//------------------------------// // Chapter 14 // Story: Of Age // by paleowriter //------------------------------// Chapter 14 She wanted to keep running, but Rarity had to step carefully. The volcanic range was active, and lava flows were becoming more and more common the farther in she trekked. Keeping her pace slow wasn't easy, though. Spike was still out cold on her back, and everything inside of her screamed at her to hurry. She had to find some of that volcanic soil that Moxie had mentioned back when she'd talked about her wounded mate. It was the only thing Rarity could think of that might do something for Spike—if they used it at the dragon healing grounds, it had to be of some help, right? Rarity hopped around a steaming vent in the rock, twisting to keep Spike safely on her back. If only Fluttershy was here—she'd have some real notion of how to care for Spike's injuries. Rarity grimaced. All she knew was how to fix broken seams in clothing. Completely useless in this situation. Really, pretty much any of her friends would be of more help to Spike than she was in this moment. A tear threatened to fall, and Rarity steeled her resolve. She didn't have time to think such thoughts. "Hold on, Spike," she said, pausing to look around their surroundings. "I'll find something to help you." Rarity glanced over her shoulder for the hundredth time, making sure they hadn't been followed. "I'll keep you safe," she whispered, almost threateningly. She couldn't be sure they were alone. Just because she hadn't seen a gargoyle in over an hour, didn't mean they weren't lurking somewhere. The sun was setting in the west over the mountains. It would just be a matter of hours before the meteor shower. Not that I can do anything about that right now. Just one more thing you've failed at, Rarity. She narrowed her eyes and continued her search for softer ground. There. Rarity tip-toed around another lava flow, and then reached a patch of ground that lead to a large, essentially barren field. The ground was loose here. Not rock. This had to be volcanic soil. Rarity gently sat Spike down, and began to dig. Hang on just a little longer, Spike. This will help. As she dug, her horn began to tingle with an oddly familiar sensation…there were gems nearby. Rarity's hoof kicked through another layer of soil to reveal a small, shimmering diamond. She bit her lower lip. Of course. Volcanic environments are the best places to look for diamonds. There must be quite a few around here. Rarity chewed her lip for a half a second, then bit it even harder. No time for such indulgences right now. She kicked the diamond aside with the dirt, and continued to dig until she had a Spike-sized indentation in the warm ground. Rarity nudged the dragon into the depression in the soil and covered his body as best as she could, leaving his face clear. She could feel the dirt caked into her hooves, and had to hold in a shudder. "There you go," Rarity said softly. "You'll be okay now." She wiped some of the dirt from one hoof onto a nearby rock, her eyes welling up as she did. "You have to be okay now." A glance back only revealed that Spike's eyes remained closed. "I'm sure this healing soil thing just takes a bit of time," Rarity said, waving her remaining dirty hoof in the air as if she was explaining the situation to somepony other than herself. "Once it takes effect, I'm certain you'll wake back up. We just need to be patient." Spike remained motionless. "You'll be okay," she said again. A single tear slipped down her face. "You have to be." Rarity knelt down by Spike's side, laying on the ground next to him and placing a kiss on his cheek. "Please, Spike." Still no movement. Rarity tucked her face into her hooves and began to cry. Why won't he wake up? She'd known he'd been hurt badly, but to still be unconscious…he couldn't be…he couldn't…not that… Rarity squeezed her eyes tight, pinching the teardrops out. It just wasn't fair. Spike didn't deserve this. What did he ever do to anypony? He's only ever shown me kindness. True, that's because he's rather enamored with me, but he didn't have to be so wonderful! Not based on how I've treated him, certainly! Oh Spike, if you come back to me, I'll give you everything you've been waiting for. I will. "I'll be yours," Rarity whispered, lifting her head to look at Spike through her tears. "Please." She leaned in and kissed his forehead. Then both his cheeks. Then the tip of his nose. "Spike, come back. Be okay. Wake up, and come back to me. I'm the one waiting now, Spike. Waiting for you. For us. So we can be together." Rarity's tears dampened the dragon's face, as she continued to gently kiss him. Nothing she did made any difference, though, so eventually the unicorn just set her head back down on her hooves and sighed. "Spike, it's not very gentlecolt-like of you to leave me just after I figured out that I love you." A warm breeze drifted past from one of the volcanic vents. Rarity shut her eyes. Really, her admission should've surprised her more. But in that moment, Rarity finally understood that the revelation was nothing new. She'd felt this way for a long time. When it came down to it, saying the words out loud was as natural as cross-stitching a design on a dress. Without the stitching, the dress would look unfinished and plain. And now that she knew how she felt about Spike, not telling him would leave her feeling just as incomplete. She opened her eyes up, and looked westward. The sun continued to set, and the sky grew darker by the moment. Thick clouds blocked the stars, but Rarity supposed that wouldn't be enough to keep the meteors at bay. The night should've ushered in cooler temperatures, but being so close to the volcanoes, Rarity continued to sweat. She wondered if there was any water nearby. How long had it been since she'd last drank anything? Rarity's eyes stung from the dry air. Her tears had long since evaporated, and her body shivered from dehydration. She hung her head. "Spike…" she began, "I'm sorry. I'll be back soon. I just have to check and see if there's something to drink around here, or I'm afraid I might pass out." She settled her worry by double-checking that Spike still was breathing. Once she'd confirmed that, Rarity climbed to her hooves. She began walking a ways away, staying close to the bigger rocks, rather than exposing herself to the giant, empty, darkened field to the north. She knew over the mountains back east the ocean lapped waves up against the beach. Perhaps she could find some source of water that fed into the sea… If she strained her hearing, Rarity could just make out the sound of a bubbling brook somewhere in the distance. However, with the lack of sunlight, it was difficult to pinpoint its direction. All she knew is that she must be getting closer, because the sound grew louder with each step. It wasn't a brook as much as a river, perhaps. "This is the right place, isn't it?" a voice in the dark asked. Rarity froze. "Of course it is," another voice said. "We've been meeting here every night, you dimwit." "Well, no one else is here yet this time!" the first voice replied. Gargoyles. Their scratchy, high-pitched voice was unmistakable. "More for us, then," the second responded, laughing. The first laughed as well. "Let's get to the center. Front row seats!" Rarity's hooves trembled in the dirt. She could hear the pair of gargoyles walk behind her, out onto the rocky, volcanic field. Somehow, they hadn't noticed her. But there was no way she could deny having noticed them. And now she had a decision to make. Rarity willed her legs to stop shaking. This was all so much bigger than her, and yet somehow, here she was. She had the potential to eavesdrop on the plans of the gargoyles. To find out where they'd be gathering for the meteor storm, and to get that information back to the dragons and sea serpents before the showers hit. But that would require her leaving Spike alone for a while longer…not to mention requiring a great deal more courage than what the unicorn still had stored up within her. Despair hit Rarity in full force. When could she just go back to her normal life? To her boutique? To Ponyville and all its little social problems? She grit her teeth, steadying her breathing. Not yet. None of that yet. Or ever, potentially, if the gargoyles won. There really was only one option, here. Rarity began to follow the gargoyles at a safe distance, out into the dark field. She swiveled her ears forward to listen to their conversation as best as she could. "How many do you think will come tonight?" "There's a good amount of us left. Whoever is worthy will be here." "It's nice to be worthy." "You're just lucky. That dragon nearly had your head back there." "Shut up. My survival means I'm chosen!" "Right." "I am! That's how it works! It's prophesized! That's the plan; you know that. Full assault. Survivors get to absorb the biggest night of the space storm. It's destiny." "I bet you're just here for sacrifice round two. We can't all survive the next phase." "Shut up! After we get our bigger powers, I'm eating you first!" Rarity slunk quietly, her mind racing. So they consider this night some sort of honor. Only those worthy get to absorb this evening's meteors. The battle so far has just been to weed out the weak. No wonder we've been overwhelmed. They don't have any gargoyles in reserve! They've all battled, trying to prove they're ready for tonight! "I'm just glad we're finally getting to the good stuff. The prophecy said tonight will bring a giant one to feed us all, which sounds far better than what we've been dealing with. The past few nights have been okay, but I've barely gotten more than one or two absorptions out of them." "Even those have helped, though. I can feel the metal in my rocks more than normal. They're heavier. They hurt me more—and the dragons I've clocked them with." "Imagine what they'll feel like after tonight." Rarity heard several more gargoyles land around her, and stopped walking. That was it. She'd already overstepped the boundaries of her courage. Now the odds were increasing every second that she'd be discovered by the ever-growing number of enemies in the dark, and she found she could go no further. There was nothing left in her to muster. Rarity's chest rose and fell so rapidly, she was certain she was going to hyperventilate. Gargoyles appeared in the field by the dozens. Desperately finding the last few working nerves in her legs, Rarity began backing up, out of their way in the cover of darkness. Her horn tingled, and she had to strain to keep its glow down as panic took root. Stupid field! Stupid gems! Stupid volcano-diamonds! Now isn't the time, horn! After several terror-filled minutes, Rarity finally—somehow—made it out of the gathering of gargoyles alive. She hugged the rocky outcrop at the field's edge, her chest still heaving in and out, possibly even faster than before. That was too close. It was time to get out of there, now. She'd gotten her information—the gargoyles were going to throw everything they had into this night, and certainly into the attack that followed. They had no one left in reserve. She had to tell Queen Ili'ana and Rojo where they gathered. If they could somehow defeat the creatures while they were all in one place before the meteor shower, they might actually win this war. But they only had a couple hours at best to get here. Rarity had to hurry. She turned to run, and then stopped in her tracks. In the dim light of the distant volcanoes, Rarity could see the spindly forms of gargoyles all over the rocks between her and where she'd left Spike. There were thousands of them descending the cliffs onto the field. Thousands. She'd never get past them unnoticed. Oh dear. As one gargoyle drew particularly close, Rarity pulled herself under the outcrop of rock she'd sheltered by. She was trapped. Ponyfeathers! she cursed. Now what? Everything inside her told her to run, but what would that achieve? She'd be caught. In no scenario could she envision herself getting away using stealth, speed, or force. Rarity pressed herself further into the shadows. Somehow, she had to get out of there. Preferably without dying. Think, Rarity, think! Perhaps she should just show herself, and try to use her wits to get the gargoyles to let her go? Her eloquence had saved her before, after all. Rarity began to reason through her options along those lines. Finding and trading some diamonds with them won't matter—they're about to get ultimate power from outer space. Annoying them like the Diamond Dogs probably will just get me killed. Tapping into my ties to Canterlot royalty and playing the Element of Generosity card will probably just get me killed even faster. Flattering them would… Hmm. Well, there was only one way to find out. Summoning her shredded courage, Rarity stepped out from her hiding spot. It was worth a shot. "Excuse me," she said, sidling up to the nearest gargoyle. Her tongue felt like somepony had tied a knot in it, but she pressed on. "I'm sure you're not expecting me, but I had to come and watch your big moment. I'm a bit of a gargoyle fan, you see." The gargoyle turned to her, narrowing its eyes. "Who are you?" Rarity laughed. She was proud of how well she'd managed to keep the nerves out of her voice so far. "Oh, my, I'm sorry! How rude of me not to introduce myself. My name is Rarity. I'm from Equestria. I know you must be thinking it's rather odd for a pony like myself to choose to associate with a race that's destroyed large portions of my homeland, but that's exactly why I find you all so fascinating!" Several gargoyles had gathered by now, all staring at Rarity. "Can I eat her?" one of them asked. Rarity frowned. "Oh, please don't. At least, not yet," she added, an idea striking her. "You're welcome to set me aside, maybe some place out of the way, and save me as a snack for later. I really just want to watch you all gain power! If I can do that, then you'd be welcome to eat me afterwards." The gargoyles considered her for a moment. They didn't seem to be the most intelligent of the reptilian races she'd encountered on her journey. Hopefully that would work to her advantage. She batted her eyelashes, keeping her expression innocent. "You're strange," one of them said. "You're interesting," Rarity countered. "Can't see what it'd hurt," another gargoyle said, shrugging. "Maybe not a bad idea to keep some of these creatures around as a breeding stock for food once we've taken over." Rarity blanched, trying to keep her eyes from betraying her feelings about that particular idea. "If she wants a show, she'll get a show," it continued, grabbing her. "We'll get you a seat right in the middle, little pony." This was not the plan. At all. Rarity found herself being dragged towards the center of the field, bumping along the rocky ground. At least they haven't killed you, she thought to herself, her mind racing to revise her strategy. You can still talk your way out of this. Her tongue, however, not only felt knotted, but had gone completely dry in her mouth. Or maybe you can slip away while they're all distracted by the meteor shower. But that thought was of little comfort. If they succeeded in absorbing the meteors, what would she have to run away to? Home? No. It'd be destroyed. The gargoyles had already wreaked havoc without the added power of the meteors. There wouldn't be anywhere to run. Speaking of running, Rarity was rapidly running out of time to get to the dragon and sea serpent armies. At this rate, she'd never get them here to crush the gargoyles before the meteors hit. Much less find Twilight to get her to help stop the storm, if she was in any shape to do so. And Spike was still incapacitated back near the volcanoes. Alone. Waiting for her. Rarity fought back a whimper. Staying silent while her world crashed and burned around her—crashed and burned because of her—was next to impossible. The gargoyle dragging her tossed her to the ground, and she slid through the dirt up against a boulder. "Have a seat," it said. "Showtime's soon." Rarity cowered by the rock. The clouds above swirled ominously, slowly dissipating to reveal the night sky. Rarity had never been so terrified to see the stars in her entire life, including the day she witnessed Nightmare Moon take away the sun. Soon, she knew, streaks of light would burn through the air above them. Those streaks would usher in a new era of horror, in which gargoyles ruled over the world. And there was nothing she could do about it. She was trapped, dead-center in the middle of thousands of the beasts. The minutes ticked by. It was hopeless. She could do nothing. The knowledge of that ate away at her core, flaking it apart bit by bit. Of all the ponies to be in this position… If I had even a tenth of Twilight's magical abilities… Rarity thought to herself. But no. She was just a regular unicorn. Nothing special. Nothing… Her horn tingled defiantly. Oh, stop it! she demanded internally. You're worthless right now! What do I care about the diamonds in this field? How does that remotely matter right now? Stupid horn! Her eyes pricked with the pain of dry tears, but her horn refused to stop tingling. Rarity wanted to punch the rock next to her. She had nothing to contribute. No way to save anyone, much less herself. Then, the first shooting star appeared. Rarity hung her head. This was it. She'd failed. She'd failed everyone. If only she had some way to turn the meteors around…or even just stop them somehow…anything… But what can stop a fiery, iron-rich space rock from falling through the sky? Much less thousands of them? What am I supposed to do, make a dress and throw it at the things? A gargoyle leapt up, snagging the first meteor to hit and absorbing it through his thickened, leathery back. Shouts of protests came from the gargoyles around him, and a few tried to show him, rather violently, what they thought about him stealing the first rock. But physical blows against the creature were quickly halted after the meteor-powered gargoyle smashed the head in of the attacker closest to him. Rarity felt her stomach churn and nearly vomited right then and there. It was a perfect demonstration of what the future held. The gargoyles were about to gain a horrible new weapon: Iron. They would attack with iron, now. One of the strongest materials on the planet. Almost as strong as… Rarity's eyes flew open. Her horn still tingled, and realization dawned on her. Maybe she did have a way to stop the meteors. "There!" a gargoyle shouted. Rarity's eyes tracked to the sky. An absolutely massive, blazing rock streaked across the stars. There was only a moment to spare, at best. Rarity shook off her hesitations and climbed to the top of the boulder she'd been thrown against. It was a long shot, but it was all she had. Even if it was going to get her killed. You're dead anyway, dear. At least make your death mean something. With that thought in mind, Rarity set her shoulders and gave in to the horn tingles. Go ahead. Find them, she willed her magic. Find every bit of diamond this field has to offer. And so the hunt began. One. Two. Three. The gargoyles clambered over each other, trying to get into the best receiving position for the incoming space rocks. Ten. Twenty. The asteroid chunk sailed through the air, getting brighter by the moment. Three hundred. Three thousand. No one paid any mind to the lone pony on the rock. Twenty thousand—and counting. Rarity's horn glowed as bright as the meteor in the sky. Her eyes rolled in her head. As if her magic could sense that this was her end, a power coursed through her, greater than anything her unicorn body had ever felt before. Internal rivers of magic opened inside her, flooding her very being with such strength that Rarity was sure it would explode out of her pores at any moment, and that she would be lost to the universe. But she couldn't let that happen—not before she finished her task. From the ground under their feet, diamonds began to rise up. The gargoyles, their eyes on the sky, didn't even notice. Big diamonds, small diamonds, diamond dust…every bit of the mineral Rarity could find. The field sparkled in the reflecting light of the meteor above. And then the meteor exploded. The sudden burst nearly knocked Rarity off her feet, but she resiliently stood her ground. Her mane fluttered around her, and her horn's glow began to radiate from her eyes, her face, her body…everything. Go, she willed the diamonds. Go be fabulous, darlings. The meteor surge rained down from the sky, providing millions of pieces of valuable iron for the gargoyles to absorb. But at that moment, the creatures finally realized something was going on. They began shouting, pointing at the shiny bits of floating gems overhead. The diamonds acted as a veil between them and the incoming space debris. The gargoyles took flight, angrily shoving against each other. Rarity squeezed her eyes shut, and brought the diamonds together. The bigger pieces meshed with the smaller, and the dust united it all. Instead of a veil, it was now a shield—a shield made of the hardest substance imaginable, and stretching the entire span of the vastly enormous field. Gargoyles crashed into the underside of it as Rarity raised the shield high up into the sky. She braced herself, and sure enough, her creation began to get pounded by burning chunks of meteor. The iron slammed into the diamond. Rarity clenched her teeth so hard she was certain she'd wear straight through them. But ending her pain wasn't a luxury she could afford, even as she controlled a truly royal quantity of unclaimed diamond. She had a job to do. The gargoyles screamed their rage, but it was too late. The light from the explosion dimmed. The last of the busted space debris had been caught, just out of their reach. "WHAT IS THIS?! WHAT'S HAPPENING?" "I'M GOING TO RIP THIS BARRIER APART!" "NOT IF I DESTROY IT FIRST!" Rarity's entire body shook. Knowing she couldn't hold out much longer, Rarity began pinching the diamond shield up and around her catch, like fabric around one of her pony mannequins. Desperate, the gargoyles found the edges of her shield and flew up, trying to get to the rock trapped on top. But Rarity pulled the diamond sheet around the iron, knitting together a massive, protected ball. She had only a tenuous grip left on her magic, and on her consciousness. Sound grew faint. All of reality became muffled. Rarity knew they were yelling. She knew they were angry. But their words faded away, like a distant echo through a canyon. Have to…get it…away from them… Using the last of her energy, Rarity flung the diamond as far over the volcanic range as she could. Her magic exploded outwards with it, sending an intense burst of light towards the east. Rarity smiled as she heard the ball of diamond and iron splash into the ocean beyond. A single drop of sweat made it to her mouth, dripping off her chin as her body convulsed violently from its magic-exodus. She'd done it. She'd actually done it. And now, the gargoyles were going to kill her. Rarity fell off her boulder. Her energy was spent. Possibly forever. Certainly for the time she had left remaining in this world. Thousands of screams of rage sounded around her, and soon they were directed her way. The gargoyles had finally figured out what had happened. Rarity couldn't move to lift a single hoof, much less flee. She'd saved her friends…saved Spike…she'd have to be satisfied with that. Who'd have known that, in the end, this was what her cutie mark had in mind for her? A rush of air told her the gargoyles were diving in for the attack, and Rarity found she only had one regret—namely that she'd never told Sweetie Belle how proud she was of her. At last, the moment had come. She could hear the clicking sound of claws a hair's breadth away from her face. And in that moment, she could almost hear Spike's voice, too. She smiled. Not a bad sound to go out on. "GET AWAY FROM HER!" Spike roared. He barreled through the gargoyles like a bunch of bowling pins, and grabbed the unconscious mare from the rocky ground. His head was still fuzzy, but protecting Rarity brought a clarity Spike had never dreamed he'd achieve in this state. He was still weak from the gargoyle assault on him earlier in the day, and wasn't nearly as large as he was back then, but when he'd awoken to find Rarity gone and spied her in the distance doing…well, doing what she'd been doing…growing had been inevitable. It wasn't greed. This was something else. Something deeper in his heart. And that something had been more than enough to bring about his change this time around. Spike flew on, beating his wings faster and faster, Rarity held in his arms. Please don't be dead. Please don't be dead. Please! Gargoyles pursued him on all sides, but he blasted them aside with green flame. A river in the distance caught his eye. He flew towards that, noticing that the water lead into the ocean. Maybe he could follow it back and find someone to take care of Rarity. Because she couldn't be dead. She just couldn't. He wouldn't let her be dead. The river became his goal. Spike fled the barren field like it was a graveyard. It had the potential to be, if he didn't get Rarity to safety soon. That thought kept his wings flapping so fast that they burned. Then, there was a shout. "Perfect! Here they come! All at once, too!" Spike looked towards the river, his pupils narrowing. Up and down the darkened banks, sea serpents swam, sucking in water. In front of them, dragons formed a military line. This was a battle front. "Wait! It's one of ours!" A dragon pointed. Rojo, Spike realized with a start. "Spike!" a different voice shouted. Spike's eyes flew open even wider. There, on top of the back of Queen Ili'ana herself, stood Applejack and Twilight. He choked out a sob of relief. As soon as he crossed the boundary of the river, the sea serpents let out a simultaneous blast of water. At the same time, the dragons in front of them shot flame up into the air, intersecting the intense water jets. Spike groaned, wanting to smack each and every one of them. Of all the idiotic—the flames are all going out, for crying out loud! How is this their master plan?! But then, he heard the cries of pain. Screeches, really. Terrible noises that no one should ever have to hear. Trying to chase down Spike and Rarity, the pursuing gargoyles had flown straight through a barrier of superheated steam. Now they were dropping like flies. Hundreds at a time crashed to the ground, writhing. Spike spun in mid-air, gaping, horrified. The sea serpents and dragons continued their assault from below. In perfect synchronization, they rotated their steam-blockade down like a slowly falling wall. The scalding mist bubbled the gargoyles' wings. Their leathery skin puckered and blistered, welts forming over every exposed bit of their bodies. For some, their screams ended quickly, as the mist had scalded their lungs and finished things. A few even managed to stop in time and flee in the opposite direction, in a full retreat. The rest—the majority—weren't so lucky. After an agonizing stretch of several minutes, the gargoyles' cries subsided and the sea serpents and dragons reigned in their attack. The silence was almost as eerie as the screaming had been. The gargoyles were gone. They'd won. Eventually, a subdued cheer went up and down the line of the river. No one felt too much like celebrating after what they'd all just been witness to. Spike spied Applejack and Twilight clutching each other on the sea serpent queen's back. They both had their hooves covering their ears. Twilight. Spike swooped down, cradling Rarity. Upon seeing the landing dragon, Twilight's entire demeanor changed. "Spike, oh thank goodness! You're okay!" She leapt off of the sea serpent and ran up to him, using her horn to illuminate a path in the dark. "Take it easy, there!" Applejack cautioned, running after her. "Yeh still got some restin' to do!" Spike winced, tucking in his wings. He seemed to remember something about Twilight falling earlier…but he shook his head. No time for that now. She looked okay, and Rarity… "Twilight!" Spike exclaimed. He thrust Rarity forward. "Please, help her!" Applejack and Twilight both froze in their tracks as their eyes landed on the pale unicorn. "No!" Applejack gasped. "Oh no! Rarity! What happened?!" "She saved us all," Spike said. One huge tear slipped from his eye. "Now, you have to save her, Twilight. Please!" Twilight stared. "That burst of light. That magic. That was…oh my." She shook her head quickly, her face stricken. "Set her down here, Spike," Twilight motioned to a flat area of the ground. Spike did as he was told, resting Rarity's motionless body down as gently as his massive claws would allow him. As he did, his senses told him what his heart refused to see: Rarity's body was cold to the touch. She wasn't breathing. Twilight's eyes shimmered with tears as she cautiously approached the unicorn on the ground. Next to her, Applejack howled in despair. Spike looked at his oldest friend, desperation written all over his face. Twilight returned his gaze, her voice barely above a whisper. "Oh, Spike. I…I'll…" "Please," Spike whispered. Please, don't give up. Please. Twilight's horn lit up with its purple magic as she sighed. "I'll see what I can do."