//------------------------------//
// Chapter 4 
// Story: Our Garden Of Love 
// by HAKDurbin 
//------------------------------//

As the rainy season began in the city of Canterlot, Spike happily found himself spending more time with Rarity at the private section of the royal garden. True to the white mare’s word, he finds her sitting down in the gazebo with cans of hard cider and a bag full of chocolate candy bars whenever it rains. 
Thus Spike would only be reading at Twilight’s study with Moondancer when it isn't raining. When Moondancer herself began to wonder why she doesn't see Spike whenever it is raining, he made up a story claiming that he prefers to stay in his room in the castle to keep warm by staying in bed or have 7-hour-long bubble baths. The unicorn looked at him suspiciously for a moment before she smiled and said that he’s still the baby dragon she knew years ago. When she turned around, Spike secretly chuckled to himself for coming up with that story from Rarity’s own assumption of what he does when it rains.
Eventually, as time went on, Spike began to grow more uncomfortable with Rarity’s choice of snacks when he meets her at the private garden and decides to bring food with him for him and Rarity to enjoy together. So every day that it rains, Spike would pack enough sandwiches, drinks and chips fit for a small picnic with Lemon Hearts’ help in the castle kitchens and bring them to the gazebo and claim that the amount of food is normal for a dragon of his age but is more than willing to share some of it to her. Rarity was hesitant the first time he brought food, but after a few more meetings she gave in and decided to take Spike on his offer. The first time Rarity took a bite from one of Spike’s sandwiches, her eyes lit up and she ate the rest of it down quickly with a gleeful look on her face. Spike smiled in amusement when she saw her look so happy before she politely asked for another one. 
As it began to rain almost daily in Canterlot, it started to become a routine for Spike and Rarity to meet at the gazebo and Spike would bring food for them to eat together while they talk and occasionally sit quietly while Spike reads and Rarity enjoys the rainy scenery. Each day that Spike spends with Rarity warms his heart more and more as Rarity becomes more lively then she was before. It’s as if every time he steps foot in the gazebo to meet her, she instantly becomes less of the lifeless husk that looks like Rarity and more of the cheerful, charming mare that he fawned over for so many years. Each day, he and Rarity laugh and talk like they never have before and Spike loves every moment of it.
At the same time, however, his worry for what happened to Rarity that would cause her to act like a hallow version of herself still remains in Spike's mind. Whenever he and Rarity would go their separate ways after a rainy day in the garden, he would say his goodbyes to her and only walk a few steps before he turns to watch her leave. Whenever he does, his heart sinks as he sees her head down and her walk becomes slow and glum as if she becomes a completely different pony the moment she turns her back on him. Deep down he starts to accept that what he’s doing to cheer her up is only helping Rarity when he gets to see her and be a friend to her, but it’s not helping whatever is ailing her in the long run. He’s nothing more but a brief relapse in her mysterious world of melancholy. 
It also doesn’t help that he still doesn’t know what he wants to do with his life. Every now and then, Moondancer or Princess Celestia would ask if he has any ideas about what he’s going to do with his life. Whenever he does, he instantly realizes that he hasn’t been thinking about it with his mind so devoted to his meetings with Rarity and so honestly tells them that he hasn’t come up with any ideas yet while scratching the back of his head. Princess Celestia seems to be patient enough with his lack of progress, but Moondancer has been feeling that he should make a decision soon or at least get an idea soon so that he doesn’t overstay his welcome in the castle. Deep down, he knows that Moondancer is right, but at the same time, he can’t bring himself to stop thinking about Rarity and what could be happening to her when she’s not in the private garden with him.
It is currently a sunny day in Canterlot and so Spike is reluctantly at Twilight’s Study with Moondancer. Spike is reading a book about dragons and he finds himself chuckling in amusement which bothers Moondancer who is reading at the table opposite from Spike.
“Spike, could you keep it down, please?” She asks calmly.
“Sorry, Moondancer,” Spike says apologetically. “Couldn't help myself. The information about dragons in this book is just so out of date.”
Moondancer frowns and asks, “If you know that it’s out of date, then why are you reading it?”
“Mostly just out of curiosity,” Spike says plainly. “After learning so much about my kind at the Dragonlands, I just thought I could amuse myself by looking how far Equestria has come to know about dragons since back before Twilight and I moved to Ponyville.”
Moondancer keeps her frown for a moment before a small smile emerges on her face.
“That is true,” she says as she turns back to her book. “Thanks to your friendship with Dragon Lord Ember, Equestria has learned more in eight years than we ever did in a thousand years. Though I think we could be doing more in terms of being friends with the dragons.”
Spike frowns a little before turning to his own book.
“I agree,” he says. “There haven't been a lot of dragons that have tried to be friends with us apart from Ember, Smolder and a couple of others. If there’s anything unpleasant I learned about dragons during my seven years there, it's that it's going to take more than Ember’s leadership over the dragons and Smolder’s time at the School of Friendship to change the dragon way of life for the better. It probably doesn’t help that there are so many kinds of dragons with different quirks and abilities than what pony society knows about from the few dragon friends Equestria has.”
Moondancer hums in acknowledgment without looking away from her book. The two then continue to read in silence for a couple of minutes until Moondancer’s ear twitches and she lifts her head and scratches her chin with her hoof in thought.
“Come to think of it, just how many kinds of dragons have you gotten to know at the Dragonlands, Spike?” She asks.
Spike looks away from his book and shrugs.
“All of them,” he answers.
“Well, have you considered writing a book about your experience?” Moondancer asks.
Spike tilts his head, surprised. 
“Now that you mention it, no,” he answers.
“Well, maybe you should,” Moondancer suggests with a smile. “If you have all the information that ponies should know about all of the dragons, then you should write down your experiences and stories about living there in a book and publish it all over Equestria. You could make a lot of money selling copies and it would help ponies get to know more about dragons in a way that could help improve relations between both races as a whole.”
Spike scratches his chin in thought. He went to the Dragonlands as a means of self-discovery as a dragon who was raised by ponies. He never thought he could use his time there to help anyone else apart from having a few stories to tell all his friends. Yet, the more he thought about her suggestion, the more it made sense.
“You know what, Moondancer? I think you’re right,” he says. “That’s what I should do; write a book about dragons that can help everypony - heck, every creature understand my kind better than the world has ever thought possible.”
Moondancer chuckles at her friend’s enthusiasm.
“The world, huh?” She says with a smirk. “You're shooting pretty high.”
“Well, why not?” Spike challenges. “Since Twilight never got around to writing a book about dragons with Ember’s help when we first became friends with her and with more creatures coming to Equestria to learn about friendship in her school over the past several years, this would be a good opportunity to give everyone greater knowledge about a species so dangerous and commonly feared like dragons.”
“That’s true,” Moondancer says as she adjusts her glasses. “Plus, if I recall correctly, you should have a fair amount of experience with writing after years of being Twilight's assistant.”
“Exactly,” Spike says confidently before he realizes something. “Actually, you wouldn't happen to have a quill or ink and some sheets of blank paper, would you?”
“Actually I do,” Moondancer says with a smile as her horn glows bright pink and a quill, a bottle of ink and several sheets of paper fly out of her bag and land in front of Spike. “I always carry these in case for taking notes and I always have backups so you can use these.”
“Thank you,” Spike says enthusiastically. “I'm gonna get started right away.”
Moondancer smiles with her eyes closed, amused by her dragon friend’s enthusiasm. She goes back to reading her book intently as Spike dips the tip of the quill into some ink and begins to write. By the end of the day, Spike filled all of the papers Moondancer gave him, even writing in his room when it was time to close the study. The more he wrote, the more excited he got, thinking this must be the what he has to do next with his life. 
As he did, a grin begins to form on his face as a part of him is excited to break the news to Rarity the next time it rains. 

**********************************************************************************************

“You want to write a book about dragons?” Rarity asks surprised.
It’s the day after Moondancer gave Spike the idea and it turned out to be raining again just as he hoped. He woke up happy to hear the sound of rain coming from outside his room so that he can tell Rarity the good news.
“Yeah, it’s a perfect way to take advantage of my time in the Dragonlands,” Spike says excitedly. “I wouldn’t just be sharing my experiences from the last seven years, I would be giving ponies and many other creatures an understanding about dragons that they've never had before. Maybe with my book, they can learn to be friendlier with them and that can lead to a long-term friendship between the dragons and all the other creatures of Equestria, Yakyakistan, the Badlands and so forth.”
Rarity looks at Spike surprised before she covers her mouth of her hoof and giggles in a high-pitched voice.  
“What is it?” Spike asks a little hurt. “Do you think it’s ridiculous?”
“Not at all, Spikey,” Rarity says sincerely with a smile. “I just realized how much I missed seeing you this enthusiastic. You’re really passionate about this.”
Spike smiles, satisfied with her explanation.
“So do you like it?” he asks determined for an answer.
Rarity stays seated for a moment before she gets off her bench, walks over to Spike and places her hoof on his cheek, making him blush.
“I think it’s a positively divine idea, darling, and I think you should go for it,” she says with a warm smile before it fades slightly. “My only worry is that it might still be difficult with ponies and other creatures becoming friends with dragons, especially with creatures like that dreadful brute, Garble.
Spike frowns at the mention of the dragon that was a bully to him ever since the Dragon Migration. 
“I don’t blame you for thinking that,” he says. “Truth be told, some dragons like him are just at rude and greedy as ever. Ember keeps them under control, but who knows how long that will last before she has to step down as Dragon Lord?”
“Indeed,” Rarity says sadly before she gives Spike a serious look. “Nevertheless, you mustn't let those fears keep you from your dream. You have an opportunity to use your time in the Dragonlands to benefit all sentient life in Equestria and beyond and you should take it.”
Spike looks at Rarity, shocked to see her so determined.
“You really believe that?” he asks.
“Of course, Spikey-Poo,” Rarity coos. “Besides you said it yourself, you were the assistant to Princess Twilight Sparkle, the most literate ponies in all of Equestria and I might add you are one of Equestria’s dearest non-pony citizens. I can’t think of anyone better qualified to write this book for every creature to get to know dragons more.”
Spike’s blush grows and he looks away from Rarity bashfully.
“Aw gee, you give me too much credit,” he says.
“Nonsense,” Rarity says with a wave of her hoof as she returns to sitting on her bench to continue eating her lunch that Spike brought. “You can do it, Spikey. I believe in you.”
Spike’s face turns redder much to Rarity’s amusement. After a moment, he shakes it off and he becomes serious again.
“Well, there’s a lot that I don’t understand about writing a book like this,” he says honestly. “I’m writing now, but I bet there’s a lot about how to explain this in a formal way that I don’t understand. I’m tempted to reveal my secret to Twilight just to ask if she has a book about writing informational books, but I’m not desperate enough to do that yet.”
Rarity frowns and sadly nods in understanding.
“I suppose that does present a dilemma,” she admits. “A little professionalism in your book’s presentation would be wise. Are there any books about it at Twilight’s Study? Perhaps there’s one in the Canterlot library?’
“None on both counts,” Spike says. “Moondancer knows both places from top to bottom and assured me that 'how to' books like that are not exactly something that commonly interests high-class ponies in a city like Canterlot.”
“Hmmm, that is a problem,” Rarity says.
“Yeah, and I can’t say I’ve actually read informational books before,” Spike says before gives a half-hearted chuckle. “That’s what I get for focusing on reading comics more than something that has no pictures in it back in the good old days in Ponyville.”
Rarity snickers with her hoof covering her mouth again.
“That might have helped, darling,” she says with an amused smile. “Still you shouldn’t give up. You should write what you know now and worry about that later.”
“Are you sure?” Spike asks.
“Positive,” Rarity answers assuringly. “One thing I’ve learned about the creative process as a fashion designer is that sometimes it’s better to just let out what you want to show first and figure out the appropriate changes later. In other words, you should just let out everything you want every pony, mule, minotaur, griffon, yak, and what not to read and then make the right adjustments after you take a break and then read your work with new eyes.”
Spike hesitates with her logic before he accepts that what she’s saying makes sense. 
“Okay then,” he says. “Then I’ll just continue writing my book the way it is right now.”
“Marvelous,” Rarity says pleased. 
“Thank you, Rarity,” Spike says with a sincere smile.
“My pleasure, Spikey,” Rarity says.
With that, Spike begins taking out pieces of blank paper from his backpack and begins writing again. Rarity smiles fondly, pleased to see Spike looking determined again, but then her smile fades as she looks away to watch the rainfall again.  
           “Shouldn’t give up,” she says quietly. “How hypocritical of me.”
“Did you say something?” Spike asks.
Rarity’s eyes widen and she turns to Spike who looks at her confused. She lets out a nervous giggle and rubs the back of her head.
“Sorry, darling,” she says sheepishly. “Just...thinking out loud to myself.”
“About your dresses at Canterlot Carousel?” Spike asks.
Rarity frowns and turns her head away to look at the scenery again.
“About a lot of things, Spike,” she says softly. “About a lot of things.