Strange Yet Wonderful

by Bionic Slime

Ch. 13 What Just Happened?

Chapter 13: What Just Happened?

A dreary silence settled in the library. Moonstruck couldn’t find the courage to move or say anything; he was too shaken by the appearance of this twisted chaos creature. He had heard stories about Discord, every pony has actually, but to see him in the flesh…well…it wasn’t an easy sight to process. All of the vile creatures rotting in the bowels of Tartarus paled in comparison to the rumors circling Discord’s unusual abilities. The fact Discord had such a disturbingly strong interest in Moonstruck wasn’t helping his rattled nerves either.

Moonstruck tried to walk backwards into the basement but Discord snapped his claws and closed the door shut; locking it with a padlock and chains.

“What kind of convict wants to go BACK into his own jail cell?” Discord asked; irritated and insulted that Moonstruck would rather stay locked up than be out and about.

“The kind that doesn’t want to get involved with the likes of you,” Moonstruck curtly replied. He tried to move away from Discord but found little success due to the library’s limited space.

“Now why in the world would a fascinating individual such as yourself,” he teleported and suddenly appeared above Moonstruck; staring at him upside down, “Be weary of little old me?” A small gold halo appeared over Discord’s horns.

What’s with the innocent act? He was so shady looking, he practically had “don’t trust me” tattooed on his forehead.

“Because I don’t trust anyone I can’t sense,” Moonstruck griped. Every time the unicorn moved to one side of the room, Discord appeared there seconds later. He magically levitated a cluster of books and constructed them into a wall; cutting off Discord. “Haven’t you ever heard of respecting another pony’s personal space?” Moonstruck asked, blowing his jade locks out of his eyes.

“Now where would the fun in that be?” the trickster said. He casually opened up the wall of books like a door and walked right through it. “And what exactly does that mean: not trusting anyone you can’t sense?” Discord asked.

“I’m really not comfortable with any of this,” Moonstruck said, sulking. The cornered colt sighed and slumped into a chair; finally acknowledging that nothing he did would keep this troublemaker off his back. Even if he did manage to get out of the library, there’s a whole town of ponies out there that could report him to Celestia and he really didn’t want to risk that. “But if I have to,” he took a deep breath and looked to Discord, “I can sense the dark sides and feelings in other ponies.”

“Really?” he said with a sly smirk. Discord materialized a set of clothes onto his body. He was now wearing a dark royal purple jacket, a white collar, a red tie, a gold and rose red buttoned up vest; clutching a sliced open coconut with a smiley face painted on it. He sipped loudly out of his drink through a yellow crazy straw. “Good sir, you had my curiosity but now you have my attention” he replied smoothly.

“My special talent is to sense the dark feelings and emotions ponies try to hide,” Moonstruck explained. “The closer I am to them, the more clearly I can make out what emotions or dark feelings they’re experiencing.” He shifted uneasily as he spoke, even if it his special talent, the sinister nature of this ability weighed heavily on his heart and mind. Moonstruck would gladly give it up if he could.

“Oh, so then that’s why you don’t want to trust me?” Discord scoffed as he turned his back to Moonstruck. “You sensed something nasty in my aura, is that it? How rude! I’ll have you known that I have been-”

“NO, it’s nothing like that, I don’t trust you because I can’t sense anything about you at all,” Moonstruck said; nervously biting his lip.
Discord ceased pouting and turned around; intrigued at this development.

“Think of my sensing ability like reading a book. Every pony walking around is like an open book; I can look at each one and find out a lot about what’s on their minds if I just look hard enough,” the colt explained. Moonstruck pointed at Discord. “But with you, there’s so much going on I can’t make heads or tails of anything. Everything about you is moving constantly, which makes it impossible for me to read. Trying to read your aura is like trying to take an eye exam in a blizzard,” he gulped and shuffled his hooves, “That’s why I’m so edgy about you.”

“Ah well that’s normal,” Discord sighed and relaxed his long, lanky neck right to the ground. “I feel SO much more at ease after hearing that, I was worried you already knew what I came here to talk to you about.” The chaos spirit retracted his head like a water hose by cranking his bat wing with his lion arm. “Springing surprises on ponies IS my number one favorite pastime after all.”

“So yeah,” Moonstruck said; inching away from Discord and all of his disturbing body changes. “You’ve never actually explained why you’re here exactly, you just said you wanted to talk to me about something” he stated. Hopefully, Discord would say his piece and leave before Twilight sees them together and assumes the worst. That’s the last thing his reputation needs.

“Well you see, things have become dreadfully boring around here and I was thinking you could be just the pony to help me shake things up a bit.”

“Wait-what?” Moonstruck shook his head, “I don’t understand. Why would you want my help for something like that?”

“Because you’re NEW and exciting, not to mention delightfully dark, I can only imagine what kind of fun we could have with that nifty fear spell of yours,” Discord beamed; shaking his arms like a sugared up foal.

“If you want to cause mischief and all that; why not just go ahead and do it yourself, why drag me into this?” Moonstruck asked; failing to see the amusement in such mean spirited playtime.

“Welllllll, as I was trying to tell you earlier, I’m reformed now and I assured my friends I would keep my chaos to a minimum. They trust me enough in that regard.”

“Lucky you,” Moonstruck scoffed; he couldn’t believe someone like Discord walked around freely while he had to sulk in the shadows because of a crime he didn’t commit. “In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m trying to get my name cleared; not drag it through the mud even further.”

The unicorn shoved past Discord and headed upstairs, but Discord used his tail like a whip and dragged Moonstruck back into the living room. His hooves desperately clung to the steps; skidding loudly as he eventually lost his grip. “Oh don’t be such a fussy foal! I’m not asking you to melt their brains; all I’m asking is for you to use those special skills of yours for some harmless fun.”

“Nothing about my special talent is fun”, Moonstruck said angrily as he jerked away. “Besides”, he stomped his hoof down, “I couldn’t use my powers to help you screw around with ponies even if I wanted to. Not as long as this weird hex keeps restraining my magic.”

“Of course not, that’s precisely why I’m offering to remove that pesky hex for you.” Moonstruck’s eyes bulged at Discord’s statement. The dark unicorn couldn’t believe what he was hearing; his whole body froze in place. “Ah ha, looks like I just said the magic word” Discord snickered as he materialized a black magician’s hat onto his head.

“Y-y-y-y-you could really do that? I mean, you REALLY have the ability to remove the mark Princess Celestia put on me?” the colt asked; his eyes watered as his voice trembled with hope. He could finally have it all back: his memories, his magic, he could find out who impersonated him and clear his name!

“PLEASE! You’re talking to her former arch nemesis here,” Discord proudly announced. “I know Celestia’s magic quite well. That’s why she and Princess Luna needed the elements of Harmony to stop me way back when, I know exactly how to counteract their magic,” he examined Moonstruck’s back with his eye; morphing it into an obscenely large magnifying glass. “Oh ho yes, this hex practically reeks of Sun butt’s work; I’m sure of it.”

“And you’re absolutely certain you can remove it and restore my magic?” Moonstruck insisted, his eyes desperately seeking confirmation.

“Of course, I’m as certain as I am Celestia’s favorite perfume is Exotic Marelit Dream,” Discord boasted confidently.

“Why would the arch nemesis of the princess know what her favorite perfume is?” the colt asked.

Discord jerked his head back and gagged nervously, his cheeks were blushing furiously. Nothing about Discord made sense but this was by far the most confusing thing he’s done. Could it be that Moonstruck wasn’t the only ex-criminal who was attracted to an Alicorn princess?

“You really do have a thing for her,” Moonstruck raised his eyebrow curiously, “Don’t you?”

“W-w-w-w-we have far more PRESSING issues to discuss than that p-p-p-p-preposterous accusation of yours,” he crossed his arms over his chest and turned his face to the right; trying to hide the increasing levels of red in his cheeks. Moonstruck was sharper than Discord anticipated, even without his sensing ability.

Moonstruck laughed softly, shaking his head. “Who would have ever believed the master of chaos and disharmony has fallen-”

“WOULD YOU JUST ZIP IT ALREADY?!?” Discord shouted as he snapped his claws and turned the colt’s lips into a coat zipper. “If you keep bringing up this-this NONSENSE about me having a thing for sun bu…err I mean Princess Celestia,” he quickly corrected himself, “Then you can just keep that magic muffler on you for the rest of your days!”

“No, no, no, I’m sorry” Moonstruck replied; muffled behind the zipper. He magically unzipped his lips and bowed his head. “I didn’t mean to offend you; honestly. Getting rid of this hex would give me my life back, I’d finally remember who I was before I was sent to Tartarus; it would mean the world to me.” The unicorn was willing to do whatever it took to be whole again.

“No need to worship me, those days are long since over”, he motioned for Moonstruck to stand up. “Though the groveling was very much appreciated,” Discord chuckled.

“So then, what do I have to do, how do we get this thing off my back?” Moonstruck asked.

“Oh it’s quite simple really. All you have to do is leave Princess Twilight without telling her where you’re going and what you’re doing,” Moonstruck suddenly felt his heart twist and crack. “Once you’ve done that, all it takes is one snap and you’ll be free as a bird. Then you’ll use your newly restored powers to wreak a little chaos around town so that I can have some fun and YOU can take the credit for it,” Discord said cheerfully.

“B-b-b-b-but I’m barely on good terms with the girls as it is,” Moonstruck weakly protested. He couldn’t stand the idea of them hating him again…especially Twilight, just thinking about her looking at him with hate filled eyes made him shiver. “I can’t betray their trust now.”

“They trust you about as much as they trust me,” Sweet Celestia he hated it when Discord was right; he really hated it. “Why work so hard to be them like when you’re already hanging with the right crowd? I think you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be: right here with me!”
“No, I’m not a bad guy, I’m not even a former bad guy,” Moonstruck shook his head as he breathed heavily. All this agony and anguish was crushing him. He felt like he could barely stand, his hooves wobbled as the pressure twisted his thoughts into a panicky mess. “I just have dark magic inside of me, and the truth is; I don’t want dark magic inside of me. I never asked to be like this…I…I NEVER DID ANYTHING WRONG” he screamed as he blasted out a crimson horn beam. Discord gasped and dodged the beam; it struck the padlocked basement door and vaporized it into chunks of burnt wood and sizzling metal. Such a destructive display of dark power only turned Moonstruck’s stomach even further.

“Right, wrong, good, bad, fun, chaos; they’re all pieces on the same board,” Discord conjured “The Game of Life” board game in front of the unicorn. The board had sections of Ponyville, Canterlot and various other locations. Every one of the Mane 6 had pieces on the board; including Moonstruck and the princesses. “And unless you want your get out of jail free card, you’re going to have to play by my rules,” Moonstruck blinked as the game vanished in a puff of smoke. Discord leaned his Eagle claw elbow on the convict’s back and grinned. “So what do you say friend? Are you ready to get your life back? Just say the word.”

---

Spike stood at the train station and waited, his claws fumbling nervously behind his back as he paced around. Now he knew how Twilight felt when she wore a trench in the library that one time. For years the young dragon had received countless lectures from his adoptive mother, she always had something to tell him, some new lesson or speech that he would have to memorize. Sometimes they bugged him but most of the time, he valued everything she taught him and wouldn’t trade their conversations for all the gems in Equestria.

But this was one conversation that he genuinely feared having.

He hated being treated like a child. This feeling had been crawling under his scales and festered inside him for some time now; like an itch that could never be scratched or reached. The dragon thought he was getting better at being more mature. But then again, Rarity always made his sensibilities melt into a puddle of goo, and Celestia forgive him if he loved every sensation the fashionista afflicted him with. Spilling Moonstruck’s existence to the Crusaders was an inexcusable mistake. At best it was a juvenile sign of weakness, at worst; it was a betrayal of his friends trust…and Twilight’s of course.

The look of judgment in AJ’s eyes caused Spike’s emerald orbs to ache with sorrow and regret. He wondered, maybe if he could handle his feelings towards Rarity in a more dignified manner, maybe then he would be taken seriously, and maybe his Southern friend could be more accepting of his affections towards Rarity.

“Maybe they’d stop leaving me behind all the time too”, Spike said; hanging his head.

He idly played with his tail and sat on a bench. Once Twilight hears how badly he botched their little secret, he doubt she’ll allow him help Rarity at the shop anymore. What was it she said to him once? Oh yeah: he didn’t have a shot with Rarity.

TOOT! TOOT!

The screeching whistle of the train shook Spike out of his dreary daze. The train from Canterlot had returned, which meant Twilight was finally back. The doors opened, a variety of ponies exited the train and walked past Spike. He smiled to those that nodded to him. Knowing Ponyville welcomed a dragon as one of their own was a privilege Spike was immeasurably grateful for.

Twilight always went out of her way to encourage others to accept him, always.

“Boy it feels good to be back home, not to mention get a little wing room” Twilight said; flexing her wings as she got out of the cramped train quarters. She trotted towards the station entrance and scanned for any signs of her friends. “I don’t know what it was but that train felt like it took forever to get here” she remarked to herself.

“You’re telling me,” Twilight turned her head towards Spike’s direction. “I hope everything with Princess Celestia went well,” he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

“As always, Princess Celestia knew exactly what to say,” Twilight said cheerfully. She approached Spike, petting his head with her wing before pulling him close for a hug. “I’ve missed you so much,” she said as she nuzzled his cheeks, causing them to blush. “My special, sweet boy,” Twilight added sweetly.

“Awe come on Twilight,” Spike blushed; faintly trying to brush her off, “Not in public” he said. The Alicorn princess giggled at her scaly son’s remark. She hadn’t originally thought of herself as acting like a mother to Spike, but the more she thought about it, she really was the only pony that raised him as her own. And if acting more motherly towards him made him feel more “at home”; then she’d gladly do it.

“That’s what I’m here for Spike,” Twilight countered; playfully.

“I missed you too, things haven’t been the same at home without you asking me to reorganize all the books for the 15th time,” Spike said with a chuckle.

“Very funny,” she rolled her eyes at his little jab, “So how did everything go with watching over Moonstruck? I hope he didn’t cause any problems for any pony,” Twilight said. Though despite her concern for her friends, it was Moonstruck himself she was more worried about. He’s been on her mind a lot more ever since her talk with Princess Celestia.

“Everything’s been going great with him. In fact, he and I had a long talk and he’s been really helpful; giving me advice and stuff,” Spike said. Twilight blinked in confusion, Spike sure warmed up to him fast.

“I see…well that’s good, surprising but good,” Twilight shrugged; at least Spike seemed more upbeat than last she saw him. “No problems during everyone else’s shifts?”

“Nope, Applejack and Rainbow Dash are watching over him right now,” Spike answered.

“Well now that I’m back, you guys won’t have to worry about watching over him,” Twilight nodded. She started to head towards home as her tail idly twitched. “Let’s go home Spike, there’s a lot we got to talk about and Moonstruck needs to hear it too.” She stopped and turned her head to see Spike wasn’t moving. He was just standing there, staring at his feet. “Spike, is something wrong?”

“Look Twilight, I uh,” Spike couldn’t bring himself to face his adoptive mother. All the warmth and joy from seeing her again was washed away by the painful reminder of why he really came to meet her at the station. He clutched his tail like a security blanket; twisting it anxiously. “I l-l-l-lied…something actually did happen, it wasn’t during a shift or anything but,” Spike bit his lip and sighed heavily, “I did something really, really stupid.”

“Spike, look at me”, the dragon refused her request, Twilight approached the young drake and gently lifted his chin with her hoof. Spike’s green eyes locked firmly with Twilight’s shimmering violet orbs. “It’s all right, it’s me, whatever happened; I promise we’ll figure it out together and it will be all right,” Twilight said in her most gentle, motherly voice.

“I accidentally…no…I uh,” Spike corrected himself, “I intentionally told the Cutie Mark Crusaders about Moonstruck after you told me not to tell any pony else.”

“Spike, why would you do something like that?” Twilight asked. She was upset but she refrained from shouting at him. Spike could have hidden this from her, but instead, he’s being honest to her right off the bat and she had to respond to this in a respectful manner.

“They already knew we were hiding something before I even talked to them. Sweetie Bell said she’d put in a good word for me with Rarity, and like an idiot…I caved in and told them everything,” Spike felt like he needed a 7 hour bubble bath. He closed his eyes and waited for whatever punishment he rightfully deserved to be inflicted.

Twilight looked at her number one assistant, thinking about how to handle his confession. She raised her hoof and was about to speak but Spike cut her off.

“And before you remind me this is all because of my silly crush on Rarity that’s never going to go anywhere, let me save you the trouble…I already know it is,” Spike said with a tearful choke in his voice. “I hate that my feelings for her caused me to betray your trust, and I hate myself even more for wasting her time. If I didn’t lo…like her, then I could get more things done at the library, I wouldn’t be tempted to break the secrets you trusted me with, I could help out my friends more and I could-”

“NOT another word Spike” Twilight firmly shouted. Spike’s scaly muscles clenched fearfully; he always got chills whenever she yelled at him like that. He knew he was dead meat. “After hearing everything you’ve said, I’ve decided on what your punishment will be,” Spike closed his eyes and braced for impact, “You will go over to Rarity’s boutique and tell her everything you told me.”

“NO, NOT THAT, ANYTHING BUT-,” Spike ceased flinching and opened his eyes, “Wait what?”

“You heard me young dragon! You’re going to march over there and tell Rarity why you told her sister and her friends about Moonstruck,” Twilight said. Her tone was slightly stern, but a little smirk on her lips calmed the young dragon’s nerves. “We all know how seriously you take your loyalty to being my number one assistant, and how loyal you are to our friends. So believe me when I say I know that the only thing that would make you break my trust is something just as precious to you,” she said as she patted Spike’s shoulder with her hoof.

“Y-y-y-you mean that? You-you r-r-really mean that?” Spike stammered; his eyes were starting to tear up. He quickly wiped them off with his claws and tried to stop his sniffling.

“I do Spike. I had a long talk with Princess Celestia, and she helped me realize that this is very important to you and you need to figure it out. The last thing you need is me making it harder for you by being judgmental,” Twilight explained.

“Wow I…I don’t know what to say,” he started to smile but his face turned serious quickly, “I just hope Rarity will take this as well as you have.” Spike just realized how this was both a reward and a punishment: he has to tell her what happened, which means tell her about his feelings for her, but that also means potentially losing her trust in him once she finds out he told Sweetie Bell and the others about their secret new friend. Rarity’s trust was just as affected as Twilight’s.

“Well…I’m still not entirely sure I am absolutely-definitively-unquestionably-beyond-all-reasonable-doubt 100% okay with all of this, but like I said,” she patted Spike’s head and winked to him, “You’ve got to figure this out for yourself. Treat this like a science experiment: take a hypothesis and test it out for yourself and see what happens.”

Spike couldn’t hug Twilight fast enough. He nuzzled his face into her purple chest; feeling nothing but warmth and love, this was exactly what he needed to hear. Twilight smiled and hugged him just as tightly. They separated and Spike ran off to Rarity’s boutique.

“Hey there Twi, Ah didn’t know you were back,” a familiar; southern voice said. Twilight turned to see Applejack approaching her. The orange mare had a large smile on her face; it was so wide that her freckled cheeks were practically glowing. Twilight hadn’t seen AJ this happy since the last Apple family reunion. “Ah have got some great news that Ah just had to share with ya,” Applejack said.

“HEY TWILIGHT,” Rainbow screamed as she touched down next to Twilight. Her speedy landing briefly startled the Alicorn princess. “I got over here as fast as I could, you totally won’t believe what awesome thing happened to me today,” she said as she fidgeted excitedly. The Pegasus blinked as she just realized Applejack was there and she had interrupted her. “Oh, hey AJ, sorry to butt in like this but something unbelievable happened to me today and you guys have got to hear about it,” she started to say until Twilight cut in.

“Wait-wait-wait, every pony just wait a minute,” Applejack and Rainbow stopped talking and turned towards the anxious Alicorn. “Why are both of you HERE and not back at my home; watching over Moonstruck?” Twilight nervously asked. The two mares widened their eyes as they slowly just realized the important thing they had both forgotten to do.

“Awe dang, Ah knew Ah forgot to do somethin’,” AJ said as she smacked herself in the head.

“Oooooooooooh…THAT’S RIGHT,” Rainbow said with a groan. She shook her head and started to explain to Twilight what happened. “Sorry about that Twilight, I just got so caught up in-”

“You mean there’s no one there watching him AT ALL?!?” Twilight screamed. Panic overloaded her mind, there were so many things that could happen if Moonstruck got out; BAD things mostly. She didn’t bother to wait for an answer to her rhetorical question. Twilight used her magic and teleported herself right to her front door, leaving Applejack and Rainbow to look at each other sheepishly.

---

Twilight appeared in front of her door in a flash of sparkling magic. She tried to calm herself using Cadence’s trick. Her hair and wings were both flustered; like she just came spiraling out of a tornado. Realistically, it would have made more sense for her to teleport into the library rather than appearing outside by the front door. However, Twilight wanted to assess the situation before just popping in there. Who knows how some frightened pony or Moonstruck would react to her suddenly appearing? She might misunderstand the situation, or make things worse, or cause the pony to run off and scream about Moonstruck to all of Ponyville in a blind panic.

Assuming some pony else is in there and Moonstruck got out of course.

“Let’s not assume the worst Twilight. Just open the door a crack, and see if you can make out what’s going on without drawing attention to yourself,” she said as she reached for the doorknob with her hoof. She pulled it open slightly and nearly gasped, she already recognized one person in there: Discord!

“Oh for pony’s sake, you can’t POSSIBLY be serious about this!” Discord shouted; incredulously.

“I’ve never been more serious about anything in my life,” Moonstruck firmly stated.

That was Moonstruck’s voice, which means he DID get out of the basement! Now he’s arguing with Discord over something….but what? Twilight was so terribly confused. Why is Discord here, how did he even find out about Moonstruck, did he find out when Spike told the Crusaders and was Moonstruck willingly working with Discord? Is it possible she was wrong about him and he really is the same villain from Celestia’s story? Twilight had to know! But she knew that if she broke up their argument, Discord would disappear and she’d never find out the truth about what they’re talking about. She decided to calmly wait and watch to find out the truth.

“Look, I appreciate the offer but the answer is still no,” Moonstruck said as he pointed to the door, “I believe you know the way out.” Twilight squeaked and quickly hid before her horn or dark hair was spotted.

“This is absolutely ridiculous and that’s saying something coming from ME,” Discord pointed to his chest. The trickster shoved his face right into Moonstruck’s, but the unicorn refused to budge at the pressure. “I’m offering to remove that accursed mark, thus restoring your magic and your memories, and you’re telling me you’d rather rely on an-an AMATEUR instead?” Discord growled. He yanked on his ears in frustration; pulling them off with a pop. The bitter draconequus snapped his fingers and regrew new ones in a second.

“Princess Twilight is NOT an amateur,” Moonstruck firmly defended. “Just because she can’t get rid of the mark right away doesn’t mean she can’t do it at all.”

Discord crossed his arms across his chest; frowning. The trickster had no idea why Moonstruck was trusting Twilight over him. Sure, obviously he’s the spirit of chaos and that isn’t something that screamed trustworthy, but he was sure Moonstruck’s inner darkness would be a perfect match for his own. “Why would any pony want to do something the hard way, when the easier way is literally a finger snap away?” he asked.

(Flashback)

“I’m not giving up on you Lando so don’t you give up either. Like I said about your cutie mark, this is a mystery and I for one am not going to be able to sleep until I figure out how to make you whole again.”

(End Flashback)

It was because of those words that Moonstruck knew that trusting Twilight was the right decision.

“She swore that she would do everything in her power to help me…me…a perfect stranger who walked right up to her doorstep and insulted her,” the colt said. He almost couldn’t form the words he wanted to say, emotions were overwhelming him from thinking of just how charitable Twilight has been to him. “I owe everything to her. It sounds funny I know. She hasn’t gotten the mark off and I’m talking like it’s already happened,” he said, laughing softly.

The chaos spirit rolled his eyes like a slot machine. He yanked on his blue horn and stopped them: one eye had the letters BO on them and the other eye had RED on it. Moonstruck ignored Discord’s indifference and continued.

“Sure, she’s anal retentive, neurotic, a know-it-all and at times…kind of a tight ass,” Moonstruck regretfully admitted. Discord couldn’t help but snicker at the “tight ass” remark. Twilight pouted in silence, she looked at her flank and mentally cursed Moonstruck for claiming she had a tightly wound rump. “But she trusted me when I gave her no reason to. She wants to help me, not for any kind of gratitude or compensation; she wants to help because she said she would and because she views me…as a friend.” Moonstruck smiled softly at that thought, “I know she can do it, I believe in her.”

“Oh poo, I had such high hopes for having fun with you,” Discord grumbled; regretfully resigning his attempt to bargain with Moonstruck.
“Sorry to burst your bubble but I’m sticking with Twilight on this one,” Moonstruck replied.

The front door swung open suddenly. Discord and Moonstruck turned to the door and gasped in alarm. Twilight was standing there with a great big smile on her face.

“You don’t know how happy I am to hear you say that,” Twilight started to say.

Moonstruck screamed in shock from Twilight’s sudden entrance. He fired a red beam from his horn, the beam blasted Twilight in the face. Twilight’s eyes turned bright red and green. She began screaming as she ran around the library; blasting random books with her horn beam in a fearful panic. Launching the fear spell was a kneejerk reaction whenever Moonstruck got scared or attacked.

“AH! I need to get out of here,” Discord snapped his fingers and was now wearing a “Men in Black” costume and holding a neuralizer. “You never saw me, this never happened,” the device blinded Moonstruck in a flash of light. When the unicorn’s eyes came back into focus, Discord was gone.

“Twilight, just hold still for a minute,” the colt pleaded with his panicking friend. Twilight couldn’t stop screaming and blasting, her hooves frantically trampling over everything in her path. “It’s just a temporary fear spell. You just need to WHOA,” he ducked under a horn blast. “Just sit down and ride it out,” Moonstruck pleaded.

“No, can’t stop, the Quesadillas…they’re EVERWHERE! THAT MUCH CHEESE CANNOT EXIST,” she shrieked. The Alicorn looked towards Moonstruck, but in his place, she saw nothing but floating books with big red stamps on them. “It can’t be…my library books are…OVERDUE!” Her screams caused the windows to wobble and shake; she tried to fly away but ended up smacking her head into her ceiling.

“Sweet Celestia, how could a pony this smart have such stupid fears?” Moonstruck groaned.

“Celestia, she’s here!?!?” Twilight exclaimed. Moonstruck slapped himself in the face. The last thing he needed to do was feed into her paranoia. The purple princess started looking down at the ground, seeing hundreds and hundreds of stern looking Celestia clones. “I didn’t mean to lie to you Princess, honestly I swear. But I was worried you would lock Moonstruck up if I told you where he was, and then you’d take away my princess title and send me back a grade or give me an F minus and I’ve NEVER gotten an F before and I-”

“TWILIGHT, listen to me,” Moonstruck shouted. The frantic mare was still lost in her own manic mind; his voice was like a fly buzz to her. Just static she couldn’t focus on. Moonstruck forced out a gravity spell and dragged Twilight to the ground. He leapt onto her body and pinned her down, looking her right in the eyes, “You need to calm down and breathe normally.”

She rambled on incoherently, still too terrified to make sense or cease fidgeting.

Man he hated seeing her like this. Such a confident, intelligent and beautiful princess; reduced to a babbling mess because of his own dark magic. It was eating him up inside. Sometimes he hoped the hex would stay on him forever, maybe then no pony could be hurt by magic that seems only made to cause pain. She didn’t deserve this, no pony deserved this.

“Please Twilight, I’m sorry about the fear spell, I didn’t mean to do that. It was an accident I swear” he pleaded, shaking Twilight’s shoulders. The mare’s eyes widened fearfully. Nothing he said or did was working. Moonstruck sighed and rested his head on her chest, “I can’t stand seeing you like this Crackers. PLEASE come back…come back to…me.”

Twilight’s eyes suddenly changed back to her original colors. She shook her head as if waking up from a dream. Moonstruck looked up to her, eyes gleaming with hope. “What the? Ugh, I thought I told you quit calling me CRACKERS,” she snapped angrily.

“Thank Celestia your back!” he happily exclaimed as he embraced Twilight in a passionate hug. She felt her cheeks redden as Moonstruck tightened his embrace, she didn’t know what was going on but she definitely seemed to like this part. “I knew my fear spell was only temporary, but I just couldn’t stand seeing you like that for one minute longer,” he said with a heavy sigh.

“Um…thanks I guess?” Twilight replied, still shaky and uncertain about everything that just happened.

“Oops, sorry about that,” Moonstruck suddenly realized the awkward position he was in with Twilight. Both of them looked into each other’s eyes, their cheeks blushed furiously. He leapt off of Twilight’s body and stuck his hooves behind his back. Celestia knows how even more awkward it would have become if any pony had walked in on them like that, even worse than being caught talking to Discord. “I g-g-guess I was just startled by your-your sudden entrance,” he said nervously.

“Not half as startled as I was when I saw you out of the basement,” Twilight stood back up and dusted herself with her wings, “Or when I heard that it was Discord you were talking to. If I had to guess, I’d say Discord let you out and wanted you to help him cause some trouble. Am I far off?”

Moonstruck hesitated to confirm his dealings with Discord; despite the fact it wasn’t by choice, but eventually he nodded in agreement.
“I can explain everything, if you’ll just give me-”, the colt was cut off before he could finish.

“Actually Moonstruck, I’m the one that needs to do some explaining,” Twilight placed her hoof over her chest. His silver eyes blinked curiously at her words. “I’ve learned a great deal from my conversation with Princess Celestia, I believe I may have some clues, and possibly some answers about what happened to you before you were sent to Tartarus.”

Moonstruck feared this potentially damaging truth, but still, he had to know everything he could if he ever wanted to learn the truth about his past; the good and the bad. He sat down and motioned for Twilight to speak.

“All right then. Please, tell me everything you know,” he said.

---

The young dragon approached Carousel Boutique; he stared at the door for a few moments before finally mustering the courage to reach for the handle. He’s been to this shop countless times but this was definitely the first time he hesitated entering. Any pony with a functioning pair of eyes could tell Spike worshipped the ground Rarity walked on. Heck, if she asked him, he’d leave a trail of rose petals wherever she walked. He used to think that was the way to get her to notice him.

But it didn’t.

Looking back on it now, almost everything he’s ever done for Rarity has been tainted; poisoned by a sea of immaturity and clinginess. That’s not how a colt shows a mare how he feels about her, and they certainly don’t break their trust by telling their little sisters important secrets. Spike vowed, right then and there, he would show Rarity the true dragon that treasures her friendship and company; like the most precious gemstones in all of Equestria. He’s done being a love sick puppy.

“She deserves a real stallion, a special some pony special,” Spike whispered to himself. He clutched his claws around the handle; holding onto it tightly with every scrap of bravery he could gather as he slowly pulled it open. “I just hope she can forgive me…well…here goes,” he said; more confidently.

The moment Spike entered the boutique, his emerald eyes witnessed a miniature storm of levitating fabrics, needles and tape measures flying through the air. All the objects had a familiar crystal blue colored aura around them. It reminded him of her sapphire colored eyes. Rarity was working on several projects at once, she kept darting from one dress to another to another; it was like a frantic one pony assembly line.

She hadn’t even noticed Spike had entered the shop yet.

“Hey Spike, how’s it going?” the squeaky voice of Sweetie Bell drew his attention. She could already tell what Spike was going to ask before he even said anything. “I haven’t had time to talk to my sister about what we talked about earlier. As you can tell, she’s been pretty busy catching up on all the orders she was delayed on during her trips to the library.” The pink and purple haired filly was getting tired just by watching her sister work.

“That’s okay Sweetie Bell, that-that’s actually what I came to see Rarity about,” Spike said softly.

“So the beryl goes on the shoulder piece on that order, and then I still need to re-stitch the skirt on the order from Baltimare,” Rarity hummed to herself. She dashed to her jewelry drawer and levitated a number of gems out. “Ugh, what was I thinking? Rubies on the cuffs, I must be losing my mind!” she stated. The unicorn moved to her sewing table and started working on an elaborate headdress.

“Maybe I should come back another time,” Spike said as he rubbed his arm.

Rarity’s head suddenly turned at hearing a familiar voice. “Spike, is that you Spikey Poo?” she asked. The young dragon blushed at her little nickname. He didn’t mind “Spikey Wikey” because she called him that so often he’d grown fond of it, but Spikey Poo? He could hear Sweetie Bell snickering.

“Uh y-y-yeah I mean uh yes Rarity, it’s me,” Spike smiled nervously and waved. “Sorry to bother you when you’re so busy, I have something I wanted to t-t-talk to y-y-you about. It’s kind of important.”

“Oh don’t be so bashful darling, you know you can always come and talk to me about anything at all,” she cheerfully replied. Spike started to reply but was quickly cut off by a sudden shriek. “Sweet Celestia, IS THAT THE TIME?!? I’m more behind than I thought,” she bolted from her chair and levitated dozens of needles to start working on multiple outfits at once. “I’m so terribly sorry Spikey Wikey, but I’m afraid now isn’t the best time, I’m swamped with deadlines,” she said as she focused on the outfits.

“Well do you want me to help? I could help you get done faster,” he offered.

“That’s terribly sweet of you to offer but I’m afraid there’s too much going on to explain,” she replied hurriedly. The mare stitched a pattern across a teal colored fabric; she scratched her chin and immediately decided she didn’t like how it came out. She unraveled it and tried it on a new outfit. “I know how everything is supposed to be in my mind, but if I stop to explain how it’s laid out; it would take even longer and I’m afraid I’m far too behind as it is already,” she said.

Spike frowned slightly. He was a little disappointed he couldn’t help out, helping out Rarity always made him feel so special, he loved being helpful to her. But he did come here unannounced after all and there will always be other times when he could lend a claw. Assuming she doesn’t hate him after hearing what he has to say.

“N-n-n-no I totally understand Rarity. I mean, we don’t have to talk like NOW-now,” he started to twitch and fumble with his claws. He knew this was a lousy time and he should come back later, but a part of him feared that if he didn’t say something now; he may never work up the courage to do it again. “It’s just important and uh…I already said that, and well you, might be mad at me after you hear it and,” Spike stammered.

Sweetie Bell shoved Spike forward; trying her best to encourage him.

“What was that Spike? I’m sorry but I can’t keep track of what you’re saying with all of this going on,” she said; rushing her words quickly. The seamstress put on her cherry red glasses and focused intensely on the patterns before her. “Just say what you need to say,” she said as she kept back to Spike.

“Well you see the thing is…I um…kind of…think”, his eyes nervously look to Sweetie Bell before returning to Rarity. His cheeks turned bright red when he caught himself staring at Rarity’s posh, snow white rump. “I think it’d be nicer-ACK I MEAN b-b-better if it was just us talking,” his voice and eyes were trembling with hope.

This was it; her answer could make or break the dragon’s heart.

“Maybe to make the t-t-t-talk seem less awkward we could do something nice, l-l-l-like eating dinner…together,” he paused to take a deep breath and force the words out. “Sort of like um, you know a…a….date?” he said; almost whispering that last word.

“Yes-yes darling, that sounds just fine,” she said quickly; nearly cutting Spike off.

“R-r-really, you’d REALLY like to?” Spike said, struggling to contain his excitement.

“I said YES ALREADY,” Spike and Sweetie jumped at Rarity’s sudden snap. She quickly shook her head and sighed, “I’m sorry I snapped like that but I really must get back to my work, you can tell me all about…uh…whatever it is you need to talk to me about tomorrow.”
“I don’t believe it,” Spike clutched his little claws and inwardly squealed, “This is the greatest day of my life.” He waved bye to Sweetie and Rarity, even though Rarity didn’t see it. The drake almost bolted through the front door, he was outside in a matter of seconds.

“Yes, she said YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSS” Spike screamed at the top of his lungs.

The sudden shout jarred Rarity out of her daze. The needles, threads, outfits and tape measures continued to float above her plum colored hair. A quick look around the boutique revealed to her that Spike had left. She knew he was here a minute ago. Why would he have left in such a hurry, did she unknowingly shun him away when she was curt to him? The only one who would know would be her dear little sister.
“Sweetie Bell, what happened to little Spikey Wikey?” she asked curiously.

Those sparkling blue eyes of hers looked at her sister with a perplexed reaction. Sweetie had an odd, almost giddy like grin on her face and Rarity didn’t have the slightest clue why she looked like that.

“And why are you looking at me like that? I don’t like it,” Sweetie just kept on grinning as Rarity stared at her. “Did you just come up with another brilliant idea for you and your friends to acquire your cutie marks or something?” she said. A hint of sarcasm dripping off her melodious voice.

“I’m shocked sis, I never EVER thought you would do something like this,” Sweetie chirped. She hopped around Rarity like a rabbit; her pink and purple curls bouncing wildly. “This is the most amazing thing that’s ever happened,” she said with a giggle.

“Sweetie Bell, it is most un-lady like to prance around like that in a place of business; this is not a birthday party,” Rarity scoffed. Sweetie Bell suddenly stopped bouncing and looked up to her sister’s disapproving eyes. “And what in the wide world of Equestria are you talking about, what amazing thing?” she demanded.

“Gee sis, I was just happy that you finally agreed to go out on a date with Spike,” she said innocently.

Rarity’s eyes bulged before shrinking back into tiny, terrified blue little dots. Her aura vanished and everything she had been working on dropped to the ground. All the fabric and sewing materials rained down over the two unicorns. A pink scarf landed on Rarity’s horn and over her purple curls, but she was so stunned she didn’t even notice. The white mare looked like her brain had snapped in two.

“I DID WHAT?!?!?”

---

Meanwhile, underneath the city of Cloudsdale…

Crowe looked up at the mass city of swirling clouds and gulped. He stood behind a tree; his hooves clutching it tightly; trying to cease his trembling.

“This is bad, this is very-very-very-very-very bad,” he stammered to himself. The yellow colt looked down at the saddle bag strapped over his bag as he bit his lip. “I have Colton’s third eye, but I still don’t know how I’m supposed to get the last two artifacts within the master’s timeline.”

He slowly pulled out a metallic grey box from inside the saddle and opened it, inside was an ocean blue gemstone. The stone was eye shaped and was bound by solid gold bands littered with ancient markings. Crowe gulped loudly before putting the box back into the saddle.
“It’s gonna take me forever to get them,” he started chewing frantically on his hooves, “And I have no bucking clue where the last one is. I am so SCREWED!” Crowe bent over and clutched his head and green cap. He closed his eyes and vainly wished this was all a bad dream and that he would just wake up from it.

But wait…he wasn’t dead meat just yet.

He knows the master needs the magical artifacts. If he returns home now and just delivers Colton’s 3rd eye, he’d be skewered for sure. But if he sends the eye back to Khan, then that will tide him over for a while might allot him more time to find the last two artifacts. Better to come back late with everything master asked for then to come back on time empty hoofed. The idea of just running away and never coming back occurred to him, but he knew Khan would find him eventually.

The yellow colt stood up and stared at the ivory bottom of Cloudsdale, “He’s going to be mad, pissed off for sure, but he’s less likely to kill me as long as I bring everything back he asked for,” he said somberly. “This is going to take some time so I better get started now,” he turned towards the opposite direction of Cloudsdale and started walking.

“I just hope Khan hasn’t figured out what I’m really planning. He already knows more than I thought he did,” Crowe said; grimly thinking about Khan’s discovery of the “special contact” he mentioned. “If he finds out the truth before I can get in touch with Princess Twilight and her friends, everything I’ve been trying to accomplish will fall to pieces.”

---

The majestic city of Clousdale beamed with pillars of frosty blue and white. Pegasai flew around, going about their lives; smiling and laughing. Several ponies in white lab coats flew into the weather generator building. A pink Pegasus mare with purple hair chatted with a black Pegasus colt with a teal colored Mohawk.

WHOOSH!

The Wonderbolts soared over the city. Several ponies cheered and whistled at the famous flying squad, the Bolts’ cloud trails rained down multi colored cloud particles like rainbow colored snowflakes.

A lone Pegasus approached the entrance to the postal office. She wore a thick, dark brown cloak that covered almost every inch of her body. Her wings idly twitched under the shadowy cloak as she licked her lips. As soon as the Wonderbolts were completely out of sight, the cloaked mare entered the post office. She approached the front desk.

Behind the desk was a female Pegasus, her fur was a golden bronze color and her cutie mark resembled a bubblegum bubble popping. The girl’s hair was done up in a tight pony tail and had two different colors striping through it; one was light blue and the other was white. She had a sweet but childish looking smile; her eyes were a sparkly shade of mint green.

“Hi there, my name is Amber Pop,” the clerk pony cheerfully beamed. The cloaked mare grunted in annoyance at the clerk’s sweet demeanor. “How can I be of assistance to-hey wait a minute,” she leaned in and examined the cloaked mare’s face, “Don’t I know you? You look so familiar, just like-”

“NO, you’re mistaken,” the cloaked pony snapped.

“Are you sure? You look exactly like her. Are you like hiding your celebrity status so you won’t get mobbed or something?”

“Ugh, I told you I am NOT who you think I am. Now can we cut the chatter and just get down to business? I have a very important package that has to be delivered.”

“Oh, right, sorry about that! What would you like to send?”

The cloaked mare slammed a metallic box on the counter; it was wrapped in dark brown packaging paper. It was covered in “fragile” and “do not break” stickers. Amber stared at the box curiously. The cloaked mare pointed firmly at the box’s destination address.

“I need this package rushed to this address with the fastest shipping speed you guys have. I don’t care how many bits it costs, just get it to this EXACT address; is that clear?”

“Umm yeah but…ma’am this isn’t an address, these are longitude and latitude coordinates. We don’t deliver to-”

“OH JUST CUT THE CRAP!”

Amber flinched at the customer’s sudden shout. She looked around nervously, trying to avoid the intense glare the cloaked Pegasus was giving her.

“You ponies are supposed to be the fastest delivery service around. I’ve already agreed to pay whatever it costs to get it there ASAP. I’m not asking you to do bucking long division, just follow basic coordinates.”

The mare dumped a sack of bits onto the counter and shoved the package towards Amber. She was about to protest until the cloaked figure showed her how many bits were in the bag. Amber’s eyes nearly popped out of her skull. Without saying another word, the pony clerk took the bag and the package and rushed to the back room to get the package out on the next delivery.

“Good,” the cloaked mare said as she turned away from the desk. Her hidden hooves shuffled towards the exit. “I swear; these mares would forget to breathe if it didn’t come naturally. Brainless little twits! It’s a wonder anything around here gets-” she stopped when a familiar face walked past her.

It was a sky blue colt. He had slicked back dark grey hair, faded yellow eyes, a white scarf and a dark bomber jacket. That Pegasus was none other than Wonderbolts legend, Wind Rider.

“Well slap my ass and call me a skank…looks like I just found my all access pass,” the cloaked mare said with a snicker.

Wind Rider dropped a mouth full of letters into a mail slot and exited the post office. A few mares stopped the old colt outside the office for autographs; he happily flashed his signature across the mare’s pictures and notebooks.

This was her chance.

“Hey you there, Wind Rider right?” the cloaked mare said as she rushed to the colt’s side.

Rider blinked and turned to see the cloaked figure approached him. The fan mares quickly thanked Wind Rider and left; overjoyed with their signed memorabilia.

“Yeah, that’s me but who exactly are you?” he asked, stepping backwards a bit as the cloaked mare got closer. Something about this girl rubbed him the wrong way. “And what’s with the cloak, you’re not some crazed cult fan member of the Wonderbolts are you?”

“Let’s just say I’m going to be your best friend once you hear what I’ve come to warn you about,” she said cryptically.

“Warn me about?” he said, slowly raising his eyebrow. The older Pegasus sensed something was very familiar about this girl, but he just couldn’t put his hoof on it. “Who are you, why won’t you show me your face? I swear you sound awfully familiar.”

“What about the name Rainbow Dash, that ring any familiar bells for you?” she hissed, ignoring the questions.

“Yeah, she’s one of the newest Wonderbolts reserve members. What about her?” he asked suspiciously.

“You need to keep a real close eye on her. She’s going to be a problem for you in the future, a BIG problem and you need to be prepared,” the mare said. Wind Rider rolled his eyes at her foreboding tone. This was ridiculous nonsense and the old colt wasn’t going to stomach much more of it. “Very soon she’s going to break your speed record and make you look like a has-been,” she said.

“Now I know you’re full of it,” he said as he laughed and pointed to his chest. “I’m the Wind Rider, one of the most famous and decorated Wonderbolt members around, and your honestly trying to tell me some fresh-off-the-cloud rookie is going to beat my record?” The stallion waved his hoof at the girl’s claim. “Don’t make me laugh cloak girl.”

“I’m SUPER serious you old fart! Every Bolt’ member is talking about how good Rainbow is”, she leaned in and stared down Wind Glider. He stepped back in shock; cringing at the girl’s forcefulness. “She cranked out a Sonic Rainboom when they said it couldn’t be done, and she’s impressed the team on so many occasions; they’ve starting adapting her morals into Wonderbolt regulations.”

“Hold on a second now I remember where I’ve heard your voice from,” he finally deduced. “Yes, yes, of course it’s you! Why are your hiding your face-” Wind Rider said, preparing to announce her identity before being abruptly cut off.

“Shut your pie hole”, she snapped in a silent, hushed tone. She shoved her hoof over Glider’s mouth. “Who I am isn’t important, and if you try and talk to me about this again, I’m just gonna pretend we never had this conversation,” she stated firmly.

“You’re bucking crazy! What are you getting at with this nonsense, what is it you expect me to do?” Glider demanded; his voice and chest rising in an irritated huff.

“This is a Phoenix feather, it holds many magical properties,” she said as she hoofed it to Wind Glider. “I have one too,” she pointed to a second one she had under her cloak. “I know you think I’m crazy now, but when you finally come to your senses and realize how REAL of a threat Rainbow Dash is, I want you to mark an X on this feather.”

“What for?” he asked, still having a hard time believing any pony could ever beat his record.

“These feathers are linked by a magical connection,” the mare explained. “If you want to make sure your precious record doesn’t go down in flames, mark an X on your feather and it will appear on my feather. That’ll signal me to return and help you destroy Rainbow Dash and make sure your reputation stays unbroken.”

Wind Glider was about to counter but another screaming fan distracted his attention. When he turned back to the cloaked mare, she was gone. The mysterious Pegasus had completely vanished and all that was left was a single red feather. Glider looked at the feather with mixed emotions. He decided “buck it” and pocketed the feather; at the very least he got a fancy souvenir out of the strange meeting.

“Well that was weird,” he thought to himself.

---

Rarity frantically paced back and forth, much to Sweetie Bell’s chagrin. The seamstress has been freaking out ever since she found out she accidentally told Spike she “agreed” to go out on a date with him. All of her projects would have to wait until she sorts this out.

“This is the worst thing, the absolute Worst. Possible. Thing!” Rarity squeaked. The mare levitated a dark blue pillow to her face and screamed into it with all her might.

“You feel better now?” Sweetie Bell asked.

“No…not really, if anything I feel worse the longer I sit here thinking about it,” Rarity griped. “I need to tell Spike this has all been just a terrible misunderstanding, apologize for it and move on.”

“Ugh, this is why I don’t understand grown-ups,” Sweetie Bell huffed, glaring at her sister’s now surprised face. “Why can’t you just go out with Spike? Your freaking out like it’s the end of the world. I know you’re a drama queen but come on sis, just give him a chance.”

“Ladies are NOT drama queens; nor do they freak out” Rarity said haughtily. “Not unless they have a good reason to freak out, and in this case, I most certainly do. I can’t go out on a date with Spike.”

“Why not?” Sweetie Bell bluntly asked. Rarity found herself fumbling with her own words; she assumed it would be obvious to her sister why she couldn’t date the young dragon. “All you’ve been saying is that you can’t date Spike but you haven’t given me one reason why.”

“Well you see Sweetie Bell it’s because…we um are…the problem is that he and…um he and I can’t…because of the um…the,” Rarity trailed on and on. Every ounce of her Canterlot lady etiquette told her this date was a very bad idea, and yet, she couldn’t think one of real reason why. “It’s c-c-complicated you see, yes v-v-very complicated,” Rarity said, her voice shaking and lacking any conviction.

“Uh huh, that’s what all adults say when they have no excuses,” Sweetie Bell said, dryly. The Crusader didn’t look or sound convinced one little bit.

“Spike and I are very close friends but that is all we are,” Rarity huffed as she turned her nose up. “I shall date and not date whoever I choose,” she nodded firmly, “And I have no reason to offer up any explanation.”

“But you don’t want to date any pony else,” Sweetie Bell insisted.

“And how would you know that sister dear?” Rarity said. She turned around and sharply glared at young unicorn.

“Because I’ve seen you date all kinds of stallions and not one of them has treated you half as nicely as Spike has,” Sweetie Bell stated firmly. “He listens to you, he helps out all the time here and never asks for anything in return, not to mention all the flowers and gemstones he gets for you,” Sweetie Bell was making more and more sense with each statement.

“Y-y-y-y-yes that’s true but-” Rarity started to say.

“And don’t tell me it’s because he’s a dragon or that he’s too young. We both know those are bogus reasons, you wouldn’t share so much personal stuff with him if either of those were true,” Sweetie Bell said, interrupting her sister.

…She was right. Celestia help her; Sweetie Bell was right.

It’s true, I trust Spike completely. I never avoided doing something or saying something in front of him because of his appearance. Perhaps it wouldn’t be exactly unthinkable to accept his date request. Oh but, what if some pony sees us and spreads rumors and…
Rarity shook her head, trying to empty her head of such useless negativity.

Why am I trying to come up with excuses? I thought the answer was crystal clear, but Sweetie Bell is proving how terribly wrong I am…and all she’s doing is reciting what I already know! Does the idea of dating Spikey Wikey disgust me THAT much?

“He’s happier around you, and you’re happier when he’s around too,” she said, matter-of-factly. Rarity vainly tried to deny it; Sweetie Bell could already see it starting to form on her sister’s lips. This wasn’t something that Rarity was going to talk her way out of. “What’s the problem if you’re both happy together?” Sweetie Bell sincerely asked.

“I’m afraid it’s not that simple dear. Relationships are complicated and quite sensitive,” she said as she prepared a pot of tea for the two of them, “Sometimes they can even cause more harm than good. I have a very special relationship with Spike, that’s true. But personally, I think you’re overestimating our connection and I’m quite happy with things the way they are now,” she calmly stated
.
The seamstress started to pour the tea into two cups. Sweetie Bell knew Rarity better than she realized, she stared at her as she poured the tea. The filly had a stone like stern look on her face. If she was going to break through her sister’s diamond covered exterior, she was going to have to dig a little deeper to find the sparkling truth.

“Is that why you call out to him even when he’s not here?” Rarity’s horn jerked; causing her magic hold to spill the tea. She wasn’t expecting any pony to know she did that. “Sometimes I get home from school early and see you working on a dress, you look around for him and even ask him to get you something…even when he’s not there,” she said, with a twinge of sadness in her voice.

Rarity tried to compose herself and just focus on the tea. Her big, shimmering eyelashes started to twitch nervously.

“There’s even a couple times I walked past your bedroom to get a glass of water and I hear you mumbling his name in your sleep,” Sweetie placed her hoof over Rarity’s. “You don’t have to act like liking Spike is bad just because you think it might be.”

“W-w-w-w-what have I told you about s-s-s-snooping on ponies like that; didn’t you learn your lesson from that Gabby Gums incident?” Rarity deflected. She avoided eye contact with her sister. The mare levitated a napkin from her countertop and quickly tried to clean up the mess she made, sweat began to form on her brow. Her irritation was increasing every second longer this conversation lasted.

“Do you have any idea how happy he was when you said yes? He was jumping for joy Rarity,” Sweetie Bell used her magic to pull the napkin out of Rarity’s reach. The older unicorn was forced to pay attention to her sister’s pleas. “LITERALLY jumping and screaming for joy, doesn’t that matter to you?”

“THAT IS THE LAST STRAW! I will not stand here and be lectured on who I have to date,” she said as she stomped her hoof. “I’m walking over there this instant and clearing this matter up!” Sweetie Bell tried to stop her from leaving but the element of Generosity was unreachable at this point. “I will give Spike my sincerest apologies for cancelling, he WILL understand. I am not going to risk warping our friendship due to a misunderstanding just because he has a little crush.”

The young filly winced as Rarity slammed the door behind her. She hung her head in shame, unable to not blame herself for making things worse for Spike and Rarity; instead of better like she promised.

---

(Rarity’s POV)

I cannot believe the nerve of her!

Here I am; overwhelmed and overworked with mountains of orders I’ve fallen behind on, and when I’m at my most emotionally sensitive crisis with dear Spikey Wikey; she takes HIS side?!?

I could run to the library; get this over in a much timelier manner. But no, it’s most uncouth for a lady to go frantically galloping through Ponyville like some sort of mad mare. I don’t feel I could really run if I wanted to. My hooves for some reason feel like they’re standing in the most repulsive, fur sticking muck in all of Equestria.

Maybe that’s why they’re moving so slow…and sweating like crazy. I shake my head and try to rid my nerves of this emotional nonsense. This just doesn’t make sense. Why is the idea of me talking to Spike sending all kinds of shivers down my spine? I’ve never felt this way when I think of him…him and his adorable green scales, and those cute little cheeks of his.

Wait, did I say cute in the “Aww, isn’t he cute?” way, or cute in the “I like him more than a friend” way?

“GRRRR, Sweetie Bell! I can’t believe I’m reacting this way because of you,” I gripe to myself. I do hope no pony else was listening to that.
My hooves slowly come to a stop. I’m half way to the library but my legs don’t seem to want to work anymore, something more powerful in my body is controlling my movements: denial.

Sweetie Bell didn’t do anything but tell me things I already knew, things I blocked out of my mind for some reason. But I can’t possibly figure out why. I look to a shop window and stared at my reflection, it felt more like I was looking at a complete stranger.

Why am I denying the kindness and sincerity of Spike’s actions? He’s treated me like a queen, helped me out countless times, and even though I have barely given him anything to latch onto, he still cares for me…like a fool in love.

“What kind of representative of generosity treats some pony with such carelessness?” I asked my reflection. All the beauty and makeup in the world couldn’t hide the ugly truth of my answer. “The kind of pony that uses a kind hearted young man for pin cushions, leads him on, and even insults his personal hygiene while he’s taking out your own trash,” I stare at the ground in shame letting my hair fall across my eye. “That is the kind of pony I am.”

I look around town and see nothing but happy couples; walking arm and arm with smiles on their lips and hearts in their eyes. Even when there are no couples to be seen, I still feel like they’re out there; painfully reminding me that I am without a special some pony of my own. My mind is aching; I raise my hoof and try to comfort the anguish of remembering the unworthy few colts I foolishly tried to welcome into my heart.

Blueblood, Trenderhoof, Slick Charmer and Celestia knows how many others I dated but weren’t worth remembering. Each experience stung like knives against my skin, all different wounds but still painful. I’ve been treated like a doormat, shoved off to the side and violated by the most vulgar so-called “gentlemen” I have had the gross displeasure of meeting. Like I’m some disposable toy every mongrel can chew on before they discard.

But Spike never treats me like that.

He always treats me like a lady. I always thought Canterlot types or royalty, like that obnoxious clod Blueblood, understood how to properly treat a lady. Perhaps it’s just an old fashioned notion, a foolish fancy that exists in dreams and bedtime stories for foals….and me of course. And yet, Spike takes it so seriously because it’s important to me, everything he’s done for me is because it’s important to me. Not to mention the fact he was so excited when he asked me out, he actually jumped for joy!

“Perhaps it wouldn’t be entirely out of the question if I,” I start to say. My voice shakes slightly as my mind and my heart shift in a new direction. “Maybe the idea of Spike and I isn’t completely inconceivable and-” I stop myself before I go any further. Reality slaps me in the face, like being woken up from a bucket of ice water being dumped over my body. “No, no” I shake my head sadly, “As lovely as spending an evening with an honest admirer such as Spike sounds, I can’t accept his offer. The rumors and silent judgements that would follow would cause too much drama for either of us to stand it.” There I go again, lying to myself. At least about the last part. “Well maybe I’m the only one who couldn’t take it,” I correct myself.

It doesn’t matter. My mind may have been swamped with foggy thoughts of romances with dragons, but deep down my decision was as clear as Celestia’s daylight. I finally reach the Golden Oak library. The front door looks so daunting to me. I’m shaking like a leaf, a gorgeous well-manicured leaf, but still shaking none the less. It’s like I’m afraid my hoof will turn to stone the moment I knock on it. “I can’t help but wonder if this is how poor Spikey Wikey felt when he asked me out earlier,” I wonder aloud. Celestia help the poor dear if that’s the case.

KNOCK, KNOCK!

Well no turning back now. Maybe I’ll be lucky and Moonstruck or Twilight will answer, then maybe I can avoid-

“Oh, hey Rarity, I’m so happy you stopped by,” Spike said with a cheerful grin. No such luck for me today. Just watching that heartfelt smile of his widen is picking apart my resolve; so sincerely happy to see me. “Well heh, I’m always happy when you stop by, what’s up?” the dragon asked.

Take a deep breath girl. You can do this; you went over it a dozen times in your head, just open your mouth and speak the words.

“Terribly sorry to disturb you darling, I know you and Twilight are busy with your special guest and all,” I keep my tone polite and graceful. “But there’s something I forgot to tell you before you left the boutique.” My lip quivers but I bite down it and maintain my position, the sooner I do this the sooner it will be over. “It’s about our…ahem…date Spikey Wikey.”

“Oh yeah, what about it?” Spike asked innocently. He looked so certain, so unquestionably sure that everything was all right. Maybe he doesn’t read me as well as I thought he could.

“Well you see the thing is I…I,” I start to say. My words keep fumbling though, I know what I want to say but my brain won’t allow my mouth to say it. He’s looking at me with those green eyes of his. Emerald green, the most beautiful shade of green in Equestria, oh why does he have to keep drilling me with those adorable eyes of his? “I came here because I n-n-need to t-t-tell you that-”

“Need to tell me what?” Spike interrupted. His voice cut with curiosity, no trace of impolite intentions.

“I just…I just.” I just don’t know what to do; that’s what I REALLY want to say! My legs are shaking so much, I feel like I’m going to fall over. Maybe I should just scream it out, drop the lady image and just be blunt with him. Of course, what a brilliant idea! I’m sure Spike will be eager to remain friends after I stomp on his fragile little heart and scream what an awful idea this date is. Yes, he’d completely understand that!

“Rarity, are you all right?” I feel a warm claw on my shoulder following his gentle voice. Looking down, I see my body has ceased shaking, all from the warm; slightly tingling touch of Spike’s claw. “Do you want to come in and lie down while I get you a glass of water or something?” he asks. Such kindness, such genuine concern. Not one of my so-called dates cared this much for my well-being, not one.

“N-n-n-no I’m f-f-fine, thank you though Spike; thank you very much in fact,” I feel so much calmer after feeling his soft, scaly digits on my fur. It was like a rubbery little heater. “I just came to tell you that I forgot,” my throat swallows tightly, “Forgot to tell you what time to come over to my place for dinner tomorrow.” Looks like there is some going back after all.

“Duh, I knew I forgot something,” he groaned and smacked himself in the head. The filly in me couldn’t help but giggle at his reaction. It was so unbelievably cute. “Sorry I forgot to ask Rarity. So what time’s good for you and should I bring anything over?” he asked, looking for a parchment and quill in case he needed to write anything down.

“Think nothing of it darling, all you have to do is bring your sweet self to my shop at 7 o’clock sharp, and that will be more than enough,” I smile tenderly to the loveable little dragon. The door swings open from my magic; I was just about to leave when I suddenly remembered something. “Actually Spike,” I giggle with a slightly embarrassed look on my face, “If you could bring one of your divine pastries you made for dessert?”

“It would be my pleasure my lady,” he said; taking a small bow. Oh I just love it when he calls me my lady!

“Til then good sir” I reply with a giggle, the light from inside the library vanishes as Spike wave’s goodbye and closes the door behind me. Surprisingly enough, the air seems fresher and more pleasant now that I’ve left the library. “I feel so…uplifted after that” I say with a content and chipper tone. My heart’s pounding like I just drank an entire tea pot filled with sugar, and I can’t stop smiling for some reason.

Hmm…maybe this date won’t be the worst possible thing ever.

---

To be continued…

Comments

[kiro of the night]

1st
now thats out of the way. This is the best story i read i mean really i love it.

[Vesper Skies]

Yes This Story is one of my Favorites

[Victoria_the_dragoness]

Good evening, dear,

Ooh, that is so sweet and adorable.

I can't believe that I stopped reading this. It wasn't intentional, mind you, rather that I was distracted with other things, but I am terribly sorry all the same for neglecting this wonderful tale. Of course, that simply means that I can read this magnificent and perfect exchange between Rarity and Spike again.

I can't wait to see their date. These two are simply marvelous and adorable together.

Victoria