Chapter 4 - The End of the Thing
Rarity sat on the floor in front of the window of her hotel room, a tall glass of water held between her hooves as she watched the Manehattan skyline glitter against the backdrop of the night sky. The city was always full of such excitement and energy. It never slept, it never tired, and it transitioned seamlessly from one shift to another as some ponies’ days ended and others’ began. It was a stark counterpoint to the weariness she felt – like she was standing still and the rest of the world was passing her by.
She knew Luna to have mixed feelings about this sleepless city. On the one hoof, it was a city filled with ponies who worshipped at the altar of her night, and on the other, her stars were forever hidden by the perpetual-noon of the city’s electrical grid. She’d once remarked that it was ironic that so many ponies rushed to Manehattan to try and be stars, when it was a city where you couldn’t even see the ones in the sky.
Rarity stared into the lights, which seemed like a thousand glowing eyes staring back at her, watching as she watched them.
“What’re you looking at…?” she asked the lights contentiously.
She sipped her water daintily. The liquid hit the back of her throat like a train and slid into her stomach, past a hard lump in her throat, like a sack of doorknobs. It removed some of the taste of alcohol and morning breath from her mouth, so she had another sip that went down as hard as the first.
Never again…
…or at least not until the next time.
“Stupid Fleur and Coco,” she grumbled hoarsely.
Predictably, her friends had ditched her. They’d snuck off back to their hotel and left Rarity sitting alone in their VIP booth, nursing glass after glass until the realization hit that she was drinking alone, trying to drown her romantic sorrows in wine. Sadly, the realization had come too late, and six glasses into the night, the only thing that was clear to her was that she was going to have to stumble her own way back to the hotel. Somehow, she’d managed to hail a taxi to take her back to her hotel, and she could vaguely remember the desk clerk calling a bellhop to help steady her on the walk to her room.
Unlike Coco, who was less adventurous with her indulgences, and Fleur, who would go long stretches of time avoiding the empty calories, Rarity was no stranger to alcohol. She enjoyed a glass of wine at least three times a week, sometimes even once a night if she was working under a particularly stressful work schedule. But even a tolerance as great as hers eventually buckled under the weight of six glasses of overpriced bar wine.
She was paying for it now, but she could at least take comfort in knowing that her hangover could’ve been much worse. They’d had a nice dinner right before hitting the club, and a full stomach had gone a long way towards taking the edge off her current pains.
She took another sip and was pleasantly surprised that the doorknobs seemed to be going down one at a time. A flick of her magic opened the window to let the cool night air in. The hairs of her coat were damp with the liquor-sweats and tingled as the fresh breeze touched them.
Rarity’s nose scrunched up as she caught a whiff of herself when the infusion of fresh air pushed away the dank of her room. She levitated the glass out of her hooves, onto the desk at the other end of the room, and ran a hoof along her body. She found, to her dismay, that her coat was greasy and emitting the same unrefined stench that was stuffing up the room.
She would not stand this ignominy a second longer.
She turned and began walking towards the bathroom, but paused at the bed and ran a hoof over where the disheveled mass of bedding was messiest. The sheets were a little damp with perspiration from having slept in them the whole day. It was gross, but at least it was only sweat – there were much worse fluids that one could awake to find the sheets drenched in after a night of heavy drinking.
It occurred to her that she was saying that to herself a lot, lately: “It could have been worse.”
She brushed the thought aside and went to the generous bathroom of her suite.
Most ponies that were travelling tended to choose their accommodations based on superficial things like proximity to tourist spots, dining options, the sizes of the beds, or the courteousness of the hotel staff. But unlike most ponies, Rarity was an upstanding and refined lady – current embarrassment aside – and knew what really mattered when it came to these things: the quality of the bathrooms.
She hit the switch on the bathroom wall, powering up the soft fluorescent lights above the mirror with a whine of electricity. The tile gleamed spotlessly, and the equally spotless rugs were sufficiently shaggy and virginal white. At the far end of the bathroom, against the wall, was a small shower stall beside a large soaking tub dotted with massaging jets.
It certainly wasn’t as nice as her facilities back home, but a bit of roughing it never hurt anypony.
She floated a small vanity from off the counter, along with a damp washcloth and a little makeup remover, to wipe away the last of the blush stubbornly clinging to her cheeks and the final wisps of mascara around her eyes. She made it a point to focus only on the makeup, dreading her own reflection until she’d given herself a good scrubbing.
She magicked the shower on and went about cleaning away the rest of the outward remnants of the previous night. Bottles flew in and out of the suitcase she’d placed next to the sink when she’d settled in. The hotel provided miniature hospitality shampoos, but those single serving samples were always of poor quality, no matter how nice the other amenities.
She was finally scrubbed and cleansed after a good while, so she shut off the shower and levitated a few of the enormous fluffy white towels – another major plus for this particular establishment – off the racks and set to drying herself off. The soaking tub had been calling her name, but for the moment her only goal was sanitation.
Sufficiently dry, she wrapped a fresh towel around her middle and a smaller towel around her head to hold her hair. She went to the mirror and looked at her reflection with a grimace.
She was looking a little worse for wear. She may have overslept, but it hadn’t been a restful sleep. Her repose in general these last few days had been very poor indeed, limited as it was to napping on the train ride from one leg of the tour to the next. And when she did have a few hours to lie in an actual bed, she’d been disturbed by a general feeling of unease. Her body screamed at her to move, to distract herself, even as it wound down and commanded her to give it a break.
She really wished it would make up its mind.
Rarity was halfway through brushing her teeth when there was a knock at the door. She frowned as the number of knocks caused her to lose her place counting the number of brush strokes. She spit into the sink and rinsed her mouth daintily.
It was probably Fleur and-slash-or Coco coming to apologize for running off without a word to go and find a room to rut in, or whatever they’d taken off to do. She trotted to the door, closing her eyes and lifting her chin into proper scolding position as she went.
“You’ve got a lot of nerve showing up here after last night,” she said with a haughty sniff as she threw the door wide open with a yank of her magic.
“I’m… I’m sorry…?” squeaked a slightly frightened, but definitely male, voice.
Rarity’s heart seized in her chest the moment she heard him speak. She looked down into the eyes of the last of her friends she’d expected to see: Spike.
The little dragon looked up at her, his claws tapping together nervously, with a clear look of trepidation on his face. She noticed that he had his little travel duffle at his side, but put that aside as the least important thing at the moment.
Rarity closed the door halfway and stepped behind it unconsciously. Spike had seen her in worse condition before, but at the moment something felt… wrong… about letting him see her at anything less than her very best.
“Spike!” she said, her voice trembling but managing a false cheer. “This is a… pleasant surprise! I’m sorry, I thought you were Fleur and Coco. Um… how did you…?”
“You mentioned where you were staying before you left,” Spike answered her unfinished question. “I just had to ask the desk clerk for your room number. He didn’t want to give it to me at first, but…”
Spike patted his duffel bag knowingly, and the sound of bits tinkled from the purse within.
“Can I come in?” he asked.
That gave Rarity pause. She opened her mouth to respond, but closed it without a word. She cast a glance over her shoulder into the messy room.
“I don’t think that’s such a—“
“Please, it’s important,” he said.
Rarity nodded and stepped aside to let him in.
Spike entered the room, looking around nervously, as though he were about to be ambushed, and set his bag down near the door.
“I like this hotel,” Spike said conversationally. “They have nice bathrooms.”
That made Rarity smile.
“I’m very sorry about the mess,” she explained as she shut the door.
She quickly moved to the bed and straightened out the sheets into neat little hospital corners with a practiced flourish of magic. The loose magazines on the nightstand were restacked with a sharp tap against the table so everything was even edges. She closed her suitcases and lined them neatly against the wall. A wet rag darted in from the bathroom and scrubbed at a greasy little spot on the window where she’d pressed her face against it earlier.
“Rarity,” Spike said suddenly.
She looked up from wiping the hoofprints away from the glass of water she’d been sipping from and gave him a curious look. A wave of his claw in her direction made her realize what she was doing. She set the glass back on the desk with a blush.
“Just let me make myself presentable, at least,” Rarity laughed self-consciously.
She rushed into the bathroom and shut the door behind herself.
“Oh, why are you here?” she groaned, leaning against the door. Maybe if she pressed hard enough the door would jam and she wouldn’t have to speak with him.
Rarity shook her head to clear away the thought, only to have a needle of pain remind her of the final dying gasps of her hangover. The sink came back on at her command and she filled the little plastic cup she’d been using to brush her teeth. She downed the entire cup and chased it with a few more.
Her line of sight drifted towards the mirror, reflecting the look of panic on her face.
“No,” she said defiantly. “No, don’t fall apart now, Rarity. Just talk to him, he might not even be here about…”
She left the reason unspoken, letting it dangle in the air above her head like a sword as she removed her towels and began brushing her mane and tail. Her magic worked two brushes at the same time, while simultaneously applying a modest amount of eye shadow and some concealer for the bags under her eyes.
Rarity peered into the suitcase and frowned at the various supplies within. She’d modified this case herself, adding pouches and compartments to convert the extra large piece of luggage into a makeup and beauty supply case. Sure there were commercially available cases for the same purpose, but normal sized makeup kits were woefully undersized for the needs of a professional such as herself.
She ran a hoof over the contents, considering what else to put on. Some lipstick? Blush? Maybe her eyelashes could do with a bit more volume? But then again, less was more in a situation like this. It wouldn’t do to have Spike getting any ideas.
She groaned and stared into her own reflection. “Stop it,” she ordered herself.
She closed the suitcase with a growl and turned back to the door.
“Just… just go talk to him,” she whispered shakily. She took a deep breath and opened the door.
Spike was sitting on a chair at the desk across from the foot of the bed, staring at his claws. He looked up at the sound of her entering the room and smiled.
“That was fast,” he commented. “So, how was the fashion tour?”
She smiled back and nodded, happy that he’d brought the subject up. She climbed onto the bed and sat on her haunches at the end opposite him.
“The tour was wonderful,” she gushed artificially. “You know me, darling, I do love a good bit of fashion. It was quite a lot of stress, mind you, but luckily Coco and Fleur were there to keep me sane.”
“And keeping you sane is cause for you to be upset with them?” Spike asked with a raise of his eyebrow.
“Oh, that little outburst at the door?” she asked. “It’s a minor tiff. I’m afraid the two of them were rather rude last night when we went out to celebrate the successful tour. Wouldn’t you know it? They ditched me at a nightclub!”
Spike scoffed in disbelief. “The nerve! Why would they do that?”
Rarity cleared her throat and blushed. “They, and I believe I’m using the term correctly, ‘hooked up’. Or so it seemed to me. They were being very gropey with each other and had quite a lot to drink.”
Spike let out a snicker of laughter. “Really? Good for them!”
“I know, right?” Rarity agreed with an enthusiastic nod. “I swear the two of them have been staring at one another’s backs for months.”
“Or backsides, as it were,” Spike suggested with a grin.
“Spike!” Rarity said with a giggle. She flicked a hoof out at him, as though she were going to give him a shove from across the room. “You’re incorrigible, honestly.”
As they laughed, Rarity’s caught a bit of movement on the edge of her vision, drawing her eyes to the hand resting at Spike’s right side. His claws were drumming against the scales of his thigh with muted clacks while his leg jittered nervously. At first blush, this body language seemed out of concert with the good-natured smile on his face and the happy chime of his laughter, but closer inspection showed that none of his outward cheer reached his eyes. The usually majestic violet of his scales also seemed pale, as though he were coming down with something.
“Spike…” she said, still trying to sound conversational. “Are you quite alright? Your leg is shaking, and you look a little ill.”
His claws immediately stopped drumming and gripped his knee tightly, halting the limb’s betrayal.
“What about you?” he asked glumly, all the pretense of cheer gone from his voice. “If your tail swishes any harder you’re going to start a fire.”
The rapid, steady whisper of her tail brushing along the bed’s comforter suddenly registered in her ears. She bit back a curse and willed herself to cease the nervous tic.
Silence filled the small hotel room.
Rarity stared fixedly at a minor imperfection in the wallpaper – a rough patch where a previous guest had carelessly let something rub against the wall hard enough to scuff it. It was hardly worth noticing, but it was something, anything, to look at that wasn’t Spike. She couldn’t feel the familiar pressure of his gaze on her, either, so she assumed he must be of a similar mind and was staring at some inconsequential distraction in the room.
The room lit up brightly and a split-second later there was a crash of thunder.
Rarity turned her head towards the window – her eyes passing briefly over Spike and noticing that his attention was likewise drawn – and watched as rain began to fall. The pitter-patter of raindrops falling against the side of the building filled the room, and was soon joined by the earthy scent of fresh rainfall striking the pavement below. Even ten stories up, she could smell the wet concrete and asphalt.
The sky had been perfectly clear less than an hour ago. The weather patrol for Manehattan certainly worked fast.
Rarity stated the obvious: “It’s raining…”
“Yeah…” Spike agreed.
They watched through the window as the rain steadily picked up speed until it was falling in visible sheets, buffeted by the wind kicked up by whatever meteorological phenomenon caused that sort of thing. Spike would likely know, it occurred to Rarity, why the wind picked up during storms, but she didn’t feel like asking.
In the periodic flashes of lightning they could see the outlines of the local weather teams flittering about the sky just above cloud cover. The majority of the rainclouds were herded over the enormous wooded area of Central Park, but that didn’t mean the rest of the city could be ignored. It may have been a city of concrete, steel, and glass, but there were still trees lining the sidewalks, small rooftop gardens, and the odd potted plant set out on a fire escape, all in need of a good soaking.
The rain also served to clean away the dust and filth that gathered on the buildings and walkways. It was like giving the entire city a nice shower to wash away all the crud that accumulated from day to day activity – the gunk that nopony ever noticed until it was pointed out.
“I’ve been in Canterlot the last week,” Spike said at last, breaking the rain’s enchantment over them.
“Oh? Any particular reason?”
“I had some stuff on my mind, wanted a change of scenery.”
Rarity squirmed uncomfortably from her seated position on the bed. The rain was being blown into the room by the force of the winds, dampening the carpet beneath the window one drop at a time. She could feel little flecks of cold rain against her coat from all the way on the bed, so she closed the window with a sigh.
“What sort of stuff…?” she asked, her eyes never moving from the window.
“You, mostly.”
Rarity breathed in sharply, her heart skipped a beat, and she became extremely aware of his eyes upon her, all at once. She could hear the sound of him falling to the carpet, and the muffled thud of his footfalls as he plodded over to the bed. The mattress shifted under her flank as he made to climb onto the bed to join her.
Without thought, she scooted closer to the middle of the bed, turning towards the window so she wouldn’t be facing him while putting distance between them. The action gave him pause, but she felt the bed shake as he climbed up and took a seat anyway.
“Look at me,” he begged.
She shuddered, nodded, and did as he asked.
He was now sitting at the edge of the bed, in a spot that would have put the two of them side by side, close enough to lean against one another, had she not moved.
“I love you, Rarity,” he said. “I have for a long time.”
She opened her mouth to say something. What that something was she would never know.
“It’s okay,” he said. “You don’t have to say anything, yet. I know that you know. We’ve had a few close calls over the years, even, where I was just this close,” he held two claws together just a few millimeters apart, “to saying it out loud. Something always happened, though. I’d get interrupted, or you’d silence me with a hoof to my lips, or the bad guy we were facing down would enter his final form and start the whole ‘You can’t stop me now, I’ve already won’ speech.
“I never got to say it, but I knew that you knew… And I just kept on coming around, hoping I’d finally say something, or maybe you’d finally say something, or… Or I dunno. I was waiting for anything to happen.”
He began to chuckle sadly.
“Maybe some stupid part of me hoped that one day you’d just wake up and love me back. I just kept waiting… and waiting… and waiting, until I got so comfortable waiting, that I stopped even thinking about it.”
“I never wanted for things to happen like that,” Rarity said in a very small voice. “It was cruel…”
He shook his head. “Then why?”
“When I met you,” she began, “you were the sweetest, kindest, most helpful little boy I’d ever met. I didn’t see any harm in letting you dote on me. I saw your crush for what it was right away, but I always assumed you’d grow out of it.”
“But I didn’t,” Spike pointed out.
“No… no you didn’t…” Rarity sighed. “I was afraid of hurting you unduly, so I, like you, began waiting. I waited for you to meet a nice filly your age, or to accept that I wasn’t being receptive to your overtures, or for you to force my hoof in the matter…”
“Twilight says she talked to you,” Spike said. “She had reason to believe that maybe you did have feelings for me as well.”
She looked away, her face a mixture of shame and anger. “I told her to keep quiet about that,” she growled.
“Don’t be mad at her,” Spike said soothingly. “She did keep your secret at first. Applejack got ahold of her, though.”
“Oh, so now Applejack knows, too, does she?” she asked, her anger rising with every perceived slight against her.
“They’re just being true to their natures, Rarity. Twilight’s just trying to do what’s best for everypony, and AJ is trying to be our conscience.”
“Yes, and their good intentions have built a very nice little road straight into Tartarus for us, haven’t they?” she asked archly. “If they’d kept their noses out of our business, you would never have known, you would have moved on, and we wouldn’t be sitting here, right now, wringing our hooves and claws.”
“I would’ve found out eventually,” Spike said confidently. He slid a hand across the comforter, hoping Rarity would allow him to touch her. When she didn’t pull away, he moved closer and gripped her hoof encouragingly. “What happened between us, Rarity? If you started to have feelings for me, why did you keep them secret?”
“I don’t know how else to say it…” she said muttered sadly. “You were a little boy when we met… You were Twilight’s little brother – you became a little brother to all of us. I used to take you out for ice cream on your birthday, and sometimes, when we’d lose track of time making dresses together, I’d find you asleep in a pile of scrap cloth and I’d have to carry you home on my back.”
“What changed, then…?”
She chuckled mirthlessly. “You grew up,” she said simply. “You changed from a cute, considerate boy into a fine, erudite, and interesting… adult. My failures with stallions are no secret. With my record, how could I possibly be expected to withstand the charms of somepony like you?”
“Then why didn’t you do anything about it?” he asked again, squeezing her hoof harder. “Say it plainly, please. I have to know.”
“Because I was afraid, Spike!” she spat shamefully. “I was afraid of what everypony would think! Our friends, my clients, your sister… What would they think of the lecherous old cradle robber taking advantage of an innocent boy’s crush!?”
Spike blinked. “It was… because of what other ponies would think…?”
“No!” she shouted in fear of how she made herself sound. “I mean yes, I mean… Yes and no…”
She pulled her hoof from his grasp and brought it to her face to hide her shame.
“I don’t know,” she said sadly, her voice muffled by her hooves. She dropped them and chewed her lip thoughtfully before continuing. “I could get over what other ponies thought of me… it would be difficult, but I could do it… getting over my own opinion of myself, however… that would be harder.”
He shook his head. “Meaning?”
“I told you already,” she sighed. “You were like a little brother to me. What kind of mare would I be to betray that kind of bond? To take the love I felt for you and express it in other ways? How could I take these feelings, the same feelings that I had for somepony as dear to me as Sweetie Belle, and turn them romantic? How could I reconcile memories of watching you play marbles with thoughts of taking you out on dates? What about considering you as somepony to maybe one day marry?”
Her cheeks flushed brightly. She lowered her eyes to the bed knowingly and gave a little nod in its direction.
“Or inviting you to my bed… to make love…?”
Spike blushed as well, but maintained his composure as he pointed out: “To be fair, I only ever played marbles with Pinkie and RD… And whatever we were shouldn’t matter. The only thing that should matter is how you feel about me right now.”
“I know that. And every day since that first day I realized that I might want you, I cared a little less about the taboo of it… but I’m a very weak mare, Spike. I’m petty and shallow, and even at my age I still have some growing up to do – I recognize that about myself.”
She turned back to the window and ground her teeth.
“That’s why I kept waiting… I was waiting until I was mature enough that I just didn’t give a damn anymore – until my love for you was strong enough to shove aside all the embarrassment and self-doubt… I never considered that, while I was struggling with my feelings, somepony else might have taken notice of how wonderful you are… It was selfish. So very, very selfish…”
“You had no way of knowing,” he assured her. Moondancer and Scootaloo came to the front of his mind. He’d been mulling over all the little signs that should’ve told him that they were interested, and in retrospect it had all seemed so obvious. “Even I didn’t know... apparently I’m really bad at noticing when somepony likes me.”
Rarity smiled sadly. “Well… we all have our flaws,” she said. She reached behind herself and pulled her tail to her chest, bunching up the curls and hugging them tightly to her body for comfort, like a teddy bear.
“So that’s it, huh?” Spike asked. “It’s all out in the open. No more secrets.”
Rarity nodded.
“All this time,” he continued, “we were both afraid. I was afraid of you saying no, and you were afraid of saying yes…”
She nodded again.
Lightning flashed and thunder struck, reminding them of the rain outside.
“Who is she?” Rarity asked abruptly.
Spike grunted curiously, looking away from the window and back to Rarity.
“The… um… other mare,” she clarified in a very small, almost timid, voice. “Twilight mentioned that you’d caught somepony else’s eye, but she wouldn’t say who.”
“It’s Scootaloo.”
Rarity’s jaw dropped in disbelief. It hung there as she processed the thought of Scootaloo – the little pegasus with the puny wings that followed Rainbow Dash around like a puppy – as the other mare in question. Her jaw snapped shut with a click of her teeth, and she fell back against the bed, cackling violently.
Spike stared in confusion as she held her belly and chortled. The entire bed shook with the energy of her laughter.
“I’m sorry!” she gasped. She pulled herself together and sat back up, her eyes now lit with a sad amusement. “No, no, I’m sorry. She’s a wonderful girl. I just… never in all my life did I think that Scootaloo, of all ponies, would be a serious romantic rival of mine.”
“Scootaloo’s great,” Spike grumbled, somehow more than a little upset at her reaction. If nothing else, he at least didn’t like the idea of one friend laughing at another that way, and felt the need to stick up for her in her absence.
“Yes, yes she is,” Rarity said with an embarrassed grin. “I meant no disrespect. She’s a worthy – if surprising – rival.”
“She was brave enough to step up and be true to her heart,” Spike pointed out seriously.
Rarity’s smile faltered a bit at that. “A worthy rival, indeed…” she repeated under her breath.
Spike got up on his hands and knees and crawled over the bed to sit next to Rarity. She didn’t move this time.
They leaned against one another and stared out the window into the storm.
Rarity hadn’t noticed, but the temperature in the room had dropped considerably. She pressed further into him and sighed at the warmth radiating from his scales. Dragons, unlike lizards, were warm-blooded, and could manage their own internal body temperature even better than ponies could. His scales were cool to the touch in the summer, and in the winter he was a little portable furnace, perfect for cuddling.
They sat together and enjoyed the rain and the company. The moment was tense, but not awkward. The minutes ticked by, and the moment stretched on while the storm outside grew more forceful. An hour had passed before either of them realized it.
“I’ve made a decision, and I think it’s time for one of us to be brave, Rarity,” Spike said at last as he got to his feet.
“What do you mean by—“
She was silenced by the feel of his hands on her face. He turned her head and took in every inch of her features, his gaze roving over her face hungrily. She shivered under his touch as he brushed the dull side of one of his claws against her face, playing with the sensitive, feathery hairs of her cheek.
Rarity studied his face as well. His cheeks had lost some of that chubbiness of his youth, and he was just a little closer to eye-level than he’d been just a couple of years ago, but for the most part he looked much the same as he did that first day they’d met. More than his body, it was his eyes that truly showed his age. They were sharp and alive with intelligence and confidence that belied his youthful appearance. They were deep and soulful – the eyes of somepony who lived a life of the mind.
She gasped as he leaned in, bringing their faces closer together slowly, tortuously. She could feel his breath, hot as dragonfire against her face, as he shortened the distance. She closed her eyes and waited for it – whatever it would be – to happen. She didn’t care anymore. He could do what he wanted. He could kiss her, grope her, shove her down onto the bed… whatever he wanted, it didn’t matter to her. It was easier, so much easier, to just allow him to remove the burden of choice from her. To let him take the responsibility for whatever might come next.
Her eyes opened as she felt his lips press against her. He was gently kissing her forehead, at the spot just between her eyes and below her horn, the way unicorn parents kissed their children. Somehow, this felt more intimate than what she’d been expecting.
He pulled away and smiled sadly, tears shining in his eyes but refusing to fall.
“What are you doing?” she gasped.
“I’m being brave, for both of us,” he said as he pressed his forehead against hers.
“Why…?” she sobbed dryly.
“I think we might not be good for each other,” he explained gently. “We’re great as friends… but as lovers… maybe not so much.”
He sighed deeply and wrapped his arms around her neck, pulling her into a hug.
“It’s not fair to either of us to keep one another waiting,” he whispered into her ear.
“But I want you right now,” she whispered back. She leaned onto the bed, trying to pull him down with her, but he held fast with that unexpected dragon-strength of his and kept them both upright.
“And tomorrow?” he asked with a catch in his voice over what he’d just passed up. “Will all those fears and worries just be gone? Or will they turn to regret and shame?”
Silence.
“Thought so…” He placed his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed away from the hug. “I never wanted to be a source of pain for you, Rarity, and the world is passing us by. It’s better this way. I want us both to be happy, even if it’s not together.”
“Do you care for her?”
He nodded. “This wouldn’t have been such a hard choice if I didn’t.”
“Love…?”
He shrugged. “Not quite yet, though I’m sure it will be, soon… but I’ll never find out for sure if you and I don’t let go of each other.”
He straightened her hair and caressed her cheek one last time before hopping off the edge of the bed and going to the door.
“Congratulations on the successful tour,” he said as he reached for his bag. He grabbed the door handle and shot her a final reassuring smile. “Come by and see me when you get back to Ponyville, okay?”
“Spike, it’s raining!” she said lamely. “At least stay until the storm passes…”
“I’ll be fine,” he said with a rap of his claws against the tough, fireproof scales of his chest. “A little rain never hurt anypony.”
He walked out into the hallway and closed the door behind himself with a gentle click of the door latching into place.
She stared at the door, unsure of what to do. She was dimly aware of the sound of the rain and the ticking of the clock, but barely heard them over the sound of her slowly beating heart. She briefly considered crying, but for some reason the tears wouldn’t come, so she didn’t bother forcing it. All she knew for certain was that her body felt heavy with the emotions of the encounter and the frustration of unsated arousal.
She was knocked out of her stupor by a bang that didn’t come from the thunder outside. The wall opposite her bed began emitting a steady thumping as the ponies in the next room screwed vigorously, as if to mock her.
Rarity went to the window, threw it open, and thrust her head into the freezing rain. Within seconds she was soaked to her skin, but it didn’t matter. She looked down to the street below and watched the entrance. After a few minutes – the time it took to ride the elevator down and walk through the lobby – Spike emerged from the building, stepped onto the sidewalk, and turned in the direction of the train depot. She followed him with her eyes until he became a little splotch of purple fading into the haze of falling rain and glowing street lights.
A gust of wind swept across her face, chilling her soaked coat enough to elicit a shiver from her. It was oddly pleasant, so she didn’t retreat to the warmth of the room that was almost assuredly filled with the inconsiderate sounds of lovemaking. A little rain never hurt anypony, after all.
She stayed there, half-hanging out the window and shivering pleasantly, watching the sky as the silhouettes of pegasi moved around the flashing clouds like dancing shadows.
* * *
Scootaloo rested on her stomach and wiggled herself deeper into the embrace of the cloud she’d chosen for her mid-afternoon warm-up pre-nap. It was a short fifteen-minute siesta meant to get her napping-circuits good and primed for the post-mid-afternoon pre-nap that would carry her on into the early-evening main-event nap.
She ceased her wiggling and lifted her head enough to check the horizon for the approach of any other pegasi that might snitch her out to her supervisor. She was on the outskirts of town, hovering above the fields that separated the town proper from the woods, so she wasn’t likely to be disturbed. Even still, it never hurt to check.
Seeing that she was in the clear, she set her head back onto the cloud and stretched out her wings to soak up a little sunshine. It was hard work, busting clouds, and the warmth of the sunlight did wonders for tired wing-muscles.
One of the best parts about being on the Ponyville weather team as a Junior Trainee Weather Specialist was the fact that the head of the teams, Thunderlane, was always running off and leaving her to her own devices. He was a good guy, if a little flakey. He wasn’t nearly as impressive or knowledgeable as Rainbow Dash when she held the position, but she was still learning a lot from him.
The pay was good, the naps were good, and she had a full position waiting for her once she was done with her training – life, in general, was good… well, mostly.
Musing on the minor imperfections and annoyances in life had only served to bring to mind the major annoyance: Spike. The thought of the little jerk dragon that had run off without so much as a “smell ya later,” brought a frown to her face. She groaned and flopped onto her back, bringing a hoof down on the cloud with an angry little ‘pomf’.
It had been nearly a week since she’d opened her heart up to him, and she hadn’t heard so much as a peep out of that slithery little lizard. After a while, not even jogging could take her mind off her romantic woes, so all she could do was go about her daily routine. She worked, she studied for her Weather Specialist exam, she hung out with the girls – anything to keep her mind off of Spike.
The best she could do was not think about him for a few hours, but eventually she’d catch the scent of burning firewood, or pass a garden with a few too many violets in it, and he’d pop right back into her head.
“Great, now this nap is ruined…” she groused. She closed her eyes and dug herself in a little further with a sigh. At least she could still enjoy the sunshine. “If I ever get hooves on that jerk, again, I’m gunna—”
Her tirade was cut short when something small struck her forehead and rolled down her face. She blinked into the clear blue sky above and touched her forehead, pulling her hoof away and staring at it in confusion. It couldn’t be raining, she had the only cloud in the sky.
She felt another droplet hit her tummy, and closer inspection found the disturbance to be a small pebble that rolled away and fell through the cloud as she sat up. She cheeped in surprise when a third pebble struck her flank through the cloud.
“Hey!” she shouted as she leaned over the edge of her resting spot. “Who’s doing that!?”
Spike was standing on the ground below, on the path leading from town into the Whitetail Woods, and smiling sheepishly. He was holding a small supply of pebbles in one hand and waving with the other.
Scootaloo dove for the ground with a gasp, smashing the cloud into water vapor as she passed through it. She landed in front of him and smiled brightly.
“You’re back!” she shouted excitedly. She realized her behavior and sniffed loudly as she wiped her nose with the back of her hoof, acting casual to try and downplay her excitement. “I mean… oh, hey, what’s up?”
Spike noticed her eyes narrowing as she looked at the pebbles he held. He dropped them quickly and dusted his hands off.
“Sorry about the rocks,” he laughed nervously. “I just wanted to get your attention.”
“And shouting, ‘Hey Scoots,’ wouldn’t have done the same?” she asked rhetorically. “How’d you even know I was up there?”
“Somepony bothered to clear all the clouds in the sky except one. I only know two pegasi with that modus operandi, and I’m pretty sure Rainbow Dash is still in Canterlot.”
Scootaloo’s hot-and-cold temper flipped itself back to hot at the word ‘Canterlot’. She made a rude noise and began trotting down the path to Ponyville in a huff. She perked her ears and was mildly satisfied that Spike had done as she’d predicted and began jogging after her.
“Well, I really hope you had a nice vacation,” Scootaloo said tersely. “Thanks for stopping by.”
“Oh, come on, don’t walk away,” Spike pleaded gently. “Please don’t be like that, you said I could take all the time I needed.”
“That’s just a thing you say!” she snapped.
“Why are you doing this?” he asked. “Haven’t you been waiting to hear what I have to say?”
“You just love the idea of that, don’t you?” Scootaloo said with a snort. “Poor little Scootaloo, sitting all alone at home, twiddling her hooves and pining away. Well, I hardly thought about you, what do you think about that?”
Spike sped up and ran ahead to stand in front of her, his arms held out as a barricade. She stepped to the side and tried to walk around him, but he mirrored her movements.
“You do know I can just fly over your head, right?” she asked.
“Then do it,” he challenged.
Scootaloo stared him down, willing him to move aside, but eventually she gave up and sat on her haunches in defeat. He’d called her bluff.
Even she wasn’t sure why she was acting this way. She really had been pining away this whole time, waiting for him to come back and give her an answer. But now that he was standing in front of her, she wasn’t sure she wanted to hear what he had to say.
“Alright,” she said tonelessly. “Just tell me.”
“Are you okay?” he asked in concern.
She hung her head with a groan as she felt the dam that had been holding back her fears and frustrations begin to crack. “Just let me have it, okay? I’ve been waiting all week to hear from you, and if you actually cared about me you wouldn’t have taken this long to get back. So go ahead and tell me that you can’t give up on Rarity, or that you secretly had some hot little tomato in Canterlot this whole time, or that you only like me as a friend, or whatever.”
Spike winced at every accusation, especially the one that confirmed his suspicions that she knew about his thing with Rarity. He deserved all of that, but it didn’t take the sting out of her words.
“I choose you,” he said simply.
She blinked. “Wait… wait, what?”
“I choose you,” he repeated with a little more confidence in his voice. “I like you, Scootaloo, and I… I want to see how far that can go.”
Scootaloo stared blankly, working her jaw like a beached fish. “W-wha… what about Rarity…?”
“I’m going to be honest with you, Scootaloo,” he said as he scratched his arm nervously. “I went to Manehattan and talked to her. We finally cleared the air between us, and she said… that she had feelings for me, too…”
Scootaloo’s heart skipped a beat. “I’m sorry, what?”
Spike took a step closer and cupped her cheek tenderly with one hand.
“She and I… we’ve… we’ve been afraid,” he explained with difficulty. “We realized that we were both afraid of hurting one another, or hurting ourselves, or… honestly, we’ve both just been afraid of our own feelings. That’s why we never got together.”
He let his claw fall away as he broke eye contact. This had gone much more simply in his head. The whole train ride back to Ponyville had been spent scripting possible scenarios for how this confrontation would go. In the one where this conversation came up, he’d been way smoother. He’d been suave and charming, and he’d swept her off her hooves and kissed her passionately on the lips while the sun set behind them as they lost themselves to one another’s embrace. Now that he was standing in front of the girl, the words just weren’t coming. Every syllable came less easily than the last.
“I’ve done a few things in my life that I’ve been told were brave,” he said after a few moments of struggle. “I’ve got some medals with my name engraved on the cases, and there’s a statue or two made in my likeness… but I never had the courage to admit what was in my heart, not the way you did.”
He took a deep breath and raised a hand to her chest, tapping a claw gently at the spot just above her heart. “You put this on the line, and that took real courage – a specific type of courage that I’ve always seemed to lack. That’s why I choose you.”
A smile came to his lips as he was struck by the perfect way to phrase what he was trying to say.
“You’re a brave girl, Scootaloo,” he said. “And I guess what I’m trying to say, is that that bravery is crazy-go-nuts-awesome hot.”
Scootaloo gasped and her hooves shot up to cover her mouth in wide-eyed shock. “That’s the sweetest thing anypony’s ever said to me…” she whispered.
Spike gripped his own shoulder timidly and grinned. “So uh… whaddaya say? You want to be my mare?”
She nodded violently. “Should we… kiss or something…?” she asked cautiously.
“I think that’d be a good idea,” Spike said with a laugh.
He gently pulled her hooves away from her mouth and placed them on his shoulders. Scootaloo was one of the few ponies in town that was eye-level with him while standing, and sitting on her haunches put her a few inches shorter than him: perfect kissing height. He lifted her chin up and leaned in to claim the lips she was nervously moistening with little flicks of her tongue. The sight of it darting in and out of her mouth was so silly that he almost laughed.
He closed his eyes and leaned in, puckering his lips expectantly... only to feel her hooves slide off his shoulders and give him a hard shove, pushing him to the ground.
"Oh gosh!" Scootaloo squeaked in surprise. The intense blush on her face was practically visible through the hooves she was once again hiding behind. "Don't look at me! I can't do it, I'm too nervous!"
"I'm not even mad," Spike said with a laugh. "You are so cute right now."
He stood up and dusted himself off while she mewled quietly in embarrassment. He reached for her hooves again, but found her much more reluctant to lower them this time.
"Hey, come on," he said soothingly. "Don't be embarrassed. How about we just hug instead?"
Scootaloo allowed her shelter to be pulled away slowly. "A hug would be nice..." she whimpered.
He carefully wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her tight against his body. Her arms slowly encircled him as well, squeezing experimentally, as though she were afraid to hurt him. Spike lifted a claw to her mane and toyed with her hair tenderly, which seemed to soothe her nerves if the increased firmness of her hug was any indication. His free hand rubbed her back with small, loving circles in the spot between her wings, rewarding him with a delightful hum.
They stood beneath the early afternoon sun, enjoying the feeling of their bodies pressed together tight enough to feel one another's heartbeat. Hugs were nothing new. They'd both hugged friends in the past, and had even hugged each one or twice, but the intent and meaning of this particular hug is what made all the difference in the world. Hidden within this embrace was a silent promise to dedicate themselves to trying to make a future with one another.
Scootaloo relaxed her grip, signalling the end of the hug. They pulled apart and smiled at one another.
"That was perfect," Spike said with a grin.
"Yeah," Scootaloo agreed with a surprisingly girlish titter.
For a while, neither of them said anything... or moved.
“So, then,” she said, tapping her hooves together nervously. “I suppose, uh… we’re dating.”
Spike held his hands behind his back and rocked on his feet. “It would appear so… Indeedy-doo, it does…”
Scootaloo rubbed at the back of her neck and looked around the clearing, trying to find something interesting to break the awkward moment that had snuck up on them.
She leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially: “What do we do now…?”
Spike opened his mouth to respond, but snapped it shut when no answer came to mind.
“I… I dunno…”
“What do you mean you don’t know!?” Scootaloo shouted in mild panic as she stood and stomped a hoof in the dirt. “You’re the guy, you’re supposed to know this stuff!”
“I’ve never gotten this far with a mare, okay!?” he snapped.
Scootaloo blinked. “Crap! I didn’t think of that! Quick, what was your plan with Rarity!?”
“What?”
She smacked her forehead with a hoof in exasperation and groaned. “What was your game plan for when you finally asked her out, you dumdum?”
“Ummmmmmmmmmm…” he said, stalling for time by really drawing out the M’s. “Honestly? It’s been so long that I don’t even think the restaurant that I had planned on taking her to is still opened. I think AJ exercised her powers as Economics Councilmare and shut them down last year because of rats or something.”
“Ew…” Scootaloo said with a grimace. “Even if it’s not shut down, let’s not go to the rat place for our first date, please.”
“Should we go have dinner somewhere else…?” Spike suggested hopefully.
Scootaloo held her hoof to her stomach and made a face like she’d tasted something bad. “I dunno, I kind of had a big lunch… I think that acting troupe Pinkie hired is rehearsing for the new theater’s first show. I bet if we ask her she’d let us go watch.”
“What’s the play?” he asked, quirking an eyebrow in suspicion.
“It’s one of those foreign ones she likes,” Scootaloo said as she scratched her chin thoughtfully. “Think she said it was called Tenchi Mule-O. It’s about space-donkeys or something.”
“Ew, no,” Spike quickly said with a shake of his head. “How about we just go for a nice walk through Whitetail Woods? You could work up an appetite and I can stretch my legs after that long train ride.”
“Oh! Perfect!” Scootaloo squealed happily. “Then we can go get nachos!”
Spike gasped. “Yes! Nachos would be amazing!”
“They’re the most romantic food!” Scootaloo explained. “Who’s the most awesome couple?”
“We are!” Spike replied with a grin.
“Up high!” Scootaloo shouted as she stood on her hind legs and lifted a hoof above Spike’s head.
Spike jumped up and returned the high-hoof.
“I was worried there for a second,” Spike said with a laugh as they headed off down the path leading into the woods.
“Right?”
“I think we’re just going to have to take our time and make our own rules about this dating stuff,” Spike suggested.
“Totally,” Scootaloo said in agreement. “We both know each other pretty well, so I think the best thing to do is just work on the intimacy stuff, ya know?”
Spike smiled and maneuvered himself closer to his new mare. He placed an arm around her as they walked and she reciprocated with a wing across his shoulders. It made walking a little awkward, but the benefit definitely outweighed the inconvenience.
“Hey, what about work?” Spike asked suddenly.
“Ah, screw it,” Scootaloo scoffed. “You’re the kingdom’s viceroy, aren’t you? I’m pretty much dating my boss’ boss’ boss. Just write me a note or make Thunderlane do pushups or something.”
“Official Ponyville business?” he asked with a chuckle. “As long as you promise not to make a habit of it, sure, I’ll tell him later.”
She leaned over and gave his cheek an affectionate nuzzle. “I am eager to be of service to my kingdom,” she said, trying to purr flirtatiously. In her inexperience with flirting, it came out less like a purr and more like a spooky growl. “Now, tell me all about what went on in Canterlot.”
Also LikedSimilarAuthor
- King of Beggars · 14k words · 635 6 · 13k views
- King of Beggars · 13k words · 724 13 · 11k views
- King of Beggars · 15k words · 1,596 20 · 22k views
- YourNeighborhoodAlicorn · 19k words · 891 29 · 12k views
- Avox · 8.4k words · 813 13 · 9.4k views
- Closer-To-The-Sun · 4.8k words · 255 6 · 8.2k views
- Draconian Soul · 3.6k words · 477 29 · 12k views
- Rated Ponystar · 38k words · 1,144 57 · 19k views
Stats
Page generated in 0.037 seconds
Total duration
1,008 users online
2,032,459 hits today, 2,004,447 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
I am pleased
This adorably awkward (adorkward?) passage makes all the hemming and hawing worth while. I'm glad you went with Scootaloo. Besides my own dislike for Sparity, it just felt a bit more natural within the narrative.
I always love seeing Spike get the girl (girl, singular, thank you very much, shitty harem fics) and you always deliver on that front. So far you've done Spike/Scootaloo, Spike/Octavia, and Spike/ Lyra. What could be next. How about you go really groundbreaking and write some Spike/Rumble?
derpicdn.net/img/2014/2/25/561478/full.png
Guh, these two are adorable together...
Great fic, brother!
Love every were
Go Spike!
This seems like the best choice for him by far. I like your argument why things wouldn't work out with a Rarity; it's not cruel to her or a version of Ron Weasley, Death Eater but it's also acknowledging that Rarity had flaws and is immature in her own way.
wow....this was beautifully written. Nice.
Well done, mate. I haven't read something so intelligently written in a while.
I like an ending like this. Not a happy ending, exactly, given Moondancer and Rarity, but still pretty good. I kinda think it makes it better that way, a bit more realistic or something
That was nicely wrapped up all around. I like the scene with Rarity, Spike did a pretty good job on clearing the air. And I thought the ending with Scoots was a nice twist on how that sort of scene is usally played out, it just makes it more realistic.
That was awesome.
Sequel?
Awesome way to end an awesome story.
Every guy wants a girl who thinks nachos are romantic.
A great end to a great story. My only complaint is that I would have liked there to be more Scootaloo in it. But even with that, I still loved it. This really was the Spike x Scootaloo story I've wanted to read for years.
I have a lingering word on the tip of my tongue..
C..
No, it begins with an s..
Se...
Se......
SEEEEQUEELLL
My heart went out for Moondancer, but you ended the story very well. Bravo.
it was hit eyes that truly showed his age | his eyes
Truly heartwarming story that was ended at a nice place that gives the reader the chance to stretch their imagination, sad to see that it's over.
Have a nice song that I think goes well with this chapter!
Next Project Idea:
WRITE IT! 
Tenchi Mule-O
And show the good Sgt. how a good harem comedy is done.
Seriously though, my inner Sparity was kicking walls until this point:
That cinched the story for me.
Good Show.
**claps**
Very good show.
--Spade
Yay! You went for Scoots! :D
Wow, I loved that ending!
The scene with Rarity had me holding my breath, thinking "Noooo, don't do it Spike!" (but then I am not really a fan of Sparity, so that might be my biases showing) but how he handled it was very mature. Though I guess I should have expected that from you (especially now that I realise you were the same person who wrote the Octy/Spike and Lyra/Spike stories)
You, sir or madam, have earned yourself a follower!
Well done on a good and solid ending. Although after chapter 3 I was rooting for Moonbeam, I still like your ending very much. I thought your twist with Rarity and Spike was perfect. It didn't condemn Rarity, nor damn her to a bleak future. Just a mature, if painful recognition of the truth, where Spike really showed a lot of maturity and wisdom .
Those are like, the best two sentences I have ever read. Swell.
They are too damn cute and funny together. Friends first make the best couples!
This chapter and well... the whole story was a absolute joy to read! Loved everything about it! Awesome job!
I liked how it ended. I feel like spike and rairty have built each other ups in their heads for so long it would only end in heartache. Tough honestly, I feel if they are single in a few years it could work out. The feelings have been out their, theirs no pressure, and they can just be.
Very cute and well worth the read.
This is exactly how it needed to end. The scene with Rarity and Spike was just perfect. It would have been nice to see a little more resolution with Moondancer, but honestly that's just me being nitpicky - this is fantastic.
Scootaloo!
i1286.photobucket.com/albums/a610/DaveofDefeat/tumblr_m1a1slAWtw1qaqk32_zpse007400c.gif
I choose you!
to be honest, this had a much better ending than many short stories I have read. The story was well paced throughout and it didn't feel like you rushed anything to get the ending finished. It was well rounded and most importantly, left me satisfied. Too many stories end with a "I want to know more" feeling. This on the other hand ticked all the right boxes.
Kinky
Anyways, I think the whole thing with Rarity was pretty great. I was already pining for them to get together, but how you let them down was done well and didn't disappoint me at all. And all that was quickly forgotten with Scoots, the dialogue between them was so cute.
I was actually more than a little sad that Moondancer didn't get Spike. And that's a good thing: it means I was emotionally invested in your story; it means I cared. Not many stories can do that to me.
It also means that the ending wasn't obvious. It was well-structured enough to where it left me guessing as to what the "correct" choice was. Each character was solidly built with valid reasons for liking Spike.
Good show.
Edit: Please do something with Moondancer. She's too good of a character to waste.
Scootaloo actually guessed that Spike had an admirer in Canterlot, she's a surprisingly good guesser. I kinda thought Scoots would do something like leap on top of Spike or something when he chose her, don't know why. I guess the show has shown me that even the most tomboyish of girls have their soft sides, so I'm not that surprised. Well, a good ending and a fantastic story, you should feel proud of yourself.
4990390 I'm gonna have to disagree with you there. This definitely left me with a feeling of "I want to know more", sorry King. I've enjoyed this story so much and have become attached to these characters, so I wanna see what Scoots and Spike would be like as a couple. You'll still get no argument from me that it's a good ending though. But unfortunately, the story itself was so good to me that I don't want it end. Meh, now I'm rambling, I already said something like that last chapter. I'll stop now.
4990568 fair enough, i suppose you can say the same for any good story you enjoy, but that's just my 2c
This is the most awesome explanation for napping I have ever seen. It perfectly factors in the rigours of scheduled napping and the difficulty of getting the body to accept the nap. You sir deserve a Cookie
A good story and the ending was nice. If you haven't considered doing a sequel you should do so.
I think your decision for a quick wrap-up to the overall narrative is perfect. For most of the story the events unfolded at a sedated pace to give the sense the characters actually needed time to internally reflect upon their struggles.It's refreshing to see it all come together cleanly at the end.
4990561 yes this sounds about right.
Even though Spike and Scoots are together now, I would love to see how Scootaloo sees Moondancer in person. Unlike Rarity, I could see her and Moondancer as really good friends.
And before you say this is a example of current girlfriend meets ex-girlfriend, stop that train of thought right now. If anything, I could see Moondancer as the type that is more than willing to make it work right with Scoots because she understands the feelings that Scoots now is feeling for Spike, and she is the ideal mentor or confidant. The reason---she knows personally how good a catch Spike, being Spike's real first crush (and it could have been more, just fate is cruel as hell
) is, and she knows that according to Spike's re-telling about Scoots, she feels that even though she herself can't be more to Spike than just a friend, Moodancer feels that Scoots is the ideal girl for someone as good as Spike, and she's willing to give that up to make sure that he is truly happy.
Now I'm aching for to see what happens with Moondancer and Spike's friendship after that little bit on the train. This fic all in all was a rather enjoyable bit of fluff. It had a few hiccups here and there, but story wise was well put together.
Loved this chapter and this story. Probably the best ScootaSpike story I've read.
4990561 I am with you, I would like to see a alternate ending with Moondancer being the one he picks. Or even just a new story about the two of them reconnecting after years of being apart. You did such a good job reinventing a character that really didn't have any depth at all that it would be a shame to not see more of this interesting pairing you created in all of our mind. But non the less you did a great job with this story.
I really expected this to drone on for another 50 chapters, I'm glad you didn't
You did an excellent job with this.
Thanks for the read!
I liked this story. I do wish, though, that you didn't write just romance. A sub-plot or two wouldn't go awry, if you continue doing slightly longer fics.
I find myself satisfied with this ending more than I thought I would be. I'm relieved to see that this didn't end with Spike getting together with Rarity. There was just so much working against it and I'm glad it didn't work out that way. I still kinda wish this ended with Spike getting together with Moondancer in the end only because I feel the relationship between her and Spike had more depth to it. It just felt natural and that what they had going for them could have easily developed into a romantic relationship. With Scootaloo it just seemed like the romance was just thrown in because that was what the story called for. I just never felt much as far as them being romantically involved. Still though, I think this story was written excellently and it manages enough in the end to pull it off. Probably my favorite part of the story as a whole was how you portrayed Spike. I liked seeing him growing into this intelligent, interesting, mature character. Too many times he's just cast aside in favor of the mane 6 and he's just made into an assistant or butler type character that doesn't really contribute anything. Wish I saw more authors treat Spike as you did in this story.
~Have a good one.
Disparity well done, Spike +Scoots well played, Raritys fears did her in, Sad but Oh well. One door closes another opens & others are revolving.
Spootariry?
Poor Spike in a Mare filled world and all of them on the rag at the same time.
You don't always get what you want,But if you try real hard you get what you need.
Spike got smooch blocked man!! Haha holy crap this was a fun read
this was a wonderful story that I thoroughly enjoyed. It's sad to see it go, but I look forward to singing more of your work in the future. Peace man ✌️
4995362
the idea of her fighting those fears..those stigmas is interseting to me..but moondancer..oh moondancer..that makes the most sense..but in the end she could have been the one..but again..she didn't go far enough for her love..she should have hunted him down if she loved him..
I agree on the scootaloo part..the rarity not deserving it is questionable, but thats my opinion just like yours is yours. I for one like
Interesting, not bad for an ending...
Do you think maybe that there could be some alternate endings for Rarity and Moondancer? That'd be great...
4997749
I love a good Spike x Rarity, but I was talking about this story in particular. Rarity had her chance. Maybe not the whole 5 years, but at least a good 2 to tell him how she feels. Also the fact that she was letting how others would think about the relationship hold her back and she showed that she had never gotten over that, which is why she couldn't answer Spike when he asked how she would feel the next day and so on and so forth. In the end I do still wish for the Spike x Moondancer ending because I feel that relationship was given the most development in this story and was setup the best. Other than the fact that this story is a Spike x Scootaloo story I can't really see how she's essential to the story. It would work just fine without her ever being in it. Still though, the author managed to pull it off enough to where I can still be content with the ending.
~Have a good one.
This is an absolutely wonderful story with excellent writing and great insights into the different characters. Ironically, the ending inverts the Sparity problem: In the end, Rarity is the one who is not emotionally mature enough for the relationship. Linking Spike's main problem (his desire to run away from his feelings) to his speech at the end admiring Scootaloo's bravery was a nice touch as well. This is definitely among the most well thought out and well realized romance stories I've read on the site.
Huh. Right up until the hotel room I was undecided on who I was rooting for, and then that conversation both made me root for Rarity and crushed the possibility of it at the same time. Poor Rarity, convinced by society to wait because it was forbidden love, and then she looses because she waited. I don't really see her as being less brave than Scootaloo, the circumstances are different enough that the two confessions took greatly different levels of bravery. Regarding Spike's logic of not entering a real relationship with Rarity on account of it being potentially rocky, since when is any relationship not rocky at times? He's going to be surprised if he thinks dating Scootaloo isn't going to come with its own set of rapids.
Oh well, based on the comments I'm pretty alone in this opinion, so eh.