Growing Pains

by Sixes_And_Sevens

Sunday Morning

Fluttershy awoke to the sound of a gong smashing right next to her ear. She shrieked, sitting bolt upright at the table, and glanced around wildly. The first thing she noticed was that she was not in her bed; rather, she had fallen asleep slumped over her kitchen table, halfway through refitting her suit.

The second thing she noticed was a little bunny holding a mallet and standing next to a gong, glaring up at her and tapping his foot rapidly.

“Good morning, Angel,” Fluttershy sighed. “I’ll be out to fix breakfast in a minute.”

Angel gave her a look that plainly stated the unacceptability of this wait. Fluttershy gave him a Stare back. After a moment, the rabbit shrugged, tossed aside the mallet, and hopped away. Fluttershy sighed and stretched her back, catlike. Her wings tensed and then relaxed. She gave them a little flutter, just to ensure that they were still working after being slept on funny. Oh dear. Perhaps she had better cash in that massage coupon today. She trotted out the door, blinking the last remnants of sleep from her eyes. The suit, not quite finished, lay on the table.

***

Spike groaned and shook his fist weakly in the direction of his alarm clock. When that accomplished nothing, he reached down and felt along the floor until he found a heavy object, then heaved it at the incessant ringing. There was a crunch, then silence.

After a few minutes, he began the daunting task of wriggling out of the covers, a task akin to a snake shedding its skin. Having accomplished that after a mere three minutes of struggle, he lay on top of the bedding and stared at the ceiling for a long minute. Then, with the reluctant sigh of one whose need to use the toilet has outweighed his laziness, he heaved himself to his feet, shrugged on his oh-so-fluffy pink bathrobe, and waddled out the door and down the hall to the closest bathroom.

Locked. Of course. He slumped against the wall and let his eyes droop, fully prepared to wait. However, it was only a minute or two before he heard the lock click open. Twilight stepped out and smiled. “Morning, Spike.” She paused. “Uh, sleep alright?”

Spike gave her a flat look with ringed and red-tinged eyes. “I really shouldn’t have taken that nap yesterday. Couldn't get to sleep.”

Twilight tsked. “Well, I’ve got good news, then. No chores today.”

Spike’s eyes went wide. “Really? You mean it?”

“Absolutely,” Twilight replied. “Instead, Starlight and Fluttershy both suggested that I help you work on your magic.”

Spike’s joy faded again. “Oh. Uh, that’s great, Twilight.”

Twilight frowned. “Is something the matter with that?” She looked at him earnestly. “I promise I’ll start out with the basics, and I won’t go deep into theory at all. We’ll go at your pace, and—”

“Are you sure I’m old enough?” Spike asked desperately. “To be learning magic, I mean?”

“I don’t see why not,” Twilight replied. “I started out when I was six. If anything, I’ve been neglecting this part of your education for much too long.”

“Great,” Spike repeated. He made an effort to smile, but it was more of a grimace.

Twilight seemed either to not notice or simply not care. “Great! We’ll start after breakfast. I’ll meet you in the main library.” She all but pronked away, a big, proud smile on her face.

Spike closed the bathroom door behind him and slumped down on the floor. “Great.”

***

Applejack, conscientious farmer that she was, made a point of going to bed with the cows and waking with the chickens. This presented something of a problem on days when the cows decided to have a ladies night, for example, but by and large it meant that she got enough sleep to function and work hard all day long.

She was also about the only Apple to make such a commitment. Granny, of course, couldn’t be expected to sleep as little as Applejack did, nor could Apple Bloom, growing filly she was. As for Mac, he could sleep through anything short of a changeling invasion.

Generally, therefore, Applejack could count on being the first one into the kitchen every morning. However, there were always exceptions. Today, she thought as she observed the light shining up the stairwell, looked to be among them.

She made her way into the kitchen as quietly as she could, with only a few faint creaks announcing her descent. She peered around the corner and into the kitchen. There, her back facing Applejack, sat Apple Bloom, munching on a bowl of cornflakes. “Mornin’,” Applejack said, watching for a reaction.

She certainly got one. Bloom about choked on her cereal. “Applejack! Don’t sneak up on me like that! Y’all scared the spit outta me!”

“What are you doin’ up so early?”

Bloom took another spoonful of cereal. “Gettin’ an early start.” She crunched the cereal loudly.

Applejack gave her a searching look. “Early start on what?”

Bloom pointed to her mouth. “Alrigh’, swallow first, then tell me,” Applejack allowed.

She did so. “Crusadin’.” She took another bite.

“Bloom…”

After a long moment, after the filly couldn’t keep the well-chewed mush in her mouth a second longer, she replied, “We’re aimin’ to get our cutie marks for investigation.”

Applejack raised her brow one centimeter. “How’s that, now?”

“Oh, nothin’ big. It’s jes’, Spike’s hidin’ somethin’. An’ we aim ta find out what.”

Applejack scowled. “Apple Bloom. Don’t you go invadin’ other folks’ privacy, ya hear? You remember that ‘Gabby Gums’ incident.”

“This ain’t like that!” Bloom took another bite of cereal. “We ain’t gonna tell everypony what he’s doin’, we jes’ wanna know what it is! If he wants ta tell after that, fine.”

Applejack didn’t look convinced. Bloom decided to play her trump card. “If he’s lyin’, think about how much he’s hurtin’ by not tellin’ th’ truth!”

Applejack scowled. Apple Bloom smiled sweetly. “Like ya always say, honesty is th’ best policy!”

“Ah never said that in mah life,” Applejack muttered. “Fine. Go. Spy. But if he don’t wanna spill th’ beans, you let it drop, ya hear? Gossip never did no good fer nopony!”

Apple Bloom nodded quickly, dropping her spoon into the bowl. “Okay Applejack Ah will Ah love y’all thanks bye!”

With that, she was gone, bursting out the door into the faint light of dawn. Applejack watched out the window as her sister’s red tail faded into the morning mist. “Honesty is the best policy,” she mused, scooping up Bloom’s dishes to wash. “Huh. Maybe Ah should start sayin’ that…”

***

Rarity rested her head against her lover’s chest as they lay together in the warm light of daybreak. She could feel the beat of their heart against her temple, soothing and relaxing. She gave a contented sigh. “It’s wonderful, being with you, darling,” she murmured.

They hummed their agreement. She struggled for a moment to conjure up their name, but her head was filled with the warm cotton of awakening after a good night’s sleep. She let the matter drop and instead gazed up at their face. It was obscured by shadow. Ah well. It didn’t much matter, right now. “I’m going to powder my nose darling.”

“Yes, dear,” they replied. “Be sure to look your best.”

She felt stiff, rising from the bed. Perhaps she had fallen asleep at an awkward angle? Rarity shook out her hooves, one by one, and trotted towards the lavatory. She brushed against the wall, and fancied that she heard an aggravated mutter from the bed she had left behind. She winced and elected to walk more quietly. It would be most unkind to disturb anypony else’s repose.

She entered the bathroom. The tile floor did not feel as chilly today as it normally did, which was delightful. Humming softly, she opened up her cabinet. She stopped humming. Where had all of her makeup gone? Her eyeshadow, her mascara, even her shampoo? One lone bottle sat on the shelf. She pulled it out, looking for a clue. The label read ‘Iron Maiden’s Metal Polish’, with an image of three shining gold coins below.

Rarity frowned at it, turning the bottle over in her hooves. Surely this belonged in her workshop if it belonged in her home at all. Then, looking around the bathroom, she realized that this was not her home, not her boutique! It was a fine bathroom, certainly, made of marble and gold and other fine materials, but it was not one she had ever been in. Confused, she turned to the mirror. Her stomach lurched.

Staring back from the mirror was a golden automaton, a machine cast in her image. Sapphire eyes stared back at her from their settings in her face. She lifted a hoof to touch her face, but she could feel nothing. She tapped the casing harder and harder— and surely it was a casing, surely— but she could feel nothing until she was lambasting her face with her own hoof. There was one final whack. When her hoof came away, her cheek was dented.

“Damaged.” She spun around. Her shadowy lover was standing right behind her, every bit as indistinct as they had been in the bedroom. “Get rid of it.”

Rarity choked on her own retort as strong hooves grabbed her and dragged her from the room, out the door and into where the hallway had been a moment ago. Now, however, it was an empty pit, devoid of everything but mud. She could feel it corrupting her metal surface, corroding her interior, clogging her cogs. She threw herself at the closed door, screaming all the while. She felt her body buckle under each strike, gaping orifices growing wider along her joints until a cavity popped open in her chest and something fell out. A single red gem, shaped like a heart. Her heart. It clattered along the ground, until it reached a precipice— and down it fell into the bottomless depths. She tried to run after it, to move, but her animus had left her. She was no more than a broken toy, a dented trophy, a mare without a heart.

***

Rarity sat bolt upright, gasping for breath. Her eyes adjusted to the light of day, and she glanced around frantically. It was her own room, and she was the only one there. She rushed to her boudoir and stared into the mirror. Flesh and blood, as ever. She gave a sigh of deepest relief. “Only a dream after all,” she murmured, relaxing.

But a dream about what, she wondered as she applied her makeup carefully. It had been altogether lovely up to a point. She had found romance, something which had been eluding her for some years now. She had been in a lovely home with an obviously wealthy partner as well. And yet, how quickly her long-term dream had turned into a nightmare. Why? What was wrong with romancing a high-society pony that lent itself so easily to horror?

She grimaced, recalling her first Grand Galloping Gala. Ah, yes. That. But not all ponies were Blueblood. Not even all nobles were Blueblood. Fancy Pants and Fleur de Lis were both prime examples. Were they not so deeply ensconced with one another, Rarity would gladly have sought to woo either of them. She shook her head and smiled at the mirror. Foolish Rarity, she thought. Searching in meaning in dreams. Next you’ll be looking for method in Discord’s madness.

Satisfied with her applied makeup, Rarity went down to breakfast. Much to her surprise, Sweetie was already there, munching an apple. “You’re up early, darling,” she said, crossing to the kitchen counter. “You do recall that there’s no school until tomorrow, correct?”

“I know,” Sweetie replied. “Apple Bloom said she wanted us to get an early start on Crusading today, so we’re all meeting up at eight.”

Rarity nodded, pulling some eggs from the icebox. “Alright, darling. Be sure to stay out of trouble.” She paused. “Sweetie, does that apple comprise your entire breakfast?”

The filly swallowed the last bite and nodded. “I tried to make cereal, but it didn’t turn out so good.”

Rarity glanced at the garbage can and nudged it with her back hoof. A small plume of oily smog rose from its depths, and both unicorns gagged at the smell. “A poached egg, then, before you go?”

“Yes, please.”

Rarity got out a pot and stuck it under the faucet. As it filled, she warred with herself. Should she ask? Should she not? ”Sweetie, darling, exactly what did you do to that bowl of cereal?”

“I dunno. I poured in the cereal, and nothing happened.”

“Good.”

“It was fine when I poured in the milk.”

“Yes…”

“I put in the spoon. No change.”

“All correct.”

“It was when I put it in the oven that it went downhill,” Sweetie said, spinning the apple core around in her hooves.

Rarity inhaled sharply. “Sweetie Belle, you are aware that the term is ‘cold cereal’ for a reason, correct?”

“Oh…” Sweetie smacked her forehead. “Of course! I should’ve frozen it!”

Rarity sighed and shut off the tap. “Darling, I am aware that someday you will move out. When that day comes to pass, please, please, please find a roommate who knows how to cook, won’t you?”

“Okay,” Sweetie agreed. “Hey, Rarity? What was all that noise coming from your room?”

“A nightmare.” Rarity set the pot on the stove and began to crack the eggs into a bowl. “No doubt I ate something which didn’t agree with me last night. Or… something.”

“Oh.” Sweetie considered this for a long moment. “Was it a nightmare about Spike?”

Rarity fumbled the last egg, sending bits of shell into the yolk. “Oh, dear,” she sighed, lighting her horn to pull the shards out. “Spike, darling? No, I don’t believe so. Why do you ask?”

Sweetie shrugged. “Well, that’s what you were yelling. ‘Oh, Spike, darling.’ ‘Dearest scales.’ ‘My lovely big Spikey-Wikey.’”

If Rarity turned red just then, it was entirely due to the heat coming off the simmering water. Not at all would it have been due to any embarrassment she felt, or any snatches of saucy dreams that she was just now recalling. That was, of course, if she had turned red. Which she certainly had not. It simply was not part of her color scheme, especially not this early in the morning. So there.

“Sweetie, would you care to pass the salt?” Rarity asked in a voice that was absolutely not of a register higher than the norm.

“Okay. You want pepper, too?”

“That would be lovely, darling.” Rarity regained control of herself. Not as if she had ever lost it, naturally. “How did you sleep last night?”

“Okay, I guess,” Sweetie said with a shrug. “Oh, hey!”

“Hay is for eating, dear, not shouting.”

Sweetie forged on. “I meant to ask you something the other day, but Discord kinda got in the way. It’s not really important now, but I’m kinda curious.”

“Mhm,” Rarity said, placing the bowl of eggs atop the now-boiling water. “Ask away.”

“How do you know when you’re in love?”

The eggs plunged into the water, sending up a cloud of hissing steam. “Oh, dear,” Rarity said, detached. “It seems we’re two for two on ruining breakfast today. How do you feel about tofu bacon?”

“Yes, please! But Rarity, how do you—”

“I heard you the first time, dear. I’m thinking.” Rarity pulled open the icebox once more and rummaged around the bottom. “Hm. The tofu bacon is moldy. Bagels with cream cheese?”

“Sounds good.”

“I’ll be frank, darling. I wasn’t anticipating this question for another few years, and I certainly wasn’t expecting you to ask today. However, let me think.” She cocked her head. “May I first ask who the lucky colt is? Or filly? Or… well, foal?”

Sweetie hesitated. “Uh, it’s not really for me…”

“Ah, one of those,” Rarity said with a laugh. “Heavens, but I remember dating a bad boy. Better to get it out of the way when you’re young, I suppose. Hm. When you’re in love… I suppose the first clue would be mutual respect and appreciation. If that is not there, neither is true love; only infatuation. Some commonalities are necessary, but that is true of virtually any positive relationship. It is not, however, necessary to be identical.”

“Yeah, Miss Octavia said something a lot like that.”

“Wise mare. But I don’t feel that I’m answering your question. Let me— we’re out of cream cheese. Bagels with butter?”

“Ew, no.”

Rarity huffed and dug through the icebox again. “When you’re in love,” she continued, “you feel a sort of connection. The two of you want to spend time together doing anything, no matter how mundane. You want to be with them, talk with them, touch them, but you would give all that up.” She pulled her head out of the ice box. “Do you understand me, Sweetie Belle? You would give up all of that if you had to. If it would make them happy, you would let them go, lift them up, give anything to know that they were better off. You would help them to grow and do so gladly, even if that meant they would outgrow you.”

She shoved her head into the pantry as Sweetie gazed on in shocked silence. “Gosh, Rarity. When did you get so smart about love?”

“This is not about love alone, dear. It’s about generosity as well, and you know I excel at that.” She slammed shut the cabinet door. “It seems I’ll need to use that generosity well at the market today. Here.”

Sweetie stared. “Cheese and crackers? For breakfast?”

“If you would prefer, I believe I can fix you up with corn chips and ketchup,” Rarity replied drily.

Sweetie pulled a face. “I think I’ll just eat at Sweet Apple Acres. Bye, Rarity! Thanks for the advice. It was… insightful!”

Rarity gave a wan smile. “You’re welcome, darling. Have fun today, and remember what I said about love!”

“I will! Love you, have a great day!”

Rarity smiled as she watched Sweetie rush out the door. The expression melted off her face as she turned to the cheese and crackers on the table. She took a bite meditatively. She certainly hadn’t planned to say all that aloud. In the end, she had been practically rambling. More love and fear. What could be brewing in her subconscious that could inspire such visions? A face swam up in her mind’s eye, but she pushed it down vigorously. “Absolutely not. He’s only a child.” She sighed. “At least, that’s how it would appear.”

Perhaps all this was merely jitters about her first date in years, discounting as she did the fiasco at that first Gala. But Lotus was a kind, gentle mare. She would not treat Rarity with the disdain of Blueblood or the antagonist of last night’s bad dream.

She wouldn’t.

Would she?

***

Twilight and Starlight had broken their fast together, with Spike arriving in the dining room some twenty minutes after they had finished their meal. “Morning,” he said, raising a claw briefly in greeting. “What’s for breakfast today?”

“Scrambled eggs with a sprinkling of topaz,” Starlight replied, levitating over the pan. “It might’ve gotten a little cold, though.”

“Parfait?” Twilight invited, levitating over a champagne glass filled with yogurt, berries, garnets, and whipped cream.

“Uh, yeah, thanks,” Spike said, scratching his head. “Wow, this is really special!”

Twilight grinned. “Well, it’s not every day you start learning magic, is it? I thought you might enjoy a little something sweet before we get started.”

Spike said nothing, but hummed appreciatively around his spoon. “So,” Twilight began, taking out a set of notecards. “Basics of practical magic. There’s illusion magic, naturally— that’s not really my area, but Starlight says she can get Trixie to help.” Twilight’s pursed lips told Spike all he needed to know about what she thought of that idea.

“There’s also levitation and light. Those three comprise the three branches of magic; illusion for mind, levitation for body, and light for world. As you know, every sapient species in the world has some affinity for all of these magics to a varying degree—”

“Twilight,” Starlight interrupted. “You said you were going to focus on the practical.”

“Oh!” she grinned sheepishly. “Sorry, Spike. The point is, western dragons, like you, tend to be strong in body and world magic. That is, you’re very physically powerful and have some amount of control over the elements. That, therefore, is where we’ll be starting today. Light spells are practical, simple, and usually the first thing a unicorn would learn.”

Spike frowned. “Um, Twi? Not to put a damper on your curriculum or anything, but I breathe fire. So, uh, next?”

Twilight smirked. “You can breathe fire, sure. How long can you keep up a good blast, though? Five seconds? Ten, if you’ve just finished a bottle of soda. Are you going to walk around at night, burping constantly so you don’t run into anything?”

Spike considered this. “Yes.”

“Nice try, but not happening. C’mon, we’ll go practice in the dungeon. It’s darker down there.”

Spike sighed and downed the last of his breakfast, following Twilight out of the room. “See you later, Starlight.”

She waved. “Good luck!”

Once the duo had gone, she turned her attention back to the list of errands she had to run today. “Pinkie’s, Quills and Sofas, Rarity’s, and the stationery store,” she recited aloud. “Shouldn’t take too long at all.”

She stuffed the list into her saddlebags and turned to the door, only to see it swinging shut. Starlight frowned and stuck her head into the hallway to see who it might have been. However, there was nopony there. She shrugged, then trotted toward the main doors of the castle without giving the matter a second thought.

Meanwhile, down the hall in the other direction, Scootaloo was plastered against the wall, hoping to Celestia that Starlight couldn’t see her. Eventually, her breathing slowed and she dared to peep out again. “Did you get it?” a voice hissed in her ear.

Scootaloo practically jumped out of her skin. “Dinky! Don’t do that!”

“Sorry,” Dinky said, not looking particularly sorry at all. “Well? Did you?”

“Uh, yeah. Sugarcube Corner, Quills and Sofas, Carousel Boutique, and Ink Inc.”

“Good. Let’s go report to the others,” Dinky said, taking off at a canter.

“Hold on! Did you find out about Spike?”

“Yes. We’ll have to engineer a distraction to get him away from Twilight today. Are you coming or not?”

Scootaloo growled something under her breath, but ran after her friend.

***

Before going to the market, which would probably be mostly closed this early in the morning anyway, Rarity decided to work a little more on Eris’s suit. She had finished most of the pieces last night after supper, but there was still the matter of stitching it all together to consider. The doe hadn’t specified if she wanted pants or not, so Rarity decided that, for a first date, a blind date at that, the inclusion of trousers could be seen as too uptight.

She let her mind wander slightly as she fed the spool of spring-green thread into the sewing machine. What ought she to wear for tonight? She had enough dresses to choose from, certainly. It wouldn’t do to overthink the matter, though she quietly wondered if it were possible to overthink such a vital issue. Her most formal dresses were right out; if she would wear it to the Gala, she would not wear it tonight. That would be altogether too much. Something nice, but simple, would be the thing to wear. A sundress would be perfect for the occasion. Blue, perhaps, to compliment Lotus’s coat? Purple would also do. No, those were more reserved colors, this was to be an evening of pleasantries between friends, friends who might possibly become something more, friends who had never shown any earthly interest in one another before today so what would make them start now?

She looked down and swore. In her distraction, she had sewn together the sleeves. She began to unpick the stitches, making sure to focus more on the task at hoof.

Tonight, she would wear her pink sundress with white ribbon. Friendly without being too dedicated. It was important that she be able to convey her intentions; after all, appearances were everything.

Comments

[DragonPony]

Great chapter this is the first time in a while or maybe really at all we are getting some signs of Rarity's true motive for trying to make Spike Larger. I wonder who why Spike is so nervous about learning magic? Is he scared it will make his nightmare from before come true if he start to learn things?

[ColtKit Productions]

YES!!!! Western Dragon. I love Spike as a beautiful, graceful, and powerful Western dragon. I'm writing a few fics myself that focus on that

[Sixes_And_Sevens]

8845522
I love dragons. In order to keep the taxonomy reasonably simplified in-universe, I'm sticking to the basic Eastern/Western dichotomy. There aren't going to be any Eastern dragons in this story, but I intend to explore the differences between the two later on.

[ColtKit Productions]

8845824
Should be really interesting, can't wait for more