//------------------------------//
// S9 E19: Dragon Dropped (What If?) 
// Story: My Little Pony Friendship is Magic What If?: Volume 10 
// by SuperPinkBrony12 
//------------------------------//

Spike was currently in his bedroom in Twilight's castle (also often called The Castle of Friendship) and was hard at work on something that, to him, was very important.

As such the dragon didn't seem to notice when the door to his bedroom creaked open ever so slightly. And who should come strolling in but the unicorn who he had a not so secret crush on (and had even gotten a kiss from last Hearth's Warming)?

"Oh Spikey Wikey, there you are," Rarity sweetly called. "I've been trying to get in contact with you for ages now. But every time I've tried you've been brushing me off or told me you were too busy."

Spike didn't even turn around as he told Rarity. "I'm sorry, okay, but I've got other things to worry about at the current moment. I promise we'll go gem hunting tomorrow. And yes, I want the larger basket."

The fashionista just frowned. "Spike, I already went gem hunting today and I did it all by myself. I couldn't afford to wait around for you. If you didn't want to go gem hunting with me that's fine, you should've just said something."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Spike sincerely commented even while he refused to take his eyes off of his current task of writing a letter. "But I need to get this letter done right now. It's urgent!"

"It can't possibly be that urgent, Spike," Rarity commented. "At the least I think I'm entitled to an answer as to why you keep ignoring me all the time."

That got Spike's attention, he swung round quite suddenly! "What are you talking about? I'm not ignoring you."

The fashionista sighed, trying to get her temper under control. "Maybe you don't intend to, Spike. But it seems like lately there's something else on your mind. You seem to be very distracted," Then she wondered. "Are you perhaps mad with me? Is there something I said or did that made you upset?"

The dragon shook his head. "No, Rarity, I'm not mad with you," Then he looked at a nearby clock and gasped! "Oh my gosh! Is it that late already?!"

"What do you mean?" Rarity asked the dragon.

Spike quickly snatched up his letter and started flapping his wings! "Look, Rarity, I'm sorry but I'm gonna have to take a rain check on whatever it is you wanted to do with me today! I need to get this to the post office before it closes!"

Try as she might, Rarity was unable to keep up with Spike and soon he was out of sight. "The post office? Why would he go there?" She thought to herself. "Although, come to think of it, he's been sending a lot of letters lately. Something must be up, and I'm going to find out what it is!" The unicorn couldn't have suspected or even been prepared for what she would find out, the real reason why Spike didn't seem interested in her anymore. And it was something that was going to give her perhaps her greatest challenge yet, from a non-fashion sense anyway.



Rarity knew that there was only one place to go if she wanted to get answers about Spike's behavior without consulting the dragon himself. She not so subtly stormed into the castle library, expecting that to be the first place Twilight would be. Her hunch was correct.

Twilight, suspecting nothing, looked up from her book she'd been reading. "Can I help you with something, Rarity?"

The fashionista fought back a groan. It wouldn't do her any good to sound jealous or upset right now. She needed to handle this in a proper, ladylike fashion. "You most certainly can, Twilight. You can start by telling me just what the heck has gotten into Spike lately."

"What do you mean, Rarity? He seems perfectly fine to me," Twilight commented. "He's really been making the most of his free time since he graduated from being my assistant."

The unicorn frowned in response. "If by 'perfectly fine' you mean he's been completely and utterly ignoring me!" She snorted. "If this is his idea of playing hard to get, it's not funny. I never did it to him."

"Rarity, whatever are you talking about?" Twilight questioned with a noticeable hint of concern. "Did you and Spike have a fight that he didn't tell me about? I thought we agreed not to keep secrets."

"If we'd fought over anything I think I would know. And I'm usually not the type to hold a grudge anyway." Rarity commented.

The young alicorn just replied. "Then it sounds to me like you're making too big a deal out of this. I'm sure Spike doesn't mean to ignore you, he's just been distracted by other things. You're not the only pony in his life he has to make time for, you know."

The fashionista nodded. "I know, and I've already accepted that he's not always going to be available whenever I need him for something. But if he's going to blow me off to do his own things I expect at least a heads up. That's not too much to ask, is it?" She folded her hooves into a pout.

"No," Twilight shook her head. "And if it's bothering you that much I'll tell him about it the next time I see him. Though maybe you should be talking to Starlight about this sort of thing. I made her guidance counselor for a reason, you know."

"Maybe you ought to consider arranging for Spike to have a talk with her," Rarity proposed. "I'm sure Starlight could tell him how rude it is to just ignore one of his closest friends. And it's most certainly not romantic if that's what he thinks it is. Just what could possibly be so important that he can't take a little time out of his schedule to notice me every once in a while?"

Twilight commented. "I can't say, Rarity. They made me promise not to tell." She realized too late what she had just said and gasped!

Rarity arched an eyebrow upward. "Who's 'they'? Is Spike seeing someone else?"

But the young alicorn clammed up. "You're not getting any more information out of me, Rarity! Find him and talk to him yourself! And if Spike asks I told you nothing."

Rarity stood up and trotted away. "Well, thanks anyway, Twilight." With her tone of voice it was hard to believe she wasn't being sarcastic.





Remembering Spike's earlier comment about making it to the post office before it closed, Rarity made an immediate mad dash to the aforementioned location. As she drew closer she swore she could hear voices: One belonged to Spike but the other one was a mystery, it sounded kind of high pitched and bubbly. Was this the other half of 'they' Twilight had been talking about? Well, there was only way to be sure.

The fashionista swung the door of the post office open in dramatic fashion! And what should her blue eyes take notice of but Spike with a griffon? Said griffon seemed vaguely familiar though, the multiple layers of gray feathers and gray coat were so strikingly familiar to Rarity. And the griffon had a wood carving on two bags over her wings that looked just like the cutie marks of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. But griffons didn't get cutie marks.

The griffon suddenly spotted Rarity and let out a strangled "Eep!".

Spike was surprised too, but managed to keep his composure. "Oh, Rarity. I... didn't expect to see you here."

Rarity gave a not so convincing laugh. "Well, today's just a day for surprises, isn't it? Mind telling me who your griffon friend is here? I swear I've seen her somewhere before, although I'm not quite sure where or when."

"Her name is Gabby," Spike declared as he swallowed a lump in his throat. "She's the first griffon member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and she also happens to be the number one mail carrier in all of Griffonstone."

"The only mail carrier in Griffonstone, actually," Gabby explained as she looked at Rarity with her moderate turquoise eyes. "Hey, I know you! You're Sweetie Belle's older sister, aren't you?"

Rarity nodded. "I am," And then she gasped! "Oh my stars, now I remember! You were the griffon Sweetie Belle was hanging out with, and the one that so generously scrubbed my boutique floors. Are you here for a Cutie Mark Crusaders meeting?"

Gabby shook her head. "Nope, I'm not on Cutie Mark Crusader business, but I hear those wonderful fillies are doing quite well for themselves right now," She cleared her throat. "I'm here because Grandpa Gruff wanted some griff to come and check up on Gallus. He'll never admit to it, but Grandpa Gruff does care about Gallus. And I do too, he's like the little brother I always wanted!"

"I see, but that doesn't explain what you're doing with Spike." The fashionista commented.

Spike happily declared. "Isn't it obvious? I invited her to come here, and Grandpa Gruff asking her to check up on Gallus was the perfect opportunity."

The explanation made sense, but there was still one detail Rarity was trying to figure out. "But how did you two ever get into contact with one another? Even nowadays it's almost impossible to maintain communication between Equestria and Griffonstone."

The dragon was all too happy to explain to Rarity. "It's really quite simple. When Gabby made Twilight believe she became the first griffon in the entire history of griffons to get a cutie mark, someone had to get in touch with her and ask for more details. So naturally, I got volunteered for the position."

Gabby grinned as she added. "Of course, by that time my ruse had been exposed and the Cutie Mark Crusaders told Twilight I didn't actually get a cutie mark. But Spike and I had so much fun sharing letters that we started making it into a once a week thing. We became pen pals!"

And Spike chimed in. "We told each other everything. In fact, when I wrote to Gabby about Twilight's school starting up she basically let us know Gallus would be coming and that he had no family. She wanted to become his guardian, but Grandpa Gruff won't let her. He says she and Gilda are too young."

"Well, I'm here for Gallus now," Gabby declared. "Though it's also nice to finally see Spike again. I almost didn't recognize him at first with how big he's getting. In a couple of years, I wonder if I'll even recognize Gallus when he grows up."

Rarity said nothing, the experience of dealing with such a thing with Sweetie Belle was still fresh in her mind. To know that someone so close to you had grown up, changed, and wasn't really who they were before was certainly an experience to remember.

"I'm sorry if I haven't been paying much attention to you lately," Spike apologized, snapping Rarity out of her mental reflection. "But it took a lot to just get enough free time to arrange for Gabby to visit, and then actually be around when she arrives. I'll probably be too busy showing Gabby around to really spend time with you."

Gabby just chirped. "Oh, that's okay, Spike. You don't need to do that. I've already been here with the Cutie Mark Crusaders. I know this town like the back of my paw, no way could I ever forget a town as cheerful as Ponyville. Griffonstone's a tough nut to crack."

"But if anyone can bring it back to how it used to be, I know it's you," Spike told Gabby. "You remind me a lot of myself when was I younger, in a good way of course."

Rarity just coughed into a hoof. "Well, I can see that you're both busy and I'd hate to get in the way of such..." She trailed off in uncertainty. Was she really about to say what she thought she saw? It seemed so obvious, but was it really the case?

The dragon seemed to clue into what Rarity was implying. "Oh, you found out, huh?" He looked rather sheepish. "Well, there's no easy way to explain this to you, Rarity. And that's another reason why I've been kind of avoiding you."

"Spike, if there's something you need to say then say it," Rarity encouraged. "Regardless of the circumstances we both agreed to tell each other the truth."

Spike let out a long sigh. "Well, you won't like what you hear," And he confessed. "I think I've gotten over my crush on you. I just don't feel attracted to you anymore."

That prompted a reaction alright. The fashion loving unicorn stumbled back in disbelief, as expected as the news had been after she'd pieced it together it still was quite a shock to actually be told it. A part of her had hoped that maybe she was just imagining things. But there it was, straight from the dragon's mouth, it was all over. "You... I..." The words wouldn't come out. Suddenly feeling faint, the fashionista lit up her horn and summoned her trusty fainting couch in the nick of time.

Gabby nervously commented. "Uh, that wasn't the reaction I was expecting."

Spike shrugged his claws. "She does this a lot. Still, better the fainting couch than the floor."





It took a few minutes for Rarity to recover from her sudden fainting spell. Still in denial she commented. "Darlings, I just had the strangest dream. I dreamt that Spike said he'd gotten over his crush on me."

But Spike shook his head. "It's no dream, it's reality. I'm sorry I had to break it to you like this."

The fashionista fought back tears. "It's quite alright, really," She sat up on the fainting couch very slowly. "I guess it was silly of me to expect things to stay the same forever. Much like Sweetie Belle you're growing up, and there's nothing I can do to stop that. If that means you've outgrown your crush then I guess it can't be helped," Longingly she then asked. "I mean, we're still friends, are we not?"

Spike firmly nodded. "Of course, that's not going to change. But I think it's time we both started seeing others again. I know you haven't had the best of luck with romance before, but maybe this time you'll find the right one."

"So am I to assume you and Gabby..." Rarity began but she needn't have asked, deep down she knew it was probably true.

Gabby giggled as she smiled. "Well, I'm not too sure I'm comfortable being known as Spike's girlfriend just yet. But that's also kind of why he invited me to Ponyville. And I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel some kind of attachment to him," In a more serious tone of voice the griffon commented. "I don't want you to feel like I'm stealing him away from you, though. You're not jealous, are you?"

"A lady is never jealous," Rarity insisted as she waved a hoof. "Regardless of how I may feel about this I'm happy that you two are happy, and that's all that really matters. Besides, you don't need my permission. I have no desire to be the third wheel as it were."

"Good!" Gabby excitedly chirped! Then she turned to Spike. "I need to go drop off Grandpa Gruff's letter to Gallus, I promised him I'd deliver it personally. But after that we can hang out together all day. I can't wait to try out this 'Ogres & Oubliettes' game of yours."

Spike smiled. "Great, I was hoping you'd say that! Stop by Twilight's castle later and I'll teach you all the ins and outs of the best tabletop game that ever was! Once you've tried it, you'll wonder how you ever lived your life not knowing about it. Right, Rarity?" But when he turned to look Rarity had already departed.





Twilight was quite surprised to be confronted in the hallway of her castle by Rarity, who in turn immediately asked the alicorn. "Did you know?"

"Know what, Rarity?" Twilight innocently questioned.

Rarity scoffed and snorted. "Don't play innocent with me, Twilight. I know about Spike, about how he's gotten over his crush on me and is now in love with Gabby."

Twilight sighed. "This is exactly why they didn't want me to tell you, Rarity. Spike especially was afraid you'd take it the wrong way," And she shook her head. "I didn't put Spike up to this if that's what you're thinking. I would never interfere in my son's love life. I'll admit, I was never thrilled with the times you would use Spike's crush to your advantage, but I saw plenty of times that it was sincere and that you did care about him."

The fashionista nodded and then began to whimper. "It's just not fair! Why is it that every time I love someone and think that they're the one for me, it always goes horribly wrong?! I struck out with that nasty Prince Blueblood, Trenderhoof was more interested in Applejack than he was me, and now Spike doesn't love me as anything more than a friend. Am I destined to be a hopeless romantic forever?! To get close only to be denied?"

Twilight blinked. "Uh, Rarity, I'm not qualified to answer those questions. I'm the Princess of Friendship, not the Princess of Love. And I'm not sure if Cadence could answer those questions for you either."

The fashionista sniffled ever so faintly. "It's just so frustrating and disheartening. I want what's best for my Spikey Wikey, but at the same time I'm not sure I'm ready to let him go. All the times we spent together, all the times we were drawing close. And now, suddenly, this is how it all ends? Not with a bang but with a whimper?"

The young alicorn's response was to put a hoof around her friend, hoping to reassure her. "It's not my place to say and neither is it yours. Maybe they'll get together eventually and maybe they won't. What they probably want most right now is to be free to pursue this relationship wherever it may go. And I'm sure Spike is conflicted too about ending things with you like this."

"Yes, he told me that was partially why he'd been avoiding me for so long," Rarity commented. "And with the way I'm acting now I guess I don't blame him. Spike sure does know how to pick a winner, Gabby does seem to be more on his level."

Twilight nodded. "Exactly, glad you understand. And I'm here for you if you ever want to talk about it, that's what friends do," Then she offered. "You should probably try to talk about these sort of things with Spike too if you haven't already, just to be sure there's no bad blood and that your relationship ends on a a good note and not a bad note."

But Rarity stood up and turned away. "No, Twilight. Talking to Spike about these things is the absolute last thing I want to do right now. I just... need some time alone to think about all of this, think about how best to cope with it. If Spike or Gabby find out how I'm feeling it's only going to make them feel guilty, and I don't want to ruin their chances just because I can't get over my jealousy just yet."

"Rarity, wait!" Twilight pleaded but it was no use, her fashion friend was gone. She sighed to herself. "Starlight's always better at these kind of heart to heart talks."





For the next several days, Rarity did her best to avoid crossing paths with Spike and Gabby. She threw herself whole heartedly into her fashion career, after all she did have three boutiques to manage and sew dresses for. Even with business partners the workload was still quite considerable, and that was before you factored  in the time she had to make as a teacher at Twilight's school (she and the rest of Twilight's friends had backed off on the idea of being co-rulers, at least for now. It was more of a hassle than they were prepared to take on).

It did warm her heart to see the smile on Gallus' face when Gabby delivered Grandpa Gruff's letter to him. The letter itself wasn't anything to write home about, but Gallus knowing that Grandpa Gruff did care about him in his own way was still quite sweet.

It was the one true bright spot for Rarity as she had to struggle to accept that Spike was no longer hers. And it didn't help that no matter how hard she tried to avoid them she still saw them or heard about them. How they were spending time together playing or discussing Ogres & Oubliettes, how they would often have meals together (especially milkshakes), how they were so sweet together. And every time she saw them the fashionista felt more and more of her agreeing with those comments.

As a result she became distracted for lack of a better term, unable to truly focus. Even her sewing and stitching started to slide, to the point where she had to stop because she was making careless and obvious mistakes that would surely ruin the orders for her customers.

Not even recruiting Fluttershy to help was able to get Rarity's mind off her troubles. But at least it gave her someone else to talk to about them, someone she knew would be a good listener.

"I just can't help but wonder if there's something I could've done different to avoid all of this," Rarity commented while trying to tend to the humming of her sewing machine. "Gabby truly is nice, and I know Spike's happiness should be what's most important. But does it really have to end like this? Maybe it's just me, though. Maybe it's what I did or didn't do that drove Spike away."

Fluttershy could only nervously reply. "Rarity, I don't think there's anything to it. Spike can make his own decisions and that's just what he's doing with Gabby. Relationships change just as much as friendships do."

The fashionista let out a long sigh, stopping her sewing machine and taking off her ruby red sewing glasses. "I guess I just assumed it wouldn't change the way it did. That we'd be together at least long enough to know if it was working out," She commented while rubbing her eyes. "But it just ended so abruptly, so suddenly."

"They are pretty cute together, though," Fluttershy commented in observation, looking out the window and seeing the two flying around together. "And Spike seems like he couldn't be happier. It's probably better this way, Gabby's more on his level."

"But what's he going to do when she inevitably has to go back to Griffonstone? Are they going to continue the relationship long distance via letters?" Rarity pondered. "That seems really hard to do, especially for the two of them. They're quite young and very busy."

The pegasus mare just turned away from the window and toward her fashion friend. "I'm sure they've already considered that inevitably. Why not just see if Gabby can stay here full time? She seems much happier in Ponyville than she does in Griffonstone."

Rarity shook her head. "It'd be no different than if I moved to Canterlot or Manehattan despite being born in Ponyville. I may feel like a city pony, but deep down my heart will always belong here. And I have a feeling it's the same for Gabby, she couldn't leave Griffonstone for good even if she wanted to. And I doubt I could do anything to change that," She then sighed. "It's no good, Fluttershy. Try as I might I simply can't stop thinking about them. I know I shouldn't feel jealous, I know I'm supposed to be happy for them. But a part of me wishes it was me who was out there with Spike, not Gabby. And I just don't know how to tell them that in a way they'll understand. I don't want to sabotage their relationship."

"Well, it would help if you had a way to confront it head on," Fluttershy suggested. "Maybe you could plan a date for them?"

The fashionista was shocked and surprised at such a suggestion! "What?! Me?! Plan a date for them?! I... I couldn't! My feelings for Spike would only get in the way!"

"But you know what Spike likes, and it probably would help Gabby if she knew what they are," Fluttershy commented in explanation. "Nopony knows more about romance and romantic settings than you do. And perhaps planning the date would give you a chance to come to grips with Spike getting over his crush on you."

The unicorn with a pristine white coat gulped and started to shake. "I... I don't know if I can, if I want to."

Fluttershy just encouraged. "It doesn't have to be anything fancy. Just something to let them know there's no hard feelings. Besides, it would give you a chance to talk to them again. You haven't done that since you found out about their relationship. The longer you put off talking to them, the harder it's going to be to ever talk about their relationship."

Rarity sighed, struggling to regain her composure. "Well... I do have all these gems just sitting around here, going to waste. And a pair of passes to a Power Ponies convention in Manehattan, not to mention my own custom dice from the last Ogres & Oubliettes session with Spike," Then her eyes lit up like stars! "Of course, that's it! It'll be just like the time Spike and I went on that date in Manehattan!"

"Wait, when was that?" Fluttershy questioned.

Rarity winked. "Why, when I was looking for a third boutique in Manehattan, of course. You didn't really think it took me all day just to find a suitable location, did you? I know the right place when I see it," She longingly sighed. "Oh, it was so lovely and Spike was such a gentleman. I feel so ashamed we never followed up on it. But I guess now I can finally make it up to him in a way. He will get another date, just not with me." And as she looked over the gems, the passes, and the dice, the gears in her brain started to turn. She was going to give Spike and Gabby a date they would never forget.





Spike was more than a little surprised the next morning to wake up and find Rarity beside his bed! He nearly leaped into the air in surprise! "R-Rarity!" He gasped.

Rarity quickly made a shushing motion to calm Spike down. "Relax, darling, it's only me. Sorry if I frightened you, but I had simply the most incredible news to share with you!"

"Couldn't it have waited until I was fully awake?" Spike yawned, still feeling a bit groggy.

"Oh, but then you would've have to wait even longer to hear that I'm planning a date for you and Gabby!" Rarity proudly declared with a big smile on her face. "I made sure to include everything you like: Gems, Power Ponies, Ogres & Oubliettes, you name it. It'll be just like that date we had in Manehattan, except instead of it being with me it'll be with Gabby."

The little dragon wasn't feeling sleepy anymore, now he was wide awake. "Whoa! You're really gonna do all of that?" Then he questioned. "Does Gabby know?"

The fashionista nodded, still flashing that big smile. "I already told her and she was practically over the moon for it! I think she really wants things to work out between you and her, and I'm more than willing to help you."

"Well, I guess in that case I don't mind," Spike declared as he got out of his bed. "When exactly is the date, and where's it going to take place? Do I have to dress up at all?"

"I don't know, I haven't actually gotten it planned yet!" Rarity confessed in a giddy tone! "But I wanted to make sure you and Gabby were both on board with it before I made any arrangements. You have nothing to worry about, I'll give you two lovebirds a date to remember. A date you'll talk about for years to come."

Spike nervously questioned. "Are you sure you're not doing this for your own sake? I know we haven't really talked to each other since we broke up about a week ago."

The fashionista waved a hoof in dismissive fashion. "I already told you, Spike. I'm not jealous. If I were, would I be so interested in setting you and Gabby up right?"

"Well, no, but..." Spike began.

"-But nothing!" Rarity protested as she cut Spike off.  "You and Gabby will have the best date ever, so help me Celestia!" Then she turned and trotted out of Spike's room, leaving the dragon in a state of disbelief.





It was only about a day later that Rarity informed both Spike and Gabby of her plans for their date. She had arranged for it to be in the middle of town, and had seen to it that they would be the only ones around besides herself (someone had to make sure the date went smoothly, at least that's how the fashionista had put it).

The event wasn't going to be anything fancy or formal, just a nice little evening for the couple to enjoy themselves, talk, and perhaps get to know each other even more than they already did. Even the food would be provided free of charge, Rarity had taken care of everything.

Spike had his doubts, especially considering he'd learned how hard Rarity had taken the break up. But Gabby reassured him that everything would be just fine. "Besides," The griffon declared in an excited tone of voice. "You can't say no to free food, can you?!" And so, reluctantly, Spike agreed to the terms.

The entire center of town had been re-decorated and re-themed just for the date. Everywhere you looked you could see gems hanging from lamps, Power Ponies figures and cut outs in a crudely drawn fashion, and even recreations of the paper, pen and dice world of Ogres & Oubliettes (complete with a replica of The Squizard).

Gabby was in awe of the whole thing! "Wow, Spike! When Rarity sets us up on a date, she goes all out! It's got all of your favorite things all meshed together! I couldn't have pulled something like this off if you gave me a whole month!"

Spike just commented under his breath. "Yeah, I know." But he didn't sound or looked as impressed as Gabby was even while he was trying to be happy for her sake.

Rarity observed the whole affair from afar, giggling to herself. "Rarity, you are a genius!" She told herself, relishing in her role as an observer. She thought that maybe she should consider playing matchmaker for her friends. If she was this good at getting Spike and Gabby together, who knew who else she could help pair up?

Spike followed Gabby to the table that had been set up for them. As he expected it contained their favorite foods, Rarity had even remembered to set aside some of his favorite gems in a bowl.

"Spike, you really gotta give it to Rarity!" Gabby commented after scarfing down all her food! "This is the best food I think I've ever had in my life! And as far as dates go, this might just be my favorite! It's absolutely perfect!"

"Yeah, too perfect." Spike commented as he looked upward, noticing the observing fashionista even from afar (not that she was making any secret of her involvement or presence).

Gabby took notice of the dragon's mood and quickly tried to change it, not wanting to see him unhappy. "Hey, come on, Spike! This is a date, so let's make the most of it!" She chirped. "Why don't you tell me more about the Power Ponies? Though I hear you're also big into Smash Fortune now."

The dragon nodded. "Yeah, I am. Ever since I found out my Uncle Shining was really into them. They're definitely a league up from Power Ponies, but I think I like them even more. Smash Fortune goes to place Power Ponies never went and never could go. Guess it's just a matter of taste, though. It's not that the Power Ponies are bad. In fact, did I ever tell you about the time I accidentally got myself and all my friends sucked into an enchanted Power Ponies comic?"

The griffon nearly gasped! "No! But now I wanna know everything! Please, you gotta tell me! I need to know!"

"Well, it's a long story," Spike commented as he massaged the back of his neck with a claw. Then he cleared his throat. "It all started when the enchanted comic itself was delivered to the doorstep of my old house, the Golden Oak Library."

Gabby smiled. "You once lived in a library? How interesting."

"I never told you?" The dragon asked the griffon who promptly shook her head in response. "Well, I did. And so did my mom, Twilight," He cleared his throat. "We probably would've kept on living in it if hadn't before for a rampaging centaur who shall not be named."





Spike's discussion touched off an unexpected line of conversation between himself and Gabby that lasted for a very long time. It might have even kept on going forever had he not noticed the time. "My goodness, is it that late already?!" He exclaimed as he looked up at the sky, seeing Luna's moon shining brightly down.

"Wow, time sure does fly when you're having fun, huh?" Gabby commented. "This was great! Be sure to thank Rarity for this!" Then she yawned a bit. "Well, I'd better go get some rest."

Spike nodded. "I'll do that too," But then he looked at Rarity (who was still watching the whole thing) and frowned. "Right after I take care of a personal matter." He said to himself.

Rarity was full of glee as Spike approached, expecting to be showered with praise for having planned such a perfect date. "Spike and Gabby will surely be drawn closer together, and they'll have me to thank for it!" She thought to herself.

But Spike immediately cleared his throat and his tone of voice made it clear that he was anything but happy. "Rarity, there's something very important we need to discuss. Something we should've addressed much sooner."

The fashionista blinked in surprise. "Whatever do you mean, Spike? I thought I'd arranged the perfect date for you and Gabby. The kind of a date that only a close friend like myself could have set up."

The dragon was not convinced. He shook his head. "Rarity, I know you think you did this for my sake, trying to make me happy with Gabby. But it felt like you were trying too hard to lure me back, showing me all that I'd missed since I broke up with you."

Rarity forced back a gulp. "Spike, I already told you I'm not jealous. If I was jealous I would've tried to sabotage you and Gabby at the first opportunity. I have done nothing of the sort, I've let you two be together."

"And we were doing just fine, you really didn't need to plan any of this," Spike protested. "I know it's hard for you to accept that I've moved on from my crush. But it's not like it was an easy thing for me to do either. I wasn't sure how I felt about Gabby for the longest time. When we were first exchanging letters it was just a simple friendship and that was it. But as we started exchanging letters more often something began to change."

The fashionista couldn't help but question. "If that was true, why didn't you tell me sooner? And why were you still so determined to get me the best possible gift last Hearth's Warming?"

"I still hadn't sorted out my feelings for Gabby when that was happening," Spike explained. "I don't really know when or how. All I know for sure is that one day I woke up, and I no longer felt the same way I used to feel about you. I thought maybe it would pass, I even thought about asking you out on another date the week before Gabby showed up. But then I started to think more about my feelings. I realized then and there that I couldn't deny it anymore, my crush on you had disappeared."

"So you were conflicted on all of this as well?" Rarity pondered. "But that couldn't be. You were so happy with Gabby, and I wanted you to be happy even if part of me wasn't ready to let you go just yet."

"I felt the same way even while I was with Gabby," Spike acknowledged. "But I want make these kind of decisions on my own. I don't want to feel like you're pressuring me to choose. I know that's not what you intended, but setting up the date the way you did and constantly observing it, that's what it felt like."

The unicorn reluctantly nodded. "I suppose that means we won't be seeing each other very often anymore. At least not while Gabby's still here."

But Spike shook his head. "Rarity, we're still friends. That's not going to change because of who I have for a girlfriend. You'll still be part of my life. You just maybe won't see me as often because I'll be with Gabby."

Rarity unhappily sighed at the notion, even as she resigned herself to that inevitability. "It won't be the same."

"Maybe not, but whatever may come of it we'll work through it together as friends," The dragon told her. "I don't regret the times we spent together. I wouldn't have traded my crush on you for all the gems in Equestria. But things change, I've changed. I want to be free to follow my feelings for Gabby wherever they take me, and it'll be much easier if I know it's not too much for you."

But Rarity declared. "You don't need to worry about me, Spike. I'll learn how to cope with this in due time. If being with Gabby is what makes you happy, I won't stand in your way. And no matter what, even if we remain just friends from here on, you will always be my favorite dragon."

"You really mean it, Rarity?" Spike hopefully asked.

Rarity nodded. "Indeed I do. And you were right, Spike. This is something we should've discussed much sooner," She couldn't help but awe. "You really have grown up."

"it was inevitable, wasn't it?" Spike commented as he waved a claw.





Rarity eventually managed to overcome her personal feelings about Spike being with Gabby. She returned to her work whole heartedly and with a renewed passion.

Among the things she took to doing like she used to do (albeit now without Spike) was gem hunting in the caves surrounding Ponyville. With an orange miner's helmet and a pick ax she harvested whatever gems she needed for her dresses. "Twilight was right, and so was Spike," She commented, seemingly to herself one day. "Things do change, nothing stays the same forever and neither is it meant to be. Spike is growing up," She tried not to wince when she heard a gem shatter behind her, the last thing she wanted was to make so much noise that she woke up the bats. "If Gabby is the one with whom he is meant to be, I suppose I can get used to it."

But it turned out that she wasn't talking to herself, Rarity had brought along a friend. In this case, Pinkie Pie. Pinkie was currently fumbling about with a gem in her hooves. "Sorry," She apologized to Rarity in the best hushed tone she could manage. "I just didn't wanna drop another one and wake the bats."

"Darling," Rarity softly called in reply. "Catching the gems is what the basket is for. I thought I explained that to you when I bumped into you on your way back from Maud's."

Then a familiar voice called out. "Wow! You girls need to be a lot quieter."

Rarity nearly gasped in surprise when she saw Spike come sliding down into the cave with his own helmet and gem basket. "Spike!" She only barely remembered to whisper. "Where's Gabby? Shouldn't you be with her?"

"She flew back to Griffonstone." Spike explained.

"Oh dear," The fashionista nervously commented. "I hope it wasn't because of me."

Spike shook his head. "Nah. She'd used up all her vacation time and it'll be a while before she can save up enough to come back. We'll still keep in touch. Though if I'm being honest, I'm not in any rush with her. She was nice and all, but I think maybe I haven't fully gotten over my crush on you after all. I'm still young yet, and I figure I've got plenty of time to figure out what I want to do with my life and who I might want to spend it with," Then he added. "Besides, even if we just stay friends, I'll still always want my Rarity Time." He promptly allowed Rarity to float a few gems into his basket.

"Oh ho ho!" Pinkie exclaimed in amazement! "So that's how it works!" But she was a bit too loud, she woke up the bats! Everyone in the cave started to scream until Spike was able to activate his flame breath and chase them away.

Spike and Gabby still keep in touch through their letters, but as of right now the dragon has refused to say whether he feels more strongly about Rarity or Gabby as a girlfriend. For the time being he was just happy to know that both of them were okay.