LUNCH DATES
Rarity would like to make it perfectly clear that these aren’t “dates” in the romantic sense of the word. The word “date” can have so many meanings, after all.
Spike would like to make it clear that Rarity is beautiful and amazing and perfect. Did he mention beautiful? He just wants to make sure.
401/402
Today, they chose to eat inside the restaurant. After the adventures they’d just been through, Rarity had had quite enough of the outdoors, thank you very much. And since Spike wasn’t big on the outdoors either, eating inside suited him just fine.
It was a slow day at Clementine’s, so service was prompt, if a little on the dull side. After ordering some sandwiches, Spike noticed Rarity poking at her napkin with a hoof, rather than using her horn to levitate it.
“Still worried about the Everfree Forest messing with your unicorn magic?” Spike asked, setting down his iced tea. It was a wild guess, but something was clearly wrong with the mare. Her eyes lacked their usual luster.
Rarity pulled her hoof away from the napkin. “Oh that…yes, that was rather startling,” she replied. A faint smile danced at her face, but faded quickly into something far less happy. “I can’t say I’ve ever been that out of control with my magic since the day I earned my cutie mark.”
“Well, everything should be okay now,” Spike attempted to reassure her. They sat at a center table, not near any windows or anything interesting, for that matter, yet Rarity still stared off into space. Spike frowned. She must’ve been more shaken than she’d let on around their other friends. “The Tree of Harmony is safe, the forest went back to normal, and Discord doesn’t have any more of those creepy seed things. At least, I think he doesn’t.”
“Hmm, yes.” Rarity sighed. A waiter bustled by her, and she shrunk away a little.
Spike watched her carefully. “Is something else bothering you?” he asked.
Rarity sighed again, more dramatically this time. “Oh, Spike. Do you think I’m a terrible friend?” She looked at him from across the table with big eyes.
“What? No way!” Spike immediately exclaimed. “Absolutely not! What would make you think that?”
Rarity scrunched her mouth to one side, clearly not sharing Spike's opinion. She levitated her glass to take a sip of her lemon water, forcing her mouth to go back to a more lady-like position. Her voice dropped to almost a whisper after setting her glass down. “I just…I was rather attached to my Element of Harmony, I suppose. I miss it. Such a beautiful jewel…like nothing in my collection…and now…”
Spike stared. He didn’t have a response to this. What was he supposed to say?
“I must be a terrible friend,” Rarity continued. “I just want it back. Not to keep, really. Twilight can have it in her library like before. That was fine. I just want to know it’s there, waiting for me. It meant we were friends. Not that I don't think we aren't without them. I don't really need it to prove that. No. But...nevertheless...it meant I…” Her eyes dropped to the wooden tabletop. “It doesn’t matter. It’s gone now.”
The dragon fidgeted with his claws. “It’s not really gone, though,” Spike said. “I mean, it’s in that tree, right?”
Rarity just sipped her water again.
Spike’s shoulders slumped. He hated seeing Rarity sad. After a moment’s silence, their food arrived. They began to eat quietly.
“To be honest, I think having it meant more to me than just having a rare jewel or a symbol of friendship. The Element made me feel…like I was somepony. Somepony special,” Rarity mused, mid-sandwich. She dabbed her mouth with her napkin.
“You’re somepony special to me!” Spike wanted to blurt out.
But he didn’t.
“Hey,” he said instead, “Come on. That jewel didn’t make you the bearer of the Element of Generosity. That’s something you did yourself. And you’ll always have that title.” He wrapped his claws around his sandwich for another bite.
“Oh, Spike.” Rarity smiled at him. He beamed. He was lifting her mood.
“And hey, not having an Element’s not that bad,” Spike said. He was on a roll now. He could get her laughing, and it would make his stomach flip as it always did. “I’ve never had one, and frankly, it’s always been a relief. Not being super special isn’t a bad thing at all, trust me.”
But instead of laughing, Rarity frowned. Her eyebrows drew together and she glared at Spike. “Not special? Spike, don’t ever say that about yourself!”
Spike flinched backwards at the sudden sharpness in her tone.
“You might not bear an Element of Harmony, but you are very special! Why, if it weren’t for you, where would Twilight be? Where would the Crystal Empire be? Where would any of us be?”
Spike blinked. “You…think I’m special?”
“Why, of course!” Rarity exclaimed. “You’re my Spikey Wikey! The most special of all dragons!” She smiled at him again, and Spike glossed over the fact that he was the only dragon she really knew.
Rarity thought he was special.
Lunch had just gone from good to amazing.
“So I suppose I have no right to complain about my lack of Element around you, do I?” Rarity said after polishing off her sandwich. “With you never having one and all.”
“Nah, it’s fine,” Spike said. “It was a big deal for you. And now it’s changed and doesn’t feel the same. I’d probably be upset, too, if I was in your place.”
Rarity's smile stuck around, even as they paid their check. “I knew there was a reason we did lunch every week.” She winked at him. “You always know just what to say.”
Spike's face went red. His tongue felt thick in his mouth, but he squeaked out the words anyway: the words he always said at the end of these completely non-romantic, utterly platonic lunch dates...
“So…same time next week?”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world, darling.”