//------------------------------//
// Chapter 4: A Night to Remember 
// Story: Rarity's Choice 
// by mikemuir0178 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 4: A Night to Remember


Perfection.

That was what Rarity was aiming for as she eyed the center stage in the show room.  In the world of fashion, there was no room for error.  One wrong move could end one’s career.  There were several things that affected whether one was successful or not.  Its criteria ranged from the perfect location, to the perfect timing, to the perfect dress.

Even the perfect ribbons that decorated the stage.

Using her magic, Rarity picked up a couple of ribbons that were in a box next to her and levitated them to the top of the stage. One by one, she studied each of them to see how well the color matched with the drapes.  Yet even after hours of trial and error, she still could not decide which ribbon to use.

Did she want to use red?

No.

Cinnamon?

No.

Maybe cherry?

Rarity snorted in frustration and exhaustion. “Sassy.  Can you offer some assistance,” Rarity called out.  When Rarity did not hear a response, she called out again.  “Sassy, I need some help.”

Again, there was no response.

For a moment, Rarity began to worry that her manager had gone missing.  Sassy should have been-

Rarity cursed herself the next moment when she realized that Sassy had not abandoned her duties, but had left because how late it was.  What frustrated Rarity even more was that she also remembered giving Sassy the next few days off as well.  Her manager had already worked hours of overtime and needed some time to rest. When the boutique reopened, Rarity wanted Sassy to be in top form and not exhausted. “You’re in a fix now, Rarity,” Rarity said to herself.  However she did not regret her choices.  

Rarity then let out a yawn the next moment as fatigue started to overcome her.  “Goodness. What time is it?” Rarity said to herself.  She then looked out the window of the boutique to see that night had covered the streets of Canterlot.

Rarity was stunned by how late it was.  Though she admitted she still had a lot to setup, she felt confident she could get everything done on time.  She had made sure to give herself a few days to avoid the same problems she encountered in setting up her boutique at Manehattan. She did not have her five best friends, a tenant’s daughter, and three raccoon assistants to help her this time. With Sassy taking some time off now, all she had was Spike and Sweetie Belle.

Sweetie Belle.

Rarity turned to face the door to the back room. In her mind she wondered if everything was going smoothly.  She had not wanted to include Sweetie Belle in the renovation, but the little unicorn was insistent.  Rarity had not seen her sister for a long time and had missed Sweetie Belle’s company, even if she could be a pain sometimes.  Rarity could only hope that Spike was able to keep Sweetie Belle from causing another complete disaster.

Rarity felt a chill run up her back the next moment as she began to wonder if it was a complete disaster behind that door.  She wanted to believe in her sister, but knew Sweetie Belle could get overzealous.  She felt lucky that Spike had volunteered to come along and had a lot of faith in the little dragon.  But could he handle Sweetie Belle’s excitement.

There was only one way to find out.

Slowly, Rarity made her way past the many boxes that littered the floor toward the back room.  As she neared the door, she strained her hearing to make out what was going on behind the door.  Whether unfortunate or not, all she could only hear was the sound of rustling cardboard.

That was a good thing, right?

A part of Rarity feared the worst.  Bracing herself, Rarity gently opened the door to the back room and peeked inside.

Rarity’s mood brightened the next moment as she looked upon the work that was completed.  She could see that her sister and Spike had managed to unload most of the boxes and the once great mountain was reduced to just a few unopened ones. Most of the shelves were now full and appeared ready to use.  She could also see that most of the boxes that were empty had been folded flat and stacked in a corner of the room.

Rarity then noticed in that same corner was Spike. The little dragon was cutting the tape from the boxes with his claw and then folding them.  He had not noticed her since his back was turned and he appeared to be as tired as she was.

Rarity then spotted Sweetie Belle a short distance away.  The little unicorn had been exhausted and now lay on a makeshift bed from a few rolls of fabric.  Rarity could not help but smile at her sister.  “It was the right choice to bring her along,” she thought.

Rarity then returned her gaze to Spike, his back was still turned to her.  For a moment, Rarity thought she would go in and compliment the little dragon.  But as she saw that Spike had not noticed her, a far more playful idea sprung into Rarity’s head.  Smiling mischievously, Rarity slowly made her way through the door and sneaked forward, hoping to catch Spike off guard.

Spike was unaware of the presence that was looming behind him.  The day had been long and he was exhausted.  He would sometimes glance in Sweetie Belle’s direction and admire her position in sleeping on the rolls of fabric.  He wanted to do the same, but he was determined to impress Rarity.  She meant so much to him and he wanted to prove he was the dragon for her.

He finished folding another empty box and was about to place it on the stack he had created.  However, as he started to move forward, he found the box he was carrying was pushing back against him.  “Huh?” he said as he looked down at the box in confusion.  It took him a moment to realize there was now a blue aura surrounding the box in his hands.  Reflexively, he let go of the box and watched as it slowly floated to the ceiling.  “What…?”

Spike then felt a pair of gentle lips on the back of his head.  It took him only a moment to realize he had been kissed from behind.  Surprised by the gesture, Spike turned around to see Rarity hovering over him.  She stared lovingly down at him.  “Rarity!”

Rarity placed a hoof on Spike’s snout.  “You’ll wake up Sweetie Belle,” she whispered.

Spike pulled away slightly and turned to look in Sweetie Belle’s direction.  To his relief, the little unicorn stirred a little, but remained fast asleep.  He then turned back to Rarity and watched as the unicorn walked past him to Sweetie Belle.  “She needed some time off.  I decided to let her sleep for a while,” Spike quickly explained.

Spike did not need to explain what happened to Rarity.  She could see how exhausted her sister was and was quite proud of everything Sweetie Belle had accomplished.  Rarity then raised a hoof and gently stroked her sister’s mane.  “Thank you, dear sister.”

The little unicorn smiled, but did not wake.

Rarity gave a silent laugh before using her magic to grab some fabric from one of the shelves.  Using a pair of scissors, Rarity cut off a sheet large enough to cover Sweetie Belle completely.  She then gently draped the sheet on top of Sweetie Belle’s body.

Sweetie Belle stirred slightly and smiled as she felt the comfort of the blanket.  “Rarity…” Sweetie Belle mumbled in her sleep.

After watching Sweetie Belle settle down, Rarity turned and began to make her way outside the room.  As she passed Spike, she turned and looked down to him. “Let’s go in the other room for now,” she whispered before quietly leading the way to the door.

Spike did not hesitate to follow.

After both she and Spike had exited the room, Rarity used her magic to switch off the lights in the room and gently close the door. She then let out a sigh of exhaustion and relief as she made her way to the counter in the showroom.  Using her magic, she pulled two stools over and placed them in front of the counter and sat down on one of them.  “Why don’t you join me, Spike.  I think we’ve done enough for one day.”

Spike happily took a seat next to Rarity.  As he settled down, he saw Rarity was smoothing out her mane using her hooves.

“I probably look pretty dreadful now,” Rarity bemoaned.

For Spike, he was reminded of the events he and Rarity had spent in his parent’s cabin.  He still remembered how Rarity had been covered in mud after escaping the gem cave nearby.  The two had wandered through the Everfree Forest until they had found his parent’s cabin by accident.  He had watched Rarity try in futility to remove all the mud and dirt in the same manner, but could not.  Yet even when she was covered in mud, Spike was amazed on how the firelight from a nearby hearth had danced across her form.  Her beauty at that moment had surpassed the beauty of all other princesses in his eyes.  In Spike’s mind, Rarity was the perfect princess.

And she was his princess.

As he thought this, Spike began to picture Rarity inside the tallest tower of a castle.  She would be wearing a princess gown and be waiting for her dragon knight to come charging in.  Braving all danger in his path, Spike would battle his way forward to the base of the tower.  Then with one magnificent leap, he would fly up along the tower to his lover’s side. “I am here for you, my sweet Rarity!” he would say as he took her in his giant arms.  Rarity would lovingly tilt her head away and say…

“Spike?  Are you awake?”

Spike’s eyes shot open the next moment as he heard Rarity’s voice.  Shaking the sleep from his head, he found himself back in the Canterlot Boutique, with Rarity looking down at him.  She appeared confused and slightly concerned.  “Oh…Sorry Rarity.  I must have dozed off.”

“Really?” a mischievous smile started to form on her lips, “Would you care to tell me what you were dreaming about?”

Spike felt his cheeks go red.  “Uh…Nothing in particular.”

“Are you sure?” Rarity smiled mischievously, “Because I’m quite certain you said ‘I am here for you, my sweet Rarity’.”  The last part, Rarity had done her best impression of what she thought Spike sounded like.

“Ah!” Spike was now more wide awake than ever as he heard this.  Had he really talked in his sleep?  How much did Rarity know?  “I’m sorry! I just…I didn’t mean…” Spike stuttered.

Rarity covered her mouth as a small giggle escaped her.  She then looked down at Spike.  “You don’t need to worry, Spike.  I can understand why you’re so tired.  Besides…” Rarity lowered her head so she was at eye level with Spike, “It does sound like you were dreaming about me.”

“Uh…Maybe…” Spike replied as he nervously twiddled his claws.

“Would you like to share,” Rarity pleaded, “How did I appear in your dreams?”

“Well,” Spike stuttered, “Very beautiful.”

“Anything in particular catch your eye?  Perhaps the feature that made you attracted to me when we first met,” Rarity teased, hoping to get an answer this time.

Spike swallowed hard as he realized where this was going.  No doubt Rarity was trying to pick up where the conversation on the train had left off. Only there was no conductor to save him this time.  Still not ready to tell the truth, Spike desperately searched for something else to talk about.  Fortunately, he remembered something that had caught his interest earlier.  “Actually, Sweetie Belle told me something about you that I wanted to ask about.”

Rarity was caught off guard by Spike’s request. Though she wanted to know what feature had made Spike attracted to her in the beginning, she was even more curious to find out what her sister said behind her back.  “Oh.  What did she say?”

“She said you purchased the Carousel Boutique when you were just a filly.  I was wondering how you did that,” Spike replied.

Rarity blew a raspberry in amusement.  “Come now.  Do you really think a filly, even me, could have purchased a boutique?”

“Sweetie Belle seemed to think so,” Spike replied.

Rarity averted her eyes as she looked back at the events that led to the creation of the Carousel Boutique.  “Well…I suppose there is some truth to it,” she admitted hesitantly, “I did acquire the Canterlot Boutique when I was a filly. However, it wasn’t the Carousel Boutique as you know it.”

Spike’s interest peaked as he realized he could learn more about Rarity’s past.  “What do you mean?”

Rarity was amused by Spike’s interest.  “Have you ever wondered why the Carousel Boutique is called the Carousel Boutique?”

Spike shook his head.  “Not really.  I always assumed it was because it kind of looked like a carousel.”

Rarity nodded.  “It’s because it was a carousel at one point.  It used to be an attraction at the edge of Ponyville. However, when it broke down, no one had the parts to fix it.  Instead it was just left to wither away.”

“So you bought it and built your boutique out of it?” Spike asked.

“Well…Not exactly,” Rarity’s eyes averted again in thought before looking back at Spike.  “You see, after I got my cutie mark, my parents did everything they could to support my skill.  They gave me an extra room to work in.  Allowed me to make small fashion shows inside the house.  I had everything I needed to make my dream a reality,” Rarity explained.

“So what happened?” Spike asked.

“Sweetie Belle happened.  I’ll admit I was happy about getting a new sister, but I had to give up my home boutique to make room for her.  I was devastated by that.” Rarity confessed.

“So you got the idea to convert a carousel to a boutique?” Spike asked.

Rarity laughed.  “Actually, it was my father’s idea.  He knew the mayor was trying to sell the carousel I mentioned.  He said if I could raise enough money, I could buy it and make it my new boutique.  I sold all my creations and even my toys in hopes of bringing my dream back.  My parents also loaned me some bits to help.”

“So your father rebuilt the carousel into the boutique?” Spike asked.

“Him and most of Ponyville it seemed.  My father and his friends removed the actual carousel and built the boutique using the original gazebo as a foundation.  It was nowhere near as glamorous as it is today. I had to take every job I could and slowly build the boutique into what it is now,” Rarity continued.  

“That’s pretty amazing.  I mean, it does sound like you actually did purchase the boutique like Sweetie Belle said,” Spike complimented.

Rarity shook her head.  “Not really.  My parents and their friends did most of the work.  But the actual gift was how far they had gone to help me realize my dream again.  I realized that the only way I could repay them was to show the same generosity they showed me,” Rarity explained.  Her face then shifted to a tone of happy determination.  “And I would do it through fashion!”

Spike smiled as he saw Rarity’s confidence.  “I guess that’s why you take care of Sweetie Belle so often as well.” Spike added.

“You could say that,” Rarity replied, “But without Sweetie Belle, I don’t think I would have gotten the Carousel Boutique. She’s done more for me than she realizes.  Although, like all sisters, she can be a pain sometimes,” Rarity laughed.

“I know how that is,” Spike replied, “When I was growing up with Twilight, we also had moments when we didn’t see eye to eye. She and I may not be related, but she will always be my older sister.”

Rarity let out a small giggle as she realized that her relationship with Sweetie Belle was probably not that much different than Spike and Twilight’s relation.  However, her amusement was short lived as a yawn interrupted her.  “Goodness.  It must be later than I thought,” Rarity replied through half lidded eyes.

Spike had a hard time suppressing his own exhaustion. However, he was far more alert because of Rarity asking about his dream earlier.  “We should probably head to the castle,” Spike said.

Rarity nodded in approval.  “Could you...” Rarity yawned again, “Could you go wake up Sweetie Belle.  I’ll finish tidying up here,” Rarity finished as she got up.

Spike nodded as he hopped off his stool.  He then proceeded to the back room to find the sleeping unicorn.  As he entered the room, he found Sweetie Belle exactly where he had left her. Slowly, he made his way forward and placed a claw on her shoulder.  “Sweetie Belle.  Wake up. It’s time to go,” he whispered as he gently nudged her shoulder.

Sweetie Belle only groaned a little in response, but did not awake.

“Come on Sweetie Belle.  It’s time to go,” Spike repeated.

Once again, Sweetie Belle only groaned in her sleep.

Spike gave a sigh of frustration.  There was no doubt in his mind that it would take a lot to wake up the little unicorn.  As he gave her shoulder another shake, he began to wonder if Sweetie Belle was as hard to wake up as...as hard as it was for Twilight to wake him up.  “This might be a problem,” Spike commented to himself.

For a brief moment, Spike began to ask what Twilight would do in his place.  In truth, whenever he fell asleep somewhere other than his bed, Twilight would carry him to his bedroom, making sure not to wake him.  Of course, Twilight had magic to help her and Spike only had his brute strength.  Perhaps he could ask Rarity to –

THUD!

Spike looked back to the door as he heard the sound. Immediately, a small amount concern washed over him.  “Rarity?”

There was no reply.

Concerned with her safety, Spike made his way back to the main showroom.  As he reached the doorway, he began looking around for her.  “Rarity are you-“ Spike froze the next second as he saw Rarity collapsed on the floor.  Fearing the worst, Spike rushed over to her side to check on her.  As far as he could tell, she had no injuries.  She only appeared unconscious.

Was she okay?

Did she trip?

Did he need to call for help?

Or – 

Rarity let out a snore.

“Rarity?” Spike whispered as he peered down at her. He could make out a gentle smile on her face as she slept.

Rarity gave another snore.

“I guess you really were exhausted,” Spike whispered.

Rarity only mumbled something in her sleep.

Spike could only sigh in defeat as he looked over the beautiful unicorn.  He doubted he could wake up either Rarity or Sweetie Belle.  Both had been exhausted by the day’s activities and even he had trouble staying awake now.  “Guess there’s only one thing to do,” Spike commented to himself.

Spike remembered the same gesture Rarity had done for Sweetie Belle earlier.  Running back to the storeroom, He pulled down a roll of fabric from one of the nearby shelves.  Then using the same scissors Rarity had used earlier, he cut out a sheet that was large enough to cover Rarity.  He then raced back in and draped the sheet on top of his princess.  

As the cloth settled on Rarity’s back, she began to give small happy moans.

“Sleep well, my princess,” Spike said as he lovingly looked down at her.

“Spike…” Rarity began to giggle in her sleep.

Spike could feel his cheeks blush as he heard Rarity call out his name in her sleep.  A part of him wondered how Rarity saw him in her dreams.  Was it like his where she was some kind of warrior princess sent to save her dragon in distress?  Spike began to picture himself in a tall tower and the warrior maiden Rarity coming to save him.  It was definitely a strange idea, especially when he saw himself dressed in a princess gown.

Spike quickly shook his head awake when he realized her was day dreaming again.  He then looked down at Rarity’s sleeping form and admired her beauty.  Gently he reached down and caressed her mane. “Good night.”

Rarity only gave a gentle moan in response.

Spike then proceeded to the nearest window to look outside.  Only a few lanterns on the street still burned.  There were no ponies walking around and all the store lights were off now.

For a brief moment, Spike considered making the trek to the palace in order to keep his promise to Twilight.  However, a moment later, he let out a yawn.  It was then that he realized he would never make the trek back to the castle.  Even if he flew, he doubted he had the stamina to reach the palace.  “Sorry Twilight, but I might have to go back on that promise.”

After making sure the doors were secure, Spike turned off all the lights inside and looked for a comfortable place to sleep. In the end, he settled for a place located in a corner behind the counter.  Given how tired he was, Spike had little trouble settling down comfortably. After a long yawn, he allowed his eyes to close and sleep to claim him.  His only wish at that moment was to have Rarity in his dreams again.



To Be Continued…