The Days Passed

by SilverEyedWolf

Warmth from the Moon -Beginning of the Fracture-

Luna was the first to recover, holding a hoof over her muzzle and holding her breath to forestall the hiccups she usually caught after some particularly good giggling. She let out a breathy sigh after a moment, looking over at Shining Armor beside her, looking down at his wife and laughing quietly.

"I think we shall have a need to place a hold on that chair, good Prince. At least until it can stop chuckling."

Shining Armor, not quite fully recovered from laughing at Cadance's squirming dance at the floor, let loose a snort that turned into another set of chortles, leaning away and staggering towards the beginnings of the hoofrails on the stairs, leaning against the intricately worked wood as he faced away, attempting to catch his breath.

Cadance watched her husband totter away, then flopped her muzzle to carefully look at Spike, between her own light gasps for air.

He smiled at her, up at Luna, at anyone who would meet his attention.

But her laughter, then her smile faltered when she noticed him very, very specifically not looking over at a section of the room. Literally pulling his eyes away whenever they even got close to wandering that way. And when he caught Cadance looking at him, watching him, the smile faded.

Then Shining giggle-snorted again, and the two felt their smiles renewed, fanned as though flames by bellows.

Cadance looked at Spike, then carefully nodded, her eyes glancing pointedly over at the side group of mares. He froze for a second, before nodding back at her.

Slowly, he pushed his elbows under himself and looked over at the group, feeling the warm, fond smile grow as he took in his marefriend, hoof to hoof with...

Well, the smile wavered a bit and shrunk, but maintained itself as he looked over Rarity and Fluttershy. They were both hoof to hoof, meeting in some sort of agreement he wasn't privy to at the moment. Though from Fluttershy's serene smile and Rarity's almost shell-shocked expression, he hoped it was something he would find out about soon.

He shivered as a tingle worked itself up his spine.

"Which one do you have stronger feelings for, I wonder," Cadance whispered next to his head, making him jump slightly. "I know that Rarity's feelings must be roiling and confusing right now, but there is so much history there."

"And history too with the current object of thy affectations, as well," Luna murmured from his other side, making him flinch slightly towards Cadance. "A true friendship before, but how much more has it become in even this short time? We have seen the strongest of bonds formed in the spaces of breaths, and you have had much more than just those shared, at this point."

"Oooo, Auntie Luna, are you also interested in how this plays out?" Cadance whispered, sticking her head underneath Spike's to talk directly to Luna.

"Of course dear Niece. Long and ago I was the Princess of Love as well as the Moon, much as mine sister was over Magic for so long as well as her Sun. I believe it's noted somewhere in the tomes that my elements were Kindness, Honesty, and Loyalty? Such is largely the make-up of love magics, is it not still?"

Cadance's eyes gleamed as a smile took over her muzzle, but Spike cleared his throat before they could go on much longer.

"Uhm, ladies, we're all starting to sound like Twilight a bit, I think?" he said, scooting back to allow the other two some room in front of himself. "Cart before the horse, a bit, I think. Uhm, what's everyone doing right now? I know you five were probably here after me," he said, having the good social graces to at least look apologetic, "but uhm, Luna, what're you up to right now?"

"Oh, well, I was heading towards the heavenly courts," she said, tilting her head to the left as her horn lit up. A moment later, she sighed. "Though it is a slow night tonight, seemingly. There is only one petitioner, and it sounds like my viceroy has it well in hoof. Oh, uhm, the Royal Lunar Representative," she said, ducking her head towards Spike and his confused look. "Is viceroy archaic then?"

"A bit auntie, though you call your staff as you will," Cadance said with a nuzzle, touching her nose to Luna's and rubbing their fur together.

With a smile Luna nuzzled back, before pulling away.

"But yes, as long as my attending has matters in hoof, and she can message me if need be, then I am free." Her ears flicked back as she looked between the two. "Would my presence... be welcome?"

Spike blinked, once again caught off guard, before saying, "Uhm, I have nothing against it?" as he looked at Cadance.

She considered, looking between Spike and the other three mares now chatting quietly across the room. "As long as no one has any objection," Cadance said with a shrug. "Auntie Luna has a wildly different view of things from us, could be very helpful."

Spike nodded, before smiling over at Luna. "Would 'Auntie' perhaps consider helping out her nephew and niece?"

Luna snorted before reaching out with a massive wing, scooping Spike up and pulling him alongside her with a small yelp from him. "Anyyyyyything for my faaaaaaavorite nepheeeeeeeeew," Luna crooned, pinching Spike's cheek.

"Augh," he muttered miserably, attempting to roll away but just managing to tuck himself tighter against her side, despite his own flank pushing just past hers. He pushed against her side with all four legs, but only managed an inch or so of space before her wing flexed and pulled him back in.

"Mmm, you've grown a little since the last time we wrestled," Luna said with a smile, rolling them both over to wrap the drake in her legs. "You're longer than me, even without your tail, now."

Spike huffed, rolling his tail and flopping it against Luna's flank and the floor before going limp.

"Happens when you grow into a giant terrifying thorn reptile and go trampling through a giant magical forest, causing one of the nation's nobility to send someone who has much better things to do to give said reptile a smack on the claw," Spike groused dryly.

Luna relaxed a bit, her eyes getting a distant look to them before she sighed heavily, rolling over on top of Spike before she got to her hooves, pushing up to stand above him again.

"Would you like me to poison their cornflakes, or just geld them altogether?"

Spike hesitated for just a few moments too long, Shining snickering once as he moved to help Cadance off of the floor.

"Physical emasculation?"

He winced sympathetically, before shaking his head.

"No, no, it's fine Luna," he said, smiling up as he reached his paws up to her muzzle, ruffling the fur there. "Thank you for the thought though."

Luna looked down at him with a heavily considering look in her eyes before nodded. "Very well. Though the offer will stand for a while, if it is who I suspect it is." She chuffed a bit, ears flicking, before she moved back and offered him a hoof.

"I'll remember that," he said with a smile, getting his legs beneath himself as he used Luna's assistance to pull himself to a stand.

"Ah, taken up the gait of the minotaurs?" Luna asked, taking an additional step back and looking up to his face. "We remember many dragons prefer it."

He stiffened a bit before forcing his spine to relax, nodding down at Luna.

"That's where I've seen it!" Cadance said, taking a moment from dusting herself off from the floor to look Spike up and down. "I knew it wasn't just dragons, but I couldn't put my hoof on who else it was."

"Oh yes, Iron Will walked on his hind legs," Fluttershy called over, the two groups once again all speaking together. "At first I thought it was because he liked being taller than everypony, but it turns out their, uhm, arms, aren't really suited to being walked on anymore."

Spike flushed a little bit, looking down at the ground. "It's how all the dragons I've ever seen have walked," he murmured.

There was silence for a moment there, palpable, mercurial.

It was broken as the mares to the side moved up to the rest of the group. Fluttershy made the first move, walking in front of him and kicking off of the ground with her front hooves, taking an unsteady step forward to embrace him with her forelegs as he supported her with his arms.

"Does it make you feel happier?" she asked, looking up into his eyes as he met hers. "Or are you doing it because you feel you should?"

He considered the questions for a bit, thinking deeply, before shrugging. "I've only been trying it out for an hour or so," he admitted. "It definitely started because I felt like I should, but now I'm wondering if it doesn't just feel a little more natural...? I don't know yet."

She nodded.

"Just remember, Spike, that your species doesn't make you," she said, sternly. "That's something we teach little colts and fillies Spike, and I know Twilight taught it to you while you were growing up."

He felt his ear spines wilt a bit. "Uhm, that was more along Celestia's duties," he said softly.

"That's called deflection, Spike," Luna spoke up.

He winced a bit and drew away from the group, lowering Fluttershy to the ground before he sat on the stairs. "It was," he admitted. "I want to say that it's more intricate than that, BUT-" he said, holding up a paw as several ponies opened their mouths to say something, "but, I don't think we want to do this in the greeting room of the whole castle."

"No," Luna said slowly and hesitantly. "We wouldn't. But I will remember this Spike, don't think I'll forget," she said with tension in her tone.

Spike chuckled, waving his paws through the air over each other.

"The one thing you never want to do when deflecting is allow attention to be called to it," he said, smiling a bit. "It should be hidden in the middle of other things. But I really, really don't want to be walked in on, and I would like everyone to be as comfortable as possible."

Everypony was looking at him, some of their faces tense as others just looked sadly at him.

"Spike, where did you learn how to deflect like that?" Flurry asked, moving up to him and putting a hoof on his knee.

He didn't speak, but his eyes flicking to a white mare was more than enough answer.

Cadance cleared her throat before anyone could delve more into that. "Anyhow, yes, someplace more comfortable, and probably with some drinks and maybe-"

Spike's stomach let out a loud grumble.

"Mmm, yeah, that," Cadance said, nodding to him as he clasped his arms in front of his stomach. "I'm not sure how you grew those wings, but I'm guessing magic, and considering their size you must be starving. Let's find you something protein and carbs heavy, mmm?"

He frowned, nodding. "Just as long as they don't try and serve me from the carnivore larder again. I get it, with the teeth and all, but still."

Luna snorted. "We believe we had the staff responsible for that particular incident clean up the mess you made after biting into the meal. They have never made that assumption again."

Spike stared at Luna, Fluttershy looking between the two princesses in the room.

"You two are really protective of your family," she mentioned, both Princesses flickering their ears as she spoke.

Cadance looked away, glancing regretfully at Rarity for a moment, but Luna merely nodded.

"Dearest Niece has gotten a taste of it," Luna said regretfully, "but I know too well impermanence. If needs be I will always apologize later, but never will I stand for someone treating a part of my family as less than either I or themselves in the moment, even if they're adopted. There is no time or reason for such matters; life is too short."

Fluttershy blinked, heavy and slow, but Spike just snorted.

"Still no reason to make earth ponies clean up vomit, Luna," he gently reprimanded. "Would've taken you, what, a three-second spell?"

Luna opened her muzzle to argue, before flinching and muttering, "I made sure they had hoof protection..."

Spike snorted, shaking his head, before standing. "Do we have a certain dining room we're heading to?" he asked, stretching his neck and arms above his shoulders and smiling gently at the series of quick pops that rattled through his spine and spines.

"Ah, a moment," Luna said absently, her horn lighting, before a quiet popping echoed through the room, off of the suddenly empty stone room, the light disappearing with the rest of Luna's horn, and then the rest of her, and then everyone else in the room as she teleported them.

٭٭٭٭٭ ٭٭٭٭٭ ٭٭٭٭٭ ٭٭٭٭٭ ٭٭٭٭٭

They phased into the room, a few of them actually falling over from the strange teleport, Cadance's face green.

"Ugh auntie, you really need to update that one," she said, hurk-ing once as she put a hoof to her muzzle, coughing a couple of times before she took a deep breath as she fanned away the sulfuric smell in the air.

"There is nothing wrong with that spell," Luna scowled, glancing around the room at the tottering group, only Spike relatively unfazed. "And it uses less magic than your new one."

"You appeared me once without one of my spines," Spike responded, reaching over his head to flick the one in question.

"And it grew back fine," she complimented, before turning to face the smaller dining room she had pulled them to. "Now, I picked a snug one that happens to be closer to the kitchen." She looked around the assembled. "I believe we shall have plenty of space, though. Objections?"

The other six looked around the room briefly before murmuring assent, Rarity still quite green.

"Wondrous," she remarked dryly before reaching over and pulling on a thin cord, hidden in the decor of the wall, with her magic. By the time they'd shuffled around to their chairs, places for eight settings allowing them a relative choice, a well-dressed mare had poked her head into the room.

"A full evening meal, majesty?" she asked, bowing quickly to Luna.

"Please," Luna replied, nodding. "A carafe of coffee for myself," Spike raised his claw, "and an extra mug for my nephew."

The rest ordered quickly, most of the ponies getting light fare considering the food they'd managed before Cadance's teleport, while both Luna and Spike ordered large meals for themselves.

"And please, black bean for those hayburger patties," Spike stressed, the mare nodding before setting off towards the kitchen.

There was an awkward silence for a moment before Flurry snorted and nudged Fluttershy with a hoof, sitting on the opposite side of the mare from Spike and across the table from her father. Rarity had boldly chosen the seat next to Cadance, across from Spike. Luna had chosen the end of the table nearest to Spike.

"Oh, uhm," Fluttershy said, blinking a few times as she recovered, "right. Rarity and I were talking while you were talking with Luna, and I think we should try and help her out with her phobia," she said, growing more and more confident as she spoke. "I think having you there will really accelerate the process, plus it will allow you two to work out your feelings towards one another," she said, with a small blush.

"Which is also something she and I talked about, but we're gonna wait a bit for that one," she said, this time getting quieter and quieter as she neared the end of the sentence until Spike had to lean forward to hear her.

Cadance immediately leaned forward.

"I think we should focus on Spike right now, and his feelings towards his species," she said, a little forcefully. "He needs to work on getting his mind and feelings sorted out before he can help anypony else."

"Which I would like to help with," Rarity chimed in, looking down at her setting. "If I can without messing everything up."

"He is right here," Spike said, tapping his setting lightly. "He would like to just repress all of this until he explodes, honestly, but I think some ponies would say that it's healthier to talk about this all and get it sorted. I also think that helping Rarity with her phobia would be beneficial, not only because it would be healthy for our relationship, but because it would probably help with how I view my species."

He looked around at the blank faces.

"I've read some of the books Twilight has that don't have pictures," he said with a smile. "That said, I'm not sure that either of us are actually in a good enough head-space to help each other," he said, nodding at Cadance. "And I don't know how long it would take for some sort of group therapy to have an effect. While Rarity and I could really help each other out, we could also end up with a repeat of this afternoon."

"I'd like to know how you did that, later," Shining spoke up.

Spike shook his head with a far-away, hard look in his eyes. "Unhealthy coping mechanism," he said, looking at the setting before forcing himself to reach to his side and gently touch Fluttershy's wither. He spread his digits and softly worked his paw into her fur, making her hum at the contact.

"But none of this is now talk," Flurry said, shaking her head. "We're putting pins in stuff without paper. What do we need to do right now, to help Spike and Rarity both?"

Cadance sighed, nodding at her daughter.

"You have a fantastic point sweetie. I think the best thing we could do is get Spike and Rarity in a room together to talk. Maybe even let them simmer over a bit, get the real feelings out and figure out where they're coming from," she said, her horn lighting as she summoned a notepad from somewhere, along with a pencil.

"I don't want to simmer over," Spike said, fatigue slipping into his tone. "I think that's what happened earlier. Plus I really don't relish the idea of yelling at her, even in the heat of the moment."

Raising a shaking foreleg, Rarity said, "I also would not like to be yelled at. Or yell myself."

"It's not necessary, of course," Cadance murmured, drafting out more points on her notepad. "But if the emotion is there, I just feel like it would be healthier, in the long run, to let it out. Especially when neither of you are the type to just yell at anypony, anyway. Simmering over doesn't have to be shouting, that's just the most obvious kind I guess..."

She trailed off, muttering under her breath as she continued scratching the summoned quill over the paper in front of her nose now.

Shining leaned forward. "You don't have to scream at each other to let your passion out," he said, nodding at Luna with a smirk. "As long as you're being passionate, the talking is probably working."

Spike looked up, across the table. Rarity's pupils narrowed as her eyes widened, before she started fidgeting, trying to keep his gaze as her eyes returned to normal.

She stopped fidgeting as he placed his paw on the table, slowly moving it towards her, before flipping it and offering his palm to her. Looking confused, she placed her hoof in his paw, not moving as he closed his digits over her and started gently stroking his thumb over her fetlock.

"I'm not sure how to talk to you right now," he admitted, Cadance's quill ceasing it's movement as her ears flicked up. "I mean, when I used to talk to you, it was always as someone trying to win your heart, and then as someone trying to keep it. Before that was just as someone in deep admiration. Now though..."

His gaze wavered for a second, his eyes dropping before he whipped them back up. Both of his paws squeezed slightly, his left gripping Rarity's hoof even as his right gripped Fluttershy's shoulder.

"Now I'm not sure how to talk to you," he said with a thin smile.

Rarity nodded, before returning his smile. "Well, I at least know how to talk to you now," she said, straightening her back a bit. "Spike, I have to, no, need to apologize for how I've treated you over the past years that we've known each other.

"At first I treated you like a cute toddler, some passing colt with a wandering fancy. Then as you grew up and the dragon migration passed over us, I pushed you away for a bit, for reasons I've told Princess Cadance and will tell you, later," she promised, stressing the word not only with emphasis but also by pressing into Spike's claw.

"And then I tried to act as though everything was the same as it had been, even as I watched you grow into a fine young drake right in front of me." She sighed, a far look to her eyes. "Then you pressed my hoof, as it were, by proposing that stargazing date last autumn."

"He asked me to postpone that meteor shower three times," Luna chimed in. Rarity dipped her head towards the princess.

"I knew that one of two things would happen that night," she said, looking back to Spike. "I would either break your heart, or I would put aside my fears to give you the proper chance you deserved.

"And then I didn't," she said, breaking eye contact as she gazed down at the table. She remained quiet for a second, until Spike gave her hoof a gentle squeeze.

"It never got better," she said, shaking her head. "I would tell myself daily that you would not, could not ever hurt me, and every day you proved yourself more and more, just the sweetest special somepony a lady could hope for."

The table was quiet for a bit after this.

Spike broke the silence. "I understand, at least a little bit," he said. "I mean, I met those same dragons when we went up the mountain, and-"

He broke off as Fluttershy leaned over to him and started whispering to him.

His eyebrows furrowed first, before his entire face went pale and slack as she kept speaking.

"Oh," he said, pulling his paw softly away from Rarity's hoof as his head dipped. "I'm, I'm sorry Rarity. I knew my lot were omnivores, but all I saw were gems. I-I didn't know about..."

Rarity shook her head, roughly. "Of course you didn't," she said, reaching out and capturing the retreating limb with both of her hooves. "I was the only one who saw that, and I didn't even tell Twilight or Fluttershy until earlier today. I never could have told you, ever."

Spike tried a little harder to pull his paw back, but Rarity huffed.

"Spike, if you keep trying to pull away, I'm going to sit on you," she warned. "I've seen Luna do it, so don't have me chancing Fluttershy's jealousy."

"Oh, you can go ahead Rarity," Fluttershy said with a smile, leaning over to press her side against his. "I've got his side, but there's so much that you should feel free."

Spike's head whipped up, the full extent of his neck allowing him to gaze at the wall above Rarity as he blushed.

"So, uhm, what exactly did you guys work out without me?" he asked.

"Nothing solid yet," Fluttershy said softly, reaching up to gently rub his neck with the frog of her hoof. "Not without talking to you first. We just established some boundaries between ourselves, so far; anything more we could talk about would be behind your back, so to say, so we're waiting on you."

He relaxed into her hoof a bit, releasing some of the tension in his neck and upper back.

"But you have talked about something," he said softly, looking over at the mare across from him, causing Rarity to blush and look away.

"We did," Rarity admitted. "We only talked about maybes, possibilities though. Nothing for sure, nothing concrete, at least not yet. Not until you could be involved, and not until you have settled your feelings, your thoughts."

Spike tried to think about that but merely blew some thin smoke from his nose as he shook his head.

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"I think I'll think about that later," he said, hunching forward to lean on the table.

At the same time though, he stretched one arm out to encircle Fluttershy and pull her a little nearer to his side.

And his other forlimb reached back out to take Rarity's hoof back into his paw.

Author's Note:

Merry Yule/Happy holidays to yous guise. I hope today is one of the best days you can have, and see you lot later

EDIT- Here (/\/\/\) begins the fracturing of the story. The next chapter will be the culmination of what I thought should be the ending. The chapter after will be the continuation of the story as I had it originally.

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

Updates are gonna be weird, I blame meds.

What do you mean by that?

[SilverEyedWolf]

10004253
Before this point I hadn't been writing with any sort of regularity, mostly because of the therapy sessions I partake in every so often changing the medicines keeping my brain chemicals from killing myself. Clinical depression is a bitch.

That said, I'm getting better, more regular, with the help of said brain medications

[lazyreader19]

Happy Yulemas friend! Thanks for the update!

Also loving the story still, Luna is best auntie. Fite me

Also also, like the extra bits of worldbuilding you do, like with the Minotaur gait, or the references to spikes education

[jetman24]

I love this story and the way the drama plays out is interesting but I swear if there ends up being a contest between Fluttershy and Rarity for Spike's affection, I'm going to be pissed especially if Rarity wins.

[twidash1993]

It might be an unpopular opinion but I'd love a poly relationship with Spike Rarity and Flutters.

[TasermonsPartner]

10004567
It's not a contest if they agree to share him, and maybe each other as well.

[jetman24]

10005055
True enough, I just don't like fanfictions where spike and rarity end up a couple but I am okay with him being with her and one (or more) others

[Wydril]

Welp, there's the harem ending on the horizon.

[JBL]

Ugh, I hope this doesn't come to Rarity once again being the unwanted intrusion. 🙄