Chapter 29
“Celestia?” Spike asked. They had just made it back to Ponyville, and Pinkie had somehow already set up a 'Seven Hundred Years of Friendship,' party in the palace.
“Yes, Spike?” The white alicorn turned to him.
“Could I talk to you in private for a bit?”
“Of course you can.” She gestured for the others to go inside without them.
They got a few strange looks, especially from Twilight, but nopony said anything as they walked past the pair.
“Now, where's that bit you promised me?” Celestia asked with a smirk.
Spike winced. “Wow, I give that joke a C minus.”
She laughed. “Not one of my better ones, I agree. In any case, what did you want to talk about?”
He looked around. Several ponies were watching them, of course. The co-ruler of Equestria was a rare sight even in Canterlot. At least nopony was close enough to overhear their conversation. “Life-force transfer magic,” he said quietly, just in case. “We've asked everypony who knows about it to stay quiet, but it's only a matter of time before word gets out.”
Celestia nodded. “And you worry about what will happen then.”
“Exactly. Everypony in Equestria is going to want a few extra years. If we tell them 'no,' we're going to make a lot of enemies. If we say 'yes,' Cliff and the others will all be dead by the end of next week.” He sighed. “What's even the right thing to do in this situation? Do I let the other wyrms kill themselves because they're too selfless for their own good?”
“Perhaps it is not my place to say how any creature should spend its life,” Celestia said, “especially considering that mortality is one thing that I have never been forced to face. However, I believe that sometimes we must protect those who would allow others to take advantage of them.”
“So I should tell the other wyrms not to give out more years?”
“At the very least, tell them not to give out more than the five hundred extra that they all have. The lifespan of wyrms should never be considered some sort of bargaining chip for their acceptance in Equestrian society.”
Spike nodded thoughtfully. “Maybe we should tell the newspapers that wyrms will only give years to ponies that they're in love with.”
“Your grandfather and I have actually spoken at length about this very subject,” Celestia revealed. “We both feel that, as a general rule, wyrms should avoid giving their extra years to anypony that they do not plan on making a part of their family.”
“That makes sense,” Spike agreed. “I'll include it in my official statement.” He swallowed. “Do you have any other advice?”
“You should be open and honest about everything.” She leaned down enough to look him in the eyes. “However bad reactions might be, they would be worse if Equestria were to find out about this through rumors and gossip. Try not to think too poorly of the ponies who become upset. They will see wyrms as holding the key to immortality, but selfishly refusing to share it. Many of them won't even ask for themselves. They will simply want a few extra years for a beloved relative.
“You must constantly reaffirm that Twilight and her friends only received extra years as a diplomatic gesture to Equestria. Also, stress the cost that the Ponyville and Redstone covens have had to pay to grant even that much.”
“Okay...” Spike reviewed everything she had said, and made sure it was committed to memory. “Things are still going to be pretty bad, though, won't they?”
The white alicorn nodded gravely. “Yes, but we must endure.” She looked uncharacteristically vulnerable as she continued. “I believe that this is a cause worth fighting for, Spike. Living for eternity can be wonderful, meeting new friends every day. However, saying goodbye to those friends sometimes leaves a heavy weight on my heart. I am thankful that the generosity of your race will let me postpone saying goodbye to Twilight and her friends for at least a while longer.” She gave Spike a quick hug. “And I have always been grateful that I will be able to share a long stretch of my life with the caring dragon I helped raise.”
He hugged her back, even though it made him blush to do so in public. “Thanks, Celestia. I did have a question about that, though. You're immortal, so couldn't you use Life-force Transfer to give somepony as many years as you want?”
“Perhaps, but I can't risk trying that right now.”
“Really, why not?”
Celestia looked a little sad as she answered. “Giving up a piece of my life-force may very well take away my immortality. As arrogant as this may sound, I fear what would happen to Equestria without my guidance.”
Spike had never thought of that. “...Good point, and I don't think that's arrogant at all.”
She smiled gratefully. “I am working on a way to safely test my worries, but even if it turns out that I can grant extra life without affecting myself, I still haven't decided if I ever will.”
“Why not?”
“You may not understand this quite yet, Spike, but the entire world has a certain balance to it. Birth and death are at the center of that balance, and even I would not toy with it without first considering every possible repercussion. For a simple example, imagine what would happen if I never lowered the sun.”
Things would probably get really warm, for starters. Spike frowned as he thought about it some more. Nocturnal animals would be really messed up. Nopony would get a good night's sleep. Crops might start to wither. Streams and rivers would dry up. There wouldn't be enough food to go around. The economy would start to collapse... “So you think making some ponies immortal might lead to things as bad as turning Equestria into a scorched desert?”
“It might, or it might not.” Celestia lowered her head and her voice as she continued, “Remember, something as simple as visiting King Sombra in that alternate dimension nearly destroyed both of our worlds.” She looked away, and a single tear coursed its way down her cheek. “I cannot risk being so foolish again, and with the fate of the world potentially hanging in the balance, I will continue to err on the side of caution.”
“You always have cared more about the rest of us than yourself,” Spike said. It hurt to see his longtime mentor and friend, nearly a third parent after the Sparkles, still beating herself up for something as innocent as following her heart. Oh forget it, I don't care who's watching. He hugged her again. “Anyway, thanks for the advice.”
She patted him on the back. “Think nothing of it, my friend. Now then,” Celestia disentangled herself and nodded towards the door, “shall we join the festivities?”
The young dragon nodded. “Yeah, let's.”
-_-_-_-_-_-
Dear Equestria,
This is Spike again, assistant to Princess Twilight and council member of the Cultural Exchange Program. I've written to you several times already to talk about dragons, dragon magic, and everything we can learn from our strange new allies. Well, I'm writing once again because I recently discovered the existence of a dragon spell that embodies everything I love about my race. Unfortunately, I also see it causing a lot of misunderstandings because of unrealistic expectations. Hopefully this letter will help prevent that.
As you all probably know, my older brother, Cliff Runner, was recently engaged to Fluttershy, the Element of Kindness. Like most of you, I was happy for them, but I was also concerned about the heartache that this would cause Cliff. Fluttershy is clearly a wonderful mare, but the difference in their lifespans was just so huge that it made me worry.
Imagine seeing a family member marry a being that would only live about five years before dying of old age. You'd probably be happy for them, but deep down, you'd all know that pain and loss are inevitable.
Luckily, this new spell provides a beautiful, if heartbreaking, solution. The spell is called Life-force Transfer, (yeah, dragons aren't really creative with their spell names). Anyway, it allows a dragon to give up some of his very life in order to extend the life of somepony else. The spell is only used between the closest of friends and family.
I'm sure you can see where this is going. My brother gave up nearly half of his lifespan so that Fluttershy could live as long as him. However, the charity of wyrms turned out to be even greater than I had imagined. The rest of the dragons living in Ponyville, and the coven where they came from, agreed to extend the lifespans of all six members of the Elements of Harmony as a gesture of good will to our country and our alliance, even though it took centuries away from them all.
They say that a hero is one who lays down his or her life for others. By that definition, each and every one of these wyrms is a true hero.
Unfortunately, I must come to my fears. Now that news of this spell has gotten out, it is only a matter of time before we start getting requests for a few years to be given to one pony or another. I don't doubt that most of these ponies have done a lot for their families and Equestria in general, but if my brother and his coven say yes to even one tenth of the requests we get, they will all be dead within the month.
These dragons have all already cut their own lives in half, and in so doing, provided Equestria with guardians that will live for centuries. Do we really have the right to tell them that it wasn't enough?
I wish, I really wish there was a way to grant everypony the long and happy life they deserve, to make it so every grandparent can attend one more birthday party, and every scientist can finish their life's work. Unfortunately, even if every wyrm in Ponyville and Redstone were to kill themselves, giving up every last year they have, it wouldn't even grant a full day to everypony in Equestria. There simply aren't enough years to go around.
As much as I must agree that none of us are qualified to say who does and doesn't deserve to live longer, I think we also need to recognize that my fellow wyrms do have the right to say to whom they will surrender a piece of their very life-force. After lengthy discussion with Celestia, we've decided that no wyrm should give up years to anypony they don't plan on either marrying or adopting. As cruel as this may sound, please don't ask to be the one exception. I'll state this as simply as I can; please don't kill the family that I've waited my whole life to meet.
Hopefully still your friend,
Spike
Spike licked his lips nervously as he read. He had spent an entire day working on this letter, alongside Twilight, Autumn, and Rarity, and now all he had to do was drop it off at Noteworthy's, so he could make enough copies to mail to every major newspaper in Equestria. He had to hope that reactions to Cliff and Fluttershy's engagement would be positive, as that was basically the crux of his argument. The sinking feeling in his stomach told him that problems were on the horizon no matter what he did, but he had to hope that this would prevent anything too bad from happening.
He had already informed the other wyrms that, under no circumstances, were they to extend the lives of any ponies that they didn't plan on either marrying or adopting, but he still worried. As the letter implied, it was entirely possible that Cliff and the others would kill themselves through their kindness. It just wasn't in any of their natures to say 'no' to a request.
An embarrassed groan from Cliff drew Spike away from his morbid thoughts. Both the older dragon and Fluttershy were looking a little red. “What's up?”
“Autumn's reporter friends,” Cliff replied. “They may have played up the, uh, physical aspect of our relationship a bit.”
“Wait, seriously?” Spike grabbed the paper and skimmed through it. His own cheeks were a bit red by the time he finished. “Well, look on the bright side. Nopony is implying that you and Twilight are involved anymore, and at least now when they call you 'insatiable' they mean it in a good way.”
Cliff gave him a flat look.
“...Sort of.” Spike suddenly felt a little guilty for encouraging them to agree to a story about their engagement. “And hey, they made a point of stating that wyrms mate for life.”
“Yeah, but we don't...” Cliff flushed, “mate, until after matrimony. Fluttershy and I even talked about it and decided not to.”
“Cultural differences,” Spike reminded him. “Wyrms wait until after marriage, ponies don't.”
Twilight cleared her throat loudly and fixed Spike with a rather unfriendly look. “I hope you aren't implying anything about your dating life with that, because if Mom and Dad heard about this...” she trailed off dangerously.
“No, no,” he said quickly. “Some ponies don't wait. That's what I was trying to say.”
“Uh, Spike?” Fluttershy whispered. “I think it's good to wait. You shouldn't share that with a pony you're just dating casually, that is. Not that you're a bad dragon if you already have, but, uh, maybe you should start waiting from now on?”
Somehow, hearing that from Fluttershy made Spike feel incredibly guilty, and he hadn't even done anything! “I'm a virgin, you guys!” He paused as soon as the words left his mouth, and then planted his face very firmly on the table. Why am I even being forced to explain this to my sister, brother, and... future sister-in-law? That's still weird to think about! “Remember, it came up in that interview about cultural values last week?”
“Yes, and a bunch of mares took it as a challenge,” Twilight said.
“Give me a little credit,” he moaned. “I was raised by our parents and Celestia too, you know.”
“Fine, I'll trust you, Spike,” Twilight went back to her reading, “just don't make me regret it.”
“I won't.”
Unfortunately, now that the subject of his dating life had come up, it was slow to leave Spike's mind. It weighed down on him all through his morning exercise. He wasn't accepting as many dates lately, not because he objected to going places and doing things, but because, as crazy as it sounded, he felt guilty for dating mares other than Autumn. It also gave him more time to spend with the crystal mare, which would have been a lot more fun if that accursed infatuation would just stop popping up in his heart.
She was kind and insightful, funny and smart, and had become a worthy rival in most video games. She was even starting to work through Spike's comic book collection. In short, Autumn was the perfect friend. Why, then, did he keep fantasizing about kissing her? Every time they brushed against each other, his scales tingled for minutes afterward.
Grandmother told him that the kind of love that formed relationships wasn't an emotion, but rather a product of thoughts and memories, reinforced by emotions, and perpetuated by a conscious and consistent decision to continue pursuing it. In simple terms, the Stillness couldn't help him because his brain was the part that was really falling for Autumn. It was just dragging his heart along for the ride.
Luckily, he found a chance to get some things off his chest that evening. “Hey, Twilight? Can I talk to you about something?” If the problem really was in his brain, then it only made sense to talk to the biggest brainiac around.
“Sure,” the alicorn replied as she massaged her temples. Even though Cliff was off with Fluttershy on another formal date (they had been doing that at least once a week lately), he had left them both with an impressive amount of homework to do on their dragon magic. “What is it, Spike?”
“I... kinda need help with a relationship.”
Her hooves stopped moving. “Uh Spike, you know I've never been in a relationship. I've only ever read about them in books. Isn't there somepony with more experience that you could talk to?”
“Twilight...” He stared at her pleadingly. “I really need some advice and you're the only one I can talk to about this sort of thing.”
“You know I'll always do anything I can to help you,” Twilight assured him, “but lots of experts have given conflicting pieces of advice. Are you sure you can't talk to Cliff or one of the other dragons?”
Spike shook his head. “Cliff is too straightforward. He doesn't get subtlety, or tact, or anything like that. My grandparents and Fire Eyes are even worse. I mean, I love them all, but if a problem can't be solved by either violence or brutal honesty, they're all helpless.”
Twilight arched an eyebrow at him.
“What? It's true.”
She rolled her eyes. “Fine, I'll help. Tell me what the problem is.”
Spike dragon took a deep breath and began.
-_-_-_-_-_-
“...So in summary,” Twilight said a few minutes later, “even though you knew Autumn had a crush on you, you asked her to pretend to date you in an attempt to make Rarity jealous. It didn't work, but you kept dating her in the hopes that it would. Eventually Autumn asked to break up so that you could both stop pretending, but now you've developed real feelings for her, and don't know what to do because you're confidant that she only thinks of you as a friend.”
Spike nodded sheepishly.
“Oh for pony's sake, Spike!” Twilight buried her face in her hooves. “What made you think any of that was a good idea?”
“I don't know,” he said defensively. “It just kind of happened.”
She let out a groan of frustration as she flipped through a series of books and notes. “This is more complicated than any of the hypothetical relationships in my books. I really don't know if there's anything I can do to help you.”
“Don't say that, Twilight,” Spike begged. “You can find a solution to anything.”
“...I'll try, Spike.” She consulted her notes again. “As far as I can tell, there's only one question that really matters; what does Autumn feel for you? However, asking is dangerous because it might jeopardize the friendship you already share.”
He nodded.
“Then we should ask somepony who might know how she feels. She seems to be friends with Rarity, and gets along pretty well with Fire Claws. If neither of them can help us, I suppose I should try talking with Autumn myself.”
“Really?” Spike felt his spirits lift. “You'd do that for me?”
“Of course I would.” Twilight gave him a hug. “What are older sisters for?”
-_-_-_-_-_-
The next morning provided two fortunate breaks. Firstly, reactions to Cliff and Fluttershy's engagement were largely positive. The same reporters who had been calling his brother a sex-obsessed animal for his 'affair' with Twilight were now talking about how 'romantic' the upcoming wedding would be. It was aggravating to no end, but that's just how the media was. Plus, it meant Spike could send that letter out without having to revise it again.
The second bit of good news was that Spike and Twilight were scheduled to go running together that day, giving them a chance to talk. While nowhere near as crazy as the runs Cliff and Rainbow Dash usually went on, the two siblings still managed to get a few miles in each time they raced. They made it back to the palace, covered in sweat, and with a plan of action, a few minutes before the other two did.
“I win again!” Rainbow shouted weakly.
“Alright...” Cliff wheezed, “that makes... fourteen to eleven.”
“Yeah, well,” she took a few deep breaths. “You'll catch up to me... someday.”
“Just not anytime soon.” The older dragon wiped a liberal amount of sweat off of his forehead as he turned to Spike and Twilight. “How did your run go?”
“Not bad.” Spike winced at the throbbing in his limbs. “We circled Ponyville once. How about you?”
“Out to Sweet Apple Acres, around the farm twice, past Fluttershy's cottage, and back here.” Rainbow grinned. “I am totally gonna destroy AJ the next time we race!”
“Good luck with that.” Spike commented dryly. If Applejack was anything, she was diligent, and Spike happened to know that the farm pony had bought a set of weighted running clothes the day after she'd heard that Cliff and Rainbow became workout buddies.
After they finished stretching, Spike and Twilight took turns cleaning off in the bath, and then set off, each armed with a to-do list. Twilight had another training session with Fire Claws, leaving Spike to talk to Rarity.
He wasn't exactly thrilled by this, as he was still about half in love with her, but there was a certain amount of poetic justice to it. Rarity had been trying to get them together almost from the beginning, and Spike knew that he could still use some closure on his feelings for the white unicorn.
With the political situation cooling off in Ponyville, there were fewer reporters than normal around to torment Spike as he walked. There were, however, plenty of mares. The title of 'Most Eligible Bachelor in Equestria,' was still working its magic, unfortunately.
Spike hadn't wanted to worry his siblings the other day, and so he hadn't elaborated on just how much of a challenge some mares seemed to take his statement about not having sex before marriage. Three had already tried to get him plastered, assuming a drunk Spike would be more compliant.
And Cliff had wondered why he took a sudden interest in a spell that neutralized poison, (it just so happened to work on alcohol as well).
Spike frowned slightly as he waved off yet another mare with some light flirting. I really need to hit up the bar with that spell. There are plenty of drinking contests just waiting for me... I'd have to explain things to Twilight first though. He shuddered, imagining the lecture he would get if she thought he was becoming an alcoholic.
He arrived at Carousel Boutique a few minutes later. Even with her P.R. team responsibilities, Rarity was still managing to produce new and amazing outfits daily. Spike really didn't know how she did it.
Fortunately for him, Rarity was having tea in the front of the shop, rather than slaving over a design somewhere in the back room, like he had expected. Unfortunately, she had a guest. “Oh,” Spike cleared his throat awkwardly as he embraced the Stillness. “Hi, Autumn. Hey, Rarity.”
“Oh, good morning, Spike.” Rarity nodded over her cup. “Would you care to join us?”
“Sure,” Spike said automatically. Leaving wouldn't do him any good anyway. What he really needed was a chance to get Rarity alone. Maybe I can just wait it out. Autumn will have to leave eventually.
“What brings you by on this lovely morning?” the crystal mare asked casually.
“I just thought I'd help out around here. Assuming that's okay with you, Rarity.”
She nodded. “Of course. I hate to admit it, but I have fallen somewhat behind on my orders recently.” Rarity tapped a hoof against her chin thoughtfully. “Actually, I'm running low on some very important fabrics. After we finish our tea, would you mind terribly if I asked you to go pick up more for me?”
“No, not at all.” Spike took a seat and poured himself a cup. He carefully observed Autumn out of the corner of his eye. She seemed calm and collected, and her coat was bright and clear, unusually so. He had spent enough time with her to recognize one of her masks. When a normal pony wanted to hide something, they became stiff and awkward. Autumn, on the other hoof, became more formal.
Autumn was a bit of social chameleon though, so some of it might just be the result of sitting next to Rarity. Around AJ, she became outspoken and cheerful. While talking to Rainbow, she tended to brag a little. Most crystal ponies were the same way, or so Spike heard. It was like how a regular pony reacted to the emotions of those around him or her, just more extreme, because of their natural empathy.
His mind quickly replayed her every action since he first walked in. It can't be just Rarity, Spike decided. She's too quiet. Autumn had been asking about the Stillness lately. She was probably talking with Rarity, and then went silent when I came in... Oh. It all clicked into place. Autumn and Rarity were talking about me. Then I showed up, and Rarity gives me a job that will get me out of the boutique for a while. He downed the rest of his tea in one gulp. “Sorry to drink and run, but I'd better get to the fabric store before the crowds build up.”
“Oh,” Rarity looked surprised, “why yes, thank you, Spike. That would be lovely. I have a few other errands you could run while you're out, if you would be so kind.” She jotted down a list for him.
“No, that's fine.” Spike took the list and skimmed through it. “I'll be back in an hour or so. See you then, Rarity. Take care, Autumn.”
The two mares nodded kindly, voicing their farewells as he slipped out the door.
-_-_-_-_-_-
Groceries, fabric, scheduling or rescheduling half a dozen appointments, and pick up a new toy for Opal. Spike checked off the last item on Rarity's list. He had been all over Ponyville, and walking slowly to boot. If that hadn't given the two mares enough time to talk, then nothing would.
He couldn't help but envy unicorn telekinesis as he made his way back to the boutique. Sure, the Strength spell helped him carry things more easily, but that didn't make the bags any less awkward or bulky.
With both of his arms occupied, Spike wound up opening the door with his tail. The back door, of course. There was no need to go bustling through the main shop. “Rarity?” he called. “I'm back.”
Surprisingly, it was Autumn who greeted him. “Welcome back. Were you able to find everything?”
“Uh, yeah.” He slipped back into the Stillness as he set his bags on the counter. “Have you had a good morning?”
“It has been quite eye opening.” She lifted a few bags of food and carried them to the fridge. “Rarity is a rather perceptive mare.”
“Yeah, sometimes.” Spike reflected on the time he had spent pining after her, without her ever noticing.
“And your own morning?” Autumn asked as she put things away. “I can't imagine that running errands is how you had hoped to spend it.” A playful smile graced her lips.
“Not really, but I just feel useless if I'm not doing something to help somepony or other.” He scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably. “Apparently that's normal for a wyrm.”
“It is understandable,” she replied. “The effect of greed on dragons means that natural selection favors the most selfless.”
“In other words, we're literally bred to serve others.” Spike put Opal's new toy on the floor where she could easily find it, and started gathering the fabric. “I wonder if that's why being Twilight's assistant feels so natural.”
“Perhaps.” Autumn finished putting the food away. “Let me help you with those. They must be heavy.”
“I can't let you help,” Spike stuck his tongue out at her, “that would be against my breeding.”
The crystal mare rolled her eyes. “Yes, but being selfless also means respecting the desires of others. Now give me some of that fabric.”
With an overly dramatic sigh, he gave her a few rolls. “Will this be enough, your highness?”
“I suppose it will suffice, good sir knight,” she replied in her best royal voice.
The two stared at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter. Humor had as much to do with thoughts as emotions, otherwise the Stillness would have blocked it.
“Where is Rarity, anyway?” Spike asked after they had calmed down.
“Working on an outfit in the front of the shop.” Autumn led him up the stairs. “She asked not to be disturbed unless it's by a customer.”
Great, I'll probably have to wait around all day for her. Spike resisted the urge to groan. “You never did tell me what brought you to the boutique today.”
Autumn looked at him nervously. “It was...”
“Yes?”
“Relationship problems.” She flushed.
A small part of Spike withered and died.
I should have seen that coming. A smart, beautiful, rich, and exotic mare moves into town, and it never occurred to me that the other stallions would be interested? “Oh,” was all the response he could muster.
“I was hoping to get her insight, as she has more experience in these matters than I.”
They reached Rarity's inspiration room, and began putting everything away. Luckily Spike had done this enough to work without thinking. Stupid, stupid, stupid!
“I'm surprised you don't have any questions for me,” Autumn remarked, nervousness flittering across her coat, “or do you simply not care?”
“Of course I care!” Spike slapped a hand over his mouth. “Sorry. I didn't mean to yell. It's just... I feel like I should have noticed that you were in a relationship.” He gave a halfhearted laugh. “I'm a pretty bad friend, huh?”
“The opposite, actually.” She sat down, fidgeting slightly. “You're the best friend I've ever had. I wanted Rarity's help telling you, because I was afraid of damaging our friendship.” Her crystal coat was starting to fade.
Why would telling me that she's dating somepony damage our friendship? A chill swept through the young dragon. Uh oh, does she know that I like her? “C'mon, Autumn.” He forced his voice to hold steady as he sat next to her. “You know that you can tell me anything.”
“Are you sure?” She sounded as nervous as he felt.
“Of course.”
“Do you promise that we can still be friends?” She stared at him pleadingly. “No matter what?”
“Yeah, you know I'll always be your friend.” Friend-zoned. Of course. It's like Rarity all over again.
“Okay...” Autumn took a deep breath. “I think I'm in love with you, Spike.” She winced as soon as the words left her mouth.
…
…
…Huh?
“I'm sorry!” she said quickly. “I know you only ever wanted to be friends, and I tried to keep my feelings under control, I really did! I did my best, but I couldn't help you get together with Rarity, then I couldn't even carry through with our plan to fake being together because it was getting too easy to forget that it was all just an act!” The colors across her entire body had faded, leaving her gray and washed out. Even the metal rings in her mane and tail had somehow disappeared, leaving them to tumble listlessly to the ground. “Then you started blocking off your emotions, and I realized that I had been trying to make you like me, and you were using your dragon training to counteract my manipulations because you're too kind to just tell me to stop. I swear, I wasn't doing it on purpose!”
She's crying, you idiot. Spike's only functional brain-cell reflected. He closed his gaping mouth, then opened it, then closed it again.
The crystal mare took a deep, unsteady breath, and blinked away the moisture from her eyes. “I'm so sorry for doing that to you. Please don't hate me for it!”
She thinks I hate her? The Stillness crumbled as Spike pulled her to his chest. His lips found hers.
Autumn froze for a moment, but then she kissed him back, hard. Spike's sudden rise to popularity had given him lots practice with kissing. He was pretty good at it too, even if he said so himself. Autumn was better. Much, much, better.
By the time their lips parted, Spike could barely breathe. He was having trouble remembering why that mattered.
“I...” Autumn gasped, “I believe... there has been some sort of misunderstanding... regarding our feelings for each other.” She flopped against his chest. “It appears to have been cleared up now.”
“Y-yeah,” Spike breathed.
-_-_-_-_-_-
It took a while for them both to calm down so that Spike could explain his side of things. A creeping sensation of guilt began to take hold as he did so. He had always been a little resentful of Rarity for not noticing, or pretending not to notice, his feelings for so long. Now he was forced to confront the fact that he had put Autumn through the same thing.
He didn't even have the excuse of being unaware. The very first time they met, he had scanned Autumn's heart and learned of her fledgling crush. Spike remembered promising himself that he wouldn't take advantage of those feelings. At what point, exactly, had he slipped over the line and done just that?
Autumn frowned slightly during his story. “Might I suggest that you refrain from using the Stillness around me from now on?” she said once he had finished. “And perhaps, scan my heart from time to time? I would feel a lot more comfortable if we took steps to prevent confusion like this in the future.”
“No more Stillness,” Spike agreed, “but are you sure about reading your heart? I mean, that's kind of private.”
Autumn shook her head and laughed. “Only outside the Crystal Empire.” She paused before laying her hoof across his clawed hand. “And I need to apologize for assuming that you knew what I was feeling. Sometimes I forget that not everypony is an empath like myself.”
“No, I should have realized.” Spike squeezed her hoof gently. “You're my best friend, after all.” He brought his other hand up to her chest. “You're sure you don't mind?”
“Very sure.”
“Okay.” He activated his spell. A mixture of guilt, apprehension, and joy filled the young dragon. There were many other emotions, all with unique formations, but he focused on those first three. “Autumn, why are you feeling guilty?”
Embarrassment shot through her. “You are as well,” she pointed out, “but as I mentioned earlier... I tried to manipulate you into caring for me.”
“How, exactly?” Spike frowned. “I didn't notice anything.”
More embarrassment. “I flirted with you. Smiles, laughs, brushing against you, things like that. I wasn't even aware that I was doing it at first.”
“That isn't manipulation.” Spike hoped that she could feel how strongly he believed that.
Gratitude filled her heart, but it was tinged with doubt. “What else would you call flirting but an attempt to make you think romantic thoughts about me? That joke at Redstone's intimacy chambers could hardly have been more blunt if I'd tried.”
“Well yeah, but...” What made me think a duel of wits against Autumn would be a good idea? “The word 'manipulation' makes it sound like you were using mind control magic or something. Besides, I was clueless about it.” Like Rarity was clueless about me. He winced.
Sensing his embarrassment and guilt, Autumn winced too. Her own emotions flared in response, prompting a similar reaction in Spike.
Then she was kissing him again, and he stopped caring.
“Sorry.” Autumn smiled sheepishly as she pulled back. “I needed to distract you. Sometimes emotions resonate like that if you aren't prepared for them.”
“S'okay,” Spike breathed. “Kissing is good. I mean, distractions are good.” He shook his head. “What were we talking about again?”
She rolled her eyes indulgently. “It seems we both feel guilty over how we have been acting towards each other, but neither of us blames the other for it. Might I suggest that we each forgive ourselves and try to move forward?”
Spike took a moment to re-cast his spell. He must have dropped while they were kissing. “I know I'm not angry at you. In fact, I wish you'd been a bit more obvious with your flirting. Maybe then even a doofus like me would have picked up on it.”
Gratitude reflected in Autumn's heart at that. “I'm not upset at you either.” It was impossible to second-guess the sincerity he felt from her. “So...” an undercurrent of embarrassment, “can we try to date for real this time?”
The young dragon knew his emotions were shouting 'Yes!' so strongly that to vocalize it would have been redundant, so he didn't. He just kissed her instead.
-_-_-_-_-_-
“Let me get this straight,” Cliff massaged his temples. “You two were only pretending to date all that time, and then you broke off your fake courtship, and each tried to hide your growing feelings from each other, but now you're dating her for real?”
Spike nodded. “Pretty much.”
“I don't even know where to begin with that,” Cliff replied. He and Fluttershy had come to the palace to make Twilight's lunch, and found his little brother, (what was the phrase? 'Making out'?) with Autumn.
“I think it's romantic.” Fluttershy smiled sweetly.
“Thanks.” Spike turned to his brother with a smile that said, ha ha, I've got your fiance on my side.
Cliff rolled his eyes. “Agree to disagree, Fluttershy?”
She nodded.
“Okay, in that case,” he looked over at Autumn, “he's all yours, but are you sure you want him?”
“Very much so.” The crystal mare smiled.
With a shrug, Cliff went back to preparing lunch. “You're a lucky dragon, Spike. Don't let this one get away again.”
“I won't,” he promised.
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Limiting it to the mane 6 should be reasonable to anypony, as not only are they national heroes, but they're the first bearers that have turned up in a thousand years, and it's a good idea to keep them around as long as possible, since who knows when another set of bearers would turn up. On top of that, they've had to use the elements like 4-5 times already, and it seems all six of them are needed to use the Rainbow Power thing.
'sent needs to be 'send'.
And the line break here is off center.
Now that that's out of the way... FINALLY! IT'S ABOUT FREAKING TIME SPIKE GOT HIS ACT TOGETHER, AND GOT BACK WITH AUTUMN!
Phew, I feel better now. And while I still believe that you want let this story get to the 'Mature' rating, why do I have this nagging feeling that one of the 'landmines' you mentioned involves Spike and Autumn getting caught 'having a private meal'?
Anyway, great chapter
ethically dubious grounds indeed.
thumbs.newschoolers.com/index.php?src=http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lydygcLKkC1r57t8v.gif&size=400x1000
I actually agree with the whole "no sex before marriage" thing. Sex is an act of love between two people. To use it to get cheap pleasure will eventually end up causing some kind of pain. That's how I view it.
Also, I'm glad Spike and Autumn are now a couple! However, my conspiracy-maniac side tells me Autumn will do something that will hurt Spike for some reason, I hope I'm wrong.
But I do fear for the reaction of some ponies conerning the enlarged life spam part.
To those, I would say, "how many of you saved the world three times (counting Tirek), and are directly tied to the very magics of the world?" Yeah, that's what I thought.
Final- **** ing- ly, i mean seriously Spike.
this is the chapter where i regret faving the Story, because i can´t do it twice.
FINALLY THEY HOOKED UP DOBYOU KNOW HOW OFTEN I'VE IMAGINED RANDOM CHARACTERS LIKE PINKIE POPPING UP BEHIND THE PAIR AND DOING THE 'NOW KISS!!!' THING
… Moral ambiguousness? You think THIS is moral ambiguousness? Buddy, I've got a couple of words for ya: Warhammer 40K. We've got the Catholic Space Nazis, who sacrifice thousands daily to a half-dead body on life support, and preach that they're the good guys the Lovecraftain abominations that live off the emotions of mortals, and are simply doing the only thing they know to do, da Orks, who are simply out to have a good time, with enough explosions to put Michael Bay to shame, the Tyranids, who are simply going through their natural cycle of 'literally eat everything off of a galaxy'. The sheer levels of Blue and Orange Morality THERE make this fiction look just like the show itself. And besides, there IS a legitimate excuse. The Elements are the protectors of their people. The longer they live, the more they can master their respective Element (the magic artifact, obviously. Not what it represents). And they need to prepare a system for when they die in order to find the new Bearers, which will be harder than it sounds. A couple hundred extra years is more than necessary to find a system good enough to get new Bearers. Besides, this adds more reason for everyone to freak out. And who doesn't love a good panic?
This moral conflict is certainly one worth thinking about. Is it truly right for the ponies of Equestria to ask the dragons to commit self-inflicted genocide in order to stave off the heartache of death for a few more years? It all boils down to opinion at this point, and I side with the dragons staying alive. I'm far from being the type of person who rants about things staying 'as nature intended,' but anypony who could say that they would go through with killing a peaceful species for their own gain makes Diamond Tiara look like a saint in comparison. Those who would ask them for a longer life without realizing what damage it could do to them are exempt from the previous statement.
I thought those reporters that Autumn hired were over-the-top before, but they somehow found a way to top their last article. Normally I would recommend following the 'show don't tell' rule when it comes to an article like this, but I feel that it's best if you let this one stay off the big screen. We have enough overly corny material of the mature kind on this site as is. I don't think missing this one will hurt too much. Anyone want to make a bet on how long it is before someone posts their own version of the article as a story?
I think I'll take a moment to think about Cliff's current physical abilities. He's been training with Rainbow since he came to Ponyville but we haven't had a check up on his speed in a long time. We know how far he can run before using up all of his energy, but we don't know how fast he is now. I feel as if this is intentional so that he can show off his growth over the last few months near the end of the story and still manage to impress the readers. Before I leave the topic of exercise, I'd like to point out how clever of a reference Applejack's weighted exercise cloths are. I'm not sure if it's referencing the gear from various Dragonball characters or Rock Lee's crazy leg braces from Naruto, but it's good either way. It pays tribute to another franchise without being too confusing or out of place for people who don't know about the referenced material. You'd get a thumbs up for that one, but it appears that I can only make use of that button once.
The long wait has finally ended. Spike actually got the message! It took several chapters and someone driving the point into his head with a metaphorical sledgehammer, but he still got it. That was a long and frustrating ride, but it was completely believable. It was just in time too because I'm pretty sure I see half of Equestria about to come charging in for their own extended lifespans. Consider this the last offer before everything goes to Tartarus. I have 'borrowed' a stash of weaponry from various Final Fantasy characters. Anyone who wants to help bounce the more violent ones is welcome to join me. I'll be hiding in the trees near Fluttershy's cottage with everyone else who already signed up.
In short, this was a good chapter. The setting for one of the landmines you mentioned has been set and Spike finally realized how perfectly Autumn would fit in as his marefriend. Everyone brace for impact because this ship is entering deadly waters. I look forward to the next update.
FINALLY! Cripes, thought those two idiots would die of old age before they finally cleared the air around themselves.
4710930
Yeah... except it also means that the Mane 6, as heroes who already lead exciting, awesome lives, they get to do that longer and longer.
It's Belgariad rules: if you're awesome, you get to stay awesome for a very long time. If you're not you can age and die like the rest of the short-lived not-awesome people.
Not to mention Spike's letter basically says: we shouldn't be the judges of who gets to love how long, so please limit it to my family and closest friends, okay? Noone else (except the people I'm closest with) should do this.
I mean... the thing is, this is rational, and sensible. The benefits for Equestria of long lived heroes are pretty obvious. But it's also super unfair to everyone who doesn't benefit. Should the other people feel grateful they're being told they're not important enough to live longer lives? They have all the reason in the world to feel like they've been chosen to be even more unimportant.
And it also makes perfect sense for the dragons to think absolutely nothing about it. To the dragons life always ends in an accident. It abruptly stops sometime around 700 or less years of age, and you can never tell when its going to, even a little. Maybe you'll get another 200 years! Maybe you won't even get a couple hundred. So best to just enjoy what you have, and eventually it ends and they mourn and move on.
But to ponies---civilized ponies even---life is a gradual slowing down until you stop, mostly. Sure some ponies die of accidents, but most will die predictably when they age and die of illness. So to them life is a timer, not a "live until you stop." So of course they're going to be pretty miffed that that timer's going to be shorter than it could be.
Everyone is acting pretty understandably. It's of great benefit and high unfairness for everyone else, and despite what Spike said about how it shouldn't be up to them who lives longer and who doesn't, it actually is up to them, and they already made their choice: the Mane 6. But there is no easy answer. Life is already unfair, so is enhancing this unfairness by allowing the already-fortunate even more fortune bad, or okay? They will, arguably, help others, but Equestria lived for a thousand years with no Elements. New heroes would be created, but now they might not. Instead of new heroes being forged in the crucible of conflict, they'll just rely on the old ones.
So the whole problem is pretty difficult, overall. No simple answer from an ethical standpoint, just ones from the myriad of viewpoints.
The shipping has finally happened
about bucking time spike yesh. all the other times I just wanted to pound my head against a wall while saying stupid, stupid, stupid. Now I can stop
. Next chapter please
ABOUT ****ING TIME.
How's that?
4710939
Thanks for catching those. As for the landmines... you'll just have to wait until next chapter.
4711191
To be fair, I wouldn't say there's much ambiguity about the morals you just described. I was talking more about the gray zone where you don't actually know if the characters are doing the right thing.
Spike and Autumn actually got together?
memeguy.com/photos/images/when-i-heard-that-amazon-are-working-on-flying-robot-delivery-and-someone-bought-an-electric-c-money-69869.png
Btw, is there going to be a serious conflict soon? Not gonna lie dawg, I appreciate a Slice of Life story but everything just seems... so damn fluffy. Any arguments that were had were resolved REALLY quickly and everything else could've been solved by asking questions, which would've cut out a lot of bullshit and beating around the bush.
To be frank, this is getting boring. And I don't want to give up on this story damn it!
4711334 I here you brother, I was afraid I would have to knock some sense into Spike with an anvil.
When they finally got to together I yelled "Its about damn time!
" And it turned out the Autumn was in the same god damn situation I face palmed so hard.
As much Spike didn't want to go to his relatives for their bluntness said bluntness would have saved the two a lot of trouble.
Awww... I like Sparity.
Sadly, I doubt there was really any feasible way for this to happen in the story with Rarity's (at least justified) confused emotions in regards to Spike. *grumble grumble*
4711201
It's my personal opinion that sometimes 'Don't show, imply' can be pretty useful for storytelling. The classic example would be Jaws, and how it's more frightening because you can't actually see the shark. The conversation around the breakfast table was an attempt to apply the same principle to comedy.
I'm not honestly sure if I was thinking more about DBZ or Naruto when I mentioned AJ's weighted running clothes. Let's say it was a reference to both.
The big 'joke' behind Spike's situation with Autumn was that he was ignoring her obvious feelings for him, just like Rarity did with him for so long. I actually feel like I should have slapped him over the head with that a bit more.
4711251
4711201
You'll see how ponies are reacting to the news about life-force transfer next chapter. I did my best to show that there are multiple sides and views to this issue. Let me know if you think I gave the subject the consideration it deserves.
4711251
I loved that you mentioned the Belgariad, by the way. I really like the series, but you were completely right. Anyone that isn't a main character basically just exists to be used as target practice.
4711438
Yeah, that pretty well sums everything up.
4711593
No worries, the crap hits the fan next chapter.
YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Great chapter. I loved this story. Spike and Autumn are now together. Great job.
4711590 …Tell me, WHO is doing the right thing? Would you say that the Imperium is doing the right thing? Sacrificing THOUSANDS for the Emperor? Just for their own survival? Or for their absolute xenophobia? Or that Chaos is doing the wrong thing? They are only doing what they simply FEEL is right, because they are LITERALLY created by the emotions of mortals, and what they FEEL is a galaxy full of hatred and scorn. The Tyranids? They're just doing what their instincts say. It's just that their instincts say to devour a planet down to the bedrock. Da Orks? We go an break thins fur da fun o' it! Dere ain't no righ' or wrang!
You would say THAT'S not morally gray?
4710930 they actually only used the elements 3 times once against Nightmare Moon, once on Discord, then to summon discord at the start of season 4
so reminds me of how the Ood in Doctor Who are described
Also Spike if you just asked her how she felt or Autumn ask him this would have been simple, as for their fear of losing their friendship "sometimes its better to ask forgiveness then beg permission"
Owwww spike and autumn !!!! Yaaaaay , but .... I just have question , what will happen ti rarity ?! She has feelings for spike right ? :C
Ooh one more thing , hahaha that simblings pair , i like the way they care for the other :'D , more moments like this pls
Now that you've put Autumn and Spike together on-screen, are we ever going to find out what the heck Rarity has been thinking?
You have avoided including her in the story other than being mentioned by the other actors and maybe seing the results of her offscreen PR actions for quite some time now. In this chapter alone, you had set up the perfect chance throw some light on her situation, but before Spike could even talk to her, he was sent away. Issue side-stepped yet again.
Once again, I'm not opposed to Spike/Autumn, even if I still think that's she's too flawless, but meh...they are cute together.
However, this story seems to be about interpersonal relationships, and not always of the romantic type, so it still confuses me that you're only telling US half of the story about one of the main relationships in this piece. Spike seems to know what's what already as does Autumn, but you've given the readers no real idea as to what Rarity is about.
----------------
On the note of the life-span transfer. A couple of questions. What happens when this exchange program works, and in years, you have more dragons raised in pony society and more resistent to greed. Will their "extra years" not be so extra anymore? Less accidents will mean actually getting to use those extra years for themselves.
The other question is , and please excuse me if it's been answered in the story already, does increased lifespan just tack on extra years to the end, or does it add them in the middle somewhere? Or, better put, will one of the mane 6 live out her life to about 70-ish or so and then just not die until the years run out, or will it grant longer youth as well?
--------------------
Last issue...
If you do choose to go into a mature direction, please put it as optional chapters in a side-story. I would REALLY hate for this story to remain unfinished, because I can't open it due to it's rating.
--Still enjoying the story.
Spade
4711850
Of the groups you just described, it sounds like none of them are meant to be sympathetic, with the possible exceptions of the Imperium or the Chaos, given that I know nothing about that universe. Granted, that might be the point. If everyone is a jerk, you don't have to feel bad when someone gets pounded into dust. What I was aiming for was more the opposite, where you look at all sides of the conflict and go, "Man, I feel for you."
I don't know if that clarifies anything, but I hope so.
That was fun. Looking forward to more.
Keep up the good work. Deus tecum.
Well, it's been fun, but I see how this is going. I've never been much for romance, and lately, that's been increasingly prominent in this story. It's started as a story about Spike's brother meeting him and and adjusting to ponies, but now it's a romance novel. As a result of this change, I'm afraid I might start losing interest soon.
Character development is good, and I like that you're taking the time to do it instead of simply slapping characters together and calling it a relationship like most shippers do. That's why I've been able to stick around this long: because you're doing it right. I suppose we'll just have to see. Maybe my fears are unfounded and I'm just feeling like this because things have been sappier than usual lately.
On another subject, my thoughts have wandered to Spike's parents. Wherever they are, I find it hard to believe that word of these events hasn't reached them. It's been quite a while, so either way, they should be showing up soon.
To be honest, the thing between Spike and Autumn has been done before. A lot. In both fan fictions, movies, and romance novels. Such plot reads as follows...
Guy likes Girl. - Girl doesn't like Guy. - Guy enlists Other girl. - Other girl pretends to be Guy's girlfriend. - Guy uses fake relationship to make Girl jealous. - ...Nope doesn't work. - Guy and Other girl stop sherrade. - Guy developed feelings and hides them. - Akward moments because. - Guy and Other girl profess love. - Other girl and Guy live happily ever after. - Original Girl dies forever alone with Cat.
This is honestly one of my favorite stories. You've put thought into all the details and built a believable civilization using clever reasoning, and have backed your creativeness with good writing skills. I'm looking forward to what comes next.
Damn spike it took you long enough I mean she threw up more signs than a tollway
4711597 it would have saved us all a lot of pain as well. My face is still red from how many times and how hard I face palmed. Sometimes it just pays to be bluntly honest.
Lol its like one of those trick knots, they look complex and difficult to untie but if you pull on one end it slips out strait. For a few chapters I was screaming at spike going, "Pull the damn cord you idiot! For fucks sake tell your brother he'll pull it for you!" I guess I have no tact either, but seriously what's the worse that could happen she knows he likes her and she string him along like Rarity did? How is that any worse than what he's been going through. But of course I'm just rambling it was proper execution of a angsty fledgling relationship. Very well done with no complaints.
At last!
long wait but sill ended good 
ps. it needs more hot scenes
FUCKING
FINALLY
I have been waiting for them to get their act together ever since Autumn was introduced into the story.
4711871 Including the fact that they gave away their elements to the Harmony Tree, but im pretty sure that didn't happen since this is an (??) AU.
4713644 My exact thoughts. Except for a little while I was still holding out for Rarity. By the time he started dating a bunch of other mares I was like "dude, seriously?"
4713697
Actually, this is meant to be in the same universe, post season 4. Everypony just still goes by The Element of [Whatever] because they were known as that for a while, and that rainbow power seems to indicate that they're still channeling the power of their elements, just through a different medium. I probably should have looked harder for a place to explain that...
4712100
I should be able to fit in a conversation with Spike and Rarity in two chapters.
Don't worry, I'm not going to include mature content in any form. It probably doesn't say anything good about me that everyone assumes I will.
So sweet, and their relationship developing like this feels very natural with how you've worked through its development in prior chapters.
:
I'm just glad to see Spike finally pulled his head out of his behind.
Woo! Love that resolution to Spikes' conflict!
I'm very curious to see how this goes.
I love you already.
Bleh, Autumn may be the most uninteresting character I have ever seen frankly, but I suppose it was inevitable. I suppose I can power through it though to find out what the hell is up with Rarity finally.
I love where spikes love life is taking him, he is kind of stupid for not jumping on gem sooner than he did in my opinion. Also coming to this outcome was kind of confusing, but I don't think that could have been helped due to spikes perception of himself, and his own problems. But I can't wait to continue getting all cought up with this story, I'm enjoying it and truthly I don't want it to end, hehehe!
~dragons sweating kinda those me off though, I don't see how a dragon, who is im assuming cold blooded, and heat proof, should need perspiration. Just a thought :)