Scales and Gems II
Rarity’s hooves shot up to her mouth and she pressed herself as hard as she could against the wall. Twilight, please tell me you were right.
On the other side of the wall, Spike’s scales bristled. Smoke rose out of his nostrils, and his fists shook. Twilight, I know you’re right, but…
~~~
“What?” Twilight shrieked, loud enough to send some nearby birds flying away.
Rarity pulled back, face pale and eyes wavering. “I… I thought… I just…”
Twilight took a deep breath and then glared at Rarity. The fire in her eyes made Rarity inch back. “Okay, Rarity, I need an explanation.”
“I…” Rarity gulped. It took her a few rapid inhales to regain her voice. “I’m t-terrified of dragons, I have been ever since I was a filly. And, with that attack over the summer, I’ve…”
Rarity could not hold it together anymore and started to whimper. She pulled out a cloth from her saddlebag and used it to wipe off the tears, but more spilled down her face. She gasped when she felt Twilight wrap her hooves around her.
Nearby, Spike tensed up.
“That was pretty scary over the summer,” said Twilight. “But you should know something.”
“What?” Rarity sniffled.
Twilight grabbed hold or Rarity and held her firmly at leg’s length away. The fire was back in her eyes though it did not chill Rarity as it had before. “Spike is not like that. He’s my friend. So, whatever you may think about dragons, Spike would never ever hurt you or anypony else.” Twilight ventured to grin. “He’s a hero, and so are you, Rarity. I just hope you can see that.”
“I…” Rarity pushed Twilight away and turned around. Twilight’s grin sank and her eyes widened. There was silence between them for one long tense moment. Then, Rarity spoke again, but could not bring herself to face Twilight. “I’ll try, Twilight, but I can’t promise anything… please understand.”
Twilight got to her hooves and reached out. “Well, maybe if you tell me a li—”
Before Twilight could finish, Rarity raced off. Spike ducked back into the alley right as she passed, but her mane was in such a tussle that he could not make out her face. She galloped off, leaving both Twilight and Spike without words and feeling numb.
~~~
This is my problem to fix! Spike thought. He then yelled, “Rarity! You know I can smell you and your costume’s gemstones! Stop hiding and face me like a mare!”
Rarity no longer breathed. She would not have moved were it not for the tremors running down her spine and spreading out to the rest of her body. Then, she heard the clack clack clack of claws tapping against the floor. They were getting closer. With a gasp, she crystallized her hooves and sank back onto all fours. She continued to hug the wall, but brought her full attention to the entryway. Sweat curled down her face and splattered onto the ground.
The clacking stopped. Then, the entire building wobbled from below. Rarity blinked.
The wall just inches behind her shuddered. She yelped and jumped a foot into the air, but it was not fast enough to avoid a claw that breached through the wall and grabbed her tail. On instinct, her horn lit up and her entire body gained angular edges and a glossy transparency.
Spike felt Rarity’s tail stiffen under his grip. It was like plucking an emerald out of a hole in some dark cavern. He flared his nostrils, latched down harder, and pulled. In a series of pops and cracks, Spike dragged Rarity’s tail through the hole he had made and chucked it over his shoulder.
On the other side, Rarity swung through the air and slammed into the wall over the hole. Her hardened head and back mushed into the wall like it was made of sponge cake. A groan escaped from the wall as it snapped and fractured in numerous spots before exploding in a burst of debris.
Spike slung Rarity forward and tossed her across the room. Sparks shot up where she scraped against the floor. Spike cleared away the dust with a burst of flame leaving him to behold Rarity.
The animosity vanished from his eyes for a moment in favor of wideness and glistening. When Rarity saw that look, her pupils contracted and she scurried away into a corner. Spike’s eyes flared up again.
“Now I get it,” he growled. He stomped over to Rarity with his claws leaving punctures in the floor. “You think just because you look like a gem I was going to eat you?”
“It… it’s not like that!” Rarity stammered.
“Then what is it, Rarity?” Spike roared, sending out a small burst of flame. “If you won’t tell Twilight then I at least deserve to know!”
“You… you heard that?” Rarity gasped.
“I could smell you,” Spike grumbled. He advanced closer. “If you’re so scared, then fight me! You passed the test just like me, so prove you’re a hero! Because if you don’t…” Spike spit a ball of fire above Rarity. The sparks cascaded down on her and singed her costume while leaving her crystalline body unmarked. Spike’s claws and teeth glistened under the firelight. “… then I will beat you as a villain.”
Rarity curled up into a ball. Seeing her shuddering, Spike snarled and closed his eyes. His chest inflated. “Fine. You’re no hero, Rarity. You’re just a jerk!”
“Stop!” Rarity cried out just before Spike exhaled. She then crawled forward and bent her head towards Spike. A few shimmering pearls spilled down her muzzle and tumbled across the floor. “Y-you’re right. You’re absolutely right. I… I have no right to call myself a hero after how I’ve treated you, Spike. For that, I can’t apologize enough.”
Spike allowed his chest to deflate, but kept his claws balled up. “I still don’t understand why.”
“Like I said yesterday.” Rarity shuddered, sending a few more crystallized tears to the floor. “Ever since I was a filly, I’ve been afraid of dragons more than any other creature, but anything that had an eye for gems always had me on guard.”
***
A ray of sunlight struck Rarity in the face. She blinked and rubbed her eyes. She tried to turn around, but something kept pulling her to the side. Catching sight of the rising sun, she looked down and saw she was floating a few inches above the ground. Glancing up, she saw her horn aglow, whatever aura had possessed it glowing bright and carrying Rarity.
“Still?” she muttered, noting the stiffness in her neck and the pinpricks going through her hooves. “Horn, just where are you taking u—”
Rarity slammed into massive rock that stood perched on the edge of a cliff. She stared up at it for a moment and then grimaced. “A rock? That’s my destiny?”
She glared up at her horn. “What is your problem, horn? I followed you all the way out here for a rock?!”
The impending play, her creator’s block, and the overnight abduction by her own magic swirled together and boiled in Rarity. That it had all led to a mere boulder was the spark that lit a fuse inside her. With a huff, she spun around and tucked in her hind legs. “Dumb rock!”
Her legs flew out and hit the rock with all the force a unicorn filly like Rarity could muster. The air was rent apart by a thunderous rupture. Rather than cracking her hooves or spraining an ankle, Rarity instead was flung backwards by the force of the kick.
“Ow,” she groaned. She moved to pick herself off the ground, but stopped when she saw her leg was shimmering. With widened eyes, she saw that all her legs were now angular and translucent. They shined brighter than any gem she had ever laid her eyes upon. Even the finest diamonds on sale in Canterlot could not compare to the radiance coming off of Rarity’s legs.
“My stars,” she gasped. Then, a twinkle caught her eye. Looking up, her mouth dropped at the sight in front of her: the boulder had shattered into pieces, revealing itself as a geode packed to the brim with gems of every shape, size, and color Rarity could imagine. Her stomach grumbled.
Even with nopony else around to see her, she blushed. She could not recall when it had started, but there was something alluring about putting gems in her mouth. Her mother had scolded her and warned her how dangerous putting gems in her mouth was, but sometimes the urge just crept up on her while she was working on costumes. Sometimes, she had gotten so lost in her work, that she had actually swallowed the gem she had been chomping down on, but no indigestion or other ill effects had ever come of it.
Now though, the gems looked truly appetizing, and she had gone without dinner due to her horn’s abduction. She trotted over, lowered her head, and felt something shift in her mouth. Glancing at the many reflections coming of the gems revealed that her teeth had turned crystalline like her legs and had gained a sharpness to them.
“J-just a little,” Rarity murmured. Her stomach growled louder in protest. “Have to save the rest for the costumes.”
With a wide smile, Rarity lit up her horn and extracted a few gems from the rock. Even in the middle of nowhere, she still remembered her manners and only bit into one jasper first. Flavor exploded in her mouth. It was like eating the juiciest citrus she could imagine, even while she felt the shards crunch under her hardened teeth.
Next, she tried an amethyst. Bursts of lavender and grape flooded her tongue. She felt her eyes roll up a little. Her etiquette gave way and she took a big bite out of hoof full of gems. The combination was electrifying and sent a chill down her spine. There was spice. There was savoriness. There was sweetness. Not even the exquisite restaurants Rarity got to go to on her birthday could rival the flavor the gems provided.
The more she ate, the more the hardness of her limbs and teeth spread across the rest of her body. The morning light caught her torso, refracted, and transformed the landscape from barren to vibrant with color. It was only when the crystalline structure of her body crept over her flanks and a flash went off did she stop her meal.
Before she could turn around to see what the source of the flash was, a voice under the cliff hissed, “Shiny pony.”
A mangy claw reached up from under the cliff and pulled up the rest of a hulking diamond dog. Flies buzzed around him and his stench made Rarity gag. It took a step closer and Rarity inched back. “Shiny pony. You and gems come with me. Other dogs be impressed.”
Rarity shivered and looked down at her legs. She then flared her nostrils and raised her head. “Oh no you don’t! A big smelly brute like you is not ruining my destiny!”
“What destiny?” the dog asked while raking a paw against the ground. “It something else sh—”
A hoof as hard as diamonds bashed him in the face. A few teeth went flying from the blow. The force of the attack launched him off the ground and sent him tumbling down the cliff. It was not much of a drop, but he still yelped when he landed.
Rarity stared down at the wounded dog, heart racing and gasping for breath. She looked at her hooves. She had never struck another pony before, but the feeling had just come naturally to her. She then remembered the flash from earlier and turned around.
Three diamonds shimmered even brighter than the rest of her body on her flank.
***
“After that,” Rarity continued, “I got back and continued to work with costumes, but I knew my talent could be used for a much greater good. So, I decided to become a fashionable hero ponies in Equestria could look up to.”
Rarity sighed. “I was always a little afraid of what greedy villains might do to me though. I dreaded becoming the most expensive hostage in Equestrian history.” She paused and shuddered. “Nothing compared to what I felt about dragons though. There would be no hostage taking with them. Just a few bites of those massive jaws, and that would be it for me. I kept it under control though. Dragons lived far away and I’d be a hero in Canterlot. There was no way I would ever have to encounter one. Then…”
Icy tendrils grasped Spike’s heart. “The attack this summer.”
Rarity nodded. “I was right in the heart of the fashion district when it happened. If it hadn’t been for my talent, a sign might have crushed me and my sister. Still, I convinced myself it was a one-time disaster—something that wouldn’t happen again in a thousand years.
“When I saw you at the entrance exam, it was like I was falling into a nightmare. All my fears took hold of me until Professor Tantabus made them real.” She was shaking like a leaf now. “I couldn’t take it. I thought the only way I could continue would be if you were out of the picture. When Twilight refused to help…”
Rarity stopped trembling. She raised her head and stared directly at Spike. “… her words brought a bit of sense back to me, enough for me to come to school today. I was still afraid though, afraid of you and, even worse, afraid that I had been wrong the entire time. When I saw you crying and standing up to Princess Celestia for Twilight’s sake, I realized that I truly had made a grave mistake and had treated you no better than dangerous animal.”
Rarity took a deep breath and stood tall. “I… I resolved to make amends, even though I expect you to never accept an apology after what I did. Then, when it finally came time, I found myself at a loss for words.”
Bowing her head again, her horn glowed and her mask slipped off and clattered to the floor. “You were right, Spike. I don’t deserve to be called a hero. I—”
A claw grabbed the mask and held it up to Rarity. “Sounds like it took a lot for you to just get this far. I know that feeling. Yeah, I’m still mad at you for the way you acted, Rarity, but that doesn’t mean you don’t deserve to be a hero.”
Spike managed to smile. “That’s what the school is for. That’s what Twilight is for too. If anypony knows how to become a hero, it’s her. Seems like she pushed us both in the right direction. So, don’t give up just yet, because…” he gulped. “With the way you glisten, I think you’d be a great hero.”
Rarity brought a hoof to her face. Her eyes filled with tears. “Oh, Spike.”
Spike let out a dry chuckle. He glanced at the flag a few feet away. “Uh, this is a little awkward though. I mean, we’re supposed to be fighting for the fl—”
A deep rumble cut Spike off. The ground popped and cracked. Just inches away from him and all around the flag, a massive blast of magic and flame exploded upwards. The flag was consumed in the raging inferno while Rarity and Spike were flung back and forth by the tremors.
“Draw!” Celestia declared.
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hheeheheh sunset going to be piss
So heartwarming. Then Sunset fucked up
Now I wanna see Spike showing Rarity the best kinds of gems to eat
Go Go Spike, you're da MAN!
Accidental destruction of the flag. Hehehe, Sunset will be livid.
I'm..... getting to like her....... but it's still going to need more then this. An honest demonstration she is practicing what she's preaching right now.
Knowing Sunset I think that flag destruction might have been completely intentional. Sunset may hate not winning but she hates losing so much more.
Gosh darnit, Sunset!
Ok, so I love that Spike and Rarity had a heart to heart, but damn, they are going to get nailed grade-wise.
REALLY SUNSET!!! You massive idiot!!
SUNSET, YOU FRIGGIN MOOD KILLER!
Also, didn't even think about the possibility of a draw.
8786216
I like that a major theme running through this whole fic has been overcoming your fears and difficulty in general.
Also, I think this is officially my favorite fic on the site.
8786135
Same.
The mention of those gems made me think the same thing.
Power unchecked is a liability more than an advantage.
Wow this is really delightful to read, quite the far cry from the literary recolor of the anime I was expecting and that's awesome.
Also...
Back before they added the Tree of Harmony to the show I'd started working on a story where the Elements of Harmony were actually Gems that had been unable to return to their humanoid forms but events in the story changed that. Sadly my writing talents leave much to be disired and I lost interest as both shows began to expand on their lore.
Sponge cake or marshmallow.
Wait, Rarity is Toga?!? Just with gems not blood?
9827875 I was thinking more along the lines of Kirishima, since they do have similar insecurities... Though yeah, the method does bring to mind Toga.
I would like to see that. Most Steven Universe fics add OCs (pony or original) that just... miss the point of Steven Universe.