//------------------------------// // A Continued Shower // Story: Rain // by Nightroad //------------------------------// The two walked into the room and saw the lavender unicorn trying to relax within the confines of a mud bath while her small dragon accomplice sloshed around in the other half, sending mud splattering all around the muddied tub. “Spike! Stop it!” Twilight cried in exasperation. “C'mon Twi! What else am I supposed to do, SIT in the mud?” Spike retorted, splashing some more mud for emphasis. The unicorn simply sighed, rolling her eyes. “That's EXACTLY what you're supposed to- Oh! Hello Rarity and... Rainbow Dash?” Twilight's voice had shifted from mildly irritated to pleasantly surprised to extremely confused. Spike's head had poked out of the mud when Rarity's name had been said and immediately little hearts seemed to spawn around his head and take over his eyes. “Why, hello there darling, and hello to you Spike.” the pale unicorn said, waving while the cerulean pegasus tried to hide. “What're you doing here Rainbow? I thought you hated the Spa.” Spike said bluntly, making Rainbow want to shrink into nothing. “She simply owes me for a favour is all, and I figured that it'd be better to... 'cash in' on that favour sooner rather than later. So, here we are.” Twilight smiled and opened her mouth to speak, but a certain baby dragon beat her to it. “So you're here to get all prettied up, eh Rainbow Dash?” He said with a laugh, falling into the mud bath and splattering more of it onto the tiled floor. The cerulean mare blushed a dark crimson and wished that the floor would just open up and swallow her, saving her from the embarrassment that was flooding her systems. “Spike!” Twilight glared at the small, scaled creature before looking back at Rainbow. “That's very nice of you to accompany Rarity to the Spa, Rainbow Dash.” “Y-yea... thanks Twilight.” Dash looked over and saw her lover hop into the mud, sinking into it while wrapped in what Rainbow guessed was seaweed with her mane tied up and pulled away so that it wouldn't touch the thick substance. 'Sweet Celestia, she looks cute with her mane all... tied up like that.' Rainbow thought before her mind registered that the mare she was practically ogling was talking to her. “Rainbow? Are you going to join me, or sit this one out?” The pegasus was about to decline, but then she remembered that mud, unlike water, couldn't be seen through. “Nah, I think I'll come join you this time.” So, Dash walked over to the edge (and after arguing that she only wanted her wings wrapped and her mane tied up), settled into the mud beside Rarity. Of course, it wasn't so close that their shoulders were rubbing, but close enough that Dash could reach over and hold her lover's hoof. Rarity's face showed surprise for a moment before smiling warmly as she listened to Twilight talk. Dash leaned back against the marble wall of the tub and tuned out all the sound, simply observing her friends converse. Every now and then, the prismatic pony would glance over at Spike and see him simply staring at Rarity, no doubt with some kind of romantic fantasy of some sort or another. The cerulean mare couldn't help but glower at him whenever her gaze fell on him. Of course Dash knew about his affection for the fashionista; everypony in Ponyville knew (though, many wondered if Rarity actually did or not). Naturally, Rainbow had just sort of dismissed the stolen glances and love-struck looks that emanated from the little dragon since Rainbow had seen Rarity as some far distance goal that would never be achieved. But now that she was actually together with the beautiful mare, the looks truly began to annoy her. 'Doesn't he realize that it WON'T work for them? It CAN'T work for them! Spike needs to just back off.' The angry thoughts continued to run through Rainbow's mind as she lost track of the conversation. Rarity on the other hoof, while she managed to continue her conversation with Twilight going flawlessly, her mind drifted. 'Can I truly keep Rainbow Dash happy? I mean... she's always up in the air, flying around. Could I really keep her content or would I just be the one to ground her? She needs to be up in the air, flying and feeling rapturous, and I just... can't take that away from her, even if I want this kind of happiness.' “Rarity... are you okay?” The fashionista heard Twilight ask, shaking her from her train of thought. “Huh? W-whatever do you mean, darling?” The lavender mare gave a slight tilt of her head and said, “Well, I finished speaking a moment ago and waited for your reply, but you never said anything and instead just looked so... crestfallen. Is everything okay?” At this, Rainbow seemed to snap out of whatever daze she had been in and looked at Rarity. “Oh, yes dear. I was just... thinking is all. Sorry, what did you say?” Both Twilight and Dash continued to stare before Twilight smiled softly and said, “I was just asking about how in Equestria did you manage to have Dash owe you a favour.” “Ahh.” Rarity gave a soft chuckle and shook her head, working her magic to change the subject. Within the mud, she felt Dash squeeze her hoof a little, giving her a little comfort, but at the same time, hurting her. 'Oh... whatever shall I do? I want Rainbow to be happy, but will she really be happy with me, not being able to fly as much as she'd like, or would she be happier without me, with more freedom to fly?' Rarity squeezed Rainbow's hoof back, the conflict in her mind starting to give her a headache. As the three mares enjoyed their mud baths, Spike had remained silent ever since Rainbow had descended into the mud with Rarity. 'Something's very wrong here... Rainbow Dash would NEVER agree to willingly come to the Spa on her own... so something must've happened and now Rarity knows something about Rainbow that she doesn't want found out...or it's something MUCH deeper than that...' The young dragon was brought out from his train of thought when he was lifted out of the mud by a familiar lavender aura. “C'mon Spike, we need to be getting back to the Library. It was wonderful to see you two. Perhaps when the rain is all over we can have a picnic with the others.” “That sounds like a marvelous idea, darling. Take care now!” Rarity smiled right up until her fellow unicorn had left the room, waving softly at Spike as he gave her a good-bye wave. However, once they were both out, Rainbow spoke immediately. “You okay Rares? You seem kinda...tense all of the sudden.” Rarity shook her head, sighing. “No I... I don't know Rainbow Dash. I just-”The roar of thunder cut off Rarity's sentence, causing the unicorn to swiftly attach herself to Dash, wrapping her forelegs around the pegasus and shivering, trying her hardest to not start whimpering. “Hey hey...it's alright Rares. I'm right here with ya. Tell ya what, why don't we head on back to the Boutique and chill out there, okay?”The pale fashionista could do nothing but nod, allowing herself to be led out of the mud bath and soon enough, back to her home and business and the whole time, she was out of contact with reality. Rarity heard Rainbow talking to her, but other than nod, she said nothing. It wasn't until she felt those oddly soothing lips pressed on her own that Rarity was snapped out of her trance. “Huh? Rainbow? What's-” Another kiss stopped her before she could begin to talk. “Rares, calm down and tell me what's on your mind.” The unicorn simply stared, unsure as to what exactly she should say. 'Oh, I'm just wondering if dating you was a smart move, and now I'm starting to second guess my own judgment on the matter. You know, nothing big.' Instead, Rarity gave Dash a warm smile and kissed the cerulean mare's cheek, making a blush appear. “It's nothing I can't handle, darling. Now, come and cuddle with me. I'm more than a little cold after having to walk out in the rain after leaving the nice warm mud.” Rainbow stared unconvinced for a moment before she laughed and said, “Alright. You know, Applejack would have a FIT if she ever heard you say that. Actually, I wanna see that. I think I'll tell her next time I see her.” Dash had stopped in front of the bed, turning to see Rarity crouched low to the ground, her rump sticking adorably in the air and waving slightly back in forth. The thought of a cat stalking it's prey quickly jumped into her mind. “I think not!” With that, the unicorn leapt through the air and tackled Dash onto the bed and began to recreate the game the two had played that morning by nipping and tickling the pegasus. “ A-aahh! Not f-fair!” Dash shouted between laughs. For the next half hour or so, the two rolled around going back and forth between who was tickling, and who was being tickled. When the two finally calmed down, they collapsed in a panting heap, both of them still giggling from time to time as the mares waited for their hearts to return to a normal pace. “So... I guess the Spa wasn't as bad as I thought it was gonna be...but don't expect me to go there very often!” Rainbow said, adding the second part at the sight of Rarity's face lighting up. “Oh fine. But I am allowed to take you every so often?” Dash thought for a moment before nodding. “Yea... that'll be fine so long as it's only every so often.” The fashionista hugged the pegasus tightly against her, giving thanks faster than Dash could keep up with. So, she instead just hugged the unicorn and nuzzled her neck. A few moments later, Rarity said quietly, “Thank you Rainbow...” “Hey, it's no problem. Now I think...” The athlete yawned and nuzzled her lover once more and said, “It's time for a nap...” Rarity chuckled and hugged Rainbow once again and nodded. “I think... I may join you.” And within' moments, the two had passed out, lulled to sleep by the warmth they shared, and the sound of rain upon the windows. ~~~~ When Spike had returned to the Library with Twilight, he immediately began working on his chores, hoping to distract him from what he had seen at the Spa. However, while it did provide a minor break from reality as the hours went by, the dragon couldn't help but return to the train of thought that had bothered him so much. 'Why was Rainbow acting so... cuddly with my Rarity? In fact, why was she even there with Rarity in the first place? Normally she would've fought tooth and hoof about not going, but from what Rarity said, Dash went WILLINGLY!' Spike couldn't stop his furious pacing, and it wasn't until Twilight jokingly scolded him for trying to walk a rut into the floor that he finally decided to do something. 'I need to figure out what's going on.' He thought, suddenly rushing past Twilight and to the door. “S-Spike? Is something the matter?” “No. I'm gonna go to Rarity's for a bit.” Without waiting for a reply, the dragon stomped out, slamming the door behind him. When he had arrived, he shoved open the door, scaring the pony in the front room. “S-Spike!?” The addressed creature looked over and snapped out of his anger, putting on an embarrassed smile. “Oh, er... hey Sweetie Belle. Is Rarity around?” She nodded, cleaning up the mess she had made when Spike burst in. “Huh? Oh, yea. She's upstairs in her workshop, so be careful going in. You know how she gets when she's in there.” Spike laughed, already heading up the stairs. “Heh, thanks for the warning Sweetie.” She mumbled something, going back to the drawing she was making for a certain silver maned filly in her class with baby blue glasses. Once he was out of her sight, Spike took to sneaking up the remainder of the stairs, wincing every time one of the steps creaked or groaned under his weight. As he made it to the top, he heard a small part of a conversation. “... can't really...” “Yea but...” Spike narrowed his eyes in anger. 'No doubt about it... that's Rainbow's voice along with Rarity's. Why is she even here still!?' With a few deep breaths to calm his nerves, Spike put on a smile as he pushed open the door to see Rainbow standing rather close to Rarity as the unicorn worked on some garment for some pompous client no doubt. “Heya ladies! What's cookin'?” The mares turned to him, Rarity with a smile and Rainbow with indifference. “Hello my little Spikey-Wikey. Tell me, what're you doing here? Surely Twilight would have you doing something or other at the Library? And why are you so wet? Here, let me get you a towel.” The fashionista said, already walking past him to grab a towel. “I got everything done so I figured I'd come and see if you needed any help. As for why I'm wet, it's still raining out and I forgot to grab an umbrella before I left.” The dragon replied, locking eyes with Rainbow Dash. The two stared at each other before the pegasus broke the gaze first, looking out the window. “Yea well...she doesn't need any help so you might as well just-” “Now Dashie, no need to be rude. I'm sure there's something he can do...” While the fashionista searched for something to keep the dragon busy, Spike and Rainbow resumed their staring match, glaring at each other with such intensity that if anypony would've been watching, they would've said that you could literally see sparks flying between them. “Ah ha! Spike, would you mind being my personal pincushion once again?” Spike broke the stare first, switching his mouth from a scowl to a smile in the blink of an eye and said sweetly, “Of course not, Rarity! Use me to your heart's content!” The pegasus rolled her eyes and walked over to the window to watch the weather, searching for any structural weaknesses or breaks in the clouds. Rainbow tried to tune out the talk between her beloved unicorn and the lovestruck dragon but she knew that no matter how she tried, it wasn't going to happen. “So how about that weather huh? I bet you're just hating all this rain and humidity right?” Spike said with a smile, but Dash didn't miss the venom that was directed towards her with the verbal jab. “Well...normally I would agree with you but after a recent turn of events, I find the rain to be much more... delightful.” The unicorn flashed her lover a smile and continued to remove and poke pins into the purple scales next to her. 'Ha! Take that dragon boy.' Dash thought with a grin, turning her gaze back out to the rain. “Oh... Well, that's good then.” The two continued their back and forth while Rainbow stood by the window, becoming more restless as time went on. The pegasus shifted from hoof to hoof while her tail twitched every now and then, showing off her irritation. She knew that Rarity was picking up on it, indicated by her pauses in speech. “So uh... Spike? How long did you plan on staying? From the sounds of it, the rain is coming down a bit harder and I'm sure you don't want to be caught out in it.” Dash could've swore she saw the quick flash of a smirk on his little draconic face before he put a concerned look on his face. “Is it?” He walked away from Rarity and to the window, “lightly” pushing Dash out of the way to look out the window. “Wow... I guess you're right. But it does seem to be coming down pretty hard already.” His eyes lingered on the rain for a moment before he turned and said, “Would it be alright if I stayed here?” “No way! You can't stay here!” Rainbow shouted, finally losing her cool. “You planned this didn't you?” Spike, while outwardly showing fear as Rainbow stalked towards him, was grinning on the inside. 'Perfect. If I bait her and get her angry, Rarity'll drop her like a used tissue.' Spike's back had hit the wall and he said, “P-planned what?” “You know EXACTLY what I'm talking about you little-” “Rainbow Dash! That is quite enough.” Rarity interjected, stepping between the fuming pegasus and the shivering dragon. The unicorn patted the dragon's head and turned to Dash. She mouthed the words, “We'll talk later.” before escorting Spike out of the room. When the door had closed behind them Rainbow huffed, resisting the urge to let her natural pegasus ancestry override her restraint and go berserk. She paced back and forth, taking deep breaths while her wings twitched in anger. Finally, when she had calmed down (slightly), she left the room and headed for Rarity's bedroom. As soon as she walked in, she hopped into the bed and rolled around for a moment. When she had stopped, the cerulean mare sighed, the darkness and isolation taking it's toll on her mind. 'Is she truly in love with me? I mean... I always figured I'd have to work to earn her love but she returned her affection so... readily. Is she only doing this because she...' Dash paused in her thoughts, horrified that she was questioning what she and Rarity had. 'No! What we have is true. She DOES love me.' With a nod to herself, Rainbow rolled out of the bed and landed on her hooves and headed to the door. She tossed it open and bumped her muzzle straight into Rarity's, their lips almost connecting. The couple blushed and Dash moved out of the way to allow Rarity entrance. “I'm so sorry, Rainbow. I took Spike down and tried to get him to lay down on the couch and he got me talking on fashion and I just-” Dash silenced her with a soft kiss. “It's alright.” The pale mare smiled and nodded, allowing herself to be led to her bed where the pair cuddled under the soft blankets, Rarity resting her head on the crook of Rainbow's neck while Dash had her forehooves wrapped around her lover, occasionally stroking the brilliant mane that belonged to nopony else but Rarity. “Hey Rares?” “Hmm?” Rarity mumbled, her eyes staying closed as her mind fought to stay awake just a bit longer. “I don't know if it's too early or whatever in our relationship to say this... but I just wanted to let you know that I love you, and I always will.” Dash said quietly, almost at a whisper. The unicorn turned and looked at Rainbow straight in the eyes and with a single tear, Rarity smiled and replied, “I love you too, Rainbow Dash.” The two leaned forward and caught each other in a warm kiss, unaware of the green eyes watching them through a slit in the door seething with anger. Quietly, the owner of the eyes closed the door and went back downstairs to the couch where he was allowed to stay. 'No! No no no no no! She CAN'T have Rarity! Not MY Rarity!' Spike shouted mentally, resisting the urge to tear apart the pillow given to him. He threw it back onto the couch and paced back and forth in the dark, the only light being the occasional flash of thunder. At some point he made his way over to the window and gazed out at the rain as it continued to come down, wracking his brain to think of someway to drive the two ponies apart. 'Rarity is supposed to be MINE! How DARE she come in and take her from me. She knows how deeply I feel for Rarity. Element of Loyalty my tail.' The young dragon huffed, a small puff of magic fire shooting from his nostrils. As he continued to stare out at the rain, a plan began to form in his mind. He knew it could end up very badly, but if he could get his point across, he wouldn't have to do it for an extended amount of time. 'Tomorrow, I'll start preparing. I don't wanna rush into this blindly. If I do, I may end up hurting Rarity as well.' The dragon nodded to himself then went back onto the couch, grinning as his plans played out in his mind before he drifted off to sleep. ~~~~ The next morning, true to Rainbow's word the storm had yet to let up. 'I believe she said that it'd end tonight or sometime tomorrow.' Rarity thought as she stared out the windows of her kitchen while Sweetie Belle and Rainbow were having a discussion about Cutie Marks. When they had all woken up and come downstairs, Spike was nowhere to be seen. Rainbow had snorted and headed into the kitchen and after a moment, Rarity followed. She figured that he had just woken up early and left to go back home. “Odd that he didn't stay for breakfast. Or at least say good-bye.” Rarity said out loud. “Eh, he's fine.” Dash said without looking at her lover as she was in the midst of a staring contest with the younger pony. Rarity turned away from the window and stared at Dash instead. 'She's never been this hostile toward Spike before. I wonder what changed. Is it because she thinks his little crush on me will actually be a threat to her? My goodness... If that's the case, I'll need to have a word with her sometime today.' The fashion designer mentally shrugged as she continued to watch the other two ponies in the room, snickering at the display of her younger sister and lover trying to hold out without blinking at each other. Eventually, Sweetie Belle had won and in victory, passed the responsibility of washing the dishes over to Rainbow Dash. Rainbow grumbled as she placed another clean dish away. “You owe me one Rares.” The pegasus mumbled with the plate in her mouth. “Oh come now, could you have honestly beat her knowing that she makes the most adorable face when she wins?” The a roll of her eyes and a short laugh, Rainbow shook her head. “Maybe not, but still. I like to think you owe me one for forfeiting to her.” The cerulean mare replied as she put away the last of the dishes. “In any event, I've gotta go for a bit. I need to check in with the Weather Team as well as take care of some things at home. I'll be back later though, alright?” Dash said, kissing Rarity every so often between her words. “Alright dear. I'll most likely be here all day so go ahead and just let yourself in whenever you get done. I'll be sure to have a towel waiting for you by the door. Don't need you tracking water and everything through my house.” The unicorn said with a small chuckle. “Yea yea, thanks Rares.” With a final kiss, Dash went to the front door with Rarity one step behind and took off, waving to Rarity before she disappeared behind the mass of grey that was the clouds in the sky. The fashionista turned and closed the door, heading for her workshop to begin work on her newest line of clothing. ~~~~ Twilight was in the middle of re-shelving the Library when she heard a knock at the door. “Spike? Could you answer the door ple- Oh wait... He's gone.” Twilight set the massive amount of books down and went to the door and opened it. “Why, hello Rarity. What brings you here?” “Hello to you as well darling. I'm here because I need to get a few books on fashion. Fashion history, styles, textures, and the like. I have a nice base design going, but I'm not sure what to use on it.” The pale mare said, hanging up her coat and setting her umbrella by the door to dry off. “Ahh, alright. Just give me a moment. I just started re-shelving and I don't have Spike here to help me.” Twilight said as she started to sift through the numerous books that lay on the floor. Rarity began to do the same. “Wait, Spike isn't here?” The fashion designer said, a slight panic beginning to creep up on her. “Nope. Left me a note this morning saying he got called to Canterlot on business for a few days so for now, it's just me.” The lavender pony replied, re-stacking books that she didn't need in different piles while putting any that she thought Rarity might need in a pile all on its own. Rarity took a breath of relief and said, “I see. For a moment, I was afraid he had disappeared, because when I woke up this morning, he was already gone.” Twilight nodded and levitated a pile of five books over to Rarity. “Here you go. These should hold all the information you need. Now then, do you need anything else?” “Thank you very much dear, and no, I should be fine. Though, would you like some assistance re-sorting all this?” Rarity offered, moving her books onto a nearby table. “Only if you wouldn't mind, that is.” So for the next two hours, the pair talked and separated the books, laughing and telling stories. However, when they had finished, Twilight had a confused look on her face. “What's the matter darling?” “Well...” A scroll flew past Rarity's ear, causing the fashionista to jump in surprise. Twilight's eyes raced past the seemingly thousands of lines inscribed upon the paper. “Hmm, so I was right.” The lavender mare turned back to Rarity and said, “This is a list of all the books in the library and I thought a few books were missing. Like I said, I was right.” “Well, what books are missing?” Rarity asked, trying to peek over Twilight's shoulder. “A Guide to a Calm Mind, Greed: A Deeper Look, and Dragons: What Little We Know. But I can't think of anypony who would take those, and I know that nopony has checked them out recently.” Twilight glanced between the list and the shelves of books to make sure she was absolutely sure. “Hmm, while that is odd, perhaps Spike checked them out to somepony and forgot to write it down?” “Maybe...” The bookworm said, shifting on her hooves at the thought of not knowing something. Rarity quickly gave her friend a pat on the shoulder and said, “Don't worry too much about it, alright?” Twilight only nodded, mumbling something under her breath. The fashionista wanted to stay and make absolutely sure that Twilight wouldn't lose her mind, but needed to get back to her work. “Listen, stop by the Boutique later and I'll keep your mind occupied instead of having you worry over here, alright?” “A-are you sure? I mean-” Rarity stopped her with a hoof, and with a smile said, “I insist. Can't have you going stir-crazy because of a few borrowed books, right?” Twilight nodded again and waved to Rarity as she left, mumbling about a tracking spell to find the books.