Sparity Shipping Mega Epic

by Mareity

– 7: Into the Woods –

‘IT’S NECK-AND-NECK IN THIS NECK OF THE WOODS BETWEEN RAINBOW DASH AND APPLEJACK!’ Bulk Biceps bawled out of the speakers surrounding the audience as a series of low-volume, high-intensity “bwarp-bweep” noises accompanied him, ‘SHOESHINE IS LEADING THE HERD BUT THESE TWO MAD MARES JUST CAN’T SEEM TO PASS ONE ANOTHER AND ALL EYES ARE ON ’EM… RIGHT NOW IT’S APPLEJACK… NO, RAINBOW DASH!... APPLEJACK, RAINBOW DASH, ACKLEJASP, RAINJOW BASH, APPLEDASH, RAINBOW JACK, OH, I GIVE UP! WE’LL CHECK IN ON ’EM LATER, OR JUST SEE FOR YOURSELVES AS THEY PASS THE STANDS AT BLISTERING SPEEDS! YEAH!!!!’

As the audience responded to Bulk’s latest call the thundering of hooves could be heard approaching quickly. Twilight stood in her seat for a better view and everycreature else followed, and before long the racers zoomed by leaving a miasma of dust and burnished golden leaves in their wake. Everycreature cheered as the participants galloped by, although it was difficult to make much out from all the dirt they were kicking up once the first few had passed – Rainbow Dash definitely seemed to be ahead at that precise second with Applejack hot on her tail, and the two of them deftly hopped the water bottles and straws Scootaloo and Apple Bloom held out to them into their mouths as they passed by.

For their parts, Silverstream was in the lower end of the top ten, earning her piercing yells of encouragement from the griffons, hippogriffs and other non-ponies clustered together in the audience, while Celestia and Luna were toward the rear. They were definitely doing their combined best given their self-imposed handicap, lagging behind but unconcerned about that. They waved royally as the cheering from everycreature redoubled as they made their reappearance to the audience.

‘Well, there they go, folks,’ said Bulk, ‘I hope you’re all enjoying the show, because THEY’LL BE BACK BEFORE YA KNOW IT! HOO YEAH!!! KEEP AN EAR OUT FOR MORE UPDATES, YOU KNOW THESE HOOVES’LL BE ON FIRE BEFORE THIS RACE ENDS!!’ with one final burst of dubstep the speakers fell silent… for the time being.

Spike hopped up and down in his seat with excitement while the ponies and hippogriff passed, while Rarity politely smiled and cheered with a royal wave, silently wondering if it was worth all this setup just to see her friends flash by so briefly. Once they’d gone Spike turned to her and said, ‘Isn’t this just a blast? RD and AJ are really giving it everything they’ve got today, and I’m pretty certain they’re not even cheating this time!’

Rarity turned to Spike in kind and smiled faintly insincerely before giving up on the façade. ‘It’s very, ah… you know, Spikey, I have to be completely honest with you here… I’m not really “into” races…’ as Spike’s jaw dropped with disbelief she laughed nervously and added, ‘No, really! I confess, I’m mainly along for the picnicking.’

‘But… but… races are an exciting display of sportsmareship and athleticism! Some ponies spend moons training for this moment!’ he protested.

Rarity pulled Spike a little closer by one shoulder and answered, ‘Of course, darling. This is a truly momentous occasion, regardless of my wanting attention span. The Running of the Leaves does only come once a year, after all, and it does fulfil rather an important function, what with shaking all the trees off before the pegasi in Cloudsdale make the winter snows. I’m content just to watch our friends make their appearance and spend the day with all of you.’

Spike calmed down. ‘Didn’t you have an early shipment to Trottingham a short while ago? Twilight’s told me things about their Running of the Leaves. Mainly something about very elaborate hats?’

‘Oh, yes…’ said Rarity, suddenly starry-eyed at the thought. ‘I do know about that. The ladies in the audience over there more or less compete over who has the most fanciful headwear! It’s almost as much a part of the event as the racing itself!’

‘I was pretty surprised to see you turn up without a hat today actually, Rarity,’ interjected Pinkie Pie, giggling through a mouthful of popcorn, ‘And a bit disappointed! Some of your fancier ones are really funny when you almost tip over from the weight!’

Spike snorted for a second at the thought, then covered his mouth with one claw in mild embarrassment. ‘Hah! Yeah, they can get kind of unwieldy… well, maybe it’d be worth your time to go over there and see it for yourself someday, Rarity?’

After the slightly sour expression Spike’s involuntary guffaw had earned him, Rarity’s composure softened and she nodded. ‘Yes, yes, that may be worth considering, truthfully… it’s certainly pertinent to my interests, and perhaps I could even take one of my own designs to show off! At any rate, um… how long until they swing by again, anyway, darling?’

‘Uh, however long it takes,’ said Spike, ‘The record for finishing first is slightly under three hours, so by my math, maybe twenty minutes or thereabouts?’

Rarity levitated a gemstone sub sandwich out of her saddlebag and grinned before giving it to Spike. ‘That gives us a moment for a little bite to eat, then!’ she said, turning to the rest of her friends, ‘I am rather famished! Oh, and I made one for everypony, if you girls are interested!’

‘Ooh, noms! But… should I accept a sandwich from an unrepentant race-ist…’ Pinkie Pie intoned for a second before accepting a jammy, crustless triangle-cut whitebread that scattered sprinkles everywhere as she touched it, ‘Just kidding! Thanks so much, Rarity!’

Fluttershy and Twilight also accepted theirs gratefully, Fluttershy sharing some of the bread of hers with her bird friends and some of the lettuce and vegan coleslaw filling with Angel. ‘Oh, you’re so thoughtful, Rarity,’ said Twilight as she took hers, a vegetable and daisy patty, before nodding towards a large, transparent flask of clear soda by her side. ‘I just brought this big bottle of… I don’t remember exactly what it is, I should’ve labelled it but I was busy and forgot, but I’m sure it’s some sort of -ade…’

‘We are all over the moon simply to be graced with your presence, precious,’ replied Rarity as she leaned towards Twilight, pointing her horn right at her affectionately with a little smile and wide cerulean eyes, ‘Aren’t we, girls?’ Twilight blushed as the other ponies grinned and nodded in agreement.

‘Don’t you worry, I brought plenty of food for everypony, Twilight,’ said Fluttershy, gently patting her hamper, ‘And Rarity’s right, it is so nice to see you again before the next Friendship Council. I’ve not gotten out so much lately since the sanctuary keeps me so busy, though Discord keeps me updated and tells me everything is going quite well for you over in Canterlot. I’m so glad.’

‘I’d tell anypony else to knock it off with the flattery, but I know you all mean it,’ said Twilight, relaxing, ‘Hey, Spike, where are we off to again next, anyway? I’m a bit ashamed to admit I forgot, but…’

‘After they come around the second time the racers head over the lower cascade rapids and towards the highlands approaching Canterlot, then back down, around the Saddle Lake and past the Museum of Friendship before returning to the town square,’ Spike rattled off, looking upwards while counting on his claws, having memorised the itinerary, ‘So we’ll have some time in the flower fields for an hour or so while they go up then come down after this. The committee doesn’t expect us all to climb partway up a mountain.’

‘Well, let’s all relax before they come back round and we need to move on, shall we?’ said Rarity before giving her own sandwich a delicate nibble. Spike paused from munching on his own, and drank in the sight of his friend eating; she attacked her morsel with elegance and poise unusual to most other ponies, but completely natural to her. It was rather removed from eating breakfast with Twilight that morning, who despite (or perhaps because of, given how she had definitely been gaining more of a princessly stature lately in his eyes) her royal status could really wolf down her food when she was hungry and pressed for time. He felt a little bad at having that thought about his guardian and looked down, privately grinning and blushing a little.

Rarity daintily swallowed her mouthful and noticed Spike had stopped eating. ‘Aren’t you hungry, Spikey?’ she asked, dabbing the crumbs away with her monogrammed hoofkerchief and looking slightly disappointed, ‘I thought you liked that ruby mayonnaise…’

‘Uh, I’m holding onto it,’ he half-truthed, looking up at her, ‘I don’t want to rush something this delicious. It’s really good, actually!’ That was entirely true, at least.

‘They are all alright, aren’t they?’ she asked, leaning towards the other ponies, fairly obviously seeking validation. They all nodded, indicating that all was well.

Spike’s attention drifted again to the surrounding stands, noticing that Scootaloo had attracted the attention of the Barrel twins, who were sitting behind her and to whom she was chatting, probably about their shared admiration of Rainbow Dash. Sweetie Belle sat next to her, looking none the worse for her earlier discussion with Rarity and himself, to his relief. While she was perhaps not in the greatest mood ever she seemed to be enjoying a bag of horseshoe fries with Apple Bloom well enough, and wrapped up warm in the hat Rarity had lent her.

He observed too that Starlight Glimmer and her family were on the top tier of the opposing stands, little Luster Dawn squealing with excitement holding a flag and bouncing up and down on her father’s knee. Trixie was also there discussing something with Starlight, although whether it was school-related or not was unknown to him. Starlight had a relatively sober, though not unhappy, look on her face, at any rate.

Finally and somewhat reluctantly, yet with idle curiosity, he looked around a little towards the hippogriffs and griffons and other non-ponies in the audience, who had all coalesced in one area as students, ex-students and relatives of the students of the School of Friendship. He saw everycreature else, even Smolder and Yona along with Sandbar down there, but not Gabby… although Button Mash was still there, sipping on a green crushed ice drink while looking uncomfortable as Terramar good-naturedly had one arm around him in an attempt to fraternise. Where could she be, he wondered?

Suddenly Rarity’s cheek was pressed against his. ‘Mwhat do you fhee, dear?’ she asked with her mouth still lightly stuffed with the last of her sandwich as she followed his line of sight. Then she swallowed again and said, ‘So sorry, Spikey… I was so curious I forgot my manners momentarily…’

‘It’s cool,’ said Spike, before stating noncommittally, ‘Everycreature’s enjoying the sun…’ he paused then stifled a laugh, ‘Oh, man, check it out, maybe not everycreature… you know what Sweetie told us both about her old classmates’ new looks? See for yourself!’ He gestured to the upper right of the opposite stalls.

Rarity looked in the general direction he was pointing. ‘You mean Diamond Tiara and her little friend, correct?’ she asked, and after Spike nodded she squinted afar until she saw two vaguely recognisable ponies, one pink and one silver, huddled like ravens and adorned with sunglasses, black makeup, blacker mesh blouses, pleather skirts and jewellery somehow even blacker besides perched on the upper rafters. They were situated a little way away from where Diamond Tiara’s father Filthy Rich was sitting and chatting with his fianceé; a blue, silver-maned Canterlot Castle finance administrator unicorn Rarity was passingly familiar with named Noblesse Oblige.

She inhaled through her teeth a little disapprovingly. ‘Ooh, how drearily drab… I mean, they’ve definitely got a coherent ensemble going between the two of them but it’s not at all what I was going for in that Vanity Mane spread…’

‘I’m afraid you’re dead to them now, Rare – though not as dead as they are inside. Last I heard they’re passionately in pain,’ he mock-whispered as he emphasised the words, ‘With Inky Rose’s school of design. Cobwebs and bats are “in” this time of year, you know? Nightmare Night’s not all that far off.’

Rarity scrunched and blushed hard enough to feel a faint vibration in her muzzle. There was that name again, and so casually! For a second she really felt like she should protest at what she felt should be uncouth overfamiliarity, but she needed a little time to really consider how she felt about it. She didn’t feel negatively of it, that blush and the small but rising lump that had suddenly manifested at the base of her throat was proof enough of that.

For the time being, she shook it off. ‘Hmm, I wonder if it’s truly straightforward trend-chasing as you say…’ she said contemplatively of the subject at hand, her eyes flicking between Diamond Tiara’s gothic countenance, and Noblesse Oblige as she brightly flirted and laughed with Filthy Rich. ‘Well, even if my work was just a stepping stone to them finding their true expression, that’s still a job well done.’

She watched the pair tuck into tubs filled with something beetroot-y for a moment before Spike piped up again. ‘Didn’t you judge a showcase contest Inky Rose entered one time, or did I imagine that?’

‘Ugh… yes,’ Rarity sighed and rolled her eyes when remembering that, although not because of the pony at hoof. ‘Yes, yes I did, and it was almost a disaster, darling… well, not because of her or any of the other entrants, they all brought their A-games! Quite frankly, I should’ve brought you along like you’d wanted instead of selecting Applejack to judge that. Not one of my greatest ideas, but a lesson was learned, I suppose.’

‘I did? I mean, yeah, sure I did. I see your styles all the time being worn around Ponyville and Canterlot, and as great as they are, I would’ve liked to see the process. How other ponies put their stuff together, I mean.’

Rarity giggled and patted Spike on the head, and he couldn’t help getting a big goofy smile on his face as she gently ruffled his frills. ‘I’m unsure why I didn’t take you along, now. I suppose I thought better of having a dragon along at the time, you know… you don’t wear clothes most of the time so I simply didn’t consider it…’

‘Only because ponies don’t make clothes for dragons much, and as a species we generally concern ourselves with them less than ponies… my wardrobe’s pretty bare outside of hats and formal wear, y’know? But I have a sweet jacket to put in there now thanks to you. By the way, this thing’s really nice, I’ve been getting compliments from it and it’s very comfy inside… I’d really like you to make me more like it sometime, though maybe not so bright? I’ll pay!’

Rarity laughed again, looking at Spike with affection and gratitude – he cut such a wonderful figure in it, it made her feel fit to burst with pride for her hoofwork. ‘It’d be my pleasure, Spikey-Wikey. But you really needn’t pay me next time!’

‘Needn’t, but wanna. How about we just make going halfsies the standard going forward?’

Princess Twilight stuck her neck between the two suddenly and interjected. ‘Oh, you’re going to get more of those jackets made, Spike? Great idea, it’s handy to know who you are! Sometimes I forget when you’re not wearing it,’ she joked.

‘Thanks, Twilight,’ Spike responded sardonically, ‘I didn’t realise that crown gave you memory loss as well as a growth spurt.’

Twilight grinned. ‘I wouldn’t really call it a “spurt”, Spike. I’m only a little taller than I was before the coronation, like I became a little taller after I turned alicorn in the first place! Chances are good it’ll keep going for a while, but for now I’m still on the same level as everypony else…’

‘Our dear princess does raise a fine point however, Spikey,’ said Rarity, ‘It’s as well to know in advance if you’d prefer the same personalisation as on that one, or something different? Or none at all?’

Spike put his claw to his chin in faux-contemplation and looked into space. ‘Hmm… I was thinking “BAD DUDE”, or “COOL DRAGON”, or something like that?’

Rarity looked slightly mystified. ‘But you’re neither of those adjectives, darling… you’re a good dragon, and rather fiery, I thought!’

Spike chuckled and leaned closer to her with a smile. ‘I’m just workshopping the possibilities, Rarity. Whatever you made me would be fantastic.’

‘Oh, you do know how to butter a lady right up, you sweetheart!’ she said, rubbing her cheek against Spike’s before realising Twilight was still between them, and still smiling expectantly, the smile on her face seemingly rising higher and higher on her face just like the sun when she raised that in the morning. They all exchanged a glance for one second, Twilight’s eyes with a definite twinkle within them, and Spike’s pupils and stance both shrunk back a little as Rarity cleared her throat. ‘Ahem, I mean, yes, yes, I’m happy you’re as in love with my work as I often am. It truly makes me happy to hear that.’ Then she scrunched her muzzle again, looking away in mild embarrassment.

Then she averted her gaze towards the facing stands. Spike’s blood ran a little cold when she observed, ‘Darling, I don’t see Gabby with Buttered Mash or any of her other friends. That seems odd.’ He’d hoped she wouldn’t bring it up.

‘It was Button Mash, wasn’t it?’ he corrected, ‘But yeah, I noticed that a few minutes ago. I figured she’d, uh, gone to the little griffon’s room for a spell.’

Rarity pursed her lips, then brightened up. ‘I’m sure she’ll be back soon.’

Fluttershy interrupted them, meekly but loud enough to be heard over Bulk Biceps’ radio rantings. ‘Would anyone like some iced tea? I made some chamomile…’

‘Abso-posi-lutely-tively, Fluttershy!’ said Pinkie Pie, ‘Bulk just said Applejack overtook Rainbow for a second so I’m definitely winning and like I said, that’s thirsty work!’ However, as Fluttershy passed the flask to her she was disappointed when she popped it open. ‘Um, I think you took “iced” a little literally? This is frozen solid!’

‘Oh, is that so? I’m sorry, I just thought I’d try something different and I figured iced meant iced…’ said Fluttershy sadly.

‘No worries, we can just have some stimulating popsicles instead!’ said Pinkie, producing some sticks out of nowhere before slamming the flask onto the wood below them, shattering it to liberate the cylinder of frozen brown-pink liquid before stabbing it lengthways with the sticks and proudly showing it to the others. ‘Ta-dah!’

Fluttershy wasn’t immediately thrilled by the property damage. ‘Oh no, Pinkie! I’ll have to buy a new flask now!’ she huffed for a second before regaining her composure, ‘But they’re not expensive. A bit’s not much to pay for a silly mistake like that. I’ll know for next time.’

Pinkie blushed and put the newly-formed popsicle on Fluttershy’s picnic mat before cuddling her head and stroking her mane for a moment. ‘I’m sorry… I just really wanted what you offered! I can buy you a new one later, and besides, it’s more fun frozen than as a drink, don’tcha think?’

Fluttershy giggled, then pulled away from Pinkie’s embrace. ‘I suppose you’re right. Everypony still want one of these?’

As the others all smiled and nodded, Pinkie chiselled it apart into slim, round chunks with a few neat karate chops and took one for herself, one for Fluttershy and one for Twilight. A slight lack of care meant that the ones intended for Rarity and Spike were only cracked apart a little and otherwise still stuck together, but she didn’t hesitate to toss it their way anyway, and Spike caught it in one claw. ‘Hey, ours weren’t separated right!’ he called to Pinkie.

‘So? Just break it yourselves, silly!’ replied Pinkie Pie.

‘Oh, how adorable, twin sticks! How about we break it apart together, Spikey?’ asked Rarity, ‘I’ll use magic to hold one stick and you grab the other…’

‘Sure, Rarity!’ said Spike, and grabbed the stick closest to him as Rarity levitated the popsicle in his direction. He broke his portion off with a twist of the wrist and it became two slightly uneven pieces, Rarity’s noticeably bigger.

She compared them with a furrowed brow and said, ‘Hmm… we can swap if you like, Spikey-Wikey…’

‘Nah… not a great idea. You’re bigger than me and it probably packs as much caffeine as I need as is… what I’ve got’s enough, you enjoy yours,’ said Spike. Rarity graciously accepted.

As she nibbled on her popsicle from the side, Rarity felt a pleasant surge of both energy and relaxation run through her from horn to hooves. She shivered, smiled and inhaled before asking, ‘Mmm… Fluttershy, this tea seems to me rather a heady concoction! How many teabags did you use?’

Fluttershy’s eyes darted around before she admitted, ‘Um… five? One for each of us…’

Rarity almost said something specific about packing that quantity into one medium-sized flask, but decided it was best not to. ‘It’s a mite strong, but it’s very nice. Thank you.’

She popped the remaining top half of the lollipop into her mouth and gave it an idle suck as she looked back at Gabby’s vacant seat. She’d not been paying attention to the announcements and she pricked her ears upwards as she listened carefully to Bulk’s ongoing description of the race’s progress – Applejack was in the lead now after steadily gaining on Rainbow Dash, Silverstream was now fifth place and the princesses had slipped again, this time on a banana peel and colliding with two other ponies, conclusively fulfilling Pinkie’s earlier prayer. Chances were good they’d all be back around any minute.

Spike quit licking his ice and noticed Rarity had become subdued. ‘You’re quiet. Are you worried about Gabby?’ he asked her.

‘She’s been gone so long, I believe I am becoming increasingly concerned,’ she said, looking at Gabby’s spot and seeing Button Mash looking alone and slightly out of his depth, ‘And poor Button Mash looks a bit forlorn, does he not? Oh, I’m worried about interfering, but…’

Spike shook his head. ‘Are you thinking about looking for her? I dunno… maybe I should check in with Mash for a minute first and find out what’s happening.’

He stood up in his seat, shrugged off his jacket, then flapped his wings and said, ‘I won't be long,’ before ascending and propelling himself over towards the other side of the racetrack.

Twilight leaned over to Rarity as she awaited his return, and Rarity looked over at her. ‘Well, you two are awful chatty today! It doesn’t seem all that long ago since you were hardly talking outside of a couple of sentences a moon at the Council.’

Rarity turned to Twilight with a slightly pained, slightly pleased expression on her face. ‘Ah, Twilight… you know as well as I do that Spikey’s been through a nasty rough patch. I just want to be there for him, as a, ah, a friend. It doesn’t hurt that he’s been such a joyous accompaniment lately despite his problems… he listens to me as much as I to him, sometimes we do things he suggests together and we never used to do that, you know, and…’

Twilight took the opportunity to sit where Spike had been until a moment ago as Rarity trailed off, and put a wing around her shoulders. ‘And he’s a helpful little guy, isn’t he?’ she asked, faintly sadly.

‘He is… but not in the way he was,’ sighed Rarity, ‘You might know that better than I. He seems somewhat less… compulsive in his ways than he once was, now. All those things he said about himself at that meeting the other week, all those sad, obviously very painful things… I’m glad he’s able to move on just a tad from behaving in a manner that was making him quietly miserable, thanks to our shared support.’

‘Honestly, he really perked up after he got access to his own bits,’ said Twilight, ‘The vault staff told me afterwards his reaction to seeing the stack of gold in there was all his was really something, so that’s probably helped. I don’t think he had any idea he was that valuable to Equestria at large.’

Rarity smiled. ‘Well, jolly good for him! Ah, dragons… perhaps I shouldn’t generalise, but there’s just something about having a nice big horde that makes them feel good about themselves, isn’t there? Just hard evidence that you’ve gained from making a difference, it doesn’t need to be gems and gold. I know how that feels myself rather intensely, I don’t mean to judge,’ she paused for a second before second-guessing herself and asking, ‘Was that a slightly, ah, anti-draconic thing to say?’

‘No, I get what you’re saying… material or not results matter to anycreature, and somehow I doubt any dragons would disagree with you. By the way, thanks for talking me into relinquishing his finances to him; it’s a load off my mind and, well, sure it’s early days but he’s yet to do anything silly with them… although, while I’m glad he’s finding his own style you might want to discourage him from paying you for too many clothes! For his own good!’

‘I have told him several times he doesn’t need to pay me, darling! Just modelling my untested wares for me was payment enough, but he tells me it’s not labour if he enjoys it… ooh, you know, that was very fun last week. I felt like a giddy little filly putting dress after dress upon him, and he didn’t protest once! He even tried on a few things I would never have dreamed of foisting onto him myself! Although maybe don’t tell anycreature else that… if Smolder found out via scuttlebutt she could have a heart attack!’

Twilight laughed, realising that Rarity didn’t know something that she did. ‘I’m not so sure about that, but I won’t tell. I’m just really happy to see the two of you getting along again.’

‘As am I,’ said Rarity dreamily, before straightening her face and looking back over where she supposed Spike was speaking with Button Mash, just in time to see him take his leave of the young colt and return to where she, and the rest of the group, were sitting.

Twilight shuffled back to where she’d been sitting before so as not to permanently usurp his space. ‘Well, I’ll butt out for now. Hey, I don’t suppose either of you are feeling lucky? Wanna drink some “ade”?’

Spike flapped once before landing on his rump back on his chosen seat and wrapped his jacket around his shoulders for the moment. ‘Pass it over,’ he said with a sigh, ‘You know, Rarity, she keeps using me as a royal taster. Why, if I didn’t know better…’

Spike took the levitating bottle into his hands and popped the lid off before sipping a capful. ‘Surely not, Twilight!’ Rarity asked as she realised the implications, ‘Surely it’s a little questionable to risk Spikey’s wellbeing in such a way?!’

Twilight laughed and shook her head. ‘You make me sound awful, Spike! Nopony makes you do it. You just volunteered yourself now, didn’t you?’

Spike smacked his lips before handing it back to Twilight. ‘I was just kidding around, Rarity. Dragons have far stronger stomachs than ponies in the worst case scenario and free food’s free food, y’know? Anyway, I’m pretty sure this is fine… I think it’s elderflower and… I want to say mint? It’s not bad!’

‘Thanks, Spike, I just wanted to know the flavour before I poured it out. Nocreature’s poisoning anycreature today, Rarity!’ said Twilight, before taking the flask over to Fluttershy, Angel and Pinkie Pie, who were playing some kind of counting game with Fluttershy’s birds.

Rarity peered at Spike. ‘Spike, you two joke around a tiny bit more than I’m comfortable with sometimes! Anyway,’ she perked up, ‘Any words regarding Gabby’s whereabouts?’

Spike tried to reply to Rarity but the words didn’t come out, instead producing a fiery burp from which a scroll, with Twilight’s cutie mark imprinted onto its beribboned seal, materialised into his claw. ‘Oop! Poor timing, whoever sent that… sorry Rarity, just a second. Hey Twilight, message for ya!’ he said, hopping to where Twilight was talking to the rest of the group and waving the scroll in her general direction.

Once the message was firmly received he returned to Rarity’s side. ‘’Scuse me. I’m mostly not on task today, but I’m still taking messages for Twi.’

‘Not to worry, I understand,’ Rarity reassured him, ‘So… what did he say?’

Spike inhaled to reply but just as he said “He’s not–”, the loudspeakers suddenly burst back into life for the first time in a couple of minutes, definitely louder than usual for the forthcoming alert, another series of audio squelches preceding Bulk Biceps’ commentary as the balloon loomed overhead. ‘TIME TO SLAM THOSE HINEYS BACK ON THOSE BOARDS, FOLKS, THOSE CRAZY HORSES’RE COMING BACK AROUND! E.T.A., ONE MINUTE OR LESS! YOU KNOW YOU WANNA KNOW WHO'S IN THE LEAD, NO SPOILERS! YEAH!!’

Before either of them knew it the stands filled back up with ponies who had wandered off in the interim, and Rarity took the occasion to glance back over there again and saw that Gabby had indeed flown back into her seat during the announcement, grabbing Button Mash and aiming him head-first at the approaching racers, whose galloping could be heard but not yet seen.

‘Oh, Gabby’s right there now,’ she said, ‘Were we fretting over nothing, do you suppose?’

‘I was gonna say before Bulk announced, I spoke to–’ Spike started, but a spasm of annoyance shot across his face as he was drowned out again, this time by several dozen hooves pounding the dirt hard enough to make the entire surrounding shudder around them accompanied by the volume and distortion knobs on DJ Pon-3’s deck slowly turning up, up, up.

The music’s volume was dampened somewhat as Bulk roared over the speakers again, although Rarity couldn’t help wincing a little as the sound crept upwards. ‘HERE THEY COME… BLINK AND YOU’LL MISS ’EM, YOU MIGHT EVEN MISS ’EM WITH YOUR EYES ON ’EM, THEY’RE SLINGING UP SO MANY FREAKIN’ LEAVES! APPLEJACK’S STILL IN THE LEAD WITH RAINBOW DASH A FULL SECOND BEHIND BUT IT’S STILL ANYPONY’S RACE, I mean, anycreature’s, excuse me, not speciesist… speaking of which, SHOESHINE’S LAGGING IN FIFTH PLACE NOW WITH SILVERSTREAM, THE HIP, HIP HIPPOGRIFF HERSELF PULLING FORWARD TO FOURTH, JUST BEHIND LEMON DROPS! COULD THE FIRST EVER NON-PONY RUNNER WIN HER FIRST RUNNING OF THE LEAVES, FOLKS? ANYTHING’S POSSIBLE! YEAH!!’

As Bulk Biceps spoke the racers tore between the stands once again, leaving at least as many leaves in their wake but slightly less dust this time as everycreature roared their support. A casual observer could see Applejack making being in the lead look effortless while Rainbow Dash seemed to be struggling to keep up somewhat, a determined grimace written all over her face as she frantically cantered in her effort to catch up to her friendly rival. Celestia and Luna brought up the rear, both of them with messy manes and looking somewhat hassled after their earlier banana peel mishap but still in the game, not far behind the second-to-last place.

Meanwhile, Bulk’s last comment garnered grumbles and frowns from a few ponies in the audience. ‘WHAT? SHE COULD! PROVE ME WRONG, IT’S JUST A HYPOTHETICAL STATEMENT SO YOU CAN’T! GIVE IT EVERYTHING YOU GOT, DOUBLE-ESS! EVERYPONY ELSE, TOO!’

The racers sped off as quickly as they had hoved into view, this time aiming towards taking a right at the maple tree taps instead of the left that had taken them on the first circuit around the woods, Bulk signed off again as he and DJ Pon-3 floated off in the balloon to continue his observation. ‘OFF THEY GO, RUN-LOVERS… WE’LL BE KEEPING AN EYE OUT FOR ALL Y’ALL AS THEY RUN OVER THE HILLTOPS. KEEP YOUR EYES AND EARS OPEN AS YOU ALL HEAD FOR THE INCLINE, AND MAKE SURE YOU BRING SOMETHING TASTY! YEAH!! I’ve also been instructed to tell you all that there will be inexpensive refreshments provided for anypony who needs ’em. Have a nice picnic.’ A disco pulsation faded out as they drifted off after the racing ponies and hippogriff and everycreature heard Bulk exclaim, mic switched off, ‘HOO DOGGY, I LOVE FLYIN’ IN THIS SPARKLIN’ BALLOON!!’

Once it was relatively quiet again Rarity looked at Spike, who was sitting with his arms and legs crossed this time, plainly sulking a bit from being so brutally interrupted. ‘So… you were saying, precious-pants?’ she prompted, leaning towards him with the immense curiosity and earnest concern she’d displayed at the little tea party they’d had at the Carousel Boutique a few weeks ago.

Spike took a second to react. ‘Gosh, I’m sorry, Rarity, I wasn’t sure if I could speak without something else coming up.’

Rarity giggled. ‘Three in a row is rather rotten luck, isn't it! But, I'm certain the coast is clear now. So… what did he say? Tell me!’

‘Well, he wasn't real communicative, really. Genial enough at first, but he got kind of defensive when I asked where Gabby was and insisted that everything was fine, and she’d gone to visit somecreature elsewhere on the stand, and she’d be back soon. And now she’s back anyway like he said, so… I dunno…’

‘Hmm… you know, that would make sense, what with Gabby being such a social creature. Perhaps we’re both projecting a tiny bit and seeing problems where none exist…’

Spike pondered the possibility. ‘Yeah… yeah, you’re right. I mean, I said myself earlier that whatever Gabby’s doing isn’t my problem anymore, so why don't we just enjoy ourselves? The real issue was with Sweetie Belle earlier and we took care of that, didn't we? Not that it’s bad to help, but maybe we shouldn’t interfere unless there’s an obvious problem.’

Rarity chuckled and pulled Spike closer to her. ‘You may be right… let us do that. Twilight, I don't suppose you’ve any more of that elderflower pop, do you? I could use a refreshment to wash that sandwich down from earlier! I'm a little parched!’

Spike remembered that he’d never finished the ruby mayo Rarity had supplied him with before and felt a twinge in his belly. ‘I’d like a bit more too, if it’s going around,’ he said as he groped around on his bench for a moment, before locating it and snaffling about half of what remained.

‘Of course, there’s plenty for both of you,’ Twilight trilled before magically pouring out two beakers of the stuff, which they both accepted graciously. ‘By the way, once we’re done drinking, I’ll need to take my leave of you all for a little while… princessly duties require my assistance a way up the hills.’

‘Let me guess, something needs taking care of on the racetrack?’ said Spike as he polished off his sub sandwich.

Twilight responded with a nod before addressing the whole group. ‘That scroll Spike delivered was from Raven Inkwell about puckwudgies rolling around on the trail. Nothing serious, but we can't let the local wildlife interfere with the runners, can we?’

‘Oh my, and they can get so ferocious when they feel threatened,’ said Fluttershy, ‘You wouldn't happen to need my help with that at all, would you?’

‘You’re off-duty, silly!’ interjected Pinkie Pie, ‘Let the great and competent ruler of Equestria take care of things! You got this, Twi!’ Twilight smiled and nodded at that as Pinkie faux-whispered to Fluttershy, ‘She has ponies for that nowadays. She pays them. It’s messed up but it’s true!’

‘Besides, we need to relocate once we’re done filling our faces… ponies’re already departing for the next viewpoint,’ said Spike, looking around, ‘It’s a small hike through the wood’s trail but we’ll make it at a leisurely trot if we head over after we’re all hydrated.’

He looked at Rarity, who had been taking a long, measured sip from her glass for the last little while, and as his gaze caught hers she quit her quaffing and smiled, dabbing her mouth with her hoofkerchief as she looked at him. ‘Ooh, yes! I can see why you’re so gung-ho about drinks like these, now, Spikey-Wikey… This does go down with my crevette and mare-rose sauce bagel very smoothly indeed! My compliments to the castle brewery, Twilight!’ Then she burped, slightly and briefly before covering her mouth with her hoof and blushing. ‘My apologies, I may have drunk that a little too enthusiastically…’

‘Not from where I’m sitting, Rarity! And don’t worry about it… better out than in, right?’ Spike reassured her, before knocking on his chest twice and letting out a fiery burp of his own, with no scroll forthcoming this time. As Rarity raised an eyebrow he rethought that approach to the topic. ‘Although maybe it is kind of, uh, uncouth.’

She looked down her muzzle at him a little, but she didn’t frown. ‘The sentiment’s quite appreciated, but neither a lady nor a gentledragon should belch so unless it’s absolutely necessary,’ she said with a wry smirk.

‘Noted, Rarity,’ said Spike, slurping down the last of his soda before slapping his knees, ‘So! Everypony let me know when you’re ready and we can move onto the next area! There’s no stands this time, but there’s poles with balloons and loudspeakers dotted down the path so nopony can… escape… Bulk’s commentary… I mean so nopony gets lost.’ By now just about everycreature present had learned to drown it out one way or another unless there was a volume increase due to something important happening, but it had been a constant throughout since before Twilight had seen the race off.

‘Well, I think he has a very nice announcing voice,’ said Fluttershy, ‘I admire his confidence and clarity, and he’s so enthusiastic! It feels like I can see everything he’s describing in my mind… Applejack in front… wait, no! Rainbow Dash! Ooh, who’s going to win, just seeing it in my mind’s eye is making me anxious…! I’ll have to buy milkshakes for everypony! Oh noooo! What have I done to myself?!’ She chewed on her nails for a moment until Angel snuggled up to her a little. Once she’d calmed down she responded to Spike, ‘Anyway, we’re all done with my sandwich over here and ready to go. Thank you, Angel.’

Inside of a minute the entire group were ready to leave, Twilight disembarking by air for the highlands first. The rest of the group trouped off the stand and, alongside other ponies and creatures of the audience, went into the forest trail to the fields at the other side of the woods. Spike flew a few feet off the ground as he led the others, Rarity right behind and Pinkie helping Fluttershy carry the picnic hamper a few paces behind her. While the area around the racetrack was relatively sparsely wooded, the stands’ location intentionally picked for the audience to have a better view of the runners as they came and went, the Whitetail Woods proper became quite thick the further in one trekked, and with the race well underway at this point the red-and-gold leaves were tumbling down thick and fast, obscuring the trail somewhat.

Rarity caught up with Spike after a short while and trotted alongside him. ‘Ooh, soon we’ll be at the best part of the event, darling!’ she beamed, ‘While it’s true we all filled up a little in advance there’s still lots of time to make merry and chat, and maybe play a little game or two! And you know, the heather and sage are out in the fields! I heard it looks simply divine when there’s a bit of wind… I haven’t seen it with my own eyes yet, but my dear customers will tell me these things!’

Spike smiled and looked at Rarity. ‘Yeah, I know that from Twilight. She puts heather in the hanging baskets in the Canterlot Castle hallways and it’s this time of year she stocks up on it. You’ve seen ’em…’

‘I most certainly have! Her castle attendants make the most wonderful display of the things… Princess Luna’s personal touch was a tad neater, but they do their utmost to continue the tradition! I respect that.’

‘As for sage, my appreciation for that’s limited to a Sunday roast,’ laughed Spike, ‘Stuffing, I mean. But I’m sure it looks just as good.’

Rarity sighed and walked closer to Spike’s side. ‘Well, they both flower purple, you know… and you know, that’s my favourite colour, and not just because it’s the colour of my mane!’

Spike smiled knowingly, before stating his curiosity outright. ‘Well, I mean, I’m purple too… are you flirting with me, Rare?’

Rarity stopped in her tracks for a moment and blushed, a rush of conflicting emotions racing through her mind on being called out so blatantly before running ahead to catch up again. ‘Oh, if you don't stop calling me that, Spikey-Wikey… well, I’ve hardly made a secret of being quite fond of you, darling. “Flirting” may be overstating things, I thought it was more of a pleasant, if coy observation myself, but, I, ah, you are very sweet, and I so enjoy your company…’

He bared his fangs with embarrassment and blushed even more than Rarity had a moment before. ‘That’s cool,’ he half-lied, his face burning up and his complexion only hiding it a little.

Her public display of affection in Canterlot that evening a few weeks ago had said it more loudly than this by a fair way, but this time there was no hiding behind the excuse of playing therapist for his issues. Then he felt a pang of sweet sadness as it hit him – she’d just said the words, well, maybe not the words but a variation upon them, that he’d dearly longed to hear from her for some time, since long before Gabby had shown up in his life.

His emerald reptilian eyes looked into her big ocean-blue ones as he unintentionally showed that it wasn’t as cool as he’d initially claimed. ‘I mean, th-that’s great! I’m really, uh, I really like you too! Your company. I mean, not your shop, I mean being around you. Doing things, stuff. Dresses, flying, budgeting, stuff. I’m. Um. Uh, you know, you’re really pretty wearing that sweater…’ Then he privately cursed himself for sounding so lame.

Rarity giggled. ‘Little fillies are pretty, Spike. I’m a full-grown mare. And it’s an old ensemble between it and the legwarmers – dated darn things, really, but nice and warm – I just wore it for the warmth and to protect against the, ah, rougher aspects of the event… if I’d worn some fancy-schmancy dress it’d surely get torn or worse on those wooden stands!’

‘It’s all furry and sparkly, though, and it catches the sunlight coming through the trees at just the right moments… I like that. It looks really snug and nice…’ He wanted to say more, but it didn’t seem the right time nor place to spit out the “B” word that was on the tip of his forked tongue. It seemed too personal at this moment in time, no matter how much it felt made for her. It crossed his mind that she’d just dared him to say it, like he’d failed a test.

She didn’t betray any hint of intending such a challenge as she smiled and continued chatting. ‘Well, your jacket’s a touch more modern, at any rate. Just looking at you flying in that… oh, I’m so glad you wore it today! Seeing my work fulfil its intended function and not just, hanging lifeless on a, a dull old hanger in a dark wardrobe, makes me rather happy, I suppose. Thank you, sweetheart.’

Then she gave him a smooch on the cheek, and Spike almost cartwheeled onto the ground in shock.

He stayed aloft, but he couldn’t help the wide-eyed, slack-jawed look on his face. She’d just kissed him! Rarity had kissed Spike on occasion before, always a peck on the cheek as an affectionate gesture when he’d done something nice for her, but he couldn’t help feeling as if this one was different. Once the realisation that Rarity’s action needed a response sunk in, he dared, his heart beating faster, his expression a little pale and with huge uncertainty at first, to put an arm around the back of her neck and shoulders as she trotted along. She leaned into his slightly awkward embrace and they both slowed their pace a little, allowing Pinkie and Fluttershy, who had lagged behind somewhat while encumbered with the hamper containing everycreature’s lunches, to catch up.

For her part Rarity silently relished Spike’s response, and couldn’t help biting her lip with glee as he snuggled closely to her. She hadn’t really meant to kiss him, it had just felt like the most natural thing in the world to do in her happiness, and for one second afterward she’d feared an adverse reaction one way or another – either cold, or hotter than she’d feel comfortable with around a baby dragon. But this was just right… she’d been right about the support Spike needed, she’d been right about their mutual feelings, and she’d been right about the jacket, which was the most important thing to be right about as far as she was concerned in this moment.

‘Rarity...’ Spike murmured.

She shushed him, and made the choice. ‘Call me Rare, Spikey darling…’ she whispered, her eyes almost closed as she spoke.

‘Rare…’ Spike said with a thrill. He’d been testing the waters off and on for much of the morning to see what kind of response a pet name for her would get – after all, he’d been “Spikey-Wikey” to her for so long, it seemed like fair play. It was nice that she’d responded well to it and not been offended, or had a quiet word with him to drop it as he’d half-expected. ‘It’s not just the jacket making you like this, is it?’

Rarity sighed quiet and long, but didn’t answer further. That was fine, Spike thought… nothing else needed to be said right now.

–––✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*💎*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧–––

Comments

[THERDSTORYWHISPERER]

Great chapter!

[Victoria_the_dragoness]

Ooh, another magnificent chapter, dear. I do not mind the length of it either, especially if the majority of it is simply my favorite couple chatting and clandestinely flirting with one another.

This is my favorite thus far, I must say, largely from Rarity and Spike's interactions. Thank you ever so much for this addition. Oh, I would love to see more soon. I know precisely how you feel about having half of another chapter written by the end of one too.

I hope that your mother is recovering too and there is no need to explain why you were delayed.

[Ninjadeadbeard]

Mmmmm. Yes. This is warm and fuzzy. Great so far! Much wow!