Epilogue: A New Beginning, A New Dream
As night fell over the Castle of Friendship, Starlight Glimmer found herself sitting in the dining room with Twilight Sparkle. In front of her, she was reading a copy of the Canterlot Chronicle she had purchased that evening to bring her up to speed in the events that happened with Rarity. While she did, Twilight sat at the window looking into the distant horizon.
“Of all the dresses at the Canterlot Fashion show, it was the Les Coeurs Jumeaux that won the hearts and minds of ponies that night,” Starlight read out loud, “Not since the Princess Gown has there been a dress that was so well received. With a tale of love sewn within it, many ponies flocked to the Canterlot Boutique to place their order. The head designer, Rarity, has said she will accept all offers and will customize each dress to match its owner,” Starlight then sighed happily and placed the newspaper down on the table. “I’m glad that’s over with. This was quite the mess.”
“It was,” Twilight responded, though her enthusiasm seemed to be lacking.
Starlight then raised the newspaper up again and looked at another column. “There’s also an article about Sandy Fashion and Cherry Pie. It says the two ponies revealed the truth about Spike’s heritage through a journal that was found from a missing pony named Grey Shire. Further records were also provided by Princess Celestia to verify Spike’s heritage,” Starlight read. She then looked to Twilight. “I’m guessing that was your idea,”
Twilight gave a small nod. “We wanted to make sure Grey Shire and Runt’s story was told,” she replied with no obvious enthusiasm.
“Well then,” Starlight smiled as she put the newspaper down, “I’m sure this will fix everything.”
Twilight made no reply but only continued to stare into the distant horizon.
Starlight was a little confused by Twilight’s lack of enthusiasm. For her, it seemed like everything was back to normal. Rarity had her business back. Spike didn’t have to worry about being her dirty little secret. What was left? “Um…Twilight? You don’t seem to be very happy now,” Starlight commented.
“Huh?” Twilight awoke from her thoughts. She then looked back at Starlight. “Oh. It’s nothing,” she quickly said. She then looked back out the window.
“I can tell something is bothering you,” Starlight replied, “You’re window watching again."
“No! Really! It’s nothing!” Twilight said as she looked back at Starlight with a sheepish smile.
Starlight looked at Twilight with half lidded eyes. “You can’t hide it, Twilight” she replied.
Twilight let out a sigh. “Is it that obvious?”
“It is,” Starlight replied, “I don’t see why you’re so worried now. When we last saw Rarity, she was happier than ever,” Starlight then took a moment to think. “Of course she’s going to be pretty busy filling out all those orders. At least she’ll have Spike to help her.”
“I’m sure she’ll do fine,” Twilight grudgingly assured her friend.
“Then…I don’t see what the problem is,” Starlight replied.
“It’s nothing,” Twilight groaned as she turned back to the window.
Starlight frowned at Twilight’s response. “Obviously something is bothering you,” Starlight said.
“I told you, it’s nothing,” Twilight growled as she gave a quickly angry glance back at Starlight.
Starlight was a little surprised by Twilight’s response. There was something clearly bothering Twilight, but she was not willing to tell. For a moment, Starlight took a moment to consider other methods to soften up Twilight. “You know, I’m sure a spot of tea might help you relax.”
Twilight groaned as she turned back to the window.
“It always helped me relax,” Starlight smiled, hoping to win over Twilight.
Twilight gave a deep sigh in defeat. “Fine!” she said. She then started to make her way to the kitchen.
Starlight quickly intervened and stopped her half way through the room. “Let me do it,” Starlight quickly offered, “You seem pretty…distracted.”
Twilight let out another sigh of defeat. “All right.”
Starlight put on a smile to help brighten the mood. “Good,” she said. She then made her way to the door. As she was about to exit, she looked back at Twilight. “Oh. By the way. How do you like your tea?” Starlight asked. She then withdrew her question, “Never mind. I’ll ask Spike on my way down.”
Twilight let out a deep groan as Starlight said this. “He’s…not available,” she replied.
Starlight stopped in place and looked back at Twilight confused. “Huh?”
“I said he’s not available,” Twilight growled.
Starlight stood perplexed. “Is he doing an errand for you?”
“No!”
“Then he should be in his room, right?” Starlight continued.
“NO!” Twilight repeated.
“Then…Where is he?” Starlight asked gently.
“He’s….” Twilight began but took a moment to think over her answer, “Out.”
“Out?” Starlight said in surprise. She then looked to a nearby clock. When she saw how late it was, she was kind of surprised Spike would be awake. Though Spike could stay up in the evening to help Twilight, he preferred to go to sleep early and wake up late. It wasn’t that he was lazy, but Twilight’s crazy scheduling always took a lot out of him. “Where did he go?”
Twilight averted her gaze. “I wish I knew.”
“Okay…” Starlight said, now believing Spike was the reason why Twilight was ‘unhappy’. “Well maybe I can ask Rarity if she’s seen him.”
Twilight growled again. “She already knows. She’s with him!”
“Well. If that’s the case, that means they are…OH!” Starlight’s eyes lit up in realization.
“Together…Alone…Somewhere.” Twilight spelled it all out.
Immediately Starlight could see what Twilight was fretting over. In truth, Starlight was never sure whether to call Twilight an overbearing mother or an overprotective sister. “I’m…sure they’re doing okay…” Starlight said, “Besides. You said yourself that Spike is grown up.”
Twilight sighed as she remembered her words. “I know. It just that I see Spike more than just an assistant now. I guess you could call him my…LBBFF.”
“Call him what?” Starlight asked.
“Little Brother Best Friend Forever,” Twilight explained.
Starlight smiled. “Kind of like Shinning Armor is your B..B…,” Starlight took a moment to think, “Was it two B’s or three?”
“Big Brother Best Friend Forever,” Twilight corrected. Twilight then let out a sigh. “I guess I just don’t want to lose him.”
It wasn’t hard for Starlight to see how much Twilight cared for Spike. The little dragon had been a constant companion for her. Now, she was being forced to share him. “Twilight. I’m sure Spike will always be at your side,” Starlight assured her, “He’ll just probably want to be closer to Rarity’s side from now on too.”
“That’s what I’m worried about,” Twilight let out a frustrated sigh. “I’m happy for the two of them, but…”
“You’re concerned something like what happened in the cabin might occur again?” Starlight concluded with a hint of a laugh.
Twilight let out a groan.
“If I were you, I would not worry,” Starlight replied as she decided to leave Twilight to her thoughts. “I’m sure Spike and Rarity will maintain a ‘professional’ relationship.” Starlight said.
Twilight returned her gaze to the window and peered into the distance. “They better!”
X==X==X==X==X
Spike looked dreamily into the open sky. The view of the open landscape and stars above were pleasing to his eyes. The gentle wind that blew across the fields was soothing. However, it was the warm body and soft coat he leaned against that made him truly happy.
“I hope you don’t plan to fall asleep there,” Rarity said.
Spike tilted his head slightly to his right and saw Rarity looking down at him. “It would be hard not to. Your coat feels so soft.”
Rarity let out a pleasant sigh and shook her head at the little dragon resting against her side. The last thing she wanted to do was carry a sleeping dragon all the way back to Ponyville. What made it even worse was that she could feel how warm Spike was against her side. He was like heated blanket protecting her from the night wind. A part of her wondered if she might fall asleep there as well.
She supposed that the two of them could ‘camp out’, but was not keen on the idea since the only thing they brought was a picnic blanket, some gems, and some chocolates. Still, there was no place she would rather be at the moment. In what seemed like an eternity, she and Spike could finally spend some ‘alone time’ together. Away from all the prying eyes of everyone. A moment to relax before she would renew her dream to be the best fashionista in all of Equestria.
“Hey! Look up!” Spike said as he sat up and pointed to the night sky.
Rarity awoke from her thoughts and followed Spike’s gaze. To her pleasant surprise, she saw a shooting star across the heavens. As it faded into the night sky, Rarity looked down at Spike. “As I recall, we saw one on our first date.”
“We did,” Spike smiled.
“I believe it’s your turn to make a wish then,” Rarity teased,
Spike looked to Rarity for a moment in surprise. “Are you sure?”
Rarity nodded.
Spike looked up to the heavens and took a moment to consider. However, as he thought about what to wish for, he realized he had everything he ever desired. As long as Rarity was with him, what else could he possibly want?
“Well?” Rarity gently asked after a few moments had gone by.
Spike gave a sigh as he looked into the night sky. “I’m…I’m not exactly sure. The truth is, as long as I have you at my side, I’m happy.” He then looked to Rarity. “How about I let you make a wish instead.”
Rarity was a little surprised by Spike’s offer, but decided to accept it. A playful grin passed across her lips. “Very well then. I accept your proposal,” she said as she looked down at Spike mischievously.
Spike could easily see Rarity was up to something and for a brief moment wondered if it was right to give away his wish. “So…What are you going to wish for?”
“Well…” Rarity said playfully. She then looked into the night sky as she spoke to the heavens. “I wish I knew what caught Spike’s interest when he first saw me.”
Spike’s eyes went wide in surprise. “Ah…I mean…Are you sure you want to wish for that?”
Rarity gave a playful smile. “Well I already have my dream as a fashionista. I also have you at my side,” Rarity explained. She then leaned her head down so her muzzle was just in front of Spike’s. “I still would like to know what you found so attractive about me when we first met.”
Spike gave a hard gulp as he realized there was no way out of this predicament. No one would be there to help him now and he didn’t want to deny Rarity her wish.
He was trapped…again!
“Well?” Rarity asked playfully.
Spike averted his eyes in defeat. “It’s your…” he mumbled.
Rarity tilted her head. “Come again.”
“It’s your…il.” Spike repeated.
“Spike. You need to speak up,” Rarity instructed.
Spike heaved a sigh. “It was…your tail,” he finally managed.
Rarity looked down at Spike questionably. “My tail?”
Spike nodded. “When I first saw you, you had your back to us. The first thing I saw was how silky your tail was. How it gently framed your cutie mark on one side,” Spike explained, “Then the way you turned around and I saw how your mane flowed around you,,,”
Rarity placed a hoof in front of her mouth to hide a mischievous grin. “Is that so?”
Spike nodded before getting to his knees. “Please don’t think less of me. I admit I fell in love with your looks at first, but then I saw there was more to you.”
“Really?” Rarity said with a hint of amusement in her voice. “Like what?”
Spike averted his gaze for a brief moment. “In dragon culture, we value things like strength and determination as well as beauty. When I first saw you, I noticed how beautiful you were. But then I saw your strength and determination to be the best fashion designer. You always seemed to move forward to pursue your dream. That is what I admire the most about you Rarity,” Spike confessed.
Rarity instinctively placed a hoof on her heart as she heard his words. She could feel her cheeks blush slightly.
“Your strength is only matched by your beauty. Nothing makes me happier than having you by my side,” Spike then averted his eyes as his cheeks turned into a dark crimson. “I guess that did come out a little cheesy.”
Rarity admitted that Spike needed to work on his flattery a little, but was still touched by what the little dragon was trying to say. A part of her wondered why it had taken her so long to realize how special Spike was to her. But that no longer mattered now. In her heart, she knew Spike would always be there to help her.
Spike avoided eye contact with Rarity as he sat back down and desperately tried to find a way to make up for his ‘cheesy’ dialogue’. However as he sat in thought, he was taken by surprise the next moment as he felt something silky slip over his body. As he awoke from his thoughts, he saw that the silky object was Rarity’s tail. It was now draped over him like a soft blanket. Instinctively, he looked up to the pony it belonged to. “Rarity?”
Rarity gave an amused smile for a brief moment. “It’s okay, Spike,” she gave a coy giggle, “You know how I like to show off my mane.”
Spike looked at her hesitantly. “So...um…can I…”
Rarity nodded her approval.
Spike immediately began to caress her tail gently. In Spike’s eyes, nothing could match how soft and gentle Rarity’s hair felt. A part of him wondered if maybe he was dreaming. Maybe he had fallen asleep against Rarity’s side. But as he continued to feel the silky strands in his claws, he realized he was not dreaming.
Instead, it was his dreams that were coming true.
Rarity smiled happily as she watched Spike caress her tail gently. “Now don’t get any ideas you can do this whenever you want,” she added.
“Of...Of course not,” Spike answered with a sheepish smile as he released her tail.
“We do need to maintain a ‘professional relationship’ when we are in public,” Rarity continued, “After all, I do need to keep up my appearance.”
Spike smiled in response. “Absolutely.”
Rarity took a moment absorb Spike’s innocent face. She then took a quick glance around to make sure there were no prying eyes before looking down at Spike. “But for now…” Rarity added as she lowered her head again so that her muzzle was only an inch from Spike’s, “I see no reason why we should hold back.”
Spike found himself lost in the azure eyes that gazed into him. He wanted to say something in return, but found all words had escaped his lips.
Rarity could only laugh inside at the surprised look on Spike’s face. She then pressed her lips up against his. As her mouth intertwined with Spike’s, she felt Spike gently cup her head in his hands. After a moment she broke the kiss and looked deep into Spike’s eyes. “I hope this dream never ends.”
“Anything for you, Rarity”
The End.