Secrets Shared
The picnic basket swayed from side to side, its shadow trailing behind Spike like a second, boxy tail. The silverware inside clinked sometimes, as did the salt and pepper shakers, and the china plates. Maybe he’d gone overboard with the picnic lunch. It was only their first date, after all. Or maybe it was their second, considering the many blissful hours they’d spent in that tent, waiting for the rain to stop, sharing a blanket to keep warm, and talking over a breakfast that became a brunch. He could’ve stayed out there forever, even if she couldn’t. The fashion world wouldn’t hear of her extending her vacation with no advance notice. At least it could stand for her taking an extra long lunch today, her first day back on the job.
He paused a footstep short of reaching the Carousel Boutique’s front door and studied the Closed sign in the window. Never had the building looked so imposing, not even on his numerous failed attempts to bring Rarity flowers or some other impromptu gift. Walking right in was easy when he was just here to help her with some menial task, or to let her know the rest of the gang needed her. Working up the courage to step up to the door with his heart bare like it was now, with the full weight of all he felt for her at the forefront of his mind instead of crammed into a back corner, was terrifying. It didn’t matter that he was expected, or that they’d spent multiple days chiefly in each other’s company and multiple hours wrapped in the same blanket. Everything that came between their first leaving Ponyville and exchanging a long hug goodnight upon their return felt too fantastical to be real. They couldn’t possibly have turned his longtime crush into the beginnings of an actual relationship.
And yet here he was, about to knock on her door so they could begin their first date.
The door opened of its own accord, just enough for Rarity to peek through the opening. “Spikey? Is something wrong? I saw you approaching through the window, and then you just—”
Her voice was all he needed to hear to regain his determination. “Everything’s great! I was just… uh…”
“Nervous?” the door opened further. Her smile was faint at best. “I am, too.”
Spike held up his cargo. “I-I brought the picnic lunch. We could always grab a blanket and take it to the park instead.”
Rarity shook her head, her smile growing. “That’s quite all right. Won’t you come inside? I made us tea.”
He blushed. “Sure.”
Narrow ribbons of light fell from between the nearly-closed curtains, falling over the clothing racks and mannequins crowded around the windows. The wall by the stairs stood bare and unobstructed, save for a tea service for two waiting on a tray. Spike cracked his knuckles and went to work, rapping his claws against the wallpaper and listening to the sound.
“Are you sure about this?” he asked, just as he had when she first proposed this idea during the rainstorm.
“Absolutely,” Rarity replied, “I’ve been looking forward to it, despite my misgivings.”
Spike couldn’t help smiling, even if Rarity was behind him. The knock of his claws against the wall took on a deeper note, the sound of a hollow space. “Me too. I’m not taking too much time away from your dressmaking, right? I’m sure you’ve got a bunch of extra work to do since we were gone so long.”
“It’s fine, Spikey, it really is. Fashion is my career; it will still be there in an hour or two, and I’m sure I can count on you to help me work through the backlog.”
He pressed the point of a claw against the wallpaper, in search of a seam. “Two hours just for lunch?”
“I’m hardly eating on my own, after all. I intend to take full advantage of whatever time we have together, especially when we need to discuss weighty topics like when to tell our friends about our relationship, and how.”
“I know, a-and I totally want to. I just… Remember what you said about romance getting in the way of your career?”
Rarity sighed. “Yes, I remember, and I’d like to rephrase my statement about business being fraught with risks. Business, and indeed life itself, is full of opportunities. Fashion is a marvelous opportunity that I devote a great deal of time to, and that’s how I’m going to treat our relationship: a lifelong opportunity for happiness, one that I intend to invest whatever time and energy is needed to make it succeed.”
His claw sank into a gap, an open space between a hidden door and its frame. He ran his claw down the gap, precisely cutting the wallpaper as he did. “I would’ve settled for an ‘I like you, Spike.’ ”
“Very well: I like you, Spike. I like you very, very much. Would you be my special somepony? Would you like to come by the boutique this afternoon for lunch?”
Spike’s knees buckled. He faced Rarity with a huge smile. “You’ve got no idea how long I’ve been waiting to hear—”
Rarity leaned forward and touched a hoof to his lips as a smile crossed her own. “I have far more than an idea. I only ask that you contain your enthusiasm long enough to finish reclaiming a long-neglected corner of my shop.”
He nodded emphatically. “Right, right, the wall!”
He turned around and ran his claws through the remaining wallpaper. The outline of a doorway began to form, slanted at the top to follow the shape of the staircase above. Last came a small hole near the edge where a doorknob was meant to be installed. “There, that’s it!”
She took a deep breath and lit her horn. “I do hope it’s not too dusty…”
The door’s hinges creaked as they turned. The room’s meagre light flooded a small alcove with a slanted ceiling, bare walls, and carpet-free floor. Rarity cringed. “Ooh, it’s just as filthy as I remembered… and just as—” she covered her eyes and sniffled “—I-I’m sorry I’m crying again. The last time I… it was such an awful night.”
He wrapped his arms around her as best he could. “I know. That’s why you said you wanted to do this, to replace the bad memories with good ones, right?”
She nodded. “Yes… and more than that.” she lowered her foreleg and marched to the door. “That night, I faced the uncertain future alone. That won’t be the case today, will it?”
He stood next to her and, with one coordinated step at a time, crossed the threshold.
Rarity ducked under the closet’s the low ceiling, her resolute steps becoming careful shuffles that stirred up dust. “It’s certainly as cramped as I remembered…”
Spike squeezed past her and swept the floor with his tail. “Want me to go get a broom?”
“That’s quite all right. We’re already covered in dust, after all…”
At last they were seated, facing each other with little room to spare. Spike glanced at the shop, the familiar world that he was next to but definitely not part of. He was sitting in a time capsule, a dusty artifact of a night long past, and not a happy one. “So… Here we are…”
She nodded, her eyes darting from him to the closet wall to the picnic basket. “Yes. I-I confess I hadn’t really thought this far ahead. Memories aside, it is just a dusty old closet with barely enough room for two… Eating our lunch at the park or even in the kitchen would be far more comf—”
His lips touched her nose. “I think it’s kind of romantic… it’s like a secret place we get to share… a secret we can keep together.”
Rarity’s cheeks went red and her mouth hung open. Spike had no hope of smiling confidently, not with his heart thumping like a drum and his brain insisting he’d made a huge miscalculation. He tried all the same, stretching his lips into what he knew was the dumbest, least romantic look of all time.
Her wide-eyed stare slowly morphed into a smile, and a small giggle followed. “Perhaps you’re right, Spikey-Wikey… but I might need slightly more convincing.”
He leaned in as she did the same, hesitating only as their noses found their way past each other.
As their lips met, Spike knew their hearts had truly done the same, never to part.
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I really enjoyed this fic, great job! Shame I can't give it multiple thumbs up.
Awesome. You really do write some of the best Sparity ships.
. . . . MY TEARS! THEY FLOW LIKE WATERFALLS OF HAPPINESS!!!
Spikes claw finished outlining the closet door , It burst open...
It's about time! You two, you know how long my tails been twitching ? Like forever!
img15.deviantart.net/2ebb/i/2016/100/4/f/no_suprise_ii_by_hillbe-d9yhwoc.jpg
I'm crying like a anime fan in prom night right now!
But seriously, I'm in love with this story.
HNNNNG
Really cutesy story, probably one of the better ones that lead in to a Rarity and Spike romance. Well written as well, so congratulations on that.
Only gripe I have? It feels like a piece of something larger. I mean, it's ending is a decent one, but it really feels like there should be more to follow. Still, well done.
I wanna know what secrets they share.
I may or may not read the story. Leanign towards "may not"
7830551
Thanks! And yes, there could certainly be more to follow (but I promise nothing)
7830604
I always supposed that unicorns don't get to lift things 'for free' via magic, that it's just another kind of physical exertion
7830205
D'aww, thanks! I couldn't have made it this far without your help on 'Til Sunday Do Us Part
7830251
Ha! Alternate ending accepted.
7828289
I'm with 7828067 :
I can't understand the idea that loving to help others somehow deprives Spike of free will; selflessly offering service is just the opposite. What he seeks to improve in the world is the lives of those he cares about, and that's what he does, even if some tasks are less fun than others.
7830780
Till Sunday Do Us Part
Another great work...
img03.deviantart.net/4489/i/2016/228/0/9/family_photo_by_hillbe-dae7kt7.jpg
are needed!
More thumbs up!
What!? Complete? I liked this Sparity fic. Please write a sequel.
[aplauso]
7830780
I tried to emphasize multiple times that this was not a binary, that my concerns, while they did not end with him being an obsequious forever-servant, lie on a different axis than "helpful-unhelpful" and my argument is not "I think Spike should simply not help anyone else, because the act of doing things for others is not free."
The magic of FiM, aside from friendship, is that you don't have to choose between being a selfish git who only cares for themself and only does things because they care about it and nobody else does, and being someone who is harmonious with others, who helps and cares for others.
You can follow what you love and be a positive force in the world. Your friends will come to your aid just as you would to theirs. You can care about your career and passion for fashion but still be a wonderful giving person.
Except for Spike's case, where he is put back into his place any time he wants something that is not directly related to how useful he is to others, and whenever anyone like me is like "wouldn't it be nice if he had the same kind of agency as the other adults in the show, or has interests and goals that are beyond 'do what people tell me to'?" people say "I see nothing wrong with obsequious servitude, and I'm shocked you would be unhappy your favorite character never grows beyond it."
Ugggh I clicked submit too early. Some of this mighta been edited to be less harsh, although I don't think it's that harsh anyway.
7830896
Fair point. Spike's role in the show is… limited compared to many other characters. Thanks for the comment
You know, i used to avoid Sparity. But as I read stories like this, I'm coming to dig it. My only issue is did you ever cover the age thing? I mean, if this is anywhere near canon, Spike is likely still a minor.
7830945
I did in chapters one and three. Rarity and Ember both point out that if he was a kid he wouldn't have been summoned to possibly be the next dragon lord (which I honestly think is one of the stronger canon events for saying Spike's age is complicated). Rarity also adds that if he was a kid he'd be in school like Sweetie Belle.
I haven't read a good Sprarity fic in a long time.
Thank you. well done.
7830941
Haha thanks.
I get a little passionate myself about this, and I got drawn into talking about this subject even though your story only touches on it.
It was pretty nicely done, overall, even if I can got contentious.
7830945 It's hard to say. It depends on how old Twilight was when she hatched him (we don't know), how fast ponies mature (we don't know), and then how this compares to dragons (we don't know)...
Frankly, we know relatively very little about how anything in the Equestrian world works!
Six seasons in and this is becoming rather disappointing. Even such silly old series such as "He-Man" did more in-depth world building, at the very least for the central characters and locations.
*Sniff* This was just such a beautiful story! So full of emotion that I didn't really expect from Rarity. I very much enjoyed the depth you brought to her and to Spike. I really had no idea how the story would play out until the rain scene. And the part with the two of the in the closet was so touching and warm! I was tearing up the whole time!
Jus too wonderful for my meager words. Thank you , so very much!
Just as a side note....you sort of described a bit of a relationship I have at the moment. I could never tell her, of course. Her friendship is more important and I would never wish to complicate her life. I adore her and try to help where I can. Deep down, I would move the earth for her. But I can't tell her.
That is just one more reason I so enjoyed this story. Thank you for letting me share and for such a moving tale.
7830896 I was truly hoping for Spike to become something a bit more by now in the show. We don't know why his greed growth was so excessive compared to every other teen dragon (given how greedy they are, they should be huge by now) and why it caused him to lose his mind when it clearly doesn't have this effect on other dragons (other than it being the Inuyasha trope that a hero will always go nuts when he uses his 'demon' powers even when such powers don't bother anyone else who uses them), we don't know why his fire can transport objects, we don't know where Celestia or the school acquired his egg and why they were using it as a test.
Unfortunately, I expect LESS now that a certain other recently-introduced character is obviously taking the spotlight, leaving lesser time than ever for exploration of the already long-present members of the central cast of characters who've yet to receive much in the way of development.
...On the one hand, that felt like a pretty sudden turnaround on Rarity's part (even if, yeah, it had been happening for a while on the inside).
On the other hand, nice not to get mired in more drama than needed.
7831642
You're quite right ... I meant "Twilight is emotionally protective of Spike."
Spike is culturally Pony, and is clearly attracted to mares in general, and Rarity in particular. He is probably hoping to marry her someday.
Rarity most definitely acts as if she loves Spike, though it's not clear if she returns his romantic love. When she is worried about him she completely forgets her normal dignity and poise. She has on at least one occasion almost emotionally-collapsed when she thought he was about to die, on two occasions gone out of her way to be there when she thought he would be in especial danger, and frequently spoken well of or in defense of him to others. She often desires his company.
If she does not love him romantically, she most certainly considers him one of her closest friends -- closer than any of the Mane Six save perhaps for Fluttershy. Either that, or she goes to insane emotional lengths just to get occasional cheap labor.
It may be relevant here that both Rarity and her closest friend among the Mane Six are in xenophiliac emotional relationships (Fluttershy, of course, is Discord's best friend and likely love interest).
7831642 I feel the same way as you are, I am for Sparity but it will never gonna to happen in the show, because the writers are very shy to adding romance in the show, however if the writers want Spike and Rarity be together it would be a last minute thing or be hinted.
Haha!
Thanks again Blazzin'
I may have been supremely wrong about the length and scope of this fic, but I am certainly not disappointed.
I would definitely love to see more of their story, if/when you feel like showing us more of it. And maybe more Ember stuff as well. Looks like there's a gold mine of story potential set up there with Celestia's visit and Ember's uncertainty.
Allow me to, as eloquently as possible, express what I feel about this story after having read up to chapter six.
moar plz noa
await more
The friendships and love of this fic were simply marvelous.
such a beautifull story, it makes me remember the time i first read "the unpredictable magic of love " and got those feels of a true relationship
So, to my list of favourites you go
Hmm.... Very well written, the pacing is great, not too much exsposition, characters are believable, conflict makes sense, everything fits together, and leaves me wanting a sequel. I give it an easy 9/10. The only reason it's not 10/10 is because I've read stories that I enjoy more and it doesn't do anything extraordinary or special.
Wow, very nice story, I really enjoyed it, which is saying a lot as I'm not only not a Sparity shipper, before this I'd really considered that ridiculous. About the only thing I can complain about is that its done, as I was looking forward to seeing the morning when Rarity wakes up with a bigger dragon than she'd gone to bed with.
7837126
Why would he be bigger?
7837754
And I quote...
I'd call Rarity one heck of a treasure ifn their relationship works out.
7838652
Very good point, assuming dragon magic works that way
7838725
Grins, "Enquiring minds want to know..."
Imagine the humor value in her wondering why the bed is so crowded, or him trying to walk around now that he's bigger. And if they haven't gone public with their relationship...
7837754
Dragons get bigger when they own things.
So when Rarity let's Spike... Take, her...
Welp.
7839285
That could also be considered as him giving himself to her. I see no (healthy) analogue to material ownership there.
We're getting off track, though.
7839998
Eehhh possibly, reaching a tad but sure.
Also nobody mentioned anything about it being wholesome.
Very nice. Very nice. Not much else to say. Quite funny and quite sweet.
Well done.
Gotta admit I'm slightly perplexed by the critical premise that Spike's return to Ponyville fixes him on a path of developmental stagnation, as if he'd never demonstrated the pluck (or at least intent) to strike out on his own before, and Ember's desire to 'pump him up' in the eyes of draconic society represents his best hope for a full life. Kid's still got some time and options (plus connections old & new) to work out what he'd like to be & how to go about it. Between the Dragon Lordship brouhaha, changeling diplomacy and making buds with the buffalo waaaay back in S1, to say nothing of this fic's yak-centered expansion of that trend, seems to me that fandom's spent ages (and Faust knows how many opinion pieces hereabouts) been underselling the pagedrake's potential & agency. 'Sides, I really can't see Twilight crystal-chaining him to the minithrone ('specially after Cadance & Shiney chime in) when it comes time for Spike to move out, be it up a mountain or just down the block.
7844775 And how many of those happened in the place he lives?
7838652 what I find curious about this premise is the presenter of it. As daughter of the previous dragon lord, and a strong contender on her own, shouldn't she have had a hoard large enough to be closer to dear old dad's size rather than Spike's?
dragon/Spike headcanons aside, I really enjoyed this. A very cute and fuzzy Sparity fic. I do agree with Spacecowboy that it feels like a piece of something bigger, but better it end here then trail off in an unfinished thing.
Yep, it was definitely worth it, waiting until the story was finished, so I could right this really good story in one sitting. I have to ask though... sequel?
7870580
Forget? The exact age of all the characters has always been firmly in the realm of fan interpretation, and in this case just isn't something we're going to agree on. And that's okay!
Within this story, multiple characters comment on where Spike stands compared to his peers, and for this story that should suffice. Other stories, written by me or anyone else, are bound to interpret and treat the characters differently. And that's okay, too.
Ember, darling, 2 comments
1) Guys are clueless about romance. Most guys couldn't take a hint if you inscribed it on an anvil & bounced it off their thick head.
2) Given Dragon vs Pony lifespans, even if it works out for them she IS going to die way before he does. Look him up in 50 or 100 years -if you are still interested.
*slow clap*
7890998
Thanks for pointing that out
7891012
*humble bow*
I had spent a hour and a half reading this fanfic, the first time I saw it was in the featured box, to be more specific the first chapter, then I forgot all about until now, when it climbed trough my memory while I was watching TV. So I read it enterely.
I have to say it, I love it. The way you developed the question and the answer, and all the kingdom stuff in the midle that served not only as a filler but a key part for the answer. I liked how you gave Rarity another reason to almost reyect spike's feelings aside from the usual age, race and friendzone reasons already seen in most of the fanfic of this pair. The "Achieve my goals first, then the rest" is something that can damage someone's life if he/she doesn't know that in some point of the life that can change, for good or not.
So, take your like and fav. Keep writing and I'll see you next time.
I haven't commented on a story in a long time, but this story brought something out of me. I've never read a romance story that brought out vivid pictures like this one, and it touched me greatly to experience your writing. This is a very talented work, and I enjoyed reading this more than most any other story I've read on this site. Thank you for bringing this to us readers!