Atop the keep containing Princess Twilight’s inner sanctum and throne, high up enough that on a windy day like this one could outstretch a hoof or a claw above one’s head and graze a puffy little cloud, Spike and Rarity stood by the tower’s south edge near its gleaming lavender spire as they spoke alone for the first time since their goodbyes following the catwalk performances. While they’d done the bulk of their catching up along with the rest of their friends at the Friendship Council everypony had been attending for much of the day, this was the first chance Spike had had to give Rarity something he’d been keeping safe in his bedroom for the past day and poorly concealed behind his back for the past five minutes.
As he proffered it to her her face lit up with delight. ‘Aw, Spikey-Wikey, you little gentledragon! Oh, these are just lovely, healthy little things, and roses,’ Rarity gasped, ‘I do love a good rose, and there’s at least a dozen here! You even got the colours right…’ she plucked the bouquet, tied up with a big pink bow, from his outstretched claw into both hooves, then barely brushed her muzzle against them as she took a whiff of their petals. She embraced them by the wrapper and squeaked, ‘Blues and purples are indeed my preference! Thank you ever so much!’
Wearing the now-fully paid-for green jacket Rarity had brought along to the meet-up, Spike had been blushing since they’d left the other ponies behind for a little quiet alone time, and now he was relieved of the bunch he put his claws on his burning cheeks. His eyes were closed in faint embarrassment before he opened them slightly to look at the wide-eyed, joyful mare prancing in front of him. ‘Hee, heheh, oh… I just figured you’d like something nice after I had to bail on the mining expedition. Like I said, my meeting with the Saddle Arabian ambassador turned out to be a two day magic carpet ride out east after the migrating copyworms that were leaving those pyramids lying around. I’m sorry for making a promise I couldn’t keep.’
‘Well, I won’t pretend I didn’t miss you somewhat, but Applejack picked up the slack as we procured a fabulous jumble of emeralds and smoky quartzes, and goodness knows we’ve both been quite the busy bees this week since the party. Yona and I had rather an adventure with Miss Pommel at the show in Manehattan, nothing serious but things turned stressful for a time, schedule-wise… and my meeting in Baltimare was, ah, what I expected to be private business with Fedora Felt turned out to be a board meeting with higher-ups at Onthebridle & Bits. I don’t suppose you knew that disrespectful Suri Polomare, of all ponies, is on its board of directors?’
‘No way? There’s a name I haven’t heard in a while… didn’t she fade into obscurity after winning a bunch of fashion contests, then getting caught stealing her designs from other ponies like she did to you that time?’
‘Yes, well, she goes by a different name now, likely to avoid the consequences of her backstabbing behaviour, and appears to have changed tack towards corporate matters, but she certainly hasn’t changed… so you may be able to imagine how that went.’
‘Hmph. I think I get the general idea. Knowing what I know about her, she probably hasn’t climbed that far up the corporate pole so quickly by honest means.’
‘Yes, quite,’ Rarity replied pointedly, ‘They offered me a tidy sum for a commission on range, but I’ll stay wholly independent rather than have to deal with her in a significant capacity, thank you very much. I kept it civil, but I made myself darned clear and refused… at any rate, there’s no real need to apologise for not showing up, my darling.’ She moved closer to Spike, sitting by him and beaming, ‘I know you’d’ve been in like a shot if it were even a little possible. Besides, from what you told us all earlier there really hadn’t been precedent for that adventure of yours! I didn’t even know such things existed… ooh, I don’t know if I like the idea of giant burrowing worms leaving, ah, geometrical droppings like that all willy-nilly!’
Spike hovered upwards to meet her eye level as he explained what had happened, gesturing with alternating claws as he did so. ‘It was something to do with the pH of the sands out in the Accipitrid Desert. Long story short they migrate more closely to the surface the more alkaline things get out there, turns out… and the pyramid clones they were, uh, depositing normally go unnoticed. It took a hot minute to get all straightened out, but it’s not magical misadventure like the Saddle Arabians thought…’
Rarity’s expression softened. ‘As dear Fluttershy would say, “nature is fascinating”, if bizarre at times. So what’s to be done about the pyramids they’ve scattered all over the place?’
‘They’ve not much in the way of structural integrity, according to Amira Al-Hayshed – that’s the Saddle Arabian ambassador – and nothing was dumped in any of the cities themselves, so they’ll dissolve back into the desert sands before too long like nothing happened. They look kind of neat, in the meantime. Could make for decent tourist photoshoots, who knows?’
Rarity giggled. ‘Oh, that’s a jolly good idea… who knows, the roaming of wild animals might just work out for local souvenir t-shirt sales! “I Survived The Worm Poo Pyramid Crisis”, or whatnot!’
As Spike laughed at her sloganeering she grinned and took another sniff of the roses, before looking around with vague unease as her mane and her pink pashmina scarf blew out of position before correcting them both, ‘The scent of these flowers is simply divine… although, while I very much appreciate the romantic gesture, a gusty castle rampart might not be the greatest place in the world for them! We’ll have to take them back inside and find an appropriate vase sooner rather than later. It simply wouldn’t do to allow the petals to blow away!’
‘Ugh, yeah, sorry about the weather… shoulda taken that into account when considering romantic gestures, it’s sunny but warm it ain’t, I guess. I’d like to talk about something, but let’s get inside first, and besides, we shouldn’t leave the girls alone too long,’ Spike chuckled, ‘Who knows what kind of trouble they’ll get into without either of us to lend a guiding claw?’
‘Before we descend back into the royal warmth of the castle, though…’ said Rarity, suddenly wrapping both her arms around the flying little dragon and reeling him in for a cuddle and a nuzzle, clasping the bouquet of roses against his back and sighing, ‘Oh, it’s lovely to be with you again after the busy, busy week I’ve had… that we’ve both had! Aww, Spikey…’
Spike couldn’t help guffawing with glee as Rarity pressed him against her downy chest fluff, and he wrapped his arms around her sides. ‘Oh, you’re not kidding… this is nice. You’re nice… mmm, Rarity, whatever’s been stressing me out lately just isn’t important when we’re together like this, you know?’
She pressed her jaw against his head frills and swayed him gently as they both held one another a little tighter. Then she closed her eyes and breathed, ‘I relate most keenly, as a matter of fact. I could stay like this with you for hours… true, the wind up here’s just a tad chilly but you’re warm as ever, and you’re such an adorable little snugglebug, sweetheart. My worries just melt away when I’m with you… aw, thank you for the roses, darling, I know I thanked you already but they’ll be perfect near the boutique’s front windows…’
Spike giggled again as Rarity planted a smooch on his forehead, then looked up at her. ‘You put a lot more thought and effort into my jacket, Rare. I’m glad you like ’em, though! For what it’s worth, I’ll definitely be down for a mine trip next week, if you’ll have me…’
‘Well, I may have need of you, although it depends how many jewels I use up in the coming days! If not, well, you’re always welcome at the boutique anytime regardless, and, well, maybe we could do something you’d like to do instead…’ she drank deep of his emerald eyes inquisitively and smiled as she tipped her head, ‘Anyway, what was it you wished to speak with me about?’
Spike pulled away from Rarity and flapped his wings a few times as he turned towards the door leading to the stairs back into the keep. ‘Didn’t you just say you wanted to put those roses in a vase? You're not wrong that it’s chilly up here. Let’s discuss this thing while we look for one, then get back to the others before they come looking for us. It’s just something that’s been at the back of my mind all week.’
Rarity levitated the bunch of flowers a short way in front of herself as she followed Spike through the door. ‘If the weather were a tad more amenable I wouldn’t mind staying up here, the view of the citadel from here is glorious… but yes, let us descend back into sanctuary for the time being, dear.’
They descended the spiral staircase back below carefully, Spike holding onto the handrail out of habit despite being airborne. He turned to Rarity as they approached the carpeted hallway and started to explain. ‘Well, I’m kinda concerned about the future, I guess. About myself, and, uh, dragon growth…’
Rarity tisked as they left the staircase and began to wander in the general direction of the meeting room the others were likely chattering away within. ‘Oh, is that all? I thought we discussed this the other day, Spikey… I’m more than happy to spend my time with you regardless, and I don’t think we should be too concerned about your, ah, potentially impending bigness. You’ll still be you no matter what shape you assume! Isn’t that what counts?’
Spike shook his head. ‘That’s not what I mean, Rare. Actually, I’m concerned about it in ways besides my appearance. Honestly,’ he stopped, descended to the floor and looked at her, ‘I’m kind of scared I might hurt you, accidentally, I mean. What if I get ripped all of a sudden and don’t know my own strength, then yank your arm out of its socket, or land you in hospital in some kind of fumbled attempt at intimacy?’
Rarity stopped in front of him and looked perturbed. ‘Oh, I wouldn’t like that one bit,’ she gasped before pursing her lips and thinking about it for a moment, ‘And it seems so unbelievable to me that such a terrible thing could happen that I honestly hadn’t considered it!’
Spike shrugged. ‘I hate thinking about it, but it’s been keeping me awake at night all week. Mmmmmaybe we should make provisions for the worst? You know, just in case.’
‘Why, whatever do you mean?’ asked Rarity.
‘I dunno… I mean, you make clothes,’ Spike said, aware he was stating the obvious, ‘I know a lot of them are fabric and lace but uh, ever made armour? You’d probably be better off prepared as a guard than a damsel in distress around future me, most likely.’
‘Why, Spike, that sounds… well, maybe it is something to take under advisement, even if it seems slightly silly for you to compare yourself to one of those horrid anti-dragon pony tales,’ breathed Rarity, ‘Though I must confess my fineries are normally not designed with such materials in mind…’
‘Better yet, if I turned monstrous… maybe you should move on. I’d rather you were safe than around me if I was like that,’ Spike continued morosely.
Rarity looked down her muzzle at him with a mixture of sympathy and palpable indignance. ‘Why, I’d do no such thing, Spike! The worst thing you could do in a situation like that is treat me like an, ah, like a delicate porcelain doll, only to be beheld and never touched, and just push me away, darling. I wouldn’t allow it, anyway! I am a grown mare with my own mind and desires, and I’d rather be treated as such, regardless of any untoward growth, as you say… and I wouldn’t give up feeling you close to me willingly, even if you had a growing-pain period where it became potentially harsher and required minor distancing. Truthfully, a big part of the, ah, enjoyment of being close to you is feeling your touch, I shan’t lie. You do it just right, like nocreature’s ever touched me before, and you’re like a little fire next to my heart…’
‘And don’t you suppose “little” is an operative word, there?’ Spike asked, taking to the air again, ‘A bigger fire could consume you whole without even meaning to.’
‘Well, if you wish to take the metaphor to its logical conclusion, as it were…’ Rarity trailed off as they walked past the lush purple hanging baskets punctuating the splendiferous arrays cast by the stained glass windows of the sanctum’s western wing. She fiddled with her mane as little pink circles appeared on her white cheeks, glancing away before looking into his eyes again, ‘Well, on an emotional level I suppose your fire is catching inside me, ah, but that’s as far as it goes! Ooh, I really do like you, Spikey-Wikey, very much indeed, and I won’t let that go without a fight now that we’re, ah, both a tad more comfortable with our relationship than before…’
She sighed, feeling mild butterflies in her tummy as she contemplated that which troubled him further. ‘Part of me wants to assure you there’s nothing to worry about, but you raise concerns about my own wellbeing like this and I’m, well, I appreciate it very much, even if it makes me worry too. Although not too much… I suppose I trust you enough that, well, I shan’t lie and pretend it’s a non-issue, but I think that, just by virtue of you fretting about the possibility it may be that you’ll keep it in mind when the time comes, as it may.’
Spike didn’t seem to react, although Rarity could only see the back of his head bobbing up and down as he flew in front of her. ‘Darling?’ she inquired, ‘Are you quite alright?’
He spun around in mid-air and looked at her, bathed in red and gold from the faintly dusty rays filtering through the Rockhoof portion of the leadlight septych of the Pillars of Equestria stretching the entire length of the corridor. Rarity understood immediately that he was trying not to cry, his mouth a pursed wobble and his eyes shimmering. ‘Oh, dammit! You say stuff like that and it just makes me worry more… like you’re, ugh, this is messed up but I’m just afraid that you’re handing yourself to me with a bow on, and everything will be fine until suddenly it isn’t anymore, and then it’d be too late.’
Herself now cast under Mage Meadowbrook’s twinkling white and teal lights, she put the bundle of roses she was carrying aside and pulled Spike close. There was a grave look on her face as she sat down on the lush red carpet, pressed him lovingly against her chest and stomach and said ‘That. Won’t. Happen, Spike. I know you too well to believe even for a second that you’d be irresponsible with power, physical or otherwise, at this point! I know it hasn’t always come easily, but as far as I’m concerned you’ve proven yourself to be as reliable as it gets, and I believe I can rely on your sweet-natured temperament to quell any, ah, savagery of form that may emerge. And if something we don’t expect happens when the time comes, well, we’ll cross that bridge together, won’t we? I’m positive we can handle whatever fate sees fit to throw our way… we’d just need to support one another!’
‘In the meantime, it may be prudent to consider some, ah, protective gear, just in case, as you say. Fore-attired is forearmed, after all, I truly believe that… some thick clothing could help, and I know I can borrow royal armour from Twilight… I’ll ask her later,’ Rarity couldn’t suppress a giggle, ‘It’s padded inside and remarkably comfortable despite how stark it looks, you know! Remember when I wore some as a disguise that one time? I looked quite fetching, at least I thought so when I caught myself in the mirror back then!’ Her expression darkened slightly as she recalled the infiltration of the very castle they were currently inhabiting that she’d performed alongside Spike and their friends in more detail, ‘And then you betrayed all of us alongside Princess Luna for that foil crown Twilight and Shining Armor were competing over. Hmm.’
Spike laughed and pulled away as he took to the air again, that memory lifting his spirits slightly even as he realised it might not help his case, trust-wise. ‘Hah, yeah, I sure did! I admit it was underhanded as get-out, but you know I did that out of love. Twilight’s a lot better about boundaries nowadays but she’s not always been, uh, there’ve been occasions when she’s been, uhhh… I’m not sure how to put it? I had to have that crown, just as an identity thing. A respect thing too, I guess.’
Rarity sighed, then smiled. ‘Yes, I know that, and Luna sympathised with your plight vis-à-vis herself and Celestia, surely, hence her assistance… my goodness, Sweetie Belle has endured much worse jags to that effect in the past. While I’ve never intended to make her feel inferior, there have been occasions that I’ve… and she’s… ah, sibling relationships can be most complicated.’
‘Y’know, she told me some time ago about the time Luna visited her dreams a few years back, after she sabotaged the headdress you’d made for Sapphire Shores. Tell me, Rare, would you really have been extremely traumatised, to the extent of becoming a deranged shut-in, if that had really happened?’
Rarity breathed, half in alarm and half in amusement. ‘I… no, I think not. I certainly wouldn’t have been very happy about it, but I know Sapphire Shores is enough of a professional that she would have quietly fired me for such a mess, rather than publicly humiliating me, for sweet starters! As for the rest, well, I’ve bounced back from much worse, you know that. Sweetie Belle had a nightmare, possibly corrective at Luna’s behest, of a true worst-case scenario where everything went horrifically wrong and she utterly destroyed my life with her actions, the poor filly confessed it to me after she tried to make amends at the time… but it wasn’t real, and there was instruction to be had in there. One’s worst instincts can always be avoided, or at the absolute least one can and should make an effort to mend ills, is what I learned from that occasion.’
‘And I guess that’s what I’d be up against in the worst-case scenario I’m imagining, my own worst instincts… well, I swear I’ll be your protector when need be, Rarity, never your destroyer. That’s all I can really do for now besides warn you about the possibilities, I guess. Hey,’ Spike’s tone suddenly lifted from stoney solemnity as he boosted ahead briefly, before stopping at the bedroom he’d retrieved the roses from earlier, ‘We’re back here. Just a sec, I’ll fetch the vase off my desk and you can have it for a while.’
Rarity relinquished her magic hold on the roses to Spike’s claws as he withdrew backwards into his room for a moment. She stood at the door and watched as he turned away from her then did a swift lap around its walls, plopping them back into the fancily-painted pink vase, filling it with tap water from his en-suite sink before flying back to her, then thrusting it back to her with both hands. ‘Well, that was efficient; you can’t have been more than fifteen seconds all round just then! Anyway, thank you once again,’ she said, hefting the now-considerably heavier roses properly upright with her horn magic and taking another delicate but prolonged sniff, ‘These marvellous things should last a few weeks provided I care for them well, and I swear, every bit as much as you just swore to me, that I will.’
Spike exhaled and swung the door shut. ‘I don’t doubt it. You know, this is kind of a bummer topic for me, but I’m glad we’ve talked about it. Pretending everything was fine when I’m scared it’s not would be worse, and who knows – maybe I’ll just become slightly taller one day and all this worry was for nothing. I just want you to be well.’
Rarity moved in for another hug, which Spike backed off from for a fraction of a second before leaning into her embrace. ‘A problem shared is a problem halved, they say… and I already feel on top of the world, sweetheart,’ she whispered into his ear frills, ‘Come what may, as I said, I think we can handle anything.’
Spike responded by looking into her eyes and chuckling, then putting his head over her shoulder and raking a claw through her mane, then down her neck and back. She squeaked in happy surprise before sighing, melting into him as the sensation relaxed her totally. She held him just below his wings and they stayed like that, Rarity leaning against the hallway wall as she placed the vase on a nearby table and allowed herself to slump towards the floor slightly as they snuggled for a moment. ‘Mmm… oh, ooh, Spike…’ she murmured, closing her eyes and holding her favourite little dragon closer to her, ‘Oh, Spikey-Wikey, you really know how to treat a lady well… I sincerely doubt you’ll suddenly forget learned finesse like this after a growth spurt…’
She squirmed and inhaled as Spike petted her some more. ‘Aw, I can’t resist you, even after all that dumb stuff I just spouted about how we might have to break up, Rare,’ he said, stroking her shoulder, ‘Maybe I just need to get a grip and enjoy this. This is real, right here, and I feel great too… you smell nice and you’re comfy and, and uh, cool, and it’s unbelievable! I’m one lucky dragon…’
‘“Cool”, you say?’ said Rarity, pulling back a bit and looking into Spike’s dilated eyes with slight confusion, ‘I’m unsure I follow. Dashie’s the one preoccupied with “coolness” as standard, what with all the swift moves and athletic prowess. I’m more, ah, more splendid than cool, I’d say…’
‘Well, you’re smart and confident, and you make being so perfect look so effortless, is all. You must spend hours fussing over your appearance every morning, then keeping it looking so great all day. It’s seriously impressive – I mean, you know it’s not the only thing I find attractive about you! But you’ve always been that way…’
‘Well, I’ve become so practised at it it’s second nature at this point, but it does take some time, I shan’t lie…’ said Rarity, snuggling Spike a little more, ‘Spikey, do you know why I spend so much time on my looks, darling?’
Spike sighed as Rarity’s firm hold on him tightened. ‘Go on, tell me.’
She pressed her forehead against his, her horn gently brushing against his head frills as she explained. ‘Fundamentally, I’m an optimist, that’s why. I like to believe that something fabulous is going to happen, every single day… and I want to be as well-dressed as possible to greet it, you know? Some days it doesn’t, indeed some days are just disastrous, but another day always follows without fail, with an entire world of new possibilities, and one misses a hundred-percent of the shots she doesn’t take, as Dashie would say… and while this week has been slightly taxing, I’ve had a higher frequency of lovely days lately, too, with you, my dearest friend…’
Spike felt a swell of emotion and pride as Rarity said that, and she pulled back as they smiled at each other. ‘Hey, show me the roses for a sec?’ he requested, and as she obliged with a quick glow of her horn he plucked a big blue one from the vase, then raked a claw down its stalk to check it for thorns before gesturing with the other to her to lower her head a little.
He slid the flower along her right ear with one claw, stroking her swan-like neck with the other as she bowed towards him. She bit her lip, closed her eyes and made a half-chuckling, half-whining sound as he did that, then looked up at him with affectionate, radiant, slightly watery blue eyes and a wobbly little smile. ‘There we go… just my attempt at improving upon perfection. Now you’re even more beautiful than before,’ he exhaled as he looked at her with the rose perched on her temple, moving his claw up from her neck to her cheek.
‘You romantic little thing, Spikey-Wikey,’ Rarity murmured, blushing madly before giving him a loving smooch on the cheekbone along with a flick of her tongue, ‘It’s not a stretch of my imagination that a sweet flower like one of yours has improved upon my looks somewhat, but I’d like to see it for myself! Is there a mirror nearby, perchance?’
Spike rubbed his cheek and grinned toothily. ‘Sorry, I just felt inspired, I guess, by what you just said… I guess that’s a part of why you’re so special, Rare,’ he blushed furiously as he dispensed that compliment, then looked up into her loving gaze. ‘Anyway, uh, there’s a big mirror a few doors down in the, uh, epistemology library,’ he only stumbled on that word slightly, ‘We can dip in there and you can see for yourself. I think it suits you, anyway.’
Rarity put both hooves on Spike’s shoulders as she spoke. ‘Of course I’m sure it does, but a lady simply must be certain about her appearance, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t bear witness to your addition for myself! Lead the way, darling!’ Then she let him go, adjusting the rose in her mane so it docked against her ear a little more comfortably before standing up on all four hooves.
‘Sure, but after that we’ve gotta get back to the others. It’s been a quarter-hour already and I don’t want anypony to worry… or, heh, get the right idea about what we’re up to! C’mon, follow me.’ Rarity trotted along merrily, following Spike as he flew past the rest of the stained glass images for a moment before reaching a closed door, then swung it open to reveal the library he’d spoken of, lighting a candelabra on a desk with his green fire before inviting Rarity inside with a flourish of both arms. ‘Here it is. Uh, the mirror’s somewhere at the back.’
Rarity’s eyes needed a minute to adjust to the room’s relative darkness that Spike’s didn’t, so she stood close to the threshold as he bumped around in there for a moment, carefully placing the vase by the candelabra before she wandered further into the fairly cramped room, stuffed to the ceiling as it was with crowded bookshelves. As she peered upwards she commented, ‘Books, books and more bally books… Spikey, how many books and libraries does this palace contain, anyway? I feel as if it has more than Twilight’s old castle!’
She heard a series of clunks before Spike responded from behind a shelf. ‘Seventeen thousand, three hundred and forty-nine library books are accounted for within the castle confines as of the start of the moon, and fifteen separate library rooms, respectively,’ he recited, ‘Not counting my comic book– I mean, my personal graphic novel library. And it’s only a bit more, actually… Princess Celestia read a lot herself and Twilight inherited a bunch of that, not that she minded at all, and she brought all her irreplaceable favourites here when she became ruler…’ He emerged and looked under a sheet at the bottom of the central aisle of the room dead opposite the door, ‘Oh, here it is! I didn’t realise it was still kept covered.’
He flew upwards and flapped the sheet off of it, revealing the tall mirror to Rarity. The room was still somewhat dim to her, so she lit a shimmering blue point of luminescence at the tip of her horn before proceeding through the bookshelves and stepping onto the platform at the base of the mirror, looking squarely into it. The rose, turquoise now in the coloured light illuminating her person, was indeed very becoming on her, although she noticed there were a few leaves hanging off just beyond its petals that had barely tucked behind her ear, and with a flick she revealed them. She felt that further enhanced Spike’s intention as she admired herself, bobbing one shoulder closer to the mirror, then the other and batting her lashes.
‘See? You look great!’ Spike said cheerfully, looking brightly at their reflections as he hovered next to her.
‘It really is lovely, Spike,’ she answered. Having attended to the most immediate matter, Rarity looked up at the oval mirror’s ornate horseshoe frame and felt a cold frisson shoot down her spine. ‘Ooh,’ she inhaled through her teeth, ‘But this mirror… this is the crystal mirror to that human world with the high school and “interconnected network” you and Twilight have visited a few times now, isn’t it? I mean, amongst others, but that’s the place that sticks in my memory most of all. Is it proper to use this for such a mundane purpose, Spikey?’
While he felt confident that all was well, Spike inspected the mirror in case it was shimmering, putting a claw on it and tapping on it to make certain that it was just hard glass, nothing more ethereal. ‘Uh, yeah it is, but it’s not doing anything right now, besides being a mirror. Twilight cast a deactivation spell on it after Pinkie Pie hopped into it to chase an extradimensional fudge sundae a little while ago, just so it’s not constantly functioning as a portal to who-knows-where. Getting her back was a huge pain in the tail, for me especially since I was the one hopping through a bunch of other worlds looking for her, though it had perks!’ he couldn’t suppress a snort as he looked at Rarity, then flew around her head and explained, ‘I fell into a dimension where all the ponies were you at one point, even! Isn’t that just crazy!?’
Rarity backed away from the mirror, nonetheless fixing her gaze upon her visage in case something suddenly changed, and she scrunched her muzzle and fiddled with her scarf nervously. ‘Ordinarily I’d find that most amusing, but I don’t feel comfortable at all casually toying with an object of such power as a relative novice, Spike. Cover it back up and let’s go, if you don’t mind.’
‘Alright, alright, I’m sorry, but it’s definitely safe. Twilight uses it to talk to Cadance more than anything nowadays,’ said Spike, nonetheless locating the cloth he’d discarded onto the library’s mauve windermare carpet, ‘She’s got one in the Crystal Palace that communicates with it somehow, but near as I’m aware it hasn’t got the bells and whistles this one has…’
Rarity’s eyes darted between Spike and her own reflection for a split-second, and as he talked and started to drape the cloth back over the mirror her face turned paler as she saw things on the other side had become very different, just as she’d feared they might.
She saw herself, that was unchanged, but in the mirror she was surrounded by a million things, all Spike-esque in their general gist but many not at all what she would consider form. Tiny Spikes no bigger than tadpoles, gigantic elder dragon Spikes, some handsome, some hideous; perfect, immaculate Spikey-Wikeys that were eye-watering to look at directly; and slavering, horribly mutated monsters with vicious gimlet eyes all appeared in the churn simultaneously. Whatever impromptu illusion the mirror was casting to her was a sensory overload, to say the least, and to say Rarity felt overwhelming bewilderment in that moment would likewise have been a vast understatement.
The vision couldn’t have lasted more than a few seconds, but pinned to the spot as she was whole the scene unfolded before her it felt like an eternity to Rarity. It wasn’t just the grotesquery of what she was seeing, the teeming mash-up of more realities than she could process moving, thrashing, teeming around on the other side of that mirror. None of the Spikes seemed to be looking directly at her, though, all had their attention on her reflection that they surrounded, that looked as helpless as anything to resist their whims, good or ill. Some beheld her with loving gazes, others sorrowful or hateful, others filled with lust, or bloodlust, slavering at the chops with unbearable need, some of them even about to – oh, it was unthinkable but with teeth and claws bared like that it looked as if they meant to rend her, devour her–! She reflexively looked around herself but saw nothing, thank goodness, but all that meant was it was time to take her leave immediately!
Rarity screamed just as Spike covered the looking glass with a “plumpf” sound, and as he looked up he saw her rear in panic, trip and stumble to the floor as she turned, then flee the room. ‘Rarity? What’s wrong?’
He flew after her and, having snuffed the candelabra and grabbed the vase of roses, slammed the door and looked around, seeing Rarity trembling and slumped against the opposite wall, gasping for air with her hooves over her eyes, just beneath an autumnal-coloured stained glass depiction of The Stygian wielding a tome that gazed sternly down upon them both, flanked on both sides by more potted cascades of heather. ‘What’s wrong, Rare?’ he repeated, ‘Did something happen?’
Spike tried to approach Rarity to comfort her, but she swatted him away with a feeble “weh!” sound in her fearful state. Hyperventilating, it took her a moment to regain her composure enough to blurt out, ‘That, that mirror is evil! Whatever sorcery Twilight cast upon it can’t be all that effective, at the absolute least! It just showed me the most ghastly apparitions in the blink of an eye… of you, of the future, of myriad realities that could await us… me! Oh, by Celestia, I could very much have done without that…’
She put her hooves back over her eyes, and Spike stood by with a lump in his throat as she started to sniffle and cry. ‘Rarity? Oh, this was a terrible idea, I don’t know what happened exactly but I’m sorry, I watched her cast that spell a while ago and I was sure it was fine…’
He reattempted approaching her, half-expecting another rebuff, but this time she didn’t resist as he sat by her and held her shivering form by its side, where he remained for a little while until he felt her thumping heart settle. ‘It’s alright. It’s alright. I’m here and I’m not a ghastly apparition, no more than usual, heh. I’m just the normal Spike the Dragon…’ he murmured, stroking her neck and mane.
She squeaked sadly as he did that, her tearful eyes screwed shut. After a short while she opened them and sat up, then put both her hooves on Spike’s shoulders as he got an eyeful of her deeply concerned, mascara-streaked face. She whimpered, ‘It was horrible, darling, it scared the curls out of my tail! A million versions of you appeared around my reflection… that thing can’t show visions of the future, can it? Oh, that’s what they seemed to be…!’
‘We’d have to ask Twilight to be sure, but I’m pretty certain… it’s not evil, it’s an, uh, automaton. It’s powered with transdimensional magic, primarily, unless it’s communicating with the Crystal Empire like I said. Man, I guess it wasn’t quite the same thing as Rarity World, huh? I certainly wouldn’t’ve run screaming from that!’ Spike smiled, but Rarity didn’t smile back.
She shook her head, having calmed somewhat. ‘No, no, they were all different sorts… some looked kind and loving, some were rather handsome things, some looked downright angelic, but… oh, some were bestial, awful things! I just don’t, oh, I feel rather nauseous from seeing them! They looked to swallow my reflection whole, or worse! I ran away before I could allow it!’ Spike looked up at her with concern as she pontificated, ‘I must have somehow seen into any number of worlds through that thing all at once… perhaps it malfunctioned given half a chance after Twilight “deactivated” it. That spell may not be as firm as she thinks.’
Then she gave Spike a hug, a slightly desperate one that made it difficult for him to breathe. ‘Oh, sweetheart… what really frightened me more than anything was seeing you twisted up like that… inside and out, when I saw the worst possible forms you could have taken. Even some of the “good” yous were alarming to behold in their, ah, alien cherubic-ness… but you’re still you, here, now, and that’s no apparition.’ She snuggled him harder for a moment, just to make sure he was the true Spike.
Spike pushed himself out of Rarity's embrace, popping his head up before speaking. ‘Possible you got an eyeful of what’s been worrying me, huh, except my imagination’s been running overtime about the future… but I’m pretty sure you witnessed a million presents, none of which are ours. They can’t hurt either of us… but I’m so sorry I took you in there, now. Scaring you like that was the last thing I wanted to do!’
Rarity readjusted her rose, which had become crumpled and tipped back behind her ear in her panic. ‘Oh… I believe that, knowing what I know about that mirror myself. My understanding is that time magic is essentially forbidden, impractical and particularly difficult to cast as it is, and causes far more issues than it’s worth, what with the paradoxes and such it causes! We should inform Twilight in the meantime, that there’s something wrong with it I mean. I don’t wish for anypony else to run afoul of it – imagine if Fluttershy caught an eyeful of a million Discords all vying for her like that? She’d faint dead away in terror!’
‘I wonder…’ Spike smiled, ‘Discord may have conjured up weirder stuff while she’s visited him in his chaos dimension, but that’s between them for the most part. Who knows.’ Then he paused, before conniving a new direction for their conversation that could soothe Rarity's nerves and massage his own ego into the bargain. ‘So… you said some of them were handsome? My dear Rarity, do tell me more,’ he said with a mischievous smirk on his face.
Rarity took his request at face value, not smiling back at first. ‘Well, you know I saw the whole thing flash by in just a few seconds, and my attention was fixed on the stranger things, and what looked like imminent danger – but, yes, I did register some versions of you that were quite comely, in my estimation,’ she exhaled, though not especially joyfully, ‘Bigger yous, but not to excess… taller, broad-shouldered, strong and kindly, loving yous, some a little lanky or stocky perhaps, but they seemed sweet in their own ways… much more of a logical progression from your current form and likely from realities closer to our own than some of the grimmer visions back there!’
Spike noticed the tension in her muscles lift as she smiled and gave him a half-lidded look. ‘You said yourself you’d never become that “Spikezilla” creature again, didn’t you, darling? I still believe you, even after seeing a thousand of them all ravening together at once. They weren’t you, and they never will be…’
She gave him another snuggle, less tightly this time as Spike put his arms around her neck. ‘Always your protector, never your destroyer, Rare. Although almost giving you a heart attack isn’t a very smart way to protect you, is it?’
‘I don’t need protecting, Spike, you know as well as anycreature I can handle myself in battle if I absolutely must… but I do appreciate the sentiment very much, especially in context of the, ah, off-chance that you could indeed become… incompatibly “ripped”, like you said. Anyway, even if it was rather disturbing in the moment I feel that it was probably best that the mirror went haywire whilst being used for nothing of much import… and your comfort and support has helped supplant the worst of the trauma I was experiencing… and I suppose that was your protection, in its own way. Thank you, Spikey-Wikey,’ she cooed, stroking his frills.
‘Any time, Rarity,’ Spike said, happily craning his neck upwards to behold Rarity's bunched cheeks and lightly tousled mane, bathed in the amber and orange sun rays filtering through the window above them. The two of them were just about to rub snouts when Spike bolted upright, wide-eyed as he heard a deep voice, the trudge of hoofsteps and the clinking and clunking of armoured ponies echoing past the corner at the far end of the hallway. ‘Oop, afternoon patrol’s coming around,’ he said, ‘Time to behave.’
Rarity stood up on all fours, and she gave him a serious look before taking the vase off the side table back into her magical grip. ‘Yes, quite right… and on that note, we must return to the others right away and warn them, Spike. Come, let’s not dally any further,’ she said as a group of five royal guards hoved into view, led by Flash Magnus, with the rest following in a two-by-two formation. Flash was giving new recruits a guided tour of the inside of the castle walls, proudly explaining the history of the windows Spike and Rarity had been chattering and cuddling beneath for the last little while.
As they made their way down the corridor back to where the party was no doubt ensuing, the pair couldn’t help noticing that one of the recruits was no pony, but Gallus in guard training, looking proud in a shiny new suit of silver plate armour and a plumed helmet adorned with feathers that matched his electric blue. Rarity flicked her mane and waved, and Spike puffed up his jacket’s shoulder pads before saluting at the group, both taking care not to interrupt Flash’s ongoing spiel about the lives and deeds of his brothers- and sisters-in-arms whose portraits adorned the hall windows, though he saluted them right back. For his part the griffon tipped his helmet and smiled in their direction, making sure not to break form while on duty. The remaining three ponies of the cohort plainly recognised the pair, and for their parts followed their drill sergeant's lead with salutes of their own.
Trotting with intent alongside Spike, Rarity located the door to the meeting room after a couple more minutes’ movement, and the two guards flanking it relaxed and let the pair through. Twilight had to be told, Rarity reasoned, as soon as was feasible at that! As the vase of roses, followed by herself, followed by Spike, entered the room, however, quite the amusing scene unfolded before them…
–––✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*💎*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧–––