//------------------------------// // Nightmare Rarity // Story: How He Truly Feels // by N7_Spartan117 //------------------------------// As Rarity traveled through time, all she could think about was what Spike had told Sweetie Belle. “He loves me. He really, truly loves me!” said Rarity with excitement. “How could I have been so dense? It is true? He really does everything I ask him to do without question. He even risks his own life just for me.” As the time spell wore off, Rarity was able to see that she had landed on the surface of the moon. She quickly found Spike, Princess Luna, and her friends as they searched for her past self. “Thank you so much, Twilight,” said Spike as he hugged Twilight for eighth time. “Spike, I said you don’t need to thank me,” said Twilight as Spike released her, “Why did you even bring that Fire Ruby anyway?” “Because I think it will help save Rarity,” answered Spike as he held the gem close to his heart. “Or maybe he thinks it will make Rarity see that he likes her,” whispered Rainbow Dash in Applejack's ear. Hearing this made Rarity’s heart sink again in regret. As she watched her friends search for her, Rarity noticed a large dark mist quickly rushing towards them. “RUN! I have no power over the Nightmare Mist!” yelled Luna as the mist closed in on them. Although they tried to outrun the mist, one by one each of Rarity’s friends were caught in the cloud. Spike was the first to be pulled in. “SPIKEY!!!” yelled Rarity as she watched the drake get pulled in. She quickly galloped into the mist to try and save him, forgetting she could not touch him. She was able to quickly find Spike, but he was on the ground crying. “Spikey? Spikey, what's wrong?” she asked him desperately. “No…No….No…let her go,” mumbled Spike. Rarity quickly cast the mind-reading spell to see what was haunting him, but what she found was most…unpleasant. Rarity soon found herself back in Ponyville with Spike and a large, nightmarish creature holding her in its claws. “NO! Give her back!” demanded Spike as he stood up to the creature. “If you insist,” said the creature in a sinister tone. The creature released Rarity from its claw and placed her back on the ground next to Spike, but as soon as her hooves hit the ground, the creature began to stomp on her until she stopped moving. “NO!!!!” yelled Spike as his tears started to roll down his face. As soon as the illusion Rarity stopped breathing, the creature disappeared. “Spikey, it's okay, it's not real,” said Rarity trying to talk to him, but to no avail. “Rarity, please wake up. Please…please,” cried Spike, but the illusion did not respond. Spike soon began to hold her lifeless body in his arms and began to rock back and forth. “Please don’t go. Please don’t go.” “Spikey….Spikey, wake up! It's not me! I'm alive! See?” asked Rarity as she walked in front of the drake, but like before, he could not hear her. Rarity began to worry as she watched Spike began to shake; it was as if he had lost all purpose to go on as he held onto the illusion. Rarity was on the verge of tears herself, until she heard the voice of Princess Luna calling out to Spike. “Young dragon, this is not real. Your friend is still alive,” said Luna as she approached the grieving drake. “No, she’s not. Look at her!” replied Spike as he showed Luna the dead body. “Young one, listen to me. She is still out there, and need you to save her.” “No, she’s not! She's dead! Don't you get it?! Gone! Dead!” “No, Spike, she lives! But she will be gone if you don’t wake up!” said Luna. As Spike turned to look at Rarity; he saw that the body was no longer there. “She…she’s not dead?” asked Spike as he looked around for the body. “Of course not. Now please, wake up,” said Luna. “Yes, please wake up,” Rarity repeated. Seeing it was all a dream, Spike began to wake up. “I WILL SAVE YOU, RARITY!!!!” yelled Spike as he began to regain consciousness, loud enough for Nightmare Rarity to hear him from her palace. “Spikey?” asked the small part of Rarity, still inside of Nightmare Rarity’s mind. With Spike now more determined than ever to save his love, he and Luna began to help wake the other ponies up. Rarity watched as Spike rushed to each of her friends with a stern expression on his face. “Spikey never told me what had happened to him when they came to rescue me,” said Rarity, still in shock over what she had seen. “I understand why he chose not to tell me, but he….he… It’s my fault. If I had never let my insecurities get the better of me, he would never have had to face this nightmare.” As the guilt for her actions finally sank in, Rarity began to cast the time spell to her next destination. “Oh Spikey, you never should have come after me,” said Rarity in a depressed tone. “You do everything for me, and all I do is give you meaningless gems. What is it, Spike? What is it about me that you love so much?” As the time spell stopped, Rarity could see two of the Nightmare creatures holding Spike up to eye level to her wicked form—Nightmare Rarity. “But…But Rarity, I lov…..I lov..” said Spike, choking on his words. “Aww, poor Spike can’t even say it to her,” said Nightmare Rarity, mocking Spike. “Tell me, dragon, why do you think some self-respecting pony like her would ever love you?” Rarity was lost for words; she had never seen anypony make fun of her Spikey for his feelings. “I don’t,” said Spike in an emotionless tone as he looked at the floor, taking Rarity by surprise. “What was that?” “I don’t expect her to ever love me,” answered Spike, now looking the mare in the eyes. “I don’t know if she will ever love me, and you want to know the truth? I am afraid, but not of you. I'm scared of what she will think if I tell her.” “Spikey,” said Rarity with tears in her eyes. “I…I…you shouldn’t be afraid, Spike. I…I...lov-AHHHH!” Rarity was magically pulled to the next destination: Ponyville during her Nightmare self’s invasion, when her friends were trying to save her. “That's it! Keep thinking of what made her special to you,” said Twilight as she and the rest of Rarity’s friends used their memories of her to save her. It was long before Rarity noticed Spike walking over to the weakened Nightmare Rarity, holding the shattered pieces of her Fire Ruby. “I love you, Rarity. I love you so much,” whispered Spike, just quiet enough for Rarity to hear him. “You mean so much to me. You’re smart, generous, caring, kind, loving, and so much more. I love you! Please…..please come home.” Spike started to put the ruby to his head as he spoke, causing it to magically repair itself. As soon as the gem was fixed, Rarity started to appear out of the dark clouds, and was promptly pulled out by her friends. As past Rarity reunited with her friends, Rarity stood amazed at what Spike had said. “He really thinks that of me?” asked Rarity, the tears returning to her eyes—not tears of sadness, but of joy. Never had anypony ever said anything like that about her. Most would say she was beautiful and talented, but all that paled in comparison to Spike’s words. “Oh, Spikey, when I get back…..I promise I will never treat you as a servant ever again! I'll never take advantage of you, and I'll be sure to tell you that I lov—oh, I wish I could see you now!” exclaimed Rarity in frustration. As she continued to watch her past self and Spike, the scroll containing the mind reading spell unraveled, revealing a new spell. “What is this?” asked Rarity as she began to study the spell. The new spell would allow her to travel to the present, but like the time traveling spell, nopony could see or hear her. “I suppose it’s close enough,” Rarity sighed, “At least I'll get to see my Spikey again.” As Rarity started to cast the new spell, Discord was beginning to leave his friend Jean-Luc and return to Rarity, when he noticed he was missing a scroll. “Now where did I put that present spell?” asked Discord as he checked his red and white striped hat, pulling out a tall, black-and-white cat. “Hey, that's my hat! I'll be taking that!” rhymed the cat as he disappeared into the future. “Did I leave it with Rarity?” asked Discord as he scratched his head. He soon remembered that he did in fact write the spell on the same scroll as the mind-reading spell. “I did. Oh well, what’s the worst that could happen?” It did not take Rarity long to travel into the present. Luckily for her, the spell took her directly to Spike, who was drowning his sorrows at Sugarcube Corner. “Spikey!!” yelled Rarity with glee, able to see his green spikes at the entrance of the shop. She quickly galloped over to him, only to be devastated by what she found. The sight before her brought tears to her eyes. “No!” whispered Rarity in horror. Once again, tears started running down her face. What she had found was her Spikey-wikey kissing a violet maned mare.