Spike had no idea what Filthy Rich was planning to do, and even if he did, he wouldn't have cared. Right now, he was enjoying his new super powers so much, that he felt like nothing could stop him.
After all this time, he'd finally gained recognition and attention for doing good things, instead of always being remembered for his mistakes.
Some of his closest friends still knew about his secret identity, but it didn't take much to convince them to keep quiet. Spike still had no clue who or what his parents had tried to hide him from, and he had no intention of making his identity known to all of Equestria just yet.
"My goodness, Spike, this is becoming a very bad habit," Rarity frowned, as she observed the damaged state of Spike's suit and cape, levitating them off him with her magic "You simply must try to take better care of yourself, or one of these days you could end up in real trouble."
"Sorry about that, Rarity," Spike apologized "But you try saving ponies from burning buildings, or rescuing ponies trapped by rising flood waters, and keep the suit from getting torn or burnt."
Rarity brought the cape and suit over to her sewing machine, and after adjusting her red sewing glasses, she set to work on trying to make them as good as new again. "Spike, darling, don't take this the wrong way, but maybe you should stop constantly putting yourself into danger. Those powers are impressive, but that doesn't mean you can throw caution to the wind."
"Rarity, this is the best thing that's ever happened in my life," Spike said eagerly "I'm a major force for good, and ponies are cheering for me! I don't see any reason to give up the superhero gig."
"I'm just trying to remind you of this simple fact, Spike," Rarity replied "Even with your new powers, you are not infailable. You can still make mistakes. No one, be they pony or dragon, is ever perfect."
"I know that, but I'm as close to perfection as anyone could ever get!" Spike boasted.
"Just promise me, you'll try to be careful," Rarity insisted, as she turned her attention back to her sewing "Your powers are impressive, but you have to be able to use them wisely. If you don't, it could end very badly."
"I'll keep that in mind while I'm out saving Equestria." Spike said half heartedly. He knew Rarity had a point, but he really didn't want to have to admit it to himself.
After what felt like forever, Spike recieved his mended suit and cape, and quickly put them back on. It didn't take long for him to hear a cry for help, coming all the way from Los Pegasus.
"Take care, Spike. And remember what I said." Rarity reminded, as she saw Spike put his mask back on.
"I'll try my best, but no promises! My help is always needed!" Spike replied, and with a cry of "Up, up, and away!" he took off.
Rarity was left alone in Carousel Boutique, but she didn't mind. "At least now I can turn my attention to the orders Sassy sent me," she thought to herself "At the rate this is going, I may have to start looking into a third boutique just to keep up with the workload. Maybe Coco Pommel would be interested in going into business with me." And she retreated to her workshop without hesitiation.
However, just after she managed to put the finishing touches on the first of many dresses, the doorbell rang. With a small sigh, Rarity put down her sewing needle, and took off her sewing glasses, taking great care to put them down gently on the table and away from the sewing machine.
"I wasn't expecting company," Rarity thought, as she went to answer the door "Who could it be on such short notice?"
Her question was answered as soon as she opened the door. Standing before her was none other than Filthy Rich, and his butler, Randolph.
"Oh, Mr. Rich, what an.... unexpected surprise," Rarity greeted, trying her best to maintain her composure "What brings you and Randolph to my humble abode?"
Filthy Rich quickly replied by saying "Nothing major, Miss. Rarity. Let's just say, I've got a problem, and I think you're the only one who has what I need to solve it."
"Are you absolutely sure you want to do this, master?" Randolph asked nervously. This was enough to have Rarity suspect something was up, Randolph usually did as he was told and never questioned orders. To see him doing so was most unusual, and rather unsettling.
"Of course I'm sure, Randolph. And from now on, when I want your opinion, I'll gladly ask for it," Filthy Rich replied in a half kind, half nasty tone of voice. He then turned to Rarity and said "Please excuse my 'outburst', I've been runnin' into some 'finanical difficulties' and it's been affectin' my temper. Randolph has been tryin' to encourage me to keep it under control."
"Perfectly understandable, Mr. Rich," Rarity nodded "Please, step right this way, and I'll see what I can do for you." And with that polite gesture, she ushered Filthy Rich and Randolph inside.
Once inside, Rarity immediately turned to Filthy Rich and asked "What exactly do you need my help with? I don't see any sort of dress or suit, so I don't supsect it's some kind of fashion emergency. Or am I mistaken?"
"You know me all too well, Miss. Rarity," Filthy Rich chuckled, before he cleared his throat "What I need your help with isn't a fashion or even finanical emergency. It has something to do with this new superhero that everypony keeps talkin' about, I'm sure you know I'm talkin' about."
"Super Dragon?" Rarity asked "How is he a problem?"
"It's not anythin' you need to know about," Filthy Rich insisted "But he and I need to have a little talk, face to face, about the way he's goin' around and savin' lives."
"And what's so wrong about that?!" Rarity asked furiously. She rarely let herself get so worked up in front of others, but this was one situation that she considered an exception "As far as I'm concerned, he's doing Equestria a public service by saving others, regardless of who or what they may be! Are you really so greedy that you want him to work for you?!"
"Money's not the problem," Filthy Rich explained seriously "As far as I'm concerned, I don't need him workin' for me, I want him gone! Equestria doesn't need superheroes like him!"
"So you say! But it sounds to me like you are just jealous of the fact, that he doesn't care about money when it comes to saving lives. Which is more than I can say for you!" Rarity said angrily "So why don't you and your butler kindly get out of my boutique?! I will not help you in whatever sort of evil scheme you wish to enact against Super Dragon!"
"Rarity, you can drop the act, I know who he really is," Filthy Rich smirked "That mask doesn't fool me! It's really Spike who's the big hero, and Super Dragon is just an alias he adopted to keep himself out of the public eye! Unfortunately for him, my sharp brain saw through his disguise in an instant!"
Assuming that Filthy Rich was bluffing, and deciding not to call him on it, Rarity simply replied with "I won't ask again, Mr. Rich! Either you and Randolph leave now, or I will have no choice but to make you leave by force!" To demonstrate her point, Rarity performed a series of rapid punches and kicks that gracefully swiped the air.
But Filthy Rich was far from intimidated, he merely chuckled. "So, you know martial arts? Well, that doesn't surprise me. Fortunately, I've prepared for exactly this sort of situation. Randolph!"
"Yes master?" Randolph asked, even though he knew what was going to be asked of him.
"Why don't you spar with Miss. Rarity, and show her what real martial arts looks like?" Filthy Rich instructed "Or would you rather be fired on the spot?!"
"N-no, sir, I'll get right on it!" Randolph said nervously, and leaped forward to challenge Miss. Rarity "Sorry, madam, but I've got orders. Let's do this!" he shouted.
"Don't go easy on me, just because I'm a lady!" Rarity threatened, and the two proceeded to spar. Reluctantly, Rarity had to divert her attention completely to Randolph, and thus could not focus on what Filthy Rich would do.
Filthy Rich smirked with triumph, as he searched through Canterlot Boutique. "Everything is going just as I predicted. Soon, I'll show all of Equestria, that brain inevitably triumphs over brawn!" he thought to himself.
He searched high and low, hoping that the answers he was seeking were around. At first, he found nothing, and his anger grew stronger and stronger as the seconds ticked by without results.
But at last, just as he was about to give up, he noticed something sticking out of the top of a trash can. Filthy Rich raced over to it, and yanked out a crumbled up piece of paper "What do we have here?" he thought to himself, and began to eagerly read what was written.
Meanwhile, Rarity and Randolph continued to spar. And Rarity proved to be more than a match for Randolph, easily thwarting his attacks with little effort.
"Please tell me this isn't your best, I would've expected you to be a better opponent than this," Rarity said to Randolph, as a well timed sweeping kick brought him to the ground "It would seem I went and wasted a perfectly good hooficure for nothing. But hopefully, this will teach you and that disgrace of a stallion a thing or two about hurting my dear Spikey-Wikey!"
"Well, if I didn't already know the truth about Super Dragon's identity, that would've been all the confirmation I needed," a familiar gloating voice said with a sneer "Fortunately, it would seem, that Randolph served his purpose wonderfully. I have all the information I need to bring Spike down!"
"Whatever do you mean?" Rarity asked "I haven't said anything about any of his weaknesses."
"You didn't have to," Filthy Rich explained, emerging from upstairs "This piece of paper here saved me the trouble of havin' to force it out of ya. It says here, that accordin' to an interview your little sister had with Spike, he has one weakness. He's weak to green gems, or at least, the ones that glow. With just a hoofful of them at my disposal, I can make him bow to my every will! And as luck would have it, it seems that you dug up a few just recently." And he showed off the collection of the appropritely colored gems, which he had managed to get his hooves on.
"Put them away, those gems are not for sale!" Rarity protested.
"Sorry, but I need these as an insurance policy, in case my current plan doesn't work out," Filthy Rich said with a smirk "And it all revolves around you!"
"What do you mean?" Rarity asked, suddenly wishing she were anywhere but her own boutique.
"Randolph, grab her!" Filthy Rich instructed, as he stuffed the gems into his collar, just beneath his tie.
Randolph suddenly sprang up, and grabbed Rarity before she had a chance to realize what was going on. "Stop struggling, madam! Come along quiety, and you'll make this easier on both of us!" Randolph pleaded, as Rarity zapped him with her magic to try and force him to let her go. But Randolph refused to loosen his grip, regardless of the pain he had to endure in the process "Hurry up, master! I can't take much more of this!" he shouted.
"Just keep that grip on tight, Randolph!" Filthy Rich instructed "I'm just leaving behind a note for our fine dragon friend here.
"Super Dragon, wherever you are, help me!" Rarity shouted at the top of her lungs, as she continued to struggle in vain. Despite how hard she kicked and zapped Randolph, the stallion refused to let go.
Spike had just finished saving a group of tourists in Los Pegasus from an out of control carriage, when a familiar cry for help reached his ears. He realized at once who the cry belonged to. "Rarity!" he exclaimed, and took off for Carousel Boutique as fast as he could.
"Hang on, Rarity! Help is on the way!" Spike thought to himself, as he flew faster than he had ever flown before. Unfortunately, when he reached Carousel Boutique, he discovered (to his horror) that he was too late. Rarity was gone!