It's A Lonely Cause

by FamousLastWords

Take a Chance On Me

The two had walked out of the Sugarcube Corner feeling… closer, if Flitter had any say in describing their ‘relationship’ thus far. It was meant to be all pretend, since Spike was only a pawn in her plan to defeat her sister and Poptart. She was using Spike in order to get to Poptart, the stallion of her dreams. Yet…

Flitter raised a hoof to smack herself silly, but she stopped. She didn’t want to cause a scene and embarrass herself in front of Spike, yet she needed to get her head on straight. These… mushy feelings were not going to make her deviate from her plan! She needed to maintain a clear view of the prize here, and with Spike being an almost perfect representation of what she imagined her and Poptart would be, it was making everything a bit harder to bear. She hoped Spike and her could be friends once she got with Poptart, even though her heart twinged at the thought of leaving him after this.

The troubled mare looked over at Spike, whose eyes were set on getting to their next destination. He, for some reason, wouldn’t disclose where this next clue led, and Flitter had no clue why. Was this to tease her and make her feel stupid for not figuring out the clue by herself? Or was he hiding something from her? After all, he did say something that kinda has her feathers all ruffled up…

“You might not like what she has to say about us, though.”

And that emphasis on their relationship made looking at him that much harder.

While Flitter was suffering in her lonesome, Spike was feeling… different. He felt a ringing in his ears, and he knew why. It was due to what he had said to Flitter. It was ominous, like watching one of his favorite slasher films, yet cheesy, which was also like one of his favorite slasher films. The statement was true, though. Rarity was going to be like talking to Twilight in that she’ll probably lecture Flitter about how relationships work, while also making sure Flitter's actually in love with him.

His heart leaped just a tad at the possibilities he envisioned, but they also made an adrenaline rush course through his veins. It terrified him, enough to consider throwing this in the towel, since she would surely figure them out and disqualify them from the competition. But then, he remembered the snooty snobs and the continuous bickering that they gave him when they said he was ‘not with someone’.

That made him steel himself forward. He knew he had done a good job so far. He was putting a lot of effort into selling this relationship. In fact, he hadn’t felt like he was trying this hard since the last time he was trying to impress Rarity herself!

Unfortunately, that was years ago, though. He’s been such a total turbo virgin ever since.

Spike groaned, his claw grasping at his face with agony. He knew he needed to dial it back a few notches, but if he let up now, would Flitter notice and pull him aside?

Then, Spike realized something. Why was he trying so hard to appease Flitter? He knew this was pretend and well, he knew that she didn’t like him like that. Yet… what was that tail from earlier? She had flicked him right in the snout, and that usually means that she’s… a bit more interested in somepony than not, right? He wasn’t one-hundred percent in tune with pony mannerisms, but it seemed that way. His brain felt like it was melting trying to wrap his mind around Flitter’s tail—Spike’s eyes widened, and he quickly shook his head of that thought. He took a deep breath and tried to look like he wasn’t visibly shaken by the gutters in his mind.

However, his attempt, like his luck, was horrible. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Flitter looking at him. She had an eyebrow raised, and she looked like she was about to say something to him. He counted down the seconds.

Three.

Two.

One.

“What’s wrong, Spike?”

He gave her his full attention. “N-Nothing,” he began, his voice cracking. He cleared his throat and continued, “Just had some indigestion from eating too many rubies this morning. You know how it goes…”

“No… I don’t. How do you get indigestion from gems?”

Spike rolled his eyes. “Gems work with my body like hay works with yours. Think if you ate too much hay, you’d feel the same way as I do.”

Flitter’s eyes widened. She looked away from him, seeing the ground being more interesting. “Oh…”

Spike and Flitter were about to fall into silence once again, but Spike knew he didn’t want to stop talking, especially since he left it on such an awkward note. So, he asked her a question, one that he felt might be more relevant: “Anyway, have you figured where we’re going yet, Flitter?”

Flitter flicked back to him, her ear twitching and her mouth trying to form into a smile. He really must’ve gotten her feeling queasy too after that imagery.

Then, she looked forward and spoke out, “Not really. The clue is confusing… I mean, what really is the Equestrian Average?”

Spike wanted to explain it to Flitter, but every time he read the clue in his head, he also saw Flitter too, and couldn’t shake the heat he felt broiling throughout his body. It was making him feel light on his feet, that is, if ‘light on his feet’ meant dodging searing hot coals that were on the ground.

His gaze darted away, while he ran his mouth, “Think of it as that she stands out to everypony, and not just because she’s important.”

Flitter’s muzzle scrunched up. “So, she’s like Pinkie in that she’s an Element of Harmony?”

“Yeah, but like I said, she’s always the one that stands out because she tries harder to make everyone else stand out.”

Flitter hummed to herself. She couldn’t really picture an Element of Harmony that could do that other than Rainbow Dash or Rarity. And since Rainbow’s house was on the other side of town…

Flitter felt like her jaw was going to fall to the ground. She squeaked out her answer, “Are we going to see Rarity?”

Spike nodded. “There you go! I thought it was pretty obvious, but sometimes ponies need every little detail explained to them and—ack!”

Flitter had batted him with her wing, this time in the shoulder.

Spike was about to growl at her, but he saw her face. Her lips were sagging down, and her eyes were looking a little watery. He reached out to her. “Flitter? Is everything—”

Flitter wiped her eyes with her hoof. She giggled. “Sorry, it’s happy tears, trust me. I thought it was going to be more serious.”

“But it is kinda serious, to be honest,” Spike said, much to the chagrin of Flitter. The pegasus folded her wing back to her side, while Spike eyed the houses that they passed. “Rarity is a big deal to me. She’s…”

Spike’s voice trailed off. Should he say this to her when he was supposed to be Flitter’s drakefriend? They say talking about your crushes or exs to your current ‘marefriend’ was a curse. Yet, here he was, about to tell her the whole shebang.

That irked Spike. That irked him so much that he refused to say the rest.

“She’s, what, Spike?”

Until Flitter said that. Spike internally groaned, his mind telling him he was a moron for ever thinking of bringing up this subject.

Sighing and preparing himself for the end of his meager existence, Spike answered Flitter’s question, “She’s the first pony I fell in love with.”

There, he said it. This pretend relationship would certainly stay pretend. Cursed. Spoiled. Everything was now out on the table. Flitter would certainly be annoyed or upset by this.

Yet, all Spike heard was her laughter. It wasn’t a belly laugh, just a fit of giggles, but as they walked, it felt like there were butterflies fluttering around them, dancing happily in the spring sunshine. He looked at her further: her smile was contagious, her eyes glistening in the bright white light, and her bow, that bow… all of what Flitter made Flitter told Spike why his heart was jumping for joy.

Was this what it felt like? Even if it was all pretend?

Spike felt his world grow just a little brighter.

“Spike, everypony knew that.”

And then it just turned into a world of shame, regret, and darkness.

“It was pretty obvious, wasn’t it?” Spike awkwardly shuffled out of his mouth. His eyes were downcast, his claw was reaching for the back of his neck to ease his pain, and his side was being slightly nudged by Flitter’s wing—wait, what?

He looked over to his right. She was gently caressing his side. He brought his gaze to her eyes. They were still sparkling, but she was giving him a slight smile to boot.

That made Spike think of her like a gem.

His stomach growled.

“Flitter…”

Flitter didn’t want him to be distracted. She had to get him back on track, and Rarity was going to be one of those said distractions. He had to make sure he wasn’t going to drift when they were dealing with her clue.

So, she gave him reassurance. “That doesn’t mean your feelings for her were joked about, Spike. They were just out there for everypony to see.”

Spike smiled. “Yeah, that’s true. I thought I hid them well, but I guess I was the worst at hide and seek, too.” He chuckled and touched the edge of her wing. He pushed it just a tad with one of his claws, and smiled. “Thanks, Flitter.”

“No problem, Spike. Now, enough about your feelings of her. You’re with me now!” She playfully nudged the dragon with a hoof. “Since you’re so worried about her, should I be preparing for my grave?”

“N-No!” Spike breathed through his fits of laughter. He calmed down as they rounded a corner and continued, “Well, I just felt I needed to warn you about her. That’s kinda why I took the scenic route to be honest—”

“Wait, what?” Flitter said, glaring. She snorted. “Why did you think that would be a smart thing to do in a competition, you dolt?”

Spike shrugged. “Well, yeah, it is a competition, but we have to keep our image up, don’t we?”

“Right…” Flitter said, her voice trailing off. She had twirled her wing around as if to say, ‘continue’, which Spike read like a book.

“Well, I thought that since I knew it was Rarity, you’d need to know a bit more about her. She’s… a very curious pony. She’d want to know all the details about our relationship, and if we’d slip up once, she’d be able to tell if we’re not actually together.”

“Why’d you say that?” Flitter asked. “I know mares sometimes can tell when somepony is in love but, with how you describe her, she sounds like she knows way more than she lets on.”

Spike twiddled with his claws. “Let’s just say… she reads a lot of romance.”

Flitter groaned. “Oh great, so she’s one of those mares.”

“One of those mares?” Spike tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

“You don’t know what that means, Spike?” Flitter asked, which she promptly stifled a giggle when the goof shook his head. “How? I mean, you lived with Twilight the bookworm for the longest time, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, but I never heard of that phrase. Besides, she didn’t exactly get any action like that, Flitter!”

“TMI, Spike. TMI,” Flitter warned, her face the epitome of reacting to cringe. “Besides, I wasn’t thinking of it like that! Think more like ‘head stuck in a book about two ponies kissing for days on end’. She probably thinks she’s an expert on romance because she’s read so much about it!”

“Oh, then you’re totally right. She tried making me sit through a discussion with her about some weird book about vampires that were too interested in making love with non-vampires. They, for some reason, liked attacking werewolves? It’s such a confusing book that by the twentieth time she gushed about it, I almost died of boredom.”

Flitter giggled as her wings folded to her sides. “Well, now I know how I’ll react when she asks about us.”

“With mock horror?”

“No, but close,” Flitter replied, sticking out her tongue. “That’ll be for you to find out, and for me to keep to myself.”

“Glad you have a plan,” Spike lamely put it. He turned and looked at the place of interest: the Carousel Boutique. “Huh, looks like we’re here.”

Flitter smiled. “Finally!” She showed her enthusiasm to Spike, before her expression turned serious. “Hey, Spike, could we walk a little closer when we go in?”

“Why?” Spike asked. “Do you want her to faint on seeing us like this?”

“I mean, it’ll drive the point home without saying anything,” Flitter said with a shrug. “Might as well go in for the kill so we can get all that out of the way, right?”

Spike scratched his chin in thought. It was a good idea. It could actually help them shave some of the time they lost from taking the scenic route. And without having to say a word about it would be a bonus. “I see what you mean. It’ll save us some time, I hope.”

Flitter grinned. “Now you get it!” She hopped in front of him, her muzzle close to the door. “Follow my lead, Spike.”

She nudged the door open, and Spike strolled in, his leg grazing against her fur.

Inside, the world of fashion, fashion trends, and a mess of material lay haphazardly. For some reason, it was almost as if she wasn’t actually the clue and more so busy with her business. Flitter teetered a bit, her mind thinking of all the time lost if Spike was wrong with this answer of his, yet when she saw Rarity turn the corner with a crown of red roses and some real bright red lipstick on her muzzle, she knew she was either on the prowl for a stallion who didn’t enter the hunt, or she was the answer to the clue that she and Spike desperately needed.

Rarity gave the two a rather generous welcome.

“Spike and Flitter? What brings you by?”

More like a confused one. Flitter looked up to Spike, who, in turn, gave her a smile, one that said, ‘Let me handle this first.’

Spike turned his attention back to Rarity. “Hey, Rarity,” he began, before he looped his arm around Flitter, who promptly squeaked like a mouse. “I wanted to introduce you to my marefriend. Flitter, this is Rarity, my best friend.”

To say Rarity blew up into emotion and high-strung musical notes was an understatement.

Rarity squealed so loudly, the sounds of glass shattering echoed in the room behind her.

“Oops, I need to make sure my mirrors are scream resistant, don’t I?”

Spike rolled his eyes. “You say that, but even when they say, ‘Twenty percent more scream resistant than the leading glass makers’, they still shatter when you do that.”

“Guess nopony can resist me, darling,” Rarity replied, fluttering her eyelashes at Spike.

Flitter now understood why Spike likes Rarity so much.

While her eardrums tried to recover from the audioquake that had just occurred, Flitter attempted to introduce herself to Rarity. “Hello, Rarity, it’s nice to officially meet you for the first time, without all the drama, imminent destruction, and—”

Rarity smiled, offering her hoof to Flitter. “I’m glad to make your acquaintance dear.” The two ponies bumped hooves. Then, Rarity continued, “Now why don't you two have a seat here in my dining table while I go whip us up some tea?”

“But Rarity, we have a clue and—”

“Wait, you got a clue of mine?” Rarity said, brow raised.

Spike nodded. “Yep, we got our first clue given to us about…” He paused to look at his watch. “Thirty-five minutes ago.”

“Oh,” Rarity began, before she let out a hearty laugh. “I completely forgot that was happening today!”

“Pardon me for being so forward, Rarity, but why the get-up, then? You look like you dressed for the occasion.”

Rarity gave Flitter a smile. “Dear, once you get into the clothing business, you’ll understand that you need to roleplay a little sometimes!”

“Roleplay?” Flitter tilted her head, her ear twitching as she spoke, “Does that mean what I think it means?”

Spike shook his head. “Think of it like she’s trying to understand why ponies would want to wear her clothes in the first place and—oof!”

Rarity had magically tossed a rose over his direction, smacking him right between the eyes. “Seriously, Spike, do you always have to sound like that?”

Flitter pulled out a chair and took a seat in it. She put her forehooves on the table and rolled one of them towards Rarity’s direction. “He does, and it’s gotten him closer and closer to the doghouse.”

“Doghouse? I’m a dragon, not a dog!” Spike retorted. He showed them his pearly whites, chomping like a mechanical jaw. “See? Dogs don’t have these chompers! I mean, I would show you that I could breathe fire, but y’know, I'm not a huge fan of burning houses down.”

“A fact I am most appreciative of, darling,” Rarity replied dryly.

Flitter blinked, and then she blinked again. They were definitely friends, that was for sure. She just hadn’t seen two ponies like them interact so casually like this. It was refreshing to see. It shattered whatever preconceived notions she had of Rarity, except the ones that Spike warned her about.

Speaking of, why was Rarity smirking at her? Did she put on too much eyeliner today?

Rarity shoved a few pieces of cloth off the table. “Well, don’t make too much of a mess while I’m in the kitchen!”

With that, she walked into the room beside them. Flitter could hear her shuffling and fiddling with what could’ve been her kitchen cabinets. Then, a loud clang was heard, followed by a few doors being shut.

Then, Rarity called into the dining room, “Spike, do you want to help me make this tea?”

Spike looked at Flitter before he answered her. “Of course! Anything for you, Rarity!”

Flitter smiled. So that’s why Rarity was looking at her like that. Was this a test, perhaps? Smirking, she propped her chin on one of her hooves and groaned. “Anything? I wish you’d help me with what I needed, Spike!”

Spike, suddenly, stood frozen. He was almost around the corner when Flitter said that. What the ever-living heck did that mean? Was Celestia trying to smite him down with this mare? He sighed, and peeked around the corner at Rarity, who was fiddling with the stove. “Hey, on second thought, I may have to sit this one out. I don’t want Flitter getting the wrong idea, if you catch my drift.”

Rarity turned around and giggled. “I understand, Spike. I didn’t exactly need your help with this anyway. I just wanted to see if you were still the same Spikey-Wikey I’ve known for the past few years.” She smirked. “Looks like you still are.”

Even though he knew he could burn the house down, Spike still let out a puff of smoke from his nostrils. “I can’t believe you still call me that, Rarity. I thought that we buried that hatchet!”

Flitter, on the other hoof, wasn’t worried about any of that. Spikey-Wikey? How did she not hear that nickname uttered once? That was so… adorable, if she was being honest. It made the big bad dragon look like such a goofy sweetheart. It…

Wait, did she just call him a sweetheart? And why was her heart beating a tad bit faster again? Flitter’s eyes widened as she squeaked. Her wings were twitching! Mayday, mayday! Imagine legs being bent back, and somebody getting their head lopped off—Flitter’s wings stayed folded to her sides. She sighed, and watched as Spike watched her internally battle herself, his body just a hoof away from being up against hers.

She looked at him like she saw a ghost.

He looked at her like he saw her picking her muzzle.

Rarity just continued boiling some water in the kitchen, humming to a tune that everypony should know.

As soon as Spike heard Rarity humming louder than usual, he dodged over to the table where Flitter was sitting and pulled up a seat next to her. “What the heck was that?” he asked.

Flitter straightened up in her seat and put on her best dramatic voice. “Oh, I’m quite certain I have no idea what you’re talking about… Spikey-Wikey.” Flitter chuckled a bit and winked at the dragon.

“Okay, laugh it up. Yes, it’s a funny nickname. You’re about ten years late to the party.” Spike shook his head. “I mean, I could always give you a nickname if you’re jealous.”

“Oh gosh, no,” she said, violently shaking her head. “Please. I had to deal with that all my life growing up with Cloudchaser. She had a different name for me every day it seemed, and most I can’t say in polite company.”

“I gotcha, I gotcha,” Spike replied. “...Flitter Flitter, Chicken Ditter.”

Flitter deadpanned. “Never say that again.”

Spike laughed a bit to himself. “Okay, okay, I promise. But for real, what was that line? ‘I wish you’d help me with what I needed’? I have legitimately no idea how to respond to that.”

“Oh you sweet summer child,” she replied, gently patting her hoof on his cheek. “I’m just being your marefriend! If I were to let you just walk in there with her and not say anything, she’d know we were faking. I was trying to play the whole ‘needy and clingy’ angle.”

“Ahh, yes, needy and clingy.” The dragon had heard tales of such a thing but had never experienced it in real life. “Good plan. I guess I still have quite a bit to learn about all these dating shenanigans.”

Flitter giggled. “That’s putting it mildly.”

“You’re not exactly batting a thousand, either. I mean, you couldn’t even admit that we kissed over that cupcake.” Spike crossed his arms. “I’m over here trying to sell our relationship and accept reality, but no, you want nothing to do with it.”

“It’s not that, it’s just… it’s complicated!”

What was wrong with this dragon? Did he not have the slightest understanding that once she admitted they kissed that’d be burning a bridge she could never build again? Once you kiss… the whole relationship arc changes. Kisses are what turn nice buddy comedy books into Rom-Coms. And she was not ready to be in a romantic comedy story, but she couldn’t quite shake the fact that her life was quickly heading that way. At this point, she was on the verge of just having to accept it.

And she’d probably need to if she was going to sell this relationship to the next four clue holders. It would be awkward, but she may as well get it out of the way now so they can move forward and get on each other’s nerves like usual again.

“I’m just saying,” Spike said with a smug grin. “The sooner you accept it, the happier you’ll be.”

“Well, I mean…” Flitter’s thought was cut short by the sound of Rarity’s hoofsteps approaching, about to enter in on their argument. “You know what, Spike? If you want a kiss, try this out for size.”

Flitter grabbed the dragon’s face and brought it to her own, planting her lips directly onto his. The dragon’s eyes popped wide open while Flitter kept hers closed and pushed into him a bit tighter.

His lips… they were… soft? But they were also a bit rugged, yet gentle. It was… it was… nice!

CRASH!

Flitter’s surprise kiss was suddenly broken up by the sounds of glassware shattering on a hardwood floor. She separated from the dragon completely, her cheeks flushed red, only to see Rarity standing in the kitchen entryway, mouth agape, a mass of broken teacups on the ground by her hooves.

Spike, meanwhile, was still left in the same position, eyes wide in confusion, mouth hanging open slightly.

Flitter decided to break the suspended silence. “You see, Spike,” she said, turning her head toward him. “That was a kiss.”

“That…” Spike muttered. He shook his head to try and let his brain matter wash away the shock. “That was definitely a kiss. I just, I can’t, I don’t—Woah.”

Rarity tried her best to break the awkward tension in the air by clearing her throat. “Well, my dears, I’m glad to know you had a, um, shall we say, enjoyable time while I was gone. I had some tea for you, but it would appear that the floor is enjoying it even more at this point. My apologies.”

“No, we’re sorry you had to see that, Rarity,” Flitter spoke up. “But you know how it is when you’re with somepony you love.” Flitter wrapped the still reeling dragon up in a tight hug. “I can just barely keep my hooves off of him.”

Spike let out a cough. “Flitter, ech, please stop. You're choking me!”

She immediately released the dragon at the sight of his normally purple facial scales turning into a deep shade of blue. “Oh, sorry Spike.”

Rarity chuckled and took a seat across the table from them. “I must admit dear, it is ever so adorable seeing you two together. I know you’ve waited a long time for this, Spike.”

“Heh, yeah,” Spike said while rubbing the back of his neck. “I really have been.”

Flitter blinked and looked at the dragon. “You have, Spike?”

The dragon didn’t say anything but instead gave a slight, embarrassed nod.

“Spike, dear,” Rarity said, looking at the dragon. “Would you please leave the room for a moment?”

“Huh?” he replied with a confused look.

“Flitter and I need to have a ‘mares only’ conversation.” Rarity smiled sweetly at the mare sitting across from her. “It’ll take but a brief moment, I promise, dear.”

This time it was Flitter’s turn to be confused… and slightly frightened.

“Oh yeah, sure,” he stated, rising up from his seat. “I”ll just wait outside until you come and get me.” Right before he walked away, Spike gently laid a claw on Flitter's shoulder and brought his mouth to her ear. “Good luck,” he whispered.

Flitter gulped as he walked away and she briefly turned her eyes toward Rarity, who was still holding the same smile from before Spike even got up. This was not good. She knew something. She found out their secret. Rarity was going to blow everything up and banish her to Tartarus for what she’s done. There could be no other explanation.

The time for death was upon her.

“So,” Rarity spoke up after the resounding click of the front door came to a rest. “How are you today, Ms. Flitter?”

Flitter felt her heart skip a beat. “I-I’m good. How about yourself, Rar-,er, Ms. Rarity?” That was strike one and the conversation hadn’t even started yet.

“Oh please, dear. We’re all friends here. Simply ‘Rarity’ will do.” Rarity gave her a sweet smile. “And I’m doing lovely. Thank you for asking.”

“That’s good to hear,” Flitter said, releasing a sigh of relief under her breath. “So, what did you want to talk about?”

Rarity cleared her throat and began. “Well, I’m glad you brought that up. I know you’re in a rush trying to win this scavenger hunt and all that, so I won’t take long. I just wished to ask you a simple question.”

Oh gosh, here it comes. The dreaded moment she was waiting for. The inevitable question that would most likely doom her to the bottom of the existence barrell…

“How do you actually feel about Spike?”

“Huh?” was all Flitter could muster after hearing the pointed question.

“Spike,” Rarity reiterated. “How do you feel about him? Have you known each other long? I wouldn’t assume so since he hasn’t mentioned you the last several times he’s been over, but I’m just curious is all.”

Flitter’s chest began to shake as her heart rate increased. What was she supposed to do? Tell the truth? She couldn’t exactly just throw down the fact that she was using him. That wouldn’t go over well. But… she was also beginning to wonder if that was the truth. They had only been together for a short time throughout the day, but she’s probably laughed more this morning than she had in the few weeks.

Maybe the truth… wasn’t exactly truthful.

“Oh, yes, of course,” Flitter piped up. “Well we’ve known each other for a little while, but we only started getting closer recently. As far as my feelings go…” Flitter sat up in her chair a bit and took a deep breath “I really really like him. He makes me laugh and actually treats me like I matter. Like, even though we haven’t known each other very long, he pays attention to me and puts me first. That’s not something I’m really used to feeling that much…”

Where did that come from?

“Well that’s simply wonderful to hear, darling,” Rarity stated, clapping her hooves together in delight. “As he may have mentioned, Spike and I go back a very long ways. We’ve been friends longer than I’ve been friends with most anypony else. He’s very special to me.”

Flitter nodded. “I could tell when we first walked in here that you two had something special. He just seemed so comfortable.” She felt a small twinge of jealousy build up in her chest.

“Oh yes,” Rarity continued. “We’ve been close for many years now. He used to have quite the crush on me, you know, but over time, we managed to grow into the best of friends.” Rarity hummed a brief but happy tune to herself. “He really is quite sweet. But, all of that considered, I’ve always waited for the day where he would finally find a mare to be in his life. And, as it would seem, he chose you. You’re quite lucky, you know.”

Lucky? He chose me? Well, that was only partially accurate as they both had a mutual agreement, but whatever.

“L-Lucky?” Flitter responded.

“Oh yes,” Rarity stated. “You see, something you’ll come to learn about Spike is that although he’s quite shy, you’ll be hard pressed to find another stallion, or much less a dragon, that is anywhere near as kind, thoughtful, and caring as he is. He would sooner give up everything he owned to help somepony before hurting another creature. He’s quite special.”

The way she was painting him up to be was like a superhero almost. Like she could see no wrong in him. This couldn’t be the same dragon that gave her a hard time over an accidental kiss. Or could it?

“Wow…” Flitter said. “I mean, I can tell he’s pretty special just from the time we’ve spent together. But to hear you say all that… I guess I really am lucky.”

“Oh yes, quite.” Rarity nodded. “You must understand something. As a member of the royal family, Spike receives date and even marriage requests left and right from mares all over Equestria who are more interested in his social status than himself personally, so the fact that he chose you tells me that you’re somepony very special to him as well, darling. For heaven's sake, the first words he said to me were him calling you his marefriend. You’re very special, indeed.”

Flitter sat back in her seat, the gears in her mind twisting and turning. Spike told her that he never had a real relationship before. All this time she just assumed he meant that nopony was interested, but instead it would seem that half the kingdom wanted a piece of his tail. Not only that, but the idea that ponies were only interested in him based on what he could do for them… was she any different? She didn’t really care about social status, of course, but she was still just thinking about her own personal gain.

She was the same as the rest of them. Yet, according to Rarity, Spike might actually think that she’s… special. She’d never been special to anypony before.

“That is… that is really good to know, Rarity.” Flitter emitted a small chuckle and dropped her eyes down to the table, feeling a bit too guilty for eye contact. “I’m really glad I ran into him by chance. I’m definitely lucky.”

“I'm glad you realize that,” Rarity said. “Because if you ever forget and/or hurt him in any way, I’ll be more than happy to sew your wings together like a freshly knitted scarf, are we clear?”

Flitter looked up, expecting to find Rarity laughing. But no, there was a dead serious look on her face that wasn’t going anywhere.

She gulped. “We’re clear, Rarity I promise.”

“Very good!” Rarity hopped up from her chair and levitated the front door open. “You can come back in, Spikey! We’ve just finished!”

The dragon walked back inside and took a seat next to Flitter again. He looked her up and down. “Wow, you don’t look so hot, Flitter. Everything good?”

Flitter merely nodded and made a poor attempt to put on a smile. Having your ability to fly threatened wasn’t something that would put anypony in a good mood. Not to mention the remnants of guilt she felt slowly welling inside her when she looked at him.

“Anyway,” Spike said. “I won’t ask about what you talked about. That’s girl business. But I am curious as to our next clue, Rarity!”

“Oh, of course, dear!” She said, taking a small folded piece of paper out of her pocket. “I nearly forgot. You two best be in a hurry. I’m afraid I took a bit more time with poor Flitter here than I meant to.”

Spike took the clue from her and hopped up from his seat. “C’mon, Flitter. Let’s hurry up and get to the next spot!”

He held out a claw to her to help her up from her seat. Flitter simply looked at his outstretched palm for a minute, a small smile starting to curl on her face. She gratefully took his claw and rose to her hooves.

“Bye Rarity,” Flitter said with a small wave. “It was great meeting you. Thanks for the… advice.”

“Later, Rares!” Spike called out as they headed for the door.

“Good luck, you two!”

And with one final resounding click, they had left the building and were about to open the next clue. As far as Flitter was concerned, with any luck, this next clue would be easier to stomach than the last one.

...Or at least she hoped.

Comments

[DarkDMan]

Can see it already, 6 clues, Mane 6? Even with Rainbow and AJ playing, that doesn't mean they won't go to someone who isn't close to Spike I some way.

Great job with Rarity and these whole chapter!

[FamousLastWords]

10227310
You're pretty close actually. And thanks for the compliment! Rarity is now and always has been one of my fave characters to write. I'm glad you're enjoying the ride so far!

[truenorth14]

This is good, I was very impressed by your Rarity.

[Ice Star]

Rarity was an absolute queen this chapter. It's always good to see her being an expert in social cues and helping out her friends. She certainly lived up to her Element here and her romantic expertise was very wholesome and realistic.