//------------------------------// // Epilogue: The Days After // Story: Titanic: Ponified // by NotARealPonydotcom //------------------------------// Epilogue: The Days After -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Twilight!? Twilight, are you in here?" Rarity looked around the Ponyville library for the lavender unicorn who'd asked her to the library that day. She tugged nervously at her scarf, checking in the nearby mirror to see if it had become misaligned with her neck. She had received a letter from Twilight asking her if she would like to come over for tea with herself and their other friends. She'd happily sent her approval of the idea, and had headed over to the library after deciding what she would wear. Now she looked around the room for her bookish friend. To her surprise, it was not Twilight who answered her, but Spike. "Rarity! So glad you're here! Thought you might not make it." Spike grinned up at her from a fully set table, at which sat five other mares along with the purple dragon. Rarity walked over to the table, and Spike got up to draw her a chair. She accepted it gratefully, and thanked him when he served her tea. Taking it with her magic, she sipped quietly as she tuned in distantly to the conversation already in progress at the table. "...and as long as everyone's here, I guess we can tell you the news." Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie looked knowingly between each other, and Rarity sighed at the cute gesture between the two mares. Seeing them together after the six had returned to an at-the-time depressed Ponyville had made not only her but the entire town happy, and they'd spent every waking moment together. Pinkie Pie had asked Twilight to enchant a necklace Rainbow Dash had given her so that she'd be able to walk on clouds whenever she wore it. The two had been living together ever since, and the couple had become as well known as Lyra and Bon-Bon were. Now they were truly happy, and it warmed Rarity's heart to see them together. Pinkie Pie put a hoof to Rainbow Dash's lips. "Not yet, silly! Twilight isn't here! She's still getting the sweets!" The pink mare giggled, and looked anxiously at the kitchen doorway. A moment later, Twilight Sparkle came rushing through the doorway, a plate of sweet-tasting foods floating behind her. She set the plate down in the center of the table, and sat down next to Rarity, who she grinned at and said, "So glad you're here, Rarity! Now, what did Pinkie have to say?" She looked over at the pink pony expectantly. Spike looked nervously at the hastily put together plate of treats, then at the sweating lavender unicorn next to him. "Twilight, why didn't you let me help you? You look exhausted." His observations, though correct, were immediately shrugged off by Twilight, who simply said, "If it took me almost dying in a shipwreck to realize how much work I gave you all this time, then I deserve this. Besides," she said, looking down at her powdered sugar-covered body, "I think I'm getting the hang of this. Really." She looked back at Spike, who rolled his eyes at her and drank his tea nonchalantly. Pinkie Pie spoke up again. "Okay, now that Twilight's here, I can tell you all the super good news! I-" A small cough from Rainbow Dash made Pinkie's head turn. Her eyes widened, and she said, "Oh yeah! I promised I'd let Dashie say it! Go ahead, Dashie, tell 'em!" She stared excitedly at the cyan pegasus, awaiting her own announcement more than the others sitting around them. Rainbow Dash cleared her throat, and looked around the table at her friends. "Well, you guys know how close Pinkie and I got since the ship..." She paused, noticing the uncomfortable looks that Rarity and Applejack gave her. Blushing, she hurriedly continued. "Anyway, we've been going out for a while, and I've never been happier." At the mention of her name, Pinkie nuzzled against her lover, giggling. Dash continued, unfazed. "We really love each other, and we want this to last forever. So, last night, after our usual Friday night dinner..." Now Dash flipped back a lock of her hair that had been covering her neck, and Pinkie did the same, revealing a necklace around each of their necks. Dash's was of a balloon, pink in color and matching Pinkie Pie's cutie mark. Pinkie's did the same, a rainbow-colored lightning bolt adorning her neck. "..we proposed," Dash finished, and the table went crazy. Applejack hugged Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy let out a mighty "yay". Twilight began pestering Spike about where she kept her books on planning weddings. Spike was, in turn, ignoring her, and was already discussing what he'd wear to the wedding with Rarity, who was trying to talk to the dragon and Pinkie Pie at the same time. "Now, we have to find something perfect for you." Rarity was already imagining the types of gowns she could make for Ponyville's premiere party pony, and her eyes were sparkling. She turned to Spike, and said, "Of course, you simply have to be their best colt- er dragon," she blushed at her mistake, but Spike shrugged it off. He waved for her to continue, and she did so with great gusto. "I'll make you the perfect ensemble, something to match those fabulous green eyes of yours." At this, Spike blushed, and once again Rarity giggled at his crush on her. Her thoughts changed again, only briefly, but their message was clear to her, and it made her frown with indecision. Spike didn't notice, still blushing and scratching his head. "Well, I wouldn't say fabulous..." His modesty made her laugh again. She turned back to Rainbow Dash and said, "I know you'll hate to, Rainbow Dash, but you have to come to my boutique at some point to have yourself fitted for the wedding. I-" She couldn't finish her sentence. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were lifted into the air by Applejack, who had interrupted Pinkie in the middle of her story about how they'd both decided to propose to the other on the same date. Applejack dragged them with her out the door, an enormous grin on her face. Fluttershy followed them out the door, trying to explain that she couldn't take them out for their bachelorette party at the same time together. This left Twilight, Rarity and Spike at the table. After a minute of silence, Twilight finally spoke. "Well, like I was trying to explain to Spike-" The sound of a crash outside interrupted her, and she rushed to her door, peeking out to find the source of the noise. Her eyes widened, and she began to leave to fix whatever problem she'd found. Remembering Spike and Rarity, she stopped and turned to the two, smiling apologetically. "I have to help them with this. Spike do you think that you can clean up the table? I think our little get-together is over." She turned to Rarity. "I'm sorry we didn't have that much time. You can stay if you don't mind it just being the three of us." With that, she shut the door. Of course. Just when you feel uncomfortable around him, you're left alone together. Rarity's smile faded, and she sipped at her tea. She avoided Spike's gaze when she could, and he seemed not to notice. The purple dragon stood up and began collecting plates, and Rarity quickly finished her tea, not wanting to make him wait near her. When he went into the kitchen to set down the dishes, Rarity stood up to leave, and stopped herself before she could. She bit her lip, unsure of whether she should act on her thoughts or not. Why not? Again the question pushed itself into her head, and Rarity was frozen in place with indecision. In the weeks that followed her return to Ponyville, Rarity had been troubled by Jack's final words to her. She had attempted to find somepony to be with, but each time some part of made her leave before she could ask anypony to dinner. And now, after a month of toying with the necklace he'd left her, she'd brought it with her for some unknown reason to this tea party. She looked up at Spike as he reentered the main room of the library, snapping softly and humming a song while slowly bobbing his head. When he saw that Rarity was still there, he stopped, and stared at her, confused. "Uh, Rarity?" He waved at her, and when she didn't respond he took a step closer, peering worriedly at her face. "Are you okay?" She finally moved again, realizing that she had been staring at him, and she nodded vigorously. "Oh! Yes, yes, I'm fine. I just wanted to know..." She hesitated, waiting for an excuse to come to mind. She recalled their earlier conversation, and said, "...when you wanted to stop by to get fitted for your outfit for Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie's wedding. Without warning, her mouth continued moving, completely independent of the rest of her body. "And then I thought that perhaps we could have dinner together." It took a moment for Rarity to realize what she'd just said. When she did, her face blanched, and she unconsciously moved a hoof to the necklace hiding under her scarf. She blinked several times, staring intensely at Spike. The dragon was staring back at her, his eyes dilating repeatedly, trying to register what he'd just heard. Then he blinked once, and opened his mouth to speak. He said nothing at first, and terrible visions passed through Rarity's head. Then he found his voce, and he said: "Did you just ask me out?" He's mocking me. She hated her mind more than anything at the moment. No, he isn't. You're being silly. You've amazed him and yourself by saying what you did. Now answer him nice and slow, and say "No, Spike, it isn't a date. "Yes." Thank you for nothing, you stupid brain. For a second, Spike stared at Rarity, unsure if she was really there. Then he smiled, and she'd never seen him as happy as he was now. "Sure! I'd love to!" He began to leave, and turned suddenly. "When is this happening?" There was a look on his face that told Rarity he still didn't believe she'd just asked him to dinner. Rarity wanted to move toward the door, but instead she stepped closer to him. Again she felt the necklace against her skin, and she realized she'd planned it from the beginning. Sighing, she looked at the skeptical dragon before her, and said, "How does tomorrow sound? From the looks of how Twilight was treating you, it seems you'll have some extra time on your hands." She smiled at Spike, and he grinned happily back at her. She saw no reason to not like him. He'd grown up into a fine young gentledragon in the years she'd known him, and he was so kind to her. Spike gripped a nearby chair for support, and said, "That sounds great! Just send a note. I'll be sure to get it!" Rarity nodded, and felt the necklace under her scarf again. She pulled it out with her magic, and levitated it in front of her. Spike stared at it, wondering why the unicorn had brought it in front of them. After a moment of what looked to be deep thought, Rarity moved the necklace over to Spike, and said, "I want you to have this. Like you asked. I'm sorry it took so long to remember." She dropped it into his open hand, and he looked down at it with wide eyes. He looked back up, and repeated the words he'd said as a joke the last time they'd had tea together. "'Just bring me back a sapphire...'" Rarity giggled at his amazed look, and stepped closer to him. Then, against her better judgment, she leaned over and pecked him on the cheek. Spike froze up, and Rarity saw what looked like steam coming out of his nostrils. She giggled again, and went over to the door. "Well, Spike," she said, turning to him when she reached the door. "I'll see you at my boutique tomorrow. One o'clock, okay?" She winked, and shut the door before he could answer. Stepping outside, Rarity felt somehow liberated. She looked out at Twilight, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie trying to get Applejack and Rainbow Dash disentangled from some sort of rope bond, and she smiled. She began to walk away from the library, and she looked up at the sky. A pattern of clouds lay across the sky, and she decided it was the perfect time to go for a walk. She began to head towards the nearby park, and thought about what Jack had asked of her. Please, find somepony else. Be happy without me. She felt a single tear crawl down her cheek, and she whispered, "I think I'll be fine, Jack. Thank you." Then she continued on her way, a content smile on her face as she made her way along the streets of Ponyville in the warm summer morning. --------------- Spike watched the door shut behind Rarity, and for a minute he simply stared at the door in amazement. She asked me out. She did. Not me. His grin shrank down to an elated smile, and he turned back to the table. He began to pick up the other dishes, and he thought about the past few months. He'd been left behind while his friends went on a luxurious cruise, which had turned out to be less than relaxing in the end. Then they'd come back, six out of less than half of the passengers, and they'd been bombarded with news reporters. The princess had even visited to see if Twilight was okay. All in all, the past few months had been a blur of excitement for them. For Spike, especially. Spike stared at the two mares dancing together at the table. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie stared back, and Rarity nervously laughed and made up some excuse for their behavior. Spike didn't hear. He knew who the two had been mocking, and he wondered whether or not to show if he knew. The others joined in on Rarity's charade, and Spike let them think he believed Rarity's alibi. "I'm sorry, I must have missed something. Who's that supposed to be?" He stepped over a blushing Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, and began picking up dishes... Spike walked to the kitchen, and began to wash the dishes, humming as he went. The only sound other than him was the sound of running water from the sink. Spike was tired of Rarity's conversation. He finished picking up the dirty dishes at the table and went back into the kitchen to clean them. He'd just picked up a tea pot when he heard Rarity's voice drift dreamily in through the doorway. "Perhaps I could find him. My soul mate..." He dropped the tea pot on his foot. Spike washed the dishes, thinking of how busy he'd been. Occasionally, he looked at the necklace, and laughed. Then he returned to the dishes, whistling now as he went. Spike sat in his room. He held his foot up and inspected the damage. Nothing that couldn't be healed quickly. He was more worried about what he'd heard Rarity say. If she found somepony on the ship, she would certainly forget about him. And as much as he wanted her to be happy, he knew that there would be nopony right for her on the ship. There would only be the snooty Canterlot ponies that had given Spike strange fearful looks when he and Twilight had lived in Canterlot. Unless... Spike had an idea. Grinning, he limped over to the desk Twilight had given him, and began a letter. Dear Princess Celestia, Hello, it's Spike. You know that favor you say you owe me? Spike grinned when he went to bed that night. His plan was already detailing itself in his head. Spike finished the dishes and set them out to dry in the sunlight. Then he left the kitchen and walked over to the stairs. On the way, he picked out a science fiction novel from the large array of books and opened it. He approached the steps and began to read. Spike walked through the Canterlot archives. Celestia had granted him an access card to it, and that night he'd snuck out and hailed a carriage to the castle. Fortunately, knowing several of the royal guards personally made it easy for him to enter the castle and make his way to the archives. He grinned as he looked through the books lining the walls. Twilight would've had his head if she knew what he was doing. Finally, after what seemed like hours of looking, he found the book he was looking for. He stared at the title, a mischievous smile on his face. Across the cover of the book lay the title Transmogrification: 404 Spells for the Non-Magical. Spike tucked the book under his arm, and went on his way, picking out whatever other books he needed for his plan. Spike turned a page in his book, making his way effortlessly up the stairs. He held the book with one hand, and in the other hand Rarity's gift to him was gripped tightly. He twirled it as he went, and he made it to his room without faltering. Spike sighed in frustration. He'd found the spell he was looking for, but he needed something to manifest it in. He'd looked throughout his room, but was unable to find anything that he wanted to or could use. He kicked at the floor, and looked angrily at his bed. Then it hit him. Spike walked over to his bed and pushed it out of the way. He punched in the knot of rotten wood behind it, revealing the secret area he kept his hoard in. It was relatively small, but Spike was proud of it nonetheless. He sifted through the gemstones, looking for a very specific one that he knew would be perfect for his plan. After a moment he found it. It was a small sapphire, and it had been the first gem in his hoard. He'd promised himself that he would never eat it, and now he had a reason not to. He pulled it out and, using a well concentrated drill of fire, melted a hole in the gem. Then he put a small, thin chain he'd brought from his last visit to the Carousel Boutique and threaded it through the gem. It was perfect. He noticed that the chain was melting, and managed to meld it into a sort of casing for the gem. Then he stepped over to the small cauldron in his room. Three days of reading had given him the potion that would enchant him into any creature he could get DNA from. One accident with Twilight and a trip to the black market later, and he'd gotten everything ready for the mixture sitting in front of him. Raising the newly-made necklace, he dipped it in the cauldron, and waited. The mixture bubbled, and then began to implode. He felt a tug on the necklace, and suddenly it was absorbing the mixture into it. Spike held on even as the necklace heated up, and he was surprised that Twilight had not woken up. Then it was over, and Spike lifted up the now glowing gemstone. He smiled, and was about to put it on when he recalled the instructions. "The spell is of limited effect, however. Those hoping for a permanent transformation, keep hoping. After ten uses, the spell becomes obsolete, and the enchanted item will cease to work." Spike sighed, and after a minute of thought he placed it around his neck. He was enveloped in a purple light, and when it subsided Spike no longer stood there. Instead, a purple unicorn with a bright green mane and tail stood in the center of Spike's room. He lifted his head up, and made his way over to the mirror in the room, his four legs wobbly. He stood in front of the mirror, and smiled. When he spoke, it was with the same soft voice that Twilight Sparkle's #1 assistant was known for. "Nice." Spike turned another page of his book. He stood outside the door for a moment, and looked back at the stairs, waiting to see if Twilight would call from below. The lavender unicorn was still helping with whatever mess she'd seen, though, and after a minute Spike turned the door knob and entered his room. Spike stared into the mirror and concentrated. After a moment of deep focus, the horn atop his head began to glow, and the unicorn's magic glowed brightly. The color of his mane changed, turning darker as he let the spell take effect. His coat began to change after his mane, brightening from its usual purple to a deep shade of blue that the mare he loved was so well recognized for. The glow faded, and again Spike looked at himself in the mirror. He tested the effect of the spell, and was delighted to see that he was not blue and dark green when he changed back into a dragon. Waiting the minute it took before the enchantment of the necklace wore off, Spike counted how many times he'd put it on. That was three. He had seven left. The door shut behind him as he walked over to his bed. Spike sat down, and continued to read the novel he'd picked out, all the while keeping a thoughtful smile on his face. After a few minutes of reading, he set the book down on his bedside table and folded his hands on his chest. He thought about Rarity, and what they would do for their date together. He knew she had said just dinner, but perhaps he could convince her to go for a walk in the park. He grinned up at his ceiling, and thought about everything that could have happened to cause this change of heart. He thought about Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, engaged and happily in love. He thought about the Titanic, sunken and now supposedly at the bottom of the sea floor now. And he thought about the pony Rarity had fallen in love with that she'd told him about whenever he visited her now. He thought about Jack Heart. Spike looked at himself. He circled the clone, and after a while he nodded. The clone nodded back, and said, "Should I do what you wanted me to do?" Spike nodded, and the clone raised the needle with his magic. Spike turned, and he bit down on his lip when he felt the first big sting on his flank. When the clone was done, a flaming playing card adorned Spike's formerly blank flank. He smiled at it in the mirror, and with a small low of his horn the clone was gone. Then he removed the necklace and waited a minute for his body to change back. That was four. After a minute of staring up at his ceiling, Spike got up. He looked down at his bed, and thought of what a great gift it had been for his 17th birthday, months after he'd outgrown his little basket. He still kept the basket, and it was now sitting on his desk, filled with sheet music and small scraps of poetry he'd written ("A hopeless romantic," Rarity had called him). He walked to the end of the bed, and began to move it out of the way. Spike walked down the alley, slightly nervous about his meeting with Shady. Though he'd known him for almost a year, Spike still wasn't sure if he could trust the pony not to try and hurt him. He was his best customer, and Spike had never wronged Shady, but still, you never knew about these underground types. They were wild cards, and Spike was worried about it. The purple dragon jumped at the sound of a colt's voice at the end of the alley. Spinning, he sighed with relief at the sight of Shady Deal, the most reliable black marketer Spike knew. The colt coughed once, then spoke in an intensely heavy Italian accent. "Spike, my dragon-brother, have you gotten what I asked for?" The dragon nodded, and set the bag of gemstones on the ground. Then he kicked it over to Shady, whose horn glowed for a second, inspecting the contents of the bag. "And my cheese-whiz?" Spike spoke up this time. "Let me see the ticket first." Shady looked at him in distaste for a moment, then smiled. "Clever boy," he said, and the ticket floated in front of his face. It glided over to Spike, and the dragon drew out a spray can as it did. He snatched up the ticket at the same moment the can of cheese-whiz was snatched up with him. Shady bowed, and said, "As always, my friend, it's been a pleasure doing business with you." Then he was gone, leaving a grinning Spike holding the golden-colored ticket. Printed on the front were the words RMS Titanic. Spike punched out the hole that he used to cover up his hoard, and let it fall into the inside of the hidden cavern in the tree trunk. He looked proudly at his small pile of gems and gold coins before turning to a wooden box that sat in the corner of the hidden area. Unlike the rest of his hoard, the box looked incredibly dingy, with small dents in it. He smiled again, and lifted it out of the hollow area. He set it on his bed, and closed the area off again. Then he looked to the box, and twirled the necklace in his hand. Spike shut the door to the library and locked it with the spare key. He knew that the owl would be able to handle his job. And if not, well, he'd flipped the sign to closed for the week. Then he slipped the necklace on (that made six). Nopony noticed the smartly-dressed unicorn make his way from the library, two suitcases floating on either side of him. Spike stared thoughtfully at the box in front of him. Then, listening to make sure that Twilight was not in the building yet, he went over to his desk and pulled out a small ornate key from one of the drawers. Then he turned back to the box, and slowly inserted the key into the lock. He felt the bolt inside draw back, and he opened the box. Spike watched Rarity from afar. She looked as beautiful as she had when he'd first seen her with the dress she wore now on. He straightened the tie he'd managed to learn to tie, and began to walk towards her. Before he could, though, a large crowd of ponies rushed in between himself and the mare he so desperately wanted, and when they had dispersed Rarity was gone. He could see her on her way towards theTitanic, meeting up with Twilight Sparkle and some newspony she was talking to. He sighed, and trotted over to wait for his ticket to be accepted. He sat next to a fancy-looking unicorn with a gorgeous earth pony laid across his back. Soon, he struck up a conversation with the stallion, and learned that he was a friend of Rarity's from when she'd stayed in Canterlot. Suddenly he knew how he would meet her on the ship, and he did his best to appear an enjoyable colt to Fancy Pants as he began to talk about how he'd gotten his ticket for the Titanic. He looked back over at Rarity, who had now been joined by the rest of her friends, and sighed happily as they were lifted up onto the ship. "Don't worry, my lady. Soon we'll meet, and I will show you how I feel." Red light reflected off of each facet of each of the hundreds of rubies that made up the shining flames of the mask in the box. Spike looked down at it with as much pride as he had his collection. He lifted the mask out of its compartment and lifted it to his face. Turning to the mirror, he saw Jack Heart looking back at him for a second. He contemplated putting the necklace on one last time. Then he thought of Rarity. Only one left. He set the mask down in the box, and for a second he considered showing her at the boutique tomorrow. He would put on the necklace, his transformation would shock her, and after some convincing that he was real she would kiss him, and they would fall in love all over again. And when he removed the necklace, when the charade was over, she would love him as Spike, not Jack, and they could live happily together. He gripped the necklace. Maybe... "Nah." Spike turned, and set the necklace inside the box, along with the mask. Then he shut it, and placed the box inside the hollow area behind his bed. He couldn't tell her. Not now, anyway. It would ruin everything. When she loved him, Spike, for who he was, then maybe he could show her the truth, and for one final night he could be Jack and she would love him as they had on the Titanic. But he wouldn't do that now. Not when she was only just ready to move on. Spike looked out from his window, and smiled when he saw the small receding form of Rarity heading back to the Carousel Boutique to prepare for their date. Perhaps she thought of him now. Then he set his bed back in place just in time to hear Twilight slam the library door shut. Her voice echoed from the main room downstairs. "Spike?" "Yeah, Twilight?" "Do you want to go somewhere for lunch? Fluttershy and I were going to go to the cafe." Spike smiled at the sound of lunch at the cafe. "Sure, Twilight!" he called down, and grabbed his book. Marking the place he'd stopped at, he opened the door to his room, and shut it behind him as he went downstairs to enjoy the day with his friends. The End ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And now, we give you: One Final, Saddening Note From the Author I would not have been able to create this if it hadn't been for those of you who gave me the confidence to write the whole of this story. I must thank those who commented especially. I could not have done this without you. Expect me to keep writing. I have something new I'll be bringing to FIMFiction soon. I'll see all of you (and hopefully more next time) then. Forever yours, NotARealPony.com