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// Chapter 5: A Generous Lesson Part 1 
// Story: Lake of Reflection 
// by Richer19 
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Once again, I am thankful for all of the support. It really brightens my day. This might be a little early, but I have one idea floating around in my head lately to make this story a little longer. I need to flush out some details and make sure it will be acceptable under Fimfiction rules, but I’ll let you know in a future chapter. Anyhow, here is the next chapter.

Chapter 5: A Generous Lesson Part 1

Ponyville Street: a month ago
Spike hated doing what he was about to do. Already, a rather painful ache was forming in his heart. Yet, as much as he tried, he could think of another way to solve whatever problem had plagued his unicorn friend. Ever since she came back with that cape and hat, all she was doing was reading books and staring at it. Normally, Spike would have thought nothing of it, as it appeared to be the usual day to day motions of Twilight. However, he noticed that she wasn’t eating as much as she used to and whenever he asked her a question, she appeared to snap out of her daydream before asking him to repeat it.
The strangest part of it all, and what made him decide to do what he was about to do, was that Twilight was no longer acting like her organized self. For two months so far, she had never made a list, told Spike what her plans were, or even sent a letter to the Princess. This apparent lack of concentration and focus was so much out of her character that Spike decided that enough was enough. He knew that Twilight had made him promise not to tell her friends about the cape and hat, but he couldn’t stand seeing her in such distress.
So, for the past few days, he had been trying to figure out which one of Twilight’s friends would be the most capable of getting Twilight out of this state. His first thought was Fluttershy, but she might not have the courage to be able to stand firm if Twilight told her that everything when she knew the truth. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were both dismissed as soon as they came up. They would more than likely damage the cape and hat and concerning how Twilight has been so attached to it might cause her to fall further into despair. Pinkie Pie, though she didn’t have her pride hurt by Trixie, might act the same way do to her close friendship with Rainbow Dash. That left only one other friend.
Already, he found himself standing in front of Carousel Boutique, the business and home of his friend and secret crush, Rarity. Spike knew that she, out of all three of them, might have the most hatred to the blue unicorn since it was her that cast that spell that turned her mane that ugly shade of green. However, unlike the brasher Applejack and Rainbow Dash, Spike was hopeful that she would be able to keep herself collected to preserve her lady-like appearance. He was also hoping that by mentioning how valuable the cape and hat was, it might be spared destruction.
Gulping back a bump in his throat, though he was unsure whether it was because of what he was about to do or from seeing his crush, Spike rose up his scale-covered hand and knocked on the door. He then heard that angelic voice say in a sing-song manner “Come in.” Spike quickly looked to see if there was anypony watching him before entering the building.
Once inside, he saw Rarity deep in concentration over what appeared to be the dress she wore at the Royal Wedding. Her pincushion was floating in the air, supported by her magic and she was wearing those same red glasses she wore whenever she had to work on a very delicate stitch. She looked up at the door and Spike’s eyes were locked onto her own. Already he felt a sense of falling as he stared into those deep azure eyes. With great reluctance, he tore himself from their hypnotic gaze just as Rarity said “Spikey! How lovely it is to see you today.” Spike managed to find his voice again and replied “It’s nice to see you too Rarity.”
Rarity noticed the rather depressed tone from the little dragon. Since him and Twilight had moved into Ponyville, she had come to enjoy his company. His cheerful manor was always a welcome addition to what might have been a rather dull day and was always eager to help out around the shop or help her with finding gems. In fact, she had almost thought of Spike as her own little assistant like Twilight but reframed from mentioning it to either of them. Still, Rarity was a little sad to see Spike acting like he was in a dump and she couldn’t help but ask, “Is something the matter Spike?”
Spike looked around the room,  avoiding eye contact as he tried to find the right words. He eventually settled on a plan, and asked, “Rarity, can you keep a secret?” Rarity was at first slightly touched that Spike would trust her with something and was quick to agree. Spike took a deep breath and said “I think there something wrong with Twilight.”
Out of all the things Spike would have said, this one was both expected and rather unexpected. The truth was that Rarity had notice that it had been a long time since she had seen her purple counterpart. She had tried asking some of her friends if they had seen her but she was met with less than trilling answers. She had thought about going over to the unicorn’s house and making sure that she was alright, but was unable to find the time due to a rather hefty and important order from a client. Now she was faced with the possibility of getting to the bottom of this strange absence and she wasn’t about to let it slip away from her. With that train of thought in mind, she asked “Whatever do you mean Spike?”
Committed now to the path he set out on, Spike asked, “Do you remember the blue unicorn magician Trixie?” At the mention of her name, Rarity felt a spark of anger flash inside of her heart. She remembered that boastful unicorn, or more specifically, remembered what she did to her mane. It took Rarity a week of constant care and washing to remove all of the green coloring and various other unmentionables before she was able to properly restore her hair to its proper form. To add salt to the wound, all that time she spent restoring her mane caused her to fall behind in her projects, and she almost lost some of her best business at the time. Still, a lady must not resort to such low forms of anger and hatred. Besides, she guessed that was the reason Spike went to her in the first place rather than to one of their other friends. Still she needed a little more information so she said “Yes I remember her. Is there something going on between her and Twilight?”
Spike was feeling really on edge, not used to the kinds of questions in which he was unable to answer with confidence. As quickly as he was able, he started telling his secret crush about Twilight’s weird behavior, her sporadic sleeping habits and finally about the cape and hat that was displayed at the library. Upon mention of the clothes, Rarity’s thoughts started to become slightly un-ladylike. She was now imagining the cape and hat being disposed of as payback for the destruction of her mane. If she had been more rational about it, she might have forgiven the blue unicorn but she was unaware of that one part of her heart that was seething in anger. When Spike was finished, Rarity put on a fake smile and patted the purple dragon’s head while saying “You were very wise to bring this to my attention Spike. Rest assured that I will do my best to help Twilight with her predicament.” She then made her way out of her shop and over to the library, thoughts of seeing that cape and hat being shredded in the front of her mind. Spike was still lost in his own little world before he recovered his senses to find that he was alone in the shop. He also realized, to his own horror, that he forgot to mention that the cape and hat were made with Canterlot silk.
I hope you enjoy this chapter. I am quite surprised as to how many people are favoring this story. I really to appreciate it and for all of the positive feedback.