Sparity Shipping Mega Epic

by Mareity

– 14: The Rock Show –

Their Wednesday expedition was well underway in the Everfree mine by noon, Rarity relocating and chipping out a veritable plethora of glittering rose-jasper from the seam she’d found the same day she’d met Gallus on the road to Ponyville. For the first time in a while she had Spike by her side keeping the jewel basket safe and upright, and only occasionally dipping a claw inside of it for a snack. The two of them were enjoying themselves immensely, having spent a little while in one another’s company at the boutique, then shopping for supplies in preparation for the outing, chatting and laughing about this and that ever since while getting serious work done. It was certainly much more fun working with Spike than without at any rate, not to reflect poorly upon her other companions nor the glorious underground surroundings Rarity frequented like this.

Despite her repeated underground voyages seeking fine minerals from this particular mine over the years, the place remained far from depleted. The Everfree Forest’s natural magic affected its underearth, meaning the area was high reward for gem hunters, but high risk besides for those left unprepared given the local wildlife, strange and untamed even down here.

While ponies by and large considered the forest neighbouring Ponyville less of a terrifying existential threat as they once had, these days able to travel between there and the Castle of the Two Sisters, or Zecora’s treehouse, without major mishap so long as they stuck to the established throughways, one still needed to guard one’s hoofsteps lest they lead into cockatrice territory, or worse. Likewise, down here the less explored caves could turn up unpredictable results, so for a casual mining trip, the pair were happy enough sticking to their normal artery past the jade deposits and into the caves they knew.

This actually wasn’t their first meeting since the Friendship Council. The Elements of Harmony, along with Starlight Glimmer, had been called back to Canterlot by an excitable, rapidly teleporting (and fortunately, fully recovered and no longer at risk of straining herself with the effort) Twilight the other afternoon after Starswirl the Bearded had returned to Canterlot following Spike’s scroll, and he’d had some very informative insights into the situation.

Among other observations that Applejack had discerned and confirmed by Twilight’s bed right after the event, an especially pertinent point from the wizard was that blind luck had won the day as much as anything; after taking some time to observe Stygian’s stained glass window outside the room through which Starlight had tossed Twilight’s crown, he announced and demonstrated that it was somehow imbued with some sort of darksome ward that repelled the monster, something he was sure could be used as protection from further ill, but also something that needed to be harnessed correctly before that was a reliable possibility.

To that end, Starswirl remained resident at the castle for the time being, testing various glass surfaces in a laboratory in its basement and how they reacted to one another’s proximities. Twilight held high hope for Starswirl to deliver something that would retain the ability to use the mirror without risk of another unwelcome guest in the library where it resided, and he took the princess’ expectations seriously in kind.

Besides Starswirl’s arrival, Discord confirmed via Fluttershy’s summoning at the meeting that he’d come up empty-pawed while researching any extradimensional habitation by the monster over the weekend, but he’d been thorough on her behalf and that confirmed something important – that the risk was local, so to speak, and circumstantial evidence linked it to the Frozen North, the untamed hinterland surrounding the Crystal Empire, where Princess Cadance ruled with her husband, Twilight’s brother Shining Armor. They’d reported that all seemed well in the city-state, although the blizzards that beset its borders had intensified the past few weeks. Normally that would be unremarkable as autumn approached winter, but regarding Meus’ nature as a freezing cold light elemental it made sense to ensure its protective Crystal Heart was kept especially fuelled up and travel precautions put in place for the Empire’s residents, just to be safe in case it was out there.

Twilight planned to travel north before the end of the week to make certain all was well and to meet with her in-laws, and Spike was probably to accompany her barring an unexpected diplomatic engagement elsewhere, meaning he and Rarity had exchanged the scarves they were both now wearing at their meeting before departing for the shops. Spike had spent Sunday afternoon knitting a white woollen one with a pink diamond pattern on it for her to replace the one Meus had ruined, while she’d made him a teal-striped one that he was wearing alongside his mining helmet and his green jacket, now turned waistcoat, sleeveless below the shoulder spikes following another “punk” adjustment from Yona. Rarity had approved that with a raised eyebrow, Yona’s developing fashion sense somewhat different to her own, but certainly not unprecedented after her own dabbling in that mode from similar necessity; besides, extreme a solution it may have been but tearing the sleeves off entirely did eliminate that nasty frost-damage discoloration.

At any rate, Spike and Rarity were getting on with life away from the anxiety cast by Meus’ pall. Whatever fell beasts were down here were unlikely to include his likes, and they were enjoying the cool ambient limelight of the purple crystals protruding from the walls and floor that illuminated the large cavern they currently inhabited, a small underground river and pool adorned with stalagmites and pillars in one corner and several round, jewel-encrusted channels leading off to wherever their accompanying signposts signalled. As midday approached, Rarity gathered the minerals she’d chiselled off the pink jewel seam to which she attended, and Spike extended the basket in his claws as she plopped them in with the others one after another.

She brushed the protruding lick of her mane away and dabbed beneath the rim of her beribboned, bejeweled helmet with her hoofkerchief, looking up at the gleaming edifice which nearly went all the way to the agate deposit in the cavern ceiling. ‘Ah, that should keep me swimming in jasper like a duck at least until Hearth’s Warming… along with everything else we’ve gathered this morning! Spikey, sweetheart, what do you say we take a little breather here before we go on?’

Spike gave the basket a shake, mixing up the pinks, greens and baby-blues to reveal the orange-flecked green topazes that had made his mouth water, that they’d found embedded in a wall not far from the mine’s entrance. ‘A break for lunch? Sounds great, Rarity… you’ve been chipping away pretty much constantly since we came underground,’ he said before brushing one of the gems between his upper lip and snout, inhaling before continuing, ‘Mmm… but uh, you brought food for, like, ponies, didn’t you? I’m surrounded by all kinds of good stuff, but you…’

‘I didn’t say lunch, but I suppose it has been a few hours since we had tea and a cupcake at the boutique first thing… well, I did bring a little nibble, a flask of soup and another of apple soda, darling,’ Rarity said, floating her pickaxe back into her saddlebag and switching it for peanut butter on rye, ‘I rather need the energy after all that. As you say, we have been quite industrious so far today!’

Spike’s stomach rumbled in agreement as Rarity took a few steps away from the wall and looked around, and the pair of them took in the crystal cavern that surrounded them, their helmet lights once again gleaming against the walls. ‘Man, it’s surprisingly fresh in here, like being outside,’ said Spike, shrugging the basket off his back and gesturing at the streak of druzy agate a way above their heads, ‘If I didn’t know any better, I’d think those were stars.’

Rarity giggled and put a hoof around his shoulder, her own helmet illuminating the overhead lode as she inhaled sharply through her teeth and looked up at the very same thing he was seeing. ‘Ooh, don’t let Twilight hear you say that, darling! I’m quite sure there’s not one constellation to be seen there! It does have that effect, though, the twinkling and such is magnificent…’

Feeling a faint wobble in her arms, he wriggled in Rarity’s hooves to loosen her grasp, then took off and approached the dimmer reaches of the upper cave, double-checking the ceiling for bats. He found nothing besides stalactites and a breezy shaft with a few brambly roots that had burrowed deep enough into the underground, so he turned to the lode, shining his helmet upon it up close and highlighting a patch of glittering blue stone. ‘It’s beautiful, anyhow,’ he sighed as Rarity watched, her eyes wide. Then he took a quick lick of an outcropping and continued, ‘And somehow I doubt I could get away with that with actual stars! They’re way hotter!’

Rarity craned her neck upwards, almost tipping backwards as Spike glowed from the apex of the cavern. Suddenly he was a round little sphere of light in front of the vast starfield of a cloudless night. ‘Aw, Spike… you look like the moon up there now, surrounded by the twinkling cosmos! Moreso with your little tail pointing right at me!’

His helmet swerved and shone down upon her, and he shot her a withering look with an eyebrow raised and a wry smile. ‘Please don’t make fun of me, Rarity. You’re spoiling my self-actualisation as a soaring, majestic creature of the night.’

She raised her head as she suppressed a laugh at Spike’s reaction, feeling slightly guilty. ‘Oh, you are quite the majesty at all times, Spikey-Wikey. Alright, alright, I’m sorry for poking fun at your little rump, darling…’ she looked up and floated her pickaxe back out of her bag and offered, ‘Ah, would you like to chip some off? You can take my pick, and I can catch your quarry for a change if that suits you!’

Spike smiled, stroking his chin in serious contemplation of Rarity’s proposal for a moment before shaking his head and returning to the cave floor. ‘Hmm… hmm… nah, we’ve got gems, that basket’s not great for ponies to catch with, and I’m honestly kinda… into the aesthetic? You’re an artist, you know what I mean. I can make do with what we’ve already got for a good meal, if you’ll share some of that apple stuff.’

Rarity gave him an embrace and a little squeeze as he hovered close by, then looked around the cave again as she pulled him back onto his feet, noting there was a natural, crystalline platform near the underground river lined with glowing blue mushrooms on its far side. ‘Oh, of course I will. And that is true, it would be such a shame to erode it. Ah, why don’t we settle by this little brook for lunch, sweetheart? It’s a fascinating geological feature, don’t you think?’ she asked.

Spike dimpled. ‘Sure, Rare. I’m no expert on this stuff, but this whole place must’ve had a lot more water than that coming through here at one point to get this big,’ he observed, ‘Is this the biggest cave on your usual routes?’

Rarity took a hungry munch of her sandwich, leading Spike to the burbling stream, then answering as she magiced a picnic rug from her saddlebag and laid it over the area. ‘Hmm… consider it in the top three, dearest. There’s a chamber further into the forest that opens out into the gorge near the castle, treehouse, et al, but I’ve only been there a few times since it’s a cockatrice nest,’ she said, before changing the subject as she sat down opposite him, ‘Not that I’ve been in this one all that often… the tunnels give us plenty, truthfully. So, anyway… does that topaz taste as good as it looks?’

Spike chuckled, giving one a lick. ‘Fruity,’ he said simply, ‘Kinda like a pineapple, with a hint of volcanic smoke. Want one?’

He extended a claw holding one to her, chewing on another. ‘Don’t be silly, Spike,’ Rarity responded, to which he smiled smugly in response, ‘I can’t… hmm…’

Spike didn’t budge, continuing to offer it to her, proffering it in his flattened palm. She trailed off, then leaned forward to where he held it between his thumb and forefinger and peered at it, smiling into his eyes. She sniffed it, before her tongue protruded and she gave it a long, slow lick from bottom to top, halfway wrapping her lips around it as she reached the point at its top, and smacking her lips before shrinking back. ‘I really can’t taste anything from that, darling,’ she concluded matter-of-factly, ‘Silicon-based foodstuffs just aren’t for ponies.’

Spike’s face was wide-eyed and droop-jawed from watching Rarity do that, and he shook for a second, Rarity feeling a similar slight tremor. Then he snickered, covering his face with a claw. ‘Rarity! I just meant, did you want to keep one, not… oh man, I cannot believe you just did that!’ he gasped.

She blushed furiously, tugging on her mane a little, looking down and biting her lip, suppressing a smile that would betray how pleased she not-so-secretly was with herself for bending her own rules in seclusion like this. ‘Ah, context clues, ah, um, ableh, it really looked as if you expected me to…’ she swallowed as she collected herself, ‘It is rude to turn down an offer of, um, food, you know! I’m just doing what any socialite would do!’

Spike sat up and grinned, looking at his reflection in the drool-covered topaz. ‘And the rest… alright, I admit I was testing you, but I only really expected you to, uh, give it a sniff at most. I, uh, oh man,’ he wriggled in awkwardness, ‘It was pretty hot, watching you do that? I’m sorry.’

‘Sorry for what, sweetheart? It’s faintly chilly in here!’ said Rarity, tugging on her scarf before turning pink again, knowing full well what he meant. She sat upright from her previous reclined position and giggled, ‘Well, if you were testing my perspective on these gemstones, then I ought to confess I have been thinking more and more about their flavours as of late. Of course I’m keenly aware it’s impossible for me to ingest one, but… well, you know what an intrusive thought is, don’t you?’

‘All too well, Rarity… you remember that Friendship Meeting last month, and how I came clean about, uh, feeling bad about myself, which definitely counted as that kind of thing. Kinda funny that you say that though, seeing as how I haven’t been, uh, badly like that since then. In no small part thanks to you.’

Rarity tipped her head. ‘Not quite the same thing, but it’s been on my mind while I’ve made my dresses lately, those tasty, tasty gems… well, I hadn’t dared actually try it until just now! Um, you’re not going to eat it, are you?’

Spike shot Rarity an intense look, biting his lower lip as his grin spread outwards, and he looked at the thin veneer of liquid faintly refracting the light of his hard hat through the jewel’s smooth surface. Rarity’s smile hadn’t faded, but she didn’t speak any further. The two of them almost stood off for a moment with a mutual burning gaze, as Spike clutched the topaz in both claws.

The ball was definitely in his court as to whether to do it, or wash it off in the nearby river. Rarity had turned the tables and was definitely testing him right back, and his heartbeat was definitely getting heavier with each passing second. The only sound was the drone of the cool air circulating from the cave’s heights and the continuous tinkle of the river flowing nearby, and Spike could feel his heart thumping in his throat.

Rarity leaned her chin atop her crossed hooves. ‘It’s alright, Spikey-Wikey, I shan’t be offended if you toss that. It must be simply teeming with my germs now,’ she lilted, leaning forward a little with a glint in her eyes. She was daring him, and he felt daring in turn.

Spike inhaled slowly, then did the deed, shoving the stone into his mouth and sucking on it hard for a moment, the trace of Rarity’s oral fluids mingling with his. It didn’t nauseate him as he’d half-expected, and honestly it didn’t make the topaz taste any different, but it made it feel… well, suddenly his picnic lunch had a very suggestive side dish. ‘Rarity, you are such a flirt when you want to be,’ he sighed after swallowing it, a momentary bulge in his neck plunging down into his belly, ‘I guess we can get away with this without another soul around, huh?’ he continued, wiping his mouth with his wrist and grinning.

Rarity chuckled. ‘You’re very welcome, my darling… about what you said before, I mean. I’m very happy to be your, ah, rock, as it were. And from what you just did…’

‘Yeah, I’m happy too, Rare. You make me happy…’ he said, before leaning forward into her, and she took him into a loving embrace with a girlish giggle.

Then they bumped helmets with a “clonk” that reverberated around the cave, spoiling the mood somewhat. Spike’s helmet fell over his eyes, while Rarity narrowly averted hers flying off her head onto the floor. They fell apart from one another on impact, but after a second’s pause they both broke out in laughter. ‘We’re a pair of romantic butt-heads,’ Spike chortled, lying on his back as Rarity arose.

She poked his snout with her hoof and reclined again he sat back up and corrected his hard hat, her tail sweeping the rug as she laid halfway on her side and her front end facing him. ‘Fate’s punishment for how naughty we just were, I’d wager,’ she smiled, ‘Aw, Spikey-Wikey, let’s just… be like this for a while longer, what do you say?’

‘Spikey hungry, needs gems badly,’ Spike replied, raising a claw, ‘And so do you, uh, I mean, not gems. Let’s eat up, then we can snuggle for a bit. Sound good?’

‘Fine, be utterly unromantic,’ she sniffed, wincing as her tummy grumbled as if to prove Spike’s point, ‘Mmnh… alright, yes, practical as always, sweetheart. Apple crush?’

‘Why, I’d love some,’ Spike grinned in appreciation, and Rarity floated a small tumbler over to him, which he caught in both his claws before a bottle of Sweet Apple Acres’ finest fizz, complete with a cheerful red apple on the label, also floated over, and she filled it close to the rim.

Spike took a place next to Rarity’s reclining form, and they nuzzled snouts for a moment as he sat down using her side as a pillow, relaxing completely. The two of them ate quietly for a moment, each watching the other lap and nibble at their lunches, the only sound the dappling of the underground river and the faraway ambient winds of the tunnels above and adjoining the cave.

Spike watched Rarity delicately consume hers one small bite at a time, while Rarity marvelled at Spike’s careful consumption of the topazes with faint jealousy – she hadn’t been lying about those thoughts before. Had her recent closeness with Spike triggered something in her brain that had given her this strange appetite, she supposed? Perhaps it was something to keep in check: a chipped tooth from an overly enthusiastic imitation of Spike’s appetite would be no laughing matter. Perhaps, even, it was an oral fixation sublimating something else, something she’d like to do, quite dearly, but simply didn’t dare…

She knew full well what it was, of course, and their actions just before tucking into their lunch outright were pushing the boundaries they’d agreed upon in the boutique a couple of weeks ago. It made her feel guilty, and her sapphire gaze broke away from him as she looked down, scrunching her muzzle and blushing. He looked away and peered at his lunch for a moment, taking a hearty swill of the soda she’d poured before speaking again.

‘Man, AJ and Apple Bloom make a darn fine pop. I can barely taste the hooves that crushed the apple this time,’ he grinned, then looked at his face on its bubbling surface. The back of her neck prickled as his tone changed from jocular to inquisitive, and he asked, ‘Hey Rare… forgive me if this is a weird question, but uh… how are you feeling about reflections, after the last few days?’

She chuckled, having been on alert by the first portion of his question; after their kiss-by-proximity she’d expected him to hazard something more personal. Instead she looked around, her helmet shining against the cave walls and causing the geodes and deposits in the wall to glimmer and glint. ‘My little darling, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we’re completely surrounded by reflective surfaces right now! If I were skittish about any reflection we certainly wouldn’t have ventured into a huge crystalline cave like this one, believe me!’

‘True enough,’ Spike looked around, ‘But what about the mirrors at the boutique? While we were kitting up to come down here I couldn’t help noticing doilies and curtains draped over most of the ones I saw around the shop…’

Rarity winced as she polished off her sandwich, ‘Oh, that… that’s a minor civil war situation, sweetheart. I made the error of filling Yona and Sweetie Belle in on the situation over the weekend and, ah, I suppose Sweetie has my best interests at heart, but I do need mirrors around, for work and for leisure, not permanently covered or in landfill. Yona, bless her, thinks Sweetie Belle is being quite superstitious, and while I’m inclined to agree, I admit I have been keeping my bedroom mirror covered. Call me irrational, but it just doesn’t feel right to have one right where I sleep right now.’

Spike covered his mouth as he belched from chugging his soda, then took a bite of his topaz as she spoke, swallowing before responding. ‘Starswirl was pretty forthright a couple days back about regular reflections not being a concern for sure, but whatever helps you sleep at night. Celestia knows I haven’t wanted one in my room either – I’ve been keeping my desk mirror flipped towards the wall, myself. I’ll probably get over it, but… too soon, y’know? I definitely couldn’t stomach the thought of any of the “interference” Twilight was talking about, or even Meus itself, showing up.’

‘Yes… a mite superstitious, perhaps, but it’ll give me peace of mind until this nasty business is all cleared up, and you too, to hear you tell it. It was good of dear Starswirl to arrive back in Canterlot at such short notice, especially given his activities elsewhere,’ Rarity pondered, tipping her head sideways, ‘And I appreciate his confirmation that normal, boring old mirrors aren’t the hazard I admit I feared.’

‘Helps me sleep easier, knowing he’s on the case. I actually think he welcomes the challenge, anyway,’ Spike laughed, ‘All that friendship questing he does is in the same ballpark. A hard-bitten wizard dude like Starswirl the Bearded needs to strive towards improving himself constantly. He’s not a legendary Pillar of Old Equestria for nothing, y’know?’

‘Hmm, yes,’ said Rarity, her lip curling upward for half a second, ‘Although from Sunburst’s research on the topic, not to mention what we know personally about his history with Stygian, that striving has been known to be somewhat misguided in the past, though you’re right that he’s done well to course-correct since… ah, there’s a thought, actually, has the link between Stygian’s window and the Pony of Shadows he posited been proven at all?’

Spike shook his head. ‘Not to my knowledge, but Starswirl thinks it’s pretty key to the situation. Had me shoot him a scroll after you girls all got teleported back home, but no reply yet. He tells me Stygian gets pretty reclusive when he’s deep into writing his next novel, and I think he’s on his… third now already? So he might be hard to reach.’

‘Oh, he is? I gave his debut doorstop a good read… a true pageturner, but it got somewhat grisly toward the end. I ended up giving my copy to Rainbow Dash rather than finishing it, she wasn’t shy about spoiling it second-hand,’ Rarity said, rolling her eyes, ‘And you know what I can be like about spoilers! I have some trouble stomaching horror, but you know, he sent me a copy gratuit and I gave it an honest go. It’s not even the scary things themselves that I find troubling… let’s just say that Stygian can really reach deep inside himself for some, ah, warped imaginings!’

Spike snorted. ‘“Imaginings” is right. Twilight got a copy of “Me and My Shadow”, too, I’ve read it to the end. I mean, it’s a great book, but maybe it’s because he’s time-displaced after a millennium stuck in limbo… but whatever it is, the guy doesn’t do enough research and he’s got a fixation on those “telephone” things they have in Manehattan, of all things. By the time Twi and I were through, we’d both made a shortlist of stuff that definitely wasn’t technically accurate. Anyway, uh, to answer your question, Starswirl’s working on it, Rare. Trust me, you’ll be the first to know when anything happens. Don’t forget, I’ve got a direct line to you and I’m not afraid to use it.’

‘Of course, I know that from all the little letters you’ve been sending me lately, Spikey-Wikey,’ Rarity sighed, relaxing and removing her helmet before leaning towards him. ‘All done with luncheon, darling?’ she smiled, a half-lidded expression writ upon her face.

Spike nodded, and Rarity curled around him, forming a white crescent around his rounded form. He reached up to her in welcome of her embrace, and she squished him in her hooves as he gently placed his claws on her sides, then slowly slid them upwards over her fur. ‘Mmmph… oh, Rarity, you can hardly wait to give your favourite little dragon a hug, huh?’ he sighed.

She was a little heavy against him, but he hardly minded – even with the faint powdering and the sweat of exertion from mining all morning making her slightly damp, as Rarity enveloped Spike’s senses like that all he could think of was how great it all felt, even if it was a little less prim than the last few occasions. For a moment his face was pressed hard against Rarity’s soft chest fluff, and it was like being in a flower bed on a sunny day, it felt so warm and soft and scented.

He gave her a little massage around the shoulders and neck in an effort to return how good she made him feel, and she squeaked softly. ‘Ah, Spikey, sweetheart… I’ll always want to give you all the hugs, darling,’ she giggled, pulling away then giving his forearms a little stroke before looking at them, bare and protruding through the now-sleeveless jacket Yona had adjusted. ‘You know, Spikey… you know, I daresay that I’m seeing some muscle there. Has anycreature ever told you that?’

Spike blushed furiously, feeling his knees weaken as though the earth was shifting slightly beneath him. ‘Uhhhh… not… really? Telling it to myself in the mirr– yeah, me telling myself what a stud I am definitely doesn’t count. And Gabby didn’t, anyway – her line was always more that I was cute because I was small, and it didn’t matter all that much…’

‘Aw… well, she wasn’t really wrong, Spike, but I know you’re striving for change. I’m not just saying it, though. Look!’ She leaned back a little and put one hoof on his shoulder spikes, and the other on his bicep, peering at his purple arm, ‘Go on, give it a little flex, dear…’

Sheepishly at first, Spike did as Rarity said, clenching a fist and bending the arm she was looking at upwards. Her eyes widened slightly as they both looked at his arm and he realised it was no lie, she wasn’t poking fun or simply pumping his ego, difficult as that was to believe for him – it wasn’t exactly rippling musculature, the puppy fat was there, but his bicep’s definition was stronger and the arm itself just a bit thicker than his self-image had held for a very long time.

‘Huh, maybe you’re onto something, Rare. I mean, you saw me throw a punch the other day, and I didn’t just swing at the air and fall over or anything,’ he smiled, ‘I guess I’ve been developing halfway-decent upper body strength since I failed to fly you down those stairs. That was kind of a wake-up call to take Smolder’s advice after all…’

She snorted, then leaned back in. ‘Well, it’s a good sign you’re getting a little stronger, isn’t it, errant misapplications of it such as that aside? You know, I wasn’t certain of Yona’s adjustment before, but you cut a very gentledragonlike figure without long sleeves getting in the way. She did a fine job!’

‘Eh… I’ve just been working out first thing, but it’s good that my uh, good friend, Rarity, is checking out my gains,’ Spike couldn’t suppress a snicker in his voice as he said that. ‘Gives me motivation to keep it up, whether it makes me shoot up or not!’ He put a claw over his grin, then moved it over to her hoof, ‘Noodle arms definitely won’t help that one way or the other, anyway. You know… you’re not bad at all, yourself.’

‘Why, whatever do you mean, dearest?’ Rarity inquired, her cheeks gently turning pink.

‘Nothing much,’ said Spike, leaning back with a toothy smirk, then looking at the stars on the ceiling. ‘Uh, let’s leave that thought there. Think it’s time to get back to work?’

Rarity nuzzled into Spike’s neck for a moment, then gave him a kiss on the forehead before getting back onto all four hooves. ‘Ah… it is now, darling. And I think we’re finished in this cave for now, don’t you? I’ve no wish to disturb it further, it’s so shiny in here it’s simply divine! Hmm…’ She looked around at the exits from the cavern, stretching into the darkness in three different directions.

‘Should I check the map?’ asked Spike, putting the gem basket back over his shoulders and taking off from the picnic rug.

‘You read my mind, Spikey-Wikey. By all means,’ Rarity said cheerfully, craning her neck backwards and flopping her saddlebag open, and Spike flew over to retrieve the tunnel map, opening it square-by-square with precision. Once she’d put her helmet back on she mirrored his movements, levitating the mat and likewise folding it back into eighths before popping it inside.

He located their relevant sector, then made an uncomfortable face, inhaling through his teeth. ‘Oh boy, I forgot all about that… Rare, maybe we should head back the way we came. I know we just discussed the whole magic mirror thing, but the Mirror Pool’s off a little way to the south.’

She didn’t react with deep concern, although she raised an eyebrow. ‘That it is, darling. That place isn’t extradimensional, but from what Starswirl was saying, that might not be the catch-all I’d like it to be… it probably is best to give it a wide berth given the circumstances, but you know Pinkie’s sister Maud lives down that way, don’t you?’

‘She does? I know she’s way more subterranean than either of us, but I don’t know her exact address. Any time I’ve visited her with Starlight or Twilight we just kind of teleported in from the edge of the forest.’

Rarity trotted into the middle of the cavern, and Spike followed with an overhead flap as she spoke. ‘Well, Pinkie told me the other day that she’d had the presence of mind to pay her a visit over the week’s end and make sure all was well, and I’m sure she’ll keep an eye on it in case of anything untoward. Besides, it can only be activated by a certain rhyme, that I don’t know… I know the two of them learned it from their Nana Pie, but… well, I’m aware Pinkie can be a silly filly, but she’s not that foolish. And Maud’s quite sensible, as you know.’

‘Maybe so, but uh, let’s not take the chance?’ Spike winced. ‘I’m having nightmare visions all of a sudden of us approaching it, and then Meus sticks its tentacles out like a hydra and turns us into ice cubes while evil clones of the two of us fly everywhere.’

‘Well, that’s a lurid thought. I was agreeing with you, Spikey, but I don’t intend to turn back just yet,’ Rarity said nonchalantly, ‘Ah, the tunnel west is the one back the way we came, so we’ll have to go east… no further than its blocked-off exit. Mayor Mare keeps me up to date on which caves are safe thanks to the Ponyville scouts, and that’s not ready for the big time just yet! Is that okay with you? We’ll head topside inside of the hour.’

Spike nodded, then flew downwards to Rarity’s eye-level, shuffling the map around in his claws before presenting it to her, pointing a claw at the direction they were about to head. ‘Hey, just remembered… did you ever get around to mining the emeralds in the wall down this tunnel, Rarity?’ he inquired as they both headed for the tunnel in question, ‘Could be a treat for both of us!’

‘You know, I don’t think I ever did–’ Rarity started, before an echo interrupted them.

‘Hey. Help,’ it reverberated. She turned around with wide-eyes, and Spike followed suit.

Spike looked at her, his blood running cold. ‘You heard that too, right?’

She looked up, her ears standing to attention as she peered around the cave. ‘Was that Maud I just heard?’

They both stood stock still for a tense moment, listening for anything else. No other deadpan cries for help could be heard, but Rarity definitely felt a rumble beneath her hooves, followed by the screeching of a few dozen bats. Sure enough, not long after that a flapping morass of black wings flew out of the tunnel signposted with an illustration of a puddle and two ponies.

They both ducked to avoid a collision, Spike hitting the floor and covering his face with his claws as Rarity did likewise with one hoof, and her eyes widened as they flew around in the open chamber. ‘Oh, dear… we may have tempted fate just now, discussing such things so flippantly! Spike, we have to go investigate!’

‘Oh, great… I have such a bad feeling about this, but we can’t just ignore that and leave Maud to whatever’s happening down there,’ groaned Spike, folding the map back incorrectly in his worry as he spoke. When it became obvious that it needed more time than he could afford to not be a horrible jumble, he haphazardly stuffed it into Rarity’s pack, took back to the air and signalled to her, ‘Pick at the ready, Rare. We don’t know what to expect.’

‘Quite right, Spikey. We may be lurching into another rather chilly combat scenario!’ Rarity cried. ‘Come on! Ooh, I hope our scarves survive this one!’

‘My world’s being rocked right now. I may require assistance,’ Maud’s voice emanated from the tunnel, distant but definite and accompanied by a grinding noise. Wasting not a second longer, Spike and Rarity ran down the dark tunnel, both their helmet lights leading the way. The tunnel wasn’t too long, but it was long enough – a couple of bends in the path making it longer than strictly necessary – and in their haste it was as though all the glistening gemstones in its rounded walls were some sort of warp portal in themselves, leading them headfirst into the unknown.

‘Maud! We’re coming, darling! Please don’t get cloned or frozen in the meantime!’ Rarity called. The tremors they’d faintly detected during their picnic, thinking they were nothing more than their own movements, were intensifying the closer they got to the pool, and it seemed as if anything could happen.

Eventually they emerged into the iridescent white lichen- and flower-lit cavern that hosted the Mirror Pool at the top of a trail that led downwards, which gave them a vantage point over the situation. They stopped dead and observed from behind a rock, not wishing to barge straight into a potentially deadly situation, instead taking stock from afar.

The normally-clear pool was frozen solid, deep and white, and two craggy, staid and simply-formed bipedal stone creatures, each over ten feet tall and hewn from a black-spotted, sparkling white stone rippled with veins of glowing blue quartzes were lumbering around nearby. Despite being crafted from igneous stone they were flexible enough to move, their joints held together by invisible forcefields.

One held a huge, grey chunk of rock above its head, bashing it into the ice with enough force to shake the entire room as they entered, fragments of stone falling from its ceiling which was fortunately free of stalactites. The other trolem, identical in appearance to its fellow, was hunched over, sitting facing away from the duo. It murmured something in a voice like granite scraping against granite. ‘…Silky mane… pretty eyelashes… cuuuute…’ it intoned, paying attention to nothing else.

‘Trolems!’ gasped Spike, ‘Trolems at the Mirror Pool… I’ve only seen them in books.’

‘And here I was, certain they’d all been ushered from the forest borders further inwards by Ponyville scouts,’ Rarity whispered, ‘There used to be some living in that cave we were in just now, you know! Trolems are mostly insensate things but they have a fondness for ponies… I’ve run afoul of one in the past and it really made a mess of my mane!’

‘That so? I read they were just stone automatons given life by a minotaur sorcerer millennia ago, but they must ha–’ Spike started, stopping as the room shook from another impact of rock on ice, ‘Ugh. They must have some sort of intelligence. Machines don’t “like” things, by and large.’

‘They’re mostly oblivious things with rudimentary intelligence, left to their own devices. These ones, though… something is controlling the ice-breaking one, for certain. Oh, I do hope my suspicions are wrong…’

‘Think it’s Meus?’ Spike asked, to which Rarity nodded, ‘Man, speak of the devil… and he’ll try to appear. The Mirror Pool’s a magic mirror alright, but it’s water. We need to save Maud from the other one, but we can’t leave it to break Meus free.’

Rarity slowly made her way to the halfway point of the descending path to the pool, treading carefully as the room shook from the impact. ‘Absolutely not, we can’t stay here all day, sweetheart. Maud needs our help! Maud? Maud, we’re here! Where are you?’ her voice’s echo rolled around the room.

The trolems ignored Rarity’s cry, but she could just about see Maud wave a hoof from around the sitting one’s shoulder. ‘I’m over here, having my silicate-based passions reciprocated at long last. Mr. Trolem, sir, I appreciate the attention but I have a coltfriend.’

The other trolem smashed the rock into the thick ice again, but with it not paying attention to anything else, Spike placed his gem basket against the rock so he could move more easily, then made a bee-line by air down to Maud to make sure she was safe. She was, as much as could be expected, although her mane was slightly messy and she had flushed cheeks as the trolem clasped her to its chest and ran its huge stone fingers over her neck. She cast him a blank gaze and drawled, ‘This isn’t what it looks like, Spike.’

Spike suppressed a smirk – the situation was potentially very serious despite how Maud seemed to be enjoying herself. ‘I won’t judge. So uh, what’s going on here, Maud? Rarity says the trolems are, uh, meant to be settled further into the forest? Any idea what they’re doing here?’

Rarity trotted up beside Spike and observed Maud’s predicament, having taken a little while longer to traverse the frosty footing down from the entrance from which they’d emerged. ‘And the ice,’ she inquired further as the trolem jostled Maud in its grip, ‘Pinkie told me she’d told you of the creature we encountered in Canterlot last week, did she not? Please say it’s unrelated…’ she winced.

‘It’s not. Pinkie told me, so–’ Maud answered, her head getting pushed aside from the trolem’s petting making answering slightly difficult, but she didn’t change facial expression. She grunted, whether in discomfort or pleasure was unknown, before elaborating, ‘Nngh… so I’ve been keeping an eye on it the past few days without trouble, until now. Don’t know if you’ve noticed, but it froze and there’s something down there. Probably your ice monster.’

Spike flew over to the pool on the far side away from the rock-wielding trolem, taking a peek under its surface. Light emanated from the depths and he could just about make out the same undulating orbs and the tendrils stretching upwards towards him, same as they’d all seen in the library that day. He shivered with acute trepidation as well as from the freezing vapour steaming off the pool’s surface. ‘Hoo, boy… yep, I can definitely confirm it’s Meus down there. That thing is super bad news.’

‘It’s been down there since this morning, which is probably unusual,’ Maud confirmed, ‘But the trolems only showed up to bother Tom and I just now.’

‘Tom?’ Spike asked, swerving away from above the ice as the trolem bashed its rock against it again, ‘Is that… is that the name of that boulder?’

‘No, that’s Tom. He was the seal blocking this place off for a while after Pinkie cloned herself. Boulder’s right here,’ Maud pointed out, indicating the bulge in her frock’s pocket, ‘Unless Tom’s fissures betray me, I believe you’re previously acquainted, Rarity.’

Spike turned to Rarity with a confused expression, and she inhaled. ‘Ah. I was rather attached to Tom after a fashion once, although I must stress I was under Discord’s influence at the time, back when he was a menace to pony society,’ she blushed, ‘It wasn’t a relationship that lasted long… I spent most of it hallucinating that he, ah, was an enormous diamond that I coveted jealously! The whole episode was a tad shameful, really.’

‘Too bad. He’s a catch just the way he is,’ Maud noted with a wry smile.

Rarity wobbled to keep her balance as Tom once again violently collided against the solid ice, ‘Maud, please, we can discuss that later! Right now we definitely need to get these stone creatures away from your home and the pool! What can we do to help?’

‘Like grey pony… rock to sleep…’ the trolem holding Maud groaned to nocreature in particular, its voice booming around the cave. ‘Like smash,’ the other groaned with a pleased crack in its intonation, ‘Break good!’

‘Ooh, priorities,’ Rarity pranced on the spot for a second, ‘We need to make this swift! That ice won’t hold forever, but… Maud first? If we free you from this one’s grip you can aid us with the other one, correct?’

Maud was as unflappable as ever, but she squirmed between its fingers as she attempted and failed to slip out. ‘Well, this one’s advances are more metamorphic than I’m comfortable with, and I’d rather Mud Briar not see me like this, roused to passion as he can be… and if what Pinkie said to me was accurate, we need to make sure the pool’s ice stays in one piece until it thaws normally. I can help if I’m free. Not to pump myself up too much but I’m good with rocks, and these slabs are all rock.’

‘I’ve dealt with trolems before once or twice, Maud, though I’m no expert,’ Rarity said, looking upwards at Maud, then at the edifice of her captor, ‘One thing I do know that if we don’t get it off you soon you could get crushed, or worse, mussed-maned! Now, let’s see… we need to loosen this one’s hold on her, Spike. Any ideas?’

Spike looked at the palms of his claws as he hovered in place, his eyes moving between the two mares as he flexed his fingers. ‘Well, neither of them are paying us any attention right now… maybe I can pry these fingers apart? Rarity, pass me a pick, could’ya?’ he asked.

‘I’d lend you a hoof, but I can’t get out myself,’ Maud nodded almost imperceptibly, ‘Both of these trolems are made of compact diorite, tough stuff, but their joints are held together by old, brittle magic. Between the two of you, you can probably break them apart by force.’

‘Ooh, I’m not desperate to harm them especially,’ Rarity inhaled, ‘Truthfully, I just want them to leave without disturbing the pool further… but we simply must free Maud.’

‘Yes, free me. Trolems don’t have nerves and their brains are just bundles of quartz, Rarity, they won’t feel anything. Besides, Everfree magic provides for their forms. Beats me how, but it is known… just don’t go overboard.’

Spike hovered in place. ‘She’s right, Rare, I remember that from Twilight’s books. Please pass me a pick? I can’t do this with my bare claws, and I can only see spitting fire around making things worse.’

Rarity nodded seriously, responding by floating her less-good pickaxe from her saddlebag. Spike took it from her and held it with both his claws. ‘Thanks,’ he nodded back, ‘Back me up while I do this! On three!’

‘Understood, Spikey. Hold tight, Maud!’ Rarity cried, before charging up her horn. Still airborne, Spike lined himself up with the trolem’s middle finger as he counted to three with the pickaxe still in his claws, before sliding one to its end and hooking it over the creature’s middle finger’s knuckle. He planted both feet on the finger’s sheer surface and tugged with all his might, using his own weight in an effort to loosen its grip on Maud. For her part, Rarity visualised a tether that manifested as an ethereal blue loop around Spike’s waist, and she stretched backwards as she pulled on him.

‘Nngh! Nngh! Oh, I think it’s working!’ he grunted after a few seconds of pulling back and forth and sweating, ‘I can feel it giving a bit…’

The two of them tugged and tugged as hard as they could muster, and Rarity could feel something crack. ‘It’s working,’ Maud said flatly, breathing more easily than she had been, ‘My ribs are spared for now. Keep going, you two.’

‘My goodness, this is tough going,’ Rarity groaned, ‘Be ready, Spike! I fear this is going to snap all at once!’

Then the room shook once again as the other trolem smashed Tom into the ice once again, and that tremor was enough to make Rarity’s prediction true. The two of them fell backwards as a huge diorite finger fell to the ground, and Maud took the opportunity to duck downwards from the rocky hand that had swept her mane back to expose her entire forehead, shaking her back end twice to wriggle out of its massive hands and landing next to the finger on all fours. ‘Thanks. Now, I’m gonna save Tom from that other guy.’

Spike and Rarity got up, Spike taking to the air, replacing the helmet that had fallen off his head with both claws before grabbing his pick. Rarity shook her head as she stood and asked, ‘You’re free! Now, what do you propose we– Maud!’

Maud leapt away before Rarity could finish that thought, her hooves ready for action. She’d seen Maud act like this before, her visage blank as usual but her body poised to bust some, well, rocks, but it was still a surprise when she did it without warning – Maud’s dispassionate countenance belied her strength and speed when something geological needed breaking apart or putting together. Without a word she jumped towards the pool, and Rarity gasped as she took a flying leap upwards and kicked Tom out of the trolem’s grip quite a way into the air, with a trajectory that kept him aloft longer than one would ordinarily expect.

Rarity estimated that Tom must have weighed at least a tonne, and she’d know after the time she’d lugged him around while under Discord’s spell that one time Maud had reminded her of before, but the way Maud moved again belied that weight. In a series of zig-zag movements she deflected the huge stone airborne a second time with a spinning kick, then barrelled into the trolem’s chest, a series of kicks hitting it in just the right places to knock it off-balance.

Spike hovered over her, and she looked up at the little dragon, whose jaw dropped in amazement. ‘Woah. Twilight’s told me about this, but I’ve never seen Maud go like this with my own eyes,’ he gasped, ‘She really does know everything there is to know about rocks.’

The cold light emanating from the frozen pool beneath Maud intensified and there was definitely a howl coming from below the cave, as Meus realised its plan for freedom had been foiled by the stoic little pony. ‘Maud, my dear, I believe you’re beating these terrible creatures single-hooved!’ Rarity cheered, hopping up and down.

The trolem that had held Maud took a few seconds to realise that she’d suddenly departed, and once it had, lifted its head to look at Rarity. ‘More pony… Prettier than pretty pony. Like pony,’ it rumbled, standing.

Rarity inhaled and flapped her scarf back over her shoulder as she recoiled, and Spike hovered above her head protectively. ‘Absolutely not, you oaf! Keep those dratted fingers away from my mane! I spent half an hour on it this morning!’

‘Grab my claws, Rare! It won’t be able to grab you if you’re airborne with me!’ cried Spike. She did so, and Spike pulled her upwards and away from the trolem just as it reached to grab her. She looked up at him with a smile, and he smiled back with bared fangs, looking much more assured now than the last time he’d taken her for a ride.

Which was as well, because a second later their smiles became panicked wide-eyed expressions as thundering footsteps lurched towards them. ‘Want pony! Give!’ the trolem roared, its flat voice approaching something resembling anger. Spike sped away into the open air as it followed, snatching at the pair of them.

Meanwhile, the trolem Maud had kicked had spent several seconds teetering on one foot at this point, but it couldn’t stay like that forever – eventually it landed on its back with a crash that sent a wave of stone dust flying as Maud landed, then grabbed Tom over her head in both hooves, straining for a second before holding him up like he weighed nothing at all. She casually tossed him aside, far away from her adversary as she looked up and observed that her allies had taken to the air. ‘They’re not terrible, Rarity. Just misguided… oh, you’re both flying. That’s cool. Like my hooves, on this ice.’

She took a moment to hop, slip and jump back onto the shore of the pool as she watched the other trolem lumber after Spike and Rarity. The latter couldn’t suppress a shriek as an igneous hand swiped at her while the former buzzed up and down in an effort to evade it, for her sake as Rarity grabbed on tight with all four hooves.

‘Still causing trouble, I see. Boulder, let’s finish this,’ Maud spoke into her pocket as she reached for the pebble inside of it, ‘Spike, fly over to Tom. We’ll, uh, neutralise this one. I’d like my backyard back, please.’

Spike did as she said, and once it was in the location she envisioned Maud lobbed Boulder directly at the trolem chasing him. Boulder whizzed through the air all the way from the other side of the cavern before connecting right between the trolem’s eyes, leaving an impact crater and most likely disrupting the electrified quartz in its head, leaving it dazed. ‘My ponies? Why… just wanted to pet…’ it moaned after Boulder had bounced back onto the ground, staggering before falling square on top of the other trolem. The glow around the quartz in its seams faded as it crashed down, pinning its companion down as it wriggled on its back like a stranded tortoise.

After a moment it stopped and sighed, ‘Smash… self… no fun.’ before its quartz’s glow likewise faded, and it joined its friend in glorious inertness.

‘Now who’s been rocked to sleep,’ Maud quipped, watching as the two giants did just that, with a thin smile of muted satisfaction.

Now he was no longer being pursued, Spike circled around the room and deposited Rarity back onto her hooves next to Maud as they all looked at the scene they’d left. Both trolems were down, and the light in the pool seemed to be diminishing. Spike looked into it and saw only his reflection in the ice, which, while still mildly unsettling given its magical potential, was a great improvement on seeing Meus writhing around.

‘It’s over,’ he sighed. ‘I think Meus is retreating. It knows it can’t get through here… and the pool will probably melt again before long once he’s gone.’

‘Tom! Tom, are you alright?’ Maud suddenly turned with uncommon urgency, trotting over to the huge rock before putting her front hooves and an ear against it for a moment. ‘Tom’s got some hairline fractures after all that, poor guy,’ she muttered, before moving around him with her hooves still rubbing against him, ‘I estimate about 2.75% dispersion of mass from repeated impact, that’ll need cementing… but he’ll be fine, he just needs a little repairment and time to settle.’

Rarity trotted up by Tom and looked up to where Maud was clambering around, her face an expression of impassive concern for the huge hunk of granite. ‘Dear me, what an unfortunate situation! Ah, thank you so much for, ah, rescuing Tom from those trolems, Maud, and Boulder too… oh, Boulder must still be over there…’ She looked over to where the trolems lay, and saw Spike had jetted over to locate the rock in question, ‘Good thinking, Spike. Maud’s rather busy.’

Spike grabbed a rock then flew back to the others, landed on top of Tom, then placed Maud’s pet rock into her awaiting hoof. ‘I appreciate the gesture, Spike, but that’s just a regular, unnamed rock…’ she said after a brief inspection, then tossing it aside, ‘I’ll find Boulder later, he won’t be far away. Anyhow, thanks for breaking me free again, both of you. I’ll see that the trolems return to their caves once I’ve got Tom all taken care of.’

Maud continued to tend to Tom, and Rarity stood at his base, feeling slightly awkward as she didn’t acknowledge either of them further in her busyness. Rarity envisioned the rock in bandages and with a thermometer sticking out of a fissure, and she almost giggled. She stopped herself, however – this was obviously a severe matter as far as Maud was concerned, and she didn’t wish to be disrespectful to either of them.

‘Ah, well, you’re very welcome, and thank you for stopping Meus from doing whatever it was trying to do, to boot… whatever it was, it certainly wasn’t anything good! Um,’ she stopped, realising she was by and large speaking to a wall.

‘So you know, I didn’t say the words,’ Maud eventually responded, looking at Rarity with her blank stare, ‘The rhyme that activates the pool, I mean. Those are a Pie specialty. I learned my lesson when I ended up with way too many Boulders one time, and Pinkie told me all about her own encounter with it. Things escalated quickly, from what she said.’

‘Ah, thank you for setting my mind at ease, then,’ Rarity said, relieved that there was no possibility of multiple Meuses, ‘Well, should we be on our way, Spikey? Maybe it is time to call our underground sojourn a day after all that excitement, even if it is safe here now.’

‘Just one thing first, Rare… Hey Maud, you got any parchment around in your cave? I’d like to alert Twilight to what happened here ASAP,’ said Spike, hovering near the threshold between the pool’s cavern and the entrance to Maud’s subterranean abode.

‘I do. Check the chest near the waterfall in there, beneath the rock samples,’ Maud answered, waving vaguely at the entrance as she pulled the exact same bandages Rarity had just envisioned out of her saddlebag, rubbing some sort of polish into a crack as she dressed the wound.

‘Get well soon, Tom. I’ll send you a card,’ Rarity smiled and did a little bow, before following after Spike as they took their leave.

–––✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*💎*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧–––

‘So,’ said Spike, removing his helmet and basket as the tunneling pair emerged at last back at the roadside embankment where the countryside began to thicken into the benighted forest, where long-grassed fields and rolling hillocks gave way to twisted root and bough. Since sending his message and leaving Maud to clear up, he’d had a seriously concerned look on his face.

‘So?’ Rarity echoed, putting a hoof on his basket to stop him walking off. She’d felt frazzled herself, and Spike’s continued silence wasn’t helping matters. ‘Spike, you’ve barely said a word since, ah, the trolem incident. What’s on your mind, precious? Come on, we both saw it. You can talk to me.’

He looked up at Rarity with eyes filled with worry, and she extended a comforting hoof. ‘So, that happened. Thank Celestia Meus’ plan to come through the Mirror Pool was flawed from the start. And thank Luna you’re okay,’ he sighed, embracing his special somepony and rubbing his face into her chest fur, holding back a tear as he admitted, ‘I… I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.’

Rarity responded by rubbing her chin against Spike’s crest. ‘Aw, nor I to you… well, we’re both safe and well now, my darling. The worst casualty of that situation was poor old Tom, and he’ll get the aid he needs from Maud. We need to be sure any other potential portals like that are stymied, though! That one didn’t work because it’s water, but we might not be so lucky next time. Perhaps I should exchange words with Mayor Mare… she has the Everfree rangers’ and scouts’ ears, and I’m certain it’s a matter of Ponyville security!’

The two of them started to head back to Ponyville as they continued their discussion, and Spike looked up at Rarity with an affectionate gaze. ‘That’s a pretty good idea, Rare. They already took care of that quicksand patch the Canterlot City girls fell through that one time but the Mirror Pool got put on the backburner since it’s near private property… and who knows, there could be others we aren’t aware of. Let’s get back to town and see if we can get an audience with her… and after that?’

‘Yes?’ Rarity prompted when Spike trailed off. She looked him up and down, his jewel basket nearly as big as he was on his back and the lizard-green jacket over his shoulders, sad eyes looking up at her and his muscular purple arms shifting as he wrung his claws together nervously.

He blushed as he stated his proposition outright. ‘Well, I was thinking, even before this. I’ll be visiting the Crystal Empire later this week alongside Twi, and next week’s Nightmare Night… but after that, what’s your business schedule looking like for the rest of the year, Rarity? I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Meus showed up while we were nearby Maud’s place, and… we could get away from all this, you know? Take a break together before Hearth’s Warming, whaddaya say?’

Rarity seemed slightly taken aback by Spike’s suggestion, out of surprise rather than displeasure. Then she smiled with bunched cheeks and said, ‘Well, I was thinking about asking you, actually… I am putting the Boutique on hiatus for a fortnight after Nightmare Night, as a matter of fact. I haven’t taken a break since before the Festival of the Two Sisters, and by its nature that was at the very height of summer!’

‘Really? That’s a pretty long time without a vacation… well, if you’re saying yes to me, I am a dragon of means nowadays,’ Spike’s countenance switched from nervousness to an aspect altogether bolder as he stuck out his chest and smiled toothily, ‘The world’s our oyster, so to speak. We can go anywhere!’

‘Ah, didn’t you tell me you were visiting King Thorax at the Changeling Hive in a few weeks? I know somecreature who’d love an excuse to travel over there and meet her old bug buddy before she travels back to the north for winter, if you know what I’m saying!’ she giggled, patting her curls and her smile spreading before she added, ‘I mean dear Yona, of course, although I’m eager to see what they’ve done with the place since… well, you remember.’

‘I’d rather not, but it’s nothing like what it was back then… yeah, that’s a great idea, Rare. Yona can hang out with Ocellus, I can hang out with Thorax, and you, uh, can hang out with Pharynx?’ he grinned as Rarity looked faintly confused, ‘Kidding. With me, I mean. Although nothing’s stopping you, if you wanna do that. The changelings are all super friendly, and they especially love ponies after Starlight freed them all! It’s a great place nowadays, all positive vibes and mindfulness stuff!’

‘You do make it sound like a marvellous little retreat… moreover, my understanding is that we’re guaranteed a net total of zero magical portals around there, which is why I suggested it,’ Rarity pointed out, ‘The anti-magic field Queen Chrysalis’ throne emanated back when they were all her minions was there for quite some time!’

‘Huh, I guess so,’ said Spike, ‘I never really thought about it like that, but I’m glad you did. Yes, a bit of respite and relaxation will go down really well! I’ll let Thorax know I’ll be bringing company once I’m home. Oh, hey Gabby.’

Suddenly Gabby was there, and Rarity couldn’t help gasping in surprise as she nearly leapt out of her skin. ‘Spike! Rarity! How have you been?!’ she chirped, ‘Gallus told me all about the monster in the castle over the weekend! Did you get it yet?’

‘Wahh! Oh, um, hello, Gabby,’ Rarity breathed, her voice oscillating between several octaves as she recomposed herself. ‘Fancy bumping into you here! Ah, we were–’

The charcoal-feathered griffon hovered in front of the two of them with a huge, bright-eyed grin. ‘I live near here, silly, remember? On the forest border a little way away from here with all the, uh, ex-bushes now since I burned them all when I broke up with Spike? Anyway, me and Mashy caught up with Gallus while he was in Ponyville a couple days ago and he told me there was a giant snake monster in the library and you fought it with the headmare and it was really cool! Spike, is it true that you punched it in the face?! That was bold!’

Spike cringed, paused, then inhaled, answering more in ambassador mode than as his normal self – Rarity supposed it was an effort to keep his cool regarding both his ex-griffriend and the adversary they’d just indirectly faced, which he’d made clear was no laughing matter as far as he was concerned.

‘Yeah, I sure did, but it’s not really a snake… it’s a matter for the, uh, correct authorities, since you ask, the princess and mayor and such… nothing you should be worried about, anyway. We were actually just about to see the mayor about further insecurities around the area as soon as we can. Had a bit of an encounter underground near Maud’s place.’

‘Really? Uh, with the mirror monster or just Everfree monsters?’ Gabby looked perturbed, ‘Or just bats? I don’t go into the underground much, I only like bat-ponies in O&O… actual real bats flapping around kinda creeps me out…’

‘That is understandable,’ Rarity interjected, ‘One must watch one’s step, not to mention one’s…’ she paused, then corrected herself from inadvertently calling out Gabby’s general volume, ‘...Yes, one’s step.’

‘It was all three, kinda? Like I said, it’s a matter for the mayor, Gabby, but I’ll keep you updated if you like.’ Interacting with Gabby seemed to be causing Spike mild discomfort, and Rarity was certain he was as keen to change the subject as she was.

‘Yes, darling, Princess Twilight knows, and she has ponies nowadays for such matters, besides Mayor Mare’s authority around the valley. Anyway, how has Buttered Mash been lately? The two of you seemed to be in good spirits together at the race two weeks back! Ah, getting along very well, I should say!’

‘His name is Button Mash, Rarity, but whatever – yeah, we’re always together having fun! He came around with me on my rounds today – hey Spike, remember when we did the rounds together? That was fun! – anyway, we’re meeting up a little later for a few rounds of that “Hooves of Harmony” game they just got in at the arcade! His mom says it’s too violent but it’s not like it’s got blood or anything and the fights are mainly about scoring style points, and they all end with hugs and hoofbumps… uh, maybe don’t tell her we’re playing it? I’d just hate to lose my player-two!’

‘Ah, Sweetie Belle has informed me in the past that his dear mother can be, ah, a mite overprotective. Our lips are sealed, aren’t they, Spikey?’

‘Sure Gabby, I promise not to spoil the fun,’ Spike answered, ‘So everything’s going well between you… that’s… good. Great. Uh.’

An incredibly long second passed before Gabby followed up. ‘Well, I’m off to the market… you know, I showed Mashy my Queen Bloodstone O&O lorebook and he was super into it? He’s a video game guy but we’re going to do a spooky Nightmare Night tabletop sesh, me OMing, with Gallus and Silly, and Gilda, and some of Mashy’s school buddies, and the two of us are gonna get all dressed up for it! Cloaks and fangs and everything vampiric! I better jet before they all pack up for the day, actually. Toodles! Good luck with Meus and the Mirror Pool and all!’

‘Alright then. Be seeing you soon, Gabriella,’ said Rarity, but Gabby had set off before she’d finished. ‘Oh, I’d rather she didn’t do that. Most impolite,’ she sighed, scrunching her muzzle.

Spike grunted, still hovering on the spot. ‘Ah, you know what she’s like. Y’know, we did the exact thing last year, except Gilda didn’t need to find a sitter last time.’ He paused, then cast Rarity a probing glance, ‘Wait, we didn’t mention the Mirror Pool. How’d she know about that?’

‘We did mention Maud’s abode to her, darling, and Gabby is sharper than she lets on sometimes. She knows Maud lives next door to it, and she can figure things out for herself.’

‘Maybe,’ Spike mused, ‘Hmm. Oh, whatever, let’s get these gems back to the Boutique, then hit up Mayor Mare with the details. Maybe I’ll barf up a reply from Twi in the meantime, but that’s up to her.’

‘A splendid course of action, darling. We’ll relieve you of all those gems first. It shan’t take two ticks! I can carry you back if you prefer!’

‘Hmm… thanks for offering, but I’m good,’ said Spike, wearing the basket again as he jogged along beside her, ‘The exercise won’t hurt me, anyway. Let’s go!’ Then the two of them made their way back into Ponyville, a little worse for wear, but still so happy to be together in the face of adversity.

–––✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*💎*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧–––

Comments

[THERDSTORYWHISPERER]

Great chapter!