//------------------------------//
// Rarity's Favor 
// Story: Rarity's Favor 
// by Hardcover 
//------------------------------//

“Twilight,” a deep voice, fraught with urgency, awoke Twilight from her slumber as the sun was beginning to rise. She knew the owner of the voice before she opened her eyes. There was only one male who still called her that.
She looked to the face of her old friend, craning his dragon neck over her bed. “Spike? Is something wrong?” She could see tears in his huge emerald eyes.
“Rarity’s really sick.”


*	*	*


The three princesses emerged from the throne room into the Hall of Windows where Spike awaited them. Celestia led them, her face as serene and inscrutable as ever. Luna’s expression was hard as she turned over the consequences of this event in her mind, grappling with a day that they had all dreaded would come. Twilight’s face was more obviously worried. If her friend was dying, it wouldn’t be long before the other bearers, her best friends, would follow her.
Spike stood as they approached. Well into his seventies, he was almost twice Celestia’s size. They looked up at him as he drew nearer. “So what do you think? Will she be alright?”
Celestia’s voice was diplomatic and even. “We’ll just have to see, Spike. I’ll look at her myself.” The princesses hurried on their way, Spike looking after them. Twilight turned back to face him.
“What’s going on, Twilight? Do they think she’ll be okay?”
“Spike…” She forced herself to hold his hopeful gaze. He was her oldest friend. He deserved her honesty. “She is very old.”
Spike hung his head, nodding. 
“Come on,” she said. He followed her outside where they launched into flight.


*	*	*


By noon, Spike had been anxiously waiting on the balcony of the Canterlot suite that he shared with Rarity. He had so wanted to be by her side, to comfort her, but Celestia had shooed him out. He understood that there wasn’t much he could do, and that being by her would only agitate him further, but it still frustrated him to be apart from her.
He heaved a great sigh, smoking curling from his lips. He had seen Twilight leave earlier. That could only mean one thing. She was getting her friends.
Rainbow Dash would be coming soon. Even in her old age, she was still faster than any train.
“Speak of Discord,” Spike said as he saw the familiar rainbow streak in the sky. In a flash, the blue pegasus hovered before him. She, despite her years of constantly pushing her body to the limit, had aged better than any of them. The wrinkles on her face and coat were minor, and her eyes and voice were as animated as youthful as ever.
“Hey you,” she said. “You’ve gotten bigger since I last saw you.”
“I hit another growth spurt last year,” he responded. “Rarity’s inside.”
“How are you holding up?” Rainbow Dash landed on his shoulder, leaning against his neck for support.
“I’m not the one to worry about.”
“I know. But if I go in there, I know the first thing Rarity’s going to ask me is if I saw you and if you were okay, and what am I going to tell her?”
He smiled. “Tell her I’m getting her flowers.”
“Well?” Rainbow Dash waved her hoof expectantly, taking to the air again.
Spike spread his great wings with a gust of wind and shot off towards the mountains. The clouds were a blur past him, the air chilling as he rose higher and higher, towards the snow-capped summit. In an instant he had reached the top, alighting down, the snow crunching between his clawed toes.
He travelled a great distance in almost no time at all, but now the difficult part began. Spike craned his neck down toward the snow, breathing softly to melt the ice that coated the rocky heath. The ice roses, crystal formations that looked like flowers, only grew on this mountain. They were incredibly rare, but he had sought them out. To him they were a delicacy, but to Rarity, they were more. The flowers he had brought her on the day of their marriage.
His eyes scanned the melting snow automatically, his expression calming with the tedious, time-consuming task. He knew he would find some eventually, and his mind couldn’t help but drift back.
“Was it only fifty years ago?” he thought. It all seemed so clear.


*	*	*


Celestia stood at the altar behind him. Spike stood to her shoulder, his suit tight on his body. The tailor had never custom-made a suit for a dragon before, but he had done his best. However, slots still had to be slitted the night of the rehearsal to accommodate Spike’s wings. Spike breathed slowly to still his heart. Rarity was about to appear before him.
The flower fillies skipped out, dropping the sparkling blossoms behind them. Spike smiled. Rarity had no idea that when she came out from the alcove, she would be greeted by perfect gems.
There was a collective holding of breath as Rarity appeared. Her dress was unadorned and simple, but her eyes were more radiant than ever. Spike’s face erupted in a smile as his eyes were stained with tears. Never before had she looked so beautiful.
Once she reached him, she took a moment, waiting for Celestia to begin before she spoke under her breath. “Try to hold yourself together. If you cry, I’ll lose it.”
“What did you think of the flowers?” he asked her eagerly.
“I don’t understand,” she replied. “You were the one who suggested that this dress shouldn’t have any gems. What did you say?”
“That no gem could be more beautiful than your eyes.”
“Precisely. So I don’t know why you would undermine that with diamond-cut flowers.”
“They’re not diamonds. They’re ice roses.” He heard her stifle a gasp.
“How did you find them?”
“I remembered everything you said about gemfinding. It took me a few days to get all of them, but it was worth it.”
“Why?”
He turned to her. “It’s said that there is no flower or gem more beautiful than the ice rose. And once I saw you walk past them, I knew that there was a pony more beautiful than even them.”
She faced him, a flattered smile on her face. “You’re so cheesy, Spike.”


*	*	*


Spike had found two blossoms after a couple of hours. With a frown, he saw the sun was setting. He had spent too much time on the mountain already. The rest of Twilight’s friends would be there by now, and they would be worried about him. Cradling the ice roses delicately in his claws, he headed back, flying high over the city before landing in the street outside of his home.
Applejack was the first out the door, and the rest followed after her. “Good to see you, Spike,” she said. “You’ve grown.”
“Yeah,” he replied. The rest began to crowd around him, admiring how big he had gotten and how they remembered him when he was still a baby. The memories of his youth were still enough to bring a blush to his face.
Twilight was the last outside. “Come in, Spike. We’ve been waiting for you.” He followed after them, ducking to enter the already massive doorway of Rarity’s home, stopping when he heard hooves beat on the stones behind him.
“I hope we’re not too late,” a gruff voice said. The seven turned to see an old, white unicorn, standing next to his wife, a young, pink alicorn.
“General,” Spike said in surprise. The unicorn looked like a relic from the Great War.
Twilight spoke. “She’s inside. She’ll be happy to know you came.”
Spike and Shining Armor locked eyes for a long time. Finally, Cadence spoke. “Come on, everypony. Give the men their moment. I’ll talk to Rarity, if she’ll see me.” Cadence walked ahead of her husband, and the rest followed her lead, letting the two old war buddies alone.
Shining Armor approached Spike, sitting on the curb next to him. Spike sat in turn. “I’m alright,” he said preemptively.
“I know. You’ve been prepared for this day for a long time.” Shining Armor scratched his chin with a hoof. “How’s she feeling?”
“I don’t know. She’s been resting all day or talking with her friends. I haven’t gotten the chance to talk to her.” There was a pause. “She’s dying.”
“She’s probably waiting for you, you know.” Shining Armor let that hang in the air. “So why haven’t you spoken to her?”
“I…” Spike choked down a sob. “I can’t. I can’t see her like that.”
“Spike…” Shining Armor looked at his great friend, sincerity in his dark eyes. “We know how you feel. For a while now, we’ve all been wondering when we would start going. I thought I would be the first. It could happen any month now. Cadence knows it too. I… had another nightmare last night. The first one I’ve had in years. I dreamt that I was on a ship to that beach, and she was standing on the sand, waving goodbye. I dreamt that I would never see her again. When I woke up and told her, she cried and made me promise I would give her more time.”
Spike was speechless. “Why are you telling me this?”
Shining Armor looked up at the painted sky. “Because I’m not afraid to leave her. She’ll be following me someday. I know I’ll see her again. You might have to wait longer, but you will, too. Just make sure that you do something with the time you spend apart. Help Twilight, and make Equestria as beautiful as you can. Make her proud of you.” Shining Armor looked down again. Spike could tell that he was resisting tears. The unicorn stood. “I’ll give you a moment,” he said in a shaky voice, and the old general went to join his wife inside.


*	*	*


Six months before their wedding, Spike had pulled some strings and gotten Rarity a ticket to the Grand Galloping Gala. After her first experience, Rarity had vowed never to attend the wretched event ever again. Spike pleaded with his biggest eyes, and finally she had agreed to go on the date with him.
Spike had led her to the garden, and the two had gotten lost within the hedge maze. Rarity was dressed beautifully, a slim violet dress with emerald accents to match her escort. He had brought a picnic, setting up beneath a fountain, and had prepared the food himself. Rarity was eating calmly while looking up at the clear, starry night. “You’ve gotten better with the cooking,” she said after a few bites.
“Lots of practice,” he replied.
“I think it’s natural for a dragon to be good at cooking. What with the fire and all.”
“Don’t you think that would make dragons worse cooks? We’d burn everything.”
She turned to him with a smile. “But you are the exception, darling.” She reached into her purse. “I got something for you as well.”
“Why?” he responded. “It’s not my birthday. Is it our anniversary? I forgot, didn’t I?” He began to breathe heavily.
“Relax. There’s no real occasion. When you mentioned a picnic, I thought you might like something to eat as well.”
“There’s nothing wrong with pony food,” he said. “I do eat it every day.”
“But my Spike deserves better.” She drew out a drawstring bag and levitated it up to him. “Open it,” she commanded excitedly. Spike obliged with a toying smile. But when he saw the contents, he gasped.
“Are these all…?”
“Fire rubies,” she answered.
He stared at them, stunned. “How did you get these?”
“I have connections too, you know.” She tossed her mane, pleased with his reaction. “After you gave me that first one, I realized that you still had never tasted one.”
“You don’t have to repay that. You gave me that swanky bowtie.”
“Still, I know how much you love to eat. I thought it was a shame that you gave up possibly the greatest tasting gem of all just so that I could stroke my vanity.”
He took one out, holding it before his face, examining the way the heart-shaped gem caught the moonlight, glowing a deep crimson. “It’s a shame. They’re so lovely.”
“They are lovely,” Rarity agreed. “But beauty fades. You should appreciate it while you can.”
He turned to her. “I don’t think that’s entirely true.”
“It is, darling. Time will wear those rubies away eventually, and we all must grow old. Even dragons.”
“No,” Spike asserted. “You will always be beautiful.”
She scoffed. “We’ll see if you’re still saying that with a straight face in ten or twenty more years.”
He smiled a wry smile. “You still want to be with me in ten or twenty years?”
She returned with a hard look. “What do you mean?”
Spike reached a hand into the breast pocket of his suit. “I mean that I’d like to see what you look like in fifty years.” 
With a flick of a claw, Spike opened the ring box, the stars sparkling against the diamond  within.


*	*	*


By the time Luna had risen the moon, it had begun to snow. Even with his scales, Spike shivered in the winter frost. 
Twilight Sparkle came out to him. “Spike, it’s freezing. What are you still doing out here?”
“I’m just thinking, Twilight.”
“I don’t understand.” Her voice was filled with worry. “She’s been asking about you all day. ‘Where’s my Spike?’ ‘Is he alright?’ She’s worried about you.”
“I just need a minute.”
“Spike…” Twilight’s voice was barely a whisper. “She won’t wait much longer.”
Spike’s breath caught, and he made a pained noise. “I can’t. If I go in there, I’ll have to say goodbye, and if I say goodbye… she’ll leave me!” With that, Spike’s final defenses broke, and he cried.
His best friend drew close to him, brushing him with a wing. “Celestia and Luna have been teaching me about these things. I knew I would outlive my friends, and I’ve been prepared for it, but it sounds like you need to hear what they told me.”
Spike managed to hold back his tears to look at her, and she continued. “We’re here for a reason, Spike. We live as long as we do because we have important jobs.”
“Maybe you do,” Spike countered. “But she’s everything to me! What am I supposed to do once she’s gone?”
Twilight sighed and looked down at the snow gathering in the street. “Celestia and Luna won’t be around forever. I’ve known ever since I became a princess that I was meant to succeed them. And once they’re gone, all my friends will be, too. Except for you.” She looked up at him with teary eyes. “Spike, soon you’re going to be my only friend. And I can’t lead Equestria without you. Promise me you won’t leave me alone.”
The tears began to stream down her eyes, and Spike’s heart welled with the sight of his oldest friend’s sorrow. “I won’t.” He sighed. “But how can I go on after tonight? I have thousands of years ahead of me. I don’t want to forget her.”
“I promise I won’t let you,” Twilight assured him. “I’ll help you, too. You’re my best friend. I wouldn’t ask you to stick around for me and let you live in misery. I promise you, everything will be alright.”
A jolt of fear gripped Spike. “You can’t promise that. Things will never be this good ever again.”
“Spike.” She put a hoof on his arm for support. “It will.” They locked eyes. “Go to her.”
With a heavy breath, Spike entered the house.


*	*	*


It had been about ten years after Twilight had become a princess. He had gone through his first growth spurt and stood about as tall as any other pony. He adjusted the jeweled bowtie to align with the lapels of his suit. Steadying his breath, he knocked on her door.
She answered promptly. “Spike? What is- what are you doing?”
“Rarity, I was wondering if you would go to dinner with me.”
She fretted. “Spike, I thought we had been over this. You said yourself that you wanted to be friends.”
“I know. And if that’s all you want, then I understand. But I’ve been having these feelings, Rarity, and they’re different than when I was younger. I don’t know what to say, but I think you feel them, too.”
“I don’t know, Spike. I just…” She looked at him. “You’re wearing the suit I gave you for your birthday, aren’t you?”
“It’s the only one I own. No one else makes suits for dragons.”
She smiled, and he capitalized. “Just for tonight, Rarity. Go to dinner with me and try it out. If you don’t feel the same by the end of the night, I understand. We can always be friends.”
“But what if I say no? Won’t you be hurt?”
“At least I would know that you thought about it. Don’t you want know, too?”
She took a deep breath as she made her decision. “Alright. Give me a moment to get ready.”
Spike gave a big smile as she went inside. When she returned, she was in a silver dress that glittered like diamonds. She had strings of pearls running through her mane. “Ready?” he asked her.
“Yes. By the way, you look nice, Spike. But I’m afraid I’m going to have to dock you some points. The other stallions in years past at least came with flowers,” she joked.
“But were they wearing your designs?” he came back.
“I suppose not. Touché.”
“You look great, too Rarity.” She gave a sincere smile.
Spike had reserved the fanciest restaurant in Ponyville. When they arrived, the maître’d had the table waiting for them. “Reservations?” Rarity asked. “What if I had said no?”
“I knew you wouldn’t,” Spike said. “At the very least, I was banking on the fact that it’s been a while since you’ve been asked out. You wouldn’t pass up the chance to have some guy spend an entire night trying to make you feel special, would you?”
“I might,” she replied as they sat. “I always felt a little guilty whenever you used to fawn over me. You deserve to feel special, too, you know.”
“I know,” he responded. “That’s why I asked you out.”
She turned her head in puzzlement. “I don’t understand.”
“We’ve been friends for a long time,” Spike began, taking her hooves in his hands. “And before I felt any of these feelings all I wanted was for you to be happy. But recently, I’ve noticed how happy we make each other. Even when I was younger, you were so touched when I gave you that fire ruby, and you’re the only pony I’ve ever met who cares to go out of your way to make sure that I’m okay. But now that we’re older, we’ve been looking for love, and we haven’t found it. So I thought that maybe… we could fill each other’s needs there, too.”
“Love?” Rarity nearly whispered. “Do you really love me?”
“I don’t know,” Spike answered honestly. “But I realized that I felt special around you. That you made me happy. I want to return the favor. I want to be the one worthy of you.”
“Spike, that’s very sweet of you,” she responded. “But try to understand. Do you really think that I am worthy of you?”
“Absolutely,” Spike answered. “I don’t have a lot of talents. I’m not the smartest guy around, and certainly not the most handsome. I’m a dragon, after all. But there is one thing I know as a dragon, and that’s beauty. We dragons love gems, they taste so good because they’re so beautiful. But you are so much more than beautiful.”
A blush stole across Rarity’s cheeks. “Then what am I, Spike?”
“I don’t know,” he answered. “But that’s why I want to be with you. I want to find out.”
Rarity smiled grandly, letting out a breath. “Alright, Spike. You’ve convinced me.” She looked away. “I never thought I would really be with a dragon.”
“I understand. We could never have a relationship like other ponies. I’m getting bigger all the time. Pretty soon I won’t fit inside Sugarcube Corner.”
Rarity flashed him her signature smile. “Don’t worry, Spike. If this thing lasts, we’ll find a way to be together.”
He smiled back at her. “Tonight is one of the few nights you’ve ever just called me Spike.”


*	*	*


The door creaked as Spike entered Rarity’s bedchamber. The room was large and round with a vaulted ceiling. The bed was near the fireplace, towards the edge of the room. Rarity only really used it in winter. Most of the time, she slept curled up on Spike’s belly. He could barely see the silhouette of her form under the bedsheets, the fireplace dark and cold, her body limned in moonlight from the window above her bed.
“Rarity?” he said softly.
“Spike,” she responded weakly, happily. “You’re here. You know it’s not polite to keep a lady waiting.”
“I’m sorry,” he responded. He slowly approached her. “I’ve been busy.”
“With what?” A chill came over her. “Oh, darling. If you would be so kind…” With a jet of flame, the fireplace roared to life, providing warmth to the old mare. “Thank you, my love. Now what have you been doing all day?”
“I brought you these.” He went to the bed, depositing the ice roses next to her. She turned to look at them, and he finally saw her face. Her eyes and coat drooped with wrinkles, and her hair had lost its color and a lot of its luster. In her illness, even her eyes had lost their sapphire radiance. The sight of her failing health brought tears to Spike’s eyes, but he fought them back. If she saw him cry, he knew it would only make her feel worse.
“Oh, Spike,” she breathed. “They’re lovely.”
“Not as lovely as you, dear.”
She laughed a small laugh. “I’ve been old for a while now, Spike. You don’t have to lie to me.”
“I’m not,” he said. “We’ve been married for over fifty years. You’re still more beautiful than any gem and any flower.”
“I remember,” she said. “Our wedding. You’ve always been clever like that.”
“Isn’t it what you wanted?” He said. “When I proposed, you asked if I would still think you were lovely after ten years, and I say you are.”
“Spike,” her face twisted into a frown. “You’ve made me so happy. But I know you’re afraid.” She interrupted him before he could speak. “Don’t lie to me. I can’t imagine how you must feel right now.”
“Rarity, there’s more out there for me. Twilight’s going to need me more than ever. I’ll be okay.”
“I was worried about this,” Rarity began to tear up. “I knew this day would come. Spike-” Her voice caught in a sob, and she began to cry.
“Rarity,” Spike kissed her gently on the cheek. “Don’t cry. Please. I love you.”
“Please forgive me,” she breathed.
“Forgive you?” the words were hard to force around the lump in his throat. “For what?  You’ve made the last fifty years of my life paradise.”
“No,” she said. “For fifty years, you’ve been doing things for me. Picnics and dances and gems and everything I could have ever asked for. I’ve tried so hard to return the favor, but I always knew I couldn’t. It was so selfish of me to be with you, because we both knew that I would just end up hurting you like this.” She sobbed again. “I’m sorry, Spike. I’m so sorry I’ve done this to you.”
“Rarity,” he breathed, tears finally streaming from his eyes. “You can’t always give back. I knew that. I knew we would be here just as well as you did. And I look back at everything we’ve been through… I wouldn’t trade it for the world. My love… I don’t ask anything of you right now. I never have.”
She wiped her eyes. “Then I’ll ask one thing of you that I can repay.” She stared him full in the face. “I’m so worried about you. I worry what you’ll do every day and how you’ll feel. I worry about who will make you breakfast in the morning and who will help you fall asleep at night. I worry that you won’t have anyone to file your nails or wax your scales, or that you won’t brush your teeth. I… I worry that you’ll be too miserable to take care of yourself. So promise me.” She spoke with force now, a conviction backed by a deep and unwavering love. “Promise me you’ll be okay. I can’t go unless you promise me.”
“I-” Spike’s heart pounded in his chest. If he promised her this, she would leave. He couldn’t hold on to her. He would be letting her go.
“Promise me!” she shouted, crying freely.
“I promise!” he said, a sob finally ripping from his throat. He laid his head next to her, and she held him as he cried. Her very hooves felt like chains around his neck, choking him with the promise that they would soon no longer be there to comfort him.
“In return,” she said softly to him, trying her hardest to keep her voice even, “I promise to wait for you. I know it’s not much, but…”
“It’s all I ask for,” Spike returned. 
“You’re the only one I’ve ever loved,” she told him. “I’ll always love you. You know that, right?”
“I do. I love you, too, Rarity. I always will.”
She nodded, and he held her as the moon rose higher. No more words were spoken as the fireplace dimmed, replaced by the morning light and a chill in the air.