//------------------------------// // Dragon Quest // Story: How He Truly Feels // by N7_Spartan117 //------------------------------// “The most beautiful mare in all of Equestria.” Those words ran around in Rarity’s head, causing her heart to beat even faster than before. “Why can I not get those words out of my head?” asked Rarity. “The words are really sweet, but surely that's all they are, just words. I am sure he will find a nice, sweet….little dragon…….or mare….to…” The thought of Spike liking somepony—or dragon—else seemed to trouble Rarity to no end. “Why do I keep doing this? Surely I am not jealous of somepony else being in love with my little Spikey-wikey? Sure I may have acted a little upset when Moondancer asked him out, but….she came on FAR too strongly,” said Rarity, trying to justify her actions and ignore her own feelings. “How else was Spikey to react? He has not sorted out his feelings for me and realized it's just a crush. It is just a crush, right?” Meanwhile Discord, who was still in his unicorn form, was observing Rarity’s progress through a tear in reality; Discord could only shake is head in disbelief. “Oh come on, you finally get to the place I wanted you to be and now you want to ignore it!” said Discord, as if she could hear him. “If only I could talk to her, but I can’t yet. She is so close, I can feel it. She only needs a nudge, or shove, if it really comes down to it, in the right direction.” Discord started to reach through the tear, almost hitting a young blue coated unicorn mare with a broken horn and a brown earth pony with a band wrapped around his right hoof running though the tear, and gently tapped on the distracted Rarity, knocking her into her own mind. “That should do it.” “D, who are you talking to?” asked Jean-Luc cautiously as he tried to look into the tear. “Mind your own business. Hey should you really be back in your younger body?” asked Discord as he quickly closed the tear in time and space before Dr Whooves did it himself. “Where…..where am I?” asked Rarity nervously as she looked around at area surrounding her. It seemed she had landed in her version of paradise, a placed filled with all the latest fashions and fabrics that she could only dream of. “I am in paradise!” screamed Rarity as she looked back and forth. “Just look at this place. It’s …..it’s fabulous! Come along Spike, we have... Oh that’s right, he’s not here...” Rarity’s heart began to sink at the thought of Spike. Suddenly, a bright purple and green light began to shine from a slot in one of the storage shelves. As Rarity approached the shelf, she began to see what was shining; it was a green and purple fabric with images of Spike on it. “What is this? Are these my memories of Spike?” asked Rarity as she started to rub the fabric. As she rubbed the fabric, Rarity’s hoof accidentally hit one of the images, which magically pulled her into the image. Rarity soon found herself back in Twilight’s library at the time when Spike had announced to Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and her past self, his quest to join the dragon migration. “Spike, all I'm saying is that you could get hurt,” said Rainbow Dash, trying to talk Spike out of leaving. “Darling, this time I really do have to agree with Rainbow Dash. I don't want those nasty dragons to hurt one little scale on your cutesy-wutesy head!” said past Rarity as she patted Spike on the head. “I am sorry, but I've made up my mind,” protested Spike as he walked towards the door, but as he did Rarity could hear him mumble something under his breath. She quickly cast the mind reading spell to see what he was thinking. “Hey, maybe if I figure out how real dragons are supposed to act, Rarity will stop treating me like a kid,” thought Spike. “Oh, Spikey,” thought Rarity as she watch him exit the library. The pain in Rarity’s heart returned, but this time she was able to identify it—it was raw guilt. “I never meant to make you feel like a child.” Rarity turned her attention back to her past self, who was deeply worried for Spike’s safety; she then cast the mind reading spell on her past self. “Please don’t go Spikey,” thought past Rarity as she started to bite her hoofs. “Quick, stop him before it’s too late!!” Rarity watched as Rainbow Dash tried to pull Spike back into the library, and as she did, a part of her wished that Rainbow Dash would win the fight. But she knew that it was not going to happen. Rarity watch as Twilight reassured Spike he could go, and she began to hear the voice of her past self thinking: “Twilight, if anything happens to him, I. Will. Hurt. You.” “Agreed,” replied Rarity without even thinking. “Wait! Why did I just say that?” Rarity started to grow suspicious of these involuntary feelings and acts. Just as Spike started out on his quest, Rarity was then taken to when she, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight were following closely behind Spike as he made his journey to migration. “Whatever is wrong with this spell?” she asked, “I want to follow Spike not myself.” As Rarity questioned what was wrong with the spell, Discord was snickering to himself. “She never said I couldn’t give her a little push,” said Discord as he read over a large contract. Rarity quickly turned her attention to Spike; he was not far ahead of Twilight and her past self. “Oh Spikey, why did you not turn back and come home,” said Rarity as she followed close behind him. She soon started to hear the voice of her past self complaining to Twilight. “Twilight, why did you let him leave?” asked past Rarity as she held the folded dragon costume in her magic. “Yeah, you obviously didn’t want him to go,” replied Rainbow Dash as she flew above the others to see how far away the drake was. “I couldn't have stopped him. He was going to leave even if I wouldn’t let him,” confessed Twilight, leaving past Rarity and Rainbow Dash where both shocked to hear this. “What do you mean he was going leave?” asked Rainbow Dash and past Rarity in unison. Twilight started to reach into her saddle bag and pulled out a rolled up scroll. “He was going to leave this for me to find,” Twilight handed the letter to Rainbow Dash and past Rarity, who both shared an expression of shock as they read the letter. Dear Twilight, If you are reading this, then that means you said no to me leaving to join the dragon migration. I know you are probably worried sick and are on your way to stop me. Please do not try and find me I need to do this. I need to find out what I am. I promise to be back soon and when I do, I will even watch that movie with the boat sinking and the stallion being too stubborn to get a new piece of wood to float on. I love you. Your number one assistant, Spike P.S. If you found the other letter, please do not show it to Rarity. “Hey, Twilight, what did the other letter say?” asked Rainbow Dash as past Rarity studied the first letter. Twilight quickly pulled out the other letter and handed it to Rainbow Dash for her to read. Dear Rarity, I just wanted to tell you, if I do not come back, that I will always be thinking of you, and that I… I… lov that I will miss you. Sincerely, Your Spikey-wikey “Awww Spikey-wikey, I would miss you too, but it will not come to that,” said past Rarity as she read over Rainbow’s shoulder, oblivious to what Spike wanted to say. This caused both Twilight and Rainbow to facehoof. Unfortunately, they misjudged how hard to hit themselves due to Rarity's blindness, and both rectified this with a cry of "ouch”. “I know Spike told the big awful dragon that he might stay with them, but… but I never knew he had already thought about actually staying,” said Rarity. The pain in her heart returned, but this time it brought images into her mind of Spike staying with the dragons and falling in love with another dragon. The images started to make her angry and scared; she tried to ignore the pain they were causing, but the more she did the more pain they caused. As the images became more realistic and 3D, she was then magically pulled back into her mind and was able to see and hear what the images in her mind where saying. “I love you Spike. Will you promise to stay with me and never return to that awful unicorn?” asked a small dragon with white scales and purple spines. “I promise never to leave. I don’t love Rarity and want nothing to do with her. I love you,” answered Spike as he moved into kiss her. Even though it was just her heart and mind playing tricks on her, her mind decided to put more fuel on the fire as time slowed down when the two kissed. Rarity was absolutely heartbroken. “He doesn’t want anything to do with me?” asked Rarity as a single tear rolled down her cheek. It may have been her heart and mind playing tricks on her, but to Rarity, it was real, and it caused her to fall into a deep depression, until she remembered the rose he meant to give her. “No, this is not real! My Spiky would never leave me. He loves me, and I love him!!!” yelled Rarity pulling herself back out of her mind. She quickly put a hoof in her mouth and stood there in shock after hearing herself. She slowly removed her hoof. “What did I just say?!"