//------------------------------// // White Magic Mare // Story: Holding Hooves // by Ex-Ed //------------------------------// White Magic Mare "Though I've tried before to tell her Of the feelings I have for her in my heart. Every time that I come near her I just lose my nerve as I've done From the start." -Every Little Thing She Does is Magic by The Police The dragon took a deep breath. He stared down his reflection, scanning for flaws. He wore an elegant tuxedo top, complimented by a ruby-red bowtie and red carnation. He was determined to look the very best as he could when he would pop the question to Rarity. "Would you go to the Hearts and Hooves Party with me?" He rehearsed. He was grateful that Twilight had left hours earlier to assist Pinkie Pie in the last of the party preparation. While she wouldn't exactly interrupt Spike during his rehearsal, he would've rather kept his little role-playing sarcastic-joke free. The little dragon frowned. He just wasn't sure if Rarity was really going to accept him. Who knows, perhaps she already found a colt to take her to the party. The idea that she would not attend did not enter Spike's mind. Being the typical glamour pony she was, Rarity would've joined, if anything, just to get in on the recent gossip the romantic season flared up. He straightened his scales and gave himself a final check in the mirror. "Lookin' good, Spike." He complimented. "Lookin' good, Spike." Spike left the bathroom and headed downstairs. The library was quiet, the only sound coming from the sleeping owl and occasional wind. The dragon headed out the door, but not before picking up the bouquet of brightly red roses he left in front of the door. He placed them there in advance so he wouldn't accidentally leave them in a fit of nervousness. The spirit of the holiday was getting stronger with each day in Ponyville. More ponies were out, buying last-minute gifts or simply causing commotion with one another, but this kind of thing was predictable; there was only one day until Hearts and Hooves Day after all. The baby dragon left his humble home. The sun was slowly setting, giving the sky an orange hue. Spike silently hoped that Rarity was at her home and not at the spa or some other place. He was felling an increase in his confidence and he wasn't going to let the chance slip by him. The little dragon would've been lying if he said that his friends and a few other ponies hadn't influenced him; even if it was indirectly. He had overheard Sweetie Belle telling the other Cutie Mark Crusaders that Rarity was quite upset with not having a date to the party. Pinkie Pie had delivered an invitation to Spike earlier that day with Pokey. When he inquired why the unicorn was with her, he was met with a similar answer that Applejack and Rainbow Dash had received ("What." He asked afterwards). Even though Pinkie had met the stallion only recently, even someone as young as Spike could see they already had a growing connection. This indirectly sparked an idea in Spike; if these two ponies could hit off in only a few days, why not he and Rarity? They've known each other for about a year and half, plus he's helped her and generously assisted the purple-maned unicorn on many instances. Not to mention how he's given her gifts, such as the fire-gem. If two strangers could fall in love, why not two close friends? Spike smiled to himself. He would ask the pony of his dreams to allow him to accompany her to the party and then… He paused. "Huh, I haven't really thought that far ahead yet…" He realized. "Oh well, it'll come to me when she says 'yes'." The dragon checked the flowers again, making sure there were no impurities with them. None. Spike picked up his pace, eager to ask Rarity the big question. The Carousel Boutique was in his sights. He ran to the fashion building as fast as his legs could carry him. He got near the entrance and noticed how festive the structure looked. It stood out from most of the regular buildings. Instead of just pink or red with hearts splattered all over it, the boutique was elegantly decorated with a white color on the walls, with a single purple heart every several feet or so. The purple was replaced with pink and the windows were tinted slightly redder. Spike also took notice of the small, orange flag at the top being replaced with a larger, pink one with a lavender heart on it. "Cool…" He admired. While he was impressed by the decoration itself, he also admired how quickly Rarity had managed to decorate her boutique. He distinctly remembered the building being in its regular color that morning. "Heh," he chuckled to himself. "Well, it is Rarity. It figures she'd glam out her boutique in an afternoon." He walked up to the doorstep and knocked on the door with his free hand, clutching the roses tightly with his other. A few seconds later the door opened, revealing a small, white unicorn, about the same height as the dragon that waited to be answered. "Hi Sweetie Belle." Spike greeted politely. "Is Rarity home?" The filly nodded. "Yeah, but she's working on some super-secret thingamajig that she won't even tell me about!" "Why not?" Spike asked, curious on what would make the mare so secretive. "She says it's because I would end up telling everypony in town," Sweetie Belle scoffed. "But that's totally not true. Like the time I said I wouldn't tell anypony about that really interesting book she hides in her closet and I haven't told a single soul!" She flashed an innocent smile, oblivious that she had just broken her promise. Spike raised a quizzical eyebrow at the filly. After being in Ponyville for such a long time and getting to know everypony, it was no surprise to him that Sweetie Belle had just contradicted everything she just said. He still, however, debated whether or not to tell her of her error. Deciding that Sweetie Belle would figure it out eventually, he cut right to the chase. "That's nice…" He replied in a Fluttershy-like way. "But I need to see Rarity. I need to tell her something." Sweetie Belle's smile degenerated into a small, apologetic frown. "Rarity said that nopony was allowed to come in here until she was done." "Oh…" Spike said, rejection evident in his voice. "Okay… I guess I'll just go back home then..." With spirits crushed, he turned around to start his trek back home. He was about to take his first few steps back into the direction he came. He stopped himself when he felt a hoof on his shoulder. The dragon knew it was Sweetie Belle, but just why did she stop him? He turned around, his questioning eyes darting back to the small unicorn. Her usual smile was back. "What is it?" The dragon asked. Sweetie Belle's smile turned into a more devious looking smirk. "Rarity said that nopony was allowed in here." "And?" "Well… You're not a pony." "Umm… I'm not sure that's what-" He mentally stopped himself. Maybe Sweetie Belle's literal sense of direction could come in handy. "Actually, you're right! Mind if I come in?" The filly stepped aside to let the dragon in. "Come on in!" Spike's smile returned to his face. He walked into the boutique, which appeared to be as heavily decorated as the outside of the building. The walls were given a clean layer of light pink paint. Scattered red heart stained the walls, as did several framed pictures of happy couples. He noticed that all of the ponies in each picture were dressed elegantly. The rest of the room looked as though a twister had run amok through it. Threads, cut-up fabric, thimbles, and all sorts of other materials were scattered across the floor "Before you say anything about the mess, I didn't make it." Sweetie Belle said quickly. "Rarity had a bunch of customers earlier and things got kinda turbulent." The purple dragon turned back to the unicorn with confusion evident in his eyes. "Got kinda what?" "Turbulent. You know, chaotic, raging..." "Dictionary," Spike quietly muttered to himself. For such a young filly, she had a large vocabulary; even if she was a little scatterbrained. More clearly, he said, "So, where's Rarity?" "Up in her room at the top floor." Sweetie Belle replied. "Here, I'll walk you up there." She slowly headed towards the staircase at the other side of the room. The young dragon followed her. The staircase, thankfully, was free of debris. During the mad rush of last-minute dress shopping the second floor was most likely kept off limits. "Hey Spike," the filly asked out of the blue. "Why are you all dressed up? And what's with the flowers?" Spike had almost forgotten he came dressed up in a tuxedo top and the bouquet in his hands. He had come to Rarity's boutique quite often, so the feeling was quite casual, walking freely in her store and engaging in conversations with Sweetie Belle. At that moment, he was both thankful for and annoyed by Sweetie Belle's inability to put two ideas together. He was relieved that she didn't understand of romance, causing an awkward scene between the two. But now, he might just have to explain it to her. "Umm…" Spike awkwardly began. "Well, you see… Umm…" He scratched the back of his head, looking for an answer. "When one… living being likes another-" "Oh, you mean that? Nevermind then." Spike almost stopped. He looked back at the unicorn. "You mean you don't want to know?" "Rarity already told me about it!" Sweetie Belle replied innocently. The dragon's legs stopped with their movement. Rarity knew about his crush? Sure there was the incident when he nearly destroyed Ponyville in a greed-fueled rage when he hinted at it, but how would she know that he was planning to ask her to the party? "W-what?" Spike stuttered. "H-How'd she find out about my secret plan to ask her to the party?" Rather than seeing her with an eager-to-explain face, Sweetie Belle seemed as though she were confused and shocked. "You were going to ask my sister out?" The confused dragon shot the same look Sweetie Belle. "Wait, that's not what you were talking about? I thought you just said you knew about why I was all dressed up." "I read that princes wear that getup when they ask the princess to marry them." Sweetie Belle replied. "I thought it was kinda weird that you had all that stuff even though you weren't a prince…" Her eyes went wide in realization. "You're not here to play 'Princess' with my sister are you?" "No," Spike replied. He could see that Sweetie Belle had gotten her information from a Cindermarela book or a similar source. "I just wanted to ask Rarity to the party, that's it." The filly still looked at the dragon strangely. "Whatever you say…" She cautiously said, as if still untrusting of the dragon's intentions. Spike mentally decided to stop explaining. He would've just been fighting a losing war with the young pony. In the middle their conversation, they had wandered in front of Rarity's door, so it would've been pointless to continue arguing anyway. "Well, we're here." Sweetie Belle said. "Rarity's right inside." "Thanks Sweetie Belle." "You're welcome!" Spike was about to go in through the door, but quickly realized that Sweetie Belle was still there. "Um," He said uneasily. "I'm going to go in…?" "Okay." "And well, I want the conversation between me and Rarity to be… private." Sweetie Belle's ears flopped down and a lonely expression decorated her face. "Fine... I'll just go back to my room and read Rarity's interesting book I borrowed from her closet." The filly walked away back downstairs to read whatever novel Rarity was into. Spike mentally took a note to ask Rarity exactly what that book was later. Once the smaller unicorn was out of sight, Spike straightened his scales and dusted off his tuxedo. Once he was done checking himself, he knocked on the door and hid the flowers behind his back. "Rarity?" He asked through the closed door. "It's me, Spike." He waited about half of a minute until he heard the sound of the door unlocking. The white pony opened up the door, looking tired, but in a good mood. Her mane was slightly out of place in a few areas, but other than that, she looked as she always did to him: stunning. "Hello Spike." She greeted. "I wasn't expecting a visitor tonight. I thought I told Sweetie Belle that nopony was allowed in." "I'm not a pony." Spike reminded. Rarity brought a hoof to her face in realization. Spike could vaguely hear her mutter, "Next time, I'll tell her 'no-living organism'." The unicorn put her hoof back down. "Well, I suppose that while you're here you can come in." She walked back into her room and the dragon followed. "Okay…" Spike thought. "So far so good…" He immediately noticed six mannequins, each one with a beautiful dress adorned on them. The dragon assumed they were for his friends. They looked much like the dresses they wore to the Grand Galloping Gala (that they destroyed); however, they were even further detailed and the colors were more vibrant. It was clear that Rarity had improved quite a bit, and she was already very adept at her craft before. "Wow!" Spike awed. "Those dresses look amazing." "Why thank you, Spike." Rarity replied. "They're not even completely finished yet. I was thinking of publishing the old dress designs after I enhanced them." The unicorn followed up with a question. "I see you're in that tuxedo again. What's the occasion?" Spike knew this moment was going to come sooner or later. Fate apparently went with "soon". He swallowed a lump in his throat and shyly looked away. "Umm…" Spike began. "If… umm… you w-wanted to…" He was visibly sweating, his face turning pink. Rarity raised an eyebrow at the nervous dragon. "'If I wanted to' what, Spike?" "I-If…" Spike's words were failing him. The premade plan in his head was erased from his memory and he found it impossible to vocalize his request. "Yes, Spike?" Rarity asked, now becoming a little worried at Spike's excessive sweating and stuttering. Finally, he revealed the bouquet behind his back and presented it to the mare. Almost immediately after, he quickly let it out, "Willyougotothepartywithme?" Rarity took a step back in surprise, though it wasn't because of the shock from Spike's request. In all honesty, it was more because of the fact she didn't expect the dressed up dragon to suddenly whip out a bouquet of beautiful, yet thorny, roses that was roughly half as tall as him from behind his back. The unicorn looked down at the dragon with an unreadable expression on her face. A feeling at the back of her head told her that something like this would happen. Ignoring it was a bad idea, she knew. Rarity bit her lip. She may have wanted to go to the party, but having a childish, little dragon who was only slightly older than her sister as her escort? The thought never crossed her mind. She would've thought that one of the stallions in town would've asked her by tomorrow's time. Admittedly, the pony was worried more of her own social status. She had no idea what the kind of rumors would go about if she let herself get seen with Spike as his date to the party, but it surely wouldn't be good. After a long pause, Rarity finally responded. "I'm sorry Spike," she began. "But I don't think it's such a good idea." Spike's nervous face turned into one of disappointment. "Why not?" "Well, there is the species-boundary." Rarity replied. "But it's not like we're getting married." Spike defended. Rarity sighed. She knew it would be hard trying to break it to the young dragon. "Yes, that is true," She said. "But you need to think for a moment. Do you realize what kind of rumors could go around town if you would take me to the party?" "Ohh…" Spike realized. He didn't think about what would happen to their social lives if she said 'yes'. He still remembered all the rumors that went around after his friends wrecked the Grand Galloping Gala. The gossip didn't die down until almost a month after that incident passed, and even then it was because of a scandalous story about a celebrity couple in Canterlot. "I didn't know." He said dejectedly, looking down to his feet. He may have been young, but he wasn't stupid, not by a long shot. Spike became aware of the rumors that would spread. Thinking it over, Rarity was near the same age as Twilight. He was born when Twilight was still a filly, meaning there was also an age gap. Rarity's face turned apologetic. "I'm sorry about this Spike. You do understand, don't you?" Spike looked up at Rarity with a sigh. "I guess." Rarity immediately regretted her decision. Seeing Spike's saddened face matched his crushed spirits made her feel awful for denying him. The dragon turned around and shuffled towards the door, head now hung again. "I guess I'll see you later?" He asked, turning his head to the pony. With hesitation, the unicorn replied, "Yes. Goodnight Spike." "Night." He replied, depression coating his voice. He opened the door and left without another word. Rarity mentally hit herself across the face as soon as he left. What was she thinking, sending Spike away for her own wants? She wasn't exactly in love with the dragon. Through her eyes, she saw him as a very good friend, though she did keep her knowledge of his crush on her secret. She would've rather not talked about it, especially since the dragon was so young. She supposed it was just infatuation with her, though it was slowly turning into something more. Rarity always avoided the topic, though she would occasionally take advantage of his crush by making Spike do something for her, such as digging out gems for her, getting supplies for her in town, and the like. But she enjoyed his company. The unicorn thought it over. She realized that she already hangs around with Spike quite often, both with the rest of her friends in adventures and such, but also alone, like when she'd have him help out with tasks. She stomped a hoof on the ground. She knew she had done wrong, and she was ready to right it. "I have to fix this." She said, determined. She scanned her messy room for an idea. Her eyes darted from the new dresses to a few discarded pencils and prototype dress designs in a corner. After nearly a minute of searching, she was about to give up in her room and start looking somewhere else. But as she walked past her closet, she noticed a little pedestal with the fire-gem necklace resting on top of it. "That's it!" Rarity squealed. "This little gem just gave me an idea." Before she could get started, Sweetie Belle called out her name. A few seconds later, the filly walked into the room. "Hey Rarity," she said. "You got a minute?" "I suppose," Rarity replied, a bit uncertain about delaying her plan. "What is it?" "Well, I was reading this book and I don't know what this word means." Sweetie Belle reached behind her and brought it in front of Rarity. She flipped it open to a page near the middle point. "It's right there, at the top page." Rarity looked into the book. Almost immediately after, she closed the book, face reddened. "I think it's about time to go to bed, Sweetie Belle." She declared, levitating the book away. "But I'm not tired." "GO TO BED!" ------------------------------ Tonight was finally the night. The night everypony in Ponyville had been waiting for. After furious preparation and work, it was finally the night of Hearts and Hooves. Surprisingly, remarkably little happened during the daytime of the holiday. Of course there was the usual exchanging of presents and heart-candies, but it was small in comparison to the nighttime festivities. Nearly every pony in town crowded around Sugarcube Corner. During the daylight, more ponies had come to set up tents outside of the bakery to sell things and host activities for the younger audience. Pinkie Pie had called them, knowing that even with her renovations in the bakery wouldn't house so many ponies. At least half a hundred equines were lined up at the doorstep. A burly, brown pegasus was stationed, keeping the ponies in check. While everypony within a five-mile radius was invited, the bouncer was only there to make sure that nopony would get trampled in a mad rush to enter, something that would happen far too often in previous years. Only a few minutes had passed since the party officially began. Inside, there were already a sizeable amount of ponies, almost all of them in pairs. From Rainbow Dash and Soarin' talking amongst themselves near the punch bowl to Derpy clumsily dancing with a well-dressed, brown colt, there were a wide range of couples. Even the famous DJ-Pon3 stood closely to a male, slate-colored DJ at the turntables as they played music. In the line, Twilight was waiting in the middle of the line with Spike. For the occasion, she wore the simple, yellow dress that Rarity made for her on her birthday. While Rarity insisted that she take the dress back, Twilight convinced her to let her keep it. Spike was in his tuxedo that he wore the day before. While the purple unicorn herself didn't have a date, it didn't bother her. She saw the party as a learning experience, to see other couples and interact with them. Of course, having her friends there did not dampen the mood either. From the recent news, she was actually quite eager to meet the ponies her friends seemed to like so much. As for Spike… well, things could've gone better. Twilight Sparkle had to use some rather powerful telekinesis to drag Spike out of his bed so he would come to the party. He wasn't in the "Hearts and Hooves Day" spirit; how could he with a broken heart? He didn't bother to hide his sad expression, head hung low. He had a nagging feeling in the back of his head that told him it would've been better if he never tried to ask Rarity out in the first place. Twilight seemed not to notice, even though she already had. After several hours of trying to get Spike to cheer up –she would later admit it would've gone better if Pinkie was there to help- she decided it would be better to just leave him be for the moment. But when the time for the party reared its head, Twilight saw the dragon still moping. Rather than leave him behind, she forced Spike to come with her, hoping that the party would cheer him up. The duo slowly moved forward, constantly stopping and going so that the burly pegasus could make sure no one would trample each other. At least five minutes had passed by until somepony in a glittery, red dress caught Twilight's eye from a small distance. "Rarity!" She shouted. She waved to the other unicorn, who waved back. Spike immediately jerked out of his stupor, looking towards the direction Twilight shouted. Indeed, there was a familiar-maned unicorn not that much farther from then. After a few seconds, Rarity closed the gap. "Good evening, darling!" She greeted, a little bit over enthusiastic. "How are you?" "Great," Twilight replied. She put a hoof on top of Spike's head and replicated a playful noogie. "Spike here's a little down, but I'm sure a classic Pinkie Pie party will cheer him up." Spike dared not too look at Rarity. He felt it would be too awkward for him to face the unicorn again. Plus, Twilight being right there didn't help either. "I see. Speaking of Spike," Rarity said. "May I borrow him for a moment? I need his help for a little task." Spike felt a leap in his heart. Just what would she need him for? Even though he was used to doing favors for Rarity often, he was curious for what she would need his help to do on this holiday. "Of course Rarity. You don't mind, do you Spike?" Twilight said, turning to the dragon. "Uhh, no. Not at all." Spike replied. He stepped out of the line and walked next to Rarity. They made their departure. Spike didn't speak yet, and neither did Rarity. They were just walking away from the bustling bakery and its huge line. Spike got curious on why she didn't bother explaining where they were going. "Where are we going, Rarity?" Spike asked. "And what am I doing anyway?" "You'll see." Rarity replied, not bothering to look at Spike. Eventually, the two had gone back to the Carousel Boutique, where Spike would usually perform his favors. This struck Spike as odd, considering that Rarity would want to have him perform his task here, when she could have easily asked him some other time after the party. They both walked onto the doorstep. Spike reached for the door, but was stopped by Rarity blocking him with a hoof. "Just wait out here for a short moment, please." Rarity said. She entered her shop, leaving Spike on the doorstep. Spike was left to his thoughts. Usually when he would assist Rarity, she would have him go inside to fetch a tool, or other item they would need. Maybe it wasn't a task he was supposed to do at all. But he realized that would bring up the question of why she dragged him to her boutique in the first place. Rarity came back much sooner than expected, a small, decorate box levitated by her magic. "I want to apologize for my… negligence earlier." She placed the silver box in his hand. Spike hesitated for a moment before opening it. Inside was a gold ring, with several, tiny blue gems encrusted in it. Before any other question appeared in his mind, he asked the immediate one. "What's this for?" "Consider it an 'apology ring'." Rarity replied. "Forgive me if it's the wrong size; we ponies are not used to making rings for obvious reasons." Spike looked back at the unicorn with wide eyes. "An apology for what?" Rarity sighed. "I'm sorry that I turned you down yesterday. I realize now that I was being selfish for sacrificing your wants for my own." "Wait, you mean you were lying when you said everyone might start rumors?" Spike asked. "Well… no," Rarity said. She shamefully stared down at the ground. "But after you left, I realized that you meant more to me than what other ponies think." "Oh," Spike replied, somewhat unsure how to string the conversation along. "Well… Thanks for caring. It really means a lot." He said shyly. He put the ring on his right hand, admiring the craftsmanship. For a pony who was unfamiliar in jewelry making, Rarity was quite good. "It's the least I can do." Rarity replied. Abruptly, she walked past him, away from the boutique. Spike raised an eyebrow at the retreating pony, not sure why she would just leave him without another word. He felt a twisting pang in his chest. Did she really just give the ring to him as an apology, nothing more? Rarity looked back at the dragon. "Come on Spike," she called out. "You are taking me to the Hearts and Hooves party, are you not?" Spike's scales stood up in surprise. "What?" He said blankly. He could've sworn his hearing was deceiving him. Rarity turned towards Spike, a gentle smile on her face. "Well, it would make sense that after making you so grumpy, giving you what you asked for in the first place seems like the best thing." Spike shook himself out of his stupor and grew a cheeky smile. Thankful he wasn't dreaming, he hopped off the doorstep and ran up to the unicorn. When he got close enough, he jumped and gave the unicorn hug around her neck. She returned the hug. "Thanks Rarity." He quietly said. Rarity smiled at the dragon in her hooves. She felt that she did the right thing. Even if the other ponies thought that a dragon and unicorn was an odd couple to the party, it didn't matter. As long as Spike wasn't hurting, she felt her conscience clear. Spike pulled out of the hug. A blush covered his face as he nervously scratched the back of his head. "Hehe… Sorry." He said, embarrassed. "No apology needed." Rarity reassured. "Shall we?" Spike nodded, bowing before her. "Of course, milady." He said formally. Rarity smiled, walking forward with Spike following at her side. Even if it was a romantic holiday, she would've much rather been spending it with a good friend than some stranger stallion. She stole a quick look at Spike. "Hmm…" Rarity thought. "Maybe when he's older. He already makes a much better suitor than Prince Blueblood."