It was a Saturday evening...
Rarity walked down the road to Berry Punch's bar. Mascara ran down the sides of her cheeks as fresh tears still came raining out of her eyes from her unfortunate experience. Her red dress was tattered from her epic flee from the Apple Garden restrant; where her latest "gentlecolt" had turned out to be nothing more than a total whoremonger. His true nature was revealed after chugging a few glasses of wine that were a little stronger than usual.
She had been wrong again. The only honorable stallion she ever did meet was Fancypants, but he wasn't an option ever since he married Fleur De Lis. Honestly, Rarity thought to herself, what did he ever really see in her! Rarity tried to chastise herself by forgetting that horrible thought of jealousy. Jealousy? Had she really come to be so low as to fall victim of jealousy? She didn't really care about that at the moment. She was more concerned with gulping down a strong cider to forget about all the bad in her life for a while.
She stopped only for a bit to stare at the rustic doors of Berry Punch's bar. Berry's grandfather was the stallion who had started up the place. He passed the ownership to Berry's father, and then Berry inherited it after her father passed away not too long ago. She used to have a drinking problem, until her father passed that is. The place was old, falling apart, and it's countless layers of paint couldn't hide the fact that the building was slowly falling apart. It still had another fifty years at most.
Rarity pushed open the doors and stepped inside. The dark stained floors sounded out in an ensemble of creaks under her hooves. A few round oak tables and simple chairs filled the empty space next to the actual bar counter. In the center of all the tables stood napkin boxes with little laminated menus taped on the sides. At the bar counter there was a rack of mugs hanging upside down, and no more than two were exactly the same. The counter itself was darker than the floor having been covered in stains from the numerous bums that spilled their drinks all the time.
Rarity was not the only one there. Berry Punch stood at her usual post behind the bar counter cleaning a shot glass. Slumped over the counter sat none other than Blue Blood, the former prince. Blue Blood was disowned by his aunts after he took advantage of multiple palace servants, all males. Between his lips sat a paper tube filled with burning green leaves, most likely pot.
A few ponies sat at the round tables. The CMC's secretly sat at one table studying a book titled "Political Statistics". They seemed tired, and nearly about to pass out where the three sat. At another table sat a stallion simply known as the Doctor. His wife, Ditsy, sat next to him silently feasting on a bowl of pretzels as they waited for their meal. Ditsy had a distant look in her eyes as she seemed to avoid her husband's glance. He tried to smile, but to no avail. The smile faded away from his face. And, at the back of the room stood an old mule known as Cranky. He was sitting in a chair hooving a harmonica next to an old piano.
The piano was quite a sight. It had been scratched and stripped in various spots. There were ancient burn marks where an ash tray no longer sat. The ivory keys were worn and yellow. The small piano looked as if though it had been through hell. The bench that sat in front of the piano was equally worn, but currently absent from its player.
Rarity took a seat at the bar counter away from Blue Blood. She still remembered her unfortunate encounter with the royal pain at a previous gala. "What'll it be Rares?" Berry asked with her red rag hanging around her neck.
Rarity looked away from the piano that she had still been staring at, "Oh. I'll just have the usual."
Berry reached up and took down a mug from the rack. She poured an amber colored cider into the mug, but not to the full point. She then pulled out an unmarked bottle from beneath the counter. Berry filled a shot glass with a rainbow liquid that came cascading out of the unmarked bottle. She then dropped the shot glass into the mug of cider with a plop. "There you go, your usual zap drop cocktail," Berry had no real emotion on her face at the moment, it was just business as usual.
"So, what's going on with everyone?" Rarity pulled the mug close but hadn't taken a drink yet.
Berry finally broke into a smile, always willing talk gossip, so to speak, with Rarity. "Well, I don't need to tell why Blue Balls is here... You already know about poor Cranky and how his wife passed away recently. He's just been moping about, trying to not think about the mistakes he's made." Rarity remembered. She was at the funeral with Pinkie. Poor fellow.
"I see my sister and her friends are looking into their next possible cutie mark," Rarity getured to the table where the CMC's sat.
Berry laughed again, "Yeah, they're at it again...politics." Both Berry and Rarity laughed at the thought of the three fillies studying politics. Reallity came back to Berry as she continued relaying the information about her customers. "Oh, and the Doctor and Ditsy over there... He got real busy with some stone pegasi fiasco, and forgot about their wedding anniversary." Ouch. "Yeah, they're both kind of on edge after some sort of fight." Rarity had that feeling again. Jealousy. At least Ditsy had a stallion she could call husband. Rarity raised her mug about to take a drink...
Unnexpectly the back door opened. "Oh finally Spike is back." Berry beamed. "This place needs some cheering up." Rarity went bug eyed when she saw the purple dragon stepping in through the back door. Almost on impulse she ducked behind the bar counter and watched Spike make his way towards the piano. Berry watched as Rarity repositioned herself out of Spike's view. "Something the matter?"
Rarity's face filled up with a guilty look, "Since when did he start coming here?"
Berry chuckled to herself, "He works here... He's been working here a while before you started coming. I hired Spike because he seems to know exactly what to play for every audience." Rarity continued to watch Spike who took his seat at the piano. He exchanged a smile with Cranky who readied his harmonica. Spike took a look around the bar and smiled. Rarity hid behind the counter until Spike faced the piano again. She remembered hearing a piano and someone singing, but she was usually too tired or too sad to notice who it was.
Spike began to play a tune, and Cranky breathed out a short melody on his harmonica. Cranky ceased his melody as Spike started to sing.
It's a regular day at Ms. Berry's bar,
The usual folks come prancin' in
There's an old mule sittin' next to me,
Trying to forget all his sin
Cranky smiled and played another quick melody before Spike started again.
He says drake can you play me a memory,
I don't really know how it goes,
But it's happy and great,
And there never was hate,
When I wore a younger colt's clothes
La la la di dee daaa
La la di dee daaa da dum
Sing us a song you're the piano drake
Play us a tune that's bright
Well we're all in need of some cheerin' up
And you will make everything right
Berry looked over and smiled at the astonished Rarity. She was captivated by Spike's now husky voice that sent a soothing chill throughout her body.
Ms. B at the bar is a friend of mine
Who gets me cider for free
And she's quick with a joke
Or a light up your smoke
But there's one place that she'd rather be
She says Spike I believe this is killing me,
As tears ran away from her face,
Well I'm sure that I could be a super star,
If I could get out of this place
Berry Punch just smiled as she sat back in a chair to enjoy Spike's song. Rarity rested her cheek on a hoof as she indulged the dragon's tune.
Oh La la la di dee daaa
La la di dee daaa da dum
Now the Doctor here is a traveler,
Who forgot to make time for his wife
But he's talkin' with Ditsy who gave 'im his baby,
And now they'll be happy for life
The Doctor turned to his wife astonished, "Ditsy? Are you..."
The mare looked up at him and admitted, "Yes I'm pregnant. I was afraid to tell you, and..."
A teary smile grew on her husband's face as he drew her in for a hug. "I love you Ditsy. I'm so so sorry."
Ditsy smiled knowing that her husband wasn't mad at her, "It's okay Doctor. It's okay." The two shared a kiss as the piano grew louder.
Crusaders are practicing politics,
As the royal buck slowly gets stoned
Blue Blood fell from his seat in a fit of anger as the whole bar burst into laughter.
We're fighting a curse we call loneliness,
Well they're better, and I'm still alone
Rarity shivered at that phrase "I'm still alone". He had friends, but no one particularly close. She wondered why he didn't already have someone in a close relationship. He was kind, helpful, brave, true to himself as well as others, and he was always so respectful to her and her friends. He was perfect. Rarity's mind began to wander. He was always there to help her when she needed him most. He was there when Trenderhoof had broken her heart. He even offered himself as a pin cushion for goodness sakes. He was always there for her.
That's right. He was there. He's here now. But, where was she. She felt as though he helped her more than she helped him. Why did he help so much. Did he do it just to be nice, or was it something more? Did he care for her? Rarity dared to touch the idea. Did he love her?
She remembered the fire ruby Spike had given to her. It was heart shaped, but fire rubies don't come naturally heart shaped. This realization almost made her heart stop. He carved that gem. He could have given it to anyone, but he gave it to her. Rarity felt a warm smile grow on her face. He loved her.
She stared at Spike who was now playing a complicated sequence of notes as his claws struck the keys. He wasn't smiling. That last line "I'm still alone" seemed to be haunting him. "Oh Spike." Rarity whispered to herself. How could she tell him? How would he react?
She wasn't about to wait and never find out. Rarity jumped out of her chair and hastened her seemingly long walk towards Spike and the piano. He looked up as he continued to play. To his surprise, Rarity began to sing to him.
Sing me a song you're my piano drake,
Play me a tune that's bright,
Well I'm not too much fond of this loneliness
But we can make everything right
Spike's face lit up with joy. To Rarity's delight, he began to sing again.
There's a pretty cute mare standin' over me
And I shake as she gives me a smile
'Cause I hope that it's me she's been comin' to see
To forget about life for a while
And her voice, it sounds just so beautiful
And she gracefully walks like a star
And she sits at the bar and puts love in my heart
And thinks, "Spike, darling we could go far!"
Rarity began to sing again.
La la la di dee daaa
La la di dee daaa da dum
A happy tear shuffled down the contours of the scales on Spike's cheek. He joined Rarity in singing the last verse of the song. Their feelings must have been in sync at that point as they sang the same exact words together.
Sing us a song you're the piano drake
Sing us that song that's bright
Well we're all in the mood for some happiness
And you've got us feelin' just right
Spike finished his cheerful tune on the piano, and he let his claws come to a rest on the keys. Everyone in the bar, except for Blue Blood, erupted into applause. Spike just smiled as he bowed his head humbly. The attention was great, but all he really wanted was to cheer up the crowd. Needless to say, it worked.
The CMC's chucked their "Political Statistics" book into the nearest trash bin. Cranky was smiling more than ever. The Doctor was cheerfully chatting with Ditsy who brought her husband to attention, "I was thinking of calling our new son Ginger Snap." Berry punch continued to echo the tune Spike had sung in a symphany of hums. And in the back of the room Spike and Rarity just stayed where they were, staring blankly into each other's eyes.
Rarity sat herself down on the piano bench next to Spike. A bittersweet air churned between the two of them. Finally Rarity spoke, "I'm sorry." Spike let his shoulders relax as he smiled.
"Rarity, you have nothing to be sorry for." He looked back to the piano as the smile ran away from his face.
"Spike. I was wondering something..." But before she could finish what she was saying, Spike held one of her dainty hooves in his claws.
"Rarity, would you like to go out with me next Saturday. If you want that is."
A smile overtook Rarity's face as an unexpected excitement rushed through her. "Spike, that would be nice."
In turn a confused Spike was not sure if he had heard her right. "Wait really?! You actually want to?" They sat there in a still silence.
Rarity again found herself staring into his emerald eyes. "Spike, just promise me you won't ever hurt me. Please?"
Spike was baffled by this, "I would never want to hurt you." Rarity's mind wandered again. Here he was all the time: someone who cared, a kind soul, and a cheerful spirit. Spike was respectful. He wouldn't hurt her, he's too nice to do that.
A warm smile grasped on to Rarity's face. She leaned in and ever so gently kissed Spike on the cheek. "Play me another song."
Spike smiled down at her, "As you wish Milady."