//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2: Cabin 
// Story: Spike's Mark 
// by mikemuir0178 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 2:  Cabin



The rain seemed to pour down with renewed vigor with every moment.  What had begun as a hopeful charge to comfort quickly degenerated to a losing battle to find a way out of the forest.  Desperately, Rarity hoped to find the path that would lead them back home, but her vision was limited.  Only the occasional flash of lightning allowed her to see beyond her horn, and it was not looking good.

Rarity then looked down to the ground to make sure she was still on the path.  It certainly seemed like she was.  But there were no markers to make out where she was.  For all she knew, she was walking around in circles.

As she took a few more steps forward, she felt a small tug on her tail from Spike having trouble keeping up.  “Don’t slow down, Spike,” Rarity instructed as she looked back to make sure Spike was still holding on.

“Sorry,” Spike apologized.  The poor dragon was shivering where he stood.

Rarity began to worry for her friend.  If they did not find a way out soon…Rarity pushed the thought out.  She would not lose.

For Spike

That would be her new battle cry.

As she took a few steps forward, she felt a tug on her tail again.

“Wait Rarity,” Spike moaned.

“Spike?” Rarity asked.  Rarity stopped and looked back to Spike in confusion.  “Is something the matter?”

“ACHOO!”

For a brief moment, Rarity’s hair stood on end as she witnessed Spike sneeze.  However it was not the sneeze that had caught her off guard, but rather the giant plume of green flame that erupted from Spike’s mouth as he sneezed. Fortunately, the little dragon had managed to turn his head away from her before he sneezed.  

“Gazuntite,” Rarity said in response.

“Thanks,” Spike said as he rubbed his nose and sniffled.

“I better find shelter for you before my little Spiky-Wiky catches cold,” Rarity responded before returning to navigate the forest.

Spike couldn’t agree more.  Now more than ever, he yearned for one of the lava baths in the Dragon Lands.  But a small campfire was probably the best thing he could hope for.

It was only on the next flash of lightning that Spike thought his prayers had been answered.

“Rarity look!” he said as he pointed off to the side of the road.

Rarity looked up from the road and followed to where he was pointing.  “Did you see something?”

“Over there!” Spike cheered as he continued to point into the trees.

Rarity gazed into the blackness, but could see little. She could make out the shadows of trees and what appeared to be hill.  But nothing else.  It wasn’t until a flash of lightning lit up the sky that Rarity saw what had caught Spike’s attention.

The object that she once had perceived as a hill behind some trees was actually a log cabin.  

“Shelter!” both Rarity and Spike shouted in unison. They then ran as fast as their feet could carry them.  As they jumped onto the wooden porch, they could see that the cabin was quite old. The wood had blackened with age and there were only two windows on either side of the building.  The door that led to the interior was slightly bigger than normal pony design, but the door knob was definitely designed for Earth ponies.

Rarity knocked on the door.  “Hello.  Is anyone there,” she called out, “Please, can you be so kind and let us in?”

There was no answer.

Both Rarity and Spike looked at each other for a moment. “Let me try getting it open.” Spike said after a brief moment.

“Is that such a good idea, Spike?  We don’t know who lives here,” Rarity responded.

“We can’t stay out here,” Spike said as he examined the door handle,

“I suppose you’re right,” Rarity admitted.  Still, she did not like the idea of being an uninvited guest.  There was no telling who or what was inside.

With both hands, Spike grabbed the door handle and prepared himself for whatever lie inside.  But as he tried to pull on the door, he found it would not give.  “Huh?” he said in surprise.  He then applied even more of his strength to opening the door. Still it did not give.

Rarity felt her heart sink as she saw that the door remain closed.  “Is it locked?”

“I don’t think so,” Spike grunted, “It’s rusted close.”

“Rusted?” Rarity replied.  She then wandered to a window to the right of the door and tried to peer inside.  But even with the power of her horn, she could not see much.  At best, she could only make out the frame of what she perceived to be a bed.

“Anything?” Spike asked as he continued to heave on the door.

“It’s totally black inside,” Rarity responded as she returned to Spike’s side.

Spike paused in his efforts to open the door and examined the one obstacle that was blocking them from shelter.  “Can you use your magic?”

“I’ll try,” Rarity said with uncertainty.  After trudging through the rain for so long and using her magic to light the way, she was exhausted.

But this did not stop her from trying.

As Rarity’s horn glowed, so too did the door handle. Yet as Rarity applied pressure to the mechanism, she could feel it creak in resistance.  Spike had been right when he said the door was rusted shut.  It would give a little, but would not break free. Instead, part of the door handle broke off and went flying.

Spike ducked just in time as the handle went sailing over his head and disappeared.  He looked at the direction the handle went flying before turning to face Rarity.

“Sorry, Spike,” Rarity responded apologetically.

“It’s okay,” Spike assured her.  He then turned back to the problem at hand, “But how are we…..Ah”

“Spike?” Rarity jumped back the next moment.

“ACHOO!” Spike sneezed again, releasing a jet of flame from his mouth onto what was left of the door handle, “Sorry.”

“I can only imagine that Twilight must have her hands full when you catch a cold,” Rarity teased in hopes of reassuring the little dragon.

Spike gave a small laugh at Rarity’s comments.  “You could say that,” he then looked back at the door, “Hey look!”

Rarity turned to the door and found that the area where the door handle had once been had now been completely incinerated.  The door creaked a little open, but still remained closed since the hinges were also rusted.

“Spike!” Rarity said with renewed determination.

“Right!” Spike replied.

Without hesitation, both companions gathered their strength and slammed their bodies against the side of the door.  With the sound of screeching metal, the door finally gave.  Both of them rolled into the cabin and landed in a heap a few feet in front of the entrance.

Rarity was the first to get up and look around at their new surroundings.  She found the cabin was actually just one large room.  There was not much in terms of furniture; just a table with two chairs in the middle of the cabin, a queen sized bed to right at one end, a dresser located on the opposite end to the door, and a stone fireplace with two stools in front of it on the left side of the cabin.  There also appeared to be no pictures or decorations of any kind.

“My.  Whoever lives here needs a proper lesson in décor,” Rarity commented.

Spike picked himself up as well and looked around at their surroundings.  “I don’t know Rarity,” as he strolled to a nearby table and ran his finger along the table.  When he examined his finger, he found there was a coat of dust, “I think this place has been abandoned.”

Spike then wandered over to the bed in the corner. As he placed his hand on the thick quilt, he could not help but feel a moment of nostalgia.  Something about the feel of the bed seemed so…familiar.

“Spike.”

Spike looked back at Rarity to find her at the other end of the cabin near the fire place.

“May I trouble you for your assistance,” she said motioning to the fireplace.

Spike caught on immediately.  Gathering the quilt in his hands, he ran over to Rarity’s side. After placing the quilt down, he let out a tongue of flame into the hearth.  The dry wood in the fireplace caught almost instantly, bathing the room in a soft orange glow.

“That feels so heavenly,” Rarity sighed in relief as she felt the warmth of the fire, “Thank you, Spike.”  She then proceeded to ring out the water in her mane and tail with her hooves.

Spike found himself staring at her form as the firelight bathed her in its light.  Somehow, she still made herself appear dignified, despite appearing unkempt and covered in mud.  Of course, even if she was completely covered in mud, he would still say she was beautiful.

After a few moment of getting some of the mud and water of her hair.  She noticed Spike was starring.  “Is something wrong, Spike?” she asked.

Spike shook himself awake as he heard her words and cursed himself for being caught starring at Rarity.  “No…Nothing!” he said apologetically as he averted his eyes nervously away.  

Rarity smiled but said nothing.  She could see that Spike had been admiring her form. She had seen other ponies do the same when she walked down the street.  However, none were as special as Spike.

Spike found himself at a loss for words as he averted his glance.  He then noticed the quilt he had brought over.  “Here. You can have this,” he quickly added.

Rarity was caught by surprise as she felt the quilt land on her back.  Though the quilt was covered in dust and there was a strange smell to it, Rarity welcomed the warmth it provided her.

“This will keep you warm,” Spike replied as he took a seat next to her.

Rarity took a moment to enjoy the warmth the quilt brought.  As she looked back at Spike, she could see the little dragon was trying to hide the fact that he was shivering.  “But…” Rarity said in concern, “What about you, Spike?”

Spike gave a reassuring smile.  “Don’t worry.  We dragons are….Ah…ACHOO!” a jet of flame erupted from Spike’s mouth.  Fortunately, he was able to direct it into the hearth. “Tough,” Spike finished as he rubbed his nose.

“Nonsense!” Rarity scoffed as she shifted her body as close as she could to Spike.  She then used her magic to lift the quilt up and encompass both herself and the little dragon.

“But…Rarity.” Spike said in surprise as he felt her body against his.  It was true he had hugged her in the past, but this was completely different.  This time, his whole body was being pressed up against Rarity’s soft coat.  Her left leg pulled him in against her.  Even her head had settled down on top of his so that it was enveloped by her neck.

“We can’t have you catching a cold here, now can we?” Rarity said as she held Spike as close as possible.

“Rarity…I…” Spike felt his cheeks blush as he felt her warm embrace.  He suspected his entire face was now red, but he didn’t care.  This was the closest he had ever been to Rarity and it felt wonderful. It kind of felt like he was…home.

Home?

“Where did that come from?” Spike thought.  He could not help but feel a nostalgia about the quilt he was now wrapped up in.  It was like he was forgetting something but did not know what.

What was this place?

Spike’s thoughts were interrupted the next moment as he felt Rarity’s body shift.  “Rarity. Is something wrong?”

“Huh?  Oh. Sorry Spike,” Rarity apologized.  She then turned back and looked to the corner of the fireplace.

Spike followed her gaze to the corner of the fireplace and saw a red book on the corner of a shelf just above the hearth. The book glowed as Rarity’s magic took hold and levitated it down to them.

“What is it?” Spike asked.

Rarity took a moment to observe the condition of the book. The book was obviously very old and the bottom half had turned brown.  The pages also appeared tanned with age.  No doubt time and the elements had taken their toll on it.  Still, Rarity was able to make out the title on the top of the book.

Grey Shire.

“Is that a pony name?” Spike asked as he looked over the cover.

“I think so,” Rarity said as she used her magic to open the book.  The pages inside were covered in hand written text.  The writer did not have excellent handwriting skills and Rarity had a hard time making out some of the words.  Even worse were the words on the bottom half of each page.  Like the cover, the elements had taken their toll on the text as well.  Still, she was able to make out the dates on the top of each page.

They were dated roughly fifteen years ago.

“I think this is a pony’s journal,” Rarity said.

“A pony?  Here?” Spike said in surprise.  He found it hard to believe a pony would actually want to live deep in the Everfree Forest.  There was Zecora of course, but she was a zebra, not a pony.

Rarity was equally perplexed as she tried reading the pages.  She could understand the desire for some ponies to live in the gentle open country. Her time with Applejack had shown her that.  But the Everfree forest was hardly “gentle open country”.

“Can you read it?” Spike asked.

Rarity squinted her eyes in frustration.  If she had her glasses with her, she might have been able to make out some of the words.  But the bad penmanship and poor light in the room made it impossible.  “No,” Rarity replied as she set the book down, “Besides. We should probably get some rest.”

“Uh…Yeah,” Spike said nervously.  The sudden appearance of the journal had made him forget that he was still pressed up against Rarity’s side.  He could feel the warmth of his cheeks return.  For him, it was a dream to be so close to Rarity, but his embarrassment was too great.  Slowly he tried to unwrap himself from the quilt that he shared with Rarity.

“Is something wrong, Spike?” Rarity asked as she felt Spike pull away.

“Huh….Oh…Nothing.  It’s just that…” Spike felt his voice fail him.  What was he supposed to say?  Their friendship had come so far and he didn’t want to ruin it.  He wanted to be with Rarity.  “Maybe it might be best for me to sleep over there,” he said pointing off to the side.

“Nonsense,” she replied.  She could tell he was trying to act the part of the gentle stallion…or drake she corrected herself.  “If you sleep over there, you will only catch a cold,” Rarity replied. Gently, she pulled Spike back to her.

Spike was unprepared by the gesture and stumbled into Rarity’s side.  As Spike felt himself being pressed against Rarity’s body, Rarity lay down, holding him close.  Spike could feel his body warm up as he felt Rarity’s soft coat.  “Uh…Rarity.  Is…Is this okay?” he asked.

Rarity looked at him with half open eyes that blinked once.  “I trust you, Spike.”

Spike found himself transfixed by her sparkling sapphire eyes.  He then felt a hoof caress the side of his face.  

Was this a dream?

“Um….Rarity?” Spike stuttered.

“Yes, Spike?” Rarity whispered.

“Uh…You have some mud in your hair,” Spike stuttered as he reached over.  With his hand, he began to comb the small mud clumps out of her mane.

“Oh…Thank you Spike.  I suppose I look pretty appalling right now,” she laughed.

Spike mustered his courage.  “Actually, I still think you look beautiful,” he said as he continued to comb her hair.

Rarity smiled lovingly back, making Spike blush even more.

Realizing his hand was still in her hair, he tried to pull it back slowly.  To his surprise, Rarity gently pushed her head into his hand.

“You can leave it there Spike,” Rarity said softly.

Spike felt his heart race faster.

This had to be a dream!

And yet it wasn’t.

As he looked into Rarity’s sapphire eyes, he began to wonder if she saw him the same way he saw her now.  A part of him was worried he might do or say something wrong and end the moment.

What if she didn’t see him the same that way?

What if she was holding him like this only to keep him warm?

How could he find out?

As his mind raced with his thoughts, only one thing came to mind to test whether or not Rarity saw him in the same manner.  However, if it didn’t work...He just needed to know.  “Rarity.”

“Yes Spike?”

“Um…Can…” he stuttered.  A part of him feared she would rebuke his request.  But he needed to know.  “Can I kiss you?”

Rarity made no response.  Instead, she smiled and gently caressed his head.  Slowly her lips came closer to his and intertwined. The kiss only lasted a moment before she parted.  Her eyes remained half open and sparkled.  “Yes, Spike.”

It took a moment for Spike to realize what happened. His heart raced even faster than before. 

“Aren’t you going to kiss me, Spike?” Rarity asked as she looked at Spike’s surprised face.  It was hard for her not to laugh at the expression on his face.

“Uh…Yeah,” Spike awoke to his senses.  Slowly, he pulled Rarity’s face closer to his, He still felt a little worried she might pull away, but she didn’t.  Instead, she allowed him to pull her closer.  As their lips met, Spike felt all his doubt vanish.

The kiss lasted only a moment longer than the last, but for Spike it seemed eternal.  As their lips parted, Rarity brought Spike’s head to the folds of her neck and hugged him tightly.

“My little Spikey Wiky,” she said as sleep started to take hold.

“I love you, Rarity,” Spike whispered as he found himself enveloped by her warmth.  His eyes slowly closed as he relaxed in her embrace.  If this was a dream, he did not want to wake up.



To Be Continued…