Chapter 8: Revelations
It took a little longer than expected to get the smell out of Spike’s hide. Dragon scales were not easy to scrub with brushes designed for ponies. However, with a little effort on his part, Spike was able to scrub the ash out. When he walked out, he appeared slightly cleaner than usual and smiled with great satisfaction at the results.
“I have to say, you do look handsome, Spike,” Rarity complimented, “You really cleaned up.” She also had to admit that he smelled a lot better to. She recognized the floral soap Spike had used and suspected he applied generous amounts to his scales.
Spike smiled happily at Rarity’s compliment. “Thanks.” He said, “Should we head back to your place now?”
“Yes, of course,” Rarity nodded in approval, “I really need to get started on those dresses.” She then led the way with Spike at her side back to the Carousel Boutique.
As the two walked down the street, Rarity sensed that Spike seemed a little quiet. As she glanced at him through the corner of her eye, she could see that his eyes appeared a little weary. “Spike? Is everything okay? You seem a little down.”
“Huh?” Spike awoke from his thoughts and turned his head to face Rarity as he walked, “Sorry Rarity. I was just thinking about what Twilight said about Runt and Grey Shire. I just feel so ashamed that a dragon would hurt a pony.”
Rarity could understand Spike’s dilemma. It had not been easy for Spike as he grew up. He had been torn between two worlds; the ponies who he grew up with and the dragons which he was. Though he embraced the pony way of life, it wasn’t easy sometimes to be the only dragon in Ponyville before the Friendship Academy had been set up. “I wouldn’t worry about it too much, Spike. I’m sure she managed to escape.”
“Do you think Twilight could be right about Runt?” Spike asked.
Rarity took a moment to think back about what she read. From the way Grey Shire spoke of Runt, it seemed like they were getting along. “I admit, even I have my doubts about it. The entries I read seemed to say they were becoming close.”
“How so?” Spike asked out of curiosity.
“Well,” Rarity thought, “It started out with Runt being her servant. He was trying to fulfill the Dragon Code. But over time she saw him as a friend, maybe more.”
“Sounds kind of like us,” Spike said happily. A dark thought then crossed his mind. “Wait. Does that mean I might turn on you and-.”
“Spike. You need not worry. I’m sure what happened with Grey Shire and Runt will not happen with us,” Rarity assured the little dragon.
“But, what if I go feral or something. I mean I didn’t know about the Mark. What if something else happens that makes me do something,” Spike asked.
“I trust you, Spike,” Rarity replied.
Spike looked into Rarity’s eyes for assurance. “You do?”
“Of course I do. You are one of the bravest, most trustworthy individuals I’ve ever known,” Rarity replied, “I trust you.”
Spike felt relief when he heard those words. “Thanks Rarity.”
“HEY GUYS!”
As Pinkie Pie’s head popped out of a barrel, Rarity jumped back in surprise and let out a small cry of fright.
“Pinkie Pie?!” Rarity shouted in annoyance, “You scared me.”
“Sorry about that,” Pinkie smiled.
“Rarity!” Spike gasped.
“Huh?” Rarity looked down and saw she was now gripping Spike in a death like grip. It took her a moment to realize she must have grabbed him when Pinkie Pie had surprised her. “Sorry Spike,” she said as she released the poor little dragon.
Spike gasped for air as he was put down. “No problem.”
Rarity then turned to face Pinkie Pie. “What are you doing in there?” she asked.
Pinkly smiled as she jumped out the barrel. “Looking for Aunt Grey Shire,” she replied.
“In a barrel?” Spike grunted. There were times that Pinkie’s actions made no sense. This was definitely one of them.
“No stone unturned! No corner unsearched!” Pinkie proclaimed as she held her nose up high and pointed a hoof to the sky.
“I see,” Rarity said sheepishly, having doubts on Pinkie Pie’s abilities, and her sanity. “I’m sure you will find something.”
Pinkie gave a giant smile. “Actually, I found lots!”
“You did?” both Spike and Rarity said in surprised unison.
“Uh-Huh!” Pinkie replied.
“Wait!” Rarity said suspiciously, “This wouldn’t happen to be some random junk you found?”
“Nope,” Pinkie Pie shook her head, “I actually met a few ponies who remembered a Grey Shire.”
Both Spike and Rarity were caught off guard by this. They could only guess that Pinkie Pie had quite literally asked every pony in town. A feat that only she could do in a short amount of time.
“Who remembered her?” Spike asked.
“Let me see,” Pinkie Pie pondered for a second. “There was the store clerk, the doctor, a teacher, and…” Pinkie knocked her head with her hoof as she tried to remember, “I forgot the last one.”
Spike and Rarity groaned in unison. Knowing their luck, the last pony Pinkie Pie forgot was probably the key to learning Grey Shire’s whereabouts.
“Well. At least it’s a start,” Spike replied to Rarity.
Rarity could not deny that. “Did they say anything about her?” Rarity asked.
“Mostly that she was quiet, nervous, and only came in for food, to be examined by a doctor, and that her medicines made ponies sick,” Pinkie Pie replied. She then placed a hoof to her chin in thought. “I think it was the teacher that said that.”
“What did the last one say?” Spike asked. He hoped that Pinkie Pie might remember the last individual if she remembered what the pony said.
Pinkie Pie racked her brain again. “Sorry. Can’t remember,” she said after a moment. Her eyes lit up the next moment as an idea appeared in her head. “I know! I’ll retrace my steps and ask everyone again!”
“Ah…Pinkie…That might be…” Rarity stuttered.
“SEE YA!” Pinkie shouted as she then zoomed down the street. Many items that lined the street were blown over as she passed them. Some the ponies in the street even looked down the street Pinkie had taken, wondering what had passed them.
Spike and Rarity could only stare in the direction Pinkie Pie had zoomed down.
“Do you think she will find something?” Rarity asked.
“She has surprised us before,” Spike replied.
X X X X X
Rarity yawned as she prepared herself for bed. With Spike’s help, she had finished the last of her current orders in relatively short time. However, the work had left her a little fatigued and she decided to call it a night. It was a pity really since she had wanted to spend more time with Spike.
After locking her shop, Rarity took a quick survey of the materials she would need to acquire in the future. From what she could see at first glance, she was running low on various blue colored fabrics and thread. The other colors could probably last for another week. Rarity then looked at a nearby chest in her store that she used to hold gems in. Her last order had nearly depleted it.
She was sure she could persuade a strong dragon for “protection” in the caves and to help her gather materials.
Rarity then switched off the lights downstairs and made her way up to her bedroom. As she reached the top floor, she felt a small chill in the air. For a brief moment she stopped at the top of the steps and peered into the area that led into her room. “Opal?”
There was no response.
Slowly, Rarity made her way forward to the room. As she looked inside, she saw that the bedroom window was now wide open. Slowly she entered the room. “Opal! Did you climb outside again?”
“Meow.”
Rarity jumped a little as she heard the cat meow behind her. Turning, she saw Opalescence had been following her. “You scared me, Opal,” Rarity said. She then looked back at the window. “I wonder how this opened.” Rarity asked herself. She was fairly confident she had locked it.
Erring on the side of caution, Rarity approached the window to make sure nothing came in. At the same time, she looked around the room to make sure nothing was missing or out of place. To her relief, nothing appeared disturbed. After a brief moment, she assumed that maybe she only forgot to lock the window and the wind blew it open.
Rarity dropped her guard and made her way toward the window to close it. However, just as she reached it, a strong gust of cold wind blew inside. Rarity braced herself as she felt the chill against her coat. Quickly she summoned her magic and used it to close and lock the window. “Really,” she said in disgust.
Rarity then peered up at her hair to see a few strands out of place. Deciding to view the damage made to her mane, Rarity made her way to her vanity. As she peered into the mirror, she found her hair was not badly frazzled, but needed to be brushed. “Well. Might as well tidy up a little before I go to bed,” she said to herself.
Using her magic, Rarity levitated one of her brushes and began to comb her mane so that it once again showed the regal pony she was. After feeling satisfied with the results, she placed the brush down and examined the rest of her body.
“Hmm,” She said as she studied herself, “I suppose my coat could use a little work.”
Rarity then picked up another type of brush that had special bristles used on pony coats. It was designed to remove any lose strands of hair. Slowly, she combed her body and admired herself in the mirror. “Much better,” she replied to herself as she felt the lose strands of hair being removed from her back.
Rarity then started combing her neck. As she did, she began to pose various ways in the mirror just for fun. It was something she often did as a way of practicing to be a model. However, this time, she decided to change her routine poses to ones similar to she had done for Spike on their first date.
Perhaps they could do that again.
Even if it was just Spike, she still enjoyed being the center of attention. She began to practice poses in case the opportunity ever presented itself again.
Perhaps Spike would like something bold?
Rarity pointed her muzzle in the air with dignity and stood to her full height.
Maybe something more ecstatic?
Rarity changed her pose to mimic Pinkie Pie cheering.
“Maybe not,” Rarity thought as she saw her-self in the mirror and frowned.
Perhaps he would like something more timid.
Rarity lowered her head and turned it to the side. She gave a sultry glance into the mirror for a brief moment and batted her eyes.
However, as she examined herself, she gasped in surprise.
She was looking at Grey Shire…
Or rather, she was looking at herself posing as Grey Shire had in her photo.
Rarity was slightly unsettled by this, but remained still as she looked at herself in the mirror. As she did, she could feel old memories of the photograph gnawing at the back of her mind. She felt as if she was missing something and it was starring directly into her face.
Remaining in the same pose, Rarity tried to remember the details of the photograph that had been taken of Grey Shire. She had a short mane. She was grey in color. She posed her-self like Rarity did now. Rainbow Dash described her as pudgy. She had a mole on her neck, and…
Mole.
Rarity froze for a moment. She then took her brush and began to comb away at a certain area to part her coat. As the strands of hair parted, she gasped in surprise.
She had a mole as well…or rather…she had the Mark on her neck and it looked like a mole.
Just like Grey Shire.
The mole on Grey Shire’s neck was also in the same place where Spike had placed his Mark on her.
Rarity then began to recall how the Mark was described to her.
“It’s a type of bonding between dragons,” Ember’s voice echoed in her head.
Bonding.
Rarity’s mind then raced back to the journal entries about Runt and Grey Shire. They had been together for some time and had slowly become closer. A part of her wondered if it was like Spike and herself. Did Runt give Grey Shire a Mark?
Did it go even further?
Rarity then remembered a series of memories the next moment. The first was something Ember had said after Twilight had revealed Spike’s origins.
“No Dragon Lord has ever lost an egg, especially my father!” Embers voice echoed in her head.
Her mind then shifted to what Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had said the following day.
“Doesn’t the Dragon Lord guard the hatchery?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“They do. In this case, it would have been Torch,” Fluttershy had responded, “But I don’t think a pony could sneak by him.”
Fluttershy had been right. No dragon would give up an egg to a pony, especially Torch. There was also no way for a dragon to steal an egg under Torch’s watchful eye.
But if the egg was not stolen then-
“Maybe she laid the egg herself!”
The voice of Pinkie Pie echoed in Rarity’s mind.
No!
It was impossible, right?
There was no way such a thing could be true.
“But what if it was?” a voice in her head said.
What if by some miracle, or magic, it had happened?
Rarity tried to deny the idea again.
Yet for some reason, Rarity found herself looking back at the day when she first saw what Grey Shire looked like. She, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy had all commented on Grey Shire’s photo. Rarity did remember she thought Grey Shire needed a makeover. Rainbow Dash said she was pudgy. Fluttershy said she looked shy. And…
Wait…Pudgy?
No. Grey Shire was not pudgy. At least she did not look pudgy in the photo in her personal file. When the photo in the missing pony report was taken, she was-
“SPIKE!”
To Be Continued…