Right Place at the Wrong Time
"Come on Rarity! You can do this! All that’s really stopping you is a few yards and a door."
It’s been several days since Rarity’s friends returned to Ponyville and in that time she’s been to the hospital every single day to see Spike. At least she’s tried, but as soon as she saw the door to his room, she’d stop dead in her tracks and Rarity would find herself in the same predicament that she was in now. Frozen on the spot. Some of the doctors and nurses would assure her that it would be alright to visit the poor dragon, but Rarity could go no further, and she’d stay there until visiting hours were over and then return to her hotel where another slew of nightmares awaited her.
Their last meeting was still fresh in her mind and she couldn’t shake the fear she felt when Spike roared at her. He actually roared at her… Rarity took a deep breath, lifted her hoof and steeled her resolve to finally visiting Spike. But she stopped and dropped her hoof like a weight as the memory of seeing Spike’s body under the chandelier and him saying he never wanted to see her again paralyzed her.
Why do you even bother? A voice whispered in her ear. This is a fruitless venture.
Rarity turned her head to see who said such callous words. But there wasn’t anypony around. Rarity was alone in the hall.
I wonder what Spike will do to you if he sees you again? The voice continued. Maybe he’ll devour you like those cruel dragons from your foalhood storybooks.
“No…” Rarity mumbled as she held her throbbing head. “Spike wouldn’t do that.”
Oh? Are you so sure about that darling? After what you put him through, I wouldn’t be surprised if he did. You remember them, don’t you? His eyes?
Rarity squeezed her eyes shut. “Please… don’t…” she begged.
They were filled with so much hatred! Hatred towards you! I dare say if Spike saw you again, something down right dreadful might happen.
“No! You’re wrong! Spike would never hurt me! …he wouldn’t…”
You’re only fooling yourself; you know? You’re nothing to this dragon anymore. You’ve lost one of your nearest and dearest friends and it’s all! Your! FAULT!
“Excuse me, but I’m looking for Spike’s room.” Said a small voice.
“Mr. Spike? Go down this hall and he’ll be on your first right,” replied another voice.
“Thank you.”
Rarity recognized that small voice. Even in her sleep deprived state she’d know that voice anywhere. Rarity turned her head; Sweetie Belle was trotting down the hall in Rarity’s direction and as soon as Sweetie laid eyes on her sister, her normally sweet demeanor morphed into an ireful scowl.
Rarity recoiled. “Sweetie Belle? Sweetie Belle, what are you doing here?”
“What?” Sweetie Belle snapped. “Am I not allowed to visit the dragon that saved my life?”
“W-well, no, but how did you get to Canterlot?”
“I’m not stupid Rarity! I know how to read a train schedule!”
Before Rarity could get another word in, Sweetie Belle stormed passed her and entered Spike’s room.
Spike looked up from his issue of ‘Astro Colt’ when he heard the door close. He wasn’t expecting visitors, though he was grateful to see anypony at the moment that wasn’t a doctor or nurse. And he was genuinely surprised that his visitor was a lone filly.
“Oh, hey Sweetie Belle. What are you doing here?”
Sweetie Belle’s ears folded as she gazed at all the bandages and wires that were keeping Spike together. She wanted to look away, it was like something out of her worst nightmare or the most frightening horror story, but she couldn’t. Her eyes began to water as she bit her lip and ran towards Spike and buried her face in the bed linens.
“I’M SORRY! I’M SO, SO SORRY! THIS IS ALL MY FAULT!” Sweetie sobbed uncontrollably.
“Hey, hey, what are you talking about Sweetie Belle?” Spike asked in slight panic, unsure exactly what to say or do to console the crying filly.
Sweetie Belle let out a small-hiccupped sob. “I… I wanted Rarity to invite you to that big party, so I had Apple Bloom and Scootaloo help me make sure that everypony else was busy so you’d go with her. I-I didn’t mean for you to get hurt, I just thought if you and Rarity spent some time together, she’d realize what a great guy you are and maybe she’d give you an honest chance of being her special somepony. I didn’t want to hurt you! Please forgive me Spike, I just wanted you two to be happy!” Sweetie Belle continued staining the sheets with her tears.
Her cries went quiet when she felt Spike’s claw lightly pat her on the head. Sweetie Belle looked up at Spike’s warm smile.
“Sweetie Belle, you have nothing to apologize for. I don’t blame you for any of this.”
You… you don’t?” Sweetie sniffled.
“Of course not. You weren’t the one who got me hurt. I did this to myself. If I didn’t… well…”
“It would’ve been Rarity…”
“Yeah… and I don’t think she would’ve made it.”
“You’re a real hero Spike, you know that don’t you?”
“I was just at the wrong place at the right time. By the way, how did you know I was here?”
Sweetie Belle shrugged and turned her eyes away. “Wrong place at the right time, same as you.”
“Hellooooo? Equestria to Sweetie Belle?”
Sweetie Belle snapped out of her pleasant daydreaming when a yellow hoof waved madly back and forth and was met by an annoyed Apple Bloom as she and the other Crusaders zipped across Ponyville in their wagon.
“Huh-what?”
“Ah jus’ asked, ‘who ‘re we helpin’ today?’ an you just totally spaced out. Are ya ok?”
“Yeah, I’m fine, just thinking about what Rarity’s up to. She and Spike didn’t come back from Canterlot with the rest of their friends.”
“Oh riiiight. Ya think yer plan worked?”
“Like a charm! I bet right now Spike and Rarity are taking an impromptu holiday, spending more and more time with each other, letting their love blossom like a lotus out of a pond and as soon as they come back to Ponyville they’ll be marefriend and colt- er drakefriend! Maybe Pinkie Pie will throw a party! A big ‘congratulations on finally dating’ party!”
Apple Bloom tilted her head from Sweetie’s dizzying gusto. “Improm- what?”
“Fillies and colts,” Scootaloo announced. “We’re now arriving at the School of Friendship, please keep all hooves inside the wagon until we’ve come to a complete stop.”
“Ya sure yer not just gettin’ over excited Sweetie Belle?”
Sweetie blushed. “Maybe I am, but I want to think that’s going to happen. I’m sure they had a great time together and are closer than ever.”
The CMC spent the next few hours doing their duty as friendship tutors. Sweetie Belle in particular was approaching each challenge with an inspiring passion, taking on each student’s workload head on and finishing their tutoring in record time.
“Phew! That was some mighty fine tutorin’ today Sweetie Belle,” Apple Bloom said.
“I’ll say,” Scootaloo said. “You were on fire! A real teachin’ machine!”
Sweetie Belle chuckled, “Guess I’m just on a hot streak in helping everypony out. C’mon, what do you say we grab some milkshakes at Sugar Cube Corner?”
“Ah’m down fer that!”
“Ditto!”
The Crusaders broke out in a gallop towards the school’s entrance, nimbly dodging the student body with the unusual agility one finds when fueled by the allure of a sweet treat. Just as the fillies rounded a corner Sweetie Belle heard, “It’s ok Twilight.” Sweetie Belle stopped in her tracks as her friends sprinted away, leaving her by the ever so slightly ajar door to Starlight’s office. Sweetie knew it wasn’t polite to eavesdrop, but something spurred her curiosity and she couldn’t stop herself from peeking.
“Just take a deep breath, and try to calm down,” Starlight continued.
“How am I supposed to calm down?” Twilight’s voice was cracking as if she was using all of her strength to keep from bursting into tears. “I couldn’t even focus in class today and every time my students asked me what was wrong, I felt my heart break.”
“I’m guessing you’re still torn up about Spike, huh?”
Spike? Sweetie Belle asked herself. What’s wrong with Spike? She was now even more invested than ever, to heck with politeness, her curiosity was burning hotter than Celestia’s sun.
“Of course, I am!” Twilight shouted. “He’s all alone in that hospital and I’m stuck here! I can’t shirk my duties as Head Mare or as a Princess, but I just want to run back to Canterlot and makes sure he’s ok!”
Sweetie Belle had to remind herself not to gasp and give herself away. Spike’s in… the hospital? What happened?
“I know you do Twilight,” Starlight said in a calming tone. “But Spike has the best care in Canterlot, I’m sure he’ll make a full recovery and be back sooner than you think.”
“Starlight, a chandelier fell on top of him!” the cracking in Twilight’s voice was getting worse. “He- he’s not coming back soon! Spike may be in that lonely room for weeks or even moons! What if he never recovers? What if he has to spend the rest of his life in a bed? Strung up by wires and, and, and wrapped in bandages, I can’t imagine the kind of life he’d have. And Rarity…” The name fell out of Twilight’s mouth like acid.
Rarity? Sweetie Belle questioned. What does Rarity have to do with this?
“How could she just throw Spike away? How could she do that to one of her closest friends? She treated him like he was just some cheap accessory! After everything he’s done for her, Rarity pushes him away just so she could cozy up to those, those snooty jerks! And Spike was almost crushed to death because of her!”
“Twilight, I know you’re mad at Rarity,” Starlight said firmly. “But it wasn’t her fault. It really was an accident and Spike saved Rarity’s life.”
Twilight took a deep breath. “I know… I know it’s not her fault. But I can’t help but think it is. If Rarity didn’t invite Spike, none of this would’ve happened. She wouldn’t have humiliated Spike, abandoned him and he wouldn’t have gotten hurt! And I’m still so angry! And… I miss him so much…”
“I know how you feel Twilight.”
“Do you!?” Twilight snapped. “How could you possibly understand how I’m feeling!? You don’t have a brother; you have no idea what I’m going through!”
“Twilight that’s not fair, Spike’s my friend too. We’ve lived together for so long… how can I not feel some kind of closeness towards him?”
Twilight sniffled and gave a few choked hiccups, then she finally broke down. She cried and she cried loudly. Starlight quickly stood up and rushed to her friend and mentor’s side, Twilight wrapped her hooves around her pupil and sobbed into her shoulder.
“I…I miss him so much… Every morning I… wake up and hope that he’ll be downstairs in the kitchen, just waiting for me to join him for breakfast… I wish for that every single day!”
“It’s ok Twilight,” Starlight soothed. “Everything will be ok, Spike will pull through and everything will be fine, you’ll see.”
Sweetie Belle backed away from the door not bearing to hear another word of this, mouth agape, slowly shaking her head in disbelief. It couldn’t be true, it just couldn’t. Spike was hurt? Because he went to the party? Because Sweetie Belle made it so he’d go to the party? It was her fault? It was her fault that Spike got hurt. Sweetie Belle took off like her tail was on fire, sprinting through the halls of the School of Friendship at a speed that would even impress Rainbow Dash.
It’s all my fault! It’s all my fault! It’s all my fault! Sweetie Belle’s mind was racing as fast as her legs, barreling through the doorway and clearing the steps of the entrance in a single leap.
“Oh, there you are,” Scootaloo said as Sweetie came running towards her. “C’mon I’m dying for some-“
Sweetie Belle completely ignored Scootaloo as she sped past her two friends like a bat out of Tartarus.
“Sweetie Belle? Sweetie Belle! Where’a ya goin’!?” Apple Bloom called out, but Sweetie just ran faster and faster into town, never stopping and never slowing, leaving a worried pair of ponies wondering what could’ve happened to their best friend.
“After that, I caught the next train to Canterlot.” Sweetie Belle dabbed the tears in her eyes with a tissue before continuing. “And after a bit of searching, I finally found you.”
“Well I’m glad you didn’t get lost on your way here.”
Sweetie Belle giggled, “Please Spike, I run my own camp and helped plan two elaborate schemes to set Big Mac with a special somepony. I can handle simple directions.”
“Heh, you’re right, guess I forgot that you and your friends are a lot smarter than most ponies give ya credit for.”
Sweetie puffed out her chest. “Darn right we are!”
Spike and Sweetie Belle both shared a good-natured laugh, simply relishing in the warmth and jollity they shared with each other. And for a moment all the gloom disappeared from the room and left Spike feeling a small spark of joy in his heart.
Sweetie Belle wrapped her hooves around Spike as best she could. “I should go now. If I catch the next train back to Ponyville I think I’ll only be grounded for a year.”
Spike returned the hug with his good claw. “Sounds like a good idea. Thanks for visiting Sweetie Belle, it really means a lot to know that you care.”
Sweetie smiled warmly. “Of course, Spike, you’re my friend and my hero. It’s the least I can do.”
“Oh, Sweetie Belle, one more thing. Can you… tell Twilight I’m ok? And that she has nothing to worry about?”
Sweetie Belle nodded. “Consider it done.”
Rarity was still in disbelief over the way Sweetie Belle acted towards her. The normally sweet and chirpy filly reacted to Rarity as if she were some horrid ogre, in fact Rarity couldn’t remember a time when Sweetie Belle was this angry at her, maybe that time the Sisterhooves Social rolled around, but even than Sweetie Belle didn’t seem quite so… hostile. But the Sweetie that entered Spike’s room was like an entirely different pony. What could’ve gotten into her? Rarity’s thoughts were interrupted with the sound of Spike’s door closing and Sweetie Belle trotting past her, completely snubbing the white mare.
As much as Rarity wanted to get to the bottom of why her sister was treating her so coldly, something far more important took precedence. “Sweetie Belle. Sweetie Belle, wait!”
Much to Rarity’s surprise, Sweetie Belle actually stopped. And much to be expected, Sweetie greeted her sister with a sour grimace.
“How… how is Spike doing?”
“Oh, so now you care!?” Sweetie chided.
“Sweetie Belle, of course I care! I’ve been worried sick about him for days.”
“Funny, you didn’t seem to care about him at all at your stupid party!”
Rarity felt her stomach drop, her eyes went wide and she bit her lip, a look where one might see as a tell of guilt. Sweetie Belle found out about Rarity’s greatest disgrace.
“How do you know about that?” Rarity asked shakily.
“Does that really matter Rarity? Who cares how I know!? That doesn’t change the fact that you were a terrible friend and about the worst pony in Equestria!”
“Sweetie Belle, please let me explain-“
“What’s there to explain!? You just used Spike like you always do!”
“That’s- that’s not true!”
Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes so hard they threatened to start spinning in her head like a Ferris wheel. “Yeah right. Spike just runs your errands, acts as your pincushion, carries your things and fans you because he’s bored. You really have no appreciation for how much he does for you!”
Rarity’s ears flattened. “No, I-I do! It’s just, well…”
Sweetie Belle took a deep breath to steady her nerves as she felt her anger come to a boil. She couldn’t let herself get swept up in her emotions, she still had a lot to say. “He worships you and waits on you claw and hoof and you just treat him like a servant! How generous of you. Do you want to know why none of your friends could go with you to the party? It’s because Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and I made sure nopony was available and you had to invite Spike!”
Rarity’s jaw dropped as this truth came to light. “Sweetie Belle… why… did you do that?”
A few tears escaped Sweetie’s eyes. “I felt sorry for you! It hurt me every time I saw you fall for somepony only to get your heart broken or get your hopes up because they weren't as amazing as you thought they were! I thought if you and Spike spent time together, you’d realize how great he is… but… he still wasn’t good enough for you…” Sweetie’s eyes burned with an intense fire as she snarled, “He still wasn’t good enough! He’s everything you’ve ever wanted in a stallion and you just threw him away! Why!? Because he wasn’t a pony!? Because he didn’t fit in with those uptight snobs you try to impress!? How could you be so blind, selfish and cruel to one of your best friends!? Rarity, you… you…” Sweetie Belle drew in a quick breath and shouted, “YOU DESERVE TO BE ALONE!!!!!”
Sweetie Belle ran out of the hall as fast as she could and was out of sight in mere seconds. Rarity stood alone, unmoving with head hung low. A few stray tears found their way down her cheeks and onto the well-polished floor.
“You’re right Sweetie Belle…” Rarity murmured. “You’re absolutely right… and if that is the punishment for my sins… I will accept it…” Rarity gritted her teeth and raised her head high as she wiped her tears away. “But as Celestia as my witness!” she continued with vigor. “I swear I’ll make things right! Even if it takes the rest of my life, I will make things right!”
“Are you sure these numbers are right?”
Rarity’s ear twitched as a familiar voice caught her attention. It sounded like one of the doctors that operated on Spike; Dr. Hawkeye to be specific.
“Yes doctor, they just came back from the lab,” came a female voice, Rarity assumed it was a nurse.
“What’s the matter Hawk?” came a third voice, Rarity recognized it as Dr. Honey Cut.
Hawkeye sighed in annoyance, “I just got the chart for a one Mr. Spike.”
In an instant all of Rarity’s senses focused solely on this conversation. Given the tone from Dr. Hawkeye, it doesn’t sound like Spike’s chart entailed any positive results. Rarity decided to listen further.
“Nothing’s changed since he was first admitted,” Dr. Hawkeye continued. “None of his wounds are healing, white cell count is up, there’s swelling and his scales are discolored around the stitches.”
“Think you missed something during O.R?” Dr. Honey Cut asked.
“I can’t imagine what. I went over his wounds with a fine-tooth comb and sewed him back together with some of my finest stitching to date, but he just isn’t healing.”
“Think him being a dragon might have something to do with it?”
“Maybe… I’ll admit I’m not as familiar with dragons as I am with ponies and I’ve never had a case this bad and I have no idea on whether it’s a problem with his physiology or if this is psychosomatic. But we have to do something otherwise we’ll be dealing with infections. Nurse I want to start him on antibiotics and I want you to change his bandages and clean his wounds twice a day, if anything goes wrong, I want you to come find me immediately.”
“Yes doctor,” the sound of the nurse’s hooves scurried away.
“So, what’s the plan Hawk?”
“Now I see what information I can scrounge up about dragons. Not like we have that here.”
“Know where we can get our hooves on that?”
“I have an idea,” Hawkeye said as if a bulb turned on. “But I’ll have to request an audience with the Princess. Maybe she’ll have a book a scroll, heck I’ll take an anecdote or something that can help.”
“Well that sure beats going to the Dragon Lands.”
"That's plan B."
The sound of two sets of hooves trotted away from Rarity’s hidden corner. She drank in all of the information she learned from the doctors and was filled with dread. Spike was in danger yet again. Bad enough that he was nearly crushed to death by a luminous conversation piece, now he risked a serious infection? Rarity racked her brain trying to think of what she could do with this knowledge, anything at all. She couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. Not anymore.
“Dr. Hawkeye is requesting an audience with Princess Celestia,” She thought aloud. “It’s entirely possible that she might have some sort of key for Spike’s well-being. But who knows how long he will have to wait to see her, and who knows how long Spike can hold on for before things turn for the worst?”
Rarity smiled as an idea popped into her head. “Although. I’m sure if an Element of Harmony were to be in need of seeing the Princess without delay…”
“Your move slick,” a pegasus guard said as he quickly glanced at the cards he was holding in his feathers. Sitting on the polished tiled floor around this improvised poker game were two more fellow guards and a very confident (and ever so smug) looking cat. Capper raised a brow and reached for one of his golden stacks.
“I’ll raise another twenty bits,” replied Capper in his usual cool tone as he tossed some gold coins in the center of an ever-growing pile.
The pegasus’ eyes narrowed on the shifty character. “You’re bluffing.”
Capper matched the stallion’s gaze. “Try me.”
“I’ll call,” said a unicorn as she matched the cat’s bet.
“Too rich for my blood," said an earth pony as he folded.
“I’ll call,” said the Pegasus and his bits joined the pot.
Barely a stone’s throw away from the game, the royal sisters sat on their thrones. Luna was watching this cunning battle of cards and deceit with an enraptured look on her face as she felt the tension from the players like a burning fire. Celestia, however, did not share Luna’s interest in the spectacle of a make-shift gambling den in the throne room.
She watched them play with a puckered brow, dark, heavy bags hanging from her eyes. To Celestia's side was an elegant pot made from the finest china and was ivory and gold in color. She poured herself some coffee into a matching cup and didn’t so much drink it as much as gulped the black liquid in one fell swoop.
“Luna,” Celestia said through clenched teeth. “I’m curious. Does you advisor realize that this is the throne room of the castle?”
“I’m sure he does sister,” Luna said unfazed. “Now hush, I’m about to see who won.”
“This isn’t a casino!” Celestia growled as she poured herself some more coffee. “Honestly, I have no idea what you see in him.”
“He’s fun and I like him.”
“Alright, let’s see ‘em” Capper said to his opponents.
“Three of a kind,” said the unicorn as she revealed her cards.
“Heh, heh, looks like my ship has finally come in,” said the Pegasus as he revealed his own cards. “Ace high straight!”
“Hmm, a straight? Not bad, not bad,” Capper commented as he rubbed his chin. “But last I checked-“ he laid out his cards one at a time. –“a flush, beats a straight.”
The guards groaned and tossed their cards aside.
“He gets a heart flush…” the Pegasus said as his wing dragged down his face.
“Well there goes a week’s pay,” said the unicorn before standing up.
“Looks like it’s a steady diet of bread and water for me,” said the earth pony.
Capper’s opponents sulkily left as he began to pocket his earnings. Celestia scowled at her sister and gave Luna a look that said something along the lines of, ‘Do something about this now or so help me!’ Luna just rolled her eyes.
“Oh Capper!” she called out.
“You rang?” Capper said as he promptly reported to Luna’s side.
“I trust you’ll be returning the guards their money by days end, won’t you?”
Capper clicked his tongue. “Sorry Luna, I have a strict policy about not returning gambling losses.”
Some spots of dark blue magic scurried about Capper’s coat as Luna quickly frisked her feline friend and fished a number of aces from his pockets and began fanning herself with them, cocking an eyebrow at her official.
“Although,” Capper said reluctantly. “I could make an exception, this one time.”
“Good. I’m glad we got that straightened out,” Luna said directing it more towards her grumpy sister than to her advisor. Celestia just blew her lips out.
The loud creak of the throne room doors sounded and a guard trotted up to the diarchs and saluted. “Your highnesses, the Element of Generosity wishes for an audience. She claims it’s of the utmost importance.”
“Is that so?” Luna mused. “Well then we can’t exactly turn her away now, can we sister?”
Celestia gave a tired sigh, “Of course not, please send her in.”
The guard bowed and trotted back to the doors and a few moments later Rarity entered. As she came closer to the royal pair, she couldn’t help but notice how worn out and exhausted Celestia looked. Of course, this was a textbook example of a ‘pot calling the kettle black,’ but it was hard not to notice the normally vibrant and shining Princess of Equestria looking like she ran three marathons and never had a chance to rest.
Rarity bowed. “Good day to you Princess Celestia and Luna.”
“Good day to you as well Rarity,” Luna greeted. “To what do we owe the pleasure? It’s my understanding that you have something important to talk about?”
“Indeed, I’m in dire need of help and only the two of you can provide me with the assistance I require.”
“Oh? And what might that be?”
“Well… as I’m sure you’re aware, Spike was… badly injured recently…”
Celestia’s ears flattened and she turned her gaze elsewhere, quickly wiping her eyes. “Yes… we’re very much aware of his condition…”
Rarity should’ve guessed this would be a sensitive subject for Celestia. After all, she helped raise Spike alongside Twilight and her family, so it’s only natural that she’d be upset.
“Yes, well,” Rarity cleared her throat. “The thing is, Spike’s recovery isn’t progressing as well as it should be. In fact, he hasn’t been making progress at all. I… overheard the doctors saying that his wounds aren’t healing and they’re worried about Spike developing an infection. Spike’s doctor wants to speak with you, but I decided to come in his place. I’m here to ask if you have any knowledge on dragons, a book or some kind of information that can help Spike’s wellness. Not to sound presumptuous, but you must have something in your library. Please, I’m asking, no, begging you. Is there anything you can do to help?”
Celestia’s yawn echoed across the throne room. She gulped another cup of her energizing elixir. “Forgive me Rarity, I’m not even sure where to look and-“
“I’ll help her, sister,” Luna cut in. “You look like you could use a break. So why don’t you lie down for a while and I’ll take care of things here. Capper?”
“Yes Luna?”
“I require your assistance in this matter.”
“As you wish.”
Luna turned to the white unicorn. “Come along now Rarity, we haven’t a moment to lose.”
“Please forgive my sister’s… um… state,” Luna said as she, Rarity and Capper walked the halls of the castle. “Celestia’s been working very hard on some secret project. She refuses any and all help and won’t tell me or anypony else what she’s doing. She hasn’t gotten a full night sleep in weeks, I should know, I can’t remember the last time I saw her dreams. And when Spike received his injuries, she took the news rather hard.”
“Oh no apologies necessary Princess. I certainly understand why Celestia is rather tense. I’m sure things can’t be easy for her right now.”
“Now, on to the task at hoof. I assume you’ve given some thought to our conversation?”
“Yes Princess, I have. After all, it’s why I’m here. Spike saved my life, the very least I can do is help save his.”
“That’s quite noble indeed. But you should know Rarity, there is a very real chance that Spike will still not forgive you. Even with this gesture of kindness.”
Rarity’s lips trembled. “I… I realize that. But even so, I have to make things right. And if the punishment for my actions is losing a very important friend, I have no right to protest.”
The rest of the walk was in silence as the trio passed by the numerous halls, portraits and sculptures that decorated the castle. Eventually they came to a pair of large wooden doors in a more secluded cellar of the palace. They were worn down and in desperate need for a new coat of varnish. A large sign reading ‘Do not enter without permission from the Princesses’ was hung over the archway.
“Well, we’ve arrived,” Luna said as her horn lit up and the doors loudly creaked open scattering dust and evicting several spiders from their webs in the process.
Luna coughed and sneezed. “Goodness, I should really have somepony clean up around here.”
“I’ll get somepony on that ASAP, Luna,” Capper commented as he hid his nose in his coat.
Luna led her companions into the darkened room. Luna’s horn glowed again and the sound of whirling mechanical parts were heard over head. What looked to be large metal shudders pulled back from the ceiling and with every clang, a steady stream of sunshine shone through the skylight until the entire room was illuminated, revealing rows upon rows and entire walls covered in books. Rarity was astonished at the size of the space as she scanned over the plethora of tomes before her and the scent of paper and dust was heavy in the air. Twilight would certainly have a field day if she knew this room existed.
“Welcome to the Royal Archives, Rarity,” Luna said. “ Here is where we house priceless knowledge dating back to the days of old. Starswirl’s manuscripts, Clover the Clever’s drafts of the founding of Equestria and even accounts of Gusty the Great, all in one place.”
“This is truly magnificent Princess Luna,” Rarity said. “But where do we even start? I dare say I’ve never seen so many books in one place before.”
“Ah, for that we turn to the directory.” Luna trotted to a marble column with a very large book resting on a pedestal. Luna’s brow raised in confusion as the book was already opened and turned to Starswirl’s section. She decided to brush her suspicions aside and start here, since it was already opened.
“Let’s see… ‘History of Magic,’ ‘Tales of the Six Pillars,’ ‘Multiverse Theory and Practice,’ ‘Crafting Magical Items,’ AHA! ‘A Study of Creatures,’ section L2, group 223, shelves A through G.” Luna motioned for Rarity and Capper to follow and the three of them dived deeper into the archives.
They continued navigating the towering shelves of the most prized and valuable tomes in the entire history of ponykind. Rarity couldn’t help but feel humbled as she passed by the sheer weight of it all. Here is where the greatest minds stored their wisdom, their experiences and their discoveries and she was being trusted in using this knowledge for the good of her dear friend.
“Here, we are. This section is dedicated to all the studies Starswirl made on the different creatures of Equestria and the surrounding nations. Manticores, hydras, wendigos, yaks, griffons, changelings, hippogriffs and even the eels of Ghastly Gorge. I’m certain he had written something on dragons, we just have to look up there.” Luna’s hoof pointed up, near the very top of the shelf.
Rarity’s eyes widened as she drank in the actual height of the shelf. It was as absurdly high as Twilight’s own shelves with a tall, tall library ladder to navigate the rows. Rarity felt dizzy as she looked up. “Oh my,” she gulped. “That’s certainly… high.”
“Indeed,” Luna’s horn glowed and the rows of books from the top floated down into neat, organized piles on the floor.
“Which is why I’ll save us some time. Now let’s get to work.”
Rarity nodded and cracked open her first book. Don’t worry Spike. I’ll find something to help you, I promise!
Hours passed and the bright light of the sun was beginning to falter. Countless pages of numerous books were read and placed on an ever-growing pile of ‘not helpful’ tomes. Rarity groaned, “This was the last one… I’ve searched every book and there isn’t a single clue.” Rarity began to tear up as she shakily placed her book on the pile. “This was my best chance to help Spike and I came up empty. What am I to do now?”
“I’m terribly sorry Rarity,” Luna said as she closed her own book. “I suppose even the Royal Achieves can lack information.”
“Yeah it’s a real shame,” Capper said from his improvised book-based couch. He casually flipped the page of the hardback he was reading. “Whelp, nopony can say you didn’t try your best. So, what’s next? Excursion to Yakyakistan for a miracle cure?”
Rarity puffed her cheeks out. “Your sarcasm is not welcome here Capper! And what the devil are you reading? You’ve had your mangy paws on that book since we began.”
“I can’t help it, it’s a really good read. Did you know pumice is good for scraping off dead scales? Apparently, it’s the closest thing dragons have to grooming.”
Rarity felt a spark of hope in her chest as she leaped to Capper and inspected the book in his grasp. The title read ‘Dragonology by Starswirl the Bearded.’
“Capper! Why didn't you say something about this book earlier!?”
“You seemed really busy,” replied Capper bluntly.
Rarity’s magic snatched the book from Capper’s paws and began flipping through the pages.
“You might want to try page 305,” he pointed out.
Rarity growled in annoyance at the self-satisfied cat as she turned to the recommended page. “Let’s see, ‘It was the early days of Fall when during my travels I happened upon a drake who was wounded from a nearby rockslide. I offered my assistance in healing him and after bandaging his sprain, he told me of a special gemstone that had the power to boost a dragon’s natural healing factor. After a bit of digging, I presented the stone to the dragon, it shone with every color of the rainbow and emitted a warm glow, he ate the gem and something extraordinary happened, the drake looked fit as a fiddle and was able to walk on his own. I gathered that these stones had some sort of magical properties, the titular stone is called Rainbow Quartz, and is highly regarded as the best cure all for any aliment a dragon may come across.’ This is it! This is the answer I’ve been searching for!” Rarity exclaimed and jumped for joy. She bowed before Luna. “Princess, may I perchance borrow this book? I need to show the doctor this, as well as Spike.”
Luna nodded. “Of course, just be careful with it, it is after all a Starswirl original.”
“I promise I will. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some ponies to see and things to do.” Rarity turned and ran through the archive towards the exit.
“Tell me the truth Capper,” Luna said as her magic organized the many tomes and placed them back in their proper place. “You knew that was the right book the whole time, didn’t you?”
Capper shrugged. “I’m sure I don’t have even the slightest clue what you’re implying Luna. I just so happened to have gotten lucky and found a good book to read. And I guess I could’ve just given it to Rarity, but I wanted to see how far she’d go in helping her dragon friend.”
Luna chuckled, “Well, I’d say she’s plenty dedicated.”
“Right you are, highness.”
Doctor Hawkeye grimaced at his tray of “food” before him. Mashed potatoes, creamed corn and a daisy sandwich. He picked up a spoonful of corn and gave it a sniff. He pulled away and after some consideration he reluctantly took a bite and a look of pure disappointment came over him as he reached for the salt and pepper.
“I’m guessing the cafeteria is continuing their tradition of making food out of mulch and rotten apple cores?” Dr. Honey Cut said as he bit into his own lackluster sandwich and was left with the same discontent as his pegasus friend.
“I think you answered your own question,” Hawkeye responded. “I should write a second letter to the Princess, requesting a transfer for the cook to Tartarus. Or the moon, whatever’s easier for her.”
Honey Cut swiped the salt and pepper from Hawkeye. “Aw c’mon Hawk, it’s not too bad. Sure, the Daises taste like they were picked from a sulfur field but at least I’m not gagging.”
“And I’m not pining for the fjords. Thank Celestia for small miracles.”
“Doctor! Doctor Hawkeye!” Rarity came barreling through the cafeteria and slid to a halt mere inches before the two surgeons. She took a few deep breaths and said, “Thank goodness I found you!”
“Is everything alright miss?” asked Honey Cut.
“Wait, I remember you. You’re Princess Twilight’s friend, right?” Hawkeye asked.
“My name is Rarity and yes, everything is alright, or should I say everything will be alright.”
“Care to elaborate for us a bit?”
“I know how to help Spike! I received this book from Princess Luna and it has information that can help his recovery!” Rarity took the book out of her saddlebag and laid it out before the doctors and turned to the appropriate page. “It says that a stone called rainbow quartz can help boost his healing and can even fight off infections.”
Hawkeye raised a brow. “Rarity, how, exactly, do you know what’s wrong with Spike?”
Rarity blushed. “Oh, well, forgive me doctor, but I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation about Spike’s charts and I decided to help you in finding something to treat him.”
“Hey, hey, this is written by Starswirl!” Honey Cut said in amazement.
“Well that’s all the credentials I need to hear,” Hawkeye looked over what was written on the pages. “Hmm… well I’m not familiar with the healing power of gems, but we are dealing with a dragon.”
“So, does this mean you can save Spike?” Rarity asked.
“Well, yes and no.” Hawkeye ran his feathers through his raven mane before resting them on his forehead. “I’m all for trying this, uh, crystal therapy, since nothing we seem to be doing here is helping. But this isn’t exactly a jewelry store, it’s a hospital. The only rocks we have around here is salt and we have plenty of that because the cooks refuse to use it. On top of that I wouldn’t even know if we could get funding for rainbow quartz.”
“I may have a solution to that problem.”
“Oh?” Honey Cut leaned forward.
Rarity nodded. “I have a supplier for gems here in Canterlot that I use for my dress orders and I know for a fact that they have rainbow quartz. They’re rather expensive, but I’m sure I can get my hooves on as many as Spike needs. With your permission of course.”
Both Hawkeye and Honey Cut glanced at each other and smiled at the mare. “Alright, you got a deal Ms. Rarity,” Hawkeye said shaking Rarity’s hoof.
“I thought I told you I never wanted to see you again!” Spike growled. Rarity couldn’t help but notice the temperature in the hospital room steadily rising as well as the small wisps of smoke trailing from Spike’s nostrils. She fought back her urge to run and stood her ground, she’s here for Spike and she wasn’t leaving until her job is done. So, with a deep breath she pushed back her fears and steeled her resolve.
“I know you did…” Rarity replied
“Then why are you here?” Spike snapped.
“To give you these.” Rarity levitated a large basket onto the small table by Spike’s bed and removed the cloth covering the top, revealing the gems inside. They were cloudy white and at their center was an array of reds, blues, greens, yellows and oranges. The colors seemed to eb and flow and merge like a kaleidoscope.
“Wow, you really do think I’m some kind of idiot,” Spike sneered. “You think you can treat me like trash and then get back on my good side with a few lousy gems? You really think you can just buy me off?”
Rarity felt a twinge of pain in her heart. She certainly couldn’t blame Spike for being skeptical, but it still hurt to hear his accusations. “Of course not. I brought these gems to help you.”
Spike suppressed a laugh. “To help? Yeah right, just go away!”
“Spike, you’re not well!” Rarity trotted closer, much to Spike’s surprise. “Your body isn’t healing and the longer it takes to heal the sicker you’ll be!”
Spike narrowed his eyes on the mare. “How the heck do you know about what’s wrong with me?”
“That doesn’t matter!” Rarity said quickly. “What matters is I went to see the Princesses and Luna gave me this,-“ Rarity levitated the book before Spike and opened it. –“a study of dragons by Starswirl himself. He wrote about a gem with special, almost magical properties that dragons use when they are sick or injured. It’s called rainbow quartz and I, as well as Dr. Hawkeye, think it’s exactly what you need to feel better.”
Spike read over the words on the page before him and glanced between the basket and the book. Eventually he closed Starswirl’s hardcover and rolled his eyes. “Fine. Leave the basket and get out!”
“No.”
Spike’s glare could melt steel. “What do you mean, ‘no'?"
Rarity felt the heat in the room rising again. “How will I know if you really ate those gems? You could just throw them away and say you ate them for all I know. Which is why I’m not leaving until you finish every gem in that basket.”
Spike felt his patience finally give as more smoke poured out of him. He bared his teeth and snarled at Rarity; eyes filled with the same hatred she felt from days ago. But this time, Rarity didn’t run away. This time, Rarity hardened her eyes and locked them with Spike’s. The showdown continued with neither side conceding defeat, Spike’s snarls grew louder and the temperature rose another few degrees, but Rarity didn’t budge. Instead, her horn lit up and a small chair by Spike’s bed moved behind Rarity and she promptly planted herself down while never breaking her gaze with the dragon. Eventually Spike got the message that Rarity wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon and relaxed his body.
“Fine,” Spike huffed. “Give me the stupid gems. But as soon as I’m done, you’re gone.”
“You have my word.”
Spike reached for a gem and held it in his palm. It really was a rather pretty gem, the colors at the core seemed to pulse when the light caught it at just the right angle. He popped the gem into his mouth and felt his face scrunch up and his tongue began to burn. He gagged and was about to spit it out, but a stern look from Rarity quashed that idea, so after a few slow and painful chews, Spike swallowed the gem.
“UGH! What the actual hay Rarity!? That was the nastiest gem I’ve ever had in my life! It tasted like mushrooms and tree bark boiled in swamp water!”
“It’s medicinal darling, it’s not supposed to taste good. Now eat up, you still have a whole basket to get through.”
Rarity tapped the basket and Spike gulped in dread at the fact that he just struggled to eat one of those gems. But that was just a drop in the bucket to how many were left. With much trepidation, Spike reached out and grabbed more gems and did his best to eat as many as he could as fast as he could and after a few more agonizing minutes, Spike was done and drained the water pitcher by his bed.
“There,” Spike spat. “I ate all of your disgusting gems, now leave!”
Rarity stood up and collected her basket. “Very well. A deal’s a deal. Rest well Spike and I’ll see you again tomorrow.”
Spike’s jaw dropped. “W-what!? Tomorrow!?”
“Of course. You didn’t think just these gems would do the trick did you? This is only day one. I’ll be back with gems tomorrow and the next day and so on until you’re cured.” Rarity trotted to the door. “And if you want me to leave afterwards, I’ll have no qualms. Goodnight Spike.” Rarity left and closed the door behind her. She breathed a sigh of relief.
“That went better than expected.”
Boy it's great to finally get this chapter out for you guys in these trying times. And truth be told, I'm rather excited about this chapter. Despite the fact that I'm still not completely satisfied, this is the turning point in the story as Rarity struggles to climb her way out of the pit she got herself into. Of course, it's not going to be easy. Where's the drama and excitement in that? But anything worth its weight is worth fighting for.
I wasn't planing on this chapter being long, but I think it worked out well enough. Of course writing scenes with the doctors and hospital settings is annoying, but that might be because my proofreader's mother was a nurse so she kept nitpicking things and choices I made. Be fair she actually has knowledge on how the medical field operates (no pun indented) and my experience in the medical field is limited to M.A.S.H, Black Jack and to a lesser degree, Diagnosis Murder and Columbo, granted Columbo is a homicide detective but medical things do come up, but I digress. So yes, it's a good thing she's so knowledgable, but the red cards she throws at me are starting to fill up my room and it's hard to get to the door.
Just a friendly reminder to everyone to stay safe amidst the Corona outbreak, wash your hands and stay indoors if possible. I'll do my best to get as many chapters out as I can to keep you entertained and it's not like I've got places to be anytime soon 
So expect the next chapter of "Over the Moon" in about a week or so. Sorry I haven't been working on it as diligently as I would have wanted to, but I really wanted to finish this chapter of Life and Times first.
Let me know what you guys think of this chapter, I love reading the comments.
As always, thanks for reading. See you next time 
Silver Wit
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Thanks so much for this chapter
I loved it. First things first, i loved the doctors(haven't seen M.A.S.H. In years lol) and I liked the fact that rarity and spike had a scene together, but like you said its going to take time(Not to much i hope, i wanna see my spikey-wikey happy lol) but i can wait. A part of me still wants to see Fancy pants or Fleur chew Rarity out a bit lol and for those posh ponies to get their heads kicked in 
that maybe a bit much but still lol
I loved the Sweetie Belle bit, its gonna take a lot of time for Rarity to get back on track with not just her friends but her sister aswell. I REALLY CAN'T WAIT FOR MORE NOW
I wonder how Twilight's gonna act when she finds out that Rarity saw Spike, I get that Celestia is THE princess but i would like to see her go see Spike(I like the idea of her being his mother & him actually being a secret prince lol) I would of liked to of seen Celestia mad at Rarity and maybe even Luna being abit more angry aswell(But again, i know they are older and more princesy lol)
Sorry went on a bit there lol but I liked this chapter a lot, can't wait for the next one
please don't make me wait 
Thanks again
Amazing Chapter. when I first saw that your using the names of doctor's in MASH, a few chapters back, I half fell over from laughter. at least Rarity is now making baby steps with Spike in terms of making things up with him
10142466
Thanks, I tried my best to make Hawkeye and Honey Cut as accurate as I could to their originals, but I still feel like it didn't do them total justice. Funny you should mention Celestia being mad at Rarity. I had originally wrote her as being mad at her, but my proofreader talked me out of it. She said "Celestia needs to be more of an unbiased ruler." And after a bit of thought, I decided to dial her mood back a bit to just being tired and being annoyed that Luna doesn't really reel in Capper. And not to worry, Twilight will make an appearance. I'm actually super excited for that chapter. And not to worry I don't plan on making you wait too long for the next chapter, since I don't plan on it being nearly as long as this one. But I want to get some work done on my other story first. I've put it off long enough
Well I was wondering if the CMC was gonna find out about what happened to Spike (especially Sweetie), was hard seeing her blaming herself for what happened to him.
She sure let Rarity have it & speaking of which, I wasn't expecting Spike to be having further health complications. At least Rarity did something right finally by finding a cure for my fave purple dragon, course even though it's a start she still have a lot to make up for yet.
Also speaking of which I'm still waiting to see some comeuppance on Pish Posh yet, hope the hammer falls down on her hard & soon!
10142520
but it was the right call, i guess. part of me would of loved to of seen it though 
As for Hawkeye and Honey Cut, i'd say you did them just fine, though i haven't seen it in a while lol I still like what you did though. Twilight will make an appearance. I'm actually super excited for that chapter. Oh great now i really want to read it, THANKS! 
Dam ya proofreader
But i get it you have other stuff to work on, I can wait, can't wait to see what you have coming up in the next chapter. I'm sure it's going to be good, I look forward to it
10142507
And it warms my heart to know that people like my M.A.S.H. reference, it's one of the very, very few things I like more than MLP and I really wanted them to work out.
Thank you very much, I put a lot of time into this chapter so I'm glad to hear you say it was good.
10142540
no problem. I love watching MASH myself.
10142525
Not to worry, Pish Posh will be hit with the hammer of judgement and hit hard. As for soon... uh, define soon
This is a really awesome story. I just want the story to progress to a chapter where rarity isn’t hated by spike. It’s heartbreaking everytime. To be perfectly honest, it’s great storytelling to have the romance be slow paced, but at the same time, It’s become pretty hard to be patient for. Especially cause it seems like the romance won’t start for a while... there’s no signs of rarity feeling that way towards spike yet, and spike is still extremely furious with rarity. At this rate, we won’t see any of that romance til 2021!
That being said, your still doing a fantastic job. As long as you don’t randomly cancel this story, I have no complaints.
10150093
I'll let you in on a little secret. Things are gonna pick up from here. I'm actually super excited for the next chapter for this reason. Of course, they both have things they need to talk about, but feelings will blossom and certainly before 2021.
10150130
Well crud. This comments getting me seriously excited for what’s to come. I can’t wait to see what you have in store for us in the next chapter. Thank you for all you do. You’ve certainly earned a follow from me. 😉
10150144
Well I hope I live up to those expectations. Thanks for the follow and thanks for your support
I am glad to see this story again. Welcome back!
10152353
Thanks, it's good to be back and writing. Got LOTS of inspiration for future chapters, but I need to show some love to my other story first.
I'm sad that I've already reached the latest chapter, luckily I didn't forget to add to my tracking list. Rarity has made the first step in the heling process with Spike which is good. I'm lloking forward to more.
10203848
Well I'm excited to get the next one out. I'm glad you're liking it so far.