The ball was in full swing by the time they were able to join it.
Spike wanted to scream in frustration when Rarity was immediately pulled away to dance with some Canterlot noble or other. As he watched her go however, the young dragon paused. He knew that look.
Rarity wasn't just smiling at her dance partner, she was flirting with him.
Without even thinking about it, Spike flinched. This was just another in a large pile of evidence that Rarity didn't really think about him that way. With how she practically throws herself at every noble, rich, and/or famous pony that crosses her path, I must have been blind not to see it before becoming an adult.
Some part of him had held out hope that he could change all that if they ever had a chance to truly connect. He had even poured out his heart to her just minutes ago, and here she was batting her eyes playfully at somepony else.
Sometimes being an adult sucked.
Spike grabbed a drink from a passing waiter and went to find some group of air-headed nobles to attach himself to.
-_-_-_-_-_-
Celestia had once explained to him that each cluster of nobles at a social function had a leader. This leader was selected via silent agreement based on three qualities: wealth, political power/position, and knowledge of the topic of conversation. Spike didn't have any wealth to speak of (hence the fundraiser), but having been raised by Celestia herself and being the adopted brother of Princess Twilight Sparkle gave him an amount of political power that was nearly unrivaled in Equestria.
Obviously, Twilight had more, being a princess and all, but she was far too nice and too humble to throw her weight around. Spike wasn't. High society was a battleground, and he wasn't above using any weapon that he could get his claws on.
Lastly, given the theme of the ball, nearly all conversation was devoted in some form or other to the subject of dragons. Being a dragon himself, Spike won that category by default.
Winning in two out of three measurements was enough to let Spike control most groups simply by being a part of them. All he had to do was keep the conversation on dragons, or display a small amount of dragon magic from time to time.
There were challengers, of course. One scholar from a powerful house tried to overthrow Spike's authority by mentioning the size of his donation (only slightly exaggerated), and following up with a comment about how much he had learned about dragons over his years of study.
Spike found it strangely cathartic to take out his frustrations on these poor, unsuspecting nobles, smiling all the while.
He corrected the scholar on several points about dragon biology, and thanked him for the generous donation, while mentioning that it had only been outdone by Fancypants, Cadance and Shining Armor, and Princess Celestia herself. Wealth was a lost category for him anyway, and so it didn't hurt his position to compliment his opponent in that regard, but working in the reference to his political allies, and the size of their donations, helped downplay that loss, while reinforcing his own strengths, while pretending to compliment the stallion.
It didn't hurt that mentioning Fancypants would cause the whole group to start speculating if he was also an ally of Spike's. That unicorn was nearly as influential as Celestia in some circles.
With the challenger safely put in his place, Spike further solidified his position by offering to teach him more about wyrm society. As a scholar, he would seem petty for disagreeing, and the rest of their entourage was more than happy to listen in. After all, dragons were in right now, and knowing more about them would help the member of the group dominate their own social circles for a time.
Out of the corner of his eye, Spike noticed Celestia smile and nod at him, as if to say, 'Well done.' She was still speaking with Twilight and Burning Torch, but a fairly sizable group of nobles had joined them.
Curious how she was handling herself with two large handicaps, Spike gently steered his own group her way.
Neither his sister nor grandfather was stupid, obviously, but Twilight had little interest in playing the political game, and Burning Torch's inexperience with court life and etiquette put him at a severe disadvantage.
“...can agree that all societies exist as a compromise between sentient thought, natural abilities and necessities, and basic instincts,” Burning Torch was saying. “It's reflected clearly in the cultures of all intelligent races.”
“Of course,” Twilight said. “It's a generally agreed upon fact that ponies are herd animals. We instinctively assume that a larger group is stronger and safer. Canterlot itself is a testament to that idea. Though from what I've read, wyrms seem to be pack animals. Your culture is based on an entirely different view of life.”
Burning Torch nodded. “Precisely. I suspect it has to do with mitigating the impact of hunting by keeping our population clusters fairly small and well dispersed. From and evolutionary viewpoint, herds are superior because they produce far, far more offspring. Between that and the unfortunate effects of greed-transformations, it's a wonder that wyrms still exist at all.” He chuckled dryly. “Though, as a wyrm myself, I'm rather glad that we do.”
Most of the group laughed along.
Spike exchanged a wink and a nod with Celestia before wandering slowly away.
She must have set the conversation in brainiac territory to compliment the strengths of the other two, and was likely running defense and deflection against any attackers. Furthermore, she had chosen a subject that highlighted the cultural differences between ponies and wyrms, which quietly reinforced that differences were understandable, and could even be a good thing. Celestia really was a master of her craft.
The next challenger to Spike's leadership came a few minutes later. Far less skilled than the first, she made her attack completely obvious, immediately alienating would-be allies, and based it on the grounds that her family line extended back four hundred years, as opposed to the hundred and fifty or so years of the Sparkle family.
Spike smiled sweetly as he pointed out that his dragon family's coven was led by a nearly eight hundred year-old dragoness, who had given Cliff and himself full authority to speak in her place. Further, he had been given authority by Princess Celestia, an even more ancient and powerful being, to act as an ambassador to dragonkind. His final blow was asking which of the challenger's ancestors had done as much for the world as Shining Armor and Cadance, who had ended the changeling invasion of Canterlot and ruled the Crystal Empire, or Twilight Sparkle, leader of the Elements of Harmony.
Sputtering incoherently, the unicorn mare stormed off.
Seriously, Spike thought, who attacks a dragon on the basis that an older family makes one superior? He offered an apology to the group for being so forceful, prompting a round of assurances that they would have done the same thing in his place.
Of course, just remaining at the head of a group had little value in itself. What really mattered was what Spike did with that attention. In this case, he made everypony feel great about themselves for helping such a noble cause. Countless hours spent with Rarity helped the young dragon compliment his followers on their fashion sense, while collecting any useful gossip that was offered. Lessons from Celestia let him skim over controversial subjects, and keep the group happy with himself and each other. Finally, thanks to all of the insane study sessions he had gone through with Twilight, he knew enough about virtually any subject to satisfy the group's curiosity. Soon Spike had every pony in the group convinced that wyrms were the most fascinating creatures in existence, and that they were all saints for helping the Ponyville Coven.
Confidant that he couldn't do much more, Spike took his leave to ask a sky blue crystal pony with a purple mane and tail to dance. She had been trying to catch his eye for a while now, and it was important that he seemed approachable. That, and the mare he actually wanted to dance with was nowhere to be found.
His partner told him that her name was Autumn Gem. Like all crystal ponies, when they were happy at least, she looked like a living gemstone, and was slightly see-through. She also had metal hairbands keeping her styled mane in place. Spike vaguely remembered seeing her during his trips to the Crystal Empire.
“A beautiful mare like you could have any stallion in this room,” Spike whispered as they took to the dance floor. “Why say yes to an overgrown lizard like me?” It was an extremely roundabout way of asking what she wanted from him, but he couldn't risk offending a potentially powerful ally. If she was here instead of at the Crystal Empire, then she was either a diplomat, or a businessmare, looking to make connections in Canterlot.
She smiled at his compliment, bringing attention to her royal blue eyes. “Thank you, but you aren't some overgrown lizard. You are the Great and Honorable Spike, the Brave and Glorious. The hero who saved the Crystal Empire from King Sombra.”
Okay, is that why she was watching me, or was it just a compliment to cover the actual reason? Spike couldn't just ask her, of course. They would have to banter back and forth for a while before they could say anything of meaning. He took the most obvious route, “Just 'Spike' is fine, and you flatter me, but I didn't do much. Princess Twilight and Princess Cadance deserve the real thanks.”
“You almost fell to your death bringing us the Crystal Heart,” she replied, “and from what I've heard, Princess Twilight wouldn't have even reached it without your help.”
Where did she hear that? He and Twilight had only told their friends and family about what had happened in Sombra's castle. Pinkie or Rarity might have told somepony, but Autumn Gem might also have been speaking with Shining Armor or Cadance. Too bad he couldn't just ask her about that either.
Dealing with niceties was pretty frustrating. Spike felt like he could talk for hours and only be able to say two or three sentences with any real meaning.
They began to dance. Autumn knew the steps, meaning she either learned very quickly, or had been to Canterlot dances before. At least Spike could satisfy his curiosity in that regard. “You're a wonderful partner,” he whispered over the music. “Is this dance popular in the Crystal Empire as well?”
“Sadly, no,” she said, “but I've had time to practice it since I arrived here.”
One question answered, and an opening for more. It was better than Spike had expected. “Are you here on business?”
Autumn nodded. “My family exports grain to Canterlot. I wanted to help run this side of the business, and...” she shuddered, “there were too many bad memories back home.”
“I'm sorry,” he said automatically.
She nodded again, but remained silent.
Change the subject, you idiot! “Your donation was rather generous.” At least he thought it was. The list of names and amounts had been pretty long. “Your business must be doing well.”
“Thank you, but it was the least we could do. Especially after you and your friends saved us all from... Him.”
Spike guided her through a twirl before they came back together. “The least anypony can do is nothing. You chose to act, and that says a lot about you.” Thank you, Twilight, for forcing me to read all those psychology and philosophy books! He knew he wasn't smart enough to come up with lines like that on his own.
She smiled. “If our actions speak about us, then yours have a lot more to say than mine.”
“Hardly,” Spike replied without thinking. “I've mostly hidden on the sidelines while Twilight and her friends did all the real work.”
Autumn tilted her head to the side. “Is that why you chose to become an adult? So that you could stand beside them?”
She's good, he reflected. Most of Ponyville still believed that he had just gone through a dragon growth-spurt.
His face must have given away the truth, because she nodded thoughtfully. “I can see that it is.”
She's very good, he amended.
“But you shouldn't undersell yourself, Sir Spike.” Autumn Gem paused for another twirl before continuing. “In addition to the part you played in saving the Crystal Empire, you once received the Medal of Valor for defending Canterlot, and helped defeat the Nightmare Force when it possessed Lady Rarity.”
Somepony has done their homework. “You seem to enjoy flattering me,” he smiled, “but thank you.” Spike didn't know if she was being sincere or not, but it was certainly nice to have somepony speaking well about him. “Even more impressive is that you actually know of those events.”
“Everypony in Canterlot knows about them,” Autumn replied. “You and your brother have been the main topic of discussion since Discord's party last week.” She smiled covertly. “Don't give me too much credit.”
“What are they saying about Cliff?” Spike had to ask.
“That he is a great warrior, a talented dancer, and is dating a supermodel.”
“Not exactly, that's what they tell me, and she isn't a supermodel anymore, but I'm as surprised as you are.”
Spike and Autumn Gem stepped back and bowed to each other as the dance ended.
“Are you hungry?” she asked before the next dance could start.
“A little,” Spike admitted. He knew how it would look to leave the dance floor together so quickly, but the crystal mare was proving to be an excellent conversation partner. He would rather keep talking with her than find another group of simpering yes-ponies to attach himself to.
“Do you think your brother is strange to be dating a pony?” Autumn asked as they walked.
No, I think he's lucky as all hay. “Not at all.”
She turned to look at him knowingly. “Perhaps some fortunate mare has caught your eye as well?”
If only you knew, Spike thought longingly. “Not really.”
Autumn shook her head. “You show your true feelings for a moment when you're surprised, Sir Spike. She must mean a lot to you.”
Maybe she's a little too good. Spike sighed. In truth, he had been avoiding thinking about Rarity until Autumn brought her up.
“Oh,” the crystal mare paused as they reached the food table, “I'm sorry.” She smiled sadly. “I shouldn't have made assumptions.”
She was either being sincere, or she was one of the best actresses Spike had ever seen. “There's nothing to feel sorry about,” he said as he placed a couple of snacks on his plate. Though another change of subject might be a good idea. “How did you learn to read ponies so well?”
“I am a crystal pony,” Autumn replied. “Sensing emotions comes naturally to us.”
Twilight had probably told him about that at some point. Not for the first time, Spike wished he had paid more attention to her lectures. He finished filling his plate and grabbed a drink to go with it. “Where would you like to sit?”
Autumn Gem led him to a bench in the gardens outside.
It wasn't exactly secluded, but it was far more private than anywhere inside the ballroom. Even better, the view was amazing. Aside from the perfectly cultivated plants, there was the gorgeous night sky. Luna had really outdone herself with it. Spike felt like he could get pulled up into that sea of lights and wander for hours among the constellations.
“I'm sorry for bringing up such uncomfortable subjects,” Autumn said. “Dragons have always amazed me, and I got caught up in wanting to know more about you.”
“More about me,” Spike asked, “or more about dragons in general?”
“Both,” Autumn said, looking up at the stars. “You are a hero in the Crystal Empire, and as much as I'm sorry to say it, we used to hate all dragons.”
It was a leading statement, the kind that begged him to ask the obvious, 'why?' Spike wondered if he should continue to let her control the conversation that way. Perhaps a gentle reminder that I can think for myself is in order... “Was it all the crystals?” he guessed. “Did they lead drakes to attack you?”
She lowered her gaze from the night sky. “Yes. They were crystal drakes, to be precise.” Autumn turned to him. “That made you something of a mystery, Sir Spike. A dragon who fought to save us, rather than to steal from us.”
“It isn't much of a mystery.” Spike shrugged. “I was raised by ponies. Of course I'd want to help you.”
“Your brother wasn't,” Autumn replied. “At least, that's what they say. They also say he was nearly killed while protecting Ponyville.” She gave him a curious look, as though asking for confirmation.
Let's see where she's going with this. “Both are true.”
“They also say that a group of dragons healed nearly every patient in the Ponyville hospital this morning.”
He nodded.
“There's obviously something special about you and the others in the Exchange Program.” She smiled gently. “Can you blame me for wanting to know more?”
Spike found himself wishing that this conversation had happened anywhere other than at a formal ball. If he and Autumn had met at the marketplace, or around Ponyville, then he would feel safe assuming that she was exactly what she appeared to be: a friendly and intelligent mare. Here, however, she might be faking her interest for any number of reasons.
Perhaps her family was hoping to gain political power through associating with him, or maybe she was looking for something she could use to attack the Cultural Exchange Program. It was even possible that she was hoping to woo him in order to make some other member of the aristocracy jealous. Celestia had repeatedly warned him about how far the upper class would sink to get what they wanted.
“Well...” he said cautiously, “what would you like to know?”
Autumn Gem's smiled widened. “Just what you feel comfortable telling me.”
As it turned out, that was a lot. Most of Spike's own life was pretty common knowledge, and so he saw no harm in sharing that. Hatched by Twilight, raised by the Sparkles and Celestia, becoming Twilight's assistant, etc. He gave details whenever the crystal mare asked for them, but skimmed for the most part.
The whole time, he was trying to get a decent feel for his companion. She seemed to be enjoying herself, but how could he be sure? The answer hit Spike as he was describing Cliff's magic lessons. “...The tricky part is learning how to clear your heart completely. Luckily, there's a way to help with that.” He moved two clawed fingers next to Autumn's chest. “May I?”
She looked at his claws a little nervously. “Of course. What are you going to cast?”
“Just a minor spell to calm emotions,” Spike assured her, even though her reaction had made him suspicious. Is she worrying that I'm going to find something out? He placed his claws on her chest, pausing for just a moment to reflect that she was a lot softer than her gem-like appearance would suggest, and activated his first spell.
Reading another being's emotions was a bit disorienting. The spell didn't so much tell Spike what the subject was feeling, as make him feel the same way. In this case, it made him feel uncomfortable, like he was being reminded of something he would rather have forgotten. Underneath that was genuine happiness, respect, and a little bit of infatuation, all directed at him. Partially hidden by the discomfort was self-consciousness, and some fear intermixed with hope, as well as some desire for excitement. He couldn't detect any malicious intent at all, nor any desire for manipulation. In fact, she actually seemed like she wanted to help him with something or other, but it was tied up in a ball of awkwardness. She would probably bring it up herself if Spike could make her feel at ease.
Not wanting to make her suspicious, Spike only gave himself a few seconds to analyze what he felt before casting the spell to soothe her heart.
The effect was immediate. Autumn went from looking like a mare-shaped gemstone to having a coat and mane indiscernible from an earth pony.
“How do you feel?” he asked casually, to cover his surprise.
“Strange,” she said, her voice soft and slightly distant. “'Peaceful' might be the best word.”
“It's called the Stillness,” Spike explained. “To use dragon magic, we had to learn to reach that state at will.” He deactivated his magic and pulled his hand back. “Sorry if I made you nervous.”
Autumn shook her head. “No, you don't need to feel guilty... It was just an old reflex.”
A fear response to having magic used on her, Spike reflected. He had never yet seen a crystal unicorn, which pretty much left King Sombra. The young dragon decided it would be best if he didn't go dredging up bad memories. He already felt a little guilty for his earlier suspicions, and for making her crystal coat fade. I should try to make her happy so it changes back... “Well, being touched by me sets off most mare's gag reflexes, so at least this is a step up.”
She laughed, but her coat didn't change. “Somehow, Sir Spike, I don't think most mares would object to your touch.”
“I don't know,” Spike studied his hand. The only one I care about doesn't seem very interested in it... Wait, I'm supposed to be cheering her up. He pushed aside his negative thoughts.
Autumn stopped laughing. “I'm sorry,” she looked down. “I didn't want to bring that up again.”
Apparently he hadn't pushed them aside quickly enough. “You don't need to apologize. Talking to you has been the highlight of my evening.”
She cheered up a little. “I hope I'm not overstepping my bounds, but is there something I can do to help with your romance problems, Sir Spike? I owe you that much, at least, for being so patient with me.”
Spike hesitated, but then he shrugged. Everypony in Ponyville already knew about his crush anyway. “Unfortunately, I've been friend-zoned by the fair Lady Rarity.” He sighed. “Thanks for the offer, but I don't think anypony can help with that.”
Autumn looked thoughtful for a moment before a smile spread across her face. “Actually, I think I have an idea. It will at least tell us if there's hope for you and her.”
In spite of himself, Spike's pulse quickened. “Okay, what is it?”
Her crystalline appearance returned as she began to elaborate.
-_-_-_-_-_-
About ten minutes later, Spike and Autumn found and approached Rarity. The white unicorn had attached herself to Fancypants' group, though he was generous enough to give other members of his entourage a chance to lead the conversation from time to time.
“Excuse me,” Spike whispered to Rarity, “I need to talk to you outside.”
“Oh, of course, darling.” She excused herself from the group and followed them back to the garden. “What did you need?”
The plan was simple: shock Rarity as much as possible, and let Autumn read her reactions.
“Actually,” Spike shared a look and a loving smile with his crystal companion, “I was wondering if you could make a dress for Autumn Gem. I'd like to take her on a formal date as soon as possible.”
“Only if you don't mind,” Autumn added, nuzzling into Spike's neck.
“You wha?” Rarity gasped. “I mean, of course, dear.” She cleared her throat. “What did you have in mind?”
“Something special,” Autumn said. “After all, the date will be to celebrate our first kiss.” She smiled demurely.
“Oh really?” Rarity gave some of the fake laughter that Spike knew meant she was upset. “How wonderful.”
“Don't worry.” He smiled. Being able to generate emotions at will was pretty darn useful for putting on a convincing show. “I scanned her heart. Autumn's interest in me is completely pure.”
He had had to explain that spell to her earlier, and admit to using it. Luckily, the crystal mare didn't hold it against him. Manipulation in one form or another was just an accepted fact of life in high society.
“Yes.” Autumn smiled back at Spike. “Now we can build our relationship on complete trust.”
“That is... truly encouraging.” Rarity had calmed down a bit, but Spike could tell that she was still uncomfortable.
Now for the next step. “It sure is! I can't wait to introduce Autumn here to Celestia and Twilight, and then meet her parents.”
“Maybe we could get Photo Finish to do the bridals?” Autumn suggested. “Oh, we'll be sure to order the outfits from you, Lady Rarity, as well as the dress.”
“Outfits?” The white unicorn's eyes shot open as far as they could go. “Bridals?”
“Well of course.” Spike giggled like a little child. “There's only a few weeks until the wedding.” He leaned over to nuzzle Autumn.
THUD.
Wow, I didn't expect her to faint. Spike couldn't hold back his laughter. “Oops.”
Autumn Gem shook with barely contained giggles. “Maybe we were a little too over-the-top.”
Still laughing, Spike knelt by the unconscious unicorn. “Rarity?”
“Hn?” She looked up groggily. “Oh my!” Rarity snapped back to full consciousness as she jumped back to her feet. “I can't believe I let my dress touch the ground!” After checking to make sure nothing had stained, she returned her attention to her companions. “I'm sorry, what were you saying?”
“That we're engaged.” Spike pulled Autumn close.
“Oh, is that all?” Rarity smiled.
THUD.
This time, both dragon and crystal pony collapsed, laughing helplessly.
“D-does she do this often?” Autumn asked after they had a chance to calm down.
“Yes.” Spike let out a contented sigh. “Sweet Celestia, I haven't laughed like that in ages.” He got back on his feet, helping Autumn up as well. “Think we should tell her the truth now?”
“Yes, I suppose we should.” She took a deep breath to calm herself.
Spike gently shook Rarity awake.
After checking her dress once more, she turned to them with an awkward smile. “So, engaged already? I must say... that's rather... fast.”
“Relax, Rarity,” Spike said, “we were just joking with you.”
One of her eyes twitched. “What?!”
“It was a prank.” Spike chuckled. “You should have seen your face!”
Rarity looked about ready to explode when Autumn stepped forward. “Please don't be upset with him, Lady Rarity. This was my idea.”
The white unicorn paused and looked from her to Spike and back again. After a moment, she cleared her throat. “Well, I must admit, it did take me quite by surprise.”
“Yeah, we figured that out when you fainted.” Spike grinned. “Twice.”
Rarity chose to ignore that. “Theatricality aside, it is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Autumn Gem.” She cordially extended a hoof.
Autumn shook it. “The pleasure is all mine, Lady Rarity. You and your friends are quite famous in the Crystal Empire.”
“Oh really?” Rarity's ears perked up. “Perhaps I should do a crystal themed line for them...” She shook herself out of her thoughts. “In any case, what brings you to Canterlot?”
Several minutes of boring chit-chat and niceties later, Spike gently brought up the subject of their prank again. “...Was it really that shocking to hear that I had a special somepony?”
“No.” Rarity laughed unconvincingly. “I was just surprised to hear that you would get engaged so quickly.”
Spike and Autumn exchanged a covert look. They had both heard the lie in her voice, meaning it was time for the final part of their plan.
“It wouldn't be that surprising.” Autumn stroked the dragon's cheek. “The adopted son of Celestia, younger brother of Princess Twilight Sparkle and Prince Shining Armor, brother-in-law of Princess Cadance, and leading member of the Dragon-Pony Cultural Exchange Program. Also rather handsome.”
Spike faked embarrassment as she ran her hoof across his chest.
“They're already calling him Equestria's most eligible bachelor,” the crystal pony finished with a bit of a dreamy smile.
Rarity cleared her throat. “Yes, well be that as it may, I'm sure Spike will be able to handle himself.”
“I'm sure he will,” Autumn agreed. “He has faced far worse than a swarm of lovesick fillies.”
“Anyway,” Spike said, “maybe we should leave my nonexistent dating life out of this and get back to mingling.”
“You're right.” Rarity turned to look at the ballroom. “We must be good hosts for our guests.”
“Um,” Autumn turned to Spike a little nervously, “would you mind terribly if I accompanied you?”
“Sure.” Spike turned to Rarity. “Good luck with Fancypants' group.”
“There's no need to worry about that,” she assured him. “Good luck to you... two, as well.”
As soon as she was out of earshot, Spike turned to Autumn. “Well?”
She sighed. “Lady Rarity feels protective of you, and my interest in you annoyed her. However, I doubt even she knows if those feelings are because of your friendship, a parental instinct, or because of a romantic interest. All we can do is wait for her to decide for herself.” She looked up at him apologetically. “I'm sorry I couldn't be more helpful.”
“You did more than I ever could.” Spike patted her on the shoulder. “Thank you, Miss Autumn.”
She hugged his hand with her hoof. “It was my pleasure, Sir Spike.”
-_-_-_-_-_-
The rest of the night passed quickly. Autumn Gem stayed with Spike for another hour before breaking off to discuss the market value of wheat with a mare who owned a chain of grocery stores. She had spent enough time with him to start the rumor mill, and that was what really mattered. It would force Rarity to evaluate her feelings for him. He felt a little guilty about trying to make her feel jealous, but after all the time she had spent overlooking him, Spike felt he had earned the right to push the envelope a bit.
By the time the ball ended, it was past midnight. Spike quickly confirmed plans with Autumn to meet up in a few days, and then let Celestia show him and the others to their rooms. Oddly, even though he was exhausted, and the bed was unbelievably comfortable, he had trouble getting to sleep.
Thoughts of Rarity kept turning around in his head. She was smart, caring, brave, and beautiful, but she had never thought of him that way. He knew he couldn't, in good conscience at least, control her emotions. Even Autumn's plan was little more than a way to cut to the heart of the matter, and see if her feelings even had the potential to develop into romantic love.
His entire body ached with the hope that things would work out, but his adult mind, unfortunately, forced him to consider what would happen if they didn't. What would he do if Rarity really thought of him as a friend and nothing more? Find another mare?
Spike hadn't forgotten about that spark of infatuation he had felt when he scanned Autumn's heart. She was also beautiful, and friendly, and smart. In spite of her minor crush, she was helping him with Rarity. Was it fair to let her do that? Somewhere inside, she must have been hoping that things wouldn't work out, leaving him available for herself.
He rolled over. Thinking about moving on if things didn't work out with Rarity brought to mind something even worse: moving on if things did work out with her.
This was why Spike hated thinking about the future. Even if he got married to the mare of his dreams, his Happily Ever After would always have an expiration date. In another century, everypony he had ever known, except for Celestia and Luna, would be dead. How could he move on after that? Even if another wonderful mare appeared in his life, could he really let her into his heart? Would it be worth it to settle down again, just to suffer through losing her as well?
His infernally quick mind informed him that he could, under the best of circumstances, expect about sixty years with a single mare. That meant he could either have his heart ripped out twenty times, or spend over a thousand years with nothing but the memories of one love. Neither option was very appealing.
It took Spike a long time to finally drift off.
-_-_-_-_-_-
The next morning, Cliff Runner, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Fire Claws, and Fire Eyes all waited at the train station. None of them were especially happy.
In spite of its tranquil appearance, Ponyville was known as a town where crazy things happened, and happened frequently. After a dragon came to live with them, then a hydra attacked, then Discord threw a massive party (gravity still wasn't working right in town hall), and then a whole group of dragons moved in, all in a little more than three weeks, most of the residents decided that the town had fulfilled its craziness quota for a while. Fate, however, had had other plans, as the smoke in the air clearly showed.
“I'm sure Twilight will be able to fix you,” Cliff said to Rainbow Dash. “Just hold out a bit longer.” He fought down a yawn.
The multicolored pegasus hiccuped, sending out a burst of fire. “I'm trying,” she groaned, clutching her stomach.
“There there.” Fluttershy patted her friend's back. “It won't be long. I can see the train now.” She pointed to a growing dot in the distance.
Rainbow Dash nodded listlessly. “Hey, Fire Claws. I'm really sorry, and thanks for everything.”
The dragoness had trouble meeting her gaze. “You don't need to apologize. This is mostly my fault.”
Fire Eyes shifted anxiously. “Do you think River will be okay?” It was at least the hundredth time she had asked that since her little sister left for school with the rest of the Crusaders.
“Yes,” Cliff said for at least the hundredth time. His eyes met Fluttershys' for a moment, before they both looked away uncomfortably.
The group lapsed into silence again, broken only by the occasional hiccup from Rainbow Dash, each of which sent out more fire.