Five Years Later
“Anything else you need me to do around here today?” Spike asked.
“I don’t know. You’ve already done so much. The cages for the birds look a lot cleaner, and you were just what I needed to get that boulder out of the river. What else could you do?” Fluttershy wondered.
“Well…” He looked around the sanctuary to see if anything looked a little off. As it turned out, there was a pile of snow in the middle of the valley. “What about that? I don’t think they got it during Winter Wrapup. I could always get that out of the way.”
“How did I miss that? I helped clean out the sanctuary myself. Okay, you can get that snow and call it a day.”
Spike smiled at the news that he could do more to help out. He went to the pile of snow, roughly as tall as a snowman, and got the fire in his chest ready. Just a few seconds later, the snow was all burnt up in a burst of flame. Some of the bunnies were terrified at the sight of a five foot eight dragon setting fire to their snowy shelter, while other animals, like the bears, watched in marvel as the snow became a puddle of water.
With that business settled, Spike clapped his hands and took a seat on the same bench Fluttershy was resting on. It was a long day’s work, having taken up all of the morning and most of the afternoon, but with the way the sanctuary was looking, it was worth it. The sanctuary was all clean and tidy, ready for the upcoming spring season.
“Thanks again for everything,” Fluttershy chirped. She was sporting a brown uniform, some cozy jeans, and thick boots.
“You know, the winter seasons is over now. You don’t have to dress warm anymore, and you’re welcome,” Spike teased. As he grown up, he couldn’t help but feel a little conscious about not wearing clothes around other ponies, so he sported some jeans and a regular blue shirt, still as barefoot as ever.
“Yes, but it was a brutal winter this year. Why did it have to be so cold?” she shivered.
“Dunno, but who cares? This place looks amazing. All your hard work really showed.”
Sure enough, he was right. In the passing years, the sanctuary had grown in size threefold. It stretched almost to the boundaries of a nearby forest, and the amount of animals sheltered inside had exploded, as she could take care of far more critters now. It sure helped that there were more ponies around to handle them, each sporting the same brown uniform Fluttershy wore.
“I guess you’re right. It was just so daunting, turning this into a full fledged company, but I’m glad I had help along the way,” Fluttershy smiled, patting him on the shoulder. “So, what are you doing once you’re finished?”
“Not sure yet,” he admitted. “Don’t have anything to do with Twilight or Ember, so my schedule’s clear. You sure you don’t have anything left to do? Need a bear’s teeth brushed? Need a bunny that needs to learn to play nice?”
“I don’t think so--oh Celestia, how did I forget?” She slapped herself on the forehead. “I was supposed to give Rarity some sheep wool today! She needs it for her shop in Cloudsdale. I really don’t want to ask you to do it, you’ve already done a lot, but there’s still a lot on my plate.”
“No problem. Just hand me the wool and I’ll--”
“That’s not the only reason why I’m hesitant to ask you. It’s because of…him...”
Spike’s ears dropped down to the side. “Oh. That. Look, the past is in the past. I’m totally over it now. I’m fine.”
“That’s what everypony says when they’re not over it,” Fluttershy commented. Her ability to cut through the crap only grew with age.
That made the dragon sigh with the thought. “I’m just going to drop the wool off, and I might talk to them for a little bit, and it will be just fine. That even sounds easy to me.”
“Okay, if you say so. Just take it easy on yourself. You deserve it, after all.”
------
There were so many benefits to growing wings for Spike. Well, beyond the extremely obvious reason, he could go farther than he ever had before. He didn’t need Twilight’s help or a flying taxi or anything like that. If he needed to get somewhere, he just did it by spreading his wings and flying over there. No wonder Dash loved flying in the air so much, this was far more convenient.
Another reason was rather unexpected. Since he had wings, he could now touch down on clouds whenever he pleased(although, Twilight gave him a spell just in case), so he could travel through Cloudsdale whenever he wanted.
He carried around the bag full of wool on his back as he landed in the middle of the city. Where he was, the Carousel Boutique’s newest location wouldn’t be too far off. He would just need to look for all the advertisements plastered around the place. Rarity was always good about getting the word out, even if the store wasn’t exactly brand new.
Sure enough, just like he imagined, there were posters everywhere of the place, with helpful arrows leading the way. He followed them closely and took in the sights of town as everypony would be doing their early evening activities by this point, so it was a pleasant sight. It was nice seeing families flying around town peacefully.
Within a few minutes, he found what he was looking for, and he took a deep breath to get himself ready. Just as much as a pony would assume, Rarity modified the design of her previous stores to fit in with the cloud motif of...well, Cloudsdale. It had a thin, airy two story design, appearing as if it was fashioned out of clouds itself. The store’s lights were on, so it was still open for business. Perfect.
He took a few steps forward but stopped in his tracks, right when he saw a pony that was still the most beautiful figure he had ever seen. Rarity had gone from her trademark curly mane to a straight one, with just an inch cut off to make it more manageable. In his opinion, it was perfect for her. It sure didn’t hurt that she had a beautiful blue dress with hints of a sea motif, being dark blue with little wave patterns to compliment her pearl earrings. However, there was always one thing that caught his eye with her getup, and that was a blue diamond ring on her wedding finger.
She knocked on the door a few times, looking ready to explode. “Deary, can you open the door? I have some good news that’s sure to knock you out of your shoes!”
The door opened for her, and it always took a moment for Spike to adjust to the sight. In front of her was another pony, one that could be confused for a mare in a few ways. After all, the pegasus’ figure was rather slender, with its aqua blue coat, dark blue mane, and sand brown eyes hinting that they loved the ocean. The outfit this pony wore was not far off from a kimono style dress, with purple designs all over it. But there were telltale signs that this pony was a stallion, with the jawline being closer to a man’s, and the sound of his voice was also a giveaway.
“Rarity, what a surprise. Actually, it is a surprise,” he greeted. “I take it you mastered that spell that lets you walk on clouds, since you’re not falling through the ground right now?”
“Oh, Misty Weave, you know I can do anything I put my mind to,” she giggled. “Now, then, you want to hear the good news?”
“Of course. Seeing you is good enough, but this could serve as icing on the cake. Did we get that land deed to Las Pegasus as promised?”
“YES! Our fourth store is just waiting for us to open it! I already have ideas for it! I’m thinking ‘Las Fashion’, but that’s just a working title. It doesn’t matter. We’re expanding again!”
“That’s awesome!” Misty ran up and hugged her tightly. Now there were two ponies exploding with joy. “I knew you would do it, you just had to show them your charm and the rest was history. And to think, we just expanded the location in Manehattan. Is there anything you can’t do?”
“I can’t be as cute as you,” Rarity grinned mischievously, giving him a little boop.
“Come on, we both know you’re cuter. Let’s celebrate inside, I have a bottle of champagne to that’s perfect for the occasion.
The door shut behind Rarity, and Spike stopped in his tracks to let that whole...something sink in. Come on, you know this would happen. She’s happy with Misty, and she had good reasons for what she did. You should be happy for her. Don’t be THAT guy that can’t let things go. Don’t be just like Garble if he had emotions other than “ego” and “anger”.
He walked up to the door and gave it a few knocks. There wasn’t any noises inside the store for a moment, so he knocked again. This time, he heard somepony come in the door. As it turned out, it was the one pony he wanted to talk to.
“Spike? Ah, it’s so wonderful to see you again. Did you come up here all by yourself?” Rarity asked.
“Yes, yes I did,” he stated calmly. His fists were trembling from sheer nerves.
“That’s right, you have wings now. Sometimes, I forget they’re there,” she mentioned as she looked at them. “They’re simply divine. I could use those as an inspiration for my next line. Wait a minute, are you carrying the wool Fluttershy made for me?”
“Yeah. That’s why I’m here. She’s really busy at the moment, and I figured I could take the load off of her.”
“That’s wonderful, darling. A lot of things have changed about you, but your generous spirit hasn’t diminished one bit.” She picked up the wool with her magic and brought it inside the store. “Do you want to come in? Misty and I are celebrating that--”
“You’re opening a store in Las Pegasus. I heard.”
“You did? Well, you can understand why I’m so ecstatic this evening. Come in, I’ll pour a glass for you! I would never leave you out of something this monumental.”
Spike sighed and went inside the store. He hadn’t been in this location very often and he forgot what it was like, so he took a look around. Sure enough, the memories of this place came back to him. The cloud and air motifs didn’t stop on the exterior; there was a big window to show the great blue yonder outside. Some of the outfits exclusive to this location had Wonderbolt designs, with one rainbow colored dress having obvious input by somepony he might have known.
In addition, a customer here could rest on a cloud seat or two, as they were set up around the store. The two other employees here were also pegasi, as to be expected for Cloudsdale, and they were wrapping up for the day. The store would have been quiet, if not for the constant giggling Rarity was making.
“You’re free to go home if you want,” Rarity told the other employees. They took note and finished their chores, calling it a day and leaving. Once they were gone, she turned over to Spike and gave him a big hug. “You couldn’t have picked a better time to come over! I’m here, you’re here, and there’s nothing but good news going around. How are you, by the way? I realize I haven’t even asked you how you were feeling.”
“I’m fine, I guess,” he fidgeted. “Being an ambassador to the Dragon Lands has its ups and downs, and you can guess what they are.”
She groaned at the thought. “Let me guess, dealing with Dragon Lord Ember is an up, and dealing with Garble is a down?”
“Was it that obvious? You know what it’s like over there, but still?”
“Wasn’t exactly a secret. Here, let me take it off your mind by fetching that champagne bottle. We still need to celebrate!” She went up the stairs to the second floor to go get it. That left the dragon alone with Rarity’s finance.
Spike wasn’t sure if he was dreading or looking forward to this moment, dealing with him one on one. Misty, on the other hand, was as giddy as he could be.
“This is the best day of my life! Well, one of them,” he said as he thought about the ring on Rarity’s finger. “I don’t know when her business will ever stop growing, and I feel like this is just the start of our expansion.”
“I know. I’m really happy for her. She deserves it,” Spike said solemnly.
Misty picked up on Spike’s tone and demeanor quickly, and he dropped the carefree attitude. “I’m sorry. I keep forgetting about you and her.”
“Why are you sorry? You had nothing to do with that,” the dragon snapped.
“You might be ring, but I can’t help but feel partly responsible for what happened between you two, and I feel awful about it. It doesn’t matter that she’s my fiance and we’re happy together--”
“Then leave it at that.” Spike let out a heavy sigh. “The thing is, if you know that much about us, you also know what happened. I asked her out, she turned me down because I was still a child at the time, life went on. It was awful when it happened, but that was four years ago. I should be over it now.”
Misty only felt more downtrodden as Spike went on. “I understand. It’s just that things happened so fast. One day she hires me to manage this store, then we hang out all the time, and you know the rest, and not once did I realize you felt that strongly about it.”
“What does that have to do with anything?” He turned his back on Misty to hide his anger swelling up.
“The thing is, had I known how much you loved her, I would have taken it slower than I ended up doing. Do my best to take your feeling into account.”
That got Spike’s attention. He turned around with a hint of shock to his face. “You would?”
“Why wouldn’t I? Your exploits all over Equestria are the things of legend, and from what she’s told me, you’re an exquisite dragon that could charm any mare into loving you.”
“Thanks. Now you just sound like Rarity.”
Misty chuckled. “Well, we’re together for more than a few reasons. Still, anypony who would have you as a partner would be the luckiest mare in Equestria--”
“Finally found it!” Rarity proclaimed as she held up the vaunted bottle of champagne. She carried three glasses in her magical grip with it. “This bottle is a Canterlot blend from over 200 years ago, so this should be perfect. It’s a brand I haven’t heard of, but knowing you, it’s one of the best brands ever created.”
“You know how I like my liquor,” Misty complimented. “Spike, do you want to join us in a toast?”
“Sure. Why not? Would help me relax after all that’s happened today.”
“I’ll take that as a resounding yes,” Rarity responded. “Oh, and if you’re interested, the Wonderbolts are having a night show tonight. I hear this is the first one with Rainbow Dash headlining it.” She then popped the bottle and poured each of them a fine glass of delicious champagne.
“Well, here’s to your new store doing well. Knowing you, it’s gonna do even better,” Spike toasted as he rose his glass.
“Here here. To all of us having a bright and promising future!” Misty added as he looked to the poor dragon.
“I can drink to that!” said Rarity. They clung their glasses together and downed the whole shot together.
------
Spike couldn’t help but find it weird that he was the only dragon sitting in the stands for the show, but it was a feeling he experienced a hundred times before, and likely a hundred times from now. Guess there were experiences he would never truly get used to. Still, he felt the excitement in the air, as the audience waited in anticipation for the huge show the Wonderbolts promised tonight. Knowing Rainbow Dash, there would be about ten zillion fireworks, and it would be the most lavish thing he would see all day. Well, other than Rarity’s dresses.
The Wonderbolts gathered around to their starting positions on the ground. He could see Rainbow so clearly from his seat with her rainbow mane, and she was as confident as ever as she gave each Bolt last minute instructions for their parts. After that rehearsal, they flew up into the air and began the show of a lifetime.
As expected, a huge firework lit the entire sky with yellow sparks, and Rainbow and friends flew right through them to begin the spectacle. Some of the sparks stayed frozen in the air through magic to make it easier to see the performers up in the sky. They did all sorts of formations, some of which Spike didn’t know the names to even after seeing them for years. Still, he could tell Dash had organized one hell of a show, and he could see her grin as she lead the Bolts for the first time.
“She might be a bit of a show off, but she sure knows how to give ponies their money’s worth,” a familiar voice said next to Spike.
“Applejack? What are you doing here?” he asked. Applejack was sitting on the seat right next to him, wearing clothes similar to her human counterpart, except she traded the skirt for some long jeans.
“Came around to sell some wares during the preshow,” she responded, pointing at a wagon full of Apple Family branded products. “I get a free ticket to the show and I make some bits on the side, not to mention, this here ground platform sure is friendly to non-pegasi, so I don't have to worry about fallin' through the ground. Why wouldn’t I turn that down?”
“Huh. Good to see business is doing good for you, too,” Spike commented, looking up just in time to see Dash fly right through a huge blue flame. Of course she would do that. Even then, he couldn’t help but look down, given recent events.
Applejack picked up on that just as quickly. “Let me guess. You saw Rarity today, right? I heard she was rolling in town for something big.”
“Yep. And Misty was there with her.”
That got AJ to grumble in her seat “That ain’t right to you. You been with her every plucking day and did every little thing she asked you to, and she didn’t even think to thank you.”
“Can we drop it? It’s not like she did anything wrong. She didn’t want to hurt my feelings too much, and she made it obvious I was just too young for her.”
“You’re right, you’re right,” she muttered. She looked back up to the sky to witness Rainbow do a Sonic Rainboom with two other Bolts, all at the same time, in three different places in the cloudy canvas. It caused the whole sky to light up in the nighttime. “Well, I think she taught Vapor Trail and Sky Stinger well.”
“No kidding. That is one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen!” he marveled. He then stopped to think about the pressing matter. “Applejack, you think things didn’t work between us because I waited too long to ask her out?”
“Didn’t you say you wanted to drop it? Nevermind, that’s not important. But if you want the truth, maybe. You wouldn’t be the first colt that’s too much of a coward to ask their crush out. Happens all the time for colts your age. Well, five years ago, I mean.’
“Yeah, I know that’s a thing a lot of colts do, but I want to get past that. Look, I don’t know if I’m ever gonna find the one for me, but it won’t be Rarity. It stings, but I have to face that. And if there’s somepony I have feelings for in the future, I have to know how to avoid the same mistakes I made with her. I can’t do that to myself again, wait too long and miss the whole thing before it even starts. You have any ideas?”
“That’s a good question. You know what? I think Twilight might have some answers for your problem.”
“Twilight?” The thought of TWILIGHT SPARKLE helping with romance nearly broke his mind. “Twilight doesn’t really have a love life. You know she’s only had one crush in her entire life, and that was with a human?”
“That was a weird moment I’d rather forget, but that’s not my point. She knows a lot of things, probably from all that readin’ she does in her library. Maybe she’s got a book or two about it?”
“You really think she would do that?”
“She read a book about sleepovers. Nothing’s below her.”
Spike paused at the thought. “You know, you’re right. I’m gonna ask her about it.”
“That sounds like a good plan, partner. Hope you find the one for you, whoever she is.” And hopefully she’ll know what she’s got, unlike Rarity…
The two of them watched the rest of the show quietly, enjoying all the fireworks and Sonic Rainbooms that would soon become trademarks of a good Wonderbolts show ran by Rainbow Dash.
Stats
Page generated in 0.023 seconds
Total duration
667 users online
910,737 hits today, 2,561,572 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Who will be Spike's soulmate?
Have to say it because I'm such a Sparity fanatic, and please forgive me for having this comment. But frankly, instead of Rarity just being all happy and free, and Spike keeping everything to himself while everypony can obviously see a pissed-off rejected/friendzoned dragon that never even got the chance of getting his Fire Ruby, part of me would be saying "Ok, cut the bullshit, Just tell me the truth why it wouldn't work. It's because I'm a dragon right?! Or it's about your so-called reputation." And it's ultimately a exercise in hyprocisy that ultimately it's gonna be a Spilight romance where Twilight is a Princess, and even though Spike is an ambassador to the Dragon Lands, he's practically a Prince w/o the title.
....come to think of it, this reasoning probably shows why I'm still single....
8662443
Perhaps that did happen. I've seen a few Spike stories that start with Rarity rejecting him and some of them do have Spike lash out briefly in anger and ask her point blank if it's really his age or something else.
I'm not a particularly big fan of anthro, but I find it fairly easy to ignore. What I find particularly annoying however is how hard it is to find good TwiSpike fics, and when I do reading past the annoying Bu!!$@*# about Spike having to at some point have been rejected by Rarity.
So out of pure curiosity, what would you say is the reason Spike being rejected by Rarity is so often the catalyst for these kinds of stories?
Otherwise I can safely say that I enjoyed this one so far and feel that it is particularly well written.
8662443
Dont forget my favorite ones, Rarity rejects Spike because she wants to enter Canterlot nobility, only to find out later, Celestia adopted Spike as her offical son. Making him a prince. But since he grew up with Twilight he never really bothers going around telling everyone.
Yes i know its not canon, but the idea of Rarity rejecting her Prince Charming because of reputation without even realizing it, is hilarious to me. Oh what a wonderful case of not appreciating what you have until its gone.
9546884
Never been a fan of that. It's throwing Rarity's character under the bus for a cheap laugh, plus I have yet to see a good story featuring "Prince Spike" where it's not simply done to glorify him.