//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: A New Search for Love // Story: Dilemma // by Locomotion //------------------------------// Despite Fluttershy's input, Rarity was still in turmoil over her own emotions by the time the sun rose the next morning. She had managed to sleep a bit easier, but her dreams had been plagued by visions of her finest creations being thrown on a huge bonfire by a mob of disgruntled upper-class ponies, many of whom were grumbling about being ripped off by a dragon-lover. These, however, paled in comparison with one particular nightmare she experienced at one point, about herself lying tired, cold and hungry on the streets of some random town or city next to a sign saying “NO JOB; MARRIED TO A DRAGON”, while several townsponies walked past with disapproving looks on their faces. As a result, she was almost afraid to make her appointed trip to Canterlot; but she knew that her boutique was bound to lose business if she didn't, so having eaten breakfast, carefully washed and groomed herself and checked that everything was ready, she made her way across town to Ponyville Central Station. Within half an hour of her arrival – almost too soon for Rarity – the train pulled smoothly alongside the platform with a gentle hiss and squeaking of brakes. As the engine passed her by, Rarity glanced up to notice a headboard attached to the front of its smokebox, proclaiming this train to be the Crystallion Limited, Equestrian National Railways' top-link express that connected the Crystal Empire with Canterbury West Station in Canterlot. Once the train had come to a halt, two porters came forward to help transfer her belongings to the luggage van upfront. “With all that stuff you've got there, ma'am, anyone would think you're trying to transport the whole of Ponyville!” joked one of them. “Ever heard of 'travelling light'?” Rarity simply huffed with dignity and looked away. She was used to hearing that sort of thing from the railway porters; but to her, travelling light was like having to look unkempt. A few minutes later, once Rarity had found her compartment and her luggage had been safely stowed away, the express steamed regally out of the station and onto the open line. Little did the pure-white unicorn know that a certain fire-breathing reptile was watching from nearby, quietly mourning over what he thought was no more than a one-sided crush on a pony far out of his league. But if she didn't want to be with him, Spike told himself sadly, then he had no right to try and interfere, so as soon as the train had left the station, he turned his back on it and walked sombrely towards the Carousel Boutique. As chance would have it, Sweetie-Belle was just outside the door of the boutique as Spike came into view. She had been hoping to wish Rarity a safe journey to Canterlot before either unicorn left, but was a little disappointed to find that her big sister had already gone. Just as she was turning to head for home, she noticed Spike coming her way. “Oh, hi, Spike,” she called. “Everything okay?” Spike barely seemed to notice her. “Yeah, I'm fine, thanks,” he answered nonchalantly. But then a sudden realisation made him stop in his tracks; if Rarity didn't like him as much as he had hoped for, maybe Sweetie-Belle would be the next best filly. She was closer to his age for a start, but more importantly, even though she didn't act quite like her sister, she was the closest he was likely to get to the older white unicorn. “Actually, Sweetie-Belle,” he began shyly, “I've just been wondering...” He tailed off, trying to work out what he was going to say. “Wondering what, Spike?” asked Sweetie-Belle curiously. The little dragon didn't reply immediately, however; he just stood fidgeting uncomfortably. Maybe Sweetie-Belle was by no means as fussy or picky as Rarity, but she still might not be overly enthusiastic about what he wanted to ask. “Um......how do you feel about dating?” he blurted out. Sweetie-Belle beamed joyously as soon as he said that, and for a moment, Spike thought that she would accept his invitation. Much to his surprise, however, the young unicorn filly's answer was completely off topic from what he was implying. “Oh, I love the idea of dating!” she gushed happily. “I'm already good friends with a colt in my school named Lickety-Split, and I think he might have started to like me – as in 'like me' like me – he actually asked me if I wanted to go out for dinner next week, and I...” but she broke off mid-sentence when she noticed a downcast expression on Spike's face. “What's wrong, Spike?” “So......you're already taken then,” muttered Spike gloomily, not even bothering to look at Sweetie-Belle he was so disheartened. “Oh well, I sure hope you and he are happy together,” and he turned to leave. “Spike,” inquired Sweetie-Belle, confused, “were you trying to ask me out too?” Spike merely nodded in reply. “But why? I thought you had a crush on my big sister.” “I did,” replied Spike, “but she's been avoiding me like the Cutie Pox lately, so I'm starting to think she probably doesn't even want to be friends with me anymore. That's why I was asking about a date; I thought if I couldn't hook up with Rarity, maybe I should try somepony who's closer to my age.” Sweetie-Belle looked away, deep in thought. This must have had something to do with her conversation with Rarity two days previously, she thought; and if so, Spike probably had no reason to worry. But she didn't want to rush her sister into this too soon, so she decided against saying anything about her emotions in front of the little dragon. “Don't worry about it, Spike,” she soothed. “Everything's gonna turn out okay in the end. You'll see.” “How so?” “Not telling!” replied Sweetie-Belle coyly, and galloped back towards home leaving Spike in suspense for the umpteenth time that week. Applejack had been up since daybreak gathering the first crop of apples, and was now making her way back to the farmhouse with her cart heavily laden with Ponyville's finest fruits. As she pulled up alongside the barn, she noticed Spike walking towards her. “Howdy, Spike,” she drawled cheerfully, tipping her Stetson hat in greeting. “What brings y'all up to Sweet Apple Acres this mornin'?” “Oh, hey, Applejack,” replied Spike. “Any idea where Apple Bloom is right now?” “She's up at the clubhouse plannin' her next Cutie Mark Crusader mission,” said Applejack. “How come?” Spike looked away uneasily. “Oh...nothing,” he answered quietly. “I just wanted to talk with her about something.” But despite his best attempts to make out as if there wasn't anything out of the ordinary, Applejack could sense that something wasn't right; for the little dragon seemed far lower than he was letting on. “What did y'all wanna talk with her about, Spike?” she asked. “Nothing of any real importance,” Spike tried to assert; but even he knew that wasn't true, and this rather worried him. Applejack was the most honest pony he knew, and could easily tell if someone was lying to her, but he didn't want her to find out what was going on in his mind at this moment. Fortunately, the bright yellow filly came sprinting into view before Applejack could question him any further. “Hey there, Spike,” said Apple Bloom, pleasantly surprised. “Ah wasn't expectin' ta see y'all 'ere today.” “Morning, Apple Bloom. How's the Cutie Mark Crusader stuff coming along?” “Um...not very well so far,” admitted Apple Bloom ruefully. “We tried gettin' Cutie Marks in woodcarvin', but Ah din' bring the right tools, an' all we ended up with was just a pile o' wood-chips! Seems we're not cut out fo' woodcarvin' after all.” “So......any plans for today?” asked Spike, secretly crossing his fingers in the hope that she would have some free time. Apple Bloom looked down at her hooves, scuffing one against the ground. “Well, Ah was plannin' on me an' Scootaloo an' Sweetie-Belle tryin' our hoof at pottery, but Sweetie-Belle is away fo' the weekend an' Scoot's havin' 'er leg looked at after she cut it on one of our woodcarvin' tools,” she replied, “so Ah've not really got anything to do.” Spike smiled wryly. “That's a shame,” he sympathised. “I guess you were looking forward to getting that pottery Cutie Mark, huh?” Apple Bloom merely nodded in response. “Well I've got some free time; how about we go out to lunch together?” suggested Spike. Once again he crossed his fingers, trying not to look overly fussed about what the answer would be. The yellow filly considered. “That okay with you, Applejack?” she asked. “Fine by me, Apple Bloom,” conceded Applejack. “Hope y'all enjoy yourselves.” “Okay then, Spike, let's go.” “Sure thing, Apple Bloom,” smiled Spike, cheerfully leading the way out of the orchard. As they made their way back towards town, he subconsciously raised a delighted fist and cheered triumphantly; this seemed to be going far better than his earlier attempt with Sweetie-Belle. Okay, so perhaps Apple Bloom would soon catch onto his plan, but hopefully by the time she did, the two of them would be so close that there would be no way she would not want to be with him, right? Right! After a journey of around twenty hours, the Crystallion Limited finally pulled into the terminus at Canterbury West. As soon as it was stationary, Rarity disembarked from her carriage and went forward to collect her luggage, the unloading of which seemed to be taking the station staff a long time; not only was one of the porters attending to her belongings, but also the conductor, guard and stationmaster! “One of these days, we'll have to charge you double for all this lot, milady,” chortled the guard. “The number of times you nearly had Atlas hospitalised with a slipped disc is just unbelievable.” “Well maybe you shouldn't be using colts to carry luggage around like this,” retorted Rarity feelingly. “It's nothing but cheap labour!” The stationmaster just laughed, and carried on transferring Rarity's luggage onto the waiting cart. Once it was loaded, the porter set off to the hotel where Rarity would be staying while she bought her supplies and dropped off her couture. Having unpacked and settled into her room in the hotel, Rarity paid her fee to the porter and went to deliver her new dresses to Hoity Toity's boutique; but even as she trotted through the streets of Canterlot, she couldn't stop worrying about how her reputation would suffer upon revealing her feelings for Spike. It didn't help that Canterlot was bustling with high-class ponies wherever she looked, plenty of whom wore garments that she herself had made and therefore easily recognised. To think that what at this moment was such a rewarding sight would soon be rarer than hen's teeth, all because......but she quickly snapped herself out of it. Fluttershy was probably right; it probably wasn't that big a deal. But what if it was? If so many of the high society ponies were as shallow as they often made out to be, the only dresses she would be making would probably be for the poor and homeless, and her career would be ruined – and yet the last thing she wanted to do to little Spike was turn him away. Either way, it seemed that this would lead to heartbreak and depression for both of them. At last, she reached a large-windowed building not too far away from the Canterlot Castle, through which any passing pony could see numerous ponequins clad in the latest Equestrian fashions. A few of them even wore examples of her own dresses and accompanying accessories, and stood proud at the front of the display area. Upon seeing her own work taking pride of place in the Best-of-the-Best Boutique, Rarity felt a little better about herself as she entered the shop with her latest creations. The unicorn mare behind the counter looked up from the paperwork she was currently sorting out. “Can I help you?” “Is Hoity Toity available?” asked Rarity. “I came to drop off these new dresses he ordered.” “Oh, of course!” the mare exclaimed, suddenly remembering. “I'll go and fetch him at once,” and she made her way round the back of the store. Shortly after, she returned with a certain bluish grey stallion with purple-tinted shades. “Ah, Rarity,” he said, “I see you've brought the latest of your new fashion line, my dear?” “As promised, Hoity Toity,” affirmed Rarity, proudly revealing the dresses she had been working on for the last week or so. Hoity Toity looked them over with great interest. As a renowned fashion critic, he had to be sure that these creations were up to scratch, but he could already see that Rarity had done a wonderful job on them as always. The long rows of gems glimmered so beautifully in the sunlight that they almost looked like fairy lights, and the golden lace stood out splendidly against the base fabric. “Marvellous,” proclaimed Hoity Toity at last. “Once again I take my hat off to you, Rarity; these new creations of yours are truly the bees' knees. I shall place them on display at once.” “Thank you so much,” beamed Rarity with delight. “You're very welcome. Now how about a spot of tea?” Rarity simply nodded her approval. A nice, refreshing cup of tea was everything she needed after her long journey, and she still had a lot of time to spare before returning to Ponyville the following Wednesday. She followed Hoity Toity into the living room behind the store, leaving his shop assistants to deal with the dresses. Rarity and Hoity Toity spent an hour or so talking about what had been going on since they had last seen each other. Hoity Toity had apparently thought Rarity such a role model when it came to fashion that he had told a number of other designers at most of the fashion shows he had been attending that, while their own creations were still fairly magnificent in their own way, they could learn a great deal from her. Such appreciation from Equestria's best fashion critic as to recommend her to other designers made Rarity feel deeply humbled; though many other ponies loved her creations, she sometimes felt like only Spike ever thought higher of her dresses than Hoity Toity. Her face fell as her mind went back to the little dragon. It had only been around twenty-four hours since she left for Canterlot, but already she was beginning to miss him. Hoity Toity noticed this, and was rather concerned. “A bit for your thoughts?” he asked. “I'm sorry, Hoity Toity,” apologised Rarity meekly, “I'm just so distracted right now because of an issue I have with a friend of mine back at home.” “I see,” mused Hoity Toity. He shifted his shades a little; “Might I ask what this issue may be?” “Well......I don't want to bore you with details, but......how do you feel about a pony falling in love with a dragon?” Hoity Toity looked thoughtful. “I'm afraid my strong point is in fashion, not romance,” he said gravely, “but if it's any help to you, I don't see a problem with it. But as I said, I'm no expert on the subject.” “Oh,” said Rarity, disappointed. “Well, thank you kindly all the same.” “That's perfectly alright, Rarity. Always happy to lend a listening ear to one of Equestria's best fashion designers,” replied Hoity Toity kindly. “I'm only sorry I can't be of help.” Rarity nodded in understanding. “I didn't think you would, but I do appreciate it nonetheless.”