hand down hard upon Rarity but it made no connection. Stunned her looked to his left, Spike’s hand was wrapped around Snaps fist.
Spike yelled in anger as he whipped his head back and brought it forward, headbutting Snap, sending him flying backwards into a tree. Blood spattered across the dark wood as Snap moaned and then passed out. Garble backed away from Rarity cautiously, unable to process what had just happened. Spike moved faster than Rarity’s eyes could follow, colliding with Garble. The two furious teenage dragons sent flurries of punches and swipes at each other, scowling and growling. Garble was still too much for Spike, he had much more experience in the wild. Garble’s long, sharp, claws sunk deep into Spike’s chest causing him to yell out in pain. Crimson blood spilled across Spike’s chest, an almost endless flow of dark substance.
Spike thought of Rarity and Twilight, helpless, and his watery eyes filled with more seething anger. He dived at Garble sinking his teeth deep into Grable’s arm, tearing it from his torso, leaving Garble screaming while blood shot everywhere from the gaping hole.
Garble was dazed as he stumbled backward. He lifted Snap’s motionless body over his shoulder, and whimpered as he took off into the darkness.
Spike turned to Rarity, “Sorry...I...was...out getting...ruby--”. Spike collapsed in front of Rarity, lying facedown in a puddle of his own blood. His tense fist unclenched to reveal a Fire Ruby.
Rarity sobbed uncontrollably as she crawled to Spike and hung over his lifeless body. Her clear tears flowed evenly over the dragon. She was not concerned with the stains of blood across her coat, the dirt in her mane or the mud on her tail. At that moment, Rarity had eyes only for her friends. She looked toward Twilight who was still unconscious, and then she looked above herself, seeing the sun through a clearing in the trees.
“Oh Celestia....what do I do?”