Our Garden Of Love

by HAKDurbin

Chapter 1

“All passengers, we are now getting ready to make our stop at Canterlot Station for this line heading to Baltimare. Transfers are available for lines destined to Ponyville, Appleloosa, Manehattan, and Las Pegasus. Please do not leave your seats until the train has made a complete stop and kindly keep track of all your belongings.”

Spike smiles fondly at the train conductor’s announcement. After traveling for the last few days, he's relieved to hear that he’s about to finally arrive at his destination. He looks through his seat window to watch the Friendship Express climb up the mountain and go through a tunnel until he can see a familiar white city standing as tall and proud as he remembers it.

“Home at last,” he whispers quietly.

It has been 7 years since he left Equestria to spend time with Ember and the other dragons in the Dragonlands. Since that time, Spike has changed slightly from how he looks before he left his home. He has grown tall enough be a couple inches taller than a full-grown stallion or mare, his wings have gotten stronger, and his voice has changed into one fitting for a young adult creature like him.

Spike feels his heart leaping a little at the site of Canterlot. Though he has already encountered many familiar faces and places in Equestria during his long journey here such as Griffonstone and the Crystal Empire, and there is a sense of love and security in Ponyville, he has always felt like Canterlot has always been his first home in a way. It is the city where Twilight Sparkle hatched him on the same day that she gained her cutie mark; it is where he learned how to walk, how to speak, how to read and write, how to use his fire to transport messages, and is where he had some of his countless adventures with Twilight's and their friends. To Spike, Canterlot is the place that has been home for him all of his life more than any other place in Equestria or beyond.

Spike’s mind begins to think about all of the many things he plans to see again for the first time in years before going to the palace. He thinks about dropping by to say hi to Lemon Heart and Minuette, at the castle grounds, drop by the Canterlot Library to see Moondancer, or more than likely drop by Doughnut Joe’s Doughnut shop for a box of his best pastries. For in his mind, the one thing he learned to count on during the first fifteen years of his life is that Canterlot is a place where very few things change.

As the train gets closer to the city, however, his mind suddenly drifts to one place in particular that he would love to see again: Canterlot Carousel. His heart flutters a little as he knows there’s only one reason that this particular shop in the capital of Equestria would mean anything to him; because it makes him think of its owner. The mare who always made the most beautiful garments and decorations that the dragon has ever seen in his life. The unicorn who always worked hard and had the most incredible eye for detail. The one pony in the entire world who always had a way of making him smile just by looking at him with her sapphire eyes.

Rarity.

Ever since the day he first met Rarity back when he and Twilight first came to Ponyville, Spike always felt like she was somepony very special. In his heart, he believed that nothing in the world would ever be as beautiful as her. When Princess Celestia had him write a declaration that Twilight was to continue her studies in Ponyville, Spike was secretly thrilled because it also meant he could stay and see Rarity regularly. Thus when he and Rarity were not going an adventure with Twilight and their other friends, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, Spike would often finish his chores at the Golden Oak Library as soon as he could just to visit Rarity.

The white unicorn would always greet him with a smile and gladly accept any help he would offer. Although, much of the help she would ask would involve most of the hard work she needed to be done like taking out the trash, be a pin cushion while she works on a gown or hold the basket for her whenever she was hunting for jewels. As Spike thinks about those days, his smile falters as he thinks about how often he was asked to do so much of the hard work because he could never resist it whenever Rarity so much as batted her eyelashes. But even when he thinks about those moments, all he has to do is think of when she supported him, cheered for him, helped him whenever he needed a friend and his image of seeing her as the perfect Element of Generosity returns to his mind.

Going back and forth on his opinion on Rarity tended to happen every now and again when he was in the Dragonlands. With him away from his pony friends and pony society, he had a lot of time to reflect on his life in Equestria. He used to think about all the joys and troubles he had to face throughout the years and even imagine how he would have done things differently. But while most of the things he reflected on while staying with his own species were minor, he always found himself questioning how he really felt about Rarity or even how she felt about him.

He sighs as shakes his head, as the train finally stops at Canterlot Station. He grabs his suitcase and exits the train with a crowd of ponies. As soon as he steps foot in the station, the purple dragon beams as he looks at the entrance to the beloved white city and takes a deep breath through the nose to get a whiff of the mountain city air. He starts to enter the castle gates until two guard ponies suddenly get in his way with shocked expressions on their faces.

“Spike, is that you?” one of the guards asks.

“Oh hey, Blazing Star,” Spike replies with a grin and a wave.

“Oh my goodness, I can't believe you're back. look how you’ve grown,” the other guard says.

“You better believe it, Trailbreaker,” Spike replies with a grin.

“Why we haven't seen you in ages,” the guard called Blazing Star says. “Word has it you went to the Dragonlands.”

“Yeah, I did,” Spike answers. “I just came back from there.”

“Ooo, I'm surprised we haven't heard about you coming back,” Trailblazer says. “I imagine Princess Celestia and Princess Luna would be here to welcome you back after so many years.”

“Actually, they don't know I'm back,” Spike says. “This is kind of a surprise return. So if you guys could keep quiet, that would be great.”

The two guards nod in understanding and quickly returns to their posts. Spike smiles and begins to enter the city when Blazing Star runs to his side and leans in his ear.

“Welcome home,” is all the guard says before returning to his position.

Spike smiles appreciatively at the guard before passing the city gate and starts walking through the city. The dragon’s smile grows as he explores the many parts of his old home. Everywhere he goes, he feels a sense of familiarity with all the glamorous buildings, water fountains, parks and all the high-class ponies walking down the street with the fanciest tuxedos and dresses. All of them pass by him with their heads up high not even acknowledging him.

Spike drops by Doughnut Joe’s shop and the stallion himself was just as surprised yet thrilled to see one of his long-time customers return. Spike orders a box of his favorite flavored doughnuts and Doughnut Joe was happy to oblige free of charge for old time's sake. Thus, Spike continues exploring the city while gorging himself with doughnuts that taste just as sweet and flavorful as he remembered them.

As he walks while eating the last doughnut in one bite, however, he finds himself in a familiar street. His heart skips a beat as the throws away the box in the nearest public trash bin and walks on until he finds himself standing just a few feet away from Canterlot Carousel. The building looks just as majestic as it was when he last saw it. He finds himself smiling as he sees some dresses in the display windows. Each one looks more beautiful than the last in Spike’s eyes as he knows in his heart that they were all personally designed by Rarity if not also made by her. For a moment, he considers the possibility that she might actually be there on a business trip with the store’s manager, Sassy Saddles, but he shakes the thought away. If he remembers correctly, Rarity would not be having business trips around this time and even then he hopes that he doesn't get to see her no matter how much a part of him wants to.

Not yet anyway.

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Spike feels both flattered and amused when he hears the trumpeters sound their instruments upon his arrival to the throne room. He thinks it is unnecessary, but the guards at the entrance insist they give him a royal welcome. He walks down the hall heading toward a surprised Princess Celestia and Princess Luna as one of the guards clears his throat.

“Announcing his arrival from the Dragonlands, Spike the Dragon,” he says out loud.

Spike smirks as he walks over to the two royal sisters who get up from their thrones and walk over to him looking both shocked yet happy to see him.

“My, my, Spike, what a surprise,” Princess Celestia says as she hugs the purple dragon.

“Indeed, tis a most pleasant surprise, dear Spike,” Princess Luna says as she also hugs him. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”

“Well, the blunt answer is I wanted to come home,” Spike answers with a smile. “I learned so much about dragon culture and their way of life, but now I decided it was high time to go back to Equestria where I truly belong.”

“Well, it is wonderful to see you come home,” Celestia says with a heartwarming smile. “Tell me, have you already come to see Twilight and all of your friends back in Ponyville?”

Spike’s smile falters slightly and he scratches the back of his head.

“Actually, they don't know I'm back,” he admits. “In fact, no one outside of you, a number of the guards and Doughnut Joe knows I'm anywhere near Equestria much less in Canterlot.”

The royal sisters look at their dragon friend confused.

“You say that like you want your return to be a secret,” Luna speculates.

“Well, as a matter of fact, I do,” Spike says. “In fact, I'm kind of here to ask a favor from the two with you.”

“Oh?” Celestia asks.

Spike takes a deep breath and says, “I’m wondering if I can secretly stay here in Canterlot with you.”

The two princesses stare at him even more confused as he continues.

“You see, now that I have learned all I wanted to know about my kind, I want to come back to my real home and try to make something of myself,” he explains. “I have been Twilight’s loyal assistant for more than half of my life and devoted the rest of my life to find myself as a dragon. Since my heart belongs to Equestria, I want to find my own purpose among pony society. Not an assistant or a natural dragon, just...my own thing. So I was hoping I can stay here where I was born and try to figure out where do I go from here.”

“And you do not want to visit your friends while doing that?” Luna asks. “I imagine they would want to see you again after 7 years.”

Spike shakes his head.

“As much as I want to, I don't feel ready to go see them again yet,” he says. “When I left for the Dragonlands, I told Twilight that I was going to return completely changed and fully discovered myself. And while I have changed enough to come back to the country, I don't think I found enough about myself to say I'm ready to go back to Ponyville accomplished. So I want to stay here until I've figured it out before seeing everyone again. So...is it alright if I stay here?”

For a moment, silence overtakes the throne room. Spike begins to think that they are going to deny his request. But then suddenly, Celestia bursts into laughter. Spike looks at her appalled to see her laugh, but Luna, on the other hand, smirks at her older sister.

“Oh great, she’s actually laughing again,” she says rolling her eyes. “There goes the universe.”

Celestia continues laughing for a minute before placing her hoof on Spike’s shoulder.

“Spike, you should never feel like you need our permission to stay here,” she says. “You're always welcome here in Canterlot Castle.”

Spike smiles brightly at this response and says, “Thank you so much, Celestia!”

Celestia merely smiles in response before turning to a guard.

“Please have one of the bus ponies show Spike to one of the guest rooms,” she orders.

“At once, Your Majesty,” the guard answers before leaving.

“And I hope you will stay for us for dinner tonight, Spike,” Celestia says.

“Indeed, we would love to hear more about your time in the Dragonlands,” Luna says.

“Absolutely,” Spike says cheerfully.

The two sisters nod pleased with his response.

“Well, I better join the bus pony in getting myself set up,” Spike says.

“Of course,” Celestia says in understanding. “Then I guess we shall see you tonight then.”

“I'll be there,” Spike says giving the two sisters a bow before turning around to leave.

Spike exits the throne room feeling pleased to hear them say yes to his request. But then suddenly, the doors open behind him and he turns around to see Luna running towards him.

“Forgive me, Spike, but there's something that slipped the minds of myself and my sister,” she says.

“What’s that?” Spike asks curiously.

Luna hesitates before she asks, “Well, are you sure you don't want your presence to be known to any of your friends from Ponyville?”

Spike looks at Luna confused and answers, “Yeah, why?”

The Princess of the Night gives Spike a smug look before she answers.

“Well, I think you'd like to know that Rarity lives here in Canterlot,” she says.

Spikes body freezes in place. His mouth hangs open as he stares at the princess in shock.

“R-r-rarity...lives here?” He manages to say.

“That’s right,” Luna replies. “She moved here from Ponyville about three years ago.”

“But...but what about Carousel Boutique?” Spike asks. “I thought that was the home base for her business. Did something happen to it?”

“Oh, no. It's still there,” Luna says in a reassuring tone. “It’s just no longer her home base. I don't know the details, but apparently, it made more sense to move to Canterlot and have Sweetie Belle take over Carousel Boutique.”

Spike continues to stand in place, unable to believe what he just heard. The mare that he has the longest crush on and somepony that he doesn’t want to see yet is living in Canterlot of all places. He knew that she always loved Canterlot, but he never imagined that she would move here given how she was so devoted to stay in Ponyville when he last saw her. Spike’s face becomes uneasy with this information. On the one hand, a part of him really likes the idea of seeing her again and admire her beauty, generosity, and her skill in making beautiful gowns once again, but deep down he still doesn’t want her to know that he’s back in Equestria yet.

“Sooooo,” Luna says. “Are you certain you don’t want her to know about your whereabouts now that you two are in the same town again?”

Spike frowns not knowing the answer to that question. He begins to consider the possibility that Rarity might learn that he’s back eventually with so many ponies already knowing that he returned. With such a beloved social butterfly like her, he wouldn’t put past the idea of her already finding out right now. Eventually, he sighs in reluctance.

“If I see her, I’ll deal with it and hope I can convince her to keep my return a secret from the others,” he says. “Otherwise, I’ll try to avoid her as best as I can.”

Luna nods in understanding.

“If that is so, then you should stay close to the castle grounds while you’re figuring out what to do with your life,” she suggests. “Twilight’s study is still open and only Moondancer uses it, so maybe a few books on certain occupations might get you to start thinking. Otherwise, there’s a small, gazebo in the private section at the castle gardens. I used to go there a lot to think about my life in solitude after Nightmare Moon was defeated. Maybe that will help while you’re keeping yourself away from your crush’s sight.”

Spike feels his cheeks heat up as the Princess of the Night gives him a teasing look.

“You knew?” he asks.

Luna merely chuckles with her mouth closed and says, “Dearest Spike, your subtlety may not be so poor that all of Equestria knew about your feelings long before you left, but like any young boy with a crush, you can be read like a book. All of our friends knew about your crush on Rarity.”

“E-even her?” Spike dares to ask.

Instead of an answer, Luna just chuckles with her mouth closed again and walks back into the throne room. Spike stands in place shocked from everything he just heard. He then realizes that he’s still blushing.

“Darn,” he mutters to himself. “I haven’t done that in a long time.”