• Published 21st Jun 2017
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Blonde Moments - FamousLastWords



Spike has been volunteering time to entertain the fillies and colts at the local hospital. Everything changes, however, when his kind actions are noticed by a mare with much less fortunate circumstances.

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Valkyrie Missile

It was a busy day at the Carousel Boutique. Orders were backed up and piles of ribbon, cloth and lace lay about like the leftover ruins of a wartorn civilization. It was truly a scene to behold.

Spike couldn’t imagine what Rarity would have done had he not heeded her request to help her today.

“Oh, dear, not to interrupt,” Rarity said, looking up from the cloth she was intently sewing a patch onto. “If you could, please bring over the spool of blue thread, would you?”

“Got it!” Spike grabbed said thread from a nearby counter and brought it to Rarity, who was seated atop her sofa, surrounded by her work materials. “Here you go, Rares.”

“Thank you, darling!” She took it in her magic and set it down next to her. “Sorry about the intrusion, but continue.”

Spike wondered for a moment why she didn’t just get it with her magic in the first place, but he wasn’t going to question it. She was having a stressful day as it was. “Alright, well, there’s not much more to say. I went home, Starlight gave me attitude as per the usual about… something I can’t remember and then I went to bed and had a dream about comic book characters.”

“I see,” Rarity said while levitating a particular strand of thread mere inches from her face before snipping at it. “Well, I for one am certainly happy for you, Spike. It sounds like things are going just swimmingly for you and Derpy.”

“Yeah, well, I’m trying to keep it that way,” Spike said, getting back to his designated duty of untangling random balls of ribbon. “I’m never quite sure if I’m going too fast or too slow. Maybe I should pick up the pace a little bit? Maybe she thinks I’m rushing things? I don’t really know. It’s like I’m playing twenty questions with myself… and I keep losing.”

“Don’t feel bad, dear,” Rarity said. “There’s no such thing as an easy relationship. Trust me, I know.” Rarity took a pause from her work to let out a brief sigh. “But, keep doing what you think is right. It’s obviously worked so far, has it not?”

“I think so. But then again, I also thought non-alcoholic beer was a myth, but lo and behold it’s a thing...for whatever Celestia-Forsaken reason.”

“Well, I won’t lie to you and say everything will go perfectly all the time,” Rarity said, taking a moment to address him eye to eye. “That’s unfortunately not how things always go. But I will promise you that no matter what happens, I’ll still be here for you.”

Spike smiled at her. “Thanks, Rarity. But, if it’s all the same to you, I’d rather have the ‘no matter what happens’ part include Derpy.”

“So do I,” she replied before stabbing another needle through a piece of fabric. “But, on a positive note, I do find it wonderful that her sister was finally released from the hospital. I can’t imagine how happy they must be.”

“Oh yeah,” Spike said. “It was awesome getting to hang with them last night. I hadn’t seen Derpy look that relaxed in like, ever. She deserves it.”

“I don’t doubt it,” Rarity replied. “Her schedule must have been simply unimaginable.”

“Oh gosh, I know,” Spike said. “There would literally be days where she couldn't sleep. I get cranky if I don’t get at least twelve hours in any given twenty-four hour period. Going more than a day without sleep? That’s like… really not good.”

“That’s one way of putting it,” Rarity said with a chuckle. “But, to your credit about not knowing how things are going, I can tell you one thing I guarantee she’s noticed.”

“My subconscious inability to form meaningful relationships?”

“No,” she replied. “That you were there for her through all of this. You never walked out when things got hard and you always put her first, even when it wasn’t warranted on your part. Spike, those little things add up in a mare’s eyes. In anypony’s eyes for that matter.”

Spike blinked. “You think so?”

“I know so,” she replied. “You’re definitely doing things the right way, darling. Don’t let yourself think otherwise, understood?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Spike said.

Pep talks from his friends were always nice, but something about Rarity telling him he was special felt extra good. Probably those residual hormones from his past crush on her. Either way, she always knew just what to say when he had issues like this.

Without needing to say another word, Spike threw himself back into his workload. They still had a lot to do.


It had been a harrowing morning for both parties. So, when the time for a lunch break finally came around they were more than happy to drop the work for a moment and gather around the dining table. Rarity had prepared them both some small sandwiches and unsweet tea for their lunch. It was nothing fancy or elegant, but they were on a time crunch so something small would suffice just perfectly.

“As I always say, Spike,” Rarity said in-between nibbles. “It’s important to eat light whilst working an intensive job such as this.”

“Yeah, Twilight always tells me that, too,” Spike said, wiping some crumbs off his face. “It keeps you from getting weighed down and tired, I guess.”

“Quite,” the mare replied with a smile. “It’s an important lesson to learn in any line of work.”

Spike finished off his sandwich and leaned farther back into the chair, letting out a sigh. “Speaking of hard work and stuff, I forgot to tell you, but I found out what Starlight was using all those bandanas for.”

Rarity froze mid-sip of her beverage and quickly brought the cup back down to the table. “Do tell.”

“Well, you see,” Spike began, leaving forward over the table. “It all started when I caught her in the bathroom using one of them to—“

Rarity!” A sing-song voice cried aloud through the house followed quickly by the sound of a door being shut. “I’m here to help you!”

Both Spike and Rarity twisted their heads around to face the living room where they saw the smiling figure of Sweetie Belle coming toward them. She had grown quite a bit over the last couple years. Although not as tall or figured as her older sister, she managed to come up to a bit past her shoulder and was quite pretty.

“Oh, hi Spike!” Sweetie sweetly squeaked upon seeing the dragon. “Are you helping, too?” Sweetie hopped into a chair at the table with them.

“Yep,” he replied, taking another bite of sandwich. “Rarity said she might need some help today and asked me a little ways back. If you couldn’t tell by the utter carnage and destruction you had to walk through to get to the table, you can see she was right. I’m really not even sure how you predicted it, Rares, but I’m glad you asked me.”

“Forecasting and record-keeping, dear,” she said with a curt nod. “They are must-have skills for this line of work.” She then refocused her attention on her sister. “And Sweetie Belle, thank you very much for assisting me as well, today. It is much appreciated.”

“No problem, Rarity!” She said with a bright smile. “I’m always happy to help my most favorite, loved and treasured sister in the whole wide—“

“You want bits, don’t you?” Rarity gave her a sly smirk. “Don’t think your elder sister doesn’t know the tricks. I taught you half of them, after all.”

“Me? Bits? Nah, psh, I would never—“

“Don’t even bother, Sweetie,” Spike said, shaking his head. “Trust me, it’s not a hill you wanna die on.”

She opened her mouth, words of protest ready to charge like an enemy at the gates, before quickly thinking twice and turning to Rarity. “Okay, fine, I need some bits. Me and the girls are trying to save up for a trip to Manehattan for Scootaloo’s birthday. You’ve gotta have at least a teensy bit of bits you can spare, right?”

“Hmph,” Rarity said, struggling to divert her gaze from her sister’s engorged eyes that were baring into her soul. “And to think I considered the fact that my one and only sister would want to help me out of the generosity of her heart. It would appear I was mistaken.”

Sweetie was unphased. “Well, I guess that’s why the Element of Generosity chose you and not me. So, five bits? Possibly? Maybe? Perhaps?”

Rarity released a sigh of pure exasperation. “Okay, I suppose so, Sweetie. You are at the age where learning the value of bits is important, after all.”

“Yay!” She hopped from her chair and wrapped Rarity in a hug before dashing off to the living room-turned-warpath. “What can I do first? Anything?”

Rarity rubbed her chin. “Hmm, well, I do believe the dress by the sewing machine could use a restitching of the hem. Do you think you cou—”

“On it!”

Spike had to blink a few times just to reset his eyes after they attempted to follow Sweetie’s movement. “Geez, that’s one way to inspire somepony? The almighty bit wins again, huh?”

“I know,” Rarity said, still watching in awe at the empty area of the floor where Sweetie once was. “I should hire her around the shop more often.”

The two friends shared a quick chuckle as they finished up their food and tea. There wasn’t much to be said and they had been friends for far too long for an ‘awkward silence’ to be a thing, but Spike did have one thing on his mind.

“So, Rarity, why do you think you’ve had so many orders this week?” Spike pointed behind him to the living room. “I mean, I know the business is good for the shop, but it’s kinda unusual, don’t you think? Especially at the Ponyville location.”

“It would definitely seem so,” Rarity agreed. “Not that I should look a gift horse in the mouth, of course, but still.”

“It’s because of the Canterlot Couples’ Dance!” Sweetie shouted before she quickly strode her way to the dining room. “It’s next week and I imagine that the boutique in Canterlot is overbooked right now, so the orders are coming to this one, instead.”

“Canterlot Couples’ Dance?” Spike asked. “What’s that?”

“A dance for couples in Canterlot,” Sweetie replied.

“Yeah, thanks for that,” he shot back with a deadpan face. “I more or less meant why have I never heard of it or anything before?”

“It’s a new yearly thing Luna is trying to start,” Sweetie explained. “Whereas the Gala is to represent society as a whole and whatnot the Couples’ Dance is more for celebrating the individual relationships of society. It’s not super widely known yet, but I know about it because I’m a subscriber for Luna’s weekly newsletter.”

Spike nodded. “That actually does sound pretty… wait a second. Newsletter?”

“Yeah! I signed up for it through the Canterlot Times! It has short stories she writes, goings-on of the Castle and a word search!”

Spike shrugged and turned to Rarity. “Well, I guess you learn something new every day.”

“Thank you, Sweetie,” Rarity said. “Now, please, continue your work. The bits don’t earn themselves.”

“Aye, aye!” With a quick salute, she was off once more.

“I guess that answers the business question,” Spike said. “A Couples’ Dance actually sounds like a cool idea, huh?”

Rarity eyed him with a smirk. “Oh, Spike, something tells me you’re thinking of attending, aren’t you?”

Spike chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. ‘Yeah, well, I’m not even sure that type of thing is really for me. Getting dressed up all fancy like, taking a train ride all the way to Canterlot just to eat fancy food and pretend I know how to dance. I don’t know… Derpy would probably think I was a dork. She might not even like dances or whatever.”

“Ha, I knew it,” Rarity said with a playful smile. “Spike, you can’t try to hide these things from me. The smile on your face as soon as you said her name gave it away. A romantic evening, just the two of you in Canterlot… that does sound wonderful, does it not?”

Spike grinned as he pictured it in his mind. Him wearing a nice suit, Derpy in a dazzling dress, soft music playing in the background, a romantic stroll underneath the starry night afterward… Hold on, when did he turn into a dollar store greeting card?

“Okay, I admit it, you’re right. It does sound pretty good.” Spike sighed and slipped back in his chair. “But it’s pretty last minute and we’d have to make plans for it, she’d need the time off work and to hire a foalsitter and—”

“I’ll do it!” Sweetie seemed to appear from nowhere right by his seat.

“Do what? Foalsit?” Spike cocked an eyebrow. “Do you even have any experience?”

“Uh, yes!” She said, stomping her hoof in the ground. “I’ve watched my friends’ pets a billion times and a filly can’t be that much different, right?”

Spike drummed his claws on the table. “You’re not helping your case here, girl. Besides, it’s not even my decision, it’s Derpy’s. It’s her sister and everything.”

Sweetie Belle deflated as the words hit her. “Okay, then.”

Spike rolled his eyes as she slumped off. “Hold on a second, Sweetie. Look, I’ll—” and she magically appeared back right next to him again. “I’ll talk it over with Derpy this week and if she’s okay with it, you’ll be the first one we call, alright? And before you ask, yes, I’ll pay you.”

“Awesome!” She bounced in the air, latching her hooves around Spike this time in a warm hug. “Thank you so much!”

The dragon gently disconnected the pony from his body and set her back down on the floor. “Alright, I’ll let you know, okay?”

“Got it!” And back to work, she went.

Spike turned around to find Rarity stifling a giggling whilst wearing a huge grin on her face.

“It would appear your decision has been made for you, wouldn’t you say?”

“I guess so,” he said with a snort. “I guess the universe just works like that sometimes. You try to get out of something difficult and a pony just pushes your farther in.”

“That is the way of it at times,” Rarity said with a snicker. “On a different note, have you given any consideration to my invitation for you and Derpy to come over for dinner and a chat?”

“Oh yeah!” Spike said, snapping his claws. “We’re hanging out tomorrow for lunch, and I was gonna ask her then. Do you think you’d be available for dinner tomorrow night? Assuming she agrees to it, of course.”

“Oooh, that’d be lovely, darling!” Rarity stated, clapping her hooves. “I’m excited to finally get time to meet her. Oh, and of course Dinky is welcome, too.”

“I hope she’s got the time, then,” he replied. “She’s met Twilight, Starlight, and Trixie already so it’s high time she met at least one semi-normal friend of mine. If not she’ll think my entire world is filled with nothing but crazy ponies… which isn’t that far off from the truth not that I think about it.”

“Well, I’ll be more than delighted to meet her and get to know her,” Rarity said. “Any mare good enough to win your affections is definitely good enough to be my friend.”

“Awesome,” Spike said. “I appreciate it, Rares. I’ll let you know after she and I have lunch tomorrow if it’s going down or not. Sound like a plan?”

“Absolutely, dear.” Rarity levitated a napkin to her face and wiped off any stray crumbs that were possibly remaining from their meal. “Now, let’s get back to work, shall we?”

Spike clapped his claws together and hopped out of his seat. “Let’s do it!”

Author's Note:

This chapter is pretty important to some future happenings, so it was pretty rough to get right. I hope you guys like it!