Very different beneath the surface

by Slick Dash

Did I wake you?

“Rairity my dear, well done on yet another stunningly beautiful dress! Fleur is going to love it!” Fancy Pants held the dress out in his magical aura, allowing it to flow in the breeze from the open window. Its gold and silver embroidery glistened in the light from each light in the room. Rarity sighed with relief at his approval.

“Thank you Fancy Pants! I’m so glad you like it! It really wasn’t easy to make.” She smiled and winked at the monocle wearing unicorn. “You and your wife have very expensive tastes.” The two of them laughed, Fancy began to fold the dress and replace it into the open box at his hooves.
“A small price to pay to be renowned and comfortable, wouldn’t you say miss Rarity.” The female unicorn rubbed the back of her neck nervously.
“Well sir, I’d have no idea about anything like that.”

“Oh hush dear; you’re starting to make a rather big impression in the world of fashion. Designing for the top musicians, creating your own line for Hoity Toity, and now a dress for the wife of one of the most well known stallions in Canterlotte. Don’t worry my dear you going to......”

Though the stallion’s mouth moved, Rarity couldn’t hear what he was saying. A high pitched squealing whining was beginning to emanate through the air, and it drowned out all other sound. The birds nestling in the trees outside, the soft hum of the sewing machine behind her. They all were drowned out by that terribly high pitched squeal.

Fancy Pants seamed unperturbed by the noise. He continued to speak happily, though the other member of the convocation was deaf to his every word. “I’m sorry, excuse me?” Rarity asked despairingly. Fancy Pants frowned; his mouth formed one single word. Rarity couldn’t tell what it was. “Come again?” He repeated the word, still nothing.

The noise began to grow louder and louder. It felt terrible, like white hot needles were slowly piercing Rarity’s eardrums. She scrunched her eyes shut, trying to fight against the pain. It was becoming unbearable; she fell to the floor clutching her head in her hooves. She opened her mouth in a gut wrenching scream, but it went completely unheard by the platinum pony. Her lungs seemed to empty out all their air, pushing the silent primal yell out into the open. The pain was unimaginable, her skull felt ready to burst!

She stopped for a moment, taking a huge intake of breath. She rocketed up into a sitting position. The covers fell around her as she panted for air. A worried Spike sat next to her holding her shoulders, had he shaken her awake? How had he known she was having a nightmare?

“Rarity, calm down! Sweetheart it’s ok; It was just a bad dream!” She looked around frantically, dazed and disorientated. Her eyes finally met Spike’s big green ones, and her worries seemed to melt away in his gaze. She slumped into his embrace; every muscle in her body ached painfully. Her panting began to subside as she regained her breath. Spike simply sat there stroking the pony’s mane soothingly as he held her.

Over the past two years, he had matured quickly. One day he had begun to grow unexpectedly, and he simply continued to get taller and taller, until his height rivalled that of a stallion. Twilight had thought for a time, that it meant the baby dragon had begun hording a small treasure to himself. After all, that was how Dragons grew. But none of them had ever found the hidden trove. The dragon simply seemed to have become a young adult. Dragons, such strange creatures!

Now the dragon and the fashion designer were an item, and had been for some time now. One of Dash’s many names for the two were “Beauty and the beast.” But she never let on as to whom which of them was which. But appearances didn’t matter. Not when you love somepony, or some dragon in this case. What mattered was moments like this, waking to find a comforting ear and hug only inches away if they were needed.

“I-I’m sorry Spikey. D-did I...wake you up?” The large dragon chuckled and swept the falling mane out of Rarity’s eyes.
“Yeah, kinda. You were screaming pretty loudly. I don’t think even I could miss that!” Rarity laughed, but out of discomfort more than anything. The dream hadn’t been that terrible, but the familiarity of what had happened was all too real! That noise from earlier today, it had intruded her mind and pierced the veil of her dreams. If she hadn’t decided before, she certainly had now! Whatever was happening to create this strange magic it surely was not something friendly!

Wait. Where was the magic? That whining, it seemed to have vanished! Spike opened his mouth to speak, and received a gentle hoof pressed against his lips to stop him. Rarity concentrated. Nothing. Not a sound, or was that...

It was still there, now that her attention had been brought to it, it screamed back into existence! Immediately picking up from where the dream left off, the whining drowned out all other sounds and began to drill into the small pony’s ears once again.

She let out another scream, loud and shrill. She keeled over, off the side the bed and onto the floor below. Spike scrambled off as fast as he could to go and help her. “Rarity! Rar!! C’mon sweetheart, there isn’t anything happening! What’s the matter?!” all the time Rarity still screamed that unnatural shrill scream. She clung to her ears, pulling at them viciously, trying to tear them from her very skull.

Spike lunged forward, taking hold of both of her hooves to stop her from hurting herself. Her clung tightly, holding her close to him. He was terrified! The pony continued to scream in pain, clinging to her other half tightly. She looked up into his face, tears of pain and anguish rained down from her eyes. as she began to beg.

“Spike! Please, please make it stop!” Spike was panicking now.
“Make what stop baby?” the pony didn’t seem to hear him. She simply continued to cry, mixing with dwindling screams to create a terrible wail.
“Please... Please make it stop! I-it hurts, Celestia this hurts! Please! PLEASE!” She creamed the last word at the dragon, which spurred the frozen dragon into action. He let go of her, and headed for the door.
“I’ll go get Twilight! I’ll be right bac”-
“Where are you going!” Rarity screamed, clinging to her ears again, with her lack of hearing, Spike retreat must have seemed as though he were abandoning her. Spike froze, stuck in the middle of the room, between the door and his beloved.

The terrified butterflies in the dragons stomach squirmed... then something more, and burning feeling; Warm and familiar. He looked down to his stomach, where he saw a green glow seem to emanate from beneath his scales. The glow travelled fast, from the stomach up to the chest, the glow intensified. The glow entered the interior of the dragon’s mouth, forcing out a giant ball of gas from his stomach, along with a huge plume of green fire.

The fire faded away within seconds of being released from his mouth, leaving nothing burnt, and only a small roll of parchment hovering in the air before him. A letter? NOW!? It could wait, he decided to take Rarity with him to the library, who cared if she woke up the sleeping town, she needed help!

The dragon took a step towards the pony who was still writhing on the floor terribly. But before he could even approach her, she reached out a hoof towards the scroll still hanging in the air! “CHECK IT!” She screamed! “CHECK IT NOW SPIKE!” Out of sheer terror, Spike did as he was asked. He took the scroll and read it quickly. His stomach seemed to twist into a huge knot. The Princess obviously didn’t know he was no longer living at the library. The letter was addressed to Twilight.

He threw it to the ground, and took hold of Rarity in his arms. He scooped her up and took her through the bedroom door, past a terrified looking Sweetie Belle who had come to investigate.
“Sis?” She asked worriedly. Spike tore down the stairs and shouted back to the little filly.
“Sweetie! Don’t go outside! Stay inside, we’ll be back, just promise me that if you hear anything get into the basement! PROMISE ME!” The confused filly let out a terrified ‘Ok’ but the dragon had already burst through the boutique doors and headed off into the night.

The filly glanced into the room, the sheets of the bed were now strewn across the floor, and a single piece of paper lay on the floor. She hadn’t been told about the magic, so she couldn’t notice it. Spike should have told her not to enter their room as well! The filly moved towards the letter, it had been scribbled hastily, it looked important. Her brain told her not to read it, ‘It’s private’ it screamed, but a little devious voice whispered inside her mind. ‘Go on! Do it! They left it there; they’ll never know you were there!’

She headed the devious whisper. She moved in to the room and tilted her head to read the hastily written note. As she read it her face became confused, frowning as the words passed right over her head. What did this silly thing even mean? Was this why Rarity was screaming?

"Twilight!
It’s skyrocketing! It’s all gathering around Ponyville! It seems to be something dangerous! It’s driving all the unicorns insane! Nothing should be that powerful except for Luna and me!
Please Twilight, get out! STAY SAFE AND GET OUT OF PONYVILLE!
If for some reason you can’t, just find a safe haven and wait for it to pass, but please don’t stay outside for long!”

Comments

[CSpud]

Promise* me. That's the only thing that bugged me about this chapter. Can't wait for the next one!

[CSpud]

Also is the relationship between Spike and Rarity similar to the one they had in your "Tom Saga"?

[Slick Dash]

436627 thnk you.
& maaaayyyyyybe

[Slick Dash]

436627 why you ask?