Rarity opened one of the kitchen's many pantries and began to shift through the glassware within. "Was there anything else in the mail that I should know about?" she asked.
"Not really. Just a few bills and an invitation to your welcome home party from Pinkie Pie."
"An invitation to, of course she would." Rarity returned to the table with a pair of small crystal glasses, then went to the refrigerator. "Odd," she said, "I could have sworn I had some sparkling water in here. Ooh, where is it?"
"Tap's fine with me."
"It most certainly is not," replied Rarity with a huff. "I know it's in here somewhere. Ah, here." She removed a plastic bottle and shut the fridge. After placing it on the table next to the other bottles, she turned back to the pantries and cabinets along the wall. "Now for a cork screw. Hmm, now where--"
A pop answered her. Rarity turned around. Spike sat before her, waving with the tip of a claw stuck deep in a wooden cork.
"Oh, yes, thank you Spike." Rarity joined the dragon at the table. "I can never quite remember how useful you are around here."
"Hey, thanks, but, um, it's no problem really. Just glad to help." Spike reached for the bottle of water, only for it to jump away.
Rarity waved her hoof. "Ah ah ah, let me get that for you."
"You don't--"
"I insist, darling. Consider this a small, small demonstration of my appreciation." Slowly, Spike's glass filled with clear water. "Here, for all you've done this week," Rarity said, holding the glass out to Spike. "For the house watching, the cat rescuing, the luggage cleaning, have I missed anything?"
"Eh." Spike shook a claw. "Mail managing, princess dictation, book keeping, breakfast making, cupcake tasting, fire containing, it's been a pretty busy week."
Rarity rolled her eyes. "And et cetera et cetera." She set the glass in front of Spike and turned to her own. Slowly, she raised the opened bottle and tipped it over the glass. It was a small glass, shaped like a toasting flute and about half the size as a standard one, designed to hold only enough for a taste. A taste would be more than enough, Rarity had reasoned, as she began to pour.
The color was first to surprise her, a light pink rather than red. She filled her glass, sealed the bottle with the cork, then gave the glass a swirl. Raising the glass, Rarity sniffed and smelled nothing, her second surprise. She sniffed again, and again there was no scent of fruit or of anything at all.
"Uh, what are you--"
"Nothing!" Rarity assured, slamming the glass down. The wine sloshed about but failed to spill out. "Just, oh, taking in the aroma." She lifted the glass to her lips and took a sip. Suddenly, she began to cough.
Feeling Spike's claw on her back, Rarity quickly raised a hoof and waved him away. "I'm fine," she assured. "Just, oh my."
Slowly, Spike returned to his seat. "You sure?"
"Yes, yes, I just wasn't expecting, this wasn't exactly what I was expecting." Rarity raised the glass once again, this time letting the liquid settle in her mouth. She expected sweetness in the dessert wine, the concentrated nectar of the frozen berries, but there was also something else, the hint of spice that left a sharp, though not entire unpleasant taste. The chill of the liquid was also a surprise. Rarity felt the glass. The crystal was a little cool to the touch but nowhere as cold as the wine in her mouth. She swallowed and shuddered as her throat burned. The icy wine seemed to boil the moment it entered her throat. Rarity could feel her checks glow as they filled with heat. She opened her mouth and watched her visible breath billow out like steam.
She took another, larger sip. And another. And another. Before long the glass had emptied, and Rarity found herself eying the closed bottle with want.
"You want more?" Spike asked, placing his claw over the bottle. At Rarity's nod, he twisted the cork off and returned the bottle. "Is it that good?" he asked as Rarity filled her glass then nearly drained half of it.
"It's amazing," Rarity answered. "I've had dessert wines before but nothing like this."
"Dessert wines?"
"Yes, you know, the sweets, for after meals?" Rarity gave Spike a lopsided look. "You don't drink, do you?"
Spike raised his brow. He gestured to his own empty glass.
Rarity's glass swayed as she giggled. "I meant alcohol. Wines, liquor, anything like that?"
"Well, I tried some wine a few Hearth Warming's ago. Twilight's dad offered me some of his when nopony was watching." Spike grimaced. "I didn't really, uh, I don't know. It tasted kind of, weird. Kind of sour, maybe a little bitter."
"You wouldn't happen to know what type of wine it was, would you?"
Spike shrugged. "It was red. And it came in a bottle? With a cork?"
"Hmm." Rarity set her glass down. She considered the bottle, running the edge of her hoof against its opening, then turned to Spike's glass.
"Spike, would you like more water?"
"Nah, that's okay."
Rarity shook the bottle. "Then, perhaps some wine?"
Spike blinked. "Huh?"
"It just occurred to me how rude this must look, the hostess with her wine and her guest with just water. And after everything you've done for me, water, no matter how sparkling, doesn't seem just." Rarity pulled Spike's glass closer. "So I am offering you, Spike, some of my Crystal Empire crystal berry late harvest wine."
Spike bit his lip. "Can I?"
"Of course!"
The dragon leaned forward and stared at the bottle. "And you said it's sweet?"
"Would you like to see for yourself?"
Spike took a deep breath. He sat back. "Yeah, I want some. I think."
Rarity began to pour, filling Spike glass about halfway. It's just a taste. A taste can't hurt. She turned to her own glass, and, as she filled it, she watched Spike. For a moment, Spike simply stared at the wine. He reached forward and slowly picked the glass up. His tongue peeked through his lips and danced against the edge. The long organ extended and dipped into the liquid for a short second before swiftly retreating. Spike suddenly straightened in his seat, his eyes blinking rapidly as he smacked his lips. He leaned forward again with that long, serpent-like tongue hanging out from his mouth.
"Spike, dear, please." The disgust in Rarity's tone of obvious.
"Sorry." The tongue settled politely back in its home inside Spike's mouth, out of view. Grabbing the glass with both claws, he brought it to his lips. At last, he took a proper sip. His eyes widened. A visible shiver traveled through his body, all the way to the tip of his tail, now suddenly erect. He set the glass back down on the table, but his grip remained tight.
"What do you think?" Rarity asked, leaning forward.
"I, wow, this is nothing like juice."
Rarity's laughter filled the kitchen and echoed through the house. "No, I suppose it's not."
Spike drank a little more. A light blush could be seen in his cheeks, though from embarrassment or from alcohol, Rarity wasn't sure. "I know it's not supposed to taste like juice, I just figured, if it was sweet, then, aww, I don't know." He shivered again. "Is it supposed to burn on the way down?"
"A little," Rarity answered as she continued her drink. "It's not too uncomfortable, I hope."
"Nah, it's alright. Just surprising, that's all. Hey, could I have some more?"
Rarity looked down at the empty glass in Spike's claws, surprised. "Finished already?"
Sheepishly, Spike shrugged. "It was really good."
With an exaggerated sigh, Rarity took Spike's glass and refilled it. "Very well, but not much more," she said. "I don't want you wandering the streets of Ponyville intoxicated, trying to find home. Twilight would be furious."
"You really think that could happen? The wandering part, I mean. I believe you about Twilight being mad, but it's kind of hard to miss the castle."
"If you drink enough, it is very possible," Rarity answered. She held the bottle right in front of Spike's nose and shook it. "Young dragon, do not underestimate its powers. I have seen nobles, ponies of incredible power, turn themselves into complete fools after too much wine."
Spike stared at the glass in his claws. "Really?"
"Well, perhaps seen isn't the right word," Rarity replied with a sniff and her nose lifted in the air. "Stories and cautionary tales of ponies making poor decisions that lead to their ruin. And, um, family gatherings." Rarity covered her mouth and looked to the side as she cleared her throat.
"So that one summer with your aunt."
"Yes, Aunt Doe had a little too much that day." Rarity shook her head. "Some ponies just don't know their limits."
"Have you ever, you know, gone crazy from..." Spike gestured to the bottle.
"Gone crazy? Spike, do try to remember who you're talking to." Rarity placed one front hoof on her front, right below her neck, and rested the other on the table, propping herself up. "I am a lady. I do not go crazy from anything."
Spike's snort won him a glare. "Sorry, sorry," he said, throwing his arms up in front. "So you've never gotten, what's the word, tipsy? Is that it?"
"Tipsy?" She giggled. "Tipsy's fine. There's nothing wrong with tipsy. Precious Scales, I'm feeling a little tipsy right now."
"Are you going to be okay?" Spike asked, worry clear in his voice.
Rarity waved away his concerns. Her hoof quickly lowered back onto the table as she started to sway. "I told you, I'm fine. There's nothing wrong with being tipsy. Well, no, that's not entirely true." With her forelegs folded in front of her and her cheeks puffed, she frowned. "That whole affair with Powers started over one too many drinks at a cocktail party."
"Powers?" The unfamiliar name gave Spike pause. He lowered his glass. "Who's that?"
Rarity sniffed. "Oh, just the stallion who managed to ruin my entire trip. Charming, sophisticated, the second son of one of Manehattan's richest entrepreneurs. We meet after an opera, and we hit off well enough. We had a few outings, and I let him get close." She shut her eyes. "He knew how to treat a lady."
"So what happened?" Spike asked. "If he was so great, how'd he ruin, uh, you know." He turned away, keeping his mouth covered with his claw. "Sorry, go ahead, continue."
"I met his wife." Rarity finished her glass and began to fill it once more. The bottle shook as she poured.
Spike's eyes grew wide, and his mouth fell open. "You mean, this guy was married?"
"Mmhmm," Rarity mumbled as she prepared to take another sip.
"And, you, you didn't know, did you?"
"Wha, of course not," Rarity sputtered. "If I had known, I wouldn't have given him the time of day. Do you really think I would go after a married stallion? What kind of mare do you think I am?"
Spike winced. "Right, sorry, sorry," he said, wringing his claws. "It's just, wow, he just lied to you like that?"
"He lied to his wife too, though I find it difficult to feel sorry for her after the way she reacted toward me," Rarity added. With her foreleg against the table and her chin resting on her hoof, she sighed. "Now look, you've gotten me in a bad mood again."
"Oops. Do you want to read more letters?"
Rarity followed Spike's motion toward the small pile unopened envelopes. "Later," she said before draining her glass. "Sometimes, I wonder if there's something wrong with me."
Spike frowned. "What do you mean?"
"It's just, out of all the stallions in Equestria, why are all the ones I attract scumbags?" She planted her cheek on the table and breathed out, rustling the tablecloth. "Perhaps I should just forget about princes and love and get another cat."
"Hey, don't say that. You don't just attract bad guys, that's not true. A lot of guys in Ponyville think you're pretty, and they're not scumbags."
"Oh?" Rarity leaned across the table, forcing Spike to back away just a bit. "Who?"
"I, I don't think I should say." Spike ducked his head, his cheeks burning red. "They're no princes though, but do they have to be?"
"Well, no, I suppose that is, and forever will be, only a fantasy," Rarity said with a sigh. She slid back in her seat. "I just, I wish I could find somepony to love, somepony to share myself with."
"Does it have to be a pony?"
Rarity blinked. "Pardon?"
"Nothing," Spike quickly replied. "I was just thinking, I think you're worrying too much. You're pretty and smart and such an amazing mare, I'm sure there's somepony out there for you. Maybe, maybe you're just looking in the wrong places."
"Wrong places?" Rarity repeated. "What do you mean?"
"Well, all these smooth, rich guys from old wealthy families that you keep going for, they're all seem to be jerks or liars or lying jerks. Blueblood, this Powers guy. Maybe try looking somewhere else."
"Looking somewhere else."
Spike nodded. "Yeah, like maybe somepony in the fashion business or maybe closer to home. Plenty of bachelors in Ponyville, like, there's, um." He bit his lip. "There's, okay, so nopony comes to mind right now, but they're out there, I'm sure. And not just Ponyville. There's Cloudsdale and Las Pegasus and dozens of towns in Equestria with ponies who'd love a chance with a mare as lovely and talented and wonderful as you and, and--" Spike took a deep breath, and released it as a sigh. He lowered his head and hid it under his arms. "Sorry."
The word was barely louder than a whisper, but from the way it startled her, it might as well have been screamed. "Whatever are you apologizing for?"
"For going off like that." Spike rubbed his forehead wearily. "I don't know where I was going with all that. I mean, what do I know? I just, I wanted to say something, anything really, to make you feel better, but I must have sounded like an idiot."
"I wouldn't say that," Rarity said. She shifted herself closer. "A little clumsy, perhaps, but nonetheless encouraging."
"Huh? Really?" Spike lifted his head.
"Of course. Maybe I have been too narrow minded in my search. To be honest, the thought had occurred to me, but I always dismissed it as giving up and settling for less. Hearing it aloud, from a friend, however, well." Rarity reached over and placed her hoof on top of the dragon's closed fist. "Not to mention how good it was to hear how lovely and talented and wonderful you think I am." Spike grew redder as Rarity's smile brightened. "I'm glad you still think so highly of me."
"Well, yeah, I mean I, you, can I have some more wine?" Spike asked, grabbing at his throat.
As Rarity stared, the blush across Spike's face intensified. She was beginning to expect smoke to escape from his nostrils, if not his ears. "How about a little break?" she suggested, picking up one of the few remaining unopened letters. A small postcard slid out of the envelope instead of folded paper this time. Rarity turned to the blank end and found the short message written in glittery ink.
"Hi Rarity, hope you're doing well. So we just remembered that you'll be in Manehattan this week, and you'll probably still be there by the time this letter gets home, but whatever. Mom says it's the thought that counts, and I get to use my new pens. The ink has real crushed crystals. I got some for you too, and for Scootaloo and Apple Bloom too, but you'll probably already know by the time you get around to reading this. Anyways, you can probably guess where we went today. Hint, it's on the postcard. It was kind of weird seeing Spike as a little dragon again, but I guess carving a new statue out of crystal every time he grows would be pretty tiring. A lot of Changelings were there too, and it sound like he's pretty big in the Changeling kingdom. If I start referring Spike as Spike the Brave and Glorious or First Friend Spike, you can blame the Crystal Empire. Oh, and I found the store where you got me that plush Spike toy--"
A soft groan came from Spike as he hid his face.
"They're still there, plus some Princess Flurry Hearts. They've got a bunch of her as a baby and as a filly, but there's only baby dragon Spike. Guess older Spike just wasn't marketable. Oh well. Wish you were here. Your sister, Sweetie Belle."
Rarity flipped the postcard over. There stood Spike made of blue crystal, standing proudly as he held up a crystal heart the size of his head. Light from the setting sun reflected off the heart, giving it a light orange appearance, as if aflame. The spires of the palace could be seen in the distance. Come See Spike the Brave and Glorious, Savior of the Crystal Empire it said in big, bold letters.
She looked up at the dragon sitting at her table, then back down at the dragon on the postcard. Whereas the Spike immortalized in crystal remained stout and a tad stubby, the Spike before her had lost much of the baby fat, leaving him sleeker and lean. The crystal statue's limbs were almost comically short compared to Spike's arms and legs. His soft features had hardened, with his nose now protruding out into a proper snout, and his eyes, once adorably large and round, had narrowed, giving him a more, well, dragon-like look.
"Um, Rarity? What are you doing?"
Rarity blinked and found her hooves pushing into Spike's cheeks. "I, there's was something I had to make sure," she said as she quickly withdrew. "Your cheeks aren't as chubby as they were."
"Thanks?"
Rarity slid the postcard to Spike. "Forgive me. I was, I was trying to wrap my mind around how much you've grown."
"Oh wow." Spike picked up the postcard. He smirked. "You know, some kids have embarrassing baby photos, I get a whole baby statue." He placed the card down. "So what's up? You've never really brought this up before. I'm still me, you know that, right?"
"Yes, of course, but, it's just..." A moment past in silence. "It's, hard to say," Rarity answered. She tilted her head and stared. "Here you are, drinking wine and giving me love advice. You're not exactly the little baby dragon I remember anymore."
"Well, it's been how many years? I had to grow up eventually, right?" Spike reached for his glass and raised if, only to realize it was still empty. Before he could say more, the wine bottle floated past him. Rarity tilted the bottle, but only air left it. She shook the bottle, forcing out a few small drops.
Rarity looked away from the bottle and turned instead to Spike. Their gazes met, and they shared a looked before both turned to the second bottle on the table. The empty one dropped to the floor.
"Spike, darling, could you be a dear?"
The popping of a cork echoed through the kitchen.