//------------------------------//
// Chapter Six: Rescuing Rarity 
// Story: How to Train a Prince 
// by Foal Star 
//------------------------------//

Spike was running across the city of Canterlot and feeling rather helpless; staring up at the tower, he couldn't help but feel guilty and stupid that he didn't see Blueblood's betrayal! He was so blind and stupid to believe that Prince Blueblood couldn't tell he was in disguise! Despite that, there was no use in mulling over past decisions, and the drake continued to run towards the tower seeing it coming closer. He then slowly approached the base of the tower and saw that there was a single set of gold doors, and standing in front of them, he spotted a familiar griffin. He squinted his eyes, got a better look, and saw that the griffin in question was rather scholarly and posh like how he was before and  squinted and gasped, "Owlowiscious!?"

"There you are!" Owlowiscious cried out worriedly; he fluttered over and then asked, "Spike! I just saw Prince Blueblood as an alicorn foalnap Rarity! What is going on here!?"

Spike sighed, then said, "listen, I finally did as you suggested. I told Rarity the truth, and she rejected me. But that's not why this appeared!" he threw a claw up at the ivory tower, now trailing upward into the sky. "After I let go of trying to get Rarity to love me, Prince Blueblood took the dark magic and kidnapped her."

"Dear Celestia! We need to find Twilight and her friends! They can put a stop to this whole mess!"

Spike agreed but shook his head and said, "No, without Rarity, they can't use the elements of harmony, and Prince Blueblood is as powerful as Discord at this point."

"Then we find Discord! As Much as I despise him, he is at least reformed and can aid us!"

Spike looked upward at the tower and grumbled, "we could, but by the time we convince Discord to help, Blueblood would have officially married Rarity by then or worse. On top of that, we have no idea if he'll even help; he can take advantage of the situation seeing that without Rarity, the Elements of Harmony won't be able to keep him in check. The only way we're going to rescue her is by you doing what you did to me?"

"And what's that exactly?" Owlowiscious asked with confusion.

Spike's stern look turned into a playful smirk as he said, "talk his ear off and make him see reason." 

The griffin chuckled and said in response, "splendid idea!" 

Spike turned to face his old friend, held out a claw, and asked, "So, are we in agreement that we rescue Rarity tonight?" 

Owlowiscious eyed him and said, "before we go, why are you doing this?

"I'm sorry for not listening to you earlier. You were right, but I'm not doing this to impress Rarity, get my powers, or become a prince again. I want to save her and Prince Blueblood," Spike responded firmly.

"Then we are in agreement," A smile grew over the griffin's face as he held out a talon and shook Spike's claw. 

Spike kicked open the doors and saw a spiraling staircase filled with portraits of Blueblood Spike made a "bleh" sound and started this trek up the stairs. Spike was a bit nervous at first, wondering if there would be traps or soldiers trying to stop them. Still, as he continued to walk up the stairs, the trek was a deterrent enough as sweat poured down his forehead, and he started to feel his legs grow heavy. He eventually came upon a long hall with a dark purple carpet filled with pegasi soldiers standing guard. Spike blinked as he saw the whiskers on their faces and oversized buck teeth and recognized the soldiers as his former servants who were once rodents!

Spike whispered into Owlowiscious's ear, "wait for a second; if Blueblood is using my servants, why aren't you affected?"

Owlowiscious' sighed, "I have no idea I wasn't in your manor when Blueblood turned it into a tower."

"Why weren't you at the manor?" Spike asked rather suspiciously. 

The griffin rolled his eyes and said, "Well, I followed you after you left to keep an eye on you."

"You what!?"

"Well, I didn't trust you! If you did anything to harm or coerce Rarity into being your coltfriend, I would've tried to stop you!"

"Well, that's just great! Can't you ever stop treating me like a child!"

"Well, if you weren't acting like a spoiled foal, maybe I wouldn't have to!"

Just then, they heard a loud clink! noise and they all turned to see that the guards were now pointing their spears at them. Spike gulped, not knowing how he would get past them, seeing he wasn't sure what he could do without his powers.

Owlowiscious stood before him and said, "listen, you have no chance to overpower Prince Blueblood, but just like Rarity was able to convince you to abandon these dark powers, you can do the same for Prince Blueblood. If you don't, I fear Rarity will be his thrall for the rest of her life."

Spike groaned, "did you have to remind me," as he was feeling the pressure that was a lot to be put on his shoulders. On top of all the guilt as he knew that if it weren't for him, none of this wouldn't be happening. 

The griffin then looked down at him and said, "listen, I apologize for not trusting you; despite my misgivings, you did the right thing in the end. I should've had more faith in you, Spike."

The young drake looked up and saw that Owlowiscious genuinely meant what he said.

Spike was starting to feel more confident, but there still lay the issue with the guards standing across from them spear out. He knew that with Blueblood's magic, they probably were trained as soldiers and said, "I understand, but forget all that! How do we get past these guys!?"

Owlowiscious fixed the tie around his neck, adjusted his spectacles, then started walking towards them and, with a smirk, said, "just leave that to me! "He then cracked his neck as he stood up on his back paws, held up his claws, getting ready to fight, and said, "I've read an entire book on martial arts, and now I have a body to utilize that knowledge."

He got up and waited until the soldiers thrust their weapons toward him. Owlowiscious started to deflect them, knocking their spears away with ease. He then would use his wings and talons to casually knock out the soldiers one by one smacking them around flawlessly without incurring any wounds himself. It wasn't long until the small squad of soldiers were knocked out on the ground and lying prone on the floor. Owlowiscious then turned around with a smirk at Spike and said, "well, it seems that I'm starting to enjoy this new body."

Upon seeing how insanely good Owlowiscious was at fighting, Spike's mouth was wide open. He quickly shook his head, feeling a pang of jealousy as he said, "Yeah, don't get used to it; you're going to be an owl after this."

"Oh, ho! Maybe I can convince Twilight I would be much more useful in this body, and she'' l let me stay like this!

"As if!? If I can't stay a hot unicorn stallion, you don't get to be a badass griffin!" Spike jeered. 

"There they are after them! They can't stop the wedding!" the rest of the servants roared.

The two turned to see another contagion of guards come in front of the stairwell they just came from. Owlowiscious turned to face the new foes; he then flared his wings and shouted, "Spike, get going! I'll hold them off!"

Spike groaned; he didn't want to leave Owlowiscious behind, but at this point, the drake didn't have a choice. If he doesn't, Rarity will be forced to marry Prince Blueblood against her will, and he can't let that happen!

"Ok, Owlowiscious! Hold them off; I'll get Rarity!" Spike then sprinted back down the hall towards two massive gold doors and burst through them into a chapel.





The chapel room was overly elaborate, with a dark blue carpet leading through rows of church benches that lined either side of the room. On the sides were stained glass windows depicting Blueblood as an alicorn prince. And there standing at the altar was Rarity standing as still as a statue with her glossy eyes and curved painted smile. Across from her was the gallant-looking Prince Blueblood in his tuxedo with a playful smirk across his face. But as the drake burst into the room, the prince glared at Spike and shouted, "it's too late, Spike! We were about to give our vows and legally bind this marriage!" He pointed to a copy of Princess Celestia. Still, this version had buck teeth and whiskers on her cheeks, indicating it was a mouse transformed into a copy of her. She held out a long scroll with Celestia's signature formed on a document.

"With who is proceeding? With what witnesses!? This marriage is void even if I didn't come to a stop it!" Spike shouted; he then snapped, "this is insane, Blueblood; just stop this, and we can pretend like this never happened!"

The alicorn prince turned to face Spike with his glaring green eyes and wings flaring as he shouted, "Insane!? Insanity was the night this mare decided to make a fool of me! Insanity was pretending to be your friend and vouching for you with your obvious lies! Insanity is always the gum stuck to everypony's horseshoe when I should be treated as a prince!"

Spike was a bit stunned by everything Prince Blueblood was saying as it sounded like how he was just the other day, and he realized how entitled he had acted before. Spike sighed, "Listen, Blueblood, I can't stop you; you could turn me into a statue, a toad, or even a pile of ash. But the truth is Rarity will never love you. She will just be a toy or a statue, and I would've done the same to her. This magic is corrupting you and making your worst inclinations come out. If you allow it to grow, you will only worse until you're no better than King Sombra!"

"Shut up!" you don't know anything about me!" Prince Blueblood roared; he then turned his horn, pointing it at Spike with the tip glowing green. Spike stood there shaking, scared at what Blueblood would do to him. Still, then Owlowiscious' voice came into his mind. He had to say something to get Blueblood to snap out of whatever the chaos magic that was controlling him and asked, "Blueblood is this how you're going to win Rarity's love by killing me?"

The prince paused as he slowly lowered his gaze with the horn dimming. "I…I don't want to hurt you…I just…"

"I know, you just want Rarity to love you, but we can't force that on her. She had to choose us, and even if she doesn't, we have to accept that," Spike responded rather bluntly, as despite feeling the truth in those words, they still hurt.

Spike clenched his fists and waited to be hit by a blast of magic. Still, instead, he saw tears begin to fill the unicorn's eyes and the green hue drift away, and as it did, the prince's wings evaporated into green dust as well. As the magic dissipated, leaving Prince Blueblood looking confused. As he looked around the room with a surprised expression on his face, he had snapped out of the magic that had him in its clutches. Then Rarity started to move as the enchantment on her also began to break. The fashionista blinked, confused, looked around, and asked, "what's happening? Where am I?"

Prince Blueblood turned towards her and stammered, "I…I foalnapped you, but…that wasn't me I...I was being controlled."

Just then, the entire tower began to shake and rumble, with the ceiling starting to collapse on top of them. Spike shouted, "we can catch up later! For now, we need to get out of here!"

But just as the tower began to crumble around them, Owlowiscious came bursting through the door and soared into the chapel catching Spike, Blueblood, and Rarity into his talons, threw the three onto his back, and flew out through one of the stained glass windows and soared into the night sky. Spike turned to see the ivory tower crumble, with the bricks turning into a cloud of fine green dust until all that was left was the decrypted manor. Spike couldn't help but see that despite it once being a posh manor and an ivory tower, it would always be a run-down, abandoned manor and no amount of magic can change what you are on the inside. 





When Owlowiscious arrived in Ponyville, it was still night, with the only light being the silvery glow from the moon shining down as the griffin dropped Spike and Rarity together, with the fashionista looking rather woozy and seeming to look rather faint with her wedding. Spike came over and helped her as Blueblood nervously stepped aside, looking somewhat guilty.

Rarity blinked, then said, "what happened last night? The last thing I remember was I was being foalnapped by somepony…" the mare then looked over at Prince Blueblood, pointed a hoof, and shouted, "it was you! You foalnapped me!"

The prince slowly stepped back with a nervous expression. "Look, I can explain! I didn't mean to do that; the dark magic it spoke of reminded me of how you embarrassed me at the Galloping Gala! I tried not to think about it, but it was like an urge I couldn't resist!"

Rarity eyed the prince, but Owlowiscious held up a talon and explained rather bluntly, "Rarity, I know it's hard to believe, but Prince Blueblood is telling the truth."

The fashionista blinked, staring at the griffin with wide eyes, and asked, "and who are you?"

The griffin blushed as he bowed and said, "you would've known me as Owlowiscious."

Rarity blinked with a confused, tired look, and the griffin sighed and added, "Twilight's pet owl."

"Oh!" Rarity cried out, but then she looked over the griffin, and she seemed to recognize resemblances to Twilight's pet owl and gasped, "you're telling the truth! How did you turn into a griffin!?"

Owlowiscious shrugged and said, "I can't honestly tell you why I am still a griffin. But I was transformed this way by the dark magic that once held both Spike and Prince Blueblood in its grasp," He then cleared his throat and continued, "as I tried to explain. The dark magic that transformed me is possessive, and their actions weren't done entirely of their own accord."

Prince Blueblood and Spike nodded "yes" but squeaked as Owlowiscious turned towards them with a  glare and scolded them like foals. "But that doesn't take away the fact that both of you tossed Rarity around like a trophy without any regard for her well-being! I will fully report everything that transpired tonight to both Twilight and Princess Celestia."

Blueblood cried out and was going to speak up, but Spike interrupted, holding up a claw, and said, "I understand; we both need to be held responsible."

"Well, hold on?" Rarity added; she slowly trotted over to Owlowiscious and said, "I don't think any punishment is necessary." 
She turned towards the two and said, "I understand both of you wanting  me to be your "special somepony" and having mixed feelings about me turning you both down."

Rarity first turned towards Prince Blueblood and said, "Listen, I had a deep crush on you before, but you're just so rude and horrible to ponies that aren't as regal as yourself. I think you should live here in Ponyville and get to know ponies outside of the posh friends you hang out with."

The prince gave a slight nod and said, "I…I understand."

Rarity turned to Spike and said, "and you, Spike, we already talked, and I know you're sorry for everything, but my decision from before still stands; all I ask is just keep being my friend, ok?" 

Spike nodded and said, "will do Rarity."

She then turned towards Owlowiscious and asked, "So, is that all?"

"Well, if you're satisfied, then I am as well, I'll still write a report, but I'll make sure to let both Twilight and Princess Celestia know that no punishment is necessary," Owlowiscious responded with a smirk as he winked at Spike who grumbled a curse under his breath seeing the old bird was bluffing. 

Rarity then let out a yawn and said, "well, it is rather late. And after this rather eventful night, I need a good night's rest."

"Yes, I assume Spike needs his rest as well," Owlowiscious responded as he bent a wing towards the drake, who gave a tired nod and plopped his flank onto Griffin's back. 

Prince Blueblood slowly trotted towards Rarity and asked, "seeing that no trains are available and I'm far from my own manor, would you mind if I bunked with you tonight?"

Rarity groaned and waved a hoof, "come on, just don't expect me to cook or clean for you. You want breakfast; you'll have to get it yourself."

"Of course! I'll be self-sufficient," the prince squeaked, seeming to be relatively happy he was sleeping in a bed tonight. 

Owlowiscious then soared into the air and headed to Golden Oaks library with Spike looking down at Rarity, who was looking at him. The drake couldn't help but be happy Rarity was safe and sound; that was all that mattered.