Of Unicorns and Dragons
“Rarity?” Applejack called as she walked through the front door of the Carousel Boutique.
The fashionista was nowhere to be found in the store front. It was unusually messy, in fact. Although she did keep her workplace scattered and chaotic, Rarity usually had her store nice and tidy not only for the customer’s sake but also because of her refined nature. Yet, throughout the store, there were dresses thrown about everywhere and rolls of fabrics completely spread out.
“Ah! Spike, I thought you’d never…” Rarity said, exiting her room and entering the shop. “Oh… Applejack, how kind of you to drop by.”
“Uh… Well, I really wanted to talk to ya…” the blond farmer responded as she followed the dress maker back to her room.
“I’m sorry, Applejack. Normally, I would love to sit and gossip with you but I’ve been commissioned to work on so many dresses, I can hardly find the time to breathe,” Rarity replied, magically levitating some fabric and needles to begin her work anew.
“This is kinda important,” Applejack said authoritatively.
“Ok, Applejack,” the fashion designer said, laying down the tools of her trade. “What is it?”
“Well, I don’t wanna take too much of yer time so I’ll get right to it,” Applejack said as she removed her hat. “Don’cha think you’re taking advantage of Spike just a wee bit?”
“Spike comes to me and asks me if there is anything he can do for me,” Rarity said defensively.
“But have ya seen him lately? The poor little guy’s just about ready to keel over,” Applejack said, trying her best to calm.
“As I said before, he comes to me,” the fashionista said and turned around as if the conversation was over.
“Rarity, ya know just as well as everypony that Spike has a crush on ya,” Applejack said, raising her voice slightly.
“And what does that have to with anything?” Rarity asked with her back still to the farmer pony.
“There is ain’t much he wouldn’t do for ya,” Applejack said, her temper nearing the boiling point.
“And…?” the white unicorn replied.
“AND you’re using him!!!” the blond farmer nearly yelled, only stopped by her clenched teeth.
“Why I never!” Rarity exclaimed as she spun around to face the earth pony. “How dare you make such accusations?”
“They’re not accu-whatzits if they’re true, Rarity!” the apple farmer shouted as her and her friend found themselves face to face quite literally, pushing each other’s foreheads together.
“I think you should leave now…” the normally refined unicorn said in a very uncharacteristic harsh tone, narrowing her eyes as she did.
“Hmph! Maybe I should…” Applejack said in almost an angry whisper as she made her towards the shop’s exit. “But ya know what you’re doing to Spike ain’t right, Rarity. You’re leading him on. I know you’re better than that… at least I thought so…”
“I would never do that to Spikey Wikey!!!” Rarity screamed at her departing friend. The argument left the unicorn winded as she huffed and puffed. But only a few moments had passed and already began to reflect on what Applejack had said.
“I… I wouldn’t…” the unicorn said in the empty shop, perhaps trying to convince herself.
“How did this happen?” Twilight paced the library. Her confession to the sleeping dragon had her confused. She had realized feelings that she did not know she had for her assistant. Yet, for the life of her, she could not recall when these feelings developed.
Thinking back, she always had Spike with her, ever since Celestia left him in her care. In fact, one thing she never thought about was why Celestia allowed him to stay with her, being so young herself when she received him. If what Celestia wanted her to learn was friendship all along, then maybe Spike was her first step towards that path: her first friend, other than her brother of course.
It still did seem strange that Celestia would leave the baby dragon with her, barely being older than a filly herself. Even if he was her first lesson in friendship, Celestia would have considered rearing Spike herself, as she did for the first few years of the dragon’s life, all the while allowing Spike to visit her. But instead, she left him to be her assistant. Maybe Spike himself would know the answer as to why the princess did so.
Going along with that line of thought, Twilight also remembered all the long nights in Canterlot. She constantly overdid it when it came to her studies and would fall asleep face first on her books and scrolls but she would wake up the next morning with a pillow replacing the book she was reading and blanket over her body. She never gave it much thought, too concerned in finishing her studies, but Spike was the only one with her during those times so he was the only pony… well, dragon… that could be responsible for that act of kindness.
Twilight also remembered how in his younger days, she would read to him scary stories, a weekend tradition that had been long since abandoned. Some of the stories were too frightening for the poor little reptile, his paranoia of zombie ponies could attest to that. When the stories did not allow the young dragon to sleep on his own, she used to invite him onto her bed for the night, and truthfully, it was as much for her as for him. She quite often spooked herself with some of the stories she read and having a male dragon next to her throughout the night provided an incredible form of comfort.
A snore from the said dragon brought her back to the present. Perhaps it took him being out of the library, separated from her for so long, for her to realize that she did in fact love him. She never thought about losing him because she never truly thought it would happen.
“Am I jealous… of Rarity?” Twilight asked herself. She always told Spike that his crush on Rarity was immature and that he never had the chance to win her over. But now she realized that maybe, just maybe, she subconsciously did not want him to succeed in earning the affection of her white counterpart. It would have been so much easier for her to just tell Spike about her feelings but with the maelstrom of thoughts running through Twilight’s head, she could not think straight. No, not until she found where it all began or how it began.
But perhaps there was some hope of finding the time where these feelings for Spike first developed. Luckily, Twilight kept meticulous records in journals of just about everything ever since she became a student of Princess Celestia. If there were any hints or clues as to source of her feelings, then they would be in those journals… Unfortunately for her, Spike is the only one that would know where she kept them and, along with already promising him the day off, he would also question why she needed those journals. If she looked for them herself, Twilight would probably have to turn the library inside out, so she would have to wait a while longer to let the dragon have his day of R & R and for her to come up with an excuse as to why she needed those journals.
A knock at the door spooked the purple unicorn as she plotted how to get her old journals back.
“Twilight?” it was Rarity’s voice speaking. “Twilight, darling, I need to talk to you.”
“Oh… hi, Rarity!” Twilight said with a nervous smile forming across her face. “Didn’t expect you to see you today.”
“Sorry to intrude but Applejack and I… had a ‘talk’ earlier,” Rarity hesitated, underselling the fight that she just had. “And seeing as you know Spike the best…”
“Yes…?” Twilight asked.
“Be honest, Twilight, I can’t stress that enough. Do I…” Rarity paused, trying to force the rest of the question out of her. “Do you think I take advantage of Spike’s feelings?”
“Uh… well,” Twilight stalled, thinking of a way to put it gently. She did, in fact, think that fashionista sometimes used the dragon’s feelings to benefit herself.
“I see…” Rarity said as she took the hint, hanging her head. “Do I lead him on, Twilight?”
“What do you mean?” Twilight requested to the white unicorn to clarify her question.
“Do you think that I give him the idea that I feel the same he does for me?” the dress maker asked. “Is that a bad thing that I do?”
“I think that really depends on whether you do, Rarity,” Twilight answered.
“Is he here?” Rarity asked in a whisper.
“Yes… but he’s upstairs, sound asleep,” the purple unicorn said, worrying about the reason she would ask that.
“I… I do care for him, very much so…” the fashionista admitted. “I can’t lie; I’ve grown quite fond of him. He’s always been the most courteous gentlecolt, dragon, that I’ve ever met. He always treats me like a lady. He’s also incredibly thoughtful and not to mention handy. What I’m trying to say…”
“You love Spike?” Twilight struggled to say with a knot in her throat.
“Please, Twilight, you must promise me that you won’t say a word about this to anypony… or dragon,” Rarity pleaded as she motioned her head towards the upstairs bedroom.
“Does this have anything to do with the talk that you and Applejack had?” Twilight asked, jealousy eating at her a bit.
“She said that I was taking advantage of Spike, that I was using his feelings for me…” the dress designer said with a bit of melancholy in her voice. “But I don’t mean to! I really don’t… He loves me because I act like a lady, I try to be elegant and refined. But if I open up to him, if I let him see the real me, not just my good moments but when I’m at my worst… then what if he sees I’m not the princess he dreams about, what if he leaves me…”
“Rarity…” Twilight tried to console her friend but it was too late, the white unicorn had already bolted out the door.
“I’m sorry, Twilight, I must go…” Rarity said, tears welling up in her eyes.
One full day of rest did wonders for the fatigued dragon as he felt like he could take on the world and anything it had in store for him. He remembered his promise to Applejack, that he would help her, but he had to check on Rarity, having left her to work by herself the day before. He could not betray his heart, he still had strong feelings for her and they caused him to feel guilty for leaving her on her own.
“Rarity?” Spike called the unicorn, entering her shop.
“Oh, Spike…” Rarity answered as she wiped her face with her hoof. The young dragon could swear he heard a sniffle.
“Are you ok, Rarity?” Spike asked the unicorn. She looked a mess, almost like she had stayed up all night. Her mane was disheveled, her tail neglected, and bags had formed under her eyes.
“I’m quite alright, Spike. Thank you for your concern,” the ragged-looking pony lied through her teeth. “Spike, I know I’ve been overstepping myself with you… and I want you to take the day away from me.”
“But Rarity…” Spike was interrupted as he tried to convince the unicorn to let him stay.
“No, Spike, no but’s,” Rarity said adamantly. Although he could clearly see that she was far from ok, Spike still complied with her request. She did not look like she could be persuaded otherwise.
“Alright, Rarity…” the saddened dragon said as he began towards the door leading outside.
“Wait!” Rarity said, galloping towards the young dragon. Spike stopped as he heard the dress maker’s call. Suddenly, he felt her forelegs wrap around him, pulling him into a deep hug. “I’m so sorry, Spike… for everything.”
“It’s alright, Rarity,” Spike said as he hugged the white unicorn back. He did not want to let the moment end, that hug felt better than any other they had ever shared but, much to his disappointment, Rarity broke it.
“Thank you, Spike, but…” the currently unruly pony paused as she gave him a gentle push out of the door.
The young dragon still felt the guilt haunting his mind and heart but he knew that it was best to give Rarity time to herself. But he could not think of what to do with his newfound time. “I still have my promise to Applejack, I should see if she needs help.”